To Xenvic: Just so you know, the communication orbs and their limits is just something I made up for this fanfic.
To Dcraus: Naofumi already has a harem-in-the-making in the anime, so I didn't really put much thought in listing his harem. The only one that's not included anymore is Filo (now known as Guinevere) since she already has a destined one.
To AnimeFan13579: I guess you didn't read my past voting polls, the Night Sky Blade won't be making an appearance in this fanfic. As for the weapon forms not having a powerful memory behind it, I'm kinda bending some rules for my own convenience here. The Bioplant seed sort of has a powerful memory since it's technically hundreds of years old. Having some history from the multiple experimentations that the Alchemist did to it all those years ago. It's not a perfect explanation on my part, but hey, it's a fanfic... some rules in this site are just meant to be broken.
To SxS: As for the weapon forms not having a powerful memory behind it, I'm kinda bending some rules for my own convenience here. The Bioplant seed sort of has a powerful memory since it's technically hundreds or perhaps thousands of years old. Having some history from the experimentation that the Alchemist did to it all those years ago. It's not a perfect explanation on my part, but hey, it's a fanfic... some rules in this site are just meant to be broken.
To E.T. 2000: Things would be too easy if our Heroes find out about the Church's plans far too soon, so I fixed it where the Former Church Shadows didn't know about the Pope's endgame plans.
- That is actually a splendid idea, it will take some brainstorming for me, but I just might be able to write that scenario of Eugeo accidentally using his cursed series again in that fashion.
To Archetype-Moon: It's not that Yuki, aka Kirin, is a less skilled swordsman compared to Eugeo. They just don't have any reason to fight each other seriously. Add in the fact that Yuki lived a different life in this world compared to the SAO universe. As for her skills like Mother's Rosario, I'm still thinking of ideas on how she would remember some things about her past life.
To all those who answered my questions: Thank you all for answering my questions. I will be editing one of my previous chapters to fix the misinformation that I made with how Class ups work.
COUNT OF VOTES:
Mutated Griffin - 9
Screaming Death - 7
Cockatrice - 4
RESULTS OF POLL:
As everyone can see, the winner is the Mutated Griffin.
My Unofficial Beta is "KiritoIRL" who wrote some major portions of this chapter that made this even better than it already is.
761 Reviews, 911 Favorites, 1048 Follows
The villagers met Naofumi and Eugeo with plenty of cheers and praise when they exited the town's gates. Having noticed the noticeable halt of the growing plant infestation after hearing a loud wooden crash from the distance, the ousted villagers correctly assumed that the [Cursed Bioplant] is no more.
"Thank you so much Savior of the...-" Elder Pallad started to say in gratitude before pausing to correct himself, "I mean, Sir Shield Hero."
The elder then turned his attention towards Eugeo, having noticed the Legendary Sword hanging by his hip and quickly acting accordingly, "And to you as well Sir Sword Hero."
It was a bit apparent to everyone that the elder was simply being respectful to the Sword Hero in fear of accidentally offending him. But Eugeo didn't really mind, as he fully acknowledged the fact that he and his party arrived too late to do any significant help aside from cleaning up the leftovers. Add in the fact that Eugeo isn't really the type of person to crave for attention, preferring to stay in the background instead of being in the spotlight. A difficult thing to do now that he's one of the very few individuals who hold this world's future in their hands.
"We exterminated the monsters and took care of the seeds that were left behind," Naofumi said in a way to subtly share some of the credit with Eugeo before continuing, "You guys will have to clean up the vines in your own time though."
"Yes, yes of course," the village elder gladly accepted the mundane task that the Shielder left for them to do before he (and the other villagers) smiled and cheered for Eugeo more genuinely. Much to the Sword Hero's mild embarrassment as he scratched his cheek, feeling that he didn't deserve any praise, but Naofumi wasn't having it.
"Alright then, that's that," Naofumi concluded the entire argument with a teasing smirk towards his fellow Hero before letting out a yawn of exhaustion, "I'm gonna go ahead and turn in early for the night."
"Really?" Eugeo said in surprise (along with everyone else) as he thought that this could be their chance to discuss what they plan to do with their respective mutated seeds while having their evening meal, "You're not going to join us for dinner Naofumi?"
Naofumi let out a groan while stretching his arms above his head with a few snapping joints, displaying how tired he is now, before replying, "After spending this entire day healing the sick, exterminating the plant monsters and then getting rid of that [Cursed Bioplant]... I'm just too exhausted to eat dinner."
"Okay..." Eugeo replied a bit unsurely (since skipping your meals is quite unheard of in Underworld) but respected his choice of action, "If you're sure, then I won't stop you."
Naofumi responded with a nod.
But just as the Shielder began to walk away, he decided to play one last prank to his fellow Hero. A rare flash of mischief crossing his face as he patted Eugeo on the shoulder.
"I'll leave the job of feeding duty to you for tonight," Naofumi said to Eugeo with a small grin, "Consider it as compensation for not arriving in time to help us out with the actual fight."
"What?!" Eugeo let out an uncharacteristic yelp, "Wait, you can't be serious..!"
Naofumi played deaf with his words of protest and simply gave him a teasing back wave before walking towards his carriage...
(*Growl!*) / (*Growl!*)
...just as the twin sounds of stomach rumblings were heard by everyone within earshot. Raphtalia, Rino, and even Mash could only apologize to Eugeo with sheepish expressions as they also walked away to catch up with Naofumi. Each of them carrying a crate full of the leftover fruits and mutated seeds that they plan to load onto their carriage. Feeling embarrassed that their master/partner basically threw the swordsman to the starving wolves, or rather, wolves in Filolial's clothing.
Not that Eugeo actually planned in refusing to cook for the two mounts, having already grown used to the rather large appetites of a Royal Filolial. His only concern being the fact that he now had to feed not one, but two Royal Filolials until they were both satisfied. Which is quite a whole lot of food!
"Don't worry Master" Anna seductively whispered to his ear as her slender yet firm pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck with two soft (and rather large) mounds pressing against his back. Flustering Eugeo out of his train of thought on the dish that he plans to cook that can be easily shared for themselves and the rest of the ousted villagers.
Kirin and Rifana also stood by his sides and spoke respectively...
"We may not be as good of a cook as you are Sir Eugeo..."
"...but I'm sure we can help you in the cooking preparations at the very least."
"T-Thanks... I appreciate it," Eugeo said with an embarrassed chuckle for their offered help while Alice is left in a giggling fit at the harmless prank that Naofumi played with her beloved Hero.
"Anyways!" Eugeo raised his voice while carefully removing Anna's arms from his neck and getting some distance from her warm embrace (much to Anna's displeasure) before approaching the village elder.
