Chapter 18: An Unexpected Development
As soon as the last of the false bandits were all tied up, we and the knights quickly made our way to the manor to report to the lord about the battle, and what we had uncovered about their true identity; it was a major issue on international affairs, after all.
""Hurray for the knights!""
""Thank you, Bow Hero!!""
Though it was hard to head there when the citizens of the Lukwad had gathered onto the streets to congratulate us on our victory; due to the fault of one of the knights loudly proclaiming our victory the moment we entered the gates.
Not that any of them disliked the attention they were receiving, many of which were even enjoying the moments of fame as they waved back at the civilians while we slowly paraded down the streets.
Itsuki was especially ecstatic with all the gratitude being thrown his way, his smile widening each time his title was being cheered out by the citizens.
It was a huge departure from the look he was giving Rishia just moments prior, one of malice that he had assumed no one had taken notice; except I had noticed it before he could hide it behind a controlled smile. And as far I know, I was the only one that did.
I had known that he was someone that actively seek both the recognition and glory of a hero of justice, to be praised highly by the populace like the legendary heroes written in the heroic tales of yore.
I did not expect for him to seek it so badly that he would be envious of anyone else receiving the same praise that he wanted, let alone to desire harm on them for doing so.
Though it was likely due to the fact that it was Rishia that was the recipient.
It was clear that he had been viewing the noble girl differently compared to the rest of us, like he was looking at someone else through her. And it had bothered him to no end whenever she received compliments or encouragement from us.
At this rate, there was a good chance that the Bow Hero might do something to her that would either hurt her to no end or scar her for life.
Before that could happen, I had to at least try to talk him out of that mindset and hopefully steer him away from self-righteousness.
"Hehehe… so soft…"
"Kwaaa…"
Though that was a problem for another time, for I had to first have to deal with the problem in front of me; namely a heavily drunk Trish that was being carried by Talos.
Due to having consumed my experimental magic potion, not only did it restore her magic power, the alcohol contained within had overloaded all her senses and caused her to become nothing more than a giggling drunk; rendering her pretty much unable to move on her own.
Thankfully, none of the knights had took notice of my partner's current unflattering state of being, shrugging it off as her exhaustion catching up to her; with one kind soldier handing us a potion to help her recover.
On a side note, I now know that I would need to either dilute the Ruolu Fruits even further or replace it with a less alcoholic alternative.
"So, what are we going to do with her?" Eclair asked, "She's not exactly in the right state of mind to meet the lord."
"Relax, I know of a special concoction that would sober any drunkard right up." I told her, "I already have the materials for it, so I can easily mix it up before we met the lord."
"Why do you have such a thing?"
"Sadeena. Sadeena is why."
"Sadeena…? Ah, that heavy drinker demi-human lady you complained to me about before?"
"Yup."
When you have a friend/older sister figure who could quite literally drink her weight in alcohol, it didn't take long for you to find a way to keep her from both getting you involved in her drunken escapades and get her sober as fast as possible.
For me, it was to create a potion that would sober up any drunk in any level of inebriation; it actually sold pretty well when I put it up for sale, though it was really expensive to make so I rarely was able make any to sell.
The downside to it was that they would have an intense hangover immediately after sobering up; though how intense it would be often fluctuates depending how much they had drunk before taking the medicine.
Though I believe Trish shouldn't have it too hard, considering how she got drunk in the first place.
…though maybe I should have that painkiller at the ready.
I was right to prepare the painkillers.
"Urgh, hangover is a bitch…" Trish groaned while massaging her temples in hopes of reliefing the headache, "I should have known that potion would do something weird…"
"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that…" I handed her the painkiller pill which she swiftly popped into her mouth, "I didn't think that it would… well, that."
"At least you are presentable now." Grif noted, "Heavens forbid if you make a fool of yourself in front of lord."
Thankfully, the lord seemed to have some things to take care of first, so his aide had directed us to wait for him in a separate room, giving me plenty of time to make and administer the sobering potion on Trish.
