Another Story
"I always want to try this café."
During his travel, Merlin has heard about the café franchise called Tricoromille, which as stores throughout the world. Well, in the Demon and monster-friendly realms, at least, since he doubted the Order and other anti-monster factions would tolerate such a place.
While he didn't doubt that other branch stores would have the same quality, he wanted to go to the original Tricoromille café. The one that started it all. It made the visit more…special, so to say.
Dusting off his robe, the wizard walked towards the café and opened the door. When he did, he noticed the sound of the bell that indicated either the arrival or departure of a customer. Inside the building, he could see several servants wearing a maid outfit attending the customers. One of them noticed him and gave a smile.
"Welcome to Tricoromille, dear customer." The Succubus greeted him. "How may we help you?"
"Table for one, please," Merlin replied as he raised his index finger.
"Oh, you're not here with your wife?" She showed a surprised face.
"I am alone in my travel." He said in return before the two of them walked towards an empty table. "Speaking of which, what makes you come to that conclusion? I am sure I don't wear any ring."
"Of course, I know, silly." The maid giggled. "The only way men to have become Incubus is by having a Mamono wife."
"I can see how you reach that conclusion."
"So, what do you want to order?" She asked as he took a seat on his table.
"Hmm, let's see…" The wizard picked up the menu and – after looking it for a while – looked at the maid. "This is my first time here, so do you have any recommendations?"
"Well, there are many. But since today's hot, I will suggest our prisoner deluxe parfait."
"Sounds delicious. I take it then. Oh, and a milk tea to wash my throat."
"Coming right up!"
After the maid walked away to the kitchen, Merlin leaned his head on the table, using his hand to support his head. As he waited for his order to arrive, he decided to check on their conditions.
"Well, this is certainly an unexpected – but not unwelcomed – progress." Lucian thought as she stood in front of a door.
When she joined the recently created Order of the Ice Flower, she had expected that she would be one of the subordinate heroes. Basically, the equivalent of footman in the normal military. So, it was a surprise when she received a commendation letter from Wilmarina herself, asking for a meeting between the two of them.
She should have asked Sasha more regarding her. After all, the nun was the superior of many heroes, including Wilmarina, despite the different chain of command. The blonde sighed, realizing that it was all water under the bridge now, and knocked on the door.
"Enter! The door is unlocked!"
Lucian opened the door, finding herself looking at Wilmarina. The latter was currently sitting with one of her hands holding a quill and a stack of papers on the table. It appeared that she had arrived when the young hero was busy with paperwork.
"Ah, you must be Lucian Sausare." She said as she stood up from the chair. "I apologize for the presentation."
"Ah, no. I know how busy being a leader could be." The blonde replied.
"Still, this is quite improper. I asked you to visit me as soon as you can today and yet I neglect preparation to greet you."
"Again, it's fine." Lucian cleared her throat. "On another topic, for what purpose do you call me here, Lady Noscrim?"
"Please, just call me Wilmarina." The blue-haired girl said in return. "About your question, it has something to do with your records."
"Pardon? I don't remember ever doing anything noteworthy." She tilted her head.
"Indeed. To be blunt, your scores are average and people will not bother to remember it." She replied, causing the blonde to flinch. "However, if your background is considered, then everything that you do is self-taught, making them more impressive as a result."
She understood what she meant. She was – to put it simply – a nobody; merely the daughter of rabbit breeders. By all means, when she joined the military, she should have been one of the faceless soldiers that would be used as monster bait, hoping that the heroes could kill them fast enough before she got corrupted.
Yet that didn't happen to her. Instead, she became the top among her peers, to the point that she was officially recognized as a hero. While commoner-born heroes were nothing exceptional, they were still nonetheless rare due to commoners more often than not lacking the training necessary to be more than cannon fodders.
Actually, can you use that term since the monsters didn't use cannon?
"Damn it, Elt," Lucian muttered. "This is all your fault You and your stupid way of speaking."
