Zero no Tsukaima -XOver- One Shot: Hero of the World of Monsters
This will be my first ever, and probably only, work written in English.
If you are not familiar with BOTH series, you probably will not know what the heck you are reading. If you are, then you will only be moderately confused by my primary school-level English.
On second thought, that might be rude to primary shoolers.
Some important facts that you could go your entire life without knowing just fine:
1) This story is not beta-ed. It was translated from another language I originally wrote it in, and that one was not beta-ed either.
2) My mother tongue is not English, nor is it Japanese.
3) My narrative is heavily influenced by Japanese works (mainly light novels), and the style I used here is based on a certain LN I love, including the ectoplasm running gag which the inner me refuses to remove despite it not making any sense. I also used honorific, though only a couple times.
4) The above also apply to my sense of humor, which will seem all over the place.
5) Because I gave up hoping for dual audio option for localized game and just play the Japanese version instead.
6) So think of this as a translated work (like in baka-tsuki) instead of an originally written one. Expect a lot of strangely-worded phrases.
7) The only thing I'm confident in is the lack of OOC-ness.
8) I had no idea what tense I was supposed to make each sentence in. That's what happens when your first language doesn't have tenses.
9) I also don't know what I was thinking when I decided to make this into English.
10) This one-shot was originally written because I don't have the time to make it a full story, so it is more of a collection of the scenes I had wanted to write.
I know what you are thinking, so let's just get this over with so you can go on with your life.
(Actually, I was hoping this could satisfy people hoping for something like this, if they do exist.)
(Also, if someone is motivated to write this pair of cross-over, then this story more than serves its purpose. The last (only?) one before this was not finished, and that has a lot more originality than mine.)
"Speech" "Multiple speakers"
'Thought'
Past events
Luka woke up to the high-pitched scream of women. His hero instinct immediately kicked in, forcing his body up, grasping his beloved sword from the bed side.
…is what should have happened, had he not been thoroughly exhausted. What actually happened was that one of his leg bended up and his right arm moved to the side for about ten centimeters before stopping dead.
'My back and butt feel kind of ticklish…'
Luka vaguely remembered being on the bed in his and Alice's room in the Monster Lord castle, but what he was feeling under his back was nothing like a bed sheet.
Sunlight shining on his eyes indicated it is daytime. Even so, Luka felt the light was too bright, as if he was outside in the open.
The screams died down for the most part. Luka still sensed an unrest in the air, but did not have the strength to get up and confirm it.
'Have to…concentrate…control my spirit…'
Luka meditated to recovers his stamina; the technique helped him numerous times during his journey. With that, he finally found the strength to force his upper half upright.
He took several seconds to process what he saw.
One: He really was outside, in a courtyard surrounded by tall stone walls.
Two: Several stone towers that Luka was sure he had never seen before stood around the courtyard, each one as tall as twenty meters and not a hundred meters from where he was sitting.
Three: A group of humans, men and women both, wearing similar clothes, was looking at Luka. A girl with pink-ish hair in particular was standing next to him. Her eyes were a mix of surprise, confusion, horror, and disgust.
Four: Luka was not wearing anything at all.
Luka could only make sense of the fourth, as he clearly remembered his 'activity' with Alice the night before…or the day before…two days… During the time that was both heaven and hell mixed together, his brain probably completely melted at one point or another.
His thought was back on tract. Reasons aside, he was stark naked in public, with fifty or so people staring.
His mind conjured a horrific image.
Breaking news 'The hero Luka, the exhibitionist?!' 'A new campaign for coexistence!?'
'I'd be socially dead! I have to do something NOW!'
With the determination to protect his public image, Luka rose up.
…which started even louder screams from the girls. The pink-haired girl practically scooted back, hands shaking as she pointed a small wooden stick at Luka, face completely shaming tomatoes in redness.
"Gyaaaa!~"
The scream was not from any girl, but the hero Luka himself as he tried to hide his sensitive part with everything he had, which really were just two hands and a leg.
"Y—you—you—p—p-p-p-p-p-perv—perve—ack!"
The girl clasp her hands on her mouth, likely had just bitten her tongue.
"Y—you got it all wrong! I don't know how I got here!"
Luka only had until the girl released her mouth to make excuses.
Then it was execution time.
The girl pointed the stick forward, and a ball of light appeared out of nowhere.
"Per(b)er()s (a)ike you ()houl() (y)us() go to hewww!"
Luka did not get a thing the girl said and he was already getting an explosion in his face.
'Wh—what was that?...'
Luka lied on the ground, dazed as if gotten hit to the head by a lamia's tail.
Someone draped a piece of cloth over him.
"Are you alright?" The voice belonged to a grown man.
"Just a bit dizzy…thank you"
Luka could finally relax a little. The coat the man gave him was longer than he was tall. Still, what already happened could not be fixed; he just went full frontal on an audience of girls and boys alike.
The man, who Luka had just noticed was wearing glasses and was lacking in the hair department, called the pink-haired girl to him. The girl did so very reluctantly.
"Miss Vallière, I know you are still surprised from what happened, but I'd like you to complete the ritual."
"With this damn pervert!? Are you being serious, professor?!"
Luka wanted to sink into the ground right then and there. His words were useless after showing everything to the world.
"Please don't be so quick to judge, Miss Vallière. What it means was that this boy didn't have any clothes on him at the time Summon Servant was completed, a simple accident."
"That's…! …possible. But still—!"
"No 'buts', Miss Vallière. Spring Summoning is a sacred ritual that cannot be revoked. This boy was summoned with your spell. It doesn't matter who he was or where he was from. Even if he is, as you had assumed, a person with an abnormal state of mind, he will be your familiar from today on."
'So after all is said and done I'm still a pervert…' Luka sat dejectedly, eyes as dead as a certain Unfortunate fish on land.
The pink-haired girl seemed to have taken even more damage from the man's words. Her eyes as she glared at Luka were of a person looking at something that had greatly disturbed their normal, peaceful life.
With great reluctance, she raised the stick up.
"My name is Louise Françoise…"
Luka could not remember everything the girl said, but he understood it was some kind of spell. Someone once told him human magicians were not very powerful, a young girl like this even more so. Luka had no idea what she was trying to do.
The girl completed her chant and squatted down to Luka's eye level, thrusting the tip of the stick into his forehead with too much force to be called a simple jab. She took several deep breaths, and spoke through her teeth with barely concealed resentment.
"Why do someone like ME have to do something like THIS with a countrybumpkin shorty like YOU…"
Luka's pride took double the damage. It was true that he was both smaller and looks a bit younger that he should at his age. It was also true that he grew up in a small countryside village at the edge of an island.
And because he was too busy being reminded of that, that it did not hit him what the girl was about to do, until he felt something soft pressed on his lips.
Luka sat petrified, his face went red all the way to his ears. He could not even raise his hands to push the girl back.
Luka may had had more 'experience' than most men, but ten times out of ten he was on the receiving end. It was long etched into his instinct that he was the prey, the victim, and his body reacted accordingly, like a frog petrified by a snake.