And the side effects were… intense to say the least.
"On that note, that is quite the sobering potion." Grif noted, "I know of a few acquaintances of mine that would pay in gold for such a thing. You can make a fortune selling these."
"I could, but the price for the herbs used are expensive, not to mention hard to procure." I told him.
BOOM*
"I can never thank you enough, Bow Hero!! You have saved our town!!"
The lord excitedly and very loudly thanked us the moment he burst into the waiting room, his complexion already looking brighter than it had when we first met.
"It was all in the day's work for a hero like me!" Itsuki told him with a wide grin, "But we couldn't have accomplished it without the aid of your knights' valiant efforts."
"They would be honored to receive such praise from you, Bow Hero."
"Milord, there's also something else." His aide told him.
"Sir, there's something you should be aware of about these bandits." Grif told him, "It is as we guessed, they are soldiers in disguise."
"Really!?" The lord cried out, "D-Don't tell me… S-Siltvelt…?"
The mercenary glanced at me and I nodded in acknowledgement, "They were speaking in the Siltvelt dialect, so that is likely to be the case."
"Gah!! That's not good!! Not good at all!!"
"Milord, please calm down."
"Calm down!? How can I calm down!? This could spark another war with them!!"
"Only if you allow it." Trish pointed out, "So far, the consensus among the public was that they were bandits and NOT soldiers. As long as that remains the truth, it should buy you some time to get to the bottom of this."
"R-Right! Right… we need to keep this under wraps…" The lord nodded in agreement, "At least until Her Majesty returns…"
"Why not inform the king?" Itsuki asked, "He's still the regent, right?"
"No, telling him will result in a war." Eclair told him, "His Majesty has a strong dislike for Siltvelt, so if given the chance…"
It was well known fact that the current king had his misgivings against the demi-human kingdom, going as far back as the Great War decades prior; it didn't help that his only son was rumored to have been killed by their ambassador several years ago during a peace conference.
If he found out that soldiers from Siltvelt had attacked the border, it wouldn't be a surprise if he would use it as an excuse to personally staged a 'retaliation' against them.
"So… we have to keep it quiet?" The Bow Hero stated, "Just report it as a bandit attack and nothing else?"
"Pretty much, yeah." The former knight nodded.
"…Very well; you have my word!" He noted as he thumped his chest with his fist, "I'll carry this secret to the grave with me!"
"…There's no need for the dramatics…" Trish sighed in annoyance.
After receiving more heartfelt thanks and many more congratulations from the lord, we swiftly made our way out of Ludwad and back towards Castle Town.
At least, that was the plan until Itsuki decided that we would take a detour towards an area nearby to hunt monsters; in order to raise Rishia's level more in time for the next Wave was his explanation, one that most of us reluctantly accepted.
With the Wave mere days away, it would be in our best interest to raise our abilities as much as we were able when we could; and Rishia was in need of more levels compared to the rest of us.
So, we spent the next couple of days doing what the Bow Hero called 'grinding for levels', an accurate term for what we were doing as we slain at least several dozen monsters. By the time night rolls around, most of us had raised our levels several times while Rishia was quickly catching up to us.
Though after she reached level 60, the noble girl then hit a bottleneck of sorts, her growth slowing to a crawl with her barely managing to raise her level once past it by the time the sun had set on the second day.
"This is… rather strange." Eclair noted, "I'd never seen someone requiring this long to level up before."
"Same here." I nodded, "I mean, I've heard that some people have more difficulty to gain levels, but it is usually not this hard."
"Fueh… I'm sorry…" The noble girl whimpered.
"There's nothing to be sorry about, Lady Rishia." The mercenary told her as he slowly stirred the pot that contained our dinner, "Different people grow at different rates; you just happen to take longer than most people."
A look of contempt was quickly masked by a soft smile as Itsuki told her, "…Grif is right, Rishia. You don't have to rush to accommodate us; keep to your own pace."
"B-But… the Wave is only a couple of days away… and I am still n-not…"
"Then we'll make do." I told her, "After all, we took out that legendary Elder Grim Wolf, and it had to be many levels higher than any of us."
