Hey, y'all! I'm ready to blast you all with Kidfumi again! I plan on finishing this story and possibly "Longing For It" as well as a couple of one-shots before posting Diligence again. I'm unsure of when that'll be, but I'm currently planning on posting updates to Kidfumi here again every couple of weeks on Monday for now. We'll see how much I improve over these next few months (as yes, I do plan on this story being done in a few months' time) and if I'm able to work on other works during this time to hopefully get to Diligence sooner.
Thanks again for your patience. I hope the wait is worth it.
We know love because of the love we have been shown by those before us. -Quote I found at a friend's wedding.
Chapter Twenty-One: Vacation to Cal Mira
After the surprise of seeing Lurolona Village… the next couple of weeks weren't completely terrible for Naofumi.
Actually, he'd probably be safe saying that they were among some of the best weeks of his short life.
Well… his short memory of his short life anyway. He wasn't exactly the greatest at remembering things…
He and Raphtalia continued their royal lessons under Momellia to become the perfect prince and princess. She repeated some of her lessons to them so much and so thoroughly that it sometimes felt like she was trying to brand the knowledge directly into their skulls.
Well, too bad for her! Naofumi was going to make sure that this would never happen! He would stay as the perfect incarnation of chaos forever! Bwuhahahaha-
"Correct, well done Raphtalia. Feel free to do whatever you want today."
Momellia's voice suddenly interjected into his world, bringing Naofumi back to reality. "Yay, thank you Momellia!" Raphtalia smiled and ran from the room to go look for their older sister Mel and find out if she wanted to go outside and play dodgeball together.
Mirellia also smiled really widely. It'd been weird at first, but she was really starting to enjoy the nickname Raphtalia had given her.
…
What had just happened?! What had Naofumi missed?!
"Naofumi. Can you tell me what country this is on the map?" Mirellia pointed to the same country she'd indicated for Raphtalia to answer.
"Um… uh…"
'Help me out, Shield!'
Text appeared on his screen.
No.
'Pleeeeeeeease!'
…
This is what you get for rambling on and summarizing everything that happened before instead of paying attention. Brat.
Boo! He'd even said please!
Mirellia sighed in disappointment. "Alright, let's start from the top once again. This is…"
Noooooooooooooooooo!
Naofumi ended up having to stay and repeat all the names of all the boring countries as well as go through the ins and outs of diplomacy and other boring junk before Momellia finally allowed him to retire for the night.
While going through the halls, he fumed as he thought about how he and Raphtalia had to spend so much of their time learning about manners and even more things that Naofumi didn't consider to be very important.
He was a Hero, right!? Why was he spending so much time in the castle instead of going out and helping others out?!
This might have soured the otherwise 'best' weeks of the little Shield Hero's life.
But he couldn't deny that the 'success' of their trip to Siltvelt had made Mirellia ease up on the pair just the littlest bit.
When they showed that they were paying attention, that is.
Stop jumping into the talk stupid Shield! Nobody likes you!
Anyway, while they weren't allowed to go out and cause trouble, they had an opportunity to take a break from learning twice a week. They were given those days off from learning, studying magic, fighting monsters, and all that to leave the Capital under Uncle Bald Guy and Amber's supervision to see Lurolona and play around with the kids there.
There were a lot of kids of lots of different races. But the most memorable was definitely Keel, Raphtalia's old friend.
She was a bit of a tomboy. According to Raphtalia, growing up, the dog girl had actually thought that she was a boy since her Father had always stressed the importance of becoming a 'man of the sea'.
Her parents eventually realized their mistake and corrected it. So Keel learned she was a girl before anything awkward could happen between her and the other kids.
Naofumi didn't know what that awkward thing was. But he didn't really care, Keel was pretty fun to play with regardless.
She was also very competitive. Extremely so.
Like, it was no wonder Raphtalia had been so closed off before! Keel had enough energy for three whole kids!
As soon as Keel learned to play dodgeball, no one was safe ever again. She was throwing them left and right at everyone and everything!
Even Melty, whenever she was brave enough to come along with her two new siblings, wasn't safe from Keel's antics.
Naofumi had to resort to using his skill shields once when facing off against Keel since, in her excitement to win, she became very vulnerable to counterattacks. However…
"Don't cheat with those extra shields of yours and face me like a man!" Keel howled at him, clutching two balls in her hands.
While he managed to deflect her initial barrage. He hadn't angled the shields just right so the deflected balls would go back at her. It'd still made her really mad though.
"I'm the Shield Hero though! How is that cheating?!" Naofumi whined.
"Because I can't do that! And trying to hit you two is hard enough as it is with Raphtalia's illusions helping you out!" Keel pouted.
…
Okay. So there might have been at least five copies of himself and Raphtalia on the playing field, but that wasn't really a good excuse…
Especially since those balls would have actually hit his real body had he not reacted there.
"Naofumi." Raphtalia looked at him in disappointment.
The kid sighed. "Fine, I won't use them again." Their game resumed in earnest.
He would have had to angle his shields just right anyway if he'd wanted to bounce the balls she threw back at her. Which would have forced him to use his famous archnemesis from the old world, Math.
…
…
OKAY, SO HE'D BEEN WRONG ABOUT MATH BEING COMPLETELY USELESS IN REAL LIFE BEFORE! SUE HIM!
Despite that, it was honestly a blast, and Keel was very fun to be around.
She was also very appreciative of how much Raphtalia had opened up thanks to hanging out with Naofumi. She sometimes joined them whenever they went out with Melty and Uncle Bald Guy to exterminate the monsters outside of the village.
Though Sadeena, Raphtalia's older sister… Naofumi still wasn't sure what to think about her.
She wasn't always at the village, as she still had to go out to find and rescue other kids or enlist help from people she knew to protect her village while she was gone. And there might have been some other things that she was doing that Naofumi didn't know about since he wasn't old enough.
But when she was around, she loved spending time with Raphtalia. She was interested in everything her little sis had gone through in the last few months. From befriending the Shield Hero to overcoming traumas she'd gotten from the Wave and from seeing her parents' deaths.
She teared up sometimes during those stories.
When the two weren't talking, they could often find Sadeena in front of the grave belonging to the half-raccoon girl's parents.
It was moments like this where they saw her really look sad and depressed. She must have been really close to Raphtalia's parents...
During Sadeena's discussions with Raphtalia, pride would radiate off the orca woman's form. And after the discussion when she learned that Naofumi had stood up to the nobleman that bullied Raphtalia, she gave him a very grateful hug for all the good he'd done for her younger sister.
Overall, Naofumi found her to be nice if a bit weird at times. But he and Raphtalia were weird too, so he didn't mind thinking of Sadeena as another big sister for him and his best friend…
Weird. Naofumi hadn't thought of that fat noble guy in a long while. He wondered if Dadcray was still holding him in the dungeons or not…
"Please! I just want something to eattttttttt!" The formerly fat, now emancipated-looking nobleman dressed in nothing but rags cried fat ugly tears onto the floor of his cell. It'd been at least a week since he'd been given his last meal.
…
Eh, whatever. Anyone that'd harm his best friend wasn't worthy of life anyway.
But back on topic, Naofumi had gained only a handful of levels since coming back from Siltvelt, despite the countless innocent(?) monster lives that had been brutally cut short by Uncle Bald Guy for the little Shield Hero's sake.
There was only so much exp to get from level 30-40 monsters.
If anything, Naofumi wished he could have a longer break from Momellia's lessons just so they could travel to an area where some really strong monsters were, so he'd have an easier time leveling up.
Not that it would have helped his attack stat. As he hadn't gained a single point in that stat from leveling up.
Stupid Shield.
Stupid brat who spends a lot of time summarizing stupid time skips while walking through the stupid castle.
…
…
ANYWAY!
As for the other Heroes, Naofumi saw Motoyasu a couple of times while he and Raphtalia were studying magic with Dadcray and Melty at the castle. Motoyasu still went out from time to time to fight Waves around the world. But his portal skill always allowed him to be back home every night. And thanks to the Holy Heroes helping out during the Waves, the time between them hitting areas had lengthened, giving them more time to accomplish other things.
The two heroes had plenty of fun working together during Dadcray's magic lessons since they shared a healing affinity. Motoyasu learned from Naofumi just as much as the kid learned from him.
Though whenever Amber appeared, Motoyasu would immediately begin working on fire magic with her. Leaving Naofumi to pout that his older sister figure was taking his older brother figure away from him.
