255Disclaimer: Been a while but I still don't own The Shield Hero... sadly;/
Chapter 2 – Changing Reason
"Thank you, sir! Please, come again!"
Naofumi inclined his head towards the restaurant owner as the duo left the establishment, their hunger satiated. Exhaling in relief, he looked down at his companion who was practically glued to his side.
"How was it? You full?"
She nodded cheerfully to him.
"Yes! Thank you, master."
Naofumi sighed.
"You don't need to thank me for feeding you. Whenever you're hungry or thirsty just tell me. If we don't have food we'll stop to get something, okay?" he paused. "Also you can call me master, but I'd prefer something else if you can think of anything…?"
"Okay, Naofumi-sama!" she chirped.
Naofumi smiled internally at the familiar address.
"Good. I like that a lot better." He nodded. "So. First thing we're going to do is get you to the tailor's shop for some new clothes."
Raphtalia skipped along gleefully; humming an unfamiliar tune under her breath. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy. It was liberating to be herself around someone. Well, to an extent, anyway. He was still her master, after all. But he never made her feel like he was worth more than her. It was something she could certainly become used to.
He was just so kind! And strong! And smart! And handsome! And-!
"Hey, heads up. We're here."
Raphtalia blinked at that. She must have drifted off. How embarrassing!
Keeping her head down to try and hide her growing blush, the racoon demi-human followed her new master into the cozy-looking clothing store.
"Welcome to my- OH MY GOD SHE'S SO PRECIOUS!" The over-tired tailor swept Raphtalia off her feet and onto the counter. "I'VE GOT JUST THE THING TO MAKE THIS CUTIE SHINE, FATHER! GIVE ME ONE MINUTE!"
'I see she is just as I remember her.' Naofumi sighed. 'I better go make sure Raphtalia isn't totally scarred from that horrifying woman.'
Walking up to the desk he approached his shaking slave and gently placed a hand on her head.
"You okay…?"
She nodded slowly.
"She scared me a little, but she seems nice?" Raphtalia sweat-dropped. "I think."
"Yeah, she is. A little overbearing, but she is brilliant when it comes to fashion. Just let her do her thing." He shuddered. "I have to let her choose some clothes for me too, so I know your pain."
The little girl giggled at his expression before covering her mouth as if suddenly afraid he would smack her for it. He just continued petting her.
"Don't stop laughing on my account. I want you to be happy, okay?"
She nodded shyly, tail wagging behind her. She was just so happy!
"Awwww!"
That was when the moment was interrupted by a starry-faced shop-owner.
"You two make such a cute father-daughter combo!" the tailor gushed. "Come, come little one. I've got just the perfect outfit for you!"
Raphtalia gulped before taking the offered hand and allowing herself to get dragged behind the changing room curtains. Naofumi chuckled at the display as he waited for his 'daughter' to finish up.
'This really puts into perspective just how rocky a start we had the first time…' He grunted as self-deprecating thoughts went through his head. 'No. There is no need for that. I did the best I could at the time, and I can only do better now. I have the desire and the means to do so. Everything we do today is for her. She'll know she's cared for. No matter what.'
"A-ano. Naofumi-sama…" a meek voice suddenly called out from behind the curtain. "How do I look…?"
He nearly did a double-take.
'It looks eerily similar to the outfit she often wore as an adult.' Naofumi noted, internally. 'Minus the armor plating, of course. It suits her just as well as it always did.'
"It looks perfect, Raphtalia."
"Really?"
Her tail wagged back and forth erratically in her apparent happiness as the fashionista also began piling on praises.
"Oh you look even more precious in that than I had imagined!" The lady exclaimed, excitedly. "I used the browns to lift her natural hair colour and appendages, before lowering the contrasting colors on the rest of her outfit to match! But that's not even the best part! Her clothes will grow alongside her! It's a basic stretching spell imbued within most of the clothes we sell here. Of course, if you wanted clothing for a transforming creature, magical thread would be necessary. Not with a demi-human, though! Their bodies rarely change shape, just size. Though, depending on her proportions, adjustments might be necessary in the future…"
Naofumi absently nodded along to the explanation, much more absorbed in his closest friends' contentment. Patting the girl on the head, leading to even more tail wagging, he turned to the tailor with a small smile on his face.
"Thank you for that. I really appreciate it." He motioned around them. "I was wondering if you happened to have anything for me as well. Something slightly more freeing than what is typically expected of an adventurer."
'Something like what I'm wearing but sturdier', was the unspoken phrase.
"Of course!" She took the hint and dragged him with her. "I've got just the thing!"
