Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter and providing feed backs.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
Cross posted on AO3, for anyone who prefer that site.
Malty expected someone to run up to the Throwing Weapon Hero, and punch him in the face if not worse. His arrogance, and his stubbornness had clearly angered the followers of both the Shield Hero and the Spear Hero. Not to mention that Naofumi himself is furious at the idiot. But she didn't expect one of the Throwing Weapon Hero's own companions would do the job for Naofumi. But then, she narrows her eyes and looks at the young white tiger's expressionless face. She might be a slave now, but she didn't forget anything she learnt by observing her parents' court as a royal princess.
"Why, Brother? Why did you hurt Master Tairou?!" By comparison, the white tiger girl clearly doesn't understand her brother's action. Her eyes quickly jump between her brother, and the young man lying face down on the ground. "After everything he done for us-"
"Lord Shield Hero is angry at Master Tairou. He might mean well, but he's clearly not doing the right thing, and he isn't calming down. I stopped him from making himself look even worse in the eyes of his hero." The white tiger boy bends down, and heaves the unconscious man over his shoulder. As he stands up, he gives another nod towards Naofumi. The Shield Hero returns his nod, clearly not allowing his annoyance at the Throwing Weapon Hero affect his opinion of the idiot's companions.
The white tiger girl accepts her brother's explanation. She turns her face towards Naofumi, gives him a death glare and hisses. "I wonder why. If he throws Master Tairou's help back to his face, he clearly doesn't deserve Master Tairou's respect."
The Shield Hero didn't let the white tiger girl's attitude bother him. Naofumi clearly has more important things to worry about. He turns his face to look at both the old woman, and Mala. "Do you know what would be the best style for us to learn? Ma'am? My fellow heroes did some training together before the Third Wave. We know we need proper guidance with our technique. Ren and Motoyasu found their teachers thanks to their weapons, but Itsuki only knows how to hide behind us and shoot, and I only know about standing in front of an enemy and tank damage."
Mala didn't say anything, but her eyes clearly looked towards the old woman who was a rival to her own teacher. Well... if she is called 'of Technique' by Mala, that gives her some credence to guide the heroes. The old woman faintly nods her head along, her facial expression looks between being thoughtful... to fallen asleep standing. After a few moments, she opens her mouth. "Yes... I can see the spear boy having some training with how to use his weapon. And Rav's kitten wasn't wrong when she said the four of you aren't fit to walk the true path of martial arts. But some basic martial arts training will do all four of you good. There might come a time when you can't rely on your hero weapon, and knowing how to use your body as a weapon itself can save your life in a pinch."
Chapter 8: Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger
Motoyasu immediately turns his head to look at Naofumi. No doubt, even the somewhat dimwitted Spear Hero is thinking about the time Naofumi lost his shield. Naofumi also nods his head. Being the victim of Lautrec's fucking goddess, he must have a more clear understanding of the old woman's suggestion after experiencing hell for almost a month. "Do you have any specific suggestions? What style would fit the four of us? Where can I find a good teacher?"
"I can help you with that, my king." To Malty's surprise, the old woman isn't the one to answer Naofumi's question. Everyone turns their attention towards Kael'thas as the phoenix prince opens his mouth. "I do not like giving recommendations that point you to the territory held by the Azure Dragon clan. But Siltvelt's Midland province is the home to the 'Vigilante Hermit Tower', the greatest martial arts academy of the world. Every style is freely practiced, and taught by the instructors. If you wish to pick any martial arts lesson to train your own bodies, you, and your fellow heroes will find help there."
"Oh, hohoho~! What is that? Did my ears deceive me? I could have sworn one of the birdies said something nice about us." A rather arrogant sounding laugh can be heard from the tree lines, taking everyone's attention away from Kael'thas once again. Malty notices the corner of the phoenix prince dips down the moment before she averts her eyes from Kael'thas. The newcomer was the young looking woman with long black hair that was looking at Naofumi and his fellow heroes while licking her lips upon her arrival. A small retinue of young, beautiful looking women with weapons follows her. But they aren't the only group to 'grace' Naofumi's presence. No, Malty is much more well acquainted with the second group, as they are led by Prince Tact of Faubley. When mother brought Malty to meet her uncle, she had a brief meeting with the adopted son of King Egbert. The time she spent with Prince Tact wasn't long, but she remembers his impulsive, and smug nature well. Not that many young scions, adopted ones especially, would have the guts to openly flirt with the unwed wife of their fathers.
"What do you know? I guess the 'baby phoenix' of Silver Moon can give credit when it's due." Kael'thas squeezes his fist tightly together at Tact's taunt. Thankfully, the phoenix prince didn't rise up to their bait and lose his temper. While he is technically still a Siltvelt noble, having already pledged his service to Naofumi would make the Shield Hero look bad. Seemingly bored with Kael'thas' lack of response, he turns his smirking face to the old woman following the Throwing Weapon Hero. "Ah, Master Elrasla. Fancy meeting you here! I thought you decided to retire after training a perfect successor such as myself."
