"I can't trust a word to come from a royal's mouth." Naofumi remarked, watching Melty leave the shop.

"You should've given her a chance to speak, at the very least." You told Naofumi. He shook his head, staring at his stats.

"Hey, Master? Why are you so cold to Mel?" Filo asked. When Naofumi didn't immediately answer, she stepped up, grabbing the book shield he had equipped.

"Why, tell me why!" She insisted.

"Filo, he'll answer when he's ready. The royal family's brought him nothing but heartache since he first arrived here." You told her. After a moment, Naofumi lifted his hand, resting it on Filo's head.

"Filo... you mustn't play with that girl anymore." Naofumi ordered. Filo's eyes widened at the news as Naofumi stood up, facing the doorway.

"Naofumi, trying to speak to her like a father now won't help her understand the situation." Raphtalia protested. You put a hand in her shoulder, stopping her.

"Don't try and change his mind now. Remember that so far, every other encounter with royalty ended with betrayal." You told her. Raphtalia nodded before clenching her fist and looking back towards Naofumi.

"I... I understand, but surely, he shouldn't-"

"Raphtalia, drop it." You ordered. Raphtalia stopped, before sighing, nodding her head.

"Yes, Y/n." She answered. You smiled at her, leaning her head against your neck while rubbing her shoulder.

"Attagirl. I'll try and convince him otherwise another day." You promised. Your short exchange of words was interrupted when Filo ran past you, stopping to grab onto your leg.

"Y/n! Master's not telling me why I can't play with Mel!" She cried out, tears starting to well up. You leaned down, picking up Filo and holding her up.

"There there, I'll make sure to find a way you two can play again soon, just give me some time, okay?" You told her. Filo nodded, hiccuping as she brushed a tear away with a fist.

"Naofumi, I'm gonna take Filo outside for a moment to let her get some fresh air, okay?" You asked. Naofumi didn't answer, looking away.

"...I'll be right back." You told him, walking to the entrance of the shop, and out the door. You sat Filo down on a barrel, letting her stare down at her feet as you patted her back to comfort her.

"It's gonna be okay, Filo. I promise." You told her. Filo nodded again. The clanking of several suits of armor caught your attention, getting you to look up at a rather large group of knights that had gathered in front of the store, accompanied by some other low level-looking adventurers.

"Can I help you?" You asked, shooting a look at the one in the lead. You saw a bead of sweat travel down his face as he lifted his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Sir, but is the Shield Hero inside this store?" He asked you. You narrowed your eyes at him, before he caught on to the suspicion surrounding his choice of words.

"Oh, I promise it's nothing bad! In fact, we kinda owe him a lot, really." He admitted, scratching the back of his head. You sighed at the knight, before reaching over to swing the door open.

"You have visitors, Naofumi!" You shouted out. The knights and adventures, making up about 5 in total, stepped inside. You grabbed Filo's hand, guiding her inside as well to witness the upcoming conversation.

"You again?" Naofumi seemed to recognize the one in front.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked. You shut the door behind you as the knight started speaking again.

"Well, um... we want to..." he took a deep breath, swallowing nervously, before speaking up with force.

"Please let us accompany you, at least during the waves!" He asked. You stood shocked for a moment, before a small smile grew on your face.

"We were deeply touched by the way you and your party fought in the last wave, especially since this plague started. That's why we want to support your efforts." He explained. You looked up at Naofumi, letting Filo walk up to him as he responded, keeping his monotone voice and expression.

"Is this why you were looking for me?" He asked. So he and this knight had encountered each other earlier today.

"Yes! We decided to ask you next time we saw you in the capital!" The knight answered.

"Well, if you just want to fight the waves, then you don't have to do it at my side." Naofumi stated.

"Surely, you know that would be even more dangerous than fighting alone, don't you?" You asked. The knight looked at you, nodding.

"We've noticed how the beasts grow much more fearsome when faced down by the brave heroes of this land, but... well..." you didn't need to guess this next part.

"You all hail from the village of Lute, don't you?" You asked. One of the mages nodded.

