Chapter 10: The Blacksmith of Astora and the Maiden's Oath.

Town of Gerth, Blacksmith Workshop.

...

"It's been five years! How're you doing ol' lad?"

"Nothing usual. I just got into a lot of trouble back in Lescatie for nearly a week or so. My acquaintance and I came here to this town as refugees."

"Well, that's unfortunate." Andre raised his eyes before sighing in pity. "The last time I heard the news was from a past few days ago. It seems those monster gals have turned the entire kingdom into a massive brothel."

"You can say that and it isn't pretty." Ash nodded a bit while crossing his arms. "But for now, we got something big we're dealing with and it is our old 'friends' that came all the way here from our homelands."

"Oh, now that's some bad news. Yet fret not; I can lend a hand for help and forge new weapons!" Andre spoke with his tone filled with pride and determination. "Although, it seems you don't need to reinforce your weapons any further."

Ash tilted his head sidewards. "No need, but the children of Hawkwood could use a helping hand."

Andre turned to Reginald and Elen. The Astoran Blacksmith grunted before flexing his arms with a stretch and bared his knuckles, resulting in several cracks around his body to relieve stress. "Hmph! I see, very well! So then, young lads. Thou' seem to need stronger weapons, but do not fret. I, Andre the Blacksmith of Astora; can provide thee of my best service for your weapons!"

...

Sasha was impressed to see various armaments ranging from bows, crossbows, and other close-range combat weapons that stood aligned on the shelves. All of them seem to be finely crafted and she took great interest in their pristine qualities. While the weapons created for the Order Heroes were a bit overly designed and sometimes out of weight, the weapons in this workshop seem plain and simple, yet appeared rugged and durable enough for longer journeys. Even further in the other sections of the workshop, she could see armour pieces and attachments on the shelves.

"Wow, all of them seem well-made, no matter how plain they look." Sasha commented in awe. "They're even made in exceptional qualities unlike the best blacksmiths could do in Lescatie."

"He has always been the best blacksmith in our workshop." Sasha jumped up startled after hearing someone speak behind her before she turned around. The priestess saw a man with tanned skin, wearing a mixture of orange tunic and overalls. "Greetings! Pardon me for surprising you. I am Maughlin the Armourer, at your service."

"A-Ah?! Oh! G-Greetings to you as well!" Sasha nervously blurted out while greeting back. "I-I just came here to choose my new weapon!"

"I see, then take your time." Maughlin smiled back while returning a respective bow. "Andre crafted many varieties of weapons with the best quality. I am sure that one weapon you choose will be your best. If you're going to choose some new armour, the section is right over there."

"Oh, thank you." Sasha thanked the armourer before giving a sincere smile.

After acknowledging some sections around the workshop, Maughlin left for his workplace before Sasha continued to skim around the weapons section. There were a lot of them, but most weapons didn't fit into her style.

"They look very heavy." Sasha felt a lump through her throat while looking up to the greatswords that stood on the shelves before turning around and gawking at the massive weapons such as large maces and great axes that hung on the walls "Is it me or is this workshop dedicated to serving for heroes?"

Sasha could tell that the weapons that were present in the workshop were mostly unwieldy for any ordinary human being, and only heroes with the gods' blessings would have had enough strength to handle it. But there were exceptions such as Ash, Siegward and the Farron siblings who were capable of wielding such heavy weaponry without being affected by its weight, swinging them around like feathers. She remembered with a grim reminder of how Ash swung a massive weapon to slay orcs in Lescatie and, brooding about his strength until now, is still completely unknown to her.

"How are they doing it without any blessings?" Sasha wondered while cupping up her chin. "I know there are some heroes who unlocked their powers with intense training alone, but Ash and the others lacked the aura which I couldn't sense and it's completely different... Then how did they do it?"

While sighing in distraught after profound thought, Sasha nearly forgot that she needs a new weapon to acquire. She went for the lighter weapons, such as the small and yet simple straight swords and daggers. Most swords she went through had adequate weight, and one sword piqued her interest.

"A typical longsword... it could be difficult to wield in cramped spaces," Sasha commented before her eyes set on a peculiar sword nearby with a short, yet broader blade. "Oh, this seems promising."

Sasha picked up a broadsword with a red hilt and a red-coloured scabbard. It has the same weight as the longsword she first picked and the blade itself is identical to Ash's broadsword, only his is coloured in blue. After a few test swings, she smiled gleefully that the weapon suits her way of fighting and found her first new weapon besides the magic staff she used since her duty began as a heroine of the Order.

"It's been a long time. I haven't wielded a sword since I graduated as a hero." She said while reminiscing about her old days. "I hope my sword lessons from my old training sessions are still worth it."

"Sasha?" The Warrior Nun jumped in surprise before turning around and saw Ash enter the weapons section. "So... have you picked up a new weapon?"

"Oh, yes~" She returned an optimistic smile while exhibiting her broadsword. "This is the weapon I choose!"

"A broadsword, huh. Not too overly designed but a simple killing tool," Ash remarked with an amused smirk. "Even you can beat a fallen heroine with that weapon upon further reinforcements with Titanite Ores without the need of blessings."

Upon hearing his words, Sasha's confident smile turned into a gawk of disbelief. Did she hear that right? A plain sword itself capable of defeating other fallen heroes without the Chief Gods' blessings but instead by using an ore she never heard of? It sounded incredulous to her ears.

"Wait, that works?!" Sasha blurted out in disbelief. "Reinforcing a weapon with an ore might be great. But without any special blessings, no weapon like this could harm a Fallen Hero, but let alone an ordinary monster!"

