272Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter and providing feed backs.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
Cross posted on AO3, for anyone who prefer that site.
Eclair Seaetto, the exonerated and reclaimed heiress to House Seaetto, descendant of the Old Boletaria Kingdom, stood nervously before Count Valentine Winchester. The noble title she inherited from her Father places her higher on the rank than the knight lord across her. But her realm is in complete ruin, while Count Winchester's land was well preserved from all three Waves that have happened so far, and the rebellion caused by the Three Heroes' Church. The count has a good, almost student to mentor relationship to her Father back during the Great War considering he was still mostly a boy at the time, but she isn't sure she can call on that connection. The different attitude towards demi-humans between House Winchester and House Seaetto is well known, that's why one is set right in the heart of Crownland, and the other is on the farest reach of the northern border. The only survivor of House Seaetto decided to take a much more cautious approach. "You have summoned me, Count Winchester?"
"Do not act like a stranger, Eclair. I understand our families have grown apart since The Great War. But there was a time when your Father, Sir Uther, was more like a Father to me than my own deadbeat of a dad who got himself killed the first chance he had. That makes me practically your older brother! And that gives me the right to pamper you, just a little. Sit down, have a drink, if you would like." The count is much more eager by contrast as he warmly Waves his hand to Eclair, and points his finger at the chair around his table. Eclair took the seat, but not the drink that was offered. "Not much of a drinker, huh? Your Father was the same. I still remember him forsworn any luxury, citing them not fit for the life of a paladin."
"I do not quite live up to my Father's standard." Eclair gives a slight incline of her head, not quite sure what to make of Count Winchcester's unexpected acts of eagerness. She might have observed a lot of the courtly dealings while fostered under the royal family, but she never took to them. Preferred to dedicate herself to knightly pursuit and martial excellence instead.
"To live as a saint, or a hermit is a life choice one makes on their own. It should not be forced upon them by someone else. Even when that someone else is one's Father." Count Winchester Waves his hand at Eclair, showing a slight distaste towards certain attitudes of Eclair's Father. She doesn't really agree with him, since the life of a paladin does require one to be away from the temptation of an easy life. But she doesn't voice her disagreement openly. She knew that much about courtly life, at the least. "But I haven't called you here today because I want to discuss the philosophical difference I have with your Father. You do know I earned a bit of reputation from my impulsive action back in The Great War, no?"
Chapter 1: The Game Begins Anew
"Yes. You are known as one of the Four Riders of Melromarc together with my Father, Lord Ludwig, and Lord Elric. People call you the fearless, or The Knight with No Fear with how you always charge ahead into the enemy's formation at the front of the force you command." Eclair wasn't too sure where Count Winchester is going with bringing up his exploit from the time of The Great War, so she simply follows his trail of thought and recites what she knows.
"I picked up my father's warhammer and smashed the head of the animal who slew him, and I never stopped to look back. He was a deadbeat for sure, but he's still my father. And even those Siltvelt animals know nine generations of grudge and hatred can still be settled. But your father was the reason I was fearless. Because I know the Lightbringer would always watch my back, so I need not to fear attack from behind, and knew someone will be there to take over command of my men should I fall. And now ... I hope you could do the same for my own son." Eclair blinks her eyes, and finally realizes the intention behind Count Winchester's words. "I'm not a good father. I taught Cardin more through the bad habits I developed through The Great War than anything else. That's why I want someone like you, the very example of how a Melromarc knight should conduct themselves to mentor my own son. Making sure he stays on the right path, and gives him a hand if he falls into a pit of his own making."
Privately, Eclair wants to politely reject Lord Winchester's offer. She had heard the reputation of Cardin Winchester here and there, and knew he was more than a little arrogant for someone of mediocre skill, and can be a bit of a bully to those he considers beneath him. It almost reminded her of a certain backstabbing thug from the Bow Hero's group. But then, she thinks more about the situation. Would it not also be part of her duty to make sure other knights of Melromarc stay on the path of righteousness? And even in the worst case, she can make sure Count Winchester's son behaves if he's under her command, and punish accordingly if he acts out of term. With her mind made, she bows down to the Lord of House Winchester. "I accept your proposal, Lord Valentine. I shall make sure your son becomes the very example of how a Melromarc knight should strive to be."
"Excellent. Cardin! Come out here, you little shit!" With a few loud claps of his hands, Eclair hears the door open as someone's metal boots make a few heavy clanks on the wooden floor before he steps onto the carpet. The loud sound and creaking of the wooden board suggest the person is wearing heavy armor even at home, so that's at least one less thing for her to worry about. Even if the son of Count Winchester is hopeless otherwise, at least he is not a slothful scion who would resort to luxurious comfort at home.
