Things are starting to get a little different from the traditional story. And yes, I did indeed decide to have Ayuma start out on her own, rather than having the selected warriors join her. I did that because that's what my decision would've been. I'd rather raise up my own warriors from scratch, knowing full well what they're capable of, rather than someone given to you who you know nothing about. And now, we'll move into one of the most controversial moments of this entire anime. I have something interesting planned ahead and I hope that I can fit it into this chapter. If not, that's fine and it'll be in the next chapter. Regardless, I'm talking too much. Enjoy the chapter!

The next morning, I awoke to someone knocking on the door to my room. I got out of my bed and answered the door, seeing multiple royal knights standing before me. "Is there something I can help you with?" I asked them. "Sorry to bother you, miss, but are you the axe hero?" One of the knights asked me. "I am." I said. "The king has issued a summons for all of the cardinal heroes. Would you please come with us?" The knight asked me as I gave him a nod. I quickly changed into my clothes, then my armor and finished it by placing my axe in the strap on my back. I then left with the knights until we arrived in the throne room of the royal castle. There, Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki waited with the king who looked seriously angry about something. Also, for some reason, Naofumi's only party member, the girl with the red hair looked afraid and was tightly holding Motoyasu's left arm. " I thank you for coming, axe hero. We will begin shortly." The king said as I stood next to Itsuki. I waited patiently until the doors to the throne room opened again. Naofumi was brought in, not wearing his armor anymore. He was thrown to the ground and more knights held their spears up to his body. "What the heck is going on!?" Naofumi asked as he spotted his party member next to Motoyasu. "Myne, are you okay!?" Naofumi asked her as she stepped behind Motoyasu. I assumed Myne was her name. "What's wrong?" Naofumi asked out of confusion. "Yo king, while I was sleeping, all of the money and equipment I had other than this shield was stolen from my room! Please sir, find the thief-" Naofumi began to say but the king cut him off. "Silence, you filth!" The king roared. "What's this about?" Naofumi asked. "Myne, i'm sorry to ask, but would you mind repeating your testimony again?" The king reluctantly asked her. Myne then began to whimper as she began her story. "I-It happened last night. The shield hero forced his way into my room. He was stinking drunk. He grabbed me and pinned me down." Myne explained as I looked over to Naofumi. He rose to his feet and looked on in total confusion. 

"He said something like "the night is still young," and then the next thing I knew, he was tearing all my clothes off." Myne explained as she began to cry into Motoyasu's shoulder. "What!?" Naofumi questioned but the king silenced him again. "I somehow managed to escape. I ran down the hall where I found sir Motoyasu who happened to be staying at the same inn." Myne explained. "If she hadn't asked me to wait until dawn and call the knights, I would've gladly cut you down i your sleep." Motoyasu said intensely to Naofumi. "What are you talking about!? I went straight to bed after dinner last night and I don't drink! Wait... hold on! That's my armor you're wearing! You thief, give it back!" Naofumi yelled to Motoyasu as I looked at him. He was indeed wearing similar armor to what I saw Naofumi wearing yesterday. "Who are you calling a thief? Myne gave this armor to me as a special gift when I met her at the pub yesterday." Motoyasu explained as he held Myne close to him. Something about that last remark made me curious. Naofumi's armor was stolen and now Motoyasu has a similar looking one. Something about all this doesn't feel right. For now, I should just keep my mouth shut. "To think, the cardinal shield hero would commit the greatest sin in this country!" The king said. "In Melromarc, even attempted sexual assault on a woman is punishable by death." The king's assistant explained. "If you weren't a hero, you'd be executed at once!" The king yelled with a commanding voice. "Executed!? I promise, i'm the one being wronged here, not her! I didn't do it! And if you're so convinced I did, then show me some proof!" Naofumi asked as a knight stepped forward. "When we performed a search of the shield hero's room, we.... we found this, sir, strewn across his bed." The knight said as he held up some sexy women's underwear."You animal!" Motoyasu yelled. "The proof seems rather undeniable!" The king said. "How so!? That thing wasn't there when I woke up!" Naofumi pleaded. "What a terrible shame! I was worried something bad might happen but hoped you knew better." Itsuki said. "Guess he thinks a hero can do whatever the hell he wants and get away with it!" Ren said as I remained quiet. "That's not even the least bit true! I swear!" Naofumi pleaded again as Motoyasu stepped forward, raising up his spear. "This world isn't some consequence-free playground, you know!? Know your place, scoundrel!" Motoyasu yelled as Naofumi just looked stunned. 

