At a two story house, or rather a mansion that was most likely to be Loby's house...
"Is anyone home?" Loby asked as he knocked on the door.
Meanwhile, inside the house...
"Oh shit! Someone knocked on the fkin door! Get changed, think of a chuunibyou introduction and some other shit, hurry!"
people running within the house and rustling noises*
'What the fk...'
Three minutes later...
"Okay, is everyone ready?"
Someone kicked the door open. And four silhouettes stood in front of us with chuunibyou (or rather, Jojo) poses.
"My name is Hisaburo! The foremost village guard and home security among the Crimson Demons and he who will be the protector of the village!" The man proclaimed as he striked a Jojo pose (Really? By the way, doesn't that make you a NEET, considering you are technically not employed?).
"Fufufu. I am called Doroko! The foremost skilled in practicing medicine and witchcraft among the Crimson Demons and she who will be the one who resurrects the dead!" The woman declared as she striked another Jojo pose. (Is this what two birds of a feather really meant? Also, have you ever heard the term "lich"?)
"Sabira is my name! The foremost skilled in water magic and she who will summon tidal waves!" The onee-san declared as she striked yet another Jojo pose. (I guess that would be a great example of the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" *shrugs*)
"I am Chojiro! The... the most handsome among the Crimson Demons!" The boy proclaimed as he made - a Superman pose.
Finally...! Yes! A boy without making a Jojo reference...!
"Hey, Chojiro. You made the wrong pose."
"Oh right!" The boy corrected his pose back to another Jojo pose. *sobs internally*
For fks sake, why is there so many Jojo references here? (Even though I am one to talk since I quoted "Daga Kotowaru." in the last chapter *facepalm*)
"Ah."
"Hello, dad and mum. It has been a while."
"Loby! You are back!" Doroko hugged Loby.
"So, who are those people?" Hisaburo gestured at Iris and I as he asked his son.
"They are my party members. The boy who currently doesn't have a shirt is the Magic Swordmaster, Guardian. The girl who was supporting him is... um, Iris (Irisu). They helped us to defend the village. And Guardian is heavily injured as he tanked my Explosion in order to save everyone at the scene by killing a legion of the Demon King's Army through my Explosion..." Loby started to introduce us to his family, but faltered when he mentioned I got severe wounds just to protect Iris and everyone else.
"Hello... *cough* Uncle, Auntie. *cough*"
"Onii-chan!"
"Let's treat your wounds first. The atmosphere has been tense for quite a while." Hisaburo said as he gave me a piggyback ride as Doroko led Iris into the house.
"Ow! It hurts! Be... be gentle please...!" I pleaded as Doroko cast Create Water and healing magic at my wounds.
"Ara ara, hang in there, my dear. Aren't you the rumored Magic Swordmaster?" Doroko gave a smile as she pointed her finger at one of my critical spots.
"No, please...! No! No!" I looked back at the smiling woman with tears formed at the corners of my eyes.
"Create Water~"
"No!"
Two minutes later...
"Is that what happened?" Hisaburo asked Iris while Doroko patted me on the shoulder as I dropped some tears onto the tatami due to the extreme pain I experienced a while ago.
By the way, in case you are wondering where Loby was, he was playing with Burlica at that moment.
"Yes." Iris nodded as she answered the question.
"Anyway, thank you for saving my son and letting him joining your party. He may be physically weak, but he definitely has the potential of a great Archwizard sleeping within him." Hisaburo continued as he prostrated before the both of us.
"Please don't prostrate in front of us, uncle. We did need his strength, we didn't do that out of pity." I said as I glanced at Iris, signaling her to help him up.
'Well, he used Explosion for no apparent reason though. Not that I care anyway.' I thought to myself as Doroko started to bandage my torso.
"Speaking of which, Guardian-san. You got a nice body and good looks. And Iris-san has a cute appearance. Are you sure you two aren't dating?" Doroko asked with a smug smile while she continued to apply bandages on my body and arms.
"Um, sorry to rain on your parade, but we are not dating, even though I wish we were dating..." I answered shyly as I facepalmed myself in attempt to hide my flushed cheeks.
I glanced at Iris. However, I couldn't see her expression as her back was facing me. But judging from her ears turned red due to her blushing, she probably also liked that idea too. Well, let's hope that she also liked that idea.
"Is that so? I honestly think you two would be a great pair." Doroko continued as that smug smile of hers turned into a gentle one as she applied bandages on my arms too.
'Thanks for your compliment.' I thought as I smiled at her.
"That should help in your recovery." Doroko said with a smile as she patted my back. " A few days later, you will be back in your best shape before you know it!" She went towards the kitchen to cook dinner for us after she said that.
