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.
The cave Raphtalia charged head first to extend deep into the mountain, looking like the endless maw of a beast. But there are also torches on the wall every dozen steps or so. The dark man Astaroth didn't waste time turning the Spirit Tortoise into his ideal moving fortress. Under normal circumstances, it would be hard for someone like Raphtalia to hide in this kind of tunnel when it's brightly lit. But thanks to the rampaging, blood-sucking plant she grows on the surface, most of the fighters in the cave are too busy running out into the ensuing battle, and they don't look down at their feet. Raphtalia either hides herself into small crevices in the rocky wall, or rolls up into a ball and then uses her illusion magic to mimic herself into part of the wall whenever she hears footsteps getting closer.
She doesn't know how long the tunnel was, and how long she's been running. But after a while, she can see a cave entrance in front of her. And she finds a large, multi-leveled cave system inside. It's about the size of the Three Heroes' Cathedral Hall, and men in armor and holding weapons are running in every direction. The tremor and sound from the surface is much more muted here in this underground cave system, but still can be felt. Which might explain why the fighters all have a slight panicked urgency on their faces. Once again, Raphtalia quickly hides herself into a small fissure in one of the walls as another group of a dozen fighting men runs out into the tunnel she came in.
Was she lucky enough to find the right tunnel that led her into this cave in the first try? She carefully moves out of her hiding place and looks around. There are more tunnels on the upper level cave she came through. She does a rough count, and estimates there are at least a quarter more tunnels than how many she counted on the outside. Maybe all the caves were connected to this underground chamber, or they extend to other cave networks like a spider's web. And there are just as many tunnels on the under level below her. She has no idea where the Whip Hero's sister is being kept. But she can't afford to stand around doing nothing, she has to find the hostage and rescue her before either she's killed by the rampaging blood sucking plant, or her kidnappers.
Raphtalia suddenly realizes something. While the fighters in the cave system are all running around in a rush, there is a small, unremarkable looking tunnel on the under level. Its width is just barely enough for one grown man to squeeze through if they go sideways. But it has a pair of guards standing in front of it. Normally, that's not something remarkable since all the cave entrances from the outside had this kind of protection. But what makes them stand out is they are ignoring the commotion that's happening outside the cave system and remaining alarmed in their guard duty. Clearly, this cave has something important inside. Even if it's not the Whip Hero's sister, it's something that'll deal a serious blow to the dark man Astaroth if she manages to get inside.
Raphtalia carefully crawls her way on the cave wall. When she approaches the cave, she kicks some stone loose on purpose in an attempt to draw the attention from the pair of dutiful guards and then quickly puts herself into an illusion to hide herself. The guards look down in front of loose rock that falls in front of them, and then look up to see if there's anything amiss. Unable to see Raphtalia, they remain stationary. This tells Raphtalia that her guess was correct - something important is inside the cave behind them. Not having time to hesitate, she carefully changes back to her child form again while there's no one around the tinny rock flatform she is on. She grabs another seed from Bed-Chan, and carefully buries it into the wall. It doesn't immediately burst out like the unstable red seed, but she can feel something moving underneath her hand.
Chapter 40: Oversight
As the dimensional portal closes behind Malty and the color of Alaya's secret sanctuary takes over, she lets out a short breath of relief. It's sad that they lost Ren and Gaelion, and they were forced to escape from Stormwind. But at least they (supposedly including Ren and Gaelion) are all safe for now, which isn't something she expected when going against one of the Guardian Beasts. Malty carefully sets Naofumi down and looks around. She expected her own feet to touch ground, maybe even see the great world tree in the distance if she looked around. And the former princess of Melromarc quickly finds out that she stands corrected.
What she initially thought were stones underneath her were actually thick, hard tree barks. And the foliage in the distance happens to be leaves growing out of tree branches each as thick as thousand years old trees. What she, and everyone around her is standing on also happens to be a tree branch, although calling it so really undersells its size. It's easily ten times as wide as even the widest road in the capital fit for a royal parade, and even with their group being a few hundreds strong, they have no worry of having nowhere to stand (or sit... or lay down) and they might fall down the branch. In fact, unless she takes a few minutes to run to the edge of the branch she is standing on, she would have no idea how far they are from the ground. She could only imagine one tree that's as big as this.
