Ch 17-18

That was a warning, a very clear one no doubt about it... Ryou thought with dread. His intervention on the north had caused him to become a target, or at least someone to be weary about in the eyes of the pope, and his cult...

The moment he was out of the church, Ryou increased his pace intent on getting as far away as he could from the building.

Gentlewood being a member of the Church of the Three Heroes was something that had never crossed his mind, and the Pope's words were most likely to be taken literally. Gentlewood was dead, either at the hands of the Church or at Aultcray's. How much information they had gotten from him was an unknown variable at this point, but at the very least he could conclude that the Pope knew he was much more informed than the other Heroes, and far harder to manipulate.

The last message had been a warning. He was keeping an eye on him so Ryou had to be more careful with his movements.

Coming into the main street he almost jumped when a hand grabbed his sleeve.

"Fuee… Ryou-sama, please wait!" Calming himself at the familiar voice, Ryou turned around watching Rishia who had place her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

"You okay there?" The girl pouted slightly, before righting herself.

"I should be asking you that Ryou-sama! I have been calling out to you for a while now!" Ryou winced, he was really out of it if he didn't heard her.

Get a grip Ryou losing it will just make things worse, besides the Pope only moved after the third wave, when Naofumi became too much to handle… He rationalized, before addressing his party member.

"Sorry Rishia just thinking about stuff, come on let's get to the Castle, the sooner we get this over with the better." He grumbled, celebrations and parties were not his thing.

On his way towards the castle he made small talk with Rishia yet his thoughts still wandered slightly. Ryou was really starting to see the appeal of traveling into the wild like Naofumi had done. He couldn't stop the shiver of excitement at the thought, there was an entire new world out there to explore. Not only would that make them stronger, but it would also make it harder for the church to keep track of him. He already had an idea of where to go, after he got his affairs sorted out.

"Hey, Rishia do you want to go visit your father?" Rishia just turned her head to look at him, blinking a couple of times looking surprised.

"Fuee… Go back to visit father?" Ryou nodded at the question, and the girl also bobbed her head a smile on her face.

"I would like that! Even if only to weeks have pass, I already have so much to tell!" Ryou held in his laugh at her reaction even if it was the truth. Since the girl joined his party two weeks ago a lot had already happen.

"But there's another reason for Ryou-sama to go back isn't there?" Rishia interjected, prompting a small embarrassed smile from the Bow Hero, once again even if it had been only a small amount of time, the girl was getting better at reading him.

"Well it is one of the reasons, just not the main one. It's good for you to spend time with your family while you can, but the main reason is that I hardly had time to explore the area. Back then I was just trying to solve the situation as fast as possible, since there was little time before the wave." He explained. There were probably a lot of different monsters around the area, and he hardly saw any of them, Rishia's Village was as good of a starting point to get stronger as any.

"Hmm, there are s-some interesting, and dangerous places around like the Northern Cavern but it's also home to some dangerous monsters..." She stopped when the Bow Hero snorted.

"…W-What?" Ryou took a side glance before asking what was on his mind.

"This 'Northern Cavern', does it go all the way down to the center of the planet?" He asked in amusement, much to the girl's confusion.

"N-No… At l-least I don't think so, why?" He waved a hand in her direction.

"Nothing, nothing just remembered a story from my world. You were saying?" She looked at him confused for a moment before continuing.

"...T-The Northern Cavern was also a M-Mithril mine, but after the miners mined most of the initial areas they stop going there, since it became d-dangerous do delve any d-deeper." Rishia explained, and Ryou hummed in thought. Such a place was bound to be, not only a good hunting grounds, but a nice way to get some money.

"Is Mithril valuable?" Ryou questioned, and the girl nodded before launching into a more in-deep explanation.

"Yes, especially here in Melromarc, since there are almost no m-mines they have to export it, and even on other places mining it, is normally dangerous, because for some reason the mines always attract s-stronger then normal m-monsters." That made Ryou think about it more deeply. While there was the possibility of danger at the very least it was something worth checking, Mithril had always been a staple in most RPG's. The metal was also supposedly very light and durable, perfect for ranged characters, so that was also another plus.

"Well sounds like a plan to me, seems we have are next course of action!" Ryou finished giving a thumbs up.

The celebration had begun on a room that Ryou was not familiar with, and that begged the question on how many ball rooms were there in the castle.

The room had a stairway that led to a balcony, where the King and his adviser spent most of their time along with other people, no doubt the side of nobility that just loved to lick Aultcray's boots. All around were also women playing both violins and harps. The music was not bad at all, and Ryou almost found himself relaxing at the tune.

After the King made his celebration announcement, Ryou took note of everyone, Rishia had made her way towards Raphtalia and the two were entertained, tasting everything they could find, and socializing, something that brought a small smile to his face. Naofumi being the anti-social type of guy was perched on a window in the back, and the Bow Hero couldn't even begin to judge his fellow hero.

Taking another look around, he found Ren also trying to look as invisible as possible, apparently he shared both Ryou's and Naofumi's distaste for these kinds of events. Ryou also took note of the glass of wine in the hero's hand, and wondered if there was any rules about the consumption of alcohol in Melromarc.

The Bow Hero did send a wave with a harmless smile on his face towards the captain of the knights. The man had a nice purple bruise on his face, that made Ryou smile grow an inch wider. The captain's eyes widen when they met Ryou's, and immediately turned around much to the Bow Hero's amusement.

Guess that one learn his lesson...

Finally his eyes rested on his target. Motoyasu was chatting with a couple of girls, no doubt bragging about his own 'amazing' feats. Thankfully Malty was nowhere in sight so Ryou made his way towards the Spear Hero. Unfortunately he was interrupted along the way by another voice.

"Excuse me Yuusha-sama, a moment if you allow it." Turning around he found a man taller than himself, clad in a full suit of armor.

"Yes?" Ryou almost drawled to the man, and he seemed to puff his chest out.

"I heard how you valiantly put down the corruption on the Northern territories! When I heard of such righteousness, I could do nothing else but come here and offer my services to you! Although I also came to caution you on your choice of party members, along with the disgusting company she's in." The tall man commented, face actually scrunching on the last part.

The actual fuck?! Ryou's eyes widen before narrowing slightly.

"Who the hell are you?" Anger came easily, however it went completely over the man's head, since he actually hit his chest with his fist proudly before replying.

