Time for some more adorable trouble to commence!

Chapter Twelve: Sunset Overdrive

The next two days passed by blissfully for Naofumi and Raphtalia. They had plenty of food to eat because of all the leftovers they'd won. Uncle Bald Guy spent most of his time closing down the shop. Naofumi got to continue to study (bleh) more magic with the new and improved Dadcray (best dad ever). Now that he had his staff back, he was using all sorts of spells. Fire spells. Light spells. Healing and Support spells. If it involved magic, he could do it! It was so awesome!

Oh, and other important things happened too. Naofumi forgot what they were supposed to be though. It wasn't like they mattered anyway. There were forty-three more days until the next Wave of Catastrophe hit. That was a long way away.

Now, Naofumi and Raphtalia were in the study again. Studying under the tutelage of the amazing Staff Hero/King/royal dad.

"-and heal my target. Fast Heal." A green glow came off of Naofumi's hands and covered the little girl. She looked at herself in wide-eyed wonder.

"So cool." She said in awe.

"How was that Mr. Aultcray?" Naofumi asked.

The Staff King smiled widely. "Your progression continues to amaze me, son! Before you know it, you'll be casting drifa level spells just like me!"

"Yay!" LEARNING was actually working. Who would have thunk?

A knock sounded at the door. "Come in!"

Erhard entered. "Hey, kids. How's everything going with His Majesty?"

"I told you to call me Aultcray, Erhard."

The bald man chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry. Old habits die hard."

"Everything's going great Uncle Bald Guy! I learned another awesome spell that heals people!"

Raphtalia turned her head to try and look at her back. "It feels weird… I think the scars are gone. It doesn't itch or sting anymore."

"Wait, really!" His spell was even better than he thought! "Let me see let me see-" Naofumi tried to lift the back of Raphtalia's shirt while yelling excitedly.

She slapped his hand away. "No! Just trust me, okay!?"

"Why are you being weird about it? I just want to make sure you're okay." Naofumi looked down at his lap with a sad expression.

Raphtalia was stunned speechless. Her cheeks started blazing a fierce red, and her tail wagged really quickly in embarrassment behind her. "O, Okay!" She gave in and turned around. "Just don't touch anything!"

"Got it!" Naofumi, now with permission, lifted the back of the smol girl's shirt.

Raphtalia was right. The scars that had covered her back from Idol's whipping were gone. "Hey, you're right! They're all gone! That's great, Raphtalia!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Raphtalia felt at her own back in disbelief. Tears sprang gratefully from her eyes. She was so happy to have that part of her life erased. As the children chatted amongst themselves, Aultcray and Erhard had their own conversation. "So what will you do now?" The king asked.

"The shop is just about closed down. I only have a few more housekeeping things and contracts to take care of first." Erhard said.

"... You know you don't have to, right? With my new laws-"

Erhard shook his head. "It's more than just discrimination. I genuinely want these two kids to succeed, and I want to keep them safe no matter where they go in the world."

Aultcray smiled at that. "You're a good friend, Erhard. I knew you'd develop a soft spot for Naofumi."

"Speaking of those laws though, how's everything going with that?" Erhard asked.

Aultcray proceeded to tell Erhard in detail what he'd been doing over the last two days outside of Naofumi and Raphtalia's magic lessons.

Immediately after giving out his royal decrees, the Three Heroes Church was ransacked by an unknown party. Many important documents somehow went missing or were lost. Fortunately, Aultcray knew a spell or two, and he managed to track down these missing documents. Along with the Church Shadows that were trying to hide/get rid of them. They were pathetically weak against the might of his magic.

Those that had surrendered were now incarcerated in the dungeons. Awaiting their trials along with the nuns, priests, zealots, and other disloyal knights he'd captured.

The documents he recovered had some pretty damning evidence in them. Apparently, there had been details for plots to not only sideline and assassinate the Shield Hero (propaganda, rumors, etc), but to depose the Royal Family and set up a new government. Not to mention, there was also a detailed report about the successive elimination of the Lord of Seaetto. Which led Aultcray to deduce that the Three Heroes Church had assassinated him during the Wave to put him in charge since he would have been an easier person for them to manipulate.

At least, it would have been easier to manipulate him if it wasn't for Naofumi being a kid and making him worthy to wield the Staff again.

The reports also detailed the subsequent destruction of the demi-human region by the Three Heroes Church's loyal followers. Something he had been unaware of.

Those responsible for it were being hunted down as he spoke. Balamus himself had a large bounty on his head. The Three Heroes Church would soon be nothing but history in all of Melromarc. Though there was still a ways to go there yet.

Erhard whistled. "Sounds like you've got quite a lot on your plate."

Aultcray grinned, however. "Actually, because of that, I have a lot less on my plate."

Of course, there had been the threat of nobles rebelling. As well as merchants tied to the Three Heroes Faith leaving the country to take their business elsewhere. Zealots would also, no doubt, be a hindrance. But Aultcray wasn't too worried about it after publishing the documents to the people via recording crystals. Zealots could defame him all they wanted, but Lord Seaetto had been a well-loved and respected individual. Not just in Melromarc, but in other nations too. After publishing the documents that proved the Three Heroes Church was responsible for the previous ruler's murder, the complaints and threats stopped almost overnight.

Apparently, there weren't many who wanted to piss off the commoners, or openly tie themselves to an organization that had plotted against royalty (he had his wife's shadows keeping an eye on suspicious nobles). Other nations like Zeltoble and Faubley had also announced what they'd do if such followers fled to their nations. And none of it was good.

"Well anyway, at least things are staying interesting around here. Her Majesty is going to flip when she hears about it."

"That's the plan." He'd really grown a backbone. It was amazing for Erhard to see his smart genius friend once again.

Erhard chuckled at the king's smirk. "You're a sly one, for sure. Good luck with that."

"Uncle Bald Guy, are we doing anything today? Did you get everything done with your store, or whatever?" Naofumi looked up at the adults with curious eyes.

He was too adorable. He had two of the most powerful men wrapped around his fingers. And soon, the Queen too.

"Sure did, Short Stack. We should be in the clear to do whatever we like by the end of today."

"Yay!" Both Naofumi and Raphtalia cheered.