"Indeed." Eclair nodded, "Real strength doesn't come from levels alone; it comes from knowing how to apply your strengths in the best way you can."
"E-Even so…"
"Rishia, there's no point in beating yourself over something you can't control." Trish stated as she patted her on the back, "Who knows, maybe you can gain a couple of levels in the Wave itself."
Considering the amount of monsters spewing out from those cracks, I wouldn't be surprised if it would be enough for her; I personally gained several levels from the two Waves I was involved in.
"…alright, if you say so…"
"Okay, dinner is served!"
Steaming bowls were distributed to each of us, Grif joining us with a bowl of his own moments later; it was a kind of soup made using spicy fermented veggies as its base, giving it a rather dark maroon colour.
"This is… an interesting stew." Itsuki noted, "What is it?"
"It's a recipe I've picked up from a soldier friend a while back; something he had cobbled up on the fly into something edible." He told us, "It's not the most appetising looking, but I can guarantee it will not make you want to vomit it out."
"T-Then why did you have to say it like t-that…?" Rishia grimaced.
"It can't be as bad as whatever Trish makes." I pointed out, ignoring a disgruntled cry from my partner at my comment, "And it does smell good."
I put a spoonful of it into my mouth and was immediately met with the pungency and sourness of fermented vegetables along with an intense spiciness as I forced myself to swallow it down; and it was followed by a rather delectable aftertaste.
And giving me a rather strong craving for more as I spooned more of it into my mouth, "Yeah, if you get over the sourness and spiciness, it actually taste pretty good."
The rest of the party looked at me for a moment, before digging into their respective bowls; their face contorted in intense pain at first, before having the same revelation as I did and began eating more.
"Never though a stew could hurt so much yet taste so good." Eclair noted.
"Indeed, this is quite a novel dish." Trish noted.
"I'm not a fan of spicy food, but this really makes me want to change my mind about it." Itsuki noted.
"Can tell me the recipe later, M-Mr Grif?" Rishia asked.
"Sure thing." Grif nodded, "And you can just call me Grif, Lady Rishia."
The rest of dinner was spent with we were enraptured by the novel flavour that was Grif's spicy soup.
"Zzz…"
"…just how is he sleeping so soundly in that?"
"It is a mystery…"
Itsuki and I took the first watch of the night, leaving us to tend to the campfire under the starry skies while the rest snoozed away; with the sight of Grif in full plate armor while lying atop of his mount continuing to be baffling to me.
Because sleeping in metal armor could not be comfortable to anyone, yet this mercenary had managed to do so to the point that his snores were echoing out of his helmet.
"Come to think of it, I don't think any of us have saw him without that helmet." I pointed out.
"…yeah, you're right." Itsuki agreed, "He never took it off for anything, even when he is eating."
"Now I'm really curious… Want me to take it off?"
"As tempting it may be, let's not; he must have his reasons for not removing it in our presence."
"Yeah, I guess that's true… and it would be a huge breech of his trust."
"Indeed, it is."
With that little discussion settled, we went on to our respective work to spent the night away; the Bow Hero staring into the empty air while I busied myself with my mortar and pestle grinding up dried herbs for my new pellets.
I had used up my special pellets fighting against the Elder Grim Wolf, so I was in need of a restock; thankfully, I already have the required materials for at least several dozens more along with a few experimental ones I'd thought up just moments ago.
One of them being something Culann had brought up couple of years ago as more of a joke than an actual suggestion; a potion that you could simply throw at the injured during combat to heal them instead of having them drink from the bottle.
Though that was secondary to the real reason I'd chose to accompany the Bow Hero in the first watch of the night.
"Sir Itsuki, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Do you have something against Miss Ivyred?"
"…eh?"
That question had caught the Bow Hero completely by surprise with how he had flinched upon me asking that, though it was quickly covered up with a fake and forced smile.
"What are you saying? I bear no ill will towards her."
