Chapter 14: Enforcing Justice

Grif let out a deep sigh, "As if things couldn't get any clear cut…"

I agree with the mercenary on this one; the lord wasn't even attempting to hide his corrupt behaviour.

When we returned to the town and asked around about the bandits, the townspeople told us that they had been a problem for them for weeks.

Not only did they robbed anyone that tried to leave or enter the town, they had also sabotaged their crops. As such, none of them had been able to leave the town in fear of getting jumped by them, and merchants had stopped visiting them because of them.

Despite their lord lending them aid, with no way to sell their wares and the backlash of the Waves, they were slowly being driven to the brink.

Then one day, the lord of a neighbouring town suddenly provided them with bodyguards to escort them outside the town; that had given them hope that they would be able to survive, only for that hope to be squashed almost immediately.

They soon turned out to be the same bandits that had been terrorising them and made off with more of their wares before disappearing into the forests.

As it turns out, those bandits happened to be the very same bandits we had recently captured; we even got them to confess to being hired by the lord to cause trouble to the town.

It became very clear that the neighbouring town's lord was the one responsible for all the troubles the town had been facing; from the lack of merchants to the sudden spike in bandit activities.

Itsuki, being the justice obsessed person that he was, immediately decided to march into that town and teach that lord a lesson.

And after entering said town, it was made increasing clear that its lord was a real piece of work.

Not only were we taxed heavily upon entering, the residents of the town looked to be on edge; none of them dared to raise their heads when we walked by, as if they were afraid that we would do something to them if they did anything at all.

I highly doubt the presence the large griffin walking next to us was enough to warrant such fearful responses; these were people living under oppressive rule.

"Looks like even his own town is suffering under his rule." Trish noted in disgust.

"That evil fiend will not get away with this…!" Itsuki growled, "He will face justice!"

"I agree!" Eclair nodded with just as much vigor.

"And how are you planning on doing that?" I asked, "Don't tell you're going to just barge in!"

"Of course not! We're gonna to collect some more evidence first."

"So you're still going to barge in…"

Still, unlike back when that noble kidnapped me, there doesn't seem to be any people in need of rescue; so I guess charging in and arresting him before they could cover their tracks would be most optimal solution.

"So what are we looking for?" Grif asked.

"We need proof that he is indeed corrupt and abusing his authority." He explained, "Bribes, backdoor dealings, unreasonably high taxes, those kind of evil deeds."

"Those aren't easy to uncover, but…"

Judging by the vibe the town was giving off, it wouldn't be surprising if the lord's men were openly abusing the locals for shits and giggles.

We decided to split up to cover more ground; Grif would go with Eclair to check out the town's market district to see how the townspeople were faring, while Itsuki went with Trish to look for any sign of any illegal deals.

Meanwhile, I would keep an eye on the lord's mansion to see if he made any suspicious movements; as well as survey for a possible entry point.

"Wait, wouldn't you be the most in danger out of all of us!?" Itsuki noted, "Let me do that instead!"

"No offense, Sir Itsuki, but you are the last person that should do this."

If there was a word to describe the Bow Hero, stealthy was not one of them.

"I'm the only one among us that could do this without alerting the lord to our presence." I explained, "And I'm also the fastest, so I'm the most likely to be able to get away if I was to get spotted."

"Even so…"

"You can trust Liya on this one." Trish assured him, "H-She is only one among us best suited for this job."

"…I see. Very well, just promise me that you'll be careful."

"Duly noted."

After agreeing to convene at the tavern we were staying at by sundown to share any information we got, we all went on our way.

After walking about the market district, Grif was made well aware how bad the oppression the lord had on his people.

Each stall we passed by, they were greeted with fearful glances; it was clear that the residents here were living in fear, not knowing when their lord would punish them for some whimsical reason.

Though, it could be because of Talos; the sight of the griffin strolling with them would draw some ire and fear.

"Excuse me. I want to ask you some–and they're gone."

The disguised knight walked up to one of the residents in another attempt to get some information on the town's current situation, but they were quick to leave before she could get a word in.

"That's the fifth one already." She sighed, "We are getting nowhere with this…"

"I think just seeing all of this should be enough evidence for the Bow Hero." Grif noted.

