Arc 2: Curses and Blessings
Chapter 7: A Future With You
The future will always be a mystery, but when you know that certain events are about to happen then it wouldn't be as scary.
If the future changes from what you knew, you'd panic. This was exactly what happened to him, he never expected someone like him to show up. He never read about anyone like him who made his appearance, not even the novel's protagonist knew who he was from what he read so far.
?: "my name's Halibel, you've been the talk of the village ever since I arrived this morning, Ru-san. it would be nice to talk to you," the Wolf-Human says with a bright smile,
Extending his arm to pat the knight on the shoulder, the Wolf-Human towered over him. He was taller than anyone he had ever met,
Haru: "Halibel... w-what a nice name," he replies, giving an awkward giggle to not make their interaction as awkward.
The two maintained eye contact, exchanging a smile before the Wolf-Human lowered his head to meet the young knight face to face. "Ru-san you're turning pale, do you feel ill?" he asks,
The kids shifted their attention from the puppy to the sickly knight,
Lucas: "what's wrong Haru? you're looking anemic," he points out,
Haru: "am I...?" he muttered
His eyes still focused on the Wolf-Human in front of him, he slowly dropped to the floor. Bringing his arm to his hair, still trying to analyze just what was happening. A wave of nausea hit him like a truck,
Halibel: "hey, you okay? do you need help standing up?" he asks, kneeling down beside the young knight in worry,
Haru: "Halibel... y-yeah I am," he quickly reassured,
The worry in their eyes haven't left, they knew he was lying. But it felt natural to believe him. Just when the Wolf-Human was about to speak, the young knight raised a question.
Haru: "h-hey Halibel... you said you just a-arrived, right? y-you made it seem like y-you're leaving too... are you?" he asks him,
Freezing in place, the Wolf-Human shook his head.
Halibel: "you really know you're words Ru-san, you're a good listener. I was about to leave in a few minutes, why do you ask?" he replied,
The Wolf-Human says, curiosity filling his eyes. He seemed like a good man, but things weren't adding up.
Haru: "n-no reason," he muttered,
His eyes shift towards the houses behind the Wolf-Human, approaching them were the two maids. Carrying two large barrels, one more than what they bought in Canon. He quickly stood up, surprising the kids and the Wolf-Human. Dusting off his uniform clean as he turns to speak before leaving for the Mansion.
Haru: "it was nice meeting you, Halibel-san. I look f-forward to seeing you soon, it looks like my companions are ready," he says
The Wolf-Human smiles and stands up, "ah, it was nice meeting you as well, Ru-san. I'll see you soon," he replied,
The two exchanged smiles as the knight approached the kids, "don't go beyond the f-fence, if something happens I'll come, okay?" he tells them.
In confusion, the kids nodded. The young knight then left, waving his hand in the air to greet them goodbye as he met up with the maids.
The day came to an end, his training with Hakurou was over and he finally had time to do whatever he wanted. So, he spent the afternoon atop the hill that overlooked the kingdom. The relaxing scenery made it an even better place to read a book.
Haru: "man it's getting so good," he says, waving up the book in his hands to show his excitement and enthusiasm.
He had been reading this book for at least a week. And he'd already reached what he stated was "the most confusing part of the whole novel series" Natsuki Subaru had his big redemption and he managed to save the people in the Mansion, and he even got to confess his love for the girl he admired.
They soon returned to the mansion where he had died time and time again. But the remaining residents have not yet returned. The only person there was a blonde maid who gave them directions on what to do next.
Then, they all met at a place called the sanctuary, home to the Witch of Greed Echidna whose soul is forever trapped in the place called the Tomb. Her body still remained thereafter four-hundred years.
The protagonist then met the said Witch, had his memories of the tea party erased, and was left trying to figure out what to do next. Later that night, the silver-haired princess was asked to take on a trial, only for it to fail as the lights that surrounded the Tomb disappeared one by one.
Natsuki's involuntary action was to run to her, only for him to trigger a trial himself. Before passing out on the cold floor,
Haru: "e-eh? where's the rest of the pages..?" he says in a panicked voice,
He quickly flipped the pages, scanning each one to make sure he didn't miss any. Sadly enough, he didn't. The following pages were blank right to the opposite cover.
Haru: "h-hey... no way... is that it?!" he shouted
He stood up from the grass and scanned the book again, only for him to stop at the same page he was just reading.
'Volume ten, The Long-Awaited Reunion.'
