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Chapter Text

Summary: According to Newton's Third Law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Unfortunately, Naofumi and co will find this to be especially true after returning from their Otherworld trip. Between the threats coming from without and the enemies they're dealing with from within, our Heroes will all have to work hard with the help of their friends and significant others to overcome their challenges and face down their greatest trials yet. The end will not come before more blood is sacrificed for the sake of their future.

But with Diligence and Resolve, and Compassion and Humility, our Heroes' hard work will eventually pay off. And, at last, they will lead their world to rise and take their place amongst the multiverse, facing off against the greatest threat to all worlds.  GODWORLD.

Hold onto your Virtue, great Shield Hero. The fate of the universe now lies within your capable hands. May your heart stay true, and be the beacon that brings peace to all of us forevermore.

At the time when Naofumi and co were fighting a Wave alongside Kizuna and her allies

You know, life is strange in a way.

If you'd told Motoyasu Kitamura a year ago that he'd be living in another world, working alongside a small angel girl and her flock to fight off a world-ending calamity, he would have laughed you off and said "You talk strange, good sir. Strange, yet funny. Let's have lunch together, my treat."

Yeah, he was a good guy. He would have laughed you off like any normal person, but he would have probably still ended up as your friend and, years later, be there to help you out whenever you needed him.

That was just the kind of person the Spear Hero was before his summoning.

Yet now, here he was, over half a year after being stabbed by his two jealous Yandere girl friends in his old world and being isekaied into this world; blowing through one Indian-themed monster after another with the Cardinal Spear in his hands while large Filolials destroyed monsters around him. Wave Cracks in the sky and on the ground spewed more of these monsters for the Spear Hero and his allies to slaughter.

Life really was strange. Maybe if he'd been more of a philosophist, Motoyasu could have found some deeper meaning in all this.

But for now, he was doing what he'd learned to do as the Spear Hero of this world, and exterminating every monster in his sight.

"Crimson Thrust!"

BOOM!

It wasn't just the elephant-man monster in front of him. All the monsters within ten meters of the first one were incinerated by the power of Motoyasu's flame skill. A wave of Exp notifications covered Motoyasu's vision from the slaughter.

"Careful, Moto! You almost hit Amber with that attack!" An unfamiliar voice shouted in complaint.

"Oh- sorry, Amber!" Motoyasu turned his head and yelled back at an orange-feathered Filolial further ahead.

The Filolial girl rolled her eyes but her beak formed a smile as she continued charging forward. Her large clawed feet stamping down on every monster in her way.

Yeah, that Filolial's name was Amber. You see, Motoyasu had met her a while back after Fitoria assigned some of her flock to watch over the Hero village, and-

Pbbbthhhh! Who did Motoyasu think he was?! Naofumi!?

There was no way in hell the Spear Hero was going to waste time here at the start retreading characters and their backgrounds like that bastard liked to do!

Ha! Ridiculous!

…

Then again, Amber had spoken there, she also had the form of a Filolial Queen instead of a regular filolial, so he should probably explain that much at least.

You see, he and Amber started their journey to Zeltoble around two days ago, shortly after receiving that mysterious letter.

At the start of their journey, she'd still looked like a regular Filolial, as it'd only been a couple of days since she'd had the monster crest applied to her.

However, shortly after being dropped off by Fitoria to a spot just a few days away from Zeltoble's Capital City, Amber…

For lack of a better term, got big.

POOF! "AHHHHHHHH- OOF!"

Motoyasu had been riding along on Amber's back when the Filolial suddenly disappeared in a puff of feathers. Amber had been running at her top speed too, so the surprise transformation sent Motoyasu screaming like a girl off her back, where he slammed hard into a tree.

Thankfully, he hadn't been too damaged from the rough landing. In fact, his impact uprooted the entire tree from the ground and shattered the base of it to splinters. The bit of nature had gotten out of the exchange far worse off than the Spear Hero.

Still, he was going to bruise from that impact. And his body had finally finished healing up too! Dang it!

"Whoa, Blondie, what happened to Amber!"

Motoyasu rubbed his head as he sat up, only for his eyes to widen to the size of saucers. "Amber, what the-?!"

The Filolial he'd been riding on had been around two and a half meters standing up before. But now, she stood at three meters, just like Filo.

Not only that, her width had expanded out, giving her the same owl shape that Filo's monster form had.

This meant only one thing…

"AMBER! YOU'VE BECOME A FILOLIAL QUEEN!" Stars appeared in Motoyasu's eyes.

"What?! Is that why Amber is so fat right now?" The orange-feathered Filolial tilted her head to the side curiously while examining herself.

"Ahahahaha!" Motoyasu raced forward and hugged the large Filolial.

Holy crap it was like hugging a warm campfire! This was so cool!

"Ehehehe! Blondie that tickles!" Amber started to giggle as the Spear Hero rubbed his face in her feathers.

"And you can speak now too! This is so awesome!" Motoyasu yelled.

"But… didn't Amber speak to Blondie last night?" Amber asked confusedly.

Motoyasu didn't hear it though. He was too busy enjoying and praising the newly formed Filolial Queen. This was truly a dream come true, I say!

Amber's transformation had been super unexpected, to say the least. He'd expected it'd take longer for her to become a Filolial Queen.

Nevertheless, he'd been super happy and ecstatic that the transformation happened so quickly, and that was the end of it.

Motoyasu wished he could say that they happily continued to Zeltoble's Capital from there, however…

No, believe it or not, he did not waste the next two days hugging and cuddling and gushing over Amber's new Queen form. He might have had a slight obsession with Filolials thanks to Filo and Fitoria being able to transform into angel girls, but even he wasn't stupid enough to let that sidetrack him…

For more than a few hours at most.

Anyway, Amber… did not stay in her Filolial Queen form for that long.

And that was the reason they hadn't been able to continue traveling that day.

"Oh! If Amber transformed into a Filolial Queen, does that mean Amber can use transformation magic like Fitoria and Filo?!" The orange-feathered female suddenly yelled excitedly, breaking through Moto's obsessed cuddling with her feathers.

"Huh-" Motoyasu looked up at her face.

POOF!

Motoyasu was suddenly enveloped in a cloud of orange feathers.

"Achoo! Achoo!" He started sneezing as some feathers had gone up his nose. It took him a moment to finally get himself to stop.

"Yayyyyyyy! Amber can transform into a human form now! Isn't this great, Blondie?!" Amber's voice said excitedly.

"What-" Motoyasu looked down, only for his eyes to widen past the size of dinner plates this time. "WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

Amber stood at around chest height. She was taller than Keel, but not as tall as Itsuki. A pair of pure white wings sprouted from her back, with locks of hair the color of the sunset falling around the sides of her head.

She was not an adult, nor was she a child. She had the body of a teenager, just like Wyndia and Ren. She also had the happiest smile ever on her face.

And she was completely naked. No shame whatsoever.

Motoyasu swiftly turned around, covering his eyes with his hands.

"Eh? Blondie, is there something wrong with Amber's new form?" Amber asked curiously, poking a finger curiously into his back below the armor.

"Amber! Please, change back to your monster form!" Motoyasu pleaded.

"Ehhhh?! But why?! Amber really likes Amber's new human form!" The girl yelled.

Motoyasu couldn't lie. Her human form was  divine .

However, Motoyasu did not want to make those kinds of moves on someone he considered to be a great friend. Especially after parting with Rino last night. "Please, if somebody sees you and me right now, they'll definitely get the wrong idea!" Motoyasu yelled.

"Ehhhh?! But Fitoria dropped Blondie and Amber in the middle of nowhere! There should be no one around except monsters! And what does Blondie mean by getting the wrong idea?!" Amber's wings puffed out as her face pouted in agitation.

...

Yeah, having a naked angel girl around would have been a huge problem for Motoyasu to deal with. So getting Amber magic clothes became his number one priority.

After teaching her a thing about human decency, of course.

The Spear Hero saved the area and portaled them to the Capital of Melromarc, where Motoyasu spent several hours trying to find a tailor who could take Amber's measurements and, hopefully, make her a set of magic clothes while getting some other things done. However, such an experience was something he was still traumatized by and would rather forget about.

'Seriously, I didn't know female otaku existed in this world too- OH GODS! WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT HER AGAIN?!'

'BEGONE, THOT!'

…

Heh, Motoyasu hoped he'd have the chance to say that to Bitch one day. What had he been thinking about again?

Oh, right. It took a while to get Amber's measurements. However, after that was accomplished, he took Amber back to the village and made the dress himself. The tailor lady said that she'd be happy to make Amber's outfit; an offer that Motoyasu would NEVER take up even under the threat of torture.

It didn't take him long to figure out how to get magic thread, as he asked their resident witch friend Mahoya about it. She still had the spinning wheel from her shop required to make it. And after Amber had made plenty, Motoyasu spent the rest of the day and part of that night making her new set of transforming clothes in his house, before giving it to the excited Filolial girl.

It wasn't his best work, and they were simple clothes at best so he planned on making her more outfits in the future. Still, she'd looked super happy upon receiving the gift from the Spear Hero.

With that task done, he and Amber planned on going back on the trail the next day.

However, the next morning, Fitoria, having learned about Amber's transformation, showed up at Moto's house before he could resume their journey and requested to put Amber through a trial just like she had with Filo.

That ended up taking all day as well, which had Motoyasu spending the night in the village again.

But after the trial was finally completed, Fitoria rewarded the new Filolial Queen with a tiara that transformed into an ahoge as well.

Seeing the new addition to Amber's hair was entirely worth it.

And the massive boost in stats might have helped a little bit too.

Then today, before Motoyasu could leave, Fitoria knocked on his door again to ask for his help in suppressing the Wave that'd be happening later that day.

She would have asked Ren, but… yeah, better to not touch on that right now.

Motoyasu, being the nice guy he was, accepted Fitoria's request full-heartedly. After spending their time earlier in the day traveling towards Zeltoble's capital, he was here now at the site of the Wave alongside Amber and the rest of Fitoria's flock.

'Alright, and that should do it.' Motoyasu smiled happily to himself as he raced forward, his Spear easily piercing through another Ifrit monster like it was made of paper.

The flames that touched his skin didn't even feel hot. To think he'd struggled so much taking down a single Spirit Tortoise familiar a short time ago.

See, Naofumi. That was how you were supposed to recap events. Is that really so hard?

"Gwah!" Another blue-feathered Filolial cried out nearby as it launched balls of water into a flock of bird monsters that looked like a mix of peregrine falcons, eagles, and snakes. They were called Interdimensional Garuda Shadows on Motoyasu's HUD.

No, that wasn't Blue. He was currently back in the village. But it was nice to note some of the more powerful members of Fitoria's flock who were there to fight.

A pink-feathered Filolial fought alongside the blue-feathered one. Based on how the two fought, Motoyasu was pretty sure the two were mates.

Oh yeah! He should mention this about Blue since he came up: Ren's Filolial friend had finally gotten his monster crest yesterday after Amber finished her trial.

Ren was feeling a little better lately, so he was able to see Beloukas when he came by the village and got a monster crest for Blue. It wouldn't be long before their village had a Filolial King as well.

Whether he and Amber ended up getting together, Motoyasu didn't know. He was certain the two Filolials were friends at the very least, but he didn't think they got along that well.

And yes, Motoyasu had already warned Melty to arrange for a different tailor to get Blue's outfit made since Motoyasu wouldn't have the time to make something for him. And besides that, Ren was still in no position to be traumatized right now.

At least that tailor's mom had been nice. She even seemed to know who Naofumi was for some reason.

Anyway, back on topic, the blue-feathered Filolial raised his wing and pointed at something in the distance. "Gwah! Gwah Gwah!"

"Motoyasu. Orion says that he can see the Wave Boss up ahead." Fitoria said behind the Spear Hero.

The Queen of the Filolials was currently in her human form. However, she was riding around in what looked like a steam-powered chariot. It had a single cannon in the center of it.

Any monsters that somehow got past Motoyasu or the members of her flock found themselves smooshed by her weapon running over them. Or otherwise cut out of the sky by the blades of wind Fitoria unleashed just by swinging her arms.

"Got it! I'll make this real quick then!" Motoyasu changed his spear to the Spirit Tortoise Heart Spear.

It was a weapon form he'd acquired while in the Capital getting clothes for Amber. Mirellia had called him in, letting him know his share of the monster materials was finally ready. And he'd absorbed them, unlocking new weapon forms, before bringing Ren's share to him later in the day, and-

'Damn it, why do I keep on getting sidetracked! Focus, Motoyasu! You don't want to recap worse than Naofumi!' The blonde simp almost slapped himself across the face.

Maybe it would have been better if he'd started out covering everything that'd happened since leaving the Hero's village. But wasn't it better to start where all the action and excitement was going on?

Oh well, to make a long story short, he now had a wide variety of weapon forms from the defeated Guardian Beast. The Spear he had equipped was his strongest one by far. It was the one he was currently upgrading with the strengthening methods. And it also came with a new skill that Motoyasu used at that moment.

"Multi-Pronged Thrust!"

He stabbed forward, energy bursting out from his weapon in multiple directions in front of him.

All the monsters paused in their tracks simultaneously. And then, giant holes appeared in the center of all their chests. They collapsed to the ground in droves.

Motoyasu's HUD was flooded by EXP notifications again, but he grinned as the Wave Boss finally appeared in his vision.

It was a giant elephant-looking creature. It had some weird symbols on it, but he didn't focus on the details.

It was going to die in a few seconds anyway.

The boss monster's trunk blared out a fearful cry as it turned around to flee in terror. But Motoyasu had already charged up his strongest skill and began spinning his spear above his head.

"Meteor Thrust!" The ball of energy went into a portal that formed above him.

And then, it came out above the Wave Boss, crashing down directly into it.

KABOOM!

A large explosion filled their visions, and Motoyasu had to raise his hand over his face as chunks of elephant slammed into his armor.

Ew, gross. He was going to need to wash that out tonight.

He had gotten an exp notification though, signifying the creature was dead.

And when the lingering smoke vanished, it revealed only the smoking remains of a quarter of what had been the Wave Boss.

...

Yeah, it was definitely dead.

Just like that, the remaining Wave monsters began to run away in terror.

"Gwah!" "Gwah!" "Gwah!"

Too bad Fitoria had the majority of her flock there. The remaining Wave Monsters wouldn't get far.

"Alright. Easy victory!" Motoyasu planted his spear into the ground.

"Well done, Spear Hero." Motoyasu turned to find the bird queen smiling proudly at him. "Fitoria is usually the one to kill the Wave Boss whenever she brings a Cardinal Hero along to help suppress the Wave. But this time, you handled it before Fitoria could.

"That is a very big thing to accomplish."

"Aw, shucks." Motoyasu grinned, blushing in embarrassment. "I was just doing my job."

"Job or not, you are clearly showing proof that this generation of Cardinal Heroes is finally beginning to close the gap between themselves and Fitoria." The little girl bowed her head. "That makes Fitoria very happy."

…

Motoyasu, though surprised, eventually smiled for real as he rubbed the top of the girl's head. "Seriously, I'm glad to hear that. I've worked hard to get where I'm at now."

"And Fitoria hopes that the Spear Hero will continue to work hard. As Fitoria is going to take things more seriously from now on." Fitoria looked up, a rare grin of challenge on her face.

"Oho! You're saying you weren't taking this seriously before?!" Motoyasu laughed.

"Of course. Why else do you think Fitoria allowed the Spear Hero to lead the charge? Do you think things would have been the same if Fitoria had been the one in front instead?

"Even I know that the members of Fitoria's flock need the chance to prove their strength from time to time."

"Ha! I'll make sure to remember that for next time. We can compete to see who kills the most monsters between us then!" Motoyasu laughed.

"No need. I'll just go to the other side and count up how many monsters Fitoria kills while waiting for the Shield Hero's report." Fitoria said with a smile.

"Right, you go ahead and- wait, WHAT?! THAT'S CHEATING! I CAN'T SLAUGHTER MONSTERS OVER THERE!" Motoyasu pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"It is not cheating. Fitoria is simply taking advantage of the fact that she can kill monsters in another world while the Spear Hero can't." Fitoria continued to smile before slightly sticking her tongue out at the man. "Motoyasu won't mind keeping an eye on Fitoria's flock in the meantime, right?"

"I- grrr, of course, I won't mind. You just make sure you're quick about it, ok?" Motoyasu said worriedly.

"Do not worry. Fitoria will make sure to come back long before the Wave closes. And if Fitoria somehow doesn't, Fitoria can always use her Carriage to make it back to this world."

"... wait, your weapon can-"

As Motoyasu tried to ask his question, Fitoria raced ahead through one of the Wave Cracks above the ground. In just the blink of an eye, she was gone.

…

…

Damn, even with how strong the Spear Hero had gotten, he hadn't been able to track Fitoria's speed at all. His jaw was left gaping in front of him.

Just how much stronger was he going to have to get to finally be on par with the ancient bird queen?! It was like he'd climbed Mt. Everest, only to find that he was still miles below the summit!

…

Motoyasu grinned widely again. Ha! If anything, that only showed him that he and the others still had plenty of room to grow yet, I say! He looked forward to the day when he and Fitoria could go toe to toe with one another!

That'd be an exciting duel to be sure!

A duel that would likely get a bunch of angry topographers on his back for destroying mountain ranges and creating new valleys. But hey, it'd definitely be a sight to behold!

"Blondie, can you please stop standing around and help Amber and Fitoria's flock with taking out the remaining monsters?!"

Amber's voice knocked the Spear Hero out of his thoughts. He shook his head and smiled widely. "Coming Amber!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Shortly thereafter, he was back to assisting Fitoria's flock with eliminating the rest of the Wave monsters.

In what felt like two minutes, their job was done.

No more Wave Monsters were in the immediate area. And the Wave Cracks themselves weren't releasing monsters anymore.

Motoyasu didn't know if that was because the Wave Boss was dead. Or if it was because Fitoria was murdering everything coming her way on the other side.

Overall, Motoyasu had killed at least a few hundred monsters throughout the Wave. He'd also slain the Wave Boss in one attack.

That was a huge improvement over his performance from before. It was awesome to see just how far he'd come.

…

"Hey, Amber, what is Fitoria doing right now?" Motoyasu asked curiously.

"Fitoria is talking to the Shield Hero, Blondie," Amber answered after focusing on her ahoge. "It looks like all of Blondie's friends are doing well as far as Amber can tell."

"Whoo, that's a relief to hear." Motoyasu smiled. He was grateful that Fitoria had put Amber through the Filolial Queen trial so quickly. Even if it had eaten into their initial travel time a decent bit.

Thanks to it, Amber was loads faster and stronger now. The trip that would have taken them a week was going to take them three days now at most. And the best part, they were able to talk to Fitoria whenever they needed to.

"Also, Fitoria killed at least a thousand monsters after crossing over to the other side." Amber suddenly added. "She told me to tell you she won."

"WHAT?! GIVE ME PROOF!" Motoyasu snapped.

"Amber can see what Fitoria is seeing." The filolial tilted her head to the side. "Does Blondie not believe Amber?"

"… that's… I thought those ahoges only allowed you to hear Fitoria telepathically?" The Spear Hero asked.

"Hmmm, no, that's not quite right." Amber tilted her head to the side. It was a very Filo-like behavior, which indicated that she was about to explain something complicated in a simple manner…

"The crown Fitoria gave Amber allows Amber to hear Fitoria, yes, but it also allows Amber to see what Fitoria sees if Fitoria allows it. It's like the recording crystals that some humans use. Fitoria can broadcast what Fitoria sees over her ahoge to Amber, and Amber can do the same for Fitoria.

"In short, while Fitoria and Amber can communicate thoughts via the ahoges. Fitoria and Amber can also show one another what Amber or Fitoria is seeing, touching, or even tasting in real-time."

…

"Is that a good enough explanation, or does Amber need to explain further?" Amber tilted her head again at Motoyasu's stunned silence.

"Um, ahem, no, that was good." The Spear Hero said, covering his mouth.

Apparently, Amber was far better at explaining stuff than Filo. Those tiaras were even more useful than Motoyasu had realized!

"But back to the original topic… Fitoria's strength isn't fair…" Motoyasu sagged.

His desire to compete with Fitoria was now at odds with his desire to keep his friend happy! What cursed circumstances to find himself in indeed!

"Ehehehe." Amber suddenly transformed in a poof of feathers. Only a second later, Motoyasu found himself being hugged by the teenage girl.

"It's ok, Blondie! Amber is sure that Blondie will best Fitoria next time!" She said happily.

"..." Motoyasu smiled sincerely as he hugged the angel girl back.

He guessed now would be a good time to point out the outfit he made for Amber. It was a dress similar to Filo's, though it didn't have frills. The top of it was orange, with it gradually changing to purple the closer it got to the bottom.

It gave her the appearance of a sunset, which complimented her personality very well. Though he wished he could have made something more complex for her.

Man, he needed to make more clothes for her soon. He couldn't wait to put his sewing and tailoring skills from his old world to good use!

…

He had mentioned before that he was good at making clothes, right?

Well, if you didn't know that before, you know that now!

Amber let go of the Spear Hero and assisted the Filolials in gathering the monsters' remains. Most of the monsters had been made of shadowy ichor, but there were a few genuine monsters here and there.

Parts of those monsters were torn off so Motoyasu and, later, Fitoria could absorb them. What remained of the Wave Boss was being dissected by select members of Fitoria's flock so the Heroes could get as many weapon forms out of it as possible.

The rest of the monster remains though. They were messily feasted upon by the Filolials and their bottomless stomachs. Motoyasu watched as the remains of an elephant-man monster were torn apart further by the beaks of these majestic creatures, spilling its organs and blood out onto the ground.

Ah, they were truly beautiful and noble creatures…

…

Motoyasu sat back on the ground, waiting for everything to finish. His carefree smile disappeared under a serious expression.

The Wave hadn't taken that long, so he guessed that he and Amber still had at least a few more hours that they could travel that day. And then, he'd teleport them back to the village to report to Melty.

The Spear Hero would then grab dinner from Garfield, Rachel's husband, who was filling in as one of the village chefs while he was gone. And then, Moto would finally retire to bed for the night. So long as the old Granny didn't corner him.

He didn't find that likely. She'd restrained herself to only giving him a practice spar first thing in the morning to help wake him up before sending him off. But you never knew with that crazy old crone.

She was probably biding her time to make Motoyasu drop his guard, just so she could pull him off for another week of hellish training, and then…

Heh, whatever that old hag was planning, he'd be ready for it. And the day would come when he finally beat the old lady in a fair duel, and-

"GWAH!"

Motoyasu snapped to his feet, only to look very surprised at the sight of Orion, one of the members of Fitoria's flock, having a sword thrust into one of his wings.

The cry hadn't come from the bird in question though. It'd come from his pink-feathered mate after Orion shielded her with his body to protect the female filolial from the stranger that'd suddenly appeared in front of them.

Just like that, Motoyasu felt as if his whole world had come crashing down.

What… what was… how had he…?!

"Hmph, you're a tough one, aren't ya?" The man holding the sword grinned widely as he sliced up, nearly slicing off the entirety of Orion's wing.

"GWAHHHHH!" Orion fell back, crying out in agony.

That cry was what finally snapped Motoyasu to action.

The stranger readied his sword to thrust through the Filolial's body.

"Chaos Thrust!" Motoyasu rushed the man in the blink of an eye, thrusting forward over and over again at a fast rate with a look of rage on his face.

"Oh! Safeguard! Earthen Wall!" At the man's yell, a wall of earth rose out of the ground between him and the Spear Hero to block the Hero's attack.

Motoyasu smashed through it though, still thrusting at the stranger who'd attacked the high-ranking member of Fitoria's flock.

The guy looked surprised at how easily his spell was smashed through… and yet when Motoyasu's skill ended, he saw that the interloper only had superficial wounds on his arms and a scratch along one cheek that was lightly bleeding.

He'd somehow managed to weave through and dodge most of the Spear Hero's attacks.

"Who are- Oh right, the Cardinal Spear! I almost forgot, you and your buddies are supposed to be a bit stronger than average, right? Almost caught me off-guard there!" The man laughed in delight.

Motoyasu's pupils dilated further, and waves of killing intent came off his entire body.

He did not know who he was. He did not know why this stranger was here.

All he knew was that this man needed to die.

"Crimson Thrust!" Motoyasu put himself between the man and the injured Filolial, allowing his mate to carry him away while Motoyasu engaged the interloper again.

The man sidestepped the flaming skill and almost impaled Motoyasu on the end of his sword.

"Magic Bullet! Stone Bullet!" Motoyasu then ducked as the man conjured a thin stone projectile in midair, with Motoyasu barely twisting his head enough to dodge the projectile.

"Nice! This is actually entertaining for me! Show me what else you've got!"

Within seconds, Motoyasu found himself backpedaling as the man attacked with a speed and ferocity the Wave Monsters had lacked.

The Spear Hero was now not only angry and confused but surprised as well. This guy hadn't just appeared out of nowhere and attacked the filolials without provocation, but he was also strong enough to go toe to toe with Motoyasu. A Cardinal Hero who had twelve strengthening methods under his belt right now.

The Hero jumped back in an attempt to create some distance between them, but the man raised his hand again. "Safeguard, Earthen Wall!"

Motoyasu tripped backward over the wall of earth that sprang up in the middle of his jump. He barely managed to move his weapon to block a downward strike from the guy, getting himself back onto his feet as the man continued to engage him in a flurry of blows.

He wasn't giving Motoyasu any time to charge up a skill or form a plan of counterattack.

The man's sword grazed the Spear Hero's cheek as he dodged another of his close-range stone bullets, but he hardly felt the small cut it left. And Motoyasu soon realized that it wasn't that this guy had particularly high stats.

Rather, he had loads of combat experience under his belt, much like Eclair.

This was likely not the man's first time fighting a spear wielder. And it was his skills and his innate knowledge of combat that prevented Motoyasu from finishing him as quickly as the Wave Monsters.

Too bad for the guy, Motoyasu had been training under Granny for quite some time now. Now that he had a better grasp of the man's strength and skills, he would not be defeated as easily as he had been at Lute Village.

"Ha!" Motoyasu swept his spear at the ground below the man, making him jump up and laugh.

"Trying to trip me up!? You'll need to try-"

POW!

Spinning his spear around in his hands, the blunt end of Motoyasu's weapon slammed into the man's rib cage. Launching him back through the air and into the thick trunk of a tree. "GAH!" Blood surged from the man's mouth as a look of shock covered his face.

"Air Strike Javelin!" Motoyasu then threw an energy projection of his weapon. And while the man managed to twist his body enough that it impaled his arm instead of his chest, it was still enough to pin his body to the tree.

"And now, Meteor Thrust!" Motoyasu spun his spear overhead to form a portal over the guy.

He'd attacked a Filolial intending to kill him and his mate. Orion and Pinkie hadn't even done anything towards him.

Thus, the man was undeserving of life.

Before Motoyasu was able to finish him off though.

"Magic Bullet: Stone Bullet!"

Motoyasu barely canceled his skill and moved his spear in time to intercept the projectile, which came from the right of the stranger.

Part of the spell still cut him along his arm though, drawing a somewhat deep bleeding gash along it.

Had he not reacted in time, that projectile could have gone through his head and killed him.

A second, more stout-looking figure walked out from the tree behind the first rogue.

"T-T-Took you long enough." The first coughed out more blood as he held his good arm to his broken ribs. "You couldn't have attacked him sooner?!"

"I was making sure that all of that troublesome giant bird's flock was in the area." The second stranger tossed his comrade a glowing stone. "But, I admit, I also wanted to see you make a fool out of yourself. We were told to avoid engagements with the Cardinal Heroes here for a reason, dumb% #."

"&^%$ you, dude. I didn't think he'd be that strong." The rogue grumbled.

The stout man chuckled as Motoyasu looked between the two men. "Who the hell are you, and why are you here?!" Motoyasu angrily asked.

"Who are we? That is none of your concern." The stout man smirked as he raised his arms to the sky. "After all, I'm about to wipe this whole area off the map."

"Magic Bullet: Meteorite Invitation!"

The sky above was blotted out by the form of a giant, flaring red meteor. Motoyasu looked up in surprise at its appearance.

"I suggest you seek some cover. No matter how strong you might be, you and everyone else here are going to feel this when that thing lands in five seconds." The second stranger taunted the Spear Hero. Holding a hand up in front of him.

"W-What the hell! That'd kill you guys too!" Motoyasu yelled angrily.

Instead of answering, the man lowered a finger on his hand. "Four."

… Motoyasu realized that talking would be a waste of time, and so he rushed forward to impale the caster. Thinking that might be the only way to keep his spell from going off.

However, the first stranger had somehow recovered from his injuries by then and appeared under Motoyasu's guard, slashing up with his sword.

Motoyasu barely reacted in time deflecting the man's sword out of the way.

"Three."

Motoyasu and the man disappeared in a blaze of speed as thrusts and parries were thrown against each other. Whatever that glowing stone had been, it not only healed the man's injuries but also buffed his stats.

Motoyasu's shoulder armor protected him from another blow. The hit stung a lot though.

"Two."

"Chaos Thrust!" Still, Motoyasu managed to charge up a skill and instead of using it to attack, he took advantage of the increased speed it gave him to knock the first stranger's sword out of his hand.

And then before the man could recover, the Cardinal Spear was buried through his chest.

"One." The tanky guy smirked.

The large meteor, which had been high up in the sky, came crashing down towards the ground below.

Motoyasu kicked the first man off of his weapon, sending his body flying into the side of a tree. He then faced the second stranger, but it was already too late to stop the spell.

"Enjoy your death, Hero! A strike like this is one that the bird god of this world won't ever forget!

"Aha, ahahaha-"

"GWAH!" The crowd of Filolials chanted.

"Ceremonial Magic!" Amber, who stood at their head, gathered the magical power of Fitoria's flock before her as she brought a fist down. "Judgment!"

A beam of light tore down from the heavens. Going straight through the center of the giant meteor from above.

KABOOM!

The entire thing exploded outwards. Motoyasu covered himself with his cape as bits of rock slammed into it.

…

…

After ten seconds, the falling rocks stopped. Looking up, he found that besides the trees being slightly damaged, the area was alright.

The stout interloper stood in his spot, stunned at seeing his giant meteor spell disposed of so easily. "Wh-What happened to the others attacking the flock?! Why aren't they-" As he turned his head, his face blanched.

Motoyasu turned his head too and finally realized something.

Those two hadn't been the only ones that attacked. Four other individuals had fought the members of Fitoria's flock as well.

However, while some members of the flock had been injured, those individuals were now lying on the ground in growing pools of blood.

Blood which was coming off of Amber's claws.

"Grrrr, another Filolial Queen? I hate getting old intel." The man scoffed.

He didn't get a chance to run, however. Before he could say or do anything else, Motoyasu pulled his Spear back over his head. "Second Javelin!"

Thunk!

The man's body was thrown through the air, the skill piercing through his chest and nailing his body to the trunk of another tree.

His heart had been destroyed by the attack. He had only seconds to live.

However, despite taking an obviously fatal attack, the second stranger's eyes widened as a manic smile covered his face.

"Go rot in hell, you piece of trash! Scum like you don't deserve to live!" Motoyasu yelled at him.

Yet as he turned around to check on the members of Fitoria's flock, the man began to laugh in his death throes.

"A good show, Spear Hero! But me and my comrades will be back soon enough!

"See you soon, and tell your Bird Queen that we're sending her our regards! Aha! Ahahahahahahahahaha… …" The man continued to laugh, until eventually, he finally died, and his body sagged.

The skill javelin disappeared then, and the body fell to the ground with a soft smush.

…

A shudder ran through Motoyasu's body, and he nearly felt the urge to vomit.

However, after checking the man's body, as well as the body of his comrade to make sure they were dead, he rushed over to Amber, who was in her human form helping out Orion.

"Gwah…" Orion grimaced in pain. His feathered wing hung limply at his side, and a small pool of blood had formed beneath him.

"Gwah! Gwah! Gwah!" His pink-feathered mate stood opposite Amber, yelling at her worriedly.

"Shhhh, it's ok. I'm just going to fix him up a little first." Amber comforted the pink-feathered Filolial while simultaneously petting Orion's head.

She then turned her head to face two other Filolials that approached. "Yellow. Sunset. Please hold Orion down for Amber. Brownie, comfort Pinkie for Amber. Pinkie's going to need it."

The two Filolials nodded their heads, and their wings restrained the blue-feathered Filolial to the ground.

The third one moved to Pinkie's side, allowing the Filolial to cry into her chest as the older Filolial comforted her.

Without giving Orion a second's warning, Amber then grabbed Orion's exposed wing bones and began pulling them and the muscles, connecting the nearly severed wing back to his body.

"GWAH! GWAHHHHHHHHHH!" Orion screeched in pain.

Some of the nearby Filolials covered their heads with their wings. Pinkie cried out even more at hearing her mate's pained cries.

"Wh-Wha- Amber- what are you-" Motoyasu began to sputter in shock.

Fortunately, Amber was quick with her work, and she finished setting Orion's wing back into place mere seconds after she'd started.

"Alright, Blondie should be fine to use Healing Magic on Orion now," Amber said as she stood up. She wiped her hands of the blood covering them as she turned to Motoyasu.

"A-Amber?" Motoyasu said in shock.

"The Evil Guy's strike nearly severed Orion's wing." Amber calmly explained. "Had the bones and muscles not been moved back into place, healing magic could have made Orion's wing heal wrong, and Orion could have lost the use of Orion's wing permanently.

"This is not the first time Amber has had to help with this kind of injury in Fitoria's flock. Now please heal Orion quickly, Blondie. Orion is losing a lot of blood from that wound. The sooner healing magic is used, the better it'll be for Orion."

Amber then stepped back, gesturing for Motoyasu to take her place.

The Spear Hero still looked surprised, but Orion was weakly crying out in pain. Tears fell from his eyes as he stared at his hurt and bleeding wing.

Pinkie stood nearby with Brownie. Still crying with Brownie's wing supporting her, but the Filolial was staring at the Spear Hero with pleading eyes.

Motoyasu shook his head and began reciting out an incantation. As he finished, he set his palm gently on the blue-feathered Filolial's chest. "Drifa Healing Warmth."

A red glow surrounded Orion's body. At its appearance, skin and feathers regrew over the bones of the Filolial's wing.

…

After a few seconds, the damage had all been repaired. Amber stepped past her Hero, being gentle as she examined Orion's wing for him.

…

After a few seconds, she smiled and rubbed the Filolial's head. "Blondie's magic did the job. Orion won't be in danger of losing Orion's wing now."

"Gwah…" The Filolial let out a sigh of relief and only seconds after hearing the words, he passed out from pain and exhaustion.

"Gwah!" Pinkie then rushed forward, crying as she hugged her unconscious mate close.

Amber started to gently rub the crying Filolial's head. She looked out over the few other Filolials who'd been injured by the surprise ambush.

"Blondie. Healing Magic should be good enough for the others." Amber said. "Please go help them."

"R-Right!" Motoyasu snapped to attention. Part of him still felt surprised by the nurturing side Amber had displayed. It helped him realize that even though she shared some of Filo's outward characteristics, Amber was still a drastically different person.

As the Spear Hero used healing magic to heal the other Filolial's injuries, he was struck by the thought that if Amber hadn't helped first, he might have very well made things worse for the Filolial Orion by healing his wing.

Filolials couldn't fly, yes. However, that didn't mean their wings weren't important for other things. Like pulling carriages, or helping them out in combat, and other such activities. To take away their wings would be like taking away somebody's arms.

Had he healed it immediately before setting the wing back into place…

…

Motoyasu sighed in relief. Thank the Gods he had Amber. He was going to have to study Filolials even more than before to make sure he treated them right, I say!

…

However, that could come later… after some other important things were immediately dealt with.

Shortly after Motoyasu finished healing the rest of the injured flock, Fitoria came rushing out of one of the Wave Cracks that were at ground level.

The Queen of the Filolials was blazing with energy as she appeared like a meteor. She looked ready to annihilate an entire continent if she had to.

However, it didn't take long for her to see that everything was ok. And she sighed as the presence of power around her gradually faded away.

"So… everything going well on Naofumi's end?" Motoyasu asked.

"... … …" Fitoria remained silent, looking around at her flock as well as the remnants of battle.

The Wave Cracks around them all glowed brightly, and after a few seconds, they vanished. Yet Fitoria didn't look around to acknowledge that.

Motoyasu grimaced as she walked forward without addressing him.

The Queen paused at Amber's side, looking down at Orion's peaceful face, which was being gently cradled in the wing of his mate Pinkie.

She took a moment to examine Orion's wing for herself, and then, she gave a grateful nod to Amber. Who returned it by resting a hand on Fitoria's shoulder.

"Fitoria is sorry she couldn't be here," Fitoria said somberly.

"It's okay. Amber and Blondie managed to fight the evil men off with the help of Fitoria's flock." Amber said happily.

"Gwah!" Some of the nearby Filolials let out a noise of agreement.

"Evil men…" But at Amber's words, Fitoria's face clouded further. She looked towards where the two bodies lay, and Motoyasu followed her gaze.

Imagine his surprise as there wasn't a trace of the corpses left. Even their weapons had vanished. All that remained to indicate them having been there was the pools of blood where their bodies had been lying.

"Where did they go? I know that they were dead!" Motoyasu said angrily.

Had others been hiding there?! But then, Motoyasu didn't see any bloody footprints or destroyed foliage or trampled grass or anything leading away from their spots, so how the hell did they disappear?!

"Fitoria hasn't sensed anyone else lingering in the area," Fitoria spoke up as Motoyasu continued looking around.

"What do you mean?! What happened then?! Bodies don't just vanish into thin air!" He said angrily.

"'Theirs' do," Fitoria said.

…

…

Motoyasu looked closely at the Filolial Queen. Her hands had balled into fists and her tiny body was trembling.

"Fitoria's worst fears are confirmed." The Filolial girl hugged her arms to herself. "Those evil men are back to try and target Fitoria and her flock again."

"Fitoria has been helping out too much. Now, Fitoria's flock will be at risk of being targeted and killed, and Fitoria won't be able to protect everyone again like in the past, and… and…"

"Hey… Um…" Motoyasu slowly approached the Filolial Queen. He felt himself shrink at what he recognized to be pure fear filling the most powerful being in their world. Anything that could scare someone like her was something he should have found downright terrifying.

Then again, maybe he was wrong and Fitoria wasn't afraid?

Yeah, that seemed kind of illogical, and there was no possible way that-

Fitoria looked up at him, raising her hand which was covered in wind magic. She didn't seem to recognize who he was in that moment. Her pupils had dilated like a cornered animal's and every fiber of her body had been pulled taut in anticipation of an attack.

Motoyasu, who'd been stepping forward, suddenly took a step back.

He now knew with outright certainty; that Fitoria was ABSOLUTELY SCARED out of her mind right now!

Memories were surging through her brain like tidal waves. Memories that'd be best left forgotten.

The Spear Hero was quick to realize that he had to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible, or otherwise be nuked out of existence.

Motoyasu moved his Cardinal Weapon to his back, and then he laid down on his side, still facing the Filolial Queen. He was trembling the whole while, but he stared at Fitoria with a look of care and empathy as he became submissive before her.

"Fitoria… I'm never going to hurt you or your flock." The Spear Hero stated. "No matter what. I'm here to help."

…

…

For several more tense seconds, bursts of wind continued to move around Fitoria's raised hand, which began to encircle her form.

Amber and the others stood in the background, fearful about stepping in and escalating the scuffle between their Alpha and the Spear Hero.

…

…

…

Motoyasu didn't move a muscle. Looking at the angel girl with fear, but also care.

It was the look in the Spear Hero's eyes that finally snapped the angel girl out of her trance.

Fitoria's pupils shrunk back to normal, and the wind magic that'd surrounded her form vanished. Her face, which had been twisted with fury, suddenly became ashamed and downcast.

"I… I didn't mean to…" She spoke in a shocked voice.

Motoyasu slowly sat up, being careful to not move too fast. He was still trying to appear as harmless as possible, in case he accidentally triggered Fitoria's trauma further, and…

It ended up being meaningless, as Fitoria rushed forward first and embraced the Spear Hero around the neck. Tears fell from her eyes as she began to softly cry.

"Fitoria didn't mean to view Motoyasu as an enemy! Please forgive me!" The girl sobbed as she broke down in the blonde man's arms.

…

Feeling like a weight had just been removed from his back, Motoyasu sagged in relief as he hugged the small girl back. "It's alright. You definitely scared me there.

"But you didn't attack me, so it's all good."

He continued to comfort her for another minute. Saying more reassuring things while internally pondering on the bizarre dichotomy of the bird queen's existence.

Having all the power and responsibility in the world, yet seemingly being stuck with the mentality and body of a hopelessly lost and scared child.

…

…

…

Eventually, Fitoria let go of the Spear Hero and looked up at him. She had to wipe some tears from her face, and she opened her mouth to speak but ended up looking around herself again.

"Motoyasu… Fitoria would like to get her flock to safety." The girl said seriously. It seemed like she had recovered from her outburst and managed to put on her regular passive, emotionless mask again. "Would you and Amber be willing to come along? Fitoria wishes to talk with Motoyasu in private."

Motoyasu gulped nervously. Nuts, he was going to get sidetracked again, wasn't he? He wanted to get to Zeltoble's Capital as quickly as possible, but fate was hampering the Spear Hero around every turn for some reason.

It didn't take long for Motoyasu to shake his head and rid himself of such thoughts. Considering what just happened, he would have to be a complete bastard to ignore what was clearly a desperate cry for help.

So the Spear Hero just smiled and gave the Queen of the Filolials a thumbs up. "Sure, we won't mind."

Besides, Motoyasu and Amber had managed to travel a fair bit today already. And he was the only Hero who hadn't seen the Filolial Sanctuary yet.

HE WAS SURE SUCH A PLACE WOULD BE PARADISE ON EARTH, I SAY!

"... Alright." Seeing the extremely happy look that came onto the blonde's face, Fitoria had to suppress the smile of relief that she wanted to express.

However, that relief was short-lived, as she finally saw that while the Spear Hero had healed the injured members of her flock, he had as yet to heal the injuries he'd sustained from his fight against the mysterious men.

"Gentle Breath." Setting her hand against his chest, a wave of green healing energy covered the Spear Hero.

After a couple of seconds, the gashes on his arms and face disappeared. The stinging sensation that'd lingered in his shoulder also vanished.

Motoyasu stretched the joint for himself, pleased to no longer be dealing with the pain. "Heh, thanks Fitoria." He told her gratefully.

"It is the least Fitoria can do after Motoyasu treated the members of Fitoria's flock with such care." Fitoria allowed a small, soft smile on her face then.

It didn't take her long to gather her flock around them, during which Motoyasu absorbed the monster remains that'd been scattered during their brief, yet deadly scuffle with the mysterious men who'd attacked them.

He'd have to give Ren's portion of the monster materials to him later. After he reported to Melty about this.

Damn it, he could already tell that she wasn't going to like hearing about what happened. But that was for future Motoyasu to worry about.

When he was finally done, Amber took hold of his hand, giving him a reassuring smile. And the carriage around Fitoria's neck glowed bright.

"Transport Carriage."

A flash of light surrounded the large group. And a moment later, they vanished from the plains where they'd dealt with the Wave of Catastrophe.

"Yeesh, they were wayyyyyyy stronger than they were supposed to be. What was up with that?"

"I know they're members of the World Guardian's Flock, but we should have been able to handle them easily without her around to protect them!"

"Blame that second Filolial Queen that was protecting them. She dropped me before I could even use my finishing move."

"Your finishing move sucks man. It takes forever to charge up and leaves you immobile."

"But the damage-"

"Drop it, you two, an extra queen or two doesn't matter. What is much more concerning is the Spear Hero that we faced."

"Oh yea! That fight was completely unfair. That Wave gave me a combined level of 176, and he still kicked my #$! That was such BS."

"We should probably contact one of the enforcers and report back on this. We were told that the Heroes here are a bit tougher than usual, but that skirmish felt too extreme. Something doesn't add up."

"You got that right. I can't imagine how that fight would have gone down if we didn't have our extra levels from that other world helping us out."

"Hmhmhm, it's fine. I don't know about you a lot, but I've seen worse before. We'll just have to spend a bit more time grinding for experience in this world before we face off against them again."

"Ugh, do we have to? This world is infamous for being difficult to level up in thanks to that moron who decided it'd be a 'good idea' to make an EXP generator in the Prad Desert's Experience Event zone. All the land monsters in this world give out less EXP than normal because that stupid machine is still working after all this time!"

"Why don't we just go break it anyway? I don't think we're forbidden from tampering with it, are we?"

"Hell no! The enforcers said that even the World Guardian of this world is barely strong enough to fight the monstrosities guarding that hunk of junk! We'd stand absolutely no chance if we tried!"

"Then stop complaining and get to grinding already! We have no time to waste!"

"Cut us a break, we just died you know!"

The men all shared a laugh as they went to slay more monsters together.

Hero Clips!

Recap Hell

"Hi, Motoyasu Kitamura here, I'm the Spear Hero of this world, and-"

"Moto, what are you doing?"

Motoyasu tilted his head confusedly at the angel girl in front of him. The pair were surrounded by Wave Monsters.

"I'm recapping important people and events so everyone can know what's going on, Fitoria," Motoyasu answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ok... but does that mean you have to reintroduce yourself to whoever it is you're narrating to?" Fitoria asked.

"Right, I never was able to perfect my introduction. Though, I still love the title of Love Seeker for myself." Motoyasu grinned toothily as he thought back on good memories.

It only seemed to confuse Fitoria even more, but Motoyasu suddenly lit up.

"Oh, right! This here is Fitoria! She's the World Guardian of our world! She's super kuudere and doesn't like expressing herself very much, but she's super nice once you get to know her! She's also the most OP character in all of existence, besides maybe Goku or Saitama!

"But hey, with how broken the power scaling of their worlds is, you can't blame her for being so limited here."

"Excuse me, what did you just-" Fitoria started to say in an offended voice.

"Hey, Blondie!" Amber called out as she suddenly appeared from the mess of monsters.

"Perfect timing, Amber!" Stars sparkled in Motoyasu's eyes. "This here is my Filolial Queen, a girl with similar attributes to Filo, but who has her own traits and personality as well! She's super kind and motherly to those she takes under her wing, and as someone who's lived in Fitoria's flock for years, so she is someone even Fitoria will listen to from time to time!"

"Yeah, when Fitoria's not being super dumb and prickly, that is." Amber stuck her tongue out at Fitoria.

"..." Fitoria remained silent, not knowing what was going on at all.

"Anyway, as for why we're all here, let's start from the beginning!" Motoyasu exclaimed excitedly.

"Yayyyyy~!" Amber cheered.

"Gwah! Gwah! Gwah!" The other Filolials of Fitoria's flock quickly gathered at Motoyasu's feet, excited to hear about Motoyasu's tale.

However, it was waylaid as Motoyasu spent time talking about each member of Fitoria's flock. Their background, their personalities, important life events involving them, and so on.

Fitoria eventually walked off, dealing with all the monsters in the area as Motoyasu finally began telling a long, condensed version of Hope and Diligence for the rest of the Filolial Flock to listen to. With Motoyasu making plenty of jokes and comments about the other Heroes and their journeys along the way.

Fitoria disappeared to the Otherworld, came back, took a bathroom break, got her chores for the day done, and did battle against the monstrosities guarding the EXP machine in the Prad Desert.

Yet when she returned, Motoyasu STILL wasn't done!

His recap would last all day, and by the end, Fitoria and all the members of her flock would be dead asleep, as well as the group of mysterious men who'd come to ambush them. Waiting for Motoyasu to finish so they could finally make their grand debut.

And that summed up why the recap was super light at the start of this chapter. As covering the length of over two Harry Potter trilogies in one chapter would have been outright impossible.

"And that is why the goal of my journey is to make love to my spear!" Motoyasu proudly finished.

...

Though, it was also super light because Motoyasu was... Motoyasu.

But that's why we loved him!

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Motoyasu landed on his feet after Fitoria's transport skill ended.

He excitedly looked around, ready to be completely blown away by Fitoria's home. An area where the world's Filolials lived in peace and tranquility. A place that could only be described as 'heaven on earth' in the tales of all Filolials around the world…

…

The Spear Hero's face slowly fell. "Why does it look so… so… run down?" He managed to say.

"Because Fitoria made her Sanctuary in the ruins of a nation the Heroes had founded in the past." Fitoria appeared beside the blonde. Her face was back to looking impassive again, but her voice held a tinge of sadness and resignation to it. "Besides the Heroes, it has been centuries since humans last stepped foot here."

"Huh… is that why this place isn't on any maps?" Motoyasu asked.

"Yes," Fitoria answered curtly and began to walk forward.

…

…

"..." Motoyasu said nothing more as he continued to follow the Carriage Hero. With the conversation taking a lull, the blonde decided to focus on his surroundings for the time being instead.

"Gwah!" "Gwah!" "Gwah!" The Filolials who'd arrived with the pair quickly dispersed throughout the area.

Fitoria's Sanctuary was, as previously mentioned, the ruins of an ancient city. All around, Motoyasu saw buildings made of stone that'd been eroded over time, giving them an ancient, weathered look. Vines grew down the sides of these structures, and trees and grass grew up from the ruined cobblestones of old floors and roads.

Down to the side, Motoyasu spotted a canal that cut through what had probably been the center of this ancient land. The water flowing through it was clean, and he could easily spot fish from this height swimming along its current.

"Gwah!" He watched as a Filolial dipped its head into the water, catching one very large fish in its beak. Instead of eating it though, the Filolial ran to the front of a stone house, where her mate was guarding their nest of chicks.

The small family then began to feast on the giant fish together. And Motoyasu smiled as he continued looking around.

There were quite a few Filolials here that Motoyasu was able to spot. They ranged in size and color. Some were as young as a baby chick, and some looked old enough that their noble feathers and statures sagged with age. Yet they enjoyed seeing their grandchicks or great-grandchicks playing with their parents in front of their homes.

Orion and Pinkie both ran up to such a pair. Gwahing with happiness as their chicks raced away from grandma and grandpa to hug their parents.

Crap! Motoyasu almost wanted to cry at the sight of the family being reunited with each other!

IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL, I SAY!

…

Ehhem, anyway, Motoyasu also saw some of the other Filolials who'd gone with them training those who weren't chicks anymore, but who weren't adults yet either. This training was done in the form of spars using their magic or claws.

Fitoria briefly paused to assist one of the younger Filolials who was trying to use wind magic. As they continued, Motoyasu saw that Filolial gwah in delight as she finally managed to cast the basic wind spell "Gust" and send her trainer flying into a tree.

That Filolial was definitely going to go far after she became old enough to battle alongside Fitoria and the other members of her flock.

"Does Blondie like the home Fitoria made for Fitoria's flock?" Amber asked curiously. She was following slightly behind and alongside the Spear Hero.

"Yeah, it's nothing like what Fitoria has been making near Lurolona, that's for sure," Motoyasu responded, his voice filled with awe. "It's like an entire civilization of Filolials!"

"That second nest of mine is meant solely to help Fitoria and her flock guard the Hero's Village. Here is where the members of Fitoria's flock who are too old or too young or otherwise unable to fight right now can live out their lives in peace." Fitoria explained in front of them.

…

It really was like a civilization in that regard then. Did that mean some of the Filolials here had jobs like blacksmithing, or sewing, or-?

Motoyasu quickly realized the stupidity of that thought. There was no way a normal Filolial would be capable of wielding a hammer or holding a sewing needle.

…

…

'Adding that to the list of things to teach Filolials how to do.' Motoyasu compartmentalized the thought in his mind for later, before finally addressing what Fitoria had said earlier.

"Was knowledge of this place lost because of the Waves?" He asked curiously.

"No. Fitoria and her flock have searched for and destroyed all the old maps that had Fitoria's domain listed on them. There isn't a human alive that knows how to get here without my help." Fitoria answered without looking back.

Motoyasu pictured the little girl appearing in the palace of some country. Obliterating all the guards in her way just so she could destroy a single piece of parchment.

He would have laughed if he hadn't realized that she probably had done just that. Multiple times most likely.

It certainly would fit her modus operandi of problem-solving.

'Fitoria' and 'Restraint' were not words that one would use in the same sentence.

"Does anyone ever accidentally wander into the area?" The Spear Hero asked worriedly.

"No. Fitoria's domain is high up in the mountains, far away from any human civilization." The girl answered. "And even if a human did somehow wander this deep into the mountains, Fitoria has made sure that they won't be able to reach her Sanctuary."

"... I hope that our country will become safe enough for your flock to live in too one day." Motoyasu sighed. "I can't imagine it being easy to live in such an isolated spot for your entire life."

"It is not as hard as Motoyasu thinks." Fitoria shrugged. "You get used to it… Eventually." She added mutely at the end.

"Well, that's just me speaking from my own experiences." Motoyasu chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck. "My parents moved around quite a lot when I was a kid, and it was always in a city. This is my first time having a home in the countryside.

"I never really lived anywhere for long either. On average, my family moved two to three times a year. Sometimes four."

"Hmmm… Fitoria can't imagine herself or her flock living in such a nomadic way, even if some flocks that she met before do.

"Fitoria travels around the world from time to time. But Fitoria's Sanctuary has been her home for a very, very long time." Fitoria said.

"Were you born here then?" Motoyasu asked.

"..." Fitoria couldn't answer for a moment. "I... Fitoria doesn't know. But probably not.

"All Fitoria knows is that this nation wasn't the one that Fitoria's Father, Mamoru, founded. So it's likely that this wasn't Fitoria's first home. It is the only home that Fitoria can remember now though."

As they'd talked, Motoyasu found that they were walking up a set of stone steps towards a building that towered over all the others there. Rising taller than even the large towering trees around them.

From this height, he was able to see above the forest to find that, indeed, the entire ancient forest city was surrounded by tall, towering mountains. The forest of trees in Fitoria's Sanctuary ended at these mountains.

The mountain peaks were covered in snow. And even though they were many miles away, they still looked very big and imposing.

Taking a moment to pause and look around, Motoyasu spotted no gap or valley that would have made it possible to get here without going through a very treacherous climb first. And while he had the thought that one could fly here on the back of a dragon or a griffin, he also had the realization that doing so would be a very bad idea.

That thought came because he felt short of breath just from climbing the stairs. He was far more fit than this. Which meant that they must have already been pretty high above sea level.

Even if one flew through the gaps of those mountains, they'd probably pass out from lack of oxygen before they made it through.

No wonder Fitoria found it unlikely for people to just wander in here.

It was so strange. Why would a group of past Heroes build their city in such a remote and hard-to-reach place? Unless... was it meant to be a fortress? To be used to shelter the people and defend them from something?

But what?...

...

"Motoyasu, are you coming?" Fitoria asked. She and Amber had paused up ahead.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, just catching my breath." Motoyasu called to them.

It wasn't a lie. It felt like when Granny and him had gone to the mountains to train. Only ten times worse.

The blonde soon followed up the steps after the two Filolial Queens, focusing his attention on the city's largest building again.

Out of all the structures around here, this one looked the most worn out and damaged. This was odd since its location, size, and design implied that it was an administrative building of some kind or possibly even the ancient country's seat of power.

A pair of massive reinforced metal doors lay by the entrance in shambles, covered in rust and moss. One was shattered into pieces and partially melted into a pile of slag while the other had gotten bent in half from some kind of powerful impact.

The entrance did have something covering it though. A shimmering barrier of wind magic that helped to keep the elements out.

And, as Motoyasu discovered as soon as he passed through it, kept the smell inside the building contained.

"Ugh, what is that horrible smell?!" Motoyasu pinched his nose while deeply frowning. "It's like somebody died here a hundred times over or something!"

"..." "..."

"What?" Motoyasu asked when Fitoria and Amber both looked at him.

"This is Fitoria's nest. Where Fitoria has gathered many things over the last few centuries." Amber answered.

…

…

"...Fitoria knows that it's a bit messy. However, that was still very rude of Motoyasu to say." Fitoria pouted slightly and her cheeks turned rosy.

…

…

Motoyasu prostrated himself to the ground immediately. "I'M SO SORRY! I'LL TAKE MY TONGUE OUT IMMEDIATELY TO ATONE FOR MY FOUL WORDS!"

Both angel girls sweatdropped and quickly restrained Motoyasu before he could follow through on his promise. And yes, he had been about to use the tip of his spear to cut his tongue out. "No, Motoyasu, you don't have to go that far! Just an apology is good enough!" Fitoria shouted worriedly.

"Eh? You sure? If this is truly where Fitoria lives, then I must do something to pay for talking down on Fitoria's home." Motoyasu responded solemnly.

Both girls sweatdropped again and made sure it was firmly clear to the Spear Hero that his apology was more than enough. And then, afterward, he stood back up and looked around again.

"Alright, well, I mean no offense when I say this, but this place could really use some cleaning. Is there a reason why you haven't?" Motoyasu asked Fitoria.

"..." Fitoria's head eventually moved to the side. "Fitoria… is usually too busy to clean her nest that often."

"Liar!" Amber protested and flared the wings on her back. "Fitoria is just lazy! Amber knows Fitoria spends most of her days sleeping or daydreaming at Fitoria's pond when Fitoria's not training the flock or out fighting the waves!"

"Huh?" Motoyasu asked, and then his eyes narrowed as the gears in his head started to turn.

"..." Fitoria remained silent again. Her face holding an indiscernible expression.

"See! Fitoria isn't even denying it!" Amber pointed her finger at the older Filolial Queen accusingly. "Besides that time when Filo was here, Amber has hardly seen Fitoria ever-"

"Err, whatever, this is fine." Motayasu quickly reined the redhead in while making another mental note about explaining to Amber what depression was later. "Maybe me and the other Heroes could help clean this place up when we have time in the future?" Motoyasu suggested. "We can think of it as a Spring Cleaning Project or something."

"A Spring Cleaning Project?" Amber cocked her head to the side in confusion. "But it's summer."

"Yeah, it's just a phrase to describe how a lot of people in my world would spend time after winter to clean everything in their homes," Motoyasu explained quickly. "We could do something similar for Fitoria after Naofumi and the others return."

"... … I wouldn't mind that." Fitoria eventually said.

Motoyasu rubbed the top of her head, and a small smile formed on the little girl's face.

The girl then summoned a barrier of wind around Motoyasu and Amber, blocking out the smell around them as they wandered through the room. With the wind spell, Motoyasu also found it a LOT easier to breathe.

Amazing, now that he thought about it, Fitoria's Sanctuary was at the perfect altitude for the Heroes to train! They could become a lot fitter here than in the mountains where Granny normally started training them!

…

He vowed that this knowledge should never be given to Granny, ever.

At least, not until after Ren got better.

Anyway, without his nose being assaulted by a wide variety of scents, Motoyasu was able to focus on what was around them.

It was… messy was definitely an understatement. To say that Fitoria's nest was a hoarder's wet dream was probably accurate in this scenario.

It looked like centuries upon centuries of stuff was here. From ancient, rusted weapons and rotting crates full of foodstuffs that'd long since expired, to shedded feathers and… stuff.

Yeah, he'd just call that stuff.

It was very likely the source of the rancid stench Motoyasu had first smelled when walking into the room is all he'd say. And the whole room was covered in a thick layer of dust to boot.

Fitoria said she didn't clean very often… it looked like it'd been centuries since she'd last cleaned this place. And if she did lie amongst all this garbage, staring up at the ceiling.

…

Motoyasu continued following the young girl through the mess. Wondering what he could do to help her out.

As they walked past a pile of weapons, Motoyasu saw a spear that looked somewhat intact sticking out from them. He decided to reach forward and touch it to see if his Weapon Copy would activate or not.

Weapon Copy Activated!

Ancient Bronze Spear Unlocked!

Equip Bonus: Blacksmithing Skill II

"Oh?" Motoyasu paused in his walk and changed to the new weapon form, which looked far cleaner and newer than the spear that he'd just copied. He took a moment to study its equip bonus.

"What is it, Moto?" Amber asked.

"Apparently, I just found a spear that gives me intermediate skills in blacksmithing," Motoyasu said as he read over the details on his HUD. It was even stranger since he hadn't found a spear that gave Blacksmithing I yet.

He had no interest in blacksmithing himself. He preferred sewing and tailoring clothes to working with metal.

Which made it even more astounding that he was so afraid of the tailor girl from before and-

Nope. Burying that trauma again.

More importantly, Motoyasu knew somebody who had an interest in blacksmithing…

Looking through the pile, he found a sword that looked similar to the spear. So he dug it out and put it in his weapon's inventory to give to Ren later before continuing after Amber and Fitoria.

He didn't know if it'd give the Sword Hero the same equip bonus or not, but it didn't hurt to try.

The Spear Hero touched several other spears and various other polearms as the group walked through the mountains of junk. Most of the weapons had become so degraded that Motoyasu was unable to copy anything from them. But he did manage to copy a few different weapons as he followed Fitoria.

Ancient Mythril Spear Unlocked!

Equip Bonus: +5 Attack, Vision Up (small)

Cobalt Spear Unlocked!

Equip Bonus: +6 Luck, Mining Efficiency III

Piensa Guard Naginata Unlocked!

Equip Bonus: +10 Defense, +6 Agility

Siltran Soldier Trident Unlocked!

Equip Bonus: +12 Dexterity, +4 Attack

Obsidian Halberd Unlocked!

Equip Bonus: Slash Damage Up (Small)

The stat increases weren't anything special, but every little bit would help. More importantly, Motoyasu thought the Cobalt Spear's skill bonus would be very beneficial for mining ores for his [Smelting] method and Itsuki's [Ore Equip] method.

Though those were some strange names for the other weapons he'd copied. He hadn't even known that Naginatas existed in this world. Must have been a really old weapon or something.

…

The Spear Hero was starting to wonder why Fitoria had brought him here for a private talk when they entered an area of the building that was surprisingly empty.

However, that was only because there was nothing left here but a few piles of burned wood and a thick layer of ash. A fire must have broken out here at some point and it was fortunate that it didn't spread out to the rest of the crumbling palace.

"What happened here?" Motoyasu asked.

"A bad thing. A very, very bad thing." Fitoria responded tensely, her mouth turning into a thin line as her glazed-over eyes scanned the room.

"Fitoria has a... problem. Here." The girl stiffly tapped her head with her middle and index fingers. "Fitoria is a very forgetful girl. It wasn't always like that, I think. But at some point, Fitoria started to gradually forget things.

"Small things at first. Like names of people and places that she had met and visited. Or words to describe certain things. Or some magic spells that she didn't use often.

"But then it got worse. Fitoria started to forget bigger things, important things. Things that Fitoria didn't want to forget. Like the faces of Fitoria's parents. Or their last words.

"Things about the waves. Things about the world.

"One by one, Fitoria's memories began to gradually slip away. At one point, Fitoria almost forgot her name. And I couldn't tell what was missing until it was already gone and it was too late.

"So Fitoria started to write all her remaining memories down, so that even when she would forget them, she would be able to get them back again, at least in part."

"... you mean like a journal?" Motoyasu asked for clarification.

"Yes. I still had many, many memories left and I made sure to write all of them down in many many books here when Fitoria realized how spotty her memories were becoming." The girl replied. "And the most important of these books held the words of wisdom given by Fitoria's mother and father."

Motoyasu eyed the burned-out room again and felt a pit open up in his stomach. "Are these... your memories?"

Fitoria nodded stiffly. "The last group of humans Fitoria trusted to enter her domain… came here and burned them.

"It hurt so much. And it still hurts today. Fitoria tried to sift through the ashes before, but I couldn't find anything. It is only because those evil men have started attacking again that Fitoria thinks that she should try again, to see if she can find anything before talking with Motoyasu in private."

…

The Spear Hero did not open his mouth for some time after that, as he and the two angel girls went through the ash and husks of burned-out shelves to find if any records had escaped the scourge of several hundred years ago.

The Spear Hero genuinely put forth a lot of effort. He absorbed a lot of crumbling bookshelves and ash into his weapon's gemstone to help clean the areas he searched.

He did come across two worn stone tablets that had writing on them at one point. However, the writing had been scraped out, as if somebody had intentionally done it. And Motoyasu wasn't able to discern any words from them.

He came across other stone tablets as well. Or the shattered remains of them. He guessed that Fitoria must have used those first before switching to books. Or, perhaps she'd used both but had used stone tablets to record more important memories. Memories that she didn't want to risk degrading over time like paper.

Motoyasu felt more and more anger flare up in him as time went on. Not because this knowledge could have benefited the Heroes, which it very well could have. But rather because someone had intentionally come here with the sole purpose of destroying Fitoria's precious memories. They wanted to steal everything that time had been trying to take away from the small angel girl for millennia.

He clamped down on such feelings though and continued with his task. He could dwell on such thoughts another time.

Their search/clean-up of the area went on for another hour. But even though Motoyasu managed to clean up a good portion of it while Fitoria and Amber searched the rest, they didn't come across anything.

Nada. Absolutely nothing.

Near the end, Fitoria excused herself to take a walk outside. And though Motoyasu wanted to finish going through the last portion of the burned library, Amber grabbed him by the hand and stopped him.

"Blondie, now would be a good time for you to have that private chat with Fitoria." She suggested. "Amber can focus on searching through the rest in the meantime."

"You sure? I'm worried that forcing things might make it worse for her." Motoyasu responded hesitantly.

…

Amber looked off to the side. A look of guilt crept into her eyes. "Amber might have been a little insensitive to Fitoria's plight earlier since Amber still hasn't entirely forgiven Fitoria for not wanting to assist Blondie and the other Heroes before.

"But Amber can tell that Fitoria wants help right now."

…

…

"Alright… I'll see what I can do... Anywhere you want to meet up after we're done talking?" Motoyasu asked.

"By the canal. Amber feels like eating some of the fish from Amber's old home again after Amber is done here." The girl smiled in response.

Motoyasu rubbed the top of her head, making her giggle happily. There, now that was more of a Filo reaction.

However, that happened only when Naofumi or Raphtalia rubbed their daughter on the head.

Whenever Motoyasu tried… let's just say that his balls normally paid the price.

"Good luck." Amber waved as the Spear Hero walked out of the burned library, navigating through the piles of junk on the way to the exit.

He spotted several more ancient weapons on his way out, though he didn't try to copy any of them this time.

The Spear Hero had a suspicion that the hoarding of the vast amounts of seemingly useless and random junk must have served some kind of purpose in the past. A way to power up the heroes by saving up and preserving unique and useful items and weapons for them to copy or use to unlock certain things, as well as gathering supplies so the Heroes could use her Sanctuary as an outpost against the Waves or some other world-ending threat.

But if that was the case, then Fitoria had either forgotten about it too or just stopped caring about maintaining everything long ago.

Besides the mountains of rotten and rusted junk, the two other things of note that Motoyasu found were a strange-looking spear that kind of reminded him of Balamus's weapon, as well as a spiral staircase in the center of the room that led up to a wooden door.

Motoyasu had almost been tempted to go up there and open it to see what was inside but decided against it. It would be rude to rummage through the bird queen's stuff without her permission after all. So he decided that it could wait for another time after he asked Fitoria about it.

Finally, several minutes later, Motoyasu walked past the wind barrier back out onto the terrace of what he was now guessing to have been the palace of the former Hero nation's capital city.

There were the steps leading back down to the main street in front of him, but that hadn't been the Spear Hero's destination. He wandered around the area of the palace for a bit, finding several ruined stone sculptures and enclosed overgrown gardens with towering trees blossoming above the crumbling walls.

It was in one of these gardens where Motoyasu finally spotted the silver-haired girl.

She'd said that she was going for a walk. But he found her sitting on a stone bench, all by herself, staring down at a crystal clear pond while holding her arms to herself.

She remained quiet as Motoyasu walked up and sat down next to her.

...

"Your favorite thinking spot?" Motoyasu asked in an attempt to break the ice.

"Mmhmm." Fitoria quietly hummed in affirmation. "Fitoria likes to view the reflection of the clouds in the water whenever Fitoria is bothered by troubling thoughts."

"Their reflection? Why not look at the sky instead?" Motoyasu then asked.

"..." Fitoria pondered on the question for a moment and eventually shook her head. "Fitoria can't remember why. It has always been what Fitoria has done.

"Perhaps if one of my journals had somehow survived, I could have remembered why past Fitoria liked to do this... But…"

The bird girl sadly sighed.

…

Motoyasu slowly extended a hand to the small bird queen, and she hesitantly took it.

The two stared down at the water in silence, watching the reflection of the passing clouds as they moved across the sky.

…

It was surprising how clear the pond was since it didn't look like there were any sources of freshwater feeding into it. Though, perhaps Fitoria had used her magic to clean it up or something?

It seemed like she at least liked to keep this place well-maintained, compared to the rest of her nest.

…

…

…

After some more silent pondering, Fitoria sighed again. "I'm sorry. Fitoria said she wanted to talk to Motoyasu in private.

"But no words are coming out."

"It's fine," Motoyasu replied encouragingly. "I saw for myself how scared you were earlier. I know better than to try and force things if you're not ready for it."

"Scared…" Fitoria said the word as if trying it for herself.

"Yes, Fitoria is very scared." She admitted.

"Are those evil men really that dangerous?" Motoyasu asked.

"... dangerous to Fitoria…? No, the evil men Fitoria can recall have been incapable of physically hurting her for a very long time." The angel girl shook her head. "But Fitoria's flock, Fitoria's friends and family… those are who Fitoria fears for, more than I do for myself. Since these men are capable of popping up almost anywhere in the world at any time."

…

Fitoria looked up from the pond at Motoyasu. "When you fought them, what did it feel like?"

"Well, I was caught off guard at first," Motoyasu answered. "They appeared from out of nowhere and attacked us without warning. And when I fought back against one of them, I was surprised by his strength and combat experience.

"I've trained with Granny enough now that I can get a feel for my opponents in battle. And that rogue fought as if he'd faced off against a thousand other spearmen in his life and lived to tell the tale.

"And then there was that other guy who summoned the meteor. The chant he used to do it was unlike any magic I've ever witnessed in this world before. Was it something long lost from our world or something?" The Spear Hero asked Fitoria.

"Hmmm…" Fitoria began to ponder to herself for a moment, or so Motoyasu had thought at first.

One of the standing strands of hair on Fitoria's head began to glow and sway from side to side. The spear hero immediately guessed that she must have asked Amber about something right now. Or maybe she was looking through Amber's memories...?

Was that another thing the ahoges could do? Motoyasu should have asked about that earlier.

Either way, whatever it was they communicated, Fitoria eventually shook her head. "No, according to what Amber showed me, the magic those evil men were using is not native to this world."

"Then... does that mean that they came from another world? Like Glass, L'Arc and Therese?" Motoyasu asked.

"Yes, that is what Fitoria theorizes, at least." Fitoria frowned. "Fitoria has killed many of these evil men herself in the past. Yet Fitoria can remember some of them appearing again after Fitoria thought that she killed them.

"Fitoria isn't sure if that is Fitoria's memory problems to blame, or if that is the case. That was why I wanted to start by searching through the remains of Fitoria's old library again. Just in case one of Fitoria's journals survived and the past Fitoria had recorded any of those experiences down."

Motoyasu began to frown as a sad look appeared on Fitoria's features again. "Is the reason why you haven't kept any new journals because you fear those evil men would somehow appear here to destroy them again?"

"I guess… that could be one of the reasons. Thinking back on it, Fitoria felt so much pain when she saw her beloved library destroyed… and those men were laughing as Fitoria killed them."

A shudder went down Motoyasu's spine, recalling how one of the men he'd killed earlier also died laughing. Hell, he'd been laughing even though his Meteor spell would have killed him along with everyone else in the area.

So creepy...

…

…

"Perhaps, Fitoria decided that she wanted to forget about her past. Even if it meant forgetting the good things, like her daddy praising her for being such a good girl. Or mommy… … …"

Tears gathered in the girl's eyes again. "Fitoria is still unable to remember her mommy's name and face, even though she has remembered her Daddy and what he was like."

"There is so much good that Fitoria has forgotten. So why is it that Fitoria can still recall all the evil people who have tried again and again to harm Fitoria and her flock?!"

"Why is it so hard for me to forget about those who've caused Fitoria so much pain when I can hardly remember how much Fitoria loved her Dad?!" The girl looked up to Motoyasu, still holding his hand as tears slowly traveled down the sides of her face.

"..." Motoyasu stayed silent, pondering to himself for a moment as Fitoria stared pleadingly up at the Spear Hero.

…

"Honestly," Motoyasu finally shrugged. "I think that's just a very human thing we sometimes do."

Fitoria sniffed. "But Fitoria isn't a human…"

"You're right, Fitoria is far better than any human." Motoyasu grinned cheekily before his face turned serious again. "What I meant is that it's normal for bad memories to outweigh the good ones for a lot of people. Even when they spend most of their time doing stuff that's good."

Motoyasu paused again, and then a troubled look passed over his features.

"Fitoria, I know you want me to tell you what to do. To say something, anything, about what you showed and told me. But I'm not sure if I'm the right person to ask.

"Until recently, I was useless at best and actively detrimental at worst because of my weaknesses and insecurities. It's only because of the love and forgiveness of others that I'm able to be here today. In my mind, I'm the last person that you should be asking for advice.

"And even if that wasn't the case, I've never liked telling other people how to live their lives. I don't mind stating my own opinions, but enforcing them? No, I saw how well that panned out in the beginning after my summoning.

"Everyone has the right to make their own decisions and take responsibility for them. As cruel as it might be, it's one's failures and mistakes that make the lessons life throws at you stick more than anything else another person could say.

"Honestly, I want to tell you to wait for Naofumi to come back so you can tell him your plea instead. He seems like the only person around here who knows what the hell he's doing… But I doubt that you'd want that kind of cop-out answer from me."

Fitoria stayed looking at him, and at his pause, her eyes fell, but she nodded her head.

Motoyasu sighed. "Yeah… alright, do you still want me to tell you what I think about all this?"

Fitoria, again, wordlessly nodded in response, which just made Motoyasu grimace even more. And yet, because she'd asked for it, he turned his body on the bench to fully face the girl and firmly placed his hands on her shoulders while looking into the Filolial Queen's eyes.

"Fitoria, what you did was extremely stupid!"

Fitoria instinctively shrunk and averted her gaze by looking down, but Motoyasu didn't stop.

"No! Not just stupid! It was actively detrimental to this world's continued survival!"

The girl's shoulders began to shake but Motoyasu continued to firmly hold them.

"I'm not going to say that I understand what you've gone through. I can't even fathom what it must have felt like to put all that long continuous effort into preserving your memories, only to have it all become undone in an instant because of the actions of some evil men.

"But that's still no excuse! You had more than enough time to grieve! You can't just close yourself off from the world because you were hurt by it! Becoming numb by continuously putting distance between yourself and everything else is a shortsighted and foolish solution!

"If you stop caring about anything, then you'll eventually turn into a mindless psychopath that's no different from those very same bad men who wronged you!

"If you're forgetting good things that happened to you, then make some new good memories! Be it with me and the other Heroes, or with the members of your flock!

"I know it's hard, I know you fear the risk of just making more bad memories instead, but doesn't the good outweigh the bad!?...

"Isn't that why you still yearn to remember your mother and father and feel such remorse over forgetting them? Because of how happy those two made you feel?"

…

The Spear Hero breathed in and out a few times before continuing.

"What you should have, no, what I would have done if I were in your shoes is pick up the pieces and start over. And even if what happened before happens again, then so what? Some things will get lost, yes, but not all of them.

"You still remember some good and important things, don't you? So do it again. Write them all down all over. And whenever you somehow recall something, write that down too.

"Living isn't about trying to avoid pain! It's about finding joy with others!"

…

"...That's what I believe, at least."

…

…

There was silence for a moment as Fitoria sat still, thinking about what Motoyasu had said.

The blonde carefully let go of Fitoria's shoulders, put his hands in his lap, and turned to face the pond again, looking over it at the ruined city and the flock of Filolials that it contained.

He wasn't sure if he'd said the right thing to Fitoria or not. He'd ranted for quite a while there.

And… Motoyasu hated giving people direct advice or criticizing others for their failures when he was a paragon of personal shortcomings. But at the moment, the voice of the Spear Hero's heart was suppressing his code of honor.

He could only hope that listening to his heart was the right call today.

…

…

…

"Is Fitoria a bad girl?" Fitoria said it so quietly, that Motoyasu almost hadn't thought that she'd spoken.

He turned his head, and his eyes met hers. She looked incredibly vulnerable in that moment. Even more so than earlier.

"... You've made some mistakes, Fitoria. It's true. But do those mistakes make you a bad person?" Motoyasu asked rhetorically.

"If I were to say yes, I'd only be condemning myself. Because I've made some big mistakes myself in the past.

"So all I can say is that your mistakes don't make you a bad girl.

"You'd only be a bad girl if you never tried to fix them."

…

…

…

…

…

"I'm afraid there are still many things that Fitoria is unable to remember," Fitoria spoke out again after a long moment. She was looking down at the pond again as she said it.

And her eyes moved off to the side before she started speaking again. "And what little Fitoria can remember of her long life… are things Fitoria would rather forget."

"..." Motoyasu remained silent. He turned his head to look at the pond again.

…

…

The little angel girl rested a hand on Motoyasu's shoulder, making him face her once more.

Fitoria had an impassive look on her face this time. And yet, her eyes looked less sad than before. "But… I think that I don't want to forget about Mamoru being my Father. Or that Naofumi forgave Fitoria and accepted her as part of his family.

"And I especially don't want to forget what Motoyasu said to me today. Since he has taken the time to help Fitoria feel better."

Motoyasu flashed the girl a big smile. "Just remember to note me as being the best friend of the great Fitoria and I'll be happy, I say!"

His words made Fitoria's lips curve upward just a little. And Motoyasu couldn't have looked happier as he ran a hand through her hair and continued. "And besides me, you have Amber and Blue and all the members of your flock too.

"It's alright to want to protect everyone. Just, you know, don't be afraid to lean on us from time to time too. Whether you need to talk about something, or you just need a hug.

"I don't want to hear about you spending any more time in your nest just staring up at the ceiling all by yourself. Ok?

"I know what that does to a person… I don't want you to feel as if you're that alone ever again."

"Ok…"

…

"M… Motoyasu?" Fitoria spoke after a moment. "Can…

"Can Fitoria please have a hug?"

The Spear Hero didn't respond. He just simply stood up and faced her before opening his arms and smiling at her.

Fitoria, though she was hesitant at first, stood up and hugged the Spear Hero tightly. Resting her head against his stomach as she buried her face beneath his chest plate. Tears were falling down the sides of her face.

Motoyasu's hand silently began to run through her hair soothingly. And the girl felt a sense of love and comfort fill her being.

The scene sparked a memory in her mind. Of her hugging a girl much shorter than Motoyasu. She had red hair as well as red wings, similar to Fitoria's.

She couldn't remember the context. She felt like she'd just gotten hurt or something. She also recalled Mamoru standing behind the woman, having a hand rested on her shoulder, and a smile reflecting off his face.

She could not picture the woman's face though. She couldn't even remember her name.

…

But the warm mischievous smile she had, and the feeling of warmth and love she felt coming from her…

"M… Mama…"

That was something that could never be truly forgotten…

…

…

…

The girl released the hug and looked up at Motoyasu. He was worried when he saw that she was frowning again.

Fortunately, those worries didn't last long.

"Fitoria has decided. Fitoria will try to write down and draw the things she can remember from her past again.

"Perhaps doing so will help Fitoria to remember more details about the evil men who've targeted Fitoria's flock before… and make up for the times she hasn't been able to help the Heroes out."

Motoyasu frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Fitoria cut him off.

"It hurts Fitoria to remember such things, but Fitoria can't remember the good things like her mother if Fitoria doesn't remember the bad as well.

"And in remembering the bad, perhaps Fitoria will remember things, important things that could help Motoyasu and the Heroes out."

The bird girl looked down at her hands. "If I do remember anything important, I'll make sure to relay the information to you through Amber, or Filo should she get back before that happens," Fitoria promised. "I just… I just ask that should this get Fitoria's flock targeted again…

"I'd like to please ask the Heroes to assist Fitoria in protecting them."

"... Of course," Motoyasu promised. "Actually, now that you mention it, those guys might have been targeting me too. So if that's the case, then working together would help us all out."

Motoyasu then had another thought as he looked at his Spear, and then at Fitoria's Carriage necklace. "Not sure if this will help or not… but how about instead of a library, you store your future journals in your weapon instead?

"That way, no one will be able to destroy or touch them like before."

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"... … …" At her long silence, Motoyasu wondered if he'd said something odd.

However, after some time, it seemed that what Motoyasu had said finally clicked in the Filolial's brain, and she facepalmed in front of the Spear Hero. "I forgot that the Carriage also has an inventory function like the other weapons. Only Fitoria would be capable of accessing it!

"Stupid Fitoria! She would have never lost her past journals if she'd stored them in her Carriage instead of in her nest! What was she thinking?!"

Motoyasu couldn't help it as he started laughing. An action which had the little Bird Queen pouting up at him.

It was too adorable though, and only made him laugh harder than he should have. "This isn't funny!" She yelled in an uncharacteristic tone at the blonde man.

"S-Sorry, it is pretty funny! I hope my memory isn't that bad when I'm getting on in years!"

Motoyasu had to wipe a few tears of mirth from his eyes. But he smiled genuinely at the queen of the Filolials, making her pout melt off her face.

"But hey, now that you know, that should help you to protect your precious memories in the future!" Motoyasu continued to chuckle. "And, when I have time, I promise that I'll record my adventures and memories with you too. And I'll have the other Heroes do so as well.

"That way, you'll have even more to remember."

"... got it." Fitoria nodded determinedly. "Fitoria will do her best then."

Motoyasu rubbed the top of her head again. He was surprised she'd let him do it so much in the last few minutes, especially after he'd just laughed at her, but the happy smile that formed on the girl's face as she nuzzled against the Spear Hero's hand was worth more than all the wealth in the world.

"Motoyasu, thank you. For scolding Fitoria."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean-" The blonde began to apologize but Fitoria sharply cut him off.

"No. Do not apologize. Motoyasu did Fitoria a big favor.

"Sometimes... sometimes it becomes difficult to tell what's right and wrong. Back when Fitoria's daddy was alive, he would always tell Fitoria if she was doing good or bad.

"After he was gone, Fitoria tried to listen to others too. But as Fitoria grew older and more powerful, people stopped telling her whenever she made a mistake. They would either be too afraid to tell it to her because they feared Fitoria's power. Or they would try to sugarcoat it to earn Fitoria's favor.

"That's part of the reason why Fitoria stopped associating with humans, I think. And it's why Fitoria likes Amber and Blue the most out of the current members of her flock.

"They respect Fitoria, but they do not fear her or try to manipulate Fitoria for their own gain.

"They are brave, honest, and good Filolials. But they are also curious and inexperienced.

"Make sure to take good care of them, okay?" She asked him.

"Of course, I solemnly swear that no harm shall come to Amber or Blue while I and the other Heroes are around! I say!" Motoyasu bowed with an exaggerated flair, making Fitoria giggle a little.

The Spear Hero continued to smile genuinely in response.

It seemed like he'd managed to say the right things in the end. Fitoria's smile was precious, just like Filo's. Meaning he had to protect it with all the strength he had!

He could only hope that his bond with the bird queen would continue to deepen in the future.

The two ended up talking about other things for a little while after that. Fitoria had liked the head patting and had even laid her head in Motoyasu's lap at one point so he could continue to do so.

Motoyasu learned that Naofumi had done something similar for Fitoria shortly after they first met. And while a brief twinge of jealousy arose in Motoyasu at Naofumi having been able to enjoy such an experience first, it didn't take away from his enjoyment of it. And it certainly did a lot to help improve Fitoria's mood even more.

Their talking quieted down to a peaceful silence sometime after that with Fitoria pulling some paper out of her necklace to sketch something down.

Motoyasu didn't peek at it. Giving the young girl privacy as he continued rubbing his hand through her hair.

It was honestly true bliss. He could have done this for days, months, even years if he had the time. How could her hair feel so good and smooth?!

…

…

But, eventually, Amber returned, having finished cleaning out the rest of that ash-filled section. Instead of meeting at the canal, she decided to reunite with the two instead. And thus, the two's private time came to an end.

The teenage Filolial Queen had come across two more stone tablets hidden amongst the ashes, but most of their writing had also been gauged out like the others.

Only one of the tablets had something readable on it. Mamoru Shirono. Written in a language Fitoria knew.

It looked like there'd been another name etched beside it, though, according to Fitoria, it was too faded to make out what it said besides the first and last letters, F and a. It had Shirono written after it as well.

Fitoria Shirono had been written beneath the two, with lines connecting the two names. While Fitoria didn't have enough to remember the name of her mother, she did recognize it as being something she'd made to be reminded of her parents.

Holding it, she put it to the gemstone of her necklace, absorbing it right after absorbing the sketch of her mother and father from the memory she'd recalled thanks to Motoyasu.

Such precious things were not going to leave her person ever again.

Hopefully, they'd help spark more memories of her parents later on.

After that, seeing how much time had passed, Motoyasu reluctantly said goodbye to the Filolial Queen and used his portal skill to teleport Amber and himself out of the Filolial Sanctuary back onto the doorstep of his house in a flash of light.

However, he made sure to save the location of the Sanctuary in his Spear's Portal list, so he could teleport there again in the future.

You know, with Fitoria's permission, of course.

…

When the Spear Hero returned, the sky overhead was dark, but the stars had as yet to appear thanks to the light of the sun still shining at the edge of the distant horizon.

It only helped the Spear Hero to realize just how much time had passed since the Wave earlier that day. He had spent more than a few hours comforting Fitoria and seeing her home.

"Huahhhh, what a long day." Motoyasu yawned.

"Does Blondie want Amber to grab dinner for Blondie and Amber?" Amber asked curiously.

"Nah, I can do that myself, thanks. Besides, I still need to check in with Melty and make sure the village is doing well." Motoyasu smiled as he petted Amber's head.

The Filolial Queen nuzzled into his touch. "Ok, Amber will wait for Blondie here then!" She then transformed in a poof of feathers and ran into the house. Likely to see if Elena was there so she could pester her about their trip today.

Elena wasn't particularly sociable. But it didn't seem to stop Amber from trying to get closer to her.

Motoyasu walked from his house down from the cliffs towards the village proper.

Thanks to torchlight, he saw some of the villagers and kids still in the training arena, doing katas together or training alongside Granny in feeling their inner ki. He also spotted Rachel assisting their resident witch Mahoya with teaching some of their kids magic while Crystal dueled against some of Mirellia's knights with her spear. Sharpening their skills with the weapon.

The Spear Hero then spotted Ren in a mock duel with Eclair and paused for a few seconds to watch.

Ren's movements were a bit sluggish, compared to what they were before, and his eyes didn't look like they were entirely focused on the here and now, but despite that, his face was covered in a layer of sweat. The Sword Hero looked like he was trying to fight as best as he could right now, and judging by the perspiration on Eclair's face, he was managing to push the knight girl hard too.

Good. Motoyasu was briefly confused when he didn't spot a certain someone nearby to observe the Sword Hero, but he eventually shrugged and continued, stopping briefly at a building set up by the training arena to absorb the parts of monsters left there from today's hunting parties for him and Ren.

This building had been made in part to give the Heroes more materials for their power-up methods, though the other more important reason was that only the Heroes were able to acquire the drop items each monster had thanks to their Hero Weapons. Be it ores, herbs, weapons/armor, and whatever else the monsters had as drop items.

And because Motoyasu and the other Heroes had already gotten all the weapon forms they could get from the monsters around here, they only needed a small part of the monster to get the drop items instead of acquiring more to unlock a new weapon form. Meaning the rest of the monster's carcass could be used as the villagers saw fit.

Some of the drop items could help strengthen the village and villagers. Some of the more valuable, less practical items could be sold to villages and towns in Melromarc for money. And the rest was used as fodder for the Hero's item-based power-up methods.

All in all, it was a good system Melty had implemented since returning to the town. After absorbing the portion set in his zone of the building, Motoyasu went over to Ren's zone and dropped off some of the monster materials he'd gained from the Wave before leaving the building and walking out into the village proper.

Oh yeah, now that he thought about it, he had gotten a cool spear from the Wave Boss today. Motoyasu pulled it up on his weapon menu.

Demon Elephant Spear

Equip Bonus: +20 Attack

Special Effect: Critical Hit Rate Up (medium), Critical Damage Up (medium)

It had good stats attached to it too. Though, unfortunately, it wasn't near as good as the Filolial Crown Spear and especially nowhere close to the Spirit Tortoise Heart Spear he used in battle nowadays.

A shame its special effects weren't equip bonuses. Unlocking those could have been useful in a fight with his stronger spears. Though, if the Wave Boss today had been any indication, his critical hits were already 'critical' enough as it was.

…

As Motoyasu continued walking, he observed how construction on the last few buildings in the town square was finishing up. Some of the villagers were expanding their focus on building defensive fortifications around the perimeter of the village while others worked on more housing closer to the sea.

He paused to talk to a few of the villagers on his way to the communal kitchen, as well as one of the knights patrolling the town. Getting a general vibe about how things were going.

By the time he finally reached the counter, a familiar cat man was setting a pair of trays piled high with soups, pieces of bread, and other various foodstuffs he and the other cooks had prepared. And Motoyasu simultaneously discovered why he hadn't seen Ren's dog girl watching his duel earlier.

"There you go. I made sure to put some of the Sword Hero's favorites in there this time." Rachel's husband said with a toothy smile.

Wyndia picked the two trays up. "Th… thank you. Ren will definitely appreciate it." She bowed her head to Gar, giving him a small smile of her own before turning around and stopping in surprise. "Oh, Sir Motoyasu! Did things go well at the Wave today?"

"Yeah, me and Fitoria handled it, easy peasy." He gave two thumbs up to the surprised girl. "Let me guess. I didn't see you observing Ren's training earlier because you were grabbing dinner for yourselves?"

"Huh- oh. I ate earlier." Wyndia blushed as she looked down at the food. She felt embarrassed that the Spear Hero assumed she'd be sticking to her boyfriend's side like glue.

She did do a lot nowadays, admittedly, but that wasn't the point!

She forced herself to breathe in deeply before she continued speaking. "Eclair has been training Ren all evening while I've been teaching some of the kids how to look after the village's new Caterpillands and Dunes. I thought I'd grab something for her to eat too as thanks for looking after him before I took Ren back home for the night."

"Ah, so it's kind of like bribery then." Motoyasu smiled mischievously.

Wyndia laughed a little in response. "Maybe a little... But I don't mind.

"I was able to get some important things done since Eclair was watching my Hero for me. So this is a way for me to tell her thank you without needing to say it out loud." She admitted while bashfully looking down at the ground.

Motoyasu smiled and moved aside so Wyndia could walk past. The girl had changed a lot in the last few weeks. But it was in a good way.

It was nice for Ren's girlfriend to be more open with her thoughts and feelings to others around her. That was exactly what that boy needed in his life.

Before she could disappear though, Motoyasu suddenly remembered something he forgot to drop off in the building earlier. "Wait, before you go, I got something for Ren that I need you to give him!"

The dog girl came to a stop, somehow managing to balance both trays on her arms as she did so. "What did you get for Ren?" She asked, almost sounding impatient, but also intrigued.

Motoyasu brought up his weapon's inventory. Gods, he hadn't noted it earlier, but the inside of this thing was such a mess! When was the last time he'd cleaned it out and sorted everything?!

Sure, he'd been throwing a lot of trash items and corpses into Itsuki's [Item Enchantment] and [Job Levels] methods to make himself stronger. He'd also given Elena some valuables to sell whenever she was out procuring goods for the village, but he'd absorbed so many monsters and items since coming to this world that his inventory was just cluttered with all sorts of useless garbage.

Well, hoarding everything he ever got like a pack rat had worked out to his benefit in the end. But he was going to have to take some time later on to sort through his weapon's inventory. Who knew what else he had in here that could possibly be of help to the Heroes or the village in general?

Anyway, that side tangent aside…

Motoyasu finally found and pulled the sword he'd absorbed earlier out of his weapon. He also pulled out a sword sheath, which had been a drop from some random monster part he absorbed just a few minutes ago, and sheathed the old blade in it before handing it to Wyndia. "I found a spear of the same make that gave me an intermediate boost in blacksmithing. I figure Ren might get something similar if he copies that."

At first, Wyndia had been unsure about the old-looking blade. It hadn't struck her as something strong or even wieldable in battle.

But after Motoyasu finished, her eyes widened, and then she started to smile brightly again. "That's perfect!" She closed her eyes, her face beaming with light. "Ren was struggling to make a Steel Sword yesterday. So this should help him out!"

"Heh, glad to hear. If it does give his blacksmithing skills a boost, I'll be happy to have grabbed that." Motoyasu said.

Wyndia bowed again, balancing the trays of food after attaching the new sheath to her hip. And then she rushed off to where her boyfriend was training. Her face looked even happier than it had earlier.

"Keep up the good work with that boy! I swear, I never see him looking happier than whenever you're with him!" Motoyasu called after her.

Wyndia blushed again, but she quickly nodded and disappeared.

It was the truth, and it honestly made her happy to hear it.

It was still embarrassing to be told that though! Even more so than what the Spear Hero had said earlier!

Gah, she needed to get back to Ren again so she could cuddle with him in the privacy of their home as soon as possible!

"Come now, do you really have to embarrass a young girl in love like that?" Garfield, who'd been observing the interaction from behind the counter, finally commented. "You're giving me flashbacks to how Rae acted when we were young."

"Young?! What are you talking about, I'm older than you!" Motoyasu refuted.

"Maybe in your world, but I've lived here my whole life." Garfield grinned toothily.

"Well… fair enough, but what can I say, Gar." Moto rested an elbow on the counter. "Watching those two together is like salve on the soul."

"Hmmm… not sure what you're talking about. But eh, I'm happily married to Rae now, so I guess I'm not too invested in other's relationships at the moment." The cat demihuman shrugged with a laugh.

Motoyasu talked with Rachel's husband for a little longer. Even though it'd been a short time since the Spear Hero had begun traveling to Zeltoble, the cat man had already stepped up, taking over as one of the head cooks for the village for Motoyasu.

Granted, the male demihuman specialized in making vegetarian options as well as baking, since he wasn't much of a fan of meat. But he still knew how to handle monster meat, and he was a surprisingly big help for the other kids and villagers training to become cooks as well.