After what seemed both like a long while and a blink of an eye to Luka, the girl's lips parted from his.
However, instead of backing out and glowering at him, the girl fell forward on to Luka as if exhausted.
"Miss Vallière? What's wrong?" The man with glasses called her.
Luka turned the girl up while also being careful not to lose the coat draping over his lower part.
The girl's face was flushed and her eyes were dazed. Breaths came out short and a bit ragged. Something similar to moans could be heard as she rubbed her thighs together.
'…Don't tell me…!'
The man with glasses did not seem to realize what was wrong, but Luka did, as in a way, he was an expert.
Luka carried the girl and stood up with the strength uncommon for someone his size, still being careful not to let the coat slip down.
"We—should take her to rest somewhere! She might be getting…a heatstroke!"
"You may be right. Follow me. The rest of you, go to the next class!" The man said to other sudents, before leading Luka to one of the towers.
Luka was busy worrying about the girl in his arms and did not notice other students taking flight.
'Please don't let any one notice! Or I'll really be branded a sex offender! Please, be back to normal already!'
That was because Luka know fully well what was happening to the pink-haired girl.
Alice, as a monster lord, had the body that contained every monsters' genes, and had once shown to be capable of inflicting most of, if not all of, status ailments. The pink-haired girl had likely unknowingly consumed the fluid left on Luka's lip from…whichever part of Alice's body. And, considering the 'activity' being the last thing Luka could recall, the effect was most definitely that of inciting and multiplying sexual urge on the severity befitting the title of a monster lord.
Worst case scenario, the girl would remain like this for the whole day. Luka could only pray that the length was reduced to a few minutes.
In their hurry, neither Luka, who did not know anything about the place, nor the man with glasses noticed that Luka's body was unsually lacking something, a reaction, after the 'ritual' was completed. No rune, not on the backside of his left hand or anywhere else, had shown itself.
As the process was interrupted due to the interference to the summoner's mind.
And so the hero Luka started his new journey with an incompleted ceremony, just like last time.
'This is strange…No, more than strange; this makes no sense AT ALL!'
Luka's thought ran wild as he looked out of the window to the sky.
The girl, apparently named Louise, who was, according to the man wearing glasses, his 'master', did not wake up for the whole day. Fortunately, most of the symptoms went away within the first few minutes. By the time the teacher at the infirmary checked on her, she was left with just slight fever and unconsciousness, so they had Luka take her to her room, here.
Luka had never heard of a country called 'Tristain'. No matter how many students passing by the room he asked, if he was not ignored outright, no one knew of Sentora continent, monster lords, or even Goddess Illias.
'Maybe this place is just very closed off to the world, like Yamatai!'
That was what Luka told himself at first, but stranger things just seemed to happen one after another. First, no one knew of monsters the way he did. Then a dragon that did not even have a human-like face on it appear. Following that was a 'Salamander' which was just a big lizard with the tip of its tail on fire.
The biggest shock came at night, when Luka decided to look at the moon out of desperation and boredom, and found that 'it' had not only gotten bigger, but also multipled, and changed colors to bluish white and reddish pink.
No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he could not.
This was not the world that, through the combined effort of his, Alice's, and many others', had taken its first step toward the coexistence of humans and monsters.
"Well, shall we start?"
Luka raised his head to look at the beautiful blue sky no different from what he was used to back in his old world.
'How did I get myself into this...'
This morning, Luka was woken up by a kick sending him down to the floor. Though he originally simply rested his head on the bed while sitting on the floor, having his head skipping on wooden floor hurt.
Then he was accused by the pink-haired girl, his 'master', of trying to have his no-good way with her. He was denied helping her dress, as she was sure he would take her clothes and do something no-good with them. Also no breakfast for him, for he might somehow do even more no-good things with the bread.
All in all, for Luka, the morning was just no-good.
Incidentally, Luka had gotten some clothes on him. A simple tunic and shorts given to him by the school. Luka had to remind himself what he was wearing were normal clothes, not Enrikan ones, and he would likely be injured if hit with an explosion again.
In exchange for food which his master denied him of, Luka helped the school's staffs with various chores. Fate would have it that Luka picked up a bottle of perfume dropped by a male student. Luka, like any decent intelligent being, tried to return it to him. That somehow turned in to a small squabble which ended up with two hurt girls and a cheek with a hand mark.
And all was blamed on Luka.
With his strong sense of justice, Luka shot back "I was just returning what you dropped! I didn't do anything wrong!"
And a new squabble was born, this time landing Luka in a duel with said male student, staring each other down (mostly, the student did) in a courtyard, surrounded by curious bystanders.
"First of all, let me commend you for not running away."
The word 'run away' got a special reaction out of Luka.
"Of course! Real men never run from duels!"
Truly the words of a young boy who idolized heroes and 'men's romance'.
"Bold, but honorable nonetheless. Had you been born in a higher house you'd have made a good companion. Such a waste."
Luka knew the other side used types of magic unfamiliar to him, so he let the boy take the first move.
The boy declared his name, "Guiche", along with his second name, "The Bronze", and flicked a single rose he was holding, making a petal fall down. As soon as it touched the ground, a metal statue the size of himself sprang out.
"A statue?"
"I guess you wouldn't know a golem when if you see one. My golem 'Valkyrie' will be your opponent."
"But you said it was a duel! How is this fair!"
The image of an honorable duel Luka had in mind shattered into pieces.
"I am a mage, so I will fight like one. There should be no complaint, is there?"
What Guiche said actually made sense, and Luka went silent.
However, before the duel could begin, a lone pink-haired girl came between the two and demanded that it be stopped.
"Guiche, what do you think you're doing?! You too! Even if you are an exhibitionistic freak, you are still my familiar! Don't go looking for trouble!"
Luka got depressed again, but this time he bounced back quickly.
"I will prove to you that I'm not a pervert!"
Luka walked past the pink-haired girl and stood facing his opponent with determined expression.
"And my name is not 'freak'. I'm Luka, a hero."
Guiche smirked, then pointed his rose forward and loudly declared.
"I hope you are prepared for a world of pain!"
"Wait! Are you going to have me fight barehanded? At least give me a sword!"
Guiche sneered, and formed a bronze sword with another petal before tossing it to Luka.
"You know you are just a commoner and are going to fight like one, I see. Anything else?"
Luka picked the sword up and tried it in his hands. It was not created from 666 melted angels, but at least the length was familiar.
"None! Ready when you are!"
"Then go forth, my lovely Valkyrie!"
'Here it comes…!'
Luka pushed the pink-haired girl out of the way, eyes not leaving the oncoming golem.
[Bronze Valkyrie appears!]
[Bronze Valkyrie attacks]
'…huh?'
[Luka steps out of the way]
'…This is kind of…'
[Luka observes the situation]
[Bronze Valkyrie attacks]
[Luka steps out of the way]
'…actually, it's really slow…'
-Status-
Luka
Level: 80
HP: 2400
SP: 13
Attack: 400
Defense: 5
Equipment
Bronze Sword (Attack +5)
Cotton Tunic (Defense +5)
[Empty]
-Status-
"Darn it! Stop running like a coward!"
