Sorry about the long hiatus. Right as I was getting to the Cal Mira part of the Light Novel, my writing mood suddenly died. It took this long to reignite SOMETHING so that I can update my story. Bear in mind, this chapter was written long before my hiatus was announced, so hopefully the quality is still there.

As a side note: right before I lost my writing mood, I made some changes to the rest of my story to maintain consistency going forward, just as a heads up

Some time ago.

King Aultcray was looking out the window of his room with a frown on his face. Ever since he had gotten word from the church that the Devil of the Shield had kidnapped his younger daughter, the whole thing had caused him no end of worry. While his eldest daughter went out to find her, success was severely limited.

That the Spear Hero, the one I held the highest hopes for in the beginning, is the first one to turn on us. Now the Bow and Sword Heroes have turned on us as well. I wonder if the heroes should have never been summoned to begin with, even with the waves.

Ever since the Spear Hero openly confessed that he was a friend to the Devil of the Shield, things had rapidly gone downhill. The church openly declared the Spear Hero as a fake and subject to removal, but he had remained slippery. The Spear Hero even fraternized with demi-humans when he was supposed to side with humans. Despite all of that, many of his citizens spoke highly of the Shield and Spear Heroes.

Perhaps we were wrong after all to summon all four heroes to Melromarc after all… yet the church said it was a good idea. Get the Sword, Spear, and Bow Heroes working for Melromarc and increase our military power while ensuring the Shield Hero would fail, causing doubt to manifest in those who worship him. It sounded so nice on paper…

Aultcray shuddered when he remembered how the Spear Hero threatened him with the prospect of informing his wife about everything. Even with the kidnapping of his youngest daughter, those very words had created a doubt in his heart that refused to vanish.

That perhaps he shouldn't have acted so rashly while his wife was away. That he had let his hatred of demi-humans and the Shield Hero cloud his judgement and allowed the church to easily convince him to summon the heroes.

Mirellia… perhaps the Spear Hero is right after all. Those who remain stuck in the past no longer have a future…

Lucia…

There was a knock at his door, which he regarded with mild irritation. "Come in."

The door opened, revealing Pope Balamus. "Ah, your majesty. I was told you would be here."

"Forgive the rude greeting, for I haven't been myself for a while now. What news do you bring?"

Balmus clasps his hands together solemnly. "It seems that the fake Spear Hero continues to elude us while the Devil of the Shield remains at large. I sent word to Idol Rabier about the devil's projected course: the Reichnott Territories, presumably to find succor amongst demi-human filth."

Aultcray raised an eyebrow; he could never see what his wife saw in those monsters. "I presume that you have outfitted some of his soldiers with these "replica weapons" you have mentioned to me? As much as I hope for it to be easy, we'll most likely need their strength if we wish to remove the Shield Devil."

"Worry not, I have sent some replica weapons his way. As long as he doesn't act before they arrive, he'll have an easy time. However… we have other matters to discuss at the moment, your majesty… or should I say, Luge Lansarz Faubrey."

That made the king narrow his eyes, not noticing the knights that had begun entering his room. "Why do you use the name that I had abandoned so long ago?"

Balmus smiled, but there was no warmth to it. "Because… This country is in desperate need of a proper guiding hand. I'm sorry to say… that you no longer fit the description." Every single knight in the room suddenly pointed their weapons at Aultcray, who recognized some of his own amongst their ranks. "This nation requires that a true apostille of god be the leader in order to remove the threats that besiege us."

"Balmus! Don't think you can get away with this! You really think you have the hearts of the people?"

"In fact, I do. Certainly it was difficult, but I was able to convince the good people of Castle Town to put their full faith into the Church of the Three Heroes rather than the royal family." Balmus' smile grows wider. "With such faith on our side, we no longer have a need for a washed-out king."

No… then even if I resisted successfully, nobody would side with me anyways!

"Such a shame, too… back during the war with Siltvelt, you stood proudly as the Staff Hero, one of the users of the Seven Star Vassal Heroes. One who struck fear into the hearts of his enemies with both magical might and cunning military tactics." Balmus was no longer smiling. "Not only have you made so many blunders during recent events, but even the Siltvelt leaders no longer fear your presence. With them invading, I'm afraid you are little more than a hindrance to our cause."

"S-Siltvelt is invading?!"

"Thanks to your inability to properly keep the Devil of the Shield in check. Now… as pleasant as this conversation has been, I'm now a very busy man. Be sure to enjoy your new room… down in the cells of your own castle." With those words, Balmus exits the room, intending to check on something else.

Aultcray could do nothing as the church knights forcefully hand-cuffed him and dragged him away. Powerless… all the way to the end…

Chazon-dono… you really were right…

A few days later...

"So that foolish old man has been thrown into the cells?" Malty smiled sadistically as she talked with Balmus in the Melromarc Castle. "He was always useful in my past schemes, but I'm glad you also recognized that he had outlived his usefulness."

Balmus smiled softly. "Indeed. While I take the reigns of leadership for now, I'm certain the people will be pleased to have a glorious Queen such as yourself ruling them in the future."

