Arc 1: Straight Out of the Book
Chapter 1: In a New Place
?: "to be honest, I've been wanting to test out my strength too" the boy declared, with his mouth curving into a creepy smile as he glared at the group
He reached for his sword attached to his back, preparing to battle the horned woman in front of them. With his comrade stepping up beside him, raising his fists. Instantly it gets engulfed in menacing energy, alarming the several citizens and guards around.
Noticing this, the kingdom's defenders prepared for battle. The boy reached out for his katana, using his own strength to kick up from the ground to attack the two strange invaders. Suddenly, a dark sinister cloud blinded him. He tried to shake off the strange feeling. Raising his hands towards his eyes as he began to rub off what he thought was blinding magic. His eyes began to open slowly, only for him to find himself surrounded by unknown and unfamiliar faces. Carriages being pulled by creatures who chillingly resembled the multiple subordinate Lizardmen of Tempest. The noise of its wheels easily overpowering the sound of the crowd around him.
?: "what... w...WHAT THE HEEELLL!?" he exclaimed,
The boy shouted so loud that the people nearby gave him strange looks, almost confusing him for a lunatic. He began to panic frantically, with every possible question racing through his head. How did he get there? Was it magic? Did he get teleported? Where is everyone? He didn't know the answer to any of his questions. The only thing he was sure of was that he wasn't at Tempest anymore. The buildings looked different, the new place felt more crowded and noisy. And obviously, he didn't recognize anyone.
?: "Se... seriously? this isn't Tempest… so did I die…? or something.." he contemplated.
He easily understood that he possibly could have died during that battle. It wasn't a peculiar thought. After all, this wouldn't be the first time he has died. The first time must have been when he was around 13-14, although his memory of what truly happened during that time was blurry. He concluded that he died in a car accident. That was how people get brought to a new world, right?
It surprised him when he suddenly woke up in a strange body with only fragments of his past self left behind. A green, small malnourished body. Sharp teeth and bizarre greyish-white hair. Those around him were in similar cases too, he then found out he was reincarnated in the body of a goblin. The weakest class of monsters there was. The only thing that made up for their pitiful conditions were their numbers. They attack in groups to make up for their lack of individual strength. Unable to create their own gears and protection, they would resort to looting broken gear from their deceased enemies, or from scavenging an abandoned battlefield.
Their tribe struggled with its defense, but when faced with great danger other tribes would come to help. Sadly, death was so common that they were asked to reproduce as much as possible to maintain their population.
That was until a blue slime came to their rescue. He prevented the clan of wolves from eradicating them, saved their dying warriors, and nursed them back to health. He taught them how to fight and brought peace among the two rival classes. It's been 2 years since that day and that young goblin boy was now 16. The blue-slime was no other than Rimuru Tempest. They pledged their loyalty to serve him in return for everything he has done for them. Together, their small tribe began to grow.
Even gaining attention from other monster tribes as they began to join them in their journey to create a powerful human-friendly kingdom. All of that nation's citizens were personally named by Rimuru, and the young boy was given the name 'Haru'. Since then, he's been training along with his friends as their kingdom's 'Goblin Riders' and was even trained by the Sword-Saint Hakurou, a class of ogres who evolved into kijins upon being given a name.
But Haru didn't expect to end up here, 'Seriously? I wanna start crying but it would cause unnecessary attention, so I'll at least hold it in until I was alone' he thought to himself.
He took a deep breath in to relieve himself before pulling down his hood to cover his face as he began to stroll through the streets of this new place. He walked, taking in the new environment as he started to compare it to Tempest's design. This place was surely bigger and more populated. But he still considered his kingdom to be better.
Haru: "This place looks old, I mean really old. Even Tempest looked better than this in its early development" he complained,
Stopping in his tracks, he stared at the paved roads that the Lizard creatures ran on,
Haru: "this looks like abuse.." he says as he observed the busy streets,
As he strolled through the crowd, a loud horrifying scream echoed through the street. his attention drifted towards the source to find a fallen kid in the middle of the road, with a carriage heading directly toward the kid.
Unlike what many other generic heroes would do, Haru stood still and just watched in amusement at the knight who quickly rescued the kid from danger. The nearby citizens quickly applauded the man for his heroic deed,' imagine being crushed by Gabiru… isn't that pitiful? Glad she's okay I guess' he sighed,
He continued to list down his likes and dislikes before stumbling in front of a small fruit vendor,
Haru: "I... I can't read anything. What even is this?" he asked
'I know what he's selling but... what's with all the scribbles? and why do they have to make their writing so complicated? jeez this is such a pain' he internally said
Red apples lined up on the rack, easily recognizable since he loved anything apple-related. Be it apple pie, apple juice, or apple slices on their own. Yet the sign that would tell customers about its price was completely incomprehensible. Squinting his eyes to see if he could possibly make out the foreign letters but only realized that it was nothing like his homeland's writing.
With a disappointed sigh, he turned away and continued his walk. While walking he attempted to summon his Tempest Wolf. He went to a small dark alley and used the telepathic link that bound the two, he closed his eyes and called out to his companion,
Haru: "huh…? that's weird... why can't I summon him?" he wondered, his eyes widened in confusion.
'This can't get any worse! I'm alone in a foreign kingdom with no money and I don't know how to read! How cruel can this world get?! Aurgh... I'm seriously going to cry!" negative thoughts filled his mind as he leaned against the building's wall and let his body slide down. Bringing his arms up as he buried his face into his arms.
Haru: "I'm so fucked, this is so crappy." he said
'Jeez, I remember reading a novel about a guy who got teleported into a new world, Rimuru-sama even told us about that story and printed a copy out of his magic. what was it called again? Re: life? Wait no… Re: Zero? Yeah, that! I feel bad for the main character to be honest. For an isekai character, he's living total shit.' he thought,
Haru: "I feel my eyes burning, crap I'm gonna cry," he said while raising his head up.
He raised his hands to wipe his eyes, but something caught his attention. A glimpse of his arm peeked through his cloak and to his surprise, "wait.. no way.. I'm not green?!" he exclaimed
He raised his hands and he realized he had normal hands, human hands. Does being reincarnated change your appearance that drastically? If he thought about it, it could be compared to his master's Transformation Magic, so perhaps he had acquired it?
