I never would have thought that I would end up where I am now. Even more, I would never want this to happen. So unexpected… so painful... and most importantly, so fast. Everything I had, everything I cherished... in an instant… However, it's worth telling everything from the beginning.
When you are born the direct heir to the throne, your life loses many colors. Constant study, constant pressure from those involved in power. Everyone expects the best results from you, so that there will be no further doubts about the transfer of the throne. It made me feel isolated. No entertainment... no friends... at least my parents and sister Sadina, despite my isolation, tried to give me at least a grain of childhood. Walking around the night capital, trying to draw, reading adventure stories, going to the theater – this was already quite enough for me.
And then there was a celebration. The celebration of the blossoming of sakura. For the first time in many years, I managed to participate in it and look at the festival. I had a lot of fun participating in various contests, eating delicious food and watching colorful fireworks. From that moment on, everything went wrong.
Immediately after the fireworks, lighted arrows fell from the sky, hitting the happy people. Immediately, the festival was surrounded by flames, in which both life and all joy disappeared. My parents immediately took me to the castle, trying to hide the surrounding agony from my childish eyes. Failed. I was overcome by a feeling that had never occurred to me before. Fear. But the fear is not for my people, not for my homeland. For myself. Such feelings were unacceptable for the future Empress, but my heart ached just from the thought that my life could end in an instant.
We reached the castle. Holding me in his arms, my father wandered through the corridors in order to find a place to hide me. The soldiers were running to the doors, the archers were taking up positions at the windows, but even so it was heard that the enemy was stronger. The painful screams put even more pressure on the situation. I was hidden. In a small chest of drawers, in the maid's room. I begged my parents to stay with me, but they left. Their people needed them.
The minutes seemed like hours. You can't see anything in a dark chest of drawers, you can only hear. Screams, pleas, blood splattering on the walls... footsteps. And you just keep sitting there and praying that no one will find you. You turn into an ordinary victim, who is being hunted, because fear overshadows all your principles, your status. Everything is forgotten, leaving only the main thoughts of survival. If only they hadn't found... if only they hadn't touched...
Found. Quickly. They grabbed my arms tightly and dragged me down the corridor straight to the open-air garden. Everything was mutilated, desecrated by these creatures. So many demi-humans were lying unconscious, so much blood had been spilled. My chest was aching, and it was disgusting to watch. But then they brought me to her…
That damn fox. She looked down at the anarchic city. As soon as her henchmen reported that I had been brought in, the first thing she did was turn around with a grinning face and walk away. She showed me my parents. Sitting next to each other. With their heads down. And slit throats.
My world has collapsed. The killer said something about unworthy power, stupidity, and her own superiority, but I didn't care. She killed my mom and dad. My dear parents, my rays of light. I looked at them with shocked eyes, and bitter tears flowed down my cheeks.
Noticing my disinterest in her villainous monologue, the fox came closer to me and grabbed my chin. She was thinking about what to do with me, kill me on the spot or let me live as a servant. As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather be killed right away. But on the other hand, then I won't be able to take revenge on her, I won't be able to save my homeland. What kind of future ruler am I after that?
Angered by my continued silence, the killer plunged her claw into my lower jaw and began to slowly cut the skin upward, not reaching the left corner of my lip. It hurt, and the blood was spreading down my neck, staining my yukata. But it wasn't so much pain that overwhelmed me as anger.
"I'm going to kill you," Was the only thing that came out of my mouth.
The fox, of course, laughed. A little girl like me, not only won't be able to resist her, she won't even have the determination to take up arms. I'm a weakling, unable to fight back against anyone. And I will meet my end here, next to my late parents.
But then, suddenly, everyone was stunned. When I opened my eyes, I saw sister Sadina. Her face was very serious, but it was clear from her eyes that she was also afraid. She took me in her arms and ran down with me somewhere. I buried my face in her shoulder, not wanting to see any more horrors. And all my sister did was try to cheer me up in this difficult moment by patting me on the back and saying encouraging phrases.
Her feet were moving forward, to a safe place. Even though she tried to pay full attention to me, sometimes I could hear her shock at what was happening. She was in as much pain as I was. She had her acquaintances, friends, and favorite places here. And it's all falling apart right in front of her eyes. Restraining her anger, Sadina took me to the ship.
The evacuation ship was supposed to send us somewhere to another island, where we could wait out the war in Q'ten Lo. There were the survivors of the government, the big merchants, the common citizens, and me together.…
No... Sadina didn't come with me. She stayed on the island because it was her home that she had to protect. Even at the cost of my life. I grabbed her leg tightly and tearfully begged her to stay with me. She just bent down, pulled out a handkerchief, moistened it and wiped all the blood that had flowed out of my wound and left it to me. It was obvious from her face that Sadina didn't want to leave me... but she left. The ship sailed away, and I sat on the floor and cried. I was left alone.
I was a complete stranger there. Everyone was worried about themselves and their loved ones, but they probably didn't even recognize me. And they won't find out, they won't come... because our ship was shot down. Everything happened very quickly, a couple of strong tremors, and now I'm rolling down the deck and falling into the sea. At first, I tried to come up and grab onto something that wasn't sinking, but I thought... and continued to sink further. It was so calm, quiet, just the sound of water running through my ears. I just wanted to close my eyes and forget about everything.
And then I woke up. On the sand, under the scorching sun, and in front of the roaring sea waves. Somehow, I swam to a completely different place. The wound on my face continued to buzz, so I definitely wasn't dead. But I didn't want to get up so much. I just wanted to lie so relaxed, absorbing the rays of the warm sun. Despite everything that happened yesterday... the day before yesterday... it doesn't matter... at that moment, I didn't want to think about anything, but just lay on the sand.