"Oh, please. I'd jump out of my own grave just to train another disciple if you are my sole legacy." The old martial artist rolls her eyes. Their words could be taken for some good natured ribbing between a pair of very close teacher and student. But the way the old woman's face tightens, and the sudden loss of any mirth in her voice tells Malty that's very much not the case. If anything, from the tone (ignoring the content, of course) of their conversation one would assume Mala was the proud student taught by the old woman. The princess turned slave briefly felt a moment of enlightenment. If the old woman is this annoyed at Prince Tact, who happens to be a (Vassal) Hero... perhaps this was the reason that she was so ready to accept Mala's explanation on why legendary heroes make for poor martial artists. She already trained an example that proved Mala's point. The old martial artist isn't done, as she points her finger towards the direction of Naofumi and Motoyasu. "The only one with any hope to be the next master of Hengen Musou style is her."
Malty turns her face towards the old woman's finger tip, and then does a double take. The princess turned slave knows the old martial artist's candidate would never be herself, since she already walks the path of a mage. It's another way of life that would require the dedication of a single lifetime, and still would be nearly enough to achieve true master of the craft. But she still feels bad seeing the old master pick Katarina Claes, of all people. Not that Malty doesn't accept the choice... considering the feat Katarina demonstrated before, and during the Third Wave (she killed one of the leviathan monsters with her Kamehameha attack, after all). But it still feels like a slap to the face to be surpassed in one area by someone she has known since childhood, who she always had a sense of self-assured superiority towards. Not to mention, she had chances to win Katarina over to her side with them being childhood playmates. Yet, she let the prodigy slip through her own fingers and fall into the grasp of Iris Amelia.
"M-me? Are you sure?" Katarina blinks a couple of times and points her finger at herself. For anyone else, it would look false. Either an act of mockery, or a bad attempt at fishing for more praise. But from someone as simple-minded (but not dimwitted! By the Chief God who is trying to get her killed, Malty would never consider Katarina dumb ever again!) as Katarina, it looks genuine. "I'm not very good at anything. I can only make a little dirt bump with my earth magic. I kill any vegetables I try to grow. And I do great-great-great missing a few great grandpa's Kamehameha attacks completely wrong. I can't actually be good at something."
"Don't sell yourself short, Katarina. If you aren't good at a lot of things, that means you must be very good at a few things." Motoyasu leaves Naofumis side and puts his hand on Katarina's shoulder as a sign of support. "I know you work hard every day to help us fight against this Wave of Catastrophe. And even if you aren't naturally good at something, you could be our 'hard working genius'. Someone who is good at something through dedication!"
"The spear boy isn't wrong." The old martial master lets out a mirthful chuckle even as Katarina stares at Motoyasu with twinkling little stars in her eyes. Yet Malty can't help but notice a dirty look Atla is shooting Katarina while everyone's attention is away from her. "For a style like Hengen Musou that requires years of dedication to build up a steady foundation of one's life energy, dedication and hardwork is more important than any raw talent. You are the direct descendant of the legendary Son Goku, no? That means you have likely followed the basic creed of Hengen Musou style since childhood even if you have no understanding of the principles behind them. That means out of everyone present, you have the best chance to go forward with the Hengen Musou style."
"Oh, sure. The monkey girl who has the foundation for it. But she has the talent to truly be a master? There is only one Son Goku in the world. Not even his sons achieved what he did." Tact let out a derisive snort, showing as much insight as Malty did earlier in her life. And speaking of herself... The Whip Hero turns his attention to Malty instead. She could swear that the eyes of the arrogant fool twinkled as he saw her. "Ah! Princess Malty! Sorry I have not paid you proper respect earlier. I expected to see you in this Hero Conference. Why, your beauty is still as brilliant as the last time I saw you."
And your idiocy and smugness is as incandescent as our last meeting too. That's the thought that echoes in Malty's head. Of course, she doesn't throw it into the face of the adopted prince. She bows her head low, averting her gaze from the whip hero. She feels a shadow casting over her head and body, after giving a small sideway glimpse, Malty realized that Naofumi had taken a protective step over her. "I'm afraid you are quite wrong in assuming my current identity, Your Highness. I have pledged myself as an indentured servant to Lord Shield Hero. And after the accident that ruined my face and took one of my ears, I'm sure you would only find me grotesque if you saw my full face."
"Nonsense! Scars are easy to take care of when you, or I, are one of the heroes. I'm sure I can easily spare a vial of Yggdrasil Potion for you, if you are willing to leave a hero that can't protect you, of course." Malty can hear the scoff coming from Prince Tact. "Tell me, Lord Shield Hero. What good even is a Shield Hero, if you can't protect someone from harm?"
Naofumi immediately dips his head low. Malty knows that he is biting his lips from the inside with the way his lower face twitches. Naofumi still needs to work on his patience, especially that temper of his if he wants to truly play The Game. But there's very little derision and taunt that could truly make him feel regret. Unfortunately, his failure to protect his friends and followers is a very reliable way to do so. Malty quickly takes a step forward, standing in front of the Shield Hero. "My scar has nothing to do with the Lord Shield Hero. I burned myself as a disguise so I wouldn't be recognized by the rebelling members of Three Heroes' Church and their lackeys."