[Guiche uses Taunt]
[But there is no effect]
'Maybe I should try attacking too.'
[Luka takes a guarding stance]
[Bronze Valkyrie attacks]
[Luka spins around the enemy]
[Luka counters the attack]
[Bronze Valkyrie takes 768 damage]
[Bronze Valkyrie is cleaved into two!]
The two peices of the Valkyrie's body clanged loudly on the ground. The sound was followed by a short silence, then murmurs of surprise and amazement.
Guiche's mouth openned wide, but closed soon enough when the owner recovered from the shock.
"Not bad for a commoner. But don't get cocky just because you beat ONE of my Valkyrie. I held back on purpose."
Guiche flicked his rose again, dropping six petals to the ground, and six identical bronze Valkyrie golems sprang out, this time armed with various weapons.
[Bronze Valkyrie Troop appears!]
Six metal golem rushed at Luka at once.
But there was no fear in Luka's eyes.
"Come! I'll take all of you on!"
Luka held the sword with two hands and stood his ground.
[Luka uses Death Sword Chaos Star]
[Luka's sword flashes like a chaotic shooting star]
[Bronze Valkyrie Troop takes 746 damage]
[Bronze Valkyrie Troop takes 779 damage]
[Bronze Valkyrie Troop takes 692 damage]
[Bronze Valkyrie Troop takes 751 damage]
[Bronze Valkyrie Troop takes 794 damage]
[Bronze Valkyrie Troop is reduced to rubbles!]
The courtyard went silent for several seconds, before a cheer erupted.
"What the heck was that? I couldn't even see what happened!" "Guiche lost to a commoner!?" "Is that guy really a commoner?"
Luka struck a pose for a bit after the finishing attack like how a hero should do in his mind. Then he walked toward the owner of the rubbles behind him.
"Still want to continue?"
Guiche jumped a bit, then said weakly.
"I…yield…"
Guiche's pride was crushed beyond repair as he said those two words to a commoner boy looking no older than fifteen.
And so started the legend of a young hero that would be told in Halkeginia for years to come.
"You have to do it, you MUST do it. No question."
"B—but…"
Luka and Louise looked at each other, then turned their blushing faces away.
"There are no rune on Luka-kun's body, which means he is not Miss Vallière's familiar yet. The rules of Spring Summoning necessitate that you complete the ritual."
What Mister Colbert said was basically 'Just smack your lips together already'. Though that might not be the best way to put it.
"Well, c—can we just pretend that the ritual was completed? I promise I will work my hardest as a familiar!"
"We can't. Rules are rules. You were summoned from your home. If you are not officialy Miss Vallière's familiar, you won't have a place to eat or sleep, and Miss Vallière herself will be dismissed from the academy."
Luka swallowed, and glanced at the girl beside him for support.
"Hah…It can't be helped…"
Luka felt shiver ran down his spine.
"Face this way"
Luka was still.
"Hurry up and do as I say! Do you think I want to do this?! Just get this done quickly so I won't have to think about it ever again!"
In this empty classroom, Luka had no ally. Whether it was the two in front of him, a red-headed copper-skin girl, or the male student he had a duel with the other day.
'Wh—what shoud I do? If I don't do this then I'm practically stranded in a world I barely know anything of, and a girl I'd just met will be fired from school. B—but doing something like that with a girl that's not Alice is just…'
Many would have asked 'Isn't it too late to be worrying about that now?'. But the truth was, if the fate of the world was not on the line, Luka would never willingly do that sort of things with women other than Alice. And doing that in a place Alice could not find him, with someone Alice did not know was even more so. Luka just could not allow it, both out of his sense of moral and his own volition.
In this crisis, there was only one way out.
The door.
"I'm sorry!"
"Hey! Wait!"
Luka dashed to one of the two doors leading out to the hall way. There were actually two ways out after all.
But Luka did not reach any, as his body was lifted off of the ground, his feet kicking the air uselessly.
"Well, well, why are you in such a hurry, little boy."
The red-haired girl spoke up for the first time as she casted a spell bringing Luka to herself.
"Guiche, help me hold him."
"O—okay"
A male and female student each held one of Luka's arms and turned him to face Louise and Colbert.
"Let me go!"
With Luka's strength, even without Gnome empowering him, it should not have been too hard to escape the grip of a girl and a boy not trained for battle. However, Luka's 'victim instinct' kicked in the moment he knew what was about to be done to him, combining with slight fear of injuring the two holding him if he was to use too much force, they were able to just barely hold him still as Loiuse inched closer.
"Don't do it! We don't have that kind of relationship!"
"Fufu, what an innocent young boy."
If the red-haired girl knew what Luka had gone through she most likely would not have said that. Although as far as that aspect was concerned, he actually was still relatively innocent.
"You are going to be 'master' and 'familiar' after this. You can't deny this is not beyond 'that kind of relationship.' "
Another horrific image was conjured in Luka's mind, but it had nothing to do with the girl who was about to officially become his master. Instead, it was an image of Alice, arms crossed, back straight, head held high as she looked down on him with cool expression and cold eyes.
'Hmph, becoming a pet of a little girl, you're as pathetic as always, Luka.'
'No…definitely not! I won't let that happens!'
Luka's trashing started to irk Louise, whose temper was much more prone to flaring than most in the first place.
"What the heck? Aren't you hating this too much? Which part of me isn't good enough for you, huh?"
"Wha? It's—it's not like that. I'm just…"
Luka did not know how to answer this. He was too embarrased to say that he was married (he was, right?), and he also had an inkling that the red-haired girl would squeeze every little details out of him if she were to knew.
Fortunately for Luka, help arrived just in time.
"Vallière, this boy just doesn't think of you as a member of the opposite sex, isn't that right?"
"Y—yeah! That's it!"
"Fufu, I guess it can't be helped, since Vallière's womanly charm is zero just like her magic."
"Wait, what?"
Louise trembled in anger.
"Buh!"
Louise's two hands slapped on Luka's cheeks and forced him to face her.
Luka only had a second to scream.
"Noo—oof!"
Even in this new world, the hero Luka's fate as a victim of women's abuses had not changed.
"Luka you…are surprisingly good at cooking." Kirche widened her eyes as she tasted the soup Luka made.
"Aren't you good at chores too? I heard from the staffs that you helped them out a lot." Guiche held a rose in his mouth as he made a thinking pose.
"A good housewife" Tabitha commented flatly.
Luka laughed awkwardly.
"I'm just used to it, since I used to live alone."
"Hmm? What about your parents?"
"Zerbst! If you could think of that question then you should've known better than to ask it!"
"Ah"
"It's okay. My parents died when I was young. That was long ago, and I'm not alone anymore"
"You mean, before you were summoned here?" Guiche took the initiative himself now that Luka said it was okay.
"Yeah"
Luka did not think too much when he answered that, not knowing he had made a mistake.