"No, it's not concrete enough." Éclair told him, "The lord can easily wave it off as some gang terrorising the people."

"That's true…"

With the sun beginning to set, it wouldn't be long for them to reconvene with the rest of their party; and with no proof for them.

Unless they witness that the lord's men physically terrorising the populace, they had no proof that–

"No, stop! You have to pay for those!"

"Huh!? Why should I!?"

Almost on cue, they saw a group of armored men, most likely the town's guards, that were just munching on some fruits from a stall; the seller looking incredibly distract by their actions.

"Hey! I'm working hard to protect this town; can't I at least have some fruit as reward for my hard work!?"

"B-But those are my most e-expensive produce! I could barely pay this month's t-taxes!"

"And why should I care!? Besides, it's your fault that you are showing all these delicious fruits in front of us; how are we supposed to resist?"

"That's enough!"

Éclair interjected before Grif could do anything to stop her; stomping up to them, she pointed at them with a fierce scowl.

"Éclair, wait–"

"You are the protectors of this town, and yet here you are harassing them like common thugs!? Have you no shame in your actions!?"

"Honor? In fact, who the hell are you!?" Their supposed leader shouted at her, "Don't you know who you are talking to?"

"As the matter of fact, I do; you are a bunch of ill-disciplined knights that are abusing their authority over the populace." She growled as she drew her sword, "As a fellow knight, I'm giving you a chance to leave with your heads held high."

"Oh, we have a regular vigilante over here." He laughed, "Look, girl; unless you want to stay in this town undisturbed, you don't want to mess with us–GAH!"

Without any warning, Éclair rushed forward and cut the hand of the guard clean off with her sword.

"M-My hand…! You bitch…!"

Grif let out a groan at her actions and the consequences for her acting so rashly.

The mercenary was made aware of her identity as a knight and a fugitive under false charges, so he understood why she acted this way.

Heck, it was why he was partnered with her to begin with; to reel her in before she did anything that would complicate their affairs.

'Well, too late for that…'

"You need any help?" He asked her.

"No need." She told him as she swung the blood off her blade, "I can handle them no problem."

"Grr…! Don't just stand there! Arrest her!"

The remaining knights quickly drew their swords and charged at her.

The first one got parried before getting stabbed in his shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon; his comrade came at her with a stab that was swiftly avoided before his back of sliced opened.

With a quick lunge, she got up close to the now frightened leader and pointed her sword's tip at his throat.

"Hiee!"

"Last chance; leave, or else a hand wouldn't be the only thing you'll be missing."

"G-Grr…! You won't get away for this!"

Grif couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the most cliché response he had ever heard as he watched the leader ran away, with his goons not too far behind.

"You do realise that we just drew the attention of the lord now." He told Éclair.

"I know; but if I just let those bastards be, I won't be able to call myself a knight."

"Yeah, go figure."

'A knight, through and through.'

Still, at least now they had proof that the lord was openly abusing his power.

"Are you okay?" She walked up to the seller and took out her wallet, "Let me compensate for all the fruits they taken from–"

"Y-You have to get out of town, now!"

The seller was shaking, his eyes widen in fear; the rest of the people present in the district were just as frightened as him.

"Those are the l-lord's men." He stammered out, "O-Once they heard of what y-you have d-done, they will h-hunt you down a-and…"

Éclair placed a small sum of coins on the stall's counter as she gave him a smile, "We'll be fine; we are strong."

"E-Even so…"

"We should head back." Grif stated, taking note of the red hue of the evening sky, "The others would be waiting for us."

"Right, let's go." Éclair nodded before turning to the seller, "And you don't have to worry about the lord anymore; we'll take care of him."

"H-Huh?"

Without another word, the two left the district and headed to the tavern.

The lord's mansion was easy to spot, with how much that gaudy overly extravagant building stood out among the common buildings of stone and wood; and it being the only building in town that had a metal fence surrounding it.

Fortunately for me, there were plenty of alleys around it that made it easy for me to sneak around it; and it gave me a good view of the mansion's overall structure, at least of the outside.

For now, as the sun was beginning to set, I had barely seen any movement aside of the guard changing shifts.