"You are correct if you think you are standing on the branch of Yggdrasil." Malty spins on her heels. Sure enough, she sees the familiar figure of a certain immaculate looking doll girl slowly rising up from the branch. The civilians Motoyasu managed to gather together are already on their hands and knees, prostrating and praying to the 'goddess' who saved their lives. Metatron doesn't pay any attention to her new worshippers, and perhaps this kind of coldness further enhances their belief that she is some kind of goddess who doesn't spare time for common people like them. The sentient doll glides closer to Malty and speaks directly to her. "The branches of Yggdrasil connect to all corners of our world. This is one of the few ways for large groups of people to travel outside of the 'real space'. You can think of it as a longer, and more time consuming way of the heroes' teleportation ability. But at least all of you will be safe here in Yggdrasil and Alaya's realm."
"Are you sure that there's no way for that Mirror Devil to breach into this pocket world? Because of his explanation." Malty points her finger at the self-proclaimed false hero of the book. He lets out a snort as he waves his hand at Metatron. "That devil came to the world these false heroes were from, and then he breached into our world too. Will it be that much harder for him to chase after us here?"
"My name is Kyo, by the way. Remember it well. Because I am the Vassal Hero of the Tome, and a certified genius." The squalid dressed man straightens his back and introduces himself with a smirk as he looks Metatron up and down. "A sentient doll? Not too many of these are left in Malach. Makes me want to grab one, and take them apart to see what makes them tick."
"True. The False Hero of the Mirror has the ability to breach dimension thanks to the world shard he took control over. But the dimension of this pocket sanctuary is fortified by the power of both Alaya and Yggdrasil. So it will be harder for him to breach through than going into our world from the world of Malach. And even if he does, his power will be severely limited by the power of Yggdrasil." As if trying to demonstrate her point, Metatron moves her right hand to point at a different branch. With a loud snap and then a boom, the other great branch (which is once again, at least ten times wider than the main road of the capital) swings over and sticks closer to the branch they are standing on. "That branch is connected to the land of the mortal's name 'Melromarc'. Take the refugees that way."
"If this world can limit the power of that Mirror Devil, can we lure them inside and fight them here? We don't have to worry about innocent people getting killed, and the turtle brings them back as undead, if we fight them where there's no people around. Right?" Naofumi stands up from where he was sitting and makes a suggestion that seemingly makes sense, except not in the way he is planning.
"Oh sure. GREAT PLAN! If you don't want to get punched in the face, take off your skull and expose your brain so your opponent has an even bigger weakness to hit." Kyo rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms and snorts. He leans his back at one of the smaller branches, which kind of once again undersells how it is easily taller than the highest tower in the royal castle. "The realm of the world's Alaya, the Guardian of Civilization is one of the most important foundations. Especially when it happens to overlap with the literal foundation of this world. The Yggdrasil in your case. Any damage caused here would more severely get reflected in the real space. And if this tree gets badly hurt? Kaboom for your whole world. I doubt that cheating simpleton would be strong enough to do something like it. But he's not someone who relies on brute strength like that muscle brained Katana idiot. If he's losing, you can be sure that he'll do something dirty and disgusting just to spite you."
"Speaking from experience, are we?" Malty casts a sideways glance at Kyo, who most definitely starts to go red faced in spite of him trying to hide it with the motion of pushing up his spectacles. She disregards the false hero among them and looks over at Naofumi. Who is more openly blushing for his embarrassing suggestion. "Your suggestion has merit, Master Naofumi. Trying to bait the Spirit Tortoise somewhere it can't use its ability fully would be a good strategy for us. Just... obviously not here in Alaya's Sanctuary."
"If we can't fight in here, can we do the reverse? Hide the people who can't fight in here? If the Mirror Devil can't easily get in, and he is relying on that huge turtle's ability to bring dead people back, denying him the people he can use to bring out as his cannon fodders should be a good way to limit how much power he can use." Naofumi thinks over what's been revealed, and he suggests a new plan. He waves his hands in the air, as he tries to further explain his idea. "Say, the Mirror Devil goes after a big city like he just did with Stormwind. Only to find out the city is already evacuated by the time he reaches his goal. Maybe we can even ambush him this way."
