Chapter 69 – Left Field Actions
To say Dante woke up that morning next to two women wouldn't be accurate, since he still couldn't sleep.
Atla had been resting peacefully next to him, a firm hold on his arm locking it in place between her breasts. Her peacefulness was emphasized with soft snoring, which was uncommon from the younger tiger woman. It wasn't that they did anything particularly intimate, present situation excluded. One pregnant party member was enough, excluding Malty. After her comforting in the hot springs, they returned to the room to continue helping Malty prepare for such an activity, in the same way Dante was before he left.
As for the older princess, she had woken up when they entered, covering herself with the blanket. She accepted his explanation of feeling restless, which was technically true, and continued as they had. Malty didn't have an issue with Atla joining them. If anything, she seemed more at ease with someone else for Dante to focus on, if Dante had to guess. Though, she did opt to hold onto Dante's other arm in a similar fashion. It took her longer to fall asleep than Atla, but she managed.
After a long period of waiting and resting, the sun finally started to rise.
There was a commotion as they made ready for the day, largely from Fohl. She saw Atla exit the room Dante and Malty used, knowing full well what the soon-to-be-married couple were supposed to be doing. More accurately, she saw Atla clinging to Dante more fiercely than normal. Dante actually welcomed the outrage, seeing it as a return to the status quo for Fohl.
Atla stepped in to diffuse the situation. Meaning, she told Fohl to mind her business, not resorting to her usual jab in the stomach. She did give Dante another kiss, infuriating the older hakuko further.
With a pair of glaring eyes on Dante now, they set off for the next island. They went to the one with the karma squirrel, seeing as that was the only boss monster Dante didn't fight in the North Ferret Forest. Itsuki made a stink about it, finding something to complain about how Dante was following after him. Just another thing to ignore.
Of course, not everyone in the party went. Dante had Reiko and Elvira start searching the ocean close to the main island for any underwater structures. He remembered that's where the hourglass would most likely be located, unless it was on one of the islands. He knew for a fact they were somewhat close to an hourglass, since Melromarc was no longer marked as the closest one in his status. What he didn't know was when exactly the wave would be. It should be a few days, since Naofumi and them not only leveled a lot, but also had enough time to return to Melromarc.
Grinding on the karma squirrel island passed without incident, much like the karma penguin island. With two members out searching, they didn't go over the party limit for XP gains. Elrasla and her son went off on their own, since Atla picked things up so quickly. Anything more advanced would need to be trained and practiced over a longer period of time, after the activation event.
Eventually, the sun began to go down. The XP gains and item drops were good, but most of their equipment was still better. The party then returned to the main island. Reiko and Elvira hadn't returned yet, but they knew not to be out too late. The rest ate dinner at one of the restaurants before returning to the hotel.
Once they were there, most of them went to the room to relax, with Lilith again remaining outside in one of the large stables due to her size. Dante, however, was called away for an important matter.
~The Wrong Hero~
"They are inside here?" Dante pointed at a bar along the main road.
"Yes, Shield Hero." A man or woman in black bowed before disappearing.
It took two days of searching, but Mirellia's shadows located the two otherworlders. The four heroes were gathered up before being brought to the tavern they were found in.
"So, how should we handle this?" Ren asked, keeping his eyes on the bar.
"Dante's the one who made a deal with their friend, so he should talk first." Motoyasu suggested.
"What if they start a fight?" Itsuki asked.
"Not likely. It would go against their principles." Dante told them.
From what he recalled, and told them before, L'arc was somewhat like how Motoyasu was now. He'd always call Naofumi 'kiddo' and had a generally pleasant attitude. Therese was friendly as well, but goofed off a lot less. Neither one particularly wanted to invade and kill the Holy Heroes, but they didn't have a lot of good options.
The plan they settled on was having Dante do most of the talking. Ren said it would be a bother for him, Itsuki said he would be ready if the route he was taking failed, and Motoyasu was confident it would all work out no matter what. Dante opted not to argue with any of their reasoning, since the result was what he wanted in the first place.
Inside the tavern, lively music was played by a small band. The tables were filled with adventurers, but there was space to move around. L'arc and Therese were easy enough to spot, since the man's laughter was quite loud.
"Excuse me." Dante began as they approached the table. "We need to speak with you two."