"Guess the lord's playing it safe today… hm?"

A well-dressed couple ran up to the fence doors, the wife holding a straw bag in her hands; they were immediately stopped by the guard behind the fence.

"Halt, state your name and purpose!"

"Tell your master that the Ivyred has returned with payment!"

"Ah, yes. My master had been expecting you. Please wait right there."

The guard left his post and entered the mansion, before returning with what I assumed was the town's lord; his extravagant attire was a dead giveaway.

He walked up the fence with a dirty grin, "Ah, you have returned quite quickly. I trust you have my money?"

"Yes! This is all of it!"

The noble snatched the bag out of the wife's hand, opened it and scanning its contents, "Well, well. Quite a feat to have gathered so much in so little time, Lord Ivyred."

"Then release my daughter!"

"Ah, no can do." He told them with a slimy sneer, "You still have to pay the interest fee."

"I-Interest!? That's not what we agreed upon!"

"Yes, you did. It's written in the contract."

"You bastard!"

The man reached out through the fence, but he was quickly pushed to the ground by the guard.

"Dear!"

"Grgk…! At least me see her!" He shouted at the noble as his wife helped him to his feet, "Let me see Rishia!"

"Ah, ah. No payment, no daughter. But don't you worry; I'll take good care of her till you pay it all back."

"DAMN YOU!"

The noble let out a laugh as he turned his back on the couple before returning back to his mansion; the husband grabbing the fence in sheer rage as he screamed at him with all his might.

"Ugh… Rishia…!"

Looking at the scene, it was blatantly obvious what had happened; the lord had forced them into debt and taken their daughter as collateral until they pay it all back.

And going by what I just heard, he had no intention of giving her back; most likely she was the target to begin with.

"This lord sure is despicable… wait…"

Wouldn't their plight be considered definitive proof that the lord was corrupt and abusing his authority for less-than-moral reasons? Especially with the kidnapping.

Although it would complicate things, the thought of that bastard getting away with it drew an ire from deep within me.

"Excuse me! May I talk to you for a second?"

Without a second thought, I walked out of the alley and up to the weeping couple.

"Can I have a refill?"

"Coming right up!"

After her mug was quickly refilled with ale, Trish took a quick sip as she kept her ears fully opened.

This had been third pub she and the Bow Hero had been loitering for the past several hours now, and they had yet to get any information of any illegal dealings being done by the lord; all they got were the general public complaining about their lord.

Though, they did hear how badly the lord treated his people; from his unfairly high taxes to stripping away the fortune of anyone that dares challenge his authority under the pretence of criminal charges.

'I'm surprised this had gone on for so long without the crown noticing…'

"What an evil bastard…" The Bow Hero growled, "I'll be sure to put the fear of justice into him…!"

"Right, right; just calm down for a moment." She told him.

She was well aware how obsessive the Bow Hero could be with punishing 'evil' people; not a bad trait on its own, but pairing it with his desire for glory made it much more dangerous.

At least he tried to see the whole picture before making any assumptions; he would have sided with the rebellion back in Frenca if that was the case.

'Still, the increased taxation wouldn't be enough for them to condemn him.'

Raising taxes wasn't uncommon or illegal, especially when given the right circumstances like the Waves for example; accusing him of that would only at most bring up an investigation of their tax paperwork, which were easily forged and covered up.

The same would happen if they tried to go for the whole false punishment angle; he could easily come up with a laundry list of petty crimes to justify all the money he took.

What they need was something concrete, something that proved with absolute certainty that he had been abusing his authority—

"Man, our lord sure is a crafty one!"

"You said it, sir!"

The commotion from a nearby table caught their attention; judging by their attire, the men looked to be merchants of some sort.

The eldest among them laughed as he drank from his mug, "To falsify a job request under their name and use that as reasoning to force them to pay for his 'aid', such an ingenious plan!"

"Should we really say such things out loud?" One of the merchants asked as he looked around, "What if someone overheard?"

"Even if they overheard, there's nothing they can do about it." His friend told him, "Lord Gregory have all the paperwork to disprove it all possible claims."

"He really thought of everything."

"He wouldn't be able to pull the wool over the crown for so long if he didn't think that far ahead."

