Maelstrom of Cold Steel

by MercenaryGrax

Arriving in a new world with no memory of how he got there, Naruto is taken in by Rutger, the Jaeger King, & given a place to belong. Eventually he winds up in Class VII with his closest friend. With all the chaos in the country of Erebonia & the social divide & massive corruption throughout the country, Naruto will certainly have his work cut out for him in this new world.

7. Chapter 7

A/N - Okay, before you begin to read, I just need to say this chapter took FOREVER to write. It's the longest damn chapter I've ever written, coming in at a whopping 74 pages and 25,765 words. I only just finished it and proofread it a few minutes ago. Holy crap was this chapter a doozy to write.

Anywho, a loooot of stuff happens in this chapter, as I'm sure you're more than aware. I would also like to point out that I have a poll on my profile right now, and the result seems pretty clear to me. I'll explain in the ending author's notes.

Honestly, I think this chapter turned out really well. I had a lot of fun writing it, but damn did it take forever.

I also have more news to share with you all at the bottom. For now, read on and enjoy!

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Chapter 7 – Celdic Field Study – Day 2

Seeing as it wasn't quite time for dinner just yet, Naruto took the time to go up to their room and took out the various books he had gotten today. So far, from what he read, he rather enjoyed the Red Moon Rose books and the Carnelian books, as well.

By the time Naruto had finished reading each of the books, it was finally time to go down and enjoy some nice dinner. Once he was down with his friends again and seated at a table, he couldn't help but smile at each of them. Mom, Dad, I think you would have liked these guys. Aidios knows I could have used friends like these much sooner in my life.

For a while, they chatted about a variety of things while eating their dinner that Margot had cooked especially for them. When they were finished enjoying their meal, Elliot patted his belly and said, "Ahhh… That was delicious. Those were some seriously fresh vegetables, too. I could definitely go for another helping or two, if only I had room in my belly."

Naruto chuckled softly and said, "I know what you mean. Ever since coming to this world, I've been eating a LOT better than I ever did before. And having such fresh ingredients for meals like this? Oh man, I LOVE it!"

Something about the way Naruto just said that got their attention. So, curious as she was about Naruto, Laura said, "It sounds like you weren't eating too well before. Was the food not to your liking, perhaps?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "My diet consisted mainly of ramen and dango. Occasionally some barbeque from Yakiniku Q. I would have cooked more for myself, but the stores would only sell me spoilt milk and rotten ingredients. I never got anything fresh for my meals, and I was forced to live off of instant cup ramen if I wanted to get anything into my belly at all. Some of the only times I got to enjoy a nice, home-cooked meal, were out on missions. I remember Tsunami made some of the best food I had ever tasted."

Sighing softly, Naruto said quietly, "Nobody really cared about me. The only real friend I ever had was Anko. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death, but it would have been nice to have people that genuinely cared for me, you know? Since coming here to Zemuria, things have improved greatly for me. Thanks to our adopted father, Fie's and mine, I mean, I learned what it was like to have an actual family. I got three square meals a day and things were great. Then…he died, and I didn't know what Fie and I would do. Sara saved us both and gave us a place to call home. Trista's been good to us so far, and we certainly enjoy ourselves a great deal. I got to meet the guys and gals of Class VII, and I've met so many new and wonderful people at Thors and the town of Trista period."

"Anyways, like I said, before coming to this world, things sucked. I'm glad Aidios brought me here. And I'll never forget about Pops and the rest of our crazy, little family. But right now, my home is with you guys in the Class VII dormitory." Naruto finished, smiling at his friends.

Laura frowned sadly and said, "The people of your world were so cruel. I can't imagine forcing a child to go hungry for any reason. Did their treatment of you have anything to do with Kurama?"

Naruto smiled at Laura and said, "Got it in one, Laura-chan. Yes, they truly believed one of two things. First, about half of the people believed I was the Kyuubi in Human form. The other half believed that, by abusing me or killing me that they were hurting the Kyuubi as well. Either way, they were a bunch of idiots. Kurama never felt a thing, but I felt every blow and every hit from whatever weapons they decided to use against me. If I had been bigger and stronger, I would have fought back. But I was a child at the time with no clue why I was so hated by the people. Then again, I wasn't very intelligent back then."

Alisa scowled at this piece of news. "How dare they?! No matter what, you never harm a child! That's just cruel and beyond unbelievable!"

"Alisa's right. You deserved better than what you got, Naruto." Elliot said supportively.

"From the sounds of it, you never got to have a true childhood, did you?" Rean questioned.

Naruto nodded and said, "While other children got to grow up and be with their mothers and fathers, I didn't. I was never granted a family or people to love me. Any friends I made were quickly ripped from me before I got to spend even a little while with them." Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto offered his friends a smile and said, "It's all in the past now. I don't have to worry about them or my past any longer. I can be happy here, away from that horrible world."

"True. It's not fair what happened to you growing up, Naruto. But, you are right. You are free from your burdens and can find genuine happiness here with people you love and can consider family. I, for one, will do what I can to make you feel at home with us in Class VII." Laura said as she gently grasped Naruto's hand, a supportive smile on her face.

"Thanks, Laura-chan. And thank all of you, as well." Naruto said, smiling thankfully at his friends. "Really, though, this food was amazing!"

Rean chuckled softly and said, "You're right. Nothing beats food made from local ingredients."

Frowning slightly at the abrupt change of topics, the blue-haired swordswoman quickly shook it off before saying, "Actually, I quite enjoyed the rye bread, myself."

"I suppose this whole field study thing isn't so bad, when you take the menu into account." Alisa admitted. "I know we have only a single day left in Celdic, but I wouldn't mind enjoying a nice meal like this tomorrow, as well." Then, a thought struck her and she shook her head. "I can't help but wonder what the others in Group B are doing right now…"

Rean chuckled dryly and said, "Somehow, I doubt they're sitting around a table and talking like we are."

"That would certainly be a shock if they were!" Elliot said, chuckling afterwards. "I can't help but question what exactly Class VII's purpose is, though. Instructor Sara says it's about ARCUS, but I don't think that's the only reason we've been brought together."

"You make a good point there, Elliot." Naruto said. "I can't begin to fathom a guess at why we were brought together and chosen the way we all were. Do we meet some strange requirements to be drafted into the likes of Class VII? Or is something else going on behind the scenes that we just don't know about? It's certainly a mystery, and it's one I'd very much like to solve."

"Agreed. I am most certain there's more to Class VII than what we've come to understand thus far." Laura said. "If what you said, Elliot, was all there was to it, then today's field study tasks would serve little purpose."

"It seems as though she's trying to make us experience…I don't know…things, I guess. All kinds of things, both big and small. Sure, what we're doing feels like what a bracer's tasks might entail, but if that was all there was to it…" Alisa posited, not quite sure what to say.

Naruto nodded and said, "I'm sure there's a lot more to Class VII's curriculum and our purpose than what we've learned so far. I could only posit a few guesses, but even then, I just can't understand our true purpose, as of yet. I think, though, that they want us to see what's going on in the empire of Erebonia as a whole. See what lies behind the scenes and come to our own decisions as a whole on what we want to do about everything, whether we can make a true difference or not. We all come from vastly different backgrounds, some of us have quite the chip on our shoulders, some of us don't get along too well…we're a motley crew and we each have our own goals and motivations. I can understand small things about our curriculum, but I don't know the big picture or what our main focus should be as students and members of Class VII. I honestly kind of hate not knowing more than I do."

Alisa nodded in both understanding and agreement with Naruto. "Agreed. I just can't wrap my head around the 'why' of everything. Why make us experience all of this? What purpose could it all serve? When I think about it, my head only starts to hurt. None of it really makes any sense to me."

Rean nodded and said, "Yeah…" Then, as if a lightbulb was turning on in his head, he had a flashback to the conversation he had with Sara over the ARCUS at the end of his first free day earlier in the month. Snapping out of it after a moment, he asked, "What do we have to offer one another, when our reasons for enrolling at Thors in the first place are undoubtedly very different?"

While the others looked a bit surprised, Naruto nodded his head and said, "Right. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm at Thors because Fie and I needed someplace we could call home. We needed a new family and a fresh start on things after everything we'd already been through. I want to look out for her and keep her happy. I want us to make new friends and settle someplace nice and cozy for a while. At the same time, however, I feel like I might find a purpose for myself at Thors. Like I might learn something new about myself. I might even find something to strive for, something special that only I can do."

Elliot frowned slightly and shook his head. "I hadn't really thought about it like that, before. Honestly, my reason for joining wasn't all that special. Not like yours, Naruto."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Like Rean said, we all have our reasons. Doesn't matter if they're good ones or not. As far as I'm concerned, we were all brought together for a reason. I feel like we're meant to find something. Like the reason we were chosen is because we have some great destiny ahead of us. I know it sounds kind of corny, but I really feel like we're each meant for great things."

"You know, I hadn't really considered any of that." Alisa admitted. "I…will admit that my reason for enrolling at Thors wasn't a very good one. I guess I just wanted to…I dunno, get away for a while? Enrolling at Thors seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to get out and spread my wings a little. Though, Instructor Sara hinted at it when we all agreed to join Class VII. She made it sound like I'm just in my rebellious phase, but she had a point. I left home because I wasn't pleased with my mother at all. She's become so cold and even kind of ruthless ever since Dad died. I don't like the person she's become, and I don't like her business choices either. So I left to find my own way in life. I refuse to turn into another version of her."

"Nothing wrong with that, Alisa-chan." Naruto said with a kindhearted smile aimed in her direction.

Laura decided to speak up at this point. "My reason for enrolling was actually quite simple. I aim to come ever closer to my goal. Or rather, to the person whom I regard as such. Naruto already knows, and he's given me some really good advice. I plan to take your advice to my heart and use it to push myself even further. I'll become my own swordsman and step out of the shadow of my father. I still wish to learn under him, and I'm hoping my experiences as a member of Class VII will help me to further broaden my training. I wish to understand more about the world and learn from my experiences as a member of this class."

Elliot smiled at her and said, "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for. As for me? Well, I guess I should admit that enrolling in Thors was kind of forced upon me by my dad. I really just wanted to be a musician, but he insisted that I enroll at Thors and learn all that I can there. I'm not entirely sure just what he expects of me, and I may not have a whole lot of confidence in myself just yet, but I genuinely want to become an outstanding member of Class VII now. I can't hope to measure up to the rest of you, but I don't see a problem with that. I'm sure there are things that only I can do, and I'd like to think I can help you guys out whenever it's needed."

Naruto frowned slightly and asked, "Your father forced this on you?"

The orange-haired teen nodded, but offered Naruto a smile. "Yes, but he's a good person and I love him and my sister dearly. Dad's got a lot on his plate and I know he just wants the best for me. Besides, there's a music club that I got to join and I'm enjoying my time there."

All eyes turned to Rean at this point, and the black-haired teen chuckled nervously to himself. Rubbing the back of his head, he said, "I'm…not really sure how to explain why I enrolled at the academy. I guess…no." Sighing to himself, Rean said, "I guess I'd like to find my purpose and come to understand myself a bit better in the process. I love my family, but I couldn't help but feel like I was just a burden to them. Don't get me wrong, though! They're very good people and I know they love me as if I was their real son. But…I felt bad that I would never really be like them. I don't know what I can offer them in return for their kindness. But really, I'm hoping to find a purpose for myself. I want to find out what I can do to make a change. And…I feel like I'm meant to be here, with all of you. I'm proud to be a member of Class VII, and nothing will change that."

Naruto smiled at Rean and said, "Same here. No matter what might happen, we're going to be just fine. Things might get a little crazy, but I'm sure we'll be fine in the end."

The others quickly nodded in agreement. Afterwards, they chatted for a bit longer before they stood up and approached Margot. After talking to her for a moment, she asked, "So, you want me to wake you up at six tomorrow, right?"

Rean nodded and said, "Yes, please. We only have until tomorrow evening, so we need to get an early start."

"We really appreciate it, Margot." Alisa said with a smile.

"Not a problem at all! Have a good night you five." Margot said before shooing them away. "Go on and get some sleep."

"Good night!" Elliot said. After Margot left to take care of something else, the orange-haired teen slumped over and asked, "Buuut, we're not actually going to sleep yet, are we? Not until we write our reports for the day…"

"I want to shut off my brain so badly right now, but it doesn't look like that's happening any time soon." Alisa complained, pouting slightly at the end.

Naruto smirked at them and said, "If we work together, it shouldn't take us too long. Then we can all get the rest we so desperately need. So buck up and let's get to it, all right?"

Shortly after this was said, Alisa and Elliot both walked upstairs. When Rean went to do the same, Laura called his name, halting him in his progress. Turning around, Rean asked, "Yes? What is it?"

Naruto frowned and shook his head in mild exasperation. However, rather than say anything, he leaned against the nearby wall and waited to see what would come of the current situation Rean found himself in.

"I was unsure whether to ask or not, but I've decided that this question bears answering." Looking into Rean's eyes seriously, she asked, "Why are you holding back? I know why Naruto does it, despite the fact it bothers me even now, but to see you holding yourself back is confounding. Is there some reason you choose to hold back?"

Rean frowned and asked, "What are you getting at?"

"Your sword style and technique… It is the Eight Leaves One Blade school, is it not? Popularized by the 'Sword Hermit' Yun Ka-fai, it combines the best elements of other Eastern sword styles. Those who master any of its forms are referred to as a 'Divine Blade,' and are said to understand the true nature of all things." Laura explained, hoping to get some kind of answer from her classmate.

Rean frowned slight and said, "Well, you certainly know an awful lot about it. I didn't think it was particularly renowned here in the Empire."

Laura shook her head and said, "It is not. However, we of the Arseid school consider the studying of other swordsmanship styles to be an essential part of our training. In addition, my father once told me… 'If you follow the path of the sword, it is only a matter of time before you encounter a follower of the Eight Leaves.'"

"Your father said that? Heh. It's an honor to be acknowledged by the Radiant Blademaster himself." Rean said, clearly flattered by what he had just heard. "Honestly, I'm nothing special, though. I'm just a dropout who's never even been able to progress past beginner level. I did train under Master Ka-fai for a while, but…" Sighing softly, Rean looked into Laura's eyes and said, "I started to feel like I couldn't go any further with my abilities, and he cut my training short."

"W-What?" Laura asked, surprised at Rean's response.

"I'm really not holding back on purpose or anything. I'm just a rookie that couldn't amount to much, I'm afraid. If anything, I actually kind of feel like I'm…dirtying the good name of the Eight Leaves school, in fact. This is my limit. I'm sorry that I, erm…can't quite live up to your expectations." Rean explained.