Prince Tact looks like he is about to start something else, but the long haired woman quickly cuts him off by speaking first. Surprisingly, all Tact did was smirk and take a step back, letting the woman have the metaphorical stage than making a scene at her stealing his thunder. It's not easy to act even more arrogant than someone like Tact. He is the adopted prince of the strongest nation in the world, and he is one of the Vassal Heroes. Yet, with the way she paraded along the ground like a monarch filorial who won Zeltoble's annual race, this woman manages to one up the smug lecher. Her red lips part ways slightly, morphing into a smirk. "There is no need to make any scene, scars are not forever. Not to someone like me anyway."
"Be very cautious with this one, my king." Malty could hear the cautious voice of Kael'thas. "This is Lady Lung. The current lady of Azure Dragon Great Clan. She is both the Claw Hero, and the current title holder of 'Invincible Dragon', Azure Dragon Great Clan's strongest warrior. And don't let her youthful face mislead you, she has been alive since the last hero summoning."
"Ah, the baby phoenix of the Vermilis. Fancy meeting you here." Lung acted as if she only noticed Kael'thas at this moment. The eyes of the phoenix prince twitches, clearly not happy at her intentional snubbing. Or perhaps the dragon lady truly didn't notice him due to her arrogance. In which case... It's no doubt even more insulting to the prideful phoenix prince. But he didn't explode like he does with most other people. Seeing Kael'thas' silence, Lung continues. "The feather borns always work fast just like what your kind did with the last Shield Hero Mikage Mikami. Yet the question remains... When the mantis preyed on the cicada, it did not realize a sparrow was behind it. And the sparrow did not notice a hunter's arrow pointing at it. I, the Princess of All Dragons wonder... are you the mantis, or the sparrow?"
Malty narrows her eyes. Regardless if Lung truly noticed Kael'thas or not, the taunt in her words is clear enough. Unlike a lot of other topics during her studies, Malty did pay (some) attention to the unique, and chaotic political landscape of Siltvelt. The crumbling mess of great clan alliance pretending to be some empire is... interesting, to say the least. She knows all fifty-six (fifty-seven, if she counts the remnant of Q'ten Lo) great clans have their own pride, and among them, the four 'holy' are the most incandescent. While all four families tend to display their arrogance in different ways, the azure dragon family tends to act in the most straightforward way: They consider themselves the uncrowned royalty of Siltvelt. Masters of land, air, and water. And judging from the way this current 'Invincible Dragon' acts and speaks, Melromarc's record of the azure dragon great clan wasn't biased at all. The princess of all dragons isn't leaving any dignity to Kael'thas in their conversation, in spite of them technically being on the same level of social rank.
"Don't get too cocky, Lady Lung. Your mother might have been 'loyal' to King Mikage, but her constantly enabling his bad habits, rather than properly advising him, was also the reason why the Great Conqueror met his end." The Phoenix Prince narrows his eyes. "As for you... you should show our king proper respect regardless of what your mother did. I could not help but notice that you haven't even properly addressed Master Naofumi."
"Better the Great Conqueror's enabler, than his kidnapper and would be usurper. Would you not agree, baby phoenix? You might believe being the early bird and winning over the favor of our new king would wash away your great clan's past sins. But once a traitor, always a traitor." Kael'thas didn't respond back to Lung's taunt. There really isn't much he could do or say with his great clan's past mistakes. As for the princess of all dragons, she turns herself around to face Naofumi, and Malty herself. The smirk on her red lips grows wider. "As for our current king. I see you work fast, and already won over yourself the hand of a princess. Honestly, I approve. But it's a shame that you would settle for something less than the very best."
Malty bows her head low. It infuriates her that she has to show submission to such an arrogant, uncivilized beast. Yet, she's no idiot. She neither has the social status, or the strength to act prideful in front of a hero who is over sixty years old. Not if she values her life anyways, which she does. But she feels Naofumi's hand under her arm, as the Shield Hero pushes herself up. "I like to think Malty is perfect the way she is, thank you very much."
"For a lesser being, perhaps. Oh, don't give me such a dirty look, Master Shield Hero. I only speak the truth. For you see, there is a very simple reason why we, the azure dragon great clan, is the rightful royalty of venerated Siltvelt in the absence of any Shield Hero: longevity. White tigers might be strong due to their greater limit, but they don't live any longer than a regular human. Scarlet sparrows can renew themselves through fire, but the ritual isn't always reliable. And the ebon turtles live as long as we do, but only we the azure dragon remain in our prime forever and they grow old quickly." Lady Lung twirls her body around on her long legs and dainty feet, showing off the confidence in her own figure. Personally, Malty thinks the princess of all dragons is on the slim side. But then again, she knows that by azure dragon's standard, they consider being slim to be the sign of true beauty. "Not to mention, as the princess of all dragons I have one major advantage compared to any other player in this game: I have dragons."