"Do you have any large cooking pots that we could borrow?"
As the sky began to darken with the sun sinking into the horizon, Eugeo and the girls soon got busy in preparing all of the ingredients that they would need for cooking their dinner. Since this would also double as a celebratory feast for the Lerno villagers being freed from the plant infestation, Eugeo had to cook a lot more than previously planned. Because of this fact, Eugeo decided to use some of his own food supplies from his Sword Inventory.
After pondering for a moment, Eugeo soon got his mind set on cooking a stew for their evening meal.
But not just any stew... but a Rulid Stew.
If the Bow Hero of old was able to bring his world's dishes into this one, then it was only natural that he could do it too. Unknown to Eugeo though, but as soon as this train of thought passed to Alice through their shared link, she became strangely silent.
With Elder Pallad's permission, Eugeo was able to borrow three of the largest cooking pots Lerno village had to offer along with several other cooking utensils that he could use to make preparations easier.
"Alright then," Eugeo murmured to himself with a smile, a kitchen knife in hand (his Knightly Armor now replaced with a more casual blue clothing) as Kirin, Anna, and Rifana – as well as Raphtalia and Rino stood by his side. Holding their own respective cooking utensils.
"Let's get started."
"First and foremost, we would be peeling all of the evetators... err, I mean... the potatoes from their skins," Eugeo said while correcting himself to his mistake to the girls as he and Anna (who is surprisingly skilled with knife work) expertly skinned their individual potatoes before handing them over to Rifana and Raphtalia.
"Evetators?" Kirin asked.
"It's what potatoes are called back in my world," Eugeo explained as he continued with his task, "I was quite surprised to know that there are ingredients here that are identical to the ones I knew back home. After all, most of the foods and spices you have here are completely different."
"Really?"
"Mmhmm... Moving on though, after skinning them all, we'll then cut them up into large, bite-sized chunks and soak them in cold water for 4-5 minutes."
The Rifana and Raphtalia did as they were told and chopped the potatoes in the appropriate size before dropping them in a pot of cold water. This brought up a question from Raphtalia due to her confusion.
"Sir Eugeo, I don't mean to be rude, but why do we have to soak them in cold water?"
After all, soaking chopped vegetables in cold water is an unfamiliar practice for this world's cooking standards. Even her Master Naofumi (with his own impressive cooking skills) didn't prepare anything like this before when he started to cook their meals during their travels.
"I was told that eveta- err, potatoes have some kind of oil inside them that makes them harder to cook properly. But if we soak them in cold water before cooking, we can wash them away with just some simple hand scrubbing."
"Really?" Raphtalia commented in amazement at this new information.
Taking a look at the potatoes a few minutes later, Raphtalia and Rifana were fascinated to see what Eugeo meant as the cold water became slightly murky. The potatoes now being cleansed from the mentioned oil. As this went on though, some of the nearby villagers (especially the young women), began to write down notes on whatever they could learn from the Sword Hero's otherworldly knowledge towards cooking.
A few of them have heard of the amazing delicacies from the widely renowned "Emiya's Family Menu" restaurant, a business that was founded by one of the previous Cardinal Heroes. So, they didn't want to pass up an opportunity to receive a supposedly delicious recipe from a current-generation Cardinal Hero.
"Next... we'll be mincing these wild Sunsettia fruits that Arthur collected from Melromarc's eastern forest," Eugeo instructed while holding up a partially red and orange-colored fruit for everyone to see.
"We're going to put fruit into our stew?" Kirin asked in confusion at the weird ingredient that was being added to the mix. Not only her, but everyone else who had been eavesdropping on them felt perplexed at the strange prospect of adding something like that to a stew.
"Back in my world, we originally used a type of mushroom called Sweetshrooms to flavor a majority of our local dishes. As the name implies, Sweetshrooms add a unique sort of sweetness that mixes surprisingly well with a lot of my hometown's recipes," Eugeo elaborated before starting to chop one of the fruits, "Since Sweetshrooms don't seem to exist in this world, Sunsettia fruit is by far the best substitute that I could find."
Anna soon nodded in understanding and was just about to grab one of the Sunsettia so she could help but was quickly stopped by Eugeo, "I think it's best that you let Kirin do the work this time, Anna. I'm not so sure if you can handle mincing these fruits in huge numbers like this."
"Oh, and why not?" Anna couldn't help but pout at her master's words, feeling a tiny bit offended. Her pride as a woman seemingly being slighted. Kirin and the other girls paused for a moment, as they heard the change in Anna's tone. Not noticing the trouble that he unwittingly caused, Eugeo casually explained himself to Anna while resuming his chopping.
"I found out the hard way that Sunsettia fruits are actually very irritating to the eyes. Especially if you're unlucky enough to get hit with its pulp squirts. For a human like me and Kirin, it would just be a nuisance. But for Demi-humans with enhanced eyes like yours Anna, it would most likely be very painful."
"I-Is that so..." Anna's pout slowly shifted into a gentle smile upon hearing her master's worries for her well-being. The same thing could be said for the other girls as they felt more than satisfied with the Sword Hero's explanation.
"Moreover, while Kirin and I are busy with the fruit," Eugeo backtracked a little as he gestured over to Anna, Raphtalia, and Rifana, "Raphtalia and Rifana can cut the bird meat into finger-like pieces while Anna puts all the soaked potatoes into one clay pot and allow them to steam over the fire for 3 minutes."
The girls did as they were told and everything that came after that gradually went more smoothly. This was partially due to Eugeo's cooking instructions slowly becoming more familiar to the girls...
"Lightly fry the chicken meat into the big pot with some oil until they become mildly brown in color.
"Divide all of the steamed potatoes as evenly as you can into the 3 big pots that we have, along with the half-cooked meat, and start stirring.
"After giving them all a good mix, we'll add the chopped Sunsettia before pouring the water into our stew. Make sure the water slightly levels with the rest of the concoctions.
"Sprinkle a good handful of salt and crushed pepper for each of them before placing the pot covers.
"Once they have stewed in weak fire for 20 minutes or so..." Eugeo finalized in proud anticipation while he carefully removing the pot covers, "Our improvised Rulid Stew is now all done."
"Wooahh!!!" the girls reacted in chorus as the pleasant aroma of the completed stew wafted into everyone's nostrils. The nearby eavesdroppers could only agree as a few hungry villagers started to salivate over the delicious scent reaching their noses.
The same thing could be said for Arthur and Guinevere, (who had been kept busy playing around with Shiina and the other children) as they immediately morphed back into their human forms. Giddily scampering over to find the source of the wonderful smell. Much to Eugeo and the girls' amusement as they watched the two avian humanoids curiously sniffing at their recently finished stew.