At this moment, Ash sighed deeply before making a cocky smirk behind his helmet. "Remember what I did back in Lescatie, or at that time when we've encountered Eristia, nor have you forgotten when I've slain the Sulyvahn Beast?"

Then Sasha stood quietly still for a moment once her mind digested those words. He had a point; despite the belief that there is no way an unblessed human warrior would stand a chance against a hero or a high-ranking monster. They were physically stronger than the average human; there is Ash. A person like him who was out of the ordinary and unlike anyone else and defeated those impossible odds as an unblessed combatant.

'Oh... how could I forget it...?'

Sasha tilts off her thoughts before turning around to the armour sections of the Workshop. Both of them skimmed for some equipment for added protection. The former heroine felt some tinging feelings nearby and her sights caught some peculiar wooden round shield, with an additional design of a pair of blue antlers painted in the middle. But the appearance of the shield alone didn't strike her interest, but the unknown energy she felt that emitted from the shield.

Her curiosity alone led her to touch the shield with her finger and, to her surprise, the shield has a lot of magic energy imbued within. Yet the energy itself felt far more different from mana and not a hint of demonic energy was ever-present. But whatever the power that enchanted the shield was truly remarkable, which should be considered as a high-class magic item itself.

"Um, Sir Maughlin?" Sasha asked Maughlin, who sits behind the counter. "Can you tell me exactly what this shield is?"

"Oh, that? That's an Elkhorn Round Shield. Some merchant from Albion got these wares across the Albion Channel and they are extremely rare." Maughlin replied honestly. "That shield is somewhat commonly used by the Knights of the Mirrah Order."

Sasha then raised her eyebrow once she heard the mention of a foreign order. "Knights of the Mirrah Order? Who are they exactly?"

"The Knights of the Mirrah Order is a secretive group in Albion," Maughlin explained. "Very much like the legendary factions such as the Astora Family in Gaul who are known for their powerful miracles and the Carthus Tribe in the Desert Regions for their skilled swordsmanship. The Mirrah Order is known for its quiet swiftness, who kills its opponents without making a sound. There are also tales that even the strongest mamono wouldn't even dare to face them when they see one."

Maughlin's tale piqued Sasha to her interest. She has never heard about these groups before and what surprises her most is the Astora Family, whom she only knew as the founders of the Sunlight Covenant and one of the most 'legendary factions' that can quell the mamono effectively.

'I didn't know they were well-renown!' Sasha's mind spoke out loud in disbelief. 'But why hasn't the Order taught me about this?'

"Are these groups a faction of the Order?" She asked.

"They aren't and neither are they on the side of the Demon Lord," Maughlin replied while tilting his head sideways in pity before explaining. "They were, of course, a successful mix of societies of humans and mamono living together and remained neutral. Despite being monster-friendly groups, they seriously upheld their own laws and traditions. They will always keep their eyes on any foreign mamono and if they see them breaking said rules, and repeatedly, then some unfortunate lass might get caught and punished. Or even worse, get executed without hesitation, no matter if they were married or not. They simply do it only for a good reason with their cases of unfathomable immoral acts against decency."

At that moment, Sasha shuddered at that point. "O-Oh dear, it's more likely they prefer to live in a human-like society."

"Much like that, they never prefer to live in a mamono-like society which is, of course, full of degeneracy." Maughlin nodded in agreement. "But those situations are none of my concern. I am but a humble storekeeper after all."

Meanwhile, Ash is standing near the entrance corner while overhearing their conversation whilst crossing his arms. He closed his eyes with deep thought.

'The Mirrah Order of the Far East of Drangleic... an old Knight's Order that came from my world.' His mind spoke inwardly. 'Even the remnants from the Carthus of the Desert are also here in this world as well. Yet that begs the question, how did those groups end up here?'

...

"So you're telling me that these ores, the Titanite Shards..." Elen raised her eyebrows in question while holding up a small Titanite Shard between her fingers. "... can it literally strengthen our weapons?"

"Oh, they do. It'll make your weapon even better." Andre spoke in a jovial tone. "It will make it more durable and even more capable of piercing through the toughest armour it can get."

"Huh, but is there anything other than that which could make our weapons even stronger?" Reginald asks while folding his arms. "It would be helpful if you can provide and share some information with us."

"Well, to think of it, there are a variety of Titanite reinforcements and infusions. A lot of them exist. Sadly, I have little time to talk much about it while I'm at work." Andre explained while placing his hammer aside. "But first, let me explain the basics; First is the regular reinforcements. It can only strengthen your weapon regularly. After imbuing them with nine pieces of Titanite Shards, I can make them even stronger with Larger Shards and then with Chunks. But weapons that were reinforced with a Titanite Slab are considered to earn the status of a legendary weapon."

Reginald raised his eyebrow, whistled in impressment. "Oh wow, now that must be really cool."

"Indeed, there is an old saying that such a weapon forged with the Slab can even slay a God." Upon saying it, the two Farron siblings went silent before Andre laughed at their incredulous reactions.

Elen blinked several times before her eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Wait, a weapon forged with a Slab is not only considered legendary on its own... but is capable of killing gods?"

"Well... I'm not sure, heh, some say that it happened in legends." Andre smiled widely before gazing his eyes behind him to see Ash and Sasha just entered his workplace. "There was a tale that the gods were bested by an undead warrior using a variety of weapons forged by the slabs, but that was a long time ago."

"An undead warrior? You're telling me there's a zombie who can beat the gods? That's really unheard of." Reginald wondered in confusion while scratching the back of his head. "And such tales you're telling me... my mind is giving me some conniptions to think that it is possible to defeat the deities."