"So you'll spend that time learning new magic," Aultcray interjected.

"Awww... But reading the words takes foreverrrrrrrrr..." Naofumi and Raphtalia both whined at the same time.

Crap, it was like a double whammy of adorableness. These two could very well conquer the world together if they had more drive.

"Hmm... Well, you both have made remarkable progress today." Aultcray rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe-"

"How about an award?" Erhard suggested. "I think after all these kids have done, they've earned it."

Aultcray smiled at that. "Ah, but what should the reward be?"

"Ooh! Ooh! I know I know!" Naofumi started jumping up and down excitedly. Waving his arms around trying to get their attention.

"Ask me anything. If it's within my power, then-"

"I want a pet monster!" Naofumi exclaimed.

…

…

Erhard facepalmed. "Really? You could have asked for anything, and you ask for that?" Erhard said.

"But I reeeeeaaaally want one!" It had been his dream ever since he'd met Balloony. Though Balloony didn't last very long. If only he didn't like chewing on others...

The adults shared a sigh. "Alright, but only if that's what young Raphtalia wants as well. It wouldn't be fair to hog the reward for yourself son." Aultcray said, a note of seriousness in his voice.

Naofumi looked at Raphtalia with wide, begging eyes. If he had a tail, it'd be wagging cutely behind him. Raphtalia wasn't sure what reward she wanted. Having Uncle Bald Guy, Dadcray, and this adorable cute boy in her life was reward enough. "I guess… we could get a pet." She said shyly.

"YAY! THANKS, RAPHTALIA!" Naofumi rushed forward and picked up his friend in a big hug.

"EEP!" Raphtalia eeped in surprise and wrapped her arms and legs around the cute adorable boy spinning her. "Put me down! I mean it Naofumi!" She yelled in embarrassment. The two adults chuckled at the cute display.

"Hehe, sorry! I'm just so excited! You know how much I've wanted a monster as a pet!"

"But what kind of monster do you want, squirt?" Erhard asked, crossing his arms. "There are literally thousands of monsters out there, and most of them wouldn't listen to a shorty like you."

"I'm not a squirt!" Naofumi set Raphtalia down before complaining to Erhard.

"Sure you aren't. So back to what kind of monster you want."

"Well… um… I want it to be a surprise!" Naofumi said excitedly.

"So in other words, you don't know," Erhard said.

...

"Um...no?" Naofumi blushed a bit, trying to look innocent.

"Then tell me what it is you want you squirt." Erhard said with a smirk.

"I am not a squirt!"

"Then stop acting like one!"

"How does someone act short?" Raphtalia wondered out loud.

Aultcray chuckled. "I actually may have someone that can help us with that. He's not my favorite person in the world, but I know he'd give us something completely random."

Erhard shivered. "You're not talking about who I think you are, right? You know how-" The man nervously glanced at Raphtalia, who was busy racking her brain for an answer to her own short question.

Was it possible to act short? But she already was short. So how could she get herself to act big? Was it possible to act big? Would Naofumi dislike her for doing that? Wait, did that mean she wanted Naofumi to like her?! But he was only supposed to be her best friend! Her cute, adorable, funny, caring best friend!

"I'll go by myself then," Aultcray said. "As long as these two manage to behave themselves in their home." He said, looking at Raphtalia and Naofumi.

"Behave? We always do that! Right Raphtalia?"

Raphtalia burst out of her train of thought. "Um, yes! I do! I mean, we do!" What had she just agreed to?

"Oh? And what about the bucket of water I found hanging above my door this morning?" Erhard sarcastically asked.

Naofumi's eyes glazed over. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." He said, flatly.

…

"Sure you don't, Squirt. Anyway, I'm headed to he-, the least fun place on earth. Wish me luck." Truly, closing down a blacksmith's shop shouldn't be this difficult. The number of forms and notices to clients he still had to sign was absurd!

"Good luck!"

As the blacksmith left, Aultcray smiled at the two. "I'll be back soon. Stay safe you two." He said, following behind Erhard. "And make sure you behave."

"See you Mr. Aultcray!" Raphtalia waved happily at the King as he left. Again, she was wondering what it was she had agreed to.

Oh well, it probably wasn't very important.

…

…

"Want to prank that one guy that pesters Mr. Aultcray?" Naofumi asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He was referring to the head advisor that normally followed Aultcray around.

The mischievous glint reflected in Raphtalia's eyes. "Absolutely."

This was why they'd learned magic. To prank the heck out of people!

The two kids ran out into the hallway. Raphtalia used a spell to hide them both from sight.

It was time for the trouble to commence!

Aultcray looked around himself. He'd had a great walk through the town. The people greeted him with respect and admiration. They stared in awe at his staff. He may or may not have shown off a little bit of his magic power for the little kids staring at him.

He did not feel tempted to milk the new threshold set for his coolness factor. At all.

The thing that made Aultcray smile the most was that not a single person spoke out against him or his new laws. In fact, many were now proudly wearing the rosary of the Four Heroes Church. It was like the Three Heroes Church Rosary, but behind the three weapons was a Shield. Standing like a sentinel to protect the others.

Mirellia would be pleased. And a happy Mirellia meant the chance of happy fun time.

The new laws were rather simple. Discrimination against demi-humans and those who supported them, be it nobles or businesses, was to be done away with. Open discrimination was now a punishable offense. The next law was that all four heroes were to be worshipped. With the sudden abandonment of the Three Heroes Church, there was a convenient location for the Four Heroes Church to set up shop. The last law was probably the most simple. Slavery was now illegal. Anyone caught with slaves would be fined and imprisoned. Anyone caught beating or abusing their illegal slaves would be fined, imprisoned, and treated the same way as they treated their slaves.

An eye for an eye as the saying would go.

Soon, he was in the seedy part of town. The underworld as people would call it. He used an illusion spell to disguise himself here. He was all-powerful and all that now that he had his Staff. But he didn't want to stir up trouble. It also gave him an opportunity to see a part of the city at its low.

As he suspected, it was bad. He saw at least five different crimes as he walked by himself. From petty thievery to someone getting beaten up. The perpetrators suddenly found themselves hanging from wood posts by their underwear, giving them the mother of all wedgies. Aultcray calmly hummed to himself as he continued walking, not even bothering to glance at the screaming individuals who'd soon be arrested by the Royal Knights.

