Author's Note: Hey again, people who may or may not continue reading my story. Thank you anyways for continuing to read to this point. I'm sorry I put this out a bit late, but I had some writer's block on how to exactly roll with the plot so I decided to attempt. I'll warn you that some parts may feel rushed, in due time I will update them so it doesn't feel that way. I'm writing this story to get better at writing in general so don't expect anything grandiose or good as some other fanfictions.
Guest Review: I know where you're coming from, I get that it's seemingly out of nowhere but, imagine if you were fighting a powerful assassin that was significantly stronger and faster than you, and can shrug several powerful attacks you throw while regenerating them at a rapid rate. If you were in his shoes I'm sure you would use the mortal blade considering how outclassed Genichiro was, and I'll keep it in mind in the future.
Final note if you think Genichiro's out of character, that's because he is. I'm trying to develop a personality for Genichiro throughout the story.
"What a decision! To think you'd consider yourself for the position of a retainer, no even a knight it's remarkable. But even so, a retainer is essentially a knight, a warrior for a lady or lord, you can back out of this." Roswaal smoothly said.
"Backing out of such a position while in a foreign land, where you cannot read or earn money, or better yet not even know the people, is the epitome of foolishness. My decision remains the same, I, Genichiro Ashina, shall become Lady Emilia's Knight and retainer." He said without hesitation, for he too had offered the position to the Shinobi of the divine heir, while he was on the quest for immortality.
"Mmmmm! Theen, Rem, Ram would you please set up the Knight's quarters? For Sir Genichiro?" Roswaal Exclaimed brightly, gesturing his hands outwards.
The Twin maids bowed before Rem walked up to Genichiro, staring at him as judging him quietly, even seemingly trying to gauge his strength, before speaking up.
"Follow us, Dear Guest… no, Sir Genichiro." She quickly corrected herself before turning her back to face Ram, she received a curt nod. And thus they ventured through the mansion, traveling through several hallways with the same décor, at first it was marvelous to look at, but it's a little stale to Genichiro at least, the maids couldn't comment due to their servitude and respect to Roswaal.
After several minutes, they halted at a room. Ram opened the door to reveal a much more practical setting, at least to Genichiro's eyes. The three were greeted by a large bedroom, same bed, but there seemed to be an armor stand, and the final thing which surprised the former soon-to-be Leader of Ashina, was there was a katanakake, something familiar from home. He was relieved even just for a little bit, as his day just gotten even better.
"Sir Genichiro. Do you mind taking off your armor, and shirt?" Rem said standing in front of him.
"What are you planning?" Genichiro asked with his brow raised, attempting an act of humor. Ram rolled her eyes at this.
"Nothing as shameful nor heinous as what you're thinking. Pervert." Ram crossed her arms, looking away in indignation.
"I was going to measure you, for your regalia." Rem said, slightly tugging on the measuring tape to ease her boredom.
"Regalia?" Genichiro asked in confusion at the foreign word.
"Think of it as a uniform as a knight, if you want, I can tailor it to suit your armor." She suggested, eyeing the foreign-looking armor on the stand.
"No thank you, Rem. Your concern is appreciated." Genichiro gave a nod acknowledging Rem, but continued what must be done. "Let us get this over with." He said uncomfortably as he lifted up his shirt. Rem saw all of it. Several battle scars, but most prominently were the charred-up burns on the forearms, but especially the right arm with it being almost completely enshrouded by the burns, all of them being a result of his training.
"They're ugly, aren't they? I don't blame you." He said quietly out of shame. "But still they're a sign of my training."
"No, they aren't ugly. They're a part of you after all. You shouldn't worry about what people think of them too much." Rem advised as she wrapped the measuring tape around him, making him twitch a little.
"Rem is just saying that to not hurt your feelings." Ram said as she snorted.
"Is that so, and here I thought you knew I have thick skin. You can be honest." Genichiro said with a slight frown.
"Rem, do you notice anything when looking at Sir Genichiro's strange appearance?" Ram asked, turning to Rem, awaiting her response.
"His eyes are shaped like snakes, he has long arms, and his face is scary." Rem listed off pressing her hand into her chin as if to convey she was in thought.
