{Author Notes at the end~~}
Nihilux POV
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He was dreaming about pizza again.
Extra cheese in the crust. Pepperoni and meat, it bubbled up at the edges and got slightly crispy. He floated the box toward himself, and the smell hit him immediately.
Perfect.
He reached out and opened all the dipping sauces at once, lining them up on the coffee table.
Knock knock.
He heard a sound but ignored it. Grabbed a slice.
Knock knock.
Still ignored it. Opened his mouth to take a bite-
Knock knock.
NOO.
The pizza in front of him began to fade. He looked around in a panic as the whole world dissolved into white mist.
STOP. Just give me five more minutes.
The world didn't stop fading all around him. It turned completely white, and he was alone in an endless nothing.
Knock knock.
Why must you do this to me!!
Then he suddenly fell from a great height.
He saw a giant below him. An old man, enormous, wearing long robes with a large hat, it was a religious hat from a high religious figure. He stood in a valley surrounded by masses of tiny people.
The giant's voice boomed across the space.
"Today, we banish the false gods."
The masses cheered.
"They are not our gods. For they have been corrupted by the devil!"
Knock knock.
The knocking was getting louder.
Further away, near a great wall, a battle was taking place. Soldiers were running around and following orders.
From the north, a woman with the bearing of a commander rode hard at the head of a great host.
To the south, four great warriors fought a single enemy. They were losing badly. The enemy taunted them, plunged his sword into the ground, and the earth turned grey.
Nihilux felt himself being pulled somewhere.
The giant looked up toward the sky. The masses around him dropped to their knees and began to pray. Tiny balls of blue light rose from them and flowed upward toward the giant.
Knock knock.
He was standing in front of the giant now.
The giant looked down at him and smiled.
"Welcome, pretender."
A bow materialised beside him. The giant took it and drew back the string, aiming toward the sky. An arrow of pure white light shot upward and struck the sun.
White light came back down from above.
He tried to stop it, he tried to move, to get away from it.
But he couldn't move away from it.
He could not breathe.
An explosion took place behind him, which made his vision turn black.
When he opened his eyes again, he looked up, and the beam of light was about to hit him.
It hit him hard, and he dropped.
His body lost its strength. There was blood everywhere around him.
Behind him, someone was crying. From the sound he could tell it was a woman.
She was screaming, "I am sorry"
The giant stood over him now, it was speaking something.
"-It comes a new tomorrow-"
His bow had become a spear. He raised it and plunged it down.
No matter what Nihilux did, he couldn't move.
Knock kno-
He jolted awake.
He sat up slowly, blinking. He turned to look around his room. Sunlight was pouring through the window.
What time is it?
He rubbed his face. His head felt heavy.
Knock knock.
He looked at the door and reached out briefly with his telepathy. There were two people on the other side.
He recognised one of them immediately.
Of course.
He got out of bed, stumbled slightly, and made his way to the door.
He opened it.
Aldric Thorne stood in the hallway, dressed in his usual formal attire, perfectly pressed as always. Beside him stood a knight in polished armour, whom Nihilux didn't recognise.
This feels familiar.
Aldric gave a slight bow. "Sir Nihilux. My apologies for the disturbance. His Majesty has requested your presence at the castle."
Nihilux stared at him.
What for?
"The reward ceremony for the Heroes was held this morning," Aldric continued. "It was concluded approximately an hour ago. As you were not present, His Majesty wishes to present your reward personally and would like a private audience."
Nihilux looked past him toward the window at the end of the hallway.
The sun was high in the sky.
He checked his internal sense of time.
Around eleven. Maybe a bit past.
He'd slept through the whole ceremony.
Aldric seemed to read his expression. "His Majesty is not displeased. He simply wishes to speak with you and present your reward directly."
Nihilux held up one finger.
One minute.
"Of course."
He closed the door.
He stood there for a moment in the quiet of the room.
Then he looked around, grabbed what he needed, and quickly got ready.
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Aldric was waiting exactly where he'd left him.
"Sir Nihilux." He gave a short bow. "Shall we?"
I fell into step beside him. The knight followed a pace behind us both.
