Well, this certainly took longer than expected. Also, sorry for posting this late in the evening. I had to drive to my hometown today because my grandpa's funeral is tomorrow. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Sixteen: The Rise of Momellia
"Whoaaaaa…" Farrie and Tersia stared in awe.
"Doesn't she look amazing!?"
Amber blushed a bit, staring down at the dress the tailor lady had made for her. The bottom portion of the dress was a dark purple. It had an open slit for her leg to poke through. Going up, the dark purple gradually lightened, transitioning to a light orange color above her waist. White strips of lace with an orange overtone covered the top of her bust. The edge of the dress fell to her knees.
She didn't wear any shoes, since it was impossible to make shoes that were capable of surviving a transformation. And to top it off, a yellow ribbon tied her hair back behind her head.
"Wow, you're rocking that girl." Erhard complimented.
"It's like I'm looking at a sunset," Farrie said dreamily.
"I think she puts the sunset to shame," Tersia said in awe. She wanted a dress like that! Why did the tailor have to be so expensive and weird?!
"Th-Thanks everyone." Amber shouldn't have felt so embarrassed. Or did she feel nervous? It was so weird, trying to get used to all these different emotions she was experiencing now. She was what, almost three weeks old now? And having to grow up and not be so bipolar with the way she acted.
How did humans deal with this?!
"I told you this would be my masterpiece!" The tailor said, standing tall and proud. "The way her dress unfolds is simply gorgeous! Her hair obviously makes for the perfect sunset! It was only pure genius that allowed me to see that the dress should get darker the farther away it got from her hair! And her large bust makes it so that the white lace really looks like clouds on the horizon! It's just brilliant brilliant BRILLIANT!" She said, spinning around insanely in happiness.
Amber continued to blush. This was too weird. Tersia and Farrie both coughed into their hands, blushing and looking anywhere but Amber's chest. It was more than just large, it was big. Really big.
"Wh-where's Moto-"
"I'm coming, my darling angel!" Motoyasu yelled from across the store. Instead of relief, she immediately felt her nervousness spike.
Was that it? Was she nervous about how Motoyasu would look at her after this? Would she be ugly, or- "I was helping Ren with-"
He appeared from behind a clothes stand, and upon seeing Amber, he stopped dead in his tracks. A dumbfounded look plastered itself on his face.
"M-Moto-"
PBBTTHH!
Motoyasu was flung backward by the powerful nosebleed. His armor, as well as the ground in his path of flight, were stained red.
"MOTO!"
"Your boyfriend's having the same reaction I had seeing it on you for the first time!" The tailor said, still spinning happily. "IT TRULY IS A MASTERPIECE!"
Maybe that's why she was crazy. Blood loss could do that to a person.
"Whoa, you doing okay there Spear Bro?!" Erhard asked worriedly.
"Is...Moto okay?" Amber asked worriedly. She stood over his prone form, concerned with the blank look on his face.
"... Purrty angelly…" Motoyasu drawled happily at seeing her.
…
"... yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine." Erhard groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. If he had to go through this puberty crap with every one of these brats, he was going to need a stipend from the King. He doesn't even have a wife to help with teaching the girl part! Give him a break!
Thankfully, it seemed Amber matured more than Naofumi within a few weeks. At least that's one person to help keep that troublemaker in line.
"Are you sure he'll be okay?" Amber pressed Erhard worriedly.
Motoyasu's eyes were sparkling hearts. It was like he'd fallen in love all over again. He was certain, based on the look, that not even hell would be enough to keep him away from the monster girl.
"I'm positive. Trust me, he'll be fine."
"Oh, where is my mind going! She isn't the only masterpiece I have to display for today!-" The tailor ran into the backdoor in her hurry. She looked a little flushed and her breathing was suspiciously erratic, but she quickly recovered before throwing the door open and running in.
"No! Let us go!" Yelling immediately sounded from the other side.
"This is child abuse! I'll call the guards!" Was that Raphtalia? Was Naofumi rubbing off on her?
"Stop struggling! You're going to ruin my masterful work!"
"I want my armor back! This is uncomfortable!"
"Me too! I don't want this!"
"We both don't want this!"
...
A moment later, two pouting children were dragged out against their wills into the spotlight. It was Erhard's turn to almost pass out. But it was because he was laughing so hard.
Naofumi and Raphtalia looked ridiculous! The little kid was dressed up in an outfit that wouldn't look out of place on a prince! And Raphtalia was dressed like a princess! They almost would have almost passed for royalty if it wasn't for the fact that they so obviously hated it! Naofumi's spiked hair was a mess, and Raphtalia's was all over the place! Their struggles had also ripped parts of the tight clothing.
How could royals stand wearing this?! It was almost like having to dress up for formal occasions back at home! Except his outfit was literally trying to strangle him to death!
"Shut it, Uncle Bald Guy!"
"You're being mean!"
