At night, returning to the inn, amidst the envious gazes of the others, Takeru waved to Via. He then took Filo and Raphtalia to his room. Because neither of them wanted to be separated from Takeru, they could only stay together.
Of course, although they stayed together, nothing inappropriate for children would happen.
Having obtained her new magical outfit, Filo looked very excited. Takeru, meanwhile, was thinking about summoning Ram and the others.
There were only ten days left until the first wave needed to be confronted. After the wave ended, Takeru would begin his power seizure.
"Filo, go take a bath first. I need to talk with Raphtalia." Watching Filo hopping and skipping, Takeru spoke directly.
"Okay, Master!" Hearing Takeru's words, Filo smiled and nodded. She ran directly inside to the 'bathroom' Takeru had prepared and took a bath.
"Takeru-sama, is there something you need to discuss?" Hearing Takeru's words, Raphtalia asked nervously.
"Yes. Next, I'm targeting Idol Rabier. You're familiar with him, right?" Looking at Raphtalia, Takeru spoke directly.
"Huff, huff... yes." Hearing Takeru's words, Raphtalia's breathing became rapid. Her so-called previous owner was a noble named Idol.
Besides her, many of her companions from the village had also been captured by that noble.
If Takeru hadn't brought it up, she herself would have nearly forgotten the terror of that life.
Thinking this, she resented herself a bit, 'How could I forget that pain? Takeru-sama had to be the one to actively mention it.'
"Takeru-sama, what is your goal?" Thinking this, Raphtalia asked nervously.
"To kill him and take over his influence. You should already know my goal, right?" Looking at Raphtalia, Takeru said calmly.
"Yes. To achieve Takeru-sama's goal, Raphtalia is willing to dedicate everything she has." Hearing Takeru's words, Raphtalia spoke seriously.
"Then, this time... that person will be dealt with by you." Hearing her words, Takeru said calmly.
Takeru was different from Naofumi. No matter how terrible things others did to him, Naofumi clung to the ideals of his previous life, which was never to actively kill anyone.
Whether it was Princess Myne, the King, or many of the disgusting individuals one might encounter along the way who made one wish they could be chopped into a thousand pieces, he would let them go.
Like Takeru's next target, Idol Rabier.
In the original work, if it hadn't been for the enemy's foolishness in fighting to the death, he wouldn't have been killed by mistake by Raphtalia, whom Naofumi had persuaded to nearly forgive him.
Takeru remembered being furious when he saw that scene. Perhaps some people could turn over a new leaf, but many would only become worse.
And some people simply weren't worth forgiving, even if they might change their ways later...
"Yes. Thank you, Takeru-sama, for giving me this opportunity." Hearing Takeru's words, Raphtalia gripped the long sword in her hand tightly.
In the blink of an eye, time arrived the next day.
Around noon, with Filo and another Filolial pulling the carriage, Takeru and the others arrived at their destination precisely on time.
From the moment they entered the noble's territory, Takeru could see the people living in great hardship. Here, demi-humans were basically treated as slaves.
Seeing her own kind, Raphtalia was furious. Even Via couldn't help but frown deeply.
Idol's mansion was so splendid and grand, and he even kept a large number of private soldiers. It formed a sharp contrast with the people here.
All of this was because Idol, being the lord of this territory, had absolute sovereignty. He easily raised taxes and added many fabricated taxes.
Ordinary people basically worked their lives away every day just to earn enough to pay the taxes...
Takeru was also very aware that Idol was a member of the Three Heroes Church.
Now, this identity conveniently saved Takeru a lot of trouble. After all, they targeted the Shield, not the Sword.
So, when he learned that Takeru was coming to visit, Idol, though somewhat surprised, very politely received Takeru and the others.
"Haha, what a rare guest. The Sword Hero graces us with his presence. Please forgive my poor hospitality." Without keeping Takeru and the others waiting long, a short, pudgy figure appeared before them.
Seeing this man, Raphtalia couldn't help but tighten her grip on her long sword. However, thinking of Takeru's plan, she resisted the urge to act immediately.
"Haha, I've heard that Mr. Idol accompanied the king on campaigns in his youth, earning considerable prestige in the kingdom. To be honest, the main purpose of my visit is to discuss a major business deal with Mr. Idol." Seeing him arrive, Takeru immediately laughed heartily.
"Oh, a major business deal? What kind of opportunity might the Brave One be bringing my way?" Hearing it was business, Idol thought of gold coins. Greed immediately appeared in his eyes.
"Opportunity is a strong word. Let's just say it's mutually beneficial, a business that's guaranteed to make a profit without any loss." Hearing his words, Takeru fabricated smoothly.
"Oh, if it's recommended by the Brave One, I am very interested. So, what exactly is it?" Hearing Takeru say this, Idol smiled even more brightly.
"Well..." Hearing his words, Takeru showed a hesitant expression, his eyes glancing at the surrounding guards.
"Leave us. The three of you, stay." Seeing Takeru's expression, Idol gestured to a few knights. However, he cautiously kept three knights behind, clearly indicating they were his trusted bodyguards.
"Alright, Brave One, you can speak now." After everyone else had left, Idol said with narrowed eyes.
"Of course. Snap." Hearing his words, Takeru chuckled and snapped his fingers. A special barrier instantly enveloped the entire space.
Seeing this, Idol felt a sense of foreboding. He instinctively retreated behind his three trusted men.
"Brave One, what are you doing?" After ensuring his own 'safety', Idol shouted at Takeru.
"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious? Raphtalia, he's yours." Looking at Idol, Takeru said calmly.
"Damn it! You're not the real Sword Hero, are you? You three, attack! Guards! Assassins!" Thinking this, Idol shouted loudly.
But despite Idol's shouts, the three knights beside him seemed not to hear, nor did the guards outside react at all.
The reason for this was, naturally, the barrier Takeru had set up. The three knights inside had also been hypnotized.
"Damn it! You useless bastards! Don't think I'm easy to deal with!" Seeing that no one around him reacted, Idol angrily shoved the three hypnotized knights to the ground. He then took out the torture whip he carried with him.
Watching Raphtalia walk straight toward him, he lashed out without mercy. Raphtalia looked at him coldly, not even dodging. Soon, a whip mark appeared on her body.
"Raphtalia-nee!" Seeing this, Filo cried out in alarm. Via also frowned, looking as if she was about to act.
"Leave it to Raphtalia. This is her past that she must face." Looking at the nervous Filo and Via, Takeru spoke directly.
"Just a demi-human!" Idol naturally didn't remember the grown-up Raphtalia. However, seeing the tail behind her and the ears on her head, he knew she was a demi-human. He held demi-humans in very low regard.
As Raphtalia got closer, he continued to whip her. Raphtalia did not dodge. Perhaps she was atoning for her earlier forgetfulness.
After enduring five consecutive lashes, Raphtalia arrived in front of him. Just as he raised his hand, she sliced his whip in two.
Seeing Raphtalia suddenly attack, her swift and fierce movements made Idol feel threatened. He fell back onto the ground, retreating in terror.
"W-wait! Stop! Spare me!" Looking at the long sword Raphtalia pointed at his neck, Idol finally felt the breath of death.
"What about the demi-humans who begged you pitifully like this? Did you ever consider their pleas?" Hearing his words, Raphtalia spoke angrily.
"You... could you be the demi-human from that village who was locked in the dungeon before?" Hearing Raphtalia's words, Idol's eyes widened.