"I have seen the way you look at her the past couple of days. And earlier today, you looked like you wanted to kill her."
"T-That's ridiculous. I would n-never even considered doing t-that."
With how defensive he was in denying my accusations, it was clear that he was just saying that and not meant any of it ; though I do believe that he wasn't the type to actually kill someone for such a petty reason as not liking her getting compliments.
But it still didn't change the fact that there was something he didn't like in the noble girl; and it was starting to affect him in a negative way. And he didn't even realised it yet.
"Sir Itsuki, I don't know why you hate her that much, but that needs to stop; such animosity towards a fellow party member is a recipe for disaster in the long run."
"But I-I…"
"Miss Ivyred has been trying her hardest since she joined us and doing the best she can to be someone useful to you. I might be overstepping my boundaries here, but there is no reason for you to dislike her this much."
"I-It is not like that…! I don't dislike her…!"
"Then why do you—" A thought came to mind, especially with how he was looking at the noble girl, "…does Miss Ivyred perhaps reminded you of someone else? Someone from your world?"
"H-Huh!? That's n-not…!!"
That was the only way in which his animosity towards her would make any sense; perhaps an acquaintance that he had bad blood with and seeing Rishia getting the glory he wanted was like seeing that person taking it away from him.
Still, what kind of person were they for them be like Rishia and yet drew his ire this badly…?
"I know this much is obvious, but Miss Ivyred is not whomever you're associating her with. They are two very different people."
"No! Liya, you've got it all wrong! That's not why…!"
"So you admit that you have misgivings about Miss Ivyred."
"Grgk! That's… I-I…"
It was clear that the Bow Hero wasn't comfortable with sharing the reason for his animosity towards Rishia; most likely it had to due with his own personal history. I almost felt bad for dragging it out of him like this.
"…Sir Itsuki." I placed my hand on his shoulder, "I swear to you, none of whatever you will say will spill to anyone. This will stay between the two of us, alright?"
"Y-You swear?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die."
It was the reason I didn't just ask him in front of everyone; it was also not to discourage Rishia and lower her confidence even further. The poor girl's motivation was for his acknowledgment, after all.
"…alright." The Bow Hero took a deep breath before turning to face me, "Rishia… reminded me of my past self."
"Your past self?" I enquired, "So, you were as jittery as her once?"
"Something along those lines, yes. Back in my world, I was just as weak as her, if not more. Because of that, I was bullied by others stronger than me. Day in and day out, they would pick on me relentlessly, all because I was weak. And I couldn't do anything about it."
"That's… really awful…"
There were always such people everywhere, those who flaunt their strength by pressing down on the weak; I was in a similar situation once until Culann came along, so I kind of understood what he had gone through.
Guess he never got someone like that in his world.
"Rishia reminded me a lot of those days, and yet unlike me, she wasn't picked on or ridiculed for her weakness. Not only that, she was encouraged when she doubted herself, and even got praised by many. None of which I had ever experienced. It… doesn't seem fair. Why doesn't she face the same hardships as me…!? Why do I have to suffer when she doesn't have to…!?"
"Then… it was not that you are unhappy that she received praise… it was that she hadn't suffered like you had…? Or rather… you are envious that she didn't."
So the animosity that he had been directing towards the noble girl was just jealousy? Jealous that we helped her out instead of bullying her for being weak?
"Sir Itsuki. Pardon my bluntness, but that is an extremely childish reason to hate someone."
"Yeah, now that I've said it out loud, it is a pretty childish reason to dislike someone."
"I mean, why are you jealous over Miss Ivyred for not suffering as much when you are the reason for her good fortune."
"Huh?"
Itsuki saving her from that corrupt nobleman was the catalyst that led to Rishia joining the party to begin with; if not, she would have been sold into slavery and endured an even worse fate than just getting bullied.
In other words, the whole reason that the noble girl had not suffered and even gotten stronger was thanks to the Bow Hero's heroic actions that day.
"If you think of it like that, doesn't your jealousy of her seems rather pointless?"