We moved down the corridor past Naofumi and Raphtalia's rooms. I reached out briefly inside as we passed their rooms.
Neither of them is inside.
They are probably still out somewhere in the city, probably. I'd deal with that later.
I was still half asleep.
My eyes felt heavy, and my head wasn't quite where it needed to be yet.
What a strange dream.
When we reached the ground floor, I stopped and turned toward the dining area instead of the exit.
The knight behind me made a sound. "Sir Nihilux, His Majesty the King is waiting. We really should-"
"It's alright." Aldric's voice was calm and even. "I'm sure His Majesty wouldn't mind a brief delay."
The knight said nothing after that.
See, Aldric knows what I want. Suppose this becomes a regular thing. They need to start sending better knights.
I went up to the counter and ordered a coffee.
It was a simple coffee, I prefer it strong, if I am to have any hope of being fully awake before reaching the castle.
I sat down at the nearest table and drank it slowly while watching the people around me.
Where would Naofumi be right about now? He wouldn't leave that quickly….I think.
Maybe the market. Or the adventurer's guild?
Yeah, he would visit the armour shop again before leaving. I will find him there after meeting the king.
Aldric was waiting nearby with his hands clasped behind his back and that perfectly composed expression of his.
The knight stood by the door.
He felt hungry since last night; he didn't even get a chance to eat dinner yesterday.
I finished the coffee, set down the cup, and stood up.
Alright. Let's go.
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The ride to the castle was nothing noteworthy. Looking around, I could see many people going about their day.
The air and mood of the people were still happy. I saw many family's with their children in the marketplace.
Parents are buying their kids things.
I could see some people doing small magic tricks for children. There was a merchant who was asking directions for some place.
There was a lady who was carrying what looked like her husband in her arms, who was clearly very drunk.
He saw some people who looked like adventurers arguing with each other in front of a shop.
Soon enough, they reach the castle. And they made their way inside.
The castle was quieter than it had been the night before.
Just the sound of our footsteps through the corridors. Aldric was leading the way without hurry, and we passed by the gardens.
Aldric stopped for a few moments to talk with a maid, and then we continued to make our way.
He led me towards the throne room.
We stopped outside the main doors. A guard stepped forward, opened them briefly, and announced us inside. Then the doors opened fully, and Aldric turned to me and said.
"His Majesty awaits you inside. I'll leave you here."
Thanks
He nodded and smiled, then made his way towards his own directions.
I watched him go and then stepped through into the chamber.
The chamber was mostly empty.
A few guards were posted around the walls. Compared to the first time I came here. It was noticeably empty now.
The king was there.
He was sitting comfortably on his throne. He looked relaxed, and he was talking to someone standing beside him.
I noticed the second throne as I walked closer. It sat slightly raised above the king's, but it was empty.
Strange, I don't remember seeing the other throne the first time I came here.
The person the king was speaking with stood to the side. He was wearing robes in white and deep green, with red detailing and gold embroidery along the edges. He wore a large ceremonial hat. He had small glasses on his face.
A rosary around his neck with the symbol of the church of three heroes.
A guard near the throne stepped forward as I approached. He spoke to the king.
"Your Majesty. Sir Nihilux has arrived."
The king looked up and gestured. "Excellent. You may wait outside."
The guard bowed and withdrew. The doors closed were behind him.
The king turned to me and smiled.
"Young Nihilux. Welcome. I am pleased you could join us, even if the hour is somewhat later than anticipated."
I stopped at a respectful distance from the throne.
I considered for a moment how to handle this. Last time I'd spoken to him directly, mind to mind. I decided to do the same.
{I apologise for missing the ceremony this morning. I was still tired from yesterday and woke up late.}
The king gave a small laugh and waved his hand. "Think nothing of it. You fought valiantly yesterday, Nihilux. You earned your rest."
He turned slightly and gestured toward the man beside him.
"Allow me to introduce His Holiness, Biscas T. Balmus, the High Priest of the Church of the Three Heroes."
The Pope stepped forward slightly. He was older, somewhere in his sixties, with a serene expression on his face. He smiled at me.