30 minutes later...
"Alright, dinner's ready!" Doroko said with a smile as she placed the last dish on the table.
"Thank you for the food (Itadakimasu)!" x7
Everyone was enjoying the dinner except me, since my arms were injured. I couldn't neither move nor lift anything, even chopsticks.
"Onii-chan, what's the matter- Never mind." Before Iris could finish the question, she stopped as she saw the bandages wrapped around my arms.
"It's ok. Finish your dinner first. I am not hungry at-" My stomach rumbled before I could have a chance to finish what I just said.
"But your stomach says otherwise, Onii-chan. Let me help." Iris put down her bowl and chopsticks (I didn't expect she was that skilled in using chopsticks, considering nobles usually eat with cutlery). Then she picked up mine as she intended to feed me.
"I am fine. Just finish your dinner first, then feed me, ok? Look, you are hungry too." I tried to told Iris off with a smile, but failed.
"It's ok, I am-" Iris tried to deny the fact she was still hungry, but the rumbling of her stomach proved her wrong.
"Finish your dinner first. How could you take care of me when you couldn't even take care of yourself?"
"Fine." Iris ate and finished her dinner at an extremely fast speed as if she really wanted to take care of me.
"Here. Ahh~" She grabbed a spoon and held a spoonful of rice an inch in front of my mouth.
And she fed me as I opened my mouth.
"Don't forget this." Iris put a piece of meat into my mouth with my chopsticks.
I chewed and swallowed the food quickly.
"Wow! That was good!" I replied with my eyes sparkled with surprise as I gave a smile.
"I know right?" Sabira gave me a thumbs up as she winked at me.
"Ara, I am glad to hear that from you, Guardian-san." Doroko thanked me with a smile. "Now, there's some more inside. Don't hold back, okay?"
"Yes Madam!"
15 minutes later...
"Uwah, I am full... Thanks for your meal again, ma'am." I said with a satisfying smile on my face as I lied on the floor.
"You are welcome~" Doroko answered as she brought the plates into the kitchen with Sabira.
"Guardian-san. May I have a word with you?" Hisaburo asked as he looked down on me.
"Sure." I replied with a smile as he sat on my side..
"How would you describe Loby's... personality?" He asked me with an uncertain expression. "I would like to hear it from a party member's perspective."
"Loby has chuunibyou tendencies alright. He also could be reckless and impulsive, like getting into fights with other adventurers or the time he cast Explosion without checking his party members were there or not." I sighed.
"But still... I know he went all out an hour ago because he believed us. He is actually reliable as well, considering how much damage he could cause with Explosion. Loby also gives in his all to get the job done, which is another strength I admired him." I continued as I put on a friendly smile.
"Is that so? I thought he would get into trouble due to his size and personality. But it seems like I have nothing to worry about after all." Hisaburo said in relief after hearing my words.
"Anyway, where am I going to sleep tonight? It's getting a little bit awkward lying on the floor... or rather, tatami, like this..." I asked with a slightly awkward expression.
"I will move you to a room after you fell asleep. Sleep." Hisaburo replied as he pointed a finger at me.
'I am feeling drowsy. Did he just used the spell Sleep?' I thought as my consciousness faded away.
A few hours later...
Why is my body heavier than usual?
When I opened my eyes, I saw Iris' head was leaning on my stomach and my legs covered with a blanket, she was probably the one who covered my legs with it, considering her right hand was grabbing the blanket. However, she didn't have anything to cover herself with.
Even so, judging from the fact Iris snored softly and had a beautiful smile on her face, it looked like Iris was having sweet dreams at that moment.
'She is really cute, even when she's sleeping...' I thought to myself as I looked at her sleeping face.
'Well, it seems like my eyes didn't lead me astray. I mean, look at her. She has cute looks, soft hands, that sensation back when we held hands... I could never forget that! Her kind and selfless personality and that fragrant scent... I am absolutely certain that she must be an extremely beautiful girl in the near future, regardless of her appearance or personality.' I continued as my face was getting redder as time passed by.
Then, I saw a shadow reflected on the tatami. A black cat was looking at the moon as well.
The person who was standing under the moonlight, was nonetheless the explosive Archwizard of our party, Loby.
"I couldn't be like this... Can I...?" Loby muttered to himself as he sighed in resignation.
I positioned Iris' head onto the tatami gently, and covered her body with the blanket.
After that, I went out and looked at the full moon.
"Hey." I called out.
"You shouldn't be here." Loby said blankly as he looked back at where I was standing at the moment.
"Neither should you." I answered with a smile.
