To Sable Dawn: I'm pretty sure the Heroes won't get much, if anything at all if they tried to Weapon Copy the Pope's Mimic weapon. I found out that the Pope's Fake Weapon only has 25% of the Real Weapon's full power. The only reason why the Heroes had such a hard time fighting the Pope in the anime is because of how weak and close minded the other Heroes were along with the Pope having his supporters fueling him with mana.
To E.T. 2000: I didn't know Itsuki's party were that corrupted, I might write and expand about this fact in a future chapter.
To aa2070064: As neat as the idea of Eugeo and Naofumi being able to wield each other's Legendary Weapon due to their friendship, I think I will stay true to the anime and keep their Weapon limitations. Sorry.
To AnimeFan13579: I actually kinda forgotten about this little loophole, I might address it at a later chapter. But the best explanation that I could give you on why Itsuki and Motoyasu didn't do what Eugeo and Naofumi did is because of their overly gamer mentality.
Itsuki and Motoyasu see this world as a video game, causing their 'Stacia Windows' to adjust appropriately to their perception on how this world works. And as it has been the norm for countless online games, the Level of monsters are always automatically displayed on the player's visions. Because of this, even though they haven't absorbed a silver coin, they already have the Level indicator in their arsenal. Eugeo and Naofumi sees this world as real, so they didn't have this perk right of the bat..
As for Itsuki and Motoyasu's situation, they only bothered to absorb the bronze coin as the bare minimum requirement of getting the [Money Storage] for convenience sake. As some manga readers analyzed in YouTube and other fanfiction writers, Ren, Itsuki and Motoyasu only bothered to absorb things that they deem powerful and worthy of their time. Unlike Naofumi, who kept on absorbing everything he lays his hands on.
To DragonDave: I'm not very sure if I can give your idea justice. I'm actually planning to write some kind of spin-off reaction fanfic where Kirito, Asuna and maybe Yui along with a few characters from the Rising of the Shield Hero would be watching this fanfic. It's still a long way off but I will eventually get there. I hope you could give this idea of mine a chance despite not being the one you want.
To SxS: I'm still unsure on how things will unfold once the Wave against Glass comes to pass, but I thank you for the ideas and I will definitely put them to good use in the future.
To Blue fan: I would if possible, I just don't know how TvTropes work. If someone else can do it for me, that would be very nice.
1.) What would you like to add to Emilya's arsenal?
- Yes, Time Alter - 3
- Yes, Wire/Hair Manipulation - 7
- Yes, both - 1
- No, Emilya's UBW is enough - 3
2.) First steps in cleaning up Itsuki's mess.
- A more frontal approach - 1
- A stealth mission - 1
- A mixture of both scenarios - 13
3.) Mash-senpai's debut
- After battle with Glass - 4
- During battle with the Pope - 13
- After battle with the Pope - 3
4.) Blogging channel
- Yes - 7
- No - 5
RESULTS OF POLLS:
1.) Looks like Emilya would be getting her stepmother's magecraft. It should be an interesting addition to her already formidable arsenal.
2.) A balanced plan of attack truly is the best choice.
3.) I can hardly wait to see the look on the Pope's face when Mash makes her debut in her physical form.
4.) It seems this story is getting a blog.
876 Reviews, 1101 Favorites, 1205 Follows
NEWS FOR EVERYONE:
I just wish to inform to all of you that I got bedridden with COVID-19 for 2 weeks. I didn't feel the full extent of the symptoms, but it was still an awful experience. I'm now fully recovered and can now continue with writing this story. Plus, my co-author Aremeneti Revnant, who's improving the chapter before it's released was busy IRL, so it took some time for him to get his part of the work done. I hope all of you can understand why this chapter has taken so long to complete.
I also wish to give a shout out to another SAO fanfic that I found to be very good and tear jerking read. The story's name is "In a Field of Blue Flowers" written by non-other than my co-author, Arementi Revnant. It's more like the aftermath of the Moon Cradle arc along with some elements from his previous work "SAO: Mother's Reconciliation", as well as the most recent SAO game "SAO: Alicization Lycoris" thrown into the mix. I really hope you all give it a try because it was a very nice way for Kirito to come to terms with his best friend's passing, and how Asuna sympathizes with him as they both have experienced losing a close friend. And right now, I'm the only one that bothered to leave a review on that story, and frankly, I think that story and SAO: Mother's Reconciliation deserves more attention than it currently has.
And according to Arementi Revnant, since he got the idea for "In a Field of Blue Flowers" while helping me write the chapters for Blue Rose Sword Hero, you can also consider it as a tie-in of what happens to Kirito Asuna while Eugeo Alice have their adventures in the RotSH world.
So, if you like my story, and assuming you've finished reading SAO's Moon Cradle arc, please take a look at "In a Field of Blue Flowers" and "SAO: Mother's Reconciliation" and leave your favorites and reviews there too.
"What is going on here?" Eugeo couldn't help but ask out loud as he stirred Arthur through the town that they were currently in.
It had been a good 2 days since the Sword Hero and Shield Hero departed from Springvale and went on their separate journeys. With the Sword going north while the Shield left for the east.
Due to Springvale's nature as a hot spring town, there were more established pathways that lead to and from other neighboring towns and villages. Making the transition of traveling all the way up to the Northern Territories a lot more smoothly than Eugeo anticipated. And so, the Sword Hero and his comrades have just arrived at the very first settlement of this foreign land.
But even though they're new arrivals, the party of 5 didn't fail to notice something off about the people who lived in it...
"The people here seems to be a bit jumpy for some odd reason."
"It wasn't like this the last time I was here."
"Even the children are more subdued than normal."
Kirin, Anna and Rifana (exactly in that order) all shared their thoughts as they observed the seemingly peaceful town standing before them. Arthur also agreed with a nod as the young Filolial king sensed the abnormal behavior of the town's inhabitants.
While the town was livable and its citizens loitered around and went about with their everyday lives like normal, there seems to be an underlying tension permeating throughout the town. It was a very subtle pressure that could have gone unnoticed, but it was there if you looked and listened hard enough. And if that wasn't alarming enough, what Alice said next sealed the deal on what the group would be doing for the rest of the day.
'Everyone... I don't know if this isrelated,but I just finished giving this town a quick look with the {Map Projection} skill. I found that about a 10th of this place have already been abandoned.'
Alarmed by this development, Eugeo and the girls made the unanimous decision that they should spend at least one day in this town to gather information before going on their way. That is, until a familiar sound grumbled beside them...