Laura sighed and turned away. "You don't need to apologize to me, Rean. This is just a mater you must come to terms with on your own. If you can see your shortcomings, then you must push past them and continue to dedicate yourself to the way of the sword. I'm sure Master Ka-fai sees in you a great amount of potential. Potential you're currently squandering. But…"

Naruto chose this moment to interrupt the two of them. "You're hiding something else, Rean. But it's not our place to question you or harass you in any way. When you're ready, you'll tell us, or perhaps even show us, what you're hiding. I can sense a great power inside of you, just waiting to be unleashed. But I can also tell that you fear this power of yours and choose to keep it locked away. I won't pressure you into telling us anything. Hell, I'm keeping a lot of secrets myself, so I really have no right to be questioning you about any of this. And Laura-chan, I think that's enough for the time being. I think we should all go and write our reports and then get a good night's sleep. We've already stayed up quite long enough, I think."

Laura frowned slightly, but soon shook her head. "It's okay. I was done, anyways. I agree, however, that we should finish our reports and then get some sleep. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

Meanwhile, watching from up above, Alisa and Elliot contemplated the current situation and what they might be able to do to remedy their current problem. When they saw the group of three heading up the stairs, the duo quickly entered their shared room and quickly buckled down to get to work. Neither of them wanted to get caught eavesdropping on their conversation, after all.

When the group of three entered the room, Naruto smirked at the two of them and asked, "Have fun eavesdropping on us, you two?"

Elliot chuckled nervously and said, "Should've known we couldn't fool you."

Alisa sighed and slumped over. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. Come on already, let's all get to work on this report so we can get some sleep. And again, no peeking!"

Naruto simply chuckled and said, "No worries. I'm not some huge pervert like my godfather was. I'll respect your privacy and let you and Laura sleep in peace."

"T-Thank you." Alisa said. After that, the party of five buckled down and got to work on their reports. Somehow, I can believe him when he says that.

Day 2

Group A currently stood before Margot, waiting to hear what she'd have to say. "Here are your tasks for the day. The market manager left them with me."

"Thank you." Rean said. After taking the envelope from Margot, he opened it up and pulled out the paper within. "Let's see here… There don't appear to be any mandatory requests today, meaning we have to choose if we want to do these tasks or not. Personally, I think we should complete these requests before taking care of any other business we might have to deal with. Now, let's see here…"

"Task – West Celdic Highway Monster
Client – Market Manager Otto

A large, ferocious monster has been sighted on the West Celdic Highway. We'd all be happier if someone took it out.

Monster: Zwordar

Location: Stone bridge leading to Heimdallr on the West Celdic Highway.

-Market Manager Otto"

"Okay, sounds simple enough. We'll talk to Otto and learn what he knows about this monster. The second one is…" Rean said as he began to look over the second task.

"Task – Lost Wallet

Client – Merchant Lizzie

Yesterday, I found a wallet on the floor in front of my stall. Would someone be willing to find its owner for me?

See me at my ceramics stall and I'll tell you more.

-Lizzie"

Alisa blinked a couple of times and said, "Huh. Even fewer than yesterday."

"Maybe he gave us less work to do because he new we were going back to Trista today." Elliot posited.

"Sounds about right. He is a very considerate man." Margot said. "The last train headed your way leaves here around nine tonight. You get those done quickly enough, you can have dinner here before you leave."

Rean bowed his head to the woman before looking her in the eyes and saying, "Thank you very much."

"We greatly appreciate your kindness." Laura said. Turning towards her classmates, she asked, "Shall we get started, then?"

"Sounds good to me." Naruto said. I just hope nothing happens… Something just doesn't feel right today.

"Hmm…like you guys said, it seems that today's tasks are optional." Elliot said.

Before anyone could say anything more, or even leave the inn, Rean turned to Laura and said, "Laura? I'm sorry for what I said to you yesterday."

Laura shook her head and said, "It's as I told you yesterday. This is a matter you must come to terms with on your own. It is not something for which an apology is required."

"That's…not really what I mean." Rean said. "I wanted to apologize for making light of the way of the sword. What I said about being a 'dropout who's never been able to progress past beginner level' was disrespectful. Not just to you, but to Master Ka-fai, the school I follow, and the path of the sword itself. And for those reasons, I feel it was inappropriate of me to say what I did. So…I'm sorry."

Laura closed her eyes for a time and said, "If that's the case, then there is one other person you should be apologizing to as well. I can't pretend to know much about your personal circumstances. But regardless of one's background or social standing, one should always be able to live with pride in him or herself. Thus, if you truly did make light of yourself and your own abilities, that is an act of shame for which you owe yourself recompense." When Rean went to say something, Laura beat him to the punch. "Let me ask you a question, Rean. Do you like the path of the sword?"

Rean frowned for a time before saying, "It's not really a matter of liking it or disliking it, I don't think. It's a part of my life…an inseparable part of who I am."

Laura smiled at him and said, "That's all I wanted to hear. I feel exactly the same way."

Naruto chuckled for a moment and said, "Well, you two are getting awfully chummy with one another." Seeing them both blush and quickly shout their denial, the blonde cackled and said, "Relax. I'm only teasing. I'm glad to see the two of you have made up. Seems we didn't need to get involved. I'm glad for that."

"Huh?" Laura asked before looking from Naruto to Alisa and Elliot. "O-Oh. No, no. We're fine. There was really no reason to worry so much. Though…" looking into Naruto's eyes, the blue-haired woman said, "I'd really like to see what you're truly capable of someday, Naruto. I'd ask for a spar, but I know that I am no match for you as of yet. Perhaps one day, I will prove skillful enough to challenge you to a spar. I hope you will be looking forward to that day, Naruto."

Naruto smirked at her and said, "If you want help, you can always tell me, Laura. I'll do what I can to help you become stronger. Perhaps some exercise, a light spar to test your skills and see what areas you need improvement in, etc. Even after all this time, I still train and practice to keep myself in shape and make sure I don't get rusty. If need be, I can come up with a plan to help you improve faster. If you aren't interested, then that's okay, too."

Laura frowned for a moment before nodding her head in acceptance. "I would welcome your assistance, Naruto. Umm…" Now finding it very hard to look into her friend's eyes, Laura asked, "Can…we talk later, Naruto? I'd like to ask you a couple of questions that I can't talk about in front of everyone."

"Of course, Laura-chan. Now come, we should be on our way, don't you think?" Naruto suggested. I'm pretty sure I know what she wants to talk about. She's going to need to think things through and come to a decision on her own. I won't give her a shortcut to power if it means she'll be shackled to me the rest of her life.

It was at this point that someone burst into the tavern and exclaimed, "Margot, we've got trouble! Big, big trouble!" Shortly afterwards, a red-haired girl rushed up to Margot and tried to catch her breath.

"Slow down, Louise! It's first thing in the morning, and you're about poised to wake the dead, you're making such a commotion." Margot said, trying to calm the girl. "Where have you been, anyway? You're rather late!"

Louise shook her head and said, "I-I'm sorry. I just got caught up on the way here…" Shaking her head again, she exclaimed, "Never mind that! We have big, big trouble! Something terrible happened over at the market!"

Dammit. I knew something was wrong! What the hell could have happened this time? Naruto wondered to himself, his fists clenched. It better not be those two going at it again. I swear, if they're making a damn ruckus again, I'm clobbering them.

Margot frowned at Louise and said, "Calm yourself. What happened?"

"Yes, tell us. What terrible thing has happened, exactly?" Alisa questioned.

Turning to look at everyone, Louise said, "Well, it sounds like it actually took place last night. Two of the stalls over at the market were destroyed, and all their merchandise was stolen!"

Naruto palmed his face and said, "Dammit. It's worse than I thought." Looking into Louise's eyes, he asked, "The stall towards the front of the market, and one of the stalls in the back, near the rest area. Those were the ones targeted, weren't they?"

Louise frowned and said, "I-I think so. I can't say for sure. There's a big ruckus going on right now, though! I'm worried."

"That is most terrible indeed…" Laura said.

"A robbery?! Who could have done such a thing?" Elliot questioned.

"Oh dear. I suppose that means the market might be opening late today. Which means we could end up with more customers as people wait here for a resolution. Louise, let's get this place ready!" Margot exclaimed.

"You got it!" Louise exclaimed before hurrying off to do as she was told.

Margot turned to the members of Class VII and said, "As for you four, this is our problem, not yours. You just focus on your field study, and leave this incident to us locals. You have your own tasks to worry about, after all."

Before the others could say anything, Naruto spoke up. "We'll focus on our tasks for the day, but we can't just ignore what's happening here. This kind of thing falls within the parameters of our field study. If we can help resolve this in some way, then that's what we'll do. Besides, I don't trust the provincial army to settle this the right way. I'm not looking forward to them getting involved in this whole situation. Something's definitely wrong here, and I don't like it."

Margot frowned at him for a moment before she looked at the other members of Class VII. "And how do you four feel about this predicament we find ourselves in?"

Alisa looked from Margot to Naruto and then back again. "I agree with Naruto. We have to do something. We can't just ignore this problem!"

Elliot said, "Right! Like Naruto said, this sort of situation definitely falls within the scope of our duties. Please let us help."

Margot released a heavy sigh, but didn't say anything more on the subject. When she walked off, the party of five stepped outside and looked at one another. "So, how do we go about this? Any ideas?" Elliot questioned somewhat unsurely.

"I have to admit, I'm rather curious. Like Naruto said, we should at least investigate this matter and see what the problem is. If we can help in some way, then we should." Laura said.

"Agreed. Not like it's far or anything, so it won't hurt us to go and take a look." Alisa said.

"All right. Let's take a slight detour and see what's happening at the market, then." Rean said before turning his attention on Naruto again. "What will you do if it's the same two merchants?"

The blonde shook his head and said, "We'll see when we get there. Come on." And with that, the party of five began making their way to the Grand Market.

As they reached the entrance to the Grand Market and made to walk down the stairs, a man called Merchant Gibson stepped in their way. "I'm sorry. The Grand Market isn't quite open for business yet. Wait…" Blinking a couple of times, the man suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, if it isn't the students from yesterday! How are you?"

Elliot smiled at the man and said, "Good morning."

"Opening late today after all, I see." Rean said with a deep frown on his face.

"Afraid so. Guess you already know about the robbery yesterday, huh? The two merchants whose stalls were destroyed are still arguing about it." Gibson said.

It was at this point that they heard a familiar voice shout from further into the market. "You bastard! You're not going to get away with this!"

Alisa's eyes widened slightly before narrowing them. "Oh, no…not them again."

Gibson nodded and said, "The manager came to try and break them up, but he doesn't seem to be having much luck. I hope no one ends up getting hurt…"

Laura frowned before looking at Naruto. "What do you suggest we do, Naruto?"

The blonde frowned slightly and said, "I'll deal with it. Maybe they'll listen to reason if I talk to them. It's worth a shot, at any rate."

Hearing this, Gibson looked at Naruto and said, "Considering everything that happened yesterday, you just might be the cavalry we need right now. Would you mind?"

"Not at all." Naruto said, a kind smile on his face.

"Let's get going already!" Alisa exclaimed, trying to urge them all into action.

Approaching the arguing duo, Naruto took a good look at the stall just past them. Frowning, he thought, This is a setup. They're too damn blind and incensed to realize that somebody else is behind all of this. First Duke Albarea and his bullshit, and now this? This is no coincidence. No, somebody's set this up and I don't like it. I wonder…

Thinking back to the events of yesterday, Naruto's eyes widened fractionally as he thought, They're the most likely suspects at this point. They were acting awfully suspicious when we saw them, but I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this. Just what are they up to in the park? Meh, I'll think about that later. Need to stop this damn fight before things get worse.

"How dare you destroy my stall, you damned coward?! I knew you country folk weren't to be trusted!" Merchant Heinz exclaimed angrily, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts. "Who else could it have been? Just come clean and admit it, already!"

Marco scowled and exclaimed, "Who are you calling a coward, you Heimdallrian snob?! YOU'RE the one who wanted MY spot all for yourself!"

Otto looked between the two of them and pleaded with them to settle down and think rationally. Seeing as he wasn't having any luck, Naruto walked up to the two merchants and grabbed them by their necks. Then, without a word, he smashed their heads together, stunning them both. Setting the duo down, he said, "Enough bickering. Both of your stalls were wrecked and all your merchandise was stolen." Looking at Merchant Marco, Naruto said, "I highly doubt this guy wrecked your stall way in the back of the market. He has no motive to ruin your business when it's likely to get the fewer customers between the two of you."

Turning to Heinz at this point, Naruto said, "As for you, you're too blinded by your frustration and anger that you can't see that this guy didn't destroy your stall. Does he have motive? Sure. But I highly doubt he had anything to do with it. No, this was most likely a setup and the real robbers are out there somewhere, giddy as can be with all your merchandise that they purloined from you both. And I think you both need to apologize to one another NOW. You were both out of line when you said what you just did to each other. And I swear to Aidios now, if you two try to convince me that you're at fault for destroying each other's stalls, I'll knock you both out."

"Naruto? Class VII? What are you doing here?" Otto questioned.

Heinz scowled at Naruto and pointed his finger at Marco. "You expect me to believe that this asshole didn't destroy my stall?! He's been after MY spot from the beginning! I don't care what the permit says, I paid for this stall fair and square! HE'S just jealous!"

Marco growled and said, "I keep telling you I didn't smash your damn stall! When are you going to get that through your thick head?!"

Naruto scowled at the both of them before saying, "You're both being a couple of idiots. I just told you that NEITHER of you are responsible! In fact, I'll find the real culprits behind this travesty and bring them to justice. You two need to calm the hell down and get out of each other's faces. Get over yourselves and try to relax. I already have an idea as to who could be behind this, so just give me some time and I'll get this all straightened out. Can you please promise me that you two will behave and act rationally while I'm investigating?"

Before either merchant could reply, they all heard a voice shouting, "Stop this at once!"

Turning to face whoever it was that had interrupted him, Naruto scowled at seeing members of the provincial army walking towards them. "Great. Juuust what we needed. This can only end badly."

Stepping up to the merchants, the Provincial Army Officer went to shove Naruto aside. However, the moment his hand neared Naruto, the blonde smacked his hand aside and glared into the man's eyes. Deciding to ignore the teenager's bad attitude, the officer looked at the two merchants and asked, "What is the meaning of this? It's the middle of the morning! Stop this nonsense immediately!"

Naruto scowled at the man and said, "While I'm sure you'd like to be praised for putting a stop to the fight, I had this handled. You could have just left this situation to me."

"Quiet, boy! The adults are talking." The officer said, looking derisively at Naruto.

Naruto twitched angrily, but bit his tongue lightly to keep from snapping at the son of a bitch. The officer turned to face Otto and asked, "I believe you are the one in charge here? I demand an explanation as to what has transpired."

"As if you don't already know." Naruto muttered under his breath.

The officer narrowed his eyes at Naruto and said, "You'd best be careful what you say to me, boy. I won't tolerate your disrespect."

Scoffing, Naruto looked directly into the officer's eyes and said, "Just try something. I dare you to try and lay your hand on me again."