He quickly stood up from the ground and searched his body,
Haru: " cloak… sword… potions, hmm..so I didn't lose any of my stuff, so I did get teleported!" he pondered
He was really confused, it was the fact that he still had his clothes and equipment from before made it clear that this wasn't a reincarnation. Bu the fact that he no longer resembled his old goblin self disturbed him, but left with no other choice he concluded that the enemy teleported him to a nearby kingdom,
Haru: "augh.. Then how do I get back to Tempest?" he asked himself,
With a deep breath, he quickly chanted Spatial Magic. Taking a few steps forward to further enhance the skill, he forcefully shut his eyes and prayed that when he opened them back up he would be back in his hometown,
Haru: "..eh?" he muttered,
Shockingly, depressingly, he was still there. '..crap' he cursed. Feeling overwhelmed with the situation he began to mutter and chant Spatial Magic in hopes that a miracle would allow the skill to activate, until-
?: "Hey! who're you talkin' to weirdo?"
A voice resonated from the end of the dark alley. He turned his head and his eyes shifted toward the silhouettes of three figures who slowly walked toward him,
?: "what is this guy rambling about?"
?: "dunno, but if ya don't want t'suffer then give 's all your money!" the two said,
'suffer..?'
From the shadows of the alley, out came the three men. One man with a large body, with purple hair and eyes. Wearing tan clothes, an orange sash around his waist, and a green vest. A slim man with an unusual white complexion and dark eyes, with grayish blue hair with pink ends. Wearing a prison suit with chains wrapped around his neck and wrists. Finally, a very small guy with a brown bowl cut similar to a mushroom and big black eyes, wearing a pink cloak.
'fuck...they seem familiar... Aren't these..!"
?: "I'm kinda pissed off, so give us your stuff!" The buff man said while cracking his knuckles, and keeping his eyes on the long katana attached to the boy's side,
Haru: "hey wait a sec-"
?: "yeah! give it right now if you don't wanna be killed!" the smallest guy with mushroom hair added while tugging on his friend with chains,
It was idiotic that the three thugs would steal a sword and proceed to threaten an armed boy, incredibly idiotic. So idiotic it was pitiful, Haru straightened his back and glared at the three men with the meanest look he could muster
Haru: "hey, can't you rob someone else? I'm kind of having a moment here, I'll kick your ass if you don't leave," he said in a deep and threatening voice
Hearing this, the largest of the three smirked and said,
?: "oh, we got threatened instead. I was a little taken aback," he says
?: "just a'lil," the slim man said,
?: "really, just a little bit," the mushroom head added,
The three men didn't even consider the chance to flee that the boy gave them. He secretly pitied the three,
Haru: "you guys are really stupid" he sighed,
?: "Ha! You think we'd be screwed over by a puny kid?" he teased while stepping forward,
?: "Show him Ton!" the mushroom-head cheered.
Then, the largest of the three 'Ton' lunged at Haru at considerable speeds. Using his mana to power up different parts of his body as he shortened the distance between the two. The magic that the large man used reminded him of the skill that one of the troublemakers had just before he got teleported into this new place,
Haru: "seriously..? how could you be so stupid...It's not my fault if you get hurt, you deserve it." he sighed,
To assist the man, Haru ran forward to shorten the distance some more. He eluded the mana enhanced punch and dropped to the ground at knee level, extending his right leg before kicking Ton to the ground. He quickly stood up and delivered a sharp hit to his neck. Rendering him unconscious,
Haru: "okay, can you leave me alone now?" he calmly asked the two
The two were shocked at how quickly the 'puny kid' dealt with the man. The exchange of hits took no longer than 10 seconds, but this wasn't enough to stop them,
?: "Tsk! like hell we will! Let's go Kan!"
?: "Go! Quick Chin!" he yelled,
Haru: "seriously how stupid are you..?"
The slim man 'Chin' went next. Pulling out his dual blades and spinning it on both of his hands as he ran forward. He stuck out his tongue and his saliva sprayed to the floor, he extended his right arm to cut the boy. Followed by his left, but it was easily dodged as he saw through his attacks immediately.
Chin: "Gaa! Come on!" he exclaimed,
Haru: "don't tell me you're tired already?" he asked
To create distance, Haru flipped back to where he first stood. Chin gets infuriated by this. He tightened his grip on one of his knives, pulling it back behind his head before throwing it at the boy aiming for his head,
Chin: "Haah!" he exclaimed,
Chin dashed forward once more as he slashed at the boy
In a split of a second, everything became a blur. The knife he tossed disappeared along with its target. In reality, Haru used his own speed and skill to evade the knife. Just before it missed him, he grabbed it by its handle and threw it towards Kan who stood behind Chin.
Using Shadow Step he quickly sunk into the building's shadow and disappeared.
Chin: "Huh?!" he exclaimed
Kan: "hey! Chin behind yo- Ghaagh!" His warning was cut short as the handle of the Knife plunged into his stomach. Making him gasp for a breath as saliva sprayed out of his mouth. before. Allowing his body to fall, he dropped to the ground while holding his stomach to ease the pain.
'y-yikes... I didn't want to kill you, I just wanted to make you pass out! crap, I went too far...' He worried
Shaking off the possibility that he could have killed the mushroom head, he swallowed his breath and shifted his eyes back on the remaining man,
Haru: "now, you next."
Emerging from the man's own shadow, the boy appeared behind Chin. His body stiffened up in shock hearing the cold whisper behind his neck. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt the immediate change in atmosphere. Forcing his body to turn, he searched every part of his body, but he remained rigid. Haru took this opportunity and did a roundhouse kick to his head making him fall to the ground. He glanced at the man's face and...
Haru: "...you're hideous!" he exclaimed
His face was devastating, his tongue was out and his jaw was locked. His eyes were narrowed and he swore that Chin's eyebrows were pointing in two different directions,
'How could someone be this ugly?' he thought to himself, perhaps he would never know why.
?: "You handled that well, I'm impressed."
When he thought the trouble was over, another voice resonated from the lit up portion of the alley. Contemplating whether he should face the source or not. He pulled more of his hood down to cover his face and stretched his back. Quickly shifting his gaze around before making eye contact with him
A tall handsome young man, with bright blue eyes, and bright flaming red hair. The first person that came into the young boy's mind was Benimaru. Who shared the same features as he did except Benimaru's eyes were deep crimson. The young man wore a wonderfully made white uniform that was different from what the knights from the Armed Nation of Dwargon wore, but anyone would know just by glancing that he really was a knight,
'but compared to my clothes crafted with Hellmoth threads by the beautiful princess Shuna. his clothes weren't all that great.'
Haru: "Benimaru..?" he muttered
Reinhard: "I get that your name is Benimaru then?" the red-haired knight asked.
Haru: "o-oh no, sorry you just resembled someone I knew, but I'm Haru... Tempest." he corrected
'Crap, I panicked so much I ended up using my master's last name! Why didn't I have one?! Please forgive me, Rimuru-sama'
Hiding the anxiety the young boy was feeling, he straightened his back and faced the man.