'Defeating gods?' Sasha raised her eyebrow incredulously while overhearing their conversation. 'Such tales sound impossible and blasphemous... what does Ash think of this?'

Sasha then gazed her eyes towards Ash and saw him expressing an uncaring look whilst his mind spoke that is unknown to her. 'It's quite possible. Not very easy, but possible.'

"Well, of course, the tales I've heard from all sorts of storytelling travellers could be blasphemous to your ears. But lest not we delve into this." Then Andre shrugged both of his shoulders before looking up at Sasha. "Oh? Well, what do we've got here? You've got your own new weapon!"

"U-Uh, yes. But not really fancy looking." Sasha spoke up with an embarrassed tone while showing off her new broadsword. "I liked how it handles."

"Ohoho~! That's good to hear! A fine choice you've made to choose a broadsword." Andre spoke up in a jovial tone. "But let me tell you about some nice things about weapons, Lady Fullmoon. The weapon you carry from now on will never betray you by your side."

"It's the same thing he said to me when I first met him," Ash added while pointing his thumb to himself. "You have to take good care of it."

Then Sasha perked up in realisation before bringing up some additional equipment such as a Chain Armor and an Elkhorn Round Shield. "Oh, I also got these two!"

"Added protection, I see," Andre remarks with a grin. "With armour, it will save your life in hostile environments. Better keep your fair skin protected, not like those lasses from the Order. It makes them more like harlots."

Ash and Elen nodded in agreement. "Agreed."

Upon hearing that, Sasha isn't pleased after all.

"Ash..."

Ash suddenly felt his skin shuddered once he felt a dark aura emitting from Sasha aimed towards him. She took a good glance at the knight behind her and made a "friendly" smile with murderous eyes.

"Oh... uh, my apologies." Ash pardoned while waving his hands. To see such a smile like that had made him even more uncomfortable. Sasha turned back to Andre before bowing to him respectfully.

"Thank you, Mister Andre." She thanked him.

"At any time, lass." Andre smiled while waving his hand before Ash and Sasha left the Workshop. "Prithee is careful out there. I hope ye' two wouldn't squander my work. Hehehehe!"

...

Kingdom of Gaul, Lescatie-Gaul Border.

...

On the borders of Gaul, Alameria kneels to the ground while her nose picked up a horrid stench. And based on her reaction, she didn't like it at all, as if it reeks of rotten guts and death nearby.

"It smells like... blood." The Fallen heroine grimaced before turning up in its direction. "Something happened to this place."

"Oh dear, pretty sure the bandits caused the trouble," Olivier spoke solemnly while her right hand cupped her cheeks. "A fight must have happened."

Alameria stood up and followed the scent of blood while her two companions behind her took her lead. After several minutes later of tracking down the stench, Alameria inspected and saw an overturned wagon. But that's not all. She could see several dead bodies of Gaul soldiers, civilians, and horses. But to their horror, the bodies were torn apart and guts were strewn around messily.

Alameria couldn't help but cover her mouth in shock while Olivier had the same reaction and was on the verge of tears. To Sandra, a painful pang of horrible memories struck her mind while trembling upon seeing the gruesome sight.

"It's... the carnage of Lescatie all over again," Sandra uttered in disbelief before shaking her head to come to her senses. "But... who could have caused this?"

*rrrRRRAAAAAHH!*

While witnessing the gruesome scene of carnage, they were startled by a loud shriek coming from every direction that echoed through the air.

"By the Gods, what is that?!" Olivier stuttered out loud while she unsheathed her sword. "I've never heard such a horrifying sound before!"

Alameria unsheathed her weapon as well once she heard rustling leaves and footsteps nearby. Suddenly, from the shadows of the wilderness, a creature crawled forth. The mamono were startled by its appearance with fear, having never seen the likes of this unknown species before.

Then Alameria blurted out in disbelief. "What... is that?"

The creature is a slim-looking humanoid and has a very scrawny appearance. It has skin with a mix of fur and feathers and carried a demented knife. But the most uncomfortable of all is that they saw the creature's face has hollowed eyes and exposed teeth, which is unsettling for the eyes of anyone.

"Who... are you?" Sandra uttered in question with caution.

The creature caught its sights towards the three mamono and made a growling sound. But the sight of the three agents of the Fourth Borne triggered something deep inside the unknown creature. The feathered creature shrieked loudly before blood gushed out from its back and wings sprouted out. Its actions made the mamono step back with sheer disgust and horror.

"Wh-What's it doing?!" Sandra stepped away even further while slowly unsheathing her sword until the unknown feathery creature began to lunge forward.

"Watch out!"

The Corvian leapt into the air and raised its scythe in an attempt to split the Demon monster girl in half. Olivier dodged to the side before the blade would even touch her skin and the Corvian's scythe hit the ground with a steel clang against the dirt.

"Take this!" Alameria lashed out while drawing her rapier.

The tip of her blade staggered the creature and pushed it back for a few mere feet away, but the creature remained unscathed and continued its assault. Sandra took quick action by lunging into the creature while drawing her Demon-Silver falchion and struck it down. However, Sandra noticed her weapon seems like it didn't have an effect on the creature as its entire body seemed... hollow, but alive.

'Impossible, this creature shouldn't be alive at all!' Sandra tensed while gripping her weapon tightly.

Weapons made of Demon-Realm silver were near useless to provide physical damage and can only break the spiritual mana of living beings since the Mamono dislike killing their opponents. A creature like this is something they've never expected to face. The Corvian spun around to face the dhampir and swung its scythe down.