Before the officer or the soldiers could say anything more, Otto stepped between them and said, "Enough! Both of you! Officer, these two were robbed yesterday night and began to argue today, blaming each other for their missing goods and smashed stalls. We were trying to handle the situation before you came."

The officer frowned distastefully before he turned to the two merchants. "I see. The solution is simple, then. Men, take them away! And get rid of this brat while you're at it."

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers exclaimed.

"Wh-Wh-What?!" Marco exclaimed in a panic. "You can't be serious!"

"Wh-What do you mean, 'Take us away'…?!" Heinz questioned worriedly.

The officer looked at the two merchants and said, "Two stalls were destroyed, two sets of goods were stolen… The truth is as clear as day. Two merchants in the midst of a heated disagreement committed the same crime at the same time."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Naruto said, glaring hatefully at the pompous prick. "No, I'm sure you're in on it, aren't you? Being paid off, no doubt." When one of the soldiers went to grab him, Naruto grabbed the outstretched hand and flung the man over his shoulder, listening with glee as the soldier hit the ground hard. Looking at the officer once again, Naruto said, "Care to try something with me again? I'm not like other people. I'm not scared to piss you off. You're a corrupt asshole that needs to be brought down a few dozen pegs. I'm going to find the real culprits and bring them to justice. Try to get in my way and I'll take you all down. Oh, I won't kill you, but you'll wish I did."

The officer scowled at the teen, but soon shook it off. "Whatever, boy. We'll deal with you later. Good luck trying to find any proof to back up your claims." And with that, the officer walked off with his men following after him quickly.

Once they were gone, Naruto scoffed and said, "Good riddance. Assholes, the lot of them." Looking back at the merchants, the blonde said, "You need to be more careful. They won't hesitate to do something if it gets you two to shut up. They don't care about the truth. No, they'll do whatever the hell they like until the true culprits are caught. I promise that I'll find out who did this and I'll get back all your merchandise as well. Just be patient and trust in us. Okay?"

Heinz frowned slightly, but nodded his head. "Okay, but…"

Marco asked, "Will you be all right? You've just made an enemy out of the Kreuzen Provincial Army."

Naruto shrugged and said, "I'll deal with the fallout of my actions later. Right now, I need to help deal with a few tasks and then my friends and I will set out in search of the truth. If I'm correct, we'll find what we're looking for in Lunaria Nature Park."

"Good luck in your search, Naruto." Otto said. "But, are you sure you'll be all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. We'll see you in a bit, Otto. We need to discuss some things amongst ourselves before we set out for today's tasks." Naruto said.

Laura frowned and shook her head. "Disgraceful. Such an abuse of power and a lack of concern for the problems of the people. I see now how the Kreuzen Provincial Army conducts itself, and I do not like it. I'm glad you are okay, Naruto."

"Yeah, that was pretty dangerous. I mean, I know you're tough, but this…" Alisa said, genuinely worried for her friend.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. I'll deal with it if they try to come after me. In the meantime, we have things to do." Naruto said.

It was at this point that Otto turned to the two merchants and said, "I'm sure you're both still pretty angry about this, but right now the two of you need to focus on keeping cool-headed. If you have the time to fight, try to use that time for something more productive instead. You'll feel a lot better."

Marco and Heinz both nodded before looking at Naruto. "Thank you." Marco said. "We're counting on you to set things right. I can't believe things would end up like this."

"It happens. Just try to stay calm and the five of us will handle it. Trust us, okay?" Naruto said, smiling kindly at the duo.

Otto smiled at them before he turned and looked around at the various people. "I'm afraid we can't open the Grand Market for business until we've cleaned up these busted stalls. And we're already running late…so I hate to ask, but would you all mind lending me a hand?"

As Otto and the merchants got to work, Naruto and the other members of Class VII decided to pitch in as well, if only to help speed up the process. Once they were finished, Class VII joined Otto at his house and sat themselves upon the comfortable couches once again. "Thanks to you five, we were able to open the Grand Market for business today a bit quicker than I'd expected. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am."

Elliot smiled at the man and said, "Oh, there's no need for that. We barely did anything. Besides, Naruto's the one you should be thanking. He did most of the work, and he dealt with the problem as best he could. We all just kind of…watched, I guess."

Alisa nodded before turning her attention onto Naruto. "I'm just glad nobody was seriously hurt. Naruto…are you sure you're going to be okay? What if they come back and decide to try and arrest you again?"

Naruto scowled and clenched his fist angrily. "That won't happen. The last time I was arrested for defending myself, they nearly killed me. I won't let something like that happen to me again. I won't let them hurt me, and I won't let them deter me from doing what's right. I know what I did was risky, but I do not care. I won't be hurt like that again. Never again."

Laura frowned as she heard this. Reaching down, she placed her hand gently atop of his closed fist. When he relaxed, she smiled at him and said, "You'll be okay, Naruto. We won't let anyone hurt you again."

Naruto nodded slowly and relaxed, loosening his grip and gently intertwining his fingers with hers. "Thank you, Laura-chan. I just need to calm down and think things through. For now, I think we should tackle those requests for today and try to get some clues as to what could have happened. I want some concrete proof before we take action."

Turning his gaze to Otto once more, Naruto said, "You have your work cut out for you right now, Otto. Good luck dealing with everything."

Otto nodded and said, "Thank you, Naruto. As I'm sure you are aware, a merchant's stall is his livelihood. Any action taken against it can throw him into a blind rage. And it's hard to bring someone back from that."

"It would seem the problems facing the merchants in this town are quite grave indeed. The provincial army may have intervened this time, but its difficult to believe they'd make no attempts at finding an amicable solution." Laura said, gently squeezing Naruto's hand to show her support.

"Quite right. It's clearer than ever now that they have no intention of trying to resolve any issues involving the market. And I can't see that changing unless we decide to just accept the sales tax increase and keep quiet about it." Otto said, frowning as he said this.

Naruto scowled and said, "You shouldn't have to deal with that problem, though. Duke Albarea is a monster that doesn't give a damn about his people. He's a greedy scumbag that's only making the people of the province suffer needlessly. And for what purpose? I just don't get it."

"Still, you'd think they'd at least be a little more, I dunno…subtle about the whole thing. There's no way those two merchants are just going to accept this and move on." Alisa said.

"No, I don't suppose they will." Otto admitted. "And if word gets out about this, it's not inconceivable for certain groups of people to begin boycotting the marketplace. Something definitely has to be done…I'm just not sure what."

"That wouldn't be good for you or the Grand Market." Naruto said, frowning deeply. "I wish this was as simple to deal with as the problem with Gato. Back then, I roused the people and gave them courage to take back their country. But here, if the people band together and confront Duke Albarea…all that would be achieved is dozens, perhaps hundreds of deaths. I wish I knew what to do…"

Before any more could be said, Rean spoke up. "Otto, would you consider allowing us to investigate this morning's incident?"

The market manager looked around at the Class VII students and smiled at them. They were all resolute and obviously felt the same. Nodding his head, Otto said, "Sure. Just be careful, okay? I should really be telling you that we'll handle the problem ourselves, but I can't help but believe in you kids. Good luck and may Aidios be with you."

After their conversation was through, Naruto led his team outside where they huddled together and began to speak. "So, first things first, we need to decide where to start investigating. The logical starting point would be the Grand Market itself—the scene of the crime, as it were." Rean said.

"Can't argue with that! We should probably get statements from those two merchants before anything else." Elliot suggested.

"Indeed. I anticipate they've calmed themselves by now, so perhaps we can get something a bit more substantial from them. We still have to ascertain their innocence or guilt in the matter as well." Laura said, looking at Naruto at this point. "I do believe Naruto is right in his assumption. But we will see."

Alisa nodded and said, "We'll need to keep a close eye on the time, though. If we miss the last train toward Heimdallr, we'll have no way of getting back to the academy today. Plus, we've been given other tasks, too, and I'd really like to get them done."

"In short, we need to keep moving. Our deadline is 9PM. Let's use every minute we have to accomplish everything we possibly can." Rean said.

"Understood." Laura said before resting her gaze on Naruto again. She kept losing herself in her thoughts as she tried to come to some kind of a decision.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are." Elliot said.

"Glad to hear it. We'll get information from the merchants and perhaps talk with a few people to see if they might know anything. We'll decide what to do from there. Then I suggest we discuss our two tasks with the right people. I just hope we don't have to deal with the provincial army for a while. I'd rather not deal with them again anytime soon." Naruto said. At the same time, he did notice the looks Laura was sending his way. So, with a soft sigh, he looked at the others and asked, "Could Laura and I get a little privacy? We need to discuss something so we can get our heads in the game, so to speak."

The others nodded and proceeded to make their way towards the Grand Market, figuring they'd simply wait for the duo there. Once they were alone together, Naruto looked into Laura's eyes and asked, "What's up, Laura-chan? What's on your mind?"

Looking into his eyes, Laura stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close. "I have two things to discuss with you, Naruto. First, what you said earlier…you mentioned being arrested and nearly killed. Do you need to talk about it? I'll listen."

The spiky-haired teen frowned for a moment before nodding his head. "I've been arrested a couple of times before, Laura-chan. Ignoring the first instance, I'll tell you about the events that led up to me appearing in this world. I still don't remember exactly what happened, but…" Sighing, he gently patted Laura's back. "Laura, I was forced to kill a man named Sasuke Uchiha. I'm not sure if I've mentioned him before or not, but I had to kill him to protect and save the people of the Elemental Nations. I had to kill him in self-defense, as well. However, the people of Konoha practically worshipped the psychopath and insisted that I be put to death for committing the worst kind of crime imaginable. I…honestly don't remember much about what happened from the moment I was arrested until I arrived in Zemuria."

"Anyways, after what Anko-chan told me before, the people only worsened and things went to hell after my 'execution'. I don't really care about them, though. But, I decided that I wouldn't let anyone hurt me like that ever again. I don't care if that approach earns me more enemies than allies. I couldn't let them try to arrest me or hurt me in any way. So, essentially, that's my story. Probably not a great reason, but…" Naruto explained as best he could.

Laura nodded sadly and said, "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry you had to deal with something like that. You deserve so much better than what you were given. Umm…"

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head for a moment. "Go on, Laura-chan. Say what's on your mind."

The blue-haired girl frowned slightly and asked, "Will you make me like you? I want to help you, and I want your help to push myself past my limits."

The blonde frowned slightly and said, "Laura, if I did make you like me, you'd be stuck with me for the rest of our lives. You'd have to be one of my mates. Right now, I doubt you feel like that towards me. I know you care about me for sure, but…"

Laura looked into his eyes and said, "I can accept that price. I want to be strong enough to protect you and our loved ones. And…I want to step out of my father's shadow. I want to grow as my own woman and leave my mark on history. As for my feelings for you…you're right. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about you just yet. I respect you a great deal, and you're a wonderful friend. The more time I spend with you, the stronger I begin to feel. You're powerful, Naruto. You make me feel safe and you make me feel like I'm truly beautiful. I've never thought much about romance or being pampered like some princess. But…when I think about you and me, I can picture myself being happy together with you. In fact, I can already picture the children we would have together. It is not an unpleasant image."

Naruto smirked at her and said, "Laura, I'd have to mark you as one of my mates. And a portion of your life force would be absorbed into me to aid Kurama in his recovery. And…I'll be taking on more mates as time passes. You would have to accept that. I don't want to push that kind of problem onto you. I'd rather give you the time needed to determine the extent of your feelings towards me. Doing this in front of all these people wouldn't be a good idea, either."

Laura smirked at him and took him by the hand. Leading him towards the back of the market manager's house, she looked squarely into his eyes and said, "I am ready, Naruto. Make me like you. Mark me as your mate."

The blonde sighed softly and asked, "You're not going to let this go, are you?" Seeing the look she was giving him, he chuckled and said, "You're a good woman, Laura-chan. Thank you." And with that, he gently moved her clothing until he had access to her neck and collarbone. Once he was ready, he bit down and gave her his mate mark as some of her life force was drained from her and sucked into his seal. When it was over, he looked Laura over and smirked. "Blue fox ears and two blue tails. How interesting."

Laura moaned softly and reached up, rubbing at her new mark. Then she realized she had new appendages. Feeling them, she giggled a bit and said, "That…that felt orgasmic. Thank you, Naruto." Then, without warning, she planted her lips on Naruto's before resting her head against his chest. "I'm yours, now and forever, Naruto. Treat me right."

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "Of course. Now, let me teach you how to hide your new features. Then we need to catch up with the others. Okay?"

The blue-haired hanyou nodded before she kissed him again. "That is such a wonderful feeling." Laura said, giggling afterwards.

Naruto simply chuckled as he began to teach her how to hide her new appendages. Afterwards, he led her back towards the others. "Thank you, Laura-chan. You're a really good person. I want you to know that."

Laura simply smiled happily at him as she took his hand in hers and intertwined their fingers once again. Resting her head on his shoulder as they walked, she couldn't help but smile happily. If I was to give myself to anyone, I'm glad it's you, Naruto Uzumaki.

Upon reaching the others again, Naruto offered them each a smile. "Hey guys. Sorry for the wait. We really needed to discuss some things. And, ummm…"

Alisa looked between Naruto and Laura a few times before the pieces fit together in her mind. "Oh. Wow. Laura, are you sure?"

Rean and Elliot seemed to realize what she was getting at, as well. When they looked her way, Laura nodded and said, "Of course, I'm sure. This is what I wanted. And…I want to get strong enough to protect Naruto like I know he'll protect all of us. Enough about this, though. We have things we need to tend to before we have to leave. Let us speak with the victims."

Rean nodded and said, "Very well. We'll speak with Heinz first, then we'll go and talk to Marco. Hopefully we can glean a few clues from them, rather than just listening to them rant for a while."

"Agreed." Naruto said with a chuckle following. Then, together with his new mate and his fellow students, they approached Merchant Heinz to talk to him about what had happened and see if he had any clues for them.

"And to think, I was ecstatic to finally participate in the famous Celdic Grand Market." Heinz said before releasing a disappointed sigh. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"

Rean frowned for a moment before getting the man's attention. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

Turning around to face them, Heinz's eyes went wide the moment he spotted Naruto. "Y-You…! Um, I'm…I'm sorry." He said, bowing at the waist to Naruto for a moment. When he straightened out again, he said, "I'm sorry you had to see me acting like that. I'm not usually so angry, and I don't really mean the things I said earlier. I'm just…incredibly frustrated right now. You're right, I had no reason to accuse my fellow merchant of sabotage. Please, forgive me."

Naruto offered the man a smile and said, "No apologies needed. If anything, Marco's the one you should be apologizing to, but it won't be that easy. Until we get back your merchandise and work to make things better, it would be best for you two to avoid each other for the time being. You're both frustrated, angry, etc. Just leave everything to us. Before we go, though, would you mind answering a few questions?"

"Not at all. What would you five like to know?" Heinz questioned.

Naruto looked him squarely in the eyes and asked, "What do you remember doing last night once you had everything set up?"

