Chapter Thirty-Nine: He Forgot The Talk
It was the next morning.
"Urgh…" Naofumi ached as he started to wake up.
What had happened to him?
As he came back to the land of the living, he became aware of something large and warm pressed up against him. And when he took a deep breath, a very familiar scent filled his nostrils.
...
He finally peaked open his eyes, and his suspicions were confirmed.
He was lying on his side in bed. His head rested against a pillow. Cuddled up next to him like a warm body pillow was his beautiful Tanuki companion. Her hair framed the sides of her face. The blanket had moved off of the two of them in their sleep. Raphtalia's tail was slowly wagging happily behind her.
It honestly would have been cute… if she hadn't been cuddled up against him in a way that his arm was pressed up against her gown between two certain large… assets…
'Um… uh…' Naofumi carefully moved his arm out from its resting spot. Doing his best not to wake the peaceful-looking half-tanuki girl as he did so. He had to stretch his shoulder back, grimacing from the soreness and aches, but he was able to get his arm free. Now he just had to get the rest of his body-
"Mmmm…" Raphtalia, at the loss of contact, cuddled up higher on his body in her sleep. Pressing her face into the crook of his neck. Her chest pressed up against his. Her arms moved and hugged around Naofumi. Keeping him pressed against her, and keeping him from escaping.
"... Alright, alright. I'll stay then." Naofumi said, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance while trying not to blush.
"Hmmm…" Raphtalia let out something that sounded like a satisfied purr. Her tail wagged even more happily behind her in her sleep.
Naofumi chuckled to himself. Wrapping his arms around her and rubbing his chin into her hair. 'Damn, Raphtalia, you're cute even when you're fast asleep…' Only a few days ago, he'd been unsure about what to think in regard to Raphtalia, and now...
After a moment, he stopped and frowned. 'Holy hell… just how much happened these last few days...'
It'd honestly felt slow for the most part since the last wave. With hardly much of note happening to him during that time. Yet the past few days had been packed.
First, he'd helped to heal someone's old mom. Then, idiotic Motoyasu attacked him and his party. Next, he'd woken up in chains in front of the King and had a scam of a trial. Followed by waking up in a cell with the same knight who'd been imprisoned by Malty for wanting to join his party.
Soon after that, he met the Second Princess, got released by her, and was framed for trying to kill her. Then he was chased through the Capital, reunited with his party, trapped at a gate, had a duel with Bitch… he unlocked shields in the Blessed and Cursed Series. He almost won. He hurt people. He burned part of the city. He hurt Raphtalia. He and his party were saved by Ren and Itsuki. He almost lost Raphtalia. She comforted him. He spent most of the rest of the day having a gradual mental breakdown. He wandered around, read a book, ate some food. And then finally, after thinking over advice he'd received from both Van and one of Ren's party members, he unlocked another tier in his Blessed Series, healing both Raphtalia and one of Itsuki's party members with an effect from it.
Man. That was a lot to process through...
He quickly checked Raphtalia over with his HUD. Besides being dressed in only her gown, there were no signs of the curse. Her skin was clear, besides a few flame-shaped scars on her arms. All of her gauges were full.
Naofumi closed the HUD and buried his face in her hair again, taking another deep breath of her scent. He'd never felt so relieved. Whatever he'd done, it had worked. He was sad Raphtalia had some scarring from the experience, but it was far outweighed by the relief and gratitude that she was going to be okay.
…
Since Raphtalia still had him trapped, he pulled up his HUD again and looked at his own stats. The Shield of Hope II would likely be something that'd give his own base stats a nice little boost-
'Wait, what the hell happened to my defense stat!'
His other stats were still the same, including, unfortunately, his attack stat. No boost for unlocking a cool new shield there. But his magic and physical defense stats had both dropped. At least a good 20%. While it was still high for Naofumi's level, it was a considerable drop.
'How did that happen?!... I don't remember it dropping because of using the Shield of Rage…'
He moved from his stat screen to his Shield Menu. His skill tree of shields popped up in front of his eyes. He pulled up the Shield of Hope II and looked over the new Shield and its skills.
'Hope Asunder... I figured that was what that skill did… Pandora's Box? It doesn't have a description available yet. I guess I'll need to use it to find out what it does... Hope Springs Eternal? According to the description, it's supposed to increase the effectiveness of any healing spell or potion I use on myself or on my party, neat. I could take advantage of that in the future.
'Robe of Michael? Description: ?... It doesn't have a description for it yet either?!… Ray of Hope… it's supposed to be a special effect that allows me to heal curses from nearby party members. It takes some of my HP and makes me suffer in their place. But there's another cost… and it has ?'s by it too.'
Apparently, he didn't know enough about this world to know what was supposed to be in those question marks. But maybe whatever it was was part of the reason why his defense stat had dropped. It also explained how he healed both Rishia and Raphtalia at the same time. His screen still showed him being listed as a subgroup in Itsuki's party system alongside Ren and his party.
He poked around some more. Fortunately, it looked like it was only going to be a temporary debuff. The debuff had ?'s for its name too. But it was ticking down from two days. Hopefully, when it was done, he'd have his normal defense stat back.
He was about to close his HUD when he glanced at the Cursed Series. He shuddered and closed the HUD. He focused on breathing in Raphtalia's scent to calm him down. 'I'm glad… I won't have to rely on only that Shield in the future…'
It was a powerful Shield. He'd give it that. He'd love the day when he'd grow strong-willed enough that he could use its execution skill, "Iron Maiden" on a certain Red-Haired Bitch without wanting to go into a blind rage.
But as much as he hated the Bitch, as much as he wanted to punch her so badly in the face… which he'd forgotten to list he'd been able to do yesterday too… he didn't want to murder everyone in his path to do it. Hell, he didn't want to kill anyone else unless it was either necessary, or he had no other choice.
Bitch's death was completely necessary. No argument there. He hoped the next time he saw the damn Bitch, she'd be on the receiving end of his execution skill or Raphtalia's blade.