"The chief really made a right move to accept that favor; we have made so much gold!"

"Heh, best decision of my career."

"You know, I feel kind of bad for that town. They were such nice people."

"Oh, cease your bleeding heart; how can you make a profit if you keep letting sympathy get the better of you?"

"Yeah, but still…"

"Zip it. I don't want to heard another word about it."

Going by their conversation, there was no doubt in Trish's mind that these merchants were being bribed the lord; probably to keep them from trading with the town they were in.

'That would explain why they suddenly stopped showing up.'

"Speaking of which; chief, what did the lord ask you about?"

"Oh, nothing much; something about finding a buyer for the girl."

"Girl? Oh, the one he took as 'collateral'?"

That immediately got their attention; a captee wasn't what they were expecting from this at all.

Though she wouldn't put it past that lord to use the excuse of a debt to take the girl, especially if the rumors of how he used the law to deal with any possible challenge to his authority.

"She definitely would be worth couple of gold for her face alone."

"Most definitely; chief, let's find a brothel to buy her."

"What, you fancy her, already?"

"Come on, you saw her figure under those clothes of hers."

The conversation was starting to get too crude and too disgusting for her liking and gave her a reason to leave the pub; they had all the information they need and more.

'Though with the addition of a captee would complicate things.'

Taking a glance at the Bow Hero sitting opposite her, his expression was of a kid who just heard that the fair was in town.

Trish had to resist the urge to slap the Hero over the head before pulling him out of the pub with her.

With the sunsetting, I returned to tavern and convene with the rest of the party to share what we each had managed to gather on the lord's wrongdoings.

Unsurprisingly, we managed to find more than enough to convict him.

"The lord is definitely a scumbag." Éclair growled, "His men were just harassing people left and right; the most disrespectable bunch of knights I had the displeasure of knowing."

"That's true." Grif nodded in agreement, "Also, we might have alerted the lord of our presence; Éclair here chopped one of his guard's hands off."

"They were abusing their authority for kicks! As a fellow knight, I cannot let such a thing go unpunished!"

A groan escaped my mouth; I had long expected that musclehead would do something like this, though I had hoped that Grif would be able to reel her back in time.

"Too late for regrets, now." Trish sighed, "Though it would definitely complicate the plans even more."

"What do you mean?" The mercenary asked, "What did you find out?"

"Well, it turns out that the lord is overtaxing the people." She explained, "He even stripped the fortunes of people that doesn't fall in line using the law."

"Seriously!? What a real scumbag…!"

"And that's not half of it. He had even bribed the merchants to not go to the town."

"That's not all." Itsuki added, "He has also captured a girl as collateral for a false 'debt' and is even planning on selling her; that poor girl must be so scared right now."

"Oh, this made explaining things easier."

They all turned to me at my words, which I proceeded to explain what I had learnt from the couple just before coming to the tavern.

As it turned out, the couple were the lords of the town we were just in; a poor noble house that goes by the family name of Ivyred.

One day, the corrupt lord came to their town and offered to give their town aid in exchange for their daughter, which they immediately declined.

Unfortunately, it only increased the bandit activities; thankfully, some adventurers came by and dealt with the bandits, but the bill from the Adventurer's Guild showed up asking them to pay.

It soon turned out that it was that lord that had put in the request under their name; and he used that bill which they were unable to pay for to take their daughter as collateral for the debt.

"They came by the mansion with money to pay back the debt, but the lord just said they had to pay interest as well."

"It's clear that he had no intention of releasing their daughter." Grif noted, "He's probably going to keep increasing the interest and drain them dry."

"That's the most discriminating evidence we've gotten of that lord's wickedness." Éclair noted, "If we inform the crown about all of these, he would have no way of sweeping it under the rug."

"What… What a bastard!" Itsuki growled, "To think someone would this evil–"

"Liya, what's their daughter's name!?"

"Huh?"

Trish's sudden shout caught me by surprise, as well as everyone; I had never seen her act in such a manner before.

"Liya! Her name!"

"Oh! Um… I think it's Rishia–"

"Rishia!? A-Are you absolutely sure that's her name!?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so."

"Urgh! Son of a–! Of all the people to get…!"

