Even if it's another world, I'll become the Symbol of Peace

by FightingGamePlayer11

After prevailing against Overhaul, Izuku Midoriya and Eri find themselves on a world very different from theirs. Now, Izuku must learn how to adjust to this world and care for the little horn girl that is under his care. However, that doesn’t mean that his dream as a Hero will end, no one ever said that he couldn’t be a Symbol of Peace in another world.

7. Chapter 7: A Mother’s Protection

*Previous Four Months Ago*

"Since I now have a good path on how to go with the next chapter I shouldn't take too long but hopefully, that won't bite me in the ass when I get around to doing it."

*Dramatic Thump*

*Four Months Later!*

Well... that teaches me to make promises. Ok alright, I'll say it now I'm so sorry for the lateness of this chapter because frankly, even I was questioning when it would come out. Ok, so what happened? Well first I did have a structure however at many points through the writing process I ended up changing things and rewriting parts and I swear almost every single part of this chapter had at least one rewrite to it because it either wasn't good or I didn't feel like it made much sense so it resulted with me changing it various times. Second, this is officially one of the largest chapters I'll probably do for this story in a long time so for those who like long chapters here you go, and for those that don't then no worries we'll be going back to shortish chapters in the next one which will be a more lighthearted chapter as we continue with Izuku slowly becoming that 'Symbol of Peace'. Anyway, the short version is that when writing chapters and trying to make them good it'll often end in rewrites, spell checking, and reading it various times to make sure it is as good as possible. Though sometimes there's that one word that ends up passing through and makes a whole sentence come out of context. Ok, enough time wasted here time to respond to some reviews.

Peigukiin:Yeah took my sweet time alright making this chapter thought it was probably longer than expected. Yeah once I introduce Tella it was bound to come to this. Don't worry I'll be leading the story in a direction just that for that direction to work I need to set up various things before Subaru arrives which is why it's kinda slow but hopefully this chapter will give you a direction to look towards. As for Rem being bonked, well... just read and see.

NarutoisNumber1Ninja: Yeah once Izuku and Eri suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the forest with strange powers and being helpful or nice was when they started raising flags, especially considering Izuku's nervous behavior. One day my friend one day. Yeah, you'll see what becomes of Eri. Thank you for enjoying the chapter and hope this one can live up to it.

Look2021: First, great username. Second, thank you very much

CrazyGammerGuy12: Glad to hear you enjoy the chapter, sorry for the long wait. Then good, hope this chapter can satisfy wanting long chapters.

ProjectIceMan:Originally this was going to be with the last chapter but when split I needed to end it somewhere and thought 'hey the idea of Eri being in danger seems like a perfect place to be at for four months. Yeah, that was the evilest cliffhanger I could have made.

Anonymous: First, thank you very much. Yeah, Eri needs all the care in the world, both Izuku, and Frederica have become that light but they're not the only ones there. Yeah unfortunate but it's a skill that helped Eri evade Overhaul and get both Izuku and Mirio's attention to start her rescue. Yeah, I wanted to drive that point home to show that while she would do anything for Roswaal, there will be a point where that loyalty is tested, especially if it's someone that she grows attached to. Yep Rem did a Peter Parker (If you saw NWH you know what I mean) for Rem, yeah that bridge is kinda burned to the ground but for Ram, it's one that it's better seen but that won't mean that a connection can't be made, it just means that it won't happen easily or soon. Yeah basically Rem went rogue on orders and now pretty much everything will be getting screwed up. Well, trust is interesting when there's someone who saves you, plus Ram is getting her doubts but in an unexpected way. As for Rem's hatred, I kinda toned it down but when she's an Oni she's not exactly the most rational person especially if she thinks that the boy who can blow apart a building with a finger flick starts smelling like the people who killed her clan and took her sister's horn. As for Return by Death, I'll answer that when we get to that point. Just know that Subaru won't be the only one to remember the past resets.

Lenyo456: Here it is.

BlackSunV:In the manga by the time they reached that point in the story, Izuku could only use 15% with 20% being his max before his bones break. By the Paranormal War arc, it went up to 30% with his max going to about 45% of OFA without breaking his bones.

endboy: Thank you and yeah I'm still writing it just takes some time to get everything done and fixed but thank you for your patience.

Ok again sorry for the long wait but now let's not have this story wait any longer let's get on to the next chapter in this story.

The following is a fan-written story. My Hero Academia belongs to Horikoshi Kohei and Re: Zero belongs to Tappei Nagatsuki. Please support the official release.

Three Days Earlier

In Izuku's room, we see Ram helping Eri with her literary lessons with the pinkett holding up a fairy tale book for the little horned girl to see as she wrote on the notepad. However, there was one particular individual that was missing from the lesson.

"M-miss Ram, when is Deku coming back?" Eri asked nervously as she looked at the maid while clutching the cape of Lemillion.

"If he isn't currently messing up his chore, then he'll be back soon." Ram said not meeting the small girls' eyes as she continues with the lesson.

The reason for the greenette's absence was that right as they were about to start their lesson, one of the servants had requested the greenette's assistance with moving some of the new furniture their master had ordered. It didn't take much convincing for Izuku to agree and he was going to bring Eri with him as well until the servant told him the furniture was in Arlam. Upon hearing that the furniture was in the village down the road, it got the greenette to reconsider. Not because of the dangers, Frederica has told him that the village and its' residents were nice and friendly, he was worried that bringing Eri into another new environment with people they haven't met yet, even if it's only for a few minutes, may overwhelm her as the small girl was still adjusting to living a normal life.

Seeing how her co-worker was wasting too much of her precious time, Ram told him that she would be returning to her room before being asked if she could watch over the ruby-eyed little girl until he returned. It surprised her but with Frederica currently out for the night with a fever, Deku didn't have many people to watch over Eri. After recovering from her initial surprise, the pinkett accepted. Though looking at the small girl's expression, it was evident that she was scared of being left alone with the maid. Midoriya had an extensive talk with the platinum-haired little girl who, after he told her to hold onto the torn cape for comfort, did she finally agreed. Having the issue be resolved, Izuku left to help the other servants.

This led to their current situation, Ram had continued her lesson with Eri who studied as instructed. Though any small talk the pinkett did would always be reduced to the small girl nodding or shaking her head without saying a word. It did not surprise the pink-haired maid with how nervous the ruby-eyed little girl was as she would shake like a leaf or tightly hold the cape in her hand whenever the pinkett pointed out an error. Then as time passed those small responses stopped and nothing would be said among the two aside from the pink maid correcting the small girl's mistakes. Ram was having a difficult time trying to talk to Eri as even when it was just the two of them, she didn't feel any close to gaining her trust. Releasing a tired sigh, she felt a tap on her hand that brought her out of her thoughts.

"M-miss Ram?" The pink-haired maid heard as she turned towards the confused-looking little girl.

"Yes?"

"What is an Oni?" She asked, getting Ram's attention.

"What do you mean?" She asked as Eri pointed toward one of the pages in the fairy tale book. The pinkett turned the book over to look at it more clearly and in it, she saw the illustration of a ferocious, monster-like creature with two horns that was labeled as an 'Oni'.

'Not surprising.' Ram thought when looking at the monstrous image of her former race.

"The Oni's were said to be Demons." The pinkett said simply as she saw the smaller girl turn to her.

"Are they... bad people?" Eri asked as Ram looked at the image for a few moments as she recalled memories from her childhood. The constant worshiping from the village that grew annoying whenever she did anything, the power she once wielded, the never-ending responsibilities she didn't want but got regardless, and the impossibly high expectations that were forced onto her by the village despite her only being a kid. As these memories came to her, the pinkett's mood began to sour.

"Yes, they were Eri." The pink-haired maid said, clutching the book tightly as she looked back at that period in her life with the only bright spot that she could see through all of those years being Rem.

"The Onis were also known as ogres, they would have two horns coming out of their forehead with twins having one horn each. They were seen as evil and malicious to everyone due to their nature as they would attack outsides. They were also considered a curse, a bad omen, and bad luck to anyone that wasn't an Oni and would remain isolated from the rest of the world until they all were ki-." Ram said as her anger rose but stopped as she heard slight whimpering coming from her side as she turned and saw a frightened Eri having pulled the torn cape over herself. Noticing that she let her own emotions get her for a moment, she shook her head before placing the book down.

"My apologies Eri, it was unprofessional of me to act like that." The pinkett said, cursing internally at how she probably made Eri less willing to open up to her if this was how she would respond to a simple question. Ram crossed her arms to collect her thoughts as the ruby-eyed little girl slowly uncoil herself from the cape.

"S-so Onis were real?" The platinum-haired little girl timidly asked.

"They were until a few years ago."

"Oh... H-have you ever met an Oni, Miss Ram?" Eri asked the pinkett who paused for a moment before answering.

"Only one."

"W-What kind of person were they?" The little horned girl asked as Ram remained silent for a moment as she looked down at the open book and focused on the page with the Oni.

"The Oni, they were said to have been the strongest of their race. Their village saw them like a god, even when the Oni didn't want to. It didn't matter what the Oni wanted as their village would decide what it is that they should want and do, effectively making the Oni a tool with no choice. However, when their village was destroyed, the Oni lost its horn protecting someone dear to them, losing most of their previous power. The only evidence of them ever having had a horn was a slit scar in their forehead. Despite that, it was only thanks to the kind generosity of one man that the Oni was saved and allowed to continue living. After that day, the Oni became devoted to them. They would do anything for them, even if they became the tool needed to further their saviors' goal." Ram said as she made the details vague enough so that the ruby-eyed little girl couldn't make the connection. Upon finishing, she saw the small girl looking down at her notepad with a sad expression.

"It must be sad for them."

"Hm?"

"The Oni. Everyone sees them as bad luck and a monster because they are an Oni. They lose their family, their power, and even when they got saved, they were used as a tool." Eri said as the pink-haired maid glanced an eye at her before looking away.

"It shouldn't matter if it's a sad life for them Eri. Regardless of what happened, they didn't regret their decision because to the Oni, they belong to them."

"B-but it shouldn't be like that." This caught the pinkett's attention and turn towards the platinum-haired little girl.

"Why are you saying that?" She asked as the small girl looked down at the torn cape in her hands.

"Because... I-I'm like the Oni." Eri said with a sad expression as it got the pink-haired maid to look at her curiously.

"Before Deku and Lemillion saved me, Overhaul said that my power was a curse, that I was a monster because of it. That anyone that got close to me would die. That I belonged to him because I was the tool he needed for his plan." The platinum-haired little girl said as she clutched the cape.

"Deku told me that my power wasn't a curse, that it didn't make me a monster. That I shouldn't be a tool to anyone. He said that no one deserves to be a tool. That we should make our own decisions and happiness." Eri said.

"He said that?" The pinkett asked as she saw the small girl have the torn cape around her before giving a nod with her head down. Upon this, her thoughts went back to the response the greenette gave her a few days ago.

"...would you save anyone? Even if that someone can't do much for themselves, even if they'll need constant saving, even if you have to go against the strongest person in the world to save them?"

"I would."

'Did he... really mean what he said?' The pinkett thought to herself as she turned her attention back to the platinum-haired little girl and saw her shyly looking at her before putting her head down as if waiting for a scolding. Ram didn't know why but she felt an urge to reach out to caress Eri's head to bring her comfort. However, as she got close, Eri instinctively flinched which caused the pink maid to halt her hand and pull it back. A crestfallen look befell Ram when seeing Eri's reaction. However, slight confusion came over her as she questioned what came over her in that brief moment. After recollecting herself, the pinkett saw how fragile and delicate the small girl currently was and at that moment, even if Ram didn't realize it, a sense of protection towards Eri was sewn onto her.

Present Time

The day started like any other, the servants woke up to begin their daily chores, the weather overhead was warm and pleasant, and the Mather's mansion remained ever-impressive to any onlooker. However, that once peaceful atmosphere was long gone. The back garden had craters on it, many of the mansion's windows were shattered, and sections of the home were compromised with concrete slabs and debris on the ground with the sounds of panicked servants echoing from within the mansion in trying to keep some of their co-workers stable.

In the destroyed garden, the grunts of Frederica could be heard as she was doing her best in keeping a frenzied Rem away from Izuku. The blonde had tried striking the bluenette's horn at several points, but her junior proved to be more aware than she thought as even in her berserk-like state, the blue Oni was safeguarding her horn from any attack the older maid tried to make. The blonde Beast woman would be kicked aside by her junior as she made her way towards her intended target.

As Frederica tried to recover from the attack, she saw Midoriya run towards Rem. The greenette lunged forward with a flying kick using his right leg. The blue-haired maid raised both arms to block the attack which aside from pushing her back, Rem appeared unaffected by it. Izuku, taking notice of his co-worker's increased resilience, twisted his body around, charged 20% of O.F.A into his left leg, and delivered a roundhouse kick to her. This caught the blue Oni off guard and sent her back a few meters, giving him and Frederica some breathing room.

"Izuku, what are you doing here?!" The blonde Beast woman reprimanded him. She quickly took notice of her green-haired junior pained expression as he grabbed his left leg.

"Izuku?" She asked with worry.

"Frederica... I know you don't approve of me being here but right now we need a plan to hit Rem's horn..." The greenette said as he straightens himself back up, the whiplash of his kick finally passing.

"Did Ram tell you?" The blonde asked as he nodded.

"I think that if we work together then maybe we can- *Grunt*" The greenette grunted in pain as his shoulder flared up.

"Izuku, you're shoulder." Frederica said as she looked at the rag that was turning blood red.

"I'm fine, it's nothing to worry about."

"Comments like those do make me worry, Izuku. You should be resting and getting treated back at the mansion, not putting yourself at risk."