"Letting mortals, especially humans, stay in my sanctuary is not recommended. You might already feel the air feel charged here? That is the much more saturated magic power Yggdrasil naturally emits as it gains its power from the Void between Worlds, and one major source of where the world of Medea's mana came from. The body of humans aren't naturally adapted to hold this much mana inside, or be immersed by it on the outside. It would cause your kind to develop dependency on it in the best case, and in the worst case..." Fitoria explains the problem with Naofumi's plan this time as she turns to look at the crazy Faubley inquisitor's little female subordinate. Right now, her head has mostly returned to normal aside from a few scars like blue strips over her body. "They would mutate like this one. Unless you wish for them to forever become patrons of Yggdrasil and tenants of her realm, humans shouldn't stay here for longer than a day."
"You are focusing on the wrong point Master Naofumi made, Your Grace." Judging by how Naofumi looks down once again, Malty is pretty sure that the Avatar of Alaya did not misjudge the emphasis of Shield Hero's suggestion. But right now, shortly after his biggest loss since the failed rebellion of the Three Heroes' Church, she needs to do something to help boost Naofumi's confidence so he doesn't focus on his mistakes. Naofumi has many strengths, but one of his major weaknesses is he could easily let a major loss that happened to his friend overwhelm him and starts to go astray into a deadend of self-doubts. "I doubt a battle between us and this Mirror Devil Astaroth would last a day even if we fight to the end rather than retreating. And we know he will be targeting major populated cities to maximize the effect of the Spirit Tortoise Guardian Beast. But what if he goes to a city expecting to have his troops replenished by the civilians... only to find the city empty except for the strongest fighters we gather to face him down? If Yggdrasil's branches extend over our whole worlds, we can open up a portal to your sanctuary and transport the civilians out of harm no matter where he targets. It won't be enough for us to beat the Guardian Beast under his control, but it'll help make the odds better for us."
"That is not what Yggdrasil, or my sanctuary is meant to do. But yes. I can see the merit in the Shield Hero's suggestion." Naofumi raises his head up and looks at Malty with surprise on her face. Fitoria's head dips low as she looks thoughtfully for a brief moment before looking up and nods. "Under normal circumstances, I should refuse your suggestion on principle. Mortals who are not important in defending our world against crisis should not be allowed to step into Alaya and Yggdrasil's realm. But given the circumstance of us under two separate invasions from outside of our world from both The Burning Legion, and this self-proclaimed Demon Lord, I shall allow it. Allowing Astaroth to run amok and gathering power is bad for everyone, especially our world. My misjudgement has already caused us to lose access to my Sapphire WEAPON. I shall not make the same mistake. You will have the full support from me, and Yggdrasil until we either chase Astaroth out of our world, or destroy him."
"Is Ren really still alive?" Malty turns her head around to look at Motoyasu, who is looking at Fitoria with intense looking eyes. It's like the Spear Hero couldn't decide if he should be glaring at the Avatar of Alaya or not. Although she isn't too sure of the reason behind this strange look. His temper settled down and he realized how dangerous and foolish it is to pick a fight with an earthbound demi-god, or perhaps his reasoning is different. Thankfully, he quickly explains his motivation. "I... I shouldn't have punched you. Aunt Haruka told me to always be polite to girls and women. But Ren died in front of us and we can't do anything... I lost my mind back there."
"Your apology is surprising, but not needed, my Ruby WEAPON. After so many cycles where my WEAPONs fight each other for foolish reasons, it is good to see the four of you finally cooperate together for the first time since the first hero summoning." Reminded by Motoyasu's words, Malty takes a closer look at Fitoria's cheek. There's definitely a sign of minor swelling where she caught the Spear Hero's fist. "While I was rescuing the Axe world shard from Astaroth's subordinates, Metatron was monitoring all of you with Yggdrasil's power. She saw the clear intervention from our pantheon at the same time as Astaroth shattered and scattered my Sapphire WEAPON and the storm aspect, and then tossed them into our neighboring world Malach. Once again, I do not know why the gods didn't return them to our world. But even a pantheon revolving around a god of obsession would act for a reason."
"Malach? They tossed one of your heroes into my world?" Kyo, who was staring at the great tree, suddenly whips his head around. He quickly looks between Naofumi and Motoyasu, and then makes a whistle with his mouth. "Okay. Now there is your answer on why they didn't return your precious friend back to your world. Whatever god that decided to intervene didn't 'save' him. They didn't want him to have a quick 'not quite death' but wanted him to suffer. Because let me tell you that my world right now is in a mess. Different 'heroes' are gathering power, and fighting it out for free for all. You think this invasion from that pretender devil Astaroth is bad? That's just everyday life you live in Malach... minus the giant monster thing. Your friend didn't get saved. He got tossed into an even bigger arena and will die even more horribly."