He'd never had an older sister before. And within two months she was already hogging all of Moto's attention! And Moto allowed it to happen!
Boo!
Raphtalia would pat him on the head whenever he thought about that. He liked it when the half-raccoon girl did that.
Naofumi saw Ren less often than Moto. The cool Sword Hero hadn't been hanging around the castle much lately. Instead, Ren spent a good chunk of his time in Lurolona.
That at least meant Naofumi almost always saw him whenever he visited the village!
Apparently, the daughter of the nobleman who Aultcray had put in charge of the defense of the Lurolona region was a really talented swordswoman. She could defeat Ren in practice matches even though he was a lot stronger than her as a Hero.
Ren, who held the highest level among the four heroes at that point, had thus decided to spend his time here to train his sword skills under the talented swordswoman. That way he could become an even better fighter.
But whenever Naofumi visited the village, he made sure to try and convince Ren to stop his training for a bit so they could play dodgeball together.
It didn't take much convincing either. Ren always gladly agreed to it with a confident smile that left Naofumi in awe every time.
Ren had become a different kind of cool ever since they'd left Siltvelt. Before, he'd been cool because he'd seemed dark and brooding but in the cool way and not the angsty edgy way like that kid from his class that he couldn't remember the name of.
What was his name again? Burrito? Nah, that was the food.
Probably had as much personality as it though.
Anyway, Ren had become cool in a really confident and brotherly way. The way Big Bro Moto used to be cool before Amber took all of his attention away.
"What's that sword you have equipped?" Naofumi asked at one point when he noticed how weird Ren's blade looked when they were on the same team in dodgeball.
"It's called the Comradery Blade," Ren answered. "I unlocked it shortly before we left Siltvelt. It makes my friends stronger, as long as I'm able to put my absolute trust in them."
"Really?!" Naofumi asked excitedly.
Before Ren could answer, a ball beaned him in the face. He landed on his back dazed and with his arms spread out.
"I'm definitely feeling a lot stronger than before," Wyndia smirked playfully from the other side of the court beside her fellow dog girl, Keel.
Ren, despite the massive hit, jumped up immediately by forcibly kicking the ground underneath him with enough force to crack the earth and launch him into an upward position. A fiery passion burned in his eyes as waves of energy burst off his form.
Was this his super Baiyan form!? So cool!
"Oh, you are SO getting it now, Wyndia!" Ren roared.
"I'd love to see you try." The dog girl winked at the Sword Hero playfully before sticking her tongue out at him. The match resumed from there.
…
You know, thinking that memory over, Ren's epic coolness only seemed to go up another notch whenever he was around that dog girlfriend of his. Naofumi had the strange feeling that the two of them had gotten together while they were in Siltvelt, just like Moto and Amber.
Only, unlike Moto and Amber, they were still willing to spend time with the young Shield Hero and his friends when they weren't busy getting stronger or training and the like. They really cared for each other but didn't let that care block out the other important people in their lives.
That only made Ren even cooler in Naofumii's eyes. And it made all their dodgeball matches that much more interesting since he and his friends had the power and the energy to fight back, unlike most of the kids in the village.
As for Itsujerk… he'd certainly mellowed out in the last couple of weeks, but Naofumi wasn't ready to relinquish the nickname just yet!
The Bow Hero was gone a lot of the time. But that was because he was doing what Dadcray and Momellia needed him to do by going to other nations. Sometimes Itsuki went by himself and other times with Sadeena or one of Sadeena's friends. Their mission was to hunt down the last few remaining slave traders from Melromarc who attempted to escape to Zeltoble or other places with the kids from Lurolona.
Whenever Itsuki did show up at the castle, he was often too tired to talk. Leaving Rishia to explain via stories what they'd accomplished during their latest trip.
The only time when Itsuki didn't look tired was when he appeared at Lurolona Village. Sometimes with only his party, sometimes with Sadeena or her friends, and one time with both: but whenever he appeared at Lurolona he was smiling. He was proud to have been able to successfully rescue more of Raphtalia's friends. Or other demi-humans or humans who'd been enslaved.
Mirellia and Aultcray had a discussion at one point that Naofumi overheard. It was something about making Lurolona a beacon of hope for the people in the world as a land governed by the Cardinal Heroes. All four seemed to have connections to the place in one way or another. And it'd help make things more favorable for the Heroes if they weren't shown to always be staying at Melromarc's castle.
Naofumi didn't hear much more than that though, as they were talking about lots of things lately. And whenever Momellia wasn't teaching him how to be a proper royal, it was better to stay away from her so he and Raphtalia could do whatever they wanted… within reason.
Shadow was not letting them get away with many things these days. And Raphtalia refused to transform into that big and cuddly creature again.
Sigh…
He really hoped the effort he was putting into using all his strengthening methods would pay off someday. If he could use Itsuki's Job Method to increase his stealth stat enough to outrival Shadow's, then maybe he could be the one hiding in her Shadow instead of the other way around!
"Naofumi, increase your defense," Raphtalia told him blandly.
"Boo! Why can you always tell what I'm thinking?!" Naofumi whined.
He hadn't realized he was so deep in his events summarizing internal monologue that he'd gotten back to his room, and was now sitting on a couch beside Raphtalia.
"It's a secret." Raphtalia smiled and rested her tail on his lap. "But I know I'd worry a lot less in fights if you increase your defense as much as possible."
"But think about it! If I increase my stealth, I'll be attacked by monsters less often!" Naofumi refuted.
"Wouldn't that make them attack me and Uncle Bald Guy more then?" Raphtalia asked as her ears lowered sadly. "I thought you wanted to protect us…"
…
"Awwwww." Naofumi sadly sighed upon that horrible realization. Bettering his odds at getting into trouble wouldn't be worth it if it put his best friend and best uncle figure in danger down the line.
Raphtalia giggled, and Naofumi's hands began to subconsciously floof her tail. This put the young half-raccoon girl and human boy at ease.
At least Raphtalia had forgiven him for the Transformation incident. The two were just as close as ever.
He smiled at her innocently, and she smiled back. She then rested her head on his shoulder and her ears tickled his cheek.
While his vast trove of knowledge from his world had been lost over the last few months. He could remember almost everything he'd done with Raphtalia. From the day he met her on the street, to the mines when he almost sacrificed himself to save her, to the celebration feast when she hid under his cloak in sheer terror…
Even if she had grown out of that habit… even if she had become strong, he still wanted to protect the bestest friend he'd ever made in any world.
So he increased his defense stat instead. Just as Itsujerk had promised, each level higher for a stat raised it more than the last level and kept all the previous bonuses added up too.
The only downside was that he had to wait twenty-four hours to use it again. And when he did so, he'd have to use even more items stored away in his shield to level up the stat again.
…
Hopefully, Momellia wouldn't notice the vast amounts of items around the castle going missing…
With that, Naofumi fell asleep while petting Raphtalia's tail on the couch, and the little girl succumbed to sleep soon after. Happy to be able to snuggle with the boy she cherished.
…
Shadow appeared only briefly to drape a blanket over them. She then took a small moment to admire the pair of kids.
"I daresay, moments like this help me realize why it is worth it to watch over them after all…
…
"Though I will still argue that her Majesty doesn't pay me enough for this."
She then pulled out a ration bar to snack on, before she melted back into the shadows to continue her job in babysitting the future King and Queen.
Also, unbeknownst to the kids, Naofumi hadn't gone to sleep with the Pillow Shield equipped. He'd had some other random shield equipped, so as to unlock its equip bonus.
But, without any sort of fanfare whatsoever, the Shield changed to the Pillow Shield. And the two kids rested peacefully against its extremely floofy surface for the rest of the night.
… be grateful I'm finishing this for you, brat.
Ehhem.
And that was more or less how those couple of weeks passed for the Shield Hero and those closest to him. With things continuing in a normal manner…
As strange as it is for the Spirit of the Shield to call this kind of life normal.
…
I still wonder what I was on when I got convinced that this kid should be my first pick.
"My dear husband, what's troubling you?"
Aultcray stood at the window of their master bedroom, staring out at their kingdom.
It was late at night, and the Wise King had a troubled look on his face as his wife appeared beside him in her bedgown.
"I'm sorry for waking you, my love. I have much that's troubling my mind tonight." Aultcray rested a hand in hers, and she gripped it, only nodding her head as she joined his side.
