Chapter 8:
YUNYUN'S POV:
I groggily got out of bed as I heard shuffling from outside. I sighed before falling the noise, "Again?" I muttered to myself.
I turn around to see Aya next to me, her arms wrapped around me as she softly breathes. I smile before slowly moving my arm out from her. She mumbles, causing me to tense. After a moment she calms down as I breathe a sigh of relief.
I walk down the stairs and outside of the guild, there sat William sitting on a nearby bench. "Another nightmare?" I ask, my brow raised.
He flinches before nodding, "O-Oh Y-Yunyun, I didn't see you there." He sighed before quietly nodding.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" I ask, sitting next to him.
He remains quiet, looking at the ground. I took that as a 'no,' I sigh in defeat. "You know I'm concerned about you, right? I mean, this has been going on for weeks now, right?"
He nodded his head, "Mhm."
My eyes soften, "Well, I'll be here if you wanna talk."
He gives a sad smile, "Thanks..." We sat in silence for a while until he spoke again, "It's a very painful nightmare, I guess that's why."
My eyes widen, "Oh, I didn't know it was about your past. I'm so sorry, I should get into your personal affairs!" I quickly apologized.
He chuckled, "No no! I mean physically painful, it makes me nauseous thinking about it. I don't wish it on my greatest enemy, it's a little weird." He scratches his cheek before continuing, "The pain feels real, but when I wake up all that remains is the memory."
I look at him, "I see, just... take your time alright?"
He nods, "Alright."
I look at the moon, "We should probably head back, I don't want Aya to worry."
He smiles, "Yeah, you're probably right."
He gets up as we walk back inside. I smiled, I'd never seen him open up about it, this is the first he's given anything about the nightmares he's had.
000
I couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight in front of me, Aya was sprawled across the bed, her right arm wrapped around the pillow. I slowly crawled back into bed, and by some instinct, Aya held onto me.
A small voice rang out, "Mommy?"
I wrapped my arms around her, "I'm here, go back to bed, okay?"
"Mn, kay..." She mumbled before falling back asleep.
I look behind Aya to see the moon shine before closing my eyes once more.
000
"Mommy, wake up! Wake up!" Aya said while shaking me.
I hesitantly opened my eyes, "I'm up."
I saw Aya's excited face as she stopped shaking me. "What's got you so worked up for?"
"Someone told me they were that weird science man wanted to see you guys, remember?" She said as she crawled out of bed.
"Science... man? OH CRAP!" My eyes widen as I jump up. I rush towards the closet to grab my outfit before rushing to dress Aya out of her pajamas.
I rush outside to see William already sitting in one of the chairs next to a bored-looking Fuyu. William's eyes meet mine as he jumps up with a smile and waves at us. I return the gesture with a small wave of my own along with a smile.
Fuyu's eyes light up at the sight of Aya running toward her. "Big sis!" Aya shouts as she shouts wraps her arms around her knee.
"Hey there lil sis!" She lifts Aya and hugs her with bright red cheeks and a large smile. I look over at William to see his eyebrow twitch.
"Alright, let's go!"
000
We arrived at the building, I knocked on the door to see the man in glasses let out a relieved sigh. "Come in," he says before letting us in. He walks toward the dissected corpse. "Here is what I need to show you."
We notice a machine next to it, tubes sprouting out of some spinning part. One of the tubes connected right to the heart while the others were detached. The parts were missing half of the corner with numerous claw marks.
"I noticed traces of liquidized mana leaking from some of the tubes." He looks at us, "You know what this means, right?"
I look at him, "What?"
"These monsters are now a major threat, they evolve quickly and are capable of casting magic." He points at the machine, "These devices, they somehow can generate mana along with casting."
"Is there anything we can do?"
He shook his head, "Unfortunately not yet, the best we can do is warn other advertisers about it." He rubbed his eyes in frustration, "That being said, there is another problem that recently popped up. A different type of monster showed up, it was discovered by Kazuma's party. It was described as vaguely human, though they said one detail stuck out: it had crimson eyes."
