You know, another strange thing I've had to become accustomed to with this fandom. Losing favorites or followers after uploading a new chapter. I can't say I ever saw that happen in the Teen Titans fandom. Then again, I never wrote a story this big before. *shrugs*
Something I should mention, don't expect 'sex' to happen between Naofumi and Raphtalia at all anytime soon. Just going to shoot that down before your guys' damn horniness takes over.
Chapter Fourteen: Well, This Is Awkward
Naofumi wasn't sure if it was because of how early he went to bed yesterday or because of something else entirely, but he ended up waking up just as the light of dawn had begun to touch the horizon. He felt more refreshed and well-rested than he had been in a while.
Definitely the opposite of what Ren would be feeling when he would wake up later. Naofumi needed to eat ruculu fruit before he went to bed more often.
Raphtalia was still asleep on the floor, and her ears were flicking on her head. She looked so adorable, and a small smile appeared on his face as he knelt down and rubbed between her ears. Both of her ears rested on his hand in response, like they had a mind of their own.
He should wake up earlier more often. Seeing Raphtalia while she was like this was the best way to start his day. Damn, was today really going to be that good to him?
A red tint suddenly filled his girlfriend's face and her ears returned back to their original position. 'Huh.' He wondered. 'What kind of dream could she be having right now?'
Eh, it'd probably be better if he didn't ask. It'd be weird if Raphtalia found out that he liked to watch her sleep.
He quietly left the room and went out by himself to the merchant's district.
He was seriously tempted to drop down a stall of his own and start charging exorbitant prices like the other merchants. But there was already something that he had to do.
"Excuse me, can you make something for me?"
The blacksmith who he'd found open this early cocked an eyebrow at him. "It depends. What're you asking for?"
Naofumi pulled out the Oriekal Ore which he'd put in his pocket before leaving his room earlier. "I was wondering if you could turn this into a bracelet about… this big." He pulled out a piece of paper with a circle drawn on it.
The blacksmith looked at the paper and the ore. "Hmmm… you're providing the material. And… damn, that's some really nice ore too! I can have it ready for you within the hour!" The blacksmith said confidently.
Naofumi nodded. "Okay. How much?"
"100 Silvers, if you would." The blacksmith held out a hand.
…
Naofumi sweatdropped. That was worth more than most of the accessories that he'd sold! He knew that the merchants were charging higher prices, but the blacksmiths too!?
Then again, this material was rare enough that even he didn't have the skills to work it into a bracelet. Maybe it actually was a fair price...
"Fine." He was in a good mood anyway. Paying a gold coin early in the morning wouldn't ruin it.
While he waited for the blacksmith to get his small project done, he ended up spending the hour browsing the wares at a nearby accessory shop.
There wasn't much of interest for him there. The accessories didn't look nearly as good as the ones that he would have made. He'd gone in originally to see if there was one like the sword accessory he'd crafted for Ren.
However… he wasn't finding any like that. In fact...
Pearl Earrings: Defense Up (Slight)
Quality: Very Poor (Concealment) Average
Price: 2 Gold Coins
Every time he'd thought about up charging customers by four to five times the original value of items, it'd been a joke. However, this guy clearly wasn't treating it as such!
And concealment magic? Was this bastard actually using magic to hide how bad his products were?!
"Can I interest you in one of these, hmmm?!" The merchant asked him excitedly.
"... Not on your life," Naofumi responded. He didn't know why, but the man gave him the same vibes as Beloukas. Only worse. Just looking at that first accessory gave him a good idea why.
He checked out some of the man's other accessories. They were not only lacking in style, but some also lacked boosts as well.
Silver Bracelet
Quality: Average
Price: 1 Gold Coin
It didn't even have an enchantment on it! "Why are you charging so much for a normal bracelet?" Naofumi asked.
"The islands here are pretty isolated, you know." The merchant said in a chipper voice. "It costs a fortune just to ship anything here. The Waves aren't helping either!"
Naofumi wasn't buying it. Especially when he saw the next accessory in line.
Dummy Sapphire Necklace: Magic Up
Quality: Poor (Concealment) Normal
Price: 250 Silver Coins
Looking over all of them, he could tell that unless you were to look at them closely, the average person would have thought that these accessories were pretty good. The businessman in him scowled.
This was unacceptable.
"I get supply chains. I get supply and demand. I get we're in the middle of a crisis. What I don't get is why you think that all of them validate charging 400% of the market value for this garbage." Naofumi said in disgust.
"I beg your pardon!" The merchant was small and thin, almost like a weasel. He was also richly dressed in a way that poked at Naofumi's memory. "These are not garbage! These are the best of the best on the island!"
"Uh-huh. So you think concealing their actual quality makes them better than the rest?" The Shield Hero cut him off.
The weasel stopped in his tracks. "I would never do such a thing!" He shouted in indignation. "If you're here to defame me for my rivals, then I suggest you get out of my shop at once!"
Looking over his outfit, Naofumi was reminded of the last accessory merchant that he'd met. The very one who'd taught him how to craft accessories. Did this guy belong in the same guild as him?
An idea came to his mind. He hadn't had to pull this out for a long while. Not since he'd had to validate his 'identity' as the Nocturnal Doctor and that he'd received the proper training to craft and sell accessories.
"Tell me, do you recognize this?" He pulled out a certain certificate.
The man glared at him, but he took the certificate and looked it over.
...
After a few seconds, he started to pale considerably.
Jackpot.
"I'm certain you realize now that I'm not your average run-of-the-mill customer." Naofumi began to speak slowly, his voice sweetly sick. "I can only imagine what he'll have to say when I find him and tell him about your business practices here."
