Important Author Note at the end pls read.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Nihilux POV
The carriage was nice.
Plush velvet seats in deep red. Gold trim on the interior panels. The royal crest is embroidered on the curtains. Even the lamps had those fancy glass covers that probably cost more than most people made in a month.
I sat across from Naofumi and Raphtalia, watching the city pass through the window.
People outside lined the streets. They saw the royal carriage rolling past and started pointing, cheering. Probably assumed the Heroes were inside.
They weren't wrong.
But they were cheering for the idea of Heroes. Not us specifically. If they knew which 'Hero' was actually in this carriage, I doubt they would be cheering.
I turned my attention back inside.
Raphtalia sat up straight, hands folded in her lap, eyes darting around the interior like she was trying to memorise every detail. She kept adjusting her new outfit. Naofumi had bought her after the Wave.
Her old one was beyond dirty after fighting the wave. So when we entered the capital. We quickly stopped at a shop and got her something better to wear for the celebration.
Naofumi looked like he was heading to his own funeral.
He stared out the opposite window, jaw tight, shoulders tense. One hand rested on his shield. He hadn't said much since we left the village.
The silence stretched between us.
Raphtalia tried to break it.
"The castle looks amazing from here, Master Naofumi", she said, leaning toward the window. "I've never been inside a real castle before." She glanced at Naofumi. "What's it like, Master Naofumi?"
"Big," Naofumi said. "Lots of hallways."
"Oh." She waited.
He didn't add anything.
"Is it... nice inside?"
"Sure."
Dead end.
She fidgeted, then looked over at me. "Has Master Nihilux been there before?"
Stop calling me that.
I nodded.
She waited for more. When nothing came, she went quiet again.
I looked at her briefly, then looked away.
Master.
Still with the Master.
I don't understand how it is that Naofumi doesn't see anything wrong with it.
I'd lost count of how many times I'd made it clear through Naofumi, and through my own text, that she didn't have to call us that. The slave crest was gone. It had been gone since the night Naofumi bought her.
And yet.
Master Naofumi. Master Nihilux. Every single time.
I could almost understand it with Naofumi. He just accepted it and moved on. Maybe he'd given up arguing. Maybe somewhere under all that bitterness he carried around, he liked having someone unconditionally on his side. Something stable when everything else kept trying to fall apart.
I didn't understand it.
Every time she says that word, she doesn't even realise that she sees herself as 'Something' less than others.
I had hoped that she didn't have Stockholm syndrome, but I am not sure anymore.
.
.
.
The carriage hit a bump, and we all swayed.
I checked my party status.
I'd rejoined Naofumi's party after the Wave ended. Since we will be arriving soon. I decided to pass the time by just seeing the people outside and checking my status.
I had hope that maybe my still being stuck at level 1 problem would be fixed. But no, I was still level 1, which was frustrating to say the least.
I checked Naofumi and Raphtali's level, she had risen to level 28, which is impressive.
I guess Naofumi wasn't lying when he said that demi-humans level up faster than humans.
Tho Naofumi's level was disappointing to say the least.
Level 25.
It was… alright.
Less than I hoped, more than I feared.
The Wave had given him a solid chunk of experience. Raphtalia had gained a lot, too.
But still.
The other Heroes were probably around level 30, if not higher. I met Motoyasu in the marketplace a few days ago. And he said he was around level 29. So, by now is probably somewhere around 36 at least.
Naofumi was behind, and the gap wasn't closing on its own.
Was I part of that problem?
I'd been there from nearly the beginning. Paying for equipment, handling fights when things got serious. Killing things faster than Naofumi could react just to push the numbers up. Power-levelling Raphtalia while Naofumi held the defensive line and took hits.
But it seems like if I just try to push his level up by killing monsters, he barely gets any exp, and exp that I get doesn't even increase my level.
It felt like helping. It was helping.
But there's a difference between helping someone and doing everything for them.
.
.
.
.
There was something else I'd been deliberately not thinking about.
In the anime what I could actually remember, which wasn't much Naofumi and Raphtalia spent a long stretch just traveling. Town to town doing quests. Helping people and just basically building a reputation from nothing.