000
"Shit, what do we do?" William was pacing back and forth outside of the guild, a troubled-looking Fuyu behind him.
"This is troubling, they easily slaughtered hundreds with otherworldly weapons. For adventurers, there is no doubt it's a possibility." Fuyu said, causing my stomach to churn. "The good news is the parasites should be weak since they just woke up. It will take a while before they regain their full power."
I breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good- wait, what about you?"
She looked into my eyes, "That was the parasite at its weakest."
"If that's the case, then this really is dire. I can't even imagine what it's like at full strength." William commented.
"We need to end them before they gain their strength immediately." Fuyu urged.
"The problem is we don't know where, we might need to ask Kazuma since that's who saw them." I suggested.
We all agreed and started to make our way to the guild. It didn't take long before we heard the wails of Aqua. "Kazuma! Please, I beg of you! I just need some money to cover my debt!"
Aqua's pleas were rejected by an angry Kazuma, "Ahh, shut up! You shouldn't have gambled it all!"
I sigh as we stand next to the doors. "Alright, you might have to stand here Fuyu. Aqua can be a bit... harsh on people who have anything to do with demons."
William scoffs, "Harsh is putting it lightly- Oof!" I shoved him to shut him up.
Fuyu nods sadly, "Understood."
000
"William, get this! Kazuma won't lend me any money!" Aqua screamed as she angrily pointed at Kazuma.
"Oh no! Anyways, we were wondering if you could tell us where you found that monster." William explained.
"You mean the one with crimson eyes?" Kazuma asked.
"Yeah, that one." I confirmed.
"It was near the castle." Kazuma explained.
"I see, thank you." William said.
"Wait, why are you asking?" Megumin decided to speak as she squinted her eyes at William.
"W-Well, we were just wondering..." He nervously rubbed his head.
I sigh, "We're actually hunting it." I decided to explain, note taken: William is a terrible liar.
"Yunyun!" William said causing me to give him a dirty look.
Aqua jumped up, "If you're hunting it, then let us join! I could sense their disgusted demonic scent. This will be perfect!"
"A-Actually, w-we're gonna do it ourselves! Just us!" I quickly declined.
"Hmm, that sounds suspicious!" Megumin pointed her fork with a half-eaten stick of celery on the end at me.
Darkness stood up from their table, "Well, you'll need escorts. Otherwise, you'll look suspicious."
She made a good point, despite my friendship with princess Iris, I'm not as known by everyone else.
William whispered in my ear, "Should we?"
I sigh, "As long as Aqua doesn't come."
He nods.
"Alright, you can come... except Aqua."
"What, why!?" She wines before throwing herself on the ground, "I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go!"
"Oi, shut up!" Kazuma shouted.
000
We managed to convince Aqua to not come by some miracle.
"So why didn't you want Aqua here?" Darkness raised her eyebrow.
"It's about a member we have, she's someone Aqua would hate." I explained.
"I do find it odd that you wouldn't want Aqua here to kill something demonic, it's quite suspicious. Are you sure you're not conning Yunyun?" Megumin raised her eyebrow.
"Still don't trust me, huh?" William sighs.
"You'll understand once we meet her." I point out.
We continued to an open path, I noticed Fuyu leaning against the tree. I rand over and waved, she nodded and made her way towards us. The others were caught off guard by her appearance. I saw Megumin's eyes light up in excitement, I could see stars in her eyes.
"Another crimson demon?" Kazuma asked.
"Yeah, of sorts." William explains while pointing to her other eye, and his eyes widen.
"I've never heard of a crimson demon with one crimson eye." Darkness expresses.
"My name is Megumin, and the greatest archwizard there ever is, wielding to strongest explosion magic!" Megumin declares with a pose.
Fuyu stares dumbfoundedly before William pats her back. "Do I really have to do this?"
He nods and gives her a thumbs up, "Yep!"
She sighs before grabbing her armored arm, "My name is Fuyu, the most feared and an ancestor to crimson demons!" I felt sympathy toward her, I could see her red face. Hang in there Fuyu, I believe in you!