The small man paled even more. "I guess if you don't want me in your shop though, I can just-" Naofumi turned to leave.
It was almost funny how quickly the merchant had moved to block the exit with his prostrated body. "No, wait, um, this is a mistake!" He began to say. "Yes, I must have put the wrong price tags on my wares, that's what happened! I'll change the prices back to what they're supposed to be if you wait just a moment!"
"Nah, don't bother. After I'm done chatting with my friends back in Melromarc-" The Shield Hero shrugged.
"W-Wait! I'll sell them at a thirty percent discount!" The merchant offered.
"30% off of the 400% price? I'm not sure…" Naofumi looked skeptical.
"30% off the original price!" The man exclaimed.
"No thanks." Naofumi shook his head and tried to step over him.
"50, no wait, 60 percent off!" The shopkeeper screamed desperately and clutched Naofumi's leg with his hands.
Did this certificate really give someone this much authority over regular merchants? Was the guy who'd hitched a ride with them on their carriage that one time the guild master or something?
Damn, Naofumi made a mental note to pull this thing out more often.
"You know, I haven't seen that friend of mine in a long while. Maybe I should prioritize visiting him first when I get back…" Naofumi murmured to himself.
"Seventy percent off!" The man screeched.
"I wonder how long it'd take for me to reach the merchant's guild…"
"Eighty! Eighty percent off!"
"I can tell him all about this one member who used concealment magic on his merchandise and overcharged by 400%. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that after having to deal with a business partner who tried to have him assassinated recently."
"90% off! Just please have mercy on me!" The man whimpered and cried.
Naofumi almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
"You can lower it to free, but it won't matter to me," Naofumi said coldly. "You've broken the number one rule in business. Don't mistreat your customers. Do you want me to turn a blind eye to that?"
"I'm sorry! I truly am! I'll give everything away for free and leave! Just please don't report meeeeeeeee!" He begged pathetically.
…
Naofumi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, giving away your merchandise for free won't help the market either."
"... huh?"
Naofumi couldn't believe he had to explain business to a businessman. Maybe that's why this guy had fallen so far off the path. It was a good morning, so he could at least try something here.
"There's nothing worse than building a business on intimidation and power. You probably thought that heavily up charging on these accessories and using concealment magic to make it easier to prey on people's fear of the Waves would help you turn a great deal of profit. But all it takes to make your business come crashing down on your head is for someone like me to simply walk in."
The merchant continued whimpering as he listened to Naofumi.
"I'm not telling you to sell your products at thin margins or way underprice. Both options do more harm than good. You just have to be reasonable with what you charge. In the end, over or underpricing harms the industry. It harms yourself."
Naofumi continued. "Being far from the mainland can bring higher prices. The Waves have also contributed in that regard. But if you're charging insane amounts and preying on people's fear to try and corner the market, you're only going to make people lose their trust in the merchant's guild. You're going to cost yourself, and a lot of other hardworking people, good money.
"If you want to make a profit that badly, at least make sure the customer is smiling when they hand you their money, idiot."
"... what, what do you mean?" The merchant finally asked.
Naofumi rolled his eyes. "When using deception in commerce, you need to be subtle and nonmalicious. Like, for example, you have this huge seasonal influx of customers because of this activation event, right? What do they have in common?"
"Um… they're here to raise their level?" The merchant answered, sounding unsure.
"Precisely. " The shield hero nodded. "So we have a large group of ignorant tourists who aren't familiar with this area and its history and customs. We also know that there is a demand for leveling from this group. So how do we go about meeting this demand?"
"Err...?" The merchant was looking more lost by the second. "We could... start herding the local monsters maybe?"
"Wrong." Naofumi cut him off. "The cost of setting an operation like that up would be enormous. Setting it up on such short notice would be impossible. And once the activation event is over it would become worthless. No. We need to work with what we have with minimal investment. What kind of goods does Cal Mira export to the mainland when the activation event is not active?"
"Fish, Rucolu fruit, other assorted local foodstuffs? Oh, there are also a couple of mines here." The man quickly responded at Naofumi's expectant look.
"Foodstuff is only profitable when moving it in large quantities and while the demand is higher than usual due to the increased number of people, it's not enough for what we're looking for. The mine, however, has potential." The shield hero looked thoughtful.
"How?" The merchant blinked in confusion. "The ore that is being dug up here is nothing special."
"It doesn't need to be as long as it's locally sourced." Naofumi waved him off. "You can create the demand yourself by exploiting the people's ignorance. We know that people are here to level, yes? Why not meet up with the rest of your merchant pals and agree to start spreading a rumor saying... the accessories crafted from the ore dug on this island can boost the experience gain even further?"
"..." The man stared up at him in shock.
"You don't have to improve the efficacy of your items. You just have to spread the superstition. Think about it. Everyone here wants to level up. They already want to buy something that'll help them do so. Some of your accessories have boosts that'd help with that. All you have to do is motivate the tourists to want to buy them and they'll do it. This way you'll be able to move a greater amount of goods without charging outrageous prices and at the same time help the local economy."
This particular scheme was based on how good luck charms were sold back in his world. They didn't have to work. People only had to think that they worked. Even if they didn't have the proper effect, people felt that they did.
"I, I think I see what you mean!" The merchant finally said excitedly. He stood back up and began to smile again. It didn't seem as creepy as before, now he looked more in line with that accessory merchant instead of old Beloukas.