"I have birds." Motoyasu's response makes Malty turn her head towards the Spear Hero, and do a double take. Just when she makes the distinction that he is (probably) not actually dumb, he says something that's both completely surprising... and not very smart. The princess turned slave briefly wonders if he truly was acting silly again, or if he intentionally said something that sounds dumb on parchment to break Lady Lung's momentum with her monologue.
"Motoyasu... Do you know what we are talking about here?" Naofumi's face doesn't look any less bamboozled than how Malty is feeling. The Shield Hero closes his eyes, lets out a tired sign and reaches his hand up to rub his own temple.
"We are showing off our pride in our 'children', like when people show pictures of their children, or their pets on the phone. Aren't we? Oh, children!" Motoyasu's face looks as sincere as he looks innocent, he turns to address the filorial monarchs he raised. As one, all of them change into their big bird form. All of sudden, the rather empty looking field cleared up by Sadina and Theresa's battle looks very crowded. The Spear Hero still has no awareness of his actions, as he happily announces to everyone. "My children are like angels, and they block out the sun!"
"Motoyasu... adults are talking. Go play with your birds." Naofumi opens his eyes and waves the Spear Hero away. Motoyasu doesn't look angry or even annoyed at Naofumi's dismissive gesture. He lets out a brief 'okay', and leads the small army of his birds to the side and starts to pet them. The flock of filorial monarchs look ecstatic at his attention. They begin competing with each other to shove their heads in front of Motoyasu to receive his petting. Malty completely forgot how despite some of these bird's human form looking adult, all of them are only barely two, or even one month old. They are all technically children.
"Really? This is your most powerful ally? Honestly, I'm not surprised. The Spear Hero had never been the brightest among the heroes." Lung doesn't look too annoyed at her monologue being interrupted either. Her smirk towards Naofumi only grows larger, just like the Whip Hero standing a few steps behind her. "And this is the reason why I said you rely on lesser beings. Even the best among them: the princess of one of the strongest human nations, and a cardinal hero such as yourself are nothing more than clowns and jesters in this game. While I, the Princess of All Dragons, could give you much more than you could even imagine of. Fame, fortune, power to rule the world... and most importantly. The longevity for you to enjoy them all."
Naofumi narrows his eyes, not saying or doing anything at Lady Lung's temptation. So the azure dragon continues. She walks right in front of the Shield Hero, and leans her body right into his, resting one of her arms on Naofumi's shoulder. Her red lips blowing her breath down at the Shield Hero's face, making her intention clear. "You see, Master Shield Hero. Out of all four saintly great clans, we azure dragons possess an unique ability. By spending time with our designated lovers, we can pass some of our longevity, and our ability to stay in our youth down to them. Unlike these damaged goods you keep beside you, who would only become older and uglier and give you nothing in return, I can easily make you last two hundred, or possibly even three hundred years. If that dirty bow traitor didn't assassinate King Mikage, he could have easily lived, and stayed in his prime till now. And with the Great Conqueror around, there would not have been a need for anyone of you to be summoned. But what happened in the past stays in the past. And now... you have the same chance to enjoy what King Mikage couldn't... with me. All you need to do is to embrace what I have to give you. I wouldn't even ask you to kick away your broken little toy. I can accept her together with you. What would you say?"
"What would I say?" Naofumi narrows his eyes at Lady Lung, Malty can see a smirk forming on the corner of his mouth. "Living long and not worrying about old age is nice. But I'd rather not catch whatever you have, even with the benefit of longevity."
Did... did the Shield Hero just insinuate what Malty thought he did? Kael'thas actually let a snort escape from his nose, even if he tries to hide it with a fit of violent coughing. Tact on the other hand burst out laughter, his hands covering his stomach. The Princess of All Dragons, on the other hand... the way her facial expression changes looks like something on a stage play. Her look went from smug, to confused, a sudden realization and then equally indignant and enraged within a few seconds. "YOU- You dare to compare me, The Princess of All Dragons, to some disease riddled, two copper piece worth of harlot?!"
"That's what you meant when you said 'spending time with your designated lover', isn't it? Sleeping with you? Or let me be more blunt, bumping uglies with you?" Malty looks over towards Raphtalia, hoping her big sister Sadina did the right thing. The crazy nudist totally didn't, as she simply whistled at Naofumi's choice of crass words rather than covering Raphtalia's ears. The ten years old raccoon girl's face is bright red with how hard she is blushing. "Sounds to me like the change is brought by some kind of sexually transmitted disease, so I'd rather stay away from it. Living for two hundred, maybe three hundred years sounds nice, but I'd rather not risk myself."
