Chapter Thirty-Two: Meet the Royal Loli
Naofumi opened his eyes. He was surrounded by nothing but dark shadows. He looked to be floating in midair.
"Where… where am I?" He muttered in confusion.
...
"Nothing you do will stop what's coming…"
Naofumi turned, trying to find where the voice had come from. But he saw nothing. Just darkness and shadows stretched taut and black all around him.
"Who are you? What's coming?" Naofumi asked desperately.
…
The shadows to the right of Naofumi retreated back several feet. His eyes widened as he saw the body of a very familiar companion laying there.
"It's already too late."
"Raphtalia!" He flipped her body, which was covered in burns, over. He was met with a cold body and glassy eyes.
He gasped in pain, pressing his hand to her cheek. It was devoid of any warmth. "No, why... WHY!" Naofumi yelled.
"This can't be!"
"It can, and it will. No matter what you choose, all paths lead to this moment."
In front of Naofumi, a face appeared leeringly from the darkness. It was blurry, and he could have sworn it was Bitch. And yet...
Naofumi quickly stood up. He was beyond angry. "No, I won't let you kill her! I won't let you harm anyone close to me ever again!" He said as he took a defensive position over Raphtalia's body.
…
The shaded figure covered their mouth and laughed. It was dry, devoid of anything positive. "Oh, poor naive Naofumi..." They didn't move, yet their voice sounded as if they were whispering into his ear.
"When are you going to realize that you are her executioner?"
...
Naofumi was shocked speechless, and the blurry face retreated back into the darkness. "Haha, ahahahahaha!" Their laugh echoed in the darkness all around Naofumi.
Suddenly, Naofumi's shield came to life on his arm.
It was a different design, covered in dark flames. Flames… flames just… just like...
'No, I couldn't! I wouldn't!'
He fell to his knees, putting his hands over his head. Around Naofumi, the shadows retreated. Showing not just the body of Raphtalia, but also the bodies of Filo, Elhart, Ren, Itsuki, Motoyasu, the King, the Pope, the Shadow who'd helped him, and many, many more.
It was like a battlefield, and Naofumi was the epicenter. Everyone was covered in burns.
He was covered in black burns. It felt like he was suffocating. Being consumed… by something inside him.
"No, stop this, please stop!" Naofumi screamed.
"One way or another, your path will lead to here. She will die. And many more, in turn, will then die by your hands. All because you don't accept me." Their voice said somewhere around him. He wanted to say it was Malty's, but he really couldn't tell.
"And in the end, as your own hatred consumes you, I will be there to laugh in your pitiful little face as you finally wither away and I assume control."
Naofumi turned his head, only to come face to face with-
"Second princess! What are you doing down here!"
Naofumi sat up straight in his cot.
'What the &^%$ was that!?' The memory of the dream was quickly leaving his mind, but his body was still shaking uncontrollably. His breathing was panicked. He curled into the fetal position and held his head between his knees.
'No, it can't be true. I wouldn't kill all those people! I wouldn't hurt-'
"Sir Naofumi, are you alright?"
Naofumi looked up. Though the cell was still dark, he could see Eclair was starting to sit up and was rubbing at her eyes like she'd just been woken up.
Naofumi worked on taking deep breaths instead of panicked ones. As he did so, the rest of the nightmare faded to the back of his mind. Losing its significance until only the memory that he'd had woken from some nightmare remained.
What had he been dreaming about? He could hardly recall anymore. Something about...
"I'm fine." Naofumi finally answered.
"Are you sure? It sounded like-" Eclair was saying.
"Again, I'm here to see the Shield Hero... and the Knight Eclair." A voice sounded outside their cell.
The two turned their heads. Before Naofumi could even attempt to use it as an excuse to change the subject, Eclair stood up off her bed, looking in surprise at the cell door. "There's no way… the country of Faubley is three weeks away… how is she here already?" She said to herself in disbelief.
Now that he wasn't so panicked, Naofumi realized his pounding headache was gone. And though he felt hungry now that he didn't have sedatives in his system, he felt oddly refreshed.
Before he could think more about it, the voices outside spoke up again. "Princess Melty, I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to meet them-"
"I have my orders from the Queen. My Father has also given his permission. I will see the Shield Hero and the Knight Eclair. Now, unlock their cell." A young, authoritative voice said.
"But, but the Shield Hero's dangerous! And the Knight has been charged with murder by the First Princess, and is still awaiting trial! You could be in danger if I let you in there-" The Knight tried to say.
"Shall I repeat myself again? You dare to disobey a royal order given by both the King and Queen?"
Naofumi and Eclair scooted closer off their beds to overhear the next part. It sounded like the knight was sputtering outside, trying to think of something to say.
"Have you forgotten who holds the authority in this country? Should I send word back to my mother about your insubordination to her orders?" The young voice asked authoritatively. A hint of a threat in her undertone.
…
"No, right this way Second Princess!" The knight said in a scared tone.
Naofumi and Eclair looked at each other. "It sounds like you have an idea of who's out there?" He asked.
Eclair finally had a smile on her face. It kind of looked good on her despite the relative darkness of the room. "I can't believe it. She finally came. Someone finally came for me..."
"And just who exactly came for us?" Naofumi asked, sounding a little frustrated. 'Why isn't she just telling me who the hell it is? Don't tell me this is going to be some big reveal trope where no one tells the protagonist who's actually coming until he or she appears! Ugh.' He really wanted to think of this world as a real world. But not only the game mechanics, but sometimes the people's behavior could paint it out to be from an anime, a light novel, a manga, or a game.
Before Eclair said anything else, the lock to the cell door clicked, and then it opened. Torchlight flooded the darkroom, nearly blinding Naofumi since his eyes had been accustomed to the dark.
"Now, go back to your post." The young voice said, still out of sight. Standing in the doorframe was a lanky knight dressed in armor that looked two sizes too big on him.
"But, but my lady, these two-" The Knight looked at the two of them fearfully as he spoke. Naofumi still couldn't see who it was he was talking to. However, he made the best threatening face he could at the knight.
The poor sap almost pissed himself in terror. He, he couldn't even attack the guy and he was scared he was going to beat him up.
Or, perhaps he was more afraid Eclair would beat him up? You know, since Naofumi could do diddly squat with his fists.