(*GROWL!!*)
Looking at the source of the sound, Eugeo and the girls could only chuckle in amusement at the sheepish look on Arthur's face.
"Okay then, let's have some lunch first before we begin our investigation."
Arthur cheered with his natural, animalistic squall.
After purchasing and consuming a quick afternoon lunch from the nearest food joint, Eugeo and his comrades prepared for their information rounds around the town.
Deciding to split up to cover more people, Alice suggested that they should also go in pairs to minimize the risk from potential spies. Eugeo then voiced out that he'll be pairing up with Rifana while Kirin paired up with Anna. When asked on why they were grouped in such a way, Eugeo answered that it was to deter any judgmental citizens that might have racial issues with demi-humans.
Arthur complained profusely when he realized that he wasn't being included in the investigation. Finding out that he was to be left in the stables to guard their carriage and the rest of their valuables within. Fortunately, Alice was able to placate her adopted son by assigning him to question the other normal Filolial that will undoubtedly be left there along with him.
After all, humans (and demi-humans) may be able to lie and hide the truth, but tamed monsters like the Filolial would definitely not.
With Arthur successfully pacified and happy that he truly has an important role to play in their investigation, the party of 5 went their separate ways for a few short hours. All agreeing to meet up again back at the carriage once they gathered what information that they can from the area.
"I know I'm supposed to be the one in charge since I'm the human knight while you're supposed to be the lowly slave. But I think it's best that you be the one to take the lead since you're more familiar with this kind of work," Kirin chuckled apologetically as she scratches her cheek while walking side by side with Anna.
"Although my mother and clansmen thought me well in the art of combat, espionage, and a bit of economics, I was never really thought much in the delicate practice of reconnaissance. Plus, you did mention that you've been here before during your Adventurer days."
Anna couldn't help but smile appreciatively over the young heiress as she admitted her own comeuppance. Thankful for the level of trust and reputation Kirin had for her despite her race and her failings back in Springvale.
"You know, I sometimes forget that you're an heiress of a noble clan in Melromarc," Anna commented with a gentle giggle before adding, "But in a good way... definitely a good way."
"T-Thank you," Kirin said as she giggled along with her companion, "Anyways, where do you think we should go first? In the marketplace maybe?"
Anna shook her head as she gently turned down Kirin's suggestion, "Normally, that would be a good place for us to start a discrete investigation. But with the town as high-strung as it is, I'm pretty sure anyone who might have answers would be less willing to answer any of our questions."
"I suppose you have a point there," Kirin replied as she graciously accepted Anna's explanation before asking, "So where do you think we should go to get some answers?"
"Well..." Anna murmured out as she hesitated a little as an idea popped in her head on where they could get some valuable information. Knowing fully well that her somewhat sheltered human companion was not going to like it.
Choosing not to answer immediately, Anna decided to simply guide the younger woman in the direction of the place that she had in mind. And as the reptilian demi-human predicted, the clan heiress was far from pleased when she realized what the establishment that stood before her was.
"Surely you can't be serious..." Kirin awkwardly begged in childish plea.
"I'm sorry Kirin..." Anna couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly as she grabbed one of Kirin's hands, "but nothing loosens a man's tongue more than a few bottles of wine with a few flirty women thrown into the mix."
The Serpentine then started pulling the reluctant heiress inside the building, that's revealed to be one of the most well-off taverns this town had to offer.
While Anna and Kirin were busy doing their own thing in the taverns...
Eugeo and Rifana were also doing what they can as they approached the home of the town's local lord.
Although Eugeo would have preferred to do their investigation in a more discrete fashion, Alice voiced her opinion that they should also take advantage of the authority that his Hero identity brought. When Eugeo asked Alice why several minutes prior, the answer that she gave turned out to be a bit jarring.
Alice explained that during her stay in the Centoria Cathedral, she once snuck into the restricted area of the Church's library. Although it took some taking advantage of loopholes and a bit of luck on Alice's part, she managed to swipe a few books to take with her back to her room. It was there that she discovered that one of the books that she swiped was really a book of records concerning a few incidents in the East. This was where she learned that whenever some kind of incident or disturbance occurred in a town or territory, those in authority will always have an official testimony that covered up the un-official one from the public.
Eugeo definitely noticed a hint of animosity in Alice's voice as she finished her explanation.
'I didn't fully understand what those records meant at the time, but after I was Synthesized and got stuck at the Cathedral's ceiling, I realized that those files I found were the un-official records of the people that the Pontifex kidnapped.'
'I see...' Eugeo couldn't help but shiver a bit from the icy cold voice that his normally warm Alice have used before attempting to move their conversation along, 'Since we already know that this world is also prone to corruption like in Centoria, then the chances are high that the authorities would hide the full truth from the normal folks. But if I use my authority as a Legendary Hero, along with the rumors of you being a spirit if the Legendary Sword, then they will most likely be compelled to obey my orders.'
'Precisely!'
With their plan of action settled, the Hero and Spirit pair silently informed Rifana before making their way to the town center where the Lord's mansion was located.
Unknown to the trio though, as they walked through the town's busy streets, Eugeo slowly caught the interest of several of the townspeople's citizens. More particularly, the young women and eligible bachelorettes of the town.
Although they were accustomed to the occasional arrival of high leveled Adventurers from foreign lands, the women quickly realized what set Eugeo apart. Especially after a few of them were able to recognize the Legendary Sword that was strapped on the young swordsman's hip.
About an hour later...
"That went a lot smoother than I imagined it would be..."
"I felt a bit nervous when he frowned at me at the beginning once he realized that I'm a demi-human, but..."
'...he instantly froze stiff once Eugeo revealed who he is.'
Eugeo, Rifana and Alice (precisely in that order) voiced their chain of thoughts out loud as they exited the town Lord's modest mansion,
'I knew using your Hero status would get us the answers we need easier, considering how much the citizens back in Lerno Village trusted the Spear Hero. But still... this level of submission is more than a bit concerning.'
Eugeo could only groan nervously as he and Rifana nodded in agreement with Alice's worries. Being respected was one thing but having borderline absolute obedience towards him due to his Hero status didn't really put Eugeo at ease. It reminded him too much of how the Integrity Knights back in Underworld have absolute authority over the people.
Fortunately – or unfortunately – depending on how you view it, before they could put any more thoughts into that matter however, a sudden roaring of footsteps halted his and Rifana's thoughts, for as they looked in alarm at the source of the noise, they saw a stampede of young women making their way towards them – or rather… HIM, much to the three's alarm!!!