"Hey, Mr. Gar, the soup is turning really thick for some reason! Is it supposed to do that?!" One of the kids suddenly yelled from the back.

"Wha- just a second!" The cat man suddenly cut off his conversation with Motoyasu, rushing back to help the young villager making stew with usapil monster meat from the forest.

A short while later, the cat man returned, looking just a little more ragged than before, but smiling just as brightly regardless. "Sorry about that. Anyway, anything else you needed to ask me about before I dish up your dinner, Spear Hero?"

"Nah, I can see you're handling things well. Keep up the good work. Oh, and I'm grabbing food for Amber and maybe Elena as well if she hasn't eaten yet!" Motoyasu tacked on at the end.

"I think she came an hour ago. I'll give you extra portions, just in case." Garfield hummed as he got three different trays ready. "I know Amber would appreciate the extra food either way."

Moments later, Motoyasu had dinner for himself and Amber and possibly Elena. If she'd already eaten, then Amber definitely wouldn't say no to the extra food.

He stored the three meals in his Spear, thanking Garfield again before walking off.

Now he had just one more person to find, and…

Yep, she was exiting one of the newly constructed buildings in the square right as Motoyasu was walking away from the communal kitchen.

Melty spotted the Spear Hero seconds later as he approached her, and the girl's stress vanished almost immediately as she sagged with relief. "Sir Motoyasu, its good to see you."

"Hey Melty, everything go well today?" The blonde asked.

The girl sighed. "Not really... I had to put down several different disputes. And one of the kids got themselves hurt while training in the forest so I had to visit the Infirmary to use some healing magic on her. I've had to deal with several different problems today."

"Ah, um, sorry." Motoyasu offered hesitantly.

"Don't be." Melty sighed again. "At least I don't have to worry about you since you're back for tonight."

Melty smiled up at him. "Now, with the pleasantries out of the way, did the Wave go well?"

…

"It did… mostly," Motoyasu answered.

"Mostly? Didn't you have Fitoria there?" Melty asked worriedly.

"Yeah…" Motoyasu grimaced. He looked around, making sure that no one else was around. Then, he looked down at Melty. "You mind if I wait till we're almost home before I talk about what happened?"

…

Melty's face became stressed again. The poor girl just couldn't catch a break, could she?

…

Moments later, when they were close to their homes, Motoyasu began telling the Second Princess about what'd happened at the Wave.

Motoyasu described how the monsters had been fairly easy. How he'd even one-shotted the Wave Boss before Fitoria went off to the other world to talk to Naofumi and the others.

Melty briefly frowned at the mention of the Shield Hero, but she didn't interrupt. And she did smile a little, after learning how Motoyasu had become strong enough to one-shot the world's current Wave Bosses.

But it wasn't until Motoyasu told her about the individuals that'd attacked him and Fitoria's flock that she finally spoke.

"They were targeting Fitoria's flock?" The princess asked seriously.

"Yeah, I was also a secondary target, apparently, since I was a Hero. But they focused on attacking the Filolials before I joined the fight." Motoyasu answered.

"..." Melty stayed silent.

Her frown only seemed to deepen, and she put a hand to her head as if she was experiencing a headache. "Am I going to have to worry about these idiots targeting Ren too?"

"Eh? Did something else happen while I was gone today?" Motoyasu asked in surprise.

"No, no attacks or anything like that." Melty sighed. "Though, Blue said that some of Fitoria's Filolials have spotted suspicious individuals spying on our village from the mountains."

Motoyasu should have been frowning at the news… however, he was smiling widely instead. "Really?! Blue is speaking too!? That's great! That means he should be transforming into his human form soon, I say!"

"Focus!" Melty snapped at him.

"Eh- Right, sorry." Motoyasu tried his best to look ashamed of himself for his outburst.

But it was so hard! He had as of yet to see a Filolial King! And Blue was likely to make a fantastic Filolial King, I say!

Melty sighed again. "Not that I don't share in your enthusiasm, Spear Hero. I want to see what a Filolial King looks like too… but I am worried that an attack on our village will be happening any day now.

"I don't think they're connected with the group scouting our defenses. By the sound of it, the people who attacked you are the type to fight first and think later. Still, hearing that you were targeted by another group of individuals doesn't make me feel any better…

"Especially since the Sword Hero is still in no shape to defend himself, much less, our nation."

"... Yeah, I agree," Motoyasu rested a hand on her shoulder. "But you don't have to worry so much. Even if Ren is still out of the action, you still have Granny, Eclair, Keel, and many others besides them willing to defend this place. And besides them, Ren is constantly surrounded by his friends. They wouldn't allow anyone to nab him like last time.

"Most of all, the people here have you. An awesome, powerful mage who is more than capable of holding her own in a fight, just like her Father in his prime." Motoyasu said sincerely.

"Hmmm… go on." Melty relaxed, and a look of haughtiness appeared on her face as she fished for more compliments.

"Well, let's see. You're also one of the best leaders ever, doing just as good a job being in charge as your Mother. You're talented in writing and speech and have other great qualities for a ruler. You LOVE Filolials as much as I do, and are thus one of the best people in the world for that alone." Motoyasu listed off.

Melty began laughing at that one though, and Motoyasu paused to smile. And Melty, when she stopped laughing, smiled back as well.

"Filolials are definitely the superior species." Melty agreed.

"They are. And you know, after the Wave, Fitoria also took me to her Sanctuary, and…"

Motoyasu proceeded to tell her about the better part of his day. Seeing the ancient ruined city that housed the civilization of Filolials. Getting to see the inside of Fitoria's home. Spending some time sitting with the Filolial Queen and talking about different things.

Melty's attention was enraptured by Motoyasu's tale. The Spear Hero ended up frowning a little as he didn't bring up the worst aspects of that visit. Like the fact that Fitoria's past journals had been destroyed, or that Fitoria had almost killed him because of the fear inspired by her repressed memories. He also didn't touch on Fitoria's depression but put it that she'd been lonely for a very long time.

Somehow, he managed to get through to the end. Based on the stars shining in Melty's eyes, the little girl just looked more excited to have learned some details about the Filolial Queen and her home that she hadn't known about before.

"Ancient ruins not marked on any world map! That's so cool! I hope I'm able to see it someday!" She said excitedly.

"Yeah, maybe you should ask next time she's in town. Visiting her flock in her home could be a good way for you to relieve some stress." Motoyasu suggested.

…

Melty looked like she was seriously considering the idea. And probably would have marched straight into his house to ask Amber if she could visit that night. However, she was cut off by a yawn, and the excitement she'd been feeling vanished, only to be replaced by the fatigue brought by her long day of work.

"Maybe later, after you've finished your mission in Zeltoble… or after Naofumi and the others return, if that happens first," Melty said, looking disappointed about real life getting in the way of people like her.

"Hey, I'll take you up on that." Motoyasu quickly said, making the girl look up at him again. "I already knew I was asking a lot of you to take care of things here while I'm gone. So after I get back, I'll take over some of your duties so Fitoria can show you her home."

"W-Would… would she be alright with that though?!" Melty asked, suddenly looking embarrassed. "I'm not one of the Cardinal Heroes. Would she actually trust me enough to bring me there?"

"Fitoria says yes," Amber spoke from the doorstep.

The two jumped in surprise, but Amber leaned against the doorframe. Her ahoge dancing left and right on her head. "Fitoria says that Melty would have to behave and not spook the members of Fitoria's flock. But once things have calmed down a bit, Fitoria won't mind bringing Melty and other members of the Hero's parties to see Fitoria's home."

"R-R-R-... REALLY?!" Melty's high-pitched scream of excitement nearly cracked the nearby windows.

"Mhm." Amber nodded, smiling happily.

Melty nearly screamed again. Energy flared from her being. She looked entirely motivated now compared to earlier.

Yes! Motoyasu had truly found a worthy comrade in arms to share in his Filolial obsession with, I say! She and everyone else in the world deserved to learn about the magnificence of these beautiful creatures!

All of a sudden, Melty clamped down on her excitement. The energy around her vanished, and she forced her face into a thin line. Still, despite her upbringing, she couldn't hide the stars shining over her eyes as she bowed to Amber and spoke politely. "I shall look forward to seeing Fitoria's home then."

Amber smiled as she walked up. "Fitoria says that Fitoria will look forward to it too, Melty." She hugged the girl as she said so.

…

By the time Amber released the Second Princess, the bluette's mask had almost completely cracked. However, she was still restraining herself and gave Motoyasu a respectful bow. "If that is all, then I'll be on my way. Though, I will expect you to report to me again when you come back tomorrow." Melty stated seriously, but she still had some mirth in her voice as she spoke.

"Of course. I will make sure that these next few days will bring nothing but good news from me, I say!" Motoyasu bowed in return.

Melty laughed a little more as she headed towards Naofumi's house.

Funnily enough, at the same time, Eclair was walking up as well. The two girls talked to one another as they went through the front door.

It was only after it'd closed that Motoyasu could have sworn he heard a loud-pitched scream of excitement come from the Second Princess. Albeit, slightly muted by the walls of the home.

"Great timing there, Amber." Motoyasu rested a hand on the girl's shoulder. "That was exactly what she needed after today."

"Mhm. To be honest, Amber was wondering what was taking Blondie so long to grab dinner. And then Amber overheard you at the door and decided to grab Fitoria's attention." The Filolial explained.

"Also, Fitoria wanted to say thank you for keeping some of the matters you two talked about private. Fitoria really appreciates it." She added on.

"Amber... I'll need to make you a big breakfast before we leave tomorrow morning," Motoyasu said happily.

Amber's eyes shined happily, and her stomach began to growl. Reminding Motoyasu that he'd grabbed dinner for his family.

"Alright, enough of that, let's eat!" Motoyasu pulled Amber's tray out of his weapon for her.

"Yayyyyyy~!" Amber grabbed it and proceeded to rush into their home without a second thought.

Before he walked in, Motoyasu saw an exhausted Crystal walking through the front door of Itsuki's house. Refusing help from Karn, who followed behind her.

Strange, those two's interactions had seemed more strained as of late. But Motoyasu hadn't paid them much attention since he didn't know Itsuki's friends particularly well.

He'd probably have to change that after Naofumi and Itsuki got back from the Otherworld.

On the opposite side, Motoyasu spotted Wyndia and Ren through the window of their home. The couple was sitting together on a couch in their living room, having a conversation with Tersia and Farrie about events from the day while the Sword Hero ate.

Motoyasu's smile grew a little more when he saw the Sword Hero's weapon form had been changed to the sword he'd given Wyndia earlier. It was the little things that made the day that much better.

Yeah, thankfully, the village was still at peace… for now.

Today had shown Motoyasu that he had to get to Zeltoble's Capital as fast as possible. The sooner he finished up there, the sooner he could be back here to keep things running smoothly! No more time for sidetracking or anything, I say!

If something else did come up, then it'd just have to wait till later. Unless it was really that important!

Grrrrrr…

…

Okay, maybe after he had dinner and a good night's sleep first. And Amber as well.

Motoyasu went through the front door of his home, closing it behind him.

And thus, the Hero's Village settled in for the night.

Hero Clips!

How to Raise Your Filolial

"Whoa, is this actually…" Motoyasu looked at his arms in shock.

"Yayyyyyy~! You look so great, Blondie!" Amber spun into view, her arms spread out and the happiest smile on her face.

The Spear Hero found himself in a very familiar kimono. Standing in front of a chalkboard at the front of a classroom.

"Hmmm? What are we here for?" Ren asked confusedly.

"I don't see the other Heroes here." Wyndia looked confused as well sitting next to her boyfriend. Instead of a desk, they were sharing a couch.

The two really were attached to the other like glue. Ren took a second to take his scarf off so he could put it around Wyndia's neck, before resting his arm over her shoulders and focusing on Motoyasu again.

The poor dog girl buried her head in the Sword Hero's shoulder out of embarrassment at his kind gesture. And it was also partly because she wanted to cuddle up to him.

It was okay to do that in a classroom, right?

"Oh, now this should be interesting." Farrie grinned, eyeing up the hot new teacher they had.

"Come now, sister. If you were his love interest, the character tags would reflect that." Tersia rolled her eyes.

"Hmmm?" Fitoria looked around herself curiously. She was dressed in a schoolgirl outfit, and it looked so great on her I say, and-!

Motoyasu forced himself to look down at the teacher's desk in front of him. Still in a state of shock from what was going on, he found a note addressed to him.

Sorry, pretty busy in Otherworld at the moment. Figured I'd leave teaching this aspect of lore for you, champ.

Keep up the good work while I'm gone! And make sure not to get sidetracked! No need to write another 20+ chapter arc since I'm on a biweekly upload schedule right now!

Allen

…

…

"Blondie, you're crying," Amber said worriedly.

The Spear Hero was crying. Finally, his time had come! Author-san was truly amazing, I say!

"Alright! My time has truly arrived!" Motoyasu raised a hand to his face. Half-lidded glasses appeared on his nose, giving him the look of a professor. "Pay attention, my students! Today, I will be going over the lore of Heroes raising the most superior of all species amongst monsters, the great Royal Filolials!"

The others in the room perked up. With Wyndia pouting at the claim of Filolials being the superior species.

"Oh, is that why we're here?" Farrie asked curiously.

"It might be useful for figuring out Blue's human transformation," Tersia said, sounding intrigued.

Ren smiled, gesturing for the spearman to go ahead. Wyndia, meanwhile, went back to enjoying her boyfriend's love and kindness since she'd have no interest in this lesson.

Motoyasu thus began a detailed lesson outlining the rules of Heroes raising Filolials. With Amber and Fitoria assisting him here and there.

It essentially boiled down to a few key points, some of which had been mentioned in the past. Cardinal Heroes had a 99.99999% chance of raising a Royal Filolial while Vassal/Seven-Star Heroes had a 20% of doing so, with the Vassal Whip having a 60% chance. In basic terms, Cardinal Heroes were almost guaranteed to raise a Filolial Queen or King every single time, which was why it was important for Cardinals to do so instead of lesser Heroes.

Beyond that, the kind of Royal Filolial that'd be raised as well as their appearance depended on a lot of different factors. Hero weapons and Hero personalities accounted for that. It also depended on the Hero's age, the members they had in their party, what the Filolial was fed during their growth period, etc.

As an example, Filo would have had pink hair instead of blonde hair if she hadn't eaten the poisonous Chimera Viper Meat in canon. As another example, instead of Filo, Naofumi would get a different Filolial from the same egg named Sakura if he didn't have Raphtalia or someone like her in his party, and depending on the party members at the time, Sakura could also be either a child or an adult, depending on who it was that Naofumi needed in that timeline to fill a missing role in his party.

As yet another example, another Hero like Motoyasu could end up raising Filo's egg. But the Filolial that hatched would not be either Filo or Sakura, but someone entirely different because of the Spear Hero's differences from Naofumi. This also meant that a different Shield Hero entirely would not get Filo.

And Motoyasu would make sure to end such timelines with gore and bloodshed to ensure his favorite angel could come into existence and-

Ehhem, anyway, it was subtle shifts like these that made Reprise Motoyasu's job of recreating the Filo timeline so hard. And made evident just how much Allen had handwaved in Hope to include Filo in his fic. However, to his credit, this Filo did act very differently compared to canon Filo, due to Naofumi and Raphtalia being like a married couple when she first hatched.

Finally, after spending over an hour addressing all these topics from fifty pages worth of notes, Motoyasu continued on: "Now, typically, canon Ren and Itsuki got teenage Filolials whenever they raised them. And I normally got sons and daughters that I loved with all my heart. However, as you've probably guessed by now, in the case of Blue and Amber, the normal rules won't apply."

"Why is that?" The others in the class were either staring at Motoyasu with shell-shocked faces or were otherwise napping on their Hero boyfriends after falling asleep on them. It wasn't any of them that'd spoken.

Melty was sitting in the back of the class. She not only had her notebook out. But she'd written another hundred pages of notes based on what Motoyasu had said during the lesson.

Her appearance made some of the others in the room look at her in surprise. "When did she get here?" Ren asked.

"Does that mean nobody is running the village right now?" Tersia asked curiously.

The bluette pouted. "What!? The village can run itself for a few minutes while I'm gone!"

"Mmmm, dragons are the superior species…" Wyndia murmured in her sleep, smiling happily as she continued cuddling with an embarrassed-looking Sword Hero as the Filolial Queens in the room glared at him and his girlfriend.

Not that he wouldn't agree with her, but there was a time and a place for such things!

"Good question, Melty! Amber, would you like to answer for me?" Motoyasu quickly defused the girls' tempers by gesturing to the orange-feathered Filolial Queen.

"Of course Blondie!" Amber perked up before addressing the second princess. "The reason why Amber didn't transform into a child after becoming a royal is because Amber wasn't raised by Blondie from birth.

"Amber had a different owner when Amber first hatched. And then Amber spent a lot of time with Fitoria and Fitoria's flock when Amber was growing up.

"In other words, Amber's growth and personality weren't just the results of Blondie. But thanks to everyone who helped to raise Amber from Amber's birth." The Filolial finished explaining.

"Perfect explanation, I say!" Motoyasu saluted the younger girl. The girl gave a happy, cheerful salute back.

"In short, that means if a Hero raises a Filolial that was first raised by someone else, then all rules are thrown out the window." Motoyasu looked back at the rest of the class as he tossed his notes away. "Heroes might still have a little influence on a Royal Filolial's growth and personality, like the case of Amber possibly not being an adult like in Shield Kid because of her being raised by me. However, that could also be because of Amber's backstory being changed for this fic compared to Shield Kid.

"Still, beyond that, all bets are off when it comes to Heroes raising Filolials they didn't hatch themselves."

"Huh…" Farrie frowned in thought. "I guess that means we won't know what Blue will turn into after his transformation."

"Did it have to take us over an hour to reach that conclusion though?" Tersia was frowning as well. They were doing important things on the side too, even if everybody just considered them as side characters.

Melty raced to the front of the class though, bowing deeply to the Spear Hero with her notebook clutched to her chest. "Thank you so much! I'll be sure to treasure everything I've learned from you today Professor Kitamura!"

Motoyasu laughed in delight as he head patted the younger girl. Hell yeah! He'd killed it with his first lesson! It felt so awesome being the teacher here!

He hoped he'd get such a chance again in the future! Author and Proofreader-san were both amazing people, I say, and he couldn't wait to see what'd happen down the road, and-

"Oh, this is the perfect time for Amber to ask!" Amber suddenly appeared by Melty, getting down on one knee between her and the Spear Hero. "Melty, please make Amber the happiest Filolial by promising to take care of Amber's new onee-san for her!"

"... … eh?" The Spear Hero looked like his brain had just exploded.

"Take care of… Motoyasu?" Melty asked, looking confused.

"I believe Amber means to take care of the Spear Hero as in marriage." Fitoria tilted her head with a sigh. "Amber, you're not a member of Fitoria's flock anymore. There's no need for you to play matchmaker for others in your new flock."

"Ehhhhhh~!? But Amber always enjoyed getting Amber's friends to become mates for life!" The girl ruffled her wings in annoyance.

Melty's eyes widened even more, and she gripped the sides of her head in shock. "EHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Wasn't she too young to be married though!?

Granted, her mother married pretty young herself, and to a descendant of a past Spear Hero no less. But that didn't mean that Melty herself was interested in romance with anyone at the moment! Especially to the current Spear Hero!

...

At the Spear Hero's continued silence, the others in the room began to stare at him judgmentally. Their glares finally made him snap out of the stupor Amber had put him in. "What- guys, I wasn't considering marrying a little girl!" He yelled at them.

"Uhuh." "Yeah." "Sure." "We totally believe you."

Their reactions pretty much said it all. They didn't believe Motoyasu in the slightest, thanks to his well-known Filo obsession.

"Hmmm, does that mean Amber should ask Fitoria to marry Blondie instead?" Amber asked after thinking to herself for a moment.

…

Motoyasu had to go against every single fiber in his being to say no to that.

Not that Fitoria was interested in him anyway, as he learned she saw the Spear Hero as more of a paternal figure than anything else.

The poor simp had been mom-zoned before he even knew it.

Hero Clips!

What is this bull crap?!

Piensa Guard Naginata Unlocked!

"A naginata?" Motoyasu said out loud in surprise.

"What is it, Blondie?" Amber asked curiously. She and Fitoria paused up ahead.

Motoyasu knew that they were there for something important. However…

The side-tracking was strong in this one.

"Sorry, it's just… I didn't know this world even had naginatas in it." Motoyasu switched to the weapon form he'd just copied.

Unlike the rusted thing he'd just touched (which hopefully wouldn't give him tetanus), the naginata he was holding looked brand new. It was like a spear, except the black-colored blade at the end of the shaft was curved and thicker than a regular spearhead. Though he was surprised the entire thing was made of some type of metal, it felt comfortable to grip, and as he gave it a test swing, he found that he liked the feel of it in his hands.

Nice! He didn't have many slashing options when it came to his spears, so its equip bonus wouldn't help much. But now he knew he could copy naginatas!

He already knew he could copy tridents and other kinds of polearms! He was glad to see though that naginatas also fell under his weapon! Maybe once Ren got better at blacksmithing, he could ask his younger bro to make a more powerful one for him that he could use in battle!

"What's a nag-a-nat-a though?" Amber tilted her head in confusion.

"Nah-gee-nate." Motoyasu corrected. "As for what it is, it's a weapon from Japan's feudal era.

"I can't remember if it was made from a modified farming tool, or if it was because the samurai needed a weapon with extra reach back then, but regardless, this is a really cool find!" He said excitedly.

It was also said to have been mainly used by female samurai in Japan. But hey, gender equality and all that!

Amber still looked confused. Though, that was probably because she'd always used her claws and magic for fighting. Most human weapons looked the same to her.

"Piensa…" Fitoria used an appraisal skill on the rusted weapon Motoyasu had copied to learn its name. "That name sounds familiar for some reason. Though Fitoria can't remember why."

Motoyasu shrugged. "Must be the name of some old country with how old that thing is. Probably another relic lost to time."

"Yeah, probably wasn't something that was just added to mess with a certain individual or anything like that," Fitoria said a very specific phrase nonchalantly, before shrugging, and gesturing for them to continue.

Man, Motoyasu couldn't wait for Naofumi and Itsuki to come back so he could tell them about this find! Who knew that this world once had naginatas in it!?

It was another part of Japanese culture they could reminisce over together once Ren learned how to make them again on his own. Hell, maybe they could even arm some of the villagers with them!

The possibilities for the Villagers and the Hero's party members were endless, I say!

"Achoo!" In the Otherworld, Dou-Lon sneezed while he was sparring with Glass.

"What is this bull crap?!" He said out loud, not knowing why he'd said such a thing. It wasn't often, but he had the sudden feeling that he was being left out of some kind of sick, twisted joke involving him.

"Focus!" The handle of one of Glass's fans slammed into the poor hakuko's head, knocking him onto his back.

Apparently, the spirit woman was still pissed about him tricking her so Kizuna could escape earlier.

And thus, their sparring deep in the mountains continued. With Dou-Lon eventually forgetting about the foreboding feeling he was getting while training with the katana.

Not knowing that the naginata he had rejected using before had actually been a weapon used in his world in the past.

If only he knew…

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

"Gwah! Gwah! Gwah! (Hey! Hey! Blue!)"

"Ahhhh…"

A familiar, blue-feathered Filolial stirred as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes.

Craning his head up, Blue looked around to find himself exactly where he'd dozed off earlier. At the gate of Lurolona Village, watching the forest for any signs of trespassers or other suspicious activities.

Blue looked quite a bit different from how he used to look before. He had grown into a large, familiar owl shape. Just like Filo and Amber.

His transformation into a Filolial King had completed itself overnight. Surprisingly, despite being male, he didn't look that different from the two Queens.

He was slightly taller, perhaps? His head structure looked a bit more masculine too, with a slightly longer beak. But outside of that, a Filolial King and a Filolial Queen really weren't that different from each other in terms of looks. Who would have thought?

"Gwah… (Geez, stop falling asleep. Aren't there supposed to be villains skulking outside our new nest?)"

Blue lazily turned his head to the source of the voice: a regular filolial that stood by the other side of the village gate. She was black-feathered, and, for some strange reason, she wore a white eyepatch over her left eye.

"Well, yea. But they aren't here yet, are they? And I wanna save my energy for later today when I'll finally get to play with Noodle alone." Blue responded before yawning to himself again.

Blue did not know why Rikka wore the strange eyepatch. She could see just fine. Rikka claimed that it was to keep the power of the Tyrant Eye suppressed outside of when Rikka needed it.

Blue thought such a name for it was stupid.

…

It would have been far cooler if Rikka had called it the Demonic Eye instead.

Rikka wouldn't listen though since she didn't know what the word cool even meant.

"(Hmmm, is Blue certain that Dog Girl will allow Blue to hoard Cool Hero to himself for a whole day?)" Rikka asked as she yawned tiredly into her wing next.

"Dog Girl better! Or else I will show Dog Girl just how mad Blue can really get!" The Filolial King promised, stamping his large taloned feet into the ground as he did so.

With the two birds bickering, neither of them noticed the carriage that was quietly approaching the gate. Or the woman sitting on the driver's bench of said carriage whose eyes widened in curiosity at hearing one of the monsters at the gates communicating verbally.

The pair just continued talking to each other, with Rikka gwahing and Blue speaking out loud since he could do that now.

"(Rikka still doesn't understand why Blue gets so upset about Dog Girl and Cool Hero being so happy together. Isn't Blue happy that Dog Girl helps Cool Hero to cheer up?)" Rikka sighed. It was a topic she and Amber had covered together at length when Blue wasn't around.

"NO! I am not happy about it at all! The last thing Noodle needs is to smell like Dog Girl all the time! Blue can totally cheer Noodle up much better! You'll see!" Blue continued to rant and complain.

"(I don't think Blue actually understands what Rikka is talking about.)" Rikka spoke quietly to herself.

And to think that Blue was supposedly one of the smarter members of Fitoria's flock.

"What was that?" Blue asked angrily.

"(It was nothing.)" Rikka shrugged.

"Huh, fascinating." An unfamiliar voice spoke up. But again, neither Filolial noticed it.

"Blue's certain that Rikka said something just now!" Blue puffed out his feathers, making himself look bigger and more intimidating. But Rikka barely reacted to his new aggressive stance.

Being tired probably helped with that. Then again, as friends, they'd bickered a lot in the past. So this was nothing new.

"(Rikka is just pointing out how Cool Hero went through a lot, and how Dog Girl and the others have been trying to help Cool Hero recover. Is Blue certain that trying to keep Cool Hero away from Cool Hero's friends is a good idea?)" Rikka asked seriously.

"Eh~!? But I am big and strong now! I am more than capable with helping Noodle than Dog Girl ever will be!" Fire flashed in the Filolial King's eyes.

Rikka sighed again. Blue really didn't know what she was talking about. Yet Blue continued in his rant before she could say what she meant.

"I swear, I will do everything in my power to keep Dog Girl and the others away from Noodle today! And then I will help Noodle to have a lot of fun outside the village, so Noodle can relax, and then-"

The Filolial King's voice was cut off as a feminine hand suddenly reached out from somewhere and firmly grabbed his wing before roughly unfurling it.

An open black carriage filled with large wooden crates had stopped before the gate. The two caterpilland monsters that'd been pulling it pawed at the ground with their many tiny feet nervously at the sight of the two Filolials before them.

But the person who drove the carriage was the main concern at the moment.

She was standing next to Blue, holding out one of his wings and examining it. She had the appearance of a sultry, Middle-Eastern human woman in her late twenties. She was buxom, wearing a white coat. She had long platinum-blonde hair that resembled Kyo's which made for a striking image when combined with her deeply tanned skin and the exotic jewelry she wore.

"Hmmm, a bit shorter than I expected. But the color seems healthy enough." The woman spoke as if she was examining a lab animal. "The feathers are well groomed too. Though, they seem to go pretty deep. I wonder if that means you have some unusual organs on the inside."

"H-H-Huh?! Who are you!?" Blue yelled as he tried to pull his wing back.

However, the woman's grip turned out to be surprisingly strong. Blue's eyes widened even more at her hidden strength, and before he could say anything else, the woman grabbed his beak and forced it open before pushing her head into the Filolial King's mouth..

Blue's eyes widened even further! He tried to step back, to jump away, to gag, but the woman's grip on his head was resolute.

He kept on involuntarily trying to choke up until the strange woman finally pulled her head back out of his throat.

"Hmmm, I couldn't get a good look in there since you were struggling so much. But I didn't notice anything too unusual back there."

Blue continued to sputter, trying to catch his breath and figure out what the hell was happening to him. The strange woman, however, continued to speak nonchalantly.

"I'm surprised you can speak and understand human language.

"How fascinating. You must definitely be a Filolial Royal variant like in the legends."

The woman, who'd looked up at Blue's face now, had a strange glint in her purple eyes. Her tongue slowly licked over her lips.

"R-R-Rikka?!" Blue finally managed to speak, looking to the side with his blue eyes wide with terror.

However, his friend was long gone. A dust trail led into the plains by the forest, and a series of black feathers in Rikka's outline hung in the air where she'd been standing for a few seconds, before finally falling to the ground.

No matter how stupid Blue thought it was, Rikka's 'Tyrant Eye' was able to tell just how unusual this woman was with one glance. And Rikka thought the best plan was to stay as far away from her as possible for now.

"Ah, was that the name of that Filolial?" The woman asked politely, pulling Blue's attention back to her again. "I didn't really pay her much attention since she didn't look like a Royal.

"But you don't have to worry about her. I'm more interested in getting samples from you, after all."

"S-S-S-S-Samples?" Blue asked again, his voice shaking as more fear filled his body.

He didn't know why. This person was just another human, and he'd been strengthened under his time as a member of Fitoria's flock, and now as the Filolial of the great Sword Hero! He shouldn't have been afraid of anything at this point!

Except, the way she was looking at him as if he was a piece of meat…

"Mmhmm. I'll only need a few seconds to get what I need, if you comply, that is. I have tranquilizer though, just in case." As the bizarre woman spoke, she put a hand in her back pocket.

And pulled out a syringe the size of her forearm.

…

Blue's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. 'N-N-N-N-N-N-NEEEEEDLEEEEEE!'

The woman raised the massive syringe over her head.

"Now this should only hurt a little bit."

The Sword Hero lay in his bed, slowly coming out of the land of the sleep to rejoin the land of the living.

Strange, maybe it was because of the new sword Motoyasu found for him. Or maybe it was because of how happy Wyndia and his friends had been last night. Or maybe it was even because his girlfriend was snuggled up next to him right now, smiling softly while dreaming about dragons in her sleep.

Whatever the case, the Sword Hero's sleep had actually been pretty restful… for once.

That was a rare thing these days. Yet the Sword Hero smiled softly, feeling that today was going to be a good day. That everything would be ok and nothing bad was going to happen-

The door to the room suddenly burst open.

"NOOOOOOODLE!"

"Huh-" Ren barely had time to say a word before his rare peaceful morning was interrupted by a blue-haired angel-winged preteen boy tackling him out of his bed. "OOF!"

The Sword Hero found himself sprawled on the floor in his pajamas. His legs comically raised in the air, and a dazed look set in his eyes.

"Mmmmm… five more minutes…" Wyndia grumbled tiredly from under the blankets. She was trying to reach out and hug the dragon that she'd been sleeping against.

Odd, where had his warmth disappeared to?

"PLEASE! NOODLE HAS TO PROTECT BLUE FROM EVIL MAD SCIENTIST LADY!" The kid, who turned out to be Blue, screamed in terror.

"Huh… wha…" Ren continued to mutter in confusion.

Weird, he didn't remember Wyndia and him ever having a kid. And how the hell was he twelve already?

…

Could their kids even have blue hair? He didn't think that would happen since it didn't run in his family. Then again, Wyndia knew very little about her original family, so maybe it was a possibility.

"WILL NOODLE PLEASE STOP THINKING ABOUT DOG GIRL FOR ONE MOMENT AND PROTECT BLUE RIGHT NOW?!" The kid yelled frantically.

Too bad Ren was still out of it. Even if he wasn't groggy from sleep, this would have been a confusing event for anyone to wake up to.

"What the- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, BRAT?!" Wyndia jerked awake, throwing her blankets off and looking over the side of the bed to spot the kid who tackled her Sword Hero out of it. Her tired face morphed into a familiar glare of rage.

And she'd been having such a great dream too! Damn this little guy for ruining it!

"BOO! I DON'T HAVE TO SAY SQUAT TO DOG GIRL FOR HOGGING ALL OF NOODLE'S ATTENTION FROM BLUE!" The kid pouted at her while still hugging the Sword Hero tightly around the chest.

"Noodle? Who the hell is that?" Wyndia's face tightened first in confusion, and then fury. "And besides that, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT TACKLED MY BOYFRIEND OUT OF OUR BED!"

"I REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT NOODLE AND DOG GIRL ARE THAT CLOSE WITH EACH OTHER!" The boy shouted back.

"ALRIGHT, THAT DOES IT! YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET BUSTING IN HERE AND RUINING OUR MORNING, BRAT!"

The Filolial King stood up, blue fire in his eyes as Wyndia stood opposite. Pure red fire raged behind her in the shape of a dragon.

The two looked like they were about to go all out against each other then and there, with the dazed Sword Hero still lying on the ground beneath them in a bundle of limbs and confusion.

It might have made for quite the battle too.

However…

"Hmmm, fascinating, I wasn't expecting his first transformation to show him without clothes. I could have sworn I heard the other Heroes' Filolial Queens had clothes of their own." A voice said from the door.

"Perhaps my theory about their feathers changing into attire was wrong and Royal Filolials need magic clothes that transform with them just like regular therianthrope races. Oh well, at least I know this now."

Blue's face paled, and his energy disappeared as he trembled in terror at the sight of the woman from the gate appearing in front of the Sword Hero's bedroom door. Had she seriously chased him all the way here?!

Wyndia's face also paled, though it was for a different reason entirely.

She finally realized that this boy, who'd tackled her Hero boyfriend out of their bed and interrupted their sleep, was the Filolial Blue. He was also completely naked. And he was being extremely possessive of Ren, just like when he was a Filolial.

After all the times they'd butted heads in the past, Wyndia stumbled over her words for a moment. Trying to overcome her shock at the situation she'd been thrust into.

"Ah- Ah- GET AWAY FROM MY BOYFRIEND, YOU DUMB BIRDBRAIN!" And after chanting a series of words in the space of a second while grabbing the sapphire off her nightstand, Wyndia threw a punch at the boy's face before he could overcome his fear of the woman in the doorway.

"SAPPHIRE DRAGON'S BLOW!"

WHACK!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Blue was launched out Ren's open bedroom window. Screaming as his small form flew far, far out over the ocean until, finally, he landed at least a hundred feet out into the sea, creating a small Splash!

"Eh, I give that a 5." Keel shrugged on the sandy beach.

"More like a 4. That form was pathetic." One of her friends, a dog demi-human with floppy ears and chocolate-colored hair named Katia, commented next to her.

"I'll give it a six since she managed to jump out pretty far." Another friend commented on the other side. She had panda ears on her head and her name was Silis. "That's all I'll give it though."

"So five overall?" Keel asked.

"Yeah." "Mmhmm." The two agreed.

They were about to discuss who would jump next when a voice yelled from the top of the cliff.

"Alright, I'm ready to jump!" Anya announced.

"Wai-" "What!?" "HUH?!" The three demi-humans all jumped up, looking in shock at the cat demi-human now standing at the top of the cliff.

"What? Did I miss something getting up here?" Anya asked.

If she hadn't jumped, then who was…

Blue's body resurfaced, with his head facing down.

"Blblblblblbl…" It looked like Wyndia's spell had knocked him out cold.

Keel and the others quickly jumped in the water and swam out to save the drowning Filolial King.

And just like that, the duel they were about to have came to a sudden and abrupt finish. With Wyndia clearly being the victor.

Because dragons were the superior species and not Filolials.

…

The light-brown-haired girl breathed in and out heavily, her fist still shaking with rage as she slowly lowered it. Opening it up, she found the sapphire she was gripping was still intact. It was even glowing softly in response to her touch.

Heh, she still wasn't sure if Therese's 'friends' were alive or not. She had as of yet to hear any voices from these gemstones. At least, she thought she hadn't.

There were times she thought she heard whispers when practicing with the stones, but the whispers were all suggestions for things to try out in bed with Ren once he got better. So she guessed it was just her imagination running wild.

Nevertheless, the dog girl had vastly improved in her usage of Gem Magic since the Spirit Tortoise's death.

She was happy she was able to instinctively get off that spell at full power without harming the gemstone. Perhaps it'd be okay for her to be a little more confident in using Gem Magic in battles now?

Before she could ponder on this more, however…

"Oh? Was that Earth Vein Magic? I've never seen it used via gemstones before.

"Does that mean you've been blessed by a Dragon or another creature that has access to the energy of the world?"

The dog girl stopped admiring the gemstone to look at the door to their room.

"Yawn, Wyndia, do you and Ren have to make so much noise so early in the morning?" Farrie's door opened down the hall. "Some of us are still sleeping, you… … …" The mage's tired, yet teasing voice trailed off as she also saw the person standing at the door to Ren's room.

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you?" Farrie asked the dark-skinned woman.

"How… how do you know about dragon vein magic? I thought that wasn't common knowledge." Wyndia shakily asked. She had no idea why she'd asked that question first. Perhaps the sight of another stranger in her home after the naked boy incident was too much?

Especially since this stranger looked hot enough to seduce Ren with just a glance.

Wyndia should have been more confident in herself. But it wasn't every day that a person like this just wandered into your room.

The woman tilted her head. "Did Her Majesty not send word to Princess Melty of my arrival?

"I guess she does have other things on her plate right now. Or maybe the message got lost or delayed on the way somehow. Oh well. Can't be bothered now."

She sighed as if it really was that much of a bother. "My name is Ratotille Anthreya, the prodigy of the Faubley Institute of Technology. I've learned quite a bit there, which includes the various branches of Dragon Vein Magic and how one gains access to it.

"That said, I have come here to offer my services and specialties to the Hero's new nation, as well as to safely deliver some gifts that were en route from Siltvelt on my way here."

…

"Huh?" Ren asked confusedly where he'd sat up on the ground.

He still didn't look to be entirely there at the moment. But his reaction pretty much summed up everyone else's thoughts.

"Now, with the pleasantries out of the way, is it alright if I take a blood sample from that Filolial King you sent flying into the ocean?" Rat asked. "It could prove useful for the perfect monster I wish to make."

There was… definitely some confusion that needed to be cleared up after that.

Several things had to be addressed. Like Blue showing that he could transform into the form of a preteen. Or how Keel and her friends saved the young Filolial from drowning in the ocean. Or the others learning how said boy had wanted to take Ren out of the village for the day even though he didn't have any clothes yet.

Which was probably one of the more important things to cover at the moment, in all honesty. Due to the stir he'd caused outside.

"What do you mean I can't transform whenever I want?!" Blue angrily cried as Farrie used some Fire-healing magic to heal the massive bruise covering his face.

His small body was wrapped up in a towel, giving him a small modicum of decency. He had pure white wings with the edges trimmed with blue sticking out his back. His human form was bigger than Filo, but nowhere near as tall as Amber's. And his face also held a perpetual pout on it.

"What I mean is that since you can transform into a human now, you have to follow some basic human norms. And one of those norms is wearing clothes to cover your nakedness." Tersia sat in front of the kid, who was the newest addition to Ren's party.

Blue was about to protest further when realization dawned on his youthful face which was then quickly followed by another pout of annoyance. "Oh yeaaaa… Humans are obsessed with covering themselves up with stuff, aren't they? Yeesh, how annoying!"

The nun had a rare stern look she hadn't pulled out as of late. Farrie teasingly called it her 'lecture' mode. "I'm glad you understand, Blue. So, please, refrain from using this form until we can get you a set of transforming clothes.

"Oh, come on! Can't I just wear regular clothes for the time being? I wanna try this form out! Do you know how crazy cool it is to suddenly transform into something completely different like that? It's wild!" The boy yelled.

"Amber wasn't allowed to change forms in public either until Motoyasu made her the dress she's wearing now. It's only fair for you to have to do the same." Tersia replied.

"No way! I wanna test out what I can do now!" The boy yelled even louder.

Tersia grit her teeth as Farrie chuckled next to her. "That's not going to work. You'll just randomly turn back and forth and keep ruining set after set of clothes. Amber promised to be careful too at first, but even she slipped up several times while we were with her, causing all sorts of awkward moments that I'd rather not see happen again!

"BOO! YOU CAN'T TELL BLUE WHAT TO DO! BLUE WILL ONLY LISTEN TO NOODLE!"

"I'm sorry, you want to run that by me again…" A deadly pressure came from the corner of the room, where Wyndia was leaning against the wall.

She'd changed out of her pajamas into her normal white shirt, brown skirt, and blue-cloaked outfit. And she was glaring daggers at the boy.

Bright emerald green fire covered her hands, and a scowl adorned her lips. "I couldn't care less about you going around streaking through town. But I will make bird roast out of you if I see you trying to get clingy with Ren while naked again!"

…

…

Blue looked sufficiently frightened at her threat, and Tersia shook her head at Wyndia. "Don't be so mean. Blue might be a Filolial, but he is still just a kid."

Wyndia scoffed in response and the flames she was holding dispersed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "This 'kid' here is around thirty, which is considered middle-aged for Filolials, Tersia."

"Hey, I'm twenty-five, thank you very much!" The boy protested. "I'm still in the prime of my life!"

Wyndia ignored his outburst and kept going. "So I think I'm pretty entitled to be pissed off since some pervert bird just tried to get in bed with my boyfriend."

…

"..."

"..."

The deadly pressure in the room suddenly increased tenfold.

Wyndia's friends both turned to stare at Blue, their faces devoid of emotions, but their eyes were glinting with danger. Farrie's amusement at the situation was gone.

"Thinking back on it, you told Wyndia to stay away from the Sword Hero, didn't you?" Tersia spoke in a calm, dead tone.

"Uh, yes, obviously." Blue rolled his eyes.

"Are you asking for us to kill you right now?" Farrie spoke in the same tone as her sister. Her head was tilted at an odd angle, and she'd started pulling a grimoire from the depths of her cloak.

If there was anyone who loved watching Ren and Wyndia's relationship develop a lot over the last few months, it'd be these two. Sure, it hadn't always been good, and Farrie had even said some hurtful things to her friend after losing Bakta, but the two genuinely wanted to see their Hero and Demi friend be happy together.

Call it hogwash or whatever but with all the unhappiness in the world and the uncertainties and challenges they were facing via the Waves and other threats, seeing two of their close friends happily in love was one of the best things they could have ever asked for. And the two deserved that happiness after everything they'd been through.

…

And Blue wanted to just come in and ruin all of their hard work in getting the two together in the first place?!

"Well… everyone here spends too much time with Noodle anyway! I wanted a day alone with Noodle as well!" Blue defended himself. These were just humans! They were nowhere close to the strength that Filolials achieved!

A brave thing for him to say.

Brave, but stupid.

"We're all acting together as Ren's support to help him heal not just physically, but mentally and emotionally," Farrie spoke again. Her voice still holding the same tone as before. But just like Wyndia earlier, the hand not holding the grimoire began to cover itself with fire magic as she stepped closer.

"Are you saying that we're doing a bad job of helping him out?"

…

Blue paled even further as he shrank back in his chair.

He suddenly recalled that these humans were members of the Sword Hero's party long before he was. Not only did they have their levels and bonuses from being acquainted with the Sword Hero, but Fitoria had used that strange method of hers to empower Farrie's stats.

The fire she was holding looked pretty strong...

...

The last of his bravery promptly walked out the door and shot itself out back.

Yeah, this kind of thinking wasn't going to fly. Screw Blue running around naked and being a public nuisance. If he kidnapped Ren and the Sword Hero had another mental breakdown while no one else was around…

Farrie joined her older sister in lecturing/coercing/threatening/possibly torturing the young kid for his selfishness and arrogance. Stating in no unclear terms how these attributes wouldn't help the Sword Hero to recover in the slightest.

Ren's recovery was a team effort from all of them. It was alright to be worried for Ren and to want to help him out. It was NOT alright to prevent others from or getting in the way of doing so as well. Especially those whom the Sword Hero loved and respected dearly.

Even Wyndia had understood this and accepted the others' help for her Hero.

As for the dog girl… she eventually had to leave the room partway through, as her desire for barbeque Filolial only seemed to increase as the minutes passed. Blue was truly a stubborn kid.

Which was ironic, since he was older than Amber by at least ten to fifteen years

How he could be this emotionally stupid at that age was beyond them.

…

Although, in his defense, Blue living most of his life amongst Filolials could explain some of his weird opinions on things.

…

…

Anyway, that was just one part of what'd happened.

The other part occurred in Melty's office in the town's newly constructed administrative building while Blue was still in the middle of being grilled by Ren's friends.

Melty already knew she was going to have a lot of paperwork today. Blue had caused quite the commotion by running through the streets naked while screaming his head off. It was enough that she couldn't even be excited about the fact that he was a Filolial King now.

And to think she'd been about ready to tackle challenges the town hadn't addressed yet like taking a census of everyone living there and gathering an inventory of what they had. She also had to establish laws for trade, now that their nation was reaching that point thanks to Elena's efforts.

Melty began rubbing her forehead to alleviate her headache. Why did Blue have to sour her busy morning with his actions?

"Everything alright, Princess?" Eclair asked from beside her.

"Yes, I'm fine." Melty irritably snapped at the rose-haired knight.

If Eclair was offended by the Second Princess's tone, she didn't show it. She understood that even though Melty had been super elated last night about something, she'd still been under a lot of stress. And now, here she was, having awoken to a new batch of problems to deal with.

One of those 'problems' was sitting in front of Melty's desk right now. And Melty focused on it at last.

"So you're, um… Ratatouille?" Melty asked from behind her desk.

"Ratotille, actually, but feel free to call me Rat, if you prefer." Rat crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't care what others call me, so long as I'm able to do what I want."

"Alright, um, Rat… Is there a reason why you were in the Sword Hero's home earlier?" Melty pressed on.

"I was following a very interesting Filolial King that I spotted at your town gate. And I wasn't going to let him escape and prevent me from getting what I wanted from him." Rat answered.

Fortunately, some of Blue's blood had been on the wall of the Sword Hero's room thanks to Wyndia's attack. It wasn't the cleanest way to get what she needed, and she'd need more blood from him later on. But it was probably enough for her to get a good start on her project.

"Hmmm…" Melty clasped her hands in front of her, looking down at a letter her Mother had sent her a couple of days ago. Funnily enough, it'd arrived at the same time as the message from Zeltoble, so it'd fallen under her radar.

To paraphrase, Mirellia said that this Ratotille person had traveled from Faubley to join the Hero Village. That her Shadows were certain that she wasn't a spy. And that she had also been entrusted with a carriage containing gifts for the Heroes that'd come from Siltvelt.

Probably not the most sane thing to do. Then again, this had also occurred right after the Spirit Tortoise incident was over. So there were plenty of crazy things going on in the world around that time.

Anyway, besides that, the Queen had also supplied Melty with a bit of Rat's background in her message. She was a genius, though more than a bit socially inept. Someone like her wanting to help out the Heroes was mind-boggling.

"From what I understand, you were the top student in Faubley's Academy, is that correct?" The Princess continued the interrogation.

"Yes. I was told many times by my professors that I was the brightest student they've ever had." Rat said boredly while looking down at her hand. "I even outshined the so-called 'genius', His Royal bratiness, Prince Tact.

"Though, honestly, that boy is a complete moron. The only thing he's good at is making other people do what he tells them.

"Most of his ideas were complete garbage. And the ones that weren't were highly inefficient.

"Did you hear about the new brand of paper he invented that was supposed to be easier and less costly to make? Well, it might have made things more efficient for book industries in the short term. But I did some of my tests on it and found out that the paper he made would wither away after only a few decades. Had that project been allowed out into the world, it would have destroyed the world's faith in Faubley's new printing presses."

"I-I'm sorry, printing presses?" Melty asked, looking confused.

"Yea, that was one of the idiot's useful inventions. Though I'm guessing it was his younger sister who made it and gave the credit for it to her older brother." Rat rolled her eyes. "Their relationship is quite gross. And they aren't even trying to hide it.

"But I digress. A printing press allows a person to make many copies of a book at a time, instead of having to write each copy by hand. In time, it could make magic grimoires and other texts less expensive as the supply of those books surges around the world. Allowing even commoners to purchase them.

"I can acknowledge that as a useful advancement for those reasons and more. But no, I just had to critique the paper and earn that bastard's ire.

"Oh well, not like I wasn't already hated enough because of my own research." Rat held her hands together. "And speaking of it. That's why I'm here. I wish to use my expertise and knowledge to bolster your nation's growth.

"I heard the Hero's Village had a strange breed of plant that could mimic monster qualities, and that the Heroes were also raising a legendary breed of Filolial Royals. I was hoping that studying these unique monsters could help me to progress along in my projects"

…

Melty opened and closed her mouth.

A lot had been said there, and some of it didn't make much sense to her. To say Rat was a genius was an understatement. Even Melty, who'd been under some of the best tutelage a royal could afford, and who'd been trained personally by the Vixen of Melromarc, couldn't follow along with everything Rat had just said.

So, she remembered what her Mother had taught her, and breathed in deep, composing her mind and her thoughts.

Within a moment, she opened her eyes and stared calmly at the lady before her. She discarded what she couldn't understand right now, resolving to ask about such things later. She decided to stick to what was important right now.

"Before I consider your offer to join the Heroes' Nation, I'd like to know the reason why you left Faubley in the first place.

"I might not have attended Faubley's Academy myself, but I do know that it is among the best schools in the entire world. One would be hard-pressed to find anywhere better to learn or conduct research into new and exciting projects like the ones you mentioned.

"And besides that, you caused quite a commotion earlier with Blue. You've already made my morning ten times harder than usual." Melty, despite her best efforts, could not keep her pout off her face.

Rat pursed her lips. She didn't immediately answer.

…

"Um… is this Faubley Institute really that great a place?" Ren shakily asked.

The Sword Hero sat in a corner of the room. Melty hadn't wanted to trouble him initially. But given that Rat had gone into his house, the Sword Hero ended up tagging along when Rat was brought to the newly constructed administrative building across from the Church, which had housed her former office.

Perhaps Ren's friends hadn't wanted to trouble him with Blue. Or maybe he'd just wanted to get out of his home? Either way, he was here now.

As for why he'd asked this question… he had heard about the Institute in his game before. But he'd never learned the lore behind it, outside of a few side quests. And those quests were pretty much gathering materials and items to help researchers out.

"It is." Eclair answered the Sword Hero's earlier question. "Because Faubley's royalty is backing it, the Institute has near endless funds at its disposal. The only ones who are allowed to attend are those of exceptional skill with the blade like myself, or those with the best and brightest minds our world has to offer…

"Which makes me wonder how Mother ever managed to get my older sister into that place," Melty whispered to herself.

Eclair looked down at the Second Princess, who coughed into her sleeve. "Anyway, Eclair is right. To say that the Faubley Academy is one of, if not the best school in the entire world wouldn't be an understatement. The students and professors there are responsible for many of the world's advancements in technology, magic, swordsmanship, and other areas over the past century.

"Besides Faubley's Royalty personally backing it, the Academy also has backing from the Four Heroes Church. Their professors are some of the only people allowed by the Church to do research into the Hero Weapons.

"To get in without nobility or royalty backing you is considered a huge achievement. Those who graduate are known for becoming leaders and well-known figures in their nations around the world.

"... Which has me wondering why you'd give all that up just to help us out?" Melty finished, staring hard at the woman before her.

…

…

…

This time, the silence between them was enduring and long.

Ren fidgeted in his seat. Trying to not look too uncomfortable with the sudden atmosphere. Even though Eclair was in the room, she was acting as Melty's bodyguard at the moment. She couldn't abandon her charge to distract the Sword Hero from his thoughts.

He suddenly wished that Wyndia or Farrie or one of his other friends was there. If not to break the silence, then to at least help him focus his mind on something besides that silence. And what'd happened before when…

He clenched his eyes tight. Fortunately, Rat finally broke the silence, helping Ren to push those troublesome thoughts out of his mind.

"If you're wondering why I gave it up… I didn't." Rat admitted with a scowl. "If I had it my way, I would still be in Faubley, performing my research without anyone else bothering me."

Melty's eyes narrowed. "Why come here then? I don't believe there is much we could offer you compared to other nations due to our limited size and influence at the moment. We don't even have a school of our own!"

"Hm. Hmhmhmhm." Rat crossed her arms and chuckled to herself. "Only an idiot would think a nation run by the four Heroes would remain irrelevant in the grand scheme of things for long. What Siltvelt asked me to deliver is proof enough of that.

"I meant it when I said I was here to offer my services to the four Heroes. I know besides these mutant bio-plants you have, you recently started raising and cultivating monsters to help out around the village.

"I can help with taking care of and raising these monsters. I can also use my knowledge to help them grow big and strong so they can do more than just assist with mundane tasks.

"The only thing I need in return is a quiet space for a laboratory where I can continue my research.

"What I was able to salvage after most of it was destroyed, at least."

…

Melty stared at Rat, who didn't look her in the eyes.

At the confession, the tanned woman's face had finally fallen.

"... oh." Melty sat back in her chair. "I see, then."

Eclair sighed where she was standing. "Is that why you're here? To get our help to seek revenge on the people who destroyed all your research?"

"Oh? No. Goodness no." Rat shook her head as she chuckled at the rose-haired knight. "That Tact idiot I mentioned? He wasn't the one who did it exactly, but I'm sure he or his little sister were the ones who gave the details of what I was researching to the wrong people at the university.

"While I would like payback on them, I don't have a death wish. Instead, I'd be content with managing to create the ultimate monster and having it fight on behalf of the Heroes of Legend in saving the world." Rat smirked brightly. "That'd be far better revenge for me than seeing heads roll around."

"Hmmm…" Melty continued to stare at the tanned woman, trying to keep her thoughts and feelings masked.

She didn't know what Rat meant by creating an ultimate monster to fight on behalf of the Heroes. However, their village could use a monster doctor/tamer.

Wyndia, thanks to her Father being a dragon, knew quite a bit when it came to raising monsters and taking care of them. She'd even been helping a few of the kids learn how to take care of the Caterpillands and Dunes as well as some of Fitoria's Filolials in her free time.

But there was only so much time the dog girl had when she was constantly with Ren and helping him out or supporting him in his various activities.

Plus, Melty was certain that the kids had found and hidden monster eggs they'd found in the forest in the stables where they were keeping the Caterpillands and Dunes they were raising. Beloukas had stopped by the stables both times he'd visited in the last week.

Not that she could blame the kids either. She'd LOVE for one of those eggs to turn out to be a Filolial egg, just so she could have a chance to claim it for herself. But while the hatched monsters could help out the village, they simply didn't have someone who could watch over and take care of a dozen different species of monsters on a constant basis.

"I think it'd be fine if she moved into the village." Ren finally spoke, interrupting Melty's thoughts. "It'd certainly help out the kids Wyndia has been teaching to look after the monsters."

"Oh, you mean the dog girl who you were sleeping with earlier is a monster doctor too?" Rat asked curiously.

"Not exactly…" Ren couldn't help but rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. Eclair and Melty were both giving the Sword Hero looks of surprise upon learning that he and Wyndia were sleeping together. Yet despite his embarrassment, a soft smile appeared on his face. "She was raised by a dragon and, from what I understand, she grew up with a lot of different monster siblings.

"She learned quite a bit about taking care of monsters because of her upbringing."

"Hmmm… I see." A frown appeared on Rat's face. At a look from Melty though, she amended what she would say next. "From my knowledge of dragons, I didn't think there was one who'd raise a demi-girl as its child.

"They tend to be mindless brutes who destroy the land and ruin the local ecosystem wherever they choose to nest."

"..." Ren's face fell a little. "The Dragon Emperor Gaelion was really special in that regard. He lived far away from humans and took care of everyone he considered his child before…

"Before he died."

…

Eclair finally walked over, resting a hand on the Sword Hero's shoulder to steady his trembling. He didn't look up, but he appreciated the kind gesture from his mentor.

"Hmmm…" Rat seemed more intrigued again.

After another moment, she looked at Melty. "If you're still hesitant about me joining the Hero's Nation, I could show off a bit of my skills as a monster doctor with what I brought from Siltvelt." She suggested.

Melty tilted her head to the side. Right, there was also the carriage Rat had brought with her. She hadn't been told about what gifts were inside of it yet though.

Knowing they came from Siltvelt, it was likely a peace offering meant for the Shield Hero specifically. But he wasn't around right now.

It could be considered wrong to look through the gifts immediately with that in mind. However, Melty still didn't have many positive thoughts about the Shield Hero at the moment. So she didn't care how he'd react to them spoiling the surprise.

"... alright. Let's see what you've brought before I make any decisions." Melty stood up from her desk.

Rat stood up, looking rather confident as she looked back at the Sword Hero, who was looking down at the floor depressedly. "Oh, I'm sure that if you don't like it, Princess Melty, than the Sword Hero and his girlfriend definitely will."

Ren looked up, seeming to be confused about being called out.

But Rat exited through the door. And Melty, Eclair, and Ren followed behind her.

Outside, quite a bit of the village had gathered around the Church, thanks to the earlier commotion Blue had caused.

While there was some confusion and grogginess from being woken up, the town's knights, who'd been assisting with the construction of the village's border wall, surrounded Rat's wagon. Keeping others from getting close to it till Melty, Eclair, and Ren arrived with Rat leading them to it.

Now, there were quite a few gifts Siltvelt had entrusted to Rat to deliver to the Hero's village. All of which had been untouched by her, and all of which were contained in wooden crates that had their tops taken off.

Among the gifts was a bunch of high-tier weapons and armor. Some rare high-quality herbs, ores, and wood. A few spellbooks. And some monster eggs, ranging from Usapils to rarer breeds.

"Aye, this came at the perfect time," Jerry commented as he held up one of the swords to examine it. Most of the weapons and armor here were meant for individuals around level 50 to level 70. Equipment that he and the Sword Hero were unable to make at the moment. "Some of the wee ones could definitely use these after I'm done with refitting them."

"I was running low on some of these." The old apothecarian's lips curved upward a little as he appraised some of the rare high-quality herbs. Usually, Naofumi or the other Heroes had to gather them in the wild for Kusuriya so the quality would be this high, but because of the current state of affairs, he could only rely on whatever supplies he could get from Melromarc's Capital.

These supplies didn't come cheap since without the help of Heroes, finding herbs of this quality out in the wild was a rare feat.

"Oooh! These spellbooks are meant to help people learn the drifa tier of magic! This will be perfect for my pupils!" The resident witch exclaimed happily while hugging some of the spell tomes to her chest.

One of the more notable gifts was several boxes, filled to the brim with chocolate. Melty's eyes boggled out of their sockets at the sight of them.

You see, chocolate was a rare commodity in this world. It only grew on a breed of trees in the southern part of the world once a year around Valentine's Day.

No, really. Sugar in its traditional form didn't exist in this world. Thus, the chocolate was THAT rare. To call it a simple gift was an understatement. To have several boxes worth of it was worthy of being called a national treasure.

And they now had four. One for each of the Cardinal Heroes.

Unfortunately, Eclair slapped Melty's hand away and shook her head in disapproval when the Princess reached for the box identified in Siltveltian and Melromarcian text to be for the Shield Hero. It was almost twice as big as what the other Heroes were getting.

"Aw come on!" Melty pouted up at the knight.

"Please restrain yourself, Princess. People are watching." Eclair warned her.

Boo! She wanted to taste it now! Even as a princess, she only managed to taste chocolate once before in her life!

Her mother never wasted money on the luxury food since it was one of the few things outside of high-quality armor and weapons whose value could be measured in gold coins! A pure chocolate bar could be worth as much as fifty gold coins in some countries, so her father had to go out of his way behind Mirellia's back just to obtain a small piece for one of her birthdays!

…

At remembering her parents, Melty calmed down a bit and realized the wisdom in the knight's words, before nodding. Eclair proceeded to smile while giving the younger girl a conspiratorial wink.

After all, the rose-haired knight had as of yet to entirely forgive Naofumi too. And she was curious as to how this 'chocolate' tasted as well.

They'd just eat some out of sight of everyone else. So word wouldn't get back to the Shield Hero about their 'endeavor'. That'd teach the Shield Hero!

"Oh…" Ren had pulled out a tiny black square from his box and put it in his mouth. A soft smile formed on his face as he savored it. "It's even better than what I had back home."

Actually, now that he thought about it, it might pair well with the strawberry oranges from the Bio-Plants.

"Really? Can I try?" Farrie appeared with Tersia and Blue, looking at the delicious square with hungry eyes.

"I'm not sure if Noodle should be eating that. It looks bad." The little kid, now dressed in a pair of pants and a t-shirt, gave a look of disgust at what Ren had just eaten.

"Now now, there are other things to go through first," Tersia said with a frown. "And besides, that is Ren's gift. He should be the one to decide who to share it with."

"Awww…" Farrie deflated.

Not that they didn't think Ren wouldn't share with them. But they knew who he'd share it with first.

Though Wyndia, who moved to stand beside her boyfriend, wasn't asking for the chocolate, as she was staring in surprise at one of the monster eggs in the back of the wagon.

It was a large, black egg. At least a third of her size. Its texture was rough and grainy, yet when she reached a hand out and touched it, it had a familiar warmth to it.

"Is this… is this a dragon egg?" She asked in a shaky voice.

Ren was brought out of his happy state to look at his girlfriend, and then at Rat in surprise.

The tanned woman nodded her head. "It is. I still haven't been able to determine what breed it is, but it's definitely among the rarer dragon species from what I can tell."

"Unlike the other monster eggs, that one is going to require a high-level seal on it so the hatched dragon's reproductive activities can be restricted." The tanned woman explained. "Fortunately, I was also given the equipment necessary to perform the ritual, so I should be able to do that as well for the dragon as well as any future monsters the Heroes want to raise."

"... reproductive activities?" Ren asked confusedly.

"Don't you know that most pureblood dragons are notorious for mating excessively with other species?" Rat asked. "That's why I mentioned that they tend to destroy the ecosystems they live in. The Dragon Emperors especially are known for having endless lust and thus produce lots of offspring with various monsters and, in rare cases, even humans."

"Gaelion wasn't like that!" Wyndia instantly bristled.

"Yes, I've already heard a bit about him from the Sword Hero." Rat agreed. "I do have my questions about why and how such a Dragon Emperor was able to restrain their natural impulses, but regardless, I would theorize him to be an exception to pureblood dragons, and would still recommend a high-level monster seal on the egg so the creature doesn't cause any unnecessary trouble for the other monsters in the village down the road."

"Urghhh…" Wyndia looked conflicted for a moment, before sighing. "Fine. Gaelion did have many children besides me that he looked after. So you're not entirely wrong.

"But he was a loving Father to all of them, including me! And as far as I know, he left people alone!"

Rat nodded and proceeded to give more instructions about raising and caring for the egg up until it hatched.

To give it the best possible chance, Ren would have to carry it around on his back. This would help the hatched dragon to become familiar with his warmth and look at him as its parent, which would make it easier to teach it to obey his commands in the future.

"I… don't know if I'd be able to carry it around with me all the time," Ren muttered unsurely.

Not only did he have his spars with Eclair, but other things like blacksmithing came to his mind. He couldn't carry a large dragon egg around with him 24/7.

"That's okay. I can hold it and keep it warm whenever you can't." Fortunately, Wyndia gladly volunteered to step up. "Would that work?" She then asked Rat.

"It… yes, I believe so. However, if I'm not mistaken, while the hatched dragon would be equally likely to obey both of you, it'd also look at you two as its parents.

"Is that something you'd be comfortable with?" The purple-eyed woman asked.

Wyndia's smile only brightened at the information. "I don't think I'd mind that. Would you, Ren?" She asked him.

"I…" Ren was floored at first by the implications of her statement.

Tersia, Eclair, and Farrie were similarly shocked at the girl's words. But very quickly, the two mages began giving their Hero encouraging smiles/grins. His mentor figure shook her head with a chuckle but gave Ren a smile of encouragement as well.

Blue was still standing in his spot, not paying attention to what was going on since he was glaring at the dragon egg. He wondered if it'd taste good for breakfast.

Ren finally started smiling again. "I guess Naofumi and Raphtalia considered themselves Filo's parents early on so… sure, why not?"

Wyndia's smile brightened even more, and she got on her tippy toes, pecking the Sword Hero on the cheek before hugging her boyfriend happily.

Rat frowned at the display of public affection but continued from where she'd left off before on how to care for the egg before it hatched.

The young couple eventually learned that the gender of the hatched dragon could be either male or female, depending on how warm they kept the egg. And that it'd only require two to three days to hatch if things managed to go well.

"Now, with all that said, I need to know this, what gender do you want the dragon hatchling to be?" Rat asked.

Wyndia thought on it for a few seconds and her decision came easily. She'd want to raise a boy dragon so she could name it after her Father. Only a strong dragon raised by her and the Sword Hero could be worthy of such a name.

"I'd… like for it to be a girl, if you could." However, Ren spoke before she was able to. Causing Wyndia to look at her boyfriend in surprise.

"Hmmm, your reason being?" Rat asked.

Ren lifted the egg out of the wagon, feeling its rough surface in his hands.

Life was hard, but holding the life he'd be raising personally, a soft smile spread over his features. "I don't know. I just… like the thought of me and Wyndia raising a daughter together…"

"It just feels right to me."

…

…

…

Wyndia, as well as Eclair, Farrie, Melty, and Tersia; were staring at the Hero in shock again at what he'd admitted. Blue was still holding a glaring contest with the egg, though, he was starting to look concerned at the casual way Ren was holding it.

Did Noodle not want dragon yolk for breakfast?! Smash it already!

…

After several seconds, Tersia and Farrie were grinning like devils. Eclair was smiling in happiness while Melty still looked too astonished to say anything.

As for the light-brown-haired dog girl… she'd turned her head away, pulling her hood over her head to hide the massive blush crawling up her cheeks right now.

Had Ren really admitted that in front of the whole town?!

…

Oddly enough, her embarrassment melted away as warmth filled her chest. Ren was really thinking of the two of them raising a family together in the future!

Maybe…

You know what, Gaelion would make a good name for a girl dragon too. Wyndia was all for it!

"Hmmm…" Rat continued to try and figure out the two's strange reactions.

A genius she was, but social, she was not. "Well, if it's a female, then it definitely wouldn't cause as much trouble as a male dragon since she'd be the only one who could get pregnant."

Wyndia went back to glaring at the alchemist lady again, but Rat didn't bother to figure out why.

Having finished instructing the pair on how to raise the egg, she turned to look at Melty again. "Now that everything's settled, would Your Highness be alright if I stayed to help out the Hero's Nation?" Rat asked.

Melty was about to head to Naofumi's house with his portion of the chocolate so she and Eclair could 'taste test' it when Rat spoke. She didn't care if it was considered a national treasure or not. She was far from wanting to entirely forgive Naofumi at this point. And besides, it wasn't like he'd miss a little bit of chocolate he didn't even know he had.

"..." Back in the present, however, Melty heaved a sigh. "Honestly, I was already considering it, but the fact that you can do the monster crest ritual for us will be a big help."

"Oh, how so?" Rat asked.

"I'd much rather you stayed to help with that whenever it's needed than… him." Melty shuddered.

It was like all of them could picture the rainbow-shrouded midget in their heads at the same time. And a collective shudder went down their spines.

"Eh?" Rat tilted her head in confusion.

"Eh-hem." Melty straightened her posture. "Welcome to our village, Ratotille Antheya. We'll look forward to seeing how you contribute to our nation."

"Please, just drop the formalities." Rat sighed. "I dealt with enough of those from the snobs in Faubley."

Melty and the others laughed, and Ren continued to smile a little while holding the dragon egg in his arms next to Wyndia. The young couple looked happy to have this addition to their new family.

And that was how the Hero's village gained another member while Motoyasu was gone. And besides Blue needing magic transforming clothes and Ren and Wyndia taking on the task of raising a dragon together, things progressed as normal.

"What the- NOODLE CAN'T RAISE A DRAGON! DRAGONS STINK!" Blue yelled as he finally realized what was going on.

And Tersia and Farrie had to forgo studying magic and smutty Hero diaries for the rest of the day, as the Filolial King still required their undivided attention.

And possibly their protection because of Wyndia's desire to barbeque the Filolial King for that remark. Though, torture probably wasn't a normal part of protecting somebody from someone else.

"Thanks for helping us to level up today again Crystal-san! We'll see you again tomorrow!" A girl with bunny ears waved happily to the spearwoman of Itsuki's party as she and her four friends ran off in the direction of the communal kitchen. Though not before dropping off the sacks full of monster parts they were carrying inside the collection building for the Heroes to absorb into their weapons later.

Crystal didn't react much beyond giving the group of kids a wave with her hand, before hefting a large deneedled porcupine monster on her shoulder and walking towards another section of the town by herself.

It'd been another average day in the life of the silver-haired seventeen-year-old. And it'd been spent like all the other days since the Spirit Tortoise's defeat; patiently waiting for Itsuki and the others to return from their Otherworld Trip while doing her part around the village as a Hero's party member to help out.

These days, her duties usually consisted of either sparring with the village fighters to enhance their combat skills, lending a hand in different construction projects, gathering materials for said construction projects, or otherwise helping everyone to level up by killing the monsters living in the surrounding area.

Today had been a day where she spent all day leveling some of the kids. By the sounds of it, tomorrow was going to be another one if Princess Melty did end up assigning her to help those kids again.

It wasn't that she hated doing this. Compared to Karn's antics, watching over those five as they hunted monsters was somewhat tolerable. Far better than hanging around that rogue, especially as of late…

…

If Crystal was being honest, however, she found doing all this more than a bit agitating.

She wanted to head back out into the world with Itsuki. Freeing other slaves while, more importantly, finding her big brother.

Ever since learning about how they were headed to Cal Mira, it felt like all of her original goals and plans had been put on the back burner. And she understood why. She did.

Before Cal Mira, she'd struggled to grow stronger alongside the others. She felt like more of a detriment than an active participant.

After the Hero Service Crest, and after leveling up a lot in Cal Mira, she found that she had the stats to finally make a difference. To go toe to toe with most nobility and their guards just like Itsuki and the others.

As for the whole mess with the Spirit Tortoise… well, had it not been stopped, finding her missing brother would have been the least of her concerns.

So she understood why they'd stopped doing what they'd been doing before. What she didn't understand was why they couldn't go back to trying to find him now?!

"Just wait till Itsuki comes back and ask for his help again. Not like you'd be able to accomplish that much on your own anyway, so why bother?"

Crystal grit her teeth, remembering the words Karn had said several nights ago. She'd yelled at him for it, but he just shrugged and chuckled like usual before closing his bedroom door in her face.

Did that prick truly understand anything?!

It'd been almost half a year since her older brother in all but blood had been ripped from her life by a group of Church slavers! Mirellia nor her Shadows had found anyone matching his description amongst the nobility's slaves in Melromarc or in some of the surrounding countries.

Was he even alive at this point-

Crystal immediately shook the intrusive thought from her mind before it could finish running its course, yet she already felt sick in her stomach.

Even without all the events that'd happened since joining up with the Bow Hero, there were dozens, if not hundreds of ways a slave could die at the hands of their owners in all sorts of different scenarios.

She couldn't afford to ponder on such what-ifs, even if they constantly popped up and tempted her with such thoughts.

They'd never help her with finding Klaus…

…

As she walked, her posture sagging a bit, some villagers talking in front of their house noticed her and smiled and waved at the party member of one of the Heroes.

Crystal… did her best to straighten her posture and not frown as she waved back and hurried on. The pair went back to talking to each other.

Crystal sighed to herself as she held an arm close.

This was the other reason why she wished Itsuki and the others were back.

It was easier to not stand out with figures like Itsuki or that large oaf Aksel around.

Gods, she couldn't believe she was missing the knight and his antics. What the hell had happened to her world?

Maya too. Even if she'd been a tad annoying at the start, she'd been there to help comfort Crystal on some nights when thoughts of her missing brother became too overbearing for her. Even if the girl hadn't known it at the time.

She still remembered one such night when Maya had still been just a child. When she'd been standing on the balcony of Reichnott's estate, looking up at the night sky.

"C-Crystal-san?"

"Who- oh, hey, Maya." Crystal sighed before she looked up at the night sky again.

A small, black-haired raccoon girl slowly walked up. Her arms were huddled close to her body. It had been several days since she'd been rescued, but she still acted meek and afraid, especially at night.

"I-Isn't it cold out here, C-Crystal-san?" Maya stuttered out again.

"Not really. Also, drop the -san. Just Crystal is fine with me."

"O-Okay." Maya trembled as the chilly air stung at her small frame.

Crystal sighed to herself again, but eventually, she took off the cloak from her armor and got down on one knee, wrapping it around the girl's shoulders. Maya looked at her in surprise.

"You know you don't have to stand out here with me." Crystal said as she put a clasp on the cloak to keep it from flying off. "You had a long day, and you'll have another one tomorrow if you want to catch up to everyone's levels."

"B… But Crystal-san looked so lonely out here." Maya said quietly.

Crystal's hands stopped.

The spearwoman slowly looked up to see Maya had turned her head slightly away. "It… it didn't feel right for me to stay inside when Crystal-san looked so sad all by herself." She admitted.

…

…

There was a silence that permeated the air for a moment. But, eventually, Crystal raised her hand, rubbing the girl's hair between her ears.

Maya shrunk back instinctively out of habit. But, after a few seconds, she relaxed as her tail began to wag happily in delight behind her.

"I'm just having trouble falling asleep is all." Crystal managed a small smile. "Aksel is a really loud snorer as I've come to learn."

The little girl began giggling to herself happily. "He snores like a bear, doesn't he?"

"Might be as lazy as one too." Crystal's smile turned into a smirk.

The two giggled together, with Crystal eventually standing up and looking out over the dark fields of Van's estate again. "Come on, let's get you back to bed. I wasn't joking when I said tomorrow would be hard for you. You'll need all the rest you can get."

"Got it, thanks Crystal-san!" Maya said happily.

"I said just Crystal would be fine." The girl rolled her eyes as she led the young girl back inside.

It wouldn't take long for the two to fall asleep after that.

Yeah, it had taken a bit to get Maya to call her and the others by just their names. But nights like that one and others had helped her to not worry so much about her missing brother and to focus on the here and now.

It was a shame that such nights stopped happening altogether after settling into their home in Lurolona. Crystal could have used a midnight talk with her friend right about now…

…

It was while she was still contemplating such memories that the girl walked up to the door of one of the homes that had been built a few days ago.

She gave the door a heavy knock.

"Coming!" A young voice yelled from within.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and Crystal finally smiled as a small eight-year-old boy with fox ears on his head appeared. His eyes widened, and he smiled widely in delight. "Mommy! Mommy! Kris is here!" He announced inside excitedly.

"Wha- so soon!?" Another voice yelled, sounding surprised.

This was one that Crystal recognized. Her reserved smile grew just a little bigger as she walked inside out of public view. Still carrying her prize on her back as she entered a living room.

Most of the houses in the village looked the same on the inside. Opening up into a furnished living room with a small kitchen attachment on the side. Bedrooms and the like were in the back of the house after entering a hallway.

Some of the houses had a second floor or a cellar, as well as other accommodations depending on the demi-human's preferences.

For the kitsune family living here, however, the regular cottage design was enough.

"H-How was your day, Crystal-sama." A blonde-haired kitsune woman asked as she hustled over from the kitchen. It looked like she'd been in the middle of drying some dishes before Crystal's arrival.

"Well enough, Eleanor. Though, I've told you that you don't have to address me so formally." Crystal answered.

"S-Sorry. It's still a habit I'm trying to get rid of." The woman said sadly, looking disappointed in herself.

"No worries. Here, I brought back something big this time." As Crystal said that, she set the large monster she'd been carrying down on the table.

The woman sighed in relief as she looked it over. "Perfect. I should be able to feed everyone today with this."

"Whoaaaaaaaa!" The four other kitsunes of the home ran into the room right after, being led by their youngest sibling. The younger boys had looks of surprise and excitement on their faces, while the two eldest, two daughters, though more reserved than their younger siblings, looked genuinely happy as well.

"So much meat!"

"I want some already!"

"No, me first!"

"No, ME!" The siblings then began roughhousing with each other all over the floor.

However, all of a sudden, their mom appeared in their midst. A slipper held in one hand as a chilly, threatening smile covered her features.

The nervous woman from before had vanished entirely. And the children's tails stood on end as looks of fright covered their faces.

"Dears, is this how you're supposed to behave when we have guests over?" Eleanor asked kindly.

…

The kids quickly got up, bowing to their mother in apology at the sight of the infamous slipper. Crystal watched with amusement at the sight.

They'd been torn apart as a family, enslaved, and separated for months under various masters. Having to go through all sorts of different trials and abuses.

But even after all that time, there was nothing that could spark fear in the minds of these kids like their mom holding a slipper over their heads and threatening to take them out of the world she'd born them into.

"Good." And then, just like that, the mother became cheery again, and the threatening atmosphere around her vanished.

Crystal raised an eyebrow at the sudden end of it, but the two younger boys had already ran outside, deciding it'd be better to play while their older sisters grabbed knives from the counter so they could begin the process of butchering the monster alongside their mother.

…

"You know, you are allowed to get extra food from the communal kitchen if the initial portions aren't enough." Crystal eventually pointed out when she felt like she could speak again.

"Nonsense. I couldn't trouble those kids to cook for me all the time. I need to be able to take care of my own kids." Eleanor smiled solemnly. Running one of her hands through her blonde hair, which had several gray streaks running through it.

Those streaks didn't come from age, but instead from stress and worry after being enslaved and separated from her precious sons and daughters over the last few months.

She was still capable of disciplining her kids when they acted poorly in front of others. But that didn't mean she loved them any less.

…

Crystal briefly looked away, her smile disappearing.

Eleanor was the mother of Marx. The first casualty of Itsuki's party who had been slain by Church Shadows early on. Beloukas had located her and Marx's siblings and brought them to the village last week, shortly after everyone returned from the campaign against the Spirit Tortoise.

Crystal hadn't sat down with the woman to discuss her dead son. She hadn't known Marx well enough back then to have any strong feelings about his death.

However, after seeing Rachel break the news to Eleanor and watching her and the kids break down, Crystal felt guilty about not getting to know the blonde half-demihuman better.

…

Well, she could at least do things like this for them for now. They were a good family, who'd hopefully be made whole again as soon as Marx's father was found and brought to the village. Her two young boys especially wanted to have the Hero Crests applied to them immediately so they could become strong enough to defend their mother and elder sisters.

But the laws that Melty and the Heroes established early on enforced that a Hero Service Seal was only allowed to be applied to people aged ten and above. Not even the consent of their parents could change that. And even then, Elly had been firm about not wanting her kids to have to fight for their lives. This was why she'd had the Hero Crest applied to herself instead, and was going to undergo Fitoria's delevel treatment before she was given the power level treatment so she could fight for the sake of her family's future.

Yeah, she was a good mom. She reminded Crystal of her original mom in a way.

There was also another reason Crystal liked coming here. At the moment, the village didn't have enough housing for everyone yet, so…

"Ah, my girl."

Crystal's smile genuinely widened in delight for the first time that day. Rushing forward uncharacteristically, she wrapped her arms around the wolf man who was wheeled into the room by his wife. "Papa!" She yelled.

Crystal's dad laughed, his wolf face spreading into a grin as he embraced the girl he considered his daughter while the wolf woman behind him tsked in agitation. "Be careful of his legs, dear. Fang still isn't in the best shape."

"Don't worry, Mom, I'll make sure I only hurt Dad by squeezing him with my big hug!"

The pair of demi-humans both laughed, as her adoptive mom Aria relaxed and joined her husband Fang in hugging their adoptive daughter.

Crystal's parents were recent additions to the village as well. Having moved in right after Eleanor and her kids arrived. Her Mom had been carrying her nearly unconscious father on her back at the time.

Fang and Aria were both beastmen, meaning that while their bodies were humanoid, they looked like walking and talking wolves instead of a normal person.

Fang was balding on his head and looked to be regaining the portly belly he once had a year ago. Aria had long flowing brown hair, as well as a face creased with worry and smile lines after years of raising Crystal and her Big Brother, Klaus.

They were also two of the kindest people Crystal knew. Outside of her brother and the Cardinal Heroes themselves. And they'd gone through a lot these last few months, just like Crystal had.

When Crystal stopped hugging her parents, she looked down at her father's lower half. His legs were bound in thick, twin casts. Even with that, one could see that his legs were bent at an odd angle, and a bad smell leaked out from underneath the tight bandages.

She'd seen his legs before he'd received medical attention. They'd been discolored and grotesque, leaking puss in some areas.

Bits of rot still poked out from the bandages, having soaked through them.

Crystal had to clench her fists behind her back, out of sight of her parents' gazes while fighting off a snarl. If she ever got her hands on those Church Slavers…

"Did Mahoya stop by today?" The girl asked, doing her best to keep her anger out of her tone.

"Yeah. The pain is less than yesterday. After she used some healing magic, she helped with cleaning some of the wounds too, those that could be cleaned at least." Fang shrugged, still smiling happily.

"She and Kusuriya are being very thorough with my treatment. I almost didn't think such kindness existed in Melromarc anymore." He chuckled to himself.

"Were they this nice before they moved into the Hero's Village?" Aria asked.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Crystal said unsurely. She couldn't remember which of the Heroes the witch and apothecarian had interacted with in the past.

"Well, whatever the case, I'll just be grateful to walk again thanks to their help." Her Father stated with a smile, doing his best to look upbeat. "Hopefully it won't be too long now."

Crystal stayed frowning. She 'really' hoped Fang's legs could recover.

In sitting down to talk with them before, she'd learned what her parents had gone through after she first left their house to rescue Klaus.

And it was nothing short of a living hell.

…

Before all this, her Father had run a general store in a small village in eastern Melromarc. He received many threats from Church fanatics throughout his life to close his shop and leave due to his race, but he chose not to. Even if he wasn't well-liked, he had enough support from the local populace that he couldn't be forced out.

Even the town's mayor couldn't deny how they greatly benefited from his business since no other merchant wanted to set up shop in their backwater village without charging exorbitant prices for their goods. And with Mirellia as the Queen, the Church Fanatics had to be careful not to draw unwanted attention to themselves.

But sometime after the Queen left to discuss the coming of the Waves with the other nations, after Klaus was kidnapped in the middle of the night, and after Crystal donned her adventurer gear and chased after the slavers to rescue him, the Church fanatics returned to the village, and they brought a small contingent of Church Knights from the Capital to assist them.

These Knights broke into the wolfman's shop around sunset, driving out his customers before binding and beating the owner severely. They broke his arms and legs and healed them over and over again, demanding information on Siltvelt, who they believed had sent Fang there to spy on them.

He eventually passed out from the pain and woke up to find his shop and all his merchandise burning down around him. His arms had been fine, but his legs had been left twisted and shattered by the Church Knights before they left him to die.

Despite being unable to feel his shattered legs, he somehow managed to crawl out of the burning wreckage. Eventually being found by Aria, who had managed to escape from their home with some money and a few things before the Church fanatics had arrived, thanks to some forewarning from the villagers who'd been driven out of his shop earlier.

They stayed on the outskirts of the forest that night, wanting to return to a semblance of their lives. But the next day, the mayor's head had been mounted on a pike and posters of the two beastmen had been put up on the outskirts of the town.

One of their good friends managed to find them and give them what she could, but the message was clear. None of the villagers would be safe as long as the pair were around. They had to leave.

After that, they'd been on the run. Being forced to stay in the wild, Fang came down with sicknesses repeatedly due to his injuries, and Aria had to hide her beastman identity whenever they came across a village so she could buy medicine for her husband.

She was also forced to fight monsters every day to defend themselves and so they could have something to stomach at night. Aria spent many a sleepless night keeping watch, as monster attacks happened constantly.

It was only through fortune and pure luck that they'd survived so long without being captured and enslaved, or worse; killed.

Aria eventually made it to another town, where she learned about the Church's fall and the establishment of the Hero's Village. And since she had no money left, and no trust left for the country and the people that ran it, Crystal's mom had carried Fang all the way here on her own two feet. Finally reaching the Hero's Village, where her Mother had finally had the chance to rest after Mahoya immediately began treatment on the wolfman's legs.

Fang had not only suffered compound fractures and shattered bones that'd healed wrong, but he'd suffered through multiple infections as well. He was receiving medicine and healing magic now, but it was unknown if his legs could be saved anymore.

At the thought, Crystal's eyes saddened, and she almost wanted to cry.

The two had gone through a lot without her there. She couldn't help but wonder briefly if it'd been a bad idea for her to leave after all.

"My dear, is everything alright?" Fang asked, suddenly looking worried at the look of sadness on his daughter's face.

…

Crystal forced back her tears. She'd already cried enough the day she was reunited with her parents. It wouldn't do if she cried because she regretted leaving them back then.

She'd gone off to save her brother because of them. Before she met her current parents, she'd lost her original family to disease, been shunned by the people of her village at seven years old, and been forced to live as a small-time thief for four years before the wolf family took her in and raised her.

Before the Heroes, these beastmen were the only group of people who'd taken her in and showed her love and kindness. She wanted to pay them back for accepting her into their small family, no matter how long it took.

So even though she wasn't doing much of anything now… she wanted to continue growing as a person. And she was all the more motivated to do so because her parents in all but flesh and blood were with her now again at last.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Papa," Crystal answered, forcing a happy, grateful smile onto her face as she looked into the beastman's shiny black eyes.

He grunted, and Crystal wheeled him over to the couch so she and Aria could sit and talk amongst each other while Eleanor and her kids prepared tonight's dinner in the kitchen.

Crystal recounted more of her stories and adventures with them during that time. She'd told them already of how she'd tried going after the Church when Klaus was taken, only to be captured and then deleveled at an Hourglass before being released back into the public. Receiving only a warning of how she'd be executed next time if she associated with beast folk or demi-humans ever again.

She'd also recounted how she was introduced to the Bow Hero sometime after that when she was struggling on her own. And how she'd joined him in freeing slaves all over Melromarc before telling them about how they'd overthrown the Three Heroes Church.

She told her parents about the good times with the Bow Hero and his comrades. From helping out in the village to Cal Mira and the other good things around them.

"I'm grateful." Aria eventually said, smiling with tears in her eyes. "You were so mistrustful of everyone for the longest time. Even of us, after we took you in…"

Her words caused Crystal to pause. "What do you mean?"

Her mom wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm just happy that you've found others you can trust besides us."

"I know how hard it is for you to bond with others, after the life you've lived."

"Hahaha, indeed." Her Father laughed, before smiling happily himself. "I'm looking forward to meeting this great Bow Hero for myself."

…

Crystal gave her parents a half-hearted smile. Continuing with where she'd left off before.

Eventually, as the evening sun was lowering in the sky, Eleanor announced that she had dinner ready, and Crystal stood up and excused herself.

"Are you leaving already, dear?" Her mom asked.

"I made plenty if you want to stay, Crystal-sama," Eleanor added afterward.

Crystal smiled back at them. "It's fine. I forgot I need to do some training with the kids tonight before bed."

Her Father chuckled to himself. "Sorry that I can't assist you with that at the moment."

"Pbth. Like you've ever held a spear in your life." Crystal jabbed the old wolfman in his portly belly.

"You'd be shocked. Perhaps I was a spy for Siltvelt all along!" Her Father grinned, showing all of his wolf teeth.

"Dear. We both know I would have been the more likely one to be a spy." Aria rolled her eyes.

"Come on! At least let me pretend I wear the pants in our family!" He pouted at her.

"You're certainly not capable of wearing pants right now." She jabbed, a playful smile on her lips.

"You two, please don't make me gag." Crystal put a hand over her mouth.

Her parents laughed. "Someday, you'll understand love as well." Fang smiled sincerely.

"And when that day comes, you'll never want to let it go." Aria finished, smiling as well.

Little did they know that she did understand.

It was why she didn't want to let go of any of them, after all.

"Take all the time you need to rest and heal up," Crystal said to her Father.

Her mom hugged her, waving goodbye to her at the door as she walked away from the warm home.

Crystal was able to smile for a little longer after that. Still feeling the warmth of that home on her skin for a moment, before that warmth was replaced with the chill of the coming night.

Instead of walking towards the training area, Crystal walked towards the Bow Hero's home.

Even if she hadn't been lying earlier, she felt like she'd spent enough time around others for today. She'd rather not be the center of attention anymore for today.

"Well, well, well. And where have you been all day?"

Unfortunately, as she was walking up to the doorstep, Crystal found the orange-eyed rogue of the party waiting for her on the porch.

Just like always, he had a mischievous smile on his face as his body leaned casually against the wooden wall.

The sight of him made a shiver crawl down Crystal's spine. She shook her head and tried to ignore him.

"What? No good night hug or kiss?" Karn asked in mock amusement.

"Not in a billion years," Crystal said in a deadpan.

"Shame. Wish I could live that long. Maybe I'd have a chance then." Karn chuckled while giving the young woman a wink.

Crystal's eyes narrowed in dangerous annoyance. But she opened the door, entering the Bow Hero's home. She closed it behind her, hoping that Karn would leave her alone after the short exchange.

"Hey, am I not allowed to come inside? I live here too, you know." Karn asked. His foot had appeared to block the door before it could close shut.

"Ugh…" Crystal groaned.

Karn moved over to the couch, where he plopped himself down. "Oh, I should clarify that I meant coming inside the house. We'd probably have to be married before I could do something like that to you."

Crystal's desire to deck the man in the face only grew. "Is there a reason you're bothering me tonight? Go find someone else to annoy."

"Who else can I be my good-natured self with besides you?" Karn asked with a chuckle. "Rachel and her husband have gotten past their grief and are enjoying their honeymoon phase every night. And I'm not exactly close to the other Hero's party members, in case you didn't know."

"The two of us are barely friends," Crystal said. "Stop thinking we're closer than we are."

"Even though I was the one that introduced you to 'Sir' Itsuki?" Karn asked innocently.

…

"..." Crystal's scowl turned into a frown. She turned from the rogue swordsman to head down the hallway to her room.

She didn't want to continue this charade for tonight. She had a hard enough time trying to understand Itsuki's rogue friend as it was.

"Hmmm…" Karn hummed to himself as he followed. "Although, when you act like this, I can't help but wonder if it was a good idea for me to introduce you to Itsuki all those months ago.

"After all, you've caused quite a bit of trouble with your antics."

…

…

Crystal stopped in her tracks, looking back at her fellow party member.

Karn was leaning against his bedroom door now. He was studying his fingernails instead of looking directly at her.

"What do you mean by that?" Crystal asked.

"Nothing, really. Just remembering how I almost died in the Spirit Tortoise protecting you; is all." Karn remarked in an uninterested tone.

Crystal turned to fully face him. Her face reddened with anger. "You didn't have to jump in front of that monster to protect me!"

"And you didn't have to almost get us killed by tripping on a stupid rock," Karn remarked in the same uninterested tone.

"Are you saying it'd be better if I left then?!" Crystal asked angrily.

"I didn't say that," Karn smirked.

"You seem to be implying it!" Crystal raged.

"If you think that's what I'm implying here, then that says more about what you think about yourself than what I think about you." Karn continued to smirk as Crystal 'boiled' in front of him.

"Like, don't get me wrong, one could say it's heartwarming that a member of the Hero's party cares so much about her parents. But to forgo so much time and effort in helping the people to grow stronger to spend time with family instead, and to even forget to cut off a part of the monster she gave her parents when they could just as easily get more than enough food from the communal kitchen?

"Imagine what the other villagers must be thinking about you right now?"

…

Crystal breathed in deeply, calming herself down. "I thought we learned recently that the needles of a porcupine monster could be absorbed by the Heroes to get the monster's drop item. Those kids dropped them off with the rest of what we acquired."

Karn's smirk didn't lessen. He just shrugged while still leaning against his door. "Maybe they do, maybe they don't.

"You'd probably have to verify it with Sir Motoyasu tomorrow morning before he leaves. If you manage to wake up on time to spar with him, that is.

"Funny how you called me the lazy one before when I wake up every day before you do. On top of that, I spend all day working hard so this town will be able to combat our enemies and the Waves of Catastrophe so we won't lose anyone else to some stupid ambush."

…

The silver-haired girl continued to glare at the rogue swordsman. Karn pushed off his door, standing up tall again while stretching his arms out. "Anyway, all that being said, I'm tired after spending all of today doing 'productive' things around the village."

"And what exactly were those 'productive' things you were doing, Karn?" Crystal asked with thinly concealed anger.

"You know, this and that. Teaching some kids how to wield a sword since Eclair wasn't available this morning. Gathering logs for the town wall. Tracking down monster nests in the forest so the villagers can level more effectively.

"Speaking of which, there's a nest of around fifty or so frog monsters ten miles out in the forest, near the mountains. They're huddled around a pond in the area, so you can't miss them. I'd recommend going out and slaying them tomorrow, if you decide not to waste the day away bragging to your parents again, that is." Karn shrugged.

Crystal scoffed, turning away from the swordsman. "Whatever. As if you were actually doing all that."

"Heh. You'd be surprised what I can accomplish when I'm on my own, Crystal. After all, I didn't have to join a Hero party to get stronger, unlike the others.

"You pointed out as much yourself when you praised me for leveling so effectively when I was by myself when we were at Cal Mira."

"I should have never said that. Had you never gotten yourself hurt in the Spirit Tortoise, I could have ended up going with Itsuki to another world instead of staying behind to babysit you." Crystal spat.

"And had you never tripped on that rock, I wouldn't have felt like you needed my protection against the Spirit Tortoise's Heart."

…

Crystal said nothing more to the rogue. Entering her room and closing the door behind her.

"Good night to you too!" Karn laughed before finally entering his room and closing the door behind him.

…

Inside her room, sitting down on the floor against her door, Crystal hugged her legs as she trembled with fury.

This was what her daily interactions with the rogue swordsman had boiled down to as of late. With him bugging her about her failures and her nearly snapping and punching him in the face whenever he did so.

It didn't help that she really had no idea what he did during the day. This morning may have been an exception, as she did recall him teaching some villagers how to wield a sword before she left. But beyond that, she was never around him, and for the most part, no one else was too.

She couldn't explain it in words. But ever since the Spirit Tortoise, she… did not trust her fellow party member. At all.