He came up to a large tent. The monster shop. Had it not been for what the Shadows had reported to him about the man inside freeing Raphtalia for Naofumi (even if it was for a fee), he would have eradicated this place off the map right after getting his staff.

At least a monster shop was the only thing going on here, now. He'd made sure to strongly word it to the creep what would happen if he caught sight of a single slave.

Ducking under the flap of the tent's entrance, he raised one eyebrow at the scene around him. Monsters of all kinds sat in cages stacked to the top of the tent. Filolials, dragons, and even a few rare wolf monster breeds were easily identified.

"Ah, good sir! To what do I owe this sudden visit?" The man who greeted him was short and greasy-looking.

Aultcray dropped the illusion spell. If the small creepy man was surprised to see it was the King visiting his shop today, he didn't show it beyond his cheeky grin. "I see you listened. None of my spells are finding any slaves here." Aultcray said.

"I may be a shrewd businessman, but I do follow rules very carefully, yes sir! If the crown ordered it, I would fall upon my sword! And since the crown ordered it, there shall be no slaves in my humble establishment, yes sir!" Beloukas smiled so wide it looked painful.

Those Shadows had made it very plain to him what would happen if he continued the slave trade in Melromarc. Thank goodness for his uncle in Zeltoble. That would have been a waste of a lot of good merchandise.

"Good. I'm here for your famous 'egg lottery' game." Aultcray said, going straight to business.

"Curious, but it's not my place to ask questions of the king, no sir! Right this way, Your Majesty!" The man waddled his way over to a nearby table, where a box filled with dozens of monster eggs lay. Each one had a monster crest already painted onto the shell, but they were completely indistinguishable from one another.

Aultcray hummed in thought as he looked them over. He uttered a spell under his breath, trying to discern what kinds of eggs were resting in the box. But the spell didn't work.

"Ah! I forgot to mention, these eggs have all sorts of enchantments over them, yes sir! You may be the king, but cheating defeats the point of the lottery!" Beloukas said.

"Alright. What do you have in this lottery, Beloukas?" Aultcray asked.

"Why, I have all sorts of eggs here! Usapils! Porcupines! Balloons! Filolials! Why I even have a rare dragon egg in here! It's a 1 out of 250 chance of snagging that little 25 gold piece jackpot!" He started rubbing his hands together excitedly. "So how many are we talking here?! Four, five, perhaps, all of them?!"

…

"I think one would suffice," Aultcray said calmly.

"Why of course! One is the luckiest number, yes sir it is!" Beloukas said excitedly, waving his hat in a dramatic half-circle. "Now which one will it be?! Hmm, HMMMM!?"

Aultcray hummed in thought some more. And then he randomly selected an egg from the center. "Ah, an excellent choice Your Majesty!" Beloukas said, tipping his hat. "A quick disclosure: I don't accept any responsibility for 'accidents' involving the newborn monster."

Aultcray set one gold coin on the counter. "If there's an accident. I'll know where to go." He said calmly, before putting the egg in an incubator. And with that, Aultcray walked out of the tent.

...

Beloukas heavily sweatdropped. "Maybe I should transfer the rest of my business to Zeltoble…" Melromarc was beginning to increase his blood pressure a little too much.

But then again, if his Majesty was buying this monster for one of the Heroes… perhaps he could convince the other Heroes to buy from him! And if he did that, then maybe the monsters they raised would attract even more business! And then-

Beloukas' grin became really wide. "It's time to make a profit! Yes sir, it is!"

You couldn't fault the short creepy dude for his optimism.

Aultcray looked strange, walking under the guise of illusion magic through the city slums while holding a fancy egg incubator the size of his head. 'Please just be something easy to deal with, like a balloon, or a usapil... or something. Please...please don't be the dragon egg...' he thought to himself.

That was one jackpot he'd rather live without. Naofumi would undoubtedly want it everywhere he goes, including the interior of the castle. He was not about to ruin his castle by turning it into a zoo.

Mirellia would have his head if her wardrobe became a nest for a dragon.

Soon, he'd left the seedy part of town behind, and he dropped the illusion spell once more. His thoughts turned to ways to rejuvenate the bad part. A kingdom could only be as good as its worst parts! And he did not want such ugliness and gloom to fester any longer in his Capital! His people deserved better!

Plus, it was likely the black market would try to operate from the shady parts of his kingdom. If he wanted to eliminate slavery entirely, he had to take down the black market. And the first step to doing that was to make sure it was no longer in the Capital.

Was this what it was like to be a great Wise King? If he kept this up, he might get a really special surprise from his wife.

If she'd forgiven him for all the trouble he'd caused her to begin with, of course.

Re-entering the castle grounds, he smiled at the soldiers. They were in good spirits and waved happily to their Wise King. Soon after, he returned to his makeshift classroom. "Young Raphtalia, young Naofumi, I have-"

He cut off, seeing no one in there. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen them playing out on the castle grounds either. "Where could they be…"

"Welcome back, Mr. Aultcray!" The two kids suddenly appeared from nowhere.

"Ah, practicing your illusion magic again I see. Well done young Raphtalia!" Aultcray said excitedly. It'd been the first time he'd seen Raphtalia hide both herself and Naofumi. To see her already able to use her magic on others was outstanding!

"Is that ours!? Is that ours?!" Naofumi asked excitedly. Gesturing at the egg in Aultcray's hands.

"It is!" Going to the seedy part of town was suddenly very much worth it. Seeing the smiles on the kid's faces seemed to brighten his own.

He was about to give the egg to Naofumi when he realized something. "Wait, why do I sense remnants of young Raphtalia's illusion magic leading out of the room?"

Naofumi and Raphtalia's smiles disappeared. The blood drained from their faces. Aultcray, now that he was looking for it, could see a trail of light particles leading from Raphtalia out of the room into the hallway. But hadn't they been practicing in here-

"Papa, I need some money!- AHHHHH!" A shriek sounded out in the hallway.

...

Aultcray crossed his arms. "What did I say about behaving?" He asked.

"That we shouldn't?"

