Chapter 7: Bird and Heroes?
Day 21 (Evening)
"Who are they? Who is that? Why are there Filolials all over the place? Why is there a fire, and how does Freon know what Super Sentai is?!"
"Super what?"
"Don't change the topic!"
"But I wasn't."
Naofumi continued his barrage of questions at Raphtalia, the raccoon barely able to keep up.
His voice obviously carried hints of anger. But knowing how their master operates now. He was more concerned than anything.
"Maybe you should give her some time to answer Naofumi. You aren't going to get anything if you keep barraging her."
"I think I have the right to ask as many questions as I need to since, you know, we've just been attacked! You know what? Team meeting right now! Get into the house!"
"But where are we going to sit?"
"House! Now!"
/~/
After calming down, Naofumi entered the house to see five slaves and a bird inside. He had thought of a situation for which he had to leave the village to fend for itself. His first failsafe was Melty, as she can handle most issues by herself. But whenever both he and she were unavailable, like today, his second failsafe would have to take charge.
Raphtalia, Rifana, Keel, Dalton, Delia, and Yuki. 6 of his most trusted and strongest slaves/monsters, all chosen to deal with a certain aspect of the village.
Yuki was the practically leader of the filolials at this point, and everyone aside from Dynn seemed to agree. All the birds listen to her orders, and she does well at leading them.
Delia was already in charge of most of the housing operations in the village. Her father was a builder, so with some knowledge on building along with some trial and error, she became an expert at it pretty quickly. She was actually the one who spearheaded the manor rebuild instead of anything else. Because of that, Naofumi had to force her to work on some other projects for the villagers, because she forgot about everyone else's housing, including her own.
Dalton had been in charge of various hunting parties. Despite his most recent experience. He also had a fascination with monsters and studied them with a passion. His knowledge of various creatures had gotten him and others out of some dangerous situations. And after learning dragon vein from Sadeena, his connection to the wind has vastly improved. He essentially became a monster radar by feeling the subtle changes within the wind. Needless to say, he is the go-to for everything monster.
Keel has also been in charge of hunting parties, though usually, she acts as the village guard captain. He hit fast and hard, and his transformation enhanced his senses like the dog he that even comes close to the village is quickly hunted down and taken out by the guard dog. There was an incident where Keel found a couple of slaves running away from their owner.
He and Rifana responded by beating the shit out of the guy and running off with the kids before he got back up. Needless to say, Naofumi saw him as suitable for the job.
Rifana was just as ruthless as Keel and, ironically, appointed herself as the self-proclaimed captain of the nonexistent guard to mess with Keel, despite no one other than Chino listening to her commands.
She acted more as the prison warden than anything. The prisoners from the recent attack were already scared shitless of her. And she made it her mission to torment them whenever she could.
And finally, Raphtalia. She was the acting leader of the village. Unlike everyone else, she had a second growth spurt. Alongside the fact that Naofumi doesn't trust Sadeena with anything work-related, Raphtalia stepped up as the new village's big sister. Many of the slaves who were scared of Naofumi would go to her, and she would quickly deal with the problem. If she wasn't able to, she would then go to Naofumi to deal with the issue, and they'd both solve it instead.
He couldn't put his finger on why, but she carried a presence none of the other slaves had. She had always been different from the other villagers. But with the knowledge of her past being kept hidden by Sadeena, he had no way to answer the lingering question in his mind. Either way, she is Naofumi's most trusted slave. And she has been granted this position because of it.
Of course, none of these titles were ever made official. The village has just naturally shifted to this balance of power, and Naofumi saw no reason to change it. Of course, there were others that deserved the spotlight with the other industries and groups rising in the village. But until everything was properly settled, these six would do.
"Hold up, we're missing someone." Just as the thought occurred, there was a knock at the door.
Opening it, Naofumi found no one there and closed it. Once he turned around, however, Zalton was suddenly in the room, standing by an open window. "How did you—Wait, is that a piece of cardboard?"
"Good eye." The cardboard cutout of Zalton fell, revealing the real Zalton to be standing right behind it, in the exact pose.