That was how they got stronger. That was how the trust between them became something real.
Maybe that was the path they were supposed to take.
Maybe if I stepped back, separated from them for a while, they'd fall into that naturally.
Except.
I was already here. Things had already changed. The trial had gone a little differently from what I could tell. Raphtalia joining the party had gone differently. The whole first month had been different because I was in it.
So did any of that even matter anymore? Was there still even a path they were 'supposed' to take? Or had I already shifted enough things that the original version was just irrelevant?
I genuinely didn't know.
And that was the most irritating part. I could usually form an opinion and stick to it. But every time I tried to land on something here, the argument flipped on itself.
If I leave, maybe they grow faster. Maybe the struggle actually builds something. Or maybe something goes wrong while I'm not there.
If I stay, maybe I keep holding Naofumi back without meaning to. Or maybe leaving is the actual mistake.
Ahhh.
Fine. Tomorrow. I'd talk to Naofumi about it tomorrow. After the party. When he'd had some sleep and wasn't walking around bracing for public humiliation.
I was not looking forward to that conversation.
.
.
.
.
Raphtalia spoke up again, softer.
"Master Naofumi... are you okay? You've been really quiet."
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I said I'm fine, Raphtalia." His tone came out sharper than before.
She pulled back, the hurt showing briefly before she smoothed it over.
Naofumi noticed and sighed. "Sorry. I just... I'm not looking forward to this."
"Why not? It's a celebration. They're honouring everyone who fought in the Wave. That includes you."
"Yeah, sure."
He didn't sound convinced.
She knew enough about his situation. She must have heard the rumours everywhere Naofumi went.
"You fought for those people today and saved many lives. You should be proud of that, Master Naofumi. "
Naofumi stared at the floor of the carriage.
"Yeah," he said, quietly.
Blue text appeared in the air.
At least you'll have reward money tomorrow.
"If they actually pay me the same as the others," he muttered. "Which I doubt."
Fair point. I left that one alone.
Raphtalia glanced at the floating text, then at me, then back at the words with that expression she always got when she was trying to figure out what it said. She still couldn't read it in English. A closed door for anyone from this world. But she'd stopped looking startled by it a long time ago.
Normally, this would be the part where she would ask Naofumi to explain what I was saying. But judging by the looks, how Naofumi is right now, she decided against it.
Just part of travelling with us.
.
.
.
The carriage rolled through the castle gates.
The courtyard was already packed. Nobles were climbing out of carriages, servants rushing between groups, torchlight catching on jewellery and polished armour or guards.
I'd gotten better at this over the past month. Crowds used to make my skin itch. Too many people, too much noise.
But I'd been practising. Market district every morning. Dinners at the inn with the common room full.
The language helped too. I had gottan good enough to write in this word's language now. Now I definitely can't write anything fancy BUT I am confident I can hold a conversation if I wanted to.
We climbed out, and I took a look all around us.
The attention shifted toward us immediately.
Some of it was the usual curiosity from what I could sense. Some of it carried that edge, people who'd already decided how they felt about the Shield Hero before we'd even crossed the gate.
Some of it landed on me.
It was mainly curiosity.
Well, that is an improvement. Seems my reputation is better than before.
I saw many people all around us. There was also that one noble who I meet a few days ago in the noble district, with I beat up those thugs.
Lucky, he seems to be too busy talking with a beautiful noble lady to realise I was even here.
There was someone else.
A younger noble, standing slightly apart from the nearest group. Dark hair, glasses, formal robes in deep blue and gold. He was watching our group with what I felt as genuine interest.
He was mainly separate from the main group of nobles. He had 2 demi-humans near him who seemed to be servants or retainers.
I let my psychic perception drift toward him.
The moment I did, his gaze shifted. Directly to me.
What… how did he sense me?
I looked elsewhere and kept walking.
I am going to try to read his mind during the party.
.
.
.
Inside, the entrance hall opened into high ceilings and chandeliers. Tapestries on every wall. Servants directing the crowd toward the great hall.
We were following the flow when someone stepped toward us.
A woman in a dark green dress with silver embroidery. Hair pinned back precisely. She wore a white mask with subtle purple patterns along the edges, covering her face above the jaw.
