Can I please ask how some people thought ANIMAL-SHAPED HOLE IN THE WALL meant Raphtalia became an adult? The skill was called "Beast Transformation Assist". Not "Adult-Up Assist". Read the fine print, please.
Those thoughts aside, this chapter was a change of pace from the norm. I do hope it's still enjoyable wholesomeness despite it being a different type of wholesomeness. And no, you shouldn't be suspicious of the chapter title. Probably. It's not like me and RLT pulled something like this once before.
Chapter Twenty: Just Your Average PG Chapter
You know, before this, Ren thought that any variation of himself going on a date with anyone would have been met with absolute failure. Along with heartbreak, depression, a desire to throw himself off a bridge.
You know, the normal things that'd spawn from him being his typical stupid clutz self.
"Hey, um, how about we go this way?" Ren suggested awkwardly.
"Sure. Lead the way." Wyndia smiled as she held on to his hand.
That was absolutely not what the Sword Hero was experiencing right now. And the main reason was most likely because he wasn't being a stupid clutz.
At least, he wasn't being more of a stupid klutz than usual.
Ren had to keep himself from breathing in too sharply. A goofy grin nearly split his face apart as the dog girl gripped his warm hand. Even though he was being himself, Wyndia didn't mind, and the two continued through the streets of Siltvelt's capital, walking together, side by side. Just like a couple on a date.
No, it was a date. And Wyndia was heavily hinting that they were a couple. This was the most she'd held his hand since he'd gotten to know her.
This was beyond incredible.
The sun was close to the horizon, but the people were still in the spirit of celebration. The parade involving the Shield Hero had put the various demi-humans in a frenzy. Stalls were set up along the sides, where all kinds of hot food were being served to hungry customers. Other stalls had flowers, jewelry, dresses, and magic tricks on display for couples celebrating the Shield Hero gracing their country with his presence.
Ren and Wyndia were left alone for the most part, something that he felt grateful for. The streets were full of all sorts of demi-humans. Some only came up to Ren's waist. Others were the size of elephants.
In fact, those were elephant therianthropes he saw. Ren almost stared slack-jawed as one lumbered past, tipsy from drinking.
"Heh, he's not as big as Gaelion." Wyndia chuckled to herself.
"He… she, whatever it was, was still pretty big." Ren swallowed nervously.
"I bet you could easily take him. Size means nothing when you're strong." Wyndia's amber eyes glittered mischievously, and Ren smiled a little at the sight.
The look quickly disappeared though as she stared hard at him and spoke in a dry voice. "You're not planning on getting drunk, are you?"
"N-No! Of course not!" Ren said quickly.
Wyndia then chuckled, utterly confusing him. "It's too easy to rile you up. You need to relax a little. I'm not going to bite your head off for taking me on a date." Her amber eyes fluttered at him again, and Ren felt his throat go dry at her smile.
This was dangerous territory. No otaku had ever explored where he was right now.
What was one supposed to do when a tsundere started to express themselves like this?
"H-How about we get some food?" Ren suggested it, but then he felt like slapping himself.
They'd just had dinner only an hour ago! Now he was going to look like a glutton to her!
"Sure." Wyndia surprised him with her agreement and continued to smile while holding his hand. "We did a lot today. The Council didn't feed us nearly enough. And the meat here smells sooooooo good." Ren realized then that the girl's mouth was watering, and that her gaze kept on moving from one stall to the next. Her eyes lingered on ones with all sorts of meat on display. Her nose sniffed the air.
Right, she'd been raised by a dragon. She obviously had a love for quality meat thanks to that.
Ren's terrible suggestion had turned out to be a home run. Feeling grateful that he hadn't ruined anything with his stupidity, the two of them went from one stall to the next, still holding hands.
He'd noted it before, but that was because it'd been a rare occurrence for the dog girl to hold hands with him. Now, Wyndia was doing it like it was second nature.
Did… Ren had no idea what to think. He and Wyndia had grown more comfortable around each other over the last few weeks. But he hadn't realized it was to this extent.
Wyndia continued to sniff the air while Ren was lost in thought. But so far she just shook her head and kept going.
"There's some very good meat here. I can smell it, it has to be nearby." The girl growled in a low voice.
"I didn't think you'd be so picky over meat," Ren said in surprise.
"I'm not!" Wyndia defended herself. "I can just smell something really good around here, and I don't want any of the lesser options!" She exclaimed.
She could have said that a little more quietly. The demi-humans in their stalls looked downcast at overhearing that their meat was 'lesser'.
Ren bought a kebab from one stand to help the guy… well, wolf therianthrope, feel better. Did he address him as a guy or a wolf guy? Was he even a guy?
Why was Ren making this so awkward for himself? Wyndia was clearly female. Why was it harder to tell with therianthropes?
They continued down the street, following Wyndia's nose. Then, they came across a stall different from the rest. It was manned by two people. One was a young woman with flowing hair like a campfire and wings on her back. The other…
"Ah, you there, are you interested in my barbeque!?" A young blonde man with a spear on his back and a ridiculous mustache disguise winked as his red eyes fell on Ren.
The Sword Hero's mouth went dry. "M-Moto-"
"You look like you could eat an entire dragon young lady!" The Spear Hero cut Ren off before winking at him again and grinning at Wyndia.
"I'd never!" Wyndia bristled at the thought, then her stomach growled loudly. "Though the meat here smells delicious." She openly drooled as her eyes fell over the wide selection.
Was she too blinded by her love of meat to realize Motoyasu was in front of them!? Amber smiled sweetly as Wyndia poured over the options. "See anything you like?"
"This… this was what you were smelling?" Ren asked with a groan.
Out of everyone there…
"I don't know, it… it all looks so good," Wyndia said in awe.
"Ohoho, it's all my secret family recipes! Passed down for generations!" Motoyasu grinned at Ren and gave him a thumbs up. Wyndia was so engrossed by what she was seeing that she didn't notice.
Ren swallowed hard. He mouthed to the Spear Hero "what the heck are you doing?!"
Motoyasu simply smiled as he shrugged back: "Go for the kiss! She's obviously into you!"
Ren blushed heavily. Handholding was one thing. But KISSING?!
Unfortunately, before he could mouth anymore, Wyndia made her choice.
"I want all of it."
"W-Wyn-" Ren began to say in shock.
"Please, I can't decide! It all looks so good Ren!" Wyndia said excitedly to the Sword Hero.
Seeing her like this was definitely rare.
"Ohoho! Somebody truly has a good eye then!" Motoyasu laughed behind his fake disguise. Amber smiled excitedly next to him. "Alright, as long as your boyfriend has the money to pay for it!"
"B-B-B-B-Boyfriend?!" Ren stuttered so badly he almost couldn't get the word out. Were he and Wyndia at that point already?! He didn't want to make any assumptions or anything that could scare her off or-
"Would you be able to pay for it, Ren?" Wyndia asked him in a quiet voice. Her hands were held behind her back, and she was shuffling in place as she looked down at the ground. A small blush was creeping up her face.
…
"Um, uh, um…" Ren's mouth failed him, but his hands withdrew a small pouch of silver coins from his sword's gemstone and handed it to the disguised Motoyasu.
"Excellent! Thank you for your patronage!" The man expertly dished out all of his meat on display into two large bowls. He gave one to Ren, and the other he gave to Wyndia. "Enjoy your date you two!"
"W-We will!" Wyndia smiled gratefully, and with her free hand, she grabbed Ren and pulled the Sword Hero along in a daze.
Amber giggled to herself. "So far, so good. Though, I wish they left some meat for us. It smelled really good."
Motoyasu ripped his fake mustache off. "That's because your cooking skills have greatly improved alongside mine thanks to Elhart my glorious angel!"
"Now, let us depart! The Love Hunter's job isn't quite done yet!"
Ren and Wyndia continued through the Capital. Ren had stored the two large bowls of meat in his Sword so they could look around at everything without having to carry all that food around. It'd also help to keep their dinner nice and warm.