Naofumi then began to clench his fists and grind his teeth. "You liar. You tricked me. It was a setup from the very beginning!" Naofumi said, looking right at Myne. "I'm scared, Motoyasu!" Myne said as she coward behind him. "Shut your mouth, you criminal!" Motoyasu yelled. "Up yours, pretty boy! You did all this to steal my money and equipment! I bet you two planned it together!" Naofumi said angrily. "Refusing to admit he's guilty and making nonsensical accusations?" Ren stated. "I know what you're thinking and you're right. He doesn't deserve a shred of mercy." Itsuki said. "I knew it. It was a mistake to summon all five together at once. We shouldn't have summoned the shield hero at all." The king's assistant said. Naofumi then put his head down and let out a heavy sigh. "Fine.... I don't care anymore. And why should I!? Just send me home! Summon a new shield hero or whatever you want, i'm out! Screw this world! Seriously, why do I get ripped away from my home just to go through this!?" Naofumi asked. "So you're gonna run away as soon as things start to get tough? You really are scum!" Ren said. "After all you've done, how could you even think about abandoning your job?" Itsuki asked him. "I say let the coward run home. Who wants to fight along side a rapist, good ri-" Motoyasu began to say but Naofumi cut him off. "Shut up! Send me back home, this instant!" Naofumi demanded. "Believe me, I would like nothing more than to kick you out. But, legend says that no new heroes may be summoned until all five of the original cardinal heroes meet their end." The king explained as I looked to him with a bit of shock. "Did he just say what I think he said?" I asked as all the other heroes had the same shocked expressions on their faces. "So you're telling me that neither me or the rest of us can't even go home?" Naofumi asked. "Not yet, but there is only one way you may return to your world. Fight off all the incoming waves." The king explained but it didn't really remove the level of shock I just received. "But sir, does that mean we'll have to fight along side a criminal like him?" Ren asked. "Screw you guys! Who needs you! I'll fight the waves all on my own! My way!" Naofumi yelled as he pushed away all the knights around him. "So what'll it be, king? Are you gonna have me rot in jail in between every wave?" Naofumi asked intensely. "There's no more time before the next wave so I won't be imprisoning you. Scum or not, you're still a hero and one of the only beings left who can fight them all off. But news of your crime is already spreading among the people. That is your punishment. You should never expect to be allowed to lead a decent life in this country." The king stated as Naofumi turned his back to him. 

"Yeah, clearly!" Naofumi said as he reached into his pocket and clenched something in his right hand. He then turned back, facing Motoyasu and Myne. "This is what you wanted, right? Shove it up your ass." Naofumi said as he threw a few silver coins that were in his hand. My guess was that it was all he had left. "Hey! Wait a second!" Motoyasu yelled as he ran forward and grabbed Naofumi's wrist. Silence fell over the room as the two of them stared each other down. "I'm the weak one, remember? I don't have a second to waste." Naofumi said as he slipped out of Motoyasu's grip and walked away. I was just left stunned at what I had just witnessed. Could Naofumi have actually committed sexual assault against Myne? Something about all this just didn't feel right to me. I wanted to hear everything. I began to walk after Naofumi but I was quickly stopped by the king. "Where are you going, axe hero?" He asked me. "I'm ensuring that the shield hero is escorted out of this castle. We don't want him to cause any more damage now, do we?" I said as the king gave me a nod. "Very well. Make haste and keep your eye on him at all times until he has left this kingdom." The king said as I bowed to him. I then left, running after Naofumi. 