Reinhard: "My mistake, Haru. My name is Reinhard van Astrea, it is a pleasure to meet you." the knight introduced himself,
'van Astrea? van… Astrea…? Astr- … y-you mean from that novel?! No, No, No, NO this has to be some kind of cruel joke! Or coincidence?! Out of all the novels and mangas that exist I get taken here?! HOW FUCKING CRUEL, WHY ME?"
Haru: " I-It is a pleasure to meet you too, Reinhard-san" He replied while exchanging smiles with the knight.
But in reality, his eyes were just about to bawl up underneath his hood. He was thankful he had one,
Reinhard: "Luckily, you seem fine. Are you injured?" he asked,
The young boy began to pat around his body, looking for any wounds he could have gotten during the small fight. When he realized he didn't have any, he shook his head,
Reinhard: "it was three against one, I'm surprised you handled it well. If I were in your position, I doubt it would have been possible" he commented,
Reinhard had such a humble and friendly attitude. He radiated warmth and a comforting presence that eased a bit of his urge to cry.
'Isn't he the... sword saint? He's like Hakurou-sama then, W-wow that's way too humble..'
Reinhard: "Haru, the way you handled the thugs were very unique. For most people going against a group of three would be too risky. It would be great if you thought about joining the Royal Army." he suggests,
Haru: "oh I'm part of ..."
Before he could continue his sentence, he remembered that he was a 'monster'. Revealing what he truly was and where he worked would be risky,
Haru: "r-right.. I'll think about it I guess, I'm j-just 16 though" he replied,
Reinhard: "sixteen you say? You're old enough to join, I'd be happy to introduce you if you'd like." he replied joyfully
'He's so charming... But why is he so consistent in making me part of this kingdom's military force?!'
Haru: "oh.. then that's great? But how'd you find me? There weren't a lot of people in this area.."
Reinhard: "That's true, but I sensed magic around the area so I went to investigate. After following it I arrived here, right after you knocked out the.. Big guy" he responded
Being able to detect magic was a useful skill Haru wished he had, but for Reinhard to be able to detect magic as weak as Shadow Step? Was shocking,
'T-there's no way he could have sensed it... It barely uses any magicules... Maybe it was my m-monster aura..?'
Haru: " am I in trouble or anything for using magic?" he curiously asked,
Reinhard: "oh don't be alarmed, I understand that it was for self-defense. but actually, I've never seen that kind of magic before. what was it called?"
Haru: "oh uh, shadow step.."
Reinhard: "Interesting, shadow step you say? That is quite a useful technique, you are very skilled for a 16-year-old" he complimented
For the young boy, the thugs were nothing more than training dummies. His training with Hakurou greatly improved him and his team, in just a few days they were able to exchange hits with their master. So that proved the swordsman's methods were effective. On some days, their Master would even join them to polish his own sword skills.
Other than training with Hakurou, he would join missions and training days with the captain of the Shadow Squad of Tempest, Souei. Teaching him how to use a Shadow Step, an extra skill that allows the user to merge into shadows. Allows for very fast travel between locations. An evolved version of Shadow Step is called Spatial Travel. Granting him the ability to teleport to a place he has visited before. It is much faster than using Shadow Step, Even if you have acquired the skill. You might not be able to use it, to master it you have to keep practicing it. Only then can you use the ability well.
Coercion, a common skill used to intimidate a range of targets. It scales the target's strength of the ability of the user and the target's ability to resist it. Effects range from hostility to feeling fear, and to losing consciousness
Sticky Steel Thread and Steel Thread grants the user the ability to manipulate threads. They can cast the threads out of their fingertips and harden it at will, or use it to bind people to create traps. An Extra Skill that provides a lot of uses.
Thought Communication, though it is one of the intrinsic skills of a Direwolf. It allows the user to communicate with multiple people with the user's mind. Negating any need for actual speeches, though it has a range of 1 kilometer.
Large Range Multi-Layered Barrier, a unique skill gifted to him upon Reincarnation, creates a barrier around him and or his allies, its size depends on the amount of Magicules put into the skill. But using a large barrier often can train the number of times he could use it and how long the barrier can last
The barrier is invincible to all physical, and mental attacks. It could also trap his allies in the barrier unless he decides to stop the skill can they be freed. This skill can also be combined with Spatial Magic, to teleport a large group of people to his desired location.
Unification, a unique skill given to goblin riders, where they could merge with their wolves and combine each other's magic, but he had yet to summon his Tempest wolf here.
Lastly, most probably his most powerful skill: Omnipotent One, allows the user to analyze skills and understand them with a single look. And they can learn skills that they have analyzed. One skill he learned from watching a battle between his master and a flame spirit is called
Flare Circle, a spell that doesn't need any chants to use. Creates a magic circle beneath its target, engulfing them in powerful flames that scorch them to death.
Sadly, the majority of his skills were gained from torment. Which is why he barely uses most of it.
Haru: "It's not every day you get to be praised by the sword saint, thank you Reinhard-san" he bowed
Reinhard: "It is my pleasure. However, that title is too much for me. And you don't need to be so formal, Haru" he replied,
Haru: "right… o-okay then"
The two exchanged smiles once more as they both lifted their hands for a handshake, which is what would have happened if they weren't interrupted.
?: "xcuse' me! passin' through!" the girl exclaimed while running through the alley,
She had medium-length golden hair with a black bow and red eyes and scruffy clothing. Jumping from the crate, she jumped onto the roof and ran away. Leaving the two behind,
Clearly recognizing the girl, Haru's eyes widened. 'Felt?' he thought to himself. It was then when he started to remember what he read in the novel, where Felt was going to be revealed as a candidate for the kingdom's Royale Selection.
So Haru had three choices: Follow the path Subaru did, in any case, he didn't have it then he must take the last loop of that event.
Or, carve his own path but the outcome would be the same. Lastly, run away now and do not involve yourself at all.
It was crystal clear what path he would take,
Haru: "R-Reinhard.. I'm pretty sure that girl stole something," he told the knight,
Reinhard: "Really? did you see what it was?" he asked
Haru: ''She was holding an uhh.. What were those called again? Insignia! Its center had a gemstone and was about this big. I'm pretty sure it glowed too," he said while forming a small circle with his fingers. Using every adjective he could think of just to describe an Insignia, he finally got his point across
Reinhard: "insignia?... could it be?" he murmured,
So what path did Haru take? Let's dive deeper into it:
'Catch Felt,
Return Insignia to its owner,
Felt becomes candidate,
Turn your back and disappear,
Yes! Let's call it Haru's Master Plan, aren't I great?' he thought to himself
As the two were lost in thought, another voice called out from the end of the alleyway "thief! stop at once!" the owner's voice was fierce and feminine
'Damnit, how many people pass by this damn alley' he complained,
Turning their heads towards the source, the young man easily recognized the figure,
Reinhard: "Emilia-sama?" the young man said
Emilia: "Reinhard...?.. he took my insignia." he accused the boy
Reinhard turned his head toward the hooded boy and gave him a confused reaction that shouted "what?"