The idyll was interrupted as soon as humans appeared. Although, is it possible to call hunters of demi-humans as such? No. They're worse. Much worse. Without further ado or ceremony, they grabbed me and dragged me into a carriage. After that, I stopped being a princess.
I became a simple slave.
Poor little Raphtalia… Even after ceasing to be a native of Melromarc, our old friend the demi-human suffered a terrible misfortune. Now, the heir to the throne, a pure-blooded tanuki, is overcome by an indescribable thirst for revenge and anger at the entire human race. We can only sit and watch the development of her story, because only fate knows what will happen next.
***
The door swings open, hitting the bell, and the familiar duo re-enters the forge. Erhard was sitting at the counter, reading the morning news paper. Usually, when he reads something, all his attention is focused solely on the text, so he did not pay any attention to extraneous noise. As soon as his wife realized this, she installed a bell on the front door so that the blacksmith would immediately turn his attention to potential customers.
"Not even a day has passed, and you're already here again," The blacksmith teased the duo. "However, I have nothing to complain about, you're obviously on business."
"Hello to you, too, Erhard," Melty greeted coldly.
"So what can I do for you again? Should I pick up a new shield, or did Mrs. Melromark bother to buy armor for herself?"
"Actually, we didn't come to take something for ourselves..." Jun joined the conversation.
"Really... and to whom, in that case?"
In response, Iwatani and his companion took a step back, and Erhard's attention was attracted by a small red-haired girl with animal ears and a fluffy tail. Raphtalia was hostile, not only towards Erhard, but towards her masters too.
"Yeah, boy, you've hardened up fast..." The Shield Bearer smiled tightly to hide his irritation. The echoes of the previous day continue to haunt him.
"It's not what it seems. I swear," Jun tried to convince the blacksmith of the innocence of his motives.
"It's none of my business, anyway," Erhard often maintained his neutrality. "But I'm just wondering why she's the one?"
The day before
"What?"
"I'll take this demi-human," Jun said affirmatively.
Let's go back a day, to the very moment when the Shield Hero's group got a new companion. From Jun's answer, Melty's gaze became heavier, which sent a chill down the Hero's spine.
"Why?" With just one question, the princess made it clear how much she was unhappy with Iwatani's choice.
"I think it has potential.…"
"Why?.." Melty asked in an even more exhausted voice. She didn't like the Shield Bearer's decision very much.
"Beloukas himself said that she is not simple at first glance."
In fact, the truth was hidden behind Jun's relentless desire to learn about the werewolf's homeland, and he was very attracted to the battered yukata. In fact, Iwatani felt that he had found another kindred spirit besides the two Heroes. He was curious to know how much the culture of Raphtalia's homeland was similar to that of Japan. But he couldn't tell Melty about it because he thought it would be too selfish to buy a slave in such a situation.
"Why, after my search for a suitable slave, sorting through demi-humans of varying degrees of torment, both physically and mentally, and having already found the perfect candidate, should I hear how you chose some small cur, simply because it was said that she was special?"
Melty made it clear that she didn't really like agreeing with other people's decisions. For her, it was not so much disrespect for her time spent, as a naive attempt at independence on the part of the Shield Hero. "He's still very green", "He doesn't understand anything in this world yet, and he's already trying to contradict me" — these words were spinning in the princess' head. For the sake of her age, Melty believed that Iwatani should have listened to every word of her partner, because she had lived here for years and had learned a lot of information during that time. She obviously knows better where to choose what.
"I understand that, in fact, I'm ignoring all the time you've spent..." Melty defiantly crossed her arms and raised her right eyebrow, waiting for an apology or at least an acceptable explanation. "However, I have to disagree with you," With these words, the princess was ready to continue dripping on the Shield Hero's brains, but... "Those slaves you were considering are already experienced guys who have already formed some ideals that can and will conflict with ours. But in the case of her..." Jun pointed his finger at Raphtalia, who was glaring at him. "She barely understands anything in this world due to her age. We can educate her for ourselves, make her an ideal slave who won't say a word to the contrary, on the contrary, she will support and cover her back... and if something goes wrong, we can trade her for someone else, right?"
Jun realized that the demi-human in the cage understood him perfectly. And the words that pass over her fluffy ears only added more fuel to the already burning fire. However, it was a necessary sacrifice of trust on the one hand in order to gain approval on the other. You can't get everything at once.
Princess Melromarc sighed wearily, humbly lowering her head. It was definitely a success.
"Just don't apologize to me later..."
These words seemed to make it clear to the slaver that the two had decided on the choice of goods. Taking a universal key from the pocket of his snow-white jacket, the short man opened the cage door, and then whistled to call his henchmen. Two big men in black robes held the "little mutt" by the hands so that she would not do something like that.
Raphtalia didn't say a word. Neither when the shackles were removed from her, nor when she was dragged to the "registration" table. The future slave was placed on a table lit by nearby candles, and her limbs were shackled in special shackles attached to it.
"Let me take your hand, Shield Hero," The slaver jokingly asked him. Jun obediently stretched out his hand, after which Beloukas took off his glove and ran the blade over his bare index finger. "In order to consolidate the slave bond, the subordinate must be bound to the master by blood, oh yes."
