To answer a few persistent questions from the last chapter: Yes, the Soul Worm is a canon creature. The LN's call them Soul Vacuumer's, and they're primarily used at executions for REALLY bad people.
I already answered if Ren unlocked a Cursed Series or not in a prior chapter. Look up the chapter where the Heroes talk to Fitoria.
To the "What If" guest, I recommend reading the LN, because you seem to think the Light Novel and the Web Novel are the same things (Spoiler, they're not. Bitch, which is a word I am comfortable with using, is not a shard of some stupid evil goddess, and said stupid evil goddess does not exist even though we're six LN's post Tact).
Lastly, the Cal Mira arc happens approximately three to four weeks after the Ghost Ship Wave. Don't expect the island chain to come up immediately.
This last one was asked before but I didn't answer: Jaralis, Werner, the Genmu, and the other Siltvelt Council Members are characters in the LN's that won't be introduced until Season Three, most likely. It's things like this that make me glad to have read the LN's. Anyone who says they're a waste of time isn't worth my time.
Now, with the questions out of the way, let's celebrate!
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Updated: November 30th, 2020 2:00 P.M. (EST)
Chapter Sixty-One: Celebration
The Queen of Melromarc sat on her throne, smiling as she overlooked the festivities. A band of musicians played an upbeat tune on a stage below. The layout of the room allowed the music to not only be carried over multiple floors but out onto the balconies as well. Unlike the previous celebration, which gave a calm and light noble atmosphere, this music was festive. It brought out joy and the spirit of celebration amongst everyone attending the victory party.
The celebration was being held in a different room than the one that Trash had hosted the last time since that section of the castle was still being repaired. Still, it was plenty big. Not only were there multiple floors, but it also held doors leading out to balconies. The lower balconies led out into the castle gardens, while the higher ones gave a relaxing view of the grounds around the castle. Staircases on the sides gave access to the higher floors as well as their accompanying balconies.
On the floor where the Heroes and the nobles were mingling with each other, Naofumi, dressed in more formal clothes, was leaning against a wall, instead of sitting at a table. With no Trash King to antagonize, he felt more comfortable than ever and quietly observed everyone from a distance.
"Bring us more to drink, fair maiden!"
Motoyasu sat at a table near the center of the party, absolutely enjoying himself. He, the other Heroes, and their party members were dressed in formal attire. The waitress blushed, hustling away to grab more drinks for the blonde and the girls sitting at his table.
"Oh, you're so strong, Spear Hero." One of them said happily.
"Please, tell us more about the village you saved during the Wave."
"Well, if you girls insist." Motoyasu winked at them, and they sighed dreamily as he described how he bravely handled the rescue of the village.
'Once a simp. Always a simp.' Naofumi smirked to himself.
He was fine with not ruining his moment this time though. Motoyasu was slowly making progress, now that he no longer had Bitch hanging over his shoulder, shooing every single girl he met away before he could give more than a single greeting.
Itsuki was with his party members, Karn and Rishia, talking to a group of nobles. Rishia was currently hugging two of them. They looked pretty similar to her, only older. He guessed they were her parents. Itsuki was talking animatedly to them. Describing how helpful and capable their daughter was, much to Rishia's embarrassment.
Van Reichnott was also with them. Now that the Church had been dealt with, he had begun the process of moving his people back to their region. It had been wonderful to see the Nice Guy there. It helped to show that the heroes had done some good even while everything was going to hell.
Oh, and Elhart and Jerry, the two blacksmiths, were with Van too. It seemed the two had met up with him after learning that the Church had been dealt with. Naofumi figured he should stop by Elhart's shop soon, since Raphtalia needed a new sword. And since Elhart likely needed some money to rebuild after what the Church did to his shop.
Ren was, once again, nowhere to be seen. But he'd been at the party earlier. He was likely just taking some time to cool off. The poor boy could only handle so much praise and there was a lot to be praised for.
Ren tried his best to keep the truth about the events concerning the wave limited only to the other heroes and his allies, but despite that, exaggerated rumors of his accomplishments were spreading like wildfire. The most ridiculous ones described him taking on the form of a forty-foot tall black dragon to repel a ruthless she-demon that almost killed the other three heroes and their loyal companions.
That one almost made the sword hero choke on his juice, forcing him to excuse himself. His party members were still in attendance, however. It looked like Bakta was having an embarrassing moment, introducing his parents, who were members of the nobility, to the rest of the Sword Hero's party.
Now that Naofumi looked closely, however, he realized that Wyndia, the dog demihuman companion of the Sword Hero, was nowhere to be seen either... curious.
Tersia and Farrie began laughing when Bakta's parents addressed themselves as the Paynes. Much to the stout warrior's horror. Aksel smirked nearby. Now that the secret was out, he was going to milk it for all it was worth.
"Now we know why he's been such a Payne," Welt smirked.
"I should have guessed it." Tersia teased.
"Very appropriate name indeed." Farrie laughed.
"SHUT UP!" The large knight pouted as they laughed.
"Come now. This isn't Payneful, is it?" Aksel joked.
"He is the Payne of our lives. It only makes sense we dish that Payne right back at him." Farrie teased.
"Now now, let's not cause a Payne reaction of puns here." Tersia placated and teased at the same time.
"Yeah, it'll be Payneful for his brain to keep up otherwise," Aksel smirked.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Yep, this was a good party. Even the two tanks wrestling each other on the ground didn't ruin it at all. Naofumi still saw the occasional distrustful glare in his direction. But otherwise, he was left alone. He didn't mind it at all.
It was nice to be left alone instead of being demonized, and it gave him time to think about everything that happened. Both the good and the bad...
...
He briefly closed his eyes. He pictured the festive atmosphere going on in the Capital. But then, he suddenly found himself standing in the middle of the last wave, surrounded by the charred and mangled corpses of people and demihumans. Their still, lifeless eyes looked at him blankly. Each face asking him the same silent question
'Why?'
Naofumi jerked his eyes open. He was back at the castle. But suddenly, he didn't feel quite so festive anymore.
He was almost fully recovered physically, but the dopamine rush brought by their success was starting to wear out, being replaced by a feeling of survivor's guilt. The execution earlier was still fresh on his mind too and didn't help matters. His calm mask of indifference began to crack before he realized it. The Shield Hero's face turned grim.
"Yo, Naofumi, why don't you join the party?"
Naofumi was snapped out of his thoughts by Motoyasu staggering up next to him. Had he been that deep in thought?! "Come on. There's plenty of booze to go around. Stop moping around and enjoy yourself man!"
"... It's fine. I'm okay with just standing here, Motoyasu," Naofumi muttered dryly. Of course, the simp decided to bother him. Just his luck.
"But why?" Motoyasu asked curiously. Damn it, drunk Motoyasu looked way more sincere than sober Motoyasu. Like a lost puppy curious about a stick.
"I… I don't feel like celebrating, alright?" Naofumi snapped. Hopefully, the harder tone would cause the simp to go back to his girls.
"Is it because of the people glaring at you?" Motoyasu curiously asked.
"Well, um, yes." Naofumi was surprised Motoyasu had also noticed that, despite his drunken state. "But that's not it…" Naofumi looked off to the side, trying to think up an excuse, but... He wasn't sure if it was something about the way that the spear hero looked at him at that moment or the atmosphere of the party making him feel more relaxed, but it made Naofumi want to open up, even if just a little, despite his better judgment.