The two monarchs were silent. Staring out over their kingdom and the star-filled sky overhead.
…
"Is it anything I can help with?" Mirellia asked after a moment.
"I doubt that there is anything I could do that you couldn't do ten times better than me." Aultcray chuckled with mirth.
Mirellia smiled and laid a kiss on the man's cheek. She liked how he'd started keeping his naturally white beard short and trimmed. It made him look like the man she'd fallen in love with, the man he was before the war. Before the loss of his sister…
"You truly have regained your wisdom." Mirellia's smile was bittersweet. And Aultcray smiled the same smile at his wife in return.
"I'm sorry it took so long for that to happen." He replied wistfully.
She held him lovingly, and he held her in return. "I wish this could have happened sooner. I missed you so, so much."
Aultcray held her hand in his while the woman trembled beside him. He said nothing, but the smile slowly fell from his face.
It was moments like this where he really understood how far he'd fallen from grace during the last decade. How he'd caused so much worry and pain for his wife and daughter without meaning to.
If he could have only been a better man. A better consort for his Queen, a better Father for Melty… and…
"Luge… please tell me that this isn't all a dream," Mirellia whispered pleadingly.
He smiled as he faced her again. "You haven't called me by my old name since the day when we got married."
Mirellia blushed lightly at that, but Aultcray kept a loving grip on her hand. "This isn't a dream. I'm here for you, now and always.
"I won't leave your side ever again."
Mirellia sighed happily as she hugged her husband close.
She knew it wasn't all a dream. She'd hoped for a long time that this would happen. She'd stayed by his side because she loved him and believed the man he once was was still in there, hiding inside the shell of the man who'd been brought low by grief over the years.
…
She adored moments like this. When she could drop the title of Queen and he the title of King.
Where it just felt like they were Mirellia Melromarc and Luge Faubley again. Just two people happily in love with each other, like in the beginning.
…
…
A long silence followed this. The two held each other beside the window.
…
Finally, Aultcray sighed, and the moment between them was gone as he spoke his next words.
"None of the other Vassal Heroes have responded to my earlier summons."
Mirellia's eyebrow quirked in worry. "None of them?" She asked.
"Not a single one. Our new friends over in Siltvelt have been trying to contact the Claw Hero, but have had no success thus far. Zeltoble said that the Axe Hero had gone off to train long before the start of the Waves. The Projectile Hero's country hasn't been able to contact him in a while either. They suspect that he might have gone into hiding in Faubley for some reason… And then there's Shieldfreeden."
Mirellia listened attentively as Aultcray continued saying what had been on his mind. "I was told that their Hammer Hero had been off training together with the Claw Hero. But shortly after I sent my message, he appeared in Shieldfreeden and responded that he'd like to meet. Only, I haven't received a follow-up since then. And Nielseen has been strangely closed off about the topic."
Mirellia frowned. "All of this is highly suspicious…"
"Then, earlier today, I received a message from the Whip Hero in Faubley. He has requested to see me here in Melromarc."
…
"My dear, isn't that a good thing?" Mirellia asked.
"That's the thing, my love. I haven't actually contacted Faubley yet regarding this topic because of my… history with them." Aultcray scowled as he said it.
Even if he had come to terms with his loss, his old country still left a bad taste in his mouth. The King back then had done nothing to avenge the loss of his family back when his mother and all of his siblings, with the exception of one blind sister, were murdered by hakuko mercenaries. Likely hired by another of his many half-siblings to kill them off and thus bring themselves one step closer to the Faubley throne.
His family had only been fortieth in line. There'd been little to no chance of them ever being the leaders of the country. And yet they'd been stepped over like vermin. And the King had done nothing to punish the half-sibling responsible for it.
"I haven't told the Whip Hero why I'm reaching out to all the Vassals. Yet he said in his message that he was eager to share his power-up methods with me."
…
Mirellia frowned deeply after a moment. She finally saw the thing Aultcray was getting at.
"I didn't even know that it was possible until recently. Yet that young man knows about it already." Aultcray pointed out grimly.
"Which leaves us to wonder… if he truly had known to begin with, why didn't he come forward to share this before?" Mirellia pondered out loud.
She had seen him at the International Federation of Nations. Even if he would have argued back then that he couldn't share his knowledge since none of the other Vassals were being allowed into Melromarc, that still gave him no excuse to keep this knowledge from those other Vassals since the fate of their world was at stake!
"That's the thing. I believe that he doesn't know." Aultcray said.
"... Oh?" Mirellia looked thrown off by her husband's observation. "Is there something I'm missing?"
"In his message, he seemed to believe that he had multiple methods to share with me. Vassals only have one, however. Unless he's gotten them from the other Heroes, which still doesn't explain their lack of contact or why he and the others haven't stepped forward before." Aultcray elaborated further.
…
"Then… how could he have learned about it? Who besides you knows this?" She asked.
"Besides me, you, and the Siltvelt Council… only the other Cardinal Heroes. And the Hammer Hero, since he's the only one I've managed to contact." Aultcray answered gravely.
The both of them frowned deeply. "I am getting the feeling that ignoring the Whip Hero could lead to irreparable consequences. But that inviting him here would be like inviting a wolf in the midst of a flock of sheep." Mirellia said to herself.
"Those are my thoughts as well," Aultcray affirmed. "If I don't bring him here, I suspect he could reveal this knowledge to the other nations, and thus accuse us of hoarding power from them."
"All of our progress in trying to unite the world against the Waves could be lost in an instant if such a scenario were to occur."
…
They were both silent for another moment, contemplating what to do. Mirellia then spoke. "How about we start with Nielseen? It's possible she might know if the Hammer Hero contacted the Whip Hero or not. I've heard she has connections to the Whip Hero as well."
"Yes, that could benefit us," Aultcray said to himself. "I can send her a message tomorrow via the guild system and pick her up for a diplomatic meeting as soon as she's ready. Perhaps she can give us some information that we're lacking."
"And what about the other Cardinal Heroes?" Mirellia asked curiously.
Aultcray frowned again. "If we did allow Faubley's Whip Hero to visit here and he had ill intentions, I would not feel safe having little Naofumi and the others in harm's way."
"Then perhaps we could send them out somewhere?" Mirellia suggested. "It'll give them something to do, and leave them less suspicious of what's going on."
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to go with them too, my love?" Aultcray asked with some concern in his voice.
"No. I understand your worry, but it would be better for me to be close. I have ways of working in politics that you simply are incapable of, my dear husband." Mirellia smirked.
"I just… I fear putting you and… our unborn child in danger." As he said that, he rubbed a hand on the Queen's stomach.
It wasn't visibly bulging out yet, but it would only be a few more weeks before the Queen's condition became apparent to others. Including Marx and his other advisors.
Mirellia rested a hand on her husband's cheek. "You know how much I love my family, right?"
"With all your heart," Aultcray answered.
"And my country?" Mirellia asked.
…
"With all your soul." Aultcray lowered his head.
Right. Even as much as she loved him and their two daughters (did he have three of them now, he couldn't recall exactly since one of them looked so faded compared to Melty and Raphtalia for some reason), she still loved her country a lot more.
That might have been her flaw, but in some ways, it'd also been his flaw loving his family more than his country.
That was why, together, they helped to balance each other out. One reminded him of the importance of country, while the other reminded her of the importance of family.
It was how they'd made their marriage work all this time, after all.
Mirellia rested both her hands on his face and kissed her husband. After a moment, she pulled back to smile at him. "Then if both my husband and my country could be in danger, how could I not put my heart and soul into this endeavor?"
Aultcray smiled brightly and pulled his wife close to kiss her again.
After they parted, he spoke. "You'll craft a convincing lie to make sure the other Heroes are safe?"
"My dear, how can it be a lie?" Mirellia smiled mischievously. "Count Hadenburg just informed me of what's occurring in his domain. And I'm sure young Naofumi would appreciate time away from me and my lessons to level up and have fun with his friends."
"Plus, if I recall correctly, wherever he goes, the other Heroes are bound to follow. I foresee no issues with this. Especially if what I've heard about the Sword and Spear Heroes is correct."
"Now that I think about it, I can send Melty along with them too. That way, she'll get to experience more of the kingdom, gather strength on the islands, and be out of harm's way should trouble come with the Whip Hero's arrival!"