"It seems like you have something bothering you. Why not sit down and tell me about it?" I continued as I maintained the smile and signaled Loby to sit next to me.
"I appreciate your consolation. But I refuse (Daga Kotowaru)."
"I appreciate your tsundere tendencies of not making us worry about you when you deal this stuff, but I refuse (Daga Kotowaru)."
"After all, I do have the responsibility to hear your problems out, Archwizard Lima. Isn't that something what party leader, no, commander Zulu should do?" I asked with a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Fine, I understand." Loby said in slight exasperation as he sat next to me.
"Before I realized it, I was getting weaker than my peers as time passes by, even though I was ranked 4th after Megumin, Yunyun and Arue in the Crimson Demon Magic Academy, Red Prison. It was frustrating that I am losing my touch, and yet there is nothing I can do about it."
"Is that so...? Well, I think you are good in your own way. You have a large amount of mana to begin with. Never in my life had I heard of a person who could still move, even after casting Explosion."
"But-"
"Don't worry about it. If you still worry about it, then I will teach you a skill that only you can master."
"Is that so? Thank you very much!"
"But before that," I said as I rose, took a few steps forward and prepared a fighting stance. "Let's train your physique. You would need to move around in the battlefield. So, it would be the best for you to learn fighting skills to defend yourself and to improve your physique."
"You son of a- I'm in." Loby rose and did the same.
The next morning...
*Yawn*
"Good morning, Onii-chan..." Iris said sheepishly as she stretched her body.
"Good! Do that again!"
"Huh...?"
A scene of me sparring with Loby appeared before Iris' eyes.
"Again!" I shouted as I blocked his knee.
"Again!"
"Again!"
Another thing you should know about the scene is that the sun rose from the mountains while we were sparring, and that make it look like an epic training scene from an anime.
"Let's take a break for now." I said between breaths as I sat down.
"Oh good morning, Iris (Airisu)." I turned back and waved at her with a smile.
'Oh shit...' I thought to myself as I realized what I just said.
"Wait, wasn't that supposed to be Irisu? Why did you call her Airisu?" Loby looked at us with a suspicious gaze.
"Well, you misheard it. I just called her Irisu, not Airisu. You just hear it wrong as you may be a bit tired as you trained for a few hours." I told him off with a smile as I hid Iris' identity in case Loby was smart enough to found out who Iris truly was.
"Onii-chan, your body has sweat everywhere! Take this towel and get a bath!" Iris said in a slightly flustered tone as she handed me a towel and new clothes with flushed cheeks.
"Thanks." I answered with a smile and grabbed the towel and clothes from Iris.
Nine minutes later...
"Oh my God...! That feels good!" I groaned in relief as I enjoyed the bath.
loud knocking voices*
"Hey I know you are enjoying the bath at the moment, but I am sweaty too! Hurry up!" Loby shouted at the another side of the door.
"How long has it been? It's five minutes, right?"
"No, it's goddamn twenty minutes!" Loby replied as he knocked on the door loudly.
"Oh shit! Give me a sec!"
"Fk my life." I muttered to myself as I rose from the bathtub.
Six minutes later...
"Isn't that Iris-sama? How did you get here?" A deep voice asked.
"Um, sir? I don't think we have ever met before." Iris replied in attempt to told the man off.
The man had dirty blonde and purple-blue eyes. He wore navy blue armor and had a cursed sword on the belt. You don't really have to guess his identity. As you may have guessed, the man in question was the Swordmaster who wields Gram, Mi- wait, what was his name again? Oh right, Tetsurugi Touya.
"India, is there a problem?" I called out to Iris and went inside the living room to see what was going on.
It looked like Touya knew Iris' identity and tried to get her back to her home. If this went on, our hard work will go to waste.
"Hello, Tetsurugi Touya." I greeted him with a smile as I slightly waved at him.
"Guardian! You would better give me an explanation why Iris-sama is here. Also, couldn't you remember my name properly? My name is Mitsurugi Kyoya!"
"Before that, have you asked for permission to enter this house? You know, the house owner can actually sue you for trespassing."
"I don't care. Explain."
"Didn't you just hear what I said? I called her India. She is a student of mine. As far as I remember, Iris is currently at the castle." I said in slight exasperation as I made up a simple lie.
"Your student has the same looks as Iris-sama, how are you going to explain it?"
"Just because they have similar looks does not mean they are the same person. You know, you can get a drop of blood from Iris and India and compare their DNA. You know, my Wind Core can analyse their DNA formation. But I guess you would say Iris-sama is a princess and don't have the guts to do it."