"I just… I realized I can't stop thinking about those people I failed to save at the Wave. I watched some of them die in front of me… I know we moved heaven and earth and saved a lot of them, but I can't help but feel if I'd done something more, if I hadn't been so focused on the monsters around me, I could have saved more, I could have realized that ship was approaching, and… and I could have… I could have-"
"Naofumi." A hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up in surprise. Motoyasu didn't look drunk anymore. "I feel ya man. I really do. I know I was bragging to those girls about it just now... but I wasn't strong enough to save everyone in that village… I wasn't nearly strong enough to accomplish that..." One of his fists clenched, but then it unclenched. He smiled for Naofumi again. "I know this is probably one of the reasons why I'm not as good at being a hero as you three are, but aren't you focusing on the negatives too much?"
"No, I'm not-" Naofumi immediately tried to protest.
"Were you deliberately ignoring people in need?" The Spear Hero asked with a serious look.
"... Of course I wasn't," Naofumi answered honestly.
"Then you did all you could, man. And you shouldn't feel ashamed about it."
Naofumi actually went quiet at that as Motoyasu continued. "It's true that our roles as heroes make us responsible for the safety and wellbeing of other people, but if we focus too much on everyone we failed to save, then we'll never be able to help others down the road. There's no point in thinking about stuff like "what if I had done this" or "I wish I did that differently". It'll only get us stuck in place. Brooding over our failures makes it easy to forget the times when we did succeed and made things right. You should always remember that, Naofumi."
"You should remember all the people who returned home that day."
"All the children who could see their parents again."
"They're alive because of us. Because of your hard work and dedication."
…
Naofumi stared at Motoyasu. Why had he never seen this side to him before? Instead of acting like his regular simp self, he was comforting him the way an older brother would. Naofumi could almost picture himself talking to his younger brother.
How was it that the most incompetent of the Heroes was the one that was best at counseling others?
"At least that's what I think. Gotta stay positive man. This hero business is tense." Motoyasu said with a chuckle. "Plus, I don't like to think that those people we failed would want us to wallow in depression. That just makes our lives suck a little more."
"... … Okay, Shadow, you got me. You can drop the disguise now," Naofumi replied dryly.
"... What?" Motoyasu asked confusedly.
Naofumi looked at him for another moment. This was either an illusion that was even superior to the ones that his girlfriend could weave, or it was some sort of fever dream. There was no way that simp could have just said something so profound. He pinched himself to confirm that he was lucid. He was, much to his surprise. At last, he let out a chuckle and responded.
"Sorry, I thought that you were someone else for a second. That was way too thought-provoking for someone like you."
"Aw come on man." Motoyasu rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I know I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, and I certainly won't be able to top that call to arms that you gave Siltvelt last wave, but I'm not a total brick, you know. I'm a hero too, so I can do heroic speeches every once in a while."
"Yea, no. There's no way you could have come up with all that by yourself. You must have gotten help from somewhere." Naofumi didn't even buy it for a second.
Motoyasu looked around, appearing to be even more embarrassed. "Weeeeelll... to be honest, most of that was a quote from a book that I read a long time ago." He admitted sheepishly.
"You mean you knew how to read before being summoned to this world?" The shield hero smirked.
"Come on, Naofumi. I'm trying to be nice here." Motoyasu pouted slightly in reply.
Naofumi couldn't help but laugh at the unexpectedly bashful reaction from the spear hero. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean, I just didn't think you were the type."
"Hey, I enjoyed fantasy novels a lot back in the day, especially the Barthurian legends sort with the gallant knights in them and the like. You know?" Motoyasu smiled in reminiscence.
"Really? I was more used to the ones…" Naofumi and Motoyasu ended up discussing light novels they'd read. They obviously didn't exist in each other's worlds, or at least they existed under different names or settings. It felt nice, honestly. Naofumi wished he and Motoyasu could have gotten off like this at the start.
Thinking back on it, his original observation of Motoyasu was pretty spot on. Their first night together at the castle, the day before they were given their parties, he'd pegged him to be an older brother figure. That he'd be someone he could go to whenever he needed to talk about something.
Motoyasu was still a simp. But it was good to know that he hadn't been wrong about that.
The two eventually stopped speaking and observed the party for a moment, with relaxed smiles on their faces. Motoyasu then pointed back at the party with his thumb, "So, how about joining the party Naofumi? Your gal is looking kind of lonely without you."
The shield hero looked at where he pointed. The first person he saw was Raphtalia. She was wearing a nice red dress that was a generous gift from the queen. She was sitting at one of the tables, having a casual conversation with a group of knights. If he wasn't mistaken, it was captain Mayor's squad, the ones who helped them out during the second wave in Lute.
Dou-Lon and Eclair also sat at that table. The rose haired knight was looking uncomfortable from being forced into an evening dress instead of donning her usual armor. It made her feel vulnerable and anxious. Dou-Lon seemed to fare better. He was wearing a set of traditional hooded monk robes from Siltvelt. He talked boisterously with some of the knights. He did have bandages soaked in holy water covering his arms though. He still had a little while yet before those injuries of his healed over.
Melty and Filo were absent. Naofumi figured that they must have gone off to play somewhere since these kinds of parties were super boring for children. He knew.
"Hmmm… thanks, I'm feeling better now. But I'd rather not join the main party and ruin your guys' night. I'll just stay here to the side, and watch everything happening." Naofumi finally replied and shook his head.
"But I just said-" Motoyasu tried to protest.
"I don't feel as guilty about the deaths anymore," Naofumi admitted. "... but it's obvious that some of the people don't want me here. I don't want to cause a problem when we should be celebrating." He smiled at the concerned spear hero. "Go on. Have some fun, Motoyasu."
Motoyasu frowned at that, but then an idea came to his mind. "Hmm. Well okay then! Have a great night, Naofumi!" He quickly ran off.
At first, Naofumi thought he was running back to his table, but then the spear hero sharply changed his course to move to where Raphtalia was sitting.
Wait, he wasn't-
Motoyasu greeted her with a smile and a wave, interrupting her discussion with the knights. He then pointed at Naofumi while continuing to speak. Raphtalia looked over at her boyfriend and their eyes met. She then nodded to the spear hero with a grateful smile before getting up, grabbing her plate, and starting to move to the dark corner of the room where the shield hero was standing.
…
Naofumi turned around. If that simp thought that sending Raphtalia over would convince him to join, then-
"Come on, Naofumi! You should try the food, it's delicious!"
"I'm fine Raphtalia." He replied automatically. "I- hmph!" He turned around, but his words were cut off as Raphtalia stuffed a piece of cake on a fork into his mouth. He glared at her over the fork as she smiled cutely. How had she gotten him with the same trick twice in one day?!
Although, now that she was close, he could really appreciate how great she looked in her beautiful dress. "How does it taste this time?" She playfully asked.
He swallowed. "Like it needs more flavor." He replied with sarcasm.
Raphtalia laughed. It was a genuine, relaxed laugh that couldn't help but make him smile. It was so similar to the last celebration they'd attended here. Only with far less hate, and his taste buds actually worked this time. Had that really been almost two months ago? It was so hard to believe, looking back on all that had happened.
"Why don't you join everyone, Naofumi?" She asked curiously. "I'm sure the others wouldn't mind having you around." She took a bite from the slice of cake that she was holding with the same fork that she used to feed Naofumi.
"... I already told Motoyasu. I don't want to make a scene and sour their fun," Naofumi answered. "No one is being openly hostile, but I'm not blind. A lot of the guests here are only tolerating me because their fear of the queen is greater than their hate for me." He gave a meaningful look to one of the well-dressed people that had been eyeing the two of them suspiciously ever since Raphtalia joined him. The man quickly averted his eyes. "See what I mean? Let's just give this one to the other heroes for tonight. Everyone worked hard for once. They deserve it."
"If… If you say so…" Raphtalia's hand rested in his, and she didn't move from his side. He saw Motoyasu give them a thumbs up, before running over to Itsuki, and then the musicians. It looked like he was talking to one that was taking a break to ask something along with Itsuki.