"I am Mald of the Noble house of…"

"It was a rhetoric question, I don't give two fucks about who you are!" Ryou interrupted making the man's jaw drop. The Bow Hero had actually recognized the man in a couple of seconds, however he had also remembered some other facts from the man. Mald had been the one on Itsuki's party who bullied Rishia the most, something that automatically put him on Ryou's shit list, and now he had just jumped a few places on that particular list, since apparently he wanted to restart that trend.

"Let me get this straight… You want to join my party and the first thing you do is talk shit about my party member? Not only that but you also insult Raphtalia?" Ryou questioned, with equal measure of anger and disbelief.

Mald clenched his teeth, before taking a deep breath, "My apologies Yuusha-sama but I just wanted to address how unremarkable she looks…"

"Listen buddy the only thing here that's unremarkable is your face, and your mother still raised you despise that, although apparently she forgot to impart you with this thing called manners." Ryou interrupted yet again.

Malt's face turned red at the remark but instead of flying into a rage he once again took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Be that as it may Yuusha-sama, I'm sure I could do a far better job than that…" Ryou decided that enough was enough right there, and brought his hand up to stop the man.

"I'm going to stop you right there because I'm noticing a trend here. For every shot I take at you, you fire one back aimed at my party member. That tells me that your just a bully who only goes after those he perceives weaker than him, but lowers his head to those stronger. At least Rishia is not afraid of speaking out of turn, or calling me out if needed, and actually has a personality. You though? Having you or a rock in my party would amount to the same thing. Now excuse me as I have more pressing matters to attend too, so lets continue this conversation never." Without even waiting for an answer Ryou turned around and walked away leaving a fuming Mald along with a few laughing nobles that had been in hearing shot.

The sheer arrogance… Ryou ranted in his head, wondering why everyone dissed his party member.

Sure Rishia is shy, but she can run circles around half of the people in this room… With a shake of his head, Ryou took a breath before greeting the Spear Hero.

"Hey, Motoyasu do you have a second?"

Motoyasu just turned around, with his standard smile, but with a trace of satisfaction on it before returning the greeting, "Oh? Hey Ryou, sure what's up?

Ryou ignored the murmurs, and sly glances the girls were sending his way.

"I have something I want to ask about your weapon…" Ryou begun, and Motoyasu tilted his head slightly, before his eyes widen at something behind Ryou.

"Just give me a moment…" The Spear hero, murmured, and walked forward completely ignoring Ryou who's mouth almost dropped at the sheer disregard for his person. Turning around to see what had caught the Spear Hero's attention, Ryou felt his face twitch in a very bad way.

Is this piss off Ryou day? Is this what this is?! Ryou snarled in his mind before making his way to Motoyasu, who was now grabbing Rishia's hand no doubt spewing is charm all over his party member.

"So what's your name my lovely maiden?" The Spear Hero questioned, in a smooth voice.

"Fuee… M-M-My n-n-name?" The girl asked, face gaining some color both from embarrassment and from the close proximity.

"Yes, certainly a lovely girl like you, as an equal lovely name to accompany her beauty." Motoyasu continued without missing a beat, but before Rishia could respond a hand clammed on the Spear Hero's shoulder pulling him away from the girl.

"Personal space, ever heard of it you dumb nut! Go recruit somewhere else!" It wasn't quite a snarl, but it wasn't a friendly statement either, especially with the glare that Ryou threw Motoyasu's way.

"Ryou, wha..?" The spear hero trailed off confused, before his eyes shifted between the bow hero, and the girl currently hiding behind him until he came to some apparent conclusion, and raising his hand to scratch his head, "...Ha, sorry, sorry! I see how it is… Not cool on my part…"

I don't think, I want to know what kind of conclusion you've reached…

Releasing a breath he tried to keep his temper in check. For some reason since arriving to this world, Ryou had developed a far shorter fuse then he ever had. It probably had something to do with the amount of bullshit he had to deal daily.

"Look, this is Rishia she's my new party member.." Ryou explained motioning to the girl that was now partly hidden behind him, "... and this guy is Motoyasu, he is the Spear Hero."

"My pleasure." Motoyasu greeted with a grin, and Rishia bowed in return.

"Fuee! T-The pleasure is mine Motoyasu-sama!" She stuttered, no doubt still embarrassed by the way she had been approached.

Motoyasu inclined his head towards her before his smile turned conspicuous, and he put his hand under his own chin.

"So that's what it took for you to stop playing solo… I see, I see… Guess you're my kind of guy after all." The spear hero finished, nodding to himself with his eye closed.

The Bow Hero ran the statement twice in his head and it was shameful to admit that it took five full seconds for him to understand just exactly what had Motoyasu been insinuating. The moment it clicked, Ryou eyes widened and he felt his own ears warming in embarrassment.

"It's not like that at..!" Ryou began to shout, before a familiar yet startled sound reached him.

"Fuee..!" Ryou turned around, and grabbed Rishia before she was introduced to the ground courtesy of a shove from Malty who had not even paid attention to it.

"Hey…" Ryou remarked towards Malty, who also ignored him.

"Motoyasu-sama! Please listen to this…" The rest was spoken in a whisper, and Ryou felt his teeth clench.

"One would expect the princess of Melromarc to have better manners than that." Ryou remarked in a clipped tone however it went mostly unheard, and the Spear Hero immediately dashed off again ignoring everything.

"Fuee, princess? But isn't Melty-sama the crown p-princess?" Rishia asked confused, and Ryou could only turn his face to the side when he saw Malty's shoulders stiffen completely.

Ohh shit! Shots were fired! He bellowed in his head making a colossal effort not to laugh at the first princess especially with the constipated look she was now sporting.

"I'm still a princess!" Malty exclaimed between clenched teeth even if she was still trying to maintain her smile.

Rishia's eyes went wide as saucers and she bowed at the waist, "Fuee I'm truly sorry your h-highness! It's just that whenever I hear people talking about the princess is usually about Melty-sama!"

Ryou felt tears gather at the corners of his eyes and doubled over his shoulders shaking in repressed laughter, and Malty almost turned into a tomato with how red her face was becoming.

Hahahahahahahahaha! Ohh gods Rishia, you're the gift that keeps on giving! I'm dying here! Ryou could almost kiss Rishia for the shots she had taken at the first princess of Melromarc. The whole thing was just beautiful, and even more hilarious because he knew she was honestly apologizing and would probably never know how much her innocent words had burned Malty.

"Naofumi!" A shout echoed around the room, and Ryou finally straightened himself.

