Warnings: Rape (Chapter 2), Sex, Violence

This will be a very long fic (500k+) with some smut here and there because it's a core element of the premise, and also, "why not?". Also, Malty and Naofumi's relationship is very physical; I feel it wouldn't work otherwise. There will be plot. Keyword: Medea (eventually). And I mean eventually (see below).

I guess I should point out that this is AU. Expect changes (especially concerning Medea, and by extension, Malty).

You can skip chapter 2 (which is completely smut/rape, although the rape part is very short and ambiguous) and continue without a problem if that kind of stuff isn't for you.

I've listed the story as Angst simply to display that it has some dark themes. Not sure what else the Angst genre typically entails, but whatever that may be, don't expect the story to follow that to the letter (opposite to the Romance, which I take very seriously).

The story will be long and I'm planning to split it into "books" to make it easier to plan and to follow. Each "book" will be 100-200k words (although the first "book"—which contains basically everything from anime season 1—will probably be a little longer). Anything romantic happening with Raphtalia will only start in "book" 2. Until then, this is purely Malty/Naofumi (and obviously one-sided Rapthalia/Naofumi). Also, I'm planning to make this a true three-way relationship, meaning that there'll be both Malty/Raphtalia and Naofumi/Raphtalia development. Medea Plot will build up throughout all "books" and will probably come to a head somewhere in "book" 4 or 5, which then marks the end of this fic (after a little epilogue). Although, I've been known to get ahead of myself, so I'll just focus on writing "book" 1 for now. In theory, "book" 1 can be regarded as an independent (Naofumi/Malty) story with a semi-open ending. So, no matter what happens (be it a lack of motivation or simply real life getting in the way), I want to at least complete that.

"Aren't you going to drink your wine?" Myne leaned forward and lightly chinked her full goblet against his own, and for the briefest moment, Naofumi thought he'd seen a strange flicker in her green eyes—some hidden intelligence, a sort of hunger that so greatly contrasted the open, friendly, and innocent person he'd thought her to be.

He was so shocked that any reply as to how he didn't usually drink alcohol died in his throat as his breath hitched, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"If you haven't noticed, Melromarc is a matriarchy," Myne went on, smiling sweetly at him again, though her posture was a little dejected. "It is quite unheard of a man denying an invitation to a drink. But you couldn't have known that. So, drink with me?" she asked hopefully, batting her eyelashes.

He was suddenly feeling quite warm, and, clearing his throat, he shook himself out of his stupor as he stared into her striking face. His hand had already reached toward his goblet, and her face brightened up in a wide smile when he remembered whatever it was he'd seen in her gaze a few moments ago. He stilled, his fingers gracing against the cold glass while an insane thought flickered through his mind: What if she has poisoned the wine?

No, he immediately brushed it off. Myne would never do that. His eyes flickered back and forth from the red wine—swirling ominously in the goblet, daring him to drink it—to her hopeful, innocent expression. His hands were suddenly sweaty and his throat felt constricted while doubt and nervousness began to consume his whole being.

Out! He didn't get any air. I need to get out of here! He abruptly stood, nearly knocking his chair over, drawing a few stares of the other patrons as he rocked their table, spilling some of the wine.

"S-sorry!" Naofumi croaked.

"Are you alright?" Myne asked with concern in her melodic voice.

"I—I... I have to go the bathroom," he said hurriedly and fled, not chancing another glance at her. He half-stumbled, half-walked as he somehow managed to find the tavern's restroom without knocking over anyone. Bursting through the door, he found the small room thankfully empty and managed to draw a few deep, calming breaths as his rapidly beating heart began to slow down, now that he was finally alone.

What just happened? he wondered in mild horror, running a shaky hand through his wild hair while he inspected himself in the restroom's mirror. One moment he was having a lovely dinner with a sweet, beautiful girl, planning the next few days of their joined adventure, and the next he was sitting across a silver-tongued viper wearing a human's face, watching him with hopeful eyes that barely concealed some hidden hunger as he had his last meal in front of her.

Shaking his head, he knelt down in front of the washbasin and splashed his face with a handful of cold, refreshing water, then rested his hands onto the rim, taking another handful of deep breaths to steady himself

This is insane, Noafumi told himself, my imagination is getting the better of me. He didn't have any proof for his sudden paranoia aside from a brief flicker in her eyes, which could have very well been a trick of the light.