The blood flowed onto the dark liquid in the jug, similar in consistency to ink. Then the slaver took out a healthy seal from a nearby drawer, identical to the standard seal used in accounting. After thoroughly dipping the instrument in the liquid, Beloukas abruptly stuck it into the demi-human's chest. A burning, skin-corroding pain went through Raphtalia's chest, causing her to scream in agony. It lasted exactly three minutes, but Iwatani was so sick of what was happening that this torture stretched for him for almost half an hour. Finally, the slaver removed the tool from the tanuki's chest and a bright red burn appeared, in the form of a special round symbol, which gradually began to take on a purple hue. Raphtalia looked straight into Jun's eyes. At that moment, she hated him more than anything in the world.
Now
"There are reasons for that..." the Shield Hero answered the question vaguely. "In any case, we should find a weapon for her for the first time. Something light but effective."
"Stabbing? Cutting? Crushing?" Erhard did not continue to find out the conditions for choosing a slave and quickly switched to work. "There are plenty of weapons, which ones are at your discretion."
"Cutting," The princess replied rather quickly.
"Hmm..." The blacksmith carefully examined the demi-human. She was quite thin, so she wouldn't be able to hold anything heavy, or even lift it. "Cutting, then…"
With the support of his cane, Uncle the blacksmith got to his feet and walked deeper into his establishment. After that, he returned to our heroes with the requested weapon.
"I think this will do," Erhard said, putting his creation on the counter.
There was a dagger hidden in a holster on the table. Trying to touch him, Jun was seized by an unexpected electric current that came from nowhere, which instantly pulled his hand away. After that, a message appeared in front of his eyes explaining that the use of this type of weapon was not available to him. A soft chuckle could be heard from behind.
"Are you okay, Mr. Hero?" Melty asked in her usual manner.
"Apart from the fact that I was electrocuted, yes, I'm fine..."
"In that case, I think it's worth giving it to the future owner right away. To check how it's holding up," The blacksmith recommended.
"I'm back! Ah!.."
Romina, who suddenly returned from shopping, almost moved her legs at the sight of the little tanuki. From her reaction, Raphtalia also managed to turn pale.
"What are you wearing, darling?" The woman dropped to her knees to carefully examine the demi-human's "dead" yukata and her bare feet. "This is unforgivable! I'll give you some clean clothes now," The blacksmith left, forgetting the bag of groceries lying on the floor.
"How many clothes do you have here?" Jun decided to ask.
"It's better not to ask about it..." 'More skeletons in the closet' flashed through Ivatani's mind. "Anyway…
Quietly approaching the slave, who had not yet had time to come to her senses, Erhard handed her the already opened blade. The demi-human's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. However, she understood the blacksmith's suggestion and, without much hesitation, grabbed the dagger by the hilt with her left hand. And then, immediately, she picked it up with her other hand, otherwise the weapon would have fallen out.
"Try waving them a little," Her owner advised.
The movements were weak due to Raphtalia's general exhaustion, but despite this, she was quite capable of launching an attack.
"Good," Melty said satisfactorily.
At the same moment, Romina fluttered into the room, carrying a set of clean, almost untouched clothes. Walking over to Raphtalia, she squatted down and handed her a set.
"Well, honey, I've found the perfect outfit for you. Now you will be clean and well-groomed!" Now Erkhard was also struck by his wife's unconventional behavior.
"You've never talked to me like that..." The blacksmith got upset in a joking manner.
"Because you haven't been a child for a long time, darling."
Raphtalia was in a complete stupor, listening to the conversations of a married couple.
"What is it, honey, you don't know how to wear this?" Romina behaved like a decent mother. "Can I help you change?" In response, there was only silence and a displeased look at the Shield Bearer, who seemed to be saying "explain it to them."
"She doesn't understand you," the princess decided to clarify the brewing misunderstanding. "Mr. Hero was sold a demi-human from a different land.
"Oh, that's it..." The blacksmith realized what was happening. "Have you even started teaching her Melromarc's language?"
"All in good time."
"Raphtalia, go over there and change," Jun asked the girl, pointing to the fitting room.
Tanuki, after taking another look at the new clothes, became a little sad and went to the fitting room. She was understandable. This yukata was meant for an important holiday in her homeland, which happens only once a year. And as soon as she managed to try it on, everything turned upside down. It's been two months now, but her chest hurts the same as it did at the very beginning. And it's definitely not a pain of mark.
Surprisingly, it took her five minutes to change clothes, after which the curtain of the dressing room opened. Now, Raphtalia was wearing a white shirt, over which was a dark red jumpsuit skirt with straps, and her bare feet were now covered with dark brown shoes. It didn't make the face any easier, though, and there's still a hostile aura about the demi-human.
"Well, that's a completely different matter! Do you agree?" Romina was more than happy with the new look.
"At least she looks more civilized now," Melty couldn't boast of the same enthusiasm. Although Raphtalia couldn't understand her, she could tell from her tone how Princess Melromark felt about her.
"Does it not squeeze anywhere?" Jun was worried about the clothes fitting the girl well.
"No," Raphtalia replied quietly, without changing her detachment.
"In that case, it's worth proceeding to the payment. How much do we charge?"
"The clothes count towards the establishment!" Romina replied immediately.
"But I'll take fifty silver pieces for the dagger," Erhard did not go into his pocket for a word. Iwatani, without hesitation, took out the required amount. "Take care of the girl, okay?"
"I won't lay a finger on her, I swear."
"Good. Be sure to come back!" With these words, their trip to the blacksmith shop ended.
The cloudy and foggy morning streets of the Majestix greeted our group as they left the establishment. Several tasks have been set for today. First, it was necessary to discover new forms for the shield, because in his current position, Jun could not use any special "attacks". In addition, the discovery and further development of new shields provided permanent bonuses, regardless of the chosen variation.