"I-I can't! This is too much! Bahahahahaha!" Erhard continued to laugh.
"Awwww, your struggling ruined my masterpiece..." The tailor hung her head in disappointment. "And I put so much love into it, too..."
"Awww, you two look so good!" Amber said happily as she hugged the two. They didn't look happy at being complimented.
"Don't they!?" The tailor immediately perked up.
"Can we please change back now?" Raphtalia whispered to Amber.
"Don't worry. Big Sis will distract everyone for you." Amber gave the two kids a wink and then got up. "So, what else did you think over in designing my dress?" She spun as she asked the tailor, showing off the long dark skirt. And then, before their eyes, she transformed into her Filolial form.
"OH, MY, GOSSSSSHHHHHHH! WHERE DO I EVEN START?!"
It still felt embarrassing, but at seeing the two kids sneak into the back again to change back into 'their preferred attire', Amber smiled widely. In her Filolial form, the dress disappeared. But she had a ribbon, the top half orange, and the bottom half purple; on her chest.
Amber changed back, and the dress was as it was before. The magic thread had really worked. The tailor was gushing all over her again.
"You okay?" Ren finally appeared. He poked Motoyasu a few times to see if he was still alive. At receiving a dizzy nod, he helped Motoyasu stand up.
"Yeah, I think so." Motoyasu rubbed at his forehead. "I was coming over to see how Amber looked in her new dress, and-" His voice cut off because he looked at Amber again.
"F-!" He managed to cover his mouth, but the blood from yet another nosebleed seeped through his fingers. He hadn't been prepared for the first sight, nor the second! Why did Amber have to look even more beautiful than ever!? It was criminal I say!
Ren was just happy she was covered now. He was slowly getting more used to it, but still! Her previous actions were shameless! His semi-innocent heart couldn't take this kind of stress anymore! At seeing the nervous look on his face, Wyndia rolled her eyes.
"As you can see, I obviously-" The tailor was preparing for another rant. But then a cloaked figure suddenly appeared in the room. Erhard jumped at her appearance.
"Her Majesty is ready to greet the Heroes." The Queen's Shadow informed.
Erhard hadn't even noticed the Shadow sneak in! Da- Dang! These people were good.
"Woo! I'm finally out of those stuffy clothes!" Naofumi sighed in relief as he walked back out and stretched, armor not hindering his movement at all.
"I agree! As pretty as that dress was, it wasn't very comfortable." Raphtalia said, smiling happily at being back in her smol armored outfit. "Even my parents never made me wear stuff like that when we went to important events! What horrible people would make someone wear that!?"
"That's because you weren't a princess then little lady," Erhard said with a chuckle.
"Hey! She's a princess if she wants to be!" Naofumi shouted indignantly. The girl blushed a bit as he defended her needlessly.
"Princesses are overrated," Raphtalia said. Based on what they'd seen from the actual First Princess of Melromarc, her statement rang true.
"Oh, yeah. Good point." Naofumi said, rubbing his arm with a nervous chuckle. He'd almost forgotten that Meanie was a Princess too. Maybe they weren't the best things in the world.
"The little miss is a princess now. Remember the King's big announcement that you two were adopted into the royal family?"
...
Erhard struggled not to burst into laughter as twin horrified looks grew on their faces. "Yeah, it's all making sense now isn't it."
"Nooooooo! I don't wanna be a stuffy prince boy!"
"I don't want to be Meanie's sister!"
"I don't want that either!"
"Too bad! Now it's time to meet your mother!"
"I already have a mom! I don't need another!"
The protesting kids were pushed out of the shop by Erhard. The rest of the group followed, either gushing about one of the new outfits or giggling at their personal entertainment brigade.
The kids were always entertaining in some way or another.
After a short walk to the castle, they were led to a familiar throne room. At this point, the whole story may as well happen in this one room.
Strange how things work like that. Must be some weird god out there pulling the strings of fate. Or two, who can't seem to agree on anything and end up going with what's always worked before… shrugs, oh well.
Just before the doors, the Shadow raised a hand to the rest of the group. "Her Majesty would prefer if she met the Shield Hero and his companions first. The rest will wait here to be called in."
"Wha? But how am I supposed to support my little bro when he's meeting-" Motoyasu started to complain.
"Fine." Ren cut him off, leaning against a wall and brooding. If he was being honest, he needed the time to mentally prepare himself. By the sounds of it, this Queen was SCARY!
So it was that only Naofumi, Raphtalia, Amber, and Erhard were allowed into the familiar throne room. Unlike the times before, hardly anyone else was inside. However, both thrones were now occupied.
"Greetings. I am Mirellia Q. Melromarc." A beautiful, tall woman with purple hair tied up in a bun, and wearing an extravagant dress bowed before them.
