Author's Note: Finally, chapter 10. I do apologize for how late this chapter came out, as I had a lack of true motivation writing it. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy it, as well as continue to tune in to the story. Moving on, the high word count for the previous chapter is going to be a far and few between phenomenon, as not many episodes have as many events occurring in such a short span of time.

Anyway, without further adieu, chapter 10.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, only my own.

"Dialogue."

"Writing."

Thoughts.

August 27, 2020

"It's been nearly a month since I've been summoned, which is crazy to think about to be honest. I don't know if I've been labeled MIA, AWOL, or a deserter back home. Anyway, it's been five days since the whole adventure of getting Filo new clothes. Since then, we have managed to gain over ten or more levels, which brings me to level 37, Raphtalia to level 39, and Filo up to 38. Ever since I got my ballistic shield, it has essentially become my default go to, as the bash it provides is truly helpful in a fight. But there is another issue. I can't stop thinking about the cave incident. The tears in Raphtalia's eyes. Before I saw eyes of resolve and trust, I saw eyes that held a hint of doubt. She has told us what she heard, at which I reminded her of my promise. Her eyes have never shown any doubt from then on, only hardened trust in me, and I her. We will never let anything divide us. We are partners. We are Poles. We. Will. Fight."

- Private First Class Wisnieski

Setting down the journal, Leo took a moment to look over the crates of herbicide that he and his party had been provided. Reaching over and taking one out, Leo began to look it over.

Herbicide x 135

[Author's Note: Play Teardrops, Pt.2 - Metro Exodus Soundtrack (feat. Alexey Omelchuck) for extra effect]

I still can't believe that a village needs over a hundred bottles of herbicide. If it's for what I think it is, then they're going to need more than just small bottles. Who knows, maybe a few barrels. Leo thought as the cart made its way into the infected town. All around the trio were long, sickly green vines that expanded for miles. There are many things in life that Leo has witnessed. There are many things that Raphtalia has been through. Nothing however, could have prepared them for this place. Taking a look around, Leo could only stare in shock at the damage Motoyasu had indirectly caused.

I can't believe it. Motoyasu caused this world's version of the Chernobyl Disaster. Just like when Pripyat was lost, an entire area of people, gone… Leo thought solemnly. As the three of them watched the buildings and plant life go by, they could only stare in sadness. Not even Filo's over the top, happy go lucky attitude could comment, as not only had the cave incident given her a dose of reality, but Leo had firmly lectured her over the past few days about what she was truly getting herself into, and the impact on people's lives that could occur in the process. With all that in mind, she couldn't help but also feel a little sad for those who had lost their homes and lives.

The vines were everywhere, from windows and buildings, to alleyways, to the fields. If one were to look hard enough, they would see some bodies sticking out from under the vines, blood staining certain areas in the streets, and even a stuffed bear sitting in a window, its face stained with a deep crimson color.

[Author's Note: End Song]

It was Raphtalia's voice that brought them out of their state of sadness and shock, and brought back their hope for the people of this town.

"Master Leo, look over there!" Raphtalia exclaimed, pointing towards a hill. On top was a fence like wall made from large pikes. The plant life and vines had grown onto it, but did not visibly seem to have penetrated it.

With his determination and hope having returned, Leo began barking orders to his companions, taking the lead once more as always. "Filo, get us up there now! Raphtalia, once we're there, I'll gather information on the situation, you do what you can with the herbicides and medicine. Go go go!" Stepping back from the driver's seat, Leo placed the herbicide bottle in his hand back in its crate.

"Ok master! Hold on tight!" Filo replied before running, the cart shaking furiously under the many objects covering the road.

In record time, they had managed to make it to the front gate, which had been opened when their cart was heard. Slowing down as they passed through, the cart came to a stop before Leo got out and began asking around, hoping to gather any information on what happened here. Raphtalia had done as ordered, gathering the different crates of herbicide and medicine before handing some out.

It was when Leo got to an old man that he was informed of their current situation. "We can't find a way to thank you enough. Before you arrived, we were sure that the vines would overrun this place."

"It's no problem sir, but I have a few questions to ask real quick. For one, is everyone here ok? Two, how did this problem start exactly?" Leo asked the man. He wanted to not only make sure everyone made it out alive, but also to confirm his own suspicions.

