The Replacement of the Sword Hero

Chapter Fourteen: The Clash

Naofumi stared at me. "So you're telling me to lose... Will, is this an event that you read about?"
"Yes."
"Then tell me that to start with, and I need more details. Who will I be fighting? Under what circumstances? What are the stakes?" He began listing questions.
"If the timeline follows the story, which it may not, given that the wave has already come early. But, if it does, then Motoyasu will challenge you to a duel in order to separate you from Raphtalia... Although it could be any woman in your party that he finds attractive."
Naofumi gritted his teeth. "That bastard... So how does it play out?"
"Well you give it your best shot, manage to pin him down for a while and set some balloon monsters on him that you were carrying under your cape. Then Bitch hits you with magic and that allows Motoyasu to gain the upper hand."
"And then what happens?" He asked.
"Well... I don't know how much more I should tell you. Certain things that are important to your growth are dependent on your genuine actions, which you won't have if I tell you what to expect. I'm not hiding things from you to be an asshole, but you need to feel a certain way to get stronger. Think of it like the 'Trust' power up method. You can't force trust; you need to let it happen."

"Goddammit." Naofumi sat down with a sigh. "Can you tell me anything else?"
I thought for a while. "Well, let me just say, give the monster egg lottery a try. Also, don't forget to register your shield with the dragon hourglass at the church. The sand from the dragon hourglass unlocks a shield that lets you teleport."
"What? Teleport?"
"Yes, but only to locations you have been to and registered before. Plus you need to be level 50 or something."
"So, monster eggs and hourglass sand. Got it. Thanks Wilbur." Naofumi said. I helped him to his feet again and we set off. I noticed that, along the way back, Naofumi deliberately walked through the balloon infested grassland.

I took a detour as soon as we got to town to buy some clothes for Fohl and Atla that would disguise their Hakuko features. Unfortunately, Atla was still barely strong enough to walk, and Fohl being ever protective of his sister still insisted on carrying her. I bought them some long sleeved and hooded robes, and after they were dressed, I took them out of earshot of the store owner.
"Okay you two, there's something I haven't told you yet. When Eclair and I set off on our journey to Zeltoble, we did so with the support of the king on condition that we locate his niece and nephew. You two are royalty, your grandfather was the ruler of Siltvelt, and owner of this sword." I quickly switched to the King Tiger Sword for them to see and then switched back again because it was too heavy for me to hold up. "And you are also the niece and nephew of King Aultcray of Melromarc."

Fohl sucked in a breath. "It all makes sense now. I heard that my grandfather was someone great... My father always told me never to reveal our last name to anyone, but of course you knew it anyway." He said to me.
I nodded. "So, along those lines... At some point I need to introduce you two to the king, but it would be better to wait until Atla has fully recovered."
"Wilbur, I don't think that's such a good idea. King Aultcray hates the Hakuko even more than he hates the Shield Hero, what if he finds out we are hiding them from him?" Eclair asked.
"Then we'll just have Atla reveal herself to him and explain that we were waiting for her condition to improve. He won't let any harm befall Atla, she looks just like his late sister Lucia."
Eclair didn't seem convinced but I assured her that it was alright in the light novels.
"What about you two? Are you okay with this?" Eclair asked.
"I don't really care one way or the other." Fohl said. "So long as nothing happed to Atla, I'm not bothered. Besides, we'll probably be found out sooner or later even if we don't meet the king tonight."
"None of that matters! My loyalty lies with Mr. Wilkinson! If he says it is so, then it must be so!" Atla declared.

Sometime after nightfall, we were all gathered in a spacious banquet hall at the castle, listening to the king speak. "Excellent work, heroes! I'm truly shocked! We suffered far less damage than last time!" He announced.
From what Eclair had told me, Rifana, Raphtalia and Keel were celebrating that there was not a single casualty during the second wave. They along with Naofumi and my party had played the leading role in preventing civilian deaths. I glanced over to see their reactions but Naofumi was engrossed in something on his shield and his three companions were scattered about the hall, helping themselves to the array of delicacies.