Beyond the matter of a failed assassination attempt and Naofumi's naivety, the rest of the kingdom of Melromarc remained largely ignorant of the subtle shifts in power. Only a scant few understood that a substantial change occurred on this day, and this included the main players in the drama.

Looking at the corpse of the Earth Dragon slumped on its side, Shirou didn't say anything as he noticed Aultcray's figure slowly make a retreat.

The old king was starting to remember the things that he'd forgotten in his senility, but of course, this was on the basis that Shirou upheld his end of the bargain. He'd have to start searching for leads on the Hakuko clan soon, but for the time being, the priority was still the first Wave of Calamity.

To that end, all preparation had to be concluded so that no life may by endangered; specifically, the two kids failing to hide their ears from behind a bush. Keel and Raphtalia really did need to work on their survivability skills because anyone would have been able to find them given their choice of hiding place.

"The two of you can come out now," Shirou coaxed with a soft tone.

Even from where he stood, he could see the two trembling in agitation. Their complexions were pale, scuffs and mud over their skin, but the way their large eyes blinked at the defeated adversary then to Naofumi who was covered in dirt and scrapes left little to image what they were thinking.

"Y-You're alive," Keel said as if she were looking at a ghost.

From the angle Keel and Raphtalia had been hiding at, they'd been unable to see Naofumi who had been thoroughly smooshed at the center of a larger depression of a clawed footprint.

Raphtalia began to sob, her hands wiping away at her tears before she dashed towards Naofumi and hugged his thighs, burying her face in them. Her tail kept wagging back and forth, and no matter how Naofumi tried to tell her he was fine, Raphtalia just wouldn't let go and instead climbed up his back to ride on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Keel walked up to Shirou and lightly gripped at his pant leg, unable to bring herself to imitate Raphtalia as her father had taught her what it means to be a man. One shouldn't show their tears and emotions lightly, so it was fine if she just sniffled instead.

"They act like I was dying…" Naofumi trailed off while scratching his cheek with a finger. Although Naofumi didn't take much in the way of damage, the same couldn't be said for his appearance. This meant that convincing Keel and Raphtalia that he was completely fine, was impossible.

Shirou shrugged before grinning at Keel and pulling her close because she was hesitating. "You did a good job protecting them. A shield that protects, rather than a sword that kills everything, it's enviable."

"Right," Naofumi snorted. "You can only say that because you don't even use a shield. I'd much rather like to do some damage if possible, but that's why you're here."

"Are you talking about party roles?" Shirou still wasn't used to all the terminology Naofumi would use when describing their group. For instance, there was apparently numerous positions that should be fulfilled in a party, but there wasn't much to be done with just a party of two. In which case, why bother explaining anything? The simplest explanation was best. One attacker and one defender.

"Hey, hey!" Keel tugged on Shirou's pant leg somewhat anxiously, a finger placed beneath her lip. "When can you take us fighting too?"

"Yeah!" Raphtalia was quick to agree, bobbing up and down on Naofumi's shoulders while puffing her cheeks to look intimidating. "You've been leaving us alone when you guys go hunting!"

That's, well, uhm, Shirou couldn't even begin to know where to start with how wrong it was to force kids into battle. Of course, 'force' wasn't being used here because the two looked entirely willing, but the prospect of a child solider just didn't sit well in his mind. From the wry expression Naofumi was shooting him, his partner was inclined to agree with the thought.

"It's too dangerous for kids," Naofumi tried reasoning.

"We're Demi-Humans!" Keel placed her hands on her waist and boasted about her race for the first time in her life. "Some of us fight even if we're only two years old."

Keel appeared incomparably proud at her statement, but neither Shirou or Naofumi were convinced of anything.

"It's too dangerous," Naofumi repeated, this time with a firmer tone. "Look at the monster we just defeated. It could have killed you both if I wasn't around."

Shirou knit his brows in consternation, looking at the way Keel and Raphtalia flinched. He shook his head before kneeling down to Keel's eye level. "Naofumi's right," he said while tussling her hair. "A child should be a child and enjoy themselves while the adults keep them safe."

Naofumi nodded and said one final piece while crossing his arms in thought. "I guess this just goes to show that it might be too dangerous to keep them around us if we're going to be fighting battles like this."

Both Keel and Raphtalia's pupils dilated, panic giving way to anxiety when Shirou and Naofumi nodded at each other.

"It's probably for the best that we find them a safe place to stay and a responsible guardian to look after them," Shirou offered.

Keel and Raphtalia froze, looking as if the world were ending.

"No!" Keel began tugging on Shirou's pant leg while Raphtalia latched herself onto Naofumi's head. "We can fight too! D-Don't abandon us!"

Naofumi scratched at his head while Shirou hummed in thought, trying to come up with a way to convince Keel and Raphtalia to avoid danger rather than dive head-first into it.

"We're not abandoning you. We're just trying to give you a safe place to grow up," Naofumi tried reasoning. In his original world, there were orphanages and special programs to look after children in times of conflict.

Neither Keel or Raphtalia would have it. They shook their heads and Raphtalia latched onto Naofumi harder as if trying to meld into him.

"W-We'll just follow you both if you don't!" Keel threatened nervously. Her hands were balled into fists and she was shaking while staring up into Shirou's eyes. "We're serious," she said feebly.

Feeling helpless, both Shirou and Naofumi looked at each other. There was no way they could just sit around and detain Keel and Raphtalia in order to prevent them from going out into danger by following them. Out in the open, there was no way the two children could hope to stand against a horde of monsters at their current level and ability. Raphtalia still had trouble dealing with balloon monsters when she encountered them.

Sighing, Naofumi was the first to cave. "Well, fine, but you have to stick close to me," he relented under the two's gaze. From there, it wasn't long until Shirou himself was subject to the same attack.

Thinking about it, this was Melromarc. Shirou placed a hand beneath his chin. Of course, now that Aultcray had changed his tune, there was no need to leave any longer, but racial discrimination against Demi-Humans and a King who had been complacent with Demi-Human treatment…would it really be safer to leave Keel and Raphtalia in someone else's care? Considering the attitude citizens had of Demi-Humans here, the obvious caretaker for Keel and Raphtalia would be another Demi-Human. In which case, what if they got taken advantage of or put into another difficult situation again?

"They'll need armour," he sighed, his words all but giving the go ahead. "I know a place where they can get a discount at least. Speaking of which, maybe the weapons I put on sale have been sold already?"

"You put weapons on sale?" Naofumi questioned while Keel and Raphtalia celebrated their victory by giving each other peace signs. "But where did you find the weapons to put on- Oh right. You're a hack."

Shirou didn't know whether to feel offended or not at the statement, but the look of envy on Naofumi's face said it all.

Shirou could only feign ignorance and choose to ignore the twitch of Naofumi's brow. "I figured we could use the money since we have kids to look after."

"Honestly, it feels like we're running a daycare," Naofumi slumped his shoulders and repositioned Raphtalia. "Where's my exciting Isekai adventure?"

Shirou snorted before following Naofumi back to Melromarc.


Sorry for smaller update! I initially planned for this update to be longer, but since I spent too long on Sword Order's update, I'm getting too far behind. I could work until late and make this update its regular size, but I have midterms tomorrow and on Wednesday that I need to use the time to study for. It would help if the material was easy, but it's a stats course and its killing my soul.

Next update: TBA

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