"Well, most people here made it from our district. Everyone else however, well, we don't know. We requested the help of adventurers, but we haven't seen or heard from them since they went to level up a few days ago." The old man replied sadly. "And as for how this outbreak started, it goes back to when the Spear Hero provided us a magic seed to help end our famine."

Leo silently cursed Motoyasu for his incompetence. "Alright, we'll see what we can do to help." Leo replied confidently before turning to his filolial companion. "Filo! There are some people who were sent to that town to help deal with the situation. Go retrieve them, regardless of their condition. Only leave them if it is impossible to help." He ordered her.

"I'll do my best, master! I'll be back before you know it." Filo exclaimed before taking off. Hoping that she and the adventurers would return ok and alive, he watched as she quickly ran back towards the infested town.

"Sir, there's more to the problem than just overgrown vines. The plants also turned to monsters and attacked us, so we have no way of actually fighting back. All our techniques have failed, from fire to the few bottles of herbicide we owned."

Leo took a moment to digest everything. So Motoyasu took not just a seed that would kill the land, but would literally kill everything. Dumbass. "Don't worry sir, me and my friends will do everything we can to help." Leo told him. A few minutes after their conversation was over, the sound of Filo's talons could be heard as she entered the front gate holding three people.

"Found them as requested master. Why would they go? They were extremely weak for what was out there." Filo informed. This just made Leo curious.

"Filo, what exactly did you find out there?"

She replied with something that would reinforce the old's man point on how dangerous these monsters were. "When I found one of these guys, the vines were moving around and attacked me. I managed to kick it away and get him, just as you said."

Before they could continue their conversation, the townsfolk began murmuring something about the Heavenly Fowl. People from all around the area looked towards Leo and his party's direction, surprised and grateful.

"Excuse me, are you, by any chance, the Savior of the Heavenly Fowl?" The old man asked Leo, catching his attention.

Leo nodded in confirmation. "Yes sir, that's us. Why, is there something wrong?" His face, if shown, was full of concern if his status was being asked.

The old man's glum attitude from earlier completely changed, his hope rising to the fullest. "Please sir, we have people who are sick. We beg of you, use your powers and help them!"

Leo simply put his hand on, wordlessly telling the old man to stop. "There's no need to beg. If you have people who are infected, we will see what we can do. Right Raphtalia?" Leo said to the man.

Raphtalia nodded, getting the message. "Right. We'll do what we can, just take us to them." She replied before heading off. Once she had returned with some pills, potions, and herbicides, the old man took them over to a tent that had been isolated from the rest. After pulling back on the cloth and letting the others inside first, Leo stepped into a sight which he would not forget.

Lining the beds were men, women, and children, all with plants growing from their bodies, having seemingly grown from their veins. No amount of physical or mental training could prepare them for this. While Leo slowly recuperated himself, Raphtalia had taken to stepping outside for a moment, dry - heaving from the sight. She could hear the old man begging once more to try and help them, but she didn't pick up on Leo's response, which she doubted he even gave. After a moment, Raphtalia finally went back inside, only to see Leo provide some herbicide to a small child, an empty healing potion next to him.

Leo lifted the head of the child so they could drink the healing potion. Once that was done, he took the herbicide and gave them a sip to drink. Immediately following, with a little hope that is, he poured the rest of the bottle into the infected person, causing the plants and sickly green color in their body to wither and die, curing them.

The survivors who were watching gasped in amazement at how easily Leo had cured the girl. Standing up, Leo held a confident pose as he smiled beneath his mask and goggles.

"Alright, Raphtalia, do the same as I did and help those I don't." Nodding, she took hold of one of the herbicide bottles. Turning to the crowd, Leo addressed them with two simple words.

"Next one."

Moving from infected to infected had been quick. Within roughly 10 minutes, all of the victims who were plagued with illness from the plants were cured. Stepping out of the tent with Raphtalia in tow, Leo took a quick headcount of how much herbicide was left.

Herbicide x 113

"For how much we used on the people, we have quite a bit left." Leo commented, his surprise flowing to Raphtalia.

