To Guest, I answered your question in my Flaws of the Trial guide which I posted Friday. Any further questions that are spoiler in nature I will add to that guide when I can. You're welcome Ghost Man for finally putting out a detailed list for all the ways Naofumi can't do damage. I am sure it will continue to increase as time goes on XD.

I'll repeat this for my other readers who have spoiler questions. Please PM those to me instead of posting them as a review if you can. I will be adding answers, if I haven't already, to that guide in the future.

Chapter's long today, which is funny because I split it in two a few days ago while working on it. Hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Hello, Raph-Chan!

Raphtalia shivered uncontrollably.

"Is something wrong, Miss Raphtalia?" Dou-Lon asked.

"It's… it's nothing. I just felt a strange chill." Raphtalia replied after a moment. Looking back over her shoulder at something in the distance.

"Hmmm… you think we have a ghost haunting us or something?" L'Arc teased.

"Don't be silly, L'Arc. I doubt it's anything like that." Therese shook her head.

"You never know in our world." The Scythe Hero shrugged but didn't push the subject further.

It'd been several days since they'd left the town, and they were currently traveling through the forest to get to Central City so they could use the Dragon Hourglass there to escape back to L'Arc's country, Sickle. They'd refrained from visiting any other towns thus far.

By this point, Raphtalia and Dou-Lon were in their 40's level wise. They were able to handle quite a few of the monsters they came across, though the Otherworlders did have to participate every now and then.

Glass didn't participate in the fighting as much as her compatriots though. She still had her curse to deal with, as well as the fact that she tired out after only a few battles due to how her race worked.

It didn't help that she'd expended so much energy at the prison either. And that with them being continuously on the run, she didn't have much of a chance to rest.

Her helping Dou-Lon and Raphtalia to improve in the use of their blades did little to help matters. Though that was more on her since she was so adamant about spending time each night to train the duo. She was stubborn about the practice.

The two needed to be in fighting shape by the time they reached the Capital. In case things did go wrong and they needed to fight their way through.

"You sure it was nothing, Miss Raphtalia? You looked pretty uneasy for a moment there." Dou-Lon pressed.

"Again, I don't know what it was, so it was probably nothing…" Raphtalia openly grimaced. Her feet were killing her, and not just because of all the hiking they'd been doing lately.

"Do you need me to carry you on my back again, Raphtalia?" Therese asked worriedly this time.

"No, it's fine. I'm ok. I appreciate it, but I can take care of myself." Raphtalia shook her head and kept on pressing on.

"No need to tough it out, you know. We're strong and capable. If the pain's too much, I'll happily volunteer to carry you around myself." L'Arc said in an odd moment of seriousness.

Raphtalia was about to snap at the redhead, then she realized what was happening and shook her head to clear it. "Sorry. I hate being a teenager again."

"Man, and to think Naofumi had to deal with this." L'Arc smiled wistfully. "I almost feel bad for the Kiddo-"

Slap! "Ow! Hey!"

Raphtalia crossed her arms and kept walking, ignoring the redhead who was rubbing the latest bump on the back of his head. Though this time, it hadn't come from Therese.

Growing up the first time with Naofumi had hurt plenty. But the level gains had been gradual back then, so it'd been somewhat bearable. The emotional changes had been fine too for the most part.

However, Raphtalia was well past the point now where she would have been an adult levelwise. And despite her best efforts, she felt the effects of her teenage attitude and puberty for the second time in her life.

It was absolute torture.

Dou-Lon, despite all his knowledge, wasn't exactly sure as to why she wasn't an adult already. He theorized that it was because a demi's body could only grow so much in a short span of time and thus needed at least a few days in order for the demi body to grow properly.

Though, when Raphtalia's stomach grumbled for the fifth time that day, it was also possible her body needed nutrients in order to spur further growth.

Her height and assets HAD to come from somewhere, after all.

"Do we need to stop to eat again?!" L'Arc asked incredulously. "Just how much can you pack away in there-"

Therese gripped the redhead by the ear before Raphtalia could, cutting him off. "L'Arc. You know that it's rude to ask a woman about her weight."

"Ow! Ow ow! Okay, I got it! I can just get the cookfire going again! Just let me go!" L'Arc whined in protest.

"Let us find somewhere safe to set it up first." Glass spoke calmly. The group could use the break, and she was a little hungry herself.

They continued for a few more minutes until they came across a clearing in the forest. Once there, the group quickly set up camp for lunch.

Raphtalia felt a little guilty about needing to stop them again. But as Therese helped L'Arc with setting everything up to cook their latest meal of the day, the half-tanuki's stomach growled again and her mouth watered in anticipation. It wasn't as good as Naofumi's cooking, but if it helped to settle the ravenous hunger in her stomach right now, she'd eat anything.

As she daydreamed about the meals that Naofumi would have prepared for her and everyone else before this, Glass quietly approached the half-Tanuki girl.

"Come, we shall practice while we wait for them to finish." Glass gestured with her head towards another part of the clearing.

"I-I'm not sure if I-" Raphtalia didn't want to end her daydreaming already! However, Glass continued to sternly look at her, and eventually, the half-tanuki nodded as she got up. Reluctantly, she unsheathed her blade and went to the spot Glass had gestured to.

Glass then went over to Dou-Lon, telling him the same thing. The Hakuko unsheathed his own blade, and moved to stand next to Raphtalia as Glass approached the pair.

The sleeves of her kimono were pulled up, revealing her bandaged arms. She also had the bottom of her kimono parted more to reveal her legs. It was something she'd grown accustomed to, as she didn't train the pair in only swinging their blades.

"Let us continue where we left off last night on the steps of Zero Stance Rondo." Glass ordered calmly.

Dou-Lon frowned, and he and Raphtalia did their best to mimic Glass as she moved her body as if she were a flowing river.

'I thought she'd teach us more about using our blades instead of how to dance with style.' The hakuko male had experience with dancing, especially folk dancing, but never dancing while holding a weapon. He couldn't help but feel doubtful as he tried to copy what the spirit woman was showing them.

The hilt of the katana still felt weird in his hands, but not so much as before. He could at least grip it and swing it without fear of dropping it. Yet moving the blade together with his body while attempting to follow some kind of internal flow felt quite unnatural to the hakuko.

Glass had started Dou-Lon's training with how to grip the hilt, as well as some basic swings he could practice to get used to the weapon's weight. The spirit person had done the same for Raphtalia, though the half-Tanuki girl took to her new weapon far better than the hakuko thanks to her prior experience with swords.

But after going over that and making certain that they could swing their blades properly… the spirit woman had started showing her dance style of combat.

"You must be light on your feet. Lighter, no Dou-Lon, you're leaning forward too much. That will mess up your balance when you side step. Stand taller Raphtalia. I know it hurts, but you must." Glass calmly instructed the pair.

After a moment, L'Arc and Therese had everything ready and cooking. They then sat down on a pair of logs nearby to watch the two novices practice as they waited.

The two demi-humans felt embarrassed since they felt like they were putting up an amateurish display. Yet Glass kept it up with the instructions, until she finally paused. They wondered if it was because she'd tired out already, but that didn't appear to be the case.

"I feel like you are not putting nearly as much effort into your training today as you did yesterday. Is something wrong?" The spirit woman asked gently.

…

Raphtalia and Dou-Lon looked at each other, and then back at Glass who tapped her fans against her legs, waiting for an explanation.

"No offense, Miss Glass-" Dou-Lon started.

"Just Glass is fine." Glass interrupted.

"Um, well… Glass, what is the purpose of us learning how to dance?" Dou-Lon finally brought up what had been bothering him. "I know a bit about dancing from my world, but I've never seen it used in combat."

…

Glass closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. The two demis felt like they'd disappointed her in some way. "I know it is called a dance, but it would be more accurate if you called it a stance. More specifically, a flowing stance."

"But… this is unlike any stance in our world." Dou-Lon added cautiously.

"... Yes, it is far different from what I've observed in my travels there. But it is also different from what others in my world practice." As she spoke, Glass held her fans together in front of her, making it look like a fan blade.

"I have seen from watching you fight that you are more used to using brute force when facing enemies. So to demonstrate, I'd like to ask you to land a hit on me." The spirit woman ordered while looking at the hakuko.

Dou-Lon blinked, looking uncertain for only a second, but then as he figured that the spirit woman's defense was high enough for his blade to not do any damage to her, he gripped his katana and rushed Glass with a surprisingly clean forward thrust.

But as his blade moved, her fans reacted. One knocked the blade to the side, the other pushed him back without so much as hurting him.

Dou-Lon nearly fell from the surprise push and only barely managed to keep one hand gripping the hilt.

"Again. Both of you, this time." Glass ordered.

She wasn't going to make it easy for them.

The two demis rushed the spirit woman. This time working together to land an attack on her.

But she weaved between their attacks, almost causing them to hit each other. Her fans landed on their backs, pushing them into the ground.

"Fighting and dancing are not as different as one might think. In our world, it can be the difference between life and death." Glass spoke.

The pair got back up and resumed swinging at her.

But Glass kept weaving, her feet moving in the flowing style of combat she used. Her piercing red eyes followed their movements, and her arms, which were always in constant motion, allowed her to not only meet their attacks, but redirect them, or graciously dodge them entirely.

"Is… is this magic?" Raphtalia asked incredulously after a moment.

"Indeed. This is what is known in our world as Performance Magic. A magic that can be harnessed from song or dance." Glass answered as her body flowed. "Combined with the lessons I learned from the Fan's Martials Arts Academy, I am not only reacting to the flow of battle, I am dictating it with the actions I take."

"This style of combat often involves fighting multiple people. It requires you to be constantly aware of where they are and what they are doing so you can move yourself accordingly." Glass continued to speak as the two demis moved in to attack again. "Sometimes, you are the one who leads and sets the pace. Other times you must be flexible and adjust your movements to someone else. But most importantly-" Glass suddenly slapped Dou-Lon's blade from his grip, her fan moving to his chin.

"You must always feel the rhythm."

…

Dou-Lon held his hands up in surrender. Before Glass could say anything more though, she felt a blade at her own throat.

"That… is true." Raphtalia conceded. "I remember Eclair teaching me something similar before. You need to watch your opponent in order to react to them. I guess… you just put it more poetically than her. But I understand it now."

The spirit woman gave the half-tanuki girl a nod of respect. "Indeed, the one with the stick in her behind had taught you well." Glass then knocked Raphtalia's blade to the side with her fan, while the hakuko struggled to suppress a snort.

The two women continued their spar in earnest after that.

Dou-Lon watched the pair after retrieving his weapon. Truly, Raphtalia surpassed him in skill as even though it was a mock duel, she was now keeping pace with the Spirit Woman's attacks and movements.

That was one of the benefits of her being a teenager again. She was at the point in her life where her body learned quickly as it grew.

Raphtalia wasn't the best there was, but she was already a good visual learner. And Glass was a surprisingly good teacher. Even now, in the midst of the fight while fighting back exhaustion, she continued to point out what the half-tanuki could do to improve.

