Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter, providing feed backs, and provided some major edit & additional scenes between Azula and Iroh.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
Cross posted on AO3, for anyone who prefer that site.
And also... FUCK YOU FFN, you piece of absolute trash website. Had to reload this chapter half a dozen times because it doesn't save my format properly.
The walls of the capital slowly become larger and larger in the eyes of the Gallia warriors. For most of them, this second wave of conscription from the crown feels much more real, and desperate. Originally, they expected the heroes would be evenly distributed among other nations. Yet in the end, all four heroes choose to come back to their nation, yet they brought the news of an army of demons behind their current Wave of Catastrophe, with the help from demi-gods of other worlds helping them. For those who actively play The Game, it probably sounds far-fetched - an excuse from the heroes to cause fear among the general population, and in term gaining more support for themselves.
But for those whose duty is to listen to the orders of the different Players and fight with their lives, the warning sounds realistic. This current wave already happened much earlier than expected (sixty years from the last one, as opposed to one or two centuries), and there was already the sighting of a goddess outside of Gallia city on the Third Wave battle. It was even confirmed indirectly by the Three Heroes Church for that was one of the reasons they prosecuted the Shield Hero: summoning an outer goddess.
It was both an inevitable crisis for them... yet also an opportunity for them to forever etch their name into the annals of history alongside the legendary heroes. But for one Sir Graham Armure, he has more to think about. The knight from the prestigious Gallia martial family still remembers his past life, or rather, his two past lives when he was Mitsurugi Kyoya. First, a normal Japanese man, and second time, the failed hero of the Water Goddess Aqua.
I don't know why my goddess would choose me as her champion again, and send me to this new world after my last failure. I still don't think Kazuma and his ilks are fit to be heroes, but surely it would have made more sense to send them. Considering their past success. The reincarnated knight thinks to himself, as he marches alongside the other warriors on foot, with the reign of his steed in his hand. Sure, he could ride, but when he was still a squire training under the legendary Sir Uther, the old knight lord always said that sloth is one of the worst enemies to a knight. It's best to march alongside your own foot soldiers to both build rapport with them and save the strength of your steed. And only utilize their much greater speed when the situation truly calls for it.
"Captain, is that a camp outside the castle wall?" One of his soldiers pointed forward at the plain near the castle. Sure enough, there are a multitude of tents scattered around the grass field, with wooden barricades built around them.
"It must be the retinue of the heroes. We have heard reports that Lord Shield, and Bow Hero have arrived at the capital to link up with us." Sir Graham nods his head, as he explains to the soldiers, adventurers, and even some peasant levies around him. "Don't relax yet. Once we join the heroes, we will further march north to Whiterun County where the heroes have set their base of operation. I doubt any bandit group, or monster pack would be bold enough to attack us. But we are against an inter-dimensional invasion from a demonic legion."
I don't know why my goddess would give me this second chance. But I will not waste it like my last time. I was too arrogant in my last life, and I will not make the same mistake. Sir Graham Armure balls up his fist, making his titanite gauntlet letting out a series of cracks.
Chapter 34: Re-Take
"NAOFUMI~! DADDY!" The loud, piercing shriek of an unfamiliar girl jerks Malty awake. She sits up, and sees a naked young girl about the same age as Raphtalia's original child body is jumping up and down on Naofumi's sleeping bag. Her long, orange hair clued in who the unfamiliar girl is. At least one of Naofumi's two new 'daughters' end up taking the similar form as Firo before them. A shame, she was hoping they'd look more like adults, or teens like Motoyasu's newer childrens. Looking like a child can cause misunderstanding, not to mention a lot of limits for them if they want to follow Naofumi into a place children aren't supposed to go.
"Please stop trying to murder your father, Rial. Don't forget your real body is about as heavy as the castle gate." Malty shakes her head as she chastises their original filorial queen. If this is Firo, she's probably already coming at Malty with a flying kick intended to take her head off her shoulders. But in spite of having Firo's energy, Rial thankfully isn't nearly as petty as her elder sister. "Where is your sister Lori? She also gained her humanoid form, right?"
"Oh, yeah! Lori is just outside." Rial points her finger at the flap of their tent. Malty looks in the direction, and sees Lori standing by the opening of their tent, timidly wrapped the fabric around her naked body unlike Rial. She also looks like a young girl like Rial, but at least she seems to understand the idea of modesty therefore isn't a lost cause like her two sisters. Noticing Malty and Naofumi's gaze, Lori rises one of her hand up to wave at them, while give them a shy smile with a blushing face. Malty decided at the moment that Lori is her favorite daughter (Raphtalia notwithstanding) even if her filorial form doesn't look like Mein.
"Can you get off me for a minute, Rial? Daddy has something he needs to do." Naofumi looks like he wants to give Rial a gentle push, but his hand stops short of the body of his naked 'daughter'. Right, even if he sees the filorials as his surrogate daughter, he isn't actually related to them by blood. Which is probably why he's more hesitant to touch them especially when they are naked. Thankfully, Rial follows his instructions when asked nicely, unlike Firo. Naofumi's shield transforms into that huge slab of rectangular glass as he starts to 'dial' his fellow hero. "Just wait a bit... I'm just going to call Motoyasu so he can make clothes for you two. Ringing, ringing... there! Motoyasu, I need you- What the hell are you doing?"