"Papa! Why do you let them be so mean to me!?" Malty whined as she appeared in the doorway. She was untying a bucket from her hair. Her red soulless hair was wet and sticking to her shoulders.

"Myne? What happened to you? You're all-AH!" Motoyasu pushed open the other door into the room and a bucket fell on his head upside down. His clothing was soaked and the bucket sat on his head like a helmet.

"See, Papa!? Those brats are evil! "

"Amazing. How did I not notice that when I walked into the room?" Aultcray asked, looking amazed.

"We… hid it with illusion magic." Naofumi admitted. To think, Raphtalia's illusion magic had progressed to the point where even he hadn't noticed it. Not that he'd been looking closely either, but it was even more remarkable!

A girlish shriek sounded from down the hallway. Ren would forever refuse to admit that such a sound had ever come from him.

"And how many of these… illusion traps did you set up?" Aultcray calmly asked the two kids.

"Um… was it seven?" Naofumi asked Raphtalia.

"I think?... I thought we set up an eighth one somewhere."

Their original goal had been to only prank the advisor. But then he didn't come out for a long while. And they got bored with waiting and decided to have a free for all.

Aultcray sweatdropped. 'Oh no...They forgot how many they put up. The next thing I'll hear is someone screaming about ghosts and water buckets in the castle. Wonderful.'

"Ren, what's happening- OH GOD! NO! IT'S ALL OVER ME! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SMELL!" Itsuki shrieked somewhere in the castle.

Itsujerkface had the worst bucket of all. "WHO FILLED THIS BUCKET WITH...WHATEVER THE HELL THIS STUFF IS?!" Itsuki's enraged shout echoed down the hallway. His brand new armor was ruined! It'd take forever to get this smell out! And it also felt very hot for some reason!

"LANGUAGE!" Aultcray's voice snapped down the hallway.

"DON'T TELL ME TO WATCH MY LANGUAGE YOU-" Naofumi and Raphtalia's ears were suddenly stuffed with wind. They couldn't hear a word that was being said.

"YOU CORRUPT MY CHILDREN AND I'LL END YOU, THOT!"

"YOU'RE NOT MY DAD!"

...

Several minutes later, the Heroes were gathered in the study. Raphtalia and Naofumi were looking down ashamedly at the floor. Itsuki had a strange black substance dripping off him. It was like liquid poop, but it burned.

The royal dragon rider assistants would later discover a clean spot on the floor of their stables.

"What do you have to say for yourself, son?" Aultcray asked calmly.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Raphtalia said sadly. Her tail laid limp on the floor behind her.

"And who are you sorry too?" Aultcray asked.

"... to everyone that was affected by our pranks," Naofumi said sadly. Raphtalia nodded her head sadly in agreement. The thought of her being in trouble made her sniff and wipe at her eyes. Aultcray's heart clenched in his chest. Damn him, but he couldn't stay mad at the two kids! And it didn't look like the Cardinal Heroes could either.

"They're not sorry." Malty pouted, crossing her arms.

Aultcray sighed. "If you kids don't get along, your mother will be very unhappy with all of us. Malty dear, can't you-"

"No! I refuse to!" Malty stamped her foot into the ground.

"Maaaan Myne, you're so lucky! You get to be Naofumi's sister! Isn't that cool!?" Motoyasu's optimism was admirable but horribly timed. Still, it was awesome that he didn't hold anything against Naofumi for the pretty cool prank he'd played on them all.

"It's less 'cool' and more 'I want to drink poison'." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, they're sorry. So I'm not going to hold anything against them." Motoyasu said happily, putting an arm over both Naofumi and Raphtalia's shoulders. The two smiled at that. Big bro Moto was a really awesome guy!

Ren cracked a thin smile. "I suppose it was a little funny..."

"Are you kidding me?! I'm going to stink for weeks!" Itsuki complained.

He shouldn't have been such a worthless jerk before. Otherwise, he would have avoided this fate.

"Come on Itsuki. Forgive and forget as I always say. I doubt it's going to be that bad." Motoyasu said to the blonde kid dismissively.

"You never say that Sir Motoyasu!" Malty yelled.

"Anyway," It was like Motoyasu didn't hear Myne. "I'm just glad his Majesty's allowed us to stay here for the last couple of days! It's made studying a he- heck of a lot easier!" Motoyasu said happily. Correcting his language in time. The King eyed him warily for his almost slip up that could have corrupted his son.

"I'm still struggling with the language," Itsuki muttered under his breath. He mentally decided it'd be better to just drop what had happened altogether. Naofumi was just a kid after all. And Itsuki had done far worse pranks as a child. He had no room to complain.

"Justice…"

"Stop saying that," Ren said calmly, before returning to the subject. "I almost have it figured out. A few characters still look too similar for me to tell the difference, though."

"Oh, which ones?" Naofumi asked, pulling out one of Aultcray's language books.

"Yeah! Surprise Hero study session!" Motoyasu exclaimed happily. Ren and Itsuki also gathered with him, though they had to plug their noses with Itsuki so close.

While the Heroes plus Raphtalia studied, Malty started to pester her father for money. He declined, of course. Much to her dismay.

"What do you mean 200 gold is too much to govern a village!?" What kind of cheap country was this anyway!?

"Why are you even thinking about governing a village?" Aultcray asked.

"Because Lute was hit hard by the Wave! And the people-"

"Are just fine under their current Lord, my daughter. Besides, the Spear Hero shouldn't be concerning himself with politics with the state the world's in right now."

"But-!"

The man sighed. "Look. I know you're still a little upset about the decision to have Raphtalia be the next queen instead of you or Melty-"

Malty hissed like an angry cat.

"Buuuuuuuut think about it like this. If you and Melty won't be the queen, you'll both have the freedom to become whatever you like. Do you want to be a tailor? Maybe a monster tamer? Oh, I know! Perhaps you'd find blacksmithing exciting?"

"But those require work!" Malty complained. "I'm not suited for such manual labor!"

Naofumi chimed in, looking up from his book. "That sounds like a 'you' problem, Meanie!"

"Shut it, brat!" Naofumi was already back to helping Ren out. The guy was amazed at how solid a grasp Naofumi already had on the different characters. Malty fumed furiously in her spot. Why wasn't Motoyasu berating the kid in her defense!? This was so unfair!