"But she's been suspiciously insistent that I drink my wine," he tried to convince himself. He flopped down on the wooden floor, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes while he tried to make sense of it all. He thought back to how it all started, going over every interaction between him and his companion.

He'd first seen her when they'd been called to meet the adventurers the king had assembled. Myne had stood among them, and he remembered quite clearly how their eyes had met and how she'd smiled while he'd blushed and averted his eyes. She'd definitely sought him out there; Motoyasu had been walking beside him, but her eyes had only met his.

"So, she'd planned to join my party from the start, huh?" If that was the case, why didn't she join his party immediately? Why make a show of first joining Motoyasu, then him, acting as if she'd only done so out of pity? He had no idea.

After saying goodbye to the other heroes, they'd then ventured into the city and visited the weapons shop. A shop she chose, he reminded himself. She'd said that it was a shop of her trust, but the owner hadn't known her. Although, he had made a strange comment on how she seemed familiar. Odd.

Then they'd gone to slay some monsters. She had killed quite a few, but sadly, her kills hadn't given him XP. Now thinking about it, wasn't it normal for a party to share XP? He didn't have the extensive knowledge of the other heroes, who had played games similar to the world he now found himself in, but he knew that much. After all, what was the point of a party, if not to help him level up?

The stronger I am, the more loot we'll get from monsters, Myne's voice echoed through his head as she'd sweet-talked him into buying her new equipment. As if he'd care about the loot! He needed XP and levels if he wanted to survive the coming Waves. A thing, Myne apparently couldn't help him with. Or a thing, she'd conveniently forgotten.

God, I'm an idiot, Naofumi thought, swiping a head down his wet face. I have been so absorbed by this new experience and her sweet, open demeanor that I didn't question anything! She didn't need that armor—that was what his shield was for. A new sword maybe—even if that—but everything else was just unnecessary. And he hadn't even give it a second thought, blinded by her beauty.

"Fuck." He wiped his face dry and stood up, intent on confronting her, but then hesitated. Was that even a good idea? What would it accomplish? If Myne was indeed playing some sort of game here, he'd only give himself away. Should he just leave? Make a run for it while he could? But where would he even go... He didn't know anything about this new world. And at the moment, he was dependent on the king for his income. Throwing that away would be foolish.

No, he decided, I need to find out more. I'll act as if nothing is the matter. And I better return now before she gets suspicious—I've been in here for a while.

Mind made up, Naofumi exited the restroom and made his way back to their table, barely managing to maintain a calm facade on the outside while his nervousness reached new heights, and he had to physically restrain himself from letting his eyes roam around the room, looking for some conspirators or hidden figures that only waited to leap out of the corners and shadows.

"Sir Hero!" Myne greeted with her usual cheerful demeanor, waving at him from the spot he'd left her.

Watching her lovely face, a grin automatically spread across his own despite himself. "Myne. Sorry I kept you waiting. I had to refresh myself." He took a moment to study her and realized how sweet, innocent, and perfect she looked. Almost too sweet. He made to sit down when his eyes fell onto the two still full goblets of wine, and his heart leapt into his throat.

Fuck! He had totally forgotten about that! What do I do? What do I do? He had to come up with a solution, and fast, lest—

"Are you alright, Sir Hero?"

He just realized that he'd paused half in the motion of sitting down. Suddenly a stupid, risky plan crossed his mind, but he decided to not question his gut feeling and go with it. So, pretending to stumble, he let himself fall forward, and, while trying to steady himself onto the table, he gave his plate of unfinished food a quick shove in what he hoped wasn't too obvious. It had, however, the desired effect, and he managed to send it flying in Myne's direction, missing her by a fair margin and shortly after shattering onto the floor.

Myne gave a startled squeak and turned around, looking at the mess he's caused, and Naofumi used this moment to quickly grab both goblets and swap them, then took his place. He chaced a glance at the goblets, in which the wine was dangerously oscillating.

"Sorry, I'm really clumsy sometimes," he immediately apologized as she turned back to face him again.

Don't look down! Don't look down! he chanted in his head, locking eyes with her.