Aultcray grinned widely. Sometimes, he didn't know who was smarter. Him, or his wife.
He was willing to bet every gold coin in the entire kingdom that his wife was the smarter of the two. One would be remiss to think he wore the pants in the kingdom.
Didn't they have another daughter that'd be in danger though? Hmmm, Aultcray wasn't quite sure to be honest. Though… if he recalled correctly, she also had a connection with the Whip Hero. One she'd made while she'd been in the country's private academy.
Perhaps he could use that to his advantage?
"Also, young Naofumi will finally be able to use something besides the utensils in the kitchen to strengthen his weapon." Mirellia rolled her eyes. "That is a strange thing I never thought my Shadows would tell me about."
Aultcray laughed. "Young Naofumi is definitely a strange kid."
The two rulers laughed and retired back to bed.
Aultcray finally had a plan of action going forward. Now, he just had to think things out some more. Like gathering more intel from Nielseen.
And make sure that he was prepared for when the Whip Hero arrived in his kingdom.
"WOOOOO! We're going to the beach!" Naofumi cheered as they approached the docks.
"Hey now, this isn't some mere pleasure cruise brat." Uncle Bald Guy said irritably. He'd slapped the back of Naofumi's head a few minutes before this already and his hand still stung. "We're going to Cal Mira for the Activation Event that her Majesty informed us about. Meaning that we'll be there to level you up as much as possible."
"Awwwww, can't we do more than just slay innocent(?) monsters while we're there?!" Naofumi whined.
"Trust me, kid, these monsters aren't innocent in the slightest. And on top of that, they give A LOT of exp. You're not going to have to kill nearly as many to level up as you've had the last few weeks." Elhart grinned widely.
"You mean you won't have to kill as many to level me up." Naofumi scowled adorably.
"YEP!" Elhart laughed deeply. "THIS WILL DEFINITELY BE A VACATION FOR ME!"
Boo! Why couldn't his stupid shield let him do anything?!
I make you invulnerable. Be grateful for that, brat.
What was the point of being invulnerable if you couldn't do anything with it!? It was like that one funny picture his friends showed him with the two blue buttons where you could only pick one or the other!
Or was it red buttons? And could you only pick one? It'd been so long that all he could recall was that it involved buttons of some kind and pressing them.
…
"Think about it like this," Raphtalia suggested. "Even if we're slaying a lot of monsters. It'll be better than staying in the castle all week."
"... yeah, you're right!" Naofumi said, his eyes shining with excitement.
A whole week without learning about laws or manners or anything! Uncle Bald Guy was right! This was a vacation!
"And I'm really happy that this will give us a chance to have more fun with Mel," Raphtalia added with a genuine smile.
"R-Really?! You're looking forward to spending time with me?!" Melty asked in shock.
"Of course." Raphtalia smiled at their older sister figure. "You're a lot of fun to hang out with and it wouldn't be as fun if you had to stay behind."
"Aren't you happy to be spending time with us too?" Naofumi asked their older sister figure with a pout.
"O-Of course! That's why I got my class upgrade from Amber before this!" Melty exclaimed with a nervous laugh. "There's no way I'd miss this!"
Her weird tone aside, their current levels were thus:
Naofumi: LV: 58.
Raphtalia: LV: 59.
Amber: LV: 56.
Melty: LV: 40.
And last but not least:
Uncle Bald Guy: LV: 95.
The old blacksmith had only grown a couple of levels since meeting Naofumi. And according to him, the max level for people like him was 100.
Meaning there was no way for him to get stronger than Naofumi and his friends. BUWHAHAHAHAHAHA!
"Ahem."
"What?" Naofumi looked up at Uncle Bald Guy innocently.
"Don't think I didn't see the look on your face there, mister," Elhart said in a dry tone.
Naofumi pouted. And both Raphtalia and Melty giggled at the sight.
"Honestly, kid. You should learn a proper poker face one of these days." Elhart sighed as he rested his hands on the kid's shoulders.
"What's a poker face?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"It's when I take my finger like this and poke your face." Elhart snorted and poked Naofumi's cheek, which felt harder than any metal he'd smelted as a blacksmith by this point.
Ouch, he should be careful with prodding the kid in the future. He could accidentally break his hand if he wasn't being careful.
Still, it caused Naofumi to pout all over again, and Elhart laughed at the rise he'd gotten out of the kid.
After a little bit, they walked out onto the docks that were filled with adventurers.
"Hey, there you are!" Big Bro Moto suddenly appeared from amongst the crowd, as well as the other Heroes and their parties.
"Moto!-" Naofumi ran forward to hug his older bro.
But Amber pushed him aside with hearts in her eyes. "BLONDIE~3!"
Motoyasu laughed as he and the Filolial woman embraced and swung each other around.
Naofumi fumed in the background while Raphtalia did her best to try and calm him down.
He was REALLY growing frustrated by the pair's dynamic. Amber might as well have been Motoyasu's Filolial instead of his at this point!
Traitor!
"Hey, Naofumi. How are you doing?" Ren approached next.
"Ren!" Naofumi's grin returned as he ran to the Sword Hero and hugged him around the waist instead. "I'm doing great now that you're here! How are things with you!?"
Ren nodded slightly in response. His calm, laidback smile seemed to grow a little as he hugged his younger bro back. "Things are going well. Really well, actually. Yesterday, I almost beat my mentor without using any hero skills or anything."
"Whoaaaaaaaaaa!" Naofumi's eyes widened in awe.
"That was only because she was going easy on you." Wyndia walked up as well, rolling her eyes. But she had a smile on her lips too. "Still, you looked pretty good in that match. You've definitely improved."
"You're not so bad yourself," Ren replied with a smirk. "You're almost as good of a swordsman as me now."
"Care to explain why almost all of our spars seem to end with me pinning you to the ground then?" Wyndia asked curiously.
Ren was still smiling as a blush filled his features. He opened his mouth to say that it was because he preferred for Wyndia to be on top, but then he saw Elhart glaring at him suspiciously from over Kidfumi's head.
Right. It was now his turn to keep things PG rated around his kid bro. Just like Motoyasu and Amber.
"Because I go easy on you since I like you a lot," Ren said with a faint smile. He didn't hesitate to grab the dog girl's hand as he admitted it.
Wyndia's face began to heat up at his words. But she returned the smile as the two held hands.
Naofumi's own smile brightened. Despite the display of affection that'd normally turn his stomach, his bro and the weird dog girl looked really happy together, just like him and Raphtalia.
It seemed like Ren had found his own best friend, and Naofumi didn't have to worry about her stealing his brother away from him as Amber had with Moto. So he could accept Ren's relationship and not blame it on cooties… unlike with a certain somebody.
"Did I do something wrong?" Amber asked curiously.
"My lovely angel! How could you possibly do any wrong?!" Motoyasu asked with stars and hearts in his eyes.
Ugh. Disgusting.
Ren breathed a sigh of relief as Elhart's glare turned into a thumbs-up. It was nice to receive encouragement from the old man. His social anxiety had really lessened a lot these last few weeks.
He hadn't even heard that annoying voice in his head once since he and Wyndia… wow. It was still weird to use the label 'mates' to describe their relationship and their nights in bed.
Though she had been raised by a dragon, so he'd learned to accept it as well as the perks that came along with it. Seeing how happy she was these days was definitely a bonus. He could stare into her amber eyes forever and it was the same for her…
While the two lovers stared into each other's eyes, Naofumi noticed Itsujerk and his friend Rishia walking up. The rest of his group was absent for some reason. But… strangely enough, an old lady was walking behind them as well.
"Who's that Itsujerk?" Naofumi asked.
"It's Itsuki!" The Bow Hero exclaimed angrily.
"And?" Naofumi asked.
Before Itsuki could say anything in retaliation, Rishia spoke up. "T-This is my new mentor. G-Granny."
"ORA! It's great to meet you, young Shield Hero!" Granny grinned widely as she walked to the front and extended an old wrinkled hand.
It was weird. She looked old. But she also looked young. While she had wrinkles, she didn't move like the old people in his world. Her movements were quick and energetic, like a young person's. And when Naofumi shook her hand, he could feel the force behind her handshake.
This was a person just like Uncle Bald Guy. Somebody who was far more powerful than what they looked like at first glance.
"Are you really called Granny?" Naofumi asked curiously.
Granny let out a deep laugh to express her mirth. "I do have a name, of course. But I much prefer Granny if that's alright with you."