"Not my fault you don't appreciate my lingo."
"Pardon?" Wilmarina said.
"Ah, no! Nothing important!" She immediately focused back on the current conversation.
"Anyway, with your track record," The hero continued. "I am interested in making you my second-in-command."
Silence fell upon the two women. At first, the blonde was wondering if she must clean her ears since what she heard didn't make sense. However, seeing the expectation on her face, Lucian finally realized that no, she heard it correctly.
"W-W-What?!" She exclaimed. "Whoa, hold on, hold on, hold on!"
"I have to admit that I did expect such an…extreme reaction." The blue-haired girl said in return.
"That doesn't even…" Lucian stopped talking midway. "Anyway, why me? Forget my status, I am not even experienced when it comes to commanding people."
"Neither do I. Doesn't stop me from being the leader of this order," Wilmarina replied. "You're not the only candidate for the position, of course. But I would be happy if you're the one who takes it."
"Is there a reason why you want me to? We barely know each other."
"Exactly." She turned her head to look back at the table. The blonde could see that there were several frames on it. "You're one of few people recruited that's basically…free."
"Um…"
"Right, should have explained it straightforward." The young hero said. "This organization, Order of the Holy Ice Flower, is more than just a heroic order; it is a power-ploy of my father, intending to increase his power and influence."
"Very obvious." The blonde thought.
"Many of the heroes that are close to me – my direct subordinates – are people that my father specifically chose. They – or at least their families – owed quite a lot to him. So, their loyalties are…questionable."
"That's…a harsh way to put it," Lucian commented.
"I know. I have no doubt that I could trust them with my life." Wilmarina sighed. "At the same time, I have…things that I want to keep private. And I want someone close to me that won't rat out every single thing that I said to my old man."
After hearing the explanation, the daughter of rabbit breeders put her hand on her chin. From what she knew about the daughter of the strongest man in Lescatie, it was likely that the "private things" were related to Elt. A part of her wondered if another reason she was chosen was due to her relationship with him.
She shook her head, getting rid of that thought. She should focus on whether to accept the position or not. As tempting as it was, there was also a lot of responsibility that goes along with it. She was already very fortunate to be accepted by the order full of famous heroes. If she accepted it, she could be pushing her luck.
"Accept it, Lucian. Come on, look at her. Mary just wants a friend."
That…actually made sense. Sasha once told her how those who were identified as a potential hero from a young age were being trained as soon as they could hold a sword. In fact, the nun also told her about a young mage who was only a little bit older than the children of the orphanage yet already received the responsibility of an adult.
Both of them were similar in age, meaning that it was possible for Wilmarina to be looking for someone who could be considered a friend. She likely didn't have one after Elt and his family were banished from her home.
"Yep. The princess and I are the only ones who have the honor of becoming her playmates. She did interact with other children growing up, but since all of them happened during formal occasions, well…"
Well, that explained a lot. Lucian couldn't imagine how it felt to grow up without a friend. She had friends who were fellow children of the farmers, people who were her peers when she joined the military, the children of the orphanage, the half-elf archer Primera and – despite the age difference – the veteran hero Sasha.
"Exactly! So, if you could put more smiles and rainbow in her life, I would be very grateful. If you want, I can reward you with a kiss…or something more"
That would be – wait a minute…!
Her eyes widened and she began to look around. At first, she thought it was simply her mind being more…active than usual. However, that last line indicated that it was something more than that.
"Is there…something wrong?" Wilmarina asked, confused by her sudden action.
"Ah, well…no, it's nothing," Lucian replied, remembering where she was. "I'll investigate this later. Hopefully nothing too bad."
"OK…" She cleared her throat. "So, what do you say about the offer?"
"May I ask for a time to consider my options?"
"Of course. You have one week to decide before…"
"Damn it, Lucy! Just say 'yes' and things will be fine!"
"Um, dear customer, are you alright?"