"Hoho~, if it's not your parents then who was it that you lived with, a girl I bet~"
Luka hesitated, but he was uncomfortable with lying when it was not necessary, and he probably was not going to fool anyone with his lying skill either.
"W—well, yeah."
"You are married? Didn't expect that." Guiche was a bit surprised.
"Yeah…I am."
"My, my, and you looked so innocent too. Who would've known you had already climbed the stairs to adulthood. Hey, between your wife and me who's sexier?" Kirche asked as she leaned her face in a bit too close.
"Well…Alice." Any hesitation was entirely from Luka being considerate.
"No way!~" Kirche was shock with the answer and how quick it was said.
"Even sexier than Zerbst? What a lucky bastard!" Guiche did not hide his jealousy.
The excitement took about a minute to calmed down.
"I wonder how Louise would react if she hears this."
"She would be devastated obviously."
"What? Why?"
Two of them stared at Luka and sighed.
"Hah…Well, what does your lovely wife do? A housewife or something else?"
"Alice is…"
Luka tried to find the closest word, but any kind of 'ruler' is out of question.
"…a monster lord"
So he just gave the real one.
Tabitha looked up from her book.
"Like in the books? That the heroes had to defeat?"
"Yeah…"
Guiche and Kirche looked at each other, then back at Luka.
"That's an interesting job"
"Haha…"
"Die! Gandálfr!"
Wardes and his dragon swooped down toward Luka and Louise who was chanting a spell.
"The opponent's a high class mage on a dragon. What're ya gonna do, partner?" The intelligent sword, 'Derflinger', asked Luka with worried voice.
"…There might be a way. I have to try."
Since coming to this world Luka had thought he would not be able to do it anymore, but with the power of the rune on his left hand, he might just be able to pull it off.
[Wardes is chanting a spell]
[Luka closes his eyes and entrusts his heart to the flow of water]
[Wardes casts Air Storm]
[A powerful whirlwind shoots straight at Luka]
Luka could not see with his eyes closed, but he could feel a torrent coming toward him. His left hand held the sheath as his right hand grasped the hilt, preparing to use a familiar technique.
[Luka uses Demon Blade: Serene Mind]
[Luka draws his sword in a fluid slash, slicing straight through everything in his path]
The oncoming whirlwind was split from its end all the way to its source. The wand in Wardes' hand had its tip cut off, and a large cut appeared on his chest.
"Impossible…! What…kind of…magic…was…!" Wardes sputtered out as he fell from his dragon.
"Now, now, let your master, Turenne, check how much you have~"
Louise in waitress clothes went to serve the plump tax collector in hope of winning Tip Race of the inn. However, right now, said tax collector was reaching his hands out toward Louise's chest (or the place where it was supposed to be).
From the entrance to the kitchen, Luka was looking at the spectacle indifferently like nothing was wrong and made no attempt to stop it.
It was not cowardice, but an immunity. Back in his world, Luka saw something like this between females (all non-human) and males on daily basis: in Mermaid Pub, in Vampire Pub, in Succubus Village, in Colosseum, in small rural villages, on roadside, in churches, etc., all with full consent (on the female side).
Through all that, Luka had developed a kind of response, that is, his brain automatically shuts them out.
Even as plump fingers (tried to) grab at (where there were supposed to be) Louise's breasts, Luka still did not change his expression, and even turned back into the kitchen.
"Hey, wait! Where're you going?!" A waitress, Jessica, called out to him exasperately.
"Back to washing the dishes, of course?"
"What the heck!? Your girlfriend was being molested in front of you! What are you even saying!?"
"I told you she was my older sister." Luka argued that point before anything else.
But now that he was told to look again, Luka started to see what he overlooked before.
Louise's face was red, her body was shaking, her mouth clamped shut, and water was threatening to come out of her eyes.
Luka's eyes widened, finally realizing what was happening, and did what a hero should have done.
"Let her go!"
"…How is it?"
Luka tried to swallowed the lump that was preventing him from answering.
Louise was wearing the black bustier which the winner of the Tip Race was allowed to wear for one day. This bustier was said to had been enchanted to make the wearer alluring to anyone who looks.
Luka was getting to directly experience the effect right now.
"It—it fits you…"
"What? That's all? I worked hard to earn the first place, you know? I deserve more than that." Louise was half irritated half disappointed.
"Y—you look really cute in it...yeah…"
"Could you even made it any more forced…"
Louise stopped when she noticed the state Luka was in. His cheek was a bit reddened, he avoided making eye contacts, and was even stuttering.
Louise had never seen this kind of reaction from her familiar ever since she summoned him months ago. For one reason or another, Luka had an abnormally high resistance to 'womanly charm' (as put by Kirche).
That Luka was being shy from witnessing his master's 'beauty' (Louise's word), even if 'a slight part of it' (Louise's word) was due to the magic enchanted on what she was wearing, Louise couldn't help but be happy, and smug.
Louise decided to abuse this new found authority to its fullest, starting by striding up to Luka who was looking to the side.
"Where are you looking? Look at me."
"I was just…admiring the wall's pattern"
They were in the staff's bedroom that was given to them. If the walls ever had any color at all, they had all faded into dull white. Though the stain vaguely resembling human face on it could be pretty interesting, if you are in to occult stuffs.
Louise was all smug as she put herself in Luka's view.
"Hey, look closely. I'm showing it to you."
Luka turned to the other side.
"That jug was pretty classic, don't you think…"
"That was bought wholesale from the bazaar."
Louise's patience was starting to run thin from Luka's continued resistance, so she changed to a more hands-on approach.
She clasped her hands on his cheeks and forced him to look straight at her.
"Have you finally felt like looking at me?"
Luka gasped, staring at Louise silently.
Louise looked at his eyes shaking with anxiety, his cheeks got even redder from the impact of her hands, and finally Louise realized what she was doing.
Her heart started to beat faster.
'Huh? They didn't mention the spell affecting the wearer as well. What is this? What's happening?'
Luka stood on top of a hill, an iron sword held in his two hands. The sky was beginning to brighten from the first light of the day as he stared down at the seventy thousands-strong army.
"Sure ya'll be alright?" The sword spoke to Luka. "Wavering heart is the bane of Gandálfr, ya know?"
"You're right. A serene mind is crucial for a swordsman. I should take an example from Granberia."
During these two months there was one thing weighting heavily on his mind.
His heart had started to beat faster sometimes when he was with Louise. It wasn't like when he was teased by Alma Elma or Tamamo. It wasn't like when he was charmed by succubi's spells. The only times his heart ever beat like that was when he was with Alice.
At the same time, his thought of his original world, of humans and monsters, of his friends had started to become few and far in between, sometimes he went more than ten days without thinking about them.
His mind was conflicted between his present feeling and the fear of the changes; confused as to how it could have happened, angry at himself for starting to forget about Alice. Even when he decided to stall Albion's army in Louise's place, he questioned if it was an evidence of the change as well.
But now was not the time to think about any of that.