"Hi! I'm Naofumi Iwata-ERK!" Naofumi rubbed his head with a pout as Erhard smacked the back of it. Reminding him of some of the formalities the blacksmith had tried to teach him when addressing the Queen. "Fine..." He bowed slightly in response, remaining silent.
"Ohoho! Little Naofumi, my boy, I'm glad you're learning formalities! But there's no need to be so stiff right now!" Aultcray chuckled and waved off the formal atmosphere entirely. His wife gave him a sideways glance, but he ignored it. It'd been over a week since he'd last seen his kids. Sue him for wanting to act more like a family after being reunited!
"Mr. Aultcray, is this your wife?" Raphtalia asked. Head cocked to the side and ears twitching occasionally. "She's very pretty."
"Yes, I am. You two must be Naofumi Iwatani and Raphtalia, correct?" Were these the two Aultcray adopted into the family? They seemed nice enough, but she wasn't seeing anything… special about them yet. The two only seemed to be smol and cute.
Smolness and cuteness weren't enough to run a nation, in her opinion. She had as of yet to be awakened to the truth.
"Yes, ma'am. Mr. Aultcray has been nothing but kind to us." Raphtalia smiled, though she seemed a bit uncomfortable talking with someone new who was so important. Naofumi on the other hand...
"Yeah! He totally blew up the monsters when the wave hit! And then he got rid of slavery so nobody could take Raphtalia away! And then he-"
"Kid, I think she already knows that stuff," Erhard grumbled, rustling the boy's hair and silencing him. "Welcome back, your Majesty."
"It's good to see you in good health, Erhard. I suppose I have you to thank for protecting the Shield Hero. Especially considering the...unique circumstances around his summoning." Mirellia sent a slight glare to her husband, who flinched and looked away quickly. He even started to whistle, making her sigh in exasperation.
What a happy marriage these two had.
"Um, Mother? Father? Are these the children you mentioned?"
A girl with a royal dress and deep blue hair tied into pigtails was finally noticed. She seemed around Naofumi and Raphtalia's age, though she spoke with a tone that made her seem more mature. However, if one observed closely, the girl seemed like she was trying really hard to keep her composure. It was like she had been traumatized by something. Whatever it was, she couldn't look her parents in the eyes.
Whatever could it have been?
"It would seem so."
"Why yes, my dear! Melty, meet Naofumi and Raphtalia! They're your new siblings!" Aultcray announced happily. A small shower of confetti was dropped from a shadow on the balcony above them.
Somewhere off in the deep recesses of the castle, a loud complaint of "WHAT ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEE!?" could be heard. It was pointedly ignored, being a common noise around the castle as of late.
"Husband." Mirellia gave Aultcray a sideways look. "Are you sure about this-"
"Now tell me! How did your trip to Leruno go, young Naofumi?!" Aultcray asked excitedly. He was sure if Mirellia only heard of Naofumi's trip, she'd fall for the kid just as he had!
"It was pretty boring," Naofumi said honestly.
...
Aultcray mentally facepalmed. It appeared young Naofumi still couldn't read a room very well. "But we got to meet a lot of different people." Raphtalia continued. "We explored a dungeon. Got a magic stone for Amber. Fixed the famine in the area." She listed one after the other.
Mirellia had hidden her face behind her fan to hide how annoyed she felt at being interrupted. But the fan dropped when Raphtalia said the last sentence. "Did you say you fixed Leruno's famine?" She asked.
Now Aultcray was cheering in his mind! He knew there'd been a reason he liked the little Tanuki girl too, besides being smol and cute!
"If you'd allow me to explain, your Majesty." Erhard took the lead for the two kids. He managed to give a summary short enough that even Naofumi could follow it without getting bored and wandering off to cause more trouble. He'd been perfecting this mode of communication just for the brat.
That was how much he cared about the little tyke.
He managed to tell the Queen about the bandit problems the Heroes solved. The dungeon that they explored. The seed Naofumi fixed for the people using his Shield. He conveniently omitted the part about Motoyasu and a three-week-old Filolial woman flirting with one another constantly.
The Spear Hero would have to deal with that landmine on his own.
Mirellia looked at Amber. "And you can verify all of this?"
Amber nodded happily. "I needed the stone to make some magic thread for my dress! It's not as elegant as yours, but I think it looks good on me!" She transformed in a poof of light into her Filolial form, much to the Queen's shock. "Besides, it's the first piece of clothing I've ever owned! Well, the first that doesn't get torn when I transform."
Mirellia's fan dropped to the floor at the transformation. The Queen looked absolutely surprised as she stared at the bird with sparkling eyes. "Oh my goodness! You're so… so… … you're so magnificent!"
"Wha-" Naofumi was confused by the sudden change in attitude.
"Melty! Come here, quickly!" The Queen ushered her blue-haired daughter over. There was a new sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been there before. "Isn't she fabulous!? Just like the stories! Just like the Legendary Filolial Queen!"