"You claim you are also a hero from your world, and all heroes are fighting in a war to be the one and only conqueror of your world." Every muscle on Motoyasu's face (and fist) is growing tense again, making him look like he's about to punch a second person on this day. So Malty quickly interrupts and points out something she finds strange in Kyo's explanation. "Wouldn't that include you too? Because you also claim to be a hero of your own world? That's something I find strange about your sudden appearance. If you are also here to invade our world like Astaroth, why are you here by yourself, having not even a single subordinate, or guard who can protect you? Sure, you are a hero which means you at least have the potential to be one of the strongest from your world. But your weapon clearly makes you lean towards being a spell user, and you can easily get taken down by a melee fighter if you get overwhelmed. Not to mention-"
"BAH! You think I'm a parlor trick magician? I'll have you know with my magical prowess, I need no subordinate to take down some muscle head simpleton! Pick one of your heroes, anyone of them! And I'll beat them to show why I am the top genius of my world!" Kyo didn't even let Malty finish her guess when he started stomping on the ground, and issuing challenges in an effort to make himself look confident, which of course, only makes him look like he's trying to hide something instead. Malty quickly exchanges a look with Naofumi, and sees him also looking thoughtful. By this point, he's at least temporarily forgotten about the major loss they suffered at the hand of Astaroth.
"Fine! I'll take you on! I didn't get to do anything against that Astaroth guy, and I'm taking it out on you!" Motoyasu bumps both of his fists together as he takes a step towards Kyo. The Tome Hero seems to have regained his composure, as he didn't even raise an eyebrow at the clearly aggressive action by Motoyasu. But this time, Fitoria steps up between the two of them.
"I will not have a senseless fight break out in Yggdrasil and my sanctuary. If you have a grudge against each other, settle it outside once you return to the real space." Fitoria's voice isn't severe, but it is stern. Showing that even though she allowed Motoyasu to punch her earlier, she can easily take him down like she did with King Waerjak if she wants to.
"Very well. We'll take a rain check with our sparring match. I know when we overstayed our welcome, so we'll go right now. You said that branch goes to Melromarc right? " Naofumi takes a step forward and drags Motoyasu back. He gives a half encouraging, half reprimand pat on the Spear Hero's shoulder. He didn't wait for Fitoria to answer his rhetorical question as he began to take the first step towards the other branches, and the fighters who were brought by Gaelion, or followed him to Stormwind began to organize the refugees towards their designated exit. They don't need protection per say, since there's no hostile monster in this realm. But most who stayed behind in Stormwind by the end and didn't already run away were the elderly, the infirm and the young. So some of them need some help, especially when crossing over the branches. And while that's going on, Malty notices Fitoria also summoned her carriage, and starts working on Sir Lynn's wounded thunder lizard. She's probably using one of her manipulation abilities from her blessed weapon forms.
"Did I make a mistake again, Naofumi?" Malty turns her head away from the migrating refugees, and looks at Motoyasu. Right now, the Spear Hero has his head hanging low, like a rambunctious child who made a sudden, and foolish decision and then remembered his parents were standing right behind him. "Maybe I shouldn't pick a fight with that other hero like when I challenged you back after our first Wave battle?"
"No. You did it perfectly. I'm curious if a hero from another world fought like us, or those other heroes we met and fought alongside back on Cal Mira Island. That Mirror Devil is an invader of their world too, and he might also be a demon like Riser Phenex and Diablos... but seeing how a hero from this world of Malach fights will give us better ideas. The way you challenged him looks natural, like you were just being angry for our friend Ren. Hopefully it won't leave him suspect if we are either doubting, or trying to harm him." Naofumi places a hand on Motoyasu's shoulder, and explains to him in a muffled voice. The Spear Hero visibly looks happier after every sentence. "We don't know how strong this Kyo guy is, but in case he's strong like the veterans we saw back on Cal Mira Island... do your best and don't care too much about winning or losing. Just make sure you don't get hurt yourself. Either way, this spar with him should give us more to go on for the world of Malach, and this Mirror Devil."
