2,072Keel and Raphtalia were understandably cautious of the woman. Not only because she gave off the air of a noble, but because even if they were in Lute Village, this was still Melromarc where most upper nobility detested Demi-Humans.
What's more, the dress the woman wore, despite being marred with branches of bramble, indicating that she'd been running through the brush, was still rather pristine.
The bow slung over her back was also a familiar one. A weapon that was priced at a considerable sum, meaning wellspring of wealth and influence was at play.
"…What's it to you?"
Surprisingly, it was not Keel that subtly barred her fangs at the other woman looking for the Shield Hero, but Raphtalia whose expression was a mix of trying to decide whether she liked what she was seeing or not.
Scowling, Keel noted Raphtalia's defensive stance.
Keel and Raphtalia were in their teenage years due to the rapid growth of Demi-Human species. This was both a mental and physical change, so their thought processes were now more enhanced from when they were just children.
It would take one more level up before they reached adult proportions, but it hardly mattered in this situation.
The girl demanding the location of the Shield Hero looked even younger than them with a flat chest and burgeoning mature features.
Gnashing her teeth, the girl had always been observant since young. That was why her mother had picked her out over her elder sister time after time. She could tell that Keel and Raphtalia were being guarded towards her, and time was of the essence.
Moreover, Keel and Raphtalia's descriptions quickly came to Melty's mind.
These two were members of the Shield Hero's party!
To think she'd stumble into them first while trying to make a short cut through an alley.
"My name's Melty, first in line to Melromarc's throne! Its of grave importance that I find the Shield Hero before my sister can get to him!"
A-A Princess?
Raphtalia blinked as the thought came to mind, but Keel was different. She didn't even think over the politics of things and just blurted out her thoughts.
"Your sister?" Keel murmured.
"Malty." Melty said flatly, sneering. "Or her 'adventurer name,' Myne."
That name gave rise to many emotions to Keel and Raphtalia, none of which were pleasant.
"…"
Filo who tried to jump out of Raphtalia's hold was kept secured in her bosom. Now wasn't the time.
"I knew it was fishy for the other Heroes to be in Lute at the same time we arrived," Keel grumbled. "What did that dumb Princess do this time and why should we tell you anything?"
"Look, I'll explain later but I'm not my sister. I'm trying to stop her." Melty insisted, balling her hands into fists. For a second, her eyes brightened with a fixed intensity when she saw Filo stick her head out, but she quickly curbed the impulse. The Shield Hero's situation was more important for the time being. "She's surely up to something ever since the Shield Hero's party humiliated her!"
"If you're family, then what's to say you're not in cahoots?" Raphtalia asked with a scrunched expression.
"That's what I'm trying to find out and prevent. Mother sent me back to the kingdom to straighten out the entire debacle with the Hero Summoning." Melty said before shaking her head. She clapped her cheeks to focus. "The Shield Hero, we have to warn him to at least put him on guard and not further lower his opinion of Melromarc. This has all been a political disaster!"
Raphtalia narrowed her eyes at Melty. The motive was definitely there, but at least in this case, Melty was showing good will to Naofumi. And that was what made the difference.
"We're actually on our way to look for them." Raphtalia admitted before Keel began sniffing at the air.
"Tch, there are too many scents here," Keel visibly deflated. "We can't go down the main streets either or we'll get spotted by dumb, dumber, and dumbest."
"Keel, that's not nice." Raphtalia said.
"Then stop stifling a laugh," Keel grumbled.
"I have an idea!" Melty said after deducing who Keel and Raphtalia were referring to in their words. Malty might have done something to draw all the heroes to Lute in a scheme to involve the Shield Hero. It was always conspiracy with her. "What we have to do is take the initiative, and before I left for Lute, one of the Shadows that mother planted next to my elder sister made a report about Malty having a connection with the Three Heroes Church."
"But that has nothing to do with finding Lord Naofumi," Raphtalia frowned, until Keel caught on.
"…What if we stopped the plan ourselves?!" Keel's eyes brightened with a certain ambition.
Raphtalia remained unsure, but Keel was not one to bottle up her thoughts.
"Think about it Raph! Lord Shirou and Naofumi still treat us like kids. We have to do something to change that impression and if we resolve this mess on our own, won't that make a difference?!" Keel's excitement was bleeding into her tone.