"You get the rest, right? Keep an eye on what you think the customer wants to pay, then try to get a little bit more. Leave some consumer surplus for them so that when they leave, they leave satisfied. Then, when they're leveling up faster than normal because of the event, they'll think the accessory actually is helping them out. They'll tell their friends about it, and then their friends will become your customers."
Naofumi honestly didn't know how long this strategy would work for the merchants here. But he'd wager it could last for as long as the event was going on. With the activation event already boosting the experience points of adventurers to ridiculous proportions, it'd be hard to tell if the accessory was actually helping or not. But as long as they believed it worked, the rumor would spread across the island.
Who knows, maybe even after the event ended, the rumor might still hold, and demand for the island's ore would continue to go up, further helping the local economy. Maybe that'd help Count Hadenburg with running the place.
"Yes, I'll get to work on your suggestion right away!" The merchant said excitedly.
"Before that…" Naofumi gestured to the accessories the man had on display.
He'd expected disappointment or something similar, but remarkably, the man happily began to write out and put up different placards for the accessories, at market price. He also took off the concealment enchantment for each accessory, showing their actual quality.
Some turned out not to be as bad as Naofumi had initially thought. They weren't nearly as good as what he could make still, but at least some of them weren't downright terrible. Still, he had to help direct him to take down certain accessories that'd do no good being sold, like the plain Silver Bracelet.
After a little while, Naofumi left to pick up the finished Oriekal Bracelet from the blacksmith. By the time he got back, it was like he'd walked into a different shop. It looked cleaner than before, and the prices didn't make him want to scream in terror.
"Welcome, are you here to try the accessories that help boost your experience gains?" The merchant asked happily from his desk. He had the air of a proper businessman around him now. He'd also started working on an accessory made from ore from the island.
Naofumi smirked. "Yes, I'd be very interested in that."
Raphtalia yawned, and slowly sat up to stretch. The floor was hard beneath her, and her muscles were sore from sleeping on the hard surface.
"Ah, you're finally awake."
Her eyes shot open, and she looked at the desk to her right. Naofumi was concentrating hard on the accessory in his hands. The bracelet was light grey, with a light orange gemstone embedded into it. His tongue was stuck out the side of his mouth as he focused on etching on the metal.
"Oh, is that the accessory you're making for Therese?" Raphtalia asked. Looking outside, the sun was low in the morning sky.
He nodded. "I got a blacksmith to make the bracelet part for me. It cost 100 Silvers, but he did a damn good job." Naofumi admitted.
"Oh, I think Therese will greatly appreciate that," Raphtalia said happily.
"She better. I also had to deal with an accessory merchant that was ripping people off." Naofumi muttered. "At least I managed to straighten him out. Otherwise, I would have had to actually find that damn midget back in Melromarc."
Raphtalia felt like there was more to the story than that for some reason. She almost wanted to ask. But then she remembered what Therese had told her the night before and started to blush furiously.
"You know, you've been turning red a lot since last night. Do you have a fever or something?" Naofumi asked with slight concern.
"No! I'm not sick or anything!" Raphtalia immediately denied it. Her eyes traveled down his body, paused for a second, and then immediately averted somewhere else.
"Then what's going on?" He asked, unaware of how she'd been staring at him. "Did something happen last night on your girl's night out? Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, how did that go? Nothing bad happened, right?"
"Oh, um, well, we had a really great time, actually," Raphtalia admitted. "We had dinner together at this really nice place, and then we went and got ourselves swimsuits at a nice store… Rishia and Wyndia got really cute swimsuits that suit them, and..." Raphtalia trailed off.
"Did you choose not to get one?" Naofumi asked curiously. 'I mean, I'd understand if she didn't since she's more for practicality than anything else. I really should have taught her better back then-'
"No! I did! But before that, well, um…" She interrupted his train of thought. He paused and glanced at her as she struggled to speak.
"What?" Naofumi narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Um, uh, um…" She glanced at Naofumi's hands. "... You might want to put that down." She suggested.
…
Naofumi felt a sense of dread rise up his spine. He set the accessory and his engraving tool to the side and turned his full attention to the shaking, red-faced Tanuki girl.
"What happened?" He asked, now with far more than slight concern.
"... … …" Raphtalia went even redder in the face, and looked away from Naofumi. However, her tail was wagging super hard behind her, showcasing her anxiety. "Um, Therese…
"She told me how babies are actually made!" She blurted out.
…
…
…
"And well, I guess all those times we were kissing… I learned that my body was pushing me to try and make a baby with you." She admitted. "Heheh, I always wondered why I felt so weird doing that…"
…
…
…
…
…
"Um, Naofumi-"
The chair that Naofumi was sitting in creaked ominously and fell over sideways along with its occupant.
"Ah, Naofumi!" She shrieked in surprise.
Naofumi was comatose. He couldn't believe it! He was so GOD DAMN STUPID!
"Naofumi, are you okay?!" Raphtalia grabbed her boyfriend by the shoulders and shook him.
He'd forgotten to give Raphtalia the talk. He'd been kissing her, sleeping in the same bed as her, making out with her! Stirring up different emotions in his girlfriend, and he'd never once explained any of that to her!
Screw his PTSD and trauma! He was such, SUCH AN IDIOT!
"Naofumi!"
He wanted to crawl away into a hole and die. This was almost too much for his mind to process. He'd seriously &^%$ed up...
But as horrified as he was… part of him was still relieved that he wasn't the one who had to give "The Talk" to her in the end.
"What the hell are you thinking about now?!" Raphtalia asked in disbelief.
"... you said Therese, told you?" He finally managed to say in a shaky voice.