But he was meant to protect… he had to protect… so he wanted to kill only if it meant protecting others.
'But why is one of my shield's only options for attacking something so monstrous?' Naofumi thought. 'Couldn't there be a better option? One that doesn't involve using that series?' He'd tried so many other things already to try and get around the Shield's weapon restriction. But nothing he'd tried so far had worked. Hope was the closest thing he had. Yet its skills didn't increase his attack stat. It only made it so his own measly attack stat could do something.
Maybe someday, down the road, he'd discover something...
Most likely, he was going to be stuck in his role of tanking damage for everyone else.
...
"Mmmm… Nao… Naofumi?"
Naofumi was brought out of his thoughts. He looked down in surprise at Raphtalia, who was starting to blink open her eyes. Glazed over from sleep.
"Hey... You feeling okay?" Naofumi asked.
"Huh-" Raphtalia finally seemed to realize her very close proximity to Naofumi and his face. Before she could freak out about that though, she also realized that she wasn't feeling any pain. The surprise from that offset the embarrassment and caused her to look down at herself. All the bandages were gone.
Naofumi was smiling. Everything was okay. It was like she'd woken up to paradise. "What, what happened?" She asked Naofumi.
"I don't really remember much myself, to be honest." He sat up in the bed, and Raphtalia sat up with him. Looking at his face curiously. After using the effect last night, he'd gone through so much pain. He could hardly remember how he'd unlocked the Shield of Hope II. "I know I came in here last night… and that I decided that I refused to rely on my rage alone to carry me forward. And then, I somehow used you to help unlock the next tier in my Blessed Series. And it had an ability that healed you of your curse."
...
Raphtalia looked down at her skin again, this time in awe. She didn't look bothered by the fact that she had faint flame-shaped scars on her forearms. "I guess that means you have another reason to love this shield now," Naofumi said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. While he still didn't like his Shield all that much… he was appreciating having it more.
"You mean…" It looked like tears were forming in her eyes. "I'll get… to fight beside you still?" She wouldn't have to rest for a long time. Watching from the sidelines as her favorite person in the world risked his life to fight the Church and the Waves of Catastrophe. She'd still get to fight alongside him.
Naofumi looked caught off guard by her response. "Of course."
Her mouth was open as if she was going to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. He wondered what was going through her mind, and then she spoke in a small voice. "I… I…"
"Is there something wrong?"
He didn't know if it was because he looked Raphtalia in the eyes at that moment, or if he finally overcame his nervousness and became more aware, but he realized that Raphtalia was crying. Silent tears traveled down the sides of her face. Her tail was bristling behind her, but not from anger. A few of her tears fell onto the bed. "I'm… I'm glad you're okay Master Naofumi!" She said loudly as she hugged him.
Naofumi's body reacted instinctively, hugging the crying girl close while they sat on the bed. His mind was stunned at what was going on. She continued to cry into his shoulder. She could tell, after having looked into his eyes. They weren't haunted or full of guilt like before. They were back to what they were.
A little shadowed from the memory of what he'd done. But he was still there. He was still him.
He was okay. He wasn't hurting because of what happened in the Capital anymore. She was so happy...
"I'm so sorry..."
"Wha… What for?" Naofumi was finally able to ask.
She continued to cry, unable to say more. She was sorry for the pain he had gone through. Sorry that she couldn't have done more to protect him. Sorry that she couldn't have arrived sooner to save him. Sorry that she'd gotten herself hurt in order to help him.
He continued to hold her, his mind gradually realizing what was happening. Tears started to leak from his own eyes, and he buried his face in her hair. Her auburn, soft hair. He had almost lost her. He had almost lost himself. Yet they were still here, they were still together. They were scarred, but they were okay.
That was all that mattered to him at that moment...
After a few moments, Raphtalia's sobs had died down to sniffles. "I'm sorry… I was so afraid that I was going to be useless and a burden… but I guess I did help you…"
…
Naofumi sighed as if releasing a heavyweight from off his back. "It's okay… it hurt a lot… it still hurts to think about it… but I'm fine with it now. I'm fine with what happened. Because I'm not going to allow it to happen again."
The two finally separated, and Naofumi looked her in the eyes. Her deep tea-red eyes were swollen from crying. Her lips trembled, and her nose was a little runny. Yet she still looked beautiful. "I'm not carrying this burden alone anymore, after all."
Raphtalia shakily nodded her head, looking back down to the bed afterward. He then patted her on the head, and the surprise action caused her to look up at him. He was smiling. "You've helped me for so long... going through all that pain to heal your curse was worth it. In a way, it kind of felt like walking through fire and brimstone." He said, chuckling at the end. "Now I know how it must feel to stay with me on a daily basis."
It was only a joke, but fresh tears came to Raphtalia's eyes again. "Naofumi, there's no one here to interrupt us… right?" She asked, one of her hands moving to hold his. The feeling coursing through her. This desire… she couldn't resist it anymore. She had to do it!
"Um, yeah. Why do you- mmph!" Raphtalia jumped forward, tackling Naofumi off the bed. Cutting him off with the force of a semi as she embraced and kissed him on the lips all at the same time.
There was no stopping the tears this time. She was so relieved that he didn't think less of her for what she did. She was so relieved that he was okay. That he loved her. That he wanted to share everything, including his burdens with her. That he'd walk through fire and brimstone for her, just as she would for him.
It was a heat-in-the-moment action, and her body had screamed for her to take it. And take it she gladly did.
He embraced her back after a few seconds. One of his hands moved to rub the back of her head comfortingly as he kissed her again and again. Unlike the first time, there was no blood or sweat. Her lips were moist instead of dry. Fresh and not burned. They tasted sweet instead of salty from her tears. And her skin and hair. They were soft, healthy, and alive!
It was a mess of sloppy kisses because of their inexperience, but it was so much better than what they'd shared in the square...