'This woman's strength is ridiculous!' Naofumi exclaimed to himself. 'She's pulling me like I weigh nothing!'
"Have fun, Naofumi-sama!"
The newly minted master sighed internally at the cheer in the girls' voice. He never understood a girls' desire to shop for clothes. It always took far longer than he wished it would.
"I think this would suit you well, father!"
Naofumi's eyebrow rose at the articles of clothing he was handed. It looked… casual? In a way. It certainly wasn't what he expected. A quick examination of the material lead to him whistling silently to himself.
'These microfibers are built solidly. I wonder if metal was woven into the frame?' Looking down at the pants he noted they were also solidly built. Albeit a bit less sturdy. Still. 'This is impressive. It feels like chain mail but looks inconspicuous. A black t-shirt, with green highlights and dark green pants. The latter resembles my original outfit a little but other than that this is quite different.'
He shrugged. Might as well try it on.
Nodding his thanks to the tailor he closed the curtain behind himself and threw on the offered clothing. A quick glance in the mirror and he had to admit, he didn't look half-bad. Though, he was never one for fashion.
"So?" He pulled back the curtain. "How do I look?"
Both women stayed perfectly still and drank in his appearance. Silence reigned.
Naofumi felt his eyebrow twitch.
"Right. Well… I'm going to assume I either look okay or awful. I'm really not sure which it is at this point."
"No, no, Naofumi-sama you look amazing!"
Naofumi blinked. That was rather… unexpectedly blunt.
"She's right, father!" The tailor's glasses gleamed as she examined his outfit. At least he hoped that's what she was doing. "It fits you perfectly! I figured green and black would indeed be the best colors for you. And even better, as I'm sure you noticed, that outfit has a very light metal woven into the fabric! Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the make I only have that set at the moment… but if you like it, I can special order more of them!"
Naofumi considered it. After asking to see what the total came to, he ran through the numbers in his head.
'I have 188 silver left after all my expenditures. My outfit gouges me a solid 35, while Raphtalia would only cost me 18. Granted, I would want multiple copies of hers, at least 3 to start, so that means 54 silver there.' He frowned as he threw more maths around. 'The total today would equate to around 90 silver. Plus a cheap cape to temporarily cover my shield would be another silver or two. In total that would leave me just under 100 silver to purchase everything else I will need. That should be fine.'
"Yeah."
Naofumi took out the necessary funds and placed them on the table.
"I'll take them."
A short while later:
Naofumi stared at his ever-lightening pouch of cash. Granted, he wasn't particularly worried about his money situation. He knew that as soon as he was sent out of the capital, he'd be able to start his trading business again. After all the shit he went through trying to scramble for cash his first time around, it would be a piece of cake. He actually had a nice head start and could afford everything he needed to get things going. He wasn't concerned.
"Ano, Naofumi-sama?" Raphtalia grabbed his sleeve to get his attention. After doing so, she pointed with confusion at his newest purchase. "What is that bowl and… round thing you bought?"
Naofumi chuckled at the question. After promising to return in a week for more copies of their clothing, he had taken a five minute pit stop at the apothecary's. It was so quick because he knew exactly what he was looking for. After purchasing a couple bits of the rarer ingredients kept in stock, he asked if the owner had any old bowls or mixers left. Another silver thrown in for good measure and they left the shop as fast as they entered.
"You'll see." He ruffled her hair much to her outward annoyance. "I'll be using it later tonight. I'll give you a hint though: it's for you."
"For me?"
Naofumi nodded at the assertion much to her awe and confusion. Was it a gift? She loved gifts! A bowl didn't seem too exciting though…
"Anyway, we have two more stops to make before we leave town for a bit." He pointed at a quaint-looking barber shop just down the way. "I'll drop you off here for a haircut while I pick up the last pieces for our trip, okay?"
Raphtalia gasped.
She really was excited to get a haircut. Honest! He only mentioned it once during lunch, so she had been wondering if he forgot. It made her happy that he hadn't, but he never mentioned she would be going alone. That scared her. She didn't want him to go…
"Hey, Raphtalia." He got down to her level and poked her nose. "I can see what you're thinking, but don't worry, alright? I'll be back before you know it. We just have to get things done quickly before the day ends, so that's why I can't go with you. There will be times in the future where we won't be together, but that just means I trust you to be brave. I'll be back within a half an hour, I promise. Do you think you can make it until then?"
Raphtalia considered the proposal before a glint of fire entered her eyes. She looked up at him and nodded in affirmation.
"Yes!"
