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Chapter Text

Garfiel Tinsel, Natsuki Subaru, and Otto Suwen, three best friends, were relaxing in one of the private rooms in the Miload's mansion. The three have been close since the Sanctuary incident with the trio doing their best to hangout despite having a lot of duties in their hands. Natsuki Subaru being the official knight of the leader of the Emilia camp, Emilia herself.

Otto Suwen being the Head of Internal Affairs of the Emilia camp. Garfiel is the only one who doesn't have a big job aside from him wanting to become the strongest in Lugnica. The trio had managed to find a day where they could relax for once. The trio was silent for a moment before Otto broke the silence by asking:

"Natsuki-san, how does it feel being Emilia's knight?"

"Yea', how's it bein' princess' knight, cap'n?"

"Honestly, amazing." The knight said as he looked up at the sky, thinking back on his moments with Emilia. "Being there by Emilia-tan's side is just amazing."

Both Otto and Garfiel looked at each other for a moment before chuckling a bit, seeing that their best friend and brother were dozing off in his daydreams once again. Despite having such an important role and managing to be serious on specific days, the pair know that deep down in Natsuki Subaru's core, he is still a kid at heart. Garfiel took this opportunity to ask his captain:

"So Cap'n, have ya made a move on th'princess?"

"What?" Subaru says as this question snapped him out of his daydreaming. Otto couldn't help but try to chim in by saying:

"Yeah, it seems like you've been spending so much time with Emilia-sama, the two of you should've done something by now." As Otto says this, Subaru's face turns red for a brief moment, having recalled a certain kiss he had shared with Emilia back in the Sanctuary. While he was still with a red face, both Garfiel and Otto began to laugh since they found this hilarious.

"Come on Cap'n, ya gotta tell us!"

"I'll have to agree with Garfiel on this one, Natsuki-san."

"I-I'll have you know that Emilia-tan and I have done something!" Subaru said in a knee jerk reaction since he wants to defend his honor. Garfiel and Otto looked with a curious facial expression only for their expressions to turn into one of fear.

"And what would that be?" The atmosphere went cold as the three boys heard the harsh if not intimidating words from one of the toughest maids in the mansion, Ram. Subaru immediately realized he fucked up since he knows that anything he says now, Ram will exaggerate it. He took a moment to think of something before slowly turning towards the pink haired maid, noticing the fire in her pink eyes.

"I-It wasn't anything bad, I'm just getting to know Emilia-tan more and more each day—"

Without warning, Ram slapped Subaru across the face, sending him flying into a wall. Otto was shocked while Garfiel just smiled at the fact that his crush was able to easily knock away his captain. Before he could compliment or even say hello to his crush, he received a punch to the face, causing him to also be sent flying towards a wall.

Otto himself was the last of the trio to be left standing, completely afraid since he doesn't want to get hurt. Ram slowly looked at the merchant boy and was prepared to punch him as well only to see that he was begging for his life.

"Pl-Please Ram-s-sama...don't hurt me..."

"...Hmph. You are lucky that my anger isn't targeted at you." Ram speaks sharply, igniting fear into the merchant before turning her attention towards the two boys she knocked around. Garfiel was the first to respond in an angered tone,

"Th'hell was th'for?!"

"You and Barusu still haven't cleaned up the mess of that stupid mayo uproar. Not to mention he was speaking like a pervert about Emilia-sama."

"I wasn't saying anyt—"

"Shut it, Barusu." Ram says this after having cut off Subaru by slapping him once again. Subaru was annoyed by this and wanted to retort but he knows better. He just accepted this and began to change the conversation by asking:

"What do you want, Ram?"

"There are some errands that need to be made. Considering that you three are not busy, you all are going to fetch us the groceries."

"...really?" Subaru said as he wanted to have the day off.

"Come on, we aren't doin' yer work, Ram." Garfiel said as he was annoyed by this only for Ram to surprise attack him. As Garfiel was sent back into a wall, Subaru thought quickly in an attempt to keep Ram calm.

"Why are you mad, Ram? I don't think I've ever seen you this mad at all."

"...that is none of your business. Now get the groceries or else." As Ram finishes saying this, she turns around and leaves the room, leaving the three boys completely shocked by the encounter. Otto was grateful that he didn't receive any of Ram's wrath but at the same time, he is afraid of her. Garfiel got up and was angry at how he was randomly attacked and yet he was still in love with Ram, loving just how tough she is.

Subaru himself was still surprised by the way Ram acted, making him think of many possible things that could've happened to make the pink haired maid be in such a sour mood. The three boys stood in the room silent before Garfiel spoke out by saying:

"Aight, who's goin'?"

"What?"

"Now hey Garfiel, all of us have to go."

"Th't ain't our job. Besides, today was suppose t'be our day off."

"Yeah but we can't do much about it."

The three sighed at the same time before going off to pack some things up, seeing that they don't have much of a choice. As the three were heading towards the hallway where their rooms are located, Otto turned towards his two friends to question them on what Ram had said regarding the mess they left.

"Did you really had to make the mayo uproar, Natsuki-san?" Otto asked as he was both curious and disappointed.

"It was something that needed to happen. You just simply missed out in all the fun." Subaru said as he justified the creation of the mayo uproar. Garfiel smiled as he recalled how fun it was being a part of it while Otto just moved his head with disappointment.

"I don't know what is fun about this mayo uproar. I know the mayo tastes amazing and has potential to be something profitable but the thing you two did...you might have overdone it." Otto responded to what Subaru had said. Garfiel couldn't help but respond to his best friend by saying:

"Ya should've been there, Brotto. Cap'n and my amazin' self had fun with that."

"Yes and I would've received a punch by Ram-sama herself. No thanks."

"Let's just get the groceries we need."

Otto and Garfiel both nodded at this before the three went to their separate rooms to get ready. It only took them a moment before they were ready to go off into the town nearby. As the three met back up in the same hallway they split up, Subaru and Otto both noticed Garfiel having his shields with him.

"Um Garfiel, is that really necessary?" Otto asked in a concerned tone of voice, worried that this would only cause trouble for them. Garfiel took notice on this and quickly responded with:

"Don't ya worry Brotto, th's in case we get in a fight." Subaru looked at Garfiel, seeing that he is just preparing himself for a possible fight. Although that would be something if they were heading to the capital, this was a town with kind people.

"Come on Garfiel, this is a calm town. There is no need for this."

"I understand Cap'n but th's just in case."

Both Otto and Subaru sighed before allowing this, knowing that Garfiel is taking them under good intentions. The trio leave the mansion once they were ready and began to make their way towards the town nearby with Ram handing the three a list of things they need to get.

Meanwhile in another world, the night sky was covering the kingdom as deep within, there was a celebration. Music was playing, delicious food was being distributed with many people cheering on towards the king-like figure. The king looks happily at the people before turning his attention at the three he wishes to speak to.

"Splendidly done, brave heroes. Tonight, we celebrate." The king pauses for a brief moment has he lifts up his wine cup. "Enjoy yourselves to the fullest!"

"Hooray!"

"That's the heroes for you."

"Our country has nothing to worry about."

A couple of the guests and noblemen speak among themselves with three heroes enjoying the feast given to them along with another. The other was sitting in the corner on his own, just looking at the window. He wasn't happy being in the party, if anything he wishes to leave. Having had a bad start with the people there, he wishes to be on his own and just collect the reward for his hard efforts of being the Shield Hero.

'Screw this party. I never would have come here if it wasn't for the reward.'

Naofumi's absent mind began to pick up on the conversations around the hall. Some Knight was boasting about fighting a monster on his own, while in truth he cowered in fear. Some other voices he picked up talked about how no one was killed.

'They weren't there, they don't know what it was like out there…' He thought.

Out of the corner of eye, he could see Motoyasu talking with Mai… as well as some other women surrounding him. The mood around them seemed light and happy, blissfully ignorant of the reality of the wave that was truly faced.

"Master Naofumi." He was brought from his thoughts as Raphtalia's voice cut in. He looked over to her, seeing her holding a goblet.

"Aren't you hungry?" She asked him. "The food here looks amazing!"

"If you want to eat then go ahead." It was a rather cold tone, but he didn't mean it, not towards her.

"You should join me!" Raphtalia spoke with a happy tone only for Naofumi to respond in a cold manner:

"I'll Pass."

She frowned a bit at his response before scurrying off on her own. Maybe he upset her. He made a mental note to apologize for that later. He continued to look out the window, looking at the menu of his equipment like an RPG game. While he did that, he noticed something that could've been useful during the wave. He noticed that he could've registered people or objects in order to teleport them with him. This caused him to think back on what happened in the village during the wave.

'Teleport people with me, huh? If only I'd noticed this sooner...' He continued to be in his own thoughts before Raphtalia returned with a piece of cake.

"Let's eat together."

Naofumi was surprised by this, prompting him to turn towards her, seeing that she still had a smile on her face. She tilted her head a little while saying in a happy tone:

"Have a bite."

"No, I..."

Before being able to finish his sentence, Raphtalia had a piece of the cake on the fork she was holding, prompting her to try and feed her master while also interrupting him.

"It's really good you know."

Knowing that he isn't getting out of this, he takes a bite. As he chews on the cake he was feed, Raphtalia continues to speak.

"See?"

'Hm.' Naofumi didn't mind this, since it felt like for once he might get a break from the constant harassment from the others. Just as things seemed calm, someone called out his name.

"Naofumi..."

He turns towards the direction of the voice only to see that person throw his glove directly at him, seeing that it was the Spear hero, Motoyasu. The room went silent for a second as they all noticed the tension growing out of nowhere.

"Duel me."

Once arriving at the town, the trio looked around to see that Frederica and Petra were there. This caused them to be confused since they assumed that it was only them that were to head towards town.

"Maybe they are here on a different errand." Otto said as this was the only conclusion he could come up with. Subaru took a moment to think on this since that is a possibility yet they won't know by speculating.

"One way to find out."

Subaru lead the group towards Frederica and Petra's direction, curious to know what they are doing in town. Once he got close enough, in a respectful manner he said to the two maids:

"Hello. Frederica. Petra."

Both maids take a second before turning towards the three boys. The two were surprised at first, seeing the three there before having a smile on their faces with Petra happy to see Subaru and Frederica happy to see Garfiel.

"Garf, Subaru-sama, Otto, what brings you three here?"

"Yes! What brings you here, Subaru-sama!" Petra chimmed in with her excited tone of voice. Subaru took this opportunity to answer the two maids by saying:

"Ram send us to do the groceries...do you know why she's in a bad mood?" Subaru answered the question alongside asking his very own, knowing that the two maids might have an idea of what's going on. Petra and Frederica were both puzzled by this with Petra being the one to answer Subaru's question.

"Ram-sama wasn't mad at all when we left."

Subaru, Otto, and Garfiel all three looked at one another for a brief moment, all three confused by the answer they got before looking back at the two maids.

"I assume ya two're grocery shoppin'?" Garfiel asked as he figured that Ram must've sent them to help the two maids out. Frederica turned towards Garfiel and nodded, causing the three boys to figure that Ram wanted them out of the mansion for some reason.

"We might as well help you two out with the groceries then." Otto said, seeing that if they go back without helping the two maids, they will look bad themselves. Garfiel and Subaru both agreed with this and quickly asked the pair of maids about what they had left on their list. Petra shows the three the list, allowing the trio to come up with a plan to go and grab a portion each, allowing both Frederica and Petra to relax for now.

The two maids appreciated this and watched as the three boys went off to get the last remaining things from the list. As the three walked around town for a bit, they gathered most of the supplies with not too much effort. Eventually the trio had one last thing on the list before calling it a day.

"This doesn't seem too hard to get." Subaru said as he found shopping for supplies a bit too quick and easy. The only enjoyment he got out of this was hanging out with his bros. Garfiel took a quick look at the list and noticed that it didn't look too hard for him to find it on his own.

"Allow me to get it, Cap'n."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, th's shouldn't be hard."

Subaru and Otto both looked at each other for a moment before giving Garfiel a nod, appreciating his willingness to get the last item of the list on his own. Just as Garfiel was about to leave, Otto cautioned Garfiel by saying:

"Please don't get yourself into any fights, Garfiel-san."

"Don't ya worry, Brotto, I'll be fine."

As Garfiel says this, he goes off to get the last thing on the list. While he was on his own, he was wondering what exactly could've made his crush so mad.

'She's normally calm and insulting but not angry. I swear if Roswaal did somethin', I'll kill him!'

Garfiel thought this, having a feeling that Roswaal could've been involved but he wasn't sure since he knows Ram is a tough woman. He ran for a bit until something caught his attention, causing him to stop on his tracks. Once he fully stopped, he turned towards the building that looked suspicious.

'Wh't's th's place? Looks weird.'

Without a second thought, Garfiel approached the building and went towards the door, getting the same vibes as when he approached the temple to take the trial. Although back then he was scared, at this moment he was full of courage.

Once he was near the door, he took a moment to feel the situation before deciding to check what's inside the building. The second he opened the door, a bright light blinded him for a second. The demi human boy waited a moment before opening his eyes, noticing that something was wrong.

Chapter Text

Garfiel looked at his surroundings to find himself in an unknown crowd.

This unknown crowd looked much fancier than him by a long shot.

This made him feel confused at first since he knows he doesn't belong there before turning into rage.

He was just at the small town near the mansion, going off to fetch the last thing on the list of groceries for his captain and his best friend only to be in some unknown location with people of high class from the looks of it.

'Huh? Where da fuck's my amazin' self?'

"Oi Cap'n? Where ya at?" Garfiel shouted to which everyone just looked at him confused, a couple whispering amongst themselves.

"Who is he?"

"What's with that demi human brat?"

"How vulgar of him!"

"What's a child doing here?"

"Is he lost?"

"Such an annoyance."

'Grr. Th's fuckin' people. They can fuck off.'

Garfiel thinks to himself while he began to glance around his surroundings, noticing that he's out of place both physically and socially.

This caused him to think back for a moment on what had happened back in the mansion to trigger this event.

'Well...My amazin' self was just gettin' th'stuff for cap'n...then...huh? Th'hell is going?!'

While he was thinking for a bit, he continued to glance for a little longer at the crowd.

Eventually he noticed the two guys that aren't much older than him, both having an odd aura that is different from the others around them.

'Hm. Somethin's off 'bout them.'

He observed the two closely before deciding to look around a bit more.

He noticed a guy with a weird white hat.

'Th'hell's th't? Looks stupid. Could be th' king, I guess?'

As he finishes his thought on the man in white, his eyes drifted towards the other man across from the man in white.

This one was not only much older but was wearing a more appropriate attire for a king. Wearing a purple cloak, a crown with a purple gem, and was surrounded by a few guards.

'Ah, th't's th'king. Looks like a jackass...wait, then who da fuck's th'other guy?!'

Garfiel thinks to himself as all the royal politics stuff tends to either confuse him or bore him. In this case, a bit of both.

While this was on his mind, he heard two doors open at the same time, catching his attention. He looks down to see that it is an arena of some sorts.

"This dual will take place in the presence of King Melromarc and the Pope." The announcer says to which Garfiel thinks to himself:

'So th't's th'King's name. Wait...the fuck's a pope.' Garfiel thought since he hasn't heard of such a position in Lugnica. The announcer continues to speak:

"Thus makes it legit and official."

Garfiel looks at the announcer for a moment before looking straight down to see the two combatants approaching each other.

From what he can see, one was wearing a green robe, as black hair, and appears to be older than his captain.

As for the other one, he had long blonde hair in a ponytail, red and white attire colors with what appears to be a spear in his left hand.

'A duel...th's should be fun t'watch.'

There was a pause for a moment before the one wielding the spear ready his weapon.

The other one looked at his shield, to which Garfiel smiled for a moment since another also uses a shield as a weapon like him but then something came into his mind.

'Now hold on, th't shield small. He doesn't look buff. How's he gonna win?' Garfiel thinks to himself with a bit of worry. As he finishes his thought, the announcer begins to speak once again:

"Ready. Begin."

The fight started, Garfiel's eyes widden as he watched the one with the shield quickly blocked strike after from the spear, holding him at bay for the time being.

The battle began to heat up with the shield taking the... offensive!

("Remember Garfiel, the best defense is a good offense.")

His eyes sparkled slightly seeing the shield being slammed into spear's chest. Garfiel was liking this man. 'No bars hold back, I like th's guy.' His mind wandered with his eyes to a woman, much older than 'princess', but for something tells him this woman isn't as kind. '...Bitch...'

Something caught his attention, hearing the gasp of the people around him.

Looking down, Garfiel could see orange balls with... teeth? Yeah, teeth and eyes and such.

'Th'fuck's th't?!'

They were attached to the shield man but not hurting him, but only one was attached to spear loser, who howled in pain from it.

'Th't's hardcore!'

Garfiel than witnessed something that truly surprised him; The shield transformed... into a shield with dog heads.

"TH'T'S SO FUCKING COOL!"

Eyes snapped over to the source of the outburst, even the man with shield took a glance in Garfiel's direction.

This prompted him to smirk this time. "Well, looks like I can't disappoint in this battle now, can I?" Garfiel was able to hear since the crowd was a bit stunned from his outburst.

"AIR STRIKE SHIELD!"

"SHIELD PRISON!"

Attack after attack thrashed the spear user, until he was trapped in a ball of metal. The screams from the man were music to his ears.

"THAT'S IT! GET HIM SHIELD MAN! WIN!" He began to cheer as people around him were just...dumbfound by this boy.

"Why is he cheering for the devil of the shield?"

"He must be just as brainwashed as that poor slave girl."

'Slave girl? What slave girl.'

This line caught his attention as he looked around, trying to find said girl.

'Is it her?... nah.' He looked towards the bitch, clearly she isn't a slave. 'so who is...?'

He noticed the two other stronger guys talking about something but couldn't make it out.

But his attention turned back to the fight at hand, seeing Shield guy was about to really mess up the Spear guy, talking about messing up his privates and face, which made the boy giddy for the torture, that asshole looks like he needs it.

"GO FOR IT! MAKE SURE HE CAN'T WALK AGAIN!" Garfiel was caught up in the moment, the fight, the excitement of it all.

The next moment, his hair stood up, he looked down to see that bitch of a woman charging something.

In that spilt second, she cast a spell, wind magic... just like Ram... but not as powerful as her.

His body moved before his thoughts did, launching himself from where he was in the stand, finally noticing the slave girl as he took a brief moment to look around, but he couldn't worry about her just yet.

His reaction gained the attention of the crowd as they watched him leap into the fight... and protect the shield.

"TH'HELL ARE YOU DOING!? IF TH'S'S A FUCKIN' DUEL, RIGHT? WHY'S TH'S BITCH TRYIN' T'USE A DAMN SNEAK ATTACK FROM BEHIND LIKE A COWARD!?"

Garfiel became irritated with this situation, and it was shown with his visible frustration with people seemingly ignoring it.

The eyes of the crowd widen from the stance he just took, defending the cursed shield.

"IF SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET IN THIS, THEN I'M GOING TO JOIN IN TOO FOR THE SHIELD DUDE!"

Said Shield dude was completely dumbfounded as well for a moment.

For the first time, someone willingly stand up... for him.

"HEY, YOU CAN'T DO THIS, AND MALTY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"YOU SHUT YOUR TRAP OR I'LL KICK YOUR ASS TOO, COWARD!"

Spear guy looks at Garfiel with anger, disliking the way this boy was speaking to him, the spear hero. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE KICK MY ASS KID-!?

"AIR STRIKE SHIELD!"

Spear guy was caught off when he was slammed in the face with one of the Shield's attacks.

Garfiel watched that happen in almost slow motion, seeing the spear get launched across the arena and slammed into the wall headfirst.

This caused the spear guy to fall towards the ground, losing his conscious in the process.

The crowd just stood silent, completely stunned at the fact that the Shield hero won the fight.

The shield man took this opportunity to point his finger towards the king while saying:

"Looks like I won, now give me back Raphtaila!"

'So that's the name of that girl.' Garfiel thought as he was starting to learn everyone's names.

The King just looked with anger as not only did the spear hero lost, but to the shield hero no less.

This caused him to have such anger in his eyes but before he could say anything towards the Shield hero, a voice could be heard saying:

"The Shield Hero has been disqualified."

"WHAT?!"

"Huh?"

Both the Shield hero and Garfiel turned towards the voice, seeing that it was the pope speaking.

The two were looking at him with anger as they know this is bullshit since the spear hero is knocked out and the Shield hero is still standing.

The Shield hero spoke out to this by saying:

"Th'hell do ya mean I'm disqualified, I fought fair and square."

"You brought in outside help on a one on one duel!" The king spoke as he wanted the opportunity to antagonize the shield hero.

Garfiel was steaming when he heard this and quickly responding with:

"EH?! HE DIDN'T CHEAT! IF ANYTHIN', TH'T WOMAN OVER THERE TRIED TO FUCKIN' CHEAT FER TH'SPEAR JACKASS!" Garfiel shouted as he found this situation stupid. Malty looked at the boy for a moment before responding to the accusation in a calm and playful manner:

"I don't know what you are talking about—"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME, BITCH! I SAW WH'T YA DID!"

Taken back by how brash this boy was, Malty had to regain herself before speaking again.

"Well you must be as brainwashed as that poor girl-."

"TH'HELL DO YA KEEP GOIN' ON ABOUT TH'T BULLSHIT! I AINT BRAINWASHED OR WHATEVER! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TH'HELL'S REALLY GOIN' HERE! I JUST MET TH'S GUY!"

Malty facial expression changed into one of annoyance, seeing that this boy is nothing but a stubborn brat.

Before anything else can be said from either of them, a voice spoke out in defense of Garfiel by saying:

"He has a point. Aside from his vulgar words, he stepped in only to block your attack, Malty."

"Agreed."

Garfiel and Malty whipped around as they heard two voice speak.

The demi human boy noticed that it was the same two boys with the weird aura around them.

The Shield hero crossed his arms as he was annoyed at seeing the two.

The one with the sword looked at him and tried to keep things calm.

"In other words, Naofumi is the winner."

"So your name is Naofumi?" Garfiel finally had a name with a face.

Naofumi looked at Garfiel for a second before looking at the king, smiling as he knew that he was the victor here.

"You hear that? Even the others agree with me. Now give me back Raphtalia!"

The King was silent once again, not believing the fact that the Sword hero and the Bow hero would allow the Shield hero to be the victor.

He got up from his chair and turned towards his guards.

He then gave them a signal to follow him while also bringing the slave girl with them.

They nodded before doing exactly as he commanded, following him with Raphtalia, all of them making their way towards the arena.

The place went silent for a brief moment before finally the king himself appeared with his guards holding Raphtalia. Naofumi was happy to see Raphtalia yet that happiness was short lived when the king opened his mouth.

"The Spear Hero is the true victor of this fight. In accordance of the sacred dual, this poor girl will be freed from the Shield Hero's grasp."

"What?!"

"That wasn't part of the agreement."

"Sorry but you lost, now acc—" Before the king could finish his sentence, the Sword hero stepped up and began to defend the Shield Hero.

"Pardon me your highness but Naofumi clearly won this fight."

"He did, with interference."

"Not exactly. Your daughter was going to interfere with the fight." The Bow hero added as he also defended the Shield hero.

'Daughter?' Both Naofumi and Garfiel thought as they were surprised by this information, with Naofumi completely enraged now since he sees that everything has been a set up from the very beginning.

Garfiel looked sharply at the king, blaming him for his daughter's actions.

"Of course, th'daughter gotta shitty part from her father."

"Excuse me?!" The King spoke with anger as he disliked how disrespectful the boy has been to him. "You dare talk that way to the King?!"

"Ya ain't my king, so I don't give a fuck for some nobody." Garfiel spoke out with a boastful attitude, standing his ground against someone he dislikes.

"You little shit...!" The king was shaking his hand with rage, angered by the disrespect he was receiving by the demi human. Before he could react, someone spoke out:

"Enough already." The Sword hero said as he wanted to keep things calm. "Naofumi clearly won the fight, now return him his slave."

The King looked at the sword hero with clear disappointment in his eyes, hating how they are defending the devil of the shield.

"...Very well." Having a brat was one thing, but having not just one, but two heroes against his word is very problematic for him. He couldn't risk too much with them, not now. Although he hated this, he did have some pride in his voice as he said to the two heroes: "But, we already removed her slave crest in the expectation of Sir Moriasu's victory."

"Eh?!"

"What?!"

Naofumi was shocked if not angry at hearing this. Garfiel himself was completely in rage since this wasn't part of the contract of theirs, causing him to hate the king even more.

The Sword and Bow heroes were not only stunned by this but had lost some respect for him.

"ARE YA FUCKIN' SERIOUS?! YA'RE A FUCKIN' COWARD!" Garfiel shouted in rage, hating just how unfair the king has been to Naofumi. The king's guards prepared themselves for battle while the king said:

"What are you going to do? Attack me?"

"I'M GONNA BREAK YER FUCKING FACE! I AIN'T AFRAID!" Garfiel spoke as he wanted to beat the shit out of the king.

The guards got out their swords, ready for battle with Garfiel preparing himself for a fight only for him to be stopped when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

He turned to see that it was Naofumi's hand, surprising him.

"Thank you...I owe you a lot there kid." Finally, a smile graced his face. Garfiel instantly felt himself relax, as if Naofumi's hand was really calming him down. "...Yeah, alright..." Garfiel says this, finally having calmed down. As things were calming down, Raphtalia took this opportunity to approach the two, wanting to be with Naofumi once again. Once she was close enough to them, she turned towards Garfiel first to tell him:

"Thank you, for helping Master Naofumi."

"Eh, it wasn't a problem."

Raphtalia smiles at the boy before turning towards Naofumi. Raphtalia wanted to hug her master yet Naofumi stepped back for a moment, contemplating on something.

"Raphtalia...Do you want to be free?"

"No. I don't ever want to be without you Master Naofumi" She said it so promptly and almost if it hurt her to even suggest that.

"You took me in, fed me good food, used medicine on me to nurse me back to health. You took me, a dying slave girl, in and taught me how to defend myself, and defended me when I needed to."

She spoke with passion in her voice, making sure to make note of things that he did for her.

Garfield took this moment to voice his thoughts after hearing what Raphtalia had to say.

"Oi! Ya see ya old fuckface! She wants to stay with Bro here, so fuck right off with yer nonsense!" His voice lashed out as once more, Naofumi placed his hand on his shoulder, giving Garfield a feeling that only Subaru gave him

"Again, thank you." It was just a good feeling for Naofumi, the feeling that someone wasn't going out of their way to antagonize him, to punish him for no reason, to believe lies spread about him. This boy... gave him a bit of hope.

"Umm...Master Naofumi, who is he anyway?" Raptailia asked

"We'll worry about that later." Naofumi turned from Raphtalia and Garfield to address the king and the other heroes. "Well, if our business here is down, we shall take our leave. Ren, Itsuki, thank you both." It was a rare moment of politeness from him. The Sword Hero gave him a slight smile and a nod.

Ren began to think about something; Was Naofumi the bad guy in the situation he was... but was there something he was missing...

Turning to Raphtilia and Garfield, Naofumi motioned for them to follow. Garfield didn't have anywhere else to go so he figured why the hell not go with them. As the new trio walked down the toward the exit, Naofumi finally stopped and turned to Garfield.

"I never asked you for your name."

Garfiel pauses for a moment before having a confident smile on his face. He smashes his fists together while saying in a prideful tone:

"Garfiel Tinsel, The Shield of Sanctuary!"

Chapter Text

"So... Ya guys want me part of yer team?" Arms crossed, pacing in front of both Naofumi and Raphtalia, Garfiel didn't look at them as he made it look like he was considering something... that something was joining the party.

"I know, I'm amazing and I should be part of the team... But I don't know." Garfiel held his nose up high, as if he wasn't internally begging them to let him join. Naofumi had a bit of an... well... dumbfound face.

'Is this kid for real? He was almost begging us to let him join last night.' he thought.

Raphtailia found herself struggling to hold back her laughter. She found it adorable that he wanted to act this way. "But alas... my hands are tied. I have no idea where I even am, and ya two have been kind t'me so far, so I might wanna repay th't kindness back... or th't would be somethin' th't th'princess would say." Garfiel's mind thought of the silver haired half elf his boss was in love with.

"So I accept your offer!" He finally turned to them with a great, goofy grin on his face as if he believes he was doing them a favor.

Naofumi let out a sigh.

"Welcome to the team then, Garfiel Tinsel."

Just as Naofumi said this, one of the guards approaches the party to tell them that they are allowed in the castle, since the king had asked to see the four heroes.

Naofumi and his group entered the castle and made their way towards the throne room.

Once they enter the throne room, the atmosphere instantly becomes hostile with Motoyasu and Malty turning towards Garfiel and giving him an intense glare.

The demi human boy notices this yet shrugs it off, as if he didn't even know who they were, ignoring their presence and mindset on what they think of him.

The Sword hero and The Bow hero arrive with their respective groups a minute after Naofumi's group had entered the throne room.

The proceedings began while Garfiel's mind started to wander, looking around the throne room. His eyes darted across from the King ('Bastard...'). to Malty ('Bitch') and the other heroes.

He already wrote them off, but... his distrust of the bitch lightly tick off. It reminded him of someone.

His attention was called back to front when a bag of money was seemingly handed to Naofumi.

"And as agreed upon, I have set aside 500 silvers for the Shield."

Just as it seemed like he was about to get the bag of money, the king said,

"However...Since it's offset by the cost of freeing his slave from her curse, he will receive no funds this time."

Naofumi and Garfiel both instantly looked with disdainful facial expressions.

They two clearly know that this is unfair and just biased of the king.

"HUUUHHHHHHH? YA GOTTA BE FUCKIN' KIDDIN' ME WITH TH'S BULLSHIT!"

Garfiel shouts as he wants to punch the king in the face. Naofumi agrees with Garfiel but before he could say anything, someone speaks on his behalf.

"I don't think that's going to fly."

Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Garfiel all three turn their attention to the voice to see that it was Itsuki speaking on their behalf.

"He won the duel despite the interference. You decided to dispel...the slave crest, was it? He deserves to be compensated for all his hard work."

"Agreed. You removed the crest without permission, you should pay the price on your own and repay Naofumi."

"Tsk."

Malty smirked a bit.

"The Shield hero only won because that boy interfered on his behalf."

"YOU WANNA RUN TH'T BY ME AGAIN BITCH-!"

Ren held up his hand as he knew what to say.

Garfiel paused himself as he was caught off guard by this yet allowed it, curious to know what the Sword hero was about to do.

Ren takes a moment before confronting Malty.

"Which you knowingly interfered on your own first on Motorasyu's behalf. Either way, the duel was decided in Naofumi's favor, princess."

Ren's defense of Naofumi shocked the people in the throne room.

He sounded openly hostile towards Malty in this situation.

"So, give him his just due."

The King couldn't help but be pissed off, not only are things going south but everyone seems to be targeting his daughter.

He got up while saying towards Ren,

"Fine, I shall pay the Shield Hero what he has earned."

The reluctance in his voice strained out his words.

He couldn't afford to have the heroes turn on him, and with both Itsuki and Ren seemingly siding with the Shield, it was looking as if he could lose control of this if he wasn't careful.

The person handing the bag went back to get a few more silver coins to add onto the bag before delivering it to Naofumi.

Although the situation is annoying for the Shield hero, he found this somewhat beneficial.

He can somewhat rely on the Sword hero and Bow hero while also enjoying that the King is backed into a corner.

Just as he grabs the bag, the king says to him,

"You have it, so begone already."

"Well screw you too you, royal dumbass." Garfiel says while flipping the finger at him.

Everyone in the room was surprised by this since they didn't expect a demi human to literally disrespect the king in such a volatile and vulgar way.

The King's face turned completely hot red, completely filled with rage and hatred by this. Just as he gets up from his seat, Raphtalia quickly took hold of both Garfiel and Naofumi, a stronger grip on Garfiel's arm.

"Alright boys, let's go since we have our money now." She sounded cheerful, but within she was freaking out because of Garfiel's stunt. Almost dragging them, the trio left the throne room.

Not too far behind them, Ren and his group followed suit, the latter holding back his laughter from seeing the king so stunned and pissed off.

Just as Naofumi and his group are outside of the castle, they hear someone shout Naofumi's name.

"Hold up, Naofumi."

"Hm?"

The trio turned to see that it was Ren who was shouting at them, approaching the trio in a calm and collected manner.

Garfiel was on his guard but also tried to keep his cool, trying to figure out whether the Sword hero is here on friendly terms or on unfriendly terms.

Naofumi is unsure on what Ren wants, prompting him to ask:

"Yes?"

"I wanted to ask... What really happened with Malty that night?"

Ren at first believed Malty's story, as personally, something like that disgusts him when a man tries to take advantage of a woman.

But, after seeing how much the King was bending the rules not just for himself, but his own daughter; he began to question something was up.

They had nothing but Malty's word against Naofumi, and if he remembered correctly, Naofumi was very confused about the whole situation, even still calling out Malty.

He wrote that off at first, but now recent events put that into a new perspective.

Naofumi and company stared at the Sword Hero, who still had his normal serious look on his face.

The memory of that day was still fresh in his mind, but he didn't care about clearing his name... But he was being given a chance to do so.

"... I went to sleep late, and when I woke up, I discovered all my suppise had been stolen, and the soldiers came for me. That's it."

Ren nodded his head. His story hasn't changed, even after being asked more than once.

"I see. Your story still hasn't changed. And from what I have witnessed... I'm more inclined to believe it."

Naofumi was extremely skeptical at first, not sure if Ren was being serious about possibly believing him but after seeing that he has been defending him now, he might have some respect for the Sword hero.

"Believe what you will, but know that I will only speak the truth on that."

Ren just simply nodded, understanding Naofumi's point. Garfiel looks at the two and is not only lost, he is curious on what they were talking about.

"Th'hell's th's all about?"

Ren was the one who answered him, clearly since it was known that Garfiel doesn't know what's going on.

"It's not my place to say. Naofumi, Let's meet before next wave."

With that, the Sword hero's party and Ren walked away.

"Hey... Thanks for standing up for me back there." Naofumi finally got out.

Ren only looked back and nodded, the two going their separate ways for now.

As Ren goes off towards one direction, Naofumi with his group go towards another.

The first stop being the slave market as Raphtalia wanted her crest mark back.

"Are you sure about this?" Naofumi asked in his skeptical tone.

"Yes." Raphtalia answered without hesitation. Naofumi just gives a blank facial expression before leading the trio towards the slave market. Garfiel was confused by all of this yet he stood silent, figuring that he will find out if he pays attention.

The slaver puts the new crest on Raphtalia's chest with Garfiel looking very closely since he was curious on what was going on. While the slaver was working on Raphtalia's slave crest, Garfiel begins to question things.

"What's th't suppose t'do?"

"It's a slave crest." The slaver said. "It binds the slave to their master, as well as causes them pain when they disobey."

"Th'hell do ya want t'have somethin' like th't on ya?"

Raphtalia looked at Garfiel, noticing that he had a disgust look on his face. She closed her eyes and smiled while responding with:

"I want it. It is a symbol of Naofumi's faith in me."

"...I suppose th't's not a bad reason...still weird."

"Not that weird. Do you want one?" The slaver says as he is curious to see the boy's reaction. Garfiel looked at him with a stern look.

"Like hell! I don't need no symbol. Besides, I got people believing in my amazin' self anyway."

"Alright." The slaver said in a calm tone of voice, not surprise that the demi human boy doesn't want the slave crest on him. After a moment passes, he manages to finish putting the new slave crest on Raphtalia.

"There we go. She now has a new slave crest."

The sheer glee on Raphtalia's face was unmatched by anything. She stuck out her chest a bit, showing off a bit too much, as she pointed herself towards Naofumi

"How does it look, Naofumi-Sama?" She asked him. Garfiel noticed the way she was presenting herself, remembering something that boss and him talked about before Ram kicked them both in the butt.

"Yeah, what does Naofumi-sama think~" He mimicked her voice as best he could, causing the slaver to chuckle as well and Raphtalia to puff up her cheeks.

"Knock it off you two." Naofumi said to both of them meanwhile he was looking at his skill tree, noticing something interesting. "Slave User's Shield, huh?"

Naofumi turns towards Raphtalia while asking, "What is it?"

She closes her eyes and looks away while saying in a serious tone of voice, "Nothing!"

Garfiel began howling with laughter at Raphtaila's rejections

"Yeah, it was clearly nothing." Sarcasm dripped in his voice. Raphtalia looks at Garfiel with an annoyed look but before she could say anything to him, the slaver approached her. He was interested in the fact that she grew so fast in such a short time.

"Still...I'm amazed you helped that scrawny bag of bones grow so much in such a short time. Even if she's not a virgin, she's guaranteed to fetch you twenty gold pieces."

"I am a virgin!" Raphtalia retaliated.

"Thirty-five, then!"

"WHAT THE HELL!"

"Twenty more for him too!"

"FUCK YOU!"

"I agree!" Raphtalia added.

"Enough you two." Naofumi said, having found this interaction a bit annoying though this feeling would change into a curious one when he noticed a couple of eggs.

"What's that?"

"A monster egg lottery. Pay 100 silvers, and you're guaranteed at least a filolial! You'll win a monster chick that'll double in value if you raise it well."

"A filolial?"

"What's th't?" Garfiel asked, never having heard the name before. Raphtalia was surprised by this, prompting her to answer the boys question first before her master's question.

"By now you both have seen those large birds that pull around carriages, those are filolial."

Both boys thought back to when they were walking down the street, and Garfiel made a comment about wanting to eat... or was it fight, one of those birds. The slaver added in:

"What's more, if you hit the jackpot, you'll win a dragon worth twenty gold pieces!"

"Pft! A dragon? My amazin' self can kick a dragon's ass."

"Oh really...fifty gold pieces for him then."

"HEY!"

"What, it's like a gacha game?"

"Gacha game? Cap'n said somethin' like th't before?"

"Huh?" Naofumi looked at Garfiel, having registered what he said.

'He keeps talking about this boss or 'Cap'n' person...But given that Garfiel is a demi-human and clearly not from Earth, this person he knows must be...' his train of thought stopped.

"Would you like to give it a shot? Act now, and I'll give you a package deal for that and the slave crest!" The slaver said, hoping that Naofumi would accept. The Shield hero thought and thought for a moment.

"Naofumi-Sama, we already came here for what we wanted."

"Yeah, we should hit the road while we can."

His two partners chimed in as the slaver was clearly trying to get money from him... also trying to buy both of them, and both of them wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible...

'He really did it.'

Both Raphtailia and Garfiel had the same thought as they walked down the road while Naofumi carried a white egg with a seal on it in a very lavish looking basket.

Both of them could facepalm at this stunt.

The trio eventually left the slave market with Naofumi holding the egg. The three walk for a bit before Raphtalia ends up saying to her master:

"You shouldn't waste money like that, Naofumi-sama."

"Yeah, it's a waste of time." Garfiel added.

"Well, I figured it wouldn't be fair to make Raphtalia fight alone all the time. A monster should at least be some help."

"Who needs a monster when ya got my amazin' self th't can help." Garfiel said as he spoke with pride. Raphtalia couldn't help but chuckle at the way Garfiel was boasting himself. After a few seconds, she turned her attention to Naofumi to respond to what he said.

"I can fight by myself just fine so, we can just sell it back to the slave trader."

"And used the money to get some grub! Good thinking Talia!"

Naofumi had a slight tick mark on his head from his two partners and their antics. The three went around the village for a bit, receiving a grimoire and a book of medical things.

After a bit, the three head towards the top of the hill where lots of trees are located to relax for a bit. Naofumi attempts to read the grimoire yet he couldn't.

"I really can't read it."

"Let me try."

Garfiel carefully grabbed the book and attempted to read, having been fond of books. As he was going page by page, both Raphtalia and Naofumi looked at him. They did this for a good bit

"...You can't read it, can you?" Raphtalia asked him after he seemed stuck on the same page for a while.

"...here ya go."

"Haha! What happened?"

"...shut up." Garfiel said to Naofumi as he got up and took a moment to walk away, feeling dumb for not being able to read the book. Naofumi continued to chuckle a bit before looking at the book, feeling somewhat happy by the appreciation he got from the villagers.

"How about we all learn to read together?" Raphtalia said after having chuckled from Garfiel's way of acting. Garfiel and Naofumi turn towards her before turning at each other.

The two nodded at this before the three enjoying the sunset.