The two of them separated after a moment to breathe. Feeling so high that they could see the clouds they were floating on. "I meant what I said before," Naofumi said between breaths. "I love you." He said honestly.
This time around, the confession felt so much easier. Even though Raphtalia wasn't lying asleep in a bed. Even though the world wasn't ending… even though part of him wanted to hold back because of Bitch, he knew it. He knew it deep down. Somehow, he would never be the same if this wonderful girl wasn't at his side.
He'd won the lottery obtaining Raphtalia and falling in love with her. And he didn't want to let her go. Ever.
Raphtalia laid on top of Naofumi, allowing herself to relax in his embrace. She could hear the sincerity in his words. The fast beating of his heart in his chest. And after finally hearing him say them… she just felt so happy. So… complete...
"I love you too, Naofum-"
"Uhhhhh." She was moving to kiss him again when somebody cleared their throat.
Raphtalia and Naofumi jumped with a start and quickly separated, looking in shock at the doorway.
Ren stood there, looking uncomfortably away from the two of them. Naofumi and Raphtalia started to blush heavily as they realized the Sword Hero of all people had just walked in on their little moment. Raphtalia quickly adjusted her nightgown to make sure it was still properly on.
"What is it, Ren?" Naofumi asked as he adjusted his shirt. Hoping his cheeks weren't too red from embarrassment like Raphtalia's.
"Um… Van told me we should gather in the dining room to discuss some things… he wanted me to pass the message on to you…" Ren glanced at them and then turned his head away again.
Was he… thinking they'd been doing something else on the ground? "If you need more time though… I could just… um…"
\Naofumi almost wanted to laugh as he realized it. 'Holy hell! Ren probably thought we were about to have sex!' He cackled like an immature madman in his mind. 'Oh, man! This is comedy gold! We couldn't have timed it more perfectly!'
"Are you thinking something rude Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked with her hands on her hips. She was still blushing heavily too, which made it look even funnier!
Oh, how he loved this side of her. "Nothing at all," Naofumi responded before looking back to the sixteen-year-old hero with a grin on his face. "We'll go down in a moment." Naofumi didn't clarify on why they wouldn't go down immediately while still grinning. He even threw in a wink while he was at it.
Man, it was great to be Twenty.
"Oh, um, great… then… I'll just-" Ren turned around and bolted out of the room. Too afraid to try and say anything more. His social ineptitude spanned far more than being bad at comforting others.
He did not want to face this.
Naofumi finally started to laugh. "Oh, that poor boy." He said happily. He could hold an aloof manner in the face of danger, but he couldn't handle the thought of two people being intimate. "I almost feel bad for him. Almost."
"Naofumi. That wasn't very nice of you." Raphtalia said poutingly. She still wasn't sure what was going on. All she knew was that Naofumi had just played around with Sir Ren.
Naofumi shrugged, patting her on the head. "Are you complaining that we're alone now?" He asked.
"... Eep!" Raphtalia put her hands over her cheeks to hide the rapid blush that came over them again. They were indeed alone. And they had already kissed. And he'd confessed to her. Which meant… if Rifana was right, that meant they were now dating! Which meant even more kissing! 'AH! AHHHHHHHHH!'
Naofumi smiled and found her so adorable that he pecked her on the lips again. "Don't worry. If you want, I can go join them right now." He said. "It sounds like important things are about to happen. And I'm sure Filo and the others will want to see that you're okay now."
Raphtalia blushed even more deeply after Naofumi kissed her lips. But again, at his care, the feeling felt so good. So right… she honestly wanted to kiss him more for it. "Alright, then-" She stopped speaking as she finally remembered something very important.
'Oh no… I can't believe I forgot! Oh no oh no OH NO!'
Kissing people made you pregnant. She'd already kissed Naofumi once back in the Capital. And now they'd gone and had… Gods know how many more in the last few minutes! If she hadn't been pregnant after the Capital, she'd definitely be pregnant now!
'What do I do!? What do I do!? WHAT DO I DO!?' She thought in a panic. If she didn't tell Naofumi now, then in a few months it would really become obvious that she was pregnant! What when her stomach started to expand, and she wouldn't be able to excuse it by saying she was getting more stout for him.
"So, um, was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?" Naofumi asked. Again, unaware of what Raphtalia was thinking. She'd been saying something, but then had suddenly stopped speaking.
Raphtalia was heavily blushing now. "Well… um… uh..."
Naofumi looked at her with growing concern. He cupped one of her hot flushed cheeks with his hand. "Hey, Raphtalia?" He asked worriedly.
His concern for her melted through to her heart. '... I have to tell him.' She realized with a sigh. 'I can't hide something like this.' There was no way she could hide something this important from him.
"Naofumi… there's something I need to confess." She said, lowering her hands while she looked shyly down at the ground. Her tail wagged apprehensively behind her. Her hands moved to her stomach.
Naofumi was confused by the 180 in her emotions. "What is it Raphtalia?" He asked. His hand still cupped her cheek.
Raphtalia stared at the ground a moment more. Than she looked up at Naofumi. "I… um… I might have… ImighthavekissedyouonthelipstobringyoutoyoursensesbackintheCapitalandgottenpregnant!" Raphtalia blurted out quickly.
…
Naofumi tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What...?"
Raphtalia breathed in deeply to calm herself. "I kissed you on the lips back in the Capital, Naofumi," Raphtalia said more coherently.
…
He stopped cupping her face. He was looking at her weirdly. He could remember the kiss. It had been his first, and he hadn't exactly been in the right mood for it, but he knew why Raphtalia had done it. So why was Raphtalia treating it like it was the end of the world? Especially after what they'd just shared. "And why is that…" Naofumi trailed off as he realized it. 'No! I just realized that was probably her first kiss too! I can't believe I blew it so badly yesterday! Damn it!