"Truly, the perfect description of a villain. Genichiro the pervert." Ram exclaimed brightly.
"Sigh, even that comment hurts my cold heart." Genichiro chided a little bit, but put up a grin. Putting emphasis on the cold heart. But there was a brief knock on the door, before it opened, revealing his new lord.
"Good day, Lady Emilia." He said uncomfortably as she looked at his battle scars.
"Hello Genichiro, and if I may. Are you still sure you want to be a knight for a half-elf like me?" She asked almost regretfully. The two maids stared at the wall listening to the conversation.
"As I said, I would. Whether or not you will be discriminated against, for my own selfish reasons I will follow and protect you. Tell me what is your goal once you become ruler?" He asked the big bad question, the one that he wanted to know ever since the knowledge of Emilia being a ruler was known to him.
"Well, I too have a selfish reason." She hesitated but took a deep breath before continuing. "Well two reasons, the first I want to be king is because of the lack of equality in this kingdom. The racial divide between humans and demi-humans, and non-humans. I want a kingdom where everyone can live peacefully where Racism and discrimination is not allowed. And my second reason, the divine dragon's blood." She finished
"Blood? What would you do with it?" This piqued his interest greatly, something from the divine realm perhaps?
"I'll tell you another time, I have to go study for the Royal selection." Emilia smiled gently. Before leaving through the door all of a sudden.
"It appears Lady Emilia is bothered by something. Do you two know anything?" He asked to put his shirt back on.
"It was the sight of your scars scaring her away." Ram said blatantly without any care at all. "Rem and I shall take our leave, do what you want. Rem will deliver your regalia in due time" Rem obliged and proceeded to follow her out of the room.
"Wait. If you're going to do your duties, allow me to help. I cannot allow myself to freeload even if I have a job such as a retainer." He said attempting to help the load of work, he couldn't imagine how much work the maids would have done by themselves
Rem and Ram looked at each other and back at him, and back and forth, but Ram gave a sigh and hesitantly accepted.
"Very well, what can you do?" Ram asked, trying to gauge what he a warrior could possibly do to assist the maids.
"You'd be very surprised at what I can do in the kitchen." Genichiro said testing out the waters to see what her response would be. "I make a mean mochi. A type of desert, also soba."
"I have no idea what on earth kind of foods those are, but I shall be the judge of them. Rem please continue until Sir Genichiro finishes his dish." Ram asked.
"Of course sis." Rem said as she continued tailoring the regalia.
"Let us get going." Genichiro said. And the two departed for the kitchen before closing the door. Leaving Rem to her own thoughts.
"Dear sister wouldn't accept this would she? She's only being nice to keep up an image. Damned witch cultist…! I'll kill you when the time is right." Rem gritted her teeth in rage, before calming herself and continued working on the Regalia. Just to appease lord Roswaal.
Kitchen
"Say, Ram, do we have rice, red beans, and buckwheat?" He asked while putting on an apron.
"How specific, we do in fact. But with that apron of yours and your strange looks. All you will make is a disgusting abomination." Ram commented.
"Hmph, at least try it before throwing out these notions." Genichiro said as he began to get at work on his two dishes. Ram was observing from across the counter, after an entire hour of boiling the red beans in sugar water, and getting the fresh rice onto the largest stone bowl he could find. He began the process of kneading the dough, making it smooth yet sticky, and began thrusting his palms into it with great haste and speed, to the point of shaking the table. And what lays in the center of the stone ball is chewy rice.
His hands shook a little from the said abuse of palms, but he paid no heed to them as the heat coarse through his hands. Taking out the pounded mochi dough, he grabbed a cup and used it to create shapes of circles on the dough.
Ram looked at him with strange curiosity. A foreign food was being made in front of her eyes, one where it required a great force, technique, and haste. Once he finished pressing out several of the mochis out, he began to mash the sweet red beans together to create a sweet paste.
"Would you mind helping me Ram to put the red bean paste into the mochi and fold them into smooth balls?" He asked as he prepared the new dough for the soba.
"If it makes your abominable food less terrible, then I will." Ram sighed, giving Genichiro a smug look.
"That's the spirit." Genichiro said as he kneaded the dough and began flattening it. With Ram folding the mochi. An unexpected tag team, of one who can only cook potatoes, and one who cannot cook potatoes.