"Sure! It's a pleasure to meet you, Granny!" Naofumi said happily as he finished shaking her hand.
"It's also a pleasure to meet you!" Raphtalia shook the old lady's hand next, getting a laugh out of her. "But this seems strange. Have we seen you somewhere before?-"
"G-Granny?! You mean, the most famous adventurer in our kingdom!?" Melty interrupted in shock.
"Ohoho! I'm not sure about that, my dear, though I've probably given it my best shot over the course of my long life." Granny winked mischievously at the young princess.
"Fuehhh…" Rishia whimpered uncomfortably.
Melty just stared in awe as did Naofumi.
Raphtalia seemed unsure. She could have sworn she'd seen this lady before. Yet, where had it been?
The young Naofumi felt a kindred spirit from Granny. Why did Itsujerk have her in his party?! It was so unfair!
"Rishia!" Granny suddenly barked, causing the girl to eep and stand up straight. "You better be ready! These young ones have reminded me of the importance of youth! So you better learn Hengen Musou as quickly as possible!"
"Fueh! Y-Yes Granny! Of course! I'll try my best!" Rishia quickly bowed.
"No, you'll give me your all, and then some! I'll have you living and breathing life force by the end of the week or you'll die trying!" Granny promised.
"Fuehhhhhhhh!"
Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Melty's eyes all widened.
"I think I remember." Raphtalia suddenly whispered to Naofumi. "I saw her fighting with a garden hoe in the last Wave."
"Wha- when did that happen?" Naofumi whispered back.
"I think it was when we were on our way to meet up with everyone. She was fighting monsters all by herself. But…"
"Granny, please tone it down, you know how Rishia doesn't-" Itsuki tried to interject.
"Shut it, brat! Anymore out of you and I'll make you train twice as hard alongside my prodigy!" Granny threatened the Bow Hero with a fiercesome gaze.
"MEEP!" The Bow Hero wisely backed off at the threat.
…
Raphtalia sweatdropped. "She was way too scary for me to draw attention to her." The raccoon girl admitted.
Naofumi sweatdropped as well. On second thought, perhaps it was a good thing Granny wasn't with them.
She'd probably push Uncle Bald Guy to the point of having a heart attack. And then them soon after.
"Hey, I'm not that old…" Elhart grimaced after saying that. "But yeah, best not to ask her how to do something. She'd probably train you in how to do it until your arms would fall off, or until you would be able to do it in your sleep. Whichever came first."
Naofumi shuddered.
Yep. Itsujerk could definitely keep her.
He just hoped that Rishia wouldn't have a heart attack.
She was too nice to deserve a fate like that.
Itsuki looked back at Granny and Rishia. He really wished the rest of his party could have been there too. This was the Cal Mira Activation Event they were going to here! This was the perfect opportunity to raise their levels and get a lot of materials and drop items!
Why did Sadeena have to come to him yesterday requesting his friends' help and not Ren!? It was so unfair!
She was already in the 70s level-wise and dedicated to rescuing more villagers from slavery while they were gone. He was completely behind that too! But did she HAVE to ask for his party members to help her out with smuggling slave kids out of Zeltoble?! She already had Keel and others in the village assisting her with that!
Had his other friends been there, he could have at least tried to distract Granny with them and go under her radar…!
Actually, what were all their names again? Ever since Mald's heart attack, he hadn't really kept track of any of them.
Was one of them named Welst or Rachel? Or was it Aksel and Maya?
He was pretty sure that was who his two newest party members were at the very least. They'd joined shortly after Mald had died.
Damn, maybe that was why only Rishia was with him. She was the only one he'd really had any meaningful interactions with recently. He'd have to fix that after he got back.
It wouldn't do any good for his brigade of 'justice' to not know one another.
At that moment, he felt compelled to say it for old times' sake. "Jus-"
"All aboard!" The captain of the vessel called out.
Itsuki's face sunk in disappointment. "Dang it… next time."
"Alright, time to get going!" Elhart called out to everyone like he was an adult chaperone.
Which might as well have been the case. He was the oldest one there, after all.
"Hey, Granny is older than me!" Elhart complained when he saw the look on Naofumi's face. Naofumi pouted at having his mind read so easily again.
"Ohoho! But who would win in a fight between us, hmmm?!" Granny hummed in challenge.
…
"You know what, never mind! I am the oldest one here! Follow me, everyone!" Elhart chuckled nervously.
It wasn't lost on everyone there who would win in a fight between the old blacksmith and the old granny.
And thus, they boarded the ship alongside the other adventurers to head off to Cal Mira.
The trip across the sea was actually pretty cool.
It was too bad that they were only going to be on the ship for one day.
The ship left in the morning. So Naofumi and Raphtalia got to spend the majority of their day with Melty playing around on the deck.
They spent their time figuring out who could run the fastest around the ship. Who could climb up the rigging the highest (something that took a little bit of convincing before Melty agreed to it). Melty showed off some of her water magic and her new drifa tier spells on the ocean while Raphtalia showed off her progress with illusion magic.
Naofumi… showed off the wide variety of support spells he'd learned with Aultcray's help.
He would have shown off how much more effective his healing magic had become. But that'd require them to be injured or sick.
His magic was still boring in terms of combat power. But he could now cast drifa tier spells to increase his friend's defense, speed, dodging, strength, attack, luck, and a mixture of some of these and other stats.
They took so long to chant out though. He wished he could learn a spell that'd allow him to cast them all at once!
There honestly wasn't too much for the kids to do on the boat. But they made the most of it together.
Amber eventually made it better by taking them all overboard so they could ride on her back as she swam alongside the ship.
"This is so cool!" Melty said, stars shining in her eyes. "I'm riding a Filolial in the ocean! This couldn't be any better!"
"I can imagine several ways this could be better." Naofumi crossed his arms with a pout.
"Oh yeah!? How!?" Melty asked angrily.
"Shadow could be watching from the ship instead of riding with us." Naofumi pointed out.
Shadow was indeed visible this time, sitting at the back of the group. Still following her job to the letter.
"... alright, you have a point there," Melty admitted nervously.
Shadow didn't say anything. She just observed the kids to make sure they stayed out of danger.
While they rode the waves, a few monsters attacked them. But it was nothing their small group couldn't handle.
Naofumi got to absorb these monsters and gained a few shields that increased his swimming abilities and the like.
He wondered if he could get a shield that'd allow him to breathe underwater. It would be really cool, and it'd force Shadow to leave him alone to breathe every now and then.
"Always watching."
There was the creepy line he'd been waiting for.
All three kids shuddered simultaneously. "Can you please say it in a different way at least?" Naofumi asked.
"I daresay, I'm always watching," Shadow responded.
"... you're really overusing that phrase," Raphtalia said flatly.
"Shadow, please don't ruin our fun," Melty begged. Couldn't she just let them ride on Amber in peace?
…
Shadow just stared at them. And the three all shuddered from the stare.
Maybe they'd be better off not addressing Shadow's existence.
"At least we're finally spending time with Amber and Melty," Raphtalia said upbeatedly to Naofumi.
"Maybe it'd be better if we tried to get Ren or Moto out here?" Naofumi suggested.
"Would Amber be able to fit another person on here?" Melty asked curiously. She already had three kids and an adult ninja, after all.
"Yes! If it was Moto!" Amber replied happily.
"... on second thought, let's just grab Ren." Naofumi deadpanned.
"Boo!" Amber pouted back at him.
"Even I have to agree with the Shield Hero on this matter," Shadow stated dryly.
"Yeah," Raphtalia said after that.
"What do you mean? I think their relationship is really cute!" Melty pouted angrily.
"See, Mel supports me!" Amber yelled victoriously.
"That's because she loves everything Filolial!" Naofumi argued.
"I do not… well, I do, but that's beside the point!" Melty retaliated.
"That is the entire point of it!" Naofumi argued back.
The kids bickered while Amber rode the waves back to the large vessel carrying everyone to the island chain.
"Ugh…"
However, when they got back to the ship, the bickering stopped. Both Moto and Itsujerk were leaning over the side of the ship with green-colored faces.
"Moto!?" Amber cried out in shock.
"Ah, I must be dying, for I see an angel before my eyes… hurk!" Motoyasu's lovestruck smile disappeared as his hand covered his mouth.
Amber jumped on board, and the kids plus Shadow quickly got off her. With a poof of feathers, the angel woman grabbed Motoyasu and rubbed his back urgently.