"U-uwa?!" Rifana yelped in alarm as she was pushed away from her Hero by the stampede.
"Rifana?!" Eugeo called out as he saw her get separated from him.
And in that short span of time, the horde of young women completely surrounded Eugeo on all four sides, all of their attention on him.
And they all started to bombard him with complements with stars in their eyes, clearly desperate to gain his attention.
"Kya!!! Is he really him?! The Sword Hero, Eugeo Zuberg?!"
"I am telling you; it really is him! Look at the sword on his belt!"
"I can't believe it! We are really in the presence of a Cardinal Hero!!!"
"Oh my, look at him, he's so handsome! Blonde hair, eyes the color of emerald, and his blue, silver and gold armor!"
"The rumors were true, he really is such a dashing knight; no, his looks are even better than what the rumors say of him!"
"Sir Sword Hero, please grace us with your visage~!"
"Sir Sword Hero, please, have a visit at my home!"
"Sir Sword Hero, please, accept this gift!"
"Please, try these sweets, Sir Sword Hero. They were made at my bakery! They are delectable, I promise you!"
"Please, allow me to become your party member, Sir Sword Hero! I am an adventurer and I know I will be able to fight with you!"
The young women – ranging from commoner to noble, who were admittedly pretty and attractive, all said to gain Eugeo's attention.
And many of them even tried to earn his attention by giving him gifts, which were mostly flowers or sweets. Some of them who looked like they were adventurers even tried to boldly get his attention by pulling on his arms.
"Eh?! Huh?!" Eugeo was, of course, very confused as to what was going on.
This was probably the kind of situation skirt chasers like Motoyasu would do anything to find himself in… But the problem was that Eugeo wasn't Motoyasu; nor was he a skirt chaser or a philanderer. He doubted that even Kirito would ever find himself in the situation that he was currently in.
Sure, he may now be in a polygamic relationship with his female companions, but he still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea, even if all the girls agreed to share him…
Besides, he respected the girls in his party too much to betray their trust like that. He had promised them – especially Alice – that he would not behave like Motoyasu would when meeting every girl he comes across – and he had every intention of upholding that promise.
So… WHY WAS THIS HAPPENING?!
'E- Eugeo! Do you know these girls?!' Alice asked, completely bewildered at this unexpected attention that her love was getting from all these unknow women.
'Of course not!!!' Eugeo shouted over the noise the girls were making, 'And if I did know them, then you would have known too, Alice!'
'Ah… good point…' Alice said – she couldn't be separated from Eugeo after all, and she did not remember Eugeo meeting any of these girls before.
But then, one of the women said something that explained his current situation but at the same time, alarm him to the core.
"Sir Zuberg! We heard that you were looking for your soulmates in your journey! Please, give us a chance to become your lover!"
"Yes, please/Please give us a chance/Please look at me!!!" The women all said at the same time together, getting closer to him and unknowingly making him more and more uncomfortable.
" " "EEEEH?!" " " Eugeo, Alice, and Rifana all exclaimed in surprise at what they had just heard from that one woman.
Did they just say that they heard that Eugeo was open to a relationship?! Who would say such a thing?! Wait; did the fact that Eugeo accepted polygamy (reluctantly) get out somehow?!
"Ma… Master! What is going on here?!" Rifana asked, her tail starting to bristle up in annoyance (and perhaps jealousy) that she had never felt before.
"That's what I would like to know!!!" Eugeo said completely perplexed.
While this was all going on, the other townsfolks started to get curious as to what the fuss was about and started to look towards them and the crowd of girls surrounding them.
Alice took note of this and realized that they were attracting far too much attention from the people of this town. They were out gathering information about this town, and attracting attention to themselves like this was the last thing they needed…
They needed to get out of there, and fast.
So, Alice quickly thought of a way to get out of there. And when she looked at Rifana, she found an idea that would work.
'Oh, I know! Rifana! Use your Aerial Sacred Arts to make a wind strong enough to distract these women! We can all get away while they are distracted!' Alice said to Rifana.
"Y-yes, Lady Alice!" Rifana said, eager to free her master from his current turmoil.
"System Call: Generate Aerial Element – Arts Code: Whirl Wind – Discharge!"
Rifana casted the wind magic that was meant to be create a whirlwind that was strong enough to deflect regular projectile-based weapons such as arrows or throwing knives as long as they stayed in the whirlwind.
In this case however, she made the flow of air inside the whirlwind to be stronger than normal with the intention of distracting the women around Eugeo (the hair on her tail bristled again at the thought!) by making them hold their hair and clothing in position and not have them blown away by the sudden wind.
And sure enough…
"Kya!!! What's with this wind?!"
"Where did this wind come from?!"
The wind was strong enough that some of the girls had to hold their skirts down so that they could be spared from the lecherous gazes of the surrounding men – though, Eugeo may be an exception to this…
'Now, Eugeo! Let's get away from here!' Alice said.
"R- right!" Eugeo quickly complied.
He broke through the wall of surrounding girls, quickly found Rifana outside the whirlwind and grabbed her hand to get away from everyone's attention.
"Come on, Rifana; let's get out of here and out of sight!"
"Y-yes…!!!" Rifana said as a blush resurfaced on her cheeks at the fact that her Hero was now holding her hand.
'If only this could have happened without those girls suddenly interrupting us; and it would have been better if Master and I had been on an actual date too…' Rifana found herself wishing.
By the whirl wind subsided, Eugeo and Rifana were still within sight of the girls and some of the townsfolks, but they were at least able to gain a head start before the girls began to chase them again.
"Ah~! Sir Sword Hero, where are you going~?!"
"Sir Sword Hero, please wait up~!"
"Please wait! Sir Sword Hero~!"
The girls all called out seductively before chasing after Eugeo.
(Arementi Revnant's Note: Spoiler alert for the SAO game, Alicization Lycoris's Ancient Apostles free DLC 2, the Taboo Knight/Knight of Contradictions.
The above girls' mob scene was written by me. If you haven't noticed this already, the scene was inspired from an event that happened in that very DLC. In that DLC, Eugeo, when he was at a village with Kirito and Tiese to meet Tiese's uncle, he is also flocked by a group of girls wanting his attention; although, in that DLC, Eugeo is mistaken for a playboy noble who happens to look a lot like him. So, when I first played that DLC when it came out, I thought it would be hilarious to write a scene where Eugeo would be in that very situation in the Blue Rose Sword Hero; and boy did it turn out to be better than I expected.