He was almost able to picture Raphtalia lecturing him at that moment for enjoying the man's frightened face. Then he imagined coming up with some snarky comeback that would lead to them bickering childishly with each other… then he imagined them ultimately compromising and hugging it out… she'd remind him that she loved him, and he'd respond saying he knew that. And then Filo would interrupt, and the two of them would both play with her and continue on as if nothing bad had happened… their relationship would be stronger than before...
He really missed the two of them. It had only been two days. Yet it felt like two lifetimes even though he'd been asleep for most of it.
"I will be just fine. Leave us now."
The knight finally left the doorway, and Naofumi's face fell. 'What I'd give to see them both again.'
As Naofumi was stuck in his depressing thoughts, wondering what was about to happen, his chains and Eclairs magically released themselves and dropped to the floor. It felt like a rush of energy flowed back into his very being from the action. He rubbed at his wrists in surprise. The depressing thoughts he'd been pondering on were pushed far away.
"Ok. I was not expecting this."
Eclair looked very ecstatic. She still hadn't said who was seeing them either! But trope or not, now he was actually starting to feel hopeful that maybe whoever it was was here to help them! 'Come on! Just appear already damn it!' Naofumi stared at the doorway intently.
...
Finally, a small, maybe ten-year-old girl walked into view of the torchlight in front of the cell door. The first thing Naofumi noticed about her was the amount of blue. Her hair was blue. Her eyes were blue. The two ribbons holding her two curly blue pigtails in place were also blue. And besides the various white areas on her fancy frilly clothes, her outfit was almost entirely blue.
That was a lot of blue to take in.
'Uhhhhhhhh…' Naofumi had been expecting something a little… more...
"Princess Melty! You have no idea how good it is to see you again!" Eclair said happily.
Melty smiled happily at her friend as she walked in and held her hands. "It's good to see you too Eclair."
"Princess… Melty?" Naofumi asked in confusion. This little blue loli girl... was a Princess?!
"Yes, Sir Shield Hero. I am Princess Melty Melromarc. Daughter of Aultcray and Mirellia Q. Melromarc, and current heir to the throne." She said matter of factly in a formal way. If her clothes hadn't already depicted her royal status, her formal tone sure did. "I am here to determine if you are guilty of what you were accused of, and if you aren't guilty, I am to release you, and convince you to talk things out with my Father.
"After all, there can be no bickering among us if my world is to survive the Waves of Catastrophe."
It was around a week before Naofumi was captured.
"Urgh…"
…
The Hakuko demi-human, Dou-Lon, slowly opened his eyes, revealing his gold-colored pupils.
He was lying on something soft and was covered in something warm. Up above him, he saw a wooden ceiling. 'What… the…' Was this heaven?
But if it was, why did he feel so tired… he would have thought heaven would be more energizing than this. Yet he felt so lethargic...
He tried to sit up, and a groan of pain escaped him. His eyes closed tight with pain. His stomach felt like it was on fire. 'No, not heaven, and probably not hell...'
He was alive. Yet he didn't know how...
Before he could ponder it more, an old wrinkled hand pressed against his chest, pushing him back down onto the bed. "No!" A voice snapped. "Lie down! You still badly injured!"
He opened his eyes and slightly turned his head. If he hadn't been so tired, he would have been more surprised by what he saw. Or rather, who he saw.
"You Hakuko all the same! You take severe injury! You hang on verge of life and death for weeks. You finally begin recovery! And then you think to go back to doing everything you did before! Bah! You Hakuko all the same!"
The oldest, grouchiest, and the shortest lady he'd ever seen was currently bent over a pot beside his bed. She had wrinkles like waves on her face, from the base of her disheveled white hair, all the way down to the tips of her hands. It seemed like a miracle that this old hag was even alive, much less, that she'd somehow managed to drag him from the forest where he'd been left for dead onto this bed.
He immediately assumed magic was involved. Magic... or she had someone help her. Due to his status as a demi-human, it was far more likely she'd used magic to move him. His odds of finding two people in Melromarc willing to work together to help a demi-human were incredibly low.
"Who… who are you?" He tiredly asked.
"You lucky that Raccoon lady used light magic to make wound!" The old hag continued as if she hadn't heard him. "You lucky that Raccoon Lady missed major organs. Raccoon Lady's magic mostly cauterized wounds and kept wounds from bleeding out!" She said, each sentence being empathized as she pounded something in the pot.
"Um-" Dou-Lon looked confused. Raccoon Lady?
"No! You still badly hurt! You need rest!"
The Hakuko demi-human sighed as he rolled his eyes. "I can't rest." He said with frustration in his tone. "I have to-"
The hag-like lady slapped the hakuko across the face with surprising force. There wasn't much pain, but it shocked him into silence. He was far bigger than this lady, but she was treating him like a kid. "Enough talk Hakuko. Now, drink." She ordered. She lifted a bowl from the pot up to his face. It held a weird green liquid inside.
The Hakuko glared at the old hag, but her unrelenting gaze stared back even more intensely. After a moment, seeing that he didn't have a choice, he opened his mouth and allowed her to pour the mixture in... The taste surprised him. It tasted like berries, like some of his favorites from the plains back home. And that's what he realized it was doing.
It was reminding him of home as he drank it.
The bowl emptied too quickly, and he found himself wishing for more. "What was that?" He asked, genuinely sounding curious.
"Medicine. Good medicine. Not as good as Yggdrasil, but good enough." The hag answered, sounding a little more cheery than grouchy now. "Hard to make. But very effective. Been giving to you every day." She said, putting the bowl back in the pot before lifting them both up. Even though the pot looked fairly big, she carried it with ease.
He was surprised by that. Maybe this old hag wasn't as weak as she appeared. But then he was also surprised by the fact that his gut wasn't hurting as much anymore. He tried to use an arm to lift up the blanket to see his wound.
"Ow!" His arm was slapped back down by the old lady. Hadn't she just been carrying that pot around?! How had she moved so quickly?!
"No moving! You hurt yourself by doing that!" The old hag snapped grouchily.
Dou-Lon found himself biting his tongue to keep himself from yelling in frustration. That slap had hurt more than his wound! Her counter logic was mind-boggling! "I just... want to see how bad my wound is now." He explained.
"You can see wound after it heals up." The old hag said simply. "For now, you need rest."
How did one see a wound after it was healed?! He was starting to think that maybe he was dead, and now he was stuck in some weird form of Limbo with this crazy lady that wanted him to keep as still as possible for some eternal torture.
"Alright. Why can't I move?" Dou-Lon asked sarcastically to humor the old hag.