'This girl.. accusing me of stealing her damn insignia how rude.' the boy felt aggrieved
Haru: "look lady, I don't know what brought you to the conclusion that I took it . But, if it helps then a girl just ran past us holding it." he said while crossing his arms. Turning his gaze away from the girl,
His stutter that could almost be confused for a verbal tic disappeared,
Emilia: "You must be having dirty thoughts, that's why you're turning away. It seems like I've found the right person." she said while walking towards the boy,
Haru: "First of all, stop jumping to conclusions that I'm having dirty thoughts, Second, Did you not hear what I said? Plus, I'm merely admiring the 'beauty' of the place." he replied,
Emilia: ".. Then do you know who stole my Insignia?" she asked,
The girl was... Stubborn, Haru turned towards Reinhard in a pleading manner. Sadly, Reinhard didn't get the clue, so he stood there dumbfounded.
Haru: "I just told you the girl ran by holding it..."
Emilia paused before her expression changed from a fierce look to a face filled with confusion, her glare softened, and her mouth curved into a frown,
Emilia: "Goodness, are you joking? So you were telling the truth?" she asked,
Haru: "p-pretty much, can't you read the room?" he sighed,
Reinhard: "Emilia-sama, we must find it at once. Allow me to assist you in catching this thief "
Emilia: "Thank you, Reinhard, I would appreciate it. And you.. Boy with strange clothes, I apologize for accusing you…!" she said in a regretful tone,
The girl with silver hair tied into a braid, with mesmerizing purple eyes. in a white outfit with boots and sleeves that extend beyond her hands. Emilia, one of the royal candidates for being the next king of Lugnica.
'Right... I remember everything now. But.. I'm not gonna lie, Subaru was right. She was unmistakenly beautiful, but I had my eyes on Shuna." he snickered
Haru: "oh uh, it's okay?" he responded
Emilia: "o-okay..?"
Haru: "Uhm.. It means I acknowledge your apology…" he answered
Emilia: "oh... Then t-thank you so much…!"
After watching the exchange of the two, Reinhard spoke up,
Reinhard: "We should be going now, Emilia-sama."
Emilia: "Yes, let's go" she responded,
Reinhard gave a quick nod before he and Emilia began to walk out of the alleyway. His job was done, they were going to find it. No one was going to get hurt. He could focus on getting back home now,
Haru: "Wait, Reinhard! P-please, let me help. I think I might have an i-idea about where she went"
The idiot called out to the two, It was disappointing that he wasted a good opportunity to get out of that country. He even regretted calling out to the two. The duo stopped in their tracks and looked at the boy,
Emilia: "Are you sure...?"
Haru: "Really sure, I wanna help you two" he responded
Emilia: "why are you suddenly offering to help me, I find it hard to believe" she comments,
Haru: "huh..?"
'Crap, why do I wanna help her? It's not like It would benefit me if I involved myself with them… but I feel bad!"
Haru: "is it w-wrong to help..?" he asked,
Hearing this, the young man smiled and faced the boy,
Reinhard: "Very well then, Haru. Consider this your initiation to joining the Royal Guard," he says
The red-haired knight had no hint that he was joking about the matter. He said it in a serious and straightforward demeanor, on the receiving end. The young boy was racking his brain trying to figure out why Reinhard offered him up so quickly,
'Please... When did I say I wanted to become part of the Royal Knights..? Crap, he didn't even say Royal Knights. He said Royal Guard! Wasn't that the 'best of the best' knights? Who is asked to protect and guard the royals? This is frustrating! I don't want to get involved… but I feel the guilt burdening me already!"
Haru: "Uhm.. right! okay! ill do my best.." despite his mind saying otherwise, he accepted the offer of the Red-haired knight. Reinhard and Emilia looked at each other and nodded, and the three of them made their way out of the alley.
They walked through the busy streets of the kingdom known as Lugnica. With citizens, demi-human and the like giving them surprising looks. It was a weird sight to see, the Sword Saint, beside a half-elf that resembled …. And who seemed like a normal boy, who they would commonly find walking around the capital.
'Why are they looking at us like that... They should look at themselves first, I swear I saw like 4 different people pass by that looked exactly like Gabiru and Ranga,' he thought to himself,
Reinhard: "Haru, about the thugs in the alley.." he asked,
At Least a while had passed since they left the alley, and the thug trio still didn't get up. But, since they were in such a rush. They left them there,
Haru: "don't worry about it, they're going to wake up" he reassured the knight,
They continued their walk until the boy stopped in his tracks. They all paused before asking him what was wrong,
Reinhard: "What's wrong Haru?"
Emilia: "Haru..?"
The boy reached under his cloak, his fingers hitting a hard surface. He tapped it once, before pulling it out. What came out was a white, oval-shaped mask, with black wavy lines spread across it in an organized manner. And a red dot in its center.
Haru: "Rimuru-sama's mask..." he murmured
Reinhard: "Haru? Is there something wrong?" he asked in concern,
Haru: "n-no... Sorry, I was just surprised. Let's keep going,"
Numerous thoughts raced through his mind,
Why did he have it? How did it end up with him?
It would have been fine if it was any other mask, but this specific mask belonged to his Master. A mask he inherited from his close friend when she passed,
'I wanna go home... I have to give it back to him… I need to go back to them. I shouldn't have this, so until I see you again Rimuru-sama, Hakurou-sama, Shion, Souei, Benimaru, Gobta, Shuna. Mind waiting for me? I'll look for a way back home.'
Haru: "What's wrong Emilia? Reinhard? let's go, we're almost there."
Reinhard: "...right, let's go Emilia-sama."
Emilia: "mhm, lead the way"
Wiping off the small tears that formed under his eyes, he slowly put on the mask as they continued their journey to the Loot Warehouse
It wasn't long until the Great Spirit made his appearance. A grey cat with silver in certain spots. The color pink evident around his cheeks, blue eyes, small eyebrows, and a purple bag around him. Lastly, a single gold earring in his left ear.
Haru: "uh… I-am Haru Tempest! Nice to meet you, Great Spirit of Fire!" he introduced himself
Puck: "ooh! You're getting excited, I'm puck! Nice to meet you!"