I have some other plots planned for this story with Gadget Boy that has to do with Alicization Lycoris's later DLCs. So, we hope you look forward to them as well.)
It took some effort, with Eugeo also putting some of his Shadow training to use, but Eugeo and Rifana were eventually able to escape the mob of crazily eager women.
Eugeo, Alice, and Rifana were currently hiding in a well-hidden and narrow alleyway; thanks to Alice's Map Projection skill, she was able to find a hiding place for them with relative ease.
'(*sigh*) … I think we lost them…' Alice said, suddenly feeling very exhausted despite not having to run.
"So… Master Eugeo…? Just what was with those women back there…?" Rifana asked, her tone more incredulous than ever.
"I honestly have no idea myself…" Eugeo answered.
" " "………" " "
The trio all stayed silent in an awkward atmosphere until Alice finally decided to break it.
'And did I really hear them say that they heard that you were looking to expand your harem???' Alice asked, annoyance clear in her voice.
Eugeo suddenly felt as if this conversation could go in a direction he didn't want – and it all depended on who Alice was directing her annoyance at – himself, or the mob of flirty girls earlier.
"What gave them such an idea??? I know that Master Eugeo wants to remain faithful to us, especially to Lady Alice… He is not like the Spear Hero who seems to flirt with every maiden he comes across…" Rifana quoted.
Eugeo looked at Rifana, grateful for her vote of confidence.
"What kind of rumors is going on about me…? Is everyone really going to think that I'm looking for more potential lovers…? Is everyone going to start thinking that I'm a womanizer like Motoyasu?! How am I supposed to face everyone from now on?!" Eugeo asked.
It was already bad enough that Naofumi had accidently found out about his relationship with his girls in the Springvale Inn – he had practically begged Naofumi that night at the inn to keep that info to himself with his face scarlet, and Naofumi had promised that he wouldn't disclose it even to his party members.
And boy was he grateful that he had kept a good relationship with Naofumi and they both have a good opinion of each other – he wasn't sure if Naofumi would have kept this info to himself if his relationship with him was like Motoyasu's or Itsuki's.
So, assuming Naofumi had kept his promise, how did a false rumor about him looking for more potential lovers spread out?!
Alice was definitely annoyed, but not at Eugeo in particular – she knew that at some point with Eugeo's good reputation, more people – especially girls – would try and claim him for themselves, especially now that she had accepted sharing Eugeo with the other three girls.
She just didn't expect that they would have to deal with this problem this soon.
Did someone see their public display of affection to Eugeo and spread that rumor around in wishful thinking?
While Eugeo was sinking deeper into embarrassed worry of how the other Heroes and the people he would meet in the future would think about him because of this apparent rumor of him, Rifana and eventually Alice told him that they trusted him and would do their best to keep the horde of women away from him.
That was of some comfort to him, but as it also reminded him that the fact that he was now in a polygamic relationship with his party members would have to be released to the public to keep those predatorial girls at bay. And of course, he had mixed feelings about this predicament.
After calming down thanks to the two girls' efforts, they decided that the pursuers they were hiding from would have given up their search by now.
"Come on, let's regroup with Kirin and Anna and see if they got any information," Eugeo said, and they all agreed.
After double checking that they weren't followed, the pair quickly regrouped with the others back at the carriage. Fortunately, upon reaching the safety of their carriage, everyone else had already been accounted for. The group of five (plus 1 sentient weapon) began sharing what information they gathered from their respective ventures.
"Well, the good news is, ever since the Waves of Catastrophe started, there hasn't been any calamities occurring in the Northern Territories," Anna announced as she decided to go first, "But strangely enough, there has been an increase in the number of refugees despite this fact."
' "That is strange..." ' Eugeo and Alice commented in unison as they listened to what the others had to say.
Kirin raised her hand to get their attention so she can add her own input, "From some of the waiters and customers that I chatted with at the bar, they also mentioned that requests for food supplies from the far north have increased in the last few days. They were also complaining that the demand for wine has also been going down, which means less business circulation overall for the rest of the Northern Territories."
Hearing these issues caused Eugeo, Alice and Rifana to feel even more concerned than they already were. After all, they already had an inkling on why these issues were happening in the first place.
Distracting his father from his thoughts, Arthur followed his aunt's example and eagerly raised his hand to get everyone's attention, "Me next, me next!"
Seeing Arthur's enthusiasm, Eugeo and the girls couldn't help but chuckle as they nodded over to the young Filolial. Encouraging the boy to go ahead and share what he had to say, no matter how little it might be.
"The other Filolials told me that the people of the other towns are a lot fewer than they remembered them to be. And the fact that they actually remember that is surprising since normal Filolials have poorer memory than mine. They also mentioned that there were some mean looking men that kept bothering them and their owners. Yelling at them to give them more money because of something called 'taxes.'"
Eugeo and the girls couldn't help but look at Arthur in surprise. While they were hopeful that they would getsomesemblance of information from the Filolials that Arthur has authority over, they weren't really expecting much. This was actually important information that they stumbled upon here!
"That is... some very crucial information Arthur!" Eugeo blurted out with all the girls nodding and humming in agreement. All of them patting the young fledgling in the back and rubbing his head as they praised him for a job well done.
'Well done, Arthur!' Alice telepathically praised, 'I'm so proud of you!'
The young Filolial King was beaming with pride by this point. But unfortunately, they had to cut the happy moment short as Eugeo and Rifana had to share what they learned from the town lord. Especially since the information that they had would be the link that will bind all the issues of this kingdom together.
"I guess it's our turn..." Eugeo spoke softly as he shared glances with Rifana for a moment before facing the others, "we went to the town lord to ask for our information."
This surprised Anna and Kirin. It was quite the bold move to directly confront the man in charge of the town for the information that they wanted to know. Especially since those in power would normally try to conceal the truth with lies and deceit if the situation is for their benefit.
Then again, Eugeo was one of the four Cardinal Heroes, and a well-liked one at that.
"I introduced myself as the Sword Hero, with Alice even making a short appearance to further prove who I am, so they would obey my request. And as you can already guess, what we found isn't very good."
Anna, Kirin and even Arthur nodded in seriousness as they mentally prepared themselves for what they were about to hear.
"It turns out, the previous king of this country had raised the taxes to an amount that was difficult for the common folks to pay," Eugeo explained, "Word is that a group of Adventurers were sent from Melromarc to help the people by putting together a revolution to overthrow the King."