"Hm?" L'arc looked up at them mid-drink. Evidenced by the empty mugs on the table, this was his third. After taking a gulp, he set his mug on the table. "Sure thing, Kiddo! What can we do for you?"
"Outside, where it is quieter." Dante gestured to the door.
L'arc looked to his blue-haired companion, who gave a nod with a smile on her face. The pair stood and followed them out.
Since the sun was already setting, not as many people were out and about. Bars and places of entertainment were filled, but the streets were becoming scarcer.
"So, listen," L'arc said, pulling at the sickle he had on his hip, "I'm sure you all make a lot of money this way, but you really don't want to do this."
"Do what?" Dante asked. L'arc had his weapon ready, while Therese had one of her hands hovering over a gemmed bracelet.
"Isn't this the part where you tell us to give you all our belongings for our lives?" L'arc gave his sickle a quick twirl.
"Why would I do this?" Dante quirked and eyebrow.
"It's what people do." Therese said. "They call out a pair of people and then extort them."
"Who would do something that stupid?" Dante asked.
"We've stopped keeping track." Therese told him.
"I have not once had that happen to me." Dante said.
"Really?" Motoyasu leaned forward. "Outside of Melromarc, I've had that happen at least five times, until people started to recognize who I was."
"Nine for me." Ren added. "They try when my party isn't around."
"It doesn't happen to Dante because he looks like he'll slit their throats if they try." Itsuki jeered. "That and he doesn't have anything valuable, not even boots!"
Dante didn't rebuke that, since he was certain his expression had that effect at times. And he didn't wear shoes.
"Anyway." Dante shook his head. "We are not here for that. This is about you two being in this world."
L'arc had lowered his sickle for a moment, then raised it back up when Dante finished his sentence.
"What're you talking about?" The red-head asked.
"You are friends with Glass and Kizuna." Dante cut straight to the point.
Therese's eyes widened. "You met Glass?"
"I fought her and won." He said, much to the grumbling of the other three heroes. "She lives, and is working on rescuing Kizuna."
L'arc and Therese shared a look before turning back. "Where is she?" Therese asked.
"I told Glass that Kizuna was held at…some labyrinth prison." Dante had already forgotten the name of it. "Assuming she is successful, Glass should appear in this Wave to take you two back. That is part of the deal I made with her."
The two otherworlders shared another look.
"What do you think, Therese?" L'arc asked his companion.
"It's hard to believe he knew about Kizuna." Therese responded.
"Yeah, but I don't think Glassy would talk about her to someone she was fighting."
"Definitely not." Therese nodded. She directed her next question to the group. "Who are all of you?"
"The four Holy Heroes of this world." Dante held his shield in front of him. The others likewise presented their weapons.
Now would begin the next phase of this little talk. The two of them would likely ask how this came about, where his knowledge came from, and so on. Possibly, L'arc and Therese might deny them being the four heroes, despite having the weapons with the gems in them. Or—
"Alrighty!" L'arc hooked his sickle to his back hip once more and clapped his hands. "How about we all get a drink then!"
Dante stared at the strange man before him.
"…What?" He couldn't quite process what the otherworlder said.
"Drinks!" L'arc repeated himself. "I mean, some of you seem a bit young, but I'm sure there's something good without alcohol in it!"
Therese sighed next to him, but she kept a smile on her face. Meanwhile, the heroes next to Dante weren't as enthusiastic.
"That's it?" Itsuki asked, sounding rather annoyed. "We didn't even need to come for this!" With that yell, he walked off toward the hotel.
"You shouldn't waste my time with something so easy." Ren remarked, also walking away.
Dante and Motoyasu watched as the youngest heroes go off. They then turned to each other.
"Drinks?" Motoyasu jabbed his thumb toward the waiting pair.
"…Sure." Dante agreed. He'd take the easy win.
~The Wrong Hero~
The night was loud and annoying. Dante spent most of the time in the bar chatting with Therese at a table while L'arc and Motoyasu began their quest to get drunk. That's how it felt, anyway. They were pretty quick to start up a drinking contest. Therese opted not to have any more, and Dante continued to abstain for Sadeena.
Being the more responsible one, Therese asked Dante about what he set up with Glass. Aside from Kizuna, Dante told her about both the Book Hero and the would-be Katana Hero. Kyo didn't help them fight against the Demon Dragon or any of the Waves, and was rather reclusive. Therese was very against the Book Hero's revealed plan to use the souls of this world for himself and agreed to search him out if Glass didn't already. Of course, she wanted to confirm what Dante said first.