The grey cat flew around and landed on his hand as the two exchanged a very one-sided hand shake. A gentle smile formed on the young boy's lips, even if it was covered by the mask. The others took note of this,
Emilia: "It's really rare to see someone being comfortable around spirits," she commented
Puck: "me too, aren't you afraid?" he added
Haru: "Maybe a bit, I'm aware how powerful a spirit can be. Especially Fire spirits, but you're so cute!" he said while stroking Puck's fur
Puck: "I'm overpowering in both magic and looks!" he exclaimed while striking a pose,
Puck: "However, you seem very well built." he says while inspecting the boy,
Haru: "For the past 2 and a half years I've been training constantly. B-but is it that good?" he asked,
'If this world does something good then please God let it be my body! I'm sixteen! You gave me the body of an eight-year-old when I was un-named, and for what?!'
Striking a pose as he did, he flew over to Emilia and sat on her shoulder
Puck: "I don't sense any malice from him, in fact, his mind is really a mess right now" he informed the silver-haired girl
Emilia: "That's a relief, but what do you think happened to him? should I ask?"
Puck: "Not right now Lia, but based on what he said… no, it's pretty obvious. He's someone we shouldn't underestimate, he's going to be some real trouble if we get on his bad side."
Emilia: "oh... I wasn't planning to anyway,"
Puck: "Lia, last thing. That mask he's wearing is hiding his aura, but even with it on.."
Emilia: "but what?"
Puck: " I was only able to read a little but it was overwhelming. There's something with him. But I'm sure it will be okay, with Reinhard and I here. He wouldn't dare make any funny moves, he's smarter than that. If worse comes to worst, I'll follow the contract"
Emilia: "Thanks Puck, I'll keep that in mind" she replied
This supposed 'whisper session' was all heard due to one common skill that he uses at all times Enhanced Hearing. Allows him to hear the quietest whispers even from a distance.
' I guess that stupid skill does have its pros. I'm glad that they don't think badly of me. But crap they noticed how messed up my mind is right now? that's depressing. I was trying my best to keep it in but they saw right through me.'
It was suspiciously quiet but from the young boy's observation. He figured out where the thief could have gone, surprisingly they took him up on his idea. Which brought them here, a broken down loot-house that was about two stories high, broken windows, and an over-all eerie vibe.
Reinhard: "Is this the place Haru-san?" he asked
Haru: "mhm, pretty sure she's inside" He responded,
The sword saint stepped ahead of the two, "Emilia-sama please stay behind me" he held out his arm as a way to shield the candidate if something ever went wrong.
Haru: "I'll go first then."
'I still don't understand why I chose to be involved... I'm such an idiot! After this, I'm leaving."
Haru: "pardon the intrusion " he announced as he slowly opened the door of the loot house.
Haru gently pushed the door open, and as soon as he did. Cries filled his ears. His eyes slowly looked down to the floor, to see a grounded old man. And the young thief kneeling beside him crying her eyes out. She glared at the center of the room while maintaining pressure on the grounded man's stomach, where his gut was cut open and blood began to coat the wooden floors red,
They shifted their eyes to the center of the room. But found no one,
Emilia: "It's great that you are here, I won't let you get away this...time" Her words trailed off when she noticed the bleeding man.
The duo's eyes widened upon arriving at the scene, and the sword saint immediately stepped forward to help.
Reinhard: "are you the thief?" he asked while kneeling beside the girl,
Slowly putting his hands on the wound of the old man as he began to slowly stop the bleeding. Felt hesitated to answer before murmurs escaped her lips.
What she saw was a silhouette of a blade being raised into the air, directly behind the silver-haired girl.
Felt: "w-watch out!" she exclaimed,
Reinhard: "tsk! Haru!" he shouted,
Noticing this, the boy quickly pulled the girl by the arm. While drawing his katana to block the strike. The mysterious attacker quickly fled back toward the middle of the room. The dim light of the rays of the sun shined on the attacker, black hair tied into one tail on her left side. Drooping eyes that gave her a gentle aura, a skin-tight black dress. Wielding bent black kukri that was coated with blood.
Coming out of the green crystal that the silver-haired girl had in the middle of her chest, the grey cat spirit appeared
Puck: "What a surprise, that was close! You're fast Haru!" the spirit complemented while shooting a thumbs up,
?: "A spirit, it's a spirit! How wonderful!" she giggled,
The attacker straightened her posture and faced the group, her gentle eyes misleading them for a second. "I've never cut open a spirit's stomach before" she adds
Reinhard: "that's enough." the sword-saint comments while stepping forward, "well"
?: "You are.." the woman mumbles under her breath,
Reinhard: "black hair, black clothes, and a northerner's sword. With all these characteristics, there's no mistake that you are the Bowel Hunter." he says
'So this is Elsa? She looks so pretty... it's just how I imagined her from the books..'
On the receiving end, the named Bowel Hunter licked her lips in satisfaction before speaking again,
Elsa: "Reinhard, the Knight of knights. You're from the family of Sword Saints, aren't you? And that masked boy who just blocked my attack.. It's great! I have so many interesting opponents!" she exclaimed cheerfully,
Reinhard: "I have a lot of things to ask you. So I advise you to surrender," he says to the woman
Elsa: "the prime and juicy prey is right in front of me, and I must say~ I'm more interested in that boy over there. And you want me, the hungry predator, to surrender?" she says while raising her arms for a shrug,
Hearing this, the sword saint chuckled. "Haru, back off a bit. It will be easier for me if you can go to where the Emilia-sama and the lady is." he says while pointing at Felt
Haru looked over to Felt, and beside her was Emilia. Who began to cast Healing magic to help the man's wounds.
Haru: "huh? What about my Royal Guard stuff?" he asked
Reinhard: "that would have to wait, I'm afraid I have to deal with her myself"
Haru: "no." he quickly responded
'I mean I am here anyway… let's just have some fun before I take off'
Reaching for the pouch attached to his waist, Haru pulled out one glowing tube that contained blue liquid. Before closing it and hiding it behind his cloak.
Haru: " Here Felt, pour this on his wound, it's a healing potion okay?" he says as he hands the small tube.
Felt: "o-okay"
Felt accepts it and quickly unscrews its cap before pouring it on Old Man Rom's gut. The bleeding stopped completely and the large cut closed on its own. The torn-up skin reattached itself and began to disappear without a trace, surprising the people around him as he quickly sat up,
Reinhard: "extraordinary.."
Emilia: "It healed that quick…!"
Felt: "... how? Old Man Rom!" she exclaimed as he jumped on the man for a hug
Old Man Rom: "Felt.."
'dunno why I still gave it... Emilia was already healing him, but it's great to see them back. Maybe it's not that bad to help these humans after all'
Elsa: "My my my.. how wonderful to see the old man sitting up again, it truly is a cute scene" she comments
Haru: "It is, isn't it? but anyway, you really are kind, you gave us enough time to heal him. You have my respect for that."
