Man, thanks for all the comments. Glad to know people missed me and Kidfumi. Don't worry about me forcing myself. If anything, working with this little brat and his extended family again is like a breath of fresh air on my soul. It's time for Kidfumi to "Make My Mondays Great" again!.. Well, every other Monday at least. -_-

Also, I might not say this often, but I do appreciate your guys' comments and criticisms. So don't be afraid to let me know how I'm doing via review or by PM. I like knowing what people enjoy in a story and where it is I can improve as an author. Though, if your criticism is that my chapters are too long: Trust me, I know. LOL

Enjoy all the fresh content! We're going to be in Cal Mira for a while yet!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Cal Mira Shenanigans

"Whoaaaaaaaaaa!" Naofumi and Raphtalia looked out over the ship's railing with stars in their eyes.

The ship got pulled into the port overnight while everyone was asleep. And despite the choppiness brought by the storm, the two kids had slept just fine.

"Nice view, ain't it?" Elhart rested his hands on their shoulders while standing behind them.

Adventurers were already disembarking from the ship and heading onto the island. The port town ahead looked like one of those vacation spots that Naofumi's mom had always been eyeing in her magazines.

It felt odd for the boy to suddenly recall this particular detail of his old life.

It probably happened because he'd always wanted to have some fun in a place like this. Though come to think of it, maybe it was his grandma's magazines and not his mom's, hmmm…

Oh well. It looked pretty cool regardless.

"I want to go already!" Naofumi shouted excitedly as the group got off the ship.

"Yes! Can we please go, Uncle Bald Guy?!" Raphtalia asked excitedly, her tail wagging behind her.

The old blacksmith grinned at the cute display… A display that had long since lost its hold on him. So he held them back by the cuffs of their armor instead. "Now now, children. We have to wait for everyone else to get off first."

"Yes, I daresay that is correct. As Heroes and the future King and Queen, there are procedures you must follow before you are allowed to roam free on the island." Shadow reminded the pair. "And you cannot cause problems for anyone else here while you're at it."

"Awwww…" Did their ninja babysitter really think that it would be the first thing they'd go and do?!

It was the third thing on the list at best. And anyway, they didn't want to spend all day doing politics and stuff like during their trip to Siltvelt! That'd just ruin the fact that this was supposed to be a vacation!

Thankfully, Naofumi wasn't disappointed for long. He smiled widely again as someone else disembarked the ship. "Ren! Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I feel a lot better, actually." The Sword Hero smiled back. Despite the last night's storm, he was standing tall and looked ready to kill an entire legion of monsters if he had to. There wasn't even a hint of yesterday's seasickness left on him!

"So cool!" Stars appeared in Naofumi's eyes at his cool older brother's confident display.

"Did his spell really work that well on you Sir Ren?" Tersia whispered to the Sword Hero curiously.

"Nah, I bet the rocking of his bed last night just canceled out the rocking of the sea." Farrie grinned wickedly beside her sister.

Despite the girls' teasing, Ren continued to smile while his arm rested over Wyndia's shoulders. "You could say that."

Both girls gasped while Wyndia blushed and turned her head away. "Get your minds out of the gutter, you two. We only cuddled last night."

"And I always feel better when I'm cuddled up with you." Ren rubbed his head against hers.

Wyndia gave him a lewd smile. The Sword Hero didn't know it yet, but he'd just won himself something good with that offhand remark.

His favorite kind of cuddling. With her on top.

Naofumi and Raphtalia smiled at the adorable display, not seeing the underlying meaning from underneath their veil of innocence. But then, another person disembarked along with Rishia and Granny, ruining the Shield Hero's good mood in an instant.

"And how are you doing, Itsujerk?" The Shield Hero deadpanned.

"It's Itsuki!" The blonde yelled angrily again, before continuing with grudging reluctance. "And I guess I'm feeling good enough, no thanks to that stupid medicine."

His taste buds were still crying over yesterday.

"My medicine isn't stupid!" Naofumi crossed his arms with a pout. "Be grateful I even gave it to you for free!"

"That stuff tasted awful! Why didn't you give me the fruit-flavored one?!" Itsuki rebutted.

"Seriously, kid?! Why'd you go and do that?!" Elhart yelled behind Naofumi in surprise.

"Yeah, you get it Elhart!" Itsuki smiled at the show of support from the blacksmith.

"... I mean, you could have at least made him pay you for the trouble if he's going to be this ungrateful about it." Elhart rubbed the little kid's head while stage whispering into his ear.

Naofumi grinned up at him. "You're right! I'll definitely make him do that next time!"

Elhart boomed with laughter at the response even while Itsuki seethed at it.

The Bow Hero was almost ready to cuss and swear and perform a host of other things. He was not a plaything to be made fun of!

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Rishia stepped up with a bright smile on her face, quickly defusing the situation before it could explode in the Bow Hero's face. "Thank you again for giving Sir Itsuki that medicine Naofumi! He'd definitely be feeling a lot worse right now if not for it! The seas were really rough last night!"

…

"Oh, well… umm, I guess, you're welcome." Naofumi shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Elhart shuffled around awkwardly too.

Why did Itsuki's girlfriend have to be so nice?

Itsuki blinked, wondering what the heck had just happened.

"Urghhhhh…" Then, the last Hero finally reached the shore as well.

Or rather, he was hastily carried past everyone on the back of a large orange-feathered Filolial.

"Oh Moto, don't worry, we'll be able to get you to a hospital in a moment!" Amber cried out worriedly.

"A-Amber! Wait!" Melty tried to run after them. Unfortunately, Amber had already rushed down the docks past everyone else and disappeared into the town.

…

Everyone sweatdropped at what they'd witnessed. "I guess Naofumi didn't help him out after all." Ren pointed out dryly.

"Honestly, with the way that he's been acting lately, I wouldn't blame him," Itsuki muttered in agreement.

"But… why? I thought you gave him some medicine last night?" Raphtalia asked Naofumi with confusion in her voice.

"Hmph. He's probably just acting like that so he can keep Amber around." Naofumi grumbled before his eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, I just remembered, Amber never came to our room last night to read us a bedtime story!"

"Yeah, that isn't cool!" Raphtalia crossed her arms in agreement.

Elhart raised an eyebrow in surprise. Had that been why they'd seemed extra grumpy when he offered to tell them a story last night before they retired to bed?

The blacksmith's surprise melted into a frown. This hadn't been the first time Amber had skipped out on a promise to them over Motoyasu either.

It looked like he was going to have to have a serious talk with the Filolial woman. Before he could think more about it though…

"Ah, Heroes, Prince Naofumi, Princess Raphtalia, and Princess Melty, welcome to Cal Mira."

A man dressed in a military officer uniform covered with several medals and other kinds of honors approached their group. He was a middle-aged man with medium-length dark brown hair and a beard that was separated into a goatee with two "brushes" at the sides. His face was rather gaunt, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days, but he was smiling warmly and appeared to be strangely energetic.

"Eh?" Naofumi tilted his head confusedly. Who the heck was this guy?

"Count Hadenburg. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." To Naofumi's surprise, Raphtalia curtsied and gave the Count a warm smile. "I've heard great things about you from Her Majesty."

Melty grinned and gave the girl a thumbs-up from the side. Raphtalia made a surprisingly good Princess.

"Ah, Her Majesty told you about me? She is too modest. I would not be able to accomplish half of what I've done without the help of my loyal retainers." The Count gestured to his sides behind him at a man and a woman standing upright and at attention, awaiting their liege's orders.

"I shall make her aware of the recognition of your subordinates upon our return. As for your question, the Queen has made an effort to inform me and the Shield Hero about who she trusts most amongst her nobility. So that we may know on whom to count on when the day comes for us to ascend to the throne." Raphtalia responded perfectly in a formal tone of voice.

Naofumi's eyes widened. Had this been one of Momellia's lessons he'd glossed over that turned out to actually be important?! Thank goodness Raphtalia had been listening for him!

"Yes, um," Naofumi coughed into his hand, forcing himself to take on a formal role himself. "We'll be counting on your support in the future, Count Hadenburg. You are a valued and important ally of the crown."

The count smiled and nodded in response. Elhart rubbed Raphtalia and Naofumi's shoulders proudly.

Naofumi sighed with relief. Thank goodness that was over.

"My liege, shall we give the other adventurers a tour of our island while you're with the Heroes?" One of the retainers asked.

"Yes, you two are dismissed. I shall be taking care of our honored guests for now." Count Hadenburg turned around and gestured for his two vassals to make their leave.

The man and woman bowed, then turned around and left to address the other adventurers that had arrived by ship.

"Count Hadenburg, are you going to give us a tour of your domain personally?" Melty asked in surprise.

"Why of course! Who better to show off my pride and joy to the Heroes of Legend than yours truly!?" The man raised his voice with excitement.

He definitely seemed like an enigma. There was no way someone who looked so exhausted could be so energetic.

Naofumi felt like they were going to get along well.

"By the way, where is the Spear Hero? Isn't he supposed to be here too?" The Count asked in confusion.

…

Everyone present sweatdropped simultaneously.

"He's going to be unavailable for some time." Ren rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"He didn't take the voyage very well," Itsuki added with a nervous shuffle of his feet.

"Ah, I see." Count Hadenburg shook his head before smiling again. "Then I shall give him his tour later when he's recovered!"

Naofumi smiled widely, bouncing on his feet with excitement.

Finally, they were going to get started on their vacation in Cal Mira!

"This isn't a vacation, brat! Remember that you're here to get stronger!" Elhart reprimanded him.