It continued for a few minutes, and neither one of the two women looked like they wanted it to end. Raphtalia's hunger was long forgotten as she tried to soak everything Glass was showing her like a wet sponge

But as Glass moved to block the girl's katana again, feeling the effects of fatigue heavy on her body, a figure appeared in the corner of her vision.

Glass immediately paused, and Raphtalia's blade bounced off her arm without the spirit woman reacting. "Ack, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… oh, you're not hurt." Raphtalia said in relief.

Glass didn't immediately answer, however, as she was looking out into the forest.

"Glass, is everything ok?" L'Arc and Therese walked up.

"..." The Fan Hero shook her head, taking in a deep breath. The figure, whoever it was, was already gone. "It's nothing. I was only distracted."

"This isn't your first time. If you're spacing out repeatedly, you really could use some rest to gather more energy." Therese said, resting a hand on the spirit woman's sweaty shoulder.

…

"Perhaps." The Fan Hero looked tiredly at Raphtalia and Dou-Lon. "Keep practicing without me. I will be checking your progress tonight."

The two nodded, looking uncertain, but doing as Glass had asked them to do.

"Is it time to replace the bandages again? I know we're running low on holy water, but if it helps-" L'Arc began to say.

"No, they were only replaced this morning. My arms can wait until the evening." Glass sighed as L'Arc and Therese sat her down.

"Are you sure you're ok? It didn't look like just simple exhaustion there." Therese asked tenderly. "If you really need to rest for a while, we can camp here for tonight."

…

"I'm fine. I promise." Glass replied after a short pause.

The two otherworlders frowned, but took her word on it before going back to cooking.

Glass continued to sit, holding her arms close as she closed her eyes and concentrated on resting.

However, she couldn't shake the strange familiar feeling that she'd gotten. It was like she knew who that ghostly figure was.

It hadn't been her first time seeing him either. She'd seen glimpses of him even while in the prison. But she'd written it off as the pain the place was causing her, and up until recently, a delusion created from her curse.

But after today, she was sure, she wasn't imagining things. Someone was following them around. Whether it was a scout keeping track of their progress, or some supernatural being, she wasn't sure.

It wasn't long until lunch was ready. They all ate together, with Raphtalia devouring the majority of the food on her own.

With the lunch break concluded, L' Arc made the call to keep moving again after confirming that Glass was good to go once more. She could have used more time but her curiosity pushed her onward, if only to see if this ghostly figure following them would disappear, or reveal himself later on.

And so they continued deeper into the forest, closer to Central City.

And closer to getting back home again.

"Rafu!"

"What… is that?" Itsuki asked in confusion.

"I… I'm not sure." Naofumi hesitantly responded before taking a closer look at the creature that was clinging to his chest.

She looked like a mix between a raccoon and a tanuki. She had a brown fluffy tail that was as big as the rest of its body. Her four small limbs made her look like a chubby little dog. Her face didn't look like a raccoon or a tanuki's.

The fur on her body was the same shade of auburn as Raphtalia's hair, and her eyes were a deep tea red too.

She'd really inherited a lot appearance wise from Raphtalia. If Raphtalia had a therianthrope form, he wondered if it'd look like this. Though, the tuft of hair on her head wasn't in Raphtalia's hairstyle.

Overall, she kind of looked like a cereal mascot for children. Though, Naofumi had never seen one modeled after a tanuki before. Was this really his shikigami?

...Then again, Chris was not exactly threatening-looking either, so maybe this was just how things were with the local brand of familiars.

The Shield Hero changed to the new shield he'd gotten, and an icon appeared over the familiar's head. Yep, this was definitely it. Looking it over, her stats were quite low, and she didn't have levels. It appeared that to make her stronger, he'd have to use the Shikigami power-up option he'd gotten from his newest shield, which used items to raise the creature's stats in various ways.

"Rafu?" The little creature tilted her head to the side curiously as she rested her paws on the edge of Naofumi's shield.

It looked absolutely adorable.

In fact, as Naofumi sat up and moved the creature onto his lap, her whole form looked absolutely adorable. It was like she was asking to be pet.

Not that Naofumi wanted to admit it.

…

Maybe he'd try petting her head though. Strictly as a sign of good will of course.

Pet.

…

Maybe one more time wouldn't hurt.

Pet…

…

…

…

Pet. Pet. Pet! Pet! Pet! PET! PET! PET! PET!

"Rafu! Raf! Raf! Rafu!" The creature cried out happily as Naofumi's hand rubbed her head again and again and again, steadily going faster and faster with more intensity.

"N-Naofumi?!" Itsuki cried out in shock.

However, Naofumi wasn't listening. Her fur. It felt just like Raphtalia's hair! And it was exuding her warmth too! It almost did feel like he was petting Raphtalia's head!

The creature really liked it too. Despite the speed and intensity of Naofumi's petting, she rubbed her head and ears into his hand and absolutely drank in the love and attention she was receiving. "Rafu! Rafu!"

"Pen! Pen!" Chris hugged Kizuna's leg tightly, his little round eyes burning with envy at the display.

"Awww, you're feeling left out?! Don't worry, I'll fix that right now! Come here!" Kizuna started doing the same thing as Naofumi.

Both shikigamis looked like they'd died and gone to heaven. "Rafu!" "Pen!"

PET PET PET PET PET PET PET!

"I… I guess the ceremony was a success after all." Ethnobalt said with a sigh of relief as he floated closer and picked his staff up off the ground. "It appears that Naofumi's shikigami is already developing a personality too. How intriguing."

"What? Is that not normal?" Itsuki and Rishia spoke simultaneously. They then looked at each other in surprise and blushed.

"Yes, normally, it would take months, sometimes years even for it to respond like this. It is normally a sign that the familiar has grown a soul of its own." Ethnobalt said to himself thoughtfully, not noticing the pair's twin blushes. "Most peculiar. I wish we weren't so hard pressed for time right now. I would have liked to run some tests and examine this shikigami in detail. Oh well, perhaps there'll be an opportunity for it later."

Naofumi wasn't really paying attention to what the Boat Hero was saying, as his hand moved from the familiar's head to its back. It was so soft. Naofumi couldn't keep the goofy grin off his face as the creature bopped noses with him.

"I get the feeling that we'll get along really well." The Shield Hero cooed out.

"Rafu!" The familiar raised a fist above its head in agreement as it let out its cute voice.

Oh, crap. It really was too cute. Naofumi hugged the familiar to himself and continued petting it so loudly that it felt like the word PET! was appearing in bold letters above them. He didn't care how ridiculous it looked either.

He'd just met his dream pet. It was like Raphtalia, only he was able to get away with doing this.

Raphtalia definitely wouldn't have liked it if he pet her this much.

Not in public anyway.

"Well, um, I'd call this a success, I guess? What do you think, Naofumi?" Itsuki asked the Shield Hero.

…

PET PET PET PET PET PET PET!

Itsuki's question fell on deaf ears. Naofumi kept on spoiling the fluffy bundle of joy, with Kizuna mimicking the motion with her own shikigami.

...

The people being left out exchanged awkward looks before Itsuki coughed into his hand to clear his throat and spoke out again, louder this time.

"Hey! Naofumi! Are we going to figure out where Raphtalia is, or are we going to wait here forever?!"

"Huh… oh, right."

Pet.

Naofumi's smile dropped, but his hand kept on petting the familiar, though less intensely than before. In a weird way, it helped to ground him instead of having him fall into depression at the thought of Raphtalia not being there with him right now. Filo was still on the back of his mind, but Raphtalia had to come first.

"Hey Naofumi, did you see the option to power up its stats with items?" Kizuna asked curiously. She was still petting Chris just like he was petting… he needed a name for his Shikigami, hmm.

"I did." Naofumi replied. "It looks kind of fun, like another weapon power-up method in a way."

"I know, right?! Glad that you're allowed to use that option too!" Kizuna gave him a thumbs up, and they both laughed.

"Feh…" Rishia whimpered, and glanced from them to Itsuki, and then back. A blush slowly crawled up her features once again.

Itsuki kept a solid grip on his bow. Even though Rishia was already there, he REALLY felt tempted to make a familiar of his own too! They really had an option to strengthen them through the use of items?! That could be so broken and so cool!

Urgh… too bad his nervousness and insecurities kept the Bow Hero from asking Rishia if she'd be alright with them having a 'love child' of their own. It would probably be just as adorable as Naofumi's.

"Alright… Can you point to where Raphtalia is?" Naofumi finally asked his shikigami.

"Rafu!" She jumped from his arms and landed on the floor next to Chris and Kizuna.

"Ah, before that." Ethnobalt pulled a sheet of paper from the platform beneath him. He then bent down, and set it against the ground.

It looked like a map of the world. "If you would be so kind? Pointing in a direction only goes so far, after all." Ethnobalt continued. "This will give us a better idea about their general location."

"They can do that even with a map!?" Naofumi asked in surprise.

"Yes, a shikigami's senses for their 'parents' is sharp." Ethnobalt nodded sagely.

It sounded like Filo's tracking abilities. Or perhaps even a step above that.

Crap, he really hoped she was with Raphtalia.

Hearing the word 'parents' used, you could see Itsuki turning crimson again. So much for him and Rishia getting a familiar of their own.

"Rafu!" "Pen!"

The two familiars bounded up to the map, looking over it intently. Naofumi saw his shikigami look around herself for a moment. Looking around as if she was a cute little radar.

Aw man, she really was too adorable. He really needed to give her a name. She was going out of her way to get him to like her, and it was definitely working. Even its "Rafu" sounded like Raphtalia's voice when she was young.

She was walking and breathing perfection.

…

After a moment, Naofumi's familiar lifted up her tiny paw, while Chris lifted up his flipper. They both settled on the same spot on the map. "Rafu!" "Pen!"

…

A huge burden was lifted off of Naofumi's shoulders. "She's not alone." He muttered quietly to himself while shaking with relief.

Raphtalia at the very least had Glass helping her out.

"Well, would you look at that? Both of our objectives are lining up it seems." Kizuna smiled at first but it quickly turned into a frown.

Chris was pointing at a forested area in the Katana's country. His flipper hovered near its capital, Central City.

"That isn't good." Ethnobalt frowned.

"They just couldn't be inside Sickle." Naofumi frowned as well.

"Is this area dangerous or something?" Itsuki quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ah, right you're a bit out of the loop, uh... Itsuki, right? I'm Kizuna, the Hunting Tools Hero, by the way. But I'm pretty sure you know that much already." The Hunting Hero extended her hand with a smile. "Sorry for the late introductions."

"It's alright, between what I heard from L' Arc, Therese and Ethnobalt, I feel like I know you already." Itsuki shook Kizuna's hand magnanimously with a smile of his own.

"Only good things I hope? Haha! Really, though, I could say the same." Kizuna grinned. "You are definitely living up to Rishia's hype so far! She wasn't kidding when she said that you have the face of some fairy tale prince! You might even give Ethnobalt a run for his money! Unlike mister grumpy bear here with his yakuza thug look."

"Oi."

"Fueh!"