The child-like naivety was not yet lost on Raphtalia, but she too was just as desperate to be seen in a different light by Naofumi and let it go.
"I'm obviously coming with you," Melty interjected before Keel and Raphtalia could take off without her. "I know magic and can pull my own weight. Mother trained me well, and you'll need me to help navigate through Lute village. Unlike you both, I have a general idea of where the Three Heroes Church is located."
It a was a grudging point. One that Keel and Raphtalia had to concede to.
"Then follow me, and keep your hoods up. Your ears will attract attention- not that I care for such things. I-I mean its just not good for being subtle," Melty went off on a tangent as soon as she realized her words may come off as offending.
Her serious expression cracked to reveal her true age, rather than the demeanor her mother had drilled into her.
"S-Sorry, just follow me, okay?" Melty strode onward with a heavy heart as Keel and Raphtalia stared at her figure for a moment before moving after her.
/-/
Under Melty's guide, it didn't take long for Raphtalia and Keel to reach a branch of the Three Heroes Church. Clergymen and nuns wandered through the interior of the building, but their presence was few and far between. Lute was not the Church's primary location, and was closer to a small sect established in a smaller building.
This was common knowledge to most priests and nuns of the Three Heroes Church. Only a scant few understood that a façade existed.
Melty, as a princess, was privy to the speculations her mother had regarding the Church.
Therefore, it was with a sense of anticipation and curiosity that Melty led Keel and Raphtalia around the roaming clergy and into the small building used as a Church Branch.
A Dragon Hour Glass, or at least an imitation of it was out in display by the building's altar.
"What now?" Keel asked while Raphtalia watched a bead of sweat trail down Melty's brow.
Pursing her lips, Melty walked towards the alter. "If the reports were right then there's supposed to be some sort of switch or device by the alter. I'm not too sure since this information was more in line with the church in the capital, but it should function the same way."
Glancing at each other, Keel and Raphtalia joined Melty in searching for some sort of switch. However, the group found nothing.
If it was going to be so easy, then any ordinary member of the Church would have found traces of corruption.
"Dammit, this sucks," Keel kicked her heal into the ground with frustration. At this rate, their plan was going to fail before it even started.
"J-Just keep looking. It should be here. It's the only branch my sister could have gone to for help in Lute." Melty wrapped her hands around a gilded section of the hourglass, and bumped her head on an ornament piece while trying to pull on the section. "Owe."
Raphtalia shook her head. "This is getting us nowhere. What if we just waited for someone to come and see from there?"
"There might not be the time for that," Melty said. "The other heroes are already here, and my sister is not a patient bitc- person."
Click.
Hmm?
Melty and Raphtalia turned to where Keel had grown fed up and stabbed her spear into the Dragon Hour Glass and shattered in. Revealed underneath was a subsection of floor that led to a hidden latch that Keel had pulled.
"Told you it would be faster if we just destroyed everything," Keel beamed before proceeding to jump into the entrance to an underground subfloor.
"Keel, wait!" Raphtalia could only chase after her friend while Melty followed with hunched shoulders. It was supposed to be her who found the way.
"Filo!"
The only ray of light was the Filolial that jumped away from Raphtalia and perched itself on Melty's shoulder.
Beneath the church branch was an intricate network of tunnels that seemed to span for miles. The amount of work that had to be put into this engineering marvel was unimaginable in the short term.
As far out as Lute was from Melromarc's capital, Melty felt that it was unlikely to find any incriminating files that her mother could use to suppress the church with here. However, that wasn't the main purpose.
Melty narrowed her eyes as she noted a peculiar perfume in the air, a kind of luxurious scent her sister would have spent a fortune to keep a constant supply of.
"The bitch was here," Keel covered her nose in distaste. "Follow me."
Like a dog sniffing a trail, Keel used her sense of smell to guide everyone forward, taking Melty's former place in the lead.
The group soon came up upon a room filled with supply crates and magic circle resembling something similar to the one used to summon the Legendary Heroes. It was severely watered down compared to the original, but its function as a warp or summon feature could be discerned.
Of the three, it was Melty whose eyes widened the most as a mage when the circle began to hum and light up.