When I was finally starting to get in a good mood... His eyes turned towards the princess who had apparently forgotten about the whole affair and suddenly looked like she just won the lottery with how pleased she was.

"I heard about it... That this girl is your slave." Motoyasu accused, both his voice and posture serious.

Plot twist, what a dramatic piece of information you've acquired... Ryou thought with an eye roll, he really had no patience for this kind of stupid thing.

"So what if she is, what is it to you?" Questioned Naofumi, his voice and posture completely dismissive, something that only seemed to aggravate the Spear Hero even more.

"Having a human as a slave is not right!" Motoyasu barked, and Ryou almost laugh out loud. His sentiments were apparently shared by Naofumi who answered in kind.

"What are you harping about...Slavery is legal in this country." And wasn't that the funniest of things, Ryou could almost bet that most nobles in the room had a couple of slaves each and nobody bat an eye at it, however the moment it became public knowledge that Naofumi had one, it was a worldwide scandal.

"But we have different values, we can't do whatever we want, no matter if it's legal or not!" Ryou did release a cough at that, to mask his laugher something that earned him a few side glances, not that he cared.

Hypocrisy thy name is Motoyasu, your one of the three idiots who I'm almost sure were behind the whole Spirit Turtle thing when your egos took a hit… That had been Ryou's theory about the whole thing. Sure the familiars had appeared before the other Heroes made a move. But they had knowledge about it and their actions in canon showed as much. Not only that, it fit, what better way to surpass Naofumi then to kill the biggest baddest monster around.

But now looking at the entire thing Ryou had to acknowledge that Motoyasu was definitely in a league of his own, or maybe the Spear Hero just saw the world in a way nobody else did.

"That's just your opinion, and I honestly care nothing for it…" One had to appreciate the simple ways in which Naofumi could piss people off with just a couple of words, Ryou included. Although now that he wasn't the target, he had to admit it was kinda funny, even if the entire situation was serious.

Motoyasu actually clench his teeth, before pointing his Spear towards Naofumi, "Fight me! If I win that girl goes free!"

"I didn't think he could go any lower…" Taking his eye of the amazing stupidity that was occurring in front of him, Ryou saw Ren standing next to him and for some reason he felt the need to say something.

"Don't take it at face value. I have been keeping and eye on them...Honestly it's more like Naofumi is her slave, then the other way around." Ren for his part actually looked surprised that Ryou had addressed him, before responding.

"Even if that's the case, turning people into slaves shouldn't even be allowed…" Ryou nodded at that, the Sword Hero definitely had a point and he could agree with it, however...

"True, but nevertheless both you and Motoyasu are forgetting something far more important than those kinds of values." Ryou stated, and Ren send him a side glance, before looking towards the front again..

"And that is?"

"Neither of you asked Raphtalia what her feelings about the whole situation were…" Ren could only gape at the statement. Ryou felt something pull on his sleeve, and turned to look at Rishia who was looking at the entire thing with worry her other hand clenched in front of her chest. Exhaling a small breath Ryou already knew is next course of action.

I didn't really wanted to intervene but seeing her like this, I guess I really have no choice, after all Raphtalia is her only female friend here... You're like the living incarnation of my conscience, and your going to be the death of me one of these days Rishia… Ryou resigned himself, before patting her head twice, and making his way towards the two, where the situation was escalating with the King ordering Naofumi to accept the duel.

Ryou watched the guards, coming from behind and covering Raphtalia's mouth.

"Poor girl, while under that curse you have no choice but to defend this Rotten Shield." Ryou didn't knew all the specifications of the slave seal, but he was pretty sure it didn't worked like that.

"Okay that's quite enough!" Ryou shouted across the room, before grabbing the guard's arm and shoving it away.

"Ryou-dono, what is the meaning of this?" Aultcray demanded, and Ryou turned to look at the king, eyes narrowed.

"If you are ordering a duel then thats that, your Highness. However their presence was essential in the defense of Lute village, had they not been present the casualties would be far higher, for that reason I can't allow them to be treated as criminals." The King scoffed when he heard it even when the rest of the Nobles began to murmur.

"Be that has it may with that curse I can't allow that girl free reign, god knows what she might do…" Ryou grabbed Raphtalia's wrist and sent her a reassuring look that he hoped conveyed what he was trying to do.

"Then I will take full responsibility for her, until this matter is resolved." Ryou replied, and the King seemed to ponder on that with his eyes closing.

"Very well if that's your wish, so be it…" He conceded, and that was the end of it.

I can't fight your fights for you, I can only do this much… Now the floor is yours Naofumi… Ryou thought, meeting Naofumi's gaze with his own.

The arena was quite big, with two levels of stands. It had two balconies in either side, on one stood the King, Aultcray. On the other end, Ryou had to repressed a shiver when he saw the Pope seating there, a mostly satisfied if passive smile on his face.

It actually took a little for him to find the seat he wanted, before taking one next to Raphtalia, with Rishia seated next to her. The demi-human's face was full of worry for her master, and Ryou couldn't help himself, before patting her on the head, prompting her to look at him.

"Don't worry, Naofumi's smart, he got this in the bag." She looked slightly reassured, before nodding, and turning towards the fight, her face now having a hint of determination.

Especially if he as a little help, or rather someone making sure there are no interruptions… Ryou thought, turning to look at the person standing a few meters in front of him. That had been the reason behind him taking so long to get a seat. The Bow Hero wanted to be as close to Malty as possible without tripping her off, and for some mysterious or maybe not so mysterious reason the girl was actually inside the arena.

They planned this far didn't they, well time to start throwing a little wrench into their plans...Screw with me didn't you...Alright, challenged accepted… Maybe this would change somethings, but this much he didn't care.

Besides Naofumi had won the match the first time, and this time he would win for real if Ryou had something to say about it. And maybe just maybe, the Bow Hero wanted some revenge on Motoyasu too, for the sheer dismissal of his person. He would acknowledged his actions might seem petty, but he also knew how to hold a grudge.

Turning to look at the match, Ryou saw as Motoyasu dashed towards Naofumi, before launching himself into the air, and coming down with his spear reared back. Sparks flew from where the spear met the shield, the strike failing to either deal damage, or make Naofumi move. Unabated, Motoyasu twirled in the air, striking with the bottom part of his spear, before touching down with another swing, that one also blocked.

"You blocked it huh… Well I suppose your title isn't just for show…" Motoyasu, remarked with a cocky grin.