"That was amazing!" Megumin gushed, "Wait so what is that arm that is covered?"
"Oh it's just there to cover up-" William coughed causing her to sigh, "It's a seal."
Megumin's eyes widened, "A seal!?"
"Yes, if I was to take it off... a demon that was sealed will come out." She explained in a monotoned voice.
"No way, that's incredible!" She shouted.
Kazuma sighs, "I doubt it..."
Knowing Megumin, I have a feeling I know what he's talking about.
000
We spend the next twenty minutes explaining the situation.
"So basically she's a failed experiment, and it resulted in her and eleven people becoming infected by a parasite? Then you found her in the facility where the Mage killer was. And upon doing so, you awakened the others? Now you have to hunt them down?" Kazuma asks.
"Yeah, pretty much." William confirmed.
"Sorry, but I don't believe y- WHAT THE HELL!?" Kazuma jumped back. I looked over and noticed that Fuyu casually took off her metal hand, revealing the fleshy hand underneath. The eye on her arm stared directly at Kazuma.
Darkness put up her guard when she saw this, on the contrary, Megumin's eyes shined brightly. I couldn't help but chuckle at Megumin's behavior, no matter how many years pass, she never changes.
"So now that you know our situation, will you help us or not?" Fuyu asked.
000
William and I spent the rest of the day discussing preparations with everyone. It would help if Aqua could join, but knowing how important this is for Fuyu, I don't want to risk messing this up for her.
We agreed to prepare today and meet back tomorrow, Kazuma reluctantly agreed that he would buy the carriage to the kingdom. We debated whether to take Aya or not and we decided to bring Aya with us. William thought of the idea to bring Wiz as well. Currently, we're on our way to see if she can come.
"Welcome! Oh, the two loner couple!" Vanir greeted with a grin.
"We're not loners!" We both yelled back, causing him to laugh harder.
"A-Anyways, do you know where Wiz could be?" William coughed out.
"You wish to borrow Wiz from moi?" Vanir asks. I still can't get over his mind-reading ability.
"Yeah, if we could w-we'd greatly appreciate it!" I managed to say.
"I'll tell you what, you see that troublesome shopkeeper bought some more... 'interesting' products. I'll allow it if you buy everything she bought."
"Consider it done!" William and I both enthusiastically said while shaking his hand.
000
"Thank you!" Vanir thanked us and went to grab Wiz.
"What's this- Oh, W-William and Yunyun! What a pleasant surprise!" Wiz smiled.
I explained what we were doing and she agreed to help. The rest of the day consisted of packing our bags. This will be our first time going so far from home. I made sure to cook a few meals for the first day, in case anyone gets hungry. William managed to buy one of those lighter things that Kazuma created. I was kind of sad, I was hoping I could show off my survival skills!
"All set!" I enthusiastically say as I look down at my packed stuff.
I hope that things will go smoothly, I could tell Aya was excited about the trip. I have a feeling that the princess will want to join at some point. The last time I saw her was during our last meeting for the so-called 'organization.'
We don't meet often, but we at least see each other once in a couple of months. Though it's turned into more of a get-together than a meeting. It would be nice if Megumin didn't drag me to every single meeting, only to find some pointless item that she found on the side of the road.
"Damn, you pack fast," A voice caused me to jump. "Oh, William! Sorry, I didn't see you there!"
"So, we're ready?" He asked.
I smile, "Yep! Now we just have to wait until tomorrow."
000
"That's all of them." William sat as he wiped the sweat off his brow. We were next to the carriage that Kazuma bought.
"So, are you ready?" Kazuma asked.
"Yeah, we just got to wait for Wiz." William replied.
We all sat inside, I was beside William and Aya was on my lap. Fuyu insisted on sitting next to me. Across from us were Megumin, Darkness, and Kazuma at the end.
"Sorry I'm late!" Wiz called out.
"It's fine." William brushed it off.
She climbed aboard and sat down. After a moment, we finally started to move.