Malty's curiosity is piqued by Naofumi's incredulous voice and his choice of words. She turns most of her focus away from Lori to look at the screen in front of Naofumi. And she sees a screen full of different colored feathers. Did the Spear Hero get eaten by his daughter?
"Oh. Hey there, Naofumi." Motoyasu's head burrows out of the sea of feathers, a few loose plums are stuck in his frazzled looking hair. "Melty really enjoys sleeping inside Mutsu's feathers. She got Bertia to do the same with Sakura, and Bertia asked me to try it last night with my children. Anyways, they were actually right. It really is comfortable sleeping inside filorial's feathers."
"My children just took their human form. Can you beam yourself over to the capital and make some magical clothes for them?" Rather than dignifying Motoyasu's answer with a response, Naofumi chooses the reply that feels appropriate to Malty: Ignoring his tomfoolery, while focusing on his goal of getting cloth for his two new daughters..
"Oh. Right! Give me a few minutes to clean up and I'll come right over!" The Spear Hero slaps himself on top of his head, and the screen turns to dark quickly with a series of beeping sounds. The Shield Hero shakes his head and transforms his shield back to its original form. He sits up from his own sleeping bag, and pulls out two large cloaks he got Rial and Lori for this exact occasion.
"You should probably refresh yourself too, Master Naofumi. Don't forget, your expanded retinue members should be arriving today from southern Melromarc." Malty reminds Naofumi as she takes one cloak off his hand. She walks over to the entrance of their tent, and throws the piece of cloth over Lori's shoulders. The red haired filorial girl finally let go of the tent she's been gripping like it's her life.
"True. I think Eclair's done most of her work cleaning up the slum too." The Shield Hero nods his head. The monsters around the capital are weak thanks to routine sweeps from royal guard lead expeditions to train soldiers and knights in training. But the two heroes, and their retinue members haven't been idle while they were waiting for the arrival of the southern recruit. The less experienced fighters of the common men were tasked to go to Lute, and help them further secure their lumberyard from monsters living in the King's Forest (that are allowed to breed and grow to an extent for royal hunting trips). Meanwhile, the veteran fighters that came from the martial knight, and noble families were tasked to root out the different gangs that have long taken hold of the slum in the capital, and only grow bolden due to the Three Heroes Church's rebellion. Needless to say, Naofumi's penal army had grown more than tenfold by now thanks to these purges.
"Yeah. It probably doesn't look good on me if I go meet with them all sweaty, and my hair poking in every direction. I'll go get ready. Take care of Rial and Lori for me in the meantime?" Naofumi jumps up to his feet, and runs out of the tent. No doubt to one of the public bathing houses inside the capitol walls. It's the kind of luxury a marching army normally doesn't have, but it's not like they are ready for war. Plus the situation does call for the Shield Hero to present him at his best.
"Come along, children." Malty waves her hand at Rial, and the orange haired filorial girl quickly dashes over to her. She grabs both of her 'children' by their hands and walks out of their tent. Outside, she finds that the Bow Hero Itsuki is already awake, and he seems to be playing around with a much larger wooden carving as he's usually working on. She looks down on the ground, and sees different segmented logs of different sizes by his feet, and he seems to be pulling some kind of threat through the carving. So, he's moved from carving simple wooden figurines, and starting to make some kind of threat connected marionette.
"Acromantula silk weaved thread would be the most ideal material as the connective medium, Master Itsuki. Well... technically the silk of the Demon Spiders, the advanced form of Acromantula, would have been better, but there's no evidence of a Demon Spider ever being domesticated, and you are more likely being eaten by them than getting their silk." Rishia looks down at the wooden toy (is it a snake, or maybe a fish?) that's flopping around in Itsuki's hand. "But anyways... They are very thin, strong, and conduct well with magic. Basically what you are looking for when you want to make these 'karakuri' controlled from a distance. But they won't be cheap. The biggest source of Acromantula silk would come from Faubley's Hero Academy."
"Which is under the control of Dumbledore, who seems to hate Naofumi on principle. And he'll charge us an army and leg for it even if he's willing to provide the silk. What else is new?" Itsuki rolls his eyes as he puts down the wooden construct onto the ground. The Bow Hero narrows his eyes, and supports his chin with his hands on his knees, thinking about something. "Can we use magical thread like what Motoyasu makes clothes for his filorial children? They seem to be pretty strong to not get torn by his bird children, and they conduct magic with how they transform into ribbons when they turn back into fat chocobos again."
Rishia's head cocked to the side, seemingly deliberating over the alternate suggestion proposed by the Bow Hero. "Well... yes. I suppose that could work to get your karakuri running. But magical threads weaved from one's own mana only respond to its original creator. Others can't conduct their magic through it. If we make these karakuri with magical thread, only its original creator can actually utilize them."
"So personalized, and specialized karakuri is what I want to focus on. I mean... it would be no use for Naofumi if I make him an attack focused karakuri. He probably can't even use it in that case... Actually, can us heroes even use karakuri dolls and not have them get classified as a 'weapon'? Hmm... probably should try it with some regular thread first just in case- oh, hey there, Malty." As Malty approached the pair, Itsuki finally noticed her.