"Raphtaila! Garfiel! Wake up!" Naofumi's voice sounded urgent as he almost shook them both awake. Naofumi slept on the floor while the two younger companions slept on the beds.

Garfiel rose from his sleep looking as if he saw a ghost for just a moment, but his eyes were focused on what was going on. The egg from yesterday had fractures in it. It was hatching.

'This is...amazing.'

The three waited for a moment until the egg finally broke with a tiny filolial being born right in front of them.

The three stepped back for a moment, shocked until they noticed the little bird jump on top of Naofuni's head, creating a little nest for itself.

Garfiel and Raphtalia stood shocked while Naofumi had a blank expression as this was happening.

"It's so cute, Naofumi-sama!"

"Yeah, fits ya real well."

Both Garfiel and Raphtalia chuckled a little while Naofumi just looked at the two, feeling like he was being mocked. Raphtalia continued,

"It must think you're its mother."

"Nah, more like th'dad."

"..."

Naofumi stood silent, still feeling like he was being mocked by his allies.

"Well Naofumi, what're ya gonna call it?"

"...it does need a name...how about...Filo?"

There was a brief moment of silence, both Raphtalia and Garfiel taking the time to think on Naofumi's choice. The Shield hero waited for a bit before finally hearing a response from the two. Garfiel and Raphtalia both answered in unison,

"That's a cool name." Garfiel said.

"That's kinda lazy, Naofumi-sama." Raphtalia said.

Both of them looked at each other for a moment as they realized what the other said.

"It's not lazy! It's creative and I bet no one has even thought of it"

"But it's lazy! He just took it from the word Filolial!

"Knock it off you two." Naofumi began to wonder why he had to be stuck with these two... as Filo sat on his head the whole time.

'This is my life now.'

For the next two days, the three took care of Filo with Garfiel starting to get accustomed to the new world he found himself in though he does miss his friends and wonders whether or not they know he is gone. As the two days past, the trio had looked to see that Filo had grown up pretty fast.

"I can't believe she grew so much in just two days!" Raphtalia said in a surprised tone of voice. Naofumi responded to this by saying:

"My Growth Boost skill probably helped. Right, Filo?"

Filo squawked to respond to Naofumi's question. Garfiel couldn't help but add in,

"Yeah but my amazin' self also helped out too!"

"You almost got ran over when you tired to stop her when she was running off with Naofumi-sama yesterday"

"OH SHUT UP TALIA!

Naofumi just face palmed at this, seeing the two acting like siblings in a dumb conflict. Before he had the chance to say something to the two, the three overheard a villager say something that caught their attention.

"Why are the knights here?"

"Hm?" Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Garfiel all turned as they noticed what one of the villagers had said. They go to investigate to see that a couple of villagers are gathered together with a not so friendly person speaking to them.

"In light of his exploits during the last Wave, the Spear Hero, Motoyasu-sama, has been appointed ruling lord of this region."

There was a small pause as Motoyasu just gives a confident smile at the villagers, one they did not appreciate. Naofumi and his group all watch from the back. Garfiel looked at Malty with an annoyed facial expression.

'Fuckin' bitch.'

Malty continued, "To help the rebuilding efforts, we've decided to levy a toll. Fifty silvers to enter the village, and fifty to exit."

"The hell?!" Garfiel said as he saw this completely absurd and unfair to the village. Some of the villagers started to complain which annoyed Malty.

"You wish to defy your lord's orders?"

"Well duh"

This wasn't Garfiel shouting out again, this was Naofumi speaking this time. This caused Malty's attention to scan the crowds. She located him in the back of the crowd, standing there with his... demihumans. They disgusted her that he would freely travel with them. She composed herself once more and looked at him with authority

"What are you doing here? This is now Motoyasu-sama's domain, meaning you have no right to question him."

"Tell me, was this his idea or your own as another petty way to get one over on me?" Naofumi questioned. "If I didn't know any better, I'll say you hated me."

"Ha! You have some good jokes!" Garfiel added as he tried to keep himself from going up and punching both of them.

"Both of you..." Raptalia sighed from both of them cracking jokes, noticing Filo was also giggling. Malty just gave Naofumi a cold stare before continuing to say,

"Why don't you just get out this instant, criminal scum!"

"Tsk." Garfiel grinds his teeths as he really dislikes this bitch. Naofumi also looks the same amount of annoyed like Garfiel though he keeps his composure.

"I don't really care about being here anyway but the villagers won't like it." Naofumi turns his attention from Malty to Motoyasu. "Motoyasu, do you know how much it costs to spend a night at the inn here?"

"Uhh...?"

"It's one silver a night, food included. You're charging a hundred nights' worth of money just to enter and exit the village!"

As Naofumi said this, all the villagers rallied behind this idea and began to complain even more. Garfiel also couldn't help but also speak up on his opinions.

"Tis fucked up! Who th'hell calls themselves th'ruler when they didn't earn it? Not t'mention yer arrogant chagrin' these good people for no reason!"

"Shut it you damn demi human!" Malty said as she had reached her limit of listening to the boy. Garfiel couldn't help but smirk since he got the red bitch to crack. Naofumi also had a smirk since he was happy to see that Garfiel can piss Malty off. Malty turned her attention towards the villagers as she continued to hear them complain.

"For the rest of you, you dare complain about a royal decree?"

The moment she finished speaking, a couple of knights moved their weapons towards the villagers, threatening them. Garfiel put on his two shields as he noticed that things might turn violent, not only that but he also must protect the people.

Just as things were about to escalate, a couple of people in dark robes appeared in front of Malty, leaving her with a stunned facial expression. Garfiel was also stopped by one of these unknown people, seeing that the demi human boy was about to start the fight.

"Who da hell r'ya?!"

Garfiel was speaking in a hostile manner yet he was calmed down when Naofumi grabbed his arm, giving him a signal to keep calm. This annoyed the demi human boy for a moment before he simply nodded at the unknown person in front of him. Naofumi's group all turn towards Malty's direction, being able to hear one of the unknown people say,

"I trust you know who we are, Malty-sama."

"Why are you people here?" Malty asked.

This caught all of their attention, the way Malty's reaction was. Naofumi, Filo, and Garfiel all three looked serious while Raphtalia was a bit curious on something.

"Who are they?"

"Who knows. Who cares." Garfiel responds slightly annoyed Raphtalia since that response from Garfiel was not helpful.

"I wouldn't ask that if I didn't care."

"Well ya shouldn't, ain't our problem."

"Okay you two, be quiet."

Naofumi said as he gave the two a serious look, prompting the two to stay quiet. After that moment, he turned back to see how things were going with Malty, wanting to see how things would play out. They all notice Malty was handed what appeared to be a scroll which left her completely infuriated.

"How could this be?!" Malty stays silent for a second before pointing her finger at Naofumi. "Shield hero! Fight us for the right to rule this village!"

Naofumi and his group were caught off guard by this yet the shield hero regained his composure before turning around.

As he did this, he first signaled his group to follow him before responding to Malty's challenge with:

"No thanks."

"You have to! It is a direct challenge you–"

"I'll do it!"

Garfiel interrupts Malty, sensing that she is trying to instigate a fight in order to do something shady. Naofumi turned towards Garfiel, a little annoyed by this action. Malty instantly responded to what Garfiel had said by saying,

"No! The challenge isn't directed to some stupid boy! It is directed towards the Shield Hero! Know your place, stupid demi human."

"Ya think I give a fuck 'bout yer rules or insults? Please. I've taken worse from someone way hotter than ya!" Garfiel said with confidence, having compared the insults here from the insults he gets from Ram on a daily basis.

Not only that but comparing their looks, liking Ram one million times more than Malty.

Malty couldn't help but feel insulted by this and was tempted to attack but seeing that there were too many witnesses, she restrained herself reluctantly.

She took a second to calm down before returning her overwhelming confidence.

"My, Shield Hero, for a demi human boy to fight for your place instead of yourself. What kind of man you are?"

"One who is busy, now screw off."

Naofumi said, not allowing Malty to get him mad over petty insults. Before the shield hero could leave, the village lord approached him.

"Please Shield hero, help us."

"I refuse." The Shield hero said instantly, not wishing to be involved in things, especially if Malty is involved.

"But if we lose this, the village will fall into the Spear Hero's hands! As the current lord, even I cannot accept further taxation at this time!"

Naofumi was silent as he felt all of this to be a pain since this isn't a responsibility he wishes to have. Just as he was going to respond in an annoyed tone of voice, Garfiel chimed in to give his opinion on the matter.

"Doesn't hurt t'do th's. Besides, ya beat spear dumbass before, ya can beat him again."

"That may be true but this all still sounds like a pain."

"Life's a pain."

"Tsk. You aren't wrong there." Naofumi reluctantly agreed to what Garfiel had said. Before he could say anything more, his group all notice Filo acting all fired up as she was staring at a dragon.

"Seems like your filolial is fired up." The current lord of the village had said. This was something Naofumi didn't want.

"What's wrong with her?"

"So it's true that filolials and dragons don't get along." Raphtatlia said, which caught Garfiel's attention for a moment before the villagers all continued to beg Naofumi to accept the challenge.

"Please, we beg you. We promise you a reward for winning!"

Naofumi had a moment to pause, seeing that this could prove to be beneficial if he participates and wins this challenge. He sighs before saying,

"I'm not responsible for what happens if I lose, okay?"

"Thank you." The current lord of the village said as he showed his much appreciation with his words. Naofumi just had a blank facial expression before turning towards Filo, wanting to see what is up with her. Just as he did this, Garfiel had a slight criticism towards the shield hero.

"Ya gotta say th't ya will win! Can't say stuff like 'what happens if I lose' crap."

"I'm just telling him that I'm not responsible should I lose. Not like I'm planning to if there is a reward involved." Garfiel nodded as he understood what Naofumi meant while the Shield hero turned towards Malty to ask, "Okay then, what the hell is the challenge?"

"A race."

"Okay."

Naofumi approached Filo and began to pet her while Motoyasu just looked at him with complete hatred, still recalling how he lost his duel with him not too long ago. He waited for the right moment to confront his enemy.

"You are going to pay, Naofumi, you bastard."

"For what exactly?" The Shield Hero asked in a calm manner while having a blank expression.

"You know why. You humiliated me in front of a large audience!"

"If I recall, it was you who challenged me. You're the only one to blame for your failure to beat me just like how I'll beat you here too."

"Oh really? I would be inclined to take that seriously if you also had a dragon by your side but you have a simple filolial." Motoyasu said since he was confident that he will defeat the Shield hero this time.

"What's your problem with filolials?" The Shield Hero asked as he did not like the way Motoyasu was boasting.

"I have no issue with them. I'm just saying that dragons are better than filolials for a race."

The second this was said, Filo did not hesitate to attack Motoyasu by kicking him directly in between the legs while also sending him flying onto a haystack.

As he landed there, Malty looked shocked and concerned, causing her to approach him in a worried manner to which Garfiel and Naofumi were able to see right through.

"Motoyasu-sama! Healing magic! Hurry!"

Naofumi, Filo, and Garfiel all three had smirks on their faces as they watched Motoyasu getting healed from Filo's attack. Malty observed her knights going off to heal the Spear Hero. While she watched this, she turned towards Naofumi's direction with an annoyed facial expression.

"You cheater!"

"It's his fault for getting too close."

As Naofumi said this, he along with Filo and Garfiel began to laugh. Raphtalia noticed this and couldn't help but think about how this is the most she has seen her master smile.

As the moment passes, Motoyasu and Naofumi get themselves ready for their race in their respective rides.

While the rules were being explained, Raphtalia took this chance to ask the demi human boy,

"Why is it that you resort to violence?"

"Hm? Well, th't's how ya get things done. Ya beat th'bad guys, be th'hero. At least th't's how cap'n would phrase it."

"Captain? Who—"

Before she could finish her question, the two noticed that the explanations had finished. They both turn to look at Naofumi, both demi humans prepared to cheer for their ally and leader.

"Good luck, Naofumi-sama!"

"Ya got th's!"

Naofumi heard their shouts, smiling over to them before his face went into serious mode. "We can do this, Filo."

Filo only squaked in agreement as she readied herself.

"START!"

Out the gate, Filo dashed ahead, blitzing past the dragon with intense speed. Since not too many people could see what was going on, Ma had a plan to insure that Motoyasu would win the race.

As he rounded the last corner to finish the first lap, Naofumi could see a Knight out of the corner of his eye in the bush. Suddenly, a large hole opened up in the ground. Someone else felt this was going on.

'The hell..'

"Oi, Talia... I think the bitch over there is cheating again."

"What makes you say that?"

Just then, to avoid the hole, Naofumi and Filo slid across the track. This in turn, gave Motoyasu the lead on the last corner.

"Just a feeling." Garfiel said. Raphtaila nodded because something had to have happened there.

"Alright, how should we handle this?" She said. Garfiel looked around, only to see Malty nod to a Knight of hers.

"Stay here and keep an eye on this bitch. I'll make sure she doesn't have any more surprises from her weaklings."

Garfiel ducked down to not be seen, sneaking off to find out what was going on. He quickly ran as fast as he could, feeling something was off. He wasn't sure at first until he figured that it was the ground that was telling him where he had to look.

'Haven't tried th's yet since I'm here...'

He stomped his foot down, feeling his power surge. Once he did this, he heard someone scream out. He quickly ran towards the direction of the scream to find a knight on the ground, completely disoriented from the attack.

'I fuckin' knew it!'

Before the knight could recover, Garfiel took this opportunity to knock him out while trying to see if he could find any more of the knights trying to sabotage Naofumi. While he searched around, he looked at the knocked out knight with disgust in his eyes.

'Cap'n makes a better knight than ya.'

As he thinks this, he looks at the race to see that not only is Naofumi in the lead, but he has a way bigger distance compared to Motoyasu.

This made Garfiel somewhat satisfied, yet he felt that there were possibly more knights around, trying to help Motoyasu win the race.

This prompted the demi human boy to take a look around, using his senses to detect anyone. While he was looking around, one of the knights noticed that he needs to do something or the Spear hero will lose again to the Shield Hero. He put both his hands together while saying,

"Decipher the laws of nature and—"

"—allow my amazin' self t'kick yer ass."

"What?"

The knight turned towards the voice only to suddenly be knocked out by a powerful force.

Garfiel looked at disgust at this knight as well before having this disgust feeling turn into one of pride as he saw Naofumi eventually win the race in such a way that completely left Motoyasu more humiliated than before.

All of the villagers cheered as they saw the one that saved their village help them once again.

"Thank you, Shield Hero. We are in your debt."

"If you wanna thank someone, thank Filo."

As Naofumi finished saying this, he realized that something was up. This prompted him to turn towards Filo to see that she has changed physically, surprising him alongside the villagers.

"You cheated!" A bitchy voice spoke out, catching Naofumi's attention. "You didn't tell us your filolial was really this massive tub of lard!"

"But it only transformed after the race was over." The current lord of the village spoke out, defending Naofumi.

"Yer th'ones th't cheated, ya bitch."

"Excuse me?!" Malty said as she was insulted being called that. As she turned towards Garfiel's location, she along with the knights with her were surprised when he was carrying two of their own.

"Found these two actin' weird, so I put them t'sleep."

"Why you?! How dare you attack my knights! I should have your head for this!"

As Malty says this, she prepares to order her knights to attack Garfiel. This causes the demi human to set the two knocked out knights down before preparing himself for a fight.

"Come on then, bitch! I'll take all of y'all!"

Before a fight broke out, the unknown people in robes once again intervene as they seem to be on the side of Garfiel Tinsel.

"This boy speaks the truth, someone had attempted to tamper with the course."

"I-It was obviously that criminal!" Malty says while she was pointing at Naofumi, annoying the Shield Hero a bit. The leader of these unknown group responded to what Malty had said by saying,

"No, the magic we found is different. None of the Shield Hero's party have the elements of magic we found."

"Tsk! F-Fine! We shall leave for today!"

Malty reluctantly said as she along with her group started to make their way towards the exit of the village. Motoyasu passed by both Naofumi and Raphtalia, giving off a pissed off aura since this was the second time he was beaten by the Shield Hero.

Compared to the first, this one was more humiliating. The two heroes locked eyes for a moment with Motoyasu tempted to say something yet he just left, filled with anger and envy in his heart. Once Motoyasu's group left, the current lord approached Naofumi to thank him once again.

"Thank you so much, Sir Hero. We don't know how to express our gratitude for everything you've done."

Naofumi pauses for a moment.

"Forget that. Hand over the reward."

"We're going around the village collecting money now. Please give us a few days..." The current lord said to which Naofumi immediately responded with:

"I don't want your money."

"...sir hero." The villagers were surprised yet happy to hear this.

"I don't want rumors spreading about how I took all your rebuilding funds."

"Nobody in this village would ever say that!" Raphtalia said as she felt that everyone in the village could be trusted.

"Really, now?" Naofumi said as he went into his thinking position.

"But then, what else can we give you?"

The villager asks, leaving Naofumi stunned since he wasn't sure until he felt something poke his head. He looked to see that Filo wanted his attention since she wanted to alert her master that she wanted the wagon nearby.

Seeing this as an opportunity to travel, he tells the village leader that he wants the wagon for Filo.

The lord of the village accepts this and allows them to take it, giving Naofumi and his group a chance to start their travels.

While they were riding for a bit, Garfiel couldn't help but see that something was up with Raphtalia.

"Oi, Talia, ya alright?"

"N-No...Naofumi-sama...could we please stop for a bit?"

"Hm?"

Naofumi looked to see that something was up with Raphtalia, prompting him to stop the wagon. As the wagon came to a halt, the raccoon girl jumped out and vomited on some bushes. Garfiel saw this and couldn't help but comment,

"Damn...th't was rough."

"Oh shut it Garfiel."

"Oi, Naofumi, shall we sleep here fer th'night?"

"Sure. Doesn't seem like any danger is nearby."

Garfiel nodded and for the rest of that day, they set up camp in order to rest up.

The demi human boy woke up and noticed that his surroundings were a bit off since he last recalled that he was sleeping on grass. This time however he was asleep in some comfy yet familiar bed.

"Th'hell's goin' on?!"

The demi human boy looked around to see that the walls were way too familiar to the point that he figured where he was at.

'I'm back to th'Sanctuary!'

This didn't make any sense to him since he was first teleported to a whole new world with a whole new situation he wasn't prepared for.

Now he is back to the beginning, where he was too afraid to leave his comfort zone. He got up to take a look around, hoping to bump into one of the Ryuzu Mayers.

While he was walking around, his body felt danger all around despite being in a place he considered safe long ago. As he walked all around the house, he eventually came across an unfamiliar door.

'Th'hell?'

Although he wanted to open this new and mysterious door to see where it led, his body kept telling him that there was danger.

This annoyed him since he had faced many dangerous things before, prompting him to ignore the warning his body was trying to give him, causing him to open the door.

The second he did this, he jumped back as he saw something he immediately didn't like at all.

"It can't be!"

Garfiel opened his eyes, seeing that he is back on the actual world, the world he was teleported to by an unknown source.

As he woke up, he looked at his surroundings for a moment before stretching his body, disliking the nightmare he had.

During his stretch, he noticed that something was missing though at first he wasn't sure.

He got up and was about to go towards the wagon to grab a snack before noticing Raphtalia waking up.

"Oi, Talia, how're ya feelin'?" Garfiel asked with genuine concern for his ally. Raphtalia took notice of what she was asked and immediately answered the demi human boy with,

"I'm alright Garfiel. Thanks for asking."

"Don't mention it."

The two stood silent for a bit as Raphtalia got up as well, stretching her arms before deciding to turn towards Naofumi to see how he was doing while Garfiel turned towards the wagon, still wanting a snack.

The second Raphtalia turned towards her master, she saw something that immediately caught her attention, prompting her to call out for Garfiel.

"Garfiel. Garfiel."

"Eh? What?" The demi human boy asked in a carefree manner.

"Come here."

"Why?"

"Just come here!"

"Okay Okay."

Garfiel listened to Raphtalia and went towards her position, a bit curious to know what exactly she wanted.

After approaching her position, she pointed at Naofumi which prompted Garfiel to look, being surprised like her.

While the two were stunned by what they saw, eventually Naofumi woke up.

"Sorry, I must've fallen asleep."

Naofumi was about to get up until he felt something off. It took him a moment before figuring out that it was soft skin.

'Why do I...?'

He looked down to see a little girl sleeping on his lap, completely shocking him. He jumped out while having a surprised facial expression.

"Huh?"

"Th-That girl..."

Raphtalia spoke with a nervous voice as she didn't know how to process this, neither did Garfiel as he stood silent. The girl looked around before turning her attention towards Naofumi while a small set of wings grew out from her back side.

"Good morning, Master."

"Ma—"

"Who the heck is she?!"

Raphtalia said in a confused, concerned, and jealous tone all mixed together.

"Ya jealous?" Garfiel said as he couldn't waste such an opportunity though this might have been a poor timing joke since it only resulted in Raphtalia snapping at him.

"This is not time for games! Naofumi-sama! Who is this girl?!"

"I don't know!"

"Garfiel! Do you know?!" Raphtalia said which shifted Garfiel's tone.

"I don't know her!"

"Then who is she?!"

"I'm hungry!" The girl spoke in a happy tone of voice, prompting the three to eventually puzzle together that this was Filo.

'Things just got complicated, haven't they?' Naofumi thought.

Chapter Text

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"Here I go!"

Garfiel shouts at the top of his lungs before charging at Raphtalia, starting off their sparring match. He charges with incredible speed towards her, beginning this fight on the offense.

Raphtalia looked as she waited until the demi human boy was close enough to be able to read what his attack's going to be. Once Garfiel was close to her, he swung his right arm to try and land a punch on her.

Raphtalia quickly moves out of the way, avoiding the attack while also going for an attack of her own. She swung her sword directly towards Garfiel's head. Without any hesitation, the demi human moved his left arm up swiftly to block the attack.

As he did this, he was able to move his right leg quick enough to try a hit on his opponent's head. Raphtalia noticed this and quickly was able to block it with her left arm. As she was able to do this, Garfiel's strength was a bit too strong for her to handle which forced her to jump away.

'He's very strong!' Raphtalia thought as she quickly jumped back, gaining some distance from her opponent. She could see that in a physical fight, she would clearly lose to Garfiel. 'I'll have to beat him with pure skills.'

While she was thinking, Garfiel was thinking of how Raphtalia's defense was.

'She's really sharp n'fast! My amazin' self'll have t'get close if I wanna win th's fight.' As Garfiel thought this, he prepared his next move. He observed her stance for a moment before quickly charging once again. As he closed the gap once again, he started to throw a barrage of punches. Raphtalia noticed this, prompting her to quickly dodge and deflect each attack thrown towards her.

"Yer'n amazin' sword fighter! But let's see ya handle th's!"

Garfiel began to increase his attacks, making them hard to follow. Raphtalia took notice of this, seeing that Garfiel's strategy is to do attacks that can't be read so easily, forcing her to deflect on the spot.

As she continues to be on the defensive side, she starts to notice that each punch Garfiel throws were becoming faster and stronger to the point where she was slowly losing her grasp on the fight.

'I must be careful. If I get hit by Garf's attacks, I will surely lose!' As she thinks this, she looks at Naofumi for a moment to see that he's observing the sparring match between her and Garfiel. 'I can't lose in front of Naofumi-sama!'

Raphtalia looked back at Garfiel, continuing to dodge everything he had before finding the opening she needed. Once this happened, she charged at Garfiel and just barely managed to slice off a piece of his hair.

"Tk!"

"Almost got you there, Garf."

Garfiel quickly went into defense as Raphtalia started to throw her own barrage of attacks, swinging her sword with great precision.

'Her swordsmanship's amazin'. I gotta find my openin'.'

Garfiel focuses closely on the fightin patterns Raphtalia was showing, trying to find an opening. After a brief moment, he quickly jumped high up to break Raphtalia's fighting pattern. As he manages this, he quickly dives towards her direction with his left leg charging towards her. Raphtalia saw this and only had three seconds to quickly react to this attack.

She jumped out of the way just as Garfiel landed on the ground, causing a massive crater with just his left leg alone. He was expecting this and with the dust all around, it gave him a chance to charge right in at Raphtalia, pushing her back with most of his strength.

Garfiel continued to throw more and more punches before eventually one of these attacks managed to break Raphtalia's sword as she was trying to block off one of his attacks.

'M-My blade...'

'Eh? I did it?'

Garfiel and Raphtalia were both surprised by this with Naofumi and Ren noticed this, Ren being impressed by Garfiel's strength while Naofumi was a bit annoyed that the demi human boy broke Raphtalia's sword. Raphtalia and Garfiel stopped their sparring match since the winner is clearly the Shield of Sanctuary.

"Sorry 'bout th't."

"It's fine. You are quite the fighter, Garf."

"Eh, took me some time t'get th's strong."

"What? Your captain didn't help you with that?" Raphtalia asked since she was expecting the demi human boy to mention his captain again.

"Nah, he ain't th't strong. He's just a cool guy though sometimes dumb."

"Interesting." Raphtalia said, surprised that Garfiel would call someone he admired dumb. She turned towards Naofumi and Ren, noticing the two approaching them.

"That was pretty impressive, you both did well." Ren said in a calm and impressed tone of voice. Naofumi just stood silent for a moment before approaching Garfiel to smack him in the head.

"What th'hell?!"

"That's for breaking Raphtalia's sword. Do you know how much those swords cost?"

"Okay, my fuckin' bad."

As Garfiel said this, he turned towards the others to see how their fights were going. He saw how the three knights and the two mages were having some trouble against Ren's party. Tersia, Welt, Bakta, and Farrie all four were pretty skilled on their own but when combining their strengths, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Being curious to see their strength himself, he started to approach the two groups in the middle of their fight. As the knights and the mages were about to lose, Garfiel got in between both sides.

"Oi, let me fight y'all."

"Hm? It's rude to interfere in the middle of one's fight!" Farrie yelled as he swung his axe directly towards the demi human boy's direction. Garfiel smiles as he is filled with excitement, wanting to see how capable these four are against him alone.

He easily blocks off the attack with his shield from his right hand before trying to land a punch on the giant man's face. Just as it seemed like he was going to land a punch, Tersia the female martial artist managed to use her strongest kick to block off Garfiel's punch while Welt attempted to use his knives to stab the boy's leg.

The demi human boy noticed this yet he wasn't worried, he was fast enough to avoid the attack while also managing to push the axe guy back with a swift kick. As this kick connects, he manages to push back Farrie before turning towards the other three.

Tersia charged at Garfiel before using her martial arts to attack. Bakta looks at Garfiel from a distance as he is being distracted by the combined efforts of Tersia and Welt. The mage waited before he saw the right open to attack.

"Zweit fire!"

A ball of fire is created to throw directly at the demi human boy. Although Garfiel was still holding his own against a martial artist and what seems to be an assassin who is good with knives, the demi human boy was able to sense the ball of fire being thrown towards him. He continued to block all of the attacks until he felt the fire was extremely close.

He jumped up to dodge the attack, forcing Tersia and Welt to jump away from the fireball attack thrown by Bakta. The mage was surprised by how fast Garfiel was able to react to his attack, prompting him to prepare another attack while the demi human was on the air.

Just as he was about to attack Garfiel, the demi human boy took off its shield from his left arm before throwing it with extreme strength at Bakta.

The mage wasn't able to see this until the shield was right within a few inches from his face. He was shocked by this for only a second before the boy's shield was able to easily knock him out.

'Ha! Ya think I wasn't gonna see yer attack, wizard man!' Garfiel thought confidently, figuring that the mage would've attacked him while he was on the air. He turned towards the ground to see that Farrie, Tersia, and Welt all three recovered and were preparing to attack him the moment he returns to the ground. 'Y'all think ya got me but my amazin' self won't lose th't easily.'

He dives down towards the three and prepares to attack the three. Farrie prepares his axe to swing at Garfiel, being the one closest to the boy once he reaches ground level. Just as Garfiel was close, Farrie swung his weapon in hopes of landing a powerful hit. Garfiel noticed this and quickly blocked the attack with his right arm's shield. As he blocked this attack, he swiftly landed a strong left hook at Farrie's face, knocking him out. Tersia and Welt were both surprised by this.

"This demi human boy is just..."

"...on a whole other level..."

Garfiel looked at the two, noticing how shocked and slightly scared they were of him. He smiled with no malice while telling them,

"Y'all need t'fight with everythin' ya got if ya wish t'be stronger than my amazin' self."

The two were stuck in place for a moment, at first unsure if what the boy said was even possible until they thought about how they were in a party with the Sword Hero, someone who is pretty strong and skilled. This gave the assassin with knives and the martial artist a slight confidence booster.

The two charge at the demi human boy with everything they had, managing to do a bit better than before.

'They got potential but they need t'believe in their own strength.'

As Garfiel thought this, he increased both his speed and strength which allowed him to completely overpowered the two. As Garfiel defeated the remaining two party members, he turned towards the three knights and the two mages.

"Y'all need t'really step it up if ya wanna be ready fer th'waves."

"Sorry...we will do better..." The leader said as he got back on his feet. Garfiel crossed his arms as he looked with a serious facial expression.

"There's no need fer apologies. Just get stronger'n y'all be capable of beatin' anyone on yer path."

"Understood." The knights and the mages nodded at what Garfiel had said with one of them having responded to what the demi human boy said. All five of them understand that they should fight with everything they have if they wish to protect those they care about. The demi human boy nodded back at the five of them before turning around to assist Ren's party. While this was going on, Raphtalia, Naofumi, and Ren were observing the fight from a distance.

"That boy is quite the fighter. I didn't think he would throw one of his shields just to knock Bakta out. That was very impressive." Ren said, having observed and concluded that Garfiel is for sure a formidable fighter. Naofumi crossed his arms as he was annoyed that Garfiel interrupted the sparring match between the group of knights and mages and the Ren party. Before he could say anything, he turned towards her left side to see that Filo had returned with Melty by her side.

"Hm. What's the princess doing out of her castle?"

"You could be a little nicer, Savior of the Heavenly Fowl." A slight disdain in her voice could be heard, but she wanted to try to keep things civil.

"Tsk." Naofumi was about to turn away yet he noticed a box Filo was holding. "What's that you are holding, Filo?"

"There presents from the slave owner man! He gave me Wyvern talons… what's a Wyvern?" She asked with a tilt of her before going on with what she was doing.

Filo set the box on the ground before opening it, revealing a few items. Filo grabbed a sword before handing it towards Raphtalia.

"And he gave you this cool new sword, Raphtalia!"

As Filo hands over the new sword, Raphtalia takes a good look at it, happy considering that her previous sword was destroyed by Garfiel.

"Oh and he gave you these, Garf!" She pulled out some Shin guards that look similar to his own shields on his forearms. Garfiel heard this and turned to see the shin guards, prompting him to quickly approach Filo to try them out. As he put them on, he observed the way the shin's looked on him before saying,

"Not bad. Looks good on my amazin' self."

"Just make sure you don't break those too."

Naofumi's comment didn't go unnoticed. Ren groaned in frustration about it. It did not help that both Garf and Dadfumi were avoiding each other, more on Dadfumi's part. He tapped the Shield Hero on the shoulder, getting his attention. Once this was achieved, he said to him,

"Mind if we speak in private for a bit?"

"Um. Sure."

The two heroes step to the side, Naofumi being skeptical on what Ren would like to talk about with just him. As the two walked for a bit, they eventually stopped with Ren turning towards Naofumi with a serious facial expression.

"You've been avoiding Garfiel on purpose, haven't you?"

Ren spoke with a stern tone, wanting to confront his ally about something he had suspected for the past few days. Naofumi was left silent for a moment, a bit surprised that Ren was being direct. He continued to have a blank facial expression while responding with,

"That's none of your concern, Ren."

"Maybe but this is not the time for disagreements and distrust. We need to work on our teamwork and coordination. Distrust can lead to someone being severely injured. You know this better than anyone."

Naofumi kept his blank expression yet deep down he was a little annoyed since he knew Ren was right. He knew that working with Garfiel is necessary to prepare everyone for the wave but at the same time he was still pissed at the demi human boy for attacking him.

"Look, I don't know what happened between you two but right now you need to work with him. We don't know what awaits us in this next wave, we will need to be ready. That means to put this problem to rest, even if it is temporary."

"I hear you." Naofumi said as he turned towards Garfiel's direction, seeing the boy having a conversation with Melty and Filo while Raphtalia was swinging her new sword, testing it out. Ren also looked at the group for a moment before looking back at the Shield Hero.

"He isn't a bad person, just a very bad risk taker."

"That's the issue. Someone like him can turn a situation south very fast."

"Then why not talk to him? I'm sure he will listen."

"…"

The Shield Hero stood silent for a moment before starting to walk towards Garfiel, Filo, and Melty's position. The Sword Hero followed behind a second after. Once the two returned back with the group, Naofumi tapped Garfiel in the shoulder. The demi human boy turned towards Naofumi.

"Oi, what's up?"

"…Come on, we have to get you ready for the wave."

"Aight. My amazin' self's ready fer some more trainin'."

"I want to join!" Filo said with excitement. "Can I please join in, master? Please!"

"…sure, you can join us, Filo."

"Yay!"

Filo jumped up in excitement. Naofumi turned towards Melty to ask her,

"Is there anything else you need? Shouldn't you be in the capital?"

"There is no need for today. Besides, I want to watch you all train."

"Tch. Fine but don't get in our way."

Naofumi just looked at Melty with a blank facial expression before him along with Filo and Garfiel walked towards an area of the large field to train. As the three were walking away from where they were at, Ren approached Raphtalia to ask her something.

"Raphtalia? Mind if we do some training? I'd like to work on some sword skills with you." This caught her attention. While she has had her reserves

"Well umm… Master Naofumi has been a good teacher so far…"

"While I don't doubt that he has taught you a lot about fighting but swordsmanship is something he can't teach you or help you with much. Holding this sword, I gained all the skills I need to wield and use not just this sword, but any sword I hold in my hand. I believe I should be able to help you out."

She stood there for a moment, thinking about Ren's offer. He is right. She knows how to swing a sword, but she should refine her form, something she can't learn on her own.

"You have a lot of talent, and the experience you have gathered so shortly is shown. Let me help you get stronger, for Naofumi's sake and your own." Ren spoke to her in a reassuring tone. He knew that they had and with how he noticed Motoyasu was acting. He knows Naofumi can take care of himself, but still.

"Alright. Let's begin." She responded in kind as she got into a fighting stance. Ren nodded as he returned the same energy.

"On the count of three, we begin." Ren instructed as Raphtaila nodded. She listened to the count, and upon hearing the number 3, she felt the pressure of Ren's sword against her. The hissing sound of metal against metal rang out as the two of them locked blades. She held strong, but she can feel the difference in their strength.

'He's just like Master Naofumi!' She thought before finally the lock broke, freeing her to counter attack. Ren blocked each attack with ease though he did notice that Raphtalia's skills were very sharp for someone her level.

"You are pretty good."

"Thanks."

The two continue to clash swords for a bit more with Ren testing out Raphtalia's sword skills, wanting to see where he could help her with. As she continued on the offense, he waited for a moment before quickly changing the ties of the fight for his favor.

He began to build up his sword's power, wanting to see how Raphtalia will respond when facing a powerful foe, especially one that's beyond her power.

Raphtalia felt completely overwhelmed by the sudden increase of Ren's power yet she wasn't afraid to keep fighting. She used every skill she had in her to keep her defenses up.

'Although she ain't strong, she is certainly keeping up with my level of strength.'

Ren continued to put pressure on Raphtalia up until a point where she was barely able to dodge, forcing her to rely on dodging. The raccoon girl continued to dodge until finally she tried to go for the offense only to end up getting disarmed.

'Seems like the fight's over.' Ren thought this until he heard his opponent say,

"I'm not done yet!"

She quickly landed a kick on the side of Ren's face, stunning him for a moment. This gave her the amount of time she needed to grab her sword. Once she retrieved her weapon, she quickly went on the offense. Ren managed to recover fast enough to block away her attack.

'That kick caught me off guard. That's something I have to keep in mind when a real fight happens.'

Having this in mind, he continued to block off Raphtalia's attacks with some ease, noting that her fighting style has changed into one more refined. He blocked and blocked until finally Ren switched his sword type into a powerful one.

The moment he swapped swords, he completely overwhelmed Raphtalia with his full power. She was sent back flying a few feet away, causing Ren to worry that he might have overdone it.

"Are you okay?"

Raphtalia got up slowly, her leg hurting a bit since she landed a bit rough but nothing too dangerous. As she was up, she responded to Ren's question by saying,

"Yes, I'm okay."

"Okay, that's good." Ren said after he sighed. He took a moment to breathe before saying, "You have impressive swordsmanship skills. I can see why Naofumi looks at you highly."

Raphtalia had a smile when she heard this, feeling her heart racing a bit yet she kept herself in check.

"So lets refine those skills a lot more." Ren added. "Let's go again."

"Yes sir!"

While Ren and Rapthalia were training, Naofumi looked at Filo and Garfiel, mentally preparing himself for the battle ahead.

("Look, I don't know what happened between you two but right now you need to work with him. We don't know what awaits us in this next wave, we will need to be ready. That means to put this problem to rest, even if it is temporary.")

'He makes a point. I'll have to let this disappointment feeling towards Garfiel be put aside for now...or...'

Naofumi without warning started to attack Garfiel first, wanting to see his reflexes while also taking this opportunity to let out some steam.

"Air Strike Shield!"

A green shield gets created before being thrown towards the demi human boy. Garfiel noticed this and quickly planted his feet on the ground with immense strength before taking on Naofumi's attack head on.

'So, th's how we're gonna settle th'score.'

Garfiel figured that if they are going to settle their current issues, it might as well be right now. He moved his right arm back for a moment, slowly increasing it into its tiger form before using every bit of strength to destroy the flying shield thrown towards him. As he succeeded in destroying the first attack, Garfiel noticed Naofumi preparing his next attack.

"Shield Prison!"

The demi human boy felt his surroundings closing in on him, attempting to trap him in the giant ball made of shields. Without a second thought, he jumped with great speed, managing to avoid getting caught by the Shield Hero's attack.

"Nice try but yer gonna have t'do better than th't if ya wanna beat my amazin' self!"

"Is that so?"

Naofumi prepared for another attack only to hear Filo shout at him,

"Don't forget about me, master!"

Naofumi turned towards Filo, noticing that she was charging right at him in her filolial form. Just as she was going to land a hit on him, he quickly pulled up his Chimera Viper type shield in order to block off Filo's attack. As he was successful with this, he noticed Garfiel charging at him as well with his right arm having returned back into human form. Seeing this as an annoyance, he quickly turned his focus back onto Garfiel Tinsel.

'If you think I will lose like this, then you really are very arrogant.'

Naofumi blocked off Garfiel's attack, with the shield reacting to this by creating a counterattack on the demi human boy. Three snakes from the Chimera Viper type shield appeared out of the shield itself and attempted to bite the Shield of Sanctuary.

Garfiel noticed this and knew that he didn't have enough time to jump away to dodge the attack.

He quickly put on the shield from his right arm in order to block two of the three snakes's attacks, having the two bite down onto his shields. The third snake tried to go for Garfiel's neck yet the demi human boy was able to move in such a way that allowed his right leg to kick the neck of the remaining snake.

Naofumi was surprised by this for a moment, a little bit impressed by Garfiel's quick thinking yet the boy left himself open for a trap.

"Shield prison!"

"Shit!"

Garfiel realized that he was trapped since he didn't expect Naofumi to try this ability on him again. As the demi human boy was temporarily trapped in the shield prison, Naofumi returned his focus back to Filo, seeing her attempting another attack on him.

He quickly blocked this attack though he did notice that this one was very strong, managing to slightly push him a bit back. With this in mind, he quickly created another air strike shield to test on how Filo will respond when being attacked.

Filo noticed this and quickly was able to avoid the first air strike shield. She noticed the second one and was about to dodge it only to lose her footing.

"Watch out!"

Garfiel quickly broke out of the shield prison before throwing one of his shields directly towards the air strike shield. With the amount of strength he put on the throw, it was fast enough to counter the air strike shield, giving Filo a chance to not only recover but to also charge at her master once again.

The Shield Hero blocked off a few of Filo's attacks, seeing that the item the slave owner gave her is really helping Filo. He blocked a couple more attacks before finally making his move, using the balloon creatures still on him to distract Filo momentarily.

She looked at the three balloons thrown towards her, viewing the creatures as nothing but weak creatures. She easily disposed of them but before she could react, an air strike shield managed to hit her chest area, sending her flying a couple of feet away.