" "Mmmm... It smells sooo good~!" "
Guinevere and Arthur cheerfully complemented with eager smiles as they leaned over to take a closer look at the source of the wonderful smell.
"Daddy cooked a lot of good food during our travels too... but he never cooked anything that smelled like this before!"
"Me neither! It smells like some sort of dessert, but strangely something else... I just can't explain it. What is this food called, father?"
"It's called Rulid Stew, a local dish from my hometown," Eugeo proudly answered as a wave of nostalgia enveloped his mind before knowingly looking at the eavesdroppers and the rest of the villagers who are also being attracted by the delicious scent of good food, "All right everyone! Dinner is ready!"
"This is really good!"
"The meat is so tender and refreshing!"
"The flavor of the vegetables mixed with the sweetness soup is so appetizing!"
"I can't stop eating!"
The Lerno villagers all ate with great gusto as Eugeo and the girls (both of his own and Naofumi's party) gladly provided them second and a few third helpings. Except for Arthur and Guinevere, who unsurprisingly outate everyone with 10 helpings each.
Many of the villagers sang more genuine praises for the Sword Hero's help as opposed to how they only praised him purely out of courtesy before.
Kirin, Anna, Raphtalia, and Rifana all chatted with each other and they were soon joined by Rino and her family. Their pleasant chatter lasted well into the night until some of them started to doze off into slumber. Partially due to their full stomachs and now having peace of mind that the Plant infestation is finally over.
Arthur and Guinevere, being the proactive birds they were, ran around and played with the other children (in both their human and Filolial forms), including Rino's little sister, until they tired themselves out and fell asleep. The children's mothers came to collect them in their sleep and bring them back to their respective tents.
When the two heroes' party realized that their Filolials and the other children they were playing with were fast asleep, Raphtalia and Rifana went to collect them along with the other children's mothers. After bringing them back to their campfire, they tucked the two Filolials into their sleeping bags and let them sleep.
The two best friends and the other girls soon decided to go to sleep as well, exhausted but satisfied from the day's events.
By the time Eugeo decided to call it a night from trying to learn more about how the Plant Modification works and came out of his carriage, he found all of his and Naofumi's comrades sound asleep around their campfires; and he was extremely tempted to join them right now.
But as much as he wanted to do so, he had one more concern to deal with: Alice…
Ever since they had dinner and interacted more personally with Rino's family, Eugeo noticed how Alice had been strangely distant. She was noticeably absentminded during their conversations with everyone who are in the know of the Spirits within the Legendary Weapons.
But when Alice's inability to concentrate persisted even more (which was so unlike her), they finally had to ask her what was wrong.
To this, she apologized to everyone and explained that it was something she wasn't ready to share with them yet and that it was something she was only comfortable sharing with Eugeo at the moment. Fortunately, the girls of both parties were understanding and decided to leave this personal matter solely in Eugeo's hands.
And now that he has finished with his experimentation for the evening, it was the best time for him to ask Alice what was troubling her.
Going back into Arthur's carriage and sitting down in a comfortable position, Eugeo asked Alice to let him enter the mindscape, and she immediately granted him entrance.
Once he was in the mindscape, Eugeo immediately noticed the change of climate in it.
Normally, the weather in the mindscape was sunny with clear blue sky – with some cases of there being clouds covering some parts of the skies, but there were always some amounts of sunlight in the view.
However, this time, not only was the plain field of the mindscape cloudy, but it was also raining slightly.
And in the middle of the drizzle stood Alice in her usual blue dress, receiving the full blow of the rain with no attempts to shield herself.
Seeing this, Eugeo, being the gentleman he was, rushed to where Alice was and did his best to shield her from the rain. But she still made no movement to stop the rain from hitting at least her face.
"Alice, what's with all this rain in here? At least take cover over there by that tree; you're soaked all over!" Eugeo chided as he pointed to a nearby tree that was big enough to shield them both from most of the raindrops.
"…" Alice said nothing in response. He sensed that something was wrong with her, so he quickly picked her up in a bridal style and ran over to the tree.
As he did, Alice silently wrapped her arms around her Hero's neck; with his knight armor keeping him from feeling her usually smooth skin to his slight disappointment.
But that was the least of his concerns; now that he could clearly see her face, his concerns rose when he could tell that his beloved had been crying despite her face and hair being completely wet from the rain.
Loosening his grip from her body, Eugeo raised his hand to cast.
"Generate Aerial Element – Form Element, Dome Shape – Discharge!"
The aerial element created a tornado-like form that expanded and formed a semi-sphere around them to make a dome of wind to keep the rain from falling on them.
"Thanks, Eugeo," Alice whispered softly.
He gave a small nod as he smiled. Then he helped her dry her face and hair the best that he can. After that, Eugeo finally asked her.
"Alright, what's wrong, Alice? I can tell that you've been crying for this entire time," he asked.
She loosened her grip from his neck so that she could see his face. Their faces were currently so close that any closer and their lips would have contacted each other. If it wasn't for the fact that Alice was feeling sadness for some reason, Eugeo might not have been able to resist the temptation to close the distance and seal their lips together.
He looked her in the eyes and asked her again.
"Please Alice, talk to me," Eugeo requested again.
After a lengthy pause, she finally spoke.
"This rain… I think the mindscape is reacting to my emotions… Since the mindscape is a reflection of my own mind, its weather seems to change based on what emotion I feel…" Alice said.
"I see…" Eugeo remarked, thinking that what she had said made sense.
As he thought about it, Alice asked her Hero another question.
"Eugeo… when… when was the last time you wondered how your family is doing right now?" Alice asked him tentatively.
Eugeo was surprised to hear this question.
If someone were as close to him as Kirito was, they would know that he had been rather distant from his family, which had worsened after Alice was taken to the Central Cathedral and he received his Calling as the woodcutter of the Gigas Cedar. Perhaps to the point that they were practically strangers who just happen to be living in the same village.
"Now that you mention it… it feels like it's been a long time since I last thought about them… After I received my Calling as the Gigas Cedar's woodcutter, I hardly ever talked with them… Ever since Kirito came back and when we traveled to Centoria together to become swordsmen, I've been keeping myself so busy that I hardly ever thought about them. I did send them letters from time to time," Eugeo started.
"Yes… I remember you talking like that about your parents and older siblings back in Rulid…" Alice recalled.
"But what brought this up, Alice?"
"Well, you saw how Naofumi's new party member Rino was taking care of her parents and little sister when they were eating the Rulid Stew you cooked…" As she cut herself off, Eugeo's eyes widened as he finally realized what was going on. He felt so stupid… he should have realized what was going on sooner.