It wasn't because he spent so much time annoying her and pushing her buttons. He'd been doing that almost since the day she joined Itsuki's party. However, the intensity at which he did so had seemed to increase as of late.

It started after she tripped in the fleshy chambers that housed the heart of the Spirit Tortoise. After Karn had torn into her about making such a stupid mistake that nearly cost them their lives.

From an outside perspective, it really did seem like an honest mistake on her part. She would own up to it if that was the case. Except...

That part of the Spirit Tortoise was nothing but flesh. There had been no rocks on the floor, walls, or ceiling. She'd checked quite thoroughly around the Heart's perimeter so that such a mistake wouldn't come up in the heat of battle. Which, it hadn't.

Somehow, she'd tripped on the only rock in the area. A rock she hadn't noticed. A rock which she knew had not been there before she took her first step away from the Heart.

It was after the battle with the Heart had finished and she and the other soldiers had managed to retreat to their forward base inside the caverns of the Spirit Tortoise that she mulled over what'd happened. And it was after that that she began to grow more suspicious of her fellow party member since he'd been standing nearby when she tripped.

It really didn't help that it felt like Karn was trying to get her to quit. His words reminded her of what people in her village had said after her family died and her hair changed color.

How they'd shunned her and driven her away from the only home she'd known.

…

Crystal shuddered as she hugged herself.

She wanted to think that Karn was just keeping up the playful banter he normally used with everyone back when Itsuki was around. Except… it didn't feel like 'playful' banter to her anymore.

Karn was acting weird. And for some reason, he wanted her to leave.

...

As she pondered on it to herself, she stood up so she could walk over and sit on her bed. Before she could lie down, however, a masked figure appeared in the darkness of the room.

"Anything to report?" Crystal asked the Shadow, not looking surprised at his appearance.

"Nothing az of yet." The man spoke with a strange accent. "My colleaguez in the other countriez are digging quite thoroughly to find zomething."

Crystal nodded her head. "Alright. Let me know if anyone does learn anything."

The Shadow nodded his head, bowing low to the Hero's party member before vanishing without a trace to give his report to Her Majesty.

Crystal lay down on her bed, thinking over the man's words.

Even though she hadn't been sure about it, she'd held an audience with the Queen and told her about her suspicions. Years ago, she never could have imagined ever having the chance to converse with her Majesty, knowing what her background was, but that was beside the point.

Crystal requested having one or two of Mirellia's shadows look into Karn's background if she had the resources to spare for it.

The Queen surprised her by accepting, and had even pulled in on some of the favors the other countries in the coalition owed her so that her Shadows could work in tandem with theirs, getting far more done.

Crystal learned then that the Queen had her own suspicions in regards to Karn.

In her surprise, she'd asked Her Majesty why... and the Queen surprised her again with what she said.

"A while ago, shortly after Balamus's trial, I tasked some of my Shadows with learning all they could about the Hero's allies to make sure they were upright and trustworthy individuals.

"I've known since then that I can trust you and everyone else... except for him."

The Queen elaborated, explaining the few things her Shadows had learned about the wandering rogue swordsman. They did not know where he was born. Where he grew up. If he was a native of Melromarc or a foreigner from another country.

There were no records of him anywhere in the world. His first mention was escorting a noble family on a trip to Zeltoble several years before the Waves hit.

The nobles described him as a talented fighter back then. He fought off a small group of monsters that attacked their caravan all by himself. He also lent a hand to other nobles not just in Melromarc, but in surrounding nations as well.

It made little sense how someone like him could have gone under the radar for so long.

It'd only been a while since that conversation, but the Shadows Mirellia had tasked with looking into the matter still had as of yet to find anything new. Including mention of him assisting in the battle that occurred shortly after the Spirit Tortoise woke up for the second time.

Not surprising, due to the sheer size of the battle to comb through. The Heroes and their companions had saved many lives through their actions.

Which had Crystal wonder… how the hell had no info on Karn turned up yet? Even she had received thanks from some of the people she'd rescued. They had recognized her as a party member of the Bow Hero that'd saved them.

As much as she didn't want to stand out, they were all famously known as members of the Heroes' parties. There was no way one of them couldn't stand out.

If only she could confide her suspicions to Rachel. But outside of the Queen and her Shadows, she didn't want to involve anyone else. Just in case her suspicions came to be unfounded.

After all, she didn't want to believe that Karn had some sort of hidden agenda. Even if that was what her gut was telling her right now.

…

…

Crystal's thoughts on her friend's suspicious behavior continued until she fell asleep.

Hero Clips!

Filolial Jealousy

"Oh…" Ren had pulled out a tiny black square from his box and put it in his mouth. A soft smile formed on his face as he savored it. "It's even better than what I had back home."

"Really? Can I try?" Farrie appeared with Tersia and Blue, looking at the delicious square with hungry eyes.

"Now now, we both know who he's going to share that with first," Tersia said with a teasing grin.

"Me, right?!" Blue's head perked up in excitement.

Only, Tersia and Farrie both moved and blocked him from view.

"Hey, what gives?! I want to try it first! I'm Noodle's trustworthy and loyal steed!" Blue cried out.

"Here," Ren gave a small chocolate square to his girlfriend, who looked at it hesitantly.

"Are you sure?" She asked, knowing how valuable it was.

Ren nodded, giving her a big smile. And Wyndia slowly placed it to her lips.

"Mmmm…" Her expression relaxed, and a happy sparkle appeared in her amber-colored eyes.

"NO! BLUE SHOULD GET TO TASTE IT FIRST! NOT WEIRD DOG GIRL!" The Filolial King yelled out of jealousy.

However, Wyndia and Ren both shared another piece. Smiling in happiness while completely ignoring the jealous Filolial King Tersia and Farrie were preventing from ruining the heartwarming scene.

"Shouldn't we intervene here?" Melty asked confusedly. Blue was causing a commotion amongst the villagers with his antics, again.

She didn't know how much more paperwork she could handle after this.

"And waste the opportunity he's giving us?" Eclair asked.

Melty was confused at first, but seeing the grin on the knight's face, Melty began to grin as well.

The two both lifted the Shield Hero's crate of chocolate out of the cart before sneaking off into her old office in the Church's attic to… 'sample' it.

Yep, sample it. Just like how Rat wanted to sample Blue's blood earlier. And how Wyndia wanted to sample her boyfriend right now.

"Strange. What kind of scene is this?" Said tanned woman muttered confusedly while observing what was going on.

"Eh, you get used to it," Motoyasu said with a shrug while smiling happily.

Blue looked so adorable! HE WANTED A FILOLIAL KING TOO, I SAY!

"Spear Hero? Aren't you supposed to be traveling to Zeltoble?!" Rat asked in astonishment.

"And miss out on this heartwarming scene?" The blonde asked.

Meanwhile, Wyndia fed a chocolate square to her hero boyfriend using her lips.

Turns out she wanted to sample them first before moving on to the main course.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Blue screamed and flailed in jealousy in the background. Drawing the attention of the villagers onto him.

This was SO UNFAIR!

The Hero Couple continued to enjoy their now private moment. Whilst Rat patiently waited to introduce the dragon egg that'd end up getting more attention than her during this arc.

"Eh, I'd prefer focusing on my research anyway since that'll help out far more than some stupid dragon." Rat shrugged nonchalantly to herself.

Given that she was a legit genius like Ethnobalt, that was a fair assumption to make.

Boy, I'm glad that she wasn't the reincarnator here.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

"... Urgh…" Ren groaned, and then slowly opened his eyes.

He could not recall what he'd been dreaming about, but his face was covered in cold sweat and his body wouldn't stop trembling.

He immediately knew that it'd been a nightmare.

Images of something orange passed through his mind, and his face tightened momentarily as he fought to ground himself and repress the memories.

…

…

After a few seconds, Ren managed to succeed. But that had taken what little energy he had gathered from his restless sleep.

He knew that he was going to have a hard day now. He always had a hard day whenever he had nightmares at night.

And to think yesterday had gone so well too…

"Ren?"

Ren's eyes fell upon the girl resting in front of his face.

He hadn't noticed it until now, but one of Wyndia's hands was running through his hair. Her eyes met his own, full of worry and concern.

Ren had no idea for how long the dog girl had been awake. It was likely a while ago, judging by the look on her face. "Yeah?" The Sword Hero finally managed to respond weakly.

"Are you going to be alright today?" Wyndia asked him.

…

Ren didn't answer right away. Truth be told, he just wanted to lay back down and do nothing until he could feel something again. But Wyndia's hand then rested on the back of his neck, keeping his gaze on her.

"I'll be fine staying here with you until you're ready to head out there, Ren."

"..." Ren's face saddened for a moment.

Another flash of orange ran through his mind. He was pretty certain she was in it. Wyndia and everyone else…

Another feeling of warmth made itself known in the form of the dragon egg stirring in the blankets between their legs.

Wyndia smiled a little as she noticed their lively future daughter making her presence known. "We'll both be fine staying with you till you're ready." She clarified.

…

Ren swallowed hard and focused his eyes. He knew it was going to be a hard day for him. It was going to be even harder to smile at anything or anyone.

And yet…

"I… I want to…" He forced himself to speak.

…

"... I want to go outside now." He managed to say.

…

Wyndia's worried look didn't entirely disappear. But she shifted forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She didn't argue and simply accepted his words at face value.

"Alright, please let me know if you'll need a break from anything."

"I… I'll try," Ren muttered weakly.

Wyndia kissed again. "You'll try?" She asked tenderly.

"I… I…"

Wyndia began to grin at the confused look on her boyfriend's face, and she leaned in close again, bringing her lips a mere centimeter from his. "How about, you will?" She whispered.

…

Ren found himself starting to blush, but he finally felt as if a bit of sun had gotten through his cloudy day. "Alright, I will. Just please let me get out of bed now."

Wyndia laughed at his response as she pulled back. She then flashed her Sword Hero a sincere smile as her simple pajamas settled on her body. Somehow, she almost looked to be glowing as she then picked up their dragon egg daughter and hugged it to her body.

Resting his hand against the egg, Ren found that it was incredibly warm.

The Sword Couple was well on the way to raising a dragon together…

…

…

Yesterday already felt like a distant memory. But there was no time to dwell on such things.

Ren was never going to get better if he continued to hide in his shell. So he might as well try to have a good day with these two.

Ren and Wyndia, after spending a little more quality time with their new egg, eventually got out of their bed; changing out of their night clothes as they got themselves ready for the day.

And what a day it'd turn out to be.

"Huff… puff… huff… puff…"

The Sword Hero breathed in and out heavily as he jogged with the dragon egg strapped to his back.

"Hup hup, come on Ren! Keep them legs moving! Hup hup!" Farrie shouted encouragingly next to him.

"E-Easy, huff, for you to, huff, say." Ren managed to get out.

Farrie laughed, turning around as she started running backward. The girl's light-green hair radiated in the light of the morning sun. "You know, now I'm starting to feel grateful that Eclair continued drilling me and my sis with morning runs after we moved here. I'm hardly breaking a sweat!"

"You- huff you don't run with- puff me on every- huff lap!" Ren complained. He was unable to mention how he was also carrying the heavy dragon egg on his back, but Farrie just continued to laugh while playing around with the Sword Hero.

Ren was shirtless and wearing only his pants and shoes. Farrie had ditched her jacket and was assisting the Sword Hero on his morning run around the perimeter of the village.

This was how Ren's day usually started when he felt good enough to leave his house in the morning, and when naked Filolial Kings didn't barge into his room and tackle him out of bed because they were seeking protection from some crazy mad scientist lady who wanted their blood for some kind of secret research project.

Indeed, Blue wasn't around today. Since he'd reached Royal status, Fitoria had taken him back to the Sanctuary to put him through her Trials just like Amber and Filo.

Ren still didn't know how to feel about Blue's transformation. But at least that was something he didn't have to worry about for today.

Ren was still a total wreck physically and unable to level up at the moment, due to the consequences of his Cursed Series abuse. His mental state was hardly faring any better, thanks to being tortured inside the Spirit Tortoise for so long by the rogue Book Hero. Still, his responsibilities demanded he pull himself back together as quickly as possible.

And, fortunately, endurance training was one way to increase one's stats, even if only a little bit.

"Come on Ren! You're not sweating hard enough!" Farrie yelled.

"H- huff HOW DOES ONE SWEAT- puff HARDER!?"

Farrie laughed again, not even breaking her stride. She didn't even try to answer his question.

Ren's friends took turns every lap around the village. Each having their own unique way of encouraging and supporting him.

Farrie loved to tease the Sword Hero and give him some tough love as they ran. Wyndia, on the other hand, would be kind and supportive, sometimes helping him out or pausing to give him a chance to catch his breath when he needed it.

Tersia was more methodical in her approach, carefully observing Ren and dropping or raising the pace and intensity of the workout as the situation demanded and explaining her reasoning for it in detail during breaks.

As hard as this was, Ren appreciated the ways his friends helped him out during the first part of his day.

Besides the endurance training, Ren also got to see all the parts of the Hero's town and how it was progressing during his run. From the Hero's homes and the fishing boats heading out to sea to the wooden fortifications slowly but steadily being set up around the town's perimeter bordering the hills and forest.

Even now, homes and various buildings were still being erected to handle the influx of people moving in. It wouldn't be long before they either had to expand outward or, otherwise, set up a second settlement elsewhere in the territory.

As Ren and Farrie ran by one of the walls that were slowly taking shape, the Sword Hero spotted Melty at the edge of the construction site. She was writing something down on a piece of paper while talking to one of the knights.

A group of villagers worked alongside knights in binding thick logs together in three thick rows, which were then raised and tied together to a bulwark with more rope as Ren ran up. Then as he began to pass by, some more knights climbed ladders, carrying buckets filled with a strange brown-colored liquid, which they then poured into the gaps between the massive logs, filling them one bit at a time.

That substance was sap from a variant of Bio-Plant. Ren hadn't even known that the plants could produce sap, but, the new member of the Hero's Nation, Rat, who'd only joined yesterday, had taken some of the seeds given to her and, somehow, had made a Bio-Plant that focused on producing sap instead of food.

The Middle Eastern-looking woman hadn't received any special instructions from Ren or Motoyasu on what to do with the Bio-Plant seeds, so she was going to try out all sorts of things. Her first, and surprisingly fast, success was making a breed of Bio-Plant whose sap became as hard as concrete when it hardened.

The sap would stick to whatever it was poured on, and after only an hour, it'd harden into an adhesive as strong as stone. It was not only going to be useful for the fortifications Melty had planned but also in the homes of the townspeople.

This made the job of building the walls much easier. Soon, they'd be able to support additions like towers or even siege weapons.

Melty was becoming more and more serious about upgrading the defenses around the village while Motoyasu was gone. And even if it'd take a longer time for her more ambitious ideas to be implemented, the villagers were inspired to assist after the mess with the Spirit Tortoise familiars.

Seeing everyone working as hard as they could to improve the area, Ren almost felt proud at how far they'd come. It was an amazing thing they were managing to build here.

…

However, he couldn't focus too much on that since his whole body felt like it was dying.

"Come on Ren, you can't be telling me that dragon egg is that heavy now." Farrie teased, still running backward as if to spite him. "Maybe this is a sign that you're getting old?"

Ren breathed in and out heavily, unable to form a response this time. His burning lungs could hardly muster any breath.

He'd managed 25 laps just two days ago. But now he was struggling with completing his sixth lap!

Yeah, the egg definitely wasn't helping. Maybe he should have asked Wyndia to carry it while he was running.

But he wanted to be able to raise a super cool dragon daughter that'd see him as her parent… urgh, the things one had to sacrifice to get what they want.

As they neared the training area, Ren almost did think he was going to keel over and die of a heart attack. But Farrie finally faced forward again, high-fiving Wyndia as she did so, and the two switched places, with the shorter dog girl joining Ren at the start of his seventh lap.

Unlike Farrie, Wyndia ran by his side. Also unlike her, she rested a hand against Ren's lower back, underneath the egg he was carrying. "Don't worry. I'll help you run another lap yet." She told him seriously.

Ren's breathing was too ragged to respond. But after a moment, he saw a glow of energy come over him, and he felt himself running a little bit faster with a bit more energy compared to before.

"Wha…" He managed to get out between his gasps.

Wyndia looked up, smiling at him as she revealed the three glowing gemstones she was holding in her other hand. "Don't tell the others, but I finally figured out how to cast Trigram's Support without destroying the gemstones."

"You should be feeling faster and stronger for the next few minutes now."

Ren was unable to smile back through his tiredness, but he managed to give the girl a thumbs up instead. He remembered her casting that spell when he fought against Glass the first time. It was cool that she'd learned how to cast it for free now!

Thanks to Wyndia's magic assistance, Ren was able to get through the next lap just fine. He'd bond with his dragon daughter yet!

…

However, the magic eventually wore off, making Ren collapse into a heaving pile of limbs and exhaustion while he was in the middle of the eighth lap with Tersia.

At least he didn't die from exhaustion.

Ren was helped back to the training area, where he was healed up via healing magic.

Eclair appeared briefly to help Ren stretch out his sore legs and arms while Wyndia held their dragon egg in a warm hug. But after he was taken care of, he was escorted to breakfast, where he managed to eat a small meal.

After that, Wyndia escorted him over to Jerry's forge, where he continued his day with his blacksmith training.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"That's it laddie! Just like that now!"

Ren was sweating furiously again, but he kept his eyes focused on the piece of steel he was shaping before him. One hand held a pair of tongs so he could keep a grip on the sword he was making. The other swung his hammer down on the molten metal in a practiced motion repeatedly, shaping it as he saw fit.

Unlike two days ago when he'd failed to shape the steel properly, this felt a bit easier. Like his body was being assisted in striking the metal more precisely than he had previously.

No doubt, this was thanks to the sword he'd copied coming into play. He'd unlocked its equip bonus Blacksmithing Up II that night. And though he hadn't had a chance to try it out yesterday, he could see the effect of it today.

It hadn't made him an expert. He still wasn't sure he understood the entire process from beginning to end. Yet it did feel like his body had a better idea of what it was doing. And even the action of him stopping his hammering to reinsert the blade into the furnace felt a bit more natural to him.

"Oh, I was about to suggest ye do that, lad," Jerry said, looking genuinely impressed.

"S… Sorry," Ren murmured.

"Sorry?! You got nothing to be sorry for!" The large blacksmith placed one of his hands on the Sword Hero's shoulder and laughed. "It just means you're improving laddie! I admit I was a wee bit skeptical moving ye from iron to steel so soon but look at how yer already proving me wrong now, eh?"

Ren's body slumped. For some reason, he felt like he was cheating thanks to his weapon. Had it been a bad idea for him to unlock that equip bonus?

"Keep it up, Ren," Wyndia spoke from the side, where she was reading a hero's diary that rested on top of the dragon egg she was holding while the Sword Hero worked. She'd report to Rachel what she'd learned from it later, though there probably wasn't going to be much from this record of a past Spear Hero and his harem. "Me and our daughter can't wait to see what you'll make today."

It almost seemed impossible, but the dragon egg shook in her lap, as if in agreement.

…

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Ren pulled the heated sword back out and held it in place with his tongs before starting to hammer it again.

Light taps. Hard hits. He allowed his thoughts to flow away as he kept to a rhythm.

His mental turmoil didn't entirely disappear, but the encouraging blacksmith helped him along. He found a rhythm for himself.

…

…

Eventually, Ren wiped the sweat away from his brow and laid his finished work on the table in front of him after he was done sharpening it on a grindstone.

Steel Sword: Quality: Above Average

Special Effects: Attack Up (Small), Slashing Damage Up (Small)

Its level requirement was 15. It was definitely a step up from the first Iron Sword he'd made. Ren didn't know how to feel though, knowing that this wasn't anywhere near good enough for the villagers to use for level grinding or defending their homes.

"Holy- ya made a sword with special effects?!" Jerry yelled out in shock.

"Hmmm? Is that rare?" Wyndia asked curiously.

"You betcha, missy!" Jerry said excitedly. "It usually takes weeks or months of training with a material to learn how to bring out the power hidden within it! Our Sword Hero here managed it only days after I started training him with steel!"

Wyndia's face brightened with happiness. Ren didn't seem as happy about it, however. "Will it be of any use here though? I think everyone has access to far better weapons than this."

"Be of use?! Don't sell yerself short, laddie! This is great progress!" Jerry yelled.

"It's a level 15 sword though. It would break against a level 30 monster." Ren sighed depressedly.

Jerry clasped both hands on Ren's shoulder this time, making the Sword Hero stare up into his serious face.

"Aye, it might not be of much use here, but this sword could mean the difference between life and death for other adventurers out there. Those who've only just started their journeys, wanting to enter a humble blacksmith's shop in search for gear that could save their lives in a battle.

"Gear that can help them on the path to growing strong."

Jerry paused for a moment, allowing those words to sink in before he continued.

"Laddie, no one starts out with the power to wield the greatest sword. Just like we blacksmiths don't start out with the ability to make the greatest weapons. And some of us will never be able to no matter how much we dedicate our lives to it."

Jerry poked Ren in the chest. "But that ain't meaning we sure can't try for it, eh?" The redhead began to laugh again.

Ren's face twisted with a grimace, as he was unsure if what Jerry said was true. But Wyndia had set the boring book of the past Spear Hero's escapades to the side, holding the egg in her arms as she leaned over the sword he'd just made and looked it over with excitement.

…

The Sword Hero sighed. But he didn't try to say anything else after that.

Jerry kept him in the forge for a while longer. He made another Steel Sword during that time, though this one was of Average quality and only had a Slash Damage Up (small) special effect.

However, no one talked down on it, and Wyndia looked just as proud of it as she had with Ren's first attempt earlier.

Ren's work for the morning and early afternoon was set aside to be given to Elena, as while Ren was right and the weapons were too low level to be useful against monsters near the town, they could be used by adventurers closer to the Capital where monsters were weaker.

In short, Ren's hard work could become a potential source of income down the road that'd help their nation out while also helping out those joining the call to become adventurers in their world. Alleviating the burden on Elhart and other blacksmiths in the Capital in the process.

It helped Ren to smile a little while he had a late lunch with his friends after that.

"Zweite Aqua Slash."

A slash of water impacted against a hill outside the village. Cutting deep into the surface of the solid rock.

"Hmmm, better," Tersia commented from the side, where she stood observing Ren. "Now, again."

Ren set his feet beneath him and raised a hand. The dragon egg weighed heavily on his back where it was strapped to him once more. "As the Sword Hero, source of thy power I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature, and slice my target with a blade of water and sunder it in two. Zweite Aqua Slash."

Another slash of water came out from his hands. Hitting the same spot on the hill that the previous one had hit.

"As the Sword Hero, source of thy power I order thee…"

He repeated the chant several more times, with Tersia calmly observing him.

"... slice my target with a blade of water and s-sunder it in two. Zweite Aqua Slash." The spell slammed into the hill again, though it looked noticeably weaker.

"Watch your pronunciation of the word 'sunder' there," Tersia instructed patiently. "Say it clearly so the structure of the spell isn't weakened upon release."

Ren nodded, grimacing at the simple mistake. But other than that, the former nun remained silent.

He kept on aiming for the same spot. But some of his spells hit the area around the main gash. Turning the area he was aiming at into something akin to Swiss cheese. His grimace deepened as his frustration grew.

This had been so easy to practice before after he finally got the hang of magic. Urgh, now it felt like he was wasting his time…

After a few more minutes, and as Ren was preparing to cast the spell one more time, Tersia stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. Her other hand offered him a Magic Healing Water before pulling a book out of her robes and opening it to a page somewhere in the middle of the volume.

"Drink this, and then read that. That should give you time to recover your MP and acquire a better understanding of the drifa version of that spell before I have you continue." Tersia told the Sword Hero.

Ren's grimace remained, but he downed the potion and then sat on a nearby stump to do exactly as the mage had ordered. He hadn't even noticed that his MP bar had been almost empty.

…

As he tried to read, he noticed his girlfriend in the distance near the beach.

Wyndia was at the door of the town's monster stables. She was accompanied by several kids.

One of the girls was leading one of the village Dune monsters out the doors with a leash, and Wyndia began teaching them about the monster. How to groom and take care of it and the like. She still struggled to smile and express herself around most people, but amongst kids who also shared a passion for monsters, she looked happier than ever.

It really made the dog girl look that much more beautiful. If he could only help her to smile like that forever…

"Ren, focus," Tersia told him gently. Putting a hand on Ren's head before shifting his gaze back down to the book.

"S-Sorry," Ren mumbled an apology. His cheeks turned a light shade of red from embarrassment.

"It's fine. But it's my turn to teach you magic today. Remember, I didn't get to teach you last time it was my turn since you weren't feeling well enough to do anything besides blacksmithing that day." Tersia said with a sigh.

Ren's frown deepened, and he couldn't focus on the page he'd been on because his body began to tremble from guilt.

Tersia noticed it, and the hand resting on his head began to smooth out his hair. The older girl then sat down next to her Hero, wrapping an arm over his shoulder as she brought him into a caring side hug. "Don't be mad at yourself. It's not your fault that it happened.

"Here, I'll help you with reading this next section out. How about that?" She offered.

Ren couldn't look her way but nodded his head while squeezing his eyes shut to prevent his tears from flowing out.

He still had more of today to go. He couldn't break down now and end things here. He couldn't bother Wyndia since she looked so happy teaching others how to raise and take care of monsters, using the many lessons her dad had instilled in her.

"The spell Aqua Slash summons a blade of water to strike an enemy. Depending on the caster's proficiency, the summoned blade can be too weak to be meaningful in most combat scenarios. However, a mage with an understanding of the spell will be able to make it sharp enough to cut through most materials.

"To reach this level of proficiency, the caster has to understand how water works…" Tersia continued reading the passage at the top of the page to Ren, who managed to focus on her voice as he read along.

His Melromarcian still wasn't perfect, but he was getting better. He had to ask Tersia to slow down at one point, but otherwise, he was able to keep up with her as he tried to imprint the book's knowledge into his mind. Even though it felt like trying to keep a wet fish down.

…

When he'd learned that Farrie, Tersia, and Wyndia would be taking turns teaching him magic each day of the week when he was able, Ren had thought it'd be similar to how he'd had to learn magic while in Cal Mira.

However, as he'd come to learn, he only had days like that whenever it was Farrie's turn to study with him.

It'd been her idea back then to have Ren learn through brute force and memorization. Wyndia and Tersia had their teaching styles but had agreed to hers since he not only had to learn magic but magic text and Melromarcian as well. Her method was determined to be the most effective in that regard.

Now though, he only had to undergo that kind of brutal study regiment whenever it was Farrie's day to teach him magic. And as rough as she'd been on him during their morning run that morning, she didn't go anywhere near as far as she did in Cal Mira in helping him to learn and improve.

It was also her job to help him read through his water and support magic grimoires so he could learn new spells hidden within the magic text.

Whenever it was Wyndia's turn, she made sure to demonstrate magic spells to him before he tried casting them himself. Mainly Support spells since they shared that affinity, though she also demonstrated fire spells that had similar properties to water spells. Like using FireBall to help him improve his casting of the water equivalent; Aqua Shot.

She made sure to help him out through every step of the process, from chanting and structuring the magic to its release. It was slow, and she explained things thoroughly in between each spell he cast about what he did and how he could improve. But he didn't mind her style of teaching.

He liked that she cared that much about the little details, and it didn't require him to drink Magic Healing Waters to replenish his MP since there was plenty of time in between each spell he cast for him to recover.

Tersia's style of teaching fell in between the two, just like it had with morning runs. She sometimes demonstrated magic spells and had Ren practice the water equivalents. But outside of that, she'd watch him cast magic, giving him pointers here and there before sitting him down to read more about the spell he'd been casting like right now.

She could be as harsh as Farrie sometimes. While other times, she'd be as kind and patient as Wyndia. It was like the other two were his tutors, while Tersia was his teacher.

After learning their various ways of learning/practicing magic, Ren almost couldn't believe that they'd settled on just one method to help him learn in the past. He guessed they must have cared about his progress that much to cast aside their differences in the past.

As much good as that did…

…

After a moment, when he hadn't realized he'd spaced out again, Tersia sighed. "I think that'll be enough for today."

"Huh?" Ren looked up. He hadn't noticed Tersia had stood up.

The mage looked down at him. "It looks like Wyndia is almost done with the kids. And the sun is getting low.

"You still have sword practice with Eclair after dinner. We'll end with this for today."

"Oh…" Ren's head fell. "S… Sorry for spacing out at the end…" He mumbled weakly.

…

The former nun internally sighed. She didn't express it out loud, seeing her Hero as weak and depressed as he was. She sometimes wondered how Wyndia could constantly have the energy to cheer him up.

Even when Tersia and the others did try to comfort him, it didn't feel like the Sword Hero gave it as much thought as when Wyndia helped him out. The Earth mage didn't mind that the dog girl's love helped to get through to Ren.

But it felt unfair to Tersia for Wyndia to have to be the one to constantly improve the Sword Hero's sour mood.

Unfair because it felt like too much to ask the dog girl to do just by herself. She'd run herself ragged if Tersia and the others couldn't lend a hand.

"Ren, do you want me to continue teaching you magic?" Tersia suddenly asked.

The question had Ren look up at her. He didn't speak, so Tersia continued. "I know I'm not the best teacher in the world. But I do want to help you out.

"I might not love you the way Wyndia does. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you any less."

"..." Ren hung his head low again. "S-Sorry…" He meekly apologized again. "I'm trying to… but it's… it's so hard though…"

…

"..." Tersia lifted his head, smiling down at him. "You apologize too much, you know that, Sir Ren."

"..." This time, an annoyed frown made its way onto the Sword Hero's face. The familiar look elicited a chuckle from the mage, who let go of his chin.

"I thought we were past everyone calling me sir." The Sword Hero mumbled.

"We are, but I wanted to make sure the Ren I got to know and adventure alongside was still there. And what do you know." Tersia smiled teasingly.

"A part of him still is."

…

"..." Ren's annoyed frown disappeared, but he didn't look as sad anymore. "I… I still want you and Farrie to take turns teaching me." He told her. "I do value both of you as my friends."

"I… I would like it if Wyndia could give me magic lessons each day. If she could spar against me with the sword, and… … But… she has her own things that she has to do too.

"I'd be selfish if I took her away from the things she enjoyed."

"Don't worry." This time, Tersia took Ren into a motherly hug. "She certainly enjoys being around you a lot. Even more, now that you two are together."

…

Tersia allowed those words to ring in her Hero's mind for a moment before she continued speaking.

"All I ask is that you don't become too dependent on her, Ren.

"Wyndia is more selfless than others I know, but she needs time to live her life too. Just like me and Farrie and everyone else.

"We don't just want to see you get better. We want to see you develop a healthy relationship with our friend that'll last after the Waves are over. From what I've seen, it is hard to make a relationship last if only one person is the one giving all the time."

Ren almost chuckled. A small smile spread on his lips for the first time that whole lesson, and he hugged the mage girl back. "I know. I'll try." He promised.

The hug only lasted a few seconds before the moment was interrupted.

"Hey, Tersia!" Farrie called out from the distance. "I'm done reading smut for today! Are we going to grind monsters tonight or what?!"

Tersia laughed, releasing the Sword Hero who looked confused about what Farrie had said. Fortunately, it looked like Wyndia was coming over to relieve her at that moment, so the timing was perfect.

The Earth Mage gave Ren a wink and a thumbs up. "We all have things we're doing in our lives Sword Hero. But me and the others are glad to have you as a part of it."

"G… Got it." Ren's smile fell, but he was still looking gratefully at the mage before bowing his head to her.

"He's all yours, Wyndia." Tersia saluted to the dog girl as she walked up, before running after Farrrie, who'd raced into the forest.

Great balls of fire were already being conjured by the younger mage. And the monsters stupid enough to hunt closer to the village were about to reap the consequences of their poor judgment skills.

"I didn't see much of your lesson. Did everything go well with Tersia?" Wyndia asked Ren curiously.

In the distance, Ren saw the kids that the dog girl had been teaching earlier. They were now taking care of the Dune monster on their own.

Rat, the woman who'd joined the village yesterday, was over there as well. It looked like she was examining how the kids were taking care of the monster and seeing if there was anything she'd need to correct or not.

"She did," Ren told her. "Tersia did very well."

Wyndia smiled again. "I'll look forward to seeing how well you do in our next lesson then."

The Sword Hero tried to smile back. He wondered if that'd be a good day for him or not.

He hoped so. He really did.

While Ren and Wyndia chatted amicably, Rat sighed to herself and walked over to the group of kids to show the kids the 'proper' way to clean a Dune's teeth.

Sensing a potential conflict if Wyndia turned around and spotted what the tanned woman was doing, Ren hefted their dragon egg on his back, and he took Wyndia away by the hand.

The Sword Hero and his girlfriend walked back to the communal kitchen for the third time that day. Grabbing themselves dinner and eating together with Eclair, before heading to the training arena for the last part of the Sword Hero's day.

"Focus!" Kth!

Ren held his wooden sword weapon form in front of him, blocking a downward strike Eclair had made toward his head.

The rose-haired swordswoman didn't relent, and quickly swung from the side, forcing Ren to step back as he parried one strike and blocked another. And then another. And then another. The swordswoman's chipped wooden sword didn't stop in its assault.

It was the final part of Ren's day. His evening swordsmanship training/sparring with Eclair. He'd actually managed to get through his whole day.

They'd started with some katas to warm up, and then she went over some different sword stances with Ren. Correcting his form as they went through each one.

Finally, they were at the sparring section of the training. A part that would be silent under normal circumstances. Eclair sometimes pushed him, but not usually to this extent.

That was probably Granny's fault, since she was the one watching over their battle, and was also the one who'd yelled at Eclair earlier.

"Let your energy flow into your weapon!" Granny yelled again. "Make your weapon a natural extension of yourself!"

Eclair didn't respond to the old lady, continuing to attack and deflect Ren's attempts to push her back.

Ren blinked the sweat out from his eyes, trying to hold onto the motivation Tersia had inspired in him earlier. He truly did want to improve. He wanted to become strong enough to fight alongside his friends again!

Kth! Kth!

His arms ached as he blocked two quick strikes from Eclair before he jumped back and parried a third strike to make space between them.

But right after he did so, Eclair's wooden sword glowed bright. Her eyes sharpened as she rushed forward, impossibly fast. Her sword moved in a blur of afterimages in front of her.

"Hengen Musou: Multi-Thrust!"

Ren's mouth gaped, he couldn't even react in time.

Kth!

Before her weapon made contact, however, Granny appeared between them. With a swing of her hoe, Eclair's wooden sword flew through the air, landing on the ground nearby.

...

And like that, the intense sparring session suddenly came to an end.

"Hm… hmhmhm." Far from looking displeased, Granny was smirking with delight. "Well done, Lady Seaetto. That was a near-perfect Hengen Musou: Multi-Thrust attack you pulled off there."

Eclair straightened, bowing respectfully to the old woman. "Master, what can I do to improve?"

"Ohoho!" Granny grinned widely as she set her hands on her hips. "Such eagerness! Are you certain you want to hold off on your sparring with the Sword Hero to learn more from me?!"

Eclair nodded, looking at Ren. "If I'm to be the best mentor for the Sword Hero, I must ensure that he won't beat me again in battle for a while yet."

Ren's face fell, and he almost sank to his knees in exhaustion and defeat.

However, just as he was falling, Wyndia appeared at his side. Their dragon egg was tied to her back as she helped him to stay upright. "Don't worry, Ren. You fought hard till the end."

"But… I couldn't even react to her last attack…" Ren muttered sadly.

"Oh, don't feel bad, Sword-dono." Granny approached the Sword Hero, her hands held behind her back and a pleased look on her face at his effort. "Multi-Thrust is a very fast attack that many veterans would struggle to defend against with all their years of experience. Your condition in particular makes you quite vulnerable to such fast strikes at the moment."

"However, instead of feeling shame, you should be proud that you were able to push Lady Seaetto to be able to harness her life force so quickly." She smiled proudly. "She has next to no innate talent for it. And yet she's learning faster than most practitioners I can remember training in my lifetime."

"I… well…" Ren struggled to speak. Fortunately, Granny continued, which kept him from having to say anything.

"Miss Seaetto already pushes herself hard enough in her training. But you're sturdy enough that she can go all out, as opposed to holding back like when she's sparring against other people, myself excluded." Granny bowed her head, still smiling as she did so.

"..." Ren looked down at the ground silently again.

There was a flash in his mind. A moment of his and Eclair's blades interlocked, with his vision tinged with orange.

"Hmmm…" Granny's smile disappeared, being replaced with a serious look as Ren fought to push the thought from his mind.

"Miss Seaetto, I believe some cooldown katas are in order for Sword-dono." Granny suddenly turned to the rose-haired swordswoman. Her hands were clasped behind her back.

Eclair tilted her head in confusion. "Were we not going to train further today?"

"No. We are done for tonight." Granny ordered firmly, for once, giving a worried look to the sweating and exhausted Sword Hero.

Wyndia also looked up at him with worry, but Ren tried not to look any of them in the eye. He was already on the verge of falling apart as it was.

Looking at him, Granny recalled a moment from a very long time ago. The look on Ren's face reminded the old lady of her own expression when she came back from a long trip. Only to find her town and the dojo she'd trained in since she was an infant;

On fire. Burning, as someone she'd called friend, laughed amid a sea of bodies.

…

She'd long since moved past that time in her life. But she knew better than most how hard it was to let go of that kind of pain.

When Ren was able to stand on his own, Wyndia moved to the side. Sitting down on a bench while hugging their dragon egg daughter to herself. All while watching him and Eclair go through the cooldown katas together. With the knight encouraging her pupil as she did so.

The haunted look in Ren's eyes didn't entirely fade, however. He was already trembling like he had that morning when the dog girl woke him up.

Wyndia's face saddened. She rubbed her hand along the surface of the egg, feeling the warmth of the creature within.

Ren continued to sweat. Feeling guilty, yet trying to focus on his cooldown exercises instead of his mind.

That was why he had to do this, after all. He had to keep himself constantly busy so that he could be distracted from his trauma. At least, until he found a way to overcome it. Whether on his own or with the help of his friends.

…

After ten more minutes, Eclair released Ren from the training arena. And with Wyndia walking at his side, the Sword Couple returned to their home.

Ren and Wyndia lay together in bed. Their dragon egg nestled between their legs like an electric warmer.

They had taken separate baths, changed into their pajamas, and gotten ready for bed. By this point, the haunted look had disappeared from Ren's eyes. But the Sword Hero looked incredibly exhausted after today.

However, soon after lying down, Wyndia spoke out.

"Ren?"

"What is it?" The Sword Hero asked quietly.

"I just want to make sure that you're doing ok." The dog girl replied. "I noticed the times you were struggling today, but didn't want to say anything."

"..." Ren opened his eyes and looked across his pillow at his girlfriend.

Wyndia's amber eyes stared back at him. Full of vulnerability, but also care. It was amazing how many different emotions he'd seen dancing across those beautiful irises each night since they got together.

Part of it still felt like a dream to him. Like, at any moment, he'd wake up, and find out the last couple of weeks had all been a lie. That he had murdered all of his friends, and…

Ren's hand reached over, and Wyndia grasped it in hers, bringing it to her cheek where she nuzzled against it.

Her hands felt warm and delicate. Riddled with callouses from her time training with a sword, though she had been spending more time practicing her magic lately.

Not the hands of a swordswoman like Eclair, nor the hands of a mage like Tersia and Farrie. Perhaps a spellsword would have been an apt term to describe them?

The thought made Ren smile a little. What mattered was that they were warm. That she was alive.

"I'm doing a bit better now." He admitted. "Now that I'm here with you."

Wyndia smiled in relief. Her hands still holding onto his.

…

The two slowly talked to each other about their day. Even though she'd spent most of it near or beside him, that hadn't meant Wyndia had been idle.

She told him about her studies with standard fire magic. How she was close to maybe being able to cast drifa tier in that category. She also told him a little of what she'd found in the Hero Books she'd read with Rachel that day. The things that weren't smut-related, at least.

There were some details like descriptions of past Heroes or places they'd been in the world that survived on the pages. But it was mind-boggling how little there was about things outside of M-rated activities between Heroes and their spouses or members of their harems.

Wyndia also told Ren about how her application of Gem Magic was going alongside her use of typical Earth Vein magic. She was garnering a better understanding of the kind of magic she could use with gemstones. And was even thinking of ways where she could combine vitality from them with vitality from sources around her to cast more complex Earth Vein Magic.

She had a ways to go in that regard, but having a goal to work towards and the passion that appeared in her eyes as she described it was mesmerizing to the young man.

Ren also talked about his day a little. From how he'd felt about his accomplishments to his vulnerabilities that came up in certain moments.

This was something he also normally did each night if he felt good enough to do so. He didn't know if being honest like this would help him out or not. But Wyndia made sure to listen attentively every time he did so. And tonight was no exception.

When the two were finally finished talking, they simply lay on their sides. Gazing into one another's eyes as more stars appeared outside their bedroom window.

Their hands had moved to rub the warm dragon egg still resting between them. But the two of them stayed staring at one another.

"Do you think… we'll be able to spend more nights like this together?" Wyndia suddenly asked. "After… after you get better."

"What do you mean?" Ren asked in turn.

"..." A troubled look passed through Wyndia's eyes, and while she felt like turning away, she forced herself to stay looking at her Hero. "If… when, you get better… will we be able to stay like this? Being as open and loving with each other as we are now."

"Will be able to experience this kind of intimacy when we're older?"

…

"..." Ren sighed, but his hand resting on the dragon egg moved to touch hers again. "I don't even know how long it'll take for me to get back to my old self at this point… but when I do…

"... I'd love it if you stayed beside me, Wyndia." He admitted to her. "I'd really love it, because I love you."

…

"..." Wyndia remained silent, tearing up just a little as she moved her head forward, kissing Ren on the lips before settling her head beside his.

"Alright… I promise that I'll help you to have another good day tomorrow then." She whispered. "And however many good days you'll need after that before you're able to stand on your own again."

Ren kissed her on the forehead, his arm moving to wrap around her back.

Tersia's words came back to his mind about making sure to not become too dependent on Wyndia, as it could affect their relationship down the line.

If she was the only one giving in their relationship, then he'd never be able to live with himself.

He… didn't want to be selfish like that. Not after Wyndia had shown just how big of a heart she had. He wanted to be able to give to her in return.

"I'll help you have a good day tomorrow as well," Ren whispered.

Wyndia sighed in contentment, falling into a deep sleep as she relaxed against the heat of her Sword Hero and the dragon the two would be raising together soon.

…

Ren… didn't know if tomorrow would be a good day or not. It depended on if he didn't dream that night… or didn't have an episode during the day. Which was more likely on the days when he did have a nightmare.

But… even though he had a nightmare last night, he'd managed to avoid having an Episode today, even if he had come close there at the end… and he really, really liked the scent of his girlfriend filling his nose. Her heat soaked into his body and helped his tired muscles to relax. And she cared for him so deeply and was also pondering on the future they'd have together when he'd finally recover from his curse and trauma, and…

He didn't know what tomorrow would bring… but as long as Wyndia and the others were at his side, Ren would have plenty of more good days down the road. He was sure of it.

With that thought in mind, Ren closed his eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.

Smiling softly as he did so.

…

…

Ren felt something shove him with enough force to send him flying. The attack was still coming down from above. What had thrown him…

He slowly looked back. His eyes falling on two, good, loyal friends.

…

The two's gazes focused on Ren, their lips curving into smiles. Welt and Bakta's hands slowly raised to their heads, giving their friend one final salute.

Ren's hand reached out, a soundless cry on his lips.

…

"Do..."

Hunger…

"Do you seek…"

So much hunger.

"D& Y$U S&&K P W&R?!"

Gluttony. An endless abyss.

…

"You bastard! How dare you steal my exp!"

The Sword Hero had stabbed straight through Itsuki.

Blood burst from the Bow Hero's mouth.

…

"Wyndia!" Eclair finally caught up and jumped at Ren from behind, bringing her sword down.

However, this time, Ren quickly turned around. Eclair found herself stunned in midair as she realized that in her haste she left herself exposed.

His sword hit hers out of the way, disarming her, and while Eclair was still in midair, his foot came up and slammed into her chest, sending her rocketing back.

…

"This could give you the power to kill the Guardian Beast! But it will also drive you to kill my daughter and everyone else you care about! Please, you have to stop before it's too late!" Gaelion cried out.

"N̴̢͍̞̥̎̈́O̸̜͖͑͘!̶̞̞̝̬̑̐ ̴̬̮̅͛͐̆͜ͅI̶̖̬̋ ̵̦͗N̸̥̋͠E̶̠͖̪̹̋E̵̝͐̋̿D̴̰̦̥́̐̌̀ ̶̪͇͂̑̀͝M̶̛̫͎̟̔͜Ǫ̵̳̥̠̾̎̇R̶̢̛̲̖E̵̱̰̾̚!̷̝̳̇͜" Ren screamed, overrunning the dragon's own voice.

…

"No, Ren! Please!" Tears fell from Wyndia's face.

"Let this foolish sinner pay for her transgressions with an execution by beheading!"

"With nary the time to scream, let her own head be separated from her torso…"

"Ren…" His name fell off her lips, all the love, care, and hurt she felt coming from her voice. "Please… don't do this…

"I love you..."

But Ren didn't pause.  "And then she shall know despair!"

"Guillotine!"

…

…

…

…

…

Ren stared at the scene before him. His hand reached forward in shock.

He'd gotten out of his Cursed Series, but it was already too late.

His friends lay on the bloodstained ground around him, all dead.

Tersia, Farrie, Blue, Naofumi, Motoyasu, Itsuki, Eclair.

Everyone. Every last one.

And in the center of them all was Wyndia. Her body still resting on the guillotine he'd summoned, her head floating on the surface of the blood-filled lake. Her hollow, lifeless amber eyes stared at him.

"N-No! WYNDIA!"

Her mouth slowly moved on its own.

"... your… fault…"

It couldn't be! She was still alive, this was all just a dream!

He hadn't killed her! HE HADN'T WANTED TO KILL ANYONE!

"Your fault." Her voice came out, much clearer this time, though twisted and hungry.

Ba-Thump! Ba-Thump! Ba-Thump! Ba-Thump!

Ren put his hands to his ears and closed his eyes, trying to block out the voice. But it kept on repeating, coming from the mouths of all his former comrades as his heart hammered in his chest.

"Your fault."

"Your fault."

"Your fault."

"Your fault."

BA-THUMP! BA-THUMP! BA-THUMP! BA-THUMP!

He started to run. To scream. To get away from the sight before him.

But as the Sword Hero ran, he tripped on something, falling forward.

Looking back, he saw two halves of a tower shield. Burned to cinders, and cut clean in half by his weapon.

"Your fault." "Your fault." "Your fault." "Your fault." "Your fault."

Ren struggled to get up in vain as the lake of blood began to devour him. He wanted to cover his ears to drown out the cries of the damned, but his arms were busy flailing uselessly around as he fought to stay afloat and breathe. His heart felt like it was beating in his ears.

BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP!

There was no escape.

There was nowhere for him to go.

His sins were laid bare before his eyes.

BA-THUMP! BA-THUMP! BA-THUMP! BA-

And then, all at once, the cacophony of the damned stopped.

One voice spoke for them all.

"It's all your fault, Ren."

The Sword Hero opened his eyes.

His girlfriend's disembodied head floated on the blood in front of his face.

Ren's eyes widened in shock as her mouth twisted into a disdainful sneer.

"If only you'd been strong enough to save us, Sword Hero."

With that, his body vanished under the crimson waves. Ren sunk deeper and deeper; screaming as the blood of his friends drowned him.

"NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Wyndia bolted upright in bed. "Ren?!"

Ren's body spasmed where he lay. His arms and legs twisted every which way. The gemstone of his Sword, attached to his side, was glowing a dangerous orange.

"EVERYONE! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Ren continued to scream.

"Re-" As Wyndia began to shout, one of Ren's clenched fists moved towards her.

The girl reacted, her eyes widening to alertness as she ducked under the unintended blow. She then reached out, grabbing the dragon egg from between her and the Sword Hero before diving back out of the bed.

Her reaction time was perfect, as no sooner had she gotten their daughter out of harm's way when Ren's fist slammed into the mattress where she'd been. The shockwave from the impact went through the mattress and cracked the bed frame beneath.

"R-Ren, what are you doing?!" Wyndia stammered in shock as she got off the floor.

"I DIDN'T WANT TO KILL THEM! PLEASE!" He continued to scream. The orange of his weapon's gemstone continued to brighten. A malevolent aura was starting to come out of the Sword Hero.

It was then that Wyndia realized what was happening to her boyfriend.

"WYNDIA!"

And his cry for help made her act again before she could think.

Wyndia put their dragon egg on the nightstand behind her before she threw herself at the Sword Hero, dodging past his spasming limbs and latching her body onto his torso, restraining him.

"WYNDIA, TERSIA, EVERYONE, I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!"

The dog girl hugged onto the Sword Hero with all her might even as he continued to convulse in her grip. She was managing to keep him from hurting himself, but now she had to wake him up somehow.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Slam!

The door to the room burst open as Farrie and Tersia dashed in. The two were dressed in their nightgowns, but both were wide awake.

"Wyndia! Ren!" Farrie shouted, a worried look on her face.

"What happened?!" Tersia yelled next.

Wyndia didn't reply. She could feel Ren's heart hammering in his chest. It was all she could do just to hold on without him throwing her off.

"EVERYONE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Tersia and Farrie stood in shock. Taking a step back as a heavy wave of malevolence burst from the weapon on Ren's side.

This… this felt exactly like what they'd felt long ago facing the Spirit Tortoise. But they'd been so far away then.

This close, they were frozen by fear. Neither of them could move.

"Ren, I'm here." Wyndia cried, hugging her Hero tight as fear filled her core. "I'm right here."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Wyndia had no idea what to do. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She felt so afraid of what was happening.

A part of her wanted to run away. To hide. To not confront this thing that was trying to take control of her boyfriend again.

…

But the other part wanted to stay. To help. To be there for Ren until he was okay. Just like back then.

And right now, that part of her was the one that remained in control.

The dog girl laid her head against Ren's chest. She ignored her adrenaline trying to trigger her fight or flight responses and instead began to breathe in and out deeply in a calm manner.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ren continued to scream. The malevolent aura of his Weapon not fading in the slightest.

"Ren, I'm here," Wyndia whispered this time. Tears slowly gathered in her eyes. "I'm right here.

"I'll always be right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"You didn't kill anyone. We are all okay."

"You're going to be okay… you're going to be okay… you're going to be okay..."

One of Wyndia's hands began to rub Ren's back. She might have not realized it, but she was acting to ground the Sword Hero back to reality. Guiding him out of his realistic nightmare so he could wake up and not pull out his Cursed Weapon.

The two mage girls stepped forward, still looking afraid. They were scared of the evil aura emanating from the gemstone of Ren's sword. That their friends were going to get hurt if either of them did anything.

...

But as the seconds ticked by, Wyndia's efforts paid off.

Ren's body began to convulse less and less. His screams lessened to cries, and then to sobs. The orange of his gemstone began to fade, until, finally, almost a minute later, it turned back to a dull, tired blue.

The cursed presence that'd surrounded the young boy had vanished back into the darkness of the night.

…

"Is… is everyone alright?"

Farrie and Tersia looked back in the doorway, finding Eclair standing there. One hand held up a ball of light, while the other held the hilt of her sheathed weapon. Unlike the two mages, she was dressed in her knight armor.

Farrie and Tersia stood still and said nothing. Partly because they still couldn't comprehend what they'd witnessed.

They were only brought back to reality as Ren's wakeful, heart-wrenching cries hit their ears.

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry."

Ren had awoken, but he was not doing well.

"It's fine. Everything is going to be fine." Wyndia cried as well as she continued to embrace her traumatized hero. Doing her best to try and calm him down. "It was all just a bad dream. Nothing more."

"I, I almost hurt you." Ren continued to cry. His head was buried into his girlfriend's shoulder. "I almost gave in."

The dog girl's eyes found her friends, and she choked back a sob. Her eyes expressed a multitude of emotions. The fear she'd felt. The pain she was in. And above all that, a cry for help.

Not for her, but for the boy in her arms. Because that was how selfless she was.

Tersia and Farrie, shocked out of their stupor, immediately felt ashamed at their initial inaction, and at their friend's pleading stare, they immediately moved to rectify their mistake.

Farrie moved to the nightstand, picking the dragon egg up to warm it. Tersia sat by the couple on the bed, running a motherly hand through the Sword Hero's hair.

She began to sing a soft lullaby she'd learned while training as a nun to help kids she'd look after to sleep better.

It wasn't long before Farrie joined in the tune as well. And, once she was sure the Sword Couple's daughter was nice and warm, she joined in hugging the Sword Hero opposite Wyndia.

Eclair didn't enter the room. In part, because she'd frozen just like the other two at the all too familiar malevolent feeling that'd washed over her earlier. But she also didn't enter because she knew that she wasn't good at comforting others. Not with something like this.

That was not a role she could fill as Ren's mentor. She could help him out physically, but not mentally, and certainly not emotionally, which was what he needed more of right now.

So instead, she did what she was good at, and stood guard in front of the Sword Hero's house. Talking to the knights and townspeople who'd rushed to find out the source of the commotion.

She let none of them pass. While she didn't like doing it, she lied to them, telling the worried townspeople that a monster had attacked the Sword Hero's home while he was asleep.

The monster had been taken care of. Everyone was alright. Nightly patrols around the village would be doubled, and measures would be taken to ensure something like that didn't happen to anyone else.

The townspeople bought it. The knights groaned since their patrols had already been doubled after Motoyasu began traveling to Zeltoble, but regardless, they accepted Eclair's orders.

Only Melty would learn the truth of what happened from the rose-haired knight, while the Sword Hero and his party wouldn't be disturbed for the rest of the night.

Ren did eventually calm down, thanks to the other's efforts. But he didn't let go of his girlfriend, crying into her shoulder as his throat was too hoarse to speak.

Wyndia continued to cry as well but began to whisper into his ear again. Saying things to comfort him. To comfort all of them.

"We're going to be fine, Ren."

"You didn't hurt anybody."

"You aren't to blame for what happened."

"We're all safe now."

"We won't let that thing control you ever again."

"We'll always be here for you, Ren."

"I promise. We all promise that."

Tersia and Farrie tried to say their own words as well, but couldn't. They still felt ashamed of themselves for being unable to step up when Ren had needed his friends.

So they remained silent, humming soft tunes from long ago as the hours ticked on…

…

And though their efforts did work in the end, Ren wasn't able to fall asleep for the rest of that night.

The next day, and the day after that, the Sword Hero didn't leave his home.

Wyndia stayed by his side the entire time as promised, keeping their dragon egg daughter warm between them while attempting to help him feel better.

To get him to talk. To sleep. To at least eat… or something.

But the boy didn't eat much, and he slept even less.

He didn't do his morning jog. Nor his blacksmith training. He didn't practice magic, and he certainly didn't work on his swordsmanship.

He just existed, hardly saying a word whenever he was addressed.

He never said what it was that he saw in his latest nightmare. And no one was in a hurry to press him for details.

Farrie and Tersia especially had come to learn for themselves what exactly they were protecting Ren from. And the two were striving harder than ever to be able to help Ren whenever he needed it.

And yet, nothing anyone did could remove the haunted look that'd moved to stay in the Sword Hero's eyes. The feeling of hopelessness and despair that emanated from his heart.

That this pain was never going to come to an end.

…

Not even Blue's successful return after passing Fitoria's Trial could soften his pain.

It was like he was back at square one all over again…

…

…

Such was the nature of Ren's recovery. With one step forward, and two steps back.

Even if he was getting better, and even though he had everyone helping him out, it would be a long while yet before the Sword Hero of Legend became whole once again.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

"Whoa." A young excited voice called out.

The disguised Spear Hero smiled in the light of the morning sun as the lingering glow of his portal skill faded away. The group that currently stood on top of a hill overlooking Zeltoble's sprawling capital consisted of Motoyasu, Amber, and two adolescent demihumans.

"Pretty big place, right?" Motoyasu pointed out.

"Eh, I've seen bigger." Keel shrugged, putting her hands in the pockets of her new outfit.

"Really? You've seen bigger towns than this, Keel?" Anya asked her friend, still looking amazed at the view before her.

"Duhhhh. A man- err, I mean, a woman of the sea sees far better things out in the ocean than they ever do on land." Keel grinned beside her.

"Huh? But the boats you and the others use for fishing never go beyond shallow shore waters." Anya looked at her friend dubiously.

Motoyasu hopped off Amber's back, and the girl transformed into her human form as the Spear Hero adjusted his legs' straps.

Motoyasu wasn't dressed in his usual armor. Instead, he was wearing a new set of what looked like knight armor that he'd gotten as a monster drop a while back.

Besides looking like something straight out of the medieval period, it had red accents on the belt, the left shoulder pauldron, under the right armpit, and on the left side of the breastplate. Motoyasu's ponytail was also hidden under his visored helmet, and instead, a red plume of feathers rose from the helmet's top. The visor was raised, showing the Spear Hero's face.

He couldn't remember what monster he'd killed to acquire this. Once again, he had the thought that he needed to take the time to sort through his inventory to find out what other strange items he had managed to pick up during his travels, but regardless, this armor was only the first half of his disguise.

The other part was Motoyasu's weapon of choice. One of the new weapons that he'd gotten from Fitoria's nest. The Piensa Guard Naginata.

It looked brand new. The black-colored blade at the end of the shaft was curved and thicker than a regular spearhead. The entire thing was made from some type of metal that the Spear Hero had as of yet to identify, but it felt comfortable to grip with his gauntleted hands.

It didn't have the best stats even after using the strengthening methods on it. It certainly couldn't hold a candle to the new Spirit Tortoise line of weapons he had unlocked. But it was one of the stronger copied weapon forms he had, and it had the added benefit of being inconspicuous.

His armor already hid his appearance, but the weapon of choice would hopefully help to ensure he wasn't called out as the Spear Hero. He wanted to pass himself off as a traveler from some distant land, much like how L'Arc and Therese had when they first befriended Naofumi and Co. at Cal Mira. Though he had as yet to nail down the details.

Should he call himself Rock while he was here? But a name like that seemed so stupid. I mean seriously, who would call themselves Rock to hide their identity?!

At least he wasn't going as a fake Motoyasu, unlike a certain group of Heroes at Cal Mira. cough cough

"That's only because the sea monsters can be really dangerous if you're not careful! That's what Sadeena-san always taught me!" Keel continued to argue with Anya while Motoyasu pondered on these things.

"Aren't you strong enough to handle a few sea monsters now?" The cat girl countered.

"Obviously, but it's kind of hard to breathe underwater for me so I can't get to them!" Keel pouted.

"If they're too far underwater, then why don't you go out further into the ocean?" Anya asked, looking confused at the dog girl's reasoning.

"Because then they'll rise out of the ocean and feast on your bones for breakfast!... at least, I think that's how Sadeena-san explained it to me." Keel put a finger to her chin, looking confused herself.

…

At Anya's stare turning into a glare, Keel raised her hands in appeasement. "It was at least two years ago when I last asked her about sea monsters! You can't blame me for forgetting a few details!"

"Convenient, especially right now." Anya continued to glare as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Motoyasu still found it weird that the dog tomboy had recently found out that she was a girl. And that weirdness only seemed to be compounded by the fact that Keel was currently wearing a maid's outfit.

No, that wasn't a joke, nor was it Motoyasu's idea of a disguise. Some time ago, Elena acquired a large surplus of used clothing for the townspeople during one of her trips to Melromarc. And for some inexplicable reason, Keel had fallen in love with the French-styled maid outfits and hoarded all of them for herself.

This would normally be pretty inappropriate behavior since the clothing was meant to be for everyone in their village. However, the other former slave demihuman women did not seem to be keen on wearing these maid outfits. Motoyasu had some grim ideas on why that was the case, but he figured that it would be best to just let it slide and permitted Keel to remain oblivious so she could enjoy herself.

In the end, neither Motoyasu nor anyone else could convince Keel to wear something else for their trip. So this was what the Spear Hero had to deal with now.

At least Anya was dressed like a proper adventurer, arrayed in dark robes like what her mentor Mahoya wore. She was even wearing a version of her mentor's witch's hat, easily labeling her as a mage on the spot.

"Well anyway, I just know I'd be strong enough to face them if I could breathe underwater, and that's final!" Keel yelled as she stamped her foot on the ground.

"Sounds like an excuse if you ask me." Anya shrugged nonchalantly, irritating the dog girl further.

As the two growing teenagers continued to bicker, Motoyasu took in the sight of the city again for himself.

Unlike Melromarc and its medieval period style architecture, Zeltoble's buildings looked to be inspired by the Renaissance era of Europe. With a bit of modern flavor mixed in.

The Capital itself was on both sides of a mile-wide river. A long suspension bridge connected the smaller, outlying part of the city with the main part on the other side. Even from this distance, it was easy to see that this place was alive as a center of trade and commerce.

It'd certainly been a long time since Motoyasu had last been here.

To briefly explain, sometime after they'd been summoned, he, Ren, and Itsuki came here on a quick trip to visit a few important weapon shops in the area after copying what they could find in Melromarc's Capital. Back then, the three of them had believed that Zeltoble had the best shops anywhere in the world and they'd not only copied the best weapons they could find but also outfitted their parties with the best gear they could afford before quickly returning to Melromarc.

Thinking back on it, it had bitten into their grinding time and the kingdom's finances a fair bit. Motoyasu had especially come to realize how big of a waste of time it'd been after finding out later on that Melromarc had some great blacksmiths of its own.

Still, he'd acquired some good weapon forms from here that gave him skills such as Chaos Thrust, Lightning Spear, or Meteor Thrust. So he couldn't say that the whole trip had been a complete bust.

If only he hadn't had Bitch in his party back then…

"Hmmm, is everything ok, Blondie?" Amber asked him curiously.

Motoyasu smiled at the redhead. "Yeah. Just reminiscing is all…"

"What was Blondie, um, remen… uh…" Amber looked to be struggling with the word.

Motoyasu chuckled at how adorable she looked tongue-tied. "I was thinking over old memories. That's what I was trying to say."

"Oh?! Okay- Wait, does that mean Blondie has been here before?!" Amber asked in surprise.

Her comment broke up the argument between the two demihumans nearby before it could devolve into a full-on brawl, and they looked up at Motoyasu with quizzical looks as well.

"Yeah, once. It was just after I was summoned, and before the Wave of Catastrophe hit Lute Village." Motoyasu shrugged nonchalantly.

He could mention how he'd also been here many times thanks to Emerald Online. But he was pretty certain they wouldn't understand the concept of video games. Not to mention, he was pretty certain his game hadn't given this place such a dark aspect.

Either that, or he'd never dug deep enough into the lore of this place to learn just how bad things could get here in his old life.

"Wait, you managed to travel out here and back during that time? How?" Anya suddenly asked.

"He just used his portal skill, duh!" Keel scoffed.

"But the Heroes can't use that skill until they are level 50! How would Sir Motoyasu be level fifty already if he'd just been summoned?" Anya countered in an argumentative tone.

"Back then it was done through a colossal waste of Melromarc's taxpayer money." The Spear Hero visibly cringed. "And that's all I'm going to say on the topic. Now quit arguing you two, or I'm going to send you back."

Keel stuck her tongue out at Motoyasu while flexing her arms. "You can try, but you and I both know that ol' Granny wanted us to come along since we're the village's best and brightest up-and-coming warriors."

"... Somehow." The cat girl added scathingly in a whisper behind Keel.

The dog girl glared back at her friend, but Anya held her hands behind her back and began to whistle to herself innocently. That girl was coming out of her shell more and more lately.

Oh well, it appeared that the two of them were back to arguing with each other again.

If you were curious how Motoyasu got here and back so quickly in the past, it was pretty simple. It involved a carriage and several pairs of rider dragons.

…

Yeah, it'd be best not to mention that part to the others, especially Amber. Filolials were the superior species, after all.

He didn't want the angel girl learning about how his past self relied on dragons of all creatures to get around really quickly.

"Hmmmm, Amber doesn't like what Blondie is thinking about for some reason." Amber glared distrustfully at Motoyasu.

"I'm thinking about nothing whatsoever, I say!" Motoyasu quickly stood up tall and faced the young girl. Though, he pulled his visor down over his face as he did so.

"Hmmmm…" Amber continued staring distrustfully at the Spear Hero, causing the man to sweat.

Yeah, he definitely wasn't going to mention that story to her. Ever.

To try and get his mind off his current predicament, Motoyasu recalled the conversation he had with Granny the day when he first read the letter from the mysterious sender.

She'd given him some tips on what to do in the Arenas. What tournaments to participate in, who to fight against, who to bet on in a match (which was something he was pretty sure he wasn't going to do but she ended up going over it with him anyway), and more.

Instead of thinking about those things, he thought about a different part of their conversation. The reasoning for why Keel and Anya were there with him now.

"I'd recommend bringing Keel and Anya along with you."

"Those two? But wouldn't it be better if you came with me instead?" Motoyasu asked his mentor.

The old lady laughed mirthfully. "Ah, as much as I'd like to join you Spear-dono, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to fight in any of the arenas there anymore! I'm banned from all of them!"

"What?! But why?!" Motoyasu cried.

"I might have gone overboard and 'cleaned house' there one too many times, as you kids would call it in my younger days."

Cleaned house… you know, seeing how well the old hag fought right now, Motoyasu couldn't even imagine how she must have fought in her prime.

Well enough, apparently, if the place still remembered her all these years later.

"Anyway, there's no need for me to bore you with such a story right now. Instead, here are my reasons for why you need to bring those two girls along with you."

Granny's voice lessened as her face turned serious. "First, with the threat to our village, the Hero's party members with the exception of Spear-Dono must remain behind to defend in case of an attack at all times. The stronger the people we have stationed here, the less likely we are to be attacked and to suffer casualties like we did the last time this place had to deal with a slave raid.

"Now, for my second reason, Keel and Anya are amongst those who've made the most progress in their training and in leveling up. But despite what they've gained from sparring against me, Lady Seaetto, and others; they still lack real combat experience against opponents outside of a sparring or monster scenario."

"Experiencing live combat would be like having a break compared to your usual training regiment though..." Motoyasu muttered under his breath.

"Hmmm, did I just hear something? My hearing is not as good as it used to be, you see?" Granny asked with a smug grin.

"It's just the wind. Go on." Motoyasu gestured for her to continue.

"Hmmm, if you say so. Now, where was I… "

Granny went on to list aspects about the two. Like how Anya and Keel were the most motivated and the most diligent in their training thanks to the previous slave raid combined with Itsuki's cursed fiasco. The two already had their class-ups under their belts. That it'd be better to have them face combat while they were still in the middle of their growing phases since demi-humans learned the fastest at that point in their level-up growth.

"And last but not least;" Granny said. "Whoever sent that letter claimed that they were from Lurolona. Anya will help as part of your disguise since she isn't from here, but if our sender was genuine, you'll need someone who'd be able to recognize them.

"Since Raphtalia isn't here, Keel will have to do." Granny finished.

"What if Keel can't recognize them though? What do I do then?" Motoyasu asked.

"Well if she doesn't recognize them, then you can be pretty damn sure that the letter was a trap and you can teleport yourselves out of there before you have to fight your way out." Granny chuckled to herself as she crossed her arms in front of her again.

…

Motoyasu's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I am considering that this is a trap, but do you think I'd really have to fight a whole nation?" He asked.

"I'm a Cardinal Hero, so surely the leaders would at the very least hear what I have to say."

"Can't say for sure. It's been decades since I last visited." Granny shrugged. "Zeltoble is first known as a nation of merchants and trade, and for good reason. But that isn't the only thing that place is known for."

Granny's face turned serious again. "Let me tell you this much: the entire underbelly of that place is rotten to its core.

"On the surface, it'll look splendid and grand, and the people will be nice to you if you pay them well; but Zeltoble is also the place where most slaves are taken to and sold to people around the world.

"There's all sorts of wickedness there besides those abominable auctions. Secret gladiator fights to the death against captured high-powered monsters; slavers, merchants, and officials mingling amongst one another in bars, gambling halls, drug dens, and brothels. Various cults openly preaching their blasphemous ideologies and performing live sacrifices in the name of their heathen gods. Restaurants that serve demi-human or human meat as delicacies. Every vice and depravity that you can physically fathom and beyond can be found in the undercity.

"In regards to slaves, unlike Melromarc or Siltvelt, there are no rules for who can or can't be enslaved. Had a friend of mine travel to Zeltoble once with her orca husband, bless his soul. Some idiots thought they could sell him to one of the kitchens, only for her to beat the crap out of them, almost killing one of them in the process and-

"Well, let's just say that no one is safe if you get the wrong kind of attention while you're there."

Granny's face turned serious. "So please, be on your guard while you're in the city, Spear-Dono. You might be a Cardinal Hero, but that place attracts even people who'd like to know if a Hero of Legend could be enslaved or not. With or without the use of a slave crest.

"And they'd have the power and influence to make sure it was covered up if you were to accidentally die while there."

…

Motoyasu shuddered, but Granny's serious look was quickly replaced with a grin. "But eh, I've been training you for a while, so you should be able to handle a fight or two on your own!"

"Why the doom and gloom then!?" Motoyasu yelled at her.

"Gotta say something to scare the kids straight and make sure they don't do anything rash." Granny grinned. "And remember: If your identity does get exposed, then do not mention that I trained you no matter what."

"Why?" Motoyasu narrowed his eyes.

Granny's grin grew. "Depending on who learns that information, it could make your time in the arenas easier… or a lot, lot harder, if some folks there are still alive and cursing my name."

…

"... Okay, seriously, what the hell did you do in Zeltoble?!" Motoyasu cried out.

Granny's ominous laugh as she walked away didn't make him feel any better.

Motoyasu sighed, hiding the shudder that involuntarily went through his body.

Yep, he'd managed to get his thoughts off of whatever they'd been on before. What had he been thinking about again?

Anyway, Granny was spot on about the place looking great from a distance.

However, he had a good hint of what Zeltoble itself was like while traveling with Amber these past few days. Spotting small mountain villages with mostly ruined houses thanks to the Waves. Acres upon acres of farmland torn apart by monsters. The survivors walking the streets were starved and destitute.

One such village had been in the middle of being raided by slavers. Motoyasu and Amber had spotted it at the edge of the mountains due to the smoke clouds rising into the sky. The 'slavers' had been killing the men and capturing the women and children.

Motoyasu tried to parley for peace, wanting to avoid a fight. But after seeing one of the slavers fulfill his more dark desires by beginning to eat the arm of a man he'd gutted with his sword…

…

Let's just say that this 'particular' group of cannibalistic slavers never made it back to Zeltoble's Capital. The Spear Hero had taken some time to bring the few dozen survivors of the raid back to Lurolona, a task which took over half a day to accomplish due to the skill's cooldown timer as well as the limit of people he could bring along at a time.

Motoyasu couldn't afford being sidetracked like that, but seeing the survivors suffering… reminded him a lot of Leruno, and what his actions had caused to the residents there. In his own words after seeing the looks of despair and anguish on the people's faces:

"Never again."

And that was the end of that.

Still, this was only a small taste of what this place had to offer to those walking into the beast's den unawares. It was frankly a miracle that Motoyasu had managed to wander through this place once before without being attacked.

Amber had stopped looking at the Spear Hero at this point. Working to try and separate Keel and Anya, who were nearly at blows as their argument began to reach its climax.

"I bet you don't even know what a sea monster looks like." Anya rolled her eyes.

"I do too! My dad brought all sorts of monster souvenirs back with him after his long fishing trips!" Keel's tail bristled behind her.

"Monster souvenirs? So you're saying you've never even seen a live sea monster then." Anya smirked victoriously.

"I… Well…" Keel struggled to find something to say. Rage clearly palpable on her face. However, Motoyasu finally chose to intervene at that moment.

"Alright, you two, drop it. We need to get a move on. We have a lot of things to do and not much time to do them." Motoyasu adjusted the straps on his left arm again to make sure that the armor was on tight. "Just remember-"

"We're not supposed to reveal that we're residents of Lurolona," Anya said, mimicking Motoyasu's voice.

"And?" Motoyasu pressed on.

"We're not supposed to call you by name or mention that you're the Spear Hero, Bubba Spear." Keel mimicked Motoyasu's voice as well.

"... Right." Motoyasu patted the two on the shoulders. "But above all else, don't get separated from me out in public. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because I wasn't around. That includes you too, Amber."

"Kayyyy~!" The teenage girl grinned happily. She was giggling in delight while twirling around in her dress.

Ah, so sweet! Just like his angel Filo-Chan, I say-

Ahem, it was just what Motoyasu needed to smile right now.

"You STILL haven't told us 'what' to call you though, Bubba Spear!" Keel pouted.

"Probably because he still hasn't thought of a name for himself." Anya giggled.

The two kids laughed as if their previous argument had never happened, and Motoyasu was beginning to question Granny's reasons for bringing these two along again as the group walked down the hill and onto the road that led to Zeltoble's Capital.

…

Oh, right, there had been one more reason the old hag used to convince the Spear Hero to bring the two growing teenagers along in the end.

"Because if you don't, I'll beat you within an inch of your life, then I'll force you to heal yourself so I can beat you within an inch of your life again to properly express my dissatisfaction!"

Yeah, long story short, Granny was always right when it came to her reasoning.

Always.

Honestly… it wasn't as bad as Motoyasu had been expecting.

After crossing the long bridge into the city proper, he actually found it bustling with morning activity.

People of all types were coming to and from work. Merchants had their stalls set up in the streets and were pawning all sorts of wares from weapons and armor to monster materials and ores and food and so much more to passersby.

A carriage moved down the middle of the street. Containing a group of nobles chattering amongst themselves about one thing or another.

"Ooh! Anya, look at this!" Keel ran up to a stall that had a large harpoon resting in a case.

"Whoaaaa!" Anya's eyes sparkled at not just the weapon, but its size.

"Great eyes, you two!" The merchant spoke up. "You're looking at nothing other than the Legendary Lightning Harpoon used by Nadia in last year's Finals!"

That's what Motoyasu heard, at least. For the two girls though: "Eh, do you understand what that guy just said?" Keel asked Anya.

"No? Not really." Anya looked confused as well.

"Ah, my apologies!" The merchant switched from Zeltoble to Melromarcian on the spot. "I did not realize-"

"No, thank you, not interested." Motoyasu grabbed the two girls by the shoulders and began pushing them along again. For him, the only thing he noticed was the accent of the man changing when he changed what language he was speaking.

"Awwwww." The two's ears fell to their heads.

Crap, it was almost like seeing a Filolial's wings fall in disappointment! However, these two were far from being as perfect as Filolials. Motoyasu didn't even feel a bit bad about his actions as he kept pushing them along. "We still got to find an inn, you two. Then we got to register for the Colosseum and find the Gladiator's Bar and all that."

"Yeah." "We know." The two rolled their eyes simultaneously.

It was probably a weird sight, seeing a knight figure pushing a mage and a maid along down the street. Though Amber's angelic form was definitely the strangest sight for people not used to seeing someone like her.

"Is she a Shuzaku?"

"Aren't their wings supposed to be all red though?"

"She looks really pretty. I wish my hair was like hers."

"I like her smile. She's going to be a catch for any man that proposes to her, unlike me."

As they walked past a party of adventurers made up of women, Motoyasu inwardly chuckled to himself. It seemed that even if Amber did stick out a little, she was getting some good attention instead of bad attention! And whatever good attention the Filolial race could get, the sooner it'd be before the world discovered the greatness of angel girls, and-

"Don't say that! In fact, you look like someone who'd be perfect for Amber's Big Brother!"

Motoyasu stopped in his tracks.

His head pivoted around, only for his eyes to widen under his helmet as he spotted Amber talking to the last adventurer who'd spoken. A girl with black hair and green eyes that could be described as beautiful even with her bulky armor, shield, and greatsword hiding most of her body.

"E-Excuse me?" The woman asked in surprise.

Amber's eyes were sparkling with stars. "Yes, Amber can already tell! Shy Lady fits all the criteria Amber is searching for her Big Brother! There's no way Amber can deny an opportunity like this!"

The angel girl got on one knee in a disturbingly perfect impression of Motoyasu's usual antics, holding out a hand to the surprised paladin. "Please, Shy Lady, marry Big Brother and make him the happiest guy in the entire- ack!" Amber's words were suddenly cut off by Motoyasu unceremoniously grabbing her under her arms from behind and carrying her away like a cat.

"Sorry about my little sis ladies! Amber can be a little rambunctious when I'm not watching her! Later!" Motoyasu then disappeared, leaving only a trail of smoke rising off the pavement behind him.

"Ack! Bubba S- uh, I mean- oh I'll think of something later; wait for us!" Keel screeched as she ran after the disguised Spear Hero, with Anya following right behind her.

…

The paladin and her party were left in the middle of the street. Confused by their chance encounter with what they'd later discover to be the Spear Hero of Legend and his Filolial Queen.

…

…

Sometime later, Motoyasu finally stopped. Allowing Keel and Anya to catch up to him as he set Amber back on the ground again. "Amber, what the hell was that?!" Motoyasu loudly asked.

"Huh? Amber was just playing matchmaker for Blondie." The girl explained in confusion. "Shy Lady back there looked like the perfect person for Amber's Big Brother!"

…

Motoyasu almost wanted to facepalm.

He had to remember, Filolials were the perfect race. It was an honor that Amber had taken to calling him Big Brother instead of Blondie as part of his disguise.

"Don't just walk up to strangers and ask them to marry me!" Motoyasu said.

"But Blondie is the only hero without a mate? That's bad, isn't it?" Amber asked confusedly.

…

…

Motoyasu was left gobsmacked at what Amber had pointed out to him. Or maybe it'd been the way she phrased it?

"Oi! What happened to us not being separated here?!" Keel asked angrily as she and Anya finally caught up, dragging Motoyasu back to the present. Both demi girls were breathing heavily after racing to catch up.

"Apparently, Big Brother didn't like the woman Amber chose to be his mate." The angel girl shrugged.

"That wasn't the only reason why!" Motoyasu quickly yelled in an attempt to explain himself.

"Hmmm. Maybe having a girlfriend would help Bubba to smile a bit more sincerely." Keel pointed out.

"And smile a little less creepily at Filolials too." Anya snickered to herself.

Motoyasu glared at them, only making the teenage girls stick their tongues out at him. Unable to make a rebuttal, he eventually rolled his eyes and the group continued on.

Most of the morning ended up being spent wandering the streets. Trying and failing to find an inn to base themselves at for the day as most of them were full.

Motoyasu mainly searched around the area of the Colosseum, a building which towered high in the sky and which had a tournament going on right now. He remembered Emerald Online having quite a few inns around the open-air Roman-style arena, but he had no luck finding one with available rooms.

Motoyasu had to pull Keel and Anya away from several different stalls during that time… and interrupted Amber proposing to other women on his behalf three separate times.

He could admit that maybe 'Shy Lady', as Amber had dubbed her, could have been somebody he'd ask out on a date in his old world. But the next two were middle-aged noblewomen who were already married.

And the less said about the old lady she proposed to after them, the better.

"What do you mean Old Lady wasn't Big Brother's type?" Amber pouted beside him. "Doesn't Big Brother spend a lot of time with Old Granny back home?"

"Not willingly," Motoyasu answered through gritted teeth in his best attempt at an even tone.

"Eh? Maybe Big Brother should try to avoid interacting with Old Granny then." Amber suggested. Why would Blondie spend so much time with somebody if he didn't want to?

"Heh, as if Granny would ever allow Bubba to slack off." Keel grinned.

"Right, she'd sooner croak then- wait, seriously, Bubba?! That's what you want to call me?!" Motoyasu asked the dog girl.

"I mean, you still haven't given any suggestions." Keel grinned victoriously as she puffed her chest out with pride.

"Actually, I kind of like that name." Anya smiled happily. "Keep leading the way, Bubba!"

…

Motoyasu just sighed and lowered his visor again. If only to hide his shame under his helmet.

He'd have to work even harder to help Amber understand human courtship standards better… and see if he could come up with a better disguise name for himself while he was at it.

Rock was starting to sound more tempting by the minute.

…

…

The sun was now high in the afternoon sky.

They still had yet to find an inn with even one room available.

It didn't help that the further they got from the Colosseum, the more Motoyasu had to rely on signs to identify inns from the other buildings. A lot of places did have signs in multiple languages for their shops, but not all of them. He might have learned how to read Melromarcian texts, but it appeared that Zeltoble had a lot of different languages used here.

Made sense, considering its heavily commercialized nature.

Motoyasu's legs were getting tired of wandering around by this point, and he was forced to lift his visor to wipe off the heavy beads of sweat from his head. Having all that hair of his trapped under that helmet didn't help matters either.

"Bubba, I'm hungry!" Anya complained loudly.

"Me too! Let's just eat somewhere already!" Keel complained as well.

"After we find an inn, you two. If it's this hard to find one during the day, imagine how much harder it'll be when night comes and-" Motoyasu began to respond for what felt like the millionth time.

Grrrrrrrr…

"..."

"..."

"..."

The group all looked at one another, and then down at the Spear Hero's stomach.

Motoyasu put his gauntleted hands over the front of his helmet.

"Big Brother, maybe if we eat somewhere, we could ask and find out if there are any places in the area that we could stay at," Amber suggested.

"Yeah, I like Big Sis's idea!" Keel said excitedly at the prospect of having a meal in one of the city's fancy restaurants.

"It would be the sensible thing to do. It could also give us a chance to think over our backstories again." Anya thought out loud to herself. "We're passing ourselves off as adventurers who've never been here… but Keel and I will have to admit that we're from Melromarc, unlike you."

"Why?" Motoyasu asked her.

"Because me and Keel only know how to speak Melromarc's language." Anya's ears fell on her head worriedly. "It might have helped if we both knew some of the languages from Siltvelt as well but…"

…

Keel, who'd looked confused, suddenly reeled from surprise. "Eh!? Is that why I haven't been able to understand most of what everyone is saying?!"

"... yes, Keel. Believe it or not, most people don't speak one language." Anya deadpanned to her friend.

"Huh, who would have thought." Keel began to grin out of embarrassment.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

The three paused, only to look back at Amber, who was looking at her stomach.

"Hmmmm, Amber is pretty hungry too." The girl said.

…

Well, that settled that. "Alright, let's see if we can find a place that serves good food." Motoyasu gave in.

"Yaaaayyyy!~" The group cheered, drawing confused stares from the crowds around them.

Motoyasu realized they could use the break anyway. He'd wanted an inn room so he'd be able to portal to and from Lurolona in private. But he might need to rethink that bit, amongst other things he realized he hadn't put much thought into before.

But first, food. Fortunately, thanks to his last trip here, he knew a good place where they could eat… where the people spoke Melromarcian.

At least, he thought they did. Bitch and the others seemed to understand the waiters, at least…

Gods, why had he forgotten such a simple detail?! Stupid weapon auto-translation function!

After five more minutes of pushing past crowds of people, Motoyasu and his group approached a large building. Keel read the sign at the front and looked confused. "Hickwaal's Goods and Wares? Why are we going here for food?"

"Because believe it or not, there's a very nice restaurant inside," Motoyasu responded with a grin. "They served really good food here last time I visited."

"... huh, why would a shop have a restaurant in it?" Keel asked, looking confused.

Anya answered before Motoyasu could. "Probably so they can attract more customers."

"Yep. Certainly kept me around after I copied a bunch of weapons from this place." Motoyasu smiled happily.

"... you came here, and stole a bunch of weapons?" Anya asked.

"... no." Motoyasu looked confused.

"Did you pay for the ones you copied?" The catgirl pressed.

"..."

"Isn't that basically stealing then?" Anya asked when Motoyasu didn't respond.

"... urgh…"

Anya began to pout up at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her tail wagged behind her in a displeased manner.

"I-It's not like I took anything I didn't buy from here." Motoyasu's eyes darted away.

Hell, hadn't he won Bitch her sword from an auction that was held nearby?! He'd dropped 2500 gold coins on the blasted thing!

If anything, he'd done Melromarc a service by copying all those different weapons instead of purchasing them outright after doing that!

…

…

…

On second thought, it'd probably be better not to mention that, to anybody. Especially the Queen.

If Mirellia found out he'd been the one responsible for wasting that much money on Bitch's sword… Mirellia would be using more than just portraits of the Spear Hero for target practice.

The group entered the double large doors of the shop. Their eyes immediately being assaulted by the display of goods before them.

For Motoyasu, he was used to this, thanks to the supermarkets of his world.

For the two teens and Amber, however, they were surprised at the aisles and aisles of various goods before them.

There was everything from soaps and perfumes to pots and quills and ink pots organized in neat rows on pristine shelves. There were also aisles containing various foodstuffs, some that were canned, others that were packaged, and a few that were somehow being refrigerated. One section of the store looked to be entirely dedicated to clothes for men and women.

There was even a section dedicated to kid's toys in one corner. To top it off, employees in pristine uniforms moved between these aisles, cleaning the shelves and assisting customers with finding whatever they needed.

This place was like a supermarket. Now that he wasn't blinded by idiocy and simping, Motoyasu couldn't help but wonder if this whole setup was because of the influence of some past Hero.

Probably so, since from down here, he could spot the snacks and candies adorning the front of the aisles on the second floor of the shop that was dedicated to weapons and armor. The first floor was more of the home goods section of the store while the second floor was dedicated to the adventurers.

He knew how good some of those snacks were too, since he ended up buying a few while copying weapons the last time he was here. He wondered if he still had any of those stored in his weapon as well.

"And there's a restaurant somewhere here too?" Keel spoke, still sounding shocked.

"Mmhmm. That'll be to our left." Motoyasu turned his head.

There was a section of the shop isolated from the rest, where the aisles of goods stopped and became replaced with tables and waiters and waitresses. The transition was also similar to the supermarkets of his old world.

It looked like this was one of those places where one sat and ordered instead of going up to a counter and waiting for their food. There were some gladiators there, as well as some housewives, a couple of merchants, and a young noble couple who looked to be on a date.

"Can we buy some stuff after we eat Bubba?!" Anya asked loudly.

"Please! Pretty please!" Keel pleaded. She was drooling while looking at some of the different foods on display. But she was also staring intently at some of the toys in the back of the store. There were balls of all sorts of colors that'd be great for dodgeball back home!

"Oh! Amber would like to try out some of the dresses there!" Amber's face sparkled as she spotted some of the fancy dresses a customer was buying for herself.

Motoyasu opened his mouth to speak but found himself remembering the last time he came into this store.

"Sir Spear Hero, can I buy this dress? It offers better defensive stats than what I'm currently wearing."

"Sure thing Lesty! Just add it to my bill!"

"I'm hungry Sir Motoyasu. Can I get something for the road before we go?"

"Of course Elena! Get whatever you want!"

"Moto, buy this accessory for me."

"Oh, Malty, does it do anything special?"

"No, but it's expensive, meaning it's perfect for a princess like me."

"Indeed it is!"

Motoyasu almost felt like vomiting. He'd simped hard for the others back then, hadn't he? He could have recalled more of what happened back then, but even this little bit made him feel sick to his stomach. How could his past self have had so little regard for the value of money?

It was probably because of his time playing Emerald Online. He'd been so used to farming thousands of gold coins a session that he never gave a thought to how little others could make. He never had to deal with price changes on goods or barter either with the merchant NPCs of Emerald Online.

The game had a good combat system. But when it came to its game economy, it was rather… lackluster. But if it'd had even that, he might have not messed up at Lute with the ridiculous tax, and...

"Eh, Bubba, you doing alright?" Keel asked, noticing the look on his face. Amber and Anya both stopped pleading as well to look at the Spear Hero worriedly.

The blonde man shook his head. "I'll be alright, let's hold off on shopping for today and get lunch like we planned."

"Awwww, but we've never seen a place like this before Bubba." Keel's tail fell against the ground.

"Are you sure Big Brother?" Amber asked curiously. He didn't know if it was in regards to the shopping, or about how he was doing.

"Yeah. Melty entrusted me with some funds from the town in case we have an opportunity to free some child slaves or Lurolona kids while we're here. Would it be better to spend the money meant to save others frivolously on clothing or junk instead?" Motoyasu asked.

He felt very hypocritical saying that because of how his past self had acted. But he said it regardless.

…

The other three girls didn't say anything else for a while after that. Instead walking towards the restaurant, with Motoyasu following as they chose a table and sat down.

He helped Amber to order when the waiter walked up since she couldn't read Melromarcian yet. But otherwise, they remained silent while they waited.

…

…

"Bubba…" Anya eventually spoke. "I'm sorry."

Motoyasu looked at her in surprise. "Eh? What are you apologizing for?"

"I… well, when I saw everything you could get here, I… forgot that we'd have to be spending our money to get what we wanted," Anya admitted.

"Yeah, I've never seen a place like this in my life," Keel admitted with a sigh. "I kind of lost track for a moment seeing all the toys the kids at home could play with."

"Hmmm, Amber wanted to try on some of the dresses here so she could see if Big Brother liked any of them or not." Amber tilted her head. "If Big Brother didn't want to buy them though, Amber is positive that her Big Brother could make them on his own."

Motoyasu chuckled. "Maybe. I don't know if I'm 'that' good, but I'm pretty good."

Amber giggled, and Motoyasu smiled a little. "Hey, how about this. Whatever you win in the arena, you can spend however you like. Just donate at least a tenth of it to the town fund so we have a chance to free more people here."

"Okay!" "Got it!" "Sure!"

His words seemed to improve the mood of the table tenfold, and Motoyasu sighed in relief. He didn't want to be his old simping self, but he did want to make sure his friends would be happy.

Even if they annoyed him from time to time.

...

A few minutes later, their food finally arrived. Keel had ordered a steak for herself. Anya had fried fish with a side of what looked like Caesar salad. Amber had a bunch of cheap and filling rice and egg-based dishes to plow through. And Moto had a large bowl of creamy mushroom soup.

"Mmmm, so yummy!" Keel grinned in delight as she tore into her steak.

"Hmph, I'm only eating veggies since Auntie Mahoya says they're good for me." The cat girl pouted as she poked the leafy greens of her bowl with a fork.

Motoyasu immediately began to dig in. He had to restrain himself from doing his customary Japanese "itadakimasu", since that would have looked extremely unusual to the other patrons eating there.

"Eh, Big Brother, we aren't going to give thanks?" Amber asked curiously.

"Sorry, but that's something we'll have to refrain from doing while we're here. It would draw unnecessary attention." Motoyasu explained to her.

The girl looked disappointed. Motoyasu had, admittedly, been doing a good job of helping her learn various human customs. And the custom of giving thanks before eating had sounded really good to her.

Fortunately, her disappointment didn't last long as, within two bites, she was drowned in the flavors of what she'd ordered.

As time went on, they lost themselves in the meal. "Mmmm." Anya smiled happily in delight as she ate with perfect manners.

"Om! NOM! CRUNCH!" And Keel… threw what little table manners she had aside as she ate like a dog.

"Slow down, you're going to-" Motoyasu began to caution.

"MPH! MMMM!" Keel began beating a fist against her chest.

Other patrons in the restaurant looked at the maid-dressed girl in confusion.

Motoyasu slightly lowered the vizor of his helmet again. But it was a good time.

…

Not a lot of conversation happened after that. Keel slowed down in her eating somewhat after being given the Heimlich maneuver by the Spear Hero. It actually felt somewhat peaceful.

Motoyasu felt himself relax a bit too. This had been a good place for him to eat. The food was great. The waitresses were nice. He even contemplated visiting the weapons display area on the second floor as well to see if there was anything new for him to… copy. But otherwise, he hadn't seen anyone or anything bad in the city thus far.

Maybe this was a sign that he was going to have some smooth sailing here, and…

…

As if he had to jinx it with his thoughts, Motoyasu noticed a pair of armored figures sitting at a table next to the doors to the main shop.

He wouldn't have thought much about it if not for another set of armored figures sitting at a table next to the other exit that led out to the street.

The patrons all promptly stood up, their meals left on the tables as they left the restaurant wing of the massive store. The waiters and waitresses moved to the kitchen, where the doors closed firmly behind them.

Motoyasu and his group were the only ones left sitting there now.

"Why, hello there!"

A little man entered the restaurant. He was flanked by two other men who were armed and wearing the same kind of armor as the first four men standing guard at the exits.

The stranger that arrived with this escort was short, extremely so. He looked about as tall as the Slave Trader Beloukas. He spoke with an accent that Motoyasu hardly recognized, and wore a rich red hat on his head. Motoyasu identified him as a high-ranking merchant on the spot.

"Did you enjoy your meal, good sir and ladies?" The man asked in a kind voice. For some reason, his accent sounded different than when he'd first spoken.

"Yes, it was very… pleasant," Motoyasu replied unsurely. Part of him wanted to move his visor down, but the other part of him thought that it would look suspicious.

"I see! I'm glad to hear that!" The man spoke with delight.

Again, it sounded like his accent had changed. Even the armored escorts were looking at the guy in confusion.

"And what about the rest of you?" The short man in the red hat asked, again, with his voice sounding different to Motoyasu.

"... what?" Keel asked.

"Ah, my apologies." The merchant coughed into his arm, it sounded like his accent had just changed again! What the hell was going on!? "Did you also enjoy your meal?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Keel muttered.

"It was really good." Anya also looked equally perturbed.

"I'm sorry, but is there something you need from us?" Motoyasu finally asked. He had his skills list pulled up on his HUD by then, and his hand was twitching slightly, ready to grab the naginata resting on his lap under the table at a moment's notice.

He didn't like the feeling he was getting. What the hell was going on here?

"Hmmm… interesting." The merchant hummed to himself, before looking at Amber. "And you, Miss, have you understood every language I've spoken since walking in here too?" He asked.

…

…

Motoyasu's blood chilled.

"Not… all of them. The first one was something Amber was unfamiliar with." The girl admitted. "And the language you used before that didn't sound familiar either."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Both are used by a group of nations far to the east. Beyond even the former land of the Spirit Tortoise." The merchant's smile didn't quite reach his ears, as he faced the mysterious knight before him again.

"I do have one question unrelated to your meal if you wouldn't mind answering it for me."

His face turned serious. "Is your Filolial friend here acquainted with "The Nocturnal Doctor", by any chance?"

…

…

Motoyasu was beyond confused, but he selected Portal Spear on his skills list. He was ready to flee at a moment's notice.