"Ah, I… I see." Itsuki cleared his throat preemptively before his voice could crack in embarrassment. "I hope I'll continue to live up to your expectations then, Kizuna."

"Same!" The hunting hero nodded before her face took on a more serious expression. "Right then, let's give you a quick history course to catch you up on the current events. So, basically, this place Glass and Raphtalia are in is the Katana Hero's country and…"

A quick summary later Itsuki nodded to himself, sharing Naofumi's frown now. "Yes, this definitely presents a problem."

"I apologize in advance for being the bearer of bad news again today, but I am afraid it gets even worse." Ethnobalt grimaced. "I received word yesterday that security is being tightened in the Katana's country along our border and that its military is mobilizing in its capital. I thought it was for something else, but now, I'm certain that it has to do with their famous Regression Prison getting destroyed, likely by Glass and the others."

Naofumi thought about the other rumor they'd heard while in that town in the Mirror Country.

He'd considered it a joke. But that wanted poster that looked like a yokai witch had probably been Glass after all.

They'd managed to actually get rumors of their friend's whereabouts. And they hadn't known it at the time.

Ethnobalt continued to frown deeply. "If I were to make a guess, Glass and Raphtalia must be trying to get to the Capital to use the Dragon Hourglass there to escape. That isn't good."

"How so?" Naofumi asked in confusion. Then he realized what Ethnobalt had said about the country's military mobilizing and he paled.

"The Katana country's military is one of the strongest in the world, due to them being in close proximity to the Demon Dragon's former lands. Due to all the battles they had to participate in during the war and now the Waves, their soldiers are unusually high leveled. When combined with their culture's strong militant nature, they become very dangerous. Enough to give even L'Arc and Glass trouble. But that isn't the worst part." Ethnobalt breathed in deeply.

"Our spies had recently reported that the Katana country is preparing to hold a selection for the Vassal Katana. That was why I assumed they were mobilizing their military inside their Capital before now. But with both events in play, security at the Hourglass will be even tighter as a result. They might even have access closed off entirely. Our friends would be walking right into a deathtrap without knowing it."

"So… it'll be like what we had to deal with." Naofumi grimaced as he looked at Kizuna.

"Yeah, only, they won't even be able to USE the dragon hourglass, much less, have someone like you to help them get to it." Kizuna nodded in return. "That things likely going to be locked down when they arrive."

"I mean, they don't have our weapon limitations so maybe…" Naofumi couldn't bring himself to say more. Even knowing how skilled Raphtalia was, he found himself worrying over her safety.

If she, Glass, and whoever else they might be traveling with hadn't even reached the hourglass yet, that must have meant that they'd run into some kind of trouble. Or perhaps they were about to be captured, or maybe they had been captured and were being brought to Kyo or someone just as nasty, and-

"Rafu!" Naofumi's shikigami bounced into his arms, looking up at him in worry. Subconsciously, Naofumi started rubbing the fur on her back.

The tension on his mind eased, and the worries faded away somewhat.

This critter was proving far more effective than the crystal ball or Filo's feathers. It really was almost like he was petting and hugging Raphtalia right now.

His shikigami had just become his newest favorite stress ball.

"Don't worry. She'd be able to tell if Raphtalia was hurt or worse." Ethnobalt told him reassuringly, having noticed the look on his face. "That is another ability that all shikigami inherently possess. It is how we knew that Kizuna was alive for all these years."

"Rafu!" The familiar raised a paw to Naofumi's face, looking at him with bright and clear happiness. He couldn't help but smile at the reassurance she gave him. It was definitely far stronger and more effective than his coping mechanism from before.

"Wait, so if they imprisoned Glass and possibly L'Arc in that regression prison, isn't that just asking for war?" Itsuki interrupted with disbelief in his voice. "What the hell are they thinking? I realize your countries aren't on the best of terms but this is insane! Don't you guys help out in waves that happen in the Katana's Country as well?!"

"We do." The Boat Hero nodded sadly. "And yes, if our vassal heroes really were being held hostage in their nation and they tried to hide it from us, then this would be an act of war. Unfortunately, we have no definitive proof outside these two shikigamis here. And if we launched an unprovoked attack, we'd risk being accused of warmongering and causing an international incident."

"... Puh. I hate politics." Itsuki muttered as he rubbed his forehead with a grimace.

"I do too, but in this case, it can also work in our favor." The Boat Hero smiled as he began to explain. "The fact that my sources didn't discover this sooner means that Katana is trying to hide this from everyone else in the world, because they don't want to cause an international incident and risk war from more nations either. They'd rather acquire our Heroes quietly than alert everyone else of what they're doing.

"Meaning that if we rescue our friends and bring them home, then we can not only foil their plans, but we would also be able to properly condemn the Katana's country for their actions by the testimonies of our freed Vassal Heroes. If we went to war after that, it would be justified to our allies and our enemies."

"That could explain why that wanted poster of Glass just looked… so off." Naofumi muttered before looking at Kizuna.

"Yeah. It seemed funny at the time, but not anymore." The girl agreed.

"I guess that settles it then." Naofumi raised his eyes from the map to look at the boat hero. "We'll have to go to the Katana's country and rescue our friends. Will you be joining us, Ethnobalt?"

The librarian rabbit shook his head, however, surprising the Shield Hero. "As much as it pains me to do so, I must decline. If word got out that Sickle had no vassal heroes at home to defend itself, then we would get invaded by all of our enemies simultaneously within the week."

"Geez, how the hell did things turn this bad while I was away!?" Kizuna asked incredulously. "No matter where I go, everything I hear just keeps making the global state of things sound worse and worse! This wasn't the world I left behind when I was thrown into the Infinite Labyrinth! It's only been a few years, right?! Right?!"

Ethnobalt sighed. "Our world is under the threat of the Waves. A couple of Vassals have died already, and only recently have some besides the Katana's Country found replacements. Three of the four holy heroes are refusing to participate outright, and you went missing for a while. It is only the threat of absolute annihilation that is keeping most people in line... though that hasn't stopped others from becoming absolute idiots." The rabbit calmly explained, before glaring down at the map where the Mirror and Katana countries were.

Upon hearing that, Naofumi thought about the situation in his own world. How even countries with grudges against each other like Melromarc and Siltvelt had come to work together to fight major threats like the Spirit Tortoise. It seemed the countries had a more cooperative front in his world than they did here.

It was most likely due to the diplomacy skills of people like Queen Mirellia and Werner. He'd heard of no one like them in this world thus far. Such people really were important in the grand scheme of things.

"Well, people acting like morons in times of strife aside." Itsuki decided to put the conversation back on track. "We still need a way to cross the border and catch up to Glass and Raphtalia quickly, before they get themselves in trouble. I assume you'll help us out with that Ethnobalt?"

"Oh! That's right!" Kizuna perked up. "Ethnobalt, I know you have a good reason to stay behind, but would you at least be able to teleport us somewhere close to them?"

"How? I thought you could only teleport between hourglasses here?" Naofumi asked in confusion.

"Normally, yes. But the Boat's method of teleportation is different from the rest of us heroes." Kizuna explained. "Unlike us, Ethnobalt doesn't need a dragon hourglass to teleport around. He can teleport pretty much anywhere in the world."

"That is a gross oversimplification of it. But while I won't come along, I was at least planning on doing that for you since I'd only be gone for a few minutes at most." Ethnobalt nodded. "I can teleport to any dragon hourglass, or anywhere on the lines between them. Nothing more, nothing less."

He drew a line on the map between where they were and Central City. "For example, as long as magic wasn't up to prevent me from teleporting to any of these locations, I could use my Boat's teleport skill to come out anywhere along this line between our two hourglasses." He then drew more lines between the countries, indicating other lines like train tracks signifying the routes that his Boat could travel on due to connections between Hourglasses.

That… was incredibly useful. Naofumi could only save three locations to teleport to. And even Fitoria had limits on how many locations she could save for teleportation. What Ethnobalt had here was unlimited travel access to anywhere in the world. "Unfortunately, I can only travel along these lines. I can't teleport anywhere outside of them. And I still can't teleport to a place if they have magic up to prevent me from getting there."

"Also, I know from past experience that I can't drop you off in the city itself. They are one of those places that have anti-teleportation barriers up to prevent me or other Heroes they don't want to see from visiting there." Ethnobalt moved a finger along a line between their location and the Katana Country's Capital City. He set his finger down south of where the shikigamis had pointed earlier. "This is likely the closest I could get without setting off any alarms."

…

Naofumi's fists tightened. It still looked too far to him, at least a day's journey by foot. It was far closer than what they'd be at here, but not close enough. "Can't we just fly over to them then, like what we did when you brought us back to the castle from Kizuna's home?"

"That would be foolhardy. If I flew out into the open, we'd spark the international incident that we're trying to avoid." The Boat Hero shook his head. "There are plenty of towns in the area that'd spot me and report it to the authorities.

"The use of airships for travel between countries is strictly regulated through multiple treaties and international laws. Their usage is often limited only to the country's military and nobility in certain cases. And only when piloting them in their own countries on top of that. If anyone catches me traversing through Katana's airspace without permission, then it would be seen as nothing short of a declaration of war on Sickle's part and it would be responded to adequately."

Naofumi scowled. What the hell? So Ethnobalt didn't have a monopoly on air travel?!

Then again, that picture in Kizuna's house should have probably clued him in on that part. That didn't explain why he didn't see any other airships so far though. Or maybe, knowing that they were mostly used by the military and that there were nearly as many regulations surrounding them as in his first world, they were parked on designated airfields somewhere and only deployed in time of war or against the waves or something?

It wasn't like they'd waste resources using them against lesser monsters, especially if, like in his world, the vehicle's stats were determined by the power of those 'wielding' it. It'd be like Melromarc making a large quality catapult, but then having a weak level one soldier man it.

It'd be a complete waste of resources and potential.

Naofumi was about to speak when Kizuna spoke up first. "Alright. It'll be fine, as long as we're able to get to our friends before they try to get into the city. When is the vassal Katana's selection ceremony?"

"In two days." Ethnobalt answered.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan voiced her support of the plan, sealing Naofumi's fate. At least they'd be a lot closer to Raphtalia, and…

…

Wait, had he just named his shikigami Raph-Chan?

…

The more he thought about the name, the more right it sounded to him. She'd come from Raphtalia, so it felt right to name Raph-Chan after her. What other name could be more perfect?

"Fine, I'll trust you on this one Raph-Chan." Naofumi picked the familiar up and rubbed noses with her as he said her name out loud to test it.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan approved of the name. And Naofumi loved the sound of it coming from his mouth.

"Hello Raph-Chan. It's going to be great having you around." Naofumi then hugged the familiar with visible happiness on his face. "I'll be counting on you, okay?"

"Rafu!"

…

"... did he really name her that?" Itsuki asked in disbelief.

Kizuna was about to open her mouth to tease Naofumi, when she looked down at Chris.

Their naming senses really weren't that far off.

"Rafu!"

"Pen!"

At least he hadn't called her rafu-chan. That didn't quite roll off the tongue as easily.