"Not cool, man! Not cool! That's not a way to talk to a woman, especially one old enough to be our grandma, Naofumi. Even if you spoke the truth... you should at least make it sound nicer." Motoyasu stops playing with his bird children, walks up to Naofumi and gives the Shield Hero a heavy slap on his shoulder. If this is anyone else, Malty would take it as a sarcastic taunt meant to further enrage the victim. But since this is Motoyasu... She has the feeling that the Spear Hero was being 100% genuine. And in a way... that makes it even worse since he just called Lung a grandma with nothing but sincerity. While the Princess of All Dragons is certainly to be one to both heroes, she is still a young woman by azure dragon's standard.
Lady Lung lets out a rumbling growl. It sounds angry, rather than lustful like her previous action. Her long, slender fingers ball up into a fist, extend out again, and then balls up again for multiple times before she turns on her heel and strides away. Looking ready to break something, or someone. Deep down, Malty is glad that the Princess of All Dragons managed to hold herself back and not pick a fight with Naofumi in spite of his harsh words that's clearly designed to humiliate her as much as possible. If she really is over sixty years old and a vassal hero besides, Malty would rather not have a fight with her at this moment to find out the limit of a hero's power when they themselves hadn't had enough time to escalate to Lung's level. Prince Tact takes a few steps forward, stops at where Lady Lung stood before her abrupt departure. He smirks at both Cardinal Heroes before speaking. "It's good to see you two upstarts have some balls. I was afraid this Hero Conference would be boring. Now, I have no worries."
"Aren't you friends with her? You don't look upset with how I dissed her." Naofumi gives Prince Tact a puzzled look. Malty can admit that she is rather curious about it herself. She doesn't know the Whip Hero as much as Naofumi... or any of his fellow Cardinal Heroes. She might have met the Faubley Prince earlier in her life, but she didn't spend a lot of time with him thanks to her mother. With how Prince Tact flirted with her, mother was afraid the two of them would have started some scandal that would cause problems with her marriage to King Egbert. She was completely surprised at how he seems to be huggy, and kissy enough with a veteran hero like Lady Lung, even if he doesn't look concerned at Naofumi disrespecting her.
"Saying we are friends is a bit too exaggerated. More like friends... with benefits. Take it for what you will. And don't get me wrong, I want to see someone taking her a peg or two down. Her personality is only amusing in short bursts otherwise." Prince Tact gives a shrug to Naofumi as he turns away. "Well then... guess I'll see all of you tomorrow at the official Hero Conference. Don't disappoint me, heroes."
Malty lets a breath she's been holding out now that the Whip Hero also left. With how abrupt and close she had a brush with death again, she half expected either the Princess of All Dragons, or even Tact would have started something with them right after the Throwing Weapon Hero. And they are most definitely not ready to fight them head on at this point. But thankfully, both of them have more self-control than Naofumi's psychotic fan.
"I suppose this is also our cue to leave as well. Chief God knows the little ones caused all of you enough headache... and damage." The old woman cast a look at Naofumi's downed sworn shield. "The kid meant well... I think. But he really needs to control himself better. I don't know what an old timer like myself can help you with. Especially since my fighting style isn't the best match for all of you. But if you need something, give a call. It's the least I can do after the mess these kids caused."
"I'll probably take up your offer at some point." Naofumi nods his head, he seems to notice something as he casts a look to the white tiger boy carrying the unconscious Throwing Weapon Hero. Now that Malty notices it thanks to Naofumi, she realizes he is staring at Mala. "Can I help you with something?"
"I know I have no right to ask for this after Lady Sadina and my younger sister attacked you. But can I make a request?" The tiger boy received a curt nod from Naofumi. He gently puts the still unconscious Throwing Weapon Hero on the ground, takes a few steps towards Mala. Behind him, his sister immediately picks Sato's body up with her own hands, even if he is a little big for her smaller frame. The tiger boy either didn't notice his sister's action, or didn't care. He kneels down in front of her on one knee. "Will you teach us? Myself and my sister, how to fight as our own people? Father only taught us the basics before his death, and the rest of the white tiger great clan doesn't recognize our status. Master Elrasla has been training us in her ways, but her style doesn't go well with our nature."
Mala didn't immediately answer the white tiger boy, but looked towards Malty. Even now with her royal status taken away, Mala still considers herself a servant to Malty. The princess turned slave fully recognized that she didn't do anything to win over Mala's loyalty, and she had only her father's past action to thank. But she feels grateful for Mala's devotion all the same. She briefly considers the boy's proposal itself. To be honest, she wants Mala to reject it on account of the Throwing Weapon Hero tried to murder her, not to mention his companion tried to murder Naofumi. But can she afford to be petty when she already knows that the Wave of Catastrophe they are currently facing isn't simply a natural disaster. Some kind of demonic legion from another world is ready to kill them all? No, she can't.
The princess turned slave gives Mala a faint, affirmative nod. Her former maid seamlessly takes the cue and replies to the white tiger boy. "Of course. I will be glad to teach the young of my fellow clan and pass down what I know. I will not be able to train you properly with my broken arms, but it should still be good supplement training to both of you in addition to whatever Master Elrasla planned."
The white tiger boy looks grateful, but his face quickly turns to exasperated dismay when his younger sister speaks up. "Who said I want to get trained by you? I'll focus on learning from granny, like Master Tairou wanted me to. He hasn't guided us wrong yet, and he won't start now!"