Secondly – to increase the level of Raphtalia. Preferably if she can gain experience on her own. Melty is extremely skeptical that the tanuki is capable of any kind of combat. And considering her attitude towards the group, Raphtalia didn't have much desire to fight in any way. Remembering the look on her face when she looked at the blade, it seemed to Melty that the slave would be afraid to even raise a weapon at someone. Jun didn't have much hope either, but he had a lot more confidence in the demi-human. Even if Raphtalia refuses to watch their backs, he can order her to do so. The Tanuki will definitely not be able to bypass the slave mark, but the question is, is the Shield Hero ready to sacrifice his conscience for this?
But it was too early to think about it yet. At the moment, their main goal was to fill their bellies with hearty and delicious food. They were now strictly forbidden from entering prestigious places due to the presence of you-know-who, but Princess Melromark also knew places where they were accepted along with slaves, and at the same time they were not sick. Therefore, after the forge, their path ran strictly to the tavern.
Raphtalia walked between her masters so that they could provide her with sufficient safety. Tanuki looked at the mysterious views of the capital and was horrified beyond measure. The warm and colorful houses were replaced by mystical and bulky structures that seemed to have been specially built to intimidate. Such a strong contrast caused the girl terrible discomfort.
"Do humans really have such callous souls?" She thought.
She was walking, holding onto the dagger scabbard hanging from her belt. She could literally feel every prying eye on her. She felt disgusted by the people passing by. It made her angry.
Meanwhile, the Shield Hero's group had reached their destination. The tavern was quiet, few people were sitting and everyone was enthusiastically eating delicious dishes. The team sat down at the table, arranging themselves so that Jun and Melty sat together, and Raphtalia sat across from them, alone. Jun ordered mushroom soup, as he hadn't eaten anything liquid in a long time. Melty ordered a rare monster steak, and for Raphtalia…
"One children's lunch, please."
And they brought her a pretty nice dish. Mashed potatoes with rice on top, similar to a sleeping chibi bear, and as an appetizer, pieces of fried meat similar to chicken, as well as steamed vegetables. It was just right for a child, because it was very satisfying, and considering the external thinness of the demi-human, it was all the more a good choice. At the sight of this dish, Iwatani, in addition to salivating, also had childhood memories of how they went to a diner with the whole family and ordered similar works of culinary art for him. It was very tasty.
Tanuki's stomach rumbled at the sight of such beauty, as if a hungry wolf was ready to break out and eat everything that was put on the plate. It's understandable, compared to the leftovers she was given during her imprisonment, this dish was manna from heaven for her. Raphtalia was already ready to start eating... but what?
Jun noticed that instead of mercilessly eating, the slave was sitting and staring at the cutlery in disbelief. At first, he looked down a little and couldn't figure out what the problem was. But when the princess gave out…
"She doesn't even know how to handle a fork..." Then everything fell into place. She's used to eating with chopsticks.
There were few solutions to the problem. There were clearly no chopsticks in the tavern, and teaching Raphtalia to use a completely different cutlery at the moment was not a good idea. The process may take a long time, the food may get cold, and Melty and Raphtalia may get angry. Therefore, the only correct solution, according to Jun, was the exchange. The girl should have been able to handle a spoon. Iwatani hadn't eaten much, so the Raphtalia was more than enough. Moreover, it was good for her digestion, so both were in the black.
"How did you know it was worth exchanging food?" The princess asked a tricky question.
"...Intuition?" The excuse was disgusting, but it worked.
"Well, it doesn't matter…
Then, after a hearty lunch, the company paid for the food and left the tavern.
"Now we need to go to the market and buy groceries," The princess began to tell the further plan of action. "Since, most likely, we will stay in the forest for the night, we should stock up on some food, as well as buy sleeping bags. Because I'm not going to sleep on the grass," She said the last sentence softly.
"That's understandable, no one wants to. I didn't want any carrion to get under my clothes," He said, and an unpleasant experience from the childhood of the Shield Hero flashed through his mind.
Accordingly, the route continued to the city market. Another one of the few places that could not blend in with the general gloom of the city. This was because the vendors at the market were newcomers from the villages, for whom the Gothic atmosphere of the Majestic was alien. Here, as in the usual market, various fruits were sold, such as a pink apple with pimples, similar in taste to lychee, vegetables, various curiosities and much more.
So the group of the Shield Bearer strolled through the bustling shopping streets, looking into almost every shop. At the same time, Jun still kept in mind that his money was not endless and he needed to be more economical for a while. It took, at most, about an hour and a half. The team gathered the necessary products, bought much-needed sleeping bags and was about to leave, when suddenly…
"Ren?" Iwatani recognized the familiar Hero.
The Sword Hero stood at the jewelry store and looked at one of the bracelets. The familiar shabby business style had changed, and now the Swordsman was wearing a light leather armor over a blue shirt, as well as a dark blue cloak on his back. The glasses from the same world that Ren came from were still on his face. Only, fatigue was clearly visible on his face.
"Hello, Jun," Amaki greeted calmly.
"You look kind of exhausted. Had he spent the whole day killing monsters?"
"M-m-m... partly…"
Now Iwatani realized that the reason for such calmness lay in fatigue.
"And if we are more specific?"
Sighing heavily, Ren took out his smartphone from the pocket of his pants, unexpectedly. The Shield hero fell into a stupor.
"My phone is dead..." The guy said in a pitiful tone. "I couldn't sleep all night because of this, I needed a dose of content. And now it's gone.…"
In theory, it was possible to ask a person with the magic of electricity to "recharge" the phone of the Sword Hero, but, apparently, either there is no such thing, or Ren simply did not guess about it. And the other question is, where is he going to catch the Internet here?