"Move, you two!" Raphtalia quickly grabbed both Keel and Melty and pulled them away from sight behind several supply crates.
No sooner, a sole figure emerged with a heavy scowl. Not having planned to visit Lute in the first place, the highest priest of the Three Heroes Church was not amused as he walked out into the hall.
"He's gone," Raphtalia breathed a sigh of relief, having recognized the man from his seemingly gentle demeanor alone.
"W-What is going on here?" Melty swallowed audibly as she felt her tension heighten.
"Cardinal Biscas?" Melty mouthed the name.
Melty could not understand why the Cardinal of the Three Heroes Church would be all the way out here in Lute rather than remain in the capital of Melromarc.
She'd assumed that Malty merely had a small contact in the Three Heroes Church, someone of smaller influence- not the pope himself!
T-This was clearly a bigger issue than she hoped to resolve quietly…
She had to get out of her and contact mother!
"-I knew I smelled rats."
A voice caused all three girls to harden their expressions.
Their relief had been too soon.
Where did it all go wrong?
Cardinal Biscas, or Balmus, clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth in frustration the moment he'd first arrived into Lute. Collaborating with the First Princess had been a mistake. Her idiocy had far outweighed any potential benefits she could give. The initial plan to mold her weak mind into a usable puppet was flawed from the start when the material that made the puppet was worse than stupid. No, it was impulsive and lacked any sort of foresight.
Honestly, if Balmus wasn't already associated with Malty, he would have long cut ties.
Still, Malty was right that something had to be done about the Shield Hero and his party. They were growing stronger far too fast, outpacing all three of the other Heroes by all measures.
It could not stand.
Malty wanted something to be done, but expectedly that dim-headed woman had no concrete plans. Rather, she'd insisted on sending a message to him in order for him to directly participate and ensure success.
Honestly, it was the only logical she'd done so far.
Pushing his glasses further up his face, Balmus would have proceeded onward had he not noticed a peculiar detail moments after his arrival.
Was that…a chicken?
Shaking his head, Balmus blinked and reassessed his thoughts.
"Filo!"
A hatchling Filolial was somehow in the underground space of the three Heroes Church. The ahoge on the chicken's head bobbed up and down, its bright eyes staring squarely at Balmus before it hastily remembered it was hiding and went to hide.
Waddling on its feet, it almost gave him a pleading look before waving its wings and vanishing fully behind a crate.
Balmus thought quickly. He was not stupid. A baby Filolial coming here alone?
He knew he smelled rats.
Something had been off from the moment he arrived.
"The Lord is merciful." Balmus declared, arming himself with his stave. "If you all have intruded upon this holy place out of a sense of misguided justice, then I will allow you the ability to repent."
Hidden in their places, Keel, Raphtalia, and Melty glanced at each other before wordlessly revealing themselves. Balmus had the advantage even if they remained hidden simply because he was familiar with the entire location. It wouldn't take him long to find them since the room was enclosed with only a single entrance leading out.
It was better to be able to see and prepare for any action Balmus took rather than waiting in the dark.
Keel and Raphtalia readied their weapons, an almost pleased expression crossing Balmus's face as he recognized both Keel and Raphtalia as part of Naofumi's group. Aside from Shirou, Balmus had no consideration for either demi-human. They would perish all the same, but here in this hidden location, no one would find their bodies.
Yet, the moment Balmus recognised Melty, his expression shifted into a frown. Her presence would make everything that happened from here troublesome.
If the next heir of Melromarc came to harm, then her mother would not stand idle while holed up with foreign affairs. Even if the Queen had much to handle with the political dispute of the stunt Aultcray had pulled by summoning all four heroes into Melromarc, she'd come straight back and ruin everything.
"Princess, what a surprise," Balmus said with dark expression. "Count yourself lucky for your superior birth."
Balmus activated his magic before the three could react, Melty recognizing it first and raising her hands to conjure a veil of water. However, what Balmus cast was not an attack, but a means to reactivate the magic circle in the room.
Between casting magic and activating magic, both Melty and Balmus knew which was faster.
"Y-You!" Melty could barely get a word out before her figure vanished along with Filo's who was perched on her head.
Water splattered from Melty's incomplete magic, and the mood intensified between Balmus, Keel, and Raphtalia.
