Lucian Naruto: Good thinking. however, whether he had those abilities or not, with him losing his memories, he would chalk those up as him being him, a human from other world. He doesn't know about Uzumaki or their abilities.

AyaraKirito: It because I wrote this story that I haven't posted for several days/weeks actually xD. I already reached chapter 18 in this story, but because I kept writing and writing, I forgot and didn't have any vigor to post any new chapter.

DainBramagedMoFo: You should play it if you want, the story has a good plot and romance building if I can be honest. and of course, if you just want to see the lemon, just lose.

monkiepawn: It is true for the others, but for Luka, I don't think so. in MGQ part 3, you'll realize that most of Luka's power come from his contract with the spirits and his understanding of the elements themselves. when his contracts with the spirits forcefully stripped by the angel, he became so weak that he struggled against a normal angel.

Luka trained his body hard for a year at most, he is weak and his strength come from the spirits. even in the early part of part 3, he also become strong by using dangerous power of his angel ancestry, one that slowly strip him of his longevity.

Basically said, even in game, he is nothing without his power up. he was not as strong as Granberia who became a swordswoman at five and a dragonoid who successfully copied legendary Heinrich's technique after she saw it once.

leonardobluesummers: thanks for the compliment. as for Luka's partner, one person suggested Eden and I actually can see how the romance could be built between the two of them. that two tailed Kitsune is also a good choice, of course, since she was saved by him and all. Another great choice (in my mind) would be Sera the Princess, strange nobody suggested her to me... but then again ig her love for Granberia is one of key amusing factors in the game.

DainBramagedMoFo: I actually thought so too. however, Luka is a good person, with a good attitude and a good dream. leaving him will only create plot hole in the story, and if Luka is not with Naruto, he could appear in the future, not as a friend, but as an enemy, one who devoted his life to Ilias.

then again, the story might be about Naruto, but I just can't leave the protagonist alone.

after all, he is a protagonist for a reason.

.

..

alright guys, that's all from me today, I hope you all like this chapter as much as I do. Enjoy~

Chapter 11, The Burden of Hero

START!

He thought he was going to die.

That was what crossed Luka's mind the moment such a large wind blade came at him.

But…

It felt like a dream.

He… got this burst of strange power for some reason which made him quick enough to dodge the wind. And then… he pointed the tip of Angel Halo toward the throat of the Harpy Queen.

After that… everything was a blur.

She explained to him that she cannot do what he asked for… even if she must pay with her life.

Why?

That was the word that came out of his mouth at the time.

And then, she explained it to him. Harpy is a race of full females… they cannot be separated away from human males as it would lead them to extinction. Happiness village and Harpy village were two villages in harmony once upon a time, where humans and harpy lived together without any fear and distrust toward each other.

Then… the slaughter of Remina happened, followed by Ilias who strengthen her belief across all humans.

She told him then…

He might be fighting for humans, but she too fights for her people.

At the end of the day, while he would be a Hero to the people he saved, he will be cursed for eternity by the race of Harpy if he were to cut her down.

That made him waver.

.

..

..

"I… don't think I can eat anymore"

The day is over, and after a few brief scuffles here and there, Luka was spoked when so many males of all ages came and defended the Harpy Queen before he can seal her.

They are treated not as slaves, but as real members of the village and love their life in said Harpy village, they said.

The people he wanted to save… were actually never harmed in the first place.

"Hohoho, come on now young Hero, you brought our two villages together just like in the past! Eat some more, now!"

The 'kidnapped' mayor said with a laugh, ignoring his red ear after his human wife punished him after she realized he wasn't harmed in the first place and actually had sex with a lot of harpies every single night.

Seeing this, Luka can only sweat dropped.

Humans, monsters… everyone mingle together with a small amount of tenseness in the air.

But tense or not, the people are accepting each other… this is the exact picture of his dream, actually, where humans and monsters can co-exist.

But…

"What are you thinking now, student of Naruto…?"

With nothing but regality, the Queen of the Harpy race walked to his side and looked down on him with neutrality in her eyes.

