Ch 33

Rish…"

He continued to observe his partner as she stood just a few meters from him. Worry danced in her eyes, but there was something else lingering in them, something he couldn't identify.

The girl took a few more steps until she was right in front of him, and he realized then that she was quite clearly frowning.

"R-Ryou what happened in Castle Town?" She asked, her lips trembling slightly.

"I… I don't..." The Bow Hero started, but the words failed him. Closing his eyes he rubbed his face, as he gathered himself. His knee reaction would have been to deflect and keep everything to himself, but that had been what had landed him a pair of curses to begin with, and his partner deserved better from him.

Taking a deep breath Ryou steeled himself, "Sorry Rish. It's hard to explain, mostly because things just started to spiral out of my control without me even noticing…"

"Heh…" The snort that came from his mind hardly helped, and Ryou wondered what exactly was it, that Pride found so amusing, but decided to ignore it.

"I… I know that your meeting with his highness went badly," She pointed out softly, " You came back really shaken."

"The meeting…" He hesitated for a moment, "...it never happened, I never got to meet him.

"What, but then…" She started, but Ryou raised a hand to stop her from interrupting.

"I never got to meet him, because I was blocked at the gates by the captain of the guards or knights or whatever he is." He explained, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recalled what exactly the man had hinted to, yet there was no heat like before, only some cold fury.

Rishia's eyes widened a fraction as she recalled the man that had caused more destruction to Lute village than the wave itself. The person that the young man in front of her had all but assaulted. While she still didn't believe that had been the best course of action, somewhere deep down she knew it had been deserved, not for the wound he had inflicted on her, but for the damage caused needlessly.

She wasn't stupid, she knew what the attack had been about. The target had never been Ryou or her for that matter, the knights never have launched the attack if they had known back then there was another Yuusha there. No, the target had been the Tate-no Yuusha-sama, Naofumi-sama, likely in a ploy to injure the Tate-no Yuusha under the pretext of helping the village.

Injure or worse… She concluded quietly to herself.

A splashing sound caught her attention, as the Bow Hero paced slowly around the clearing.

"He did it out of revenge for sure." Ryou stated, "But he went way too far, and for that matter so did I…"

A small shiver passed through her body, one that had nothing to do with being completely soaked.

"R-Ryou… W-What did you do?" She asked, a tremor breaking into her voice.

"I…" The Bow Hero vacillated for a moment, "...I almost killed him Rishia."

"K-K-Kill?"She stammered in a high pitch, as she took a step backward on instinct.

Ryou noted her reaction with a hint of sadness, but he found that he couldn't blame the girl at all, he had also been terrified by what he had almost done.

"Things escalated way too quickly, and I completely lost myself… I was almost swallowed by the curse series without even realizing…" Ryou admitted in a murmur.

Curse Series? She questioned herself. She knew that Ryou used that particular term, series, quite frequently. He usually used it to describe the branches on his weapon tree window that made up a specific class of bows. The curse part was self-explanatory to her. In her college days, she had a few classes on curses, from seals to magic, even alchemy, however, she also remembered quite clearly a very serious warning her teacher had given on the subject.

Curses no matter in what form are inherently evil, some even have the power to warp your mind in such a way you will no longer be who you once were, and even if they grant you something you desire they always come with a very steep price attached… I pray that none of you is stupid enough, to find out what that price is, for even the mildest ones will eventually have you wishing you never evoked them…

As she recalled the warning, everything aligned itself in her mind, and the green-haired girl felt herself growing even colder.

"R-Ryou, by series, you mean an entire branch of Cursed Bows..?" She asked in a low tone.

The Bow Hero could only offer a slow, solemn nod.

How can it be..? The Yuusha's were herald as saviors of the world… Their power is nothing short of heavenly, so how can they be beholden to something like a curse?

Nothing in the stories portraying the Heroes had ever mentioned them having an evil power. The only thing close to Evil on the Heroes were Melromarc's religion holy doctrine, and that was mostly regarding the Tate-no Yuusha, something she knew now by heart not to trust.

As she searched her mind she recalled another memory.

Flashback...

"But you are one of the Legendary Heroes!"

"Then let me ask you… What exactly are the Legendary heroes?"

"The Legendary Heroes, are the great heroes who have and will fight to defend this world from the calamities."

"Raphtalia, your view about the Heroes is inherently wrong, even more so if you're comparing us to the ones of legend."

"Naofumi's right. This goes for both of you. Your expectations of us are based on legends from the past. However, your forgetting that we are not those heroes... Before this, we were only normal humans, far less remarkable than the both of you..."

"Raphtalia... Rishia... You're making us out to be saints, but at the end of the day we are only humans, and we come with all the faults that humans have. I for one am full of faults, but you know what? I'm fine with that, I don't want to be a saint, and I never proclaimed myself to be a hero, I'm just some guy with an overpowered bow trying to survive."

End of Flashback...

That's right… Ryou as always been saying it… She realized, as a more recent memory reach her.

Flashback...

"Rifana… Let me impart to you something I told Raphtalia a while ago… Whatever it is that you read in stories pertaining to us heroes is most likely inaccurate, and if you place us on a pedestal, I guarantee you, you will be left disappointed. Heroes in tales are amazing right? Here though? We are just human and full of flaws."

End of Flashback...

Shaking her head, she took in the young man in front of her, the one that had herald so much change in her life, and had given her the power to fight, and to become a better person… His shoulders were slumped, like the weight of the entire world was resting on them.

And it is isn't it..? She understood then, the true meaning behind his words, and the reason why he had rejected his honorable title, time and time again, downplaying it as something far less remarkable then what she had been taught since birth.

She took another look at the Hero that stood there alone with his thoughts.

Her Hero… She admitted privately to herself. Yet for all that Ryou had done, now looking at him she was reminded that the same blood that coursed through her veins, also coursed through his too. He wasn't all that older than her, and yet he had to carry the burdens of the world on his shoulders.

He was a human being before being a Hero like he had always said, and he was as flawed as she was. He had weaknesses like everyone else and was not completely righteous like the legends portray him to be.

"Only human…" She remarked silently, before her voice gained strength, "I finally understand the meaning behind your words."

Ryou raised his head slightly, as he blinked, "What words?"

"Fuee! You were always saying that you were... That all Yuushas are only human, I finally understand what that truly meant!" She exclaimed as she clapped her hands.

