Virtue of the Shield Hero: Two

For one, the desk and chairs Melty normally used for her meetings had been relocated elsewhere. Instead, there were two couches facing each other, with a coffee table set in between them.

Motoyasu sat in the center of one of the couches, with S'yne and Sadeena already sitting on opposite sides of him. Atla, Fohl, and Keel stood behind them, together with Granny, Sebas, and Elhart, by the wall.

Chen was present as well, along with that white-haired knight from before. Upon seeing Naofumi's group arrive, the tiger woman excitedly ran up to Dou-Lon and gave him a hug, while Sebastian stood vigilantly by, silently observing the meeting with a focused expression.

Everyone there was clean of blood, and Motoyasu had put on a backup version of his armor. It felt as though both sides had calmed down from the emotional highs from earlier, but at the same time, the air was still charged with tension.

The teens were quietly discussing something between them. The two oldest stood guard, examining the room carefully. Elhart was busy looking over the remains of the destroyed weapons and equipment their enemies had left behind.

"You're going to be here too?" Naofumi asked the blacksmith in surprise.

"Yeah. If you don't mind, Shield Bro, I think I'm going to stick around you for a while." Elhart's eyes didn't rise from the fragments.

"In case more of those ninjas attack us?" Naofumi asked.

"Yeah. That's part of it." Elhart responded without looking up. He was frowning deeply, almost looking like he was scowling.

Naofumi shrugged. If the old man wanted to stick with the Shield Hero and his family as his personal bodyguard for the foreseeable future, he wasn't going to complain.

Hell, the only reason Naofumi was standing there right now was because Elhart had saved his life.

That was a debt Naofumi wouldn't soon forget.

Motoyasu bowed his head to Melty. "Sorry for messing with your place. I thought it'd be easier to discuss if we had a more relaxed setting. Your desk and chair are in my inventory. I'll take them out and put them back when we are done here."

"I daresay, it was actually my idea, Governor Melty." Shadow appeared in the corner of the room, sparing a glance in the blonde man's direction, before facing her lady again. "The Spear Hero is merely trying to cover for me, as he has the tendency to do for women holding the ire of others."

…

The Spear Hero, for his part, did his best not to look embarrassed at being so openly called out.

He had, after all, just done exactly that for Sadeena.

"It's fine, Shadow. Thank you for suggesting the idea, and thank you, Sir Spear Hero, for following through with it." Melty nodded, smiling as she didn't look bothered in the slightest. "Could you see about getting some tea brewed for us?

"I think we could all use a warm cup after today."

"Yes, I'd love one as well, if you wouldn't mind," Granny said. "Sebas?"

"I'd like honey with mine." The dragonnewt butler commented.

"I shall do my best," The female Shadow nodded, before she bowed her head and disappeared from view.

"Rafu?" Even Raph-Chan tilted her head curiously to the side. She, like her mother, had been focused on the area, trying to discern how Shadow had pulled off her trick.

If she could learn it, then she could get into all sorts of trouble and-!

Ahem, yes, it'd be very handy for battle indeed.

…

Sadeena took a shaky breath in as Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo sat opposite her on the second couch.

Dou-Lon and Eclair moved to stand behind them, and Fohl and Keel moved next to them as well. Fitoria moved to stand by the wall, next to Sebas and Granny. And Chen sat in a chair next to her best friend while the white-haired man sat at a high table behind them, trying not to look interested in the conversation going on.

Melty, after a moment of hesitation, sat down on the couch with the Shield Family. While she could have looked over it as the Governor, it felt more appropriate to let this hash out as a family affair.

It also gave her a chance to rest a hand on Raphtalia's arm. Quietly giving her foster mom her support.

…

"Raphtalia…" Sadeena finally managed to speak once everyone else had settled in.

However, when the orca woman finally looked up and saw what her younger sister was wearing, she almost did a double-take. "Where… how did you get…?!"

…

The Shield Couple looked at her in confusion. And Sadeena's shoulders slowly sagged lower and lower as she started to laugh bitterly. "Haha... no, it's nothing. It's not like it matters anymore."

Naofumi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Sadeena put her hands over her face. All her carefully crafted thoughts had been shattered with just one look at her younger sister. "It doesn't matter. You've already been marked as enemies of the throne for declaring your intention to marry.

"There's nothing I can do about our situation. So go wild for all the good it'll do."

"... okay," Naofumi muttered, pursing his lips together in displeasure.

…

There was an awkward silence as Sadeena had to regather her thoughts. And her bitter frown only deepened the more she thought of what she had to say.

Raphtalia did her best to remain expressionless. She was not as angry as before. But it still lurked in the background of her gaze. The subtle shift in expressions, the clenching and unclenching of her hands.

"Raphtalia…" Sadeena spoke again, lowering her hands to reveal a somber expression of guilt directed at the floor.

"The last thing I ever wanted was for this to happen.

"I… never thought those Shadows would attack so brazenly. And with the gear of the pacifiers no less.

"I… I'm so sorry I never said something before now."

…

"Shadows." Raphtalia's eyes narrowed.

"Pacifier gear?" Naofumi asked.

"I daresay, I thought that's what they were." Unfortunately, the Shield Hero's question would have to wait, as female Shadow reappeared, setting a pot of freshly boiled water with tea leaves in the center of the table.

Granny and Sebas were already nursing warm teacups in their hands, showing that Shadow had attended to the elders first. Sebas, in particular, looked pleased when he noticed how well the honey went with this blend.

Mirellia's Shadows had really learned their stuff. He approved.

"Spywork, assassinations, targeted attacks, we are trained for all sorts of scenarios." Shadow expertly placed cups in front of each individual on both sides of the aisle, before pouring hot steaming liquid into them.

She handed Melty her teacup first. The young girl took a sip and hummed in satisfaction as Shadow continued handing the others their tea. "I must confess, though, their skills were beyond anything I've ever seen before.

"I didn't know they were there until the attack started."

"And zey knew we were zere." Melty's male Shadow appeared opposite his colleague. A grim expression covered the visible bottom half of his face.

"I tried my best to fight our Lady's enemies, but in the end, I waz the one who almost wound up dead inztead." The hooded figure hung his head.

His life had already been saved once in the past by Motoyasu when the Spear Hero rescued him and his colleagues from DeBois Manor. And he'd saved his life once again with that healing spell earlier.

"I daresay, wherever they're from, the abilities of those shadows far exceeded ours, as well as those I've seen from other major nations," Female Shadow added.

…

There were varying looks of surprise or dismay from the others there. Sebas and Granny grunted in acknowledgement, while Fitoria closed her eyes and sighed in frustration, clearly trying to recall something but failing miserably like always.

Sadeena looked unfazed, her bitter expression remaining unchanged. "I'd imagine so. The training they undergo doesn't even compare to the training that Shadows normally receive. As they're all trained almost from birth to play a critical role in the security of the throne.

"I only know how to track them since I learned a long time ago the methods they use to conceal themselves. But even I have had a hard time discerning when they were around during the last few weeks.

"... At the very least… I can say that this is the first time I haven't seen any sign of them listening in on us for a while. Besides those they sent back before the battle, we killed every last one of those bastards here."

…

"Rafu…" A very troubled look appeared on Raph-Chan's face as she silently wondered how these people had been able to fool her when even the harbingers of GODWORLD couldn't.

Raphtalia clenched her hands in front of her. "How long have they been watching us, Sadeena?"

A troubled look crossed the orca woman's features. Her hands gripped her thighs tightly. "They... they weren't here when Motoyasu brought me back. But by the time I finished my level session and returned, they were here watching you-"

"WHY WERE THEY WATCHING ME!? WHAT DID I DO TO THEM!?" Raphtalia exclaimed loudly, barely managing to hold herself back from smashing a fist through the coffee table before them.

Ksch!

The teacup in her hand was still shattered, though, from her intense grip. And it was only thanks to Naofumi rapidly moving his Shield over her lap that the shards and falling tea were absorbed into his inventory instead of dousing all over her new outfit.

…

The orca woman paused, eyes wide in shock and hurt, and Raphtalia took several deep breaths as Filo and Melty rubbed her arm and hand. Her fists clenched tight again, but she managed to speak in a level tone.

"Tell me, Sister.

"Just how long have those bastards been around spying on me and my family?!

"Tell me, Sadeena!" Raphtalia glared at the woman across from her. Rage burning in her eyes… as well as desperation for a clear answer from one of the few people she could turn to.

This was hurting her… but would telling her only hurt her more?

…

After a long silence, the orca woman finally sighed in defeat.

"They've been around since before you were born, Raphtalia," Sadeena said, her voice dead, and her expression grim.

…

There was an even longer silence that followed, as the meaning of Sadeena's statement sank in for everyone present.

Raphtalia's anger vanished from her face. Replaced entirely by shock.

Out of everything Sadeena could have said, that was the answer she'd least expected to hear.

"No way… even when we were playing around as kids?" Keel asked in stunned disbelief.

"I see…" Granny's frown etched itself onto her face.

Raphtalia stared at the orca woman across from her, unable to hide her growing confusion and hurt that'd replaced her rage. "B-But how? And why?

"Why go so far? What did we do, Sadeena?!

"What the hell did Mama and Papa do to deserve this?! What did I do?!" There was that anger again, but now, the desperation in her voice was far greater.

Sadeena began to tremble again.

She did not want to share any of what she was about to say about the past.

She would have eventually been comfortable sharing it with Motoyasu. But not anyone else.

Especially not with her younger sister and her fiancé.

"Raphtalia. The details that Raul… that dad and mom gave you in the past about us being from Siltvelt…

"Those were all lies meant to protect you from the truth."

"What truth?" Naofumi asked, angry and frustrated like Raphtalia.

"Stop beating around the bush! Why would they even feel to hide all this from me!?" Raphtalia demanded. "Did they not love me or-"

"OF COURSE THEY LOVED YOU!" Sadeena shouted, tears of pain finally falling down the sides of her face again as she couldn't bottle the pain this conversation was causing her any longer. Not when it was causing Raphtalia to question the unyielding love her parents had for her.

"THEY NEVER TOLD YOU BECAUSE YOUR PARENTS LOVED YOU!

"I NEVER TOLD YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! AND I STILL LOVE YOU! AND I WAS HOPING THERE'D NEVER BE A DAY WHEN I HAD TO TELL YOU ABOUT ANY OF THIS!"

Sadeena continued, her voice intense and full of emotion. And there was nothing that could be said or done to stop it.

"Believe me! None of us wanted this to happen! We never wanted anything to happen to you!

"We didn't want our past to affect you like this! NEVER!

"If I'd known what they were going to do! If I'd known those bastards would immediately try to murder my little sister and the Hero she loved without even so much as a warning, despite how important you both are to saving our world, our very existence, then I would have exposed them-

"NO! I wouldn't have given them the chance to do anything! I would have hunted all of them down back to their base of operations and torn them to shreds with my teeth and bare hands before they EVER had the chance to hurt you or send word of anything back to Q'Ten Lo!

"I would have hidden this away from you for the rest of my life! I would have fought them off time and time again before they could ever do anything to ruin your happiness!

"I WOULD HAVE MADE THEM ALL PAY FOR WANTING TO LAY THEIR HANDS ON YOU AND NAOFUMI! NO MATTER WHAT I HAD TO DO!"

…

Raphtalia trembled in her seat as Sadeena breathed in and out heavily from her outburst.

Naofumi gently placed an arm over his fiance's shoulders, and the half-tanuki woman burrowed the side of her face against the tabard covering the chestplate of her lover's chest. "Q'Ten Lo? Is that the nation behind this attack?" Naofumi asked in a more reasonable tone. "That name doesn't sound like any nation I know."

"It sounds vaguely familiar to me. But I can't remember where I learned it in Emerald Online…" Motoyasu looked at Sadeena before gripping one of her hands and squeezing it. "Just know, whatever you have to say, I still won't judge you."

"Neither will I." S'yne's voice came from the Sir Bubba doll, which Naofumi finally noticed Sadeena was still clinging to tightly on her side.

Even with that, the grown woman looked like a fragile vase that'd come apart at any moment. Unleashing a tidal wave of pain, rage, and fear all at once in a single burst of emotion.

Atla opened her mouth to say something, only to close it and hang her head. Fohl rubbed a hand on his little sister's shoulder before speaking. "We trust you, Big Sis.

"We might not have known you as long, but you helped me out plenty of times back in Zeltoble. And you've continued to help both my sister and me after coming here.

"We're here for you, even if there isn't much we can do to help you with what you're feeling."

…

Amber shifted on the couch, and Naofumi finally realized she'd been there the whole time, sitting next to Sadeena.

The Filolial Royal laid gentle hands on Sadeena's lap, and the woman turned to face her. "Amber now knows why she always felt so uneasy whenever she was near Nice Orca Lady. Even though Nice Orca Lady was really nice to Amber and the rest of Blondie's friends.

"It is not good for Nice Orca Lady to continue bottling everything inside. Not when it has been causing so much pain for Nice Orca Lady.

"So Amber will be here for Nice Orca Lady. Just like all of Blondie's other friends."

…

"..." Sadeena gave the Filolial girl's hands on her lap a grateful squeeze. And it was possibly then that she realized most everyone in the room wasn't looking at her with eyes of blame for what happened.

"Ara ara… to think I could be brought to tears so easily today…"

…

She looked from Amber to the Spear Hero, who was smiling softly at her, and then to the others around her.