Great, ofc I would meet the head of a religion who worships the 4 heroes. Just my luck.
I hope this medieval religion doesn't think I am a heretic or something just cause I didn't get a weapon.
"I have heard a great deal about you, Sir Nihilux." His voice was smooth and calm. He was staring fully at me. "His Majesty speaks quite fondly of you. It is an honour to meet you properly."
Oh? No heretic?
He might not be so bad.
He paused.
His eyes behind those small glasses narrowed just slightly.
"Though I confess I was surprised not to see you beside the Shield Hero during the rewards ceremony this morning." A small tilt of the head. "Has there been some development between you and the Shield?"
{I've decided to travel by myself for a while.}
The Pope's smile widened slightly. "I see. How fortuitous that is."
The king laughed. "Ah, I see. So you have given thought to what we discussed last night."
Umm no…..
But there was no reason to tell him that.
The king leaned forward. "So you've finally decided to join one of the other Heroes? The Sword Hero, perhaps? Or the Bow? I must say the Spear Hero would be quite happy to have you."
{No.}
Both of them looked surprised at me.
{I decided to travel alone for a while. I don't plan to join anyone else right now.}
Tho if I find the heroes out in the countryside, I might decide to travel with them for a small bit.
The Pope recovered quickly from the surprise. "Independently," he repeated. "I see. Well, that is certainly... surprising. But perhaps it is for the best. The Shield Hero's influence can be quite corrupting. A devil in human form, that one is. It would be wise to distance yourself-"
I turned and looked him directly in the eyes.
{I believe Naofumi is a good person.}
The Pope's expression froze mid-sentence.
"Is that so," he said slowly. "And yet you choose not to travel with him?"
{That doesn't change what I know of him.}
He opened his mouth again. The king cut in smoothly and said something to him, redirecting. The two of them exchanged a few words with each other.
I let them talk among themselves and remained silent.
There was no point continuing to argue with the head of a church that already had its verdict on Naofumi. The conversation would just go in circles.
You can argue with an intelligent person, but not an idiot or a religious zealot.
He has nothing against religion. But when it comes to having to explain to a zealot why that person shouldn't take everything written in some religion literally, he would find better success teaching a parrot to sing.
Why does the apparent head of a religion want to speak to him? Shouldn't he be doing something else, like trying to find his 3 gods, who are perhaps somewhere in this city?
Though it did make me wonder why he was here at all.
"Well," the king said, his tone a shade too cheerful. "That is neither here nor there. Young Nihilux, you are here to receive your reward for your service during the Wave."
He gestured. A servant I hadn't noticed appeared from the side of the room, carrying a small wooden chest and stood beside the king.
The king got up walked a few steps and opened it. "Three thousand, nine hundred silver pieces. A substantial sum indeed, befitting your contribution. You single-handedly prevented many a monster from causing destruction. Your efforts saved countless lives. You should be proud, young man."
I reached out with my telekinesis and lifted the coins. The coins floated across the room toward me and disappeared into my inventory through a small rift that opened.
The servant looked startled.
The king just smiled. He'd seen enough of my abilities by now.
How come he only calls me young? I, Ren, and Itsuki are younger than me, not sure about Naofumi.
Something was bothering me, though.
{Did Naofumi receive the same amount?}
The king's smile faded slightly. His expression shifted. "The Shield Hero received one thousand silver pieces."
Mentally sighing. I thought about pushing back on that.
I decided against it for now. The king's feelings about Naofumi weren't going to change because I said something in a throne room. That wasn't how this worked.
I'd find Naofumi after this and give him some of mine. I could already picture his face. He might refuse, since he's now paying for his own things.
Oh well. If he refused, I'd just give it to Raphtalia. I could make her take the money she wouldn't refuse me.
She's a good kid; she would listen to me.
{I understand.}
The king visibly relaxed. "Excellent. Now, have you registered with the Adventurers Guild yet?"
I shook my head.
"I'll send word ahead. Given your performance at the Wave, it would be absurd to have you start at the bottom like a common novice. I'll ensure they assign you a rank that actually reflects your capabilities."