Not too long after, a young man with the same orange colored hair as his Father in full, heavy plate walks up to her right side and gives her a polite bow. "Cardin Winchester, Lady Seaetto. I am yours to command from now onward."
"At ease, knight." Cardin straightened his back at Eclair's command. The newly ascended lady of House Seaetto is vaguely aware that common courtesy dictates that she shouldn't assert her power over Lord Valentine's son right in front of him. It would look like an act of showing dominance against the whole House Winchester. But she's not someone who is savvy enough in politics to care about these unwritten rules. And as Cardin's commanding officer, she wants to make her rules perfectly clear to the arrogant young noble knight. It would also give Count Winchester a clear indication on how she is going to 'take care' of his son so there's no misconception. "I will make it very clear now that you are under my command, Sir Cardin. Bullying, and using your rank to oppress others will not be tolerated. As a knight, or as a noble. We are to protect and serve our people, not using our power to oppress them."
"As you command." The young man slightly inclined his head. If he disagrees, or is annoyed by Eclair's rule, he doesn't show it on his face.
"I see you are indeed the right man for the job, Eclair. I can truly rest easy, knowing that my son will be learning from you." Lord Valentine nods his head, looking pleased at Eclair's declaration. "I do still have some parting words to my son before he, and his fellow knights join your company. If you would not mind, I have prepared a demigryph for you, as your personal steed from now onward."
"You do not need to pay me for this task, Count Winchester. It's my duty as a knight of Melromarc to make sure my fellow knights live up to the standard of knighthood." Eclair turns her heel around to face Lord Valentine once again. "I would be glad to make sure no other knights of this nation become like that thug from Bow Hero's party: A backstabbing bully, and scum who will betray anyone for his own gain."
"It is not payment for the service you render me, Lady Eclair. Although I certainly would be diverting some resources to help you revive your land and settle your people. Think of it as me doing my part to help you live up to your full potential, and keeping you safe. I'm sure there are situations where you have to fight on foot, but a knight is still expected to fight on the back of their steed in an open field. And a good, powerful beast you share a loyal bond with can make you fight with the strength of ten men. Think of it as me paying my debt back to you for all the times your father saved my life in The Great War." Once again, Lord Valentine Waves his large hand and dismisses Eclair's attempt to turn down his offer. "That is, unless you already have a trusted steed for yourself."
"No I don't, Count Winchester." Eclair shakes her head, she has to admit, the prospect of getting a steed as powerful as a demigryph is a powerful temptation for a knight as herself. And it would certainly be very helpful to support the heroes, no matter which one of them will remain in Melromarc. In the end, she relent with another incline of her head. "I thank you for being such a gracious host, Count Winchester. When you put it this way... it would be hypocritical, and pretentious for me to turn down your kindness. Very well. I shall take the steed you offered me, so I may serve this nation, and the heroes better and defend our people against the Wave. I shall go to the stable to get familiar with my new steed, while you have some final words with your son."
"Tsk, I thought she'd never leave." Cardin's eyes wandered away from the door of his Father's study after Eclair's exit. He turns to look at his Father from the corner of his eyes, an almost mocking smirk on his face. "Aren't you laying down a little too thick, pops? Not only are you having me take command from an animal lover, you are even giving one of our precious demigryphs to her for bribery?"
"Don't let me hear you disrespecting her when I'm not around, you little shit. If that 'animal lover' is even half the man his father was, she'll be ten times the man you'll ever be." Count Winchester glares at his son through his narrowed eyes. He begins to click his fingers on his own desk. "Our queen might want her younger daughter to succeed, but Princess Melty is still too young. Princess Malty has advantage in her being an adult, and the number of martial achievements she already completed while working with the Shield Hero. Who is clearly only keeping her as a slave to keep her away from King Egbert's grasp. Anyone with eyes can tell the Shield Hero is completely enamored with her, so the succession war between our queen's two daughters hasn't been decided yet. And every family in Melromarc worth a damn, be they nobility, or new money will want a hand in supporting their future queen before her ascension to cultivate favor with the next ruler. And no, I am no exception to the rule."
"And that'll be my job while I take command from that animal lover. Build a relationship with her, and through her, cultivate some favor from our currently enslaved, yet rising first princess. For the good of House Winchester." Cardin gives a sly smile to his Father. "Don't worry, pops. I know what to say in front of other people. I won't make you look bad. But are you sure the Shield Hero, and our illustrious first princess would even stay in Melromarc? We are supposed to give away three, if not all four heroes when our righteous queen brings them to Cal Mira Island for the world conference, remember?"
"That's the spirit, you little shit. I know you won't. You are a Winchester, someone meant to fight war. Just watch for what you say to people, and you'll do fine." Lord Valentine stands up from his chair, walks around his desk and reaches his hand over to his son. His finger ruffles Cardin's short hair. "As for the heroes... surely even you know the Shield Hero's attitude towards all the political filorial dung the nobility have been throwing around? What will be his thought once he sees how the nobles and rulers from the Hero Conference would behave?"