"As you can already guess, the revolution did succeed, and things got better... at least for a little while," Rifana spoke with a much graver tone as she resumed where Eugeo left off, "But all of a sudden, the revolutionaries went on and hiked up the taxes just like what King did before. Only this time, they raised it even higher!"
Anna, Kirin and even Arthur, who somewhat managed to keep up with the serious conversation, all reacted incredulously. Why would a revolution group, who undoubtedly sacrificed a lot of time, money and possibly lives to overthrow a corrupted ruler, only to turn around and do the very things that have claimed to hate! It just didn't make sense!
"And as I feared... this whole mess is, at least in part, my fault."
With the exemption of Alice and Rifana, who were already aware of how Eugeo felt about this topic, everyone else paused in clear confusion. All of them thinking the same thing...
How in the world is this mess, in any shape or form, Eugeo's fault?!
"According to what little they have heard from the rumors," Eugeo explained grimly with a guilty expression on his face, "They said that the leader of the Adventurers who helped the revolutionaries... wielded an unusually powerful bow."
Silence reigned for a few moments as Anna, Kirin and Arthur processed what Eugeo had just said. It really didn't take a genius to figure it out as even Arthur realized who the culprit was quickly.
" "Sir Itsuki!" "
"The Bow Guy!"
Eugeo sadly nodded in confirmation before burying his face in his palms, feeling the guilt weighing down on his chest. Although the blonde Sword Hero was aware that this mess wasn't technically his fault... (Both Alice and Rifana profusely insisted earlier that it wasn't) it didn't make the feelings of guilt weigh any less.
"This is most definitely not your fault Sir Eugeo!"
"Kirin is right! While the Bow Hero might have done this under your encouragement... everything that happened afterwards due to his oversight are all on his head!
"Mmmhmmmhmmm!"
Kirin and Anna were practically screaming their declarations for Eugeo's innocence while Arthur furiously nodded in agreement with his aunties' claims. Meanwhile, Alice and Rifana could only sigh at Eugeo's stubbornness.
'Even after all this time, you still have that bad habit of yours,' Alice grumbled to herself as she recalled Eugeo's guilt over her getting taken away by the Church,'You still blame yourself over things that are simply beyond your control.'
Wanting to change the subject, as well as to distract her beloved from his downward spiral of impending depression...
"Say, Master Eugeo..."
Anna decided to bring something up that was totally out of nowhere, a complete opposite of the serious talks that they were having just a few minutes ago.
"... what was this rumor I overheard, about you searching for more women to add as your potential mates?"
"?!?!?!"
Not the best of solutions, but it still did the trick. Eugeo quickly snapped back out of his depressed funk, his eyes snapping open and his whole face blushing up a storm.
"I…?! Wha…?! Where did you hear that?!"
"Kirin and I took a visit at the town's tavern and after questioning the customers – "
Kirin gave a slight blush as Anna mentioned the questioning part.
" – and the workers there, many of them said – quote unquote, we heard that the Sword Hero was looking for more romantic interests, and that even his female party members were all trying to gain his attention by getting him gifts… and many of the girls in the town were talking about giving him gifts so that they could gain his attention," Anna said, both amused and annoyed at whoever spread the rumor around.
Anna, Kirin, and Arthur gave Eugeo a quizzical look, making Eugeo's blush to worsen.
The now flustered Sword Hero frantically tried to explain that it wasn't like that, and it was just a huge misunderstanding, making them prompt him to explain.
Alice and Rifana could only giggle in amusement as they watched Eugeo nervously explaining to the slightly upset Anna and Kirin on what happened a few hours prior.
After he finished what had happened to him Rifana while they had split up, and about the mob of girls that were after their places as Eugeo's lovers, Anna and Kirin groaned in annoyance.
"Ugh… It's already begun, huh?"
"As if we didn't have enough to worry about…"
Anna and Kirin respectively commented on the matter, letting the others know of their opinions on the rumor about Eugeo that would no doubt attract the unwanted attention of the maidens that wanted to become Eugeo's lovers.
Honestly, if there was some spell or Sacred Arts to turn for his popularity with the girls into a physical object, Eugeo would have gladly used it and give the solid popularity to someone else – namely Motoyasu; he would love the extra attention of the maidens.
He already had four girls that had given their hearts to him, and he honestly didn't need countless women he didn't even know breathing down on his neck for a chance to become one of his lovers.
He wanted to stay loyal to them, and that was final.
'Well… Now that this stupid rumor is out, Eugeo will need all our helps in keeping those potentially crazy women away from him. So, if girls in the towns we visit ever happen to find out that Eugeo is in their town, we all must do our best to protect him from them. Agreed?' Alice asked.
" " "Agreed!" " " The other three girls all confirmed eagerly.
And all the while, Arthur was left confused on why a whole mob of female strangers would suddenly show interest for his father when they hadn't even met him before.
Humans could be so weird sometimes…
After the entire fiasco concerning Eugeo's love life had been settled, much to said Sword Hero's embarrassment, everyone switched back to serious mode as they returned to the debacle at hand. Even Arthur was taking this a little more seriously. This was due to a report one of the regular Filolials informed him about (which he forgot to mention to Eugeo and everyone else) that made him a bit upset.
As it turns out, a large number of his fellow Filolials were slaughtered by the more desperate villages of the north. With said villages having little to no money to spend for the citizens' daily needs, the people were forced to sacrifice their beloved Filolials to stave off starvation for just a little bit longer. Perhaps it was kinship between his species... or maybe a sense of responsibility, due to his nature as a Filolial King. But whatever it might be, Arthur felt compelled to rectify the cause of this widespread Filolial slaughter.
Clueless about Arthur's thoughts (although Eugeo and Alice would be very proud of their son if they knew), Eugeo and the girls discussed with each other on how they were going to proceed. Especially with the Northern Territories in such a chaotic state.
In order to save money, Eugeo and the girls agreed that they should hunt for their food instead of buying them in towns. Same thing went for their accommodations as they also decided to camp out in the wilderness instead of spending the evenings in the inns.
Another reason why, was so Eugeo could keep a low profile – especially from the young women in town.
As they embarrassingly discovered just a few hours ago, Eugeo's appearance and Hero Status were starting to become more well known. Which in turn, would undoubtedly draw too much attention and would ruin any kind of element of surprise that they could use when they finally confront the revolutionaries that caused this country's corroding state.