…
Raphtalia slowly nodded. "Maybe I should just give her the accessory as a thank you." He joked to himself. She'd seriously taken a large weight off his shoulders.
"Naofumi!" She looked angry at that.
He sighed, and rested his head on his girlfriend's lap. "I know, not the time to joke around, just… give me a moment to wrap my head around this."
She pouted and crossed her arms. But she didn't move his head away from her leg. One of her hands eventually started rubbing through his spiked raven hair as his mind struggled to think.
…
"So your body wanted you to make a baby with me every time we kissed?" Naofumi finally asked after a while.
She gulped. "Yes. At least, after I described what I felt at times to Therese, that's what she told me." Her face flushed red again. "And, well, I mean, thinking back on it, it makes sense…"
"... well, this is awkward," Naofumi admitted.
It honestly was. She felt heat coming off her face like crazy.
"You're not going to try and jump me, are you?" Naofumi asked.
"Of course not!" Raphtalia nearly shrieked.
"Good to know." He sighed. "Gods, Raphtalia, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. This would feel a lot less embarrassing otherwise."
"... but at least I know now." She said shyly. "So I'll know where to draw the line when being affectionate with you."
…
She lowered her head and kissed his hair. "I hope telling you this won't change our relationship."
He shook his head and finally sat up to face her. "No, it won't." He gave her a small smile. "I'm not going to be comfortable with going past first base for a long while anyway. So we won't have to worry about any of that." He swore he heard Bitch laughing in his mind again as he said that. It was almost enough to make him frown.
"Oh, um, first base?" Raphtalia asked.
"That means, well... It's an analogy from my world." Naofumi rubbed the back of his neck. "It's, well, er… it just means we're only at the stage where we're comfortable with kissing." He went for the simple explanation.
"Oh… and the next base after that?" She asked, tail flicking behind her curiously.
He blushed heavily and averted his eyes. "Let's just say first base is where I'm comfortable at."
Raphtalia smiled for him. "Okay." Then slowly, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
It was only for a moment, but when they parted, her face was flaming red again. "Yep, that's where I'm comfortable at too." She said.
His thoughts from before left. Naofumi started laughing. "Seriously, that made you want to make a baby? You're more naughty than I thought."
She slapped the back of his head for that one.
But he didn't stop laughing.
Surprisingly, there wasn't much of note that happened to Naofumi for the rest of that day. He and his party ended up grinding on Squirely Island. Everyone except for Dou-Lon gained a few levels. Then, when they came back in the evening, they went their separate ways. Naofumi took Raphtalia out on a date to a restaurant, Eclair and Dou-Lon continued their training, and Filo and Melty went swimming in the ocean again.
Itsuki and his party also didn't have much of note that happened that day. Besides grinding on Pekkul Island, when they got back, Itsuki went with Rachel and Crystal for dinner. Aksel relaxed in his room. Maya worked on her magic. And Rishia disappeared to work on something.
As for Ren and his party…
"Urgh… my head..." The Sword Hero groaned.
"Oh, you're finally awake?" A feminine voice asked.
Ren tried to open his eyes and hissed when harsh sunlight pierced his irises. He pulled the blanket over himself and didn't stir underneath.
"Come on Sir Ren, we have another busy day ahead of ourselves." The voice said in exasperation. Was that Tersia?
"Go away." His voice felt rough and coarse. Talking was making his head feel worse.
"Will you at least take the glass of water that I'm offering you?" Tersia asked beside his bed.
…
A hand slowly snaked out from the smallest gap in the blanket. She put the cup in his hand, and it disappeared under the blanket. There was the sound of heavy gulping, and after a moment of waiting, Ren's hand came out again, holding the now empty cup.
"There we go. You feel better now?" Tersia asked as she took it.
"Ugh…" Ren moaned in agony.
The former nun in training rolled her eyes. "You're too young to be drinking Sir Ren. I have no idea what you were thinking last night."
"Don't call me… wait, is that why I feel like crap?" Ren asked.
"... can't you remember what happened?" Tersia asked in surprise.
"I… I remember I went with Naofumi, Itsuki, and this weird redhead to a tavern. I tried some wine, but after that, it's just blank…"
Tersia put a hand to her chin in worry. "I didn't realize you drank that much alcohol. What were you thinking?"
"I don't know. I just hope I didn't make an idiot of myself last ni-... ..."
Tersia wondered at his silence, and then Ren suddenly bolted from the bed, hand held over his mouth as he dashed into the bathroom. Tersia stood outside, staying completely silent as the sounds of the Sword Hero projectile vomiting sounded from inside.
"Oh Gods, what the- UGH!" Ren started screaming in the middle of it, but then he went back to emptying his stomach. "ACK! ACK! ACK!"
"Oh, dear. Wyndia isn't going to be happy about this." Tersia said to herself. If he couldn't remember what'd happened last night at all, the dog girl was going to be really disappointed.
She continued to stand outside. Ren's groans of agony were intermingled with the sounds of an upset stomach. Tersia almost wondered at times if she should open the door and provide assistance, but then Ren would begin making retching sounds again, making her stand outside to wait.
Finally, after an eternity of a few minutes later, the sounds stopped completely. A pale Ren opened the door to the bathroom. His breath stank of bile and his eyes were empty.
"Is that all of it?" Tersia asked.
"Urggghhhhh…" The Sword Hero flopped over onto his bed. He looked up at her like a weak, lost puppy. "... Tersia…" It came out as nearly a whimper.
"Yes," She said.
"... can you… lead the others while you're out grinding today?" He pitifully asked. "I... really don't feel well."