Haru: "He just entered the tomb, what happened? is this the last c-chapter...?" he muttered, with sweat dripping down his forehead
The cliffhanger was too much for him to handle. He's way too invested in the story and moving on with his life with the lingering thought that Natsuki Subaru was just there on the cold floor with no provided reason at all would drive him mad.
Haru: "crap..."
Using Spatial Travel, he sank into the ground and disappeared. Reappearing once more in front of the main building of the kingdom, where most of the meetings are held. Luckily, there was nothing important to discuss as of right now so the building was quite empty.
But he searched for him anyway, the only person capable of telling him what happened next.
Haru: "hey! Benimuru-san! where. is. Rimuru-sama?!" he exclaimed while panting,
Startled by the sudden arrival of the young goblin, he quickly pointed towards the window. "you wouldn't want to go there now Haru... Shion is..." he muttered,
Just mentioning the two together in a separate building already spelled out what exactly was happening. It was something everyone in the Kingdom internally feared, but in her presence, showing their thoughts about it would get them killed.
As fear and anxiety rose up on both the young goblin and Benimaru's face, he slowly backed up from the room,
Haru: "I get w-what you mean... thank you Benimaru-san," he says
Benimaru: "yeah... good luck." he says with a pitying expression,
The young goblin nodded his head and ran out of the building, with the lingering fear that if it were there, he'd run away as soon as possible.
Rimuru: "you came at the right time, Haru!" he says with an enthusiastic manner, with his hands planted on the table as he stood up from his chair,
Under the door frame with a less excited look on his face, the worst thing possible was right in front of him.
Shion: "oh? you're here too, did the smell of my cooking bring you all the way here?" she asked,
A tall woman with a gorgeous body, with a narrow horn protruding from her forehead. A bright smile on her face, in her hands, was a pot of her own cooking. Emitting a purple radiant color was anything other than inviting.
Haru: "o-oh... R-Rimuru-sama looks busy... I'll take my leave then, see ya!" he uttered, wanting to get away as soon as possible.
Shion: "are you sure? you haven't been present during dinner time these past few days, wouldn't you want a bite?"
Stopping in his tracks, he raised his shoulders, "y-you see, I p-promised Shuna I'd h-help her with th-"
Rimuru: "no Haru! S-Shuna already finished w-with the robes... stay," he interrupts, with a hint of fear spread across the master's face.
As the two maintain eye contact an internalized conversation began through their telepathic connection.
Rimuru-sama... don't give me that look... please tell me I don't have to eat that crap too...
Benimaru left me here to go elsewhere... we have no choice but to eat!
Sweat dripped from both of their foreheads as their conversation became more aggressive,
tsk... what exactly does that have to do with me, old man?!
how dare you bring up my age at a time like this Haru?!
Be it the pressure of having an argument with the king of monsters, or the soft plead of his eyes as they maintain eye contact. He sighed and gave in, With a proud expression the kingdom's ruler felt more at ease,
Haru: "s-scratch that... I'm hungry, Shion-san. c-could I have a bite?" he says,
Her eyes lit up in joy after hearing the young goblin's words, "of course! you and Rimuru-sama can be the judge of my cooking this evening! I've always wanted you to have a bite Haru," she exclaims as she puts her hands together,
Haru: "anything to make y-you happy I guess..." he adds with a smile,
As the consecutive left for the kitchen, he quickly turned his head and brought out the Novel he had been meaning to ask his master about, "Rimuru-sama... this book" he mutters
Rimuru: "oh? did you read it? it's pretty neat right?" he asks,
Haru: "neat isn't enough, it's addicting! y-you owe me, right...Rimuru-sama?" he says
Raising his eyebrow at the young goblin's words, he began to giggle. "fine, let's hear it." he replies while crossing his arms,
Haru: "can I erm... h-have the other book? the one after this? i-it sort of ended on a c-cliffhanger you see..." he asked him, his eyes shining passionately with a small smile on his lips. He couldn't wait to start the next chapter,
Rimuru: "oh, that's the latest volume I read." he says with a bright smile,
No words could express what the young goblin felt at this moment, was it Shock? Sadness? Confusion? His eyes grew wider, his smile grew bigger. He showed the opposite reaction to how one was supposed to act,
Haru: "p-pardon?" he asked once more, maybe he didn't hear him right.
Rimuru: "that's the last book I can make..." he replied, raising his arm up to comb his hair to ease the awkward tension.
The master didn't have a hint of sarcasm in his words, he said it with such bright smiles it looked as if he were proud that he didn't read the next volume. But at the same time he looked like a kid who had forgotten their assignment in school, his reaction was out of pure embarrassment.