"But of course. However, I understand that you have a job for me until then?"

"Correct. While the citizens of Castle Town have been… forcefully converted to our cause, there still remains some political dissenters that are hiding in the shadows. I wish for you to find them and make an example out of, in the name of god."

Malty laughs at that. "Thanks to that dunderhead Glone, we will have this whole place completely loyal to our cause very soon!"

"I'm certain that he will be essential thanks to the advanced replica we have given him. While it feels like a waste to have such a powerful weapon doing clean-up, it'll further help our cause regardless." Balmus nods at the first princess. "I must go now. I recently received word that the fake Spear Hero is somewhere in the western part of Melromarc. I intend to purify him personally once he is within our grasp, since the one regiment we sent after him fell. Once he is gone, the Shield Devil will no longer have any note-worthy allies."

"For shame, Spear Hero! If you had just willingly became my toy, you wouldn't have to die a miserable death!" Malty laughs in a haughty way as she leaves to begin her mission.

I say you'll be the next Queen… but you yourself will face god's judgement once your usefulness has come to its end, o "Princess" Malty.

Balmus chuckles to himself as he heads towards where he stored the original Legendary Weapon Replica. First, we dealt with the fake Bow Hero in the northern territories after he has done too much snooping around our business and removing our faithful companions from power. Afterwards, we destroyed the fake Sword Hero for his involvement with my former slave and for breaking into a holy location to steal sacred texts.

Now… we deal with the fake Spear Hero. He will require the most direct approach but once he's gone, the Shield Devil will be easy pickings. As soon as all four heroes are gone, we will summon four new heroes, ones that will be bent to our will immediately. Once that is done and they are trained up properly, we'll have the most powerful military in the world as we eradicate the demi-human menace from our world!

Present

The tent was dead silent as everyone processed the information that was given to them by Mirellia outside. Both incubators were sitting on the nearby table to prevent any mishaps. After some time, Naofumi was the first to speak. "When… did you receive word of their deaths?"

"Not long before you all showed up safe and sound. I couldn't believe it either, but the Shadows still loyal to me are very skilled and trustworthy." Mirellia shuddered as she hugged Melty closer. "That two of the Cardinal Heroes have fallen…"

Chazon thought for a moment before turning to Naofumi. "You think Fitoria could have sensed if any of the heroes have fallen?"

"I would think so, considering her upbringing."

That got a confused look from the Queen. "Fitoria… exists?!"

Rino nodded. "Indeed and she's the reason we were late in coming back with Melty-sama." Mirellia couldn't believe her ears, but did her best to force her feelings down since they would merely distract from the situation at hand.

Chazon thought for a bit longer before he remembered his upgraded map and how it now works. Bringing it up, he moved to mark Ren and Itsuki as important people. The moment he confirmed the changes, two more stars appeared on his map. "I can confirm that the other two heroes are actually alive. If I had to hazard a guess, your Shadows were fed misinformation."

"How can you tell, Spear Hero Chazon?" That prompted him to show everyone his Status Magic map, which amazed Mirellia. "That you can easily tell just by marking them as important…"

"Looking at where they are now, Itsuki seems to be holed up somewhere north of Castle Town while Ren looks like… he's moving towards the Reichnott Territory?"

Merlay frowned. "So he's heading this way? Is he attempting to escape the pursuit of those trying to kill him?"

Melty grimaced. "If it's the Church of Three Heroes, it'd be no wonder. Mother, you said they took over Castle Town. How did they manage that so quickly?"

"Because Siltvelt had once again declared war on Melromarc, the church was able to convince the population that they can offer protection and safety more than me or my husband." Mirellia sighed at that as she hid her mouth with her fan. "He has been detained and arrested, with Pope Balmus taking control."

Kardia and Kekal were horrified when Siltvelt was mentioned, due to both of them being former residents. Kardia in particular was exasperated. "They're invading NOW?! Why are they doing this when the waves are going on?!"

"Because those fools on the Siltvelt High Council saw fit to ignore my warnings and pleas for everyone to stay out of my country's business. I kept explaining that I was dealing with a shadowed organization that could've been driven into hiding by such reckless actions. The only silver linings I know of is that all other nations have agreed to only involve themselves if needed, and that the church has gotten bold enough to expose themselves regardless."

Rino shuddered. "That doesn't change the fact that we're going to have to deal with two enemies simultaneously... "

Naofumi looks at Chazon's map carefully after Chazon somehow moved it onto the table in front of them. "While it would be too easy of a way to instantly end one conflict, killing the kingpin of the church will cause confusion in their ranks and make them easier to deal with."

That made Mirellia shake her head. "That's far easier said than done. Recall all of the legendary weapon replicas you all have fought in the past. They were the church's results of reverse-engineering the original replica and that thing is much more powerful. With it in the Pope's hands, he will be a force to be reckoned with. No doubt, he's prepared to be the one to personally attack either of you, Sir Naofumi and Sir Chazon."

Chazon folded his arms in contemplation before settling on a question. "Naofumi, how many replica weapon users did you have to contend with before we rejoined?"