Before she could reply, the old man from earlier came up and took a kneeling stance before Leo and his group. "O' Savior of the Heavenly Fowl, we beg you, save our village from this plague!" Leo could only feel sympathy for this man, who, at this stage, was practically on his hands and knees, begging for any solution.

Walking over to the man, Leo grabbed his arm and pulled him up from his position. "No need to kneel to me. I'm human, same as you. And don't worry, when we saw the condition of your town, especially now that we know that the plant is an evil, sentient monster, we were going to help either way. As for payment, twenty five silver will suffice for the herbicide. For how much I was actually supplied, it's normally two hundred. However, with this situation being one of life or death, I'm willing to discount you guys heavily." Leo informed the man. Once his piece was said, Leo motioned towards Filo and Raphtalia. "Alright, Fireteam Eagle, let's go. We have an idiot's mess to clean up." With that, the duo fell in line with Leo as they made their way into the infected village.

"Breath of Death Shield!" A voice called out as it blocked an oncoming attack. As the liquid poison hit Leo's shield, Raphtalia charged at the bio - monster, slicing it in half while Filo kicked its upper half away.

"Let's keep moving. There's no telling just how many of them there are. Hopefully we can find the source, and if we kill it, everything else will die. The old head of a snake strategy." Leo ordered as he and his party pushed forward.

As they continued, they fought more plant monsters, some big, some small, and some poisonous. As the fight continued, they took shelter inside one of the buildings for a moment in order to catch their breaths. "So, here's the plan: Once we locate the main boss, Raphtalia, you cut around right, while I go left. Filo, your our powerhouse, so you need to keep the boss distraction for as long as possible. Its not the best plan, but we're losing time, so with that out of the way, we need to find the boss itself." Leo told them. The plan heavily relied on Filo, so Leo just hoped that she wouldn't mess up or go against orders.

Once they left their small shelter, they rounded a corner and found themselves at courtyard of sorts. "Sir, what about that?" Raphtalia asked. Looking over to where Raphtalia was pointing, Leo saw the giant tree she was talking about.

"Alright, that looks like our target. Remember the plan, hit it from bo-" Leo was interrupted when a burst of wind flew by him.

"Don't worry master, I got this!" FIlo exclaimed as she made her way closer.

"Filo, get back here now! Stick to the plan!" Leo shouted towards her. For as much as he taught her, she still acted on impulse. That would have to change soon. Taking out a herbicide bottle and tossing it to Raphtalia, he told her, "Go help Filo on the front. I'll see if I can take some of the brunt from the sides, leave it open to a flank." Watching her nod and take off, Leo ran around the left, some of the larger vines now moving to attack him due to the fact that the large tree now had an eyeball, which caught him in his attempted distraction.

Ah fuck.

Slicing some of the vines that attempted to intercept her, Raphtalia finally made it to Filo, who had taken a moment to land. "Filo, get me closer. I'll splash this herbicide on its eye. Once done, we break this thing once and for all." Raphtalia informed the bird. Not wasting another second, they leaped into action, Filo in the front to keep the way clear. "Watch out!" Raphtalia cried out as she cut a few vines that tried to make their way towards the pair, one of which Filo had landed on.

As Raphtalia landed on Filo to not falter in their attack, Filo turned to her, seemingly aggravated. "Raphtalia, stop holding me back!" She exclaimed to the raccoon.

"The hell do you mean hold you bac-?!" Raphtalia began. While she was distracted, she found her sentence cut short as a vine wrapped itself around her torso. She struggled to get her knife, as her arms still retained free movement, but the size of the plant made it difficult to reach. Before she could grab it, the vine pulled her up with intense force. Raphtalia now regretted not going to the bathroom earlier, as the force made her slightly piss her pants. Gasping in shock and slight anger, she managed to retrieve her knife before cutting herself loose. She swore she could hear Filo laugh for a moment.

Stabbing her knife into the side of the tree to stop her fall, she quickly smashed the herbicide bottle into the bio - monster's eye, causing it to screech in pain. Before it could recover, Leo had taken some of the other bottles he brought and threw them at the monster, making sure to potion enhance them before doing so. With so many deadly chemicals hitting it at once, the plant could not hold on any longer. Withering away, the large tree quickly began to collapse.