Haru: "h-how about a side story?" he pressed,
Rimuru: "d-didn't read those either..."
Haru: "manga?" he asked, his hair flying in all different directions from stress.
Rimuru: "there were so many to pick from at the store at that time... I passed it,"
His head drops down, hitting the table as a loud bang resonated from the room. As if all the strength left his body as if he had lost the will to continue simply because of a book.
The smile remained on his lips as he desperately tried to process what he just heard. That was the last book he read? Impossible. The amount of manga and novels his master was able to copy was enough to make a book shop, but did he have to die before reaching the next chapter of the volume? Much more the next volume to the series?
'why did you have to die that early Rimuru-sama?!' he thought,
He was distressed enough that his gentle aura radiated a mix between the color purple and blue. The room's atmosphere became dark and depressing that his master began to pity his own subordinate,
Rimuru: "sorry about that... Haru, t-that's... my bad..." he says,
Haru: "tired... I'm tired nee-sama," he mutters,
The trio finished their business at the village, and it was time to finally go home. But buying the necessary spices weren't the only thing they bought, they included some other ingredients for some desserts the Grey-haired merchant talked about earlier,
Ram: "stop your whining Bakaharu, it's already depressing enough that you got bit by a small puppy and nearly passed out over it. You're getting more and more pitiful each day," she comments,
Rem: "it's really unfortunate for the puppy to be biting on boy's like you, Haru-kun. Rem isn't particularly sure you taste good," she adds
Seeing a young knight on his knees with his hand bleeding was a shocking sight, his eyes were narrowed and his complexion was worrying. But he quickly stood up at the sight of the maid's coming to his direction, dusting off his pants as if nothing happened.
Haru: "t-that was an unnecessary c-comment... " he sighed,
Taking his mind off of the drowsy feeling taking over him, he thought back to the novels. He was upset and anxious over the fact that things have been changing from the story, the fear of messing up was eating him up inside.
The exhaustion hit him little by little, the curse was starting to take effect. He felt his magicules get drained with every second passing. His body was getting weaker with each step he took,
Haru: "augh, we did it..." he sighed,
Finally dropping the two large barrels of ingredients on the floor of the lobby, he dropped to his knees. Panting heavily trying to catch a breath, his complexion paler than usual.
Ram: "yes, yes. well done," she applauded,
Rem: "yes, yes. good work," she adds,
Giving the two maids a thumbs-up, there was never a conversation that didn't involve an exchange of insults. She quickly commented on his appearance,
Ram: "Bakaharu, you look like you're about to burst a blood vessel, actually... scratch that, it seems like all the blood has left your body. are you perhaps, anemic? that's tragic, you could have bled out by the simple dog bite. " she says,
Lifting his head up, he looked at the loving sister he wished he never had. "that's m-mean..." he mutters,
Rem: "it was disappointing that you got so exhausted lifting two light barrels Haru-kun,"
Haru: "this isn't particularly my fault..." he says,
'damn it... they better be thanking me when this ends.' he thought,
At the cost of a small sacrifice, he was ensuring a future for the two. It would only make sense they thank him,
"well, well~ I see~ that the three of you are here, that will save me some time."
Their heads turned towards the source of the voice, his formal clothing and top hat brought a bright smile to the young knight. 'so it didn't go off-trail? it's following the loop!' he thought.
Haru: "Roswaal-sama," he quickly got up and greeted the mage with a bow, with the two maids following his lead.
Ram: "you're going out?" she asked,
Roswaal: "Ram is correct, I'm going out. I received a message that was a tad bit troublesome. So I'm off to make the rounds outside. I do not expect to be home tonight. Ram, Rem, please take care of things in my absence." he replies, closing the distance between the three.
Affirming their master's words, they nodded in unison.
Ram: "yes, sir. As you command."
Rem: "yes, sir. Even if it costs us our lives," they replied.
Giving the trio a smile before walking past them towards the door, stopping right beside the young knight as he put his hand on his shoulder,
Roswaal: "I'll be counting on you too~ Haru-kun, take good care of everyone." he says,
Haru: " it's part of my duty, Roswaal-sama. I won't l-let you down," he replies,
Roswaal: "ah, then look after things while I'm away." he adds,
Tipping his hat to cover his face as he began to levitate, his feet lifting off the ground. With a burst of magic, he flies out of sight.
'that's handy' he thought
As they watched the mage disappear from their sight, the three went their separate ways.