...
The former nun sighed. "Do you promise that you'll rest up today? You already missed your studies last night. You're going to have to make up for it when we get back."
"I promise. Just… let me die in peace." Ren whimpered like a small child.
She rubbed his back the way a mother would. "Don't be overdramatic. I'm sure you'll feel better in a few hours. Still, you'd be wise to remember this moment whenever you go drinking in the future." She got up and closed the blinds to Ren's room, covering it in darkness. "Just try to get some rest Ren, okay?"
…
She wasn't met with an answer. She checked and found that the Sword Hero had blacked out again.
Tersia smiled sadly, and tucked the Sword Hero into his bed. She got another glass of water and set it on his nightstand for when he woke up. She then left the room and stopped by the kitchen, asking for a light meal to be delivered to Ren's room a few hours from now.
By the time she got back to the Sword Hero's girls' room, Farrie was impatiently waiting in her chair, and Wyndia looked like she was preparing to meet the devil.
"So, what's the verdict?" Farrie asked.
"Is he… is he okay?" Wyndia's voice came out tired and strained.
Tersia nodded. "It's probably the worst hangover I've ever seen, but it's nothing a few hours of sleep won't fix. He told me we should farm monsters without him today."
"But, wouldn't it be risky if we faced an island boss by ourselves?" Farrie asked worriedly. "We've been relying on Ren to defeat those."
"It would. So we should stay away from the interiors of the islands just in case." Tersia nodded.
"But then again, the monsters aren't very strong near the beach. It wouldn't be much use for us to bore ourselves grinding only a level or two." Farrie pondered some more.
"Hmmm, maybe it might be enough since me, Wyndia, and Bakta have Hero Service Seals... what do you think, Wyndia?" Tersia asked.
The dog girl was silent for a moment, before huddling into a ball. "I want to stay near… the Sword Hero today, in case he doesn't get better."
…
Tersia sighed. "What you need is some sleep. You stayed up most of the night watching over him."
"But… but what if he… he..." Wyndia sniffled.
"He'll be fine. He doesn't remember what happened last night anyway, so worrying over it won't do you any good. What you need to do is rest, otherwise, Ren will worry over you when he wakes up." Tersia told her.
…
Wyndia's chest clenched when Tersia revealed that Ren had forgotten all about last night. And then, she slowly nodded in defeat, curling up on her side. Tersia sat down on the bed next to her, slowly rubbing her hand through the girl's hair. The fact that Wyndia didn't even lash out angrily or do anything spoke volumes about how tired and worried she was.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. You'll both be fine." Tersia soothed.
She sniffled. "But… but if he's forgotten… what does that mean for me?" Several tears fell from her eyes.
"You'll continue to be strong, my dear. Even if he doesn't remember, that won't change how he feels about you." She whispered gently.
She started humming a gentle song, helping the dog girl's eyes to close. It was something she'd learned while taking care of orphans during her training as a nun. Something simple, yet it had a great effect on soothing troubled minds.
A few moments later, the dog girl finally fell into a troubled sleep. Tersia made sure she was comfortably tucked in before turning to face Farrie.
"Wow, I don't think I've seen her like this since… since... well, since Ren yelled at her." Farrie admitted.
"I know." Tersia frowned. "If he really forgot about last night, then it's likely that he forgot about almost confessing to her."
"Are we sure Wyndia was sane when she told us that?" Farrie asked. "She seemed pretty frantic when she told us about Ren's condition."
...
"One way or another, we're going to have to get the truth out of that boy," Tersia said. She finally stood up. "Preferably without getting him drunk again."
"And with Wyndia around to hear it." Farrie grinned widely. "What do you have against alcohol anyways? I think it's pretty good."
"That's one of the reasons you didn't want to become a nun." Tersia rolled her eyes. "And Ren is a prime example of why I don't like the stuff."
"Eh, he just needs to build up a tolerance for it and he'll be fine." Farrie giggled.
"Let's just agree to get him to confess without using alcohol," Tersia said.
"Yes, so we can finally get past all this nonsense." Farrie agreed.
Tersia and Farrie left the room so the Tsundere dog girl could sleep in peace.
They ended up farming monsters with Bakta and Welt for the rest of the day. Even without Ren or Wyndia to assist them, Bakta and Tersia proved to be strong enough to take down the Pekkul Island Boss several times while Welt and Farrie focused on the lower monsters. The level gains weren't crazy with them nearing 80, but they gained a couple.
When they finally got back, they found Ren sitting at the table in his room, looking much better than before.
"Were you the one that ordered a meal for me?" He asked Tersia. There were empty dishes resting next to him.
"I did." She nodded. "I thought you could use something to eat after you woke up."
"... thank you so much for that." He sniffled, and wiped at his nose.
She smiled at him. "You can thank me by studying as hard as you can with us tonight Ren." She said.
He did just that, and this time, he did it without raising so much as a complaint.
Tersia, Farrie, and Wyndia sat across from Ren in their room, helping him with his studies. He asked far more questions than he normally did, and stared intently at his spellbook as well as a page lined with the Melromarc alphabet.
"Trying to burn a hole through the pages with your eyes won't help you learn any faster, dummy." Wyndia dryly commented. It looked like she was back to normal as well.
"Urk!" Ren slapped his cheeks and tried to stare less intently at the confusing words below him.
Tersia and Farrie glanced at the dog girl, who looked much better after resting all day. They noticed despite the return of her usual personality, she directed glances at the Sword Hero that seemed a little… more than before.