"Atla! This is no time to be childish and petty!" The white tiger boy spins around on his heels to stare at his younger sister. His face twisted, looking between frustrated and exhausted. But he quickly calms himself down by taking a few very deep breaths. "Master Elrasla agreed with Master Mala on the shortcoming of only learning the Hengen Musou style. We should trust in the advice of experts who trained their whole life. Or do you think our teacher is lying to us?"
"Master Tairou is a prophet. He clearly knows things Master Elrasla doesn't even with her experience. As for her..." The bratty girl shoots a vitriol filled glare at both Malty, and Mala. The princess turned slave would have taken a real issue with her self-righteous attitude before the rebellion of the Three Heroes' Church. Now, she simply finds the little girl kind of sad with the way she acts out without knowing how harsh the world works. "Didn't Master Tairou warn us about how the Bitch will try to manipulate us? That's clearly what she, and her lackey's trying to do right now. They talked about some supposed harm of learning the Hengen Musou style, but they didn't explain anything. They are trying to scare us into giving up an important advantage Master Tairou won over for us!"
"Rav's little kitten isn't lying when she said that having me boost the rate of your advance with Hengen Musou will have devastating consequences later on. The reason she didn't explain the details is because she doesn't want to scare you, or risk bore you all to tears." The old woman actually puts a hand on her own head, looking less in control of the situation for the first time since her appearance. "But to explain... it usually takes a decade, or two to build up and cultivate your ki into significant amounts to do anything. That obviously won't be happening with the Wave of Catastrophe already on going. For the two ways to boost your ki growth, the first method is for me to pass some of my own ki to you to leave you with a foundation. This act would kill me with my advanced age even if I don't pass all my ki to you. Because when we pass a portion of our ki to someone else, we are passing a part of our life force as well. Aside from me not being around to properly teach you the next steps, you will also never have full control of your ki, because your foundation isn't something you built yourself."
"Oh... I don't want you to die, Granny." The white tiger girl actually took a pause at what the old woman said. It seems like in spite of her brash and petty nature, she isn't someone entirely bad. At least she cares about the life of those around her, not only her precious Throwing Weapon Hero. "What about the other method? Maybe that's the one Master Tairou was thinking about?"
"I could use my own ki to help enlarge your ki veins, and open up the two hidden veins in your body. Building what we call 'the bridges of heaven and earth'. It would only leave me weakened for a period, not kill me, and you will be able to cultivate your ki much faster." This time, the old woman nods her head at first, but she quickly begins to shake her head as well. "But that's a process you should be doing yourself after a few decades of inner force cultivation. If I do it for you, it would leave your ki vein in a fragile state, severely increase the chance of you hurting yourself when you use your own ki in battle, and even in training."
"Everything in the world is about equivalent exchange. If there is a method that lets you build up power in a few months for what costs others years and decades, it will always have major drawbacks in another way." Naofumi nods his head along with the old woman. "Not trying to disrespect you, ma'am. But I don't think we'll take either method from you. If anyone from my group wants to learn this Hengen Musou style the right way, I'm not going to stop them. But I'm not going to force them, and I'm definitely not having them take the easy way. The drawbacks are too unreliable to plan around when the world is at stake."
"You are a smart man, Shield Hero. Most young men, especially those with hero weapons, would not refuse such temptation." The old woman stares at Naofumi for a few moments, before nodding her head with an approving smile. Malty feels her own face heating up. She fell for the exact kind of temptation back when they were trying to recover Eclair's family heirloom. And once again, she was tempted again with the prospect of power without thinking about the potential harm. The princess turned slave is once again reminded of the difference between herself, and the Shield Hero. At least, she's glad that Naofumi is there to stop her making boneheaded mistakes. And now there is no secret between the two of them, she needs to do the same for him.
The Shield Hero clearly doesn't know what Malty is thinking about at the moment. His eyes are still focused on the elderly martial art master. After a few moments, he finally asks. "You are talking about that other young hero. The one that came with that STD carrying old woman, aren't you? What happened between the two of you? If you don't mind me asking?"
"Tact. Ah, that little brat was my student before he was accepted by the star whip. And before he was adopted by King Egbert of Faubley for his power." Malty narrows her eyes at the words chosen by the old woman. Tact was 'accepted' by the hero weapon, not 'chosen'. They sound similar, but have completely different meanings. It seems like Tact chose to wield the hero weapon himself, and either gained or forced the compliance of the weapon through power, or some other less than savory method rather than the weapon choosing him as its wielder... not unlike Malty herself, come to think of it. It makes her think... if the star wand wasn't already damaged due to father's hero summoning ritual, would she even be accepted by it, even if he forced said hero weapon onto her? She certainly doesn't feel like she is worthy.
