In Search for Gift

When they arrived on the island, both Kato and Avi noticed that there was something different with Merlin.

Previously, he was quite playful during their journey, going from one place to another in search of entertainment, not caring how much he caused discomfort for the locals. In fact, one can say that that's how he gained the entertainment in question.

Now, however, he seemed to be more serious or at least, more focused. He wandered from one shop to another, giving a calculating look at some of the goods being sold there, before moving on.

It was a bit disconcerting, to be honest. When someone as powerful as he didn't act normally, then there was likely a good reason for the behavior change. Which was why they decided to ask him about it.

As it turned out, it wasn't a big deal.

"Birthday gift?!" Avi exclaimed, pretty much emphasizing her shock. "All this time, all the seriousness, all simply because you're looking for a gift?!"

"It's not just any gift!" The wizard retorted before scratching his head. "Look, I know it sounds weird coming from me, but I really want it to be something special."

"Is it because of...him?" Kato asked.

"Yeah, most likely," Merlin stated. "In any case, to make sure that I remain in optimal condition, I am going to need to find the perfect gift."

"And you still haven't found it." The Golem guessed. "Despite being here."

"Yeah, quite an embarrassment, don you agree?"

Currently, the trio was taking a break at a seaside pub located on the Island of Matori. Just like most of the island, the place was decorated with pirate-themed items, from a wooden barrel to cannons to the Jolly Roger.

They managed to find the materials that Avi was seeking. However, instead of departing directly, they instead remained at Court Alf due to Merlin remembering something, which was revealed to be someone's birthday, and considering he was looking for a gift, he likely didn't have one ready and the event was close.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A female suddenly spoke up. "I have heard the rumors, but who would have thought that you've indeed returned?"

The three of them turned their heads towards the source of the voice and saw two women approaching them, a Thunderbird and a Sea Bishop, the latter using a transformation spell to have two feet instead of a tail.

"Ah, Levin!" Merlin greeted them. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, sure." The Thunderbird, Levin, scowled. "Long time no see."

Seeing her expression, his companions turned their attention to him.

"What did you do this time?" Avi asked, already guessing the reason.

"Hey, now, just because…!"

"He caused a spontaneous darkness in Saida!" The Songstress suddenly said. "Do you know how much chaos you caused?"

"Spontaneous darkness?" Kato said, confused by the term.

"Their term for a blackout." The wizard explained. "That's likely the first time they ever experienced a power outage."

"Huh, you know, those terms are…" Levin was about to comment before shaking her head. "Wait, back to the topic!"

"Yeah, yeah, I am going to pay the fine." He replied before looking at her companion. "Anyway, what are you doing here, Ariel? I am pretty sure everything's fine on your island."

"True, you don't cause too much problem." The Sea Bishop replied as her face turned serious. "However, my reason is about something unrelated to Court Alf."

This caused the white-haired man to raise an eyebrow. For a monster to wanting to discuss something not related to her home, it must be something serious.

"May I take a seat here?" She asked.

Merlin gave a sign which indicated that he had no problem with it, followed by his companions nodding their heads. Ariel picked up two empty chairs for her and Levin, setting them up at the table of the trio.

"Thank you." The Sea Bishop said. "Before that, I need to know how much you know. Have you ever heard of murders occurring at the churches of Poseidon?"

"Murders? Poseidon?" He said before looking at Avi and Kato, who shook their heads. "We never heard of it."

"I see." She sighed in a mix of both relief and frustration. "At least that means it's still just a local problem."

"What happened?" The wizard asked.

"I heard from my fellow Bishops that several churches have been attacked," Ariel told him. "The priests were killed, the churches desecrated, and not even the congregation was spared."

"Desecration, huh?" The Golem commented. "That's usually mean the target is the god that the church dedicated itself to. In this case, Poseidon."

"That's a possibility." The green-haired Songstress stated. "But there's something…weird about the attacks."

"Weird?"

"After the first two attacks, the nearby churches asked help from the Sea Bishops to reinforce their places. Wards were created to prevent anyone with bad intention to enter them."

"But they failed." Merlin guessed.

"It's more than that." She said. "One of them was attacked when a Sea Bishop was there to put on the ward. She was killed as well, died from her wound."

"If she died from her wound," Kato joined in. "That means you manage to reach her before she expired."

"C-Correct. Though I won't use that word. Anyway, before she passed away, the Bishop only managed to utter a word."

She leaned closer so that they could hear it more clearly.

"Traitor." She opened her mouth. "That's what she said."

"Traitor." The wizard repeated the word. "That's...ominous, to say the least."