"Just three including Glone, but I didn't want to engage haphazardly with Princess Melty getting caught in the crossfire. I understand that she can defend herself well, but I felt it would've drawn too much attention to my location if I resisted too much."

"Then permit my party to help Mirellia's forces engage the brunt of the church's forces." Naofumi stared in shock at Chazon for the suggestion.

Kardia smiled at that. "Naofumi-sama, we have already engaged in one battle with Queen Mirellia's forces at our side. We're already familiar with fighting large-scale battles."

"If I recall correctly, we had to engage three replica spears, two replica swords, and a replica bow." Rifana recounted as she thought about it. "That battle is where Rino-sama got her dual replica swords from."

Rino drew her two swords with a nod. "While I haven't fought much with them, I can tell they are potent weapons. If the church has an entire army outfitted with these weapons, even we'll be hard pressed to win." Sheathing them, she had a thought. "Kekal-chan, can you inflict debuffs on multiple enemies?"

Kekal, using all of her willpower to keep a lid on her boisterous front, crossed her arms. "Yes, but at an inefficient MP cost. If I had access to Illusion magic then I could inflict various statuses on clusters of enemies, but stat debuffs are most effective against single targets."

Chazon paused before looking at Naofumi. "We won against 6 replica users before Kekal joined us. Plus, even if the Pope decides to lead the attack himself, I'll be ready to face him should the need arise." He looks back at the map. "But we should save any further strategy for when we rescue Ren and Itsuki. The aftermath of any of these kinds of battles won't matter if two Cardinal Heroes are left for dead."

Mirellia nodded at that. "Agreed. However, unless you have a way to quickly get around, I fear it will be some time before we can rescue them or even direct them to our position."

Raphtalia thought for a moment before striking an idea. "What about Obsidian-kun's Turn Burst?"

"That could work, but that would be under the assumption that he can use it in his filolial form." Chazon folded his arms with a thoughtful look. "However, I suppose I shouldn't doubt his heritage as a racing filolial, either. He might be fast enough anyways as long as I'm the only one who goes."

None of the girls wanted Chazon to go by himself, but they also knew that it was their only option if they wanted to reach the other two heroes in a timely manner. Rino nodded at that before speaking for the other four, "Then be careful out there with just you two."

"Don't worry. As soon as my job is done, I'll make a beeline back to this base."

"Hang on!" Kekal grabbed Chazon's arm, stopping him dead and having him give her a flat look. "There's another thing I can do as a vampire!" She wraps her cloak around herself and suddenly turns into a small, black bat. "I can turn into a bat and be ultra light-weight! Allow me to accompany you on this journey!"

I did not know she could do that. She's just full of surprises, isn't she?

Kardia thought for a moment before nodding. "Then take Kekal with you, Chazon-sama. We'd all feel much better if there were three of you instead of two if you got into a tight spot. Even if that third person is Kekal of all people." That made the bat sputter in exasperation.

As much as I don't want to… actually, it would give me the opportunity to confront her about some things should we stop for a break. Deciding it was for the best, Chazon nods. "Very well. Let's go, Kekal. Hope you like high speed running, because we gotta go fast!" Grabbing bat-Kekal out of the air, which made her squeak in surprise, he rushed out of the tent to find Obsidian. Rifana and Raphtalia closed their eyes, praying for Chazon's safe passage.

Amber was disappointed that Obsidian was needed and that her Papa couldn't take her, but perked up when she was promised some more bonding time afterwards. Filo made sure to wave the trio goodbye in a very extravagant manner, much to the black feathered filolial's embarrassment.

"Alright, Obsidian. I'm going to need you to run as fast as possible while allowing me to steer your direction. Time is of the essence!"

"Got it, Daddy! Ready to go!" Obsidian was more than excited to run as fast as he could. Even more excited than when he gets to pull his carriage. The blood of racing filolials flowing in his veins was pumping his adrenaline up.

"So we're going to find Ren-sama first?" Kekal was safely tucked into one of the crooks of Chazon's medium-plate armor, where she wouldn't go flying once Obsidian started running.

"Correct. After he's directed to the Queen's encampment, we'll make haste towards Itsuki's location. I'll figure out how to get the Bow Hero back with me when we get there." I just wish I didn't feel so restricted in putting down Aetheryte Crystals thanks to the damn church… Chazon shook his head and leaned into Obsidian's back. "Let's fly!"

Like that, Obsidian took off faster than any filolial ever seen before. Chazon had to grip onto his reins as hard as possible as to not fly off his back from sheer speed. I wish I had a speedometer or something so I can tell how fast we are going. Is this the power of a Filolial King marked for ascension?

"Uwaaaaaah! C-Chazon-kun, too much speed!" Bat-Kekal was clinging onto Chazon's armor for dear life.

"Good! The faster we get around, the better!" He didn't even bother correcting what Kekal called him as Chazon accessed his status map and confirmed his path with Ren's location. He slightly pulled on Obsidian's reins to turn him a bit, which the filolial allowed easily. At these speeds… holy hell we'll find Ren's party before very long, about an hour or so! "Obsidian, let me know if you get tired. We'll take breaks if they're needed!"