"Master Itsuki, Lady Rishia." Malty bows her head down to the Bow Hero, and his female companion. To think she would act subserviently to Rishia because the minor noble lady from the small kingdom of Stormwind actually outranks her now. Her past self, and Fuckboy would no doubt find a great source of amusement from it. But if there is a minor lady for her to bow down to, she wouldn't mind it being Rishia. The timid Stormwind girl is as sincere as Katarina, with Bertia's self-esteem. It's very hard to not at least feel amicable towards her.
"Oh, Princess Malty, Your Highness! Please! Rishia is fine!" Rishia desperately flails her arms around, clearly not sure what she should do at Malty's show of courtesy. In the end, she settled into repeatedly bowing back to Malty. "Please! Don't act like this! We, who follow the four Cardinal Heroes all know the judgment your mother passed to you was unfair. You shouldn't act like you are our lesser just because you were forced to choose protection as Master Naofumi's slave, or being married to that awful, AWFUL Pig King of Faubley!"
"More reason for me to act out the full courtesy required of my current station then, Lady Rishia. Don't forget, we are residing at the foot of my mother's city. I don't want to give her any excuse to take me away from Master Naofumi, and pass over into the hands of my uncle." Rishia's expression instantly darkens at Malty's explanation. She might be shy and lacking confidence as a minor noble, but she's clearly not uneducated, or stupid.
"Maybe you should go join Master in the public bathhouse, Master Itsuki? Today should be the day that the second recruitment regiment from the south joins us. You probably want to be at your most presentable for them." Malty turns to look at Itsuki, who is busy planted in the ground while squeezing his fist.
"AH! Right! I totally forgot about it! I'll catch up with you later." Much like Naofumi did before him, Itsuki quickly tosses away what he was working on, and runs towards the gate of Melromarc Castle. Malty turns to look at Rishia, who seems unable to decide if he should follow the Bow Hero. For what purpose, Malty doesn't know. To 'protect' him, or to join him in the bath? Because it's easy to see how Rishia is enamored with the Bow Hero.
"I'm going to walk around our camp, and maybe check up on our new 'recruits'." Rishia's body tenses up, she knows that Malty is talking about the convicted criminals who Naofumi forced into slavery to serve as their penal fighters. Oh well, it's not like the practice isn't already widely used by the church, and even by Malty's father. The Free Fighters have a number of forcefully 'conscripted' bandits who are working towards their own pardon... or serving for their life depending on their crimes. She's probably just afraid of them. "Would you like to join me, Lady Rishia? Or do you have your own duties?"
"YES! I would like to accompany you, Your Highness!" Rishia stands straight at attention, like she's been conditioned to do so. She's reminded of the sign of bullying from her fellow companion of the Bow Hero. Now that Malty thinks about it, that thuggish knight is no longer following behind the Bow Hero like a bonedog hungry for rotten meat. Maybe Itsuki is finally sick and tired of that idiot. If only the same could happen to Palmer.
Raphtalia's steel treasure sword clashes with Ren's, and she feels her hand growing numb through their repeated blows. The Sword Hero is taking it easy on her by using the base form of his weapon, but it's still one of the most intense battles she faced head on. Not too far away from them, Granny is giving some encouraging words to them. "Fighting is about the flow. The flow of your body's movement, and your mind. Don't consider your single slashes, blocks, and parries as a single exchange of attack and defense. Think of them as a continuous flow that links together like a dance of your breath."
Raphtalia backs away from Ren, trying to catch up her breath and letting her hand rest a little. The Sword Hero lets her, the kind of luxury she would not get from a real enemy. Ren looks at her for a few minutes before straightening his back and breaking his fighting stance. "I think we should stop for now, Raphtalia. You look too tired to properly continue, and you'll only hurt yourself if you try to go on."
Raphtalia wants to insist that she could still keep going, especially since she's been practicing her breathing technique with Granny (but so does Ren). But her teacher interjected once again. "knowing your limit is good. Don't try to keep going when you are truly exhausted. You could hurt yourself like the boy said, for comparatively little gain."
"...Yes. I think you are right." Raphtalia brushes away a strain of hair that's getting in front of her eyes, and she notices how it's matted with her own sweat drop. That's probably why Ren suggested that they take a break before continuing. She doesn't like her lack of progress, but Granny did say proper skill takes time to build, and trying to brute force her way before her body and mind are both ready only lead to improperly built foundations. But she's also afraid that she wouldn't be able to help Naofumi and Malty when the time comes, because supposedly the Wave of Catastrophe would run its course in roughly one year (and they are already at the Fourth Wave). Would she be able to do anything when they face The Burning Legion? Or would she forever remain a burden to her parents? She didn't have too much time to think when Keel runs over and helps walk to the side of their training area to sit down with their back against Balafon's palisade. With her out of the way, Big Sister Sadina steps in. Ren switches his sword to a much stronger form, and gets back into his fighting stance for his real training.
"You don't have to trying to kill yourself to get strong, Raph. I mean... I have no problem if you want to toughen up, and be able to protect yourself from those stinky man-animals." Raphtalia looks at her friend, and suppresses another sigh at her completely misguided hostility towards humans. Especially her surrogate parents. Not that this kind of sentiment is uncommon among her kind that have a more rough upbringing (which happens to be over 90% of them). And it makes her feel very lost at what to do. She knows Keel meant well to her, and it's not like she's wrong for a lot of humans. Even those among Naofumi's own retinue. It certainly makes things very difficult when her only surviving friend doesn't see eye to eye with her surrogate parents.