"What's up with the two of you?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"We're… really, really seasick." Itsuki managed to reply. He then quickly put his head overboard as he vomited.
"Fuehhhh…" Rishia whimpered as she rubbed his back. "Focus on the horizon, Sir Itsuki. That should help."
Itsuki groaned like he was dying. Moto let out a similar groan.
"Aren't they being a bit… what's the word again? Over… overdra…"
"Overdramatic?" Melty supplied.
"Yeah, that." Naofumi shrugged.
At least he knew what the long word meant. His vocabulary was getting there, despite his best efforts to stall Momellia's learning curve.
"Maybe. I don't really feel seasick. But then again, we've spent a good amount of time riding around on Amber." Raphtalia said unsurely.
"Well, Itsujerk is definitely being overdram… dramatic about it!" Naofumi smiled proudly as he managed to say the word on the second try.
"Grrr… f…" Itsuki turned to say something, only to think better of it and turn towards the horizon again.
Ha! That's right! Itsujerk couldn't even hold a candle to the others! Especially Ren!
Ren was so cool! He was probably riding the waves like a King! Chaining them to his command via his water magic and preparing an epic tsunami that'd carry the boat all the way to their destination and-
"Urghhhhh…"
The kid turned around in shock.
To his complete and utter surprise, Ren was on the other side of the ship. And he looked even worse than the other two Heroes.
His face was literally green while he sat with his back against the rocking ship. His hands weakly gripped a bucket that stank of something awful.
"Ren, is there anything else we can do to help you?" Wyndia and the Sword Hero's other friends were beside the Sword Hero. The dog girl was holding his shoulders and staring at him worriedly.
"Please… just let me pass away in peace…" Ren mumbled like he truly was dying.
"You idiot! You better not die on me or else I'll, I'll…" Wyndia trailed off, her face filling with fear at the thought that her mate would die only weeks after they got together.
That couldn't happen! They'd only just become mates! She was ready to spend the rest of her life with the Sword Hero and now a stupid ship was going to kill him!?
"Ren, please don't joke with us like that," Welt said nervously.
"It can't really be that bad, can it?" Bakta asked after that.
"It- urk!" Ren put a hand over his mouth.
Wyndia suddenly moved with blazing speed, throwing the bucket from his hands and positioning his head over the ship's railing.
"Hurghhhhh!"
The side of the ship got a new paint job, courtesy of the remaining contents in the Sword Hero's stomach.
"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Tersia asked in a deadpan.
The party tank shuffled his feet nervously. It wasn't like he was trying to make things worse.
"Is… is Ren ok?" Naofumi asked, still looking surprised as he approached. "I… we were going to invite him to ride the waves with us, but…"
"I'm afraid that isn't possible at the moment. Ren is very seasick." Wyndia said, her ears falling sadly onto her head while she rubbed a hand through the Sword Hero's hair. She seemed to have calmed down from her earlier thoughts.
Ren was stronger than that. He wouldn't just die from this… Yet she still looked so sad seeing her Hero suffering. She wanted so desperately to help him feel better but had no idea what to do since this was her first time riding a ship herself.
"You should have told me you were bad with ships, idiot."
"Ughhhhhhhh…" Ren moaned in agony. "I'm sorrrrrrry."
This was the worst. He'd done so well being an awesome older brother for Naofumi too. Now his little bro was finally seeing him at his lowest. And he couldn't even muster the energy to care about it.
What a cruel life this'd turned out to be.
Naofumi took a step back.
His…
His…
…
HIS FAVORITE COOLEST BRO WAS REALLY SICK TOO?! HE'D SHAKEN OFF THE OTHER HEROES FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, BUT IT MUST HAVE BEEN REALLY BAD TO AFFECT HIS FAVORITE BRO LIKE THIS!
NAOFUMI NEEDED TO ACT IMMEDIATELY TO HELP HIM OUT!
"Don't worry, Ren! I'll help you feel better as soon as possible!" Naofumi said determinedly.
"Is… is there something you can do to help him?" Farrie asked curiously.
"Just watch! I haven't been learning healing magic all this time for nothing!" Finally, it was his moment to shine!
"As the Shield Hero, source of thy power I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature! Rid my target of the sickness affecting him and restore him to good health!" His chant went on for at least ten more seconds.
It was a really good thing his Shield put the words on his HUD for him to read off while he did this. It would have taken a long time to memorize it all. But if it was to help his totally cool and awesome bro out, he'd be more than motivated enough to memorize it himself in the future if it ever came to that!
"Drifa Ailment Dispersal V!"
A bright green glow covered Ren's body. Everyone around the Sword Hero had to cover their eyes at the cool display of magic.
When it faded away, Ren's face wasn't green anymore. He still looked tired, but his nausea was completely gone.
"What… I don't feel like my stomach's tying itself in knots anymore." Ren said in disbelief.
"Good! That definitely means the spell worked!" Naofumi said happily.
Dadcray had said it'd work on most sicknesses and other things. But he hadn't known if seasickness would count or not.
Thankfully, it looked like it did.
After all the things Ren had done for him, it felt good to help his bro out in return.
"Are you good enough to stand on your own, Ren?" Wyndia asked, eyes shining with tears seeing him suddenly feeling better.
"I'm…" Ren almost stood up, but then wobbled with the ship. Wyndia barely got under his shoulder in time to keep him from falling. "I still feel pretty weak, if I'm being honest." He admitted sadly. "But, I don't feel like throwing up anymore at least… thank you, Naofumi." The cool boy flashed the young kid a grateful smile.
"Ehehe!" Naofumi grinned as he gave his cool older bro a thumbs up.
Wyndia frowned. "Let's take you back to your room then. Maybe some rest would do you some good."
"But… it looked like Naofumi wanted to do something earlier…" Ren muttered, his gaze moving back to his kid brother.
"It's ok. I was able to help you, so that's all that matters!" Naofumi grinned happily. "Get well soon, bro! That way we'll be able to play a lot together on the islands!"
Ren faintly smiled back, as did Wyndia. "That'd be… nice."
The dog girl rubbed the top of Naofumi's head in thanks, before helping the Sword Hero go back down into the ship. He muttered something to her, and she nodded her head and gave him a smile that made Ren relax.
The pair of lovers disappeared under the deck.
"I… Thank you again for doing that." Tersia said to the Shield Hero.
"Where did you manage to learn magic like that anyway?" Farrie asked excitedly.
"Yeah, I don't remember learning anything like… oh no-" Moto tried to walk over, only to put his hand over his mouth and vomit over the side of the ship again.
How did he have anything left in his stomach at this point? It was completely unfair, I say!
"Dadcray got me some really good books on healing and support magic," Naofumi revealed happily. "Ever since the last Wave, he's been helping me to learn a bunch from them!"
"Wha- no fair! I didn't learn anything like that!" Motoyasu complained.
"That's because you and Amber were too busy playing with fire to learn any of them!" Naofumi yelled back at Moto.
"Urghhhh…" Moto wanted to whine about how unfair that was, but he couldn't refute his kid bro's argument.
Not to mention, it wouldn't look good if he acted lame in front of Amber. So he decided to tough things out like a man instead of plead with Naofumi to heal him.
Naofumi focused on Ren's friends as he chatted with them instead. He told them all about the cool magic he'd been learning under Aultcray!
Yes, he could consider it cool now! Especially since it'd been used to help his cool bro out!
Welt and Bakta didn't seem very interested in magic. But Tersia and Farrie definitely were. They listened with fascination to all the spells Naofumi had studied. Which led to Raphtalia and Melty joining in to also gloat about their specialties.
Sometime during this, Naofumi was interrupted by a certain Bow Hero who was so sick that he, at last, threw away his pride.
"Can… urgh, can you please use that spell on me too?" Itsuki pleaded from his part of the railing.
"Why should I help you out Itsujerk?" Naofumi asked, pouting that the jerk hero was interrupting his time with Ren's cool friends.
"Blurgh…" Itsuki would have answered. But he threw his head over as he vomited again.
"Fueeeh! Can you please help Sir Itsuki out Naofumi!?" Rishia frantically pleaded with the young Shield Hero. "He's really miserable right now and I don't like seeing him like this!"
Naofumi was about to refuse again. But Rishia's lip began to quiver as she looked at him through tear-filled eyes.