It was an awkward silence, usually, this is the point where Aqua makes a scene. After a while, I could take the silence anymore. "S-So Wiz, what have you been up to?" Everyone lets a sigh of relief slip out of their mouths.
"H-Huh, oh it's great! I think... the products are flying off the shelves." Wiz replied.
"You mean Kazuma's products?" Megumin asked causing Wiz to flinch.
"Y-Yeah... I don't understand why all the products I purchased for the shop are helpful." We all stared at her with blank expressions across our faces. "Eh!? Why are you looking at me like that?" Wiz asked with a worried expression.
Wiz never got an answer.
000
"We should take a break." I suggested. I could feel my back aching from sitting for so long. Looking around, I could tell the others felt the same way.
I could tell from the lighting, the sun was setting. I could feel the cool wind against my skin, sending shivers up my spine. I crawled out of the carriage and stepped into a large open path. I could feel the gravel beneath my feet, making the terrain difficult to walk on.
There weren't many trees around, luckily Kazuma brought firewood. Everyone got everything set up, while Aya sat next to Fuyu watching us work. After a minute of helping and watching Kazuma and Megumin bicker, we find ourselves sitting around a large fire. There's something I find comforting about fire, perhaps it's warmth, or it reminds me that I'm surrounded by people I care about. Considering what my life was like before, it's amazing what happened in the past few months since I met William.
"Hey, so what's our game plan?" William asks.
"You said that there of eleven of these... creatures? No offense Fuyu." Darkness asked Fuyu.
"Correct, I don't know if all of them are around the castle, but you said you found at least one." Fuyu acknowledged. Darkness gave a small nod causing Fuyu to sigh, "Great."
"Maybe I could just blow them up! No one could ever stand such raw power as my explosion spell!" Megumin proposed with enthusiasm.
Fuyu shook her head, her ponytail dancing around. "I don't think that will fully get rid of it. It best, it would weaken it; plus we don't know if only one is here."
Megumin looked down into the fire. Her face expressed shock, I couldn't help but feel bad for her. "W-Well, what do you suggest Kazuma?" I ask.
"Well, I could show you the spot where we found it." He suggested.
"That sounds wonderful!" I grinned.
"I also suggest bringing princess Iris." He suggested.
Everyone groaned except for a confused William.
"Yeah, I'm sure you want to bring your 'dear sister,'" Megumin rolled her eyes.
"Kazuma, with all respect; are you sure that's a good idea? Do you really wanna anger Claire again?" I ask.
"Do annoy white suit again? Anytime." Kazuma grins cheekily.
"Do you not like this Claire person?" William asks.
"Ugh, don't get me started. I swear she's always trying to get in the way between me and my precious little sister!" He angrily kicks his legs.
"Why would she try and get in the way of your sister? Also, your sister is here!?" William tilts his head.
"That's what he calls my minion. He doesn't- Ow!" Megumin winces as the sound of a slap rang out. "what was that for!?"
"Don't call the princess your minion!" Darkness reprimanded. "What she means is that Kazuma calls her that despite not being related to the princess at all."
"Ah... so it's a fetish of sorts..." He says.
"It's not a fetish!" He shouts. "She's too innocent!"
"So you just really like little sisters, huh?" He says.
"Despite that, she is good with a sword, even slaying that dragon." Megumin explains.
"She's a princess, she has more important things to do!" Darkness tries to fight back.
"Even if we did, how would we sneak her out? People would see her instantly." William asks.
Megumin hums proudly, "Easy, she just has to go as her alias Alice!"
"Wait! Princess Iris is Alice!?" Wiz who has been quiet suddenly screeched. Everyone's face became pale, shooting a glare at Megumin.
"Megumin you, idiot! That's supposed to be a secret!" I yelled at her.
Kazuma started pulling on her cheeks, "Ah! Ah! I'm sowwy pwease shtap pulling!"
We proceeded to explain everything to William and Wiz. They both managed to agree quickly, much to everyone's relief. Wiz didn't partake much in the conversation, considering she doesn't go out much besides supplying.