Elsa: "you're really good with words, I can't wait to open up your guts and see it's color!" she exclaimed
Haru: "for a bitch with a pretty face, you really say frightening words" he joked,
Reinhard: " I won't let that happen, Elsa Granhiert. You will meet your end right now" Just before the duel could happen between Haru and Elsa, the knight intervened.
Haru: "wait Reinhard. I can handle this, you said it was my initiation to become a knight, right?" he comments while aligning himself with the knight
Reinhard: "Haru...I think you may be underestimating Elsa."
Haru: "Don't underestimate a kid who worked hard just to survive. I've fought tougher monsters and threats in the past, who's to say I can't beat her?"
Reinhard: "Haru.."
Pointing his katana at the girl, he slowly took off his cloak. Revealing the sleeveless black top with iron rings on his upper arms, and bandages wrapped around his hands. Brown pants held up by the belt buckle pouch. And boots to finish the look.
He took off his mask before gently handing it over to the silver-haired girl, with light grey eyes and a charming smile. An evident pair of fangs from in his mouth, and grown out greyish white hair. Using Coercion, the mana in the air gave off an eerie, uncomfortable feeling. They felt threatened. They had an unexplainable feeling of fear, their chests felt heavy and they started to feel their limbs go numb little by little.
Haru: "Watch me, Emilia-sama, Reinhard"
The two were speechless.
Everyone but Sword Saint and the Bowel Hunter felt themselves being pulled to the ground by an immense and heavy force, they felt their own body slip in and out of consciousness.
Elsa: "this is going to be interesting, I can't wait to open you up!" she exclaimed
The young boy took one step forward, and Elsa took one back. This repeated a few times before Elsa slowly got closer and closer to the wall.
Haru: "that's a weird obsession.. let's go."
breaking a portion of the floor as he kicked off the ground. With Elsa doing the same, the two clashed. Haru with his katana, and Elsa with her Kukri knives. Elsa simultaneously slashed with her knives, switching from left to right. Using her body's own flexibility to cut at any vulnerable spot.
The two exchanged hits. Sparks came out of the duo's blades as they clashed. She gripped on her knife and dropped at knee level to deliver a counter-attack. She kicked at his legs and twisted her body to turn in place as she tried to slash at the young-boys intestines. Relying purely on instinct, he shifted his wrist to change the position of his blade. Blocking the kukri knife, he quickly jumped up and landed on the attacker's knife,
Using his own mana he powered up his legs, making it strong enough to snap her blade in half. She flipped backward and created distance. Staring at her broken knife she clicked her tongue, she slowly stepped back and disappeared from his view,
Elsa: "You're fun.. let's dance shall we boy?" she exclaimed
Looking around the room where the Bowel Hunter could be. His eyes landed on the corner of the dimly lit Loothouse,
Haru: "hey mind if we both take it outside? I don't wanna ruin old man's loothouse. and I'm sort of getting anxious staying here," he says out of the blue,
The group was confused at how he was able to exchange hits with the killer and have no wounds or abrasions. But what surprised him more was when he brought up a conversation mid-battle. Then, she appeared once more. From the top corner of the Loothouse where he expected her to be, she prepared her knives and metal picks as she threw them at high speeds,
Elsa: "holding a conversation during our duel, you're quite rude," she says
Throwing her weapons at the group, the sword saint had no choice but to lend a hand. He quickly picked up a sword from the wall to defend the attack. But his efforts were wasted. The young boy extended his hands and chanted Sticky Steel Thread, thin threads came out of his fingertips and attached itself to the flying metal weapons. Its sharpness was worth nothing, as soon as the first strand of the thread attached itself the whole weapon got engulfed in a sticky thin thread,
Emilia: "...!"
Haru: " I am your opponent here, Elsa. I'd just say I'm being considerate," he says
Pulling back his hand as the weapons came with it. Using his momentum, he whipped the thread toward a broken window. The kukri knives created a small opening in the loot house.
Haru: "w-wait my bad! s-sorry old man! I'll help you fix it later" he exclaimed
Quickly dashing towards Elsa once more, they exchanged hits again. She jumped up, putting her hands on the boy's shoulder. Flipping her body as she pushed him off a little bit as she tried to cut his gut.
From the momentum, he rolled over and kicked her chin. Extending his leg once more to hit the crook of her neck as she crashed to the nearby wall. Splinters appeared on her body and the wall behind her cracked,
Elsa: " for a handsome young boy like you to have such strength, you are truly loved by this world," she says while wiping the blood from her mouth
Haru: "It's funny that you say that. This world is nothing but a cruel place filled with horror and pain. In fact, being in here makes me so sick I might even puke. The world corrupts people, it changes them. My own strength didn't come from love... but I'm trying to prove something"
Elsa: "...and that is?"
Haru paused, before facing the girl with a cheerful smile "If I stop and look around this cursed world, maybe I'll find the beauty in it. that's all I want now."
Holding up his hand, he casts Steel Threads "this was fun, Elsa" The threads engulfed Elsa's body. The group's mouth opened in shock at the site. Using her spare knives, she tried to cut at the threads.
Elsa: "what is this..!" she exclaimed
Haru: "It's disappointing that you got caught in this simple skill"
Lifting up one finger, he slowly pulled on the thin thread that stretched throughout her. Slowly, little by little, with each passing second. The depth of the cut extended deeper into her skin, causing the thread to slowly become dyed in crimson red. Blood spilled from the wound, leaking the life out of her body as it dropped to the floor. Her right arm has fallen off,
Groaning in pain, the woman bit on her lip. Shifting her eyes from the fallen limb to the boy who caused it to happen. Her eyes were filled with anger, her glare towards the boy could almost be noted as one of the scariest things one could ever experience.
Haru: "Goodbye."
Who would have known that word could have such an impact on the maiden's heart. Before she could utter a word the boy closed his hand. The threads cut into her body, separating it into little pieces as her body parts scattered throughout the floor. Her blood stained the creaking wooden floors red,
Reinhard: "... Haru you.." the sword-saint mumbled
Puck: "he did it that quick..?"
All of them were so shocked, they were at a complete loss for words. Questioning whether to be thankful that the enemy was defeated or afraid that he had the power to do such a feat. In the young boy's presence, everyone else was reduced to nothing more than human beings. In front of them was no doubt, a monster.
Emilia: " are you hurt..?" she asked as she slowly approached him
The only person who would ever be able to stand up to such a demon was an angel, a silver-haired young girl walked over to the boy with concern in her eyes.