"Before you leave, we also need to consider how to extract you all when you successfully make contact with Glass and Raphtalia." Ethnobalt wondered to himself. "You'd still be in hostile territory even when you regroup after all."

"No worries on that. I have a skill called Portal Shield that'll help with that." Naofumi came back from his worship of Raph-Chan. "It doesn't require an hourglass for me to use it." Naofumi then proceeded to save the place they were standing in as one of the three areas that he could teleport to before he could forget. "When we find Raphtalia and the others, we can return to this spot."

"I can do the same with my skill, Transport Bow." Itsuki nodded. He already had the area that they were in registered, so there was no need for him to play around with his HUD.

"Truly?!" Ethnobalt looked shocked. "How fascinating! Would you care to demonstrate how it works? Not that I don't believe it, mind you, but you are from another world and there might be some potential oddities involved because of it."

That was a fair point. The two Heroes nodded and walked outside of the Dragon Hourglass building. Then, they activated their teleport skills simultaneously.

They disappeared from where they'd been standing and reappeared in the spots they'd registered at without any issue whatsoever.

"Incredible…" Ethnobalt's eyes widened in awe.

"No fair. I wish I didn't need the Hourglass to teleport around." Kizuna pouted.

"It has its limitations. I can only save three locations at a time with my weapon." Naofumi said dryly. "At least you can teleport to any hourglass after registering it."

Kizuna stuck her tongue out at him.

Wow, how mature.

"Alright, looks like we have that part of the plan covered then… but just in case." Ethnobalt handed Kizuna an ofuda. It was like the one he'd handed Naofumi a while ago. "Take this communication ofuda with you. If you're discovered and your lives are in danger, contact me immediately and I'll come running to pull you out, consequences be damned."

"Alright, I will." Kizuna nodded with determination as she accepted the ofuda. "But only as a last resort."

"Uh, excuse me." Itsuki suddenly raised his hand. "I meant to ask about it earlier but we kind of had our hands full looking for Kizuna and all. What are these things and how do they work?"

Naofumi thought about it as he pulled out a similar Ofuda that Ethnobalt had given him earlier from his pocket. He didn't really think much of it before for the same reasons as Itsuki but these things were kind of like phones, weren't they?

The boat hero proceeded to give a quick explanation on the communication ofuda's mechanics and Naofumi's initial assessment proved to be right, they really were like cellphones.

They could be used to call or message the person with the other ofuda that it was paired with. But only that ofuda. They were made in pairs, so in that sense, they were like an encrypted phone line that only two devices at a time could access. There was no static when talking to the person on the other end, and there wasn't a range limit either as long as both ofudas were located in the same world. The only exceptions were locations like labyrinths or deliberately created magical suppression fields which interfered with the ofuda's functions.

"Hold on, so these are relatively common place then?" Itsuki interrupted the boat hero before facing toward Kizuna. "You seemed familiar with it earlier, so you used them before, right?"

"Huh?" Kizuna cocked her head. "Well, duh, of course I have."

"So what happened to them then? Did you give them up or something?" The Bow Hero pressed on. "I can't imagine you not keeping at least a few of these things on hand with how immensely useful they are."

Naofumi frowned and scratched his chin at Itsuki's question. Hold on, that lolibaba. She couldn't possibly...

"Oh yea, I have like a couple dozen of these things." Kizuna responded casually as she pulled out a handful of crumpled paper slips out of her weapon's gem.

…

Naofumi just silently stared at her outstretched hand for a moment. It took what felt like an eternity for him to take a deep breath and collect himself before he spoke out.

"And you didn't think of using one of these to contact one of your friends when we got out of the labyrinth because...?"

"See for yourself." Kizuna shrugged and tossed the paper ball at Naofumi who hastily caught it in surprise, letting a few of the paper slips fall on the ground in the process.

Communication Ofuda (Expired)

Communication Ofuda (Expired)

Communication Ofuda (Expired)

Communication Ofuda (Expired)

Communication Ofuda (Expired)

As soon as he touched them, the answer became apparent on his HUD.

"Oh, they have a duration limit." Itsuki pointed out as he picked up one of the loose slips off the ground. "They really are like phones. They even have a charge."

"If only." Kizuna sighed with disappointment. "Once the juice runs out, that's it. No way to recharge them. It's a real pain in the butt to replace them every time so they're used sparingly."

As Kizuna said that, Itsuki noted something else about the ofuda in his hand. It appeared… to be covered with a grainy material. Was that salt? He was about to ask about it, but held his tongue at the last second as the realization hit.

Those were dried tears.

"I see, forget what I was saying then." Itsuki bowed apologetically before facing Ethnobalt again. "Sorry for interrupting, please go on."

The Boat Hero did so and, thankfully, there was not much left to go over. As Kizuna had said, they didn't last long before becoming useless. Besides calling the individual on the other end, you could also send them text messages if you needed to be silent while using them for whatever reason as the words written on one ofuda would appear on the other.

"Man, I wish we had something like that in our world." Itsuki muttered to himself. "Even with all the limitations in place, the strategic value of these things is priceless. The closest thing we have back home is the adventurer's guild system for communications but it's freakishly expensive."

"Ah, that used to be our go to for communications in the past as well." Ethnobalt supplied. "But ever since a past Ofuda Hero helped to develop these from one of his weapon forms, it's gone out of use besides times of great emergency. Like when the Demon Dragon first began to move against the world.

"It was only thanks to the branch of the guild in the first country that his forces had invaded that word reached the others in time for everyone to get their defenses in place. The Demon Dragon had put up a suppression field over that entire country before his invasion, which made communication via ofuda impossible. Said country was unfortunately destroyed before we could halt the demon dragon's army's advance across the world."

Naofumi blinked at that. "The dragon did that by itself?"

"The demon dragon was very capable when it came to magic." Ethnobalt explained. "Extremely so. That was what made him so deadly to face in combat. Only Kizuna and her weapon was capable of standing up to his power."

"Aw come on, you and everyone else helped me out too, you know." Kizuna smiled at Ethnobalt. "He was so busy with your ship and Glass and L'Arc's attacks that he didn't realize I was the real threat until I joined the fight."

As they had that discussion, Rishia rubbed Itsuki's shoulder to comfort him as he looked down. And the action made the Bow Hero's eyes suddenly shine as he perked up. "Could you get us a couple more pairs of these ofudas too?" He asked.

"I could." Ethnobalt nodded to himself. "But that would take a couple hours, as I already gave out both of the ones that I had on hand. Do you have some sort of plan for them in mind?"

"More like a precaution." Itsuki shook his head. "In case we need to scout things out or anything. It'd definitely help if we had a way to communicate with each other if we had to separate." The Bow Hero quickly explained. He also briefly wondered if they'd work in their world or not.

But then, if they had, Glass and L'Arc would have definitely had them on hand. So it was more than likely they'd only work here.

Naofumi could not help but notice how giddy the Bow Hero was looking at the prospect of receiving communication ofudas. Sure, they were useful, no doubt about it, but it was like Itsuki had some sort of an ulterior motive for getting them.

"In that case, I'll be sure to have them ready for when it's time for you to depart." Ethnobalt agreed.

And with that long discussion out of the way, and with the addition of the universe's most adorable familiar added to their party, the group headed out and began their preparations to leave Sickle.

It was a couple of hours later when the group left with Ethnobalt, and by then, it was late in the evening.

Before that though, Naofumi and Kizuna went back to her house by the ocean so they could rest up a bit. Naofumi took the herring and piranha like monsters she'd killed and made sashimi and other dishes out of it for dinner.

Surprisingly, Rishia came home with them instead of going off with Itsuki. And as soon as she'd sat on the couch, the Fueh girl promptly passed out from exhaustion.

Itsuki didn't come by till later, having gone to grab Aksel and Maya and to thank the soldier who'd accompanied them. He'd also gotten himself a new outfit and discarded his old armor. His current outfit was a grey kimono, with a black hakama worn over it. He also had an obi belt wrapped around his waist.

If Naofumi hadn't known any better, the Bow Hero had dressed in a Kyudo outfit.

On their way there, Itsuki had explained some of what was going on to the knight and the raccoon girl. And as they ate, Naofumi and Kizuna finished explaining the rest so they'd be up to speed.

"So, because of these creatures, we know where Raphtalia and Glass are at least." Aksel pondered.

"And possibly L'Arc and Therese too." Itsuki added. "If I recall correctly, I remember seeing them falling with Glass when we got separated."

"That just leaves Filo and Dou-Lon unaccounted for." Maya said out loud to herself.

Naofumi nearly choked on his food.

Crap, because of his immense worry for Raphtalia and their daughter, he'd forgotten about his last friend who'd crossed over with them as well.

… It probably wasn't a bad thing to admit that he cared more for the other two than his hakuko attendant. Still, he couldn't believe he'd forgotten all about him!

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan jumped on Naofumi's lap and began eating some of the sashimi off his plate.

Then again, out of all his party members, Dou-Lon was definitely the most rational and the least likely to get himself in trouble behind Raphtalia. Perhaps that was why he hadn't been too worried about him.

It was more likely that Dou-Lon would find Naofumi before Naofumi found Dou-Lon.

He could just picture it. Dou-Lon charging into the Infinite Labyrinth just because he had a feeling that his 'lord' was there, and…

On second thought, it'd be better not to go down that track of thought. For now, he could ease his mind knowing Dou-Lon was alright and that he had most likely reunited with Filo or Raphtalia by now to help them out.

"Is she supposed to eat that?" Aksel asked, pointing to Raph-Chan.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan hugged the rest of Naofumi's sashimi to her chest, glaring at the knight as if challenging him to try and steal it from her. Aksel hadn't yet touched the food on his plate though, and looked down at it with a grimace before pushing it away.

"Hmmm?" Maya, who was gulping it down like there was no tomorrow, looked at him curiously.

He merely pushed his plate to the girl, and she happily went to eat his food too.

Maybe it'd help her to grow faster?

"Ethnobalt was right. It's weird how Raph-Chan's personality has developed so quickly." Kizuna mentioned, staring at the shikigami.

"Pen! Pen!" Chris's pleading from down below grabbed her attention though, and she smiled happily as she gave him some of the food off her plate. "PEN!" The look of happiness on his face at the taste of some of the best food ever was almost as adorable as Raph-Chan's.

Nothing could be more adorable than her. Except Raphtalia.

Maybe. Possibly.

Raphtalia was in the 'beautiful' territory, so it was hard to compare the two.

After dinner, Itsuki didn't have the heart to wake Rishia from her nap just yet, so while they waited for Ethnobalt, the Bow and Shield Heroes discussed some more things under the guise of doing the dishes while Kizuna was distracted with Maya and Aksel and getting to know the pair.

"So, did you learn anything about Kyo since coming here?" Naofumi began with the obvious concern.

"A little bit." Itsuki replied with a quick nod. "You?"

"Not as much as I wish I had." Naofumi answered with a grimace. "I learned that he's a friend of Kizuna's like L'Arc and co. And she didn't believe me when I told her what he'd done. She got pretty angry actually, and said that he'd never do something so horrible. I haven't brought it up much since."

