Note: This fic will mention events from the ending of the Maoyu light novels/manga, which the anime didn't cover. So naturally there will be major spoilers for anime-only watchers who are for some reason waiting for a Maoyu Season 2.
Four months had passed since the May Revolution. Or, as the Adventurers called it, the Catastrophe. Few of them meandered over to this small, humble village, although they usually cleared out the weak monsters that infested the area.
Inside a modest-sized house, a young woman with crimson hair and ruby-colored eyes sat in a large chair, with papers in either hand. Two piles sat on the floor next to her; one for papers she already read, the other for the unread ones. Even more were strewn about the large table that was placed near the center of the room. After contemplating the contents of one, she sighed and placed it down on the small table to her side before standing up.
"Is there something annoying in the letter, Demon Queen?" A blonde-haired woman with her hair in a thick braid piped up as she stepped out of a bedroom and into the common area. She was dressed in fine armor, befitting of a decorated commander.
"There's just so many of them!" The woman known as Demon Queen snarled, casting an ugly glance at the papers that had taken over her room. "They're endless! Are we really in a small, remote village, Female Knight?!"
She chuckled. "This reminds me of the old days, back in the small village where you and Hero started off in."
The Demon Queen smiled wistfully. "That's right… Old days, you say… I wonder how everyone else is doing now."
"They're all brave and smart people. I'm sure they're fine."
"I miss them."
"I do, too."
The two stood in silence for a moment before Female Knight spoke up again. "So, what was the letter about?"
"It was from the researcher, Li Gan, that we met two months earlier. Some of our accomplishments seem to have interested him immensely."
"We did save this village from an intense monster attack. What were they called again, Goblins? And Sahuagin?"
"That's right. They weren't very 'high-leveled,' so you and Hero could fight them off easily, but…"
"There was an awfully large amount that time. I'd say it was like facing the Holy Key Expeditionary Force all over again, with those numbers."
"But without their musket advantage."
"Yeah, but the people here—the 'People of the Earth'—are too weak to fend for themselves, too. All of the soldier types were guarding the big cities. Your tactics kept the villages safe, so Hero and I could fight the monsters off without fearing for their safety."
"I learned a lot from Young Engineer," she smiled. "Those angled walls kept Gateway City safe for more than a week, even under heavy cannon fire."
"And pouring boiling water on them to delay their advance?"
"Well, I guess I came up with that one. It's quite plentiful here, after all," she said with a nod, looking out the window at the stream close to the house. "Luckily, there was a young Adventurer who could create fire for us to keep on boiling water. And the villagers didn't protest at all when I came up with my strategy. It's only because of their cooperation that the walls were built so quickly."
At that moment, the front door opened, and a young man with short, messy brown hair stumbled in.
"Hero!" Demon Queen cried indignantly. "What took you so long?!"
"Sorry, sorry! One villager asked me to help her split logs, and then another elderly man, the one who lost all his grandkids to monsters, asked me to draw up some well water… and then there was the girl who wanted me to help her find her kitten… And then I went to do some more combat training…"
"HERO!"
"Without me?!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really, truly am!"
The two women sighed. No matter how many years had passed, he was always the same. As a "Hero," it had been his duty to slay the Demon King and save humanity from the demons. His whole life, he lived a lonely existence, reviled by demons who saw him as a murderer and distrusted by humans who believed him to be a human weapon. As a result, he came to believe that he needed to sacrifice himself for the sake of humanity, to allow others to live happily in spite of himself.
His experiences with the Demon Queen changed that viewpoint, but old habits die hard, as the three of them learned. He was always running off and doing things without telling anybody. Even with his original "purpose" accomplished, and freed from the system that had ensured his and Demon Queen's death and reincarnation, he was always being a hero that helped those in need.
Even in this new world, where everything was different from before.
"How did combat training go?" Female Knight was a bit huffy that he had trained without his usual combat partner.
"Well, I was mostly just looking at the 'menu screen.' Unlike in the old world, even my powers aren't capable of killing all the monsters on my own. I'm definitely weaker than I used to be. Which," he added, scratching his head, "isn't really a bad thing, if that makes sense."
"What a bizarre world we've ended up in," Demon Queen muttered. "Our abilities are determined by our 'Class,' which is unchangeable, while additional abilities can be added with our 'Subclass,' which can be changed given the appropriate circumstances. Food cannot be prepared without a person with 'Chef' as their subclass, and food prepared through the 'menu' is like eating bland boiled potatoes. And I've had enough of that."
"The distinction between 'Adventurers' like ourselves and the 'People of the Earth' also pesky," Female Knight commented. "The villagers cannot defend themselves from monsters for very long, if at all. I suppose it's not unlike our world, where normal soldiers and knights would have to undergo at least months of regular training to enter the battlefield."