"Why are you doing this?" Raphtalia barked out, tension causing her voice to twist. "You're targeting our party?!"
"Indeed," Balmus no longer saw a need to deny it, his warm expression shifting into a menacing glower. Light glinted from his glasses as he spoke as if a deity to mere mortals. "Filth deserves to be purged, and the truth of the church's teaching spread. Those fools of other kingdoms who worship the shield hero will have none to worship if their idol is dead. Unfortunately, by association, you two must also die. Truly, if you repent now, I can make it painless."
"Bastard," Keel gripped onto the red spear Shirou had gifted her while Raphtalia drew her sword.
Nodding at each other, Keel and Raphtalia understood that their only advantage here was the enclosed room. Both were melee fighters, and Balmus appeared defenseless in priestly robes. However, that meant that they should never give him enough distance to use his faith or magic attacks.
They'd heard enough.
Keel dashed first, stabbing out with her spear while Raphtalia followed suit with her sword.
Their sharp increase in levels not only enhanced their fighting capability, but also their combat senses. The demi-human features that were looked down upon by others were their greatest boon. They could smell an adversary's fatigue from their sweat, could see even in darkened locations, and could hear as well as any hound or wild animal.
Which was why, Keel and Raphtalia were hard-pressed.
There were no rapid fluctuations in the sound of Balmus's heartbeat, let alone any sign of distress as the two charged him.
"Ah, truly the fat lambs come to a slaughter on a day of celebration."
Before Keel and Raphtalia's eyes, the stave in Balmus's hand transformed into…the Legendary Spear?
"State of Selflessness." Balmus intoned as Keel and Raphtalia's attacks were inches away from reaching.
Clang!
With a reverberating rebound, a force of light rebuffed Keel and Raphtalia's attacks. Subsequently-
"Raphtalia!" Keel growled before throwing herself to tackle her friend away from several beams of light in the form of spears.
Keel's thigh was pierced, the subsequent detonation of the light shattering the room and blowing Keel and Raphtalia back into the underground hall.
"Keel!" Raphtalia called in concern while feeling blood drip down her forehead.
"Kueh, dammit!" Keel wobbled, unable to stand straight from the stab to her left leg. "A man prevails in times of desperation!" She said stubbornly, vision dark with dizziness and blood loss.
Raphtalia kept her mouth shut.
They could still fight.
Their stamina had hardly been used and their magic was hardly spent. However, that single exchange was enough to beat into the reality of the situation.
How utterly outclassed they currently were.
Balmus smiled as he noticed the expressions on Raphtalia and Keel's faces.
"Come and accept God's judgement." Balmus mused. "In here, no one will hear you scream."
Footsteps suddenly echoed down the hall.
Causing all eyes to turn towards the most unexpected individual who arrived with a perturbed expression.
From the very end of the most recent Wave of Calamity, Motoyasu had been feeling heavily conflicted and uncertain after the subsequent events.
It had been plaguing him despite his jovial demeanor and impulsive decisions.
It was Shirou's fault. For a guy who was summoned without any Legendary Weapon, that man's skill was real. From the way he moved and talked, it was almost like he was special forces, but Motoyasu digressed.
When Myne had left on her own, Motoyasu had followed after excusing himself from his party. His party was good and all, but he would admit that they weren't the most subtle when arriving on scene. They would have given him away from the beginning with their chime-like giggling and cheer, but Motoyasu shook off the thought.
This world was a game, or at least it should have been.
Images of Shirou's face and words came to mind, causing an unceasing feeling of uncertainty to rise within Motoyasu.
He'd followed Myne on the assumption that if this was a game, events would not deviate from the ones he knew.
But low and behold, everything was already deviating.
Ren and Itsuki's parties had arrived, and were busy following through on Lute sub-quests, unaware of whatever quest was transpiring here with Myne?!
No. Maybe it wasn't a quest to begin with?
This place was too real. The beating Motoyasu had taken was already enough of a wake-up call.
Noticing that Myne had headed into the Three Heroes church, Motoyasu didn't confront her. He chose a different approach.
As much as he loved women, the most recent example of how he got killed in his prior world was enough to cause him to have a few doubts. He trusted Myne, but he didn't trust that women could conceal certain truths.
He had to find things out for himself.