As for the other so-called genius, Therese couldn't figure out who it was. The reason being that there were a few geniuses known in their world, and Dante couldn't remember much about that one in particular, let alone his name. The same was true for the Mirror Hero, who might already be dead.
Therese also verified the things Dante could remember about her world. How Kizuna had a house where all their friends lived. How the Hunting Hero loved fishing so much she'd spend days doing it. How the by-now adult indeed looked like a child, much to her dismay.
Eventually, the talk came to a close. Motoyasu and L'arc staggered over, barely cognitive.
"Danteeee!" L'arc slurred as he slumped his arm over Dante's shoulder. He was lucky Dante decided to leave the Axe back with the rest of his party. "I'm soooo sorry, man!"
"Okay?" Dante looked him over, seeing he was clearly drunk.
"Moto told me all about iiit!" L'arc wobbled, his hunched over stance threatening to send him to the ground.
"About what?" Dante looked between the red-head and blond man.
"Your daughter!" L'arc's words made Dante's eye twitch. "Your daughter was killed and we came here to kill you! That's so messed up!"
"L'arc!" Therese yelled, standing from her seat.
Her voice not only sounded admonishing, but full of concern. Dante didn't realize the position he was in right away. In an instant, the drunken L'arc was in his grasp, throat held firm. Dante found himself standing, one arm back ready to strike.
Dante was barely able to glance at Therese. She didn't look ready to cast a spell, but she might have been thinking it. After letting out a low growl, Dante released his captive.
L'arc massaged his throat as Therese came up behind him. She gave him a smack on the back of his head, causing him to complain.
"I'm so sorry about him." She apologized on L'arc's behalf.
"It…is fine." Dante sagged. It wasn't as if hurting L'arc would do anything about it. Dante already had his revenge, anyway. Perhaps it was the somewhat pleasant atmosphere that helped him show restraint.
"As for you!" Therese grabbed L'arc by the back of his shirt. "That's enough drinking for tonight! Time to go!"
"Ah, but Therese!" L'arc tried to protest, but he was already being dragged off.
"Please excuse us Dante, Motoyasu." Therese gave them a forced smile as the pair disappeared in the crowd.
"Maybe I should get back to the girls." Motoyasu wisely stated, though his speech was heavily slurred.
"I will go back to my party as well." Dante said, turning to leave.
He only made it a few steps before he heard a crash. When he looked back, Motoyasu had run into a table and knocked it over, going down with it. The beer that was previously on it had spilled onto him.
With a sigh, Dante walked back over. Motoyasu was trying to get up, but he seemed even less coordinated than before.
"Come on." Dante held out his hand, which the drunk took after a second attempt at grabbing it.
With one arm over his shoulder, Dante helped the Spear Hero out of the bar.
They walked in the cool night of the island resort. Plenty of noise was heard from the other bars and places of entertainment. It wouldn't be long before they reached the hotel the queen reserved for them.
"Should I not talked about it?" Motoyasu's drawled out in a broken sentence.
"It is fine." Dante told him. Truthfully, he'd rather it not be spoken about at all. It was only 10 days ago that she died and his feelings were…difficult, but his lack of real grieving made it hard for him to complain.
"You aren't a bad guy, Dante." Motoyasu said as he swayed. "You're just protecting your family. I don't know what I'd do if my little Fleonne died."
"Hm." Dante grunted.
"And that kid! It sounds like he didn't care about who he killed to stay empar…emperor!"
"Hm."
"It's 'as probably good to kill—hurk!"
Motoyasu covered his mouth. Dante quickly eased him down, letting him spill out what Dante assumed was most of the alcohol he drank that night. Despite still being in a ponytail, albeit a loose one, Dante made sure none of Motoyasu's hair got caught in his vomiting.
"You have a good heart, Motoyasu. It is a shame you are so stupid." Dante said.
"Buh…thanks." Motoyasu nodded, likely not hearing what Dante said.
Despite believing this world is a game, you still said all that. Maybe on some level, you know this is all real.
They made it the rest of the way to the hotel without issue. Dante brought Motoyasu up to where his suite was, knocking on the door with his foot. After a few moments, the yellow-green haired woman, Rino, answered the door.