"I can't, not while Rem needs help."

"Izuku, listen, you already did enough. I don't want you to get any more hurt than you already are. Please, return to the mansion." Frederica ordered him.

"Frederica, even if I were to stay out of this and go back inside, Rem will still come after me. This way, I can keep her attention focused on me and away from everyone else at the mansion. We can use that to our advantage." Izuku said as the blonde maid looked at him for a moment as she could see his resolve in wanting to help his blue-haired co-worker.

"I won't get you to change your mind, will I?" The older maid asked as she saw him shake his head.

"*Sigh* I rather not be putting any of my juniors in danger, but I see that we are far from that option now. You can stay, but after this I'm making sure you get treated Izuku." Frederica told him as the greenette nodded. The two turned to where Rem was as they saw her get back to her feet.

"Frederica, if we overwhelm Rem, would that be enough to leave her horn open to attack?" Midoriya asked.

"There is a possibility. But Izuku..."

"I know the dangers, Frederica. But I'll take that risk if it means we can help Rem." Izuku said. While the blonde saw it admirable how he wanted to help Rem, it worried her how he showed no concern for his health. Frederica and Midoriya watched as the blue-haired maid stood still, staring at them, specifically at the greenette. Then, Rem charged toward the two, raising a hand to them as blue fragments formed around her open palm.

"EL HUMA!"

Roswaal's Mansion (Inside)

Ram could only stare at the shrub that had the red scarf Eri had worn stuck to it. The pink-haired maid continued looking at it as if the platinum-haired little girl would pop out from the corner of her vision and that the piece of clothing there was just picked up by the wind. Yet, the longer she stared, the more it became evident that what she was seeing was real.

"Ram?" The maid that pointed out where Eri had gone asked worriedly upon seeing the pinkett become unresponsive and not removing her gaze from the window. Ram didn't respond and before any other word was spoken, the pink maid began moving towards the doors. From walking to jogging and then sprinting towards the edge of the forest. Once she reached the red scarf, countless questions began running in her head like why did Eri run into the Mabeast infested forest? Why did none of the servants stop her? or how she wasn't even able to keep the small girl sa-

Stopping herself before she could continue her line of thinking, the pinkett took a moment to collect herself. She looked at the ground of the forest for any possible tracks that maybe the ruby-eyed little girl was taken unwillingly but with the only footprints present being those of a small child, it was highly unlikely. The more she stared at the tracks, the more It made her wonder what exactly compelled the platinum-haired little girl to just leave. After examining the tracks, Ram would stand up, close her eyes, and shut off the world around her as she focused her clairvoyance on finding the small girl. After going through countless viewpoints, she was able to find Eri running through the forest.

"Eri..." Ram said quietly in worry when seeing the little horned girl show no qualm in going through the Mabeast infested forest. Opening her eyes, the pinkett looked into the forest before gazing back to the mansion as she saw both Frederica and Deku dodging Rem's attacks. She contemplated for a moment whether she should inform them but then realized that doing so would only make things more of a complicated mess than it already was. The pinkett knew that the second she said that Eri ran into the forest, Deku would run in after her without hesitation with her twin likely coming after him. Not only that but if she said that the ruby-eyed little girl, who both Izuku and Frederica told Ram specifically to keep safe, was now in danger of being mauled by Mabeasts, it would cause Frederica and especially Deku to lose the trust she has built along with keeping Eri away from her for the small girls' safety.

The pink-haired maid was left with few options on what to do. But as she recalled the talk she and Eri had, an instinctive part of Ram was telling her what she must do. The pinkett focused on the forest in front of her as she went in to bring the small girl back to safety.

Roswaal's Mansion (Back Garden)

Ice Shards flew out of Rem's hand and headed towards Frederica and Izuku, with most of the shards focusing on her green-haired target. As the two dodged her attack, Rem ran past them, confusing them until they saw her reach for her morning star and be armed once more with the deadly weapon. Having fallen for her facade, both Frederica and Midoriya saw the blue-haired Oni reel her weapon back before swinging it downward at the greenette. Izuku quickly pushed up to 15% of Full Cowling, narrowly dodging the bluenette's attack. He ran to the right side of the blue maid with Frederica following suit from the left.

Rem, taking notice of their coordinated attack, swung her morning star around her to stop them. Frederica slid underneath the weapon and Midoriya leaped into the air to avoid the attack. Once air bound, the greenette grabbed his right arm and began to charge 20% of O.F.A into his index finger

'Delaware Smash!' Midoriya thought as he shot an air blast directly at Rem. The blue maid jumped back, causing the attack to miss, and hit the ground instead. The greenette landed as he felt the whiplash in his arm, causing him to freeze and for Rem, her opportunity to bludgeon him. However, she was stopped from behind by Frederica who grabbed her in a chokehold. This caused the bluenette to drop her weapon and try to free herself from her senior's hold. The blonde Beast woman had an arm around the blue-haired maids' neck while her other arm tried reaching for Rem's horn but was stopped by the blue-haired Oni who grabbed the Beast woman's arm.

"That's enough! Rem, I know you can still hear me. You're letting your rage cloud your judgment. I know you're hurting inside, and your anger is justified for what the cult did. But you can't kill Izuku based on an assumption!"

"RAAAAAAGHH!" Rem yelled at the mention of the greenette as she grabbed tightly onto both arms of the blonde maid and using her Oni strength, she raises the blonde over herself and slammed her to the ground, cracking it under her. The impact was painful for Frederica as it got her to release Rem from her chokehold. However, that did not mean that the blue Oni was free as before she could stand up fully, Frederica quickly grabbed onto both of her junior's arms and held them in place.

As Rem attempted to free herself, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Izuku had leaped into the air, aiming an axe kick toward her horn. The blue-haired maid could not remove herself from her senior's hold in time and with little option, she tilted her head to the side, protecting her horn, but received the full force of the kick to the side of her head, causing her to stumble to the ground.

The blue-haired maid would pick herself up and barely duck a roundhouse kick aimed at her horn as she grabbed Midoriya's leg and slammed him hard on the ground. The greenette was stunned momentarily, just enough for Rem to try and crush his skull. However, before she could, the blue Oni was tackled off of Izuku by Frederica who grabbed the blue-haired maid by the waist and slammed her to the ground, giving her green-haired junior enough time to recover from the bluenette's attack.

Rem tried to recover, but Frederica and Izuku didn't give her much of an opportunity to do so as the two would constantly aim for her horn. Each time the duo tried to hit the blue maids' horn, Rem would redirect their attacks to where they barely missed her horn which often meant that she would take the brunt of their strikes. Each time the blue Oni tried to go for the kill on the greenette or strike the blonde out of the way, the two would come to each other's defense.

Eventually, Izuku's plan started to work as they began to overwhelm the blue Oni, who was pushed down to a knee. But that didn't stop the bluenette from doing one last desperate attack. Raising her fist, Rem slammed it straight to the ground under her with all her might, causing it to erupt, and catching both Midoriya and Frederica by surprise. The blonde maid would jump back from the attack with the greenette jumping straight into the air.

"EL HUMA!" The blue-haired maid yelled as Ice shards flew towards her airborne target.

'Crap!' Midoriya thought as he didn't have an option to move in midair without further injuring himself. Thinking quickly, the greenette grabbed his right hand and charged O.F.A into his finger once more to try and counter the coming attack.

'Delaware Smash!' Izuku thought as he unleashed another air blast that tore through most of the Ice Shard. However, he wasn't able to destroy all the Ice Shards as he felt some cut and embed themselves into him. Midoriya crashed onto the ground, clenching his teeth in pain as he looked down at where the fragments had struck him. Two large chunks of Ice were embedded in his left forearm and right leg. Taking a quick breath and gritting his teeth, Izuku grabbed the fragment in his arm and pull it out. Thankfully, his attack caused the Ice Shards to lose most of their momentum and thus not penetrate him too deeply.

As for Rem, not only did she dodge his air blast, but also the debris that had rained down on her from the greenette's attack. When the dust cleared, the blue Oni saw the defenseless Midoriya trying to pull out the Ice Shard in his leg. The blue-haired maid immediately charged toward Izuku, raising her hand at him as a white glow emanate from her open palm, not wasting the opportunity to kill her target. Then, from the corner of her eye, Rem would see a large chunk of dirt coming at her and before she could react, it crashed onto her. The bluenette was sent to the ground, dirt flew everywhere as it disoriented her, just enough for Frederica to grab her from behind and pin her arms to her side.

"I'm sorry about that Rem but this is for your own good. Izuku, now!" Frederica yelled as Rem looked past the debris and saw the greenette running towards them. Midoriya launched himself towards the two, reeling his leg back for a roundhouse kick at 15% as he was set on ending the conflict with one hit to his co-worker's horn.

Then, just as he was a few feet from them, Izuku saw the blue-haired maid's pink horn start to glow even more intensely as Rem bend forward suddenly, pulling Frederica with her and into his attack. His leg connected against the side of his senior's head, causing her to loosen her grip on the blue maid as she got sent back a couple of meters away. Izuku rolled onto the ground as he stared in horror at what he had just done as Frederica lay motionless on the ground.

However, he wasn't given much time to dwell on his mistake as the greenette heard the sound of chains coming from behind him. He instinctively jumped out of the way but to his surprise, the expected spiked ball didn't crash on the ground where he was just moments ago, rather it flew right past him in the air. He looked down to the ground to see a crazed-looking Rem staring at him as her manic smile grew wide. Then, with the twirl of her wrist, Midoriya saw as the chain twisted all around him.

'Not happening again!' The greenette thought as he twisted his body to avoid the chain until he felt his right arm get caught by the weapon. Having caught a part of her target, the blue-haired maid would pull on her chained weapon, causing it to tighten painfully on Izuku's arm. Clenching his teeth in pain, Midoriya grabbed onto the chain length with him wrapping more of it around his already wrapped arm, surprising the blue Oni. Then, Izuku twisted his body in midair while pulling on the chain as hard as he could, causing Rem to be pulled into the air as the greenette swung the chain over himself until his co-worker was heading straight to the roof of the mansion. However, just as the blue-haired maid was about to crash, she pulled on the chain weapon, bringing Midoriya along with her.

*Crash*

The two crashed onto the roof of the Mather's Mansion with Midoriya's back crashing against the center column of the watchtower closest to the center of the mansion and Rem landing on the roofing with the chimneys.

"*Groan*" The greenette groaned in pain as it felt as though he was hit by a New Hampshire Smash from All Might. Izuku tried pushing himself off the ground but with each attempt, it felt as though his body was protesting him to stop as he fell once more on the roof. That was until he heard the sound of chains coming from his arm, whereupon he noticed that he was still tangled in his co-workers' weapon. Upon realization, Midoriya was yanked from his prone state, smacking into one of the watchtower's support columns, before being slammed against one of the chimneys. The greenette felt the wind being knocked out of him as he lay against the cracked chimney. Looking up, he saw the blue-haired maid with her pink horn glowing brightly as she raised her left arm at him with a white glow forming in her open palm.

"Nowhere else to run cultist." Rem said coldly to him as Izuku saw the look she had, one filled with hatred and murderous intent. The greenette took a glance down at the wrapped chain in his right arm as a plan started to formulate as he turned back towards his assailant.

"Rem*Pant*... I don't want to have to do this*Pant*..." Midoriya panted out as he saw her anger become even more evident in her expression.

"Begging will not save you!" The bluenette yelled as her open palm began forming Ice Fragments. However, before she could release them, Izuku had yanked on the chain towards him, catching Rem by surprise and misfiring her attack as the Ice Shards pierced the other chimneys and shingles. As the blue Oni tumbled forward, she saw the greenette extend his left arm towards her horn as he used her weapon and momentum against her. Rem twisted her body to the side, moving away from Midoriya as his hand missed her horn.

'Damn it!' The Izuku thought at the failed attempt. The blue Oni rolled to behind the chimney and pulled her chain. She dragged the greenette off the ground and into the air, intending to slam him into the roof. Midoriya, still in mid-swing, grabbed onto the chain, and Rem, anticipating that he would use her chain against her, would pull on her weapon with all her strength to overpower him. However, this would be what Izuku wanted as he let the blue-haired maid pull him towards her as he used the momentum given to him to deliver a diving kick. Realizing her mistake, Rem would duck underneath the attack as the greenette crashed through the first chimney and shattered part of the roof as both tiles and debris flew all around them. As Midoriya stood up, he felt the chain around his arm loosen and return to its wielder. He looked towards the bluenette as he saw her horn glow more brightly, along with her having a more murderous expression towards him.

"Look at the mess you are creating! Just stand still and die!" Rem yelled as she swung her weapon repeatedly at him, causing tiles to break on impact as the greenette dodged. However, this would prove to be an unwise action as Midoriya leaped into the air, reeled back his right leg, and kicked the air with 20% of O.F.A. A strong gust of wind came out and it, along with any broken tile shingles, headed towards the blue maid.

"Huma!" Rem yelled as she summoned the same barrier from earlier to block the flying debris coming at her. This proved to be in vain as the air blast broke through the barrier. Despite her barrier being broken, Rem was able to avoid the air blast from blowing her away. However, there was no rest for the blue maid as she now had to dodge the incoming barrage of flying debris. While she was able to dodge most of it at first, she couldn't dodge all of it as she became overwhelmed by the incoming debris. As Midoriya landed, he felt his right leg buckle slightly under him, but compared to earlier whiplashes, he was growing more accustomed to the higher power output.