"Don't worry about it." Myne smiled, waving a careless hand before she leaned forward and rested her forearms onto the table. His eyes flicked toward her armor-covered cleavage, to the sizable ruby sitting there atop her sternum, to her luscious red hair falling onto the bare skin around her collarbone, then back to her lips, which span into an even wider smile as she noticed his scrutiny.

He cleared his throat and chanced a look at the goblets, sagging in relief to notice that his sleight has gone unnoticed.

"So," Myne spoke quietly, "about that drink..."

Now, without irrational fear, Naofumi immediately reached out and took his goblet—her goblet, the one without anything in it!—and brought it to his nose, taking a small sniff. He then swirled his glass like he'd seen adults often do and watched the red liquid intently, trying to come up with the best course of action to get some information out of Myne.

"Say," he suddenly said, looking up with a smile to see her frozen in motion with the goblet an inch away from her lips. "Why don't we take our drinks and head upstairs?"

The corners of her mouth minutely shifted into a smirk before returning to her usual sweet smile.

Caught red-handed! She was good, he had to give her that, but since he knew what he was looking for, he'd caught the brief break of her act.

"Of course, Sir Hero. I'd love to talk a little more...privately," she replied, the last word coming out a little breathy, and he saw that minute flicker in her eyes again.

Luckily, the smirk that had shown on his face as he'd caught her smirk could be excused as him just being happy that she'd accepted. After all, who wouldn't want to be alone with a girl like Myne, ulterior motive or not? It could, of course, be the case that he was overreacting and that Myne simply had a crush on him. Maybe she's obsessed with the Shield Hero, not me? It didn't really matter. "Great." Grabbing his goblet, he stood, and Myne followed suit.

Wine glass in hand, she took the lead, swaying her hips as she slowly made her way toward the stairs. Naofumi followed close behind as they climbed the steps and searched the corridor for their rooms.

"Ah, here it is." Myne procured a key from somewhere within her armor and opened the door.

Her room, he idly noted. Though it didn't really make any difference, their rooms being virtually the same. Still, same as when they'd gone to the weapon shop or when chosing which tavern to spend the night, she'd taken the lead. Something that she apparently liked to do. For someone who acted like a sweet, innocent girl, she certainly was confident. Or arrogant.

Naofumi closed the door behind himself and took a moment to observe the room. It was quite small but homey, the walls, floor, and ceiling made entirely out of wood. A bed big enough for one person stood to the far side, some simple wooden furniture—a garderobe and a table with a set of chairs—took up the rest of the room.

Myne was already sitting on a chair that stood next to her bed. She took a sip of wine and placed her goblet onto the bedside table, then leaned back and smiled at him.

He wasn't quite sure what to do. He hadn't really thought past the getting-to-her-room phase. His only real plan was to get her drunk enough that she'd reveal her intentions or secrets.

"Why don't you have a seat and join me, Sir Hero?" she asked, apparently having noticed his hesitation, and patted a stop on the bed beside her.

He gulped. "Sure." Heart racing and hands starting to get sweaty again, he took his place on the bed, warily watching Myne out of the corner of his eyes.

"I thought you were going to drink with me?" she asked, managing to sound vulnerable and small.

"Y-yeah, sorry." Naofumi grimaced, irritated by his nervousness, and brought his goblet to his lips, then tentatively took a sip. The taste wasn't too bad, and, holding eye contact with Myne, he continued to take a few gulps, the alcohol burning in his throat and warming his stomach.

She made a cute, happy sound as she watched him with slightly darkened eyes, drinking as well. As the one who definitely didn't have the poisoned wine, he continued to chug down until there was not a drop left in the glass, never breaking eye contact.

"Ahhh," Myne gave a content sigh and replaced her empty glass onto the bedside table.

Naofumi placed his own glass onto the ground before facing her again. They were in touching distance, and the wine was already getting to his head, his gaze lingering on her full lips as she licked some last drops of wine off them. His pants were getting uncomfortably tight, and he had the urge to reach out with his hand and touch her—to take her hand or run his fingers through her beautiful hair. The room was only sparsely lit by a few candles, creating a very intimate atmosphere, and her crimson hair and emerald eyes seemed to almost shimmer in contrast to the rest of the room.