"Not really. Can I ask for a refill?"
"S-Sure…"
"Well, that was one heck of a surprise…"
In reality, Lucian had made her decision before she even set foot out of Wilmarina's office. However, she believed that she needed some time to comprehend what had just occurred. Plus, she couldn't help but feel bad due to an ulterior motive that she had.
The blonde knew that despite years of separation, Elt still remembered the Noscrim heroine quite fondly. She wondered what made her so desirable for the boy. If she could find out about it, maybe she could increase her chances of having him noticing her.
She was so deep into her thought that she didn't notice that she was about to collide with someone.
"Ouch!"
"Aww!"
Both of them fell unto the floor. Both of them were also receiving help getting up.
"I-I am sorry for that," Lucian said as she stood up with the help.
"N-No, the fault is mine."
Once she recovered from the pain, Lucian noticed who she crashed into. The person was a blonde wearing an outfit that showed her midriff. She was accompanied by two fellow blondes. While they were wearing different outfits, there were hints of them being uniform, like their wide-brimmed hats.
"Ah, speaking of which, my name's Lucian; Lucian Sausare." She remembered to introduce herself.
"I am Paula Tronmail!" The girl that she crashed into immediately replied. "These are my partners, Alameria Crescentria and Olivier Amaltia!"
"We can introduce ourselves, Paula." The woman with the most covering outfit sighed though she did it with a smile. "Say, this is the first time that I see you around. A new recruit, I suppose?"
"Yes. I guess you can say this is the first day I start my career as a hero." She replied. "I take it that the three of you are familiar with Wilmarina before the creation of the order?"
"Indeed. I have been working with her for years and my fellow musketeers are my closest friends as well." Olivier replied.
"Musketeer? That's…the name of people who used musket, right?" Lucian stated as she started to look around.
"Well, our name is kind of a misnomer," Paula said as she drew out a gun from its holster. "The firearms that we used are actually pistols…and I am the only that used it, actually."
"So, why are two of you called 'musketeers' as well?"
"I dunno. Blame the propaganda guys." The last girl, Alameria, stated with an exasperated tone. "From what I know, it's because we – a trio – discovered these guns in an ancient ruin and our outfits resemble the musketeer's a lot. 'The Three Musketeers.' Sounds like a catchy name, don't you think?"
"I…see." Lucian scratched her head. "I suppose there's a lot to learn, huh? Being a hero and stuff?"
"It's not all sunshine and rainbow, unfortunately," Olivier said. "Though to be fair to them, we're not that bad of a shooter. Using a gun as a primary weapon is just not the style for Alameria or me."
"Well, I mean, I know several Archers who are not, well, archer…" Merlin commented as he took a spoon full of ice cream. "…but 'Archers' who are not even ranged-fighter certainly takes the cake."
"Anyway, if you ever need any help, just come to us, alright?" Paula said to her. "We're quite experienced in this kind of stuff."
"Can we actually do that?" Alameria asked from the sideline.
"Well, our schedule might be full," Olivier put her hand on her chin. "But I am sure we could create some spare time."
"Thank you very much for the offer," Lucian replied. "I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it." The leader of the trio said in return. "We're comrades now. It's only natural for us to help each other."
The four of them stopped talking when they heard the sounds of footsteps coming towards them. Seeing that they were blocking the path, they moved to one side of the hallway to give room for the approaching person.
Lucian saw that the person was a woman with long black hair, tied in a ponytail style. Looking closer at her, she noticed that her sword was – for some reason – locked by a chain. She also noticed that the trio seemed to be surrounding her, making sure that she didn't attract any attention.
After the black-haired woman passed, Lucian heard one of them – not sure who – let out a sigh as they returned to their original position.
"So…" She looked at Olivier. "Is she in any way related to Priest Noscrim out-of-sight business?"
"What?!" She looked back at her in surprise. "How did you…?!"
"My friend has the unfortunate to get on his bad side."