"Guh!"

Sandra immediately reared back in a nick of time before the blade would have cut her head off. The three agents cornered the creature by surrounding it while pointing their weapon towards the Corvian.

But suddenly there was another ear-splitting screech. This time it was louder and turned their attention to the direction of the source. From there, they saw another creature standing on a large rock. The creature's appearance itself shared a similar look to the one they were fighting, yet it held a staff.

"Oh, gods... don't tell me." Olivier stepped back once she saw five more winged creatures emerging from their hiding spots. "Everyone, run!"

The three agents quickly fled from the place and dashed through the forest before the Corvians would have cornered them all together and kill them when they had the chance. Sandra tensed in fear once she heard the distant frantic screeches and sensed that the creatures were following their trails.

'We have to keep moving before they catch us!'

...

Half an hour of running passed until the three agents stopped their tracks to take some deep breaths. Alameria is the first one to recover from exhaustion.

"Okay... Ugh! What is the name of the Demon Lord is that?!" Alameria spoke solemnly while sweating profusely. "I have never seen... w-whatever those creatures are! How are they alive without mana?!"

"Say... have you got a feeling that we're being watched?" Sandra uttered with a tense expression before her senses caught something. She spun in the direction from where it came from and readying her falchion in defence. "Over there, something's coming!"

Alameria and Olivier readied their rapiers for their next encounter until they smell a strong human scent, a male to be exact.

"Oh, dear~ I feel like a man is coming towards us." Olivier moaned with a blush while her face became drowsy. "And his smell is strong, must be a warrior~"

Out from the trees, an armoured humanoid marched out and the three agents of the Demon Realm of Lescatie expected that an ordinary human male would come out. But instead, they were met by an individual that is taller than an average human or even the mamono themselves. It was clad in intimidating black armour and its helmet had a pair of black twisted horns.

But what shocked them is that this being held in his right hand is a massive sword unlike they've ever seen before. By the gods, they've never even heard about heroes who are capable of wielding such a massive weapon, yet this knight seems to carry it like a feather.

"Oh... uh... hello?"

The Black Knight reared his attention to the three mamono's and stared at them. Sandra felt her sweat starts rolling off as she felt that man doesn't have a hint of mana. She knew Alameria and Olivier noticed he didn't emanate a hint of spirit energy. Which begs their questions. How is he still alive?

"Umm, Hey! C-Can you talk?" Olivier squeaked upon her curiosity until she backed down as if something didn't feel right. Suddenly she felt a massive killing intent that assaults her senses.

The Black Knight stood there for a mere moment before taking a step further and suddenly he leapt forwards with its massive sword, which swung overhead.

"Watch out!" Alameria screamed.

The agents jumped out from the incoming blow from his weapon before it hit the ground and caused a massive explosion, sending out large piles of dust in the air that covered their visions. Alameria, Olivier, and Sandra leapt out from the dusty chaos a distance away before looking up at the Black Knight.

The three monster girls felt cold shivers through their spines once they saw the Black Knight walk out from the cloud of dust, giving an intimidating appearance alone with his guttural growl.

"F-Fuck, not again!" Alameria cried out loud. "From where did this guy come from?!"

"This man is probably like one of those beings we've encountered earlier," Sandra exclaimed. "We need to fall back, now!"

When the Black Knight made his move, the agents fled immediately from his sight under the wilderness once more with inhuman speed. The former Knight of Anor Londo had only one thing that came into his mind and that was that he wouldn't let his opponent get away and gave chase.

...

Town of Gerth, Outskirts.

...

In the middle of the open fields, Reginald slowly unsheathed his greatsword and faced his target. The target he is facing is a tree with its body that has a rough size diameter that is that of an average human.

"You think this will work?" He asked Andre.

Andre then made a wide smile before calling out. "Don't worry lad, Trust me. Your new sword with the Titanite Reinforcement can make cutting things easier."

Reginald then looked back to his target and took a deep breath. Once he drew his greatsword, he pressed his right foot to the ground, and with enough force, he pushed forwards and leapt at inhuman speed. With a single swing of his sword, the tree was cut horizontally in two before wood splinters flew in every direction. The tree began to bend downwards and crashed against the ground. Reginald couldn't help but stare in amazement before looking up to his sword, and to his surprise, not a single deformity was present on the blade and remained in a pristine condition.

"Whoa..." Elen uttered in disbelief. "Your sword could've shattered if it were ordinary."

"Yeah..." Reginald states with a nod before smirking in confidence and grips his sword tightly. "I feel like I've gotten stronger... but it's just my weapon that could do it."

"Hahaha! That's the power of Titanite, lad!" Andre laughed out loud with pride while crossing his arms. "Don't underestimate its capabilities. Many legendary warriors from where I came from have survived impossible odds while having weapons reinforced with the said ore!"

"Huh... guess I'm wrong about it," Reginald admits while muttering under his bandanna before slinging his weapon by the back of his shoulder. "Then I've made the right choice by strengthening it."

Meanwhile, from not so far away. Daniella is hiding behind on the top of a nearby tree and watched how the man himself, who's known as Reginald, is going to evaluate his reinforced weapon against the dummy target; which is a large tree before cutting it down in one powerful swing within an instant, and his actions alone truly demonstrate the swiftness of his incredible speed.