Naofumi ran a hand through his hair as he considered his decision to leave Raphtalia on her own. Was it the best move so soon after picking her up? Perhaps not, but the day was only getting that much shorter, and it gave her a taste of independence. He loved constantly having her around him, but they both needed space at times. Something his previous Raphtalia took too long to learn. This could be the start of that.
He hoped.
"Welcome! How can I help you today, kid?"
Naofumi fought the urge to smile at the familiar voice that graced him when he entered the shop.
"I was looking for a dagger for my companion, alongside some armor plating." Naofumi approached the buff man behind the desk and placed a good chunk of his money down. "I think this should suffice?"
Erhard grinned at the cash before nodding happily. He quickly went to work, asking questions about what he wanted for the armor, and what his companion would like. Naofumi didn't even notice the fond smile that wove its way on his face as they conversed.
It was just like old times.
"… and so that'll be 70 silver for today. Are you sure you're okay with paying for so much upfront?" Erhard frowned at the total. "I know you said you're the shield hero and all that, but didn't you just start your journey?"
Naofumi shrugged.
"Yeah but think of it as an investment. I have a good feeling that I'll be coming back to your place in the future. Also…" he pointed towards the shields in the corner. "Remember how I mentioned that I can absorb shields to gain their attributes? Consider that a forward payment until I can fully cover all the merchandise I'm 'taking' from you."
Erhard didn't look convinced. At first, when Naofumi had revealed to him what he intended to do, he was far from happy. But the more he talked to him, the more he liked him. Both as a customer, but also a person. So the idea of taking money from him, especially when his funds were so low?
"I still don't like it, kid." He sighed. "But I won't argue any further. I'll make sure to give you a big discount on the shields next I see you. Because you're technically buying in bulk and not lowering my stock, any. I wouldn't feel right doing anything else."
Naofumi thanked him for the kindness before going over and absorbing all the shields the man had on display, alongside the ones he brought from out back. It was a hell of a power boost, considering the sheer number of shields he took in.
Twenty-five minutes and seventy silver later, Naofumi waved goodbye to the kind blacksmith and left the vicinity. A small bag containing Raphtalia's new weapon all that he had to visibly show for it.
Which was just how he liked it. Potential hidden from prying eyes.
Five Minutes Later:
"Hey, Raphtalia."
Naofumi looked down at the girl who was happily jumping around. Apparently she liked the change. He could understand why.
"No split ends, or frayed edges anymore. Much better. How do you feel?"
"Amazing!"
He chuckled.
"Good."
Nodding his thanks to the barber, he threw two silver down on the desk and led the girl out of the store. The errands were finally done and over with.
Time to grind.
Outside the Town Walls:
The duo walked past the open gate with little to no resistance. The guards had apparently not been notified that the Shield Hero was out of the castle. Granted, he was hiding his shield under his newly purchased cloth, but still. Naofumi half-expected Trash to have put a law out forbidding him from leaving, or something equally infuriating.
Small mercies, he supposed.
"Naofumi-sama?"
He turned to her.
"What is it?"
The girl looked around the open fields in confusion.
"What, um…" She poked her fingers together. "What are we doing here?"
He pointed towards a couple small orange balls in the distance.
"Those. They are called balloons and are incredibly easy to defeat. Since we're in a party together, we gain experience simultaneously. I'll be doing most of the fighting here to show you how it works at first, then I'll let you take over." He handed her the bag holding the sheathed dagger. "Since I'm the shield hero I can't actually use weaponry, so I'll just be punching them for now. Against most enemies, that's fine, but a lot of the stronger ones I'll need someone to help me. Your sword, or in this case dagger, comes into play, then."
Raphtalia nodded slowly along to his explanation. It fell in line with what he had told her the other night. She watched as he approached the floating balls with confidence in his steps. Then he punched it.
It exploded.
She gasped.
"How…?"
He cocked his head to the side at the question.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"How did you do that!?"
He grinned at her awestruck expression.
"Training. Lots of it." He continued punching them without any visible exertion. "Some friends of mine helped me get as strong as I am. To the point that enemies below a certain threshold can do little but blow up when I punch them. Like these guys here."
Raphtalia stared in wonder as he continued popping the balloons. She had no idea how long she watched him dance around the small enemies with ease, but she didn't care. She enjoyed watching him fight.
Her master was so amazing!
Three Hours Later:
Raphtalia's ears wiggled as she watched her master examine yet another leaf. She stared as his frown became more pronounced. Evidently, another failure. Though, she had yet to grasp what exactly he was looking for.
"Um, Naofumi-sama…?"