He may not have thought much about his family during his separation from them, but that certainly didn't mean it was the same for Alice, who hadn't seen her family in 8 long years!
"And just looking at them… they reminded me of mother… father… and Se-Selka," Alice croaked, confirming Eugeo's suspicion. Alice was missing her family that she hadn't been able to see for so long.
"I've been trying not to think about them because I knew I'd just end up missing them more… So, I'd been keeping myself busy by helping you be the best Sword Hero you could be ever since we came to this world… but… seeing Rino and her family… I… I can't help but think about them again…" Alice said, her voice shaking from time to time.
"So, Eugeo…? How… how was my mother and father… and Selka the last time you saw them?" She asked him, with tears starting to well up in her eyes again.
Eugeo started to recall them, as well as his own family, and about when it was that he last saw them. Because after everything that had happened until now, it felt like it was so long ago.
"The last time I saw them was when Kirito and I left for Zakkaria to enter the tournament there in order to become students at the Swordcraft Academy in Centoria," Eugeo answered her.
"And… and… what did they think of me after I was taken away? What did the other villagers in Rulid think…?" Alice asked.
Eugeo balked at her question. He didn't know how he was going to answer that question… Because the answer may not be pleasant for her, nor would it be what she may have wanted to hear.
"It's alright, Eugeo… I have a feeling that I know what your answer is… so please, be honest with me," Alice requested gently as if she could hear his silent plight.
And he just couldn't lie to her when she was speaking in earnest like this…
"The villagers… after you were taken away, most of the villagers never mentioned you again, like… like you never existed… It was the same with my family… so the rift between me and them grew after you were taken…" He answered. Alice looked as if she had expected the villagers' reaction. But she still couldn't help but feel guilty at causing the rift between her lover's family to widen.
"Oh, I'm sorry Eugeo… so you drifted away from your family because of me…" Alice trailed off sadly.
"No, no, I'm not blaming you, Alice! It wasn't your fault… my relationship with my family wasn't exactly stable to begin with! Even before you were taken to the Central Cathedral… So, don't be sorry and don't blame yourself, please," Eugeo begged.
"Alright… but then, what about my family?" She asked, urging him to continue.
After a pause, Eugeo continued his answer.
"Chief Gasupht acted like he agreed with the villagers most of the time… And this is my speculation but, behind everyone's backs, I think he missed you. I saw subtle signs from him to support that theory. I can't be sure, but I want to believe that he did miss you deep down… Lady Sadina, I didn't see her much after you were taken, but I don't think I ever saw her smile as she did before… so it's safe to say that she missed you too…
"And as for Selka… she was the one who was the most vocal in defending you… But a lot of the villagers didn't seem to take it too well. But she still believed that you weren't a criminal, even if you broke the Taboo Index…" Eugeo answered. Alice visibly perked at this piece of information.
"R… really? Selka really did that, for me?" Alice asked.
"Yes… she missed you a lot, you know… more than me, I daresay," Eugeo confirmed.
Alice's expression slowly turned into a tearful smile.
She had expected the villagers' reactions… the majority of the Underworld residents were far too compliant to the Taboo Index after all… She had felt it when she was playing together with Eugeo and Kirito when they were children. And she herself was guilty of finding loopholes in the Taboo Index to cause some harmless trouble – the same could be said with Kirito. And it was poor Eugeo who had to pull them back and keep the two of them out of trouble to the best of his ability.
But what she had really been afraid of all this time… was that her family would reject her if she had ever returned… even when she was at the Central Cathedral training as a nun in hopes of being able to return to Rulid village someday.
She couldn't express how relieved she was to hear that at the very least, her own family – especially Selka – didn't outright ostracize her.
And as much as it hurt to miss them like she currently was, what would've been worse was if she had really and truly forgotten about them… Well, technically speaking, it had happened already… as her physical body she had left behind back in Underworld had her memory of her past in Rulid village erased – and she herself was that memory.
"I… I miss them, Eugeo… it hurts just thinking about them, but… but I don't want to forget them either…" Alice said, slowly starting to sob.
Eugeo wished there was something more he could do to comfort her. He missed his family to some degree as well, but probably not as badly as Alice did. So, he didn't know what else he could do other than to hold her close in his embrace and let her cry it out.
"And he was going to take it away… he was going to have me forget them all…"
Eugeo stopped what he was doing as he heard what she was saying. He released her so that he could look at her face. As he did though, he could hear the rain get more intense somehow.
Before he could ask what she was talking about, she continued…
"And… and he did…! And I've been stuck in… in that woman's bedroom ever since… If only I had known that you would arrive when you did…"
"A-Alice, slow down, what are you talking about?" Eugeo asked, flustered and confused as he held Alice's shoulders to steady her from her breakdown.
Alice looked at him as tears and rain continued to fall. She began to explain.
"Eugeo… you know that I ended up in the form of a memory crystal and got stuck at the ceiling of the Pontifex's room, right...? But you didn't know how I ended up there… You see, when I arrived at the Central Cathedral for the first time, I spent 2 years there as a nun in training. They told me that I could return home to Rulid village if I studied hard enough; when my Sacred Arts level reached high enough… I snuck out of the Cathedral from time to time to see some of the festivities in Centoria without violating the rules because… because I wanted to see the outside world again.
"But… but that was a lie… they had never intended to let me go back… they had always intended to have me become an Integrity Knight because they thought highly of my skill in the Sacred Arts… And when I realized that he was going to be using the Synthesis Ritual to make me forget everyone precious to me… you, Kirito, mother, father, Selka…
"I resisted… resisted fiercely with everything I had… I cried and pleaded for them to not go through with it… but the Prime Senator… he just laughed and carried out the Ritual… And for better or worse, instead of forgetting everything and becoming a mindless puppet like I had thought, I was separated from my physical body and became a memory crystal. That's how I became a memory crystal and ended up at the ceiling of the Pontifex's room…" Alice explained.
Eugeo, who had been quietly listening to her, gasped in shock as he listened on… Prime Senator Chudelkin… His fist clenched and shook as he felt his anger rise… What little sympathy he had for Quinella's perverse henchman vanished completely. Now he wished that he had been the one to deal the final blow to that fat and hideous clown, not Kirito.
"I can't tell you how shocked and happy I was when I saw you enter the Pontifex's bedroom… but then I was stunned when I saw her tempt you to do her bidding… You probably didn't realize it at the time, but I was practically screaming at you to not listen to her temptations…
"At first, I thought I wasn't able to get through to you… but then, when you entered her room the second time, I was so happy to see you overcome her temptation… and with Kirito and my alter ego, you managed to defeat Chudelkin and the Pontifex… but at the cost of both of our lives…
"And now… that we both died in from our homeworld … and then transported to this one, there's little to no chance of being able to see our families again…" Alice explained, now openly crying.