What was he planning to do now…
"So, I've been talking to the Queen." Naofumi decided to fill the silence that came after a moment of them observing the party together.
"About what?" She asked, looking curious.
"Well… after the last Wave, she said that she wanted to reward us Heroes for what we did. But we didn't really want a reward." Naofumi looked down at the ground.
"Naofumi, you don't have to-" Raphtalia began to say.
"She wasn't talking about money, Raphtalia. She was talking about…" He paused. Could he bring himself to tell her?
Raphtalia looked confused, and then she started to look really angry. Oh no, what had he done-
"Is that whore planning on rewarding the Heroes with her body?!"
…
…
Oh, crap. Naofumi's smile reappeared, and he almost bent over because of how hard he was laughing. His reaction confused Raphtalia.
"No, of course not, that wasn't what I was implying at all!" He eventually managed to say. "Goodness, where did that come from?!"
Raphtalia blinked. And then she started to blush a fierce red in embarrassment. "Oh, um, I'm, uh, um-" Her tail flicked behind her nervously. Where had she gotten that conclusion from? It made no sense. It was so ridiculous now that she'd said it out loud. Why would that ever happen when it was obvious that the Queen still loved her Trash husband.
It took another moment, but Naofumi managed to calm down, though he was still smiling. "Nah, that isn't it…" He looked off to the side. "She wants to give the Heroes, or, rather, she wants to give me permission to leave Melromarc."
Raphtalia had taken to eating the cake to try and calm herself after that embarrassing display, but she paused at his words. "To leave?" She asked.
"Yeah, she still feels guilty about the way her people have treated me. She doesn't feel it's right for me to stay and be persecuted. Plus, she knows we want to get stronger, but she's afraid her people might get in our way. But… I'm just not sure if I want to take her up on that offer." He admitted.
Raphtalia quickly finished her cake and put the empty plate down on a nearby table before focusing on him again. "Why not?"
"Well, for one, I'm not in the mood for traveling to other countries right now. Hell, I'm not in the mood for traveling, period." He chuckled at that. "And… I'm just not sure... but I get the feeling that if I leave, those other Heroes might go back to being idiots without me around."
…
Raphtalia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Naofumi."
He chuckled at her reaction. "But there's also the fact that her people can still cause us problems. We have the Church followers that escaped to worry about. Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden are both a no go for the moment while the other Heroes aren't held in high regard. And along with that, we need someplace where we can train safely for the coming Waves. Maybe a base of operations all of us Heroes can work out of. But we can't just choose somewhere where we wouldn't be able to ask Mirellia for assistance. If Glass or someone else really powerful attacked us individually, we wouldn't stand a chance. And even if we were to get that offer from another country, I'm afraid of them using it to take advantage of us and keeping us there."
"... you've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" Raphtalia cocked her head to the side, looking thoughtful.
Naofumi nodded. "Yeah, I have. I've discussed some of these same concerns with Mirellia, and she agrees... There's so much that needs to be done. And I don't know where to start."
…
The musicians suddenly began to play a slower, romantic melody. Naofumi looked and was surprised to see Itsuki leading the musicians with a violin they had given him. The dancers who had been doing a dance similar to his world's waltz cleared out to make some space for the couples. Rishia and her parents looked up in awe at Itsuki, and the blonde boy almost blushed at the attention people were giving a song from his world.
Naofumi continued to look at the musicians in surprise, wondering what was happening, when he saw that Motoyasu was still standing near them. He winked in Naofumi's direction and gave him a thumbs up. He also mouthed the following: "Go for it, bro!"
"Ooh, maybe a dance would help you to think, Naofumi!" Raphtalia said excitedly. "It's out of the way of everyone else, and-"
"You know, normally, it's the guy who asks the girl to dance." Naofumi interrupted. Had that been Motoyasu's plan? To get him talking and distracted enough that he'd accept a dance with his beautiful girlfriend once he got the music changed?
…
An embarrassed flush filled her cheeks. "Oh, um, I didn't mean, um…" She hadn't meant to be so forward about it. "I'm sorry." Her tail lowered behind her.
"Don't be. You just gave me an idea." A hand gently wrapped around hers, and she looked up in surprise at Naofumi. He gave her a gallant smile. "May I have this dance?"
…
Wordlessly, Raphtalia nodded. She hardly trusted herself to breathe. As Naofumi led her towards the balcony behind them, he couldn't help but wonder why Motoyasu went out of his way to set up a moment for the two of them. Was he really willing to go that far just so Naofumi would be able to enjoy the celebration?
As if on cue, as he led his girlfriend out into the cool night air, the members of captain Major's squad stood up from their seats and took up positions in front of the balcony entrance. Blocking anyone who would want to follow or interfere with their moment.
'... Motoyasu, you son of a bitch. Thank you.' Naofumi was glad to find out that the spear hero was not as one dimensional as he initially believed. He winked back at Motoyasu over the heads of the knights, and the guy laughed in delight. He rushed to find his girls to take advantage of the romantic atmosphere himself.
Itsuki continued to play, slowly becoming comfortable with playing so wonderfully in front of everyone. Most of his party looked up at him in awe. The Queen smiled at his music. To think the Bow Hero was so talented.
Poor Aksel though. He was too busy trying to think up more puns to annoy Bakta with to notice the change of atmosphere. So when Maya appeared in her beautiful tan dress and began dragging him towards the dance floor, he finally realized what was happening and began flailing and screaming in terror. Yet no one, especially not Bakta, who snickered at the display, moved to save him from the determined gadfly.
As for Raphtalia, she hardly registered it when he led her outside onto the balcony, overlooking a section of the castle gardens. No one else was out there with them. She only realized what was happening when she felt a gentle evening breeze move through her auburn hair, as well as her beloved's hands resting on her lower back.
Without needing to say anything, she locked her hands behind his neck. Then, she began swaying side to side with him. The chatter and laughter going on inside became drowned out by the Bow Hero's melodic notes reaching out to them even here.
For a moment, that felt like an eternity, the two danced together, looking into each other's eyes. Lost in another world, another time. Worries about what to do next disappeared. Fear of the unknown drained away. The knights protecting their moment vanished.
It was just them.
…
…
...
"Hey," Naofumi whispered into her Tanuki ear.
"Hmmm?"
"I love you."
...
Raphtalia blushed. "Do you want to know a secret, Naofumi?" Raphtalia quietly asked.
"Hmmm?"
…
She got on her toes.
"I love you too."
Their lips connected. They continued swaying with the music. Lips softly moving over each other. None of those weird feelings Raphtalia experienced before rose up. Instead, she felt… whole.
Their lips eventually separated, but their bodies did not. Raphtalia rested her head on his shoulder and smiled happily as they continued to move to the music. Naofumi rested his head on hers, finding himself grateful that Motoyasu had put in the effort to set this all up for them.
Maybe this was a sign that they could get along better down the road.
…
Instead of his thoughts from before, Naofumi found himself thinking about the girl in his arms. How he'd do anything to make her happy. He didn't want her to go through anymore persecution from anybody. But would leaving Melromarc make her happy?... Would it benefit them to move to another country? Forcing her, Filo, and the rest of them to learn a new language since they didn't have the auto-translation functions of his shield to help them.
Melromarc was her home too. It was where her family lived and died. He knew she would give it all up for him in a heartbeat, but he didn't want her to ever have to make that decision. So...
…
…
…
…
It was while he held her close, thinking over that when an idea came to mind.
An idea that'd allow them both to be happy. That'd please Mirellia. And allow them to have a place where they could not only prepare for the coming waves in peace but to give this girl something back for everything that she had done for him.