I managed to catch up to him as he was leaving the main castle gates. "Naofumi, wait!" I yelled as he stopped and turned around, giving me an angry expression. "What do you want! Haven't I been through enough already!? Just leave me alone!" He yelled as I stopped in front of him. "No, i'm not here to ridicule you! I ran after you because I feel that not all of this is true!' I said as he grew a more shocked expression. "Oh yeah? And why is that?" He asked me. "Something about all that before didn't feel right to me. Specifically, about why you lost your armor and Motoyasu suddenly had the same kind on him." I explained. "So you noticed it too, huh? Whatever, it's not going to change anything now. Whether you think i'm innocent or not, I can't trust you or anyone else now." Naofumi said as he turned around again and walked away. "Then i'll make you trust me! I'll show you that I believe your side of the story!" I said as he stopped walking but didn't turn his head. "And how exactly are you going to do that?" He asked me. "By joining your party!" I said as he quickly turned around. "What? But that's impossible. There's no way you can do that." He said as I gave him a smile. "I'll find a way. I give you my word." I said as Naofumi looked at me curiously. "Why would you want to do all this? Weren't you listening before? I was accused of raping someone." He said. "Believe me, I heard, not enjoying a single second of it. But I feel as though this is all part of a game. Someone is controlling the board and we're all the pawns. And seeing what just happened to you in there, it tells me that someone is trying to knock you down. And besides, with all your equipment and money now gone, you're gonna need a little help until you can catch up." I explained as Naofumi let out a sigh. "Fine, do whatever you want. If you can join my party, then so be it. It probably won't change anything. I'll see you around." He said as he walked away into the village. I stood there and watched him leave me. And now, I had a goal set. I had to find someway to join Naofumi's party. It wouldn't be easy, but it's something that I must do.

A few minutes later, I was wandering through the village, asking people if there was any place where I could perform an advanced type of upgrade. "An advanced upgrade? Like a Class-upgrade?" A woman asked me. "I guess so. I'm looking to do something that is a little above your traditional upgrade." I explained as she began pointing somewhere. "The church over there houses this kingdoms dragon hourglass. That's where you can perform your Class-upgrade." The woman said as I saw the church. "Hey, thank you very much. I really appreciate it." I said as I headed for the church. When I arrived, I entered and saw the dragon hourglass. It was huge and make of gold and a very sparkly glass. The sands inside were flowing down, indicating how much time was left before the next wave would hit. "Welcome to our church. How may I help you, axe hero?" A priest asked me. "I'm looking to perform an advanced type of upgrade. Is this where I can do it?" I asked. "Yes, indeed. Please step up to the dragon hourglass and speak your wishes. I will leave you so you can perform your upgrade." The priest said as I thanked him. He then left and I stepped before the hourglass. I tried my best to say what I wanted to do, but what I did say made me sound like a fool, in my opinion. "Oh great dragon hourglass, I beseech thee, grant me your power and allow me to tear down the walls between the five cardinal heroes! My wish.... is to join the shield hero's party!" I said as the dragon hourglass began to glow with a bright gold light. I was engulfed by the light and I had to shut my eyes. When the light died down, I reopened my eyes and saw I was in a similar field to the one I was in during my dream a couple of days ago. Only instead of there being random people in front of me, I saw a huge, golden axe, similar to mine floating in front of me. "Ayuma Saruwatari, you wish to join the party of one of the other cardinal heroes?" A deep voice asked me. I assumed it was the axe in front of me that was speaking. "I do. Tell me, is it possible?" I asked. "Such a request cannot be done. It has and always will be forbidden for the cardinal heroes to join each other in one group." The axe said to me. "I understand. Then can you at least make it so I can travel along side him without our weapons restricting each other? I won't be joining his party, but that way, I can at least be there to aid him." I said as there was a moment of silence. 