Behind a door lay the blue-haired maid, where she watched in anguish and frustration, wishing nothing but to their Genichiro apart. But it would have to wait. For the prime opportunity, it would take days, even weeks but was it worth it? To her it was. To act so friendly only infuriated her and deepened her hatred. Witch cultist scum.
Rem simply left before anyone noticed she was there, hiding all her emotions under an emotionless mask, with her returning to her duties as soon as possible.
Dinner was being made in the kitchen, at a surprisingly good rate. A treat for all who wish to try it at the table. A day would pass uncharted, another day at the mansion.
"Sir Genichiro, I see you're awake as a lazy ground dragon." Ram said sharply, but softened her gaze "Tell me, who taught you these skills?"
Genichiro couldn't stop himself from chuckling a little bit. Causing Ram's face to pout a little.
"Well, it was my grandfather and my mentor who forced me to learn these skills. Their parting words on this topic were well. 'even when you are an elite among the elite, one should always learn the skills of a servant's or even a peasant's.' wise words I do say so myself."
And five more days have passed at the mansion, where Genichiro would help around the mansion. One trip to the village and the bite of a dog, fooling no one.
In the moonlight of Roswaal's office, a calm atmosphere filled the room, with the telescope reflecting the light from the stars. Two sat on a chair one on the lap while the other sat.
"How has Sir Genichiro been since? It's been five days since his arrival, we should be seeing something by now." Roswaal said relaxed viewing the darkened skies from below.
"Cooking, laundry, cleaning. He is almost proficient in all." She said remembering how after dinner, Genichiro told her that even when you are royalty, one should always learn the skills of a servant's or even a peasant's.
"Myyy, how lenient. And?" He asked gently, twisting a lock of Ram's hair. "What of his potential to be a spy?"
"I cannot deny it exists, but I believe the possibility is quite slim." She said before closing her eyes in thought before speaking again. "For better or for worse, for worse, in particular, he's very conspicuous."
"And if he's too conspicuous… Despite that possibility, he has a quite strict and honest personality. As I personally see it, it would be wise to interfere." He said gesturing a cutthroat motion as if to enact Genichiro's death towards Ram.
"Even so, even if they're not both children, nothing bad will happen if they were left alone. Sir Genichiro is too honest as a person to not show malice." Ram said as she closed her eyes awaiting Roswaal's mana. His hand reached to where her horn used to be, a comforting feeling of mana transfer was happening. With Roswaal looking onto the field where Emilia is practicing her spirit arts, and Genichiro sitting on the field watching calmly.
"It's not very fun to look at is it?" Emilia asked sheepishly as if to apologize for dragging Genichiro out here.
"While it may not be fun, it's certainly interesting to see how spirits behave." He said letting the breeze ease him out of sleep.
"So about what I said, about why I needed the dragon's blood." She said.
"Well if you still don't feel like telling me it's fine, but I am curious as for what purpose you could use it for." He admitted.
"I used to live in a forest with other elves, but when I awoke for the first time. Everything was frozen, it was so cold it couldn't be melted by normal means. So I thought maybe I could melt the ice the other elves were in with the dragon's blood." The half elf explained.
"So that's your second reason right?" He said.
"Yeah it's selfish isn't it?" She with a hint of guilt in her voice.
"Selfish? Maybe. Selfless? Definitely, I'll let you in on one of my past experiences. Where I was once a Leader, the lands of Ashina were being invaded, by the interior ministry. Those damned Tokugawa trying to unify Japan. But enough of that, when the realization Ashina couldn't be defended by normal means, I sought any form of power. Even the heretical kind, but it was the kind that would turn me into a monster, a hollow shell fit only for a killing machine." He paused but continued on with the story/reflection. "I do not consider myself a selfless person, because I was doing it for the country, not the people. You are selfless. Simply because you're doing it for your own people. I
"I-I see. Thank you Genichiro for those kind words." Emilia said quietly with a flushed look on her face.
"No, thank you, you've cemented my loyalty as your, Lady Emilia." He said kneeling before her. "I believe it is getting late, knock on my door." Genichiro said as he began to walk away towards mansion
"I will." She said with a bright smile standing in the middle of the field as if she was a light.