"Alright! I'm going to do my best!" Malty briefly wonders if her eyes or mind is playing tricks, as the Spear Hero seems to grow a few sizes larger from Naofumi's encouragement. He stomps his way forward looking completely energized, and makes his way over towards the 'Melromarc branch', chasing after the large group of people.
"We should also go, Master Naofumi..." Malty turns to look at Naofumi, only to realize his attention is on the foul-tempered potioneer from Stormwind. And speaking of the young man, he is standing in front of the Shield Hero while giving him an intense stare. It makes Malty wonder if he blames Stormwind's destruction on Naofumi like he did on Itsuki. Not too sure what the young man is thinking, Malty steps in between them. "If you want to blame Master Naofumi for abandoning Stormwind, don't.You were there like us, and you should know there's no way we could have stopped that dimensional invader from taking over your home city. He had the Spirit Tortoise under his control, and he even took out Master Sword Hero and the Storm Aspect."
"I'm here to give you this, because I know better to keep it on me and make me a target." The ruffle haired potioneer shoves something into Naofumi's hand. Malty looks down, and realizes it's a small vial of green-colored potion. Unlike the common stamina replenisher, its color is much more verdant, like the newly sprouted leaves that seem to pulsate with life. She realizes what L'arc gave Naofumi before the young potioneer opened his mouth. "Yggdrasil potion. I was going to put your order behind the others, but I'm not an idiot. A cosmic seed has more uses than making this powerful potion, and I don't want someone sending an assassin to kill me and take the cosmic seed for themselves if words get out. Now you have this potion, what you do with it and how you can keep it safe from thieves or robbers is your problem. I just expect to be compensated in the common potion I asked you earlier."
"You'll get your payment as soon as we settle down somewhere, unless you want them right here?" Rather than reply to Naofumi's question, L'arc simply scowls. He turns on his heels and walks away towards the migrating group of refugees. The Shield Hero on the other hand, turns around and looks at Malty with a half tense, half passionate look, clearly having trouble keeping his emotions in check.
"Your heart condition can finally be healed, Malty!" Naofumi spins around and looks intensely at Malty. The small vial of life giving medicine held in both of his hands. The container is so small compared to regular-sized potions, it's barely one mouthful. If one picks some random walker on the street who knows nothing about magical items, they might even think this is something an apothecary put on a sample shelf. Who would think if she swallows the liquid inside, she can finally be free of the ailment that has tormented her since the village of Balafon? "The pills we got from Tanya. Those were made of Yggdrasil's leaves. I remember that they were the only medication you can take when your heart begins to act up. So this potion made with the material from Yggdrasil should also be safe for you, right? And didn't you say something about it being able to bring someone back to full health even if they are on the verge of death?"
"Yes. That is true, Naofumi. Although that's the reason I think we should save the potion for now." Malty reaches out with both of her hands, and pushes back Naofumi's hand. His head turns slightly to the side, eyes look puzzled so Malty explains her reasoning. "You are right in that Yggdrasil Medicine can save someone who is on the verge of death. It's essentially a second life as long as you don't instantly die. An artifact like this would be invaluable in our coming battle against that Mirror Devil, and The Burning Legion! I have gotten used to working my magic with my heart. Let's save this potion for when we truly need it to save a life."
"I... I see. You are right, Malty. Its ability to bring someone from the verge of death is more important." Naofumi's eyes cast down at the small vial of the world's most valuable and powerful potion sitting on his hand. The Yggdrasil Medicine isn't known for its weight, but his hands are trembling at the moment like it's carrying a mountain. He puts it back into his shield next, and slowly turns his head away from facing Malty almost like he looks embarrassed. "I just thought I can finally repay you back for all the help you have given me since the start. No, that's not right. You hurt yourself because you were fighting that newborn life root, and I had agreed to plant the seed with Motoyasu. It's not so much to help you as it is to fix my mistakes..."