Ren wished he could say that he was focusing on the city like he'd wanted to when they first left the palace. But Wyndia had gone back to holding his hand. And, after a moment, she hesitantly moved closer to him as they walked and locked her arm with his. Leaning against his side as she did so.
…
Ren was speechless. The neurons in his brain were all firing off. But none of them could comprehend how the date was going so spectacularly. This… was beyond handholding. The Sword Hero and Wyndia were growing even closer as the date progressed.
He couldn't focus on the architecture of the buildings around him. Or the layout of the city. Or… anything but the dog girl next to him really. Were… were they really reaching the boyfriend-girlfriend stage of their relationship so quickly!?
"D-Do you have a-anywhere to eat i-in mind?" Wyndia finally asked nervously.
Ren hastily looked around. Crap! He knew he should have been paying more attention to their surroundings!
There were some places with outdoor tables by the look of it, but every time they walked past one, he could tell that they were all packed because of the celebrations. Every single one. Even the bars inside buildings looked packed.
Though Ren was at least smart enough to know to not take Wyndia to a place like that.
Ren wanted to despair. He'd gotten them dinner, but he'd forgotten that they still had to EAT the dinner! Ugh, he was ruining the date already and it wasn't even his-
They walked onto the next street and Ren's eyes widened.
There was an outdoor cafe, but all the tables were empty. In fact, there was one with a lone candle and a vase full of flowers in the center of the mass of tables.
It looked like it was reserved, but Ren wanted to ask just in case.
...
It'd been reserved all right.
It'd been reserved for the Sword Hero.
"Ren… you did this?" Wyndia asked him in shock.
"I… I…" Ren was astounded. Yet the waiter smiled as he led them to the table and sat them down. Promising to get them drinks before leaving them be.
Ren couldn't say anything. It was like the Gods had graced him with a miracle. And based on the happiness radiating off of Wyndia's face, the date was far from being ruined now.
Ren slowly took out their bowls from earlier. Surprisingly, instead of eating first, Wyndia grabbed a flower from the vase. Staring at it with tears in her eyes. "How… how did you know?"
"What?" Ren asked. Barely keeping his voice from squeaking.
"Dragon flowers…" She gestured to the plant. The petals were yellow. They didn't look very distinguishable at first. But as Ren studied them, he found that the petals opened up like a dragon's maw. The bloom of the flower was red like it was about to unleash a breath of fire. "They're one of the few plants that grew near Gaelion's cave. How did you know I liked these?"
Ren had been studying the flower so intently that he almost didn't hear Wyndia. "I… I didn't really…" He stayed silent for a moment, not sure what to say. But Wyndia was studying the flower intently. Her amber eyes were shining with emotion. Her light brown hair shivered with the slight breeze that ran down the street.
He didn't feel to say anything. Instead, Ren stood up, picked a flower from the vase, and knelt next to Wyndia. His hands, surprisingly gentle, wove the short stem under one of her french braids. Resting the flower petals by her ear.
Wyndia didn't respond. But her amber eyes stared back at him. Almost expectantly. A small, soft smile was resting on her plump red lips.
Ren was breathless. Acting purely on instincts at that moment. And as he felt himself about to lean in-
"Your drinks."
Waiter-kun appeared and snapped them back to reality.
Ren almost dive-bombed into his chair. To his credit, he instead raced to his side of the table and planted his butt down into it instead. Saving him from a little bit of embarrassment.
Wyndia was blushing, and couldn't look Ren in the face as the dragon-man set glasses on the table for the pair. He didn't question where their food came from. He simply smiled as he poured some wine from a bottle into their cups. Then, with a nod of his head and that warm smile of his, he went back into the building to leave the pair alone.
…
"So, um… are they actually called dragon flowers? Or is that your name for them?" Ren asked awkwardly.
Stupid waiter-kun. Ruining their moment and all that.
"I think Tersia told me their actual name at one point when I mentioned them," Wyndia said. "But well… I prefer calling them dragon flowers."
"Because dragons are your favorite?" Ren asked hopefully.
"Because… well, because Gaelion is the only Father I know," Wyndia admitted.
…
Ren stared at her in surprise. Her ears flattened on her head. "I… I can't really remember my original parents, to be honest. Gaelion has been my dad for as long as I can remember."
"You… you don't remember anything about them?" Ren asked. He remembered that she'd said she'd been with Gaelion for a long time. At least thirteen years, if not more.
"I can remember my mother singing to me. But I was really little. I can't remember what she looked like. I can only remember the songs." She said. "And my dad, I think he had amber eyes, just like me. But… all I know is that he left me in front of Gaelion's cave. And Gaelion had to tell me that since I couldn't remember it."
"I don't know what happened to my original parents." Wyndia looked up at Ren, and he was surprised to find her smiling. "But, I'm grateful I was able to have Gaelion as my Father. As infuriating as he could be at times."
Ren chuckled. "I mean, I'd find it pretty cool if I had a dragon for a father."
"Is that why you sleep with a stuffed dragon at night?" Wyndia asked mischievously.
"Uhhhhhh…" Ren blushed deeply. "No, we don't really have dragons in my world, to be honest."
"No dragons?! And you lived in a big city?! Your world sounds less cool with every new thing I learn about it!" Wyndia said heatedly.
"Honestly, compared to this world, it is." Ren smiled sincerely. "We had stories about dragons there. But they didn't exist in real life. They only existed in books and games, but…"
The conversation continued between the two of them from there. They occasionally paused to eat Motoyasu's barbeque, which tasted absolutely delicious. Or to sip the wine they'd been given.
Ren felt nervous about the wine, uncertain if it was appropriate or not. But Wyndia didn't seem to mind it one bit. In fact, she seemed to open up just a little bit more after the first glass. And, surprisingly, Ren did too.
Ren shared more about his world. More about his past as a gamer. And after a bit of wine and food, he opened up more about his past as a chunibyo. About the stupid fake adventures he went on. About all the people he crushed in online games.
About his eventual awakening. The realization of what he'd done with his life. How much it'd sucked and how he had to go to therapy to deal with his anxiety and the other issues that'd surfaced because of chunibyoism.
Wyndia didn't judge him for it. In fact, when he felt like he was about to cry, she simply gripped his hand from across the table.
She reminded him that he had friends now. That they'd be there for him whenever he needed it. That she was there for him if he needed her.
After that, to help him feel better, she shared more of what it was like growing up with a dragon father. Instead of being brief like she had at previous times, she described the cold nights made warm by sleeping next to his immense bulk. Of times when she got to see the world from thousands of feet in the air from atop his back. Of getting to build a dragon snowman with some of the monsters he'd sired, and more.
Ren listened with awe flashing in his eyes. Even though they had airplanes and snow and all that in his world, hearing it from the perspective of someone raised by a dragon… really made him wish his parents had also been dragons.
Wyndia also admitted that she carried her stuffed dragon around so it'd still feel like Gaelion was close. How this was her first real time seeing the outside world without Gaelion or one of his children around to protect her.
Ren ended up admitting that his stuffed dragon was a comfort tool for him too. And the pair ended up bonding over that as the time passed and stars appeared in the sky above them.
They talked, laughed, and held hands over the table again at one point. Not for comfort. Simply because they wanted to.
Wyndia flashed Ren a genuine smile. The moon's faint light combined with the torchlight around the outdoor cafe to gleam off the petals of the flower in her hair. Her finger played with the rim of her wine glass. And, to Ren's amazement, one of her locks of hair had escaped from her french braid to rest on her shoulder.
...
She looked so incredibly beautiful at that moment. And as Ren's heart did flips in his chest, he knew. And he couldn't deny it.
He was in love with Wyndia.
She wasn't just cool. She was smart. She was honest. And while she'd seemed rude and crass before, when she opened up, she was even more incredible than he'd imagined.
…
"Wyndia?" Ren suddenly asked after several minutes of peaceful silence between the two.
"Hmmm?" She hummed curiously.
"… what did you think of me when you joined my party?" Ren asked quietly.
"What do you mean?" Wyndia asked confusedly.
"I… I just want your honest opinion of me from back then. Compared to now." Ren managed to say without his voice shaking from how nervous he was feeling.