"Hmm…well, as soon as I made sure my stall was ready to open the next morning, I left everything set up and went home. The other merchants around here can easily vouch for that. I guess I shouldn't have left the stall unattended, though. By the time I got in today, it was already too late. The deed had been done." Heinz said, sounding quite dejected.

"So by morning, the stall had already been destroyed and your goods stolen?" Elliot questioned. "Come to think of it, what goods were stolen, exactly?"

"Oh, I have a sample with me, actually." Heinz said before presenting a small bracelet to them. "I sell various accessories and the like. Jewelry, accessories, etc. I should have been more careful…"

"Is this a brand that's popular in the capital?" Alisa questioned.

"Been a real hit lately, yeah. I was hoping to bring the fad here by selling them at the market. But this is the only one I have left now…" Sighing sadly, Heinz soon shook his head and said, "I dread to think just how much money I lost in one single night. Who the hell could have done this?"

Naruto frowned and said, "While I'm glad you aren't accusing your fellow merchant anymore, I get the feeling there's more to this puzzle than meets the eye. Thank you for showing us your product. This way, when we find your merchandise, we can easily verify if it's yours or not. This helps out a lot. I swear to you, we'll find the ones responsible for this travesty and bring them to justice. Just hold out for a while, okay?"

"Of course. Thank you. Even if you can't find my stolen merchandise, at least you're trying to do something about it." Heinz said.

"Of course, sir. Come on, let's go speak to Marco and see what he can tell us." Rean suggested.

After venturing to the back of the market, they approached Merchant Marco and listened as he asked aloud, "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

Getting his attention, Rean asked, "I know this is sudden, but could we please have a moment of your time? We'd like to ask you a few questions."

Turning to face them, Marco's eyes scanned over them before finally settling on Naruto. "You're not here to hurt me, are you?"

Chuckling, Naruto shook his head and said, "No, of course not. I'm just here to see if you might have any clues that could point us in the right direction. You see, we're investigating who could have done this to the two of you. We're out to find the true culprit and bring them to justice. And, if we can recover your goods, all the better."

"I see. If I can help in any way, I will. Please, ask away." Marco said.

"So, about last night, at the time the incident actually happened…" Rean started to say.

"Last night, huh? I can't say I did much. I left the market right after arguing with that merchant yesterday, and I didn't come back until this morning. Honestly, I stayed over at a friend's place, another merchant, and got piss drunk and ranted at him all night. Not my best moment, to be sure." Marco explained.

"I see. What about this morning? What can you tell us about what happened?" Laura questioned.

"Well, as could be expected, I wandered over here with an awful hangover this morning. What I found gave me a hell of a start. My whole stall…in shambles. And as if that weren't bad enough, all the processed foods I was going to sell were just…gone, without a trace." Marco explained.

"I see. So the goods that were stolen were all processed foods?" Alisa questioned.

"That's right. Nuts, cheese, bacon…all foods that have a long shelf life, made with local ingredients. Seeing all my stuff gone REALLY sobered me up. It was like I hadn't been drinking at all. Then…I went and accused Heinz, and you know how that went. I'm sorry you had to see me like that." Marco said, sounding genuinely apologetic.

Naruto nodded and said, "At least you appear to have come back to your senses. Heinz has no reason to smash up your stall, considering where both of you were set up. Why sabotage you when you're already in an unfavorable location. Besides, you both agreed to share the stall and swap every week. There was no reason for either of you to sabotage the other. No, this is the work of a third party, and I swear to you, we'll get back what's yours and help set things right."

"Thank you. I've just…I've lost so much money because of this that I might end up having to shut up shop for good. It's just so…so frustrating! I can't believe someone would be so cruel to the both of us!" Marco exclaimed in frustration. "If I could just get my goods back, maybe I could salvage enough to stay afloat. What are the odds of that happening, though? None of the other merchants saw anybody do anything, and the provincial army sure ain't about to help." Sighing sadly, Marco looked into Naruto's eyes and said, "I'm finished. All the hard work I've put into getting this far, and this is how the dream ends for me. If you really think you can help me, I'll believe in you. Please, help me."

Naruto patted the man's shoulder and said, "We'll get your goods back, I'm positive. Just try to relax and take a break if you need to. Leave everything up to us for the time being." Afterwards, he led his team out of the Grand Market before turning to face them again. "Seems like that's about all they can offer us. What do you all think of the situation?"

"Well, we're pretty sure that the two of them aren't responsible, right? In that case, a third party is behind this. The question is: who? And why would they do this? It doesn't make sense." Elliot said.

"Sadly, both merchants have adequate motive to damage the other's stall, as petty as it might be. That really doesn't help either of them in the long run." Laura said. "Elliot raises a good point: if they aren't responsible, then who is?"

"The problem is the fact that neither of them, nor any of the other merchants, saw or heard anything last night. So the crime happened so late at night while everyone was at home sleeping for the night. Something about this whole situation is bugging me. What's the motive? Something's really bugging me about all this." Alisa said.

"We're going to have to look elsewhere to find any real clues as to the who, why, and where. Who could be behind this? Why would they do this? And where are they hiding right now? If we can figure out the answers to those questions, we might just be able to fix this." Rean said.

Elliot nodded and said, "Right. If we had some kind of a lead, we'd be able to do more."

"Right. Sadly, anyone could be a suspect, and we don't exactly have the time to go around questioning everyone. So how do we narrow down the suspect pool and find our answers?" Alisa questioned.

"Well, the market itself seems unlikely to produce any further clues, so we should focus our attention elsewhere for the time being." Laura suggested.

"Actually, there is one thing that's been bugging me." Rean said. "There's one group of people involved in this whole situation whose actions don't seem to make any sense. Maybe, if we can work out the reasoning behind their strange behavior…we can come one step closer to finding our culprit."

Naruto nodded and said, "Right. You're on the right track, Rean." Naruto said, smiling at his friend.

Rean nodded in thanks before looking at the others. "I'm sure you've already guessed it, but I'm talking about the provincial army. They haven't done a thing to try and solve this crime, despite it happening right under their noses. And that begs the question: why not?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Good. Yes, that is the problem of the day. The market manager said that they're refusing to fulfill their role due to the tax issue. But I think the provincial army knew this was going to happen and let the culprits get away with it. They want to assert their authority here and refuse to do anything to help the people until they accept the increased taxes. Until the merchants stop complaining, they won't do a damn thing to help the people of Celdic. Actually, I think the provincial army is in on this whole theft situation. I'm positive they're protecting the real thieves and are looking to get a little earnings of their own in the process. I mean, first there's the problem caused by Duke Albarea's little stunt yesterday. The provincial army didn't step in then because they wanted those two merchants to cause a scene like that. The people need to know that they can't do anything to put a stop to the duke's whims and fancy. Then today, they conveniently step in to stop the argument in their own way. Their actions are definitely suspicious, and I think it's high time we pay them a visit and learn what we can from them."

Elliot frowned and asked, "What are you going to do, though? You can't just walk up to them and ask them questions. Not after you got into that confrontation with them."

Naruto smirked at his orange-haired friend and snapped his fingers, changing his form into that of a beautiful young woman with vibrant red hair and violet eyes. Her breasts were rather large and she had two whisker marks on each cheek. "Now there won't be any problems." Naruto said in a feminine voice.

Rean and the others blinked a couple of times before he said, "You know, at this point I shouldn't be surprised by anything you do. But, at least there won't be a problem. Let's go talk to them and see what's up."

Venturing to the nearby guardhouse, the party of five approached the guard stationed out front. Upon spotting them, he asked, "Hmm? Aren't you those students from that, erm…military academy, right? What are you doing here?"

Rean looked calmly into the soldier's eyes and said, "We're terribly sorry to trouble you, but we were hoping you might be able to help us with something. Could we ask you a few questions about the incident that occurred at the Grand Market this morning?"

The soldier frowned and asked, "What? Why? What does any of that have to do with you?"

"We're visiting this town on a field study as students of Thors Military Academy." Laura said. "We would very much appreciate the chance to see how experienced soldiers such as yourselves handle difficult everyday situations. This seems like a perfect opportunity for an anecdotal case study, and could prove most invaluable to our education…if you'd permit it, of course."

"Hmm…" Sighing, the soldier said, "Very well. Stay here. I'll see what I can do." And with that, the man stepped inside of the guardhouse.

Left on their own outside, Alisa turned to Laura and smiled. "Impressive. It looks like we might be able to hear what they have to say for themselves after all. Nicely done, Laura!"

"Heh. In times like these, we need to make good use of our positions. No one can fault a student for wanting to learn, after all." Laura said.

"Now comes the hard part, though." Elliot said. "This is making me nervous."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and said, "Let's just wait and see what we can get out of them. If things start looking ugly for us, we'll deal with it then. And I promise, I won't attack them this time. We'll just have to talk our way out of any bad situation might arise."

Rean nodded and looked to the others. "Remember, it's not always what they say that matters, but how they say it. And even more importantly…what they DON'T say."

"Right!" Elliot agreed.

After a short while of waiting, the soldier walked out with the officer from earlier. When the man stepped up to them, they listened as he said, "I hope you appreciate us taking time out of our busy schedules for this. So, what do you want? And make it quick, I'm a busy man, you know."

Alisa scowled and whispered to Naruto, "He's not even trying to keep up appearances. Unbelievable!"

Naruto chuckled a bit, but didn't say anything in response. Instead, he listened as Rean began to speak. "I'll be brief, then. We came to discuss the incident at the market this morning. Would we be correct in assuming that the provincial army will be conducting no further investigation?"

"Hmph. Is that all you came here to ask? What a waste of my time." the officer stated grumpily.

Laura frowned at him and asked, "'Is that all'? Should the armed forces, charged with maintaining peace in this region, not be taking this matter more seriously?"

Naruto placed a gentle hand upon Laura's shoulder and said, "It's okay, Laura." Looking into the officer's eyes, Naruto said, "We're simply curious as to why you aren't trying to find the real culprits behind everything that happened this morning. That is your job, is it not?"

"Hmph. You've got quite the big mouth for someone your age." The officer said, looking straight at Laura as he said it. "As for you, I suggest you be quiet." He continued as he looked into Naruto's eyes. "It seems you all have a lot to learn about how military units actually work."

"What do you mean?" Alisa asked.

"Let me ask you this. What should the number one priority of the provincial army be in order to maintain the status quo? I'll tell you. Their number one priority should be to enforce the will of their region's ruling lord." The officer explained, much to Class VII's disgust.

"Duke Albarea…" Laura muttered under her breath.

"As members of the provincial army, the will of the nobility is absolute. We're just following our orders, protecting what we have a duty to protect." The officer continued.

"I assume you're referring to the local petition against the sales tax increase?" Rean questioned, narrowing his eyes at the arrogant sack of shit. "So you're saying that, as long as the petition isn't withdrawn, the Grand Market isn't something you have a 'duty to protect'?"

"Interpret my words however you want. We're soldiers. We follow our orders. That's how the military works. And we don't need some fresh military academy inductees telling us how to do our jobs." The officer said.

Before the others could say anything, Naruto stepped forward and looked hard into the man's eyes. "Your 'duty' is to the people, NOT strictly to the nobles and their every whim and fancy. Let me guess, if Duke Albarea ordered you all to go and throw yourselves off the highest cliff, you'd do it gladly. Or am I wrong in my assumption?" When the officer looked about ready to protest, Naruto said, "No. You'd question your lord then and refuse to follow said orders. Basically, the garbage you're feeding us is that you'll ignore the plight of the people just so you can sit on your asses and look pretty. You don't really care about the people. So long as you get paid, then what's the problem, right? The less work you actually have to do, the better. Or am I wrong?"

The officer snarled and went to grab Naruto, only for him to hop back out of his reach. "Rrgh. You rotten little child! Leave! Begone! If you refuse to go away, we'll arrest you for causing a scene!"

Naruto scoffed before turning and walking away, not willing to deal with the arrogant scumbag a moment longer. When he was gone, Laura frowned deeply at the officer before she turned and hurried up to Naruto. Despite the fact he was still disguised as a woman, she reached out and grasped his hand gently. "It's okay, Naruto. Just breathe. If you hadn't said anything, I'm not sure I could have held myself back any longer."

Alisa scowled at the officer before turning and walking off as well. As she approached Naruto, she said, "This is ridiculous! Does that man even have a tiny shred of shame?"

Back with Rean and Elliot, the former frowned deeply as he looked to Elliot. "I was really hoping we'd be able to get something out of him, but it sure doesn't seem too likely anymore."

"Good riddance." The officer said before turning his gaze on the boys. "Is that all? I hope this has been…enlightening. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a job to do."

Before the man could even begin to turn around, Elliot spoke up. "W-Wait… Would you mind answering just one more question?"

Rean glanced at Elliot and asked, "Elliot?"

The officer sighed grumpily before saying, "Fine. Ask your question."

"Well, umm…" Elliot started before he took a steadying breath and asked, "Do you have any idea what might have happened to the goods Marco was handling? You know, the accessory merchant. All he had left was that one sample."

The officer raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about? That merchant from the capital, Heinz, was the one who was planning on selling accessories."

Rean blinked and asked, "What?"

Naruto blinked as he looked from Elliot to the officer. Strange. Nice job, Elliot.

Looking at the five of them, the officer asked, "Wh-What are you all looking at me like that for?!"

Elliot looked into the officer's eyes and asked, "And just how do you know that? I was under the impression you hadn't investigated the matter at all."

Laura walked up to his side and said, "How peculiar, indeed. We only just discovered what each of the merchants was intending to sell a short while ago ourselves."

The officer began to panic, unable to say anything else. The soldier standing guard outside looked at his superior officer and shouted, "S-Sir!"

Regaining his composure, the officer said, "W-We have our own ways of finding these things out. You'd do well not to underestimate us! Now, we've wasted more than enough time answering your questions. We're leaving!" The officer proceeded to turn and make his way back inside of the guardhouse, clearly too flustered now to think straight.

The group walked to the well in the center of town and huddled together again. "D-Do you think…?" Alisa began to ask.

Rean, seeing what she was trying to say, said, "The fact that they know what each of the merchants was selling means they did investigate the matter after all. But the burglary happened last night, and it was only first discovered this morning… Realistically, I don't think there was any opportunity during that time for them to do any digging. Not without running into us."

Laura nodded in agreement. "Agreed. I suspect they knew what each merchant was planning to sell well in advance of yesterday's incident. Though that would be easy information for them to learn, since Duke Albarea must have issued permits for both stalls."

"That's true. And the army would have no trouble gaining access to transaction records for something like that. But…why would they bother?" Alisa questioned with a frown on her face.

"Maybe they needed to know so they could prepare." Elliot suggested.

"Prepare for what, exactly?" Rean asked.

Naruto smirked to himself, now back in his regular form, and waited to hear how Elliot would respond. Smart, Elliot. You're a clever one.