"Medicine is very effective, but volatile too." The old hag said grouchily. "One wrong move. You go boom boom."
…
The Hakuko blinked his eyes. Had he heard that right? The old lady grouchily looked at his dumb expression. "Look." She started to explain. "This medicine meant for healing serious wounds back to full health. Even missing parts of organs grow back. But it can only be given in doses. Given too much, or one wrong move... you blow up my house!" She snapped at the end.
Feeling threatened, the Hakuko laid stock still on the bed. "What the hell?! Why even give me medicine like that to begin with!?" He yelled in fear. "Why not use restorative magic on me or something?!"
The old hag chuckled. It was weird coming from her. It wasn't evil, but it certainly was creepy. "Does silly old lady who knows no healing magic need reason to help near-dead Hakuko?" She asked.
He groaned at that. Again wondering how he'd gotten into this freak show of a mess. "I'm no human." He muttered angrily. As if that was all the explanation needed. "I'm a demi-human. And a Hakuko at that. Everyone in this country hates us. And my race bears the greatest shame of all."
He stayed lying down on the bed, his eyes staring at the ceiling. "I don't even know why you helped me. You probably hate demi-humans just as much as everybody else."
...
"Hmmm… My husband was half-orca. We all do weird things in our lives, eh?" The old lady said as she went about organizing stuff on her shelves with a shrug.
The Hakuko turned his head to look at her disbelievingly. There's no way a lady that small could handle an orca...'
"Are you serious?" He asked.
"Very," She said more happily. She pointed to a hand drawn portrait hanging over her fireplace. On it was a younger, more beautiful looking picture of a short brunette woman in her early 40's, being hugged by one of the biggest black whale therianthropes he'd ever seen.
Had she said her husband had been half-orca? His size would have easily placed him among the large full-blooded orca captains in the Siltvelt army. If not their freaking general! He looked to be at least seven, no, eight feet tall in the picture!
"Best man I ever knew... Bravest man too. He died in petty war Siltvelt had with neighboring country many years ago." The old lady said nostalgically.
"Was it... the recent war with Melromarc, or..." Dou-Lon trailed off.
"No, this conflict... further back. Much further." The old lady smiled sadly. "Well before you were twinkle in mother's eye."
She wasn't joking. This small 4'6" lady had been married to a half-orca. And he had died during a war…
"I, I'm sorry-" Dou-Lon tried to apologize. He suddenly felt like it was all his fault. Or rather, the fault of his nation. He'd immediately assumed that Siltvelt had drafted her husband into some petty war. And that she had been living here alone ever since, sad over the fact that it was all their fault for going to war so often in the past.
Rather, her next action surprised him.
Slap!
He was slapped hard across the face again by the old lady.
She must have really loved slapping him or something.
"I don't need pity boy." She said more loudly than before. He stayed silent, stunned by this ferocious old lady who pulled him up by the edge of his shirt so he was face to face with her. Had she not told him he needed to lie down otherwise HE'D EXPLODE!? HOW CRAZY WAS THIS HAG?!
Most likely, it wouldn't be the last time he thought this.
"My husband was good man." The old lady said angrily. "He went to battle willingly, wanting to defend his family back home. He died for good cause."
The Hakuko was more than floored by that statement. It made him forget that any wrong move could make him explode. "Wha... what?"
And here he'd been assuming that someone else would be bitter over Siltvelt's warlike history.
"Were you not fighting that Raccoon Lady in forest for good cause?" The hag asked.
"I… I…" He hadn't really thought it over before. He had gone into Melromarc on the orders of the Grand Council. He'd been tasked with several teams to help locate and bring the Shield Hero to Siltvelt.
He thought he wanted to find the Shield Hero and bring him to where he'd be safe and worshipped… but then he also remembered what Siltvelt had done to his raccoon friends as a kid. He remembered some of the conversations he overheard in the Palace during patrols. The plans to obtain more power and influence… would taking the Shield Hero back to Siltvelt where these different political factions could try to manipulate him into putting them in power only make it worse for his country?
Then there was the fact how his fellow Hakuko friends had wanted to kill the Shield Hero's companion if she tried to interfere with their mission... only because she was a Raccoon, and was thus unworthy to travel with the Shield Hero… if they had only looked as closely as he had... if they hadn't bought into Siltvelt's lies... would they have also seen how happy their God had looked despite living in exile?…
'... was my mission… was all my sacrifices to get here and meet the Shield Hero...'
"Bah!" Before he could think of an answer, the old lady pushed him back down onto the bed. "Sitting up won't help wounds recover. And it won't help my sanity thinking of you as ticking time bomb!"
"But, but I-" Dou-Lon tried to say. 'You were the one who held me up! Don't you even want any answers from me?!'
Though, if he was being completely honest, he didn't know if he had any answers to give.
"Enough talk, now rest!" She ordered.
Was that magic lacing her voice?
He suddenly found himself tired again and laid like a stone. But before his eyes closed, he looked towards the old hag who was heading for a door. "Can I… can I at least know your name?" He groggily asked.
The old lady paused.
...
"... I will give you name when I think you worthy to hear it." She snapped.
He found himself chuckling at that. 'What kind of mess have I gotten myself into this time?' The hakuko began to fall back towards the oblivion of dreamless sleep. This was even weirder than the time he and his friends had tried to sneak into the public baths as kids. But definitely not as exciting...
"If it means anything, my name is Dou-Lon," Dou-Lon said tiredly.
…
The lady's voice followed him into blackness.
"Dou-Lon. Yes. Very good Hakuko name indeed. One of honor and commitment."
"Just like the rest of your race."
It'd been a few seconds since Melty's statement.
At first, Naofumi was dead silent. Processing what he'd just heard.
…
And then...
...
...
…
"Ah!...
"Aha...
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Naofumi started rolling. Literally.
He was rolling on the floor of his cell, laughing his head off because of the ridiculousness of it all.
First, he was being saved after being falsely imprisoned by royalty. Second, it was a royal of all people who was freeing him. Third, of course, the good royal also had to be a loli, making it seem like a moment out of a popular anime in Japan. And fourth, to top things off, this loli was saying she wanted to prove his innocence so he could talk things out with her deadbeat of a Father?! After her father had gone through all the work of capturing and imprisoning him and framing him for Gods knows what evil had been done under the sun!?
'Oh hell, this is too good! This loli has to be joking!' Naofumi continued to laugh from the absurdity of it all.