"You already helped me enough by taking me on this journey, Naofumi. My mother would have been right about me being a pampered, petty, selfish brat, if I never traveled alongside you. Seeing how people of humbler birth of me are living their honest lives on our travels, and showing me there's more to life than all the cheating, lying, scheming, and backstabbing in the royal court." Malty catches up to Naofumi's steps as they slowly walk behind the rest of the people. Slowly, she reaches out her hand to grab Naofumi's hand. When their fingers touch, his hand shakes for a brief moment, before wrapping his fingers around her. "And you are the reason my journey was like this. There are many heroes in our world, most of them at least have some selfish motivation. If you weren't kind and selfless. Someone like myself, or even Raphtalia would not turn out the way we are now."
"And all of you. Your trust in me, your encouragement, and your help are the reason why I can stay focused on this path I'm traveling now." Naofumi pauses for a brief moment before continuing. "When I had my private, well... not truly 'private' since Itsuki and some of her guards were also there. But they mostly stayed quiet and let me have a conversation with your mother. She accused me of being naive because I refused to use that soul reinforcement method to power up slaves and have them fight The Burning Legion. And how a real leader needs to make tough decisions rather than always doing 'the right thing' and simply hope it'll work out for everyone. I... don't think she is wrong. At least I don't think she's using it as an excuse to justify some selfish desire like a lot of other people I know... at least from fictional works where I came from. And there are times I have doubts if I'm acting out of touch, or if I'm being too naive when other methods have better short term gain. But everyone around me brings me back down to earth if I act too unrealistic, help me when I make mistakes. Earlier when we were talking with Fitoria, you told her to focus on a different point of my suggestion. You said it for me, didn't you? Because you noticed I was slipping down to self-doubt again. Thank you for that."
"Then, it's a good thing our differences were able to make each other better, not worse. Now, we just have to focus on going through our newest challenge together" Malty smiles, and hold onto Naofumi's hand more tightly. The upcoming battle with the Mirror Devil and the Spirit Tortoise under his control will be tough. Possibly even insurmountable even compared to all of their previous hardships. But at least they have each other.
Melty feels like sliding down her chair, crawling into a ball and screams. Previously, she thought the Wave battle happening earlier than everyone expected was the worst thing that happened. Especially since it coupled with the breach of a demi-god leveled Wave boss. But now, compared to the mountain-sized Guardian Beast, even that giant spider feels insignificant. Worse, there are already letters from her mother suggesting the possibility of there being the invasion of a false hero? And of course, her elder sister went straight to fight this new threat with her being one of the heroes, even if her hero weapon was defective. She almost didn't hear Iris' words. Melty pinches the bridge of her nose to help herself refocus, and carefully holds her eyelids up with her fingers. "The evacuation of Balafon villagers is going along nicely, Your Highness. They will be relocated to the hermit tower again for their safety... please don't hold your eyelid up with your hand, your highness. You might poke your eyes out if the Spirit Tortoise causes a tremor. If you truly feel tired, go have a rest. You have been staying awake for over twenty hours looking through all the documents on Balafon's rebuilding plan before the Guardian Beast awakened, and you haven't rested since."
"I will rest once I know my sister, and my people are safe." Melty waves her hands at her sister's best friend, hoping to reassure her. Iris is taking care of her for her sister Malty, and Melty doesn't cause Iris anymore undue stress. She puts her hands down, because Iris brought up a good point. She can't help anyone if she ends up blinding herself due to stupid reasons. "Would that be enough to ensure my people's safety?"
"In all likelihood? No. Nowhere in this world will be safe once the Guardian Beasts are released. Especially not if they were being controlled by a malicious false hero. It is highly disrespectful to the Cardinal Heroes, but I'm hoping one of them released the Guardian Beasts' seal by accident. At least we wouldn't be worrying about a second invasion on top of this supposed Burning Legion." Iris' voice sounds equally tired, and Melty knows why. They are both born into wealth and power most of their countrymen can't ever imagine. Yet, where is a place for a royal princess, or the heiress of the wealthiest noble when gods from other worlds begin to invade their world? One disaster after another... it honestly feels like the end time is near. "But in case the heroes can't stop the Spirit Tortoise at Stormwind, the further our people escape from north, the greater chance for their survival if the entire northern Melromarc becomes a battlefield to stop the Spirit Tortoise."