"I get the impression that the incident at the market has been carefully planned out for a while now. I don't think those two merchants being given permits for the same spot was a coincidence, either. It was probably done to get them to start fighting…so they could get robbed while there was tension between them. Basically, to create a situation that couldn't be brought under control without the army's help." Elliot explained.

"Clever, Elliot. I'm impressed." Naruto said, grinning at his friend. "You're right. I think the two merchants were being used all along."

"That seems to fit perfectly with what happened this morning." Rean said.

"Meanwhile, the provincial army has shown no interest in actively working toward a solution. Unless, of course, the market manager chooses to withdraw his petition." Laura said.

"So they waited for things to get out of hand, then showed up to force both parties into an uncomfortable truce. Eventually, the merchants would get worn down enough that they'd feel like they have no choice but to withdraw the petition." Alisa said. "This is turning out to be an even shadier situation than I thought."

"Yep. But thanks to Elliot's quick thinking, I do believe we've finally uncovered the truth of the matter." Naruto said before patting his friend on the shoulder. "Great job, Elliot."

Laura smiled at him and said, "That was indeed some very quick thinking you displayed, Elliot. You'd make for a fine military strategist."

Elliot blushed in embarrassment and scratched his cheek. "Umm, no, not really. I just got lucky, that's all."

Naruto poked Elliot's cheek and said, "Don't go selling yourself short. You're a lot more capable than you think. You just need to believe in yourself more and trust in your instincts. I think you did an excellent job today."

"Well, thank you, Naruto. I really appreciate that." Elliot said, smiling at his friend.

Rean decided to speak up at this point. "So what we know is, the provincial army is somehow involved with the actual perpetrators of this crime. The only way to solve it once and for all, though, seems to be…well, to find them, and catch them. But if this was carried out by members of the provincial army, that's not going to be an easy task."

Laura shook her head and said, "No. I don't think anyone from the army was directly involved. The soldiers here are far too proud to dirty their hands with such escapades."

"I tend to agree. Really, whoever the culprits are, I doubt they're still here in Celdic. There just aren't many viable places to hide such a huge volume of goods without them being found." Alisa said.

"You raise a good point, Alisa-chan." Naruto said. "It's like I said before, I think they're hiding out in Lunaria Nature Park. But, without some form of proof of that, I can't be too sure. I think we should ask around and learn what we can from the people. I'm sure we're bound to find some kind of a lead."

"It's been less than a day since the burglary happened, so they can't have gotten far. I think you're probably right, Naruto." Elliot agreed.

"Agreed. For now, let's ask around town and see if anyone saw anything or anyone suspicious recently." Rean said.

"That is, most assuredly, the wisest course of action we can take at the moment. Once we have sufficient proof, we can act on it then." Laura said.

With that being said, the party of five wandered around, speaking to the various townspeople in the hopes that they might learn the information they needed. However, most people really had no clue, which was rather unfortunate. At least, this was the case until they talked with the little girl sitting out front of the church. When they first approached her, the girl's cat, Lulu, began to hiss. Seeing this, Mina, the little girl, asked, "Lulu, are you okay?" Turning to look up into their eyes, she said, "Look what that nasty man did to her…"

Rean frowned slightly as he looked Lulu over. "What exactly happened? Is everything okay?"

"I was just chasing after Lulu near the west exit of town…and there was this weird man asleep along the side of the street." Mina explained.

"A weird man?" Alisa asked.

Naruto nodded and said, "I'm willing to bet it's that drunkard from yesterday that we ran into."

Mina nodded and said, "That's the one! The nasty smell coming off of him nearly made little Lulu faint."

"Aww, that's just awful!" Elliot exclaimed.

Mina nodded again and said, "It really was! I don't know who he is, but I'll have to keep an eye on Lulu to make sure she keeps her distance from him."

"So he's not from this town, then?" Rean questioned.

"I'm not sure. I only started seeing him around a few days ago. I'd never seen him before that." Mina explained.

"Really, now? That sounds like a lead if ever I've heard one." Alisa said. "If he's drinking in the middle of the day…and isn't Instructor Sara…then we know he's not a merchant, at the very least."

Naruto chuckled softly at the light jab towards their instructor. "Jokes aside, I think we should go talk to this man. Thanks, little one, for giving us this information. I hope you and Lulu will be well and take care of yourselves."

"Thanks, mister!" Mina exclaimed, smiling up at him.

At this point, the party ventured to the western exit out of town and approached the drunkard resting against the nearby fence. As they neared him, Naruto recoiled and began to wave at the air in front of him. "Ugh. The smell alone is killing my senses."

Laura nodded and said, "Mine as well. Let us hope he has the information we need so we can get going."

Noticing the five of them, the man, by the name of Johnson, shouted, "Drink! Bring me another drink!"

"Ugh. This guy reeks! Just how much has he put down already?!" Alisa exclaimed.

Elliot nodded in agreement with her sentiment. "It's only midday, and he's already completely blitzed!"

Rean frowned and said, "I don't think this is the culprit we're looking for. I think he'd…have a bit of trouble pulling off a robbery. Um, sir? Are you all right? We can help you back home, if you'd like."

Blinking a couple of times, the man looked blearily into Rean's eyes and said, "Sh-Shurrup… Leamme alone…I'm jus' a good fer nothin' who jus' los' his job… Lookin' after that…nature…park…wush my whole life…"

Naruto smirked to himself and said, "Bingo. I do believe that's the hint we were looking for."

Johnson looked into his eyes and asked, "Ohhh, you kids know it? Y'see, I ushed ta be the park ranger for tha' old place…" Hiccupping at this point, he giggled sadly to himself, but didn't say anything else just yet.

"And then you lost your job?" Alisa questioned.

"Yeah! Outta nowhere, too! I gave m' life to that job, I did. An' then…he just came…an' took it all from me! That damned official jus' showed up outta nowhere…an' told me I was sacked! Ya can't just take a man's livelihood off 'im like that. 's not fair! That job was my life! My…life!" Johnson explained.

"Y-Yes, we can see that…" Rean said before looking at his friends. "Something about this doesn't sound right."

"I agree. It hardly seems fair to take a man's job away from him without good reason." Laura said.

"Right?! I'm so glad shomebody unner…unnerstans how I feel. There's no way a bunch'a kids like that 're gonna do a better job 'n me!" Johnson exclaimed.

"Kids…?" Elliot asked.

"I was drinkin' here last night too, see. 'n a bunch'a kids in ranger uniforms went walkin' outta tha town through the west exit. Weird thing was, they was carryin' a bun'cha wooden boxes, too. In the middle o' tha night! Kids these days, I tell ya…" the drunkard explained.

"Y-You don't think they could have been…?" Elliot questioned unsurely.

Naruto nodded and said, "Just as I figured. Those two men from yesterday were rather suspicious, after all. Once we've taken care of our tasks, I think we should head on over and see what we can do to set things right. Agreed?"

The others nodded in agreement and said, "Right. Let's tackle those two requests first and buy what we need before we head out." Rean suggested.

Leaving Johnson to his own devices, the group decided to forego chatting up the townsfolk and proceeded to enter the market manager's home. Approaching him, they greeted Otto and Rean said, "Excuse us, but would you mind giving us some details about the monster you want exterminated?"

Otto smiled at them and said, "Not at all. The provincial army did say that they would handle it, but they don't exactly seem to be in a hurry to do so. That's why we had to request that all of you take care of it instead. My apologies for that."

"It's perfectly fine. Please, don't worry about it." Alisa said with a smile.

"Just what sort of monster is it, then?" Laura questioned.

"From what I've heard, it seems to be a massive avian monster. It appeared last night, supposedly. Worse still, it's appeared right in the middle of the highway and is blocking any passage through it. As such, we really do need this to be taken care of quickly. As for its specific location, you'll find it by heading west once you've left town. It's apparently situated itself on a stone bridge located on the way to Heimdallr." Otto explained.

"Got it. We'll take care of it as fast as possible." Elliot promised.

"We'll report back once we've done so, too." Rean said.

Afterwards, Naruto led the way out of Otto's house and back down into the Grand Market. Immediately upon entering said market, they turned to speak with the girl in the first stall on the right. Stepping up to the stall, Naruto asked, "Would you happen to be Lizzie? We received your request and would like to help."

"That's correct. Does that make you the students from Thors who the market manager said would be coming, then?" Lizzie questioned.

"Yep! That's us, all right." Elliot said.

"We came to see you about the request you sent in. Could you explain the situation to us in full?" Alisa said.

"Of course. I happened to come across someone's wallet by my store yesterday, you see. I kept it with me in the hopes that they would come to pick it up, but no one's come to claim it… As such, I'd like to ask you all for your help in delivering it back to its owner. Would you be able to do that for me?" Lizzie asked hopefully.

"We'd be happy to help." Rean said.

"Thank you. Here's the wallet that I found, then." Lizzie said before handing Naruto the wallet.

"We'll be sure to take good care of it." Alisa promised.

"I assume that you've already inspected the contents?" Laura questioned.

"I did, indeed! Unfortunately, there wasn't anything inside that could help to identify the owner." Lizzie said.

"What exactly what inside it anyway?" Elliot asked.

"Well, naturally there was mira in it. Like, a LOT of mira. This isn't just chump change we're talking about. The only other thing was a train ticket to Heimdallr that's scheduled for tonight." Lizzie explained.

"Hmm… It sounds like the owner is a fairly well-off traveler, then." Rean said.

"Not much information to work off of, but I've done more with less information than that before." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Laura said, "I believe the train ticket is potentially our best lead."

"Yeah, but what should we do with it? Should we go and ask at the station?" Elliot asked.

"Yeah. Considering it's for a train that leaves tonight, I imagine the owner is frantically searching for it. Which means they might have already been to the station themselves to ask about it." Rean said.

"Let's head over to the station, then." Alisa said.

Lizzie frowned slightly and said, "I'm sorry for all the trouble, but I'm really counting on you for this. Good luck."

Venturing over to the train station, they stepped inside to ask someone about the ticket. When they asked if anyone had come to him with an inquiry, the station employee said, "Yes, there was such an inquiry. The wallet seems to match the description we received, too."

"Can I ask when the inquiry was made?" Rean asked.

"I believe it was this morning. A young lady came along in a panic, claiming that she was at a complete loss without her wallet and its contents. From what I could tell, she seems to have been traveling alone, too." The employee explained.

"I get why she would be in a panic, then…" Elliot said.

"Did she say anything else that could lead us to her?" Alisa questioned hopefully.

"She mentioned something about returning to the inn to do a thorough check, if I recall correctly. It's the Weathercock right down the street. You can't miss it." The employee said.

Naruto chuckled softly and said, "That's rather convenient. We happen to be staying there ourselves. Thanks for the help. Have a good day."

"Let's go ask Margot." Rean suggested before he led the way out of the station and over to the Weathercock Inn.

When they entered and approached Margot, she greeted them politely before asking, "Is something the matter?"

"Hello again, Margot. We have a question we'd like to ask you. You see, we were asked by Lizzie to find the owner of this wallet and return it to her. We were pointed in your direction and were hoping you could help." Naruto explained. "Do you happen to know if anyone lost their wallet recently?"

Margot nodded and said, "You're looking for Annabelle, then. Bad timing, though. She just left."

"That's rather unfortunate." Elliot said.

"But we have a name now, at least! That makes life a lot easier." Alisa said.

"True. All that's left now is to actually meet with her." Laura said.

Margot smiled at them and said, "She mentioned that she'd be searching at the rest area in the Grand Market next, so you'll want to head there. Make sure you return it to her, okay?"

"Of course. Thank you for your help." Naruto said before he turned and led his friends out of the inn. Immediately afterwards, they made their way to the rest area in the Grand Market, but didn't see anyone that could fit the description they had been given. "Damn, she doesn't look to be here. I wonder where she could have gone now."

Rean frowned slightly and said, "Let's ask that man about it. Maybe he knows something."

With no better leads, they approached the man and Rean said, "Excuse me. You wouldn't happen to know if a young lady came in here searching for her wallet, would you?"

Tableau nodded and said, "She was indeed here a few moments ago, but she's gone now."

"Do you know where she went, then?" Elliot questioned hopefully.

Tableau shook his head and said, "Unfortunately not. She did mention something about having no choice but to rely on Aidios now, though. Does that help you out at all?"

Naruto smiled thankfully at the man and said, "Yep, that tells us all we needed to know. Thank you, sir." And with that, Group A made the trek to the church. Immediately upon entering, they spotted a familiar woman just up the stairs. "That must be her. We saw her in the inn just yesterday. So her name's Annabelle then, hm? Let's give her wallet back to her and then go report to Lizzie."

"Oh, Aidios, please have mercy on my poor soul…I simply cannot believe this… How am I supposed to live on, having lost all my mira in a place like this…?" Annabelle questioned, sounding quite dejected as she did.

Tapping her on the shoulder, Naruto smiled at her and held up her wallet. "Is this yours, Annabelle?"

Eyes widening, Annabelle accepted the wallet and said, "Th-This IS my wallet! Tell me, where did you find it?! I've looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it."

"A kind girl named Lizzie picked it up for you, hoping you might come back asking around for it. When you never did, she asked us to deliver it to you in her stead." Naruto explained.

Annabelle smiled thankfully and said, "Th-Thank you so much. I'm honestly surprised to hear that a merchant from the Grand Market kept it safe for me, however. It would seem kindness still remains within people's hearts. I'm ever so grateful to you and her for what you've done for me. Tell me, is there any particular amount you would like in return for helping me like this? I'm willing to part with half of what's currently in here, if need be."

Naruto shook his head and said, "We didn't do this for a reward of some kind. It is your mira and you should hold onto it. Never know when you might need it, after all. Thank you for the kind offer, though. But really, we're just happy to have returned it to you. Please take care, Annabelle."

Annabelle stopped him and said, "If you won't take the mira, perhaps you might like this instead? I purchased it as a souvenir at the Grand Market before the great wallet search began." Then, she handed them a Pikkard Plush with a genuine smile on her face. "I see no reason for you to refuse. In fact, I insist that you take it and make good use of it."

"Thank you very much." Elliot said with a smile.

"We gratefully accept, then." Laura said.

"You're very welcome. Thank you again for finding my wallet." Annabelle said, genuinely happy to have received their aid. Afterwards, the party returned to Lizzie at the Grand Market to report their success to her.

"So you managed to find the owner after all, then? Thank goodness. I really can't thank you enough." Lizzie said, genuinely relieved that they were able to help.

"I'm glad that we could be of help." Rean said.

"Please excuse us, then. We have quite a lot on our plate today, after all." Alisa said. And with that, they set out for the West Celdic Highway to vanquish the Zwordar blocking the path to Trista.

Upon finding the giant avian creature, they approached it and entered battle with the oversized monster. All in all, the battle wasn't too difficult for them. They made good use of combat links and played to each other's strengths as they did battle with the creature. In fact, the battle went more smoothly than the battle against the Scary Dinosaur from yesterday.