Due to these conditions, the party all decided that it was best that Eugeo don his Kirito persona once again, just without the demi-human features. Completed with Alice transforming into her [Illusionary Sword] form so she can also go incognito by turning herself invisible. The same went for Kirin, as she also donned her disguise, feeling strangely comfortable with her Yuuki persona appearance, just minus the ears and tail.
Unknown to the group though, despite Kirito only having one appearance in Melromarc (with him being a demi-human in the eyes of the soldiers), he had already begun to garner some attention. Only this time, in a much different light.
For the next 5 days, Eugeo and his friends visited the other towns that happened to be in their path, and their story was pretty much the same.
Although some settlements were a bit livelier and well off than others, the party of five could still sense the lingering worry and unease that the citizens were subconsciously permeating. Because of the absurdly high taxes, all the goods in the market and stores were severely overpriced. Making it more and more difficult for the average person to make ends meet with each passing day.
One thing that did catch the party's attention, however, was when they overheard a few foreign merchants that had just arrived from the next village. Although the word "escape" seemed to be the more appropriate word to use as the anxious arrivals couldn't help but blabber about the state of their home village.
This was where the group heard that their home village had been experiencing bandit raids. And to make matters worse, those raids were becoming more and more frequent ever since the previous King had been ousted. Whether the bandits were hired mercenaries by the Revolutionaries or not, the other Heroes seemed to deem it as unimportant.
There were people in need of saving from a Hero...
but this time, at least in their eyes...
it would have to be done by a band of misfits.
Author's Note: I deeply apologize to those readers who are excited for the fighting to start. But all the minor fights along with Eugeo taking his first steps in cleaning up Itsuki's mess will be shown in the next chapter.
With that said, please enjoy Arementi Revnant's Omake below and don't forget to vote on the new voting polls at the very bottom.
Omake: Just a dream… for now… - Part 2: Rifana
She was in a dark place… lying down on her side, covered in dried blood, dirt and sweat; wearing what was basically a rag and chains around her wrists to prevent her from escaping the cell.
She had done her best trying to stay positive in this horrible place, but even with Anna's continued support, she had to admit that even she was reaching her limit in trying to stay positive and maintain her smile towards the others trapped in there with her.
Around her, screams of agony could be heard echoing off the rocks of the wretched dungeon that she was locked in currently, along with the occasional cracking sounds of whiplashing preceding the cries.
She was just glad Raphtalia wasn't there with her anymore… Even if she would still be a slave, it would be better than having Idol Rabier continue to be her master…
Then, the whipping and the cries died down a little and footsteps could be heard… and they were getting louder by the second, heading towards her cell…!
With the clicking by the cell's entrance, she knew that the owner of the cell had come in his attempt to break her again, as he had attempted since she had arrived in that place.
She was too hurt and exhausted to even move right then… But she had to endure the coming torture somehow.
But then, just as the fat owner and his guards were about to close the cell door, a blinding light flashed in her cell, banishing the darkness.
Then, a group of people appeared as quickly as the light had flashed the room. They quickly cut down her tormentors and approached her and then among the intruders, the leader of the group – a knight in blue and silver armor with some gold colorings adorned with a blue cape knelt down before her after ordering his comrades to get the others out of there.
"Don't worry… You're safe now," The gentle voice said as he cut her bindings and released her.
He said to her as she was picked up and cuddled in his arm to be carried out of the Rabier Estate's dungeon.
It was better than she had imagined when she had read stories about a Heroic knight rescuing a princess in captivity in Lurolona.
Because her rescuer was the man that she had already given her heart to.
Then as they exited the dungeon, the light of dawn became brighter until the light enveloped her to the point of blinding her.
When she reopened her eyes to focus, she was somewhere dark again. She wasn't in a prison cell, but somewhere narrower… and she was surrounded by herbs.
Then, her stomach gave a loud growl, probably loud enough that someone in the vicinity may have heard it. Then, as if to prove that fact, the ceiling of the tiny room she was in opened to reveal the same knight that she had seen earlier.
"Hey, guys! It looks like we have an unexpected passenger!" He said as he stepped away from where she was; she now realized that she was in a jar full of medical herbs that she had hidden herself to follow her big sister Anna.
She could never forget this moment. It was how she had officially met the Sword Hero that she fell in love with.
Then, the scene changed again to see herself holding a wooden sword in front of an improvised practice dummy. As she remembered, this was during the first few days after joining the Sword Hero's party and the same Hero was giving her a lesson on how to wield a sword properly.
From what she had learned from big sister Anna and the kind noble woman Kirin, the Sword Hero had learned the art of swordsmanship before being summoned to this world, and also had experience in teaching his technique to an inferior.
And so, here she was, learning from the Sword Hero on how to wield a sword properly, so that even if she couldn't learn to fight alongside the Cardinal Hero for the Wave of Catastrophe, she could at the very least learn to defend herself. And she had to grow strong – to one day find her friend Raphtalia and free her from whichever cruel master she was most likely under!
The first day of training was spent in the Sword Hero and Kirin teaching her the basic stances and practicing her swings on the practice dummy with a wooden sword. The point of it was to teach her some basic sword stances and techniques before facing actual monsters for her to gain experience.
Because of her youth and newfound motivation to become stronger, she had displayed a lot of vigor in her training.
However, because of her inexperience in wielding a weapon to fight seriously, when she repeatedly hit the dummy using the stance and technique as instructed by the Sword Hero and Kirin, she found herself getting tired a lot and as time passed on – her movement in hitting the practice dummy became more and more sluggish as well, even after a few moments of rest.
And when she was at the point of clear exhaustion, she found herself on her knees, panting and sweating.
Then, in the corner of her eye, she saw a movement – a hand reaching out to her.
Out of pure instinct and panic, she raised both her arms to shield herself against a blow her body predicted was coming. And unknown to her, she was trembling slightly too, as she unconsciously recalled what had happened to her every time she had seen a hand reach out to her like that – and it had always ended up with one painful punishment or another.
Seeing this, Eugeo had been confused at first, but Kirin and Anna had quickly realized that she had instinctively tried to defend herself when she saw him with his hand raised like that – no thanks to her previous owners, especially Idol Rabier.
After hearing the two women's explanation, the kind Sword Hero knelt down and gently patted her on the head, causing her to raise her head to look at the owner of that warm hand.
"It's okay, Rifana. I'm not going to hurt you… and I'm sorry that I scared you like that. But it was never my intention to hit you or punish you… I was going to take your wooden sword and tell you that you did enough for today," the Hero's voice said to her ever so gently.