Ryou for his part couldn't quite grasp why the girl's mood had changed so quickly, from fearful, to almost excited, especially taking into consideration the current topic.

"Fuee… Black and white and everything in between. That is what makes us human! We spent so much time idolizing the Yuushas that it became almost second nature to think of you as something above humanity, as something flawless, but that's wrong!" She continued as she took a few steps towards him.

Ryou continued to blink wondering were his partner was going with her reasoning. He almost took a step backward, when she came to a stop centimeters from him, and both her hands clapped on his right one. He also had to fight off a very inappropriate heat that rose to his cheeks, when she rest her hands, and by consequence, his own on her chest.

"Everyone can have good thoughts, but we also have bad ones. We can do good things, but we can also do bad ones… Humans are flawed like you always said, and so are the Yuushas, and by that logic so are the weapons that the four of you wield…" She paused, as her eyes fell on his wrist.

With one finger she traced the outer edge of the Jewel engraved in his wrist band, and much to his surprise the round gem shined lightly, with a pale yellow glow.

Deep down Ryou felt something emanating from his Legendary Weapon, he couldn't quite grasp the meaning but there was a feeling of approval like Rishia had just passed some unseen test. As she removed her finger, both just stood there watching, captivated as it glowed softly with the same yellow light for a few moments before fading.

Shaking her head, and pushing away the thoughts of the strange phenomenon, Rishia, raised her head to look at him, a look both soft and stern at the same time, " The Legendary Weapons are the instruments used to defend this world, but if they are wielded by humans, then the same probably applies to them. They can have their good side, and they can have their bad side… Or if they are blessed weapons, they can also become cursed ones… Right?"

Ryou blinked a few more times as he looked at his partner in a newfound light. A tug on his lips, had him offering a small yet content smile, "I'm sorry Rish, it appears that I keep forgetting how smart you are."

She shook her head, "N-No, it took me this long to truly understand...I'm the one who is sorry…"

"Don't be…" Ryou answered, as his shoulder straightened, "Well, it isn't as simple as that, but you got the gist of it."

Her expression changed into a more serious one as she released his hand, watching it fall to his side for a moment, "You said that you were almost swallowed by it… What kind of curse is it exactly?"

Releasing a sigh, he rubbed his head, as he looked upwards, noticing the rain had stopped falling somewhere during their conversation, "To begin with, it isn't just a single curse. I actually have two. Wrath and Pride, and they are exactly what their name implies. Curses born from those feelings, or sins if you will."

Pride? She could somewhat understand the Wrath one. She knew the young man in front of her hadn't lived the best of lives, coupled with his burden she could understand, and no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she had seen signs of it. Nevertheless, she couldn't connect him with the sin of Pride at all.

"Why Pride? You are hardly ever prideful…" She murmured, as her face slowly scrunched with confusion.

"Yeah, I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one, and figuring out where exactly it came from. All I know is that they were created when I was summoned to this world, so the feelings behind them came with me, and attained a new form when in contact with the Legendary Bow." He explained as he mused over another fact for a moment, "They also gave birth to two annoying voices in my head by the way."

"Two voices?! You mean the curses are sentient?!" She all but screeched in fear.

"No, not quite Rish. These voices belong to, for a lack of a better explanation, split personalities. They call themselves Wrath and Pride, but I think of them both as gatekeepers for my curses." Ryou finished. While he still hadn't discovered what they were exactly, he knew they were far more than what their name implied, and it showed in their interactions.

Rishia took in is words, and her eyes lit up in understanding, "Fuee! That's why Quartz-chan asked why there were three of you!"

His lips tugged again, but he nodded nonetheless, "Yeah, I guess her telepathy works on the same frequency as my inner thoughts or something."

She peered at him, her face stopping just shy of his, eyes shining with curiosity, "Can they hear us?"

Ryou swallowed in dry almost imperceptibly, as his eyes went just an inch lower to get sight of a pair of small rosy lips for a moment before his brain caught up with what he was doing, and they immediately snapped back to her eyes.

"If I say yes will the both of you stop with all this sap, and cutesy atmosphere?" Pride complained from within,"I mean, with the heartfelt speeches, holding hands, you getting a very nice feel, and not to mention whatever was going inside your head just a moment ago, I'm at serious risk of developing diabetes you know…"

"Screw you!" Ryou growled as he felt his face grow hotter once more.

"Heh… Why I do get the feeling behind those words, with the current atmosphere are you sure you shouldn't be directing them to the person in front of you instead?"

"Shut Up!" Ryou exploded in his mind, yet received only cackling in return.

"Fuee… Ryou are you alright?"

Rishia's voice brought him back into the realm, of reality as he took a few but very needed steps back, "Yeah I'm fine, they were just being annoying pricks…"

"You sure?" She narrowed her eyes squinting at him almost suspiciously, "You're a little flushed. I knew you should have worn a cloak, you're probably coming down with something!"

"Ohh he is coming down with something alright!" Pride answered from within, before descending back into loud laughter.

Gritting his teeth, Ryou tried to mute the laughter, "I'm fine Rish, it's nothing. Besides…" He trailed off, as most of the embarrassment faded from his expression, "...there is still something I have to tell you..!"

"Ahhhhhh!" A scream of horror pierced the clearing startling them, as they both turned to look in the direction it had come.

"Was that Rifana-chan?!" Rishia questioned loudly, recognizing the voice.

"Come on let's go!" Ryou urged as they broke in a mad dash towards their carriage.

It took less than thirty seconds for the Bow Hero to reach the clearing where they had stop for the night. Surveying the area he quickly found Rifana pressed against one of the giant trees, completely paralyzed.

"Ryou, help…" She pleaded urgently, but in a very low tone of voice.

Blinking Ryou took in the scene in front of him and relaxed slightly, even finding some degree of amusement. The reason behind the small demi-human bout of terror, stood between him and the girl, slowly slithering towards her.

"Fuee! W-Whats wro…" Rishia panted coming to a stop next to him, yet paused when she realized what had happened, "...Ryou... I think they hatched."

"You don't say…" The Bow Hero quipped as he observed the small eldritch worm, thinner than his arm, continuing its path towards the girl.

"Ryou!" The small girl hissed, now with an undertone of panic.