Naofumi blinked at the address. Looking up from his handiwork he watched as she bit her lip nervously.
"What's up, Raphtalia? Did you have a question?"
She nodded her head slowly, still trying to adapt to having a master that wouldn't abuse her for asking.
"Ano, I was just curious…" she pointed at the discarded foliage around his body. "What are you doing? Is there something important about these plants…?"
Naofumi felt like facepalming. He took for granted that Raphtalia was once more a child and had forgotten to explain things to her. Curiosity was to be expected.
"I have a decent bit of knowledge when it comes to medicine, and how to cure illness. I've… had some practice." He chuckled at the self-jab. "That being said, I've been trying to find the perfect blend of medicinal herbs in the area to cure your cold from the root source. I could whip up a temporary remedy to halt your affliction with the plants here, but I'd rather just wait and craft one that will taper it off completely."
He paused in his examination of a certain leaf, a small smile wrapping its way across his face at what he found. First of the three required ingredients.
"I got it. Let's move on to the next section of the forest."
Ruffling her hair as he passed, he missed the widening of the girl's eyes.
'He's out here, taking so much time out of his day to help… me…?' The girl was stunned. One foot in front of the other, she followed him in a hobbled daze. 'He's doing so much for me… and all I did was pop a couple balloons that I know he could have done himself. He purposefully kept me from the stronger enemies, so that I could prepare myself for the blood. What am I doing here? Is this really okay…?'
For the first time in her life as a slave she began to question if she was worthy of her master. She felt like a burden. He'd spent resources; money and time on her, just to make sure she was okay. Happy. Yet, what had she really done for him?
'Nothing. I can't do anything for him.'
Yet.
Her eyes widened at the realization.
'I can't do anything for him yet. But I can. If I just train hard. Harder than what he was letting me do, then…' A shine reflected in her eyes. Determination deep within her orbs. 'I will work as hard as I can to be the sword Naofumi-sama asked me to be. I'll work hard. Harder than he was gonna ask me to. I'll make sure to repay him for his infinite kindness and…'
'And then no one will ever take him away from me.'
"Naofumi-sama?"
Naofumi blinked at the sudden address. Lost in thought as he was, he hadn't noticed any change in her behaviour. Cocking his head to the side he motioned for her to speak.
"I just wanted to say that I'll work hard to become your sword, Naofumi-sama." She put her hand to her chest in a pledge, forcefully stopping herself from coughing. "I will do anything to get stronger and help you. Even if it means having to fight enemies that bleed… I want to be useful to you. So, please let me train more, master!"
Naofumi blinked. His tirade cutting off any prior thought process. He did not remember Raphtalia acting like this until the first wave hit. Granted, he was out of it for most of that time, but he could still recall when she recited a very similar pledge to him just before the monsters arrived. He never expected something like this now, though. What brought this on?
Frowning slightly at the declaration, he got down to her level and looked her in the eye.
"Raphtalia, as happy as it makes me that you want to get stronger, faster; the last thing I want is for you push yourself. Or, to lose yourself."
The girl was puzzled. What did he mean by lose yourself?
Naofumi, sensing her confusion, began to elaborate.
"What I mean is: don't lose who you are as a person in a quest to get stronger." He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a soft smile, reserved only for a select few. She blushed at seeing it. He looked so handsome. "I'm fine with helping you level up. In fact, hearing that you want to do so makes me incredibly proud. Just don't feel like you have to push yourself for my sake. And never ever feel like you have to do something against your morals for my sake either, okay? Rage can be a terrible thing; so I'm going to need you to keep me grounded, at times."
Now she was beyond lost.
"You're proud of me and want me to train, but at the same time, you don't?" The little girl pouted. "You're not making any sense!"
Her temper tantrum did little but cause him amusement. Chuckling at the expression adorning her face, he lightly patted her head before standing back up.
"You just focus on staying the sweet little girl I know you are, and I'll help you improve from there, okay?" He pointed through a small opening between some trees. "Now, come on. Let's keep going. I want to get the remaining ingredients before it gets too dark. I paid for our room at the inn, and I intend on making it back there on time."
Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and continued on his way. Raphtalia's pout deepened at his response. She was happy he cared about her so much, but she felt conflicted about the rest of his speech.
'He doesn't want me to lose myself?' Her expression dropped as she ran back up to him. 'What does that mean?'
Four Hours Later - The Inn:
"Here, drink this."
Raphtalia looked at the cup of green… something, that was handed to her. It was more solid than what she would describe as liquid and certainly didn't appear overly appetizing. He smirked at her expression.