There was no way this could actually be happening. Maybe he was still dreaming? He was almost tempted to pinch himself, but it wouldn't have worked. His high defense stat would have prevented him from feeling any pain. So he just continued rolling on the ground, laughing his head off.
Princess Melty, though still standing up straight... slowly started to look more and more indignant the longer Naofumi laughed. Eclair just… kind of awkwardly stood where she was.
She wasn't sure if she should get the Shield Hero to stop, or if she should awkwardly laugh along with him.
She'd just met him the day before after all.
...
After another minute, Melty finally had enough. "And just what is so funny Sir Shield Hero!? Did I have something on my nose when I spoke?!" She asked, trying to sound formal and mature.
However, it sounded more indignant and childlike.
Naofumi's laughter had cut through years of hard effort to control her voice in the space of a minute! That made her even more angry with him!
"You… You want me…" Naofumi was finding it hard to speak in between his laughs and was also finding it hard to breathe. "To… to talk to that… to that… that piece of &^%$!?" He couldn't continue speaking. He continued laughing like it was the best joke he'd ever heard.
Eclair cringed. 'Oh no. This… might not bode well.'
The second princess Melty started to turn red in the face. Her face scrunched up angrily. She looked a lot like Raphtalia when she'd pouted as a kid.
It was rather cute actually.
"My Father is not… what... what you just called him!" She yelled indignantly. To say such a word would have been very unladylike.
Not that she was being ladylike now. "I was sent by mother after the last wave to get you two to get along with each other! And we're going to get along now!" She yelled like a little kid.
Had she already forgotten the part where she was supposed to determine if he was innocent or not?
It was almost too much. Naofumi was barely able to breathe by this point. He still thought it was a joke. One big, freaking hilarious joke.
Eclair was now looking at him with a stunned expression. She had not imagined a hero ever being this care-free before. She'd imagined Naofumi being more rugged and serious after recovering from the sedative… not like this!
"Hey, Eclair, how far, away is this, this Faubley place again?" Naofumi asked in between breaths.
"It's… about three weeks journey... I think. If she left after the last wave, it'd make sense why Princess Melty is here now..." Eclair answered unsurely. "But, but I thought you told me the last wave was 36 days ago Sir Naofumi…" Eclair looked to Melty again for an answer.
Melty had the audacity to blush. "I swear, I would have gotten here sooner. But I had an incident chasing this rare Filolial… and my carriage broke down… and I was attacked by a dragon… and then, for some reason, the Filolials who were taking me to the Capital left me stranded near a village a few days ago… and it took me a while to find someone willing to transport me the rest of the way to the Capital..." She said nervously.
Naofumi started to laugh again. This girl's story was sounding even more ridiculous the more she talked!
"But I'm here now! And I'm going to make things right between you and my Father!" Melty said determinedly. "Now we need to get going! Before he changes his mind!"
...
"Look, second princess." Naofumi finally managed to gain control of his laughter. He wiped away a tear from his eye. "Whoever you are. I don't know if you realize or not, but your Father and I kind of hate each other's guts at the moment. He also kind of framed me for a bunch of things and separated me from my party and all that." Naofumi said, though his voice still sounded upbeat. "So right now, talking to him is the least of my concerns. But thanks for freeing me and Eclair. I can say the only crime I actually did was breaking into the Church since they were trying to keep me from registering at the dragon hourglass so I could fight in the Wave. You can tell Trash I said that, and I'll remember to pay you back some other time, but right now we'll be leaving and-"
He tried to step past Melty while still chuckling, but then she blocked the way out, continuing to pout. She dug her heels into the ground. "No! My Father is supposed to get along with all the Cardinal Heroes!" She said angrily. "You aren't going to leave! Not until you talk things out with each other!"
...
Naofumi felt the cheery feeling disappearing from inside him as he looked into this girl's serious blue eyes. Suddenly, it wasn't a royal loli like one of the classic loli characters he'd read about in Light Novels standing in front of him. It was an actual royal ordering him to speak with her deadbeat of a Father.
Oh crap. This wasn't actually a joke. She actually wanted him to go with her to talk with the King. 'I mean, I kind of understand why Trash hates me now. I could probably tell him I have no intention of allying with Siltvelt and that might solve a lot of issues and maybe even lessen my demon status, if not eliminate it entirely, in the eyes of the Church...'
But...
"Come on already!" Melty said impatiently.
"I'm sorry, but your Father has gone out of his way to hurt me in the past. So I'm afraid I won't be seeing him at this time." Naofumi finally said, dry anger leaking into his voice.
Understanding could only go so far when the person who'd been manipulated into wronging you had gone out of his way to make you suffer. And while Naofumi was getting better at trusting people or forgiving others, he was still flawed.
"Why not?!" Melty angrily demanded. "I'm releasing you on the Queen's orders and allowing you a fair chance to prove you didn't rape my sister! I even talked with Father about it, so you should be able to talk it out with Father now without worrying about him chaining you up and refusing to listen or anything!"
"THAT'S THE THING! I HAVE NO PAST MISDEEDS!" Naofumi roared angrily. "And I know that piece of Trash doesn't want to speak to me no matter what you have to say about it! And I don't want to speak to him! I'd rather rot in this cell than speak with him again in the next few decades!"
"But you have to!"
"Actually, I don't!"
The two proceeded to become absorbed in a back and forth argument with each other.
"Just come up with me to the castle! You have to talk things over with my Father!"
"Your Father separated me from my party! They're still out there somewhere waiting for me! They're my greatest concern right now, not that damn deadbeat!"
"My Father is not a deadbeat! And we can find your party members after you talk things out with my Father!"
"If I try to speak to that piece of Trash, I'll never see my party members again! Because he'll throw me right back into this dungeon before I even have the chance to speak!"
"My Father is not Trash! And you're not being reasonable! My Father can't go against what Mother says! He'd be punished severely if he did that!"
"Well golly, that certainly hasn't stopped him the last couple of months!" Naofumi said sarcastically, much to Melty's ire. "And if I was really that important, why isn't your mother here to help me?! Hell, how in the world were you sidetracked by something as stupid as a rare Filolial!?"
"You're… you're being unreasonable Shield Hero!" Melty replied indignantly. Blushing that she couldn't defend herself from his statement. "My mother's trying to keep the other countries from going to war and-"
"I'm the one being unreasonable Second Princess!" Naofumi retorted. "Who the hell is ten days late to fix something important because of a stupid Filolial sidetracking them!?" Naofumi again pressed his advantage. "I could have avoided being in this cell to begin with if you hadn't been late!"