That was genuinely useful.
{Thank you.}
"It's the least I can do." He smiled again. "You are a valuable asset to this kingdom, Young Nihilux. I want you treated accordingly."
I nodded and turned to leave.
"One moment, young man."
The Pope.
I turned back to look at him.
Biscas T. Balmas began to say while smiling.
"I wanted to extend an invitation. The Church of the Three Heroes would be honoured to have someone of your strength and character among our ranks. We could offer guidance, resources-"
{I don't believe in God.}
"That is perfectly alright young man. Faith is a journey, not a destination. Many of our most devoted members began exactly where you are." He tilted his head slightly. "I'm not asking you to believe anything today. To consider what we can offer."
{And even if I did believe in some god, I have zero interest in joining your religion.}
"The church has reached every country on this continent. Safe passage, lodging, political connections in places where adventurer rank means nothing." His voice was easy, conversational.
Adventurer rank means nothing....
I doubt that, if you are strong enough to single-handedly beat an entire kingdom than what?
He must have given the same speech so many times before. "For someone travelling alone, without institutional backing, those things could be very important. Regardless of what you may or may not believe."
{No.}
Something flickered across his face.
He looked surprised that I was still rejecting him.
"I think perhaps you misunderstand the scope of what-"
{I understood exactly what you were offering.}
Nihilux turned toward the door.
{You were offering it to someone who doesn't exist. The version of me who needs to believe that someone is watching over me.}
He turned his head to look at the pope.
{You must believe that it's the gods who gave you life, right?}
"Why of course, it was the gods in their grace and wisdom who made everything then grante-"
{That means it is also the gods who made the demi-humans that your religion hates. And also, the shield hero. So, what does that say about your so-called 'gods'?}
"Wait, Sir Nihilux if you would simply jus-"
He cut the mental link with the pope and spoke directly into the king's mind this time.
{Your Holiness came a long way for a no.}
He pushed the doors open with his telekinesis and walked out without looking back.
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He had never had a particularly good relationship with religion.
He had met all kinds of people who practised all kinds of faiths over the years. Studied at least three different ones in 'reasonable' depth. Never went too deep, but I'd never needed to.
You could tell what kind of religion you were dealing with quickly just by talking to the people who practised it. Looking at their society and their tolerance for other religions.
Most were the same basic shape, peace, love, compassion, and good teachings overall. But always with that same undercurrent of go spread the word, bring others in, the more converts the better. Which, fine. It was just never something I had any interest in participating in.
But why must there be a need to go out and try to convert others?
Then there were the ones that were just straightforwardly built around hating everyone outside the group. Those I genuinely disliked being near.
A religion based on hatred that teaches you to hate others who are not you, to deceive them, and to lie to them.
A religion like that should simply not exist for any reason.
The very idea that mankind must adhere to the rule of some idea that would lead to nothing but pain is laughable at best.
The rarest type, and honestly, the one I had the most respect for, there were a few of those in his old world. They had the same peace and love at the centre, but didn't push their followers to go recruit. Focused more on how to live well and treat people decently.
Those I could understand even if I didn't share the belief.
The Church of the Three Heroes, as far as he can tell, sat somewhere between the first and second types.
Since I'd arrived in this world, people from the church had approached me in markets more than once, trying to get me to convert. It also taught that demi-humans were lesser, fit for slavery.
It hadn't gotten to the point of people being killed in the streets over it.
He considers for a moment that maybe there is a real reason for hating the demi-humans in general.
He knows the demi-humans also don't treat humans well at all. That the demi-human nation also has its own version of hero's church, tho they worship only the shield hero, and hate the other 3.
And he knows that both sides don't get along well with each other due to many reasons, including the war that happened between them.
........ until he could see for himself the demi-human country and their religion and whatnot. He didn't want to think that all those demi-humans are evil.
He knows Raphtalia, and she is a sweet kid.
But what if the other demi-humans are different? What if they are warmongers? Like the church says they are?
He decided not to think about that anymore.
But he decided to go to the demi-human country in the future himself.
He wants to see for himself. If there is some truth in the church's words, if it's not just blind hatred, but it's born out of something else.
