It was the afternoon and the two friends were coming back from hunting in the field. They spoke to each other about something.
Frisk: "Out of anything you learned during the time here, what was the most interesting yet strange thing you still couldn't comprehend."
Naofumi: "Is that my shield has a spirit, that I had no idea about, and that seems like it is in love with me or something?"
That made Frisk just look at Naofumi with their expressionless face -_-, while Chara who was floating between them laughed as they recalled communicating with the Spirit of the Shield.
Chara: "Well, the Shield Spirit did choose you as the new Shield Hero. And the fact you were the first choice out of anybody that could have been chosen. You made good progress during your time here."
Ever since the first day of arriving in a new world, Naofumi and Frisk have been learning all they can when staying in Castle Town. A whole week has gone by and they manage to learn and get used to new ways they have to get used to. Naofumi has unlocked many shields while leveling up to improve himself as a Cardinal Hero, while Frisk has been learning Melromarc's language.
Frisk has been helping Naofumi in leveling up which he was now at level 15. They only level grind at the forest outside the Castle Town.
Frisk was still at LV 1 as it turns out that the monsters here were either weaker than they thought, or they had no full intention of bringing hurt when helping Naofumi. Or that the monsters didn't have magic that was used to increase the capability to hurt. Still, if it kept them from gaining LOVE while still helping Naofumi then it would be okay for them to kill monsters that didn't accept their kindness.
The armor and sword Frisk got from Erhard was definitely helping them in aiding Naofumi. The gear Erhard gives them has provided Frisk 5 DEF without actually wearing anything that is considered the armor they are used to. So they can still equip any armor like a necklace, hat, or anything that can boost their DEF stat.
It was during the week that Frisk and Naofumi learned more about what the Legendary Shield can do with the help from Chara. It was a lot to note as Naofumi had to make sure he didn't forget the functions, which was thanks to the Notebook Shield.
First, the shield can store so many things with no limits, meaning that Naofumi can store so many things, whenever it resources, or parts from monsters they killed. It was during the process that Naofumi learned that he could absorb the same material to decrease the amount of time to master shields. The second is that Naofumi can unlock many variations of shields whenever he absorbs something, which grants him lots of abilities and stat boosts. Third, it can copy weapons that belong in the same weapon class, meaning Naofumi can copy shields as much as he can.
Fourth is having strengthening methods that can be used to further improve Naofumi, it turns out there are a lot of methods as each Legendary and Vassal Weapon has its own unique methods. Naofumi was able to see what strengthening methods the Legendary Shield provided. It turns out each Cardinal Weapon has four strengthening methods, one core, and three supporting methods.
The core method is Sharing and Understanding, by sharing, as well as understanding the methods of the legendary and vassal heroes can improve the effects of the method as well as decrease the potential failure of methods. It can be in effect without knowing that it is considered a method, but if they learned it from the Legendary Shield the effects increase further.
The second method is Trust, a hero by having complete trust in others can increase their abilities, stats, and growth for them as long the trust in each other is secure. If others like a hero's party truly trust the hero then the hero itself can gain the increased effect as long as the companions truly trust the hero.
The third method is Energy Boost, the hero has a gauge of energy called "EP" that can be used to increase the hero's stats, skills, magic, and even regular attacks by mixing in their life force. Naofumi instantly felt his own life force the moment the method was revealed.
So far only the second and third methods are in effect, the bond between Frisk and Naofumi has improved their stats and abilities, which also led to Naofumi unlocking the Companion Series as the effect is to increase the stats of a hero's companions while leveling up. As for energy boost, Naofumi wasted no time to see how much he could use.
So far he can only improve his skills and stats which has been a great help as he was able to get a few experience points on his own.
Naofumi wonders just how strong he'll become when he learns the other methods from other heroes. He also asks Chara if they knew the Legendary Bow's methods but Chara admits that they had forgotten it but at the same time they should have been able to remember the methods of the Legendary Bow, Vassal Claw, Vassal Hammer, and Vassal Carriage.
They weren't sure why but perhaps them not having their SOUL must have caused them to lose some memories as someone still has their SOUL. It also made Frisk suspicious as they recall the name Fitoria having a SAVE file before their arrival. But Naofumi explained more of his functions which caused Frisk to listen in.