"Indeed. You all are responsible for saving our families, if not our lives directly. At the very least, we owe this to you lot. We want nothing more than to serve you in the upcoming battle." He told you, bowing his head. That's right, the second wave would be coming within the week.

Naofumi looked at the knights before holding up a simple necklace he had made before, worth maybe a few silver. He shot you a side eyed glare as he spoke up.

"Buy this off of me for 150 silvers." He ordered. You almost instinctively raised a hand to interject, stopping when you saw his glare. The group ahead of him were struck silent by the offer, something Naofumi noticed.

"What's wrong? You can gain my trust by buying this." Naofumi stated. The knight in front got over his stricken state, clearing his throat.

"One hundred and fifty silvers..." he muttered.

"What now?" Naofumi asked. The knight continued to mutter before looking up at Naofumi.

"We understand. We'll gather the money as soon as we can." He told you all. Before you knew it, the group was gone, leaving the Shield Hero's Party alone with Boss in the weapon's shop.

"I can't believe you pressured them into buying a leftover accessory for that much." Raphtalia said.

"You never change, kid." Boss remarked. You shrugged, holding up your hands.

"Naofumi may be a dick, but most of the time, he has his reasons for the stuff he does." You told them.

"Most of the time?" Naofumi asked. You looked at him with a dull face.

"You did just turn away a young girl who you know dislikes Myne almost as much as we do, just because of her father." You stated. Naofumi gave you a simple tch in response, looking out of the window. After some thinking, and pacing around by Raphtalia, Naofumi took his armor off, walking towards the counter.

"Hey Boss, I need you to fix these up for me." He places the pieces down on the counter, letting Boss take a look at it.

"The made to order stuff, huh? Well, even with the freebie materials, it'll cost you about... this much." He tossed up a few gold coins, letting them fall to his hand with a series of clinks. Instead of responding, Naofumi took a look at his menu to see what he had, when some things crossed his eye.

"Hey, Filo's level has an asterisk next to it. Know anything about it?" Naofumi asked. Boss scratched his beard, nodding.

"So she's ready for a class upgrade... tell me, what about Raphtalia? If Filo's reached her max level, what about Raphtalia, and maybe Y/n?" He asked. Naofumi looked at Raphtalia's level, before his eyes widened in slight shock.

"Raphtalia's level... is not right, by the looks of things." He stated.

"Hm? How so?" Boss asked.

"It seems to be flickering... nothing I can make sense of. Hey Y/n, these look like runes, can you read them?" He called you over, and you obliged, looking over Naofumi's shoulder.

"Ah, I do recognize those." You told him, looking at Raphtalia's level.

"So, they're the same Caryll Runes you read before?" Naofumi asked. You shook your head before answering.

"No. In truth, calling those Caryll Runes would be a lie. In truth, Caryll Runes are the direct words of the Great Ones put into physical form. Nothing we could utter through our own mouths." You stated, before continuing.

"Raphtalia's level does seem to be made up of these Caryll Runes, mainly three.... Beast, Anticlockwise Metamorphosis, and... Moon." You read off. Naofumi looked at you, giving you a questioning look.

"And why would her level be like this?" He asked. You shrugged, before giving your answer.

"My best guess is she has gone and gotten herself in communion with a Great One." You revealed. Raphtalia, who had been simply listening in, audibly gasped.

"Communion? Other than the Rotten and Terrible Great One, I've spoke to no other being even resembling these things." Raphtalia tried to defend herself. You shook your head at her.

"I know that. In fact, I know how you might be considered in communion with a Great One." You revealed. Now you had everyone's attention on you.

"And how's that?" Naofumi asked. You proudly held a hand to your chest, speaking.

"I myself am in communion with Paleblood, the Great One symbolizing the moon. It is through my blood, which Raphtalia took in via her slave ritual, that she is also now in communion with Paleblood." You spoke with a hint of pride in your voice.

The silence in the room was shocking, until Naofumi sighed, shaking his head.

"I guess that explains a few things, then." Naofumi sighed, turning back to the shopkeeper.

"So, you said something about a class upgrade?"