"Well… when I met you, I definitely thought you were weird. And cocky. You were honestly pretty pathetic. I found it strange how my father saw any sort of strength in you instead of the Spear Hero." Wyndia admitted.
Ren felt a ball roll into his stomach. He slowly nodded, his eyes becoming downcast at the truth of her statement.
"But… as time passed," Wyndia began to smile. "I got to see more parts of you. I found that you were kind. That you cared a lot. That you feel a sense of responsibility for things even if you had no part in them.
"I wasn't wrong about you being weird." Ren frowned at that. "But you're weird in a good way. You're weird in the way that a dragon would raise and love a dog girl as his own daughter kind of way."
"Sure, you're awkward at times when you try to be cool, but you're genuine about it. I realized that when we were in the city that day trying to track down Naofumi and… learned you don't do it to draw attention to yourself. You do it because you really care for that brat." Wyndia said shyly.
Ren gulped. "I… I just don't want to let Naofumi down. Before coming to this world, no one ever really thought that I was cool, and… and I was an only child. I wanted to be the big brother that Naofumi deserved. Not… not the lame chunibyo I was back in my world…"
...
"Well, if it means anything, I don't think you're anything like that lame chunibyo you described to me." Wyndia smiled. "Not anymore."
"... R-Really?" Ren asked hopefully. His voice choking from how much those words meant to him.
"Yes. In fact, I think you're pretty cool now… not to mention, strong." She blushed deeply after saying that. She recalled the fight on the ghost ship earlier that day and her face flushed an even deeper crimson. "Definitely strong. Gods, you looked so amazing with all that monster goop dripping off you and your bored attitude about that fight and- ack!" Wyndia covered her mouth before she could say anything more.
Ren felt himself blushing wildly now. And, his heart was beating like crazy in his chest.
This… this crazy awesome and beautiful girl thought that HE was cool?! "How could you think that was cool?! Did you forget how you took down those Voice Gengar Bats like they were nothing!"
"Oh, that? That was because I thought it was really weird that Gaelion could fit in that small cave." Wyndia shrugged. "It was funnier than it was scary for me. Even though they were having him say some hurtful things…"
Wyndia then took a deep breath before looking at him again with a blank expression. "Don't ever tell anyone about that."
"W-Wouldn't dream of it." Ren stuttered.
She smiled again at that. And his shaking disappeared.
Their food sat forgotten to the side after that. And, perhaps, their drinks had gotten to them a little bit. Wyndia reached across the table with both hands to grip his so they could lean close to each other.
"Ren…"
"Y-Yeah?"
"I… I…" Wyndia struggled with her next words.
Ren stared intently. Thinking his life was about to change forever, and-
"Come on daughter, I know you can do it!"
"GAH!" Ren and Wyndia both jumped from the table in surprise, acting like they'd just been caught with their hands in the cookie jar
At first, neither of them knew who'd spoken. But after looking at the doorway to the building, it became more than obvious.
"G-Gaelion?!" Wyndia shrieked out.
Yep, as ridiculous as it sounded, Gaelion was resting inside the building. Which, looking inside, it was big enough for a dragon to fit comfortably. Gaelion's head rested in the doorway comfortably while Motoyasu and Amber tried to push him back out of view.
How had he been there without either of them noticing?! Had they been that focused on each other?!
"What are you doing?! She was nearly about to confess!" Motoyasu screamed in anguish.
"S-SPEAR HERO?!" Wyndia shrieked again.
"Oh, um, heh heh. Surprise." Amber called out weakly.
…
Wyndia looked flabbergasted. Ren looked like he wanted to sneak into his chair and never appear out in public ever again.
Actually, he could absorb all sorts of things into his sword. Maybe he could absorb himself and hope he never had to come back out to face this embarrassment of a situation.
"I merely thought my daughter needed some encouragement, Spear Hero." Gaelion huffed smoke into Motoyasu's face.
"H-How are you all here?!" Wyndia asked incredulously.
"I helped in the Wave today. And the Spear Hero was kind enough to teleport me here so I could observe. Though it chafes me to have to observe alongside a mere Filolial." Gaelion's eyes boredly glanced over Amber's form.
"The feeling goes both ways," Amber spoke dryly as she crossed her arms under her bust.
Gaelion rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I am acquainted with the owner of this establishment. He is a member of the dragon people, and once the Spear Hero confirmed you two would be out in the city, I contacted him and made sure this place would be cleared for the two of you. Also, I hope you enjoyed the wine I picked out. I was certain it'd help the two of you to open up to each other, and I was right!"
Another face appeared in the doorway. Ren recognized it to be the waiter who'd sat them earlier. He was smiling, albeit a little nervously.
The pair couldn't say anything. They merely continued to gape as Gaelion chuckled deep in his throat.
"Oh, and daughter. After observing you two from afar, I highly approve of your choice of mate. He certainly proved his mettle in the Wave today. I have no doubt that the children you two will have will be as strong as me. If not stronger."
"M-MATE?!" Ren was the one to shriek in embarrassment this time. Here he was, still uncertain if they were boyfriend and girlfriend or not. And now Wyndia's dragon father was saying they'd get the full relationship package?!
Ren wanted to speak. To try and salvage anything that might be left of their relationship before it'd ever started. But Wyndia beat him to the punch.
"PAPA!" Ren's eyes widened. That tone wasn't of embarrassment. No, it was FAR worse.
Amber and Motoyasu stopped trying to push Gaelion out of the way. The dragon's own eyes widened as a shiver traveled down the length of his spine down the length of his tail. The waiter's head disappeared in a flash.
Wyndia, was, livid.
But, thankfully, it wasn't at Ren.
The next fifteen minutes passed, with Ren standing near Wyndia as she proved just how amazing she was.
Her dragon father was on his knees, his head hanging in front of him. Motoyasu and Amber were also on their knees. Looking just as guilty as the large dragon as Wyndia yelled all sorts of things at them.
The gist of it… she was pissed about them interfering with their date. She was pissed about them spying on their moments. She was pissed about them making Ren uncomfortable amongst a host of other things.
Ren just helplessly looked at it all unfolding. Wyndia's anger was a scary thing. She even made Gaelion look like a pitiful kitten.
But she wasn't angry at Ren. In fact, she was using her anger to defend him. Saying she couldn't believe they'd try to push Ren so far out of his comfort boundary when she'd been doing his best to help him be comfortable around her over the course of the date.
He… he hadn't realized she cared that much about him. She'd seemed so hot and cold before, but… now she was being so open about it. Was that because of the wine… or was that because this was what she was really like when she opened up to him and those she cared about?
He didn't really know. But she was in the middle of when she was ranting to her dragon father about almost ruining their date for the fifth time when Ren finally had the courage to rest a hand on her shoulder.
She stopped midrant to snap her head at him. Realizing who it was, her anger disappeared and was replaced with concern. "Are you alright Ren? If there's anything else you want me to tell them, or-"
"No, um… I think you've told them enough." Ren muttered quietly. He gestured to the three. "I think they're sorry, right?"
"I mean, I still want to see how this turns out-" Gaelion began to speak. But upon Wyndia glaring at him, the dragon reconsidered his words. "… I guess I can leave you be."
"Motoyasu?" Ren asked.
"Sure, I don't want to piss your mate off more than I already have." Motoyasu looked sad, but it was all a mask. He had the nerve to wink since he'd snuck the dreaded word mate in his apology.
The bastard! Ren's face flared up again, but Wyndia merely shook her head. "Fine, we'll take our leave then." She glared at them one last time. "Don't, follow, us." She said slowly.
It was unknown if a dragon could look scared or not, but Gaelion certainly gave it his best shot.
Without another word, Wyndia grabbed Ren by the wrist, and the two walked out of the outdoor restaurant back to the palace.
Ren's face fell as they walked past still crowded streets. After how quiet their dinner had been, it only made him realize their date had ended. And how disastrous that ending had been.