Once it was vanquished, Naruto smiled at the others and said, "You're definitely improving the more we battle such monsters. Soon enough, nothing will be able to stand in our way."

Laura giggled a bit and said, "I certainly feel stronger for all our experiences thus far."

"We should go inform Otto that we've taken care of his request. After we get our reward, it's off to the Lunaria Nature Park!" Alisa said before she began to lead the way back into Celdic.

Market Manager's Home

"Oho! I see you've taken care of that monster. I really can't thank you enough. I'll have to let those who use the highway regularly know right away. Of course, first comes your reward for a job well done. Here, take this." Otto said before handing over five U-Materials.

"I feel kind of bad receiving this much…" Rean said unsurely.

"There's no need to. You definitely earned it. My apologies for leaving all the work to you, but good luck with the investigation, too." Otto said with a kindhearted smile on his face.

"Thank you, Otto. We'll get going, now. We have to touch up our orbments a bit, get a few quartz, and then it's off in search of the real culprits of the crime. We'll set things right, just you watch." Naruto said with a confident grin on his face.

Otto chuckled and said, "You know, I can't help but believe in you all when you say that with such confidence. Good luck with everything, and be safe."

"Of course. Thanks again, Otto." Rean said before he and the others left the house. Afterwards, they went to the weapon store and used some sepith to open up a few more slots one each of their ARCUS orbments. Once they had finished, they left for the Lunaria Nature Park. Along the way, however, they stopped in at the house along the way to see if they might have any information to share with them.

When they approached Robin, he turned and said, "You know, I came across a book I finished reading while cleaning the bookshelf. I can't be bothered getting rid of it, so here. You can have it. You seem kinda busy right now, but give it a read later once you have the time." At this point, he handed Naruto chapter 3 of Red Moon Rose. "I hope you enjoy it."

Thanking the man for his kindness, they asked both of the men inside if they knew anything that might help, but they weren't able to glean any kind of new information from either of them. So, exiting the house, they proceeded up the hill to the nature park. As they approached the gate, they immediately noticed the padlock barring entry into the Lunaria Nature Park. Frowning at this, Naruto said, "This could be a bit tricky. I could easily pick the lock, but that would take a bit of time. It would be easier to just cut the damn thing barring us entry."

Elliot frowned slightly as he looked around. "Isn't this a little strange? What happened to those bossy guys who were here before? If they really are the culprits, do you think they ran away already?"

Laura shook her head and said, "This woodland is too dense to reliably intuit whether anyone awaits within. What do you think, Naruto?"

Naruto frowned as he peered through the darkness within the forest. "I can sense both monsters and people inside. But it's hard to tell exactly where they are or how deep they are in the forest. If this place is anything like the Forest of Death, we're going to need to be careful in here. But first, we need to deal with that lock."

It was at this point that Alisa noticed something on the ground, just a few feet away from the locked gate. "What's this? It looks like what Heinz was selling…"

Alisa smirked up at them and said, "Looks like we're on the right track, after all. They definitely came this way. Like Naruto said, we need to get this gate open and get in there before the robbers can get away."

Laura stepped up to the gate and examined the lock placed on the gate. "It appears that it only opens from the inside. Picking it would take too much time. Stand back, I'll get us in there."

"Are you sure you can?" Alisa questioned somewhat unsurely.

Laura nodded and said, "The lock seems quite solid, but my sword should be strong enough to—"

"Wait." Rean stopped her. "I'll do it. I can get it done more quietly."

Laura quirked a brow and asked, "Oh?"

"R-Really?" Elliot asked.

"Wh-What are you going to do?" Alisa questioned.

Once everyone had cleared out of the way, Rean stepped up to the gate and took a deep, steadying breath. "The Eight Leaves One Blade school's fourth form: Autumn Leaf Cutter." Taking an iaido stance, he calmed himself before unleashing his attack, easily cutting through the lock.

When the lock fell into pieces and fell off of the gate, Alisa's and Elliot's eyes widened considerably. "Seriously?!" Alisa shouted.

"Wow! You cut it right in two!" Elliot exclaimed, genuinely impressed with his friend.

"I did, thankfully." Rean said before chuckling softly to himself.

"Truly spectacular." Laura said, clearly in awe of what he had just done. "It's an honor bearing witness to one of the skills of the Eight Leaves school."

"Thanks." Rean said. "But, as I said, I'm still more or less a beginner. I still have a lot more to learn before I can really say I've mastered the way of the sword." Glancing back at the gate, he said, "Anyway, we don't have much time left. Let's head inside and see if we can find them."

"Right!" the others agreed. "We need to find them before the sun starts to set." Alisa said.

"Looks like we can still make it after all." Elliot said.

"Excellent. Come, then. We must make haste." Laura said.

Shortly after entering the nature park, they each took notice of a bunch of tiny monuments above and surrounding them. "There's tons of little stone monuments in here…" Elliot said.

"Yeah. What do you think they're supposed to be?" Alisa asked unsurely.

"I imagine they were made by the animists in this province." Laura posited.

Naruto nodded and said, "Fie and I have seen things like this before during our travels together. I'm still not sure what exactly they were created or what their purpose was, but they were obviously made for some reason. But we don't have time to question it right now. We need to get through this forest and find those thieves. So let's be careful, everybody. We don't know what's waiting for us in here."

As they ventured into the forest, past the orbment charging station, they quickly realized that the monsters in here might actually pose a bit of a problem. Oh, they weren't difficult, but there was no easy way past them. So they had to stop and fight quite often. The most annoying enemy they came across was the Gordi Chief, seeing as those things were rather violent and short-tempered. They were also rather big in comparison to some enemies they had come across thus far.

Upon entering the second area of the Lunaria Nature Park, as they walked down the path on the right, Alisa looked at the stream below them and said, "Oh, there's a stream here. This seems like a nice spot. It's too bad we can't just enjoy some time in here. I'd love to rest my feet a while."

Naruto smiled at her and said, "Maybe next time we're here. If you want, I can easily bring you back here to dip your feet in the water and relax for a while. Then again, I'm sure we'll probably be back sometime in the future. Maybe not soonish, but sometime down the road."

Alisa smiled at him in thanks. "That sounds lovely! Thank you, Naruto. But…"

"How can I bring us back here? Welllll, I have a little trick up my sleeve that I learned from my dad." Naruto said before he pointed at the bridge. "Once we've explored down this way, I'll show you what I mean using that bridge."

"Okay. Sure thing, Naruto." Alisa said, smiling at her friend in thanks.

"Heck, if we weren't so pressed for time, I'd love to just sit on one of these benches and admire the scenery for a while. Alas, we can't at the moment." Naruto admitted.

Upon reaching the end of the path, they battled a few Jelly Shrooms and opened the chest for a Teara Balm. Afterwards, they made their way to the bridge where everyone paused to see what Naruto would do.

Kneeling down in the center of the bridge, Naruto began to inscribe some kind of seal in the stone. Once he was finished, Naruto stepped back to the group and held up a finger. "Watch this." And with that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared. They were each confused for a moment as they wondered what the heck just happened. Then, Naruto suddenly appeared on the bridge, right where he had inscribed the seal.

"Okay, what the heck was that?" Rean asked, eyes wide.

"That, my friend, is something called the Flying Thunder God Technique. It was invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Then my father perfected it and left me the notes on the technique. I can easily teleport between these seals whenever I want. This is how I can bring you back here to rest and enjoy the scenery." Naruto said, smiling at Alisa.

"I swear, you never cease to amaze, Naruto." Alisa said, a bright smile on her face. "Thank you for thinking of me."

"Of course. Now, before we actually cross the bridge, let's see what's down that path there. I should've taken us that way first, but I wanted to show off for you a bit." He teased. Alisa simply giggled and shook her head in mild disbelief. Afterwards, the party of five began to explore the Lunaria Nature Park some more as they gradually made their way deeper into the forest.

Upon entering the third area of the park, Elliot paused and bent over, taking a deep breath before asking, "Just how deep does this forest go?"

"We must be pretty far in now. I'd imagine we're almost there." Laura said, looking to Naruto for confirmation.

The spiky-haired teen nodded and said, "Yeah. Not much further. They don't seem to be moving, though I can't imagine why not. We should assume that they're expecting us so we don't get caught off guard by anything they might try."

"Right. Let's just hope nothing terrible happens." Rean said as he began to lead the way again.

After a while, they came across a small section of the forest that led them around in a bit of a loop. Upon reaching the other side, they each paused and stared in a mixture of disbelief and awe. "That…is a LOT of monsters." Naruto said.

"That's a lot of Jelly Shrooms. Are you sure we can handle this many enemies at once?" Elliot asked as he shook in place slightly.

Naruto nodded and said, "We should be able to handle this many just fine. Buuut, for the sake of time, I'll handle this." Stepping forward, Naruto cracked his knuckles and grinned viciously. Then, he summoned forth 15 clones and proceeded to slaughter the monsters in one blow each. Once they were gone, he walked up to the treasure chest and opened it for a Golden Sphere quartz. "This should prove useful."

After collecting their prize, the party of five ventured ever deeper into the forest until they came across another orbment charging station. Upon spotting it, Alisa exclaimed, "Oh, hey! There's an orbment charging station!"

"We must be in the most remote reaches of the park." Rean said. "I can sense people up ahead. We should recover at the station and take a moment to collect ourselves before we proceed any further."

Naruto nodded in agreement before leading the party over to the station, where he then proceeded to touch it, restoring everyone to full health once again. Afterwards, he sat down on one of the benches and breathed a sigh of relief. "How's everyone doing? Are you all okay?"

Laura smiled as she sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm perfectly fine. I feel better than ever, actually."

Naruto chuckled softly and kissed the top of Laura's head. "I'm glad to hear it."

Alisa nodded and said, "I'm fine, as well. Just a bit exhausted, but that's kind of to be expected with all we've done today. Don't worry though, I'll be fine after a short rest."

Rean and Elliot both nodded and said, "Same here. I just hope we're ready for whatever we might find." Elliot said.

Naruto smiled at them and said, "We'll be just fine. We're going to deal with the robbers and get the merchandise back to their rightful owners. But…"

Laura frowned as she looked into her mate's eyes. "What is it, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "I'm not sure. I just have a bad feeling is all. I think something big's about to happen and I don't like it."

Rean nodded and said, "I feel it, too. Let's be careful, but we must act quickly as well. We are running out of time."

"Right." Elliot said before he stood up off of the bench he had sat upon earlier. "I'm ready whenever you all are."

Naruto nodded at Elliot and said, "I'm ready." Turning, he gave Laura a soft kiss on the lips before helping her up off of the bench. Once they were each ready to go, the spiky-haired teen led the way into the deepest part of the forest. This is going to suck, I can tell already.

As they ventured into the final area of the Lunaria Nature Park, Naruto quickly took cover and looked ahead. Laura and the others easily noticed it as well. "There they are." Laura said quietly.

The fake park rangers were discussing their haul and chuckling to themselves as well. "Heh. Not bad for a night's work." One of them said, a grin on his face. "And if those idiots don't withdraw that petition, we'll be able to make even more. We're going to make quite the killing if this keeps up."

Another fake park ranger shook his head and said, "Don't get carried away, now. We get a reward for all this anyway. We're making out just fine as it is."

A third fake ranger said, "Still, just who were those guys? The provincial army seemed happy to go out of their way for them."

The final, and fourth fake park ranger shook his head and said, "No idea. But then again, I can never figure out what that man's thinking. None of our business, either. We just need to be ready to abandon this place at a moment's notice."

It was at this point that Class VII decided to act. "You're not going anywhere." Rean said as he and the others rushed forward, preparing to take down the fake park rangers if need be.

"What?!" the first fake ranger exclaimed in shock.

"Who the heck are you?!" the second one asked.

The third one narrowed his eyes at the group and said, "Dammit! You're those students from yesterday!"

"I-I know I locked the gate…so how?" another one asked.

"Don't tell me you broke in!"

"Indeed, we did." Laura said with a smirk as she glanced at Rean.

"It looks like the stolen goods are all here, too. What a relief." Elliot said.

"We caught you red-handed!" Alisa exclaimed as she prepared to aim and fire her bow if need be.

"Ugh. Whatever. Let's take 'em out!" one of the fake rangers exclaimed as they all prepped their guns and got ready to fight.

"They're just kids! They should be no match for us!"

"Heh. And since we're all alone out here, ain't nobody gonna see a thing!" one of them said, a sadistic grin on his face.

"Hope you're ready for the beating of your lives!"

Laura simply smirked and said, "I highly doubt we'll be the ones to endure a beating here today."

Elliot brandished his orbal staff and said, "As long as we make good use of the ARCUS' combat links, we'll be just fine. Then again, Naruto could take them all out in a matter of seconds…"

Alisa giggled and said, "Yeah! They don't stand a chance!"

Naruto chuckled softly to himself and asked, "Where would be the fun in giving them a quick beatdown? They need to understand that they've done a very naughty thing here today. If I just knock them all out without a little warm-up first, they'll never learn their lesson."

Alisa sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, you're no fun." she said before smiling again. "But, that certainly means more fun for us. Time to punish them!" And with that, the battle was on.

Naruto slipped the Yato blade back into its sheathe before he smirked wickedly at his chosen opponent. He would let the others handle the other three, considering they were making use of their combat links to improve their capabilities as a team. Slowly walking towards his opponent, Naruto grinned sadistically as the man began to fire upon him. However, Naruto simply weaved through the hail of gunfire until he was mere inches from the man.

Seeing how terrified he was, Naruto said, "Boo." and watched as the fake park ranger fell on his butt and began to quiver. "P-Please, I'm sorry! I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt me!"

The blonde frowned at this before pouting at the man. "Awww, not even going to try and put up a fight? Where's the fun in that?" Sighing softly, Naruto punched the man in the face hard enough to knock him out. "Pooey. That was no fun at all."

Turning, he watched as the others easily dispatched the remaining fake park rangers, watching as they all collapsed and struggled to move. Seeing that they were defeated, Naruto dragged the unconscious fake ranger over to the group and tossed him into the others. "Seriously here, where was the fun in that? You're a bunch of pushovers!"

One of the bandits groaned in agony and clutched at his side, where he had been struck by Rean's blade. "Dammit…"

"This has got to be some kind of joke… They're just KIDS!" another bandit exclaimed angrily.

"How pitiful. That barely even qualifies as a warmup." Laura said. "You could have at least put up more of a fight."

Alisa giggled a bit and said, "Well, when you're used to Instructor Sara's training exercises, warmups take on a whole new meaning."

Elliot chuckled and said, "That's very true."

Naruto smirked at his friends and said, "Oh, trust me, Sara's training exercises are nothing compared to what I'd put you through if I was in charge. I wouldn't stop until you were all the strongest damn people in Erebonia. Then again, the training I went through back in the Elemental Nations was just a bit too much for most people, even the ones I knew back then."