Again, Eugeo could do nothing but hug her and let her cry it out.
After several minutes, when she had calmed down considerably, Eugeo answered her.
"I'm sorry it took this long for me to notice that you missed your family this badly, Alice… I suppose… in my selfishness, I assumed that you got over missing your family… I'm really sorry…" Eugeo lamented.
"Selka… Mother… Father… Kirito…" Alice said as she wept.
She continued to cry for the remainder of their time in the mindscape and Eugeo kept his embrace with her, casting the aerial element one more time to keep the rain from falling on them.
Fortunately, by the time the mindscape time limit was nearly up, Alice managed to calm herself down; and with it, the downpour ceased and the weather gradually turned back to its sunny (albeit slightly cloudy) state.
"Thanks, Eugeo… you really are the best," Alice said, now able to give him a small smile.
"Everything for you, Alice" Eugeo smiled, glad to see that Alice was finally feeling better.
"Mmhm… Now, I think it's time you get some sleep… You must be tired," Alice gently urged.
"Yeah… Sleep sounds really good right now…" Eugeo trailed off sleepily.
As they shared one last hug, the timer counted down to zero, and Eugeo was teleported back to Arthur's carriage in Lerno village.
Eugeo laid down and simply covered himself up with a blanket while holding the Legendary Sword (transforming it into its [Bioplant Sword] to take advantage of the time usage Mastery) close to his chest until he and Alice both fell asleep – which wasn't very long, since they were both physically and mentally exhausted.
At the very first light of the next day...
Naofumi, who was feeling rather refreshed after getting a good night sleep, was now working his magic on one of the Bioplant seeds. As Mash confirmed to him that all his newly acquired shields are now fully mastered, the shield provided him with more information regarding the nature of the mutant seeds. The individual stats of the said seeds now becoming visible in the Shield Hero's and Spirit's field of vision.
'We better make its Intelligence and Mutation level as low as possible,' Mash advised as she finished reading the details that the new shield had provided for her and her Kouhai.
'No joke,' Naofumi said in compliance as he adjusted the parameters that were displayed on his Stacia Window.
'How does this look to you Senpai?' Naofumi asked for confirmation as the adjustments he made began to take hold on the seed in his hand.
'I think that should suffice Kouhai. It should be safe for you to plant it now,' Mash answered with a mental nod.
'Will do.'
Naofumi knelt down to his knees and was just about to plant the modified seed into the ground when he heard someone approaching him from behind.
"Good morning Naofumi..." Eugeo greeted his fellow Hero with a soft yawn as walked closer towards him.
'What are you two doing up so early in the morning?' Alice spoke up, sounding a little drowsily also, before the couple noticed the seed that Naofumi was planting.
"Wait... is that what I think it is?" Eugeo asked in excitement as he still hadn't given his own [Plant Modification] skill a try yet.
"Just watch," Naofumi said with pride as he planted the seed into the hole and covered it with soil.
No sooner as he did this, a small sprout immediately emerged from the freshly dug soil and rapidly grew into a 3 feet tall shrub chuck-full of fruits already ripe for the pickings. Seeing what Naofumi had accomplished, Eugeo quickly gave his own [Plant Modification] skill a try and was met with similar results. By the time a few Lerno Villagers and their respective parties were being awoken from their slumber, the two Heroes were already able to modify a crate full of seeds that are now good and safe to be planted.
Naofumi then presented the modified miracle seed to the villagers, with Arthur and Ginny eating a few of the fruits in the background.
Everyone cheered in delight after Naofumi explains to everyone that the seeds would no longer turn into monsters and are now a permanently stable source of food for their once famine-stricken village. The only problem that remained now was the large surplus of (seed extracted) fruits that would eventually rot and go to waste if they weren't consumed promptly. And say what you want about Arthur and Guinevere's seemingly bottomless appetites, even they wouldn't like to devour food of the exact same taste over and over and over again in one sitting.
"Father..." Arthur called out to Eugeo.
"Daddy..." And Guinevere called out to Naofumi.
" "Can you cook something good with those fruits? Please..." "
The two Filolials adorably requested as they pointed at the crates of seedless fruits. Much to Alice and Mash's amusement as they gushed at their foster children's cuteness.
Upon hearing the word "cooking", their respective parties along with the rest of the now awake villagers, all looked at the two Heroes with hungry anticipation. It was pretty obvious that the villagers were all hoping to get one last meal from their so-called legendary cooking before the Heroes leave to continue their journey.
"Oh, all right!" Naofumi finally gave in with an exasperated sigh since he thought he cleverly managed to escape from cooking duty thanks to the prank that he pulled with Eugeo during the previous night. But there was nothing he could do to weasel out of it this time.
Eugeo, Alice, and Mash could only chuckle in amusement at the rather ridiculous reverie the people are now starting to develop in regard to the Cardinal Heroes. Not because of their fighting capabilities, but due to their culinary talents instead.
Being left with not much choice, Eugeo and Naofumi began to cook a modified recipe of the so-called "Tomato Chicken Curry". Naofumi suggested this particular dish upon discovering how the taste of the fruits was actually very similar to tomatoes. With some bird meat, herbs, and a few foreign spices here and there to make the dish a little more flavorful, the villagers were soon enamored with the so-called "otherworldly scent" of the food that the two Heroes prepared for them and their companions.
As everyone sat down and received their share of the delicious meal, with some getting more servings than others (Arthur and Guinevere obviously), something caught Eugeo's eye that shocked him and Alice – so much so that they both stopped in mid-conversation Eugeo rushed towards Rino and her family.
What is it, that the Underworldian couple saw, that surprised them so much?
As surprising as it sounds, especially for this world's standards, the reason for their unusual behavior was actually because of the wreaths that Rino's mother was playfully placing on top of her two daughters' heads. While this could be regarded as nothing special for many, (just a small gesture of love between family as Rino would be leaving with Naofumi later on) what made this ground-breaking for Eugeo and Alice was the fact that the flower crowns are made completely out of Roses!
"Excuse me, ma'am. Are those flower crowns really made of roses?!" Eugeo asked incredulously as he approached Rino and Shiina, who were now both wearing identical Rose Wreaths.
The others all looked at Eugeo in confusion at his sudden outburst.
"W-well, yes, Sir Eugeo… If you're worried about the thorns, then you shouldn't; I made sure to remove all the thorns before making the crowns for my daughters..." Rino's mother answered, thinking that the thorns are the reason for his outburst.