Almost everyone in the room was dumbfounded by the unnecessary use of the cutout, and Zalton was yelled at for wasting time.
"Alright. Now that I have everyone here—Naofumi started before being interrupted by a knock at the door. Irritated, he opened it only to find the new filolial standing outside the door.
"Not right now. We're in a meeting." Naofumi closed the door and waited a few seconds before opening it again. The filolial was still standing there.
"I'll deal with that later." Naofumi closed the door once again. "As I was saying. Now that everyone is here, we can finally figure out what the hell happened."
"Was it really necessary to bring us all here?" Delia asked.
"Well assuming we were just attacked. I say yes. Now someone explain."
"I'll handle it." Raphtalia sighed. "It all started when the guards at the front gate said they noticed some peculiar footprints."
Raphtalia then told Naofumi about the day. From the slaver's camp to the attack, and finally the arrival of the new Filolial. All of this impressed Naofumi a bit, though he was a bit annoyed too. His village handling an attack without any casualties is cool and all. But the fact that he was attacked in the first place really ground his gears. Especially because many of the villagers got hurt from this experience.
"Well its nice to know you guys did so well. Now Zalton. Why didn't you tell me you found a camp EARLIER!" Naofumi shouted.
"I tried, my lord, but you said, and I quote. "Go away; I'm in the middle of something important. " Then when I insisted, you also said. "I told you I'm doing something important. Buzz off." By the time the house was done, you had already left and I missed my chance. Thankfully, lady Raphtalia was there to help."
"That's what you get for dismissing people." Melty chided.
"Shut up. It's not my fault you surprised me with a court request."
"It is your fault when you don't listen to your shadow. He's a spy; he obviously knows things you don't."
"Fair enough." Naofumi grumbled.
"So… what should we do about the slavers?" Raphtalia asked.
"Kill 'em. Jail them. I'll leave it to you guys."
"Really!" Rifana squealed.
"Now where were you during all of this?" Naofumi asked, pointing at Dalton this time.
"Oh. Well, I took the Filolial out to level. That's when I ran into another filolial. I didn't know if it was one of ours. So I brought her back."
"So that's where you went. We could have used the extra help, Dalton." Rifana lightly jabbed Dalton on his arm.
"Ow. How was I supposed to know?
"Yeah, Rifana, he shouldn't be blamed. All of this happened too suddenly for everyone."
"But why attack today? Was it a coincidence, or did they somehow know you'd be leaving today?" Melty pondered.
"You think someone from the village leaked information?"
"Not from the village. I kept the letter very hidden to keep you from noticing."
"Screw you, by the way."
"Same for you. Now the only option would be another noble who knew you'd be leaving today."
"So we have no leads?" Raphtalia asked.
"Pretty much. We can interrogate using the slave crest. But the likelihood that the noble used a 3rd party messenger is extremely likely. So I believe that's also a waste of time and resources."
"Then let's drop them in a pit with a bunch of dogs."
"We aren't making a colosseum!"
"But Melty."
"Rifana. NO!"
"Aww." Rifana hung her head low.
"So. What now?"
"We rebuild and prepare for another possible situation. If any and all questioning will lead to a dead end, then it's best we don't pursue it."
"Yes, master."
"Oh. And one last thing. The other heroes are arriving here in 3 days so we can plan for the wave. Under absolutely no circumstances should you allow a red-haired bitch to come inside."
"Umm. Yes, sir?" Everyone replied, very confused.
"Naofumi. Although it may be true. Please refrain from calling my sister a bitch while I'm around."
"I say what I see. Not happening." Naofumi opened the door, only to find the bird still standing there.
"Oh right. I forgot about her. You guys can go; I'll handle this one." Naofumi ushered everyone out of the room as the mysterious new girl entered. "Alright then. Who might you be exactly?"
"Greetings shield hero. I am Fitoria, the qu-"
"Queen of all filolials!" Melty interrupted, giddy at the mere mention of her name.
"You know her?"
"I heard stories about her from my mother. They said you were 100 feet tall and breathed fire!... or was that about a dragon?" Melty pondered.
"I can assure you that the height one is true. But staying in the human limelight isn't my goal."