That wasn't how first kisses were supposed to go between people in love! It was like a trope out of an anime! 'Maybe I could suggest a do-over, but I don't know if it would be awkward or not to suggest that! I mean, we just made out- Holy hell, did I seriously just make out with Raphtalia!? How did I manage to do that-' He was starting to blush and freak out too. How the hell had he, an average-looking otaku, made out with a hot girl like Raphtalia!? Like, had he just gone past winning the lottery to freaking ruling the universe or something!?
This was awesome! This was epic! This was...
Naofumi cut his thoughts off as he looked at Raphtalia and saw her gradually looking sadder and sadder. "Hey, um, I'm sorry, but I don't really remember it all that well," Naofumi said nervously. Hoping Raphtalia wouldn't see through the lie. He could remember the first kiss very well. "But, if you want, maybe, we could, um, you know… try it again?" He said awkwardly.
'Damn it! What's wrong with me! I was just making fun of Ren a moment ago and now I'm tripping over myself trying to ask Raphtalia if she wants to try a redo a damn kiss! DAMN IT!' He took back what he'd said before. Being a twenty-year-old otaku with no experience with girls sucked! It'd be even worse if they ever worked themselves up to get past first base.
...
Raphtalia looked less shy and more confused now. "But… Aren't you afraid I'll really get pregnant if we do that?" She finally asked. 'If I'm not already pregnant from the first one… or the second one… or the third one… or the fourth...' How many had they just had? She honestly wasn't sure.
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Naofumi looked at Raphtalia as if she'd grown a second head. His mind, which had completely and utterly stopped, started to creak into motion again after a very long pause.
"I'm sorry... What?" He finally asked, sounding very confused, and maybe even a little concerned. He'd never expected to hear those words leave Raphtalia's mouth.
Why was Raphtalia worried that she was pregnant?! Had they actually… but that was impossible! He would have definitely remembered doing something like that!
"I mean…" Raphtalia started to play with one of her hair braids. "I asked my parents about it once, and my dad said pregnancy happened when a boy and girl kissed each other. And we kissed yesterday… and I lost track on the floor... so wouldn't it follow that I might be pregnant now if we kissed more?" She asked meekly.
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'Wait… is she saying…' A light finally went on in Naofumi's mind. He'd been worrying like crazy that somehow he and Raphtalia had had sex. Or that if he were to kiss her now, it would lead to them having sex right then and there. Upon realizing her explanation for it though, he internally sighed with relief. Almost wanting to laugh at the absurdity of it.
'Oh thank the Gods. I was worried she'd meant that we'd-...'
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His mind frozee again. Longer than the last time.
"Um, Nao-Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked in concern. "Is everything okay?" Was he taking the news really badly? Did he not want to be a father?
Raphtalia's voice finally got the wheel in his head turning again. '... Wait a minute, does she actually think that she can get pregnant just by kissing someone… … …!'
"Naofumi… um, is it okay if I'm pregnant?" Raphtalia asked, sensing his mind going into a panic.
His eyes had widened in realization. A cold sweat broke out on his skin. A cold, dreadful feeling ran down his spine.
It'd been so long since he last thought about this happening. Raphtalia had been acting mature and grown-up for so long that it was hard to picture the little girl she'd been over two months ago.
Now, he wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He wanted to face anything and anyone but this. Hell, he'd rather face Bitch and the knights of Melromarc all over again! Even that would be better than this!
"Naofumi?"
No, he was cornered in this room. His worst dream had been realized. There was no get-out-of-jail-free card. There was no demi-human that could help him out. He was all on his own. Because of the one thing he'd forgotten to do. With the one problem he had never wanted to face
Especially after having kissed her plenty of times, the last one of his own volition. His feelings for her had also sealed the deal.
"Naofumi… are you okay?" Raphtalia asked worriedly. Naofumi had paled considerably over the last few seconds. She didn't know why. 'What's wrong? Is he… is he going to leave me because I'm pregnant?!' Raphtalia thought frantically. Her ability to read his mind stopped working as she grew more and more panicked. Would Naofumi really leave her because of this?
'WHY!? WHY DOES THIS WORLD HATE ME SO MUCH!?'
There had to be some group of divine beings out there right now laughing their ^%$#$ off right now. He had forgotten all about the Talk. And now, not only did Naofumi, the otaku, have to give someone 'The Talk.' That someone happened to be his new 'girlfriend' of all people.
It was the worst sick joke in the history of sick jokes that a group of divine narrators could play on him.
'DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!' He took back what he'd thought before. This wasn't like ruling the universe. This was like winning the lottery and then finding out how much was being taken away because of tax reasons!
He'd rather face both Bitch and Motoyasu along with everyone else in this world that hated him instead of this!
"Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked again. On the verge of crying and having a full-blown panic attack.
"... … Well, um, Raphtalia…" Naofumi finally got to talking. Placing a hand on her shoulder helped delay her mental breakdown. He sounded very much like a man in a desert trying desperately to find something to end his suffering. "What I'm about to tell you is very awkward… but you don't get pregnant by kissing someone." He explained.
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...
Raphtalia looked at Naofumi for a long moment. Trying to understand what he'd just said. "You mean… so I'm not pregnant?"
"Yes. I mean, that isn't how it works. At all." Naofumi clarified. He'd somehow managed to stay completely calm as he spoke.
…
A small part of Raphtalia honestly felt disappointed at hearing that. It was like a part of her had actually wanted to become a mother.
Still, it was small compared to the overwhelming relief that flooded her. She wasn't pregnant. She wasn't going to have to not fight for nine months, or possibly longer.
If that was also the case, then that meant she could have been all over his lips before with no consequences! As much as it made her blush to think about it, she wanted to kiss him right then and there again out of sheer relief that it would bring nothing but happy feelings out of each other.
'Please don't press further. Please give me an out from this situation. Please, if there really are Gods in this world, then I ask, no, I'm begging you to please not have her-' Naofumi was thinking. Seeing the happy look on Raphtalia's face.