She looks slightly weak after he cut some parts of her body with Angel Halo, but she looks much better than him that's for sure.

As for him… well…

He would need a few days of rest to recover his stamina and heal all of the wounds he has.

Anyway…

"Well, I'm just thinking how heavy the burden of Hero actually is… and… you know Naruto?"

Heard what he said, Lucretia, the Harpy Queen merely raised one of her eyebrows for a brief second.

"If it was not heavy, everyone would've become Hero by now. And no, not those blessed Heroes… they're just… pathetic in my eyes. As for Naruto, he didn't tell you? Then I guess it is not my place to say it"

Right after she said that Lucretia didn't even wait for Luka's response as she simply pointed to a rather rundown tree house. And from the look of it alone, anyone could guess it was never used for a few years at the very least.

But… it was decent enough.

"Hero, you may use that house for a few nights… do excuse me, I have other things that I need to attend"

"O-Oh… yeah, alright"

Not used to a cold and silent person like Lucretia, Luka can only shutter as the Harpy Queen excused herself and walks in the direction of her house.

If it was easy, everyone would've become a Hero, huh?

Such simple, but easy-to-understand words.

But is it really that easy to understand…?

"Guess no use thinking about it… I should take a break, for now"

The day was long and tiring.

And from what Queen Harpy told him, Naruto and Alice are around and still busy with their private activity.

What kind of activity, he doesn't know. But he was not daring enough to ask such a thing to the Harpy Queen cause for some reason, her eyes held a tint of unfamiliar emotion when she said Alice's name, one that made him hesitant to probe.

In the future, he will realize it was jealousy. But for now…

"Let's sleep"

-Tomorrow-

"Wow… you look like a mummy, Luka"

Naruto said after he knocked on the door of the house Lucretia lend to Luka. In front of him, the purple-haired Hero is glaring at him half-heartedly at his joke.

Well… not really a joke, considering what he said is true.

Bound from head to toe in bandages, Luka is basically a mummy at the moment.

"Haha…" Luka said in sarcasm, though seeing him up and alright, the Hero in training nodded to himself here "… Are we going to train now, Naruto?"

Here, Naruto nodded, followed by his wise words...

"Of course, why do you think I called you out if not for training?"

Harpy village or not, morning is morning. And the morning route must not be missed no matter what, less it would become a bad habit to stop training when you got a bad day.

Naruto also did the same thing in the past, following routine and all. And looks where he is right now… the Monster Lord.

"Well… asking for my wellbeing?"

Here, Naruto snorted.

Now that was funny.

"I could, but these wounds don't seem that fatal to me, you should feel better in a day or two. So, I won't waste my time asking for something I already have the answer to"

"… You could at least ask"

Luka grumbled, but relented as he already knows Naruto is just simple like that. He is a blunt person, honest to a fault, yet too blunt sometimes, and doesn't seem to care about what others think about his mindset.

But still… he would want a friend who would ask for his well-being when he got hurt.

Maybe in the future…

Right now, to Naruto's eyes, he is nothing but a baby swordsman. The wounds he got are just too easy for Naruto to handle, and thus, worries just never crossed the blonde's mind.

At least not yet.

"Oh well…"

Here, Luka slapped himself a few times.

A wrong thing to do cause his wounds flared and he could do nothing but hiss in pain. But nonetheless, he renewed his vigor with his action.

"… I'm ready, teacher!"

"Good!"

And thus, Naruto began Luka's training once again so the boy can fare better against a stronger enemy like Lucretia. Sure, his faith in Hero seems to waver a little, but that's a good thing actually.

With a wavering heart, he'll start to look deeper into the meaning of a real Hero and the real reason for him wanting to be one.

The day his faith return, his heart will become stronger.

And to a Hero, what weapon are stronger than his own heart…? The heart which yields to no one.

Not even to God.

.

..

..

"Woah, this is a miraculous technique!"

Luka said from his sitting position while staring at his hands with widening eyes.

There is no pain, nor even a lingering pain exists after he did the technique Naruto taught him. Though, beside him, Alice is poking at him with a stick and a pair of strange eyes.