She then looked at her little sister again. Tears were lining both of their eyes at this point.

There was the thought of pushing this off till later. But then, if she pushed it off, would it only cause Raphtalia to hate her more than she already did?

Would she ever have the courage to reveal the past she'd been running from most of her life?

…

Sadeena clenched her hands in defeat.

"Ok… you're right, Amber.

"I was tired of keeping all this bottled up inside anyway."

Sadeena wiped her face with her forearm, locking a serious gaze with the family across from her. "Your parents and I came from a nation called Q'Ten Lo, Raphtalia." She started.

"It's an island chain far to the east, across the ocean from Siltvelt."

The scene was of a city with clear skies.

On the outskirts, farmers tended to their fields of rice and wheat. Inside the walls, people from all walks of life went about their daily business.

Shopkeepers sold their wares in open markets. Various craftsmen worked on their trade. Cafes served customers in outdoor seating areas. And so on.

The architecture was reminiscent of what would be seen in Japan, and there were statues here and there of a rather small, tanuki-like creature with a familiar hairstyle on its head.

"According to legend, the history of Q'Ten Lo stretches all the way back to the world's creation. It is a nation of diverse beast people and demihumans.

"There are humans as well. But for the most part, it is the demi races that are amongst the majority."

An orca woman, dressed in blue and white flowing robes, watched the city from the palace at the back, which stood at the foot of a great mountain.

She saw from her perch the lives of many existing peacefully. Where the rare notes of dissension were settled in a one-on-one brawl outside the bar. Or by the swift justice of those guarding this paradise.

In a land such as this, the blessing of the Water Dragon kept their crops fertile and their cattle producing. The rivers always flowed. It never rained except over the fields at their proper time when the plants were thirsty. And there was always enough grass for the cattle to feed on.

Here, unlike most of the world, demi-humans of all races would age up to adulthood with levels. Regardless of whether or not they were raccoons, dog demis, wolfmen, birdmen, or even orcas.

This was something that was only possible thanks to the Water Dragon's blessing on their land over their people. Legends stated that this rate of growth would remain in families even after generations had passed since leaving to settle the outside world.

But these things mattered little to the orca woman standing watch.

Others might have seen the world in color.

But she only saw things in gray.

It was only natural for the Water Dragon to provide. It was their defender and protector. Dissent was to be trampled out before it grew into a threat against the Heavenly Emperor.

And those who sought to leave the mainland to settle in the outside world these days deserved nothing less than death.

"Before I met your Father, I went by many titles."

Sadeena turned from the city, an emotionless look on her face, as a pair of guards bowed to her, showing the young woman, born only a few short years ago, who had aged to adulthood via leveling, like so many others, proper respect for her station as she marched past.

"Oathbound Dragon Priestess."

Sadeena knelt in front of an altar, upon which rested a portion of the crops taken as taxes from farmers, along with freshly slain cattle monsters, casks of wine, crafted goods, and more.

All were offered as a sacrifice to the Water Dragon that protected their land.

And the orca woman proceeded to offer prayers taught to her as a five-year-old when her parents first gave her up to fulfill her calling until all the items had disappeared in a flash of blue light. And she was allowed to continue on with her day.

"The Emperor's Bodyguard."

Sadeena stood at attention, alongside an individual silhouetted in shadow and dressed in familiar red and white robes as she walked with him through the grand halls of the magnificent structure.

She remembered this to be the Heavenly Emperor she was supposed to guard, but all she could remember of him was that he was an older man. She could not recall any details of what he looked like. She could not even recall sharing a conversation with him, as the only times he spoke to her were to give her orders, which she carried out without question.

Since she'd been leveled to adulthood at the age of five, she did whatever her authority figure told her to do without hesitation.

"Royal Taste Tester…"

Probably the more 'lively' part of her duties. Every time the Heavenly Emperor and his family gathered for dinner, she'd take a small sample of every dish coming from the Kitchens.

This helped her to experience a variety of flavors from various meals to ensure no poison could harm the members of the Heavenly Emperor's family, who always had to eat as though they were leagues above the rest of the world.

Which, she'd been taught, they were.

"... … Executioner."

Sadeena, little Sadeena, grown to be a loyal child soldier at the age of five…

Her emotionless gaze fell upon yet another individual charged as an insurgent against the Heavenly Emperor. Whose crime was wanting to escape to the outside world for reasons she couldn't fathom.

He pleaded and pleaded for mercy. There might have been something said about his family.

But the orca woman didn't take note of any of it to remember, nor did she hesitate as she hefted her executioner's axe in her hands, tuning out the man's cries as she swung it down on his neck.

Gray blood sprayed across her face, getting all over her clothes… but she didn't react.

It was just another day in her empty, gray life.

"To name a few." Sadeena's voice in real life fell, as the Sadeena of her memories handed the weapon to an underling with an unknowing and unfeeling expression.

"I was tasked with many things… Most of which I'd rather forget." Another servant, a human, offered their handkerchief to the orca woman, which Sadeena used to wipe the colorless blood from her face.

She then went into another room and was helped into a fresh outfit by other servants before returning to the palace to blend into the monotony of protecting the Royal Family.

Administering to the duties she was assigned from the moment her parents had given her up without question.

"It was a life of monotony and blandness."

The only life that she'd grown up knowing. Day in and day out.

Watching the colorless sun travel across the cloudless gray sky. Watching the colorless people go about their dull and dreary lives.

Day after day. Her body frozen in time, figuratively and literally, thanks to the effects of leveling.

She was an adult… with no childhood. No care.

No sadness. No happiness.

No love. No hate.

No feeling. Just… empty.

A life of meandering grey...

"... until one day, the Heavenly Emperor gave me a new order.

"Keep an eye on one of my sons.

"He is my firstborn, the heir apparent to the throne, and a bit of a wild one; as he told me…

"... his name was Prince Raultalia."

"En garde!" Sadeena stood in a courtyard, watching as a young man with fluffy tanuki ears on his head faced off against a knight who looked the same age as him.

Raul was dressed in the same white and red robes as his father. But unlike the other figures, he appeared as a breath of color in what was Sadeena's otherwise dreary memories of home.

"Ahahaha! Come on, Justus! Stop holding back! I can take it!" The young tanuki laughed whilst wielding a pair of swords made from light in his hands.

"Young prince, my apologies, but you wouldn't last long if I didn't stoop to your level." His raccoon opponent grinned in response, wielding two blades of darkness opposite his lord.

The two danced and spun around, striking at each other's armor again and again. Sparks of color that seemed to light up the orca woman's dreary world. Even if she wasn't aware of why at the time.

It continued for well over a minute. The two seemed evenly matched despite the knight's boasting.

But then, one of Justus's magic blades swept under Raultalia's strike, and the flat of it hit the back of his calves.

"Whoa!" Raultalia immediately collapsed, his swords of light dispelling from his hands.

Sadeena gripped her weapon, suddenly ready to charge forward to defend her charge with her own body if necessary.

"See. I told you." Only the very next second, Justus grinned. His blades of darkness faded away from his hands as he reached for his fallen lord. "You don't want me giving it my all."

Sadeena frowned deeply, but released her weapon as her body relaxed.

"No fair. You just caught me off guard, Justus." Raultalia pouted, but he accepted his retainer's hand. "Let's try again. Surely, I'll beat you this time!"

"Prince Raultalia." Sadeena finally spoke up, seeing where the sun was in the clear sky. Which was just as grey as it'd ever been. "It's about time for your studies."

"Sure, sure. Right after this, one last duel." Raultalia's eyes flashed with mischievousness as he faced his friend again.

"Did you not say that earlier?" Sadeena asked, looking genuinely confused.

Raul laughed, and his friend and vassal shook his head across from him. "You really wish to drag me into trouble for this, don't you?"

"Like you don't already get in enough trouble without my help." Raultalia countered with a wide grin.

"Ahahaha! Well said!" Justus's blades of darkness reappeared, and after Raul summoned his blades of light anew, the two began their friendly spar anew.

Sadeena groaned, rubbing a hand to her forehead at the Prince's antics.

The Sadeena of back then did not understand. The spars she participated in with the Shadows of their nation were meant solely to hone her skills.

To make her an effective killer in case she had to defend the Heavenly Emperor from a group of attackers.

Yet, while a good leader needed to be well-learned, he also needed to be strong enough to defend himself in case something got past her. She could not bring herself to temper the young prince's excitement in sparring with his then-best friend.

So she watched the young prince duel, deciding she'd make sure he studied harder later to make up for lost time.

"Your dad back then was truly something. Always seeming to get into trouble when my eyes fell off him for even a moment.

"And yes. That part of you came entirely from him, lil' one."

"HE WHAT?!"

Sadeena grimaced, having to repeat what she'd told the gate captain while tightly holding the arm of the disguised prince behind her. "He snuck out and started a brawl… again.

"Can you let us through now?"

"... Dragon Priestess." The man stood tall, glaring at her. "You need to keep a better eye on the young master."

"He was training with illusion magic before this. Pray tell, how am I 'supposed' to watch him when he managed to evade even our Shadows?" The young woman snapped. "Or do you wish to be put through the same hell as them when I assign you to try and keep an eye on his Grace?"

The Captain looked surprised at her response, or maybe because she'd displayed some form of emotion for once. She was always so calm and level-headed, so seeing her riled up was surprising on multiple levels.

"Urgh… fine." Grimacing, the guard captain moved to the side, allowing Sadeena and the young man back into the courtyard in front of the palace.

"What am I going to do with you, young prince?" Sadeena shook her head with a sigh.

"Raul is just fine, Deeny." He replied with a wide smile.

The orca woman almost paused. Strange, she'd caught him drinking in a bar before he started that brawl with everyone. How the hell did he still sound so sober right now?

…

"You faked being drunk earlier so you could try and escape me by initiating all that chaos with the bar brawl."

"It almost worked, too." The young man pouted.

"I'm going to have to report this to the Heavenly Emperor." Sadeena sighed.

"Oh, don't worry, Deeny, I'll tell paps myself." Raultalia grinned. "After all, it's not your fault I got really good at escaping, eh?"

"..." Sadeena frowned, but Raultalia continued marching straight ahead.

"Yo, Dad! Wait till you hear what I did today!" He yelled as he entered the throne room, disrupting a private meeting between the Heavenly Emperor, his advisors, and some leaders in his government.

Sadeena chose to stay in the back. For once, she tried to become as small as possible as Prince Raultalia proudly acknowledged his accomplishments.

She might not have been able to recall the Heavenly Emperor's appearance… but she could remember that both of them had huge headaches that day because of the prince's antics.

…

But as promised, Sadeena didn't end up in trouble.

Rather, the Shadows observing the lesson were punished for losing sight of the heir apparent.

The world around her took on a little more color as she continued to monitor the young prince.

And before long, the young boy had gained enough experience to become a young man.

"He was… truly amazing. Every day felt like something new.

"It was through my interactions with him that I came to see the world differently."

"Young Prince-!"

"Raul is just fine, Deeny." The young man cooed in delight.

Sadeena gripped the haft of her weapon, a vein visibly bulging on her forehead. "How many times must I ask you to stop calling me by that accursed nickname?!"

"Why, I guess it'd be about as many times as I've told you to just call me Raul." The tanuki man shrugged nonchalantly as he continued to tease his bodyguard.

Sadeena tightened her grip on her harpoon as she started breathing in and out deeply.

It would not look good if she lashed out at royalty. She'd been born and given up to protect them with her life. These emotions she was experiencing because of the young prince were not normal.

She had to keep calm. Just keep it cool.

…

"So, you giving it any thought, Deeny?" When she opened her eyes, however, the tanuki man was standing in front of her, grinning almost as slyly as a fox person.

"Gah!" Sadeena, fortunately, did not strike the prince in retaliation as she backpedaled.

But when she'd recovered from her surprise, her fury blazed anew. "Prince Raultalia! It is extremely inappropriate for a royal such as yourself to behave like this to his bodyguard! How many times do I have to say that to get it through your thick skull!?"

Whoops, had she just insulted royalty- ah, whatever. She was honestly too pissed off to care at this point. Maybe this'd finally cause the Heavenly Emperor to order her somewhere else so she could go back to the way life used to be.

"Why?"

…

Raultalia tilted his head curiously, not looking the least bit perplexed by the grown woman's anger.

"Why what?" Sadeena snapped.

"Why is it inappropriate for me to treat you like my friend, Deeny?" Raultalia genuinely asked. His curiosity morphed into a dissatisfied frown.

…

Sadeena opened her mouth to answer, but for once, she didn't have a reply.

Because that's just how it was? Because she was told from the moment her parents gave her up that's how life was supposed to be?

She carefully tried to find a way to articulate what she wanted to say, including other vague nonsense like those thoughts, and how everyone has a role to play that needs to be conformed to, but before she could say any of that…

"You don't actually know, do you?" Raul asked.

…

Sadeena frowned. And Raul's frown changed to a smile, before he started to laugh.

"This isn't funny! Stop laughing!" Sadeena cried out in anger.

"Yea, you're right. It's not funny…" Raul's chuckling died down to a somber look. "It's actually really sad when you think about it.

"We're told what to do and how to act from the day we're born, but never told why.

"But you know what's even sadder? The people who tell us to do that don't know the reason for it either. I've learned that talking to my dad and his advisors during their boring meetings.