Therefore, when Myne returned with a smile on her face, Motoyasu made sure she was with the party before excusing himself early in their inn. He then snuck out and entered the church Myne had once been at.
His sense of disbelief increased the moment he noticed the shattered hourglass, and the hidden entrance beneath it.
None of this was in the game he remembered…
And none of it had Cardinal Balmus as an enemy this early on without the Player having drawn his agro by attacking.
"What is going on here?" Motoyasu asked, his armour clanking and eyes focusing intently on the spear Balmus was wielding.
Rather than smile and emit an honest persona, Balmus did not have the patience to act before a clear fake any longer.
"It would appear that one of the phony heroes has intruded in a place he does not belong. Typical of fools who have to have the shield hero clean up after them."
Motoyasu's brow twitched while Keel and Raphtalia glanced between the Hero and Cardinal.
It was like Balmus's entire demeanor had changed from the moment he took up the replica spear in his hands.
In the end, Motoyasu frowned when he assessed Keel and Raphtalia's conditions.
The two were young.
Too young for someone of Balmus's age.
"Still, I will give you a chance to walk away." Balmus generously offered. "I am merely putting an end to the heretics and cursing the blasphemers. They will soon see the light."
In this instance, Motoyasu had no hesitation.
"No," Motoyasu leveled his spear towards Balmus and took a ready stance.
Indecision and hesitation had marred his judgment and perception of the world to a stark degree, but in this moment, his skewed senses understood who was right and who was wrong. "I'll have to refuse."
"How unfortunate, Lord Mo-"
"I don't negotiate with Pedos."
Even if those senses weren't quite fully correct.
A sense of justice coursed through Motoyasu in a way he could feel like a true hero.
Standing before Keel and Raphtalia, the spear hero brandished his weapon and stepped forward as he took a fighting stance.
There was no need to over think. Motoyasu was never that kind of guy anyway. Right now, he knew that his actions were right. That's all that mattered.
"To think it has come to this, the Spear Hero turning his back against the Church of Three." Balmus sneered even as Motoyasu morphed his spear into his strongest Starlight series.
In a blink Motoyasu charged, giving both Keel and Raphtalia a sense of dejavu.
"Be careful, he has a skill that allows him to counter an attack and retaliate with spears of light!" Raphtalia warned, causing Motoyasu to frown and reconsider his plan of attack.
Rather than close the distance, Motoyasu leveled his spear and fired a strike of lightning towards Balmus.
"Brionac," Balmus invoked, a beam of pure light piercing through Motoyasu's lightning and grazing his cheek.
Raising a hand, Motoyasu patted the spot the light had touched, and stared at the blood coating his fingers.
His face had been scared.
"Y-You bastard," Motoyasu grew tense, his estimate of what Balmus's level should have been at this stage far beyond usable. It was more like an end game boss while he still had intermediate level items.
"Do you see it now?" Balmus mused aloud, his tone growing muted and harsh. "This is what the power of the Legendary Spear Hero's Spear should have been. Not your pale imitations! From the moment you three were summoned, I knew something had been off. All of you were unworthy! But do not worry, I Biscas will take your place as the true representative of the Three Heroes Church."
"You're crazy," Motoyasu muttered, tightening his grip on his spear while Keel and Raphtalia grudgingly moved to fight alongside him.
"How sad," Balmus didn't appear sad at all. "I had believed that I would have to make a more elaborate scheme to harm the Shield Heros party and elevate the status of the Three Heroes, but this confrontation here makes things far easier."
"…" Motoyasu held his mouth as Balmus posed a question to Keel and Raphtalia.
"A warrior is only as strong as his composure. So, what do you think would happen if I present your heads to the Shield Hero and the tag along summoned in the Hero summoning?" Balmus mused aloud.
"I'd sooner kill myself!" Raphtalia clenched her jaw.
"Good. I didn't need you alive in the first place." Balmus jeered.
Raphtalia faltered, but Motoyasu had heard enough.
"Do you know if his spear can do anything else?" Motoyasu asked Keel and Raphtalia seriously. Sweat was forming on his brow, and his palms were clammy.
Motoyasu could feel the tension, the murder in Balmus's eyes. That man was dangerous, and this wasn't a game.
He could…really die again.