"Dear, if you think so narrow-mindedly, I'm afraid you'll never be able to care for yourself."

"But Papa!" Malty sniffed pathetically. Pulling out the puppy dog face.

...

"Dear, you're too old to pull the puppy eyes..."

Malty was stunned. Aultcray looked back to Naofumi and Raphtalia helping out the three heroes. Motoyasu was even learning some things he hadn't realized before about the language. It was hard to think the two had caused so much trouble before.

The redhead grit her teeth. Those kids were ruining everything! They had Motoyasu's attention! They were becoming the spotlight in Melromarc! She couldn't even get her beloved father to do what she wanted anymore! What could possibly be worse than this!?

"Hey, Naofumi. I'll be going out on a quest in two days. Would you want to come along?" Ren asked in what he hoped was a cool, dry voice. Again, he'd deny to his grave that he had ever shrieked like a girl. "We're supposed to find a dragon and… make sure it doesn't try to harm a village again."

"Sure!" Naofumi agreed.

"Sweet! I'll tag along too!" Motoyasu volunteered himself.

"You wouldn't gain any experience since we'd be too close, but I think you're fairly strong already." Itsuki chimed in. "I wouldn't mind going as well, but I heard a nearby village was suffering under a negligent lord. I wanted to go check it out and see if I could help."

"Boooooooriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! I wanna see a dragon!" Naofumi had stars in his eyes as he looked at Ren. "Dragons sound way cooler! Maybe the dragon would be my second pet? Then Raphtalia could have one, too!"

Raphtalia thought about it. If she had a dragon as a pet, it'd be really cool! She could fly around! Feel the clouds in the sky. Burn those that dared to harm her cute adorable best friend to ash!

You know, normal kid stuff.

"Okay then. So it seems like us three will take our parties and head east to Mirso Village. Itsuki will do his own thing for now." Ren summarized.

"Actually, I'll probably leave my girls here. A dragon sounds too nasty for such fair maidens to handle- Hey Naofumi, what's that big egg over there?" Motoyasu asked, his attention being grabbed again. In some ways, he was like a child. And it was perfecc!

"You're gonna what?!" Malty screamed. She was being left behind?!

"Please, quiet down daughter. You don't have to be so loud indoors." Aultcray said dismissively to his daughter. Her whining was starting to give him a headache.

"WAHHHHHHHH!" Malty ran crying out of the room. It could get worse, apparently. Sir Motoyasu was leaving her behind to go have fun with the little brat and his brat friend!

"That egg's gonna be my new pet monster!" Naofumi exclaimed with a big smile on his face. He completely ignored the fact that Malty had left the room. As did the other heroes. Raphtalia smirked at the open door leading out into the hallway. So long, Meanie!

"Really? What's inside it?"

"I dunno!"

"You don't?" Motoyasu and the other Heroes shared a confused look. "Um, where did you even get that egg? Did you just...steal it from some nest?"

Aultcray chuckled. "No no, nothing of the sort. There's a monster salesman near the southern end of the city by the name of Beloukas. He has what's called an 'egg lottery'. Rather than buying a fully grown monster, you can buy a random one for a lower cost as an egg. He also applies monster crests to the eggs so they're born tame instead of wild."

"Huh...that sounds pretty cool! I should try that!" Motoyasu said excitedly.

Itsuki frowned. "It sounds like some kind of Gacha game, though. You never win those."

"You say what you want! I'm going to give it a try!" He was about to walk out of the room, but then Motoyasu stopped. "Do you… happen to have directions to this guy, Your Majesty?" Motoyasu asked embarrassedly.

Naofumi and Raphtalia smiled happily. They'd gone from possibly being in trouble to having a friendly gathering. Their pranks had worked! The boredom was finally cured.

"Your Majesty! I must speak to you at- AHHHH!"

Oh yeah, that was the sound of their original target. Aultcray looked at the two kids, who grinned sheepishly. "You also had a trap set up for my head advisor?" He asked.

"... maybe?"

"We were only going to prank him, but then he took so long to come out…" Raphtalia said sheepishly.

Aultcray grinned. "Next time, let me assist you with that." His lead advisor was helpful, but he was so uptight. "He could use a few more light-hearted pranks to help loosen him up."

Naofumi and Raphtalia looked awed. They were not only getting Aultcray's express permission to prank someone. But they would also receive his help to do so!

He really was the best dad ever!

Aultcray reluctantly allowed his wet and angry advisor to give his report. Because it would take quite some time, he told the kids to head back to Erhard's for the night. They complained but figured it was more interesting than listening to some political jargon for hours on end while trying to study. So they eventually left, feeling better about having managed to successfully pull off a major prank in the castle.

After a walk through the streets together, they walked in with the familiar jingle of the bell over the door. "Uncle Bald Guy, we're back!" Naofumi announced.

The blacksmith was sitting at his kitchen table with a quill and a stack of papers. He looked up at their approach. "Ah, just in time!"

Raphtalia's ears twitched as her head tilted to the side. "For what?"

"Getting me out of this mess. Come here for a sec." He waved them over and they sat down at the table. "I want you two to help me sign off on all these papers."

Naofumi groaned. "But that's boring!"

"Being an adult is boring, kid. Get used to it."

"No! I'll be a fun adult one day!" He whined. Erhard sighed.

"Hold onto hope for that one. Anyway, these are the forms I need to sign to officially close up shop. As you can see, there's a lot of them. I want you two to forge my signature so we can speed this up." The blacksmith split the stack into three piles, one for each of them. He reached behind him and grabbed two more quills and ink pots for them to use.

"Um, Uncle Bald Guy? Why can't you do this yourself?" Raphtalia asked. "Not that I don't mind helping, but isn't forging your signature illegal?"

He waved her off. It's only illegal if I'm not here to see it. If they complain, I'll tell them I hurt my hand in an accident or something."

"If you say so..." Raphtalia dipped the quill into the ink and grabbed one of Erhard's completed forms to see what his signature looked like.

It was so horrible that she doubted anyone would notice if a child drew scribbles instead of his signature. Where'd he learn to sign his signature? A doctor?