"I still think we should get the princess to come with us." Megumin expressed as she bit down on some of the meat.
"Absolutely no-" Darkness attempted to shoot her idea down but was interrupted by Kazuma.
"I agree." He said nodding his head.
"But-" Darkness tried once more to refute only for Fuyu to join.
"If she possesses such power as you say, I believe it would be best" This in turn causes Darkness to sigh in defeat.
We continued to talk through the night, watching the fire slowly deplete. As the moon hovered over us, the sounds of crickets and other insects filled the air. The sudden feeling of something on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. I look over to see William resting his head on me, his eyes closed. I froze as I felt my cheeks heat up, I turned my head only to see Kazuma's smug face.
I didn't know what to do in this situation, do I move him, stay still, or wake him up? I couldn't decide and everyone else didn't help at all! I felt my nerves crawl back up me just like it was before I was chief.
"You look comfortable there Yunyun, are you sure you're not a couple?" Kazuma teased causing me to blush.
"I-I-I-It's not like that!" I tried to argue back, knowing it was a losing one. Darkness seems amused by this; while Wiz expressed great interest in the possibility while being slightly jealous? No that can't be right. Megumin seemed frustrated about the whole situation. "I'm going to bed." I manage to take William to our tent. We discussed sleeping arrangements, We were sleeping together, Aya with Fuyu much to William's protests, Kazuma with Megumin, and Darkness by herself. Wiz being a lich didn't need sleep so she become our lookout.
I crawled inside the tent and covered ourselves up. I couldn't help but smile at William, as I close my eyes to wait for tomorrow.
000
The next day I opened my eyes to the sudden movements beside me. "M-Morning," I say.
His eyes widen, "Huh, what happened last night?" He sat there for a moment before the look of realization struck him as his face became a bright red. "Ah, I'm so sorry!" He quickly apologizes.
"No, i-it's fine don't worry about it." I quickly say.
We both crawled out, the morning sun hit us. I could hear the distant sounds of birds and a boiling pot. As we walked out, I saw Kazuma cooking while Megumin walked. They noticed us and beckoned us forward.
"So, did you guys do anything last night?" Kazuma teased.
My face went red, "No, of course not!"
"Sure whatever you say." He shrugs.
"I'm telling you, it's not!" I shout.
"What's not it?" William asks.
"It's nothing you need to worry about!" I rush to explain.
We continued to talk as we wait for Darkness, Fuyu, and Aya to wake up.
"Oh, Yunyun, William! You're up!" Wiz says as she moves over, almost tripping on a nearby rock.
"Oh Wiz, there you are! Will you wake Fuyu and Aya? I'll get Darkness." Megumin asks Wiz. They split off to wake everyone up, leaving William, Kazuma, and me by ourselves.
"I'm surprised..." Kazuma says as he rests his hand on his chin.
"Surprised about what?" I ask.
"How you're wide awake after whatever you did last night." He smirks.
"I'm telling you, We didn't do anything!" I plead.
000
"Alright, all the equipment is set!" Kazuma says as he checks everything that is packed up. After that, we make our way to the castle.
"I sent a letter to my little sister to inform us about our arrival before we left." Kazuma says causing an eye roll from Megumin.
After what seemed like forever, we arrive at the gates. We now stood in front of the castle, no matter how many times I come here it never fails to intimidate me. Wiz went to a nearby inn to book us a few rooms.
"Dear brother!" A voice rang out accompanied by the sound of quick footsteps. The small figure ran towards was none other than the princess. Her golden hair flowed down her back while part of her hair was partially braided. She had a white dress with a light blue tie.
We all kneel before her except Kazuma and Megumin grinned.
"Ah there you are my little sister!" Kazuma exclaimed while hugging the princess.
"Kazuma, Megumin, show some respect to the princess!" Darkness scolded.
"Awww, come on it's fine; I permit it!" The princess exclaims. She turns back to Kazuma, "I was surprised when I got your letter. I didn't expect you to come back so soon!"