"Myne," he began, his voice coming out husky but luckily not slurred, "I just realized that I don't really know anything about you. How long have you been an adventurer?"

"Hmm?" She tilted her head to the side and steadied herself with a hand on the bed, appearing deep in thought for a moment. "How long have I been an adventurer? For a while, but there's not much to tell." She yawned and stretched herself, then resumed her previous position, her hand coming to rest a little closer toward him. "I'm tired, and my armor is grating my skin. Can you help me take it off? I don't think I can manage without dropping something and waking the whole tavern." She stared at him with hopeful, sleepy eyes.

His heart was hammering wildly in his chest now, and he felt like he was burning up inside his armor. Could this be it? Did she really just want to seduce him without any ulterior motive? He cleared his suddenly—despite the wine—dry throat. "Just...let me take my armor off, it's not as easy to move in it as it looks," he made a shitty excuse to which she hummed noncommittally.

He fingered desperately with the fastenings of his armor, trying to stop his hands from shaking and bringing his breathing back under control. Am I really getting laid?! his mind seemed to scream in his head as he finally managed to free himself of his armor, pulling it over his head and carelessly discarding it onto the floor. He then faced Myne. "Where...where should I start?"

She flicked her hair over one shoulder and turned away, facing him with her back. "My breastplate...and my throat." She sighed. "I feel like...I can't...breathe."

Nodding despite her not being able to see it, Naofumi reached out with shaky fingers and got to work. The mechanism securing the piece of armor around her throat and shoulders was quite simple, and with a quick movement of his hand, he held the armor piece in his hand and gently set it onto the ground. When he looked up again, his gaze got briefly drawn toward her now bare shoulders and creamy skin—the urge to touch it was almost insurmountable—but he managed to rip his eyes off her.

It occurred to him that quite some time had passed since Myne had drunk her glass of wine, and there were no signs of any form of poisoning happening. Releasing a relieved sigh, the tension that had occupied his body since his little breakdown in the restroom finally left his body, and for the first time since then, an honest smile spread across his face. Seems I've been paranoid after all. Well, better safe than sorry.

Myne took a few deep breaths as if to confirm her previous claim, then leaned back into him with a content sigh. "So much better."

Time seemed to slow down as her body neared his, and his hands instinctively shot out and grasped her shoulders to steady her. Her skin was soft and cool against his hot, sweaty fingers and he barely resisted running them over it, exploring every inch of exposed skin. He grimaced, his now rock-hard erection being almost painfully restrained by his trousers.

"Are you alright...Sir Hero?" she asked quietly with the hint of a slur in her voice.

Sir Hero. The words pierced his dazed state of mind, and he withdrew his hands as if burned. She never called me Naofumi. Not once, he suddenly realized in suspicion and disappointment. "Y-yes." Shaking the sudden doubt off his mind, he resumed his efforts on her armor and started fingering with the mechanism of her breastplate. He'd just help her get out her armor and into bed, then retreat to his own room and sleep the alcohol off. The thought of taking advantage of her drunken state of mind left a vile taste in his mouth, and he didn't really like the idea of only getting lucky because Myne had some sort of unhealthy infatuation with the Shield Hero.

Plan in mind, he rapidly freed her from her breastplate, then moved to remove her bracers and greaves, kneeling on the floor in front of her when dealing with the latter. She sat silently during his endeavor, her head sagging and shooting up from time to time and only vaguely moving her arms and legs while he freed them of their armor.

"Only one piece left," he said gently, standing up and holding a hand out to her." Though you'll have to be standing for me to remove it."

She grasped his hand without question. Ignoring the almost electrical shock surging up his arm by their touch, he drew her up, then went to remove her sword and the armor covering her hips. He was now quite familiar with the design and had it removed in a matter of seconds. The moment he let go of her and set the armor piece on the ground, she started to sway and fall.

"Myne!" Naofumi lunged forward and managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Holding her almost bridal style with only her feet touching the ground, he peered down at her confused expression with worry.

Myne—now only clad in a purple strapless bra and knickers—looked around as if trying to orientate herself, then stared intently at him. "How can you still stand?" she murmured.