As Izuku got back on his feet, he narrowly avoided losing his head as the spiked ball flew past him, crashing through the second chimney. Out of the debris came Rem who not only didn't appear to be deterred by the attack, but it might also have made the blue Oni angrier as she screamed in rage while raising her hand to shoot more Ice shards toward him. Midoriya would twist and weave himself between her attacks as the blue-haired maid kept switching between trying to bludgeon or trying to pierce him with her magic. However, as Izuku leaped back from Rem's morning star, he began to notice how it was becoming easier to dodge her attack which at that point, it dawned on him.

'Her movement, they're slowing down.' The greenette thought to himself as even though the bluenette was still protecting her horn and not giving him much room for error, he saw how her swings were much slower than before. Not only that but she was becoming more sluggish in her attacks as the blue-haired maid seemed to be haphazardly throwing anything to kill the green-haired Hero.

'If I can tire her out some more then maybe...' Izuku thought as he landed on the last remaining chimneys as the bluenette took a breather. Seeing his opportunity, he charged up to 15% of Full Cowling and lunged toward the blue maid, shattering the chimney under him. Rem saw the Deku coming towards her as she reeled back her weapon, her horn glowing more brightly by the second, as she swung her morning star at the greenette who somersaulted forward with his right leg over his head.

"Now Die!"

'Manchester Smash!'

*Clash*

Rem's morning star and Izuku's iron soles crashed into one another with the greenette overpowering the spiked ball as he slammed both it and his foot into the roof. The result of the impact caused the roofing to burst with tiles and debris erupting upward as Rem jumped back while raising her arms to shield herself.

'This is my chance!' Midoriya thought to himself as he used the opportunity to charge up more of O.F.A. Red veins appeared through his body as the green sparks began to glow ever brighter around him with Izuku feeling the same painful creaking throughout his body that he experienced when fighting Overhaul. It didn't feel as intense as the first time, but the pain was still prevalent. It felt as though his body was just a few breaths away from breaking apart but right now, that didn't matter to him. He had to do this, he needed to bring Rem back.

'One for All: Full Cowling-20%' Izuku thought as he charged towards Rem, shattering the tiles under him. The bluenette felt a kick to her abdomen that threw her across the roof, crashing through one of the watchtower's support columns. As Rem began to pick herself back up, she felt another kick to her back that sent her across the roof. She would try to defend herself each time she got back to her feet but at the speed her target was going along with the strength of his strikes, it didn't allow her to do so.

As Izuku delivered another kick, he skids to a halt as he saw the blue-haired maid take a knee from his continued attack. Upon noticing, the greenette began to feel the whiplash of O.F.A starting to take effect on his body. He couldn't keep up this level of output for much longer and knowing that his next attack would be his last, Midoriya gritted his teeth as he pushed through the pain and charged toward the blue Oni one last time. He lunged forward and reeled back his right leg as he aimed squarely at Rem's horn.

Then, just as his leg was about to make contact, he saw the blue maid, in a swift motion, moved her body and head slightly to the side while at the same time grabbing onto his right leg tightly. Using his momentum, she slammed his back hard onto the broken roof, breaking the roof tiles further as Midoriya got the wind knocked out of him.

"*Pant*You may have gained greater speed and strength, but your movement became simple and easy to predict, cultist." Rem said as Izuku recalled similar words being said to him by Overhaul. The greenette powered O.F.A once more to free himself from her grasp which didn't go unnoticed by the blue Oni.

"You're not escaping from me again!" The blue-haired maid yelled as she raised her fist and slammed it down on his leg.

*Crunch*

"AGH!" Midoriya screamed in pain as a crunch was heard from his right knee. However, Rem did not give him time to dwell on his injury as she grabbed him by his cowl and forcefully lifted him off the ground, ignoring his pained cry as she struck him in the chest, a crack was heard as Izuku gasped in pain. The blue Oni threw him towards the broken chimneys without care for his well-being, ripping the cowl off in the process and discarding it as well.

The greenette crashed against the first broken chimney, landing on his back as he let out a ragged cough as the pain from his broken sternum was making it difficult for him to breathe. As Izuku tried to lift himself off the ground, Rem threw a right hook to his head, causing him to drop to the ground as she got on top of him and commenced to repeatedly strike his head. Midoriya raised both arms to try and defend himself, but that didn't stop the blue Oni from continuing her assault and breaking through his defenses.

"You come into our home!"

*Punch*

"Put on this act, saying that you're a Hero!"

*Punch*

"To make us drop our guard before killing everyone I care for!"

*Punch*

"I won't let you get away with this!"

*Punch*

"You are no Hero!"

*Punch*

"Do you have any idea of the pain you've caused?!"

*Punch*

"The lives you've destroyed?!"

*Punch*

"Was taking my sister's horn not enough for you bastards?!"

*Punch*

Rem yelled as she continued releasing her pent-up anger with each punch, making sure to hold back a bit of her strength as she wanted to make sure that the supposed cultist suffered a slow and agonizing death after the trouble that he caused her. Each strike she made, her uniform and the roof became more stained with his blood, but she didn't care, her only thought was making sure that he suffers.

As for Midoriya, his arms fell to his side as he felt his consciousness slowly slipping away as the blue-haired maid continued her assault. He stopped registering the pain from the blows and injuries as he lay there, taking each hit as his vibrant green eyes began to dull out and slowly close. His mind started drifting to his mom, his friends back at U.A, and the residents at Roswaal's mansion before eventually landing on the platinum-haired little girl.

"Eri..." Midoriya muttered softly before being punched once more. His thoughts went back to the promise he made to her, to protect her from all harm. He realized that if he were to fall here, then there was nothing to keep Eri safe from Rem. It was this very thought that something within him snapped as the pain he felt was slowly being replaced by a sense of protectiveness towards the little horned girl.

The blue-haired maid struck him once more but unlike the last few strikes, she felt some resistance as the blue Oni saw the greenette turn his head towards her. Even as she continued striking his head, he continued to resist her attack as the bluenette saw his dull green eyes begin to glow more intensely by the moment. Midoriya closed his left fist, and the cracking of his fingers was heard as the same green sparks and electricity enveloped him more intensely than before.

"RAAAAAHHHHH!" Izuku yelled, ignoring the pain as he charged O.F.A into his left arm and struck the blue-haired maid on the head. He narrowly missed her horn but punched her off of him and send her back several meters away.

"AGH!" The greenette reeled in pain from his left arm as he felt pain all over his head as his right eye was bruised shut, a cut on his left cheek, a broken nose, a busted lip, and blood covering a majority of his face as it dripped down to his ruined costume. He tilted his head towards where the blue Oni was and saw that she was wobbly getting back up as she appeared to have received significant damage from his latest attack. Seeing this, Midoriya would use some of the broken debris as support to slowly pick himself up. Using the base of the middle-broken chimney to balance himself, he saw Rem remain in a daze by the watchtower, leaving her defenseless to protect her horn.

'I need to get close! It's now or never!' Izuku thought as he charged 20% of O.F.A into his remaining good leg and without thinking, he launched himself towards Rem who finally registered the greenette's appearance. The bluenette barely had enough time to react as she saw him raise both arms above him and prepared to slam them on her horn. The blue Oni was able to grab both hands before they could reach her horn. However, even though Rem had restrained both of his arms, broken his kneecap, and sternum, Midoriya continued struggling to reach her horn as the blue-haired maid was having trouble keeping her hold on him.

"Why are you resisting so much?! Why won't you just die!?" The blue Oni angrily yelled.

"I can't die... not yet..." The greenette said gritting his teeth as he continued pushing against his co-workers' grip as he reeled his head back.

"Not until I save you Rem!"

*Slam*

Slamming his head forward, he finally was able to make contact against Rem's horn as it slowly dissipated. He also hit her hard against her forehead with the attack. Blood trickled down Izuku's head and onto the blue maid as his headbutt caused the bluenette to lose her strength, releasing her hold on him, as both landed next to one another as the two quickly succumbed to their exhaustion.

Kremaldy Forest

Trees, shrubs, bushes, insects, nothing out of the ordinary came from this forest at first glance. However, the area was known for the Mabeasts that inhabited it, roaming around to find their next meal and anyone unfortunate to stumble upon them. So, you would be forgiven to think it wasn't so dangerous if you saw a ruby-eyed little girl running through it without instantly getting mauled.

Eri did not know for how long or how far she has been running, all that she knew was that she had to leave, preferably without others noticing so that she didn't cause further trouble. As to how she came to this conclusion, it was because of what was happening at the mansion. Like the servants, the small girl did not know what occurred between her green-haired caretaker and Miss Rem. It was only when she overheard what the other servants heard that she understood why.

"What is Ram and Izuku discussing about? It looks like it's getting really heated between them."

"I think it's something about Eri."

"Yeah, something about having the witches scent."

"She has the witches scent! Does that mean she's a cultist?"

"There have been stories of kids being members."

"So, she's the reason that Izuku and Rem were fighting?"

Eri remembered their words as she felt tears form at the edge of her eyes.

"People will get hurt and die because of you Eri..." The ruby-eyed little girl heard Overhaul's voice say as she ran faster as if that would get his voice to stop.

"Didn't I tell you that you didn't need help, you're a monster, a curse to everyone." The platinum-haired little girl continued to hear his voice as she closed her eyes tightly, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes.

"But Deku... he sai- Ahh!" Eri yelped in surprise as she didn't see a root that was sticking out of the ground, causing her to trip and fall into an open grass spot with trees surrounding it. The little horned girl would try to pick herself up but felt a sting in her right knee. Glancing down, she noticed the scrape on her knee. The small girl reached to her cut and press her hand on it to stop the stinging, but it remained as she began to hear his laughter.

The little horned girl heard his laughter coming from the trees in front of her. Fearful, she raised her head from the ground and looked towards the tree line and saw a shadowy figure step out from one of the trees, and while he appeared as a shadow-like figure, she knew that figure to be that of her tormentor, Overhaul.

"Hahaha... do you think that he or even that maid will want to save you after all the suffering you've created?" Overhaul said in a mocking tone as Eri remained frozen in fear as she saw his eyes glow a bright red that only furthered that instinctive fear that was holding her. She saw as the shadowy form of Overhaul took a step towards her, the ruby-eyed little girl saw him raise his arm with an open palm towards her. Eri could do nothing but watch as she knew what would come next.

"Remember Eri... no matter where you go... or what that 'Hero' or maid say... you will always belong to me..." Overhaul taunted as the small girl saw him run at her, causing the little horned girl to close her eyes in fear.

"Fura!"

*Slash*

*Splat*

Eri heard a shout followed by the sound of wind and splatter in front of her as she wondered why the pain never came. The ruby-eyed little girl slowly opened her eyes as she saw in front of her was an Ulgram. It appeared to have been sliced in half with both halves of its body landing on either side of her with both its organs and blood on the grass in front of her. The small girl looked at the deceased body of the creature as she realized that the shadowy figure that she thought to be Overhaul was just a Mabeast.

"Eri!" The platinum-haired little girl heard coming from behind. She turned towards the voice and saw Ram running to her.

"M-Miss Ram?" The platinum-haired little girl said as the pinkett knelt in front of her.

"Eri, are you ok?! What happened?! Why did you run into this forest?! You know it's dangerous, Frederica even told you! Do you realize how much danger you put yourself in?! How worried Deku would have been if he heard you were here?!" The pink-haired maid scolded the small girl as Eri saw the worry and frustration on the maid's face. The ruby-eyed little girl dropped her gaze down as she realizes the trouble that she was causing everyone once more. Before Ram could continue, she heard quiet sobbing coming from the little horned girl.

"I'm sorry*Hiccup*... I caused a lot of trouble for you and the others Miss Ram... I heard from the others*Hiccup* that I'm the reason you got angry at Deku... that it's because I smell like the witch*Hiccup* that Deku and Miss Rem are fighting... Overhaul was right*Hiccup* I cause too much trouble for everyone..." The pinkett heard the small girl cry in front of her as tears made their way down her cheek. Internally the pink-haired maid was cursing both at herself for having just shouted at Eri after being nearly mauled by a Mabeast and also at the servants for saying those things around the small girl. Ram watched in worry at how Eri would belittle herself, throwing herself into danger because she believed herself to be too much trouble for Deku and the others. The pinkett reached a hand towards the little horned girl but hesitated as she watched her flinch when she got close, pulling her hand back.

"Eri listen, you aren't causing any trouble, not for me, not for Frederica, and certainly not for Deku." She said in a soft voice as Eri hiccupped quietly.

"But*Hiccup*... but why is Miss Rem and Deku fighting?" The ruby-eyed little girl asked.

"It was a misunderstanding between them that got out of hand. But for why they're fighting has nothing to do with you. You did nothing wrong Eri, ok?" Ram said in a soft voice once more as the small girl had her head still down as she heard her occasionally hiccup.

"Eri, we have to return to the mansion?" The pinkett said as she saw the little horned girl raise her head slightly towards the maid as her eyes were puffy red.

"W-Why?"

"It's because there's people that care about you. People that you are important to." Ram said as Eri watched her with curiosity as the pinkett continued.

"You matter Eri. You saw how much you matter to Frederica, how much she cares about you, how she would give you snacks and play with you whenever Deku was needed on a dangerous chore like the roofing. Or Deku, how important you are to him. If the fool could, he would probably find a way to move both the land and sky if he knew you were in danger. You mean a lot to him, he would do anything to make sure you are safe and happy Eri." Ram said as she saw the platinum-haired little girl looking as though in thought at her words.

"Eri, let me ask you this, when you are with Frederica or Deku, do you feel safe?" The maid asked as the ruby-eyed little girl nodded her head.