"Nocturnal… who?" He shifted his head to the side. His weapon began to glow as he unconsciously prepared his portal skill to get them out of there.

"The Nocturnal Doctor." The merchant chuckled. "He also had a Filolial like your friend here. Had a knack for accessories too. I taught him myself.

"Are you or your friends acquainted with him, by any chance?"

Filolial- wait, he knew that Amber was a Filolial?!

"How do you know that Amber is a Filolial and not a Shuzaku?" Motoyasu countered.

"Hmmm?" The man tilted his head as he put a hand to his chin in thought. "I'd say it's because she reminds me of the Nocturnal Doctor's Filolial. Now, what was her name again… … …

"Ah, I believe he and his companion named her Filo!"

…

…

…

…

...

…

…

…

Strangely, Motoyasu wasn't sure what to think. All this time, he thought the atmosphere had been tightening in anticipation of a battle.

Yet now, just hearing the name of his angel coming off this man's lips with such delight, he felt like a fight was the last thing that was going to happen now, I say.

"Bubba has that weird look on his face again." Keel stared in confusion at the dopey-looking Spear Hero.

Anya sighed to herself. She'd been getting herself ready to pounce on these men in case a fight did start. But she didn't like her odds with the way Motoyasu was acting now.

"Hmmm…" A pondering look settled on the merchant's face again. His bodyguards didn't so much as twitch. After putting a hand to his chin and thinking for a moment, he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Perhaps I should be saying Shield Hero instead of Nocturnal Doctor. I guess he'd be more commonly known by that title, after all."

Motoyasu twitched in surprise as he came out of his Filo-induced reverie. Curses, how could he strike at his one true weakness so swiftly, I say!?

Before he could deny it, Keel's face brightened. "Oh, Bubba Shield?! We know him!

"Strange though, I didn't know he went by such a name in the past."

"Me either." Anya looked confused as well. "That's cool to know."

…

Motoyasu nearly facepalmed. Well, so much for their cover. It was clear this man knew who they were, somehow. Now it looked like he was either going to have to portal out of there, silence this man and his bodyguards before they could inform anybody of who he was, or listen to what he had to say.

Three seemed like the easiest option to go forward. And somebody who spoke so excitedly about his angel couldn't possibly be evil. So he went along with that.

"Yes, we know Naofumi." Motoyasu said.

At the confirmation, the merchant's face brightened with delight. "Excellent! I was wondering if the Hero's Village managed to receive my courier or not!"

…

"You… you were the one that-" Motoyasu started to say in shock.

"Me? No. I didn't write the message. I did agree to pass it along, however. I was paid quite a few gold coins to do it too.

"Truthfully, I was hoping that I would get a chance to catch up with my former apprentice here. Though, I don't believe you are him." Hickwaal eyed up the disguised Spear Hero with a studious eye.

…

Glancing at the entrances to the shop again, he saw that the bodyguards the man had brought with him weren't boxing his group in. Rather, their presence was keeping others from entering this part of his shop. How could this man possibly have this much sway here…

"I'm going to assume you're another one of the Cardinal Heroes then, hmmm?" Hickwaal asked. "After all, it's hard enough to understand five different languages. It's even harder to sound fluent when you speak them."

Before Motoyasu could ask, the merchant chuckled. "I learned a thing or two when talking to the Shield Hero. I've changed which language I'm using six times over the course of our conversation." As if to point it out, his accent changed before he spoke that sentence.

…

Was that why it sounded like his accent kept on changing to Motoyasu earlier?

"Before we go any further, I'd at least like to know which of the Holy Heroes our nation is being graced by in disguise…"

"... I'd rather not say." Motoyasu changed his weapon under the table to a weapon form the size of a toothpick, before hiding it under the gauntlet of his right hand.

"That's good to hear." The merchant's face turned serious. "You understand the seriousness of what you're here to do then."

"To help a former resident of Lurolona free some slaves?" Motoyasu answered.

"Yes, though that is only the tip of the metaphorical iceberg…"

One of the bodyguards near the restaurant entrance grunted. The merchant looked to him and then nodded his head as he directed one of the bodyguards at the shop entrance towards a wall. "I believe it'd be best for us to continue this chat somewhere else."

"Um, we were going to see about finding ourselves an inn-" Motoyasu began to say.

"Not very likely, especially right now." The man laughed as he stood up. "The slave market is experiencing such an economic bubble that almost every inn in the city is full of slavers trying to grab a piece of the pie."

"... how?" Motoyasu asked, sounding shocked.

"Hmmm? With all four Heroes establishing their own nation together, did you really think the value of people claiming to be from Lurolona would stop rising after you got here?"

"At the time that letter was sent, Lurolona slaves were already worth a hundred times more than the average slave. Now, that number is approaching two or even three thousand times more in some cases. And it isn't looking to be dropping anytime soon."

…

…

Motoyasu's face blanched.

He knew that Beloukas was giving them a discounted price on child slaves since their nation bought them in bulk from the man. So for the sake of making his estimate on the figure easier for Motoyasu to comprehend, he'd put the initial value of these child slaves, since no adults had been spared in the initial slave raid of Lurolona, at around fifty silvers, half a gold coin. The typical cost for a somewhat healthy child slave.

At the time the letter was sent, those kids were thought to be worth around fifty gold coins. Now, their value was being estimated between one thousand to one thousand five hundred gold coins!

It was then that Motoyasu finally realized the weight of the task they were undertaking at that moment. And it was clear that going through with this was going to earn the Heroes many enemies in the long run.

As Motoyasu continued to sit in stunned shock, Anya pulled on his arm, grabbing his attention. The girl looked more relaxed than she had earlier when she'd been preparing herself mentally for a fight. "Bubba, I get the feeling that this guy isn't a bad person."

"Yeah, I'm not getting any bad vibes from him either." Keel shrugged. "Certainly not like what I got from those slavers that tried to steal us back then."

Motoyasu had to take a few seconds to collect himself before he could respond. "I don't know yet…"

"I'll say, your caution is warranted." The merchant spoke again, this time in Melromarcian so the others could understand. "Lying and blackmailing is a common practice out here. Assassination too.

"However, I'm indebted to the Shield Hero for saving me from the latter. It's why I make sure to keep a squad of bodyguards on hand wherever I go now, just in case."

The merchant looked to the section of wall one of his bodyguards had walked towards.

It seemed inconspicuous at first. But then the armored man pressed a hand into the cobblestone brick, and the wall got pushed aside, revealing a set of stairs leading underground.

"Can you at least tell us who you are?" Motoyasu asked if only to attempt to grasp a foothold on just how deep the situation was.

"Hmmm… well, if it'll allow me to know who you are in return." The merchant bowed. "The name's Hickwaal. Proud owner of this fine establishment, and current guildmaster of the Merchant's Guild in Zeltoble, though I won't be for much longer with how things are going. Still, I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

…

Ah, so that's why no one was here to bother them. Owner's privilege, what a nice thing.

Motoyasu stood up slowly, still keeping his weapon out of sight. "Kitamura Motoyasu," He said simply. "The Spear Hero."

"Sir Motoyasu then. The man who saved a city in the Spirit Tortoise's path on his own." Hickwaal's smile only grew, as if he was relieved. "Yes, I think you'll do just fine here."

He gestured to the stairway leading underground, and Motoyasu looked to the others.

However, instead of uncertainty, all of them had picked up their leftovers and looked eager to follow this man.

Seeing them trusting Hickwaal, Motoyasu finally decided to relax his caution, if only a little. Maybe it was bad to trust the intuition of his friends here, but not even Amber was suspicious of the man.

Maybe her cowlick rhythmically swaying back and forth had something to do with that. Fitoria must have been observing them this whole time.

Indeed, Filolials could never be wrong, I say!

"Bubba's making that weird face again," Anya commented.

"Shut up!" Motoyasu lowered his vizor again and began to pout.

The group followed Hickwaal underground. And the man's bodyguards closed the hidden passage behind them.

Hero Clips!

Reprisal of the 2500 Gold Coin Bit

"Your Majesty,"

"What is it, my dear Shadow?"

Mirellia stood at a window of her castle, observing her husband down below.

He was going on one of his walks in the courtyard. He still used a cane to assist himself, but he was moving on his own.

As she observed, he lifted his other hand up, chanting out a spell for wind magic. It was slow going, and he stuttered more than a few times, but a gust of wind came out from his hand, bringing a pleased smile to the man's face.

Mirellia's mood improved almost a hundredfold witnessing it. Truly, nothing could ruin this day for her, seeing the strides Aultcray was making in returning to his old self, and-

"Your Majesty?"

Oh, right, Shadow was still there. "I'm sorry, please repeat that." Mirellia focused on the dark cloaked figure again.

"I daresay, we've received fresh reports on your daughter and the weapon she purchased from some of our operatives in Zeltoble." Shadow spoke again.

Mirellia almost groaned. Of course, if there was anything that could ruin her day, it'd be news of that black sheep. "And what do the reports say?" Mirellia asked, already rubbing her forehead to alleviate the oncoming headache she knew she was going to get.

"It turns out that the former princess isn't the one responsible for spending 2500 gold coins from the kingdom's treasury on a sword that was only worth five gold coins."

…

…

…

"Excuse me?" Mirellia asked, looking surprised.

Shadow nodded. "Indeed, surprised as I was, it turns out the former princess isn't the one responsible for that."

…

…

Strange, Mirellia expected she'd have a headache right about now. But upon hearing that it was possible that 2500 gold coins hadn't been spent from her kingdom's treasury in such a colossal waste of money, she started to feel even better than before. And…

"Wait, you said she wasn't responsible… does that mean the sword was still bought for 2500 gold coins?" Mirellia asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, My Lady." Shadow bowed her head in apology again.

"... … …" Mirellia put her head in her hands. There was that all too familiar headache now. She could already feel her anger rising. "And who, praytell, is the one responsible for the purchase then?"

"I daresay, are you sure you want to know, Your Grace?" Shadow asked, the visible lower half of her face looking nervous.

"Yes." Mirellia finally looked up, glaring at her subordinate.

...

Shadow swallowed a gulp. Her cloak suddenly felt too hot all of a sudden. She already had a feeling what was going to happen next, but…

"The person responsible for the purchase is the Spear Hero." She admitted.

The Queen's reaction to the news was swift, but not unexpected.

"MORE! FIND ME MORE PORTRAITS OF THAT BLONDE BASTARD!"

Yep, this was an all too familiar scene for Shadow.

The raging Queen stood in her throne room. Fire magic swirled around her in waves as Mirellia's maids ran in and out of the room, carrying finely drawn pictures of the Spear Hero to set up on stands for her usual 'target practice'.

It was unknown if these had been drawn on the spot, or if they'd been prepared in advance for something or other. A few did look more crude than others, but that didn't seem to faze her Majesty in the slightest.

"Think the tune from before could work here?" One of the maids asked her colleague.

"No, bastard doesn't really have the same ring to it as bitch." The other girl sighed.

"-decipher the laws of nature, and turn my targets to ash! Leave nothing to remain!-"

The girls dashed out of Mirellia's line of fire. They felt bad for what the Spear Hero was going to go through when Mirellia got her hands on him.

"I daresay, does this mean that the former omake of Bitch gloating about buying her blade is being retconned?" Shadow pondered to herself.

Not exactly retconned, since Bitch is a well-known habitual liar.

"... fair enough." Shadow shrugged at the narrator's words.

"DRIFA INFERNO!"

Yeesh, she burned twenty portraits at the same time there. Mirellia had grown a lot stronger since the last time she vented out her frustration like this. Clearly, the tune the maids sung before wouldn't be appropriate now for more than one reason.

And like that, the maids were back to finding more drawings of Motoyasu Kitamura for Her Majesty to vent her wrath out on.

It was going to be a cold day in hell when Motoyasu returned from Zeltoble to report to Mirellia.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Motoyasu didn't know why he expected it to be dark underground.

Perhaps, it was because he expected the undercity to look creepy and disgusting. And indeed, there were undoubtedly many parts of it that could be described as just that and much worse.

But for the most part, after the group exited the passage and looked around, things looked... surprisingly clean.

The main street was spacious and well-lit. It looked just as well-kept and maintained as the capital's topside. The walls and ceiling looked sturdy and smooth to the touch. It was obvious that they had been enhanced by earth magic to prevent any collapses and water leakage from the river that ran across the city above.

Most of the people found moving around down here were either well-dressed or decked out in top-of-the-line adventuring gear. The illumination was provided by magic lanterns hanging on the ceiling and from numerous sconces attached to the walls. There were even stalls along the main underground road, with merchants peddling their wares behind them.

But despite the seemingly clean and innocuous first impression, there were still some big differences between this place and the upper city. And the most notable one was the abundance of slaves that were put on display.

Moto and his group had seen a handful of them up above, but there were far, far more of them down here. And as the Spear Hero followed Hickwaal and his bodyguards, he was able to get a good look at them all.

A slaver was moving a group of adult slaves bound in chains toward an open auction happening in plain sight in one of the specially designated slave markets.

Another group was apparently in charge of keeping this part of the Undercity tidy. Their weak and malnourished forms could be seen cleaning the stone floors and walls with rags that looked no different from the ones that the slaves wore on their bodies. And to make sure that the slaves wouldn't slack off, a group of armed guards with whips was monitoring them nearby. Their tools occasionally cracked the air, making the servants flinch and raise their pace.

The younger and better-looking slaves had price tags attached to their collars and were put up on display next to other exotic and premium products and goods that the various stall merchants were selling.

The larger storefronts, carved right into the stone walls seemed to be more specialized and prestigious, focusing on some specific type of commodity or service. Many of them seemed to cater to and provide things that would get you run out of town in more orderly parts of the world.

There were also many side passages splintering off from the main road that Motoyasu was briefly able to look into as they walked. And as he did, it quickly became apparent that only the main roads of the Undercity were regularly maintained. The places where all the numerous tourists and customers mingled were all well-lit and clean, but the moment you made a sharp turn down into one of the side tunnels, alleyways, or maintenance tunnels used for slaves, maintenance workers, and the like, things turned ghetto pretty quick.

Cracked floors, walls stained with blood, vomit, and fecal matter, and piles of garbage; it was an unnerving sight. Throughout their trip with Hickwaal, Motoyasu spotted what was drugs being sold to some miserable wretches out in the open. Once, he saw a brawl break out between a homeless human and a homeless wolfman over a pinch of the mysterious white powder.

"Bubba, why's that woman over there wearing so little clothing? Won't she catch a cold like that?" Keel asked, pointing out a woman standing outside a door in one of the wider side tunnels. She was smoking while wearing an outfit that barely left anything to the imagination.

"I'll tell you later, Keel. Let's just keep moving." Anya grimaced, nudging her friend to continue while ignoring the prostitute who began to walk up to one of the tourists traveling along the main street.

Less than a minute later, Motoyasu nearly stopped in outrage as he saw a group of six slaves carrying a litter upon which sat a bald portly man that was so obese, Idol Rabier would have looked healthy in comparison. The six slaves, a mix of humans and demis, were struggling to transport his massive bulk around. At the first sign of slowing down, one of the man's aids struck the lead human with a striped whip over his head, causing the slave to collapse to the ground unconscious. Blood began to leak from the wound, staining his graying hair.

The obese man frowned on his litter, and the purple seal on the fallen slave's chest activated once, then twice. But besides some twitching, the unconscious man didn't get up.

"I understand how you feel, but I must ask you to not start a scene," Hickwaal said before Motoyasu could confront the obese man.

The obese master rolled his eyes and gestured with his hand to the five remaining slaves carrying his litter to continue moving. One of them tried to get down to pick up their unconscious comrade, but the man shook his head, forbidding the slave from doing so. The purple crest on the other slave's chest also glowed faintly, threatening punishment if he disobeyed.

The remaining five had no choice but to continue, leaving their fallen comrade behind as they went around a corner, disappearing.

Motoyasu deflated in disappointment.

"That man is Ziro Quaker, one of the most influential landowners in the city and the man who owns the Colosseum, Zeltoble's most prestigious arena. He is a spiteful man with a lot of authority. If you cross him, he will not only ban you from entering the Colosseum but every other fighting pit and arena in the city. And that will make completing your task here practically impossible."

As Motoyasu looked down at the unconscious slave while gritting his teeth in anger, a group of mercenaries came out of the shadows. One of them forced the fallen man up while another used some healing magic to seal the slave's bleeding wound.

That was the extent of the treatment that he got, however, before the guards dragged his unconscious body off into one of the dark alleys. A few moments later a few of the cleaning slaves from earlier knelt by the bloodstain that was left behind on the ground and began to clean it up.

"That man's luckier than most. From what I heard, Ziro usually has his slaves killed outright when they fail him. He must be in a good mood today." Hickwaal's face briefly soured, before he masked it with another fake smile.

Motoyasu and his group continued following the midget merchant. But now, Motoyasu was starting to struggle with ignoring everything around him.

Such inhuman cruelty to sentient life was unforgivable…

…

As they walked past another side passage, Motoyasu spotted a group of black-robed individuals. They were going down an alleyway, dragging a scared child slave in chains behind them.

One of the men was holding some kind of strange and wicked-looking ceremonial dagger in his hands.

…

Motoyasu vowed internally after seeing that. If this job did end up being successful, he'd come back one day to deal with this cesspit himself.

There was no way something like this could be allowed to continue. He'd clean this place up no matter how long it took.

…

As they continued down the road, Motoyasu spotted some people staring at his group.

"Is that a Shuzaku?" A gritty-looking man spoke. He wasn't very tall, and most of his teeth were missing.

"Hmmm, their wings are supposed to be red. Hers isn't." Another man spoke next to him. He was even more wiry than his comrade, and while he had almost all his teeth, they were all yellowed or black.

"That might mean a mutation. I wonder if she's for sale." The first man licked his lips and began to salivate, leering at Amber as if she were nothing more than a piece of meat.

"That dog looks nice too. Haven't had any in a while." The second man began to salivate as well.

…

Perverts. If they even touched Amber, they'd end up on Motoyasu's murder list, I say. No way he'd trust her or anyone else in his group with those fellows.

"Nghh…" Amber began to shift uncomfortably. "Amber doesn't like those two men, Big Brother." She suddenly said.

"What? Should I kill them for their pervertedness now, I say?" Motoyasu quickly responded.

"Perverted…? Oh, you mean wanting to mate." Amber shook her head. "No, Big Brother, Amber doesn't think those men want to mate with Amber.

"They look like they want to eat Amber."

…

"Eat you?" "That's ridiculous." Keel and Anya both scoffed simultaneously, after having a moment to process the Filolial girl's words.

Motoyasu looked at the two men again though, and the one staring at Keel licked his lips again. His eyes were filled with nothing but hunger. And Amber shuddered again as the first man whispered something to his fellow, which made both of them chuckle ominously.

…

…

…

Did Motoyasu say they weren't on his murder list yet? My bad.

He was going to rectify that mistake right now, I say!

"Big Brother, don't." Amber pulled the Spear Hero along by the arm.

"Come on, at least let me scare them a little!" Motoyasu complained to the girl.

"Big Brother, no." Amber persisted.

The two men must have been wiser than they looked because upon seeing the waves of murderous intent coming off the knight figure being restrained by the younger girl, they quickly bolted from the street.

Motoyasu had their faces and builds memorized, however. If he found them again and nobody else was around, they weren't going to survive the encounter. Their ashes would be ashes by the time he was done with them.

Amber sighed. "Just leave it alone. We don't want to cause trouble, remember?"

"No promises!" Motoyasu responded almost too casually.

Amber didn't let go of his arm as they walked past that area.

At some point, as they walked, the streets opened into large underground caverns. The streets were replaced with wide-open plazas filled with the other establishments Granny had warned him about.

Gambling and drug dens showed up en masse. They were placed alongside bars, brothels, and restaurants, as well as the occasional theater, though it didn't look like anyone was interested in the plays. Armed mercenaries were everywhere, ready to drag off drunkards and junkies from the area with the speed and efficiency of veteran Disneyland workers.

Motoyasu saw an argument turn into a fight between two patrons in one of the bars. But one of the armed mercenaries swiftly moved in, knocking the two men out with the hilt of his sword before binding their wrists and dragging them away. Another armed mercenary, a woman with floppy dog ears on her head, took the first one's place, keeping watch over the plaza.

This whole place was a real piece of work.

"Oooh, Bubba, this smoky stuff in the air smells really sweet." Keel pointed out as they passed by one of the drug dens. A large white cloud of ...something was clinging to it, occasionally leaking out into the main street in long tendril-like wisps.

"Yeah, don't breathe that in please." Motoyasu hastily plastered a handkerchief over Keel's face and pulled her away. She let out some muffled words of confusion or protest at the action but otherwise listened to what Motoyasu had told her.

It looked like most of the crowds were drawn to doors leading to the various underground fighting pits in the place. Where the sounds of fighting could be heard clear as day.

Hickwaal wasn't leading them to these entrances, however, and instead led them to a staircase leading further up toward the surface again.

Finally, after some time of going up the stairs, Hickwaal stopped before a door. A person opened a slot in it to look down, and right afterward, it was opened by an older gentleman.

"Master Hickwaal, I didn't expect to see you for today's matches." The man was dressed like your typical butler. There wasn't a single wrinkle in his black, gold-trimmed suit, and he had a handkerchief poking out of his front coat pocket. The hair on his head was white with age, yet it was well groomed, along with his beard and mustache. However, he had a fierce expression on his face. He had an aura of power around him that Motoyasu recognized from veteran adventurers. Ones who'd managed to live their entire lives facing monsters again and again, living to tell about it in their ripe old age.

He knew this all too well because these traits were shared by one other person he knew very well: Granny.

...

For some reason, Motoyasu had the unconscious thought that those two would get along well if they met face to face. He wasn't keen on seeing that happen anytime soon.

"Greetings Sebas, I wasn't planning to visit today either, but I've run into some old acquaintances." Hickwaal smiled, entirely unphased by the man's appearance as he gestured to Motoyasu and his cohorts. "This is their first time at the capital, so I am showing them around."

"I see... very well. I shall be at your service then." The older man bowed politely. While his facial expression didn't change, the threatening aura coming off him diminished somewhat.

Holy... Hickwaal had himself one very good butler. He was surprised he needed other bodyguards when this old man would be enough to scare anybody off. Even monsters.

He'd seen it happen before too. You didn't know true fear until you saw dragons flying away from one old lady in the mountains, absolutely terrified of being annihilated without a shred of mercy for interrupting.

Granted, they were a lesser species of dragon he and Granny encountered when the retired adventurer was looking for a good spot to train him in feeling his life force, but anyway.

Motoyasu and the others entered a room that, besides the butler who'd answered, was devoid of anyone else.

The bodyguards stayed in front of the door, taking positions by it to stand guard as it closed shut.

This was some kind of VIP observation room. One of the walls had several large windows, showing a view of a large, underground arena down below. If it had been a football stadium, this would have been considered skybox seating.

There was a fight going on at the bottom right now. A towering, heavily scarred hakuko male dressed in nothing but a loincloth was facing off against a Griffon monster.

Motoyasu's HUD indicated the monster's level at being 115.

"Ah, perfect, with a match as exciting as this happening, no one will mind me bringing a few guests up here." Hickwaal chuckled as he took a seat, staring down at the arena below. "And as a bonus, you'll also get a sneak peek at what you'll be getting yourself into when you're not facing other contestants."

Keel, Amber, and Anya didn't take seats. Instead, the girls headed over to a counter where snacks had been laid out. They began to munch on them greedily while Motoyasu took a seat next to the plump merchant. Sebas stood near the back wall, calmly observing everyone while waiting to receive commands from his benefactor.

"Is this room yours?" The Spear Hero decided to break the ice with a bit of small talk first.

"Indeed, it is! It's soundproofed and the windows are one-way mirrors, so it should be relatively safe for us to discuss business here. Especially since you'll be participating in these fights down there soon," Hickwaal said while continuing to observe the fight down below.

"As a wandering traveler that goes by the name 'Bubba'." Motoyasu sighed. He had failed to come up with an alternative name by this point. He was wondering if he was going to be stuck with it for the rest of the time he was here.

"On that note, may I suggest a better background for you? Instead of claiming to be some wandering traveler, you should say that you're a knight that survived the battle against the Spirit Tortoise in Sworn." Hickwaal suggested. "It was thanks to the Cardinal Heroes that some people escaped that place alive. The fact that you fought the beast and its minions and lived to talk about it would prove your strength without exposing your real identity."

"Oh… okay." Motoyasu nodded, liking the idea. "And my name?"

"Nothing wrong with it, keep it as it is." Hickwaal shrugged.

…

Motoyasu crossed his arms, looking down below. His vizor was down, hiding the fact that he was pouting.

The Griffon monster unleashed a loud screech from its beak. It must have been a magic attack, as Motoyasu was able to see indistinct waves coming from its mouth covering the whole ground of the arena. Yet its effect was blocked by a magical barrier that shimmered to existence in front of the windows of the room.

The hakuko male on the ground didn't waver as his ears pressed flat against his head. He raced past the monster, his clawed hands leaving deep gashes along the beast's left flank.

He then spun on one hand as the monster tried to peck him, not only dodging its beak but allowing him to nail the side of the creature's head with one of his feet, making it stagger back.

Motoyasu began to look at the fight more closely, awed at the skill the fighter was showing.

"Hmmm, they've already cast a speed debuff on Hu. Looks like the crowd wants the griffon to win today's fight." Hickwaal frowned to himself.

"Oh…" Motoyasu trailed off. He remembered Granny mentioning this to him about the Colosseum and the underground arenas in particular.

Each match in these illegal arenas had people betting on the victor. Not only that, members of the audience could do all sorts of things to have their side win. Like paying to have support or debuff magic cast on the participants. Or throw a weapon or armor set down for the fighters to use. They could even pay to have the fighting arena's environment changed to suit one side over the other.

There were quite a few things that could be done in these fights if enough money was thrown around.

It appeared that this audience wanted the Griffon to win. Which would mean the hakuko man's death… was that allowed?

The two watched the fight proceed for a little while longer.

…

"How do you know Naofumi?" Motoyasu finally spoke after a while.

The fight below was starting to heat up as the original griffon lay injured on the ground, yet two more suddenly appeared from holes in the wall that opened up. One's level was 120, while the other was level 125.

"We met a few months ago. I'd say it would have been a couple of weeks or so after Melromarc had the wave that hit close to its Capital." Hickwaal answered.

Motoyasu grunted. "That would have been when he was on the run."

"Indeed, I assumed he was hiding his identity after he introduced himself as the Nocturnal Doctor. But I didn't realize who he was until later.

"I'll take it that he hasn't gone by that title lately since you didn't recognize it?" Hickwaal inquired.

"Not really. I think I remember being told he called himself the Nocturnal Doctor at one point. But I can't recall when." Motoyasu frowned under his helmet.

"Hmmm, well in any case, he, his companion, and his Filolial protected me from an attempt on my life by one of my associates seeking my role as guildmaster, and I have owed him my gratitude for that ever since.

"Said associate has since been taken care of, but that's a different story for another time." Hickwaal chuckled to himself.

"Anyway, while I was traveling with the Shield Hero, I saw some of the things he'd made by himself and realized that he had a talent with his hands. So I decided to teach him what I could of crafting accessories before we parted ways.

"Hmmm… this reminds me, I did hear from one of my colleagues who went to Cal Mira that his skills have progressed, but I haven't been able to see Sir Naofumi's latest works yet." Hickwaal pondered out loud. "Do you think you could bring a sample or two of his work to me during your stay? I recall that heroes can traverse great distances in an instant with some kind of special ability called teleport. So it shouldn't be too much trouble."

"... That might be difficult at the moment," Motoyasu said, fidgeting in his seat. "Naofumi isn't exactly reachable right now."

"Oh? Is that why he's not here?" Hickwaal asked curiously.

"Yeah, kind of." Motoyasu refused to elaborate further.

"I see… can you at least say where he's at?" Hickwaal pressed on.

"No. All I can say is that he's helping out elsewhere and that he's doing well." Motoyasu answered honestly.

"Hmmm…" Hickwaal looked down at the fight below again.

The original griffon monster was finally dead, though the hakuko fighter now had a gash on one of his shoulders. Not that the two other griffons looked better, as one looked like its wings had been ripped off while the other was missing one of its eyes.

"How did you find out Naofumi was the Shield Hero back then?" Motoyasu asked.

"I did the same thing I did before with you while I was teaching him about accessory crafting and enchanting," Hickwaal answered. "I do know some of the tricks that can distinguish a Hero from a normal person. No matter how many times I changed the language I was speaking when I was teaching him in private, he didn't even bat an eye at me.

"I wasn't certain if he was the Shield Hero specifically. But after everything I'd learned about him and his situation at that point, I had a pretty good guess." Hickwaal continued to smile while thinking back at that time. "My associate merely confirmed it to me after he returned from his very profitable trip to Cal Mira. I was glad to see the Shield Hero managed to beat some business sense into that skull of his."

"So… Was the only reason why you helped Naofumi back then because of his crafting skills?" Motoyasu asked.

"Yes. I needed no other reason. He was the first person I met who I thought to be worthy of inheriting my knowledge, and because he saved my life, I had all the more reason to do so." Hickwaal answered honestly. "I considered it an investment helping him out even if it had the chance of souring some of my connections in Melromarc. But being the benefactor of a Hero is far better for business than keeping a few disgruntled nobles happy."

"Hmmm…" Motoyasu thought about his answer for a moment.

This time, since he was watching for it, he saw as strength and speed debuff magic was cast on the hakuko fighter down below at a critical moment as one of the two griffons suddenly lunged toward his throat, having been enhanced by speed buff magic.

Yet despite being slowed down and weakened, the man slid sideways, wrapping his furry arms around the griffon's neck as it passed overhead. He began strangling the creature and biting into the monster's neck above where he was strangling it as the other tried getting over its comrade's back to get at the pesky white tiger.

The therianthrope man must have been using strengthening magic of his own in his beast form. Either that or he had a freakishly high level and stats for his race because there was no way the arena's debuff magic should have been shrugged off that easily. Not without life force training from Granny, at least.

Though, then again, Motoyasu saw parts of the tiger man's body glow as he fought. So perhaps he was channeling his life force instinctually without realizing it? Granny had mentioned in the past that such a thing was possible without training in life force if an individual honed their talents in their profession past their absolute limits.

It was strange to see such an individual fighting in a death match like this though. Who was this man exactly?

…

"Any other questions you want to get out of the way before we continue?" Hickwaal asked.

"... One more, I think," Motoyasu said. "You seem to understand that by helping me out, your position here will be put in jeopardy."

"Oh, no it won't be put in jeopardy." Hickwaal clarified. "Rather, if I'm found out, I'll be kicked out of Zeltoble's Merchant's guild, branded as a traitor by the other members of the city council, and either be sold off as a debt slave at best or publicly executed at worst."

…

…

…

Motoyasu could not help but stare at the man, who still had a jovial smile on his face while watching the scarred hakuko down below struggling against the last monster.

The two of them were both covered in wounds, and the people betting on the griffons winning were trying everything they could to get the hakuko killed, either by paying for more intense debuff magic to be cast on him, paying for more buff magic to be cast on the remaining griffon, or by trying to pay for an additional fighter to be added to aid the griffon.

They couldn't pay for more reinforcements though. They could only do that once in these monster matches since the supply of powerful monsters that the arenas were keeping around for fights wasn't unlimited.

"Why the hell do you want to help me out then? What could be in it for you if you lose everything here? I seriously doubt you'd stay around if doing this would put your life in danger." Motoyasu responded heatedly and turned his head to face the short merchant.

"Meh. What I have here is a trifling of what I could have later if things work out." Hickwaal chuckled as he waved off the Spear Hero's concern.

"And what would that be?" Motoyasu asked incredulously.

"Why, I could set up a new shop in the middle of the Hero's Nation!" Hickwaal proclaimed excitedly. "I can already see it in my mind! A franchise more glorious than anything else I've ever built, selling goods from all over the world! Blessed by all four of the Holy Heroes!

"I say, there'd be endless profits to reap from such an endeavor for me and my descendants!"

…

…

Again, Motoyasu took another moment as he pondered over the merchant's answer.

"Is something wrong?" Hickwaal asked, looking concerned.

"... I mean, yeah, I guess if you want to set up a shop in exchange for helping us, I think that's actually pretty reasonable. It might take some time to find a plot of land that'd work for you, but I think Melty is capable enough to work out the details with you.

"But… our nation is really small. We're nowhere close to being able to compete with the likes of Zeltoble or even Melromarc in terms of trade or people or anything like that. So I doubt that you'd get to see what you are envisioning happen in your lifetime."

"I disagree," Hickwaal smirked as he turned his head to face Motoyasu as well.

"Let me go on a little side tangent before I explain. "

Hickwaal reached into his jacket's inner pocket and pulled out three gold coins. The merchant then put one of the gold coins in his right hand while keeping two gold coins in his left.

"Let's say I have an offer for you. I wish to purchase one of the buttons from your gambeson. I can either pay you one gold coin for it right now, or I can pay you two coins for it tomorrow.

"Which option do you think is more profitable?"

Motoyasu quickly opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated at the last second…

After a short moment of thinking it over himself, he shook his head and leaned back in his seat.

"To take one gold coin now." He answered.

Hickwaal's eyes widened slightly, betraying his surprise. This was not the response that he expected.

"May I ask for your reasoning?" The merchant passed the gold coin over to the Spear Hero who took it and raised it to the slit in his helmet to take a closer look at the freshly-minted piece of shiny metal.

"Because now I can invest this gold coin today." Motoyasu lowered his hand and stored the coin in his weapon's Gemstone before tearing off one of the buttons off his armor's gambeson and tossing it over to Hickwaal.

The merchant caught it deftly, rolling it in between his fingers while Motoyasu continued.

"Besides that, there is no guarantee that you'll keep your word and give me two gold coins tomorrow. Even if we sign a contract and you try your best to follow its conditions with no ill intent, something unexpected could happen. You could get robbed, or go bankrupt, or some kind of natural disaster or random misfortune could leave you destitute or dead.

"In short, it's best to take what is being offered here and now and then use that wealth to multiply it on your terms instead of waiting for more wealth that could come from an uncertain future."

"I see… I do apologize." Hickwaal pocketed the button and bowed his head. "I was not aware that you were a merchant too, Sir Motoyasu. My attempts at communicating with you earlier must have sounded rather boorish."

"I'm not a merchant." The Spear Hero shook his head. "But I did study Economics and Commerce in my original world. Allow me to apologize too. You must have had something profound to say and I ruined it by subverting your expectations of me."

Hickwaal leaned back in his seat next and let out a deep throaty chuckle. "It's quite alright. Not everything will always go according to plan, no matter how many preparations you make.

"But regarding what I wanted to say. Taking the gold coin now would be the statistically more profitable option to take, as you've said. Any good merchant who knows his salt would agree with this."

Hickwaal's jovial expression soured just a little bit. "But not I."

"Oh? Why's that?" Motoyasu quirked his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"Because I am not a 'good' merchant, Sir Motoyasu." Hickwaal shrugged helplessly.

"Throughout my career, I never cared about chasing trends. I didn't participate in any quick schemes. I didn't invest in any new untested products. I didn't join any shifty cliques or conspiracies to manipulate or claim a monopoly over certain local markets. I didn't abuse unfortunate situations to jack up the prices of essential goods. And I tried my best to distance myself from certain types of merchandise and services that I could have easily provided and profited greatly from, out of personal distaste.

"Instead, I took the assets that I inherited from my comfortably wealthy parents and slowly worked my way up with safe long-term investments, building a strong reputation and simply outlasting my competitors. One after another, I watched them crash and burn in their single-minded pursuit of multiplying their wealth at any cost. Slowly and carefully I made my way forward over their ashes, making sure to not repeat their mishaps and mistakes. Until I finally found myself at the top one day.

"But the thing is... I wasn't the first person to get to the top. I wasn't alone up there.

"There were already notorious, experienced, and influential people up there. But they didn't get there by taking the road that I took. Nor did they get there by taking the road that my competitors have. Or rather... they did, but without any of the risks.

"They did the same things as the ones who had lost their businesses and investments as a consequence of their failures and shortsighted pursuit of profits. But instead of crashing and burning alongside them, they managed to safely land back on their feet. Because they had help.

"It came in many different ways. Some of them had rich and influential patrons or were members of nobility themselves. So they were able to get back up with a few donations under the promise that they would return the favor later.

"Others shifted their failures on someone else. Like the workers in their factories. Or the customers who kept their money in their banks. They paid the price of failure for those individuals, allowing them to start over.

"Regardless of their circumstances, most of the people on my current level are either morons, aggressively malicious sociopaths, or both, which is most common.

"They did not reach this far up through any merit and it shows.

"So when they saw me. Someone who got to this level in a way that was 'wrong'.

"They felt threatened.

"Since the moment that I became the Guildmaster of the Merchant's guild, Zeltoble's elites have done everything in their power to sabotage me or to remove me outright. It was only because of the genuine connections that I made along with my outstanding reputation that I was able to weather this never-ending storm for all these years.

For the longest time, I even toyed with the idea of using my vast influence to shift the local market trends toward healthier ways that would bring long-term stability. I succeeded to some extent. By paying my workers double the wages of my current competitors, I was able to easily snatch up every expert and skilled laborer in the field while simultaneously forcing my competitors to adapt or die out.

"And with how stubborn they were, they tried to compensate by using slave labor instead. Needless to say, slaves who can't even read make for poor workers.

"At that point, I became the owner of close to half of the industry in Zeltoble. Many of the towns in this country operated their mines and manufacturing in my name.

"But all good things have to come to an end. And in my case, The Waves of Destruction made me suffer a fatal blow.

"The other elites of Zeltoble saw this opportunity and ordered our mercenary armies to pull back to the capital and focus on only protecting the main city. I tried my best to defend my numerous assets across the country through the use of private security, but only a handful were willing to work for me. And the numbers of those who did quickly dwindled even further as the waves ground them down to dust.

"I'm sure you've seen the results on your way here. Most of the country is now in ruins. There has been almost no one here strong enough to effectively combat the waves for the last few months."

"I..." Motoyasu tried to interject while biting his lip.

"Do not worry, I am not blaming you or the other heroes. I am aware of what the Three Heroes Church and King Aultcray tried to pull off during the first few months. I wasn't present at the conference in Faubley personally, but I heard what Queen Mirellia had to say on the topic. And I am aware that you operate worldwide now under the Queen of the Filolials. I am afraid it's a bit too late in Zeltoble's case.

"But, I digress. To get back on topic, in regards of me seeking asylum in your country, Sir Spear Hero..."

"I have influence here, but as I explained, my influence here is dwindling. I have a lot of enemies and I'm not flexible enough when it comes to dealing with the certain types of goods and 'unique' services in demand here. Hence the bodyguards." Hickwaal coughed into his hand.

"But if I were to liquidate all my assets here and seek asylum in the Hero's nation, I'd be able to set up shop again under much more favorable conditions. I wouldn't have to deal with demand for slaves or other less tasteful services. And my wealth would also help to bolster your economy and give employment to those among you who aren't training to fight."

Motoyasu frowned. "But again, this could potentially take decades to pay off. Why not just retire at that point?

"Hmhmhm." Hickwaal chuckled to himself. "Because I have something that most of my colleagues don't have thanks to their focus on profits they could make now instead of later. Vision.

"You say your nation is small now, but what about in five years or ten years? Perhaps, twenty, maybe fifty?

"It was thanks to a past Spear Hero that Faubley's royal family came to be. Areas of Shieldfreeden and Zeltoble are dotted with the descendants of past Sword Heroes. Remnants of the Bow Hero's lineage live on in some of Melromarc's nobility. And Siltvelt itself was founded thanks to the efforts of past Shield Heroes.

"Now imagine a nation being founded by all four of the Cardinal Heroes. A nation where they and their descendants will be able to live after the current set of Waves is over. Where the people will be able to grow strong and expand their influence under all four Cardinal Heroes. Whose descendants will mix with theirs, and be blessed with power and abilities thanks to their Hero lineages.

"Do you think that any of the other nations would be able to compare to the progress that one nation would make after even one century had passed?"

…

"I… don't know," Motoyasu answered, looking unsure.

"History remembers the rise of the major nations and families established by Cardinal Heroes of the past. But most people tend to forget the darker lessons taught to us by history.

"Zeltoble might have been great at one point. But now, this nation is nothing but a dead end. Because of the greed of those in charge, we have no middle class that exists here anymore. Many you've seen here above or below ground are tourists or traders passing through. The only people left here either own other people, are owned themselves, or work low-paying jobs, so they can avoid being thrown out into the streets.

"Most of the property in the city is in the hands of a select few like myself. And the slaves…

"Zeltoble's population was already in decline before the Waves hit, and I already explained to you what happened when the City Council decided to throw the smaller settlements that provided food and resources to us under the bus in favor of centralizing all of Zeltoble's economy around its capital. So what little the country had in terms of actual citizens and diversity in portfolios has either fled, been destroyed, killed, or is in the process of being enslaved.

"All food and other essentials are being imported from other countries and any major shift or disturbance in trade routes and logistics could spell disaster for us.

"We don't even have a proper standing army here. Instead, we rely on the same slave soldiers and mercenaries we use for entertainment underground to keep things running in our nation. Gods know where our Seven-Star Hero went at this point. She must have abandoned us, either that, or she perished in a ditch, killed by some monster long ago."

…

Hickwaal sighed to himself. "As it stands, with or without the help of the Heroes, Zeltoble is a dead nation that hasn't realized it is dead yet. Most of the people living here have sunk so low into the most depraved things to acquire money and power that I can't stand for it any longer. It is only a matter of time until our mercenary armies are unable to keep up with the strength of the Waves around the Capital, and we'll have to beg for the Hero's help to save this wretched place."

"And I doubt that you would wish to do so after seeing your reactions to some of the things here already."

"We're Cardinal Heroes. If we don't fight off the Waves everywhere, it'd hurt everyone the world over, not just here." Motoyasu finally spoke, rebutting what Hickwaal said at first, before pausing for a few seconds. "... but if it came down to it, I'd kill some of the people here myself after witnessing what I have."

"Exactly my point." Hickwaal's sardonic smile reappeared. "So again, why wouldn't I have a reason to help now when I'd stand to benefit massively over my colleagues by ending up in the Hero's good graces?"

"Because we could end up failing and getting us all killed here," Motoyasu answered grimly.

"... Ah, I guess there is that." Hickwaal's smile turned into a frown, but then he was smiling again within seconds. "But I have faith the Cardinal Heroes will prevail! And I've never been one to think a future business endeavor wouldn't be without any risk!

"This one seems especially worth going for if it means seeing my colleagues suffering under an economic bubble collapse of their own making! Hahahaha!"

Down below, the heavily wounded hakuko fighter finally let out a roar of victory as he stood over the dead remains of the last griffon. A few people in the crowd were cheering while the rest booed at losing the bets they'd placed on the monsters.

"Ah, I'm glad Hu won. He's one of the just gladiators in this place." Hickwaal continued to smile, looking down at the fighter with pride. "I wish he would agree to work for me already. Alas, I'll just have to make sure he gets the best healers to look at him after this fight."

The audiences could be pretty fickle sometimes. Hu as an asset was more valuable alive than dead. Hardly any of the other gladiators could compare, besides Mercenary Captain Larsa and the old-timer Nadia. Hu was one of the few individuals they had left who was strong enough to fight off the Waves in the area.

Why today's executive had thought it'd be fine to risk having Hou-Lon killed off in such a one-sided match was beyond Hickwaal's imagination.

Oh well. He knew those individuals in the audience would go back to being happy and carefree within moments since the remains of the griffons would be cooked up and served for that night's commemorative dinner thanks to the audience's participation in throwing lots of money at today's match. This fighting pit in particular had a long-standing tradition of cooking the remains of the loser for the members of the audience to partake in.

…

"Alright." Motoyasu nodded his head. "Where should we start?"

"Excellent! We should have plenty of time to talk before we have to vacate! I'll see to it that one of my servants arranges a room for your group by the time we're done."

"Thanks… one last thing, I'm sorry for the poorly thought out answer I gave earlier." Motoyasu bowed his head. "It was wrong for me to say I'd use that gold coin to invest in what was trending when it'd be better to usurp the markets as you said."

"Nonsense. I might not have agreed with it, but that doesn't mean you were wrong, Sir Motoyasu." Hickwaal chuckled. "There are many right ways to do business in different places. For example, my approach here would have never worked in Faubley for more than one reason.

"I'd simply ask that you be wary of how you invest your wealth abroad when visiting different countries in the future. You could end up investing in the right industries, or you could end up feeding more power to the wrong people." Hickwaal looked at the Spear Hero with a studious eye.

"I'll remember that in the future," Motoyasu recalled when he bought Bitch her sword again.

He was now able to see how that hadn't just been a massive waste of wealth on his part. That weapon had helped to strengthen one of the worst people in the world…

…

Looking over at his friends again, Motoyasu saw that the entire snack counter had been cleaned out. As well as the leftovers they'd brought from lunch. The three girls were all sitting back on a couch, patting their stomachs with content looks on their faces. Sebas still stood in his spot, as still as a statue. However, he was now looking at Hickwaal, as if expecting to receive an order at any moment.

"Think you could arrange for more food to be delivered here while we discuss the details of the plan?" Motoyasu suggested.

Hickwaal did so on the spot. Asking Sebas to do it for him.

The old man did so without complaint.

Motoyasu had no idea how grabbing lunch at one of the only places he knew in Zeltoble had turned to this. Coincidence could have been one word for it. Fate could have also been thrown around. Or maybe it was just pure, blind, stupid luck.

However it happened, Motoyasu found a literal gold mine of an ally in Hickwaal. Learning just how he could integrate himself and his companions into the tournaments here whilst keeping suspicion off him, and the person who sent the letter.

The backstory he weaved for "Bubba" was nothing short of genius. He was the son of a low-ranking noble, fighting in Zeltoble's arenas to win money for his family, whom he was able to get out of Sworn thanks to his connections in the army. Because they'd lost everything after the Spirit Tortoise tore the mountain city apart, he was in desperate need of cash, and fast.

His mother had a very expensive lifestyle she didn't want to give up, and his father was busy trying to salvage what little was left of his social network. His only companions on this journey were his maid Keel, a former slave from Melromarc; Anya, an acquaintance who'd been living in his house studying magic before the cataclysm, and his little sister Amber, who came about thanks to "Bubba"'s dad having a hidden affair with a shuzaku.

Because his family name was worthless in these parts, Motoyasu went by the gladiator name "Bubba" because that's what his comrades in the army called him.

It was a bit on the nose with the truth in some parts there, but the best lies had a grain of truth to them. Besides, his family's background was considered tame compared to the stories of other nobles in different countries around the world, so it honestly wasn't going to get a lot of attention.

Keel and Anya were signed up for tournaments topside, while Motoyasu and Amber would be tag teaming in the underground fighting arenas. They'd be introduced as newcomers there, fight a preliminary match against another rookie pair in tomorrow's matchups, and only then go to the Gladiator's bar, where they'd establish contact with the woman who sent them the letter.

He didn't have a name, as Hickwaal himself didn't know her real name. All he knew was that her gladiator name was Nadia and that she was a lightning specialist in combat.

Motoyasu remembered lightning magic being an uncommon magic attribute in Emerald Online. So he was ecstatic to finally meet someone who had a proficiency in it! Not that he could ever learn it thanks to his affinities, but it'd be super cool regardless!

As for why he wasn't meeting her today… Hickwaal explained that Nadia liked to watch newcomers fight so she could tell if they were worth her time or not. In short, she'd be far more likely to open up to Motoyasu if he participated in a match first before going to meet her. Which would allow him to avoid her more... tactful approach to strangers walking up to talk to her.

Motoyasu did ask why she'd watch his fight when there would be others happening elsewhere at the same time.

"Knowing her, she's going to be observing all the fights."

He never did explain how that would be possible. And Motoyasu wasn't able to ask.

Hickwaal also helped Motoyasu overcome some of the hurdles of the Hero Weapon's ability to translate all languages perfectly, at least when he was in a one-on-one conversation with somebody else. If the accent he heard addressed to him was Melromarcian or Siltveltish, or any other languages a Sworn nobleman grew up learning, he could respond to them. If the accent Motoyasu heard was unfamiliar, however, he could remain silent to express his lack of understanding. His helmet aided him by hiding his facial expressions, so it would hopefully work later on.

He was also going to have to be silent in the arena itself. Speaking loud enough for everyone to hear would out him instantly. Good thing this was being addressed now, at least.

"And here are your rooms," Hickwaal stated as they walked down a hallway.

They'd long since left that arena room, as Hickwaal led the group deeper underground to what Motoyasu could, at best, call an apartment complex on the fringes of the Undercity. After coming topside earlier, Motoyasu found it was close to sunset. Meaning Lurolona, further to the east, was already approaching nighttime.

Motoyasu called it an apartment complex, though it might have also passed as a storehouse. He wasn't sure what to label it since it didn't look like your typical warehouse inside, but some of the rooms were covered in claw and scorch marks, amongst other things.

The place also had a few disguised guards patrolling the halls. Many of the rooms they passed were either empty or in the process of being cleaned out.

When he'd asked Hickwaal about it, he stated that he used this place for multiple things. As a warehouse to store his more… dangerous goods. As a place for merchants or others to rent out rooms while they were in the city. And, whenever he was being targeted by an assassin, as a safehouse.

For now, "Bubba" was renting a room here for himself and his party.

Hickwaal had sent out an additional bodyguard ahead to this place to give the order to have his assets moved out via a private underground passage to the outskirts of the city and to have rooms prepared for the Spear Hero and his comrades.

All of that was done even before he walked into the restaurant to speak to Motoyasu.

The merchant's confidence in who he was and how their conversation would go was slightly unnerving for Motoyasu. But either way, the Spear Hero and his group had a part of the place to themselves. And thanks to their earlier wandering, they more or less knew how to move around topside in the city at this point using the main streets.

"If you need anything, you can just ask my servant Beatrice here. She is the Land lady in charge of this place." Hickwaal gestured to a drop-dead gorgeous blonde kitsune woman dressed in a maid's outfit, who walked up next to the merchant.

"I will serve however you need me to, masters." She bowed herself while smiling politely.

Motoyasu took his helmet off, his eyes boggling in their sockets. He just didn't know what part of her to look at first! HOT DAMN, NOW THIS GIRL WAS TOTALLY HIS TYPE! BOW CHICK A BOW WOW!

"Thank you very much," The blonde simp finally remembered to bow. "But if it's just you and me, feel free to call me just 'Moto' instead of- mph!" The rest of the flirtatious sentence he wanted to say was cut off by Amber slapping a hand over Motoyasu's mouth.

"Big Brother. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, do we not?" Amber asked in an all too kind voice. "Perhaps we should get some rest before we ask the nice Land lady to do anything for us."

"Mph!? MMMMM!?" Motoyasu screamed into her hand, but Amber continued to nicely smile while the utterly gorgeous woman tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

What the hell?! He was trying to hit on somebody who was DEFINITELY the kind of woman he'd ask out on a date! Why was Amber keeping him from flirting with her?!

"I shall look forward to assisting my new masters tomorrow then," The maid bowed her head, still smiling politely as she turned around and walked off. Hickwaal followed after her, but not before sending a party request to Motoyasu.

"Just in case," He winked jovially, before laughing to himself and walking after his servant.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! COME BACK SUPER HOT KITSUNE MAID GIRL!

…

It was only after she was out of sight that Motoyasu turned around to face Amber, clearly looking displeased. "What the hell Amber?! You tried marrying me off to those other people earlier! Why can't I flirt with a cute maid girl?!"

And here he'd thought it was impossible to get mad at a Filolial… well, maybe mad was too strong a word? But displeased didn't sound right either, urgh…

"I don't know Blondie…" Amber's face scrunched up in uncertainty. "Amber didn't like the feeling she was getting from Fox Maid."

"... What?" Motoyasu asked, being pulled out of his thoughts on Filolials.

"Amber would rather that she and Blondie avoid talking to Fox Maid in general." Amber continued. "Fox Maid is going to cause us nothing but trouble in the future."

"Please, trust Amber on this." The girl looked into the Spear Hero's eyes with intensity.

…

Awwwwwwwwwwww… okay! Since it was Amber saying it, Motoyasu would restrain himself.

That girl wasn't even that hot anyway!

"I don't see why you're complaining Bubba Spear. After all, you already have a cute maid girl in your party." Keel called from the soft mattress she was lying on while slapping the biceps on her right arm.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What?" Keel asked, seeing the stares everyone was giving her.

"I thought you hated the word 'cute'," Motoyasu admitted, much to the tomboy's shock.

"Ehhhhh~!? That was back when I thought I was a boy! Why would I have a problem with that now that I'm a girl, Bubba?!" Keel asked, pouting as she sat up and put her hands on her hips.

"This is too weird." Anya deadpanned. "Go back to being normal again."

"Oh shut it, you!" Keel whined at her friend.

As the two devolved into bickering again, Motoyasu sighed to himself.

Still, even though he tried to convince himself otherwise, that kitsune maid girl was super hot! Like, not even Malty could have compared with…

…

Oh, Motoyasu was going to be sick. Why had he just thought that pig was hot, I say?! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!-

Maybe it would be better to just forget about all this and go to sleep.

"Blondie, isn't it about time for us to head back and report to Melty?" Amber asked the Spear Hero.

"Eh- can't we just do it tomorrow? I'm mentally exhausted after today, you know!" Motoyasu checked the timer for Melromarc's next Wave in the corner of his HUD. Guestimating from what was shown on it that it was around 9 P.M. or so.

"Motoyasuuuuuuuu." Amber put her hands on her hips and pouted. "We're already late to report in as it is. Do you want Melty to cut our mission short after we just got here?"

"..." The Spear Hero was stunned, seeing Amber use his real name for once instead of one of her cutesy nicknames for him.

Her pout didn't relent, and Motoyasu found it impossible to resist. "F-Fine! Just please stop making me feel guilty! We'll go right now!"

Amber's pout transformed into a happy smile. Motoyasu's weakness was truly pleasing Filolials and making them look happy, I say!

"Alright, you two. Get up. We're going home." Motoyasu ordered the two kids, who'd stopped bickering once again.

Keel yawned. "I don't know, Bubba. The beds here look wayyyyy more comfy than what we have back home."

Anya didn't yawn, but after patting her mattress, she nodded her head in agreement. "We'll stay here. It should be safe.

"His butler gives off the same feeling I get around Granny. I don't think anybody would be foolish enough to attack us here while he's around."

"Hmmm…" Motoyasu was unsure about leaving the two kids by themselves. Especially in Zeltoble.

He looked at Amber, and the girl just smiled happily in his direction.

"I'll stay behind to make sure these two don't get into any trouble then."

Aw, but he wanted Amber to come along with him too! And what if those men he saw underground came for her after he was gone and-

"If those evil men even show their faces around Amber or the others, Amber will make sure to crush their pelvises just like how Filo taught Amber to do while Filo was in Fitoria's Sanctuary," Amber promised.

…

Awwww, she'd just read his mind, that was so adorable, I say-

Wait, Filo had taught Amber her patented nut-cracking move?!

"See you later Blondie!" Amber giggled mischievously.

Motoyasu sighed and shook his head. "Alright, stay safe you all. I'll be back first thing in the morning."

After saving his current location to his weapon, the Spear Hero selected only himself on his HUD. He then quickly remembered to accept Hickwaal's party invitation, adding the plump merchant to his party system before raising his weapon over his head. "Portal Spear!"

In a flash of light, the blonde disappeared from the room. Leaving the two demi girls and his Royal Companion behind.

Amber giggled to herself again. "Amber's going to take a moment to scout out the building. Stay here, you two."

"Yes." "Will do."

Amber began humming to herself as she went out the door. She'd watch over the kids like she promised to Moto.

She just wanted to make sure Hickwaal was as trustworthy as he claimed. And simultaneously test to see if the two would behave while she left them alone.

…

…

The two kids stared silently at the closed door for a moment.

…

…

"So, are we going to explore by ourselves now, or what?" Anya asked.

Keel yawned as she lay down on one of the beds. "Nah, I meant it when I said I was tired earlier. I'm going to hit the hay."

"... really, you're not in any mood to do anything while Amber's gone?" Anya asked, this time looking shocked.

Keel glared from her pillow. "Of course not."

"... ok, are you really Keel?" Anya moved closer to inspect the dog girl closely. "This is very abnormal behavior for you."

"I don't know what the word abnormal even means!" Keel pouted.

"I stand corrected." Anya deadpanned.

"Of course I'm me. Do I have to prove I'm who I am or something?" Keel glared in challenge at the tabby-haired cat girl.

"I don't know. What did you do when Sir Itsuki went berserk?" Anya asked.

"I jumped him and bit his arm so his attention would be taken off you and the others," Keel answered instantly. "I would have died if the other Heroes hadn't made it in time."

…

…

At the irrefutable evidence of the dog girl proving that she was Keel, Anya frowned, shaking her head. "I don't understand. Why are you acting so differently?

"First you dress up in that ridiculous get-up. Then you want to be called cute. Now you don't want to go out and explore even though you were always first in line to sneak out and have fun back home?

"Did learning that you were a girl seriously change things that much?" Anya pressed on.

"... … …" Keel's head faced away.

Anya saw that the other girl had been frowning, however.

"Yeah, I can at least admit that I've had to… well, rethink who I thought I was before.

"That has crossed my mind, but…"

"..."

Keel went silent again, but Anya sat on her mattress. Staring at the dog girl patiently as she put her thoughts together in her head.

…

…

…

"What Bubba Spear said at that store reminded me that we're not just here to play around and fight in some random tournament." Keel finally spoke again. "Some of my friends are trapped here, stuck in some twisted greedy scheme I can hardly wrap my head around.

"Someone from my village is here trying to save them, and they asked for our help."

"They asked for the Hero's help. We're just here because Granny recommended that we accompany Motoyasu." Anya clarified.

Keel turned over, directing a glare at the cat girl.

"I'm sorry, please go on." Anya apologized, looking guilty.

"Hmph, not that you're wrong. In a way, this is also Granny's way of testing to see if we can handle ourselves outside my old home or not." Keel glared down at one of her hands as she clenched it into a tight fist.

"I could hardly do a thing when the Bow Hero almost killed us. And then even after I worked hard, I still almost died trying to fight off the monsters that swarmed our village.

"I don't want to fail this time. I want to show that I've gotten stronger. That I can help.

"I want to save my friends here… above all, I can't do anything to jeopardize their lives. I can hardly imagine what they're going through right now being in the middle of this mess, even though I was a slave myself. I don't want to make things worse for them by acting out."

…

"I see." Anya looked off to the side. Then she had a thought come to her mind. "So is you acting out of character like this a part of your disguise?"

Keel finally grinned. "Yeah, mostly. I'm also testing out what it's like being a girl. You have no idea what it's like to go from thinking you were a boy all your life to realizing you were a girl all along."

"At least you learned that now before something happened," Anya replied. "How did you learn you were a girl anyway?"

"Ah, it was because I walked into the boy's bathhouse while Bubba Spear was in there." Keel rubbed the back of her neck while chuckling to herself. "I dropped my towel and he screeched like he saw a ghost.

"He never did explain why he did that though." Keel began thinking to herself again. "All he did was turn away, pointed out that I was a girl, and helped me realize why I couldn't have been a boy.

"I still don't understand what I did wrong to make him scream at me to cover myself though. Hmmm…"

…

…

When Keel finally looked at Anya again, the cat girl was staring at her with a blank expression.

There was no way… how could this dog girl try to say she wanted to act more girly if she didn't even understand something that basic?!

Had Keel been a slave?! Her slavemasters must have thought she was a boy too if she never had to go through something as traumatic as that!

"What?" Keel asked, looking confused.

Anya could only facepalm and groan in exasperation. "Moto, you're going to owe me for this."

Before they went to bed that night, Anya told Keel about the birds and the bees.

The dog girl's life would never be the same after that.

"We have arrived at your residence, Master Quaker."

"Yes, I can see that." The obese man grumbled as he clumsily got out of his seat and stepped down on the cobblestone road.

"Will you require anything else of me tonight, sir?" The landowner's assistant inquired.

"No, I have been carried around all day. I can handle a few steps on my own."

"Very well, sir. In that case, I shall go to the pens at once to personally punish the slaves that carried your litter today. The laziness and incompetence that they have displayed was unacceptable." The assistant gave a quick bow to his superior.

"You know, if I was allowed to walk around on my own, I wouldn't be so hard to carry." The obese man grumbled bitterly again.

"A man mustn't walk himself when he can make others do it for him." The assistant replied curtly in a well-practiced manner.

"Bah. Stop quoting our father already, Khan. He was a vile man. And the day the two of us went together to piss on his grave was the happiest in my life." The fat nobleman spat on the ground.

"Doesn't mean that he wasn't right from time to time." The attendant shrugged.

Ziro Quaker, the Arenamaster of Zeltoble, and one of the wealthiest men in the nation, furrowed his brow but didn't respond. He waved his hand again, dismissing his half-brother to enter the Colosseum and see all the important matches topside for the day.

The corpulent arena master knew better than to tell Khan to take it easy on the slaves. He never would, even if Ziro insisted on it. The Quakers had an image to maintain as one of Zeltoble's oldest and most influential families.

They were well known for how they treated their slaves over the centuries. And despite the two brothers being seen as troublemakers and outliers to that cruel mentality during their childhood, Khan had eventually learned to accept the teachings of their family, despite being only a bastard son.

As for Ziro himself?… …

Well, at least that man who collapsed earlier today wasn't one of his slaves anymore. Hopefully, whoever ended up buying him would be kinder and less obsessed with their family's public image than Ziro's half-brother.

…

Thankfully, after the final, boring match for the day was done, Ziro was able to walk home by himself. Using a secret passage from his room in the Colosseum topside that went all the way to his spacious home underground.

"You're late, piggie."

As the morbid obese arena master fit himself through one of the doors of his home, he sighed in relief. Thank the Gods, he could finally drop the act of being the all-powerful boss of the undercity! Ziro could already see the goddess who'd make his day that much better standing in the living room, impatiently waiting for him.

"Ah, Princess, I'm so glad to-"

CRUNCH!

A fist plowed into the obese man's face, dropping him to the floor with a heavy and meaty thud.

"Do you have any idea how long you made me wait, you disgusting animal?!" An incensed voice screamed hysterically as a foot was driven into Ziro's gut. "Do you have any idea how valuable my time is compared to the peasants around here?!"

"Yes, oh yes, I'm so sorry Princess! I'm so sorry!" Ziro began to yell in ecstasy. A mix of madness and lust glazed over his tiny eyes, enraging the crimson-haired woman even further and making her kick Ziro in the face next.

In public, Master Quaker was viewed as a large and all-powerful businessman who'd proven his mettle and clawed his way to his position. Toppling over any potential opponents and either selling them as slaves or having them killed off in private for his entertainment.

In reality, all that couldn't possibly be further from the truth. Quaker had inherited his position and his wealth from his father, who'd passed away several years ago.

Nobody had ever felt brave enough to challenge Ziro over the mysterious circumstances surrounding his father's death, due to Ziro's imposing size and the reputation that his bastard brother had helped to build around him. But the truth was, Quaker Jr. wasn't responsible for his old man's death in the slightest, despite how much he despised him throughout his life. The old fool's death was simple: he died thanks to a disease he got from a prostitute.

Why people thought he'd killed his old man, he'd never know.

In rare moments of self-reflection, Ziro could admit to himself that he didn't even want to be in charge of the business empire his family had built over many generations. He didn't care for the bloodsports that made up for nearly half of his country's yearly income in the slightest. Violence bored him terribly at best and made him sick to the stomach at worst.

When it wasn't directed at him at least.

Indeed, he would rather stay at home, where he could live out all of his masochistic fantasies and be punished by strong and beautiful women like his late mother in peace.

…

No, I'm dead serious. Being beaten up and spat upon was the only way for Ziro to experience anything close to joy in his life. Nothing in the world made him happier than being treated even worse than an object by hot, commandeering women.

Oh, how Ziro wished that he had been born a bastard instead of Khan! His half-brother was so much better at running their empire, but instead, he was forced to act as Ziro's steward and attendant because he was born from a prostitute.

"Let me have a try, Malty! You're not the only one who's pent up!" Lesty shouted excitedly.

When the exiled princess of Melromarc and her friends were brought into his home, it truly brightened Quaker's life. He'd finally been able to get what he'd wanted without the public finding out! Women just like his beloved mother, who would gladly beat him up for no reason whatsoever!

He'd been knowing bliss ever since.

Bitch scowled as she pulled back from the orgasming fat man on the floor, allowing Lesty to begin kicking Ziro everywhere her foot could reach. No matter how hard she kicked though, it only made Ziro quake with pleasure more.

"Oh yes! Harder, mommy! I've been such a bad boy today!" The obese man squealed out.

&^%$. And here Malty had been hoping that beating up the fat nobleman would improve her mood. Just like every other time before this though, it didn't.

It just didn't feel that enjoyable when the other person loved being beaten or burned or cut or whatever. Where were the cries of pain? The pleas for mercy or forgiveness?

The scowl on the ex-princess's burned face only deepened as she longed to hear such things from those who'd so wronged her in the past.

She spat on the floor in disgust from the scene before her, which prompted the pathetic blob of a man to crawl over to the spittle and start licking it off while squealing like a pig.

Malty covered her mouth, struggling to not vomit.

"Someone's in a bad mood today." A mustached man grunted where he sat with a half-finished meal at a fancy dining table in the corner of the room. "Still no response from that boy toy of yours in Faubley?"

"I'll hear back from him soon! It can't take that long to get a letter sent across the world!" Bitch screamed at the former nobleman.

Mauld sighed. They were currently amongst the most wanted individuals on this side of the world right now. He'd be surprised if their message did make it to Tact within the next month without being intercepted.

He'd heard rumors while spying at the guild that the Whip Hero was celebrating with his harem at some random island over something, so maybe it'd take even longer.

Mauld was feeling impatient himself. Most of the parties he and Malty had organized to raid the Hero's Nation were devastated by the Spirit Tortoise's minions en route. And those that remained of their allies were planning an ill-fated attack without waiting for more allies to strengthen their forces.

Had that wreck of a monster not interfered, they might have stood a chance now that they didn't have the foolish and weak Church Allies holding them down anymore. But Mauld didn't have much faith in those who remained to accomplish much of anything. Some that had survived had changed their minds and gone elsewhere because of the Heroes saving everyone from the Spirit Tortoise. Some of their backers amongst the nobility had also pulled out, seeing how much more powerful the Heroes had become by defeating the Spirit Tortoise.

Stupid and worthless. The whole lot of them. What he'd give to be able to make Sir Itsuki pay for turning away from the true path of justice.

Their comrade, Malty's childhood friend Lesty, continued beating the fat nobleman on the floor with her feet and fists. She laughed as she drove her high heels into his soft and malleable flesh, enjoying the beating she was dishing out, unlike the First Princess.

Ziro's clothes were torn and bloodied by this point. And one of his teeth was lying on the floor. But his enjoyment wasn't decreasing in the slightest. It seemed to be growing the more beat up and destitute his appearance became.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Ziro continued to squeal as Lesty put a spiked collar around his neck and climbed up on his back.

"Come on, piggy! Move it!" The woman laughed in delight and sharply whipped the man's sizeable behind with a riding crop.

The boss of the undercity began to crawl on all fours around the room while snorting loudly like a pig.

…

The twisted roleplay lasted for some time, but eventually, a servant who was aware of her master's unique… tastes, entered the room.

She kept a neutral look on her face at the sight of her master lying beaten and bloodied on the floor, looking far too blissful at what he'd gone through. She sighed, knowing she'd have to use a lot of healing magic on him later before he went out again.

"Guests of Lord Quaker, Councilman Judas has asked if you'd be willing to please the crowds once more tonight."

"Yes!" Malty spoke before the others could. "Will I get showered with gifts like last time?!"

"The members of the Council were very pleased with last night's execution." The girl said in a flat tone. "Should you please them again, I don't see why not."

"Did they get their hands on a real Lurolona brat this time?!" Malty asked eagerly.

"... no." The servant girl answered, this time withholding a sigh. "It is another fake that was trained to act like a kid from Lurolona." It was not like they would ever have one of those gold mines wasted on such a frivolous activity.

The city's landowners were entertaining the disgraced princess because of her birthright claim over Melromarc's throne. But until the prince of Faubley showed up in person with the empire's army at his back to put Malty on said throne, Zeltoble would not move an inch. Paying Malty lip service was the extent of their support for now.

Bitch scowled again. However, thanks to all the trials a poor unfortunate soul such as herself had been through, she'd long since learned to look at the bright side of things.

For example, at least the brat she'd be executing tonight was a demi-human! She longed to kill a Lurolona slave so that she could truly hit the supposed Heroes of Legend where it'd hurt. But the real thing was too expensive to waste in such a way here.

Surely, nothing could have been too expensive for the future Queen of Melromarc! It was outrageous!

Regardless, murdering an innocent demi-child in front of a cheering audience was a way to improve her mood! So Bitch accepted the opportunity on the spot!

"If you'd follow me then."

Malty followed the servant out a back door to the establishment. A secret hallway that allowed her to travel underground unseen by anybody else.

Once she was before the entrance, she was given a drape of black cloth to cover her face. Her hair, which had to be cut short because of the damage it'd sustained from the Shield Hero's hellfire, wouldn't give her away.

A portcullis raised as she stepped foot into one of the underground fighting pits. She breathed in deeply as the smell of blood from today's matches washed over her nose.

"And now, here to execute another fake claiming to be from Lurolona, "The Fiery Inferno!" An announcer roared over the howls of the crowd.

Bitch smirked as she leisurely walked up to the center of the room. Already, a child slave dressed in nothing but rags who looked like a kitsune sat chained to a pole in the center of the room.

His eyes looked up at her, full of fear and pleading for mercy. But Bitch began to chant without hesitation as her other hand pulled out a very familiar-looking sword. Its edge was now stained a permanent red after all the lives she'd ended with it down here.

Ah, she couldn't wait to see what it'd be like seeing it from the eyes of one of those from Lurolona. If it could be one of the Heroes or their companions, it'd be even better. And if it was her Mother, Father, or her Sister…

Well, that'd just be PERFECT! Who better to take her righteous fury out on than those who should have held her up above the masses, a right she so rightfully deserved?!

Nobody was allowed to stand in the way of her becoming Queen.

NOBODY.

"Fast Hellfire!"

The screams of the young kitsune kid soon filled the fighting pit as Bitch used magic and the weapon Moto bought for her long ago to slowly whittle away at his life. Laughing maniacally to herself as she did so.

It would be another hour before the kid finally died. And Bitch would receive cheers and roars of approval from the crowd throughout the process.

Ah, another successful execution.

She was going to be treated like a goddess tonight.

Hero Clips

Have You Ever Heard The Tragedy of...

Motoyasu found himself on a balcony with the plump merchant Hickwaal.

The Spear Hero thought they were going to watch a fight, but instead, it appeared that they were watching some kind of opera performing for the midget.

Motoyasu wasn't sure what to think. The people weaving through the air like water in front of him were just so weird. And wasn't he supposed to be doing something important right now?

"Tell me, did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise, Sir Motoyasu?" Hickwaal suddenly spoke in a strangely rich tone.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Motoyasu asked, looking genuinely confused.

"I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. For it is a Sith legend." Hickwaal stated, his eyes not moving off the performance before them.

"I'm... sorry. But weren't we going to talk about why I was here to fight in the arena?" Motoyasu asked, looking even more confused. Jedi? Sith? What were those supposed to be?!

He thought he'd spoken that out loud, at least. But Hickwaal continued as if he hadn't heard him.

"Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life…"

Midi-what now- WHAT WAS THIS PLUMP LITTLE MIDGET GOING ON ABOUT?!

Motoyasu realized something else. WHY WAS HE WEARING THESE CRINGE &^% DARK ROBES INSTEAD OF HIS COOL AND COLORFUL KNIGHT ARMOR?! WHY DID HICKWAAL LOOK LIKE SOME EVIL POLITICIAN HIDING HIS TRUE SELF WITH A FAKE SMILE AND HONEYED LIPS?! AND WHY DID HE HAVE THE FEELING THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO SLAUGHTER A BUNCH OF YOUNGLINGS SOON?!

WHAT THE HELL WERE YOUNGLINGS IN THE FIRST PLACE!?

"He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying." Hickwaal continued in the same tone, even as Motoyasu experienced a mental breakdown. "The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did.

"Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself."

Hickatine looked to Motoyasu as if expecting a response.

AMBER! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!-

Motoyasu sat up straight.

Oh, thank goodness, it was only a dream.

The blonde man sighed in relief. Realizing he'd taken a short nap. That was a relief.

He hadn't had to sit through that snooze fest of a story again! Man, he would have been even more pissed off had that been the case!

"Sir, we are ready to follow your orders."

Motoyasu smirked as he turned to face Clone Commander Appo. "Of course, let's get this done quickly so I can see Fitoria sooner."

The Clone nodded his head, and Motoyasu led a detachment of Order 66 infected troopers up the steps of the Jedi Temple. Cutting down the Battlemaster at the front doors of the large building before initiating one of the biggest mass genocides of Jedi in the history of the entire Jedi Order. Which, of course, included all the younglings, whom he killed by decapitation since he didn't want to risk any surviving a stab to the gut.

Believe it or not, that was a thing... somehow. Motoyasu honestly didn't understand how one could survive being stabbed clean through the gut by burning hot plasma, but hey, that one guy his master 'killed' in the past survived being cut in half because of his hatred and rage, so you never know!

In the end, Hickatine didn't have to tell him such a boring story full of droll stories to make Motoyasu turn on the Jedi.

All the midget had to say was that they discriminated against Amber because of her angel species and Motoyasu knew that they were unworthy of life.

His orange-haired Padawan sweatdropped in the distance, where she had a good view of the Jedi Temple on fire. "Yep, I knew this would happen if I didn't keep an eye on Master. He always did have a struggle with his murder tendencies whenever it concerned me."

At least Sir Ren and his Dog Jedi Knight survived! He was busy living as a green hermit on a planet in the middle of nowhere since he was surrounded by water and hadn't learned how to swim from the dog girl and their friends yet!

But everyone else... yeah, not even the Younglings survived this time around.

The Shield Jedi would come back to quite the headache after he figured out what the Spear Jedi had done in his absence.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Motoyasu's night back in Lurolona ended up being pleasantly uneventful. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

Melty was drawing plans for their town's expansion. Granny and Eclair were busy training the fighters. Tersia and Farrie had made some progress in their studies on the hero texts. Crystal and Karn still didn't look like they were getting along. And Ren still wasn't motivated to do much of anything.

One of the only notable changes was that the Sword Couple's dragon daughter had hatched successfully. It was an ugly little red lizard (though Motoyasu wouldn't dare admit such a thing to his younger brother). Wyndia was able to drag her boyfriend out of the house afterward to watch the newborn Gaelion trying to learn how to use her wings for the first time, but besides that, the Sword Hero still couldn't motivate himself to do much of anything.

Motoyasu ended up equipping the "Spirit Tortoise Tree Bark Spear" last night so he could unlock its equip bonus while he slept. It wasn't a strong weapon form by any means, but its unique equip bonus unlocked a recipe for a potent medicine that could be autocrafted by the Cardinal Spear. It was called "Yggdrasil's Elixir".

It was a top-tier healing item back in Emerald Online. Motoyasu had some reservations about trying to get some of it at first, but after a little asking around, he found out that it was the same medicine that brought Naofumi back from the brink of death after his second battle with the Spirit Tortoise.

The Spear Hero wondered if it could be used to speed up Ren's mental recovery, but when he shared that idea with Granny during their morning spar, she informed him that it wouldn't work that way.

In her words: Some wounds just can't be healed, no matter how powerful medicine becomes.

Best to show him that you care, that he isn't alone. That will help more than anything else.

…

Motoyasu was internally starting to feel frustrated from not being around to help Ren out. The slow progress in Zeltoble was also not helping matters. The sooner he was done there, the sooner he could go back to the village full-time, and maybe see if there was something else he could do to help his younger brother out.

Regardless, even if it wouldn't help Ren, Motoyasu still had his Spear autocrafting the new medicine right now, just in case it was needed for something later. But it took twelve hours for the Cardinal Spear to craft even a single vial of the stuff.

And on top of that, it required a lot of healing, magic healing, and soul-healing potions to make. Around thirty of all three types. Looking over the recipe itself, Motoyasu could only shudder. He knew he could never hope to make the miracle medicine with his own hands. It was possible that not even Naofumi would be capable of brewing it, at least as he was right now.

The Spear Hero wondered if their local Apothecarian in Lurolona would be capable of brewing it. It probably wouldn't hurt to check in later with him, just in case. That guy was good at his craft, after all.

Either way, even with the Spear's auto-crafting system, it would take a long time and an absurd amount of supplies to build a stockpile of this miracle medicine… Come to think of it, wasn't there someone else in their town who could use it besides Ren?

What was his name again… Motoyasu was pretty sure the wolfman's name was Fang.

Yeah, that was his name! The Spear Hero had seen Crystal pushing her adopted father's wheelchair around the town square this morning! Maybe using the first auto-crafted medicine on him to test its effectiveness would be one way to cheer up the spearwoman of Itsuki's party and-

"Big Brother, you're spacing out again." Amber sighed.

"Oh, s-sorry, Amber." Motoyasu sweatdropped.

"Does this happen to him often?" A well-dressed old man walking next to them asked.

"Sometimes. Usually when Big Brother has lots of worries on his mind." Amber smiled at the third person with them.

Hickwaal's butler, Sebas, smiled softly in return. "I see. Then perhaps the battles today will help to clear Sir Bubba's head? It certainly helped to clear mine when I was younger."

"Ooh! Maybe Amber can try finding another mate for Big Brother today?!" Amber jumped up and down excitedly.

"Please, no. I don't need a repeat of what happened yesterday." Motoyasu sweatdropped.

The Spear Hero and his Royal Filolial were currently following Hickwaal's butler down one of the underground roads. As they finished talking, they walked out into the underground plaza they'd seen the day before.

Keel and Anya weren't with them this time. The group had escorted the pair of demihumans to the Colosseum topside for today's fighting tournament, while Sebas was leading Motoyasu and Amber toward the fighting pit where they'd be having their first match.

The dog and cat girl would be fine so long as they didn't wander too far away from the large arena. The topside's security was considerably more robust than the undercity's. Not only did the majority of Zeltoble's elites live there, but it was also where most of the inns where the tourists stayed were located.

And even if something happened, Motoyasu would be notified of it through his HUD. Keel and Anya's names were right above Hickwaal's. Sebas and some of Hickwaal's other trusted servants were beneath the merchant's name as well. In effect, the Spear Hero would be able to know if something happened to any of them.

Hickwaal didn't have a high level, being only in the 50's. Sebas, on the other hand, had a level of 98. It was no wonder he looked strong.

"Are there any differences I should know about between tournaments that happen above and below ground that Hickwaal hasn't told me about yet?" Motoyasu asked Sebas as they walked so he could distract himself from his previous thoughts.

"Hmmm…" The older man thought to himself for a moment. "Betting is allowed above and below ground. But if I were to identify something different, it'd be the use of a ranking system in the Colosseum for bets.

"Up there, they have ranks from one to a hundred, separated in brackets by groups of ten. Typically, newcomers start in the bottom bracket and have to work their way up. However, if the newcomer has already gone through a class change and has a high level, then they are placed at a higher bracket to keep things fair for the fighters."

"Sounds like one way to keep the medical costs down," Motoyasu muttered to himself. So far, what Sebas said sounded similar to the Arena System he knew from Emerald Online. If it was that similar, then the bottom brackets would be 1-10, with the top bracket being 90-100. The person at the top would be crowned as the "Grand Champion of the Arena", who would typically receive bonuses like premium in-game currency as well as rare monster materials and the like.

"Indeed, as well as that, one-sided fights are typically viewed in a negative light in the Colosseum since death amongst the participants isn't allowed," Sebas added. "Officials try their best to keep such scenarios from happening up above, allowing for participants to compete where their abilities would best fit while giving audience members a fair chance in the betting pool."

"Now when it comes to fighting in the underground fighting pits… you can forget everything I said before." The Butler's expression hardened.

"What do you mean by that?" Motoyasu pressed on.

"Underground, there is no official ranking system," Sebas explained. "The Gladiators all know who the strong are. If they end up matched against them, they'll either surrender the match or prepare an ambush between matches to try and kill their opponent before they have to fight in the arena.

"Depending on where you start, it generally takes weeks or a few months to advance through the rankings far enough to be able to face the Grand Champion. Down here though, a promising rookie team could end up being matched against the strongest gladiators after only one fight, if the people in charge feel so inclined."

"Those matches tend to attract large crowds of gamblers due to the potential of great payoff if the newcomers manage to snatch the win. It seldom happens, but it doesn't stop those who want to get rich quick from betting on them anyway."

"... huh. That'd make our job pretty easy." Motoyasu chuckled.

"Big Brother, Amber doesn't want just one fight." The Filolial Girl pouted.

"No worries, my dear little sister, if we're lucky, then we'll be able to deal with all sorts of unsavory individuals while we're down here!" Motoyasu proudly posed.

Sebas withheld a chuckle at the sight. He had a feeling these two would do just fine. After all, it wasn't every day their arenas got to host a Cardinal Hero without knowing it.

The disguised Spear Hero soon found himself standing in front of a portcullis for one of the underground fighting pits. Amber stood at his side, shaking with excitement. Or was that nervousness?

Honestly, it was hard to distinguish between the two. Motoyasu was so hyped to finally get started on this! This would be their debut in their grand mission to save the kids imprisoned in this city!

"You ready, little sis?!"

"As ready as Amber will ever be, Big Brother!"

The portcullis raised before their eyes. Opposite them, Motoyasu could see a group of three walking out to face them. They looked like a rogue, a mage, and a barbarian. Their cockiness and confidence in their victory could be seen plain as day through the way they carried themselves and from the expressions that they wore while doing it.

Oh man, the Spear Hero could already feel the blood pumping through his veins as he gripped the Piensa Guard Naginata in his hands. A real arena fight! Just like the ones from his game, albeit underground.

"And for our first match of the day, we have the ol' reliable, the proof that if it works, then you don't need to fix it! The Unholy Triumvirate!" An announcer guy yelled to the crowds around the area.

"And facing them today in their first match ever… pfft! Ahem, Bubba and Amber of the Fiery Sworn Duo!"

"Oi!" Motoyasu heard the laugh that was forced down at the last second and glared under his visor at the announcer's booth up above.

"Cast your bets, everyone! Let's see what these rookies are made of!" The announcer's voice yelled over the crowd.

It was only the first match, and a low-stakes one at that, so only half the seats were filled at most. Still, Motoyasu took a stance with his weapon, readying to face down his opponents.

"Haven't seen you two around before. Nice armor by the by. I'll be sure to put it to good use after I pry it off your lifeless body." The barbarian licked his axe in an intimidating manner.

"Are you some kind of disgraced noble? Man, I love dealing with you lot. You always cry about being poor and destitute, but the moment you get some holes in you, lots of gold conveniently turns up on your person every time." The rogue chuckled as he broke off from his two allies and began to circle Moto and Amber.

"You really should give up and save yourself the trouble." The mage added in a bored tone. "These two psychos here never hold back. And neither do I." He lifted his staff high above his head.

"Heh," Amber smirked in response. "Then maybe Amber will have to try!"

Motoyasu stayed silent. He prepared to rush forward and attack.

"And begin!" The announcer roared as a bell was rung under some mild cheers from the crowd of onlookers.

"Huh… I mean, I should have expected this, but still…" Motoyasu said in a deadpan.

"They were… a lot weaker than Amber was expecting," Amber said, tilting her head in confusion.

"Ughhh…" "Urgh…" "Ohhhhh…" The three idiots of the opposing team lay in a pile of limbs at the other end of the arena. Some serious burns were visible all over their exposed skin.

The fight hadn't lasted long. Barely five seconds, if that.

It started with Motoyasu rushing forward to clash with the barbarian. Their mage had begun chanting some kind of spell in response, causing Amber to begin chanting a spell of her own as the rogue dashed in from the side to flank Motoyasu.

But the disguised Spear Hero sideswiped the both of them with just one swing of his weapon, throwing them back into their mage companion with heavy injuries. This caused the mage to stop chanting his attack magic as he switched to healing magic, but Amber didn't stop chanting. As the mage was struggling to heal his companions, Amber's fire spell flew over and exploded above the group.

Needless to say, they were in no shape to fight anymore.

"I… what just…" Even the announcer sounded shocked for a moment until he finally coughed and cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen! In an unbelievable upset, the winners of today's first match are Bubba and Amber of the Sworn Duo!"

The pair got a few cheers from the crowd, but most of it was busy booing. The booing wasn't directed at Motoyasu, thankfully, but rather at his defeated opponents for being knocked out so quickly. The few that were booing Motoyasu and Amber were the ones who cast bets on the other team before the fight started.

There hadn't been any time for bets to be thrown around after the match began. A loss for those too late to join the party.

Amber and Motoyasu quickly left the pit the way they'd entered. Sebas raised an eyebrow seeing the pair again so soon. "Did the other team surrender at the start of the match?"

"No. Me and Amber just beat them up before they had the chance to do anything." Motoyasu noted, a sweatdrop forming on his forehead. He swore he was using a weaker weapon form too. Maybe those guys had just been underleveled?

Or maybe this was a sign that even with a weaker weapon form, Motoyasu was still strong enough to destroy entire armies if he so desired.

Yeah, those guys were surprisingly weak." Amber noted in a bored tone. "Amber didn't even get the chance to warm up."

"Heh, hopefully, we'll get matched against somebody stronger next time." Motoyasu smiled as he ran a hand over the Filolial's luscious bright-orange hair.

"Hmmm…" Amber crossed her arms and didn't respond.

Oh my Gods, she looked just like Fitoria when that little girl looked disappointed.

IT WAS SO FREAKING ADORABLE, I SAY! HE WANTED TO PET HER EVEN MORE!

"Well, it's a bit ahead of schedule, but since you finished your fight so quickly, I will escort you to the Gladiator's Bar now." Sebas turned around and gestured for the duo to follow him.

The Gladiator's Bar- OH, RIGHT! That's where this Nadia person wanted to meet them!

But then…

"That fight was kind of didn't last very long. Do you think that this Nadia person had enough time to want to talk to me after that?" Motoyasu asked.

"... Sir Bubba," Sebas spoke in a calm tone. "I didn't get to see your fight from back here. But if Nadia didn't want to talk to you after witnessing a pair of rookies crush their opponents in less than ten seconds, then she would not deserve her status as Champion of the Underground.

"Were I in her shoes, I'd want to meet you just so I'd have an idea of what I was up against in the future."

"... fair enough." Motoyasu shrugged.

And so, just like that, Motoyasu was led back up a set of stairs to the plaza. And from there up to another set of stairs to the infamous "Gladiator's Bar".

Sebas excused himself after this, stating that he would wait outside. Amber and Motoyasu walked up the stairs together to the place of first contact.

It… looked surprisingly cozy?

The place didn't have any walls. Instead, each side opened up to a different fighting pit underground. And for the fighting pits that weren't centered around the place, there rested crystal balls on tabletops, showing holographic projections over them of the battles going on in other fighting pits elsewhere underground.

Motoyasu and his group entered from a staircase a few feet away from the bar. It was a long counter grafted from a wood that looked like mahogany, behind which several bartenders worked, grabbing various types of alcohol from the circular shelf behind them to serve to the patrons. Just about all of the visitors here were gladiators.

The gamblers attended different establishments in the city that were better catered to their needs. At least, according to Hickwaal.

The only people here who weren't gladiators were mercenaries or slave soldiers, standing guard even here to make sure that no major disturbances occurred. They looked a bit stronger and more well-equipped compared to their comrades guarding the underground plaza.

Understandable, seeing the fights they'd need to break up here.

Hopefully, that sort of thing didn't happen too often.

Right after Motoyasu and Amber appeared, several heads immediately turned their way.

"Ah, so these are the newbies who just set a new record for the fastest first fight ever!" A bulky man approached, wearing the same cocky smirk as the trio that got destroyed earlier.

Was this brazen attitude some kind of local phenomenon? A part of gladiator culture?

Before Motoyasu could think on it more, the burly man spoke again. "Sir Buttkiss, was it?!"

...

Huh… hearing that actually made Sir Bubba sound far better.

Amber frowned. "Big Brother's name is Bubba."

"Relax, Amber." Motoyasu smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "We just won one fight. There's no need for us to start another."

"Oh, you're that confident you'd win?" The man standing in front of them asked cockily.

Honestly, looking the man over, he looked no different from the so-called veterans that they'd beaten earlier. So unless he was like those folks who'd attacked Amber's flock a few days ago…

"I'd say so. You don't look that strong." The Spear Hero said nonchalantly.

…

The man's countenance darkened at the blonde's words. He straightened to his full height, which was almost a head taller than Motoyasu.

Crap, he'd thought acting big and confident would keep the man from wanting to start a fight! Motoyasu also spotted a pair of mercenaries nearby rustling themselves to attention.

"Do you know who I am?" The man spoke in a deep, threatening tone.

Aw man, that was such a classic intimidation line too! Motoyasu knew he could take him on but he didn't want to start a fight here!

Should he apologize?! Or should he just dig into his position and hope he could out-intimidate this guy and his friends?!

"Not really. Am I supposed to know?" He decided to dig down. Maybe he could out-intimidate the guy?

The man clenched his fists. He looked ready to pummel the knight before him.

Perhaps digging down hadn't been the right idea after all-

"Ara ara. There's no need to fight, boys."

Just like that, an unfamiliar woman butted into the conversation. Or rather, she drunkenly wrapped her arms around Motoyasu from behind. Her flushed face appeared next to his helmet. "Hmmm, you feel strong," The woman whispered sensually.

"What the-" Motoyasu tried to jump out of her arms, but the woman's grip was surprisingly strong! What the hell!?

"Oh?! Did Big Brother find himself a-" Amber started to speak excitedly, but got interrupted by the man in front of them, as well as his friends who'd gathered at his sides.

"Urgh, what do you want with this one, Nadia?" The man's threatening posture crumbled to submissiveness and defeat on the spot.

"Didn't you see we were about to give him the good ol' rookie welcome?" Another burly guy asked with audible disappointment in his voice. "He seems like a promising fella too. Didn't even break a sweat from Gary's act as far as I can tell."

Had… had that whole exchange just been an initiation of some kind?!

Phew! What a relief! Motoyasu almost thought he was about to fight a bunch of people there!

"Mhmhmhm." Nadia giggled as she pulled back from Motoyasu's head. Though one of her arms stayed wrapped around his, pressing it between her assets. "You boys can play with him later, I'm feeling a bit lonely right now and this gentleman here seems very interesting.

"You wouldn't want little ol' me drinking all by lonesome now, would you?" She asked the crowd of gladiators with an innocent smile spreading across her gorgeous mature features.

…

…

The group of gladiators exchanged several uncertain looks. They must have been privy to this woman's usual antics and weren't buying whatever she was trying to pull.

After another moment, Nadia sighed theatrically after noticing that no one was falling for her usual charms. "Well, in that case..."

She let go of Motoyasu, slamming a fist down on the counter next to her. Motoyasu and Amber both jumped slightly in surprise at the action.

"Barkeep! The next round of drinks is on me! Give everyone the expensive stuff!" Nadia declared in a loud commanding voice.

Everyone in the bar, including the gladiators who'd been about to cause them trouble, began to cheer as they simultaneously rushed toward the counter. The multiple barkeeps began to run around to fulfill the sudden surge of orders coming in from the dozens of patrons.

Motoyasu stared at the scene in surprise, but the woman giggled to herself again at how easily the situation was resolved. "Ahh, those boys are always so easy to please. But then again, I love a good drink myself."

"Whoa!" Motoyasu managed to reel himself back this time as Nadia pressed his arm between her breasts again. And this time, because he managed to create some distance between them, he was finally able to get a good look at her.

She was fairly tall. Her height was around the same as Naofumi's, if just a tad shorter. She had long, shining black hair that went all the way down her back. A pair of shining blue eyes full of playful mischief and dulled with a slight buzz looked back at the Spear Hero.

Motoyasu couldn't see ears on her head or a tail, yet he could tell she was a demi-human because of the unusually shaped pigmentations on her skin that traveled along her arms, neck, and other parts of her body. If he remembered her race correctly from what he saw in his game, this meant that Nadia was an orca demi-human.

And hoo boy, she was by far the hottest-looking one he'd ever laid eyes upon. Even her outfit seemed to accentuate her body's assets, and his arm was being pressed between those two large glorious mounds right now.

If this wasn't heaven, then he had no idea what was.

"Hmmmm…" Looking at the Grand Champion of the fighting pits, Amber started to have second thoughts about what she'd been about to say earlier. "I don't think you'd be the right person for Big Brother either."

"Eh!?" Motoyasu looked at the girl with wide eyes.

"Oh my." Nadia put a hand to her chin, letting go of Motoyasu's arm. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Amber isn't sure… but Amber gets the feeling that Orca Lady isn't acting like herself around Amber's Big Brother." The Filolial said.

"Hmmm…" Nadia looked the redhead over curiously. Her eyebrows moved up and down as she shifted from side to side. To anyone watching, it would have looked like she was drunkenly looking her over.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Nadia eventually said, sighing while looking disappointed. "I am who I am." She then picked up a bottle from the counter and downed it in one large gulp.

"Oooh, I love the taste of this one." The woman giggled, hugging the bottle to herself. "Would you like some as well?" The orca woman asked Motoyasu in a sweet voice. "It'd be a great way to celebrate your victory earlier."

Motoyasu opened his mouth to accept on the spot, only to see Amber out of the corner of his eye shaking her head at him.

He felt a spike of disappointment go through him again. However, as he saw the woman down another bottle in front of them, he could feel his enthusiasm naturally curb on its own.

Motoyasu didn't have a problem with drinking, per se, but seeing the rate at which Nadia was going through these bottles brought some unfortunate suppressed memories to the forefront of his mind.

Plus, well… they were still in what could only be described as enemy territory. So he had to stay sober.

"Thank you, ma'am. But I'll pass for now. It's rather early in the day for me." Motoyasu chuckled while making a flair with his arm.

Amber smiled happily in relief while Nadia sighed in disappointment again. "Oh, how disappointing. Poor lil' ol' me, having to share a drink only with myself.

"Will I ever be able to find a man who can share my favorite drinks with me?"