"Let's go let's go!" Leo shouted as he helped Raphtalia up once she had landed on the ground. Pulling her along, the trio managed to escape the falling beast as it split apart and fell, causing the ground to shake under the force of the large object making contact with the ground.

After taking a few deep breaths, Leo addressed one of the two party members. "Raphtalia, what was that? You got distracted and nearly got hurt." He said in concern as he wrapped some cloth around her arm where a vine cut her. She couldn't help but blush a little in embarrassment.

"S- sorry master, I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again, I swear." She replied, her voice stuttering for a moment before calming down.

After a quick pat on the shoulder, he spoke in a calm tone. "Yeah, it won't. Moving on, see those seeds? Those are bound to cause havoc, so grab as many as you can and keep them off the ground. Don't want to fight more giant trees." Leo ordered them. Walking off to get a nearby crate, Filo and Raphtalia got to work. Taking some baskets from a nearby fruit stand, they began collecting the seeds.

As the baskets continued to fill up, and the amount of seeds on the tree lowered, Raphtalia thought back to the fight. Why was Filo so annoyed? We're a team, aren't we? She did charge in headfirst, so maybe she thinks she can do everything herself? Maybe, and if that's the case, then Master Leo and I should teach her what we know. Yeah, it's about time she got taught. I mean, Master Leo taught me when I was young, so the same should go with Filo.

As Raphtalia reached for a bio - fruit, a hand quickly snatched it away from her, kicking her out of her thoughts and back to reality.

Looking up, she saw Filo staring at her, fruit in hand. Shrugging, Raphtalia went to reach for another fruit, which got swiped as well, and then another, with the same effect happening.

"Ok Filo, why do you keep taking all the fruits that I go for?" Raphtalia asked. At this point, she was truly annoyed. It was as if Filo was doing it out of spite or something.

Shrugging, Filo gave her reply. "Because you were too slow to get them." Raphtalia could just barely make out a tiny smug smirk at the end of her lips. Rolling her eyes and taking a deep breath, Raphtalia just nodded and quickly swiped a fruit that Filo was reaching for earlier, placing it in her basket.

"Hey, that was mine!" Filo complained, a hint of frustration taking hold of her words.

"So? You were too slow." Raphtalia replied, a smug smile of her own forming as she got up and continued to fill her basket. Filo just pouted and went back to her own work, albeit annoyed.

Leo, who had seen their small, heated moment, really felt like he had to have them fix whatever tension was going on between the two. From the inn, to the plant battle, to this, he just had no idea anymore. Shaking his head, he took a seed and put it to his shield.

BioPlant Shield

+65 DEF, +85 MDEF

Equip Bonus: Plant Modification

Special Equip Bonus: Hook

Leo just stared in surprise. Plant modification. That means that I could potentially fix this whole mess if I just… kneeling down to the crate of seeds, a new menu popped up on Leo's HUD. Growth, reproduction, some other stuff. Yeah, ok, let's see. Change growth can increase by half, intelligence from over - powered plant to dumb as a doornail. Reproduction can go to a third or so, production can go up too… Once he adjusted the rest of the seeds stats, he tossed one to the ground. Within seconds, a small bush grew with some fruit, but before it could be picked, the plant withered away.

"Damn." Leo said as he exhaled a quick sigh. Turning to his team, he called out, "Are you two done yet?" Filo and Raphtalia quickly nodded before picking their baskets up, dumping the last of the seeds into the crate. Walking over and picking up the crate, Leo led the walk back to the outpost, with Raphtalia carrying one basket that wasn't able to have its produce moved.

"Master Leo, what are you thinking about? I know that look on your face." Raphtalia butted in, interrupted his train of thought as they continued on their way.

"Huh? Oh, well, I got a shield from absorbing one of those seeds. Unlocked a skill called plant modification, so I've been thinking about the best way to make the "miracle seed" an actual miracle seed, rather than some monster. My plan is to test it later at the village so they can have some food for the time being." Leo replied, a hopeful aura surrounding him.

Raphtalia couldn't help but give a worried look. "Master, are you sure about that? I mean, what if it turns into another type of monster and attacks everyone?" She asked, concerned for the safety of the surviving townsfolk.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. Earlier, I dropped its intelligence stat to that of a pet rock, so it can't even harm dirt, much less people. Thanks for your concern though. Goes to show how much you care for people." Leo told her. Raphtalia smiled while Filo once again pouted for who knows why.