Crap, she could pull off the puppy-eyes look too. And she did it almost as well, if not better than Raphtalia.
Itsujerk might have been a jerk. But he'd still done good things like saving this kind girl. And she really seemed to care for him a lot too.
… and like with Raphtalia, he couldn't say no to that face.
"Fueh…" Rishia whimpered gratefully as Naofumi cast the spell on the Bow Hero. She gave him a bow of gratitude before helping Itsuki stand up.
"Ugh, my stomach still feels weird." The Bow Hero whined. "Did you put your full power behind that?"
"Huh? I think so. Maybe yours is just a special case?" It'd make sense for the Bow Hero's seasickness to be just as stubborn as Itsujerk himself. "I know! This medicine should help!" Naofumi then took a vial out of his shield and handed it to Rishia.
"Th-Thank you again!" Rishia opened the flask and gave it to Itsuki so he could drink it.
"Ugh! This stuff tastes like s- it tastes awful!" Itsuki corrected himself midsentence.
"P-Please drink it! It's supposed to help you feel better!" Rishia pleaded.
However, the Bow Hero continued to resist. Forcing her to have to make him drink it herself.
"I can understand why he doesn't want to drink it." Raphtalia said beside Naofumi. "That stuff really tastes nasty."
"Did I make you drink it at some point?" Naofumi asked curiously. Strange, he couldn't recall doing something as cruel as that to her…
"When I was first getting used to riding on the wagon?" Raphtalia supplied. "Before you modified it to taste like fruit."
…
Oh. He'd almost forgotten about that. If he recalled correctly, it'd also made her really tired.
"Maybe if he drinks it, we won't have to deal with Itsujerk for the rest of the voyage!" Naofumi said excitedly.
"What do you mean you made a version that tastes like fruit?! This one tastes like-" Itsuki turned and yelled at Naofumi and Raphtalia upon overhearing that detail.
However, it proved to be his undoing.
"Ha!" Rishia shoved the bottle into his mouth and the contents flowed freely down his throat.
She smiled happily while Itsuki's eyes visibly bulged in disgust and horror.
"There, you should be feeling better really soon, Sir Itsuki!" Rishia said after she pulled the bottle from his mouth.
He tried to get himself to gag. But it only made the taste come back in full force. Itsuki had no choice but to try and keep it down so it didn't make a reappearance.
It was already working, thankfully. His body glowed, and the medicine combined with the spell made him look a lot less sick compared to before.
His taste buds would hate him for weeks, but at least the urge to vomit every other minute was gone.
…
He was also steadily starting to look more and more lethargic.
"I'd recommend putting him to bed. He looks like he's going to pass out any second now." Naofumi suggested.
"I-I will. Thanks again!" Rishia said gratefully before she began helping Itsuki to the entrance leading down into the ship.
"Ugh… you…" Itsuki's voice lulled as he disappeared belowdecks. No one was able to tell what he'd been trying to say there.
Heh. Another problem was solved. He really was the best kid on this ship.
Outside of Raphtalia, of course.
"Hey, bro, can you help me out too?" Motoyasu finally swallowed his manly pride too to ask from beside Amber, who was still rubbing his back.
"Hmmm… nah! After how you've been hogging Amber to yourself lately, you deserve some punishment!" Naofumi rebuked the Spear Hero.
"W-What?!" Motoyasu almost stood up straight in shock, but then bent over again as he vomited into the ocean.
How did he still have stuff in his stomach?! And did he feel the urge to vomit!? This was torture, I say!
"Naofumi, please help him out!" Amber pleaded.
"Nope. No offense, but you two are a little too obsessed with each other." Naofumi said dryly.
"Like how you're obsessed with Raphtalia's tail?" Amber countered with a scowl.
"... I am not obsessed with my best friend's tail." Naofumi calmly said, as his hands took hold of Raphtalia's tail and began to floof it.
"Hey! Not in public!" Raphtalia swiped her tail back from him with a blush.
"Awww… it's not like there are many people here to watch us anyway." Naofumi said sadly.
Besides them. And Mel and Shadow. And the nearby sailors. And Ren's friends. And the three oddly-dressed adventurers standing on the other side of the deck.
Yeah, no one was there to watch them! So he deserved floofing her tail at least a little bit! Especially after helping the other two Heroes out!
"If you want to do that, we have to go down to our cabin first," Raphtalia said firmly.
Darn. "But aren't we still riding around on Amber?" Naofumi asked.
"Not unless you give Moto some medicine!" Amber put her foot down.
Boo! She was being completely unreasonable! Stupid Amber!
"I wouldn't recommend going out into the ocean again if I were you." The group turned to the voice. One of the adventurers Naofumi had seen on the other side of the ship had approached them. "I can smell a storm approaching. It's going to hit in at least half an hour. If not sooner. You wouldn't want to be in the ocean when that happens."
Naofumi tilted his head to the side curiously. "You can smell it?"
"Yeah. It's on the breeze that way." The tall redhead pointed to the horizon.
At first, Naofumi saw nothing but blue sky. He was about to ask if this was just a joke or not when Raphtalia's ears perked up and her nose breathed in deeply.
"Yeah, I can smell it too. We should definitely head down to our rooms soon. It won't be long before the water starts to get choppy."
"Urghhhh…" Motoyasu groaned loudly. "Are you kidding me? It's going to get even worse than this?"
"Come on, man. This is nothing." The redhead adventurer said with a large smile in a laid-back tone.
Wow! The man was radiating coolness off him just like Moto used to!
"Hey!" Motoyasu whined. "I'm still cool!"
"You're cool to me," Melty said to him.
Anyone who could fall in love with a Filolial and treat them better than themselves was a good person in her book.
Though she would give her younger brother some credit when he said the Spear Hero was a little too obsessed with Amber compared to them.
The redhead winked at them. "Alright. Me and my friends are going to rest up in our cabin. Hope you kids have fun at Cal Mira!"
"Thanks! You too!" Naofumi and Raphtalia waved to the strange man as he and his two friends, both of whom were girls, went below deck.
One of them looked vaguely familiar to Naofumi. But he shrugged it off. If the man was anything to judge by, they seemed like pretty nice people.
Ren's friends said goodbye to them and went below deck as well. Naofumi and Raphtalia spent a little more time talking with each other when the smol girl pointed in the distance.
"Naofumi, look!"
Naofumi looked at where Raphtalia was pointing, and sure enough, he finally saw the storm clouds approaching from beyond the horizon. He couldn't tell yet, but it did look like they were traveling toward them.
"We should probably head to our room too then," Naofumi suggested.
"Can you at least give Moto some medicine before we go?" Amber pleaded. "I promise I'll read you two a story tonight if you do."
"Hmmm…"
Moto looked up from the ship's railing desperately.
…
"Finnnnne." He pulled out one last vial from his shield and threw it to Moto, who barely caught it. "But it better be a good story! And I'm not going to waste anymore MP with a spell for Moto!"
Amber didn't respond as she helped Moto drink it without vomiting it up. Naofumi rolled his eyes. It'd probably be an hour before Amber came to their room to fulfill her promise. If not more.
Especially since that vial of medicine hadn't been one of very high quality.
"Want to sit and enjoy some tail floofing while we wait for Amber?" Naofumi asked happily.
"Sure!" Raphtalia smiled in response.
"W-What am I going to do?" Melty asked.
"You could floof Raphtalia's tail too," Naofumi suggested. "It feels really nice and…" Naofumi turned to see Raphtalia glaring at him.
A sweatdrop ran down his forehead. "On second thought, I'm sure you'll think of something to do Mel!"
Raphtalia grabbed her best friend by the wrist and dragged him towards their room so they could enjoy some quality tail floofing in private.
…
Melty frowned. Then looked at Amber helping out Moto.
She could go with her brother and sister and watch them be adorable together… OR, she could help Amber out with her husband and gain some brownie points with the Filolial woman that way!
If she got closer to her, maybe she'd be able to ride around on Amber's Queen form all by herself and have the time of her life doing that?!
…
But then, she'd have to miss out on watching the two younger kids bond with their cute tail-floofing time.
…
In the end, it turned out to be an easy decision.
"Here, I'll help you get Moto to his room!" Melty told Amber happily as she got under one of Motoyasu's shoulders.
"Thanks, Melty! I knew I could count on you!" Amber said happily.
Melty beamed with joy.
Once a Filolial lover. Always a Filolial lover.