"Have they ever made you cry?" She asked with the small girl shaking her head. It was these questions that got Eri to recall her time with them. Frederica showed great care for her, showing her kindness that she didn't even think was possible, and making her feel safe. Deku, always stood by her side, teach her about their world, played with her, cared for her whenever she felt sad or belittled herself, or how he would hold her hand when she slept at night in the first few days, he would always be there for her. Then there was that other figure that would hold her hand at night when Deku couldn't. She doesn't know who they are or why they do it, but they helped keep her nightmares away and the warmth she felt from them made her feel safe.

Eri started to realize how much they cared about her, how she mattered to them. It was that realization that caused her to begin to cry again because of how worried they must've been. Ram smiled softly as her words got the small girl to realize how important she was to them. However, a small thought came to her that caused a realization to dawn on her as her smile turned into a crestfallen one as she asked her next question.

"Eri, do you feel comfortable around me?" The pink-haired maid asked softly as she saw Eri sob quietly as she held her head down timidly, almost as if scared to answer.

"Don't be scared to answer. I ask because I want to help you feel safe." Ram said as she saw the little horned girl wipe away the tears with her sleeve as she shook her head side to side slowly. Even though the pink-haired maid knew the answer, it unknowingly stung her internally seeing her response.

"Have I made you cry before?" The pinkett asked softly as she received the same answer as the last question.

"When I and Deku met the tall mister, you looked scary when you threatened Deku." The ruby-eyed little girl said timidly. Even if it was right before she was given her order, Ram still rebuke herself for that mistake of hers both because it's what caused the small girl to be wary of her but also made the girl cry in fear. The pinkett remained silent as she watched the little horned girl keep her head down, she felt as though she was seeing a little Rem in how Eri behaved and acted. The more the pink-haired maid watched this worrying behavior from the platinum-haired little girl, the more that small part deep within her began to grow as she wanted to keep her safe and protected.

"Eri... I understand that you don't feel comfortable with me. After all, I haven't given you much of a reason for you to trust me if you could tell that my actions were less than genuine." Ram said as Eri kept her head down, avoiding the pink maids' eyes.

"However, know that from today onward I'll be more genuine with you. I won't make you cry like that day; I promise." Ram said as the small girl looked up in the direction of the pink-haired maid. Left thinking for a moment, the ruby-eyed little girl then extended her right-hand pinkie towards the maid who looked at her curiously.

"Pinkie promise?" She asked, confusing the pinkett.

"Deku said that if you want to make a promise and not break it, you wrap each other's pinkies and pinkie promise." Eri said as it got Ram to internally wonder what bizarre things the greenette has taught the small girl. Seeing how this was the little horned girl's way of making sure the pinkett kept her promise, she extended her right pinkie towards Eri's.

"Promise." Ram said before separating their pinkies with the two standing up.

"Uhh... Miss Ram?"

"Hm?" The pink-haired maid looked curiously at the little horned girl.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Eri asked timidly as the pinkett was about to respond until she halted herself. It was here that Ram began to recall her early conversation with her senior.

"...be more genuine around her... she's a little girl who needs all the genuine people in the world." Those words got the pink-haired maid to stop and think about her response. She tried reasoning that it was just her duty as a maid but then why did she run out of the mansion without a thought upon realizing that Eri went into the forest alone, why she would instinctively try to comfort the small girl before stopping herself, or why did it sting her internally when hearing she didn't feel safe around her. Ram tried to find the answer to give to the ruby-eyed little girl who was looking up at her expectingly for a response.

"The reason..."

*Growl*

*Snarl*

Both Ram and Eri heard snarls a few meters away from them as they turned towards the woods that was in front of the pair and saw a group of Ulgrams appearing from behind the trees and bushes.

'Great, just what I needed.' The pink-haired maid frustratingly thought as she prepared herself to fight until she looked down in front of her and noticed the fear frozen Eri looking at the Ulgram as though she was seeing death itself. It was that look that got the pinkett to change her plans as she shifted her sight towards the watchful Mabeasts.

"Eri, don't be scared of what I'm about to do." Ram said as before the ruby-eyed little girl could let her words sink, the pink-haired maid picked her up and whipped her hand towards the Mabeasts.

"Fura!" Ram launched a blade of wind at the Ulgram group as she ran back the way the two came with the remaining Ulgrams giving chase after them soon after.

By the time, Eri realize what had happened, she noticed that Ram was currently holding onto her protectively as the pair were going through the forest at a fast pace. However, that did not mean that they were home free as the small girl noticed the Mabeasts running towards them, causing her to grab tightly onto the maid's uniform and tuck her head against her carrier. This didn't go unnoticed by the pinkett who turned her head slightly behind her as she saw the approaching Ulgram. Needing to create some distance between them, Ram used one of the ground roots to jump off of, twisting in mid-air, unwrapping an arm from around Eri as she aimed toward the group of Mabeasts.

"Fura!" She yelled as a blade of wind shot out from her palm and sliced through everything in its path. From Mabeasts and trees, even some of the cut trees fell onto the pursuing creatures. This strategy, while not eliminating the threat, gave the pair some distance away from the Ulgrams. Upon landing, Ram continued running towards where her Master's home should be.

'What in the world is happening to me?!' Ram frustratingly thought as it made her wonder what in the world was she thinking. She had a plan of attack and yet threw it out when she saw the state of the little horn girl. However, she couldn't dwell in her thoughts for long as she heard the incoming snarls of the Mabeasts approaching, causing her to repeat her last attack once more to give them more distance away from the creatures. That was the pinkett's strategy as she ran, the Ulgrams would get close to them, Ram would cut down some of them, distance themselves away from the Mabeast until they got close to the pair once more whereupon the pink maid repeated the tactic and for some time, this tactic worked.

However, the longer Ram kept doing it, the more she felt her Mana reserves be drained to the point where the Ulgrams were either not being killed in one blow or outright dodging her attacks. The pinkett started to realize that she may have underestimated how quickly she was going through her reserves as she was starting to feel exhaustion and sluggishness in her movements. However, when she felt the small girl in her arms grab onto her, knowing that she was her only defense against the creatures, it only got Ram to continue moving forward. Thankfully, it appeared that things were looking up for the pair as the pink-haired maid saw the mansion coming into view which got her feeling slight relief knowing they had a small distance to co-

*Snarl*

Ram was suddenly tackled from her side, not taking notice of a Mabeast that had charged ahead of its pack to blind-side her. It, the pinkett, and the ruby-eyed little girl all fell down a slope, away from their destination as they hit various brushes, branches, and roots along the way, during which the pink-haired maid would try to keep her protective hold of the little horned girl. As they reached the bottom, the Ulgram would slam into one of the trees along the way, stopping its fall but not killing it. Ram and Eri continued their fall with the pair stopping when the pinkett's back slammed against a bolder. The impact caused Ram to lose her hold on Eri who tumbled to the ground herself, just a few feet away from the maid as it was revealed to be a small clearing with rock walls several feet tall all around them, with the only way out being the slope from which they came from.

The pink-haired maid would be stunned for a few moments as she tried lifting herself from the bolder and get to Eri who herself was also recovering from the fall. As for the Ulgram, it quickly got back up as it ran down towards the defenseless Eri as the small girl saw the creature lunge towards her, ready to sink in its teeth. However, before it could, Ram had used the boulder to push herself towards the Mabeast, tackling it away from Eri, grabbing it by its hind legs and with anger swelling inside her, she swung the Ulgram as hard as she could against the boulder as its head erupted on impact.

"*Pant*...Eri!" The pinkett yelled as she threw the Mabeast aside and went to check on the little horned girl and aside from a few scratches, she appeared to be alright. Though that small moment of relief did not last as the pair soon heard the growls and snarls of the other Ulgram that had followed after them coming down the slope.

"There's... so many of them." Eri said as Ram knew this to be true as well. In her current state, exhaustion was beginning to set in, just having enough Mana to keep herself from going prone like last time. It was bleak for them as the pinkett saw fighting the Mabeasts as near suicide if it were to last too long. She turned her gaze towards the small girl behind her as it got the pinkett to focus her resolve. Taking a glance at her surroundings, she lifted the little horned girl before placing her close to the rock wall that was behind them.

"M-miss Ram?" Eri asked in confusion and worry as to what the pink maid is about to do as Ram turned to face the ruby-eyed little girl.

"Eri, everything will be ok. I'll keep you safe, I swear." The pinkett said as her words reminded the small girl of what her green-haired caretaker would say to her. Ram shifted her attention back to the incoming Mabeasts, taking some steps forward to make sure that Eri was a safe distance away from what was about to happen. The pink maid focused on the first Ulgram that lunged at her as she grabbed it by its throat before delivering a strike to its skull, a crack was heard as the creature went limp in her grasp. Another Ulgram would charge at Ram and without wasting a second, she used the body of the Mabeast to smack the creature away with incredible force as it crashed through a tree. Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw two Ulgrams making their way around her and towards the ruby-eyed little girl. The pink-haired maid would throw the dead Mabeast in her grasp towards the two Ulgrams as it crashed into them. Then, as the two creatures tried to get up, the pinkett would leap towards them and slammed both of her fists into their skulls, killing them.

*Snarl*

"Ugh!" Ram released a grunt of pain as she felt the teeth of an Ulgram sink into her right shoulder. Reaching for its head, the pinkett threw the creature onto the ground in front of her as she stomped on the head of the Ulgram. As she tried refocusing her sight back to the other Mabeasts, she noticed that one of them had cornered Eri against a boulder.

"Eri!" The pink-haired maid yelled as she ran toward her but was tackled down by another Ulgram. The creature would try to bite the pinkett who would use one hand to move its mandible away while looking back to where the platinum-haired little girl was and using her available hand, she aimed at the Mabeast next to her.

"Fura!" Ram yelled as a blade of wind cut through the creature, killing it. Knowing that the ruby-eyed little girl was safe for the time being. The pink-haired maid focused on the Mabeast currently over her as she grabbed the top and bottom part of its jaw and started pulling them as far as possible until a loud crack and pop happened as the Ulgram's jaw was ripped from its head. The pinkett pushed the dead body of the Mabeast off of her as she got to her knees and began to cough violently as she spat out some blood. This was not a good sign for Ram as she knew that she had gone far beyond her limit. However, the pinkett's would see more Mabeasts aiming for the smaller girl and before she could think, she was already running towards her with her arm raised towards the creature.

"Fura!" Ram yelled, coughing out once more as her attack sliced through the Mabeasts with those that managed to evade the wind blade having their skulls crushed by the pinkett who kept killing Mabeast after Mabeast.

Eri felt her eyes water as she watched the pink maid continue to accumulate damage from not only the Ulgram's attacks but also from overexerting herself as the small girl saw the pinkett coughing out blood with each magic attack she made. The longer it went, the more Eri would see Ram continually push herself, with the pink-haired maid becoming sloppier as the Ulgrams were landing more hits on her and even when it appears that she couldn't move and coughing out more blood, the pinkett would continue fighting. Not just that but the platinum-haired little girl noticed how Ram would throw caution out the air when she was in danger, such as when an Ulgram had the small girl cornered and when it pounced on her, the pinkett came in between the two as the Mabeast sank its teeth into the right arm of the maid before being killed with its head being smashed in. This all reached its climax when after punching through the ribcage of an Ulgram, the pinkett fell to a knee as she continued coughing out more blood.

"M-Miss Ram..." Eri fearfully said after seeing the lengths that the pink-haired maid was going through to protect her. The pinkett turned her head towards the small girl who had a scared, tearful look.

"Eri..." Ram muttered out as the little horned girls' guilt only grew as she saw the state of the pink maid. Her uniform was bloodied from both the Mabeast and her blood, it was ripped in some areas along with missing one of her sleeves, and blood was dripping down from her mouth. Before anything else could be said, growls and snarls were heard. The two looked over to the slope and saw more Mabeasts coming after the pair. The pink-haired maid forced herself to stand despite her condition. Moving in front of the small girl, the pinkett spread her arms out.

"Fura..." Ram said, coughing out more blood as the wind magic began to surround the pair in a dome, keeping the Ulgrams out and slicing through any that tried to break through it. However, with her Mana being as low as it is, the pink-haired maid was having difficulty keeping the wind dome up as her arms were shaking along with coughing out more blood.

"Please..." The pink maid heard coming from behind her as she felt her skirt be grabbed. She turned her head slightly as she saw Eri, tears threatening to fall down her cheek, grabbing onto her skirt with a tight grip.

"Please run... don't die because of me..." Eri said quietly as Ram's eyes expanded at what the small girl was asking of her. It was this request that caused something inside the pinkett to surface as she focused her attention forward, gritting her teeth, and began calling upon her Oni bloodline. Despite losing her horn, she could go into her Oni form by unfastening shackles to better manage the form, though the drawbacks were severe. Despite knowing the risk it brought, the pink-haired maid called on this when necessary, and right now, it was a necessity. She released one of the shackles on her Oni powers, feeling part of her former strength return to her as she looked at the group of Mabeast in front with one goal in mind.

"GUAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ram shouted as she released everything within her. The wind that surrounded the pair shot out, slicing and cutting the Ulgrams into mincemeat as the blades of wind continued to travel even after that, going through some of the trees and boulders that surrounded the two before stopping. Eri watched the Mabeasts be turned into nothing more than blood splatters as she looked up at the pink-haired maid in awe at what she was able to do. She saw as the pinkett dropped both arms to her side, turning to face her as the little horned girl saw a glowing pink slit in the center of her forehead. Eri's eyes expanded as her talk with Ram from days earlier came to mind as she realized that the Oni they were talking about was in front of her.

"Eri... are you ok?" The pink maid asked through ragged breath as the ruby-eyed little girl tore her attention away from the slit as she nodded.

"That's good... to kn-"

*Thump*

Ram felt an intense pain shoot through her entire body that resulted in the center of her forehead bursting out blood. Eri's awe turn into horror as she saw the pink-haired maid fall to her knees, coughing and vomiting out blood. The ruby-eyed little girl saw as blood coated the ground between them before stopping as she saw the pinkett try to breathe as blood drip down from her mouth and forehead.