There are more functions like having no level limit if you are a hero, having drop items that are stored in the Legendary Shield when absorbing monsters, Soul Power (SP) that are only available to heroes as they can use skills, crafting items but anything crafted is made in normal quality, and immunity as Naofumi doesn't have to worry about being enslaved, mind controlled, or anything binding.
Chara has been a huge help that they are able to communicate to the Cardinal Shield that it seems that there are things that are either sealed or locked away from letting be known or improving Naofumi. It turns out the strengthening of the shield was hidden away. Chara used their determination to unlock whenever kept the methods from being seen. Although the moment Chara unlocked the methods they seemed very worried.
But unfortunately Frisk couldn't ask what it was, as Chara had more to say to Naofumi. He learned that he has the authority to strip someone of their Vassal Weapon if they are neglecting their roles to fight the waves or have any evil intentions.
It was then he found out that he was the first choice that the Shield Spirit had picked. It was learned that the Shield Spirit always has their first chosen summoned as they have the qualities that are suited to be a hero. Naofumi thought that the Record of the Four Holy Weapons was a ritual for him to pick up. He also assumes that if he didn't read the book then it would have followed him as he is the one that the Shield Spirit chose.
Naofumi then learned that the Sword, Bow, and Spear Spirits hadn't been able to pick their first choices as they died so early after being summoned. So in effect to have the heroes be summoned they have to have backup candidates who are noted to have serious characteristic problems. Chara told him that the Bow Hero of the past had a problem, especially with the sense of justice, which means the current Bow Hero could have a problem with justice.
Chara also said that the past Bow Hero didn't believe the world he was summoned to was real and acted like it was a game. Even when Chara warned the past Bow Hero, he didn't believe them. But after some kind of conflict in the past, the Bow Hero was able to see the reality of his own choices.
Both Frisk and Naofumi assume that the three other heroes would believe that they are in a game and would not believe anything was real. Naofumi admits that he also assumes he wasn't in a game but during the week, facing things that were too real for it to be a game.
When he said that to Frisk and Chara, Frisk saw Naofumi was truly a Cardinal Hero when he admitted that the world was real and had consequences if he still believed it. Chara had their eyes widened and smiled, seeing that the new Shield Hero had already seen the reality of the world.
Frisk: "It does sound like it. Though as Chara said, the spirit is hiding more information."
Chara: "As much as I like to tell you both, the Shield Spirit won't tell me everything and is somehow preventing me from saying anything else."
Another thing that made them be wary of the Shield Spirit. During the week, whenever Chara tried to tell Naofumi about something that he should have been able to know, the Shield Spirit would stop them whenever it could, forcing Chara not to spill anything. It annoyed them how they tried to warn Nafoumi about something very serious but the spirit prevented them from ever telling Naofumi.
But when Chara told Frisk about what they wanted to tell Naofumi, you can say Frisk was beyond shocked by what they just learned. There are immoral beings who are in control of the waves.
Frisk had thought the waves were like a natural disaster that would come in a few centuries, but for an army to be in control of the waves. God-like beings who Chara refers to as self-proclaimed gods who like to toy with the worlds, fuse them to a certain amount then destroy them. At least that's what Chara assumed when they dealt with the individuals.
Chara calls them the Army of the Waves, Frisk also assumes that the army is the reason the Waves of Calamity were created. Frisk asked what the waves looked like as Chara explained their experiences. A game show about survival, Holy Hero vs Holy Hero, while vassal heroes and people fight monsters that came out of the waves. Even grunts of the army are there to entertain themselves of the disaster they bring.
When Chara finished explaining, Frisk immediately went to tell Naofumi. But similar to Chara's effort, the Legendary Shield shocks Frisk, it keeps on shocking them until they get the message. Naofumi who saw Frisk and Chara being silent by the shield made him wonder just what else it was hiding from him. Even when Naofumi tried asking the shield despite not responding the way Chara spoke to it, it didn't glow or anything.
Still, Naofumi told the shield, not sure if it could hear him, that his trust would be tested if he managed to learn what it was keeping from him. Until then, he never asked about what Frisk learned.