"Always watching…"

Even if the adults wanted to try and leech as much fun out of Naofumi's life as humanly possible.

…

Okay, it wasn't exactly boring persay. You might have expected that to be the case after all these other times when Naofumi had been hyped up only to be let down and disappointed time and time again.

That didn't happen this time around, thankfully.

But they certainly came close a few times.

"This is the inn where you shall be staying at. It's said to have housed many of the ancient Heroes of the past who came to Cal Mira to train. I'm proud to add yet another four to its list in my lifetime." Count Hadenburg explained as the group approached a really fancy-looking building.

"Really? How is the building that old?" Itsuki asked in astonishment.

"Wouldn't the local climate like, you know, erode the building over time?" Ren asked curiously.

"Why yes, this building has undergone several renovations in the past. But because of its rich history, only the best people and the best materials are used to work on it." Count Hadenburg said proudly. "You will find that this building is capable of weathering many a storm. Not to mention, it also houses some of the island's best Hot Springs.

"I can make arrangements to set a couple of them aside for you Heroes, should you ask for it. I'm sure that'd be something you'd look forward to at the end of a long day of slaying monsters."

Ren and Itsuki's eyes went wide. Naofumi also felt excitement at the prospect of getting to soak in a Hot Spring of his own! Raphtalia was similarly excited next to him.

"I could definitely use that." Itsuki smiled at the thought of relaxing in his own private hot bath.

He could already picture it. Sitting in the water up to his neck, relaxing against the wall while feeling the heat and minerals in the water penetrate deep into his skin… another person sitting across from him…

Wait, why was he picturing someone else with him in his daydream? That didn't seem right-

"Fueeee, I-Itsuki…" The girl in the daydream solidified. Rishia was sitting across from him in the water, with nothing but a towel wrapped around her torso. "W-What are you doing here I-Itsuki? D-Didn't you say that we should be bathing s-s-separately-"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Itsuki immediately burst out of his daydream screaming his head off.

"AH! What is it, Sir Itsuki?! Why are you screaming?!" It took the Bow Hero a second to realize he hadn't been imagining the voice, and that Rishia had grabbed his arm and begun to shake him.

Oh, and everyone was looking at him weirdly. Including some strangers on the street nearby.

"I-I'm sorry. What were you saying, Rishia?" The Bow Hero stumbled with his words as a bright red flush filled his cheeks.

"C-Count Hadenburg just asked if we're all ready to move on. But you didn't give an answer and started screaming out of nowhere when I tugged on your arm and-" Rishia continued to speak nervously but then her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, is your arm okay?! You weren't injured and didn't tell me about it, did you?! I'd be very mad if you did!"

The way she went from worried to mad in the space of a sentence finally seemed to snap the Bow Hero back to reality. Though his face was still a very bright red as he spoke again in a shaky but reassuring tone. "M-My arm's f-fine, R-Rishia. I was just t-thinking about something and you c-caught me off guard. That's all."

…

"Fuehhhh?" Rishia tilted her head unsurely.

"So, um, can we continue please?" Itsuki asked the others.

With that, they continued on after passing by the hotel where they would be staying at.

"And just when I was thinking Itsujerk couldn't get any weirder." Naofumi rolled his eyes as they all moved on.

"No kidding." Raphtalia agreed.

"As weird as you can be, the Bow Hero definitely acts even weirder at times." Melty nodded in agreement as well.

Itsuki followed behind everyone else, clamping his mouth shut so he didn't embarrass himself any further. Rishia kept looking back at him with concern, yet he couldn't shake the image of her in the Hot Spring from his mind.

'No, there's no way I'm picturing that! No way whatsoever!'

"Heheheh." The sound of someone chuckling at Itsuki's side made him turn his head to see Granny smirking as she walked. Her face turned to look at him with a knowing look in her eyes. "Oh, to be young and in love! How I miss it so."

…

Itsuki shuddered and looked away from the old lady. He was going to pretend that the last five minutes of his life never happened.

…

At least Rishia had been wearing a towel in that daydream.

Not that it'd made her look any less hot.

'Shut up brain!'

"Try and sass me again, 'E rank ESPer'. And you'll be imagining her naked next time."

…

Itsuki shivered in fear.

Was he truly going insane?!

"Wyndia, would you be interested in booking a private Hot Spring for tonight?" Ren whispered to his girlfriend as they walked.

Wyndia answered by giving him a kiss and a big smile. She thought it'd be the perfect spot to reward him after his words from earlier made her feel so good.

Ren grinned as he looked forward to what'd happen at the end of the day. It appeared that he was going to score even more than he had thought previously.

Itsuki was, once again, confused by the pair's behavior, but was too scared to try and question it. And so, the group continued on with their island tour.

It lasted a bit over an hour in leaving the inn behind, count Hadenburg then showed everyone some of the best restaurants on the island.

He also showed them where the Market Square was. As well as some notable landmarks in case they ever got lost.

Elhart seemed to be interested in seeing the local blacksmiths. Probably to make sure that his skills were still up to par and all that. And Melty seemed really interested in visiting an accessory shop.

Naofumi did his best to keep track of what was being said since the count looked excited and energetic throughout. The young Shield Hero got along best with people that were just as excited and energetic as he was!

Still, near the end of the trip around the town, he wanted to get to killing innocent(?) monsters already so that he could become even stronger than Uncle Bald Guy!

Fortunately, it seemed that Count Hadenburg was perceptive enough to catch on to that fact as well. So he abruptly ended the tour when everyone was passing by a curious-looking stone tablet.

"Last but not least, this is said to be a treasure left behind by ancient Heroes of the past. It contains ancient knowledge that is supposed to help the Heroes out. Perhaps you might gain something from reading it yourselves before you head out?"

Did Naofumi want to read something while he was on vacation? Heck no. That seemed way too boring.

"Could be worth a shot." Ren shrugged as he walked up to the tablet.

…

Ok, if Ren was going up to try, maybe it wasn't as boring as Naofumi thought it'd be!

When the Sword Hero's eyes went over the tablet, they went wide with surprise. "No way, this is written in Japanese!"

"Really?!" Itsuki pushed forward next to him as well.

Naofumi came up as well. He wasn't really interested in it being written in Japanese, persay. But he was interested since Ren was interested in it.

"Hmmm… as the Sword Hero, source of thy power I order thee." Ren continued chanting for several more seconds, much to the surprise of everyone else there. "Zweite Magic Enchant!"

He stood there for several seconds, looking at his weapon expectantly.

…

However, after a moment, he seemed disappointed. "Nothing happened."

"Ancient treasure my butt." Itsuki scowled. "It just gave you a useless spell and-"

"Fueee, I think that spell is only useful when someone casts magic around you, Sir Ren," Rishia informed him.

"H-How would you know that!?" Itsuki asked in surprise.

"That's because I read about this spell at one point. I think the book said this was a spell associated with past Sword Heroes of Legend." Rishia answered truthfully.

…

"That isn't weird, is it?" Rishia asked when Itsuki stared blankly at her.

"Hmmm…" Ren thought about the girl's words, then turned to Wyndia. "Could you try casting one of your spells at me, please?"

She gave him a grin and revealed she'd already begun chanting as soon as she'd understood what Rishia had implied. Ren eeped as she spoke her chant loud enough for him to hear and quickly stepped back to prepare himself.

"Sea Dragon's Roar!" Using vitality from the water nearby, Wyndia sent a large watery serpent at the area next to her Hero.

She didn't want to hit him directly, after all.

Just close enough to tease her mate a little bit.

"Zweite Magic Enchant!" After quickly chanting, Ren used the spell again.

This time, most of the large watery dragon was absorbed out of the air directly into Ren's sword. He and everyone else watched as the large water spell disappeared in surprise.

By the time it was over, Ren's sword had a faint blue glow to it. And the remainder of Wyndia's spell splashed harmlessly against the ground next to him. Even Wyndia was taken aback at how much of her spell's power had been taken away by the Sword Hero.

"Holy- my weapon form's stats are all temporarily buffed! And it has a water damage bonus applied to it too!" Ren shouted excitedly.

"Really!?" "That's great, Sir Ren!" Ren's party began to congratulate the Sword Hero for his new spell.

Wyndia began to grin again. This was going to allow them to work together in battle in ways she'd never imagined before. Her mate just continued to show how much he'd grown since she got to know him.

She walked up beside him past the others before whispering in his ear. "Make sure to book us a Hot Spring for the rest of the week, so we can 'practice' your new spell."

"Huh?" Ren turned to Wyndia in surprise, and then finally recognized the look in her eyes.

Oh… Oh! He had to fight to keep the dopey grin off his face.

Ren realized that he was going to be one happy boi while staying here on Cal Mira with his mate. It was already the best vacation ever!

"Oh man, if Ren learned a spell like that, then-" Itsuki moved to read the tablet excitedly, only for Naofumi to beat him to the punch by dashing forward. The boy had stars in his eyes.

"So cool! I want to learn an awesome spell too!" The kid hero announced.

"H-Hey! I wanted to be next-" Itsuki protested weakly, but Naofumi was already chanting, much to the Bow Hero's surprise and irritation.

"As the Shield Hero, source of thy power I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and energize my target! Zweite Aura!" He selected Raphtalia on his HUD, and a bright green glow surrounded her.

At first, they weren't sure what the spell had done. But after Raphtalia pulled up her HUD: "N-No way! All my stats shot way up!"

"Really, all of them!?" Naofumi asked excitedly.

"Mmhmm! I feel really stronk now!" Raphtalia grinned.

She looked around and then looked above her. She bent down, preparing herself.