"Are you that addicted to the Internet?" The only thing the Shield Bearer could say to that was.
"Yes," His colleague replied ominously. "At home, I was too dependent on the World Wide Web and technology, you wouldn't understand," He pointedly looked away.
"I wouldn't say that…"
"I'd better change the subject, because the faces of your partners scare me," Jun turned around and saw two puzzled faces that were patiently waiting for their companion to change the subject to a more understandable one. "By the way, is this your slave?" The Sword Hero asked, pointing at Raphtalia.
"Is there something wrong, bespectacled?" Tanuki suddenly blurted out. Jun had forgotten that all Heroes have a translator.
"Nothing but manners. It's a wise decision to take a small slave at the start. I used it myself more than once when I was playing," It was even more unexpected for Iwatani to hear Ren's praise.
"Uh... yes, thank you..." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Where are your guys now?"
"They're wandering around the market somewhere too. We agreed to meet an hour later at the hotel where we were staying, otherwise we still have to go to church. By the way, have you been there yet?"
"Not yet, but we'll be there soon," The princess chimed in. "Since the church does not recognize the Shield Hero, we will have to go the 'roundabout way' through some connections."
"That's how it is. Is it that serious?"
"That much."
"Yeah, you're out of luck, Jun," Ren patted Iwatani on the shoulder sympathetically. Junpei had a smile hiding his pain. "But don't worry about it. I think if you show yourself as a Hero, everyone will start treating you more kindly."
"The main thing is to avoid any kind of setup..." The tanuki's ears pricked up at that moment.
"That's also true. Okay, I'll keep going. Good luck to you!" The Sword Hero said goodbye to the group.
"And you too!"
Soon, the silhouette of a colleague disappeared among the crowd of people and the Shield team found themselves on their own again. The preparations were over, so the next and main goal for today was just one thing – a trip into the wild.
***
The fresh grassy smell, clean air and silence are what the forest cannot exist without. Despite the seemingly obvious danger inside, the Shield Hero felt at peace as he walked through the soft grass.
"Are we looking for something specific, Mr. Hero?" The princess asked him.
"Yes, right now I need to find the materials to open the launch shields. And, apparently, they're easier to find here," Jun went back to the menu to check his words. "Moreover, we're going to run into some little monster anyway. It would be a good opportunity to teach Raphtalia how to fight." The demi-human grunted rudely at this.
"Swordsmanship is learned over the years. I highly doubt that she will learn how to use it before the next wave begins," Princess Melromark was still extremely skeptical of the slave.
"No one's asking for her skills. I just want her to be able to stand up for herself and help me with monsters."
Listening to her teacher, Raphtalia only became more immersed in her thoughts. She didn't believe it could come to this. From Princess Q'ten Lo, the direct heir to the imperial throne, she will turn into a simple soldier at the first call of a non-hero who does not even know how to fight. To make matters worse, it was perceived simply as a tool that, after significant wear, could be discarded and replaced with another. Her chest hurt. There was no parental care and there could not be. Only attempts to ingratiate themselves with outright hostility. Her hand was tightly gripping the hilt of sword.
The walk was quiet. Iwatani collected the necessary materials and not a single scoundrel even tried to interfere with them. On the one hand, it is rather suspicious that no monsters were observed. Either they were waiting for the right moment to attack at a time when the group was in its weakest position. Either Jun's colleagues managed to exterminate many more creatures than he did. Not to say that he was upset about it. After all, a calm environment is better than any brawl.
Wandering further away, the Shield Hero's team found a fallen and already battered tree. Just what Iwatani needed. Going up to the tree, he tore off a small piece of it. The stone on his black shield immediately blinked, as if hinting that the resulting material needed to be absorbed, which, in fact, the guy did.
"Great!" Jun was delighted. "There are two more trees left to find, and already one shield will open."
"Isn't one kind of material enough?" Melty asked.
"That's enough. However, after looking at the shield table, I found out that I could reveal a better version of it if I typed in a couple more different types. Apparently, these forests are mixed, so in the process of opening other shields, it will be possible to strengthen the one you just received."
To confirm his words, Jun changed the starting Shield to the received "Wooden" One. It looked as if the bark of a tree had been torn from the trunk and a green stone had been attached to it.
"I'm glad you're really interested in leveling up, Mr. Hero," The princess praised him.
"Well, when it's simple – it's interesting."
The legs went further and further, and more and more materials were collected. Almost everything went into the furnace: flowers, leaves, herbs, berries. Something was opening up a new shield, and something wasn't. Basically, the shields received only added an improvement to the stats, and some simple buffs, like a slight improvement in treatment. But even this was already progress, and slowly but surely, the Shield Hero's stats were increasing.
Their adventures continued at such a leisurely pace until they wandered into a certain part of the forest. The unsuspecting group was walking forward, each thinking their own thoughts, when suddenly, Jun began to notice something. Although the weather was quite cloudy, but its conditions were not suitable for the formation of fog. But that's one thing, because the Shield Hero also noticed another oddity.
Tall, thin, with narrow, ribbon-like gray-green leaves, the trees swayed gently from side to side, provided there was no wind. Lost in thought, Iwatani silently approached one of the trees and touched its trunk. It was smooth, covered with a thin, smooth bark, as if it were made of ivory.
"Wow, what unusual trees ..." The guy marveled at the nature of this world. "Do you know what those trees are, Mel…"
No one. When Jun turned around to question his partner, he found that there was no one next to him. There is only a solid fog, and the barely discernible outlines of these mystical trees.