It wasn't even his fault. It'd been entirely outside his control. Never had he imagined a date being ruined and it not being his fault. It was such a gut punch that he was silent even as stars appeared in the night sky. Even as the crowds around them dispersed and they walked past the hakuko therianthropes guarding the entrance to the palace.
He felt his stomach twisting, and Ren almost vomited his second dinner. It was taking everything he had not to cry with how miserable he felt.
Here, he'd thought he'd finally have a chance at happiness with someone else. And it'd all been blown apart.
Even as Wyndia led him back to the Sword Hero's quarters, it was silent. And the pair finally stopped in front of the doors, with Ren still too afraid to say anything.
He just felt incredibly depressed. Part of him wanted to be logical and say there was always the next time. That Wyndia still cared deeply about him and that they could always go on another date to make up for this one. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to think positively. Not when he was sure that Motoyasu and Gaelion had ruined any chance between the two of them. And-
"Ren…"
His gaze was brought down to Wyndia again. Her ears were resting on her head again. The dragon flower's petals glinted in the torchlight of the hall. She hadn't taken the flower out of her hair.
"Wyndia," Ren did his best to speak calmly. "I'm sorry about tonight… I didn't expect things to go like this and-"
"Ren!" Wyndia pressed a finger against his lips, silencing him. "I, I was trying to say this earlier. But then those idiots interrupted us, and…
…
…
Her face seemed to transform as she took a deep breath. She looked him in the eyes. "No. I'm not going to keep this to myself. I don't care if tonight didn't go perfectly for us… I really, really, like you, Ren Amaki."
…
Ren's mouth gaped. Tears finally pricked his eyes. "B-But I-"
"No, I'm not finished yet." Wyndia cut him off, her face flushing red with the words she'd said. "I know we haven't known each other long. And… I know tonight didn't go how we wanted it… But, these past few weeks, getting to know you and your friends…"
She genuinely smiled at him. "I've never been happier in my entire life. You've helped me to be happy."
Ren's breath caught in his throat. A couple of tears leaked from his eyes. But they were happy tears. One of her hands moved, her thumb gently wiping one off his cheek. "And, well, even if those two idiots did butt in… I do want to have a relationship with you… if you don't mind, that is!" She quickly added at the end as her blush deepened tenfold.
"H-Huh?" Ren said.
"Look, my main experience with guys are the idiots that tried, again and again, to steal me from Gaelion so they could make me a slave! I tried to heavily hint that I don't mind us being something more! But I know I'm not the best catch in the world! I certainly don't have the same assets as other girls! And I haven't been as nice as I could have been! So if you don't like me or if I'm not the kind of girl you want or if it'd be weird having to deal with Gaelion as a father-in-law or-"
"NO! OF COURSE I DON'T MIND!" Ren shouted almost a little too loudly. At Wyndia's stare, he coughed into his hand and shuffled around nervously.
His stomach had stopped twisting itself, and it was like a large weight had been taken off his shoulders. Yet he still felt extremely nervous about saying the wrong thing. Especially with everything Wyndia had said in her near rapid-fire speech there.
"I… I like you too. Like, a lot." He admitted. "But I've never felt this way about anyone before… and I know it was only thanks to Naofumi that I didn't kill your Father… and I never had a girlfriend in my world because I thought girls were weird growing up and… I'm just so nervous about doing the wrong thing and pushing you away..."
He clenched his fists and stared at the dog girl determinedly. "So… I'd like to see where this goes! I'd like to be your boyfriend, or your mate if you'd rather I be that, or-"
Ren cut himself off. No way, had he… HAD HE ACTUALLY SAID THAT OUT LOUD?!
IT WAS ONLY ONE DATE! SCREW THIS BEING ANOTHER WORLD AND THAT WYNDIA HAD BEEN RAISED BY A DRAGON INSTEAD OF NORMAL PARENTS! THAT WAS SO INCREDIBLY STUPID OF HIM TO SAY AND HE SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT AT ALL AND HE KNEW HAVING THAT WINE EARLIER HAD BEEN A BAD IDEA SINCE THAT HAD TO BE THE REASON HE WAS BEING EXTRA STUPID RIGHT NOW AND-
Wyndia laughed. A deep, belly-aching laugh.
The action shocked Ren's mind into silence.
"I'm sorry, you just looked so serious. That must mean you actually are very nervous right now." Wyndia chuckled to herself.
WAS IT REALLY THAT OBVIOUS?!
"Don't worry… I'm nervous too. I don't want to mess this up." She admitted shyly. One of her hands moved through the french braids on the side of her head, brushing the flower in her hair before moving to cup his face. "But… you'd really be okay with me? As… as a mate?" She blushed after saying it out loud, yet, she meant it.
Ren stared at her in breathless wonder. He slowly nodded his head. "Then… promise that you'll make me happy. Whatever happens next." Wyndia said.
"I…" Ren gulped, but deep down, he knew that he meant the words he spoke to her next. "I will. I promise I'll make you happy… I love you too much to not want that."
She gave him a small smile, and they looked at each other for a long moment. Ren couldn't even register that he'd admitted his feelings out loud the way he had.
Ren found himself getting lost in the amber depths of Wyndia's eyes. They truly looked happy and full of life. He could have studied them forever…
But then, a look of annoyance flashed through them. And he realized she'd just said something and he hadn't paid any attention whatsoever. "What?" He asked.
"Is… Isn't this the moment where we're supposed to, you know… kiss?" She asked.
…
Huh?
She was blushing, but she stood firm in front of him. Wyndia looked up into his face with all seriousness. "W-We both like each other, well… no, we both love each other. We admitted it, and, well…" She closed her eyes and waited.
Ren suddenly felt exceedingly nervous. This went beyond hand-holding or whatever else they'd been doing today!
He'd never kissed a girl before. But Wyndia was inviting him to do so. And he really wanted to know what it felt like. And-
"OW!" In his excitement to do so, he accidentally butted heads with her.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Ren immediately began pleading for forgiveness even as he rubbed the sore bump on his head.
He'd really headbutted her hard there by mistake. And he'd done so well that evening too. He guessed being a stupid chunibyo clutz was all he'd ever be when it came to girls and-
"It's, it's fine." Wyndia waved it off. Even though she was rubbing her head, she was chuckling. "I was kind of expecting that this would happen. I just wasn't sure if you'd do it or if I'd do it." She stopped chuckling but continued to smile at him.
"H-Huh?" He muttered.
However, she didn't say anything else. Instead, her hand moved, closing his eyes for him. And then, the girl got on her tiptoes and, slowly, carefully, pressed her lips against his so neither of them could mess up.
…
YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
YOU DID IT! I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU YOU AWESOME CHUNIBYO STUD YOU! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The two separated, and Ren was smiling widely. He couldn't even complain that their first kiss had been a little sloppy since neither of them had any prior experience. Well, besides the practice he'd done with his stuffed dragon. But it'd definitely paled to the real thing.
Hey, it wasn't weird to practice kissing with stuffed animals!
"Is it bad if I think I can die happy now?" Ren asked.
"Don't you dare die on me! Or so help me I'll bring you back to life so I can kill you myself!" Wyndia threatened.
Yep, there was the girl he knew and loved. Ren was very lucky indeed.
The Sword Hero thought the night would have ended there. There wasn't really anything that could top kissing a beautiful dog girl after confirming your feelings for each other. Truly, he'd won the lottery after what'd happened. But it'd be better not to press his luck-
Wyndia suddenly grabbed Ren's wrists and pulled him in again. Kissing him deeply this time while fireworks from the celebration outside lit up the night sky as well as the inside of the palace hallway.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
Ren's eyes bulged as he stared down at her. But between the torchlight and the light show going on outside, she looked even more beautiful than ever. And he wrapped his arms around her back tightly as he closed his eyes. Her arms moved to clasp behind his neck.
It was a long moment, but they eventually separated for air. Wyndia's amber eyes were clouded over as logic and reason began to depart. She only had enough left to gesture to the room next to them. "In… inside. No… interruptions there."
Ren could hardly think, and for once, that was a good thing. His brain would have only gotten in the way of what was happening. He could only nod as he muttered "uh huh" before using one of his hands to push the door open.