"Geez calm down Rifana, it can't hurt you, poor thing is at level one." Ryou pointed out.

His words seemed to have no effect on the girl, who shook her head in denial, her eyes widening in fear as the worm came near her feet.

A shadow passed over her eyes, and something inside Rifana snapped. With a mixture of a yell and a shriek, she stood forward and pulled her leg back.

Wham!

The Bow Hero cursed, as he dashed forward and caught the small monster mid-air in his arms as it squirmed and hissed lightly. Accessing his Status Magic, he quickly moved to the Monster Trainer Menu.

[Mithril-Plated Juvenile Worm]

[Level- 1]

[Exp - 0/100]

[Traits Points 0/6 - Defense Bonus(Small), Magic Defense Bonus(Small), Imbued Magic Core(Small), Underground Moving Speed Bonus(Small)]

[HP - 40/120]

"What the hell Rifana! It's just a baby!" Ryou shouted, as the creature continued to squirm in his arms, before getting off, and slithering between his legs. Raising its head, it hissed towards the weasel-girl. It probably was supposed to sound threatening, but in Ryou's ears, it just resembled a deflating balloon.

"It is not! It's an ugly monster! One that almost seems like it came crawling out of the wave!" Rifana shouted back, her shoulders shaking.

The small creature lowered its head and begun releasing a sound that sounded like whimpering.

"Rifana! Don't say stuff like that! It can understand you, and you're hurting its feelings!" He admonished, a moment later he was crouching and rubbing the top of the worm's head with a single finger.

"Ryou they are worms! Ugly worms at that! They don't have feelings!"

"You don't have feelings, you insensitive barbarian!"

"Hehehe… You look like siblings arguing." Rishia announced with a giggle.

Ryou's eyes landed on his partner with a glare, "Who the hell would ever want to be related to a barbarian?!"

"That's what I should say, you… You worm-lover!"

"Okay now you're just being plain nasty!"

"Onii-shama, they're funny." Quartz voiced from the side.

Ryou turned his attention towards the dragon-girl currently crouching on the ground. In front of her stood the other six worms all in line with the upper part of their bodies in the air.

"Look! Look! Right!" Quartz chirped with far more emotion than he had ever heard in her voice, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, as she tilted her head to the right. Following the movement, the small creatures leaned towards the right.

"Left!" She ordered, moving her head in the opposite direction, and once more the small newborn creatures mimicked her.

"Now flip!" Quartz exclaimed as she jumped backwards, landing back in a crouch an instant later. The worms, however, had just been born, and lack the fitness and gracefulness to produce a back-flip, so they ended up sprawling on the ground.

Slap!

Everyone turned to look at the sound and found the Bow Hero's hand firmly glued to his face, as he released a very audible sigh.

"Quartz, why in the nine-circles of hell are you teaching my worms… My supposedly terrifying worms, tricks..?"

"Hmm…" The small girl placed a finger in her chin as she thought about it, "...It's fun, and it makes them look cuter. If they are cute Rifana-onee-shama will like them."

"That will never happen! Not in a million years!" Rifana snapped, crossing her arms.

"Haaaa…." Ryou released a breath, suddenly feeling far more tired, "Okay enough with the stand-up comedy show. I'm imposing some more ground rules in team Ryou as of now."

"One…" He declared raising his finger in the air, "...No one is allowed to hurt party members, no matter how they look!" He finished with a pointed look towards the demi-human of the party.

Rifana released a small huffing sound, "...and what's stopping them from hurting me?"

"Ohh I don't know…" Ryou stated sarcastically, "...perhaps the one thousand restrictions that I added to their seal, that are turned near maximum!"

That seemed to calm the girl down a notch, but she still released another small huff as she looked to the side.

Is this what they call the rebellion phase? Ryou wondered. He had never truly gone through a rebellion phase that he could remember.

"What about all the P.E. classes you used to ditch back in your teen years just so that you could go partake in a very different kind of physical activity, one that is usually done in pairs…" Wrath added almost innocently.

"Shut up! That class was crap to begin with! Who the hell would wait four hours after lunch in school on a Friday just to have P.E.?"

"Especially when there are much better things to do right?"

"You know… You guys are awfully chatty nowadays…"

"Your near-miss, augmented the connection somewhat, and we are making the best of it while it lasts…"

"Yeah well. then do it in silence!"

"Every party needs a popper and that's why…"

Ryou promptly tried to mute the internal conversation focusing his attention on the outside.

"Ryou… Were you talking to them again?" Rishia asked, after she had watched the Hero gain a far-off look for a few moments.

"They?" Rifana questioned in confusion, head moving from Rishia to Ryou.

"Yeah…" He released another sigh, "...better get this out of the way."

"So you are hearing voices in your head?" Rifana questioned with a small frown, "Father always said that was the first sign of the crazies…" She finished in a murmur.

While the tone had been low, Ryou still heard it, "I don't think that I'm going insane, at least not to the point that I'm incapable of functioning as a normal human being."

"That aside, about these cursed series or whatever. They sound like a demon is possessing you or something… Are you going to be alright?"

"They were unlocked a while ago, so nothing as changed besides the fact that I have to be careful with my temper, but I'll endure it, don't worry."

Rifana lowered her head but nodded nonetheless.

"Endure…" Rishia murmured slowly as if tasting the word, before her face scrunched up, "You don't have to endure everything by yourself you know."

Ryou's eyes softened slightly, and nodded, "I know."

"I'm your partner, and I have already s-sworn to follow you, that means s-sharing burdens, a-a-and walking by your side l-like you said..."She finished stuttering, as she looked to her side, her hair hiding her face.

Ryou's lips went upwards at her words, "I know, and thanks, Rish…"

Said girl only offered a small nod in response.

The small demi-human girl however narrowed her eyes, as they went from the green-haired girl to Ryou, and back to Rishia a couple of times before they lit up in understanding, and a small grin formed on her face.

"Ohh I see how it…"

"Huh?" Ryou's head snapped upwards, eyes filled with confusion, as he looked off into the distance, "Did you guys hear that?"

"Fuee… Hear what?" Rishia questioned her face now back to its normal complexion.

Ryou continued to eye the trees for a few more moments, before shrugging, "I could have sworn I heard a scream, and it sounded a lot like Motoyasu of all people…"

"You sure?" Rifana asked as her ears twitched slightly, "I have pretty good hearing, and I didn't hear anything."