"You have much heart and compassion towards others. I can grant you this request." The axe said to me. "Thank you." I said as I bowed to the axe. "However..." It began to say as I raised myself back up, looking at it curiously now. "This special upgrade will come at a heavy cost. Allowing you to travel with another hero without any restrictions is no easy task. To do so, you must give up everything." The axe explained to me. "Everything? What is everything?" I asked out of curiosity. "Your levels you have acquired, the money you have obtained, and all your clothing." The axe explained as I grew a little worried. "Wait... you mean every piece of my clothes?" I asked. "Yes. And not only must you give up everything, there is a second cost for this upgrade. The rate at which you gain levels will become three times as slow as it is now." The axe said as I let out a sigh. "This is just sounding worse and worse every second. Why did I have to go and give Naofumi my word. I really should learn to go back on it sometimes." I said to myself as I let out a very heavy sigh. "Fine. I accept these conditions! In exchange, you will allow me to travel with the shield hero!" I said as the golden axe began to shine brightly. "Your wish is granted! Safe travels, Ayuma Saruwatari." The axe said as I was engulfed by the same golden light. And when it died down, I reopened my eyes and saw I was back in the church. Only... I had absolutely no clothing on. "Aaaaaahhh! It really wasn't kidding! God damn it, why did I go through with this!?" I said as the same priest walked back into the room. "Is there something you need, axe hero?" He asked as I covered myself up. "Just get something to cover me up, please! And don't look at me!" I said as he quickly exited the room. The only think I had left of mine was my axe which was still strapped to my back. The priest eventually came back and gave me a cloak to wear. "Thank you." I said to him. "Might I ask, what exactly did you do? I've never seen an upgrade come at this much of a cost before." The priest asked. I then opened up my status and saw I was back at level 1. "I just changed the rules of the game." I said to the priest as I left the church in search of Naofumi. 

I went on to search for him long into the night. I had pretty much gone down all the main streets of the kingdom but still no sign of him. I had to resort to looking through all the dark alleyways where scum would hide. I tried my best to cover myself up using my cloak but sometimes the wind would nearly blow it away. It was embarrassing to walk around like this but I didn't have a choice now. I searched and searched and searched until I finally came across an alley with a commotion in it. I began to walk down it and I could see three men standing around another man. It was Naofumi. One of the three men pulled out a knife and attempted to stab him. But Naofumi raised up his shield and intercepted the knife. When they made contact, Naofumi's shield let out a burst of energy that sent the knife flying. The three men looked terrified and then ran away. I then approached Naofumi. "What, were they trying to mug you?" I asked as he turned around. "Actually, they were. What do you want, now? Did you do what you said and join my party?" He asked me. "Not exactly. I tried but it was a forbidden request that couldn't be done. So instead, I made it so I can travel with you without our weapons restricting each other. And..... as you can see.... it came at one heck of a cost." I said as Naofumi took a good look at me. "What happened to your armor?" He asked me. "I had to give up everything I owned other than my axe. My levels, money, and even my clothing. Plus, the rate at which I level up is now three times as slow as before." I explained as Naofumi looked stunned. "Wait, so you're telling me you're not wearing any clothes under that cloak!?" He asked me. "Sadly, yes. Now, is this enough for me to gain your trust?" I asked. "For the time being, I guess. We'll see how long it lasts though." Naofumi said as I just rolled my eyes. "Now, since we're both basically back to step one, let's focus on what's important. We need other party members for ourselves." I said