"What the hell?.."
Iwatani did not understand how his companions could disappear so easily and suddenly. They were literally walking next to him, not moving a meter away. Only he... maybe that was the reason? But then, why didn't they stop, why did they go on?
"Melty? Raphtalia?!" There was no response. "Anybody?!"
It was as if he had fallen into a trap from which there was no escape. The surrounding fog clouded his mind, as if changing reality. The Shield Bearer wanted to go back, but he had already forgotten which side he was coming from – everything was the same around him. Even the ground, there were no traces of trampled grass. Everything was getting much more confusing, and Jun even had a thought: "What if no one was following me?"
"Shit…"
But if you think that only our protagonist is unlucky, then you are deeply mistaken. The two companions of the Shield Hero also fell into the same trap. Raphtalia stood in the middle of the misty trap and watched as the princess squatted and beat herself on the head.
"Argh, you fool! Fool!" Apparently, she was scolding herself. "How could you forget about the foggies?!" For a person with such a wide range of knowledge, in her opinion, it was akin to a miscalculation out of the blue. Melty didn't try to keep her voice down. The tanuki wouldn't understand her anyway.
Melty was feeling genuine stress over the situation. The Shield Hero wasn't around, so if there was a potential clash with monsters, no one would protect her. On the contrary, her duties now include the role of protector, as Princess Melromark also has a ballast in the face of demi-human. Getting to her feet, the girl lightly slapped her cheeks to regain her sanity. Right now, the last thing to do is panic.
"Calm down, calm down… There is a way out of any situation, you just need to turn on your head. It is dangerous to go forward, because it is not known where we will end up. Going back is also not an option, perhaps we will be thrown into a completely different place... we also need to find Jun.…
Raphtalia watched the princess walking from side to side with a small amount of hope. Tanuki got the impression that the girl was somewhat confused and might have been able to find a way out of this trap. Her ears suddenly twitched, she heard something.
"What?" Melty noticed that the demihuman was distracted by something.
Tanuki heard... a whisper. A distant, indistinct, but for some reason familiar whisper. What was that? A man? Another tree trap? The girl did not know and was afraid to take at least one step, because she is absolutely not familiar with the conditions of these lands. Until recently, her life had never been in danger, but now it was as if she was naked, completely open to the danger lurking in the darkness.
Suddenly, the princess's hands fell on Raphtalia's shoulders, which made her squeak in surprise. And then they began to push her towards the audible whisper. Initially, Tanuki resisted and tried to stay in place, stopping herself with her heels, but Melty turned out to be stronger and eventually the girl gave up.
Melty herself didn't understand the nature of that whisper. Perhaps it really was a trap, and perhaps the key to their salvation. What if they actually heard the Shield Hero's voice pushing through the magical mist? If you don't go, you won't know. One thing was good, they stuck together... for the time being.
They walked towards the restless whispering, but there seemed to be no end. Then, having moved so far away from their former place, there were only more voices. It felt like they were being watched by a crowd of jeering, whispering townsfolk. The fuss was only getting on Melty's nerves more and more, and she just couldn't figure out what to do next. This forest fooled her and took her by surprise.
But suddenly... everything went quiet. Not a single sound was heard, and even the girls themselves fell silent in deathly silence. Something is coming. Or rather, someone is coming. A pair of red, sinister eyes shone through the thick fog, which then appeared in full form. A creature about the size of a large dog, but more elongated, with a thin waist, came out of the fog. It was covered with dense, silky black fur, its eyes glowed a dull red, like hot coals, razor-sharp claws were located on its front paws, and powerful muscles swelled on its hind legs. His wide-open mouth spoke directly about his desires.
Tanuki's heart began to beat at a furious pace. Before that, a minor fright turned into horror in a matter of seconds. She turned around, hoping that the princess was already preparing some kind of response to the opponent... but she wasn't there? Disappeared. At the most frightening moment, Melty seemed to disappear from sight. And yet so treacherously unnoticeable.
Before the demi-human could look ahead, the beast pounced on her with incredible speed in order to tear her to shreds. Reflex, or incredible luck, but the girl managed to evade the attack by jumping sideways to the ground. The monster disappeared into the fog, and the tanuki hurriedly began to pull a dagger from its sheath, while starting to crawl back. And as soon as she got it, the monster jumped on her, but... she made it. The blade plunged straight into the creature's chest, which, along with the blood, began to emit pitch-black smoke. It twitched in agony until it fell to the ground, breathing its last.
Raphtalia immediately pulled the weapon out of the monster and got to her feet. Her clothes were stained with blood, but she didn't care. What mattered was that she'd done it, killed the thing that wanted to eat her whole. A dose of adrenaline went through her body and now she held the dagger confidently. And she could use it right now.
A couple of his relatives came running to the creature's painful howl and began to sniff his lifeless body. It was enough for the monsters to become more vicious than ever. With their furious gaze, they stared at Raphtalia, who was catching her breath. They needed revenge.
The Tanuki stared back at them, gripping the hilt of her blade tightly. The fear did not disappear, it was still bubbling in her chest, developing the speed of her heartbeat. But he was struggling with a different feeling. The desire to deal with the enemy, the very survival instinct that seems to take over all control of the body for itself.
"Just dare..." anger accumulated in her, giving out a bold threat.
The girl held the blade out in front of her, expecting an attack. Back when she was a princess, the demi-human had occasionally been able to witness the training of her loyal servants. Now that the title was gone, the only thing left to do was to remember all the movements and repeat them without dying in the process. Now she needed to become a warrior.