"Ah." The musketeer suddenly looked at her with sympathy. "I am sorry to hear that. About her, it's only rumor, but she's one of the people responsible to keep us heroes 'in-line.'"
"It's quite a hassle, you know?" Alameria commented. "I mean, all those encouragements, all those acts, they're real, don't get it wrong. But there are times when you just want to interact with others as fellow people, not as someone on the pedestal that they can only revere from the distance."
"Not good for personal life too," Olivier added.
"I see…" From the look that the leader of the trio gave, Lucian wondered if she suffered the same fate as Wilmarina; unable to be with someone that she cared about.
Man, no wonder Elt didn't hesitate to accept the offer when his would-be mentor approached him. If he already knew about the dark side of the Order, then he would obviously run away when he found out that he was a hero potential.
"While that's not my main reason, like, not even a close second or third," Merlin stated as he sipped his milk tea. "I admit that the way Lescatie treat their heroes is simply not my style. Like, even Artoria is more relaxed than that."
When Primera returned from the forest with a wild turkey in hand, she was a bit surprised to see Lucian inside the orphanage. Judging from how she was lying on the sofa with a towel on her face, it appeared that she was exhausted.
"Who's that?" The blonde asked, not moving an inch.
"It's me." The half-elf replied as she walked towards the kitchen. "You know, aren't you being too comfortable here? Might as well be your second home."
"Isn't it already one?" She sat up, catching the falling towel with her hand. "I even have a room here."
"That's Elt's former room, mind you. We simply let you stay there since nobody used it."
"Whatever you say." Lucian stood up from the sofa. "Speaking about him, where do you think he's at the moment?"
"I am not sure. He could be anywhere." The green-haired archer replied. "Heck, his last letter is about his journey in Zipangu, of all place."
The blonde nodded her head. It was quite a surprise to find out that Elt traveled that far; basically, the other side of the world. And considering the souvenirs that were with the letter, he was definitely not lying.
"Man, I really want to eat that chewy dessert again," Lucian commented with a dreamy face. "It's a miracle they're not spoiled."
"Eh, it's likely because of whatever magic that he used to preserve them." Primera decided to change the topic. "So, you're moving to Salvarion, I take it?"
"Yep. To the den of lions itself." She sneered. "I am going to miss this place."
"I can't believe I am saying this, but you will always be welcomed." The half-elf stated before grimacing. "Anyway, want to stay over for dinner? I suppose you can say that this could be your farewell party."
"Of course."
When Merlin returned to one of his workshops, he noticed the big parcel in front of the door. It was as big as himself, meaning that whatever the content must be quite big indeed. He looked at it for a while before finding what he's looking for; a card glued on the parcel itself.
Dear Mr. Merlin,
We have succeeded in creating our most famous product just the way you want it. The height and width of the main body, the length of the limbs, even the shade of colors, all of them should have matched your desire and bring you satisfaction.
Sign,
Katō Karakuri Enterprise
P.S. If you dare to return this, the 13th product that we deliver to you, then go to hell!
"Sheesh, no need to be so grumpy." The wizard commented as he ripped off the card. "Blame your own motto for making me expecting a lot from you."
Wasting no time, Merlin took out the dagger attached to his staff and used it to open the parcel. Once he was done, he couldn't help but stare at the content of the box.
"They finally did it…" He said as he caressed the surface. "You look just like how I remember you when we were there."
Satisfied with his order, the white-haired man carefully picked the content of the parcel up before going inside his workshop, intending to give the final touch.
"That should be all."
Wilmarina let out a sigh as she put down the quill. She stood up from her chair, walked a few feet away, before stretching her arms. She had to admit that despite lacking any danger, paperwork was a challenge on its own.
After a bit of relaxing, she walked back to the table to pick up a paper. It was a notification for an upcoming mission; the first official mission of the Order of Holy Ice Flower. While the mission would not happen for another week, the people assigned to it were notified quite early so that they would not be caught off-guard and to minimize consequence in case the mission was aborted.