"But if kissing doesn't get me pregnant, then… Then how does it work?"
"... How does what work?" Naofumi asked, hoping that by playing dumb she would think he had no idea.
"How do I avoid getting pregnant?" Raphtalia asked. Putting her hands on her hips.
Her face became stern. Clearly, she wanted an explanation.
...
…
Naofumi looked up at the ceiling. As if he was asking the heavens, 'Why me?'
The Gods of this world were likely rolling around on their heavenly floors, laughing their butts off at Naofumi's predicament.
So much for pleading for mercy.
He was desperate enough that he would have even preferred it if Filo, Eclair, or Melty came in to interrupt them. Hell, he would have preferred it if Itsuki came to bail them out. Yet for some damn reason, everyone was finally leaving them the hell alone!
He didn't want to be left alone! He wanted someone to bail him out of this so he wouldn't have to face the fact that he had to give his girlfriend the talk!
"Well… Raphtalia… you see…"
Raphtalia was still sternly looking at Naofumi. She wanted to know desperately what it was they needed to avoid doing so she wouldn't be burdened with a child during the waves.
"Naofumi, are you in here?"
Naofumi looked to the doorway. The Gods of this world had finally granted him mercy! Itsuki had just walked through the door! Looking for him!
"Askooneoftheadultdemi-humanservantshereaboutit!There'splentyofthemaround!" Naofumi quickly said as he bolted for the door, grabbing Itsuki's arm like a wild daredevil. "ComeonRentoldmetherewassomemeetingweweneedtobeat!"
"Wait, Naofumi, slow down!" Itsuki yelled as Naofumi left a dust trail in their wake fleeing the room. He just wanted to thank him for healing Rishia. "NaofumiIIIIIIiiiiiii…" Itsuki's voice faded away as they got farther away from the room.
'DAMN YOU WORLD! YOU'RE NOT GETTING THIS OTAKU WITH THAT TRICK NOW!'
…
Raphtalia slowly poked her head out of the room. Looking confusedly down the hallway where Naofumi and Itsuki had disappeared. 'What was up with Naofumi?...'
She hadn't really gotten what he'd said there… she hadn't learned how to avoid getting pregnant either, but then she started to grin. 'So kissing Naofumi won't make me pregnant! That's great!' Oh, she couldn't wait for the meeting to get over so she could kiss him all over again! Hell, she was thinking about all sorts of scenarios now where she could just ambush him out of nowhere and kiss those delicious lips of his.
...
At the thought of ambushing Naofumi out of nowhere with a kiss though, Raphtalia started to fiercely blush. Her tail wagged so fiercely behind her. It was like she was about to lift off the ground from the force of her tail wagging. 'Oh nooooOOOOOOOOOO!'
Even if she wouldn't get pregnant. The thought of kissing Naofumi repeatedly still made her feel really embarrassed.
She fled the room to find someone to talk with.
Maybe they could help by giving her some relationship advice so she wouldn't get so embarrassed at wanting to kiss Naofumi all the time.
Ren leaned on the balcony railing, looking out over Van Reichnott's land. His Legendary Sword was in its sheath form on his back. The wind blew through his hair while he observed the day outside… and yes, the remnants of a blush were disappearing from his cheeks.
'Did I have to walk in on that?!' He shuddered to himself.
He was glad Naofumi and Raphtalia were feeling a lot better. But … he shook his head, trying to erase the image of what he saw from his mind. 'No, I'm not going to think about it. I'll just be happy that they're feeling better. Like Itsuki...'
…
He managed to get his mind off of it. But then his mind brought up a memory from yesterday.
"You imposter! You were never the Sword Hero! Neither you nor-"
Ren grit his teeth and clenched the balcony railing. He'd tried being the strong one yesterday. The pillar of reason and support. But he'd also been struggling with his own issues. They just hadn't seemed as major as what Itsuki and Naofumi were going through.
Now that they were okay though, and since he was all by himself, he couldn't avoid it any longer. 'Are the NPCs in this country that far gone to believe such idiocy?!'
He'd defeated bandit hordes along roadways to make traveling from place to place safer. He'd helped Leruno out after Motoyasu's idiocy had nearly destroyed the village. He'd been defeating strong monsters everywhere he went so normal adventurers could have a safer time leveling up.
But no. The Pope had him labeled as a false hero. And because of his word alone, everyone in Melromarc believed it.
It was stupid! He was wielding the freaking Legendary Sword for crying out loud! He had powers no normal NPC as that knight had ever experienced! How could he and the others be programmed to believe such idiocy!? How could the developers-
He gasped in realization, and his grip on the railing loosened. He was still scowling at himself as he hung his head. 'Even now? Even after everything I've experienced?... Why do I still default to thinking about everything from a gamer's perspective?'
Was it his own form of mental self-defense like Itsuki? Did a part of him still not want to think that this couldn't be a game? '... Or is it because that Knight is right… and I want to blame what's happening on poor programming?'
He became depressed at the thought.
He'd already had the experience with the slavers in the guild using him. The Church trying to get him to go along with their agenda. Nobles wanted him to do jobs for them through the guild that were questionable at best, and highly illegal at worst. And then there was the Pope, who'd tried to have him eliminated when he showed he wouldn't go along with any of it.
But on the other hand. It wasn't like he'd been a good hero either. He'd focused most of his attention before the First Wave on leveling up out in the wild. He hadn't been helping anyone or doing many quests. He'd been solely focused on increasing his own strength rather than increasing the strength of his party and helping people out. And then after the First Wave, he'd taken a quest to kill an evil dragon...
He looked back up at Van's domain. In the distance, he could see his party members at the edge of the forest. Doing their early morning training by dealing with some monsters that 'spawned' in the area.
Sure, that was game-like. Monsters just randomly appearing out of nowhere. He'd seen that plenty of times in his games. Including Brave Star Online. The potions or medicines he took activated almost immediately, that was game-like. The status magic icon in the corner of his vision was definitely game-like. There were still so many different factors pointing to this being a game...