"Still good to keep going, daddy!" The adrenaline pumping through Obsidian's body was indescribable for him. Like he could keep running until the sun sets on the day.

Before long, the group saw some specks running in the distance. Chazon double-checked his map and confirmed that it was Ren's party. "Obsidian, slow down as we approach! We don't want to blow past them." Once they were close enough and Obsidian slowed down, Chazon called out, "Ren!"

Ren stopped in surprise when he heard his name called out. He saw Chazon's black filolial on approach and motioned to his party that it was friendly before running up to him. "You're a sight for sore eyes, Chazon. Ever since the church made an attempt on our lives multiple times, we've been on the run."

"Sorry to make you keep running, but I wanted to direct you to the Queen of Melromarc's encampment that's south-west of here. However, If you guys need to go to Reichnott Territory for some rest first, then I can accompany you there before going to find Itsuki." Chazon quickly thought of something else. "Naofumi's party and the rest of mine are with the Queen, so you can trust her."

Ren looked at his party, who all nodded at him, before giving Chazon a determined glare. "If the Queen truly is trustworthy and will have us, then we'll head there. Thank you for the heads up!"

"Safe travels. The Queen was fed misinformation and thought you and Itsuki were dead, so expect a debriefing once you get there. I'll mark her location on your map." Chazon marked where Mirellia's location was on Ren's status map when he brought it up. "I'll give you some BioFruits as provisions to keep you guys going!"

Wyndia bowed to Chazon. "Thank you for your assistance, Chazon-sama. The church thought to call both you and Ren-sama fakes, but we all know better!" The sword hero's party received their rations and took off in the direction of the Queen's location shortly after.

Chazon noted how close Van's town was on his map and an idea popped up in his mind when he confirmed that he still had a crafted Aetheryte Crystal in his inventory. Perhaps I can put this one here after all and teleport to it once I've secured Itsuki's safety. "Obsidian, slight change of plans. Head to Van's town to the north-west of here!"

"Weren't we going to rescue Uncle Itsuki?"

I want to see Itsuki's reaction to being called "Uncle" now. "That hasn't changed, but I have an idea that requires us making this quick detour."

"Got it!" Obsidian quickly took off at high speeds once again.

It didn't take near as long to reach a village in the territory. Chazon slowed Obsidian right down as to prevent dust from getting everywhere and onto hapless passerbyers. After entering the main part of town, Van called out to them, "Sir Spear Hero! I'm glad to see you hale and hearty!"

Chazon waved at Van as he ran up to him. "Right, we kind of left you hanging the other night. The Tyrant Dragon Rex was slain successfully and everyone is alive and well, so no worries there. Everyone is at Queen Mirellia's encampment right now and I'm trying to send the other two heroes that way as well."

"Because of the church taking over Castle Town, correct?" Chazon nodded as Van shook his head somberly. "They have always meddled in political affairs a bit much for her majesty's liking, but I never thought I'd see the day they'd forcefully take over. I wish you luck in finding the other two heroes."

"I already found the Sword Hero and directed him to her majesty. I'm about to head out to the Bow Hero's location, but I'm here for a different purpose." Chazon scanned the area with a questioning gaze. "Is there a spacious square or plaza in this village with no centerpiece that carriages can easily enter or exit?"

Van looked surprised at that before nodding. "There is that fits the description you gave me. I presume you have an idea, Chazon-sama?"

"Indeed. Lead me to it, for time is of the essence."

When the group got to the plaza that Van mentioned, Chazon told Kekal and Obsidian to switch to human forms for a second as he did his thing. The two did so with confused looks as he approached the center. Been a long time since I last did this… but I can finally see it happen with full color perception.

He confirmed the Aetheryte Crystal's position and watched with awe alongside the other onlookers as the crystal manifested. It had the same appearance as the one in Lerno village. Van looked at the new plaza centerpiece with wonder. "This is a beautiful crystal, Chazon-sama. But I highly doubt you wanted to give us a random gift amidst this crisis."

"Indeed, for this is called an Aetheryte Crystal. Attune to it and you can teleport to it at any time, but I don't have the time to explain it properly. I'll send my help guide page on Aetheryte to your status magic to educate your villagers on it, but for now, allow me to do this. Obsidian, Kekal, follow my lead."

Chazon raised a hand to the crystal and started attuning to it. Obsidian and Kekal quickly followed suit and started attuning as well.

Reichnott Territory Aetheryte Attuned

"There, now we can teleport here at any time."

Kekal widened her eyes at that. "You… created your own teleporting service?! I approve of this immensely!" Chazon rolled his eyes at that, but chose not to comment.

"I see where you're going with this, Chazon-sama." Van smiled at the crystal as he nodded in approval. "Once you've rescued the Bow Hero, you'll be able to teleport here with him in tow to more quickly rejoin with her majesty's forces."

"That's about the jist of it, yes. Now that this Aetheryte Crystal is in place, we're going after Itsuki!"