You leaned against the massive church building that contained the dragon hourglass Naofumi would have to use to upgrade Filo. Raphtalia had decided to go as well, out of curiosity. So, it was for the next ten minutes that you stood, and waited. It didn't take long for Naofumi to storm out, clearly irritated. Curious, you followed him, as Raphtalia and Filo stepped out next.

"What's the news?" You asked.

"That damnable king has decided not to allow us any class upgrades." Naofumi told you. You could probably get the queen to write an order to allow it, but that may blow your cover earlier than you wished.

"I see. What do you plan for then?" You asked. Naofumi turned to you, studying your expression closely.

"Do you recall seeing any high level slaves in that trader's possession?" He asked. You nodded, remembering the wolf man... thing that was level 75.

"Indeed. In fact, he has a level 75 slave, if I do remember correctly." You told him. Naofumi nodded, looking towards Filo.

"Come if you want, but I'm taking Filo there, to see if I can find a way to get her a class upgrade." Naofumi told you. You looked back at Raphtalia, before looking back to Naofumi.

"I wish to train Raphtalia some more, so may I instead take her outside the city walls, and meet you there, perhaps?" You asked. Naofumi considered it, before nodding his head.

"I'll allow it, just make sure neither of you are injured. We still have a bit before the next Wave, you know." He told you.

"I am aware. Come, Raphtalia." You ordered.

"Yes, Y/n." Was the ever obedient response.

After a fair bit of walking, you stopped outside of the city, in an otherwise empty plain. You reached into your pocket, grabbing a small bone.

"Catch." You ordered, tossing the object. Raphtalia snatched it out of the air, looking at it.

"Umm, what is this?" She asked.

"That is a bone, taken from an Old Hunter." You answered. Raphtalia looked at it, her expression slowly shifting to slight disgust.

"Don't go looking at it like that. That is a spell focus. Our session will focus on you learning of the arcane arts." You told her. Raphtalia gazed up at you, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Arcane?"

"Arcane. Lift that bone to your head, and focus your energy into it." You told her.

"Focus my energy..." Raphtalia reluctantly held the bone up, touching it against her head. She let out a slow breath, closing her eyes. You smiled as the air around the bone began to glow, before diminishing right away.

"Well done. Now..." you drew a throwing knife out of your pocket, hefting it as Raphtalia looked at you, her eyes slowly widening.

"Dodge." You threw the knife at her, and she immediately made to roll to the side. She clearly did not expect what came next, as her body dissolved into mist, reforming a few feet ahead, as she stumbled to the ground.

"What..." she panted, looking from where she once was, to you.

"What was that?" She asked. You smiled, lightly clapping.

"That was an ability used by The Old Hunters, called Quickening. If you wish to use it, go ahead, but I advise you focus on quickstepping instead of rolling while using it." You told her. Raphtalia nodded, getting up again.

"I see... could we resume this training?" She asked. You smiled, lifting another knife to throw.

"You smell like sewage." You remarked to Naofumi, dipping a few bandages in holy water. You heard the shield hero sigh, walking across the room you had rented for the night.

"I was having Filo test a new weapon, and the request I had was something in the city sewers." He explained. You nodded.

"May I see this weapon?" You asked.

"Later. They're claws I bought from that slave merchant." Naofumi told you. You nodded, wrapping the bandages around Raphtalia's still burnt arm.

"That reminds me, how was searching for a way to class upgrade?" You asked. The shield hero simply shook his head.

"No luck. Instead, I'm going to see about leaving Melromarc after the next Wave." He told you. You turned your gaze towards him as he started to walk off.

"Leave Melromarc? To find another Dragon Hourglass, I presume?" You asked. Naofumi nodded, leaving your sight.

Needless to say, if Naofumi tried to leave the country, well... that wouldn't be good, to say the least. Best case scenario, you'd go with him, and find a way to keep tabs on the other heroes through the eyes of some beast. But you needed to find a way for the heroes to be able to work together. Maybe if you utilized the beasts in the second wave...

"Hey, Y/n?" You looked at Raphtalia, who was rubbing the fresh bandages.

"My apologies, I was lost in thought. Does it hurt?" You asked. She shook her head.

"No, no. If anything, it's healing even faster. I was actually going to ask something." She told you.