"You just lost! The moment your spear couldn't pierce my shield it became your loss…" Naofumi murmured, that statement removing the grin from the Spear Hero's face.

Getting a little ahead of yourself there Naofumi… Ryou warned mentally. While true that the Shield Hero possessed amazing defense, there were ways around it, and a smarter opponent could probably find those quite easily, though that wasn't Motoyasu's case in the least.

Finally deflecting the attack, Naofumi raised himself straight, while Motoyasu fell back, eyes now holding a far more serious look in them.

Raising his spear he pointed towards the Shield Hero, as his weapon shined in a red glow. The moment the glow disappeared into the jewel, Motoyasu dashed forward.

"Chaos Spear!" Ryou watch, as the skill was unleashed and it was mostly a numerous amount of jabs, that extended into beams of light. To the average eye, the beams seemed incredibly fast, but Ryou could see most of them clearly. That wasn't the only thing the Bow Hero noticed as he watched a couple of beams grazzing the Shield Hero.

"Naofumi-sama!" He threw a side glance towards Raphtalia who had shouted in worry from beside him, before looking back to the fight.

If you take into consideration the level gap between them, honestly that attack should have dealt some serious damage, Shield Hero or not… The scratches on Naofumi hardly looked damaging, and that brought a conclusion to Ryou's head. Motoyasu just like he thought, focused on getting the best weapons, and skills but nothing else. While the skill looked pretty cool and powerful the reality was that it hardly pack as much of a punch as it should.

All things considered, my own skills while not as showy yet, have a lot more power in them, relatively speaking… Ryou concluded mentally, watching what was Naofumi's turn to attack, the Shield Hero, quickly made its way towards Motoyasu, and dodged the strike that had come to impale him on the chest before throwing his own punch.

The attack connected, and while it dealt almost no damage, Ryou had to smile at what he saw.

Motoyasu seemed to be in pain clenching his teeth, and looking down he saw the cause. An orange blob that could be identified as a Balloon was biting him in the side.

That sight actually made Ryou drop his smile in thought. While he knew first hand how much of a pain the little buggers could be, he also had one biting him in the side in the beginning of his journey, and he had hardly felt anything.

No way I have more defense than a melee focused hero, so either his armor is complete garbage, or those guys are a higher level variation... His thoughts were interrupted, by Naofumi who moved his cloak to the side revealing that his torso was covered with Balloons.

"If I can't win this fight either way, I'll just make you as miserable as I can…" That had been accompanied by an almost malicious smile from the Shield Hero.

Be careful there Naofumi, your nasty side is showing… Ryou shook his head, the smile returning. The Shield Hero truly looked more like a villain then a hero, even more so than Ryou himself.

"Fight me fair, and square you cheater!" Motoyasu roared, slashing the Balloon and popping it out of existence before dashing forward in anger. The Spear Hero had about half a second before he grunted, having slammed himself belly first into an ethereal shield.

"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi roared with determination, and the shield that had embed itself into Motoyasu's midsection flew forward, pushing the Spear Hero backwards before dissipating, however the momentum sent the mentioned hero crashing into the ground on the other side of the arena.

Determined to push his advantage, Naofumi immediately sent his Balloons forward into Motoyasu's direction, before encasing both him, and the orange monstrosities in a round steel prison.

"Shield Prison!"

What followed next, almost had Ryou feeling pity for the Spear Hero. Almost… Trapped with the Balloons, and without any space to maneuver himself or his weapon, Motoyasu had no choice but to become a munching toy.

As entertaining as the sight was, Ryou moved his eyes towards Malty, waiting for his turn to intervene. Not a moment sooner after the shield prison dissipated, the first princess snarled before raising her hand, and started moving her lips. At the sight Ryou vaulted over the small barrier that separated the spectators from the fighters, and with a lightning fast movement, grabbed the young woman's wrist and pulled it down her palm pointing towards the ground.

Startled the woman looked towards the Bow Hero in surprise, while Ryou smiled at her, the smile never reaching his eyes.

"My lady I'm sorry, but it almost looked like you were about to intervene in this honorable duel. Surely the Princess of Melromarc would never do something so dishonorable, right..?" His voice had been both smooth, and almost apologetic, although the amount of expressions that Malty's face went through in seconds, was truly amusing. Finally her face, also turned apologetic.

"No, no! I would never! I was simply sending a small prayer towards Motoyasu-sama!" Ryou nodded at the explanation, before releasing her arm. Her face was an almost perfect combination of affectionate, appalled and sorrowful, a combination that Ryou had to question how many she had fooled with it.

"Of course I understand, Motoyasu does seems to be in a pinch…" He finished, and she looked towards the fight worried, however the small action of biting her lip gave away her true feelings.

How self-centered can you be, that I'm playing the same game as you, and you can't even see it…Ryou wondered, if the First Princess actually thought herself smarter than everyone around her. Though that probably was the case, Gentlewood had been the same after all.

But to play the devil's advocate, her acting isn't half bad when she's not going overboard… It wasn't, quite the opposite actually. What truly gave her away were the little nuances in between that one could see if they were to really pay attention.

His musings were interrupted by an high pitched scream, that he actually had trouble identifying has Motoyasu.

Looking towards the fight again, Ryou almost winced at the sight.

Naofumi that's just bad, not cool bro… However another part of him was laughing inside, and honestly Ryou couldn't help but having mixed feelings about it, before something gave away and he started chortling.

Motoyasu was crawling backwards trying to get away from the Balloons that were taking aim at his crotch, one already lodged in his tight uncomfortably close to another more sensitive part. Naofumi, was standing a few meters away from the Spear Hero with a mostly passive posture, but his expression told Ryou everything. The Shield Hero was enjoying this to the fullest extent.

"If you want to leave this arena with your head attached you know what to do, and I don't mean the one on top…" As a means of persuasion, Naofumi threw another Balloon that lodged itself, even closer then the last one.

Motoyasu's face lost all color, and was etched in complete horror, before he release a final high pitched scream.

"Okay, I give, I give, just get it off me!" After a few moments the announcement was made, and Naofumi's expression quickly changed from menacing too a mostly relieved one, and Ryou couldn't help but to feel a little proud of himself too even if he was still laughing.

Heh not a bad ending if I say so myself…

However Ryou should have known that bringing about change was not that easy….

Heh, not a bad ending if I say so myself…

"Winner of the Duel, Iwatani Naofumi!" The announcer shouted, however there was no standing ovation. Even the small victorious smile on Ryou's lips didn't last long against the mood around the arena. It was one of incredulity, but mostly disdain.

