Hero of Justice (Fate/Stay Night UBW x Shield Hero)

A Child and Her Food for Thought

"People will forget what you said, what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou

"Eh? IWATANI, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" as he looks at Raphtalia's healthbar which clearly states the title "slave". Naofumi exhaled deeply before saying "Look, trust me on this and sit down. I will try my best to explain." Erhard gives him a disbelieving look and says "You better, or else all the trust I have of your credibility is going to go down the drain so to speak."

Naofumi then went on to explain what happened and how he bought off the girl's freedom and was fully intent on releasing her after buying her some better clothes.

After all that, Erhard sighs in annoyance at his plan and said "As selfless an act as that is, you're merely condemning her if you're planning to release her in a place like Melromarc. My suggestion instead would be to take care of her until you can afford to send her back to her parents and/or relatives." Raphtalia frowns a bit after hearing "parents" unseen by everyone.

Naofumi then starts thinking, before taking an orange balloon from his belt, saying "Uncle(I think that's what Oyaji-san means), please give her a dagger please." which confuses Erhard, but then he shrugs and says "Okay, but I don't understa-" "Raphtalia, stab this balloon." to which the kid blinks and says "B-but I can't."

Seeing her hesitation, Naofumi kneels down so that they met eye to eye, and says "Please, I need you to kill this balloon. We cannot leave you with the nice blacksmith here all the time, he has enough things to worry about. If we are out and about in the fields, at least show me that you can protect yourself." "B-but-" Everyone's eyes widened, except Naofumi's, as the slave crest started to activate due to her disobedience. Everyone else starts to panic with Rin saying "Iwatani, what's happening?!"

"It's the slave crest." he says in a harsh tone he never used until now. "I had it activated to medium pain if she disobeyed."

Having no choice in the matter, Raphtalia draws the knife and charges at the balloon. However, due to how weak her attack was, it merely bounces off.

Shirou grits his teeth and takes out a sword before Naofumi stops him with his free hand and says "Don't, *deep inhale* as much as I'd like you to help her, this is for her own good. If she can't fight even this much, then she will have no chance in hell when the waves hit.", his piercing logic stops Shirou dead in his tracks, making the red head grit his teeth while clenching his fist.

Once more, Naofumi calls out to Raphtalia, saying "Put more backbone into the strike, come on!" making Raphtalia tear up a bit before charging. The strike connects wonderfully and the balloon pops, making Raphtalia stumble on her butt. Naofumi looks at her with a neutral expression, saying "You did well. Now come on, you need-no, deserve better clothes than those rags."

His face softens as he pats her on the head. He then leads her to the changing area and gives her a small chainmail dress. She took her time, but eventually finishes wearing the clothes. Naofumi smiles a bit before nodding, and saying, come on then, leaving Erhard, Rin and Shirou. Shirou then runs out, saying "Oi, wait up!"

Erhard sighs and tells Rin "I don't know if the world's falling apart or the kid's just adapting to the world, but he seemed much harsher than he did last time." "Don't worry sir, we're going to keep an eye out."

As Rin was leaving, Erhard says to her "Now don't you four go dying on me, ya hear? Especially that boyfriend of yours" to which Rin smugly grins, saying "Who do you think we are? Amateurs?" before her face softens into a genuine smile, saying "See you later, mister."

A bit later, the quad was now walking around town when Naofumi brings up the question of "Hey guys, is it okay if me and her go to the easier parts of the plains first? You two can do other things for a bit."