"Meh, probably my imagination…" Ryou concluded with another shrug

"Probably, I mean what would this Motoyasu person be doing in a forest in the middle of the night?"

"Knowing him it would probably be what he does best…"

"That is?" The small girl inquired, curiously.

"...being an idiot." Ryou deadpanned.

The rain had stopped not even fifteen minutes ago and already she found herself missing the sound, soft as it had been it somewhat muted the idle if bland chatter from her 'companions'.

True to their persona, Malty and Lesty talked the Yari-no Yuusha ears off with the most boring of topics, and while normally Elena would join in, if nothing else to keep up her image, she found she couldn't focus on it at all.

Once more her eyes went to the smallest member of their party for a moment before she averted her gaze towards the darkness outside the window of their carriage as her teeth clench.

Never in my life have I felt sorry for someone, yet now, I can't even look at her without feeling like a horrible human being... The young woman complained inside her head.

Ever since Melromark's Princess had revealed her cruel plan to deal with Rino, Elena found herself thinking about the petite mage seated beside her far more than she cared to admit, and even knowing there was nothing to be done, her conscious decided it would be a good moment to show that it existed.

She took another peek at the petite mage, who normally tried to join in on their conversation, something that usually resulted in failure, thanks to the combined efforts of the Princess and her main sycophant who never failed to subtly push the girl out of the circle. However, instead of trying to participate, Rino appeared to be in her own world, her eyes locked on the opposite window with a frown gracing her face.

Wonder what she's thinking about…

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind the carriage came to an abrupt stop, and she had to grab on to prevent her from crashing face-first into Lesty, Rino had no such luck and landed on the opposite bench, were once Malty had been seated. The Princess, not one to miss an opportunity, had jumped an instant earlier, capitalizing on the situation to land on the Hero's lap.

A pair of hands steadied the princess, "Are you alright Myne?" Motoyasu asked concern apparent on his face.

Elena resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the Princess blinked a couple of times trying to look as demure as possible.

"Yes, thanks to you Motoyasu-sama…" She trailed off with a small smile, one that the Spear hero mimic as one hand went to scratch his head.

"Hehe, no problem Myne." He assured with a small laugh, before tilting his head slightly upwards, "Though I wonder what that was about."

Sounds of footsteps echoed, and a moment later the door to their carriage opened, revealing one of the soldiers that were escorting them.

"Excuse me, but is everyone alright?!" The man asked eyeing the occupants.

"Yeah we're fine, but what happened?" Motoyasu questioned with a frown.

The man shifted in place for a moment, "It's the filorials! Something scared the hell out of them."

"They are birds, and stupid ones at that… A mouse could have spooked them for all we know." Lesty interjected.

"Hey captain, you better come and take a look at this!" A voice echoed from outside.

The man quickly excused himself and disappeared from view, as silence fell for a few moments inside.

"Better go see what this is about." The hero decided, as he maneuvered himself out into the open, a moment later Malty and Lesty quickly scurried after the Spear Hero.

Elena took another glance at the mage of the party, who had returned to her seat and was rubbing her forehead that had made contact with the bench on the other side.

"You okay?" For the life of her, Elena couldn't explain what prompt her to speak and immediately regretted it, as the small girl send her a smile that tugged hard at something inside.

"Y-Yes it's just a scratch Elena!" Rino reassured.

The smile almost physically hurt her, and without another word, Elena turned around and walked out. The moment she stepped outside she felt a shiver as a cold breeze passed over her naked shoulders.

A quick look around showed the rest of their party looking at something on the ground a few meters in front of the wooden vehicle, one of the soldiers holding a small lantern, and pointing towards the ground at their feet. The light illuminating a few meters around them but hardly reaching the underbrush next to the main road.

"It's like Lesty said, Motoyasu-sama! Those birds are stupid!" Elena heard Malty snide.

The Princess words seemed to have been understood if the way the two filorials pulling her carriage squealed as if affronted was of any indication.

"I mean, this is pretty normal isn't it?" Motoyasu asked, also looking towards the ground.

Finally making her way next to them, Elena saw what they were looking at, and there engraved in the ground stood what appeared to be a five-clawed footprint.

"Not so Yuusha-sama, these tracks were not made by a ground dragon, I can almost swear these belong to a four-legged dragon, a juvenile one by the looks of it." The soldier that had come to check on them explained.

An audible huff filled the air, as Malty haughtily swung her hair, "You must be joking, what business would a dragon have on the main road? And why would it be walking instead of flying?"

"Perhaps it was hunting, there are tracks of another carriage here, though…" One of the other soldiers trailed off, his finger tracing the trail as his face morphed in confusion, "...It almost seems like the carriage was being pulled by the dragon?"

Elena blinked in incredulity, feeling the same doubt the soldier was currently feeling.

Using a four-legged dragon to pull a carriage? She wondered in disbelief. From what she knew, any four-legged dragons were both rare, and very hard to tame, so she very much doubted that existed someone who would use such a rare beast to do something as mundane as pulling a carriage.

"Enough with the jokes already, who in their right mind would use a full-blown dragon to pull a wooden wagon?!" Malty said with clear irritation as she stomped her foot.

"But you know…" The hero's voice at everyone looking at him, as he scratched his chin with a small almost whimsical smile, "...having a dragon pulling a carriage would be much cooler than these stupid birds."

Faster then her eyes could track, one of the hero's arms was encircled, as Melromarc's Princess all but melted against the young man.

"If that is your wish, I can speak with father. I'm sure he can arrange one for you." The Princess's tone was both soft and enticing, a mixture that sounded so forced in Elena's ears she did rolled her eyes.

You really don't miss a single opportunity do you Malty? Elena thought annoyed.

"That would be cool, but there is no need to trouble your father with such a request, already he is helping us more than enough." Motoyasu reasoned.

"Huh?"

Elena turned to look at the soft sound and found that Rino had turned to look at something in the direction behind their carriage, her face contorting in confusion.

"What's that sound?" The petite mage asked out loud.

Sound? Elena wondered as she tried to mute everything else but found she couldn't hear anything.

"I don't hear anything…"

"Great… First, she is off in la-la land, and now she is hearing things…" Lesty muttered in a low sarcastic tone.