"The true winner of this match is Motoyasu-dono!" A voice echoed from above, prompting both Ryou and Naofumi to look upwards towards the King in complete disbelief.

"What are you saying? He gave up! I won fair and square!" Naofumi argued heatedly eyes towards the King. Aultcray sent a smirk to the Shield Hero from above as if looking down on him.

"Fair and square you say? Not quite… You used monsters to fight in this holy fight, in this holy duel. Neither I, nor anyone else here can recognize such a victory, henceforth I declare Motoyasu-dono the winner of the duel!" The King declared, both to Naofumi's and Ryou's incredulity.

That's a bunch of bullshit, if I ever saw one! Ryou thought clenching his fist slightly, but it became apparent right there in his mind, that there was truly no winning against these people at least not until the Queen made her return.

"Haa! Take that you cheater! That's what you get for not fighting fairly!" Motoyasu taunted, yet if one was to look closely, the Spear Hero was breathing hard, and looked almost relieved.

How can this guy brag when he clearly lost the fight, especially against someone who didn't even had a weapon?!

"The hell are you on about?! I won this fight using what I had at my disposal! How is that cheating?!" Yet even with such a statement, Ryou knew it was over for Naofumi. Every single noble was already murmuring against him, and commenting on his less than honorable tactics.

"There's no need to listen anymore... Spear Hero, you are victorious!" The audience exploded in cheers at the proclamation

For all the things that had happen between them, and no matter how many times they butted heads, now looking at the despair slowly appearing in Naofumi's face, for the first time Ryou truly felt sorry for the hero.

"Now then, since Motoyasu-sama was the winner, the girl goes free… Malty would you be a dear, and collect the girl, please?" The King asked. The Princess actually smiled, almost shining with pleasure.

"Yes father!" She went with a spring in her steps towards Raphtalia who was protesting and resisting, before a couple of swords appeared close to her neck, and she was forced to stop.

"Come on now, very soon you will be free!" Malty almost cooed at the demi-human who was baring her teeth towards the princess.

"You… You people have no righ..! Gah!" Whatever Raphtalia was going to say, was cut off by a rag that was put in her mouth, along with a couple of handcuffs.

"Hey what the hell!" Ryou took a few heavy steps towards the demi-human, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from going any further. Turning around to look at who had the stupid idea of trying to stop him, he came face to face with the Sword Hero.

"Ryou… You said you would take responsibility until this matter was decided… It's over now, the King will set her free. I don't understand where this sense of loyalty that you have towards Naofumi came from, especially after what he did, but there's nothing you can do anymore..." Ryou shoved the hand on his shoulder, before turning around and taking a deep breath, however he made no move to intervene anymore.

This is just bullshit, and it isn't right… Ryou growled inside, anger coursing through his body, yet he knew that Ren's words were logical, more than the Sword Hero would ever realize. If he tried anything else it could start a fight. There was also the presence of both the King and the Pope, so even if he could get away with it, it would make his situation even worse, especially now that he was under scrutiny from the Church of the Three Heroes.

Just as realization hit him, his body almost sagged in defeat.

It became hard watching Raphtalia, who he had fight side by side, and someone who he owed his life to, getting dragged against her will. He tried to rationalized that it would be for the better, that it would all turn out alright, yet it didn't made it a better pill to swallow.

"R-Ryou-sama…" A familiar voice reached him along with a pull on his sleeve. Taking a look besides him, he locked eyes with Rishia who looked ready to cry at the sight her voice sound pleading. Ryou sent her a sad look, but shook his head.

Looking towards his fellow Hero, who was now on the ground calling out for Raphtalia, Ryou couldn't help but to apologize mentally towards both of them….

I'm sorry Naofumi… I'm sorry Raphtalia… But, I'm not a Hero… I'm not that righteous… I'm just a really selfish, and cowardly guy…

The Bow Hero watched as a man wearing a cloak, dropped some liquid over Raphtalia's slave seal, and in a shimmering light the marking vanished.

"Be grateful to Motoyasu-sama, for its thanks to him that you are free from this horrible curse…" Malty proclaimed with a small sly smile. However the smile vanished quickly because the moment she was free, Raphtalia took three steps towards the Spear Hero, before slapping him the face. Motoyasu's head moved to the side on impact, and he stood there completely perplexed.

"How dare you!" The First Princess demanded however she took a step back the moment the demi-human turned towards her, Raphtalia almost shook in anger before snarling.

"How dare I?! How dare you! Who ever told you I wanted or needed to be free!" Motoyasu looked completely lost at what was happening, and took half a step towards the girl.

"But you were his slave! He was abusing you right?" The Spear Hero asked uncertain, and Raphtalia took half a step back to put some distance between them, however her fist clench in anger.

"What the hell do you know about Naofumi-sama?! Not even once as he abuse either my person or my trust in him, and he never asked me to do something I couldn't do!"

Ryou looked at the scene with a small humorless smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

How pathetic am I, when a girl not even in her teens in age as more courage to stand up for what's right then, I do… He had made his choice and would go down with it, yet now hearing Raphtalia speaking he couldn't stop the self-deprecating thoughts that ran through his mind.

"He only used the cursed seal, when I was afraid to fight!" Raphtalia remarked fullheartedly, and Motoyasu pounce at the opening.

"But that's wrong! Nobody should be forced to fight!" He defended, and Ryou found his eyes, moving towards the King who was now standing behind the Spear Hero. The man didn't acknowledge such a statement, however Ryou couldn't help but to find some irony in hearing that.

"Naofumi-sama doesn't have a weapon, so I fight for him, in exchange, he defends me with his life, he lets me rest when I need!" The demi-human continued unabated, before she pressed her palm against her chest.

"He gave me food, and let me eat what I wanted with the little money we had, he gave me medicine to treat my illness, he played ball with me on our down time, and fixed my hair when it grew too much." Raphtalia proclaimed with a small smile as she remembered those memories, before it turn back into a frown and her eyes narrowed at the Hero before her.

"Are you merciful enough to extend your hand to a slave on the brink of death?" She asked with a heavy tone, and the Spear Hero flinched before responding hesitantly

"O-of course I would..."

"If that were true, then why isn't there one right next to you at this moment?" She questioned, and Motoyasu looked down in shame having no response to that.