"What's wrong? Could it be that the big bad girl who wants to fight monsters, can't drink a simple cup of medicine?" He sighed and began to slowly take it back. "I guess that just proves you're not ready. It's okay. You're just a child, after all-!"
"Give it to me!"
Naofumi held back the shit-eating grin that threatened to spread across his face as the girl chugged the remedy. Watching with amusement as the girl choked and forced it all down, he gently took the cup from her hands and began rubbing her back.
"Good job. I know that wasn't fun." She turned away with a pout. "Okay, very not fun. Still, you did it. I promise a good night's sleep and you'll feel much better. By the afternoon tomorrow, your cough should be completely gone. All other issues should clear up shortly thereafter."
Raphtalia felt her mouth open in awe. Her master made such an incredible concoction using nothing more than a bowl and some weird mashing instrument? He really was amazing!
"Er, is there something on my face?"
"Eep!"
The girl jumped at the realization that she had been staring and turned to look at the floor in apparent interest. Naofumi wasn't fooled but decided not to push.
"Did you want to have a soak before bed? We have a bath, might as well use it."
Her ears perked up.
"Can I?"
He didn't answer verbally, instead motioning to the bathroom. She smiled brightly and quickly hurried in. Naofumi sighed as he lay back on the bed. Finally, some peace and quiet for him to think about his next move.
'So tomorrow is when Trash and Bitch begin their crusade against me. I think I have everything set up on the off-chance I can't avoid having her join me.' Naofumi frowned. 'I'm pretty certain I could escape them completely, but maybe it's best I don't? If I try and evade them entirely they could craft some brand new plan that I had no time to prepare for. I guess it makes more sense for me to just let things go as they initially did, for now.'
He sighed.
What a pain.
"Still, she'll be in for one hell of a surprise tomorrow. And if they don't stop what they're doing, they'd all best prepare for one rude awakening."
Naofumi stretched with a groan before relaxing into the mattress. A quick nap might do him some good.
He was out within seconds.
"I'm done, Naofumi-sama!"
A bubbly demi-human jumped out of the bathroom with a wide smile as she looked for her master. A quick scan later, and she noted he was laying on the bed with his eyes closed.
"Oh, sorry…"
She decided to stay quiet as she scanned the room for a place to sleep. There was only one bed though. Did he intend for her to sleep on the floor? Given how kind he was to her the entire day, she doubted that was the case.
Would he mind if she joined him, then?
'Probably not.'
Decision made, she quietly made her way onto the opposite side of the bed and pulled the blanket up to her. Before laying back, she took a quick look at her masters' sleeping face; a fond smile making its way to her lips. She simply couldn't believe how much her luck had turned around. In a single day she went from feeling like she would, and should, die at any moment, to being cared for by the kindest human she could ever recall meeting.
She felt loved.
"Goodnight, Naofumi-sama."
Raphtalia whispered next to his ear as she curled up on her side of the bed comfortably. The days events caught up to her and she felt her eyes begin to grow heavy just as a hand suddenly began weaving itself through her hair.
"Night, Raphtalia."
She couldn't stop the blush that found its way onto her cheeks.
Nor the smile that remained on her face all throughout the night.
Side Note (About Raphtalia): Before anyone asks, Raphtalia is not gonna become some super crazy yandere don't worry:P. (When I was editing her scenes I could see if some people may get mislead by that.) She will be a bit more attached a bit quicker though. :)
Side Note (About Malty): I've had a couple people ask me what my plans are regarding her. I won't spoil anything, but she will show up in the next chapter, and I do definitely want to go about things differently. :) It won't be like the Ambition of the Red Princess (brilliantly written fic by the way. Far better than I could ever do!), as that works off the premise that she had a different personality since the start. Naofumi just went back in time. She won't suddenly change like that. But don't worry :D you'll see!
A/N: I wanted to apologize for this being a few weeks later than intended. I initially wanted this story to have short chapters and be updated like once a month? Entirely doable. Buttttt I work at retail and kinda had some serious issues at work, which during Black Friday season is shit and now I have to look for work elsewhere .. Just handed in my two weeks today actually :P. Was a bit stressful, so fanfic writing wasn't really at the front of my mind. I'm sorry guys. I'm working on the next chapter as we speak ^_^. (Also I said in an earlier chapter I finished the first few chapters. That wasn't actually true… I only drafted them up xD. I still had to write em. Didn't even realize I wrote it that way. Apologies also for that misleading statement. Wasn't my intention.)
Let me know how this chapter went! Your support is incredible and I love reading your reviews :D