"Moto…" She sighed, hands on her hips.
"Hey, Rino~." Motoyasu sang out, giving her a wave. "We won…"
"I can see that." She gestured to Dante. Carefully, he handed the drunk man over to her. "Everything went well, right?"
"Yeah." Dante said. "They should not be a problem."
"Good." Rino nodded her head at the man leaning against her. "I'll make sure he's taken care of."
"Alright." Dante was about to leave, but Rino spoke up.
"I heard from Myne…Princess Malty." She said. "From what you knew about our world, you thought I would end up a slave and tried to find me. Thanks for that."
"You are welcome." He said. He didn't get to take a single step.
"Dante!" Motoyasu called out, stopping him.
"Yes?" Dante glanced back.
"You gotta treat Myne right. I heard about her uncle. She's been through a lot. You've been through a lot. You two 'ill be great for each other." Motoyasu looked ready to pass out standing.
Dante continued to look at him before walking off. "Get some rest."
That was a problem he still needed to solve. Her apprehension was more than understandable, but they also didn't have a lot of time. It wasn't as if she was guaranteed to get pregnant after a single night, and the activation event only lasted about a week. He was certain the doctors at the castle would check Malty the moment she returned to know exactly when she was verifiably pregnant.
They'd need to figure something out before then.
When Dante returned to his suite, he was greeted by a rather happy hakuko woman. Atla wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a quick kiss the second he entered the room.
"Welcome back, Mister Dante." She said with a smile.
"Hey, Atla." Dante gave her a quick hug.
He looked around the common room, not seeing anyone else there. It was a little surprising, since Fohl should have been trying to force Atla to sleep, or at least keep her away from him.
"Are Reiko and Elvira back?" He decided to ask instead.
"Not yet." Atla said, grabbing his hand. She started leading him.
"Well, their HP has not gone down, so there does not seem to be an issue." Dante assessed.
"I'll keep watch for them." Atla said, knocking on the door they now stood in front of.
"What are you doing?" He asked her. Movement was heard on the other side of the door.
Atla looked up at him with a smile. "Malty wants to try again."
Dante didn't have time to question what she said. As soon as a voice was heard on the other side, Atla pushed open the door and pulled Dante inside. She stepped out right after doing so.
"Good luck, Mister Dante!"
As the door closed behind him, Dante took in the sight. Malty lay on the bed, head propped up on her elbow with one leg crossed over the other. Her body was covered in a thin garment, a negligee, if Dante remembered correctly. She had nothing underneath, revealing everything she had. Under normal circumstances, it would have been fairly seductive. If, of course, her expression was different.
"H-Hello, Dante." Malty forced out, a thin smile on her face. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes wavered as she watched him.
"Hello…" Dante gave her a short nod.
"S-Shall we get started?" She brought a shaky arm up, curling a finger toward her.
With a sigh, Dante walked forward. He pulled off his tunic and let it drop to the floor. The moment he set a hand on the bed, Malty flinched back.
"You are still not ready." He said plainly.
"I a-am!" She countered unconvincingly.
"You are not."
In response, Malty quickly moved forward. She took his hand in hers and brought it up to her breast. With her hand over his, she made his hand squeeze. The fabric did little to hamper the sensation.
"S-See?" Malty's voice shook even more. "I-I can d-do this…"
"Malty, you look ready to pass out. Again." Dante said with no small amount of sympathy. "But, we do not have a lot of time, do we?"
The pupils in her eyes were pinpricks, clearly showing her fear. Her breathing was heavy, as if she was ready to flee. Dante tried to pull his hand back, but Malty kept it in place.
"Wait!" She quickly yelled, pulling him to the bed. "Just…"
Before she could explain further, she moved to the other edge of the bed. Dante hadn't noticed before, but a glass was set there. She leaned over and picked it up, pouring the red liquid down her throat. With a light gasp, she set the glass back down.
"Okay." She turned back to him. "We can start."
"Malty…are you drunk?" Dante asked as she slowly crawled over to him.
"Not yet. T-There's an aphrodisiac mixed in, too." She told him. Dante assumed it was given to her by one of her mother's shadows. "On the b-bed. Now."
With a resigned sigh, Dante did as he was told. He scooted back, following Malty's directing and laid his head on one of the pillows. Malty inched over, slowing moving her body toward him until she was over him. Hands and knees were on either side of him as she stared down into his eyes. Her breathing didn't get any better, instead becoming heavier.