And then jumped high. Like, really high! She had to be at least a hundred feet above the ground! It was freaking awesome!

"Ahhhhhhh-!" Raphtalia landed on her feet, looking surprised still. "That… landing didn't hurt as much as I'd expected."

Elhart, who'd gone slackjawed at just how high Raphtalia had jumped, promptly closed his mouth and began to grin. "Now that was impressive!"

"Ehehehe." Raphtalia giggled to herself, still feeling high on the power of Naofumi's new spell.

Naofumi, who begrudgingly used math to compare the buff her stats had gotten to the other spells he'd learned, was surprised and happy to find that the buff was stronger than even the drifa versions of those spells! It cost a little more MP to cast at the Zweite level than those spells individually at the Drifa level, and casting the All version of Aura was going to cost way more, but the effects and benefits outweighed all of those other spells cast together by a long shot!

Yes, Naofumi had just been lamenting this fact yesterday! Now, he wouldn't have to waste so much time and energy casting spell after spell to buff up his friends! He could just use one and be done with it!

…

Did that mean all the time he'd spent learning all those support spells had been wasted?

Probably. But then again, he could still cast those individual buffs on his allies as well as Aura. And it probably wouldn't take him long to study the Drifa tier of this spell thanks to having all that prior knowledge on other support spells. On top of that, he had Dadcray's method of adding points to a spell to make them stronger.

Hueheheh. He and Raphtalia were going to be jumping at least a thousand feet into the air by the time he was done.

"I don't like the look on your face, brat." The middle-aged blacksmith standing behind them frowned.

Naofumi gave him a grin. "Don't worry, I promise that I'll let you join in the fun too, Uncle Bald Guy!"

Elhart glared at him suspiciously. But then, after thinking about it for a moment, he started to grin as well. "I'll look forward to it then!"

"Y-You better use that spell on me too!" Melty balled up her hands into fists in front of her as she pouted. Uncle Bald Guy was already strong! She could use a taste of that strength too!

"I daresay if you use this to try and get into trouble…" Shadow began to speak threateningly.

While all of that was happening, Itsuki finally had the chance to read the tablet for himself.

It was in Japanese, just like Ren had said. However, as he looked at it, the letters realigned themselves and began to glow, just like they would in the magic textbooks that Rishia helped Itsuki to study from time to time.

… he really should have brought more of his friends along. Why couldn't he have at least brought Maya and Aksel along for this? Now he only had Rishia and Granny to impress.

And Granny wasn't an easy person to impress.

"As source of thy power, the Bow Hero commands thee. Decipher the laws of nature and weaken my target…"

Everyone around Itsuki became a valid selectable on his HUD. He ended up selecting Raphtalia. "Zweite Down."

A bright gold glow surrounded the girl, who looked briefly confused. "Hey, my stats are now a lot lower than before."

She tried jumping into the air again, and barely got above two feet. Her face fell in disappointment. "Awww…"

"So it's a debuff spell that lowers all of the target's stats, huh," Itsuki commented to himself.

That could be useful against strong opponents… but then, that also meant that it was the exact opposite of Naofumi's spell. Which likely meant…

"Boo! Itsujerk is ruining our fun!" Naofumi complained.

Called it.

"I was just testing out what I learned from the tablet!" Itsuki defended himself.

"And you couldn't have just tested it on yourself!?" Naofumi continued to look at him with a pout. "And what about the fact that your spell is basically cheating!"

"Cheating?! HOW IS MY SPELL CHEATING!?" The Bow Hero objected angrily.

"I learned a spell to make everyone stronger! You learned a spell that makes everyone weaker! You obviously cheated so you could ruin all of our fun!" Naofumi explained with all the logic and confidence of a ten-year-old.

…

Itsuki closed his mouth.

He just couldn't win on his own, could he?

"Actually, Down is said to be a spell attributed to past Bow Heroes. Just like how Aura is said to be attributed with past Shield Heroes." Rishia spoke up again.

"Really?" Naofumi asked in surprise.

"Mmhmm! Itsuki didn't learn it specifically to ruin anybody's fun. He just learned it because that's the spell Bow Heroes of the past have used!" Rishia nodded her head happily. "There really are some amazing things you can learn from the right books!"

…

"Well, I guess…" Naofumi's pout disappeared. "I'm sorry for accusing you, Itsujerk. I was wrong."

…

Awww, it almost made Itsuki feel better.

"It's Itsuki!" Itsuki said angrily.

"Whatever." Naofumi rolled his eyes.

Itsuki missed the days when his running joke was randomly saying the word justice. This was going to get old real fast just like that had.

…

Pbth! Ha! As if! Saying justice randomly would never get old!

"Maybe with this spell, me and Rishia will finally stand a chance in our training with Granny." Itsuki thought out loud to himself.

"Ohoho, so you really think that lowering my stats would make training for you easier?"

…

Itsuki froze up in fear, as did Rishia. Everyone else felt the hair on their bodies stand on end as the two fools both turned around to face the old lady.

Granny had a strange glow surrounding her. "Come on, I dare you to try."

Itsuki gulped. Yet, whether out of curiosity, or pure stupidity, he tried it anyway. "A-Alright! You asked for it!"

One short chant later… "Zweite Down!"

A golden glow surrounded Granny's body, briefly dampening the energy coming off her. His HUD showed her stats go down a fair percentage. "Ohoho! Now that is quite the spell!

"It'd definitely make any lesser enemies pause, that's for sure!"

The glow coming off Granny suddenly became brighter! Itsuki's eyes boggled out of their sockets as her stats all shot up, becoming even higher than they'd been before!

Her Hengen Musou had canceled out his debuff spell and then some!

Worse still, waves of energy were now coming off her form.

"I'm totally motivated now! ORA! I hope you're both ready! Because I'm going to push you past your limits and then some while we're out grinding monsters today!" Granny cracked her fingers in anticipation.

"FUEEEEEE!" Rishia cried out in fear.

"M-MEEP?" Itsuki looked around for help. But…

"And on that note, I believe I shall end the tour here. Good luck, Heroes!" Count Hadenburg sweatdropped, before dashing off to find his retainers.

"Come on Shadow, Uncle Bald Guy! Let's go slay some innocent(?) monsters!" Naofumi fearfully ran away with Raphtalia and Melty right after that.

"Don't have to tell us twice!" Elhart and Shadow dashed off after the kids.

"Come on!" "We have a busy day ahead of us!" Ren and Wyndia grabbed the hands of their friends and ran off in a different direction.

"Wait, guys, please don't… leave us…" Itsuki trailed off fearfully.

Granny was looking more terrifying than ever. And neither he nor Rishia liked the predatory grin on her face.

"Alright! Granny's week of training from hell starts now! Prepare yourselves, my young pupils!"

Rishia and Itsuki fell to their knees simultaneously. "Nooooooooooo!"

Their resistance was futile, and the old lady dragged the pair behind herself toward the direction of the fields of monsters.

The rest of the day after that was pretty fun for Naofumi.

First, Elhart led them to a field full of monsters. And the Shield Hero got to meet all sorts of new creatures from Bio Red Blobs and Yellow Beetles to Magenta Frogs and Cactus Worms that Elhart, Raphtalia, Shadow, and Melty mercilessly slaughtered one after the other.

A couple of the monsters were cute. But, unfortunately, not a single one of them wanted to be his friend.

Oh well. The innocent(?) monsters were really weak anyway. But despite that, they gave them all a ton of exp!

Unfortunately, it took only fifteen minutes for even the ever-diligent Raphtalia to begin whining. "Uncle Bald Guy, this is too boring! Let's go somewhere else that has stronger monsters!"

"Sure thing! The other islands have plenty of strong monsters on them for us to fight!" Elhart promised.

It was about time they left anyway. They could see Granny forcing Itsuki and Rishia to fight monsters in the distance with their bare hands.

As funny as it was seeing Itsuki getting dogpiled on by a bunch of mushroom-like monsters, Naofumi didn't want to risk the old lady dragging him and his friends into the training montage for the Bow Hero and his girlfriend.

"Rishia's not my girlfriend!"

"Fuehhhhhh!"

Naofumi's group ignored the Bow Hero and took a ferry to another island called Inult Island, which took a bit of time out of their day, but after that, they got to slay more monsters with wild abandon.

"Hahaha, Zweite Aura!" Naofumi used the buffing spell on Raphtalia again and watched as she jumped through an entire line of Karma Dog Familias, slashing each one through with her blade in rapid succession.

"Woooooohoooooooooo!" Even though she was covered in blood and the monsters collapsed into pieces behind her, the young girl looked extremely happy.

"Ack! I can't see! How am I ever supposed to cast my magic like this?!" Melty cried out as experience notifications covered her vision once again.

Why did this always happen whenever she was out grinding with her younger siblings?! It seemed even worse than usual!

"Eh, don't worry. You'll get used to it eventually." Naofumi shrugged.

"WHEN!?" Melty screeched.

"Eventually." Naofumi shrugged again.

"THAT ISN'T VERY REASSURING!"

Naofumi honestly couldn't pinpoint when it'd happened to him. But at some point in their months of grinding with Uncle Bald Guy, he and Raphtalia had become accustomed to fighting with this mild annoyance.

"Yeahhhhhhhhhh!" Speaking of Uncle Bald Guy, he was running around at what felt like a hundred miles an hour, tearing through some of the bigger Karma Dog Familias with his war hammer all on his own.

He'd also been buffed by Naofumi's Zweite Aura spell, and he seemed a bit crazier than usual.

"Power! So much raw power! Ahahahahahaha! I haven't felt like this in years!"