Eclair put a hand to her face, groaning to herself at the argument.
"My name is not Second Princess! I am Princess Melty Melromarc-" Melty probably realized she couldn't defend her position. And was resorting to bickering now in a childlike attempt to retake control of the conversation.
"No, you're Second Princess! Children of Trash don't deserve to have names! And I'm Naofumi! Not Shield Hero!"
"Why do I have to call you by your name when you won't call me by mine!?" Melty angrily asked.
Her plan was failing. Little did she know that Naofumi had plenty of experience arguing with children now thanks to taking care of Filo.
"Because I can tell how much it annoys you, Second Princess!" He said mockingly.
"It does not annoy me!" Melty said angrily. "And I said my name is not Second Princess!"
"Oh, it definitely annoys you, Second Princess!"
"It does not! And stop calling me that! It's Melty! Melty! Melty! Melty!" She stamped her foot for emphasis with each Melty.
It was definitely annoying her.
The two continued.
Without the feeling of being chained down for the first time in two months, Eclair felt many different things at once. The desire to practice her swordsmanship. The desire to go out and see the sun. The desire to return to her home. A desire to report to her Queen. And so much more that she couldn't keep track of it all...
Yet these two… MORONS! Were just standing there, ARGUING!
"If I'm really that important, why doesn't your mom come to see me herself?!" Naofumi demanded.
Eclair was finally free, and finally able to do something other than depressedly pass along her existence... and yet these two were arguing like LITTLE KIDS!
"I've already said she's doing everything she can to prevent wars from happening with the other countries!" Melty answered angrily. "Now you need to come with me and-"
"I could damn well start a war with her after the way your cowardly Father has treated me!" Naofumi interrupted. "Did she ever think of that?!"
"My Father is not a coward!"
"He is too!"
"He is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not-"
Finally, after the argument had progressed to Gods only know what, Eclair grabbed Melty by the shoulders and shook her. The action startled both her and Naofumi out of whatever they'd been arguing about at that point since Eclair had stopped paying attention long ago to the idiotic bickering.
"Listen, Princess Melty!" Eclair said authoritatively, a serious expression plastered on her face. "I didn't just sit all alone in this cell for two months, living off of food that made me homesick for the Knight's rations and a bed that's made my back ache in ways I didn't think it could do, just to have you argue irrationally with the Shield Hero because he wasn't getting along with his Majesty!
"In case you didn't notice, the King placed him in here on charges he didn't commit, just like the First Princess did with me!" Eclair yelled angrily. "As much as I care about you, you need to realize what Sir Naofumi says holds a bit of truth! It's time for you to see that!"
Melty blinked in surprise at her friend's words. "W… What?" She asked in shock.
Naofumi sighed in relief at Eclair taking his side, and he looked down at Melty with calm indifference. "Look, I'm not going to talk to your Father no matter what you say, Second Princess." She looked angry at being called Second Princess again, but he continued. "He threw me in here on crimes I didn't do without presenting a single scrap of evidence… all because he and the rest of this country hate the Shield Hero.
"Even if you talked to him, and even if he decides to free me, I doubt that anything I say could change his mind. Much less, the minds of everyone else here that hates me." Naofumi said.
Melty… looked up sadly at Naofumi. "But Father... he'd never do something like that. He promised he'd listen and-"
"Princess," Eclair spoke again. This time softly. She was still holding Melty's shoulders, but she didn't look angry anymore. Rather, she looked like she understood where Melty was coming from. She'd hate to hear if her own Father had imprisoned someone so erroneously. She'd defend his name and his title with her life if she had to. And she hated to have to tell Melty this, but...
"As hard as this is to believe, Sir Naofumi is right. Unless your Mother herself was here, it wouldn't be safe for him to talk things out with your Father right now. This goes far deeper than that."
"But, but-" Melty tried to say.
"Princess, I was put in here because I killed an assassin who was assigned to kill me for signing up to party with the Shield Hero. I know things that you don't. Things I need to report to your Mother. There's more at work here than just some squabble between the Shield Hero and your Father. We could be putting you in danger just by standing here and having this conversation." Eclair said seriously as she stood up again.
…
"But, but-" Melty tried again to think of something to say. She had to think of something to say! Something!
"Forget it," Naofumi said, coating his voice with indifference to let her know they were done. "Thank you for releasing us. But I have two members of my party out there waiting for me right now. And they're important to me. Much more than your worthless deadbeat Father." Naofumi allowed a little bit of hate to leak into his voice at the end.
He really missed Raphtalia and Filo. His number one task now that he wasn't going to be stuck in a cell chained up was to find them. He wanted to see for himself that they were okay and not rely on his status magic to see that… then, when he met up with them again, he'd hug them both close and vow not to let them go ever again.
"But, but my Father…" It looked like Melty was close to crying. She buried her face in her hands.
"Melty, there's something I need you to do for me."
Melty looked up in curiosity at her mother. Both of them were in Faubley's palace, sitting on nice plaid chairs. The Queen's maids were at both ends of the hallways, holding fans to their faces, watching for anyone trying to peek in on their mistress's conversation.
"What is it, mother?" Melty asked curiously.
"I need you to go to the Capital, and admonish the King for his unjust treatment of the Shield Hero," Mirellia said authoritatively. She pulled her fan out and covered the bottom part of her face with it.
Melty blinked in surprise at that. "Are you... are you mad with Father?" She asked.
"Not yet," Mirellia said, hiding her facial expressions from her daughter. "But if he doesn't stop what he's doing to the Cardinal Heroes soon, I will be." She spoke calmly. At a hidden signal, another maid entered the room, carrying a portrait of King Aultcray.
"Why, what has Father done to the Shield Hero?" Melty asked curiously.
"What he is doing to him now is none of your concern," Mirellia said, looking out the window next to her at the smokestacks of Faubley. "I'm sure you'll learn what it is after you arrive. And when you do arrive, I give you my express permission to use my name to help the Shield Hero in any scenario should the situation require it." She said seriously. The maid set the portrait up and then walked out of the room. Likely to retrieve another portrait. "It's likely he'll need all the help he can get when you arrive."
Melty looked confused, but more importantly, she was genuinely concerned for her Father. 'What has Father been doing since me and Mother left the Capital?' She thought worriedly. Even with her fan over her face, Melty could tell that her mom was scowling. It was like an ominous chill was coming off her in waves.