Chara: "I can say in three more weeks until the next wave hits, we can be ready. It is a very good thing you were able to register the Dragon Hourglass in Melromarc."
Naofumi: "To be honest, Chara, I was surprised that I was able to register. It was lucky that the three heroes were there when they registered while we were inside as we had a plan ready."
Frisk honestly couldn't believe they all lucked out with Naofumi registering to the hourglass. The plan they had was to go in while Naofumi equipped the Book Shield, ask for holy water in case they somehow got hurt by a curse along the journey, and have Naofumi get close to the hourglass while the nuns inside were distracted by getting holy water.
It was the second day since they wanted to do this to know how long they had until the next waves. It was a shock to them that they ran into the other heroes. They wore clothing that was from Earth, the Sword and Spear Heroes ordinary clothes, while the Bow Hero wore a school uniform. The moment they registered to the hourglass a bright light brightened the church and was the perfect distraction for Naofumi to register his shield to the hourglass.
Naofumi saw that they had four weeks, a day, and a few hours. A month for them to prepare for the wave in Melromarc. Naofumi thought it was plenty of time to get stronger shields, train to get used to the shield, learn skills, and magic, and get better equipment.
Frisk couldn't help but admire the size and height of the hourglass, it was like 7 meters tall and had red sand pouring down. Chara just had the expression that said the hourglass from the past looked the same.
After the registration was completed they saw the heroes request sand from the hourglass and the nun complied. They absorb the sand as the Spear Hero says out loud that he unlocked a portal skill from the sand. The Sword and Bow Heroes confirmed this as Naofumi has the look of wanting the portal skill. But Frisk and Chara stopped him as it would be much of a risk to ask for the sand.
Naofumi knew it was a risk, but was convinced that he'd get the sand from another hourglass from a country that didn't hate his title. So even if the plan went off course they still got a set of holy water which cost a 5 gold piece. And after leaving and getting to a secure spot Naofumi let a few drops in his shield complete the Holy Water Series.
Frisk: "Still, we have three more weeks ahead of us. We could get you to level up more to increase your stats. Maybe go somewhere else as you pretty much unlock and master every shield you gain in the Castle Town."
Naofumi liked the idea, but he also wanted to do something.
Naofumi: "I could but I also want to learn magic here as there is a witch that Erhard recommended we can buy magic books with. From what he said to us, she can check our affinity to see what kinds of books we need."
Frisk: "We could, it'll be nice to have you learn magic. I mean I would have taught you magic, but you need to have your SOUL awakened. From what I've seen so far, definitely the SOUL of Kindness, and nearly awakened."
Naofumi sighs as he recalls the lesson during the third day as Frisk was teaching Naofumi how to awaken his soul, which was something he didn't think was possible. But days later he could almost feel his very soul wanting to awake.
Naofumi: "From what you and Chara told me of the magic of your world, I did want to see if I could have something like that. Still, like you said Frisk, I need to have my soul awakened if I want to learn magic. Are you sure there's no easier way to awaken my soul?"
Chara shook their head as if they already told this to Naofumi before.
Chara: "No Naofumi, there isn't. Since you came from a magicless world it will be difficult for you to learn magic. (Even though your SP is literally linked to the soul, not sure if I ever understood the reason why.) For me and Frisk, our SOULs are different. Our SOULs were waiting to be awakened as we used to have magic a long time ago. But since the war happened and many years later humanity thought magic was a fairytale."
Naofumi has a grim expression as Frisk and Chara tell him of the war that happened so many years ago. Humans and monsters used to live in peace and harmony until a war broke out just because humans feared that their SOULs would be absorbed. The thought of sealing monsters away from the sunlight of the surface just seems like a sentence to a heavily locked prison with no windows or sunlight for life.
Naofumi: "Even you and Frisk didn't know about magic until you both fell into the mountain where they sealed the monsters."
Naofumi wondered why the two of them decided to climb the mountain that said no one ever returns. But the looks of Frisk and Chara, when they finished the story of the beginning, made Naofumi not ask as he thought their lives weren't good. At least until he learned more about the story called "Undertale".
Frisk: "Yep, honestly, I had assumed the legends of Mt. Ebott was a fairytale until I fell. And once I encountered the first "monster" my SOUL was alerted as I was in danger. I didn't have magic or equipment to protect myself."