"…Are you acquainted with the captee?" Grif asked.

"More than that." Trish sighed, "Rishia Ivyred was my junior back when I was attending the academy back in Faubrey."

"Sounds like you two are close." I noted.

"We were more than close; we were the best of friends. The last time I've heard from her was when she had to drop out due to being unable to pay the school fees."

"Talk about a small world…"

To think that Trish would be close friends with the captured noble girl.

"We have to rescue her! There's no way I'm letting that bastard sell her away!"

"I agree with that notion!" Itsuki stated, "As a Hero, I will not let such evil acts go unpunished!"

I had the feeling he would be more than happy about this situation; rescuing a damsel in distress was a common trope among the many hero stories.

He did go to that noble bastard to save me when he heard I was kidnapped; though I was no damsel in distress, or a damsel to begin with.

Though now that the captee in question was one of Trish's friends, there's no way I was going to let that lord get away with all he had done.

"Guess that's settled, then." Grif noted, "How should we approach this?"

"Sneaking in would not be an option now, seeing as the lord is aware of us now."

The guards that Éclair had a scuffle with no doubt had reported her actions to the lord by now, and now they were aware of us.

The disguised knight looked a bit downtrodden at my words, "…sorry…"

"Not to worry; for I've already have a plan!" The Bow Hero proudly proclaimed, "We just need to create a diversion to draw their attention!"

"And how do you suggest we go that?"

"Well…"

The words that came out of his mouth next made me reconsider letting the Bow Hero make any more of our battle plans in the future.

*BOOM*

"Come out, you foul bastard of a lord! Come out, and face justice's wrath!"

"KAA!"

Even from a distance, I could hear the glee in Éclair's voice as she paraded herself out of her disguise in front of the lord's mansion's destroyed metal gate, alongside Taleos and Grif.

At least they managed to attract as much attention as they possibly can with that endeavour, seeing as almost every guard in the mansion all rushed forward to deal with them.

It allowed the rest of us to snuck by them and entered the mansion without much trouble.

"Got to say, I was not expecting this to work." I pointed out.

"Told you." Itsuki gave me a grin that just screamed cocky.

His plan was very simple; we split into two teams, one to act as decoys to attract the guards while the other sneak into the mansion and rescue the noble girl.

The decoys were pretty obvious; Éclair and Grif stood out the most among us even without Talos; and the fact that Éclair's face was well-known from all the wanted posters would work to their advantage.

Originally, I thought this plan would not work, seeing how obvious what Éclair and Grif were trying to do; and no matter how incompetent the guards would be, they would see through it in no time.

But now?

"Take them down! Don't let them–GAAAHH!"

"Hah! It would take more than a bunch of chums to stop us!"

"…She's totally having the time of her life out there." Trish noted.

"Yes. Yes, she is." I sighed.

Now I wonder if it was due to us attacking at sunrise and more than half the guards were either still half asleep, or that the guards the lord hired were just that incompetent.

I was leaning more to the latter.

"Any idea where that bastard is keeping her?" Trish asked.

"We can't afford to search every room." I noted, "But if I were to guess…"

If he was as crafty as they say, the lord would have assigned at least a guard to keep her from doing anything foolish, and to take her away if any suspicions arose around her.

So, all we need to do was to find an out-of-place guard, and we'll find the girl.

After relaying that information, we began our search; sticking to the walls and shadows in order to lower our chances of getting spotted by the panicking servants.

A few minutes of searching later, as the sun began to rise past the trees, we saw the room.

"Look! Over there!"

Sitting in front of a room was one of the guards; and he was sleeping on the job with the way he had his helmet covering his eyes as well as the snores coming off him.

"Talk about lack of tension…"

How did he not hear the commotion Éclair and Grif were causing!?

Sneaking up to him, I grabbed a pellet and crushing it, letting the powder cover my hand before closing it around his mouth and nose.

At first, he freaked out and struggled against my grip for a moment, before powder kicked in and his eyes rolled back and he fell limp.

With the obstacle now gone, we were quick to open the door to the room; only to find it locked.

Trish quickly checked the unconscious guard before letting out a groan, "Urgh, he doesn't have the keys."

"We don't have time to look for them." I stated, "Guess there's only one thing to do."