She couldn't fathom how a mana-less person could do such a feat. But there is something she felt was wrong. His scent is strong, which Daniella herself couldn't resist her urge to have him as her husband. First, it was the Silver-Blue Knight that caught her fancy, and now she fell to a man who claimed himself a son of a full-blooded vampire. Despite the lack of mana, both of them have irresistible strong scents of smell for having a perfect husband for any mamonos who were about to claim them, like a Succubus would do it such as their appearance alone would charm any human men, yet this time; it seems reversed. As a half-monster herself; she didn't know why she was changing her views and love interests from one infamous man that piqued her interest to another?

"Why...? First is that knight that I would like to take him as mine and then... this guy came along... Although, this guy... he seems familiar and his scent...huh?! Could it be...!" Daniella then staggered back in surprise while trembling with a blush on her cheeks before tilting her head to shake off those thoughts. 'Oh shoot! I'm not thinking straight at all!'

Unbeknownst to the Dhampir of the Demon Realm, Reginald caught something in his senses once he noticed movements behind a nearby tree.

"Hey, is someone there?"

Daniella stopped shaking her head and slowly gazed her eyes behind her cover to the one who called her out. Her cover was blown once she saw the man began walking towards where she was hiding.

"I know you're there. Come out!"

Daniella would've come out from her hiding place as normal, but she froze. She sensed a vast amount of killing intent from the man she's following; she could even sense his young dhampir sister, who also emanated the same aura as her brother, and there is no way that she could approach them casually.

'Not this time... I have to flee!'

The blonde dhampir dashed away from her hiding spot, but her attempts for an escape came abruptly as soon as she saw a sword whizzed past her and hit the ground; causing an explosion that sends out an enormous cloud of dust that covered her vision and caused her feet tripped and roll off on the ground within a few feet away. Daniella grunted in pain while trying to get up, but then her body froze still once she heard footsteps nearby. She slowly turned around and looked up. She froze once her eyes met his.

She made a quiet, fearful shriek once she saw his eyes stared at her as if she were his prey. This man doesn't have any hesitation to kill someone, which, in fact; she had a gut feeling that he might have previously killed a lot of unmarried mamonos.

"Oh... It's you again." He spoke in a cold tone that made her gulp through her throat. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I-I... uhm... I was just passing by!" Daniella blurted out with a nervous grin while scratching the back of her head. "I-I wanted to take a stroll outside of town until I saw you training with your sword."

"Oh, really?" Reginald mused to himself while raising an eyebrow. "You sure aren't lying with that flustered look of yours?"

"My brother does like to deal with liars." Daniella felt her shivers run cold as her nape touched cold steel pressed on her skin. She glanced around and saw Elen, who frowned at her while pressing the tip of her dagger threateningly. "Especially when it comes to a mamono. I remembered a Tanuki who tried to scam our pouches and you know what we did? We held her neck on our blades."

Daniella gulped in fear as she looked into her eyes and knew immediately that Elen was serious about killing her with the same intention as her brother. She couldn't understand at all and felt that his mamono sister would kill her own kind without even hesitating, especially since her dagger alone reeked a lot of death tells otherwise. A situation like this could only mean one thing as she felt that the hands of death are on the verge of claiming her fear-stricken soul is death itself.

"B-But you're a dhampir... l-like me! We have the same goals!" Daniella's voice trembled in fear. "Y-You wouldn't k-kill your own kind... would you?"

"You think I would give a damn about it?" Elen responded in an uncaring tone. "You're aiming for my brother, aren't you?"

"I-I... I w-wouldn't...!" Daniella trembled further as fear grips her heart until she kneels to the ground and kowtowed towards Elen while on a verge of tears. "I'm sorry! Forgive me! I-I couldn't handle it! B-Because... because I was drawn to him! He alone is a strong man who claimed my heart, but... p-please... don't kill me!"

Daniella whimpered and broke up a sob. She didn't want to die; hopefully in her whole life, and certainly not today. Reginald couldn't help but take a deep sigh before placing the palm of his hand to his forehead in disappointment. Elen just looked down at Daniella in spite while her hand still grips her crescent dagger.

"Well, you youngsters do like to scare the poor, young little lass. Do you?" Reginald turned around and saw Andre crossing his arms and shaking his head in pity. "Just give her a break and tell her not to stalk your brother."

"Ugh... but she's still annoying," Elen growled in irritation while glaring at Daniella. "The way she tries to apologise... it gives me conniptions."

"I-I will do anything! Please, just don't kill me!" Daniella begged in desperation before raising her head. "Anything! ANYTHING!"

But unbeknownst to her; with a shake of her cloak, a small object drops. Daniella felt something fall off before she darted around and saw her most secretive object accidentally fall off and quickly tried to grab it, but unfortunately, Elen grabbed her hand in a swift moment with the said object by the wrist. Daniella struggled to let it go with her free hand, but Elen swatted her other hand away and inspected it.

It was a small, silver medallion with an insignia of the Demon Lord's Army with its description written on the edges of the medallion.

"Demon Lord's Army, Intelligence Branch." Elen read the inscriptions out loud before looking down soullessly at Daniella. "Well, well, what do we have here? An agent from the Demon Realm."

Daniella felt her body froze once more in an instant. "I-.. I-"

"Then what is an agent like you doing here?" The blonde dhampir felt her skin shivered in fear once she heard his voice before slowly turns around and saw Reginald crossed his arms while glowering at her. "You know that the Kingdom of Gaul is a neutral nation of the Federation. Then explain what your intentions here out of all places."

At that moment, the blonde dhampir of the Demon Realm felt her heart sink further deeper in fear; that Druella's plans were not going as planned as it should be and did not meet up to her expectations when it comes to these guys. As soon as the information catches the ears of the Silver-Blue Knight of Lescatie, she fears he would be going straight for her head.