"There's nothing new or novel about how they're governing the nation. My Father is doing what he learned from his father, who learned what he did from his father, and he also learned those things from his father, and it's just a never-ending chain of doing things just because that was the way our ancestors did it.

"When you really stop to think about it, it's just the blind blindly leading the blind and the blind blindly following the blind… and nobody knows why, only that their predecessors did the same things too.

"Isn't that just the saddest thing? And the moment you try to point it out, they get mad just like you did now. Because deep down they understand how stupid this all is, but are too afraid to do anything about it."

…

Sadeena was left a moment to really process the prince's statement for herself. Before he finally did speak again.

"Tell you what, if you learn the reason why and tell it to me, I will do as you say," Raultalia looked serious for a moment more, but then, he started to smile mischievously again. "But until then, I will treat you as I please, Deeny."

"And if you got a problem with it, then do something about it yourself, instead of just telling me that it's wrong just because."

With a sly wink, Raultalia gave his bodyguard a casual wave before slinking off into his room, casually chatting with his servants as he entered.

…

Sadeena was left to stand outside, stewing in her anger… and also confusion, and beyond that, for possibly the first time, the sense that she was missing something from her life.

Something great.

Something crucial.

Something important.

…

What it was… wasn't immediately obvious to her.

But as she looked at the grey sky from the balcony beside her, she finally took notice of the hint of blue that accompanied the usual grey.

"One day… I discovered something I shouldn't have."

"Please, just a single moment of your time would suffice."

"Ehehehe. I'm sorry, my prince. I am afraid that is a very hard ask, as I have many places to clean, you see."

Sadeena paused in the doorway. Raultalia was trying-and failing-to woo the heart of a maid who looked much like an older, more mature version of Raphtalia.

She was a little on the stout side, with a bit more fat around her stomach than the current Raphtalia, but it was her future mother, Natalia.

Raphtalia's future father frowned as Natalia, to make her point, continued moving with the duster in her hands, wiping down the curtains before her.

"How I wish that neither of us were bound by our duties."

"There is more than just that separating us, my 'dear' prince." Natalia's finished cleaning the curtains, poking her duster in Raultalia's face with a final flourish that nearly made the man sneeze, before turning away and continuing down the corridor with a happy hum.

"... my lord, the Emperor won't like to hear that you're flirting with the servants again." The orca woman spoke as she finally made herself known in the backdrop again.

"What are you talking about?" Raultalia said, grinning slyly as he rested his hands on his sides. "I was merely talking with an old friend."

"My prince-"

"Also, how many times do I have to say that you can call me Raul? Surely, after all these years, you could admit that we're friends, right, Deeny?" The young man asked with a pout.

…

Something sparked within the killer whale's chest. And inadvertently, she turned her head to the side. "I just don't want to see you disappointed when she can't return your feelings, my pr-... Raultalia."

"Awww, glad to see you care so much, Deeny!" The young prince giggled into his hand happily. "But I said I'd be just fine with Raul."

Sadeena's face reddened, but she turned her head to the side as she coughed into her hand. "Well then, I can certainly pretend that I didn't see anything here if that's what you wish, R-Rault- Raul."

After all, she couldn't report on what she didn't know about.

"See, it's that easy!" The tanuki man grinned widely.

"But you must be cautious regardless. The last thing your Father needs is another headache. Especially with how his health has been lately."

"Alright, I'll be careful! Keep being awesome, Deeny! You're the best!" Raultalia smiled widely as he gave the grown orca woman a big hug.

He then ran down the hall to his room, leaving Sadeena reeling where she stood. It had not been his first time openly hugging her like that. And it wouldn't be the last.

For once, as she looked at his vanishing figure, Sadeena finally began to take notice of the color the tanuki man brought to her surroundings.

The bits of red in the flowers lining the vases. The strips of yellow from sunlight coming through the open balconies.

The light blue tinting the sky in his wake.

It eventually faded back to grey as she returned to her other duties around the palace.

But then she'd see him again.

And color would return.

"Their union would have never been allowed, since Raultalia was supposed to be next in line to become the Heavenly Emperor. A position that'd be similar to becoming Queen of Melromarc or the Emperor of Faubley. Only, with far more importance.

"For a person of his status, a full blooded tanuki to form an attachment with someone of the commoner class, much less, someone that wasn't a tanuki, was unthinkable. As some would claim, it would have been tantamount to treason."

Sadeena thought what she saw that day would be the end of things. She wasn't versed in matters of love, nor did she have any interest in it (at least, she'd believed that to be the case back then), but she'd been protecting Raultalia long enough to believe his flirting with the palace maid would just be a passing interest.

It'd happened before. Several times. He'd eventually lose interest and move on to something else.

…

But as time passed, she kept finding the pair together in various parts of the palace.

She'd find Raultalia flirting with the raccoon woman while she trimmed the hedges in the courtyard. Or secretly nudging sweets onto his plate as she took it from him at the dinner table before she went to the kitchen.

Once, at night, she noticed the pair on the rapports of one of the towers. It was pure luck she'd spotted them, as the Emperor's shadows had once again lost track of him during his night lessons with the group.

Sadeena saw from her perch as the young couple gazed up at the stars together, the two of them holding hands and radiating so much happiness that not a single ounce of gray could intervene in the sight of that memory.

It was at that moment when Sadeena realized that the prince's flirting hadn't just been mere play.

No. He'd fallen in love with the beautiful raccoon maid.

And Natalia, despite playing so hard to get, had fallen in love with him too.

The two lovers turned to gaze at one another, and something was said.

Then, and only then, they shared a loving, tender kiss between them.

And Sadeena's world… became gray no more.

Sadeena sighed in real life as her shoulders lowered.

She remembered that moment well. It was almost heartbreaking, to be honest.

One of the only times in her life where she'd finally seemed to awaken to what she'd amounted to… and yet…

"... what did Raphtalia's parents do after that?" Naofumi asked, though he had the feeling he already knew the answer.

"They got married in secret, and I was the priestess who presided over their union." Sadeena shrugged as she said it. "Now that I knew, I wanted to at least try and give them a chance… they just looked so… happy together.

"I tried to play pretend and act ignorant about what was going on. And they tried so hard to make things work in secret… if they lasted until the current Emperor died, perhaps, Raul could have brought changes to the nation.

…

"But then, somehow, the Heavenly Emperor's chief advisor learned about their relationship. And it'd only been a few short months after I'd married them to each other."

…

Sadeena shuddered, remembering the furious words said to her not by the then Heavenly Emperor, but by her. A young, red-haired demiwoman originally from Siltvelt, who had formerly been a concubine of the Heavenly Emperor, and had risen in status after the passing of the Heavenly Emperor's latest wife, becoming one of his most trusted confidants.

For her own sake, she refused to recall in exactness how that part had transpired.

"She ordered me to execute Natalia and to lock Raultalia in his room in the palace until the time came for him to take the throne. He was lucky that he was to be left alive. She said it all as if she was doing him some great favor… and had me leave that room with the promise that I would fulfill the Heavenly Emperor's will.

"I promised… but as you can tell, I refused to follow those orders.

"Call it Raul's influence on me. Or maybe I'd taken the words he'd said to me on many an occasion to heart. Either way, it didn't feel right. Even if her claim was true and the Heavenly Emperor had called for it himself, I couldn't do it.

"Not anymore. Not to him."

…

"I knew where their secret rendezvous was. And I met them both and warned them of what was happening.

"My Prince!" Sadeena rushed into her charge's second room late at night, her breath coming in heavy gasps. He and Natalia had been lying on a bed, talking to each other.

But upon her rapid entrance, the tanuki man sprang to his feet. "Deeny- why are you- haven't I told you to call me-"

"There's no time my prince! The chief advisor knows!" Sadeena yelled.

…

Natalia's face took on a frightened look as Raultalia's face firmed. "Did… was it my fault?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask." Sadeena took the chance to catch her breath. "All I know is she knows about it. And she has given me orders to kill Natalia and to lock you in your room until the time comes for you to take the throne."

"..."

The young tanuki man clenched his hands into tight fists. Looking down at the floor as his body trembled.

"R-Raul…" Natalia whimpered. "I-If I must, I-I'll face justice s-so that y-y-you-"

"No." Raultalia turned to his wife. "Never. Never ever. Not in a million years will I allow that to happen!"

"I thought your dad would want Natalia to live, that he'd help her to escape and then live with the consequences as the future ruler of Q'Ten Lo…"

Raultalia gripped the back of his wife's head. His eyes gazing into hers.

"If that witch would conspire to even tear you away from me, then I do not care if I am the heir apparent or some loyal servant or whatever!

"I will not let this nation's politics keep me from following my heart as it has for my father and his father and every other blasted father before him!"

"M-My prince?" Sadeena asked in shock.

"No. Deeny. Not any longer." Raultalia looked back at his best friend with a sad smile. "From now on, I will just be Raultalia. And wherever my wife goes, I will follow her.

"I love Nat. And I'm not abandoning her or leaving her to die." Raultalia said, an expression of absolute defiance on his face.

"Instead of doing just that, he gave up the palace, his title, his wealth, his responsibilities, his life; everything he had to his name, he gave it up for her.

"For you."

"... my… … Raul…" Sadeena put a hand up to her chest. For once, tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

She might not have fully understood everything back then… but it was because of him that her life had found meaning.

There was color in her surroundings. Life around her held meaning.

And even with that, there was the possibility of more beyond what her station afforded her.

"When I saw how far he was willing to go, when I saw the lengths he would go to to ensure his own personal happiness…

"Well, how could my heart not be moved by that point?"

"Alright." Sadeena smiled happily. "I'm coming with you then, Raul."

"Wait- Deeny, I didn't say you'd have to come with us!?" Raultalia reeled in surprise. "Are you sure you want to give up everything to help out a fallen prince?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Sadeena shook her head, finally chuckling for the first time in his or her memory before she then smiled.

"You asked me to find the reason why things were the way they were long ago, right?

"I felt you should know, I never did find an answer. And so, I see no reason to keep letting the blind lead me along.

"Not when it was you who finally gave me sight, my dear Raul."

"... … …" Instead of saying anything, Raul's lower lip began to tremble. And Natalia already had tears leaking down the sides of her face.

"Also, no offense, but somebody's going to have to make sure you don't die getting off the island, right?

"Or are you saying you already had a plan for getting off this blasted piece of rock without help from lil' ol' me?" She then teased someone for the first time ever as she prodded his chest with a finger.

"I… uh…"

"Ehehehe… I thought that'd be your response, knowing you. Always acting without thinking far ahead." Sadeena giggled again.

The action felt surprisingly good… and warm. It was something she wanted to do again and again for the rest of her life.

"But still… I…" The tanuki man stammered.

"Tell you what," Sadeena became serious again for a moment. "If you come up with a better plan, I will stay behind and do as you say,"

…

She gave it a moment for her statement to sink in, before she started to smile again.

It reminded her very much of what he'd done to her years ago. "But until then, I will go with you wherever you go, Raul. And you will have to deal with it."

…

The young man blinked in confusion at first, but then he realized it and started to laugh. "Using my own tricks against me! Ha! Alright then, Deeny, you got yourself a deal!"

It was shortly after that the group of three left the room through a window, with Sadeena having Raul use his illusion magic to disguise their getaway.

They were well outside the walls of the Capital by the time their escape was noticed, and the alarm was sounded.

"I acted as their guard and spent many sleepless nights keeping watch so they could rest.

"It was a struggle, but compared to my old life, it was more worthwhile.

"And getting us all freed became my goal."

Sadeena stood watch at a rocky outcropping in her therianthrope form. Observing from her perch on the mountain the surrounding area.

She kept her nostrils open to take in all the surrounding scents. And her jaws clacked every so often, so she could sense through sound any hidden dangers coming for them.

Behind her, under a thick blanket bought in a farming village a distance from the Capital, Raultalia and Natalia lay asleep. Snuggled together for warmth.

Sadeena could hear the sounds of their soft breathing behind her. And it motivated her to stay vigilant.

Good thing too, as she sprang from her perch fast as lightning, spearing through a monster above her that'd assumed she or her charges to be an easy dinner.

The young couple never had to help with a single monster. And Sadeena managed to last all the way across the nation to the port town.

"They hunted us down all the way to the ship out of Q'Ten Lo… And I fought off all those who came after us, trying to bring back the lost prince."

"Deeny, you ok?!" Raultalia asked, whipping his light sword around.

"I-I'm fine." The orca woman gasped, holding a hand to the wound at her side. The Shadow that'd tried to ambush her, however, lay on the ground lifeless. "It was just a lucky hit."

Natalia frowned as she began wrapping a strip of cloth around the orca woman's stomach several times, tightly. "Hold out to the ship. I learned a little healing magic, but it'd take too long to cast here."

"Sure thing." Sadeena gritted her teeth in response and held her weapon tight.

The three continued at a dead sprint down another alley off the main street. Evading those who'd clearly been sent here to stop them, as there was only one 'real' way to leave the islands.

All they had to do was sneak aboard the trade vessel before it departed. They'd waited outside the town for a week for their chance.

It was now or never.

…

But then, as they turned a corner, the group of three came to a halt.

Raul stared in shock at the knight standing before them, blocking the way forward.

He held twin blades of darkness in his hands. And stared his former lord down with an expressionless look on his face.