There was literally nothing better in the world in her eyes.
Maybe this would be her calling? To become a Filolial breeder would be the height of joy, I say!
…
The bluette paused. Where the heck had that 'I say' came from? That was more the Spear Hero's thing…
Oh well. If she didn't become the future Queen, she'd be more than happy being a babysitter for any kids Amber and Moto had together!
It'd be an absolute dream come true! (subtle foreshadowing)
Inside a cabin, the three adventurers sat facing one another.
The ship rocked back and forth amidst the waves of the storm. Yet the three were entirely unaffected.
"So, those were the Heroes you fought before, Glassy?" L'Arc asked cautiously.
The spirit woman wasn't in her usual kimono with her hair down. She was instead dressed in adventuring gear similar to her friends while her hair was set up in twin ponytails.
"Yes." She said in a dry voice. "The two heaving over the side were definitely Heroes. I believe their names are Hero Itsuki and Hero Motoyasu. And the other one who'd been sick near us was Hero Ren."
"Even though they all looked really sick, they seemed to radiate strength," Therese commented to herself.
"Yeah. Even I could tell that at a glance. They're definitely going to grow more powerful while they're at this world's Activation Event…" L'Arc frowned.
"Still, that one really smol kiddo… is he actually a Hero?" L'Arc then asked.
…
"Y… Yes. I am certain of it." Glass responded weakly. "He is strong too. He managed to block my cursed skill against all the other Heroes without taking a single point of damage.
"I can't recall if I ever caught his name though…" All she could recall was the guilt of attacking a child and hurting him with her defense-ignoring skill.
…
"Hmmm… well, it's not like I'm going to call him something other than Kiddo. Though maybe I could have a little bit of fun and call him Shield Kiddo instead." L'Arc chuckled to himself. Therese chuckled along with him.
"For once, that nickname will actually be appropriate for whom you're addressing," Therese said next to him. L'Arc grinned in response.
Glass said nothing and merely kept on looking down at the fans in her hands contemplatively.
"Alright. Let's use this break as an opportunity to gather weapons and levels while we're in this world so we can better fight the Waves in our world."
Therese smiled happily. "It feels good to be in another world to not do battle against other Heroes."
"You and me both..." L'Arc's smile turned to a concerned frown as he looked at Glass again, seeing that she was still looking down at her fans. There seemed to be an aura of immense sadness around her.
"Hey, Glassy, I just want to make sure… are you really okay with this? I know how hard you fought against the Heroes of Other Worlds before. It still seems weird though for you to have given up on that so easily."
…
"I'll live," Glass said, her voice low, but not filled with anger.
Still, the sadness around her didn't fade.
…
L'Arc rested a hand on her shoulder. The red-eyed woman slowly looked up at his face.
The redhead was giving her one of his rare, but sincere serious faces. "I know you're thinking it. And I think Kizuna would have loved being here with us too."
Therese gasped in surprise, and Glass's upper lip quivered as she held back a sob.
L'Arc enveloped his best friend in a hug though, and she started to softly cry into his chest.
L'Arc held the back of the spirit woman's head. "I can picture it. She'd be standing at the prow of this ship, fishing pole in one hand and a crazy grin on her face as she reeled one monstrous fish after another out of this thrashing sea." L'Arc continued, a smile slowly forming on his lips as he described the scene to the spirit woman.
"You'd be calling her crazy and trying to convince her to come down below deck, only for her to refuse. She'd spend most of the night out in the freezing rain doing what she loves, and then a few days from now, Kizuna would be lying in bed super sick. You'd spend most of the time after that calling her an idiot while still taking care of her.
"And of course, me and the others would come in from time to time to make sure you were both ok."
Glass continued to cry. L'Arc knew them both too well. She couldn't just picture it happening.
It had happened before.
Several times.
They were some of the best memories the spirit woman had of her best friend. She missed her so much.
If only she knew where she was at. She'd do anything to see her again.
Or almost anything, as her recent encounter with the young Shield Hero had proven. There were some lows that she could not stoop to as it'd turned out. And even if she could, not even Kizuna, in all of her infinite love and forgiveness, would ever forgive Glass for an act as heinous as child murder…
…
…
After a moment, L'Arc pulled back and Therese gave the spirit woman a handkerchief. Glass dabbed its corner at her eyes as her two friends stood in front of her.
"Is there anything we can do for you?" Therese asked gently.
"... No. I… I'll be fine." Glass managed to speak. She still sounded sad, but not so much as before.
She'd sounded sad for years. This was just one of the rarer times when she didn't try to hide it so much. "Thank you, L'Arc. For reminding me of good memories."
"It's no problem. I know better than to push you too hard Glassy." L'Arc rested a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Just know that we're here for you if you need us. Always."
Glass didn't respond with words. But she hugged both of her friends to herself gratefully.
If not for these two and Ethnobalt holding the fort back home… she would have given up completely on her life long ago…
"Alright. Let's rest up. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.." L'Arc said as they separated.
"Good night, Glass. Good night, L'Arc." Therese said tiredly.
"Night." The pair went off to their separate bunks.
…
Glass stayed in her spot for a moment longer. Despite the comfort she'd received and the memories in her head, her eyes clouded over.
She'd… taken on the impossible task of trying to save her world. Hoping to try and save it by fighting the Heroes of other worlds so she'd have the chance to find her best friend again.
Yet, here she was now. In another world not only because she hadn't wanted her two friends to come here alone.
But because… because…
…
The ship was rocking even more heavily than before, and L'Arc was snoring loudly by the time she finally stood up.
The raging sea didn't bother her though. It felt rather comforting actually for the real world to reflect her inner turmoil.
Glass fell into a deep slumber as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Author's Notes:
The ramifications of Kidfumi's actions continue to shake the world. Well, multiple worlds now. Not only is a major antagonist from LN 16 set to come early, but Glass has come with L'Arc and Therese to Cal Mira this time around. And yes, they aren't here to fight the Heroes either. At least, Therese and L'Arc aren't.
We'll just have to wait and see why Glass has chosen to come along with them this time. Though don't expect it to be for evil intentions.
You all probably know what happens to characters in this universe at this rate.
Hero Clips!
Naofumi's Cure-All Medicine
"Ugh…"
"Have you ever been so sick to your stomach that you could hardly move!? Have you ever had a cough that just won't go away!?"
"Then this medicine's the perfect stuff for you!"
Itsuki was moaning in agony. And Kidfumi and Kidtalia's appearances in TV advertiser's uniforms that looked several sizes too big for them didn't help his nausea in the slightest.
"Introducing Naofumi's Cure-All! The wonderful blend capable of curing anything!"
"And he means anything!" Raphtalia winked.
"Fuehhhh! How does it work!?" Rishia asked excitedly as she appeared as if from nowhere.
"Yeah, how does it work?" Raphtalia asked her best friend curiously.
"Well, er, that's… that's a state secret! I can't just give that away for free!" Naofumi lied with a smile.
Text appeared on his HUD from his Shield.
That's because I make it for you, brat.
"Anyway! All you have to do is drink it, like this!" Naofumi forced Itsuki's mouth open and shoved the bottle down his throat.
"Ack- glug glug glug." The Bow Hero's eyes rolled into the back of his head as his taste buds were assaulted with the taste of sweaty gym socks mixed with raw sewage.
"And now, in twenty-four hours, he should be good as new! At least, I think that's how it works." Naofumi pondered to himself. "Is that how it works, Shield?"
As if to spite him, his Shield didn't give him any text this time.
Naofumi pouted, but then Rishia interrupted with a happy beaming face. "I'll take fifty of them!"
"D-Don't, you'll regret it for-" Itsuki tried to speak.
Rishia pushed him out of the screen, stars in her eyes and coins in her hand. "This will be perfect for whenever Sir Itsuki gets sick again!"
Itsuki's eyes widened, and a soundless "noooooooo" fell off his lips.
Naofumi did have a version of the Cure-All that tasted like fruit for Raphtalia. Buttttttt it was only for his best friend, and anyone else he liked for that matter.
The Bow Hero was, as of yet, not on that list.
"Buy your Cure-Alls while supplies last!" Naofumi said happily.
"They will change your life!" Raphtalia grinned widely.
And your taste buds too.
Itsuki really came to hate the common flu because of the 'medicine' Rishia forced him to take to get better in the years to come.
Till Next Time
Allen