The expression on his face was apologetic and laced with worry – with no trace of fury or cruelly twisted smirk.
Seeing that, little Rifana felt embarrassed and apologetic for reacting like that in front of her new Master – one she should know by now wouldn't abuse her for sadistic reasons.
"I… I'm sorry… Master…" Rifana said, unable to look the Hero in the eyes.
"I told you, it's okay… You just acted out of instinct because of what happened when you were with your previous master, didn't you?"
Rifana nodded slowly in response.
"Then you have nothing to fear now… I've told you already, but I don't discriminate between humans and demi-humans. And, if it wasn't for our extreme circumstances here in Melromarc, I would have freed you and Anna from the slave crest when we met…
"But know that we put the slave crest on you to protect you from slavers, and not to enslave you myself. Do you understand?" Eugeo asked the young demi-human, not missing the irony behind his own statement.
Rifana looked at her literal knight in shining armor for a moment more before thanking him.
That night, her sleep was dreamless and restful for the first time in a long while. Having seen the kindness of the Cardinal Hero, Rifana was able to close her eyes with relative ease that night.
And in the following days, as she trained under the Sword Hero and Kirin, and started to gain both swordsmanship and experience, her body also rapidly grew – as per her demi-human nature – from a child to an attractive teenager.
It was to the point that she occasionally received several catcalls from unsavory men during their travels into towns. She and Anna were wearing the Mirage belts given to them by Master Eugeo to hide their demi-human features when in public view at the time.
On one such instance while in town, she was waiting for her Master to come back from the shop that she was in front of, and several thuggish looking boys that were passing by began to pick on her with leering gazes.
"Hey there, gorgeous. I haven't seen you around these parts…"
"You wanna come with us? We can give you a good time."
Of course, Rifana knew that their idea of 'fun' wouldn't be fun for her.
"No, thank you. And I would appreciate it if you leave me be," She asked them politely to leave her alone, but they didn't seem to take the hint.
Given her personality, Rifana was very conscious of the sudden growth of her body, especially her recently grown two 'assets', which by the way was where the thugs' leering gazes were laid on.
And obviously, it made her even more uncomfortable and alarmed.
And to add to that, one of the thugs snuck up behind her and grabbed her shoulders.
"What are you–?!" She yelped in alarm, but she was cut off as the thug in front of her – the leader, from the looks of him – put his hand over her mouth to silence her.
"Come on, we can give you a good time. If you know what's good for you, you'd better come with us," he stated his vaguely concealed threat, his leering gaze still on her face and body.
Rifana, now borderline panicked, resisted and after freeing her mouth a bit, she bit the leading ruffian's hand, putting her weasel fangs to good use.
And while her fangs weren't as long or sharp compared to other demi-humans with more predatorial animal features like lions, tigers, or wolves, they were still sharper than a human's fang.
The current situation she was in reminded her too much of the time she had spent under Idol Rabier, but also made her start to emit cold sweat because of the fact that she was currently using her new and kind master's Mirage Belt to conceal her demi-human features.
If they happened to take off her belt, it would cause problems for obvious reasons.
The thug cried out in pain and pulled his hand back.
Rifana tried to use this chance to get away from them, but the grip of the one behind her proved to be too strong for her current stats.
The other lackeys pulled her back towards them and roughly pinned her against the wall.
The leading thug's leering expression was now replaced with fury.
"You little wench… I played nice and tried to treat you good and that's how you respond to my hospitality?! You're going to regret doing that to me!"
Just as he raised his hand to deliver a hit her hard, it was then that another hand grabbed the thug's aloft arm firmly. When he turned around to look at the offender who had dared to touch him, his thoughts of lashing out at the culprit was put on hold.
Because to his and his cronies' surprise, the owner of the hand was a handsome young man wearing a blue and silver armor with a few golden designs.
He had a calm yet stern look on his face that could break out into fury at any time.
"Ma… Sir Eugeo!" Rifana managed to stop herself from calling the Sword Hero her Master in her surprise, as she had been instructed to do so by him when in her human disguise.
At hearing the well-known Cardinal Hero's name, the thugs froze where they were, their expression slowly turning into shock and realization.
"Eugeo…? As in, Eugeo Zuberg? The current Sword Hero?!" one of the lackeys blurted out.
Another one of the lackeys looked at Legendary Sword with the blue gem sheathed on his belt, confirming his identity.
As the leader took that information in, his changing expression as he realized what he had tried to do to the Sword Hero's companion, was indeed priceless.
"Yes, I am indeed Eugeo Zuberg, the Sword Hero. Is there a problem with my companion here?" Eugeo asked the thugs in a calm and controlled tone, his expression of dormant fury unchanging.
But somehow, Rifana could tell that her Master was doing all he could to suppress his anger.
The thugs quickly looked from Eugeo to Rifana and quickly released their grips on her.
"N… no, Sir Sword Hero! There's no problem; none at all!" he hastily said.
After Eugeo let go of his raised arm, he gestured his goons to follow him to get out of the no doubt angry Sword Hero's sight.
And once they were out of sight, Kirin and Anna who had been watching Eugeo's action from a close distance as he went to rescue Rifana from the thugs, burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Did you see that thug's expression?" Anna asked Kirin.
"I did. One look from Sir Eugeo and he and his underlings were quick to run away from him," she answered, her laugh not as loud as Anna's but still audible.
If the thugs had been mammal demi-humans, Kirin was sure that their ears would have been hanging down their heads and their tails between their legs as they scampered away.
"Hm! Those bullies are no match for father!" Arthur harrumphed, looking in awe and pride at his father.
Eugeo on the other hand quickly dropped his stern act and tended to their newest companion.
"Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"I… yes, I am unharmed… Thank you, Sir Eugeo, and… I'm sorry… I should have just followed you in instead of asking you if I can stay out here…"
"You don't have to apologize, Rifana. We saw what was happening when we exited the shop. Those boys were forcing themselves on you, weren't they?"Alice asked.
"Yes…" Rifana confirmed.
"Then you have nothing to worry about. Now, let's go," Eugeo said, putting her mind at ease.
As she followed behind the Hero to catch up with the rest of their companions, Rifana felt her heart trembling and she somehow felt that it had nothing to do with the scare she had just experienced because of the thugs.
And for the rest of that day, Rifana found herself gazing at the Sword Hero at every opportunity she got.