He would have been a tough opponent to face. Even Sadeena had come to respect his skills when she saw what he was actually like when he went all out.

…

But next to him, lying in a pool of blood, was the Shadow that'd been assigned to assist him.

Still saying nothing, one of Justus's blades vanished, and Justus threw three fresh cloaks from a cart beside him at the figures.

He nodded his head to the group, before gesturing with his chin towards the shipyard with a grim expression.

A thousand words in none were exchanged between them in that short span of time. One last push to ensure they got on board safely.

He wouldn't be coming with them. But he'd ensure they got out.

Justus then turned away, bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"I'VE SPOTTED THE PRINCE! HE'S TRYING TO SNEAK IN FROM THE EAST ENTRANCE!

"TO ME, MY COMRADES!" Justus barreled down a different alleyway, heading away from the shipyards.

The three said nothing, pulling the cloaks around them as they ducked their heads and ran.

Figures jumped across the roofs above them. Heading in the direction Justus's yelling came from. All the while, the real prince, his wife, and friend/bodyguard passed by unnoticed beneath them.

They reached the ship just in time to climb aboard its anchor. And they stowed away in the hull before it departed on its usual journey to Siltvelt.

The whole trip passed by, with Raul managing to conceal their presence from the crew using illusion magic, until they finally made landfall in Siltvelt.

"And now, we're here." Sadeena finished with a sigh. "All these years later,"

…

"... … …" Raphtalia shook where she sat.

There was a lot to unpack there. And Sadeena looked down at her hands.

She could already guess that the girl was still angry about earlier… and she wouldn't blame her. She'd hidden all this and more about their past. And she hadn't even finished with everything…

Raphtalia deserved to be pissed off.

She deserved to lay into Sadeena and call her all sorts of nasty things… and to cut Sadeena off from her family and everything and-

"So my parents… they really did save you back then." Raphtalia whispered.

"... what?" Sadeena asked, looking up in surprise.

Raphtalia was not angry.

Instead, she was crying, a look of sorrow covering her face as her body struggled to rein in gasps.

"Once… I can't remember how long ago it was. But as you were talking, I remembered a conversation I had with mom.

"I remembered asking her why you were my older sister when you weren't… well, you know."

…

Sadeena chuckled dryly, and Raphtalia grimaced at her poor choice of words. "She told me it was because of dad.

"She said that the life you'd lived before had been very bleak and lonely.

"That you never got to experience what having a family was like and that you never even learned what happiness was.

"I… I didn't understand what she meant back then…I-I… I couldn't understand.

"Yet... after learning all you had to go through… what you gave up for them… I… I…

"Sadeena- Big Sis, I'm so sorry!" Raphtalia yelled, tears falling down the sides of her face as waves of regret for earlier washed over her.

Sadeena gasped, and a fresh wave of tears fell down the sides of her face as well.

Moto and Naofumi put an arm over the shoulders of the two girls. Giving them some sense of comfort as they sat across from each other and sobbed.

Raphtalia felt no more anger towards her older sister figure anymore. In some ways, she was beginning to regret dredging up her past. It'd become clear while listening to her how much it hurt for Sadeena to even 'think' about it.

It'd become transparent how clearly important her dad had been in her life.

Was it any wonder why she was always drinking?

Was it any wonder that she refused to discuss anything from before?

"..." The two grown women continued to cry for another moment. The weight of what had happened earlier was allowed to finally work its way through their systems.

…

Thankfully, it didn't take long before Sadeena smiled across the table at her younger sister. "This might sound a bit off topic, but can I just say, you deliver an even better right hook than your father.

"I know I said before that you've become strong. But goodness gracious, I didn't expect a punch from you to lay me out."

Raphtalia giggled despite herself. "I had no choice but to become strong.

"After all, my fiance can't fight by himself." She directed a look full of love at Naofumi.

"And I can't imagine anybody I'd trust more to fight at my side." Naofumi smiled gently back at her.

"Blech. Can't you save the lovey-dovey stuff for later?" Elhart scrunched up his face with a fake vomit sound.

"Now, now, I think after what happened earlier, a little lightheartedness is exactly what we need right now." Granny grinned before a malicious aura directed at the older blacksmith came off her. "Or do you want things to stay dark and heavy all the time?

"Do tell me if that is the case. I'll be glad to rectify that right now."

"... … … carry on." Elhart turned back to the destroyed weapons their enemies had used.

It was only his first day meeting the famous adventurer Elrasla Ragnarok, but even he could tell that she was someone he didn't want to mess with.

…

"Raphtalia, I know you won't ever forgive me-" Sadeena began to say, about to talk down on herself again.

"There is nothing to forgive." Raphtalia immediately cut her off. "I should have remembered that you're my Big Sister.

"That you'd never do anything that'd hurt me or those I care about willingly.

"I... I still want to hear the rest of your explanation, don't get me wrong." Raphtalia continued. "It's clear we need to know as much about our enemy as possible… but Sadeena, I'm not holding anything that happened today, or that will happen later on, against you.

"I love you, Big Sis. You've always looked out for me, even when I didn't want it.

"It's time I repaid you for all the times you looked out for my family." Raphtalia smiled brightly.

"... … … oh my. Lil' Raphtalia." Sadeena couldn't help it anymore, and she stood up.

Raphtalia stood up too, and nearly dove over the coffee table to embrace her big sister in a big hug.

Naofumi and Motoyasu both smiled widely where they sat. Their family and the parties around them also gave small smiles at the action.

The white-haired man snorted in the background. But a glare from Eclair was enough to make him look away.

Sadeena ran a hand through Raphtalia's hair. She breathed in deeply as she imprinted this memory into her mind.

Now this, this was worth staying sober for.

…

She was going to drink herself to sleep later, don't get her wrong. She'd drag Moto and S'yne along for the ride too while in Zeltoble.

They definitely deserved it after today.

"Big Sis, at least wait until we're done here." Raphtalia sighed, already guessing the orca woman's thoughts.

"Eh~?! Oh, come on, I could use a good ol' plastering! And so could you and your man!

"Besides, we can at least expect the next attack not to come for a week!" Sadeena pouted. "Even with the speed those bastards can get information back to the mainland, it'll still be a while before Q'Ten Lo is able to mount another attack like this last one!"

"So they will be attacking us again?" Naofumi asked seriously.

…

Sadeena deflated a bit as she and Raphtalia let go of each other. Both sisters sat back down next to their respective Heroes. "Yes, that is unfortunately going to be the case from now on.

"In their words, the current Heavenly Emperor has declared war on the Hero's Nation. And the attacks won't stop until your heads have been put on display at the gates of the palace.

"He or she does not care for your status as Heroes or that you're working hard to save our world. The hand of war has been dealt."

Motoyasu frowned. "Is it not possible to try for diplomacy?"

"Ha, after what happened earlier?" Melty laughed. It was not her little girl laugh, though. This was her pissed off laugh. "They openly attacked us, Motoyasu. They spat in our faces and promised us death.

"Worse, they declared that they were going to kill the Heroes protecting our world.

"That, more than anything, deserves punishment," Melty said in a dark tone.

This time, her righteous indignation was well placed. Nobody harmed her foster family and got away with it!

"I agree. Though I wish it could be that simple." Sadeena sighed, gripping Moto's hand again and gesturing for him to stay quiet.

Motoyasu pouted, wanting to argue the point further since he didn't want to risk any more unnecessary lives after today. But he listened to Sadeena's demand and sat quietly as the orca woman resumed where she'd left off.

"I'll repeat this even if I already said so earlier: If not for today, Raphtalia, I would have gladly continued to protect you and everyone else here from knowing the truth," Sadeena said, her face dropping to a melancholic expression as she spoke. "You don't deserve to be burdened with this knowledge. You deserve to live your own life. That, more than anything, was what your parents and I wanted you to have."

Raphtalia nor anyone else spoke up. Instead, she sat forward to attentively listen to what she had to say.

"After we'd settled in Lurolona over ten years ago… I thought your parents and I had truly put Q'Ten Lo behind us.

"Their attacks and efforts to drag your father home had long since stopped. And we'd found a house to settle in.

"Natalia became pregnant. Your Father established himself as a mayor here. I went through a rebellious phase. I officially became your adoptive older sister.

"I truly thought we'd never see them again…"

...

"But after some time, I noticed their Shadows watching us.

"I don't know if it was an accident or intentional. I'd been deleveled at that point, and it was a year or so after you were born, Raphtalia. But I eventually noticed their presence.

"One day, I felt brave enough to bring your Father to one of my underwater shipwreck hideouts to talk with him in private about them.

"This is what he told me: before you were born, while I was gone, your grandfather's Shadows appeared with Justus, your father's former loyal vassal.

"He'd come with a device from the mainland, with his father, the Heavenly Emperor, extending an olive branch of peace through it. The stability of the country was important to him. But the happiness of his oldest son was even more so.

"He'd gotten to see for himself how far his eldest was willing to go to escape his mantle… and after learning that Raultalia had built himself a reputation in Lurolona, Melromarc's attempt to build a demi-friendly village in their human supremacist nation, he wanted to leave him be while ensuring the validity of the throne would remain protected.

"So your- Our dad, made a deal, promising that he would rescind all official claims he had as the heir apparent to the throne. And in return, the Heavenly Emperor would allow his exiled son and his family to live in peace as a branch family cut off from royalty.

"So long as he, me, or his descendants didn't do anything that'd make it appear as though we planned on retaking the throne from the current ruler, we'd be left at peace.

"The Shadows he'd sent along were meant to stay and watch for a while. They'd also been ordered to assist us in case anything bad happened to Lurolona.

"I do not know if the Heavenly Emperor was still angry with his son, but I at least knew that he cared about Raultalia's wellbeing. Even if Raultalia and I ended up killing a few of his men on our way out.

"Raultalia assured me that when Raphtalia turned five, the Shadows would leave. We'd never have to deal with them again.

"And they did leave, as promised, after your fifth birthday…

…

"Only… almost a year later, they returned. And with greater numbers than before."

The pause from earlier had everyone leaning forward. And the words made most everyone there frown in displeasure.

"Amongst them were orca therianthropes like me. Elites that also served in other capacities as priests or priestesses in the Water Dragon's Sanctuary.

"I wasn't able to take Raultalia to my secret hideouts to discuss things in private with him anymore. He was always too busy.

"More than that, unlike the previous group of Shadows who'd been relaxed and simply watching us from a distance, these individuals were always trailing us everywhere we went.

"When things happened, like sea monsters attacking the fishermen, or bandits infesting the forest, these Shadows did 'nothing' but watch. I get the feeling that, in some instances, what happened was by their hand and influence.

"After a particularly vicious sea monster almost killed Raultalia, and they still did nothing, I knew then that these Shadows weren't there to watch over us on your grandfather's behalf any longer.

"I am convinced that his poor health finally did him in, and that someone else now sits on the throne of the Heavenly Emperor.

"Someone who viewed our existence as a threat to their rule.

"After I turned twenty, I took a side job as an adventurer and fought to get my class-up here in Melromarc, in case worse came to worst. And Raultalia seemed to sense that we needed to be more careful as well…"

"Deeny," Natalia spoke up softly.

"Yes, yes, I know," The young woman rolled her eyes. Her harpoon was on her back, and while she wasn't in her usual loincloth and sash, she was starting to move towards more loose clothing. "I'll make sure to hug lil' Raphtalia and her friends on my way out and-"

"Sadeena."

…

Sadeena turned to face the tanuki man who'd become her father, as well as the raccoon woman who'd become her mother. Both of whom were sitting at their dining room table.

The young couple she'd known for years finally looked their age. Natalia had lost a bit of her pudginess living here in a rural town. And the lines in Raul's face had hardened, as he also had a barely noticeable scar on his neck from the sea monster he'd managed to kill before Sadeena came back from her latest trip.

"What's happening right now… what happened in the past… don't ever discuss those things with Raphtalia."

"Don't worry, by the way, I've already learned this particular illusion still works on them. To them, we are casually chatting and sharing a funny story." The young, unofficial mayor of Lurolona shook his head as his wife squeezed his hand.

"..." Sadeena frowned deeply, looking around the room as she sat down across from them. She had not known before this if the two had been aware or not. Now she knew they were on the same page.

"I don't know if the situation in Q'Ten Lo has worsened. It's become clear that my father is dead, and I do not know which of my brothers or cousins or nieces or nephews has taken his place… Regardless, even if something happens to me or Natalia… we need you to promise to never discuss anything with our daughter."

The orca woman continued to frown. "Raul…

"We love her, just as we love you," Natalia said, her face downcast as she looked down at the dinner table. "And we've decided that we can't allow our past lives to ever affect her."

Raul gave his wife's hand a loving squeeze. "Unless something happens, Sadeena… I don't want her to learn about any of this. About her heritage, or her bloodline,"

"Perhaps… perhaps then, if she is allowed to live her life in ignorance. Then someday, one day, we'll pass away. And then her kids, or her grandkids, or her great-grandkids will finally be free to live their lives in peace without being watched by the Emperor's Shadows."

"And if that never happens?" Sadeena asked.

…

"If it never happens… then so long as nothing happens, so be it." Raultalia shook his head. "I consider that throne a curse for our family. It has caused us great pain and misery. Blinding generations of rulers and their helpers with traditions and slothfulness and closing us out from the great people in the outside world, amongst many other things.