Throughout the entire thing, Ryou could only stand there, every word that came out of Raphtalia's mouth were almost a dagger to him. He himself could have spared the girl, days of being imprisoned right at the beginning, however he had been too afraid to mess with the time line. Even now that was still very much the case. There was also Naofumi who had been a bastard and had marked Raphtalia as a slave, yet even after what had happened to him he had shown enough kindness to the once small girl to earn this type of loyalty. Ryou couldn't help to wonder if his own party member possessed the same unshakable loyalty towards him, yet a small part of him already knew the answer.

Is this really the right thing to do? Ryou couldn't help but to wonder in his head.

"That is quite enough out of you, you damn demi-human, is this how you pay Motoyasu-sama kindness?" Malty demanded, yet Raphtalia responded in kind.

"I never asked for his intervention, nor did I needed it. If Yari no Yuusha-sama as so much kindness to give, then maybe he should focus his efforts on those that truly need it." Turning around, Raphtalia made her way towards the Shield Hero ignoring both the Steaming Princess, and the Spear Hero who looked like he had been slapped again.

"Naofumi-sama…" Raphtalia addressed softly, stopping just a meter shy of the said hero.

"Why are you here? Your free now thanks to Motoyasu, so just leave already…" Naofumi ordered, yet he almost sounded in pain at least in Ryou's ears.

"Listen please, I already knew about the rumors…" She began but was interrupted by Naofumi.

"I didn't do it!" Naofumi screamed, drops falling from the Shield Hero's face, before he repeated himself, this time almost like a pleading whisper, yet his voice carried itself across the arena.

"I didn't do it…" Seeing his tears, Raphtalia crouched in front of the despairing hero, encircling her arms around him, not letting go even when Naofumi tried to shake her off, yet there was hardly any strength in his attempt.

"I believe you. Even if the entire world says that you did it, I will deny it every time! Even if you won't believe in yourself, I will believe in you Naofumi-sama! You didn't do it, I knew that from the start!" Raphtalia proclaimed, and that shook Naofumi out of his despair. The Shield Hero leaned slightly back looking towards the Demi-human girl, his face showing nothing but incredulity.

"Raphtalia?" He questioned, not completely sure, and she offered him a small exasperated smile before responding.

"Who else would it be? Honestly… You're still seeing me as a child aren't you? This might be bad timing on my part, but you know us Demi-humans grow up as we level, at least physically.." Raphtalia looked self-conscious admitting that, however Naofumi just continued to look perplexed at her, his mouth opening slightly.

"If you still cannot believe my word, then place the seal on me once again, and allow me to become your sword once more, the one that will follow you through fire and brimstone if needed." That finally hit the Shield Hero, and it was apparent that it was exactly what he needed to hear, because he grabbed on to the girl like a life-line, silently crying his eyes out.

Ryou turned to make his retreat, knowing that things had ended more or less as they should have originally, yet he couldn't stop the fire that was burning just under his skin, it became even worse when he heard Motoyasu just as he passed by the Spear Hero, still trying to defend himself.

"I wasn't in the wrong, what's wrong is a Hero having a slave." Ryou knew he should have kept walking everything was over and it ended in a positive note, yet those words locked him in place and he was unable to keep quiet anymore.

"Yes you were! Right from the beginning! You started something meaningless for nothing, and only ended up looking like an idiot, and a loser." Ryou hissed glaring at the Spear Hero who look taken aback before he returned the glare, and slamming the end of his spear on the ground.

"People's lives aren't meaningless Ryou! Having a slave is nothing short of a crime!" Ryou continued to glare at the Spear Hero, before replying.

"Is that truly your problem? Because if it is you better start challenging half of this room to a duel then, because I can bet that most of them have slaves of their own, and they aren't treated nearly as well as Raphtalia. And yes it was meaningless! What exactly did you accomplished here besides looking like an asshole, and causing heartache to everyone involve?" The Spear Hero eyes finally went to the floor but still tried to defend himself

"I was only trying to do what was right…" Ryou scoffed at the feeble defense.

"By shoving your values onto people, without even taking their feelings into account? There are limits to this whole white knighting thing you have going on, and that's when you start hurting people… Yet you didn't stop there did you? No… You still went and placed your own values above even that... You know, there's a saying in my world that sums this up quite nicely, and it goes like this, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions…' You should be able to understand what it means so get a grip Motoyasu, and start thinking things through…" Ryou finished, before continuing towards the exit leaving the Spear Hero with his eyes still on the ground.

The streets of Castle Town were completely empty, even the merchants that were present during the night before the wave hit were nowhere in sight. However this fact went over Ryou's head, the Bow Hero kept walking in a straight line, taking small note that Rishia was following him in silence.

After a few minutes, they reached the Commercial zone and Ryou turned his head slightly to address the girl.

"Rishia go back to the Inn…" He ordered in an emotionless tone.

"What about you R-Ryou-sama..?" She asked in an hushed voice, hands in their usual position clapped in front of her chest.

"I have something that I need to do, don't wait for me. At the very least I'll come back in the morning." He informed before continuing on his way but a sniffle brought him to a complete stop.

Rishia was just a couple of meters behind him, but even in the darkness he could see the small shining trails that were starting to run down her face.

"Y-You were kind enough to save me… To save my family, and village, because it was the right thing to do… B-But then, one moment your intervening in their behalf, the next you just stopped and did nothing else. You looked so angry when talking with M-Motoyasu-sama, calling everything he did s-stupid, but if you were that angry, why didn't you stop it..?" She questioned voice cracking at the end, her tears not stopping even as she tried to wipe them away with her sleeve.

Standing there perplexed, Ryou couldn't even get his mouth opened, as his own party member threw everything that had been eating him from the inside, at his face.

"Fuee… Are they your friends, or are they meaningless? I don't know what to think anymore…" She said hiccuping at the end.

My conscience indeed…

Ryou's eyes found the ground for a moment. In hindsight this had probably been brewing for a while. He had moved, and made decisions without explaining anything to Rishia at least as far as Naofumi had been concerned, so from her point of view, it probably looked just like his decisions were just random and a complete contradiction.

She wasn't psychic, she couldn't read his mind, yet he subconsciously expected her too, but she was only human after all. Rishia probably viewed both him and Naofumi as pretty good friends, and if that was the case it was only normal for her to question his actions.

Moving towards the crying girl, he stopped right in front of her, with a sad look.

"I'm sorry Rishia… You're right... If I don't talk to you and explain things, I can't expect you to understand…"

Seeing the tears running down her face, Ryou couldn't help but to feel miserable about the whole thing. Raising his hand, he gently wiped them from her face, prompting the girl to look at him.