"Then what are you here for?" Naofumi replied while holding Melty back, the latter of whom was ready to glomp the queen at any second.
"I am here because my flock informed me that a hero has raised not just one royal candidate. But twenty of them all at the same time."
"I see. And as the omega of the filolial, you're here to show us the pecking order." Naofumi passed a note over to Melty. Its contents were "Leave no witnesses."
"I've come to do the opposite, actually. Fitoria has been doing this for 1000 years, so she wants to bless the new generation of Filolials so she can retire after the waves."
"So you want to bless our filolial… just so you can give your job to us. Yeah, I'm gonna have to pass on that."
"Would it be worth your while if the blessing gave you a special buff?"
"...Go on."
"Really, Naofumi." Melty pulled Naofumi to the side.
"What? It's a buff. We should always be searching for those."
"But we don't even know what the cost of this buff even is, much less if it's actually real or not."
"Fitoria will also be staying for a bit in order to conduct these tests for herself if you agree."
"Go on!" Melty relented, completely losing track of her previous concerns.
"What's the catch?"
"Fitoria desires something as she stays here."
"It's food, isn't it?"
"Yes." Fitoria responded. She may not have sounded it, but her eyes were sparkling, and her mouth drooling at the mere thought of food.
"Fine. But only choose 3 I don't need Twenty flocks of birds all running amok."
"That is acceptable. The class up does spread to others nearby."
"Perfect." Naofumi shook Fitoria's hand with a mischievous grin on her face. Melty wasn't there to call him out on it, though, as she was too mesmerized by the filolial in front of her.
/~/
Day 25 (3 days till the next wave)
"It's quite odd, don't you think?" Ren asked as he walked along a path. He was the current sword hero, and beside him was Itsuki, the current bow hero. He came across Itsuki and his party while he was traveling. They later figured out that they were traveling to the same place under the orders of the king and decided to travel alongside each other in order to catch up.
"I'm not following."
"I mean. Why would the king ask us to meet in an unknown town instead of the castle? That would be the smart choice, right?"
"He's the Wisest King of Wisdom from what I've heard. This might be a strategic stronghold of some kind in order to prep for the waves." Itsuki shrugged his shoulders.
"I just feel like our time would be better spent if we went to raise our levels. There's not much a normal person can do to even prepare for the waves. So this is pretty much use-"
"Halt!" A voice shouted. Standing in front of them was a boy with black dog ears and a tail. The shirt he wore exposed his navel, along with some bandages peeking out. Beside him was a girl that Ren and Itsuki guessed was some kind of ferret or weasel. Along with her ears and tail, she wore a kigurumi that was a mix of a raccoon and tanuki. (Raph-Chan)
"This village is off limits. Go away or I'll kick you in the shin." Rifana threatened.
"Is that a kigurumi?"
"Don't ask."
"Alright then? Anyway, we were invited here by the king and lord of this area." Ren pulled out a scroll, showing the invitation sent to them days ago.
"Oh… So you're the heroes. Master will be in the large building on the hill. If you see construction, avoid it. If you see the filolial fighting, avoid it."
"What?"
"I'm not done. If you see an orca, run for the hills. And do not, I repeat, do not touch the experimental Bio-Plant wall. You will be absorbed into the hedge and possibly die."
"What?!"
"It's experimental for a reason. If you follow these rules, you will live. Keel here will give you the tour."
"Don't volunteer me! Why can't you do it?"
"Because I said so." Two stared at each other for a bit until Keel spoke.
"... Rock paper scissors."
"You're on."
Rifana and Keel do a few rounds, with Keel ultimately winning in the end.
"Ha. Eat it!"
"Come on! Fine, follow me." Rifana begrudgingly took charge of the escort as Ren and Itsuki hesitantly followed her as they entered the village. As they walked around. They witnessed all the insanity their escort was talking about.
The first thing they saw was a bunch of child-sized angels. All of them were trying their best to gang up on another angel in the middle, and they were failing badly. On the other side of the village, they found the orca Rifana was talking about. She was sitting on some makeshift stone table and was passed out while holding a bottle of alcohol in her hand.