She downed the third bottle in one go, before throwing it over her shoulder.

The Spear Hero watched as the empty glass bottle sailed through the air down into one of the nearby fighting pits while a fight was taking place.

Neither participant started with any weapons, leaving them with only hand-to-hand combat. One of the men had the other pinned to the ground, choking him out and ready to end the match. But then the bottle landed in the sand next to the pinned guy's hand, and…

She smashed the bottle against the other girl's head, causing her to let out a shrill scream and start crying.

"What the $%^& did you just say you dirty bitch? Know your place! He's mine!"

"P-Princess! Stop! What're you doing!?" The Blonde man latched himself to the girl's back and restrained her before she could drive the broken bottle's jagged end into the other girl's tear-stained face.

"Ah, funny how one bottle can be capable of turning a whole battle around when used properly," Nadia commented as she saw the results brought by the makeshift weapon she threw into the pit.

"...Yea," Motoyasu responded curtly as he pulled himself back into the now and looked down into the fighting pit again.

Others in the crowd cheered or booed at the turn of events. It looked like someone paid to have healing magic cast on the guy who got smashed by the bottle so he could get back into the fight, but he was now being relentlessly pounded by the other opponent's fists.

He had no chance of winning at this point.

Nadia watched for a few seconds longer. Motoyasu and Amber stood together, looking around to see if anything else was going to happen.

However, the other bar patrons were still taking advantage of the free booze Nadia bought for them. The crowd of gladiators and mercenaries was quickly becoming rowdy as a result. The crowd down below was similarly getting rowdy with how quickly the match had turned on its head.

"Alright, that should be enough." Nadia began walking towards a staircase leading up to the ceiling. "Would you care to join me for a walk on the surface, Sir Bubba?" She asked with a friendly smile.

"Oh? And where will we be going, Miss Nadia?" Motoyasu asked suavely.

"Somewhere where we can have a bit more… privacy." Nadia's smile didn't change. There was, however, a dangerous edge in her gaze as she spoke the last word.

Motoyasu looked at Amber again, and the angel girl looked unsure.

Amber had a way of reading people. However, this woman's vibe jumped all over the place. The Filolial girl couldn't tell if this Nadia person wanted to mate with her big brother, kill him where no one could see him, or have a private talk as she claimed.

Nadia didn't wait for their answer, however. She was already stumbling her way up the stairs and out of the bar.

…

Motoyasu and Amber eventually followed right behind. Leaving the tavern and all the various fights behind.

Several minutes passed as the group traveled through the undercity's dark passages.

Amber summoned a ball of fire so they could see their surroundings better, but besides that, no words had been exchanged yet.

Nadia still looked cheerful even when everyone else was gone, but as the group moved further away from the bar, that cheerfulness gradually vanished. It was replaced with a calm and serious expression that looked almost out of place on the beautiful woman's face.

…

They eventually came to a section of wall, and Nadia pressed a hand against a stone brick. The wall proceeded to slide to the side, revealing an empty alleyway.

"Amber, was it?" Nadia said. "Would you mind standing guard to make sure that nobody follows us through this pathway?"

"Huh? Why?" The girl asked before Motoyasu could.

"As I said earlier, I just want to have a private chat with Sir Bubba. And I want to make sure we have our way back down below." Nadia said in a calm tone of voice. "It is very important we aren't interrupted by the wrong people."

"..." Amber frowned, looking like she didn't want to leave them alone.

"I'll be fine, Amber," Motoyasu told her. "If I get in trouble, you'll be able to see it on the party system."

"... okay."

Amber stayed standing in the hallway as the stone wall closed in front of her.

And Motoyasu was left with the scantily clad orca woman in the middle of a deserted alleyway.

…

…

Nadia let out a long breath. She looked to the left, and then to the right.

Her drunken swaying had vanished by this point. To Motoyasu's surprise, her eyes looked even sharper now than ever. They were the eyes of an experienced warrior who was scanning the environment around her for any threats.

Yet she still had a laidback smile on her face, and her hand found his as she pulled him along.

"This way, Sir Bubba," Nadia spoke in a cheery voice. "There's a great fountain not many people know about over here."

"Oh! That sounds rather romantic! Let's go there with haste!" Motoyasu replied, sounding eager while internally taking note of the strength of the woman's grip as she pulled him along behind her.

After another short walk, the pair came out of the alleyway and Motoyasu saw the clear blue sky above them. They were in the upper city again. So this was another hidden pathway. There sure were a lot of those.

The street that they came out to was fairly empty too, with only a handful of people walking down either side.

Nadia giggled happily as they walked past another couple, who looked at the odd-looking pair in surprise.

Motoyasu held on to Nadia's hand as they walked some more. Eventually going down another side alleyway before coming into a small square that had a large circular fountain in the center. Multiple streams of water shot out of different sculptures of demihumans, cascading down into the fount and making a continuous calm sound that filled the square.

They were near the top of the city here. Allowing Motoyasu to see a view of the buildings down to the mile-long river in the distance.

"It's surprising, right?" Nadia said in a happy voice as she pulled Motoyasu to a bench next to the fountain. "It's the middle of the day, and yet, nobody else is here to enjoy the spot.

"Hardly anybody ever comes up here from what I've seen."

"It's their loss then. I'm more than happy to have this place all to ourselves, Miss Nadia." Motoyasu shrugged, using this opportunity to look around and prime his teleport skill, just in case.

As fun as thinking of this as a date would be, he could tell that the woman in front of him was only flirting casually while collecting her thoughts.

Nadia laughed softly at Motoyasu's response. "Yes, we are quite blessed, aren't we? Perhaps everyone here is content with everything else this place has to offer. Or, maybe nobody else has had the chance to discover this spot.

"After all, everyone here is busy with their lives. Maybe they've just forgotten how to take their time and sit back and relax."

Nadia giggled as she uncorked another bottle of alcohol in her hands… Motoyasu's eyes widened slightly underneath his helmet. He had no idea how she'd hid that bottle on her person without him noticing.

Unlike before, however, she took only a small sip from it. She then smiled again as she offered it to the knight sitting beside her. "Are you sure you don't want to try any, Sir Bubba? I promise that I haven't tried putting a ruculu fruit in it. Even I can't handle one of those little things."

Motoyasu slowly lifted the visor of his helmet. It was the first time Nadia was able to properly see the handsome man's face. "I will admit, I don't usually shy away from sharing a drink with a beautiful woman, Miss Nadia, but I'd rather have a clear head while I'm in this city."

"Ah… that's a shame then." Nadia tipped her head back, drinking down a large portion of the bottle, before pulling it away from her rich, lustrous lips and wiping them with the back of her hand. "You seemed pretty strong. I would have liked it if you could outdrink me."

"Why's that?" Motoyasu asked.

"It's a long story. And one that I'm not willing to share right now." Nadia shook her head. "But it's something rather important to me. Perhaps I'll share it with you another time."

"Very well. We're not in a rush." Motoyasu let it drop.

…

The Spear Hero took his helmet off, setting it on the edge of the fountain next to him and allowing his hair a chance to catch the breeze.

He saw the Colosseum in the distance and had the brief thought that Anya or Keel could be fighting about now. It made him wish he had Itsuki's skill that allowed him to see from a spot high above him. It would have been cool to see how their matches were going.

"Sir Bubba… is that your name?" Nadia asked after a moment.

"No. But it's alright. Nadia isn't your real name either." Motoyasu turned his head to face her with an easy smile.

"Oh my, do you think it's not?" Nadia's lips spread apart in a pleased and intrigued manner as well.

"Well, I can't recall seeing a name like that on Lurolona's census papers. Although, a great deal of them got lost, so it could be because of that." Motoyasu answered.

...

"..." The woman tilted her head, her eyes staring into Motoyasu's as a serious expression came onto her face again. "Does that mean my message arrived?"

"It did." Motoyasu nodded. "I volunteered along with several others to come here and help you out."

...

"... … …" The Spear Hero's answer was met with silence, as Nadia looked him over with a critical eye. There was no drunken haze to them, despite the amount of alcohol she'd consumed in the last few minutes.

"I don't believe you're lying to me." She said. "But just in case, I'd like to know.

"If you truly are helping to rebuild Lurolona, could you tell me the names of some of the people who lived there?" She said.

"Well, that's easy." Motoyasu nodded. "The first one who comes to mind is Keel. Keel's a dog demihuman. She and another girl who isn't from the village originally are here in this city right now. Though I'm trying to limit their movements topside for obvious reasons."

The Spear Hero pointed at the distant Colosseum building with his chin for emphasis and Nadia's eyes widened slightly in worry. "Here?! But isn't she still a child?!"

"Not anymore." The Spear Hero shook his head. "She and her friends gained a lot of levels recently. They'll probably reach full maturity in a week or two. Keel and her friend have already undergone the class-up ceremony."

"I… I see. That puts my mind at ease... if just a little." Nadia sighed and put a hand on her chest. "Anyone else? Maybe a weasel or Raccoon demihuman, perhaps...?"

"Weasel? Oh." Motoyasu's expression hardened. "You mean, Rifana. No, she's..." Motoyasu paused, trying to think up a way to put it more delicately but Nadia seemed to understand already and her eyes became downcast.

"Of course. It would be foolish to think that everyone would survive such harrowing experiences.

"If, if Rifana-chan is dead then... I take it that..." The orca woman swallowed hard and her hands began to shake. "Raphtalia-chan is also-"

"Oh, no! No, no, no! Raphtalia is fine, she's still alive!" Motoyasu responded quickly.

That bit of news seemed to hit the woman like a punch to the gut. "W-What?!"

"Yeah, Raphtalia." Motoyasu started to chuckle. "She's a raccoon demihuman, or... a tanuki demi-human? Honestly, it's hard to tell. But anyway, yeah. She's fine. An amazing person too, absolutely in love with the Shield Hero, and-"

"Raphtalia-chan is okay?!" Nadia grabbed Motoyasu by the shoulders, facing him fully towards her.

"Whoa! Yea, yea, she is! I just told you!" Motoyasu reeled in surprise. But the woman's grip on him only tightened.

It was only then that he saw tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Where is she?! Is she here too?! Can I see her?!"

"No, it's just me, Amber, Keel, and her friend Anya!" The Spear Hero shook his head.

"Raphtalia…" Nadia let out a whimper. "She's… she's still alive…"

…

Motoyasu wasn't sure what to do. However, he put his hands on the woman's wrists, pulling her hands off of his shoulders. Trembling, she hardly even reacted to his touch.

"I… I'm going to take a guess here. Raphtalia is very important to you, isn't she?

"Are you related to her, by any chance?"

…

It took Nadia several moments to compose herself. She had to breathe in and out deeply several times. She also set her bottle to the side, forgetting about it entirely.

"I… I'm not related to her… not by blood, at least. Though, I was like her older sister, since her parents were the ones that took me in when I was twelve." The woman eventually managed to get the words out. However, she looked incredibly small and vulnerable at the confession.

Motoyasu continued to hold one of her hands. And Nadia gripped his in return. "She's… she's okay, isn't she?" She eventually managed to ask. "She's not in danger anymore or anything?"

"No." Motoyasu smiled. "Well, to be precise, I don't know about the being in danger part exactly. But as long as she and Naofumi are together, I think she'll be fine."

"... who is Naofumi?" Nadia questioned.

"Ah, right. It has been a while since you two last saw each other. When was the last time you saw her?" Motoyasu asked.

"... about a few days before the Wave hit Lurolona," Nadia said in a calm voice. "I was out at sea on a deep dive fishing trip."

In the story she gave, she described how she suddenly got swarmed by monsters. How she fought almost the whole way back to her village, which took her almost a week. How she'd discovered that Lurolona had been destroyed. How she saw the burned remains of the adult villagers who'd been left in a pile.

How after she gave them a proper burial, she eventually found out that some of the kids survived, and that slavers had captured them. Which led to her eventually coming to Zeltoble in the hopes of finding and buying them off the slave market before they could end up with a horrible master somewhere else in the world.

It was concise. And there'd likely been parts she'd left out, things she wasn't comfortable with sharing at this time. But Motoyasu could almost feel the pain she felt from having not been there. Judging by the tired look on her face, she'd been through a lot ever since coming here too.

"Were you the one that rescued Raphtalia?" Nadia then asked after she was done. "I'm assuming you're one of the Cardinal Heroes."

"Me? No, I didn't save her. Naofumi was the one who ended up buying her in Melromarc's Capital shortly after we were summoned." Motoyasu shook his head. "But you're right that I am one of the Cardinal Heroes. Hickwaal gave me a good cover story to help hide that fact."

"I… I see…" Nadia looked back at the fountain. "... So is Raphtalia safe with this Naofumi person?"

"Absolutely." Motoyasu grinned. "He's the Shield Hero. There's no one more capable of protecting others than him. Though, she also does her fair share of protecting him as well."

"R-Really?!" Nadia looked surprised. "The Raphtalia I know is super meek and shy around others!" Her eyes then narrowed. "Are you trying to trick me?!"

"No! I mean, I've certainly seen her be shy when Naofumi is lovey-dovey with her in public. But outside of that, I've seen her be pretty assertive and confident. Especially in regards to helping other people out." Motoyasu said in a serious tone.

"... … …" Nadia was silent for a long while again. Her lips had morphed into a frown. Motoyasu almost could have sworn he heard her whispering something to herself, but he didn't catch what the words were.

"You said you brought Keel here as well?" She spoke aloud.

"Yes," Motoyasu said. "She's supposed to be my way of verifying who you are. Though, I wasn't expecting to have a talk like this so soon."

"... I see." Nadia sighed, looking disappointed. "So she has grown up too?"

"Not as much as Raphtalia, but yeah," Motoyasu answered with a smile.

"Aren't you Heroes supposed to be protecting them?" Nadia asked.

"Yeah, but she and the others chose to become strong so they'd be able to protect themselves when we weren't around," Motoyasu answered. "I'd rather they didn't have to fight. But they chose it for themselves. Keel especially.

"They don't want to lose anybody else they care about after what they've been through."

…

…

…

There was a long period of silence between Motoyasu and Nadia this time.

The orca woman looked around the area again. Motoyasu could guess at this point that she did so to make sure nobody was watching them. She seemed to be rather paranoid when she wasn't faking being drunk. Either that, or she didn't trust this place in the slightest.

Understandable. He didn't trust this place either. His eyes were alert for threats, just like hers was.

"I should have known that lil' one in particular would get herself into trouble." Nadia eventually sighed. "She's always been headstrong whenever she decides to do something.

"Tell me. Did Keel figure out what her Father meant by becoming a man of the sea?" Nadia asked with an exasperated smile.

"She did." Motoyasu chuckled. "Keel knows she's a girl now. Last I checked, she wants to become a woman of the sea!"

His answer elicited a laugh from the orca woman. It was a sound so pure that the sound of the water fountain faded briefly, as if it too was listening to the mirth in her voice.

"I'd need to see Raphtalia for myself to determine if what you said about her is true. I have many questions revolving around her and what she's been doing these past few months... But I don't doubt that you know her friend Keel, at the very least." Nadia smiled with a relaxed face at the Spear Hero. "Which means the Hero's Nation got my message after all."

"Yeah. And we're here to help you bring those kids back home." Motoyasu said seriously.

"I wish it would be that easy." Nadia sagged. "I wouldn't have asked for help otherwise."

"Can you tell me what's happening and how we can help now?" The Spear Hero scooted closer to the orca woman along the fountain's outer rim.

Nadia looked like she was about to answer, however, when she looked over his shoulder again, her eyes narrowed. "Let's move. We've stayed here for too long as it is."

Motoyasu looked back, but Nadia smiled and pulled on his hand. Bringing it to her chest. "Look, Boobies!" She giggled in a drunken tone.

"W-Whoa!?" Motoyasu pulled his hand back in surprise.

And yet, the soft, pillowy sensation seemed to linger on his hand.

Nadia picked the helmet up from the side of the fountain, putting it back on his head before kissing the cheek of it. She then giggled some more as she pulled him along towards the other entryway into the square. "This way! There's more stuff to see, Sir Bubba!"

Motoyasu barely had the time to look back and see a pair of men entering the plaza after appearing the way that Nadia and him had come in before he was pulled out of sight.

It was around fifteen minutes later when they finally got back to the alleyway they first appeared in earlier.

Thankfully, there was nobody around, though, in their attempts to get back here, Nadia had spotted other individuals Motoyasu recognized to be tracking her down.

When Motoyasu asked, she said they were sent by her sponsor to keep an eye on her.

He didn't get much more info than that, as they then ducked behind a home to avoid another pair of men armed with swords trying to locate Nadia. She'd taken advantage of that situation though to make sure Motoyasu knew exactly what her chest felt like with his arm before they continued.

It would be a long time before Motoyasu ever brought himself to wash said arm, as it'd been blessed by a goddess multiple times that day. Along with his hand.

Though when Nadia pulled yet another bottle of alcohol from behind a crate as if she'd set it there in advance just for an occasion like this, Motoyasu knew that a woman like her wouldn't be his type.

She just loved alcohol way too much.

Unfortunate. But you couldn't win everything.

Finally, they reached the secret passage from before, and after Nadia pushed on one of the stones again, the wall moved aside, revealing the figure of a familiar frowning filolial waiting behind it.

"Ah, Big Brother, you're finally back!" Amber said in relief as her frown vanished.

"Did anybody come this way, Amber?" Motoyasu asked.

"No, but Amber could hear others searching outside." She said worriedly. "Did Big Brother get attacked?"

"No, but we didn't have time to finish our conversation," Motoyasu admitted, looking at Nadia.

The woman nodded her head. "I'll need to head down to the Gladiator's Bar for now. I've made my sponsor suspicious by vanishing for this long." She pressed her hand into the opposite wall, and another passage opened up. "That'll lead you down to the plaza. Meet up with Sebas and go to wherever you're staying for now. Oh, and expect to be ambushed along the way. Just the boys' way of welcoming you to the fighting pits."

"Wait, what-" Motoyasu started to ask, but Nadia continued.

"I'll have Hickwaal send you another message with details on where to meet tomorrow if I manage to shake off my stalkers again. Until then." Having said her piece, Nadia began walking down the passage leading back towards the Gladiator Bar.

"Wait, there's one thing I want to know at least," Motoyasu called after her.

The orca woman stopped, looking back at Motoyasu. "What's your real name?" The Spear Hero asked.

Nadia lifted an eyebrow. "Is there a reason why you need a name from lil' ol' me at this point?"

"Not for me. But I want to tell Keel who you are. She might be missing you too for all I know."

"... hmmm. Alright, but only if you give me your name first, Sir Bubba." The orca woman said with a playful smile after thinking about it for a moment.

Motoyasu stood up straight, holding his weapon before him. "Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero."

"Motoyasu…" Nadia turned around, facing the stairs leading down. "Sadeena. The older sister of Raphtalia. The strongest fighter from Lurolona.

"I hope I'll see you again soon, Spear Hero." Sadeena gave him a real smile and a wink as she turned her head to look at him one last time, before running down in the direction of the Gladiator's Bar."

…

Hmmm, Sadeena… that name sounded familiar for some reason. He thought he saw such a name on the census documents Melty had him check.

...

Now that he thought about it, he was pretty certain he had heard Keel mention her name a time or two.

He'd definitely ask Keel about her after they met up later today. From what he could tell, this wasn't a trap.

"Are we good to go, Blondie?" Amber spoke out after a moment.

"Yeah, let's find Sebas. I want to make sure we draw no suspicion towards us after today." Motoyasu responded firmly.

And he could also get himself ready for a certain 'ambush' while he was at it.

The two went down the secret passage Sadeena had opened up for them, eventually coming out on a side street close to the plaza.

The pair, unsurprisingly, got ambushed by a group of individuals on their way back to the plaza. Motoyasu and Amber dealt with the drunk boneheaded idiots of the Gladiator's Bar easily enough. They had their good fun and all that. That one big burly guy named Gary had actually been surprisingly nice and invited them to join him and the others for a drink any time!

They were nice people, I say! Motoyasu hoped he didn't end up fighting them in the future...

Oh, and after them, they were ambushed by a different group of individuals. This group had nothing to do with those following Sadeena, thankfully. They were instead from the fighting pit Moto and Amber were participating in that day.

Granny had already warned him that this could happen, so they weren't that surprised when they jumped out of the shadows and attacked the pair of adventurers.

After a few more minutes, and after thoroughly thrashing the individuals who'd tried to take them on outside the fighting pits, the pair found Sebas again.

If the butler found it strange that they came from an opposite direction from the Gladiator's Bar with blood and tearstains coating their outfits and armor, he didn't show it.

Hickwaal's assistant led the two back to their apartment, where they spent the rest of the day waiting until they would have their next scheduled match later that night.

The gladiators they were supposed to be fighting against never showed up, however, for obvious reasons.

The Spear Hero guessed that they were already starting to develop a reputation here.

And so, the pair had yet another boring win without a notable fight happening whatsoever.

"Amber's bored." The Filolial girl pouted again.

"I could ask Granny to spar with you after we get back?" Motoyasu offered.

"... Amber's not that bored." The girl said nervously.

Yep, he always knew Filolials were the smartest species in existence.

And so, they waited for the two demi-kids to return...

"Good luck with your first match, Anya!"

"Thanks, let's meet again in the Finals to determine who's stronger between us." Anya smiled happily as she waved to the dog girl before walking onto the arena floor.

"Hah! You can't even beat me in our practice spars at home! I'll look forward to mopping the ground with you in a real fight!" Keel called after her.

Anya simply stuck her tongue out as the wooden portcullis fell behind her, putting her out of sight.

Keel steadied herself against the wall as she waited.

She had so much nervous energy bursting through her. Not even Granny's breathing exercises were enough to calm down her excitement and panic.

Keel just had to wait, trying to guess how Anya's match was going based on the sounds of fighting she heard from the other side. It was annoying that the participants had to register in advance and stay in this little waiting area. The dog girl would have loved to watch her friend's match!

They were the final two matches of the first round. There'd been all sorts of folks around them at the start. But now the winners of those matches were waiting in a different room and the same was true for the losers, leaving the dog girl all by herself. Her opponent would be all by themselves too in a room on the opposite side of the stadium, so she could at least try to imagine who she'd be fighting while she waited.

…

Oh wait, she'd paid the others very little attention. So she didn't have any idea who she'd be fighting against.

So much for having that to distract herself with.

…

Eventually, the sounds stopped, and about a minute later, the portcullis began to rise in front of her. Keel looked surprised as Anya limped into the hall.

"What happened? Did you win?" Keel asked worriedly.

"No, I had the worst possible luck with my match-up. The guy fought with a sword and used anti-magic." Anya growled, sounding pained.

Keel gave the girl one of the Healing Potions she'd been entrusted with by Motoyasu. Then she gave her friend a quick hug. "Don't worry, I'll make sure I beat him in the Finals for you."

"Yeah, I'll just focus on getting the third-place spot in the loser's bracket instead." The cat girl responded, still looking disappointed in herself.

All that training, all that effort... and she'd lost in her very first match. It was very disheartening, to say the least.

Keel frowned. But then, she slapped her cheeks and perked herself up. "Hey, it's not like we ever trained to face enemies who could cancel out magic! Now you have something else to learn from Mahoya and Rachel after we get home!"

"What about… Granny?" Anya asked hesitantly.

"Nah, she would just train you to fight through those kinds of opponents with your fists." Keel deadpanned.

Anya laughed at her answer. She was already starting to look a lot better again. "Alright. I'll just win the loser's bracket instead then.

"Make sure to knock 'em dead for me!"

Keel laughed as she ran out onto the sand for her first match.

...

The first thing Keel noticed upon exiting was a pretty large audience, filling the seats of the Colosseum.

Just like that, a lot of her nervous energy came back in full force. Oh, right, she was about to fight in front of a whole bunch of people. No wonder Anya had looked so sad about losing before.

She'd have to try extra hard to make it up to her friend later.

"And now, for the last match of the first round, we have the newcomer Keel, versus one of our youngest and most promising gladiators: give a hand for our hakuko friend: Fohhhhhhhl Fayon!"

The crowd began to roar as a lone individual walked out onto the field from the opposite end. Keel eyed up her opponent as he approached.

He looked like a teenager, just like her. The color of his short-cropped hair and the fur on his tail alternated in lines of white and black, which was a signature look among the hakuko. A pair of cute round ears poked out from the top of the boy's head. His eyes were blue, just like the dog girl's, but his pupils were vertically aligned like Anya's. They also gave off an intimidating aura that matched Fohl's fierce facial expression.

The last thing of note about Fohl's appearance was that his clothing somewhat clashed with his otherwise clean and cared-for appearance. It only consisted of an old dirty brown shirt that was fraying at the edges of its sleeves and gray pants with multiple patched-over holes in them. He didn't even have shoes and was going to fight barefoot.

In many ways, Fohl reminded Keel of Dou-Lon. Except without the furry arms and legs, and the blue eyes instead of gold… and on top of that, well, this guy looked more... 'grumpy' for a lack of a better word.

And when Fohl finished eyeing Keel up in return, his expression soured even more before he sharply looked up and shouted at the crowd above. "Ec drec cusa geht uv zuga?! So vencd vekrd dutyo ec ykyehcd y syet?!"

"H-huh?" Keel nearly faltered, having forgotten that people here spoke in a different language. "I'm sorry. I don't understand you. Is there a problem?"

"Problem?! Of course, I have a problem! I was told I'd be fighting against a classed-up newcomer in my first match! Where's my actual opponent?!" The tiger boy yelled at Keel this time in surprisingly coherent Melromarcian while pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"H-Huh?!" Keel stuttered in shock.

"Tell me where my real opponent is!" Fohl repeated.

What the- who did this guy think she was?!

Keel's nervousness and excitement vanished. Her face focused into a glare.

This guy wanted to underestimate Keel and think she wasn't worth fighting? Fine, she'd just have to make sure he never made that mistake ever again.

"There is no mistake, Fohl! This lovely young lass is your opponent!" The announcer shouted from his booth, making the boy's face twist in disbelief. "Now, begin!"

"Hey! Stop messing with me! Is this another lame special event or something?! Tell me who I'm fighting against-" The tiger boy continued to complain, facing the announcer instead of Keel at this point.

That's why he was left completely unprepared when Keel's fist drove into the side of his face with enough force that a visible shockwave accompanied the impact.

Boom! "Gah!"

Fohl's body was sent rolling across the sand, kicking up a bunch of dust until he came to a crashing halt against a boulder sticking out from the sand.

Blood slowly trickled from one of his nostrils as he dizzily got up, still trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Just a maid, huh? And here I thought the fighters would be a little smarter than that."

Keel rudely spat to her side and raised her fists again while standing tall in her ridiculous get-up. Waves of killing intent were radiating off her form now and her eyes narrowed to slits. "Why don't I 'serve' you up some pain in that case!"

"What the- how are you so-" Fohl started to cry out, still sounding confused.

Keel closed the distance between them like a speeding bullet. The tiger boy barely raised his arms to protect his face in time, blocking her next punch.

Ah, so he could react to her attacks! Good to know. Keel wasn't going to hold anything back in this fight then.

To say that Keel laid an absolute smackdown on the poor tiger kid in the moments after those first attacks connected would have been an understatement.

Fohl did try to fight back. He did.

However, there wasn't much he could do when his opponent moved like a blur in his eyes. Despite being dressed as a maid, the dog girl's attacks were hard to follow, and when they landed, they hit like a pair of sledgehammers.

Staying on the defensive was all Fohl could do, just to avoid getting knocked out of the fight right away.

"Ha! Got you!" The tiger boy finally managed to sidestep one of the dog girl's punches and tried to use this opportunity to land a counterattack.

Keel, however, sidestepped the hakuko's attempt at retaliation that moved a lot slower in her vision. It was only thanks to Fohl's sharp instincts that he caught himself before he lost his balance.

Not that it mattered, as Keel's palm slammed into his chest. The tiger kid was sent flying back over a dozen feet but managed to land into a roll and quickly get back up.

"Yeah, you sure got me, alright." Keel taunted with a teeth-baring smirk and made a 'bring it' gesture at the hakuko.

"Stop making fun of me!" Fohl rushed forward, his eyes filled with anger as he punched as fast and hard as he could.

Keel began swaying left and right, dodging his attacks with little to no effort. "Making fun of you?" She asked in a chiding voice.

With a growl, the tiger boy tried to deliver a devastating haymaker. Yet Keel sidestepped the massive punch and then proceeded to kick Fohl in the behind, causing him to fall face-first into the sand again. "I'm taking you seriously since you believed I wasn't strong enough to be your actual opponent."

The eyes of the people up above were wide in astonishment, at seeing Keel literally kicking Fohl's butt. Yet the young teenager still extracted himself from the sand, standing wobbly on his feet.

"Y-You tricked me! This isn't fair!" He looked beyond furious now. He had blood dribbling down from several cuts on his face.

"Tricked you?" Keel raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything. You tricked yourself."

"AHHHHHHH!" Instead of answering her rebuttal, Fohl charged forward. Ready to unleash an all-out, desperate attack against the dog girl.

Keel caught his fist midair.

Fohl's eyes widened in surprise.

"Maybe it would have been better if you had taken me seriously from the start," Keel said in a dry voice.

"AHHH-" He tried to punch with his other hand, but Keel caught that one too. He then tried to headbutt her, but Keel headbutted him in return.

Fohl cried out as he bled from a gash in his forehead.

"You're not going to win. Yield." Keel ordered in an authoritative voice.

"I… I refuse to lose to a freaking maid!" Fohl growled out. The anger in his eyes only grew as he struggled to free his fists.

"Yield!" Keel tightened her grip on the tiger boy's fists, but he didn't relent.

"I will win! I HAVE TO WIN!"

"Yi-"

Pop!

Keel's eyes widened in astonishment as the guy suddenly twisted his body sideways, dislocating his left arm from its socket and dragging the dog girl down onto the arena floor with the resulting momentum. She was so shocked by the desperate move, in fact, that she couldn't react in time when Fohl used this opportunity to kick her in the gut.

The dog girl rolled back, quickly getting back to her feet as she grasped her stomach. That kick hurt!

"YOU WON'T BEAT ME! I HAVE TO WIN! I WILL WINNNNNNNN!" Fohl screamed, his left arm hanging limply from his side as he charged forward, his right fist aimed for Keel's face.

The dog girl ducked his blow. And he followed with another.

But she'd disappeared from view entirely.

Fohl's eyes widened in shock as he looked around, trying to spot where the maid girl had gone.

"No, you're not," Keel said in a calm voice down below.

Fohl looked further down and his widened eyes stared in dumbfounded confusion. "Wha…" The rest of the crowd was confused too.

The creature was wearing Keel's maid outfit, so it was her. However… She was standing on two stubby legs, flexing her small, puppy-like arms.

Yes, Keel had just transformed into a Siberian Husky Puppy. Nobody could have seen this coming.

As Fohl was still trying to process the oddly adorable sight, the puppy girl jumped up, delivering a devastating roundhouse kick into the back of the hakuko boy's right knee.

"GAH!" He screamed as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his dislocated joint with his good hand.

Keel then transformed back into her human form, appearing behind Fohl with her arms clenched around his stomach. Lifting him, she brought him over her body, crashing his head into the ground of the arena with a perfectly executed German suplex.

Against any normal person, these hits and more would have knocked them out of the fight for good. However, even as Keel turned around to face her opponent again, the tiger kid rushed forward. Blood leaking from multiple wounds, and a crazed determined look in his eyes.

"YOU FREAKING MAID!"

Keel barely dodged this time as his clawed hand swiped across her face. Her eyes saw the tips of the sharp claws he'd had retracted until that moment.

"I WILL WIN! I WILL-"

Keel flipped over the boy's next strike. Landing behind him and taking him in a chokehold.

Fohl tried to cry out, only for his voice to be cut off.

He drove his right elbow into Keel's side. He then clawed Keel's wrist, leaving small gashes in her skin. But the dog girl stubbornly clung onto the struggling tiger teen, and after he managed to claw her, she threw themselves back into the ground. Briefly stunning the tiger boy and allowing her to use her leg to restrain his right arm before putting him back into the chokehold.

"Ack! ACK!"

The crowd all held their breath, watching as Fohl continued to struggle. Yet Keel had the feral fighter completely restrained.

He'd fought well, the kid's grit and determination, his skills and combat experience, and his connection to the hakuko race were all benefits that allowed him to fight toe to toe with stronger opponents.

But against Keel, who was trained by Granny, he'd never stood a chance.

After a minute, the kid's eyes finally rolled up into the back of his head, and he passed out.

Keel released him right after, checking his body over to make sure that she hadn't accidentally killed him.

…

After a moment, when she confirmed that the hakuko teen was still breathing, she looked up to the announcer. As did every other member of the crowd.

The man still looked surprised. But after a moment, he coughed into his hand and started to grin widely. "And in a surprise turnabout that no one could have seen coming, our young Fohl gets knocked out during his first fight of the day!

"Everyone, please give a round of applause for this fight's winner, our newcomer, Keel!" The man proclaimed.

Keel smiled happily as she stood up, waving to the cheering crowds of people.

Holy- this feeling of victory felt exhilarating!

Looking up at everyone cheering her name… the dog girl felt like all her hard work, all the hours she'd spent training with Granny and leveling against monsters in the forest… was finally paying off!

She changed into her puppy dog form again. Flexing her tiny dog muscles before everyone before changing back into her human form. Showcasing her tricks and abilities while showboating in front of everyone over her victory.

The crowd of people ate it up. Only stoking the dog girl's ego even more.

This went on for a couple of minutes, with the crowd loving it, and then, as Keel finally began moving to leave the arena, in a burst of thought, she quickly turned around. She realized that she should help the boy wake up and get back on his feet. You know, as a show of good sportsmanship.

The people would probably like that too, right?

However, after turning around, she saw that her opponent was already gone from the spot where she'd left him and was slowly limping towards the exit. He was holding his left arm to himself, and as she spotted him, she watched as he grabbed his dislocated arm and popped it back into place.

A look of pain briefly crossed Fohl's face at the action, but it quickly passed, replaced with a look of despair going across his features as he disappeared from the crowd's view.

Without saying a word, or even acknowledging her for her win, he vanished without a trace.

…

"Hmph, fine then. Can't believe he didn't apologize for thinking I was weak." Keel huffed as she turned around and marched out of the arena the way she'd entered.

The crowd continued to cheer long after she'd vanished. Up until it was almost time for the second round of matches to commence.

The rest of the day quickly flew by for the two demis.

Keel fought in a total of six matches. She wondered if they'd be as difficult as the first, and except for her third match, the fights that she had matched or went beyond what she'd experienced in the first round.

In her third match, Keel ended up facing off against some weird black-robed individual who spent all his time before the match preaching to the audience about how the Waves of Destruction was a divine punishment to the people for not offering enough sacrifices and how he was dedicating his fight to the true Gods of this world or something along those lines.

The rural dog girl honestly didn't pay much attention to his blabbering. She'd been standing there impatiently, waiting for him to make the first move after the announcer started the fight. But when the zealot wouldn't stop blabbering to the annoyed crowd even then, and when he began jabbering on in a different language Keel didn't know, she just rushed forward, grabbing the side of his head and smashing it against one of the boulders sticking out of the sand.

The crowd had been all too happy to see the weirdo being carried out by a pair of mercenaries after being knocked out so efficiently. Unlike her first opponent, he did not wake up for a while after that strike.

In her final match, Keel went on to face the guy who beat Anya in her first match. He was a loud spiky-haired swordsman who looked like a young teenager himself, a guy who went by the name Asta.

He was strong. Keel had to use every trick Granny had pounded into her body and therianthrope form to win by the thinnest of margins. But she did win in the end. It was one of the most exciting fights of her life!

"Wow, you're really strong! I'm glad we got to fight each other!" The loud-mouthed boy ended up being a surprisingly good sport after his loss and shook her hand after the award ceremony when she was crowned as the victor for today's tournament and given her prize money.

Five whole gold coins… Huh?

The dog girl stared dumbfounded at the stack of paper that was handed out to her by one of the Colosseum's staff members.

"Hey! What the hell is this!? Where's my money?" Keel angrily shouted at the sweating attendant.

"Ah, you've just arrived at the city, right?" Asta, who had received the second-place winnings, spoke up again. "Don't panic, you're not being scammed or anything. It freaked me out too when I first arrived.

"This paper is called 'Zeni'. It's the currency used by the people here. It's as good as gold and can be exchanged for it in the city's banks. One Zeni is worth one silver. You can tell the denomination by the number printed on it. See, you've got five bills with one hundred written on each. So you effectively have five hundred silvers which are worth five gold, so everything checks out."

"Huh?" Keel cocked her head to the side in confusion. "I don't get it, how can this paper be worth as much as silver? Isn't it just paper?"

"Didn't we learn about this from Melty before we came here?" Anya sighed." Forget it, I'll explain it again later, just take these for now."

Keel narrowed her eyes but took the bills from the sweating arena staff member and put them into her pocket.

"Anyway, good fights, Keel, Anya! I'll look forward to fighting you again!" Asta waved to the two demihumans and ran off.

"Same here! We'll totally have to spar again sometime!" Keel responded excitedly.

"Sure thing! Bye!" And like that, the boy rushed out of the Colosseum. Leaving a very happy Keel to look at the money that she'd just… won.

"Anya, is this really money?" The dog girl narrowed her eyes again in displeasure before turning to face her friend.

"Yes, it is, so stop looking at it sourly." Anya waved the dog girl off. Unlike Keel, the cat girl looked pleased with herself this time. She'd managed to fight her way through the loser's bracket. Having a far easier time than Keel had in the main bracket. Her skills had helped her to shine where her friend couldn't.

It had been just plain bad luck that her very first match had her pitted against someone who was built to defeat mages. Her Shadow and Wind Magic never stood a chance against him.

"But how can paper be money?!" Keel complained again.

"I- urgh, here, let me show you!"

A couple minutes later, the pair walked out of a building next to the Colosseum. Keel was staring in awe at the gold coins in her hands that the receptionist inside had given in exchange for the 'Zenis' she'd turned in.

"Paper really is money here."

"Not all the paper here is money…" Anya said with an angry pout.

"Eh?" Keel cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Oh for the love of- THIS GIRL WAS REALLY GOING TO PISS ANYA OFF AT THIS RATE!

ALRIGHT, SHE WAS GOING TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT, AND HOPE THAT KEEL FORGOT ABOUT THIS IN A FEW MINUTES!

"What are you going to spend your coins on?" Anya asked in a fake, cheery voice.

"Well... remember that cool-looking stall with all those cool-looking toys in it? The one we saw when Sebas escorted us here?" Keel thought out loud. "I think our friends back home would like some of them."

"Great idea! I think I remember where it was!" Anya perked up cheerfully. Yes, now they could move on to the fun stuff!

As they walked and laughed together, Keel felt like she'd learned a lot today thanks to all the fights she'd participated in. Whether she held a blade in her hands, made use of her fists, or dealt with her opponents in her therianthrope form. Granny was right in that she and Anya could learn a lot from fighting here.

She hoped they'd be able to come back even after they got their friends out. It could be a good way for her to gain more fighting experience against others.

"Hey, I'm feeling hungry as well. Mind if we get something to eat after the toy stall?" Anya rubbed her tummy. "They didn't provide the best food to snack on between matches."

"Yeah, those nutrition bars tasted sooooo dry. It was like eating paper instead of food- wait, could it be that I was eating money in there?" Keel thought out loud to herself.

"No!" Anya yelled angrily. "We are not bringing that up again!"

"Ehhhh~!?" Keel tilted her head to the side in confusion again.

Oh well. It wasn't long before the two friends were back to their playful banter.

It was only a short while later that they spotted the toy stall Keel mentioned. It was late evening by this point, but the man hadn't closed his shop yet. Keel also spotted a restaurant nearby with a sign written in Melromarcian on the front.

They had everything they needed for a nice, relaxing evening after the hard day of fighting they'd gone through.

But as Anya approached the stall to find something for the kids back home, Keel paused. She noticed somebody walking down the far side of the road, his head hanging down in front of him.

"Rao, get! Fydlr ed!" A lion demihuman pedestrian yelled angrily in an unknown language as the tiger boy accidentally bumped into him.

Fohl hardly reacted to him though, barely turning in his direction and muttering something before continuing.

The man, who looked like some kind of high-profile merchant, scoffed. However, instead of staying around and making a big deal out of some dirty-looking kid making a mess of his robes, he turned around and continued on his way. Leaving Fohl to continue walking all by himself.

"What are you staring at?" Anya asked curiously when she realized her friend wasn't looking at any of the toys in the stall.

"I'm not… sorry, I'll be right back!" Keel suddenly said, handing her winnings over to the cat girl before rushing across the street.

"Huh? Keel?!" Anya shouted in surprise.

The dog girl weaved between carriages going down both sides of the road. It took her more than a few seconds to cross, and she got yelled at by more than a few angry drivers, but she eventually made it to the other side of the road.

"Nabahd, vuumecr cehhanc! Nabahd yht zueh ic, pavuna ed'c duu myda!" A man in a black cloak was shouting something on this side of the street while standing on top of an empty wooden crate.

"Oh geez, not one of these weirdos again." The dog girl muttered quietly while rolling her eyes. She had no clue what this particular Zealot was shouting this time since he wasn't speaking Melromarcian. She needed to find where Fohl had gone. But there were a few more cloaked individuals with him drawing the crowds in who seemed to be in the process of... giving out food?

Come to think of it, there was a sizable crowd of Demihuman slaves around the preacher. And- wait, Fohl was listening to him too?!

Sure enough, the tiger boy was standing at the edge of the crowd listening to whatever drivel the cloaked man was spewing. One of the other cloaked men who were giving out food handed Fohl a paper bag and said something to him, causing the hakuko boy to awkwardly nod in response and mutter something else before breaking off from the crowd and quickly running out of sight.

'Huh, wonder why they're just giving out food here?' Keel almost forgot about the entire reason she'd come over here in the first place.

Thankfully, she didn't.

Keel gave the cloaked figures one last look before moving in the direction she'd seen Fohl run off to.

The dog girl knew that she was acting in a pretty stupid manner, but she felt a bit bad about how her fight with the hakuko went. Even though he was rude, he didn't seem like a bad person. And the way he fought, especially at the end... Keel couldn't help but feel a certain amount of kinship and respect towards his determination.

Fohl acted like how a true man of the sea should.

Keel came to a stop, looking left and right along the sidewalk. She'd lost track of the tiger boy in the crowds again.

She ran to the section of sidewalk where she'd seen him before and changed into her therianthrope form to take a deep sniff.

A lot of different scents went across her nose. But it took her only a second to discern the fresh scent of the opponent she'd fought earlier today. Keel made a mental note to thank Uncle Dou-lon again later for all the pointers that he gave in regards to how to best use one's therianthrope form before following the scent trail.

She went forward a hundred feet, where the scent veered right into an alleyway. She spotted Fohl just before he limped around a corner.

Feeling somewhat proud of how her tracking skills had improved, Keel transformed back into her human form and quietly rushed to the intersection. She was careful to not make too much noise in case she scared the boy off or made him act out in anger like he had earlier.

She'd tried to throw what happened during their match, as well as the look on his face at the end out of her mind. However, while sitting and waiting between matches, she couldn't help but think about how Fohl hadn't given up the whole fight.

The kid had literally dislocated his left arm just so he'd be able to give his leg enough room to kick her. And even after she'd nearly turned his knee inside out and hit him with several different massive attacks, he still hadn't relented.

And while Keel hadn't killed him, the hakuko boy got hurt so badly that he wasn't able to even put up a fight in the loser's bracket. Despite trying to push through with his injuries, Fohl lost again almost immediately and got booted out of the building by security afterward.

Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe it was guilt, but the dog girl at least wanted to know why he hadn't wanted to lose!

As Keel finally reached the corner, a hand grabbed her by the shoulder, making her come to a sudden stop. "Keel, what the hell are you doing?"

Fortunately, Anya spoke up before Keel could turn around and punch her assailant. Keel only turned her head enough to glance back at her friend.

"I'm tailing the guy I fought in my first match," The dog girl answered in a quiet voice.

"Really? Heh! Now that's the Keel I know, running off into trouble!" Anya gave the dog girl a smug cat-lipped grin. "So, did you get a crush on-"

Keel ignored her friend and just moved to the corner, peeking around it.

Fortunately, Fohl hadn't spotted them, as he moved to stand in front of a section of wall. His bag was clutched tightly in his right fist.

After another moment of taking in a deep breath, he pressed his shoulder into a stone, causing the wall to move to the side, revealing an entrance underground. Without looking to either side, he walked in.

The door started to slide shut behind him on its own ten seconds later. Enough time for Keel to close the distance and rush in before it closed.

"Wait, can't we at least get dinner before we do this? We don't have much time before we have to return to the apartment." Anya asked.

"No, now stop talking and use your magic to help us sneak around or whatever." Keel waved her friend off as she started to sneak forward.

Looking very unhappy, but not wanting her friend to go off by herself, Anya began chanting a spell under her breath as the door closed behind them.

"Zweite Shadow Walk."

Shadows covered the two's feet. While not an invisibility spell, this would at least mask the sound of their footfalls.

Anya observed her friend in the torchlight. "Ten minutes. And then we're out of here so we can grab dinner on our way back."

"Ehehe. Thanks, Anya." Keel giggled happily.

The cat girl groaned, but the two trailed Fohl for a short while after that.

It was only half a minute later when the passage widened, and cages holding various monsters appeared on either side of them. Price tags were attached to some of the cages, indicating that this place was a store.

The two ducked behind a line of cages, getting out of sight as someone approached the tiger boy in front of them.

"Yr, oui'na pylg! Ruf tet dra vekrdc ku dutyo, ouihk Fohl?" An eerily familiar voice asked. Though neither believed it was who they were thinking of.

"What are they saying?" Keel whispered to the cat girl quietly.

"It's Siltveltish, I'll translate. Stay quiet." Anya whispered back.

"... … …"

"Oof, that bad, huh? Did you at least place?"

"... … …"

"Hmmm, they didn't ask you to throw the first round, did they?" The man asked.

"... I was beaten in the first round… they said that I'd be allowed to fight without needing to hold back in today's tournament," Fohl admitted in a tight voice. "But my opponent..."

"Ah, I see..."

"Please, could you buy the medicine my sister needs? I promise I'll pay you back after I win the tournament this weekend!" Fohl pleaded.

"With injuries like that? My boy, I'm already going to be doing you a favor paying a healer to fix you up as it is." The man sighed.

"Please! Forget about healing me! I'll be fine! If I don't get Atla what she needs, then-" Fohl raised his voice.

Neither girl saw it, but the man poked Fohl's left shoulder. The poor boy cried out as the area flared with pain.

"My boy, unless the organizers arrange for that tournament to be thrown in your favor, you won't be winning any fights for a while in your condition. You're of better use to me healthy than you are dead."

"But… but my sister…"

"I will do you a favor by not adding to your debt with the healer. But it'd be bad business if I spent money on your dying sister when she has no hope of being bought in her condition."

Fohl gasped as if he was struggling to breathe.

"Your persistence in caring for the young girl is admirable. I've been in this business long enough to know. She would have died from her illness long ago if not for you."

"But you can't keep pushing yourself like this, boy. You'll destroy yourself and your sister at this rate if you don't do something to change your situation. And that'd leave me a lot less money if you died."

"And what choice do I have?!" Fohl yelled in a tight voice. "Where else could I get the money to afford Atla's medicine?! Where else could I trust her to stay without fearing for her life?!"

"If I don't throw a match here or there, if I tried fighting without restraint for the prize money I need, then… they'd target her. And I'd have nothing left to live for."

"Fohl-"

"I just… I don't want to lose her… she's the only family I have left…" Fohl said with finality. "Please..."

…

The man sighed. "I'll see about it, but it's already too late to go out. You'll have to wait till tomorrow."

"But-" Fohl tried to say.

"Tomorrow." The man repeated.

...

No more words were exchanged between the two, and Fohl moved on while the man sighed to himself again and walked to another part of his underground shop.

Anya was frowning, and she wanted to suggest they head back. However, before she could, Keel moved on ahead, trailing behind Fohl from the other side of the cage line.

The cat girl followed behind her friend.

…

A few seconds later, the line of cages ended. Being replaced with a hallway full of what looked like open-bar prison cells. Instead of monsters, these held people in them. A very familiar tattoo could be seen painted on their chests.

So that's what sort of store this was...

Keel and Anya crouched behind the last cage as Fohl entered the hallway. Nodding to the slave soldier standing guard before opening the door to one of the cells with his good hand.

At first, it didn't look like anybody else was inside… the entire cell was barren. The only light came from a sconce on the wall. The ground was covered in straw. And there looked to be a sleeping area where a mound of blankets lay on the floor.

"Big… Big Brother? Is that you?" A weak voice came from the mound of blankets. Both girls' eyes widened as the voice spoke in Melromarcian.

And that's when Keel and Anya realized that it wasn't a pile of blankets. But a blanket, laid over a smaller girl with hair just like her brother's. Her body was wrapped in bandages.

The dirtied strips of cloth covered her whole body, even her face. Only her mouth, ears, and hair were visible.

"Hey, Atla." Fohl forced himself to smile, trying his best to mask his pain from his voice as he sat down next to her. She was blind, so she'd never see his face, but he tried to smile anyway. She'd always been able to tell what face he was making for some reason.

It'd been adorable when she was a baby. It was far more painful now that they were older.

"You're… you're hurt." The girl said quietly again. "I heard you yelling earlier too. But I couldn't tell what it was about."

"It's nothing. I just had a bad match today, that's all. Don't worry about it." Fohl said, doing his best to keep the fake smile plastered on his face. "Look, I brought you some bread!" He then said in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Hmmm…" She didn't sit up, and her older brother took a piece of stale bread from the bag he'd been carrying.

It was the only thing that'd been in that bag. Something a baker acquaintance of his gave him out of the kindness of his heart.

That's what he kept telling Atla, at least.

Fohl split it in half as if he was going to share it between themselves. But after helping his younger sister to eat the first half and making sounds as if he was eating his own, he grabbed the second half and touched her lips with it.

"There's… still more?" She asked.

"Yeah, the baker was extra nice today." Fohl lied.

"Brother… you need to eat too," Atla told him.

"I'll be fine. I ate plenty at today's tournament." Fohl lied again.

He couldn't tell her how he'd been kicked out of the Colosseum. His reward from the sponsors behind him for failing so spectacularly on a day when he was let off his leash.

"Brother…" Before she could say anything else, the girl began violently coughing.

"Atla, Atla!" Fohl started screaming in fear as he grabbed her by the shoulders, helping to keep her body pinned down.

…

After a moment, the girl's coughing stopped. She turned her head to the side, a sad frown on her face. Blood dribbled from her lips.

"Come on, please eat. You need to keep your strength up." Fohl pleaded.

"Big Brother. You can't keep sacrificing for me."

"Atla, it's fine! It's not that much if I skip a meal here or there so long as you're able to-!" Fohl yelled.

Atla coughed again. It sounded hoarse and raspy. The blood on her lips soaked into the dirtied bandages below her mouth. "It hurts… it hurts so much, Big Brother." She said in a tiny voice. A few droplets of blood remained on the corners of her lips.

Fohl was trying so hard not to break down and start sobbing. But he could not hide the sound of his tears falling onto the floor beneath him as he set the second piece of bread to the side. "I… tomorrow, I'll win enough money so Deloukas can afford to get you some stronger medicine! You won't be in pain for a while after that, I promise!"

"Big Brother…" The girl was too weak to say anything else.

...

Anya poked Keel's shoulder, almost making the girl gasp as she was pulled out from what she'd been watching. She turned her head, and her friend gestured that it was time to go. She had a haunted look in her eyes.

They'd seen enough.

They'd seen more than enough.

...

Yet, Keel looked back at the prison cell. Where Fohl had rested his sister's head on his lap.

He'd started singing a lullaby for the poor girl. Helping her to the land of dreams, where she'd be able to hide from the pain her body was in at least for some time.

"When one person loves another,

"What do they lose in return?

"When time seeks, what was lost in time…

"The song it knew..."

…

As soon as Fohl noticed that his sister was asleep, he stopped singing. His voice cracked as he began to quietly sob.

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry that I couldn't get you your medicine today." He whimpered, running his good hand through his younger sister's hair.

"I'll try. I'll try again tomorrow. I'll convince my sponsors to let me fight in the pits underground and not throw any of my matches so I'll win enough money to get some powerful medicine from that nice pharmacist lady. It'll be so strong that it'll cure your illness.

"Just please, please don't die on me before then, Atla.

"I… I can't lose you too…"

The young boy continued sobbing into his hands. The young girl in his lap breathing and twitching in her troubled sleep.

…

As Anya and Keel finally snuck out the way they came, the dog girl's blue eyes fell to the floor.

She… didn't feel good about winning today's tournament anymore.

She understood all too well now why Fohl had been so determined to win.

And satisfying her curiosity had left her with an all too deep sense of guilt at what she'd done.

Hero Clips!

Introducing Sadeena

"Ara ara?" Sadeena looked curiously at the fourth wall. This was a new and exciting development. Has she seen this somewhere before?

"Huh, Author and Proofreader-kun still aren't here, huh? Must still be busy watching over things in the Otherworld." Motoyasu looked around curiously. "I wonder if they at least left me notes for today's character introduction."

"Oh, is that what this is?" Sadeena asked the Spear Hero curiously.

"Yeah, I think so, at least. I could have sworn you had a character introduction over in Shield Kid's Bizarre Adventure at least, but I guess that was a less serious take on your character." Motoyasu shrugged.

"Hmmm… I wonder if I was too drunk at the time. I can't recall something like that in my mind." Sadeena said curiously. She was leaning forward on a desk, putting her assets on display.

Motoyasu quickly turned his head, red filling his cheeks. Goddamn, she was so HOT! It was too bad she was an alcoholic. He would have loved to get to know her better and-

"Ahem, anyway! Luckily, it looks like Allen did leave me some notes on your character right here!" Motoyasu said, pulling out a stack of papers from behind a desk.

"Oh, let's see what Author-kun has to say about me then." Sadeena winked while smirking flirtatiously.

Motoyasu gulped again. Stay strong, man. Just focus on what Author-kun wrote about her character. That should help you to find out about the more serious aspects of her background and personality!

Motoyasu looked at the first page of her description.

HOT

…

Motoyasu flipped over to the next page.

HOT!

The same word covered the whole page. Written in big, bold letters, with the addition of an exclamation mark at the end of the word.

…

Motoyasu began hesitantly flipping over the pages after that. Hoping the first two were just some kind of sick joke from Author-Kun.

HOOOOT!

HOTTTTTTT!

SO HHHHHOT!

HOT DAMN!

MOTHER OF THICCNESS!

PLEASE SQUASH ME BETWEEN YOUR THICC CHEEKS ORCA MOMMY!

Motoyasu's eyebrows slowly raised higher and higher. Sadeena stood in her spot, staring curiously at the Spear Hero as he remained silent.

"Ara?" She asked again.

SHE CAN ARA THOSE SWEET LIPS WITH MINE AND-

"Alright!" Motoyasu suddenly ripped up almost every paper in the stack all at once. "That was certainly helpful!"

Fortunately, the paper at the bottom wasn't covered in giant bold handwriting. It looked like it might have something helpful about Sadeena's character that wasn't drowned in hormones!

…

"I can't, I literally can't. Her body combined with her outfit just makes it too hard to keep any description of her PG!

"Norin, hit me with the bonk bat again! I NEED IT!"

…

…

Motoyasu looked from the paper to Sadeena again.

"Hmmm? Is there a problem, Motoyasu?" Sadeena tilted her head to the side again.

"Excuse me, I'll be needing that." A shadowy figure, armed with a comically large baseball bat with the words NO HORNY written on it, snatched the piece of paper from Motoyasu's hands before disappearing from the room.

…

You know what, Author-Kun made a valid point. Motoyasu felt the need to be put in horny jail himself right now.

"If you all want the omake of her giving her background, you should go read Shield Kid instead! It'll be in one of the chapters at the end!" Motoyasu said, sweating nervously in his spot. After reading through all that, the Spear Hero had a feeling that even Author-Kun would give an exception to someone writing an SI if that SI got together with Sadeena instead of the other girls in the setting.

"I guess this means we'll be alone now, right?" Sadeena asked, her voice naturally sounding flirtatious in the Spear Hero's ears as she got close to him.

SWEET GODS! ALLEN WAS SO RIGHT! THIS GIRL COULD ARA THOSE SWEET LIPS OF HERS WITH HIS AND-

The scene was quickly cut off by a burst of static.

*We are experiencing technical difficulties at this time. Please wait patiently as we fix this issue*

It'd be a while before Motoyasu was freed from his horny jail of his.

Hero Clips!

Could you make Yggdrasil's Elixir?

"Ah, Sir Motoyasu, it's been a while.

"It sure has Apothecarian dude whose name I can't remember unlike Mahoya the Witch." Motoyasu grinned as he walked into the old man's shop.

Man, the last time he could remember talking to him must have been when that stupid raccoon family broke that window of his. There'd probably been a time or two after that when he saw him, but this was the old man's first relevant mention in a long time... at least from what he could recall. Man, he should give this guy some more screentime so it'd be easier to remember his name.

"Well then, is there a reason why you're gracing my humble shop with your presence today?" The old man asked, feeling slightly offended without understanding why.

"Yeah. I wanted to ask if you knew how to make Yggdrasil's Elixir." Motoyasu asked.

…

"Pardon?" The Apothecarian said after a moment of silence.

"Yggdrasil's Elixir? You know, the most powerful medicine in the world. Do you know how to make it?" Motoyasu clarified.

"I… my boy, I'm tickled that you'd ask me such a question. Unfortunately, that medicine is a bit too complicated for me." The old man shook his head.

"Would you be able to make it if you had the recipe?" Motoyasu asked.

"No. The recipe isn't exactly a closely guarded secret. It's just so bloody difficult to brew and the price of all the ingredients and tools needed are so expensive that I'd never dream of even trying it. In fact, most experienced apothecaries don't even attempt brewing it in their lifetime since they could lose all their money failing to brew it."

"Oh… okay, I didn't realize there was that much forethought put into it," Motoyasu said nonchalantly.

"Indeed. It makes sense that such a powerful medicine would be so hard for normal people such as myself to make. Maybe Sir Naofumi could make it, if he had a few more years of experience.

"Now, is there a reason why you came to me to ask such a question?"

"Well, I asked because I found out that my weapon can autocraft Yggdrasil's Elixir now." Motoyasu started.

The old man's eyes immediately widened in shock. "What?!" He yelled.

"Yeah, it takes twelve hours for my weapon to autocraft one Yggdrasil's Elixir of average quality though. Weird limitation, amirite?"

"WHAT!?" The old man yelled.

"It takes thirty of all the different potions too. Man, I'm going to be blowing through a lot just to make 2 of these things a day.

"Are you sure you couldn't make one yourself? I can give you the recipe and the materials too if you want and-"

"TWELVE HOURS?! DO YOU THINK IT'S THAT EASY TO MAKE THIS POTION!? IT TAKES EXPERIENCED APOTHECARIES GODDAMN DAYS IF NOT WEEKS OF NONSTOP WORK AND LOADS MORE INGREDIENTS AND POTIONS DUE TO ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD LEAD TO A FAILED RESULT TO MAKE A SINGLE YGGDRASIL'S ELIXIR!" The old man screamed.

"... so, is that a no then?" Motoyasu asked.

The old man proceeded to have a heart attack and almost died in his shop.

So… yeah. The moral of the story was that heroes aren't just busted when it comes to their raw stat advantage over people.

Just don't expect them to be throwing the most powerful medicine in the universe around without a hell of a lot of grinding for the materials they'll need first… oh, and they had to take down the right Guardian Beast to find the weapon form that had the weapon recipe attached to it too. Can't forget that detail, lol.

Man, Kyo really threw the power scale out the window waking that giant turtle a year early. That bug should be updated in the next patch.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

"Keel. We're going to be late."

"I know." The dog girl murmured.

"If you know then move faster! It's already bad enough that most of the stalls and eateries are closed!"

The two demis were back on the main street. It was past sunset, but nighttime hadn't hit the city yet.

Most small-scale merchants had already finished working for the day and their goods and treats were locked away. A few restaurants were still open, but neither of the two teens could see Melromarcian or Siltveltian letters written on their signs.

At this point, Anya had accepted that she and her friend weren't going to be able to grab dinner for themselves. She was just rushing to get back to the underground apartment complex owned by Hickwaal since Motoyasu made the two teens promise that they'd be back from the Colosseum before nighttime. But accepting the situation they were in didn't make the cat girl any happier.

Keel, who was running next to her, didn't seem to care about the notion of missing dinner. She had no appetite to speak of anymore. It'd only been a few minutes since they'd stumbled upon the scene of Fohl taking care of his younger sister. And the dog girl couldn't get it out of her mind.

"Urgh, I swear it was this way, right?" Anya asked out loud as she looked around the plaza they'd entered, trying to find the path they'd walked down earlier that day.

Keel slowed to a stop, looking down at her hands.

Both of them were trembling slightly. The dog girl tried to ball them up into fists to stop it, but it didn't help as she came to realize that her whole body was shaking.

This… this felt wrong. Why were the two of them acting as if the last twenty minutes had never happened?

This… this wasn't right.

"Keel, come on, we came from that way, right?" Anya asked, indicating a familiar-looking route with a desperate look on her face.

This wasn't right. Why were they running back to their shelter when they could have done something back there?

This wasn't right. Keel hadn't worked so hard to become strong enough, just to walk away from another person who needed her help!

Would her Father feel proud, seeing how she'd acted today? Would she be able to call herself a true proper woman of the sea after not only making a fool of someone who was just trying to protect his family but also not even trying to apologize or help him afterward when she realized her mistake?

Anya, growing frustrated, grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her. "Keel, will you stop spacing out and help me out!?" The cat girl asked angrily.

"I'm going back."

...

"What? Back to where?! The Colosseum?!" Anya sounded even more infuriated after taking the second needed to process her friend's words. "Dummy, we can see the bloody building from here! That isn't going to help us get back home on our own! We're not that lost that we need a landmark and-"

"No." Keel interrupted. "I'm going back to help those tiger siblings." Keel clarified with a determined look.

…

…

"... you want to help them out?" Anya asked in a deadpan.

Keel's body finally stopped trembling. Yeah, that was the right thing to do.

"Yeah. I do." She affirmed.

…

…

Anya scowled. "Okay. You want to help them out. How?" She asked.

"I… I'll free them," Keel stated firmly. "That's how I'll help them out."

"Free them…? You'll… free them?" Anya repeated with an exasperated look.

Keel frowned at the mocking tilt in the cat girl's voice. "Is that wrong?"

The cat girl closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. "And how exactly are you going to do that, pray tell? Are you going to force your way into that store, drag the two of them out, and beat up whoever stands in your way while you're at it?"

"Umm..." Keel deflated slightly in response and looked down with her ears falling flat on the top of her head.

"Did winning a few fights get into your head so badly that you think you're invincible now?!" Anya bared her teeth. "That tournament you won was the fourth bracket out of ten, and you only fought one on one. Did you already forget the kind of security there is in the undercity? You make any noise down there and you're gonna get dogpiled- stop smiling, this isn't funny!"

"S-sorry," Keel muttered while trying to suppress her anxious chuckle at the catgirl's unintended pun.

"Okay, I get it, fighting isn't the smart choice here, but we could sneak them out instead! Your magic helped with keeping us hidden earlier!" The dog girl pressed on soon after, however.

"Oh, is it 'we' now?" Anya's tail visibly began to bristle.

"You- you aren't going to help?" Keel's mouth hung open as a look of betrayal spread across her features.

'I-" Anya grimaced and looked away. "Fine, let's assume that I do. But my magic can only conceal our footsteps at best. Even if we reach that cage, how are you going to get the key from the guard standing outside it without getting spotted? And what about those two hakuko? Do you think that they'll just nod and go along with you when you show up and proclaim that you're freeing them? After you humiliated and beat one of them up?"

Keel tried to say something in response but found herself at a loss for words. She was still not ready to give up however and shook her head before looking up into Anya's eyes again.

"Then I'm just going to buy them!" She proclaimed.

"Buy them? With what money!?" Anya asked, showcasing the six golden coins in her hands that the two of them won today. "This isn't going to be enough to buy them their freedom.

"Second, what would we do after we freed them?" Anya asked next and continued before Keel could answer. "You saw how sick the girl was. The cost of her medicine is probably going to be even greater than the price of buying them outright! Is that something you'd be able to afford as well?!"

"No, but maybe Bubba could-" Keel desperately tried to push back.

"And third, and most importantly, why do you want to save them and not any of the other slaves we've come across so far?!" Anya asked loudly, this time shutting her friend up. "Is it because it became personal?! Do you feel guilty about beating that guy up in your match so much?!"

"That's stupid! Every other slave in this city is suffering just as much, if not worse than those two! Don't forget why we came here in the first place! Our money would be better spent elsewhere!"

…

Looking around, Anya saw some people in the square looking at them in confusion. Thankfully, it looked like these residents didn't speak Melromarcian, as they just shrugged and continued on their way.

Anya growled as she faced forward again. "You know what, I think we came this way earlier."

"Anya-" Keel started to say.

"No, I don't want to hear it." The cat girl snapped. "We're already going to be late, and I'm tired and hungry, and-"

"Don't you want to help them too?" Keel asked in a sad voice.

…

…

Anya slowly looked back at her friend. The dog girl was staring down at the cobblestone ground in disappointment. "I know what I'm saying is stupid and nonsensical, but it's the truth. I want to do it anyway. Even if it is just for a couple of random people I only became aware of today."

"I do feel at fault for making their situation worse. And yeah, I don't know how I'll help them out after I free them. But I just can't… I can't stand aside and not do something. I didn't undergo Granny's harsh training regime because I wanted to become a bully like some of the masters I had as a slave."

"I want to save them. I want to help them!"

Keel balled her hands into fists and looked up again, her blue eyes glinting with a dangerous aura. "I am going to help them, Anya. Now are you going to help me do it the right way or not? If my ideas are so stupid then why don't you come up with a smart one, instead of pretending like you don't care!?"

…

…

"..." Anya let out a shaky breath. "Maybe I was right earlier and you want to help them because you have a crush on that guy." She muttered quietly to herself.

"Eh? Did you just say something?" Keel asked, leaning in close to hear her friend.

"It's nothing." Anya looked at the darkening sky and rubbed the bridge of her nose with both of her hands. "Fine. Fine. If you are that stubbornly dead-set on helping them then let's focus on getting back first. If we're going to do anything, we have to tell Moto about it."

"We'd be able to accomplish a lot more with his help than if we went back on our own."

"Are… does that mean you want to help?" Keel asked, sounding hopeful.

"I don't know. But we won't be able to do anything if we come back super late and get grounded or sent home, right?" Anya asked, a teasing smirk finally appearing on her face.

"Huh- oh, right! Look at the sky, whoa we're going to be so late! Uhhhhhh… I think we came from that way earlier!" Keel pointed to a different path out of the plaza.

"You sure? I thought we went down this one earlier." Anya pointed to the path she originally wanted her and Keel to take.

"Nah, I remember, it was definitely this path since there's the sign on that building there with the inscription of the weird lady on it." Keel pointed out.

Anya looked, and she did find the sign Keel had pointed out. It looked like some sort of caricature of a burly woman with a spiked helmet on her head and a tankard in her hand. She might have also had a mustache on her face, or maybe that was just beer stains from a mug thrown from the tavern under the sign.

"Actually… I think you might be right." Anya admitted.

The two girls ran down the path Keel had chosen.

…

After a minute, Anya looked around, eyes widening in recognition at the familiar territory. Soon enough, the two approached a wall hiding the passage that led to Hickwaal's underground complex. "Alright, hopefully we're not too late." The cat girl sighed in relief.

"As if Bubba would punish us that harshly for taking a few extra minutes." Keel scoffed.

"Whatever, I want to see if Moto has any leftovers I could eat. I'm starving." Anya rolled her eyes.

"But we're going to ask for his help with Fohl and his sister, right?" Keel responded quickly.

Anya pushed against one of the bricks on the wall, causing it to slide out of the way. "Naturally." Without saying another word to her friend, she went underground.

Keel grinned as she followed, closing the sliding door behind her.

Motoyasu was in the living room of his temporary residence in Zeltoble, sitting in a chair while casually discussing something with his Filolial Companion over a cup of tea. His helmet was set on the edge of the coffee table, next to the steaming pot.

But the calm and relaxing atmosphere was harshly brought to an end in a short time when Keel suddenly forced her way into the apartment by flinging the door open with a bang. Anya was quick to enter right after her friend.

"Ah! There you are! I was starting to wonder if I'd have to go topside to find you two-" Motoyasu smiled at the pair as he spoke, not minding their explosive entrance in the slightest. Judging by how out of breath the two of them were, they must have lost track of time while playing in the upper city and ran all the way here to make sure that they wouldn't break curfew-.

"Bubba Spear, we need your help to buy two slaves!" Keel yelled.

…

…

Anya facepalmed at the look of incredulity and confusion that crossed the Spear Hero's face.

Talk about phrasing something poorly.

"I… wha…"

"Did something happen?" Amber asked worriedly.

"Well, several somethings, really… uh, I guess I could have explained a little first." Keel began chuckling nervously while rubbing the back of her neck.

"You think?" Anya deadpanned.

"Hey- no, never mind, I don't have time to be offended by that! Where should I start?!"

The next few minutes went by, with Keel and Anya taking turns to frantically explain what'd happened earlier that day. How the dog girl fought a hakuko teenager named Fohl in her first match. How she taught him a lesson after he thought she was weak.

How Keel proceeded to win the tournament, which Amber looked super happy about. How Keel had then spotted Fohl limping in the street afterward, how she tracked him to a slave shop, and how she'd learned about his predicament as well as his sister's.

"Anyway, I want to buy their freedom, and see if we'd be able to help them out after that or not." Keel finished. "Do you think you could help with that?"

"I…" Motoyasu took another moment to process the dog girl's words. Anya studied the Spear Hero's face intently as he did so.

She wondered how Motoyasu would react. He always disliked buying slaves the most out of all the Heroes. Even to this day, he didn't make use of the Hero Service Crest whatsoever. And it was doubtful that he ever would at this point.

"Alright. Let's go." Motoyasu nodded to himself and stood up.

Keel smiled wide in victory while thrusting her fists up in the air. "YES!"

"Wha- seriously!?" Anya looked at the blonde incredulously. "Aren't you supposed to be the responsible adult here!? I was kind of counting on you talking some sense into her!" The cat girl then pointed her finger at Keel.

"Well..." Motoyasu rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm clearly not as responsible as you thought."

Amber laughed softly at the Spear Hero's words while Anya continued to glare at him in disbelief.

"I guess..." Moto looked around the room and shrugged. "I can understand the feeling, is all. You're not wrong with your reservations about this, Anya. But even if our actions amount to a spit in the bucket in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive to pursue what we feel is right whenever we can.

"No good deed is too small to consider. Otherwise, why bother doing anything at all? That's the way I see things at least.

"And since Keel here said we were buying their freedom and not enslaving them, I am all for supporting her."

The Filolial's eyes seemed to shine in excitement and approval at that response and Keel was sharing the enthusiasm too. Anya however...

"Ugh, freaking Heroes." She rolled her eyes and pouted. "Way to make me look like the bad guy here."

"You're not, Anya." Moto knelt and patted the girl on the head with a friendly smile. "Like I already said, your position is the sensible one. But being good isn't always about doing sensible things. And that goes double for us Heroes."

The cat girl blushed slightly and looked away.

"Oh! By the way, Bubba Spear!" Keel suddenly perked up as she remembered something. "Can we stop for food somewhere on the way? We still haven't had dinner."

"Keel… maybe it'd be better if Sir Motoyasu orders food after we free those siblings?" Anya suggested. "That way they'd be able to eat too."

"Eh, but haven't you been complaining about being hungry?" Keel looked at her friend curiously.

"It's… okay. I'm not that hungry." The cat girl huffed, looking off to the side.

…

"Awwww, you do care!" Keel jumped on her friend, embracing her in a big hug with a happy grin on her face.

"Of course I care! It's not like I have a heart of stone! I'm just not a total idiot who wears her heart on her sleeve like you!" Anya complained as she tried to push her friend off.

Motoyasu laughed at the sight, and Amber began to giggle too. "Alright, if that's all then let's head out. We still haven't gotten Sadeena's message yet, so she will probably contact us tomorrow."

"Huh- WAIT, YOU SAW SADEENA-CHAN?!" Keel shrieked as she let go of Anya. "IS SHE THE ONE WHO WROTE THE LETTER!? WHERE IS SHE?! I WANT TO SEE HER TOO!"

"Yeowch! Not so loud!" Motoyasu rubbed his sore eardrums. "It's a long story but I can fill you in on the way."

"ALRIGHT!" Keel jumped up, lifting a fist into the air while her tail wagged happily. "We're saving those tiger siblings, and Sadeena-chan's here too! I'm so hyped!"

Motoyasu chuckled a little. Welp, judging by the girl's reaction, Sadeena had absolutely cleared every single background check with just her name. Now it was just a matter of learning the details of her plan and bringing the last few missing residents of their town back.

First things first though. It was time to see what this whole thing about the hakuko twins was about.

Man, hopefully, Melty wouldn't be too mad if the Spear Hero teleported back a little later than normal tonight.

"Lead the way, Keel." Motoyasu gestured at the dog girl.

It didn't take long for the group to travel topside to the slave shop that Keel and Anya discovered earlier.

Motoyasu told Keel about his encounter with Sadeena on the way, which had the dog girl hanging on his every word. It seemed like she had great respect for the orca woman, and knowing she was still alive, she couldn't wait to bring word back to the town, so all the other kids who'd survived the destruction of their village could share in her excitement!

Fifteen minutes after the party left, they entered the shop through the secret entrance. And Motoyasu made sure to pound his fist on the wall after he entered. "Hey, shop owner! You're not closed for tonight yet, right?!"

Anya was still surprised that Motoyasu came with them to a place like this. At best, she thought he'd give them some money to buy the hakuko siblings with. She never expected he'd volunteer to come along as well.

Maybe it was because it was night and he didn't want them going off on their own. But then, he could have just teleported her and Keel back with him and then let them come here tomorrow.

Maybe it was just because Keel threw this out of nowhere, giving the Spear Hero little time to think things through. Anya never dared to ask, mostly because all her thoughts got thrown out by the figure that appeared at the end of the hallway.

"W-What are you people doing here?! This isn't the shop entrance!" The slave soldier yelled, brandishing his weapon and trying to look intimidating.

"Hey, if I'd wanted to rob this place, I wouldn't have been so loud." Motoyasu held two placating hands up. "Could you call the shopkeeper for us, please? I'm sorry if we used the wrong entrance, but I can promise that we're only here to buy."

"Urgh," The man grimaced. "W-Wait there. I'll see what my boss has to say about this." The man rushed back the way he'd come, leaving the group standing awkwardly in their spot.

"So… what kind of slaver are we dealing with?" Motoyasu asked the two teenagers.

"Uh…" Keel was about to answer when her voice trailed off.

"We… didn't get a good look at him," Anya admitted. "But at the very least, he wasn't treating Keel's opponent like property like most of the slave traders I've been under."

"Yeah, I think he said he wouldn't charge to have his injuries healed either," Keel added. "Though he told Fohl he'd have to wait till tomorrow till he had medicine for his sister ready."

"Hmmm…" Motoyasu put a hand to the chin of his helmet. If this guy was like that, then maybe this exchange might be a bit more bearable than his encounters with Beloukas.

Though, literally ANYONE would be more bearable than that masochistic dwarf.

"Hihihi, looks like you could use some help, good sir."

An… oddly familiar voice sounded from the dark tunnel ahead. Looking up, the group saw the slave soldier from before approaching. However, he wasn't the one who'd spoken. Beads of sweat were running down his face, but he was silent.

"Yes, you see, we are-" Motoyasu began to say.

And then the slave shop owner stepped into the torchlight.

Motoyasu's words were immediately cut off, and it was a good thing that his helmet's vizor was down because he couldn't have looked more surprised at that moment.

"Huh?" Amber tilted her head in confusion.

"EHHHHHHHH!?" Keel screamed.

"B-Beloukas?" Anya asked.

Yes, the dwarf standing in front of the group looked like the spitting image of the slave merchant in Melromarc. Perhaps a little more wrinkled around the eyes, and the frames of his glasses were a gold color. But for all intents and purposes, he looked exactly the same, including his extravagant outfit.

"Beloukas? Ah, so you know my nephew? Wonderful! Are you from Melromarc then? How's the ol' boy doing there these days?!" Beloukas' uncle, as it turned out that was who he was, smiled in delight while clapping his hands together.

"I… I… wha…" Motoyasu stammered. He was this close to grabbing the sides of his helmet and falling to his knees.

He hadn't gotten himself psychologically prepared for this, I say! It was going to be even worse than last time!

He was about to run away screaming in terror at the masochistic dwarf that'd appeared straight out of his nightmares when Amber spoke up. "Are… are you related to Creepy Dwarf Guy from back home, by any chance?" She asked.

"Hmmm, creepy dwarf guy does sound like him. Then again, most of our family members tend to share this unique appearance. Hihihi!" The short man began laughing to himself again. Even his laugh sounded similar to his nephew's. "The name's Deloukas, uncle of Beloukas, a pleasure to meet you, good sir and ladies!"

Motoyasu looked at the slave soldier escorting his boss, who was sweating buckets again now that he was before the group.

Perhaps it wasn't because he was scared of them… but rather because he had to be in close proximity to his weird, creepy boss because of them.

…

Man, Motoyasu felt so sorry for barging in like this at that moment. What a nightmare this was for both of them.

"Ah, I see, I see…"

The group was now sitting in Deloukas' office.

Motoyasu would rather not cover what happened to bring them here. It was a blessing that he hadn't been conscious for most of it. Running away or portaling out had crossed his mind more than a few times while he was actually lucid.

Like right now.

Honestly, if it hadn't been for Amber's silent support, or the glares Keel and Anya gave Moto whenever he was close to losing it, he would have run out of there. Why had he promised to support their good deeds again?

"So this girl here is the buyer, and not you, good sir?" The man asked Motoyasu curiously.

"Yep, I have five gold coins at the ready!" Keel announced excitedly while showing off her winnings that day from the arena in one hand.

Anya facepalmed against the wall behind her.

"Wonderful! And what are you in the market for today, young lady? A handmaiden? A bodyguard perhaps?" The man asked her this time.

"I want to buy your two hakuko siblings!" Keel pressed on.

Anya facepalmed against the back wall even harder this time. Why was her friend so honest and straightforward?! Did she know nothing about interacting with other people?!

"I… see…" The Slave Merchant's smile faltered slightly. "I understand how you'd know about young Fohl. But knowledge of his sister is not exactly public. Was he the one who told you about her?"

…

You'd think at this point, the dog girl would wise up and tell a half-truth or a lie to avoid causing any trouble.

"Nah, we saw her when me and my friend snuck into your shop earlier today," Keel admitted with the tact and finesse of a rampaging elephantman.

Yeah, you'd be wrong.

"Keel, you can be a bit less blatant with your words, you know!" Anya grabbed the dog girl by the folds of her maid outfit, shaking her up and down in her chair.

"Ehhhhhh!? But Anya, we want to buy them both, don't we?! Isn't honesty the best policy in this scenario!?" Keel asked in confusion.

Deloukas chuckled at the sight. Even hearing that brought a cold shiver down Motoyasu's spine. "Usually, yes. But sometimes, one can be too honest when dealing with others."

…

"Fortunately, I don't mind whatsoever, since you didn't steal anything, and even came back to purchase some of my stock!" Deloukas exclaimed happily. "I'll need to have my secret entrance modified since you were able to sneak in there, but oh well. That's the price of doing business."

The group released a collective breath.

"Though, if you want to buy both hakuko siblings together, I'm afraid that'll cost you more than five gold coins." The man then said, turning his gaze to the dog girl again.

"H-How much are we talking here?" Keel asked nervously.

"Hmmm…" The slave merchant thought it out in his head for a moment. "Young Fohl is level 30 but is an extremely capable martial artist. He gives me a portion of his winnings, which I would be losing out on if I sold him. On top of that, he is a hakuko, one of Siltvelt's four elite races. As is his sister."

"Yeah, but last I saw, his younger sister isn't going to be of much use in her current state," Anya spoke. "It's going to cost us a lot to heal her."

"Indeed, if you can heal her, that is," Deloukas shifted in his seat slightly to lean back in his chair and fold his hands together on the table in front of him. "Since you were honest earlier, young lady, allow me to offer some honesty in return." Deloukas' signature smile disappeared completely at that point.

"Young Atla's disease is something that she was born with, from what I understand. And it's only gotten worse in recent years.

"I am not a doctor myself, but the ones whom I asked to examine her after she came into my possession all stated the same thing. It's highly unlikely that she can be cured at this stage. Not with any regular treatments anyways. You'd need to spend quite a lot just to keep her alive. And even then, she won't last till the end of the year at this rate. Though, if by some miracle you did find a way to cure her, you'd likely earn young Fohl's undying loyalty." The merchant gave a knowing smile in Motoyasu's direction.

"What are you implying?" Motoyasu asked.

"Simply this: I have spent quite a bit of my own money to keep that girl alive. A part of which young Fohl has paid back through his winnings." The merchant's face became serious once more. This whole scenario was quite a shock for them to see since Beloukas never looked serious.

"I am a merchant in my family that deals with more… exotic slaves, compared to others. However, I do try to run an honest business. And as I've taught the others when learning the trade, one cannot make money if they can't even keep the slaves entrusted to them alive.

"I have been supplementing the young Fohl's efforts to keep his young sister alive since the pair came under my care. She has been more valuable to me alive than dead since her living inspires her older brother to keep fighting.

"However, as Hickwaal has most likely already informed you, the state of affairs in this place has been growing steadily worse as of late. Medicine is becoming more and more expensive with the high demand brought by the Waves. On top of that, the young Fohl's situation in the arenas is becoming more… precarious."

"You know Hickwaal?" The blonde interrupted.

"Indeed, I do, Sir Spear Hero!" The man grinned.

As soon as the words left the slaver's mouth, Motoyasu stood up and brandished his weapon before pointing it directly at the merchant's throat. Amber, Keel, and Anya didn't waste a second in assuming combat stances either. The bodyguard from earlier whipped out his spear and got ready to fight for his master as well.

However, Deloukas didn't even flinch and simply raised his hand in the direction of his bodyguard, gesturing him to stand down. His smile only seemed to grow in response to the group's reactions. "What delightful expressions you wear. It makes my skin crawl, it does! So thrilling! But before you separate my head from my body, would you allow me to explain myself?"

No one responded to the question, but since no one was in the process of decapitating him yet either, Deloukas continued to speak.

"You see, I do keep correspondence with other members of my family, good sir. Mostly for business reasons, but in the case of Beloukas, the two of us have had to work closely a lot as of late, due to the ongoing special order placed by the Hero Nation. I am sure you know what I am talking about. Who knew what an ugly affair rounding up slaves from Lurolona would end up spiraling into though."

"Wait... so you are his business partner here in Zeltoble?" Motoyasu's grip on his spear's shaft faltered slightly, but he didn't dare to lower it yet.

"An obvious conclusion, is it not, good sir? Hihihi." Deloukas slowly raised his hand and tipped his hat's brim in response. "I will not bore you with the technical details, but my nephew had informed me in his latest message that one of the four Heroes would likely be visiting the country soon."

"And you figured out who we are based on just that?" Unlike Moto, Anya's eyes were still unwavering and the shadowy claw-shaped constructs in her hands were ready to gore the creepy dwarf at a moment's notice.

"Not at all. Just that alone wouldn't be enough." Deloukas grinned widely. "But word travels fast around these parts, even with Hickwaal trying to keep the flow of information on the down low. A new gladiator showing up out of nowhere and dominating in his fights right out of the gate? And he was apparently accompanied by several demihumans who curiously seemed to speak Melromarcian with no accent.

"That is more uncommon than you might think. In fact, it's one of the core ways to identify a true Lurolona slave. The only other demihumans who speak that language are either diplomats or merchants."

"So you just put two and two together, huh?" Keel cocked her head to the side, having long since abandoned the notion to keep her guard up near the creepy dwarf.

"Precisely, young lady!" Deloukas clapped his hands in delight. "And the last clue that gave it away was this exotic-looking Spear with the red gemstone set in it. Oh, and before you ask, don't worry about Hickwaal selling you out either. When I first heard about him becoming Sir Bubba's sponsor, I tried to prod him for information but he feigned complete ignorance, despite us being long-time business associates. So rude! Hihihihi."

"It's… a naginata, not a spear." Motoyasu frowned. "So the two of you know each other, huh?"

The Spear Hero put his weapon away and set his chair up again before taking a seat.

Oh yes! Hickwaal and I go way back!" The merchant twirled his mustache as his grin grew even wider.

Anya, though looking uncertain, canceled her magic as she sat down. Keel also happily plopped herself back down in her seat.

"... is everyone going to learn who I am?" Motoyasu sighed.

"Not likely. I'm just fortunate to have the right connections, good sir." Deloukas laughed in delight.

"I see…" Motoyasu finally started to put all the deadly thoughts that had entered his mind back into the box containing them.

Not that he would have pulled them out anyway, as he didn't want to find out if Beloukas' Uncle had a masochistic streak in him as big as his nephew's.

"Now, back on topic. Since I'm assuming you listened in on our conversation earlier, you already know the young Fohl's predicament, correct?" The merchant asked Keel this time.

"I… think so?" Anya tilted her head while she thought back. "It was something about him having to throw his matches, right? Why are you ordering him to do that?"

"Oh, I am not ordering him to do any such thing, young lady. It is his sponsor who does." Deloukas shook his head.

"Wait, but aren't you supposed to be his sponsor?" Keel narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Oh, no, no, no! I am just the young Fohl's coach! Allow me to explain.

"You see, in this city, when it comes to pit fighting, there is a certain particular group of people who make a game out of it. They see gladiators as... let's say 'collectibles' of sorts?

"Yes, that's the word I'll use! Hihihi! Being the owner of a high-ranked gladiator is another form of social clout in here, you see? But not everyone can afford a powerful gladiator. And even among those who can, they see the act of simply purchasing a prize-winning horse as boring and unsatisfactory. So instead, those rich and influential patrons are always on the lookout for new talent, so they can train and grow themselves their own high-ranked and prize-winning gladiator.

"But some of these 'sponsors' are so lazy that they don't even want to dedicate the time and effort necessary to train their fighters. And that's where people like me come in. By sharing ownership of the slave's seal, they can simply let an expert like myself raise their slave gladiator for them! If the slave fails and doesn't get far, then they are simply discarded and sold. And if they succeed, the sponsors can take all the credit and prestige over their gladiator's achievements."

"That still doesn't explain why his sponsor is demanding him to lose." Motoyasu pointed out.

"Ah, about that..." Deloukas' smile faltered again. "Fohl's sponsor has been struggling financially as of late, due to his... gambling habits. So he is using the boy in several scams.

"He takes money from other sponsors who want to see their gladiators rise in rank at Fohl's expense and he agrees to fix the fights against Fohl in their favor. He then uses this money to place large bets against the young tiger through proxies to multiply it. Old schemes that are par of the course here in the under city.

"So to keep his sponsor happy, Fohl has to throw some of his matches against random opponents so they get more betting money from the crowds. To keep the boy quiet and content, the sponsor offers him a small cut, though not as large as what Fohl would get if he won.

"Only, he has been told to throw more of his matches as of late. I am not being given as much time to train and level him as before. On top of that, the prize money he does win as well as the cut he gets from thrown matches has been decreasing more and more in recent weeks. Then, of course, you have days like today, where he was placed in a match against a strong classed-up opponent when he is let off the chain, so to speak."

"Does that matter though? It's not like they knew I was that strong or something." Keel replied.

"It does matter because as I stated earlier, Fohl is only level 30." The merchant said in his serious tone again. "He might be a hakuko and a good fighter at that, but his first opponent was a classed-up individual, whose level was probably listed to be at almost twice his own. The individual who had the highest level in his bracket, to be specific."

"..." Keel looked confused, but Anya's eyes widened.

"You mean, they wanted him to lose on purpose?" The cat girl asked.

"After delving into what I could access myself after he came back earlier, that's what I'm leaning towards." Deloukas shrugged. "I am sure his sponsor made a lot of money by betting against Fohl today as well, and the young man didn't get to see a single Zeni of it.

...

"Hold on a second, shouldn't this all mean that you can't sell him and his sister? Since you're only his coach instead of his owner?" Motoyasu asked.

"Not legally, no." Deloukas began to chuckle again.

He… reminded the Spear Hero too much of Beloukas. Except, in some ways, he seemed more weathered, and even more… human, for lack of a better term.

"What's your price?" Motoyasu asked.

"Sixty gold coins," Beloukas stated.

Both Anya and Keel's eyes widened, and the disguised Spear Hero took a deep breath.

"Any room for negotiating that price down?" He asked.

"Afraid not, good sir." Deloukas shook his head. "I am normally very open to bartering, but in this instance, you are asking me to do something quite uncalled for in this city. The laws here are more flexible compared to most places, but any fraud involving the slave trade is punished very harshly.

"Not to mention, I am certain I have already gone in-depth about my sunk costs in regards to the pair. So the risk I'm taking on has to match the reward, does it not? If you weren't one of the Cardinal Heroes, we wouldn't be having this conversation at all."

...

...

"Keel, you said you wanted to free them, right?" Motoyasu asked the dog girl.

"Y-Yes." Keel stammered. Even she was aware that that was a lot of money. She could fish off the coast of Lurolona her whole life and not make enough to pay off a debt like that. Maybe if she managed to win another eleven or so tournaments, she'd be able to pay it that way.

That would include a lot more fighting, and it'd only get harder the more she won…

Even with those doubts racing through her mind, she steeled her voice. "If that's what it takes, then fine." She gave Motoyasu her five gold coins.

"..." Motoyasu nodded his head and looked to Deloukas. "You have yourself a deal, Mr. Merchant." He pulled a pouch from his belt, took out some gold coins there, and put them on the table.

Some of them were what he'd won after fighting underground. The rest was what he'd gotten from Naofumi before he left for the Otherworld.

It meant he wouldn't be able to buy as many Filolial eggs later on. But it was a small price to pay to see the look of shock and gratitude on the dog girl's face, which then bunched up in determination. "Bubba, I swear that I'll pay off this debt to you in the future!"

"You don't have to pay me anything, Keel. I'm just doing a good deed, same as you." Motoyasu quickly rebutted.

"..." Without stating a single word, Anya put the gold coin she'd won on top of the pile.

"Eh?" Keel looked at her confusedly.

"Can you please stop thinking I have a heart of stone…" Anya sighed while shaking in embarrassment.

Deloukas laughed in delight. "Ah, I didn't think you'd have all the money on hand."

"Does that mean you're not selling them?!" Motoyasu asked in a threatening voice.

Too late. A shiver went through the other merchant's body, and Motoyasu nearly had a stroke as he thought he'd activated the merchant's trap card.

"Hihihi, I'd be a bad businessman if I said no, good sir." The merchant smiled. "Also, please say that threat with my name at the end. I haven't felt this good in months!"

"Absolutely not." Motoyasu recoiled in disgust.

"Hihihihihihi!"

Yep, deep down, Deloukas was just as weird as his nephew. Hopefully, this would be the only time Motoyasu would have to interact with him.

"Young Fohl, get up."

"Urgh, what is it? More training?" The tiger boy stirred from his troubled slumber.

"No, you and your sister just got purchased. Now get up already, your new friends are waiting." Deloukas said with a grin.

"What, what are you…" Fohl was speaking groggily as he turned towards the cell bars.

His eyes widened.

Keel stood awkwardly in the entrance, holding a hand behind her back. "Hey, uh… long time no see?" She offered.

…

Fohl's reaction… wasn't that surprising, to be honest.

"What…? YOU?!" Fohl leaped to his feet and charged at the dog girl on all fours. "GET THE HELL OUT-"

Bonk!

Just as he was jumping for her throat, Keel karate-chopped the middle of his head with her hand. The tiger boy fell to the ground, gripping his hair while rolling around in pain. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"S-Sorry. I didn't mean to make that hurt so much." Keel quickly apologized. "Um, Bubba, could you use one of your healing spells on him please?"

"You sure that'd be wise?" Motoyasu said, one of his eyebrows raised. "Like, I want to, but he also just… you know, attacked you on sight."

"Yeah, maybe let's have him calm down for a moment before we do anything," Anya suggested.

The tiger boy continued rolling around for a good ten seconds before the pain in his head finally started to abate.

Fohl was rubbing his temple as he sat up, but he glared distrustfully at Keel and those with her.

"Fohl, I'd like you to meet the individual who's purchased you and your sister. I'm pretty sure you already know her." Deloukas said, having to hold back a laugh.

"I refuse! I'm not serving under this freak!" Fohl harrumphed and turned around, crossing his arms.

"Excuse me?!" Keel said, looking offended. "I'm standing right here, you know!"

"I don't care! Go away! I'm not going anywhere!" Fohl yelled without turning around.

"But I already bought you and your sister!" Keel complained. "Well, I guess technically, Bubba here gave me most of the money, and Anya contributed too… well, either way, you're no longer under Deloukas here! So I'm bringing you both with me!"

"I don't care what you did, you can go shove it up your- WAIT, YOU SOLD ATLA TO HER TOO!? DON'T YOU KNOW THAT SHE CAN'T BE MOVED?!" Fohl rounded again, his face enraged with realization as he faced Deloukas this time.

"Yes, believe it or not, this girl bought both you and her. She even paid off the debt you owed to me." Deloukas grinned. "In a way, you could say you're now indebted to her."

"But… but… YOU CAN'T DO THAT! WHAT ABOUT MY SPONSOR?! WAIT, DID HE DECIDE TO SELL US OFF-" Fohl started to screech again.

"Mmmm, Big Brother?" The boy's younger sister whimpered as she started to wake up from all the noise.

"A-Atla!" Fohl immediately got up and rushed to the girl's side.

"Wh… Who's here, Big Brother?" Atla asked weakly.

"Nobody important! I-" Fohl suddenly realized how loud he was being, and began to speak in a more quiet voice. "Just go back to sleep. You need to rest."

The girl opened her mouth but began to cough violently as she had earlier.

"Atla!" Fohl grabbed her by the shoulders, keeping her body from moving during her violent fit.