Screw the lottery.
The Sword Hero had just won the freaking jackpot.
The hand that'd formally been famous for hand-holding moved back into place on the dog girl's back as the two lovers embraced anew. Lips battled against each other as the door closed behind the pair so they could do PG-rated stuff in private.
Yep, definitely PG-rated stuff. Nothing remotely M-rated was going on here…
…
This would be the last time Ren would ever hear that part of his mind.
Well done, you awesome chunibyo stud. You done good.
…
Where they stood around the corner of the hallway watching, Motoyasu held his fist up. "Operation Puppy Love was a resounding success, I say."
"Indeed, it was." Gaelion raised a large clawed fist, and the Spear Hero and Dragon Emperor shared a fistbump.
Yes, the Dragon Emperor was inside the large hallway of the palace. It'd been made large enough for even the Aotatsu in their dragon forms to move around them easily. He had no problems whatsoever.
"Boo! You better wash that hand before you touch me next time, Moto!" Amber whined.
"Don't worry, I shall scrape the skin off all the way to the bone if I must for you, my lovely Amber!" Motoyasu cooed to the Filolial woman.
"Okay, don't go that far," Amber said nervously.
"How far shall I go then?" Motoyasu asked curiously. "Oh, I know!" He then used a fire spell on his hand, followed by a healing spell before Amber could cry out in terror.
"There, good as new!" Motoyasu showcased the fresh baby-smooth skin on his knuckles. And it took every ounce of Amber's willpower to not bash him over the head for terrifying her like that.
Gaelion continued to smile as his head peaked around the corner. Seeing the room his daughter and her mate had disappeared off into.
'I am so proud of you, Wyndia. You have truly grown into the fine young woman I knew you to be. I pray that the rest of your life will be as happy and joyful as I saw today.' The large dragon then chuckled.
'Just be careful to not break your mate in there. I'd rather my new son-in-law be around for a few decades.'
"I must get back. My children are expecting me." Gaelion said to Motoyasu.
"Alright, I'll make sure to give you updates on their wedding plans." Motoyasu winked at Gaelion.
"I'll design the wedding outfit myself!" Amber said happily.
The dark dragon let out a barking laugh from his throat. "Why Fitoria married the two of you so quickly is beyond me. But you shall both have my thanks if you manage to extend that same happiness to my daughter."
"Hmmm, it's definitely weird to get thanks from a dragon," Amber commented out loud.
"Trust me, the feeling goes both ways," Gaelion echoed Amber's words to him earlier.
The large dragon moved to an open window. After taking a moment to gather himself, he jumped out. His wings extended out as he took to the sky, flying back to his home in the mountains.
What a relief. While Motoyasu was grateful for the dragon's help, it had set poor Amber on edge for the last while.
"So, shall we go and do what they're doing?" Amber asked Motoyasu with a not-so-innocent smile.
The Spear Hero grinned as he pulled the Filolial girl close and kissed her. "Yes, anything for you, my darling."
And like that, one of the objectives of the Love Hunter was fulfilled. Now, it was time for him to prepare for his next objective.
Getting Rishia and Itsuki together.
But first… his Filolial wife needed his attention. He could worry about those two later.
They'd gotten married around the time Fitoria appeared to test Amber. It had happened while they'd been searching for Kidfumi that one day he met the bandit king. It hadn't been your typical marriage ceremony.
But he was certain that Fitoria giving Amber that tiara ahoge had been a blessing from the great Bird God on their union!
Yeah, that had to be the case! Though it'd been too bad that Fitoria couldn't stay for the reception.
Before they could get to their room, however, a figure dashed down the hall towards them.
"Sir Motoyasu! I daresay, I'm glad I've run into you!" Shadow yelled to the Spear Hero and Amber.
"Huh? What is it?" Motoyasu asked as he and Amber disengaged from each other. Both looked disappointed, but Shadow was frantic.
"The Shield Hero and the adopted princess are missing! I daresay, I can't find them anywhere!" The Shadow hurriedly explained.
…
Motoyasu's eyes bugged out. "What?!"
"WHAT?!" Amber looked even more frantic than Motoyasu.
Shadow led them to the kid's room. A breeze was still going through it, courtesy of the large animal-shaped hole in the wall.
"Did some beast kidnap them or something?!" Motoyasu yelled in outrage.
"That is unknown. However, I have already checked around the outer walls. The guards haven't spotted anything, but they're all on high alert. I daresay, wherever they've gone, they haven't left the city." Shadow said.
Amber's hands clenched. "Those two, I swear, if they're getting themselves into trouble yet again…" She sharply turned to Motoyasu. "Come on, we're going to find them! And I'm going to lecture them even if it's the last thing I do!"
So much for them having some fun time.
The Spear Hero and his wife departed with Shadow into the city. Pausing only for a moment to grab Itsuki, who'd been retiring to bed by then along with the rest of his party.
It'd looked like he was saying something to Rishia, but Motoyasu grabbed them both to enlist their help. Once Motoyasu explained the situation, the two were quick to comply.
"Should we ask Ren to help too?!" Itsuki asked.
"Ren's busy right now. It's up to us to save our little bro!" Motoyasu replied.
"What could he possibly be busy with at this time of night-?" Itsuki began to ask in confusion.
"He's busy. Don't stick your nose into matters that don't concern you." Amber reprimanded the Bow Hero.
...
Itsuki didn't try to ask questions about Ren after that. And the small group followed Shadow out into the city. "So, what do we know about this large creature that took Naofumi and Raphtalia?" Itsuki instead asked Shadow.
"I'm uncertain to what it is. Only that it is big, and that it is capable of highly advanced illusion magic." Shadow stated seriously.
They continued down a street full of parading demi-humans only for Shadow to pause a short distance down it. "This is where the illusion trail ends."
"Did the illusion magic stop here? Maybe somebody saw it, or-" Motoyasu began to think out loud.
"No, Spear Hero. This is where my ability to track them ended. Whatever the creature was, it weaved an illusion so profound here that I could no longer track it." Shadow replied.
"F-Fueh," Rishia looked surprised. "That'd have to be at least drifa tier magic."
"No, not just that. It'd have to take years upon years of training to perfect. As well as a natural proficiency in illusion magic in general." Shadow clarified.
Well, no wonder she couldn't find them. Motoyasu wondered how they could possibly help though.
But then, Itsuki used a skill to see from fifty feet above himself. Using it, he looked all around the area they were in. While Shadow frowned, Itsuki pointed at a nearby rooftop. "It looks like something big scuttled across that way. I see grooves in the roofing up there. Perhaps that's where they went?"
Shadow moved swiftly. Somehow, within seconds, she went from being on the ground next to them to the rooftop up above. She felt the ground beneath her, only then being able to tell the grooves Itsuki had pointed out. They didn't come from claws, but from something heavy jumping onto the roof. "Yes, these don't feel like they came from any normal therianthrope…" After focusing, she was able to detect a hint of illusion magic in the air. "This is definitely the beast I was trying to track before."
"Way to find the trail bro!" Motoyasu slapped Itsuki on the back.
"Ow." Itsuki rubbed the sore spot on his back, but Rishia was looking at him with pride. Oddly enough, that made him feel much better.
Shadow continued along the rooftops, with Itsuki and Moto and their companions following down below. Itsuki paused whenever Shadow lost the trail, using his keen eyesight and the skills of his bow to provide the tracking skills Shadow lacked for the creature they were pursuing.
It wasn't that Shadow had no tracking skills. She'd been able to keep an eye on Naofumi and Raphtalia before very well because of them. So in all honesty, this spoke volumes about how well the creature they were following had covered its tracks.
Itsuki felt his heart hammering in his chest, just as it did for Moto. Their little bro and his best friend had been kidnapped for all they knew. But there still hadn't been an alert from the guards around the city of anything suspicious or anything happening. They even had Raccoon illusion specialists out to spot anything abnormal.
The trail moved this way and that. At times, it backtracked or went a completely different direction entirely. As if it was trying to shake off pursuers…
Or had absolutely no idea where it was going.