"I do not want it. Nor do I ever want the responsibilities of it to be thrust upon Raphtalia, or her children, or her children's children."

...

The look on his face finally made Sadeena come to understand just how much the man she'd protected for a good portion of her life, the man who'd always been smiling and laughing, had hated the seat of power his father sat on.

And, she was sad to think it'd taken her so long to understand why it'd been so easy for him to give up everything before.

"I understand." Sadeena looked down at her lap. "I… don't like to think about the past either…

"Everything I did… everything I see in my dreams at night…

"I'd rather forget it all if given the option…"

…

Raultalia and Natalia both reached across the table, grabbing her by the hands. "I'm sad all of us have things to live with." The man shook his head.

"And I'm sorry for all the pain you live with… but that's why we want to protect our precious daughter from it," Natalia said.

"Yes… No need to worry there, Mom." Sadeena closed her eyes and sighed softly. "Unless something happens, I promise I'll take all our pasts to my grave.

"Just… if something does happen… I promise I'll lay down my life for the three of you." Sadeena stated seriously.

The two looked taken aback for a second, but then Raultalia began to chuckle. "But if I lost you, Deeny, who'd be my drinking buddy?"

The two shared a small laugh, but Natalia pinched both their cheeks simultaneously, causing them to cry out in pain. "Raul, you still remember what I had to do to keep Raphtalia and her friends from seeing her precious Daddy and Big Sis blackout drunk on the kitchen table, right?"

"Ow, ow, come on, Nat! I need an outlet to relax every once in a while, and Deeny just happens to find the best booze out there and- OW!"

Sadeena ended up laughing as the illusion spell slowly unraveled, and the Shadows got to see the continuation of what they'd thought had turned from a funny story to simply another simple family argument between the three.

Never learning the serious things that had been discussed during the convo.

"Your father never wanted you to get roped into the mess that was his past life. He wanted you to be able to live your life without the curse of blindly ruling a closed-off nation like his Father.

"But… unfortunately, something has happened now.

"And now, here we are, all in this mess together."

…

A deadly pressure filled the room. But it was not from Naofumi.

"I remember the day Dad came back from the sea, barely able to walk because of his wounds… … …"

Raphtalia clenched her hands so tightly that they turned white.

"I was so scared for him when I saw him, yet he assured me everything would be okay…"

…

"So even when the Wave hit Lurolona?"

…

"Yes…" Sadeena said, sounding just as furious. "Even then, I have no doubt they were there.

"Doing nothing except watching the carnage unfold as our parents died protecting the people they cared about.

"I didn't find those Shadows in the village when I came back from my latest monster hunt in the sea and found it destroyed… but if I were to guess, that was because they were still keeping an eye on you, the royal who'd survived, wherever you'd gone after that.

"If not even Melromarc's Shadows could spot them, there's no way in hell you would have noticed them either.

"As is their mantra: They are 'always watching'."

…

Naofumi joined his fiance in the mounting pressure in the room.

So all those times the two of them had struggled?

The many sleepless lights he'd spent comforting her because of her nightmares.

The Slave raid that occurred on her village after the Wave!

The struggles he'd gone through to raise his strength so he could protect the very few things he cherished!

Unable to do anything except watch as those she'd known and loved died under the enslavement of cruel masters!

Going through that humiliating duel against Motoyasu!

RIFANA!

THEY'D BEEN THERE WATCHING AND DID N̵̛̺̈͂͋O̷̯̦͑̓͘T̷͈̓̚̚H̴̤̗̃̉͘Ï̸͉̜̣̃̋́N̶̞̰͍̋́G̴͎͇͇̑?̵̨̺̦̹̃!̸̝̠͗

"RAFU! RAFU! RAFU!"

Both Heroes were suddenly swatted across the face simultaneously by Raph-Chan, who stood on her back paws between them.

Looking down at the gemstones of their weapons, Raphtalia's was fine, but the gemstone for Naofumi's had turned a dark shade of red. And while her gemstone had done nothing, Raphtalia's blade was once again singing a tune of vengeance and indignation towards their real enemies in her mind.

A tune which quickly changed as Raph-Chan glared at Raphtalia's katana. Raising a glowing paw to it, which made it go deathly quiet.

Still, despite her surprise, and much to their chastisement, both had been too angry to realize their other half had needed to calm down.

…

Actually, this was the first time Naofumi really paused to consider that Raphtalia had begun to share his temperament. It seemed they really had rubbed off on each other in both good and bad ways.

"Please continue." Melty gestured with her hand, moving the convo along.

"As you saw, they are not only strong, but extremely dangerous," Sadeena said, still sounding as pissed off as before. There were no more memories for her to think over. "After today's fight, I'd say each Shadow you fought was on par with me, before I joined the Hero's Nation."

"That's pretty freaking strong," Motoyasu grimaced, before his face scrunched up in thought. "But then, you're a lot stronger now. So what gives? I could understand it if our Hero Bonuses weren't applying and all that, but I don't get how we were all struggling so much against them?"

"That was entirely because of the pacifier gear they were using," Sadeena answered. "It's made from a material that completely counters the powers of Heroes."

"What Naofumi said during the battle wasn't far off. You had no bonuses from your weapons whatsoever.

"The Heroes might as well have been fighting with their bare fists without a class-up for all the good it would have done."

…

"They… what now?" Motoyasu asked in disbelief.

"That word, pacifiers… it sounds familiar, for some reason." S'yne's Sir Bubba doll spoke next to her head as the girl put a hand to her forehead in thought. "But… wait, pacifiers were a term from the history of my world. They were said to have gone extinct ages ago."

"Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if it were a thing in other worlds, given their importance here." Sadeena shook her head. "Not like I understand it all myself. What I can say is that a pacifier's purpose is to ensure that those wielding the Spirit Implements, or the Hero Weapons as they're called in the rest of the world, behave. And that gear is made from a material that allows them, or anyone else using it, to do that job with ease."

"Behave? I'm sorry, but do they view us as children or something?" Naofumi narrowed his eyes.

"You imagine that every summoned Hero goes about their duties of saving the world and not using all that godlike power to become a tyrant Demon King hellbent on taking it over afterward or during it." Sadeena shrugged. "It's not like the weapons always choose the right individual to wield them. I got to read plenty of histories where pacifiers had to step in to punish Heroes for one reason or another."

"... fair enough." Naofumi grimaced. Thinking about how almost all the past knowledge left behind by past Heroes thus far described harems of endless sex or the like. And it suddenly made a lot more sense how such figures that weren't Keichi or Kanji or their allies had saved the world in the past, if they indeed had such overseers making sure they were on their best behavior for long enough to at least save the world first before giving into their endless amounts of lust.

And, a part of Naofumi could at least admit that if he hadn't had Raphtalia at his side, he likely would have gone down the Demon King route thanks to Melromarc a long time ago.

…

However, that also didn't make sense if you remembered how the Claw King had fought to take over the world decades ago. Why had none of these pacifiers appeared back then to stop him?

"I didn't recognize their gear at first, the design was different from what I was shown, and while I might have been a dragon priestess for almost seven years, I never had to deal punishment to a Hero…" Sadeena looked up at everyone there as she continued.

"We won't blame you for that." Motoyasu grimaced.

"Agreed. Please continue." Naofumi gestured, deciding to stew over the discrepancy to see if Sadeena revealed more info that would make it make sense.

"... the cloth and chainmail armor they were wearing completely negates the effects of skills or hero magic directed at them. Their weapons are also capable of negating hero skills or deleting buffs that a Hero is under."

"All that tracks. Though, just so you know, I learned their armor can also cancel out normal buffs on a Hero if you try to grapple someone wearing it." Naofumi said, recalling his testing during the fight.

"Strange," The white-haired knight spoke. "I grappled with plenty of foes, and that didn't happen to me."

"..."

"Hmmm… so it must be specific to Heroes… that's good to learn." Sadeena nodded her head before she continued.

"The gear is also said to negate the special effects of Hero weapon forms or the effects of Hero bonuses on others. Even if those effects come from a Cursed or Blessed Series." Sadeena worked to recall what she'd been taught about the gear as part of her duties while digesting the new info Naofumi and the knight had provided.

"Yep." Naofumi nodded again. He'd thoroughly tested that in the latter end of the fight. Even brought his Cursed Shield out again to test and see if what had happened before had been a fluke.

Long story short, it hadn't been a fluke.

"The weapons also strike the Hero as if they were a normal person. As an example, say that a normal person has a defense stat of 100 at level 100, whereas a Hero like Motoyasu has a defense stat of a thousand or, in Naofumi's case, a million or even higher at the same level.

"This could be due to a variety of factors. Higher growth stats. Higher base stats. Strengthening methods. There are dozens of ways Heroes can grow infinitely stronger than regular people like me.

"Yet what their weapons and armor did was remove all those benefits from Hero individuals while fighting them. Making their stats equivalent to what they would have been at their current level had they not been Heroes, or had Heroic bonuses on top of that.

"Meaning, instead of whatever number your defense stat was originally with any of your weapon forms equipped, Naofumi, you were being hit as though you only had the defense stat of a level 90 person that wasn't wearing armor, and who'd never had a class-up in his life.

"Making them, with their years and years of training, stat boosting armor and weapons, etc., that much more effective against you."

"... … …"

Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Motoyasu paled as the meaning of those words hit them.

"That's how I was taking so much damage," Naofumi muttered.

"And that's why my attacks barely hurt them." Raphtalia and Motoyasu said almost simultaneously.

…

Naofumi's blood chilled further.

That also explained why the others had such a difficult time fighting. And why Melty and Eclair were amongst those struggling the least. Besides undergoing Growth Revision under Fitoria, they had almost nothing in terms of Hero bonuses boosting their stats. They were used to fighting at their normal strength.

"Another thing those weapons are unable to cancel out are the stats one gets from naturally training their bodies." Sadeena then added. "Hence why I was still able to deal with those attacking Moto. I might have been missing my hero bonuses, but I still had my many years of combat experience and training, as well as my naturally higher stat build in my therianthrope form, alongside my higher level thanks to Moto's grinding."

Dou-Lon grunted. He'd found he fought a lot better after shifting into his therianthrope form near the start of combat. It was still a struggle, but it'd been something.

"I see…" Sebas stroked his chin. And Granny was frowning deeply beside him.

They and others had been putting the townspeople through all sorts of training regiments to boost their stats. But then, most of the more solid programs they'd implemented were weeks old. Sadeena, Eclair, Granny, Fohl, others; they had years more experience than most anyone else.

Raphtalia was a training nut herself, but even that had only taken her so far since it hadn't even been a year since she and Naofumi had first met.

And more than just that, most of these other individuals training the others were more than used to fighting without Hero bonuses aiding them. The townspeople were not.

"On that topic of pacifiers, that's also why you're so important, Raphtalia." Sadeena looked at her younger sister again. "You and Raul are of the Pacifier bloodline.

"Those individuals needed those gear and weapons to replicate the power true Pacifiers hold. If either of you had become the Heavenly Emperor, however, you would have gone through a ritual that'd grant you abilities beyond even what they used today to police the Heroes of the world.

"You and any children you have would be worthy of not just ruling Q'Ten Lo, but taking up the role and powers of Pacifier. Which this gear is ultimately made to mimic."

This gear was made to mimic that?! Did that mean it wasn't even as effective as the real deal?!

"B-But I don't want to be a Princess! I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for any of this!" Raphtalia shouted in protest.

All Raphtalia wanted to be was Naofumi's sword, and beyond that, his wife, and the mother of their children. Being the ruler of a country or some special Hero police officer didn't interest her even the tiniest bit!

"Huh, Raphtalia being a Princess… I guess I understand now why my Royal Shield skill was stronger while protecting you." Naofumi pinched the bridge of his nose.

He'd thought it strange when it protected L'Arc against that one forgettable Trash villain, but then, if he'd known it'd also been protecting Raphtalia back then…

And there were other instances from long before then which he could recall. Seriously? His weapon had been able to distinguish her actual status in the world just like that even though none of them had any idea about it?!

Hmmm, but wasn't that cool? It wasn't often you found out your fiance and dearest companion was secretly royalty. And maybe he could end up using the skill in the future to sus out any secret royals or illegitimate children of royals or something? Just food for thought.

At the very least, he could use this as an excuse to turn down any stupid individuals from Siltvelt wanting him to add his blood to their bloodlines in the future.

"Naofumi, this isn't a joke! I don't want that kind of burden!" Raphtalia glared at her Shield Hero. "That'd be like you having to take up the mantle of God for the demi-humans!"

"Yeah. I get it." Naofumi said to her, before glaring at Sadeena again. "Which is why I don't understand. Why the hell did they even do this?!

"It should be obvious that neither of us knew about this deal, much less that we'd ever want to rule their stupid nation at all!"

"It is immensely important. The daughter of the exiled prince, marrying not just any Cardinal Hero, but the Shield Hero himself, would shake the foundations of their society." Sadeena emphasized.

Naofumi grimaced. "But why, I don't get how…" He was asking when he quieted.

Hadn't Raphtalia just reminded him how he was revered as a god by demi-humans?

"... I did try to warn you what marrying my sister would entail…" Sadeena looked off to the side as she quietly said it.

"... tell me, Shield Hero. How much do you love her?"

"... Would you, say, take on an army, or multiple armies, or even a nation if it was for her sake?"