"So long." He waved walking away towards the mansion.
Genichiro made his way to his room through the front doors of the mansion, making his way through the hallways and finally into his room. For some reason he was feeling quite tired, and quickly changed into a nightgown. Dropping onto the bed, he let his fatigue take him over, awaiting for the next day to come. But then the sounds of chains could be heard as he fell into deep sleep.
In the land of shadows where a certain witch observes, time itself begins to rewind, what this may entail. Nobody knows, but one thing if for certain. Genichiro Ashina is on a rollercoaster of fate.
A calm light warms his face, the birds sing as if to announce another day.
He awakes to a familiar ceiling, he sits up to stretch his muscles, but Genichiro paused. The sight of the two maids appeared before him, a repeat.
"Excuse me, Ram and Rem, why are you two in my room? Is this a prank of sorts?" Genichiro asked expecting a playing dumb answer, but something was off.
"Sister, Sister… Our guest appears to be a bit confused." She said with genuine concern.
"Rem, Rem… it looks as though our guest has gone crazy." Ram said in confusion.
"You two and your elaborate pranks…" Genichiro paused as he looked at his former nightgown. A chill went through his spine, this feeling was similar to the resurrection of the fountain water sediment. But there was no pain.
"Rem, Ram. I have a question for both of you. Have you ever seen me Die-" the world froze, the colors have grayscale, time itself stopped around him? "What is this? Why can't I move?" He asked himself. The frozen confused expressions of the twin maids appear through time. From the land of the shadows, where the witch observed, she went forth.
A presence behind Genichiro appeared. And an immense chill shot up through his spine, fear. For the first time in his life this was when he felt absolute true primal fear. He wanted to scream. He wanted to fight. But everything was for naught.
A cold sensation coarse through his body as he could feel several dark things wrapping around his body, they slowly and methodically moved first from his back, around the shoulders, and finally to the chest. And there he felt his fear peak through this entire sequence. Then one of the presences shot into his chest, there was no pain. But then he felt his heart be caressed. The cold shivering feeling was felt. Then explosive pain.
He felt his very own heart be squeezed. The never-before feeling of pain shocked him back to reality. For he was sweating bullets and clutching his heart. Hyperventilation and widened eyes with complete fear.
"Who, no… What was that?!" Genichiro cried out, clutching his heart.
"Sir! Are you all right?" Rem asked in concern for the dear guest's health.
"Sir, Sir. Are you alright?" Ram asked without any snide remarks she would add to every question or statement.
"No, I don't think I am. And why are you calling me a guest? Wasn't I knighted days ago? No it was if it was a dream." Genichiro wanted to question his own sanity. But he knew better than to spiral out of control. "I need to go to the library… I need some peace and quiet." Ignoring the concerns of the maids He went quietly into the hallway walking towards the door he felt would lead to the library.
To his luck, the door did indeed leave to the library. He walked quietly into the library sitting down against the door on the checkerboard flooring. Alerting the librarian's presence.
"You come into here without knocking again? What a rude one you are." She said blankly, continuing through her book.
"I apologize, I'm not in the right state of mind Lady Beatrice. Would you allow me to stay here for a little while?" Genichiro said, trying to understand his mind. Was it all a dream?
"If you can stay silent then fine, I suppose" She haughtily said.
Several silent minutes pass, nothing but the calm sound of the pages flipping in the library can be heard. But Genichiro made up with his mind.
"Lady Beatrice, can I ask you a question?" Genichiro gestured.
"Fine, Very well, I suppose." She sighed closing her book. Her eyes cold and calculating gazed at Genichiro.
"Is there anything supernatural or unnatural that would kill you in your sleep?" He asked.
"The only thing that would do such a thing, would be a curse." She replied with a bored expression gazing into the wall.
"A curse?" He was curious as to what a curse means in these lands.
"A curse, a spell casted by a shaman, a type of spellcaster. Typically it's a quite useless spell in most circumstances. I suppose. However a curse when activated drains the mana out of a person. Or for your pea size brain, magical energy." She explained as if he was a mere child.
"How can you avoid them." Genichiro asked.