"Don't worry, I'm not that drunk." He helped her back into a standing position but continued to steady her. "The fighting today must have been tiresome. I'll help you to bed."

He gently steered her toward the bed, but suddenly, she shrugged his arm off quite violently, then pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You! You did this to me!"

"What?" He saw her swaying and made to reach out to her, but she shrank away from his touch, stumbling backward, nearly stepping onto her discarded breastplate, and coming to a rest against the bedframe.

"You swapped our glasses!" she shrieked, sounding as if he had committed a crime when apparently, she'd been the one who'd put something in his goblet. Her façade was completely off now, and she was glaring at him with a hateful, ugly expression on her face—every trace of the sweet girl he'd spent the day with had vanished.

He'd been right, every bit of paranoia paying off, and had beaten her at her own game. "I did." He smirked. The disappointment of having his worst fears confirmed got overshadowed by being right and the adrenaline that suddenly surged through his veins, clearing away the haze of the alcohol. This wasn't over yet, and he'd have to find out why she did it if he wanted to come out on top of this situation.

Her eyes widened briefly, then a contemplative expression crossed her face. "How?" she demanded, watching him with something in-between anger and intrigue. "How did you know?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me why you did it." He took a step forward.

She sneered at him. "Whatever. It doesn't matter." Then, she lunged sideways. "Help!" she screamed. "He—"

He was onto her before she could finish her second scream, surrounding her midriff with one arm and clasping a hand over her mouth, muffling her screams. Being half-lifted off the ground, she struggled against his hold, lashing out with arms and legs alike, but her efforts were uncoordinated and her strikes weakened by the wine and whatever she'd put into it.

"Bitch!" Naofumi cursed when she bit down on his hand, and he withdrew it on instinct.

"Hel—hhhhmmmmm..."

He grasped her throat and pushed down harshly, silencing her screams effectively this time. "Shut up!" he hissed harshly. Where he'd previously treated her as a precious glass doll, now, that she'd shown her true colors, he had no such reservations. He knew exactly what her plan was: If someone were to happen upon them at this moment, it was obvious who they'd make out to be the villain—him. He had no proof that she had been the one who'd put something in her drink, so it would look as if he'd drugged her and was now trying to rape her. That they were in her room and that she was almost completely undressed didn't help that fact either.

They continued to struggle and bumped against the table, knocking over the candles standing atop of it, casting the room in almost complete darkness. A few seconds later, and Naofumi managed to get a good hold of her and shove her harshly into the wall with an audible thump—head-first. Her struggles seized almost completely, and Naofumi used this opportunity to turn her around so that she was facing him, back against the wall. He then grasped her throat with one hand again while he pressed his body against hers, holding her in place and preventing her from struggling further.

He took a moment to catch his bated breath and waited for her to regain her bearings, idly noting how there was no blood or imprint on his hand where she'd bitten him—his high defense had protected him. "Talk!" he instructed.

Myne opened her mouth to scream again, but Naofumi, having foreseen this, tightened his hold, and only a scratching sound left her throat.

"What did you put in my glass?" he tried again, loosening his grasp.

She kept her mouth shut and glared at him with such hatred that he wouldn't have been surprised if suddenly fire erupted from her eyes. Then, as if suddenly remembering that she was the one holding all the cards, her expression turned triumphant and haughty, and she smirked at him. "Release me now and I'll forget this unprovoked attack on my person." Where she'd previously looked at him with wonder and sounded sweet and friendly, she now looked at him as if he were the dirt on the floor, and her voice was condescending and grated on his nerves.

He was suddenly overwhelmed with anger and wanted to choke her, to silence that ugly voice forever.

"You have already lost, you just haven't realized it yet," she explained, as if talking to a small child. "Whatever you do, you cannot win. Better to give up now before you make it worse."

"Yeah?" he scoffed. "So that you may run away and scream how I've raped you?"

She smiled her bight Myne-smile again. "Precisely."

"And why would I do that?"

"Better to beg for forgiveness now than being caught later, don't you think?"

"This was your plan all along!" he accused.

She gave a simpering laugh and winked.