Without hesitating for a long time, one of the creatures attacked the girl. Raphtalia stood still, waiting for the distance to be sufficiently shortened.
Sweep
The attack passed through the beast's body, leaving a long trail of blood, from which black smoke emanated. The monster immediately ran away from the demi-human, giving the other monster the opportunity to attack.
Sweep
The dagger's blade slid right through the dog-like monster's neck, grazing the throat. Unable to attack any further, the monster fell to the ground, choking on its own blood. But it wasn't enough. Running up to the dying creature, tanuki plunged her dagger into her opponent's throat, so much so that the crunching of bones could be clearly heard. The monster whimpered excruciatingly in unbearable pain until it was completely exhausted. The last one remained.
Pulling the weapon out of the monster's body, Raphtalia glared at the creature's kinsman. The wounded opponent, to the surprise of the Tanuki, instead of attacking, decided to run away, hiding in the thick fog.
Exhale
The bloody dagger fell quietly onto the soft grass. The demi-human looked down at her hands. They were trembling violently, as if all that sudden boldness had never happened. But, unexpectedly, Raphtalia felt... satisfied. She considered herself weak, good for nothing, certainly not someone who could give a decent rebuff to a group of monsters. A satisfied grin could not help but appear on his face. One thing was disappointing, the clothes were heavily stained with scarlet liquid.
"I did it.… I did it!"
It's an unusual reaction to a murder. It was the first time in the last two months that she had experienced such euphoria from her own achievements. She hadn't felt such emotions in months, not in years. The very feeling that you want to experience more, and more, and more… That's why they took her. So that she becomes the one who can fight back against any opponent. It wasn't the pleasure of killing. It was the pleasure of growing up.
After calming down slightly, Raphtalia picked up her dagger from the ground. Unfortunately, it was not possible to wipe the demi-human with something normal, so she used an already soiled jumpsuit and somehow wiped the blade. One thing was done, now all that remained was to get out of this trap.… Her ears pricked up, and his bushy tail stood up straight. Something's wrong.…
Everything happened too fast. Before Raphtalia could turn around, a wooden ball formed behind her, through which the monster's furious roar could be heard. But who created this cocoon? Obviously…
"Raphtalia!" The master ran as fast as he could to his slave.
Falling to the ground, the Shield Hero began to briefly inspect the tanuki. He was shaking all over and muttering indistinctly, but Raphtalia could catch one simple thought - he was worried about her.
"Are you okay?" Are you hurt anywhere?!" He was worried about her, like a mother had finally found a missing child.
"You... where have you been?" It was the only thing the demi-human could say right now.
"I-I was somehow torn away from you and Melty and ended up in a completely different part of the forest. I had to run for a while..." From his grumpy tone, it was clear that Iwatani had not come to run a little. "But not about me now. Why are you covered in blood?"
As Jun slowly got up, he noticed two corpses of monsters that had been killed with some brutality. After glancing at the demi-human for a millisecond, he returned his gaze to the lifeless bodies. The Shield Bearer simply couldn't imagine that such a fragile little girl would be able to kill such creatures without any combat experience.
"Did you do that?.." The Shield Hero asked cautiously, being in a state of shock.
Taking another look at the carcasses, Raphtalia calmly replied:
"As you can see."
He also responds as if it's a no-brainer. Perhaps Beloukas wasn't lying when he said that she wasn't simple at first glance. After dealing with only two monsters, she managed to practically reach the second level, bringing some experience to her master. Jun did not yet know what level the Wave of disasters required of himself, but something told him that even the tenth would be extremely insufficient to withstand. Therefore, it was necessary to continue further and, moreover, to increase further efforts. One thing only bothered him – was it the right decision to take a child?
Crack
The loud cracking of wood brought Iwatani out of his own thoughts and he turned his attention to his "trap". Or rather, what's left of it. While he was wandering through the misty area, the shield was able to absorb some more materials, which allowed him to open and then use a special skill. He could have used it without improvement of Sacred Weapon, however, this would require mastering the ability by wearing the same Shield for a long time. It is not known for sure how long this process could have lasted, each form had its own approach.
Returning to the cocoon, it was thinly sliced into two pieces, thereby snagging the last monster. This, as it was easy to guess, was the work of Princess Melromark. As the levels increase, her magic only becomes more powerful, and the effort to cast spells only becomes less.
"Well, I definitely didn't expect to meet any shadows right now," The girl commented, completely unperturbed. "It's lucky we didn't run into them at night. Then we'd be just skin and bones."
At the sight of Melty, Raphtalia immediately tensed up and quickly pulled the dagger out of its sheath.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Jun immediately started up.
"That girl ran away! She left me to my death, just to save her own skin!" The tanuki girl flared up.
"Wait, wait, wait, no one left you!" The Shield Bearer tried to calm her down. "She's lost in the fog, just like me.
"That's bullshit!" But Raphtalia just continued to defend her case. "She literally dragged me forward, not even allowing me to take a step back!"
"Melty..." Iwatani was already addressing his companion. Raphtalia sounded pretty plausible. "Did you really leave her?"
"As soon as Raphtalia heard the whispers of the foggies, she immediately moved towards the noise, thereby disappearing somewhere in the forest. Foggies are famous for their deceptiveness. Not only at the level of sight or hearing, but even by touch, a person can be deceived. They lure the victim into the danger zone by any means and, most likely, your slave was deceived."
Jun duplicated the above to the deemi-human, which embarrassed her. She could literally feel her hands on her, it couldn't be a simple illusion.