Upon entering the gate, a small crowd had gathered around to welcome their heroes back, the old man taking the front.

"Thank you so much, Sir Shield Hero. You have no idea how grateful we are for you and your companions." The old man said with a genuine smile.

"No problem. Even if I weren't the Shield Hero, we still would have come to help. However, we only took down the monsters, so you'll have to clear this place of the vines yourselves, as we have other places to get to and help." Leo replied. A yawn took hold of him for a moment, showing how tired he was. "Welp, I'm off to get some sleep. Raphtalia, you can come with or stay up and such." He said before walking off to the cart. Getting in and setting his gear aside, Leo took a blanket, wrapped himself up, and went to sleep.

As night fell, a fire was started, with the old man, Filo, and Raphtalia sitting around it. Currently, Filo was devouring a wingful of fruit that she had taken from the basket, her attitude appearing to change for the better. Raphtalia just sat there, drinking from her canteen as she reflected on the day's events.

"That Shield Hero fellow is quite unique, isn't he? It's easy to assume that he has dealt with this kind of thing a lot." The old man spoke. Catching Raphtalia off guard, she took a moment to reply.

"Yes, he has. More than even he would like to admit sometimes. But we do it for the people, so, by our values, we try to help anyone where we can. It was him who actually got me to where I am today, so I owe him a lot." Raphtalia replied, her cheeks going slightly red. The old man nodded in understanding. Some seconds went by before Raphtalia slowly stood up, stretched, and informed them she was going to get some sleep. Walking over to the cart, she took the sleeping bag from Leo's bag and placed it on the floor before removing her equipment. Sliding in, she fell asleep in mere seconds.

As the first light of dawn hit the land, two figures could be seen crouching near the wall. One of which had a shield in the shape of a flower.

"Are you sure this will work Master Leo?" Raphtalia asked, still slightly concerned about planting a seed.

"If my knowledge about plants and sentient beings is correct, then yeah, I'm 80% sure." Leo replied with confidence. They had both woken up half an hour ago, Raphtalia finding Leo working on modifying the seed once more. She was worried then, and still is, but was convinced that he had it under control.

Planting the seed into the ground, the two were surprised when a bush quickly grew and bore fruit. No monster appeared, the plant didn't wither, and the fruits were plentiful. Filo, who had woken up a minute ago, saw the fruits as she approached them.

"Master, is that it?" She asked, to which Leo nodded. "It looks so yummy! Can I have some?" Leo once again nodded in reply. Filo quickly transformed into bird mode and took some off and filled a small basket. Digging in, she seemed happy to eat more food.

A few of the villagers who had woken up and left their tents saw the bush. Amazed, they went to wake the others. Soon enough, a small group was gathered around the bush in awe.

"In order to do this, I had to heavily downplay its capability of breeding and mutation, making it unable to form any sort of plant monster, or have the ability to do what it did to your town. I then increase the growth and production rate, so that way you can have quick growing plants that produce lots of fruit without consequence. Just don't plant too many at once, or you could overrun yourselves next time." Leo informed the group. Most were too excited to respond, so the old man spoke for them instead.

"We cannot thank you enough Sir Hero! You saved our village and now, you've ended our famine. You truly are worthy of being called a hero." He exclaimed in happiness. Leo smiled and patted the man on the back.

"Well, good luck with all of it. There is one thing I wish of you though." Leo began.

"Anything Sir Hero." Some of the people looked towards Leo, curious about what he wished to ask.

"I wish to take some of the fruit and sell it. Not only could me and my party make good money, but it could also help other towns. Also, I think I know someone who would love to buy some of this." Leo replied. When the old man gave the green light, Leo planted a few more bushes before taking most of the fruit, exchanging the rest of the seeds in return. Once their crates and baskets were full, Leo, Raphtalia, and some of the villagers loaded the goods into the cart. With Leo and Raphtalia climbing into the driver's seat, and Filo hooked up, they set off to their next destination.

"So, Master Leo, who is it you plan on selling these to anyway?" Raphtalia asked the man sitting next to her.