"No, no, it's not that. Are those roses grown and raised by a gardener...? Not picked from the wilderness, is that correct?" Eugeo pressed on.
"Yes… they were grown by one of the village's farmers…" She answered, still confused.
"Then, just to confirm, that means that there is no law in this world saying that you can't grow roses or any other specific flower, is that correct?" Eugeo asked, wanting to be absolutely sure.
"Yes… that's correct, Sir Eugeo," Rino's mother confirmed.
Eugeo and Alice stayed silent at this revelation, astounded; much to everyone else's confusion.
"Hey, Eugeo? What was that about?" Naofumi, who had been watching the scene in relative silence with Mash, finally asked as he was unable to hold his curiosity back any longer. Their party members also looked at him, silently asking him for an explanation for his strange behavior over something so mundane.
'So… unlike our world, growing roses is actually allowed in this world… then again, the Taboo Index doesn't exist here…' Alice remarked, finally recovering from her surprise.
And during all this revelation, gears were rapidly turning inside Eugeo's head.
If this all went well, then he may finally be able to continue the project that he had been working on ever since he arrived in this world. This crazy idea of his has currently been stuck in a stump for the past few weeks, since he didn't have one of the most important ingredients to make it a reality.
But with what Rino's mother had accidentally revealed, as well as with the swords he unlocked yesterday and the experiments on the Bioplant seed he and Naofumi did together a few hours earlier, he just may be able to pull this off.
'Eugeo…?' Alice asked, seeing her Hero think deeply about something.
'I'll explain in just a moment Alice,' Eugeo said to her in his mind.
Looking at the confused expression on everyone's faces, Eugeo felt obliged to explain.
"You see, in the world that I come from, it was strictly forbidden for anyone – commoners, nobles, even emperors – to plant roses," Eugeo explained to everyone's surprise.
"Really? But why? It's just a flower – a beautiful one at that," Kirin asked.
"It was because, in our world, roses were miraculous flowers that bear fruit with the most Sacred Energy, or magical power if you want to put it in this world's terms… If you were to be able to plant a flower filled with magic power, then it would give the planter an unfair amount of them… That's my guess as to why it was forbidden to plant them," Eugeo answered. Everyone nodded in understanding.
"I see… But that's not the case here, Sir Eugeo. In this world, roses are just like any other regular flowers. There's no law forbidding anyone to plant roses here," Rino confirmed.
"And it just so happens that I needed to find a rose, but if planting them is allowed and I have the Plant Modification skill, I think I'll be able to create just what I need." Eugeo pondered with a victorious smile before asking Rino's mother, "Where is the farmer that grew the roses?"
"His name is Alfred. Elder Pallad should know where he is right now," She answered him.
"Thank you. I will be right back," Eugeo said to Rino's mother before turning to his girls, "you girls can stay here if you want while I go see the elder, and then Naofumi and I will finish our experiments," The latter all nodded, wanting to hear more anecdotes from Rino's family while Arthur and Guinevere were still busy eating their 3rd helpings... or was it 4th now.
"I'll come too… I'm starting to get interested in what it is that you're trying to make…" Naofumi said and Eugeo saw no reason to turn him down.
After finding Elder Pallad and expressing his desires to meet with their farmer/part-time gardener, the elder quickly introduced him to Eugeo and Naofumi. Then Eugeo requested that he give him a few of the rose seeds that he currently had. Alfred was confused at first, wondering why the Sword Hero would want rose seeds of all things.
The rose seeds were back at the farmer's home which had previously been overrun by the vines of the mutated Bioplant. And according to him, it had left quite a mess before he and his family were forced to flee to the encampment. So, the farmer may need a Hero's help in cleaning up the mess as well as find the desired seeds quicker.
Before leaving the camp to get to the farmer's house, Eugeo decided that he should explain to Naofumi what exactly he was planning on doing. So, he asked Alice and Mash to do the Synchronized Mindscape to extend their time and to provide them some privacy.
Once inside the mindscape, Eugeo began to explain to Alice, Naofumi, and Mash what exactly he had in mind, and how the newly unlocked Swords from the previous day– particularly the Bioplant Sword – would aid him in creating the necessary component for his sword.
"When we first got summoned into this world, I mentioned that I was an Elite Swordsman in Training right?" Eugeo asked Naofumi in recollection of their very first day.
"Yeah, I remember that," Naofumi nodded in confirmation as he recalled his introduction with Eugeo and the other Heroes, "You said you were attending some sort of school that teaches swordsmanship called Swordcraft Academy."
Alice simply nodded and remained silent, as she still didn't want to publicize her relationship and true nature to anyone outside their party.
"A school that teaches swordsmanship?" Mash mumbled to herself as she found that idea to be quite intriguing. After all, every Saber servant worth their salt within the Throne of Heroes earned their skills either through apprenticeship or through survival in real battlefields. Mash shook her head to suppress the memories before getting back on topic, "I was still very much dormant during that point in time, so I have no recollection of that conversation. But if you were already considered an Elite Swordsman in your school... then that would mean, you already have a personal sword, don't you?!"
"That's correct. My personal sword that I used to wield back home is called the Blue Rose Sword," Eugeo declared with pride before explaining its lore, "It was said that the blade was forged with the aid of the gods. Created from the eternal ice that formed on the highest peaks of the End Mountains. And by chance or by fate, a single blue rose seed was carried there by the wind and managed to survive the freezing cold temperatures. It was then encased in that very ice that was forged, resulting in the creation of a peculiar Divine Object. A sword that has the nature of both the ice and the blue rose."
"Woah..." It took a few seconds for Naofumi to process Eugeo's words as he tried to comprehend the power such a sword could possibly possess, "No wonder you want your old sword back."
"Mmhmm..." Mash could only nod in agreement, thinking that Eugeo's Blue Rose Sword could be his world's equivalent to an honest-to-goodness Noble Phantasm.
"That's a very ambitious plan if I say so myself." Alice remarked in amazement, playing up the act that she wasn't a citizen of Eugeo's homeworld, "To think you've been working on recreating your Blue Rose Sword in this world… Given what the Cardinal Heroes in this world are capable of, and the skills you can use, I think you just might have a chance of recreating it!" Alice sheepishly answered.
"I sure hope so…" Eugeo commented.
"So... if you've been planning on recreating the sword that you had back in your old world... then you would need a rose in order to make it?" Naofumi asked.
"Not just any rose – a blue rose… It was called the Blue Rose Sword for a reason…" Eugeo answered before adding, "I already collected the Icicle Ores that I would need during my Quest in Melromarc's Eastern Mountains... and just yesterday, you unknowingly provided me the Bioplant Seed that gave me that [Plant Reform] skill. The Blue Rose is the final piece that I'm missing.