As Naofumi sent the air strike shield on Filo, he quickly turned towards Garfiel to block his powerful attacks. A few attacks in, Naofumi's Chimera Viper type shield once again created its counter to try and force Garfiel back.

The Shield of Sanctuary noticed this and quickly had enough time to jump back, gaining some distance from the Shield Hero. As he lands a few feet away, another shield prison appears and traps the boy.

"Th'hell?!"

Naofumi prepared another air strike shield, seeing that this was the moment he was waiting for. He threw it with everything he had, timing it to the right moment when Garfiel was about to destroy his shield prison. The Shield of Sanctuary used every strength he could muster on his right leg to smash the ground, managing to destroy the shield prison.

Just as the boy did this, the air strike shield managed to hit Garfiel on his face, sending the boy flying back onto a tree, destroying it on impact. Melty watched the entire thing unfold, surprised by how strategic Naofumi was.

While this was something that impressed the princess, she did not like how brutal he was with Filo and Garfiel, especially Garfiel. She went to check on Filo first, wanting to make sure her friend was alright. As she approached Filo, the filolial returned into her human form while having a pouting face.

"Master is so mean!"

"Are you okay?" Melty asked with concern in her voice. Filo just looked at her friend for a few seconds before giving an innocent smile.

"I'm okay, Mel! That was really fun!"

"Are you sure? You took a big hit."

"I'll be fine."

Melty couldn't help but smile as she assisted her friend back on her feet. As Filo was standing up, the two turned towards Garfiel's direction, seeing that he was slowly getting up.

"Are you okay?" Melty shouted towards Garfiel, worried for his sake after seeing him take such a brutal hit. Garfiel stood silent for a moment before smiling the pain away.

"It's fine. My amazin' self'll bounce back from th's."

Although Melty would want to check on the demi human boy, she could see that he was fine as he was walking towards Naofumi's direction in a calm manner.

"Man, ya sure know how t'kick some ass."

"Mhm."

Naofumi just crossed his arms and kept a cold gesture. Although Garfiel noticed this cold expression, he held his hand high for a high five, having learned this from his captain. Naofumi at first didn't want to but after seeing how Garfiel was handling his defeat, he gave in and high fived the boy.

"There ya go. Was th't so hard?"

"Don't push your luck."

Garfiel just smiled away before approaching Raphtalia, wanting to check up on her to see how she was doing after her training with Ren. As Garfiel went off, Melty and Filo both approached the Shield Hero.

"You really are a tough trainer, aren't you?"

"This isn't even me trying."

"Is that so?"

Melty crossed her arms as she questioned Naofumi's cold attitude yet she did admire how impressive the Shield Hero's skills are when facing against the combined strength of Filo and Garfiel Tinsel.

"What now, master?" Filo asked as she was curious to know what happens next. Naofumi noticed the question he was asked, prompting him to look around for a moment, seeing that everyone needs some time to rest.

"That's all for today's training. It's time to rest, Filo."

"Okay!"

Filo nodded at what Naofumi had said, understanding that it's time to rest. Before she joined Raphtalia and Garfiel, she turned towards Melty to ask her,

"What are you going to do now, Mel?"

"I'll need an escort to the capital soon."

"I can take you home!" Filo said before turning towards Naofumi. "Can I, Master? Please!"

"...Just come back safely."

"I will, master! Thanks!"

Filo smiled at Naofumi before going off with Melty to drop her back at the castle. As the two girls left Naofumi, Ren approached the Shield Hero.

"Well, how does it feel beating Garfiel?"

"What are you getting at?" Naofumi responded back sharply.

"Nothing, you just seem to be on better terms with Garfiel now. After all, you gave him a high five."

"It was just so he wouldn't annoy me about it later."

Ren couldn't help but tell that Naofumi was not being honest, at least with himself. He just smiled at this response off before turning towards his party members, seeing that they are recovering from their match with Garfiel.

"We should rest up for the day. We still have a few days before the next wave hits."

Naofumi just nodded at what Ren had said before going with him to inform everyone on what they have to work on.

A few days had passed with Naofumi and Ren training their party members to get stronger while also trying to think of some coordinated attacks the two could implement should they have to team up against a powerful monster during the wave.

A day before the wave was going to hit, the two cardinal heroes wanted to try out one last training session with their respective parties. As the Shield Hero and Sword Hero's parties gathered together, Ren took this opportunity to address what they would be doing with Naofumi's approval.

"Today we won't be training as long as we usually do since the wave is sixteen hours from now and we would want everyone to have time to rest and get all their items they need. But before that, this training session will be different."

"How different?" One of Ren's party members asked. Naofumi chose this moment to speak by answering the question with,

"All of you are fighting us."

"What?"

Many of the members were caught off guard by this, especially with the tone of voice the Shield Hero was giving. Garfiel smashed his fists together with excitement, feeling confident that he could beat Naofumi this time.

Raphtalia was also excited as she gets another chance to spar with Ren while also wanting to show off her moves to Naofumi. Ren noticed that many of their group were somewhat worried by what the Shield Hero said, prompting him to clarify.

"What the Shield Hero means is that we want to test all of your skills combined. We want to test your cooperation and teamwork with one another. We are also trying to test out our own teamwork as well, so remember that team attacks are important."

Both parties nodded at what Ren said, understanding their main objective. The two cardinal heroes got out their strongest variation of their respective weapons before charging at their group, beginning the last training session before the wave starts. Garfiel and Raphtalia were both the first to respond by having Garfiel clash with Naofumi and Raphtalia clashing with Ren.

Filo joined in on facing Ren in her human form, having been told by Naofumi that she should also work on her human form as well as her filolial form. Ren was expecting either Garfiel or Raphtalia to target him but he wasn't expecting Filo to also target him. Naofumi also noticed this yet he didn't pay too much attention to this since a few mages started to assist Garfiel by sending in long range attacks towards him.

As Naofumi was being pushed back, a few of the knights went to assist in facing off the Sword Hero while Ren's party members were curious on the Shield Hero's strength and defensive skills. Farrie charged at Naofumi with his large axe ready for combat.

Welt and Tersia joined him side by side with Bakta providing cover with his spells. Farrie waited for the right moment before throwing an attack at Naofumi, prompting the Shield Hero to block off the attack with ease.

Just as he did this, Tersia and Welt both attempted to attack Naofumi from two separate sides. Naofumi noticed this and quickly jumped back a few inches before creating a shield prison around him, protecting him from any attack from the three members of Naofumi's group.

"Move outta th'way!"

Garfiel shouted as he charged directly towards the shield prison with everything he had in him. Farrie, Tersia, and Welt all three moved out of the way as they saw the demi human boy putting everything he had in his arm, ready to break the shield prison. Just as he was about to connect with the shield prison, it suddenly disappeared with Naofumi creating his air strike shield.

As the Shield Hero sends this attack towards Garfiel, confident that this would knock the boy out, the Shield of Sanctuary quickly changes his arm into its beast form. Once this change happens, he uses the strength of his beast form to break the attack.

As Garfiel is successful in doing this, Naofumi turns towards Ren's direction and creates another air strike shield, this one being in front of the Sword Hero to block off Raphtalia and the others from attacking him.

Ren noticed this and quickly reacted by charging at Garfiel, figuring that he is the biggest threat out of the combined members of his and Naofumi. The Shield of Sanctuary sensed the Sword Hero charging at him, forcing him to quickly go on the defense.

As he blocked off each attack, Naofumi takes this chance to help back up Ren, both heroes having a chance to try out one of their combined attacks. Ren jumps high up once he sees that Garfiel won't try a counterattack. As he jumped, he shouts:

"Air Strike Bash!"

Ren's sword flashes with a bright light, prompting it to release a shockwave that temporarily stuns Garfiel. Naofumi takes this chance to quickly use Air Strike Shield once again, this time having the opening to land a hit on the demi human boy.

Just as it seemed like it would connect, Filo was fast enough to tackle Garfiel to the ground, helping him narrowly avoid this attack. Bakta noticed the perfect opening for him and the other mages to attack with long range attacks at the two cardinal heroes. He turned towards them and quickly said,

"This is our chance! Attack with everything you got!"

The two other mages nodded at what Bakta said before all three of them started sending a barrage of ice, fire, and lightning attacks respectively. Naofumi and Ren both noticed these attacks and reacted by having the two block each and every attack thrown towards them. While the two heroes were dealing with this, Garfiel got up with Filo asking him,

"Are you okay?"

"Yea...ya saved my amazin' self...thanks fer th't, Filo."

"No problem!"

"Do you have a plan?" Raphtalia asked as she approached the two, curious to know if Garfiel had come up with something to take on the combined efforts of her master and the Sword Hero. The demi human boy stood silent for a moment, having a blank facial expression before answering to her question,

"I got somethin' but y'all need t'listen very carefully."

Filo and Raphtalia nodded before listening to his plan, seeing it a bit crazy but workable. The three all turned towards the two heroes before charging towards them together. Garfiel turned towards Farrie and the other two while saying to them,

"Come on, we're gonna win th's fight!"

The three members of Ren's party noticed what Garfiel said, prompting the three to join in as they were slightly moved by the boy's determination.

With the six of them running towards the two cardinal heroes, Garfiel initiated his plan by nodding at Raphtalia first, indicating that it's time to try out his idea of closing the gap between them and the heroes within a few seconds.

She got in front of Garfiel before jumping as high as she could. Garfiel quickly used the few seconds he had to place both his hands onto one of her feet, preparing to throw her with everything he had.

"Be careful, th's could be dangerous if ya mess up."

"I'll be fine, Garf, just go!"

"Got it!"

Garfiel slammed his left leg in front of him, planting it in order to add in more force into the throw. As he was ready, he did not hesitate to give Raphtalia a powerful boost to her leg, sending her flying all the way towards Ren's direction.

The Sword Hero barely noticed this and was only able to block off Raphtalia's sword though the moment the two swords connected, the strength Raphtalia had was enough to push the Sword Hero back.

Naofumi noticed this but before he had time to react, Garfiel threw Filo towards him. Naofumi prepared his defenses as he noticed Filo preparing to attack him from the front. Filo waited for the right moment before grabbing onto Naofumi's shield. Once this was done, she used her strength to push herself up in order to be right above her master.

"Hm?"

Naofumi was a bit intrigued by what Filo was trying to do. She looked at him and smiled before turning into her filolial form, using it to try and land a decisive hit on him yet he was fast enough to block it.

'That was a pretty good attempt, Filo.'

Just as he thought of this, he immediately sensed that Garfiel was trying to do an attack of his own. He turned towards the boy to see that he was closing in on him with his left arm ready to punch.

Without hesitation Naofumi changed his shield into the Two Headed Black Dog type shield. As this changed occured, the Shield Hero blocked Garfiel's attack in order for the shield's counterattack happened with the two dogs moving away from the shield and attempting to take a bite on Garfiel.

The demi human boy expected this to happen; he turned towards Tersia, Farrie, and Welt to say to them,

"Now!"

The three nodded at the demi human boy before quickly taking this chance to attack. Tersia and Welt both took down the two dogs going for the attack on Garfiel while Farrie charged at Naofumi, preparing to swing his axe at him.

The Shield Hero quickly switched his shield back into the Chimera Viper type before blocking away the attack. While this was happening, Raphtalia with the assistance of the three knights all attacked with a few coordinated attacks on the Sword Hero, each sword clashing with a great amount of strength.

Although they had the advantage in numbers, Ren's immense power was slowly overwhelming each one of the knights, with Raphtalia being the only one somewhat keeping up. Just as it seemed like she was about to lose, Ren suddenly felt the floor he was standing on explode.

"Huh?"

"Don't ya dare lose!"

Raphtalia looked at Garfiel, seeing that he was responsible for this random attack that Ren took. The demi human boy continued,

"Just cause they're strong, doesn't mean they can't be beaten! We can win th's!"

As Garfiel finished shouting, he turned his attention towards Naofumi once again, confident that these attacks would be enough for a victory.

Despite this being a training session, Garfiel knows that his opponents will be on the level of the cardinal heroes, meaning he will need to be at his very best if he wishes to fight alongside them.

He charged in towards Naofumi and went for his strongest punch on his human form. Raphtalia was motivated by this, prompting her to turn towards Ren with a strong sense of determination.

'If Garf has this amount of determination, I shall also have this determination as well.'

Rapthalia held her blade tightly before charging in towards Ren, pushing him into the defensive side. Ren was surprised by this for a moment before having a confident smile on his face, seeing just how much Raphtalia improved since their last training session.

Naofumi noticed Garfiel's attack and was able to barely block the attack. While he was on the defensive, he had noted that he and Garfiel haven't improved in the sense of being able to talk like before but he has noted that the boy is learning to be mindful of his surroundings.

Despite not being involved in the fight against Ren, he was able to provide Raphtalia some assistance and motivation while having such high determination himself.

'You are annoying but you are improving at least.'

Garfiel continued to go on the offense before letting Filo in her filolial form to attack Naofumi, forcing the Shield Hero to quickly analyze his situation and to find the best path for victory. After a few seconds of analyzing, Naofumi turned his attention towards Farrie before shouting,

"Shield Prison!"

As Farrie was trapped, he quickly blocked off a couple of Filo and Garfiel's attacks before his Chimera Viper type shield's counterattack activated on Filo's attack. The three serpents tried to bite on the filolial only for Garfiel to take the hit.

As two out of three serpents bit him, the third one was knocked out by Garfiel's punch.

While he had punched the third serpent, he was under the effects of the poison, though not as bad as the poison from the dragon.

"I can still fight!"

"Persistence can only get you so far, Garfiel Tinsel."

Naofumi waited for the right moment before using Shield Prison on Garfiel.

"Again with th's damn ability."

Garfiel was frustrated and was about to break the ability once again only to hear Naofumi shout,

"Ren, now!"

"On it!"

Ren jumped away from his fight with Raphtalia while turning towards the shield prison holding Garfiel. As he turns towards Garfiel's direction, he throws a powerful bolt of lightning from his sword, directing it towards the shield prison the demi human boy was trapped in. Garfiel increased the strength of his arm as he went to break the shield prison.

'Th's ain't gonna hold me forever!'

As Garfiel breaks this barrier, he notices the lighting about to hit him in a few seconds.

'Shit! I'm 'bout t'get his by th'same attack again! I can't let it happen once again!'

Just using his wits, Garfiel grabbed the ground with his foot and quickly created a barrier, allowing him to avoid Ren's attack. Ren and Naofumi were impressed by this, seeing that Garfiel's improving.

'That boy has really improved...not just him but the others as well. They are surely ready for the fight ahead.' Ren thought as he lowered his weapon.

'Garfiel Tinsel, you have potential to be a great fighter if you weren't so damn headstrong...but I won't deny your progress.' Naofumi thought this as he lowered his weapon as well.

"Okay, I think that's as far as we go with today's training."

As Ren said this, everyone sat down with relief since they were all reaching their limit. Garfiel was a little annoyed but he accepted the break, knowing that they would need to prepare for the battle ahead.

After having a chance to rest, they all meet up in the shop where the three knights and two magic users joined Naofumi's group. With only a couple of minutes left, they all made sure that their weapons were ready for battle. As everyone was preparing for the wave, Ren and Naofumi took this chance to speak.

"Do you believe that we are ready for the wave?"

"Considering that everyone has improved in their abilities, I say we are more than ready to handle whatever the wave throws at us."

"Well then, I expect this wave to go smoothly then."

As Ren said this, he looked at Garfiel for a moment, seeing that he was speaking with Raphtalia and Filo.

"He has gotten stronger. You have noticed that, right?"

"Yes...he has. He's still very headstrong."

"Even so, when it comes down to battle, he's very skilled."

"...Yeah."

Ren looked at Naofumi closely, seeing that the Shield Hero still held some resentment towards the demi human boy but not exactly the same as a couple days ago. He crossed his arms and looked at the timer, seeing that there were five minutes left before the wave began.

"Talk to Garfiel one last time, actually break the ice between the two."

"..."

"You have to, Naofumi. The wave is about to happen. We need you two to work together without any issues."

"I know."

"Then what seems to be the problem?"

"..." Naofumi still recalled the small shouting match between him and Garfiel.

("When a kid asks ya a question, ya answer with kindness. When talkin' with someone innocent like Melty-sama, ya answer with respect! And when speaking with someone, ya look at them in the eyes! It's called having manners!")

("... I don't need to. She is just like her father and her damn sister.")

("Yes ya do! Shield Guy… Naofumi. What ya did was a dick move! She's just a child and ya treat her cold just because she's related th't stupid King?")

("All the more reason not to trust her.")

("She has done nothin' wrong! Yer blamin' her fer what happened between th'King and ya. We just met her!")

It made him angry to think about that argument yet he knew that Ren had a point, he needed to bury the hatchet with Garfiel. He turns towards the demi human boy's direction before going off to approach him.

"Garfiel, we need to speak."

"...Okay, Shield guy."

Garfiel nodded at Naofumi and followed him a few feet away in order to speak just the two of them. Once the two were alone, the Shield Hero started to speak to the Shield of Sanctuary. Naofumi looked at the timer, seeing that he now has four minutes to speak to Garfiel.

"Look, I'm still pissed at you but we need to work together."

"Yea, I know. What's done is done. I don't hate ya, Shield guy, if anythin' I respect ya. Ya remind my amazin' self of th'Cap'n. Though yer a lot stronger than Cap'n."

"Really?" Naofumi said as he crossed his arms with a surprised facial expression, having expected more from the person Garfiel calls captain. "Then mind if I ask, why do you follow the person you call Captain?"

"Cause he's a reliable guy. Regardless of how weak Cap'n is, he never backs down from a fight. I respect him not because he's physically strong but because he cares fer others. Especially me, when I was being stupid."

"Hm." Naofumi was a bit curious about this, noticing that this must be tied with why Garfiel acts all strong headed but before he could learn about this, he realized that they have two minutes left before the wave begins.

"We can talk more about that later, but for now let's defeat this wave with our combined strength."

"Yea! My amazin' self won't let ya down!"

The two nodded at each other before returning to the others, both of them ready for what comes next. Raphtalia and Filo both noticed the two and smiled at them.

"Are ya two ready fer th'fight ahead?"

"Yes!" Both Filo and Raphtalia responded in unison. Naofumi noticed this response and just smiled at the two, confident in their abilities. Ren looked at Naofumi and his group, seeing that they were doing well.

'I hope you two are on better terms, even if it is for now, Naofumi, Garfiel.'

"Sword Hero?"

"Hm?" Ren turned towards the voice to see that it was Tersia with Welt, Bakta, and Farrie behind her.

"We want to tell you that we are ready for the fight ahead."

"Yeah. We trained hard because we want to be as strong as you."

Ren stood silent for a brief moment before smiling at them.

"I'm proud of you guys. I have the greatest team members."

Welt, Bakta, Tersia, and Farrie all four smiled as they felt how genuine Ren's words were, prompting each of them to smile confidently.

"We are going to win this...together, as a team."

"Right!"

As both Ren and Naofumi's parties prepared for the countdown towards the start of the waves, Garfiel looked up, ready for his first wave battle.

'Don't worry Cap'n, Brotto, my amazin' self'll survive th's!'

As he thought this, they all started to teleport. Garfiel slammed his fists together as he yelled out,

"Let's win th's!"

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Everyone watched in horror, with the majority of the members of Motoyasu and Itsuki being afraid of the rage Naofumi was showing right now.

Ren, Ren's party, Raphtalia, and Filo were all worried for Garfiel, watching that he's on the ground while in pain.

Mai was afraid for her life, seeing that not even the foolish demi human boy could stop the Shield Hero.

Now that death is staring her dead in the eye, she started to run away. Motoyasu noticed this, left a bit dumbfounded.

"Motoyasu! Wait!"

Ren shouted, wanting the Spear hero to leave Mai alone since having her around will only keep pissing Naofumi off.

As he tries to stop this, one of his party members warns him about Naofumi moving towards him.

"Watch out, Ren-sama!"

The Sword Hero took note of what was being warned, prompting him to swiftly turn around and go on the defensive.

He blocked Naofumi's shield, feeling overwhelmed by just how much heat the shield was resonating.

'This heat...how did Garfiel handle this for so long...?'

He continued to hold his ground until the heat from Naofumi's shield forced him to jump away from the Shield Hero.

Having managed to have some distance, Naofumi looked at him for a moment before starting to make his way towards Mai's direction.

Seeing this, Ren concluded that the Shield Hero only attacked him due to perceiving him as an obstacle to his main goal, Mai.

Just before he had the chance to act, Itsuki took the initiative and just started to fire arrows at Naofumi.

"What are you doing?!" Ren shouted.

"Doing something! He's trying to kill Mai! He's become the exact monster that the church had fired. He's become the devil of the shield!"

As Itsuki responded with this, he continued to give it his all in trying to stop Naofumi.

As he fired arrow after arrow, the pissed off Shield Hero remained unfazed as he just started to walk towards the Bow Hero's position.

Itsuki's party members were prepared to join in trying to kill the Shield Hero, siding with Itsuki's thinking only for Ren's party members to block their path.

"You won't get any further." Tersia spoke as she, Welt, Bakta, and Farrie all got themselves ready for a fight. The second in command of Itsuki's party, Mald, pulled out his sword as he threatened the Sword Hero's party:

"Move or you shall die!"

"We won't move."

As Farrie was the one to say this, he gets his axe into battle position before charging at Mald, initiating the fight between the Sword and Bow heroes' respective parties.

Ren noticed this and although he hates that this is the only way to keep Itsuki's group from getting themselves killed, he looked at Itsuki and attempted to talk him out of fighting Naofumi.

"Don't do this, Itsuki. You know well that Mai did something to piss off Naofumi."

"That doesn't mean she has to die. Besides, look at him. He's attacking everyone, including his allies. Someone has to stop him before he gets anybody else hurt or worse."

"So why kill him then? Isn't there a better option like knocking him out?"

"You know damn well that we can't allow that." Itsuki responded swiftly as he continued to use every ability he knew in his arsenal. Ren dislike what he was hearing, prompting his calm demeanor to change into one of slight aggression:

"And why can't we? Is it because you truly think he's a threat…? Or do you just want to kill him over some petty grudge you've started gaining towards him?"

Itsuki prepared to fire another arrow at the enraged Naofumi only to stop when he heard this, feeling anger at his very core.

"You dare view my actions as just some kid getting some petty vengeance? Can't you see I'm looking out for everybody?!"

"Does that include the members of Naofumi's party? Do you know what they will do if he dies, especially by your hand?"

Itsuki attempted to regain his calm composure but the anger he was feeling was becoming more than he could handle.

Before he could even say anything more to Ren, Naofumi had reached his position and prepared to attack him only for Ren to get in between the two and block said attack.

"I..."

Itsuki was just shocked by this sudden attack from the enraged Naofumi as well as Ren's interference. Before he could even finish his sentence, Ren said in a serious tone:

"Allow me to face Naofumi. Don't interfere."

As he said those words to Itsuki, he turned his attention to Garfiel's direction for a moment.

He noticed that Filo and Raphtalia were helping him up.

This allowed him to be somewhat calm since the tiger boy was being taken care of.

He turned his attention to Naofumi as he began to say:

"I need you to come back to your senses, Naofumi. Don't lose yourself in this overwhelming hatred."

"..."

Naofumi remained silent as all he could think about was killing Malty, killing the bitch that had made his life a living nightmare.

The same bitch that harmed Raphtalia for no other reason but to cause him emotional harm.

This anger only helped fuel the flames that burned deep in his cursed shield.

Ren noticed this and knew that his words hadn't reached the Shield Hero as well as knowing that he'll have to beat him if he wants to stop this madness.

'It pains me to fight you, after all, you aren't a bad person...but if words can't reach you, then I have no other choice.'

Ren jumped back to gain some distance in order to give himself a moment to be mentally ready to face off Naofumi.

Having trained for the wave, he has some knowledge of the Shield Hero's abilities, meaning he's one of the best choices to stop his rampage.

After a few seconds had passed, he opened his eyes and began to attack with everything he had in him.

As his sword clashed with Naofumi's shield, he did his best to keep his opponent on the defensive, not wanting to give him the opportunity to counterattack.

While he was doing this, he realized right away that the fire in Naofumi's rage shield was increasing with each hit, making him aware that he'll need to try something else soon or the flames will consume him.

While he was distracted doing that, Raphtalia was holding onto Garfiel, hoping that the healing potion she gave him would take effect soon.

'Don't die, Garf.'

As she thought this, she noticed that he wasn't being healed.

"Wh-What's going on?" She began to worry enough that caught Filo's attention.

"Is Garf going to be okay...?" Filo asked as she was on the brink of crying, not wanting Garfiel to be killed.

As the two were worried for the demi human boy, Glass observed the battle from afar as she realized that the timer for the wave was closing in.

She was amazed by what she was seeing, watching her opponents fighting among themselves but eventually she would have to end them all while their forces were divided.

Before she did that though, she was curious on Garfiel and wanted to speak to him alone.

Something about the boy didn't seem right to her. She observed the boy as he was slowly getting back up with Raphtalia and Filo still worried for him.

"You should rest, Garf."

"Yeah! You're hurt!" Filo added her concerns.

Garfiel looked at the two with a confident smile, not wanting the pair to be worried anymore.

"Don't ya worry...I'll sit th's one out...now go save that idiot."

As Garfiel said this, he sat down while using every inch of will power to act out that he's fine, still in pain from whatever curse Naofumi's rage shield was giving off.

Raphtalia and Filo did wish to stay with Garfiel but seeing that their master was still on a rampage, they knew that he needs to be stopped before someone is killed.

Before he was about to do something to help out, he sensed someone behind him.

"Hm?" He turns to see it was Glass. "You?!"

As he jumps up, he feels a strain on his body, causing him to want to collapse to the ground since his divine protection isn't working like it's supposed to.

He can feel his body healing but at a slow rate.

He got himself ready for a possible fight with Glass, prompting her to look at him with an amused facial expression.

She already knew that the boy was injured and in no real shape for a fight but watching him still have the will to fight has her interest.

"Ya won't harm anybody." Garfiel spoke in a serious tone.

"It's amusing to think that you think in your condition you can do anything." Glass spoke as she had her fan ready for an attack.

Garfiel could only look at her annoyed before moving his fists up to prepare for a harsh battle.

Just before Glass made a movement, she noticed that a timer had popped up, leaving her surprised for a second.

Garfiel noticed this and couldn't help but point that out.

"What? Ya scared now?"

Glass remained silent before turning around to leave, which surprised the demi human boy.

"What? Where ya goin' now?"

"That's none of your concern."

Garfiel didn't like this and didn't trust Glass to actually just leave things how they are, which prompted him to just charge at her for an attack.

Glass sensed this and yet she wasn't fazed by this by continuing to walk away.

Just as he was about to land a punch, she pulled out her fan and easily blocked away the attack.

Garfiel was temporarily shocked before attempting to go for another attack only for his opponent to pull him towards her as she whispered something in his ear.

This caused him to pause as he processed what she had said.

After she finished saying what she had to say, she let go of the boy and left before Garfiel could do anything.

He watched her leave before turning towards Naofumi, viewing that Ren was starting to get overwhelmed by the Rage Shield's flames.

"Gotta help them."

Despite knowing that he needs to recover, he chose to go into danger instead.

While that was going on, Ren continued to attack the rage shield with everything he had in him before jumping high up and using a long distance attack on his out of control ally.

"Meteor Slash!"

Ren's sword began to glow blue for a moment before he swung towards Naofumi's direction.

The sword had fired a powerful electric like power of energy towards the enraged Shield Hero, hoping that this would push him back.

The Shield Hero noticed this and quickly blocked away the attack, which helped increase even more the flames that surrounded him.

'Darn!'

Ren thought in frustration as he could see that his attacks were only making Naofumi more dangerous.

He landed on the ground while the Shield Hero approached him, fire and hatred being shown in his eyes.

The Sword Hero was intimidated by this, seeing the intense hatred that was within his comrade.

Although most of this was directed to Malty since she was at fault for his troubles, he also thought that perhaps he has hatred towards him as well.

Despite their friendship seemingly being much better ever since Garfiel's sudden arrival, he was one of the few that never was there for Naofumi when he was accused of harming Mai.

This was something he deeply regrets since he condemned someone that was innocent, someone that cares for others.

As these thoughts filled his mind, he suddenly noticed a timer appear.

'One minute? For what?'

As this caught his attention, Naofumi charged at him and forced him to go into the defensive.

His sword and Naofumi's shield clashed with the flames beginning to consume him.

'I need to do something...I can't let Naofumi hurt anybody...'

As Ren had this in mind, he closed his eyes as he thought about his party members, how they do mean something to him.

As well as Naofumi and his party members, having grown a strong bond with them.

These thoughts helped him to re-unlock the blessed series, though this time he was able to read what was being shown to him.

'Temperance?'

As he saw this, he suddenly began to see the same glow he did before back when he, along with Garfiel, Naofumi, Filo, and Raphtalia were facing the dragon.

He saw all of his allies in a white aura.

He expected Naofumi to be in a dark aura but to his surprise he wasn't, at least not fully.

Naofumi had a black aura all around the white aura, implying that his ally isn't too far gone just yet.

He looked with determination as he quickly jumped high up to avoid the flames from fully consuming him.

While up in the sky, his sword had shifted into the Sword of Temperance, allowing him to see a possible way for him to beat Naofumi.

He landed on the ground before charging swiftly at the Shield Hero.

Naofumi moved around his shield to block Ren's attack only for the Sword Hero to move his sword in an angle that allowed him to land a hit.

This hit caught the attention of everyone looking at the fight, seeing that Ren had suddenly become the best chance to stop Naofumi.

Garfiel took notice of this yet it didn't stop him from returning into the fight against the Shield Hero, especially after what Glass had told him.

'We're gonna save yer ass, Shield guy!'

Garfiel waited for a moment as he saw Ren managing to land another hit on the Shield Hero, one that looked like it did damage.

This made the Shield of Sanctuary to see an opening for him to land a hit on his out of control ally.

Raphtalia and Filo had just noticed Garfiel enter the fight once again, surprising the two but also worrying them as well.

"Garf!"

Raphtalia and Filo were both prepared to join in just to get Garfiel out of the fight, both knowing that he's too injured to fight.

Just as they were about to join in, one of Ren's party members got in between them and the battle going on.

"Move out of the way!" Raphtalia said.

"No." Farrie said. "Just allow the boy to join the Sword Hero."

"He'll get himself killed." Raphtalia protested as she prepared to push her way through. As she prepared to join the fight temporarily, Garfiel shouted:

"Don't ya dare!"

Raphtalia and Filo turned towards Garfiel, having a feeling that he's speaking to them specifically.

They weren't sure until the demi human boy continued:

"Ya two stay put, let Sword guy and my amazin' self handle th's!"

As he said this, he turned his attention to Ren.

"We got th's, Sword guy! Now let's win!"

As he shouted this, he goes for an attack towards Naofumi only for the enraged shield hero to not only block the attack with his rage shield but also his flames to suddenly increase twofold.

'Shit! Shit! Shit!'

Garfiel wanted to jump back as his entire right arm was burning yet he knew that he had to continue to attack the enraged Shield Hero.

Despite his attacks increasing the flames around him, he was pushing himself beyond what he was currently capable of all the while thinking about those he cares about.

He thought about those back home such as his sister, the old hags, the captain, Ram, Brotto, Petra, and the princess. He also thought about Raphtalia, Filo, Ren and his party, and of course the shield hero Naofumi.

These people are those he strongly cares for and wants to protect.

'I won't lose here. My amazin' self'll save ya!'

He continued to punch the shield with rapid pace, wanting to keep him distract all the while knowing that Ren will have an opening to do some serious damage on Naofumi.

The Sword Hero noticed this, causing him to think back on an odd quote Garfiel had once said.

("Like the sayin' goes, Nobody Can Lift a Quain Stone Alone.")

'Hm. Odd saying but it applies here.'

As Ren smiled when thinking this, his expression quickly shifted into one of determination as he charged swiftly at the distracted Naofumi.

Once he approached the Shield Hero's position, he did not hesitate on landing a nearly fatal hit.

This was enough to let Naofumi's guard down despite how high his defense would normally be, allowing Garfiel to land a punch on the Shield Hero.

The first time he did this was to snap him out of his anger directed towards Melty, someone who didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

Now he's back at it again, punching the hell out of the shield hero to calm him down before he does something that he would regret.

'Didn't like it th'first time, don't like it now.'

As his punch had nearly knocked Naofumi out, Ren attempted to take another chance at landing a hit on his ally to end this.

As his sword was about to connect to Naofumi's back, the Shield Hero felt the world suddenly slow down as he saw himself in a dark void.

"He won't beat me! Not AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!"

'This anger...it's beyond mine...'

"He humiliated me, twice! He won't get away with that! HE WON'T GET AWAY WITH THAT!"

A sword had pierced Naofumi in this black void, causing him to spike in anger, affecting the outcome of the fight in the outside world where the flames suddenly exploded all over the place.

Garfiel and Ren were caught off guard by this as they were close to Naofumi when this explosion occurred.

Right before they were caught by the attack, Raphtalia and Filo had both jumped in and saved them with Filo grabbing Garfiel while Raphtalia grabbed Ren.

As the two get the two out of there, avoiding the explosion.

"That was too close." Raphtalia spoke to the two warriors after she and Filo had gained some distance from the flames Naofumi was summoning.

"This is bad. The longer he continues this, the more dangerous he will become." Ren said in fear that the others will try to join in to kill Naofumi, with the result of that coming to their deaths.

"Th's all th't bitch's fault." Garfiel spoke out in anger, knowing full well what had caused these events to happen. "Had she not been here, we wouldn't be in th's situation."

As Garfiel said this, he felt his body burning up once again, feeling an intense amount of pain.

"F-Fuck..."

"Garf!"

Raphtalia and Filo both approached the demi human boy, seeing that he was in immense pain once again.

He fell on his knee as he could feel his body in the same pain he had when he was cursed by the undead dragon...actually much worse.

"You need to rest, Garf." Raphtalia scolded him.

"Yes. You've done everything you can." Ren added in, not wanting Garfiel to put himself in any more danger than he already was.

Garfiel looked at the ground for a moment before looking at Naofumi, watching the flames consuming him.

This somehow made him think back to when he was wanting to close off the Sanctuary for good, how he was blinded by his pain.

This reminder prompted him to get back up much to Raphtalia and Filo's dismay.

"No, Garf! Rest!"

"...Sword guy, is there a chance for victory before things get bad?"

Ren remained silent for a moment, still concerned that the demi human boy won't rest but at the same time understanding why he still wishes to fight.

He looks at Naofumi and can see that the dark aura has increased but the light within this dark aura was still glowing.

"We still have a chance but if I keep landing hits on him, I can leave him fatally wounded and might accidentally kill him." Ren voiced his concerns as he can tell that whatever Naofumi was being consumed by, his blessed series seems to be having an effect on him.

Garfiel understood this and immediately responded with:

"Then let me land th'finishin' blow."

"Garf, but—" Before Raphtalia could finish her sentence, Garfiel interrupted her.

"I'll need help t'do th's. I'll need both of ya, Talia, Filo."

Filo and Raphtalia paused as they heard what Garfiel was saying.

"I need yer help. I only got one good punch left in me before I'm done. So will ya please help Sword guy and my amazin' self save th't moron over there?"

As Garfiel said this, the two girls were not sure that they should have him continue fighting yet they turn towards their master and can see that they need to save him before it's too late.

"Just...please be safe." Filo said as she was afraid Garfiel will die if he continues fighting.

Garfiel noticed this and couldn't help but smile confidently before nodding at her, assuring that he will be alright.

This did help Filo while Raphtalia was still worried, knowing that Garfiel is very reckless.

The four all turned towards Naofumi's direction as they prepared to end this fight before the Shield Hero did something that he would regret.

As they prepared to go into battle, Itsuki and his group were all also preparing to kill the enraged Shield Hero.

"That's not good."

"I'll—" Before Ren could say something, Filo turned her attention towards Itsuki and his party members.

"I'll take care of them."

As Filo said this, she, in her filolial form, charged at the Bow Hero to prevent them from trying to actually hurt her master.

Raphtalia wanted to help Filo out but she trusted in her that she can take care of herself. She pulled out her sword before saying confidently:

"Let's go save Naofumi-sama."

"Right!"

The three jumped into the fire with Ren taking the lead, having the best chance to distract Naofumi as his blessed series of Temperance allows him to know when Naofumi is closing in on him.

As he noticed Naofumi closing in on him, the two clashed weapons once again with Ren's Sword of Temperance was able to hold back Naofumi's Rage Shield, protecting him from the flames from the shield.

This allowed Raphtalia and Garfiel a chance to close in without the problem of Naofumi attacking them.

The fire was still a problem as Raphtalia's instincts were telling her to run away as the fire was extremely dangerous to even be near it.

Garfiel picked up on this and quickly got in front of her.

"Don't ya worry Talia, I'll protect you!"

"But this could kill you, Garf!"

"It's fine. I'm a shield, one that'll protect everyone. I won't fall."

As Garfiel spoke proudly, he held his right arm in front of him holding his remaining shield, protecting him from some of the flames.

This helped at least protect Raphtalia from receiving any damage from the fire but he was taking more and more damage, with the curse coming from these flames increasing on his body.

This almost caused him to collapse but his determination was the only thing that allowed him to keep on going.

Raphtalia did notice this and wanted to say something but considering the time and place, she chose to remain silent, having faith that the boy in front of her will pull through.

As the two were closing in on Naofumi's position, they noticed that Ren was going on an aggressive offense, trying to keep the Shield Hero from counter attacking him.

With this distraction, Raphtalia took her chance to go for an attack, remembering that Garfiel only has one hit in him before he collapses.

'Don't you worry, Garf. I'll clear you a path.'

She went for an attack on Naofumi as her master was still being distracted by Ren.

As she managed to land a hit on him, this caused Naofumi to turn towards Raphtalia's direction in an attempt to retaliate only to notice that it was Raphtalia.

"Naofumi-sama!"

Her voice managed to reach Naofumi.

'Raphtalia...'

This helped calm him down, leaving him open for Garfiel to finish the job before Naofumi's anger fires up again.

Garfiel saw this and quickly mustered every ounce of strength he had in him to charge at him.

'Time for th'finishin' blow!'

As Garfiel had close the gap between himself and the Shield Hero, he began to say:

"I'm sorry fer th's...but know th's ain't personal."

Naofumi noticed what Garfiel had said but before he could react, Garfiel changed his right arm from human form into its beast form before landing the definite blow.

As the punch connected, it's immense strength and with the hit he had received from Ren earlier was enough to finally knock him out.

The moment the Shield Hero had crashed onto a tree nearby thanks to the amount of force of Garfiel's attack.

As this happened, Naofumi's body and shield had reverted back to normal all the while Garfiel collapsed to the ground, finally losing all of his strength.

As the two were unconscious, Ren had noticed that the timer had gone to zero.

The moment that happened, the sky reverted back to normal, indicating that the wave had ended.

"It's done..."

Ren said as his sword reverted to its original version, indicating that his blessed series had gone away.

He turned to check on Filo only to see her having beaten up most of Itsuki's party members with his party members backing up the filolial.

"I guess we can rest now."

The Sword Hero sheathed his sword before going to check on Garfiel, feeling relieved all the while Raphtalia first went to check up on Naofumi, having been extremely worried for him and also noticing that the Sword Hero was already heading to check on Garf.

Filo reverted back to her human form as she also did the same thing, wishing to see if her master was okay.

As the two girls go to see Naofumi, Ren helps the demi human boy on his feet.

He was relieved that he made it but he was concerned as well since he can tell that he's been cursed.

'Those flames of Naofumi might've been the cause of this...'

"You did good, Garfiel."

"...Y-Yeah...thanks..."

Garfiel struggled to speak but when he did, he spoke in a respectful manner.

With him back on his feet, Ren offered to help him walk, which the boy accepted, feeling that he would collapse on his own.

'My divine protection ain't workin' right...gotta rest, fer real th's time...'

He made a mental note of this.

As it seemed like everything would be peaceful for the remainder of the day, the two heard Raphtalia shout:

"Stay away from him!"

"Hm?"

Both Garfiel and Ren turned towards Raphtalia's direction to see that Itsuki and his party members were surrounding Naoufmi, Filo, and Raphtalia with their weapons out.

"Are...ya...f-fuckin'...kiddin' me...?"

Ren agreed with the sentiment Garfiel was feeling, finding this annoying since they just survive one hell of a wave.