Finally, the trail began to take them away from the main celebrations in the city. People in this section of the city were still celebrating, though the area wasn't as prosperous as the rest of the city.
It wasn't bad like it was in Melromarc's capital. It was more like the old part of the city.
The two Heroes were still tracking Naofumi when an explosion happened up ahead.
"Ahhhhhh!" Screams sounded in the smoke.
"Naofumi!" Motoyasu brandished his spear as he rushed forward. Itsuki pulled back on his bow as an arrow appeared. Rishia fuehed but pulled out her rapier to help out.
Amber cried out and transformed into her Queen form. Her eyes blazed with fury as she rushed towards the smoke. Prepared to absolutely destroy whoever had harmed Naofumi, and-
"Ahahahaha! Yes, now your misdeeds shall be exposed to the light! Ahahahahaha!"
Itsuki frowned. There was no way...
The group slowed to a stop. Shadow slowly stopped beside the group as well. "I… was that…"
The smoke slowly cleared. Lo and behold, little Naofumi, without even a scratch on his body, was laughing like an evil villain. In front of him, a large dust cloud rose from the ruins of a building.
"Yeah, you won't be able to hide your misdeeds from the world any longer!" A familiar voice shouted from below Naofumi. Smoke was still hiding it from view.
"Raphtalia, Naofumi?! Are you two ok?!" Motoyasu asked worriedly.
Naofumi turned his head and smiled widely. "Moto! Big Sis! Rishia! Shadow! Itsujerk! Perfect timing!"
"It's Itsuki!" Itsuki raised a fist at the little kid. And how the heck had his JUSTICE sensors not pinged him to what was going on?! Was he that distracted or something?! And who could possibly be distracting his mind from such an important task!
"Fuehhhh..."
However, before Itsuki could say anymore or make a connection to why he hadn't been able to tell that Naofumi had been playing vigilante, and before anyone else could say anything, the creature Naofumi was riding on bounded out of the smoke.
All their eyes bulged. Even Shadow's.
"By the Gods…" Shadow gasped out.
It was a very large tanuki/raccoon creature. Its limbs looked too small for its body, like a mascot. Its large puffy tail behind it looked incredibly soft. As did the auburn fur covering its entire body.
But that wasn't the most shocking thing. The deep tea-red eyes staring back at them were definitely Raphtalia's. And the hair braids on her head looked the same as when she was a human.
For those who get the reference, Raphtalia was a very large version of Raph-Chan. And Naofumi was riding on her neck and rubbing her fur everywhere he could reach.
"H-Hi, everyone," Raphtalia said shyly in her True Beast Form.
"I found this cool shield in my room, and it turned Raphtalia into this! Isn't that cool?!" Naofumi proclaimed with a wide smile.
…
"I daresay, I truly am not paid enough by her Majesty for this," Shadow muttered with a sigh.
"How the heck does his shield have that kind of power?!" Itsuki screamed.
That was so unfair! He wished he could do something like that for Rishia or the others in his party!
…
With their permission, of course.
Naofumi pet Raph-Chan Raphtalia on the head with both hands. "Her hair and tail are even more fluffy in this form."
"Ack, not in public Naofumi!" Raphtalia complained.
"Awww, but we just busted a big group of bad guys on our city adventure," Naofumi whined. "Can't I have a reward?"
"After we get back to our room!" Raphtalia put her foot… paw? She put whatever you called the end of one of her cute small limbs down on the ground with finality.
"Awwww…" Naofumi looked incredibly disappointed, then he noticed that Motoyasu, Amber, and Itsuki were still staring at him and he smiled again. "You guys should pet Raphtalia's sides! Her fur is so soft! And maybe you can convince her to let me floof her tail in this form and-"
"NO!" Raphtalia glowed at that moment, and whatever power had helped her True Beast Form to come out wore off.
Naofumi fell to the ground next to her as she stood up on her two legs and dusted herself off. "WE ARE NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN!"
"Boo." Naofumi pouted. But Raphtalia was not going to budge on this.
As fun as it'd been, she did not appreciate the kind of attention Naofumi gave her in that form. She was not a pet. She was a person!
Besides, she'd rather he gave her a different kind of attention. The kind where he'd grip her hand in his. Or hug her close as more than a friend. Or… or k-k-k-...
The things mommy and daddy did to express their love to each other.
Sigh.
"I'm… so lost right now." Itsuki rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"Me too man. Me too." Motoyasu could do nothing but smile in relief. Glad they'd found Naofumi and Raphtalia safe and sound.
Though, there was still the explosion that'd led them here. Had they said they busted a major group of bad guys?
The rest of the smoke cleared, showing a room of knocked-out therianthropes laid on the floor. Those that were still conscious were cowering in the corner of the building in fear.
"Now that I think about it, I didn't notice this building being here before," Shadow muttered out loud.
"Oh, that's because it wasn't!" Naofumi said excitedly. "At least, not until Raphtalia used her magic to strip the place of its illusion magic! We didn't even know it was here until Raphtalia busted through the wall on accident!"
He pointed up to the roof of the nearby building. There was another large animal-shaped hole in the wall up above it.
"P-Please, have mercy on us…" One of the therianthropes that hadn't fought the kids pleaded. "I was forced into this to pay off my family's debt."
Itsuki and Motoyasu slowly walked inside. There were tables with all sorts of things on them. Beakers. Alchemy sets. And the smoke…
It wasn't just from an explosion. Motoyasu and Itsuki's eyes widened as they recognized the place for what it was. "A drug lab?"
They checked with their HUDs to confirm. And yes. That was what the place was. And there was a pile of boxes in the corner filled with the finished product.
"So, did we do good, or what?!" Naofumi proudly exclaimed. It appeared that he had no idea how big his discovery was. He only knew the people here had immediately attacked him and Raphtalia, ordering that this place had to be kept hidden at all costs.
So naturally, they defeated them and exposed their dark deeds to the world as any good person would.
Shadow shook her head once again in disbelief. "I shall inform the Siltvelt Council about this at once."
By the next day, every member of the Council had gone over to examine the drug lab that'd been hidden in their city for themselves.
Naofumi and Raphtalia had no idea about it. As they'd been taken back to the castle and put to bed by Amber. And the girl had stayed to make sure the two fell asleep.
What? It wasn't like they'd planned on running off again! The two had been really tired after that! And Naofumi got to fulfill his chaos quota for the day!
Well, it wasn't exactly chaos since they'd ended up doing good there. He'd thought about causing chaos in the celebrations. But it'd been hard for Raphtalia to run in the streets with so many people around. They didn't want to accidentally hurt anybody with their fun.
So they'd ended up on the roofs where nobody was at. But then while they'd run around trying to think of something to do, they ended up enjoying jumping from rooftop to rooftop a lot. So much that the thought of stirring up trouble had left their minds. At least until they crashed through that surprise building and landed in the midst of all those evil demi-humans.
Perhaps there were more ways to have fun than causing trouble for others?...
Hmmm, thoughts for another time, he supposed.
Anyway, it turned out to be a really bad group of people. Werner mentioned that they'd been searching for this group's headquarters for years. As they were responsible for moving a dangerous substance around that was highly addictive and used in illegal deathmatches to draw out a demi-humans deepest powers or their True Beast Form. Like what Naofumi's shield had done for Raphtalia.
Only, the drug hurt way more and had bad side effects that were bad for one's health.
Naofumi was surprised at how much he'd remembered. Though that was probably because Dadcray was standing next to him. A stern look was held on his face as Werner spoke of the depth of the council's gratitude for the Shield Hero's actions.
"Yet, he still snuck out of his room when he was supposed to be in bed?" Aultcray asked.
Werner's voice choked in his throat. "Y-Yes, I'm afraid that is the case."
…
Aultcray looked down at Naofumi and Raphtalia, who had the decency to look down at their feet in shame.
"Wise King. While they did leave a hole in the palace," Werner thought carefully before they continued. "The Council would rather reward the Shield Hero for this great kindness he has wrought for us than punish him."