"In that case, Her Grace, Princess Melty should go with the civilians who are seeking protection. We can not afford to risk the life of the only legitimate heir of Melromarc in the upcoming battle." Once again, Melty feels like screaming. Lady Lacus wasn't her sister's friend growing up. And while her elder sister technically had a brief period of courtship with Lady Lacus' brother. That relationship isn't the most cordial. Melty still doesn't understand all those feelings, but even she knows that her sister can barely stand Lady Lacus' brother. Still, she's not an ungrateful idiot. She knows Lady Lacus means well for her to stay safe. But the thought of running to safety while her own sister is fighting to save more people in spite of all the injuries she accumulated while traveling with the Shield Hero really doesn't sit well with her.
"No. I shall not abandon my post without even trying to resist our enemy, or even without seeing them. The people of Balafon had given all of their effort to restore their home, and I will not freely give it to invaders, be they false heroes, or god." Melty opens her eyes again at Lady Lacus' suggestion. There's a lot of things she knows she'll have to do as a leader of the people no matter how much she'll hate the action. Running away from a fight and letting invaders take her people's land is something she's not willing to commit.
"I think Lady Lacus does have a point, Your Highness. You might have trouble comprehending the power of a Guardian Beast. But as the favored of Alaya, all of my sisters and brothers can feel how much power is emitting from the Spirit Tortoise. It is most definitely, unstoppable by whatever force we have stationed at Balafon even if we take Bed-Chan into consideration. Besides..." Matsu suddenly dips her head low, her spectacles reflecting light, completely blocking out her eyes. "You have already met our enemies, Your Highness. There are two imposters in this room among us sent by our enemy. Maybe to spy on you, or maybe they'll try to assassinate or kidnap you when we let our guards down."
Whatever feeling of sleepiness leaves Melty's body as a sensation of cold overtakes her. She frantically looks around the room, and sees the two House Amelia sworn swords who are posting as their door guards suddenly run out of the longhouse. Her bodyguard (and betrothal) didn't waste any time swinging down his sheathed sword onto the floor. The shockwave completely immobilized the two imposters, making them unable to act. But just as Melty let out a breath of relief, something red leaps down from the ceiling. She only has enough time to look up and realize it's... her mother's shadow that's supposed to protect her in the dark? Right now, she has a pair of small throwable blades in both hands (they are called Kunai, she thinks), but instead of going at the imposters as she expected, the shadow is coming directly at her? A flash of light forces Melty to close her eyes, and when she reopens her eyelids, she sees Miya standing protectively over her, and her mother's shadow is flying away with her head and body already split apart by Miya's blade.
But there's something different about the dead body of her mother's shadow. Both the head, and the body seem to be dissolving even midair. And by the time they hit the wooden floor, they had completely turned into something that resembles muck... except for a skull that barely had any rotten flesh and hair still attached to it. Matsu's sarcastic voice finally reaches Melty's ears once again. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say 'two' imposters? How silly of me. I meant to say three. But since this one is different from the other two, I decided to leave it out and see if I can bait it out. More fun this way."
"Stop acting like an idiot, Matsu. Can't you see Princess Melty is in shock and needs some urgent care?" Miya reaches her hand over and knocks Matsu's head, leaving the orange-haired woman doubled over in pain while holding her head.
"How-how did you realize there are imposters among us, Matsu?" Melty turns to look at her advisor again. Iris is hiding most of her face behind her fan, but she's clearly as shocked and intimidated by the event as Melty herself judging from her twitching eyes. Lacus, on the other hand, merely raised her eyebrow a little at the display. As for the two imposters who got called out by Matsu... they are also two lumps of dissolving muck on the floor by now. Melty didn't even notice if they were killed by her protectors, or maybe they killed themselves to keep their master's secret from leaking out.
"For the two House Amelia guards, they smell differently from before. Probably hard for the human nose to pick up, but they have nowhere to hide from us." Matsu slowly drops her hands down from her head as she stands back to her full height. She pokes her tongue out of her mouth, and gives a light tap on her own nose with her right hand before using the same finger to push up her spectacles. "As for that Shadow … to be honest, I didn't even realize she's been substituted by an assassin too. But Father raised us to protect you. That's why we are going to assume that anyone who isn't our father could be someone who wants you harm."
"Are you saying the one who took over the queen's Shadow is different from the other two shapeshifters, Matsu?" Iris takes a few steps forward, looking down at the puddle of decomposed mud, and then to the other two piles that's slowly melting into each other. After a brief moment, she seems to notice something. "The two mud monsters who pretended to be my family guards... there's no skull in them. Could that be the difference? No... that can't be right. I take pride in my family, but I'm not going to assume our men-at-arms are more skilled than her majesty's personal agents. If they could kill one of the Queen's Shadows without anyone noticing and take her head, it would be much easier to do it to my guards."