Naofumi did the same and his face brightened. "Oh, this'll be easy! They won't be able to tell the difference if we do it!"

"Oi brat! I have strong hands built for forging, not for signing papers!" Erhard chastised the two as they immediately competed to see who could draw the signature the funniest way.

Naofumi won by a landslide with his masterful work of art that he nicknamed "Da Pinci's arch-rival". It was basically a few loops with a line through the middle.

Talk about abstract art.

Talk about a true doctor's signature.

Eventually, they finished, with Naofumi gloating over the new and improved signature for the old man. Erhard began preparing himself for a verbal smackdown, but then the sound of tapping began to fill the room.

"What's that?" Erhard asked curiously.

"I don't know. Maybe the shop's haunted." Naofumi suggested.

"Yeah right! I've lived here for fifteen years and this place has never been haunted brat!" Erhard said angrily.

Raphtalia looked around curiously, her cute fluffy ears flicking on top of her head as they tried to identify where the noise was coming from.

"Wow, that's older than me and Raphtalia combined!" Naofumi said.

"Where the heck did you learn your math from squirt!?"

"Jokes on you Uncle Bald Guy! I never learned math!" Naofumi said proudly. It was always in one ear and out the other with that lame torturous subject. Take that, LEARNING!

"It's the egg!"

The argument was cut short. Naofumi and Erhard looked at Raphtalia confusedly. She was looking at the incubator on the table. Her tail wagging fiercely behind her. "It's hatching! It's already hatching!" She said excitedly.

"Wait really!? We just got it!" Naofumi sprinted over and stood beside her. Erhard was tall enough to see over their heads while sitting down.

Sure enough, a crack appeared in the shell. Then another. Then a third, and so on until the top half of the egg was ready to crumble. "Whoa…" Naofumi watched the whole process, awe shining in his little kid eyes.

"Aultcray, you lucky-" Erhard covered his mouth again. Damn, why did he still feel the need to cuss?! That was the last thing these kids needed to hear!

With one final shake, the egg fell over and a tiny bird fell out. The creature looked around for a few seconds, the top of the egg resting on its head. They stared back in silent awe.

"Cheep!" It finally let out a cute little cheep.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Raphtalia cooed, scooping the bird into her hands. It hopped around a few times, knocking the eggshell off its head. It ruffled its light orange feathers before looking at her curiously with wide orange eyes.

"Cheep cheep?"

"What is it!? What kind of monster did we get!?" Naofumi looked ready to burst from excitement as he snuggled up next to Raphtalia. He finally had a pet! It was tiny because it was a baby, but hopefully, it would get really big and strong one day! This was so COOL!

The raccoon watched as the bird looked over to Naofumi. "Cheep!" it cried, flapping its tiny wings and floating onto his head. It spun a few times, stomping on his head as if making a nest before sitting down contentedly. "Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!"

"I think it likes you, kid," Erhard noted with a chuckle. "Don't quote me on it, but I think that's a filolial."

"You mean the birds that pull carriages?" Raphtalia asked, gently petting the newborn chick with her finger. It chirped and nuzzled against her hand.

"I think so."

"Should we buy a carriage?" Naofumi wondered out loud. Erhard actually laughed.

"With what money? We're not exactly rolling in cash, you know."

"But we could always ask Mr. Aultcray! He's the king!"

"And you really think-" Erhard halted mid-retort as the gears in his mind turned. "You know what? That's not such a bad idea." He chuckled, plan forming in his mind. 'Oh yeah, that's not a bad idea at all.' He could go see him about it tomorrow.

"What should we name it?" Raphtalia asked. Naofumi lifted the little chick out of his hair and started rubbing at its chin. It cheeped happily as he hummed in thought, looking at its light orange feathers.

"Umm...How about Dumpling?"

...

...

...

"Kid...what kind of name is that?" Erhard sweatdropped.

"It's a good name, I swear!" Naofumi cried indignantly. "Dumplings are a type of food from back home! Its feathers are a light orange-y color just like a dumpling after you cook it!"

Raphtalia deadpanned at her best friend. "Unfortunately, I have to agree to Uncle Bald Guy on this one. That's...not a very good name."

"Traitor! What would you name it, then!?"

The raccoon stared intently at the bird for a few seconds. "How about Amber?" She offered.

…

Naofumi thought about it… "You know, that was the second name that came to my mind!" He said happily. "Amber it is!"

"Cheep cheep!" Amber, the little orange chick cheeped happily at the name.

"Well, little Amber," Erhard mumbled. It wasn't exactly the name that would have come to mind. But eh, it wasn't the worst the old blacksmith had heard. He shuddered, remembering a friend who'd named his Filolial Pen-Pen.

Naofumi's party HUD added Amber to the party. A level 1 Filolial.

The boy looked at the bird, then at the shell it just hatched from. 'I wonder...' He thought, picking up a small piece of the eggshell and absorbing it into his shield. At this point, he pretty much put anything into the shield to see if it unlocked anything.

It unlocked the Monster User Shield and the Monster Egg Shield, which gave a small boost to maturation and status for monsters.

"Woah, cool! I got new shields!" He pulled the Monster Egg Shield out. True to its name, it was nearly a carbon copy of the egg he got it from. "It's not very strong, but it's kind of cool!"

Amber chirped and flapped her tiny wings, flying around them excitedly. The kids giggled at its energetic personality. "Hey, Naofumi! We should play with it!"

"Not in the house!" Erhard cried.

"'Kayyyyy! Let's go outside!" Naofumi sprinted out the door with Raphtalia on his heels. The chirping Filolial followed through the air right behind them. The blacksmith sighed.

"I swear, those kids..." His gaze dropped to the piles of papers still on the table and he groaned. "LEFT ME WITH ALL THE DANG PAPERWORK! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Raphtalia would later swear she thought she heard a cry for help, but it must have just been her imagination. Uncle Bald Guy wasn't known for crying.

Two more days passed by quickly. Naofumi and Raphtalia had a lot of fun outside the Capital with Amber. She acted like a cheerleader for the two while they hunted down monsters. But the day after she was born, Amber was large enough and strong enough to hunt down the balloons, usapils, and other monsters that afflicted the forest outside the Capital.