Slowly, she lowered her head. She closed her eyes as she approached.
Slowly, her head inched its way to his.
Slowly…she stopped moving.
Dante didn't close his eyes in anticipation. He waited to see what she would do.
"…Fuck." She muttered, eyes opening wide. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" She leaned back, sitting on his legs and covering her face. "Why can't I just do this!?"
"Malty." Dante tried to get a word in.
Instead, she leaned back down and grabbed him by his shoulders. With a light grunt, she shifted them in the bed. Dante found himself on top of her. She reached down and pulled at his pants, yanking them down.
"There!" She returned her back to the bed, staring up at him with tears threatening to come out. "Now, just…just do it quickly!" She demanded.
"I will not." Dante leaned back. "I did not force myself on you during our trip here, and—"
"You wouldn't have!" She yelled, the tears coming out now. "I wanted you to do it! I'm telling you to now! Just…Just…"
Malty couldn't get the words out. She was too busy holding back a sob. Dante knew her situation was bad. It wasn't fair to her to have to do this. They had things planned out, only for her bastard of a half-uncle to throw a wrench into it. They had to make it look convincing, and that involved this crucial step.
Dante stayed above her, not sure how to handle the situation. Having Malty slowly work out her justifiable fears was the preferred idea, but one they no longer had time for. He wanted to respond to her resolve. He wasn't going to force himself on her, but they needed to do this.
While he waited for her to calm herself, he came up with an idea. One that he didn't want to explore the ramifications or implications of, but…
"Malty." He said after her breathing had returned to normal. "I have something that might help."
She wiped the tears from her face. "What?" She softly asked.
"You are scared because I am a man." He said, rather than asked. "I am bigger than you, and visually stronger than you."
Malty gave a confused nod in response.
"Then, if I did not appear so, would you be able to go through with this?"
She continued to look up at him, uncertainty present on her face. "I…might." She conceded. "But, how?"
In response, Dante changed his shield and activated its effect.
It wasn't just his most used shields that Dante Awakened. Ones with more utility functions might have additional effects that were usable. The one he switched to did, though this likely wasn't its intended purpose. Suffice to say, the additional effect it gained made it much more similar to the monster it came from.
"Will this work?" He asked her.
Malty stared up at him. "How…"
"No questions." Dante told her. "If this helps, then let us get this over with. I will not think badly of you if you need this."
Malty nervously swallowed. She gave a short nod to him.
"Alright." Dante moved one of his hands to her breasts.
Malty gave a light squeak at the contact, screwing her eyes shut. As he worked his hand, the noises became less scared and more pleasurable, slowly turning into moans.
At one such moan, Dante leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.
He was prepared to take things slowly, relative to their current situation. That's why he was surprised when Malty pressed into the kiss. He felt his lips part as her tongue worked its way inside. Her hands found their way behind his head, combing through his hair. They latched on, pulling him into her more.
When their lips separated, Malty's eyes were no longer pinpricks. Instead, there was a look of longing in them.
"Can I…" Malty lowered one of her hands, lightly pressing against Dante's side.
Seeing what she was getting at, Dante slid off of her. She resumed her initial position, placing herself above him. From the lamp light, Dante saw a hungry look in her eyes as they trailed down his younger body.
Well, I do not know if it is the aphrodisiac taking effect, or the sight of my altered form. I suppose it does not matter right now, so long as she is making some progress. It is better than the alternative of her passing out drunk and expecting me to…
This may be another issue later, but it will be one out of danger from a foreign king.
~The Wrong Hero~
The rest of their time at Cal Mira passed without issue.
Elvira had burst into their room the next morning, wearing one of the penguin kigurumi Dante had given her and Reiko. The two of them found the underwater temple to the hourglass late into the night. Dante would go there to register. If she had an opinion on his current appearance, she didn't voice it.
Lining up with his vague recollections, the Wave at the islands was in four days. He informed the queen of the likeliness of a Wave beforehand, though he thought it would have been earlier. Riding a shark-like monster Reiko made from one of Dante's stored corpses, he and the fox girl got far enough away from the islands to update the queen on the timeframe.
On a related note, they'd need to leave the islands just before the end of the activation event. Othil's next wave was scheduled to arrive soon after Cal Mira's, so the heroes would have to deal with it.