"And what would that be?" You asked. Raphtalia sighed, looking at Naofumi, who returned to the room to sit at a desk, as you dipped another bandage in holy water.

"When all the waves are repelled, will Naofumi return to his own world?" She asked. You shrugged, applying the next bandage.

"I can only assume so." You answered. Raphtalia nodded.

"You... you won't leave, will you?" She asked. You shook your head, chuckling.

"Never. You are my student, Raphtalia. You must be brought to your full potential before I could even consider leaving you. And besides, you're much more fun to be around than others." You told her, finishing the last bandage. A light blush began to slowly cover Raphtalia's face as your words took effect.

"Well, thank you..." she dipped her head to you, before you took her hand, lifting it up. You gave it a light kiss, like how a gentleman would introduce himself to a princess. You almost felt the heat from Raphtalia's blush as you lowered her hand, raising your cloth mask to cover your mouth.

"You have an early start tomorrow, my dear student. It's best you rest." You told her.

"Y...yes, Y/n." Raphtalia stammered. You let her hand go, standing up and taking care of the bandages and holy water you had yet to use.

The next morning came, and Naofumi started the day with a ride out. It took some travel, and asking others for direction, but Naofumi was able to drive the wagon to a rather decrepit town, where the homes were shoddily built, and even the watchtower was bent at a bad angle. The entry toll alone testified to this town's misfortune. You sat in the back as poor, starving villagers had to explain their situation to Naofumi.

In short, they were refugees from the north after an anonymous hero had led a group against some corrupt leaders, leading to a huge revolution that forced these people to move here in order to survive, where the plague of beasts began to further dwindle their numbers. According to tales, the one in question wielded only a bow...

That day was spent with Naofumi and Raphtalia serving food from an emergency kitchen, while you personally went to each adult, telling them of the safety from the beasts that simple prayer could bring them. Those who agreed were guaranteed good health.

Now, you were back in the capital, where Naofumi was ready for the wave to hit. You all had 27 hours left.

"Hey, master." Filo tugged Naofumi's shirt to get his attention, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"I'm hungry." She told him. Naofumi nodded in agreement.

"Okay, lets go get something to eat." He announced.

The tavern Naofumi chose was mostly empty, save for some... familiar figures.

"Are those...?" Raphtalia recognized them as well as Naofumi, Filo and herself sat down to eat.

"Ren and Itsuki, the sword and bow heroes." You answered. You noticed Itsuki throw a glance towards Naofumi, before looking back towards Ren.

"So, I overthrew a despot to the north, but when I went back to the guild, they had already paid the reward out to someone else." He reported. Ren nodded, speaking his own tale.

"Same here. Someone stole a job request from me."

"So, someone's going around, pretending to be us." As they spoke to each other, Naofumi got ordering as you threw down a few silvers to pay for Raphtalia's food. Someone, a woman from Itsuki's party, approached him with another job request. Something about a lord overtaxing his subjects, and using the money to hire mercenaries to stop people from trying to rise up. Pretty scummy, someone the beasts would show no hesitation in devouring.

The thought brought a thin smile to your lips.

"It seems someone needs to be taught that with great power comes great responsibility." The remark from Itsuki actually got Naofumi to spit out his drink in a fine mist... right in front of Filo.

"Master! That's gross!" Filo complained.

"Sorry, sorry." Naofumi seemed actually humored by the words.

"Hey, what's so funny?" In the time that you took out a handkerchief to dry off the poor bird, the two heroes had decided to approach Naofumi, no doubt to question his reaction to Itsuki.

"Nothing, I just didn't know you've been bit by a spider." Naofumi remarked.

"Bitten by a spider?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Naofumi told the Bow Hero. Itsuki seemed willing to let the pop culture reference go, but clearly not the matter he was discussing with the sword hero.

"It's you, isn't it? You're the one impersonating us and claiming our jobs and rewards." Itsuki asked. Naofumi sighed, clearly losing his humored mood before he answered,

"Why would you think it's me?" He asked.

"Because you're the only one who would-"

"Maybe it's because you're trying to be some cool, secret vigilante?" You asked. Itsuki looked at you, narrowing his eyes.