Safe to say he had almost no interest in this world's religion beyond its ability to send him back home once the Waves were done.
Well, almost…
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Aldric was waiting in the hallway with the guards.
He took one look at my face was about to say something but said nothing.
We started walking. After a moment, he fell into step beside me, hands clasped behind his back.
"I trust the meeting went well, Sir Nihilux?"
He decided to also use telepathy with him.
{Well, enough.}
"I'm glad to hear it." A small pause. "The castle is quite different in the morning, isn't it? Much quieter. I've always preferred it this way."
{It's not bad.}
He smiled and continued. He asked whether I'd had a chance to see much of the city. Whether I found the inn comfortable. If I were to visit nearby towns or not.
{Probably not long. I'm thinking of travelling for a while.}
"Ah." He nodded pleasantly. "Do you have a destination in mind?"
{Not yet.}
"I see." Another nod. "Well. There is quite a lot to see in Melromarc. And beyond its borders, of course. There are many countries on the continent."
"But perhaps it would be for the best if you stayed in Melromarc for the time being. Due to the waves. Travel has become somewhat difficult."
We moved through the castle corridors and out through the main entrance. The morning air was cool. The carriage was waiting where we'd left it.
As we walked toward it.
There was a maid waiting nearby, but I couldn't see her face from where I was standing.
"If I may, Sir Nihilux, I was curious. What did His Holiness speak with you about?"
{He wanted me to join his church.}
"I see. And you declined, I take it."
{Yes, I have no interest in joining a religion.}
Aldric smiled at me.
Something in it was a little warmer than his usual pleasantness.
He didn't say anything else about it.
"Shall I have the driver take you back to the inn?"
I nodded.
Find Naofumi. Then breakfast. I am hungry.
"Ah-actually, the king mentioned he would be sending word ahead." He nodded to the driver. "The Guild Hall, if you please."
But I am hungry.
I climbed in.
As the carriage started moving, I let out a slow breath.
Behind, I saw Aldric turn and talk with the maid who was waiting nearby I still could see her face.
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NAOFUMI POV
Damn that king.
Naofumi was walking down the street from the castle. Beside him, Raphtalia walked. She had been sad since last night.
At least I got paid something.
The rewards ceremony was infuriating. The other heroes got way more than him.
That damn king tried to even take away what rewards he was getting by saying that it would be taken as payment for village reconstruction after that wave.
Lucky, the other heroes came to his defence. Since he was the only one who actually protected the village and its people, the other 3 heroes were nowhere near the place.
So they argued that it would be completely unfair to take away his reward after all he did to protect the people.
At least those 3 are good for something.
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"Umm…. Master Naofumi, maybe we should go back to the inn?"
"No."
Raphtalia went quiet and replied sadly, "...Alright."
He winced at that but didn't say anything.
He didn't know what he'd have done back at the inn anyway. He thought about last night.
He just needed to be somewhere that wasn't there, doing something that wasn't nothing.
For the second time since coming to this world, he was feeling 'Alone'.
So they walked.
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The herb shop had two glass display windows out front, crowded with potted plants and hanging bundles of dried things. It smelled like the forest even from outside.
The owner was a middle-aged man with grey hair, grey eyebrows, dressed a notch better than the average market seller. He looked up when they came in, eyes landing on Naofumi.
"You're the Shield Hero."
"Yeah."
He nodded once, he seemed to be expecting him and reached under the counter for a book. Set it down between them.
"Well shield, I have got some relatives in Riyute village. They wrote to me after the Wave happened, and asked me to look out for you if you came through." He tapped the cover.
"This is yours. And thanks to you, many people were saved that day."
"Thank you, shield hero", he said while smiling.
Naofumi looked at it. Then at the man. "Your relatives are alright?"
"They're fine." He said it plainly. "Word was you protected the village by yourself. I must say it was something alright, reading how they said you protected people."
Naofumi didn't correct the man but picked up the book and looked inside.
He could make out a few words here and there. But almost all of it was still unreadable to him.
"I can't read this."