"But according to the village elder, the 'People of the Earth' gain levels very slowly, whereas Adventurers gain it at a much faster pace and thus become stronger faster."
"And on top of that, Adventurers are immortal, huh?"
"They revive in the Cathedral," Hero interjected. "He said the closest one is in Akihabara."
"Akihabara… Isn't that…?"
"Yes." The slight furrow in the Demon Queen's eyebrows showed that she was processing all of the information she knew. "It's where the 'Round Table Alliance' was formed. Headed by the Adventurer known as Berkserker Krusty—"
"—Isn't he the one who led the Goblin Extermination expedition? It's thanks to them that the Goblin threat was suppressed," Female Knight added.
"Yes, he is. But if what Sage Li Gan says is true, there's another man behind this Round Table Alliance."
"Another man?" Hero glanced at the letter that Demon Queen retrieved from a small pile on the dinner table in the common area.
"He is an Archmage known as 'Shiroe.' Sage Li Gan wrote to me that I would be interested in meeting him."
"And this Sage Li Gan wanted to meet us here today?"
"That's why we've dressed up." Female Knight glared daggers at the casually-dressed Hero, who wore his normal tunic with trousers and work boots.
"I-I'm just a country bumpkin!" He protested. "I'm not fit for dressing up!"
This only angered Female Knight even more. "And you think I'm some sort of fancy-pancy noblewoman who dresses up all the time?!"
"No, no! It's not that! Not that at all!" Hero stammered for words. "I-i-it's just that you and Demon Queen are much better at talking than I am! If there's negotiations, all I know is fighting and violence! If you're talking with a Sage, this is definitely outside my area of expertise!"
"This is not my—"
Demon Queen placed a hand on Female Knight's shoulder. "It's alright, Female Knight. This 'country bumpkin' can do all of the menial tasks while we converse with our guest. Hero, get some firewood so that Female Knight can prepare some tea before he arrives."
"Yes, I understand…"
After Hero meekly went out the back door, Demon Queen smoothed out the pristine white tablecloth on the dining table. It was a bit inadequate, but the dining room was the best place for them to receive guests, so it would have to do. All she could do now was wait. Even though Li Gan had mentioned his intentions of discussing "world history" with her, she honestly had no knowledge about this world at all.
After all, she did not originate from the same world that the other Adventurers came from. That much was clear after exchanging a few words with other "true" Adventurers that passed through the area. Although those Adventurers may have believed that she was just excessively naïve, it wasn't something she could hide for very long in a thorough discussion. Such a weakness was never good in negotiations. As she had never met Li Gan herself, she couldn't determine whether his actions were out of mere curiosity or if he had hidden intentions.
Only their meeting would answer her questions.
A mere ten minutes later, which felt like an eternity to her, they heard a couple of sharp raps on the door, followed by an inquisitive "Helloooooo?" Another male voice reprimanded the first, saying something about "being suspicious."
"I'll get the door," Hero said. After he opened the door, at the entryway stood three figures, not one. A man with short, unruly brown hair and disheveled clothes stood in the front, followed by a tall, black-haired, bespectacled man in a blue uniform. A young, but serious-looking girl with long dark blue hair dressed in what was likely the female version of the uniform stood by the second man's side.
The first man spoke. "I'm terribly sorry about the sudden change in my arrival." He fidgeted his fingers as if he were nervous, but the grin on his face didn't seem nervous at all. "I am the Sage of Miral Lake, Li Gan. Accompanying me is Master Shiroe and his guard, Miss Akatsuki."
Shiroe spoke up. "I heard rumors about a 'Crimson Scholar' living in a remote village, and Li Gan informed me that he had exchange a couple of letters with you. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to share information with you."
Chapter Notes: This was a fic idea I've been wanting to write for a while now. There's not enough Maoyu fan fiction out there, and by that I mean that there's basically none (at least for the English fandom).
Because our Maoyu crossover characters (Hero, Demon Queen, and Female Knight) didn't have avatars from the game world, and instead had ones 'created' when they entered this world, their Classes are ones that best fit their role in their original world. As a result, their Classes don't necessarily exist on the Japanese server. Female Knight, for example, probably will have either the Paladin (Samurai) or Templar (Cleric) unique class that belongs to the Western European server. Demon Queen is an Enchanter, without a doubt. Hero will probably be a Guardian or a Paladin.
I haven't abandoned Let's Go Adventuring, Okay? either. I'm in the middle of writing the next chapter! Trying to get into the characters' heads is a bit tough, though. Hopefully it'll be easier, since Rayneshia has a bit of focus in volumes 3 and 4 and I just got volume 4 yesterday.