"I'm not only doing it for myself. Naofumi wants to stop slave trade one day after we stop the Wave of Catastrophe, and I want to be able to help him. I'm going to save those enslaved like Rifana from the bad slavers and skin merchants." Raphtalia isn't sure if she truly believe her words, but at least it's a tangible long term goal for her to work towards other than 'I want to help my surrogate parents' (in which a lot of other people who are more competent than her shares the same goal, although for different reasons). But it only makes Keel roll her eyes and scoff.
"Good luck. I mean... don't get me wrong. It's a good goal to have, and I'll be there with you if you are serious about it. But doing it for the Shield Hero? Pfft! Didn't you see that he just got a bunch of people enslaved? He'll probably be putting a lot of others into slavery before the Wave is stopped. Oh, well. At least he's doing it to other man animals, and not just us demi-humans." Raphtalia frowns at the fact Keel brought up. Once again, her friend isn't wrong. She understands why Naofumi did it, and it's not like he enslaved others and sold them like merchandise to benefit skin traders. But who says those scumbags, and the noble families who secretly back them up wouldn't use it as an excuse to justify their own doing? Not that it's what Naofumi wants to see, but he can't exactly stop what's not happening in front of his eyes.
Raphtalia decided to not make any comment about Keel's cynicism, like always. Her words certainly aren't going to convince her friend of the error of her opinion. The two of them look at Ren's training with Sadina, and unlike her sparring session, the Sword Hero could barely find a chance to retaliate against her much more skilled bodyguard. The longer reach of Big Sister Sadina's polearm didn't help his situation either. Even when he tries to find a small opening to try and close the distance, he would get slapped away when Big Sister Sadina swings the shaft of her weapon around like a staff. Raphtalia notices from the corner of her eyes that Keel shaking her fist in satisfaction every time the Sword Hero gets struck. During one of the swings, Big Sister Sadina seems to over commit, and she loses her footing. Ren notices it, and twists his body trying to close in on Raphtalia's bodyguard, but a certain wave of uncertainty hits Raphtalia, so she stands up and screams out a little too late. "IT'S A TRAP!"
Sure enough, Big Sister Sadina barrels her entire body into Ren's side, knocking him flying a good distance before hitting the ground. Granny steps in to stop their training session, as Keel turns around and looks at Raphtalia with what seems to be both surprise, and a renewed respect she never held for her before. "How did you figure it out? lardy- I mean Sadina was your caretaker, so obviously you knew her better than us. But you were never the fighting guy."
"Guess my training is paying off. Even if I still have a long way to go to become a fighter myself." Raphtalia stands up, and walks towards Ren to check if he is okay. The Sword Hero seems to have hit his head when he landed, as his eyelids are twitching while half closed. Wyndia is hovering over his head, fussing over him while furiously pointing her finger at Big Sister Sadina and throwing explosive insults. She thinks back on the brief physical exchange between Ren and her former bodyguard, and belatedly realizes how the smirk never leaves Big Sister Sadina's mouth even as she tripped. To most people who knew Sadina after her repeated attempt on Naofumi's life, they think of her as an arrogant and flippant individual who doesn't even care about trying to murder the legendary heroes. But Raphtalia knew Big Sister Sadina better, from before the Wave of Catastrophe when she was trusted by her own family to protect her. The first time Raphtalia saw Big Sister Sadina losing her composure and looking genuinely worried was in a very mundane situation. When Keel was trying to toss rocks at a human child, it ended up smashing the glass of a shop (Kyubey's shop, now that Raphtalia realized) instead. Big Sister Sadina is certainly very capable of worrying about the smallest thing, just like everybody else.
Yet, there is something else on Raphtalia's mind even as she thinks back to a happier time when everything made more sense. Did Big Sister Sadina genuinely lay a trap to punish Ren's increasing impatience during their sparring session, or she truly tripped on her feet and simply took advantage of Ren's impulsiveness to punish him?
There wasn't much to comment on the warcamp of the heroes' retinue. The more experienced knights and noble scions seem to have fully taken to their roles as leaders and officers by this point, and their bannermen lead the retinue members of humbler origin in their individual, or group training. The progress isn't exactly night and day, but the heroes' retinue are slowly transforming from a messy group of people from different walks of lives to a competent looking army serving the heroes. Most of them choose not to pay any attention to Malty's inspection, and she doesn't mind them focusing on their individual duties over deliberating how to properly address her as their nation's former royalty, or the Shield Hero's (clearly favored) slave.
She saw from the distance that Blue Eyes standing among the camp of the Shiltfreeden shives, Miss Mala and Baldy following the two Zeltoble emissaries from a distance. She didn't bother to greet her closest aid this time. She knows Miss Mala, Baldy and Blue Eyes are trustworthy since they risked everything to rescue her from the Three Heroes' Church. They aren't the focus of her trip. The princess turned the slave head straight into the camp for Naofumi's penal legion instead. They were all gathered together in the camp, and had guards posted around their camp. Before she stepped through the guards, she looked back at Lady Rishia, and Lady Flare who joined her a little bit earlier. Putting her index finger in front of her own lips, and giving them a 'silent' gesture. She's about to carefully step over the guards till she hears an arrogant sneer that almost reminded her of Fuckboy. "Well, well, well. If it isn't our princess herself. Coming over to look at how slaves live under our lord heroes?"