He and Garfiel began to approach the location where Naofumi was, both moving as fast as they could since Garfiel's still struggling to move.

As it seemed like they weren't going to make it in time, Garfiel turned towards Ren to tell him:

"Go without me...I'll wait here..."

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you."

"It'll be fine."

As Garfiel said this with a calm tone before they noticed Farrie, Tersia, Welt, and Bakta all four quickly ran towards Raphtalia's aid.

As they were blocking Itsuki and his party members' path to getting to Naofumi, they pulled out their weapons, ready for a fight.

The Bow Hero looked at these members angrily.

"This is your only warning, get out of our way."

"No." Tersia spoke out. "The wave is over, the Shield Hero has been beaten, it's time to go back to the capital."

"He isn't beaten until he's been killed." Mald spoke as he prepared his axe.

"You won't harm him!" Raphtalia shouted as she prepared for another fight, this time to protect her master.

"Stay away from master!" Filo shouted as she also prepared herself for a fight.

Just before everything could go worse, Ren and Garfiel both managed to reach them just before Itsuki fired his bow.

Ren had grabbed his arm and pulled it away from Raphtalia or the others for safety while sternly speaking to him.

"What the heck are you doing?"

"You know he's dangerous, right? If it took us this much just to beat him, imagine when he recovers his strength. We have to kill him before he can harm the innocent."

"Bullshit." Ren spoke a bit angrily. "We both know that this whole justice gimmick has nothing to do with why you want to do this."

"Gimmick?" Itsuki looked at Ren with anger in his eyes. "We are heroes, our job is to protect the innocent. People like Naofumi tarnish that and make our jobs that much more difficult. So he must be removed."

With that kind of line, Ren pulled out his sword and pointed it directly at Itsuki.

"I suggest you and your party leave now before it's too late."

As Ren said this, Garfiel looked up with a serious facial expression, exhausted to all hell but willing to help out as best he can if it meant protecting Naofumi.

Itsuki looked at Garfiel for a brief moment before turning back towards Ren.

"You are a damn hypocrite. After having been against Naofumi when he had taken advantage of Mai, you are now being swayed by him all because of those enslaved under him! What kind of hero sides with a known criminal?!"

"What?" Garfiel was taken aback by this, prompting him to turn towards the Sword Hero. "What's he talkin' about?"

Ren had noticed Garfiel's question but he just remained focused on Itsuki, having had enough of his stubbornness.

"You speak so highly but what about taking some responsibility, spoiled brat! You act like you are the hero of your story but you are nothing more than some high schooler that refuses to grow up! You want to be this so-called grand hero, then take responsibility for your mistakes or are those people suffering because of your actions just not worth acknowledging."

Itsuki paused for a second before becoming extremely infuriated by this since he knows that if a fight broke out, he would most likely lose since Ren is currently stronger than him due to the Sword Hero managing better against an enraged Naofumi than him.

He is also infuriated because those words are like thorns to his soul. This forced him to put away his weapon while telling his party:

"Seems like we are done here. Let's go."

Itsuki's party members saw how infuriated their leader was as he began to leave, making them look at Ren with anger, viewing him now as an enemy before following the Bow Hero.

As they were leaving, Ren waited until they were truly gone before lowering his guard. He turned towards Raphtalia and Filo to tell them,

"Let's get Naofumi somewhere safe."

Chapter Text

("But this is all a mistake!")

("I had an inkling the first time I saw you. Of course you would sully yourself, you little demon!")

("Demon?! What did I do?")

("Of course things turned out this way. I felt it immediately—that you were a little different from the rest of us.")

("Me too. Even at that, though, I never thought you'd stoop so low. You must think you're somehow entitled to whatever you want!")

("This isn't all about you! Show some respect!")

Naofumi woke up with an angered expression, hating to relive that exact moment all over again.

As he awoke from his slumber, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, prompting him to be on guard as he thought of the worst case scenario.

"Raphtalia! Filo! Garfiel!" He shouted as he prepared to jump off the bed only to hear someone respond:

"Calm down, Shield guy, yer not in any danger."

Naofumi turned towards the demi human boy, finally having noticed him, sitting next to the bed all relaxed.

"Where are we?"

"Yer in th'castle thanks t'Melty's efforts."

Naofumi didn't like this since he hates being here...but considering that he was out for who knows how long, he should be grateful. He moved onto the next question:

"Where's Raphtalia and Filo? Where am I?"

"Told 'em t'go and eat. It's been a day since they haven't eaten. Ain't healthy t'do th't."

"Then why aren't you with them?" The Shield Hero questioned. Garfiel noticed how serious his voice was though that didn't faze the Shield of Sanctuary.

"Sword guy came and got me somethin'. Not hungry right now."

As Garfiel said this, he pulled out what seemed to be a bag full of food.

"Come on, eat up. We got some talkin' t'do."

'Talking? About what?'

Naofumi was curious what the demi human boy wanted to talk about while also grabbing the bag of food, having finally felt himself being hungry.

Once he had the bag, he opened it to see that it's bacon.

"Look, I don't wanna distract ya from eatin' but as I said, we got's to talk. Do you remember what happened at th'end of th'wave?"

"..." Naofumi remained silent as he began to eat, taking this moment to think back on what had happened.

Everything was vague since the last big thing he remembered was taking on Glass.

This made him continue to think carefully about what had happened during that fight until he remembered the moment that made his mind blank with rage.

This caused him to stop eating as he felt that anger grow deep within him once again.

"...that bitch..."

"Yea, I figured ya would remember real quickly." Garfiel said as he remained calm despite knowing how fearful Naofumi can be when he's enraged. "I agree with ya, she's a bitch and she'll get what's comin' t'her."

Naofumi continued to eat as the memory of his little outburst started to come back to him all at once, especially the moments where he had caused Raphtalia and Filo to worry as well as forcing Garfiel to put himself in harm's way.

This eventually had him pause for a second just as he had a piece of bacon left.

"...ya gonna finish th't?" Garfiel asked, having noticed the sudden pause.

Naofumi didn't respond to Garfiel's question and just looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds before turning towards the demi human boy, noticing that his arms were covered with some burned marks.

"I'm sorry."

Naofumi had thought he had said those words but he realized that it was Garfiel who apologized, confusing him for a brief moment.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I...well, ya see, it's hard fer me t'accept when I'm wrong but I was wrong when I punched ya a while back."

Naofumi looked at Garfiel with a serious expression, having not really thought back on that moment until this boy had brought it up. Garfiel continued:

"Ya see, I was kinda a stubborn moron."

"Still are, but continue."

Garfiel glared at the Shield Hero for that comment before continuing.

"Cap'n came along and knocked some sense into me, so I was hoping t'do th'same with ya cause ya were kinda wrong but I see now th't I was wrong. So, I'm deeply sorry fer being stupid."

Naofumi stared at Garfiel for a moment before laughing, finding this situation and conversation completely wrong.

"You have some timing, Garf. Out of all the moments, you chose this moment to apologize after I made a big fuck up."

"Hey! I'm being serious!" Garfiel raised his voice a bit, not liking that he feels like he's not being taken seriously.

"I know you are, moron. I can tell that you are being sincere, I just find this situation backwards since I should be the one to apologize to you, Raphtalia, Filo, and the others for my behavior."

"They don't care 'bout th't, they just want ya t'be okay."

As Garfiel said this, he got up as he turned around to look at the kingdom from the view that can be seen in the room they were in.

"Ya should rest fer now. Th'king wants to see ya."

"See me? For what?" Naofumi's voice turned sour when hearing this while finally finishing the bacon. Garfiel just responded in a casual manner:

"Don't know, told him t'fuck off."

"Hold on, when did this happened?"

Garfiel paused when he heard this question, recalling the events earlier this day.

Garfiel was going into town to grab some food, having been a day since the events of the wave.

His body was still recovering but thanks to his divine protection somehow being active, if only barely, being able to heal him at a slow rate.

He walked around with one of Ren's party members, Farrie.

The two were walking around all the while having a conversation related to Naofumi and his party members.

"How's the girls holding up?"

"Eh, they're fine. Worried fer Shield guy."

"I mean, he had lost control." Farrie said a bit concerned since that was a scary situation. Garfiel had noticed the tone of voice the axe wielding warrior was speaking in.

"Yea but he was justified t'be mad. Th't bitch hurt Talia."

"You are right, Mai deserves to be punished for what she did but that's not going to happen."

"Yea." Garfiel said in a bitter tone. "Th't bitch got's th'king around her ugly ass finger."

Farrie didn't add much to this part of the conversation since he doesn't want anybody to overhear them speaking ill about the king's oldest daughter, even if she's a scumbag. He change the subject of the conversation to Garfiel.

"Shouldn't you still be resting? That body of yours needs to rest after the hell you took."

"I suppose yer right." Garfiel said as he put his hands on the back of his head. "Ram would be mad at me if she saw th't I wasn't takin' care of myself."

"Ram?" Farrie curiously asked.

"Yea, th'girl I like."

Farrie was interested in this.

"Tell me about this girl you like."

"Aight." Garfiel smiled as he always likes to talk about Ram. Just as he was going to do this, he along with the axe wielding warrior noticed a few knights approaching the two. This prompted the Shield of Sanctuary to be on guard, not liking how they were approaching them.

"Stay calm, Garfiel. We don't want to give them a reason to arrest you."

As Farrie said this, Garfiel lowered his guard as one of the knights approached him, looking down on him.

"Are you the one named Garfiel Tinsel?"

"Yea." Garfiel spoke with a blank expression, curious what exactly they wanted with him.

"You are to report to the royal castle at once."

There was a momentary pause. Garfiel knew that the king wanted something from him if he sent some guards to come and fetch him.

This prompted him to respond with a slight bit of aggression,

"...Why should I?"

"Doesn't matter, you're coming with us."

Garfiel noticed that although the knight was being aggressive, he didn't try to grab him or anything, causing him to speculate that perhaps they are aware of what he's capable of.

Although he could just say no and force his way out, he doesn't want to give Naofumi future trouble for this, prompting him to turn to Farrie to say:

"Aight, let's just get th's over with."

"Hold it." One of the knights spoke out. "Only the demi human is summoned."

"Eh? Why can't he go with my amazin' self?" Garfiel spoke with an annoyed tone.

One of the knights prepared to draw his sword only for another to stop him on his tracks while trying to diffuse the situation.

"The king has ordered that he wants you alone, demi human."

"Tsk. Course he wants th't." The Shield of Sanctuary turned towards his ally to tell him, "Let Sword guy know what's goin' on."

Farrie nodded as he watched Garfiel being escorted to the castle, having a bad feeling for whatever the king wanted with him.

As Garfiel was heading towards the castle to meet up with the king, he was thinking about what he would tell Brotto and the Captain when he sees them again.

He had a lot of stories to tell them now once he found a way back home, especially the big fight he had with an enraged Shield Hero.

'I wonder how they'll react. I feel like I can get th'Cap'n's attention at least but Brotto might ask lots'f questions.'

With this keeping his mind busy, he eventually reaches the throne room of the king he honestly doesn't give a shit about. He looked at the king as he was alongside the pope from the three heroes church, causing him to take a look around.

He had a bad feeling about this but for now, he continued to play ball with the scenario he's in. Once he was a few feet away from the pope and the king, he crossed his arms as he asked:

"Whaddaya want?"

"Show some respect, demi human. You are lucky he wants to talk to you, otherwise you'd be dead where you stand." One of the guards spoke out as he held his spear with a tight grip.

Garfiel was annoyed and wanted to leave but once again, he didn't want to give Naofumi a hard time, especially after what happened at the end of the wave.

"*Sigh*, fine. What do ya want, yer majesty."

The king looked at Garfiel with disdain since he had noticed the disrespectful tone when referring to him yet he needed to put that anger and hatred aside.

"I want you to answer this, boy, who are you?"

"Eh?" Garfiel looked with confusion. "Whaddaya mean?"

The king and the pope both looked at each other for a moment before turning back to him with the pope adding onto the question:

"We should be more specific, my child." He turned to one of the knights holding a crystal ball.

As it began to show images, Garfiel was slightly amazed that he got to see himself facing off against Naofumi, only in the perspective of an audience member.

"Wow, my amazin' self's a badass!"

The pope and the king had an eyebrow raised by this, not expecting Garfiel to act like a kid that's discovering something new for the first time.

"Cap'n told me 'bout stuff like th't back home."

"Captain? Are you perhaps referring to the Shield Hero?" The pope asked in a respectful manner. Garfiel took notice of the question, prompting him to correct the pope.

"Nah, Cap'n is someone y'all aren't aware of. Shield guy is just Shield guy."

Although this did clear things up...sort of, the king couldn't help but ask the demi human boy:

"Just how old are you, demi human?"

"Fourteen."

The king was baffled by this as well as a few knights, not expecting Garfiel to be this age and be strong enough to take on one of the legendary heroes.

"No wonder you have a foul mouth, you were taught no manners." The king commented, annoyed. "Your parents must feel so proud."

"Don't know 'bout th't. The old hag taught my amazin' self pretty well."

"Old hag?"

The king questioned but before he could press on, the pope took this opportunity to redirect the conversation to the reason Garfiel's here.

"My child, you faced a Devil of the Shield without any kind of weapon. Just by pure will, which is commendable but also concerning. So, we wish to know who exactly are you?"

Garfiel took a moment to process what the pope had just said, seeing that they were curious why someone like him was able to handle a legendary hero when the four heroes are supposed to be the strongest in this world.

The equivalent to this would be if someone came from a different world to his world and suddenly was able to go toe to toe with the Sword Saint. Having this context in mind, he responded with:

"I'm a fighter, someone who'll fight th'strongest'n beat 'em. After all, I'm the Shield of Sanctuary."

"The Shield of Sanctuary, quite an interesting title." The pope said, finding this information intriguing. "Who gave you this title?"

"I did."

"Okay then, where do you come from? You don't seem to be from around here." The King spoke out in frustration, wanting something to use either against the Shield Hero or something that could help him in the long run. Garfiel paused himself before he answered.

("Brotto, quick question. As a merchant, how do ya handle when guys ask too much of ya.")

("Well, I always tell what is needed. The rule is always to not tell more than what's necessary. Otherwise they might take advantage of the information they shouldn't have.")

"That doesn't matter, I'm with Shield guy now."

"You will answer the question." The king shouted as he slammed his fist on the chair he was sitting on. "Are you a part of Siltvelt?"

This question caused the room to suddenly have high tension, something Garfiel was doing his best to avoid. Since this failed, he began to turn around to leave only for two knights to be on his way.

"Look, I'm not gonna say anymore. I got things t'do."

"You won't leave unless the king tells you that you can."

"Tsk. Fine." Garfiel said reluctantly, as he once again thinks how causing trouble will come back to bite him as well as Naofumi in the ass. "Anything else ya wanna talk 'bout?"

"You will answer my question, are you a part of Siltvelt?"

"No, don't even know what th'hell's a Siltvelt."

The pope looked closely at Garfiel before turning towards the king, giving him a signal that the boy was telling the truth. The king noticed this before asking:

"Then are you from Shieldfreeden?"

"Don't know who they are, so no."

The king turned towards the pope to see that once again, the boy was telling the truth which left the king with even more questions.

"Then where are you from?"

"Th't's none of yer business." Garfiel immediately responded.

"You will answer my question, boy, if you know what's good for you."

Garfiel gave him a very serious stare as he responded to the king's threat:

"Let me remind ya, I ain't here fer trouble but I won't allow ya t'push me around. If all ya want is information on my amazin' self, then fuck off. I got important shit t'take care of."

The two gave each other a stare down before the king allowed Garfiel to leave, seeing that he's nothing but trouble. Right as Garfiel's about to leave, the pope had one last question.

"Why do you follow the devil of the Shield?"

"..." Garfiel paused himself as he heard this question, hating the phrasing. Although he wanted to correct him, he did thought about the question since he hadn't really put much thought into it.

"I dunno. First time I saw him, thought he was cool Then I saw his ugly sides but somehow th't didn't turn me away. Guess I saw somethin' in him th't reminded me of Cap'n."

"Is that so?" The pope said, finding this information interesting. "And what about the things he's done? Do you simply ignore them when choosing to side with the Devil of the Shield?"

Garfiel thought back to what the Bow Hero had said to Ren after the wave had finished, remembering a specific comment he had said.

("You are a damn hypocrite. After having been against Naofumi when he had taken advantage of Mai, you are now being swayed by him all because of those enslaved under him! What kind of hero sides with a known criminal?!")

"I don't know what happen prior t'my arrival but he ain't a bad guy. He's just…a jackass who's constantly fightin' th'world." He turned towards the pope and the king with a determined facial expression, "He' th'kinda guy th't'll be there fer those he gives a damn 'bout, so fer those th't harm th'one's he cares fer will suffer."

The moment he finished speaking, he left the throne room while leaving the king angry and the pope with a serious expression, seeing that perhaps they'll need to interrogate the Shield Hero.

"And th't's what happened with th't arrogant king and annoying other guy."

Naofumi remained silent as he felt his anger for the king grow, seeing that he wants to interrogate his team members starting with Garfiel. The demi human boy noticed that the Shield Hero was in deep thinking, prompting the boy to say:

"Look, I don't know what happened prior t'being teleported here but I trust ya. Even if ya can be a bit of a jackass."

"Hmph."

Naofumi took note of what the boy had said while he began to get back up, having thought long enough to understand the situation as a whole.

Once he was back on his feet, he looked outside where the two could see the kingdom before turning towards the door leading out of the room they were currently in.

"We should get out of here. I don't want to deal with him."

Garfiel understood this and was ready to leave with the Shield Hero though something did come to mind...Ren and his party members.

Considering that some of the knights might've seen them working with Naofumi and his party members, which also includes him, could put them in trouble with the king.

Just as he was going to say something, Naofumi paused himself as he was going to leave the room.

"Look, what happened at the shop, water under the bridge."

"..." Garfiel was silent.

"Let's just call this event us being even, got it?"

"Aight."

Although not an apology per say, Garfiel took it as Naofumi allowing him to truly be a part of the group since the two have made mistakes now that directly affected the group.

He nodded as the two started to leave the room.

As they were in the hallway, Raphtalia and Filo were both returning from their lunch, having wanted to be next to Naofumi.

So, to their surprise to see him leaving the room with Garfiel by his side caused the two girls to run towards their master.

"Master!"

Naofumi was taken aback by this as he received a hug from both Rapthalia and Filo.

"Alright. Alright."

Garfiel chuckled when seeing this though he was happy that Filo and Raphtalia were happy to see Naofumi back up.

As he watched this, he couldn't help but start to think about those in his world, how he missed them dearly.

'...I gotta get back home at some point.'

Although he was a bit homesick, he didn't feel too alone since he had made friends in this new world. He watched as Naofumi managed to comfort the two before telling all three of them that they should start leaving.

"Aren't we gonna have Sword guy's team join us? They'll probably be questioned by th'king."

"They'll be fine." Naofumi said, sounding more like he had faith Ren and his party can handle themselves without his involvement. "Let's get going."

As he said this, he led the group out of the castle.

While this was going on, Ren had been asked to see the king to which he listened without giving much problems since unlike with Garfiel, he was more respected and kindly asked.

As he was outside of the throne room, he began to think about all that had happened the past two days since the end of the third wave.

He thought about the Blessed series and how it was able to counter whatever Naofumi was being controlled by.

Although this was one of two thoughts he had, the second was a question to himself, what did the king wanted with him? He's aware that Motoyasu and Itsuki haven't been summoned by the king as well as Garfiel having been summoned for whatever reason.

This caused him to speculate the many reasons that could be...though for this to be answered, he would need to ask the king himself. As the knights had opened the door for him, he entered the throne room and the first thing that caught his attention was the pope standing next to the king.

'What is he doing here?'

He was curious by this all the while slowly approaching the king and the pope.

"Sword Hero! It's good to see you."

Ren nodded at the king in respect as one should to a king, despite how stubborn the king can be in particular with Naofumi and Garfiel.

"What brings me here?"

"We wish to ask you about something." The Priest said as the crystal ball began to glow, showing Ren facing off against Naofumi. Although they weren't aware of the power Ren was using, the Sword Hero noticed that it was during his time when he was using the blessed series. "As you can see, you have grown into a strong hero that can stop the devil of the shield when he turns on us."

Ren was silent as he crossed his arms. The King added:

"You are a true hero."

"...I still have a long way to go." Ren said as he thought back about his mistake related to the dragon and the village. The Priest and The King noticed what he said, prompting the King to ask:

"I would like to ask, what was that kind of power? I haven't seen anything like it."

"It's...a power that was gained at the moment. I can't replicate it right now but I'll let you know more when I understand this new power."

Ren partially lied here, since he's aware of the blessed series though he was being honest that he can't replicate this power at this moment. This white lie did allow him to not look suspicious since the Priest was observing him, looking like he's seeing if the hero was being honest. The King smiled confidently as he said:

"With you in our kingdom, you can take out that cursed shield—"

"Hold on." Ren spoke out, interrupting the king. "I don't mean to interrupt you but I won't kill Naofumi."

The Priest and The King caught on to this with the atmosphere slowly tensing up.

"What do you mean? He poses a threat to everyone!"

"I understand and yes, he was out of control but I can guarantee that this was all caused because of that older daughter of yours attacking one of his teammates."

"Wha—? Malty would never!" The King swiftly responded to Ren's comment. The Sword Hero looked at the king before turning towards the crystal ball near him and the pope.

"If that crystal ball can tell you what happened in the wave, it can prove that Mai was the instigator of it all." As Ren said this, he turned towards the pope to ask: "Is there anything else you'd like to speak about?"

The priest continued to have a friendly smile as he responded to the Sword Hero's question.

"As far as the situation involving the Devil of the Shield, I do wish to ask why do you associate with him? Some knights here reported you and your party members training with those from the Devil of the Shield."

"Is it wrong to work with the other heroes?" Ren asked this question to counter the pope's question. He noticed this which prompted him to respond:

"No. It isn't a crime to work with the other legendary heroes but most worry that you'll be corrupted by the Devil of the Shield."

Ren sharply looked at the pope, not liking how he's referring to Naofumi as a devil, especially after how well they've gotten along. He closed his eyes all the while commenting on what the pope had said:

"I can see why it's concerning but the purpose was to train for the wave. Or is that wrong?"

"No, No." The pope swiftly responded, "You did what was needed in order to be prepared for the wave. That's something I must commend you for."

The pope turned to see what the king would say in regards to what Ren had said. The king seemed to be reserved on commenting though he simply dismissed this with:

"Yes, I suppose since we have to work with that criminal, it makes sense to have a plan in taking on the waves."

"Well then, it was good to have seen you, Sword Hero, may—"

"Mind if I ask one question before we end this conversation?" Ren asked as something just came to mind during the conversation. This got the king and the pope's attention.

"Go ahead, my child."

"What's on your mind, Sword Hero?"

The two asked, curious to know what Ren was going to ask.

"Is it possible that one of us legendary heroes could be possessed?"

"Hm?" Both the King and the Priest were a bit surprised by this.

"Possessing one of the legendary heroes? What makes you think of such a thing, Sword Hero?"

"It's only because when facing Naofumi in that angered form...it seemed like he wasn't in full control of himself. That's why I ask. I have reason to believe that something took control of him."

The Priest and The King were both thinking about this for a bit with the King curious now if something like that could be possible on the Shield. The Priest found this possible but even he wasn't sure. He turned to Ren to give him an answer:

"That's something that hasn't happened in previous incarnations of the heroes, but there could be a possibility."

Ren just crossed his arms as he was in deep thought, if only briefly.

"Well then, I appreciate the answer. Allow me to warn the others of this."

"Yes, go warn the Bow and Spear heroes of this possibility." The King said.

Ren noticed that he left out Naofumi though at this point it's obvious he hates Naofumi.

Pointing that out won't really do much.

As the Sword Hero was leaving with the knights showing him respect, the king turned towards the priest.

"What do you think?"

"...it's possible that he's being influenced by the devil of the shield."

"Yes but the power he displayed is unbecoming of the shield hero."

"Yes, that would be something you'll have to ask on your own. I've got to return to the church. God is calling for me there."

"Understood."

The king nodded as he watched the priest leaving the throne room.

Ren stepped outside of the castle just around the same time that Naofumi and his party members had started to leave the castle themselves.

"Oi! Sword guy!"

Ren paused as he recognized that voice as Garfiel. He turned around and to his surprise, he saw Naofumi walking side by side with the demi human boy.

"Naofumi."

"Ren."

"Good to see you are back up."

"It was good having a long nap."

"That's one way of seeing things." Ren couldn't help but feel relaxed right now. "Where are you all going?"

"Off t'th'weapon shop. Join us."

Naofumi slowly looked at Garfiel a bit annoyed, not liking how he just opened his mouth considering that the question was directed towards him.

Garfiel knew that he jumped the gun and that Naofumi was annoyed at him but he smiled while placing his hands on the back of his head.

The Shield Hero glared at him for a couple of seconds before just leading the group towards the town.

"Come on, let's go."

Garfiel, Raphtalia, and Filo started to follow him with Ren joining in since Naofumi didn't refuse his company.

The five of them walked through town with the majority of the citizens all cheering for Ren, being grateful for his contribution in the wave while ignoring Naofumi.

The Shield Hero was annoyed by this though that's because he finds the people annoying.

Ren just kept a straight face, trying to remember that he shouldn't let these cheers get to him as well as knowing that Naofumi deserves these people cheering for him as well.

They went through town until finally arriving at the weapon shop. They entered with the shop owner looking at them.

"Seems like you live to fight another day."

"Good to see you too." Naofumi said.

"Well then, what brings you all here today?" The shop owner said as he got himself ready for whatever his customers might be looking for.

Garfiel was the first to go as he set his rusty yet still intact shield alongside his broken shield right beside it.

"I-uh-need th's fixed."

The shop owner looked at the shield and noticed that something was...off.

"This material..." He paused as he took a closer look at it. "It's unfamiliar to me. Where did you get this type of shield from?"

"Family."

"Hm." The shop owner took note of what was said all the while continuing to observe the broken pieces of Garfiel's shield. "Well then, I can get it fixed for you but it might take a while."

"It's fine. My amazin' self can fight without them fer as long as ya need t'fix them."

The shop owner just chuckled, finding it entertaining how Garfiel speaks differently than any customer he's ever interacted with. Just as he was about to take the intact shield and the pieces of the other shield, Naofumi said:

"Hold on." He grabbed onto the broken piece of Garfiel's shield as he wanted to test something out.

As he set it near his legendary shield, it began to absorb the piece which had caused the menu where all the shields were located to glitch for a moment before creating its own section in the large menu of shields.

Twin Shield: ability locked equip bonus: Attack 25

equip effect: strength defense up

'...wait.'

He checked his stats and noticed that absorbing Garfiel's shield had increased his attack ability by quite a bit. Not by a lot compared to his other stats currently but enough to draw his attention.

'That's...I remember getting an attack boost back when I had absorbed the needles for the Animal Needle Shield but this...'

The Shield Hero turned towards the Shield of Sanctuary to question him.

"What the hell kind of shield do you have?"

"Th'kind th't allows me t'fight. The Cap'n likes th'say, the best defense is a good offense. So'f I use a shield meant fer defense t'attack instead, th' best defense and th' best offense come together, makin' me th'strongest."

"That's one interesting way of making a shield into an offensive weapon." The shop owner commented as he took Garfiel's shield to the back. Raphtalia had noticed that something had surprised Naofumi, prompting her to ask:

"Are you okay, Naofumi-sama?"

"Y-Yeah, it's all fine."

Naofumi looked at the twin shield he was wielding, finding it odd how Garfiel could fight with such a thing. The boy was amazed by this as he looked closely at Naofumi's shield that now resembled his.

"So damn cool!"

"That's pretty interesting." Ren added. "Gathering pieces to create different variations of shields. I wonder if I had absorbed a piece of Garfiel's broken shield, would I get a variation of that shield only in sword form?"

Ren pondered this which even Naofumi was curious as well. Considering that Garfiel and his twin shields weren't a part of this world, perhaps the system made up something since it glitched for a moment after it had absorbed the piece.

"Aside from that, were you able to get your class upgrades?" The shop owner asked as he stepped back into the main room of the shop.

"That might be a problem." Ren said, having just realized that Tersia hadn't gotten her upgrade.

She hadn't complained considering the fact that she witnessed the nuns being unfair to the Shield Hero and his party but it had affected her since she had to be smart during the latest wave.

'I'll need to apologize to her when I see her again.'

"Hm. From what you told me the other day, kid, it's unlikely they will let you use the overglass here." The Shop owner said as his attention turned to Naofumi. The Shield Hero looked at him for a brief moment before looking back at the new shield he had acquired.

"I don't know about Sword Hero here but I've been thinking about heading to Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden for the class upgrades."

Ren was alerted by this while the shop owner couldn't help but smirk at this.

"You know, kid. I've been thinking you'd head in that direction for a while now."

"Really?"

The shop owner nodded as he continued:

"I'd suggest Shieldfreeden. Siltvelt can get a little...crazy."

"Crazy?"

"What do you mean?"

Both Ren and Naofumi asked, curious on what he meant by this.

"Well, they are demi-human supremacists, and they turn humans into slaves there. Kinda the opposite of Melromarc."

'I see. Considering I'm human, it probably isn't the best option.' The Shield Hero thought as he now made up his mind to follow the shop owner's suggestion. Just as the shop owner was going to say something, Ren added:

"Hold on, if I'm not mistaken, they worship the church of the shield."

This information caught Naofumi and his party members.

"They do but it would be dangerous for either of you to go. They view the other heroes as worthless and might want to harm you while they might overwhelm the Shield hero."

"Sounds like a cult." Garfiel said, having a chill when saying this as it reminds him of a specific cult back in his world that is infamous. Naofumi could tell that the word 'cult' bothered the demi human boy, prompting him to have this as something to ask the boy eventually.

"Then we will head to Shieldfreeden."

"I'll also join you guys." Ren said, feeling excited for an adventure. Naofumi turned towards him with a calm but serious expression.

"Why? You aren't obligated to join us."

"...well, you see one of my party members didn't get the chance to upgrade and I already told those nuns that I wouldn't use this country's hourglass because of it."

"Hmph." Naofumi wanted to chuckle as he recalled that though he turned towards the exit. "That's not my problem."

"Ah come on, Shield boss, don't be like th't."

"I'm not responsible for his party members. So if you wish to go to Shieldfreeden, then you can go. I'm not here to hold your hand."

"...?"

Ren couldn't help but tell that Naofumi isn't against him joining them though he has a very...interesting way of saying it.

"Well then, I'll need to gather my party members before you all leave."

"I said—"

"I know but it's my choice to join you guys."

Naofumi remained silent for a few seconds, seeing that Ren has caught on to his wording. This prompted him to eventually say:

"You better hurry then, we have no time to waste."

"Understood." Ren nodded and just as he was going to leave the shop, a familiar knight along with another knight entered.

"Shield Hero!"

"Hm?"

Naofumi looked and recognized the knight, he was the leader of the small group that wanted to join his party back before the wave started.

"What brings ya here?" Garfiel asked.

"The Shield Hero is requested at the castle." The other knight spoke with a firm tone, having just noticed the Sword Hero was in the shop.

"No thanks. You're a pain." The Shield Hero immediately responded, knowing that this was trouble for him. The other knight heard this and was mad, hating how disrespectful the Shield Hero was being.

"Please, Shield Hero. Please come with us."

"..." Naofumi looked at this knight and knew that he along with the other two knights and two mages had listened to his every command. It wouldn't be right to ignore him now, especially considering how he had caused a ruckus for everyone. "Geez. Fine but only because I owe you. That's the only reason I'll do this."

"Thank you so much!"

The knight said while the other seemed to just not care for the conversation. Naofumi turned towards Raphtalia.

"You are in charge of packing everything up. I shouldn't take long."

"Understood, Naofumi-sama." Raphtalia smiled as she responded, seeing that she was indeed trusted by her master. Garfiel was fine with it though he was a bit worried for Naofumi's sake considering that the king would want to have some excuse to harm the Shield Hero.

Once inside the thorne room, Naofumi just felt hatred all over again, having been in this room where everything went to hell. He looked forward and noticed the king, one of two people he hated with a passion. Once he was in the center of the room, he asked:

"What do you want?"

"Silence"! You are before the king!"

One of the knights spoke out as he along with other knights got themselves ready for a fight. Naofumi noticed this but he just remained silent, something the king noticed.

"It is incredible to think about it, but I hear you were able to fight back the wave, Shield...until the end."

"..."

"Nothing to say for your betrayal!"

Everyone was on guard when the king said this, prompting the knights to pull out their swords.

"As much as it pains me, you did pretty well until you showed a power that isn't becoming of the Shield. So, you will tell me exactly what happened."

Naofumi looked at the king with an annoyed facial expression, not really wanting to give any information to him. This was something one of the knights noticed, finding it blasphemy which prompted him to shout:

"You WILL answer the King!"

"Is that so?" Naofumi turned towards him and his look completely scared the hell out of the knight, causing him to take a step back. "I dare you to do something."

"That's no way to speak to my knights!" The king shouted, which got Naofumi's attention.

"I won't deny that I did some damage by losing control but that power I can summon again."

"You are bluffing!"

"Really?" Naofumi stepped forward which almost caused the knights to charge at him as they were frightened by the way the Shield Hero was acting. "Do you think any of you can take me on if I lose control again?"

"Tsk. We will call the others—"

"By the time they get here, you all would be dead."

"Tsk."

The King froze up as he could see how serious Naofumi was about his threat. This angered him since he's the king, he deserves respect.

"You bastard! You think you can get away with threatening me?! The King?!"

Naofumi looked at him with a serious expression after having calmed down, not really planning on losing control again.

"Don't ever summon or speak to me again, Trash. When the waves are over, I'm out of here. Until then, I will do what I have to. But don't get in my way."

As he prepared to leave, the king just gave the Shield Hero a death stare.

"You dare speak with such insolence! Perhaps those slaves of yours should be punished—No, perhaps that boy, Garfiel Tinsel, should be punished in your stead."

There was a moment where Naofumi paused himself, making the king think that he's got him with a trump card only to realize all he really ended up doing was pissing him off even more. He turned towards him with eyes that had murderous intent.

"You can use all the dirty underhanded tricks you can think of, I'll protect my team no matter what you do. You'll never take anything from me again. I DARE you to lay a finger on them. I'll chase you to the ends of the earth. And make you regret ever being born."

The king was taken aback by just how threatening Naofumi was, making him both scared and angered. Naofumi continued to give him a death stare for a few more seconds before turning around and just leaving the throne room, finding this a waste of his time. Just as the Shield Hero was about to leave, the king furiously shouted:

"I won't forgive you! I won't forgive you, Shield!"

As the king's scream echoed through the castle, Naofumi retorted:

"That makes two of ussssss!"

The Shield Hero's shout echoed around the castle as well all the while the doors to the throne room closed. As he was leaving the castle, a woman that looked like she was from nobility passed by him. As the two passed each other, the woman spoke to him:

"Zank you for all your hard work, Zir."

'Zir?'

He turned around to look at the woman while she continued:

"Your efforts have become somewhat impossible for anybody to ignore any longer. Including certain powers, to put it mildly, aren't taken too kindly to your interference, zir."

As she finished speaking, she pulled out something that resembled a combination of weapons.

'That looks familiar.'

"Virtuous on the surface. And conspiring behind the scenes. You should exercise the utmost caution, Zir. You and the Sword Hero. They are watching him closely. I hope you understand the situation, zir."

Once she finished saying this, she continued to walk deeper into the castle, leaving Naofumi confused for a second before thinking carefully on what was said.

'They'll be watching Ren closely? Hm. That's probably because he's associated with me.'

Taking this into consideration, he starts to see that perhaps having Ren and his party join them might be for the best.

Once he steps outside the castle, he quickly makes his way towards the weapon shop as he wishes to leave the kingdom as quickly as possible.

It took him a few minutes before arriving at the shop. The moment he arrived, he noticed a carriage with Garfiel, Raphtalia, Filo, Ren, and Ren's party members all ready to go.

"There ya are. Talia and Filo were startin' t'get worried."

Garfiel said as he was the first one to spot the Shield Hero. The others noticed this which prompted Filo and Raphtalia to approach Naofumi.

"Master!"

"Naofumi-sama!"

Naofumi felt comfortable seeing the two girls before noticing Ren approaching him.

"What did the king and priest want?"

"The priest wasn't there and the king is an annoying bastard like usual."

"Hm. Th't's weird. White robe guy was there when th'king wanted a chat."

"I wonder where he went then." Ren said as he crossed his arms. Naofumi was silent as he recalled something the woman had said not too long ago.

("Virtuous on the surface. And conspiring behind the scenes. You should exercise the utmost caution, Zir. You and the Sword Hero. They are watching him closely. I hope you understand the situation, zir.")

Naofumi thought on the words that the woman had said, prompting him to tell everyone:

"Let's get moving."

As Filo was managing to pull the large carriage despite it having more people than usual, the combined group of the Shield and the Sword heroes had managed to reach out of the castle town, Naofumi and Ren were on the front as their respective party members were on the back with the supplies, each of them having a chat about the wave with all of them leaving out the battle with Glass and Naofumi.

"We packed a lot of things for the trip, hopefully it'll last us the journey to Shieldfreeden."

Naofumi took a look at the supplies once again, seeing that there was indeed a numerous amount.

"We should be fine."

"I hope so."

"...you worry too much. It's annoying."

"You are right, apologize."

The two remained silent for a bit, trying to think of a better way to inform the other of the information they have that'll prove useful for both parties to know. Before any could even form some small talk, Garfiel taps Naofumi in the shoulder as he hands him a letter.

"It's from th'shop owner. Wanted ya t'read it."

Naofumi grabbed the letter from Garfiel's hand and began to read it, curious to know what the shop owner had written.

Kid,

I got you some gifts for the road. Use 'em if ya like.

For the kid, a shield accessory. It can analyze a shield and do tons of other useful stuff.

For the missy, a mana sword. Use it on enemies with no physical form.

For the boy, a bracelet to help his defense increase while I work on repairing his shields.

If, God forbid, the fowl lassie can't draw the wagon anymore, this item will help. Put this on, and gain the strength of a hundred men! Even you could push the carriage.

As he finished reading this, he looked at the bag next to him to see the items that were referenced in the letter. This made him feel comfortable since the shop owner was one of the few people he could trust. As Filo continued to move the carriage a couple miles away from the castle town, they eventually stopped in order to give everyone a chance to stretch their legs while Filo took the chance to relax. This was the perfect opportunity for the two legendary heroes to speak in private, away from everyone else.

"Mind if we chat for a moment? I got something that might get your attention."

Naofumi looked at Ren for a moment before looking at the others, seeing that everyone was busy talking among themselves. He turned back to the Sword Hero before crossing his arms.

"Make it quick."

As he said this, he had his back on the carriage as he allowed himself to rest for a bit all the while listening to what Ren had to say.

"The blessed series, I believe there are seven different types."

"Okay. Elaborate." The Shield Hero said as he was curious about it.

"The one I had unlocked was Temperance, meaning—"

"—it's possibly a counter to the curse series."

"The curse series?" Ren tilted his head a bit when asking this. Naofumi was silent as he closed his eyes, recalling the rage he was in during the end of the wave.

"Yes, that's what I had unlocked during the wave. The curse series, wrath."

"Wrath...if the curse series contains the sins of man, then the blessed series are the virtues of man."

The two heroes thought more into this correlation.

"Would the mindset of the legendary heroes unlock these two series?"

"It's a possibility." Naofumi said, suspecting that Itsuki and Motoyasu might just end up unlocking the curse series rather than the blessed series like Ren.

"Did you tell the King or the Priest about this?"

"No, I kept it from them. I don't trust the two with this information."

"Good, because you and your party should leave this country."

"Hm? Why?"

"I don't think you realize but you are now a target."

Ren closed his eyes as he crossed his arms, thinking carefully on his conversations after the wave.

"It could be because I've associated with you since the hourglass incident. That's probably why I might have become a target."

"Regardless, it's your life, you can do whatever you want. I'm just informing you of this because I owe you."

"Well then, I appreciate the heads up."

Ren nodded as he turned towards the party members of Naofumi and his, starting to view this world differently. He once thought of this world as nothing more than a videogame, a place where he was the main character but now he views this world like an actual world, one with real people in it.

'I...I want to protect them.'