Motoyasu's eyebrows scrunched up in worry. He took his helmet off as he walked past Keel into the cell.

"S-Stay back! Don't you dare touch her!" Fohl, seeing the disguised Spear Hero enter out of the corner of his vision, turned to bear his fangs at him.

Motoyasu paused. Fohl saw as the mystery man's orange eyes looked him up and down, before settling on the girl behind him. "If you or your friends even try to lay a finger on her, then-" Fohl started to speak again.

"What sickness does she have?" Motoyasu asked in a curt tone.

"... W-Why should I tell you-" Fohl started to sputter at the unexpected question.

"Because I want to try to heal her," Motoyasu spoke. To showcase, he took his naginata off his back, pulled off one of his gauntlets, and then cut his hand on the end of the blade.

He gritted his teeth as Fohl stared, but then he muttered a familiar chant under his breath. "Drifa Healing Warmth." An orange glow surrounded his hand, and the cut healed in a matter of seconds.

"..." This time, Fohl remained silent.

"I'm… not as good as a certain friend of mine, but I do know some powerful healing magic. And I have powerful medicines on hand as well. If you allow me, I'll do my best to help your younger sister out. But I will respect it if you don't want to receive help from a stranger." Motoyasu said.

"What... what's your angle? What are you trying to achieve here?" Fohl was frowning this time, but he wasn't looking at them with outright hostility anymore, at the very least.

"Big Brother…"

Fohl looked back at his younger sister, and his body began to tremble. "I… I can take care of her myself… I can…"

"We're not here to rip you two apart." Amber walked up next to Motoyasu, smiling gently at the hakuko boy. "We're here because we want to help."

"Yeah…" Keel began to rub the back of her neck. "And I really wanted to apologize for getting off on the wrong foot since, well… I didn't know you were fighting to keep your sister alive.

"So… can you please let Bubba help?" The dog girl asked.

…

…

Atla coughed again as Fohl fought some internal conflict inside his mind. The sound of her coughing brought pain to his face, and he turned away, exerting a great force of will to get the words out of his throat.

"D-Don't come close! I-If you so much as touch her, I'll rip your head off!"

"I won't touch her then, I promise," Motoyasu said as he walked past him.

"I said- GAHHH!" Fohl tried to lunge at Moto's exposed back only for the slave seal on his chest to flare to life, causing him to fall on the dirty ground of his cell and start to wildly convulse.

"My apologies, young Fohl." The slave merchant's gloved hand shone with a similarly tinted purple light as the seal on the hakuko's chest. "But you must stay down for a moment."

"No- I- ARGHH! DON'T TOUCH HER! ATLA! ATLA!" The hakuko screamed in desperation while trying to crawl towards his sister through the pain.

"Hold him down and cover his mouth," Deloukas ordered his guard curtly and the tall brutish man obliged, pushing Fohl against the ground before using the leather sheath on his side to cover the boy's mouth.

"MMF! MMMMPH!"

"Big...brother...? What is... what is happening?" The bandaged girl stirred again, only to enter another violent coughing fit.

Motoyasu swallowed hard, took another step forward, and knelt next to the bandaged girl without looking back at Fohl's struggling form. Focusing on her, he was finally able to see how her whole body was bandaged from head to toe. With only her mouth and nose visible.

'Skin condition. Unless it's to keep her warm. Perhaps both.' Motoyasu frowned at the thought that entered his mind.

Atla coughed weakly again, but then, suddenly, her head turned in his direction.

"Who… who are you?" She asked quietly. "I don't recognize you."

Strange, her eyes were covered with bandages. He would have guessed smell or hearing, but she spoke as if she could see him.

...

Motoyasu didn't respond to her inquiry at first. Instead, he chanted under his breath, holding his hands over the sickly girl as he prepared his best healing spell.

"Drifa Healing Fire."

A soft, orange glow surrounded the tiger girl's body.

To Motoyasu's dismay, her health bar didn't change at all on his HUD. Most of it remained greyed out, with what little she had remaining not shifting on his HUD. Besides the pain easing a little on the visible parts of her face, the powerful healing spell didn't do anything to heal Atla's body.

This must have been a very serious sickness. Even worse than the one Granny had recently.

The Spear Hero broke his promise to Fohl, resting a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. Even through the bandages, he could feel how cold she was. He was surprised that the girl was somehow still alive.

"Mmmm! Mmmmm!"

Fohl continued to struggle in the back, hot tears streaking down the sides of his face as his muffled screaming reverberated through the cell.

"Your aura… it feels warm, like a campfire," Atla spoke in a pained, yet gentle voice. "It's similar to the girl next to you."

"Hmmm?" Motoyasu looked to his side and saw Amber standing next to him. She'd also tried using a healing spell, but it'd had as little effect as his own. She'd been so silent that he hadn't even noticed her.

"Aura?" He asked the tiger girl curiously.

"I… I've been blind ever since I was born…" Atla slowly explained. "But… I can see… auras of people around me…"

"You… have a very kind aura, one that has experienced a lot of pain in his life, and yet, you still show those around you kindness… just like… that girl in the back…"

…

"I'd… I'd like to ask for your names, before I die, if that's okay…" Atla coughed softly at the end.

"Mmmm... mmmm..." Looking back again, Motoyasu saw that Fohl wasn't trying to get up anymore. Instead, his head was buried in the straw on the floor, his body shaking as he sobbed.

"Is that ok?" Atla asked again, making the disguised Spear Hero turn to look down at her again. This time, he had a smile on his face.

"The name's Motoyasu, and not to worry. I'm not going to let you die." Motoyasu put a hand next to his Spear's gem. Giving a nod to his royal companion before taking something out. "Not if I have anything to say about it, at least."

This was the only one he'd autocrafted so far, but it appeared he was already going to be putting this medicine to good use.

Yggdrasil's Elixir

Quality: Average

The Spear Hero uncorked the surprisingly small vial, bringing the tip up to the girl's lips without much fanfare. "Drink this. I promise you'll feel a lot better afterward."

The tiger girl obediently did as instructed. Opening her mouth and swallowing the surprisingly good-tasting medicine.

A notification appeared on Motoyasu's HUD, indicating that his Medicine Spear as well as a couple of other spears related to it were boosting the efficacy of the Yggdrasil's Elixir. Atla's body began to glow below him.

"H-Hmm?" Fohl looked up from the ground, his eyes wide in surprise at the strange light emanating from his sister.

"Well now…! Is that…?" The Slave Merchant's eyebrows arched up, an intrigued look appeared on his face.

"Is it normal for her to be glowing like that?" Keel asked out loud curiously.

"Why should I know?" Anya rebutted.

"You certainly act like you know everything half the time." Keel shrugged but continued to watch the scene unfold while Anya restrained herself from smacking her friend upside the head.

...

When the vial was half-full, Motoyasu pulled the medicine back from the tiger girl's lips. He wasn't sure why, but it was almost like someone was whispering to him that he needed to administer this medicine to her in doses, so the tiger girl's body would have time to adjust and heal so she could live a healthy, prolonged, fulfilling life.

He wasn't sure why, but if she'd suffered from this disease since the day she'd been born, then that could be a good indication that it was a genetic disease. Which meant the damage extended down to the molecular level. It was not something that could be healed all at once, and likely not even completely, but it'd be possible to give her life back this way.

…

Where did all that medical knowledge just come from? Motoyasu certainly hadn't studied much in regard to medicine before he died in his old world.

He then recalled unlocking a line of Spears with equip bonuses called Medical Knowledge I, II, III at one point. But could that explain his thought process there?

Either way, Atla looked considerably better than before, with the blood being cleaned from her lips, and her breathing sounding far more relaxed. The visible skin on her face was still pale, but there was a bit of color to it now. On his HUD, Motoyasu could see that the girl's health bar visibly improved by a small fraction. However, the rest of it was still greyed out.

Indeed, not all the damage was fixed, but she was out of immediate danger for now. But just to make sure.

"How are you feeling?" Motoyasu asked, resting a hand on the girl's forehead to check her temperature again. This time, she felt warm to the touch.

"I… the pain… it's…" The girl sounded shocked. Her voice, which had sounded so weak and broken earlier, now had some life and strength to it.

Deloukas nodded at his guard and he released the hakuko boy in response. He was still grinning wildly like a madman.

"A-Atla?" Fohl crawled over opposite his sister, sounding just as shocked by the sound of her voice.

…

It took a few seconds for the tiger girl to process what she was experiencing right now. But when she finally realized it, the edges of her bandages over her eyes began to wetten.

"It's… it's gone. Big Brother... The pain deep inside me… the pain that's never gone away entirely, I... I can't feel it anymore."

"It's gone, Big Brother. The pain's gone!"

"A-A…!" Fohl stuttered, speechless at the admission from his younger sister.

"B-Big Brother," Atla said, this time in a tone that showed she was crying. How long had it been since she could speak like this? Be able to feel and express something other than that deep, constant, all-encompassing pain.

Fohl grabbed her hands, which she gripped in return. He gasped at the strength of her grip, at the fact that she was able to grip his hands at all; and then, he began to openly sob in front of everyone there as he hugged his sister tight. "Atla! Atlaaaaaaa!"

…

…

"I'm… not sure if she's cured or not," Motoyasu admitted to the pair of young hakuko. "I'm not a doctor like my brother, but I can tell the medicine I gave her didn't heal all the damage.

"I think I'll need to give her several more doses over the coming weeks. Give her body time to heal naturally in between each one. I'm not sure what she'll be able to do after that point, but there'll be the possibility of her being able to live a full and happy life. But I'll only be able to do that if you both come along with us.

"Would that be okay with you?"

Fohl didn't respond to his question, however. He was now holding his sister's hands to his face, still sobbing in relief and saying his younger sister's name over and over again.

It'd been so long since anything like this had happened to her. He was too happy to speak any words.

No more did he have to sleep at night, fearing that when he woke up, she'd be gone. No more did he have to fear her passing away all alone while he was out winning money for her medicine. Years and years of caring for her after losing everything…

He didn't know if the nightmare was over or not yet, but Atla was at least given more time. And that was more than the two of them could have ever asked for.

"... Blondie, how about we give them some space?" Amber suggested.

Motoyasu smiled, putting his helmet back on his head. "Sure. Come on, everyone. Let's give them a moment." Motoyasu walked out the cell door.

"Hmmm, that was Yggdrasil's Elixir you used on the girl, wasn't it?" Deloukas asked as Motoyasu walked past. "That'd be worth quite a lot in the hands of nobles, you know?"

"I guess." Motoyasu shrugged. "But I think it's better to use it to improve the lives of people around me than having it gather dust in some nobleman's emergency medicine cabinet. Wouldn't you agree?"

"... I do." Deloukas began to grin again. "I can see why my nephew talks so highly about you Heroes. Beloukas really lucked out, getting to meet you all first."

"If only I hadn't met him or you." Motoyasu sighed.

The short man laughed as they left the cell to give the hakuko twins a moment to recover.

"Well then, now that that's settled, the only thing left to do is to remove their seals and have you teleport them back to your home," Deloukas announced a few minutes later, once the sound of Fohl's sobbing had died down to a more bearable level. "Knowing who you are, I trust you have some slave seal dissolvant on hand?"

"We sure do!" Keel took out two slave seal erasure potions from her pockets.

"Hmmmm…" Deloukas looked briefly surprised at the girl's readiness, but then, he began to grin widely. "Of course, what else would I expect from the Hero's Nation, good sirs! Hihihihi!"

"Just have to ask, are those low-tier crests that they have, or are they..." As Keel was about to ask, Deloukas pricked the edge of his finger, dripping a drop of his blood into both vials.

"There we go, that should do it. Luckily, you only need blood from one of those registered to these higher-tier crests. Hihihihi!" Deloukas laughed in delight.

"Nice!" After shaking the vials around, Keel walked up to the tiger siblings in their cell, interrupting the rest of their emotional moment so she could pour the potions over their slave crests.

The slave crests glowed brightly, before vanishing from sight. The words Contract Terminated appeared on Deloukas' HUD. "Excellent, most excellent indeed!" The short man cackled even more in delight.

"Now, as I said earlier, I'd make use of Sir Spear Hero's portal skill and take these two to your home in the next few minutes, if I were you."

"What do you…?" The look on Motoyasu's face was palpable. "Ohhhh... right, the sponsor. Wait, what's going to happen now?" He asked.

Deloukas smiled conspiratorially. "The man will likely be here within the next few minutes to question me about why the slave contracts were both terminated at the same time."

"And what are you going to tell him?" Motoyasu asked warily.

"That I was robbed of course! Hihihihi! So you better hurry, before I 'catch you in the act' so to speak!" Deloukas laughed.

Yeah… Motoyasu hoped he'd never see the creepy dwarf again.

"I say, I hope I'll be able to do more business with you in the future, Spear Hero!"

Motoyasu definitely didn't want to see him ever again, I say.

The Spear Hero sent party requests to Fohl and Atla. The boy seemed confused about the party request, as he'd barely paid attention to what'd been happening since he'd been so busy crying from happiness and relief. "Eh, what's this for?"

"Just accept it, we're leaving now," Anya told him in a blunt voice.

"Eh?" Confused, but still feeling good, the tiger boy did so.

Atla also accepted the request on her HUD. She could not see in real life, but she could see her HUD thanks to Status Magic. Where she was able to read what was in front of her.

The full name of her savior…

Motoyasu Kitamura

"Motoyasu Kitamura…" She said out loud, trying the name on her tongue.

...

She was going to make sure she would remember that name for the rest of her life. As well as the image of that kind, troubled aura that surrounded him.

"Alright, Portal Spear!" Motoyasu yelled.

"What the heck- WHAT IS THIS LIGHT!?" Fohl yelled in shock as his surroundings began to glow.

"Ehehe, prepare yourselves! The first time usually feels a little nauseous!" Keel laughed in delight as the bright light of Motoyasu's skill surrounded them.

"What's happening, I don't understand- AHHHHHH!" Fohl screamed in terror.

And then, they all vanished from the room. It and the hallway looked considerably darker after the brightness of Motoyasu's teleport skill faded away.

…

…

"Uh… sir? This is one of those things I'm not allowed to talk about, right?" The slave soldier in the room asked.

"I'll, of course, give you double rations for the next two weeks, if you'll not mention this to Fohl's former sponsor when he arrives," Deloukas said.

"... griffon meat." The slave soldier pushed.

"Cheeky, aren't you?" Deloukas laughed. "Fine, griffon meat it is."

"Nice." The man sighed with relief. He and the others were already well fed under Deloukas, but a little treat never hurt anybody.

Not like he cared much for that &^%$#$& in charge of Fohl anyway. The tiger boy was a good kid, and the guard respected the hard work he'd put in to keep his sister alive.

He hoped wherever the Spear Hero was now, that he'd help to completely screw that guy, as well as those greedy City Council Members in charge of the city before his business here was done.

"Hihihihi!" The slave soldier shuddered as Deloukas prepared to receive his next 'guest'.

If only his boss weren't so creepy with that laugh of his.

Hero Clips!

The True Pokemon Reference

"Hihihihi! It's been a while, nephew!"

"Hmhmhm! Indeed, it has, uncle!"

The two family members embraced while Motoyasu sweated nervously in the background.

Goddamnit, why couldn't Naofumi have been the one to be here for this?! Or Itsuki! Surely the little prick could have handled this torture on his older brother's behalf!

He'd mention Ren, but… the Spear Hero wasn't that cruel, unfortunately.

"Wow, you really can't tell them apart." Keel looked the two over closely.

"I'm just trying to figure out why the omake is titled 'The True Pokemon Reference' to be honest." Anya, who stood next to her, was looking up above at something only she could see.

"Eh?!" Fohl screamed in confusion once again. Was this where that bright light had taken them too?! Was he dead right now?!

"Quiet, no one wants to hear your idiot murmuring, Big Brother," Atla said in a deadpan.

Ahhhh, nice. There was the light novel girl we'd been missing! High five!

"Thanks, narrator. I can't wait to see what you have in store for me." Atla smiled in acknowledgment of the text above her head as she held her hand up.

A breeze of wind came over in the shape of a small hand. Atla high-fived it perfectly before it dissipated to nothingness.

"EHHHHHHHH!?" Fohl screeched in confusion again.

Man, these two were going to need their own omake later on. Hopefully, it'd happen after Atla was all healed up so she could kick her brother's &^% around just like in canon.

"So, um, you mentioned earlier that all the members of your family look alike?" Motoyasu asked the two dwarfs. He didn't know why he was the one asking, maybe he just wanted to get this omake/torture back on track and over with so he could return to the story?

"Yes! Believe it or not, all the male members in my family look the same!" Deloukas explained as he and Beloukas parted, revealing several sets of red curtains behind them. "Behold!"

The first set of curtains parted, revealing another dwarf man, identical to the other two in everything except the feather and plumes of his outfit being a gold color. "The name's Feloukas! Older brother of Beloukas! Based in the Capital of Faubley, a pleasure to meet you, good sir! Fufufufufu!" The man chuckled creepily at the end.

Another strange chill went down Motoyasu's spine. He really was the same as his counterparts!

The meaning behind the title of today's omake only made the Spear Hero feel more nauseous as the next sets of curtains parted, revealing more Beloukases who varied only slightly in outfit as well as naming.

"The name's Celoukas, younger brother of Beloukas. Based outside the largest city in Shieldfreeden! Pleased to make your acquaintance! Hohohohoho!"

"I'm Seloukas, father of Beloukas! Formerly based in Sworn, but was part of the group that escaped the city's destruction thanks to the Holy Heroes! A pleasure to meet ya! Huhuhuhuhu! I do hope you won't mind it being a while before I have stock to sell again!"

"Geloukas, nephew of Beloukas. I lived in the Spirit Tortoise Country… thanks again for saving my life, Spear Hero. Hehe." The boy, who looked just like his uncle and his uncle's uncle, fidgeted in embarrassment on the spot. He tried to pose in a cutesy manner.

NO! WHY DID SAVING A CITY HAVE TO SAVE ONE OF THESE CREEPY MASOCHISTIC DWARFS!? &^%$!

There were a few more after that which Motoyasu didn't pay attention to as he tried to recover from the psychological damage that copy of Beloukas in particular had inflicted with his words. But as the last curtain opened, he focused again and was… immediately confused.

The guy was the spitting image of Beloukas. Motoyasu could not spot any differences between him and the original whatsoever. Not even with his outfit.

"Is… is that your twin brother by chance, Beloukas?" Motoyasu asked.

"No, he's the result of my aunt marrying a cat demi-human in Siltvelt." Beloukas shrugged. "You could say we're cousins."

Before Motoyasu could ask, the dwarf took the hat off his head, and a small pair of cat ears sprang up from his hair as he bowed.

"Nyahloukas." He said in the creepiest voice ever spoken. "I look forward to working with you in the future, nyahhahaha."

…

…

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Yep, Motoyasu lost it after that. He ran away, screaming in horror as his mind was forever traumatized from what had just happened.

"Honestly, the creepiest thing about this is how they're even able to find someone to procreate with… multiple times." Anya shuddered. Not to mention, Beloukas had an aunt and a sister?

What would the females in their family even look like?!

"Wasn't he going to explain why this is a Pokemon reference though?" Keel asked, looking unperturbed by the different Beloukases there.

"I think our narrator friend can do that for him," Atla smirked as she sipped a cup of tea.

"Atla, please, you're scaring me talking like- AH!" Fohl's yelling was cut off by Atla karate chopping a pressure point in his neck, collapsing him to the ground.

"Shut it, brother. Nobody wants to hear from you. Especially when you're still this pathetic." Atla scolded her older sibling.

"Whyyyyyyyy?!" Fohl screamed on the ground.

"Take it away, narrator!" Atla smiled at the sky again.

Yep, to put it in simple terms, Beloukas and his family were the Officer Jenny's and Nurse Joy's of the Shield Hero setting. And the canon version of these different characters is likely to be even more cursed than Allen and Co. could ever hope to imagine.

"Hmhmhmhmhm! Guess we'll just have to see if Aneko ever does expand on my family past Zeltoble now, won't we, good sirs." Belouka's eyes gleamed behind his glasses, as did all the other clones of him there.

"Nyahhahaha, indeed, good sir! Indeed!" Nyahloukas chuckled creepily again.

A whimper followed by a gunshot and the dull meaty thump of a body hitting the floor sounded from somewhere off-screen.

"Rafu! Raf! Raf! (Can somebody please call the janitor?)" Raph-Chan cried out cutely from the same direction.

May you all be cursed by the image of catboy Nyahloukas.

Just like I have.

Hero Clips!

What Happened After

Slam! "Deloukas!"

The Slave Merchant sat with a crap-eating grin on his face as Fohl's 'former' sponsor entered his shop. The man was surprisingly unimposing. A middle-aged fellow with graying hair and a small port belly only a few inches taller than Deloukas. He was a little below average in terms of looks and personality.

Maybe a little more below average in terms of personality, actually. As well as intelligence, but we'd find out if that was the case or not in a moment.

"Yes?" Deloukas continued to grin.

"Where is my property!?" The man yelled.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Deloukas tilted his head in confusement.

"Those damn hakuko twins! My contract with them was just terminated moments ago! Who did you sell them to!?" The man screamed, spittle flying from his mouth onto Delouka's face.

"Ohhhh, I see." The Slave Merchant shuddered in delight. Running a hand along the spittle. "I didn't sell them. In fact, I was robbed."

"...?" The man looked confused.

"It was horrible." Deloukas continued to croon. "They broke into my shop and held me at swordpoint. They forced me to terminate their contracts before escaping with them through my underground passage. Made off with some of my other stock too.

"The poor things. Hihihihihi!" Instead of crying, Deloukas began to laugh in delight.

"D-Don't lie to me with this &%$#! Tell me where they are right now, or I swear-" The man raised his hand to strike Deloukas.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" The dwarf's masochistic switch was turned on. His mustache began to spin on his face, and a giant flashing rainbow appeared above his figure.

He opened his arms wide, and his signature outfit fell off, revealing the horrifying sight of Deloukas with a giant censor bar smacked across his entire body below his head.

Don't worry, he wasn't naked, but that might have been preferable to the outfit he was wearing. Which BDSM enthusiasts would have probably recognized if a description of it had been given.

"Ah! AHHHHHHHHHH!"

What do you know, Fohl's former sponsor might have been more intelligent than I thought. Upon witnessing Delouka's transformation, he screamed in pure, primal fear and bolted out of the shop's entrance. Screaming in terror as he fled into the night.

"Awwww, I was ready to have some fun though!" The Slave Trader complained.

"You can stop pretending sir, he's gone." The slave soldier muttered in the background.

"Fine, fine… unless, you feel like-" Deloukas began to grin.

"Not for all the griffon meat in the world."

"Hihihihihi!"

In the end, Deloukas never had to deal with Fohl's former sponsor ever again. And he got to keep every gold coin paid to him that day too.

Yes, this scene is canon. I just didn't want to slap this at the end of the chapter for you all to deal with.

You're welcome.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

"Big Brother, please show them your gratitude too."

"Urgh, Atla! Don't trust them so easily! They've basically kidnapped us!" Fohl mumbled irritably.

The teenage tiger and his younger sister were sitting on the couch of Motoyasu's home. The bandaged girl looked the same as before, while Fohl still looked like he was about to throw up after his first experience with teleportation magic.

"Drifa Healing Warmth." Amber's fire healing spell washed over the young tiger boy, helping a bit with his nausea while simultaneously healing many of his different injuries.

"We didn't kidnap you though," Keel said in a confused voice and cocked her head while standing in front of the two siblings. "We just freed you and took you to a safe place. We even removed your slave crests and everything."

"You bought us and our debts! That means we're basically enslaved to you!" Fohl shouted. "Don't you know how it works?!"

"Eh? Is that how it works, Anya?" Keel asked her friend.

"No idea, really. It would be kind of weird if you owned your crush though." The cat girl said under her breath at the end.

"What was that?" Keel asked.

"Nothing." Anya grinned mischievously. She could tell she would have a lot of fun with this running joke of hers.

"Well, anyway, I don't care how it works or not, you're not slaves and we didn't kidnap you, and that's final." Keel stood tall, crossing her arms and pouting at the hakuko tiger.

"Stop lying!" Fohl snarled as he stood up. "You probably paid at least thirty gold coins for us both! And you expect me to believe that you did it just because you wanted to apologize for kicking my butt in the Arena?!"

"Actually, it was sixty gold coins," Keel admitted, smiling just a little too happily at the admission. "And I intend to repay Bubba Spear for every coin he lent me to do that."

"W-WHAAAT?!" Fohl screamed.

"Big Brother, please, not so loud." Atla sighed. "I can tell from her aura that she hasn't lied to us even once."

"Oh? You can tell?" Anya asked, looking dubiously at the closed eye girl.

"… Yes." Atla turned her head in Anya's direction, before facing her older brother. "Fohl, I know it's hard to believe, but none of these people harbor any ill intentions in their hearts. If they did, I would tell you."

"B-B-But Atla, we can't just trust-" Fohl tried to say.

Atla smiled softly in her brother's direction, disarming his voice. Atla then turned her head to face Keel again. "Miss... Keel, was it? Thank you again, I'm glad that you saved me and my brother. I hope you'll be able to become good friends with him in the future."

"You're welcome, I hope we can... wait, has he never had friends before?" Keel looked at the boy curiously.

Again, it looked like Fohl had been punched in the gut.

"Yes. You see, Fohl's never been able to have any friends since he's always been focused on taking care of me. I do hope that will change after today." Atla explained simply.

"Friends?! What?! No! No no no no no!" Fohl glared distrustfully at the maid dog girl again. "The last thing I want is to have her bugging me all the time!"

"Hmmm. That just makes me want to be your friend even more though." Keel grinned, eyeing up the tiger teenager like he was a piece of prey.

"NEVER! Not in a million years! Not in-" Fohl screamed.

"Brother, you shouldn't try so hard to lie." Atla chided him, much to his shock. "I can tell you're grateful and interested in getting to know her better, so just be honest about it and take that step."

"Wha- NO! I'M NOT!" Fohl screeched as a blush crept up his face.

"Volume." Atla chided him again, a soft smile on her bandaged face.

"Huh? Know me better? Does she mean like my hobbies and interests and stuff?" Keel asked Anya once more.

"..." Anya said nothing. The denseness of her friend's skull was beyond most metals, she was sure. And to think she'd literally taught her about the birds and the bees YESTERDAY!

Maybe she should try slamming her head against the dog girl's and see if that would beat some common sense into Keel?

"Alright, enough fooling around, you lot." Motoyasu chuckled. "I still need to go see Melty, and then I'll bring food back with me right after."

"Sweet! I hope Gar cooked something good tonight!" Keel exclaimed happily.

"Bring a lot back. I could eat a dragon after today." Anya rubbed her belly, which was growling at her in demand for sustenance.

"Better a dragon than a Filolial, I say!" Motoyasu laughed.

"Motoyasu," Hearing his name coming from the tiger girl, the Spear Hero turned to face her.

"On behalf of me and my older brother. Thank you," The tiger girl bowed her head in his direction.

…

"Um… er…" Fohl looked from his sister to the knight figure, a mixture of different emotions crossing his face. The others in the room remained silent.

…

But then, he too bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you."

Two simple words. But they held a lot of meaning from the tiger kid. There was no need for him to add anything else to such a sincere statement.

"You're welcome." Motoyasu smiled back, his voice filled with happiness.

"Wait! Before you go, where are we right now?! Can I at least know that?! And what do you plan to do with us?!" Fohl asked desperately, wanting some semblance of normalcy to return to his life, which had been thrown upside down in the span of a mere moment.

"Ah, right. We're in the Hero's Nation right now." Motoyasu grinned. "By the way, I'm the Spear Hero, and this is my home."

"... … …" Fohl stared at Motoyasu. His eyes slowly grew as wide as saucers.

It was like he was finally looking around himself. They were in a nice home, but it was made of wood instead of stone. Out the back window through the darkening night, he could see a cliff facing a vast ocean.

Zeltoble's Capital wasn't by the ocean.

"As for what I want you to do, nothing at the moment. I'll see about having Jerry put together another wheelchair for your sister so you can take her outside." The Spear Hero continued. "I guess I would like you both to live here for now, so I can keep an eye on Atla's condition. But if you have a home or surviving family members out there somewhere, I promise, I'll help you reach them later!

"If that's everything, please excuse me, I need to inform our Governor about what happened. I'll make sure she knows you'll be staying here in the meantime. Hmmm... Maybe I'll ask our local pharmacist to take a look at Atla too, just in case..."

Motoyasu muttered to himself in thought while he and Amber walked to the front door of his house. The Spear Hero looked pretty pleased with himself as he simultaneously changed his Spear to a new weapon form to unlock.

Right before Fohl's eyes.

"Eh- EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" The young tiger boy gripped the sides of his head. Steam exploded out of his ears, and he very nearly passed out on the spot.

It had all been too much to take in for his young brain.

"Huh, what do you know, they even act alike when they experience information overload." Anya deadpanned while kneeling next to the hakuko boy, flicking the side of his head with her finger. Fohl didn't so much as react to the touch.

"Eh? I've never done that though!" Keel stated furiously.

"Fine. To measure the right side of a triangle, first you have to-" Anya began to say.

Boom!

Keel fell backward onto the floor, a dazed look in her eyes and steam coming out of the ears on her head. "Ehhhhhhhh?"

"Yep, just like in Mahoya's lessons." Anya rolled her eyes.

Atla giggled happily. Weakly rubbing a hand along her brother's arm. She could tell she was going to love living here.

Huh, funny, just an hour ago, she thought she was doomed to die. Now she was looking forward to what the next day would bring. And the day after that, and the one after that.

Motoyasu heard it all as he walked to the door and chuckled to himself. Ah, this was sure to make things even more interesting down the road. He couldn't wait-

Wait, was he forgetting about something- ohhhhhhh, right. He hadn't gotten Sadeena's message yet.

Welp, he'd just have to portal back early tomorrow. Surely, Granny would understand if he skipped out on one sparring session, right? Not to mention, he was already over an hour late reporting to Melty thanks to this side trip. So he was going to have to deal with her first and then grab dinner for everyone else and-

"Blondie," Amber suddenly straightened next to him. "What's going on outside?"

"Eh?" Pulled out of his thoughts much more quickly than normal, Motoyasu looked at the girl in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Amber didn't speak, however, as she'd opened the door. She pointed a finger in the direction of the town.

It was dark, so the Spear Hero couldn't tell what was wrong at first. But then, he noticed the lines of smoke coming up from random parts of the town.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" His ears were also met with the sound of screams.

Uh oh.

Lurolona Town, approximately thirty minutes before Motoyasu's return

"How's it looking up there?"

A thin man with sharp eyesight observed their target from his perch in the treetops. He had a sword sheathed on his back and a scowl on his lips.

Balred had certainly seen better days in his life. Once a trusted member of the adventurer's guild in Melromarc, he had lost almost everything after that fiasco in Mirso with the Sword Hero and the dragon Gaelion.

It was supposed to be a simple job. Get the foolish young hero to kill the pesky dragon. Move in and capture the dog girl the dragon had been guarding. Bring her back to the Three Heroes Church.

The former adventurer had no idea why the pope wanted her so badly, but he didn't care. He'd just wanted the money from the contract since the Church raised the amount each year, and by that point, it'd been so high that he even used his connections to his slaver friends to help him get the job done.

The problem was, that the Sword Hero didn't leave after killing the dragon. And after beating the crap out of all of them and siding with that blasted dog girl, Balred and his associates were forced to escape that accursed mountain. Nearly dying several times throughout the whole trip back.

In fact, several of his friends didn't survive the return trip. And when the guild found out about his shady dealings, he was fired and thrown out. Finally, after Mirellia returned, he was put on a wanted list.

He would get his revenge on the Queen and his former comrades at the Guild later. But for now, he knew the Sword Hero and the dog girl he rescued were here, in this town. And the formerly portly adventurer was currently in the middle of an operation with a bunch of other nobles to capture as many of the townspeople here as possible so more… legit, merchandise, could keep Zeltoble's economic bubble going.

That was part of the reason the others were here, at least. Some wanted to kill demis, others wanted to get back at the Queen for one reason or another and thus wanted to kill her daughter.

Balred simply wanted revenge on the Sword Hero for ruining his life. And on that blasted dog girl too, since she was the job that turned his life into a living hell.

He was going to enjoy this. And as he watched, he saw as the knights patrolling on the bulwarks of the town's new wall began disappearing down the back for their shift change.

There were none of those blasted Filolials in sight. The creatures had been lured away by trails of monster meat others had laid down close to the village. That scary old lady they sometimes spotted in the training arena along with those they'd identified as the Hero's party members were also gone, helping to powerlevel some of the locals in the forest.

And best of all, the Spear Hero still hadn't returned yet. He didn't see the bright light emanating from his house, indicating the use of his portal skill to return to the town. Something was holding him up, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be back for a long while if that was the case.

The only legitimate threats left inside the walls were the Sword Hero and the Dog Girl. And the intel they got said that the young fool still hadn't recovered from his battle against the Spirit Tortoise. This was it. Tonight was the perfect time to strike. Balred was going to get his revenge at last.

He hadn't grinded every day in the wild since the Sword Hero humiliated him till he reached level 75 without a good reason, after all.

"Everything is in place," Balred said to the men waiting down below.

It was time for the slave raid to commence.

"Rahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Balred and his dozens of fellow nobles ran for the entrances of the towering walls. Screaming at the top of their lungs to make it seem like an even larger army was attacking that side of the town. The other two groups would be doing the same at the other entrances.

Everyone knew they were on the clock. They had to get in and get out before the Filolials, the Hero's party members, the fighters, and the Spear Hero returned. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to capture anybody and turn a profit. Wasting all the time they'd spent scouting the village from a distance, figuring out the knight's shift schedules and the time when Motoyasu typically returned so they could perform this operation.

This was the time when most of the knights would be out of armor. The time when the raiders could cause the most chaos to get in and out.

Balred was the first one through the town entrance, his sword raised and ready to cleave through one of the first knights that'd climbed down from the walls just a minute ago.

His sword swung through nothing but empty air.

He and the others kept charging forward for a few seconds. Screaming like a bunch of lunatics. Similar things were happening at the other two entrances to the town.

But eventually, they all came to a stop. Looking around themselves in confusion.

"Where are the knights?"

"Where are the townspeople?"

"Where are the kids we're supposed to be kidnapping?!"

Nobody was running around, screaming in terror or confusion. None of the knights they'd seen on the walls earlier were charging out to face them. There weren't any people hastily erecting barricades in an attempt to slow them down. There wasn't even some brave idiot holding a pitchfork to stand in their way.

They were met by nothing except deserted roads and unlit houses. Giving the place an abandoned, dreary look.

…

"Are we being targeted by illusion magic or something?!" Balred shouted to one of the men in the back.

"No! I'm not sensing any magic besides the buffs I cast on everyone before this!" A scrawny, well-dressed, yellow-toothed man dressed in wizard robes yelled back.

Balred felt a cold sweat going down his neck. No! He swore he saw knights on the walls earlier! He'd also been able to spot people in the streets whenever he was perched higher in the trees during the day!

Don't tell him! Had they expected the raid tonight and already evacuated beforehand?!

Fine then! If they'd already left, then he was going to make sure they had nothing to return to! He didn't come here just to waste his time!

"Burn the place to the ground!" Balred ordered.

Some of the men with him were confused. Others looked all too happy to oblige as they raised their torches to the air and began screaming again.

These men were the ones who charged forward towards the unlit homes and buildings nearest them.

"W-Wait, behind us-" The mage in the group started to scream.

"Drifa Earth Fortress!"

Balred turned around, locating the origin of the shout.

It was a short blue-haired girl in a blue dress, standing on the rampart above the town entrance. The Second Princess, and this town's Governor: Melty Melromarc.

No sooner did Balred realize who it was when the earth began to tremble.

Pillars of earth rose up underneath and around the reinforced wooden walls all around the town. Raising their height from twenty-five feet to nearly a hundred.

In front of the entrances, large slabs of earth came out from the pillars. They slammed shut like the gates of hell, trapping the slavers inside.

The eyes of all the enemies were wide in shock and terror while Melty glared down at them all.

She was well known for her use of water magic, but people tended to forget she was also a practitioner of Earth magic. She wasn't as good at it as she was with Water, but, unfortunately for Balred and his allies, she had been studying and preparing to deal with another slave raid for quite a long while. And she'd been improving her use of Earth Magic so she could pull this off.

Papa would have been proud. It was a weaker variation of his Drifa Cataclysm spell he used a couple of times during the War. She had no affinity for wind magic, unfortunately, so she couldn't use that spell to eliminate all their enemies in one fell swoop while improving their fortifications. She probably wouldn't have been able to control it well enough to keep any of her allies from being harmed either. So it was ultimately for the best.

This was more than enough for this garbage.

She would make sure that none of them would escape. As a bonus, with the walls now able to rival those around the Capital, they wouldn't need many improvements besides the towers for quite a while. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

"Captain, is everyone ready?" Melty asked.

Captain Mayor stepped out from his hiding place on the rampart, as well as every one of Mirellia's knights who'd volunteered to help protect the area from any future slave raid. "Yes. Ready and waiting, Lady Governor."

The knights had never left the walls. They'd been hidden there all along, together with some of the townspeople.

All of them were armed with bows or had magic spells at the ready.

"Fire at will," Melty told him in a cold voice.

"First volley, launch!" Captain Mayor ordered.

As one, the first arrow and magical volley fell upon the heads of the slavers.

And just like that, the town became a battleground once again.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Find cover!" Balred screeched, plowing over the man in front of him who had an arrow sticking out of his arm.

Very few of his allies heard his order and obeyed it. The rest either attacked the new stone gates in a desperate attempt to break them down or ran around the streets like chickens with their heads cut off.

Those who listened either ran for the open doorways of nearby homes and shops or to stalls and wagons to hide under to escape the barrage.

The second group ended up being the smart ones.

"Yah! Charge them, lads and lassies!" As one of Balred's men was running into a door, a mace slammed into the home invader's face, knocking him to the floor.

Jerry the Blacksmith came charging out, dressed in a Scottish kilt and holding a giant war mace in one hand and a round Viking shield in the other. From the other homes, more fighters, both kids and adults, charged the slavers, snarling as they took them on in melee combat.

"Don't let them escape! Dawn's Thrust!" Eclair yelled, her sword flashing as she moved into one of her magic spell techniques to bring down a man a head taller than her.

"What the-"

"Stand and fight!"

"There's too many of them!"

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

The charge was quick and vicious. Balred took cover behind a barrel as more of his allies were met by the blades and spears of the villagers.

These weren't cheap knickknacks either. These were well-crafted, high-quality weapons with good stats attached to them. Those wielding them didn't look inexperienced with these weapons either. They weren't battle-hardened veterans, but neither were they novices.

What the hell… Balred was level 75! Most of the allies with him averaged level 60-70 and were experienced warriors, nobles, and mercenaries to boot!

How the hell were most of them getting beat up by literal children?!

"Incoming!" A familiar dog demi-human florist, along with several others leaning out from the second-floor windows of nearby buildings, threw buckets of fresh caterpilland manure at the disorganized nobles as they tried to rally in the street under barriers a couple of mages had put up so those in the back could prepare a counter-attack.

The buckets were stopped midair, but their contents fell through the transparent barriers, smacking all over the heads of the enemies and causing them to scramble in confusion and disgust.

"Aye! No hiding on the battlefield!" Jerry, spotting the hiding swordsman at that moment, broke the barrel with his mace in an attempt to hit Balred.

The disgraced guild member ducked the blow, which slammed into the wall of the house behind him. He then jumped up, plowing the large blacksmith over with his shoulder.

"Urgh!" Jerry fell to the ground, his mace falling out of his hand.

Balred screamed in anger and frustration as he then tried to impale the stunned blacksmith with his sword.

"Don't you dare harm Blacksmith Guy!"

Before Balred could even turn to face the new threat, the breath was stolen from his lungs as the mace that Jerry had just dropped slammed into the slaver's rib cage. He was sent flying dozens of meters, rolling across the ground with his chest armor dented in.

He was far away from all of his other allies, who were becoming more disorganized by the second as the barrier above them shattered thanks to the mages losing their concentration.

"You alright, Blacksmith Guy?" Blue asked as he handed the blacksmith back his weapon.

"Aye, just bruised my pride is all." Jerry groaned as he sat up, accepting the mace from the blue-haired preteen.

"Gwah! (Destroy them! Destroy them all in the name of Rikka's Tyrant Eye!)" A familiar black-feathered Filolial dove into the scene.

"Gwah!" "Gwah!" "Gwah!" An entire flock of Filolials appeared diving from the wall behind her. The same thing happened at the other entrances where the slavers had entered the town.

"All Aqua Shot!"

"Four Cross!"

"Rahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Balred gasped for breath as he forced himself out of his chest armor. He had a huge bruise already forming on his chest as the sounds of battle continued. And it was clear what direction it was going, since that time, the roar of voices hadn't come from the slavers.

"Run! Run for it!" One of the slavers screamed in terror. Running deeper into the village towards the ocean. He was, however, plowed over by a Middle Eastern lady riding on the back of a large caterpilland before he could get very far.

Others foolishly tried to stand and fight, while others ran away as well. Only to be met by other townspeople who'd been held in reserve, waiting for their prey to try and flee.

Balred slunk off into the shadows, however. As he fought through the pain to run between houses in the direction of the cliffs, he knew at that moment that they were all screwed. None of them were going to escape. It was likely that the locals had even more people waiting for the raiders at the ocean if they managed to get that far.

They'd underestimated their foes. The intel they'd gotten from the individual inside this place had been rotten. They were as good as captured.

There was nothing they could do.

…

Balred came out of the alley, running in the direction of the Hero's homes.

Since that was the case, he was going to stop pretending he was there to capture slaves and instead find the Sword Hero so he could kill him and exact his revenge on that dog girl and-

"Gah!"

The cry of a baby dragon was the only warning the wandering swordsman got before a fist covered in some strange kind of energy slammed into his face, sending Balred flying back onto the ground once again.

"Huh, I didn't expect anyone to make it this far."

"Looks like Melty was right to ask us to stay back while Crystal and Rachel handled the other parts of the wall. I wonder how many others we'll have to deal with."

Tersia and Farrie stood tall and imposing. And between them, with a cute little red dragon sitting on her shoulder, Wyndia cracked the knuckles in her hand as the gem spell she'd used dissipated.

"Whatever. Let's just subdue him before more of his friends show up. I don't want the noise to wake Ren up. I just managed to get him to sleep." The dog girl said in a bitter voice.

This girl- he recognized her! She might have looked older now, but it was definitely the brat who cried in front of that dead dragon! And he recognized the other girls too! They were also friends of that stupid Sword Hero!

DID THEY REALLY THINK HE'D LET HIMSELF GET BEATEN UP WHEN THIS WAS THE PERFECT TIME TO ENACT HIS REVENGE?! HE DIDN'T TRAIN AND GRIND ALL THIS TIME TO BE HUMILIATED LIKE THIS!

"YOU DAMN DEMIIIIIIII-" Bleeding and battered, Balred charged the dog girl and her friends.

He'd lost.

Actually, that wasn't enough to describe what happened.

Balred was completely and utterly humiliated in his defeat.

Nah, those weren't strong enough words either.

He was boned before he even took his first step. He didn't even see how he was defeated. It happened too quickly for his brain to process.

The gods themselves were likely laughing overhead right now at how badly he'd lost. His father, had he been here, would be shaking his head in disappointment at his mockery of a son. His siblings would walk around, pretending he was never their brother. His children, if he ever saw them again, would act as if they were bastard children without a father, their future kids biting their thumbs in Balred's direction if only to avoid the shame of having him as their grandparent.

…

Ok, that felt a little personal.

Either way, to make a long story short, Balred and his allies had been completely and utterly smashed by the time Motoyasu ran out to help.

The rising stacks of smoke came from the few wagons or roofs that'd been set on fire during the fighting. The screams were all coming from the slavers still coherent and conscious. But besides a couple of minor injuries here or there, all the townspeople and knights were completely fine. Whereas all their enemies had been either killed or captured.

It was around a 50/50 ratio with most of them having died to the initial volleys of arrows and magic spells while they were out in the open. The rest had been incapacitated by the ground fighters and were tied up, waiting to hear their fates.

It was a complete and total victory.

"Ohoho! You missed out on the fun Spear-dono!" Granny laughed boisterously as Motoyasu walked up.

"I… huh…?" Motoyasu still looked stunned.

"Gwah! Gwah!" A Filolial with a white eyepatch ran up to Amber, and after a moment, Amber nodded her head.

"According to Rikka, Melty knew the slavers were readying to attack, so she set up conditions to make them attack on her terms." She explained.

"Indeed. The Queen trained her daughter well." Granny grinned. "I almost feel sorry for the poor fools."

As Motoyasu was still processing this, the Second Princess herself finished examining the last group of individuals. She had a large frown on her face, as did her protector Eclair.

"Is there a problem, Lady Governor?" Granny asked, seeing the troubled look on the young girl's face.

"Yes, I thought I recognized these people from somewhere. I'm pretty certain most of them are members of Melromarc's nobility." Melty said.

"..." Motoyasu looked the figures over again. Now that he thought about it, they didn't look anything like the slavers he'd seen in Zeltoble. A little dirty from living in the wild, perhaps, and their equipment had seen better days, but they definitely didn't look nearly as wild as the slavers he met before.

Eclair's frown deepened even more as she approached one of the men, who didn't turn his face to her. "I recognize you." She scowled. "You're one of the knights that served under my father. Sir Preot, was it?

"Why are you attacking the place you were sworn to protect?"

…

…

The man didn't speak for a moment, refusing to address the lady knight. But after a moment, when Eclair's glare didn't relent, the man finally spoke.

"Bah, to be humiliated by this tainted bloodline once again." The nobleman and former knight spat on Eclair's boot. "If only you'd died alongside your bastard father so I would have been spared the sight of seeing you."

"Harsh words… from someone who is now under the custody of the Hero's Nation," Eclair replied in a dry tone. Her hand, however, tightened on the hilt of her sword at the insult towards her father.

"Yes, and praytell, what are you going to do to us, exactly?" The man looked up with a smug grin. "The Princess is right about us being nobility. And on top of that, you've killed many of my comrades who were also nobles.

"Do you think you'll get away with killing them? Do you think your lives are more valuable than ours?

"You're going to have much to answer for as soon as word of this tragedy reaches my father." The man stated in a smug tone. "There's no way he'd let this dump stand for this."

"... are you threatening us?" Melty asked. There was a dark look in her eyes. "You do realize where we are, correct?"

"Threatening? No, of course not 'Second Princess'." The man laughed. "I recognize we are in Seaetto, a land Her Majesty gave away without consulting her nobility. I also recognize the difference in our status, and how any punishment you choose to inflict upon me and my friends will be returned to you a thousandfold by our parents, who keep your parents in power.

"Face it! No matter how superior you think you are, you can't do anything to us! And I say, for those of my friends who have fallen here today, we shall return their blood upon the heads of the livestock here a hundredfold for daring to think they could ever rise against us and-"

Slash!

As the man was raving, Eclair slashed her sword across his face, cutting off the front part of his tongue.

"Egh! Eghhhh!?" Sir Preot screamed in pain, fear, and confusion through the blood pooling in his mouth. The faces of his comrades twisted in shock at the action.

"Lady Governor…" Eclair drew in a deep breath. Her tone was filled with venom. "Remind me. Is Seaetto, as Sir Preot calls this land, a part of Melromarc right now?"

"No, it is not," Melty answered without hesitation.

"In the hierarchy of things, has her Majesty ever placed herself in authority above the Heroes, who were given my Father's land to make their own nation?" Eclair continued.

"No, she is not," Melty answered again.

"... What is the punishment for human trafficking in the Hero's Nation that we all agreed on at its forming?" Eclair asked next.

"Death." The girl answered, again, without missing a beat.

"And are there any exceptions to that rule?" Eclair asked. "

"None. Not even the Heroes are exempt from it." Melty answered in a cold, hollow voice, her gaze falling on Motoyasu.

The Spear Hero shuddered. He understood that the girl wasn't threatening him, and yet, he could not shake the cold chill that traveled down his spine at her words.

"You say that we can't do anything? I disagree. In this land, your statuses mean nothing." Melty continued coldly before looking down at the surviving raiders. "Your parents might keep the King and Queen in power in Melromarc, but my parents aren't the ones in charge here.

"You all forfeited your lives the moment you decided to step foot on this land and enslave the people here. Now you will all pay the price for your actions."

Eclair nodded, and without pausing, she swung her sword once again.

This time, the head of Sir Preot rolled away from his body. A look of stunned shock was forever immortalized as his eyes lost the life they'd held in them.

…

At hearing what Melty said, and seeing what happened to their compatriot, the others tied up in the group began to struggle and raised their voices in panic. "Y-You're kidding, right?!"

"We're nobles! You can't kill us!"

"This'll mean war! My parents will kill you! You hear me!"

They shouted these and other things at the Second Princess and Eclair, as well as the knights and townspeople standing there witnessing the event.

Really, they were already on another tier of stupidity for attacking Lurolona. Sure, they might have been highly leveled compared to previous raids, and sure, the people here might not have had as much battle experience as they did.

But the people living here had been saved by the Heroes. They'd fought off the chains of slavery and established homes, families, and lives of their own in this place. They'd faced off against the remnants of the Church, fought against the familiars of the Spirit Tortoise, worked hard under the Heroes, and even had the flock of the great Fitoria around to protect them.

Many of them had Hero Service Crests placed on them to improve their strength under the Heroes. Others were undergoing Fitoria's way of strengthening through level sacrifice. A few were going through both to become even stronger than everyone else. Even with higher levels, these slavers couldn't have ever hoped to be victorious against the citizens of the Hero Nation on their own. For this was a people preparing to fight alongside the Heroes against the Waves, the Guardian Beasts, and any other foe the Heroes would be facing.

But where the nobles' stupidity shined was thinking that they'd only get away with a slap on the wrist for their actions because of their 'status' in Melromarc. Melty made it absolutely clear when writing the laws of this new nation that slavery would never be allowed, whether you were a commoner, a noble, a royal, or a Hero.

Anyone who tried to enforce slavery in this land would be punished the same. And they wouldn't be spared an ounce of mercy.

Melty watched silently as Eclair's blade swung back and forth, beheading one Melromarcian nobleman after another. Several of her fellow knights joined her in executing the ragtag group of nobles.

"W-Wait! You can't-" As one guy tried to flee, a pair of knights gripped him by the shoulders and pressed him down, keeping him from moving while exposing his neck. "NO! NOOOOOO-"

He was beheaded too.

Balred looked around, shock and terror written on his face as the rose-haired executioner made her way down the line.

No! No! He still hadn't gotten his revenge on the Sword Hero yet!

It couldn't end like this! IT COULDN'T!

Just like his comrades, he tried to get up. To run. To flee. To fight to the bitter end. The man's fight and flight responses were triggering simultaneously. His body didn't know which one to follow.

Unfortunately, like the others, he was also pinned down by a pair of knights. He watched in horror as Eclair slowly made her way to him in his spot in the line.

"NO!" Balred screamed.

His eyes spotted Wyndia and the others in the crowd of people. The dog girl looked to be supporting the Sword Hero, who looked tired, weak, and haggard, just as the intel stated. Where had he been that entire fight?

"YOU! I SWEAR, I WILL NOT DIE BEFORE I GET MY VENGEANCE ON YOU, SWORD HERO!" Balred screamed like a maniac, making Eclair pause as she readied her blade to execute him.

His screaming also grabbed the attention of those two individuals. As well as the attention of Farrie and Tersia, who stood behind Ren, ready to assist him. "Gah?" Little Gaelion also appeared from the folds of Ren's scarf, where she'd settled down to take a nap.

"I WILL MAKE YOU AND THAT DOG GIRL OF YOURS PAY FOR RUINING MY LIFE! I PROMISE IT IN THE NAME OF BALRED VERAMIR! I WILL END YOU EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

…

…

"Ren, do you recognize him?" Wyndia finally asked.

"... … …" The Sword Hero remained silent for a moment. He was briefly pulled out of his cloud of depression by the man who'd threatened him and his girlfriend.

…

…

"... no." Ren finally muttered. "He doesn't look familiar…" And back down into the cloud of depression, he went.

If only the earlier fighting hadn't woken him up… he felt more useless than ever before having not been able to help with the slave raid.

"Have we seen this guy before?" Farrie asked her sister.

"I can't recall." Tersia, who had the best memory of the group, shrugged.

Balred looked like he'd been punched in the gut.

All that time… all that effort… all his planning to make it here and take his revenge on the people who'd ruined his life…

And they didn't even remember who he was…

…

Balred's life, his ambitions, his hatred; all of it was left unfulfilled as Eclair's blade fell once again.

And thus ended the lives of Balred Veranir and his allies.

When it was all said and done, the knights began the long work of gathering the bodies of their foes to an area outside the walls of the town, where they were to be burned along with all their belongings.

Filolials patrolled the mountains and caves the slavers had been hiding in. Making sure all of them had been dealt with before reporting to Amber and Blue, who then reported to Fitoria, who'd been on standby, just in case she was needed. But with how things went, that proved to be unnecessary.

When everything was settled, Melty could be seen standing in her office, arms crossed behind her back while facing the windows with a frown on her face. Motoyasu finished reporting to her about Zeltoble.

"So that's why you came back late then." She said in an icy tone. It sounded very similar to Mirellia's whenever the Queen was angry.

"... I'm really sorry about that." Motoyasu bowed in apology. "I'll make sure to be here on time from now on."

"..." The Second Princess sighed. "It's fine. In a way, your absence helped to encourage our enemies to rush headlong into the trap I prepared for them."

"They'd already begun preparing for an attack. We'd probably be hunting down those who chickened out had you or Ren been out there to fight."

Motoyasu frowned. Had that been the reason his younger bro hadn't been fighting today? It never looked like he'd been told that... and besides that: "How would they know I was late though? That's the part that doesn't make sense to me."

"I… honestly don't know." Melty breathed through her nose while rubbing her forehead. "Your portal skill is pretty bright whenever you use it. Perhaps they had someone watching your house to find out when you were portaling inside."

"..." Motoyasu frowned as he thought about potential alternatives. "I'll move my portal location to my attic then."

"Mhmmm…" Melty nodded but continued to frown.

…

"Is… there anything else I can do for you, Melty?" Motoyasu asked, dropping all formalities with the girl.

"..." The bluette sighed. "I may have made a rash decision tonight." She admitted. "The last thing we needed is more enemies. Especially from Melromarc.

"I can only imagine how much trouble this is going to cause for Mother…"

…

…

…

The two both remained silent. Whether they liked it or not, the sons of some very influential people had just been killed by their hands. Whether they tried to cover it up or not, word would eventually reach their parents when they received no more contact from their sons, and then they'd have more issues to deal with.

The Melty of a few months ago would have never considered executing anyone, much less, a whole group of people. She felt nothing for those who'd fallen in battle. They were their enemies, and she herself had killed people today in the fighting. This was nothing new to her.

But executing the prisoners after capturing them? When they were defenseless and unable to do anything?

…

Had this just been her way of venting her anger? Did she feel more satisfied with her feelings towards Naofumi now after having done that?

…

No, not at all. That wound still stung like a festering sore… and watching a group of smug, pompous, arrogant nobles, who'd acted just like Naofumi had that day, die… hadn't made her feel any better.

In fact, looking towards Eclair, who also had a downcast expression on her face, the girl felt guilty for having her friend execute them on her behalf.

Would her mother have done the same thing in her position? Would she have struggled with these same thoughts? Would she have thrust the burden of killing on someone else so she wouldn't have to bloody her own hands?

The fact that Melty didn't know the answer to any of these questions only made her feel worse.

Perhaps, Naofumi had been right about her parents. How could she claim to love them when she didn't even know if her mother loved her or not…

…

"Melty," Eclair spoke at last. "What do you want to do next?"

"I don't know, I don't even know what mother would do if she were-" Melty started to answer.

"Melty…" Eclair repeated her name again, cutting her friend off with her serious tone. "Last I checked, your name wasn't Mirellia."

The knight's downcast expression vanished as she focused on the young girl before her.

"Your name is Melty. Who you are is Melty. The actions you take are yours, and not your mother's. Just like me, and how I'm not my father.

"Had Lord Seaetto been here, he would have granted those men mercy and given them a chance to atone for their mistakes. I'd know, since he has done so in the past. That was how I met Sir Preot.

"I do not share my father's sentiment. Some of those I executed today were indirectly linked to his death… and the fall of everything I knew and cared for while growing up." Eclair stated seriously. "Do I feel good about having killed them in cold blood? No, I do not. I feel just as I did when I executed my father's killer in the Capital of Melromarc.

"Empty.

"Cold.

"Unsatisfied.

"Unfulfilled…

"I do not feel happy to have killed once again.

…

Melty sighed sadly.

"... however, even though I feel that way… I know that I've done my duty, and protected those my Father would have wished to protect." Eclair continued. "Even if it wasn't the way he would have gone about it, even if there was another way we could have dealt with their ilk, I won't regret doing what I did. Because I did what I believe was right on behalf of you, and on behalf of all the people living here.

"And I trust that whatever will happen after this, you'll be able to guide us through to the end."

…

…

Melty looked from Eclair to the Spear Hero, who smiled a little in support. "Like she said, us Heroes didn't entrust running this place to the Queen. We trust you to do what's best for everyone here. And…

"Well, I can't say for sure if what you did was right or not, but you protecting all the people here? That was certainly the right thing to do.

"I bet if Naofumi was here, he'd be telling you the same thing."

…

…

Melty breathed in deeply again.

"The families of these nobles are going to want revenge." She stated matter-of-factly to the two.

"Should I postpone my mission in Zeltoble for now?" Motoyasu asked seriously.

"No, you have verified that a former resident is there, and that she has other former residents of Lurolona under her care. You need to ensure she and those kids make it back here safe and sound above anything else. Do not deviate from that." Melty told him seriously.

"Alright," Motoyasu continued to smile, and Melty breathed in deeply again.

"I'll take care of the problems here... I might need a bit of help though." She said, looking to her knight friend.

"I'm all ears." Eclair leaned forward attentively.

"… Shadow, will you help as well?" Melty asked, looking up to the ceiling.

"Of courze." A familiar male shadow appeared on a rafter. Motoyasu's eyes widened in surprise before he smiled brightly in recognition. He was happy to see one of the Shadows he rescued alive and doing better than ever. "What zhall I relay to her Grace?"

"Tell her this…"

The group listened as Melty explained the idea that came to her mind, and Motoyasu had Amber come in at one point to see if Fitoria's flock could assist with it or not. He supported what she wanted to do and had the thought that the sooner they could implement this, the better.

Upon hearing the plan, Fitoria voiced her doubts about getting involved in human affairs. Melty gave some assurances that the Hero's Nation wouldn't involve her flock if it did result in war. And that she was doing this to prevent more complex human affairs from occurring in the future. Which seemed counterintuitive with what she was going to do, but then, that's why she wanted Shadow's help getting this info to her mother.

If there was anything Melty did know, it was that Mirellia was a shrewd politician. She'd be able to spin this to their advantage somehow.

After thinking about it for a moment while Melty explained the rest, Fitoria gave her approval and promised to gather the fastest members of her flock by tomorrow morning. And with that, preparations for what Melty wanted to accomplish were underway.

…

Oh, and Motoyasu made sure to bring back some food to the others before he got home.

Boy, was it fun telling Keel and Anya how they missed out on all the fun.

Motoyasu returned to Zeltoble early the next morning after his spar with Granny. He wasn't able to skip out on it, unfortunately, but because he left, the Spear Hero missed out on seeing Melty's plan get put into action.

This was likely for the best, considering how much he was needed in the city of slaves.

Essentially, the heads of all the dead noblemen weren't burned with their bodies. Instead, they were put into crates, which were given to Filolials, who were then teleported near Melromarc's Capital, thanks to Fitoria traveling there during the night and setting a save location in the area.

Mirellia's Shadow returned before then, relaying the details of the previous night to the Queen. Believe it or not, she was already aware of the massacre, thanks to her other Shadows in the area returning and informing her of what'd gone down during the night. Because of that, the Shadow only had to report on Melty's plan.

Meaning that when Fitoria brought her flock near her castle with their cargo, Mirellia was already there, waiting with knights to assist them with what Melty wanted to do.

Mirellia and Fitoria had a moment to talk, which made both their days that much better. The knights Mirellia brought along with her, who'd fought alongside some of these Filolials against the Spirit Tortoise, and who'd come to view Fitoria in as good a light as their Queen, then rode the Filolials all day across the land in every direction.

These were amongst the fastest Fitoria had, trained to run long distances without tiring. Within the day, thanks to the directions Mirellia's knights gave the individual Filolials, almost every single package made it to the right nobles in record time. Thankfully, made easier by the fact that all the involved nobles lived in areas around the Capital and not on the outskirts of the kingdom.

The reaction from them upon discovering the contents of these crates was immediate. And it was within expectations.

As the morning sun peaked over the horizon on the second day, Mirellia was sitting in a moving carriage, surrounded by a bunch of recording crystals set to transmit in real-time. She watched as one image of a nobleman after another appeared around her, hovering above various areas of her carriage so she could talk to them all at once. Ironically, all the noblemen who appeared in the call opposed her and her peacetime views.

They all said pretty much the same thing.

That the Hero Nation had killed their sons. That they'd been delivered their heads with warnings to never bother the Hero's Nation again.

The heads of the various families wanted retaliation and revenge for their dead children. The cry to go to war amongst them was strong. It was what you'd expect, honestly.

And that predictability would be their downfall.

Mirellia was patient, as she waited to make sure that an image of each household head involved in the matter was present before she finally addressed their accusations and concerns.

What happened could best be described as Manipulation Tactics 101. Or, if you prefer, the reason why Mirellia was called 'The Vixen Of Melromarc' by various politicians from other nations.

"You want me to go to war with the Hero's Nation."

Unanimous yes.

"You want me to go to war with the people tasked with saving our world." Mirellia continued.

… a short pause, but another unanimous yes. In their eyes, these Heroes were not Heroes, because their sons had been killed by them in 'cold blood'.

"The Heroes who outlawed slavery in their nation. Who also killed your idiot sons because they thought they were above the laws of a foreign land, and paid the price for their actions."

There were some words of complaint and dissent, but Mirellia continued as she found her groove.

"The Heroes who, mind you, I barely managed to appease last time by giving them the late Lord Seaetto's lands after all the &^%$ the Three Heroes Church put them through, to ensure they remained close by to protect us from the Waves and wouldn't seek our lives in retribution for that colossal mishap.

"The Heroes who, I must remind you, managed to do what entire armies failed to do by bringing down the Spirit Tortoise and saving the lives of everyone in our world. Bringing Melromarc far more prestige and allies than what it had before.

"The Heroes who, again, to remind you, have fought front and center in waves at Lute, Cal Mira, and other places, keeping casualties of our soldiers to a minimum. Who took on the brunt of the Spirit Tortoise's rampage, saving all of our lives with their sacrifice. Who took the dead land of Seaetto under their control and breathed new life into it, and thus new life into the hope for our world.

"And you want me to throw that all away, and to throw away your lives and the lives of our people in the process, by declaring war on those very Heroes. Who, I must remind you, have killed the Spirit Tortoise and accomplished many other feats of strength besides that?!

… … …

Mirellia didn't know what she loved more. The looks of shock on their faces, or the looks of realization when they realized the weight of what they were asking her to do.

For the next thirty minutes, the Queen of Melromarc proceeded to verbally rip all the nobles on the call apart piece, by, piece. She berated them for caring so little about their own lives and the lives of their people, she blamed them individually for not stopping their sons from attempting their foolish attack on a place outside her jurisdiction, she reiterated how Seaetto was no longer a part of Melromarc, how she'd traded that land to the Heroes so their lives would be spared, how the Heroes had made it clear how they'd treat those who tried to enforce the enslavement of the people under them, and a whole lot more.

Had Naofumi been there to witness it, he would have been so proud of the matriarch.

"The stupidity of your request doesn't even account for how the other nations they've saved would react to our hostility, much less, THE GREAT HOLY BIRD FITORIA HERSELF WHO HAS OPENLY ALLIED HERSELF WITH THE HEROES OF OUR WORLD!"

It was vicious. Mirellia didn't let off the gas for even a moment to allow the household heads to get a word in. Manipulation, gaslighting, she was giving the idiots propping her and her husband up the full course meal of her ire. Venting out years upon years of frustration in dealing with their politics over one single call.

"Maybe I should offer the Heroes your heads as an apology?! That should possibly convince them to not raze our country outright for your sons' unprovoked attack on their people, right?!"

Some of the nobles pissed their pants and left the call at those words. The rest of them, who were brave enough to stay, or who were too stupid to try and leave the call, began pleading with the young ruler for their lives.

…

After taking a moment to finally listen to their cries and pleading, Mirellia nodded her head and 'relented'.

"Fine then. You should be grateful I'm even letting you keep your positions and lands since I'm personally on my way to the Hero's Nation right now to make sure that your idiot offsprings' actions don't result in our destruction!"

The unanimous apologies and thank yous she got after that were almost the highlight of the Queen's entire day.

And thus, from that point on, the position of power inside Melromarc was reversed entirely from the nobility keeping the King and Queen in power, to the Queen being the sole reason the nobility could continue to live peaceful and comfortable lives in the first place.

The entire thing was a sham. The Heroes weren't the kind of people to enjoy causing trouble and killing innocents. Mirellia had very good relations with them almost from the start since coming back from Faubley, thanks to how good and forgiving they were, and because of how she'd assisted them since coming back. She was going to Lurolona for a different reason entirely.

The nobility didn't need to know all this, however.

While a few still stuck to their shady dealings in the background, Mirellia never dealt with open opposition from those who hadn't been loyal to her before ever again. Ultimately making her job and future plans for her country that much easier for her to accomplish.

Balred and his allies didn't die for nothing. Their deaths resulted in the end of the nobility of Melromarc and its closest nations seeking to harm the Heroes and the people under them for many years to come.

Not to worry, even if his revenge was left unfulfilled, their actions helped in saving the world, alongside everyone else.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

"Hey, Sebas. Out of curiosity, do you know where that Kitsune lady went?" Motoyasu asked.

"Beatrice? No, I haven't seen her lately. Did you need her for something?" The old butler responded.

"Oh, no. Just curious since you're the only one who seems to greet us each morning." Motoyasu shrugged.

"Hmmm, now that you mention it, that is bit odd. I will check with Master Hickwaal about her whereabouts later." Sebas replied.

Motoyasu nodded, flashing the old butler a smile from under his helmet.

But as the Spear Hero faced forward again, he noticed Amber on his other side, pouting at him. Seeing the obvious displeasure on her face, Motoyasu sweatdropped and began damage control. "I swear, I'm just curious. None of us have seen her since Hickwaal first introduced her to us."

"Hmph." Amber continued to pout as she turned her face away. "Amber doesn't want to think about Ugly Fox Lady."

UGLY- fine, okay, compared to Filolials, that was true, BUT STILL!

Suddenly, Amber saw a girl crossing their path up ahead, and stars appeared in her eyes. "My, that woman looks perfect for Amber's Big Brother, I say!"

"Wha- No! No no no no no!" Motoyasu pulled the angel-winged girl by the arm before she could race off to make another embarrassing situation for him to clean up.

"Ehehehe." Amber giggled to herself. Mission accomplished.

The group of three were walking along one of the underground streets. They were on their way to the fighting pit where Motoyasu would fight his next match.

It'd been two days since the failed slave raid on their town. And one week since Motoyasu assisted Fitoria with that Wave.

Motoyasu wished he could say that yesterday was interesting. In all honesty, there wasn't much that happened.

Sadeena hadn't delivered her message yet. The two fights he and Amber had lined up for that day were canceled… mostly because Motoyasu and Amber beat the everliving crap out of their opponents when they tried to ambush the pair in alleyways above ground and below.

At least Motoyasu knew he was building up a reputation for himself. At the end of yesterday, he walked into the Gladiator's Bar to see if he could find Sadeena. And while he didn't find the orca woman, he had the respect of all the other gladiators there. Including the ones who'd tried to beat him up in the first place.

After that, he returned to Lurolona briefly to check up on Atla. See how Fohl was adjusting to town life (he'd been in the middle of being beaten up by Granny when Motoyasu left), checked to see if Anya and Keel wanted to come back with him or not (they were too busy watching Fohl get beat up to want to return yet), and then he portaled back so he and Amber could settle in for the night.

The pair were awoken by Sebas knocking on their door the following morning. Which was when things finally began to get interesting again.

To start, instead of two matches, Motoyasu and Amber were only fighting in one today, separately. Amber's match was set to happen in another fighting pit after his.

Along with that bit of news, Sebas handed the disguised Spear Hero a folded piece of paper.

Sir Bubba. I apologize for the lateness of this message. It has been difficult to get my sponsor and his goons to leave me alone lately.

I want you to meet me in Hickwaal's private observation room after your match today. Your companion will be fighting in that pit during our meeting, so we should have some privacy. Just in case, I've asked a friend of mine, Larsa, to be your escort.

Be warned, your opponent today is not like any of your previous ones. I've heard through the grapevine that she's expected to be able to fight me specifically, so you better be on your guard.

But I believe in you. Expect to be hit with debuff magic at the start of your match.

Good luck ;) xoxoxo

Nadia

Motoyasu smiled a little as he recalled reading the short note earlier. He wondered if he should tell her about the attack on Lurolona last night when they met up later.

The image of an orca woman rampaging through the streets of Zeltoble suddenly went through his mind.

…

…

On second thought, he'd tell her about it later. After he brought her back to the village.

…

…

…

"Looks like we still have a few minutes before your match." The Spear Hero was pulled out of his thoughts, or lack thereof, as Sebas spoke again.

The blonde found himself standing before a familiar-looking portcullis. For some reason, Amber was no longer with them. She must have split off to grab herself and Sebas seats while he was spacing out.

Motoyasu turned his head to the old butler, who looked as calm as ever. "Do you have any questions for me today?" The old man asked.

"Um, well, Sa- Nadia, warned me that I'll be facing a stronger opponent today. Murder... something? What is he like?" The Spear Hero asked.

"Murder Pierrot, yes. Unfortunately, we know very little about her, since she is a newcomer just like you." The butler said.

"Very little is better than nothing." Motoyasu pressed on. So it was a girl he was fighting. Strange arena name for a person to go by.

Then again, what did he have to complain about since he was still going by Bubba?

…

Sebas thought about it for a moment more, before he frowned. "Her background is unknown. She appeared out of nowhere two weeks ago, explosively rising through the ranks, until she caught the attention of one of the City Council members, Mr. Saxon, who offered her his sponsorship.

"She currently has a victory streak of fifteen in the death pits."

"Death pits?" Motoyasu asked.

The frown on the butler's face deepened. "Where only fights to the death take place. Sure, accidents happen in regular fighting pits and even in the Colosseum up top from time to time… but when it comes to death pits, it's always a fight to the death. Hence the name." Sebas sighed.

"Bit of a 'seasonal' type of entertainment, since no one lasts for long there. But it also makes for more interesting bets for certain audiences, since there is always new blood pouring in. Quite literally too."

"Oh... I'm sorry for pressing." Motoyasu looked away.

"It is fine. I nearly ended up fighting in such a place after I lost my title to a woman my age decades ago. Don't worry about participating in any death pits though. Master Hickwaal is not a fan of those and as your sponsor, he won't agree to any on your behalfrrrrrrrrr." Sebas composed himself again. "As for this fight? Whatever the case, I would recommend you be careful in this match. Do not expect this Murder Pierrot to be on the same level as those gladiators you faced before."

"Got it. I'll be careful." Motoyasu smiled as he gave the old man a thumbs up.

Sebas nodded, smiling slightly in response before he walked away to observe the fight from up above.

…

…

Motoyasu breathed in deep.

He didn't know anything about his opponent. Both Sadeena and Sebas, strong people in their own right, were warning him to be careful.

Part of him wanted to listen, but the other part wanted to shrug it off. He was a Cardinal Hero for crying out loud! If anything, he was the one who'd probably have to hold back in this fight, even if he was the one hit with debuff magic!

No normal person could hope to face him on even footing! Motoyasu had this fight in the bag!

The portcullis in front of him started to rise, and the Spear Hero lowered the visor of his helmet. He gripped his naginata in both hands as he straightened into a confident stance.

"And returning after his smashing victories yesterday in and out of the arena against the Unholy Triumvirate and the Bad Bad Bastards, give it up for Sir Bubba of the Sworn Duo!" The Announcer Guy yelled from his box up above.

The crowds around began to cheer. Motoyasu found that there weren't many empty seats compared to the previous days. It seemed there was a lot more interest in today's match.

Motoyasu took the chance to wave, and many in the crowd began cheering his name. Including- OH! A fan section of girls! Nice!

Now, now, quit pouting Amber! Motoyasu could see you sitting next to them too! You were prettier than all of them combined, I say!

"And, facing him today, a figure some of you may already know from down under." The spectacles-wearing announcer grinned. "Finally making her debut in our beloved and 'legal' fighting pits below ground, with a body count of fifteen and possibly one more after today, warmly welcome our lovely, our fantastic, the majestic: Murder Pierrot!"

Motoyasu readied his weapon, facing the portcullis before him. He was waiting for it to open and reveal his opponent, which caught him off guard when a pair of figures landed on the sand to his left and right from above.

They weren't people. They were wooden dolls, holding twin blades in their hands. As Motoyasu tried to process what he was seeing, a third figure landed lightly on the ground before him.

Their appearance made the crowd begin to roar with delight.

His opponent… wasn't very tall. Nor did she have an imposing appearance, given what her name was. Her outfit of choice was a white and purple Jester's uniform from her boots to the half-white half-purple mask she wore under a twin-tailed hat that had a few round-headed sewing pins sticking out from its ends.

Murder Pierrot's right hand was held to the side, while her left hand wielded a large pair of… scissors?

They looked large enough to resemble interlocked sword blades, but they were definitely scissors.

Motoyasu cocked his head slightly. This was the supposed Murder Pierrot? She didn't strike him as particularly intimidating for someone who was supposedly a serial killer from the death pits.

"Now, begin!"

The jester's right hand shifted, and the pair of wooden puppets leaped toward Motoyasu, their blades twisting around to pierce him.

'Huh-' Motoyasu's instincts took over, and he barely blocked the first puppet's strikes while avoiding the second puppet's leap in time. They'd moved fast, far faster than he'd been expecting!

Pulling up his HUD as he backed up and blocked additional strikes, he found that his stats had dropped by an astonishing amount. They were nearly half of what they were supposed to be with his current weapon form equipped. Yet even then, he shouldn't have been on the backfoot like this already!

Seeking a quick reprieve to regather his bearings, Motoyasu quickly chanted a fire spell to force his opponents back. "Fast Fireball!"

One of the dummies raised its blades, cutting the magic attack up. The brief moment of distraction allowed Motoyasu to sidestep past its comrade's next thrust, swinging his naginata up and severing one of the wooden arms clean off the dummy's body before it could pull back.

Ha! There we go! Now Motoyasu was getting-

"Spider Net." A chill ran down his spine, and Motoyasu quickly turned around only to watch as thick strings of silk wrapped around his arms and legs.

'What- what just-'

As he tried to process his thoughts, Murder Pierrot appeared in his vision. Swinging her closed scissor blades down at him. But even while Motoyasu's brain was trying to comprehend the situation, his lips continued to move on their own, guided by the Spear Hero's recently sharpened survival instincts, courtesy of Granny.

"Fast Fireball!" The blonde shouted the spell again, launching it directly at the sand underneath him.

The clown sharply cut her momentum short by stabbing her strange weapon into the arena floor just before the explosion went off.

BOOM!

A pillar of smoke and sand was launched into the air under the thunderous cheer of the crowd. Little did they know that the explosion propelled Sir Bubba backward into an awkward and lame tumble that was conveniently hidden from sight by the explosion's aftermath.

Motoyasu cursed under his breath and got back on his feet. He wasn't hurt too badly, but this was a bad start. He almost took a crippling blow from his opponent there. What the hell was that spell she used anyway?

He tore the remains of the sticky silk off his armor. Sure enough, the flames made it shrivel and melt. It was pretty wild how he remembered that weird bit of trivia from Elena's secondhand retelling of what everyone was up to during the Spirit Tortoise's rampage. Even weirder still was that he managed to remember that and to come up with a plan to stop himself from getting cut clean in half in the span of half a second.

Maybe Granny's insane training regimen wasn't so insane. Because it was definitely working.

"Interesting-" A quiet, distorted remark escaped from the clown's mask as Sir Bubba stepped out of the smokescreen under another round of thunderous cheers from the audience.

The clown jumped back, her blade held to her side while her free hand made another strange motion.

Motoyasu heard some movement behind him and sidestepped the wooden automaton's attack again. As he repositioned himself, he saw the other dummy's arm had reattached itself to its body, and it began attacking Motoyasu once again.

'&^%$!' He finally realized it then. His opponent was no common adventurer or gladiator like the ones he'd faced yesterday.

This was a legitimate match.

Time flew by. For the first time in a while, Granny kicking his butt in the mornings notwithstanding, Motoyasu found himself hard-pressed to defend himself. As he discovered early on, dismembering these dolls wasn't enough to stop them.

To try and work around that, he tried going for attacks that'd destroy the dolls completely.

"Bind Wire." As the Spear Hero attempted to cleave one of the dummies in two, however, thin strings of thread wrapped around the end of his naginata's blade, stopping it midswing.

'&^%$!' Because Motoyasu couldn't let go of his weapon, he had to grab the sword of the other dummy with his gloved hand before it could strike his helmet. He managed to throw the dummy back with that, but not without leaving a small bleeding gash on his hand. And that wasn't accounting for the original dummy he'd tried to target, who took its opportunity to slash at Motoyasu's chest plate, leaving a nice scratch along the armor before the blonde managed to burn the strange thread that'd appeared from out of nowhere with a quickfire spell.

Actually, where had it appeared from? This didn't make any sense.

"And Sir Bubba has officially lasted the longest out of any of Murder Pierrot's opponents, human or monster! Remember folks, betting is still open for the first ten minutes of the match!" The announcer man yelled.

Not helping!

"You can do it Big Brother!" Amber shouted next to the group of excited fan girls.

NOW THAT WAS A BIG HELP, I SAY!

Motoyasu blocked another strike with his naginata but the second puppet's sword left a deep gash on his shoulder pauldron when the blonde raised it to protect his neck.

Yeesh! Fighting three-on-one was no joke! He couldn't even concentrate enough to cast any magic above the first tier!

Motoyasu was starting to wonder if he should just throw caution to the wind and start using Hengen Muso moves now. He didn't think he'd be pushed to this point here. He hadn't wanted to resort to that bag of tricks, in case there was someone here who remembered the way Granny fought.

"Bind Wire." Motoyasu dove out of the way as many strong threads came from his right, covering one of the dummies that'd been fighting him. Not that it mattered, as his opponent jumped in while the wooden puppet freed itself.

Motoyasu would start small then, using life force to adjust his senses and reflexes. He didn't need to increase his stats necessarily, he just had to even the odds.

He focused life force into his eyes and other parts of his body. His ability to dodge and counterattack increased in tandem.

He blocked Murder Pierrot's next strike, then spun around the wooden puppet that tried to swing at him, before landing his first strike on his actual opponent.

Murder Pierrot jumped back, part of her outfit on her arm cut open. The shallow grazing slice didn't manage to pierce the skin, but the girl seemed more wary of fighting him up close now.

Her right hand made another motion, and…

He finally spotted it. Small lines of thread, extended from her fingers to various parts of the dummies he'd been fighting against.

Of course! They were puppets! Damn, now he really felt stupid for not seeing the obvious solution to his woes before.

"Ha!" Motoyasu charged forward this time, allowing the puppet's blades to land on his chestplate.

He didn't care about needing to fix up the armor later. This maneuver gave him the perfect opportunity to slash directly above the wooden things with the blade of his naginata.

And just like that, both puppets collapsed to the ground. Their strings cut.

"Whoa! Look at that ladies and gentlemen! Sir Bubba has just become the first person to bring down Murder Pierrot's puppets! This is a whole match of firsts for our favorite clown!"

The crowd roared as Motoyasu turned to face down his actual opponent. Amber cheered more loudly than the fan girls next to her, and Sebas, who'd taken his seat next to the Royal Filolial by that point, began to politely clap his hands as well.

Motoyasu smirked behind his visor as he pointed his weapon towards his opponent. "I'll admit. You're stronger than I expected. This match is actually kind of fun."

He wasn't speaking loud enough to be heard over the crowd. But it was loud enough for Murder Pierrot to hear him. "Let's wrap things up now, shall we?" Motoyasu took an aggressive stance, readying to charge forward.

His opponent didn't flinch, however. Instead, she took her scissor blade in both hands and forcibly pried it apart with a loud metallic screech.

Now, she was wielding two sharp swords and the display caused another uproar from the audience.

This must have been her serious mode. Perfect, he was taking things seriously too now.

The two fighters charged each other, and the real clash commenced.

"My goodness, ladies and gentlemen! This is incredible! I can barely even follow their movements!" The announcer screamed, his voice amplified with magic.

The crowd had quieted a lot by this point, this time in awe at the match that they were witnessing.

Sir Bubba and his opponent were both a blur of speed, matching each other blow for blow. It was hard for the common tourist to discern who was landing blows on who and which fighter was winning.

Motoyasu was grinning in delight under his helmet and came close to laughing more than a few times. It was no wonder his opponent was so strong, she was also a Hengen Muso Practitioner!

He'd been caught off guard by it at first. But because he could recognize life force, he'd learned several things about his opponent right away. Like the fact that she was also using life force to increase her stats and physical capabilities like he was. As well as that, she could manifest her life force outside her body in the form of walls and barriers.

That was a trick Granny had never taught him. Was it some kind of advanced technique? Regardless, Murder Pierrot was using these barriers to great effect, slowing down the Spear Hero's attacks for just a split second or otherwise deflecting his attacks away from her, creating openings against him, which resulted in quite a few scratches and bruises on his end.

"Drifa Heal!" Which he subsequently dealt with by using a healing spell on himself after they disengaged. Thank you Granny for all that sparring! He never thought he'd ever admit that to himself, but here he was.

The girl took a step back, and Motoyasu's grin widened as green energy covered his body. With only one opponent to focus on, casting higher-tier magic was a piece of cake.

"Oof!" One of the wooden puppets from earlier slammed into his side, tackling him to the ground.

Shoot! He hadn't even noticed that she'd roughly reconnected the threads going from her hand to her puppets! The blonde had no idea what kind of magic this was, but whatever the case, she had great control over it!

Motoyasu threw the wooden dummy off, just in time to block a heavy downward strike from Murder Pierrot that caused a shockwave to come out from the point of impact. And when she disengaged to avoid his counterattack, Motoyasu cast another fire spell, burning away the threads controlling the puppet.

"What a back and forth, ladies and gentlemen! Could we be seeing a fight featuring the Undercity's next grand champion today?!" The announcer was starting to lose it. The crowd was going ballistic too.

"GET HER BIG BROTHER! TEAR OUT HER THROAT I SAY!" Amber screamed from the top of her lungs while shaking a fist in the air.

Some of the fan girls sitting next to her stared at the other half of the Sworn Duo in shock. Others took up her chant though. Cheering for his victory.

"TEAR OUT HER THROAT, I SAY!"

Motoyasu laughed as he chanted his next spell, blocking several of his opponent's strikes in the process. Murder Pierrot tried to launch another bundle of threads at the fallen puppets but that just gave the spear hero the opening he needed to finish casting his spell.

"Zweite Hellfire!"

The pierrot covered her mask as the bright flames appeared. However, instead of hitting her, they engulfed the two mannequins. Within seconds, the wooden constructs had been reduced to ash.

She looked back and forth from the ashes of the puppets to him. Almost as if she was shocked.

Motoyasu's smirk widened. There, now they wouldn't have any other distractions, and he could focus on winning this-

"Bind Wire." Threads launched from the tip of one of the girl's blades, wrapping around Motoyasu's body.

"Fire Paralysis Wire." As Motoyasu was still reeling from the surprise attack, the lines of thread trapping him suddenly caught fire.

"AHHHH!" Motoyasu cried out in pain as he fought to free himself from the red-hot threads. What the hell? She had fireproof threads this whole time?! And beyond that, they hurt! This attack surpassed his defense stat by quite a bit.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

He then staggered back as his opponent unleashed a new onslaught of melee attacks, not giving him a moment to recover.

He hadn't realized that those attacks from earlier were coming from her. He should have expected it, in all honesty, since she controlled the marionettes with similar threads, but in the heat of the moment, he never made that connection.

"Hah!" He punched forward with his left fist, landing a blow on the girl that pushed her back. She dug both blades into the ground to keep herself from stumbling back too far.

Motoyasu took the moment to cast another magic attack at her. "Zweite Fireball!"

The large fire projectile headed toward the girl, but then, Motoyasu saw the girl reaching out with her hand. The spell began to slow down and then was suddenly repelled and flew right back at Motoyasu.

It was life force again.

Boom!

Motoyasu, pushed back by his attack, dashed forward afterward to begin attacking the female clown again out of frustration. But as he tried to strike, many lines of thread extending out from her arm wrapped around his weapon, forcing him to block one of her blades with his armored wrist before he could rip the Cardinal Spear free of its binds.

More of these threads kept getting in his way. As well as those barriers of life force. So annoying! He wasn't able to land a single hit on her and she slashed him quite a few times in return before he pulled back.

"Drifa Fireball!" Motoyasu sent a larger magic attack at her. This time, he infused the spell with life force.

She caught it with the same technique she used earlier, but she briefly cried out in pain as it began to explode in her grasp.

She managed to throw it away just before it could, but Motoyasu saw the light burns covering her hands. And she wasn't able to protect herself from the entirety of the exploding magic attack.

So she couldn't block or redirect powerful magic it seemed. Fine, he needed to end this anyway. His MP bar was only getting lower, and he would exhaust his life force soon enough.

This was going to be the third time that he was trying to make this spell that King Aultcray taught him months ago work. Hopefully, this one would actually work, since he put more time into studying it and how it worked to unlock a more powerful version of it.

"I, Sir Bubba of the Sworn Duo have deciphered the laws of creation. I command the elements to heed my call. To gather themselves, and to strike my target with a fiery vengeance!"

He continued chanting as Murder Pierrot rushed him to try and disrupt his chanting. He blocked and parried, his lips not stopping for a second.

Right as he finished, he slammed his weapon into the clown's blades, throwing her back. Motoyasu then raised a fist in the air. "Go forth, Drifa Hundred Fiery Javelins!

Murder Pierrot stepped back again as the many fiery constructs appeared in one line after another above Sir Bubba's head. These constructs were twice, if not three times as big as before. The collective heat they gave off was so great that even those behind the protective magic barrier separating the audience from the fight turned their faces away as it suddenly became too hot to look at the two directly.

"Is that- MY GOODNESS! I NEVER REALIZED SIR BUBBA WAS SUCH AN ACCOMPLISHED FIRE MAGE! HAS HE BEEN HOLDING BACK THIS WHOLE TIME?!" The announcer screamed, his eyes boggling out of their sockets while his glasses went crooked on his face.

Murder Pierrot took yet another step back, staring up at the powerful spell in disbelief.

"Huah!" And just like that, without giving her even a moment to process what she was looking at, Motoyasu brought his hand down, sending the full might of his most powerful spell down all around the clown.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The crowd and announcer covered their faces as one explosion after another rang out inside the fighting pit.

Motoyasu covered his visor too as bits of molten glass slammed into his armor over and over again. Even though it was his spell, he was sweating from all the heat.

Had this been a little overkill? He hoped he hadn't accidentally killed his opponent here. He watched as his MP bar dropped and dropped with every passing second.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions continued ringing for a while, melting the sand covering the arena floor into glass until, finally, at last, the magic attack came to an abrupt end.

…

Motoyasu leaned on his weapon as the smoke around his immediate vicinity began to clear. Though it still hung heavy in the air all around him. Immediately, one of the first things he noticed all around him were the craters, scorch marks, and of course, the field of glass he was standing on.

To think he'd cast that while using a weaker weapon form, and while debuffed!

Motoyasu shivered in excitement. He couldn't wait to see what it'd look like at full power!

…

Eventually, the figure of a person became visible on the ground before him. He hadn't gotten an exp notification, so that meant that she was still alive.

Motoyasu approached the collapsed form of Murder Pierrot and cautiously pushed her over. He wanted to make sure that he didn't accidentally cripple her.

…

…

…

What the… why was there a log wearing her outfit!?

"Scape-Doll." From the smoke, a weave of thread formed in the air. From it, the real Murder Pierrot materialized, still dressed in the same outfit, though noticeably burnt.

"!" Motoyasu's eyes widened as she said nothing else, dropping down to attack once again.

&%$#! &%$# &%$# &%$# &%$#-

"Chaos Thrust!"

His MP reserves were empty, and in a last-ditch desperate attempt to defend himself, Motoyasu activated the Hero skill and slashed up with his naginata, not bothering to defend against the girl's own desperate attack.

Slash!

The Spear Hero stumbled backward as, even with his sudden increase in speed, his opponent's strike grazed against the vizor of his helmet, ripping it open and revealing the blonde's face.

But at the same time, Murder Pierrot stumbled back. A thin line had been cut right across the middle of her mask by Motoyasu's sudden attack.

As the Spear Hero looked up, the two halves of the mask fell to the ground, and the girl's ruined and burned jester hat fell off her head as well.

…

Motoyasu's world stopped at that moment.

She was beautiful.

Short silver hair framed the sides of her young, full-looking face. She had a small button-like nose above an adorable, pretty set of lips that were currently parted slightly in surprise. Her pale and flawless porcelain-like skin was tinged red, probably from the heat of Motoyasu's earlier fire spell.

Murder Pierrot's eyes were like a mixture of blue and silver amidst the clearing smoke. Full of so many different flickering emotions that Motoyasu couldn't help but stare into them and get lost.

Had… had…

Had he been fighting a ten out of ten the whole time?!

Holy- she was so beautiful, I say! Just how low had he fallen so far as to try and harm a beautiful maiden like her!? He had to cut off his hands- NO, HIS ARMS, I SAY, FOR THAT VERY ACT ALONE WAS WORTHY OF-

The Spear Hero shook his head. No, bad Motoyasu! What the hell was he thinking?! The two of them were fighting each other in a pit! He couldn't show mercy just because she turned out to be the most dreamlike visage of femininity he'd ever laid his eyes upon!

Motoyasu focused on his opponent again, trying to ready his tired aching body as well as his frenzied, simping mind for one last push.

…

But, curiously enough, Murder Pierrot was not in a hurry to retaliate either.

…

In fact, as the Spear Hero stared at her, he noticed that her face was growing steadily redder by the second. Which didn't make sense, since the heat was already dying down.

Oh, wait, his face was visible, so maybe she recognized him as the Spear Hero? But that still didn't explain why her face was slowly turning into a tomato.

Finally, the girl slowly and awkwardly started to walk up to him. She sheathed her scissor blades on her back. Something small appeared in her hands.

"H-H-H-█ █ █ ███████"

Motoyasu tilted his head in confusion. What the heck was that static noise? Had it come from her mouth?

"I'm sorry!" Murder Pierrot suddenly pushed Motoyasu back with both hands, before bolting into the dissipating smoke behind him.

"Huh-" The Spear Hero turned around on the glass floor but was suddenly blinded by a flash of light.

…

By the time he regained his sight, it became apparent that Murder Pierrot had vanished.

…

…

Motoyasu said nothing, still looking surprised at what'd happened.

He could only hastily push the broken visor on his helmet down so that his handsome face would remain hidden as the last of the smoke hiding the floor of the arena from the crowd began to dissipate.

"I… I… Folks, I don't believe it! It appears Murder Pierrot was entirely incinerated by Sir Bubba's impressive magic attack!" The announcer shouted in disbelief and genuine glee.

"This fight's winner is Sir Bubba of the Sworn Duo!"

There were gasps of shock from the crowd.

&^%$. Was he about to be thrown out and arrested for murder?! That was unreasonable, I say! But how would he convince the others that she was still alive, and-

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A massive roar drowned out all other noise in the room.

A roar of approval from the people to the disguised, exhausted Spear Hero.

… you know what? Motoyasu had a feeling he'd be just fine.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, give a round of applause to today's victor!"

Oh well. Not like it really mattered if they knew that she was still alive. Damn, he was tired. What a battle.

That fight had turned into a draw at the end there. It was only because she'd run off that he'd finally won.

In a way, it hurt his pride, just a little bit. If they ever fought again, he wouldn't be so quick to underestimate her.

…

Oh man, he hoped he'd see her again. Maybe next time, he'd remember to ask for her name and see if she'd be down for some lunch together.

That'd be entirely amazing, I say!

"Blondie, you did great!"

"Ow ow ow! Careful, that's still tender!" Motoyasu cried out in pain as he pried an excited Amber from his chest.

"Oops. Hehe, sorry Blondie." The girl giggled innocently. "But you fought very well today! Amber's super proud of you!"

"Indeed. Even I was surprised at the ferocity that your opponent displayed. You have my congratulations for winning such a match." Sebas smiled and bowed his head while complimenting Motoyasu as well.

The Spear Hero almost felt touched, but then the old man followed up on his words. "However, I am a bit disappointed that you underestimated your opponent at the start. I could have sworn you had better judgment skills than that."

"Can you blame me though? Everyone else up to this point barely put up a fight." Motoyasu rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Hmmm… perhaps I could help you warm up before your next fight then?" As the butler said this, a dangerous, all too familiar aura surrounded his body. A shadow covered the top part of Sebas' face as he balled his hand into a fist, causing veins in the back of his hand to bulge out threateningly.

"N-N-No, I'm good. Thanks for the o-offer though." Motoyasu said in an all too nervous voice.

"Oh, I'm not offering," The aura around Sebas intensified, and Motoyasu nearly screamed in terror as he desperately started apologizing to get the guy to calm down.

Strange, for a moment, it almost felt like Granny was the one in there.

The Spear Hero was currently staying inside the examination room of a small private clinic, being treated by one of Hickwaal's healers.

It was honestly a bit overkill. His injuries weren't that severe. Motoyasu could have easily patched himself up with his healing magic or even with one of his new Yggdrasil Elixirs. But the Spear Hero was rather tired from the unexpectedly challenging fight. A brief stop in a clinic like this helped him to both rest and keep up the appearance of being a regular fighter, rather than a Hero with access to top-of-the-line healing magic and medicines.