Haru: "do you need me to carry t-these to the k-kitchen?" he asked them,
With a hint of disappointment on her face, she shook her head. "no need for such acts Bakaharu, you look exhausted enough and Ram doesn't want to clean you up if ever you get too hurt." she argues,
With her twin sister carrying the two barrels, they both made their way toward the kitchen. Leaving the knight behind.
Rem: "please take a nap or something, Haru-kun. your complexion is worrying,"
Haru: "got it... thanks I guess," he mutters,
With the maids gone, all he had to do was follow the rest of the loop in order. But with the curse still on him, it would be difficult to get anything done.
Beatrice: "how did you get in here again, I suppose," she says,
Haru: "it's getting e-easier to get i...n here, you know?"
Finding the door to the library was never an issue, but with the lingering curse spreading throughout his body even a simple skill like Shadow Step took a lot out of his magicules.
Haru: "could you... help me?" he asks,
Her eyes not even lifting off her book from their previous talk, her eyes jolted up with her eyebrows furrowed.
Beatrice: "you're barging in here and asking for favors, in fact! I will not help you I su-"
Haru: "curse. could you g-get this curse... off me?"
Her eyes widening at the request, it wasn't every day someone would barge in asking to lift a curse. but he wasn't just someone, she firmly believed he was the one. All the signs were pointing towards him.
but if he were the one, she would never be taken out of her suffering. Her days will repeat in a constant loop, she will continue to live on. Stuck on the thought of what could have happened.
Shaking off this depressing thought, she raised a question.
Beatrice: "... what happened I suppose,"
She got out of her chair and walked towards the knight on his knees, putting her hand on his forehead as he gave a short explanation.
Haru: "some dog... b-bit me in the village, why?"
Beatrice: "is it wrong to ask what happened? you ungrateful boy, I suppose. You should be happy that Betty is sparing her time to save you for no apparent reason," she replies,
Haru: "i-it's not that I wasn't grateful... I knew you were the only person capable of doing this..."
Pulling her hand back, she stared at him with a shocked expression. Quickly, she shook it off and continued, "what brought you to think of that I suppose..."
Beatrice: "I'll destroy the spell used on the curse now, I suppose. The spell is burned into you on the spot the shaman touched, so that's our reference."
Her hand on his forehead as it began to glow. Her focused and determined expression shocked him, he didn't think she would be this serious. 'ah... looks like this didn't change,' he thought As the black mist that marked the curse came out of his hand, she quickly closes her fist as the curse evaporated into nothing.
Beatrice: "I suppose that's quite abhorrent. All done. I suppose you'll be fine now." she says while shaking her hand to get rid of the stinging remnants of the curse,
With a relieved sigh, he stood up from the floor. Spreading his fingers as the Strings that wrapped around his hand disappeared.
Haru: "thank you, Beatrice. I'll come by again right after I deal with this," he says. Giving the petite blonde a small bow, he prepared to leave the library.
"don't go... I suppose. you have no reason to go back there,"
The quiet mutter was enough to make him stop in his tracks. His head turned toward the door became downcast. "I have things to do, Beatrice-san. things that absolutely need to be done," he says.
Beatrice: "is it really worth it, in fact? you have no relation to that puppy, much less whoever owns it I suppose. I suggest you mind your own business."
Haru: "that's one thing I can't allow, my conscience will eat me up if I let things like that happen in front of me. and things won't work out if I don't do this," he says,
Turning his back to face the petite blonde, his desperation was getting more intense.
Beatrice: "are you stupid, in fact?" she exclaimed,
Haru: "not exactly, I'm just selfish, Beatrice-san. believe it or not. this could change everything I'm planning for the future. So I'm not messing it up,"
Beatrice: " you're not selfish, you're just an imbecile I suppose. you're saying a shaman puppy could very well change your entire life?"
Haru: "it's not j-just mine, Beatrice. I'm not t-taking that risk, everything is on the line."
The two maintained eye contact, the atmosphere in the room became tense. The blonde had no choice but to give in, "fine... in fact, but I won't be doing any more favors I suppose,"
Winning the argument brought a smile to his lips,
Haru: "would you mind helping the villagers who could have gotten cursed too? " he adds casually,
Beatrice: "d-did you hear what I s-said I suppose?!" she exclaimed,
Without giving her a chance to even accept or decline his favor, he rushed out of the room. "sorry! but I'm counting on you, Beatrice!" he shouts.
Her eyebrows furrowed, her face filled with doubt and confusion. She crossed her arms and asked one more time,
Ram: "why are you going to the village, Bakaharu." the tone of her voice was enough to startle anyone.