Naofumi looked up at that. This group of elders wanted to reward him?!
"Yes." Jaralis shuffled awkwardly in his spot. "After careful deliberation, we are… unanimous on this." It looked like he was swallowing a very large pill as he spoke. "The Shield Hero by his actions has shown great consideration and great care for the people of Siltvelt. He not only allowed himself to be paraded around for all to see. But his actions have likely saved hundreds of individuals throughout our country from suffering a horrible fate. We do not feel it would be right to punish him for helping us in this endeavor…"
Naofumi smiled widely. Jaralis couldn't look at it head-on and had to turn away. A scowl was painted on his face… but there was also a strangely warm look in his eyes.
He'd always thought that if the Shield Hero had been summoned by another country that it couldn't have possibly been their God. Yet, the little Naofumi by his actions had demonstrated his care for his people in a way he couldn't possibly refuse any longer.
Whether Naofumi was their God or not... he was a good kid at heart.
"I agree," Aultcray said, his expression calm. "Which is why I vote that no word of this is to ever reach my wife."
"R-Really?!" Naofumi and Raphtalia said happily.
"I daresay, as long as you do not use that shield for that purpose again, I shall keep silent." Shadow appeared from Naofumi's shadow, freaking him out.
"Thank you for your agreement, Shadow." Aultcray gestured to the woman with a nod of his head.
"Yes. Just know that I shall keep an even closer eye on these two than before." Shadow spoke dryly. Her eyes creepily looked at the two kids as she sank back into the shadows.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
After that, Aultcray shook hands with all the members of the Council. Including Jaralis. He was promised that the Claw Hero would be able to meet up with him soon enough. And eventually, Melromarc's delegation left the room and reunited with the other Heroes outside.
"So, the verdict?" Motoyasu asked.
"We're not in trouble!" Naofumi said happily, then his face fell. "But we're not going to be able to cause trouble again anytime soon."
"Always watching," Shadow spoke from the little kids' shadows.
...
Raphtalia and Naofumi shuddered.
Yep. Still creepy.
How the heck did she do it?
Elhart chuckled. "Good. When I was told what you did while I was asleep, I wasn't sure to be proud of you, to strangle you, or to smack you upside the head."
"Ha, you and I both know those slaps don't hurt anymore Uncle Bald Guy!" Naofumi laughed.
Elhart simply grinned. Not saying anything in response.
He'd just hold his secret weapon in reserve for the next time the kid messed up.
"You know, he can't just keep causing trouble without suffering any consequences, right Ren?" Itsuki asked the Sword Hero.
The Sword Hero, however, didn't respond. He looked tired, but had a happy goofy smile on his face. The same smile reflected off the tired dog girl behind him, who was also sore as she stood alongside the rest of the members of his party. Despite her discomfort and tiredness, she was smiling happily, and they couldn't get her attention no matter what they tried.
"Ren?" Itsuki asked again. But he still got no response. 'What the heck's gotten into him?!'
"Don't worry, Itsuki." Motoyasu the Love Hunter winked at the blonde kid, catching him by surprise as he continued in a stage whisper. "I'll have you and Rishia wearing the face of lovvvvvvvve soon enough."
Itsuki's eyes drastically widened in confusion and terror. And Rishia's response to his words couldn't have been more perfect.
"FUEHHHHHHHHH!"
"Anyway, it's about time we head back," Aultcray spoke out. "If you don't mind, I'll lead the teleport this time."
"Awww…" Naofumi and Raphtalia's faces fell.
It appeared it was finally time to return to Momellia and her lessons.
Aultcray tapped his staff against the ground, and reality around them warped.
After a moment, they were no longer standing in the halls of the castle.
Raphtalia gasped.
Naofumi looked around confusedly. "Where are we? This doesn't look like the castle."
Raphtalia said nothing.
They stood on a cliffside, looking down at a village.
…
Homes, formerly destroyed, had been rebuilt. Fields, trampled by the monsters of the Wave, had been replanted and were being tended to by their caretakers.
Demi-humans, mostly kids, ran around the cliffside in front of them playing happily. A taller teenage girl with white and black hair was playing ball with some of the younger kids, but at their appearance, she stopped and looked at Raphtalia in surprise.
"Raphtalia, is that you?"
"K-Keel?" Raphtalia muttered weakly.
The girl, who looked like a tomboy, raced up to her friend. She was laughing and crying as she embraced her smaller, raccoon friend.
Raphtalia was still in shock. Aultcray was smiling behind her as he rested a hand on Naofumi's shoulder.
"Dadcray, what's going on?" Naofumi asked.
"Just watch, my son," Aultcray said quietly, almost reverently.
Naofumi still looked confused. But he had a feeling what was going on was important for his best friend. So he didn't say anything after that and watched, just like Aultcray.
Raphtalia was starting to shake. She had no idea what was going on. She had no idea how Keel was there. Or how any of the other kids were there. Or how her village had been restored when she'd been shown that it'd been abandoned by that horrible man. And-
"Hmmm… I was expecting you here an hour earlier."
A woman taller than Aultcray walked up to their group. She had deep black hair and a devious smile on her face. She was very beautiful and had a body any girl would be envious of. Which she didn't mind displaying with her outfit.
Yet, she had a motherly warmth around her. And when her eyes fell on Raphtalia as Keel let her go, they watered with untold joy. "Raphtalia… look at how you've grown these last few months."
"Who… who are you?" Raphtalia asked as her confusion and trembling only grew. She didn't recognize her, but… but that voice. It was familiar.
"Ah…" The woman smiled sadly. "I guess I never did appear to you outside my therianthrope form before. I'm sorry."
Suddenly, she was several feet taller. Her body was wider. She looked like an orca in human form, with her outfit stretching to accommodate her new therianthrope body.
Raphtalia's eyes widened. And tears appeared in her eyes as she recognized who the woman was at that moment. And her whole world came crashing down around her.
"S… Sa…" Raphtalia began bawling as she raced forward.
"SADEENA!"
The tall orca woman embraced Raphtalia as the little girl jumped up into her chest. Wrapping her small arms around her older sister's neck while bawling like a baby.
"There there, lil' one." Sadeena rubbed the back of Raphtalia's head. But tears were also falling down the sides of her face. "It's ok. It'll be ok, Raphtalia.
"I'm here now. I'm here… I'm not going away again."
Sadeena buried her face into the crying girl's hair. Yet the older woman's body still shook as she cried too.
Naofumi still said nothing. Yet tears fell down the sides of his face. Aultcray, who was tearing up as well, couldn't stop smiling at the sight.
"Your Majesty… what's going on here?" Motoyasu asked.
"My boy… what you're seeing is an old wrong finally being made right," Aultcray replied.
The Three Heroes and their parties watched as the rest of the kids surrounded Raphtalia and Sadeena. Keel had to help hold them back, as Raphtalia was still crying from happiness. But gradually, she got to see all her old friends again. Everyone who'd survived the Waves and their subsequent slavery at the hands of greedy people.
"This… this is what we're fighting to protect," Aultcray said. "This is what we should be fighting for. Not just here, but all over the world."
The impact of his statement on the three older Heroes was profound. Motoyasu grinned happily as he held Amber from behind, and Ren slung an arm over Wyndia's shoulders, which caused them both to smile despite their shared tiredness.
Rishia and Itsuki stood together. They didn't touch, but the same look reflected in both of their eyes as they took the Wise King's words to heart.
Naofumi wouldn't learn about it till later after Raphtalia had the chance to see all her old friends from the village. But apparently, this had been the village where the tanuki girl had grown up. The village that had been destroyed by the Waves.
The tall woman, Sadeena, was part of her family. She hadn't been at the village when it was destroyed. And she'd regretted being away ever since.
But ever since Aultcray had gotten the Staff again, he'd been working with his contacts to track down where all the village kids had been taken. One of those contacts had been Sadeena. With him lending her assistance, and after strong-arming the slave trader Beloukas into helping out, they'd managed to track down most of those who'd been wrongfully taken from their home.