…
Naofumi wasn't particularly fond of dancing. But thanks to Motoyasu, this was, in his opinion, the best dance he'd had in his life.
Itsuki gave a tired sigh as he sat back down in his seat at the head of the table reserved for him and his party.
"Sir Itsuki, that was amazing!" Crystal praised.
"It was really calming and relaxing." Karn complimented.
"Yeah, but now my arm feels sore again." Itsuki sighed as he rubbed at his formerly broken arm. It'd been the best five minutes of playing he'd had in a long time, but his recently broken arm hadn't been ready for Motoyasu's suggestion.
Thankfully, the musicians were talented enough to continue the tune that he'd set by themselves. And, looking out at the balcony guarded by knights, he could see Naofumi and Raphtalia lost in their own little world. He hadn't been sure about what to say to comfort the lonely Shield Hero. But Motoyasu's little scheme nailed it. It had been more than worth it.
"They really do look so in love with each other." Crystal said. Itsuki turned, thinking she was talking about Naofumi, but saw her staring at the dancing couples. He followed her gaze and almost went wide-eyed at seeing the normally reserved Rachel happily smiling, dancing with a demi-human almost a head taller than her. He had cat ears and a cat tail. His green eyes were slightly slanted.
'Why is Rachel- Oh yeah, she did say she had a fiance.' Itsuki finally remembered that detail about Rachel. She looked very happy as she danced with the tall demi-human.
Of course, Aksel was being forced to dance with Maya nearby. And even though she'd gotten him to stop screaming, the knight still didn't look very comfortable dancing with the smiling, laughing raccoon girl.
Crystal sighed. "Rachel's lucky. Now that the Church has been dealt with, she can be around her fiance again." She looked down at the table sadly.
"Hey, it'll be alright." Karn put a comforting hand on the spear wielder's back. "There's still a good chance that Thomas is still alive."
"Yeah… sure…" She spoke roughly. Itsuki remembered that she still hadn't found her best friend. The son of the man who had taken her in.
So Rachel was able to be happy, yet Crystal couldn't… what could he possibly say to help her-
"Karn's right."
Crystal looked up at Rishia. The green-haired girl flinched at the sudden attention. "Fueh, I mean, we have Sir Itsuki's help." She said despondently.
"Yeah, we do." Karn smiled at Itsuki. "He's already helped Aksel find some of the people from Seaetto. And he's made it so Rachel can marry her man now. It'll only be a matter of time before Sir Itsuki's able to find Thomas for you, Crystal."
…
Crystal stared down at the table a moment more, before looking up at Itsuki. "Is that true, Sir Itsuki?" She asked.
…
He nodded. "You joined me when my quest was to only free slaves. And you've stuck by my side ever since we had to focus on saving Melromarc. Wherever your friend is, we'll find him, and we'll save him." Itsuki said, doing his best to sound confident. He didn't like to make empty promises. But as unlikely as it might be, he swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to make her wish a reality.
As he thought over that, he saw tears appear in Crystal's eyes. "Th-Thank you." The stoic girl whispered. Several tears traveled down her cheeks onto the tablecloth.
Karn smiled at Itsuki. Silently thanking him for his words. He then got up, pulling Crystal up with him. "Don't be crying now, Crystal. Here's an idea, how about a dance to help you calm-" He wasn't able to get past that as the white-haired girl slapped him.
Oof. There was some force behind that slap too. "Ok, ok, I was just kidding."
"You, insufferable little, urgh!" Crystal stormed off, hands clenched at her sides.
"Hey, I said I was joking, Crystal!" Karn ran off after his party member.
"Heheh." Itsuki chuckled. He still couldn't believe he'd ever thought they were NPC's. No programming could nail emotions like that. It made him feel much better that he could talk about personal things with someone else and not a mere program.
"FUEH!" Rishia looked around in surprise, realizing that it was only her and Itsuki at the table now. She didn't know what to do! Should she make idle chat with Itsuki?! Should she ask him if he wanted to dance?! Should she introduce him to her parents-
Wait, she already did that! Why was she thinking about doing it again!? That'd be so awkward, how had she not passed out the first time-
"Hey, Rishia-"
"Fueh?!" The girl whimpered in surprise at Itsuki interrupting her thoughts.
Itsuki chuckled again. "Is everything okay?"
"Fueh, um, yes! Very much so!" Rishia said nervously. She felt like her heart was beating a thousand times a second. Her face felt so red! Why did this have to happen?! "What were you going to say?!" She quickly said before her mind became utter chaos.
"Well, um, there was something I wanted to ask everyone about… but they're all so happy and lively now… and I'm not sure if it'd be appropriate to say it anymore." He admitted.
Rishia's nervousness melted away somewhat. "What is it about?"
"Well…" Itsuki pondered for a little while longer. Should he really say it?... "It's just, at the execution earlier, when I realized what was going to happen to Balamus… there was a part of me that wanted to take out my bow. To take aim, and to kill that Soul Worm before it could finish the job. I really, really wanted to do it."
"Fueh… then, then why didn't you?" Rishia asked curiously.
"... … …" Itsuki thought long and hard to himself. "Because… after experiencing everything that the three heroes church did firsthand. After nearly drowning in all the blood that I was forced to spill. After I almost went insane from all the senseless deaths around me... Yea, I might have felt bad. But as much as it makes me sick to admit this, I truly believed that Balamus deserved his fate…" He chuckled sadly to himself. "I guess that's why I got this stupid Cursed Bow of Justice. My sense of Justice is completely warped." Whether because of all the past bullying for having such a weak quirk or from seeing what happened to his best friend, he didn't know. There was just, so much crap he'd had to deal with...
…
"Sir Itsuki?"
"Sorry, I guess I was rambling there-" Itsuki was saying.
"No, I just, I just wanted to say that you're wrong."
…
Itsuki stared at the shy green-haired girl. "I know that I'm not one to speak. I've never been one to stand up for myself, or for others since I'm so weak." The timid girl said, her voice sad. "But that day, when I was sitting in a cage, wondering if I would ever see my parents again. You saved me." She smiled, looking down shyly at her hands resting on her chest. "When you stood up for me. When you faced that evil man... I finally knew what it was like for others to stand up for you. To fight for you. To right the wrongs done to them. And I… I wanted to become that. I wanted to help you with what you were doing."
She looked up at him with fondness in her eyes. "... So please, don't say such awful things about yourself, Sir Itsuki. There's nothing wrong with your sense of justice. It helped you to save me, to save others. And if something happens... if you ever do decide to do something unjust... then I promise, I'll stop you! I'll tell you that what you're doing is wrong and help you return to the right path!"
She stared at Itsuki intently, the words of her promise hanging in the air between them... and then, her face reddened as she realized she'd said that out loud. But Itsuki was smiling at her. Sir Itsuki was smiling because of what she'd said!
"Rishia. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." He continued to smile. "You're not weak. And you're more capable of standing up for yourself than you realize. As for your promise...thank you. I'll hold you to that."
The girl's green eyes lit up, and a wide smile graced her face. If she had a tail, it'd be wagging like crazy. She looked really happy regardless.
Itsuki stood up and offered her a hand. "Now come on, now that that's out of the way, we should celebrate. And I think dancing is what we need to cheer up."
Rishia's eyes widened. "Fueh! Y-You can't be serious-" She, and the Bow Hero, DANCING?! "B-B-B-But, but I-"
"I, um, would really appreciate it if you would let me have this dance." Itsuki suddenly said, looking to the side bashfully.
…
She didn't know what it was. Maybe it was because Sir Itsuki was being shy about it too. But something clicked with Rishia. "Fueh, um," She looked down at her hands, smiled, and then took Itsuki's offer. "Okay!"