…

Yeah, Naofumi was definitely going to have to be careful about buffing him in the future. He hadn't even upgraded his new spell yet and Uncle Bald Guy was already going insane.

"DIEEEEEEEE!"

He could only imagine what Uncle Bald Guy would turn into if he cast Drifa Aura X on him.

He might just turn into a crazy warlord, sitting on a pile of monster corpses that would act as his own personal throne.

…

Everyone eventually reached the center of the island where the largest dog monster of them all was waiting. It stood under a black sphere hovering in the air.

Karma Dog: LV. 70

It actually looked pretty strong. None of the kids were near its level. "Rowwr-!"

Crack!

Yet when it lunged forward and bit down on Naofumi's body, all of its teeth fell apart in its mouth. The bite hadn't harmed Naofumi in the slightest.

…

Mere seconds later, the boss monster lay on the ground in pieces thanks to Raphtalia and Elhart. With maybe a bit of backup from Melty's attack spells.

"Huh, that was quick," Raphtalia noted in a bored tone.

"Was that really the boss of the island I struggled so hard to beat last time?" Elhart asked confusedly, finally coming down from his blood high.

Melty was quiet.

She really hadn't contributed anything there, had she?

Was she merely doomed to be in the background for the rest of her life?

"Well, if it's going to be that easy, then I can't imagine a better place for us to grind for exp." Elhart rested his war hammer on his dragonsteel pauldron.

The group stayed in the area after that killing every dog monster that came out of the black sphere hovering in the air. Naofumi didn't do anything besides absorb their remains and recast Zweite Aura on the others while that was going on. Occasionally he would jump in front of his friends when the dog monsters lunged out of the bushes or swarmed out of the black sphere en masse.

Yet, even then, not a single one managed to bite down on Naofumi before they were killed in one manner or another.

Losing their teeth like that could have been considered animal abuse, so Naofumi hardly minded.

He wasn't a jerk like Itsuki, after all.

…

Spawn camping is a legitimate strategy, okay?!

Everyone's levels climbed really quickly for the rest of the day, thanks to Raphtalia and Uncle Bald Guy slaying so many dog monsters one after the other.

By the time it was night, the kids were sitting around a campfire, looking over everything that they'd acquired. Which was, unsurprisingly, a lot.

After at least eight hours of daytime grinding and several hours of nighttime grinding, their levels were:

Naofumi: Lv. 70

Raphtalia: Lv. 71

Melty: Lv. 68

Elhart: Lv. 96

Wow, it must have been effective for Uncle Bald Guy to go up an entire level just from this grinding session!

Though, the funny mustached count mentioned that above level 70, the experience rate began to gradually go back to normal. So maybe they'd just slain a lot of monsters today?

Shadow: Lv. 69

Yes, even Shadow had gained quite a few levels. Which was just as well, as she had become a permanent member of the party anyway.

"Noice."

For some reason, it seemed really odd to hear Shadow say that from the shadows.

"Holy moly. We did great! Many adventurers would kill to get level gains like what you guys got today!" Elhart said in amazement.

"Didn't we spend the whole day doing exactly that though?" Naofumi asked in confusion.

"You mean, didn't the rest of us do it for you?" Uncle Bald Guy pointed out the Shield on Naofumi's arm before collapsing back in laughter.

Naofumi briefly pouted but grinned as the bald blacksmith looked over their pile of loot. "There is no way that those other adventurers would be capable of killing that boss monster as many times as you did!"

"Heh, you're right about that, kid." Uncle Bald Guy ruffled his hair. "You all did a good job today."

"Even… even me?" Melty asked.

…

The young princess began to pout when Elhart didn't immediately respond. "Eh, you'll get there eventually." He said with a laugh.

Boo! She was totally being targeted now!

Uncle Bald Guy and the other two kids laughed. "Seriously, it just takes time and experience! I would have never risked facing all these monsters by myself back when I was a young adventurer!"

"... Uncle Bald Guy, that makes you sound old." Raphtalia giggled while smiling happily to herself.

"That's because he is." Naofumi giggled after her.

"Oi, this exp event happens once every decade and this is my third time doing it! It's not like I'm that old!" Elhart yelled.

"One decade is as old as me!" Naofumi rebutted.

"It's not that hard to be older than you, brat!"

Melty sighed. Oh no. It looked like they were about to devolve into pointless bickering once again.

But it was also heartwarming to witness at the same time. They'd really bonded so much together over the last few months.

Melty hoped the day would come when she could be that close to them as well.

"You know, I'm surprised that you didn't try to tame the boss monster like you always do, Naofumi." Raphtalia suddenly spoke up.

"You mean that's something that he does?" Melty asked in astonishment.

"Mmhmm. He's always trying to tame all sorts of weird monsters. Especially the really strong ones." Raphtalia explained with a shrug. "But he didn't try that today for some reason. I've been wondering why."

"Oh, that's because dog monsters are pure evil," Naofumi answered promptly in the most straightforward manner.

…

…

…

Elhart, who'd turned away from them to get to work on their equipment, paused in his hammering. All the individuals there stared at the kid like he'd grown a second head.

"Eh?" Melty tilted her head confusedly.

"What do you mean they're pure evil, Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked with concern.

"Yeah. I don't think I've ever heard you call an innocent(?) monster evil before, kid." Elhart shared Raphtalia's sentiment. "What happened to make you think that?"

"What happened?! What happened?! Don't you remember what happened when we went down to the mines?!" Naofumi fumed angrily.

…

…

All he got were confused stares. The group had visited quite a few mines during the past few months so Elhart could have the materials he needed to repair or upgrade their armor and weapons when needed.

Naofumi rolled his eyes. "The dog monster in it tried to eat me and traumatized Raphtalia! And not only that, Raphtalia told me before how it was because of a dog monster that she lost her parents!

"There's no way I'd ever try to take one in! They're pure evil and don't deserve an ounce of mercy! Death to all dog monsters!" Naofumi shouted resolutely.

…

…

…

Oh…

My…

…GODSSSSSSSSS!

Raphtalia's tail thumped against the ground crazily. She didn't know whether to hug this cute innocent boy or kiss him for what he'd said! It was so sweet how he'd considered her feelings on the matter even though she'd well gotten past those old traumas of hers!

Why?! Why did he have to make it so hard for her to try and only be his best friend?! Couldn't he just hold her hand and get it over with already?!

"Oh! Are you okay, Raphtalia!?" Naofumi's eyes widened in realization and guilt as he suddenly grabbed her hand. "I should have checked to make sure you were okay with fighting all those dog monsters after how they scared you before! I'm so sorry about that-!"

"Please, please stop!" Raphtalia yelled at him.

"Eh?" Naofumi tilted his head confusedly.

If he kept speaking such kind things and tried to hold her hand again, she wouldn't be able to control herself and she'd definitely tackle him to the ground and kiss him.

Nothing would ever be the same for them after that.

"Eh?" The kid said again. Why was his best friend acting so weird right now?

"Ahahaha!" Elhart laughed boisterously. "Oh, how much I love your childhood innocence."

Naofumi pouted in confusion, but the older blacksmith had already gone back to hammering out the small dents in Naofumi's armor.

"Ah…" Melty finally let out a sound. She'd nearly forgotten how Raphtalia told her about what happened to her family and village during the first Wave. And to think Naofumi, as forgetful as he could be, recalled these things so clearly.

Raphtalia must have been really important to him.

"Either way, I still wouldn't allow you to take any kind of monster in." Elhart smiled as he spoke up again when the two kids had calmed down enough.

"Boo! It'll happen one day! You'll see!" Naofumi shook his fist to the heavens.

"Haha, sure kid. Whatever you say." Elhart chuckled as he finished his maintenance on Naofumi's armor.

He was glad to learn that Naofumi wasn't growing up too quickly. As much as their cuteness had lost its effect on him, the old blacksmith couldn't deny that it felt nice being around the two innocent kids.

They were like a breath of fresh air in a world full of chaos.

… Ironic, since the little brat was determined to be the epitome of chaos wherever he went.

But it'd definitely be preferable to when he and Raphtalia would become dark-brooding teenagers, that was for sure.

"What are you thinking about now?!" Naofumi pouted at the blacksmith again.

Elhart simply smiled and stuck his tongue out at the kid before he picked up Raphtalia's sword to examine it. Naofumi continued to pout as he faced the fire again.

…

Raphtalia drew in a deep breath, before resting her head on her best friend's lap.

This was fine. She'd done it before several times, so Naofumi wouldn't find it weird or anything.

The kid Hero smiled at the action. He began to rub Raphtalia's head between her ears, and she let out a sigh of contentment. Naofumi's eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling of the half-raccoon girl's warmth against his hand.

How they both wished that they could enjoy this feeling for the rest of their lives.

Melty yawned into her hand. Seeing her two siblings the way they were was actually pretty cute. Though with the lapse in conversation, it became apparent how late it was for all of them.

Oh well, she'd only close her eyes for a second. Just like Naofumi and Raphtalia, and… … …

Elhart frowned. After studying the weapon in his hands for a moment, he'd found cracks around the hilt of Raphtalia's small sword. Not only that, the blade itself was beginning to bend at the wrong angle.

Elhart already knew that the girl's armor needed some upgrades after looking it over, but Raphtalia's sword had reached its limit as well. It wouldn't be long before it broke. He was going to have to make her a new one as soon as possible.

Maybe if he had time tomorrow morning, he could check to see if there were any forges he'd be allowed to use in town. Dang, he really should have seen this coming.