Nobody else in the hall was masked.
Strange
She walked toward us.
"The Shield Hero." Her voice was warm. "And his companion." A nod to Raphtalia. Then her eyes, what I could see of them through the mask, moved to me. She gave a small smile. "And Sir Nihilux."
Naofumi glanced at the mask for half a second, then nodded. "Evening."
"I wanted to express my gratitude for your service during the Wave, Shield hero" she continued. "Both of you fought to protect people who couldn't protect themselves. That deserves praise." She looked at Raphtalia. "You should be proud."
Raphtalia dipped her head and smiled. "Thank you very much, my lady."
The woman's eyes moved to me.
"Sir Nihilux. Your performance on the cliff has become the subject of considerable discussion in the castle tonight. Quite impressive, I dare say."
I nodded once.
She held my gaze for a moment.
Then she reached up and drew off her right glove. She tucked it into her other hand and extended her bare fingers toward Naofumi, palm angled down.
I had no idea what this means. Did she tell us to kiss her hand?
Naofumi clearly didn't either, but he was better at hiding it. He looked at her hand for just a moment, that brief pause of someone searching their memory fast, then took it and bent forward in something approximately a bow. Not quite right. But he committed to it.
She received it without reacting.
Then she turned to me.
I looked at the hand.
Then, at Naofumi, who gave me a very small nod.
Just do what I did.
I took her hand and bent forward.
Her fingers were cold. And as I straightened, I felt the slight raised edge of a ring on her middle finger pressing briefly against my hand.
There was a faint sensation where the ring had made contact. It felt strange it was gone as soon as I felt it.
I pulled away and looked at her once again.
What was that? I felt something just now.
"Please enjoy the celebration, heroes" she said.
She replaced her glove with the same unhurried ease, turned, and moved into the crowd. Disappeared between clusters of nobles without disrupting anyone around her.
Naofumi had already started moving again before she was fully gone. Raphtalia was a half-step behind him.
"That mask was bit strange, I didn't see anyone else wearing anything like that so far." Raphtalia said quietly.
"Nobles," Naofumi muttered."What was that hand thing."
I don't know
He glanced at me sideways. "Did I do it right?"
I had no idea.
I stayed a half-step behind and looked at the space where she'd been.
That was weird. I most definitely felt something just then.
I quickly reached out with my senses and tried to find that lady. It's barely been a few seconds after she left, but I couldn't sense anything.
She is gone. I can't sense her.
It's like she was never even here. I looked towards Naofumi and Raphtalia and began following them.
Am I just tired from the battle, or did some random noblewoman just manage to give me the slip?
I let it go and caught up with the others.
The great hall was ahead. I could already hear the low roar of too many conversations, music underneath.
I straightened slightly. Adjusted my hands in my pockets.
The dessert table had better be worth it. Or I am leaving early.
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Author Note~~
I know what you are thinking. Why is this chapter so short?
Well, the thing is, I accidentally deleted the entire finished chapter.
I accidentally wrote the entire chapter in a file which i named 'Draft' so when i was deleting some old drafts from chapter 2-5. I though i already saved the finished chapter in a seperate folders for the finished chapter. And since i was working on the chapter 11 draft yesterday i was certain that there is no way I would have forgotten to save my previous work. chapters
Well.... guess what, i forgot to save the previous work in the correct file. and because i have a habbit or clearing stuff from my recycle bin there was no way to actually recover that lost chapter.
So I accidentally deleted the finished chapter. And just 2 hrs ago i realised the mistake.
Now i have to write the ENTIRE chapter AGAIN.
NOW i was thinking of writing the whole night, the entire chapter again. But I have a debate tomorrow morning which i am still working on.
So i decided to split this chapter into 2 parts.
This is the first part its around 2.2k words.
The NEXT part will be around 6k, bringing us back to around 8k for each chapter like before.
So i humbly apologize for this mistake. i have decided to make dedicated folders from drafts and finished chapter instead of just saving them at the same place like before.
Have faith in your author q(≧▽≦q)
If this chapter feel a bit rushed with reading its because i only had about 40 mins barely to write the whole thing.