Luka did not come here to fight fellow humans, but to protect the people behind him.
It was what a hero would do, and so there was no reason to hesitate.
"If I'm going to win without killing anybody, then I'll have to get serious."
Luka grasped Derflinger tightly, took deep breaths, and closed his eyes.
'Moving like the wind, with the strength of the earth, heart calm and flowing like water, with attacks holding the blazing power of fire'
Said (by Alice) to be the oral tradition handed down by the legendary hero Heinrich.
Luka did not have power of the Four Spirits with him, but a certain dragonkin swordswoman taught him that everything originated from one's mind.
His closed eyes could not see, but his mind felt it clearly. An enormous wave made up from tens of thousands of small ones was making its way toward him.
Luka opened his eyes, then slowly walked forward, before raising his pace to running.
"Partner, take out the commanders!"
After the war that shook the very foundation of Albion island had concluded, the rumor of a lone swordsman stopping the might of seventy-thousands soldiers with the prowess of the spirit of war himself spreaded throughout Halkeginia.
Tiffania and others walked out of the room, giving space to the master and her familiar to be alone.
Said master was wrapping her arms around her familiar in a tight hug.
"You know, it's a bit hard to breathe like this." Luka said embarrassingly.
"If I don't do this you would just run off somewhere again…"
"But I can't even walk like this…"
'Then don't. Just stay by my side, and never go anywhere again.' Louise thought, but of course she did not say it aloud. It was just a passing thought anyhow.
They stayed like that for a while. Luka felt like he was supposed to do something, so he raised his left hand to the sobbing Louise's head and awkwardly, but gently stroke it.
The sobs died down and steady breaths took their places. Luka realized Louise had fallen asleep and carried her to the bed.
"Coming all the way from Tristain and then immediately got thrown into a fight, anyone would be tired."
Luka looked at the pink-haired girl fast asleep. His hands reached out without him knowing, but stopped just before it touched her cheek that got dirt stuck to it from his tunic.
The anxiousness assaulted him again. Luka turned around to get out of the room.
Something tug at his tunic.
Luka turned back to look at the small hand gripping the edge of his tunic. His brows furrowed with the heaviness in his heart, but today was a tiring day, so he reluctantly played along.
Looking around the room, he could not find a single chair. Even if he was to sat on the floor, the place where his tunic was gripped made it impossible to do so without raising the hem of his tunic to his chest level and exposing his stomach to the night air.
After mulling it over many times, Luka finally decided to move Louise over a bit and lie down on the now open space himself, facing her. Louise's hand still had not let go, so Luka could not turn around.
Looking at her sleeping face, Luka thought about the questions that had been eating away at his mind for sometime.
'Why is it…that whenever it's about this girl, I couldn't help but wanted to do something for her? Why is it that I forgot about Alice when I'm with her?'
Even as he was trying to think back to his life in his old world, the sleeping face in front of him kept him from doing so.
"Hey Alice. How long do you think my lifespan is…?"
"There is no doubt that it will be longer than a normal human's. But as for how long…I don't know. It's possible it could be even longer than mine."
"If that's the case…then I'll go together with you."
'I said all that and yet…why…'
While asking himself that again and again, Luka eventually fell asleep.
"Uwahhh!"
Luka jumped at the elf, but was repelled back.
"It's useless."
A male elf which did not exist in Luka's world said coldly.
'What's that just now? It's like an invisible wall was there…!'
"Partner, that's Counter. Swords or spells, nothing's going through that."
"What!? Isn't that kind of cheating?"
Even the Queen Elf Luka had once fought did not have that kind of technique. Luka finally understood why Elves were feared throughout Halkeginia.
"Barbarians such as you could never harm us who had the spirit of nature's protection."
Luka could not help but think to himself that he had had Four Spirit of Nature's protection too. But right now all that would be useful for was a bragging right.
'What's important now is how can I get pass this elf to meet Tabitha.'
A defensive barrier which repelled all attacks. Luka felt as if he had heard about a technique like that before, and also that there was a way to destroy it. If such technique existed, then surely at least one of the Four Heavenly Knights had mastered it. Which meant the technique was used in the final battle with Illias, but got destroyed. He recalled something like that happening.
All of it was vague, but just the hint was enough.
'…There might be a way, though I don't really want to do it in front of people.'
Because he would have to make a long explanation afterward. But that was still better than being stopped here.
"Hey girl! Open the prayer book. That guy Brimir had something good for a time like this." Derflinger spoke to Louise.
"Huh? W—wait a bit, I'm looking." Louise took Founder's Prayer Book out and started looking for a page in which runes appeared.
"And just which page was it—"
Luka was faster. He stepped out to face the elf who was standing calmly.
"Wait, partner!"
'I have to do this in an instant. I might be able to make something up then.'
[Male Elf appears!]
[Male Elf uses Counter]
[An invisible barrier deflected physical and magical attacks alike]
[Luka uses Flash Kill]
[Luka's sword flashes faster than lightning, cutting through space and time]
[Counter is destroyed]
[Male Elf becomes confused]
[Luka attacks using the blunt of his sword]
[Male Elf takes 26 damage]
For everyone, it was as if the world stopped moving for a second.
After that, the lone wing of light that had appeared briefly on Luka's back became the topic of interrogation he had to suffered for days to come.
"I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
Luka came to the library to practice reading Halkeginian and found Tabitha already there. Tabitha helped Luka until he was able to read, then brought up her questions.
Tabitha placed a book on the table. From its cover, it looked quite new.
But the age of the book was the furthest thing from Luka's mind. His eyes stared at the name on the cover so hard they almost bulged out.
[Legend of Hero Luka]
"Pffff!"
Luka spat out mysterious substance.
The mysterious substance was mostly ectoplasm.
"W—where did you get that from?"
"From the elf at Alhambra Castle. I brought it back with me. The way you reacted just now, you can read it, can't you?"
"Why? Can't I?"
The letters were not from Halkeginia.
"No! No, I can't read it at all!"
"…"
Tabitha flipped past the table of contents and pointed at a full-page picture. It was the picture of a purple-haired boy and a purplish blue-skinned, silver-haired woman with snake body instead of legs.
"This is you, right?"
Tabitha pointed at the boy in the picture, who was both taller and much more handsome looking than Luka.
"W—What are you talking about~ Our faces are completely different."
For once, Luka was thankful for how over-dramatized this book was made to be.
However, Tabitha simply raised her staff and turned the book back to her side.
"[Read Language*]" (*Actually exists. Louise used it in a certain Drama CD.)
After casting the spell, Tabitha set her eyes on the letters.
" 'In the year 1440 of Johannes calendar, on the Illias continent, Iliasville, a boy was born. He was given the name 'Luka'.' "
"How can you read it?! I—it's probably just a coincidence! My name's pretty common after all!"
It was actually on the same level of the name 'Tabitha' which was mostly given to pets, so Luka's words actually held some truth.
Tabitha flipped back to the picture, this time pointing at the woman beside the boy.
"What about this lamia?"