Chara: "Still, our SOULs are unique but that doesn't mean we can't teach you to awaken yours. But maybe there's another option in this world for you to learn magic. I did manage to learn magic within this world, well in the past, and it was different from what I was used to. (Plus, I was stuck on Frisk's head so I wasn't able to properly learn magic from my old world.)"
Naofumi felt thankful for the two of them, he had thought that as the Shield Hero, he would be the weakest out of the four heroes. Especially since he read up that Legendary Heroes must be distant from each other or it will prevent him from gaining experience. And with Melromarc's religious view on the Shield Hero, he had thought that no one would join him as to their eyes he is the demon, the enemy.
But thanks to Frisk accidentally messing up the summoning Naofumi wondered what would have happened to him once he set foot in the castle. Would he be instantly killed, would they lock him up, would they have accused him of a crime that everyone would fully believe? Many thoughts ran through Naofumi as he knew he would have been alone.
Naofumi snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed they were at the shop Erhard recommended them to visit. Naofumi was surprised, the two of them planned to sell the loot they got to get more money but it seemed their conversation got them so distracted that they ended up at the magic shop. The two of them look at each other as they enter, and immediately they are greeted by a female voice.
"Ah! Welcome to my magic shop. Are you both here to buy spell books?"
An old lady greeted us with a kind smile. In her shop you can see dusty books on shelves, crystal balls behind the counter, staves and wands, anything you can expect in a magic shop.
Frisk: "Hello, Madam. We are indeed here to buy magic books to learn magic. We were also wondering if you have a way to tell which affinity we have to ensure we get the right books."
"Ah, I understand. Please wait a moment here."
The magic lady guided the two at her counter as she went to get something, she took a crystal book from the shelf and began to chant a spell.
"Now which one of you wants to see your affinities?"
Naofumi and Frisk looked at each other as Frisk told him they could go next. Naofumi thanked Frisk as the lady told him to look deep into the crystal ball. Naofumi did so as he saw something shining, but he couldn't see anything.
"Yes, yes, it seems that you, mister, are suited to learning recovery and supporting magic."
Naofumi: "Oh... Thank you."
Naofumi sounded a bit disappointed but didn't express it entirely. Deep down, he had hoped he would have elemental affinities so that he could have another way to attack since his magic stat increased. The magic lady then turns to Frisk.
"Now then dear, come see your affinities."
Frisk approaches the crystal ball as the same thing happens to them. The lady was able to get the results.
"Oh my! This is unheard of! It seems that your affinities are limitless. You can learn just about any type of magic! This is extremely rare for someone to have."
Naofumi was in complete surprise, he couldn't help but feel a bit envious. He wanted to learn any type of magic that would benefit him but he got stuck with support and healing.
Frisk, on the other hand, was a bit surprised, they didn't think magic could be limitless for them, but they recall a certain skeleton scientist saying that determination has no limits. They had wondered if that meant power but it was possible that it meant anything they could do was limitless. Chara was just as surprised as Frisk.
Frisk: "Thank you, madam. Is there something we should be aware of when learning magic?"
"Yes, there is dear. These books are not ordinary, they contain magic letters that can only be read by feeling your magical power. If you are reading a book that is not related to your respective affinities you will be unable to read and learn the magic from the book. You can learn magic that doesn't match your affinities but it is much more difficult to learn."
Frisk and Naofumi understood her, for Naofumi it is still possible for him to learn other magic but it will extremely be more difficult for him to learn spells that aren't supportive or healing. But maybe with his soul awakening, he'll be able to learn the magic from Frisk's world. The lady continues explaining.
"You can also buy a beginner's book to get started on learning magic. Once you are able to learn a spell and properly use it then you can get advanced books to learn intermediate magic spells."
Frisk assumes that means that if they learn the beginner's magic, they'll be able to learn the upgraded version of the magic once they get the spell properly. The lady went to grab two books and Frisk saw them as beginner books of recovery and support magic.
"These should help you get a starter mister, as for you dear, would you like to get a beginner's set of magic books or would you like to start off with one."