"Well, I could help it, we had a bit of an emergency." He explained.
"Yeah, I saw." She looked around.
I looked over at Fuyu, she had a weird look on her face. I could see her face was flushed as she was looking at the princess. I don't know why, but William shot an annoyed look over at her. She leaned in and whispered into my ear, "You didn't say the princess was this young!"
"I'm sorry, I just didn't see a point in telling you." I apologized.
The princess moved over to Megumin, "How are you, big boss?"
Megumin laughs dramatically, "I'm doing incredible, I got done fighting a giant monster!"
The princess's eyes sparkled, "A-Amazing!"
"Of c- Ow!" Megumin was interrupted by a smack to the head.
"Don't lie to the princess!" Darkness scolded.
"Yunyun, it's good to see you again!" She cheerfully says.
"Y-You to princess Iris!" I manage to say.
She puffs her cheeks, "I told you, you can just call me Iris."
"O-Okay... I-Iris." I say.
"Who are you three?" She acknowledges the rest.
"This is, Fuyu, Aya, and-" I started before being cut off.
"Her boyfriend Willaim." He points to William.
"W-Wow, I didn't know you were that mature. That's pretty lit!" She beamed.
My face flushed, "It's not like that! How many times do I have to say it?"
"P-Princess is Kazuma still teaching you those bizarre words!?" Darkness asks.
"Princess! There you are! You ran off and you- oh, it's you..." Another voice called out. Women with short golden hair and light blue eyes matching the princes, a blue streak runs through her hair. Her clothes were a white suit was a red tie. She stared daggers at Kazuma, I could already tell where this was heading.
"White suit..." Kazuma says through his teeth.
"I debated ripping the letter you sent the princess, but considering you said this was important I spared it; be grateful." She says without expression.
This in turn ticked Kazuma off further, "Tch, grateful my ass..."
She sighs, "Perhaps we should discuss this inside?"
We agree and she leads us to the common room. We explain most of everything, skipping over the details about Fuyu being one of these 'things.'
"This does line up with the reports of some kind of monster around here." She acknowledges, putting a hand on her chin. "Based on the letter you sent, I'm right to assume that you're going after it, no?"
"That's about right." Kazuma nodded, looking at her.
"But why did you feel the need to tell us about it?" She asked.
Darkness began to sweat profusely. Kazuma opened his mouth only for me to cover his mouth, "Well, you see."
Claire put a hand on her forehead, "Don't tell me..."
"We were wondering if we could have help from the princess." I asked.
"Absolutely not! I will not endanger the princess!" She yells.
Kazuma glares at her as he clicks his tongue, "Tch, typical white suit."
She stares at him, "What was that commoner?"
"You heard me! Also, I'm not a commoner, I slayed the demon king!" He yells.
She scoffs, "It doesn't matter, in my eyes you will always be a commoner."
"Claire, that's enough!" Iris said with sternness in her voice.
"Princess! You should be doing your lessons! Where's Rain?" Claire asks.
"I snuck out, more importantly, what are you doing?" She asks.
"That is none of your concern princess. Go back to your lesson while I take care of this." Claire asks. She paused as if rewinding her memories, "Wait, you snuck out again!?" Claire turned to Kazuma only to see the biggest shit-eating grin known to man.
"Hey, Iris! Do you wanna go on a little adventure together?" Kazuma asks Iris.
Her eyes widened with excitement, "Gladly! That sounds lit! Totes sound like a good time!" She grinned using that weird wording again. William seemed baffled by the way she was speaking, I can't blame him either.
Claire's eyes widened as she heard her words. She glared at him again, "You're teaching her more nonsense again!?"
She puffs her cheeks, "Claire, you're not being very based right now."
Claire flinches, "Listen, princess... you have duties as the princess of this kingdom. Think about what would happen to the kingdom if something happened to you."
Iris looked down at the floor, "I-I guess you're right..."
Claire sighs in relief, "I'm glad that-"
"But I'll worry about that later!" She beams. This in turn causes Kazuma to snort.