"Exactly! That's why I think this monster who took over the Shadow of Princess Melty must be different from the other two. Even if they look the same after they are killed." Matsu nods her head as she leans closer to look at the mostly decomposed skull in the mud puddle. Melty wanted to get closer too, but she's already carried off her chair by Mutsu. "My guess is this monster must be some kind of evolved, or ascended form of the two monsters disguised as the door guards. And their ability clearly includes some kind of perfect mimicry of their target if they have a part of their body, like this head. Maybe their numbers are low because they are ascended form similar to us, the monarch variance. And that's why whoever tried to assassinate her highness only dispatched one of these ascended mud creatures? Or maybe they initially throw out these two lesser forms to let us lower our guards. Regardless, we'll have to be extra careful from now on if they could perfectly disguise themselves. I'll have at least two of my egg siblings guard each of you from now on..."
"Let me stay, Mutsu. I'm still awake." Melty extends her hand out and pushes at Mutsu's chest, trying to get out of his arms and stand on her own. But a wave of dizziness nearly makes her fall over head first. She feels his arms quickly tightens her body, keeping her safe. "Okay... maybe I do need some rest..."
"Yes, you do, my princess. Rest now, and leave the clean up to my siblings." Mutsu's voice is low. Like he's trying to sing a lullaby. Melty can feel him carrying her out of the building. Her last thoughts before sleep took her was wondering if her sister is also in danger.
"Can you see what's going on down there? Captain Meggie?" Itsuki does his best to hold onto the serpent-like body of the divine dragon for dear life. The act is made much more difficult than it sounds due to two reasons. One, his body feels like it's giving out after he fired his strongest bow weapon arts to take out the thousands of cannons on the Spirit Tortoise's back. His arms, and legs somehow both feel like they are full of lead, yet boneless like they are made of wet noodles. The act of not falling off Knight Captain Meggie's flying steed might still be manageable if not for the second reason. They are being chased down by a dragon lord that's even stronger than Gaelion, so Meggie's divine dragon is making some Olympic level of gymnastic dodging to avoid being scorched like an eel. "I thought the Whip Hero is our ally? Why is he trying to kill us?"
"Focus on staying alive." The veteran knight didn't answer his question as another stream of scarlet flame streaks right above their heads. Although she did grab his collar with a single hand, and swung him over from sitting behind her to sitting right in front of her and having her arms wrapped around his body. The act is humiliating to him, since it makes him feel like a little kid who can't even ride a bike again. But right now, he appreciates not getting thrown off and plunging to his death more than being treated like a child. He looks to the back, and sees a dragon, slightly smaller than the two dragons brought by the other heroes, with dark purple stone-like scales pulling away from the black dragon. No doubt, Midir was the reason he's alive alongside Captain Meggie and her dragon.
With most of his focus no longer on not being thrown off, Itsuki manages to look around himself. He can't make much out of what's going on due to the speed everything is moving. He can't see the large T-Rex on the ground anymore, nor can he see Naofumi, Motoyasu, and all the fighters with them as the Spirit Tortoise walks through Stormwind's wall like it kicked down a small layer of children's toy blocks. Did all of them get killed after Ren? And he's the only one left now? That's not a thought he wants to entertain, but it feels like a distinct possibility now that he can't see any of his friends. Although he does notice something strange on the turtle itself. "Is that... a giant red plant sprouting out of the turtle's back?"
End Note:
And once again (hopefully), Raphtalia shows why she can still be MVP even if she's still the weakest member in Naofumi's main party in term of power level. I'm going all in with her Arcane Trickster build.
Things are officially going FUBAR enough, that Fitoria and Metatron, who usually stay away from mortals are planning together with them and giving the mortals their support.
In case anyone is wondering what's going on in Melty's scene where she got assassinated, the inspiration came from [Beet the Vandel Buster] where a monster called 'draw man' can shapeshift into people but would carry a different smell. Its advanced form 'draw master' can perfect mimic their target as long as they have their target's head inside of them. Feels like the kind of monster that would go well with Astaroth, someone who use the most 'practical' plan to take down his enemies regardless how despicable they are.