With a quirky smile and eyes that screamed 'business,' Leo informed her of his plan. "Well, remember Hickwaal? I'm willing to bet that he'll pay top dollar for all this, considering this fruit could end hunger throughout the entire country."

"And so he'll pay a lot, and the fruit can spread everywhere faster! Master Leo, you're a genius!" Raphtalia exclaimed as she figured the rest out. Leo held on for dear life the moment Raphtalia told Filo to get them to Hickwaal immediately.

"My my sir hero, this seed is quite impressive. Based on what you told me, I'll be more than happy to buy all you have, as well as the fruits you've provided. If I had to esitmate, this is all worth over a thousand silver." Hickwaal said with a trademark smile. Leo smiled back and extended his arm, which Hickwaal took and shook, sealing their deal. "Oh, and before you go, I have a favor to ask of you."

Leo crossed his arms and leaned back. "Alright then, what is it? Considering your nature, I'm guessing it's a delivery?"

"Right on the money Sir Hero. Not too far from here is a hot springs town. I have some goods that need to be delivered to an inn there. Can you do that for me?" Hickwaal asked them. After thinking about it for a moment, Leo gave an answer.

"Ok, we'll do it. For fifty silver." Leo bargained. Hickwaal barely reacted, instead, he took out a small bag of the requested amount, as well as the one thousand as per their deal.

"Wow, alright then. Deal, we'll take them." Leo said as he took the bags and added them to his shield.

5,751 Silver/500 Gold

Moving behind Hickwaal, Leo and Raphtalia picked up the crates and went outside. Once they were all loaded up, they began their adventure to the hot springs.

"What do you think this hot spring town is going to be like, Master Leo?" Raphtalia asked in excitement. Her energy for the past ten minutes was unmatched, even by Filo.

Leo shrugged in response. "No idea. I never got the chance to try it back home, so we'll have to wait and see."

As the carriage rounded the corner and the town came into view, Leo's eyes were filled with surprise, while a large smile grew onto Raphtalia's face. Once they rode through the front gate and got to the inn, Leo and Raphtalia unloaded the crates while Filo went off to a nearby fountain and dipped her feet.

"Go ahead and join Filo, Raphtalia. I've got this last one." Leo told the raccoon. Raphtalia smiled with joy before racing off to the small pool like fountain. Rolling his eyes, Leo got the final crate unloaded.

"Thank you so much for delivering the order sir. We really appreciate it. Have a nice day!" An employee said, grateful for Leo and his party's efforts. Leo gave her a quick nod before walking over to where Filo had gone, Raphtalia having beaten him there by five minutes.

Filo was swinging her legs back and forth, while Raphtalia had her boots off and was sitting on the edge. "Master, this place is so cool, and the water is so nice! Can I go to the hot spring? Pleeeease?" Filo exclaimed in excitement and happiness.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Leo replied, "You know what? Why not. Raphtalia, do you wish to go as well?" Leo asked the swordswoman.

Stars seemed to twinkle in her eyes as she quickly nodded. Guess she still has some of her kid - like personality. Never change Raphtalia. "Alright then, it's decided. We've been working a lot lately, so we can spend the night here and relax." Leo said as he helmeted his goggles and lowered his facemask.

Filo got up at the statement and began running at Leo. Raphtalia raised her arm to block the incoming water from her face. "Thank you so much master! You're the best!" She exclaimed as she hugged him while Raphtalia pouted at the sight.

After going to rent a room, Leo, Filo, and Raphtalia retrieved some towels before heading off to the nearby pools of water. Filo had taken to swimming in the water, at which Leo began lightly scolding her. Once she stopped, he went to relax in the second pool up, while Raphtalia made her way to the third level.

As she slowly descended into the hot spring pool, her muscles quickly tightened before relaxing, allowing her to feel a sense of calm that she hasn't felt in days. Once she was in, she lightly swam over to the edge and leaned on it, facing outwards. When she didn't see Leo, she took this time to express her thoughts to herself aloud.

"I truly am glad that Master Leo is letting us take this time to relax after all of our stress - filled days of work, but Filo was getting way too clingy to him. Not only that, but her attitude is completely different around him, as if she is trying to impress him… I want to be clingy and get his attention too." Raphtalia said to nobody in particular. Turning around and leaning back against the edge, she continued to speak her thoughts. "It's not fair that she gets all of his attention outside of battles. Why won't he notice me..."