The young boy looked up to face her as he shook his head slowly, his expression seemed unbothered that he took away a maiden's life with no issues. Not only that but he completely lied about his condition, he wasn't suffering from any serious injuries. But his body was scattered with cuts,
Felt: "it's over now, right..?" she asked
Haru chuckled, before replying " d-damnit... so I broke that window for no reason?"
Just when he thought he could relax, another knife flew towards the group. With no time to react or even realize the danger that was approaching the girl, she could only watch in shock as the light-haired boy jumped in to push her aside. Falling to the ground with no strength or will to prevent her fall from hurting, her eyes locked on the boy,
Haru: "hng.." he groaned
The one-hand that saved her was met with the kukri knife. Splitting his arm in half starting from his elbow to the gap between his middle and index finger. As blood splattered throughout the loothouse, he bit his lip to deal with the amount of pain that he was in. Only then did the girl realize what had just happened,
Emilia: "y…. your arm!" she exclaimed
She quickly got up and sprinted towards the boy, using her mana to close up his wound. Fear and regret were written on her face as she wondered why the boy would do such a reckless thing,
Her fingers hovering above his wounds, as her eyes scanned his body looking for any more wounds he could have. Her mouth dropped as she realized how battered he truly was. He was the biggest liar to ever exist, she thought.
Aggravated by his own choice of leaving the young boy to deal with such a powerful enemy alone, he furrowed his brows and stepped forward "That's enough Elsa!" he says
Emilia: "y-your arm is really... really in bad shape, you dummy! why would you do that?!" she exclaimed,
Haru: " s-somehow I got deja vu hearing her say that... it's fine, I can still handle her. Just watch me." he replied
Pulling back his arm from the girl's grasps, he stepped forward again. Gripping in his sword as he took deep breaths to relieve himself from the pain,
Reinhard: "Haru, let me take over! your arm i-"
Haru: "it hurts.. but it's okay!" he interrupted them,
Emilia: "idiot! you're in no shape to continue fighting!" she shouted
Puck: "Lia's right, Haru. Let Reinhard handle her. You've done enough, it's okay." he added
Felt: "big bro your arm…" she said in a concerned voice
Haru's face twisted into a shocked expression as he shot his head towards the golden-haired girl,
Haru: " a-and big bro..? i-I'm not that old, I'm around your age Felt.." he sighed
As if their worrying yells came and left through the other ear, he only reacted to the small misunderstanding of his age,
He opened the pouch once more, as he pulled out another healing potion. He poured half of it on his bleeding arm, as soon as it closed up he returned it back to its pouch and walked to the center of the Loothouse. With a deep breath he spoke up, before speaking, "Elsa, you're not human are you?" he asked the supposed dead killer
Elsa: " It's you again..! you caught onto that quick, I didn't think you would have been able to kill me that fast though. You really are amazing!" the woman said while giggling,
They looked around the room, but they still couldn't find the woman.
Haru: "Then that makes two of us, a-and you ruined my bandage guards Elsa! If you planned to kill me then aim for my head!"
Elsa: "you have a death wish, then I shall grant it. Can we start all over again?" she asked
Using Shadow Step, he sank into his own shadow. Disappearing from the ground. Before faint sparkles and the sounds of blades hitting each other began to appear in the air. Along with the prominent creaks and flying pieces of wood as the two began to duel once more.
To everyone else, it was all a blur. Their eyes could barely catch up with the fast movements of the two. The battle from Reinhard's point of view was like watching two normal swordsmen battle. He got the feeling of reassurance that he won't even need to lend a hand in this battle. Each of their hits was critical but were easily blocked by their opponent, every twist of their body to avoid the hits were almost graceful and amusing to watch. The way the two would look at each other could almost be mistaken for a young pair who were in love. A cruelly one-sided love.
Old Man Rom: "They're equal… young-ru is amazing..."
Puck: "Haru... no, he's beating her!"
Suddenly the young boy crashed into the other side of the wall, the impact so hard that the wall collapsed on itself as the boy plummeted to the ground outside. He flipped and toppled on the ground from the momentum,
Reinhard: "Haru!" the knight said as he dashed outside,
Emilia: "H-Haru!" she exclaimed while following in pursuit,
Slowly, the boy stood up. Wiping off the dirt all over his body. And pressing on the small cuts that were scattered on his arms to ease the pain. Pulling off the long needles that stuck out of his leg, he looks back at the woman who now appeared behind him.
Elsa: "are you tired already? Does it hurt?" she asked,
Haru: "if you mean tired of looking at you then yes, I am. Plus, that's my line" he replied
Elsa: "how rude."
Haru: "you don't die easily do you?" he asked,
Elsa: "you should be well aware of that by now"
Haru: "dunno how many times I cut your neck open, it just heals up that quick. Plus, you brought out another pair of knives whenever I got rid of the first pair, and the number of needles I plucked out and blocked was a lot too. What happens if it runs out?" he asked
The bowel hunter chuckled, slowly she stepped forward towards the boy.
Elsa: "Without them, I'll use my claws. Without claws, I'll use my bones. Without bones, I'll use my life. That's how the bowel Hunter fights" she responds,
Straightening his back, he wiped the blood from his katana. Pointing it towards the woman before giving her a gentle smile, "you're admirable." he says
Elsa: "What are you going to show me?" the woman asks while smirking
Pointing his katana towards the night sky, he twirled it in between his fingers before putting it back in its sheath. He cracked his knuckles and closed both into a fist,
Haru: "I haven't really used this yet, so I'll test it out on you" he replied,
Witnessing this, the woman pointed her knife at the boy. While giving out her name,
Elsa: "Elsa Granhiert, the Bowel Hunter" she named herself,
The young boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath in,
Haru: "Haru Tempest, Rimuru's Third named Subordinate Monster."
'I should really get a title of my own... '
As he gave out his name, the woman smiled.
The two dashed toward one another, extending both of her knives to the boy, the woman slashed and slashed. Over and over, her desperation didn't affect her mastery of the blade. It never became dull or not precise. Every attack was meant to kill him. To evade the attack, he jumped upward. Repeating the same thing she did to him, he flipped in mid-air and pushed on her back strong enough to make her stumble forwards.
Haru: "Sticky Steel Threads" he chanted
Holding up both of his hands, threads came out and latched themselves on Elsa's body. Before planting both of his palms down to the ground it. He ran off to the other side while repeating the skill, to the point where Elsa was stuck in a knelt position. Using her arms as her final supporting pillar so her body wouldn't be grounded by the multiple threads.