"Sounds like you two could use some help." A man said as we looked in the direction he spoke from. We saw a man wearing a top hat, glasses, red bow tie, and a purple and white suit. "And what makes you think that?" Naofumi asked him. "I may have overheard the girl say you need some party members. So it's clear you don't have any. And what luck, I have exactly what you need!" The man said as Naofumi turned away. "If you're offering me party members, then i'll pass." He said. "Party members? No, no, what i'm offering you is a service I believe you'll find much more convenient." The man explained. "And what exactly would that be?" Naofumi asked. "Interested, are we? I can tell by that look in your eye. You're every bit the rumors said you'd be! And you're lady friend here, my, my, what a-" The man began to say but I cut him off. "Just shut up and tell us what you're talking about. Otherwise, you may lose some customers." I said in a demanding voice. "Such intensity in your eyes. I like it. Please follow me and i'll show you." The man said as we walked out of the alleyway and over to what looked like a huge circus tent. Inside, it was full of cages of every size. "So, what exact;y are you offering us?" Naofumi asked as we walked around the room. "Can't you tell by just looking? They're slaves." The man explained as I took some long looks at all the cages. There were people, creatures, and people with animal features inside the cages. It was saddening to see them in this state. "Yes, I run a slave trading business!" The man said to us. "What would make you think we'd want to own slaves?" I asked. "Oh, I don't know, the fact that they can neither lie or betray their master." The man explained as I looked at Naofumi. His interest seemed to have peaked with that last comment. "We keep all our slaves in line by placing them under the effects of a curse. A strong, seal based curse. If they misbehave, it could take their very lives. So, what do you say?" The man asked us. "I'm not exactly one for owning a slave. But i'm not exactly in the position to argue, considering my status at the moment. Which means i'm up for anything right now. But, i'm going to leave this decision to you, Naofumi." I said as he began to think. "All right, show us what you've got." Naofumi said as I figured he would agree. "I knew you had exactly what it takes to be a most wonderful patron. And your friend here, she seems to have a similar fire in her as well. Now come, I'll show you what we have acquired." The man said as we began to look at all the cages. 

"Some of these slaves don't look human." I said. "I can assure you they still are, mostly." The man said. "Tell us more. We don't exactly know much about this world." Naofumi asked. "Creatures that look mostly human but aren't are what we refer to as "Demi-Humans." They're mostly used as service or for manual labour. Beast men are demi-humans whose appearance leans towards the animal side. They're often used as bodyguards or gambled on as participants in death matches. And since this country practices human supremacy and demi-humans are said to be closer to monsters, life can be quite hard for them here. As such, they're treated as slaves." The man explained as we started to hear some people coughing. Naofumi began to walk over to where the coughing was coming from and I followed him. He stopped in front of a cage with a sheet over it. Naofumi removed the sheet and inside the cage, we saw two demi-human little girls. They were both in shackles and they looked near death. One looked like she had the features of a fox with the ears and tail of the animal. And the second, looked like a child version of the woman in the dream I had a couple of days ago. She had stripes on her face and arms, as well as, whiskers and a tiger tail. "Might I interest you two in this slave over here?" The man said as we turned around and faced him. He was standing in front of a cage with a creature that looked like a werewolf inside. "This beast is level 75." The man said. "How much do you want for it?" Naofumi asked. "Let's see.... how about 15 gold pieces?" The man said. "Showing us your most expensive slave knowing full well we can't afford it?" Naofumi said. "Indeed. You're gonna become some of my best customers, I've gotta nose for these things. So I gotta make sure you develop a keen eye if you catch my drift. Well now, since you've seen my best, let me ask you two a question. Exactly what kind of slave are you in the market for?" The man asked us. One that's cheap and obedient to work. Is that okay with you?" Naofumi asked me. I simply gave him a nod. "In other words, a demi-human, is that right? These aren't much suited for combat or manual labour." The man explained as he walked over to the cage with the two little girls. "Doesn't matter. If we need them in battle, then we'll train them." Naofumi said. "That's an amusing response considering you don't believe in people." The man said. "Yeah, but slaves aren't people. And it's not like they're gonna be our shields." Naofumi said. "Well, you got me there, that's for sure. Now, these two are the cheapest I can offer, other than the dead ones of course." The man said as we looked at the two demi-humans. "Raise your head." Naofumi said, looking at the girl with fox features. She was coughing like crazy, most likely very sick. She eventually raised her head up and looked at Naofumi. "That mangy half-raccoon is as sick as a dog, i'm having a hell of a time with her myself. You see, her previous owner loved his torture. She's not long for this world, I suggest something else." The man said but Naofumi stepped forward. "We'll take them both." He said as he then looked to me. "Which one do you want? I already know i'm paying for both of them, so make it quick, before I take them both for myself." He said to me as I looked at the two demi-humans. 