"No, wait…" Motoyasu interjected, as he untangled himself from Malty's embrace much to her annoyance, and came to a stop near Rino, "I can hear it too!"

"It sounds like fast and heavy thumping sounds." Rino continued looking off in the distance.

Finally, the sound reached Elena, who also came to a stop near the two, and just like Rino had mentioned, it sounded both very heavy, and fast, not only that, but whatever it was it was fast approaching them.

"That sound…" Motoyasu whispered as his lips took a turn down, and he gave a few steps forward to stand in front of them, "...It sounds awfully familiar, like the drumbeat from hell... I have a bad feeling about this..."

No sooner had the Spear Hero spoken, lightning came crashing down from the skies, illuminating both the dirt road and clearly showing what was coming towards them. Big if somewhat round, light reflected on white feathers. a monstrosity that could only be described as something straight out of Motoyasu's worse nightmare.

Elena's eyes widen as a familiar if unique filorial came racing down the road, and she could almost swear that its visage was full of childlike giddiness.

"Spear Guy!" The creature yelled full of maniacal glee, just like the lightning that had come a moment before.

"No! Not that thing again!" A scream full of terror that had no place coming out from an adult male, escaped the Spear Hero, as is face went pale as a sheet.

Knowing what was about to happen, Elena quickly ran to the side, her hand grasping Rino's as the girl gave a small gasp, holding onto her hat with her other hand, a moment later she was safely pressed against their carriage and away from the carnage that was about to descend on them.

"Spear Guy? Huh? Motoyasu?" Another familiar voice rang out filled with confusion.

"Naofumi! I have had it with you and your stupid, fat bird!" The blond young man exploded as he took out his spear already covered in a red gleam. Rearing it back for an instant the Spear Hero threw his weapon forward, "Air Strike Javelin!"

A red missile blurred forward aimed at the fast-approaching target. Just as it was about to hit the strangely shaped Filorial, the creature side-stepped it in a manner far too gracious than what one would expect from it.

A reasoning shriek of something grinding against metal reverberated all around as the red magical spear met a dark green shield, showering the road in sparks, and streaks of red and green light beams.

Gritting his teeth, the Shieldbearer put all his strength into his arm, and with a heavy grunt, he diverted the attack into the forest as it went through a tree before vanishing from sight.

"What the hell is wrong with you you Lunatic!!" Naofumi's yell turned a pitch higher, as he clutched the reins, the world around him blurring, announcing his filorial queen preferred move. An instant later the Shield Hero saw a giant mass of pink flying towards him and closed his eyes in anticipation.

Something soft and light crashed against his chest, and he once more opened his eyes, to see Sakura, who had been sent flying backwards due to the drastic increase in speed but had the presence of mind to change back into human form at the last instant.

The girl's eyes swirled out of focus, as she drawled his name in a mumble, "Naofumi…"

What came next could only be described as a sound boom like explosion, followed by a high pitch girlish scream that hurt the Naofumi's ears, and yet at the same time filled him with a strange sense of fulfillment.

Eyes moving upwards, he saw it almost in slow motion. Motoyasu, illuminated by a few rays of moonlight that peered through the clouds, flipped in the air, his face etched in agony, both hands grabbing his crotch as he disappeared over the tree line.

"Motoyasu-sama!" Malty screamed as she took off into the forest.

"Hehehe…" Something bubbled within the Shield Hero's throat, softly at first before gaining in strength with each passing second, "Hahahahahahaha!"

"What's going on…" Raphtalia moaned as she peered from inside the carriage one hand in front of her mouth, her face a little green from the rocky trip.

The young woman, took a look around, first towards her master who was laughing an uncharacteristically belly laugh full of mirth with Sakura on his lap seemingly passed out.

Her eyes moved then towards Filo, who was raising both wings in the air, in what seemed like a victory pose.

"Filo isn't fat nor stupid! Spear guy is the stupid one, and Filo hates Spear guy!" The filorial declared.

Finally, her eyes fell on the rest of the audience, and she quickly identified the the Yari-no Yuusha's party, and with that everything clicked in place, as she released another moan her hand flying to her forehead.

Unseen by anyone, Elena's face turned to the side,

Say what you want about him, but the Tate-no Yuusha sure knows how to make things interesting...

"N-N-Naofumi! Stop laughing! This crap isn't funny!" Came the heated reply from the Spear Hero as he appeared out of a bush being supported by Melromarc's princess.

"Hahahaha! W-What are you talking about, this is great!" Naofumi chortled, wiping away an imaginary tear, "Instead of being a Hero you should try your hand in gymnastics Motoyasu, you could easily become a star, and I wouldn't mind letting Filo help you practice!"

"Y-You bastard!" Motoyasu growled out.

"Naofumi-sama…" Raphtalia moaned once more in exasperation.

"You worthless Shield! How dare you assault Motoyasu-sama?!"

At the voice of his nemesis, most of his good mood soured, and the grin in his face vanished his expression turning into one of irritation, "Tsk… What are you talking about? Exactly who was it that struck first?"

Melromarc's Princess visibly hissed, resembling a snake, as her face turn red with anger, "Guards! That criminal just assaulted our honorable Yuusha! Arrest him!"

"Ohh crap…" Naofumi cursed, as he saw the guards drawing their swords,"... Filo get us out of here!"

Without a second to waste the white-feathered Filorial took off, the carriage passing at high speed through the guards, yet just as she was about to pass through the Spear Hero and the Princess, the Filorial Queen stomped on a particularly large puddle, sending a wave of mud flying just at the right angle.

Malty shrieked but the sound became muffled, as the wave crashed into her filling her mouth, and drenching her from top to bottom in mud.

"Heh!" The Filorial send them a side grin, before continuing on her way.

Naofumi, blink once then twice, and lost it again, his resounding laughter echoing down the road even as they disappeared in the distance.

"Y-Y-You…"Spluttering, Malty quickly wiped her face, her eyes bloodshot, as she trembled with anger. "You worthless bastard! I'll have your head for this you hear me!"

Since everyone's attention was down the road were the Shield Hero had disappeared, no-one saw Elena tremble in place.

That… was pure, quality entertainment! She chortled silently, as her eyes took in the once pristine princess, now resembling a mud cake.