Instead of sitting opposite him like last time, she was sitting next to him. Her hands weren't still on the table, but occasionally pointing something out on the book for Ren.
Twice, her hand brushed against his, and her face burned red. Ren, however, intent as he was to learn, didn't notice.
This continued for a while...
...
Just after the sun had set outside, Wyndia suddenly stood up. "Is something wrong?" Tersia asked worriedly. It'd looked like her hand was going to grab Ren's hand, but then she'd chickened out.
"No, I have a prior commitment to get to. That's it." Wyndia said dryly as she walked towards the door.
"Oh, you're leaving already?" Ren asked. Was that disappointment in his voice? It was hard to tell. "Well, have fun."
She paused in the doorway. "... good luck with your studies, Ren." She said, almost shyly.
He turned his head at her tone, but she'd already walked out the door. He looked at Tersia and Farrie curiously. "I, um, did I do anything bad to her while I was drunk, did I?" He worriedly asked.
"No, you didn't do anything bad to any of us," Tersia replied while struggling to keep the mirth out of her voice. "You blacked out on her is all."
"Oh," He smiled in relief, then paled. "Wait, you mean I passed out on her?!"
"Yep. That's what she told us. I wish I could have been there to see it." Farrie laughed.
Ren was still blushing, but at least he hadn't done anything to hurt her or the rest of his party. He didn't know if he could live with himself if that'd happened-
"You're spacing out again, Sir Ren." Farrie pointed out.
"Stop calling me sir, damn it!" Ren yelled.
The girl smirked. "Whatever you say. Just focus on your studies and maybe I'll think about it."
"You girls are so annoying with your insistence on that title!" Ren threw his hands up in exasperation.
He never really noticed that they had been using it less and less around him lately.
"Oh, Wyndia, is your friend okay?" Therese asked.
"Yeah, that idiot's fine, somehow." Wyndia approached Therese. They were in the same area where the turquoise-haired girl had found her practicing two nights ago. "Did you punish your friend for what he did?"
"Yep. I forced L'Arc to grind all day with me while he suffered from his hangover." Therese smirked with pride.
"Brutal." Wyndia's eyes widened in surprise.
"Not brutal enough. After we got back, he tried to hit up another tavern." She sighed to herself. "I hope I didn't hit him too hard on the head for that."
Wyndia sweatdropped. She was reminded of times when she'd slapped Ren too hard for being an idiot. She was proud of herself for managing to hold back on those dope slaps of hers recently.
"Anyway, are you ready?" Therese asked excitedly.
Wyndia shrugged. "I hope so. I just want to find out what my problem is and get it over with."
"Then let's get started." The blue-haired girl clasped her hands together and smiled genuinely.
For the next hour or so, Wyndia practiced using her Dragon Vein magic while Therese observed her. She slowed at some parts so the girl could follow along, and took short breaks in between spells to recover and brace herself for the next one. It also gave her and Therese time to discuss magic.
Therese's magic was amazing in Wyndia's eyes, not that she'd admit it out loud. But to think that she always had a source of vitality on hand that was willing to fuel her spells… people could call it weird that the older girl befriended gemstones, but Wyndia was the daughter of a Dragon Emperor. They were both weird people.
It also allowed Therese to cast all sorts of spells. In that regard, it was similar to her unique magic. Her limitation, however, seemed to be that she could only use her gemstones. She couldn't pull vitality from the air, or the water, or other sources like Wyndia could.
By the time Wyndia was done with her fourth spell, she was almost at her limit. "Damn it, how was that?"
Therese looked at a loss. "I really don't know what to say. It doesn't look like there's anything wrong to me. You're pulling vitality from the objects you want to pull it from. Your incantation doesn't sound like there's anything wrong with it." She shrugged. "Honestly, you look like you shouldn't have any problems at all."
Wyndia groaned, and sat back on the ground for what felt like the millionth time that night. "There's obviously something wrong. Otherwise, I never would have agreed to this."
"Oh, but aren't we having fun out here together?" Therese smiled happily.
…
Wyndia grumbled and laid on her side. "... Maybe a little bit."
"See, so it's not all bad." Therese giggled into her hand.
"I just thought, that maybe tonight would be the night when I would fix this once and for all," Wyndia grumbled.
"If only life were that easy." Therese sighed and sat down on the grass next to her. "Let's take a longer break. Maybe that'll help."
Wyndia was silent for a moment, contemplating something. Both of them looked up at the stars in the night sky.
…
"Therese, did you mean it yesterday when you said that you loved L'Arc?" The dog girl timidly asked.
"... I did," Therese replied seriously without any hesitation.
"... is it… do you find it weird that I… well… that I really, really like Ren?" Her face blushed as red as a tomato as she admitted it out loud.
"Not at all." Therese smiled and scooted closer to her. "I find it adorable really."
"Oh, but… I always act so snappishly and rude around him. I'm nothing like Raphtalia or Rishia when it comes to their boys." She said sadly. "I wish that I could just… open up to him, maybe?" She tried saying that out loud, but it didn't really sound right.
"You sound so serious for a sixteen-year-old." Therese chuckled. "Aren't you a little too young to be thinking about that kind of romance?"
Wyndia blushed an even darker red. "No, I'm not! I mean, I'm not thinking of sex or anything like that!" She snapped at the turquoise-haired girl, who burst into laughter. "What's so funny!?"
"You're taking your love for him too seriously. I just can't help it." Therese managed to say through her laughter.
"B-B-But I didn't say love!" Wyndia nearly shrieked in embarrassment.
"It's so obvious, you could light up the night sky with it." Therese smiled warmly.