After that, it was back to grinding on the different islands. Thanks to the high stats of the heroes, none of their parties had any issues with the island bosses. Dante was able to get more drops from the boss monsters, with some variation from what he gained in the North Ferret Forest. Again, most of the gear his party had was already better, but a couple accessories were switched out.
The first night after meeting L'arc and Therese, the former apologized for saying something stupid the night before. He didn't recall what he said, but Therese told him when he sobered up.
The grinding trend continued the following days. Dante didn't sacrifice Malty's class up for increased stat growth, mostly due to JoJo not being there for the improved class up. He decided to let that group have some space away from him. Instead, they only worked on sacrificing levels to gain permanent stat bonuses. Whoever still could have their level lowered had it done, including Dante.
All the while, Dante was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It all felt too easy.
Sure, it wasn't as if L'arc and Therese wanted to destroy this world. The gem woman said as much during their talk. It didn't take much to convince them to accept the truce, provided Glass actually rescued Kizuna. That was the biggest issue. If Kizuna wasn't where Dante said she was, then they'd probably all end up fighting.
Four Holy Heroes and two Vassal Heroes all fully powered up weren't going to lose to two partially powered up Vassal Heroes, despite the level difference. That wasn't even including the two hero exclusive spells Dante and Motoyasu had, even if one of them was still at Zweite level.
Still, there was a certain amount of unease about the whole thing.
~The Wrong Hero~
The day of the Wave arrived. Thanks to having more time to prepare, adventurers were hired from the islands to participate.
Due to the difference in circumstances, Dante couldn't use Naofumi's idea to transport ships directly from Melromarc. Instead, the queen dispatched a group to Cal Mira to participate. They'd join with the heroes and be transported that way.
The fleet appeared in their vision, with a few hours to spare before the start of the Wave.
"Well, that's good." Dante commented. "I was beginning to worry they'd be late."
Atla stood next to him, arms wrapped around one of his. She pressed her face against it.
"You've been extra clingy today." Dante glanced down at her. "Something wrong?"
"Nope!" She beamed up at him. "I'm just happy you're doing better."
This wasn't too different from the previous days. When they weren't off fighting monsters, Atla would be right next to him, holding his arm. Once he was finished with Malty for the night, Atla always made her way into the bed. It was only really awkward the first time. They also spent time in the hot springs together, much like their first night here.
It seemed Fohl didn't know about that last part, nor the exact details of their state of dress in the bed. At the very least, nothing more physical happened with the shorter tiger woman.
"I guess I've felt a little less angry." It didn't hurt that they were able to gain a lot of XP and monster parts, the latter to be given to Raphtalia and Rifana when they met back up. Dio's death was starting to sting less, too.
That, and he'd found that he liked being in contact with someone who had his slave or monster seal on them again. It wasn't like before, where it was needed, but it did help him feel better. He was even able to sleep a little last night. It was only about an hour, but it was something.
His stats had also gone down a little. It wasn't enough to be a big concern, but it was evidence that his curses were dwindling. He still couldn't wear armor; they checked that this morning. The rate of decay was down, though.
"And you're talking like normal again." Atla added.
"Huh?" He turned his head down to her. "When wasn't I?"
"Since around the last Wave." Atla gave his arm another squeeze.
"Really? I haven't noticed."
Atla gave him a toothy smile. Dante's only response was a raised eyebrow. He turned to the other members of his party who waited on the docks with him.
"Has anyone else noticed anything?" He asked them.
"There's nothing wrong with the way you speak, Shield God!" Elvira proudly proclaimed. She continued wearing the penguin kigurumi, seeing as its stats were better than her old armor.
That's not helpful.
"What about you, Reiko?" He asked the fox girl.
"Well…" She nervously rubbed her hands together, trying to meet his eyes. "You've been talking a little weird. Kinda like how Gaelion talks.
"Really?" He asked her. She confirmed with a quick nod.
Dante looked to the rest of his party for confirmation. One by one, they voiced a similar sentiment. Except for Fohl, who remained silent. He truly didn't notice any change. At least, not in his speech.
"Malty?" Dante looked to the princess, wanting her opinion. She continued to gaze out at sea, watching the approaching ships. "Malty?"
"H-Huh?" She turned to him after giving her head a quick shake.
