The Wrong Hero

Chapter 40 - Action Break

Even with the sun barely risen above the horizon, Dante had more to take care of this morning. In a little while, he was to meet with a few more tribe heads that had showed up sometime yesterday evening. That was what one of the maids passed along from Werner before Dante retired for the short night's rest. He thought all the introductions were completed over a week ago.

Even so, that was one of the lesser things he had to worry about. The biggest thing was warning Erhard and the other shopkeepers about likely trouble in the future, and offering them all sanctuary. He really had no idea how that would go, since some of them likely spent their whole lives in Melromarc. He didn't know what—if anything—would happen if they stayed. It wasn't as if he had been seen in the capital all that much, outside of his meeting with Melty.

As he walked down the halls, another thought crossed his mind. This one was far less stressful, so it was a welcome distraction.

What's the male version of a loli-baba? I want to say shota...oja...oni...nope, can't think of the Japanese word for old man. I'll have to ask Reiko next time I see him.

"Why don't you just go home, old man? I'm more than enough here."

"Maybe if all you needed to do was hit things, that'd be true."

Dante had found himself wandering into one of the waiting areas near the throne room. There seemed to be two groups already there, and they were busy glaring at each other.

"Don't tempt me. I might just start with you."

"Sure, pick another fight. It's not as if you could make us any more late."

The two speakers were a woman and a man, both very well dressed. The woman wore a type of hardened leather armor, and a high quality one at that. Over that was a thick cloak of white fur, reaching to the ground. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and reached halfway down her back. The man's armor seemed lighter and more decorative, though mostly black in color. His cloak was thinner, a little more than what Dante had worn in the past. His black hair reached just below his shoulders and was complemented by a thin goatee.

"Hmph. Once Lord Shield sees the two of us, he'll know exactly which of us is the better choice!"

"Never truer words have been spoken."

At first glance, Dante had thought the pair were humans, but their ears were a dead giveaway. They were longer than human ears, and ended in a point. He hadn't seen any elves yet, and was pretty sure there weren't any in this world. There was some mention in the books about them being in Glass' world though.

"If you think you're...oh." The woman was the first to take notice of Dante. A seven-year-old was pretty easy to miss. "Is that a human?"

The man looked down at him. "It seems to be. I didn't realize human slaves were being used here now."

Word about Dante's condition must not have gotten around. It likely wasn't something the leadership here would want to advertise. Plus, it wasn't revealed too long ago.

"I don't think he is. I don't see a slave seal on him." The woman held a hand to her chin.

"He must be a servant of some sort. The only thing he's wearing are those pants." The man pointed out.

Dante didn't see the need to trouble the castle's tailor with making new clothes for his shrunken form. They wouldn't be needed after today anyway, so there was no real point. He just had one of the maids fetch a pair of pants that would fit him, possibly belonging to her son. He didn't bother with shoes, mostly because walking around barefoot didn't feel any different anymore.