Of course, after she did and find nothing, she yelled at Naruto…

"Naruto! what the hell is this guy made of? He's a freak of nature!"

"Oi, oi…"

Now that's hurt.

Being called a freak of nature by someone like Alice who can eat a ton of plates in one sitting…? That's not a list inside his agenda, that's for sure.

A few meters away from them, Naruto laughed hard and fell to the ground while holding his stomach.

"Hahahaha! The look on your face, sis! So priceless!"

Of course, not liking the fact her own brother is yet to answer her question, nor the fact he was laughing at her face, Alice's face exploded with redness as magic began to gather in her whole body.

So thick that Luka near her can only shiver.

"Don't you dare…"

A dark magic circle appeared in front of Alice as she stretched her hand forward, and with a pout on her face, the magic in it became thicker and thicker for every second that passed, creating a mass of black ball of pure destruction.

Seeing this, and because he never saw Alice's strike misses, Luka can only widen his eyes.

Oh shit…

Would Naruto be okay if he got hit by that?

"… Laugh at me!"

.

Swish!

.

With impressive speed, the magic shot toward Naruto, with the teen in question merely slapping away said magic to the sky with a simple-looking kick.

His laugh already stopped, though there was a definite sweat drop at the side of his head.

"Geez, sis. I know we're not in the Harpy village, but the village is still close. What do you think will happen if any of them saw that?"

The humans, of course.

As for the harpies, while it was true if they got panicked it would be troublesome, Lucretia should be able to calm them down.

Now if we're talking about humans…?

They have no figurehead to calm them down. And their relationship with the harpies is still rather tense, thus, distrust could easily be born.

They cannot have that.

"Hmph! Then it would be your fault"

Harumphed, the secretly monster lord threw her face away from Naruto, uncaring of whatever her brother gonna say.

And Naruto himself, knowing he would get ignored here merely shrugged his shoulders and turn his attention toward Luka once again.

He would give Alice a kiss later when they were alone.

"Anyway, meditation will become one of your key factors when you're fighting against stronger monsters from now on. Your body is still weak, your mind is still feeble, but sharpened, even the dullest rock can cut"

Luka nodded here, looking all serious.

And seeing this, Naruto knelt on one knee and put his right palm on the ground. And quickly, a magic circle can be seen pulsing with power.

"Just like Lucretia, most of the Queen ranked enemy you'll face in the future will use real strike to kill instead of your usual enemy… as for Lucretia, well, it because she is my mate. As for the others, they'll have their own reasons"

"Wait, wait, wait, mate as i-…"

Luka wasn't able to finish his words, cause the moment he almost did, the ground under him began to shake.

And it was then, in front of Naruto, a rather tall humanoid monster made of rock appears, with the blonde in question standing behind the monster with hands already inside his pockets.

"No time for a question, Hero. Chop chop! Fight!"

And with his order, the monster dashed toward Luka with impressive speed and a cocked fist, something that make him widen his eyes.

Oh shit!

.

..

-With Luka-

Left

Right

Right!

Luka got no time to think about anything else as the golem Naruto made came at him as if trying to murder him. Each of its strikes made his arms tremble, something that would be his end if not for his quick meditation, healing his wound before the golem strike him again.

But healed or not, each meditation took a lot of his stamina.

Naruto never trained him like this before!

'Focus…'

The blonde never gave him any training he could not face before. Sure, it might be hard and whatnot, but at the end of the day, he was strong and good enough for the training Naruto gave.

It should be the same with this training.

Tanking the golem's strike is painful, and each of them was also very fast, but the golem in question moves with straight and easily predictable movement. So, he should be able to dodge these strikes if he were to focus enough.

Left!

This time, Luka didn't block and folded his legs as a punch directed toward the left side of his head passed above him.

That was close!

But knowing he has the chance for it, Luka cocked his hand holding Angel Halo and pointed the tip toward the strong golem in front of him.

And then… he stabs it.

"…!"

He jumped, his right attacking hand trembling because the golem's body was just too hard that he didn't make any dent or cut on it.