Melty's eyes were also sparkling. She'd only come over because she heard her Mother saying something, but she couldn't tell what because she was so mesmerized by Amber! But it seemed like something they should both marvel together in!
Erhard coughed into his hand. "Oh boy. I forgot about her Majesty's fascination with Filolials..." He muttered.
The King was widely smirking on his throne. It appeared he had not forgotten it. He could tell his wife had been hooked by the detail of Leruno's famine being fixed, which, side note, he was also proud of Naofumi for successfully solving that problem. But Amber had ultimately been his backup plan. "Young Naofumi and Raphtalia are the ones that raised her." He whispered in his wife's ears. Just to make sure the deal was sweetened even more.
The Queen looked to Naofumi again. Then at her proud husband.
Oooooooh was he evil. Not only did the kids prove they were useful at solving problems royalty would normally have to deal with. But they had also raised a creature of legend too. One Mirellia had a fond fascination for. She instantly saw through Aultcray's ploy, and she knew she'd have to 'punish' Aultcray in the bedroom for pulling one over her like this. Because it worked.
"Oh, and I was the one that bought her egg for young Naofumi too." He said, giving his wife a wink. "You're welcome, dear."
…
Screw punishment. Mirellia was planning all sorts of things in her mind now. Aultcray had absolutely no idea what he'd just awakened. And it was very likely at the end of it, he would have a broken pelvis and another son or daughter. Or two.
He had been a very good boi.
"Call in the other Heroes and their parties now," Mirellia ordered her Shadows. "And the Siltvelt Council too. I think I'll side with some of my husband's past decisions."
"You mean we're accepted into the family?" Naofumi asked curiously.
Mirellia then surprised Aultcray with her next action. She got on her knees and opened her arms wide. Momellia was finally embracing her new role with open arms. "Without question."
"Yay!" Raphtalia and Naofumi rushed forward and hugged their new mom. She had seemed scary at first. But now she seemed really nice and loving. Like she wasn't acting like the Queen anymore.
"Wha- Mother!" Melty said in shock. She couldn't remember the last time her Mother had openly hugged her like that!
"Noooooooooooooo!" Another distinct noise, this time a cry of anguish, echoed through the castle halls. Her mom had been her last chance of not being sidelined by the two brats. But now it was unavoidable for Meanie.
"Welcome to the family, you two! Now then, there is so much to go over! How to act, eat, dress, sleep, and even use the restroom! Oh, you're going to love it!" Mirellia gushed in a voice that seemed very out of character for her.
As she went on and on, Raphtalia leaned close to Naofumi and whispered. "Is it just me, or do all of those things sound really boring?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah. I hope she's kidding, 'cause I sure as heck don't want to learn how to poop like royalty."
How do you even poop like royalty!? Did it involve the tight clothes squeezing it out of you?! It made no sense in their little minds!
Erhard groaned, slapping his palm against his forehead. "You two dug this grave yourselves, so you have to lay in it. I'm sure the King and Queen aren't expecting you to pick up every aspect of royalty immediately."
"He's right. Little Naofumi and Little Raphtalia have all the time in the world to learn how to be a prince and princess. My Little Melty would be more than happy to assist you both in the meantime. Isn't that right, dear?" Aultcray said with a smile.
"WHAT?!" Melty yelled. "WHY ME?!"
"Ah ah ah! You shouldn't be so serious, daughter. I assure you that your training thus far won't go to waste, but you won't have to feel the stress of the kingdom on your back now... Think of it as being appointed as a duchess rather than the heir to the throne." Aultcray said.
"B-but why!? What about your actual daughter!?" Melty cried, red in the face. "I understand that he's a Hero, but they're not even related by blood! The kingdom would be outraged!"
"NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Meanie's voice rang from somewhere in the castle.
Unfortunately, there was no more time for Melty to argue her point after that. As the Siltvelt Council, and the Heroes were about to be brought in.
"Melty dear, please. Behave yourself. Although your father has made his choice with regard to the next heir, my decision has yet to be made final." Mirellia said, sending a slight glare toward her husband. She had said she only sided with some of his decisions. Raphtalia and Naofumi did, however, have their foot in the door in regards to being the next heirs. "For now, I think it best for you to become acquainted with your new brother and sister. I'm sure you'll all feel more comfortable with time." Mirellia smiled reassuredly.
The bluenette wanted to retort, but her mother's tone left no room for argument. "Very well, mother." She said with a bow.
With a snap of the Queen's fingers, the doors reopened and the other Heroes were led inside by a pair of shadows. Ren looked nervous, Motoyasu seemed distracted, and Itsuki seemed bored like he had other things he needed to be doing. When had he gotten there? Probably sometime after Naofumi and his party were brought in to meet the Queen.
From another set of doors, the Siltvelt Council was ushered in as well.
"Spear Hero, Sword Hero, and Bow Hero. It's an honor to finally meet you all in person. I am Mirellia Q Melromarc, and this is my kingdom." The Queen announced in a regal tone that commanded respect.
