It took a few days, but Diana had finally made it to the kingdom of Melromarc. She had on a thick, black robe that covered her body as she traveled into the town of Riyute. She felt like a fish out of water as she strolled through. She had never seen a place like the village and was unfamiliar with the customs, so she started to leave. That's when it started.

The sky started to darken until it was blood red. And suddenly, a black streak ripped through the air above like a crack. Out of the crack, hordes of skeleton-like monsters emerged with armor. They ran to the village Diana just left. In the distance, she could see a much bigger monster at the other end of the forest.

Diana also saw three men with different weapons (a bow, a sword, and a spear) charging toward the monster. She recognized them as the Cardinal Heroes and was about to join them when a thought entered her mind.

"Wait! Why are they going over there? The village needs their help. And where's the Shield Hero?"

Diana looked back at the village and made her choice. She turned around and headed to protect its people. She threw off her cloak and readied her sword and shield.

As she started to approach, she saw several monsters fighting the knights, but the formation was so poor. On the other side, a girl with raccoon ears guided the villagers out. And somewhere in the middle, Diana saw the odd Cardinal Hero out of the group. The Shield Hero only wielded his shield, which he used to bash on monsters and cast spells to support him.

Diana also saw the captain of the knights fire a flash of fire to a large horde of monsters. Unfortunately, that blast was heading right toward where The Shield Hero and the demihuman were. That's when she jumped. She got in the way of the fire blast and used her shield to protect herself and the Cardinal Hero. The flames parted only hitting the monsters. The flames died down and everyone (the Shield Hero, the demihuman, and the knights) stared at Diana.

"Watch where you aim." Diana ordered.

"Who are you?" the Shield Hero asked.

"A friend. Right now, you knights need to get your heads together. You could've hurt these two."

"What's the issue?" the knight asked smugly.

"You're despicable." The demihuman whispered.

"Right now, let's focus on the monsters." Diana said. "Everyone, block the monsters' attacks, and then counter. Rinse and repeat."

The Shield Hero looked at the captain of the knights. "Is she with you?"

"I thought she was with you."

Reluctantly, the knights agreed to the plan. Half of them worked on helping the villagers escape the wave. The others followed the battle strategy. The Shield Hero blocked each attack letting the demihuman charge from behind him to counter with her sword.

Diana relied on her amazon training to survive. It was a lot different from sparring with her sisters. She could hardly believe the waves were going to get stronger in the future, but she'll push through. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop getting the high ground and slicing her sword on any monster she faces. She pulled out her golden lasso and used it for long-distance combat and tightening it until it cut any monster it snatches.

Eventually, the last monster was killed and the sky returned to normal. The guards were exhausted between the broken buildings. While they gathered up their bearings, Diana approached the Cardinal Hero she fought beside.

"You must be the Shield Hero." Diana said. "It is an honor to meet you."

"First time anyone ever said that." He responded coldly.

"I beg your pardon?" Diana asked.

"Don't worry. Mr. Naofumi is always like this." The demihuman said. "I'm Raphtalia, by the way. Thank you for helping."

"Your swordsmanship was good as well, Raphtalia. I'm Diana."

"Don't coddle the kid like that." Naofumi said.

"Kid?" Diana asked.

"It's been like that since we met." Raphtalia said. "For some reason, he doesn't see me as anything but a little girl."

"Well, Naofumi the Shield Hero," Diana presented, "If I make a request: I'd like to fight by your side. If I am to join your party…"

"Absolutely not!" Naofumi scolded making Diana freeze up. "Come on, Raphtalia!" He turned around.

Raphtalia chuckled. "I'll talk to him about it. See ya." She followed the Cardinal Hero.

"That's strange." Diana said. That's when the captain approached her.

"Listen, madame, I may have been a bit hasty earlier. If you like, you can come with us to the king's celebration tonight. I'm sure his highness will want to meet you and reward you for your efforts."

"Is that so?" Diana asked. "Will the Cardinal Heroes be there?"

"Of course. They all contributed, so they must be rewarded."

Diana agreed to follow hoping to have a better chance to talk to the Shield Hero.


Meanwhile, a dark, eerie shop, a short slave traver with a black top hat was tending to a bunch of animals and slaves. He turned to face his desk when he was startled by a large figure. It was a big man shrouded in a black cloak.

"Goodness gracious, sir!" he gasped. "Where did you come from?"

"I let myself in." the man answered. "I've heard you're the kind of man who can get me a wild animal."

"Perhaps." The slaver said. "How much can you pay?"

The hooded man reached out his gloved hand and dropped a small bag on the desk. The slaver peeked in and saw it nearly filled to the brim with gold coins. He smiled at that.

"Follow me!" he cheered as he brought him across the caged animals and demihumans. "Would you be open for a fresh slave off the market?"

"I'm not looking for a slave. I'm merely looking for an animal."

"Ah. A collector of exotic pets, I see. Well, I've got quite a selection."

While the slaver introduced the animals he had caged up, the hooded man's eyes were caught at the sight of a ravaged cage. Claw marks scratched on the ground and bars. Blood spilled. Bits of flesh scattered. And at the back of the cage was a messy, feral cheetah. Underneath his hood, the man smiled as he pointed at the feline.

"I'll take that one."

"Oh, her? Sorry, sir, but you don't want that one. She's been here for a long time, and no one's had any success taming her. All I get is lost workers."

"I can pay double."

"Really? Are you sure? Well, all right. But it's your funeral."

Very carefully, the slaver approached the cage with his key out. He silently unlocked the cage and opened it up. Suddenly, the cheetah roared and charged toward the open door. The slaver panicked and ran, but suddenly, the mystery man pulled out a large, black sword and swung it down at the cheetah. It collapsed as it died on the ground.

"See?" the slaver asked. "I'm so sorry about this! We'll clean this up soon, we'll find you a new pet and…"

"No. This will do." The slaver was confused at what his customer just said. "Oh, and I'll pay you another bag if you promise not to tell anyone about this."

"Sir, if I may, this is highly irregular." The slaver said. "What would you want with a dead pet?"

"You misunderstand. I am not looking for a pet."

The hooded man knelt down to the cheetah's corpse and raised his hands over it. Suddenly, a white light escaped from its body and in between his hands. The light briefly revealed a feral cheetah face. The man looked at the spirit of the cheetah with his red eyes.

"I am making a monster. After all, monsters can make any war better."


Author's Note: In the next chapter, Diana learns more about Naofumi's history in Melromarc. How will she react to the charges and the duel with Motoyasu? Wait and find out. Any and all comments are welcome.