Across Melromarc, a similar scene plays out within every family of some significance. At the same time in the Schnee family manor. Weiss stands before her father across his desk. Jacques didn't even bother to look at his daughter, choosing to focus on the documents laid before him on his desk. Combing over all the business contracts, and balancing sheet. The sound of his expansive monarch filorial quill makes as it glides over the parchments are quiet, yet to Weiss they feel like sharp knives cutting through her mind. Finally, the head of the Schnee family stops his work. "You have disappointed me, and brought shame to our family. Weiss. Out of all the people... why did you choose to antagonize the only surviving member of House Seaetto, and by extension, the first princess of our glorious nation?"
I didn't know who she was at the time. I was only trying to defend our family's honor, like you told me to. Weiss did not voice her own thoughts on the incident. She knows Father would not look kindly upon it. "I make no excuses for my actions, Father. If only you would give me a chance, I will fix my mistake and cultivate favors for our family. All four heroes are now sanctified by both the Three Heroes' Church, and the Four Heroes Church. This makes them open to officially recruit their own retinue. The Spear Hero is well known for being a skirt chaser. I can easily ingratiate myself into his party, and through him, forge a connection with Crown Princess Melty."
"Good suggestion... not what I was thinking, but you are right about one thing. You will fix your own mistakes." Weiss still doesn't dare to raise her head, but she can hear her Father leaving his ancient holywood chair. "You will offer yourself to the Shield Hero's group, and seek to repair the Schnee family's damaged relationship to both Lady Seaetto, and the first princess. Meanwhile, I will pull some strings with our business deals with House Amelia, concede some... profit to them to have Whitley join the retinue of Princess Melty. Everyone can tell the 'betrothal' she has with that damn bird raised by the Spear Hero is a farce. And with them closer in age... we might be able to forge a family tie with the crown princess through Whitley."
Weiss hated the idea. On how her younger brother, who had done nothing to deserve the chance, is now going to be with the much popular younger princess, and the one who has her mother's favor. While not only is she going to have to work on the maligned elder princess who had been made a slave, but also have to work to salvage whatever relationship Schnee family might have with both the Shield Hero, and the last Seaetto. But she knows voicing her displeasure would do nothing but earn her Father's ire, so she bows her head even lower and tries to not let her voice sound like it comes through gritted teeth. "As you wish, Father."
At House Consevatie's family manor. Lord Grima is trying his best not to trash everything in his study. He always knew his son could be brash and over-confident. Yet, even in his wildest imagination, he had never thought that his son could have turned into that... that insane creature that lacked any semblance of intelligence. At the time, he was only making an excuse about how his son must have been possessed by some unspeakable creature outside of their world to save his own skin. But thinking back, that might as well be the truth.
The cultural minister of glorious Melromarc takes a deep breath as he forcefully calms himself. He hears the sound of the door creaking as two figures step into his study. But only a single, melody-like voice addressed him. "You have summoned us, Father?"
"The action and words of your foolish brother have truly put our house into a precarious position, my daughter. Our family's reputation is in tatters. While her majesty, Queen Mirellia would still need my service to help her rule the land, I'm afraid it will be up to the two of you to reclaim our family's honor." Once again, he hears a single half surprised, half horrified gasp. But unfortunately for Lord Grima, it was not from the one he had hoped. Biting back a sign, he turns his body around to look at his daughters.
The first thing the cultural minister, and the Lord Paramount of Jagged Reach, north eastern province of glorious Melromarc notice is how disorderly both the dress, and the hairstyle of his younger daughter looks. He fights back the urge to groan at Flare's unfashionable sight. He didn't care much about what his youngest does in her spare time, just like how he never bothered to stop his younger brother's side activity involving young slaves. But he had expected that she has either the smarts, or common decency to not mess around with some enslaved pretty boy so shortly after her brother's condemnation? There is no excuse for her not knowing the situation her own family is in now that it's days after the queen's return, and her brother's incarceration. Clearly, he overestimated his younger daughter.
By contrast, his older daughter Lacus is the complete opposite to Flare. Immaculately graceful and neat, and exclude the purity of a fabled saint from inside out. Yet, the coldness in her crystal clear eyes always scared Lord Grima. He always feels like he is staring at some kind of eldritch abomination in the form of a young girl, rather than his own daughter despite her act of obedience. Most people believe himself to be a male supremacist for wanting to have his son inherit his title rather than his daughter as per Melromarc tradition. But that's only partially correct. The other side... is simply how much his elder daughter unnerves him. As for her younger daughter... Well, it's not like Flare will amount to anything other than maybe being a trophy wife for some mid ranked noble to forge more ties for her family. A true elite, if she's lucky to catch one with her beauty before they notice her vapid inside.