"…yeah, you're right. After all, I am the one that changed her fate!"
"Uh, I wouldn't exactly say that…"
"Man, now I felt stupid to even be envious of her!"
This was not exactly what I was going for, though it appeared to have the intended effect I was after at least; not the most ideal conclusion, but it would have to do.
As long it could stop Itsuki's illogical animosity towards Rishia.
The next day saw us finally returning to Castle Town via the Bow Hero's teleport Skill; grasslands shifting into stone-paved streets in a flash of light that was as blinding as it was disorienting.
After reporting to the king about the whole bandits situation, while hiding the actual truth of it all, Itsuki had declared that today would be our rest day; for each of us to go about our day at our own pace and to meet back up in the inn by sundown.
Eclair, being the musclehead knight that she was, decided to take up residence at the inn's backyard and work on her swordsmanship, while Grif took the time to groom Talos in the inn's stables, the griffin enjoying the company.
The Bow Hero himself had taken to keeping to himself in his room as he sort things out; something along the lines of sorting out Drop Items and Job Levels, whatever that meant.
I was originally planning to finish up with stocking up my pellets, but instead I got dragged along by Trish into town with her and Rishia, the former noble had decided to head for the captial's magic shop we had passed by a few days prior.
"Why are w-we here?" Rishia asked.
"Since we can't raise your level that much, you should at least learn a few more spells to compensate." Trish explained to her, "And it would be beneficial for both of us increase our repertoire of spells for the upcoming Wave."
"But then why am I here?" I asked, "Last I've check, I don't use magic."
"It doesn't hurt for you to learn a couple of spells." She told me, "And you do channel magic when you craft those magic potions, right? That should make it easier for you to learn."
"Yeah, I guess?"
"Ah, welcome! How may I help you today?" An old lady in black robes greeted us when we entered into the store.
"Yes, do you have magic books on support magic?" Trish then tapped her hand on my shoulder, "And could you also check out her affinity?"
I glared at her with half-lidded eyes at her little jab which she ignored; though she was definitely enjoying it as apparent as the little grin she had went she said so
"I believe I do still have several of them in the shelves over there." She told her, "As for her, please wait for a moment please."
Leaving me at the counter, Trish pulled Rishia along with her as they browsed the bookshelves they were directed to; the old lady returning to the counter moments later with a crystal ball in her hands.
After a brief chant, she had me looked deep into the now glowing ball, before turning to me and said, "You have the affinity for Light magic."
"Oh, that's… nice…?"
"You don't seem all that pleased, missy."
"It's more of that I'm not sure if I should…"
I honestly wasn't sure if this was good or bad, though when light magic was mentioned, were usually associated with healing magic, so I guess it would be useful for potion making in the future; maybe I could start on researching the famous elixir with it.
After a while, Trish and Rishia returned to the counter with a small stack of books in the former's hands; a mix of support and attack magics of all kinds. I then relayed what the old lady had told me.
"Is it good?" I asked.
"Well, for you, perhaps." She explained, "Spells of that affinity is usually more on the recovery and support side; though I believe they do have some attack spells."
Then it was perfect for a support like me. I guess it was a good thing after all.
After paying the old lady for the books and the evaluation, we left the store and returned to the inn, and joining the rest of the party in the inn's backyard; where Grif and Eclair had taken to sparring with each other.
Sitting on the curb, we each began reading up on the spells in the books we had just purchased; at least they were, while I was just looking the foreign characters on the pages trying to understand any of it.
I had known that magic wasn't easy to learn, but I was not expecting for there to be a completely different writing system involved in it.
"Uh, Trish? I can't understand any of this." I told her.
"Eh? Ah, right. I forgotten that you need to know how to read the magic letters…" She noted with a sheepish laugh, "You first have to sync your magic power with the words on the paper."
"Sync my… what?"
"Y-You have to f-focus on your magic p-power on the p-pages." Rishia explained.
"So… something like this…?"
I did as they instructed and focused my magic power on the page I was on; the effect was instantaneous as the words on the paper began shifting into something more eligible than the previous gibberish of strange letters.