When adventurers progressed in levels, it was important to update their equipment as soon as possible, otherwise, they'd wear through their gear with their increased stats far more quickly than normal.

He just hadn't expected them to have level gains like this in just one day.

The older blacksmith sighed. He just couldn't catch a break, could he?

…

At least Melty didn't have any armor or weapons to take care of. She was purely a magic caster. Something that they really needed without Amber there…

Right, Amber. That brat hadn't even appeared to grind alongside the kids.

The blacksmith knew he couldn't let her behavior stand.

"Oi? Are we ready to go back now?" Elhart asked.

…

He didn't get a response. After a moment, he looked up to find all three kids sleeping peacefully.

"... you've got to be kidding me." Elhart groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Just when he thought his hands were full enough as it was.

Having Amber around would have been reaaaaaally useful about now.

"Shall I wake them up? I daresay, it'd be better if they rested in their rooms instead of out here." Shadow materialized next to the older blacksmith. She'd been keeping watch up until that moment.

"I want to. But… da- dang it, they worked hard today too. It doesn't feel right waking them up like this." Elhart put his supplies in his pack and got up. "I can carry those two on my own. It shouldn't be an issue for me."

"I daresay, I shall carry Princess Melty then." Shadow nodded. "Though, I am unsure if we'd be able to fight off monsters with our hands full."

"We'll figure something out. It's not like these monsters can do more than scratch me at this point." Elhart packed up the supplies the kids had laid out and dumped the entire mess into the kid's shield.

Even asleep, the shield still absorbed all the materials effortlessly.

Though Elhart did pocket the pile of black ore before doing that.

The kid wouldn't mind if the blacksmith used it for some… future projects, would he?

The ore was called… Oriekal Ore, huh? That stuff was pretty rare. Most blacksmiths didn't have the skills to work with it.

Elhart was, thankfully, not like most blacksmiths. And he definitely wasn't going to let this kid waste something so valuable on his shield's power-up methods. Perhaps he could use this as a base for the miss' new weapon and armor?

Thoughts for later, he supposed.

"Alright, let's go." The tall blacksmith carried Raphtalia and Naofumi over his shoulders. Allowing him to use his fists if any monsters attacked him.

Shadow also had a dagger in one of her hands and was ready to cast magic at a moment's notice.

However, the pair hadn't walked very far when two other adventurers came out of the brush.

"Thank goodness. We were wondering who else was out here late at night." Therese sighed in relief while the redhead next to her rested his scythe on the ground.

"Is everyone ok?" L'Arc asked with concern. Therese worriedly looked the group over and noticed the kids who were fast asleep.

Elhart stopped in his tracks and eyed the two individuals warily. However, before he could speak, Shadow spoke up. "I remember you two. I daresay, you were the ones who warned us about the coming storm back at the ship."

"Righteo." L'Arc gave the Shadow a thumbs up. "Though I don't know if I remember seeing you around when that happened." He then said confusedly.

Strange. Had she been there? He couldn't recall, but then how could he have ever forgotten such a masked beauty like her and-

"Ow!" L'Arc whined as Therese suddenly jabbed him in the side.

"Quit staring. It's rude." The sapphire-haired girl reprimanded him.

"I-I wasn't staring at anything!" L'Arc whined in protest.

Shadow quirked an eyebrow. But she didn't say anything to the redhead's comment.

Elhart still looked alert. "To answer the Miss's earlier question. We're all fine. These kids just stayed out a little bit past their bedtime." The man said, gesturing to the kids that he was carrying.

"Ah, I see! Do you need help getting back to the ferry then?!" L'Arc asked happily.

"I daresay, if you could protect us from monsters, it'd be greatly appreciated," Shadow suggested.

"Sure, just leave them to me!" L'Arc began to turn around, but then quickly faced them again. "By the way, my name's L'Arc, and this is Therese."

Therese walked up with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"... Likewise." Elhart still wasn't sure what to think about the pair, but he smiled back at the girl as he shook her hand. Unlike the redhead who seemed to radiate trouble like a flashing beacon, she seemed more than nice enough.

And, if he'd observed correctly, she wasn't afraid to keep her boyfriend in line.

If only a certain someone would do the same for their Spear Brat…

…

After that, the group made their way back to the docks where the ferryman was waiting.

Yet, strangely enough, despite it being nighttime, there were no monsters around to attack the small group of people.

They had heard the monsters in the surrounding brush a few times, but not a single one came at them.

Strange behavior for monsters. Unless they could sense how powerful they were…

That also made Elhart realize that these two must have been quite powerful themselves to have made it to the center of the island on their own.

"So, all of you were out here to level up?" L'Arc asked. "Even those kids you're carrying."

"Yes." Shadow nodded. "I daresay, we were."

"Tough world we live in. To think that even the kids need to fight, huh?" L'Arc chuckled to himself bitterly.

"That's only because this brat here is the Shield Hero," Elhart explained, gesturing with his chin to the boy sleeping on his right shoulder. "If not for that, I wouldn't be bringing him or his friends out here."

…

L'Arc and Therese, instead of looking surprised, smiled a little at his words. "We definitely understand where you're coming from then, old man."

Elhart almost paused in his walk. He stared hard at the redhead, but the adventurer chuckled without answering.

"You speak as if you've had to help kid Heroes level up in the past," Shadow spoke.

"I don't know about her being a Hero," Therese said. "But we had a friend once who we helped to level up when she was barely a pre-teen."

"Was this kid of yours always out to cause trouble too?" Elhart snorted to himself.

"Oh yes. Absolutely." Therese laughed to herself. "Sometimes she missed some very important events because of her obsession with fishing. We'd spend hours trying to track her down when she ran off. And at other times, she'd charm her other friends into distracting us so she could run off and get herself into trouble."

"Don't remind me." L'Arc rolled his eyes, keeping his scythe up and at the ready for any monsters that tried to attack them. "I still can't believe the things she convinced me to do with her."

Elhart's eyes slightly widened. He'd wondered why these two didn't find it weird to be out here leveling up a group of kids. Apparently, this was why.

"So why'd you have to help that brat of yours level up anyway?" The blacksmith asked.

"It's kind of a long story," L'Arc replied. His face became the littlest bit somber, but immediately after his smile returned. "Let's just say we understand the sacrifices you're making right now."

Elhart and Shadow both frowned. The two adventurers made no move to attack them, however.

Only a moment later, they exited the forest and reached the ferry area. They found their boat along with one other waiting for them.

No monsters had attacked them the whole way back. The kids were still sleeping peacefully too.

"Oh, are you finally ready to head back?" The ferryman who'd dropped them off suddenly stood up straight as he came out of his dozing state.

"Yes, I daresay, if it isn't too much to ask," Shadow spoke calmly.

"Not at all!" The old man grinned.

"You two comfortable with riding back with us?" Elhart asked.

"Sure, we originally came out here looking for our friend, but we didn't run into her," L'Arc said. "At least we were able to help you guys out."

"Who knows, maybe we'll find her back in our room L'Arc?" Therese suggested.

"Hmmm, good thinking." L'Arc briefly smiled, before he shook his head. "Alright, let's head back!"

A moment later, they had left Inult Island and were heading back to the main island.

…

…

For about fifteen minutes, there was no sound on the beach.

…

…

Then, a mystery figure walked out of the forest.

Her fans were covered with blood. Her skin was a bit paler than normal.

Not one monster had come close to the kid Hero and his group on their trip back thanks to her. She'd killed every last beast and drawn their attention to herself. Killing them so silently with her fans that not even Shadow had noticed anything.

It'd been a lot of work, and she'd had to avoid making her presence known to her friends too. Since she didn't want to make them aware of what she was doing. But thanks to the training that she'd received in the past, she was able to do it.

Glass was utterly exhausted now, however. She'd used up so much energy today killing monsters on her own...

Yet this was only the beginning. She still had much more to do to atone for attacking that child. For trying to kill the Heroes of other worlds. For giving into despair all those years ago and…

She got into the remaining boat and began to paddle herself back to the main island.

She'd meet up with L'Arc and Therese at their room. Pretend to have been out all day grinding monsters on her own, and then rest and restore her energy. Tomorrow, she would head out to grind near Kidfumi and the others again to ensure that he would be kept safe.

She just had to atone.

She just had to atone…

…

She just had to atone for her sake…

"Urgh…" Itsuki collapsed from exhaustion when he got to his room.

What a day.

"Fuehhhhhh…" Rishia actually did collapse on one of the beds in front of him.

If he was exhausted, then she was dead. The Bow Hero debated checking to make sure that Rishia was still breathing, but the thought of getting up again so quickly made him want to vomit.

"Rest up while you can! We're starting bright and early tomorrow!" Granny grinned wickedly from the doorway behind them. Despite pushing herself just as hard as them, she still looked vibrant and full of energy.

It was completely unfair.

"Oh! And make sure to eat a hearty breakfast! You'll want plenty of energy before we continue our training tomorrow morning!"

She had to at least be a hundred years old. Why did Itsuki's body feel so much older than Granny's in that moment?!

"Did I hear my two pupils say they want extra training tomorrow?" Granny grinned slyly at their lack of response.

"Please no!" Itsuki yelled pleadingly.

"We got it, Granny." Rishia moaned after him.

At least it proved that she was still alive.

Granny laughed boisterously. "Eh, even I'm not that cruel. Make sure you eat something before you go to bed as well. Oh, and take some time to relax in the Hot Springs too. That'll help to keep your muscles from becoming too sore overnight.

"Plus, there's something about the water here that just seems to revitalize the skin." Granny rubbed her arms, already shuddering with anticipation.