"it's for recipe collection. Also has better refinement methods for the medicinal herbs." He glanced at Raphtalia. "The ones you've been selling me. Follow the process correctly, and you'll get more out of the same materials, better quality too. Consider this, thanks from me and some folks for saving them. "
Raphtalia smiled. "Thank you, and for helping us, mister."
"Don't mention it." He waved a hand. "Those are my people in that village. You kept them alive."
Naofumi handed the book to Raphtalia. She flipped through a few pages, frowning slightly at the script.
"I can read it." She looked up at Naofumi. "But I believe you will be able to read it soon. I have been teaching you for a while now. A few more weeks and I think you could work through most of it."
"Then keep it."
She tucked it into her pack.
The owner leaned against the counter. "One more thing. There's an old woman who runs the magic shop a few streets down. She's been coming in here since morning asking me to pass on a message." He looked mildly tired of it. "She's from the same village, too. Grandson's family lives there. She wants to thank you herself. You should stop by her shop as well."
"Sure," Naofumi said. "We'll go after this."
Raphtalia was already pulling the herb bundle from her pack, laying pieces out on the counter one by one. Two or three days of collecting from the forest. He hadn't realised how much had built up.
The owner went through them slowly, turning each one over, checking leaves and stems. He took his time about it.
"These are good. Some of these are actually quite hard to come by." He set the last one down. "Eighty-seven silver coins for the lot."
Naofumi hadn't expected that much. He thought for a second.
"Yeah. Deal."
The coins crossed the counter. They said their goodbyes and stepped back out into the street.
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The magic shop was tucked between a leather goods stall and a place selling imported spices.
The woman behind the counter was old, small and slightly hunched, white hair pinned up, sharp eyes that moved fast. She saw them come through the door and was already rounding the counter before they'd fully stepped inside.
"The Shield Hero." She stopped in front of Naofumi and looked him over. "Younger than I expected."
"People keep saying that."
"Well, I am glad that good-for-nothing up the street didn't forget what I told him. Now come closer, would you." She said.
She laughed. "My grandson's family is in Lute village. His wife, their two children. They wrote to me after the Wave. You and your party saved them. That without you-" She stopped, shook her head. "Well. You know."
"I'm glad they're safe," Naofumi said.
She studied him for a moment. Then turned back to the counter and produced a small box, polished dark wood, with a metal clasp.
"A magic book," she said. "it has the basics of elemental magic and some others as well. Plus, this book is a bit special since it also teaches how to use healing magic." She pushed it toward him. "I want you to have it."
Naofumi opened his mouth.
"Don't argue," she said pleasantly.
He closed his mouth and picked it up.
Raphtalia looked delighted. "Thank you so much."
"He earned it, dear." She was already moving again. "Now, while you're here, let me check your magic affinities. Both of you. Quick, no charge."
She set a flat, smooth glass ball on the counter. It was big, easily bigger than his fist.
He did as he was told.
The ball changes colour. She studied it.
"Healing and light. Strong on the support side." She tilted the vial slightly. "Not uncommon for a Shield-type, but it's a solid base. You'd do well to develop it."
Raphtalia went next.
The ball changes colour again.
The old woman raised her eyebrows.
"Light and dark." A pause. "And there's a thread of lightning element under that." She looked at Raphtalia properly. "Have you studied magic at all?"
"A little. Nothing much, my parents used to do small magic tricks for my friends and me."
"You should start." She tapped the vial. "With this combination of light and dark together, thunder magic would suit you well when you're ready. That's rarer to see. Not many people have it."
Raphtalia was very clearly trying not to look too excited about that.
They thanked her, and she waved them off cheerfully and went back to her shelves, already moving on to the next thing.
. . .
They were halfway to the south gate when Raphtalia tried again to look at him.
"Master Naofumi." She said slowly. "Shouldn't we at least go back to say goodbye? It feels wrong to just leave like this."
He kept walking. "You heard what he said last night."
"I know, but-"
"He doesn't want to travel with us." He kept his eyes forward. "So we move on."
"That's not what he meant."
"Raphtalia."
She went quiet.
He felt her looking at the side of his face. Then she turned forward again and didn't push it further.