'I'm dead...' Daniella deadpanned, before gulping a lump in her throat with dread. 'I'm... so dead...'

"Oh wait, I've completely forgotten to tell Ash about the new prototype I just created." Andre suddenly spoke up comically. "He might just like it once he gets to visit my workshop again."

...

Town of Gerth, Residential District.

...

Ash is sitting on the couch while reading a manual book held by his hand known as "Flintlock Pistol Manual Book". While he's been living in the new world for the past few months, the weapon he heard and had seen in their demonstrations piqued his interest ever since he lived within Lescatie. There were these weapons known as guns, others called them firearms or flintlocks. But such names didn't matter. These weapons were proven to be deadly on their own and can kill a person within a distance in an instant, and the powder itself is a propellant which was the same substance that was found within the firebombs and exploding bolts.

But such a weapon is still currently new within the human realms, having only been invented a few decades ago, and it hardly saw any progress. Firearms have a lot of disadvantages despite the small positive advantages it did have. It's slow to reload, and an experienced musketeer can load it in thirty seconds per shot. Against an armoured target requires an effective range to pierce it through and it can get greasy and inaccurate without cleaning the barrel and worst of all, it can produce a loud noise that nearby foes could hear it and the only way it could make it more effective that comes into his mind is that a large number of musketeers would do devastating damage.

Yet such a groundbreaking weapon is nearly useless against stronger foes such as the high-ranking mamono themselves, despite being able to pierce through their thicker skin; they would still waltz over with their most armoured parts, speed, agility, and even with their magic if one is careless and unprepared. There even exists firearms powered by magic that doesn't require ammunition, but unfortunately, these weapons were still a last-ditch resort.

Regardless of such odds, Ash's interest in firearms didn't falter and he wanted to bring this weapon to its peak performance. Perhaps Andre could help it out that he could revolutionise the design since he was just not an ordinary blacksmith, but a skilled craftworker of ingenuity as well and he couldn't forget that his homeland, the Kingdom of Astora, was known for it. Thus, revolutionising the weapon could only mean one thing: that it can bring an age of gunners to this world.

"Perhaps I might try it out one day," Ash muttered whilst wondering.

"Ash? Are you reading?" The knight turned around and saw Sasha came into the living room with a curious look. "Is that... a flintlock manual?"

"Yes. The firearm weaponry in these lands interests me greatly up till this day." Ash replied with a nod. "There are many interesting things I've wanted to learn about this place since I've left my home continent for a few months."

"Ooh~! Now that's straightforward thinking!" Sasha smiled while clasping her hands together upon hearing his purpose of learning new things. "After all, there are a lot of new things to be discovered from all around the world! It feels like an adventure and it's... uh."

"I know... I am aware of it. There are a lot of things to learn in an adventure, but it's dangerous as well." He stated plainly before closing the manual before looking up at her. "You need to be careful that adventuring outside of society can get too difficult. It takes experience and sheer will to overcome odds. It will be nowadays dangerous since that Beast of Sulyvahn came around."

"Ah... I-I see."

Sasha suddenly felt a painful pang in her heart while slowly looked down mournfully as she admitted his words. She knew Ash had seen a lot of things in his journey and gone into life-threatening situations before, which makes most adventurers and even the heroes themselves on this very continent look like amateurs. Like meeting that Sulyvahn Beast in Joral Village was not an easy feat to slay had proven. Such a creature would be even more inimical than any Mamono she'd encountered and even a former Heroine like herself still couldn't muster up her courage once she saw how that beast alone used its' terrifying intimidation which can cause fear gripping her heart and unable to do further actions whilst knowing how futile to face the abomination.

Sasha bitterly bit her lips and gripped her hands tightly, knowing that she does have a lot of responsibilities as a former heroine. Yet she lacked courage, which made her even helpless to save those people in Joral Village, and she hated herself.

"What a shame, after all, you did everything for the Fourth Born..." She heard the voice of Eristia in her memory, remembering what that Heroine-turned-Succubus called her. "Until you stepped back... like a coward."

'Lord... am I truly... a coward?' Her thoughts whispered while breathing heavily in sombre. 'I don't like this, hate it to be a coward.'

"I'm... going back to my room." She said while expressing a sad smile towards Ash. "I... need some time to be alone."

Ash raised his eyebrow curiously once he noticed something she didn't feel right. Her eyes seem to be unhappy and noticed that she needed comfort to take her time alone.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked and Sasha tilts her head sideways. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine... it's just because of yesterday..." Sasha replied, grief-stricken, before her words were cut short in silence, and stepped back. "I... I'm afraid to tell it out..."

"I see you're having troubles..." Ash said before pausing, now fully aware that she's distraught. "... Then talk to me, I will gladly help to calm your mind."

For a few moments of silence, Sasha tensed herself as she looked up to him and saw Ash looking directly into her eyes and knew there was no way to hide her emotions. She slowly breathed out.

"Ash... is it true... that I'm a coward?" Sasha asked while trembling with painful remorse, which caught Ash to raise his eyebrow slightly in mild surprise to see her on the verge of tears filled with regrets. "Back in that day... I-... No... We didn't save anyone in Joral Village when that beast attacked, I felt... so helpless."

"Ah, now I get what you're talking about." Ash then sighed inwardly before closing his eyes in realisation. Sasha is mentally vulnerable. She had now seen losses of innocents under the hands of that beast has indeed caused a painful experience. But lest he never forgets, he had greater losses than she ever had. "No... I don't think you're a coward. Despite how helpless you look, you have shown your bravery to fend off that beast, yet that was indeed reckless..."