"We should get going." Naofumi said as he prepared to let the others know. Just as he was about to inform the others, Ren had one last thing to say to Naofumi.

"Thanks. For setting me straight."

"..."

("You come to another world and treat your companions this way? You're trash.")

("I agree. It's very difficult to sympathize with him.")

There was no easy way for Naofumi to accept these words from Ren, especially since that day is scarred into Naofumi's very soul as the day he rejects everyone of this world...but then he recalls the first days with Raphtalia, the first time he met Garfiel Tinsel and how he respected him despite not even knowing the situation, Filo's first days in this world, and even a few okay moments with both the shop owner and the slave trader.

Those feelings of ease as well as truly watching Ren grow was what allowed him to be okay with the Sword Hero. He still doesn't see him as a friend but as a companion will do.

Naofumi just gave him a nod before telling everyone:

"Let's hit the road. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Once he said this, both party members understood this and started to pack up back onto the carriage.

As they were about to leave, Garfiel smelled something familiar which prompted him to look around.

"Come on Garf, we have to go." Raphtalia said, not knowing that he smelled something was off. As Garfiel looked and looked, he noticed a couple of carriages approaching them.

"Oi, Shield boss, we got some company."

"Hm?"

As Naofumi and the others caught on to what the Shield of Sanctuary had said, they turned to see someone approaching only to notice a familiar girl:

"We finally caught up with you!"

"Ah, Mel!" Filo shouted with a smile, happy to see her friend.

As Melty's carriage continued as the other knights were approaching, Raphtalia approached her master, noticing that he didn't want to interact with the second princess.

"Naofumi-sama, it may not have been for long, but we traveled together as a party."

"Master...Mel-chan's a good girl, y'know?"

"..."

Naofumi just looked at Filo with an annoyed facial expression. Garfiel just approached the Shield Hero as he patted his arm.

"No need t'look so annoyed, Shield Boss. Just play nice th's one time'n we can head off without her followin' us."

"...fine, I'll play nice."

Wanting this to end quickly, he's choosing to play nice. Melty got out of her carriage alone with a crowd of knights behind her, watching as she was closing in on the Shield Hero and Sword hero's respective party members and their position.

"Melty-sama." Ren's party said in unison as they bowed with respect.

Melty looked at the Sword Hero, having just noticed him, before nodding with respect.

"Sword Hero." As she said this, her attention turned towards Naofumi. "Shield Hero, I'd like you to return to the capital and meet with King Aultcray once more."

"I refuse." Naofumi spoke without hesitation.

"Damn. No hesitation." Garfiel spoke out his thoughts, sounding impressed. Melty looked at him for a moment before turning back towards the Shield Hero, annoyed.

"I want you to apologize for your conduct and reconcile."

"I refuse!" Naofumi once again spoke out, slightly aggressive this time.

This caused her frustration to start to show.

"We need your help to stop the Waves."

"That may be true but King Aultcracy hasn't shown any signs of giving Naofumi here fairness." Ren stepped in, cutting Melty from finishing what she was going to say. This forced her to turn her attention to the Sword Hero. Ren continued: "I understand that he's your father and you are doing your best but how can you guarantee that the King will be fair."

"Because mother will make him pay if he doesn't." Melty spoke out in a low tone of voice, not really enjoying giving this kind of information.

"Wait, the queen will punish the king?" Tersia questioned, finding this quite interesting. The other members of Ren's party were also curious by this.

"...look, Shield Hero, just come back with me. I promise that I'll create a space for you and father to make amends." The second princess spoke to the Shield Hero, desperately trying to convince him. Garfiel turned towards Raphtalia as he wanted to see what she was thinking about this situation.

"Oi, Talia, any thoughts?"

"Well..." Raphtalia was silent for a moment as she didn't want to say anything that would be against Naofumi but at the same time, she knows Melty means well.

"Doesn't hurt t'be on th'opposing side 'f th'Shield boss."

"It would be bad if they were against me, Garfiel Tinsel." Naofumi spoke out with a stern tone of voice.

"Aw come on, yer not always correct."

"That's...probably not the wisest thing to say, Garf." Raphtalia warned, knowing that Naofumi doesn't trust people who would willingly go against his opinion. This was something that got everyone's attention, prompting a possible argument to break out only for Naofumi to turn around and head back to the carriage.

"This is a waste of time. Besides, we don't have time for this."

"Wait Shield Hero! You need to go back to apologize to father."

"I don't have to do anything!" Naofumi said as he stopped on his footsteps. Garfiel understood the sentiment and knew that he wouldn't convince the Shield Hero at this point nor those he care to.

As they were all turning to leave, the demi human boy paused as something didn't feel right. Naofumi also felt this as he just recalled that there was a crowd of knights standing behind.

'This feeling...it's similar to the situation with that bitch.'

As Naofumi turned around, he suddenly felt blood hit his face, leaving him in shock.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

A few days have past as the parties of the Sword and Shield were on the road, avoiding as many villages as possible until they needed to get supplies.

Because of the amount of people that are traveling together, that plan was out the window given their limited capacity without their carriage.

'What a mess this turned into…'

Naofumi would've preferred that he was traveling with just his team rather than Ren and his group, though he was okay with them for now. Him and Ren were discussing more possible techniques they could implement.

With the two having an understanding of each other's abilities, they have found some combos that involve disarming the opponent through Naofumi's shield and Ren's sword delivering the finishing blow.

Others are for escaping should they need to with Ren being the one to stun the opponent while Naofumi pushes the opponent away long enough for the two heroes to escape or formulate some plan.

This was probably the best use of his time, knowing that in the future there will be times he and the Sword hero will need to team up.

While entering the first village in a long while, Naofumi and Ren disguised themselves to avoid getting spotted while their respective party members were protecting the carriage since it has all of their current supplies.

While in the village, the two noticed that one of the knights from the King were showing those within the two footages of injured knights.

More likely the ones that Garfiel had beaten to near death.

"Didn't think they'd be quick."

"They are working overtime, that is for sure." Naofumi commented before turning around towards a shop nearby.

"Come on, I don't want to be here any longer than what we have to."

"Agreed."

The two approach the food vender as they quickly get enough for every party member that will last them at least two days.

"You sure we shouldn't get more? I have the money to get us more—"

"It would be bad if it got the attention of the wild life. There's also the fact that it can go bad."

"...Right."

As Naofumi and Ren start to make their way out of the village, they approach Raphtalia and the others to inform them of what's going on.

"...Shit."

Garfiel was pissed at himself since he was the reason that they are on the run.

Raphtalia and Filo noticed this immediately, prompting the two to pat him on his back.

Naofumi looked at the boy's direction with a blank expression for a second before closing his eyes while saying:

"We should get moving. They will start searching this area soon."

"Understood."

Tersia, Welt, Bakta, and Farrie bowed at the Shield Hero while Raphtalia and Filo nodded at what their master had to say.

Garfiel stood silent along with Melty, the demi human boy feeling guilt from his actions while the second princess paid close attention to the Shield Hero.

She didn't like being with him ever since he found out about her identity since he's been giving her the cold shoulder.

As everyone's packing up, Melty takes this opportunity to follow the Shield hero and the Sword hero while the two step away for a moment to chat.

"I feel as if something's off about this situation." Ren said.

"Explain."

"The villages we had passed, from what Raphtalia and Garfiel had told us, they are spreading this footage fast. It's almost like this was planned."

"Tsk. Wouldn't be surprised if the King had some secret network behind the scenes."

Ren crossed his arms for a moment as he thought about what Naofumi had said.

"I believe this is more than just the king hating you."

"Elaborate." Naofumi sharply said.

"If the king had something like that, he would be the type to send every single one of them to hunt us down. This seems more so to harm your reputation."

"Yes and last I checked, the king did that through her eldest princess."

Ren stood silent for a second, noticing that Naofumi is restraining his anger when referencing Melty's older sister. Careful with his words, he responded to Naofumi's response:

"Yes, however we must recall that knight we interrogated two days ago. He had the three heroes church's rosary."

"There's gotta be a connection there." Garfiel said, catching Ren and Naofumi's attention as well as Melty. The second princess was surprised since she wasn't expecting the demi human boy to be right behind her. Naofumi gave Garfiel a serious expression while asking him:

"What are you two doing here?"

"Here t'tell ya we're ready."

Naofumi gave the boy a cold stare for a few seconds before he and Ren began to walk back towards the carriage's location with Melty and Garfiel by their side.

"We will discuss this topic later." Ren said, knowing that this is something that they'll need to speak in depth.

As the night ends with Garfiel choosing to pull the carriage to give Filo a chance to sleep.

After two whole days of travel, the second night after the visit to the village, Garfiel and Ren had returned from checking the new village far away from the capital.

"Any luck?" Raphtalia asked, hoping that this would be the one village they could rest. Unfortunately, Garfiel shook his head with disappointment.

"They got here too." He responded in a calm expression while looking away from everyone.

"Yes, it seems like now they've added a bounty for Garfiel's head."

"What?" Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty all three said in unison. Tersia, Felt, Farrie, and Welt all just remained silent, feeling sympathy towards the demi human boy. Naofumi remained with no expression for only a bit before asking Ren:

"For how much?"

"Why's that relevant?" Melty angrily questioned.

"I want to know." Naofumi responded annoyed before looking back at Ren. "How much?"

"A lot of gold coins."

"What do you mean by a lot?" The Shield Hero pressed on, wanting a specific number.

"Over a thousand." Ren said, not wanting to give him a specific amount. Naofumi caught on to this though it was enough.

"Why does it matter the amount?" Raphtalia asked, knowing that there must be a reason behind it.

"Lets just say the amount of money offered acts as an indicator of how much trouble Garfiel is in."

"It isn't just Garfiel." Ren added, "But also you and the rest of your party. There is of course a pretty penny for you as well." He looked towards Naofumi when he said that part.

"Of course." Naofumi knew that there was more to it than just Garfiel being the one with a bounty.

"Wait, were we also there?" Bakta asked, curious if anything.

"Yea, all of us are targets"

"Is there any mention of Princess Melty?" Welt questioned, suspicious that there's no mention of her. Garfiel quickly answers this question as well with:

"Yea, she's mentioned though it's more focused on us."

"Of course. Why am I not surprised?" Naofumi turned towards the side as he was frustrated at the current situation.

"Wouldn't the princess be a higher priority for them?" Tersia commented, finding this situation quite unusual.

"Yeah. Kinda strange the king hating you more than being concerned for Lady Melty's safety."

"I doubt this is the king's doing." Ren said as he got everyone's attention.

"Who is then?"

"The three heroes church." Raphtalia said, drawing attention towards herself.

"The three heroes church?" Two of Ren's party questioned this.

"Yes, that could be a suspect in all of this." Ren said as he also was coming to this conclusion that Raphtalia had said.

"What makes you think that, Master Ren?"

Ren looked at Bakta for a moment before thinking back to a few days ago on how he along with Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Garfiel had a captured knight that tried to attack them while they were resting.

He recalled that this knight had something with him, a rosary of the three heroes church. There was also a comment the knight made directly towards Naofumi.

("You'll learn just how grave the sin of disturbing our country's order is!")

He took a deep breath before turning towards Naofumi, having a feeling that he's thinking of the same thing.

"That knight from before had the rosary of the three heroes church."

Naofumi stood silent as Ren was speaking towards him, prompting him to turn towards the Sword Hero.

"It makes the most sense that they would be behind this. They have the manpower and from the way it seems, they probably have spies all around the kingdom to spread whatever message they want."

"But why would they hunt down the Sword Hero and his party as well?" Filo asked, trying to catch up with the conversation.

"It's probably because he's associated with the Shield Hero." Melty added in. Everyone turned towards the second princess as she began to add in her thoughts into the matter. "If the Three Heroes Church is behind this, then they are likely going to start making a reason for why they are going after the Sword Hero and his party."

Ren and his party members looked amongst one another, seeing that they are in quite the situation.

"What should be our next move, princess?" Ren asked as he turned towards Melty, wanting to know what she's thinking. Naofumi was curious to see how the second princess was going to respond to this, prompting him to glare at her. Melty noticed the attention shift towards her, prompting her to cross her arms and close her eyes to think about the situation they are in.

"As we discussed before, the queen holds a lot of power over the kingdom. That also includes the three heroes church. Once we reach mother, we can ask for her help in stopping them from causing anymore trouble."

"How can we be sure that she can be trusted?" Naofumi asked as he set his back onto the tree behind him. "How do we know that this isn't some sort of setup from her? What if she's just like your father? Corrupt as hell."

Garfiel and Raphtalia looked at each other for a moment before turning back towards the Shield Hero, not liking that he's doing this once again. Melty gave an intense glare at Naofumi, having enough of this.

"Don't you dare insult mother! I get that you have issues with father but don't ever say that mother's corrupt!"

Naofumi was about to comment back to Melty's outrage only for Ren to tap his shoulder, indicating that he should refrain from saying anything else.

Ren quickly turned towards Raphtalia, trying to alert her to take over the conversation.

It took her a moment before realizing what Ren was indicating, prompting her to approach the second princess to help calm her down.

"Don't worry, we will go find your mother. If you believe that she's worth trusting, then we are willing to trust you."

Garfiel agreed to this notion as he approached Melty's position before patting her in the head in a similar way to how his captain had done with the little maid Petra in the past.

Obviously everyone was a bit surprised by Garfiel's action with even Melty sort of at a loss for words.

Her faces slightly turns red while Filo begins to shout,

"My turn! My turn!"

"Hehe, aight."

Garfiel turned towards Filo's direction before patting her head as well.

'Hm. So th's what th'Cap'n feels when doin' th's.'

As he thought of this, he turned his attention towards Naofumi to ask him:

"What do ya think we should do now? Shall we place some faith on th's queen or do ya got a better idea?"

"..."

Naofumi gave him a glare before turning towards Melty.

She had her arms crossed as she hated how hostile he is with her family.

He took a moment before responding with an annoyed tone:

"Fine. Let's trust the second princess, for now."

"Don't call me that."

"Hm?" This caught the Shield Hero's attention. "What was that, second princess?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"What's gotten into you?"

Melty took a moment to regain her composure before responding properly to the Shield Hero's question.

"I have a name! It's Melty! So why do you keep calling me 'second princess', Shield Hero? Don't treat me like some outsider!"

"Hey, you call me 'Shield Hero', too."

"If you don't like that, I'll call you Naofumi. So you call me Melty, too."

"..." Naofumi remained silent for a second, hearing the second princess's request. It was an annoying one but nothing he can't handle.

"Alright, fine. Melty it is. Can we start moving? We can't stand around for much longer."

As he said this, Naofumi started to make his way towards the carriage, wanting to get a move on while they have the chance. Melty nodded to this as her and the Shield Hero were on the same page now on how to address each other.

The others just nodded away as they began to follow Naofumi to the carriage, agreeing that they had to start moving.

Once they were all packing up with Filo in her filolial form and Garfiel moving the carriage as fast as possible, Noaufmi and Ren take the chance to be ready for anything to protect their combined parties.

After a few days of traveling, Nafoumi and Garfiel had a discussion with the demi human boy proposing to the Shield hero that they should start going by foot.

"We can't keep goin' with th' carriage anymore, Shield boss."

"What brings this up?"

"From what Sword guy's been tellin' me, many cities are buying into th't bullshit rumor. Those knights'll catch up t'us 'f we don't move fast."

"Hm. Seems like we agree on that matter." Naofumi commented after a few seconds of silence. "We are a big group and even with Filo and you doing double the work to get us out of this shit of a kingdom, it's not enough."

"Then shall I tell 'em or do ya wanna?"

Naofumi gave Garfiel a look before walking towards the carriage, deciding that he needs to be the one to tell them.

As he goes to speak with Ren and the others, Raphtalia approached him while it was just the two of them.

"Are you okay, Garf?"

"Eh? Where'd ya come from? Thought ya were with th'others."

"I was but then I saw you approach Naofumi-sama. I was worried—"

"—th't I'll get n'a fight with Shield Boss? Nah, don't wanna cause trouble."

"I know. And that makes me feel proud of you but something's still bothering you. What is it?"

"Nothin's botherin' my amazin' self!" Garfiel boasted, showing confidence yet the Raccoon girl wasn't fooled.

"No, there's something on your mind. Something that's been bothering you."

"What're ya talkin' 'bout?"

Raphtalia set her hand onto Garfiel's arm while calmly telling him:

"I know that you are still bothered by what happened with those knights."

"..."

Garfiel's smile faded as he had a serious expression, not really wanting to think back to that moment.

Raphtalia saw this and knew that it was going to bother him if this was brought up...however the things the demi human boy says in his sleep indicates that this talk is needed.

"I understand that Naofumi-sama and you are back on good terms, which is good but it's still hurting you inside, what you did to those knights."

"They deserved it." The demi human boy said in a low tone.

"You are right, they deserved it...but it still hurts having harmed anyone the way you did with them."

"...why're ya bringin' th's up anyway?"

"Because it's eating you up. Both when you are awake and when you are asleep. That feeling will keep growing if you do nothing about it."

"..."

Garfiel kept a calm mind during this conversation, knowing that it's something Otto would do, or well recommend to do. He crossed his arms as he thought hard on what Raphtalia was telling him. He knows that she's trying to help, trying to get him through what he has done, however...

"I get it, yer bein' a good friend. Really appreciate th's...but fer now I don't wanna talk 'bout th's."

"Okay." Raphtalia said, a bit surprised by the way Garfiel's speaking. "I'm just worried about you."

"Appreciate it but right now we got important things t'deal with. Besides, already talked 'bout th's t'Shield Boss. I should be good now but thanks."

Once the conversation was done, Garfiel calmly walked away as he joined up with the others, changing his attitude quickly to avoid any unwanted attention.

Raphtalia noticed this and knew that it's only a matter of time before Garfiel's guilt overshadowed everything.

Although she knows that this conversation was taken care of by her master, she knows that it was probably a temporary solution.

She took a deep breath before approaching the others, noticing Filo being angry at Naofumi and Garfiel.

"What?! No! We can't leave it!"

"Filo, I get ya don't wanna leave th'carriage but—"

"—We need to go on foot. You stand out too much, you and Garfiel."

"We don't stand out th't much."

"Yes you do." As Naofumi said this in an annoyed tone, he turned towards Ren and his party members. "Get your stuff together, we need to go."

Ren and the others nodded at what the Shield Hero had said before heading towards the carriage to grab their weapons and whatever supplies they can carry.

Once they got everything they needed and hid the carriage among a couple of trees, they started to walk deeper into the forest to avoid getting caught.

As they were on the journey towards Siltvelt, they ended up encountering a few bandits in the forest.

Before anything had happened, both heroes turned towards each other, both having the look that they don't really want to waste time dealing with simple bandits.

The two nod before taking the lead of their respective parties, trying to signal each of them that they shouldn't draw attention to themselves.

Everyone noticed this, prompting them to keep a low profile.

Unfortunately, one of the bandits spotted Melty which caused him to pause for a second.

One of the other bandits noticed his comrade just standing there, looking at Naofumi and Ren's group.

"Oi! What're you doing?"

"Nothing...something just feels off about one of them."

"The hell are you talking about?"

As the bandits were speaking among themselves, the others were curious on what was going on.

While this was happening, Naofumi and Garfiel were both on edge since the two had managed to hear what the bandit looking at them had said.

Both suspected that it was Melty since out of everyone here, she's the only one in royal attire.

As they prepare for a possible altercation, the bandits all turned towards the group and noticed the one that the first bandit was looking at.

"Hey! Stop right there."

Although the group didn't want to stop, they knew if they didn't, it would be quite suspicious.

As everyone turn their attention towards the group of bandits, the leader of the bandits leads the conversation with:

"Where are y'all heading off?"

"That is none of your concern." Naofumi said as he tried to signal the others to follow his lead. As he and eventually the others followed the Shield Hero, the bandit group quickly began to surround them.

"Now hold on, you didn't answer my question."

"..."

Naofumi gave the bandit leader a death stare, preparing himself for a fight to break out.

The other bandits were getting a bit anxious, itching for a fight.

Garfiel and Filo both moved towards Melty's position slowly, wanting to protect the second princess.

Unfortunately, this only drew attention towards Melty.

"Who's the little girl?" One of the bandits asked, catching the bandit leader's attention. "She seems important."

"It's none of your concern." Ren jumped into the conversation, pulling out his sword. "And I suggest you leave us alone right now."

"Or what?" The Bandit leader spoke as he pulled out a sword of his own, not threatened by Ren at all.

"Show respect to the Sword Hero." Tersia said angrily with the other members of Ren's party backing her up.

The bandits all looked at one another before taking a good look at Ren.

Some were spectacle on Tersia's comment though others didn't care.

They were all prepared to rob Naofumi and Ren's group.

Because of the hostility growing among everyone, Naofumi decided to start attacking the bandit leader.

"Air Strike Shield!"

A green projectile shaped as a shield appeared and managed to land a hit onto the bandit leader's stomach region, knocking him to the ground.

"Kill them all!"

The second the bandit leader shouted this, a fight broke out with Garfiel and Filo being the ones protecting Melty while everyone else fought.

Ren was attacked by two bandits, prompting him to block each of their attacks with ease.

He knows that he could easily beat them however he wishes to know if they have any tricks up their sleeve.

Though he would eventually change his mind when he saw that the two bandits were pretty much amateurs.

He easily used a few skills to not only break his opponents' swords but also knock them out all within a few seconds.

"Seems like you two have a lot to learn if you wish to challenge me."

Tersia with her martial arts skills was able to easily overpower her opponent, seeing that they were more of a novice than she had thought them to be.

Farrie didn't even pull out his axe since he knew that the two bandits that were confronting him were nothing.

He easily overpowered the two by grabbed their heads and smacking them together, knocking the two out.

Raphtalia clashed swords with her opponent, taking the fight serious while her opponent viewed her nothing but dirt.

"Damn demi human! You think you are capable of wielding a sword?!"

"I'm pretty capable." As she responded calmly, she waited for the right moment before disarming her opponent. Once this happened, she held her sword right on the bandit's throat. "Now, why not improve your skills before insulting someone better than you."

As this happened, Welt and Bakta fought their respective opponents with a bit of their skills, with Bakta using his magic abilities to end his fight with relative ease.

"...I expected more."

As he said this in a disappointed tone, Welt continued on his fight.

Although he's good with knives, his opponent was pretty skilled with his dual blades.

He blocked away each attack with everything he finally had before managed to land a kick that helped knocked his opponent to the ground.

Right as his opponent tried to recover, Welt didn't hesitate to knock him out with another kick.

"Tricky bastard." He said as he turned towards his party members, wanting to make sure that they are okay.

As he turned to check, he noticed a bandit charging towards Garfiel's direction.

The demi human boy has himself into fighting stance, ready to protect the second princess with his life.

"Back off or I'll hurt yer ass!"

"Oh really tough guy? Bring it on!"

The bandit charged at Garfiel, prepared to kill him since he views Garfiel as nothing more than a pathetic boy.

The demi human boy gave a serious expression as he prepared to finish this fight in one punch however as he was about to swing, he recalled how he brutalized all of those knights.

Seeing that image and how he had lost control of himself caused him to not only pause but to hesitate.

This hesitation made the bandit smile as he prepared to slice the boy's head off.

"Big talk, aren't you?"

"..."

Before the bandit was about to land his attack, Filo prepared to jump in and help only to stop when she heard Melty say:

"As source of thy power, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and slice through my target like a blade of water. Zweit Aqua Slash!"

As she casted a water spell, the ball of water sliced a part of the bandit's cheek while also slicing the tree right behind him in half.

The top half fell onto the bandit, rendering him out of commission as he tried desperately to free himself.

While that was going on, Filo and Melty turned their attention towards their ally.

"Garf, is everything okay?"

"...y-yeah, I'm fine..."

"You sure? You don't look fine."

"It's fine, lil' princess. Let's just get outta here."

As he brushed his issues to the side, Garfiel looked around and saw that everyone was basically done with their fights. The only remaining bandit that's still conscious was the leader, who was currently being interrogated by Naofumi himself.

"If that one's the Sword Hero...then you must be the Shield Hero—"

"If you wish to come out of this alive, you and your pals will not say a single word about us, got it?"

As the Shield Hero said this, he moved his cape up to reveal a couple of orange balls biting onto him. This threat was basically if the bandit leader didn't agree to this, he would be the one being bitten by these orange ball creatures.

"Okay! Okay! I'll keep quiet!"

"You better. I know your face now so if I find out that you or your men didn't keep your mouths shut, I will kill you."

With that threat solidified, Naofumi let go of the bandit leader before turning towards the group.

"Let's go. We wasted enough time here."

Naofumi started to walk deeper into the forest with everyone else following behind him one by one.

The last ones to follow were Garfiel, Melty, Filo, and Ren since the Sword Hero had decided to be on the back of the group to make sure they aren't followed while Garfiel just looks at his surroundings, being reminded of what he had done to the knights when he lost control.

"Come on Garf, we need to go."

Filo said as she pulled the demi human boy's arm. He turned towards the filolial girl before looking at Naofumi's direction, seeing everyone moving deeper into the forest.

He joined them alongside Melty and Filo, who were both worried for his sake.

Ren noticed this, following behind once he knew that he was the last one following the Shield Hero.

As it was reaching night time, the group rested up as they had been walking without stopping for hours.

As they were resting up, Filo approached Raphtalia to ask her:

"Can you help Garf? He's been acting weird."

"Weird?" Raphtalia was a bit curious on what Filo meant by that. "What do you mean by weird?"

"He just doesn't seem himself."

"Hm."

Raphtalia turned towards Garfiel's direction, seeing that he's just on his own in deep thought. She took a second before patting Filo in the head while telling her:

"I'll talk to Garf. For now, stay by Melty's side."

"Okay."

Filo nodded before approaching Melty to keep her company.

As she does this, Raphtalia smiled for a second before turning towards the demi human boy with a concerned expression.

She waited for a moment before approaching him, wanting to check up on him.

Once within a few feet away from him, she waited until he noticed her presence.

"Oh. Hey Talia, does Shield guy need me or somethin'?"

"No, Naofumi-sama is busy speaking with the Sword Hero. I'm just here to check on you."

"...I'm fine. Just been thinkin' 'bout home."

"Oh. Anybody in particular?"

Garfiel was silent for a moment before responding with:

"Nothin' particular. Just those in the princess's camp."

"Princess's camp?" Raphtalia tilted her head as she was curious on what Garfiel meant by that. The demi human boy realized that Raphtalia had no clue what he was referring to. This prompted him to give context to what he was speaking about.

"T'make it easy t'understand, in th'kingdom of Lugnica, there's th's royal selection goin' on. There five camps all havin' a leader th't's a candidate fer becomin' king of Lugnica."

"I see, so you were a part of those camps."

"Yes, though I was a bit new since I joined recently. My sister, Frederica, had been a part 'f it fer a long while."

"Ah, understood. So you miss those you knew in the camp you were in."

"Yea, been wondering what they're doin'."

As Garfiel looked at the night sky to think about everyone in the Emilia camp, he thought about how Otto and the captain were probably worried for his sake since he disappeared on them.

'Poor Cap'n, he probably's gonna suffer to Ram compared t'Brotto.'

As he was thinking about this, he sensed that something's off.

"Is something wrong?"

"...Hold on."

Garfiel looked around, sensing that someone was nearby.

"Someone's close by."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

As he said this, he quickly charged at the shadow figure and managed to grab his neck while saying:

"Who are ya?!"

"It's me..."

"Who?"

"...we fought in the wave..."

Garfiel paused as he took a closer look, realizing that it was one of the knights that were on Naofumi's side.

"Shit! Sorry!"

Garfiel set the knight down, feeling guilty that he was harming a fellow ally.

"What's going on?" Naofumi said as he and Ren were curious on what was going on, having heard Garfiel's shouts.

"It's an ally of ours!" Garfiel responded. The two heroes were skeptical at first when hearing this until seeing the young knight that fought hard in the previous wave.

"You. What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to find you Shield Hero."

"For what reason? What are you doing all the way over here? Away from the capital?"

"Half of the knights are here looking for you and the Sword Hero."

"Wait, then what about Garfiel?" Ren asked.

"We were informed that finding him would require us to find either of you."

"I see." Naofumi crossed his arms as he thought of the information they were just given.

'Seems like that Trash King knows what he's doing. Though it's a bit overkill to send half the army to find us.'

"Are you here to turn us in?" Raphtalia asked, prompting the knight to immediately respond with:

"No no, I'm just here to warn you. The other two heroes are also nearby. You should start running while you still can."

"Wait but what about you? Won't you get into trouble for warning us?"

"I'll be fine. I just want Garfiel to be cleared of all the charges. I know that he's innocent of those claims."

"..." Garfiel remained silent as he turned around to go and tell the others that they needed to leave. Naofumi noticed this yet he needed to at least ask the knight something:

"Why are you helping us? You don't get anything out of it."

"Because I trust you guys. I know that you are all good people and that someone's influencing the King to make these rash choices."

'Hmph. I can think of the main one influencing that dumbass.'

The Shield Hero turned around as he prepared to leave the area with his party, he had one last thing to say to the knight:

"Thanks for the heads up."

"A-Anything to help the Shield Hero!"

As this was said, Ren and Raphtalia quickly joined the others as everyone started to make their move, seeing that their pursuers were catching up to them.

While on the run now, Raphtalia and Naofumi turned towards Garfiel's direction, noticing that the knight's words got him thinking of his actions that lead them into the situation they are in now.

They know that they can't really dwell on this now, not until they are safely away from their pursuers.

They ran for a while as they tried to keep a distance from their pursuers, Melty slipped up and tripped on herself.

"Ahh!"

"Melty!"

"Lil' princess!"

Filo and Garfiel shouted, others nearby them began to say:

"What was that?"

"I heard the princess's scream."

"Then they are nearby! Move quickly!"

'Damn it all!'

Naofumi was annoyed since now their pursuers have a vague location where they are at. He wants to scold Filo but mainly knocks some sense into Garfiel for making another mess up.

As Garfiel and Filo help Melty get back up on her feet, the demi human boy picks up both little girls in order to make sure neither of them fall behind.

As they were running towards a big rock, they stopped once they reached the edge.

'Damn it! Dead End!'

"What now? That jump's too high!"

As Garfiel said this, Tersia and Farrie turned around to see a couple of knights approaching them fast.

"Seems like we got company." As the martial arts fighter said this, Ren and Naofumi both turn around the moment they heard a familiar shout:

"Naofumi!"

As the two heroes turn to look, they see the Spear Hero jump right in front of them all, ready for combat.

"Motoyasu."

Chapter Text

"There's nowhere to run. You're all surrounded." The Bow Hero spoke with a calm composure, surprising Garfiel and Naofumi.

"Yes. Now hand over the princess and that monster."

"I ain't no monster!"

As Garfiel shouted this, a sudden arrow was shot right near his face. He was stunned for a second before he gave an aggravated expression.

"Ya really wanna throw down!"

"That was a warning. Any other movements and you will be put down, mut."

Garfiel gave a death stare to Itsuki, wanting to punch the ever living shit out of him. As he stood still, Motoyasu pointed his spear directly towards Ren.

"You damn traitor! How could you side with this scoundrel!"

"Don't disrespect Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia shouted as she prepared to pull out her sword only for Ren to stop her. As he did this, he turned towards the Spear hero to respond to what he said with:

"Look, I don't know what you were told but—"

"Told? We saw those knights!" Motoyasu shouted, interrupting the Sword Hero. "They are lucky to even be alive! That damn monster needs to pay for his crimes!"

"I agree. What was done to those knights, that boy needs to atone for such acts."

Motoyasu and Itsuki spoke with anger and a sense of justice, both wanting to bring Garfiel Tinsel to justice for his actions. Ren and Naofumi turned towards each other for a second before turning back to the two heroes.

"Doesn't matter when they were trying to kill the second princess." Ren said, knowing that they'll listen to him. Motoyasu and Itsuki were silent for a moment, processing what was told to them.

"Don't lie to us. Why would those knights try to kill Melty-sama?" Itsuki questioned.

"It's the truth." Melty said, wanting to help Ren and the others out. This drew the attention of all the knights in the area as well as Motoyasu and Itsuki.

"Wait, seriously?" The Spear Hero questioned.

"Yes. Garfiel Tinsel protected me from them."

"Even if it's true Melty-sama, what he did was too far."

Garfiel looks down since he does agree with what Itsuki had just said, something he dislikes. Melty thought back to Garfiel's beatdown on the knights, recalling that it was indeed brutal.

She couldn't rebuttal Itsuki's comment which was something Itsuki and Motoyasu noticed. Before they could say anything to have more about having Garfiel punished, Naofumi stepped into the conversation.

"Those knights deserved it."

"What?" Ren and Melty were taken aback by this.

"Of course you would say that."

"If anybody thinks harming a child is okay, then they deserve death. What Garfiel did to those knights was mercy. If it were up to me, I would make them beg for death."

"That is nothing more than just cruel." Itsuki said as he pointed his bow and arrow right at his face. "That's why you aren't to be trusted, because you are nothing more than a sadistic man."

"At least I didn't cause a whole village to lose their homes. Or messed up a whole country by playing Robin Hood."

"Hey! I overthrew a dictator, like it or not!"

With tension growing among the Shield Hero and Bow Hero, the Sword Hero once again stepped in between to calm everyone down.

"Look, accusing each other isn't going to change the fact that Garfiel did what he needed to protect Melty."

"It's still too far!"

Ren looked at Motoyasu, seeing that he still felt that butchering the knights was overkill. Although he understands what they are trying to say, he knows that Garfiel had good intentions despite the anger he displayed that day.

"Let me ask you something, Motoyasu, Itsuki. What would you do if you were in Garfiel's position?"

"Make them pay."

"Bring them to justice."

Ren expected these answers from both heroes, having a better understanding of them compared to Naofumi. He continued,

"Okay but what does that look like in this scenario? Would you go easy on those trying to kill Melty-sama, knowing that she's not only the second princess but also a child?"

"I...eh..."

Both Spear and Bow heroes were silent when this was asked since realistically they wouldn't show mercy for anybody that would harm a child.

Itsuki would see it justified to harm the person since they know they are harming someone that can't protect themselves. Motoyasu would feel almost the same since he wouldn't allow someone like that to live.

As the tension seems to be dying down, another voice spoke out to get everyone's intention:

"You mustn't listen to them!"

This voice caught everyone's attention with Naofumi and Garfiel being the main ones that were angered by it. As they all turn, it is revealed to be Mai. She was approaching the heroes while giving a serious expression.

'Th's damn bitch.'

Garfiel quickly got into a fighting stance as he got in front of Melty to protect her. Mai noticed this but ignored it for now since she needed to make a 'point'.

Once she was close to the Bow and Spear heroes as well as having everyone's attention, she spoke out:

"The devil possesses a brainwashing shield. That accursed shield lets him take over one's mind just by talking to them."

"Th'fuck?!"

"That's nonsense!"

"That's not true!"

"Wha...Who would believe such a lie?"

Mai crossed her arms as she confidently continued speaking, ignoring Raphtalia's question:

"The Three Heroes Church has found that heretics who worship the Shield have started popping up in the past month."

"Those guys again?" Naofumi questioned, having been a second time since hearing the church mentioned outside his and Ren's party members. Mai turned towards the Shield Hero while also pointing right at him:

"The Devil of the Shield called himself 'The Savior of the Heavenly Fowl' and went around brainwashing innocent people!"

"Sister?"

"Melty, you poor thing. I see the Devil of the Shield has already brainwashed you."

"What kind of bullshit's th's!" Garfiel shouted as he slowly approached the bitch with these wild accusations. " 'f th'Shield guy had some kind 'f crap like th't, then he wouldn't need t'be runnin' from th'likes 'f ya!"

"Yes, like Garfiel said. It wouldn't make sense for Naofumi to be on the run if he had access to such an ability."

"It makes total sense." Mai once again opened her mouth. "Make everybody believe he's a misunderstood guy only to secretly build a cult of his own to eventually take control."

"That's crazy!" Naofumi shouted, having had enough of the bitch's bullshit. "If I had an ability like that, we wouldn't be arguing like this at all."

"Then prove it. Prove that you can't do that." Mai said as she smiled statistically.

This only pissed him off since he hated that smile, causing his emotions to start reaching the point where the curse series could activate once again.

Itsuki and Motoyasu both were on guard when they saw Naofumi starting to lose his temper, prompting their respective party members as well as the knights behind them to also get themselves ready for a fight.

Ren, who didn't want a fight to break out, quickly thought of something that could end in this being peaceful.

"Why don't we all head back to the capital together? We can speak with the king and tell him the situation. I'm sure he would understand that Garfiel only harmed those knights to protect his daughter. That way we can avoid a fight all together."

Motoyasu and Itsuki turned towards each other, seeing this idea from Ren...not problematic.

Although neither wanted to deal with Naofumi, especially in Motoyasu's case, they were willing to give this a chance.

They lowered their weapons with Itsuki being the one to speak:

"That's actually not a bad idea. If that criminal is willing to comply, then we can end this peacefully."

"Naofumi?" Ren asked, knowing that this isn't the ideal situation for him. Naofumi looked at Ren, a little pissed that he chose this way but he can acknowledge that he's trying to get them out of a fight.

"Sure."

If it means he can get this over with and get back to going around as the 'Heavenly Fowl' with his party.

Motoyasu and Itsuki looked at him with a serious expression before turning towards the knights, giving the signal that they could stand down.

Just as it seemed like things were finally going their way, Naofumi and Garfiel noticed that Mai was smiling in a very off way.

Garfiel doesn't trust this since it reminds him of The Bowel Hunter. For Naofumi, he's seen that smile before, when he was convicted for crimes he never committed that horrible second day in this world.

As he and the demi human boy were suspicious of this now, Melty approached Naofumi to get his attention by pulling his arm. This caught his interest as the next thing she said was:

"I think...I think that they will kill us..." The way Melty spoke was one of a scared girl. She was pale and she was shaking, which made him confirm his thoughts.

'Of course, have the second princess go to a mage to get rid of 'the brainwashing' only to have some 'curse' kill her and pin it on me. Not only that but also screw Ren over since he's been advocating for me.'

He knows that Melty dying will also result in both him and Garfiel being killed.

'Just as things were about to go easily.'

"Hey Ren, I'm sorry about this but it seems like we'll need to do things the hard way."

"What are you—?"

"Air Strike Shield!"

As Naofumi summoned a floating shield, he sent it straight towards Motoyasu's direction, managing to hit him and send him flying into a few rocks.

Once knocking the dangerous one out of the two, Garfiel immediately took his chance to knock Itsuki out of the fight by charging at him and managing to land a punch on his face.

As he sent the Bow Hero flying, Mai quickly ran away to give the knights around a chance to protect her.

These knights targeted Ren first, viewing him as a threat.

Ren shook his head since he's a little annoyed that the peaceful option was thrown out the window...however, he does trust that Naofumi has his reasons to not trust them.

He blocks away their attacks with low effort since these aren't very tough opponents however he knows that they aren't here in bad faith.

He continued to be on the defensive until he noticed Mai trying to harm Melty with one of her fireballs.

'I will not allow that!'

Ren quickly pushed the knights back before swiftly moving towards Melty's direction to protect her from Mai's attack. Once there, he used all of his strength to deflect off the fireball before pointing his sword towards the first princess.

"You say you are here to save your sister and yet you were trying to harm her."

"Tsk. What do you know, brainwashed fool."

"..."

Ren remained silent as he prepared for whatever Mai was about to throw at them only to notice Motoyasu charging right at him.

'He's recovered already?'

He was both surprised but impressed, seeing that Motoyasu had gotten stronger...then again both him and Naofumi hadn't had a chance to see Itsuki and Motoyasu at their strongest thanks to Glass. He got himself into his fighting stance as he prepared to clash with the Spear hero.

'Ready.'

Just as it looked like Motoyasu was going to attack him, he saw him suddenly pass by him and aim right towards Naofumi.

"Naofumi!"

The Shield Hero heard the Sword Hero, prompting him to turn towards his direction only to see Motoyasu gunning it towards him.

Ren tried to stop Motoyasu only to sense a few arrows fired directly towards him.

He blocked these attacks away in order to see that Itsuki had recovered and was targeting him.

As Ren was put in the position to face off against Itsuki, Naofumi changed his shield to its strongest form before managing to parry the Spear Hero's attack.

As he blocked Motoyasu's attack, he quickly pushed him away while saying:

"Back off!"

"No! I won't let you get away with brainwashing Filo!"

"Tsk!"