Frisk thought for a moment, sure they were able to learn different kinds of elemental magic thanks to a few monsters who have elemental magic back at home. So if they were being honest, they didn't need anything. But then again perhaps the magic here is different than back home.
Frisk: "Maybe one for starters. Perhaps a book about the fire element. But I believe my friend here still needs to feel his magic before he reads the books."
Frisk knew how to feel magic as it was thanks to being adopted by the Dreemurr family who taught them how to unlock and use magic. But Naofumi still needs to unlock his magic in order to feel it.
The lady understood as she guided Naofumi on how to feel his magic, it took a while but soon Naofumi was able to feel his magic. Frisk immediately notices that his soul is showing a green light but is still manifesting. Once they were done, she went to get the book Frisk requested.
"There you go dear, now you are able to read the books to learn magic."
Naofumi: "Thank you, madam. How much do the three beginner books cost?"
"That'll be 90 silver pieces."
Naofumi thought it was a good price as magic did take a lot to learn, and felt as if he paid for his books. So he and Frisk paid separately for their books as they said goodbye to the lady and left the shop. Chara couldn't help but ask Frisk about the book.
Chara: "...Why did you buy the magic book Frisk? Mom and Dad already taught you to use fire magic?"
Frisk: "To be honest, Chara, I want to see if there's a difference between our world's magic and this world's. It wouldn't hurt to learn more magic. I also wanted to see if it is possible for me to combine magic spells to have better ways to attack."
Naofumi listened in as he couldn't help but give his opinion.
Naofumi: "Would it work? Sure you can use magic, but wouldn't combining magic seems to require more focus and magic power. From what I saw from you, you only use one type of magic."
Naofumi remembered during leveling up that Frisk had demonstrated magic as fireballs shot out from Frisk's hands as it burned the enemies around them.
Frisk: "Well, you're not wrong. But that doesn't mean it is limited for me to use more than one magic."
Naofumi: "Hmm... Well, let's go back to Erhard's shop, I still need to learn more about the language. Sure I can understand words but that doesn't mean I am finished with the entire dictionary."
Frisk: "Yeah, that is true. At least it helped you to know what the medicine book said."
Naofumi: "Yep... Until one of the shields from the Mush Series decided to give me the simple recipes. But hey, at least thanks to the book I was able to learn to make more potions and other healing items. Which granted me more shields and abilities from the Potions Series and Medicine Series. It really helps with the guy from the medicine shop."
Naofumi has unlocked shields that can improve the quality of the plants he collected as well as improve the effects of potions. It helped the old man who worked there as his shop had been running low on healing supplies ever since the first wave hit. People needed so much healing medicine that he was nearly out of supplies to make more healing items.
But thanks to Naofumi selling the herbs and plants he was able to improve his business. So in return, he gives Naofumi tools for him to use to make healing items as it turns out he is good at it.
Frisk: "Still, we have more than enough healing items to last for a week. And with the money we save up, we can use it to get better equipment."
Naofumi: "Right, then we can start moving around Melromarc until we are strong enough to go to another country to register for their hourglass."
Frisk: "And, maybe try to get along with the other heroes. Alone if possible."
From what they saw during the second day, Naofumi tried talking to them about their strengthening methods, but the heroes' party members shrugged him off as if he was not someone important to talk to. Well, it was the Spear and Bow Hero's party, and the Sword Hero himself didn't want to either associate with his party or want to talk with Naofumi. But at least his party members apologized to him as they followed him.
Naofumi: "Well maybe the Sword Hero would be a good start."
From what they heard from rumors is that the Sword Hero, Ren Amaki, is often seen by himself, looking cool and strong. Naofumi assumes he is playing the lone wolf role as he seems to not be very social with anyone, including his party members. Still, maybe he'll be able to meet him, possibly on the streets as he is always being seen alone.
Frisk was about to say something regarding the Sword Hero when the two of them saw hooded figures approaching them. The moment they got close, one of them secretly handed Naofumi a note, then left as if nothing had happened. He handed the note to Frisk as they read the words. To them, it was a good thing it was written in Melromarc's words.
Frisk: "...A meet-up point. The same place in the Castle Town."
They told Naofumi when they quickly went to an empty alleyway.