He knew she wasn't wrong.
He didn't know what he wanted; he just wanted to get out of the 'capital' for now.
So he focused on the problem in front of him instead. They needed transport. The fastest option would have been the slave merchant he knew the place, could probably get a mount arranged without too much trouble.
He dropped that before the thought finished. He wasn't taking Raphtalia back there.
Full stop. And he didn't want to think about what Nihilux would do to him if he found out he took Raphtalia back to 'that' place.
He scanned the area near the south gate instead. A handful of merchant carts were grouped along the road, some still loading, some already hitched and ready to move. He looked them over.
One of the men near a mid-sized cart glanced their way, stopped, and looked again. Then jogged over.
"Excuse me, you're the Shield Hero, right?"
Naofumi stopped. "Yeah."
The man was maybe mid-twenties. He was a bit taller than him, not by much.
Slightly out of breath from the jog.
He looked to be around his 30's. he looked a little thin, but other than that, he looked just like any other merchant around this place, tho he did look a bit exhausted as well.
"Sorry to just run up on you like that. I'm a merchant, and I travel to and from the capital regularly. Originally from Riyute village, I've got family and friends there still." He paused. "They wrote to me about the Wave. About what you did."
Naofumi waited.
"I just-" The man rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted to say thank you. Those are my people.".
Then he seemed to shake himself slightly. "Anyway. Were you heading somewhere? Because I'm going back to the village today. If you needed a ride, I mean it, I'd be happy to have you."
Naofumi looked at the cart. Looked at Raphtalia.
She gave him a small nod.
"Yeah," he said. "That'd help. Thank you."
The merchant looked genuinely pleased about it.
They gave him a hand with the last of the loading while he got the horse hitched. Then Naofumi and Raphtalia climbed into the back, settled in against the sideboards, and the cart lurched into motion, wheels crunching over cobblestones as they rolled toward the gate.
The south gate passed on either side of them.
Then the city was behind them.
Fields opened up on both sides of the road. Forest further out. The morning was cool and clear.
Raphtalia sat across from him, knees drawn up, watching the road ahead. She didn't say anything.
She kept looking back at the capital. Tho she didn't say anything.
Neither did he.
Naofumi leaned back against the sideboard and looked up at the sky.
He exhaled slowly.
He'd figure out the rest soon…. Hopefully.
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Nihilux POV
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The guild bar was loud.
Not unpleasantly so. It was a room full of people who worked hard and were glad to be done with it for a while. Conversations overlapping, chairs scraping, the occasional burst of laughter from a table in the back. Waitresses were moving between groups with trays of drinks and food, weaving through without looking.
I sat near the wall with my back to it and watched the room.
It was midday, so the place was full. Adventurers mostly, in various states of post-quest. Some still in armour, dust on their boots, clearly just back from something. Others cleaned up and settled in for the afternoon. A group near the window were arguing over something on a map spread between their drinks. Two men at the bar were competing to tell the same story louder than the other.
Near the counter, a female receptionist was processing rewards for a party. I watched them for a moment.
Five of them. The swordsman was up front doing the talking, he looked experienced, a few scars, he looked to be around 25, maybe. Behind him a female archer with her bow still slung across her back, arms crossed, waiting. A healer or priest beside her, white trim on the robes, something like a holy symbol at her collar. A mage a half-step apart from the others, already looking at something else in the room. And a male tank at the back, big, quiet, letting the swordsman handle it.
Pretty standard.
I looked away.
The waitress arrived and set a cup down in front of me.
Hot chocolate.
I looked at it for a moment.
I am genuinely glad they have hot chocolate here.
It was one of those small things I hadn't thought to check when I first arrived in this world, and then I saw someone else drinking it.
One of my favourite drinks.
I wrapped both hands around the cup and took a slow sip.
Good. Not great, there was something slightly different about the milk they used here.
I should go around the market buying some travel supplies like sweets, cookies, crepes or maybe some snacks like meat skewers or whatnot.
If I am to travel, I need to have plenty of things till I read the new big city. I doubt a simple village would have these sweets. I have been eating in the capital for almost 2 weeks now.