"...They aren't meaningless, I wouldn't call them friends, but I do owe them my life… Believe me, I really tried to help them, but I couldn't do anymore then what you saw…"He explained to the girl who was still shaking slight.

"Why?" She questioned, after a second.

That was the big question, one that encompassed everything that had come to pass, and the one he had failed to explain all this time. Ryou took a moment to collect his thoughts, there were a lot of factors in his decisions.

"Rishia… No doubt you already know that the King hates Naofumi… Not just the King, but Malty too, as well as most Nobility… The people that hold power in this country would like nothing more then to get rid of him…" Ryou trailed off, and Rishia rubbed her eyes before interjecting.

"I-Is it because demi-humans worship the Tate no Yuusha-sama?"

Ryou confirmed with a tilt of his head, before lowering his voice to almost a whisper.

"Yes, but that's only one factor, there's also the Church of the Three Heroes. In public they might look like they worship the three heroes, but the reality is different, or rather to them we are just means to an end, and to them the Shield Hero might as well be the incarnation of the devil itself…"

At least Rishia had stopped crying, even if her eyes were both red, and puffy, her voice coming out slightly raw.

"But Naofumi-sama didn't do anything wrong. Raphtalia-chan, wouldn't stand up for him if the rumors were true… He help defend Lute village, they both did, people should see that.. so why?!" There was a small trace of indignation in her words.

A smile bloomed in Ryou's face, but it was a twisted, ugly thing.

"People only see what they want to see Rishia, and sometimes even if everything else points to the contrary of their beliefs, they have no problem turning the other way around if it suits their fancy. There's probably a lot of favor to be gained by siding with the King, and the Church, and even if there are those who think its wrong, well… You know personally what happens to those that go against the King…"

Rishia easily made the connection, and in a moment realization became apparent in her face.

"Was that why Ryou-sama didn't intervene back there..?" She questioned in an hushed tone.

His expression turned into a sullen one, but he nodded.

"Yeah, among other things… Listen even with my title I'm not unstoppable, or a god… My influence in this country just goes as far as the crown is willing to support it, at least for now, and I'm already in thin ice as it is. Putting your father back in a position of power, overthrowing Gentlewood, even the small support that I gave Naofumi already as everyone raising their eyebrows at me… Even the god damned Pope, is getting weary…" passing a hand through his hair, Ryou shook his head before continuing, "If I had done anymore, it might have marked us both as enemies, and that's something that I can't afford right now, neither of us can. If we openly support the Shield Hero and make Aultcray our enemy, with the power that he currently as, along with the support of the main religion in this country, we would get shut down faster than we can blink, and from what I know he would easily go that far and even further if it stops Naofumi from gaining an ally…"

Rishia shoulders dropped, and she looked has defeated as he had back when he realized is limits.

"It isn't fair… The waves are the true enemy, we should all be working together, not fighting among ourselves…" She argued lightly.

Smiling sadly, he laid his hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair slightly in comfort.

"Congratulations, you are wiser than most people in this country, maybe in this entire world. Unfortunately things aren't that simple. A person can be smart, but in general people are just stupid, and greedy, and as much as I would like to smash their heads against a wall until they smarten up, I can't… We are both still too weak to pick doing what is right, over what is smart. For now the only thing we can do is keep our heads low, and get stronger until we have the strength to be able to choose."

That was the reality of their situation, sure Ryou would have liked nothing more then have an united front against the waves, however that wouldn't be possible for a long time, if ever.

"I know this sucks, but for now we have to play it smart… Besides it doesn't mean we have to turn a blind eye to all wrongs, only that we have to be subtle when going about it… Okay?" He proposed softly, and she nodded lightly in agreement before her head lowered again.

"Fuee… I'm also sorry Ryou-sama, for breaking down l-like that, but I just didn't knew what to make of everything anymore…" She mumbled looking exhausted.

"Don't apologize, you have nothing to feel sorry for, I was the one in the wrong here, I didn't took your feelings into full consideration, so your reaction was completely understandable." He paused for a moment continuing with a little more strength in his tone.

"Listen, when I agreed to let you join, I didn't do it with the expectation of gaining a minion, even if I treated you has one subconsciously… What I wanted was a partner, so don't ever be afraid of asking things or voicing your opinion, in return I'll try to be more transparent about my decisions and motives, alright?" He proposed extending his hand to her with a small smile, one that she mimicked, before grasping his hand.

They stood there in the darkness of the night, just absorbing the feeling of understanding between them, both their eyes looking at their hands, finally his brain caught up with what he was doing, and he let go with a cough. His cheeks felt suspiciously warm at the moment, and his eyes when to the side in embarrassment. He wasn't the only one, because Rishia also refused to look at his face, and was playing with her fingers nervously.

"Right... Now with that settled, you should really go back to the Inn, like I said I'll meet you there later…"

"Fuee… W-What will y-you be doing at this hour Ryou-sama?" She stuttered shyly, that did nothing but make Ryou feel self-conscious of the moment they had shared few seconds prior, although he tried to shove those thoughts into a corner of his mind.

"I'm just going to vent my frustrations a little. Believe it or not I'm still pretty pissed about everything that happened…" He had reign his anger when talking with Rishia not wanting to lash out at the person less guilty in all of this. However just thinking about the entire night made him angry beyond belief.

Taking a breath, he noted she was looking at him with apprehension, and he forced a smile.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything crazy, but right now I don't trust myself not to punch the next person who looks at me funny…" He tried comforting her, and finally she relented with a nod, one that he mimicked.

The forest was almost pitch-dark, yet such a thing didn't stop Ryou from leaving a trail of slaughter in his awake. He hadn't even bother to pick up the remains from the monsters, just plowing through them like a hot knife on butter. Now that he had no need to restrain himself, he finally let all his anger explode, and explode in a magnificent fashion it did.

To hell with every single one of those bastards! They are all a bunch of self-centered idiots, who can't see the big picture..!

Aultcray was an asshole… Ryou for the life of him couldn't understand the true roots behind the King's beef with Naofumi - what he knew however was that Aultcray was very surely screwing them over with his petty hatred…

Doesn't the bastard realize that the waves will only get exponentially worse?! Ryou question in aggravation, while another arrow blew off the top half of an Usapil, blood splattering everywhere, even on his armor, not that he cared at the moment.