It would have succeeded if Aultcray wasn't busy playing rock-paper-scissors with Naofumi behind her back. And he was losing, so Naofumi was boisterous as always. Raphtalia was giggling at their antics, and Melty looked at her father with an uncomfortable and concerned gaze. She'd never seen him so lively before. Just what had her two new siblings done to awaken this side of him?!
With that, the main part of the meeting got underway. And once again, Naofumi didn't pay attention to most of it thanks to Aultcray, and because Itsujerk had shown up. Not only was he mean but he was boring too. No way he had done anything exciting since he'd last seen him.
It seemed most of the Siltvelt Council was shocked at seeing the Shield Hero was a child. The wolf Council Member looked sheepishly away from everyone else. Only he'd had an idea as to Naofumi's real age. Since it had been his delegation that was able to meet with the Shield Hero.
Either way, it made a lot more sense to the rest now why Aultcray had adopted the Shield Hero.
Fortunately, Raphtalia managed to pay attention to most of the meeting despite how adorable Naofumi and Aultcray were together. It seemed like mainly an introduction of the Heroes to the leaders they'd be working with. As well as ironing out the details for who and when would go to a specific country to fight off the coming Wave.
It sounded like Ren would be going to Siltvelt next week for a Wave there. Motoyasu and Itsuki would both be sent to Shieldfreeden by ship to make it in time for a wave in two and a half weeks. The Heroes would all be put in the same party system as well, so they could use their portal skills to bring the other Heroes to the hourglasses and register in each country. After those details, however, her attention was inevitably dragged to Naofumi as his antics moved to the members of the Siltvelt Council.
However, surprisingly, after some time, despite their initial hesitance at realizing the Shield Hero was a kid, Naofumi's antics actually won over the hearts of some of the Siltvelt Council. The elephant demi-human in particular seemed especially happy letting the Shield Hero swing with his trunk. Werner almost had a heart attack seeing their great God doing something so simple. But he had to admit that Naofumi's awestruck look while stroking his red wings made him feel a surge of pride.
"How do you keep them so soft?"
"I groom them every day," Werner said in awe.
Jaralis scoffed, but he couldn't deny the Shield Hero admiring his lustrous mane also arose a surge of pride in himself.
Eventually, tired of the boy's hijinks, the Queen sighed in exasperation. "Naofumi, please. This is extremely important information, especially if you plan to be the next King!"
"But it's so boriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing..." He groaned, slumping back into his chair after playing with the Council. "I wanna go outside and play, or go on an adventure, or something! Anything but this!"
Aultcray hummed in thought. "Well, you are still young and full of energy, unlike many of the rest of us old-timers." He got a chuckle out of a few councilmen with that line. Including the old Genmu representative. The man turned to his blue-haired daughter, who'd stood stock still and serious the whole time. "Melty, dear. How about you go with Naofumi and Raphtalia to do...something else?" He offered.
"Wh-What?!"
"YES! YOU'RE THE BEST, DAD!" Naofumi yelled, excitedly as he rushed and grabbed Raphtalia's and Melty's hands. "Come on, you guys! Let's go find our own adventure and leave the old people to do boring old people things!"
"Wait, but I'm needed- wahhhhhh!" Melty cried out in surprise. But Raphtalia seemed happy just to go along for the ride.
"Naofumi, don't pull so hard! I'm coming!" Raphtalia said happily. Although she didn't want to look ungrateful or immature, she also was more than happy to do something more interesting than listening to Hero assignments, trade plans, and troop deployments.
"Ummm, maybe I should go with them," Amber muttered nervously to herself.
"Oh! Then I shall accompany you, my love!" Motoyasu said. "After all, I - as the honorary older brother figure - must make sure that Naofumi doesn't fall victim to any sort of misfortune while on his personal adventure called life!"
"What are you doing?" Itsuki asked Motoyasu skeptically. Was the blonde man insane?
"I'm going too," Ren muttered dryly as he stood up. "The rest of you will stay here and fill me in on the details." He said, looking coolly at his other party members.
"'Kay!" Tersia said with a quick salute. None of them seemed to notice how nervous he was at seeing Naofumi run off with two other kids. Well, all except one.
"I'll come along too. Just in case." Wyndia stood up with a sigh. "Knowing how those two get distracted, we'll probably be needed." She said, pointing to Motoyasu and Amber. Who were already giggling to each other on their way out.
Ren inwardly gulped but didn't object to the Tsundere following along. In fact, part of him was glad she was. At least he wouldn't have to babysit all by himself.
The Queen gave a blank stare at the two Heroes' sudden departure, before sighing. "Are all of the Heroes going to make me want to slam my head against a wall?"
"Just give them a chance, my Queen. Despite their quirks, they are very capable Heroes." Aultcray said, placating her. "You should have seen them during the Wave."