At this moment, Lacus opens her mouth, and lets out her song-like voice. "Fear not, Father. I shall endear myself to both her grace Crown Princess Melty, and Lord Spear Hero. Soon, the people of glorious Melromarc will forget the missteps my older brother caused to the Consevatie name."
"Wa- wait a minute here, Lacus! Shouldn't you, as the elder work towards winning over Princess Malty. Who is also older? Surely you aren't leaving this much more difficult task to your beloved younger sister?!" Flare whips her head around to look at her elder sister. Her wide open eyes and mouth betrays her desperation. While she strives to emulate her older sister's graceful and kind mannerism, the younger daughter of Marquis Grima still has a long way to go to achieve the perfect mask maintained by Lacus. Lord Consevatie has little doubt that his elder daughter could stare at death itself without breaking her facade. Yet Flare lets her own image crumble as soon as she feels threatened, or in a position of advantage. It might be more than a little oxymoron for the good of his family, but Lord Grima actually prefers his younger daughter this way (same reason why he used to favor his son, before his idiocy had grown so gloriously incandescent that he utterly crushed and burned not only himself, but almost took the whole House Consevatie with him). It makes Flare feel more like a human than Lacus.
"From what I know of the former First Princess of Melromarc, you are just like her. You will be at home with Princess Malty, and you don't have to worry about anyone else from Lord Shield Hero's party. They accepted Malty after all." Lacus fully turns around to face her younger sister and stares Flare in the eyes. The action makes her younger sister flinch. "Princess Melty on the other hand, will be more complicated. She might be young and naive, and the Spear Hero might be a bit simple minded. But the impromptu trial held by Queen Mirellia had shown that he has the ability to see through complex problems on occasions. Not to mention, he will have Lady Iris of House Amelia as his prime advisor. The situation of Princess Melty's faction will be much more difficult for you to navigate through. I AM taking the more difficult task from you."
"Just... just do as Lacus says, Flare." Marquis Grima Consevatie slowly and heavily waves his hand, as if through molasses. His elder daughter might unnerve him, but he's not a fool to ignore her counseling when she makes the correct points. "We must all do our part for the greater good of our family."
The night before the formation of the four cardinal heroes' retinue is destined to be a sleepless one for a good number of Melromarc nobles. Those who seek to curtail favor from the heroes, and those who genuinely want to help them defend the world would both try to send young scions of their family into the heroes' retinue. But there is only so much time for them to call in favors or rig the odds. Soon, the moon falls over the horizon and the sun slowly raises up, and the new day begins again. Signaling the day that the queen of Melromarc would take the four cardinal heroes, and bring them to Cal Mira island where their fates will be discussed by the other leaders of the world.
As the first companion of the Shield Hero, Malty Sophia Melromarc didn't sleep well. She knows that the Shield Hero would be highly sought after by both Siltvelt, and Shiltfreeden. That was one of the main reasons why she betrayed her Father's original plan to frame him for crime, and instead became his (arguably) faithful companion instead. But now, this advantage has become a possible reason for her downfall. Being his slave and without any protection from her family, she would be expected to travel to the nations that's mostly populated by the beastman, or demi-human respectively. While her identity as the Shield Hero's personal property should in theory offer her some protection, it also means she will be seen as less than a man. All it takes for her to lose her life is for one impulsive, or overly arrogant beastman or demi-human who thinks they are allowed to do whatever they want with a former princess of Melromarc. Yes, Naofumi will be very angry afterwards, but it's not like she'd be aware of what it is on account of her being dead.
Needless to say, when Malty wakes up on the day of their departure, she feels even more lethargic than the Shield Hero who had his level reset back to one during the queen's impromptu trial. Who ends up spending every day afterwards training himself back up. She slowly gets up from her bed, and realizes both Naofumi and Raphtalia have already gotten up before her. Right now, the Shield Hero is helping their surrogate daughter wash her face. Naofumi seems to realize that she has woken up as he turns his face to look at her. "Malty! Did you have a bad dream? You were rolling around and making some noise last night."
"I'm a little worried about what'll happen in the Hero Conference, Master Naofumi. You don't have to worry about me." The princess turned slave rolls to her side, ready to get up from the bed. She nearly falls face first into the floor instead. Apparently, she was even more tired than she realized. Both the Shield Hero, and their surrogate daughter dashes the few steps over from the wash bucket to her.
"Don't worry, Malty. No matter what happens, I'm not letting anyone hurt you." Malty's eyes wander down to Naofumi's hands, and realizes he has balled up his fist. She feels like he hasn't even realized how much tension he's carrying within his body. "We have come too far since the Third Wave. I'm not going let any two cents politician, or self-serving nobles hurt you after we survived all those fuckers from the Three Heroes' Church."