"Never mind." Dante returned his eyes to the ships. Outside of combat, Malty's been a bit distracted. It wasn't all that surprising to him, given his method for their nightly activities.
One thing at a time, I guess.
Deciding to ride out and meet the queen before they arrived, Dante called over Lilith. He got on her back with Atla sitting in front of him. With one arm around the tiger woman and another on the saddle Lilith wore, they took to the air.
A meeting wasn't strictly required this early, since the plan was already set. Once the ships got closer, boats would be used to transport the hired adventurers onto them. Then it would just be a matter of waiting.
Lilith approached the flagship of the fleet. Slowly, she descended, beating her wings to let them land with a soft thud on the large, open main deck.
Dante, however, didn't get off of the saddle. Atla turned slightly, placing a hand over his arm that started to grip her more tightly. The reason for that was because of the man that stood before them.
"You…" The word escaped Dante's mouth in a low growl.
Instead of the queen of Melromarc, a white-haired old man was there. He was dressed in a sort of battlemage robes, similar to what Rifana wore. A hardened leather made of some magical creature covered his chest, and a circlet was around his forehead where a crown used to sit.
"Shield Hero." The king of Melromarc calmly said. The look in his eyes was hard to sift out, especially since they shifted between looking at Dante and Atla.
"What're you doing here, old man?" Dante asked atop Lilith, looking down at him.
Aultcray stood tall. "My wife, Her Majesty, selected me to lead our knights into battle against this Wave."
"A little late for that." Dante could feel his eye twitch.
Three Waves in with no participation from you, and you allowed Lurolona and Ronota to get sacked. Even without the Vassal Staff, you had more than enough power to engage the Waves. You're a failure of a hero.
A gentle squeeze from Atla brought him out of his thoughts. It wasn't anything he hadn't said before. During his talks with Malty, even before Cal Mira, he'd said as much to her.
"Hmph." Dante gave Lilith a quick pat. She understood his intent, starting to turn about. "Fine, then. I'll go back and bring one of the other heroes to add you to their party."
It wasn't as if it mattered which one did it. There didn't seem to be a limit with the party formations.
"Wait, Shield Hero!" Aultcray raised his hand to stop them.
Dante looked over his shoulder, a scowl on his face. Aultcray slowly lowered his hand.
"My daughter…how is Malty?" He asked, keeping his eyes on Dante.
"She is fine." Dante spoke through gritted teeth.
Aultcray copied his action. "And I assume you have…"
"We have." Dante confirmed. "I see Mirellia has told you about her plan."
"Don't you speak my wife's name so…" Aultcray trailed off, letting whatever he was about to say die on his lips.
The reason was obvious, at least when Dante looked slightly forward. Atla had turned around in the seat, looking at Aultcray with closed eyes and a scowl on her face too.
The king's expression softened. He turned his head down, saying nothing more.
With a bump from Dante's foot, Lilith took to the air again.
~The Wrong Hero~
The Wave started.
It was hardly worth all the trouble.
With all the heroes they had, a good half of the monsters were killed before ever reaching the ships. The ones that did didn't stand a chance. The hero parties combined with the hired adventurers, all benefiting from a small bonus from a casting of Drifa Aura X, cut through them like they were nothing.
Even the Wave boss wasn't all that threatening. The colossal whale was able to fire off a single shot from its long horn, only for Dante to block it and protect the ship. After that, it was only a matter of keeping it on the water's surface. Atop Reiko's shark monster, Dante attracted it with Hate Reaction, grabbed its horn, and pulled it to the surface with the shark monster. The other heroes descended on it, blasting it with skills and magic.
With no civilians to protect and the boss appearing rather early, the Wave lasted only 20 minutes. Of course, even with the boss dead, the sky didn't return to normal.
"Anyone see Glass anywhere?" Dante called out. As the biggest, most obvious landmark, the heroes of this world and the other came up on the corpse of the boss. They could have their meeting and then gather up materials, provided another fight wasn't about to happen.
"There she is." Ren pointed to a figure descending from one of the Wave cracks. Unlike nearly everyone else, he wore a kigurumi with the hood off, the penguin one. He traded one of his dog-theme suits to Dante, since he needed it to reach the underwater temple. A fight on the ocean was enough for him to swallow his pride and keep wearing it, for safety's sake.
Glass came down nearby, gently floating in the air a foot or so off the ground. L'arc and Therese came up to her, while the other five heroes approached more slowly.