"We have to work together," Raphtalia said when Keel looked like she didn't want to answer Motoyasu. "Other than his counter skill and light spear attack, we don't know the extent of the Cardinals combat skills. If only Lord Naofumi or Shirou were here, they'd know what to do."
Motoyasu clicked his tongue.
"I suggest you quit your quibbling while you're ahead. Shall I show you the true might you face before you?"
Balmus was practically jeering, the replica legendary spear in his hand turning into a sword form, and then into a bow.
The Cardinal had access to a replica of all three legendary weapons.
"T-That's not in the game!" Motoyasu had never seen such a setting. Even if this wasn't a game, the settings shouldn't have deviated so far from what he knew. It wasn't fair.
"Behold, you unworthy filth." Balmus settled on the replica weapon's bow form. "This is the true power of a God descended!"
As Balmus spoke, his figure multiplied into several dozen each of which was aiming an arrow at their person.
Keel, Raphtalia, and Motoyasu's expressions paled.
One or two arrows could be blocked, but there were clearly too many to avoid injury.
In desperation, Motoyasu glanced behind him for a path to escape, but the tunnel he came from was far too narrow to dodge let alone retreat safely.
Which meant, Game Over.
"Lord Naofumi, I'm sorry," Raphtalia's tone warbled at the thought that her death was going to be used against her benefactor and cherished one.
"Die." Balmus launched his attack, the entire area engulfed in a sea of projectiles.
Bang!
"Air Strike- Shield!"
A wall of wind magic manifested, blocking the entire hall and stopping the arrows. Not only that, tornadoes countered and blew back in the direction of the arrows.
Motoyasu's eyes widened as the weakest class of the game appeared to save him from crisis.
The Shield Hero had arrived with a panting Éclair and a weary eyed Shirou.
From where?! Balmus raged.
The answer was readily apparent as the roof overhead caved in and sunlight began pouring from above.
The commotion was too large.
It wouldn't be long before others arrived to investigate.
Veins popped over Balmus's skin.
So be it.
If it was a battle they wanted, they would know the fury of a God incarnate!
But it was not to be.
Before anyone could do anything else, a shinning sword appeared in Shirou's hand. One born of his convictions and the spur of emotion he felt at how close he was to losing another person who relied on him.
"D-Did that come out of thin air? Hacks?"
Motoyasu could not stop himself from glancing at Naofumi for answers, but the Shield Hero himself was too transfixed to notice from the moment Shirou began moving. He'd never seen Shirou appear so infuriated.
Balmus felt his breath catch in his throat, his chest tightening from a growing sense of unease despite knowing he was the only one in control.
"Where is your honour to trample on the beliefs of others and usurp them solely as your own?"
"Where is your faith?"
"Your character as a clergyman?"
With each word spoken, Shirou's momentum was growing. To Trace a weapon was to immerse himself in that weapon's history and the disposition of its owners.
Shirou once knew people from the Church who would execute Balmus by principle alone- Enforcers and true powerhouses of the Church.
"You have forsaken duty for vain pride."
Shirou continued forward.
"Compassion for greed and ambition."
One step then another.
"And truth for lies."
Finally, what appeared before Balmus's eyes was a walking entity that spoke of steel.
"You've crossed the line, and now I stand before you."
Balmus gathered his composure, sneering at himself for getting lost in the enemy's momentum. He was a God, a true entity that brought deliverance. His will was the will of the world. And as proof, the very replica that housed the power of all Legendary Weapons was in his full grasp and control.
There was nothing that could shake him, let alone mere words.
And yet-
"Is this your confidence?"
In Shirou's other hand, was now an exact copy of Balmus's Replica weapon.
Balmus felt his breath hitch, but that man's words did not stop as if sensing the momentary gap in Balmus's very world that shattered everything he knew to be true.
"Go on."
"What's the matter?"
"Keep going." Shirou glared in ridicule. "Weren't you calling yourself a God?"
Balmus felt a chill travel down his spine.
Thanks for reading! And sorry for the delay! I started a new job and am going to move the update dates to weekends where I have days off to work on writing
Free web novel :[The Apostate in Grim Fantasy] (For those that asked, the web novel is available on webnovel and the patron main page, leave a review if you'd like! New goal is 20 reviews)
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P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious
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