The memory of that conversation passed through Naofumi's mind.

All the ninjas-no, Shadows they'd faced today had been therianthropes of various kinds.

There hadn't been even a single human amongst their number. Even though Sadeena said there were some humans who lived in Q'Ten Lo.

…

Which meant that most of Q'Ten Lo's population was likely made up of…

…

"As the 'God' of demi-humans, marrying Raphtalia could be seen as me legitimizing her claim to the throne should the people of her nation learn about it." Naofumi spelled it out.

"That about sums it up." Sadeena shrugged helplessly, giving her younger sister an apologetic look that didn't come close to conveying how sorry she felt.

"So… because I proposed to Raphtalia, the rulers thought it was a good enough reason to kill her and me?!" Naofumi asked, his anger flaring up again. "Sure, I can understand needing to police the Heroes! I've seen how some of us acted like idiots when the power got to our heads!

"No offense, Motoyasu." Naofumi quickly turned his head to his brother.

"None taken." Grimacing, Motoyasu had no choice but to agree.

"BUT THEY'D SERIOUSLY GO AS FAR AS KILLING US BECAUSE I CHOSE TO MARRY RAPHTALIA AND THAT COULD POSSIBLY LEAD TO THEM LOSING INFLUENCE OVER THEIR PEOPLE?!" Naofumi exploded as he faced Sadeena again. "JUST HOW INANE AND STUPID ARE THEY!?

"It is not dumb in their eyes," Sadeena said in a deadpan. "Even though I agree that it is unreasonable, given that both of you knew nothing, and have even voiced that you wouldn't wish to rule.

"But if the people were to learn about the exiled bloodline marrying a Cardinal Hero, they could rise up and call for her to take over. Especially if the current Heavenly Emperor sitting on the throne right now isn't a popular one.

"It wouldn't matter what your opinions were then. If they're unsatisfied, they'll want change. And they'll grasp for anything that could inspire said change to happen unless it is eliminated, no matter how much they are oppressed.

"I don't know if that is the reason. But it's the only one I can think of right now that'd explain the change in behavior from their Shadows. Whoever is in charge right now must be desperate to remain in power."

A vein bulged in Naofumi's head again. "So what you're saying is that thanks to a bunch of idiots, I'm not going to be allowed to marry Raphtalia, and they're going to just keep attacking us or calling for us to rule until I've dealt with all of them and made it clear we want absolutely nothing to do with their &%$?!"

"Yes, but as you saw, Q'Ten Lo possesses weapons and equipment that are capable of bypassing the powers of Heroes." Sadeena continued, her anger mixing with her fear. "What they brought today isn't even the worst at their disposal. We seriously need to be ready for what they'll be sending our way next and-"

"And then what?!" Raphtalia asked angrily, cutting her older sister off. Her anger was again rising alongside Naofumi's as she stood up, baring her fangs. "Fight them off again?! Risk others from my home dying around me again?!"

The number one power couple was pissed- actually, wait, that threshold had been passed long ago. Words could not describe just how livid both of them were right now.

"We've got a world we're fighting to save! I have friends and family I want to protect! And you're saying we should just cower and do nothing while people out there are suffering from this kind of stupidity?!"

"No, I'm not saying we should cower-" Sadeena tried to speak up.

"Hahaha! Exactly! Sounds like all we've got to do is go over there and get some heads to roll, right, dear?" Naofumi chuckled evilly while agreeing with his companion.

"Screw waiting here and preparing for what they want to send to us next! I say we go over there ourselves and tear this 'Heavenly Emperor' or whoever guy or gal that's in charge apart as well as all his/her supporters so they'll have no leader or army to piss us off with anymore!

"And then we'll let the people clean up their own damn mess afterward, ahahahaha! Putting our heads on pikes in front of their palace?! I won't rest till I've done exactly that to them!"

…

"I… it won't be that simple…" Sadeena sweatdropped.

"Oh no, it is going to be that simple." Raphtalia snarled. "Whoever it was that thought it'd be a great idea to stand by while my friends and I suffered and died during and after that first Wave and slave raid is going to learn a favorite saying I learned from Naofumi's world.

"Don't shoot someone unless you're prepared to get shot yourself!"

"Ha! Well spoken, Raphtalia! If it's a war this bastard wants, then I'll make them regret ever being born!" Naofumi declared, a fiery determination that wasn't his Curse burning in his eyes.

"I'll cut down anyone they send our way! Until I'm finally allowed to marry the man I love!" Raphtalia declared beside him as well, the same fiery passion burning in her eyes.

…

Sadeena sat stunned for a moment.

"Yes." Naofumi said with a determined tone. "Without hesitation."

"... I consider my life to be a million, no, a billion times better since Naofumi is in it now. Everything I've had to suffer through before from losing our parents and being enslaved is meaningless compared to the happiness I feel whenever I'm with him and our family."

…

The Shield Hero hadn't been lying.

And perhaps she hadn't given her younger sister enough credit either.

"Sadeena…" Motoyasu finally spoke, dragging her attention back to the man she loved.

"If that's true, if more attacks like this are going to come regardless of what we do… if diplomacy is impossible, then I agree.

"We can't sit back and allow them to disrupt everyone's lives here with more attacks like this.

"We have to deal with them before they get lucky and kill one of us or the other Heroes outside the Hero's Nation."

…

The others' heads turned to the Spear Hero, who rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled awkwardly. "I'd rather we not go to war at all… but I see now that it's not an option. Not anymore, at least.

"I'm sorry for speaking against it earlier. That was insensitive of me."

"... Moto." Sadeena sadly smiled, before looking down, thinking to herself.

The eyes of the others were on her again.

Even after hearing everything, their support for her hadn't dimmed.

No, it'd increased tenfold.

Moto… truly had the best companions a guy could ask for.

…

The orca woman raised her head. All of her sadness was gone, replaced with a burning rage that couldn't be quenched. "It won't be easy, but I'll help..."

"The whole nation is surrounded by a barrier that's powered by the Water Dragon. It is impenetrable to any form of attack. Supposedly, not even the great Bird Queen herself can penetrate the barrier."

…

Naofumi turned his head back to Fitoria, as did everyone else.

Rather than deny it, the bird girl pouted. "The Water Dragon's a big cheater. I only wanted to slaughter her for being a stupid dragon, but she refused to come out and fight."

"... oh my, and here I thought that it was just a legend." Sadeena slowly shook her head in disbelief.

"It was only twenty years ago… at least I think that's how long it's been." Fitoria tilted her head in thought. "Fitoria was bored, and then randomly recalled there being a dragon in that part of the world.

"Nothing Fitoria did could break through the barrier though. And the beastmen who sailed out and stayed behind it to launch attacks at Fitoria were really annoying.

"Fitoria never did get the chance to pay them back for that. Fitoria is glad she got to do so today."

…

"I guess, now that that's confirmed, the only way to enter that I know of is the same way that Raultalia, Natalia, and I left long ago." Sadeena continued.

"Boarding the only trade ship that's allowed to bypass the Water Dragon's barrier."

"... And how does that work?" Naofumi asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"It has the crest of the Water Dragon engraved on its hull. That allows it and whoever is on it to enter or leave the island nation with its express permission.

"Q'Ten Lo has only crafted one such vessel to trade with the outside world. They dislike dealing with outsiders entirely. But we can at least know it's in use since that'll be the only way their Shadows will be able to come to attack us."

"And where might this ship be?" Naofumi asked.

"If not at Q'Ten Lo's ports. Then, it is the only ocean water port to which it sails for trade.

"Pawnaveral. A port controlled by Siltvelt." Sadeena said.

…

"I… recognize the name," Chen murmured unsurely. "It's Siltvelt's only connection to the ocean... and it's also on the complete other side of the nation from Melromarc."

…

"Heh… heh… Is that so?" Naofumi again chuckled. More dryly this time.

How ironic.

"Hey, Raphtalia, you know how I said earlier that we were going to prepare to go to Siltvelt and then deal with the Phoenix afterward?"

"I was hoping to deal with that problem sooner rather than later… and then this attack happened and I was worried we'd have to push it back… but you know what? I have to say, screw preparing for the Phoenix entirely at this point.

"I couldn't care less how long this takes.

"We're not going to sidestep around the issue. Reaching that port and dealing with Q'Ten Lo has now become our top priority. And given its placement, it only makes sense for us to cut straight through the heart of Siltvelt to reach it, yeah?" Naofumi smirked.

"Sh-Shield Lord! But if we did that, we'd have to go through the land where the Capital resides!" Chen voiced.

"Three birds with one stone, ain't it?" Naofumi responded with a smirk. "We get a chance to gather some levels and get stronger. We get to deal with the Kitsune monster controlling your people. And we'll have plenty of opportunities to think up or find counters to this 'anti-hero' gear Q'Ten Lo possesses so that by the time we arrive, we'll be able to raze Q'Ten Lo to the ground."

"What was it you said earlier, Melty? That our enemies and those backing them would face 'complete and utter annihilation' for attacking us Heroes?"

"Well, I'm going to ensure we deliver on that promise."

Naofumi looked at the others in the room.

Motoyasu was frowning, but nodded his head in reluctance. The eyes of Granny and Sebas were shining. Raphtalia, Melty, and Sadeena looked bloodthirsty.

Chen's eyes were shining with tears. And that white-haired knight who'd spoken up earlier looked the most excited out of everyone there for some reason.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves.

"As of this moment, the people of the Hero's Nation are at war."

"Chief Advisor!"

"Hmmm?"

A woman dressed in a black and tan hakama turned to her subordinate. Her hair was styled in a curved manner that made it appear as if a river was constantly flowing around her head.

Her eyes were as red as her hair, slanted and creased as if she'd been displeased with something her entire life.

On top of her head were a pair of long, pointed, fox ears. She looked young, but she was older, far older than anyone realized.

The messenger took several seconds to catch his breath, during which the woman's displeased gaze did not lessen in the slightest.

"W-We have received confirmation." The man finally spoke. "The exiled princess accepted an engagement proposal from the Shield Hero.

"Our comrades failed to kill them both in violation of the divine mandate and have fallen in battle with our enemy."

"... is that all?" The woman continued to stare at her subordinate. Her expression didn't change.

"There has been a request for reinforcements. And for a Sakura Stone of Destiny to be delivered out of the country.

"During their ambush, the people of the Hero's Nation rallied to the Wielder of the Shield Implement and the exiled princess's defense. And several noteworthy individuals swayed the battle out of favor of our countrymen, including the oathbreaker dragon priestess."

"... I see."

"Y-Your orders, ma'am?" The man asked.

"..."

The chief advisor of Q'Ten Lo didn't mutter a word for a while. Her expression remained set in stone.

"Tell me… is there anyone besides you who knows of this information?" The woman asked.

"N-No, ma'am. I came straight to you after destroying it, as you ordered us to do with sensitive information that comes in from the outside." The man responded.

"And did you tell anybody else about it?"

"N-No ma'am." The man shakily shook his head while staring at the floor.

…

"Good. You've done well."

The man looked up, a hopeful expression on his face.

A hopeful expression that quickly died, as did the look in his eyes when he found his superior's face inches away from him, the same displeased look on her face as her hand touched against his chest, directly over his heart.

"Thank you for being willing to die to keep this information a secret." The woman said dryly. "Your sacrifice will be noted alongside those of your comrades who died valiantly trying to destroy the exiled princess."

With a cry of pain, the messenger collapsed to the ground. The hole that'd been bored into his soul had just been widened far further than was safe. "M-M-Ma'am-, wait!" The messenger cried out.

But it was already too late.

His pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears as the woman turned away from his body.

He continued to scream as the hole bored into his soul by the fox woman widened further, and further, until finally…

KSCH!

There was a sound like breaking glass, and the messenger's body crumbled lifelessly.

It then turned into dust, which dissipated across the floor thanks to a breeze passing through an open balcony.

The woman's eyes were still slanted in a displeased manner, but on her lips as she faced the outside world was a pleased smile.

"And here I thought I'd never have a reason to go after that little brat after getting that stupid pathetic tanuki that was her father killed."

Even with her tight grip on power here, there was only so much she could do outside Q'Ten Lo. This was, after all, an extremely isolated nation.

Unless there was a good reason, she could not convince others, even with as much control over their lives as she had, to go out and murder a child in cold blood.

…

And yet, at the same time, she'd also been the one who sat complacent after learning the child had gone into slavery, thinking that'd be the end of it.

…

To think said child would then be purchased by the Shield Hero. That she'd grow stronger and stronger until she disappeared for weeks after the Spirit Tortoise, only for her Shadows to finally find her again in Lurolona during a routine check, wielding a vassal weapon from another world!

She hadn't suffered and died. No, she'd grown and thrived! And she had no reason to stage an assassination against an exiled branch family promised safety by that idiot of a ruler!

…

But at long last, the chief advisor had been given a smoking gun that'd allow her to off this problem child once and for all.

The megitsune began to laugh coldly to herself.

"Just a single Sakura Stone of Destiny as reinforcements? Why just send one when I'll need to ensure the brat, the 'great' Heroes, and their 'great' nation fall so that no one will be able to rise up against me?"

Ahahahaha, no. If she was going to wipe out the little tanuki brat who'd gotten her hands on a hero weapon from another world as well as the great Shield Hero that even the demipeople of Q'Ten Lo worshipped, then she was going to ensure it happened by any means necessary.