"I am the source of all power, heed my command; shine brightly and blind my opponents! First Light!"
"Guah!!"
After reciting what was written out, a bright light shone out from my hands, causing everyone in the courtyard to cover their eyes from how blinding it was.
It had the unintended effect of causing Grif's attack to miss its mark and ended up striking into Eclair's shoulder and drawing blood.
"Oh, crap! Are you okay!?" The mercenary asked worriedly.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. This is just a scratch." Eclair assured him.
"Sorry, my bad." I quickly flipped through the pages in the magic book, "Give me just… a moment… ah, here we go. I am the source of all power, heed my command; stitch it up and restore it back to its original state. First Light Heal."
My hand glowed and the small injuries closed up in a flash of light, leaving not a scar behind.
"Damn, you learn quick." Trish noted, "Though you always were a fast learner."
"That is an odd feeling." I noted, "But it will definitely come in handy in the future."
We spent the rest of the day learning as many spells as we could memorize while Eclair and Grif sparred with each other to their heart's content; giving me plenty to practice my healing spell on.
Looking back on it, it might be the best decision I have ever made for the battles to come.
…
Once night descended upon us, we all headed for the nearby tavern for dinner; the same tavern we dined a month ago when Mald and his cronies were still members of the party.
And we weren't the only ones dining at the same tavern that night either.
"Oh, Ren."
"…Itsuki."
I like to believe this was sheer circumstance that the two Heroes came to the same tavern on the night before the Wave, but considering that it was the exact same tavern a month prior, I highly doubt it.
If anything, this tavern was probably the only one they were aware of in the whole capital.
Though I noticed that the Sword Hero was looking a little out of sorts from when I saw him last; his normally stoic and aloof expression had been replaced with one that just screams guilty conscience.
My eyes met the ones of the mage Farrie as I pointed at her leader with raised eyebrow, and only got a shrug in response.
Guess even his own party wasn't sure what was wrong with him; though considering the distance between them and their leader, I found it unlikely that he even would share his troubles with them.
"So that's the Sword Hero…?" Eclair asked me.
"Yeah, the one and only." I nodded.
"He's even younger than Sir Itsuki…"
"He might be the youngest among the Cardinal Heroes."
Though I wasn't completely sure about the accuracy of my assessment, seeing that there were outliers like me and Culann when it came the difference between actual age and physical appearance.
For all we know, he might be as old as the Shield Hero.
"Oh, Ren! Hey there!"
"Motoyasu."
My thought process was cut off when the Spear Hero also entered the tavern, Malty and his gaggle of cheerleaders following close behind; Trish and the princess giving each other a heated glares and were only moments away from devolving into an exchange of insults.
Looked like this tavern really was the only one known to the summoned Heroes.
"And… hey, Itsuki."
"Hey there, lolicon."
The label the Bow Hero gave the Spear Hero caused him to flinch, like it was the worst possible thing to say about a person; considering what happened days prior, it was something to do with his apparent infatuation with young girls.
Recalling that scene made me take a step away from the blonde man's general direction, the rest of our party following suit much to the confusion of the Sword Hero.
"Uh, is there something I am not aware of?"
"Only that Motoyasu is not adverse to wooing little girls."
"…I'm sorry, what?"
"W-Wait a minute, it's not like that!"
Ignoring the attempts the Spear Hero tried to defend himself, we all sat down at the tables that were the closest to each other; they then flagged down a nearby waitresses who was more than happy to take our orders.
After the waitresses headed straight for the kitchen, the Sword Hero turned to the Bow Hero, "I've heard you have been going around spreading rumors that Naofumi is actually innocent, Itsuki."
"Ah, yeah; I have been doing that." He nodded.
"Wait, those were actually true!?" The Spear Hero cried out, "Why would you do that!? That bastard isn't innocent of anything!! He has slaves for crying out loud!!"
"I don't want to hear that from the one that tore up the pavement and endangered innocent bystanders."