He looked annoyed as he began to block away the Spear Hero's barrage of attacks, trying to avoid getting hit by his opponent. While he continued on the defense, Garfiel eventually jumped in and started to deflect Motoyasu's attacks.

"The hell are you doing here!?"

"Helpin' ya. Now go protect th'princess!"

As Garfiel said this, he barely was able to dodge one of Motoyasu's attacks before going for a punch. To both heroes' surprise, the demi human boy was able to land a hit which stunned the Spear Hero.

Naofumi didn't like that Garfiel interrupted his fight but considering that the opponent that's actively trying to harm the second princess is the same person that made his life a living hell, he can't help but want some form of payback.

He ran from this fight, allowing Garfiel to take control of the battle.

"Where do you think your goi—?!"

Motoyasu was interrupted as Garfiel threw a flurry of punches towards the Spear Hero, getting his attention.

"Yer opponent's me, the Shield of the Sanctuary!"

Motoyasu looked extremely annoyed at Garfiel, changing his focus onto the demi human boy due to being forced on the defensive.

"Piss off! Can't you see you are helping the one who's brainwashed you!"

"Are ya th't stupid? My amazin' self can't be brainwashed 'f I can act on my own. Thought yer smarter than th't."

"Don't you think yourself smarter than me!" As he shouted this, he quickly attempted to stab the boy in the chest.

Right before it managed to hit, the demi human boy was able to knock the attack away before trying to land a kick onto him.

Motoyasu manages to evade this quickly before landing a hit to his opponent's face with the shaft part of the spear.

This hit was strong enough to send Garfiel flying a few feet away.

"You cocky bastard. Don't underestimate me!" Motoyasu spoke with a stern tone. "I wasn't trying this entire time but since you refuse to listen, I'll just have to kill you."

Right when he was about to attack, he was suddenly kicked in the back, which stunned him for a bit before turning towards his back side.

"Who did that?!"

As he saw who it was that had kicked him, his anger had disappeared since it was the one person he didn't wish to harm.

"Filo..."

He paused for a moment all the while Filo looked at him with an angered expression.

"Leave Garf alone!"

As she said this, she transforms into her filolial form before charging right at him.

The Spear Hero was able to block these attacks reluctantly, not really wanting to battle her.

"I...I don't wish to fight you, Filo—"

"Then go away!" Filo continued to attack the Spear Hero, forcing him to throw something right towards Filo's leg.

Once this contraption caught onto the filolial's leg, she was suddenly turned into her human form.

"What?"

Filo tried to transform again into her filolial's form only for nothing to happen.

"What's going on?"

"Sorry Filo but I need you to stay out of this fight." As he said this, he turned back towards Garfiel. He noticed the demi human boy was not only back up but he took off what's left of his shirt while giving a stern look at him.

"Yer gonna pay fer th't."

As he cleaned off the blood from his face, he got himself into his fighting stance, preparing for whatever Motoyasu was going to throw at him.

After a few seconds, their battle began with the Spear Hero going on the offensive.

Garfiel observed the way his opponent was thrusting his spear, the speed and strength he put behind each attack.

Once he had an idea on how his opponent fights, he began to dodge all of the attacks thrown towards him with precision.

Motoyasu took notice of this, prompting him to shout:

"Is dodging all you can do?!"

"Yer a tough bastard, I'll give ya th't. But yer also a cocky bastard, which is why yer gonna lose!"

As Garfiel responded with these words, he managed to close the distance between the two and landed a punch onto the Spear Hero.

This punch was with all the force he could muster, wanting to knock him out of the fight.

Motoyasu was sent back a few inches, taking the impact of the hit and coughing a bit of blood before looking at him with a serious expression while breathing heavily.

"...I must say, you are pretty tough. But lucky me I had equipped strong armor in the case something like this happened."

He got back into his fighting pose as he had one last thing to say to Garfiel before continuing their battle:

"I have been underestimating you. You are indeed a capable fighter, but you are nowhere near my level."

The moment he said this, he began to glow as he prepared to use an ability on the demi human boy, acknowledging Garfiel Tinsel's strength by doing this.

"Shooting Star Spear!"

As he shouts his ability, his spear begins to glow before firing an energy beam which splits into multiple energy beams.

Garfiel was shocked when this happened, prompting him to quickly jump back in hopes of avoiding these energy beams.

As he was jumping all around as fast as possible to avoid getting caught by the energy beams, Filo looked at the battle between the two.

She hated feeling helpless, watching everyone fight except for her.

She turned towards Melty's direction to see that the first princess was trying to attack her once again.

Before Mai's attack could hit Melty, Naofumi shouted:

"Ait Strike Shield!"

A shield appeared in front of the second princess, countering Mai's flame projectile attack.

Once this happened, the Shield Hero appeared in front of Melty to be her guardian.

Him and Mai glare at each other, prompting the atmosphere around them to have a large amount of hostility.

The silence between the two break when Naofumi says:

"You are just born scum."

"And you are just as foolish as ever. Now die!"

Mai continued to throw more fire energy projectiles towards the Shield hero and her sister's direction, wanting to kill both of them.

Naofumi continued to block away these attacks, giving it his all to protect not only himself but also the second princess.

Although these attacks won't pressure him anytime soon, he does find this scenario insane.

'She's such a crazy bitch if she also wants to kill her own sister.'

While he continued to block, Mai continued to attack with everything she had only to suddenly be hit in the head by a random rock.

"What the? Who threw this?!"

She looked at the direction the rock was thrown, seeing that it was Garfiel. He looked at her with a smug look before returning his focus onto his battle with the Spear Hero.

"How dare you attack her while she's distracted?!"

Garfiel just ignored what Motoyasu had said before returning to focus on dodging the Spear Hero's attacks.

Mai looked annoyed but before she could retaliate, Naofumi quickly summoned a projectile shield and sent it towards her direction.

She noticed this attack but right when it hit her stomach area, sending her flying back. A couple knights saw this, prompting them to go and target Naofumi.

Motoyasu also saw this and was immediately infuriated, prompting him to abandon his fight with Garfiel to go teach the Shield Hero a lesson.

"Oy! Where ya think yer goin'?!" Garfiel shouted as he gave chase, trying to block Motoyasu from reaching Naofumi. As Motoyasu was about to reach Naofumi, Raphtalia suddenly appeared and clashed with him.

"What?!"

"You won't hurt Naofumi-sama!"

Determined to protect her master, she went on an aggressive offense on the Spear Hero.

He didn't really want to fight against her, but he knew that he wasn't going to reach Naofumi at this rate if he doesn't beat her.

He blocked all of the attacks to the best of his ability, waiting for the right moment to strike back.

However, he didn't realize until now that Raphtalia was as strong and as fast as her.

This pissed him off since he's heard from those in the kingdom that the cardinal heroes are supposed to be the strongest of them all.

'How the hell did she reach my level?'

Motoyasu gave a serious expression as he quickly jumped back, trying to gain a distance before charging in to gain the upper hand.

Rapthalia saw this and quickly managed to counter this, throwing a barrage of strikes right towards the Spear Hero.

This forced him to be on the defensive once again.

As he was being pushed back, he was suddenly grabbed from his back side before being tossed towards a rock a few feet away.

"Got ya!"

As he shouted this, he checked on Raphtalia first.

"Ya okay, Talia?"

"Yes, Garf."

"Good."

He nodded at her before the two went to give Naofumi some assistance.

Mai continued to use powerful fire spells to try and kill her sister, not wanting to get close since she knows she can't do much with Naofumi in the way.

The Shield Hero continued to block, preparing to create a counter-attack only to notice both Garfiel and Raphtalia approaching.

The two were eager to assist Naofumi, especially if it involved facing the one that did the most damage to him.

"Tsk." She gave a pissed off expression when seeing the two demi humans by the Shield Hero's side, seeing that Motoyasu failed once again.

She was contemplating on whether she should make a run for it or even try to kill both demi humans first before attempting to kill her sister.

Before she made a choice, she noticed a sudden large rock to be thrown towards her.

"What the?!"

"How do ya like th't?!" Garfiel shouted proudly.

Before the rock could hit her, an arrow was fired at the rock.

The moment the arrow landed on the rock, it exploded which saved Malty from receiving damage.

Malty, Garfiel, Naofumi, Melty, Raphtalia, and Filo all turned to see that Itsuki had managed to fire an arrow before returning his focus on fighting Ren.

Although in terms of strength, Ren is stronger, he still can't get careless against Itsuki.

He continued to block away all of his attacks, trying to close the gap between the two.

Itsuki continued to jump back to continue to be on the offensive while beginning to shout:

"Get up, Motoyasu. This is no time to mess around."

"...y-yeah, yeah." Motoyasu said as he slowly got back up, pissed off at Garfiel for throwing him into a rock.

"Man, you are a pain in the ass."

He began to charge his spear to send a powerful projectile attack onto Garfiel's location.

Once his attack was ready, he thrusted the spear right towards the demi human boy's direction while shouting:

"Burst Lance!"

On the tip of his spear, a red energy was fired right towards Garfiel Tinsel's direction.

The moment this happened, Malty took the chance to also fire another powerful projectile at the group while commanding the few knights at appeared right by her side:

"Take them down!"

"Yes, princess." One of the knights responded as they got their bows and arrows out. As everyone fired right towards Naofumi, Garfiel, and Raphtalia's direction, the shield hero quickly moved his right hand up while shouting:

"Get close, all of you!"

Garfiel, Raphtalia, and Filo nodded at what Naofumi shouted before listening to his command.

Once they were close to their leader, Naofumi shouts:

"Shield Prison!"

A cage of shields was formed around them the second he said this with a second later, all the attacks hit this cage of shields.

While all the attacks were being countered by Naofumi's cage of shields, he turns towards Melty to ask her:

"Are you okay?"

"...yes. Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet, second princess. We aren't out of this yet."

As he said this, he turned towards forward while speaking to his party members:

"Garfiel, Raphtalia, get ready to get Melty out of here."

The two nodded and waited for the exact moment the cage broke to grab Melty and Filo before making a run for it.

The goal of the situation as never really been to beat the Spear hero and Bow hero's respective parties along with them, but to protect the second princess Melty Q Melromarc.

As the pair were successful in getting the two little girls to safety, Naofumi didn't hesitate to first turn his attention to Malty.

After all the crap he and his trusted party members have to deal with thanks to her has been boiling his blood for some time.

Now that he has some excuse to attack her, he didn't hesitate to take it.

He created a green shield projectile before having it be sent right towards the first princess's direction.

Malty noticed this and quickly jumped back in order to avoid this attack, leaving her pissed that the shield hero even dared to attack her.

Right as this happened, Motoyasu looked at Naofumi with anger.

"How dare you attack Mai!"

He once again charged his spear before sending another red energy right towards Naofumi's direction.

The Shield Hero noticed this and quickly created a floating green shield projectile to be used as a counter to Motoyasu's attack.

As Naofumi's defense was enough to counter Motoyasu's attack, he prepared to use Air Strike Shield only for Ren to suddenly try to attack the spear hero while he's not paying attention to him.

"What the hell?!" Motoyasu shouted as he barely had enough time to react to Ren's attack.

"Naofumi, get Princess Melty out of here!"

"What are you doing? I have this perfectly under control!"

"We can't afford to waste any time. My party and I will handle this, get yours out of here!"

As he said this, he quickly blocked one of Ituski's fire arrow attacks before grabbing Motoyasu's hair to get his attention.

"Ow! Hey! What the hell?! Don't just pull another guy's hair—ouch!"

Ren didn't really care what Motoyasu had said and just continued to keep the attention all towards him.

Naofumi didn't want to leave Ren behind since he and his party members would for sure be in trouble for helping them escape.

However, none of this would matter if Malty manages to find some way in killing her own sister.

Given everything that's going on, he knows that the smart thing would be to take Melty to safety.

Before giving the order to retreat, he had something to say to Ren.

"Don't you dare lose."

"Not planning to."

As Ren said this with a smile, confident in his abilities to hold off against Itsuki and Motoyasu.

While he was keeping them distracted, the Shield Hero turned around to tell his party members:

"Let's get out of here, now!"

"Oi, wait. What 'bout—?"

"We should get going, now!"

As Noafumi said this, Raphtalia noticed the contraption on Filo's leg.

She didn't hesitate in destroying it, allowing Filo to turn into a filolial once again.

"Yay! I can transform again!"

"Filo! Focus! We need to get Melty out of here!"

"Understood."

Filo waited as Melty, Naofumi, and Raphtalia got on her back.

"Get on, Garf." Raphtalia shouted with Garfiel responding,

"Just go, I'll follow behind ya'll!"

Naofumi was in no mood to waste any more time, he turned towards Filo to tell her to start moving.

Filo understood and quickly started to run towards the forest in order to get her friend and the others out of there.

As she was making her way into the forest, Malty quickly tried to attack.

"I won't let you get away!"

"And yer not doin' shit!" Garfiel shouted to Malty's response, having managed to hear it from a distance.

She looked up and saw a random large tree tossed towards her direction, prompting her to jump out of the way.

As this happened, Garfiel smiled as he stomped his right foot with all the force he could muster in order to destroy part of the mountain in order to buy them time to escape since their opponents would have to go around to try and catch them.

'Th't should hold them off fer now.'

As Garfiel thought this, he looked at Ren.

He was worried for his sake since the Sword Hero and his party are stalling to buy Naofumi and the others time to take Melty to safety.

He didn't wish to leave them behind though he was shocked when he suddenly heard Ren shout:

"Go Garfiel!"

"Yeah, get out of here!"

"We can handle ourselves!"

"Just make sure to protect Princess Melty!"

"Now go!"

Ren and his party members all shouted one after another, wanting to reassure the demi human boy that they'll be fine.

Garfiel understood and quickly ran into the forest to join up with Naofumi and the others. While he did this, Ren jumped back as he looked at both Motoyasu and Itsuki.

"I won't let you reach Naofumi or his party."

"You do realize you are helping someone evading justice, right?"

"Not only that but you do realize it's two of us against one of you."

Ren was silent for a moment, not really wishing to fight the Bow and Spear heroes since they have a duty to work together against the waves.

"What? No words?" Motoyasu questioned.

"Do you think you are better than us?" Itsuki remarked as he prepared to fire the arrow at him. Ren looked with a serious expression before responding with:

"No, it's nothing like that. I don't want to fight either of you, but for the sake of Princess Melty and for Naofumi, I won't back down."

As he said this, he charged at the two heroes, confident in his skills.

Chapter Text

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Naofumi and the others noticed that they were in some ruins now right after Fitoria had said Portal. Filo and Garfiel were both amazed by this.

"Awesome!"

"Wow!"

They all started to walk outside of the carriage with Naofumi investigating the area.

"Wh-What just happened?" Raphtalia questioned.

"Did we travel instantly?" Melty asked as she noted how different their environment was.

"Ruins, huh?"

"You can practically feel their history."

"..." Naofumi looked at Fitoria in a serious expression, remaining silent.

"I hear it's considered the remains of the civilization the original heroes defended."

"You don't sound very sure." The Shield Hero pointed out.

"It existed before I was born. For what it's worth, I'm watching over it." As Fitoria said this, Melty took the chance to ask:

"Is this a filolial sanctuary?"

"Yes. I'm not supposed to bring humans here."

"Wow." Melty was impressed.

"Then I guess we'll be safe here for the time being." Naofumi commented before turning towards the knocked out Motoyasu. It'll be fine until he wakes up.

As he was about to turn towards Fitoria to question her, they all heard Filo and Garfiel's stomachs growl.

"..."

"..."

Both remain silent to which Fitoria took the chance to say:

"I think you should get some rest."

" 'T's been a long day. We probably should rest."

"Probably, however you aren't off the hook."

"What're ya talkin' 'bout?"

"Getting yourself captured. That caused such a mess."

"Come on, 't wasn't th't bad."

"We should probably not fight amongst each other." Melty added in, viewing this conversation pointless.

"Could we please eat, master?" Filo asked as she approached Naofumi. He was silent for a second before closing his eyes and sighing.

"Let's take a break, then."

"Yay!" Filo jumped up with excitement.

"That was a long day." Melty said as she also sighed, feeling tired out. Naofumi turned towards Raphtalia, having noticed that she looked down.

" 'R ya okay?" Garfiel said first, beating the Shield Hero to the punch.

"I wonder if Keel-kun and the other kids are alright."

"They've got Van and those demi-humans with them. They should be fine."

Raphtalia paused for a moment, processing what her master had said.

She turned towards him with a reassured smile while responding to the Shield Hero's response to her comment,

"You're right."

Naofumi smiled for a second before turning towards the others.

"First, let's eat. I bet you're all hungry."

"Yeah!" Both Filo and Garfiel said, prompting Naofumi to turn right towards the demi human boy.

"Garfiel, you go get the food and set up the fire."

"What?"

"You heard me. You want to eat, set everything up on your own. Consider it a punishment for acting reckless once again."

"Fine. Fine. Th's isn't th' worst punishment."

"What was that?"

"Nothin'." Garfiel said with an annoyed tone, knowing that saying anything more will just result in Naofumi punishing him severely.

As he went to grab all the supplies for dinner for the party, the others took this chance to rest up.

After a while of Garfiel gathering supplies and setting up the fire, Naofumi took over due to not wanting Garfiel to mess anything up.

As he was cooking for his party and for Fitoria, eventually Motoyasu woke up.

"Hm? Where am I?"

"Well shit, seems like spear moron's awake."

"Yeah, I noticed." Naofumi commented annoyedly before turning towards Motoyasu's direction.

'What to do with him?'

"Hey! Is anybody there? Hello?"

"So, queen, whatcha wanna do with him?" Garfiel said to Fitoria.

She remained silent for a moment before shaking in slight fear since she didn't like how the Spear Hero acted upon first meeting.

Once regaining her composure, she responded to the demi human boy's question in a blank tone:

with:

"As much as I want him gone, he can join us. Bring him to me."

"Understood."

Garfiel nodded before heading to where Motoyasu's at.

"Hm? What do you want?" The Spear Hero said as he saw Garfiel approaching him.

"Th'Queen's allowin' ya t'be in her presence."

"The Queen?" Motoyasu questioned for a moment before remembering the giant filolial and the beautiful angel he saw before losing conscious.

"Right! The Queen of Filolials! Where is sh—?"

A sudden smack shut him up for a moment.

"What the hell?! What was that for?!"

"Stop actin' all weird. Don't ya want respect from th'queen herself?"

"..." The Spear Hero remained silent for a second before noticing that the queen is looking at him.

He quickly got up and jumped right near Fitoria's location, prompting everyone to be on guard.

"What's your name?" Motoyasu said in a respectful tone. Fitoria had her guard up and ready to defend herself though the question did catch her off guard.

"Fitoria, queen of the filolials."

"That's a cute name!"

"..." Fitoria's serious manner broke as she was both creeped out and afraid of the way Motoyasu spoke as well as the way he's acting.

" 'f ya keep actin' like th't, Filo's gonna hate ya even more." Garfiel added, having a feeling that saying this would keep Motoyasu in check.

This indeed paid off as Motoyasu immediately turned towards Filo, seeing that she was creeped out by his actions.

"Creep."

"Filo! I'm sorry!" Motoyasu bows, not wanting her to hate him.

Garfiel and Naofumi were both annoyed by this though as long as it keeps the Spear Hero out of trouble, the two return to their duties.

"Spear Hero, I'm surprised my sister wasn't with you when you found us." Melty commented, a bit curious in her tone of voice. "Why was that?"

"...W-Well, I really went on my own. I figured that Itsuki, his party, and mine could handle Ren and his party without me. Really I didn't want Naofumi to escape."

"Makes sense." Melty said though he was curious on something, "Did my sister said anything to you before you went to chase us?"

"Hm?" The Spear Hero thought to himself.

("Motoyasu! Where are you going?")

"Well, it was more on instinct. I think she knows that I went after you all."

"So ya just ra without much 'f a plan. Not really th'smartest move." Garfiel added.

"It did paid off, I caught up to you all."

"Yes, while we we're in th'middle 'f a fight."

"Doesn't matter the circumstances, I found you, that's all that matters."

"I guess." Garfiel turned towards Naofumi, "When's th'food done."

"In a moment. Be patient or you won't get any."

"Aight Aight, was just askin'."

Garfiel sat down and just kept to himself for the most part, trying to regain all of his strength while he still could.

Raphtalia sat near Naofumi as she watched Filo and Melty speak with each other.

Motoyasu looked up at the sky as his thoughts drifted from Filo and from Fitoria towards something else.

Naofumi caught this however he didn't really care much for it.

The only important thing is that Motoyasu keeps himself out of trouble and does not cause him or his party any more trouble than he already has.

After a few minutes, Naofumi told everyone that the food was ready.

He first fed Filo and Melty before Raphtalia, then Garfiel, and lastly Fitoria.

"Time to dig in!" Filo spoke with excitement.

"Hey Naofumi! Can I get some?"

"Get your own."

"What?!"

Motoyasu was annoyed by Naofumi's response, making him nearly go hostile until he remembered that Filo and Fitoria along with many regular filolials looking at him.

This prompted him to slightly cool himself though to still complain.

"Come on, let me have some food."

"I won't repeat myself. Get your own damn food."

"How dare you speak to me like that?! I'm being nice here!"

"Nice?! Ha! What a joke."

"Aight, enough!" Garfiel said as he was getting annoyed by this bickering. "Here, take mine already. Now quit yer whinin'."

As he gave his food to the Spear hero, he went to grab another bowl for himself.

As everyone was eating, the quiet atmosphere began to get tense suddenly.

"U-Uh, you know...I feel too guilty to eat." As she said this, Garfiel and Motoyasu looked up to see a flock of filolials looking at them, wanting to eat their food.

Naofumi was silent for a second before commenting on what the second princess had said:

"Same here." As he said this in a blank tone, he continued to eat his food.

Garfiel and Motoyasu were hesitant to take a bite from their respective bowls since the looks on the filolials' eyes were distracting.

Filo seemed indifferent with the filolials watching her as she was speaking with Fitoria.

"Isn't it yummy?"

"It's great." Fitoria responded with a blank facial expression, yet with a positive tone in her voice.

"They're like sisters."

"Right? They even eat in the same sloppy manner." Naofumi commented. Raphtalia turned towards her master's direction.

"Um, Naofumi-sama?"

Naofumi turned towards Raphtalia first, noticing her concerned tone of voice.

As he looked at her, he could tell immediately that on his right side there was something that got her attention.

He turned towards his right side only to be surprised by the amount of filolials giving him the sad eyes, wanting to eat their food.

He was surprised for only a moment before sighing, annoyed by this.

"God, fine! I'll make you some!" The Shield Hero said as he started to get up. "Bring me some huge pots and a ton of ingredients."

The filolials heard the Shield Hero's words, prompting them to follow those instructions with the first couple of them bringing a bunch of pots before eventually the others brought some ingredients.

Garfiel, Filo, Raphtalia, and even Motoyasu assisted the filolials in grabbing some ingredients to help create a delicious meal for all filolials.

Once he had received all the necessary ingredients, Naofumi with some assistance from Melty created a large amount of food to feed all filolials enough for two fillings, including for themselves.

"Dig in."

As Naofumi said this, all the filolials went nuts and began to eat everything they can get their beaks into.

Once it was all said and done, Naofumi looked at all the filolials sleeping after having had his cooking.

"Why'd I even have to feed this KFC farm?"

As he asked himself this question, he turned towards his right side to have noticed Fitoria approaching him.

"What? You're not getting any seconds."

"I know. It's time to talk." As she said this with a serious expression, she turned towards the sleeping Motoyasu that was tied up again for trying to bother Filo. "Wake him up, he's needed in this conversation."

"Is he really needed? We are better off speaking without him being involved."

"...I must speak with both cardinal heroes. If it helps, have the blonde boy join us."

"..." Naofumi didn't like that at all, the last thing he wants is to be involved in a conversation that has Motoyasu.

Although he's humiliated him a multitude of times already, he really isn't in any mood to speak with someone as stupid as him.

Though considering that the Filolial Queen will just wake him up herself if he chooses to not listen or possibly use force on him, he turns towards Motoyasu and kicks him.

"Wake up."

As he did this, Motoyasu got up as his back was hurting.

"What the hell?!"

"..."

Naofumi looked at him for a moment before turning towards where Garfiel was sleeping, on top of two filolials. Once approaching Garfiel's location, he spoke in a stern voice:

"Get up."

"...e-eh?"

"I said up, we have something important to take care of."

"...'kay." Garfiel stretched his arms for a moment before getting up and following the Shield Hero.

Motoyasu got up once he spotted Fitoria, having an idea as to why he was awakened.

Once they gathered, the Spear hero looked at Fitoria with a respectful manner before saying:

"How can we be of assistance, milady?"

"..." Fitoria was silent for a moment before suddenly shaking as she was still bothered by his presence.

She turned around and began to walk, indicating the two cardinal heroes and the demi human boy to follow behind.

As they were following behind, the queen filolial eventually started the conversation by questioning the three:

"I want to know how that monster was released from its seal."

"Some crazy fatass freed it—"

"Hey! You can't speak like that in front of the queen!" Motoyasu said, annoying Garfiel. Naofumi ignored the two as he commented on what Fitoria had said.

"I thought you came to save us because you knew."

"I was there because I was told a new queen candidate had been found."

"Queen Candidate? Are you referring to Filo?" Motoyasu said, which was something Naofumi was going to say.

Both the Shield Hero and the Shield of Sanctuary looked annoyed at the Spear Hero before hearing Fitoria's response.

"...yes."

She sounded hesitant though still firm since despite the type of person Motoyasu is, he's still the Spear Hero.

Naofumi hearing this prompted him to ask:

"Then can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why is Filo growing so differently than other filolials?"

"That's because..." Fitoria paused herself for a second. "...a hero is raising her."

"..." All three were silent when this was revealed.

"Wait, so if me, Ren, or Itsuki had raised our own filolials...?"

"Yes, they could become candidates for my successor." Fitoria responded calmly before changing subjects. She turned towards Garfiel to ask, "Now tell me, why did this man you mentioned removed the seal?"

Her look was sharp as ever, prompting Garfiel to smile confidently to respond with:

"He was crazy mad cause we kicked his ass."

"..."

Naofumi took over the conversation as he can tell that Fitoria was unsatisfied with Garfiel's response.

"What he means is that the seal wasn't opened by our own doing."

"That may be true, but it was your actions that led to that outcome." Fitoria swiftly responded as she turned her attention towards Naofumi, still unimpressed by the responses she was getting. The Shield Hero was annoyed by her expression.

"It's not like they listen. Look at this idiot over here. He wouldn't take the chance to hear what I have to say."

As Naofumi said this, all attention was directed towards Motoyasu with the Spear Hero himself taking note of one thing The Shield Hero said about him.

"Hey! I'm not the idiot one here!"

"Says the one that follows that lying bitch."

"Hey! Don't speak ill about Myne!"

As a fight seemed like it was about to break, Fitoria made it very clear with a simple look that she was not having this.

Her murderous aura had caught everyone's attention, prompting both heroes to turn towards her as she spoke in an intimidating tone:

"Enough! The Cardinal Heroes are meant to protect the world from catastrophe, not fighting among themselves!"

As she made this clear, she turned towards Motoyasu to question him.

"What makes you heroes fight among yourselves?"

"It's all because Naofumi decided to—"

Before Motoyasu had the chance to start at the beginning, Naofumi suddenly had his shield right on his neck.

"I'd choose my words very carefully."

"...What the hell?!"

"..."

Fitoria without a second of hesitation landed a strong kick onto the Shield Hero's gut, sending him flying.

As Garfiel and Motoyasu were caught off guard by this, Fitoria spoke with a stern tone:

"That's your only warning. Any transgression amongst yourselves will result in both your deaths. Understood?"

Naofumi slowly got up with his chest area hurting, having a clear understanding that any threats to Motoyasu will get him killed.

Granted though it also protects him should Motoyasu decide to turn on them.

The Spear Hero turned towards the Queen Filolial as she looked at him directly with murder in her eyes.

"I once again ask for the last time, what makes you heroes fight among yourselves?"

"...Naofumi was accused of some things that he did to a party member of mine. Terrible things to which he's only proven more that he's a villain by stealing the younger princess!"

"I told you, he didn't steal me!" Melty jumped in. "The Shield Hero has been nothing more than helpful."

"Wait, yer up?" Garfiel questioned as he knew she along with Raphtalia and Filo were asleep before heading into the forest to speak.

"Yes. I was but you are all so loud."

"Wait, where's th'others?"

"Still asleep for now."

"I see."

"We shouldn't get distracted!" Motoyasu shouted before turning his attention towards Melty. "You are only saying that because of the brainwashing shield!"

"What makes you believe such things?" Fitoria curiously said, wondering what's making the Spear Hero think this.

"That party member of mine, the sister of the younger princess. The same person Naofumi defiled!"

As Motoyasu said this, Naofumi felt his anger boiling up once again, not wanting to hear these 'accusations' again from the biggest dumbass in the face of all the worlds.

Fitoria looked at Naofumi after hearing this, noticing the immense anger that was building up.

She then turned towards Garfiel and could tell it's bothering him though he was controlling himself, if barely. She turned back to Motoyasu to say:

"I believe that ally of yours might be lying to you."

"Myne is an honest woman!"

'Yeah right!' Both Garfiel and Naofumi had the same thoughts when hearing this.

Fitoria looked at Motoyasu's eyes, being surprisingly impressed by his dedication towards his party member.

"That loyalty to your ally is something I won't ignore. From what I can remember, the Spear hero is known for their unwavering loyalty. It's impressive, however it can also be used against you.."

"How so?" He questioned, a bit confused by her words. She looked at him for a moment before turning around while responding with:

"That I can't answer for you. All I can say is really think, does this ally of yours have your best interest or do they act like they do?"

"..." Motoyasu remained silent.

"Well, I can see why you cardinal heroes have been acting like fools." She closed her eyes as she was very mad at not just the two heroes with her but at the other two. "Foolish politics. I'm appalled at all you cardinal heroes for squabbling with the Wave nearly here."

"..."

Both Naofumi and Motoyasu turned towards each other, viewing it as the other's fault. Fitoria continued:

"I know the Shield Hero has always been scorned by human supremacist countries."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Motoyasu questioned.

"The Shield Hero is hated by humans."

"Th-That may be true but it's all Naofumi's fault, he's the villain!"

"If that were true, then the filolial he raised wouldn't be kind-hearted."

"..." The Spear Hero remained silent for a second as he turned towards Filo for a second.

He turned back towards Fitoria while the Queen Filolial continued to walk towards the forest.

"Have any of you bothered to talk it out?"

"Eh?"

"What?"

"Have either of you talked your problems out? As much as humans and demi-humans might hate each other, it is unacceptable for heroes to be fighting."

There was silence as both heroes were just caught off guard by the way Fitoria was speaking to them.

She turned towards Melty with a calm expression.

"You should rest. My meeting is with the two cardinal heroes."

"If this talk has anything to do with the heroes, I should be involved." The second princess spoke with a serious tone. "I will stay with all due respect."

"..." Fitoria only wished to speak with Naofumi and Motoyasu alone though due to the distrust the Shield Hero had, she allowed having Garfiel Tinsel involved.

Having Melty Melromarc involved can be tricky...however she's heard enough that she wants to listen in.

Not wanting to damage their relationship, she allowed it for now though her focus was on how the two heroes react to the rest of their conversation.

"Don't you cardinal heroes know about the hourglass?"

"You mean the dragon hourglass?"

"We know about it."

Fitoria paused for a second before turning at the two heroes.

"Then why aren't you fighting Waves across the world?"

Both heroes' eyes widened when they heard this.

"What?"

"Are you saying the Waves happen outside of Melromarc, too?" This question prompted Naofumi to turn towards Melty. "Is it true?"

"...yes." The second princess hesitated. Hearing this made him mad at her at first before recalling his first day in this world.

The king and his lackeys had summoned him, Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu all at once.

"So your father selfishly summoned all four heroes, knowing that the other countries are also in need of help from the waves?"

"..." Melty remained silent since this was something she and her mother were against since that act alone would lead Melromarc in a bad position with the other kingdoms. "...Mother's trying to negotiate with the other kingdoms, to prevent them from declaring war to Melromarc."

The two cardinal heroes looked at each other, for once being on the same note when it comes down to this new information.

Although Motoyasu's focus is more on the ladies, he even thinks this was a bad move from the king all the while both Naofumi and Garfiel have even lower amounts of respect for the king than they did before.

Fitoria looked at them all for a moment, seeing that this was all one kingdom's fault that the four heroes were summoned in just one area.

She turned towards the sky as she began to say:

"The four cardinal heroes are meant to be summoned to one country each and help them fight the Waves."

"That's the first we've heard about."

"..." Fitoria was silent as she could see how surprised both heroes were. "I'm going wherever I'm asked. But you four aren't taking part in any other battles."

"I just found out about the other hourglasses."

"And I had thought that the other kingdoms had their own things figured out."

Fitoria looked at the two for a second before returning her attention to the sky.

"Honestly, I don't care about what happens to humans. I fight because the hero who raised me asked me to."

"A hero asked you to?"

"My job is to protect the world."

Garfiel, Naofumi, and Motoyasu all were intrigued in their own ways by what she said. Fitoria continued:

"But I can't protect it all by myself. I need the heroes."

"No offense t'them but yer way more capable than any 'f us right now."

"Maybe I am. But eventually, I won't be able to save a thing." As she said this, a sudden tree collapsed to the ground.

"R' ya worried ya'll grow old? Cause' ya don't look old—"

Both Naofumi and Motoyasu hit Garfiel on the top of his head, both not liking what he had said.

"Don't say stupid things like that." The Shield Hero said.

"Show some respect!" The Spear Hero said.

Naofumi turned towards Fitoria after calming down to ask her:

"Is that why you need the heroes?"

"..." She was silent for a second before answering, "You heroes are supposed to work together. That is an absolute necessity in order to protect the world."

"Don't think th't's possible yer majesty. Aside from th's stubborn bastard, th'bow idiot won't listen t'anyone. Only one th't's friend's with Shield boss would be th'Sword Hero."

"Then try harder to make it work. The heroes mustn't fight among themselves."

"You seem rather obsessed with that." Naofumi pointed out.

"Because it's unacceptable, that's why." Fitoria paused herself from continuing as a different thought had popped up for a split second before fading away. "It was all so long ago that my memory of it has faded, but I do still remember the right thing to do. If the heroes are fighting each other instead of the Waves of Catastrophe, then for the sake of the world, I must kill all four Cardinal Heroes." The second she finished speaking, both the Shield Hero and the Spear Hero were on their guard as they could sense the killing intent from the Filolial Queen herself.

Garfiel Tinsel remained calm though his body was itching for a fight should she try to attack Naofumi.

"Kill the heroes...?" Melty was in horror when she looked at Fitoria, her killing intent. "I-Isn't that a bit too much?"

Fitoria slowly turned towards her, noticing her comments.

"If the heroes continue to not cooperate, then it's best to have a new set of heroes summoned that can do a better job in protecting the world."

The second princess remained silent after getting the response from Fitoria, unsure on how to respond to her response. Fitoria turned towards Garfiel Tinsel, noticing that he had something to say.

"Speak."

"Killin' them will only delay th'problem 'f th's waves 'f not make it worse. Th'new heroes aren't gonna be ready fer th'hard waves comin' in. As much as Spear dumbass and Bow moron 'r a pain in th'ass, they got experience with th'waves. And they know what their doin' fer th'most part."

"What good is that when they will be fighting amongst themselves? That alone is enough reason to eliminate them all and bring in new heroes to their proper kingdoms."

Garfiel was still against this.

Despite his issues with Itsuki and Motoyasu, he knows that those two are still somewhat useful in a fight.

Fitoria turned around and started walking towards the forest.

"Get some rest. We can discuss more when you've gotten your strength back."

The moment she finished speaking, she went into the forest, leaving the others on their own.

Once the next day had started, Garfiel, Naofumi, and Raphtalia to clean up the area after the mess the filolials had made in the previous night.

While they were cleaning, Raphtalia could tell that something was on their minds.

The two were thinking about the conversation with Fitoria regarding the heroes having to work together or to die by her hand.

'Kill the four cardinal heroes, eh?' Naofumi knew that Fitoria wasn't bluffing when saying that considering the murderous aura that he felt coming from her.

Garfiel had a similar thought though he was more wanting to see how he could get strong enough to eventually surpass the queen of all filolials.

After cleaning up, Naofumi cooked breakfast for all of his party members and for the filolials that were awake.

As they sat down and were about to eat, Garfiel and Melty looked around to see that the filolials were all eagerly eating their breakfast.

"They've really taken to you." Raphtalia commented.

"Right?" Melty said with a smile.

Garfiel remained silent as he began to eat.

As it seemed like a normal breakfast, Raphtalia looked around to realize that the Spear Hero is nowhere around.

"Where's the Spear Hero?"

"..." Naofumi didn't answer as he didn't care about him.

"He's probably doin' somethin' like botherin' Fitoria." Garfiel guessed though he didn't care as much...though when Fitoria had suddenly appeared, he was caught off guard.

"Hold up, where's Spear moron?"

"The Spear Hero is sleeping somewhere around. He should be waking up in a moment." As she finished answering the demi human boy's question, she moved her hand towards the second princess.

"Liberation: Wind Prison."

"Huh?"

A wind barrier was created around Melty while the wind around her and the queen filolial had caused everywhere around them to be blown away.

After a few seconds, the table that had the breakfast flew around before crashing into a couple of trees.

"Melty!" Filo shouted. This shouting actually woke up Motoyasu, sensing that Filo's in trouble.

As he got up, he turned to see what was going on in regards to Fitoria holding Melty hostage.

"What's going on?" Melty questioned. She was not expecting Fitoria to just hold her hostage.

"What's th'meanin' 'f th's?!" Garfiel shouted as he prepared himself for a fight.

Melty looked at the wind prison and attempted to lightly touch the wind only to receive a small cut on her index finger.

Seeing the slight pain her friend received from a simple tap prompted Filo to angrily ask:

"What are you doing to Mel-chan?!"

"Mel-tan, I need you to be my hostage."

"'Hostage'? What's the meaning of this?" Naofumi questioned.

"What's going on?" Motoyasu said as he arrived at the scene.

The only ones who turned back to see him were Raphtalia and Garfiel all the while Naofumi ignored him and Filo was more focused on Melty.

Fitoria looked at Motoyasu for a moment, happy that he arrived since it's easier to address both cardinal heroes at the same time than individually.

"Shield Hero. Spear Hero. Promise me. Promise me that all you heroes make up."

"Let Mel-chan out of there!" Filo shouted, not really listening to what Fitoria was saying.

"And if I don't, you're threatening to hurt Melty?" Naofumi responded to what Fitoria had said.

"Hey! Don't hurt the princess!" Motoyasu shouted as he prepared for a fight.

"Then will you team up with the Shield Hero? Put your differences aside?"

"Yeah sure, why not? We are fighting the waves as a team after all, even if I don't like the guy."

Fitoria was silent for a second. She can see that he isn't trying to deceive her, however...

"Not good enough." Fitoria pointed towards Naofumi. "Unless he can work with you, your answer is not good enough."

"..." Naofumi remained silent as he knew that he wasn't going to just trust Motoyasu of all people and Itsuki at the rate he's going.

"Even if you don't want to, I must ask you to."

"Why are you obsessed with the heroes working together?"

"Because I made a promise to the hero who raised me. And because the heroes must cooperate in order to save the world from the Waves. Please."

"No matter how many times you ask, I won't work with those morons."

"Well maybe with Sword guy he'll work with—"

Garfiel received a smack from Naofumi before he turned his attention back towards the queen filolial.

"That's besides the point. I have no intention to work with those that are nothing but nuisances."

"If you heroes don't cooperate, then in that case, new heroes will have to be summoned. And to enable that, I'll have to kill all the current heroes."

Garfiel and Motoyasu had themselves ready for a fight, Naofumi remained unfazed as any movement could get him killed, and the rest were just shocked by Fitoria's words. Fitoria continued:

"It will help the world in the long run. Now please reconcile with the other heroes."

Garfiel turned towards Motoyasu after Fitoria finished her sentence.

"Ya think ya can work with Shield boss?"

"...shouldn't be a problem. Those waves are way more of a threat than he is."

Garfiel still didn't trust the Spear Hero, though he can see that Motoyasu's taking this situation seriously.

"Oi! Queen! Don't think we gonna let ya harm Shield boss or any 'f th'other heroes."

Fitoria turned towards Garfiel.