"Sure, whatever. Good night, Granny." Itsuki muttered tiredly.

Granny closed the door, still laughing to herself as she went to book a Hot Spring for herself.

…

Itsuki moaned into the sheets of his bed. Dinner?! Hot Spring?! It'd be a miracle if he could even sit up again right now!

"Fuehhhhh…" Rishia whimpered to herself again. She looked so pathetic while she lay face-first on her bed.

Itsuki was in the same boat though. So perhaps it'd be better to say they both looked equally pathetic at that moment?

"I get why you have to train so hard, but why did she have to force me to punch monsters with my bare hands alongside you?" Itsuki complained tiredly.

"Wasn't… didn't she say it was because you needed to get better at fighting opponents up close?" Rishia asked hesitantly.

"When am I ever going to have to deal with that?" Itsuki grimaced as he rubbed the bite marks on his hands. He was lucky Rishia knew healing magic, but they still stung and she was too tired to cast any more magic right now.

"..." Rishia stayed quiet, leaving Itsuki to ruminate on it himself.

When he thought about it, that Glass woman would have been a huge threat had she gotten within melee range. She'd already been a large threat at long range as it was. It was only because of Ren, Moto, and Naofumi being there that she hadn't beaten Itsuki to a pulp.

But outside of that, when would he ever have to worry about fighting against a strong opponent in melee range?

…

Ok, when would he ever have to worry about fighting against a strong opponent in melee range that wasn't Granny?

The Bow Hero's gut still felt sore from where she'd hit him in a previous training session while demonstrating a move to Rishia several days ago. And she'd closed the distance between herself and Itsuki so quickly too. He hadn't even been able to track her movements until she was right in front of him.

Whatever her age, her style of fighting was the real deal. He was lucky she was taking the time to train both him and Rishia simultaneously. And this would especially benefit Rishia, as she needed this if she wanted to become stronger.

If only it didn't hurt so much and make him want to die.

…

He was so lost in his own thoughts, that it took him a while to realize someone was shaking his shoulder. "H-Huh?"

"U-Um, I was asking if you wanted any dinner, Sir Itsuki," Rishia asked shyly.

Itsuki was surprised for several reasons. One, Rishia was already able to stand again. And two, she was being nice enough to grab dinner for them. He still didn't feel like getting up.

Maybe she was more used to Granny's training than he was.

"Oh, um… sure." He forced himself to sit up on the bed. "Is there anywhere you want to go?"

"Actually… I was going to make something myself." Rishia said abashedly. "I don't really feel like going out to any restaurants tonight."

…

…

Itsuki's eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "Wouldn't that take more energy though?" They'd already expended quite a great deal tonight.

Unless the nearest restaurant was somehow miles away and he hadn't noticed…

"I-It's ok. I got used to cooking late at night when Mald was around and… well, I'm used to cooking for myself even when I'm exhausted." Rishia sighed to herself. "Though, Granny pushed me harder today than any other time that I can remember."

…

Itsuki's eyebrows knotted further. It'd been a while since Mald's… heart, incident. But he couldn't recall him and Rishia ever interacting with each other…

Meh. His brain was too tired to think about such things right now. Instead, he pushed himself back into a standing position again.

"Well, if you're going to cook, I might as well help you too," Itsuki said.

"F-Fueh!? Y-You, don't have to! You should take the time to enjoy the Hot Springs and-" Rishia began to say frantically.

"Come on, I'm not that bad of a cook. I know how to handle a knife at least." Itsuki said tiredly with a smile. "And it'd probably go better if you had someone helping you out."

…

"F-Fuehhh…." Rishia whimpered unsurely but nodded her head after a moment.

The two left their room and headed to the kitchens. Itsuki's body protested every step of the way, especially when the route took them past rooms containing the island's famous Hot Springs. Specifically, the ones that Count Hadenburg had set aside for the Heroes.

All their doors were closed. Granny could be heard humming to herself behind one door. Rather than bothering her, or opening the door to come across a truly horrid sight, the two continued on past the area and past a receptionist sitting behind a desk.

They briefly stopped to talk to her, learning that they'd have to talk to the person at this desk in order to make sure that they had a Hot Spring booked for themselves and no other Heroes or their parties.

Itsuki found it weird when he kept on thinking he saw angel wings on the girl's back. But he blamed it on how tired he was as the image kept fading in and out.

After that, the pair continued on down the hallways of the large hotel/inn.

When they finally arrived at the kitchens, Itsuki's body felt like giving out again. But he still managed to talk to the chef who was getting everything ready to retire for the night before that happened. The chef kept the wood stove and other things going just for them.

The chef even grabbed the ingredients Rishia needed from the pantry before retiring to bed, entrusting his kitchen to the Hero of legend and his friend.

The chef gave them a wink as he left. Itsuki's eyes narrowed confusedly as the man looked vaguely familiar for some reason… but that seemed ridiculous.

Motoyasu didn't have a mustache or a pair of ridiculous glasses. The nose was too big too.

Maybe he was just imagining things again?

Itsuki spent a moment sitting on a stool, rubbing at his forehead. Why did he have to feel so tired right now? Perhaps this had been a bad idea after all.

"U-Um, Itsuki, could you cut these vegetables for me?" Rishia asked quietly beside him.

Itsuki was pulled out of his thoughts. He was shocked at how close Rishia had gotten without him noticing. She looked so shy too but was looking down at him with her bright green eyes full of hesitation.

"... S-Sure." Itsuki stuttered nervously. "Just let me move my stool to the spot."

The hesitation in them disappeared, being replaced with joy and happiness. She helped him move his stool to the countertop before giving him the knife she'd been holding and skipping over to a pot on the stove.

For a moment, it felt like Itsuki's heart had skipped a beat…

Then he shook his head to clear it.

Maybe he was just really tired.

Yeah, really, really tired. That was the only thing that could explain how he was feeling right now.

…

Why was he doing this again? Going out to a restaurant would have been infinitely better than doing this.

…

Still, as the minutes passed, working together with Rishia was surprisingly… relaxing.

He definitely didn't cut up the vegetables evenly. Even if he hadn't felt so drop-dead exhausted, he wasn't as good with a knife as he'd let on.

But the fueh girl didn't seem to mind at all. She'd already kneaded out some dough and formed noodle strips out of them, which she'd placed in the pot on the stove.

The fact that she was doing all this while looking utterly exhausted eventually sparked something in Itsuki. And he forced himself to go through the rest of the process without sitting on a stool to do everything like an old man.

When Itsuki came to her with his cutting board, she took his hard work and placed some of it in the broth, setting the rest aside. She then instructed him in what to do next.

Itsuki had to cut up some meat and cook it in a separate pan. Then he helped Rishia with mixing a bright red sauce that tasted only a little spicy. This was followed by stirring the noodles and vegetables already in the pot. Watching as she added spices to the mix here and there as well as straining out the grease from the cooked meat.

Eventually, she determined that the noodles were cooked enough and strained out the water from the pot. She then added the sauce, meat, and the remaining vegetables Itsuki had cut up earlier, which she'd cooked in another separate pot together, making sure the sauce was baked into the noodles.

By the time they were finally done, almost forty-five minutes had passed. Itsuki had to sit at the table towards the end, leaving Rishia to finish the meal on her own. But the results of their hard work were two very impressive plates of Napolitan. One of which she set in front of the Bow Hero.

As soon as the food's wonderful aroma hit his nostrils, Itsuki's mouth watered. Suddenly, he felt extremely happy that they hadn't gone to some stupid restaurant to have dinner.

It took Itsuki an immense amount of effort and willpower to keep himself from digging in then and there. But he waited till they were both sitting down at a table before cupping his hands together.

"Itadakimasu."

Rishia smiled as she repeated the same to him. And then, the two took their first bites.

Itsuki's mouth cried out with joy. Everything tasted so good that he immediately began scarfing it down. It was a true miracle! His taste buds were cured of the taste of that awful medicine on the spot!

"S-Slow down! Or else-" Before Rishia could finish, Itsuki began choking on his food.

"Ah!" Rishia immediately got up and ran around the table, squeezing Itsuki around the chest tightly.

The action worked. Itsuki coughed the food out of his throat. He looked almost dazed as Rishia continued hugging him.

"Y-You shouldn't eat so fast, Itsuki! What were you thinking?!" Rishia yelled at him worriedly.

…

It took him a moment to recover enough to speak. He began to chuckle before that though, which had Rishia let go of him in surprise. "Sorry, it just tasted too good. I couldn't stop even if I wanted to."

"Fuehhhh…" Rishia whimpered again. But this time, Itsuki found it more cute and adorable rather than annoying.

…

They got back to eating again. Though, this time, the atmosphere was awkward compared to before.

Itsuki looked up from his plate at Rishia repeatedly, only to put his head back down in embarrassment. It was like he could still feel the warmth from her hug.

Had… had he actually thought she was cute there?

It certainly wasn't as if she wasn't attractive. Even though she was so short that she was shorter than him, her face was really beautiful. And her body…

Gods, her body!

Itsuki began to blush a bright red.

Those were not appropriate thoughts to be having around a friend.

That's all she was. His friend. Maybe a means to get in a better standing with Naofumi. Maybe one of the best-hidden chefs in the world. But a friend above all else.

…

But damn did she have some nice assets!

'Brain, please stop! Now isn't the time to deal with this!'

"Keep telling yourself that, and you'll never have the time to deal with it."

"Face it, you like her, you idiot E Rank Esper."

…

Itsuki looked up again, only to find Rishia looking right at him too.

Both of them turned their heads to the side, blushing brightly in embarrassment.