Wyndia folded in on herself in embarrassment.
...
"... is it really that obvious?" She asked.
"I mean, at least to me, it sounds like it. I haven't seen you two together like I have Raphtalia and Mr. Naofumi. I could give a final verdict for you after observing you later if you want." She smiled coyly.
"No, um, I'd be fine without that." Wyndia tried to brush the topic away.
"No, I insist. I can tell how much you care for him. Even if you try not to show…" Therese trailed off.
"Try not to show what?" Wyndia asked. She hoped it wasn't Therese setting up for some kind of joke involving flashing her Hero. If so, she was going to launch the girl far out over the ocean with the last spell she could muster that night!
However, Therese wasn't paying attention anymore. Her mind was somewhere far away, thinking about a certain raven-haired girl that Wyndia had reminded her of. She was also very strong and assertive and had trouble expressing her feelings as well.
And because of that hesitation, the girl never got the chance to confess what she truly felt towards the person that she cared about. They were gone before she could reveal her feelings.
The girl was left heartbroken. Overcome with despair, guilt and shame over her perceived failure to protect that precious person. It was haunting for Therese to see someone who she considered to be the strongest and most reliable person in the world like that. Someone who she saw as her big sister in all but name reduced to such a state. Left with no more purpose in life beyond completing her mission and willing to cross any line in pursuit of its success...
".. erase… Ther… Therese? Therese?!"
The turquoise-haired girl snapped out of her moment, noticing that Wyndia was glaring at her harshly. "Show him what?!" She impatiently asked. "It better not be what I think it is!"
"Oh, it was nothing, forget I said anything." Therese dropped the subject, surprising Wyndia.
"It's getting late. Do you feel ready to try one last time?" Therese quickly changed the subject.
…
Wyndia slowly nodded and stood up to face the forest.
"I call upon the power of the Earth to come to me and take form. Dragon Vein, hear my petition! Earth Vein, lend me your strength! Channel the air and give it shape! Give me what I need to turn my defeat into a victory! Wind's Torrent!"
She got off one last spell, but it went about the same as before. When she looked at Therese, the girl just shrugged and shook her head. Wyndia sighed in defeat and slumped her shoulders. "Maybe I'm doing nothing wrong, and this is just my curse from losing my Father."
"Don't be like that, we'll figure it out tomorrow," Therese suggested as she gently put her hand on the dog girl's shoulder.
"Do you really want to waste more of your time with me?" Wyndia asked bitterly.
The stone whisperer smiled. "Making new friends is never a waste of time."
"Oh, so we're friends now, huh?" Wyndia snarkily asked.
Therese didn't respond as she helped Wyndia to walk back. It was when they were almost back in town that the dog girl spoke again. "Friends… I wouldn't mind having more of those, I guess..." She admitted.
"... Do you want to try meeting up earlier in the evening tomorrow for another girl's outing?" Therese asked.
"We're not going to look at more swimsuits again, right?" Wyndia asked suspiciously.
"No, I was thinking of taking some time to enjoy the Hot Springs." Therese giggled. "I heard Cal Mira has the best Hot Springs in this world."
Wyndia thought about it. She did feel more relaxed tonight, which had helped her to focus on her magic casting. Maybe if she relaxed a little more, the problem she was suffering from would reveal itself… and even if it didn't...
"I'd like that." She said genuinely.
"Good, I'll let Raphtalia and Rishia know." The blue-haired girl nodded in satisfaction and put the palms of her hands together.
She bid her good night and when Wyndia reached her room, she found out, much to her surprise, that Farrie, Tersia, and Ren were still studying.
"Oh, you're back already? Did things go well?" Tersia asked.
"You look tired. Are you okay?" Farrie asked as well.
"Y… Yeah." Wyndia said. "You're still studying?" She turned to face Ren.
He nodded, not looking up from his book. "I need to learn this if I want to get stronger. Resting today gave me enough time to think and realize that I need to take things more seriously. You won't mind if I stay here a little longer to study, right?" He raised his head quizically.
…
"Of course not, you dummy. The sooner you learn magic, the sooner I can stop worrying about your spells failing in battle." Wyndia huffed, taking a seat next to him again.
"It's not like I'm totally helpless without it." Ren pointed out with an awkward smile.
"Shut up and learn. Otherwise, you'll be sorry when I kick your butt into the ocean." Wyndia threatened.
Ren paled upon hearing that and focused more intently on his learning than he had all night.
"Huh, so threatening to throw you into the ocean is enough motivation, huh. Good thinking, Wyndia." Farrie commented. The girls all chuckled evilly together.
Ren seriously hoped that he'd learn magic text soon. Because that'd at least be easier than trying to learn how to swim.
He was so intent on his studies, he didn't notice Wyndia's hand brush against his once more.
"Hey, Therese, is everything alright?"
L'Arc and Therese were in their room. Therese was looking at herself in the mirror.
"L'Arc." The blue-haired girl looked oddly vulnerable as she stared into the mirror with a hard to read expression." What are we doing here?"
"Huh?" The redhead cocked his head in confusion. "Training. Leveling up. Unlocking new weapon forms." He patted his scythe for emphasis, smiling like an idiot. "Having fun. Flirting with cute girls. Being annoying-"
"No, I mean…" She slowly turned around to face her partner, making him freeze in place as he noticed the tears in the corners of her eyes. "What are we doing in this world?"
…
L'Arc's face fell. "Finding out information about the Cardinal Heroes. To learn their weaknesses and strengths so we can... kill them."
"So our world will be spared, right?" Therese asked in a hollow voice.