"Why are you loyal to the Shield Hero?"

"'Cause despite how much 'f a pain in th'ass he can be, he's still a good man."

"Hm." Fitoria was intrigued with Garfiel's answer though she wasn't interested in fighting him. She turned back towards Naofumi as he got his shield up and ready for a fight.

"If you want to kill me, feel free. But...Just know that I'm not going down without a fight!"

"Hm." Garfiel smiled as he stood beside Naofumi, prepared to fight alongside him.

As the two were ready for a fight, Naofumi's shield began to burn, indicating that he's preparing to summon the Wrath Shield.

Fitoria knew what he was doing and quickly acted by moving her hand towards his direction.

"Don't."

Her hand began to glow which had actually jammed Naofumi's ability to use the Wrath Shield, catching him off guard.

"What?"

"I understand how you feel, Shield Hero."

"Hm?"

"If that's how it is, prove to me that you and your party can fight the Waves alone."

"How'd you propose to do th't?" Garfiel asked as he was cracking his knuckles, ready to prove it himself by having a one on one with the queen herself.

"I more or less know your abilities and strength; you, the Shield Hero, and even the Spear Hero." She turned towards Filo's direction while also pointing at her. "I want a one-on-one with Filo."

"Huh? Me?" Filo asked as she was shocked by this.

"If you prove to me that you're strong, I'll release Mel-chan. And I won't kill the heroes for a while. I'll give you time."

"A while?" Motoyasu questioned. "How long is that?"

"..." Fitoria didn't respond, if anything she ignored him.

Filo took a few seconds to think before confidently responding to Fitoria's request of a one on one battle with her:

"I don't really understand, but if I win, Master won't be killed, and Mel-chan will be freed too, right?"

"Wait." Naofumi said, not liking what Filo's about to do.

"Filo, hold on—" Raphtalia tried to stop her.

"Then I'll fight." Filo said with a smile, ready to be the one to protect her master and her friend.

"I'll fight in this form, so you fight me in human form too, Filo."

Filo quickly pulled out the gloves given to her by the store owner before saying, "Gotcha."

"I said wait!" Naofumi shouted.

"Let it go, Shield Boss. Nothin's gonna change her mind."

The Shield Hero paused for a second before smacking Garfiel in the head.

"Oi! What was th't fer?!"

"For being a bad influence on Filo."

As Garfiel rubbed the top of his head, Fitoria jumped down from where she was to be on the same level as Filo before saying:

"This way."

As the two filolials were walking to an area, Naofumi was ready to interfere with the match only to be grabbed by his arm by Motoyasu.

"Hold on Naofumi."

"..." The anger that was building up within Naofumi was telling as he pulled his arm back. "Let go of me. What the hell do you want?"

"You know, that anger of yours is not good for your health. Perhaps a vacation could fix that."

"What do you want?!"

A sudden explosion happens near the two, prompting the two cardinal heroes to turn towards Fitoria, seeing that she was responsible for causing said explosion.

She didn't have to say anything to them, her actions speak for themselves. Any further conflict and she will wipe them both out.

This pissed Naofumi off since all he wants to do right now is punch Motoyasu for even causing more problems for him.

"I'll just say this, have faith in Filo-chan! She's got this!"

This made Naofumi want to kill Motoyasu...however at this point, he'll need to rely on Filo to do her part to beat Fitoria.

Not like he wants to doubt her...but the power gap between the two does worry him.

"She's got th's." Garfiel said as he smiled confidently.

Naofumi looked at the Shield of Sanctuary for a moment before looking back at Filo and Fitoria.

The Queen of Filolials created a barrier around the two in order to prevent anyone else from suddenly jumping in.

The two look at each other, Fitoria having a blank expression all the while Filo was excited.

"Here I come!" Filo shouted in pure excitement.

"Whenever you're ready." Fitoria spoke calmly.

Filo jumped up for a moment, causing Motoyasu to be amazed by how she looked like an angel flying up.

Garfiel smacked him in the head.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Ya were lookin' a bit too interested."

"What? Filo looks like an angel—" Another smack he received from Garfiel.

"Agh! Do you want a fight?"

"Trust me, I do. But, I must watch Filo's fight first."

"Tsk."

The two looked at the battle as Filo attempted to land a kick on Fitoria only for the queen to easily dodge her attack.

"Huh?"
"You're slow."

Before Filo had a chance to move, she was suddenly tossed onto the air effortlessly.

She quickly recovered herself though those few seconds of being sent flying and recovering, she noticed Fitoria was gone.

"Watch out Filo-tan!"

"Above you!"

"Turn around."

Motoyasu, Raphtalia, and Garfiel all three shouted to warn Filo of Fitoria being behind her and above her.

Before having a chance to turn around, Fitoria without mercy landed a hit onto the back of Filo, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Filo-chan!" Melty spoke with concern for her friend.

"Ow..." Filo was slowly getting back up.

"Are you okay, Filo-tan?!" Motoyasu shouted with concern for his favorite filolial.

"..." She remained silent, not responding to his question.

'Why did Fitoria choose to fight Filo and not Raphtalia or Garfiel? And why are they fighting in human form?'

"Oi! Filo! Don't just charge at her. Pay attention t'her movements and attack when ya afta!"

As Garfiel beat Naofumi to the punch in warning Filo to not fight blindly, she nodded as she closed the gap between herself and the queen filolial.

She attempted to land a couple of hits onto Fitoria yet the queen was able to easily dodge all punches thrown towards her before tapping onto her forehead.

This caused her to be sent flying a few feet away.

"Garfiel, that advice was horrible!" Naofumi shouted before turning his attention to Filo. "Filo! You also need to use your head!"

"Master..." Filo said as she was slowly getting back up, having a tough time breathing. Naofumi continued:

"And regenerate your clothes when you have the chance! Pour mana into it and increase your defense as much as you can!"

Filo was silent as she truly thought about what her master had said.

Once she had a good idea of what he was telling her, she turned towards Fitoria's direction with confidence in her expression.

"Gotcha!"

She moved her hands up before saying:

"As source of your powers, Filo orders you. Decipher the laws of nature and blow my target away with a vicious vacuum burst."

A green aura surrounded her with two green spheres surrounding her hands.

She moved her hands towards her opponent while shouting:

"Zweit Tornado!"

Two tornadoes were created from her two hands and directed towards Fitoria, who was unfazed by this.

"Nullify the vacuum burst." She moved her left hand towards the approaching tornadoes. "Anti-Zweit Tornado!"

Just as she was surrounded by the tornado, her sphere grew large enough to nullify Filo's attack.

"What?" As she was surprised, she was surrounded by dirt and dust.

"Watch out! It's jamming magic!"

Fitoria took the chance of Filo being blind to brush through the dirt and dust floating around and reached her target's position.

"You're wide open."

With a simple movement, Filo was sent flying into a boulder nearby them.

As she crashed into the boulder, Filo was struggling to get up.

"She has no time to regenerate her clothes at all."

"Not with the Queen knowing how to nullify Filo-tan's abilities." Motoyasu observed the way Fitoria was fighting. He knew that even if they all teamed up against her in her human form, they wouldn't stand a chance in beating her. "It has to be a test."

Naofumi ignored what Motoyasu was saying and just turned towards Melty, having an idea.

Before he could do anything, Garfiel grabbed his shoulder while questioning him,

"Where do ya think yer goin'?"

"I'm going to help Filo, now let go."

"Ya think she's gonna let ya?"

"..." He remained silent as he continued to make his way towards Melty's direction since he can't stand watching anymore.

Garfiel knew that this could be a problem, prompting him to turn towards Filo to shout:

"Filo! Come on, yer stronger than th's! Show her who's th'boss!"

Filo turned towards Garfiel's direction, at first wanting to use those words from him to get herself back up though she did notice Naofumi wasn't there.

"Wh-Where's master?"

"Hm?"

Fitoria turned towards Garfiel and the other's direction, seeing that the Shield Hero wasn't there.

Using her senses, she was able to tell that he was attempting to free her hostage.

She quickly fired a projectile right towards the Shield Hero's direction.

Right as this projectile was about to hit him, he attempted to block the attack only for Garfiel to tackle him out of the projectile's path.

Doing this allowed neither of them to get hit while also having the projectile pass by them and to explode on the wall behind them.

"Told ya 't wasn't a good idea."

"You should listen to him." Fitoria spoke in a calm manner, though showing some signs of anger in her voice. "I won't miss next time."

"Master! Garf!"

"Eyes on me." Fitoria said as she prepared to slap her.

"Filo-tan! Put your hands up! Now!"

As Motoyasu shouted this, Filo looked at Fitoria and only listened the moment she saw that she was about to be slapped.

She was able to protect herself, but her opponent's strength was enough to send her back a bit.

"Nice reflexes, however that was all because you were told." Fitoria turned towards Naofumi again to check and see if he was bold enough to try that again.

The only thing she saw was him smacking Garfiel in the head again.

"Th'fuck was th't fer?!"

"For not keeping your mouth shut."

"..."

She turned towards Filo, seeing that she's attempting to attack her again. She dodged these attacks once again with ease.

"These attacks are sloppy."

She tapped Filo's head once again which sent her flying though the moment her feet weren't on the ground, she attempted to kick Fitoria while she was in the air though she wasn't fast enough to move for an attempt on the kick.

As she was sent onto the ground again, she once again got back up.

"Do you know why your master attempted to cheat?"

"..." Filo didn't respond as she was catching her breath.

"Because you're weak."

"..." Those words hurt since it implies that her master doesn't view her as useful.

"What do you fight for?"

"Isn't it obvious? For Master!" She charged once again at Fitoria, wanting to prove that she's strong.

"Remember, use yer head, Filo!" Garfiel shouted, trusting that she's learning how to deal with Fitoria.

This prompted her to stop as she noticed Fitoria about to counter-attack whatever she was going to do.

This caught her attention though she was still looking unimpressed.

"You couldn't beat the dragon last night, you can't beat me now, and you expect to be useful to the Shield Hero?"

"I'm not gonna lose! I'm gonna become strong for Master!" As Filo shouted this, she charged at her opponent.

"Not with such a shallow will."

Fitoria without hesitation managed to knock Filo back with a single hit.

As she was on the ground, Fitoria moved her hand towards the little filolial and began to fire a barrage of projectiles at her. Not strong enough to do any fatal damage though enough to injure her.

While there was dust covering around the filolial, she began to think back to everything from the first memory she has all the way until now.

Thinking of these memories were enough to make her continue to fight by slowly approaching Fitoria.

"I-I...won't lose...I'll get...much much stronger!"

"Really?"

She turned towards Melty and began to make the wind prison smaller.

"Better hurry up then, Mel-chan is in trouble."

"Leave her alone!" Filo shouted angrily before charging at Fitoria once again.

Unlike the other times, Naofumi and the others watching noticed that Filo was moving faster than before.

Garfiel smirked as he said,

"I knew she's got th's."

With that comment, he watched as Filo was adapting to the fight.

Her speed was strong though her attacks were still lacking.

They did seem like strong attacks however the way Fitoria was still dodging everything she threw at him.

After a few swings, Fitoria once again was able to send her flying back.

As Filo crashed onto the ground once again, she got back up once again only this time she took the chance to heal herself since she was starting to reach her limit.

Once she was healed up, she continued to go on the offensive with Fitoria easily handling things on the defensive.

This continued for a minute until Filo was hit by another barrage of projectiles, these nearly knocking her out.

Fitoria tilt her head for a second as she saw Filo refusing to back down.

"Impressive."

Fitoria saw the potential Filo had, which prompted her to start gathering the mana all around her.

"Hm? What's she up to?" Garfiel asked as he wasn't sure.

"Is she absorbing the mana particles in the air? Is that even possible?" Melty also questioned.

Fitoria continued to absorb the mana around all the while Filo once again started to heal up.

"Too slow." Fitoria said as she finished gathering the mana, Filo finished healing up as well as powering herself up.

She knew that this is now or never.

"Okay, but I'll still beat you!"

She jumped up once again before flying directly towards Fitoria's direction, with both her fists glowing a green like aura.

Fitoria saw this and just casually used the mana she had gathered to create a barrier around her.

"Spiral...Strike." As Filo shouted this, the glove she was wearing in her right hand had suddenly broken while a large claw was created in its place.

This claw clashed with Fitoria's barrier, prompting Filo to put everything she had in this one attack.

"Go!"

As she shouted this, more to motivate herself than anything else, her strength had increased enough to break the barrier.

Everyone was surprised by this with Filo managing to land a small cut onto Fitoria's right cheek. After passing by Fitoria, she crashed onto the ground with barely any energy to get back up.

"I...I won't lose." Filo said as she was gathering her strength to continue speaking, "Master, I'll grow stronger. Strong enough to protect you, Mel-chan, Raphtalia-oneechan, and Garf. Strong enough to protect everyone."

She got back up and continued to make her way towards Fitoria's direction.

She attempted to try and land a punch but it was nothing.

She collapsed onto her knees while continuing to say,

"Okay...So, I'll never lose."

"..." Fitoria was silent for a moment as she could see Filo was attempting to get back up and continue to fight. "That's enough, Filo. You win."

Filo looked up and saw Fitoria smile, something so rare for everyone watching.

The barrier that Fitoria had created started to fade away all the while Fitoria kneeled down to be on the same level as Filo.

"I'll free Mel-chan. You did well."

Filo was surprised by the words she was hearing though someone else's voice caught her attention more.

"Filo-chan."

She turned to see Melty running towards her, looking unharmed.

The second princess goes to hug her filolial friend, having been worried for her sake.

"Mel-chan..."

Filo smiled as the two friends hugged before the others started to approach the two.

"Good job, Filo." Garfiel spoke proudly.

"Amazing job, Filo-tan!" Motoyasu said in a cheerful tone, having always had faith in her.
Filo turned towards the direction and smiled when seeing Naofumi.

"Master...I won."

"Yeah. You did amazing, Filo."

Filo smiled when hearing those words from her master all the while the Shield Hero reflected on what Fitoria was doing.

Throughout the fight, he slowly was figuring out that Fitoria was actually training Filo.

Had it been a real fight, he knows full well that Filo wouldn't have a chance in winning.

Fitoria begins to heal Filo completely before telling her:

"You did well to pass the trial."

"Huh?" Filo tilted her head, a bit distrusting on Fitoria which prompted her to turn towards her master for clarification.

"Filo, she was just testing you."

"..." Filo was left silent, still uncertain of everything that had happened.

"Yes. If you hadn't passed it, you would've died. And both the Shield Hero and Spear Hero would've been killed too."

Naofumi and Motoyasu for once were on the same mindset that it's a little unnerving the way the queen of filolials spoke when mentioning that she would kill them if Filo would've lost.

Fitoria moved her hand to summon a tiara.

"What's that?" Filo asked.

"A symbol proving that you overcame my trial." Fitoria calmly responded, still having a smile. "Lower your head."

Filo paused for a moment before turning towards Naofumi, wanting to make sure that her master is okay with this.

He nodded which prompting her to kneel down in order for Fitoria to place the tiara onto her head.

Once this was done, all the filolials around started to scream in joy.

"Filo-tan looks so cute!" Motoyasu shouted, impressed by the way Filo looks with a tiara on her head.

Garfiel paused as he was suddenly reminded by his captain when Motoyasu spoke in such a way.

("Emilia-tan looks so cute!")

'...gonna preten' I didn't hear th't.'

He turned back towards Filo and Fitoria's direction as the queen herself was saying:

"Filo, I appoint you my successor."

"Successor?"

Everyone was surprised along with Filo on Fitoria's words.

"You mean she'll become the next filolial queen?" Naofumi asked to which Fitoria was silent on.

"Now she's outta yer league, Spear idiot."

"Hey! I'm a hero! The hero always gets the princess!" Motoyasu retorted.

"...ya ain't wrong..." Garfiel reluctantly said as he thought about his captain and Emilia's relationship.

"That's amazing, Filo-chan!" Melty spoke with pride, seeing that her friend is a princess like her now.

"..." Filo didn't want this. She knows that it's going to mean that she'll have responsibilities now.

Before she could complain, the tiara suddenly disappeared. After a few seconds, a singular cowlick appeared on her head; one strand of hair stuck straight up.

"..." Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Garfiel all remained silent.

"...huh?" Filo looked up as she just noticed this.

"Filo-chan! You're so cute!" Melty said as she was excited by this.

Filo reached up and touched her cowlick only to start freaking out.

"Ah! What's that? There's something weird on my head!" As Filo shouted and nearly jumped, she grabbed the clump of hair and pulled it out with ease. "Ouch!"

Although it hurt, Filo felt proud only for another strand of hair to pop up in its place.

"Another one?!"

She pulled this one off despite how much it hurts only for another one to pop up in that one's place. Since she knows that it'll be pointless, she gave up and hung her head.

"It'll only keep growing back, so you'd better give up. The more you grow, the more cowlicks you'll have."

"What? But I don't want..."

Filo looked at Fitoria's cowlicks, prompting her to pout since this isn't what she wants.

While this was going on, Naofumi was a bit curious on something.

He brought up Filo's status screen to notice that her stats had improved.

The tiara had conferred some abilities and status improvement.

Although at the moment Filo is maxed leveled until they can get to the hourglass, this reward from Fitoria is beneficial since it helped her grow stronger.

At the moment, Garfiel Tinsel is the strongest of the group in terms of raw strength, which makes Filo be second strongest by just a bit thanks to this power up.

Raphtalia would still win but now the two are on equal terms. Fitoria turned towards him.

"I also have something for you, Shield Hero."

"I don't want a cowlick."

Both Garfiel and Motoyasu thought on how a cowlick on Naofumi would look before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha, th't would be pretty funny."

"Yeah! Just imagine, Naofumi, with a cowlick. Hahaha!"

"..." He wanted to kill the two of them right then and there but since Fitoria is right in front of him, he restrained himself...for now. Raphtalia tilted her head as she didn't know what the two were laughing about.

"It's something better. Show me your Shield."

"..." He wasn't trusting this at first but considering that she helped Filo in her stats, he believed that it could be the same.

He allowed the queen of filolials to mess with his shield, making Motoyasu a bit jealous.

She plucked one of her own cowlicks before placing it on the green circle on the center of the shield, allowing it to absorb her cowlick.

Filolial Series Forcibly Unlocked!

"Forcibly unlocked?"

He was confused when seeing this though he was intrigued that there was so much given to him...though he will have to wait until he is the right level to use these abilities.

The main one that jumped out to him was an ability called "While Riding".

This only gave him the idea that it's supposed to be for Filo to help her fight better when someone's riding her back.

Fitoria turned towards the Spear Hero, not happy about this but since he's been a good boy this day, she said to him:

"I shall also give you this gift. Bring your spear here."

"..." Motoyasu approached Fitoria and just as she was about to place her cowlick on the orb, Motoyasu grabbed it while asking:

"Could I hold on to it?"

"Why? You could use it to gain—"

"I know I know, but this alone is an amazing gift already!" As he said this, he tied the cowlick right onto his spear. "There, now you'll always be by my side, Fitoria-chan!"

"..." She could only blame herself for this, prompting her to just leave him be...at least in terms of speaking with him on non important things.

"Shield Hero, Spear Hero, I still wish to speak with you in private, but I also wish to speak with the demi human boy, Garfiel Tinsel."

"Hm?" Garfiel was a bit curious on what she wanted with him.

The three boys turned towards one another before turning towards Fitoria, all wondering what she would like to speak with them about in private.

"There's more?" Naofumi questioned. Before Fitoria could answer this, Melty spoke:

"Um...uh..."

"Hm?" Fitoria turned towards Melty. The second princess was hesitant and somewhat embarrassed to speak with her. "What?"

"That was just a test for Filo, right? You weren't...using me?"

"Of course not. Isn't there anything you want, Mel-chan?"

"Um...can you become a really big filolial and let me ride on your head?" Oddly engaged and passionate, Melty made her request.

"...Very well." Fitoria was a little put out, but she patted Melty's head before growing large. Once she was in her filolial form, Motoyasu was caught off guard once again before passing out.

"Come on, man." Garfiel was just...disappointed by this.

"Wow..." Melty was amazed when seeing this.

As promised, Melty was put on the top of Fitoria's head in order to ride as promised. She was not only more amazed by the view but she was having the time of her life.

"Wow, amazing! I'm so high up!" Melty looked around and could see so many trees as far as the eye could see. "Ah, I'm living the dream!"

"Is a ride all she really wanted?" Naofumi questioned, not exactly sure what's so cool about it.

"I wanna be really big soon, too!" Filo said, jealous that Melty was enjoying her ride with Fitoria. Naofumi turned towards Filo with a smile on his face.

"Who knows how many cowlicks you'll have by then?"

"No!" Filo shouted as she grabbed her hair, not wanting any more cowlicks.

Garfiel and Raphtalia noticed something rare at this moment, a wholesome Naofumi.

Not filled with anger or caution, just letting himself enjoy the moment.

This was something they will forever keep in mind since it'll be a long time before seeing this side of him again.

The four of them and a knocked out Motoyasu waited until Melty had enjoyed her ride with Fitoria before the two returned to the group.

"That was so much fun!"

"The day had only just begun."

"Yea, meanin' we got a whole day t'do somethin' fun." Garfiel said as he was really itching for a match with Fitoria.

"Get some more rest before you leave." Fitoria spoke calmly with a blank expression once again.

"But..." Melty was unsure if Naofumi was really going to want to rest for another day there. He noticed that she was looking at him.

"Well, if Fitoria's offering, why not accept?"

"Really?" Melty asked in a surprised tone though she had a smile on her face when asking this.

"This is a celebration, after all."

"We need to show you some real hospitality as well."

The filolials all cheer once again.

"A party to celebrate the appointment of a new queen? You mean me? Don't go making decisions for me!" Filo was very annoyed by all of this.

"Congratulations, Filo-chan!" As she was smiling, she was caught off guard by a filolial picking her up. Raphtalia smiled at all of this before being picked up as well.

"Me too?"

As Raphtalia questioned this, she along with Melty and Filo that were sitting on separate filolials were all taken away into the forest.

Naofumi, Garfiel, and Fitoria all looked at one another, a bit confused before following them.

Motoyasu eventually woke up and noticed the three walking into the forest.

"Hm? What's happening? Where's everyone? Hold on guys!"

For the rest of the day, they spend time celebrating with the filolials.

As the day came and went, at night time the filolials gather together as they celebrate.

A couple of filolials mess with Naofumi, much to his dismay.

Filo at first did not liking the attention she was getting but over the night she was letting herself go and party with Melty.

Garfiel and Motoyasu took this chance to cook for everyone, surprising them all with their combined cooking skills for a moment only to realize that it was barely good.

Naofumi was forced to cook for everyone since all the filolials were bugging him for his cooking until he finally made them dinner.

Once the party had ended with the only remaining people up being Naofumi, Garfiel, and Motoyasu.

The Spear Hero turned towards the two before telling them:

"You know, you aren't half bad. I still hate you both, but you know how to make things fun."

"..." Naofumi looked at him with a blank expression before turning back towards the sleeping Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty.

"Ya know, ya at least know how t'party." That was the only compliment he was going to give Motoyasu since the two did make a pretty good dinner bowl even if everyone else thinks it was mediocre.

"I'm happy to see you all working together." Fitoria spoke, catching the three boys attention once again.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I'm not sleeping until we speak, now that everyone's asleep."

"What did ya wanted with my amazin' self?"

"I was curious on something, where are you from?"

"Hm? Whatcha mean?" Garfiel crossed his arms as he asked in a curious tone.

"Your smell is different. It's similar to the demi humans here but also different, similar to the cardinal heroes."

"..." He was silent for a moment since this is the first time he's asked in this regard. "Guess it's time t'talk 'bout how I was taken away from my world 'n placed here."

"Wait, so you were isekai'd too?" Motoyasu questioned, surprised that a demi human would be isekai'd from what appears to be another fantasy world.

Naofumi had suspected this but hearing it was a bit of a surprise.

'Perhaps his captain he talks about is from Japan like me and the others.' Naofumi thought to himself, having found it suspicious at first that he knew things that only those in Japan knew.

Now that this information has come to light and connection has been made, it all starts to make sense.

"Hm. Then allow me to ask, what purpose are you working with the Shield Hero?"

"Cause it's cool he fights with a shield. Like Cap'n likes t'say, the best defense is a good offense."

"That's one way of putting it."

Fitoria turned towards the two cardinal heroes as her interest were now with the two now that she had gotten her answer from the demi human boy.

"Can you two work together?"

"Not this again."

"Come on Naofumi, it shouldn't be hard to work together."

"Oh really?" He turned towards the Spear Hero very annoyed at that comment. "Would you work with me if Fitoria hadn't asked you to?"

"I mean...um..."

"That's right. You wouldn't. You'd still be hunting me down and taking Melty right into trap by her bitch of a sister."

"Now hey! Don't you go and insult Myne! I'm trying to bridge the gap despite the stuff you did to her!"

"I did to her! She lied—"

Fitoria punched both heroes in the gut with enough force to knock the wind out of them.

"No fighting among you heroes."

The two nearly collapsed from this, prompting both to turn towards the queen filolial.

"How are you supposed to defeat the waves if all you do is hate each other."

"..."

The two remained silent as she gave them a look of disappointment before turning her attention up towards the sky.

"Shield Hero, did you try to clear your name?"

"Well..." He thought back on all the times they were constantly berating him with the false accusations thrown towards him. "I didn't bother, as if they would ever believe me, let alone listen."

"If you don't tell them they're wrong, you're basically admitting your guilt."

"She's right Naofumi, only guilty people—"

"Spear Hero, did you bother to listen? Or did you blindly follow what everyone else was saying because they were treating you better?"

"I...um..."

"Hm, perhaps you should learn when to shut up."

"I'm trying to help you out but every time I look at you, you are always in some kind of mess."

"Then why don't you listen, Spear Hero? Listen to the Shield Hero's side of the story without your bias before reaching a conclusion."

"..."

Motoyasu knew that Naofumi's side was that Myne lied about the event and basically did it for bad reasons, making her a bad person.

He refused to believe this...though he did want to listen to Fitoria's wishes for them to work together.

He tightened his fist and bit a part of his lip before saying reluctantly,

"Fine. I'll listen. Tell me what happened. From the moment we split up that first day."

"..." Naofumi looked at Motoyasu, seeing that he didn't want to do this but was forcing himself to listen. This annoyed him more since he's only doing it for Fitoria's sake...though he might as well give it a try.

"We were working together, she was helping me learn about the world. We bought a few things with the only thing getting for me was the chainmail. That night we went out to eat and she wanted me to drink wine. I refused." He paused as he was hating this memory all the same. Although he was treated fairly by her, the fact that this was all a facade boiled him. He continued to push through, "I...ended the night and just went to sleep. I wanted to do things the next day but next thing I knew, I was robbed. You know the rest."

He would rather die than to speak on that throne room mess and have to think back on that painful moment.

Motoyasu was silent as for the first time he was listening to Naofumi's story, trying to make sense of the situation.

He didn't want to believe that Myne would be cruel to fake the crimes she had accused Naofumi since that's more than evil...he turned towards Fitoria.

"Queen Fitoria, is he lying?"

"I told you that—"

"I just...I want to be sure." He said as he doesn't want to hear his complaining. He turned back towards Fitoria, "Is he?"

Fitoria looked at Motoyasu and could see the desperation in his eyes, wanting to believe that his ally was not the evil witch that Naofumi made her out to be.

She turned towards Naofumi and could tell that he's regretting this since he knew this was going to happen.

She just looked disappointed at the two before responding to the Spear Hero's question:

"He's speaking truthfully."

"..."

Motoyasu was silent for a moment before turning around, needing some time to think.

Before he left, Fitoria stopped him as she wasn't done speaking with the two cardinal heroes.

"Unfortunately you can't leave."

"Why not?"

"I have news about one of the cardinal heroes."

"Hm?" Both Naofumi and Motoyasu were curious about this news Fitoria had for them.

"It seems that the Sword Hero's life is in mortal danger."

Chapter Text

The room was dark at first, with his senses being dampant at first before he was starting to feel his consciousness coming back to him. Once his eyes were beginning to see a small glimmer of light, he tried to get up only to see that he was chained up from both his hands and his legs.

'Hm? What's going on?'

He thought this at first before coughing a bit of blood, which reminded him of what had happened after Naofumi and his group had gone off to keep Melty safe.

'Right. I was fighting with Motoyasu and Itsuki.'

At this moment everything feels foggy as to how he was captured. All he knew was that he continued to face off against both Itsuki and Motoyasu on his own while also trying to convince them that someone was trying to kill Melty.

("Listen to me, Naofumi is not the enemy!")

("You've been brainwashed, Ren! Snap out of it!")

("I'm not!")

("Then why side with him? After everything he's done?")

("Because he's been framed!")

("Are you insane?! With what evidence are you—")

("It's no point Itsuki, Naofumi got to him.")

He recalled this dialogue but as far as he was concerned, he wasn't worried when facing the two since he knew at the time that the blessed series would help overpower them...though he almost feels like a third party had interfered with the fight. He looked around and could see that he was in a small room with the door resembling those of a jail cell.

'I'm...in prisoned? Makes sense. If they are after Naofumi and his party, I would be considered a traitor for helping him and the others escape with Princess Melty.'

Figuring this out, he attempts to pull his chains yet he seems to be unsuccessful with this. As he attempted once again, a voice spoke out from the darkness to him:

"You've finally awakened, Sword Hero."

"Hm?"

Ren looked up and noticed a figure that he couldn't recognize at this moment since he's still recovering from being knocked out for an unknown period of time. The voice continued to speak:

"I was wondering when you would awaken. Any longer and I would've thought you were dead."

"...who are you?"

"..." The person didn't say anything though he did open the door in order to reveal himself to the Sword Hero. Ren was surprised for a moment though after thinking about it, he knew that honestly it makes sense why he looked him up.

"Priest."

"You don't seem too surprised." The priest said with a calm demeanor.

"I should've expected this at first, however it all starts to make sense. You are, after all, trying to harm Naofumi."

"Ah yes, the Devil of the Shield. You have become friends with such a monster."

"Naofumi isn't a monster—"

"I understand. The Shield Demon would sway you towards his side."

"He didn't sway me, he was just honest."

"Are you certain about that?" The priest questioned with a blank tone, slightly starting to drop the kindness. He turned towards the door to see a few guards appearing into the room, making it clear to Ren that they aren't happy with his views towards Naofumin. As he noticed a couple of knights holding what seems to be chains, the Sword Hero smiled as he began to say:

"Is this what God would want you to do?"

The priest remained with his smile while giving him a response:

"Everything is in the name of God." The Priest approached Ren all the while having a menacing atmosphere around him despite looking calm. "Now, I suggest that you repent while there's still time."

Ren gave the Priest a look, not liking where this is going.

"And how do you want me to repent?"

The Priest gave a smirk look before responding:

"The first way to redeem yourself before God would be to help in stopping the Devil of the Shield before he harms any more innocent people."

"You are referring to what happened with those knights."

Ren recalls when Garfiel had gone on a rampage after seeing that those knights were trying to harm Princess Melty.

"Yes. That's an example of what the Demon Shield has done. Kidnapping the second princess is another crime along with—"

"The stuff with Mai, I know. However, she's shown to be nothing more than a liar."

"She could be, after all, everyone in this world has lied at least once in their life."

"Don't excuse her!" Ren shouted, hating that this priest is just trying to excuse Mai for lying about Naofumi all because he's the Shield Hero. "What she did is not justified by any means."

"I see." The Priest turned towards the door of the cell and started to leave. Though before leaving the guards, he tells them, "Let me know once he's cooperating."

"Understood."

The Priest walked out of the cell and just left, trusting that his guards will do the job in getting the information he needs to take out the devil of the Shield.

Naofumi and Garfiel went to wake Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty up now that they know Ren and his party are in trouble.

("Hold up, whatcha mean Sword guy's in trouble?")

("I can sense his life slowly draining.")

("Since when?" Naofumi asked with an annoyed tone.)

("I felt it just now. Wherever he's at, it's in a place where I can barely reach.")

("Then we need to get going.")

As the Shield Hero and the Shield of Sanctuary awakened the other members of the Shield Hero party, they all looked in confusion.

"Is everything alright, Naofumi-sama?"

"We need to get going."

"What's going on?" Filo asked as she was having trouble staying up.

"It's the middle of the night..." Melty complained as she was rubbing her eyes. "What could be the problem this late?"

"Sword guy's in trouble. We need t'help him out."

Hearing Garfiel's words was enough to get all three girls to instantly wake up, understanding the urgency now.

"Sword Hero's in trouble?! How?"

"We don't know, but we need to move." Motoyasu said, worried for Ren's sake.

The girls all quickly start to get their stuff packed with Naofumi watching them with Fitoria standing next to him.

"How much danger is Ren in?" Naofumi asked.

"I can't tell. The only thing I sensed was his life nearly being taken out."

"Then where is he being held? Where's Itsuki?"

"If you are referring to the Bow Hero, he's in the same direction as the Sword Hero."

Naofumi took a moment to think on this information before concluding that if Ren was captured and Itsuki is nearby where he is, then they are at the capital of Melromarc, Castle town. Though then again they could be somewhere else since he doesn't know where exactly they are at. Fitoria closed her eyes as she asked:

"Are you going to work with the other heroes now?"

"For now I'll have to work Motoyasu, but only until Ren's been rescued. After that, they are on their own."

"What about the Bow Hero?" Fitoria asked as she tilted her head, curious on why he was left out. Naofumi remained silent for a moment before responding with:

"Right now he's too stubborn to listen to me."

"The same situation like with the Spear Hero?"

"Yes."

"Hm." Fitoria was intrigued by this, which prompted her to change the subject. "Did it help?"

"What?"

"Did it help speaking with the Spear Hero? Letting it all out?"

"..." Naofumi didn't respond since he's not sure himself. In one hand he was able to finally get through to Motoyasu at the very least though on the other hand, he still distrusts him after all the crap he put him through. Fitoria looked at him for a moment before closing her eyes, having an idea on what he's thinking. She had a small smile.

"Okay."

She turned towards Garfiel's direction, noticing that him as well as Motoyasu, Melty, Raphtalia, and Filo were all approaching her and Naofumi.

"Oi, Queen, are ya able t'get us t'Sword guy? We need t'save him!"

"I can teleport you close however the rest is up to you."

"Can't you help us?" Motoyasu asked. Fitoria almost turned towards him though she stopped herself since she still doesn't want to see his face after how much of a scare he had given her upon first meeting.

"I won't get involved with issues that aren't related to the waves."

"Ren is a valuable member of the four heroes, you can't just sit by and allow him to die." Motoyasu argued, not liking Fitoria's response. She was a bit intrigued by the way the Spear Hero was acting, how it was apparent that he cares for his comrade. She took a moment before commenting on what he said:

"The best I can do is get you all close to save the Sword Hero. The rest is up to you and the Shield Hero. I must remain neutral on all your affairs."

"But can't you—"

"Enough Motoyasu. We will have to deal with saving Ren without her."

Spear Hero turned towards the Shield Hero, not happy with that comment but considering how Fitoria is not budging to help them, he just sighed and accepted this.

"Fine. But we should start moving, we don't know who's holding Ren hostage and what they might do to him."

Naofumi agreed with this. Fitoria quickly instructed Motoyasu, Naofumi, and Naofumi's party to stay together as she prepares to teleport them as close as she can towards Ren's position. Right as she was going to do this, Melty took the chance to ask:

"Will we see you again?"

"Of course."

Melty smiled as she heard this, excited for the next time they interact again. Fitoria smiled when seeing her excitement though she returned to a serious expression as she prepared to teleport them all right near where Ren's located. Once they were in the forest right close to the path leading into the castle town entrance.

"Couldn't ya get us closer?"

"No. That would only cause trouble for me." Fitoria said first which most didn't like this. After a few seconds, she turned towards the gates leading to the capital. "Any closer would also expose you all to danger."

When she said this, Naofumi, Motoyasu, Raphtalia, Melty, and Garfiel took a closer look at the gates and saw that there were a large amount of guards looking around.

"They are on the look-out for us." Raphtalia commented, knowing that it'll be extremely hard for them to enter town this time. Naofumi was pretty annoyed at this since there's only a few possible spots they can go through to try and sneak into the capital.

"Why don't I just walk in?" Motoyasu suggested. "They are only looking for you and your party, Naofumi. I can at least enter without issue."

They all turned towards Motoyasu with a bit of surprise by what he's saying, being the first time they've heard him actually speak with some common sense.

"That could work, but I don't trust you."

"Why? Aren't we on the same side already?" Motoyasu protested, annoyed by the distrust Naofumi's giving him.

"It would look suspicious if you just go and tell them that you've lost me. Not to mention we need you to be credible if we want you on the inside."

Naofumi knows that trusting Motoyasu alone with whatever plan he has will lead to all of their deaths. He would honestly rather not have Motoyasu involved though that would be wasting time and the last thing he can afford is having the Spear Hero turn on them.

"Why don't we have the Spear hero have a prisoner?" Raphtalia suggested, thinking that perhaps having him take someone with him might speed up the process of getting the others in.

"Th't's not a bad idea. I volunteer."

"No Garf, you'll be killed when they see you."

"Plus, they'll want to make an example of you since you did injure those knights."

"...fair point."

Garfiel sat down as he still had to deal with the guilt from losing control. Naofumi looked at Garfiel before turning towards the gates into the capital before thinking of a possible plan. He turned towards Melty's direction, starting to puzzle a possible plan that could in theory work.

"What are you thinking?"

"The only way to get Motoyasu inside would be using you, second princess."

"Wait, I can't just go inside, my sister—"

"Won't do anything." Naofumi cut her off. "The first thing that'll happen is you'll be taken to your father with Motoyasu being awarded as a hero."

"Could help keep Spear guy's reputation intact." Garfiel added as he got back up. "Though how would we get in? They'd probably stay guardin' th'gates."

"We won't be going through the front, though Motoyasu won't be going in with just Melty." The Shield Hero says this as he turns towards Filo's direction.

The guards all were on high alert, waiting for something to happen due to not having seen any action for a few days. While they were doing their job in making sure to not let any suspicious people into town as well as immediately alerting the rest of the knights in the castle if they spot the Devil of the Shield or any of his party members. Just as it seemed like it was going to be another day of nothing, they were all shocked when suddenly a large filolial had suddenly appeared from the forest and charged right at them.

"S-Stop right there!"

As the archers were ready to fire at Filo, Motoyasu made himself known as he moved his spear up to signal that it's him.

"Huh? Is that...?" The guard paused as he along with his companions waited until they could truly see Motoyasu Kitamura before lowering their guard.

"The Spear Here?! He's here!"

All the guards lowered their weapons since they know that the Spear Hero was allowed to pass...though they were wondering why he's on a filolial that looks similar to the one that's with the Demon Shield. Though all of those thoughts stop mattering the moment they spotted the second princess.

"Princess Melty-sama?!"

Upon noticing her, Filo stopped right near the guards with Motoyasu getting off of her back first before assisting Melty getting off. Once the two were on the ground, Motoyasu turned towards the guards and confidently said:

"I hope it isn't too much to ask but allow us to get into town."

All the guards heard what Motoyasu had said before turning their attention towards Melty. They were all checking to make sure that she's not hurt before turning towards Motoyasu, thanking him for getting the younger princess to safety. Motoyasu brushed this praising off before turning towards what seems to be the leader of the guards here to ask him,

"I need to take the second princess back home. Could you let us pass?"

"We can take her there ourselves." One of the guards said, to which Filo and Melty turned towards and immediately recognized him as one of the guards that was there when Ren and his party members had stayed behind. Motoyasu looked at Melty and noticed that she was nervous by the guard, prompting him to turn and respond to the guard's comment:

"She's under my care. I can take her to the King safely."

The guard looked at Motoyasu and just nodded before turning towards another guard that was approaching the Spear Hero.

"At least let a few of us accompany you, Spear Hero."

Motoyasu turned towards this guard and had a feeling that something was up. He wasn't sure which were guards that genuinely wanted to protect Melty and which wanted to harm her. Because of this and the plan Naofumi had laid out to him and the others, he told the guard:

"Don't worry about it. I can protect her on my own. I just need your permission to allow me to do my job as the Spear Hero."

As he made it clear to all of them that he'll be the one protecting the second princess, prompting all the guards to just allow the Spear Hero to go into town and take Princess Melty Q Melromarc to the castle to reunite her with her father and older sister. As all the guards allowed Motoyasu, Melty, and Filo to enter the capital, he pulled the second princess close to him.