"We might not have much choice in the saying." The princess turned slave appreciates Naofumi's concern for her, especially considering she had a hand in his misfortune during the church's failed coup. If only she has tried to be more honest with everyone from the start... perhaps Kyubey and Farkas would still be alive. Alas, it's too late to regret the actions she's already taken. "The nobility and rulers would keep their decorum, and pretend to respect you heroes. But they won't actually listen, and agree to all of your demands till you start to build up your reputation and power base. Right now, we are decidedly at a disadvantage."
"Yeah. It wasn't that long of that trial your mother held. I still remember how she brushed all of our concern and just brute forced all her decisions through." The Shield Hero nods his head, his empty hand unconsciously moves towards the legendary shield and brushes against its edge. The experience of losing his shield for an extended period of time, and then having all of his progress reset back to the starting point clearly left some trauma even if Naofumi tries his best to hide them to not worry any of his friends. "But no worry! It's not all bad. Zellus did say not to trust the stats sheet too much, so all of us had been intentionally keeping our levels low before Third Wave. Now that I know where my strength lies, I can start from the beginning and train myself right."
What Naofumi had said certainly wasn't a lie. He had already prioritized training his endurance and stamina the first time around by wearing increasingly ridiculous weight behind him. Now that he knows his strongest future arsenal (other than his defense capability, and his affinity for miracles) is a powerful fatal attack when Malty cast [Unstoppable Force] on him, and his [Crown Shield], both are massive drain to his stamina, he is doubling down on said training. He's intentionally wearing the heaviest set of armor available that doesn't drop him like a weight all the time, save for when he sleeps. And that's only because he doesn't want to crush the bed of the inn he's staying in to pieces as he sleeps, and have to pay the keeper for damage.
"Do you think ... Lord Isshin will be there?" Raphtalia's voice wavers, almost like she's merely speaking her thoughts without realizing it. The lost princess of Q'ten Lo quickly shakes her head, trying to act like it was only a slip up. "It's fine if he's there at Cal Mira island! I'm sure he wouldn't do anything even if he's standing next to me. I really shouldn't concern myself too much about myself when big sister Malty is already worried. I was just... wondering. He's... he's my only family left, isn't he? I wish he could be nice... but I mean, it's okay even if he's not! Because I already have Master Naofumi, and Big Sister Malty with me. I don't need another family."
"You matter as much as Malty. Don't bottle up all your worries, Raphtalia. It's not healthy." Naofumi and Malty both reach out with their arms and pull Raphtalia into a tight embrace. "Isshin better be ready to play nice even if he doesn't feel like it. Otherwise, I will be having a very unpleasant talk with Kael'thas."
"What Naofumi said, Raphtalia. But I'm sure you don't have to worry about Isshin in Cal Mira island." Both Naofumi and Raphtalia's eyes fall onto Malty with confusion, so she explains. "After Isshin brought the refugees of Q'ten Lo to Siltvelt and they became its fifty-seventh great clan, he developed a bit of a reputation of being a reclusive hermit, only making appearances when he really had to in his own city. And only appear in Siltvelt court when his service is called upon. I doubt he would willingly go to the Hero Conference and be looked at like some exotic exhibition by all the people gathered there."
Malty does take pride in not falling asleep in all of her lessons. She simply likes to focus only on the important part and ignore the boring, trivia matters. As Siltvelt's one of, if not the greatest living general, Isshin certainly deserves her recognition and attention. He was the one who saved Siltvelt at the end of The Great War when the tide of war began to turn against them after Faubley joined in after all.
With Raphtalia calmed down for now, it's time for Malty to wash and refresh herself. The three of them sit down to break their fast with Yuzus afterwards. It's a simple, and quiet affair considering this is the day when all four heroes are rallied together with the queen and take their trip to Cal Mira Island. The eternal neutral ground declared by the past legendary heroes, and where all the conferences between the most powerful leaders of the world take place. The particular one they will be attending will ultimately decide which nation gets to take, and support which one of the four cardinal heroes.
By the time they exited the inn they were staying at, the rest of Naofumi's retinue had already assembled themselves. Kael'thas and his Siltvelt warriors stand on one side, while Eclair and Melromarc fighters on the other side. Malty didn't miss how the lady of House Seaetto immediately takes a step towards her, subtly declaring her intention: Eclair might be part of Naofumi's retinue officially, but the one she is truly loyal to, and wishes to protect above everyone else is Melromarc's fallen first princess. Likewise, Baldy and Blue Eyes also let themselves fall behind Malty's steps, making their loyalty clear. Malty Sophia Melromarc might have lost her royal status officially, but there are still plenty who are loyal to her.