'How would I know?' was what Luka thought of saying.
But his voice did not come out. Some clear liquid did, however, come out of his eyes, uncontrollably so.
"She's your wife, isn't she?"
The only answer Tabitha got was sounds of sobbing.
Under the protection of the walls of her room in the women dormitory, Louise was curling up on her bed, hugging the blanket as she faced reality.
'Ah, esteemed ancestors who had protected our household for generations, I ask for your forgiveness, for I, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, had f—fallen in l—love with a commoner.'o
The room was void of light, saved the slight glow of twin moons that entered through the window. All Louise heard was her own breathings.
Her familiar was off on his own somewhere since daytime, and had not come back yet. But Louise was not worried. Luka had always been diligent in his duty as her familiar. Ever since she first met him one year ago, he had never laid his hands on any women, not even once…including Louise herself.
"Hah…"
Despite that, before she knew it, Louise's eyes started to wander in his direction. She started to forget he was a commoner; she started to feel that, for this boy, being born and grew up in countryside was not a flaw.
How had she fallen to this, Louise wondered.
'Was it his honesty that borders on naivety, how he never lied and trusts others so readily? Or was it how he's always going on about being a hero and jumps in without fear when someone needs help?'
Louise recounted what she knew about her familiar.
'At first glance he looks like a typical guy who doesn't know how to use his head, like Guiche. But in fact he was really kind and gentle, even listening to requests of a selfish girl like me. Though he did nag a bit too much sometimes…'
He was a lot like the kindhearted Wardes she once knew, and adored. Seeing the same traits from a boy her age gave Louise a strange feeling, though not a bad one.
'Princess and Chii-neesama said he's a good man, if a little childish. Mother said he has good eyes.'
Louise realized that meant her friends and family approved of him; her face reddened.
And what her mother said, his 'eyes', she felt like she could saw it too.
'Whenever he talked about 'heroes' or when he protected someone, his eyes always sparkled.'
Which meant Louise was always looking at him.
Realizing that was also an indication of a girl in love, Louise pulled the blanket over her head and rolled around on the bed.
The rolling stopped. Louise was on her side looking at the closed door.
"…What should I do…"
There was no doubt about her own feelings now, but Louise did not know what to do with it.
After his achievement in the war with Albion, he was granted the title of Chevalier. Since even Louise's mother was fine with it, the problem with social standing could mostly be ignored now. That thought slowly melted Louise's stubborn pride.
"Can I say it now? If it's now then it's fine even if I say it, right?"
It's right then that the door opened and a familiar face walked in.
"You're late. What have you been doing?" Louise's scold was higher pitched than usual in an effort to hide what she had been thinking about.
"Sorry. I was at the Library. I was a bit too immersed in the book, I guess."
"A book? Since when can you read?"
The voice that answered her was completely normal, and it was hard to see in the dark, but Louise somehow still noticed a certain change.
"Your eyes are red. That's not from reading, is it?"
"…"
"You cried, didn't you? Tell me what's it about."
"…"
"Talk to me!"
Louise was reminded of one thing she was frustrated with her familiar. It was the incurable bad habit to keep what upsets him to himself.
Luka, released from the suppressive effect of Gandálfr rune, was bombarded with thoughts of Alice and his world.
However, amidst the chaos of his mind, one thing became clearer: His determination as a hero. And so Luka was standing here, shielding a pink-haired girl from a twenty five meters-tall metal giant.
'But how do I defeat that thing… The invisible wall isn't a problem, but an armor that thick…I can't cut through that without Gnome's power.'
"Hahaha! How about you give up, Gandálfr! Before Jörmungandr, your tiny sword might as well be a toothpick!"
'Damn! If only I have Angel Halo with me…!'
With a sword that could directly drain the magic supply, he would have been able to depower it regardless of its armor.
Louise could not use her Void for an unknown reason. Aside from that, Luka himself had the power that could went through Counter and destroy the armor at the same time. But he did not want to use something that would erode his body if possible.
Of course, if there was no other choices…
In the seconds that Luka was deciding whether or not to use the power he inherited from his mother, something no one had ever seen before happened.
#...it work…#
#...ost got it…bit more…#
Louise looked around.
"Luka, did you hear that?"
Luka did, and was completely focused on the familiar voices.
#...about time. Make sure you're ready…#
The voices got louder. Louise and Luka heard them clearly this time.
Not a moment later, a strange tunnel appear in front of the two.
"W—What is that!"
Louise hid behind Luka who was standing still as if in a trance, his eyes staring at the image at the other side of the tunnel while two figures crossed to this side.
One of them slithered out of the tunnel not too fast nor too slow, but in a way that was both regal and dignified, like a queen parading down the road with her loyal populace on each side.
Another one practically hopped out. Nine fluffy tails raising high next to each other made the figure look more like a giant furball. A giant fluffy furball bouncing out of the tunnel was another way to put it.
These two new figures were staring at the shocked Luka. The smaller one raised the tip of a folding fan next to her lips which was spreading in a mischievous smile. The taller one crossed her arms, and was not smiling in the slightest.
From behind Luka, Louise stared at one of the women's lower part, which was a body of a snake, and the animal ears and the many tails of another girl.
'D—demi-humans! Where did they come from?!'
Louise strengthened her grip on Luka's tunic from fear.
But that subtle action made the eyes of the woman with snake body literally glow with yellow light.
"Luka, who is that girl?"
"Hoho~ Skipping all the pleasantries now, aren't we, Your Majesty~" The girl as small as Tabitha with fox ears and tails giggled.
They were speaking in a language Louise did not know.
"A…Alice!? H—How did you get here?!" Luka was ten times more surprised than with the giant metal golem.
Said golem raised its giant sword while no one was looking, and swung down at the group.
"You demi-humans! Curse your luck that got you here at the wrong time!"
No one realized what was happening until the sword was just above their heads.
No one except the fox-eared girl who jumped between the sword and the group, She raised her nine tails above the head of the snake woman who was the tallest amongst the group.
[Jörmungandr appears!]
[Jörmungandr uses Heavy Slash]
[Jörmungandr swings its giant sword at the target]
[Tamamo guards with her ninetails]
[Tamamo takes 644 damage]
The sound of the sword striking its target rumbled through the air. The ground shook as if a tower had collapsed. Dirt flew up everywhere at the impact, despite the sword not even hitting the ground.
That's right, the sword did not reach the ground.
"Tamamo?" Snake lady said to the fox-eared girl with a hint of question.
"The earth here is a bit different, so I'm not used to it yet."
The girl showed her tails which was ripped a bit. Her voice did not contain even a hint of pain.
"How is this possible…!? How could you took Jörmungandr's attack head on and still live?!"
The snake-like slit eyes flicked toward the giant golem. They were as cold as ice.
"I have no time to be playing with dolls. Begone from my sight."
She spoke with the language Halkeginian could just barely understand. Her voice was cold, merciless, leaving no room for negotiation.
"How dare you! Let's see you surviving a few more!"
The giant golem raised its sword and swung down with even greater force.