This…

This is going to be a very long battle, it seems.

Across from him, the humanoid golem pounded his chest like some kind of monkey… taunting him.

Shit…

.

..

-With Naruto-

Sitting on top of a large boulder, Naruto calmly stared at the white feather in his right hand with something akin to curiosity in his eyes.

Beside him, Alice's doing the same thing.

"Is that Ilias's feather…? I thought it would be more… grand looking"

The sixteenth monster lord said with a rather large sweat drop at the side of her head. For a small second, she leaned her face forward and took a few sniffs on the feather.

It doesn't really smell like anything.

Understandable, considering an angel's ethereal body is not something that can be classified as physical.

Though she's kinda curious now… how can her brother touch something that is not physical? And she's also pretty sure she senses no magic coursing through his hand as he does so.

She said this and she could say it again… Naruto is becoming more monster just like his muscle brain trainer, Granberia.

"That's what I thought too… but the holy magic in this feather is much thicker than the feather I took in Remina. I'm not sure whether it will be safe for me to eat this one or not, so I guess I'll just study it"

The reason Naruto can use holy magic is actually pretty simple.

The feather he took from Remina years ago? He ate that one, assimilating the remained magic in it into his own body, and by the stroke of his luck and his familiarity with holy magic, he was able to produce holy magic from then on.

It was really by a stroke of luck his body didn't explode from the stupid action he did.

Fate had smiled at him… he doesn't want to try to eat another feather this time though, more so a feather of a goddess, thank you very much.

"… Good. I would've choke you and force you to puke it out if you did"

Hearing the words of his nodding sister, Naruto sweat dropped… really? But then again, even his mother that usually very supportive of his every decision had been angry when he told her that he ate an angel's feather.

So yeah… what he did, it must be very dangerous.

"Anyway, Sis. What do you think of today's breakfast?"

Lucretia had been the one who cooked everything, and while most people would be very happy to have a Queen cook for them, Alice is the Monster Lord, if the food was not to her liking, Queen or not, she won't like it.

He had been the one who told Lucretia to cook though, as he want Alice to warm up to his Harpy mate.

There was no animosity from Lucretia, but ever since Alice knew of his relationship with the Harpy Queen… well, she has been sulking for some reason.

He said it and he could say it again, but it was probably because of their snake and bird relationship.

"So, so… it wasn't that bad, but it could be better"

Alice said with a small curt nod.

The foods Queen Harpy made weren't top-class or anything like that, but it was made with feelings. And thus, it wasn't that bad for Alice's tastebud.

Yeah, it could be better, but in the first place, she never expected much from someone who was trained to be a good Queen.

Here, Naruto merely hummed as he already knew what his sister thinking without her needing to say anything.

"Here I thought you would say you didn't like it"

He joked, which got him a small, but powerful slap from Alice's tail.

Of course, he merely laughed after he felt it. And as he laughs, Naruto's eyes went in Luka's direction once again, watching as the Hero wannabe got hit again and again by the magic puppet he made.

Wound after wound litter the purple-haired Hero's body within minutes. And yet he keeps going, trying and failing to make a dent in the puppet's very durable body.

"Luka! Do not attack blindly, try to sense the key points of the magic and attack it!"

"I'm trying!"

Yeah, he does.

But the puppet is too strong… too durable… and each attack from it is too painful for Luka's body to handle.

Stop…? Nah.

What doesn't kill you will make you stronger. Sure, Luka might and probably break a few bones by the end of today's training finished. But at the very least, he will learn something very, very important.

.

Defeat hurt like bitch.

.

..

…

"I really, really hate you…"

By the time the training has finished, the sun has set and the sky is being painted with an ethereal orange glow.

Sitting on the ground, Luka was grumbling as his body once again got bandaged from head to toe. He doesn't even have any energy to spare for something as simple as meditation.

That's how tired he is at the moment.

"That's good. At the very least, you'll have your life to hate me… I didn't say it before, but you're alive right now is because of luck. If you didn't have a luck when you fought Lucretia yesterday. Well, you'll lose a head by now, simple as that"

Naruto said bluntly.