"Besides Ethnobalt, I haven't brought it up to many people either." Itsuki nodded in understanding.

"Did he take it well?" Naofumi asked.

"... not in a way you'd think." Itsuki replied after a moment.

The pair paused in doing the dishes, looking over their shoulders at their friends. Kizuna was oblivious, and Aksel and Maya were telling her what their world was like. They looked glad to be able to talk to somebody else who understood what they were saying.

"What do you mean?" Naofumi pressed.

"When I told him about our reasons for coming here, he wasn't entirely surprised or shocked." Itsuki continued a bit quieter.

"He wasn't shocked? Does that mean that he knew something about that bastard's plans?" Naofumi asked, feeling some bile rising in his stomach.

Did that mean that the Boat Hero was in on it and that there were two traitorous heroes in this world? Was the kind persona that he's been showing so far just a front?

"Yes...and no." Itsuki frowned. "Ethnobalt was at least partially aware that Kyo was doing something, but none of the details."

Itsuki grabbed another dish before drying it off. "The two of them apparently had a longstanding good working relationship, with Ethnobalt frequently assisting Kyo on his various projects or acting as someone to bounce ideas off for him."

"Not exactly friends but..." The Bow Hero frowned again. "Anyways, according to Ethnobalt, shortly after the Katana Vassal Hero became the first major casualty of the waves here, Kyo announced that he'd be leaving their alliance and when Ethnobalt heard about it, he came running to confront him about it and..."

"Is there really nothing that we can do to convince you to stay?" The Boat Hero asked hesitantly from his floating platform. He was sitting cross-legged on it at the moment, the staff that he was holding in his hands idly resting against his right shoulder.

"No." Kyo shook his head dismissively while continuing to absorb his belongings into the gem of his Vassal Book.

The Book Hero's room in Sickle's castle was known to be sparsely decorated before, as he preferred to do his research in the lab instead, but now it looked extra empty with all the shelves stripped bare, desks emptied and tables cleared. "I believe I have made myself clear to the 'king' earlier. I see no point in continuing this charade."

Kyo adjusted his spectacles as he studied the cover of one of the few remaining books in the room and stored it away before continuing. "The death of the vassal of the katana was only the beginning. His strength was equal to that of the Fan, yet he still had fallen all the same. If we try to continue this futile struggle, then we'll be next."

"He was caught alone and the wave was unusually difficult, if he had backup…" Ethnobalt tried to argue.

"Oh, but he did have 'backup', didn't he?" Kyo asked mockingly before facing the Boat Hero. "He had three whole heroes with him, and not vassal ones either, but the legendary kind."

"It was their first wave… they weren't ready." The Boat Hero shook his head sadly.

"And are they ready now?" Kyo asked rhetorically. "We've had like, what, five more waves since then? In how many of those have they participated in?"

"…none." The librarian rabbit muttered.

"Yes. None." Kyo pushed his glasses back up again after storing some of his spare clothing away. "Instead of fighting, they are making up every excuse under the sun and doing 'public appearances' to 'boost morale' and 'garner more support' while they wait for a god damn 'balance update'."

The Book Hero spat the last words out with disgust. "All that while the people they're supposed to protect are dying in droves all across the world. It makes me sick. I've had enough of this. You and I both know that Vassal heroes can't stop the waves by themselves. Only the legendary ones can truly combat them and if they're not willing to put in the effort, then we might as well not even bother. We'd just be trying to prevent the inevitable."

"…those three are not the only legendary heroes." Ethnobalt pointed out cautiously.

"This again?!" Kyo clicked his tongue in annoyance before addressing the Boat Hero once more. "It's been what, two years? Three? Face it already. The Hunting Tools Hero is gone. Even if that stupid familiar is right and she is still alive…"

The Book Hero swallowed hard before looking away again. "… she clearly does not want to be found by us."

Ethnobalt winced in response to that as Kyo brought up one of his deepest fears. "She wouldn't do that she-"

"Is a human just like all of us." Kyo waved the robed man off dismissively. "Maybe the pressure of her responsibilities got too much, or maybe she decided that she wanted to be free of the burden of fate that was placed on her against her will. We have basically kidnapped her as a child and forced her to fight our battles, you know? No matter how much she said otherwise, it was bound to have left at least some resentment."

"I disagree. Her heart is pure and kind, if she truly was suffering then she would have told us about it instead of running away." Ethnobalt denied firmly.

"…maybe so." Kyo conceded with a shrug. "But my point still stands, enough time has passed. With the strength that she wields she could have easily overcome anything that stood in the way of her return."

"Unless what was standing in her way was another person." Ethnobalt countered.

…

"Whether that is true or not, all of our leads to her current whereabouts are still dead. Nobody has confessed to kidnapping her or made any demands in exchange for releasing her. And with the danger our world is in right now…" The Book Hero turned away to look out of the window at the setting sun outside. "The fact that she remains elusive even to this day leaves me with only one conclusion to draw. For one reason or another, she would rather be where she is right now instead of here with us."

…

The Boat Hero lowered his head with a grim expression, unable to form a retort.

Kyo gave his room one last look over, confirming that it was as bare as the day that he had moved into it when Ethnobalt spoke out again.

"So… that's it then? You're just going to give up, curl into a ball and die?" The Boat Hero asked.

The book hero shrugged. "Despite what the legends may say about the waves, I highly doubt that they would wipe out all life in the world. By my estimates, if Kizuna stays alive wherever she's at, the waves will wipe out only ninety nine percent of it. So, our best bet is to hunker down somewhere and wait for this whole thing to blow over before starting civilization anew. Maybe round up some useful individuals too if there's time. That's what I'm planning to do anyway."

Kyo attached his vassal weapon to his side and walked past the Boat Hero towards the door. "I suggest you follow my lead, if you want to survive what is to come too. Farewell."

"…you always were quite the terrible liar."

Just as Kyo's hand touched the doorknob, Ethnobalt's words made him stop.

"I beg your pardon?" The Book Hero looked over his shoulder with suspicion.

"Hunkering down in some hole, covering in fear like a rat, hoping that you'll be spared." The Boat Hero's voice took on an accusatory voice. "You wouldn't be caught dead doing something like that!"

The Book Hero's expression remained passive as Ethnobalt continued. "How did you always put it? The greater the challenge, the greater the satisfaction of overcoming it? That there is no such thing as impossible. That what no one could even fathom yesterday could become the norm tomorrow. That knowledge is the key that can open any door and that all you need to do is find it."

The Boat Hero narrowed his eyes. "I am not buying it even for a second that you are giving up for real."

…

"Hm…hm…hm…" Kyo turned his head away and began to softly chuckle, the volume of his voice rising steadily before turning into full-blown laughter. "Hmhmhmhmhm! Ahahahaha!"

The Boat Hero couldn't help but stare at the strange display with his mouth held open. He had allowed his emotions, the feeling of betrayal to spill out and expected Kyo to become offended. But instead, he was laughing. Laughing like Ethnobalt had just told him the funniest joke in the world. Laughing hard enough to start holding his sides and to throw his head back. Tears of mirth had even begun to form in the corners of the book hero's eyes.

"Ahhh…" Kyo wiped the tears off with his glove and looked at Ethnobalt with a genuine smile. "Esteemed Boat Hero, you truly are cut from a different cloth than the majority of the oafish boors that I've had the displeasure of working with throughout the years. I confess, you are most certainly right. I am not giving up."

"Huh? Then why-" The boat hero began to ask.

"Why don't we walk towards the hourglass together." Kyo interrupted him and opened the door, gesturing Ethnobalt towards it. "I just remembered something that I wanted to ask you about for some time. We can discuss it on the way once I answer your question."

The Boat Hero nodded stiffly and left the room. Kyo followed suit, locking the door behind him and handing Ethnobalt the key before starting to walk towards the hourglass building outside at a leisure pace.

"So…what exactly are you planning really?" Ethnobalt asked inquisitively as he floated next to the book hero.

"Isn't it obvious? Surely you must have figured it out by now. I am going to save our world." Kyo smirked confidently.

That reassuring announcement made the boat hero perk up. "Truly? But then why are you leaving?"

"What I have in mind is a… long term project." Kyo narrowed his eyes slightly. "And many of its details and intricacies are still a mystery even to me. Two things about it that I can say for sure however is that it will take some time for it to come into fruition and that it will require me to travel quite a distance away in the process."

"You are planning to work on it alone then?" The Boat Hero asked in surprise. "Are you sure that it's wise? We could-"

"I know what you'll say but no." Kyo raised his hand and cut him off. "I am counting on someone buying me time while I am working on this. That's why I want to keep it under wraps. You and the other Vassals will have to hold the metaphorical fort against the waves in the meantime."

"May I ask how exactly this project of yours would save the world or what it even is?" Ethnobalt quirked an eyebrow at the book hero while the bespectacled man in question grinned ominously, the light of the setting sun reflecting off his spectacles.

"I am afraid that's for me and me alone to know… for the time being anyway. But you can trust me. When it's complete, the waves will be a thing of the past and not in this particular cycle either. They will be gone forever." The Book Hero announced confidently as they walked through the empty throne room.

"Alright." The Boat Hero nodded uneasily. "I will trust in your judgment on this. I assume that this is something that should be kept strictly to a need-to-know basis since you are making our voices inaudible right now with one of your skills?"

"Correct once again." Kyo nodded and crossed his hands behind his back. "Drawing attention to this too early might muddle things up and potentially ruin it. It would be best if everyone thinks that I simply left because I got demoralized."

"I see. Alright then. I'll keep quiet about it." The Boat Hero closed his eyes and nodded. "So what did you say you wanted to ask of me before leaving?"

"Ah, yes." The Book Hero briefly stopped in place with a thoughtful look. "If I remember correctly, you are quite fond of riddles, are you not, esteemed Boat Hero?"

The question was not what Ethnobalt had expected Kyo would ask him, so it took him a bit off guard. "Uhh, yes I would say so. They can be a great source of entertainment while simultaneously being intellectually stimulating."

"Indeed. Abstract thinking is a useful skill to practice." Kyo nodded to himself, before continuing to walk, passing by the castle's gardens in the process. "You see, there is this one riddle that I had come upon some time ago. It's quite a curious one and I thought you might be interested in trying to solve it."

"Well, I admit I am always happy to hear a new riddle." Ethnobalt smiled and put his staff on his other shoulder. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to solve it in time for your departure but I will give it my best."

"There is no rush." Kyo waved him off. "I can spare a few minutes if need be. I am quite eager to hear what you think of it. Anyways, it goes like this…"

"Think back on the times when the Demon dragon had been ravaging the world.

"Around that time a man was living in a particular country. He was a smart, honest and hard-working man. But the country that the man had the misfortune of being born in was not a good place.

"It was strife with corruption, malice, apathy and ignorance. The man would look at his fellow countrymen with pity as they wallowed in their filth, fighting each other for scraps to survive for another day. The man wanted to use his abilities and knowledge to improve their lives, to uplift them so they could fix their country together and turn it into something greater.