I set it down and looked around the room again.
There we so many people here. So many are either leaving for a quest or just coming back from it. Many parts just eat and enjoy with each other.
In this vast guild hall, he was the only one sitting alone, but strangely enough, he didn't feel alone.
It was always like this; he could easily just watch people.
His sister always said that he should be more outgoing, but whenever he went to a park or a café, he would just either be reading or just looking around.
I wonder how she is doing.
I took another sip and let my mind drift.
South.
Myne did mention that Motoyasu might travel that way; he could find a ride and travel there as well. There was even a big port city on the southern coast of the kingdom.
From what he heard, it was a big trade city. Which is also connected to an archipelago further south.
Plus, it probably also gets lots of people from other kingdoms, which means different kinds of sweets and so much more.
Yeah, that seems like a good first step.
Maybe I could also find a quest as well which takes me south.
He talked a bit, well… more like scared her by speaking to her mind suddenly.
So he decided to just use his floating text from now on for strangers.
That worked well enough for now.
I looked down at the cup.
The ranking system here was straightforward enough: bronze at the bottom, then copper, iron, magic iron, silver, magic silver, steel, silver steel, gold, platinum. Ten ranks, each one a meaningful step up from the last in terms of what quests you could take and how seriously people took you.
New adventurers started at bronze. No exceptions unless you went through a formal test against a guild instructor or another registered member, in which case you could place higher. Still capped at the magic iron for rookies regardless of how well the test went. The guild apparently didn't hand out ranks above that to people with no record.
There were ranks above platinum, too, apparently. Two or three of them. I didn't know what they were called. The pamphlet the receptionist had handed me when I came in was still sitting in my inventory. I'd look at it later.
I finished the last of the hot chocolate.
Reached into my inventory, pulled out two copper coins, and set them on the table.
Stood up and nodded at a nearby waitress and maybe my way out.
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Outside the guild, the street was busy with midday traffic.
I stood there for a moment and thought about what I actually needed to do next.
The market. Specifically, a clothes shop.
I'd been thinking about this since the party. Standing in that great hall in my hoodie while every other person in the room was dressed in something that had probably cost more than a house. Even Raphtalia had looked better put together than me.
The hoodie was amazing. It was comfortable and my favourite hoodie, what more needs to be said.
Plus, due to my thin barrier, I always maintain it can't get dirty during fights or whatnot.
I wasn't getting rid of it. But I needed something else, something for travelling.
I need a few spare clothes as well. till I can learn cleaning magic or get someone who knows cleaning magic during my travels to take care of keeping my clothes in top shape.
I started walking toward the noble district where the better shops were likely to be.
In my head, I was already thinking about it. light colours, probably. Something something. A good shirt, decent trousers, maybe a long coat?
I always wanted a long coat. Weird, I never bought any.
I have the money for it now.
Might as well use some of it.
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Author Notes~~
Well around 7k words. original i wanted it to be around 8k words. but then i couldn't introduce all the new characters i wanted to add.
plus i wanted to change it a bit, how he meets the new characters.
my previous idea was kind of stupid Nihilux meeting a Paladin at a bar doesn't really make a lot of sense, considering who the new 'Group' works now anyways.
and i didn't want to leave the chapter in the middle of their interaction, so just decided to push that into the next chapter as well.
next chapter would probably be around 7k as well, not sure .I want to start chapter 12 to start a certain way and if their is extra stuff left to show i will add that into chapter 11. but it depends i don't wanna just add random elements that have no effect or add no valve to the overall story.
In other news, i did decide how i want the pope arc to end, and man it's gonne be a emotional mess for a certain someone.
The whole Queen Trial part and whatnot, will be pushed into the next arc.
This whole buildup to the eventual pope battle will be a bit long.
i mean it was always the plan. the story was always meant to be more on travelling and exploring and small interactions rather than just a fast-paced action story.
AND my exams as almost done.
i just got 1 exam left that is in like 3 days. so after that i should get more free time go to back to my old schedule, hopefully.
Anyways Have a good day readers q(≧▽≦q)