"But still... I did more reckless things than anyone else." Then Ash paused for a while before making another sigh. "Even though cowardice, there is still bravery, and it takes a sheer will to overcome that fear. Then tell me; what is bravery without cowardice?"

Sasha went silent shortly before responding. "It's... nothing, I suppose?"

"Exactly. It's nothing." Ash said while nodding to her answer. "Anyone needs to be afraid, no matter what happens or what it is about. Without experiencing loss, then you can't overcome something you greatly feared."

"But... you do fear of something, right?" Sasha asked.

"... Yes, I do." Ash nods slowly before closing his eyes while reminiscing about his memories of his old friends; Big Hat Logan, Laurentius, Oscar, the jolly old Siegemeyer, Oorbeck, Anri and Horace, even Greirat. He knew that all of them were beyond saving. "The only thing I defeat is my fear of losing myself; So I pressed onwards and keep going. Even such losses that I endure... I overcome them as well. But without them, then I shouldn't be the same person I am today and possibly wouldn't be here."

Then Ash made a confident smirk. "It's all thanks to them... they moulded me into who I truly am."

Sasha felt sincere in his words and felt her heart becoming soothingly warmer. She didn't know that Ash was a very determined person behind his stoic mask. Then Ash expresses grimly.

"But somehow; my greatest fear of all... is losing you."

Sasha froze for a bit as she can hear her heart, which beats with warmth before a slight blush appeared on her cheeks, and her expression meekly flustered in surprise.

"Wh-What...?"

"I... do not know why... but you're my acquaintance, after all, and you did owe me a favour... I think we did really get along ourselves." Ash paused for a moment, then sighed in frustration while scratching the back of his head. "Despite you're an experienced heroine of the Order, you're still inexperienced to face the real dangers of my world. Therefore, I'm truly afraid to see your life being taken away."

"Uh-Uhm... well, I d-didn't know you cared that much for me." Sasha stuttered nervously while fidgeting her fingers together. "Then... why shouldn't we make an oath together?"

Then Ash stood still before raising his eyebrow incredulously. "... An oath?"

"Yes... I-I want to ask of you and will you promise me one thing?" Sasha began while gently grabbing his left hand and hold it up to her heart. "As your acquaintance ... will you swear my oath to fight and protect me by my side?"

Ash is silent while his eyes still staring at her in both confusion and surprise. He didn't know to expect an oath from her; well, they were together for a while. Yet they still hardly knew each other.

'Well... this is too sudden. But still...' Ash's thoughts said in curiosity. "Tell me why?"

"It's because you said that you're afraid of losing me," Sasha said with a melancholic tone while her grip tightens. "You... don't want to experience that loss again, wouldn't you?"

Ash stood silent for a moment as if his guts were telling him that she had a point; He always stood by her side and protected Sasha and the orphans on their long, dangerous journey since Lescatie fell. In his curiosity and complexity, did he truly find some new purpose in this life that has come into his mind? If so; then why shouldn't he?

"Alright then... I accept." Ash vowed with a confident smirk while he clenched his left hand before placing it on his chest where his heart is. "As a Knight of Astora, I swear my life to thine oath."

Thus, he accepted. Their oath is sealed between the Knight of Astora and the Holy Maiden of Lescatie. Sasha felt her heart pounded rapidly like never before, and her smile even grew that radiated warmth.

"Thank you. I feel... a lot better right now."

"Not a problem... I guess?"

Sasha gently let go of his hand and left the living room soon after before going upstairs joyfully straight to her room while Ash stood dumbfounded to witness her uncanny behaviour. She arrived in front of her room and opened the door, jumping onto her bed before hugging a pillow. Then she giggled joyfully, like a child. Sasha would've been crying in tears right now because of those negative thoughts she had for being a helpless coward, but now she felt some heartwarming comfort once Ash made an oath with her and decided to help her out, thus her mind begins to think positively... now thinking of him.

Meanwhile, Ralph, Lisia, and Emiyu peeked around the corner and saw Sasha lying on her bed while hugging tightly on her pillow with a giddy expression and a bright blush on her face. The Orphans stood in confusion.

"What's wrong with big sister?" Emiyu asked innocently.

"I don't know, but she seems... happy?" Ralph replied with curiosity while raising his eyebrows.

"Psst! Maybe Sasha fell in love with Ash!" Lisia whispered with a mischievous smile. "She probably confessed him!"

At this moment, Ralph and Emiyu gasped in surprise.

"Wait, really?!" Ralph gawked.

"Sasha is in love with Ash?!" Emiyu gasped while speaking out loud before her mouth was shut tightly by Lisia's hand.

"Sshhh! Emiyu, not so loud!" Lisia hushed loudly, but it was too late.

A pillow was thrown at the door's entrance and the orphans looked up to see Sasha is facing them with a mixture of anger and an embarrassed expression. The three children gulped in fear before running away.

"Uh-oh."

"Big sis is mad! Run!"

Upon Ralph's declaration, the children quickly ran away from her room. Sasha looked out for the children before sighing deeply in distraught before closing the door.

Back in the living room, Ash looks up to the ceiling after hearing a rumbling commotion going on until he heard a knock on the main entrance door. He went forth and peeked outside.

"Who is it?"

From the outside, he saw Andre, two other familiar faces with steel-tricorn helmets and a pale-blonde Dhampir seems to be apprehended by Elen.

"Reginald?" Ash raised a questionable look. "What's going on?"

"You'd better get a good look at this." Reginald handed over the medallion to the Silver-Blue Knight. "She has a lot of... explanations."

