The Wrong Hero

Chapter 34 - Clearing the Heir

"So, about my arm—"

"I'm so terribly sorry, Lord Shield!"

Dante sat on the throne in Siltvelt's castle. In his immediate area were Sadeena, Dio, and JoJo. The others had gone off to rest after the wave, seeing as Dante was in good hands. Dio and JoJo stayed glued to his sides, just like every other time he sustained a serious looking injury. This time, however, they were more on his lap. Sadeena had been quite worried after seeing Dante lose his arm for a second time, but had since calmed down. Outwardly, at least.

Before him stood a pair of guards. They were on either side of the alligator therianthrope alchemist, the one who had made Dante's arm. The man himself was kneeling before Dante, head to the ground.

"Alright, enough of that." Dante said. It was bad enough he had to keep the knights from doing anything to the alchemist. He didn't want the alchemist to lower himself like that. Dante only wanted answers. "What can you tell me about the arm?"

The limb in question was on a small stand in front of the alchemist. Since returning to Siltvelt, the blotches on the arm had expanded past the shoulder area and reached halfway down the forearm. It wasn't immediate, as they had a few others things to do before returning.

"Yes, Lord Shield, of course!" The alchemist stood and began examining the arm.

He asked many questions about how it functioned until breaking, what Dante used it for, what attacks he took, and so on. While Dante answered, the alligator man took out some sort of monocle to examine the arm. He focused his sights around the shoulder.

"...And after the wave ended, I had one of my companions cut off the arm." Dante concluded. "The arm seemed pretty easy to cut off, too."

"I see." The alchemist placed the monocle back into his shirt pocket. "From what I can tell, these blotches on your arm are the residual effects of the curse you were afflicted with."

Dante sighed, resting his head in his hand. "Of course they are." It wasn't that he forgot he was cursed for over a month, he just hoped the alchemist had circumvented the problem. The curse that wasn't a curse was getting annoying.

"However, the damage I see here looks more physical." The alchemist pointed at the muscles in the shoulder. "These seemed to be quite strained, with only a little deterioration from what remains of the curse. How did you use this arm in combat?"

The answer to that was less than flattering. On multiple occasions, he grappled with a griffin, allowing someone in his party to deal the killing blow. It was entirely unnecessary. He had enough abilities to lock them down or gather them up. He just liked having an arm again, so he played around a little bit.

"Hm..." The alchemist stroked under his long mouth. "Griffins are strong monsters, and you grappled with them often? If you'll forgive my probing, what is your strength stat?"

"Yeah, sure, it's..." Dante looked over his status. The shields he upgraded varied in their stats, strength included, but that stat was mostly in the same general area when upgraded. Dante told the alchemist. His reaction went from intrigue to shock.

"Lord Shield, that arm wasn't meant to handle such a strain!" The alchemist shouted. "That is far beyond the limits of what I created!"

"I see. So, it's my fault." Dante concluded.

"N-No! I didn't mean that at all, Lord Shield!" The alchemist looked around in near panic.

"No, it is." Dante pinched the bridge of his nose. "You had no way of knowing my strength was that high, and I didn't think to mention it. I hadn't considered how much work actually went into alchemy."