And with Mirellia's approval, along with Itsuki's help, he'd been dispensing justice on those noblemen they'd identified to be behind their forced enslavement.
There was still work to be done. Everyone who'd taken part in the town's destruction hadn't been punished yet. The knights he'd stationed here, one of whom being the daughter of the former lord of the area, were just the first steps to ensuring the safety of the region.
Lurolona Village had been Mirellia's pride and joy in securing a peaceful relationship with their demi-human neighbors. And now, it was Aultcray's too.
The King was going to take whatever lengths that were required to ensure that Raphtalia's former home would never see such acts of evil committed there ever again.
The young princess deserved at least that much from the family that'd taken her in.
It was, by far, the greatest gift, and the greatest act of kindness the young half-tanuki girl had ever received in her entire life.
Author's Notes:
Yeah… when I reached this point, I knew that I couldn't bring myself to make this chapter any longer. I just can't. The feels are too much. Kidtalia deserved this moment of happiness.
Wholesomeness in this story from all sides. Thanks to the influence of Kidfumi, as well as help from the Love Hunter, his wife Amber, and Gaelion (with the latter two forever denying that they ever worked together to accomplish something), Wyndia and Ren have gotten the fast-track treatment applied to their relationship! Man, so weird to not see it take 60+ chapters for them to get together... and more PG stuff. Though they weren't the only ones to get the kidfumi fast-track treatment.
You thought I was joking when I said Amber and Motoyasu were married? Oh contrare, I would never joke about that! Feel free to treat the omake below as what happened that day. As ridiculous as it is.
This is Grand Admiral Allen saying: peace.
Hero Clips!
The Marriage
Amber and Motoyasu had been searching through the forest for Kidfumi and Kidtalia.
Had been, being the keyword.
The pair were in the middle of making out when a small girl with familiar wings on her back appeared. "So, this is the new Filolial Queen my flock told me… about…"
The two hastily stood up. Having the decency to blush as they thought a child had walked in on their 'romantic' moment.
Fitoria rubbed her eyes. As if to check that she hadn't been seeing things.
Nope, this was definitely the Spear Hero in front of her. And the woman he'd been making out with was definitely the Filolial Queen she was looking for.
"W-Who are you?" Motoyasu asked nervously.
Fitoria shook her head. For some reason, she felt very jealous looking at Amber. Whether it was because she was an adult… or because Amber wasn't lacking in the assets department as an adult was uncertain. But there was definitely jealousy in the Filolial Queen's gaze and she was definitely staring at Amber's chest.
"I-Is there something on my chest?" Amber asked worriedly.
Fitoria shook her head. "No." She introduced herself and who she was. "I came here to test you as a Filolial Queen. And-"
"And you're here to seal our union!?" Motoyasu asked excitedly.
Fitoria's eyes bugged in their sockets. "Wha- WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M-"
"THIS IS AMAZING, I SAY! MY DEAR AMBER, EVEN THE LEGENDARY QUEEN OF FILOLIALS IS HERE TO BLESS OUR UNION!"
"Oh Moto, that makes me so happy!" Amber cried with excitement.
"No, I'm not here to-" Fitoria saw the looks on their faces and shut up. She could already tell that anything she said wouldn't matter to the pair as they'd somehow made up their minds on this already.
In fact, she'd made up her mind and didn't want to stick close to this craziness any longer.
"Fine, whatever." She threw the tiara at Amber. After it landed on her head, it turned into an ahoge. "Live long and prosper, or whatever it is they say."
"D-Does this mean we're married now?!" Amber asked excitedly.
"YES, ABSOLUTELY MY DARLING ANGEL!" Motoyasu was bleeding from his nose like crazy. He was literally the happiest man in the world as he embraced his angel wife anew.
"Yeah… I'm out." Fitoria portaled away.
Well, there had probably been a trial in there somewhere. Fitoria wouldn't just hand out tiaras for free…
But needless to say, that was more or less what went down when Amber and Motoyasu got married. And when 'Uncle' eventually found them, it was 'not' in a PG situation.
Rock on in your quest for love, you awesome Love Hunter angel loving simp you.
Hero Clips!
Sadeena
"So… who exactly is Sadeena?" Itsuki asked.
"Ara ara, just who might you be little one." Sadeena cooed as her hand rubbed the side of Itsuki's face out of nowhere.
The Bow Hero reeled back, his eyes shining in terror. The tall orca woman in her demi-human form chuckled. "Such innocence. So precious."
"Fuehhhhh!" Rishia whimpered behind Itsuki, too afraid to stand up for him at this time since her character lacked the confidence to do so right now.
Ren took a step behind his new girlfriend/mate to hide from view. And Wyndia didn't judge him for doing that at all.
"So, um, who are you exactly?" Motoyasu asked. He was currently holding a hand over Kidfumi's eyes because of Sadeena's current… wardrobe choice.
"Why am I not being allowed to look again?!" Naofumi complained.
"Trust me. You're not really missing anything." Raphtalia sighed next to him. She'd grown up with Sadeena. She was at least used to this.
"Oh, silly ol' me. I guess none of the readers really know who I am since I haven't been introduced in many of their silly lil' stories yet." Sadeena said happily while putting a hand over her… bosom.
"Way to keep it PG there, Al." Elhart deadpanned.
Hey. You try taking a look at her official art and try to describe her appearance in a PG manner!
"Anyway, as for who I am." Sadeena coughed into her hand, and a more serious look appeared on her face.
"I came from Q'Ten Lo with Raphtalia's parents as a twelve-year-old. My parents had disowned me by that point for reasons, so they took me in as their own daughter, and showed me what it was like to actually have parents that cared about you."
"Oh…" The Heroes looked surprised at the seriousness of her backstory.
"You see, I didn't really have much freedom growing up. With the duties, I had to perform and all. But Raphtalia's parents helped me to escape that. And helped me learn to branch out and try new things." Sadeena smiled a little. "I got to settle in this village with them. I got to hold Raphtalia after she was born. And I had so many happy memories with my new family. I really did miss you, Raphtalia."
"I… I really missed you too." Raphtalia sniffled, and Sadeena rubbed her on the head between her ears, causing the half-tanuki girl to smile.
"Alright, enough with the sob story." Sadeena went back to her flirtatious smile. "Besides moments like this when I reveal that I do care about those around me. I love to drink, like, a lot. A lot a lot. Only Raphtalia's father was capable of out-drinking me, actually." She winked at the group. "If any of you can outdrink me, then I'll marry you in a heartbeat. If you're not taken already, that is."
Ren definitely didn't have to worry there since it didn't take much to do him in.
"Really, you'd marry a guy because of that?" Itsuki asked incredulously.
"Trust me, I doubt I'll ever meet anyone that could do it. That's kind of my 'high bar' I've set to avoid getting married." Sadeena laughed.
All the Heroes there looked at Kidfumi, whose eyes were still being covered by Motoyasu. "Ara ara?" Sadeena tilted her head to the side curiously.
"No, we are never going to let that happen." Elhart's fist clenched as he promised it alongside the Author and everyone else that had a single brain cell to their name.
"Yeah, I'll make sure to outdrink her so that she never has to set her sights on Kidfumi!" Motoyasu promised. "No matter how long it takes!"
"Ara ara, so little ol' Moto wants to outdrink lil' ol' me?" Sadeena questioned as she leaned against the Spear Hero's arm.
Motoyasu flushed in embarrassment as he realized just how 'HOT' Sadeena was.
It was true. You'd really have a hard time describing her outfit in a PG context.
"You Orca-" Amber stopped herself from letting out the crass word that came to mind. But that didn't stop the rest of her sentence from being screamed out as she tore Sadeena away from Moto. "Stay away from my husband!"
"Ara?"
The two devolved into a catfight from there.
"Will I ever be allowed to see anything again?" Naofumi whined sadly.
Raphtalia could do nothing but rub his back as the fight escalated in front of them.
Sadeena wouldn't be interested in kids anyway. So that was never going to be a concern.
But after they grew up, Raphtalia better move quickly.
Till Next Time
Allen