Crap, was his brain actually right? The Bow Hero only thought of himself and Rishia as friends. Now he couldn't even look her in the eyes without…

He really needed to say something to break the ice again. The situation would grow too awkward otherwise. But he couldn't think of anything to say…

Why was he such an idiot?

"I've been wondering about that myself for years."

…

It was only when the Bow Hero put his fork against his plate and came up with nothing that he realized he'd already eaten everything. Rishia had just finished off the last of her food as well.

"O-Oh. U-Um, this Napolitan tasted really good, Rishia. P-Probably the best I've ever had." Itsuki stuttered nervously.

"You… you really think so?" Rishia asked hopefully.

"Y-Yeah. Not that I've had it a lot in the past or…" Itsuki's eyes widened at his words.

Gods, why did he sound like such an idiot right now?! He wanted to kick himself under the table so badly right now and throw himself out a window to escape this embarrassing situation and-

Rishia giggled to herself, cutting off his thoughts. "I don't make it too often myself. But I like it when I have the time and the ingredients to do so."

"A-Are you kidding me?! With how good that was, you could open a noodle restaurant using only that to draw customers in!" Itsuki shouted incredulously.

Rishia blushed a brighter red in embarrassment. "I'm serious! It tasted so freaking good!" Itsuki continued passionately. "I would crawl through hell! I would kill every monster in my way! Heck, I'd fight through Granny herself with my bare hands if it gave me a chance to eat your Napolitan again! It was that good!"

…

Rishia didn't immediately respond to his excited rant. But the smile that appeared on her face was entirely sincere.

"Some of the villagers at my parent's estate have said similar things in the past." She moved a hair behind her ear shyly. "It wouldn't be very fun if I only cooked that every day though."

"... huh?" Itsuki asked confusedly.

"Well, imagine something you like to do. If you did that thing all the time, would you still like it as much?" Rishia asked.

…

Itsuki pondered her words for a little bit. "I guess, not really."

"Mmhmm. And besides that, I'd rather not have this dish lose its special meaning for me."

"Special meaning?" Itsuki asked.

"You see, my mom… liked making it for me whenever she saw that I was feeling down when growing up. She always inserted all her love and care into it before giving it to me…"

"I guess, making it now, not only helps me to feel better. But it reminds me of my parents and how much they love me whenever I miss them." Rishia muttered to herself. Yet she looked up at him again. "Do you have something like that?"

…

…

Itsuki didn't respond. He was looking at her in complete disbelief.

"F-Fueh, um, maybe I shouldn't have asked that-" Rishia started to say nervously.

"NO!" Itsuki immediately yelled, catching her off guard. "No, I just… I didn't realize how special Napolitan was to you. I just really liked it since it was one of my favorite dishes from my world."

Rishia giggled at his confession. "I really like Napolitan too. And I love making it. The whole process just has a way of calming me down when the world seems so chaotic…

"And if I were to do it every hour of every day, I'm afraid that I'd grow sick of it. It'd become just like anything else in my life. And I don't want that to happen to me or anyone I care about enough to make it for."

"I… I, um, I think I understand what you mean." Itsuki began to look away as he thought over her words.

"To answer your earlier question, my parents loved me too," Itsuki spoke out again, grabbing the girl's complete undivided attention. "They were very busy people though. They both had to work different jobs to pay for my education. They wouldn't come home till late at night, and there were times when one or the other would be gone for weeks at a time on a business trip.

"They tried their best to be there to raise me. But I honestly don't have many memories of them growing up…

…

"Yet, despite their busy schedules, they always made sure they could attend my school concerts. That's an event that involves a large group of students my age playing different instruments." Itsuki explained with a smile on his face. "Anyway, no matter how busy they were or if they needed to pack for another trip or whatever, they always took the time to come to my concerts to watch me and the other students play."

Itsuki's smile softened as he continued reminiscing over his old memories with Rishia. He recalled a day when his parents had been working for a week straight with little to no sleep on an important project. He hadn't seen them at all that whole time. He didn't even know if they remembered him telling them about his upcoming concert.

Yet, despite it being the day before said project's deadline and everything else that would have his parents stressed out of their minds, he still found their smiling proud faces amongst the crowd of parents there to see their kids play. And they were among those that cheered the loudest when it was over.

He'd found their enthusiasm embarrassing back then since he'd only been ten years old. But it really stuck with him over the years.

"It didn't matter if they knew the songs we were playing or not. They were always there to support me…

"And… whenever my parents were gone for an especially long time for a business trip… or whenever the bullying from the kids at school got really bad and gaming wasn't enough to escape it…

"I'd play one of those songs on a violin… to remind me of how much they love me. And for a moment, I'd feel close to them again."

…

…

Rishia was staring at Itsuki in awe after he finished his story.

He began to blush wildly. "S-Sorry, I rambled on for a while there, didn't I?"

The smile that Rishia flashed at him was so blinding Itsuki almost had to look away. "Are you kidding?! I just learned so much about you and your world! I could have sat here all night listening to you!"

"Y-You're kidding!?"

Rishia shook her head, still smiling really happily. Itsuki stared at her in shock, his blush growing deeper alongside his embarrassment.

He needed to change the subject, and quickly.

"So… you cared enough about me to make Napolitan, huh?"

"Huh-" Rishia looked surprised, and then it was her turn to blush. "O-Of course I did! You saved my life before from that noble! You allowed me to join your party! And, well… after the hellish training we both went through today, I thought this would help to cheer us up more than going to some random restaurant together." She admitted softly.

…

…

Itsuki's blush didn't go down.

Dang it! He'd even tried changing the subject and it still backfired on him! Why was he such a stupid idiot around Rishia?!

"U-Um…" Rishia suddenly looked sadly down at the table again, grabbing his attention again. "I-I'm sorry. I just realized, even though I'm still able to see my parents and get letters from them… you don't have that same luxury."

…

The red faded from Itsuki's face. He let out a sigh. "Yeah, maybe. But you don't have to worry about it?"

"Why not? D-Didn't you say you really cared about them?" Rishia asked.

"Yeah, I did. I still do." Itsuki admitted. "But, they were always so busy with work so they could afford to raise me. Almost every bit of money they got went towards helping me through school… Honestly, a large part of me can't help but feel relieved that they'll be able to spend it on themselves now."

There were too many people he knew of in his Japan that worked themselves to death for the sake of their kids. He'd sleep better at night, knowing his parents wouldn't meet that fate now.

"Fueh… but, you still won't get to see them. And they won't get to see you." Rishia said sadly.

…

"…" Itsuki thought about it for another moment. "You know, for me, they're only an instrument away. And it's the same for them."

He smiled brightly. "My mom once admitted to me that she'd listen to my recorded concerts at work when her boss wasn't watching. She said dad also listened to them whenever he could.

"I don't know if they were musical people or just loved my playing that much. But they'll still have all those recordings to remember me by."

"Besides, I think they'd be happy if they learned I finally have a younger brother like they always wanted me to have."

Rishia, who'd begun staring at him in awe again, couldn't help but giggle after his last sentence. "A younger brother who really doesn't like you very much."

Itsuki had to turn his face, which had become as bright as a tomato again, away from her. "Yeah, don't remind me."

Rishia continued to giggle while her green eyes brightened and flashed in a variety of hues.

…

Itsuki couldn't help but look back at her… it almost was like he was seeing her in a different light.

Yeah, she was weak and needed to work harder than anyone else to become stronger. But… she was also really kind, and selfless. She would do almost anything for those she cared about even if it meant spending her time with them.

It was no wonder Naofumi took to her more than he did to him. Itsuki was almost the exact opposite. Rude. Selfish. Prideful. Boastful…

He didn't have anything of worth to his name. Only his parents had ever really cared about him. He hadn't been anything special in his world…

"And, um, Itsuki…" Rishia trailed off unsurely.

"What is it?" Itsuki focused on her again.

She'd moved close to him while he was lost in his thoughts. And before he could ask why, she hugged him again, though gently this time.

"... thank you, for opening up to me," Rishia told him softly. "I feel really special tonight thanks to you."

…

Itsuki hugged the short girl back, smiling to himself like the dope that he was.

Yep. She was kind, thoughtful, and selfless. Willing to open her heart to others. And, maybe, just maybe, she thought of him as someone special to her.

In other words, she was perfect for somebody like him.

"You're welcome... And, um, thanks for listening to me, and for letting me help with the Napolitan... Even if I didn't do a very good job at it." Itsuki whispered back.

The two separated, and Rishia was blushing fiercely again. "D-Don't sell yourself short. You did well enough with everything I assigned you to do."

"I probably wouldn't have choked on that vegetable though if I'd cut it just a bit smaller." Itsuki refuted.

"... Yeah, I admit you could have done a better job there." Rishia's smile turned into a small grin.

"See, I told you-... … HEY!" Itsuki bristled.

Rishia began to laugh at his reaction. And after a moment of trying to hold a grudge against the beautiful reaction, the Bow Hero couldn't help but smile and laugh alongside her.

"Maybe I'll work on my cutting skills before next time," Itsuki said with a chuckle.

"Yes, that'd probably be for the best." Rishia smiled at him, and he smiled in return. "And maybe I could see about finding you a violin."

"H-Huh?" Itsuki looked surprised.

Rishia frowned. "Didn't you say you'd play those songs on a violin to remember your parents?"

"I-I did. Though, you don't have to if you don't-"

Rishia giggled, cutting him off before he could stick his foot in his mouth. "I'd love it if I could hear you play, Itsuki. I'd like to listen to the same thing your parents did whenever they watched you play."