Itsuki chose to stay behind with the rest. He was the diligent type, so he would be sure to pay close attention to anything pertaining to the Heroes...
"At least one of them is staying behind." Mirellia caved and continued the meeting.
Hopefully. The meeting had been a little more entertaining thanks to Naofumi's antics. However, with it all being formal and stuff now, even he had to admit it was boring.
Meanwhile, within minutes of leaving, trouble was already afoot for our squad of three.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU RASCALS!"
"Hehehe! You'll never catch me! Come on, Raphtalia, use your magic so we can get away!" Naofumi said excitedly. The trio (see also: Naofumi and Raphtalia, with Melty forced to accompany them against her will) was currently escaping from a castle guard after a prank involving dragon excrement and the man's helmet.
It was genius, but maybe a bit too much for a harmless prank. That stuff stank. Itsujerk would know. He likely still had the lingering scent of their last prank in his hair.
"How could you two think doing such a thing was a good idea?!" Melty asked hysterically. Oh no, she really hoped the Guard didn't recognize her! She'd be in so much trouble because of these two!
"All First Hiding!"
Raphtalia's spell washed over the three. Quickly, she dragged the two down a side alleyway. The guard rushed on, yelling angrily at the two kids he'd seen about his hair stinking for weeks.
After a few seconds of hiding, Raphtalia let the spell dissipate with a sigh. "I think we're safe, for now."
"Hahahaha! Did you see the look on his face when he put the helmet on!? That was priceless!" Naofumi fell to the ground, clutching his stomach and howling with laughter.
Melty looked ready to explode. "You're supposed to be a prince and a princess! How dare you two come in here and act like...like...like children!" What did she expect two children to act like? It was like she'd never seen children before in her life.
Raphtalia's tail flicked back and forth in interest. "But aren't you the same age as us? You're a kid too, remember?"
"B-but I don't act like one!"
Naofumi, finally reeling in his laughter, wiped a tear from his eye. "Yeah, you sure don't. You act like an old lady."
"How rude! You take that back!"
Raphtalia pinched the boy's cheek and lifted him to his feet. "Naofumi, come on. Don't make fun of Melty like that. She's just doing what she's been taught to do her whole life...I think."
The bluenette cooled down, crossing her arms. "Hmph!"
"What are you even complaining about? I don't think the Guard ever saw you... at least I don't think he did." Naofumi said. Melty hadn't even realized they were doing the prank until it was far too late. So she hadn't assisted them in any way.
"Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because Father likes you! There's a lot of responsibility for being heir to the throne, more than you could possibly realize!"
Naofumi put his hands behind his head "Yeah? Well, we can do that stuff when we're older. For now, why don't we just be kids?"
The raccoon girl smiled. "For once, he's right."
"Hey! I'm right all the time, and you know it! Remember when we found the metal in that cave for Uncle Bald Guy?"
"And we almost died," Raphtalia answered in a too-sweet tone. "It wasn't one of your smartest ideas, and we're lucky we even survived it. Anyway, I agree with Naofumi on one thing. We may all be nobility now, or something to that extent, but that doesn't mean we need to always act fancy and proper. After all, family shouldn't have to act so...stiff with one another."
"Yeah, what she said! Being a noble is boring! Being a kid is fun and exciting!" Naofumi added.
Melty looked between them, then down at her feet. As much as she wanted to argue it… "I...suppose it wouldn't hurt to relax now and then..." If they really were family now... "But I can't really think of you as family yet!"
"Come on! Let's go! I bet there's something to do at the inn! There's always weird people at the inn!" Naofumi started walking away, and the two girls followed him. Melty, for once, didn't seem opposed to joining them.
However, the inn didn't turn out to be their first stop. As Raphtalia suddenly stopped them by the tailor's shop. "Raphtaliaaaa why are we here!? You know this lady is nuts, right!?" Naofumi asked, horrified.
The girl flicked her gaze to the third member of their group. "I know. I don't want to be within miles of this tailor, but she'll need some kind of disguise if we're going to go anywhere in town without being recognized."
"Ohhhhh. That sounds smart."
Melty gripped the hem of her dress with a slight blush. "I-is that truly necessary?"
The raccoon girl nodded. "Wait, just a second." She quickly grabbed Melty's hair decorations, having her twin ponytails fall down. Melty grabbed at her head in shock.
"What did you do that for-"
"Your blue hair stands out too much. Just give me a sec…" Raphtalia muttered a spell under her breath. And then an illusion washed over Melty's hair. Darkening the blue until it was black. Now, besides the dress, Melty surprisingly looked normal.
Looking in the shop window's reflection, Melty was surprised. Somehow, just by changing her hair, she looked less like royalty than ever. Only the dress was a hint at who she really was.
Raphtalia grabbed her hand and pushed the door open. "Now, if you don't want to think of us as siblings! Let's go shopping as friends!"