Haru: "that dog that bit me was a shaman that placed a curse, I'll deal with it and the trouble will be solved." he re-affirmed,
There was a nasty glare in his eyes, they knew it wasn't a matter to be joked around with. His face was no longer relaxed, what replaced it was a shallow and empty expression that shocked them both.
Haru: "Roswaal-sama asked me to take care of everyone, this is my job nee-sama."
Her eyes narrowing, the blue-haired maid spoke up. "you're acting on your own selfish desires Haru-kun. If Roswaal-sama asked you to take care of everyone, do you not include Emilia-sama in those you are supposed to protect?" she says,
Taking a small step forward he lowered his face, They were wasting too much time.
Haru: "you're doubting me, Rem. what I'm doing is ensuring a future where everyone survives. what part of that is selfish? don't you trust me?" he says
The three exchanged looks, with the two maids staring deeply into his eyes. With no choice but to comply, she sighed.
Ram: "very well Haru I will allow you to act on your judgment." she says,
Rem: "Nee-sama?" her face shifting into disbelief, was she really hearing this?
To add on to her built up confusion and anger, she was asked to accompany him. Why should she? She had no reason to help him, he was acting on his own and was potentially endangering the residents of the mansion. He was more than capable to be doing it on his own,
She wanted to get as far away from him as possible, she didn't want anything to do with someone who caused so much misery in her sister's life. So why was she supposed to help him?
Haru: "I'll protect her nee-sama, I promise." he assures her,
Her elder sister looked at her straight in the eye, her decision was absolute and there was no talking out of it.
Ram: "Rem, that's my decision, so please go. I'll confirm the situation with Beatrice-sama and I'll protect Emilia-sama. I'll leave him to you" she says, grabbing both of her hands and pulling it close.
Rem: "nee-sama, you shouldn't..." she muttered
Was she hearing that right? She had to work with him? putting up a welcoming facade in front of him was hard enough, but they had to work together? She's kidding...
Emilia: "Haru? are you going somewhere? I heard a commotion, so I came down to see what was going on. what's happening?"
The princess asked, her purple nightgown flowing as she walked down the stairs. Holding her gown by the tips as she carefully walked down each step with her eyes maintained on the trio in front of her,
Her expression was filled with worry, for them to be talking about something without any privacy must mean a serious incident has happened. Her instinct told her to turn to the knight for answers,
Haru: "Emilia-sama, it's nothing you should worry about. just a simple incident by the village that we need to check out," he replied
His expression shifted into one of reassurance that even the maids believed that it truly was no big deal.
Emilia: "you're looking at me like that again... you're going to do something dangerous aren't you?" she sighed
Haru: "I'm not denying it's going to be dangerous... but we'll make it back, I said I'd protect you if trouble comes and you still have to show me around the country, let's stick to our promise, Emilia." he says
Remembering the promise they made to each other the other day, she sighed. with her lips forming into a smile, she spoke up once more.
Emilia: "you know promises are important for Spiritual Arts Users... but I guess it's useless for me to try and stop you right?"
Haru: "it's sort of for you in a way, so probably not." he giggled,
The two exchanged looks, he truly was a strange boy.
Emilia: "fine, fine. I won't stop you, but in return, you have to come back safe okay?" she asks him,
Haru: "t-that's quite a favor to ask considering w-what were about to do..." he uttered,
Hearing his response, she could only pray for his return. Taking it literally as she lifted her hand, putting it to his chest. Her light touch was enough for him to understand what exactly she was doing.
Emilia: "I pray that the spirits will always be with you."
Her eyes opening once more to meet his, he looked at peace.
Haru: "a send-off," he muttered,
Emilia: "mhm, it's a blessing when sending someone off. come back safely okay?" she says, Her gentle expression almost captivated him.
Haru: "as you wish Emilia, we'll be back soon." he replied.
The group followed the two outside as they prepared to greet them goodbye, with the margrave out of the household they all had to make a choice without him.
Rem: "we'll be off now," the maid bowed. Still aggravated over the task forced on her,
"be careful" the princess and the elder sister replied. Staying close together as they watched the two-run towards the village, disappearing from sight. Before taking refuge once more in the mansion, to wait for their return.