"Mr. Adam Taurus." Malty's eyes twitch as she looks at the bovine demi-human in front of her. She usually doesn't bother to remember someone like a bandit leader, let alone a gang leader ruling over a small patch of slum. But this guy was one of the first guys trying to rob Naofumi... and he kind of got away with it when he saved her life from a group of zealous squatters. The bovine gang leader can be as arrogant as Fuckboy, but he can also act much smarter. When Eclair began to lead her fellow heroes' retinue to comb through the slum of Melromarc Castle, the demi-human gangster took his subordinates and surrendered to her. So instead of a slave, he is now also an honorable member of the Shield Hero's retinue. She doesn't trust him anymore than Naofumi does (which is none), but he is one of the few group of criminals who choose to willingly follow the Shield Hero, and Naofumi can't exactly slap a slave seal on his chest if he wants to entice others to join him. The fucker clearly knew what to do to maximize his gain. "Do you have anything to teach me?" Comment by Smith Wesson: qinlongfei0205 This version also has his eye branded? Comment by Wang: I'm honestly undecided on that. He could be another slave of Schnee family like canon, or he could simply be an urchin growing up in the slum and then joined a gang.
"No. Of course not. A slum rat like myself doesn't presume I know more than someone who was educated as a noble." Adam lets out a snort from his nose, making his sarcasm clear to Malty. It's not like the fucker isn't aware of Malty's enslavement at the end of the Three Heroes' Church's rebellion. He's just rubbing it in Malty's face. And she can't really retaliate without making herself look petty, and cause problems for Naofumi's future plans to stay independent from the schemes and manipulation of her mother and the other Players of The Game. "But most of the people behind me are pretty rough. And I thought you might need a little extra protection."
"You can follow after me if you care about my safety. But don't think about asking for a reward. I'm pretty sure you have more worldly possessions than I do now." Malty sneers right back at Adam as she crosses the threshold into the camp for the slaves. The change isn't as drastic, and sudden as when they stepped into the haunted Boletaria Castle back before the Third Wave. But the difference can still be felt. There are sounds of curses, and insults thrown at the Shield Hero and Bow Hero. Not surprising, since they were the reasons that the criminals who had been taken ahold of the slum got captured and enslaved, so Malty wasn't expecting them to be grateful for this act. But then again, these are nothing more than small fishes and shrimps in a very small pound that's just here to fill in the body count. Her real target is the first group of slaves Naofumi got: the crew of Jackdaw. The sound of grinding metal can be heard even in the distance, which makes listening to conversation they are having more difficult, but also helps to mask Malty's approach.
"I'm surprised they let you keep your precious tea set, old man. Oh, sure. The Shield Hero decreed that we are allowed to keep our personal possession. But I imagine one of his lackeys would have stolen your tea set by now. Maybe they already did, and you still have some left in you." Oku, or rather, Azula's voice had an arrogant tone similar to Taurus. But based on Kael'thas' recounting of her past, the former red dragon princess deserves it much more than a mere gang leader of the slum. It would honestly be more surprising if she didn't take pride in her prestigious bloodline, and herself being a prodigy. Not everyone can be a saint like Iris, and what happened during her mother's trial showed that even Iris' saintly facade was merely an illusion maintained by her family's influence. "Then again, I'm more surprised that you decided to learn how to be a lowly healer yourself. Must not be easy coming down from a great general to a mere healer. I expected you to maybe open a tea cafe, at least it would have been your passion."
"BAH! Don't talk to me about these tea desecrating heretics!" Iroh's reply was filled with a surprising amount of wrath and contempt. It reminded Malty of her father whenever her distant Uncle Egbert gets brought up. It sounds like the former great general of Siltvelt still have some fight left in him, even if the reason it got brought out was ridiculously comical. "Tea is the virtue and soul of a true gentleman! You are supposed to drink it pure! What kind of tea gets corrupted by milk! And SUGAR!"
"Now what's your plan, Edward?" An unfamiliar voice asks inside the tent of the Jackdaw crew. The accent sounds slightly muddled, the speaker's native language was clearly not Medea Common, which is unusual when it comes to this world since it had been the official language used by everyone for so long, even in Siltvelt. Then again, that's only the case when it comes to those who live on the main continent. The man is likely someone from the Cal Mira archipelago, or even one of the smaller, more isolated communities out on the ocean. The voice itself sounds fairly even, but Malty can't be sure due to the person not being a native Medea Common speaker. "I grew tired of chasing those fantasies of yours, Edward. As did the crew. And now it leads to this, our bondage."
"This isn't too bad, mate. Aside from not being allowed to freely go as we wish, we are being fed and given clean quarters. Sure, we'll be fighting monsters, and maybe foreign demi-gods then men on the sea, at least the smell will be the same. The Shield Hero was true when he said he isn't treating us like property." By contrast, Dread Pirate Robert sounds flippant. Malty could easily imagine him hanging his feet on top of a table, or a barrel with his hands behind his head.