As she grabbed Itsuki's hand and stood up, both of them smiled at each other. They walked over to the dance floor hand in hand. But as they were getting ready to dance, the romantic tune ended. The band began playing celebratory music once again for the waltzers.
They didn't even have time to be disappointed as Aksel immediately ran past, rushing for an exit. "FREEEEEEEEEEDOM!"
"Wait, we didn't get to k-k-kiss-" A flustered Maya followed right behind her favorite knight.
"No! I refuse to kiss a little girl!" Aksel ran out into a hallway.
Maya stopped at the entrance of the hallway, an offended look on her face. "I HAVE THESE YOU KNOW!? DO YOU NEED ME TO SHOW THEM TO PROVE I'M NOT A LITTLE GIRL ANYMORE?!" The raccoon girl gestured to her chest.
The knight let out a high pitched screech akin to an irate frog.
Maya rolled her eyes and followed after her favorite screaming knight.
…
Both Itsuki and Rishia sweatdropped. "How about we just dance and pretend we didn't see that?" Itsuki suggested.
"Fueh, yes, that sounds good," Rishia said.
And thus, the two began their first waltz together. Which was almost as good as a slow dance.
"Wheeeeeee! Isn't this fun Mel?!"
"Filo, careful- ah!" Melty gripped on to her best friend's feathers tightly as they turned a corner so sharply that the large bird almost flattened a part of the hedge maze that they were in.
The second princess was a bit anxious at first about just leaving such an important celebration like that, but now she was glad that she gave in to her friend's incessant demands and loud whining. Filo continued to happily run around the Castle's expansive garden. Despite the rapidly approaching night, the garden was brightly lit up with magical lamps; and with everyone attending the party, they had the whole thing all to themselves.
Melty, despite her complaints about the reckless level of speed that the filolial was moving at, was laughing in delight. The cool night air felt great on her face. She even went as far as to untie her fancy, well-maintained pigtails to let her hair down and let the rushing wind move through it. The joy of being able to ride around on her best friend was palpable. She didn't want this feeling to ever end.
After a few more twists and turns in the hedge maze of the garden, Filo finally came to a stop.
"Wow, Mel was right. This garden is great! Filo loves it!" Filo said happily.
"I know, right! I've been playing here for as long as I can remember!" Melty hopped off Filo, and the bird transformed in a poof of feathers into her little blonde angel form. The princess sighed happily. "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun!" She was completely overjoyed to be able to actually play with someone her age who shared her interests. Most of the other noble children would gape at something as uncouth as running around or climbing trees, so she always had to restrain herself to maintain her prim and proper princess persona. But she felt so liberated and happy when she was with the blonde girl.
Filo suddenly gasped in realization after studying her friend for a moment. "Oh no! Mel! Try to remember, hurry!" She ran up to the blue-haired princess, looking troubled as she gripped her shoulders, and stared right into her eyes.
"F-Filo? Why? What's wrong?" Melty asked in confusion while Filo kept shaking her.
"Fitoria told Filo that if Filo is ever having trouble remembering something, then Filo should do absolutely everything in Filo's power to remember it right there and then! Or else Filo might forget it forever!" The blonde-haired girl hastily explained, looking almost panicked. "So you have to remember Mel! Hurry! When was the last time you had this much fun?"
…
The second princess blinked a few times and then burst into laughter.
"No! Mel should listen to Filo! Filo is serious!" The angel girl kept insisting with tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Filo, it's okay." Melty smiled and gently grabbed the Filolial's hands, pulling them down from her shoulders to hold them between them. "I didn't mean that I completely forgot about it, It's just a figure of speech. What I meant to say was that it's been a long time since I had so much fun."
…
"Ooooooh!" Filo opened her mouth wide and nodded fiercely before rubbing her chin like her daddy always did. "Filo gets it! Filo will do Filo's best to remember!... But when was the last time Mel had fun then?"
"Oh… well, it was probably on my tenth birthday, two years ago." She looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Oh? What did Mel do?" Filo cocked her head sideways in curiosity.
"It was quite a day." Melty smiled in reminiscence. "My pap- father made a surprise for me and hid it from my mother and our servants. He woke me up early in the morning by stroking my head and then…
"Huh, papa?" The young princess of Melromarc opened her sleepy eyes to see the smiling face of king Aultcray greeting her.
"Shhh." He put his index finger to his lips. "Happy birthday, my dear."
Melty blinked a few more times before her eyes widened in realization and she beamed back at her father. That's right! Today was her birthday! There was a ball planned by her mother and all sorts of important people were invited from all across the country and even some from outside of it. She wasn't really looking forward to it since it put even more pressure on her than usual, but this also meant she would be allowed to sample all the sweets she wanted that were usually off-limits. There wouldn't be any boring studying either and there was always a chance that she could meet someone new who wouldn't be nearly as annoying as her peers.
Someone like that funny turtle man who'd come to visit last year and taught her how to make filolials out of paper. She still kept folding them when bored during her lessons when the teachers weren't looking. But why was papa asking her to keep quiet?
"We're going to go out for a bit, so get dressed." The king winked at her and handed her a bundle of clothes. Melty looked down at them in confusion. It wasn't like one of the usual dresses that she got by the dozen at every celebration. The fabric was rough and the color was rather… drab. Even the servants in their castle dressed better than this.
"Is that… my present?" She asked unsurely and looked up at Aultcray. The king struggled not to burst out into laughter while his daughter pouted.
"No, no dear. Of course not." He reassured her and patted her on the head again. "Your present today is something much better."
Her eyes lit up at that immediately. When papa spoke like that, he always meant it. He usually spent his time with Malty, her sister, these days but that wasn't always the case and right now he had a familiar playful smile on his face that usually meant that her mom would be angry later because he was about to do something very "unkingly", like leading a small flock of filolials into the castle gardens for little Melty to play with for a whole day, like he did when she was five.
So, she quickly got dressed, just as he instructed. She needed a bit of help with the unfamiliar clothes since she wasn't used to dressing herself without her servants, but after some shuffling about she was ready. Her father used a small black ribbon to tie her long messy hair into a large ponytail behind her, which was unlike her usual hairdo.
"Now listen closely Melty." He instructed her as he led her down a dimly lit underground passage. It was slightly dark and scary but her papa was holding her hand and had a torch with him, so it wasn't too bad. "I know your mother has been saying that you're growing up and need to learn responsibility and what it means to be a queen. That is all true." He nodded to himself. "But you should not forget that even as a queen you are still human. We are all weak and fragile, and royalty especially so. And this is why…"
Suddenly the passage came to an end and the two found themselves standing in the middle of a brightly lit forest. "Ooooh." She opened her mouth and looked around at all the bright natural colors around her which stood out very strongly after leaving the dark tunnel that led to the castle basement.
"…today papa is going to teach you what it means to be a peasant!" He wiggled his finger at her with a mischievous smirk.
What followed afterward was undoubtedly the best day in Melty's life. She was wary at first, not sure what her father was trying to do. How could it possibly be helpful for a queen to know how to be a peasant? She was quickly proven wrong, however.
In hindsight, she realized that it was mostly an excuse for her father to shirk his duties and play with her all day, and oh boy did they play. It was like little Melty had been transported to a whole new world of fun. Today, they weren't a king and a princess and didn't have to act like it even for a minute. She was allowed to do all the things she always wanted to do like getting piggyback rides or holding her papa's hand whenever she wanted, but more than that, she experienced so many new things in her life over the course of her tenth birthday.
She bought her own food with copper coins that she had never even seen before. And despite being peasant food, it was so yummy and unlike anything the castle cooks ever made! The two of them went all over the capital and no one seemed to care or even look their way! It was amazing!