"Are... are you ok?" The platinum-haired little girl asked fearfully as the pinkett raised her head to hers.

"I... went through everything I had... I'm sorry you... had to see that..." Ram said weakly as it got the small girl to look down at the now crimson ground as she ball her fists and felt her eyes sting once more.

"Why... why are you protecting me? I cause a lot of trouble for everyone. You got hurt because of me. Why are you hurting yourself so much for me? Why didn't you leave me?" Eri felt a tear go down her cheek as the memory of Lemillion, Deku, Frederica, and now Ram getting hurt because of her played in her mind as she felt as though she was just a curse, that she should have died or be left behind so that others could stop getting hurt because of her. Though, in an act that surprised her, she felt her right hand be grabbed as she opened her eyes and saw Ram holding her hand gently as she gave her a soft smile. The ruby-eyed little girl looked into the eyes of the maid and saw warmth and care in them as they looked back at her own ruby eyes. That was when Eri looked down at their joint hands, her eyes expanded in realization as she felt the same familiar warmth that she had been looking for, the same warmth that protected her from the nightmares. The ruby-eyed little girl felt the tears threatening to fall as she held onto the hand of the pinkett tightly to make sure that they didn't fade away.

"W-Why?" The platinum-haired little girl said as she felt the pink-haired maid squeeze her hand back gently in acknowledgment.

"When we talked about the Oni, when you were describing yourself like one... I didn't understand it then, but now I know why I wanted to protect you... it's because I saw how hurt you were... you suffered as I did once... I don't know what it is that you went through before meeting Deku... but I don't need know that you're a little girl that suffered too much too early in your life... it's why I won't abandon you... it's why I want to protect you... it's why I wouldn't hesitate... to do it again..." Ram finished saying as she saw Eri trying to hold her tears back as the pinketts words sank in. The small girl could see that this was not an act made by the pink maid as she didn't appear to be forcing herself to appear more friendly to the little horned girl, this was Ram being honest with her.

Then, without hesitation, Eri hugged the pinkett tightly as her small hands grabbed onto her uniform as she let go of her tears. Ram was surprised by the action as she didn't expect the little horned girl to hug her. After her surprise passed, the pinkett enveloped Eri in a hug and caressed the head of the platinum-haired little girl to calm her down. The small girl continued to cry into the maids' uniform as she didn't care about the blood that got on her as all she wanted was to keep being in the pink-haired maid's warm embrace. After a few moments, Ram separated from the hug as she looked over the slope they fell from as their destination was some distance away from the top as the pinkett turned to face the little horned girl.

"Let's go home, Eri."

Roswaal's Mansion (Rooftop)

"*Groan*" Izuku groaned in pain as he was beginning to regain his consciousness. He felt as though his entire body was in pain. His head, leg, arm, chest, and every movement he made felt painful to him. Breathing felt difficult as it was shallow and hurt with each breath he took. He felt the broken roofing tiles underneath him shift with each movement he made as it began to register where he was. At the moment, the greenette was lying near the roof's edge with his right arm dangling off the side. Midoriya would glance at the destroyed back garden as he saw craters and dirt piles littering the area below him. He recalled his and his co-workers' confrontation ending with him slamming his head against her horn to stop her.

"Is it finally over?" Izuku murmured to himself as he tried to move his head towards where the blue Oni was to no avail as he started to notice some of the servants below coming out from the mansion, looking up to where he was.

"Why?" The greenette heard from his side. He felt a cold sweat hearing the bluenette's voice. However, there was an emptiness in her tone that made him stop and wonder why. He tried to turn his head to face her, but his body refused to listen as if the only thing he could do was listen to what she had to say.

"Why are you trying to help me? Why is a cultist like you saying you'll save me? Why would you want to save someone worthless like me?" Midoriya heard Rem question him as she said one word that he was all too familiar with, worthless.

"Sister... she was amazing, she was able do everything perfectly, she was the best out of the two of us. I am nothing next to her, I'm worthless! I can never do a fraction of what she could do because no matter what, all I am and will be is my sisters' replacement! She should have had both of our horns! She should have been the only one born! So why would you want to save someone that has nothing of worth?!" The blue Oni cried out in anger at the end as she shed a few tears as her guilt from all those years came out.

For Rem, her older twin was perfect. Compared to herself, the younger twin couldn't do a fraction of what her sister could. But no matter what, Ram loved her even when Rem didn't love herself. Then the night their village was attacked, Ram protected her. Despite the stench of the witch and the smell of burning corpses imprinting itself in the bluenette's mind, there was one thought and feeling that forever haunted her from that day forward... It was the relief she felt when she saw her sisters' horn be sliced off.

'It's finally off.'

Though brief, she was quickly overwhelmed by guilt in what she felt. Ram was her sister, her family, the one that loved and cared for her when she was their village disappointment. Yet she repaid her kindness by feeling joy in seeing her horn be taken, rendering her a shadow of her former self. Rem hated herself for what she felt, she couldn't forgive herself for that.

It's why from that day onward, she vowed that if her sister couldn't get her horn back, then she would be her older twin's horn. That was her atonement, the reason she worked as hard as she did, to pay a debt that can never be repaid for the sin she committed against her sister. As Rem finished, she began to hear a quiet sob from Izuku. The bluenette looked at him in confusion at his reaction.

"It feels unbearable, doesn't it... being alone in that void... reminded of your worthlessness... that no matter what you do, it feels as though your life doesn't have much worth..." The greenette said as the blue maid looked at him, both angry and confused at him describing how she felt.

"What do you know ab-"

"I know... because I've been there my whole life..." The blue maid heard, her expression softening as her full attention was now on Izuku.

"Since I can remember... all I've ever wanted... was to be a Hero... but everyone said I couldn't be one... that I should just give up on that dream... no one believed I could be a Hero... Even my mentor, the Hero who inspired me, at one point told me to dream realistically... because to everyone, I would always just be worthless... it's why I got the name... Deku... " Midoriya said with a shaky voice, letting his tears drop when reminiscence those painful years as Rem's eyes expanded in realization as she heard his story and the meaning behind his name.

"Even when I was given this opportunity... to become a Hero... it felt like I was just lucky... I saw that there was someone better suited than me... someone that could be a symbol to others... someone... that should have been given this opportunity over me..." Izuku let slip his insecurities about being O.F.A's successor and knowing how someone like Togata would be a better successor than he ever could.

"Then why? Why are you still holding on to that dream? There's someone better suited than you so why did you continue?" Rem asked. Using what little strength he had, Midoriya shifted his head, ignoring the pain and broken tile under him to face her. The roof crumbled slightly underneath him as he looked at Rem and noticed tears running down her cheek. Having a clear view of the greenette, the blue maid could see the pain in his eyes.

"It's because... of the support I received... my friends, my mentor, my mom, and Eri... it's because of them that I can keep moving forwards... so that their efforts aren't wasted in helping me become a Hero... one that gives people hope when they hear the name Deku... one who saves everyone with a smile..." Izuku said as Rem watched him silently. The bluenette felt anger, not at Midoriya but at herself. It got her to reflect and realize how weak she was when compared to him.

Here was someone that lived his whole life just like her, yet Midoriya didn't turn out like her. Even when the world was against him, even when he knew there was someone better than him, even when reminded of his worthlessness, Izuku didn't give up, he still wanted to help others. Whereas herself, she accepted her fate of being in her sisters' shadow, and even when her older twin lost her horn, she accepted that she was just an inferior version of her. Rem accepted her fate of being a disappointment, being nothing more than her sister's replacement. Yet Izuku didn't, he kept pushing forward even when fate pushed back.

"So please... don't say that you're worthless... you have people that care for you... Frederica, Roswaal, and Ram especially... she loves you more than anything in this world... I've seen her worry about you, be happy about you, and say all the great things about you... you're the world to her..." The bluenette heard him say as she felt tears down her cheek at how her sister sees her despite what she thought of herself.

"Sister, she's... *Sob*." Rem silently cried as she let her grief spill with Midoriya letting the blue Oni have a moment to herself. The blue-haired maid faced him once more as tears came down her eyes.

"I'm sorry... I really... am worthless, aren't I?" The bluenette asked tearfully.

"You are far from being worthless Rem... you just have to see it." The greenette said as he heard the sobs from the blue Oni.

"But I don't know how when that is all Rem knows what she is."

"Even if you don't believe it yourself... even if you don't believe me... I know there will be someone that you will believe in... when they tell you those words you've wanted to hear... don't lose hope..." Midoriya said as Rem listened to his words. She turned her attention to the serene sky above them, it got the blue-haired maid to let his words sink in.

"Don't lose hope..." The bluenette muttered to herself.

"And Rem..." The blue-Oni heard the greenette call her as she turned to meet him.

"I know that we started on bad terms, but... what if we start over again, as friends?" Midoriya asked as Rem looked at him in surprise.

"I know that there are things you are uncertain about me... you may not trust me... but I hope that I can help clear any doubt that you may have." Izuku said. Then, using what little energy he had left, he moved his left arm from his side towards the blue-haired maid with his palm facing up.

"Let me prove that to you..." The greenette said as the blue Oni looked at his opened hand for a moment. Rem was confused. Midoriya had the witch's scent, the same scent of the people that burned her village and took her sister's horn, he could very well be deceiving her. Yet when she looked at him, all she could see was the pain he endured through his life, words that held too much weight to be faked, and seeing him try to help her put that into question. She may have judged him as a cultist based on his scent but after hearing him, the bluenette started to see that her judgment was misplaced on him, that he wasn't her enemy. Making her decision, the blue-haired maid reached out towards his and-

*Crumble*

Just as her hand was about to reach his, Rem heard the crumbling of the roof give way to where the greenette was as it began to fall apart right where her co-worker was over. She tried to extend her hand outward to grab his hand to prevent his fall but like before, he was just out of her reach. All she could do was watch as he fell over the ledge. However, before he left her sight, the bluenette saw as Midoriya looked at her and gave her a kind smile, one that began to break her inside. The blue-haired maid felt her eyes water again as even when he was in danger, he still made sure that she was ok. It made her grief worsen as there was no one to blame for this situation but herself as it was her impulsiveness and her brashness that led to Izuku being heavily injured and now dying because of her.

As for the greenette, he tried to make his body move but to no avail, even tried to activate O.F.A. as a last-ditch effort. However, before he could do so, he felt himself being grabbed tightly from the air, whereupon he felt the person who grabbed him land on a patch of undisturbed grass.

"Are you alright, Izuku?"

"Huh?" Midoriya asked as he looked up at the worried expression of his rescuer.

"Frederica?" The greenette asked as the blonde-haired maid nodded.

"Yeah, it's me." Frederica said as she lay him gently on the soft grass.

"Rem left you in really bad shape." The beast woman commented as Izuku looked back up to where he fell just moments ago.

"Frederica is Rem-" Midoriya said before seeing the blonde beast woman raise a hand to stop him.

"She's still in the roof, I'm going to go get her down in a moment. Afterward, I'll be taking you both inside so that Lady Beatrice can treat you two." She said as it got him to release a sigh of relief.

"Thank you... for everything." Midoriya said as he felt the blonde caress the top of his head.

"It's no problem." Frederica said as Izuku remembered what he had accidentally done to the blonde earlier.

"Frederica... I'm sorry for-

"Don't apologize for it Izuku. It was an accident and due to my beast blood injuries like those heal in no time." Frederica said as the greenette looked down guiltily at his action but took his seniors' word for it. As the two finished their talk, the blonde-haired maid heard murmurs coming from some of the servants. Now that the conflict was over, the servants took in the destruction left by the two young servants.

"Such destructive power from those two?"

"Is it alright if Rem is let go without consequence after this?"

"What about the boy? He did as much damage as her?"

"But they're just kids."

"Kids that could kill most of us if they're left to do what they want."

The blonde Beast woman was beginning to feel irked at what she was hearing as she turned her attention towards the group of servants.

"Whatever comment you may have on them, I would prefer that you keep them to yourselves unless you want to address them to Master Roswaal." Frederica said which quickly got the whispers to go silent. Having settled the matter, she turned her attention towards the roof as she prepared to retrieve her blue-haired junior.

"Frederica, w-wait!" The blonde maid heard a shout break through the crowd as the beast woman turned towards the maid that called for her, the same maid that Ram talked to earlier.

"Yes, Felicia?" Frederica asked in concern as to why the maid appeared erratic which didn't go unnoticed by Izuku who turned his head to face them.

"I... I knew I should have said this earlier but when you and Izuku were fighting Rem and with you getting knocked unconscious I didn't have the chance an-" The blonde-haired maid would raise a hand to slow down the maid.

"Felicia, what are you trying to tell me?"

"It's Ram, she ran into the forest looking for Eri!" The maid blurted as it got all the color in Frederica and Izuku to drain upon hearing this.

"What?! How long ago was this?!" The blonde shouted in worry with the maid getting startled by the yell.

"I-It was a bit after you and Izuku started fighting Rem. Ram asked where Eri was but we didn't know where she was. It was only when I notice the scarf you gave her was on one of the bushes of the forest that I told Ram and she left without saying anything." The maid said as it got both Izuku and Frederica to be filled with dread at the news. It meant that the two have been gone for a while and had yet to return to them. Realizing this, the blonde-haired maid turned to face the maid.

"Where did you last see them?" Frederica asked.