It was amazing how quickly she grew in levels. As she grew though, her feathers kept their light orange sheen. When the sun reflected off them just right, Amber looked like a warm and comfy campfire. The first sunset she saw was adorable. She kept on looking at the sky and at her feathers, which were remarkably the same color.

Now, the two stared up at her in shock.

"Wow! Amber's gotten so big!" Naofumi exclaimed, looking up at the avian who now towered above him. "It's only been two days! Are we feeding her too much? She'll get fat if we do that."

"Gwah!" The light orange feathered Filolial squealed in indignation. It was like she was saying, "Who are you calling fat doughboy?!"

"Awwww. I was hoping she'd stay small for a little longer." Raphtalia said in disappointment. She'd liked not being the smallest in the group.

The Filolial's face softened, and it started rubbing Raphtalia's head with its beak. Raphtalia giggled at that and started rubbing its neck. It let out a happy gwah.

"Hey, no fair!" Naofumi pouted at how the Filolial liked Raphtalia more than him.

The Filolial gave Naofumi a look over Raphtalia's shoulder that clearly said: "Deal with it kid." This was not how he thought having a pet would go!

"Fine! Maybe I won't sneak you extra food at night!" Naofumi crossed his arms and pouted.

"You've been feeding her extra!?" Raphtalia glared at him. "You just said she'd get fat if you did that! You've been doing it all along!?"

"Only once!... Or twice! Maybe three times!" Naofumi pouted. "She gets really hungry, okay!" The more she leveled up. The bigger Amber's appetite seemed to get. He was already almost out of leftovers from the celebration. Though he hadn't told Raphtalia that yet.

"It's been two days! When did you even find time to sneak food in here!?" She could have sworn he was with her every night, floofing her tail as she fell asleep.

She'd have to keep a closer eye on him, lest he sneak off and try to floof some other demi-girl's tail at night… not that he would. Raphtalia wasn't jealous or anything. No, she was totally fine with Naofumi having his own life. Totally fine...

"Hey, kids!? Are we heading to the castle, or what?!"

"Just a second Uncle Bald Guy!" Naofumi yelled out of the stable doors. Now that Amber was so large, they'd have to ask Mr. Aultcray for a spot in his stables. They were lucky the owner here 'allowed' them to use the spot for free. But it probably wouldn't last much longer since it looked like Amber had eaten an entire week's worth of feed last night.

"Seriously, what's taking so- HOLY -" Erhard covered his mouth, lest any cuss words came out at the unbelievable sight.

"Gwah!" Amber cried out happily. She really liked Uncle Bald Guy. He was really nice to her and made her good food.

"Wh-what happened!? She was like, half that size yesterday!" The blacksmith put his hands on his hips. "Kid, were you sneaking more food to her?"

"You were in on it too!?" Raphtalia cried in shock. "Why does everyone know about this but me!?"

"I mean… I only wanted to get Amber to like me too…" Naofumi said, looking sadly down at the ground. Amber used to be so cute and small. But now she was grown up and liked Raphtalia and Uncle Bald Guy more than him.

Well, grown-up for a two-day-old monster. But this was not what he thought having a pet would be like.

"Gwah..." Amber nuzzled her head against him, almost knocking him over.

Erhard chuckled. "Seems like she likes you just fine, kid. Now come on, let's head to the castle. If I remember right, you were going with some of the other Heroes on some quest. Don't wanna keep them waiting."

Naofumi perked up. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that! Come on, Amber! Come on, Raphtalia!" Naofumi raced for the doors, holding Raphtalia's hand and Amber's wing.

"Ack! Slow down Naofumi!" Raphtalia yelled.

"Gwah!" Amber also gwahed in surprise. This smol boy was stronk!

They soon reached the entrance to the castle. Despite the guards vehemently denying Amber's entry into the castle, the combined power of Naofumi's and Raphtalia's puppy dog eyes managed to change their minds. Heads turned as the large bird followed the two children through the halls.

"I can't wait! I can't wait!" Naofumi repeated excitedly and energetically. If he were to ever discover caffeine, then the world would really be in trouble.

"Hey, Naofumi, how's it go- HOLY-" Motoyasu covered his mouth, lest any cuss words came out at the sight of the large bird behind him. His reaction was very similar to Erhard's.

It was a good thing Aultcray was out of the castle right now. He was apparently holding talks with the Siltvelt Council as well as Shieldfreeden for an alliance between their nations to tackle the latest waves of Catastrophe.

"Amber grew big, Moto!" Naofumi said happily.

"Really really big!" Raphtalia cheered alongside him.

"You got that right." Motoyasu quickly recovered and started petting the bird's neck. He'd visited them just the day before to have some fun with the kid (and to possibly learn how he'd gotten stronger) after a long day of studying. And to see Amber already this large was a big surprise. Amber gwahed happily at Motoyasu's petting.

He couldn't wait for the five eggs he purchased from that one small dude to hatch! Nothing creepy or suspicious about him at all! Actually, he seemed like a really nice fellow! Motoyasu felt pretty smart to go visit him, even if the tent was smelly!

"Hey, Naofumi, are you ready for-" Ren stopped speaking. Actually, he stopped in his tracks entirely. Brain trying to process the large bird he was looking at.

"Hey, Ren! Amber grew really big!" Naofumi cheered happily.

He quickly recovered. The inner part of him screaming at him for being so clumsy! Why couldn't he stop being socially awkward!? 'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'

"I...I see that. Wow..." Was what actually came out of his mouth. Why did he have to be so freaking LAME!?

"So, are we ready for our bro trip?!" Motoyasu asked excitedly.

"Bro...trip?" Raphtalia's head tilted to the side, and Amber's did the same. It was a cute look for both of them.

"Sorry, that's just what I'm calling it since I'm leaving my party here," Motoyasu said. "Not that you're not invited! I just thought my girls shouldn't have to face something as scary as a dragon!" He shivered in anticipation.

Somewhere in the castle, a certain red-haired meanie was yelling at her mirror about being left out of the spotlight again. She was throwing the tantrum of all tantrums. But no one was around to witness or acknowledge it. Sad.

"Just admit you get sick of them once in a while..." Ren mumbled, too quietly for anyone but the blond man to hear.