With two crispy chirps, two adult filorials are led to them from the inn's stable by Yatsuhashi, Naofumi's sworn shield. Neither has gained the ability to change into their humanoid forms yet, and considering how Firo turned out, Malty feels like it's a blessing. The Shield Hero smiles as he walks forward, and starts ruffling their feathers on their long necks. "Lori, Lial. How are you two doing today? Ready to go for a good run?"
"You chopped up 'Filorial' and used them as their names to intentionally mess with me, didn't you, Master Naofumi?" Malty snorts at the Shield Hero, who gives her a sly smirk without either confirming, or denying anything. In the end, she wasn't able to name the red bird after her dead friend because she belongs to Naofumi. She's honestly not as annoyed at it as she looks. And privately, she's glad to see these two birds are helping the Shield Hero recover from the way he lost Firo.
"My prince! We have been ambushed during our task!" A shrill, desperate sounding voice suddenly pierced the morning before Naofumi, or anyone else had a time to respond to Malty's rhetorical question. Everyone turns their eyes and attention towards the street, and sees three rangers from the phoenix clan running towards them. All of them have blood seeping through the cut of their armor. The one at the front has platinum blonde hair, and a makeshift piece of bandage is made out of ripped cloth wrapped around his head over his left eye. Malty tries to comb through her own memory to remember who these people are. They must have been under some important task the phoenix prince gave them, yet she can't remember any of them.
While Naofumi immediately jumps to cast healing miracles on them, Kael'Thas solemnly stares at the men running towards him for a few moments before opening his mouth. His question surprises Malty. "...who are you?"
"Who am I!?" The one-eyed ranger at the front takes a step back, looking completely stumped by Kael'Thas' question as Malty currently feels. "I'm Lor'themar Theron! The captain of your rangers!"
"...you are?" Kael'thas takes another long pause, before voicing his question once again. Malty hasn't been around the cocksured, almost arrogant phoenix prince for that long, but this is definitely the most unsure she has ever heard of him.
"Wait, we have a captain?!" Before the indignant looking self-proclaimed leader of the phoenix rangers voices his dismay, one of the rangers behind him blurts out his own confusion. "I thought all of us rangers just do whatever we want to complete our tasks without a commander over us."
The self-proclaimed captain let out a beastly, frustrated scream and ran away. Meanwhile, the other ranger steps forward and begins to account for what happened to get them in the current state. "We barely made our way past Stormwind when we met a group of adventurers consisting of two young men, barely older than boys, and an even younger girl. They also have an older, mature woman with long, dark blue hair wielding a polearm and an elderly woman with them. The leader of their group saw Lady Firo we were carrying, asked us about what happened to her and attacked us without warning. Their two elder members cut us down before we realized what's happening, and took away Lady Firo."
"What?! You mean Firo got TAKEN?!" Naofumi immediately went from utterly bamboozled by the (admittedly bizarre) exchange between Kael'thas and that self-proclaimed ranger captain to crazy with worry. He instinctively runs forward at the wounded survivor, and looks like he's going to throttle the poor guy. Raphtalia immediately changes into her adult form, and does her best to hold back the Shield Hero, so does Malty. "Who could have done it?! And what would they want with FIRO!?"
"It wouldn't have been some random adventurer who can take down a full team of my rangers. Their mission was to escort Lady Firo to Zeltoble and continue protecting her until you have a chance to go yourself. They would know disengaging any hostility is the first priority." Kael'thas narrows his eyes as he turns his sight on his wounded rangers once again. "Do not spare any details on what your assailants look like. We must figure out who took the daughter of our king, and what might be their purpose."
"We have a good reason to suspect their leader, a young man with features of Kyutenrou people as our king, is a hero." The first ranger, who wondered out loud about the identity of the platinum haired ranger replies. "While most of our brethren were slew by their older members, I did notice how his weapon changed from a knife to a hatchet mid battle in a brief flash of light."
"A knife changed into a hatchet... that's two very different weapon types. I think what the rangers saw was a throwing knife transformed into a throwing axe. Because out of the vassal heroes, the Throwing Weapon hero would have the most versatile and wide selection when it comes to weapon forms." Malty narrows her eyes at this revelation as she turns to look at both Naofumi, and Prince Kael'thas. "There's also a chance that the assailant might have casted an illusion, or some kind of flash trick coupled with a sleight of hand to trick. Possibly to frame the Throwing Weapon Hero, or whoever has the legendary weapon for a crime they didn't commit."