"Shadows," The woman called. "Clean this mess from my floor… and give orders to the current dragon priestess, as well as her generals.

"They are to start moving themselves and our forces to Siltvelt at once. Leave only enough soldiers for minimal guard duty in the towns. Make sure no word of this reaches the young master's ears."

"We shall see to it that a plausible story is made for Lady Shildeena's absence to Heavenly Emperor Ruftmilia at once." One of her Shadows spoke, though he didn't appear inside the room.

"Will that be all, my lady?" Another one asked.

…

The Vixen's smile grew colder. "See to it that the job is finished properly this time."

A pair of Shadows appeared briefly in the middle of the carpet, bowing their heads to the Chief Advisor. "By your command, Lady Makina."

They then vanished into thin air.

The others weren't shown, but the dust on the floor vanished without a trace as well.

Makina looked out from the Japanese-style tower of Q'Ten Lo's new castle and let out a loud laugh of pleasure.

The fox woman couldn't wait till she received word of the young tanuki brat's demise…

And she looked forward to witnessing the chaos that'd spread throughout the world when the new great and mighty Hero's Nation fell alongside their precious 'Heroes' of legend.

End of Arc 11

Hero Clips!

Who are you Again?

Naofumi's declaration hung in the air.

The fate of the entire nation was about to change indefinitely for everyone in the room. Some looked forward to it, and others dreaded or feared the challenges that lay ahead.

It was going to be a big mess no matter which way you looked at it.

But above them all, there was one individual in particular who was ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC for what was about to happen!

"YESSSSS! I NEVER THOUGHT THE SHIELD HERO WOULD EVER TELL US TO GO TO WAR WITH A NATION OF DEMIS!"

Naofumi and most of the others turned their heads in confusion to the white-haired knight who'd spoken up again. Only this time, he sounded far more enthusiastic compared to before.

Dou-Lon groaned as he put his head in his hands, whilst Eclair harshly glared at him.

"Naofumi Iwatani, right? I admit that I used to dislike you because of your status as the Shield Hero. But now I see that you truly are a cut above the rest of the past Shield Heroes!" Sebastian smiled widely, walking up to the coffee table before getting down on one knee facing him.

"Uh… thanks?" Naofumi offered confusedly.

Sebastian didn't catch on to the Shield Hero's confusion, however.

"You have my word that I shall dedicate my life to this task till it has been seen through to completion! On my honor as a knight, I am in your service!" The man declared, bowing respectfully to the blank-faced man as he did so.

Sebastian had thought today would be his only night of fun. But if they were going to go to war with this Q'Ten Lo Nation- wait, and not just them, they'd also be going to Siltvelt as well!

Yes! Two demi-nations, which meant plenty of opportunities to kill demis along the way!

Oh, happy days! This was the best day of Sebastian's life!

Screw that Balamus chap! He truly was an old and short-sighted, ignorant fool! If only he'd had the opportunity to learn of the greatness of the current Shield Hero and his bloodlust for demis, maybe then they could have converted the demi's own God to their holy crusade and-

"I'm sorry to ask this, but who are you again?" Naofumi asked.

…

The formerly strongest Church Knight remained dead silent.

Naofumi only continued to stare at the man in confusion.

...

"What?" Sebastian finally asked.

"No, seriously, I don't know who the hell you are. I can't remember ever meeting you before today."

Yeah, wasn't today the first time Naofumi had met this rando? Maybe he'd seen him on a previous day, but it was too minor a scenario for him to try and recall if it had happened or not.

Seriously, where the hell had he come from? And why was he even here for this meeting?

…

Dou-Lon let out a small chuckle. "Truly, it is like poetry, it rhymes."

"What is that supposed to mean uncle?" Fohl asked curiously.

Dou-Lon coughed into his hand. "It means this poor fool is experiencing exactly what I experienced when I first requested to join Naofumi's party."

"Ah… that's rough buddy." Fohl laughed in Sebastian's direction, and it caused his mentor to burst into another fit of chuckles.

"Right, I guess I did forget to mention what my mother discussed with me concerning him." Melty sweatdropped.

Funny, all the planning and effort she'd put into her Nation made her mother's pet project completely slip from her mind.

"Oh, is this your first time meeting Sebbie, Shield Lord?" Chen asked curiously.

"Sebbie, is that his name?" Naofumi asked. Now that he thought about it, he could have sworn he overheard Farrie or somebody calling him by that name before the meeting. Maybe after the battle?

"N-NO! Of course not! My name is actually-" Sebastian started to yell.

Smash!

Unfortunately, because he was still bowing, it made it super easy for Eclair to grab the back of his head and smash it into the floor.

Nobody visibly reacted to the display of violence. Hell, Granny gave the master swordswoman a smile while Sebas nodded in approval at the masterful display of martial prowess Eclair had used.

"I'd prefer using something a little more crass, Sir Naofumi, but I guess Sebbie will have to do in his case," The master swordswoman snarled.

"W-W-Wait! Miss Eclair-" Sebastian tried to raise himself up and speak, but Eclair buried his head into the wooden panels again.

"Don't think I didn't hear you call me a bitch during that battle," Eclair whispered quietly into his ear, making the grown man still as horror filled his soul.

Yep, Dou-Lon's earlier intuition had been spot on. There was no way in hell the rose-haired knight was going to let that slide.

"Dou-Lon, come with me, 'Sebbie' here is in need of some fresh 'reconditioning'," Eclair emphasized. "He might have survived today's battle. But we must ensure the Shield Hero's newest party member continues to survive beatings on the front lines well into the future."

"Sure thing, Eclair. Your wish is my command." Dou-Lon stood up, whistling a happy tune, as she would not be focusing on him or his growing feelings for her again for a while.

The swordswoman smiled in appreciation as she began dragging Sebastian's weaker body towards the door against his will.

"Wait, no! PLEASE! SOMEBODY!

"HELP MEEEEEE!" Sebastian begged for his life.

Unfortunately, the Heroes had some planning to do. And Naofumi didn't consider this important enough to handle at the moment.

He was still surprised that someone else had been added to his party. That was going to take some getting used to. But at least it was another guy this time.

He was that much closer to having a party balance of guys and girls under him, challenging the typical isekai trope of having a full party of girls supporting him.

And that was how 'Sebbie' was officially introduced to the Shield Hero, and brought along with him to Siltvelt to help with the challenges there.

And that was also how he was beat up by Dou-Lon for calling Eclair a bitch in battle.

Sebbie would eventually join the frontlines in Siltvelt, but he'd be black and blue long after that night was over.

Hero Clips!

Pacifier Nation Lesson

"Wow, ain't this a familiar room?"

The Shield and Spear Heroes looked around the schoolroom they sat in, seeing Allen standing at the front in a white kimono.

This time, Naofumi and Raphtalia were sharing a love seat together instead of Ren and Wyndia.

In fact, the Sword and Bow Heroes' parties were nowhere in sight. It was just the Shield and Spear Heroes' parties sitting in the room.

Raph-Chan sat in a cute, small desk on top of a desk at the front. Putting her in the perfect petting position of Allen, who gladly ran a hand through the hair on her head.

"Rafu! (Yes, pet me more, Author-Kun! Give me all the pets!)"

"Ahaha! You got it, Raphie!" Allen continued to stroke her fur with vigor, eliciting a happy "RAFU!" from the most perfect and adorable creature to walk the face of the planet- my bad, universe-

My bad, MULTIVERSE.

Naofumi pouted. "She's my daughter, you know! Can I have her back already?!"

"After what you did in a recent omake? Fat chance." Allen deadpanned.

"Also, just have her discover she can do class-ups for others so you can turn the monsters (or people if you really want to) of your nation into the Raph-Species instead," Allen informed the Shield Hero. "You literally have no idea what you've been sitting on for the past month, dude."

"Wait- what-" Naofumi started to say in shock. Was that actually canon?!

"You are never going to do that," Raphtalia said while glaring at him. "One daughter you're obsessed with is bad enough."

…

Naofumi crossed his arms as his pout deepened. "But if you got a class-up through Raph-Chan, then maybe-"

A murderous wave of aura came off the heroine. And Naofumi wisened up as he realized he'd probably be sleeping on a couch thrown at Mirellia's castle again if he finished that sentence. Regardless of the fact that it could never happen since Heroes couldn't get class-ups.

…

ANYWAY! Filo and Melty sat at desks next to the disappointed Shield Hero and his fiance. Dou-Lon and Eclair sat near the front, with Chen and Sebastian sitting behind them.

The white-haired knight still looked black and blue from Eclair's earlier punishment.

"Do I exist in this story… just to suffer?" Sebastian drawled.

As for the Spear Hero and his party, the man with the most rizz ever sat on a love couch between Sadeena and Larsa.

And S'yne… she was sitting on his lap.

The Otherworld Seamstress hummed happily as she pulled a large blanket out, draping it over herself and Moto, before snuggling against the Spear Hero's warm, chiseled chest.

Motoyasu had to fight to keep himself from screaming at how happy he was right now!

"Ara ara." Sadeena smiled at the cute interaction.

"Not cool." Larsa pouted, wishing she could be the one feeling up her man's abs.

Not that she thought that's what S'yne was doing underneath that blanket or anything.

In all honesty, it was probably something far more innocent, knowing S'yne.

"Hi, Author-Kun!" Atla waved happily from her desk.

"Hey, Atla! Hey Fohl! Glad to see you're both doing great!" Allen waved. Making handgun signs at the two, before winking at Keel, who sat next to Fohl in a desk she'd scooted up next to his. "Keep up the great work, by the way, Keel. I'm looking forward to 'Feel' becoming a reality in the coming arcs!"

"Will do, Author-Kun!" The maid dog girl proudly saluted. "I shall do my best to seduce Fohl and carry his children before Q'Ten Lo is over!"

"EHHHHHHH~?!" Fohl reeled in surprise.

"Oh, please, don't say you wouldn't like it, Big Brother.

"You've always had a thing for tomboys." Atla rolled her head while smirking.

"AGAIN! WHY DO YOU KEEP SPREADING THAT LIE IN ALLEN'S FICS?!" Fohl screeched. "I'M JUST INTERESTED IN KEEL BECAUSE I THINK SHE'S CUTE WHILE AT THE SAME TIME A TOTAL BAD%$ WHO KICKS BUTT IN COMBAT!"

"Awwww, it's so great seeing Fohl-san working to become more honest with himself. If only a certain other hakuko could emulate his example." Allen rolled his eyes while glaring at the front of the room.

"What was that?" Eclair asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Must have been the wind." Dou-Lon looked down at his desk with dead eyes.

For once, he and Sebastian could relate to something.

Please, for the love of Shield God, could he escape this hell already?! Why couldn't he have just fallen for his childhood friend instead?! Chen looked so hot in a maid outfit!

But then he pictured Eclair in said outfit, and his face reached another shade of red.

…

Why even try to fight the inevitable at this point? It was going to happen sooner or later, knowing how deadset on shipping Allen was. His break by helping Eclair to beat on Sebastian was likely going to be temporary at best.

"Author-Kun. Are you here today to teach us about the gear those enemies were using against Blondie and the others?" Amber asked where she sat behind Moto, before the best hakuko boy ever could have an existential crisis.

"Yeah. Sadeena, I'd ask if you were up to teach this on my behalf. But I had a feeling you'd prefer staying next to your Hero." Allen said, his gaze moving from Amber to the orca woman as he spoke.

"As long as S'yne is ok with that." Sadeena looked to the Otherworld Seamstress, but she'd long since covered her head with the blanket, and Motoyasu patted the top of the purring mound with his hand.

"Teach away, Author-Kun." Raphtalia smiled happily.

"Alright." Allen coughed into his hand. "It feels great not to have any major theatrics in this place."

Dou-Lon and Sebastian's silent pleas for help near the front of the class conveniently fell on deaf ears.

"Now where should I begin… does anybody have any questions that'd help me know where to start?" Allen asked.

"Author Guy, is there any way for Filo's Mommy and Daddy to counter the effects of the pacifier gear?" Filo asked hesitantly.

"Or any of the other Heroes in general?" Naofumi asked with a frown after her.

"... the short answer to that is no." Allen said to them both. "I'm pretty sure I spelled it out in the chapter itself, but no harm in making sure it's put down in clear and simple terms for others who eventually reach this point."

Allen wrote on the chalkboard behind him. "The Pacifier gear is made from a specific material native only to Q'Ten Lo called Sakura Stone.

"Like Guardian Beast materials, it is one of the few things that is common to every world in Shield Hero." Allen wrote a diagram of circles, depicting Naofumi's world, Kizuna's world, and several other worlds; along with arrows in between signifying materials that all worlds shared. "And its purpose is that it ignores the powers and benefits Heroes have.

"All of them. Strengthening methods. Equip Effects. Weapon and weapon forms. Equip Bonuses. Stat Growth. Base stats. Skills. Magic. Curse Series. Bless Series. Any Weapon Series.

"You name any benefit a Hero has over a normal person that isn't on this list, and that's something that can be cucked by this material. If you even have to ask, the most likely answer is yes.

"Even a Hero's weapon is treated as just an extension of their fists when attacking. Doesn't matter if it's a sharp blade or shield, or whatever. We all know by now that physics takes a backseat to game mechanics, whilst the latter takes a dump all over it in this fantasy setting. So, landing hits with any kind of hero weapon without the use of magic or life force against Sakura Stone Armor will be just like punching it with your fists.