"P-Princess!" She turns to the red-faced Darkness, "Please, surely you can talk some sense to these fools!"
Darkness covered her face, "I'm sorry, I tried! Forgive me!"
"Darkness, have reason!" She pleaded.
"Please, can we go?" Iris asked, giving her puppy-dog eyes.
Claire flushed red, "P-P-Princess! I-I- no, that w-won't work on me." No matter how you look at it, her resolve is clearly breaking.
She ran up to her and hugged her as she tilts her head, "please?"
"I-I'm afraid n-not p-princess." She manages to stand her ground. She was a fool because Iris had a secret weapon. One taught by Kazuma himself, one that could bring even the impervious Claire to her knees.
She let go, puffed her cheeks, crossed her arms, and turned her head away from her defiantly, "I hate you, Claire!"
"Grk!" Claire grabbed her chest and fell down on her knees, a knockout!
"Princess, there you are! I was looking all over for- CLAIRE!?" A new voice rang out. She wore a blue hat and a long blue dress with straps. "P-Princess, did you do that again!?" Rain huffed out.
Iris huffed with a smug smile causing her to facepalm.
Claire managed to snap out of whatever trance she was in, "F-Fine, but on one condition!"
Kazuma leans back with a smug smile, "Name it."
"We will accompany you." She declares.
"Deal." He says.
I sigh in relief that this whole conversation is over, needless to say, I'm exhausted.
000
"So who's the final person joining us?" Claire asks.
"Wiz, she's a shopkeeper in Axel who sells magical items." I explain.
"Oh her!" She exclaims.
"Sorry, I'm late!" A voice calls out.
"Wiz!" Iris who is now in her adventure uniform as Alice exclaims.
"Oh P-Prin- Alice!" Wiz nervously called out.
"Hows hachibei?" Alice tilts her head.
"Oh, H-He's good!" William nervously answered.
After we all set off, Kazuma instructed the driver to where they spotted it. The ride was slightly smoother than the one we rented to get here.
"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Claire asked.
"Anything humanoid that has a single crimson eye and unnatural body features. The quicker we find them, the better." Fuyu explains.
Claire raises an eyebrow, "You seem like you know a lot."
Fuyu sweats nervously, looking at me. It took me a minute what she wanted but I nodded. She did the same with William, afterwords she took off her armored hand; this caused Wiz, Claire, Rain, and Alice to gasp. "That's because I am one; don't worry though, I still remain stable." She proceeded to explain her backstory to everyone.
"So you're doing this to put them to rest while gaining closure?" She asked.
"Correct, it's also to stop them from growing stronger." Fuyu says.
We continued on the path, we made small talk. Megumin started to brag about something, but I wasn't listening. I felt a tug on my sleeve, looking down I see Aya who has been quietly looking up at me. "Mommy, there is something approaching."
I look over, I swear I saw a glint in William's eye. The next thing I know, I feel my body being whipped around followed by a loud crash. Large amounts of pain shot through my body as I blacked out.
Luckily, it wasn't as server as I managed to regain consciousness a minute later. My eyes slowly adjusted to the scene in front of me. Far off, the carriage was torn to pieces, the horses were gone. William lay beside me, still unconscious while holding Aya who is awake. Wiz was furthest away, she was already getting on her knees along with Darkness.
Claire and Rain groaned as they opened their eyes. They looked around before jumping up, "Princess!? Princess, where are you!?"
"I-I'm fine!" A voice called out. She poked her head out from the cart. Kazuma and Megumin follow behind her.
I shook William, "Wake up!" I started to panic, I now understand why he reacted the way he did when I turned into a doll. "Please tell me you're alright!"
To my relief, he stirred awake, "Y-Yunyun?"
"William! You scared me you know!" I yelled as I hugged him.
"Uh, guys? I think I found what destroyed the carriage..." Kazuma said causing us to look over.
A figure towered over us, the body was split in half with rows of teeth, and his head had teeth pointing in random directions that were the size of small logs.
"W-Well, at least we found what w-we were looking for..." William said.