Instead of dresses getting handpicked for her, she was allowed to get a few that she liked from a friendly-looking bespectacled seamstress that couldn't stop going on about how cute Melty was. After that, papa showed her a few different magic shops and while her father explained what the different doodads and gadgets were, she couldn't help but think how much more interesting it was compared to getting lectures from her teachers. It was almost like when she first started learning magic from Aultcray before his duties forced him to pass on that role to her tutors.
She was even allowed to ride on the back of filolial at a nearby farm instead of being forced into a stuffy carriage. Lastly, they went to a bookstore together and she was allowed to pick a bunch of cool books with pictures and fun stories in them instead of boring history or instructions regarding court etiquette and negotiations.
But the day didn't end there.
After getting a bunch of stuff, they rode on a pair of rented filolials down to a nearby river, where she was allowed to run and splash around in shallow water while they fished. That's right! Her papa even helped her to catch a big one and then immediately fried it on a skewer over a small fire that he made. The only spice they had at hand was salt, which was pitiable when compared to the exotic selection that their chef used in his cooking, and yet this fish, despite being slightly burnt on one side, was somehow the tastiest one that she had ever eaten before.
It was like she could taste the love her Father had for her. That was probably why.
By the time they finally finished playing and returned home, it was almost midnight and waaaaaay past Melty's bedtime. They missed the ball. They missed the party. They even missed the cake cutting and the gifting ceremony.
The entire castle was in an uproar when they came back. Mom's face was red and she kept shouting angrily at papa but he just laughed while waving it off and making small apologies. This somehow made her mom calm down, just like she always did when he laughed like that. She still looked mad though, and quietly threatened papa that she would punish him tonight for this, which made papa go red in the face with fear!
Melty sincerely hoped that her mom wouldn't be too harsh. It had been the best day of her life.
"Wow!" Filo exclaimed in surprise after Melty finished her story. "Melty's daddy is amazing!"
"Yea, yea he..." She wanted to say that he is but hesitated after the image of his lifeless empty-eyed form sprung up in her mind. She felt a knot beginning to form in her stomach. "A-anyway, how about tree climbing next? There's a pretty cool one over there next to the fence." She tried to change the subject.
"No! Filo wants to brag too!" The bird girl protested all of a sudden.
"Brag? Oh, no Filo, I didn't mean it like that." The second princess tried to explain but it was too late. Filo was on a roll. Usually, the filolial queen candidate felt awkward about talking too much, since she was inexperienced and not versed in many popular topics but her parents were something that she could talk about all day!
"Look, Filo can see Filo's Mommy and Daddy up there right now!" She pointed excitedly up, and Melty followed her finger. Her eyes widened as she saw Naofumi and Raphtalia, dancing together on a balcony high up in the distance. The music had changed, but they didn't care. They looked very happy together dancing in their own world.
"How about I just continue riding you around?" Melty suggested, voice quieter than before.
"Hmmm, kay!" Filo transformed into her Queen form again. Melty climbed on, and Filo took off into the maze once more.
Melty hoped the ride would help to change the subject from what Filo had suggested. "My Daddy's really nice! Daddy and Mommy both give Filo lots of headpats!" It did not, unfortunately.
"R-Really now?" Melty replied awkwardly.
"Yep! Filo loves it when Daddy brushes Filo's hair and wings too! Daddy is the nicest man in the whole world!"
"I doubt that," Melty whispered.
"Filo also loves how warm Mommy's hugs are! And when Mommy is able to get Daddy to smile, Mommy and Daddy look so happy together!"
Melty's hands began to clench against Filo's back. She just had to keep herself together. This was supposed to be fun. Filo was still taking these turns super hard and excitedly. Just focus on the fun part. Just focus on the fun part. Just focus on the-
"Is Mel okay?" Filo suddenly asked. "Mel is gripping Filo's feathers pretty roughly. Maybe Filo can get Mel food to cheer Mel up-"
"Just leave me alone!" Melty finally snapped. The princess had tears in her eyes.
"... huh, Mel?"
"I don't want to play any more tonight! Just leave me alone!" Melty snapped at her bird friend. "Stop and let me get off!"
"Mel-chan." Filo stopped and settled on the stone ground. However, she turned her head around and raised both of her wings up so Melty couldn't get off. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong Filo! I just… I just want some time alone!" Melty said indignantly, pouting to herself as she crossed her arms. She felt a sudden urge to tie up her twin pigtails again. It was most likely because she was reentering the Tsundere zone at full speed.
"Is it because of Spear Guy!" Filo suddenly asked. "If so, then Filo can kick Spear Guy even harder for you!"
"N-N-No! It's not because of him!" Melty's tone changed, becoming more frantic. She didn't want Filo to go around kicking guys just for her!
Well, unless they really deserved it, but that's beside the point!
Besides, she doubted she could get Filo to kick her Daddy in the crotch, no matter how much he deserved it. Raphtalia probably wouldn't be very happy about that either.
"Then why is Mel sad?" Filo asked.
"I'm not sad!" Melty yelled.
"If Mel is not sad, then why is Mel crying?"
…
Melty put a hand to her cheek. She hadn't even realized it. But she had tears running down her face.
She sniffled. She suddenly felt horrible for yelling at her best friend. "What is it, Mel-Chan? Let Filo help." Filo helped Melty off of her back and wrapped her big warm wings comfortingly around her when she was on the ground.
Melty sniffled again. "It's just… it's just… I'm envious about how your Father treats you, Filo!" She admitted.
"Huh?" Filo cocked her head to the side curiously.
"My Father…" Melty hiccuped. "He… he was like that once before. But now, whenever I see him, he doesn't talk to me anymore. He doesn't smile. He doesn't even eat unless mother specifically orders him to."
She started to cry. "He just sits in a chair all day long, staring at a wall! He does nothing!"
"I keep visiting him, but he doesn't react! I tried to set up a game of chess since he loves it so much, and he just stared at that stupid wall the whole time!"
Melty began to cry even harder. "I don't understand! Does he hate me now?! Does he hate his own daughter?! Why can't I get him to respond!? I miss my Father!" Melty sobbed into Filo's feathery chest.
"Mel-Chan…" Filo sadly looked down at her friend. Her wing gently rubbed her head. With her hair down, Melty looked less regal and more vulnerable than ever.
"I just miss him so much! I want my Father back! I want my, my, my papa back!" The girl blubbered. "I want him back to the way he was…"
…
"If Mel-chan thinks that Filo's Daddy was always nice to Filo, then Mel-Chan would be wrong." Filo was under-equipped to deal with this kind of trauma and worries. But she was an honest and pure-hearted girl. She was also more perceptive than her parents gave her credit for.
"... huh?" Melty looked up at her friend's feathery face.
"When Filo was born, Daddy wasn't very nice," Filo admitted. "Daddy was almost always in a bad mood. Daddy refused to play with Filo. Daddy would often be mean, and say hurtful things to Filo. Nothing Filo did won Daddy's admiration for long." Filo said, thinking back to those first days, the first weeks of her life.
Melty was surprised. How could someone be mean to cute little Filo?!
"But over time, Daddy became better. Daddy began to be kinder to Filo. He began to acknowledge Filo. It took a while, but when Daddy went through rough times, like when Daddy hurt Mommy with Cursed Flames, Filo was able to be there for Daddy."
Melty stayed silent, looking up at her best friend. "Daddy was a lot like Mel's daddy back then." The filolial continued, looking down sadly. "Daddy didn't want to talk or smile or even eat. When Filo asked Daddy about it later, daddy admitted to being too ashamed to talk back then."
"Daddy didn't think that Daddy deserved happiness."