Naofumi grumbled. "Even though she's our sister."
"If she doesn't want to think of us as siblings, then we'll be friends first and family second, Naofumi." Raphtalia quipped.
It felt weird for Melty to call the two her friends. But it was even weirder to think of them as her siblings. So she decided it might be easier to call them friends for now.
Besides, she couldn't deny that she felt a part of her warming up to them.
After a brief hassle with the tailor and a less extravagant outfit for their 'friend', the group managed to escape with their lives. They had literally been forced to use magic to escape the woman's clutches before she could force them to try on more "unbelievably cute" clothes. Blech.
But it worked. Melty now looked totally unrecognizable from before. With her hair down and recolored, along with an outfit that screamed "valley girl", the second princess of Melromarc looked like your average 10-year-old girl wandering the city with her two friends.
"I swear, that lady needs professional help," Naofumi said, opening the door to the inn's tavern. It was the middle of the afternoon, so the bar was quickly filling with adventurers and civilians needing a quick reprieve in the form of alcohol. Raphtalia grimaced.
"I'll never get used to the smell of this place. It's gross." She said, waving a hand in front of her nose.
"I must agree with Raphtalia. For an establishment in the capital, this one seems...lackluster at best." Melty added.
"You should drop the formal tone. It'd be weird for kids to be going around talking like nobility." Raphtalia suggested to Melty.
Melty pouted. "Well, fine. This place looks, gr, gro," She struggled for a moment with the word. "G-G-Gross!" She finally managed to say it.
Oh, her etiquette teachers would be sooooo disappointed in her right now. What was she thinking?!
"Ah, you get used to it! Besides, places like these build character!"
"Who told you that?" Raphtalia asked curiously. "Because I know for a fact that Uncle Bald Guy didn't."
"I...uh... I dunno. I know I heard it somewhere, though!"
She giggled and smirked at the cute adorable boy. "You know you're terrible at lying, right?"
He pouted. "That's not true! You're just really good at knowing when I'm lying!"
Melty gazed at the two bickered, laughed, and made fun of each other with a longing gaze. "U-um, why are we here again?" She asked, obviously uncomfortable. Even with a decent amount of skill with her water magic, there were far too many unsavory individuals around for her to defend herself.
"To find some fun, duh!" Naofumi laughed. "Just watch!" He wandered closer to the bar, and the two girls shared a shrug before going to an empty table to wait.
The boy listened intently under the counter as the bartender spoke with several of the patrons.
A lot of the talk wasn't as fun as he'd thought. Some of it was boring. And was interlaced with some weird words. Well, he thought they were words, but for some reason, he couldn't tell what they were. It was like his Shield stopped translating whenever they were said to keep him from hearing them.
'What are they saying?!'
You'd be better off not knowing, brat
'Stupid Shield!' Naofumi pouted. Unaware that his Shield was also actively trying to protect his innocence. Not that it'd tell him. Since the Tsundere Shield didn't care for its wielder, at all. Like, there was no way in he- heck that it cared for little, innocent, precious, adorable Naofumi.
No way at all...
...
It also made sure to shock him for the stupid thought. Just in case Naofumi did think it cared for him. When, obviously, it didn't.
Before Naofumi could berate his Shield for being so mean, his ears finally caught an interesting conversation. "-eally! I can't believe it's been three weeks and my suppliers are still getting robbed on their way here from Leruno. Those bandits are getting more aggressive by the day."
He snuck along underneath the counter. Curiosity erasing his last experience with the Tsundere Shield. The patron the bartender was talking to nodded. "I know. It's gotten so bad that the Guild is hiring someone to take them out. The problem is, nobody knows where their base is. They're being led by some guy called "The Bandit King." And all they know is the Kchchch has his base hidden somewhere between here and Leruno, but nobody is crazy enough to attack a bandit camp if they don't know where Kchchchch it is!"
The man behind the bar sighed. "We'll just have to hope they move on soon. I can't afford to change routes, since that's the only path to take. Anything else would just run more risk of hitting monsters along the way."
Naofumi nodded along, hidden from sight as he was too short to be seen over the bar. Besides the strange noise that occurred again while listening, for once, he appreciated his small size. By the sounds of it, it seemed Ren and the others had missed an important camp on their trip to Leruno.
After a few more moments of listening, with random words being unheard again, he walked out and sat down at a nearby table with the girls. "Okay! I think I found something interesting to do!"
Raphtalia gave him a blank stare. "Please tell me you don't plan to take on a whole camp full of bandits."
"And that you think it sounds fun," Melty added, a similar look on her face.
"How did you know-" Raphtalia pointed at her ears. An 'oh' look came onto his face.
He forgot the girl was also really good at hearing stuff. And didn't require sneaking around as he did.
"I want no part in something so barbaric and dangerous." Melty immediately voiced against the idea.