"Be careful out there, Chazon-sama, Obsidian-kun, and Kekal-chan. I don't doubt that there will be some church scouting parties or forces out in the plains and forests of Melromarc."

Kekal struck a confident pose at Van. "Don't worry about it! I'm sure the Vampire Lord herself can deal with anyone chasing us!" That got a laugh out of Van. Chazon facepalmed in slight exasperation while Obsidian merely looked confused.

After both of his party members transformed again, the trio exited the village and Obsidian rushed in the direction his daddy pointed him in. "It might take a bit longer to reach Itsuki from Van's place than reaching Ren from the Queen's encampment. Once again, be sure to tell me if you need a break, Obsidian. I know we're in a rush, but too much haste will make waste."

"Don't worry, Daddy! I will!"

After some time running, Kekal, realizing that she didn't need to hold on for dear life where she was, began to wonder about something. "Chazon-kun, can I ask you something?"

"Yeeeeees?" Chazon looked down at the bat clinging to his armor questioningly.

"I'm just wondering… what made you so compassionate towards demi-humans despite your status as the Spear Hero?"

"You're asking now of all times? Then again… I suppose there's not much going on at the moment, so I can answer that." Chazon gathered his thoughts for a second. "It was my first contact with a demi-human that made me that way. You remember Raphtalia?" Kekal vocally affirmed that. "I met her not long after Naofumi had purchased her from a slave trader in Castle Town. I saw how she was, how meek and scared she was, yet despite all of it she did her best to comfort me after I had taken a bad turn, so to speak.

"The moment I heard that demi-humans like her were treated like monsters, I made a personal never show such racism to demi-humans if I can easily avoid it. Raphtalia was a sweetheart when she was little. Heck, she's still a sweetheart now. To see how people like her were abused and enslaved in this world… it honestly boils my blood. It's also what led to me buying Rifana and Kardia. I saw the suffering in their eyes and I wanted to save them."

Kekal looked at him in astonishment. "Back when I lived in Siltvelt, they always went on about how the Shield Hero is the only Cardinal Hero who truly cared about demi-humans. How the other three heroes were devils that would kill demi-humans on sight and always tried to hamper the Shield Hero. When I saw you in that mansion, saving me from that guard, removing my slave brand, even feeding me, and finally interacting with other demi-humans like they were more than worthy of your time, everything I thought I knew was turned on its head."

Chazon looked back down at her in confusion. Am I indirectly getting the reason why she marked me? Guess there's no time like the present, even with Obsidian listening. "That's something I need to ask. Why did you mark me as your mate? If what you said is true, then I thought you would have scorned me since you lived in Siltvelt before."

That made the vampire sputter in embarrassment. "W-what?! H-how did you figure that out?!"

"Fitoria informed me somewhat on how your kind works… including the fact that you can't drink anyone else's blood now. The reason you marked me was because you feel in love with me at first sight, correct?" Obsidian cocked his head slightly, listening curiously.

There was a short silence outside of Obsidian's running before Kekal sighed. "You're right, but it wasn't JUST because I fell in love at first sight. Like I said before, you saved, freed, and fed me right then and there despite me practically begging for it when you were pressed for time. But above all of that… I saw in you a kindred spirit, one that I felt comfortable with spending the rest of my life with."

Chazon, remembering what he saw in her eyes the night of her joining his party, widened his eyes in realization. "Because… you were alone in the beginning?"

"Yes… I'll regale my story to everyone including you at a later point… but you're the first person to ever invite me into a party…"

Just like how Rino couldn't join anyone else before I came along…

"Daddy! There are some people riding horses to our right!"

Chazon was startled out of his thoughts and glanced over, only to hiss in annoyed surprise. "People riding horses nothing, those are church knights!"

"Fake Spear Hero! Your days of deceiving the good people of Melromarc are over! Surrender, and we'll make sure your execution is as painless as possible!" It was a pretty sizable force; too many for the three of them to take on at once.

What was even worse was the realization that their horses and filolials were somehow barely keeping up with Obsidian. Do these guys have speed-enhancing enchantments on their mounts?!

"Chazon-kun, permit me!" Kekal suddenly transformed and was now riding on Obsidian right in front of Chazon.

"Kekal, what are you doing?! You're going to slow Obsidian down like this!"

"If we don't stop them from pursuing us, then they'll catch up once we reach the Bow Hero!" She draws her bow and focuses her debilitation magic into the arrowtip. "All Agility Hindering Arrow!"

When the arrow landed it created a dark shockwave that inflicted a weaker AGI down debuff to the knights and their horses, slowing them down. However, the area of effect was rather small and the knights went around their slowed cohorts to continue pursuit.

Kekal winced at that. "Even my default power will prove insufficient, huh? I guess I have no choice. Sorry, I know you hated it when I did this before, but permit me this." She suddenly turned around in the saddle in a compromising position and bit into Chazon's neck, right where his other bite-mark is.