Added the fact that the good majority of the village has several cratered, unfinished buildings and several humans tied up to posts. Ren and Itsuki considered this place to be an unorganized mess and considered the lord of this place to be extremely incompetent at his job.
"Here we go. This is the lord's manor. Now a few rules while inside. Don't be too loud; there are kids sleeping upstairs. Don't go upstairs. And certainly do not use any weapons in the house. If you do, Delia will kick you in the shin."
"What's up with you and shin-kicking threats?"
"Do you prefer to get hit in the balls instead?"
"...Point taken."
"Good. I'll inform the master of your arrival." Rifana exited the house, leaving the two heroes inside. The living and dining room areas were now fully furnished, and the villagers were using these new appliances to good use.
One of the villagers used a black steel pan on top of a furnace to cook some monster meat. Other villagers in the house were doing some light housework in order to tidy up the place, most likely for the upcoming meeting.
"Well other than the house, I think we both agree that this place is a shitshow of a village."
"It's still being rebuilt; that is to be expected." Said an unfamiliar voice. Ren and Itsuki looked over to the door to see Melty standing there.
"Huh. This is the first human child I've seen here. Are you perhaps the lord's daughter?"
"Daughter to Naofumi! Not in a million years!" Melty scoffed.
"What? Naofumi's the lord!?" Ren exclaimed.
"Yes, I am." A familiar voice replied. Coming in from behind Melty was Naofumi himself.
"But why would they make you, of all people, a lord? You're a criminal!"
"It's because he was pardoned of his charges after we found out they were false," Melty replied.
"What do you mean he was pardoned?" Both of them shouted.
"Exactly as I said. Naofumi was pardoned after the claims of my sister were found to be false. You weren't at the castle that day, so I prepared a log of the entire conversation if you're curious." Melty produced 2 large stacks of paper from her satchel and handed them over to the heroes.
"Wow. You're certainly prepared."
"Father always told me to be 4 parallel universes ahead for any scenario."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I do not know."
Melty ushered the 3 heroes into Naofumi's large study and sat down at the table. It was a brown round table that was estimated to hold around 12 to 15 people. Naofumi had a previous table made that was much larger than the current table. But not only were they unable to fit it in the room, but they also weren't even able to get it into the house and were forced to scrap it and try a new design.
"This is unreal. Myne lied? Why?" Ren sat down in a chair far from everyone else.
"I ask myself that every day." Naofumi sat down in the chair next to Melty, and Itsuki chose one a few seats away from Ren.
"It's just hard to believe. Is there any reason as to—wait. If Myne's your sister, and she is the princess. Then wouldn't that make you?"
"Yes, I am Melty Q Melromarc. Crowned princess of the nat-"
"NAOFUMI!" An angry voice shouted.
"And there goes thing 3." Naofumi sighed.
Bursting through the door of the house was Motoyasu, who looked extremely pissed.
"How dare you lock Myne outside the village!"
"You mean how dare I blacklist the person who stole my stuff and ruin my life from the village? If you ask anyone, I'm sure they'll say it's a pretty reasonable fucking reaction!"
"Wait, what happened exactly?" Itsuki asked.
"Well when I arrived-"
/~/
"What do you mean I'm not allowed? I am the princess!"
"Yeah, why can't she be let in!" Motoyasu protested.
"I'm sorry, Spear Hero, but the master specifically said no bitches allowed."
Just then. Two female dog demi-humans ran past the front gate with the spear hero's luggage.
"Correction. No red-haired bitch named Malty is allowed." Keel corrected.
"What did you say to my dog!"
"Be warned. I was given royal permission to take you down with non-lethal force if deemed necessary. So do yourself a favor and do not make it necessary."
"Is that a threat, you whelp?"
"No, it's a promise." Keel dropped the useless spear and got in a battle stance. Malty responded by pulling out her sword, but Motoyasu stopped her before it was fully drawn.
"Calm down, Myne. I'll go deal with Naofumi."
"Have fun with that spear hero." Keel allowed Motoyasu to pass while keeping a very close eye on Malty.
"So. Are we going to do this the easy way? Or the hard way?"
AN: Raph-Chan Suit. Guess which author told me to use that one.
Thank you for reading
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