"When I last saw Ram, she was entering the forest through the far-left side and-

*Crackling*

Both the maid and the beast woman were interrupted as the pair and group of servants saw green sparks coming out of the greenettes body as he was willing himself to stand up. Frederica watched in shock at the resilience and perseverance that her green-haired junior was showing. The blonde saw him make it to his feet, even though she could tell that he was struggling just to stand with him leaning more on his left leg than his right. Then, without wasting a second, she saw Izuku hobble his way towards the forest, causing her to snap out of her shock as the blonde-haired maid instantly went and grabbed her junior before he could get far.

"Izuku, stop!" The blonde Beast woman yelled as she planted her feet on the ground to prevent the greenette from moving forward, which wasn't much but she didn't want to run the risk.

"It's ok... I can still-"

"No, you clearly can't. You're barely able to stand or breath. Just rest up and-"

"Wait, I think I see them!" One of the butlers yelled, causing both Izuku and Frederica to turn their attention towards where the butler was pointing which was the direction from where the maid said she last saw Ram and Eri.

After their encounter with the Mabeast, the ruby-eyed little girl and pinkett made their way out from the small clearing towards the mansion. The pink-haired maid nearly lost her consciousness many times as she walked, but thankfully, the support from the small girl was enough to make sure she didn't lose her balance and fall.

"Thank you Eri..." Ram thanked the platinum-haired little girl.

"A-are you going to be ok?" Eri asked with worry as the pinkett patted her head gently.

"I will be..." The pink maid replied as they two continued their way through until they were near the edge of the forest.

"W-were almost there Miss Ram." The small girl said as she looked at the mansion. She watched as servants, along with Frederica holding onto an injured Deku, looked in the direction they were coming from.

"It seems... that they noticed our absence..." Ram said as she felt the little horned girl grab her hand tightly, causing her to look down at her and notice the frown on her face.

"Eri, it'll be ok..." The pinkett said as all she got as a response was Eri grabbing her hand tighter as they continued going forward. As for Frederica and Izuku, their relief turned to ones of worry as they saw a scuffed Eri with dry blood on her and a bloodied Ram who was limping towards them.

'Ram, what happened?' Both blonde-haired maid and greenette thought as they watched the approaching pair. However, their troubles were not over yet as from a fair distance away from Ram and Eri they saw a Mabeast charging at the vulnerable pair.

"Oh no... Ram! Eri!" Frederica yelled as she let go of Midoriya and began running as fast as she could towards them. Izuku would try to run as well but the moment he tried, he put too much weight on his right leg, buckling under him, and causing him to stumble and fall.

'Damn it! Body, don't quit on me now!' Midoriya thought as he tried pushing himself back up once more. As for Ram and Eri, they heard the shout from the blonde Beast woman as they saw her wave to the side and noticed the Ulgram running towards them. Not wasting a moment, both the pink maid and ruby-eyed little girl began to move as fast as possible out of the woods. They got relatively close to the edge until the pinkett heard a yelp from her side along with feeling Eri let go of her hand, causing her to turn back and see that the small girl had tripped on one of the roots on the ground.

"No!" Frederica yelled as she tried in vain to reach them. As for Izuku, he tried hobbling himself towards the pair but like the blonde before him, he wasn't going to reach them in his state as he saw the Ulgram getting ever closer to them.

By the time Ram had helped Eri up, she saw the Mabeast leap towards them. Realizing that she didn't have enough time to get them out of the way, the pinkett grabbed the small girl against herself as she turned away from the coming Ulgram, shielding Eri from the creature's attack.

'Please, no!' Midoriya thought as he outstretched his arm towards the pair with time appearing to slow down. The memory of when he couldn't reach Kaachan during the summer camp flashed in his mind as he desperately tried reaching Ram and Eri.

'I won't let it happen again! I have to reach them! I have to protect them! I have to... save them!'

*Blast*

The sound of an explosion was heard, catching the attention of the servants and Frederica as she saw a mass of black tendrils with green highlights shoot past her. She turned to the source and saw the tendrils were wildly coming out from the right arm of her green-haired junior. Ram felt something wrap itself around her before tightening as she looked and saw black tendrils going around her and Eri. Despite feeling as though his arm was being ripped apart, Izuku did not waste a moment's notice as he pulled his arm back, pulling both the pinkett and the little horn girl out of the forest and away from the Ulgram. However, he seemed to not take into account the amount of force he used in pulling them to him as both came straight at him. Realizing this, Midoriya would open both arms out as he grabbed the pair, and tumbled back before falling on his rear when he put too much weight on his injured leg with the black tendrils releasing the duo.

After her initial shock wore off at what just occurred, Frederica would try to approach the trio but would stop as she had to take a step back when one of the black tendrils lashed out in front of her. The blonde turned her gaze towards her green-haired junior and saw as he was currently clutching onto his right arm with a pained expression.

'I c-can't... stop it!' Midoriya thought, concentrating as hard as he could to stop the new power from going out of control as he continued to feel his right arm jerk and spasm with more black tendrils shooting out. Struggling to maintain any semblance of control, the greenette didn't know what else to do until he felt small arms around his injured torso.

"Deku..." Midoriya heard a familiar pinketts voice as he looked down at his chest and saw that Eri was hugging him from the front. Not only that, but he saw Ram look at him with a slightly displeased look in her eye as she raised her right hand at him as it lightly landed on his cheek, not hurting him but still feeling tender to the touch.

"You're scaring Eri..." The pink maid murmured to him as this got him to notice the trembling he was getting from the little horned girl. It got him to realize that the two girls in front of him were no longer in danger, that they were not going to get mauled, they were safe, and he had managed to save them. Izuku felt the overwhelming power calm down as the black tendrils slowly receded into his arm. Midoriya felt exhausted both physically and emotionally but not enough as he wrapped his arms against the ruby-eyed little girl that was hugging him and by extension, the pinkett, who had yet to release the small girl from her arms. Eri, felt the protective hold from both her green-haired caretaker and the pink maid as the two were like a protective wall around her.

"Eri, are you ok?"

Both of the servants asked the small girl who saw that both had soft smiles directed toward her. As she nodded, she heard the sign of relief come from the two of them.

"Thank goodness you're safe..." Izuku said as he tightened his hold around the two. Ram would have objected to being hugged by the greenette but right now, she was just too tired to argue, along with feeling relief that the platinum-haired little girls' life was safe from harm. Plus, even if she doesn't want to admit it, a small part of her thought it felt nice the embrace the three had. As for Eri, it got her to look at the two in awe. They were both heavily injured because of her but their first thought was to make sure that she was doing ok. Even though it was a simple question of worry, both it and the embrace the ruby-eyed little girl was getting from both of them was the most care and love she's ever felt in her life. The small girl began to tear up as she grabbed onto both of her protectors.

"Deku, Miss Ram, I'm sorry." Eri cried as she kept her head down. She then felt a hand land on top of her head as she saw it was her green-haired caretaker patting her head.

"It's ok Eri... you're safe... that's all that matters..." Midoriya said with a soft smile as the platinum-haired little girl felt her hand being grabbed gently. She saw that Ram had a kind smile as she held her hand in the same manner that kept the nightmares away.

"He's right Eri... Just promise that you'll be a good girl... and not do it again, ok?" Ram said as it got the little horned girl to nod her head rapidly at the request. Frederica watched the interaction between the trio as she smiled seeing her two juniors comfort the small girl. As for the ruby-eyed little girl, she felt at peace at that moment.

However, that joyful feeling would slowly crumble as she felt both the pink maids and her green-haired caretakers' hands slip away from her and watched as both fell to the ground motionless.

"Deku... Miss Ram..." Eri fearfully asked as Frederica made her way towards the trio, checking on her two juniors. As she went over the condition of the two, she noticed how their pulses were slowing down to the point that they were faint, their breathing was shallow, and their eyes were out of focus. The blonde turned toward the other servants that were observing the turn of events.

"Go find Lady Beatrice and bring her here as soon as possible." The blonde Beast woman said trying to remain calm which for the ruby-eyed little girl, only seemed to have made her more scared than anything as she looked down at both Ram and Deku.

"Frederica, Lady Beatrice could be at an-

"Then all of you open every door possible! They won't last much longer if treatment isn't given to them, now! " Frederica shouted with urgency. Unknown to her, this caused the little horned girls' eyes to expand in horror as she heard the news. She looked down at both the pink maid and greenette as she felt her eyes water as the two people that made her feel at peace for once in her life may die. Eri let her tears roll down her cheek as she reached down to Ram's left hand and Midoriya's right hand as she felt the warmth in their hand slowly fading away. Just as the servants were about to do as the blonde requested, they heard a familiar tone above them.

"My, my, myyy, what is happening here?" Every servant turned to see Roswaal, wearing his usual attire and makeup, arriving from the sky and landing in front of them with a look of curiosity.

"Master Roswaal!" The Lord heard as he watched Frederica make her way through the crowd of servants before stopping and bowing to him.

"Master Roswaal, you're back."

"But of course, my deeearest Frederica. The meeting ended earlier than anticipated. But do mind telling me what has haaapened here?" The Jester asked.

"I will have to hold on to that answer until later Master Roswaal. Izuku and Ram are in dire need of help right now." The blonde said as this got Roswaal to raise an eye at her as Frederica stepped to the side to show him Midoriya and to his surprise, Ram, covered in blood and injured. As he stared at his two injured servants, the Margrave turned to look at his damaged home. The garden was ruined. The once perfect greenery was just a landfill of craters. Sections of his home were missing with concrete, glass, and roofing tiles littering the ground. As he took in the destruction, he turned back to his two servants as confusion was written on his face.

'What is happening!? None of this was written!' Roswaal frustratingly thought as he watched the events around him unfold.

"Master Roswaal, we need to bring them to Lady Beatrice. I don't know how much longer they may have." Frederica said to the Margrave who looked at his servants. However, before he could say what their next action was said to be, the two began to hear the weeping of the small girl grow louder as she held onto both hands of the two injured juniors together.

"Please*Sob*... don't leave me... I don't want to be alone again*Sob*... Please don't die because of me..." The ruby-eyed little girl cried as tears rolled down her cheek. The blonde maid looked at the small girl in worry as she hasn't seen her be this emotionally distraught since their first meeting. As the blonde approached her carefully, both she and the Lord saw as the small horn on her forehead began to glow dimly yellow with sparkles coming out.

"Eri?" Frederica asked with worry in her tone at what she was doing with Roswaal looking on with curiosity, a sentiment shared by the other observing servants. They watched as the injuries that both Ram and Izuku had started to fade away rather quickly. They all watched as the slightly crooked leg of the greenette was straightened, the bite marks on the pinkett disappeared, and overall, the two were looking as though they weren't injured in the first place. As for Eri, she wasn't aware of what she was doing as she only cried into her two protector hands as her horn stopped glowing yellow, using up what little stored power she had.

Silence filled the air as everyone only watched what the platinum-haired little girl just demonstrated to them. Snapping out of her surprised state, Frederica went up to the trio to check on them and when she looked at the condition of both Midoriya and Ram after what the platinum-haired little girl did, she felt herself go speechless as she turned to face her Master who looked at her confused.

"They're stable." The blonde Beast woman said as a look of surprise befell all the servants as their attention turned towards the ruby-eyed little girl as they all didn't think that the small girl that was frightened by everyone could have such healing capabilities.

Roswaal, on the other hand, was watching in fascination as a grin appeared on his face. Now that he saw firsthand what Eri's power could do, he knew that the ruby-eyed little girl held the key to reviving his teacher. If she was capable of rewinding two people from the brink of death with what he presumes to be just a hint of her power, judging by how Eri's horn grew smaller afterward, then the Margrave could only think of the possibilities that could be done if she were to have more. As for Frederica, she knelt and turned her attention towards the small girl, silently hiccupping upon hearing the good news.

"Eri, is this your power that Izuku mentioned?" Frederica asked as she saw the little horned girl nod her head.

"*hiccup* I didn't make them disappear." Eri said with a tear rolling down her cheek. The blonde would smile softly at her as she reached forward with her thumb to wipe away the lone tear from the small girl.

"No, you saved them, Eri." The blonde maid said as she saw the girls' ruby eyes look at her with shock.

"I-I..." The platinum-haired little girl didn't get to finish as she began to fall to the ground but got caught by Frederica.

"It's ok Eri. You can rest now." The blonde said as the ruby-eyed little girl held onto Izuku and Ram's hand. Finally, after a chaotic morning that nearly ended in tragedy, it came to a close.

Sometime later

*Clink*Creak*Shuffle*

"*Groan*" Ram groaned out as the sounds woke her up. She didn't know for how long she was asleep, but the pink maid felt too tired and exhausted to reprimand whoever was causing such noise. Then the sound came to a stop. She heard another clink before hearing shuffling next to her.

"..am?..." The pink-haired maid heard a muffled voice say as she opened her eyes slowly, her vision being blurry for a moment before focusing as she stared up at a ceiling. It took her a second to register that she was no longer outside but in her bed.

'When was I get brought inside? And...' Ram's mind stopped as she felt a chill run up her back as she recalled the last feeling before she blacked out. Time slowing down, the world getting cold, and feeling as though she was losing herself, she didn't have any other way of describing it other than feeling as though she was dying. As the sensation passed, she stared at the ceiling with a single thought.

'How... am I alive?'

"Ram? Can you hear me?" The pinkett heard as she turned her head slightly to the side to see a worried-looking Frederica.

"Frederica?" The pink-haired maid asked as she raised herself from the bed, running her hand through her hair, and feeling light-headed for a moment.

"How are you feeling?"

"*Groan* Being woken up from my beauty sleep, I'm both tired and annoyed." The pinkett said, not meeting the eyes of her senior who she heard a sigh from.

"You say that but your sarcastic side seems to be doing fine." Frederica shot back as the two just looked at one another in annoyance. After removing her gaze, the pink Oni looked towards the window and noticed that it was nighttime.