"The legendary throwing Weapon is currently in the possession of the Zeltoble Alliance. After The Great War, we 'conceded' it to the free city of Zeltoble as part of the treaty for peace. Last I heard, a hero was summoned due to the current Wave of destruction we are facing. But information gathering is not my duty, so I only heard it from gossip and official reports released by the four Raven Lords." Prince Kael'thas rubs his fingers across his chin, both thinking out loud, and letting Naofumi know about the situation. Malty of course, has to fight back the urge to roll her eyes. What the phoenix prince meant by Siltvelt conceding one of their hero weapons to Zeltoble due to the peace treaty, is simply them unable to forcefully reclaim it at the end of The Great War after giving up all their conquered land outside of Siltvelt border. "As for the possibility of someone framing Zeltoble for the kidnapping of Lady Firo, that is also possible. But I wonder what purpose it would be for."
"For anyone who is trying to take a cardinal hero, framing another nation to make them look bad in front of Master Naofumi would be an accomplishment on their own." Malty narrows her eyes at Kael'thas. The phoenix prince didn't try to rebuke her, and his own eyes suddenly narrowed as if remembered something. Malty may have been reduced to a slave, but the instinct she gained from observing her parents' court certainly wasn't lost. "Is there something you would like to share with us, Prince Kael'Thas?"
"It's shameful for me to admit... but if someone tried to frame Zeltoble for kidnapping Lady Firo, it could even be people from my own nation." The phoenix prince didn't look at Malty. Rather, he is currently staring at Naofumi with a regretful look. "There are certain elements from Siltvelt that aren't as loyal as our rightful king as they should be. We Vermilis get the bad reputation due to the blatantly treacherous actions of the Kingtaker, but other great clans all have their own traitors who only seek to use our rightful king to grow their own power. If they find an opportunity to frame a possible competitor to increase the chance for my king to choose Siltvelt, they will do it. Holding Lady Firo as a bargaining chip to force my king to come to Siltvelt would be another advantage. Although that would most likely be their last resort, if they don't want to draw comparison of the Kingtaker on themselves."
"So it turns out I really wasn't being too paranoid, or being prejudiced against you guys when I refused to go to Siltvelt. There really are bad people who want to harm me. No different from Melromarc." The head of the proud phoenix prince hangs low as Naofumi stares at him. The Shield Hero shakes his head, and looks at the survived rangers again. "Let's stop overthinking ourselves to retard this one character who might be another hero. What does the rest of his party look like?"
"He has a pair of young followers, possibly siblings, from the white tiger clan. I know they weren't some lowly cat, or even a regular tiger demi-human who dyed their hair, or wore a wig to hide their identity." The ranger bows his head low just like his prince, as he continues to recount the members of their ambushers. "While the boy was more focused on hanging back and protecting the Throwing Weapon Hero, the girl charged forward immediately. I can feel the aura of a divine beast from her that makes me want to kneel and give up resisting, even if she didn't fight for long. I... admittedly couldn't tell if they are full blood white tigers, or if one of their parents was a human. The power from the girl suggests that not only is she pure of birth, her parents were also from the main branch. And I don't recognize any of them from any huge social event from Siltvelt. But with a hero's ability to unlock anyone's full potential, I could not be so sure.``
Naofumi casts his eyes to Prince Kael'Thas. The phoenix prince didn't need a verbal prompt to explain things. "What my man described is one of the innate abilities of the white tiger clan. The aura of the king. Those of the tiger descent are solitary by nature, but the main family of their clan had adopted a large family unit similar to the nobility of the human nations. And among them, only those in control can grow their kingly aura to bring out their full power."
The Shield Hero looks to Malty next. He didn't immediately say anything, and his eyes look slightly glazed over like he's in a thinking trance. So the princess turned slave didn't say anything to interrupt him. After a few beats, his sight becomes more focused on her and Naofumi speaks first. "Malty. Didn't you say there's a rumor about the white tiger leader having a mistress somewhere else. And that's what caused people to think Sophia's mom was committing adultery? Do you think maybe the rumor was true? Just not with Sophia?"
"You think this pair of siblings are the real bastard given birth by the late clan head of the white tigers. And they are found by the possible Throwing Weapon Hero?" Malty's brain also begins to spin around now she's reminded by Naofumi. She has to admit, she herself had completely forgotten about this 'minor' detail she brought up when explaining what happened to the Ascart family to cause Count Dan losing his position as the queen's aid. "That's certainly possible. Even if they are bastards, their Father would still be one of the most inner core members of their clan. And with a hero's ability to bring out anyone's potential, they could become powerful in a very short period of time despite any possible lack of skill, or real combat experience."
"Their power would be needed if we are fighting a war with this Burning Legion... if they are willing to cooperate. But if they, or their master is only fighting for themselves and that's why they took Firo, perhaps we could use this lack of skill and experience like Zellus said..." Naofumi's eyes wander off to the side as he brushes his finger across his nose. He shuts his eyes and shakes his head after a while. "What a mess, and what a headache. The world might be ending, and I don't even know who to trust other than my friends. Continue. You said their two oldest members killed most of your fellow rangers?"