The two sprinted towards the village, their pace almost equal to each other. They were covering the distance in no time but it was still quite a while until they would reach the location. so he suggested a plan,
Haru: "Rem it's going to take a while at this rate, grab my hand," he says,
Her eyes maintaining a disgusted expression, she pulled back both of her hands. "Haru-kun this is not the time to be flirting," she angrily said,
Haru: "you idiot I wasn't trying to! just do it will you?" he says, raising his voice which urged her to take his hand,
Confused by what exactly was supposed to happen, her eyes remained focus on the young knight who stared forward. His eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath,
Extra Skill: Spatial Travel
Her eyes widened at the change of scenery, the two sank into the ground as darkness filled her vision. Her first reaction was to run, but when they suddenly appeared in the village her own body stiffened from shock.
The dark village was illuminated by the lit-up torches that scattered the area with none of the villagers' insight. All the houses' doors were opened yet none of the residents were insight.
Rem: "how... how are we here?" she asked him, her eyes reflecting a genuine thirst for knowledge. Still unable to process what happened,
Haru: "are you okay? sorry if that scared you." he dodged the question
That wasn't what she wanted to hear, as she opened her mouth to speak once more. A repeating sound of footsteps came from behind them.
Villager: "Haru-sama? Rem-sama? thank God you're here!" He called for help,
His panting and the sweat the ran down his forehead were more than enough proof for her that something was going on. Right behind him was the familiar grey-haired merchant who had a worried expression on his face,
Rem: "what's happening?" she asked him,
Trying to catch a breath, he coughed out the current situation.
Otto: "Tempest-san... Rem-san, it's terrible!" he exclaimed
Villager: "s-several of the children have gone missing. a-all the adults are looking for them now but a-a lot of them haven't r-returned!" he cried out,
The duo's eyes widening at the plead,
Haru: "the adults too...?" he asked the man,
The situation was suspicious, that one phrase made her wariness and distrust of him only accumulate more. Her facade was just about to reach its limit,
But she pushed aside her personal anger and followed the trio towards the fence that separated the forest from the village territory,
Haru: "they're in there I'm guessing, how many adults have gone in?" he asked,
Villager: "a-about nine... w-what should we do?" he worried,
Can two people deal with this on their own? he thought the situation seemed hopeless. He watched as the knight took a few steps forward, with his hand on the fence, he looked around at the green crystals attached to the trees. A line of defense that protected the villagers from Beast attacks,
His eyes landing on two certain crystals drained of their original color, displaying a pale blue almost transparent crystal that barely had any light. Her eyes landing on the same crystal, she pointed this out.
Rem: "the barrier is broken..." she says,
Letting out a gasp, the two took a step back"b-broken... i-is that what took them?" he muttered,
Otto: "Rem-san... what happens if it's broken...?" he asked her,
Rem: "the forest is the Demon Beasts' breeding ground... if the barrier is broken then they could freely cross over" she replied,
Scanning the area, his eyes landed on a set of footprints that led deeper into the forest. From small to large, it all went in one direction.
Haru: "Otto.. you know that Wolf-human... Halibel is he still here?" he asked him
Shaking his head, he pointed towards a house. "n-no he left earlier this evening... but he stayed in that inn over there," he muttered,
He nodded his head, taking in the information he just gained. "right... call over the villagers who're still here and follow us in. we'll clear the demon beasts along the way," he ordered them,
Villager: "eh?! you're kidding! I know you're strong Haru-sama but for you two to handle this alone is crazy!" he exclaimed
Otto: "it's fine, Tempest-san can do this." he answers back,
The merchant exchanged smiles with the knight who was pleased with the blossoming friendship and trust the two were building.
Haru: "you know I wouldn't put you in danger, just trust me." he says
The blue-haired maid decided to keep quiet during this, "he's lying.." she thought, still skeptical about his intentions,
Haru: "I'll send you back to the mansion with the villagers once we find them, got it?" he answered back,
The two nodded their heads and sprung into action, "don't die then, Tempest-san." he says as he leaves for the center of the village.
For him to be deciding everything on his own, he must be some selfish mad man.
Rem: "wait Haru-kun, how sure are you this isn't a set this up to divert our attention from the mansion..." she asks him,
He quickly jumped over the fence, taking out his sword as he turned back to the girl. "I'd know right away if something ever happens in the mansion, but you're still doubting me, I'm willing to teleport you back... but if this all goes down the drain, then I die. don't concern yourself any longer with what I want to do."
he says in a blank tone, His brows furrowed as he took on a more serious expression. But she was shocked, "This has nothing to do with me to begin with. But you have no concern over your own life... you're being reckless, " she muttered
Haru: "I'm ensuring a future where everyone is safe... this is all I want." he replied.
The atmosphere between the two became tense, he was sure another battle was about to break out if he didn't turn her attention from him to the actual danger immediately.