"How long was I unconscious?" Ram asked

"You've been out for most of the day. Aside from Mana-Infusions, Lady Beatrice said all you needed was rest."

"And Eri? How is she?"

"Eri is doing well. I put her to sleep not too long ago." The Beast woman said as she saw her junior begin to get out of bed.

"Where are you going?" She asked as the pinkett put on her sandals.

"I have to go see her." Ram replied. Taking a step forward before being stopped by the older maid who grabbed her shoulder.

"What?" Ram asked in a confused tone.

"We need to talk."

"It can wait another time Frederica." The pink-haired maid said as she tried moving away but her senior kept a firm grip on her shoulder.

"No, we're talking about it now." Frederica said firmly. Seeing how her senior wasn't going to drop it, she exhaled a sigh and turned her head toward the older maid.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ram asked in an annoyed tone.

"Ram, when I left Eri with you I was under the impression that you were keeping her safe at the mansion. Not only did I learn that she went into the forest alone but that you also nearly died protecting her." Frederica said as the pinkett turned her head away from the blonde.

"You asked that I keep her safe and I did so I don't see the problem."

"The problem is that the whole situation could have been avoided had you been watchful of her. Tell me, what would you have done if you couldn't protect Eri and she died as a result?" The blonde maid said as her junior turned towards her with a serious expression.

"I wasn't going to let that happen."

"Can you keep that promise?" To which, Ram narrowed her eyes at the older maid.

"What are you implying Frederica?" The pinkett asked, feeling a nerve be touched by her senior.

"Ram, this is not the first time I ask something of you only for you to not go through with it."

"Can you name an example?"

"The chores, when I give you instructions on them it often ends with either me seeing that it wasn't done right or finding out that it was Rem that finished it for you like the shrubs."

"I haven't had Rem help with my share of chores recently Frederica."

"That's because you been having Izuku do them instead under the guise that it will better his butler capabilities." Frederica responded before continuing.

"Or whenever we have guests, I ask you to be on your best behavior, at least until the guests leave but often, we get complaints about your either insulting or being rude to them." At this, the pinkett was silent but kept the same annoyed expression.

"What happened earlier only reinforces my point."

"If it's an issue for you then why bring up now all of the sudden?"

"Because, unlike those times, you and Eri could've died today." Frederica raised her voice as the pinkett just listened to the slowly rising anger in the blonde.

"Do you have any idea what Eri must've felt when she was holding your hand while you were dying? How relieved she felt when she was able to save you and Izuku?" Frederica said.

"What?" The pink Oni said as she saw her senior look the most serious she has seen her.

"Ram, Eri saved you. She used her power to save you two without realizing it. She is the reason why you are still alive." The blonde Beast woman said as it got the pink maid to look at her in thought at what she heard as it started making sense why that cold sensation she felt went away. She was about to die but didn't because of Eri.

"You mean something to her Ram, more than you think. That is why I am hesitant to let you see her because I don't want you to disregard that trust that Eri has for you when she already has a hard enough time trusting people. When you tell me that you won't let what I said happen, I want you to keep your word." The blonde maid said.

"Do you not believe me?" The pink-haired maid asked.

"Then tell me, can you look me in the eye and say that you won't let anything happen to Eri and keep that promise?" The blonde asked the pinkett, waiting for a response. However, before she could, the door to the room started opening up, confusing the two maids until they saw the familiar platinum locks appear from behind the door.

"Eri." The pinkett said.

"M-miss Ram, you're awake." The ruby-eyed little girl said as she made her way towards the pair. Once in front of them, Frederica bent slightly to look at the small girl.

"Eri, is something the matter. Were you having trouble sleeping?" She asked as Eri nodded her head.

"I-I wanted to see if Miss Ram was ok. S-she didn't wake up when Deku did." The ruby-eyed little girl said as she saw the pink-haired Oni kneel in front of her.

"I worried you didn't I?" The pinkett asked as she saw Eri nod her head. A small smile made its way to the pink maid as she caressed the top of Eri's head.

"Thank you for worrying about me but as you can see I'm alright." Ram said as she noticed a detail about the small girl.

"Your horn got smaller." She asked as the platinum-haired little girl raised her hand to touch her horn.

"It shrinks when I use my power." Eri said. Hearing this, Ram removed her hand from her head as she look at her ruby-colored eyes.

"Frederica told me that you used your power on me." The pinkett said as the small girl put her head down.

"I-I'm sorry." She said nervously as the pink Oni shook her head.

"Don't be, you're the reason I'm still alive." The pink maid said as the little horn girl kept her head down before continuing.

"Eri, after seeing what your power could do, I fail to see how it's a curse. You were able to prevent my death. Your power isn't a curse, it's a blessing." She said as the platinum-haired little girl slowly raised her head to look at Ram's crimson eyes in silence for a few moments as tears started to form around the corner of her eyes over the kind words. Seeing the small girl cry, the pinkett felt that same protective feeling overcome her as she leaned forward to hug Eri. The little horned girl reciprocated the hug as she clung to the maid, her tears running down her cheek.

"It's ok Eri, let it all go." The pink-haired maid said as the ruby-eyed little girl quietly sobbed into her nightgown. After a few minutes, the small girl had fallen asleep in the arms of the pink maid. The pinkett stood up while carrying Eri in her arms.

"Do you understand what I mean Ram?" The pink Oni heard, turning her attention to her senior.

"Eri opened up to you, please don't betray the trust she put on you." Frederica said to her in a soft tone as Ram looked back down at the sleeping form of the little horned girl.

"I won't, Frederica. I swear." The pink-haired maid said as the blonde felt reassured by her juniors' answer.

"Thank you, Ram. Now, I think it's time I took Eri back to her room." The Beast woman said as the pinkett looked at the older maid for a few moments before reluctantly handing over the sleeping girl.

"Please don't disturb her." The pinkett requested as a smile made its way into the blonde-haired maids' face at the worry her junior was showing for the small girl.

"I won't." Having Eri secured in her arms, Frederica was about to exit the room before being halted by her pink-hair junior.

"Frederica, what do you know of Rem's punishment? Will she..." The pink-haired maid asked with worry. While she knew that her Master was a kind Lord, she was still worried about her younger twin. After a moment, the blonde turned to face Ram with a concerned look.

"I do not know yet. She was to meet Master Roswaal in his private study to discuss it." Frederica said as she saw Ram exit the room and make her way down the hall towards the staircase. The blonde didn't even have to ask what her junior was going to do, all she could do was continue taking Eri back to her room and wait to hear what her Master would say about her blue-haired juniors' fate.

Ram continued making her way up the staircase towards the top floor of the main wing where Roswaal should be. As the pink maid made it around the corner, she saw the door to her Master's private study be slightly ajar. She was about to open it until she heard a familiar voice.

"Lord Roswaal can't we-"

"Don't you mean Maaaaaster Roswaal Izuku?" The pinkett heard Deku and her Master talking which confused her as to why he was there. As she looked through the opening, she saw the greenette wearing the gray kimono clothes, free from any injuries or blood, as her Master was sitting behind his desk with her sister standing off to the side with her head down.

"R-right, sorry but Master Roswaal can't we please talk about this?"

"I tried to kill you even though you were innocent, I don't deserve another chance." Rem said, keeping her head down in shame at her actions.

"She is right Izuuuuuku. I don't see why you would be opposed to me releasing Rem of aaaaaall her servitude duties. Afterall, yoooooooou were the one that suffered the most from her rampage." Roswaal said as the pink-haired maid's stomach dropped hearing the punishment. While she understood that this would happen, it didn't make it easier to hear.

"Look I know, I get it, but she was doing it to protect you and everyone in the mansion." Midoriya said, surprising Ram in how the greenette would be asking that their Master give her sister another chance.

"Izuku, Rem has destroyed part of my home and put my servants in daaaanger. Do you think that such actions should go unpunished?" The Lord asked the greenette who looked off to the side at the question.

"N-no, she still hurt others but that wasn't her intention. I know that some consequences should happen but can't there be anything else other than letting Rem go?"

"Please, just stop. If this is Master Roswaal's will then I must do as he says." The bluenette said in a sad tone. Ram used her Synesthesia and picked up the emotions of her younger twin, furthering her worries about her sister's depressed state.

"You heard Rem Izuuuuuku. If she is fine with her punishment, then who are weeee to prevent it." Roswaal said as silence fell on everyone. Midoriya looked down in defeat while the pinkett was about to enter the room to see if she could do anything for her sister, even if she knew it would be in vain when her Master made up his mind.

"What if you share her punishment with me?"

"What?" The blue Oni said in confusion as the greenette looked at the Margrave.

"You said Rem damaged your home and endangered your servants, right? Because of our fight. Then you have to include me too. I'm just as much responsible for what happened today so if you punish Rem then you'll have to punish me as well." Midoriya said as Ram was shocked at what he was suggesting.

"Hmm..." The trio of Izuku, Rem, and Ram heard Roswaal hum as he looked at the greenette with interest which snapped the bluenette out of her trance.

"Master Roswaal please don't consider! I'm the only one that should be punished for my behavior, not him!"

"Rem, I contributed to this and it's only fair that I have to face the consequences as well." Midoriya said.

"But it isn't fair! You're innocent in this! I'm not! You shouldn't be getting involved in my punishment!" Rem shouted at the greenette.

"Why shouldn't I?" Izuku said as the blue-haired maid felt her eyes water at his question.

"Because I nearly killed you! I hurt our co-workers', Frederica, and threatened to kill Eri, I caused all of this trouble on just an assumption... it's why you shouldn't be helping someone horrible like me... so why are you getting involved when you should hate me for what I've done to you?!" Rem shouted at him as Izuku would open his mouth before closing it. He looked at her then to the ground as if debating what to say. After some thinking, he released a heavy sigh as he had a somber expression on his face. He turned away from the blue maid as he slowly started pulling up the back of his shirt.

'Deku what are you doing?!' The pinkett asked in confusion as she saw him reveal his burned, scarred back.

"Frederica said you cleaned me when I first arrived so you must've seen them, right?" Izuku asked the blue-haired maid who only nodded as she saw the burn scars covering part of his back.

"Now Izuku what does thiiiiis have to do with dear Rem's question?" The Lord asked in curiosity.

"It's because Ka... a close friend of mine gave them to me." Midoriya said as he tried not to choke on his words. He heard no response but the greenette could feel the tension in the air at his small revelation.

"He's done a lot of things to me, more than anyone else. There were days where he made it hard to keep moving forward. Even said things that, um... that someone shouldn't say to anyone... I should hate him, despise him even, but I don't." Izuku said as his voice caught up to him several times.

"W-why?" The blue Oni asked quietly.

"Because despite his flaws, I know he has a good heart. I hate what he's done... but I always admired and respected his strength and drive in becoming a Hero." Midoriya said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Rem asked as she saw him let go of his top before turning back to face her.

"Because like him, you aren't a bad person Rem. You're being remorseful for what happened. If you were a horrible person like you said then you wouldn't be feeling this way. I can see how this is affecting you, so even if you were to tell me that this isn't my problem, I can't stand back and do nothing while you're suffering. What kind of Hero would I be to ignore someone's cries for help?" The greenette said as the blue maid could only go silent at his response. He should hate her, yet he is taking her side and seeing the good in her despite hurting him.

The bluenette noticed how he had a smile on his face, like the one he gave her on the rooftop, the same one that tried to comfort her even when she didn't deserve it. It got her to slowly let her tears fall as it further proved how wrong she was. She let her prejudice and rash assumptions nearly kill an innocent person. Someone who has suffered like her but is still striving to help others. Someone... who she told was no Hero. As for Ram, she was left to her thoughts as she heard the greenette's response as their earlier conversation about Eri came to her mind.

"In a sense, I was able to understand her and she was able to understand me."

This got the pinkett to wonder if Deku went through some kind of torment or trauma of his own. If so, to what extent? She doubts that his nervous and anxious behavior was the only effect he received from that experience if his implication that there were others involved and the burn scars were any indication. Either the greenette was able to work through the trauma or, based on her judge of character, is ignoring or hiding how much it affected him to not worry others. At this thought, the pinkett felt a sense of guilt begin taking hold of her.

"Well, I can see that neither one of you will let the other suuuuuffer the consequences so I'll make a compromise." Roswaal said as it drew everyone's attention.

"Now Izuku, seeing how aaaaaadamant you are on your stance along with your convincing argument, I've decided that our dearest Rem will remain with us." The blue Oni heard in shock.

"However, Rem, you'll be responsible for cleaning and repairing any and aaaaall damages that were caused in your little outburst. Not only that but another act like that and I'll dissolve this deal, am I clear?" Roswaal asked the blue-haired maid who broke out of her shocked state by quickly wiping away her tears.

"Yes Master Roswaal." Rem said along with giving a small bow. Midoriya released a sigh of relief in having prevented his co-worker from being let go.

"Now, now, don't think I forgot about you Izuuuuuku. You said that you're as respooooonsible as Rem in this matter so you'll be also held accountable for cleaning and fixing my home as well. Do not worry, you'll be watched to prevent future incidents. Now, I do hope that you aren't plaaaaanning on backing out of your offer, now?" The Jester asked to which Izuku rapidly shook his head.

"N-no, I did say I was involved and was also insistent so it's only fair that I do it as well." Midoriya responded quickly as he was feeling weirded out by the look he was receiving from the Margrave.

"Very well then, the two of you can start tomorrow. You are noooooow dismissed." Roswaal said as it got the greenette to give a ninety-degree bow towards the Lord.

"Thank you Lord Roswaal."

*Slam*

"How many times will you need to be reminded to call our Master by the proper honorific?" The door to the room slammed open, catching everyone's attention as they turned to the awakened Ram.