"Daddy thought that Daddy was scum."
…
"It took a lot of reassuring from mommy, and mommy constantly telling daddy that Mommy didn't hate daddy or blame daddy for it. That mommy loved daddy more than anything, and that Filo loved Daddy more than anything too." Filo transformed, standing in front of Melty as a little girl. The blonde had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.
"Filo gets the feeling that Mel-Chan's daddy feels guilty too." She admitted.
"... but… why?" Melty asked.
"Because like Daddy, Mel's Daddy is probably thinking he put Mel in danger. That Mel's Daddy doesn't deserve to even look at Mel or Mel's Mommy for what Mel's Daddy had done. That Mel and Mel's mommy hate Mel's daddy."
"No, that can't be it!" Melty, of course, tried to deny it. "I've never hated Father before, and neither has mother! Father wasn't entirely responsible for everything that happened! In many ways, he was tricked too, both by my sister and the Pope. So why would he even think something like that?!"
"Then why not tell Mel's Daddy that?"
…
Melty stared at Filo. Filo shrugged. "Filo's Daddy misinterprets a lot when he's depressed. Normally, Filo finds that Filo has to be blunt with Daddy. Perhaps Filo's Daddy and Mel's Daddy aren't that different from each other?"
...
Melty gulped. "I… I'll try. Just… give me some time to think."
Filo nodded happily. "Okay! But first, let's go back to the castle! Filo is starving!"
Melty gave the bird girl a long look before suddenly starting to giggle. The way her best friend's mind went so quickly to food after a serious conversation was refreshing! She and Filo both raced through the gardens again, eventually going through the doors of a lower balcony back into the castle.
However, Melty didn't follow her best friend to the buffet tables filled with all sorts of food. Instead, she went through a side hallway, going through another part of the castle.
It was strange, seeing the hallways so empty, and in the process of being repaired. But, finally, it did look like the Castle would recover from the Church incident.
She stopped in front of a pair of ornate double doors.
Melty took a deep breath, and almost timidly, pushed the doors open, entering inside.
Trash sat in a chair, facing the wall near the door. He looked blankly ahead of him. Just as he did when she left him last time. Just like he always did nowadays. The game of chess that she'd set up on a table nearby was untouched.
He looked so much older like this. She remembered when he'd played with her, when he'd helped to teach her magic, how he'd have a relaxed smile on his face or a mischievous glint in his eyes as he plotted something fun to pull over her head. With those gone, he looked so sad. So depressed. So… old and lifeless...
Melty forced herself to take another deep breath before approaching him. She stood in front of her father. Trash didn't react.
"Father." She addressed the man before her. "How are you feeling today?"
There was no response. The king's hollow eyes seemed like they were looking right through her like she wasn't even there.
"You still haven't taken your turn I see." She glanced at the chessboard nearby. "That's alright. You can take your time."
Trash continued to look past her.
"Have you..." She swallowed hard as the knot in her stomach returned. "H-have you eaten today yet? We're having a feast to celebrate our victory against the third wave. Is there perhaps something that you would like? L-like the honey roast? You always liked it, right?"
"..." Trash had nothing to say to that.
'What should I do… what should I say…?' Melty found herself hard-pressed to think up the words. It felt like her insides were being torn apart and it was taking all of her willpower to hold herself together. What could she say to him?
But then she remembered how Filo always seemed to say exactly what was on her mind.
Maybe it was time to stop acting like a princess and to start acting more like a daughter.
And so, Princess Melty dropped the Princess facade and showed Aultcray his mess of a daughter.
"P-Papa!" Melty broke down into a blubbering mess, and hugged him tightly, burrowing her face in his chest.
"P-Please! S-Say something to me!" She pleaded. "I miss you so much! I miss your smile! I miss you teaching me about magic! I miss the pranks you'd pull on me and my sister when we were younger! I miss the times you'd pat me on the head! I miss your surprise birthday presents! I miss YOU!"
She continued to cry. "I don't know what's going on in your mind! I don't know if I did something to upset you, but if I did then I'm sorry! If it's because you blame yourself for everything that happened to us then please don't! I don't hate you! Mama doesn't hate you! We never have and we never will!"
"Mama told me not to worry about you but I can't help it! I love you, Papa! We both love you! We don't want to see you like this! I hate it! I hate it so much! I want you back! We both want you back! Just please, come back to us!" She sniffled. "Come back to me… please come back..."
…
She felt a hand, gently stroking her hair. She looked up in surprise. Aultcray was, with tremendous effort on his part, slowly and shakingly stroking her downed hair with one hand, like he was afraid to touch her with his cursed hands. Afraid that she would crumble into dust in his embrace like everything else that he ever held dear and failed to protect. "Melty… I… miss you… too."
He was crying, but he was also smiling. He didn't say anything after that, but she finally saw him, she saw her papa again.
"I don't hate you, Papa! I don't blame you for what happened! I just miss you so much!" Melty cried harder, burrowing her head in his robed chest.
He very, very hesitantly hugged her back. Resting his head on hers. 'Oh… my precious Mel…' He cried as well, wishing he could bring himself to say more. And yet, a part of him finally did feel happy, as undeserving as it was.
Outside the door, Mirellia sighed in relief. When one of her Shadows had informed her that Melty was going to their bedroom again, she'd decided to follow in case she was needed.
She had tears running down her face too. To witness her daughter saying such things to her Father.
"Please. To whatever Gods that watch over our world, please help my husband to come back." She whispered to herself. "I miss him too. I really, truly miss him."
Just like Melty, she wanted them to be a family again. And now, thanks to Melty, her husband finally responded. Now, like their home which was slowly being put back together, their family had a chance of becoming whole again too.
Mirellia smiled as she finally walked in. Joining the crying, loving, family hug. She didn't care that the celebration was going on without her. She didn't care if it wasn't proper royal manners. For once, she didn't care.
It'd been too long since they felt like a family.
Ren breathed in deeply. The cool night air filled his lungs. 'Wow… Naofumi was right. The air does smell better here.'
He stood next to an open window on a familiar staircase. It was where he remembered having his first glimpse of this world. Alongside Naofumi and the others.
Naofumi had made some comment about the air smelling cleaner in this world back then. And now that he knew this wasn't being created by some virtual game engine, he agreed. It felt relaxing, refreshing… soothing. It'd been a long time since he'd felt like this.
Maybe it was bad in some ways that this world was real. That he wasn't trapped in one of his favorite video games. But, then again, perhaps it was for the best. He'd been a real jerk while acting under that assumption. And when he hadn't been acting like a jerk, he'd been an anxious idiot, hindered by his personal shortcomings. By his anxiety, his frustration, his lack of knowledge on social norms, and so many other things.
The wake-up call he received had been one of the best things to happen to him… it allowed him to address his anxiety, to address his fears, to learn, to grow up, if only a little…
Being a teenager was hard. But thankfully, Heroes didn't stay teenagers forever. He still had a long road ahead of him, but at least...
"What is it, Wyndia?"
The girl stilled on the steps. "How did… how did you know I was here?" Wyndia asked in surprise.
Ren turned his head to look down at her. She was out of her armor. The dog girl wore a simple dress. Nothing elegant, it was a simple blue, and comfortable too. Yet Ren's mouth almost went dry at seeing the girl in her beautiful outfit. Seeing her like this, it was hard to believe she'd been a little kid when they first met. His personal musings had all been shot to death by her appearance. So much for that.
"Well, um, you always seem to sneak up on me when I'm alone." His face flushed with embarrassment.
"I just expected now would be one of those times again..."
"... Oh…" For once, the Tsundere girl looked shyly down at her feet.
Was she really getting that predictable?
...