After taking a few steps back, I slammed my shoulder into the door as hard as I could, knocking it off its hinges and onto the ground.

The room was barren, with nothing in terms of furniture; there were hardly any windows either, the only one being the small porthole at the top of the wall.

"F-Fueh!?"

And the only occupant was a scared green-haired girl huddled up in the corner of the room.

"Rishia!"

"M-Miss T-Trish…?"

My partner ran up to the girl and pulled her into a tight hug, "You really can't seem to keep out of trouble, Rishia."

"Y-Yeah…" Rishia returned the hug, "But why are you here?"

"I came here with the Bow Hero to rescue you."

"FUEH!? T-The Bow H-Hero!?"

Itsuki took this chance to walked up to the girl and held out his hand, "It's all okay now, Rishia Ivyred."

The girl looked almost entranced at the scene, especially with the rays of the rising sun coming out of the window behind him; if I would to guess, the girl seemed to be getting a crush on him.

Looking rather hesitant, Trish gave her a look of assurance before the noble girl grabbed the offered hand and helped up to her feet by him.

"T-Thank you…" She stuttered out with a blush.

"No need for thanks; I'm just doing my duty as the Bow Hero."

Rolling my eyes at his words, I turned to the Bow Hero, "We need to leave, now."

"Right. Miss Rishia, can you walk?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Then follow in close–"

"No one's going anywhere."

We turned around at the sudden voice, and saw the corrupt lord standing there with around a dozen guards all pointing their swords at us.

"Tch, I have a feeling it have been too easy…" I noted.

"All that distraction and effort just so to rescue this girl? Ha, the Ivyred household must be richer than I have thought." The lord scoffed.

"Fueh…"

Trish was quick to get in front of Rishia, while me and Itsuki covered her flanks.

"Any ideas, Liya?" Trish asked me.

"None at the moment…" I replied.

While I could use my knock-out gas pellets to knock everyone out, the confined space we were in meant that we were in danger of getting knocked out as well.

"Hey, you people; how much is that poor baron offering you?" The lord asked us, "I can easily double, no, quadruple the amount he's paying if you work for me instead."

"We're not interested in your dirty money!" Itsuki shouted at him, "And I am well aware of all your evil deeds! You overly taxed the people of your town, have your guards oppress them with violence, abuse your authority for your own selfish gains, and even dared to kidnapped this poor girl with a fake debt!"

"Wow, quite a lengthy accusation." He noted with a grin, "But so what? Do you really think the crown is going to hear you, some ruffians, over a noble like me?"

"Ruffians, huh? Is that who you think I am?"

"Huh? You sure talk quite arrogantly for some backwater adventurers. Guards! Apprehend them! If you accidentally kill them, it is fine!"

The guards all rushed forward at us with their swords ready to strike us down.

"Shooting Star Arrow!"

And with one powerful skill, Itsuki completely sent them flying away from the aftershock of his attack; it left the lord standing there in utter shock and horror.

Seeing the confidence on his face turned into sheer terror was quite amusing.

"W-W-What in the…!? Who the hell are you!?"

He strutted forward with a proud grin as he raised his bow and loudly proclaimed, "I am Kawasumi Itsuki, the revered Bow Hero and harbinger of all that is just and true!"

"T-The BOW HERO!?"

I found myself gagging at the cringy words coming out of the kid's mouth, which were even more cringy than before; and I could see how much he was enjoying himself.

"And don't bother trying to weasel yourself out of this." He told the lord, "We have already sent word of your deeds to the crown along with all the proof. You will face punishment."

"Grgk…! HIE!"

Panicking out of fright, the lord turned and book it down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him; he was pretty fast for someone with scrawny legs like his.

"S-Shouldn't you go after him?" Rishia asked worriedly.

"Nah, leave him." Itsuki told me, "There's nowhere for him to run."

I nodded in agreement of that sentence; Grif and Éclair were still outside, so he would definitely run into them.

And even if he didn't get caught today, he would be put on the wanted list, so there's nowhere for him to run.

"Come on." Trish told Rishia, "Let's go see your parents."

"Rishia!"

"Mama! Papa!"