And of course, hearing what the blonde said made Luka flinch a little. He just cannot refute what his sword teacher was saying as, after all, he did get that mysterious burst of power that let him dodge Queen Harpy's wind blade.

If he didn't get that… well… he'd be dead by now.

"I… know that"

"Now, I have a hunch what kind of mysterious hidden power you have. But at the moment, your body is too weak to handle the burden of that power, so let's not open that can for now. When I feel you're ready for it, I'll tell you how to awaken that power"

"… Yes teacher"

Luka said with a curt and polite nod. Though he regretted his action as that small action made the pain in his neck flare for a small second, so painful that he would've screamed if not for him knowing it would hurt him more.

Silent for a few seconds to let the pain subside, Luka then continues his words…

"But teacher, can you at least tell me what kind of power it is that I have? I'm kinda curious about it now"

Luka asked, curiosity dancing inside his eyes as Naruto let out a small hum.

But then again, to him, it was but a burst of adrenaline that let him dodge the Queen's strike. And yet, here Naruto calls it a mysterious and hidden power that he has.

And as the blonde never lied to him, Luka believe him.

"Intriguing… but no. knowing what kind of power you have will bring you nothing. If nothing else, you might even start to lag on your training if you knew the power you hold"

"Ouch… but I guess you might be right"

Here, Luka sat cross-legged and tried to meditate to heal his wounds.

Tried.

As he didn't have enough stamina for it, Luka only succeed to heal a few wounds he had and not all of them. But at the very least, he can move better now.

Though hearing what Luka said, Naruto rolled his eyes…

"What do you mean by I might be right, idiot? I am right"

"Bu-"

"Oops, sorry now…" Here, Naruto stood suddenly and turned around "… The night's coming and because Alice went to the forest to hunt for some bear, I better gather some dry woods to cook. Be careful on your way back to your abode, Luka"

"Wait… teacher! Help me walk! I can't feel my legs!"

Uncaring of the screaming purple-haired Hero, Naruto continue his walk and merely waved his right hand to waves at the boy.

"Well, you better be quick! Or you might be raped by monster girls who are active at night!"

"Wait! Naruto! HELP!"

"…"

As he left a screaming purplette behind, Naruto hummed happily while his hands went to his pockets, as he is rather happy about Luka's today training.

Sure, the boy only learned meditation and fought against the magic puppet he made. But the fact Luka can heal his wounds with nothing but meditation alone cleared some doubt that was in his head about the boy's ancestry.

It seems after the Hero who fatally wounded his mother ran away and created his stupid Ilias Kreuz, he met an angel and the two then had Luka together.

How he died, Naruto doesn't know… but then again, he doesn't care about such a thing.

The man fatally hurt his mother which led to her death, and while he held no animosity toward the man as the whole situation was just a big misunderstanding between them, Naruto will still choose to not care about the man's death and how it come to be.

After all, what can he do…?

The man's dead… hating someone who is already dead is just too low now that he thinks about it again.

"My son, you're contradicting yourself…"

"Maybe I do, mother… maybe I do"

Naruto muttered to himself with a small, sad smile.

He hates the man… he really does. But at the same time, his logical mind knows hating someone already dead is nothing but a waste of time.

Plus, the man is dead dead, while his mother still lives as a soul inside his own body.

The man already got his short stick, and knowing this, Naruto just can't help but feels bad that he still hates the man.

So yeah… he is contradicting himself in some way.

"But I guess that's why I'm a human, mother"

Half human, half monster.

Even with the powerful blood of Queen class monsters, his human self was able to persist. And to Naruto, it always means something important.

What does it mean…?

Even he isn't so sure himself if he can be honest.

-Later-

"Naruto, you finished training your student?"

When Naruto arrived at Lucretia's house -where he and Alice spend the nights- the Queen of the Harpy race herself greeted him with a small, loving smile on her face.

She's sitting on a sofa as she stared out the window, watching her people mingle with the humans with nothing but care in her eyes.