Not to mention, even if he could make them using his weapon, it'd be better not to waste the world's most powerful medicine in a scenario like this, especially since it took so many resources to make. Better to save it for someone who really needed it.

"You know, I'm just glad I managed to get through that fight," Motoyasu said with a sigh. "It was honestly really hard not to switch to a stronger weapon form or use Hero Skills when Murder Pierrot showed how strong she was."

Amber, wrapped her arms around the seated Motoyasu's head this time, hugging his face close to her chest while stroking the Spear Hero's long blonde hair. "There there, I still think you would have won, Moto." The Filolial Royal spoiled him.

Now this, this was soothing on the soul, I say!

But not even having his face buried in aviary mammaries could get Motoyasu's mind off his opponent.

If only he could get that girl's face out of his mind. Damn, he wanted to see her again. When was the last time something like this had happened to him?!

As he was thinking about her again, Sebas suddenly spoke. "Did your attack incinerate Murder Pierrot? Thinking back on it, I'm certain that I saw movement through the smoke as well as a flash of light."

"I… well…" Motoyasu had to gently break the heavenly embrace that he was in to briefly explain that he hadn't killed his opponent. And how after one final clash where their faces were revealed, she just apologized out of nowhere and ran off.

"... strange. I shall report this to Master Hickwaal. Every wall in this city has eyes and ears, so it's unlikely that her 'death' will stay as common knowledge for long. Not to mention, Mr. Saxon would be furious if he found out one of his prized gladiators suddenly quit..." The old butler thought to himself for another moment, a frown adorning his features.

Whatever his thoughts were on how the Spear Hero had handled himself, the way Motoyasu had fought today… in many ways, it'd seemed eerily familiar to the old butler.

"Well… I'll just hope we'll see her again in the future." Motoyasu shrugged nonchalantly, choosing his words carefully so Amber wouldn't look at him with suspicion. "That draw at the end felt awkward. I'd like to get a proper rematch against her and finish our fight next time." That wasn't too out there for him to say, right?

"Hmmm, Amber would like that too in that case." Thankfully, the redheaded filolial nodded to herself with a smile. "Your fight looked like a lot of fun!"

"Ahaha, yea, it was." Moto nodded in affirmation with a mellow smile before suddenly remembering where he was and addressing Hickwaal's butler again. "Oh, right, how long will it be until the meeting with Nadia?"

"It'll be in just over an hour." Sebas let the thoughts he'd been thinking about go for now. He turned to face the Spear Hero again. "The young Miss will, of course, be having her match during that time. In the meantime, I will see to it that a spare armor set is sent here before your meeting, so I can arrange to have your current set patched up."

"Oh, you don't have to-" Motoyasu started to say.

"Sir Bubba, I mean no offense, but your armor hardly looks capable of stopping a blade of grass at the moment. Much less, an actual blade." Sebas deadpanned.

…

Motoyasu looked down at himself. Like, really looked down at himself.

Oh.

Oh…

Yeah, this set of armor had definitely seen better days. There were, of course, the grooves left behind from the Pierrot's bizarre scissor blades, as well as thin melted lines from that one burning thread attack the girl used on him. The gauntlets were bent and warped, and after looking at his helmet on the nightstand next to him, the blonde found all sorts of dents and grooves on it. And the visor…

Well, being ripped open with a blade hadn't done it any favors.

Still looked better than Naofumi's armor before he left for the Otherworld though.

"Is this even fixable?" Motoyasu sweatdropped.

"Master Hickwaal recently acquired the services of a former Lemos slave who is a very skilled blacksmith. I'll bring this set to him and see if he can restore it to its original condition or not.

"I… alright." Motoyasu could have checked to see if he had another armor set just like this one stored in his weapon. But ultimately, tiredness won out.

His weapon inventory was still a mess anyway. Better to leave sorting that for later, once he had the energy to care. Man, he hoped he found a weapon form that unlocked an auto-sorting option soon. He could really use a quality-of-life upgrade like that.

For the next hour, the Spear Hero rested while his wounds and exhaustion were treated with healing magic. He didn't speak much besides discussing his match with Amber… actually, pretty much all her questions were regarding his opponent Murder Pierrot.

Motoyasu humored Amber being unusually inquisitive to the best of his abilities. But it didn't help that he was constantly distracted by thoughts of the silver-haired girl during that time.

He should have been more curious about her ability to use life force techniques Granny had never taught him, or the fact she used such strange magic in her fight against him, but Motoyasu just couldn't think about those things at the time.

And Amber… well, she was interested in Motoyasu's opponent for a different reason entirely.

…

As the hour was almost past, Sebas reappeared with a spare armor set for Motoyasu to put on. It looked like your average plate armor, with no color variations or emblems or anything fancy.

"There, this should suffice. I shall be escorting Amber to her match now." Sebas bowed again while Motoyasu got dressed.

"And I will be escorted by... Larsa, was it?" Motoyasu scrunched his face up in thought, recalling the information from earlier this morning.

"Yes, Larsazusa. She is the undercity's chief of security. Lady Nadia seems to trust her to bring you to today's meeting place, but..." Sebas narrowed his eyes. "I advise you to be careful about what you say around her. Her title doesn't have as much influence as you might think. But it still requires her to work closely with the City Council. So where her loyalties lie is debatable."

"I see… I'll be careful then. Thank you." Motoyasu nodded grimly before putting his helmet on.

Amber and Sebas left shortly after that, leaving Motoyasu alone again to sit in the clinic's examination room.

…

After confirming that no one was watching, Motoyasu reached into his Spear's Gem and pulled a tiny object out of it. It was a small and delicately crafted sewing pin with a rounded head made from a pale white pearl that gleamed with all the colors of the rainbow as the light danced across its polished surface.

He had found it sticking out of his gambeson as he got dressed earlier but didn't bring any attention to it in fear of Amber's reaction. Now, he took a closer look at it. As simple as it was in design, it carried an air of mystery and a gentle warmth to it.

"A token..." Motoyasu muttered while another mellow smile spread across his face as he recalled his favorite Barthurian novels. Fair maidens in them would frequently offer their knights small tokens of their affection in the form of things like pressed flowers or handkerchiefs.

After reminiscing on it some more, the Spear Hero shook his head and sighed. What a silly thought. This pin had probably just gotten undone from the jester girl's hat during their fight and got caught in his clothes.

Still, he made sure to carefully insert it into the fabric of his gambeson under his chestplate. Right over where his heart was. At least he could pretend that it meant something.

...

Before long, the door opened again and a tall imposing figure of a panda therianthrope stepped inside. "Sir Bubba." The voice that spoke was feminine. Short, clipped, and to the point.

"Yes. You must be Larsauza then?" Motoyasu asked while lightly cocking his head to the side.

"That's right. Larsa, Captain of Zeltoble's Mercenary Army. As well as the Chief of Security over this hellhole." The therianthrope woman continued in her clipped tone. "I'll be taking you to Nadia."

"R… Right." Motoyasu nodded.

"Is there a problem?" Larsa asked.

The Spear Hero shook his head, focusing on her again. "No, lead on." He stood up, only slightly regretting the action as his joints ached.

Larsa gave a curt nod of her own in return, and together, the two left the room.

Hero Clips!

Filolial Dolls

Motoyasu readied his weapon, facing the portcullis before him. He was waiting for it to open and reveal his opponent, which caught him off guard when a pair of figures landed on the sand to his left and right from above, as well as a third person directly in front of him.

The other two weren't people. They towered over Motoyasu. The Spear Hero stumbled back in shock as he took the puppets in. His opponent readied herself to fight.

They weren't the real deal, which was obvious to see with their plush faces. But the feathers covering them. The scent slammed into Motoyasu's nose.

There was no mistaking it, I say!

"FILOLIAL DOLLS!"

Motoyasu tackled the one covered in white and blue feathers. His opponent took several steps back in surprise.

"YES! THESE ARE PERFECT, I SAY!" Motoyasu yelled, hearts appearing all around his helmet as he cuddled the inanimate creation.

Murder Pierrot stared in confusion but shifted her hand to make the second doll she'd made attack Motoyasu from the other side.

"OOH!" Despite the doll landing a solid kick straight to the knight's groin, he didn't falter in the slightest. In fact, he looked even more in love than before!

"IT'S JUST LIKE HOW FILO-TAN TREATS ME, I SAY! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Motoyasu grabbed the second doll around the neck, squeezing it tightly in a love-drunk haze.

...

Murder Pierrot wasn't moving anymore, too shocked by the sight before her. Yet it was almost like her dolls had a life of their own, as they desperately tried to pry themselves out of the love-struck Spear Hero's embrace.

Honestly, it might have sounded like they were crying for help too. Strange, since they were nothing more than puppets.

"Uhhhh… Sir Bubba, you have a match to fight." The Announcer man said nervously. The crowd was also staring, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Ugh… why Blondie?" Amber sighed while facepalming.

"Is there something going…" As Sebas was about to take his seat next to Amber, he spotted what was going on down below. A sweatdrop appeared on his forehead. "Ah, I guess I should have warned Sir Bubba about the dolls…"

"I don't think it would have helped." Amber pinched her nose.

The crowd uncomfortably watched as Motoyasu's love of the dolls reached further unhealthy levels. Murder Pierrot continued to stand in her spot, feeling conflicted. She was happy that someone loved what she'd created, but maybe this was a little too much.

Amber and Sebas eventually left for the girl's match. As the hour passed and the fight still hadn't finished, as Motoyasu was pleading for Murder Pierrot to teach him how to make more of these dolls.

It was going to be awkward explaining to Nadia why Sir Bubba couldn't make it to their meeting.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

The trip through the side tunnels and the plaza on the way to the meeting location was quiet. Not a word was spoken between the two individuals.

At least, not at first.

Motoyasu studied his escort as they walked and recalled what he could from Emerald Online. He knew panda demi-humans were another rare race that didn't appear often in his game, and it was even rarer for them to be able to use a therianthrope form. For some reason, he could have sworn they were supposed to live somewhere in Siltvelt, but then maybe that was wrong since Larsa was here.

The Spear Hero also recalled that Larsa's race had an affinity for bamboo magic, which he knew involved having the ability to cast earth magic, as well as one other type. But he couldn't recall what the latter type was at the moment.

As for her appearance, Larsa's monstrous form easily towered over the Spear Hero. She looked like a panda, but it'd be a mistake to compare her to the cuddly creatures you'd see at the zoo in his old world. She stood tall and stiff as she walked. Her beady eyes constantly scanned their surroundings and the people they walked by for danger. Under the visible parts of her fur that weren't covered by armor, Motoyasu could see the ripple of muscle.

Larsa was constantly on alert and was dressed for battle. She didn't hesitate to put a hand on the hilt of her sheathed blade and exude a threatening aura around her whenever suspicious individuals stood in her way.

It was somewhat excessive in truth, as everyone they came across was quick to disperse from the security chief's general line of sight wherever they went.

Overall, Motoyasu pegged her to be a no-nonsense kind of person. Someone who you definitely didn't want to get on the bad side of.

…

"Go left here." The imposing panda woman suddenly broke the silence and gestured with her chin toward one of the side tunnels. A couple of armed slave guards stood by the entrance, but they quickly stepped aside at Larsa's approach.

Motoyasu glanced at it and the main road. "Hickwaal went through the main road last time." He cautiously pointed out in an even tone.

"It's a shortcut. Only guards and maintenance workers are allowed to use it. Now move." The panda woman roughly slapped the Spear Hero's back, which made him wince as pain from his recent wounds flared up.

But more worryingly, she actually managed to push Motoyasu forward, much to his surprise. This woman's looks were not just for show, her stats were very high too.

Figuring that if this was a trap, it wouldn't be that obvious, Motoyasu obediently went forward, with Larsa following close behind him.

…

The path ahead was dark and narrow. The air felt heavier here too as they walked along single file, with Motoyasu in the front and Larsa trailing behind him. Her bulk only seemed to make the tunnel feel that much more suffocating to the Spear Hero.

…

"So... you're the mercenary that Nadia hired to help her, huh?" Larsa spoke up from behind after some time.

It felt like there was a certain tension in her words, but Motoyasu didn't dare to turn around and look. "I beg your pardon?" So instead, the Spear Hero played dumb to buy some time to figure out this woman's angle. The words of Sebas about being careful around her echoed in his mind.

"Nadia doesn't just talk to anyone in private. Least of all two randos with less than a week's worth of experience here in the pits. You didn't just run into her and catch her interest. You were specifically invited to this city by her."

It wasn't a question, but a definitive statement. The tension in her voice grew with each sentence. Motoyasu could feel her breathing down his neck as they walked through the darkness.

"That much should be obvious, no?" The blonde man chose his next words carefully. "You have her confidence, otherwise she wouldn't have entrusted you with escorting me."

…

Motoyasu heard a low rumbling growl followed by the sound of sharp teeth gritting from behind him. A swing and a miss. Damn. Maybe it was time for plan B then.

Motoyasu wordlessly brought up his portal spear skill on his HUD without breaking stride.

"If I really had that alcoholic wretch's confidence then she would have asked ME to help her instead! Gods damn it all!" Motoyasu heard a dull thud behind him and to his right, as something very heavy slammed into the tunnel's wall.

"Who are you, really? And don't bull ^&*$ me. I have to deal with every kind of scum down in this godsforsaken city on a daily basis. I can smell when someone is lying."

…

Motoyasu weighed his options while keeping his Portal Spear ready and primed just in case.

"I am Sir Bubba." He began. "A knight on a mission. And someone whom Nadia trusts to help her… So why don't you trust me?" Motoyasu pressed on the guilt slightly at the end as he finally turned his head back to look at her.

Another growl. But muffled this time. He saw the panda woman had turned her head to the side.

"Knight on a mission he says." Larsa snorted derisively. "What? Gonna tell me that you're one of the Cardinal Heroes next?"

…

It took all of Motoyasu's willpower combined with his recently gained self-confidence to not teleport out at that moment and to maintain his walking pace while staring back at her through the slots of his visor.

…

"Pfft. Yeah, right." Larsa snorted again. "As if any one of those big wigs would ever visit this rotten hellhole of a city. They don't even bother to show up for the Waves here. Hell, if I didn't have friends trying to survive here, I wouldn't either. This place deserves to burn."

Motoyasu internally sighed in relief.

"Whatever." Larsa breathed out, some of the tension leaving her voice. "Just... tell her to ask me, if I can do anything to help out her with her predicament. I know these cubs are supposed to be from her hometown or something, but she's gotten into some deep $%^& to try and round them all up on her own. It's not as big of a secret as she thinks it is. And if you start trying to smuggle them out, even in small groups, all hell is gonna break loose."

"Duly noted," Motoyasu responded in a noncommittal fashion.

The rest of the way was spent in silence until light finally appeared at the end of the tunnel and the two of them exited it on the opposite side of the plaza that they entered it from.

It wasn't a shortcut, but it was not meant to be one as Motoyasu now understood.

"Come, everyone! Come all and listen! Oh, foolish sinners and lost lambs!"

Just across the street as soon as they came out of the tunnel exit, Motoyasu spotted a group of black-robed individuals who instantly made his mood sour even more.

"Brothers and sisters, hear me speak, for I am one of god's chosen Speakers! The one who carries their orders! Their commands! Their words! Their will!

"What you have been taught by your fathers and mothers is a lie! The supposed 'Gods' of this world, the Weapons meant to protect us, they don't care about you! They never have and they never will, for they are just that, weapons! Mere tools to be used on behalf of those who wield them!"

A small crowd surrounded the group of cultists, mostly comprised of slaves. They held small bundles of bread in their hands while patiently listening to the preacher. Hadn't Keel mentioned them before?

Motoyasu could only associate these shady individuals with his first encounter with them when he saw a group of them dragging some young slave girl away into a shady alley. Was this man the same one who carried the knife last time? Motoyasu couldn't recall. He just knew that listening to them made him feel nauseous.

"Urgh. More of these Cult of the Waves loonies." Larsa scowled. "Come on, I'd rather not hear any more of their drivel than I have to.

Larsa continued to scowl as the two of them walked past the slowly growing crowd.

"These 'heroes' as they're called do nothing on behalf of the world or its inhabitants! That is why the Waves have been sent by the true gods! It is wrong to call them Destructions and Catastrophes when they're meant to be our divine punishment, a way to remind us who we are to believe in!

"My brothers and sisters, please, join me in rejoicing! For the Waves won't lead to our destruction, but rather, to our salvation!"

Motoyasu grimaced as the nauseous feeling in his stomach grew. "Isn't that kind of talk dangerous? I'm surprised you aren't trying to arrest them." The Spear Hero said.

"Zeltoble guarantees freedom of religion and expression as part of its numerous services. As long as you pay for the license to preach and make regular 'donations' to the City Council of course." Larsa added at the end bitterly.

"The Waves only strike down sinners! To those who do not heed to the truth! But the righteous, the pious, the humble! All of you will be saved from God's Wrath if you join us! We will be the ones who will inherit the world, once it's cleansed of its vile corruption!"

The preacher continued speaking to the people, but by then, the two were out of earshot. The tension immediately left the panda woman's shoulders. And the sense of nausea that'd gripped the Spear Hero's stomach began to dissipate.

…

While he'd rather forget that encounter entirely, however, he had some questions he wanted answers to. He knew he didn't study the lore of his game too closely, much like the others. However, he knew he would have remembered a group of people had they worshipped the Waves.

That had not existed in his game.

"... what did they mean by true gods?" Motoyasu asked.

"I wouldn't know. I've never stopped to listen to their preaching." The panda demihuman rolled her eyes. "If these supposed gods are behind the Waves of Catastrophe, however, I wouldn't mind decking them in the face for their 'divine punishment'."

Before Motoyasu could ask something else, Larsa continued. "Look, I'd rather not talk about them more than I have to, so here's what I know." The panda woman's sarcasm melted away as her tone became serious. "Their leader is some weirdo called 'The Listener' who can apparently communicate with their gods. And those preachers are 'The Speakers' because they spread the divine messages that the listener receives."

"They believe that everyone sinned too much by believing in false idols, or the Cardinal Weapons. And that's why the Waves are happening right now. But, if you join their cult, you'll be spared from the wrath of the gods."

"And people buy that?" Motoyasu quirked an eyebrow under his helmet.

"You'd be surprised by what people are willing to believe in when free food and the promise of freedom from slavery are involved. Those cultists regularly buy up slaves who frequent their sermons. They don't set them free or anything though. Not right away anyway. You have to prove that your faith is genuine.

"Still, they don't work their slaves to the death and they feed them well, so some people decide that it's worth it. And besides that..." The panda woman paused. "There is their whole shtick of being able to predict where exactly the next wave will hit."

"Wait, what?" Motoyasu stopped dead in his tracks. "You can't be serious."

"Believe me, I wish I was full of it myself. But these bastards somehow always predict the exact spot on the map where the next wave will open up. That's also part of the reason why the City Council keeps those nutcases around, and why I haven't tried to put them down in private." Larsa turned around and clicked her tongue while glancing at the shady crowd the two had left behind.

"As much as I hate to admit it, they're the reason why we're still managing to keep the waves under control. Since we know in advance when and where they'll happen, we're able to set up ambush spots, choke points, fortifications, and the like. There's even been a few times where we made a bit of a net gain, after processing all the monster parts."

"Still, they can go to hell with their salvation bullcrap. They always scream about saving everyone from the top of their lungs, but I've never seen any one of them fighting in the damn waves."

"Have you fought in them?" Motoyasu couldn't help but blurt out. He didn't mean it to sound accusatory like that, but fortunately, it didn't seem like the panda woman took it that way.

"... yes," Larsa answered after a moment when a troubled look crossed her face. "I've had to fight in several. Each one has been worse than the last."

"Is it alright if I ask what that's been like here?" Motoyasu pressed on.

…

"Hmph. What does it matter? That's not what you're here in this city for." Larsa scoffed.

"It matters to me since I've fought in a few myself, with Hero's help." Motoyasu clarified.

…

While the chief's facial expression didn't change, her silence proved that she had Motoyasu's attention. "I also fought against the Spirit Tortoise and its minions. I've… seen a lot, these last few months." Motoyasu continued honestly. "There's a good reason why the Waves are called the Waves of Catastrophe or the Waves of Destruction by everyday people. Because that's what they do. If left unchecked, they destroy, everything, they touch.

"Villagers protecting their town with staves and pitchforks. Knights in full armor fighting on behalf of their nation. Nobles and leaders who hid in their mansions or fought alongside their men for their lives as monsters rained down around them.

"I've seen a lot, including good men and women who died in those disasters… people I relied on and were friends with.

"In my opinion, if something like that is supposed to be considered some form of divine punishment for believing in a good group of people, then I'd want to whack those supposed 'gods' upside the head myself."

…

Larsa didn't respond at first. She simply turned around and continued to walk.

Motoyasu followed suit as well.

…

…

…

The silence between them stretched for a while. Motoyasu almost thought that Larsa would remain silent till they reached Nadia.

…

However, after that minute had passed, Larsa began to speak again. "Where they appear has varied. Sometimes twenty miles away, sometimes fifty. There was one that was seventy-five miles out and another that was only five miles away from the city proper.

"Ironically, the closer the Waves are to the city, the easier of a time we have getting out there and dealing with it. I've heard that nations being assisted by the Heroes have their men teleported to the site of the Wave alongside those Heroes, but I have not seen such a thing myself." Larsa looked to Motoyasu as if asking for verification.

"Yeah, it's true. I've gotten to see it and experience it for myself." He admitted, not explaining how or why.

"... heh. That makes our leaders even bigger incompetents then since that is something they should know about." The panda woman shook her head. "Why they'd rather make enemies of the Heroes by trying to enslave more of their people, I have no idea."

Under his helmet, Motoyasu grimaced. Did Larsa just indirectly reveal that the City Council here had backed the nobles who were slaughtered two nights ago?

If so, he'd have yet another excuse to come back, I say.

The two continued their discussion on the Waves for a bit. The info on them wasn't anything new to Motoyasu. At the very least, however, he was learning how normal people without hero help had to deal with them. And it was, to quote, very different, and not in a good way.

While knowing exactly where the wave would hit helped, the logistics of getting everyone there in advance was still a challenge. Protecting and evacuating the nearby towns. Fighting off all the monsters on the way there and back. Gathering Larsa and the strongest warriors when the Wave Boss was located.

What made it worse was how the downtime between Waves shortened bit by bit. Right now, one Wave is happening every three weeks. Hero help alone would have handled so many issues from the logistics of bringing a lot of supplies to bringing everyone to the Wave as soon as it started. But as Motoyasu knew, Cardinal Heroes participating in a Wave helped to suppress Waves from hitting an area for a longer period. Forty-five days, to be precise.

Melromarc only had to deal with one thirty-seven-day wait in the past, but had forty-five days of relative peace to prepare for each wave since. Zeltoble had less than half that time now between each wave. That was a big difference.

Had they had more time, Motoyasu would have asked a lot more about the struggles Larsa vented about to him. The panda woman seemed to realize she'd been ranting, however, and she calmed down as they entered a familiar narrow tunnel.

"Sorry to unload… it's just, those cultists will never truly understand what it's like for us out there." She muttered bitterly.

"..." Motoyasu almost opened his mouth to say he was sorry. But realized how strange that would sound coming from his current persona and changed the topic to something else instead.

"It's alright. Shared sorrow is half a sorrow after all. There is something else I want to ask though. The way you're describing things, it makes it sound like you and the men and women fighting under you are being forced to fight in the Waves."

At the Spear Hero's observation, Larsa's panda face twisted in a bitter smile. "Yes, you could say that applies to most of those beneath me."

"But in that case, why doesn't everyone leave? Are the salaries that good? Or is there some kind of long-term contract in place that everyone is forced to abide by?" Motoyasu asked.

"Contract... yes. Slavery is a type of contract." Larsa answered.

"... my hunch was right then," Motoyasu responded quietly before looking around the street, taking note of the guards around them in a new light. "But I don't understand. Why is it called Zeltoble's mercenary army instead of Zeltoble's slave army?"

"The name's partly a relic of the past, from the times where Zeltoble's standing army was comprised of numerous mercenary companies working together." Larsa shrugged. "It's also our brand, I guess. Before the waves came, Zeltoble's army could be hired by any third party to assist them. And 'Slave army' doesn't quite make for an appealing name when somebody is looking for elite soldiers to help them out.

"From what I understand, there used to be certain practices that were upheld in the past. There was even a degree of prestige and honor involved in being part of Zeltoble's mercenary army. But these days, around ninety percent of it is made out of debt slaves, drug addicts, washed-out gamblers, arena fighters who couldn't make it, or just people who crossed the wrong person or were at the wrong place at the wrong time. For many of us, it is what it is."

...

"Who owns all these slaves then?" Motoyasu asked after a moment of thought.

"The army is collectively owned by the City Council." Larsa shrugged again. "It's a precaution and a balancing factor to ensure that none of its members can use the army to take Zeltoble over for themselves or kill each other.

"Also, before you ask, no, I am not a slave. Those of us who are strong and smart never had to go through that experience. My position involves training and managing the forces. I and my lieutenants, who also aren't slaves, can order them around, but the Council has the final say in everything and can override any orders I or my subordinates make."

"I see... Thank you for telling me all this." Motoyasu said after another pause. "After my business with Nadia is done, I'll see what I can do about having the Heroes help out here."

"Ha. How? Do you know them or something?" The panda woman scoffed at him.

"... in a way." Motoyasu smiled, feeling pride for his younger brothers. "You said you can tell if I'm lying earlier, right?

"I have connections with the Heroes from the time I fought against the Spirit Tortoise and its minions. When I'm done with my business in this city, I'll make sure to use those connections to bring them here.

"I agree that this city isn't a nice place, and they'd certainly agree with that statement. But from what I've seen, this place does have some good people in it. And they don't deserve to suffer and live in fear… Or rely on some shady cults to save their lives."

"..." Larsa remained silent to his statement.

...

"I know you don't want to talk about them anymore, but may I ask one last thing about those cultists?" Motoyasu spoke again.

"... fine. But make it quick, we're almost there." Larsa shrugged.

"Do they perform live blood sacrifices?" Motoyasu asked seriously.

…

The panda woman grimaced. "Yes."

"... And that's permitted here?" Motoyasu asked.

"... as long as the ones who get killed are slaves that the killer owns, then yes." Larsa gritted her teeth and looked away. "I take it you saw it happen."

…

…

Motoyasu remembered the scared-looking girl again. He felt his blood begin to boil as he clutched his weapon.

A few murky gaseous wisps escaped from his naginata but no one else noticed it. Motoyasu put those cursed thoughts of his back into the box he'd locked them into in his mind. "Yeah... Thank you. That's all."

…

It wasn't long after that when the pair finally stopped in front of a familiar door. Larsa set herself against the wall next to it.

It didn't feel like it'd taken that long to get here. But they'd certainly talked about quite a few things on their short trip.

"Whoever you really are, Sir Bubba, make sure your conversation with Nadia is quick. The last thing she needs is more trouble." Larsa commented in her usual stiff tone.

"Of course." Motoyasu nodded his head, his voice still rough from suppressing his fury. He moved to open the door.

"Also, be careful about whom you choose to associate with here," Larsa added, making him stop. "You've already started to garner unwanted attention. The City Council ordered me to run a more in-depth background check on you and figure out if you have some kind of hidden agenda here in Zeltoble."

"... is there a reason you're telling me that?" Motoyasu asked.

"I still don't understand why Nadia decided to put her trust in some sellsword with a suspicious backstory to help her out, instead of one of her old friends. But even if you're hiding something, you don't smell like a liar." The panda woman narrowed her eyes at the disguised Spear Hero. "You do have some connection to the Heroes, don't you?"

"... yeah, I do. So go ahead and tell your useless money hogging superiors that I'm just a regular soldier of fortune with no ulterior motives." Motoyasu's voice relaxed as he grinned behind his visor.

"... heh. Careful. I could report to them about you saying that."

"I get the feeling you aren't going to." Motoyasu lifted his visor, revealing his handsome, smirking face as a sign of trust.

…

The large panda woman looked briefly caught off guard by Motoyasu's handsome features, but she composed herself quickly. "Hmph. You have a spine, Knight of Sworn. I'll give you that much." Larsa muttered, however, she was smirking just a little. "Good luck in there."

"Thanks." Motoyasu entered the room, closing the door behind him. And Larsa stood guard outside, pretending to listen to what was being said in the room.

Ah, her bosses wouldn't mind if she fantasized about all the ways she'd torture those cultists if she was given the chance, right? Not like they could blame her for being unable to listen through foot-thick concrete walls anyway. What did they think she was? A bat demihuman?

They really were idiots. How the city hadn't crashed and burned under their leadership yet, Larsa didn't know.

…

Soon after Motoyasu closed the door behind him, a voice spoke up from the seats ahead.

"Ah, Motoyasu, I'm glad you arrived. Your friend's match is about to begin.

"I take it Larsa didn't give you too much trouble on the way over, did she?"

Motoyasu took off his helmet. It looked like there was just him and one other individual in the room.

"Not really. I only think I felt like running out of danger once, but that's all." He teased.

Sadeena smiled flirtatiously while twirling a bottle of wine in her hand. She sat in the best seat, looking down through the one-way window of Hickwaal's observation suite. "I'm glad. You're lucky in a way, she has a hard time trusting strangers due to her line of work.

"Given that she did decide to escort you here in the end, I have more reason to trust that you're here to help."

…

Wait, was that the reason why Larsa escorted Motoyasu here instead of Sebas?

This orca woman might have played herself off as a drunkard for the most part, but she was far more clever than she let on. He wondered if Larsa had made that connection earlier as well or not.

"Well then, shall we share a drink as we watch your partner's match?" Sadeena asked, holding up two wine bottles in her hands. She let out a drunken giggle after she spoke.

Motoyasu gave the orca woman his best roguish smile as he sat next to her. "I think I've already made it clear that I don't drink while I work."

"Darn, a pity. To think I'll have to share these with myself again." Sadeena sighed.

"That and the other twelve bottles next to your seat." Motoyasu pointed out.

The orca woman giggled again in response. "I started with twenty-four. Hickwaal knows how to stock his snack and drink cabinets with the best stuff." After saying that, she brought both bottles to her lips and began drinking them simultaneously.

Yep, there was no way the Spear Hero could ever hope to beat this woman in a drinking contest. But despite that, he still swore to himself that he would take her out for a drink at least once after they were done with their current task.

But before he could even imagine how a date with Sadeena would go, the image of the silver-haired girl from earlier passed through Motoyasu's mind again.

"Something wrong?" Sadeena asked, noticing distant mellow look on the Spear Hero's face.

"Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing."

…

The two were silent as the gates down below opened up at last.

Amber looked around the large and spacious fighting pit curiously while the gates opposite her opened up. The layout of the pit was a bit different than usual today. Besides the now familiar floor of sand, there were a bunch of large boulders and stones scattered around the place.

She was surrounded by roaring crowds. A translucent dome barrier covered over the entire field, allowing her to see the faces of everyone there. Yet, she looked up, only caring if she saw one face.

'Wow, Amber really can't see if Blondie is up there or not.' The Royal Filolial thought with a twinge of melancholy as her eyes spotted the observation windows where her Hero was supposed to be viewing her fight.

He and that Whale Lady were going to watch Amber's fight, right? Amber didn't get the feeling that the alluring woman wanted to make Blondie her mate anymore. But she knew that Blondie was going to need a mate soon enough.

Someone who was kind, yet loyal. Someone close to his age, though that was pretty hard to tell when it came to humans. Someone who could help him to feel happy, and not lonely, like whenever he didn't have anything or anybody around to keep him busy.

He tried to downplay it so others wouldn't notice, but Amber had still noticed it in the past. Whenever the Spear Hero found a rare moment of calm solitude, he seemed to prefer spending it in the town's church or behind it at the town's Memorial. Sometimes for a minute, sometimes for over an hour. Then he'd move on and pretend that he hadn't been depressed or crying when surrounded by others.

This only became more common after Rino had left on her solo mission to track down the red-haired witch.

…

Amber had also noticed how Blondie had a really hard time making lasting, genuine connections with other people, especially those of the opposite sex. The filolial had some suspicions that it might have been related to Blondie's old life in his original world. But whether that was the case or not was difficult to tell. Blondie didn't like to talk about it much unless it was related to his interest in medieval history.

Rino had felt like Blondie's first attempt to make a genuine connection in Amber's eyes, but then things didn't work out, and it just hurt Blondie more, even though none of it was his fault. And while he had friends and brothers to rely on, he still didn't have anyone he could lean on for support when life became too tough for him to handle.

Amber loved that Blondie cared so much about Rino and Amber and Elena and Fitoria and Filolials in general as well as so many others. Her Blondie had a big heart. But what he needed right now was a mate. Someone who could be there to care for him like what the other Heroes had with their mates.

However, something seemed to have changed with Blondie after his latest match. And there was also that weird shiny pin that he tried to hide from Amber. Hmmm...

…

Amber was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice when her opponents finally came out onto the field. There was a different, considerably less energetic announcer working today whose voice droned out so much that when he announced the start of the match, it barely registered over the murmurs of the crowd.

"Grah!"

The Filolial's eyes widened in surprise.

"Grah! Grah!"

Three large beasts stood in front of her. Their bodies, tails, and back legs were that of a lion, while the head and wings were that of a bald eagle. Only their front legs had talons, their back legs retaining claws and paws.

Griffons.

They stood tall and imposing, towering over the Filolial Queen's smaller human form as their bird-like eyes glared hungrily at their prey. These monsters were intelligent, unlike most monsters. They knew that their opponent was, in reality, a Filolial. And they, like the rest of their species, hated Filolials and wanted them and their stupid Queen dead.

What a treat. Their talons began pawing at the sand in anticipation as they readied themselves to charge.

Amber, however, continued to stare at the three monsters as they began screeching and cackling in delight.

Griffons…

Griffons…

Griffons…

…

…

AMBER HATED GRIFFONS!

Screw what she was thinking about before! This was WAY more important!

The lead griffon monster was still laughing when Amber's first punch landed solidly against its beak.

The other two were shocked out of their reverie as their high-level leader slammed into one of the boulders on the ground.

Before they could even process the shock of seeing their leader felled in one blow, Amber let out a loud, terrifying roar.

"ALL GRIFFONS DESERVE DEATH!"

"GRAH!" "GRAH!"

Those were no longer calls of superiority.

The monsters were terrified of the young Filolial Queen.

And so the massacre began.

"Oh my… We better not dawdle. It looks like this is going to be a short fight." Sadeena commented.

"Yeah… holy crap," Motoyasu said, staring in awe at his Filolial comrade.

"DIEEEEEEEE!"

He'd never seen her look so angry before. Not even when her flock had been attacked by those strangers whose bodies disappeared. But the cute teenage Filolial Royal was dominating her match with the three griffon monsters.

Actually, you couldn't even call it a match at this point. The lead griffon was already dead from that first punch she threw. And the other two were trying to fly around the pit's boundary, desperately searching for a way out of the barrier with visible terror.

Part of the crowd was booing at the Griffons, while others were laughing as Amber launched large fire spells or threw large boulders over twice her size at the terrified flying monstrosities. The glow of debuff magic began to surround the young royal, while the glow of buff magic surrounded the Griffons, but it didn't matter as a boulder exploded against the barrier, its shards piercing one of the griffon's wings.

The poor beast screeched as it was grounded. And Amber pounced on it with unrestrained savagery, making the rest of its life hell while its comrade flew in the air, too scared to intervene.

It was only because of the debuff and buff magic that Amber didn't kill the second griffin as quickly as the first one. But the magic only seemed capable of delaying the inevitable.

'Note to self: Filolials really didn't like Griffons. And vice versa.'

At least Motoyasu knew of another monster race that could be completely exterminated now, I say!

As the orange-haired blood-covered girl looked up at her third opponent, two more portcullises opened, releasing another pair of griffons into the arena. These specimens had already been buffed before joining the fight.

"Didn't they already start with- ohhhh, these are the paid reinforcements." Motoyasu realized.

"Heh, you're catching on to the logic of this place." Sadeena chuckled as she began to down another bottle of wine. "I'm glad some idiot did that. I was almost afraid we wouldn't have enough time to chat."

"About how we're going to free those kids, right?" Motoyasu decided to skip the formalities and get to the point, in case Amber wasted the reinforcements as quickly as the initial batch of monsters.

Sadeena didn't acknowledge his question at first as she finished downing the whole bottle, before setting it next to all her other empty ones. "Yes."

Her eyes focused with stark clarity as she began to explain her situation to the Spear Hero.

To summarize the important details, Sadeena had arrived here a while ago, around one month after the first Wave had hit Lurolona. She came to Zeltoble because of its role as the world's central trading hub for everything, including slaves, and because the orca woman had next to no luck tracking Lurolona citizens down in Melromarc since she was a demi-human herself. She thought her best chance of finding Raphtalia and the other kids would be here in Zeltoble, where she did have friends and connections from years ago.

At first, she had a difficult time due to the size of the city, lack of funds, as well as the number of public slave auctions she could attend. Eventually, however, her pitfighting exploits managed to catch the attention of a rich sponsor named Mr. Saxon. He was Zeltoble's largest arms trafficker, as well as a member of the City Council that ran the place.

With his backing, Sadeena dethroned the former champion of the arena in a deathmatch and obtained far more influence underground than what she'd previously had.

Saxon's support and influence had allowed the orca woman to preview all available slaves before auctions and gave her the funding and opportunity to either buy them before or during said auction. To say that her sponsor had helped her out a great deal would be an understatement. Sadeena currently had twenty of these kids in her safehouse in the upper city, where she was taking care of them, and after today, there'd be one more kid joining them.

"What…" Motoyasu trailed off in confusion.

Sadeena smirked. "You got my warning about debuff magic in my letter, correct?"

"I did, but then… …!" Motoyasu's brain clicked. "You were the one who paid for that."

"Indeed, I got quite a few extra Zenis from it too." Sadeena laughed, rubbing the back of her neck at being outed. "I had faith you'd win even with the stacked odds, so I thought I'd take advantage of the way the betting system works here."

"..." Motoyasu didn't respond. He'd already heard how expensive the kids were. Honestly, even if it had made the fight surprisingly difficult on his part, it'd still been a fun fight. And knowing it'd helped Sadeena gather the funds to save another ridiculously expensive child, made him feel good.

"Twenty-one though… that's only half of who's still listed as missing," Motoyasu said next.

…

"..." Sadeena's face fell. "You said something about census papers last time. How many people are still listed as missing?" She asked.

"Forty-six last time I checked," Motoyasu said.

"... I see, Tulip will be the last one then," Sadeena said with a sad smile.

Before Motoyasu could ask, the orca woman clarified. "The City Council keeps a meticulous track of all new arrivals to the market. Their names, race, age. As well as who buys them and when. When someone gets released and..."

Sadeena's face fell. "When a slave dies."

…

Motoyasu didn't say anything. He simply rested a hand on the orca woman's arm. And Sadeena rested one of her hands over his, accepting the silent comfort the Spear Hero was giving her.

…

Eventually, after several seconds, Sadeena shook her head. "This'll just mean that after tonight, these lil' ones will be the last needing to be freed. My work here will be done."

"Yeah." Motoyasu nodded. Not to mention, since Sadeena had said the girl's name, he recognized Tulip's name. Just another reason he had to trust her. "I'm going to guess by your tone of voice earlier that it's Mr. Saxon who is the problem?" He'd ask about her emotional state and all that, but felt that such a thing should wait till after they were back in Lurolona. When they could properly have that drink together.

"Yes, he was the one who helped me originally. But now, he is holding the lives of those kids hostage to force me to keep fighting."

Sadeena explained further. Essentially, she thought her sponsor had been genuinely trying to help her from the start. And maybe he was, at first. Mr. Saxon had lost his family originally to a group of slavers, so she hadn't expected him to turn on her.

At least, not as quickly as he had.

Perhaps it'd been because of the news of the Hero Nation being set up in Lurolona. Or the fact that they were actively searching for all the former residents. Either way, the market for Lurolona Slaves exploded almost overnight. And with it, Sadeena's sponsor exploded with greed, just like the other members of the City Council.

One day, Sadeena came home after another arena match to read the kids a bedtime story, only to find Mr. Saxon in the process of painting slave crests on the kids one by one.

Had she been there just a moment earlier, she would have killed him on the spot. But with half of them already re-enslaved, he'd threatened that he could kill those kids if the orca woman so much as made a move to strike him.

She could have killed him then and there, but it would have cost some of the lives of her precious brood. Those she'd vowed to save after failing to be there and protect them in the past.

It'd been an impossible impasse, one which she ultimately had to surrender to. She already felt guilty for those she'd failed to save. She couldn't bear to let one more child die under her watch.

The way it was now, she and Mr. Saxon were at a stalemate. She couldn't make a move against him, because of the slave crests he had on her children. But neither could he make a move against her, since he still wanted to keep her around as his personal prized fighter.

He could keep an eye on her and her movements, the kids were also placed somewhere where only Sadeena, Mr. Saxon, and those whom they had guarding the residence knew about. The only fortunate thing in this scenario was that her sponsor didn't have 100% control over the orca woman's life, since she never had gotten a slave crest. However, that could easily change in the coming weeks when he would realize that there were no other Lurolona kids that'd be making their way to Zeltoble's auction system. So there would be no need to keep Sadeena around to identify them either.

Still, with each passing day, the value of those kids rose higher and higher in the eyes of others. Motoyasu was surprised when Sadeena said this like it was a good thing.

"Isn't that bad though? It already sounds like it'll be hard enough getting them out." He'd already thrown out several plans in his mind by this point, based on what Sadeena had told him.

A direct approach was out of the question. The guards were likely in Mr. Saxon's party system. They'd run to tell him if Sadeena brought anybody with her and if they died or got hurt, he'd see it and either punish the kids through the crest or kill one to get Sadeena to behave. Whatever the case, it was too risky to try sneaking in without an illusionist like Raphtalia or Itsuki's sneak skills to help them out.

Even if that did work, Sadeena also mentioned that these were high-class crests Mr. Saxon had used. This means they'd need twenty-one Seal Remover vials mixed with his blood to free all the kids. A difficult task, since the man in question was paranoid and never risked staying in the same room as Nadia without an armed escort. Any plan that didn't account for how they got his blood without his knowledge would be trashed.

The last option Motoyasu thought of was using his portal skill. If he did somehow find a way to sneak in, he could get the kids out by using it. Slave seals had an effective range limit on them beyond which they stopped working.

However, that plan had its cons as well. For one, Motoyasu could only teleport eight people at a time including himself, with a one-hour cooldown between each use. This meant it'd take two hours to get a group of seven to safety before coming back and being ready to get the next group of seven out.

If he and Ren were here together, they could use a more powerful ritual teleport spell, like what Ren and Itsuki did once in the past. But Motoyasu was not confident in Ren's performance at the moment.

Another problem was the fact that the skill was bright and flashy. Even if the Spear Hero were to successfully sneak in, using that skill would alert anyone outside of something wrong going on inside the building.

And lastly, even if the Spear Hero did manage to get one group out without the guards noticing, Mr. Saxon would be alerted of those kids being moved out of range, which would make him and his guards come to investigate. And that could result in the man either killing or moving the other children before Motoyasu could come back for the rest.

Motoyasu couldn't see a feasible way of freeing such a large group that didn't involve… … …

"Oh." Had Sadeena settled on that simple of a solution? He decided to ask, just in case. "Does your plan involve me killing your sponsor?"

"No, you won't be killing him. I wouldn't dare to ask you to sully your hands like that. Besides…" Sadeena looked out the window at that moment. "You and your companion will likely be busy fighting me in a death match later this week."

Four of the griffons were dead.

The last one hid at the edge of the pit behind a boulder, terrified of the massacre it'd witnessed.

"HA!"

Amber's punch caused the boulder to explode into a shower of gravel, and the griffon squawked in terror as it tried to keep the Filolial girl at bay. But besides a couple of cuts on her arms, she looked perfectly fine.

"DEATH TO ALL GRIFFON MONSTERS!" Amber punched it in the face, cutting it off mid-squawk.

"..." Motoyasu's eyebrow raised.

Sadeena giggled. "Just think, Murder Pierrot, the opponent that Saxon was training up to eventually replace me… and she was incinerated by Sir Bubba in a one-on-one match. Not only that, but it happened despite Sir Bubba being debuffed from the start.

"His companion then went alone into a pit with five high-leveled griffons and won. Not only won, but won with just her fists."

Someone in the crowd threw what looked like a Morningstar into the fighting pit. They wanted Amber to beat the last griffon to death with it to make their merchandise look good. But Amber took one look at the weapon before her face twisted with disgust and she continued pommeling the last surviving griffon barehanded.

"The fight between us will be the biggest event Zeltoble has had in decades. With people upset thanks to the Waves and the abandonment of outside settlements, it'll be the perfect thing for the City Council to organize to improve the local mood and advertise the country's might and prestige. And because it'll be such a big match, Mr. Saxon will have to attend since he is still my sponsor." Sadeena smiled. "Which means we'd know where he will be, at what time he'd be there, and could arrange to have him killed in one fell swoop."

"Hmmm…" Motoyasu pondered her words for a second. "Who's going to assassinate him if me and Amber will be too busy fighting you?" He regretted that Itsuki wasn't around right now either. He would have been the perfect candidate for putting an arrow in that scumbag's forehead from a mile away. He'd be in and out before anyone realized what'd happened.

"... I'll do it. I'll kill him." Sadeena said. There was no teasing lilt to her tone. No drunk haze on her face.

She was completely serious. And her expression didn't waver as she stood up from her chair and stood in front of the window.

"Look at this magic barrier," Sadeena said. "It makes a perfect dome over the fighting arena strong enough to repel any attack from the inside while allowing the audience to throw stuff through and participate… at least, from what I've seen, no attack thrown against it by any fighter has been strong enough to break through the blasted thing."

"..." Motoyasu thought about it. His stray attacks hadn't scratched it either, though it was possibly because of how much he was handicapping himself and because he hadn't been trying to attack the barrier. Still, if Sadeena wanted to take a shot at Mr. Saxon herself, then… "Can it be turned off?"

"Yes." Sadeena nodded with a smile, pleased that the Spear Hero figured her plan out. "Any time I'm around, he's always on his guard. But whenever he has this barrier between us, he makes himself vulnerable, almost as if to taunt me.

"Turn this off mid-fight, he wouldn't have the time to realize what was going on. I could kill him before he had the chance to harm my kids…"

Sadeena's face darkened as she said those words. But after a pause, that darkness vanished, replaced with a look of melancholy. "I'm sorry to want to go about it in such a roundabout way. I suppose it'd be more sensible to ask you or your friends to do it. But due to my background, I know what it's like to be asked to execute somebody.

"My hands are already dirty. I'd rather kill him myself than ask you or anyone else to dirty your hands on my behalf. I just need the opportunity. That's what I need your help for." Sadeena said as she turned to face him again. Her expression made it look like she was pleading for his help.

"... if that's all you need, we'll help. How do the barriers here work and how do you disable them?" Motoyasu asked.

Sadeena relaxed, remembering to let a drunken giggle into her hand. Motoyasu was able to tell how forced it sounded by this point, however. "I have the details for how the barrier works written down here. I could tell you, but it'd be better for you and your companions to study this yourself in the time we'll have before our match."

The orca woman handed the Spear Hero a sheet of paper as he stood up. Motoyasu gave it a quick once over, noting that the instructions were written in Melromarcian. He then put it away into his Spear's Gem.

Down below, Amber stood over the beaten, charred remains of the last griffon. Much like Hou-Lon had in his fight against the beasts. She wasn't one for roaring though, so instead, she waved cheerily to where Blondie was watching her from and looking super proud of herself for killing five members of such a detestable species.

Those who'd been supporting the griffons were angry and disappointed that their favorite monsters had lost, again. Their boos and cries were drowned out by the cheers coming from the rest of the crowd, however.

Those heathens would soon learn the glory of Filolials for themselves soon enough.

"Motoyasu, just one last thing, if you could, since Larsa showed that she trusted you." Sadeena reached behind her chair as she said this.

The Spear Hero wondered if she wanted to offer him a drink again, but instead of a bottle, the orca woman pulled out a rather sizable briefcase that looked incredibly out of place with its modern design. More hero influence?

Either way, she set the briefcase on her lap and clicked it open, revealing the contents to Motoyasu.

Stacks upon stacks upon stacks of neatly arranged and packed paper bills became visible to the Spear Hero.

"Are these...?" He began hesitantly.

"Zeni. Yes. Three hundred thousand to be precise." Sadeena elaborated.

"... What for? I'm not charging you for anything." Motoyasu said, eyeing the woman suspiciously. He couldn't read the words on the paper money, but he was able to recognize these bills had a few 0's at the end of a number starting with 1.

"Those are some of my bettings from today, as well as some of what I have saved up. It's worth around 3000 gold coins at the current exchange rate."

…

…

Motoyasu stared. This time, he couldn't guess why she was doing this. The orca woman closed the briefcase and handed it over to the Spear Hero.

"I'd… I'd rather be able to save all the kids, at once, of course… but." Sadeena inhaled deeply before speaking again. "I haven't informed Mr. Saxon about Tulip. She'll be for sale at the eastern side auction outside the plaza tonight.

"Please, I need you to bring this money to Hickwaal and ask him to buy and free her. Then you can move her somewhere safe, in case… in case things go wrong, and-"

"They won't." Motoyasu breathed in deep. He was holding a lot of money in his hands right now. He pushed the temptation of how he'd use it out of his mind. "I'm not all-powerful, but I promise, I won't let you or those kids die before I get all of us out of here."

Sadeena frowned. "Still, if something does happen during the match and killing Mr. Saxon becomes impossible, reach out to Larsa immediately. I didn't want to involve her, since helping me would risk jeopardizing her position in the city and possibly even getting her killed. But she should be able to at least lead you to where the kids are before Mr. Saxon gets to them and moves them somewhere else and-"

"Again, that won't happen," Motoyasu repeated, this time with more resolution in his voice. "Even if we're put in a death match, I'm not killing you. I will guarantee you that much."

…

"... heh." Sadeena chuckled. "You might not have much of a choice, since my kids' survival might hinge on how well I fight."

Motoyasu smirked confidently. "You watched my match today, and that was me holding back a lot. Think you could take me on in a serious match?"

"Don't…" Sadeena's serious facade faltered for a moment before she relaxed and an easygoing smile appeared on her face again. "Don't say such things. I like my men strong." The orca woman admitted.

Motoyasu opened his mouth to tease back, only for the words to freeze on his tongue. The image of Murder Pierrot went through his mind again.

…

He shook his head. "I already promised that whatever happens, I won't kill you. Even if they try to force it. I'm not going to break a promise that important after everything I've done to change for the better.

"I'm bringing you and the rest of the Lurolona kids back home. And that's final."

…

…

Sadeena said nothing in return, but she nodded her head, a serious look returning to her beautiful features. "Let's get going then, Sir Bubba."

The two stood up from their seats and Motoyasu stored the briefcase in his spear's gem. They then approached the door. Before she opened it though, Sadeena looked at Motoyasu one last time. "Thank you, for helping me, Spear Hero.

"You have no idea how much this means to me."

…

She left the room first, but as Motoyasu was about to follow her out, he looked back and saw she'd left the rest of the wine bottles behind.

It seemed like a mess leaving it all there, so he gathered the empty bottles and stored them in his Spear. He could use them as energy for one of his strengthening methods later.

In gathering all the empty bottles, however, he found that the orca woman had left two of the bottles untouched.

…

…

'Good tasting wine, huh? Alright, I know what we'll use to celebrate after this is all over.' Motoyasu smiled as he stored the drinks in his weapon, before putting his helmet back over his head. Surely Hickwaal wouldn't miss those?

Friend dates were nice to have too.

He headed out of the room to meet up with Amber and Sebas and to explain what tonight's plan was going to be.

With that, the meeting between the Spear Hero and the orca woman came to an end.

"Hmmm…"

"Blondie, you shouldn't look so nervous," Amber said.

The pair were sitting in their room in Hickwaal's apartment complex/storehouse. Motoyasu hadn't gone to the auction, as he'd given the money to Hickwaal. The portly merchant was surprised at the request and wanted to refuse at first because he wouldn't have been comfortable at such an auction. But he'd eventually been convinced to go by Sebas, since they weren't buying a slave but saving a kid, much like how the merchant had saved a lemos slave recently.

Motoyasu would have gone himself in all honesty, but when Sebas explained how slave auctions always had a slave crest put on the slave to bind them to their new master after the purchase, he decided against it. Even if it'd only be for a moment, Motoyasu never wanted to have a slave registered to him.

Besides, he trusted the two of them by this point. Sebas had been nothing but helpful since meeting him. And Hickwaal, from what he'd seen, was also a good person, so he did not need to worry.

…

All of them were on his party system too, so he didn't have to worry…

…

…

"Should it be taking them this long?" Motoyasu broke the silence.

"Amber has no idea Blondie." Amber shrugged.

Motoyasu pulled up his HUD. Using the Wave Counter for Melromarc in the corner of his vision, he was able to pinpoint that it was around 11:45 at night.

The auction started at 9. It'd almost been three hours. He was going to be late to report to Melty again. If he did teleport back at all.

…

"Shall Amber go out and look for them?" The Filolial girl asked.

"... let's give them another fifteen minutes," Motoyasu said after a moment.

Amber ruffled her wings but otherwise sat back down. Studying the Spear Hero's expressions as he looked from his weapon to the door.

…

…

Ten minutes later, as Motoyasu was about to decide to head out early, the door finally opened.

Motoyasu's face filled with relief as Hickwaal and Sebas entered. The old butler was carrying a scared, little demi girl with bunny ears in his arms.

"See. We're safe now." Sebas said gently as he coddled the scared girl in his embrace.

Tulip lifted her head an inch at his words, only to immediately recoil and bury her head in the half-dragonewt's shoulder again as she noticed the armored figure and winged girl standing in the room.

Motoyasu stepped forward to say something comforting to ease the scared little girl, only to nearly recoil in horror himself at seeing the scars from whip marks exposed on the back of her arms that traveled under her rags to her back, where the dirty rags were tinged with red.

"Who was her previous owner?" Motoyasu asked Sebas as he immediately pulled out a spare vial of Yggdrasil's Elixir from his weapon.

Now, this was a situation where it'd be fine to use it.

"It doesn't matter," Sebas said, fury clear in his tone.

As little Tulip began trembling in fear, however, the old man softened his voice and began rubbing a hand between the ears on her head. "It is okay, little one. You are safe now. I promise no one here will hurt you."

"You will never have to go through that kind of pain again. This gentleman here will bring you back home to your friends. I swear it upon the honor of my clan."

It was… surprising, for Motoyasu to see that the scary butler that reminded him of Granny so much, had this soft side to him.

Hickwaal was strangely silent as he sat down in a nearby chair with a grim expression. Motoyasu began to try and help the girl drink the powerful medicine, but she wouldn't trust him no matter how much he tried to coax her.

In the end, he had to give the Yggdrasil's Elixir to Sebas, and he managed to get young Tulip to drink a little of it. It wouldn't have the increased potency effect, since Motoyasu hadn't been the one to give it to her, but as the world's most powerful medicine already, it was probably enough to heal all her injuries with just a few drops.

Eventually, seeing the little girl's wounds all clean and healed up, and seeing that she would remain in good hands, Motoyasu sat down next to Hickwaal, who still hadn't said a word. "What happened?"

…

"Huh? Oh, no, everything went well, relatively speaking." Hickwaal slowly shook his head. "I just… dislike attending auctions like these."

Motoyasu grimaced, but he pulled the seal remover potion from his weapon, before handing it to the merchant. "Thank you again for doing that for me."

The merchant nodded, but he still had a troubled look on his face. Motoyasu thought it was only because of the slave auction.

However, it was then he noticed that neither Sebas nor Hickwaal had the briefcase of money with them.

"What happened to all the money Sadeena gave you? Was that why it took so long to get back? Did you store the remainder at a bank or something?"

"... no. I spent it all, and then some to buy young Tulip there." Hickwaal admitted.

…

…

"What?" Motoyasu asked.

It'd been… an eye-boggling amount of money he gave them. And Hickwaal spent more than that?!

Hickwaal used a knife to cut the tip of his finger, dripping the drop of blood necessary into the seal remover. It was then that Motoyasu finally realized what was going on.

The short man was furious.

"I thought Tulip being from Lurolona wasn't public knowledge. Why did the price go that high?" Motoyasu asked.

"Another person kept trying to outbid me. Councilman Judas." Hickwaal began stating in an uncharacteristically angry tone. "The head of the Bookmaker's Guild, and the person in charge of gambling regulations here in the underground. I don't know if he somehow knew that young girl was the real deal, or if he brought the bidding so high to try and spite me. But the price of her freedom came to three hundred and fifty thousand zenis in the end."

Motoyasu clutched his chest. 35… 3500 FREAKING GOLD COINS FOR ONE SCARED FRAIL LOOKING BUNNY CHILD?!

"We were lucky, I suppose. The girl who was advertised as a resident of Lurolona at the auction was sold for around 4000 gold coins to someone else. Still, I had Sebas lead us down an alternate route to get back, in case Judas wanted to try anything funny." Hickwaal explained. "That's why we were late getting here. Again, my apologies."

…

Time, and time, and time again, Motoyasu thought the price for these kids couldn't possibly go any higher.

He'd underestimated just how expensive something could get under an economic bubble. Especially when said bubble was being fueled by corrupt people and their greed to keep it going far beyond its normal limits.

It didn't matter if it was under communism or capitalism. Economic bubbles were a natural part of any market, but they only became large only under one scenario. When greedy people prevented the market from correcting itself on the demand side and the supply side.

"I-It's fine." Motoyasu eventually sputtered. "Still, I didn't mean to make you spend that much!"

"Do not worry about that." Hickwaal shook his head. "Five hundred gold coins isn't enough to ruin me, even as I am now. I'm sure Miss Nadia will have no problem with paying this sum back to me eventually. She always pays her dues.

"Frankly, what I'm more concerned about is-"

Knock Knock Knock!

A distant pounding sounded in the distance.

"... $%^&." Hickwaal cussed. "Sounds like that big oaf followed us here after all!"

Sebas looked at the door to their room with disdain. "I shall deal with the trespassers at once then."

"No," Amber interjected, much to the butler's surprise. "Please stay here. Amber and Blondie will make the bad men leave. Old Butler Guy should stay to make sure no one harms Little Girl or Short Good Guy in the meantime, especially since Little Girl only seems to trust you right now."

Sebas opened his mouth to interject, only for the sound of a wooden door being torn from its hinges to be heard from outside. Tulip let out a gasp of terror, and the old man held the back of her head to his shoulder with a gentle expression as she began to cry for her parents.

The Filolial Girl approached the door. "Come, Big Brother, let's go."

Motoyasu was still surprised by the initiative that Amber was showing, but before he could say anything to her, the girl had raced out the door to their room out into the hallway.

"You! Girl! Tell us where Hickwaal is this- AHHHHHH!"

Motoyasu placed his helmet back over his head as he raced out to help his Filolial Companion, his weapon in hand.

"Stand firm, you worms! It's just one girl against-" The man speaking was punched in the face, sending him flying into a wall. His weapon, a spear, clattered to the floor by the Filolial girl.

"Huah!" Amber then ducked under two sword swings from two other slave soldiers. Her hands grabbed them by the wrists and she slammed their bodies into each other, breaking their arms while simultaneously knocking them out.

"Ahhhhh!" Another slave soldier swung down at her as he charged. One of Amber's hands grabbed the spear that'd been dropped.

It was almost like the man was standing still as Amber stood and knocked his weapon out of his hand, causing it to get stuck in the wood-paneled wall next to them.

The man was staring in stunned shock at his weapon when the back end of Motoyasu's naginata slammed into the back of his skull, dropping him to the ground like a sack of bricks.

"Halt! Any further aggression towards our place of residence will be met with force." Amber stated, holding the tip of the spear up to the next man's throat before he could garner the courage to attack. There was a dangerous glint in the girl's stormy orange eyes.

There'd only been eight slave soldiers in the hallway, with a handler pushing them to fight. But with Amber having knocked the handler out at the start, and seeing how quickly four of their comrades had fallen, the others began to step back, fear painted on their faces.

Before any more violence could occur…

"Ah, my apologies, I wasn't aware that this place housed Hickwaal's new gladiators too. Stand down, everyone."

A purple glow appeared on the chests of the slave soldiers, and they all fell to their knees, crying out in pain as another man stepped forward into the hallway.

He was an old-looking fellow with graying hair and an impressive physique. He wore a thick black coat with golden highlights on the trims. Despite his age, he stood tall and straight in a confident manner. A distinct scar ran across the right side of his face, cutting through one of his thick bushy eyebrows, a feature which added to his already intimidating appearance.

Motoyasu stepped up next to Amber. He looked at the writhing men on the ground, and then at the man in charge of them who continued to speak. "Sir Bubba, was it? Congratulations on your victory this morning. I hadn't expected you to be able to best Murder Pierrot, to be frank.

"But I digress, would you please step aside? My business here is not with you but with my friend Hickwaal."

"... No." Motoyasu had no idea why he sounded so calm at that moment. However, he spoke clearly and simply.

..

The scarred man narrowed his eyes slightly. "Ah. I see. You needn't worry about losing your job, Sir Bubba. I am not here to kill my fellow council member.

"I just want to take back what he stole from me, and then I will be on my way."

"I don't care what you're here for." Motoyasu continued to speak in a calm tone. "Leave, before I and my companion make you."

…

"..." A dark look entered the other man's eyes. "Sir Bubba. I understand you may be riding high right now, thinking that you are Zeltoble's hottest new thing. But do you have any idea to whom you are speaking right now?

"My name is Judas. I am a member of Zeltoble's City Council. And unlike Hickwaal, my position there is not just a label."

The older gentleman snapped his fingers, and the crests on the slave soldiers flared an even brighter purple. Those who were conscious began screaming as they experienced immeasurable pain beyond imagination.

"What these men are experiencing right now, I could inflict on you and your comrades tenfold if you refuse to cooperate."

"..." Motoyasu said nothing as he looked on one side of the hallway and then the other.

"That's right. Every man should know his place." Judas began to say with a smirk as he started to step toward Motoyasu. "Still, you've left quite the impression during your short stay here. I'm not usually one to offer sponsorships, but whatever Hickwaal's paying you, I could easily double it.

"I have an eye for talent, and you certainly-"

The tip of the Spear Hero's naginata appeared under the man's chin.

Motoyasu's movement was followed by a blast of wind going down both ends of the hallway. He'd moved too fast for the eye to follow.

"If you think the little show you just put on is how you intimidate someone, I think there's something you should know." Motoyasu glared hatefully at the man. Judas' eyes widened at the hate-filled orange eyes glaring at him from inside the helmet. "I have already seen countless men die in front of me, both comrades and foes. I am blessed to have it be more of the latter than the former.

"I have fought against the Waves of Catastrophes, done battle with the Spirit Tortoise and its minions, and fought many battles against other humans who didn't know better. So if you think you could even hope to intimidate me into doing whatever you want, then you are sorely mistaken.

"I don't have the time to listen to your drivel, nor do I have any desire to work for you. I don't even care what power you think you might have over me or those I care about.

"You are obviously trespassing on my friend's property. If you do not leave this instant, I will cut you down without a second thought on his behalf."

…

Judas slowly scowled in response. Impressively, he did not cower or beg for his life in the face of Motoyasu's intimidating aura. "That slave was supposed to be mine."

The tip of Motoyasu's weapon touched the man's neck. Amber also positioned her new spear to impale the man's stomach.

"I don't care.

"Do not interfere with that girl's life. Or I will kill you and all the people behind you.

"This is your final warning."

…

…

For another moment, the large, old man continued to glare hatefully at the disguised Spear Hero.

…

…

But after that moment passed, Councilman Judas finally stepped back. At the same time, the crests on his slave soldiers suffering on the floor stopped glowing and torturing them. "I see, very well then." He said in a cold, calculating voice. "If that's how it's going to be."

He turned around, putting a hand in one of his pockets. "Enjoy your stay in the city for now, Sir Bubba.

"It is going to be a pleasure to see our young Nadia squash your head like a bug."

…

…

Motoyasu and Amber continued to stand imposingly, not saying another word as the member of the City Council walked back up the way he came. His slave soldiers picked their unconscious handler and comrades up before running after their tall and imposing master.

And yet, Motoyasu and Amber didn't move from their positions for a minute. Making sure that no one else came down the hallway towards them.

…

"... Well, that could have gone better." Hickwaal finally said from the doorway behind them.

"..." Motoyasu turned around as the short merchant walked up. Sebas stood in the doorway with a frown. He was still petting the head of a now-sleeping Tulip. Somehow, he'd helped her to calm down and fall asleep while the two had been outside dealing with the Councilman.

"Yeah, maybe… but I didn't want to pretend I would ever consider betraying you or giving Tulip up.

"We made a deal. And I intend to follow through on my end of the bargain, no matter what." Motoyasu said with finality.

…

"Master Hickwaal, if I may speak." Sebas suddenly spoke up. "Up till now, I've only gotten to witness Sir Motoyasu and his friend fight in the arenas. I was… dubious, about what they could offer you in their home, I admit.

"But right now, I got to witness him use his power and put his life on the line to stand up for a defenseless young one.

"He has officially earned my respect as well as my trust. If this is the kind of protection we can expect of the Hero's Nation, then I am looking forward to moving there even more now." The old man bowed his head politely.

…

Hickwaal hummed in thought. "It is rare for you to praise somebody so, Sebas. But I agree with you. Let's not tell Nadia then that I spent an extra 500 gold coins purchasing Tulip in that case."

"Why?" Motoyasu lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

The small merchant shook his head. "This turn of affairs might not have been perfect. But you've more than proved your worth protecting me and that young girl."

Hickwaal looked up and sighed. "Still, I can't wait to leave this place. I could use a vacation after how stressful that was."

"Master Hickwaal, the last time you said that, you went to a resort in Faubley to relax, only to build a better one on the opposite side of the town because you were displeased with how bad the service there was," Sebas said, a stern tone in his voice.

"Uh… Heh, I only did that once Sebas." The small merchant finally smiled a little while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"And yet we're still sent a portion of the resort's profits each month." Sebas continued to stare calmly at the plump merchant. "I've never seen you once take a proper vacation in your life."

"... right, well this time, I will follow through with it. Even I can reach the point where I can't handle the stress, you know!" Hickwaal stated in his more usual, jovial tone.

"I see, well, I'll make sure to have plenty of Zenis on hand in case you feel like buying up half of a town again," Sebas said, a slight smirk touching the corner of his lip.

"Don't wound me so, Sebas! We have company, after all!" Hickwaal winked to the Spear Hero and his Filolial Companion.

"Heh, sorry to change the topic, but... judging by that guy's last remark, my next match is going to be against Nadia, right?" Motoyasu decided to ask before he forgot.

"... Indeed." Hickwaal nodded grimly, his smile disappearing again. "I was just about to discuss it with you when Judas showed up.

"You see, Saxon was quite furious about losing his investments in Murder Pierrot. He wanted to use her death as an excuse to get rid of you, but there were too many witnesses in the stands who saw that it was an accident.

"Normally, that alone wouldn't be enough to make him stand down, but the rest of the Council's greed greatly surpasses Saxon's thirst for vengeance. So I was able to barter for a compromise of sorts.

"Your next match will be against Nadia. But after the stunt, you just pulled here, I expect it will be more akin to an execution. You'll enter that arena, being put under the highest magnitude debuffs that we have to offer, while Nadia will receive the same level of buffs on herself.

"I can also tell you that the arena floor will be flooded too. I expected there'd be room for you and Amber to stand, but you could very well be forced to swim in the pit against an aquatic demihuman for an opponent after tonight…

"I wouldn't normally sanction my gladiators fighting in such a death match. But I won't argue if they do end up doing all that. I get the feeling either way you'll handle things just fine." Hickwaal began to smile again.

"What makes you so sure about that?" Motoyasu asked.

"Nadia's original plan involved you getting into a fight against her in the arena, no?" Hickwaal asked curiously.

"How do you know that? I haven't been able to tell you about it yet." Motoyasu asked.

"You had your meeting in my personal observation room, Sir Motoyasu." Hickwaal shook his head while chuckling. "I do hope the wine will be to your taste."

…

Before Motoyasu could respond, Hickwaal spoke up again.

"More importantly, we need to vacate this building immediately. Do you recall Beatrice? The woman I had in charge of this storehouse? She disappeared a couple of days ago.

"I feared that something had happened to her, but after tonight, I find it more likely that she sold me out to my competitors. Judas knowing exactly where this place was practically confirms it." He stated with a grim expression.

Nooooooo! Not the beautiful Fox Lady!

Oh come on Amber, now wasn't the time to pout at Motoyasu, I say!

"Amber told you Ugly Fox Lady was bad news." The Filolial Royal said.

…

…

Alright, Motoyasu could agree with her on that. He was suddenly really glad that he never revealed to that maid girl that he was the Spear Hero.

Plus, he'd already found someone way more beautiful than this Beatrice bitch anyway.

"We can't stay here anymore, my apologies," Hickwaal said. "Please grab whatever belongings you may have kept here and follow me. I still have a few more safe houses left in this city still."

Motoyasu nodded and looked at Amber, but the girl was back to admiring the new Spear she'd taken from their foes, completely oblivious to the mood in the room. Seeing her smiling face made him smile too.

Motoyasu gripped his weapon tightly. He didn't care if Sadeena's sponsor tried to stack the odds against him alongside the rest of his cohorts. He knew for sure now.

He was going to do what Itsuki almost did in that one country he helped out in, and ensure the leadership here would not live for a moment longer. And once he was finished with that, he'd help out with the aftermath to ensure this dead place and the people living within it would have a brighter future.

With better, more competent people leading the people instead of the greedy piles of &^%$ leading them right now.

Hero Clips!

What Could You Get With 3000 Gold coins?

"Hmmm, what's this?"

A familiar, gruff-looking panda woman found herself in an unfamiliar classroom. There was no one else there, however.

"This doesn't look like the training room." Larsa narrowed her eyes in confusion. She wondered if she'd accidentally stumbled on an old teleportation trap while patrolling the underground tunnels or not.

Rumor had it they existed in the past. However, Larsa had never come across one before. That seemed like the only logical explanation for why she was here.

But as she slowly made her way through the new room, she didn't find any threats. No hidden weapons in the desks. No persons hiding in ambush or anything.

In the end, the only thing she found was a pile of papers on the front desk. The notes were written in crisp clean Melromarcian.

"What could one buy with 3000 Gold Coins?" The panda woman's eyebrow perked at the strange title at the top. That amount of money was more, far more than she could have ever hoped to save up in her life, even with her prestigious position, which amounted to 20 gold coins a year.

She'd need to become a talented businessman like Hickwaal or a talented pit fighter/gambler with a rich backer like Sadeena if she ever hoped to accumulate that amount of wealth in her lifetime. Why something like this even existed, she had no idea.

She wanted to throw it out in disgust, but curiosity got the better of her. What could one buy with that amount of wealth?

Larsa read the list to find out.

3,000 Gold Coins = 300,000 Silver Coins = 30,000,000 Copper Coins

You could stay at the Inn Naofumi stayed at in Melromarc on the first day and get a meal each night for around 900,000 nights. 300,000 nights if you stayed at the inn in Lute. That was a long time.

With that much money, you could also buy one of the following from the list.

60,000,000 orange balloon scraps.

300,000 usapil hides.

100,000 to 150,000 vials of medicine.

50,000 low-level iron shortswords.

10,000 sick and frail Raphtalia's. 9,677.42 if you added a silver coin as a tip to Beloukas (just don't say what you did to get that final .42).

6000 times entering and leaving Lute under Bitch's insane tax.

3000-10000 enchanted accessories depending on how good they were.

Almost 2308 sets of low-level custom Barbarian Armor.

600 Barbarian Armor upgrades, not including the cost of materials.

300 Class Upgrades (if you paid the absurd amount given by the nuns of the Three Heroes Church).

6 down payments for the Oriekol Starfire Bracelet Therese got from Naofumi.

There's no actual cost given for this as far as I'm aware, but let's say you average 10 copper coins worth of food per day to feed a person in a city, all other factors held constant.

If we did it to scale, then you could feed a village of 1000 for 82 years. A town of 10000 for 8.2 years. A city of 100000 for almost ten months. Or a city of one million for 30 days.

Larsa slowly made her way to the end of the list. It was almost mind-boggling the amount of goods one could get with this amount of money. This was comparable to running a small high-level mercenary force. Or a low-level, yet sizable army. This was the kind of money you'd see to run a city's budget. This was the kind of wealth millionaires would have in our world.

This was what powerful individuals were throwing around in the hopes of acquiring a single-child slave from Lurolona here in Zeltoble. Just the thought alone almost made Larsa burn the documents to ash.

But then she read the last entry, which was circled, and written in bold letters.

3000 Filolial Eggs from Beloukas' Monster Gacha.

"Huh? Why is this one circled?" Larsa asked in confusion.

Little did she know that she'd just been used to set up the rest of the omake for the readers.

"Aaaah!" "Runnnnn!"

"Gwah!" "Gwah!" "Gwah!" "Gwah!"

The townspeople of the Hero's Nation fled in terror as a tsunami of Filolials charged through everything.

"This is the best day ever, I say!" The Spear Hero had hearts in his eyes. This was even better than the Filolial dolls he'd gotten to cuddle with earlier in the day, I say! He had a whole flock under his command now!

"Ack! There's too many of them!" Blue cried out in terror.

"Gwah! (No, Rikka's Tyrant Eye, can't hold them, back-) Gwahhhhhhhhh! (AHHHHHHHHH!)" The familiar black-feathered eyepatch-wearing Filolial friend of Blue disappeared under the onrush of Filolials.

"No! Noodle! Save yourselfffff!" Blue similarly disappeared under the tide of feathery monsters too.

In the distance, Ren gave his friend a salute as he held his sword up. In a flash of light, he, Wyndia, little Gaelion, and their friends disappeared.

"Yep, I'm not dealing with this mess." Rat also got on top of a slimy-looking creature as she rode out into the sunset.

Too bad everyone else wasn't able to escape this mess.

"Gwah!" "Gwah!" "Gwah!" "Gwah!"

In short, 3000 gold coins was enough to upend the entire Hero's Nation with just Filolials. Bankrupting them through the meal costs alone.

"THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFFFFE!"

But Melty didn't seem to mind that fact one bit!

"I knew you were the smartest one of them all, I say!" Motoyasu was now dressed in a rancher's outfit. Melty was quick to dress in a similar one too.

The two would go on to turn the former territory of the Hero's Nation into the largest Filolial Ranch in the world, I say!

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

"Lady Governor, another group of refugees arrived just now. What should we do with them?"

"The town is starting to get full. Are there farmers amongst them?"

"I'm not sure, but me and my friends can check." The knight reporting to Melty bowed.

"If there are, help those get settled in the township of Seaetto, and then direct them to start clearing and plowing the ruined farm fields around the area so they'll be ready for more of the variations of Bio-Plant Rat is developing. As for the rest, we'll have to make do with moving them into temporary housing for now. Tell them that if they have any questions or concerns for me or the Heroes, then they should submit them in written form to the town hall for review." Melty said nonchalantly.

"Of course. I shall see to it at once, Lady Governor." The knight bowed once more before rushing to fulfill the young ruler's command. The young man looked excited at the prospect of building up the Hero's Nation, just like his fellow cohorts.

Melty continued her daily patrol around Lurolona without breaking stride, checking on the progress of all her different projects, as well as the state of the people.

The main housing district was almost completed. The smiling carpenters and masons were busy putting the finishing touches on the roofs. Good, everything there was going according to schedule, for once. It probably helped that they didn't have to worry about another raid breathing down their necks anytime soon.

The Church in the center of Lurolona had been completely repaired. The pews, the windows, everything the Tortoise familiars had damaged/destroyed was now fixed and/or replaced. A few of the new citizens were in the process of replacing the old regular windows with stained glass ones that depicted the four holy weapons on them.

"Ah!" As Melty walked in to inspect the delicate and colorful glasswork, the lion therianthrope artist, who originally suggested this idea, turned to greet her with a wide toothy smile and a quick bow. "I almost finish Ruler Shield and Holy Weapons, Girl Ruler!"

He spoke in broken Melromarcian. It was another quirk Melty got to deal with thanks to many of the latest refugees coming from outside Melromarc.

"Speak in Siltveltish if it makes you more comfortable. I don't just speak Melromarcian you know." Melty switched languages, and the lion therianthrope's shoulders sagged in relief.

"S-Sorry, I am trying my best to learn the local language, Lady Governor." The man switched to Siltveltish, which he looked far more comfortable speaking.

"Don't worry, it's not mandatory to speak it. We still haven't decided what the national language will be as of yet." Melty nodded absentmindedly while studying the new windows.

The windows did not include images of the Heroes themselves. All of them seemed to share the same sentiment that they'd rather not be treated like Gods. Instead, what was portrayed in different colors and hues were the basic forms of the four Cardinal Weapons. From the subtle curves of the Small Spear form to the warm green hues of the gemstone of Naofumi's Small Shield form.

It was amazing, really. Melty almost could have pictured Ren on the other side of the Small Sword window, holding his blade up toward the sky with how well done that window was.

Which didn't make that much sense, since she was pretty certain the Sword Hero was preparing to leave for the Capital soon with his friends. It'd been explained to her by Tersia that they wanted to get the young man's mind off things since nothing they tried here could get the Sword Hero out of his current depressive funk. So Melty gave her permission to allow the Sword Hero to go when he was able.

Though she wished she could have gone to the Capital with them as well…

"I'm sorry if I didn't do as good a job on the other weapons." The lion man continued to rub the back of his mane with a nervous chuckle, knocking Melty out of her current thoughts. "I grew up outside Siltvelt. But you could say my parents never lost their old faith when raising me."

"No, this is good. I've seen better at Melromarc's capital, but considering your lack of supplies and a proper workshop, this is excellent. Be more confident in your work." Melty looked to the artist with a small smile.

"Ah, but I want to make sure I give the Heroes my best." The lion man clarified. "If not for them, my friends and I would have never gotten out of Sworn in time.

"I owe them my life."

"... Of course. Just make sure you don't forget to attend your language class today. It should be happening after lunch." Melty said without changing expressions. The nation didn't have an official language yet, but classes were being offered for both Siltveltish and Melromarcian since they'd been the predominant languages in this area before.

The guy bowed to her again before throwing himself back at his work. Melty then left to check on the other parts of the town that were currently bathed in the light of the morning sun.

The dock at the beach had been expanded to house their small fishing fleet. There was also an area of the beach cordoned off with underwater nets and buoys so people could practice swimming, canoeing, or other water activities without fear of being attacked by sea monsters.

The Central Plaza was all finished up. There was the town hall where Melty's office was, the public bathhouse which all the Heroes seemed to enjoy, a small park where children could go and play...

Most importantly, there was a building where fish and monster meat, as well as strawberry oranges and other surplus foods that weren't eaten by the people, were smoked, salted, canned, etc. so they could be stored long term.

Some of this food would be used to feed future residents of the growing nation like the refugees that'd arrived that day. Some would be taken out in times of feasting/celebration. The rest would either be traded outside the Hero's Nation for various goods, or used to provide immediate humanitarian relief for places affected by famines, the Waves, or other natural disasters.

…

Melty grimaced. The main downtown area had been built now, but the Hero's Nation didn't have much in the name of goods that they could sell. Now that the slavers had been cleared from the nearby mountains, she could see about setting some excavation/mining operations. Though it would probably not amount to much. Otherwise, Eclair's family would have had mines set up ages ago.

The main commodities produced here before the Lurolona Wave had been agricultural goods, as well as fish. That wouldn't bring them a lot of money. There were the monster parts too, but if they relied solely on that, then they'd drive the monster population in the territory to extinction.

And while that would be beneficial in the short term, due to the improved safety conditions of the residents, it would most certainly carry heavy consequences down the line.

…

The roads leading out from the main plaza had room for different shops and restaurants, which they'd hopefully be able to open soon, once Melty and Elena had more efficient supply logistics figured out.

They did have some of the essentials already. Kusuriya, Jerry, and Mahoya's shops were well established by this point. There was also the addition of a cobbler, a tailor, a florist, a glass shop, a second-hand store, and others. They didn't have a bank yet, but hopefully, that'd change soon.

Melty paused in her walk as she saw Fang and Aria in front of the planned General Store Elena wanted to open. The wolfman was on his feet again, thanks to the dose of Yggdrasil's Elixir Motoyasu had gifted him. His mangled legs, which had been in danger of being amputated just days ago because of sepsis, had been completely healed. And even now, tears of gratitude fell down the sides of his face as husband and wife made plans for what the inside of the shop would look like.

Melty smiled just a little at the sight… but seeing the pair so happy, it wasn't long before her face fell, and she walked away.

She hadn't even thought to wonder why Crystal wasn't with the pair. The girl loved her parents like no one else, even though they weren't her original parents…

…

Melty shook her head.

Those were thoughts for later.

At night, when her oversight wasn't needed. And when there was nothing else to distract her.

…

The young princess's patrol brought her over to the outer walls. Feeling a hand on the earthen structure outside the gate, Melty tried to feel a bit of pride at her work, feeling how hard and firm the town's new defenses were.

It wasn't like the walls around the castle back home just yet, but one day, they'd be as strong, if not stronger. And they'd look just as grand too.

Looking up, she saw the knights and townspeople working on the towers that'd stand as sentinels around the inner circle of the town. Earth mages worked alongside Mahoya to reinforce those sections of walls so they'd be able to handle the extra weight of the towers.

They'd have watchfires and large bells to ring in case of future attacks. And the walls were now sturdy enough to support additions like ballistae, murder holes, and catapults.

And, even though it was in the distant future for now, it looked like work was already being done to cut down some of the trees of the forest, so that a second wall could be erected far from the first, allowing for the town to expand outward and use the outlying area for farm fields, suburbs, and other various projects that came to the young girl's mind.

All her plans really were coming together. Every last project was being completed to the smallest detail. Room was being made for future projects she wanted to implement as the town grew into a city. But there were still things she wanted to add to the town proper to make it more aesthetically pleasing for its residents.

A fountain in front of the Church. Trees to liven up the streetsides. Lampposts that could hold magic flames that lit up at night like the ones she remembered seeing in Zeltoble when visiting… with her mother.

…

Just small, little touches to make her growing nation look a little more natural and a little more beautiful… for her and the other residents.. And for those who'd visit in the future… like…

…

Melty sighed again.

She just couldn't get her mind off of things, could she… no matter how hard she tried.

Her parents… Mirellia… Aultcray…

Mother… Father…

…

…

Slap!

Melty slapped her cheeks, hard. She could cry in her sleep about it later, but not right now, not at the start of the day, and especially not where others could find her. 'What should I do to distract myself? Now that I think about it, it has been a while I went to see how the township of Seaetto was doing.'

She hadn't really been around the area since the time Lord Reichnott helped with repairing many of the structures to house his displaced people. Lurolona also hadn't had enough people till recently for the town's buildings to be of much practical use.

But if she could use it for more than just more farmland, and could turn the small settlement into a logistics hub that'd help to get the Hero's Nations products further inland…

Melty was busy pondering on these new thoughts of hers when a voice suddenly broke her out of her reverie.

"Excuse me, may I have a moment of your time, Lady Governor?"

"Huh?" Looking over her shoulder, Melty saw a strange woman with black hair and brown eyes standing behind her.

She was dressed in a haphazard patchwork dress and carried a wicker basket in her hands. The woman had a friendly but slightly stiff smile on her face, as if smiling naturally around others wasn't something she was used to.

Parts of her arms looked dirtied from traveling on the road, but her hands were surprisingly smooth and clean. Despite the mature presence around her, she looked strangely young and beautiful.

…

Something about the woman seemed familiar, but Melty couldn't pin down what it was.

"Um… refugees are supposed to meet with the knights at the gates." The bluette pointed in the direction of the entrance, where a squad of knights was assisting the latest group of people who'd arrived. They were checking for farmers, just like Melty had instructed.

"Ufufufu." The woman laughed into her hand. Something about it stirred something in Melty's memory again.

Did she know this person?

"You mean, my own daughter doesn't wish to spend time with me on this beautiful day?" The lady asked, this time with a more natural, resigned smile appearing on her face. "I suppose that's only fair, given how busy you've been."

…

…

Melty's eyes widened in recognition. "M-Mother?!"

Mirellia, disguised with illusion magic, tried to maintain her strained, awkward smile as she began to walk towards her daughter. She held out her arms for a hug, but hesitated.

The Queen felt unsure if this was the proper thing to do or not. When was the last time the two had shared an embrace? When Aultcray and Melty had that moment in his room? When she'd saved her daughter's life on the walls of her city? Before that?

The Queen could count on her fingers the number of times the two had hugged each other in the past few years. She began to worry. Would Melty even see her as her mother right now? Would she be disappointed with her being here, undercover, without regard to her nation or her people, to selfishly indulge in her child for one day?

Mirellia didn't know. Despite what'd happened earlier before her arrival, she began to doubt if coming here had been the right choice or not.

But after only a couple of seconds, Melty's eyes sparkled with joy and tears fell as she raced forward, closing the distance between them instantly before she tackled her mom in a big, loving embrace. "M-Mama!"

"... Ah." The tension on Mirellia's face vanished, and a tear fell down one of her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around the bluette.

Her prior worries vanished. This… this had been the right thing to do after all.

…

The parent and child held onto each other for a minute. Both of them were shedding tears from the mixed emotions brought by their reunion. The hug itself felt amazing, as if a dam built between the two had suddenly broken.

It took a while for Mirellia to speak again, but when she did, her voice didn't sound as strained or awkward as before.

"Melty, I'm so happy to see you again."

"S-Same, mother." Tears continued falling down Melty's cheeks. Even though she wanted to enjoy this unexpected but happy event, questions sprang to her mind that she couldn't keep from her tongue.

"B-But why? How are you here? Where's Papa? Is the kingdom alright? Are we going to have a war? A-Am I in trouble?" The questions spilled from the bluette's mouth one after the other.

Mirellia had to pull herself back and put a hand on the girl's shoulder to make her quiet down. The Queen then let out a sigh. She didn't come here to discuss politics. She specifically came here today to get away from such things.

She would answer some of her daughter's questions, however, if only to ease her worried mind.

"No, you are not in trouble, and no, there is no war.

"But thanks to your… decisive actions, I was finally able to wrest full control over Melromarc for myself. Our nobility, even those who were the most stalwart supporters of the Three Heroes Church, now understand very clearly what the consequences of crossing the Cardinal Heroes are. And if there are still some amongst them who would try, they will be removed by their former allies, in fear of drawing the ire of the Hero Nation again through association."

Mirellia spoke in a reassuring tone at first, but after saying her piece, a small, playful smile appeared on her lips. "As for why I'm here? Well, I might have convinced those fools that I was acting on their behalf and traveling here to personally try and appease the Heroes and prevent them from torching Melromarc in retaliation for the most recent attack."

"Huh… I was counting on them becoming too intimidated to retaliate, but I'm surprised that it worked that well." Melty looked thoughtful.

"I did just call them fools for a reason." Mirellia chuckled. "Not that I'd blame them. The story of how Sir Naofumi intimidated the Siltvelt Council by threatening to raze their country and put their heads on a line of pikes has become common knowledge in our nation. This stint we just pulled basically confirmed to everyone that the Heroes have no patience for those who openly threaten them.

"It's not the most subtle or elegant form of diplomacy, but when you have the power to back your threats up, there is no need for subtlety." Mirellia sighed and looked thoughtful too.

…

Melty felt a bit conflicted. Hearing the Shield Hero's name soured her mood a bit. But at the same time, it was like a huge stone had been lifted off her shoulders.

She hadn't been scared of a war. In terms of power, the Hero Nation already outstripped most armies around the world for various reasons. Yet, she'd been worried about her actions resulting in more deaths and issues for her mother to deal with.

But it hadn't. In fact, it'd made both their situations a hundred times better.

She hadn't caused any additional issues for Mirellia to handle. She'd managed to do something right, for once.

Not that it made the earlier killings feel any better. But the fact that it had prevented future needless slaughters from happening made her feel a lot better in her mind.

…

As the relief of that knowledge passed, Melty just stood there, still kind of shocked at her mom being there. She wanted to pinch herself and see if this was all a dream.

She didn't know if she could do that, however. If she was dreaming right now and she woke up from this, it'd hurt more than any of her recent nightmares ever could have.

"I see. But still, Mother, why are you here when you could have just sent Shadow to deliver the news?" Melty asked.

…

"Am I… not wanted here?" Mirellia looked down sadly.

"NO!" Melty raised her voice instantly, which was immediately followed by her looking down in embarrassment. Thankfully, it didn't look like anybody had heard her, or was paying the two any attention. "No, it's just… I don't understand…"

…

Mirellia's face was expressionless for a moment. It looked like she was trying to think of an answer herself.

"It's true. It is out of character for me to do this," Mirellia tried for a smile again as she pointed out her strange attire. At her attempt for humor falling flat, however, the woman's face fell once more. "But I didn't want to come here as the Queen of Melromarc, not this time.

"I wanted to spent some time with you in the same way that your Father used to. Not as Queen. Not as someone who wanted to check in on the progress of the Hero's Nation. But as a mother. Your mother, Melty."

"Can… Can I do that, please? Even if it's only just for today?"

…

…

"I… I…" Melty nearly hiccupped. "Yes. Of course, that makes me so happy, but, but Raphtalia isn't around to cast her illusion magic, so I can't go around in disguise to avoid getting pestered by everybody, and I might be needed today by some of the people, and-"

"Shadow, if you wouldn't mind." Mirellia suddenly clapped her hands.

"I daresay, just give me a moment, Your Grace." A familiar Shadow woman appeared next to the pair.

"Drop the 'Your Grace' please. I don't want to be referred to by that title today." Mirellia said in an authoritative tone.

"My deepest apologies. It's a force of habit, Your Grace." The Shadow bowed in apology.

The short exchange, accompanied by the glare her mother gave her Shadow at the end, elicited a small giggle from the short bluette girl.

A short time later, Melty's hair was a lighter blue, while her eyes had been made the same color as her mother's. Shadow's appearance had also changed completely. She was able to pull off being a body double for Mirellia pretty well, but it turned out that between her disguise skills and illusion magic, she could also make herself look almost exactly like Melty too.

"I shall take care of any business that comes up today." Shadow Melty courtsied, before walking off in the direction of the town hall.

Could… Melty ask her to take over from time to time?

"Now then, shall we?" Mirellia reached into the basket that she was carrying with her and pulled out a few pieces of clothing. The princess recognized them instantly, filling her with a sense of nostalgia.

They'd been buried in her closet back in the castle. The same commoner threads her Father got her for her last birthday when they snuck out together.

"H-How did you even know?" Melty asked.

"I… it's not like I was completely ignorant of the times where you and your father snuck out of the castle." Mirellia turned away. "... most of the time, at least."

"And… well, I want to try this once with you too.

"You know, before you grow up and lose interest in spending time with your parents entirely." Mirellia smiled awkwardly again before looking off to the side. "If you wouldn't mind, that is."

Fortunately, the Queen's concerns were once again unfounded, as Melty began to giggle uncontrollably. "Ehehehehe! Alright! Alright! Of course I'd want to go out after you put in all this effort!"

Now she finally realized why her mom was dressed in such a ridiculous get-up. She was trying to pass herself off as a commoner, just like Aultcray had in the past.

"But first…" The young girl began to give her mother's patchwork dress over with a critical eye. A frown appeared on her face as she felt the fabric around her mother's waist.

It was legit. Shadow had only disguised her mother's hair and eye color and not her attire. Part of the dress was a light brown, but the patchwork parts were all… purple.

"Is there something wrong?" Mirellia asked nervously.

The bluette sighed. "Mother, where did you even get this? Wait, don't tell me you made it yourself."

"Why? Is it bad…?" The Queen asked hesitantly. "My housekeeping skills are pretty rusty, but I thought it turned out alright."

…

Gods, her mother sure was clueless. A surprise, given how much she loved her people. "Mother, purple dye is very expensive and so is silk. Only nobility wears stuff like that.

"Besides that, did you seriously tear apart one of your fancy dresses to make this! What kind of commoner woman would use fancy expensive silk to make their everyday thread clothes fit better?!" The young princess berated the young Queen.

"Oh, er…" Mirellia had the audacity to look abashed. "I'm sorry, my idea was a spur of the moment thing, I should have requested a tailor after all…"

Melty sighed once more. "Mother, most commoners can't even afford tailors. Many either learn how to make their own clothes, rely on their family members to do it for them, or see if there's anything they can buy from a second-hand store that'd fit them."

"R-Really?" Mirellia looked surprised.

Again, how was she surprised by this?! Was she that out of touch with how commoners lived their day-to-day lives?!

Melty was going to scold her Mother further when her mind suddenly recalled a memory from Cal Mira.

She'd been wondering how 500 Gold Coins was that big of a deal when she learned Therese paid Naofumi for the accessory he made her. It was a lot, but it wasn't that much of an absurd amount of money…

…

Melty now understood, even more, why Aultcray liked sneaking her out of the castle to try out common life from time to time. Mirellia did love her people and tried to do all she could for their wellbeing. But even then, there were certain things they were blind to since the lives they lived as royals were drastically different from those they served and protected.

"... but this was the outfit I wore when I visited Siltvelt. It's what I wore whenever Victoria took me outside the Claw King's palace." Mirellia's voice dragged Melty out from her thoughts once again.

…

Oh, so this outfit had sentimental value to the Queen. At least now Melty could understand why her Mother would even consider wearing this.

It also explained why the outfit was so patched up and full of sewing lines.

"How old were you when you last wore that? Ten?" Melty asked flatly.

"... Eleven," Mirellia said defensively.

"And let me guess, you tried to make it big enough for you to fit in it again even though you're in your thirties." Melty shook her head in disbelief as she continued to critique her Mother's outfit. Seeing her squirm over something so insignificant was weirdly funny for some reason.

"I… definitely have gotten out of touch." Mirellia sighed again. "I knew I should have asked your Father for advice before I left."

"Oh, that's right, how is he doing? He's taking his time with his next chess turn." Melty asked her mother curiously.