"I know how they are, but do you really have to rile them up every time you see them?" Raphtalia demanded, disapproval clear in her voice, as she watched her master that was still fighting to reign in his laugh.

"Hahaha…D-Don't be such a spoilsport Raphtalia, or are you telling me you didn't get some satisfaction out of it," Naofumi asked, his face still somewhat flushed from laughing.

"I-I won't deny it, but still…" Raphtalia trailed off, trying to look stern, although if one were to look closely they would see her lips trembling almost imperceptibly.

"Besides this much is nothing considering everything those guys put me through."

"Still I think that both you and Filo should have some moderation!" Raphtalia rebuked, however it became clear she no longer had the Shield Hero's attention.

"...and make sure that you give that thing a good kick every time you see it!" Naofumi finished.

"Okay!" Filo chirped.

Thing? It? "Did you just dehumanize him?" Raphtalia asked blinking, as she took a seat next to the Shield Hero.

Turning his face towards the demi-human, Naofumi scoffed, "No, you have to broaden your way of thinking Raphtalia, that was obviously a compliment."

"Clearly I must, because I just can't see how calling someone a thing can be interpreted as a compliment."

"That's because that guy is an existence lower than dirt, one that doesn't deserve to be called by name, same with that bitch, so as far as I'm concerned calling him a thing is a clear improvement," Naofumi explained with a small smirk blooming in his face.

So you did dehumanize him… Sometimes Naofumi-sama… The Demi-human girl let out a soft sigh. It wasn't that she couldn't see where her master was coming from, but sometimes she wished he would at least try to live up to his title even if only a little.

"Be that as it may Naofumi-sama if you don't reprimand her from time to time, she will just continue acting like a brute, and what if she kicks some noble next time? We might get in a lot of trouble!

Naofumi just snorted as he waved his hand in the air in a dismissing manner, "You know as well as I do they already hate me out of principle alone, so if that's the case, we might as well give them a good reason for them to hate me for real."

"That line of thinking is just bad, instead of trying to be hated why don't you try to make people see the real you?" Raphtalia countered softly.

Some light faded from the young man's eyes, "This is the real me Raphtalia."

"We both know that's not true at all…" She responded, her voice soft as her eyes met his. For what seemed like an eternity their eyes remained locked, until something gave away, and the Shield Hero returned his attention to the map without another word.

Raphtalia released an inaudible huff, yet she couldn't stop the small trace of sadness that filled her. She knew the story behind what had happened to her master, but she also saw daily as he tried his very best for their sake. She knew that deep down, he was a kind person, and not the scoundrel that people made him out to be.

Looking upwards, she saw that the clouds were slowly clearing, giving way to the soft moonlight, as her tail waved lightly behind her.

I wonder what it will take, for everyone to see you in the same light as we do...

The wait was beginning to seriously annoy him, and after the fortune he had spent on renting a flying wyrm to fly all the way to the border, under the rain, and in a timely fashion, least other adventurers or god forbid his fellow heroes coming across this particular quest, he had been asked to wait until the person in charge finished whatever business the were conducting.

At least this beats flying on that thing's back… Ren acknowledged with a wince, as he adjusted himself on the chair. If there was one negative point between his current existence and Brave Star Online, was the fact that traveling by a mount for extended times, could be a painful experience.

With no more than a side glance, an action he had mastered over thousands of hours, his weapons were laid bare for him to see, though he focused on a particular one.

[Stormfury Sword - Status Sealed - Equipment Bonus - +4 attack, + 2 Defense, Damage to Flying Monsters(Small)]

This is going to be a pain… He thought as he closed his eyes, already dreading the hours of grinding he would have to do to completely master the weapon displayed in front of him.

Though it will be more efficient to get it out of the way now, then having to grind it later and this quest is perfect to do it… He reasoned as he nodded to himself. The sword's current form was rather lackluster, and even when mastered, and awakened its stats would still pale in comparison to other swords, his Siderite Sword being one of them, but that wasn't the point.

The bonuses that I'll gain from it, against both flying monsters, and bird type monsters are what's important… Those bonus would make up for his lack of ranged attacks, and would make those particular encounters go a lot more smoothly, though there existed one other monster were those bonus would shine the most.

They will be crucial when the Phoenix rears its ugly head or heads, actually… While it would be a very long time before he could even entertain the idea of challenging such a foe, there was nothing wrong with slowly preparing for the eventual confrontation.

Not counting these bonuses I will need to farm equipment from the Spirit Turtle, and that will also be a pain… He released another annoyed sigh. He could actually defeat the Spirit Turtle as he was now if he had the help of a semi-competent guild.

The problem is those guys levels are way too low to be of any help… The realization had been vexing but there was nothing to be done. He had figured it would be better to raise his own level into the eighties range before attempting it. At that level, it would be a walk in the park, and he would finally be able to start grinding his way up the mid-game raid bosses.

The Four Heavenly Beasts… He remembered, as his lips turned into a smirk, already anticipating the epic battles, and the almost overpowered gear he would be able to collect from them. The waves were nothing but a prelude to the real deal after all.

"Yuusha-sama, Lady Adamalys will see you now…" A voice came from the corner of the room.

Opening his eyes, and uncrossing his arms, Ren raised from his seat while sending a cold glance towards the servant, "About time, I expected a little more efficiency out of this lor…"

Wait… Lady?

"Wasn't this village ruled by a Lord?" He asked.

The man squirmed slightly under the suspicious look from the shorter young man, before explaining, "Well is correct, but due to being unable to safeguard the safety of his subjects, the previous Lord was deemed unworthy of ruling this territory and was relieved of such responsibilities. Lady Adamalys arrived just a few hours ago in a rush, and was settling in."

"I suppose that's understandable." Ren allowed without a hint of emotion, far too tired from both the trip and the wait.

"I thank you for your understanding. Now without further ado, please follow me." The servant motioned then with his hand, towards the end of the hallway.

Ren's eyes, however, went to the silver rosary that dangled from the servant's neck, and he raised an eyebrow, before passing the man.

There are followers everywhere, even here it seems. It wasn't that the information particularly surprised him, the religion did worship the saviors of the world, so it would only be normal for it to have a great number of followers, especially with the threat of the waves hovering above their heads.

Reaching the red wooden door, the servant knocked twice lightly. A moment passed before a soft voice echoed from behind the door.

"Please enter."