"He used to be an adorable lad when he was young. Dedicated and have good talent... but he got cocky once he realized how ahead of his fellow students he was. And he was the reason for me hanging up the mantle and no longer taking any more students." The old woman doesn't know what Malty is thinking about, as she continues with her narration while shaking her head. Malty can tell that there's much more between Prince Tact and the old martial art master that she is not saying out loud. It's likely a bloody history too. It doesn't feel right to press for information if the old master isn't feeling comfortable to share with them. "But the Throwing Weapon Hero is right. Perhaps I should stop lying down and waiting for death to take me now that we are facing another Wave of Catastrophe. I taught some basics to these siblings since no one else helped cultivating their natural talent. But now there is a better candidate to train them, perhaps it's time for me to seek other, worthy students..."
"I will still train with you, granny. Like how Master Tairou wanted. Even if there will be drawbacks, I believe the consequences will be worth it. Master Tairou changed my life, it's time for me to repay him with my life! I'm Master Tairou's shield, just like big brother Fohl is his sword." The white tiger girl suddenly bows her head down, closes her two hands together in front of her chest. "Please enlarge my ki veins for me - Master Tairou doesn't only need skilled duelists to fight against other fighters. He'll also need powerful warriors to beat down strong monsters from the wave. If Big Brother Fohl decides to focus on his skill, I will focus on growing my power for Master Tairou!"
For the first time since their brief meeting, Malty feels impressed by the little white tiger girl. It seems like she is more than a thoughtless follower of the Throwing Weapon Hero. She isn't wrong in the sense that people with different strengths and weaknesses are needed to defend against this current ongoing Wave of Catastrophe. Even Malty's old swordsmanship coach Zellus admitted that people who have overwhelming focus on their power compared to their skill is a good blunt weapon on the battlefield. And this Atla seems to be willing to suffer the possible consequences to grow her power in a relatively short period of time. It also made the princess turned slave realize that they need to find a way to grow the strength of their army against the wave monsters. Melromarc had some of their best noble commanders and most elite army units fighting the Third Wave, and they still suffered heavy casualties even without the rebellion from the Three Heroes' Church, or Lautrec summoning his goddess. What they have now isn't enough to stop the later waves, especially once The Burning Legion begin their march.
"Hengen Musou... that's a name using the language of my own people. Is it a style developed by the Kyutenrou people?" Raphtalia's timid question makes Malty look towards her. It seems like even after two months of healing, Raphtalia hasn't fully conquered her fear of strangers yet. Her time living with Fuckboy likely didn't help with the matter. "I- I was wondering if I can also learn it from you?"
"And who are you, little one? Don't worry, I will not harm you." The old woman asks Raphtalia back with a question of her own. Her face isn't entirely unwelcoming, although she's too skinny to pull off the kind grandmother look. "Yes. The Hengen Musou style originated from the land of Kyutenrou. But I have already explained the downside of learning the Hengen Musou style as a companion of a hero. If you would live with the consequences like Atla, I have no reason to turn you down."
"She is the great granddaughter of Kajirou Kyutenrou, the last heavenly emperor of Kyutenrou." The nudist woman Sadina steps up behind Raphtalia, and places her hands protectively on the girl's shoulder. "I think it's a great idea for you to learn Hengen Musou style under Gran, little Raph. You'll stay away from the scummy pedophile, and I'll make sure to protect you from him."
"I'm not a sick pedo, damn it! Why do I even bother..." Naofumi throws his hands up in the air, but he lets them drop down to his side half way and lets out a tired sigh. He decided to do the smart thing, and stop arguing with a crazy (or alternatively, VERY stupid) woman who walks around without clothes over her body. "Where did you get this idea, Raphtalia? Do you still feel you aren't helping us enough?"
"I'm not powerful like the rest of your companions, Master Naofumi." Raphtalia's eyes cast down as she admits one of her biggest insecurities once again. Yes... being a racoon dog, her body isn't naturally made for heavy, frontline fighting even if she is a descendant of her people's royalty (The Sword Saint Isshin was an exception, not the rule). That certainly would explain why Raphtalia would be the one to seek external power from their own little group. Malty is about to take a few steps forward to comfort Raphtalia again when her surrogate daughter's next words surprise her. "I'm not a very good fighter. But I can sneak around for Master Naofumi. If you are a master of technique, are there ways you can help me hone my sneaking abilities?"
"Interesting request. Most people who want to learn from me wish to grow their power and become a great warrior. You are the first to ask for stealth training." Malty can see the old woman's eyes twinkle at Raphtalia's request, the corner of her mouth also rises up. Clearly, she enjoys this new direction she's been asked of. "There are ways to make your body lighter. Help you keep your balance when you jump, and run around obstacles even without a large ki reserve. Yes... what you requested should be doable in a relatively short period of time, and would actually compliment your natural talent as a tanuki. Very well, you can follow me around while we are here at Cal Mira island, little lass. I'll teach you the basics, and then you can train on your own once you return to the Shield Hero's side."
"Master Naofumi..." Raphtalia looks back at both Naofumi and Malty, clearly, she is feeling a bit nervous leaving the two of them.