Naofumi: "Just to be clear... Those were the envoys from Siltvelt, right?"
Frisk: "Yes, those are the envoys from Siltvelt, hopefully they got what we need for the journey."
They recall the day of the fourth day when envoys arrived to search for the Cardinal Heroes. So far Frisk and Naofumi seem to run into Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden envoys as they were able to find the Shield Hero.
Siltvelt's envoy was searching to find Naofumi as the two of them saw them at the alleyway hiding away from being spotted. Frisk checked their stats and description and it seemed alright, they are very devoted to the Shield Hero, Frisk told Naofumi that they should speak to them as it was unsure if they'd be able to hide for as long since demi-humans are legally slaves in Melromarc.
Naofumi quickly thought of the pros and cons as he decided to speak with Siltvelt's envoy. The two of them went up to them as Naofumi said he was the Shield Hero while demonstrating his abilities as the Shield Hero. It convinced the envoy as they quietly said they found their god.
The envoy tried to get Naofumi to come with them to Siltvelt, where he would be welcomed by the demi-humans and beastmen. But Naofumi said that he had some business to take care of in Melromarc, especially of what was happening to the demi-humans here ever since they confirmed that slavery was legal here.
But thankfully, the envoy understood the Shield Hero's reasons as they believed that he would bring judgment down on those who hurt their kind. Or perhaps they just took the words of the Shield Hero as a command. It made Frisk wonder just how devoted the demi-humans and beastmen are to the Shield Hero.
Chara just simply sighs as they figure that the previous Shield Heroes did make sure that non-humans are protected which causes faith in the Shield Hero. They also knew that the Shield Hero they knew of was the reason Siltvelt became the country it is today. Even if it was not what it was made to be.
So after much talking, as well as planning, they decided to meet again in a few days to get the things Naofumi requested for the journey. It seems that day was today.
But it turns out it was not the first envoy they've met on the fourth day. A man approached them when Naofumi didn't have his shield to the Book Shield, it was a while after speaking with the Siltvelt envoy.
Frisk checked the man's stats as he seemed to be normal, but his description told Frisk otherwise. The man tried to get Naofumi to come with him to Shieldfreeden, promising Naofumi to get much support and help. He was pushy on getting Naofumi to come with him, even going so far as to ignore Frisk when they asked to give Naofumi some space.
As much as Naofumi wants to go to a country where he doesn't have to hide for being the Shield Hero, he just can't. He explained his reasons like with Siltvelt, one of the other reasons is that he wasn't sure if he and Frisk could be safe with the envoy on their way to Shieldfreeden. He was also sure that Melromarc would do anything to make sure the heroes stayed rather than go to other countries.
But it seems the man had little patience as he storms off, telling Naofumi that he'll regret not coming with him. To Naofumi, it was a good thing he didn't go with the man as he just storms off, and just threatens him that he'll regret his choice.
Naofumi: "Well, let's just hope that they got the things we need, the things I asked for will be hard to get."
Frisk: "Let's just hope they hadn't got caught. You won't believe how many demi-humans I had to save in secret when I saw them with their slave owners."
Naofumi shutters the memory of seeing them in such a bad state, he was so glad he worked on his blending abilities as the medicines effectively help the demi-humans.
There were so many that they had to hide them so they wouldn't be seen by anyone. The forest outside Castle Town was a huge help as not many people go near or deep in the forest. And thanks to Frisk's befriending the monsters that would not hurt them, the monsters protected the demi-humans until they could find a place to hide them in.
Thankfully, the Siltvelt envoy knows a place within Melromarc that will watch over the former slaves until they are fully well enough to either travel to Siltvelt or remain with the Shield Hero. They even saw the place beforehand and could not believe there was much of a place hidden within the Castle Town. Naofumi and Frisk would check in to see if the demi-humans needed more medicine or food.
Naofumi: "As much as I wanted to see those punished, I would doubt the people or the higher-ups would care if it was about a demi-human."
Frisk sighs in frustration while Chara curses which only the two can hear as they see how the citizens ignore demi-humans, even children.
Frisk: "You're right about that. Well, let's go meet them."