The man opened the door and motioned for the Hero to enter. Making his way into the office, Ren's gaze immediately fell on the one person inside, and his eyes widen as he felt his face flushing slightly.

The figure, smiled softly, opening a pale-white fan to hide it. Sharp almond eyes danced with amusement above it, "Amaki Ren-sama I take it?"

It took a moment for the Sword Hero's brain to reboot itself, from the sight of what could only be one of the most, if not the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

"Y-Yes…" He responded, coughing in his fist, and trying to regain his aloof stance once more, yet the following giggle made it a far harder task than he thought possible.

"It is an honor to finally lay eyes on one of the Yuusha's, and the Sword one no less." She replied gently, as she stood from her seat behind the desk.

Being the teenager he was, Ren's eyes moved just slightly to a very voluminous part of the woman's anatomy, as dark blond, almost brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and down her light-pink dress until it reached her waist.

Making her way towards him, Ren had to stop himself from gulping, as the light smell of strawberries reached his nostrils as his eyes moved to the hand that had been extended towards him.

"My name is Adamalys, and although I too was caught by surprise by my sudden nomination, I am now in charge of this region." She introduced herself, eyes expectant yet gentle.

"I-Its a pleasure." He stammered slightly, as he took her hand in his, and even over the glove he could feel how soft her skin was.

"No Ren-sama…" Her tone change from gentle to borderline whimsical, as her eyes crinkled, her smile widening just a fraction. "...I guarantee you, the pleasure is all mine."

At the tone Ren swallowed in dry because there was something in that tone that he didn't quite understand, it left him uncomfortable, but not for a bad reason

"Please take a seat. I wish to get to know you a little better, the honorable Yuusha that my elder brother can't seem to stop praising, before we address this gryphon situation that is." She explained, extending one hand, not towards the chair in front of the desk, but towards a creamed colored coach.

A rather small one, he noted.

"I…" He hesitated for a moment, "I suppose it won't do any harm…" He responded, as he approached the couch, and took a seat at the border.

His blue eyes watch as the woman, hardly any older than Motoyasu, gracefully took a seat next to him, laying her fan on the table, and offered him a small smile, but showed no intention of starting a conversation, content to just watch him.

Averting his gaze, he tried to break the silence and latched on the first thing he could think of, "You mentioned an Elder brother?"

"Ahh, yes!" She exclaimed almost excitedly as she claimed one of his hands between both of hers, "Last time we talked, Elder Brother had nothing but praise to offer when talking about you Ren-sama. How valiant and fearless you were. How you single-handedly slew countless terrifying beast in our country since you were summoned. One of them being a dragon if I'm not mistaken?"

"Y-Y-Yes it was!" He almost found himself mortified when his voice cracked middle way, "B-But I'm sorry, I don't think I had the honor of meeting your brother."

"Ahh Elder Brother is one of the right hands of his Majesty, King Aultcray and as such is very busy managing his vast territory, and protecting it from all kinds of threats." She explained, still unwilling to let go of her new prized possession, namely the Sword Hero's hand.

From his hand firmly locked away between both of hers, to those expressive eyes, and other more alluring parts Ren was unable to figure out where exactly he should look, so he settled for a giant familiar rosary on a far wall behind her desk, and between two large windows that seemed to lead to a balcony of sorts, "I-I'm sorry! He is such an important person, and has been offering me such praise, and yet I don't know his name!"

She offered another soft laugh, and waved one of her hands in a dismissing faction, but still kept the Sword Hero's one in her other hand, "There is no need to fret so much about such a minor detail, it's understandable with how busy you have been. But if it lays your mind to rest, his name is Rabier…"

"...Idol Rabier."

Next Chapter - Reunion

Following is the list with all the Bows since the last one, in chapter 25.

[Marble Horror Mimick Bow - Awaken - Uncommon - Equipment Bonus - 6 + Attack, Hiding Bonus(Small) Detection Bonus(Small) - Special Effect - Monster Lure(Medium), Monster Attraction Range Bonus(Medium)]

-The Awakened, and uncommon version of the Marble Mimick Bow. Ryou only powered it up lightly to get access to a better bonus, that would allow him to aggro more enemies, over a larger range.

[Spider Horror Bow - Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - 4 + Attack, Poison Attack Bonus(Small), Poison Modification Skill]

-The Bow from the Spider in the Mithril Mine that freaks him out, it gives a bonus to Poison attacks, and the ability to modify poisons, similar to the monster modification Skill. It will be touched upon further down the line.

[Cave Crawler Bow - Sealed . Common - Equipment Bonus - + 4 Attack, + 4 Defense, Status Effects Bonus(Small)]

The Bow From the 'Eldrich Pigs that Quartz loves/hates, It augments the efficiency of Status Effects.

[Ballista + 7 - Awakened - Rare - Equipment bonus - + 5 Attack - Special effect - Attack Bonus (Great), Skill Effectiveness Bonus( Medium), Penetration Bonus (Medium), Movement Speed Penalty (Great), Attack Speed Penalty(Medium)]

-The uber powered-up version of the Balista, and Ryou's strongest bow at that point, since besides having a great base attack compared to others, it as a huge bonus that increase that attack, and then it double-dips by increasing Skill effectiveness, the downside being, it as a much slower firing speed, and it slows Ryou to a crawl while he has it equipped.

[Bio-Engineered Mithril-Plated Worm Armored Bow - Common - Equipment bonus - + 8 to Defense, Magic Resistance bonus (Small)]

-The Bow gained from absorbing some of the worm platings, and it gives a good straight bonus to defense, along with a small bonus against magical attacks.

[Bio-Engineered Mithril-Plated Worm Meat Bow - Common- Equipment bonus - Exotic Delicacies Preparation Bonus (Small)]

-The Bow gained from absorbing some of the worm's meat. It was mostly for humor reason, though I intend to have it play a role later down the line, probably among the lines of humor too.

[Bio-Engineered Worm Core Bow - Common- Equipment bonus - + 12 Magic, MP Bonus (Small), Magic Bonus (Small), Charged Shot Skill, Monster Modification Skill Unlocked - Special Effect - Charging Speed Bonus (Medium)]

-The Bow unlocked by absorbing the worm's core, while it as great stats all around, it's focus is mainly magic and Mp. It offers Ryou the Charged Shot Skill, and that is currently Ryou's most powerful attack. The Charged Shot takes a small amount of SP to activate, but the charging process comes from his MP, something that even Ryou notices as strange.