"Bitch! Tell me, what is the punishment for rape?" He had no illusions that the people of this world would take his word over hers. He was already regarded with caution because he didn't know about this world, not to mention how the king was already disliking him for seemingly no reason at all. And considering that Myne had planned this from the start, she wouldn't have done so if she had doubt that it wouldn't work. Depending on the punishment—

"Death."

He blinked, staring at her. "Repeat that for me," he said slowly. Dangerously.

"Death, although—"

Naofumi saw red. This bitch was trying to have him killed! For no reason at all! He grasped her throat with both hands and choked her with such force that he was surprised he didn't just snap her neck.

Her eyes widened in surprise and fear as she unsuccessfully gasped for air and began to struggle again, hitting him with her hands and scraping his face with sharp fingernails. But he ignored the pain, and his high defense prevented her from doing any damage.

He was going to do it. Whether she lived or not, his life was forfeit, and he'd have to run or die. And for what? For her amusement? He'd do the world a favor to get rid of this psycho.

"P... ple...ase." Her struggles weakened while she desperately clawed at his hands and tried to say something. "Y...you...wo...nt...die."

He paused and slightly relented his hold. "Explain."

Myne greedily sucked in the air and coughed a few times. "They can't...have you killed," she said in a disgusted voice, glaring at him. "Because you're a hero."

"Well, if that's the case." He began to choke her again. "I might just save me the trouble and get rid of you now."

"W...wait." she managed to squeeze through his hold. "If...you kill me... Papa will...have your head."

Papa? It suddenly all fell into place. Papa, the shopkeep noticing that she was familiar but not recognizing her, and Myne clearly not being her real name. She was the bitchy princess from the book he'd read before he'd been sucked into this world!

And he hated to admit it, but she was right. He may get away with whatever she would accuse him of. He might be able to flee. But if he killed her, he knew that the king wouldn't rest until he had his head, regardless of where he ran or hid.

Naofumi released her, and she immediately gasped for breath again.

"I see you've finally accepted your loss," she said in that infuriating voice of hers, and his anger returned tenfold.

He wanted to grasp her hair and bash her head into the wall until she was silenced. He wanted to choke her, crush in her windpipe that she may never speak with that ugly voice again. But he couldn't do anything. She had him cornered, and he was powerless. The dark room seemed to darken even further as he glared at her with such hate he didn't know he was possible of.

Maybe they wouldn't kill him, but they could still imprison him. Best case scenario, he would remain free but get stripped of all his possessions. Still, this freedom would be short-lived—his already tarnished reputation would be so bad that he would never find another party member, and with no money, he had no chance to hire anyone. He would be left alone, with pathetic attack stats that made it almost impossible to level up until the next Wave hit. In essence, he was as good as dead.

Maybe she couldn't kill him directly, but she sure did so regardless, and judging by her victorious expression, she knew it as well.

Fuck this! I refuse to go down without a fight!

He couldn't let her get away with this. He refused to let her get away unscathed! Then, like an epiphany, the solution occurred to him. Not the solution, but a solution.

Maybe it was the wine that made him foolhardy. Maybe it was the knowledge that his life was likely to be over or very miserable—the point of no return where any and all consequences become obsolete. Maybe it was the strange, foreign presence in his head, spurning his hate on a hundredfold, urging him to succumb to it.

But the solution came to him and didn't go away, and Naofumi didn't have the strength or will to question it. He wanted it. He wanted to hurt. He wanted to make her regret. He wanted to make her feel what he felt: Helpless. Powerless. Weak.

Maybe he couldn't hurt her physically—any injury or bruise would just increase his crime—or kill her. Maybe he couldn't escape whatever plan she'd in store for him.

But he could hurt her. He could inflict the worst pain and crime imaginable on a woman—the one she would accuse him of, regardless of whether he committed it or not. He would scar her forever, taint whatever twisted view of self she had, take away her dignity, and leave a painful reminder for the rest of her life. He'd drag her down with him.

He'd rape her, the princess of Melromarc.

The disgust he'd expected to feel at that decision didn't come. Instead, he only felt righteous anger at the bitch that continued to taunt him with her condescending look and smile. She deserved it...and so much more.

Her eyes widened when he leaned in with his head and forcefully took her lips with his own.

My muse got the better out of me, and this got way longer than I'd intended. Well, the good stuff is coming next Chapter.

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