Chazon winced in surprise at the bite. "Kekal, this is not the time for-"

"Indeed, blood is more of a meal substitute than a necessity for survival. However… vampires can suck blood to empower themselves with a status called "Bloodcane" that greatly enhances all of their attributes for a short period of time. Obviously, the vampire has to willingly access it after drinking someone's blood, else the blood is simply used for nutrition."

Chazon grimaced when he remembered what Fitoria told him yesterday, feeling more tired than in pain from Kekal draining his blood. "Just… make sure you're able to stop them from pursuing us."

"Do you need to ask?"

Chazon jumped in surprise at Kekal's changed tone of voice as he looked down at her now that she was done draining his blood. Her hair turned from black to silver and red markings lined her face and eyes. "Is that your Bloodcane form?"

"It seems you were also told what happens when we vampires drink blood in situations like this. I'm thankful I didn't need to explain it to you because it makes things much easier." Kekal, far more serious than she's ever been, adjusted her grip on her bow and once again poured dark energy into the arrowhead. Only this time, the energy had blood-red energy lancing off of it. "All Bloodcane Agility Hindering Arrow!"

When that arrow landed, not only was the area of effect MUCH larger, but Chazon could tell it was a more potent debuff that lasted much longer. The knights cried out in confusion as far more of them suddenly started moving slower. Most of the horses actually balked due to how slow they were now moving. It only took a few more arrows to ensure the entire pursuing party could no longer chase quickly enough.

Chazon let out a sigh of relief. "Glad to see them dropping out of the race, so to speak. I'm willing to bet your other stat debuffs become even more potent while you're in Bloodcane as well."

"Indeed, but my other self didn't want to risk enraging you after you had begrudgingly let us into your party when we fought the Tyrant." Chazon noted that Bloodcane Kekal had a radically different personality than normal Kekal. "I can't really blame you. Vampires aren't exactly common outside of Siltvelt, so how we work isn't very well known."

"Indeed. I got lucky with Fitoria knowing how your kind works." Chazon paused before allowing himself a small smirk. "Can I just say that I like you a lot more like this?"

That got a blush out of her. "D-don't get the wrong idea! I'm not a separate personality, this is just me when I'm not being eccentric! Don't get too comfortable with it, idiot!"

Ah… I wondered when I would encounter the obligatory tsundere, though it came about in an odd way. Even though I don't like tsunderes as much as kuuderes or derederes, for some reason I don't feel bothered by this one, at least for now. Chazon chuckled at her words. "If you say so." She let out a "hmph" at that, blush refusing to go away.

"Daddy, Kekal-chan. I'm getting kind of tired…" Obsidian started panting a bit as he slowed down.

Kekal quickly realized that she was weighing Obsidian down too much and transformed into a silver bat to make things easier on him. Chazon patted the filolial on the side of his neck. "Do you want to take a quick break?"

"How… close are we to... Uncle Itsuki?"

Chazon pulled up his map and confirmed his location. "About half-way there. Judging the time of day by the position of the sun, we still got plenty of daylight left to burn, so a quick rest will do you some good."

Obsidian came to a stop and Chazon dismounted. Kekal transformed back into a humanoid form, her black hair returning from accessing her Bloodcane form. "Surely, you now realize how important a Vampire Lord such as myself is now?" She asked in a slightly haughty tone.

There's her eccentricity coming back. "Yes, yes. I'll admit that you're more useful than ever before. Now if only I could permanently remove that haughty part of your personality, you'd be a heck of a lot better." Kekal pouted at him.

"Daddy, do you dislike her acting that way for a reason?" Obsidian has grown up knowing his daddy was always pretty accepting of other people. He was confused as to why this particular girl was setting him off.

"Let's just say… that kind of personality reminds me of a previous bad experience in my last life. I'm just going to leave it at that."

That made Kekal wince as everyone sat down. I wish I could hock it… but for some reason, it takes all of my willpower to keep myself from acting that way. Are vampires just naturally like this?

There was silence before Chazon let out a sigh, feeling guilty once again for the cold treatment. "Back in my old world before I was summoned here, there was a girl that I was interested in during my early teen years. She had a more extreme version of your current personality, Kekal, but I was willing to try and work with it. Heck, even with how she was, it seemed like she was dropping hints that she liked me as well."

Chazon looks at the blue sky with a pained look. "I couldn't have been more wrong. The moment we started seeing each other more privately, her personality turned out to be… very nasty. She always thought herself better than everyone else and used every opportunity to push me down below her, trying to make me her "servant" or something. At one point she tried to threaten me… and I finally exploded on her and left."

Kekal looked at him with horror. "Is that… why you reacted so badly to my word choice of wanting to make you my "servant" back at Idol's mansion?"