"You bet," Levin said. "That means either a former priest or – gods forbid – a rogue Sea Bishop was responsible for all the murder."

"Well, that could explain why the ward doesn't work."

"Indeed. But I really hope this is not the case." Ariel stated with a look of worry. "A Sea Bishop betraying everything we stand for…I want to say it's impossible, but why else would she said 'traitor?'"

Merlin put his hand on his chin, trying to figure out the possible culprit. Indeed, a Sea Bishop was the most possible one. It matched the killer being able to disable the wards and being called a traitor by another Sea Bishop.

However, while the Demon Lord had a rather hand-off approached when it came to leading the Monsters, "not killing people unless absolutely necessary" was one of her absolute rules. Sure, the Bishop might have been somehow able to resist it, but considering that she would also receive a blessing…from…Poseidon…

"Oh, dear." He suddenly said, causing others to look at him.

"What?" Ariel immediately asked. "What is it?"

"Say, Poseidon might be the Goddess of the Sea," Merlin said. "But that's not her only domain, right?"

"No, she's also the Goddess of Earthquakes." The Sea Bishop replied. "She has some control over the land, but the strongest is in the coastal area."

"So, she can give a blessing to someone who is not a sailor," The wizard deduced. "And for the blessing to remain on that man, right?"

"What are you trying to say?" Considering her pale face, it was likely that she already guessed the reason.

"I am saying; what if we're dealing with a hero that received a blessing from Poseidon?"

Silence fell upon them as they comprehended what he had just said. They turned their attention towards Ariel, the one who knew about the religion of the Goddess of the Sea the most.

"N-No…that's…no…" She muttered. "T-There's no way…why would someone…?"

"Eh, considering the monsterized Order heroes," Merlin commented. "Heroes turning their backs on their god is a common occurrence."

"That's different!" Ariel exclaimed, standing up as she slammed the table. "They abandoned the Order because the Chief God neglected them; because they were mistreated by the Order! We will never do such a thing to our heroes!"

"Are you sure about that?" He stated. "It's not like you can observe every place that worship Poseidon 24/7, aren't you?"

"W-Well, even without my role as a Songstress, no, I couldn't." She admitted. "However, there's no way Lady Poseidon would ever let one of her heroes to go astray!"

"Sure." The wizard said in a tone that indicated he didn't believe it. "Whatever makes you sleep better at night."

"In any case," Levin interrupted, trying to prevent a fight. "We know that whoever committed these murders is someone with a knowledge regarding the wards of Poseidon and I believe there's nothing wrong in chasing after any possible lead."

Once again, silence fell upon them as the Sea Bishop and the Caster kept their eyes on each other, much to the discomfort of the three other people on the table. In the end, though, both of them decided to back off, much to their relief.

"I suppose you have a point, Levin," Ariel said to her friend. "No matter how…absurd the lead is, we should still investigate it less we miss something crucial."

"I'll see the condition of Poseidon churches in the Order's land," Merlin said. "Who knows how far the murders have spread?"

While it was common knowledge about the Monsters that Poseidon was supportive of the Demon Lord's plan, not so much with those in the Order. And even if they knew about it, it wasn't like they could just stop worshipping the supreme ruler of the sea.

If there was one thing he learned about the Olympians, no matter the version, was that they were dicks.

"Thank you for that." The Sea Bishop replied, smiling. "Well, that should be all. So, if there's no more business…"

"Actually," The wizard said. "I am looking for a gift. A birthday gift. For a woman."

"Oh?" She brightened, likely due to the topic. "Who is it? Your wife? Your daughter?"

"It's for a woman that I care about." He smiled slyly.

"Cryptic as always." Ariel rolled her eyes. "Anyway, if it's for a woman, then I suggest that you…"

"I don't think that would work." Merlin interrupted. "When she was younger, she often received proposals from people that simply want to be related to the reputation of her family, most of them are accompanied by expensive gifts."

"Ah." She nodded. "That surely complicates things."

"Why don't you just buy her something that she could appreciate?" Levin suggested. "Like, what is her hobby? Maybe it could give you an idea."

"Well, she doesn't…exactly have a concrete hobby, so to say." He said before explaining it further. "Her father is pretty much a 'No Fun' type. He basically demands work, work, and work without any break. So, she doesn't have time to discover what she likes."

For an obvious reason, the faces of both monsters soured.

"Oh, I know the type. You have no idea how many couples that come to Court Alf are actually running away from their parents." Ariel commented. "In any case, I can see why you're confused."

"Well, what about something that she could use?" The Thunderbird gave another suggestion. "Or, if everything else failed, just cook her something delicious?"