Rem: "you... my orders were to keep an eye on you... but if the words you claim to be your true intentions end up being false, I'll spare you no mercy... You wi-"
Haru: "look Rem, it seems like there's something else going on that I'm not aware of... but if you don't care about if the villagers are alive tomorrow, then I'll send you back and you'll live the rest of your life with guilt. life will go on without them and they're going to enter their next life questioning what went wrong." he interrupted,
'and Mercy? I don't even believe in that bullshit...'
She brought out her Morning Star, a spiked ball attached to chains, a weapon brought up in the novels. He easily recognized this and the damage it could deal if he weren't careful. He was acting clueless about such a serious matter, it infuriated her. Her last straw has been pulled and she was ready to attack him at any moment if he got any of her questions wrong,
Rem: " then answer me, why go so far? why do you care about this village so much? you're planning something, aren't you? everything about you has been so fishy and I can't believe Roswaal-Sama actually allowed you to live at the mansion!" she exclaimed, raising her morningstar in the air,
Her aura had become menacing and the air around her had gone cold. All of her built-up anger was ready to be released at any moment, if he moves an inch she'd tear his arms off.
Rem: "go on! tell me, you witch cultist! you're planning something, aren't you...!? I can't even stand being near you any longer, so tell me!" she shouts,
Surprised by the maid's sudden outburst, he tried to calm things down,
Haru: "Rem... I know I was harsh but... that's too much." he mutters,
Rem: "answer me!" she raised her voice,
Haru: "ah...you want my answer so bad?! my hometown dealt with something similar and I have no clue what happened to them! If you think I'd just stand by and let this slaughter happen... no- if you hate me so much then be my guest and kill me! " he shouted back,
The maid was speechless, she tried to voice out her doubts but her own throat stopped her from speaking a word. With this, he continued
Haru: "these kids have dreams... Rem, you can't just take away a kid's dreams like that. There's so much life ahead of them that they still need to experience... take away that then what do they have left?" he added,
Just like that, her doubts disappeared. She slowly lowered her Morningstar, her eyes focused on him and only him. "your... kingdom was attacked...?" she repeated his line,
Nodding his head to her question, her suspicions of him were getting debunked. The young knight noticed the amount of time they were wasting and went further into the forest, "sorry... but we gotta go Rem, let's at least pretend we're on good terms for now..." he says,
She watched as the white-haired young man walked in front of her, his weapon in hand prepared to take on any beasts that might attack them. He kept an eye on his surroundings, his steps were light and quiet. Unnecessary noise could attract the demon beasts to their location.
Stopping in her tracks, the young knight turned back and faced her. "you sense anything?" he asks her
Rem: "we're close... I smell something alive, ...I can't be sure, but it doesn't smell like an animal." she answered back,
He took this as his signal and began sprinting, urging her to follow behind him. Playing a short game of tag as if someone behind them were chasing them, at least that was what it felt like. They didn't deny the unease they felt while running through the forest.
Arriving at a clearing, they spotted grounded bodies laying on the grass. None of them moved an inch, they looked dead from a distance.
Haru: "crap... it is them!" he exclaimed,
Their bodies were scattered with cuts and bruises, their complexion was pale and their lips were blue and cracked. Shaking them barely made a difference as they laid there still. He dropped to the ground, putting his ear next to one of the kid's chest to listen for breathing. Switching from kid to adult until everyone was confirmed to be alive,
Haru: "thank God... they're alive..." he let out a long sigh out of relief,
Shifting her eyes from the forest to the bodies wasn't an easy task, "they may be breathing now, but don't celebrate yet. they're incredibly weak if left alone." she says,
Haru: "I know... let's just do what we can now," he says,
Even if she was still suspicious, she still had to comply. She took a seat beside the knight as they both covered and healed both the kids and adults who remained unconscious. Pulling out bandages from his own shadow as he covered the deep cuts that weren't completely healed with her healing magic,
Pulling bandages out of nowhere was a shock, but what disturbed her was the fact that he seemed unbothered by what happened earlier. He treated her the same as if she were still putting up a facade, she knew that he knew that she was wary of him. The fact that he paid no mind to it annoyed her,
Rem: "there... this is all I'm capable of doing. if only my sister came instead of me... she could have done a better job," she sighed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead,
Their complexion became better than earlier, and their pained expressions weren't as wrinkled as before.