"Tell your Father as well to truly seek to find if the Shield Hero is guilty of the crimes he's been accused of. If he honestly listens and does care for my country, he will do so." Mirellia said. "That is all."
"Okay… but are you sure you're not angry with Father?" Melty asked calmly.
"You have your orders Melty. I suggest you follow them." Mirellia said coldly. It was a sign that the conversation between mother and daughter was over.
Melty knew when she was venturing into dangerous territory. And she'd done it the moment she'd asked if her mother wasn't angry with Father. "I'll leave at once!" Melty said seriously, getting up to go find her guard. She knew not to push anymore.
"Good." Melty was about to leave when Mirellia spoke again. "And know this Melty." Melty looked back and saw Mirellia staring at her with the coldest gaze imaginable. Melty had never seen a more deadly look her whole life. "If your Father hasn't shaped up by the time I get back... I'm going to be more than just angry at him." She glanced at the portrait of her husband that had been set up. "I'm going to be furious."
She then gestured with her hand as she quickly chanted. "And impale my target! Zweite, Icicle Spike!"
A large spike of ice appeared from the Queen's hand, and it impaled Aultcray's head on the portrait. "As the Queen of Melromarc, I order thee, decipher the laws of Nature, and burn my targets in a fiery blaze of destruction that shall leave nothing in its wake! Burn even the ashes of their ashes to cinders!" The Queen yelled with authority. The maid had returned, putting up another portrait of Aultcray, and an additional portrait of Malty next to the original portrait of Aultcray before getting out of the way in time for the Queen's next powerful spell. "All Drifa Inferno!"
The three portraits were consumed in a blaze of fire so hot, the large ice spike almost instantly melted as all three portraits turned to ash.
Melty swallowed a gulp, nodded, and left her mother in the hallway. Another maid was already bringing in a small statue of Aultcray. "More! Bring me more depictions of my idiotic husband and my bitch of a daughter!" The Queen ordered loudly.
It would take so much more just to appease the anger and frustration with her family that she felt at that moment.
Melty's mind returned to the present, and she looked up at Naofumi with tears in her eyes. "You have to talk to my Father! Please! I'm begging you!" Melty cried. "You have to talk to him! Otherwise… Mother will be more than angry… she could kill him… she could kill my Father!"
Naofumi looked surprised at that and looked to Eclair. "Is that true Eclair?" He asked.
Eclair also looked stunned at those words. "I… I mean… it's possible." She admitted. "Melromarc is a country that follows a matriarchal lineage. The Queen not only has the authority to do it. She could kill King Aultcray herself if she wanted to and no one would question it."
It was one thing for Melty to try and order him to see that piece of trash. And being a royal didn't help her standing in that regard either.
However, this was also a little kid crying in front of him. A little kid who really cared about both of her parents. And one of them was very much in danger of being killed by the other... patricide at its finest.
Naofumi sighed. "Look, I would talk if I could," Naofumi said honestly, almost a little begrudgingly. "But I can't. Your Father made it abundantly clear to me yesterday that he doesn't want to talk."
"Did he though?!" Melty yelled desperately. "Did he not listen to even one thing that you said?!"
Naofumi grimaced. There had been the case with the noble men... but it hadn't been from any listening. He'd clearly demonstrated that he couldn't do it. That was entirely different... right?
Melty looked up at him sadly, and he shook the thoughts from his head. "I don't know how much you know." Naofumi continued calmly. He figured the least he could do was try to give a summary of his situation to this girl before leaving. "But your Father has disliked me since the day I was summoned to this world.
"By my second night here, he tried to have me arrested for raping your older sister when it would have been impossible for me to do, and I was forced to run away from the Capital. He then tried to rig a duel between me and the Spear Hero after the first wave so he could throw me into this cell. And even after that, he hasn't stopped trying to hunt me down while keeping me contained to this country.
"He didn't listen to me before, and he won't listen to me now. Hell, I doubt he'll ever want to listen." Naofumi looked at the shackles that had been holding him before. "He knows the loss of one Cardinal Hero will make it impossible for the other heroes to deal with the waves. Yet he still locked me away down here. He was consigning some of his own citizens to die in the next Wave, and yet he didn't care... So unless he comes down here, crawling to me on his hands and knees while begging me for mercy, I will never so much as look at him. And that is all you'll get from me, Second Princess." Naofumi said with finality.
...
Melty gasped in surprise. Naofumi sighed again. 'Figures, even if she knew about the plot with the Church, she likely wouldn't believe me.'
Besides Elhart, Itsuki, Ren, Raphtalia, and now Eclair, there was no one else who knew about it and believed he was innocent. He figured it was for the best if Melty didn't know. At least she wouldn't become a target then.
"Look, I'm sorry for causing you the trouble of having to free us." Naofumi exited the cell into the hallway. Eclair followed behind him. Melty stayed staring speechlessly into the cell. "But right now, we have to get going-"
Melty suddenly grabbed one of his hands, holding him in place. "... Wait." He looked down, and she looked pleadingly up at him. "Shield He-... Naofumi. I'm sorry. I know... I know I'm in no position to say this…" Tears fell lightly down her face. "I'm… I'm truly sorry for my Papa's behavior! I'm sorry for my behavior earlier! I just… I don't want to see my Papa die! I don't want to see anything bad happen to my family!" She cried, tears falling onto her dress.
Naofumi gasped in surprise at the look of pleading in her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry too... but there's nothing I can do about it now. Me and Eclair need to get going before your father changes his mind and has me hunted down and chained up again." Naofumi said dryly. "It's not the first time it's happened."
"But… but… what if I..." Melty's eyes finally met his, and then she looked down, crying again in hopelessness.
She'd finally seen it in his eyes. A glimpse of the pain Naofumi had been suffering from for so long.
The pain of having almost everything torn away. The pain of having to hide your identity from those you helped. The pain of being forced to flee from place to place with only the select few that cared about you staying at your side. Living off of the generosity of those who'd turn on you in an instant if they ever figured out who you were. Not having a home because you were constantly on the run because of a lie that had branded you into a criminal. A lie that had come from the lips of the first person in the world you had trusted with your life and soul. On top of the pain of being summoned from his world only to be persecuted and betrayed here.
It was all that, along with the pain of being separated from Raphtalia and Filo. Which, somehow, outweighed all from before.
She'd seen it, and she knew now that she'd never be able to convince him to go and apologize to her Father. He'd simply hurt him too much by this point. So she broke down and cried.