Alice and his mother might say otherwise, but to Naruto, Lucretia has always been a good Queen and woman in his eyes.

"Yep… and if my guess were right, then Luka might have a rather impressive ancestry indeed"

He said simply while taking his seat on the Harpy's lap, back immediately leaning against her body, and with their difference in height, Naruto's head was snugly rested on Lucretia's bosom as he did so.

Uncaring of this, or more specifically, rather happy for this action from her mate, Lucretia wrapped her two large wings around him, caging Naruto within her heavenly feathers embrace.

Of course, feeling this, Naruto hummed in consent…

"Impressive ancestry…?"

"Yeah, I won't say anything for now as it is still a guess… but impressive ancestry or not, the moment he could control that power of his, he will be a very strong combatant"

"I see…" The Harpy Queen nodded in agreement "… I didn't say it to him, but when he dodged my strike and poise to stab my neck, I felt trepidation in my heart. And his eyes back then, it felt as if he wasn't in full control or something like that"

Lucretia said honestly.

As a Queen of a monster race, she is a very powerful being. One rarely had any power to make her feel fear and hopeless, but Luka did… and to her, it was a rather impressive show of feat.

Truly, Naruto really chose his student well.

But… there's still one thing that stuck in her thought.

"That Luka… he won't become a dangerous entity, right?"

For the whole monster race, of course.

Naruto is strong... mightily so if she can be honest. And not only him, Alice and the four heavenly knights also hold mighty force in their hands.

But her fear is not unfounded.

Luka, untrained he is was able to make her feel trepidation… will he really become a Hero Naruto wants? Or will he become an entity dangerous enough to threaten the whole monster races across the world?

Fortunately for her, here Naruto snorted.

"That boy lacks any bad bones in his body… I'm pretty sure he won't become what you fear, Lucretia. And even if he did, he still won't be strong enough defeat me"

It wasn't just empty talk, of course.

He trained for years and know his own limitation. A few days ago, when he punched Ilias was just him testing the limit of his power, he really wanted to know just how strong he is if compared to the goddess. Thus, he hit someone who is a goddess in both title and power.

Ilias cried in pain…

Luka?

He might be a half-god or half-creator for all he cares, but in the end, if he decides to punch the boy, the purplette will cease to exist.

Simple as that.

"Oh anyway, Lucretia. You want to follow us on our journey?"

"Ah… I'm sorry Naruto, but I really cannot leave my people"

Here, Naruto shrugged his shoulders, already expecting such an answer from his Harpy mate. Well, she might be his mate, but she is still a Queen first and foremost, so of course, her priority will always stay on her people before anything else.

And yes, even he is secondary in her eyes.

"Oh well… it was worth asking"

Here, Naruto turned around and let his body face the woman, arms wrapped around her neck as he now straddled the Queen with a coy smile on his face.

Seeing this, Lucretia blushes bashfully…

"Anyway… I was fucked by the Succubus Queen and my own sister fucked me dry every single night. You wouldn't mind letting me on top for a few rounds, right, my dear Lucretia?"

"O-Of course…"

Still, with a blush on her face, Lucretia bashfully slips her wings into Naruto's clothes as she began to caress his back using her heavenly feathers that are so soft that any man could ejaculate with a small touch alone.

Naruto?

He gains his own blush as he tilted his head and gently pecked the woman on the lips…

Good.

Now let's just hope Alice stays outside for a few more hours. No matter how much adorable she is when she was sulking and pouting, tomorrow would be a long day as their party walked to Iliasport… he doesn't want to face a sulking sister if he can help it, thank you very much.

Love it?

Hate it?

in this chapter, Luka had to face the bitter truth that the world isn't as black and white as he thought at first. He had to face the truth that without fully understanding a whole situation, he could stray away from the path of a Hero, all the while, still thinking he is one.

As for Naruto, he's starting to see Luka for what he was... an unpolished gem.

anyway...

as always, whether you love it or hate it, tell me about it and ask if you had any question in your mind. I'll answer it in the next chapter.

that's all...

Ciao~z