"Yup, because it reminded me of that girl and… well for lack of better words, made me feel incredibly upset. Ever since then, anyone who acted and talked like that was instantly subjected to zero trust and tolerance from me." Chazon sighed again. Perhaps there were well meaning people back then who genuinely wanted to be close to me, but I rejected them harshly. All it took was one rotten apple for me to trash the whole bunch… and if it wasn't for Rino, history would have repeated itself here once-

Kekal suddenly hugged him tearfully, which got a baffled look from the Spear Hero. "I'm sorry… I never knew you were hurt from someone like that…"

"You had no way of knowing… and thinking back on it… perhaps old habits die hard for me." First it was red-heads, now it's someone acting like this… seems I'll never be truly rid of all my trust issues. Chazon patted Kekal on the back as he returned the hug. "Look, as long as you can keep from getting carried away, I'm sure things will work out. I'll confess… I'm just as much in the wrong as you are. You know what they say about assumptions, right?"

Kekal nodded as she continued to hug Chazon. "They make an ass out of you and me… I'm just happy… that I understand you better, Chazon-kun."

"Kekal-nee, I'm certain you'll be fine!" Obsidian piped up with a warm smile. "Everyone in our family can help you!"

"Obsidian-kun… thank you." Kekal hugged Obsidian gratefully as well.

If it wasn't for Obsidian asking that when he did… who knows how long it would have taken before I let Kekal in a bit more. She really isn't a bad girl… and I can say that confidently thanks to my Soul of the Spear passive. Chazon realized something and turned away from the scene to hide his blush. Shit, why did Fitoria have to tell me I can marry all the older girls in my party?! Now I'm going to feel awkward around Kekal if things keep going like this!

I just need to keep telling myself that Rino's the only one for me in that way...

Chazon cleared his throat to try and remove his embarrassment. "Let us know when you feel rested enough, Obsidian."

"Got it, Daddy!" Kekal noted the receding blush on Chazon's face and giggled to herself.

Once the trio were back on their way, they had another run-in with patrolling church knights, though this group was a lot smaller than the first one. Chazon allowed Kekal to access Bloodcane to stop them from chasing if she felt it was needed, healing his bite when she did. Getting a little light-headed, though...

After two more small groups of patrolling knights, Chazon noted that they were close to Itsuki's location when they saw a small village. "We're in the Northern Territories now. I don't know how much influence the church has here, so stay on your toes."

After entering the village on foot, Chazon started looking around, with the villagers eyeing him cautiously. Something tells me they are trying to judge if I'm friend or foe. Has everything that's been going on recently have these people on edge?

"Chazon, is that you?!" The Spear Hero turned in the direction of his name being called and saw Itsuki rapidly approaching. "Thank the gods you're safe. After everything that has started happening, I feared for everyone's safety."

"Glad to see you're alive and well, Itsuki." Chazon pats the younger hero on the back. The villagers eased up once they saw the Bow Hero they trusted interacting with the Spear Hero positively.

"Fuehhh, Itsuki-sama, y-you know this person?"

Fuehhh? Chazon turned and saw a green-haired girl with olive-green eyes. She was staring at him with a mix of curiosity and fear.

Itsuki nodded at her. "This is the Spear Hero, Chazon. He's the one I've been telling you about before when I mentioned "fake hero accusations" and investigating them."

"Fuehhh?! C-Chazon-sama?!" She quickly bows. "F-forgive me! I'm Rishia Ivyred a-and I'm t-the daughter of t-the lord here!"

"N-nice to meet you?" Rishia's stuttering made him feel awkward to even speak to her, like she was going to faint if the wrong thing was said.

Itsuki sighed at her. "She's always been like this, so forgive her. She was kidnapped by the Lord that was overtaxing his citizens, presumably as collateral or something."

Chazon blanched at that. "So there was a Melromarc Lord willing to kidnap HUMANS? This whole thing really is a shit-show, pardon the language."

"Yeah… ever since we rescued her, though, she has been invaluable both as a party member and as someone who can translate more difficult documents. Also, the rest of my party is here as well. What of the other two heroes?"

"Both Naofumi and Ren are with the Queen of Melromarc at her encampment with the rest of my party. I came out here to see if you weren't besieged by the church."

That got a grimace from Itsuki. "I'm glad they don't know I'm here yet. They sent their "Shadows" with a bunch of mercenaries some time ago to try and kill me for being a "fake Bow Hero" and for "deceiving the good people of Melromarc."" He scoffs at that. "When their believers are cruel nobles who think the torture and death of innocent lives is the will of their god…"

"Believe me, many people choose to turn a blind eye to such things if it suits their needs."

"Yup… though I think my party members who were of the faith were shell-shocked when they were marked for death alongside me. They've recovered somewhat, but they've stated that they "renounced" a faith that resorts to such extreme methods of branding enemies."

I hope that's the case. I don't need "moles" screaming to our enemies about how I get around, as well as where our base of operations are. "Do you think the people of this village will be alright if we leave them now?"

"Now?" Itsuki looks at Rishia who squeaked nervously before nodding. "Should be. I've been here for a few days and no sign of invasion."

"And the villagers should be able to bullshit something if the church comes after we leave." Chazon quickly sends Itsuki a party invite. "Time is of the essence, so trust me on this. I'll be able to bring us closer to where the Queen is if we're in the same party."

Itsuki gave Chazon a concerned look as he accepted the invite. "Is the Queen trustworthy?"