A mixture of different emotions was going through her. Embarrassment at being discovered, anger that she didn't have any more time to think, but above all that was her steel will. Trying to push her in the right direction. A mixture of emotions was going through Ren too. Though he tried his best not to let them show.
"So, um, what did you want to talk about?" Ren asked, nearly stumbling over his words. He felt so awkward. Even after what had happened with Glass, after the last few days of bonding with his party again, he was still unsure about what to say.
"Well, I, um…" Wyndia stumbled over her words too. Where could she even begin?
...
Ren turned to face the window again. Letting out a deep sigh. "I guess, I should have said this before… but I'm sorry for yelling at you back then…" He said, his voice laced with guilt that he still felt from the experience.
"I wasn't in my right mind, and you didn't deserve to be the target of my lashing out-"
"Ren." The Sword Hero suddenly felt Wyndia's hands on his shoulders, forcibly turning him around. She looked up at him with sorrowful eyes, one of her hands still lingered on his shoulder. "You're not the one who needs to apologize." She whispered.
"... what?" He was shocked by how close she was all of a sudden. And that look in her eyes, had he hurt her again?!
She looked down, sniffling. "I know I said you're just a stupid teenager… and you are stupid... but I don't care if you are, Ren."
"... Wyndia…" He finally realized she'd dropped the title Sir from his name.
"You're an idiot. You're never good with your words. You think yourself to be weaker than you are."
She wiped at her face. Ren realized she was crying as she continued speaking. "I know you think you have many issues, but I don't care about them. You might not think it, but you're a Hero. You're our Hero... you're my Hero, Ren. You've helped me and the others so much. I don't hate you. I could never hate you."
She took a deep breath. "I remember what my Father taught me. He raised me to respect strength, no matter where it came from…" She looked up into his eyes. "I respect the hero who was strong enough to defeat my Father. I respect the Hero who was honorable enough to bury him and to take his daughter in even if she didn't understand why at the time. I don't bring it up, again and again, to remind you of a mistake. I, I do it because I'm proud of you. I'm proud of the strength you've achieved. I'm proud that you were strong enough to defeat my Father. I'm..."
She went silent for a few seconds before she continued speaking on a different line of thought to psyche herself up. "I respect the Hero who tried to reach out to help a village. I respect the Hero who helped his friends. I respect the Hero who faced that Hero killer and fought with everything he had to save his friends."
He stared, almost breathless as she continued. "You make me want to become more, Ren. You make me want to become stronger, to become better, so I can stand beside you as Raphtalia does for Sir Naofumi." More tears fell from her face onto the floor. "You make me want to push myself, so you won't have to push as hard for our sakes! So that you won't have to leave us behind when terrible monsters come after us!"
Ren gasped. He hadn't realized he'd hurt her so badly. Fresh guilt washed over him again.
"I want to be there with you, Ren! I want to help you save our world! I want to be strong enough to help you when you need our aid! I, I'm…" Wyndia choked up. She was so close. She wanted to say it! Why was it so hard for her to say it!?
...
But Ren surprised her, taking her hand off his shoulder before hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for making you and the others think you were useless!" He was crying too.
Her arms hung behind him in surprise. Wyndia stood, stunned as Ren spoke from his heart. "You guys are strong and cool! I was just so worried about all of you. I thought that by pushing everyone away, I could somehow become strong enough to protect all of you from the challenges ahead! I thought I could become strong enough to face everything by myself! But I was wrong! I almost got us all killed because I did that!"
One of his hands moved to rub her head between her ears as he spoke with resolve. "I promise, I won't push you away ever again. I'll help all of you to become stronger... I'll become a Hero that you can be proud of, Wyndia."
"... … You… you idiot!" Instead of becoming embarrassed or lashing out, the Tsundere girl began crying anew as she hugged him back. She'd thought Ren was only pushing them away because he no longer wanted their help. That he wanted to distance himself from them.
To realize it was only because he'd been trying to protect them, that he had been concerned for them. That he cared about them.
"Don't you ever push us away again, you hear me, idiot?!"
"Yeah, I hear you." Ren smiled, they were finally on the same page. Wyndia pressed her forehead to his and continued to sob in relief. Both his hands moved down and her held behind her back. He felt so good, so comforting.
She hadn't said the words hidden in her heart. But he did care for them...
Above all, he cared for her.
And for now, that was good enough for the simple dog-girl raised by a dragon.
Those words could wait for another time.
Author's Notes:
*Sniff*, don't cry, don't cry, please don't cry… *Sniff* WAH! WAHHHHHHHHHH!
So much healing energy in this chapter. So much good mood going around. Itsuki got to bond with Rishia. Melty has finally received closure of a sort from her Father. And my boi Ren, the MVP! Even Motoyasu showed he truly is more than just his jealous simpiness. All of them are just fantastic.
Consider the following omake canon if you will. I know I am ;)
Hero Clips!
Embarrassed Tsunderes: Part Two
"Hey, there you are Sir Ren!"
Wyndia and Ren instantly separated. They looked down in shock at the rest of the peeping party. "Oh, um, we weren't interrupting anything important, were we?" Welt asked.
"No! Of course not! Sir Ren and I were just, um, uh-" Wyndia was red in the face.
"Talking?" Ren suggested.
"Yeah, that was what we were doing! Talking!" Wyndia quickly jumped on the excuse.
Welt and Bakta looked confused. Did talking involve hugging and head patting? That was new to them.
"Sure." Farrie gave Wyndia a knowing smirk. "Now. What were you talking about?"
"Yep, just talking. Nothing important at all. Nothing important." Wyndia emphasized Tsundere style. 'Please don't press. Please don't press. Please, if the Gods are watching us, don't have them freaking press-'
"Did you, perhaps, talk about how you felt about each other?" Tersia asked.
…
IDIOTS! THE LOT OF THEM!
"Wh-wh-what?" Ren sputtered in surprise.
Wyndia's face took on a whole new shade of red. 'No! Shut up! SHUT UP! You're going to ruin everything!' "I don't know what you're talking about. Now stop teasing, or else-" She started to say as calmly as she could while trying to force down everything bottling up.
"But Wyndia. Weren't you just talking to me yesterday about how you were in love with Sir Ren?" Tersia asked.
…
The color drained from Wyndia's face. "NO! WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THAT!- AH!" She quickly shut up. That made it sound like she wasn't denying it! Steam came out of the ears on top of her head at how embarrassed she was.
Why?! Just why were they picking on her now?!
"Ooh, looks like somebody's in lovvvvvve." Bakta and Welt teased together, finally understanding what was going on.
"WHAT KIND OF, OF, AHHHHHHHH!? I'D NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH ANYBODY! ESPECIALLY WITH AN IDIOT LIKE-"
"Wyndia, what are they talking about-" Ren, the object of her affection, tried to get Wyndia to face him.
"BAKA!" SLAP!
In the midst of her embarrassment, Wyndia went full Tsundere and slapped the Sword Hero so hard that he was sent flying out the window.
"Whyyyyyyyy!?" His yell echoed as he fell towards the ground far below.
"Oh no, Sir Ren!" Wyndia cried out. She and the others gathered at the window, looking at the ground far below.
Had the back of the castle always been this tall? It was like a 200-foot drop from here.
"Don't worry. His defense stat should protect him… hopefully…" Bakta said.
"Yyyyyyy-!" Ren's scream cut off as he hit the ground. He didn't stir, nor make any motion to get up afterward.
…
"Maybe we should go down to help him, just in case." Welt suggested.
Tersia and Farrie shared guilty looks between each other as they rushed through the castle. A silent and shocked Wyndia followed close behind them.
And that's why you should never tease an embarrassed Tsundere.
Till Next Time
Allen