Elliot sweatdropped and said, "Somehow, I can easily believe that. I really don't want to visit your world, Naruto. Sounds like a dangerous place."

Deciding to get back on topic, Rean stared hard at the bandits and said, "Bottom line, we won, fair and square. I suggest you surrender yourselves and apologize to everyone in the Grand Market for all the trouble you've caused."

Alisa nodded and said, "And while we're at it, we'll be returning those stolen goods to their rightful owners, too."

"We would also be very interested to learn who hired you." Laura said.

Naruto frowned deeply as he looked around. Is that a flute? Out here in the middle of a forest? What the hell?

"You must be out of your damned minds if you really think you've won!" one of the bandits exclaimed shortly before Elliot picked up on the sound as well.

Elliot looked at Naruto to see that he had heard it as well. "Naruto? That was a flute just now, right?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Sure as hell sounded like one. Be careful guys, I don't like this."

It was at this point that they heard a mighty roar coming from deeper in the forest. "Wh-What the heck was THAT?!" Alisa exclaimed in shock.

"It sounded like the cry of an enormous beast…" Laura said as she prepared for what would most likely be a challenging fight.

"Wh-What's happening?!" one of the bandits exclaimed in shock.

Hearing this and seeing just how panicked the bandits were, Naruto scowled and said, "So you don't know, either. Which means whoever played that flute isn't an acquaintance of yours. Wonderful."

"Oh shit. It's coming this way!" another of the bandits exclaimed in a panic.

It was at this point that an enormous beast known as Grunoja rushed up to them and beat on its chest for a time before preparing to crush his new foes. Seeing this massive creature only caused the bandits to cower and panic more. "Somebody help usssss!" one of the bandits exclaimed.

Eyes wide, Elliot asked, "A giant baboon…?"

"I-It's huge!" Alisa said, taking a single step back as she prepared herself to do battle with this massive creature. It was at this point that she felt a hand land on her shoulder. Looking into her friend's eyes, she asked, "N-Naruto?"

Naruto smiled at Alisa and said, "It'll be okay. You four can do this. Somebody has to watch these guys and make sure they don't run away. So I want you to utilize your combat links and take this thing down before it can hurt anybody. Okay?"

Alisa smiled thankfully at Naruto and said, "T-Thanks, Naruto. We'll be careful. Just ensure those creeps don't get away, okay?"

Naruto simply smiled and said, "Of course. Good luck."

"I believe we're dealing with the ruler of this forest!" Laura said. "What do you suggest, Rean?!"

"Ugh. Well, they may be thieves, but we can't just leave them to die! And we can't let them get away either." Glancing over his shoulder at Naruto, he nodded in thanks. "Class VII, let's show this thing what we're made of!"

As the party engaged the enemy, Naruto looked at the bandits and said, "You're damn lucky we won't just leave you to die. Why the heck would you even hide in here with such dangerous beasts around, anyways?"

One of the bandits looked up at Naruto and shook his head. "W-We were just doing as we were told. I swear! B-But…are you sure they can fight that thing?! They're just…!"

"Just kids, yeah, yeah. I know. Trust me, they're going to be just fine. There's really nothing to worry about. I just want you four to sit here and be quiet. You're not getting away from us. If the provincial army doesn't punish you for what you've done, then I will. You don't want to find out what I'll do to you." Naruto said.

Meanwhile, Rean had paired up with Elliot while Alisa and Laura linked up. They each played to each other's strengths and covered everyone's weaknesses to the best of their ability. Laura and Rean were the front-line fighters while Alisa and Elliot provided ranged assistance.

The mighty baboon pounded on its chest before swinging its giant fist at Rean, who barely managed to jump back out of the way in time. "Damn, this thing's a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Okay…" Glancing at his teammates, Rean exclaimed, "Let's whittle it down a bit more! Once I'm ready, stay clear. I'm going to use an ability I've been practicing."

Laura nodded before she renewed her assault with more vigor than before. Together with her party, she slashed deep into Grunoja's side and knocked it off balance, allowing Alisa to use a follow-up attack to deal even more damage to the beast. Elliot, meanwhile, continued to pepper Grunoja with arts and providing healing as needed.

When it was finally on its last legs, Rean took a steadying breath and called out, "Flame Slash!" before unleashing his S-Craft on the mighty beast. When it fell moments later, he breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his brow. "Whew. Thanks, you guys."

"That was kind of…terrifying." Alisa admitted. "But we fought well. Thank you, Rean."

"I-I thought we were really done for this time." Elliot said before breathing a sigh of relief.

Laura put away her weapon and smiled at the others. "I don't know about you three, but I feel wonderful. That was an exhilarating fight. I'm glad we were able to defeat it." Looking at Rean at this point, she asked, "Rean. What was that skill you just performed?"

Rean turned to face her and said, "Oh, it was just something I've been working on for a while. This was the first chance I had to put it through its paces, though. I definitely feel like I'm getting the hang of it now."

"I see. Well, it was most impressive. I would love to see what else you are capable of someday soon." Laura said.

Elliot grinned at his friend and said, "You really are amazing, Rean!"

Alisa nodded and said, "Yeah. You and Naruto are always there to help us when we need it most. You have no idea just how much we all appreciate that."

Before Rean could say anything, Naruto lightly bopped him on the head. "I know what you were about to say, Rean. Accept the praise and don't try to play it off like you just got lucky or something. Now come on, we need to do something about these bandits AND return all the stolen merchandise."

Alisa giggled to herself and said, "He's got you there, Rean."

One of the bandits stared at Group A in a strange mixture of shock and horror. "U-Unbelievable!"

"What are these kids even doing here, anyways?"

"That rotten bastard! This wasn't supposed to happen!" the third bandit exclaimed angrily.

Rean turned to face them and asked, "Who are you talking about?"

Before anymore could be said, they heard the shrill sound of a whistle blowing. Turning to face the incoming provincial army soldiers, Naruto watched as they rushed towards them. Yeeep, I'm going to need to bash some heads in this time.

"Uh-oh…" Elliot muttered.

"It would seem we have some unwelcome guests." Laura said.

"There they are!" one of the soldiers exclaimed.

"And they're not alone!" another soldier said. Then, instead of surrounding the bandits, the provincial army soldiers surrounded Group A and held them at gunpoint. "Put your hands in the air!"

Naruto twitched angrily and said, "You rotten bastards. You're not even going to try and deny your involvement in this, are you? No, don't bother answering that. You're all less that scum in my eyes. And you know what? I've been looking for a good excuse to beat the shit out of you people. Sooo…" Before anyone could react, Naruto disappeared and reappeared with his fist buried into one soldier's stomach, sending him flying. Afterwards, he kept moving faster than they could react and proceeded to knock out each of the soldiers that had surrounded them. Once they had been dealt with, Naruto began to approach the officer. "Now, do tell me something, Sir. How many of your bones should I break? Four? Five? Perhaps a hundred? Do tell."

The officer began to quiver in fear of the monster slowly stalking towards him. "S-S-Stop right there! Stop there or I'll shoot!"

Naruto tilted his head to the side and paused, as if thinking over his options. After a time, he simply shrugged and resumed his advancement towards the corrupt bastard.

Meanwhile, Rean and the other members of Group A stared in pure awe at what their friend had just done. "Remind me NEVER to make him angry." Elliot said before chuckling nervously.

"Same. I doubt he'd direct that kind of rage towards us, but for people like them? It seems best for us to just stay out of his way and let him express his displeasure how he likes." Rean said.

"I don't know. I rather enjoyed watching as he dismantled those men. If he didn't, I probably would have." Laura admitted.

Alisa giggled somewhat nervously and said, "Well, I'm glad somebody did something before we had to fight our way out. Still, I didn't expect to see him lash out in such a way. Not that I can blame him, or anything."

The bandits, meanwhile, could only stare in horror. "W-W-What?! What the hell is going on here?! Nobody EVER defies them in such a way!"

Elliot glanced at them before turning his gaze onto the downed soldiers. "They weren't even trying to hide their involvement. I'm glad Naruto stepped up and did something about it before we had to. Still…"

"Y-You can't do this to me!" the officer suddenly exclaimed, bringing all attention back onto him. "This is in direct defiance of Duke Albarea! Do you truly intend to make an enemy out of one of the Great Four?!"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Do I look like I care?" Afterwards, he slammed his fist hard into the officer's face, sending him reeling backwards. However, before he could fly off, Naruto grabbed him by the leg and slammed him into the ground hard. Afterwards, he kicked the man in his chest and sent him tumbling end over end over to one of the downed soldiers.

Once he was finished, Naruto breathed in deeply and released it slowly. This was all done in an effort to calm himself down. "Bastards. Duke Albarea will get what's coming to him sooner or later. Aidios knows I'd love to kick his ass myself for everything he's doing. Rotten scumbag."

Alisa walked up to Naruto and placed her hand on his shoulder. Looking up into his eyes, she asked, "Are you okay, Naruto? I didn't think you could get that angry. What if you had killed them?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "I wasn't going to kill any of them. I just…needed to vent a little, I suppose. I'm…not exactly a fan of the nobility in general. So many are corrupt, just like Duke Albarea. Sure, there's some good nobles, but there's just as many horrible ones, as well. I don't know…I guess everything we've seen during our field study so far has gotten to me worse than I thought it had. I'll be okay, I promise."

"Okay, if you're sure." Alisa said, still not fully convinced that her friend was going to be okay.

It was at this point that they heard a female's voice calling out to them. "I'm impressed. It's not often that I see someone so blatantly defy the provincial armies in such a way. But I think you probably went a bit way too far."

At this point, a bunch of soldiers dressed in grey rushed up, guns at the ready just in case they were needed. Getting a good look at them, Naruto said, "Heh, members of the RMP, huh? Glad to see it's some friendlies for a change instead of punks like these."

Rean looked at them and said, "Wow. The Railway Military Police. Thank Aidios that you've arrived."

Laura leaned closer to Elliot and asked, "Railway Military Police?"

"Yeah, the RMP!" Elliot exclaimed, as if the abbreviation might help her.

Seeing Laura's confusion was still rather evident on her face, Alisa decided to explain. "They're supposed to be the most elite unit in the whole of the Imperial Army."

It was at this point that a rather beautiful, blue-haired woman stepped forward. Immediately recognizing her, Naruto smirked and said, "The Icy Maiden. It's an honor to meet you in person. Tell me, what brings you here? Not that I'm complaining, but isn't this a little out of the way? Why come here, of all places?"

The Icy Maiden, a woman by the name of Claire Rieveldt, looked hard into Naruto's eyes and said, "Celdic just so happens to be a major interchanged station in our railway network. Because of this, we have a duty to investigate any and all crimes or incidents that take place in the vicinity. Then again, you already knew this, didn't you, Silent Shadow?"

The other members of Class VII blinked at the moniker Claire had just referred to Naruto as. However, rather than ask about it right now, they decided to simply listen in and see what this woman might say next.

"You know you didn't need to harm the lot of them, don't you? Are you so incapable of controlling yourself if Zephyr's members aren't there for you?" Claire asked with a deep frown on her face.

Naruto sighed heavily and said, "You really don't know anything about me, Claire Rieveldt. I'm glad you were able to recognize me, don't get me wrong, but this situation right here? They're scumbags, the lot of them. Besides, you know about my beef with the noble faction. Especially when it comes to monsters like Duke Albarea making people's lives miserable. So maybe I needed to vent a little."

Claire quirked an eyebrow and asked, "A little? You probably broke that man's spine with that little stunt you pulled."

Grumbling irritably to himself, Naruto said, "I made sure not to cripple or kill any of them. Feel free to check for yourself if you don't believe me. I may have beat them up, but I'm not going to sink to their level. Enough about me, though. You're here to do a job, so if you don't mind getting back to that?"

Claire giggled a bit and said, "Of course. It's nice to see you again, Naruto Uzumaki." Afterwards, she approached the bandits and the other members of Group A. "I am glad to see you are all well. I admit, I was worried when I heard that a bunch of students had involved themselves in this matter, but I must admit that I'm rather impressed by what you all have accomplished here, today. However, next time, you might want to leave this kind of thing to the proper authorities."

Rean couldn't help but marvel at this woman's beauty. She looked positively radiant, even if she was wearing such a drab uniform! Quickly snapping himself out of it, he said, "S-Sorry, Ma'am. We only wanted to do what's right. We couldn't let such injustice go unpunished, even if we were overstepping our bounds, somewhat."

Claire giggled a little more and said, "It is quite all right." Glancing at the soldiers at this point, she noticed that they were beginning to come to. So it's as he said. It looked like Naruto was absolutely furious, and yet he held back almost all of his immense power. If he wanted to, he could have killed everyone here with his bare hands. I'm glad to see he's not as coldhearted as one would expect from an ex-Jaeger.

When the officer came to, he stood up slowly and held his head. "Ouch." Looking around, he quickly spotted the RMP and began to sweat. Rather than tussle with the likes of them, he quickly called his soldiers together and fled the forest so he wouldn't have to deal with the fallout of his mistakes.

Once they were gone, Naruto chuckled and said, "Good riddance."

"At least they're leaving us to do our jobs." Claire said to herself. Looking at her soldiers, she motioned towards the bandits and all the stolen goods. "Arrest those men and begin work on delivering all of these goods back to their rightful owners. Silent Shadow, I suggest you rejoin your fellow classmates and follow me. We have some things to discuss, all of us."

Before anyone could leave, Claire couldn't help but notice the way Rean was looking at her. Giggling to herself, she said, "You might want to stop staring at me so intently."

Rean blushed and quickly shook his head. "S-Sorry. I've just…never met a woman quite like you before. I'm rather impressed."

Laura giggled to herself and said, "You can admit it, Rean. You find her attractive, do you not?"

Rean sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Kind of hard to say 'no' at this point." The other members of Group A chuckled softly at that before they began to follow the Icy Maiden.

Stopping abruptly, the woman turned to face them and said, "My apologies. I forgot my manners. I am Captain Claire Rieveldt of the Railway Military Police. We're a division of the Imperial Army. And you are the visiting students from Thors Military Academy, are you not? As I mentioned before, I would like you five to accompany me back to Celdic. I'll need to file a report about what happened here, and I would appreciate your assistance on that matter."

"Of course. We'll help you however we can." Laura said before Group A began to follow after the woman.

Celdic – Hours later

After bidding goodbye to the people they met, Rean and the other members of Group A were ready to set out. After reaching the station, they turned to see Otto approaching them with a warm smile on his face. "We really are grateful for everything you've done today. Thanks to you, the stolen goods have been recovered, and those responsible have been found and arrested. I can't possibly express my gratitude enough."

"I'm just glad we were able to help." Rean said.

Alisa frowned slightly and said, "I'm not sure exactly how much help we were. Naruto was a big help back there, and the RMP really helped us out in the end. We didn't really have any authority and couldn't exactly arrest the culprits ourselves. All we could do was beat them up and hope for the best."