And even after that day, from time to time, every time she discreetly looked at the handsome Hero, she felt her heart race. And each time it did, and as her mind matured along with her growing body, she found the feeling to be quite pleasant indeed.
To be in love, that is…
The scenery changed again from reminiscing all the time she had spent with Eugeo to a more recent event.
There she was; her physical appearance back in her late teens. And in her hands, a love charm with a purple crystal embedded in it.
"You got this for me…?" Eugeo asked.
"Yes… Please consider it my token of gratitude for all you've done for me…" She said bashfully, her tail slowly wagging left and right.
"Thank you… I…" her Hero bashfully avoided her gaze and looked away from her.
"Ma… master…? Are you ok– mmph?!" Rifana began to ask but was cut off as he suddenly closed the distance between them and boldly met his lips with hers.
It was a good thing that she now somehow knew for sure that being kissed on the lips wasn't how women get pregnant… but it was still embarrassing, nonetheless.
But speaking of that… would a day really come where she would be raising a little one of her own?
'Ah… well… I think that may be just fine… If it's Master Eugeo, then I don't think I mind starting a family with him one day…' she thought, feeling her head become a vacuum state.
As she continued to melt into the kiss, the scenery changed once again.
Rifana opened her eyes to find herself near the sandy seashore of the Lurolona village; but to her surprise as she looked around, it was not in its currently ruined state; but in its prime!
And what was more, she saw in some distance away what appeared to be herself as a child beside her, holding her hand with her beloved Sword Hero in a more casual clothing, both facing away from her and walking along the beach with the calming sound of the waves occasionally colliding with the shore reaching their ears.
Which was strange, as she had never brought him to Lurolona before.
But when her younger 'clone' turned around to face her, she was startled to see that she had emerald-green eyes, much like her Hero… Since when did she have green eyes…?
Then, seeing her where she was at, her clone broke into a smile and her little animal ears perked up. She let go of Eugeo's hand that she had been holding to run over to her.
Rifana, still stunned, just watched as her lookalike child ran towards her. And when she reached her, the child gently hugged her leg and looked up at her…
"Mama!"
… and uttered that one word that surprised her, in a pleasant way.
"There you are, Rifana; our daughter has been getting antsy. Let's go home. Everyone else is waiting," her Hero told her.
Rifana just stood where she was, stunned… This was her and Eugeo's child…?
How…? What…? When…?
She felt her whole body – not just her face – go red and her tail move uncontrollably in excitement,
to the point that she almost felt steam coming out of her ears and collapse backward, her consciousness going far away into the cosmos.
Rifana gave a small gasp as she startled awake.
Putting a hand on her chest to calm her throbbing heart down, she tentatively looked at the other occupant of the tent she was in; her Master Eugeo.
Thankfully, he and Lady Alice appeared to be in a deep slumber to notice her awakening.
Good thing too, because the memory of what she had dreamed just now began to surface in her mind all in one go…
'MMMMM~!!!'
Rifana covered her face with her blanket to hide the profuse blush on her face, suppressing the insane urge to pedal her legs in the air and roll around in the tent in a hilarious mix of embarrassment and mirth, which would definitely wake Eugeo up!
It had been a day after they left Springvale and started heading to the Northern Territories. And it was currently her turn to spend the night with her Master, which she wanted very much, despite her embarrassment.
And now, she had dreamed another dream based on her memories of Eugeo, as well as a potential future of him becoming her husband and starting a family together.
Last time she had a dream like this in the Springvale inn that was owned by big sister Anna's acquaintance, she remembered herself holding a baby in her arms with Eugeo smiling at them both and the rest of her party members she had grown fond of also holding their own infants in their arms… And no explanations were needed as to who the father was.
Finally coming out of her plight of embarrassment, she took one last longing look at the sleeping face of the young man before herself; he was her savior and master, but she and the other girls of her party wanted to become more than that in the future… one that brought so much comfort to her…
After looking at the face of her sleeping Hero to her heart's content, she laid down and soon drifted off to sleep again.
She would probably need her rest since they would be arriving at a town in the Northern Territory the next day.
Thank you all and see you next chapter. Oh, and don't forget to take a look at Arementi Revnant's "In a Field of Blue Flowers"!
NEW VOTING POLLS:
1.) One of my readers informed me that guns and any sort of firearms are extremely expensive and impractical to get and maintain. Not to mention all the bullets and gunpowder required for Kurumi to use said guns. To solve this issue, I have thought of three possible options. Please vote on what you think is best for me to do. (For those who are new, she's a character from the Date A Live anime, this poll correlates with the one back in Chapter 18)
- I remove Kurumi all together and just settle on the Yamai twins (also from Date A Live)
- I should give Kurumi a different weapon of choice instead of her signature guns. Perhaps things like throwing knives, ninja needles, kunai and shuriken. Stuff that are use for longer range without it being a bow.
-I should replace Kurumi with a different character of Date A Live. If you choose this, please write the character you wish. (Miku is already out of the choices though, since I'm already using her appearance for Rino?
2.) Do you remember back in the Wave of Siltvelt, where the two dragonewts named Free and Saika mentioned a so-called "Mysterious Blacksmith" who forged their signature top tier weapons? I actually plan for this "Mysterious Blacksmith" to make an appearance sometime in the future. But I'm sorta second guessing on what anime character that I would use for this fabled Blacksmith to be. Please choose below on who do you think is the best fit to be in this story.
- Tōtōsai (from Inuyasha)
- Kaijin (from That Time I Reincarnated as a Slime)
- Hephaistos [she won't be a Goddess though] (from Danmachi)
- Brok and Sidri (from the God of War 4 game)
3.) I saw one of my most favorite authors "Parcasious" writing a reaction story of his very popular fanfic "Fate in Time" and decided that I would also like to write a reaction story. It would be where Kirito, Asuna and Yui along with the Canon cast of Rising of the Shield Hero (Naofumi, Raphtalia, Filo, Motoyasu, Itsuki, Melty and Mirellia) would be watching and reacting on Eugeo's adventures and how different things would have played out if Ren wasn't the one who got summoned as the Sword Hero.
And since it would be a Reaction Story, it won't hinder my writing of "Blue Rose Sword Hero" very much so delays wouldn't be much of an issue. Although I'm not sure if I should include Ren in the Reaction Story since Kirito is already there, so please include this in your vote.
So please vote on what you would prefer:
- Yes, I should start writing this fanfic alongside "Blue Rose Sword Hero".
- No, I should finish "Blue Rose Sword Hero" first.
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!