The task her mother had assigned her was impossible. "Mother… I'm sorry… I can't do it..." Melty continued to cry like a little kid.
...
'I can't meet with that piece of Trash...' Naofumi grimaced. 'But damn. This is making me look like the villain here. I can't just leave some random little girl crying... ... …'
Naofumi sighed in frustration. Eclair got down on one knee and hugged Melty to her shoulder. Where she continued to sob as she comforted her.
'Damn it! Now I feel guilty about having to do this!...' Naofumi did feel conflicted. As much as he hated the man, he didn't exactly deserve death! He'd done what any Father would do! He should have understood that better than anyone now that he was a Father to Filo!
'You know what, &^%$ it! I'm sick of being on the run everywhere. I'm sick of subjecting Raphtalia and Filo to that kind of life! If I could at least get a guarantee that I wouldn't be hunted anymore, I could end this stupid mess once and for-'
...
A chill traveled down the Spear Hero's spine as he looked around the empty stone hallway they were standing in. Something... wasn't right.
Besides Melty's sobbing, the dark hallway was quiet.
Too quiet. And too dark. 'Why aren't there more torches lit? And where's that knight from before?'
He looked away from Melty and Eclair. The Knight that should have been on guard at his post down the hallway wasn't there. Both ends of the hallway were shrouded in darkness, like the torches had been-
He gasped, and gripped his chest. He got that feeling. The same feeling he'd gotten listening to Bitch talking to that one nun long ago. That same feeling he'd felt back in that forest before the ambush. That feeling he'd felt in his nightmares. The only thing he could distinctly remember from them.
Something bad was about to happen.
Eclair reacted first, grabbing a black dagger out of the air before it hit Melty from behind. Melty looked to the side with wide eyes. "Princess, you're in danger here!" Eclair yelled, pushing the princess to the side into the safety of the cell. She then used the dagger she'd caught to deflect two more similar black daggers into the walls as she charged forward.
Naofumi stared in shock for only two seconds before he realized.
Somebody had just tried to assassinate Princess Melty. And they'd done it in front of him.
Crap... had he just been set up again?!
Another black dagger flew at his face from the other hallway. He deflected it to the side with his shield easily and changed to the Chimera Viper Shield. 'That damn loli brat!' Had that whole situation all been an act?! And to think he'd almost been convinced to try and patch things up with TRASH of all people!
"Help! Princess Melty is being kidnapped by the Shield Demon and the rogue knight!" A voice down his end of the hall yelled loudly. The echo reverberated through the dungeon. "We need all the Knights now! Put the place in lockdown-"
"Air Strike Shield!"
A green shield formed in front of Naofumi and thrust down the narrow corridor into the man screaming in the shadows. His shouting cut off.
As he did that, Eclair managed to rush down the other hallway, using the black dagger she'd caught to deflect several more that had been thrown at her. Before she used the pommel of the dagger to knock out an individual only she could make out in the darkness. A gasp of shock came from a second individual at how Eclair had seen through their stealth stats in the darkness. But she quickly knocked him out too before he could react.
"What the hell!? You set this whole thing up, didn't you?!" Naofumi yelled angrily at Melty. Blocking another black dagger with his shield. A third one went below his shield, hitting his unarmored gut. But it didn't even cut him. Even though he didn't have his armor on, the assassin's attack stat wasn't high enough to damage him. At seeing that, the figure hiding in the darkness turned tail and ran.
"Help! The Shield Demon's going to kill me!"
"What… what are you talking about?!" Melty asked in disbelief. There were still fresh tear tracks going down her eyes. "I have no idea what's happening!"
She didn't just look scared, she looked terrified. Like...
Like she honestly had no idea what was going on.
Naofumi, fortunately, was quick to pick up on that…
Not that it soothed his anger.
"Sir Naofumi…"
Eclair appeared, dragging two limp bodies behind her. "There was another one, but he escaped while I took care of his comrades."
Naofumi's eyes widened in recognition as the individuals were dragged into the torchlight. They were dressed in the black garb of Church Shadows. A rosary hung around each of their necks. He got even angrier seeing the rosaries. "DAMN THEM!" He punched the stone wall next to them.
Melty looked in surprise at them. "These… these aren't my mother's shadows… what were they doing down here… and why didn't my Royal Knights keep them out." She said, still shocked that an attempt on her life had been made. And that one of these Shadows had yelled, blaming it on the Shield Hero.
Eclair held up the rosary on one of the assassins to examine it. "It appears some of the Royal Knights might have different loyalties than we thought, Princess Melty." She said calmly.
"That's… that's impossible! They're supposed to be loyal to my Father! And I know he'd never do such a thing-" Melty was yelling angrily at Eclair for even suggesting such an idea.
"Actually, you're both right." Naofumi interrupted. He was still angry, but he had to keep a clear head now more than ever "As much as I hate your Father, I can't see him doing this. If he loves his family so much, he'd never put you in danger to get at me. But that doesn't mean I don't know others who wouldn't." The rosaries were a big freaking clue as to who.
Eclair threw the unconscious bodies into the cell they were formerly being held in before slamming the door shut, locking it, and putting a wooden beam over it to keep the assassins inside from being able to open the door even if they managed to pick the lock.
"What… what do you mean?" Melty asked, looking scared for her life. "Who could they possibly be loyal too besides my Father?!"
It had been silent all around up to this point. But then, above, below, almost from all around, the sounds of yelling, pounding feet, clinking armor, and more started to echo into the dark hallway.
"Somebody unlit all the torches!"
"The Princess is in danger!"
"It must be because of the Shield Demon!"
"Capture the Shield Demon!"
"Protect the Princess!"
The cavalry was coming. And it was likely to not be Royal Knights if this had been set up by the Church.
Naofumi paled. 'Damn it! Can't I just get one break!' He'd been hoping that no knights had been around to hear the Church Shadow's shouting. But that had only been wishful thinking.
So much for just walking out of here thanks to the Princess freeing them.
"My sword! The lockers should be this way!" Eclair said, pointing down the hallway where she'd taken down the two Shadows.
'There's still that third Shadow and the other one I couldn't deal with creeping around down here, and who knows how many of these knights are actually loyal to the crown…' He didn't like it, but his resolve as the Shield Hero couldn't allow him to leave Melty there. That first dagger had gone for her. It was likely he and Eclair weren't the only ones the Church had been targeting. "Come on Second Princess! I'll explain what's happening on the way!"