"But the ignorant people dismissed the man, laughing at his attempts and even deliberately sabotaging him so they could remain complacent in their mediocrity. No matter what the man tried, nothing was able to stir their hearts and make them realize how foolish they truly were.

"Eventually the people started to throw stones at the man wherever he went, shouting at him to get lost. Hurting him just because they hated the pleading words that would come out from the man's mouth. Horrible was the man's fate.

"Till one day, when the Demon dragon came.

"The dragon's attack was swift and merciless. It cut all the foolish people down in an instant. It burned their twisted kingdom down to the ground.

"The man was the last person left standing. But he no longer felt anything. No fear of the dragon. No pity for his fallen countrymen. For he understood that his life had been pointless. That no matter what the man would have done, nothing would have changed.

"So instead, the man laughed at the carnage, welcoming his coming death and the demon dragon with his arms spread out. The man's heart was filled with joy at the deaths of his former tormentors and the total erasure of their history. The man's painful and worthless life would finally come to an end soon too.

"The demon dragon looked down at the man. Perhaps the dragon felt confused on why the man was laughing or maybe he had somehow discerned that the man possessed exceptional abilities. Whatever the case, the dragon did not kill the man immediately. Instead, the dragon spoke to the man.

"The dragon spoke of the evils of people. Revealing that it was not just this country that was corrupt. That all people were petty and vile. That they were all the same no matter where you looked. That this was simply what humanity was. A twisted disease that needed to be exterminated.

"But the dragon recognized that the man was an exception. That the man held the potential for greatness. And so, the dragon offered the man a deal.

"The dragon would spare the man from his wrath but even more than that, he would grant the man a boon of great power. And all that the man would have to do in return is turn on his fellow men across the world. To serve the demon dragon and work to erase the humans' vile, corruptive presence from the land forever.

"The man foolishly accepted the deal in a heartbeat, drunk with promises of revenge and eager to make the foolish people of the world who had slighted him suffer for their ignorance. And as his first order, the man was tasked to use his human guise to infiltrate another country.

"The man would weaken it. The man would subvert it from within in preparation for the Demon dragon's arrival to ensure the country's destruction and the swift deaths of its people. The man eagerly left to fulfill his task.

"But the dragon had tricked the man.

"When the man had come to the new country, instead of being met by ignorance and hostility, he was met with brilliance and friendship. The people of this country were working together, uniting against the common threat of the demon dragon.

"The people relied on each other to pull themselves up to reach greater and greater achievements and make their country a better place.

"The man felt trapped. The people who the man was meant to slay had become his dear friends. The country that the man was meant to help destroy became his new home that he had grown to cherish. The man had no desire to fulfill his task anymore.

"The man wanted to warn the people, to warn his dear friends, to tell them of the terrible calamity that was seeking to destroy them, of the fate that was awaiting them. But it was then when the true depth of the demon dragon's treachery became apparent.

"The dragon feared this country and its power and wisdom. That was why he had sent the man in advance to weaken it. And the boon of great power that the man was granted was in truth a powerful curse.

"If the man were to try to defy the will of the dragon, to warn anyone of what was to come or to reveal his allegiance in any way, the man would immediately die where he stood. And his death would be permanent, as the man would not only lose the body he loved, but his soul as well."

By this point both Kyo and Ethnobalt had made their way to the hourglass and were standing near it.

"The riddle is this." Kyo made a wide sweeping motion across the room with his hand. "What is that man meant to do? Should he go through with his task as he was sworn to do no matter the consequences? Or would giving his life up for the sake of the people be the right thing? What would you do if you were in this man's shoes?"

Ethnobalt closed his eyes and frowned deeply. This was quite an unorthodox riddle for sure. And the man's situation was unpleasant to say the least. It was certainly a conundrum.

The Boat Hero continued to float in place silently. Minutes passed but the Book Hero did not hurry him on, instead choosing to patiently wait with his back facing the Boat Hero. Kyo idly watched the grains of sand in the hourglass falling down one by one, counting towards the next wave.

Eventually Ethnobalt opened his eyes again. "I think… that what the man needs to do is try to find a way to break his curse before doing anything else. Becoming a martyr is something that you're allowed to do only when there are no other options left. That is my answer."

…

"Hmhmhmhm!" Kyo began to chuckle again. "Truly, your intellect is second only to my own, esteemed Boat Hero."

"Did I get it right then?" Ethnobalt cocked his head curiously.

"Who knows?" Kyo shrugged helplessly. "Truth to be told, I haven't been able to figure out what the answer is yet myself. But… I did draw the same conclusion as you have."

The Book Hero spread his arms out in front of the hourglass. "It's not so simple however. Think about it. It's a curse that was placed by the Demon Dragon himself. You would need power that is at least equal or greater to break it."

"Like the legendary weapon's power?" Ethnobalt took a shot in the dark.

"Hmm…" Kyo looked thoughtful for a moment but then crossed his hands behind his back again and shook his head. "No, not even that would be enough."

"But… what greater power is there?" The boat hero asked in confusion.

"What greater power is there indeed…?" Kyo pondered out loud as well before taking a step forward and touching the hourglass.

His form began to glow with warm white light and he turned his head away from the hourglass to look at the Boat Hero one more time. "When I find the answer, I'll be sure to tell you what it was. But until then, it's time to say goodbye."

"Alright… Take care, Kyo." The librarian said solemnly.

"... You too, Ethnobalt." The white-haired man smiled sadly before vanishing in a pillar of light that carried him back to his home country.

Naofumi was frowning again by the end of the story. "So... this long term project. It was about that bastard taking control of a Guardian Beast and using it to collect all the souls in a world."

"So it would seem." Itsuki nodded and looked at the pile of clean dishes to the side of the sink with his arms crossed. "Ethnobalt had surmised the same when I told him about what happened in our world. That's why he wasn't very surprised when I told him our side of the story."

"But… it doesn't make any sense." Naofumi spat out bitterly. "Is his plan to 'Save the world' then? What kind of sick joke is that supposed to be?"

"Perhaps what he wanted to do was save 'this' world specifically since it's his." Itsuki pondered. "But that doesn't add up either. According to L' Arc's and Glass' vassal weapons, stealing power from a Guardian Beast of another world risks destroying both worlds. And you remember what happened when L'Arc confronted Kyo about it, he just callously dismissed it, saying that he doesn't care if his home world gets destroyed."

"Then there's that stupid riddle that he asked Ethnobalt to solve before he left." Naofumi narrowed his eyes. "What the hell was that whole thing about?"

Itsuki shrugged helplessly. "Beats me. Ethnobalt said that he wondered for the longest time if there was some sort of hidden meaning behind it, or if it was some sort of clue about what Kyo was planning. But he never figured it out."

…

The two wanted to spare more thought on it to see if they'd come to an answer. But Aksel and Maya were finishing their conversation, and Kizuna was getting up to approach them. So they decided to drop the subject and wait for more info before making any conclusions.

Soon after that, the time for their departure came. Ethnobalt picked them up in a very large flying boat to deliver the group into the heart of the Katana's country.

It was similar to what they'd seen in the Ghost Ship Wave. Only it wasn't undead, and looked pristine, with a bright glowing jewel on its front. Its design was the same as the one from the picture that Naofumi had seen inside Kizuna's house.

This was the Invincible. As Kizuna had said, it had the highest defense of any of the rabbit man's weapon forms.

It would definitely stand out. But Ethnobalt would not risk anything less for the Hunting Hero's safety.

When everyone boarded it, Ethnobalt activated his teleport skill, and the same feeling from before with Kizuna's teleport flooded Naofumi. Only, this time, they weren't traveling in the current themselves, but stood on the ship, looking out over the void at the current of light that they were riding on.

It suddenly made sense. This current was one of the connections between Hourglasses. That was what they'd been traveling on with Kizuna before. And looking past it down below, he could see the world as they passed more rapidly than what should have been possible.

"This… is so weird, but so cool at the same time." Aksel said in awe.

"Even though it's our second trip on this?" Maya asked curiously.

"It doesn't make it any less breathtaking than before." Aksel said.

"Agreed." Itsuki nodded, looking similarly entranced.

"Rafu!" "Pen!"

Raph-Chan stood on Naofumi's shoulder, also peering down below with cute eyes. And Chris did the same while holding onto Kizuna's head.

Seeing this in more detail than before, Naofumi wondered what it was about his world that made it different from Kizuna's. Why was it that their way of portaling was different? Was it something fundamental with the dragon hourglasses themselves? Did it have something to do with the weapons of both worlds and how they differed from one another?

He honestly didn't know. And he didn't know if there were any books out there that held the answers to those deep questions. Because after all, who could possibly claim to have traveled between worlds? Let alone, document their findings about it.

If such a person besides the Vassal Heroes existed, and if they'd left books behind in their world with this knowledge, they would be beyond priceless. Anyone would want to have them…

And some might very well want them destroyed.

…

It took several minutes of travel, but eventually, Ethnobalt's ship slowed, and then, the scenery around them changed.

They were in a forest with tall trees. Just tall enough to hide Ethnobalt's weapon from view. "Here, the ofudas as promised." Ethnobalt took more slips of paper from his pocket and handed them to Itsuki. "As well as some spending money, in case you need to get supplies." He handed a couple kinhan and some tamagins to Naofumi.

Everyone quickly disembarked as the Boat Hero remained firmly planted on his weapon. "Last chance to come with us Ethnobalt." Kizuna addressed the rabbit man from the ground with a tender smile. "If you don't, I might get mad at you."

"I stand firmly by what I said, I cannot linger. My presence is needed in Sickle. And…" The Boat Hero smiled with melancholy this time. "You know as well as I do how useful my race is in a fight. I'll just hold you back."

Kizuna frowned deeply. She crossed her arms and began to pout at him.

She really had it down from the puppy dog eyes to the wiggle of her lip. She must have spent a good chunk of time in the Infinite Labyrinth perfecting it, because there was no way she could have been this good at it beforehand. She was even better at it than Filo and Melty.

Ethnobalt's expression softened at the display. The Invincible transformed back into a small floating platform with a flash of light and the Boat Hero floated down to rub the top of Kizuna's head. "Don't get captured again, please. I'd never forgive myself if you did."

"Pen!" Chris proudly saluted. Ethnobalt chuckled as he rubbed the familiar on the head as well. "If you need me, you know what to do."

"... take care, Ethnobalt." Kizuna said reluctantly, her voice sad.

Ethnobalt gave her a kind smile as he and the boat began to glow and were surrounded by light. When it faded, it was only them in the clearing.

"Urgh… I was hoping we could still convince him to come with us." Kizuna hung her head as she sighed.

"The current state of affairs is pretty complicated, huh?" Naofumi surmised.

"Very. Though I guess there's no use in standing around and complaining about it. I'll just have to talk to him about it next time." Kizuna shook her head before looking down at Chris. "Alright little buddy, where's Glass at?"

"You too Raph-Chan. Point us to Raphtalia." Naofumi added.

"Rafu!" "Pen!"