But who was he kidding? Those monsters weren't spawning. They lived in the forest like any other creature. And while the potions and medicines healed damage and diseases, it didn't take away the fact that you felt pain when you took damage. Or sick when you got sick.
He focused on his party members. Welt took down a large frog monster all by himself using a sword form Eclair had taught him last night. Welt pulled his sword out of the creature and cheered happily. Farrie and the others surrounded Welt, praising him for his accomplishment.
He couldn't tell, but it looked like Batka was harrumphing since he'd killed five of the large frog monsters by himself and he wasn't being praised for it.
'They're real…' He looked out at the fields where the demi-humans were at work. The crops were being tended by only a necessary few. The rest were preparing the land for combat. Combat, or retreat. 'They're real too… even if this world is different from my own… even if it reminds me of Brave Star Online… it isn't Brave Star Online. This is all real…' Which made his mistakes all the more apparent.
He had, regardless of what happened before, been tricked by a group of slavers representing the Guild to do an illegal quest. He'd killed the dragon Gaelion. He'd possibly done Gods know how many other things on the few quests he did do before the First Wave. And the first Wave, if he'd actually taken the fight seriously and tried his hardest to kill the Wave Boss, could he have prevented some of the casualties that happened in Lute Village? Could he have chosen another route entirely that wouldn't have resulted in him making Wyndia an orphan?
…
"What are you doing up here?"
Speak of the devil.
Ren turned away from the fields to look behind him. Wyndia stood in the doorway of the balcony. It was like a slap to the face because of where his line of thought had been going.
In the sunlight, the small, flexible, interconnected plates protecting her torso glistened, reminiscent of a dragon's scales. Her arms were crossed, and she looked at him with the same face she'd worn ever since the day she joined his party.
It was still surprising to think that despite how short she was, she was a teenager just like him. She looked far more confident and powerful than he could ever be.
In some ways, her walk, her attitude... her willingness to reach out and help those around her, reminded him of his best-
Ren shook his head to clear it. 'No, this is Wyndia. Not… her.' She might look like her, and sometimes act like her, but she wasn't her. He knew he'd never see that girl from his world again. Not since he'd been killed in his old world.
He sometimes wondered if his best friend was happy or not. And that only made him feel worse. "What is it, Wyndia?" Ren asked sadly.
"I was wondering why you were up here all alone when you should be getting ready for the hero's meeting," Wyndia answered. "Didn't you just go to tell the Shield Hero about it?"
"Well... I could ask you why you're not out leveling up with the rest of the party," Ren responded.
"Then you'd be avoiding my question." Wyndia calmly responded.
"... yeah..." Ren admitted.
…
Wyndia joined him at the railing. She was silent for a moment, looking out at the demihumans working in the fields, her tail trailing from side to side behind her...
"Thanks, by the way, for helping Itsuki and Naofumi yesterday," Ren said.
She didn't respond. Still looking out over the fields. "I know I'm not the best with others. And the fact that you went out of your way and helped them both… I really appreciate it…" She still didn't say anything. So he went back to being awkwardly silent. Not sure what he should say.
...
"I'm worried." She finally admitted.
"... About what?" Ren asked.
"It's not about what, but whom." She looked at him with her reflective amber eyes. "Why are you really up here all alone, Sir Ren?"
Ren met her gaze. For a moment in time, neither of them looked away from each other. Like an almost invisible battle of wills was going on between them... Then, at last, Ren looked away from her. "I've been thinking… that the Legendary Sword chose the wrong person." He finally admitted.
Wyndia stayed silent, watching as Ren gripped the railing tightly with one hand. "I died in my world protecting my best friend. I died. I shouldn't have died and left everyone behind. And yet I did… and I appeared here in this world, holding this sword… and I don't know why anymore."
Ren hung his head. "I don't know why the Sword chose me. I'm not strong like Itsuki and Naofumi. I'm not good with people… I'm not the type that gets along with others."
He looked down at the Legendary Sword in his hand. He looked defeated as he spoke again. "The Sword chose the wrong person… I'm too flawed… I couldn't even save… my best friend back home without dying-"
Slap!
"Ow!" Ren held the side of his face.
"I'm sorry. Are you going to snap out of your pity party now?" Wyndia asked sarcastically. She had just slapped Ren.
Ren looked at her in surprise. She didn't look calm anymore. Literal fires burned in her eyes and laced in her words. "Whether you like it or not, the Legendary Sword chose you, Ren Amaki, to wield it. Not me, not Welt, not Bakta, not Sir Naofumi or Sir Itsuki, or anyone else. It chose you." She said, poking him in the chest hard. He winced a little at that.
Her Attack stat, another game-like feature, had gotten high enough where that poke hurt.
She continued to glare at him. "You might have killed Gaelion. But you had the strength to beat him!" She said. "You suck at helping people. You're always distant and want to be alone. But I've been with you long enough to know that you try your best. I know that you want to do what's right. And I know that you're strong! No matter what anyone else says, you're the Sword Hero! You hold the power to stop the Waves of Catastrophe! So stop getting down on yourself! I'm sick of seeing you like this!"
Ren stared at her in amazement for a moment. For a moment, it had been like he was back home. Doubting himself again for the choices he had made. Only for the best girl he'd known in the entire world to drag him by the hair out of his self-pity.
Of course, she did it because she loved him. Wyndia... he still thought that she hated his guts. "So stop standing around and shutting yourself out like this! This isn't going to help you become a better Hero! This isn't going to help you make up for your past mistakes!"
...
Ren recomposed himself. A tear fell from his eyes. "You're right, I'm sorry I'm like this."
Her hand froze at her side. She struggled to drain her voice of the angry frustrated retort she wanted to give. "Please, remember what I told you at Leruno." She said pleadingly. "Crying doesn't suit you, Sir Ren."
...