"So," Dante began, "did you find her?"
Glass gave the group a nod.
"That's great, Glassy!" L'arc bellowed, giving Glass a slap on the back. The spirit woman didn't appreciate that. "I can't wait to see Kizuna again! I really wasn't looking forward to fighting Kiddo here."
"I imagine not." Glass commented. Dante had to agree.
Running off of what he knew before, the otherworlders would have probably had a hard fight. After seeing L'arc and Therese in action with the levels from their world added on, well, he was confident to say the least.
"Now, about Kyo and everything else I told you…" Dante gestured with his hand.
Glass's face remained neutral. "The Book Hero is dead."
"Oh." Dante raised his eyebrows. "Good job, then."
"I didn't kill him." Glass added. "It was the Katana Hero."
"Oh…" That was less good.
Glass elaborated. It seemed Kyo and the recently elevated Katana Hero had a disagreement. That being, they tried to kill one another. They weren't the only ones. Apparently, the Mirror Hero and the Musical Instrument Hero were involved somehow. Glass didn't have all the details, since the country it happened in tried to keep it quiet. The end result was both the Mirror Hero and the Book Hero being killed, and the countries of the Katana Hero and Musical Instrument Hero fighting each other.
That happened about a week ago. Incidentally, they compared the time between their last meeting. Glass last came to this world a bit over a month ago from her perspective, while here it was just under three weeks.
"Huh." Dante gave the most eloquent response he had. "Well…huh."
Glass sighed. "It seems like most of the heroes in our world are, how did you put it? Less than ideal."
Dante glanced over his shoulder at the other heroes with him.
"What are you looking at!?" Itsuki demanded with a glare.
Well, it was six heroes here, until I took away the old man's staff. Seven over there, including the Holy Heroes. Since the Boat Hero works with Kizuna's group…
"What about the Harpoon Hero?" Dante turned back to ask. They were the only one unaccounted for.
Glass tapped her head with her closed fan, letting out a deeper sigh than before. "I don't know what's happening with those heroes. Since I last came to this world, the Vassal Harpoon has changed wielders five times."
"Jesus." Dante scratched the side of his head. "No wonder you guys invaded. With heroes like them, you really didn't have any better options."
"Please don't remind me." Glass lowered her fan. "That said," She looked over at L'arc and Therese, "Kizuna wasn't happy to learn about us coming here."
Her two companions stilled at her words. They were likely in for a long lecture. As far as punishments for attempted genocide went, it was rather soft.
"But…" Glass looked at Dante. "She is happy to know we've made…friends in another world."
"That's one way of putting it." Dante commented.
It wasn't entirely accurate, but it was close enough. Now that they weren't fighting, they could share information and items with one another. This world had soul healing medicine to regain SP, something their world didn't have. There world had something for everyday people to collect item drops, which could potentially be replicated here. Dante was sure there were other things they could use as well.
"With that, I believe it's time we departed." Glass said, gesturing to her two companions.
"Oh, before that," Dante held up his hand, "I remembered some of the power up methods from your world."
"You did? That's great, Kiddo!" L'arc gave him a thumbs up.
"Which ones are they?" Glass asked.
"They—"
Dante didn't get the chance to say. It all happened in an instant.
The sound of shattering glass echoed around them.
Glass fell to the body of the Wave boss on her hands and knees. Her arms shook from the impact.
The sky around them changed from swirling vortexes and cracks to the blue of early afternoon.
And in the vision of every hero, a blue hourglass with the number '7' appeared.
Dante jerked his head around, looking at everyone assembled. His eyes didn't deceive him. The other three Holy Heroes were right there with him. That meant they weren't the ones to break the seal. With Kyo dead in the other world, that left Dante with one question.
"WHO JUST FUCKED UP!?"
Author's Notes:
We are entering what I'm calling the Endgame Arc. Loose ends will be tied up, revelations will be made, and the series will be concluded. Not sure how long it'll be, except less than 30 chapters (to not go over my 100 chapter limit/plan).
I'd also like to thank mravocadoman on AO3 for the inspiration with the Malty scene. Honestly, I wasn't sure how I was going to go through it originally, so your idea was a welcome one. As a bonus, it shows Malty's got some other issues to work out. If anyone really wanted to hate Malty in this fic, I just cracked a window for you.