"Fool"
[Alice uses Monster Lord's Cruelty]
[Alice lets loose the power of darkness]
[Jörmungandr takes 1000 damage]
[Jörmungandr takes 1014 damage]
[Jörmungandr takes 1064 damage]
[Jörmungandr takes 1009 damage]
[Jörmungandr is blown to smithereens]
Guiche and all others dropped their jaws as the giant golem had its right arm, the sword it's holding, and its entire lower body completely obliterated while the rest of its body dropped to the ground, losing any sign of movement.
Snake lady turned back, scaring Guiche and everyone else. Luka was the only one able to voice his thought.
"Alice…don't you think that was overdoing it a bit…?"
"There's no living thing inside that armor, was there? I don't care about anything else right now. I can't stand it anymore." Snake lady's voice carried a hint of desperation and impatience. Her tail reached out to coil around Luka's waist, and snatched him right out of Louise's arms.
…before speeding off into the woods on the side of the road.
"Wha!? A—Alice!? Wait…!"
"I'm not waiting. I'm so tired of Alma Elma's voice and breasts that I don't even want to be near them again. You owe me one year's worth, and I'm going to collect all of it, interests included."
"Your Majesty, please make it quick~ There're a lot to talk about~"
Fox-eared girl called out after the two, before they disappeared into the woods.
"A—Alice, wait! Don't…! That place…! Ahhhhh~~"
Immediately after, Luka's voice could be heard. It was a cry that no one here had ever heard from him before, but it was clear what feeling was behind it.
Amongst the children hugging each other in surprise, Tiffania panicked with not having enough hands to cover all their ears. Guiche and Kirche's eyes almost popped out. Tabitha tried to remain cool despite her crimson cheeks. However, the most shocked was none other than Louise.
Ten months since Luka became her familiar. Whether it be trivial things in the school, or large incidents tying to the fate of the country, they experienced them together. And through that all, two contract kisses and occassional headpats were all Louise had gotten out of it.
Then a woman with lower body of a snake (what's more, a beauty with large chests) suddenly came out of nowhere and dragged Luka off into the bush. Louise did not know which feeling was stronger: surprise, embarrassment, anger, or despair.
"Ah…gagagagaga"
"Oh, seems like Louise just broke." Kirche commented.
Fox-eared girl came up to Kirche's group.
"Looks like you people aren't used to it yet."
"More like, what kind of people do we have to be to be used to THAT." Kirche said while pointing at the bush where something was happening.
"On the other side, those kind of things are common. I see it's considered strange here. I guess this is what they called 'karujaa shokku' "
Fox-eared girl spoke with an accent no one had heard before.
"Areyouseriouswheresittakemethereplease" Kirche unknowingly let slip her real thought.
"Ahem, that's not it. I mean, now I see why Luka seemed to be cultured(?) in those aspect, if even a little girl like this is used to that."
Fox girl made a small chuckle.
"Do I look that young to you? Kuku, so this body has its perks as well~"
Fox 'girl' said cryptically, but did not elaborate further.
"We had just arrived and barely know anything about this place. If you could tell us about it, it would help a lot."
"I don't mind, but, er…what…'race'...are you?"
"Hrm? You've never seen a kitsune before, have you?"
"Kid…what?"
About ten minutes went by; ten torturous minutes for Tiffania who got asked by the children about the mysterious voices, and for Guiche who had to squat down and lower his body as much as possible. Only Kirche and Tabitha could have a normal conversation with the fox girl next to Louise who had completely shut down standing.
During the conversation, the fox girl turned to where there were (one sided) moans coming from, and giggled while holding her fan to her lips.
"Young'uns sure have it good, don't they~"
"Like heck it is!?"
As if switched on, Louise turned to shout at the fox girl.
The 'activity' had finished just then. The snake lady slithered out of the woods with no lose of dignity, and with slightly better mood. Luka followed looking a bit haggard with ruffled clothes and leaves sticking to his hair.
The snake lady came straight to the fox girl.
"Tamamo, how was it?"
The fox girl bend her knees and bow slightly before answering.
"As we have predicted, Your Majesty, this is an entirely different world."
"I expected as much when we arrived. There are much more magic in the atmosphere than back in our world. This world's humans probably could use magic somewhat decently."
"That is correct. Humans are ruling creatures in this world. Aside from them, high intelligent beings are very few, elves and vampires being two examples, while most others are not much smarter than animals. The biggest different would be that all those races have male members as well."
"Ho, I see. Then…this world probably doesn't see many contacts between humans and non-humans." Snake lady said while nodding to herself.
"And the possibility of long term relationship?"
"The tunnel between the two worlds proved too unstable. That would be difficult."
"I guessed as much…Then we have no more business here. Luka."
"W…what is it…?" Luka was still catching himself.
"We will leave now. If you are going to bid them goodbye, make it quick."
"Wha—?"
"What did you just say!?"
Louise higher-pitched voice drowned out Luka's as she went between him and the snake woman.
Louise who had been silent up until now could not hold herself back after hearing those words.
"Where do you intend to bring Luka to?!"
Like last time, the slit eyes glowed as they look at Louise' petite body, before turning to Luka. The snake tail snatched Luka from behind Louise and constricted him with increased force while also bringing him up to the woman's eye level.
"Luka, I asked who this girl is. Are you going to give me an answer?"
"Well, it's a long story…"
"I've been looking for you for almost a year. How long could this 'story' be?" Her voice was forceful.
Luka's expression was really no different from a frog being stared stiff by a snake right now.
Louise did not know what exactly was going on. She could barely understand what was being said, but her eyes told her Luka was in trouble, so she decided she had to say something.
"Hey! You d—demi-human! Let him go! Now!"
The snake woman turned to Louise, who, despite being the one calling for attention, jumped when a pair of inhuman eyes looked at her.
Then the snake woman spoke in a language similar to Rune language, which was difficult to understand.
"And just who are you, little squirt?"
"L—litle squirt!? How dare you, I—I'm Louise Françoise, the third daughter of Duke de La Vallière!"
"Humans' noblility had nothing to do with me, especially one in a different world."
"Then I don't care either! But Luka is my familiar. The only one allowed to d-d-d-d-d—do s—something like that to him is me and me alone!"
If the voice raising Louise did was like lighting a fire, then the words just now was the same as pouring a gallon of gasoline on it.
Only instead of getting hotter, the temperature dropped below zero; that's how it felt to Louise who had to stare back at that pair of inhuman eyes.
But those eyes once again turned back to the airborne Luka.
"Pathetic. Reduced to just a pet of a little girl. You are as pathetic as always. No, this is the most pathetic I've ever seen from you, Luka."
The tail constricted.
"A…Alice…can't…breathe…"
"S—stop! You're going to kill him!" Louise had no idea how serious the other side was.
"Listen well, little squirt. Luka has only one master, and that is me."
"What!? You can't suddenly came out of nowhere and just say whatever you want! Who do you think you are?!"
"His wife."
The answer came from a girl wearing glasses who stood behind Louise.