"Some people have a higher calling than merely being fed and clothed, Edward. I think you would have understood if your heart and your head were ready." The unnamed man speaks once again, this time clearly sounds more uneasy than before. Or maybe that's simply his accent again.
"Oh, please. Keep your fascination to a long dead order to yourself, Adewale. Don't make it sound like your own obsession is any more noble than Edward's. The Shadow Guards are dead. Gone. Scattered to the four winds by the fucking Conqueror Mikage Mikami before I was born." Azula's interjection makes Malty stop outside of their tent. The Shadow Guard... she heard a rumor about this supposed secret order that plotted in the dark, sending out their agents to assassinate bad rulers and tyrants. But she always assumed it's nothing more than tall tales made by people, or else someone like her Uncle Egbert would not have been allowed to rule. But according to this (former) lady of the Azure Dragon, they were destroyed by the last Shield Hero just like the empire of Q'ten Lo? Just how many world orders, on the surface, or in secret, had he broken before his death?
"Nevertheless, to fight beside a man so driven by personal gain and glory is a hard thing. And I found devoting one's energy to those who struggle for freedom is a more honorable course." A slight muted scoff can be heard over both Adewale's reply, and the sound of grinding through the fabric tent. Malty decided that she likes this Azula in spite of her being a pirate, and having a bit of an aggressive attitude. She could easily see the two of them growing up as friends if they knew each other since childhood (and if Azula wasn't a Siltvelt noble).
"Sure. Whatever floats your boat. Quartermaster. It's our former captain, not you who got us into our current predicament. And those who listen by the wall, you can show yourself to us." The sound of metal against the grinding wheel suddenly stops inside the tent after Azula's snide remark suddenly pivots to a warning aimed at Malty. So, this former Siltvelt noble had felt Malty's attempt at spying on them. Not that she was trained as a spy, or trying very hard to be stealthy. But still, she should make her appearance before them.
"There's no need to feel like a stranger, we are all on the same side." Malty lets out a mirthless laugh as she steps into the tent of the former Jackdaw crew plus Iroh. She looks around, and sees the leaders of the pirates and the Siltvelt general all sitting in the middle around a barrel which they use as a makeshift table. The dark skinned man, who previously stared at her right back outside the castle palace is with them. This is likely what the Adewale guy Azula was talking with, and he certainly looks like one of the sea tribes man on the ocean of ghosts. A little bit further out at a corner of the tent, the claymore wielding pirate who jumped onto the Golden Wind has both of his hands holding onto his weapon as he slowly sits up over the grinding wheel. Malty slowly brings her hands up to her chest, and rips open her armor to reveal the burnt slave seal over her chest. "Not to mention I'm in the same boat as all of you. Us slaves of the heroes need to stick together."
"I doubt that. Everyone who isn't blind in the eyes can see the Shield Hero follows you around like an overeager puppy. There's no way your punishment setting is active like ours. We all know you being a slave is just an excuse to keep you from being married to the Pig King." Azula rolls her eyes at her, but there was a hint of sympathy in them. It seemed even the most cynical pirate has some sympathy for any woman who is being forced into a betrothal to the Pig King. Malty likes the dragon Malisi more and more in spite of her heritage.
"And what about you all? Have the Shield Hero actually punished any of you? Don't get me wrong. I'm sure he would remind you of all of your new predicament if you decide to act particularly boldly against his wishes. He might even make an example out of one of you who decided to break the rule too much." Malty doesn't let her feet rest in spite of her having no particular destination in mind. Of course, she knew that Naofumi doesn't want to kill these criminals in spite of their previous offense because he can still be a bit naive at the time. But the important thing is these pirates likely don't know how idealistic he can be. She stops in front of the barrel and looks at the Siltvelt style tea set which Iroh suddenly covers over with his arms. "But don't get me wrong here. Master Naofumi does not want to support slavery. Especially slave trading in any way or form. He is merely forced to use it after knowing how dangerous this world is. Not from its native monsters, or the Wavespawn. But from the so called 'civilized men'. He is forced to use people who he knew won't betray him to defend himself and those he cared for from monsters and men alike. And the punishment setting for slaves is an insurance for him. However... he would gladly remove the mark of servitude from you all, if you prove yourself trustworthy to him... and to the innocent he wishes to protect."
Once again, Malty notices most of the pirates inside either look down, or turn their heads away from her own gaze. Iroh not included, the only people who are directly looking back at her are the leaders of the pirates. Azula's eyes look at her observantly as if she's looking for cracks in Malty's armor to break and exploit in a way that almost unnerves her. Robert/Edward looks nonchalant, and she can't really tell what's going on with the masked pirate. As for the dark skinned sea tribe man... he slowly bends his head in an act of submission like the rest of the pirates. But his eyes gazed up and focused on Malty in the same challenging light as Azula. It's not hard to pick out those with potential over henchmen who blindly follow others.
"You can spare us the pre-practiced speech in a piss poor attempt to build up team motivation. We all know that you and the Shield Hero only see us as glorified cannon fodder to throw at the Wave so his precious conscience doesn't weigh too heavily having to use 'innocent' people to fight the Wave." Azula very easily sees through what she's trying to do and calls it out openly. "Don't treat us lot like a bunch of idiots and just ask whatever you really came here for."