It was nothing complicated, merely an escort mission. Their mission was to accompany an inquisitor and his entourage to a neighboring kingdom. The man was dispatched by the Order to the nation due to the suspicion of the government there colluding with the monsters. All that the order needed to do was to ensure the safety of the investigating team.
It sounded simple yet Wilmarina couldn't help but feel that there was something more about it. Either because of guts feeling or experience, she knew that something small could simply be a prelude to something much bigger.
On the other hand, that might be simply her being paranoid. Being her first mission as the leader of her own heroic order, she wanted everything to go smoothly. Plus, she had been on missions was indeed things were just that simple.
As she put the paper back onto the table, Wilmarina's eyes went towards a frame. For some reason, she decided to pick it up and looked at it. Photo was a rarity in Lescatie, even among the upper-class. The fact that it was black-and-white didn't help its popularity at all. It was, however, much faster compared to painting.
It made them suitable for three children who would likely not patient enough to stand still for a long time.
She was glad that her father allowed her to kept the photo. Her fingers went to touch the picture of Elt, standing between her and Francisca. She wondered how they were doing by now. Information about them was, sadly, something that was restricted from her.
She put the frame back onto the table before turning around, walking towards the door, and exiting the office.
Unlike other Dark Mages, she didn't live in isolated forest or swamp. It was due to the fact that she inherited a shop that her family had owned for generations. Being the only child, she had no sibling to hand over the place to and no other relative that she could think of.
Dark Mages were known to be quite selfish and she admitted that she was a bit like that. But she also disliked the thought of causing many loyal customers of her family shop to become sad by closing it. So, here she was.
"My order?"
She was taken away from her thought by the voice of a female. When she looked at who was speaking to her, the Dark Mage immediately recognized her as one of her customers. Not one of the loyal ones but a customer nonetheless.
"Ah, good day, Miss…"
"Good day." The customer replied before she could finish. "My order?"
She let out a sigh, already expecting this, before walking to the back of her shop.
"Let me take them out."
Once she put the ingredients that have been ordered, she waited as her customer inspected them one by one with her four arms. Despite looking like a human, the arms – along with her feet having spiky end – made her believed that she was not one.
Though to be fair, from the mana alone that should've been obvious.
She wondered what kind of Mamono was she. From the mechanical appearance of her arms, she was likely a construct-type, like an Automaton or a Golem. She couldn't find any other clue though, thanks to how the outfit that she wore hide most of her body.
"Everything is in order." The customer suddenly said. "Here's your payment. And thank you."
With that, she turned around and walked towards the door, two of her arms carrying the ingredients.
"Have luck with your experiment…" Before the Dark Mage could finish it, she already exited the shop. "…Miss Avi."
Once again, she let out a sigh before picking up her payment – two bags of gold coins – to put them into a safe.
"Still, I can't help but wonder." She spoke to herself. "What kind of experiment that would intrigue an Automaton or a Golem?"
Answers to some reviews:
AMAZING EZ-8: Oh, you have no idea 😉
Kefv1n: He will. In fact, he already used it.
BlackFox1999: The other three will be introduced.
MoonCell: Well, let's just say that Merlin has many monster friends. And flings, of course 😉
As for "good dream," one of his abilities is to enter someone's dream and manipulate it. Basically, he's giving her a dream where she's healthy and with her friends.
Heinlein: Let's just say that he would want to have him under his payroll and curse whoever make him that powerful.
Phantom Thief of Hearts: Oh, his mentor did exist. It's just that, he's not exactly a "normal" person.
Between Asclepius and Greilia, well, Merlin is interested in having the God of Medicine and the Baphomet of Healing meet each other. And yes, he did compare them.
Also, good idea about Ritsuka XD
Boobman: Let's just say conflicted doesn't even begin to describe his feeling.
If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.
Review, please!