"Don't worry about us, Raphtalia. We'll be fine. And... we can't spend our whole life together. One day, you'll grow up and marry someone. You need to learn to live on your own. Now is a good time to get used to living on your own." Naofumi takes a few steps forward, and puts his hand on Raphtalia's shoulder, making her face blush red. The Shield Hero on the other hand gives a strange look to Sadina. "You won't be entirely on your own. Your 'Big Sister Sadina' is with the Throwing Weapon Hero."
"She's not the only one. I'll follow Raphtalia everywhere and anywhere. I won't let any dirty child lover get to her." Keel runs over, grabs Raphtalia's hand and glares dagger at Naofumi. It seems like after the Throwing Weapon Hero's malicious slander, Naofumi is going to be known as a dirty child lover... Father would have been very proud of the idiot.
"I will explain to the Throwing Weapon Hero... Master Tairou on what happened before I came to report to you, Master Mala." The tiger boy gives another respectful bow to Mala. Malty narrows her eyes at the change in his title addressing the Throwing Weapon Hero. It seems like the tiger boy isn't as loyal to the insane idiot as his younger sister.
"Alright. Hurry up and follow us if you two want to learn. We should probably get going before more security shows up, and ask us for reparation." The old woman shrugs her shoulders as she turns around, and waves at the rest of the companions of the Throwing Weapon Hero. Seeing Firo has no intention to leave Naofumi's side, Fohl, the white tiger boy, pulls her away as they disappear into the tree with both Raphtalia and Keel following them. Naofumi's eyes follow after them, as both of his daughters leave his side once again.
"Don't worry about Raphtalia... or Firo, Master Naofumi. I don't know what that boy's problem is, but it's clear he admires you. He'll take care of Raphtalia and Firo." Malty walks over to Naofumi and puts her hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him some comfort. "He only wants to kill me."
"He's like Fuckboy. He's also from Earth... one version of earth, at least. And apparently, Fuckboy isn't lying when he said someone wrote a book about us. Well... not exactly us, but characters close enough to us and shared our names, of course. But I don't know why the author hates you so much, they make you into a villain." The Shield Hero reaches his hands up to wrap his own hand around Malty's. He slowly pries Malty's hand off his shoulder, but doesn't let go. "Actually... I think the author hates me too. Why would they write me into some slave owning, child loving scumbag otherwise?"
"You know what I think, Naofumi, Malty? I think the two of you need a break!" Motoyasu walks up to the two of them. He slams his hands on both Malty, and Naofumi's shoulders. "And we got onsen houses right now! Perfect place for relaxation! Come on, let's go enjoy ourselves! I'll pay for all of you!"
"Aren't Iris going to pick up your tap like always? Master Motoyasu?" Katarina's innocent question immediately makes Motoyasu blush.
"I'll pay with my own money this time! I promise on my man's honor!" With Motoyasu and Katarina managing to bring some mirth back to their whole group, they turn around and begin to make their ways back to the Menagerie Resort.
End Note:
Well, we get the proper full introduction of two more Vassal Heroes. And they don't look any more welcoming than Annoying Fan, do they? Honestly, the whole star/vassal heroes from canon is another good idea Alenko completely failed to execute properly. They could have acted as mini-boss characters one after another as the story progress, instead of having one of them (aka The Whipping Boy) popping up all of sudden and ends up being this super powerful big bad and nuked Naofumi out of orbit. But I think I have established Alenko wasn't trying to write a story so much as they are trying to having a fantasy about their imaginary dream pet husbando a long time ago. How else can Alenko show off Naofumi's absolute u̶s̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ badassness by having him go up against this super powerful foe... and gets owned so much that he needed Trash of all people to save his sorry ass? That's the mark of a complete p̶u̶s̶s̶y̶a̶s̶s̶b̶i̶t̶c̶h̶ badass right there!
For anyone curious, Lung is based off on the main character from 18+ RPGmaker game [Sword Maiden of Azure Dragon]. Although as one of the main antagonists (does this even coming off as a spoiler?) going forward... she's going to respresent some aspect of web novel/fanfictions main characters that annoying the everloving (BEEP) out of me just like Annoying Fan. In this case, a lot of female main characters from Chinese webnovels/tv series.
The scene where Lung shows off her having dragons, only to have Motoyasu cut her off saying 'I have birds!' is inspired from A Song of Ice and Fire fanfiction [Purple Days] by baurus from Space Battle (personally, I think it's way better than Re:Zero based on how people described that story to me, since most of Joffrey Baratheon's early deathes was directly resulted from his own character flaws rather than outside reasons). Specifically, based off on the scene of Joffrey and Daenerys' first meeting where Daenerys shows off her dragon to Joffrey. As soon as she smugly declared 'I have dragons.', I instantly imagined Motoyasu jumps out in front of her and proudly declares 'I have birds!'
The line 'My children are like angels, and they block out the sun!' was actually paraphrased from a message from Comrade Broseph (once again, press 'F' to show him respect) when I talked with him about this scene. He imagined Motoyasu would say 'My angels block out the sun.'