Seeing the girl reunite with her parents brought a smile to my face; with how happy the couple were, it was definitely worth the trouble.

It made me think about gramps for a moment; I wonder how he was doing now?

"Good for you, Rishia…" Trish muttered with a melancholic look on her face.

"Trish? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." She assured me, "It's just… it reminds me of my own parents, is all."

"Ah…"

Like me, Trish had lost both her parents; one to sickness while the other to poisoning. Looking at how happy the Ivyreds were must have brought out some memories about them.

I placed a hand on her shoulders and pull her into a one-armed hug; hopefully I was able to comfort her a little.

"Oh, thank you, Sir Bow Hero!" The father, Lord Ivyred walked up to the Bow Hero and started shaking his hand profusely, "Thank you for saving our daughter!"

"It's no big deal; I'm just doing my duty!" Itsuki told him, "But please keep my identity a secret; I'm trying not to create much of a fuss."

"A-Ah, yes! I understand."

"And you don't have to worry about the lord; I've made sure the crown is aware of his misdeeds. He will not trouble you and your family anymore."

"Thank you! You have done so much for us!"

"It's all in the day's work for a Hero!"

Grif scooted close to me and whispered, "Seriously, how is he not flinching saying all that?"

I shrugged my shoulders in response, "At this point, I can hardly be bothered by it."

With the afternoon sun now high up in the sky, after we bid the Ivyred family farewell, we left the town in a hurry; Itsuki wanted to leave the town before our identity was known to the whole town, especially Éclair's considering her current status as a fugitive.

He sure was determined to keep his identity as the Bow Hero on the downlow as long as possible.

"Where shall we go next?" I asked once we left the town.

"Hm… that's a good point."

…So, he had no idea where to go next… Go figure.

And judging by how everyone in our party including me have their palm to their face, they had the same feeling as me.

The Bow Hero looked to the side sheepishly before adding, "L-Let's drop by the next town over and see if they have an Adventurer's Guild there."

"Yes. Let's."

At least that's a start.

"W-Wait! Please wait!"

"Rishia?"

We turned around to see the same noble girl running up to us, a small satchel in her hands that was definitely filled with coins if the sounds of clanging metal were of any indication.

"Rishia, what are you doing here? Weren't you leaving with your parents?" Trish asked.

"I-I was. But…" She took a few deep breaths before saying, "I wish to join your party!"

"…uh, what!?"

Everyone was caught completely off-guard by her words, especially Trish.

"Rishia, that's crazy!" My partner cried out, "This isn't just some adventurer party; we're fighting the Waves of Destruction! It's too dangerous for you!"

"I'm aware of that! I know I'm too weak, and I may be a burden! But even so, I wish to be of help to the Bow Hero in any way I can!"

"R-Rishia…"

"Excuse my bluntness, but that's not good enough." I stated.

Nothing against the poor girl, but her joining the party might not be best for anyone involved; it was clear that she wasn't the strong will type, which would be a huge liability in battles.

"I agree with Liya." Grif nodded, "Spirit isn't enough to survive on the battlefield; those people are usually the first to get killed."

"But we could train her up." Éclair noted.

"Even if we trained her up till the next Wave, it wouldn't be enough for her to be strong enough handle herself in combat; let alone a world ending disaster."

"Ah…"

"Please, Sir Itsuki! I will do anything!" Rishia pleaded with the Bow Hero.

Itsuki looked rather conflicted, even against the idea like me and Grif. He turned back to Rishia, the poor girl on her knees and dirtying her dress on the dirt road.

"…fine. You can join."

"Sir Itsuki! You can't be serious!" I cried out.

"How can I say no to someone as determined as her?" He stated, "Relax, all we have to do is raise her level and she'll be fine."

"Right…"

Now I was skeptical if our party could survive the next Wave…

…
To be continued…

This chapter was hard to write! Like, damn!

So yeah, this is the chapter where Rishia officially joined the party; I could already hear the Rishia haters complaining in the reviews now.

Also, Season 2 has officially come to an end, and with quite the lackluster end, considering how they spedran 4 vols of content in 12 ep.

Quite a letdown, unfortunately… season 1 had did quite well, too.

With that, I thank you all for reading this!

*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.