"Very well then. Azula, or do you prefer to still go by Oku? I'm a fire user like you." Seeing that she's not going to get a response from the pirates regardless, Malty conjures up a small ball of fire over her hand without the assistance of the star wand. "I'm curious how the fire sorcery of Siltvelt works. Sure, I could go bother Master Naofumi's fellow slave Kael'thas. But I'm sure your clan has different knowledge from his. Since all of you are already aware of Master Naofumi's favor over me. Do me this service, and I'll make sure to put in good words for all of you."
"You might as well go with Princess Malty, Azula. I think you can learn something from her." Predictably, Azula lets out a scoff while rolls her eyes at Iroh's not very convincing persuasion. "I have hid myself, living as an apothecary here in Melromarc Castle since before her birth. I have heard gossip and rumors about our first princess. And I admit... What I heard doesn't paint a very flattering picture, and when I saw her accompany the Shield Hero, I expected she would get sick and tired of living the life of a glorified vagabond very soon. Needless to say, I was surprisingly proven wrong when she remained faithful to the Shield Hero through it all. And I think you might find some answers you seek if you go with her. Because I see some similarities between the two of you."
"Oh please Iroh, I was never that pampered or entitled contrary to what you might think." Azula hisses to her uncle, sounding more like a snake than a dragon. She slowly tears her sight off the former Siltvelt general and looks at Malty. "But I suppose I don't have a choice in this matter now, do I? Very well, Your Highness. I'll answer your question about my fire flow. But I doubt you would learn anything from it. Your human's understanding on how the spirits work is quite limited and even if you can, it would take you at least a couple months minimum. It certainly doesn't help that your 'hero' weapon is a glorified walking stick at the moment."
Malty suppresses the urge to groan at the reminder that her wonderful 'hero' weapon is more of a liability than it is an asset for her. She still can't access any staffs above level 40 and most of her hero abilities are locked out to her( Or in the case of the translation matrix a mind-splitting pain). The worst part is that the topic of fixing it is a dangerous one since it being broken and making her vulnerable to the effects of the slave seal are the only thing keeping her from being sold off to her Faubley Uncle. Perhaps once they finally gather the strength to resist the Pig King, can they work on fixing the useless twig of a Star Weapon.
"That is all I ask for. Come with me. Master Naofumi is getting ready to meet his and his fellow heroes' new retinue members." Malty nods back at her new companion. Azula's aggressive disposition might be a bit problematic, but it's not like she hasn't tried to get along with someone much more insufferable than her (both Fuckboy and Naofumi's self-proclaimed biggest fan immediately come to mind). Taking her away from the pirates will hopefully make them less likely to plot, or rebel against the Shield Hero. Although she should probably do something about that dark skinned sea tribesman too if she can find a reason. Hmm... others did call him a quartermaster. Perhaps she could convince Naofumi to appoint him some position in their logistic branch.
The walk back to the Shield Hero's tent is much quicker now that she's not aimlessly wandering around their camp. Even from a distance, she could hear the voice of both Naofumi and Motoyasu crying out in unison. " Etna from Disgaea!"
Malty has no idea what they are talking about once again. She brushes aside the tent flap and looks inside, finding both heroes standing in front of Lori. Her eyes are wandering all around the tent, fingers from both of her hands nervously brushing against one another and her legs are shaking, seemingly not appreciating the new attention both heroes have on her. Malty also notices Lori's hairstyle has been changed. Before, they naturally flowed down her shoulder. But now, two hair bands tie the end of her hair into a pair of flower-like tails. She wonders if Lori's make over is courtesy of Naofumi, or Motoyasu.
Although the Spear Hero's next action confirms it's his doing as he begins to take some articles of clothing out of his weapon. It's a very thin piece of... some kind of chest band? And a pair of very short pants that is just long enough to not be called a thong. "Well, lucky for you I already had Etna's costume ready because Firo already looked like Flonne- BARF!"
The Spear Hero didn't have the chance to finish his flaunting when Naofumi whacked him from behind, and began to grind his head into the dirt. "WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SEXUALIZING MY DAUGHTER, YOU FUCKO!?"
Malty can't help but smile at the reminder of the very similar shenanigan between Naofumi and Motoyasu when Firo first gained her humanoid form. Her smile quickly morphed into that of terror. Firo was around the same level as Rial and Lori... which means the little menace herself should have also regained her humanoid form. Is she going to obediently stay behind at Stormwind, or is she tearing the (formerly independent kingdom) city state apart trying to come south to find Naofumi?
"Get out of Firo's way!" The sound of clashing bodies gives Yume a mild headache. The Shield Hero's daughter is a handful compared to even the most problematic of her own egg siblings. And she had only become more of a menace now she gained her ability to speak like a human again. Not that she was quiet before when she could only squawk, but at least the humans can't understand her. "Let Firo go to her father, or Firo kill you!"
"I'd like to see you try! Little garden breed!" The angry voice of Benitsubasa screeches right back between the sound of bodies colliding into each other. Her usually problematic younger egg sibling was a surprising god sent in this situation. Usually, Beni was also rather exuberant and tended to go around picking fights- no, challenge other fighters in Stormwind. Not to Firo's extent, as at least she lets other people get ready into their fighting stance before going at them like she wants to punch their heads clean off their necks. Which makes her surprisingly 'compatible' to Firo as they are too busy fighting each other than hurting other people. Yume was pretty sure that Karasuba would have gutted Firo just because of how annoying she is.