"But it sounds like fun," Naofumi whined. "Besides, don't you want to do something good for people? It sounds like their actions are already hurting a lot of people."
...
Melty looked stunned at the boy's sincerity. Maybe he was more of a Hero than she thought. "Naofumi does bring up a good point." Raphtalia was already changing her opinion?! Did she agree with Naofumi too!
"Well, um, I still think it'd be too much trouble!" Melty complained.
"Oh, that isn't too much trouble." He said, smirk growing on his face. Before she could realize what he meant, Naofumi looked over to the side to see the server carrying a single drink on a platter. "This is too much trouble... Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi whispered, creating a miniature shield beneath the man's foot.
"Wha!" He tripped, sending the drink crashing into one of the other patrons. Just as quickly as it appeared, Naofumi made the skill disappear. Melty stared in open-mouthed shock.
"Hey, what the heck was that for!? Watch where you're going, punk!"
"I-I'm so sorry! I-I don't even know what happened!"
"You'd better be freakin' sorry! Now look at my clothes! They're soaked! Bring me a beer on the house or things are gonna get messy!"
"B-but I-I'm afraid I-I can't do that, sir..."
"Hah!? Whaddya mean you can't!?"
"What's going on here?" Another man approached, arms crossed.
"This clutz dropped a drink on me!"
"I-I didn't mean to!"
The newcomer sighed. "Stop harassing the man. He made an honest mistake. It happens to everyone, so just relax."
"Relax!? Buddy, you're messing with the wrong guy today!" The angry man stood from his seat, knocking it over and drawing any attention that wasn't already on them.
Melty continued to stare in shock, while Naofumi's smile widened. "See, now that's trouble." He commented.
"But, but you just-" Melty was saying.
"Hey, what the heck is this garbage!? This drink tastes awful!" Someone else in the bar yelled.
Raphtalia reappeared in her seat, giggling maniacally. Melty looked flabbergasted. "Wh-what are you two doing!?" Wasn't Raphtalia supposed to be the sane one?!
"Having fun, obviously!" Naofumi said. "That was genius, mixing that guy's drink with three other ones Raphtalia!"
"I tried, but your distraction made it easy! He didn't notice a thing!"
"... You two are unbelievable..." Melty facepalmed. However, she couldn't help but smile a bit. It was a bit funny to see a situation just get worse and worse. It was the type of thing that you couldn't look away from, and above everything else it was exciting.
She'd never gotten to play much as a child. Princesses were taught to always act properly, never speak out of turn, and always be respectful. But these two?...
They were the furthest thing from respectful, at least at the moment. But now, instead of being annoying, it was actually refreshing. Their boundless confidence was even exhilarating!
"Shaddup, would ya!? I'm busy yellin' at this guy, here!"
"Sit down and be quiet. You're disturbing the peace."
"I'll show you disturbin' the dang peace!" The angry man charged forward and punched the new guy in the face. Tables were knocked over, drinks were thrown, and suddenly the entire bar turned into a massive brawl. Almost nobody was spared from the chaos.
Naofumi sweatdropped. Okay, he'd been expecting a fight. But not an all-out bar brawl. It seemed his prank had just gone too far again, oops. "Let's get out of here." He suggested. But Melty was enthralled. She couldn't look away now!
"HEY! CUT THAT OUT, YOU MORONS! NO FIGHTING IN MY BAR!" The bartender leapt over the bar and rushed toward the fight. Raphtalia, turning only her leg invisible, stuck it out in his path on instinct.
Naofumi had taught her too well.
"OOF!" He fell into another fighter, who proceeded to punch the man directly in the face. "HEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? GET OUTTA HERE!"
As soon as the bartender joined the battle, the kids knew they had to go. So they quickly snuck out the front entrance. The commotion was enough that nobody would pay attention to a few unattended children, so it was perfect.
"Oh man, that was so great! I haven't gotten to do anything like that since Uncle Bald Guy started keeping an eye on me!" Naofumi said as they walked aimlessly down the street. "Now let's go find ourselves some bandits!"
"Right!" Raphtalia nodded with a smile.
"Right..." Melty said, less enthusiastically. However, she didn't even think about leaving their little group for an instant. She was still running on adrenaline from watching a shady bar turn to chaos within minutes right before her eyes, and her body wanted, no, it craved more.
More excitement! More chaos! Is this what it's like to be free!?
The group of three continued down a random street of the city, disappearing into the growing crowd of people.
Author's Notes:
Allen Blaster: Well fetch. It seems Naofumi and Raphtalia are already corrupting the Second Princess. Hopefully, all their antics will pay off. I'm just glad we were able to get this chapter done with everything going on in our lives. #TsundereShieldBestShield
RLTygurr: It took longer than expected, but here's some more of your Kidfumi and Kidtalia goodness! Now we've introduced the queen and Melty, so stay tuned for shenanigans and fun!
Till Next Time
Allen and RLT