Wyndia looked surprised when Ren started to smile. He rarely ever smiled. He either portrayed himself as calm and aloof, or sad and depressed. "The opinions of other strangers don't matter. If I'm being honest, it was just what some random knight said in the battle that made me start to doubt myself." Ren looked out over the grounds again at his party. "I know who my friends are. And I know that their opinion is what really counts."
Besides, he hadn't had it as bad as Naofumi or Itsuki. If they could still smile and hope after everything he had been through... then maybe he could do the same.
He started to walk past Wyndia to head for the doorway. He paused for just long enough though to give her a head pat. She'd gone out of her way to help Three of the Cardinal Heroes. Itsuki had informed him recently that head patting was the appropriate way to show demi-humans your appreciation. "Thank you, Wyndia. I really needed to hear that… and I also appreciate what you did last night with the blanket. I'm glad to have you as my friend." He then walked back into the manor.
…
Red adorned Wyndia's face. Her tail was wagging crazily behind her. Whether out of anger, indignation, or possibly embarrassment at the possibility that she had enjoyed that head pat way more than she should have, she didn't know. She put her hands on her head and covered her ears while trying hard not to scream.
This guy had killed her adoptive Father! She couldn't forgive him for that! She was only staying by his side to make sure he upheld his promise! That he… he…
'Gahhhhhh!' Wyndia covered her red face. She was definitely embarrassed about enjoying that head pat. Very much enjoying it way more than she should have. His hand had felt so firm, so strong.
She honestly wasn't angry about that anymore. She'd long since moved past it. She just, she just-
"I didn't say you could touch my head Sir Ren!" Wyndia yelled indignantly, running back in after Ren. She had enjoyed it, but that didn't mean she couldn't be mad about it.
Or maybe she was mad that Ren had called her a 'friend.'
SLAP!
"YEOW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR-"
SLAP!
"IDIOT! DUMMY!"
A war camp was nestled at the base of a hill. Large tents were set up. Groups of knights in freshly polished armor bustled about hurriedly. They were busy taking down the camp and preparing to march. Large flags with the symbol of Melromarc flew in the breeze on poles over the busy camp.
"My lady."
Mirelia looked down from where she was being outfitted in her armor. One of her Shadows was kneeling nearby. "What's the status of the Kingdom?" The Queen asked.
"I daresay, the status of our Kingdom is grave indeed." The Shadow said calmly. "Siltvelt has broken through our south-eastern border, and is entering Melromarc by the thousands."
"I thought Siltvelt was in the Northeast," Mirellia said calmly.
"It appears one of the leaders in Shieldfreeden gave them permission to cross through their lands. I daresay, we did not realize they'd pull such a move until they'd broken through our defenses."
Mirelia frowned deeply at that. One of her arms was finished being outfitted with armor. To get to Shieldfreeden also meant they had to go through several other smaller countries. She hoped that they were okay.
She moved her hand to position her fan in front of her face. "So we will have to fight them within our own country?"
"I'm afraid so, my lady."
That put a headache into her plans. But it wasn't the worst possible scenario. "We will manage somehow. What of the situation with the Cardinal Heroes?"
"The Sword and Bow Heroes came to the Capital and rescued the Shield Hero, his party, and your daughter using a portal skill. Where they went, I daresay, is a mystery."
The Queen frowned behind her fan. "It's better that they disappeared somewhere instead of being killed. If you don't know where they are, then neither will our enemies-"
"I'm afraid there is worse news from the Capital, my Lady." The Shadow interrupted, looking up at the Queen.
"What could be worse than the Cardinal Heroes going missing-" The Queen was asking.
"Pope Balamus has taken control."
…
…
The Queen was fully outfitted in her armor when she turned to face the Shadow. "What?"
"I daresay, my lady." The Shadow bowed in respect. "He used the Shield Hero's escape as an excuse to depose your husband. He even went as far as casting Judgment on part of the city to try and kill the Cardinal Heroes during their escape. The people there who aren't loyal to the Pope are too afraid of him to act. I daresay, he now holds the reins to what's going on inside of Melromarc. He has cast your husband into the dungeons."
"Did my foolish husband even try to fight back-" Mirellia began to ask angrily.
"Yes, he did." The Shadow answered. "He even killed some of the knights that'd turned on him."
...
The knights in the room paled. The Queen's face had hardened exponentially. "How did Balamus accomplish this?" She asked. "Even with the threat Siltvelt poses, he shouldn't have been able to march in and defeat Aultcray."
"I daresay, there were traitors all over in the ranks. Including the Royal Commander. When the time was right, they swore their loyalty to their religious leader and deposed your husband from the throne. When he tried to fight back, Judgment hit the city, and Balamus claimed both of your daughters died in the blast."
…
Queen Mirellia's face became sad. "… Aultcray..."
"Your husband and every knight loyal to him and you are imprisoned in the dungeons. I daresay, it's likely that when the city recovers from the fight, the Pope will put them all on trial and have them executed in public for their 'crimes.'" The Shadow said calmly. Having not moved an inch while Mirellia processed the news.
Mirellia almost didn't hear it. She was picturing another time. When she and Aultcray had lost another child.
He'd been devastated back then. And if he'd been led to believe it'd happened again with their only daughters...
Her Majesty's attributes were fire and water. Fire because of her fiery personality. Water because of her calm and collected behavior. A lifetime of work had helped her to control them both. And had helped her to unlock an ability that combined both affinities together. While there were times Fire would flare out when she was alone or times when she appeared calmer than an untouched lake. If she were truly and thoroughly pissed off, yet had a level head...
"Is that so?" Mirellia's voice was cold as ice behind her fan. Despite the lack of expletives, or anger, the knights paled even more at those three words. Along with the change of atmosphere that filled the room.
This, this was the Vixen of Melromarc people had grown to fear. The one who hid everything behind her eyes, a fan, and a voice lacking any and all emotion. That was when her enemies knew she was dangerous. When her very presence exuded such coldness that everyone in the room could feel it.