"But... but... but I felt…"
Tanuki felt cornered. She couldn't accept the fact that her mind was clouded by the mystical trees. Raphtalia could literally feel the hostile aura emanating from Melty, her disdainful attitude towards her. It couldn't be that simple.
And yet... they didn't believe her. Iwatani guiltily stroked the slave's head, which made her incredibly angry. Taking the girl by the hand, switching the main Jun was wearing an improved wood shield, absorbing all the mist coming from the trees. That's how they got out of this danger zone. It was getting close to night, it was time to make a stop. Tanuki handed over all the dirty clothes and almost immediately lay down in her sleeping bag. It had been an almost sleepless night for her, and her muscles ached terribly.
***
Last night
Silence was how one could describe the night Majestix, when unpleasant precipitation did not bother the townspeople. Looking at the mysterious city shrouded in night lights, with a blanket of stars spread over it, gave a feeling of peace. For once, the gloom had faded for a while.
Alutcray watched the night capital from the balcony of his office. Recent events have set the entire royal house on its ears, not giving the sovereign a moment's peace. At least now, after sorting through a huge pile of papers, he could take his mind off the fuss and admire the fascinating view. It had been a long time since he had spent his leisure time alone. No one interfered, no one pressured him with their achievements in the development of their own country. Peace and quiet.
And then there was a sudden knock on the door:
"Come in!" The king shouted from the balcony.
The door of the room opened and one of the two beloved daughters entered the office. The second princess. The second, but not the main heir to the throne. His Majesty had known for a long time that Melty would come to visit him. The servants who were watching her reported it.
"Sit down, my daughter," The king asked her politely. Melty obediently sat down on an overstuffed chair opposite her father's desk. "How did it go?"
"Not bad. The Shield Hero still seems indecisive, but it will be possible to shake him up," The princess reported in her insensitive tone.
"Good..." Aultcray commented with satisfaction, walking around the office. "Have you acquired a deemi-man yet?"
"Yes…"
"I don't like your tone, Melty," Her father said, somewhat displeased.
"Everything didn't go exactly as I planned. We bought a slave, but the Shield Hero decided to follow his own opinion instead of listening to me."
"Well, not all the plans in our lives are destined to come true. For example, I definitely did not plan to involve you in my plan," Melty felt a sting from His Majesty.
"I've already told you many times, Father. No one but me can help you the same way."
Aultcray's expression darkened noticeably. His metal hand pushed the chair away from the table so that he could sit down. Princess Melromark immediately realized that a familiar conversation was about to begin.
"Tell me, why are you doing all this?" The king asked a question that did not have any specifics.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Melty said, trying to make herself look like a pushover.
"It's all zeal. The desire to be in the thick of things, even though you haven't even grown up to it yet. What are you trying to prove by this?"
"I don't know… Maybe the fact that I'm not a jerk, as someone have been telling me for years," There were no one around but her father, and the girl could relax a little. "That I'm no worse than my sister. That I can do something that makes you proud of me. That I…"
"Who told you that I'm not proud of you?" A lump stuck in the king's throat. "You harbor a huge grudge against me, I know that. But I couldn't do anything, circumstances were playing against me, and that's why what happened to you happened. Do you think I didn't care? You are my child, my joy. I worry about your well-being every single day," The king tapped his metal finger on the table to give his words meaning. And that's why, when you found out about my plan, I was categorically against your participation. What can I say, I'm against it now!" The king's emotional state has become unstable. For him, the topic of his children was always one that he couldn't think about calmly.
"But you still couldn't do it," Melty was hitting her father in the heart now. "Not then, not now. Your main failures are both related to me."
"You don't even know how much you're mistaken in your words, Melty S Melromark..." The daughter behaved like a teenager during puberty, trying to engage in a confrontation with her parent.
"...Okay, never mind." The princess realized that she had already said a lot of unnecessary things.
Aultcray breathed a sigh of relief and stroked his beard thoughtfully. He was pleased that Melty understood how far she had gone in her words and that it could end badly for her.
"Let's get back to the topic. We don't care about the option, we care about the effect. So that the Shield Hero can feel all the pain that demi-humans get in the Melromarc. He must be imbued with them, must feel the desire to act. Stop this cruelty."
"But that doesn't change the fact that we also need a soldier, not just a slave," The princess tried to retort. "And he took the baby. And from other lands, which does not understand a word of our language."
"Child abuse has a much stronger effect, so it only played into our hands. As for the soldier... have you forgotten the distinguishing feature of the beastmen?" It sounded like Aultcray, though kindly, was bullying his daughter.
"No, but she doesn't even have any combat experience."
"He'll learn, don't worry. In an emergency situation, people can learn more than that."
Rising from his seat, Aultkray walked over to his daughter and knelt down on one knee, placing his right hand on her shoulder.
"We need to support the Shield Hero, daughter. We must put him on the right path if we want to achieve our goals."
"Are you sure Mother won't beat us?"
"I want to believe it, very much," His Majesty was more sincere than ever. "At least we've already been able to distract her for a while. It's obviously not going to be easy for her to calm down all the rulers because Melromarc dared to summon all the Sacred Heroes to himself."
"And after that, when will she come back… What will happen then?"
The King frowned again. He got to his feet and wandered back to the balcony.
"Whatever happens, Melty."
Of one thing, Aultcray was absolutely sure – he would go to his goal until the very end. He is tired of all these conflicts, wars, racial discrimination and many other problems between countries. Now, when the Waves have started again after a hundred years, the last thing countries should do is to conflict with each other. They must unite. They must face the looming threat hand in hand if they want to survive.
And the very first thing to do in order to achieve this goal is to forget the long–entrenched hatred.