"Very much so. Nobles like the ones you spoke poorly of are the ones she's been fighting against since before we were summoned. Plus… I just know she's trustworthy."

Though I get this nagging feeling that she's more capable of manipulation than what she's letting on right now...

There was a moment of silence before Itsuki nodded. "Very well, I'll hold you to your verdict. Give me and my party some time to prepare before we head out." Chazon nods at that as him and Rishia run off.

Kekal notes the Bow Hero with interest. "I wonder if he's capable of debilitation arrows like I am? I need to challenge him some time!"

"Considering he's a legendary hero, the chances are there. Whether or not you'll be able to match up to him if he does have them is another story."

That made Kekal pout at Chazon. "You're not vouching for me to win?!"

Chazon sighs at that. "How would I know? I don't know how well either of you fight on that front. Besides, what the heck are you thinking to start challenging people mid-crisis?"

"I-it's not like I don't know that this is a crisis!" Kekal let out a huff at that.

There's that tsundere personality showing through again, though there's a lack of "dere" in there this time.

Obsidian frowned somberly. "I don't think I'll be able to carry us all…"

"I'm not asking you to, Obsidian. That would be unreasonable of me." Chazon pats his son on the head reassuringly. "That's why I put down the Aetheryte Crystal at Van's village. To cut down on how long it'll take to get back to the encampment."

"What's this about a crystal?" Itsuki had come back with Rishia, Alay, Welst, and an armored man who was identified as Mald. "We're ready to go, by the way."

Chazon smirks at that. "Watch and learn, Itsuki." Chazon selected the Reichnott Territories Aetheryte as his teleport destination and started casting. Moments later, he disappeared in a grey bubble and everyone in his party nearby was asked if they wanted to teleport, which they all said yes to and got whisked away. The people of the village began to make preparations just in case the church came asking around.

In Van's village, the Lord himself was watching the crystal with rapt interest as he read the "help guide page" Chazon sent him. Him and the nearby villagers gave a start when a bunch of people suddenly started teleported in with a mass of bursting grey bubbles. "Is that Teleport?"

Chazon waved at Van. "Now you see why I planted this thing here?" He turned to Itsuki, who looked bewildered. "Be sure to attune to the crystal before we set out."

"This is your teleporting method? I thought we only had the Dragon Era Weapons to teleport with!"

I completely forgot about that thing. Probably because it requires level 50 and I'm only level 43 right now. "What are the limitations of the Dragon Era warps? Explain it to me as we start moving towards the Queen's encampment."

Turns out that the Dragon Era Weapons can mark up to three locations for the skill, but suffers from a long cooldown. Chazon notes that his Aetheryte Crystals can allow for Teleport to be used at any time sans mid-combat at the cost of money.

Itsuki noted that both methods have ups and downs but Aetheryte Crystals seemed more convenient, especially since anyone and not just heroes can use them. Chazon counters that by saying the Dragon Era weapon-forms have an advantage as an emergency exit of sorts.

As the two heroes moved towards the encampment, Chazon noted Rishia carrying most of the supplies the Bow Hero's party brought, which he called out. Itsuki was furious with Mald for forcing the poor fueh girl to carry everything when he clearly had more strength than her.

Chazon quickly grew to distrust Mald very much thanks to how bigoted he was; he kept butting heads with Kekal because she was a demi-human. I don't know if it's because I'm slowly accepting Kekal for who she is, flaws and all, or if it's Mald's attitude. Either way, I'm actually really despising Mald right now for a multitude of reasons. Obsidian made sure to keep Rishia cheered up from the whole ordeal.

As the sun began setting, the group finally made it to Mirellia's encampment. Chazon had to resort to KOing Mald because of how much of an ass he was being. Itsuki admitted that he's been considering kicking Mald out if he doesn't shape up anytime soon.

As they approached the Queen's tent, Naofumi, Ren and all of Chazon's party members quickly met up with them. Ren nodded at his fellow heroes. "Glad to see you two safely back, though I thought it wouldn't be until tomorrow evening until you got here at the earliest."

Chazon chuckled at that. "Never underestimate the power of Aetheryte Crystals." Noting the Sword Hero's confused look, he shook his head. "I'll explain later. For now, we need a break."

"No kidding! I'm beat from everything that went on today!" Kekal sat down on the ground with a groan.

That got a snort of amusement out of Chazon as he patted her head. "You did good today, Kekal. Rest up."

Chazon's party members noted that Chazon was, for some reason, treating Kekal a bit better now as she smiled tiredly. Rino was especially glad to see it. I hope Kekal-chan will hold a place in your heart like the rest of us, Chazon-kun. Even if you don't know about your… privileges.

Naofumi looked at Mirellia. "Should we postpone our plans for tomorrow morning? No sense making everyone go through more than they need to today."

Mirellia nodded at that. "Understandable. Cardinal Heroes, I'm glad to see you all safe and sound. Rest up tonight for what will go on tomorrow."

Itsuki gave her a confused look. "What's going on tomorrow?"

"The meeting of the Four Cardinal Heroes."