It wouldn't be enough to just burn her enemies away in a blazing inferno or to drown them in a calm torrent of blood and backstabbing politics.
No, her wrath would be as cold as the ice she wielded.
"Continue watching the Capital. Do not interfere unless it's absolutely necessary. I have lost enough Shadows to get this information already. That is all." She turned around, walking towards the entrance to her grand tent.
"Yes, my lady." A blink later, and the Shadow was gone.
A set of servants pulled aside the tent flaps. All activity stopped as Mirelia walked outside. Her chilly armored presence sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.
"What are your orders, your Majesty?" A Knight-Captain got on one knee as she approached. Bowing his head respectively.
"We are moving too slowly. I want us to double our speed to the Capital at once." She ordered.
"My lady, I beg your pardon, but were we not coming back to deal with the Siltvelt army-"
"You heard me, Captain Fullock." The Queen said, her tone sending shivers down all the men nearby. "The Capital has demanded my attention." She looked at the knights all around.
"Pope Balamus and his followers have revealed themselves to be traitors to the crown!" She loudly pronounced, so every knight nearby could hear. "They have taken control of our Capital, deposed the royal family, and are actively working to kill three of the Cardinal Heroes of Legend! Our war with Siltvelt can wait! Right now, Pope Balamus must be stopped before he brings about a catastrophe worse than any Wave upon our Kingdom!" She yelled authoritatively. "I know it is a lot to ask, but will you fight for me?! Will you fight for the sake of our Kingdom!?"
The Knights all around cheered for their Queen. There was no question as to where their loyalty lay. She had done more than enough for their kingdom to earn their respect. They would follow her even to the grave.
"As you wish, your Majesty. We will do as you have commanded." The Captain bowed his head lower in respect and trust. "You heard your Queen!" The Captain stood up, yelling at the other knights. "We will march in the hour towards the Capital, and we will double our current pace! Move it! Move it!"
The Knights immediately complied. Moving like a hive of bees bringing down the rest of the tents and getting all the supplies on the wagons.
Mirellia looked around, frowning at it all. They were motivated, and more than willing to go at an exhausting pace to reach the Capital. But even at double the pace, it was going to take them several days to get there. And then they'd have a formidable enemy to face once they arrived. 'To think… I'd thought Siltvelt would stay out of my kingdom's business and prevent this from happening.'
This had been the worst scenario she could think of happening. She'd thought she made it clear at the conference of Nations in Faubley. She'd thought she had been explicit that no one was to interfere. That she was dealing with a dark faction in her kingdom and that any outside interference could drive them underground. What she hadn't revealed was how it could also drive them to power if the situation was played right.
If any other nation had attacked, the Pope's coup wouldn't have stood a chance. But because it was Siltvelt that was attacking, it gave him and his followers everything they wanted. It gave them a rallying cry to keep the people in line. Ignorant and obedient in the face of the current threat while they followed their own dark objective in obtaining power.
Now, it looked like she didn't have a choice. Pope Balamus had made his finishing move much earlier than she had predicted. Siltvelt's actions had given her an excuse to leave the conference and return to her kingdom. But now she didn't only have to deal with a large army of demi-humans eight days before the next Wave of Catastrophe, but she also had to deal with a man hungry for power. A man trying to murder all the Cardinal Heroes while trying to appear like a saint.
'Balamus, I don't know what I'll do when I get home.' She thought darkly. 'But when I get my hands on you. When I am through with you and Siltvelt's politics... I will make sure your death is worse than ice.'
Hero Clips!
Teaching The Talk
"Alright, listen up kids, I'm only going to go through this once,"
Naofumi stood in front of a chalkboard in a part of Van's Estate. He was wearing a teacher's outfit but didn't look pleased.
This was obviously not a subject he wanted to go through several times.
In front of him seated in chairs were Raphtalia, Filo, Melty, and Eclair. Sitting beside each other on one end was Wyndia and Ren. On the other side were Itsuki and Rishia.
"Why do I have to be here?" Ren asked, looking embarrassedly down at his chair.
"Because you need to understand people better Sir Ren," Wyndia said, not turning to face him.
"But this isn't what I meant when I said I was bad with people-"
"Hush!" Wyndia still didn't turn to look. She was red in the cheeks as it was herself.
Gaelion might have given her the talk on the birds and the bees. Well, the dragons and everything else as he put it. But she still knew what sex was and what it meant when two people chose to engage in it.
"But, Naofumi, I think me and Rishia already had the Talk ourselves-"
"FUEH!" Rishia screeched in fear.
"Not that we'd be doing… that anytime soon," Itsuki added.
Rishia clearly had a long way to go.
"Mommy? What is The Talk?" Filo asked Raphtalia.
"I don't know. Daddy's about to teach us." She told her happily.
"It worries me that Naofumi's going to be the one trying to teach it," Melty commented.
"Shouldn't we be out preparing for battle or something-" Eclair tried to say.
"Hush! I really need to hear this!" Raphtalia cut the knight off.
"Why are you even in a relationship with Naofumi when you don't know what sex is?" Ren asked Raphtalia.
"Sir Ren!"
Slap!
"Ow! Come on!" Ren complained to Wyndia. Sure it was insensitive to ask, but somebody needed to ask it!
"Fuehhh! P-Please don't have me listen to this again Sir Itsuki! It's embarrassing!" Rishia covered her head.
"May I please be excused for sword training, Sir Naofumi?" Eclair asked, raising her hand.
Naofumi sighed, hiding his face behind his Shield. "Why do the Gods of this world hate me so?" He whispered quietly to himself.
We don't hate you, Naofumi. We just enjoy seeing you suffer over ridiculous things.
"It's not my fault Naofumi forgot about giving me the Talk?!" Raphtalia said embarrassedly.
Seriously, had she known kissing wouldn't get her pregnant, she would have been all over Naofumi's lips a hell of a lot sooner.
Till Next Time
Allen