Claire smiled kindly at her and said, "Oh, there's no need to be so modest. All we did was physically arrest the culprits. The rest was entirely on the five of you. If not for your assistance in stopping the criminals from escaping, we would have missed our chance to intervene altogether. I believe the credit for this achievement is yours, and yours alone." Looking at Naruto at this point, she said, "I have to admit though that I wasn't expecting the Silent Shadow to enroll at Thors. How intriguing."

Alisa looked at Naruto and said, "You're really going to have to explain that nickname to us later, Naruto."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Sure, Alisa-chan. But I think we should wait for Fie to open up before I say anything. I'd rather not make her uncomfortable by revealing sensitive information just yet."

Elliot smiled thankfully at Claire and said, "Thanks again, Claire, for all your help. Though I must admit that all this attention is kind of…erm…embarrassing. But not in an unwelcome way."

Laura looked from Claire to Otto at this point and said, "I suppose it would be rather rude of us not to accept your thanks. We chose to get involved because it was the right thing to do. We honestly didn't do it for the thanks or any kind of reward we might be given. I'm honestly just happy we were able to help in the end."

Otto smiled at them and said, "Indeed! You should all be very proud of what you've accomplished here." Turning to Claire at this point, he asked, "So, can we leave everything in your capable hands from here on out, Captain?"

Claire smiled at the man and said, "Of course. I'm intending to leave a number of our soldiers here for the time being. Rest assured that we'll take care of any further problems that may arise. I absolutely refuse to let another incident like the one today happen all over again."

"We are greatly obliged. Thank you so, so much, Captain Rieveldt. Still, while your personal loyalties may differ, both the RMP and the provincial army are made up of Erebonian soldiers. So I'd appreciate it if you tried not to…stand out too much. Your presence may create some anxiety among the locals." Otto said, trying his darndest not to be rude towards her, but also to get his point across to her.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Claire said in response. Turning back to face Class VII once again, she said, "Thank you for your cooperation with our report. I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time."

"Oh, no. You don't need to apologize for such a thing. We were more than happy to help." Rean said, offering the woman a smile in response.

Naruto chuckled a bit and nudged Rean lightly. "Of course you were happy to assist her. Admit it, you like the way she looks and the way she holds herself. I'll admit, she's an impressive one."

Rean facepalmed and let out an agonized groan. "I swear, you're not going to let me live this down anytime soon, are you?"

"Nope! It's good teasing material, after all." Naruto said, chuckling at the expense of his friend.

Alisa smiled at Claire and said, "Thank you again for everything. We really appreciate you coming to our aid like that."

Claire frowned slightly and shook her head. "There's no need to thank me, really. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I regret having stepped in at all. Overcoming such an impossible situation was probably meant to be part of your field study too. To…build character, perhaps. Besides that…" Here, she looked at Naruto and said, "You had the help of the Silent Shadow. He could have handled it all quite easily enough. Maybe not in the most peaceful way, but he would have gotten the job done, even had I not intervened."

Naruto shrugged and said, "I'm glad you showed up when you did. I highly doubt they would have listened to reason and simply gone away. Besides that, we don't really have the authority needed to arrest anybody. So you did us a huge favor. Thank you."

It was at this point that they heard a rather familiar voice say, "Yeah, I may be good, but I'm not THAT good."

Turning to face her, they were met with their instructor, Sara. "I knew you'd be coming back, Sara-chan. It's good to see you again."

Laura chuckled softly and said, "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Sara walked up to stand with her students. Looking into Claire's eyes, she waited for the Icy Maiden to speak up first. "It's been a while, Sara."

"That it has. Six months, give or take? Honestly, I had no idea you RMP folks were going to get involved with this. I suppose you had everything that was happening here figured out all along?" Sara questioned, a sly smirk on her face.

Claire shook her head and said, "I'm afraid you overestimate my abilities. I did receive a report that suggested there might be trouble here, but that's it."

"From your 'brother,' I take it? Nothing gets past you lot." Sara said.

"We're just trying to make sure we're prepared to deal with any problems that might arise. Sadly, I'm sorry to say I don't have any more time to catch up with you right now. I really need to be taking my leave. I wish all the best to you and the rest of Class VII!" Claire said, offering the members of Group A a salute before she turned and walked off.

Once Claire and her soldiers were gone, Elliot asked, "W-Was she really…part of the military? She sure didn't seem it."

"Her movements and actions, however, were those of a skilled officer. Highly skilled." Laura said before chancing a glance first at her teacher and then to Naruto. "Then again, you both already knew that. You've met her before, I take it?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Only a few times. We didn't always get along, but she's an okay person, once you get to know her. Yeah, we have our differences and we may not agree on everything, but I can't help but respect her."

Rean nodded in understanding before saying, "Yeah. She and the rest of the Railway Military Police seemed really well trained, too."

"How do you know each other, Instructor?" Alisa asked. "I know Naruto probably won't tell us anything until he feels we're ready for it, but how about you?"

"I'm afraid that's a topic for another time. Anyway, it looks like you've managed to finish up all the tasks I laid out for you! So I think it's about time we take our leave of this place too." Sara said, dodging the question, much to Alisa's consternation.

It was at this point that Otto got their attention once again. "Do take care, everyone! Give my regards to Principal Vandyck. And if you're ever in the area again, please do come to the market and say hi! You'll be more than welcome."

"We will! Thank you, Otto." Rean said.

On the train

It was nighttime now as the group of five sat together. Glancing across the way at their instructor, Elliot couldn't help but sigh. "She's asleep again…"

"You don't think she's faking it, do you?" Alisa questioned unsurely.

"Hmm… No. Judging by her breathing, I believe she really is asleep. She must be exhausted." Laura said.

Rean sighed and facepalmed. "It sounds like Group B turned out to be a complete disaster. Fie and the others did just fine from the sounds of it, but the constant bickering and fights between Machias and Jusis caused too many problems and got in the way of them actually doing their tasks. I had hoped for better news. If she had to deal with them, then come back here on the same day, I'll be she's totally spent."

"Yeah, good point. Anyone would be exhausted trying to sort that out." Alisa said.

"It's hard to imagine her actually working hard, though, considering her usual attitude." Elliot said.

Naruto shook his head and said, "I'm sure you'll come to appreciate her in time for the person she is. Sara's a good person and she really is a very busy woman. She may not seem it, but I think she makes for a fine instructor. Besides, teaching isn't the easiest job in the world."

"I agree with Naruto on this matter. It does seem as though she's genuinely looking out for us." Laura said.

"So, this is how our first field study trip comes to an end, huh?" Rean asked, a wry grin on his face. "I think I might have a good idea now as to why we're here, though."

"I had the same thought." Alisa said. "Testing the ARCUS is clearly a big reason for coming here…but it's not the only reason. I think it has more to do with making sure we see everything that's going on with our own eyes."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking, too. Learning more about places in Erebonia we've only read about in books…and getting to see the issues occurring in those regions firsthand, just like in Celdic." Elliot said.

"Indeed. And just as we thought and acted swiftly in the face of crisis this time, so too may we be called upon to do so again." Laura said. "These field studies may aim to test and cultivate those skills, in preparation for our futures."

"Precisely." Naruto said. "These field studies will test us in a variety of ways. We need to think quickly on our feet, use good judgment, make decisions that could affect not just us, but an entire city…there's a lot that we'll be learning on these field studies."

"Agreed." Rean said. "I'd say we have a pretty clear picture as to why we're out in the field. Basically, we're training, everywhere we go."

"Well, you're about half right." Sara sleepily said as she opened her eyes and looked at them.

"Instructor?!" Alisa exclaimed in shock. "Shouldn't you be sleeping? You look exhausted."

"I was so certain you were sound asleep…" Laura said.

"Heh. What can I say? I can nod off and back on again in the blink of an eye. It's what I do! As you rightly noted, having firsthand knowledge of the areas to which you might be deployed is of tremendous importance. As is the ability to make swift, accurate judgments and solve problems, with or without orders. Developing all these skills to their fullest is definitely a major part of why you're undertaking these field studies." Sara explained.

"Just as I thought!" Elliot said.

"It's an interesting approach, but honestly, I've never heard of any other military academy trying it." Alisa said.

"Hmm… You say we're only half right, however. Which begs the question, what's the rest of the story?" Laura asked.

At this point, Sara noticed that both Naruto and Rean appeared to be deep in thought over something. "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, not at all. I was just thinking about what we did during our field study, and why we were doing it." Rean said. "As Naruto pointed out to us before we even began, this whole concept seems eerily similar to the M.O. of bracers."

Sara giggled somewhat nervously, but didn't say anything right away. Instead, she listened as Alisa said, "You know, now that you mention it…"

"The Bracer Guild prides itself on protecting civilians over all else, so it seems an unusual source of inspiration for a military academy. But the tasks we were given in Celdic do seem to align themselves quite well with the bracers' basic philosophy." Laura said.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so. Their emblem depicts a supporting gauntlet, and that's pretty much exactly what we've been for these people. Bracers still have branches all over the continent, but you hardly ever see them in Erebonia anymore…" Elliot said, a frown on his face.

Sara chuckled nervously and said, "Well, you got me! Which means…" and with that, she closed her eyes and attempted to go back to sleep.

Naruto chuckled softly and shook his head in disbelief. After a moment though, he got everyone's attention again. "There is one man that you can blame for the lack of bracer guilds here in Erebonia. The Blood and Iron Chancellor: Giliath Osborne. I cannot stand that man, and I do not trust him to have the best interests of the people in mind. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way. Getting rid of the bracer guilds was done for some reason, but I don't know why. Suffice it to say, he is NOT a good man."

Alisa frowned deeply at this and said, "It's not wise for us to say such things about such an important figure in the empire, though. So maybe we should change the topic, don't you think?"

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry. There's just so much I find wrong with this world that I'd love to set right. I just have a hard time accepting all of it, I guess."

Elliot decided to speak up at this point. "Well, whether or not we did 'get her', and regardless of what the chancellor did, bracers definitely seem to be somehow related to our activities here."

"Not that Instructor Sara is likely to come clean about our involvement anytime soon. I suppose until she does, all we can do is prepare ourselves in body and mind for our next field study." Laura said.

It was at this point that Rean seemed to lose himself in thought once again. Seeing this, Elliot asked, "Is there something else bothering you, Rean?"

"No. It's just… Well, we've been in the same class for a month now…and this whole time, I've been…kind of keeping you all in the dark." Rean said.

Elliot asked, "What do you mean?"

"You aren't referring to the issue regarding your swordsmanship, I take it?" Laura guessed.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's something I've been hiding from you all this time…regarding my social class." Rean said, much to the shock of his fellow classmates. All except for Naruto, though this wasn't a surprise for Rean.

Naruto nodded and said, "Kinda figured, with the last name Schwarzer."

"Are you saying your family…" Alisa started to say, only to pause.

"Yeah. I dodged the question when Machias asked…but technically, I come from a family of nobles. It seems Naruto already knows this, but my hometown is Ymir, in the northern mountains. I'm the son of its ruler, Baron Schwarzer." Rean explained.

"You're from Ymir?" Alisa asked.

Naruto frowned slightly and asked, "I see. You're a noble, but not by birth. Am I right?"

The others were confused by the way Naruto phrased what he did. However, rather than question him on it, Laura spoke up again. "Schwarzer… Now that you mention it, I have heard the name before. An honorable family, closely tied with the Imperial family themselves, despite being headed by a mere baron…"

"I never would've imagined that you might be the son of a noble too…" Elliot said.

Rean chuckled softly and said, "I wouldn't have expected you to. I sure don't act like one. My dad and mom are both quite easygoing individuals. They don't behave like your typical nobles at all. And technically, since I was adopted, I don't have any actual noble blood running through me. I'm upper class in name only."

Alisa's eyes and mouth widened a bit before she turned to look at Naruto. "So that's what you meant. Wow. I never would have guessed."

Naruto shrugged and said, "It's mostly just looking underneath the underneath, so to speak."

"Yeaaah, I still don't get what that means." Alisa said somewhat dejectedly. Afterwards, she turned to Rean and asked, "Sounds like you've got your own issues to deal with just like the rest of us, huh, Rean?"

"I don't really think of it as a big deal, and I don't want you to think of it as one either. I just…didn't want to keep it a secret any longer. After everything we've been through these past few days, I owe you guys that much." Rean explained.

Naruto frowned and said, "You're making me feel a little guilty here, Rean. I'd love to open up about the past two years, but I don't want to speak about our family without first getting her permission. After all, it has to do with her father. The man who took us in and raised us as his own."

"Don't worry too much about it, Naruto. Believe me, we understand your concerns. Don't feel like there's some rush to tell us everything about yourself. You'll open up to us more and more as the time goes by, I'm sure of it." Rean said, smiling at his friend.

"Thanks, Rean. Oh well, I think it's time to get a little shuteye. It'll be a while before we get back to Trista. Besides that, it is rather late at night, and I'd like to be at least somewhat rested before we get home." Naruto said.

Laura smiled at her mate and leaned against him again. Afterwards, she looked at Rean and asked, "So, you're telling us all of this because you consider us to be major parts of your life, now?"

"Honestly, has anyone ever told you that you can be way too serious sometimes?" Alisa asked Rean. "Just be sure you reveal your 'true identity' to the others when we get back, too."

"Oh, I intend to." Rean said, chuckling softly afterwards. "Now, Naruto raises a good point. I'm sure we're all rather tired, so let's try to get some rest while we can. We're going to be busy again when we get back to Trista, so I'm looking forward to some rest while we can get it."

The others quickly agreed with him. Laura took this opportunity to snuggle up close to her mate and rested her head on his shoulder before she began to slowly drift off to sleep. I don't regret my decision to be with you for even a moment, Naruto. I'll always be with you, as one of your mates and your friend. You've been so good to me so far, and you really make me feel special. Thank you, Naruto, for being a part of my life.

---

A/N - And that's the chapter! Long as hell, wasn't it? lol

Alrighty, a few things need to be said here. First of which is the fact that the tendonitis in my right hand, more specifically my thumb and wrist, came back and began to act up quite a bit. That's the reason I wasn't writing anything for a while. Hell, even writing this chapter hurt, but nowhere near as bad as it would have in the past week. It's slowly healing, but I do need to try and take it easy for a while. I just really wanted to get this chapter out and let you know what was going on.

Also, I mentioned a poll up on my profile. The winning choice so far is Emma and Claire. If you're confused, this means that most people would like to see Rean end up with both Emma and Claire. They are NOT in the pairing for Naruto. If I do choose to pair him with just those two and not include Alisa, she'll most likely end up with Naruto. Personally, I'm okay with either choice. I rather like Alisa. She's a real sweetheart and she's cute, too. Still, I'd very much like to see what you all think. Soooo, go on and vote mi amigos!

Anyways, I really need to take it easy right now. I think I'll relax with The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III for a while. That's always fun. lol