…

…

"S-Sure thing, then," Itsuki mumbled.

They proceeded to clean up their mess in the kitchen. And then, the two friends began to walk back to their room together.

It still felt awkward to him. And he also began to blush when he thought of holding her hand.

There was no way Rishia would be comfortable with that, right? And… he'd never really pondered these thoughts much before. Even though he and Rishia had bonded a surprising amount tonight…

He and Rishia were just so different. Even if they'd been brought up in similar backgrounds. Having loving parents, but having more bullies than friends, and…

It wasn't like she'd feel the same about him.

…

Still, when his hand brushed against hers, they both paused.

Itsuki felt like chiding himself for the selfish action. Even though he'd just tried to convince himself…

But then, Rishia's hand became interwoven with his.

He looked at her, and she looked at him with a bright smile. A smile that caused him to mirror hers in return.

Right, he was selfish. But she was selfless.

The two didn't say anything. But began to walk back to their room hand in hand.

Itsuki couldn't stop smiling the entire way.

…

…

As they passed by the Hot Spring again, the pair paused when they heard unfamiliar sounds coming from inside one of the rooms. It wasn't the one that Granny had been in earlier.

"Oh? I didn't think any of the other Heroes would be here this late at night." Rishia said curiously.

Itsuki cocked his head as well. He didn't think Motoyasu would be up today with how seasick he'd looked earlier. And Naofumi should definitely be in bed by now.

"It's probably some of Ren's companions I bet," Itsuki said after a moment of thought.

Something tickled at the back of his mind at those words. Yet he couldn't tell what it was…

…

The two shrugged and moved on. With how late it was now, they'd rather go to bed than visit the Hot Springs tonight.

Maybe they'd do it tomorrow.

If they survived Granny's training montage, that is.

Itsuki really hoped that they wouldn't die. He was starting to like his life in this new world, as strange as it was.

…

They continued holding hands all the way back to their room. But it was only when they were before their door that Itsuki finally came to realize something.

It was just the two of them in the same room.

Just them… sleeping in the same room…

…

Crap, this was going to be awkward. Would he even be able to sleep near her after tonight? His mind was already racing a thousand miles an hour. And he didn't want to give her any wrong ideas…

Gods, this was going to be awkward! Why had he and Rishia only been assigned one room? Even Granny had her own room all to herself, so why couldn't it have been the same for them?

"F… Fueh?" Rishia looked confused when she opened the door.

"What is it now?" Itsuki asked impatiently.

Maybe he was just overthinking things again?! They were just two friends who'd felt comfortable enough to hold hands after sharing some intimate details about their lives, that's all! And two friends at that level of comfort would never have to worry about-

"I-Itsuki, w-weren't there t-t-two beds in here e-earlier?" Rishia asked while stammering repeatedly.

…

…

Itsuki looked past her inside the room. Then, he raced inside, his eyes boggling in his head and his heart hammering in his chest.

The bed Rishia had collapsed on earlier was gone. Only his bed remained.

A small, yet comfortable twin-sized mattress.

…

Itsuki looked from the bed to Rishia, to the bed, and back at her. Rishia did much the same.

Both their eyes were as wide as saucers.

Somehow, this was even worse than what he'd been picturing in his head.

…

The fueh girl was going to be sleeping a lottttttttt closer to her Bow Hero than either of them had anticipated.

"FUEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The two of them whimpered loudly at the same time.

"Do you think we went too far?" Amber asked Moto curiously from behind the window where they could see the two teenagers inside still freaking out over their one-bed situation several minutes after they'd entered the room.

It wasn't like this was that common of a trope, right? Though, maybe they had good reason for it since their room definitely had two beds earlier.

"Hmmm, maybe we did go a little overboard taking out one of the beds while they were busy in the kitchen." Motoyasu rubbed his chin curiously.

"Though, we need to be even more drastic with them than with Ren and Wyndia if we want them to get together." The Spear simp continued.

"Hmmm…" Amber frowned. She honestly thought they were a lot closer than they'd been before after listening in to their after-dinner conversation. Though, it was hard to tell how much closer they were.

Motoyasu took off his Groucho Marx disguise then. He'd already changed out of the chef's garb a while ago. "At least my other younger bro is doing really well. He and his girlfriend should be very happy in their private Hot Spring right about now." The blonde guy grinned widely.

Amber grinned alongside him. "Imagine what could have happened had Itsuki and Rishia gone to me instead of you."

You see, Motoyasu had planted himself in the kitchens while she'd planted herself at the Hot Springs receptionist desk.

Had Itsuki and Rishia wanted to book a private Hot Spring, she was supposed to instruct them that only one was available. And then lead them to the smallest one, where they would have had no choice but to sit directly across from each other in close proximity.

Said Hot Spring was also right next door to the one Ren and Wyndia were currently in. And she didn't think the walls were soundproofed.

It'd also given her a chance to practice some fire illusion magic she'd picked up recently to hide her wings. It'd been a few days since she'd discovered that fire could be used as an aspect of illusion magic too. And she could tell that it was going to be great when she mastered it.

"You know, let's try saving that part of the plan for later this week. After we gradually get them closer to one another… and after we've made sure my other younger bro and his dog girl are out in the city on a fancy date." Motoyasu grinned widely.

Something that might be a bit of a challenge, considering Ren and Wyndia had booked their Hot Spring for every night of the week. But Moto would manage it somehow.

Amber couldn't help but grin back. While she felt a little bit guilty over ditching Naofumi and the others by making it seem like Motoyasu was really sick from the ship, having all that time to scout out the inn and the surrounding area had made it a lot easier for Moto to plan what he entitled "Operation ULTRA VANILLA LOVE".

It was a bit weird for him to label it that. But then again, getting Ren and Wyndia together had been labeled as "Operation ULTRA PUPPY LOVE" so Amber was coming to find she didn't mind the naming scheme so much.

Amber giggled and held on to her husband's arm as they walked away from the window and the pair inside who'd no doubt have a hard time sleeping that night thanks to their shenanigans.

The pair entered the inn again and returned to the Spear Hero's room. Ready to rest up and continue their attempts to unite Rishuki together in the days to come.

Author's Notes:

Buwhahahaha. Watch out Itsuki and Rishia, ol' Grand Admiral Al here is going to make sure the two of you are hitched for sure!

Pretty fun chapter overall. I definitely enjoyed this a lot. The Rishuki scene was definitely a lot longer than what I'd planned, but you know, I liked it. Their's is a kind of Vanilla Love that I can get behind. Also felt good getting to expand on Itsuki's back story a bit more.

Hope you all enjoyed it too! See you again in two weeks!

Hero Clips!

Uncle Warlord

"AHAHAHA! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Melty grimaced, watching Uncle Bald Guy racing across the islands at one thousand miles an hour swinging his giant warhammer around like it was a small stick.

The dog monsters never stood a chance. Actually, none of the monsters in the area around them stood a chance against the middle-aged blacksmith.

"Is… is it normal for people to be able to run across water?" Melty asked.

"WOOOOOOOOOO!" Elhart wasn't just running across the water. His footfalls were blowing all the water out from beneath him, exposing underwater monsters to the air, and subsequently, his mighty warhammer.

At points, it looked like he was running on air. And it was more than a little creepy if they were being honest.

"Naofumi, I think casting Drifa Aura X on Uncle Bald Guy was a really bad idea," Raphtalia told the kid Shield Hero.

"How was I supposed to know upgrading it that much would multiply his stats by like, a hundred!" Naofumi yelled in his defense.

It'd actually be a 2.5x multiplier to all his stats, brat. Even Liberation Aura X only has a 3x multiplier for all the stats of a person.

Boo! Nobody asked you for your opinion stupid Shield! Stop showing how bad Naofumi was at math and get a life!

And what was a Liberation anyway!?

Something you'll discover later, brat.

Boo!

Just when they thought it couldn't get worse, Elhart ran past with a mountain of corpses on his shoulder. Ranging from the cute innocent(?) monsters from an island closer to the port town to the boss monsters of different islands as well as monsters from the sea that were the size of whales.

Yes. Uncle Bald Guy hauled two giant whale monsters the size of the ship they'd sailed on to where they'd grinded against the Karma Dog as if they weighed as much as the kids.

It would have been impressive if not for the fact that he carved a large throne for himself from all their corpses. Blood and guts dribbled down the sides of the island, making the image even worse.

"Ugh, I'm going to be sick." The kids all gagged at the same time.

"THIS SHALL BE MY NEW DOMAIN! ALL INNOCENT(?) MONSTERS SHALL FEAR ME! AHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Uncle Bald Guy then jumped through the portal that unleashed the dog monsters, and screeches of terror came out from it as a massacre of unknown proportions occurred on the other side.

Was that even supposed to be possible?

Probably not.

But whether it was possible or not…

"This is definitely the last time I'm using this spell on Uncle Bald Guy," Naofumi commented as the monster throne sickened them like nothing else.

"Yeah… he's way too intense like this." Raphtalia agreed with a grimace.

"I can't see! I can't see!" Melty screamed as she flailed around, the experience notifications on her HUD so thick that the bluette was effectively blind.

But that was far better than being able to see the monster corpse throne. So the two younger kids envied their older sibling at that moment.

"ALL SHALL BOW TO ME! AHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Uncle Bald Guy's voice rang from the portal, as well as what were probably the screams of those monsters that were still alive.

And thus, Naofumi never used the spell on the old blacksmith again.

Not that it would have stopped PETA from filing several lawsuits against Uncle Bald Guy anyway.

Till Next Time

Allen