"Pen! Rafu!"

The two shikigamis looked around, and then pointed in the same direction. "Still together, good." The Shield Hero nodded in relief.

"At least we're hoping that they're still together." Aksel interrupted him. "You never know, they might be in the same direction but could possibly be miles apart and… you know what, I think I'll shut up now." Seeing the bland looks both Heroes gave him, the large knight wisely shut his trap.

Naofumi saved his current location on the portal shield list, and Itsuki did the same with his weapon. They all began to move forward through the forest. The Shield Hero held Raph-Chan in his arms and continued petting her fur as she and Chris led them on.

Surprisingly, or not surprisingly, no monsters were foolish enough to come near their sizable group. Whether because of a difference in power levels, or because of the fact that three Cardinal Heroes were in it.

Naofumi's own level was around 46 by now, and Itsuki's was shown to be level 43 on the party HUD. Maya and Aksel were level 47 while Rishia was level 53.

"I just realized, why hasn't anyone needed a class-up here?" Naofumi randomly asked to break the tense silence that had set in.

"Class-up? What's that?" Kizuna asked curiously.

"The ritual performed in our world for nonheroes to break the level 40 cap and change to a better class at a dragon hourglass." Itsuki supplied.

"Really, you have a level 40 cap in your world? We don't have anything like that here. All we have is the level 100 cap. Though we do use our hourglasses to change job titles." Kizuna shrugged. "Still, that's pretty weird."

…

Wow. There was yet ANOTHER difference between their worlds that Naofumi knew of now.

At least this one was to their advantage and wasn't one that screwed them over.

It didn't take long as around the time when the sun had began to set, the group came across a town. The large forest opened up around them, and they approached a walled exterior.

"Careful, this could be a place with communication obstructions set up." Kizuna reminded everyone. "I don't know about teleport obstructions being here since there's no dragon hourglass, but you can't be too careful."

Naofumi nodded as he switched to a weapon form that was a shield he'd copied in this world. Itsuki, in the meantime, changed his bow's form into the shape of a tiny minibow that Naofumi had seen once, before hiding it in his sleeve.

He now looked like a completely average person, unlike Naofumi, who still looked like a half-baked samurai with a shield attached to his arm. Aksel was dressed in adventuring gear similar to Naofumi, and Maya wore a hood over her head to hide her animal ears while her tail remained stashed away under the blue kimono she was wearing.

They went through the town gates without the guards giving them so much as a second look and entered the town proper.

"What the…" Itsuki breathed out.

"Oh, I guess this is your first real exposure to it besides what you saw in Sickle." Naofumi chuckled. "Though I guess they don't really downplay it as much here."

Itsuki just continued to stare around himself. Once again, Naofumi felt like they'd walked into a version of Japan.

"It's like the Edo Period we saw in the Mirror Country, though this place looks like it's influences came from the latter end of it." Kizuna explained to them as they walked.

The houses were all made of wood like before, but there were a lot more signs out in the streets. The kinds that were seen in Showa era Japan. The language looked to be written from right to left. The architecture made the town look like it was in the midst of a modernization effort.

It actually looked like this place had street lamps with electric light bulbs in them instead of the magic lamps they'd seen in the Mirror Country's Capital. And, unlike the first town they'd visited, the streets were paved.

Overall, the mishmash of different periods combining together like this made the whole town feel… unnatural. Like foreigners had tried to build a version of Japan for themselves. There was a word for that.

Shinnichi. Or if you wanted the English word: Weeb.

Some of the adventurers they came across were dressed like the Shinsengumi. A militia police force from the late Edo Period. There was also a lot of hakama like what samurais wore, amongst other traditional Japanese clothes. Though, there were a few going around wearing outfits similar to what he, Itsuki, and everyone else was wearing, so they didn't stand out as much as Naofumi thought they would.

Itsuki just kept looking around in bewilderment. As if stunned by the massive shock of seeing a representation of Japanese culture again after so long.

"How is there so much in one place?" He asked Naofumi.

"According to Kizuna, the Heroes of this world have had far more influence than we've had in our world." Naofumi whispered back.

They continued to make their way through the town when Itsuki suddenly noticed something at a nearby stand that made him do a double take. "IS THAT A MAN-" He clapped a hand over his mouth, but people still stared at him with mild curiosity for a moment before continuing on.

"What is it, Itsuki?" Maya asked in confusion while trying to make out what it was that had made him so worked up.

"Naofumi, tell me this doesn't look like a manga to you." Itsuki said, pointing it out.

Naofumi looked, and… it really did! What the hell?!

"How a Lone Nerd Saved The World He Was Summoned To." Kizuna read out loud.

"Fueh…" Rishia nodded as she verified that she'd read the same thing.

The cover for the manga featured a guy in glasses who looked scrawny and skinny, but was holding a gun. He had four girls standing behind him in various battle poses that showcased various amounts of skin.

Though the fourth girl was lacking in the chest department, even though she was as old as, or possibly older than the other three girls on the cover. She also had a strange bracelet on her wrist.

"Huh. This is kind of meta in a recursive way." Naofumi muttered before shaking his head and continuing to walk past it.

Itsuki, however, continued to stare intensely at the cover.

"I-Itsuki?" Rishia tried to grab his attention when it became apparent that the Bow Hero wasn't going to move.

"Err-" The young man snapped out of his reverie. "Wait, everyone, hold on."

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Kizuna stopped in her tracks and turned around, Naofumi followed suit as well.

"Kizuna, I uh, I know this might sound strange… but can I have some of the money that Ethnobalt gave us? I'll pay you back later, I promise." The Bow Hero spoke up awkwardly.

Naofumi narrowed his eyes at Itsuki, before directing them at the manga stand. "Itsuki, please tell me you're not serious."

He was, as it had turned out, quite serious. And shortly after that, Itsuki became the proud owner of the first volume of 'How a Lone Nerd Saved The World He Was Summoned To.'

"I can't believe you did this." The Shield Hero rubbed the bridge of his nose in aggravation.

"Dude, it was one tamagin! That's a steal in my world!" The bow hero protested.

"You can't even read it!" Naofumi threw his hands up in exasperation.

"I can still look at the pictures!" Itsuki countered.

"Um… I could read it for you if you want, Itsuki." Rishia spoke up timidly.

"Sounds like he's got his bases covered." Kizuna playfully pointed out while putting Ethnobalt's money away.

"Ugh...forget it." Naofumi shook his head with disgust before recalling something else that he wanted to ask about.

"So, are we going to have to worry about getting a permit to leave here too?" Naofumi asked Kizuna. "I'm surprised they didn't do that at the gates."

"If it's like before, those checkpoints would only be along the border. This country borders the Mirror's country, but it's a lot less strict once you're inside." Kizuna answered.

They were continuing down the road. Up till then, Rishia had been going over with Aksel and Maya on how to say some of the words she'd learned in the local dialect. It looked like the language spoken in the Mirror Country was also spoken here.

Maya was sticking to it faster than Aksel, who had a really hard time struggling to form the words, which even the Heroes could tell as sometimes when he spoke, it was like he was speaking gibberish.

"No, that's not even close Aksel." Rishia said with a sigh.

"I'm trying, ok? My tongue isn't used to making that kind of sound, and-"

"M-mommy!"

All of a sudden, Rishia paused and raised a hand to Aksel, cutting him off. "What is it?" Maya asked in confusion, seeing the way the girl had tensed up.

"Did you hear that just now?" Rishia asked tersely.

"All I hear is the sound of everyone around me speaking and me not understanding anything that's being said-" Aksel began to groan, but then Rishia slapped a hand over his mouth. "Mmph?!"

"It hurts! Please stop!"

Maya also looked taken aback by Rishia's sudden straightforwardness. And Itsuki, who'd paused because Rishia had, tensed up, looking up from the manga book that he'd bought. "Naofumi, stop for a sec!"

Naofumi and Kizuna walked back to them. "What is it now? Did you spot some cool miniatures on sale too or something?" Naofumi said with obvious annoyance in his tone.

"I heard something just a minute ago amongst all the conversation going on around us." Rishia said. "It was weird, like…"

"Help meeeee!"

All their eyes widened this time. Even with everything going on, they'd all heard the voice loud and clear this time.

"I think it's coming from there!" Itsuki pointed to a nearby building.

Raph-Chan began squirming in Naofumi's grip. Chris was still pointing a flipper in the direction leading out of town, but Raph-Chan had shifted to pointing to the building like Rishia.

"What's going on? Did Raphtalia teleport or something?" Naofumi asked in confusion, though in his heart, he knew that wasn't the case.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan shook her head, but she continued pointing urgently at the building.

"I can't tell, but whoever's in there, they're speaking in our world's language." Rishia revealed.

"That voice! I recognize it now! It has to be Filo!" Itsuki said with surprising confidence.

…

Naofumi gasped and hastily selected an option on his menu.

Outside of Slave Spell Observation Range

It wasn't Raphtalia or Dou-Lon, but-!

He clicked on the option on the monster menu, and an arrow only he could see pointed towards the building, indicating that Filo was inside.

Naofumi couldn't have sprinted towards anything faster than he had in that moment.

"Ack, wait for us Sir Naofumi!" Rishia quickly rushed after him as did everyone else.

"Naofumi, wait!" Itsuki called as well.

Naofumi didn't listen however, and he would have bolted right through the doors of the building if not for the guards up front stopping him and telling him to get in line.

"M-Mommy! Daddy! Save me!" Shouts of pain sounded from inside, amidst the cracking of a whip.

"What is that angel saying?" A man in the line asked his wife.

"I'm not sure, but she sounds pretty upset. I don't like it." The wife replied.

The pair looked at each other with pained looks before leaving the spot in line empty.

Naofumi immediately cut the spot in line, and Kizuna and the others reached him then as he thrust several tamagins at the guards. "Let me in there!"

"No! You have to wait for your turn like everyone else, now get in the back of the line, or scram before I beat you up!" The guy said maliciously.

Looking back, Naofumi saw the line was quite long. It stretched far back down the street and turned down a side street. That was ridiculous! He couldn't wait that long and-

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

In the gap between the two guards, Naofumi saw something truly horrifying.

Beyond the entrance of the building, there was a large open room full of seats. And every single one of them was taken, there was even a crowd in the back who were standing. Past all of them, however, chained to a stage was a little blonde girl with large white wings growing out of her back.

Her outfit was torn in places, meaning she didn't have the magic power to fix it. Whip marks covered her arms and legs, and the places where her outfit was torn. It was likely that there were even more marks that couldn't be seen from the cruel weapon being used by the man on stage.

"Come on, fly again for us little angel!" A man in a circus leader outfit cracked his whip, hitting Filo across her face and making her recoil in pain while simultaneously drawing blood.

The crowd cheered.

"Daddy! Mommy! Filo's scared! Please, where are youuuuuuuuuuu!" Filo sobbed as she stayed curled up in a ball on the ground. Her wings clinged close to her body in a vain attempt to shield herself.

"Come on! Take flight you useless girl!" The man whipped Filo again, and she cried out in pain once more.