Whether he liked it or not, he had to protect her too, if so he wouldn't have the death of a child on his conscious.
"Where are you taking me?! And my name is not Second PrincesSSSSSSSSSS!" Melty yelled in surprise as Naofumi grabbed her by the hand and forced her to run with him and Eclair down into the dark hallway.
"Alright Second Princess, here's a more detailed rundown of the &^%$ going on in your country! Pay attention because I'm not repeating myself!"
The royal mustached knight commander hummed to himself as he sipped from a nice cup of hot tea. 'Ahhhh… I can't wait to hear the news of the Shield Demon's demise in the dungeons…' He took another sip of the hot drink, relishing in the thought.
He'd already given Melty's entourage of knights 'orders' to vacate the scene. As the story would go, the Second Princess had been killed by the Shield Demon in an attempt to try and reason with him. He'd then bravely go in and 'kill' the Shield Demon, claiming all the credit for avenging the death of the Queen's daughter.
Then, not only would he receive the highest honors in the kingdom, but he'd be given the highest honors amongst the saints of the Three Heroes Church for helping with the death of the Gods' greatest enemy.
Not only would he be set for this life, but for the next one too.
He could imagine it now. The cheers he'd receive as he walked past the pearly gates. The seat at the large gold table reserved for only those who'd overcome the greatest of evils... all meant just for him-
The door crashed open. "Sir! We just received word that the Shield Hero escaped his cell!"
The commander looked up in surprise at one of his captains. He wasn't sure of his name. All he knew was that he was the Captain who'd helped the Shield Demon out at Lute.
"What are you blabbering about?"
The Captain stood at attention. "The Shield Hero escaped his cell. According to one of the knights who ran up, he took the Second Princess hostage and is currently fighting the other knights patrolling the Castle Dungeons with the help of a traitor.."
…
The Knight Commander scowled. He threw his cup of tea onto the floor, shattering it into a million pieces. 'Can they not do one damn thing right?!' He would have sworn the plan the First Princess had presented to him last night would be foolproof.
This only went to show, however, that you shouldn't trust the hands of fools to get the job done properly. Or a princess who was incapable of planning beyond the first step as she wanted the pleasure of accomplishment as soon as possible, consequences past that be damned. "Mobilize the other Captains! Get our strongest knights ready immediately! I will not have the Shield Demon escaping our city again!" He said angrily as he put his helmet on, walking past his Captain to go out the door.
"... It's the Shield Hero. Not Shield Demon, sir."
...
The Commander stopped in his tracks and looked back at the Captain. The Captain was glaring at him as he put on his own helmet. "I will do as you order me. However, while he is a criminal, the Shield Hero is one of the Cardinal Heroes tasked with protecting our world, just like the others. I will not disrespect him by lowering myself to call him by such a foul name."
The Commander had to try his hardest not to scowl at the Captain. He also had to try his hardest not to show the fear he felt at the Captain's intense glare. 'Does he know? But how could he know? Is it possible he overheard me talking with the nun about the whole plan to take down the Shield Demon, or is it-'
...
He smirked. 'No, if he really thought I'd done something, he would have gone to the King by now. He's only trying to bait me into showing my hand so he can accuse me and take my place. Heh, as if I'd fall for that.'
"Get to it, Captain. Otherwise, if the Shield Demon escapes with the Princess, it'll be on your head."
The Captain's glare hardened at the use of the Shield Demon term again, but he nodded and rushed out of the room. Heading in the direction of the barracks to mobilize the Royal Knights.
The Commander scowled once the Captain was out of sight. 'He's even more of a danger than I thought. It's obvious where his Faith lies, and it's not with the truth.'
He left the room preparing to give orders.
After this whole mess was over, he'd not only have to find out a way to realistically kill off the Shield Demon and the Second Princess but this Captain too. The Gods would expect nothing less of him if he ever wanted to feast with them at their table.
Hero Clips!
Babysitting the Kids
"It's all your fault it's broken!"
"I didn't mean to break it!"
Eclair sighed to herself. When the Queen had assigned her with taking care of her daughter and the Cardinal Heroes, she had not thought she meant this.
'Why did the Queen have to assign me to take care of all of them? Why couldn't she have hired someone else to babysit them!?'
A… um… Kid Naofumi that was around eight years old, cried while a Kid Melty, who was around five years old, bawled together with him. Between them was the broken remains of a toy shield.
"Stop crying! Maybe I can use my magic to fix it!" Kid Melty suggested through her tears.
"If you hadn't used your water magic, Second Princess, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Kid Naofumi cried.
"If you'd stop calling me Second Princess, I wouldn't have gotten mad and broken your toy shield!" Kid Melty cried.
"You did it on purpose!" Kid Naofumi cried.
"I did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
A small hand tugged on the skirt of Eclair's armor. "Miss Eclair?"
Eclair tiredly looked at the raven-haired kid tugging at her skirt. His other hand held a plastic toy sword, and a girl with amber eyes, light brown hair, and dog ears stood next to him, a sad look on her face as she hugged Ren's arm while trying desperately not to cry. "What is it, Ren, Wyndia?" She tiredly asked.
"Itsuki's being mean to me and Wendy again." Kid Ren said sadly.
"Ha! Take this you poohead!" Itsuki released the string on his toy bow, releasing another nerf dart arrow that hit kid Motoyasu in the back of the head.
"Fueh!" Itsuki's kid friend, Rishia, whimpered beside him, wondering why her friend was bullying the others.
"STOP IT ITSUKI!" Motoyasu swung a toy spear angrily at the blonde kid. Who jumped back out of reach, releasing another nerf dart arrow that hit Motoyasu's face. "I SAID STOP IT!" He swung his spear again, hitting Itsuki on one of his arms.
"OW! That hurt!" Itsuki cried. Rishia began to cry along with him.
"THEN STOP BOTHERING ME WITH YOUR STUPID TOY ARROWS!-" Even as Motoyasu yelled that Itsuki released another nerf dart arrow that hit one of Motoyasu's eyes. "THAT DOES IT!"
Eclair sighed once more and raised her hands to the ceiling. "Why did the Cardinal Weapons have to summon little kids to save our world?" She despondently asked the heavens.
The heavens did not reply. For they were just as unsure as her why the Cardinal Weapons did what they did.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"OW! STOP HITTING ME MOTOYASU!"
"YOU'RE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME! DEAD!"
"FUEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Yep, Eclair was sure of it.
She was definitely not having kids of her own.
Till Next Time
Allen