They both looked incredibly weak and sick, making me not want either of them. But, something was pulling me towards the one with the tigers features. "I'll take her. The one who looks like a tiger." I said, pointing to the girl. "Fine. I'll take the raccoon then." Naofumi said as he handed me three silver coins and a few copper ones. "Alright then, let's begin!" The man said to us as he opened up the cage and pulled the two girls out by their shackles. We all then walked into a back room with some sort of weird shrine looking thing in it. "This is what we use to "subdue" the slaves so that they are obedient. It will require some of your own blood though." The man explained. "How much blood exactly?" I asked him. "Not much. I'll just cut your finger a bit. We only need one drop." The man explained. "Very well. I'll go first." Naofumi said as he took the knife that was on the shrine. He cut his thumb and then held it over a small bowl filled with a dark water. His blood dripped into the bowl and the man took it off the shrine. He then put a paint brush into it and brought it over to the raccoon demi-human. The man then revealed a symbol on the girls chest. "That must be the slave emblem." I thought as I watched the man use the paint brush to draw a circle around the symbol. The symbol then began to glow purple and the little girl began to scream in pain. "Don't worry. The pain will stop in a few seconds. That slave crest branded on their chests makes it impossible for them to defy you." The man said as he moved on to my slave. I cut my finger and placed the drop of blood in the bowl. The man then took the brush, dipped it in the bowl and drew a circle around the tiger demi-humans slave crest. The crest began to glow purple like before and the girl screamed in pain. But it soon stopped and the two of them fell to their knees, breathing very heavily. And after their crests stopped glowing, my status menu opened up and asked if I wanted to set my slave as a companion. I chose yes."There you go, you two. They're all yours." The man said as me and Naofumi gave him his pay. We both then walked up to each of our slaves who were still coughing. 

"Now then, I guess i'm supposed to know what you're name is, right?" Naofumi asked his slave but she just kept coughing. "Well? Tell me your name!" Naofumi demanded as the demi-human did the best to stop coughing. "I'm called.... Raphtalia." The demi-human said with a very scared voice. "Raphtalia, huh? Let's go." Naofumi said as he grabbed her arm and stood her up. He then walked out with her, leaving me with my slave. I faced mine but I decided to be just a little more nicer than Naofumi was. "Would you mind telling what your name is, little girl?" I asked as I crouched down, meeting the tiger girl at eye level. She faced me with and I could see tears in her eyes. I gave her a heartwarming smile and a pat on the head. She seemed to warm up a bit as she wiped away the tears. "My name's Neela." She said to me. "Nice to meet you, Neela. My name is Ayuma Saruwatari. I'm one of the five cardinal heroes." I said as I helped her stand up. We then began to leave the slave trade tent. "I look forward to your next visit. We're always open." The man said to me but I chose to ignore him. We exited the tent and met Naofumi and Raphtalia outside. "Took you long enough. So, what now?" He asked me. "We've both got a long way to go, and with training these demi-humans now a priority, we're sure to fall behind for the time being. So, for now, I feel it's best we go our separate ways." I said as Naofumi looked at me curiously. "And why do you think that?" He asked me. "Training together would more than likely hinder us than strengthen us. I'm sure the ways we prefer to train are far more different than what we're thinking. So how about this. We'll each go off and train our demi-humans until the day before the wave hits. By then, the two of us and our new party members will have gained lots of experience and new abilities." I explained as Naofumi gave me a nod. "Fine. The day before the wave, got it. We'll see you then. Come on." Naofumi said as he walked away with Raphtalia. I then looked to Neela and I saw she was staring at me. "What are we gonna do, miss Ayuma?" She asked me. "Ok, i'm not going to lie to you. I'm going to help train you so we can help defend this land from the waves of catastrophe. It's not going to be easy. You'll have to learn skills on the fly. The learning curve will go from tough to extreme pretty quickly. But, I promise i'll turn you into one formidable warrior. One who can take down any foe." I said as Neela gave me a small smile and a nod. "Ok, miss." She said quietly as we headed out of the village, officially beginning our adventure together.