"There isn't an exact way, once a curse is activated there is no way to undo it I suppose. Once it is activated that's it. That is what curses are." Beatrice said with a bored tone cupping her own chin.
"Is that it? a curse given enough time will kill anyone?" Genichiro asked with a face of defeat manifesting itself on his own.
"However, before they're activated, curses are just simple spells
"I see, thank you." He started feeling relieved that he could figure out who was the killer that ended him the previous night.
"You're thanking Betty, even though Betty didn't do anything?" She questioned Genichiro's priorities.
"Yeah, your unwavering personality. Puts me at ease." He admitted sheepishly.
"Only the ultimate pervert would be calmed by verbal abuse." She tilted her head as she looked at him turning the handle. "Your leaving, I suppose?"
"That's right, there is something I need to figure out." He said opening the door. The bright light comes through revealing the fountain at the front of the mansion.
He steps out calmly, allowing the fresh breeze to come forth from the skies to ease him out. Where he saw a certain half elf.
"Good morning, Emilia." Genichiro called out. He knew deep down he had to keep up an act of not knowing Emilia's status until the time was right.
She turned around immediately staring forth at a tired Genichiro standing before her. Prompting her to jog towards the warrior.
"I was worried about you! Ram and Rem were running around the mansion, saying you disappeared right after you woke up!" She said, scolding Genichiro.
"I apologize for that. I wasn't in the right state of mind. As for me, I woke up from a nightmare, a rather terrible one." Genichiro shuddered before her, easing all doubts from Emilia's mind. "Luckily, I was having a conversation with Beatrice, a rather bizarre spirit if I do say so."
"Again? I heard you play a trick on you before you woke up, too…" She said out of worry.
Genichiro stayed silent gazing upon her face, the two stayed like that for a few moments before Emilia began to freak a little out.
"What is it? Is there something on my face?" She raised her hands to her face, as if to attempt to find the said object she thought there was on her face.
"No, it's just I was just admiring your smooth skin, I even envy it." Genichiro admitted.
"I'm sure you'll get some smooth skin! But still. What about you? How are you feeling?" She asked.
"I don't know, if I had to say how it would the experience went, first I was bludgeoned with a wooden oar from the realization, second my heart felt like it was going to explode, and third my entire burned from the mana sapping." Genichiro listed off.
"That's go-, huh? Wouldn't that mean you're hurt all over?" She gestured with her hands but was interrupted as her hair began to shake slightly. With a voice coming out of it.
"Hi, Genichiro. Great morning, isn't it?" He said, yawning "I can't thank you enough for yesterday. I have to thank you somehow."
"Then if you don't mind, you know how to use the arts of magic?" Genichiro asked with a strange glowing from his eyes as if he hit the jackpot.
"Right, wait, you want to learn magic, don't you Genichiro?" Puck put up a smug face.
"That's right." He replied.
"Then let's move somewhere safe, before we start." Puck explained the basics and mechanics of magic and how it works in this world, while they were moving towards the field.
The three cease their movements in the middle of the front yard of the
"First let's start and see what your affinity for what element is. After all, we have to know what magic you can actually use." Puck said, placing his hand onto Genichiro's forehead.
"Let's do this." Genichiro confirmed.
After a few moments, he felt a strange sensation go through his head, then flow through his entire body. It took him the most concentration to not twitch all of a sudden. a few more moments the sensation ceased, prompting him to open his eyes.
"Well?" He asked, waiting for the answer, he was curious after all of what his element would be. Water would be useful for conducting his lightning. In effect causing more damage to one target. Or maybe fire to do a mix of fire and lightning arrows. But he received his answer much sooner than expected.
"Shadow, and fire." The news shocked Emilia and Genichiro, but mostly Genichiro due to the fact he didn't expect to have a dual element.
"Wow, Genichiro, Shadow is rare. But to pair it up with fire is very rare indeed!" Emilia praised Genichiro a bit too much, forcing a blush onto his face.
"Truly? I'm fortunate to have magical potential, and a teacher like you Puck." He then connected the reason why he had shadow and fire. The mortal blade's attacks looked close like black fire. Was it possible that the mortal blade changed him on a magical level? "What can I do with the element of shadow?"