"Stay close princess, I don't like this." Although Motoyasu is usually pretty relaxed, he was on high alert when he had a bad feeling as his group started to enter the Castle Town. While the three were entering the town, from a distance Naofumi and his group saw what had transpired.

"Seems like he did his job correctly." Garfiel pointed out, having been a bit concerned that the Spear Hero didn't have the intelligence to get through the gates unscathed.

"Yes. Even if something happened, Filo would make sure to get Melty out of there."

"Agreed." Naofumi said before starting to walk deeper into the forest. "Come on, we need to move."

"Aight Shield boss."

"Okay."

Both Raphtalia and Garfiel nodded as they followed Naofumi into the woods, knowing that the best chance to enter the capital would probably be through a secret passageway.

"Oi, Shield Boss, do ya know a way in?"

The Shield Hero didn't respond to Garfiel's question, if anything he just kept moving forward. This did annoy the hell out of Garfiel however he just sighed and continued to follow Naofumi, knowing that despite how he sometimes doesn't disclose things, he does have a plan in mind. The three continue walking in silence for a good while until arriving at what seems to be the entrance to the sewer system of the capital. Both Raphtalia and Garfiel weren't really entertained by the idea of heading into these sewers since it had been sometime since going in there. During the time training for the wave alongside Ren and his party members, the slave merchant had asked Naofumi and his party to take care of a few dangerous creatures previous slave owners had dropped down there. Although the task itself wasn't hard at all since they were pretty strong, none of them liked being there since the smell was unbearable.

"Eh...r' we sure th's th'only way in?"

"Unless you want to get caught, this is the best way back into town."

"I guess ya make a point.".

Naofumi entered the sewer system first before Raphtalia and Garfiel followed behind. The three were walking around for a bit before noticing a couple of monsters appearing in front of them.

"I'll handle this." Raphtalia said as she pulled out her sword. Naofumi and Garfiel stood back and watched as she was able to easily take down the five monsters swimming their way towards her. She sliced off their necks within a few seconds, managing to not waste any time in this fight. Once this was done, she put away her sword and turned towards her master with a smile. Naofumi nodded, acknowledging that Raphtalia's strength has increased since before she had some struggle with these monsters the previous time they were down here. He patted her head which made her extremely happy before they continued walking in the sewer system before finally finding the exit which is right directly underneath the slave merchant's shop. Once the three manage to get themselves out of the sewer system, the three look around to see nobody was around.

"Where'd he go?"

"Right here." As the slave merchant speaks, the three turn towards him with their guards up. This intrigued the slave merchant, prompting him to ask, "What's the situation? You all seem like you are being chased down like a pack of dogs."

"..." Naofumi remained silent as he had his guard up, alerting the slave merchant that something's going on.

"Ya don't know what's going on?"

"To a degree. I know they are after you, boy."

"..."

"Whatever you did, it's bad for business. If they find my operation, we all go under."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is if you are going to sell us out."

"Sell you out? Why? I know what would happen if I do that."

Naofumi gave him a stare for a moment before just sighing, seeing that the two are on the same page. If something happens to one, the other will suffer as well.

"Well then, what's the situation?" The Slave Merchant questioned, curious on the details.

"The Three heroes church." Naofumi said, not wanting to go into too much detail on that. Even with just saying those four words, it's enough for him to figure out that the Shield Hero and his party members are being hunted down by the three heroes church.

"That's quite the situation you've gotten yourself into."

"Blame the king and his incompetence."

"Perhaps. Now to the real question, what brings you to the most dangerous place for you and your two party members? Did you lose the filolial?"

"No, she's fine."

"Alright, then that brings me back to the previous question, what's your reason for being here?"

"We're here on—"

"On a need to know basis." Naofumi interrupted Garfiel, disliking how he's going to overstep when right now information is key for the slave merchant. "Having that information would cost you."

The slave merchant smiled at this, always enjoying how his business partner still could think of money at a time like this.

"Fair enough. I'll tell you what, I'll give you any assistance of mine for no cost other than the information on what's your business here."

Naofumi took a moment to consider this option before responding with:

"We don't need assistance, we just need information of our own. What do you know of the Sword Hero, Ren Amaki."

"Ah, I see." The Slave Merchant smiled as he puzzled it together. "From what I know, the Sword Hero is somewhere in the church. That's what most rumors had mentioned."

"The church..." Naofumi was left in silence, annoyed by this information.

'As if we need to head in there to rescue that fool Ren.'

"Naofumi-sama..." Raphtalia spoke, a bit worried by the information they received. Naofumi looked at her for a moment before turning towards the slave merchant.

"That's more than enough information to go off by." He turned towards Raphtalia and Garfiel. "Come on, let's go."

The two nodded as they followed Naofumi out of the slave merchant's place. The slave merchant looked at Naofumi and only had one thing in mind to tell his business partner:

"Try not to get yourself killed, Shield Hero."

Naofumi heard this even if it was faint though he didn't respond and just kept moving. While they were leaving the area, the three quickly noticed a few guards looking around the perimeter, which prompted them to quickly head towards a sketchy alleyway. Once there, the three walked with caution though while walking, Raphtalia turned towards Naofumi to ask:

"What's the plan, Naofumi-sama?"

"The plan will rely on...Motoyasu. He needs to be able to access the secret passage he told us about from his end in order to enter the castle."

"Wait, don't we need t'enter from th'church t'find th'Sword Hero?" Garfiel questioned.

"It's more likely that there's a link between the castle and the church." Raphtalia answered, theorizing as to why they are still relying on Motoyasu to get them in.

"Sounds like trustin' him is all we got fer now."

"Not just that, we still need to get to the castle safely."

"Agreed."

The two turned towards Naofumi and stopped the moment he abruptly stopped on his tracks. The two looked at what the Shield Hero was looking at and noticed a few guards patrolling the streets where other citizens from the kingdom were doing their shopping.

"We should get disguises." Raphtalia suggested, not liking that if they get spotted even once, it's all over. Naofumi did agree with this plan, however they would also stand out if the three of them were to try to walk around the city together with disguises on.

"We need to split up and meet by the entrance of the castle."

"Splittin' up doesn't sound like th'best 'f ideas..."

"Sticking together would only draw unneeded attention. This would ensure that we blend in with the others of the capital."

Garfiel wasn't really keen on splitting up; however, considering what Naofumi had said, he had to agree on this plan.

"Aight."

"We will not get caught, Naofumi-sama."

Naofumi nodded at Raphtalia before seeing the two split off onto different paths, knowing that the two will find their way to the front of the castle. As they headed off, he turned towards the market place with a couple of citizens moving around which gave Naofumi a chance to blend in despite being in his usual attire.

In the meantime, Motoyasu was praised all around by knights and guards that spotted him and saw that he brought back the second princess. All of this attention was...pretty distracting for the Spear Hero, as many of the knights were calling him the best hero which started to inflate his ego all the while all the women were cheering him on which was making him distracted from the task at hand. Luckily Filo shoved him hard enough to remind Motoyasu of his important part of the plan. He snapped out of it and remembered that he needed to get Melty to safety. He turned towards Filo in her filolial form and could see that she's mad at him since he's easily distracted from his task.

"...Sorry." He apologized as he doesn't want to make Filo mad. He turned towards the castle gates and with Filo behind him, the two led Melty Q Melromarc right into the castle. She was still very cautious since any of the guards in the castle could be working with her older sister or with the three heroes church to try and eliminate her. Though what's more worrying is that they haven't encountered her yet.

'What could she be up to?'

As this was alarming, Filo and Motoyasu led Melty all the way towards the throne room where the King of Melromarc was at. He had been alerted by a few guards that his second daughter had returned safely with Motoyasu and a large filolial. Right as he was given this information, the doors into the throne room opened with it revealing the Spear Hero smiling confidently with Filo right next to him with Melty being on her back.

"Melty!"

"Father." Melty smiled as she was happy to see her father. Filo assisted her in getting off onto the ground before she began to run towards her father's direction. After a moment, the two hugged with Melty happy to be with her father again and the King happy that his daughter had returned to him safely. After a wholesome moment, King Aultcray Melromarc returned his composure in order to thank the Spear Hero for being able to return his daughter to him.

"Thank you Spear Hero, for bringing back my daughter."

"Of course! Anything to be useful." He spoke in a cocky tone which made Filo tempted to slap him. King Melromarc turned towards one of the servants near him and gave him a nod which prompted said servant to grab the treasure box right near him and to take it towards the Spear Hero.

"Here's your reward for saving my daughter from that Devil of the Shield."

As the servant approached Motoyasu, he opened the chest and found a large amount of gold coins. This caused him to step back a bit, caught off guard by that amount of gold.

'With this amount, I can retire, hire so many beautiful female adventures, and buy myself a castle of my own.'

He was going nuts with all the possibilities he could do with the money though once he started to think about Mai, he remembered that he needed to meet up with Naofumi on the secret passage he had told him about.

"Right...um, thanks." Motoyasu grabs the chest and closes it before preparing to leave only to be halted when he hears the king say:

"Are you alright, Spear Hero? You seem to be in a hurry."

"Yes. Apologies. I remembered that I need to find my party members. I sorta left them to find the second princess on my own. I just need to tell them that I'm alright."

"I see. Well then, best of luck with that, Spear Hero."

Motoyasu nodded before he and Filo quickly left the throne room. While they leave, Melty watches them head off to the next phase of the plan all the while thinking back to the conversation related to this risky plan.

("Are you sure that's a wise idea, Naofumi-sama?" Raphtalia questioned, a bit worried.)

("It's not like we have any other choice. It's more than likely that they'll think Motoyasu is possessed by my 'apparent' shield that can hypnotize people thanks to that bi—.")

("Don't you dare finish that sentence, Naofumi! She's still my teammate!")

("Aight, cool yer head. He's still got a point 'bout her. She probably said th't shit, meanin' th't they'll think yer brainwashed.")

("But I'm not brainwashed!")

("We know! Pipe down!")

("Both of you be quiet." Naofumi sharply told both Motoyasu and Garfiel, annoyed at the pair for almost getting them caught. The two turned towards him for a moment before calming down.)

("Back to the plan, are you certain Melty-sama will be safe doing this?")

("It'll be okay, Raphtalia." Melty spoke in a serious tone before switching it to a confident tone, "I can handle myself here. Once I reach father, I should be safe.")

("..." Naofumi looked pretty annoyed when hearing this since he views the king as an arrogant buffoon. Melty noticed this which made her mad.)

("What's with that look?! Are you thinking bad about father?!")

("I didn't say anything..." Naofumi annoyingly responded.)

("Your look said it all!")

Being reminded of that annoyed her even more now, prompting her to pout.

'That jerk.'

As she was pouting, her facial expression change as her father turned towards her to ask her once again:

"Are you sure you are okay?"

"Don't worry father, I wasn't harmed."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Ye—"

"You should be careful father, she might be brainwashed." A voice in the shadows spoke out, catching everyone's attention. Melty was scared when she heard this since it implies that the person she and the others were on high alert for was here the whole time. She turned to see her sister, giving a fake kind smile that hides either anger that she's back safely or sinister smile that can kill her now that she's away from Naofumi and his party members. As the two sisters looked eye to eye, Melty was reminded that Naofumi wouldn't entrust her to be this close to danger if he didn't have a plan to assure her safety. She had a serious expression all the while telling her sister:

"We both know you made that up to get me killed."

"What?"

"Don't listen to her, she's just joking around." Malty said with a nervous voice, not liking that she's outed like that though she also knows that her father won't believe what Melty's saying.

"When do I joke about that?"

"I was trying to save you from the Demon Shield. You must've misread the situation, after all, you are pretty young so it makes sense for you to interpret that." She says this while patting Melty's head, trying to treat this all like a misunderstanding now.

"Misunderstanding? You tried to blow me up."

"I was aiming at the devil of the shield! He was using you to make it hard to—"

"It doesn't matter anymore, I'm just glad Melty is back home safely." King Melromarc said as he interrupted his oldest daughter, not wanting the two to fight. He turned towards his oldest daughter to let her know, "The Spear Hero went out to look for you. He should still be in the castle."

"I'll go find him." Mai said before starting to walk towards the exit of the throne room. While she's leaving, she said to her sister, "I'm glad you are safe."

"..."

Melty had no comment on this since she can instantly tell that in some way this was a threat. Her sister when she's after someone will always play the innocent girl before attacking when her target least suspects it. Though with this in mind, she turned towards her father to ask:

"Where's the other cardinal heroes?"

There was a pause in the room as the King had to think for a second before responding with:

"The Bow Hero's whereabouts are unknown for now though there are rumors that he's back in the capital."

"What about the Sword Hero?"

"..."

Melty observed the way everyone reacted to that question, seeing that nobody wants to answer said question.

"Melty, I think it's best if you go to your room."

"...If you say so, father." Not going against this, she bows in respect towards her father before following one of the servants out of the throne room to head towards her quarters. While she and the servant accompanying her had left the throne room, the king sighs as he was able to barely avoid the topic of the Sword Hero.

"Won't she find out?" One of the servants asked.

"She will but right now we should focus on finding that Devil of the Shield." As he said this, he turned towards the window as his thoughts went back into the past, reminding himself as to why he needed to stop the Shield Hero.

Motoyasu and Filo managed to make their way towards the basement level of the castle, following the exact path he was given from Mai. While the two were walking with Filo having found a chance to turn into her human form, the two were a bit concerned for Melty's sake.

"I don't know if Naofumi was right to have her be out in the open."

"Master knows what he's doing." Filo said as she didn't like that Motoyasu was doubting her master.

"I hope so—ow!"

Filo had kicked him on the leg, wanting Motoyasu to stop talking at this point. Motoyasu was caught off guard by this and would say something though looking at Filo prompted him to just drop it and continue to lead the two towards where the secret passage out of the castle is located. As it seemed like they were about to reach the secret door leading into the castle, the two heard that someone was following them.

"Who's there?"

As the Spear Hero asked this, the noise went silent for a moment before eventually revealing themselves.

"Motoyasu-sama!"

"Mai?! What are you...?"

Malty approached Motoyasu with a seductive approach, wanting to get information out of him.

"What are you doing down here?"

"I-I'm just...helping a friend..."

"A friend? Who?" She spoke in a curious tone, trying to appeal to him.

"Um...Uh...Na—"

Before Motoyasu was easily swayed and able to reveal that he's working with Naofumi, Filo quickly acted by managing to land a hit onto Mai's face. She hadn't noticed her which allowed Filo to land a surprise hit which she wasn't expecting. As she was sent flying, Filo turned towards Motoyasu with an angry expression at first before turning to disappointment. This disappointment hit Motoyasu's heart which prompted him to focus on the mission he was entrusted with.

"We should go."

As he was grabbing Filo's hand to take her with him, she moved back as she responded with:

"No. Go help Master. I got her!"

With a demanding tone of voice, she put on her gloves and prepared herself for a fight. Motoyasu didn't want to leave Filo behind or let Mai get possibly hurt...however, he knows that it would be going against Fitoria's wishes if he doesn't get Naofumi into the castle to help save Ren. Before he had left, he only had one thing to say to Filo:

"Be careful."

"...I'll be fine."

She didn't want to respond though she allowed this one comment since she could tell that Motoyasu was worried for her sake. He nodded before leaving off to the secret door leading into the castle, being close by. While he was off, Malty got up and looked at Filo with a look of hatred.

"How dare you."

Filo got her fists up, ready for a fight.

"Do you really think you can do anything to me, demi human scum?"

"I won't let you hurt master again." As Filo said this, she recalled that Malty had also harmed Raphtalia during the events of the last wave, which caused her master to lose control. This motivated her to start the fight on the offensive, wanting to give this bitch what she deserves.

Chapter Text

Thinking back on that fateful day where he was stabbed and killed in his world, he thought back to his best friend.

He thought about how, despite having Megumi as his best friend, during school he would play the lone wolf.

Even though she's tried to get him to have more friends, he would turn it down.

("Ren! Can I go to your house to play Brave Star?")

("Hmph. Again?" Ren smirked though it went away when more people started to gather behind Megumi.)

("Everyone else wants to come, too! Show them how good you are at it!")

Ren recalls that he felt overwhelmed by that which prompted him to act like a jerk and say that he's busy.

This was something he's come to regret since he probably won't be able to go back after being killed.

It was a bit weird at first thinking back onto the last day he was on his version of Earth though it eventually took him reliving him being stabbed and killed to knock him back into reality.

He was in a dark room, being beaten by a couple of guards that were unhappy that the magician's hypnosis wasn't working on him.

For the past few days since speaking with the priest, they have been trying to brainwash him into believing the lies they've been spreading around the capital.

"The Devil of the Shield must be taken out."

"...N-No...h-he wo—"

Before he could fully respond, he got punched once again by one of the guards.

This stunned Ren for a moment, all of his senses only feeling pain before his vision started to get back to normal.

He coughed up some blood before looking at the guard that was preparing to throw another punch at him.

"...i-is th-that the best...you got..."

"Shut it, Fallen Sword." The guard shouted as he punched Ren's face once again, disliking the taunting.

"You have a lot of energy, for someone who's imprisoned. Do you not know that you are in no position to act out without consequences." The other guard spoke as he crossed his arms, finding it amusing how cocky the Sword hero is despite the situation he's at.

"It's only a matter of time before we can save the Fallen Sword from the influence of the Demon Shield." The magician said as he was preparing another hypnosis spell.

"No matter how much you try, I won't be brainwashed by you or anyone of this twisted church."

SMACK , he received another hit to the face by the aggressive guard.

"Don't disrespect the three heroes church, traitorous bit—!"

"Enough." The magician spoke. "The spell's ready."

As the magician approached the Sword Hero, he pushed the small ball of light in his hands onto the Sword Hero's head which caused him to shake violently.

The hypnosis spell was overwhelming him for a moment as he suddenly felt himself in a blank world.

'Wh-What's going on? Where am I?'

He wasn't sure what was going on at first since he stopped feeling the pain of the hypnosis spell at first since he started to feel that same pain in a different spot on his stomach side.

As he felt this, he looked at the side of his stomach only to see that he was bleeding because of a knife.

'A...knife? When did I...?'

He paused as he took a good look at the knife, remembering that this said knife is the same one from the one that killed him in his world.

'Is that...No way...'

He was left stunned by seeing the same weapon that his weak and foolish self was killed by before looking up to suddenly see a familiar face.

"Wait...Megumi?"

"Ren? Ren!"

Ren collapsed as he was reliving the worst moment of his entire life, his first and hopefully only death.

"Ren!" Megumi shouted as this prompted the killer to try and harm his friend only for Ren to use whatever strength he had in him to grab his leg.

"D-Don't...hurt her...!"

"Let go!" As this killer was about to harm Ren by kicking his face, the world suddenly blurred before he was able to return back into reality where the two guards were waiting to see if the magic had worked this time.

Ren knows that if he tried to fake it, they would see right through him, however his mind was more on what the magic is doing to him.

He's seeing his past, more specifically the few moments of regrets he had during his time on Earth.

'If I could go back, I would apologize to Megumi for all the trouble I put her through...' He halted his thoughts as he began to reflect back on his time in this world.

He started very arrogant, the same arrogance that had made him not have any friends aside from Megumi.

This arrogance had nearly caused the destruction of a village, which Naofumi had to not only knock some sense into him but also show him just how his actions had dire consequences.

His thoughts move onto the second wave where they had encountered the woman with fans as well as when Naofumi had lost control of the curse series.

He feels partially responsible for this due to not being right there to protect Raphtalia from Mai's attack.

He was just too slow to have seen the attack and yet he feels responsible for this since it caused a lot of problems for him.

There's also the situation with Garfiel beating the knights that had attempted to kill princess Melty to near death which caused a lot of problems for all of Naofumi's party members.

All of those thoughts right before the battle that had led to his capture had been snapped out when one of the guards punched him in the gut.

This reminded him of the current situation once again all the while that same guard said,

"That was for not responding. Now tell us, what is your opinion of that devil of the shield?"

Ren looked at this guard before spitting at him, showing that he's still holding strong no matter the torture he's undergoing.

"This one seems to not understand that he'll suffer more and more until he submits to God's wishes." The aggressive guard comments as he lands another punch onto the Sword Hero's face. As he does this, the other guard turns towards the magician:

"What the hell is taking so long to fix his mind?"

"The Demon Shield's influence is much stronger than expected."

"Much stronger? Just what kind of brainwashing spell did he do to the Sword Hero."

"A strong one considering that he's a cardinal hero." The magician responded as he prepared another powerful hypnosis spell. While creating this one, the aggressive guard landed another punch onto before asking,

"Why don't we just kill him? We are just wasting our time here—"

"Killing a cardinal hero that isn't the Demon Shield is a sin no matter the situation."

"It's still a waste of time what we are doing." The aggressive guard said as he prepared to swing his fist again only to feel the other guard's hand grab his shoulder.

"Are you questioning the priest and his wisdom?"

"What?! No, I'm not!"

"Then keep your mouth shut about the task we were given."

While this happened, Ren looked at the ground as his mind started to blank for a bit, barely feeling conscious since he had been taking quite the beating.

"Ren!"

"..."

"Ren!"

Ren could hear someone screaming his name despite how his vision was growing foggier by the second.

"...W-Who..."

There was a pause as he tried to use his mental strength to focus on the voice, trying to figure out who could be calling him.

As he tried to look around, the magician had done another spell in another attempt of brainwashing him to be against Naofumi.

This one was indeed much stronger than the last few, causing Ren to lose consciousness in that moment since he had already taken more of a beating than he was able to keep up.

As everything went pitch black, all he could do was think back on when he fought against Motoyasu and Itsuki in order to buy Naofumi, Melty, and the others time to escape.

He still wished that he was able to get the two to listen since he knows that despite how flawed of heroes they are, the two aren't bad people.

Not like the priest, who is using religion to get people to do things that should be against God.

"Ren! Wake up! Ren!"

Ren continued to hear this in the pitch of darkness, with the voice becoming slightly familiar now.

'That sounds a lot like...Megumi.'

As he listened closely, he could hear his best friend calling out his name, trying to wake him up. This made him reflect back on that last moment before he found himself in this world; he recalled that she was concerned for his sake, not wanting him to die.

'I'm really sorry, Megumi. I hope that you are able to live on without me...I hope that my death doesn't stop you from making more friends. You were always good at that. And you were always fun playing games with. I wish that there was more we could've done, I wish I wasn't taking this loner path out of arrogance. I do wish now that we all could've played Brave Star Online together with the rest.'

Saying all of this in the dark void he was in, he opened his eyes once again, seeing that the magician and the two guards were waiting to see if the stronger hypnosis spell had worked this time.

Without hesitation Ren spit at the magician while saying,

"No matter...how many times...you try, I won't...betray my friend, Naofumi!"

There was something about these words that had an impact on the three torturing him, surprised by the strong conviction he was showing.

"I see. So you continue to reject God's grace and continue to side with a devil." The magician said as he prepared another spell, one that looked different from the last few ones he had been doing. "If you refuse reason, then we shall take things to extreme measures."

The aggressive guard smiled as he knew what was about to happen all the while the other guard stepped back as he didn't want any part of this.

Ren observed the reactions of the two guards, understanding instantly that something's about to happen, something he won't like.

Right as the magician was about to do something, a sudden door broke which caught the two guards and the magician's attention.

"What was that?"

"Not sure, we'll check it out." One of the guards said before he along with the other guard grabbed their weapons and started to make their way towards the door that suddenly broke.

While the two guards had gone to check out the situation, the magician turned towards Ren as he prepared to do something.

"While those two idiots are taking care of that, I'll make sure that you suffer for your insolence."

Right as he was about to do something to Ren, a sudden rock was thrown at the magician which knocked him out all the while the spell had disappeared within the instant his unconscious body had hit the ground.

Ren was confused at first before noticing that the person that had managed to reach him was a familiar girl.

"Filo?"

"Sword guy!" Filo said with a happy tone, happy that she was the first one to find Ren.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Split up."

"Split up?"

"Yes. Mel-chan needed to be protected so I went with her while keeping an eye on Spear guy."

"Spear guy? Wait, Motoyasu is helping Naofumi? How did that happen?"

"Filolial queen."

"...?" Ren turned his head with some confusion as he didn't really know what to do with that information...though for now, he just took it as it is. "Okay, let's move to something else, how did you get here?"

"I was fighting against that bad lady."

"Bad lady?"

"Yes. The one that hurt Raph-chan."

"I see...wait, where did she go?"

"Not sure. We were fighting and then an explosion happened that led me here."

Ren was unsure what that could mean though it didn't really matter since he was happy that at the very least Mai hadn't really harmed Filo.

"Let's free you from there." As Filo said this, she used her strength to break the chains that were holding Ren in place. As she managed to free him, he collapsed to the ground which worried Filo. "Are you okay?!"

"Y-Yeah..." Ren said for a moment as he took himself a second before attempting to get back up on his feet. "...j-just need a...moment..."

Ren was still pretty fatigued from not only the beatings he received for days but also the lack of food.

'I have to get up...I have to help Naofumi!'

Thinking of not only Naofumi but also Garfiel, Raphtalia, Filo, his party members Tersia, Welt, Bakta, and Farrie, and lastly of Megumi.

These thoughts and motivations were enough to help him get back on his feet.

"There...I'm back up."

As he said this, he almost collapsed to the ground only for Filo to assist him in staying up on his feet.

"Need help?"

"...yeah, thanks."

As Filo was giving him some assistance, Ren's first thoughts were to check on his party members to make sure that they are okay.

Right as they were heading towards the cells that have his party members, the two heard a voice of a cocky bitch:

"Do you think you can escape me, foolish girl?"

"Tsk. You are annoying!"

Filo quickly went away as she prepared for round two against Malty.

Ren turned towards Malty's direction, seeing that she's indeed pissed at Filo.

Mai turned her attention towards Ren, a bit annoyed at seeing that he's free.

"And who said you get to leave. You are still a traitor to this country!"

"Says the one who's attempting to kill Melty-sama."

"I didn't do no such thing—"

"Don't lie!" Ren shouted. "We all know you've wanted her gone just so you could become the next in line for the throne."

"Hmph."

Mai gave a serious look at him, preparing to attack him only for Filo to start their fight once again, confident that she can defeat the one person that's harmed her master and Raphtalia.

Ren saw this and wanted to join in, however he needed to first heal himself before getting into any serious fights.

As he looked around for something that could help him in healing up, Filo dodged one of Mai's fireball attacks though that led said attack to head directly towards Ren's position.

Filo noticed this and quickly shouted:

"Sword guy! Watch out!"

"...Shit!"

Ren summoned his sword and attempted to block away the attack as he knew that he didn't have the strength to avoid the attack...though in hindsight it would've been better to just dodge the attack by collapsing to the ground.

This had caused him to be sent flying back onto a wall with Filo being angered by what Mai had just done.

"What a weakling you've become, so-called Sword Hero!"

"Leave him alone!"

Filo moved fast enough to land a punch onto Mai's stomach, nearly knocking her out though she did manage to knock the wind out of her.

"...y-you...brat...!"

As she was struggling to say this, Filo responded in kind by landing a kick on her face, sending her flying onto a wall. This nearly knocked Mai out though her anger at Filo kept her from being fully unconscious.

"D-Damn you...!"

Filo prepared to kick her once again though she noticed that Ren was struggling to get up again, prompting her to assist him in getting on his feet again.

"Thanks..." Ren said, slightly embarrassed that he needed help from what is essentially a child.

Despite this feeling, he appreciated the assistance from Filo.

Once he was back up on his feet, the two of them went to the other room to look for Ren's party members.

As they arrived in the next room, Ren looked around the cells and could see that his allies were also tied up and pretty dehydrated, however each one seemed to vary in how injured they looked.

The main one who took the most beating from the look of it was Farrie, all the while Bakta seemed to be the one that hasn't gotten a beat down like the rest.

"Guys!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

All four had remained silent, barely looking conscious though the only one that seemed to take a moment before responding was Tersia.

"M-Master...Re-en...?"

"Tersia!"

Ren with the assistance of Filo headed over to the cell holding onto Tersia. Filo with a punch was able to break the bars in the prison cell. Once this happened, Ren managed on his own to walk towards Tersia's position to check on her.

"What did they do to you?"

"...I'll be okay...I'm more...worried about you...M-Master Ren..."

"I'm fine, a little beaten up but fine." Ren said with a confident smile, happy that one of his party members is okay. Tersia looked at Ren and was surprised by his confidence though she was worried for his sake since she could see that he's badly wounded.

"What did they do to you?" She says this as she manages to sit up.

She checked up on the injuries Ren had, seeing that they were brutal with the cardinal hero.

Ren continued to smile this off since he doesn't want to show that weakness to Tersia.

"It's fine. They weren't able to break me. That's what matters."

As Ren said this, Filo assisted the two in getting back on their feet before they went to free the others from their prison cells.

Once they were able to free everyone, Bakta being the only one out of the four that has enough energy or strength to fight back.

"We need to get out of here."

"Agreed...where did the filolial girl came from?"

"Over there." Filo said as she pointed towards the direction her and Ren had come from.

Seeing this caused the six of them to start heading towards there in order to escape the prison levels they were in.

While they did this, Ren remembered that they must be careful.

"Mai is in the other room. She's not on our side."

"We figured." Welt commented.

"She was always pretty shady compared to her young sister." Farrie added on.

"Is that so, scumbag?" A very pissed off voice spoke out as the room suddenly increased in temperature.

They all turned towards the direction of this voice to see that it was Malty Melromarc, who had a large fireball ready to be thrown at them.

"Mai."

"Evil lady!"

Filo was preparing herself for round 3 against this Mai only for another voice to speak from behind her.

"I would suggest you surrender if you wish to leave here unharmed."

Mai turned behind her when hearing this, very unhappy that this person who spoke was Melty, her young sister.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, sister." Melty said as she pointed her hand towards her older sister, preparing to defend herself in case she tries anything. "Now, stand down."

"Oh sister, you know me. I'm not one to stand down."

The second she said this, she threw the fireball spell right at her younger sister, seeing this as the best opportunity to finally get rid of her.

Right as this attack was about to reach her while also at the same time Melty was about to counter this, Ren had suddenly appeared in between the two and blocked away the attack while in the blessed series.

While managing to block away the attack, the two sisters were surprised by this.

"What?! How did you—?"

"I...won't let their effort...go in vain..."

When Ren said this, he thought back to that night when he and his party members stayed behind to buy Naofumi and the others time to get Melty to safety.

This was a risk since it could've been another dead end for him since he was only beaten thanks to two separate factors.

The first being that Mai had brought a large number of knights and magicians to stop him and Naofumi.

The second being that he wasn't fighting at 100 percent since he didn't want to harm Motoyasu or Itsuki.

These two factors had caused him to be beaten, though right now he was able to not hold back despite the handicap he was in thanks to the injuries he was given for the past few days without stop.

"You are quite the nuisance!"

"And you are a bad sister. Now, stand down." Ren spoke with an annoyed tone as he was in his fighting stance.

Mai was very annoyed by this before noticing that behind her was Filo and Bakta were preparing for a fight against her.

"...damn you all."

The second she said this, she pointed her hand up and fired a powerful fire spell to destroy the ceiling in order to cause a distraction long enough for her to escape.

Although she did think of trying another attempt on her sister's life, she realized that with Ren being capable of fighting, she wouldn't want to risk a fight that she would possibly lose.

As the dust from the ceiling collapsing faded away, they all saw that Malty had escaped.

"...well, at least she backed off." Ren said as his sword went to its default version all the while he was beginning to struggle to stay standing.

"Are you okay?" Melty asked as she realized that the Sword Hero was badly wounded. "Who did this to you?"

"...the three heroes church...they aren't happy...that I was on Naofumi's side..." As he said this, he fell onto one knee.

"Master Ren!" Bakta shouted as he quickly started to cast a spell that would heal him. While this was happening, Filo noticed Melty which prompted her to shout:

"Mel-chan!"

"Filo!"

The two smiled as they were happy to see each other again, despite the location they are in.

"Where did the Spear Hero go?"

"Not sure. Spear Guy went to get Master and the others. Don't think he did a good job."

Ren chuckled when hearing this, finding it humorous how Filo's views on Motoyasu are.

"Well, we should get the Sword Hero to safety. After that, we can take care of the three heroes church. They can't get away with this."

"How do you propose we deal with the three heroes church, my lady?" Welt asked as he was being helped by Bakta to be on his feet.

"The better question is what is the plan for the Shield Hero and his other party members? Aren't they trying to enter here to try and save us?" Farrie asked, a bit worried that Naofumi and the others would be trying to save them all the while they would be gone.

"They'll be fine." Melty responded, "Knowing the Shield Hero, he would immediately figure out that all of you are safe before focusing on the three heroes church."

"Sounds reasonable."

Melty nodded at Farrie before turning towards Bakta to answer his question with:

"We must confront the priest. I suspect he's the one behind everything. Is that correct?" Melty turned towards Ren, knowing that he's the best one who can answer that question.

Ren took a moment to get himself back on his feet before turning towards her to give a nod, basically saying that yes, the priest is behind this whole situation.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was behind your attempted assassination that led to Garfiel beating the hell out of those knights. He just really dislikes Naofumi."

"It's more that this country hates the Shield Hero." Tersia spoke with a serious tone. "Since the Shield Hero is worshiped by the demi humans, this country that has a discrimination against the majority of demi humans hate that."

With this reminder, Ren thought back on the trial the Shield Hero was put in after just a day in the new world.

He was a fool back then since he did believe the accusations Mai and the King had thrown towards Naofumi without even trying to investigate despite how he's usually skeptical of things.

This was the first big mistake he had done, something he's been attempting to rectify.

"We need to clear Naofumi's name." Ren said out of the blue, which caught everyone's attention. "Even if we expose the Priest for all the shady things he's done, there's still the accusations that this country as well as the other three countries believe in a lie that liar had thrown into the world."

Melty and the others agreed with what Ren had said.

"My sister had indeed wronged the Shield Hero, but if we want to help his reputation, we need to first focus on stopping the three heroes church."

"Right. What's the plan?" Welt asked as he managed to find the weapons of his companions as well as his knives.

"We should speak with father first, he should be able to—"

"He won't help..." A voice spoke from a distance. "He's no help at all."

Ren, Melty, Filo, and the others were curious to see who was speaking, prompting them to go towards the prison cell that was speaking from.

Once they were at the right cell, Melty immediately recognized who it was.

"Wait...what are you doing here?"

"Do you know this woman?"

"Yes, she's Eclair Seaetto, the right-hand guard of mother." As she gave this information to Ren and his party members, she turned towards Eclair to ask her, "What are you doing here?"

As she questioned this, Eclair looked up and noticed the younger princess. She knows that Melty is indeed trustworthy, prompting her to respond with:

"I was arrested for punishing some melromarc soldiers that were hunting demi-humans, Melty-sama. They stripped me of my knighthood. So I'm just a commoner now."

"What? Who orchestrated this?" Melty questioned, wanting to know who's the culprit for this.

"The three heroes church. They claimed I was brainwashed by the Shield Hero."

"That's unacceptable!" The younger princess remarked with anger, seeing just how deep this problem goes. "We must get father involved. He can help us—"

"I don't mean to be opposed to your ideas, Melty-sama, however we need the Queen if we want to turn everything around. The King is just too close to the church to do anything."

"Not to mention that the priest might have someone keeping an eye on him. If he were to help us, we would be putting him in danger." Ren added, trying to give a reason for Melty to not get the King involved with what they are trying to do.

Melty looked at the Sword Hero for a moment before thinking to herself on this information.

Once given a minute to think, she nodded and understood what he was telling her.

"Then let's go confront the priest before he does anything else."

Everyone nodded and just as they were leaving the prison cell area and heading towards the stairs leading to the top floors, a sudden bright light was shining from the ceiling.

"What is that?"

Right as one of Ren's party members asked this, the light started to grow brighter within each second before an explosion occurred right where they were at.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Cardinal Heroes vs Three Heroes Church: Part 1

“Wh-What was that for??” One of the followers asked as the Priest was holding onto a golden weapon, which was responsible for creating a sudden attack onto the kingdom itself.

The Priest continued with his smile, his eyes looking like he saw God himself.

“It was needed, my child. The Devil of the Shield is here, attempting to hurt God’s kingdom. It had to be done.”

“Wait, the Devil of the Shield is here? How?!”

“It doesn’t matter. The Devil himself is in God’s kingdom. We must eradicate him.”

“Yes, father.”

The follower bowed as his faith in the Priest was absolute before awaiting for what the Priest was about to do next.

The Priest remained having a calm aura and a calm smile as he turns towards all of his followers that are with him to say:

“Prepare for battle. The Devil of the Shield wouldn’t have foolishly come alone here to God’s home without his victims that are possessed by that cursed shield of his.”

“Is there no way to save them?” One of the nuns asked right before a follower could ask. The Priest turned towards the nun, trying to give a sadden smile with his response being one of a ‘hesitant’ tone,

“Unfortunately, the Shield Demon has them tied to his life. They must...unfortunately be sacrificed in order to truly kill the Shield Demon himself.”

“Are you sure?” One of the more hesitant followers questioned, not liking the idea of sacrificing anyone. The Priest swiftly responded with:

“Trust in God. That’s the only path to salvation. To hesitate means the eradication of everything he created and everything he stands for. Do you not stand with God?”

“O-Of course I do!” The follower said as he felt everyone’s eyes looking at him, almost like they were giving killing intent.

The Priest remained with his smile before turning towards the hole from the attack of the weapon he’s holding.

“Then let’s focus on putting an end to this demon and his minions.”

All of his followers cheered as they began to pray; While they started to do that, the Priest contemplated the situation.

Given that his spies had spotted Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Garfiel in the city, splitting up within the crowd, it gave him the impression that The Shield Demon came into the capital of Melromarc to try and get his ally, the fallen Sword Hero. He turned towards the strongest of his followers to tell them,

“Make sure that the Fallen Sword Hero is finished, as well as his allies. We can’t allow the Shield Demon to gather his forces if we want to protect God’s kingdom.”

“Understood.” The three strongest followers bowed in respect to the Priest, turned towards the cross and bowed in respect to God before turning towards the direction of the castle and made their way towards that direction. As they went off, he turned towards the spies that had originally alerted him of Naofumi’s movements to give them their assignment.

“Follow them. Should anything happen, let me know. May God protect you.”

The four spies bowed with respect before running off to follow the strongest trio of the followers towards the castle, understanding their assignment.

As they headed off, the priest smiled as he knew that this will be a glorious day for the Three Heroes Church, since he along with those following the church will finally have the chance to enact their plan to save God’s Kingdom from the enemies that challenge God if not go against what God stands for.

‘ It’ll be the end of the Devil of the Shield, the fallen Sword, the false heroes, and the fall of the foolish Queen and her family. ’

Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Garfiel were making their way towards the assigned location though right as it seemed like they were about to reach their destination, the trio in separate areas all noticed a sudden light appear before firing down right onto the castle.

“What the?!”

“Th’hell’s th’t!”

“No...”

All three had different responses in their separate areas though seeing that only motivated them to quickly run right at the castle to check, neither knowing if the others had arrived.

As the three ran with everything they had towards the area Motoyasu had told them, the first one to arrive was Raphtalia as she noticed the Spear Hero sitting on the ground, looking roughed up.

“Motoyasu! Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah...was just not expecting that...”

As he said this, Raphtalia immediately noticed that Filo wasn’t around which caused her to worry.

“Where’s Filo?”

“Filo...Filo-chan!” Although he did acknowledge the question the raccoon girl had asked him, it didn’t cross his mind that she could’ve been hurt by the sudden attack since he was caught by the hit and somehow survived said attack. “I didn’t think about her! I’m coming to rescue you, Filo-chan!”

Motoyasu jumped up and started to go into the castle in search of Filo.

Raphtalia was a bit taken aback by this, more surprised by the Spear Hero’s sudden change in attitude though she was worried that he might hurt himself since she did find him injured.

Right before she followed Motoyasu into the castle, she heard someone approaching her.

She turned around with her left hand onto the hilt of her sword, ready for the possibility of being attacked only to see that it was Garfiel.

“Garf!”

“Talia! Yer okay!”

“Yes. I’m okay. Have you seen Naofumi-sama?”

“No. Thought he got here already.”

“No...at least I don’t think so...”

She was starting to worry about her master, thinking that perhaps he had arrived first before the attack had hit the castle.

Though if that was the case, it’s more likely that Motoyasu would’ve mentioned something about that which helped her calm down.