"T-That was a sanctioned match! And I was trying to free poor Filo!"
"…okay, I am going to need context on this; what exactly happened in the last few days?" The Sword Hero asked.
With an annoyed sigh, Itsuki explained, "In an attempt to free one of Naofumi's 'slaves', Motoyasu attacked him in the middle of the streets and caused a lot of collateral damage in the process."
"Again, we have permission from the crown!!" The Spear Hero cried out, "And it was for a good cause! That bastard has been forcing poor little Filo to pull his carriage by herself!! I have to save her from his evil clutches!!"
"Filo is the name of his filolial steed." I clarified for the Sword Hero's party, "She has the ability to change into the form of a little blonde girl with wings on her back."
They all quickly shifting away from the Spear Hero's general direction as their party leader turned to him with sheer disgust, "…Motoyasu, even if this is another world, there is still an age limit for—"
"Like I said, It's not like that!! I'm not a lolicon! I just have a thing for angel characters! Filo just happen to fit that category!"
The two Heroes simply looked at him with disgust and with accusing glares that got him to flinch; even the princess and his entourage avoided eye contact with him.
"A-Anyway, we are veering off-topic!!" He then gave the same accusing glare towards Itsuki, "Why are you spreading lies about Naofumi being 'framed'? You know that he was guilty, proven beyond any doubt!"
"…I did believe that, at first." Itsuki noted, "But looking back, a lot of the evidence were mostly circumstantial at best; plus that was a lot of proof that he was set up."
"T-That's bullshit! What reason would they have to set him up!?"
"Motoyasu, this kingdom views the Shield Hero as the religious enemy." Ren stated, "But they can't openly attack him without causing a war with another kingdom so they have to make him out as the bad guy."
"Y-You're making that up! Naofumi is the bastard that assaulted Malty!"
"That's right, Lord Itsuki!" Malty chimed in with teary eyes, "That evil Shield Hero is the one that…! that…! Oh, just thinking about is…!"
The Spear Hero quickly pulled her into his arms and comforted her, "It's okay, Malty; he can't hurt you anymore…"
"Oh, Lord Motoyasu~ I always feel safe in your arms~"
"Hngk!!"
Trish made it a point to loudly gagged in the most overly dramatic way possible, drawing ire from the princess as she glared at her with a snarl.
"Is there a problem?"
"Yeah, the stink of your pretentious bullcrap is making me want to puke."
"Oh? Are you sure it isn't your own poisonous breath? The Bow Hero sure is tough to withstand its potency for so long."
"Please, my own poisonous breath can't be worse than the stench of the raggedy, slimy, overused, rotten hole that you call a—"
"And that's enough for you tonight."
"Trish, p-please c-calm down…! Everyone is l-looking at us…"
I swiftly covered up Trish's mouth before she could finish the insult; my partner struggled against my hold while Rishia tried desperately to calm her down from her tirade.
All the while the other patrons of the tavern were looking at us in a mix of baffled and bewildered; some of the female customers had gave Trish a thumb's up when the princess wasn't looking.
"Itsuki, please keep your party in line." Motoyasu stated with a frown, "And keep your head straight. Naofumi isn't the good guy you think he is."
"…if that's what you want to believe, then fine." Itsuki sighed, "But know that the truth will come out, and justice will be served."
It took a lot of effort to resist the urge to cringe at the extremely cringeworthy phrase that came out of the Bow Hero's mouth; though Rishia seemed to think otherwise with the sparkles in her eyes.
Love truly was blind.
…
To be continued…
New year, new chapter!
So this chapter is a chore to write up, especially the scene with Liya and Itsuki; trying to make the interaction between the two not come off as forced is hard. The end result felt more like an interrogation, but I guess it is fine, I guess…
I was originally intended for this chapter to be the Wave, but as things went along, it ended become more of a filler chapter so I just went with it.
But the next chapter will be a doozy, as we will soon reach one of the most intense turning point of the series. And boy do I have many plans for it.
With that, I thank you all for reading this!