Naofumi's breathing stopped. His pupils dilated. His mouth was dry and his mind felt like it was on fire.

Filo… Filo was…

…

…!

Naofumi growled, and his view got blocked off as the two guards stood shoulder to shoulder in front of him to block the sight of his daughter.

"Hey, no peeking! Now get back in line or else we'll show you what happens to onlookers who break the rules and don't pay!" The two men growled in response and cracked their knuckles.

But at that point, all Naofumi could see was red and black and his shield was already in the process of transforming into the Shield of Wrath to burn down everything here.

"Rafu! Rafu Rafu!" Raph-Chan was shouting up at the Shield Hero, but he didn't hear it.

These...these s̷i̵c̸k̵ ̷b̵a̵s̶t̶a̶r̸d̶s̷! They needed to ṕ̸̥a̷̼̔y̷͆ͅ! They were ḥ̶̈́ủ̵͚r̴͉̅t̸͙͝i̶̦͊n̶͚̈́g̸͔͒ Filo! They were h̛̳͠u̧̬̻͍ṟ̳̣̰̻͕̥̻̟͘t̨̺͟i̤̠͇̝͈̺̪n͘҉̧̣̼̖g̸̻̰̣͈̼ͅ his daughter!

T̴̡̡̨͖̺̯̺͚̪̠̩͔̈́͊̈́͌͐̇̊͒̀͆̓̒̃̋̆̑͆̑̕̚̕͜͠ͅH̵̪͉͇̞̼͈͔̪͍̖̻̙͍̬͔̉́͑̀̀͘É̵̡̧̛̩̰͉̜͖̼̩͓̩͈̲͕̰̣̯̦̣͔̟͔̽̄̔̂̇̃́̑̈̓̀͊͆̐͜͝Y̴̰̟̰̬̠̰̭̩̦̪̙̩̖̯̎̅̒̒͆ ̸̨̡̦͔͇̫͓̆͛́͑̊̆̒͐͊͐̔̊̅͐̐̈́̌̂̑̈̓̈́͜͝H̴̳̙̦͒͒͋͊͜A̶̧̢̛̼̥͉͖̲̹͚̙̮̖͍̬͇̪̞̝̭̞̖̞͎̒̐̆̏̈́͐́͝Ḓ̶̢̰̲͉̹͚̳̖̋́̅́̎͊̋̔͌͜͝͠ ̴̛̣͈̰̟͔̩͖̫̺̩͓̞͍͕͕͕̖̗͐̊́̆̏͜Ţ̴̡̗̦͙͔͓̪̘̭̬̤̟̙̠͉̹̣͎̙̜́̈͜͜Ǫ̸̨̧̧̧̧̟͕̭̙̱̪̗̻̝̘̭̪͇̫̲̻̞́̽͊̑̾̎ ̸̨̡̧̩͙͍̭̥̪͍̣̼̗͈̹̰͈̔̏̿͂̀͐̓̉̑̎̾͋̇̆̄̒̋͂͜B̸̡͎̘̗̪͔̼͕͚̟̝̞̤̫͍̦̆͆͒̀͒̏͌̔͜Ŭ̷̞̻̝̞̠̤̼̹̮̽̀̒͌̀̀͋̐̈́̚R̷͇̂̈́̀̏̓͌͝Ṋ̴̢̧͚̟̺̥͇̋̔͗̂̇̿͛̚͝͝-

"Hengen Musou: God Blow!"

CRUNCH!

Unfortunately, the Shield Hero was never able to finish the thought. Right before his shield could change into its Cursed form, and as he was subsequently on the verge of unlocking another tier of his Cursed Shield to boot, something heavy struck Naofumi on the back of his head, and he was knocked out cold.

Author's Notes:

Yep, I had to cut the chapter short here. Though why I'm also adding these two omakes is beyond me.

Oh well, hooray for the end of Finals Week. And hooray for the chance to do something fun besides school. Also, I'm SO FREAKING HAPPY to have Raph-Chan, my favorite character, in the story!

Hope you enjoyed the extra content, reader. Now, enjoy the omakes. For those who know me, you pretty much saw the below coming. Sorry FShield, hopefully I'll do a Rishia/Itsuki shikigami omake in the future since this chapter had room for such great omakes already!

Hero Clips!

Raph-Chan Worship

"She's so cute!"

PET! PET! PET! PET! PET!

"I know! Isn't she great?!"

"Rafu!"

PET! PET! PET! PET! PET!

Itsuki, who'd walked out of the house for a second to get a breath of fresh air, stumbled to a stop after entering the living room and seeing what was happening on the couch. "What- WHAT THE HELL IS ALLEN DOING HERE!?"

"Isn't it obvious, I'm here to give Raph-Chan all the love and affection she deserves." Allen glared over his shoulder at the Bow Hero. Meanwhile, he and Naofumi continued rubbing and petting the adorable shikigami all over her back, head, and tail.

Allen loved rubbing her head in particular. "It really is soft. I could write about this for hours. Days. Years!" The author sniffled. "She truly is living and breathing perfection!"

"Rafu!"

"Finally, somebody who gets it!" Naofumi screamed victoriously.

"Th-This is ludicrous!" Itsuki screamed.

"Agreed." A shadowy figure in the back of the room rolled his eyes.

"Rafu!" But the Author and Shield Hero ignored the heathens. Continuing in their loving worship of the most adorable creature in all of existence.

"Wait, I have an idea. We can't be the only ones to love her like this." Allen said.

"I agree. She must be shared with the world." Naofumi said.

"No, not just the world! The entire universe and all of its many worlds!" Allen proclaimed.

"Now you're talking!" Naofumi grinned.

"No, don't you dare do a scene change-" Itsuki tried to stop the inevitable.

"SCENE CHANGE!" Allen demanded.

Time skipped forward several years.

Itsuki and the others found themselves in front of a great big statue embedded with gemstones and the like.

It was a very large Raph-Chan. And on pedestals all around were smaller statues of the raccoon/tanuki creature. The pews were filled with Gem People and everyone else from various worlds that had been converted to the massive religion.

There were also, somehow, other Raph-Chans playing around with the kids in the crowd.

"All Hail to our Lord and Savior, Raph-Chan!" Naofumi, dressed in Balamus's old outfit, lifted the real Raph-Chan in the air above him for all eyes to see.

"All Hail to our Lord and Savior, Raph-Chan!" The congregation echoed back, with Therese and Allen there to lead them all in bowing to the cute ball of greatness as the light of god shined directly onto her.

Even the gods had been converted by her greatness.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan loved every moment of it.

"Itsuki… what the hell is going on here?" Raphtalia asked as she looked at the Bow Hero quizzically.

"... You really don't want to know." Itsuki sighed loudly to himself.

"Man, I really wish they'd agree with my philosophy of Chris being Raph-Chan's other half. He's too cute to be left out like this!" Kizuna complained.

…

"What? Don't you think he's cute too?!" Kizuna held the happy penguin familiar up to their faces.

"Pen!"

Wow.

She and Naofumi really weren't all that different in the end.

And thus, Allen and Naofumi fulfilled their ambition to start the cult of Raph-Chan. It became so widespread that it not only absorbed the cult of the Master Craftsman Therese had started, but it proceeded to overtake multiple worlds, including our own, where the Author remains a secret member of the cult to this day.

For none could deny that Raph-Chan truly was the epitome of living and breathing perfection.

All hail to our new Lord and King, Raph-Chan.

May your adorableness and majesty be unrestrained forevermore.

Hero Clips!

Teenagers these Days

"Raphtalia, no, you can't have that haircut!"

"Guh, you're not my dad! I hate you!" Raphtalia, who was wearing punk rock clothes and had a mohawk on her head, flipped Naofumi off before slamming the door to her room and locking it.

"Young lady, get out here this instant!" Naofumi banged on the door with his fist. He didn't get a response from the other side though and banged his fist against the door one last time in frustration.

"Wow, mommy is like, such a bitch." Filo, who was wearing garish ganguro girl makeup, rolled her eyes nearby while painting her disturbingly long nails a bright neon pink.

"She's not a bitch, she's just going through issues, again!" Naofumi said in frustration.

"Wahhhhhhh! Why does everybody hate meeeeee!" Melty screamed for attention as she'd been out of the fic for a long time. She ran out of the house crying to herself over that fact.

"Wait, Melty, we don't hate you! At least, I don't hate you anymore, please don't think I was angry at you again or- urgh." Naofumi groaned as he got to the doorway and found the teenage bluette was already out of sight.

However, while he didn't see her, he did see somebody else.

Naofumi's anger flamed anew.

"Itsuki!"

"Ah!" "Fueh!" The teenage Bow Hero and his girlfriend Rishia stood up abruptly from where they'd been sneaking away in the bushes.

"What the hell have I told you about sneaking out, young man!" Naofumi yelled furiously at the blonde boy. "You should know better than this!"

"I-I'm sorry! Itsuki begged me to help him get away for the day! Blame me for it!" Rishia bowed over and over again apologetically.

...

Naofumi quirked an eyebrow at the young teenager as he waited for an explanation.

"C-Can you blame me?!" Itsuki started. "It's torture staying in my room when Ren has Wyndia over! They're going at it hard enough to bang their bed against my wall repeatedly! And I can't concentrate on homework when I can hear them going at each other like two wild dogs in heat and-"

Naofumi's eyes boggled in their sockets. "REN IS WHAT?!"

Naofumi rushed back inside the house. Itsuki and Rishia blinked, but took the quick opportunity to escape as Naofumi screamed up the stairs.

"REN AMAKI, I SWEAR TO GOD THAT IF YOU SNUCK YOUR GIRLFRIEND INTO YOUR ROOM TO &^%$ AGAIN, THEN I'LL BE PUTTING YOU UNDER HOUSE ARREST FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAMN LIFE!"

"Screw you, dad!" Ren's muffled voice could be heard from behind his door.

"No! Screw me!" Wyndia's voice was heard coming from Ren's room as well.

That little-! "GOD DAMN IT REN! AT LEAST TELL ME YOU'RE USING PROTECTION THIS TIME!"

"SWORDS DON'T NEED PROTECTION!" Wyndia yelled back.

"YEAH! WHAT SHE SAID!" Ren loudly agreed.

AHHHHHHHHH!

This was the problem with having a bunch of teenagers in the same house. They were rude. They were annoying. They were horny and even stupider than ever while they were horny. And overall, they caused a bunch of problems for Naofumi.

It sucked.

"Miss… Miss Eclair, please, have mercy." Dou-Lon, who was a hundred pounds heavier, and who was wearing cargo shorts, was laying next to a weight stand looking like he was dying.

"Come on, bakako. You're getting that weight off your body one way or another." Eclair, who was dressed in a gym uniform, glared down at him without mercy. She dragged him onto the bench and forced his hands into position against his will. "Now, give me twenty bench presses!"

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

Naofumi saw them as he ran past on his way to Ren's room.

At least some teenagers were somewhat normal.

If normal could ever exist for a teenager.

Gods, he could use a vacation.

Till Next Time

Allen