"I suppose I don't have many options." He muttered. "Nevertheless, thank you."

"It's always a pleasure to help." The Sea Bishop stated as she stood up. "Especially in this kind of matter."

With that, the two Songstresses departed, returning to their respective islands. Because their business was now done, the trio stood up from their seat as well, ready to return to their home.

Lucian had to admit that when she became a hero, she expected that her life would be one full of danger. She had been prepared for that since day one.

She was not, however, prepared for the sheer boredom the position would give her.

"Paperwork." She muttered under her breath. "The bane of humanity."

"Heh, I agree," Wilmarina said. "I used to think there's nothing worse than the Monsters, but now…"

Currently, both of them were inside the office, taking care of the paperwork. While it was not as glamorous as exterminating those that threatened humanity, it was nonetheless an important task. In fact, one could argue that it was the more important one.

That didn't mean it was not a tedious task, though.

Letting out a sigh, Lucian put away the paper that she had filled and picked up another one. She read it for a while before stopping midway, moving it closer to her eyes. It was then she realized that she wasn't the one who was supposed to fill it.

"Hey, Mari." The blonde walked up to her with the paper. "I think this one should be yours."

The hero diverted her attention from her work and accepted the paper. She read the content and found out that her 2IC was correct.

"You're right. This is the maintenance report of my sword." She stated. "Thank you."

"No problem," Lucian replied before looking back at the paper. "Say, your sword, it's called All for You?"

"Indeed," Wilmarina said. "What about it?"

"Well, the name's the same as the magic sword that belonged to the founder of the kingdom." She said. "The one that's currently in the Royal Vault, if I am not wrong."

"You're…not there during the ceremony, aren't you? The one during the celebration of the founding of Lescatie?"

"I don't remember any ceremony taking place. Though I admit I don't attend every…" She stopped upon realizing what her superior was trying to say. "Wait, don't tell me…"

"Yep. This is the same sword that belonged to the founder."

"Shouldn't this sword wielded by a royalty?" Lucian asked, confused. "I am pretty sure at least one of the princesses is worthy of wielding it."

"Not mean to brag, but I have been considered to be stronger than any of them," Wilmarina stated before sighing. "It's also a political statement."

"Ah." She knew what she meant. "The Noscrim family is stronger than even the Royal family."

The blonde scratched her head, trying to find any silver lining regarding the matter.

"Well," She opened her mouth. "At least, you have a sword that could perfectly protect you from the monsters."

"Oh, please, any other sword would do the job." The hero stated before - uncharacteristically - scoffing. "There are too many implications with me wielding All for You. Why, I would love for us to have a mission in say, the sea or the volcano, just so that I could throw it away and claim that it's unrecoverable."

"You know, I don't think the Royal family would like it if their heirloom got destroyed."

"Considering how much they've been trampled and manipulated, I don't think they would care much about it."

"Listen, I know you're angry, but that's no reason to vent it on others. Remember that Franny is royalty as well and she wouldn't be happy at the loss of family's heirloom."

Upon remembering her childhood friend, Wilmarina rested her head on her hands, letting out a sigh. As much as she knew how important her position was, the restrictions placed upon her – along with the "backroom dealings" – frustrated her to no end.

"You're right." She muttered. "I…I think I just need to calm down a bit."

"Um, Mari? Who are you talking to?"

It was at that moment that she realized it.

"Wait, you're not the one who said that?" She asked her 2IC.

"Said what?" Lucian showed a confused expression.

"Oh, damn it." Wilmarina stood up from her seat. "I am going to take a ten minutes break. Do whatever you want until then."

She exited the office and walked away, pinching the bridge of her nose along the way.

"I really need a rest." She said to herself. "It won't do for me to have a hallucination."

BAM

The guards near the door couldn't help but jump in surprise. Despite that not being the first time the massive door was slammed, the sheer force of it was still enough to shock them.

BAM

The Ice Queen looked at the remaining guards that were with her. Most of them were Glacies, with few Selkie among them.

BAM

She cursed whoever had invaded and razed her kingdom. The attack was so sudden that by the time the news reached her, they were already halfway to her castle. The cold, which was the primary defense mechanism of the region, didn't do anything at all towards the invaders.

BAM

From the information that she got, one of them was a mage with high expertise in controlling Demonic Energy. That would indeed explain how they got this far; the cold weather of the kingdom was not an ordinary one but was enhanced with Demonic Energy.

BAM

Still, that opened a can of worms; how did a human manage to safely use Demonic Energy? And if the mage wasn't a human, then why would a monster help in invading…?

BAM

"Y-Your Majesty!" One of the guards called her. "The door, it's…!"