Ash took a good look at the medallion before he glances up at her again and shot a dark glare towards Daniella. Now realizing that she's the real reason why he was stalked by unknown prying eyes for the past few days. The pale-blonde Dhampir of the Demon Realm shivered in fear while facing the Silver-Blue Knight himself.

"I believe that another woman is your partner as well," Ash spoke in a cold tone while unsheathing his bandit knife and placed it close to her throat. "Now explain; what are your intentions here?"

'I thought yesterday was the worst day of my life... I didn't know how wrong I felt!'

Her mind prayed to the gods and hoped that she won't die, not today.

...

Viola Region, Town of Gerth Residential District.

...

Jane is worried, extremely worried that her partner didn't show up at their rented apartment. The last time she saw her was when Daniella left their apartment to see a man that strikes her interest. After hours passed by and now she has a gut feeling that her partner is in distress.

"Where did she go?" Jane said anxiously. "I hope she isn't causing some trouble... or worse, she might get the attention of the Silver-Blue Knight."

Jane couldn't help but wait, sitting on her chair while sipping her tea before staring out to the open window. She let out a breath of relief and closed her eyes whilst hoping for Daniella's well-being.

'I wonder how long she is taking...?' Her thoughts spoke out. 'She'll be fine... right?'

...

Pandemonium.

...

The lands of the Fallen, it's a dark and distorted realm full of shadows where time and space flow strangely since its creation. In this land, there are hundreds and thousands of followers of the Fallen God and her most beloved adherents who came to the pandemonium to do their acts of pure depravity; it is timeless. Not resting, nor even aged a bit.

No one slept nor eat while the followers were having their coitus now and then. Dark Valkyries and Angels who stand above the marble pillars watched over the Dark Priests doing sexual acts to their husbands. They were observing them as if they were entertained and they aroused them at the same time whilst there were few high-ranking individuals among the sexual orgies.

At the edge of the Pandemonium stood a colossal temple made of marble. Within this building at the centre of it sat a disgruntled being, the Deity of Depravity herself.

"The last news we heard was there was a ripple between mortal realms and an unknown reality." Spoke a Dark Valkyrie. "We do not know how it happens, but we felt some unknown energy that came out from the Convoluted Ripple."

"I see, then I suppose these beasts are not of this world." The Fallen God suggests. "We may not know who created them and definitely not the creations of that Chief God."

"Is there maybe a chance to turn them into mamonos?" A Dark Angel asks and curiosity.

"I doubt it. There were already incidents within the domains of the Demon Lord." The Dark Valkyrie replied grimly. "These beasts and monsters wreaked havoc upon the living for a few days and there was not a single one that has ever transformed into a mamono."

"That's terrible!" The Dark Angel spoke while expressing worry. "I hope it doesn't come here to our realm!"

"Do not fret, our realm is safe from their reach." The Fallen God spoke with confidence. "These beasts couldn't possibly find their way and require a magic passage to get here."

"Then I suppose that other divine realms are safe." The Dark Valkyrie stated in concern. "Say, your unholiness; Do you still have plans to do with the last Heroine of Lescatie?"

The Fallen God raised her eyebrow to the Dark Valkyrie in question before perking up in realisation. Indeed, she still has to do with the former green-haired heroine that her wish should need to be fulfilled.

"Ah yes. Sasha Fullmoon, she was indeed a perfect candidate... and yes, I still have my plans to make her my adherent... yet." The Fallen God paused for a moment before grimacing at her reminder from the previous days. "If it weren't for that Silver-Blue Knight of Lescatie who scared off my powers, she would have been a Dark Priest by now."

The Dark Valkyrie and the Angel expressed concern and worry to their goddess, suggesting the Silver-Blue Knight. The Fallen God's power has weakened from the past few days after looking into his flame-like soul and her demonic energy trying to corrupt it had been devoured by The Flames. Nowadays, she can feel that her energy and strength began to grow after those days of painful recovery.

"And how are you going to do that, your grace?" The Dark Angel asked. "That Knight seems to be immune to mana corruption, such as the Astoran Family and other famed groups."

"Simple, once I corrupt that warrior nun as mine when we have the chance." Then the Fallen God made an evil smirk. "Then she will be the key to sway him to my side and possibly find out his weakness."

*CLACK!*

Then the trio heard a loud, eerie clack that rang across the hall and saw two massive stone doors opened. Both of them turned to the newcomer and much to their surprise, judging by her transcendent appearance and her black gloomy attire, it's a banshee.

"Hmm? What is an adherent of Hel such as you doing here in my domain?" The Fallen God raises her eyebrow in question.

The Banshee stopped her tracks from a few meters away from the deity before she made an apologetic bow before tears flowed out. To the dark-winged adherents of the Fallen God, they heard her whimper in sadness and grief.

Not towards them directly but towards the Fallen God herself. The Fallen Deity realised what was going on and stood up in anger.

"What's the meaning of this?!"

The banshee grimaced whilst trembling back from her outcry. The transcendent being then spoke out in a shaken tone.

"Fallen Deity... I bring you grave news." The Banshee warned in grief. "It's due to your fate. Hel has sent me a warning to you."

"...And what does fate contain against me?" The Fallen God asked while angrily raising her eyebrow.

"That... that you will die." Once the Banshee said that, it brought shock across the temple. "You are fated to die under the hands of an unblessed warrior. A Knight garbed in Silver and Blue."

At that moment, the Fallen God and her beloved adherents fell into silence. The Banshee winced at their silent reaction.

She hoped that the warnings of her fate are heeded. But all she met is a wave of anger coming from the Fallen God.

'Hel, please guide me.'

...

Chapter 10: Ends