Elsa: "ah… is this how I go out?" she murmured,
he looked back at the woman with an apologetic expression. "It's about time, Elsa," he says to her,
He walked in the opposite direction of the girl before stopping in his tracks,
Haru: "I'm so sorry, that you'd go out this way. I hope you make it somewhere that isn't here, and live a peaceful new life" he comments,
Feeling tears form under her eyes, an unexplainable feeling of guilt built up inside of her. A feeling she never thought she would have to encounter. She never felt bad about taking innocent lives, and yet in his presence, she was almost repenting for everything she has done. Internally taking responsibility for the horrendous acts she committed.
He turned his body toward the girl, raising his hand into the air. Closing his eyes to further visualize the spell, fire repeating in his head.
Red fiery hell, in an enclosed space. Symbols made by the Flame Lord Spirit himself, who could burn down entire villages. And nullify even the most powerful water spells just with the heat of his own flames.
That flame spirit's skill that will bring an end to her life.
Flare Circle
Instantly, a circle began to form beneath Elsa. Growing bigger and bigger, even closing in the land beside her. Lines protruding from the circle as the symbols and shapes began to form. Expanding more and more as spirals began to appear on the outside of the magic circle.
Elsa: "...!" her eyes widened in surprise,
She glared at the white-haired boy in front of her, Using her own nails, she dug into the threads that grounded her. But it wouldn't cut. She used her teeth to chew on the threads that stretched across her face. She used her shoulders to try and shake off the tightness of the white threads that kept her from escaping.
Her face showed a pained expression. Her eyes shaking with fear as tears began to run down her cheeks. She realized that her life was about to come to an end.
Elsa: "p-please...!" she exclaimed
She couldn't put into words what exactly she wanted, so she pleaded. She begged the boy in front of her to spare her life. When faced with a monster, apologies are worthless. But she knew exactly what she had done in the past, what made her different from the boy in front of her?
Noticing the fear installed on the woman, the boy sighed. Sometimes, monsters need to look out for each other.
Haru: "sorry, Elsa," he says
Offering the only thing he could give to her right now as a way to comfort her, he gave his most sincere apology. And wished her the best of luck in her next life,
Screaming at the top of her lungs as he finally activates the skill that took a large portion of his magicules to use, the spirals lit up. Making their way through the center as it slowly engulfs the woman. As soon as it hit it the final triangular symbol on the center of the magic circle. The flames came out, it's heat was so immense that the air around it had gone warm, it's pressure so heavy that the caster himself fell to his knees. Flames so bright it lit up the entire area, flames so high that it could almost reach the roof of the loot house.
Radiant and glowing red, slowly torching up the miserable woman. Her screams echoed throughout the slums, accompanied by the pained shouts it's caster exclaimed as he slowly got drained of his magicules. The Bowel Hunter was having a taste of hell itself.
Reinhard: "Everyone!" he shouted,
Running back inside the loot house, Using the remaining wall as a shield against the immense heat, he pulled her, the thief, and the old man close. Inspecting them individually before giving a comforting smile to ease their fear,
Felt: "i-is big bro okay?" she asked,
The only view that they could see was the tall wall of flames, the person experiencing the spell and the person who cast it was unknown to them. The screams of the two weren't helping them either, but they all had a gut feeling that the monstrous flame was produced by no one other than,
Haru: "..it's so loud" he cried out,
Using his hands to cover the sound of the howling flame, and the cries of the woman burning in it. Down on his knees panting, using his elbows to support himself from tipping over. The flame slowly began to cease, the air wasn't as warm anymore, and the area that lit up began to shrink little by little. Before the flames disappeared into nothingness,
Reinhard: "Haru! are you okay?!" he shouted while running towards the fallen boy,
Taking a moment to respond, he wiped his nose and looked at the knight with a small smile,
Haru: "yeah... I've never killed anyone before though, Sorry Reinhard."
Reinhard: "Don't apologize for something I forced upon you.. I'm glad you're okay, my friend" he says with a comforting smile,
Emilia: "it's over.. Right?" she asked while slowly approaching the two,
Haru: "it is.. Sorry if I scared you" he replied
Getting up from his knees he slowly wiped off the dirt on his pants and boots,
Reinhard: "did any of you get hurt by that?" he asked while turning his head toward the old man and thief who approached them,
Old Man Rom: "nothing wrong here.. I'd like to say that for the woman though.." he mumbled
Their eyes shifted towards the site of ashes, the remains of a woman who burnt to a crisp just a minute ago. The only thing that remained to remember her by were the blades that were scattered around the area.
That was it, the Bowel Hunter was dead. Elsa Granhiert is dead, are you happy? Haru?
'I'm beat... I hope you end up in a better place, Elsa"
Reinhard: "Elsa's dead, and there aren't any losses. Do you understand what you just did, Haru?" he asked
Haru turned his head toward the red-haired knight and gave an exhausted sigh,
Haru: "I'm getting arrested…?" he asked back with a scared expression
Reinhard giggled hearing this, "not at all"
Reinhard: "What you've just done has changed the fate of this country. You've just stopped hundreds of possible deaths at the hands of the Bowel Hunter, and you've given those who have died at her hands a sense of solace. I am in-debt to you, Haru. You've done something I could only dream of managing on my own" he bowed
Haru: "...huh?" he murmured
His face twisted to the side as he tries to understand what Reinhard's long compliment could mean, "..so I'm not getting arrested for killing her?" he asked once more
Reinhard: "you have my word on it, Haru. You're not getting arrested" he chuckled
Haru's face brightened up and his mouth opened into a smile,
'Thank God! Imagine getting arrested in a new world! Couldn't be me!' he thought to himself,
Walking up towards him, the silver-haired girl tapped him on the shoulder.
Emilia: "uhm.."
Haru: "oh.. Emilia, glad you're okay," he says upon inspecting her,
Emilia: "it's thanks to you… Thank you, Haru. Thank you for saving me," she says with a gentle look on her face
Suddenly, Another wave of heat came out. This time appearing on Haru's face as his cheeks began to glow red,
'Crap..! what are you blushing for Haru.!?'
Haru: "it's nothing, Emilia. Anything to help" he replied while extending his hand
Emilia takes note of this and extends hers as the two exchange a handshake. "oh!" she exclaimed as if remembering something,
Emilia: "I took care of your mask for you, take it," she says while handing the anti-magic mask
Haru: " Thanks Emilia, good thing you didn't lose it like your Insignia" he joked
Hearing this, The silver-haired girl pouted "I didn't lose it! i-it got stolen! that was totally out of my control, Haru you jerk!" she says while looking away
Haru: "I'm kidding Emilia, don't take it the wrong way" he giggled
Emilia turned her head back to him as her face relaxed into a smile
Emilia: "honestly… you're such a dunderhead," she says
Haru: "dunderhead? that's the first time I've heard it in a while. Could be my new title" he giggled
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Chapter: The Inconclusive Boy