The two went to the location where they would meet Siltvelt's envoy as they arrived. Frisk immediately found a SAVE point where they quickly saved before going inside. Once inside they are greeted by the Siltvelt envoy as they begin the meeting. The man leading the meeting was a wolf demi-human.
"Shield Hero, and companion of our god. We hope that you both have been well these past few days."
Naofumi: "Yes, we have been doing good. How are the demi-humans we rescued?"
"Thanks to your aid, our people who were enslaved had recovered from the trauma they endured. They'll be safe with us on the way back to Siltvelt. Some of them wanted to stay and help you but because of the situations that this disgusting country has caused we convinced them it would be safer to travel where they don't have to fear being enslaved again."
Naofumi agreed as he knew that no demi-humans were safe in Melromarc, even when they heard that a village that once housed demi-humans was destroyed by the waves then the nobles took advantage of enslaving the surviving residents.
Naofumi: "We can hope you and the free slaves will get through the border without anyone stopping you."
"Ah, no need to worry Shield Hero. We used magic and abilities of our own to get through the border, we just have to be extra careful this time. We could only pray for your mission to rescue all the slaves that are suffering in this filthy country."
Naofumi: "We hope we can find a way to see how many left are enslaved here. As much as I wanted to talk about the human slaves at Siltvelt, I think they would either ignore my words or accuse me of being a fake Shield Hero."
"Ah! We also got what you requested, we do have connections here but it was not much as well a lot of work to get the things you need. We hope it will please you."
The wolf demi-human signals the other demi-humans as they pull a crate of things that are money, materials for the shield, important items like a trading permit, sand from the hourglass, a special kind of elixir, and a strange shield. Naofumi wasted no time in absorbing all of the items while noting to copy the shield later.
Naofumi: "Thank you, we'll be able to blend in without causing suspicion."
Chara took a glance at the trading permit as they recalled the plan to get around Melromarc.
Chara: "I could see the idea of being a merchant, it can help us hide our identity as well earning money."
Naofumi didn't respond to Chara as he knew that the demi-humans would look at him strangely, talking to someone to nobody. But Naofumi did look at Frisk as he spoke.
Naofumi: "Well, once we double-check our supplies we'll go around Melromarc to unlock more shields, leveling up further, and see if there are any slaves in the other towns. Maybe even stop by in a few villages."
Frisk just nodded as they felt the atmosphere of just being here. They could see every demi-human that is either looking at them with hateful looks, looks that said that they should die, or that they should not have the grace to be that close to their god. Frisk knew that he would not be welcomed by demi-humans, especially after what had happened to them.
Naofumi noticed the looks and wanted to say something about it, but the expression from Frisk tells him that it wouldn't matter if he caused a scene right now. It was another reason why they couldn't go to Siltvelt, because of their hatred of humans. He didn't want Frisk to be treated like a disease in Siltvelt.
Naofumi: "Well, we will be off then. Thank you for helping us with my request."
The wolf demi-humans bowed along with his comrades.
"It is our duty to help the Shield Hero. Please know that we'll be awaiting your orders once you arrive in Siltvelt. We took your request as only the higher-ups knew of your holy presence to ensure nobody else knew your appearance. We will await your return to our country."
With that, everyone split up, the Siltvelt envoy began to make preparations to leave the filthy country while Naofumi and Frisk had something else to do in Castle Town. Once they are further away from where they were, both of their expressions darken.
Frisk: "...Do you think... Will we be able to save the survivors once we get them from that slave trader?"
Naofumi: "...It really depends on their conditions, the first wave happens directly at their village. And not even a day later those sick bastards raided what was left of their home, and sold the survivors to slavery. But once we get a lead or a location then we'll go and save the survivors. It won't be easy, but we can't let them suffer by nobles or anyone."
Frisk only nodded, as Chara floated near them and whispered so that Naofumi couldn't hear.
Chara: "Frisk... I'll say this once, you know the words, even if Asriel changed the wording. It is not the same as our world or even was when the monsters were freed. Even I... Have to push myself to the point of..."
Frisk: "...It's kill or be killed."
As if those very words were a taboo, they could see a distant, cruel laugh from a golden flower. Frisk knew at some point, they'd have to increase their LOVE to survive. This world was not like theirs, the rules are not the same, not everything can be sold by showing MERCY.