"…Wuh?" was the only sound Louise could made.
"Alicefeeze Fatalburn the sixteenth, a monster lord and a wife to the hero Luka."
The snake lady, Alice, raised her eyebrows.
"Ho? You know about me. Does that mean you also know of the existence of our world?"
"No. I read from this book."
Tabitha raised the book she was holding up.
The same [Legend of Hero Luka].
"Pfff!"
Monster Lord Alicefeeze spat out mysterious substance.
The mysterious substance was mostly ectoplasm. An irony, given the person's attitude toward supernatural beings.
"Luka! You dolt!"
"It wasn't me, okay!"
As the flirting between a hero and a monster lord went on, all a certain void user did was staring blankly, the word 'his wife' echoed around in her head.
"…I have a grasp on the situation now."
Alice in cross-arm position nodded after listening to Luka's explanation, before turning to the pink-haired girl who, even now, was still sticking like glue to someone else's husband.
"All this mess happened because your magic stole Luka right off our bed."
"W—what do you want from me?! I didn't do it intentionally! It was a coincidence!" Louise argued back. But her mind went back to when she summoned Luka. She clenched her teeth with anger and embarrassment now that she understood the reason for Luka's lack of clothes at the time.
"After that, despite knowing he had a place he belonged to, you still tried to hold him here."
"Kuh! T—that…! W—Well, I intended to send him home, but I've had no luck so far…that's all." Louise told herself she really wasn't lying.
"Now he can."
Louise place her left hand on her chest while murmuring 'I know'
"What I said. Luka, time to go back."
"Alice, isn't this a bit too sudden…?"
"What's sudden was you disappearing on me. Who was it that said they will create a world humans and monsters can coexist? And where've you been this past year? Do you know how much had happened while you're away?"
"That…Well, I can't deny that, but…"
Luka glance at Louise worriedly. There's no chance Alice would let that slip past.
"Luka, you…You aren't going to spout some nonsense like forgetting your old world and stay here with this girl, are you?"
Alice's voice contained anger. It also contained fear. And Luka heard both.
"It—it's not like that! It's just…there're many things still left unsolved here. If I just go back like this, well…"
Alice looked at Luka, then Louise, then Luka again, and sighed.
"Your bad habit is acting up again. …It can't be helped then."
With that word, Luka and Louise raised their heads with hope.
"Then…!"
"On one condition, I will stay here as well."
"You will?"
"I take it there would be no problem?" said in threatening voice.
"Problem…well, no. But don't you have a lot of work, being a monster lord?"
"Those? I'll just let Tamamo take care of them."
"Me!?"
Luka glanced at Louise as if to ask for opinion. Louise glanced back and thought.
The other side could just bring Luka back like this if they really wanted to, and Louise would have neither right nor power to stop them. That Luka could still be here is already a very good thing. Even adding an unknown demi-human to the mix, the answer was still obvious.
"Stay if you want to. Not like it's my business or anything."
"What this cotton candy-haired girl said doesn't matter. I would've stayed either way."
Louise clenched her fist and teeth. Luka's only thought was Alice was still hungry.
"Alice, don't eat other people's hair."
"Imbecile. Do you really think I'll do something like that?"
Based on what he had seen so far, Luka really thought so.
"But how are you going to go back anyway? The door-tunnel thing just now isn't here anymore." Luka asked Tamamo.
"I'll have to rely on you for that, Luka. Amongst the angelic skills, there's one that could destroyed 'akua pentagon' isn't there? You use that technique, and leave the rest to the other side."
"Ah. Okay, I'll try."
Luka took a stance, and slashed out his glowing sword at the air. A while later, the same tunnel appeared.
"Hmm. That went well. Alright, time to make my exit. Your Majesty, Luka, take care~"
Tamamo gave a wide smile, before bouncing into the tunnel. At the same time, voices could be heard from the other side.
"Tamamo, what about the monster lord and Luka?"
"They'll stay there for a while. Just think of it as their belated 'haneemoon'. "
"Eh~~ Luka-chan isn't back yet?~ And here I was thinking I would give him a 'warm welcome'."
After a while, the tunnel closed, and peace returned to the Rosythe-Saxe Gotha road once more.
Or maybe it did not.
"Now, bring me to the nearest town. After that, you know the ropes, Luka."
"You still want to eat? Shouldn't you've had enough already?"
"After a main dish comes dessert. And just now didn't even qualified as an appetizer. I know you people have some important business so I'm willing to wait until tonight."
Luka swallowed his saliva, he was still sore from just now. It had been ten months since he last did that, so he had quite a way to go before getting used to it again.
Louise also heard that, and stomped the ground to Luka's side.
"Not tonight. We're going on a ship. It would d—disturb other passengers."
"Then I just need to make sure Luka doesn't let out a sound, a child's play for a monster lord."
"Th—that's still a no! I don't care if you're a monster lord or whatever, you have to know your manners!"
Louise pushed her fear to the corner of her mind, and focused on glaring at Alice who also glared at her.
"Monster Lord Alicefeeze, I want to ask you something."
"What is it?" Alice asked Tabitha who walked up to her.
Tabitha then raised the accursed book up and said.
"Can you two show me the [Love Love Giga]. I want to see it."
"Pfff!"
Both the hero and the monster lord spat out mysterious substance in unison.
The mysterious substance was still mostly ectoplasm.
Alice was bewildered by the question, before returning to her cool expression and coiled her tail around Luka.
"I told you it wasn't me!"
Alice did not answer, did not look, and did not stop.
Kirche looked at Alice from behind, then at Louise.
'They're pretty similar actually.'
The adventure of Hero Luka and Monster Lord Alicefeeze in this new world had just begun.
Seriously, what had I even written? At least I had fun.
Anyway, some points of interests.
Tamamo speaks in Kansai dialect. I had no way to replicate that. She also speaks like a typical Anime granny character who isn't good with borrowed word. In the original game's Japanese script it was represented as Hiragana characters (where it would normally be Katakana). In this story it was Romanization; they were 'culture shock', 'Aqua Pentagon' and 'honeymoon' respectively.
My headcanon age at the start of the game for Luka was 15.
I took the liberty of having Luka's language be similar to Rune language in Louise's world, considering the magic in Luka's world was recited with spoken language.
Alice's dark magic completely blew through Counter because it was not under control of any spirit of nature (Wind, Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, River, you get the idea), so the spirit's protection was useless. Same goes for Luka's angelic power, though only Flash Kill could destroy the barrier outright instead of simply going through it.
On Jörmungandr's attacks: I know that physical attacks like that should have been useless to those who mastered the breath of earth, but as Tamamo had said, she was not used to the new world's earth yet, so the damage was halved instead. Jörmungandr was also not as heavy as it looks. It's power comes from large amount of wind stone. That gives them relatively (or very) light weight. So much that their footsteps were really quiet (canon material right here).
I had the most fun with the battle log format.
Well, now that I got it out of my system, I could finally returned to my main story.
Good day to you all.
(Edit 2: Final fix. Final version.)