"A blue rose huh… From what I know from back in my world, many of the biologists... err, plant researchers I suppose... tried to create blue roses as well, but the closest color to blue they could ever make from the roses was purple… There hasn't been much success in creating a pure, blue-colored rose in my world…" Naofumi remarked. Mash confirmed the same.
In any case, having caught their interests, both the Shield Hero and Spirit offered to help them in recreating the Blue Rose Sword. Although the current Shield Hero couldn't resist and had to ask if he could also absorb some of the finished product if they succeed in their little botanical experiment. Hoping that he could unlock some kind of "Blue Rose Shield" or the like, which Eugeo and Alice weren't bothered in the least and were more than happy to share.
By the time they reached a deal, the mindscape timer was nearly up. So, they exited the mindscape, and the Heroes and the farmer headed to his home. Luckily, the vines that had previously blocked the entrance of the house had mostly withered away, making it easy for Eugeo to cut through them. The interior of the house was messy, but nothing important seemed to be broken. After helping the farmer clean up the house a bit, they were able to get to his workshop and find the desired rose seeds.
"Oh, here they are!" Alfred exclaimed as he picked up one of the small storage boxes that were lying on the ground, "Here it is Sir Sword Hero and Sir Shield Hero, a box of good quality rose seeds."
"Thank you very much." Eugeo accepted the box of seeds with a grateful smile and was just about to turn around when he suddenly got hit with inspiration and asked, "Do you have any Osmanthus seeds by any chance?"
Upon receiving a confirmation from Alfred, Eugeo eagerly asked for some of them also. (despite the farmer warning him that it was out of season for him to plant Osmanthus seeds) Alice felt quite flattered that Eugeo also planned to recreate the sword of her Alter Ego.
Now that they were trying to recreate the swords from their world, Alice had an idea.
'Say, Eugeo? Was the sword Kirito had forged using a plant as well?' Alice asked.
'Yes, it was. In fact, it was forged from the top most branch of the Gigas Cedar that Kirito and I cut down together. Why?' Eugeo answered inquisitively.
'Because I've been thinking: if we're going to create our two weapons from Underworld, why not try and create Kirito's weapon as well? We can try to modify a Cedar seed to create another Gigas Cedar so that we can recreate Kirito's weapon too,' Alice suggested.
Eugeo pondered over her suggestion for a while and thought that it may be worth trying as well. However, when he began to recall certain facts and properties about the Gigas Cedar, Eugeo started to think it would not be such a good idea.
'Hmm… As tempting as that suggestion is, I don't think it would be a very good idea to try and create another Gigas Cedar here, Alice,' Eugeo answered, surprising her.
'Oh? And why do you think that?' Alice questioned.
'Because one: remember that the Gigas Cedar was extremely hard to cut down that it took seven generations of woodcutters to finally get it done – in fact, I probably would have spent my whole life cutting it down if it hadn't been for Kirito. Even with the strength of a Cardinal Hero, we have no way of knowing on how long it would take for us to cut the tree down without causing collateral damage to the surrounding area.'
'Two: remember why the Gigas Cedar in Rulid village needed to be cut down in the first place; it was absorbing all of the blessings Solus gave to the land, making the soil surrounding the Gigas Cedar unfertile and not suitable for farming. If the recreated Gigas Cedar has the same properties as the original and we plant it somewhere, we could potentially cause any nearby village to starve. Even if they have Naofumi's new miracle seeds.'
'And three: When Kirito and I gave the branch of the Gigas Cedar to Sadore the craftsman in Centoria to create his sword, he complained that it cost him half a dozen high-grade grindstones to forge the blade. If I try to create the Night Sky blade here, even Mr. Erhard wouldn't be too happy about sacrificing that many high-grade grindstones just to make one blade.'
'It's a fascinating idea, I'll admit; but I'm not sure if it will be worth the trouble to go through all of that just to make one sword – Even though I would love to have something to remember Kirito by, and it might be just as strong as the original Night Sky blade. It would still require us to grow another fully grown Gigas Cedar, with all the negative side effects that goes with it – thinking on that, I don't think it would be very practical for us to try it…' Eugeo explained. Alice thought about his explanations for a moment.
'Yeah… you're right… especially about having the Lerno village, or any other village for that matter, to starve because of the Gigas Cedar… we can't have that happen just because of this experiment of ours,' Alice agreed.
'Exactly. Now come on, let's head back to the others and we can get this experiment going,' Eugeo said.
After returning to the encampment with the farmer, Eugeo and Naofumi quickly got to work in making the modification for the Blue Rose seeds, and the Osmanthus seeds.
Using the [Plant Modification] skill in conjunction with the built-in [Creation] function of the Legendary Weapons, Eugeo first attempted to combine the properties of the Bioplant Seed, the Rose Seed, and the Icicle Ores to create his desired result...
[Plant Modification ~ Creation]
[Bioplant Seed * Rose Seed * Icicle Ores]
[Modify ~ Fusion of Materials]
[Error!]
[Failed!]
"I guess I should have expected as much," Eugeo mumbled softly with a sheepish smile as all the materials that were being used at the attempt were automatically lost after its failure, "Recreating my favored sword wouldn't be that easy."
'Cheer up Eugeo!' Alice quickly spoke up in earnest encouragement, 'We still have a lot of materials that we could use, I'm sure you can do it!'
'Alice is right!' Mash joined in, also wanting to give her support. Creating a True Noble Phantasm was never an easy feat, so it was no small wonder that Eugeo failed at his first try, 'We just have to keep trying!'
"Although I'm in full support with this side project of ours..." Naofumi gave his own sigh at the unexpectedly troublesome task that they found themselves in for the 2nd time that day, "this is gonna take a while, now isn't it."
And for a while, their plant experiments did go longer than previously expected, as it went on for 2 whole hours with no results to show for it. Again and again, the two Heroes tried various adjustments on the Bioplant Seeds and Rose Seeds for the fusion of their multiple properties to work... but to no avail. Eugeo had just about used up over half of his stockpiled resources when he started to lose hope over this endeavor. Even Naofumi, who was several times more knowledgeable about the scientific side of these things, began to think that recreating Eugeo's Divine Weapon was a lost cause; or at the very least (if he's being extremely optimistic), as they are now. Perhaps further down the line after they explored this world more... maybe... probably...
Alice felt crestfallen as she couldn't do more to help her beloved Eugeo in his efforts. The same could be said for Mash towards her Kouhai as her knowledge about plants was extremely limited. Mostly because she's only knowledgeable about poisonous plants that one should avoid and the medicinal plants that one could be used for injuries and common ailments.