Haru: "it's fine, this is enough. once the villagers and Otto come they could get proper help from Beatrice," he says
What he thought was a finished case took a turn when he did a headcount,
Haru: "Petra... Meili..." he muttered,
She looked at him in confusion, until she turned and counted the bodies in her head. seven kids and nine adults were reported missing... then it hit her,
Haru: "Petra and Meili... three of the a-adults aren't here either..." he says in a panicked voice,
Clenching her fist out of anger at the situation, she was at a loss of what to say or do. She was puzzled. The blue-haired maid suddenly got up and walked nearer towards the next clearing. With her morningstar in hand, it was obvious what she was going to do,
Haru: "where are you going, Rem?" he says
Rem: "I remembered what you said earlier... so I'm going to get them." she quickly replied,
He flicked his fingers on her forehead out of pure annoyance, "weren't you going on about not being related to this village you idiot?" She stared at him in confusion at the sudden shift in tone,
Haru: let me go in first, okay? I'll find the rest who are missing and you follow me in when they come." he says
Rem: "how sure are you I'm going to find you?" she answers with a question,
With a sigh, he replied, "you were the one who asked the kids to take my mask, am I right? obviously, you have some sort of speculations about me."
With a gasp, she shook her head in denial. "mask... I don't know what you're talking about... that isn't what happened..."
Haru: "I said let's pretend to be on good terms... but spare me with the denying Rem, I knew how angry you were with me when I first came." he says,
She thought she'd been doing a good job at maintaining a formal attitude in front of him, making sure to not slip up and make it obvious that she was suspicious and angry with him. But he saw right through her,
Rem: "Haru-kun, how much do you know about..."
Haru: "to be honest, I'm practically clueless and lost. I don't understand a lot, all I know is that the mask covers up whatever you could sense from me," he cuts in,
The knight took a step forward, linking his pinky with hers as he stared into her eyes. He had such sad and lifeless eyes earlier, but when he looked at her it was filled with so much life. It was the first time she'd seen him like this,
Haru: "even if you looked at me differently... no, since the day I came I've had fun just talking to everyone. our small banters with Ram-san were really fun too... so when all this is taken care of, I want to clear all your suspicions of me,"
His eyes were locked on her, " you have a place in the future I'm trying to reach... I wouldn't do anything that would ever make you doubt me, so consider this as my promise to you," he says
She was at a loss for words, his eyes sparkled passionately as he spoke. He was genuine, his words weren't sarcastic at all.
Haru: "I trust you, Rem. I know I can be harsh and selfish sometimes... but I'd never do anything to ever betray that trust," he continued,
Rem: "Haru-kun..."
He saw him in a new light. was he always like this? For the first time, he didn't get on her nerves, for the first time she didn't fear for her and her sister's safety. For the first time since he arrived, she didn't need to put up a facade that she liked him,
Rem: "...very well, the promise is made." she replied
With their pinkies locking, their covenant was set. "you mentioned you wanted to cut my hair right? consider that too." he adds,
The blue-haired maid giggled at his remark, he slowly stood up and brought out a long blue capsule that contained blue liquid. Giving it a few shakes before he handed it over to her
Haru: "now take this okay? it's a healing potion, so pour it on your wound if you get hurt." he says with a smile,
Rem: "will you really be okay alone for a while?" she asks, extending her hand as she accepted the potion,
He took a few steps forward, planting his hand to the ground as he activates his skill. Large Range Multi-Layered Barrier a dome of thin barriers appeared around the unconscious bodies, they were now in protection of one of the most invincible shields anyone could cast.
'thank God I trained this skill in Tempest... but why do I still feel tired?!' he thought
Haru: "you can freely walk out if you need to, I'll sense if the villagers enter too. Let's stick to the plan okay?" he says,
Rem: "got it, good luck Haru-kun. I'll meet you in a while,"
The two exchange their final smiles before they split up, she watched him as he disappeared into the forest. For him to change her perspective of him in just a night was a shock.
She scanned the villagers again, making sure they were stable before they arrived at the mansion. she felt more at ease when she saw the change in their condition, "please take care... Haru-kun..." she muttered,
Feeling a tug on her sleeve, she turned towards the young boy who slowly woke up. His grip on her sleeve remained as he tried to speak,
Lucas: "R...Rem-san..." he muttered,
His ender eyes were deep and out of all of the kids, he had the worst wounds of them all. She lowered her head to listen to what he had to say,
Rem: "what is it? don't force yourself, just take it easy okay? Haru-kun and I are getting your other friends so don't worry." he reassured him,
But his grip only got harder, the sleeve under his palm began to wrinkle as he struggled to lift up his head. Finally having the strength to speak, his words rattled her to her core.
Halibel-san is in the forest.
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Chapter: The Beasts of the Forest