L'Arc nodded. For once, he was frowning. "Therese, we already knew all this. We knew what we were getting into when we all agreed to go down this path."
"I… I thought I knew what I was signing up for but-" Therese began to speak, but struggled to find the words.
"... Are you having second thoughts?" L'Arc asked worriedly.
"It's just... we've met so many different people here L'Arc. And we're making so many friends… and when we kill their Heroes, they'll die as well." She slowly explained.
…
Therese held a hand to her chest. "It won't be by our hands… but without this world's Cardinal Heroes, the Waves of Catastrophe will eventually consume it, killing everyone... Including them."
L'Arc pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, that sucks. Maybe when it comes down to it, we could find those Kiddos again and bring them and anyone else they care about along to our world before their world is consumed. At least then we'll save a few good people from here."
"... right." Therese sighed again. That would mean sacrificing everyone else, but at least a few would be saved...
L'Arc put a comforting arm over her shoulder. "If this is too much for you, then you can go back. It'll be a bit tricky with just me and Glass, but I won't force you to do this with us."
"..." It was moments like this that reminded Therese why she loved L'Arc. Even with all his flaws, he really cared for her and all his friends. "No, I'm going to stick with you." She chuckled. "Otherwise, who'll be there to back you up when you make a stupid mistake in battle?"
L'Arc pouted and removed his arm. "Hey, I'm really strong you know! You don't even have a Vassal Weapon!"
"And yet I've had to save your butt how many times?" Therese smiled weakly.
"... thirty-seven." He admitted and lowered his head in shame.
She smiled again and slowly wrapped her hero in a tender hug. "Let's just do what we can for now. I'll try to learn what I can from our friends tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'll try too…" L'Arc smiled happily, embracing the turquoise-haired girl back.
Eventually, they separated and Therese blew out the candle to the room, putting it in darkness.
"Good night, Therese," L'Arc whispered from his bed.
"Good night." Therese closed her eyes to sleep.
Despite L'Arc's best attempts to cheer her up, there was still a troubling thought in the back of her mind.
Was doing this really the right thing to do? Was sacrificing this world and the others they were clashing with in the Waves so they could win and buy time to find their missing friend worth it?...
… ...
But then she remembered how weak the other three Cardinal Heroes in her world were. How they complained about the monsters becoming too strong. How they were waiting for some 'update' that'd fix the 'bugs', allowing them to fight again. They weren't even trying to put in an effort to get stronger. They were useless.
She, the other Vassals, and their companions were trying to stay strong, but at this rate, their world was doomed. Their only chance was to find their missing friend… or get rid of the other worlds clashing against theirs through the Waves.
Right, that was the only path they had to go forward…
The only path they had left to survive.
Author's Notes:
Ah, man. I really enjoyed this chapter. The accessory merchant Naofumi dealt with here is yet another thing the anime cut from the LN. Then again, he was from the beginning of LN 6, but since Naofumi and the others left Cal Mira at the end of the anime, I'm willing to guess he's been cut to. A huge shame really. I liked Naofumi really showcasing his sense of business.
Onward to the next battle!
Hero Clips!
I'm Pregnant!
"What happened?" Naofumi asked, now with far more than slight concern.
"... … …" Raphtalia went really red in the face, and looked away from Naofumi. However, her tail was wagging super hard behind her, showcasing her anxiety. "Um… uh..."
"I'm pregnant!" She blurted out.
It turned out, demi-humans do get pregnant from kissing! Who could have seen this coming!? "Therese also used her magic and found out it's a girl."
...
"Eh?" Naofumi looked confused.
"Yay, Filo's getting a little sister!" Filo exclaimed happily.
"Congrats Miss Raphtalia." Eclair said politely.
"Yes, Lord Naofumi's child will be the best thing ever!" Dou-Lon yelled in excitement.
"Is, um, is she going to treat me as an older sister?!" Melty asked, rubbing Raphtalia's belly with concern on her face.
The girl smiled happily. "Of course. You're already like our daughter, after all."
Melty blushed at that. Now, she had two sets of parents.
Though she didn't like how that made Naofumi her dad. She'd prefer it if Naofumi was out of the picture altogether.
"Um, Lord Naofumi, are you alright?" Dou-Lon asked.
Speaking of him, Naofumi was pale-faced. He looked like he was being crushed under the weight of responsibility that'd suddenly been thrust upon his shoulders.
"Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked worriedly, realizing how sudden this must be for him.
...
The look on his face disappeared, replaced with a beaming smile. "Well, if that's true, then…" He got down on one knee. "Raphtalia, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He asked, pulling out a ring from his shield and holding it up to her.
Raphtalia began to sniffle and embraced Naofumi in a death-defying hug. "Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes!"
Everyone cheered for them. It seemed so unreal. Raphtalia felt so happy that-
She burst awake from the dream she was having.
"Ah, you're finally awake."
She looked at the desk, where Naofumi was busy working on the accessory.
Oh, right, demi-humans didn't get pregnant by kissing. It was a little more complicated than that.
She should have been relieved that she wasn't actually pregnant, that she'd get to continue to fight by Naofumi's side as his sword… but...
She nearly sniffled. Did her dream have to include a marriage proposal from Naofumi too!? That was so unfair! She'd give anything to make that happen in real life!
"You sleep well? You look exhausted." Naofumi said in concern.
"It's… it's nothing." Raphtalia sighed wistfully.
She at least wished she could have seen the little green-eyed Tanuki daughter they would have had before she woke up.
She would have been the cutest little thing in the world.
Till Next Time
Allen