"I see." She said before letting out a sigh. "So, this is how it ends."

Usually, she would not say such pessimistic words. However, she had seen just how hopeless their situation was. Most of the guards – among them the most skilled – had been slain during the initial part of the invasion. Among the invaders was a mage whose skill rivaled her own.

Their survival was not guaranteed.

BLAM

This time, the smash was strong enough to knock the door off its hinges, revealing the giant stone golem that was responsible for destroying it. Then, several smaller golems – but no less large – rushed into the room.

The guards charged ahead to fight them. However, all it did was leaving the path open for a figure in a white robe to walk towards her uninterrupted. The staff in hand revealed that the person was likely the mage in question.

The Ice Queen opened her mouth, wanting to ask the reason for the invasion of her home when she was suddenly greeted by the sea of blue flame.

"Well, that's a little harder than expected."

The comment from the wizard caused him to receive a glare from his companions.

"Do you know how much material I have lost in making those golems?" Avi complained.

"Oh, please. It's not that bad." He retorted. "Besides, it was basically a field test for them."

"Point." She relented.

"Did the invasion really necessary, though?" Kato asked. "Seems quite…overkill when all we need is just one material."

"That's because the material in question is this," Merlin said as he showed it. "There's no way they're going to just hand it over."

Said material in question was none other than the Heart of the Ice Queen.

"If I am not wrong, the Glacies contains a part of the Queen's power." The kunoichi replied. "We just need to catch one and get out from there."

"True. However, for the Mystic Code that I planned to make, I need the most potent material imaginable." He explained. "Thus, it makes sense to go after the strongest ice monster."

"I can understand that," Avi stated.

"Well, considering what happened to that Yggd…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Merlin received a punch to the face by the Golem.

After making sure that no one was following her, Sasha let out a sigh before continuing her walk towards her destination.

It was something that she didn't want people to know, not even her closest friends. She did this to repent for her sins, yet she did it by committing even more sins. A cycle that she trapped herself into.

If only she knew what the answer to her dilemma was. That was the thought that always plagued her mind. But not today.

When she finally arrived, the nun felt her heart dropped as she saw the door of the hut being left open. Wasting no time at all, she ran towards the building with her entire might, the feeling of dread clouded her heart.

"Anne? Are you in here?" She called someone out. "Lizzy? Caramel?"

Upon entering the hut, she saw the mess inside. Every piece of furniture was basically upside down. Doors were off their hinges. Several windows have been broken. Yet beside those, there was no other sign of fighting; no damage on the wall, no blood, no corpse.

"W-Where's everyone?" She muttered. "Where have they gone?"

She slowly searched the building, trying to find any sign of their whereabouts. Alas, there was none. It was as if something terrified them so much that they left the hut in a hurry.

"What could cause…?" She suddenly felt something on her left and immediately jumped away, preparing for a fight. "W-What…?"

However, it was not something dangerous.

Sitting on the table – one of few intact furniture – was a white animal of some kind. The size reminded her of a squirrel, yet it was not one. She wondered if the creature was a critter, but didn't think so considering the lack of buckteeth.

"O-Oh, it's just you, little guy," Sasha said, letting out a sigh. "Do you by any chance know what happened here?"

The creature blinked several times as it tilted its head.

"W-What the hell am I doing?! Asking an animal?" She scolded herself. "By Chief God, just where they are…?"

The nun walked out of the building. She was considering calling them again, but a part of her felt that it would be useless. If the children were nearby, then they would immediately come to her the moment they were called.

They were likely had been gone for a long time and was now far away.

"I suppose the only thing that I could do now is to pray for their safety," Sasha muttered before she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. "Eh?"

When she looked at it, she saw that the white creature was now sitting on her shoulder. Slowly, she moved her index finger towards it. Once it was close, she moved the finger to its lower jaw and rubbed it. The creature closed its eyes, making a satisfied face.

"Do you want to come with me?" She asked it, receiving several blinks in return. "I am not sure what kind of creature you are, but you're not dangerous. I am sure the children in the orphanage would be happy to have you."

The creature opened its mouth, revealing that it understood her and agreed with the decision.

"Fou~"

Answers to some reviews:

ptl: How Avicebron reincarnated as a Golem? Well, unfortunately, that's a spoiler ;)

As for the grammar, I used Grammarly, but paying for the Premium version is…difficult.

ENDDRAGON369: So far, the only women that could be described as "Merlin is romantically interested in them" are Wilmarina and Lucian. However, currently, it's been years since he meets them.

Physically, at least.

Shipper: That's a spoiler ;)

3697014: It's close ;)

And it's done.

If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.

Review, please!