Even with the Bow Equipped, it still takes a considerable amount of time to charge, but even with Ryou's current MP pool, it's significantly more powerful than even his combination Skills, offering far more condensed power, and having an ability to melt through meters of solid rock

The last skill is the Monster Modification ability, and what partially led Ryou to go after the Mithril-Plated worm's eggs. Like it was explained it's an ability that allows him to remove or add traits to his monsters. Each monster as a maximum number of trait points that can be increased by leveling. More traits become available as Ryou absorbs more materials, and as his monster levels up. Unfortunately, the Skill is not all-powerful, since changing traits is not an immediate process, and leaves the monster unable to battle for the remainder of the process. One other weakness would be that there are a lot more traits when modifying simpler Lifeforms, while they're far more restrictive on more complex creatures.

An Example for explanation sake's would be that Ryou could alter the composition of a balloon to give him explosive properties, the problem would be that the explosion would still be dependent on the Balloons attack value. However even if he were to brand Quartz with a seal, to enable her for modification, he wouldn't be able to turn her in a flying bomb [Poor Quartz :( ], for those reasons, since she is a far more complex life form.

The worms are somewhere in between, and while it hasn't been showcased, you can expect the skill to be one that Ryou will play extensively with down the line, with lots of shenanigans bordering on almost broken.

[Copper Ore Bow - Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - + 1 to Mining Ability, Cooper Detection Ability, Beginner Copper Based Blacksmithing Recipes Unlocked]

-A Bow unlocked during Ryou's apprenticeship in the art of Blacksmithing. It offers a small bonus to his mining ability, along with the ability to detect copper up until one hundred meters from his status window, and it also unlocks the recipes to make basic copper armor and weaponry.

[Iron Ore Bow - Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - + 1 to Attack, Iron Detection Ability, Beginner Iron-Based Blacksmithing Recipes Unlocked]

-Pretty much the same as with the last Bow, only for Iron instead.

[Silver Ore Bow - Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - Damage against Wolves Bonus(Small), Silver Detection Ability, Beginner Silver Based Blacksmithing Recipes Unlocked, Beginner Silver Based Accessory Crafting Recipes Unlocked]

-It follows the same theme, as the previous ones, with the difference of also unlocking accessory recipes and a small bonus to wolves.

[Gold Ore Bow Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - + 1 to Accessory Appraisal Skill, Gold Ore Detection Ability, Beginner Gold Based Blacksmithing Recipes Unlocked, Beginner Gold Based Accessory Crafting Recipes Unlocked]

-Same as the last one, with the difference being that it gives Ryou a small boost to his ability in appraising some accessories.

[Magicsteel Ore Bow Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - + 2 to Magic, Magic Steel Detection Ability, Beginner Magic Steel Based Blacksmithing Recipes Unlocked]

-Same Bow for Magic Steel.

[Mithril Ore Bow - Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - + 4 to Magic, +2 to Mining Ability, Mithril Detection Ability, Beginner Mithril Based Blacksmithing Recipes Unlocked]

-Now this one was gained with Ryou absorbing some of his Mithril Ore, it offers a better boost to his mining ability, along with some magic.

[Anvil Bow Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - +21 to Defence, +1 to Blacksmithing Ability]

-Before anyone asks, while it can be used as a melee weapon, the damage would be nowhere close to a proper offensive bow. That being said, this is one of the Bows that allows Ryou to grasp blacksmithing far more easily than the normal person, thanks to the boost.

[Hammer Bow - Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - + 1 to Attack, +1 to Blacksmithing Ability]

-Pretty much the same as the previous one.

[Small Forge Bow - Sealed - Common - Equipment Bonus - +1 to attack, +2 to Blacksmithing Ability, Remote Forging Skill]

-Yes, Ryou absorbed a small used forge to unlocked this bow. It offers an even bigger boost to his blacksmithing ability, and it allows him to forge items on the go, with a timer attached to them, the time depending on the item he wants to craft.

[Gryphon's Feathered Bow + 6 - Rare - Awakened - Equipment Bonus - + 5 Attack, + 5 Agility, Air Strike Arrow Skill, Air Skills Damage Bonus(Small) - Special Effect - Air Strike Arrow Piercing Bonus(Medium), Air Strike Attack Speed Bonus(Medium), Air Strike Arrow Projectile Speed Bonus(Medium), Air Strike Arrow Barrage]

-The upgraded version of his Gryphon's Feathered Bow. Besides what it offered previously, it now also boosts his Air Strike Skill in a lot of parameters. The barrage part is what might include some confusion, but to keep it simple it allows Ryou to fire three shots instead of just one, with a small penalty to attack, this can be used in conjunction with his rapid Shot Skill, to unleash a barrage of nine Air Strike Arrows if he wishes.

[Mithril Elemental Bow - Equipment Bonus - +3 Attack, +3 Magic, Bonus to Elemental Attacks(Small)]

The Bow unlocked by absorbing some of the remnants of a Mithril Elemental. It basically gives a small boost to all types of elemental skills.

[Monster Trainer Bow I - Rarity - Common - Awakened - Equipment Bonus - Monster Grow Correction(Small), Monster Grow Adjustment (Small)]

Unlocked when Ryou absorbs some of the ink used to brand the Monster Trainer Seal on his worms, Like the previous ones these boosts both the grow and stats of his monsters, unfortunately, it doesn't double down on Quartz since she no longer as the seal. However she does receive the bonus from both the Dragon Tamer Series and the Comrade Series, so she is slowly becoming the powerhouse of the team.

[Monster Trainer Bow II - Rarity - Common - Awakened - Equipment Bonus - Monster Grow Correction(Medium)]

-Same as the previous one with a bigger bonus, however, the requirements were both the Ink and the shards from Quartz Egg.

[Monster Trainer Bow III - Rarity - Common - Awakened - Equipment Bonus - Monster Grow Correction(High), Monster Grow Adjustment (Medium)]

-Like before, the same series, a bigger bonus, unlocked both from absorbing the Ink, and from Quartz Blood.

Both the Curse Series Bows and the ones Ryou unlocked from Erhard are not present in this list since I want to keep the surprise, especially concerning some of the abilities from the Curse Series.