The sound of Firo and Benitsubass's clash begin to wind down, which clues Yume in that Firo is subdued for now. She shakes her head as she heads towards the castle's study room and is ready to pen a letter to her father. All the heroes have porting abilities, and it's probably time for the Shield Hero to pay his own daughter a visit. Hopefully, it'll appease Firo for now that she would be less of a problem for everyone. Although Yume does wonder if she should include Firo's current master the Throwing Weapon Hero as well. Since he is technically responsible for her. Not that he's doing a better job than the Shield Hero before him.
Ironwood, also called dark wood for the color of both its bark and its leaves. For a long time especially among the pagan communities, it is believed they are influenced, maybe even corrupted by malevolent dark power which give them the ominous appearance and much hardened properties compared to regular wood. Fohl recalls the memories of his mother's patient words and warm embrace back in his youth, when his family life was less complicated. He used to ask mother why his father didn't live with them, those were the days...
The death scream of monsters echoes all around him in the patch of ironwood forest near Lute village. The Shield Hero has dispatched Tairou Sato, the Throwing Weapon Hero over to further assist the people of Lute, and much to everyone's relief (including Fohl himself). The monsters are pretty low in level, barely a threat even to the village's (which is now having a boom and on its way to expand, maybe even into a township) own militia. But obviously the assistant of a hero leading the heroes' retinue cleaning out any and all aggressive monsters around the area is helpful to the village's people as they can now focus in setting up a properly defended perimeter to the lumber mill which now forms the backbone of their village's produce. The previously black forest is now dyed in the color of slain monsters' blood.
"This is boring! And it doesn't help us raise our levels! Why are we wasting time, Master Tairou?" Atla slaps a low level rabbit pill into the side of harvest mountain, turning it into a smear on the rock. "We should be raising everyone's level. Especially yours! The Shield Hero, or anyone else, can't easily ignore you if you are stronger."
His younger sister wasn't kidding. As the Throwing Weapon Hero hasn't even reached level 30 by now due to him busy running around collecting different companions that he claimed to be 'important' for the Shield Hero over fighting monsters appropriate for his own level. As a result, he can't use the same porting skill as the other heroes. Not that he wants this clearly delusional man, who is influencing Atla to become too powerful for others to contain. But Atla isn't wrong when she questions Tairou's strange obsession with the Shield Hero either.
Not that Fohl personally minded it. Tairou listening to the Shield Hero to the letter without re-interpreting what he thinks the Shield Hero meant is usually the best for everyone.
"Naofumi-Sama is going to save this world, Atla. It's best for everyone that we support him anyway we can. I... I already unintentionally cuckolded him of you. I have to make amends with him. Doing these trivial things he's too important to do himself is the best way." Fohl can't help but raise his ears at Tairou's words. On the one hand... Tairou does genuinely sound like he wants to make up for the Shield Hero. But on the other side... shouldn't he put more effort into his action because it helps the people of Lute?
"I'm sure the Master Shield Hero appreciates your effort, Master Throwing Weapon Hero." Atla looks ready to say something back to Tairou, but she instantly purses her lips, turns around and glares at Hayate as he walks closer to them. Fohl looks at their new companion and gives Hayate an appreciative nod, to which the blue haired tanuki man returns his gesture. It's great to have someone who is here to help him.
There wasn't enough time for the Spear Hero to also go clean himself up in the public bath like Naofumi and Itsuki. So he quickly washed his face over a bucket and pats down the dirt over himself, and went with his two fellow heroes to meet the slowly approaching southern party marching towards the gate of Melromarc Castle. He obviously looks more frazzled compared to his two fellow heroes, but hopefully their new retinue members wouldn't mind.
"Master Shield Hero! I came back as I promised you! I have recovered your armor!" Even from a distance, Malty sees Sir Oersted running and waving at them with the same enthusiasm as before. Some kind of case carried behind his back. No doubt containing the armor Naofumi left behind near Gallia city. Some more senior looking knights behind him can't seem to make up their mind if they are amused, or indignant at his very unknightly action. But before Oersted has the chance to rejoin them, something suddenly drops onto the ground between the heroes and their new retinue members from the south, throwing up clouds of earth and stone like an attack.
"Hello heroes. Minus the sword." Riser Phenex smirks as his eyes look up at the heroes. "Let us continue our dance from before, shall we?"
End Note:
Some more character interaction chapter. The two new birdies Naofumi got at the end of last story finally get their human transformation and Motoyasu immediately make a fool of himself even if he's not a bird fetishist like canon. Itsuki's relationship is developing nicely with Rishia, Ren can help out Raphtalia's training, and Malty officially get chummy with Azula. We have a reincarnate that doesn't look immediately hostile to the main cast. Everybody wins.
Speaking of hostile reincarnate, Naofumi's plan to slowly 'domesticate' his number 1 fan is underway nicely for now. Even if Atla is acting a bit of a brat, she gets outvoted by the two and a half mature men (Annoying Fan only count as half a mature man) with her.
And of course, before Oersted has his reunion with Naofumi, he gets interrupted by a literal devil falling out of the sky. If you played 'Live A Life', you know the poor guy is cursed with worst luck.