Separating the heroes like he was doing, was bound to bite them in the ass. If he took Fitoria's words literally, then even if they make it pass everything he knew from the story, things would only get worse, much worse. they always did.

Doesn't that idiot realize, that if we fall, so will this country, and his family along with it?! Did Aultcray hate the Shield Hero so much that he didn't even care, or was he just confident they would pull through without Naofumi? And Malty? Did that stupid self-centered princess not realize that she couldn't rule a country that didn't exist?

"They are all idiots, not even a single working brain cell between them!" Ryou snarled in disgust, before he shifted his thoughts to the other heroes.

How could I ever think I could deal with Motoyasu… The Spear Hero was something else alright… At the beginning Ryou had actually thought Motoyasu couldn't be as stupid in reality has he had been portrayed in the Story.

Ohhhh boyyyy... Was I wrong… The guy just didn't listen, the moment he made his mind, he would plow through everything without even taking a minute to think if it was truly the right thing to do, and worse he would double down on it as many times as it took, refusing to see reason…

Bastard doesn't even care about doing the right thing, he's probably just after those juicy White Knight Brownie points, and pats on the back….

And Ren… Ryou released a sarcastic laugh that echoed in the night. The one Hero he had written off as a pain in the ass, had been the only one that had yet to piss him off, though he wasn't holding his breath on him either. Although everything with Naofumi was already way in the past.

"Grrrrrr..."

A very familiar growl echoed from the tree's, prompting Ryou to look in the general direction of the sound.

In the darkness, three pairs of blue eyes shined in the darkness, familiar eyes that had haunted his dreams for a while now.

Now in their presence once again the Hero felt nothing but amusement mixed with anger, another twisted smile appearing in his face.

"You picked a really bad time to come down from the mountains for a meal, do you know why?" He knew the monsters couldn't understand him, much less answer him, yet he felt the need to talk, making his way in their direction with purposely slow if steady steps.

"Because, honestly at this moment… I'm all out of fucks to give." He finished his eye lids droping halfway, his bow morphing into the one he had gained from absorbing the goat head from the Chimera, and with that action the wolves pounced.

"Ramming Shot!" The arrow hit the middle one in mid air, the shock wave sending it flying outside of view.

A second one tried to pounce on him however Ryou rotated, foot swinging in the air in the blink of an eye, hitting the wolf on the side of its head. The creature was sent flying sideways, crashing into the ground. Still in mid spin, his bow changed yet again, and he pulled another arrow this one made completely of flames, banishing the darkness around him.

Finishing his spin facing the third one, who was almost on top of him, Ryou sidestepped the maw aimed at his head, far faster then the wolf could react, before releasing the flaming projectile. The arrow made of condensed flames hit the wolf at an angle right between its ribs, coming out on the other side, leaving behind only a flaming corpse.

His eyes quickly locked on the wolf he had kicked, the beast already in the air once again, yet this time Ryou made no move to avoid it, and willed his bow back into bracelet form.

Just before the Dire Wolf could bite his head off, Ryou grabbed both upper an lower jaw with his hands, sliding back slightly from the force, but nothing else.

Amazing what a couple of levels and a few stats can do, this game like strength is truly ridiculous… Ryou contemplated dispassionately, watching the creature that definitely weighted more then he did struggling against him but making no progress what-so-ever.

"You know, your cousin did quite the number on me… Fucking thing almost tore my arm off… So I was thinking… How about I paid you back in a similar fashion in its stead?" Ryou finished, grasping both parts tighter, and pulling them in opposite directions. There was a loud whimper, before a horrible tearing sound was heard followed by something snapping, and the wolf stopped moving.

Letting go of the monster, Ryou shook the numb sensation on his arms, before turning towards the direction he had sent the first one last Dire Wolf just stood there observing him beyond the darkness, however instead of attacking, it turned around after a moment and fled.

Ryou snorted, easily finding the irony in that action.

How the tables have turned… The Bow Hero did consider going after it, but after a moment he decided it wasn't worth the effort especially since it would be a pain to catch it in the dark forest.

"Well.. That was particularly brutal… You're going all out today it seems, Yuusha-sama…" A familiar voice came from above him, and Ryou closed his eyes briefly.

And then there's this to finish my day on a high note… Turning around not even bothering to acknowledge her, Ryou begun to walk away. However the sound of her feet hitting the ground behind him, brought him to a stop.

"I'm really not in the mood to deal with you right now, especially not after the little game you played without my consent…" Turning his face towards her, he noted she looked slightly surprised.

"Come back when your ready to lay all the cards on the table, and if you can't do that, then don't bother to show your face to me again." Ryou finished, turning back towards the front.

He only took a few steps before the Shadow Maid reply reached him.

"Well… If you want me to lay all cards on the table, then maybe I should start by explaining my specialty as a Shadow…" She commented lightly, walking slowly in a semi circle.

Narrowing his eyes, still with his back turned Ryou asked, "And that is?"

A little laugh reached him before she explained, "As you know I work mostly as a spy but my biggest talent is Illusion magic, or more specifically I specialize in manipulating thoughts and actions…"

Another laugh was heard, most likely because Ryou's shoulders when stiff as a pole as he considered the dangers of a person having such an ability.

"Don't worry Yuusha-sama, my magic doesn't work on you heroes, it hardly works on other humans as it is, and only on those that have a weak will…"

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked in confusion and maybe a little of apprehension. He could never get a read on her.

However instead of answering, the Shadow Maid just continue explaining, as if she hadn't heard him, "However it works wonders on monsters, shame it doesn't work on those from the wave for some reason, but on the ones in this world..? Just a little probing, and I can have them doing whatever I want…" She finished, and Ryou could almost picture the infuriating smile on her face, none-the-less his mind began to run circles around the piece of information she had offered, an then his eyes widen when he remembered a particular memory.

"Hmm... That sounds like Mountain Dire Wolves, but that's impossible… In all my years as a knight, I never saw them coming down from the mountains, much less coming this close to town…"

"That, doesn't even sound like animal intelligence, it sounds like it moved to protect his pack mate, but with that, the trap, and waiting for you to turn your back before attacking, that sounds like primate levels of intelligence, or worse…"

Something dark and ugly unfolded inside of him, and coupled with everything that had happened since being summoned to this world, Ryou saw red. Moving before he even heard the scream that escaped his mouth, he spun around, fire dancing from the tip of a new flaming arrow, and with rage that he didn't knew he had the Bow Hero released the projectile, eyes lock on the mocking smile in her face.

"You bitch!"