"Never," Motoyasu whispered back, before smiling brightly. "Anyway! Is Amber ready to see her new wagon?!"

Naofumi and Raphtalia tilted their heads to the side. They'd thought Dadcray was going to buy a new wagon for them. However, after meeting Amber yesterday, Motoyasu had visited Aultcray before he left to ask for some materials since he was a little bored with studying. And Aultcray had loved the idea!

Amber's eyes lit up at the special word, 'wagon'! "GWAH!"

"I'm really glad I worked all night on this now! Had I known Filolials grew this fast, I would have put more work into it!" He said excitedly.

They walked out the door and into one of the courtyards that led to the main stable. Ren's party was there waiting for them. And nearby was the wagon Motoyasu had been working on for Amber. "I call it, Sunset Overdrive!"

It didn't look much different from any other wagon, but it had little metal springs behind the wheels and a metal frame underneath. The covering on top also had a light orange trim to it. Erhard walked up and examined it. It was amazing that Motoyasu had managed this in only one day!

"Looks like they turned out alright, just like you said they would." He pressed down on one side of the wagon with all his might, and the springs helped it stay upright. "As long as it doesn't tip over, this thing isn't going anywhere. How'd you know this would work?"

"Eh, I had a few… hobbies from my world." Motoyasu said with a smile. He coughed into his hand. "If you must know, I'm a JASCAR driver and I know everything there is to know about automobiles." Erhard didn't know what a JASCAR driver was. But he was impressed with the Hero's work regardless.

Amber's head moved along the wagon. Examining it in awe. "It's all yours Amber!" Motoyasu said happily. "I'll make sure to keep working on it though so it's the absolute best!"

"Gwah!" Amber excitedly rushed Motoyasu and lifted him with her wings in a big hug. It was the best gift she'd received in her two days of life ever! Motoyasu laughed happily. He was really starting to hope one of his five eggs would hatch into a Filolial now! If they were this happy and friendly, it'd make for an awesome monster! Definitely not something that'd be big and annoying and would want to kick him repeatedly in the crotch!

"Can we just get going already?" Ren calmly asked. If he had to stay out in this square any longer, he was going to FETCHING LOSE HIS ****!

"Yeah! I wanna see a big dragon!" Naofumi shouted.

"GWAH!" Amber's face suddenly looked angry and she scratched at the ground with her talons. In the two days they'd had her, Naofumi and Raphtalia had never seen the bird this upset about anything.

Not even about a lack of food!

"I don't think she likes dragons very much..." Raphtalia gently patted the Filolial's fluffy side.

One of Ren's party members, a woman with what looked like a martial artist's outfit, chuckled. "Filolials and dragons have always hated each other, as far as I know. Runs in their blood, apparently."

"Really?" Naofumi looked up at the cute filolial. How could she have an ounce of hate in that innocent form? How could anything so fluffy be so filled with evil!?

He wanted that dragon pet! Whether Amber liked it or not! He'd love them both!

"All aboard!" Motoyasu called out.

Motoyasu helped Raphtalia and Naofumi into the carriage while Amber excitedly hopped around in front. Ren sat in the back while his party sat closer to the front. Once everyone was inside, she actually hooked herself into the reins and took off without Erhard having to do anything.

"Whoa. Filolials really love to pull their wagons." He said with a chuckle.

"Gwah!" Amber agreed happily.

The gates opened, and then Amber took off.

Their bro trip had finally begun!

Author's Notes:

Allen Blaster: Oh yeah. We finally gave Naofumi a monster pet. Can't wait to see Amber really take the stage! Also, it looks like KidTalia is really starting to become protective of her best friend. Can't wait for these two to cause even more trouble!

Also, since I'm sure this is going to be asked. Amber didn't come from Filo's egg. If Filo's egg is bought by one of the other Heroes though, a different Filolial would mature from it. It's too complicated to explain in a paragraph. Join the Shield Hero Discord to learn about how SH works!

RLTygurr: Another week, another slice of cuteness to get you all through the next few days. Extra sweet, for your reading pleasure. What chaos will our children get into next?

Find out next time on Dragonball P.

Hero Clips!

She's so Big!

"Hey, kids! Any idea where Amber went?!"

"No idea, Mr. Bald Guy!"

The two kids and Erhard were out in the forest, trying to look for their Filolial friend.

"My, um…" Naofumi briefly forgot what it was called. But then words appeared on his screen from his shield. "Oh yeah, my party system says she should be this way." Naofumi pointed in a general direction.

They walked in that direction for a while. There were trees that had fallen to the side, along with large footprints in the ground. But no sign of a Filolial anywhere.

"You sure we're going the right direction, kid?" Erhard asked as he stepped over a fallen tree trunk.

"Those tracks look a little scary," Raphtalia said timidly. She held the edge of Naofumi's cloak tightly in her smol hands.

"I'm pretty sure she's supposed to be this way…" Naofumi said unsurely. Even he was starting to get a little scared.

"GWAH!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The three screamed and jumped behind a fallen log. The shrill loud cry had sounded from above, piercing the air with its volume.

"It's going to eat us!" Raphtalia cried.

"I'm too young to die!" Naofumi cried.

"I'm not old enough to die yet!" Erhard screamed.

"GWAH!" The cry sounded again. This time, it sounded more familiar.

"Wait, that's-" Naofumi peaked over the log, and gasped at what he saw. "AMBER?!" The others peeked out from behind the log.

"GWAH!" Amber gwahed happily. Her head stood about a hundred feet above them. Her feet alone were the size of a house.

Erhard's jaw dropped at the sight. "She's… she's…"

Raphtalia's eyes brightened. "You're so big, Amber!"

"She's probably the size of Dadcray's castle!" Naofumi yelled happily.

Erhard was still slack-jawed. "But… but she only hatched three days ago!"

"GWAH!"

Was this because of that kid's weird shield?! Was it capable of turning all monsters into Godzilla like beings?!

"So that's why she ran out here! She just wanted more room to grow!" Naofumi said happily.

"We love you, Amber!" Raphtalia yelled happily.

"GWAH!"

Erhard facepalmed.

If Aultcray hears about this, he's going to have a heart attack.

Till Next Time

Allen and RLT