"Well... technically only one of their older members killed my fellow rangers. The elderly lady took us all down before we knew what happened. But she simply beat us down without harming us. it's the other woman who killed my fellow. She had long blue hair that's dark enough to be mistaken for black reaching all the way down her back. And she wields a long polearm, while lightning arcs dance all around her weapon, and even her body." The ranger takes a short pause, his eyes wanders away to Raphtalia's direction for a brief moment.
"That woman you are talking about. She wouldn't be about this tall... with a chest about this big, is she?" The lost princess of Q'ten Lo suddenly takes three steps forward, and she begins to move her hand to describe a fairly tall woman with a chest well endowed enough to make Malty feel inferior. Thankfully, with the way Raphtalia cups her hands in front of her own chest, it seems like this hypothetical woman still can't compare to a certain female blacksmith they met back in the city of Trumpet.
"Yes. That's about what she looks like, milady." The survivor ranger confirms Raphtalia's question. It makes her wobble back a few steps. The raccoon girl looks ready to faint, so Malty and Naofumi both reach their hand out to steady her.
"That's... that must be big sister Sadeena. Why did she help kidnap Firo?! She should know not to go against the Shield Hero! She knew how much I looked up to the Shield Hero even before I met Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia's voice begins to break. It's hard to tell if she's that shocked about her protector going against the hero she is helping, or if she's influenced by her adult form once again.
"She could have no idea that Firo was with me. Or maybe she had no choice, and she was enslaved by that supposed 'hero'." Naofumi's brown twists together as he drums his finger on Raphtalia's shoulder. "If that guy really was a hero, we'll see him at Cal Mira Island. If not... we'll have to find out who is trying to frame Zeltoble. Regardless, we won't achieve anything by making wild guesses. Let's not keep the rest of the diplomatic party waiting. We'll find some answers once we get to Cal Mira Island."
End Note:
So, we are officially at a new beginning. Sort of. I could have carried on with [Ambition of the Red Princess] as originally planned. But as this first chapter of the sequel shows, I'm using a new structure.
While I have always intended to put more emphasis on the characters, and character interactions than Alenko did for canon, making the first story into a more personal story for Malty wasn't what I planned from the start. She was meant as an unreliable narrator and observer for the actual protagonist at the start, but my blunder in chapter 3, and Comrade Broseph (Press F to show him respect) convincing me to roll with my mistake (a theme I'm sure you guys notice I been following as the story progressed) made me realize the version of Malty I accidently wrote had more interesting character arc than Naofumi, and had turned Ambition into a more character focused story.
But my aspiration for writing in Rising of the Shield Hero fandom had always been to making a political & war epic set in an Isekai genre (RotSH, in concept actually has a good foundation to support it if Alenko had put more effort into fleshing out the world) in the similar vein to GRRM's [A Song of Ice and Fire], or my own personal reference point, [Romance of the Three Kingdoms].
So having the entire story told through Malty's perspective with only omake and interlude from other character's POV simply wouldn't work anymore for the sequel. Which is why I decided to conclude [Ambition of the Red Princess] and carry on the story with a sequel. It works as I close off the first story at the end of Three Heroes Church Saga. Not only was it a storyline I considered from canon as worth salvaging in its entirety (I'd say RotSH dropped off the cliff after this point, but that falsely implied I think it had a high point to begin with. It's more accurate to say RotSH's concept is great, but the actual story Alenko told was below water at the start, and then dropped into the Mariana Trench post 3HC Saga), it also fits Malty's personal character development from a self-trained sociopath who only cared about her own ambition (heh) to someone who is starting to see the consequences of her action to feel her responsiblity, and slowly developed more into an anti-hero.
Which isn't to say Malty won't change as a character in this sequel. But the majority of her character tranformation was already done in [Ambition of the Red Princess], and her character journey in this story would be more on her building her own competence, and sense of a duty as a future leader. But other characters (I think) would definitely go through more drastic character change than her.
Editor's Note:
Welcome, one and all, to the sequel series to Ambition of the Red Princess! Just as you enjoyed the growing maturity of our formerly hated Malty S. Melromarc, let us see how well she will do under pressure, as she works her way to "redemption" and heroism. She's made it all this way to seek leadership, but leadership is something to be maintained in times of great strife as well.
The introduction of more famous faces into the story, currently Lacus Clyne, and Flare from Redo of Healer, couldn't have been more fortuitous, with the eventual release of the Gundam SEED FREEDOM movie one month from this writing (January 26th, 2024). Gundam SEED DESTINY has long been hated over the past two decades, and while some may not see the long-awaited movie as catharsis, we assure you, the way we handle these characters will.
We will be more than happy to show you how Malty's character arc will further evolve, and showcase the many challenges she will face in the quest to become the next ruler of Melromarc and beyond. For that, we hope you will stay tuned in the years to come.
-AceTriad