"You can obstruct an opponent's view, block sound, slow movements, and things like that." Emilia explained as if she was reading off a textbook.
"An easy one would be something like Shamac" Puck said.
"That's a blinding spell, right?" Emilia asked.
"I see, then would you care to demonstrate?" Genichiro said.
"For you? Of course! Shamac" Puck put his hand forward than darkness. The eerie feeling was familiar, the bullets of sweat came in. the chill came in, but the presence never did. He tried to move his hands, which they responded to his command, but the lack of sound and the pitch darkness was terrifying to experience once more.
Several more moments passed, and the blue sky was revealed.
"Genichiro are you alright?" Puck asked, after noticing the look on Genichiro's expression.
To which he responded with a simple "I'm fine." In reality, he wasn't at least mentally.
"Such a spell would have the utmost of uses. You say I have the affinity to use Shamac right?" He asked
"That would depend on your training. Want to try a beginner's course?" Puck asked, putting his hands around his tiny waist.
"Very well, Teacher." Genichiro said affirming and giving out respect to the ones who have taught you all they can. Puck flew up onto Genichiro's head.
"I'll act as support, and use the mana inside of you, so the magic will come out of your own gate. Lia on the off-chance that Genichiro's magic goes out of control and explodes, you should step away, so your clothes don't get dirty." Puck explained. Genichiro looked at Emilia who was at an astounding sixty meters away.
"And that's the distance required, in the event, I mess up horribly?" Genichiro gulped a little.
"If you can make calm-headed comments like that, I'm sure you'll do fine." Puck gave him a thumbs up before giving out the next sets of instructions.
"Now, visualize the flow of mana through your body. Then expel a part of it through your gate, out of your body." Puck continued.
"Very well, let's see." Genichiro closed his eyes, in an attempt to visualize what his mana would look like. What he saw a whirlpool of shadowy mana surrounding a white sphere at the center, taking this one step at a time. Genichiro tried to let out a small amount of mana through, but he failed and let the flow continue.
"Huh? That's not good. The gate just-" Puck's expression soured as a sudden burst of black smoke erupted from Genichiro's body, engulfing the nearby area in the blinding spell's effect. The cloud resembling a mushroom of sorts.
After dispelling the spell, Puck took a breath of relief.
"Long story short, you don't have very good control of your gate." He said crossing his arms.
"I thought I could control it, like how I controlled my lightning." Genichiro said, laying on the bench.
"For better or worse, your gate isn't very well used. That's probably why it decided to ignore your wishes and burst out like a pipe." Puck said while sitting on Genichiro's stomach.
"I guess I should get some rest." Genichiro said as he tried to sit up but couldn't, all his strength was sapped somehow.
"You shouldn't move, you used all of the mana in your body. You may not be able to meet up with us at dinner." Emilia scolded Geni.
"I shouldn't lay down all day. It would make for a poor impression for the lord of this manor." He said grunting his way trying to sit up, with some small sweat beads falling from his face.
"Then eat this." Emilia placed a strange-looking fruit in Genichiro's hand. "A bocco fruit. When you eat it. The mana in your body activates, and your gate regains a little of its strength."
"Bottoms up." He shoved the fruit into his mouth, after the first bite he felt a wave of pain and heat for a split second before it ended, he clenched his hands rejuvenated with great vigor. "Thanks, sorry I caused you some trouble."
"Your welcome, but you know it's more satisfying to hear a thank you than a sorry." Emilia said with a slight frown to a bright expression. "I did it because I wanted to help you. Not because I wanted you to apologize, okay?"
"I understand." Genichiro nodded, and thus the same week has begun its course once more.
Three days later at night.
"So, Ram, given what you've seen so far, What do you think of him?" Roswaal spoke with his eccentricities once more.
"In terms of abilities as Lady Emilia's retainer. He is honest, his cooking abilities are quite competent, and he is unusually sharp. I believe it may be necessary to keep an eye on him for a time." Ram explained to her beloved lord.
"This is an utmost problem we must handle with the utmost care. Be sure to give proper warnings so that your sister doesn't act rashly." He finished.
The night continued on and so does the week.
Author's note: Same schedule as last time, and as always throw in your criticisms and questions I don't mind answering some.