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a large statue with a man, woman, and boar. Wading closer to the statue, she noticed a sign that came with the monument. "The origin and benefits of this hot spring. Ok but, how does a boar play into this? Hm, springs found near a razorback boar nest. Ok uh, its effects are… success in love?! The couple that enters this hot spring together will be united eternally?!" Raphtalia's face exploded into a deep red as ideas and emotions rushed forward from the reading. "Wait, so that means, if Master Leo and I bathe in the same hot spring… But Master Leo, if we k- k- kiss, then I- I'll get pregnant!" She exclaimed to herself, her thoughts hitting her like a truck.

Leo sat back and relaxed in the hot spring, finally getting Filo to stop swimming and just wade around. Leaning back with his arms on the pool's edge, he couldn't help but overhear a distinct sound of surprise, as well as a bit of shouting, coming from Raphtalia's pool. Getting off the wall, he quickly swam over to the stairs to check up on her, but not before hearing her exclaim something about kissing and pregnancy. Wait what? Does she think that kissing someone makes them pregnant? Did her parents not give her 'the talk?' The reality of the situation then dawned on him, as he realized what he now had to do. Ah shit…

Dressed in some pajamas that she had bought, Raphtalia was walking back to the room that Leo had rented for them with some bottles of milk in hand. With her emotions having finally calmed down after a long afternoon, she entered the room only to find Leo brushing Filo's hair.

"Your hair has been getting quite long as of late, so I was thinking that we cut it." Leo told Filo who was sitting on the floor.

"Really master?" Filo simply asked as she turned around for a moment. Leo's face held an expression of 'yeah, kinda' as he nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, Raphtalia's hair was much shorter than yours in comparison at this age." Leo replied. With that, Raphtalia couldn't help but let her raccoon ears deflate a bit in sadness. Aw, I want him to brush my hair too. Raphtalia thought.

Moving into the light, Leo heard her footsteps and turned towards her, noticing the two bottles in her hand. "Oh, hey, Raphtalia. What do you have there?" Leo asked.

"I got some milk in case you were thirsty." She said in response as she held the bottle out. Leo reached over and took it, removing the cork before taking a few sips.

The milk was halfway gone before he stopped to get some air. "Thanks, I needed the drink." Leo gratefully responded. "Oh, and before I forget, there was something I needed to discuss with you real quick." He added.

Curious, Raphtalia tilted her head. "What is it, Master Leo?" His response was not what she was expecting.

Before he spoke, he covered Filo's ears. Once he was sure she couldn't hear him, he spoke. "So, I overheard you shouting back in the hot springs. I just wanted to inform you that kissing someone doesn't make you pregnant."

She recoiled in surprise. "Wait, so k- kissing other people is ok?" She asked in clarification. Leo nodded as if that was obvious. A few seconds after receiving this revelation, she felt her emotions and confidence take over completely. Making her way over to where Leo was sitting, she sat down near him, looking down in embarrassment. "Uh, Raphtalia? What is i-" Leo never got to finish, as Raphtalia quickly kissed him on the cheek before pulling back and lowering her head to hide her face, awaiting his reaction.

Leo touched the spot where she had kissed him. "R- Raphtalia?" He asked, his mind still stunned at the action. Wait, so this means... she likes me?! My God, this is the best day ever... Her head simply sunk a little, her face a shade of red Leo never thought was possible. Filo, upon seeing Leo and Raphtalia's actions and reactions, pouted one last time, but in the end, gave up. Realizing that she just lost her chance, she sulked her way to bed.

After taking a few deep breaths, Leo recovered before taking Raphtalia's hand and pulling her closer to him, causing her to look at him, a few tears of worry caught in her eyes. Before she could say or do anything, he quickly kissed her on the cheek in return, her eyes going wide in surprise. Leo just smiled before speaking a single word.

"Likewise."

Author's Note: And there it is, the start of Leo x Raphtalia. I rewrote the last section quite a few times before coming to the current ending. I know, it's not as good as other authors' beginning of a relationship scene, but I feel like it works overall. Anyway, stay safe, bye!