"Unless your natural stats are high enough, or your opponent's natural stats and levels are lower than yours, it's not going to do a whole lot."

"Wow… sorry, that is pretty rough." Naofumi grimaced in sympathy for his fiance, who shook her head miserably.

"Every One Hero world starts with a Q'Ten Lo of its own..." Allen continued, before frowning. "Actually, just so that I can say it less, I'll just refer to these nations in other worlds being called 'Pacifier Nations'. Since that's basically what they are.

"Anyway, in that area of the world, the Pacifier Nation is the only place where Sakura Stone can be extracted from the ground or air or whatever. I'm not familiar with the specifics, but given its name, I'd say 'ground' is the most likely option.

"In the event of a one-hero world combining with another one-hero world, while the rest of the world is merged together at random, the land the Pacifier Nations of both worlds are on will always be merged together. Similarly, just as there are always four Guardian Beasts, there is always one pacifier nation with access to the materials needed to police the Heroes.

"As Nations, they do undergo development and all that. However, due to their importance, Pacifier Nations tend to be more isolationist than other countries more often than not. And thus aren't open to visitors."

"Any particular reason why?" Motoyasu asked.

"Because reincarnators," Allen said flatly. "As well as their bosses.

"Like I mentioned, they police the Heroes in their world and make sure they behave. So, if a reincarnator ends up with a hero weapon, who do you think has the best chance of taking them down besides another Hero? And thus, who ends up being one of the biggest threats on the list that needs to be taken out?"

…

"That's… fair." Motoyasu grimaced.

"The barriers that surround these nations also prevent them or their operatives from even entering. Much less, doing something to them. Because they're that important to the security of the world." Allen then added.

"Wait, what about Kyo? And the other reincarnators in Kizuna's world that were even worse than him?" Raphtalia asked. "Why didn't the pacifiers in that world deal with them?"

"Because the Pacifier Nation there was destroyed centuries ago," Allen answered again, in a flat voice.

…

"But… if they can't do anything…?" Naofumi asked.

"They can't? But normal greedy people? Absolutely."

Allen shook his head with a sigh. "That's actually going to be a sad part to cover in regards to a future character from the Otherworld later on… makes it clear why she'd come to despise the other human countries so much. And the truly sad thing is that the land never even ended up getting used by the other nations that wanted it after that…"

"Well, regardless, there is a descendant with pacifier blood running through her veins that is still alive in Kizuna's world." Allen then continued. "Unfortunately for her, it requires another character from your world combining with her to access those powers because of how faint her bloodline has become over the generations. And I haven't introduced said character yet.

"I've only said her name this chapter.

"Nor have I had something happen to Hoshi, which would have said character transferred to that world upon one of your visits in the future so that her combination with this distant Pacifier could be feasible.

"Regardless," Allen looked up again. "The long short is that Kizuna's world has no pacifiers to police the Heroes. And they aren't likely to have pacifiers anytime soon. Hence, another reason why the reincarnator problem was so bloody terrible.

"Now, as for your guys' world. You're in a 'slightly' better position, given that your Pacifier Nation is alive and well. Hell, as I pointed out before, what's going on here has nothing to do with the reincarnators or their bosses. They have no hand behind Q'Ten Lo gunning after your heads."

"If that's the case, then why haven't they been policing the world like they should have?" Naofumi asked. "Sadeena never did answer why no Pacifiers went after the Claw King decades ago."

"Oh, that's simple." Allen waved a hand in dismissal. "That's because your world's Q'Ten Lo has been in an extreme form of isolation for at least a few centuries. Think of your Japanese history from 800 A.D. to 1800 A.D., but even worse.

"At least in the past, they were keeping an eye on world events. But up to before Raultalia left, Q'Ten Lo was having absolutely nothing to do with monitoring the world or its Heroes. Think Lapis in Kizuna's world, but even more closed off and untrusting of outsiders. Hell, they only have one ship for trade, and that's for essentials they don't have in Q'Ten Lo. That's it.

"On the one hand, being closed off from everyone besides a trade deal with Siltvelt through Pawnaveral has helped them survive, unlike Kizuna's Pacifier Nation. And yes, I will share, that is why the Pacifier Nation in Kizuna's world was destroyed.

"They didn't go the route of isolation, and they were destroyed for it.

"Let that sink in for a moment."

…

"Now, going into isolation has also allowed Q'Ten Lo to build up considerable military strength that they haven't had a reason to use up till now (by the way, enjoy having fun with that). Not like it didn't stop another red-haired bitch from eventually moving in and getting involved in palace affairs (seriously, it's like the canon setting has a thing against redheads or something. I know I've read a lot of stories on real life Karens with red hair, but come on).

"But on the other hand, because your Q'Ten Lo has been so isolated, they haven't been doing their jobs properly. Which has led to some other interesting events in the past couple of centuries that I look forward to covering in the plot." Allen smiled widely.

Naofumi grunted. "Alright, so pretty much, they're so isolated that the people there can essentially be brainwashed through propaganda to believe whatever it is the higher-ups want them to believe? And that's been going on for hundreds of years?"

"Yeah. Kind of sounds like a certain country from our world. Pretty funny, amirite?" Allen chuckled awkwardly.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan waved her paw, and Allen gave her more pets.

"And so they have to kill me and Raphtalia off because…?!" Naofumi asked, his anger growing again at the ridiculousness of it.

"Hey, they might be super isolated, but that doesn't mean those who come and go on that one merchant ship will or won't let something slip to the people. Especially since having a corrupt leader who wants to control everyone's lives is something most people don't want, from my experience." Allen shrugged. "And not to mention, it was kind of impossible to hide the fact that the crown prince 'ran away' in a very public fashion that couldn't be covered up without silencing at least half the nation after news broke out.

"Anyway, that isn't your biggest issue here." Allen then said. "I'm not kidding when I say that Q'Ten Lo has more at its disposal to throw at you. Even grinding to high levels won't be enough to save you.

"The current person there pulling everything behind the strings really wants you all dead for her own reasons. And because of her… questionable abilities, trust me, I know for a fact that she isn't a reincarnator, but I'm still trying to figure out how the hell she's capable of boring holes into the souls of others to gain control over them. She sure as hell ain't a weasel demi-human, based on her fox ears. Hopefully, season four will cover that. Or not, but hey, Season Three was a major bump in quality compared to Season Two and even some aspects of Season One, so I have high hopes.

"But anyway, tangent aside, sorry that I go on a lot of those by the way, but believe me when I say she won't stop throwing crap at you until you kill her. And then, like it or not, you're going to have to help clean up Q'Ten Lo afterward and make sure it doesn't become vulnerable to the influence of reincarnators or their bosses in the future, because losing this nation or giving your enemies access to boatloads of Sakura Stone WILL severely hurt you or others down the road, if you catch my drift."

The others frowned in the room. What Allen was asking for seemed like an impossible task.

…

"You said earlier that the short answer to the Heroes being able to counter pacifier gear was no." Dou-Lon spoke up, surprising the others.

"What is the long answer to that question?" He then asked.

…

Allen grinned widely. "The long answer is that there is a failsafe that the world triggers for the Hero Weapons in the event that the Pacifier Nation of the world has become evil instead of the Heroes. Much like how the Weapons can activate the Cursed Series to save their wielders from killing themselves.

"I can safely say at this point that the failsafe has been triggered by the world. All you have to do is figure out what it is."

"Why is there a failsafe for that-" Eclair started to ask, when she stopped. "Actually, it's a wonder that the weapons themselves even had a failsafe to keep the Heroes fighting on behalf of the world. Much less, a set of overseers meant to watch over them and keep them in line.

"I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that the world would also have a failsafe for times when those same overseers turned against the Heroes and became threats to the world instead."

"Yeah, that about sums it up, Eclair. Well done. You might not be emotionally intelligent, but you definitely show that you're the daughter of a governor from time to time when it counts."

Eclair smiled warmly at the praise, while Dou-Lon sank further into his chair, a haunted look of internal horror on his face. Was it any wonder he was so screwed in regards to his feelings?

"So, what's the failsafe?!" Naofumi and Raphtalia quickly stood up.

"You'll have to find out yourselves." Allen shook his head. "Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to spell it out to you."

"Can you at least give us a hint?" Motoyasu asked before the power couple could yell in frustration.

"A hint… … …

"Alright, sure, why not?" Allen smirked after a moment of thinking to himself.

"The secret ingredient is the Sakura Stones. They will reject the power of Hero Weapons under any circumstance and every scenario, except the one where the Pacifier Nation has decided to work against the world and its Heroes.

"All it takes is making use of a certain function from your weapons when using the Sakura Stones, and then you'll be made resistant to the effects of the Sakura Stone while using the benefit of said function."

Allen gave the group a wink. "Just remember to work hard, get strong, and be ready for when that time comes.

"My goal is that by the time you're done with Siltvelt and have figured out the failsafe and applied it to your weapons, Q'Ten Lo's conflict will be a chapter at most."

"Would the failsafe be that effective?" Naofumi asked, his gaze curious.

"Yes. The failsafe would keep every single bit of their arsenal I'll be throwing against you soon enough from even hindering you." Allen grinned widely. "Meaning you'd be able to cut to the heart of that nation without any real opposition."

"... excellent." Raphtalia began to chuckle darkly.

"Most alluring." Naofumi began to chuckle darkly next to her as well.

"Rafufufufufu." Even their ever-lovable and perfect daughter joined in.

"Filo doesn't like seeing Mommy and Daddy like this." The angel girl said with a worried frown.

"Fufufufu. Finally, I'll get a chance to really show off the power of the nation I've cultivated!" Melty began rubbing her hands together in a diabolical manner.

"Aha! Ahahahahahaha!" Even Sadeena joined in with some evil laughter of her own. Much to the fright of Motoyasu and Larsa.

S'yne, however, just continued to purr while taking a nap under her blanket in the Spear Hero's lap.

Allen's grin turned evil.

Yes, he couldn't wait to see how all these characters fared in the coming arcs. From dealing with a nation's civil war to being pestered by Karn and his minions, as well as a few other interesting side pieces working in the background on both aspects.

"In the words of Senku… It's time to get excited." Allen said to the readers.

"We have finally left slice of life territory."

Till Next Time

Allen

Notes:

Right, here's another bit of canon lore I can drop, since I'm pretty certain I heavily foreshadowed this outcome happening.
The Miko Outfit isn't the only trigger that can kickstart the Q'Ten Lo mess. Proposing marriage to Raphtalia, as the Shield Hero, can also lead to this outcome.
There is another trigger related to that which can also cause it. Sex without protection. This is due to the risk of pregnancy.
Yes. Raphtalia being pregnant with the Shield Hero's child, or even having the chance to be pregnant with his child, would still trigger this whole mess, with or without a marriage proposal.
If you want the reasoning why, outside of what was said in this chapter… the current person I showed at the end, who is actually in charge of Q'Ten Lo, was literally looking for any excuse to have the last member of this family lineage not under her thumb killed off, as she's managed to off every other member of Raphtalia's family over the past fifteen to twenty years, including those that had remained behind in Q'Ten Lo, besides the person she has in place as a puppet ruler on the throne; all this so she can have complete control over this nation without any chance of rebellion.
The exiled princess being alive or having the child of the Shield Hero, and the people learning about it since the crown prince's escape was still known 10+ years later, could result in them calling for Raphtalia or her child to become the next ruler. Threatening this woman's hold on the nation through the puppet ruler she has in place. Which is an especially real threat because we are talking about the child of two Heroes here. So she wants to tie up this last loose end.
I figured I'd just get that out of the way now so I won't have to deal with any naysayers who have repeatedly shown that they have no clue what they're talking about when it comes to the actual story of Shield Hero.
Also, just in case there are still some people here that assume I was overstating the power of the pacifier gear the enemy ninja Shadow assassins were wielding so that they'd be a legitimate threat, I wasn't. In fact, when I was first writing that battle, I underestimated the abilities that gear had, and after a very good conversation with Robotech where he showed me screenshots from LN 12 and masterfully explained where I'd gone wrong, I had to rewrite a lot of things accordingly so the Heroes got their teeth kicked in even further. Thank you for that again by the way, Robo. Keep up the great work with your Cooking and Crafting Hero stories :).
Anyway, this knowledge, unironically, led to these figures becoming an even greater threat than I imagined, as they literally almost kill Naofumi, since besides his ring and his level, he was pretty much defenseless without his armor set during the battle.
Which I shouldn't be surprised by. The purpose of pacifiers is to police the Heroes. It wouldn't make sense if the Heroes were able to resist, much less, overpower those meant to make sure they don't become mass murderers and the like by themselves.
Maybe if Naofumi had been level 120 or higher by this point, he wouldn't have been beaten on so much… but then again, this is also the 'basic' pacifier gear these assassins were using.
There is still more in Q'Ten Lo's arsenal for me to explore and have fun with, which makes higher levels kind of pointless, lol.
Anyway, to even get to Siltvelt's only oceanwater port where they can access the one ship capable of getting through Q'Ten Lo's F U GODWORLD barrier, they'll have to go through the heart of Siltvelt and free it as well as its people. After that, Naofumi and Raphtalia can torch Q'Ten Lo to the ground.
Like I said, it's about time we finally got back to the plot. I'm excited for what's to come next!

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