"Onii-chan, I-"
"India, stay quiet for a moment and let me talk this out." I whispered and turned my attention to Iris.
"If he knows who you are, it would be checkmate and it would be over for us."
"So, what do you think? Are we going to do it or not?" I turned to Kyoya with a slightly challenging smile.
"Fine, you win. Do you have something you would like to tell me?" Touya asked as he raised his hands in defeat
"What are you talking about? Tell me directly." I replied as I scratched my head in confusion.
"I have my birthday a few days ago!"
"Is that so? Happy birthday then."
"Seriously... That is why..." Touya sighed before he left the house.
"Yankee to Commander Zulu! Yankee to Commander Zulu! Do you copy?" Yunyun's voice rang out from my communicating device.
"Zulu copy." I answered as I pressed the answer button on the communicating device.
"Alright, what just happened?" Loby scratched his head as he went inside of the living room.
"Yunyun just called us to come over. Get dressed." I said with a blank expression as I tossed his adventuring outfit at him.
Thirty minutes later...
"Alright, what's up ladies?" I asked as I made a pretty cool entrance into Yunyun's home, even though the bandages on my torso just made that entrance go to waste.
"What about me?" Karu asked as he looked at me with a confused expression.
"What? No, you are one of the 'ladies' I'm talking about." I replied as I pointed at him.
Ignoring Karu who was trying to strangle me with an irked expression, I turned to Chris and Yunyun.
"Alright, where's the book?" I turned my attention onto Yunyun.
"H... Here." Yunyun answered as she handed me the blood stained book.
"Core change, Light Pegasus." I put on the Light Core and the corresponding Core Outfit (minus the shirt) materialized on my body.
"Excalibur." I put my sword out and channeled some mana into the sword.
I opened the book as the sword emitted a faint blue light. Sure enough, the words started to appear under the presence of the light from the sword.
"Let's see... Hello there. You must be something if you can read this, considering how you see through my mana-infused ink." I started to read the book.
"Actually, that was a lie. I just used invisible ink. (tehepero~)" I continued reading as my expression turned blank.
"Fk you!" I shouted as I yeeted the book out the window.
A few minutes later...
"I am a former believer of the Cult. I once thought Volras could bring world peace and do stuff like that. But it turns out I was wrong." Iris grabbed the book and continued where I left off.
"When the Cult launched a full-on assault at the Crimson Demon Village, where I once lived in. I realized the Cult aims to eradicate every faction, the Crimson Demons, the Axis Cult, the Eris Cult, The Demon King's Army and the Belzerg Kingdom, so that they can achieve world peace by creating a new world."
"However, I recorded Volras' abilities in here before I left the Cult. I hope this book falls in good hands. Here's a warning: Volras was stronger than both Aqua and Eris, at least by a tenfold in terms of sheer power. He could change a landscape easily with his powers."
"Hey Iris. Stop reading for a moment." I called out to Iris.
"Eh? Why not, Onii-chan?" Iris looked at me with surprise.
"I know something is going to interrupt us in a few moments' time. I know it."
Kaboom!
"It's the Demon King's Army! Everyone available, get to the front gate!"
"Fkin flags." I muttered to myself as I rolled my eyes.
"Alright, Yunyun and Karu. Go and help the Crimson Demons take them out. Chris, scout the area around the house. I don't want any unwelcomed visitors eavesdropping on us." I said as I turned onto the trio.
"I am going too-" Loby called as he hefted his staff as if he was eager to help them out.
"No, you stay here." I stopped Loby before he could head out.
"Why?"
"Because you are so going to waste your mana on Explosion. After two days, I will teach you that. Trust me." I said in a slightly persuasive tone.
"Fine." Loby sighed in resignation as he stayed here with us.
"Besides, you need to put more trust in your party members." I whispered to Loby as I raised the sword to make the words appear on the pages.
"Let's see... Hey Iris, can you read this?" I looked at Iris as I showed her the page with unknown symbols.
"No I can't, Onii-chan..." Iris answered as she shook her head.
"Kilo to Zulu. The Demon King General Sylvia wanted to challenge you. She threatened that she will burn Crimson Demon Village down if you turn her down."
"Zulu copy. Will be there with India, Lima and Charlie in a few minutes." I answered through the communicating device.
"Fk my life." I muttered to myself as I hid the book in the blue Summoning Scroll.
"Iris, Loby, prepare your stuff." I said as I turned my attention on them. "We are going."
A few minutes later...
"Now, where is the Magic Swordmaster?" Sylvia said coldly as she had a confrontation with Karu and the others.
"Wait for a few more minutes."