"Oh, he's doing much better lately." Mirellia latched on to the change of topic, relieved to have something common to talk about. "He started practicing spellcasting again and he's even offering regular input on internal affairs. He just hasn't made his next turn yet since he thought you were still mad at him for…" Mirellia trailed off.

"Well, next time you see him, tell him I'm waiting for his next move." Melty sighed in relief. She chose to let what Mirellia had been about to say drop for the moment. "As for your dress, don't worry. I think I can find you some clothes to wear here."

"... are they really that bad though?" Mirellia winced.

"They are that bad. I don't want everyone to stare at us all day. After all, how am I supposed to enjoy our time together while everyone is wondering why you're dressed like a clown?" Melty grinned.

Mirellia's face flushed. "I do not look like a clown! If you're that against it, then let's just call Shadow back and have her use her illusion magic on my outfit to change its appearance."

Was she that desperate to not have to take off this memento of her childhood?! Did she think they were that important or something?!

"I promise I'll pick you out something cute." Melty grinned a little bigger.

…

Mirellia tried to answer but found she couldn't.

She eventually chuckled and gave in to her daughter's demands. "Fine, I do look a little ridiculous, don't I?"

"Ridiculous is an understatement." Melty laughed.

"Bullying from my own daughter! Unbelievable!" Mirellia pouted.

While the pair was busy picking something out for Mirellia to wear from the town's clothing storage, Shadow continued to work from the town hall, trusting her associates to keep an eye on her liege as she went around as Melty.

Fortunately, it wouldn't be very hard impersonating the Governess for one day. She might even be able to have a little fun doing so…

…

Though the fact that Melty didn't use a fan to hide her facial expressions might mean Shadow would have to smile for others… shudder.

"I-Is it alright for us to be doing this?" Mirellia asked worriedly.

"Ahahaha! What do you mean?! You're not scared of a little water, are you?!" Melty laughed.

The two were currently riding in a pair of small fishing canoes. Melty was dressed in her favorite pair of commoner threads while her mother wore a mature dress with faded hues and tones. Even with that, the disguised Queen still managed to look like a young woman in her mid 20's.

Instead of using magic to row, the two were using wooden paddles. Melty seemed a lot more comfortable paddling around than her mother, however.

"Of course I'm not scared of the water! I am a very fine swimmer, if you must know!

"I-It's just that we're doing this in the ocean, where a lot of monsters live." Mirellia stuttered out as she looked down at the water beneath her nervously.

"And? See the buoy's over there? That means that this area's totally safe." Melty said happily. "Not to mention, I see some of the kids here playing in the water all the time!"

Indeed, nearby, Keel was teaching a group of new kids how to swim like true men of the sea.

Against all laws of common sense, she was still dressed in her favorite maid outfit as she was doing this. Did she not have a swimsuit or something?!

Even stranger was that the tiger boy Motoyasu brought back with him a while ago was sitting on the sandy beach, watching the dog girl. Though Fohl was probably there because of his younger sister, who was seated in her wheel chair next to him. She claimed that she wanted to enjoy the ocean breeze.

"Really? How is that possible?" Mirellia asked.

"The buoys mark where the netting is. That stuff starts an inch below the ocean surface and goes all the way down to the sea floor. It's pretty sharp too and has plenty of barbs along its length, so most monsters that encounter it choose to stay away rather than throw themselves at it and get hurt.

"The netting's something the Heroes can craft from their weapons, so it's pretty strong and resilient. Unless something from way beyond the shore attacked it, there's no way the small fry monsters nearby could hope to break through it." Melty explained happily.

"In… Intriguing." Mirellia's nervousness vanished as she looked at the floating buoy's with renewed interest. This was something the Heroes had made?...

At that moment, a squid monster surfaced on the other side of the buoys. It let out a horrid screech as it raised one of its arms out of the water, which was covered in cuts. "W-Watch out-" Mirellia tried pushing Melty's canoe away from the sudden threat, only for her to lose her balance and fall into the water.

"M-Mother?!" Melty looked to the side in surprise.

…

Mirellia surfaced after a couple seconds, spitting water from her mouth as she did so. "Ugh, are you ok?" She asked, wiping the salt water from her eyes before looking at her daughter.

"Yeah. Look for yourself." Melty grinned, pointing in the direction of the monster.

Mirellia looked, and saw that the squid monster was still on the other side of the net. It was screeching even more angrily after trying to climb over and get at the prey it saw, only for it to learn the top, hidden just beneath the surface of the water, was just as sharp as what was under the water.

And then, as if to literally rub salt in the wound, it was suddenly swallowed by a large shark monster surfacing from behind where it'd been throwing its temper tantrum. After devouring the easy meal, the monster then swam back to where it'd made its den underwater, where it'd lazily wait until the Darwinian Cycle awarded it another fresh meal in the coming hours.

"Honestly, I didn't even think about how some of the local monsters would use the area as a way to help them hunt." Melty admitted with a bashful smile. "But it's the unintended bonuses that make things worth the effort in the end, right mama?"

"I… of course." Mirellia sighed as she tried to climb back into her canoe, only to slip back into the water. At least she was a good swimmer, though it was kind of difficult with the dress she was wearing. How did that dog girl swimming nearby in her maid's outfit make it look so easy?! "I'm going to need to wash out my hair after this."

"That's alright! I already know where I want to take you next!" Melty said happily.

She paddled back to the dock with her and her mom's canoe in tow, her mom swimming to the beach to wait for her. And after securing them to a pair of wooden posts, she walked her mom back up the pathway alongside the cliff to the town proper. To their next stop.

"A-A public bathhouse?!" Mirellia looked incredulous.

"Yeah? Commoners don't have private baths, you know." Melty grinned.

"I-I know that much. But you don't have your own personal bath here?" Mirellia asked.

The two were wrapped in towels, with Melty helping to wash the salt and sand of the ocean from her mother's hair. "Nah. That'd require implementing a more complex plumbing system in the town than what we're currently using right now. Even the Heroes bathe in here from time to time.

"Don't worry though, the rooms are still separated by gender, so we won't have to worry about any guys walking in on us."

Mirellia didn't say anything in response. She was looking at the tiled floor beneath her as Melty rubbed some soap into her hair. It didn't smell as sweet as the ones in the castle, but it didn't smell bad either.

"Do commoners also use soap when they wash?" Mirellia felt to ask, after grabbing a bar of soap to examine it.

"Not that I'm aware of. We just got lucky that Elena found a shipment of this for cheap." Melty shrugged but continued in a happy tone. "Everyone living in the town is allowed to use it, since it's far healthier for everyone to have good hygiene."

"I… I see…" Mirellia began pondering on that statement herself. Was this an idea she could also implement back home? She certainly knew of 'some' nobles who could do with smelling better. Though she never really looked much into that side of things with the common people. It would be an extra expense for the crown to take upon itself, but if it led to her people being happier and healthier…

After Melty finished cleaning her mother's hair, Mirellia got behind her daughter and started doing the same for her. Allowing for the bluette's hair to fall freely behind her shoulders as the young ruler rubbed the surprisingly good quality soap into each strand of hair.

"We're so used to others doing this for us, aren't we?" Mirellia suddenly commented.

"Yeah, I realized that myself after I started coming here," Melty said back. "It feels different doing this for each other, doesn't it?"

"It does… but in a good way." Mirellia smiled, this time, looking a lot more relaxed.

The two washed out their hair, and then sat in the warm bath together for a few minutes after that. Several other women came and went, but none of them paid much attention to the mother-daughter couple relaxing in the hot water next to each other.

After they got out and dried off, the pair got dressed in their dried-off clothes and left to experience the rest of the town together.

"Mmm!" Mirellia took a bite from the orange-colored fruit she was holding in her hand. "Is this one of the strawberry oranges I've heard so much about?"

"Yep," Melty answered happily. She was holding a wooden skewer stick with several toasted red fruits on it. "Though, I think I prefer the new cherry tomatoes the town is growing right now."

"Cherry… tomatoes?" Mirellia asked.

Melty bit one off from the skewer, only to smile widely at the flavor traveling across her tongue. "Don't ask me, the Heroes are the ones naming the new fruits."

And we all know how bad Japanese Heroes are at naming stuff at this point.

The cherry tomatoes looked exactly like the fruit/vegetable/whatever you wanted to call them from the Hero's worlds (though ironically, even the Hero's worlds all differentiated on whether it was classified as a fruit or a vegetable), but instead of the namesake it was named after, it actually did have the taste of a cherry instead of a tomato.

Mirellia took another large bite from the fruit in her hands, causing large drops of juice to fall on the front of her blouse. This almost made Melty do a double take in shock. Her mother was always so incredibly prim and proper while eating.

To see her act so casual was just weird.

She was so stunned, in fact, that she didn't even notice as one of the cherry tomatoes on her skewer fell off and smacked against her chest, leaving a noticeable stain behind.

"Hmmm, looks like we'll both need to have our clothes washed later," Mirellia remarked with a giggle.

"Y-Yeah. We can drop them off at the wash-house later if we have time." Melty offered.

It was only a short while later that Melty had the thought that they could just clean their clothes with water magic as they walked. But as she turned to look at her mother again, she saw her eat another fruit, biting into it just as messily as the first. She looked incredibly happy as she did so.

Melty couldn't help but smile and shake her head. She didn't bring it up and instead held her mom's hand as they walked through other parts of the town together. Her other hand held the wicker basket from earlier, which held more strawberry oranges and cherry tomatoes for them to eat.

Melty showed her mother the cobblestone streets that'd been laid down in the last few weeks. The outside of one of the homes that'd been finished recently (the family inside looked at them in confusion, but didn't come out to bother them), the newly renovated Church, and others besides those.

Mirellia looked over the colorful windows at the Church with awe, praising the lion therianthrope in Siltveltish while asking him a bunch of questions as he was in the middle of his work. The man had no idea who they actually were, but he laughed and went along with it, pausing to answer some of the questions, like what he used to get the right colors for each panel representing the Hero Weapons.

Afterward, when they left out the back, Mirellia took a moment to pause and kneel in front of the Memorial dedicated to the missing/dead villagers of Lurolona. As well as the newly erected statue dedicated to the knights who'd given their lives to protect the kids from the Spirit Tortoise's minions.

Melty stood back as her mother paid her respects. The thought suddenly struck her, Lurolona had been her Mother's personal project to establish peace with Siltvelt before the Waves. The Queen had visited the area many times to ensure the people were doing well.

Melty recalled how whenever she visited with her mother in the past, Mirellia seemed to know the names of almost everyone she met.

Judging by the way she whispered some of the names on the Memorial under her breath, she still remembered who they were.

…

Fortunately, what came after that was far more uplifting for the both of them to experience together.

"Weeeee!" Melty shouted in delight as her mother laughed. The two were at the park she'd noted earlier.

Melty was getting to enjoy the playground that the Spear Hero had designed with the help of Jerry. The bluette swung on a swing set as her mom helped to push her higher and higher.

Melty was skeptical about funding this but Motoyasu had assured her that it was something that allowed kids to be kids in his world. Given they had those who were too young to fight, as well as those who couldn't grow up to fight, they needed something to bring a semblance of normalcy to their lives.

Melty was finding out all the materials that'd gone into building the playground were worth every last copper.

Mirellia pushed her daughter on the swing. Slid down with her on a slide multiple times. Sat across from her on a mechanism known as a teeter-totter.

There were other kids there, playing while being watched by their parents. Melty was certainly the oldest by far. But it didn't lessen her enjoyment in the slightest.

…

They saw other parts of the town after that. Melty didn't list all of what they did.

They went to the beach again to collect some sea shells at some point. And they ate dinner together at the communal kitchen after that. But the girl couldn't quite recall the other things that happened in between.

Maybe it was because those places had been insignificant, compared to the fact that she was with her mother. Not in the sense that she never had before. But never in this kind of way. And if she had, it couldn't have been for more than a few minutes.

Melty loved being able to spend an entire day just hanging out with Mirellia.

"So this is the food served in the Hero's Nation." Mirellia complimented as they shared dinner together. "I almost feel tempted to steal the chefs here."

"Mother!" Melty whined.

"Relax. I'm teasing." Mirellia's eyes twinkled with mischief. She didn't bother with using a spoon as she lifted the bowl to her lips and drank straight from the dish.

…

Maybe… it was because of conversations like that… that Melty didn't recall everything they did that day, because it'd been too precious for her to record anywhere outside her own mind.

And maybe, in the end, that was for the best.

After weeks of seeing nothing but grey with flecks of color around her in her day-to-day life, the visitation of the bluette's mother brought much-needed color and clarity back into her eyes.

The ocean came alive with shades of blue. The strong, tall, brown earthen walls sparkled in the evening sun, where carvers were engraving the emblem of the Hero's Nation into the walls. Laughter and smiles were shown on everyone's faces, including that of the knights they came across.

Some of them did recognize Melty, despite the illusion magic and change of dress. Some of them definitely recognized her Mother despite her disguise. But they just quickly looked the other way and found something else to do.

She asked her mother about it, and she raised a brow. "Did they not do the same when Luge ordered them to do so for your birthdays in the past?"

…

…

Melty stared at her in awe. Her saying that brought to her mind the few times it happened in the past when she was with Aultcray. She'd been so certain their disguises back then bad been fool proof.

No, the knights knew. They just knew better than to get in the way of the Royals spending quality time together.

Such good men and women… all of them…

…

The young girl lost track of how many times she hugged her mom throughout the day. Of the things they talked about. At the number of times, they held each other's hands and cried and laughed over the smallest things.

It was probably more than what they'd done together their entire lives. Where she'd known nothing but her mother the Queen, and her role as the Princess and future Queen.

"As for Melromarc, the kingdom is doing better than ever. We recently welcomed a priest from the Four Heroes Church in the newly renovated Church, and your Father and I plan on listening to his first sermon tomorrow.

"I also have documents ready to push for more trade between Melromarc and Siltvelt and possibly Shieldfreeden too, though I haven't heard back from Nelshen yet."

At this point, the sun had set in the evening sky.

Melty found herself and her mother walking towards the front gates of the town. Mirellia, with a smile on her face, was informing her of some of the good things going on in Melromarc. It'd been a fantastic day. The best day either of them had experienced in a long, long time.

Melty didn't speak, but part of her knew, their time together was about to come to an end.

"And Aultcray…" Mirellia smiled warmly. "I'll make sure to remind him to finish his turn when I go back.

"But just so you know, he was considering taking your bishop last time we talked about it. So plan accordingly."

Melty giggled into her hands. For another brief moment, she felt like a little kid again. Her smile was contagious, and matched her mother's.

Her… mother's… her real mother's smile…

"Melty?" Mirellia asked, this time in concern. "Is there something wrong?"

"No." Melty forced herself to smile again. "Nothing's wrong. I'm…"

…

…

Melty trailed off.

Mirellia was looking down at her daughter with concern on her face. It wasn't the fake look in her eyes she used while she hid her face behind a fan to pretend in front of other nations either.

Melty had seen this look a few times in her life. Though the most recent she could recall was when they were in Faubley, and the pair had managed to get out of another assassination attempt together that was a little too close for comfort.

The look that the Queen had on her face as she examined Melty for injuries back then was the same one she had right now.

"... … Mom, I… I know you probably have to get going soon, but…" Melty looked down at the cobblestone street beneath her feet. "But can you please… come with me to one last place?" The bluette asked in a small, quivering voice.

"... of course." Mirellia nodded. "Lead the way."

…

Melty did so, hesitantly taking her mother back through the town in the direction of the beach.

A large part of her felt tempted to take a detour here or there. To extend the time they'd have together. But… the other part of her knew how important her mother's time was. Knew just how valuable this day she'd taken off was.

She knew that by tomorrow, Mirellia would be back home. Running her country and working on behalf of her people to make their lives better. Just like Melty was doing here. In fact, she was probably going to see about implementing some of what the Heroes did here to improve the lives of the people in her kingdom.

She couldn't ask her to sacrifice more of her time for that. Perhaps, with all the work she took running this small land, she came to truly understand in part what it meant to rule…

…

As the pair neared the beach, Melty took the path to the left. Walking on and on up a certain hill, until they were in the midst of a group of houses, overlooking the growing town below.

"..." Mirellia was silent as they stopped in front of Naofumi's house.

…

Melty stared at the foot of the door for a moment. Part of her wondered if Eclair would be inside or not. She didn't know if her presence would make things easier for her, or...

…

Melty breathed in and opened the door. Stepping inside with her mother.

Simultaneously, Shadow's illusion spell released, revealing the two as they were.

Mirellia and Melty entered the living room. The Queen's eyes widened slightly, seeing her daughter trembling in front of her.

Melty didn't stop at the entrance, however. Instead, she stopped at the stairway leading up… up to her old room, and…

…

…

"Dear, I'm sorry to ask, but… do you still have trouble sleeping?" Mirellia asked in a soft tone.

At Melty looking back at her with a shocked expression, Mirellia frowned just a little. "Shadow told me that much. I just didn't…"

"Mo… Mama…" Melty said in a trembling, vulnerable voice. Unable to say more, she simply nodded her head.

"..." Mirellia held her daughter by the hand. "Do you want me to help you up?"

Tears leaked from the girl's eyes. A large part of her wanted to say no. To run away from there. To scream and destroy Naofumi's old room. There was a hodgepot of different things she wanted to convey, almost all of them negative.

But in the midst of all that, Melty wanted help. So, through great force of will, she managed to get herself to nod, even as more tears trailed down the sides of her face.

…

Without a word, Mirellia lifted her daughter in her arms. Carrying her as if she weighed as little as a baby.

Melty buried her face in her Mom's dress as they ascended the stairs for the first time since the familiar's attack on the town.

Melty's body trembled harder and harder with each step. She hugged her mom tightly as sobs forced their way through her throat.

She couldn't bear to look around. To see where she was going. To see what she was doing.

And yet, despite that, being held by her mom… felt so comforting…

…

Before she knew it, Mirellia set her daughter's feet down on the floor. And gently, ever so gently, turned her around so she could see the room they were standing in.

A thin layer of dust covered the surface of the two beds, one small and rectangular, the other big and messy, like a giant bird's nest full of pillows and blankets. Dust covered the lone table in the corner, as well as over the carpet and toys left on the floor.

Melty knelt and picked up one such toy. It was something she'd brought from her old room in the castle. A small Filolial plushie her parents had gotten her for one of her early birthdays years ago.

A wave of fresh tears came to her eyes, not because of the toy, but because of the small hairpin that'd been lying on the floor next to it.

It was Filo's. It lay outside a chest of shiny rocks and trinkets her best friend had collected from all her travels.

These were their first gifts from their parents. They were almost worthless in the eyes of others, but to the two young girls, they were priceless treasures.

And here they'd been, lying on the ground, gathering dust after their small family fell apart.

After Naofumi yelled at her. After he said all those horrible things. And after she met him again. After she said all those terrible things.

Melty fell to her knees.

Mirellia wrapped her arms around her daughter again. Resting the bluette's head on her bosom as the little girl sobbed and reeled from the pain.

This hurt. More, far more than last time when it was just her and Eclair. This hurt far more than anything the young girl had ever experienced. Not even her older sister trying to kill her had hurt her this deeply.

"I've been trying mama! I've been trying to forgive Naofumi for what he did that day! But I CAN'T!

I JUST CAN'T FORGET WHAT HE SAID! I CAN'T STOP HATING HIM NO MATTER WHAT I TRY!

"E-" Melty hiccupped. The action quieted her voice down from the hysteric tone it'd taken, but it was still filled with as much, if not more pain as she continued with what she was saying. "Every night, his words haunt my dreams. And every day, I throw myself into different projects, into different studies and preparations and work to distract myself and hope that it'll make the bad thoughts go away, but they won't go away!

"Today has been the best it's ever been, and they still popped up from time to time! I just-

"I can't forget! I can't forgive Naofumi for what he said because… because…

"Because… he told me the truth… that others wouldn't…

"That I came from a dysfunctional family… and was just trying to insert myself into his and forgetting about the problems I had under you and Father.

…

…

"I hate him for it. And more than that, I hate him for making me hate you for realizing he was right."

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

The silence that stretched after that was long. Too profound. Only filled by the sounds of Melty's tears landing against the floor, her sobs having long since run their course.

It was as if she'd died again on the inside. All the color was leeched from her world, leaving herself a picture of blacks and greys.

Melty had confronted the main reason why she couldn't enter the house before. Why, until then, she'd avoided going upstairs, sleeping in her old room… everything.

Because as much as she hated it, as much as she hated him… Naofumi was right.

She had tried to insert herself into his family. She had tried to be their daughter alongside Filo.

Perhaps, at first, it had been motivated by her wanting to always have Filo around. She loved Filolials almost to an unhealthy degree, just like her mother…

But then… seeing a side of life she'd known next to nothing about before, and seeing how great it was… she'd wanted to live like this. She'd wanted this to be her family.

Loving and caring Raphtalia. Sweet and innocent Filo. Grumpy, and rough, yet kind, and nice Naofumi.

To be able to wake up with a set of parents who loved and cherished her. To have a sister who loved everything about her. To have things like love, affection, hugs, bedtime stories, etc be a part of her everyday life, and not just something that happened once in a blue moon whenever Mirellia allowed her the time to be around her Father instead of neck-deep in her studies.

…

…

A large part of her was scared that life would never happen again. That, after Naofumi came back… things would never return back to normal.

That it'd turn out that Filo didn't want to be her best friend after all. That Raphtalia wouldn't be able to love and care for her because of what she said to Naofumi… that she'd never get to see the kind side to Naofumi's persona ever again after telling him to fall into a ditch and die.

Melty's tears continued to fall, not only because she was finally confronting the truth, but because she was confronting it in front of her own mother. The Queen of Melromarc. The one woman whom she respected more than anyone else. Who hadn't meant to harm her daughter with the way she raised her, but who was also ultimately to blame for why Melty wanted to join a different family in the first place.

Because very rare were the times Mirellia was her mother in private. Even rarer were the times she acted that way around others. Today was an anomaly in that regard, an effort for her mother to reach out and build something that just… couldn't be built in a day.

Not when it was something Melty had needed her entire life.

…

Judging by the sounds hitting the floor, it wasn't just Melty's tears landing on the ground. And it only made the bluette hurt worse as this time, she was sure her mother was hurt to the core because of her words.

…

…

…

Melty finally let Mirellia go, falling to her knees in the middle of the room. "I'm… I'm sorry, mother… I didn't mean to say it like that.

"I never wanted to make you cry because of me…"

…

…

"I'm… I'm sorry too. I really am a failure as a parent. Time and time again. I always just make things worse whenever I try to make things better." Mirellia knelt in front of her daughter. One of her hands smoothed out a lock of hair on her head. One which she'd helped to wash with her own hands earlier. "Words cannot express how sorry I am…"

…

Mirellia took in a deep breath. "Melty… do you… remember the first lesson I engraved in you as a child?" The Queen asked.

"... that our lives are to be lived in the service of our country," Melty answered, in an almost monotone, robotic voice.

"... How old were you when I engraved that lesson upon your mind. Not as your Mother, but as the Queen of Melromarc."

"... five," Melty answered, tears pricking the edges of her eyes again.

"And for these last seven to eight years, did I ever teach you anything outside of politics. Of how to hold yourself around others. To, and I quote, be the perfect little diplomat for Melromarc."

"Did I ever teach you about love? About family? Was I ever the one to broach those topics with you instead of your Father?"

"..."

"It's okay. You don't need to say anything.

"I already know the answer." Mirellia looked down sadly.

Funny, how she could be a parental figure for others, but fail so horribly with her children.

…

"... you taught me… about how wonderful Filolials are." Melty started.

Mirellia looked up at her daughter in surprise. But the words she said were only the start. "You… showed me the world, and how big it was.

"You encouraged me to study, so that I'd be knowledgeable enough to help others. You helped me learn magic, so I'd be able to protect myself when you couldn't.

"You infused my lessons with knowledge on the various legends you knew and loved. You taught me about the history of our world, of our lineage to the Heroes of the past.

"You knew about the times Dad would sneak me out of the castle to experience life in the eyes of a commoner, yet you didn't stop him from doing so. You kept dad from spoiling me too much like he did with Malty, but you didn't cut me out of his life entirely.

"I… I wish that you could have been more of a mother for me growing up. That our time together hadn't just been lessons and roleplays for encounters with other nations. I wish so much you could have dropped everything for at least a day like today a lot sooner so I could call you mama and let you know how much I loved you and papa. So that I could have confidently told Naofumi that day when he turned my world upside down that he was wrong, that you did love me, and…"

Melty began to cry harder at those words, hiding her face in her hands.

"And that you could have had the security of having a family to go back to after the new one you made had fallen apart," Mirellia muttered.

Melty nodded, unable to speak as she continued crying.

…

"Melty, for this lesson I'm going to impart to you now, I want you to take it from me not as Her Majesty, not as Mirellia Q. Melromarc, but as your mother." The woman started while looking out of the window of the room. At the stars slowly appearing in the nighttime sky.

"Forgiveness can mean many things, and can take on many forms. The one form it never takes, however, is in forgetting what happened in the past.

"Sometimes, that naturally happens when we forgive somebody, but not always. Sometimes, it is impossible to forget, especially when the pain is so traumatizing for us to bear at the time."

…

Mirellia gently pulled Melty's hands from her face, allowing her daughter to see the tears falling down the Queen's cheeks before she then wiped the bluette's tears away with her hand. "We both know the things Naofumi said that day that were false. I have forgotten those things already.

"... But I still remember the things he said that were true. The things I had to confront before I could bring myself to forgive him, to try and forgive myself. Before I could come here to see you."

"M-Mother?" Melty said quietly.

"No, not yet. As your mother, I want to make sure you learn this. I know what your Father has said on it, so I will try to not repeat his words, but it is important that you learn this Melty, not just because it'll be important as a ruler, but because this is a skill you'll need to have in your personal life.

"I have not forgiven Naofumi totally. I'm not at that point yet. That will come after he comes back, and after I see what he says and what he does to make it up to you for burdening you with so much pain." Mirellia continued.

Melty swallowed. She still felt too scared, too uncertain to imagine what'd happen after Naofumi came back. Especially with the way she'd been acting for the last few weeks.

"... I say this because I love you, Melty." Mirellia sighed. "But to forgive is to learn how to let go of the pain others cause you."

"... but, mother, I can't forget-" Melty began to say.

Clap!

Mirellia slapped her hands together, the sharp sound stopping Melty in surprise. "Forgiveness is not forgetting." The mature woman repeated, her voice putting anger and emphasis on those two words. "It has never been, nor will it ever be about forgetting.

"Only fools would think to combine the two so haphazardly! It would be too cruel to ever ask anyone to do something as horrible as that in regards to all their past hurts and traumas!"

…

…

"Melty…" Mirellia's voice had calmed, but her entire body began to tremble. "Do… do you remember your older brother 'Luge'?"

…

…

"…?!" Melty looked confused at first, but then, her eyes widened in recognition. "W-Why are you bringing him-"

"Do you remember him?" Mirellia's face fell further, but she pressed on.

"Of course I do, but why? I thought that was something you didn't want anyone to ever bring up because… because of…?" Melty trailed off.

"Because of how he died?" Mirellia supplied.

Melty gulped but nodded her head.

…

…

…

…

…

Strange, for a woman that always looked so young, it was like Mirellia was rapidly aging before the young girl's eyes. "I ordered his name to be erased out of historic records and forbade anyone of ever speaking of him or how he died under threat of execution back then.

"I had my reasons. We could not afford another war so soon. And more than anything, I was stricken with deep grief at the time.

"Now, please, allow me to personally tell you exactly what happened that day. So that you may understand why I was wrong and why it is important to never forget."

Mirellia proceeded to tell her daughter a story.

It'd been around a decade since the end of the war. Siltvelt and Melromarc were still rebuilding relations between each other. To help with that, Siltvelt sent one of their noble family's sons to stay at the castle while Mirellia sent her son to stay at the palace in Siltvelt's capital.

Things had been going well. Aultcray had gone from wanting to exterminate the hakuko to acting like he never wanted to see them or other demi-humans ever again.

Even though her husband tried to act to the contrary, he had been healing, thanks to interacting with the demiboy who'd shown such an interest in his magic. And to try and help things along, Mirellia had organized a dinner with both sides so she could show her husband how their son had bonded with their demi-human friends, and how he and the demi-boy were the best of friends to each other.

…

…

"As you may recall, during that dinner, a rare poison was slipped into your brother's drink." Mirellia said in a deadpan. "I learned after the fact that it was an old, far deadlier variation of Ouroboros Poison, one only talked about in legends from ancient history books on Zeltoble, believed to have been from around the time it was founded by a past Hero of the Axe."

"This variation was thought to have been completely exterminated beneath Zeltoble's Capital centuries ago," Mirellia continued. "I have no idea how a trace of it survived, or how it got into the assassin's hands, regardless, the Ouroboros Poison was smuggled into the castle and slipped into Luge's drink before the main course had come out."

Even just hearing the name, Melty felt a shudder go down her spine. The name of that poison was tied to many, many evil things that'd happened in the history of their world.

"As you may recall from my lessons, Ouroboros poison is the most dangerous poison in existence. Only Yggdrasil's Elixir, consumed in the first ten seconds after ingestion, is enough to survive the poison, and only in scenarios where the person ingested an amount no larger than a single drop. Otherwise, the victim is doomed to die, no matter what spells or medicines are used on them. Such poisons were said to even be used to assassinate past Heroes in the height of their power."

…

Mirellia breathed in deeply. "The use of this poison is outlawed by every nation, and alchemists discovered to be making it in the modern era are killed without mercy and without hesitation whenever and wherever they are found out.

"Any writings pertaining to how to make Ouroboros Poison are burned to ensure the knowledge of how to create it is unable to spread."

"The variation of it that was used that day, however… was worse. Far worse. It is less a poison and more so an infection. One that not only kills whoever ingests it but changes their body into a monster that seeks out other victims to infect after the host body is dead."

"I… I did not know it at the time… there was no chance of saving Luge. He was gone before any of us could realize what was happening."

…

…

Mirellia could still recall the moment when it happened. When her son crumbled over in his chair, screaming in pain for his parents as his body writhed and changed. Growing larger and larger before everyone's eyes.

His lovely, silver hair was consumed by pulsating sacks of flesh. His stumpy legs and arms grew many times beyond their size. His clothes ripped and tore as sores leaking puss appeared all over his flesh.

A single large mouth appeared where his stomach had been, lined with hideous, blackened, yellow teeth. This abomination roared for sustenance soon after it'd appeared.

One of the Council Members, a lion therianthrope, ran towards the former Luge. Yelling the boy's name with a look of worry on his face.

The next second, the lion man was on the ground, screaming as his arm had been bitten off. Chewed up in the former prince's monstrous mouth.

Two knights, one Melromarcian, and the other Siltveltian, both ran up to try and help the gravely injured Councilman when Luge tackled one, biting his face off. As his Siltveltian counterpart turned and stared in horror, the former lion man on the ground rose and, with the new mouth sporting out of his rapidly growing grotesque chest, tore into the man's neck with wild abandon.

Mirellia hadn't even been able to react as all this happened. She'd just stared in stunned horror as the twisted remains of her son stood from the knight he'd just infected, and jumped in her direction to infect his mother.

Waiters ran in terror. The rest of the Council of Siltvelt backed away in fright. Little Melty was cowering behind her mother, the remaining Shadows and Knights in the room all moved to try and stop the sudden threat to the rulers, and yet, Mirellia just stood there, unable to tear her eyes away from what was happening.

Luge… her young, little Luge…

…

It was as the monster that had been her son was about to tackle her and bite down on her shoulder that someone reacted in time to protect her.

And that someone had been her husband, the Staff Hero. Aultcray Melromarc. 

Aultcray's Vassal Staff slammed into the creature's maw with enough force to send it flying back into the center of the table. Mirellia looked up, seeing her husband standing protectively in front of her.

"Everyone, stand back! My weapon is telling me that one scratch is all it takes for these creatures to turn you into them!" Aultcray planted his Staff on the tiled floor.

The three other infected individuals roared in his direction. The former bodies of the two knights and Council Member charged to feast upon the Wise King.

"Drifa Bind IV!" Rods of earth suddenly shot up out of the ground, wrapping themselves around the charging monstrosities. Despite the powerful binds, they struggled to break them and were already succeeding.

On top of that, Aultcray's former son was trying to get back up. The horrible screeching was still coming from his remains.

The King blinked tears from his eyes as words rapidly fell from his lips, each one blurring into one another as he put together the puzzle in his mind.

Mirellia still sat in stunned shock. Her knights and Shadows surrounded her and Melty, pulling them back at the King's orders as the monstrosities struggled forward to infect the Wise King.

Little Melty reached out an arm, screaming for her older brother. Mirellia gasped, Luge's name finally coming to her lips as a storm cloud formed above the castle itself.

Aultcray brought his fist down. "Wrath of the Lightning God, V!"

CRACK! BOOM!

And just like that, a huge streak of lightning came into existence. The ears of everyone there were hit by the sound of the lightning bolt's appearance well before their eyes got what they were seeing seared to their brains.

The hairs of everyone stood on end. The explosion of power rocked the very foundations of the castle itself.

…

…

…

For the longest while, Mirellia couldn't stop coughing. Her ears rang worse than they ever had on any battlefield she'd been on during the war. And the taste of ozone wouldn't leave her mouth.

When the ringing finally began to fade, she heard the sound of someone screaming.

Looking up, she saw the ceiling above the dining hall had been completely blown out. Bits of rubble had fallen everywhere, but somehow, not around Mirellia and little Melty, who was shaking and crying while attached to her mother's leg under her robes.

Some of Mirellia's knights and Shadows were helping the remaining members of Siltvelt's Council up to their feet. Others looked at the demi-humans in disgust or had their weapons levied towards them as if waiting for war to be declared on the spot.

But when Mirellia discovered who it was that was screaming, her heart froze in her chest.

The monster that had been Luge Melromarc, as well as the three individuals whom he'd infected, had been entirely incinerated at the hands of his Father. All of them were destroyed so thoroughly that no one else would be infected by the rare strain of Ouroboros Poison that'd consumed the young boy in both body and soul.

The threat that could have consumed their country and then their world had been completely eradicated.

Aultcray had fulfilled his duty as a Hero.

And the man who'd lost so much in his life didn't look like he could have hated himself more than he had in that moment. Screaming and crying over the ashes containing what had been his son, Luge.

Mirellia continued to tremble as Melty stared at her, new tears forming in the Queen's eyes.

The young girl recalled what her Father had said before about forgiving Naofumi. About letting their hatred for others die.

She then recalled from her memory of that event, how even through her cries, she heard her Father's screams. How she poked out from under Mirellia's cloak, only to see her Father throw the Vassal Staff that'd been connected to his person for so many years away from his hands, how the Seven-Star Weapon vanished into thin air as the King's sobs turned into cries of rage, and promises to never fight on behalf of the world that'd taken everything from him ever again.

"Please, I'd rather, our enmity with demi-humans… our enmity with the Shield Hero… died, with the man who was once your father…"

…

Melty's body trembled as she came to understand in no small part just how hard it'd been for her Father to say those words to her.

"Why… why are you telling me all this?" Melty asked in a weak voice.

"Do you think I've forgotten what happened that day?" Mirellia's face darkened. "Do you think your Father has forgotten it either?

"Do you think any of us could ever forget something like that?"

…

No. She didn't say it out loud, but Melty's face said it all for her.

"That demi-child who'd stayed with us… the one who'd been good friends with Luge…" Mirellia continued. By this point, her body had stopped trembling. Her hands shook from a rage she could hardly contain. "After spending some time in the dungeon, he confessed to being the one who slipped the poison into Luge's drink. And Aultcray personally executed him in front of a large crowd right after he confessed, without wanting to hear anything else from the young boy…"

"I still recall how scared he was. How destroyed… for all I know, perhaps he did put the poison in Luge's drink. But even if he did, I don't think he knew what it actually was. That it was somebody else who told him to do so."

"... … …"

Mirellia hadn't been able to react to anything going on at the time. Those days were a blur for her as she tried to hold her own emotions together and not give into the motherly rage that would have kickstarted another war.

She couldn't put her hand on little Melty's head to try and comfort her. She couldn't hug her husband, who raged and cried for many nights, having lost the Staff because he no longer wished to protect the world that'd taken not just his family, not just his sister, but his own son.

The loss of the Staff was one of the 'sole' reasons Melromarc's nobility didn't force Mirellia to declare war on Siltvelt at the time, and why the Queen managed to restrain her anger from going that far. Having to be satisfied with the execution of one demi-child who'd 'confessed' to the horrible crime.

The whole of Melromarc was in mourning over the loss of the crown prince. Mirellia had no idea what to do… how to let go of that all-consuming pain that'd filled her being to the brim.

…

The one thing… the only thing that kept the Queen herself from deciding to declare war, from fully blaming Siltvelt for her son's death, for making the connection that the demiboy couldn't have known what he was slipping into his friend's drink, was when she saw her eldest daughter. In the aftermath of Luge's death, and again at his funeral.

Malty did not look sad. She did not look apathetic. She did not look depressed. She showed no negative emotions whatsoever.

Instead, she was smiling.

From the moment he transformed into a monster to when his ashes were cleansed and laid to rest, she was smiling the whole time with delight whenever Mirellia saw her.

And then, when that demi-child was taken out of the dungeons and executed by Aultcray in front of a whole crowd of people, Mirellia spotted Malty amongst the crowd, surrounded by other young nobles, laughing in triumph to herself.

…

And that was when Mirellia realized, that the only other person that could have ascended to the throne despite being a man had been eliminated.

And Malty had gotten away with it.

…

"But… but if you knew the truth, then why-" Melty managed to speak, only to get cut off.

"Because I feared what it would do to our family. To Aultcray, to me, to you. To our name. To our positions if the truth came out. But more than anything, I was afraid of facing the truth that one of my daughters was a kinslayer. That she'd endangered the entire world all because she'd wanted the throne for herself.

"So instead, I tried to forget. To pretend that nothing happened. That I was just paranoid and that this really was an assassination done by Siltvelt.

"I grit my teeth. I sent your sister away to Faubley and made sure that she would only have limited contact with you. I didn't allow you to spend a lot of time with your Father. I tried to act as if nothing was wrong.

"In short, I made a mistake. I made many mistakes."

Mirellia put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Her body still trembled from a rage that was buried in the depths of her very soul. The rage of a mother who'd never been able to properly mourn the loss of a beloved son, and who'd never gotten the chance to bring the real perpetrator of his death to justice.

Which was why that rage was accompanied by great pain. Pain that she could never, ever, hope to forget. And maybe never even move past it, because of who was responsible for it. Yet despite that…

"Melty. Forgiveness is about allowing life to go on. To not let the mistakes of the past stay caught up in the present. To realize that there are still things to hold onto before life is consumed by a torrent of hate, pain… and immeasurable regrets."

Mirellia sniffled, her rage dissipating to sadness. "I regret many things, Melty… how I raised your older sister… the fate Luge suffered… how I didn't try to save that child and learn the truth… how I couldn't comfort Aultcray after all the loss he'd suffered… … … how I raised you with the sole purpose of replacing me… to put my country and my people on the right path in case I failed…

…

…

…

"I regret many things… I don't know if I could ever make up for being such a horrible mother to you and your two siblings… …

… … …

"... … … but, the one thing I will never regret, is giving birth to someone as great as you, my daughter."

Melty began to cry again, and Mirellia hugged her youngest close. She rubbed a hand through her daughter's hair as she continued to speak.

"I told you before that I wanted you here in the Hero's Nation to gain experience in ruling, Melty. I also told you I wanted you here since it was where you'd be the safest… but the main reason why I wanted you here was because I wanted you to experience a life I could never give you.

"I wanted you to have the chance to make genuine friends. To form deep connections with the people and the Heroes, especially Naofumi and his family. I wanted you to experience something of a normal life. Something I was never able to give you in Melromarc. And something that I still can't give you now, since I am still bound by my duty to my people.

"I am so sorry that I haven't been more selfish in raising you. That I haven't taken the time to sit with you and talk with you and hug you and… do all the things a mother should do for their daughter.

"I hope that what I've said hasn't been in vain. That I'm not helping you to confront this pain only to be disappointed upon Naofumi's return. I do hope you'll meet the Shield Hero I met after the battle with the Spirit Tortoise, the one I can no longer hate since he has changed for the better, and who'll want to protect you and everyone else he cares about for the rest of his life, and not the bastard he portrayed himself as before.

"Because if he staged it all for me, if he hasn't changed and did all that acting to get back in my good graces, just so he'd have the chance to try and hurt you again...

"I won't care anymore. I will kill him myself. Even if I have to seek out a batch of Ouroboros Poison to do it, I will make certain that he suffers for betraying you before he dies, the Gods so help me."

…

…

Hearing her mother speak with such wrath on her behalf, Melty gulped.

"I'll… I'll try to let go of the pain, mama." The bluette finally promised. "I don't know if I can, but I'll try."

"When Naofumi comes back, I… I'll see what will happen then. But I promise that I won't run away or try to hide or hurt him or anything.

"I'll try… I'll try to move past what happened and not hate him, or you, Mama."

…

…

"... thank you, Melty." Mirellia sighed. Her daughter spoke with no anger in her tone.

Indeed, Melty was far better than her own mother. Mirellia knew she'd grow to be a far better person than she ever was.

Melty continued to cry, embraced in the arms of her mother.

…

The bluette had no idea how long it took till the tears stopped. Or when it was that she fell asleep.

All she knew was that after a while, she began to hear a familiar lullaby. One she remembered hearing as a kid, when her Papa put her to bed every night.

"When one person loves another,

"What do they lose in return?"

Melty felt as she was laid on a soft surface. A familiar fragrance filled her nose, bringing relief to her mind. The tiredness and weariness of the last few weeks caught up to her within seconds.

Yet, even as she drifted off into sleep, the voice of her mother followed her into her dreams. Full of care and love, just like when she was a small child.

"When time seeks, what was lost in time…

"The song it knew…"

…

…

"I love you, Melty."

…

…

…

"... elty…"

…

"-elty? Melty!"

The bluette sat up in surprise.

As she rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes, she saw a heavily breathing figure standing in the doorway.

"Eclair?" Melty asked confusedly.

"Oh, thank the Gods! I couldn't find you anywhere after the sun went down! I was starting to wonder if you'd gone into the forest to vent against the monsters there again! But a group of knights you'd been talking to in the town hall said you'd just vanished after sunset, and no one was able to find where you'd gone, and…" The rose-haired knight sighed with relief.

"Well, I'm just glad to see that you were safe."

"... …" Melty looked around the dark room. Pulling up the blanket that'd been tucked around her.

She then realized. She was lying in the middle of Filo's bird nest of a bed.

Looking down at herself, she found she was still dressed in the commoner clothes from last night. The front of her chest was still stained from the cherry tomato that'd fallen onto the fabric.

Her tongue flicked out over her lips, tasting the remnants of dinner from last night, as well as the salt from all the tears she'd shed.

…

It hadn't been a dream.

…

Looking out the window, Melty saw the night had gone. The light of dawn was beginning to show its face on the edge of the horizon. A bird was chirping outside her window.

And already, she could hear Granny's voice in the distance. Likely berating the Spear Hero while she sparred with one of her favorite pupils.

Had she slept through the whole night? In her and Filo's old bed no less?

No nightmares? No tossing and turning? She'd actually gotten a full night's sleep?

"Melty, is everything alright? I… now that I think about it, I thought you didn't want to be up here." Eclair said in an unsure voice. "Did something happen?"

…

Melty still didn't answer her. She was still looking around the room. Taking in where she was, what had happened last night.

The hugs they'd shared. The tears they'd shed. Attempting to make up for almost ten years of being emotionally distant from each other in one day.

And more than that, the fact that she was able to see everything in color again. Without a speck of grey clouding her mind.

…

…

The Lady Governor of the Hero Nation looked up at her confused protector, giving her a real, genuine smile. "Thanks for letting me sleep in your room till now, Eclair. But I've decided that I'll be sleeping here from now on.

"The bed's softer than yours. And, as I found out, it still smells like my best friend."

"H-Huh?" Eclair looked startled.

Melty got up out of bed. Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. But, this time, they were not tears of pain or sadness. Of regret or loathing.

"Thank… thank you so much for watching over me these last few weeks, Eclair! I really appreciate it!" Melty ran from her bed, wrapping her arms around the sword woman's waist.

"You're a great friend. And I'll always remember what you did to help me out!"

…

Eclair continued to look surprised, her mind struggling to process what was happening. It probably didn't help that she'd pulled an all-nighter trying to find where the young ruler had gone.

Melty continued to smile though as she let go of and walked past the stunned knight, running out to get herself ready for the day.

…

Eclair finally snapped back to reality and started smiling. She didn't know what had happened to Melty last night, and her tired mind couldn't bring herself to think about it too much.

But what she did know was that Melty was happy. The small bluette was safe, and beyond that, she finally looked better for the first time since Naofumi burned bridges with her and everyone else long ago.

The rose-haired knight ran down to her room, where she promptly collapsed in her bed for the first time in weeks. She got a quick power nap in so she'd be able to best serve the Lady Governor after she'd bathed and changed. The dutiful knight was then up and ready by sunrise when Melty began going around with renewed vigor, tackling the challenges thrown at her that day.

There were various projects she was working on. The knights she interacted with. The refugees she spoke to and the people she lent a hand to and helped.

There was a time when she was asked for clarification on a law. There was also a time when she had to help resolve a property dispute.

She took a break after that and sat and watched as Jerry taught an impatient Blue about his craft. Her break didn't last long as she drew up plans for the fountain in front of the Church and talked with Jerry afterward to see about getting it implemented, as well as making arrangements with the florist to make sure he had a variety of flowers ready to plant around its circumference by the time it was finished.

Melty traveled to the settlement of New Seaetto after that. Talking with the knights and people there in discussing a layout for the city, the surrounding farmland, several large storage buildings to get kickstarted on her idea of setting up easier trade inland, before returning to Lurolona and grabbing a shovel so she could start digging holes for the saplings she wanted to plant along the sides of the roads.

She labored alongside Eclair and the other knights who wanted to help her. Each individual wanted to contribute to the building up of the Hero's Nation alongside their young ruler. More than that, they wanted to support Melty in what she was doing. To alleviate her burden, even if only just a little bit.

Because even a commoner could understand a little in part what it took for a benevolent ruler to run a nation.

Melty hadn't forgiven Naofumi for what he'd said that day. Not yet, at least. She was going to wait till he came back and she got to see him again before she made a decision…

But the young princess was no longer afraid of what'd happen after the Shield Hero, Raphtalia, and Filo came home. She did not feel afraid of knowing whether or not Filo wanted to be her best friend, or if Raphtalia would be there for her as her surrogate mother figure. Or if she'd want to accept Naofumi as a surrogate father again or not.

A part of her still hated him. A part of her still hated herself and maybe her mother. But that hatred wasn't as large and all-consuming as it'd been before. It did not drown out the love or care the bluette held in her soul for those around her, including Mirellia.

Whether she'd rejoin the Shield's Family or move into the government building to put distance between herself and the Heroes, she didn't know…

As the Governor of the Hero's Nation came back into her old room later in the day to wash and change into her commoner clothes so she could dig holes alongside the knights without ruining her royal dress, she finally noticed something else about the room.

All the dust had been wiped off of everything. Her Filolial plushie lay right next to the pillow she'd been sleeping on earlier, while Filo's hairpin and other toys were resting in their chest.

As well as that, Melty's chessboard was back on the table, the pieces set up to resume where they'd left off.

…

What Melty did know was this: even if things didn't work out, even if she didn't rejoin this family here, even… if she couldn't be best friends with Filo, she already had two parents. Parents who loved her and cared for her with all their hearts and souls.

They couldn't always be there for her, unfortunately, and the two of them weren't the best at parenting.

But ultimately, they wanted what was best for their daughter so she could live her best life. Happy, and unrestrained by events of the past.

Melty smirked. 'So you actually thought you could steal my bishop, father? Alright, I'll show you how big a mistake that'll be!'

Melty hummed as she planned her next move. She would move one of the black pawns on her side forward a space to cover her bishop, while also opening up a path for one of her pieces that she'd been planning to use in an attack on her father's King. She then went to go about the rest of her day.

She couldn't wait for her next turn.

…

At the end of it all, one thing was clear.

Melty was now emotionally better, and ready for the Shield Hero and his friends to return home.

"Your Grace, if I may speak."

"You may."

Mirellia sat in her carriage, the walls of the Capital loomed in the distance. The sun was low in the morning sky.

She was dressed in her royal garbs again. Her signature fan rested on her lap. The short rest she'd taken during the night seemed to have been enough to reinvigorate her senses. Though, her eyes were still tinged with red from the tears she'd shed alongside her youngest daughter.

It'd been too long since she and Melty last had a heart to heart. She only regretted that she couldn't have weeks or months to stay and make sure she was ok.

In the present, the Queen focused on her Shadow and the conversation she'd initiated.

"Why didn't you warn your daughter about there being a possible traitor in her domain?" Shadow asked.

"..." Mirellia's lips remained straight as she pulled her fan up to cover the bottom half of her face. "Was there any reason for me to do that?"

"Because the other Shadows have concluded that the sons of those nobles were indeed being fed information by someone from inside the Hero's Nation. Though we still haven't determined who or how." Shadow said in a straightforward voice. "This said individual is also the likely perpetrator who's been tampering with all the Hero texts in or around Melromarc."

"..." Mirellia's fan stayed up. "I could have told her… but what good would it have done if I did.

"From what I gathered from your reports, I am certain she already knows of the danger herself, and has been trying to address it." It was one of the few things she could say she did right.

Her youngest daughter, unlike her eldest, was not an idiot.

"Perhaps, but then, was setting her on the path to work with the Shield Hero again truly that important?" Shadow asked.

…

…

"No. That was also not my reason for visiting. Had I not noticed how much she was hurting, I would have never brought it up.

"More so than that. I wanted to be there for her yesterday because I meant it when I said this to Naofumi." Mirellia snapped her fan shut, and gave her Shadow a serious look.

"I do not want my Melty to turn into another Malty."

…

…

Mirellia's voice nearly choked as she said her next words. "I have neglected giving my second daughter love for most of my life, out of fear she'd turn into her sister. And that has been my biggest mistake by far.

"For one day, just one, I wanted to make sure Melty knew that, before anything else, her mother loves her.

"If yesterday leads to her mending her relationship with Naofumi, if it leads to her being able to be happy and to experience what it's like having a family, I will be happier for it. But above all else, I wanted to make sure Melty never has to question if her own mother loves her or not ever again.

"No child should ever have to experience that…" The Queen felt horrible that she'd been responsible for something so cruel and reprehensible.

…

"I… I daresay, I'm sorry for broaching the subject." Shadow apologized, bowing her head as she did so.

"It is fine, Shadow." Mirellia set her fan on her lap again. "It is over now.

"What's done is done. There is nothing else I can do…"

…

"... My Gr… Mirellia, may I at least say something in regards to you and the young princess?" Shadow asked.

"Of course," Mirellia said.

"I think you did your best trying to raise her," Shadow said, no trace of a lie coming from her lips.

…

The words made the Queen look at her loyal spy. "I daresay, you weren't perfect. But whatever you might think about yourself, I know that you never meant to harm Melty. Even if you think you didn't, you still showed your love to her in ways only the two of you could understand. And I believe that Melty was aware of that too, and just needed to be reminded of it.

"You might not think you deserve to call yourself a mother. To be able to consider yourself her family. Indeed, I have met parents who do not deserve that title in the slightest. They are more abominable than even some monsters out there.

"But there is a difference between bad parenting and being a bad parent. You are nothing like those bad parents I've watched before. I know whatever thoughts you have, you never raised Melty with any ill intent in your heart.

"I know that with all my heart after all these years serving under you.

"I'm certain the other Shadows would agree with me on that matter. Correct?"

Looking around, a flurry of masked faces encompassed the pair from the shadows of the carriage. None of them spoke, but they nodded their heads as one, before returning back to their positions.

"It appears I am right," Shadow spoke calmly, looking to her liege once more.

…

…

"Shadow…" Mirellia spoke after a moment, her head facing the window again.

"Yes?"

"... Thank you," Mirellia muttered. A fresh tear fell down the visible side of her cheek.

Shadow caught the tear as it fell towards Mirellia's lap. She then gently swabbed the side of her liege's face with a piece of cloth.

"Of course." Shadow bowed her head once again before she sat back down.

…

…

…

"Have there been any reports of my first daughter from the ones meant to track her down?" Mirellia asked after a long moment.

"None, I'm afraid." Shadow shook her head.

Mirellia sighed. She looked twice her age after everything that'd happened. "If only I could find her."

…

Even after all this time, Mirellia never found out the truth of what happened that day.

Mirellia wanted, before anything else, to know if Malty had been responsible for the death of young Luge. Everything wrong with their family started from that day.

It was after that that Aultcray's hatred of demi-humans and the world finally consumed him, and he lost access to the Vassal Staff through his promise to never fight on behalf of the world ever again.

It was after that when Melty had her fifth birthday, and Mirellia decided to raise Melty strictly, completely different from what Malty had experienced as a young child.

It was after that when Mirellia sent Malty to Faubley, and eventually, chose to make Melty her heir over the first princess when she just couldn't bring herself to trust her first daughter or get her to change her ways.

Before, she'd been too afraid of destroying her family any further to confront her eldest about it. Even if she'd caught her that day in the Capital and had a slave crest put on her chest, Mirellia wouldn't have dared to ask an answer to such a question, fearing how it could have torn her family and her country apart even further.

But now, right now, when her family had nothing left that it could lose… when her people had all but forgotten what'd happened to their beloved prince… she wanted to know.

Before anything else, before death itself came for her, Mirellia needed to know if she'd been right to blame Malty for Luge's death all these years or not.

Or if her mistrust of Malty had been misplaced, and that it had been Siltvelt who killed her son all along, as all the evidence had pointed toward back then.

…

…

She didn't know if she'd be able to swallow her pride then. If she'd forgive Malty, or herself, in that scenario. If she'd give into hatred and join her husband on a crusade the likes of which the world had never seen, all to wipe out the last remnants of the demi-human's main national power.

Whatever happened, she needed to know.

She just needed to know so she could find peace with herself.

"So, Judas. Is there a particular reason why you decided to grab one of the Lurolona slaves in secret without consulting with me first?" A bald man with a robust physique began to speak in the poorly lit room. He wore a pristine white suit with a black dress shirt underneath and held a lit cigar in his meaty hands.

"You mean with all of us, right, Saxon?" A woman sitting next to the bulky bald man spoke next before taking a drag from her cigarette holder and then exhaling the smoke, adding to the lingering cloud of it in the air above them.

"I know what I said." Saxon grimaced and took a drag from his cigar before making a side glance at the woman. "We may be cooperating here, but it's still me who is in charge of rounding those brats up."

"Enough. Let's not get off topic." Another voice came from a different part of the smoking lounge. It belonged to a very thin pale man with elongated fingers. They almost resembled spider legs while clutching the ornate ivory pipe that the man was holding. "Judas, explain yourself."

All eyes in the room fell upon the old, intimidating man in charge of the Bookmakers Guild. Every other member of the City Council, with the exception of the head of the Merchant's Guild, was present.

Even when under the scrutiny of his peers, the old, imposing, scarred man smirked with confidence. "I received a tip about Councilman Hickwaal planning to attend a slave auction, and merely followed up on it since it was out of character for him to do such a thing.

"I didn't have time to gather the Council to discuss what to do. I simply acted as the rest of you would have when I realized he was buying a Lurolona child."

Most of the others in the room glared, but didn't try to argue. He was right, after all. The only one who disagreed was Councilman Ziro. However, he didn't speak, as he wished to just go back to his home for the night and knew it'd take longer if he spoke up about anything.

"How did he gain that knowledge though? Was it Deloukas?" Saxon narrowed his eyes.

"No, I already checked." Judas shook his head. "He had no involvement with that particular auction. The goods were all fresh captives. Refugees and the like. That's not one of his usual channels."

"One of us then?" Saxon glared mistrustfully at everyone else.

"..." "..." "..."

Almost every individual there looked at one another. Ziro, again, wasn't amongst them. To everyone else, it looked like he was tired of wasting his time there.

The man in the white suit then began to darkly chuckle. "No, of course not. We all are sensible people looking to benefit here. What's more likely is that it's my prized fighter who is at fault here." Mr. Saxon grinned before taking a drag from his cigar and exhaling the smoke in three perfect rings that floated forward and upwards. "After all, Larsazuna never was able to figure out what she and that Sir Bubba were talking about in private.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to feed him info in order to save one of her precious little brood."

"..." The eyebrows of the others began to furrow with worry, including Judas. "What shall we do about it then? The plan is to have Nadia execute Sir Bubba in the arena, correct?"

"Yes, I will make sure Nadia is plenty motivated to kill this measly gladiator." Mr. Saxon chuckled darkly before shaking off the ashes from the tip of his cigar

"You are talking about the 'measly' gladiator that obliterated your new favorite clown toy yesterday, is that correct?" The woman with the cigarette holder laughed haughtily.

The large, brutish man glared at her hatefully.

"Councilman Delilah is correct." The man with the deathly pale skin nodded. "Even if Nadia is motivated to kill him, we must account for the fact that she is possibly using Hickwaal's new gladiator to get more Lurolona brats back to the Hero's Nation."

"If that is what they are doing, then our biggest payday ever is in danger of being ruined." Judas raised his voice in agreement as well before looking everyone over. "We must ensure that if that is the case, we are ready for when Nadia tries to turn on us with Sir Bubba."

"... what are you suggesting, then?" Ziro finally spoke, if only to have them get to the point.

Judas grinned at the fat, most powerful man there finally speaking. "Why, I am so glad you asked, Councilman Ziro."

"Is that fat pig back yet?" Lesty complained.

"No," Mauld said in a bored tone. "Now shut up."

"Make me." The noble girl snarled.

Bitch continued to stew in her spot while her two cohorts bickered. She hadn't gotten to kill anything tonight, again. And by the looks of things, she wouldn't get to kill any other filthy demi creatures anytime soon.

"It's not fair! Why must they do this to me!" Bitch complained.

At her words, the two briefly stopped bickering to look at her. "I know, its so unfair, right Malty?!" Lesty fulfilled her role as Cheerleader #1.

"I just hope this grand fight the bigwigs are hyping up is worth having all the other fights being canceled." Mauld boredly crossed his arms.

Bitch obviously didn't care about said fight since she should have been the one executing more filthy Lurolona demis in the eyes of thousands. Oh, how it would have made the Heroes suffer if they only knew.

…

"You know what, let's go so we can see what this big fight is all about." Bitch decided. If these individuals were the reason why the spotlight had been taken from her yet again, then she'd add them to the list of people her boy toy could obliterate for her later after it was all said and done.

Hopefully, with her around to watch and laugh.

"Eh, sure. Might as well, am I right?" Lesty chuckled while again supporting her best friend.

"It could be useful. I think I could learn some fun ways to get back at Sir Itsuki since its a death match." Mauld smiled darkly.

"Oooh! A death match, you say?!" Bitch's interest suddenly piqued. If one of the individuals responsible for taking her time away was going to die, well then, that'd make the big fight a hundred- no, a MILLION times better!

She began to laugh evilly into her hand. My, she suddenly couldn't wait for the day of the fight to arrive all of a sudden.

A short, silver-haired girl lay in her makeshift bed. Looking between a variety of different needles on her person.

These needles had a special ability that allowed her to see and hear what was happening on the other end where the needle was placed.

On one, she saw from the needle she'd placed on her former sponsor's person, the Council discussing their plans for the big fight between Nadia and Sir Bubba.

On another, she heard one of the 'Speakers' she was tracking preaching to a crowd of individuals.

On yet another, she saw the 'Listener', talking to himself… or perhaps, it was one of those times when an anomaly appeared in the air next to him and he talked to it.

The girl focused on that needle, briefly listening for a moment before finding out the 'Listener' was only talking to himself once again.

"So quiet. So quiet again today. Why? Why? Why? Oh, angel, why must you torment me so? Why are you denying me your sweet voice again? Your guidance and wisdom! I am so eager to fulfill the will of the gods, but how can I do it when it's... so... QUIET!?"

...

"No, no, I am not upset. Never upset. I know my role. I know my place. I must remain patient. Yes, heeheehee, I will wait. I will wait as I always do. And when it's time, I will serve their will again. Hahahaha..."

They were her main reason for being here… besides the fact that the death matches against the monsters here gave the girl access to good exp and materials for new weapon forms in this world.

She put the 'Listener' needle away. If she could only track down her enemies through them…

…

As she was about to store the rest of her needles back in her weapon, the girl focused on the last one. The one she'd planted on her most recent opponent, Sir Bubba.

Or, as she'd come to learn from observing him, this world's Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura.

Motoyasu had been sparring with an older, frankly scary-looking lady when she checked on him earlier that day. Then, when she checked in a couple of hours later, she found that he was administering this world's miracle medicine to a small, bandaged tiger girl.

Now, she found him lying in bed, studying the needle she'd planted on his gambeson with a small, soft, hopeful smile on his face.

The girl blushed as she looked away. It was certainly a surprise that Motoyasu had found the needle on his person since nobody else besides her Sister had found them when she placed one on them. She normally did such a great job inserting it in a person's clothes or armor that nobody noticed.

Except he had.

…

She finally managed to get herself to look at Motoyasu again, only to find that his face had fallen. There was a look of great pain on his features.

The girl stared, the rest of her blush fading.

…

The Spear Hero sighed. When he spoke, it was as if the girl was standing next to him.

"I hope I meet her again… I know she was a gladiator fighting in those death pits…

"But I just can't get her out of my mind… I want to know why she had to do that… Why you were so strong? Maybe… ask if you'd want to fight alongside me…"

…

The girl was still staring, her face shocked at what she'd overheard when Motoyasu sighed. "Right, like when Rino wanted to fight by my side…"

…

…

A door opened in the background.

"Blondie, are you staring at the needle that Clown Girl gave you again?" Amber asked.

"N-No!" Motoyasu suddenly sat up in bed, putting the needle back in his gambeson.

"Blondie, you know Amber can tell when you're lying." Amber grinned as she lay down on the sheets next to her Hero.

As Motoyasu tried to defend himself, the girl put the needle back into her weapon. Keeping her from listening in on the rest of their private conversation.

The girl was blushing heavily again. Her heart was also beating erratically in her chest. This wasn't the first time she'd overheard his thoughts regarding her. But it still embarrassed her all the same!

It was honestly surprising that he thought about her a lot. In reality, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him too ever since their fight.

She tried to tell herself that it was because he'd been surprisingly strong. Or that she'd been curious if he was somehow connected to the Cult of the Waves… something she obviously didn't need to consider anymore, thankfully, since they hated the Cardinal Heroes with a passion.

But… even though she'd hidden the needle, she was still able to picture Motoyasu's handsome face in her mind. His sharp features, his charming smile… clashing with the pain hidden in his orange eyes.

It… reminded her…

S'yne looked down at the gemstone of her scissors sadly.

No, she shouldn't be distracted by something like this. Not when her world… her Hero… … …

She needed to keep moving. To hunt down those responsible for it. And…

…

The girl pulled the needle out one more time.

Amber was now giggling and was hugging her Hero from the side. Motoyasu was laughing as well, and his smile was wide and genuine.

The girl watched, a smile slowly forming on her own face. That sense of pain still seemed to linger in the Spear Hero's gaze, but it was also matched by a boundless love and warmth.

…

Maybe… after her business here was done… she'd figure out why she found one of the Heroes of this world so interesting.

After all, he had been pretty strong… and he was also handsome…

S'yne began to blush again, remembering their duel. Strong was an understatement. She definitely had to see him again, if only to find out if the other Heroes of this world were as strong and kind as him! And not just because she wanted to get close to this handsome Hero or anything!

Because if the other Heroes were as strong and kind as him then… perhaps her days of wandering could finally come to an end.

Maybe, at last, the wandering Vassal Hero had found a group of Heroes strong enough to help her avenge her Hero and their fallen world together.

Hero Clips!

Why Shadows Should Never be Left in Charge

"Oh no, will I actually have to smile around others?"

Shadow, disguised as Melty, was sitting in the Lady Governor's office at the town hall. Nobody had come into the office yet, so she was occupying herself looking busy with paperwork.

Though, despite trying to distract herself, the ninja woman couldn't help but shudder at the thought of needing to socialize with others directly. "I daresay, that would be horrible if that Eclair woman came in and I had to pretend like I was cheerful."

Yep, she couldn't snack on the souls of the damned if she had to smile while she was doing it. Hmmm, speaking of which.

Shadow took her rations bar out from a pocket as she bit into the end of it. She stared down at the set of proposed laws Melty was crafting up next that'd help distinguish property lines and all that mumbo jumbo further as she did so. Now what could she do to make Melty's job just a little bit easier?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

…

…

Actually, this wasn't related to property laws or anything, but the female ninja did have her own ideas for what'd make this place a bit better.

Shadow began writing them down the new list of laws and changes that were to be effective immediately.

I daresay, Melty wouldn't mind such drastic changes to the Hero's Nation, right?

"Shadow, what is this?" Melty asked in a monotone voice.

"I daresay, what do you mean?" Shadow asked curiously.

"You know what I'm talking about?! Why is everyone in the town wearing masks now?!" Melty asked angrily.

Indeed, the various townspeople walking around the main Square all had masks on their faces. The same mask Shadow wore, to be specific.

"I daresay, I thought it'd help to give the people some character," Shadow said.

"I daresay, its a fine day we're having today."

"I daresay, it is indeed."

Melty's eyebrow ticked up as she heard two people walking by, having a rather strange conversation. "And what is with the I Daresays? I thought that was meant to be your verbal tick."

"Well, I thought the local language could use a little more refinement." Shadow shrugged. "It's not that different from Sir Motoyasu's I say at the end of his sentences."

"Yeah, except his I says make no grammatical sense whatsoever, just like your I daresays." Melty pouted while crossing her arms.

"I daresay, our verbal ticks make perfect sense to us." Shadow shrugged again. "You even say Motoyasu's I say from time to time."

Melty wanted to say something, or rather, shout something to express her displeasure. Before that happened, however, Motoyasu appeared on the scene, looking confused at what he was seeing.

"Did this place turn into a hidden ninja village while I was gone, I say?" He asked.

"What do you mean hidden?" Melty asked him in shock.

"I was walking around outside the walls, and it was like illusion magic had been cast over the entire place and-" Motoyasu was explaining.

"Kaieeeee! HYAH!" Granny suddenly appeared, dropping Moto to the ground with a precise karate chop to the center of his head.

"Ow ow ow ow ow! Granny, what the hell-"

"I daresay, it is time for the Lady Governor's newest ninja training to be implemented on you, Spear-dono! Huyah!"

"W-What?!" Motoyasu yelled in pain and confusion.

"I daresay, do one hundred laps around the town without making a single sound! Now! The real training will begin afterward!" Granny ordered, forcefully pushing Motoyasu as she did so.

"N-No! Our morning spars are hell enough as it is- ow!" Motoyasu cried as Granny chopped his head again.

"I daresay, two hundred laps!"

"Wahhhhhhh!" Motoyasu cried as he went through the start of another hellish training montage, courtesy of the even scarier looking ninja Granny.

Nearby, an unfortunate tiger boy, who'd already been very confused and disoriented by the drastic changes that'd happened in his life already, finally lost it upon witnessing what'd happened to Motoyasu and turned around screaming in terror. "AHHHHHH, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"I daresay, hold still so I can beat you properly, Big Brother!" Atla, now dressed in ninja garbs, chased after the young Fohl. She was karate chopping the back of his head repeatedly as she did so. "Gosh, it's been a couple chapters since you were introduced and yet you still haven't done anything noteworthy in the main story."

"Atla, please stop speaking like that! You're scaring me- ow!" Fohl continued running and yelping in pain as his younger sister's assault didn't relent.

"Isn't she supposed to still be in a wheelchair?" Melty asked confusedly. "And who is she to say that Fohl hasn't done anything?! She hasn't done anything either!"

"I daresay, everybody knows ninjas don't use wheelchairs," Shadow said. "And to your point, once she is healed, do you really believe the young tiger girl will sit around and do nothing like her weak older brother?"

"..." Melty stared blankly at the ninja woman.

"I daresay, I'll be the strongest ninja of the sea, dattebayo!" Keel interrupted as she posed proudly. At least the dog girl was still dressed in her maid outfit, though the mask did look a bit weird on her.

"Wasn't it 'Believe it'?" Anya asked curiously.

"Hell if I know!" Keel laughed.

…

Ren took one look at what was going on, and proceeded to wrap his arms around his loyal girlfriend, their dragon daughter, his Filolial friend, his Filolial's Filolial friend, Tersia, and Farrie. "If you need us, I'll be going through a minor character arc in the Capital." The Sword Hero said dryly.

"Gwah! (Get us out of here already, Cool Hero! Rikka's Tyrant Eye has had enough of this craziness!)" Rikka squawked.

"Good luck!" Blue yelled while waving happily to the bluette girl.

In a flash of light, the Sword Hero vanished along with his friends and family.

…

Yep, it was one weird mess Melty ended up being left with thanks to Shadow.

And that was how the young bluette learned to never trust the ninja lady with running the affairs of the Hero's Nation on her behalf ever again.

Till Next Time

Allen

Chapter Text

Three days.

Three whole days had passed since the dramatic conclusion of Motoyasu's fight with Murder Pierrot, and the events that transpired afterward.

The Grand Colosseum in upper Zeltoble temporarily stopped hosting its regular tournaments the day after. An impressive advertisement campaign was rolled out around the city on short notice. Posters, billboards, newspapers, and even criers were promoting the upcoming death match that would be held between the undercity's Grand Champion, the famous Nadia, and the now notorious newcomer, Sir Bubba, who had managed to land multiple upsets in quick succession during his brief stay in the city.

The Spear Hero was with Keel and Anya, escorting the pair to the Colosseum when they first found out about the schedule change.

"Awww, no fair. I wanted to fight in at least one more tournament while I was here." Keel pouted when she heard the news. "I still need to find a way to gather the coin I need to pay Bubba back."

Motoyasu had been about to comment again about how she didn't owe him anything, but Anya beat him to it. "No, this is good. That means we're closer to saving your friends than ever before."

"... right." Keel nodded. The demihuman girl didn't complain as they followed Motoyasu back to Hickwaal's new hideout.

Unfortunately, it was not quite as nice as the previous one. The place was poorly lit and dusty. The amenities here didn't even include running water.

It was another warehouse, but this one didn't have much in the way of living space, and Motoyasu and his friends only had some simple chairs and mattresses laid out on the stone floor for comfort. Rows of wooden crates containing a variety of goods lined the walls and floor.

Under the light of a portable magic lamp, that Sebas dug out from one of the crates, everyone studied the plans for the fighting pit that Sadeena had provided. It was the largest arena for fights in Zeltoble, even bigger than the Colosseum above ground. Thousands, if not more, could fit in the stands to watch. The best comparison to its size was the large sports stadiums Motoyasu sometimes saw on TV back home in his world.

Normally, this pit was used to house the many monsters that the city's bloodsport business required to operate. But for this special occasion, it had been cleared out and its original purpose was restored to house the numerous audience members who would come to observe and gamble on the outcome of the upcoming fight.

The plans that Sadeena had provided also included notes on how the barriers in these fighting pits worked.

A line of crystals was laid below ground in seemingly random areas along old maintenance tunnels. These crystals extended out from a central source that was well-guarded. But by having multiple mages insert some of their MP into the central crystal, they could control what crystals would receive the MP, activating the barrier, environmental magic, buff magic, debuff magic, and other types of magic in the various fighting pits.

The central device was too well-guarded to get to. But the maintenance tunnels holding these crystals were considerably less so.

They'd be patrolled while a match was going on to prevent sabotage. Yet if you messed with one of the crystals, and just pulled it out of its place, a part of the barrier would weaken. Pull out two crystals next to each other and that part of the barrier and the types of magic affecting the area near it would all fizzle out.

They couldn't sabotage them before the fight. For all the city's faults, the security of its wealthy tourists and visitors was always a high priority, due to the large source of income that they provided to Zeltoble. So the overseers always thoroughly checked to make sure that all the systems like the magic barriers were working smoothly before letting people in.

For Motoyasu and co this meant that their sabotage had to occur either while the audience members were getting seated, or during the match itself. They also couldn't sabotage the line of crystals leading to the fighting pit. There were backup lines that would automatically activate if the main one went down.

It was possible to sabotage things before the match. But because of the higher risk, Motoyasu wanted Anya, their resident sneakster, to do it during the match. With all the noise he'd be making on the arena floor, it'd make it far easier to sneak around in the tunnels beneath.

"Alright." Anya agreed to the plan immediately, seeing no obvious flaws in it and feeling pretty proud of herself for being entrusted with something so important.

"Can't I go too, in case Anya runs into trouble?" Keel asked.

"You're more likely to cause trouble if anything." The catgirl deadpanned in response.

Motoyasu and the cat girl ultimately agreed to Keel tagging along though. Sebas would have been a valid alternative, but he was staying with Hickwaal to make sure the Head of the Merchant's Guild remained safe amongst his enemies.

And since Sadeena was involved, as well as the rest of the dog girl's missing friends, Keel wasn't going to do something stupid to ruin things. And in case things did go south, Anya would be safer having someone to help her fight her way out.

…

That would be the end of it, under normal circumstances, but when the plan was finalized, Motoyasu brought everyone back home to rest before the big day. And when he went to feed Atla another dose of Ygdrassil Elixir, her brother surprised him with an unexpected declaration.

"Take me with you too!"

"What?" Motoyasu asked in surprise.

"I heard what you're up to! Those two are just going to get lost in the undercity and ruin all your plans! But I've lived there for a few years already! I know the layout of those tunnels! I'll make sure to bring your allies where they need to go! So take me with you!" Fohl shouted passionately.

"What my big brother's trying to say here..." The blind girl next to him sighed with a tired smile. "Is that he's finally starting to comprehend just how great of a kindness all of you have done for us, so he wants to pay it back somehow.

"Oh, and he's also worried about Keel."

"I AM NOT!" Fohl vehemently denied. "I am doing this because it would hurt my pride if that idiot got herself killed!"

"Volume, big brother." Atla chided him softly.

…

Yeah, somehow, the freed tiger boy convinced the Spear Hero to let him tag along as well.

Actually, it was because the Spear Hero learned that Fohl had been in those tunnels before. He knew his way below ground surprisingly well. Therefore, he could be a guide for the two girls.

And since there was a lot of free time before the big event, Motoyasu also helped Hickwaal with moving his remaining assets. Cheating just a little by using his Spear's gemstone to absorb entire warehouses of goods the plump merchant still had to his name.

He unlocked quite a few material weapon forms doing this too. After getting permission from the owner to do it of course. As easy as it would be for some things to get 'misplaced' in transit, Motoyasu was no thief. Even if Hickwaal was unlikely to miss whatever little things that would get pilfered or turned into energy for power-up methods.

Motoyasu did focus on his power-up methods a bit more with his disguised naginata weapon form, as well as with his most powerful weapon form currently, the Spirit Tortoise Heart Spear. His fight with Murder Pierrot made him realize his weaker weapon form left him at a severe disadvantage against stronger opponents, especially while he was debuffed.

As for strengthening and getting used to his strongest weapon form, well… it didn't hurt to be too careful in case things went south.

Motoyasu also sparred with Granny a lot. Way more than he usually would, at least. He still hadn't mentioned how he faced an opponent who used unfamiliar life force techniques. However, that was because whenever he thought of said opponent, his cheeks would burn red, and his heart would beat faster in his chest.

He still had that pin he'd found on his gambeson after his match. Each night before he went to bed, he pulled it out and studied it from every angle. From the handle with the small tiny pearl embedded on the front to the very tip.

As someone who sewed as a hobby, Motoyasu knew it was a good piece. It was something of higher quality than anything else he'd ever used since coming to this world. How that thing managed to get from the girl's hat on his outfit, he still didn't know. He'd smile a little whenever he had the thought of it as a token of her affection. But then he'd shake his head, knowing such a thing was ridiculous.

Still, he pondered on her now and then. Wondering if he would meet her again.

At the end of the second day, Motoyasu walked out of Melty's office with a flower bouquet in hand to check up on Elena one last time, before everyone would return to Zeltoble. Everything was ready for tomorrow. They only had to wait.

On his way home, he passed by the town's Church and briefly stopped, before taking the dirt path that led behind the building.

...

The Spear Hero found himself in front of the Memorial dedicated to the former residents of Lurolona. As well as the statue dedicated to the knights who'd perished defending the place.

He knew Aksel used to spend quite a bit of time back here after the Heroes first moved in. He hadn't known why at first but had respected the knight's wish to be left alone.

After all the times he'd been back here, however, he'd come to understand why Itsuki's party tank came here a lot.

The ashes of the knights who had families in Melromarc were sent back to them for burial rites. But the ashes of those who didn't have families or spouses to return home to had been stored in the statue's foundation. In effect, it was as if they were still around, helping to safeguard the town they'd given their lives to protect.

Motoyasu set the fresh bouquet at the base of his comrades' statue, before clasping his hands in front of him respectfully. "Gelford, sorry I haven't come by lately, I've been busy in Zeltoble, and you know how much Granny likes to spar with me whenever it looks like I'm slacking.

"I… just wanted you to know, I'm going to continue to do my best for this place. Just like you guys did.

"I'm… sorry again, that I wasn't strong enough to save you all. I still wish I could have done more when…

Motoyasu shook his head. "No. You guys wouldn't want me to blame myself... I promise I'll do my best to save those kids being held captive in Zeltoble. I'll protect them, just like you all did."

"I promise…"

…

After a moment, Motoyasu finally stood again.

He didn't recall feeling any unnatural presence at the time, nor did he feel any spiritual awakening or anything of the sort.

What he did feel was a sense of peace. A reaffirmation that he was doing the right thing. And that he was ready to step up just like his brothers had.

He was ready to play his part in the grand scheme of this world.

…

Finally, the day of the biggest match in Zeltoble's history came.

"Wellllllllcome allllllllll!" The now familiar and boisterous magically enhanced voice of everyone's favorite announcer man rang across the vast underground chamber.

The roar of tens of thousands filled the arena as the stands were packed full. People moved back and forth in large groups between aisles. The multiple entrances amongst the various tiers of seats were crowded with people still trying to get in. Salesmen offering various kinds of snacks and beverages were found amongst the crowds all over.

The only space where there wasn't an overabundance of people was in the VIP areas. Those who had no seating sat in bars and establishments outside the underground stadium, watching what was happening live through recording crystals broadcasting events in real-time.

Besides a few token guards to repel monster attacks up above and to guard vital warehouses and infrastructure, nearly everyone in the city was present at the event, whether inside the stadium or around it to watch the spectacle waiting to unfold.

"Remember! Betting for our grand championship match will be open until the ring of the first gong! Today is a little special, so all bets will be closed as soon as the contestants start their clash! I hope you all are as excited as I am!" The announcer's amplified voice rang across the vast space, mixing in with the thunderous cheers of the audience.

There were a couple of other announcers up with him, speaking different languages so the tourists from various countries who didn't have translators with them could understand what was happening. But none of them could rile up the crowd quite as much as the main announcer speaking in Zeltoblish.

Individuals amongst the crowds rushed back and forth, slips of papers, stacks of Zenis, and bags of coins in their hands as they took count of the people's betting, who the bets were being placed on, and so forth. Above the barrier, being broadcast from a recording crystal, was the amount of money being bet on Nadia and Sir Bubba as well as the odds between either side winning.

Right now, the odds were stacked heavily in Nadia's favor, but there was still a surprising amount of people betting on Sir Bubba.

The entirety of the City Council sat in a half circle on a row of plush red armchairs at the top of the VIP Balcony, having the best view of the arena for themselves. A large panda woman stood at attention nearby, observing the festivities along with some of her closest lieutenants. One was a human. Another was a lizard therianthrope. One was a familiar, scarred hakuko warrior. The last was an elephant woman the same size as Larsa.

The only one missing amongst the city Council's ranks was Ziro. His bastard half-brother, Khan, sat in his place instead.

"Is there a reason why Councilman Ziro couldn't make it to such an important event?" Councilman Judas spoke next to him, sounding annoyed.

"Master Ziro is… feeling a bit unwell today." Khan grimaced, still recalling the state his older brother had been in when he walked into his room earlier that morning. "A doctor is treating him right now."

"... a pity. I do hope it isn't the same problems his father had." Judas gave a look of fake sympathy.

Ziro's brother gritted his teeth but didn't respond. Khan, unlike his older brother, was smart enough to know that Judas and Saxon wanted to tear away their family's wealth and influence. His older brother missing this huge event that he was supposed to be in charge of organizing was an affront even Khan couldn't overlook.

After this was over, he was going to have a serious talk with his older sibling about his… twisted, tastes. Ugh, it was all he could do not to vomit as he forced the memories of that morning out of his mind and focused on the group of dancers on the arena floor who were providing some entertainment for the audience as a warm-up to the main event.

Meanwhile, in another part of the stadium, a certain short-haired redhead was fuming.

"Seriously?! That ugly fat boar couldn't even get us seats in the VIP section?!" Bitch yelled angrily. Even with her shrill voice, her comrades could barely hear her over the din of the crowd.

"Ugh, I should have beat him even harder if this was how he was going to treat us! Head of the Arenas my &%$!" Lesty crossed her arms in displeasure.

"Can they just start this match already!? There are so many peasants around, I can hardly stand their stench!" Mauld looked similarly displeased.

Ah yes, the trio was just as unlikable as ever. The group was close to their seats when Bitch was accidentally elbowed in the side by a passing wolfman, causing her to scream bloody murder at him as she threatened to end him. Words that angered the large and imposing tourist.

Unfortunately, a pair of mercenaries stepped in before a fight could break out, and Bitch got to her seat without any further incidents. She and her comrades were still angry, however, as they had to wait a few minutes longer for the courtesans down below to finish their performance.

Her anger was made even worse when that same wolfman sat in the seat directly behind hers. Oh, she hoped she'd get the chance to kill him.

Back in the VIP section, the last member of the City Council took his seat. "Ah, Councilman Hickwaal, I'm surprised you're attending." Khan addressed the plump merchant, who was closely followed by his half-dragonewt butler.

"Oh, why wouldn't I attend?" Hickwaal asked curiously, an eyebrow raised upon seeing that Ziro was absent. "It is my gladiator who is fighting today, you know."

"Yes, I suppose that is true. Still, Sir Bubba is in for quite the match today, from what I understand." Khan spoke tactfully.

Judas glared spitefully at the pair, before looking down at the arena again.

"Not to worry." Hickwaal grinned in the direction of the scarred man. "I have my utmost trust that Sir Bubba will succeed today, despite the overwhelming odds. He has proven himself to be a very capable employee.

"Isn't that right, Judas?"

The scarred man simply narrowed his eyes without turning his head to look in Hickwaal's direction as he spoke. "Where did you pawn that slave off to? Or are you hiding her somewhere?"

"Young Tulip has been returned home already, I assure you." The short merchant played with the corner of his mustache as a smug smile settled on his lips.

"LIES!" Judas suddenly slammed the armrest of his chair with his fist, making it let out an ominous straining noise. The scarred man's head sharply twisted in Hickwaal's direction, his expression furious. "The city is under complete lockdown! Every piece of cargo traveling in and out for the last few days was ordered to be examined by hand!

"It has been examined, by hand, right?" Judas turned his glare at Larsazusa when he spoke that sentence.

"Yes, councilman, it has." The panda woman responded in an even tone of voice while looking ahead of herself. "Whoever this young Tulip is, neither I, my lieutenants, nor any of the men under my command found anyone matching your description of her."

"That's right!" Judas leaned back in his seat, looking satisfied. "See! You wouldn't be able to smuggle out a single coin, least of all a child!"

"Well, what can I say?" Hickwaal shrugged. "I have my ways. Hohohoho."

"... yes, I'm sure you do. As we have ours." Saxon spoke before Judas could respond. The burly bald man grinned in his chair and flicked some ash off his cigar onto an ashtray beside him.

"W-will we really get to see Big Sis fight today?"

"I hope she won't get hurt. I heard this Bubba guy killed the nice clown lady that made us dollies."

Hickwaal could feel his heart fall as two small, trembling figures were led onto the VIP observation deck and seated on the floor next to Saxon. Unlike most slaves, the boy and girl were dressed in modest apparel, and they looked well taken care of. They were both demi-humans, the boy having long fox-like ears, while the girl had a small pair of ram horns on her head.

"Wait, are those...?" Khan turned his head to look at the pair of demihuman kids as well.

"Oh? Did Ziro not inform you? No matter, this is just a little something to incentivize my prized gladiator. That's all." Saxon smirked haughtily. "She wouldn't want something to happen to these two brats of hers now, would she?"

The crests on the kids' chests suddenly began to glow with an ominous purple color, and the duo quickly went quiet while trying to make themselves look as small as possible while leaning against the sides of Saxon's chair.

Sebas turned his head, a dark look crossing his features. But Hickwaal subtly gestured for him to remain quiet, so the dragon-newt looked away from the tense sight and down onto the arena floor below again.

The crowds continued to be loud and rowdy as the dancers finally finished their performance down in the pit.

As they took their leave, the floor began to glow a bright blue.

...

The glow of magic silenced the people bit by bit. Eventually, everyone stared at the floor of the pit, which had transformed from its standard layout into an oceanic environment.

The entire arena floor had been replaced by a twenty-foot-deep pit full of water. Circles of stone breached the surface here and there to provide meager footing for the gladiators. The heights of these pillars and islands varied, with two being just inches above the water, and the rest being several feet to at least a dozen feet above the water.

"Now, finally, for the moment you've all been waiting for! It is time for today's match to commence!"

As the announcer spoke, a tall, armored figure, clad from head to toe, began to walk out from an opening in the wall onto one of the stone islands. Walking next to him was a lovely teenage girl, with white wings trimmed with orange on the ends. She had a spear casually flung over her shoulder as she smiled and waved with her free hand at the crowds.

"Our challengers today arrived only a week ago to the fighting pits, having survived the destruction of their country by the Spirit Tortoise! And indeed, they have individually shown why they were able to survive against such a fearsome monster when many of their comrades did not!" The announcer began.

Motoyasu's armor had been repaired and polished since his battle against Murder Pierrot. Whoever that lemos man Hickwaal saved was, he did a superb job restoring the armor to its original condition. The Spear Hero hoped Hickwaal brought the guy with him to Lurolona when it was all said and done. They could use some more blacksmiths.

"From making the long-time veterans of the Unholy Triumvirate look like a bunch of powerless toddlers to the famous eye-boggling match against the famed Murder Pierrot, I admit, I thought his arena name was a little out there at first. But he has earned his right to be here, alongside his lovely half-shuzaku sister and comrade, who singlehandedly killed five level 110 Griffons with her bare hands a few nights ago!

Next to him, Amber twirled her new favorite weapon in her hands with a fancy flair. In the VIP section, Judas glared even more harshly, feeling provoked at the bold display of someone flaunting his property like it was theirs. He made sure to remind himself to reclaim his favorite spear from that girl's corpse or whatever would be left of it when Nadia was done with her. It was a mistake to arm one of his bodyguards with it.

Motoyasu in the meantime chuckled as he watched Amber twirling the spear around above her head. "It's fine if you like it that much Amber, but should you really be using it? You barely know how to swing it around."

"Hehe! It'll be fine! I watched how you use yours all the time, Blondie. And Granny gave me a quick crash course during the last few days too." The orange-haired girl grinned brightly and pointed the tip of the spear up at the ceiling where one of the numerous magic lamps shone, illuminating the vast underground chamber. "More importantly, now we match! I wanna get some armor soon too!"

"I doubt that we'll find anything better than your magic clothes, but we'll see." Moto shook his head in amusement and looked up at the announcer's booth as he finished introducing the pair.

"Both individuals bring plenty in terms of firepower to the table! Now here today to win the grand prize on behalf of their family and their destroyed nation, give a hand to, SIR BUBBA and AMBER of the Fiery, SWORN, DUOOOOOOOO!"

Streams of fire shot from the walls of the arena above the water line and up toward the ceiling. Heating Motoyasu as he and Amber were welcomed to loud applause.

"YEAHHHHHH!" "SIR BUBBAAAAA! WOOOOOOO!"

Motoyasu grinned, seeing his fan section amongst the thousands of individuals.

It was, perhaps expectedly, made up entirely of females.

Was that the green-haired paladin lady that Amber tried to marry Motoyasu off to in the front row? It happened a week ago when they first arrived, but he was sure that it was her! The rest of her party was there cheering for him too!

"Woo! Go, Sir Bubba!" The paladin girl screamed loudly.

"We're betting it all on you!" The other girl, a blue-haired mage wearing a witch's hat, shouted just as loudly as her friend.

Nice! He never thought he'd see them again, but this was cool!

He didn't pay attention to her party members last time, besides the mage next to the paladin, there was also a rogue who wore a brown cloak and hood that covered her face. Next to her was a martial artist in a tight-fitting black bodysuit similar to a shadow's usual getup. And the last girl was a warrior of some kind that... huh? How curious.

The armor the girl wore was very reminiscent of the set that Motoyasu usually wore when he wasn't undercover. Hers included a helmet, however, so he couldn't see her face. The armor also had a much darker color palette overall, aside from a crimson scarf wrapped around the neck.

He had no issues with someone stealing his old look, but...

"Hehe! Look, Moto! Now we match!" The blonde girl grinned proudly while showing off her new hoodie.

Her clothes were a darker shade than his current getup, but the eerie similarity was extremely offputting. Especially since the blonde man had only gotten his current outfit yesterday while at the mall with his friends.

"Heheh, indeed we do, Princess." Motoyasu smiled awkwardly. He didn't like the way he was feeling but was too nice not to bring it up.

"Moto, why don't we just stay here today, just you and me?" The blonde girl suggested.

"Nonsense. Momiji's already waiting for us in the car. We shouldn't keep her waiting, I say!" With a bright smile on his face, Motoyasu walked out the door of his apartment.

But even after leaving his apartment, that weird feeling did not go away.

"Everything good, Big Brother?" Amber asked as if she could instinctually tell that he was feeling tense about something.

"Yeah." Motoyasu shook his head and cleared it. "Yeah, I'll be fine." He instinctively reached out with his hand to touch the plume of his helmet where the pin that he got from his last match was embedded.

At the very least, he hoped Murder Pierrot would be watching this battle and would notice how he made it a part of his ensemble. What happened before was in the past.

There was no need to let it bleed into the present… even if it was sometimes hard to forget what he'd gone through.

…

The crowds continued to cheer for a while longer. But Motoyasu could almost feel the chill going down his spine as the sound gradually tapered off.

He looked to the other portcullis as it slowly cranked open. The Announcer Guy was strangely silent. There was no grand announcement for their opponent…

…

At least, not at first.

The water of the arena began to swirl. Motoyasu's hair stood on end as currents of electricity began to appear in the air.

"Oh my- before the fight even begins- LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! YOU ALL ARE WITNESS TO AN INCREDIBLE EVENT!" Announcer Guy was foaming at the mouth. His glasses were askew on his face as he leaned forward over the railing of his booth, taking the sight in. His compatriots didn't even say a word, leaving him to do all the work. "IT APPEARS OUR ALMIGHTY QUEEN OF THE UNDERGROUND HAS ALREADY RECOGNIZED SIR BUBBA'S STRENGTH AND IS THUS PREPARED TO MEET HIM AND HIS COMPANION WITH ALL OF HER OWN!"

The water began to swirl like a whirlpool. Dimly, a figure could be seen swimming deep below.

But, that couldn't have been Sadeena, for this thing was bigger than the woman they'd seen before.

"People of all ages and races! It is my pleasure to welcome the orca woman who stole the floor, and then our hearts all those months ago! Sometimes known by her nickname of Big Sis of the Underground, she has been undefeated since her arrival and is known by every gladiator who has fought in our arenas! Her fame extends even to Faubley!

"So without any further ado, give a big welcome for: MISS, NADIAAAAAAAAA!"

From the center of the whirlpool, an electrified waterspout rose. The top of it impacted the barrier above, showering the entire arena in a flurry of water droplets and electric sparks.

Motoyasu had to cover the top of his visor so he wasn't blinded by the flashiest of these sparks. But through the bottom portion, he was able to see his opponent land on the stone pillar opposite him and Amber, cracking the stone beneath her feet. Droplets of water fell from her large body. Her appearance unleashed a roar of approval from the crowds around them, one that far eclipsed what Sir Bubba had been given.

It was Sadeena… in her orca killer whale form.

Her therianthrope body consisted of a killer whale, with two large arms, legs, and a long tail. She was at least eight feet tall, towering over Motoyasu more so than even Larsa had. Her outfit consisted of a loincloth, as well as two strips of cloth attached to it that went over her front around the back of her neck, covering her breasts.

She wore a pair of wooden sandals on her feet. In her hands, she wielded a large, dual-pronged harpoon. As Motoyasu stared in open-mouthed wonder, electricity traveled up to the tip of the weapon, coalescing into a ball of deadly energy.

Sadeena grinned, revealing a row of sharp, glistening teeth in her mouth. This form of hers was certainly beautiful, but it was clearly far, far more deadly.

"Greetings, Sir Bubba, Amber, it is great to finally see such worthy blood make its way through the underground pits!

"I see even now, facing down your imminent deaths, that you stand tall and brave, unlike the spineless worms I've fought before!" Sadeena's voice boomed out with power and authority. "Truly, this is a grand day for us all!"

The crowd was loving it. Many around the arena began to chant Nadia's name. Far more than those who'd been cheering for Amber and Motoyasu.

On his HUD, Motoyasu saw the glow of power coming off her form. Simultaneously, he saw as he and Amber were hit with debuff spells that dropped their stats an astonishing amount. To the point where they were only a third of what they'd been originally.

He'd only lost half his stats against Murder Pierrot, and she hadn't even been buffed during that match.

The Spear Hero swallowed hard. The City Council really was trying to have him executed here. Between the fighting environment and the debuffs… yeah, there was no way a normal adventurer would be able to make it through a fight like this, even at max level.

"You may believe you have been brought here to replace me," Sadeena said, her voice not as loud and booming as before. It forced the crowd to start quieting down so they could listen to their favorite champion. "You may think you came here to attain wealth and fame. But in reality, your struggles are in vain.

"I have already ensured that condolences will be sent to your families after you die gruesome, horrible deaths here in this pit."