'If only Merlin were here,' Mash couldn't help but groan to herself in silence about Camelot's famous "Wizard of Flowers", 'I'm sure he would have a solution for our... current... predicament...'
That was all Mash was able to lament in her head before memories from the distant past suddenly resurfaced in her mind seemingly out of nowhere. A few words of wisdom that Merlin had given to her and her Senpai during one of their Rayshift Adventures.
'If you wish to force a miracle to occur in your favor, then you must be willing to sacrifice something of equal value in return.'
'THAT'S IT!'
Mash exclaimed as she just had an epiphany, inadvertently spooking Eugeo, Naofumi, and even Alice as they all flinched at her sudden outburst. The Legendary Shield gained a slightly pink tint in its metal as Mash blushed in embarrassment at her out of nowhere reaction. Noticing the questioning looks that she gained, Mash quickly explained the realization that just came through her trip down memory lane.
Explaining how it's possible that they have to make huge sacrifices on the Bioplant and Rose parameters in order for the process to push through and get the results that they require. Repeating the rare words of wisdom that Merlin once bestowed upon her, the two Heroes gained a new outlook on what they were trying to do. Quickly getting back to work with Mash's advice in mind.
After making a few more tries... and finally...
[Plant Modification ~ Creation]
[Bioplant Seed * Rose Seed * Icicle Ores]
[Modify ~ Debuffication]
[Fusion of Materials]
[PROCESS SUCCESSFUL!]
[Product: Misty Blue Rose Seed]
"ALRIGHT!"
The two Heroes and Spirits cheered in triumph as they finally got the result that they had been waiting for. Good thing too, since they were starting to run out of Eugeo's stockpiled materials. Just one step closer to Eugeo in reclaiming his favored sword. And now that they knew how the process worked, it didn't take much trouble for the group to create the modified Osmanthus seed...
[Plant Modification ~ Creation]
[Bioplant Seed * Osmanthus Seed * Pure Holy Water]
[Modify ~ Debuffication]
[Fusion of Materials]
[PROCESS SUCCESSFUL!]
[Product: Holy Osmanthus Fragrans Seed]
A few minutes later...
"Are you really sure that you want to be giving us these seeds, Sir Sword Hero?" Alfred the farmer asked.
"Yes… I would grow them myself and see if they grow into what we modified them to bear if I had the time, but as the Sword Hero, I must keep traveling, grow stronger and fight the Waves. So, I would be grateful if you grow these in my stead and study them as they grow. If we modified them correctly, these seeds will bear blue roses" Eugeo answered.
"Blue roses?! Are you certain, Sir Sword Hero?!" Alfred asked, his eyes as well as Elder Pallad's wide as saucers.
"If the modifications I made with these rose seeds are correct, then yes. There's also a chance that the roses would be very cold to the touch once they are in full bloom, so I recommend for you to use gloves if they do develop that coldness. I don't know much about the possible aftereffects of the Osmanthus seeds once they bloom, but there shouldn't be much trouble. And don't worry about them mutating into monsters – Naofumi and I made sure to prevent that from happening to all of the seeds we modified. They should grow and reproduce much faster than your regular roses –just not as quickly as the miracle seed that Naofumi made this morning."
"So, will you raise them in my place and see if they grow as I intended?" Eugeo asked the big question.
"O…of course, Sir Sword Hero… I am honored to receive such gifts." Alfred answered, still dazed.
"Thank you very much. And just to be safe, you should first try growing these seeds separately from your other plants – just in case they impede each other's growth…"
"I understand. Thank you again, Sir Sword Hero."
With this, (after Eugeo made sure to create a [Teleportation Point] in the town's main entrance) the two Heroic groups then said their goodbyes to the now liberated town of Lerno.
"If you can come back to Lerno village before me, please check up on the plants we modified, especially the Blue Rose. If they are in bloom by the time you get back there, you can absorb it to unlock your shield. I will be checking in on their growth every now and then with my Teleport Skill, So I will keep you updated." Eugeo informed Naofumi as their parties just finished preparation to leave on their separate journeys again.
"I'll be sure to do that. Take care." Naofumi said as he raised hand towards his fellow Hero.
"Of course," Eugeo confirmed. The two heroes then shook hands.
"Hoping to run into you again soon, Eugeo – better you than the other two stooges," Naofumi smirked, making Eugeo chuckle.
"Speaking of that, I'll be sure to have a word with Motoyasu about what happened here the next time I see him – I kind of feel responsible for what happened here… Motoyasu probably did what he did here in Lerno because he wanted to unlock his spirit partner like we did…" Eugeo trailed off, feeling a bit guilty.
'Don't blame yourself, Eugeo. You meant well, but it was the Spear Hero's short-sightedness that led to this predicament…' Mash comforted him.
"Yeah… and I'll be sure to give Motoyasu a piece of my mind if I run into him too. Fingers crossed, Itsuki is handling things better than Motoyasu," Naofumi commented.
If only the two Heroes knew…
"Same here. Alright, it looks like we have to part ways here again, Naofumi…" Eugeo said sadly.
"Yeah… and I hate that we have to split up more and more… I'm sure Raphtalia and the others feel the same…" Naofumi stated. Mash and Alice confirmed his theory.
The girls and Filolials of the group all finished exchanging their farewells as well and parted ways with each other.
Unknown to them though, they would run into each other sooner and more often than they thought, for both pleasant and unpleasant businesses in the near future.
The Sunsettia is a fictional fruit that I got from the Genshin Impact game that I'm playing.
Edits on Chapter 1: Due to some complaints sent to me on how Eugeo is so out of character, I made some very minor adjustments in chapter 1 on how he first interacted with Motoyasu and Itsuki.
NEW VOTING POLLS:
1.) I have read the side-story manga "The Menu of the Shield Hero" and really enjoyed the cute moments that Naofumi shared with his party through his cooking skills. As you have noticed, I gave it a try with Eugeo's version of it in this chapter. I ask all of you dear readers if you would want me to write more cute cooking scenes in my future chapters?
- If you answered yes, then do you want them as omakes that are added at the end of the chapters or do you want them as official parts of the story itself.
2.) When do you readers want Eugeo to reclaim his Blue Rose Sword?
- Before battle with Glass
- After battle with Glass
3.)When do you readers want Eugeo to unlock his Osmanthus Blade?
- Before battle with the Three Heroes Church
- After battle with the Three Heroes Church
As always, thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows. I'm open for compatible suggestions and any advice that you readers could give. As for those nasty Reviewers who loves to Insult us authors, please just leave us alone.
Stay safe from the Coronovirus and stay indoors as much as possible!