"Ram! How are you? Are you better? And were you listening to what we were saying?" Izuku asked as he straightened himself with the pink maid glaring at him as she made her way towards them.

"As Rem's older sister, her well-being is my concern so yes I was listening and I will be better if you started remembering how to call our Master properly." The pinkett said.

"Sister! You're awake!" Rem said, tackling her in a tight hug which was reciprocated.

"Yes Rem, I'm awake and well now." The pink Oni said letting go of her sister.

"Weeeeelcome back Ram, it is most pleasant to see you awake now. Gave us all quiiiiite a fright." Roswaal said as Ram turned towards her Master and bowed.

"My apologizes for causing you worry Master Roswaal." The pink Oni said before releasing her younger twin and turning to her.

"Are you ok, Rem?" Ram asked and while her Synesthesia told her how her younger twin was, she still needed to hear it from her. The blue Oni would look down in shame as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry. I caused everyone trouble." Rem said as the pinkett grabbed her sister's hand gently to give her comfort.

"It's ok now." The pink twin said to her. Letting go of her hand, she turned towards her Master and bowed.

"Thank you for reconsidering Rem's punishment Master Roswaal."

"It is of no problem my deeearest Ram. However, you should be thanking Izuku here. He was Rem's maaaaaain supporter in letting her remain." The Margrave said raising an arm towards Midoriya as the pinkett turned her attention towards him.

"Deku...*Sigh* It pains me to say this but thank you for allowing my sister to remain." The greenette heard which kept throwing him off whenever he heard her say thanks to him.

"I, um... It's n-no problem Ram. I just, um... didn't want to see either of you two suffer because of this." Izuku said as the pinkett questioned how even after everything he's gone through, he was still thinking of others above himself. Silence fell between them as Midoriya shifted uncomfortably with all the attention on him.

"Ok, so, um... I'm going to go see if Frederica needs help on anything so goodnight!" Izuku said, giving a quick bow before exiting the room rather quickly. With the greenette having left, Ram turned towards her younger twin.

"Rem, you can go on ahead, I will need to remain for my Mana-Infusions." She said as the bluenette nodded to her before turning towards their Master and giving a bow.

"Goodnight Master Roswaal and thank you once more." The blue Oni said before exiting the room. Once outside, Rem inhaled then exhaled as a crestfallen look fell on her. Despite her Master's punishment and Izuku not holding her actions against her, it didn't feel enough. She felt like she didn't deserve any of the goodwill given to her. As she walked down the stairs, she passed by one of the destroyed hallways, feeling disheartened at the sight as it reminded her of how she had wronged an innocent person.

She was ready to leave and lock herself away in her room for the night until she saw something catch her eye among the rubble. Curious, she walked down the ruined hall, glass and debris littered the ground as she came to a halt next to an open hole in the wall. The night's cold air hit her as she saw the item of her interest snagged in one of the wall's jagged edges as it was flapping calmly in the wind. She reached out for it and brought it close to her and using the moonlight, she saw that it was the torn cowl from Izuku's costume. It took her a moment to remember that she ripped it off near the climax of their fight before nearly pummeling the greenette to death. She clutched the bunny-eared cowl in her hands tightly as a lone tear fell onto it as a quiet sob came from the blue Oni.

"I'm sorry..." Rem said silently as she felt her guilt become heavy on her heart. No matter what she did, it appeared as though she only kept making things worse for everyone. It reminded her of her worthlessness and how for Rem, she deserves worse.

"Don't lose hope..."

The bluenette's thoughts were interrupted by her and Izuku's earlier talk, more specifically, that one phrase. Despite knowing each other for a week, the greenette still saw the good in her. Even when she nearly killed him, even when she was ready to accept her punishment to be released from her servitude duties, the greenette didn't give up on her. He kept being on her side until her punishment changed. That was the difference Rem saw between them, Izuku never loses hope, he continues moving forward despite everything going against him. As for her, she just accepts whatever fate she receives without challenging it, she gives up.

At this realization, the blue-haired maid concluded what she must do as she looked down at the cowl. Even if she doesn't believe that she deserves this second chance, even if she still sees herself as weak, she will attempt to do what Izuku has told her and not lose hope. Glancing at the torn cowl in her hands, the blue Oni got an idea as to what she could do. Both to repay the greenette and as a reminder for her to not lose hope. After neatly folding the cowl, she began to make her way to her room and for once, her guilt-ridden heart didn't feel as heavy as it once did.

Roswaal's Private Study

"You were quite mana-depleted." Roswaal said as he continued with Ram's Mana-Infusion, holding his finger over his maid's horn scar as a stream of white light poured into it. These private nighttime events have become a part of the two's daily routine with the pinkett sitting high on his lap since, without these sessions, her body would have withered away long ago.

"It wasn't my intention to use up everything. I apologize for my recklessness." The pink Oni said as she leaned her head against her Master, feeling her body rejuvenated as mana poured into her. Reeling in the warmth that was filling her.

"Whether it was your intentions or not, your efforts did not goooooo in vain." The Lord said as he stopped the flow of mana at the appropriate amount needed for his maid. Nodding at his response she turned to face him.

"Yes, it appears that Eri has begun to trust me now." She said as while it took her nearly dying to get to that point, one of the major roadblocks appeared to be not a non-issue now.

"I must thank you for continuing your services in my absence. Not only did you get little Eri to put her trust in you but also get her to displaaaaaay the capabilities of her powers." Roswaal said to Ram who trembled slightly at the praise.

"I-I do not deserve such praise."

"I mind not. You managed to saaaaalvage the situation my dearest Ram." Roswaal said as it got the pinkett to uncharacteristically go silent which didn't go unnoticed by the Margrave.

"What is the matter my deeearest?" He asked as the maid turned in his lap towards him.

"Master Roswaal... I want to talk about today's events, they deviated, didn't they?" The pinkett asked as the Lord knew what she was referring to. He put a hand on her head and gently stroked her hair as he gave his answer.

"No."

"What?" Ram asked, surprised by his response.

"Nothing has deviated from its path. Everything is going as accoooording to the Book of Wisdom." Roswaal said as it got the pinkett to look confused at his response.

"I don't understand. You've told me of the events that are to transpire but I do not recall there ever being any mention of today's events being foretold."

"That's becaaaaaause there originally wasn't." The Margrave said, confusing Ram further as to what her Master was talking about until she noticed his serious yet confused expression.

"After my arrival, upon noticing the deviations, I consulted the tome for answers. Whereupon I noticed an oddity."

"What was it?"

"The pages were re-written. What originally was going to be another uneventful day was re-written to the path that we saw transpire." Roswaal said.

"Was it always able to do this?" Ram asked confused at this revelation to which the Margrave shook his head.

"In all my years, this is the first time I have seen this happen. Despite it having not been the original trajectory of events, the future that it settled on did come as fated." He said as the pink-haired maid looked down in thought.

"Master Roswaal, if todays events were changed then has any of the other future events changed as well?" The pinkett asked in curiosity.

"No, it appears to have been an isolated case. Everything going forward such as the travel to Elior Forest and the Royal Election has remained uuuuuntampered by this." Despite this, Ram noticed that Roswaal still had a troubled look.

"There is something else that is troubling you Master Roswaal?" She asked as her Master looked out the window next to him. Curiously, she leaned her head over to the window and noticed that Deku was currently cleaning some of the debris from earlier.

"Ugh, does that idiot not understand the concept of taking some rest?" Ram said in annoyance.

"That boy is just fuuuuuull of surprise now isn't he." The pinkett heard in a serious tone from her Master.

"Master Roswaal?"

"Tell me, what do you think of our deeeear Izuku?" Roswaal asked not looking at his subordinate as it got Ram to turn back towards the greenette who was lifting a chunk of debris that was lodged in the ground.

"His social abilities are abysmal. He can't seem to hold a conversation without stuttering. His cleaning and cooking skills are decent. He follows orders surprisingly well. His reading and writing are comparable to that of a child. Which in his case is pathetic when a small girl like Eri has him beat and seems to have an understanding of battle tactics when fighting." The pinkett said as she continued watching Midoriya clean.

"However, his attitude appears to take a drastic change when helping someone. Rather than the socially inept buffoon that looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack when you talked to him, he was focused and was bent on helping my sister come back to her senses without thinking of his survival."

"Yes, it was evident when I saw Izuku laaaaaying as a bloody mess in my garden. To think that he would have the mental and physical fortitude necessaaaaary to keep fighting through his injuries. Not to mention that new power that he displayed. The black mass of tendrils that saved you and little Eriiii. However, he is proving to be more unpredictable than I originally had thought." Roswaal said as it got Ram to look at him curiously.

"When looking at the pages in the book, there was a small detail that I not noticed until now that is rather worrisome." The Margrave said as the pinkett listened with caution.

"Why? Will he be the cause of some future event? Or is there something about him that could cause complications to your plans." Ram asked as she got silence from her Master.

"I do not know."

"What do you mean Master Roswaal?"

"When revisiting the re-written pages, I tried to understand what it was that would cause such an alteration to its path. I looked through all the changes that happened from dear Rem's rampage aaaaaaall the way to your near-death experience. It was then that I reeeeealize that the center for why they all occurred was because of Izuku and little Eri." Roswaal said.

"Do you think Deku instigated them?" Ram ask with rising anger at the possibility that they were all manipulated into a convoluted plan by the greenette until she felt her head being patted.

"I don't believe so. Izuuuuuku has too good of a heart to do something like this. When looking at the changes that occurred, our dear Rem went on a rampage because she belieeeeeved Izuku and to an extent little Eri to be cultists. Frederica got involved when their liiiiives were in danger and your near-death experience came from needing to protect little Eri who went into the forest alone. Originally, everythiiiiiing was to be like any other day but both Izuku and little Eri's involvement changed the paths of everyone around them. Not only that but originally their presence wasn't even in the pages until they were re-written, almost as if they forced themselves into the pages. I tried looking ahead to see about the two's future involvements but there was nothing, not even after today, almost as if they were never there to begin with." The Margrave said with concern as while the path did stay on track and he got to see what the little horned girl's power could potentially do, the two's involvement started affecting things around them in a way he could not have predicted.

The pinkett listened as she was left silent in hearing this. It was strange to hear how two people, a fool and a little girl, could create some paradox where they were there yet not. It honestly was giving her a headache just trying to comprehend the absurdity of the situation.

"What do you believe we should do?" The pink Oni asked the Margrave who contemplated their decision for a moment.

"For now, I want you to double down on your efforts in observing the two. Little Eri seems to have put some of her trust in you, use that to get closer to her for when I will neeeeeeed her power. After what little Eri has shown I believe she does hold the key to my desiiiiiired future." Roswaal said.

"What about Deku?" Ram asked.

"As for Izuku, I will need you to keep a close eye on him. I want you to report to me if you noooootice anything of interest from him along with the progress of his power, there appears to be more to that... 'Quirk' of his than just strength enhancement. If he is capable of equaling Rem in her Oni form with a fraction of his power then we can only assuuuuuuume that he'll continue to grow stronger going forward."

"But it shouldn't be a problem for you Master Roswaal."

"In his current state, yes. However, seeing Izuku's efforts to keep pushing himself, we'll need to cover aaaaaall our options to prevent any further mishaps." The Margrave said.

"What do we do about him?"

"We can't stop him from growing stronger less we raise his suspicion, after all, he is stiiiiiill needed. However, that is what you'll be neeeeded for. Izuku has a good heart, too good for his sake. He wouldn't suspect that the people he trusts would be the ones that he should have been the most cautious about. Use it to your advantage so that we can avoid any unnecessary cooooonflicts. I trust in your capabilities to do this for me my dearest Ram?" Roswaal asked as Ram opened her mouth to respond before hesitating. She wanted to agree with her Master's plan, after all, he's been planning this for years. However, there was a part of her that was doubtful.

Her mind went to the innocent, ruby-eyed little girl who opened up to her and who Ram felt a protective sense towards. Frederica's words came to mind as the pinkett knew she was treading on a dangerous path in her bond with Eri. The pink maid only needed to gain Eri's trust, nothing else, not get emotionally attached or involved in what she did. Yet, as she watched the platinum-haired little girl sleep soundly in her arms, she didn't think about her mission, she just thought of protecting the small girl. So to betray the trust Eri had given her, would put the little horned girl into a worse mental state than what she currently was. Then there was Deku, even though he is incompetent socially and just made her question what the fool thinks when jumping into danger, showed deep care to all of them despite only knowing each other for a short time. Despite being in a life-or-death situation, he prioritized her sister's well-being before his own, even volunteering to be punished so that she remained. It all returned to what he told them on their first day, about wanting to be a Hero that saved everyone, one that gives them hope.

All of this got the pinkett to stop and wonder if she could go through with her mission. She was letting herself get too involved with Eri, to the point that she feared what the small girl's reaction would be if she shattered her trust or how Deku would react when she eventually has to use his trust against him. She would end up breaking two bonds that were never meant to be anything more than a facade. It left Ram thinking for a moment as she glanced back up to her Master. The Lord who gave her and Rem a home. The Master who gave them protection if she formed a contract with him. The man that she has come to have a deep appreciation for everything he has done for her and her younger twin. After resolving her inner conflict, the pinkett would give her response, despite the doubt that still lingered within her. Because after all, she was still her Master's pawn.

"As you wish, Master Roswaal."

There you have it, the longest chapter and one that was a long time coming. If you can leave a comment and whatever you want to say go ahead as any criticism is needed to further improve the story and it's the only way I can continue getting better at it and I won't say it won't take long because I can't keep that promise. So until next time, this has been FightingGamePlayer11, signing out.