"Enough! I will burn this place to the ground and kill him!" Sylvia shouted she raised her hand and started to chant her incantation.
"Sunrise Explosion." I muttered as I leaped and raised my sword, which golden-yellow mana started to seep out of the blade as I prepared to take her out with a preemptive strike.
Sylvia couldn't see me, since she was too focused at the people in front of her.
Right at that moment, she was having a trashtalking contest with the Crimson Demons.
'Just when I thought Demon King Generals are supposed to be fearsome existences...' I thought to myself as I sighed at her antics.
All of a sudden, Sylvia looked back.
"I have kept you waiting." I said as the blade hit Sylvia in the face and caused an explosion.
"Ara, aren't you the Magic Swordmaster, Guardian? I guess knowing you by your reputation isn't as good as meeting you in person. You are rumored to be powerful and have good looks in the Demon King Army."
"Gee... Thanks, I guess...?" I thanked her half-heartedly as I prepared my sword.
"Well, you are welcome- Don't give me half-assed words of thanks like this! Thank me properly!" The woman shouted with discontent as she pointed at me.
"What do you think you are doing, fishing for thanks?"
"Destroy them!" Sylvia extended her hand towards us as she commanded her troops to attack.
I sheathed my sword and made a stance for the Sacred Thunderbolt.
"Stop charging, or I will use force." I warned the armored monsters as I stood in front of Iris and the others.
"Stop before I hurt you. There's still time." I let out another warning as the monsters had zero intention of stopping.
"Too bad, Guardian-san. Even though you are rumored to be powerful, my troops are eager to get the bounty on your head." Sylvia said in a menacing tone with a sadistic grin on her face.
'Sacred Thunderbolt.' I said the skill name internally as the network of light beams tore through the armored monsters.
"2nd coy. stand-by!" Sylvia shouted as she raised her hand to signal another horde of monsters to ready for action.
"Go!"
"Yunyun!"
"Light of Saber!" Yunyun cast the magic as another horde of monsters got destroyed.
"Fk it. Charge!" It seemed like Sylvia had given up using tactics as she ordered her troops to left nothing standing in their way.
"Guys, evacuate the villagers. Iris, stall some time with me for Loby to cast Explosion. Is there any question? No? Move!" I distributed roles to my party members as the trio scattered in different directions.
Even though Karu went into the woods after the role distribution, not that I care anyway.
Then, I pulled out the red Summoning Scroll and summoned the Calibur.
"Are you ready?" I asked Iris with a smile as I handed her the sword.
"Anytime, Onii-chan!" Iris replied as she returned the smile.
"Loby, go get the high ground-"
"Let the Hammer of Eternity descend unto me! Explosion!"
*sobs internally*
"Shield change, Pegasus to Dragon!" I summoned the blue shield on my right bracer and absorbed that big-ass Explosion.
'Slash through, the Sword of Heavens.' I thought to myself as I summoned an arc of cream-colored swords.
'Sacred Sword Storm!' I shouted the skill name internally as I extended my left hand, and the swords flew towards the heavily armored monsters and shred through them instantly.
In case you might be wondering, the Sacred Sword Storm hit Sylvia on her arms, a sword on each arm. Not to mention, the size of the swords increased significantly due to the mana I got from Loby's Explosion, so the cuts on Sylvia's arms were way bigger than they usually would be.
The swords dissipated after a few seconds I stopped using the skill as I felt something went off with my body.
I tried to breathe in more oxygen as I breathed heavily and stood in front of Iris. However, my blood seeped out from my torso and dyed the bandages still, I thrust my sword into the ground and slightly leaned on it in attempt to make myself look tough and intimidate the Demon King General that was standing in front of me.
"Just like the analysis said... You really never back down." Sylvia panted as she spoke.
"You really amazed me, Magic Swordmaster. You managed to dealt that amount of damage, considering how high my resistance to magic was. Whoops, it looks like I talked too much, prepare to die." Sylvia walked towards me as she pulled out her rope.
"You got to go through me before you can get to Onii-chan." Iris brandished her sword at Sylvia as she let out a warning.
"Tsk." Sylvia muttered with discontent as she eyed Iris and I.
'I could have taken care of the Magic Swordmaster right here... But the girl over there will be in the way...'
"You won't be that lucky the next time we met." Sylvia snarled as she turned back and left the scene.
After Sylvia left the scene, I fell to my knees and fainted.
"Onii-chan!" Iris cried in concern as she ran towards me.
A/N: Mitsurugi Kyouya's birthday is 6/6 while Satou Kazuma, the original protagonist's birthday is 7th June. (In case of any of you haven't watched the series yet.)