Sorry for the delay. I have been in Europe for the past week and a half. Been cool seeing Spain and Portugal and now England. Honestly, though, I've reached the point where I can't wait to go home. I want to write more, especially where I'm at in the story now. I must sound so spoiled saying that, sorry to any of you readers from England. You have a beautiful country, but I'm travel weary and want to return to my time zone for a long, long night's rest…
By the way, I did an interview for a blog before this vacation. It's called the D&A Anime blog. If you want to look at it, feel free to google it. Thank you, RJ for Interviewing me.
Chapter Sixty-Seven: Welcome to Lapis
- ENTRY #2 -
Because of my upbringing, I focused ████████████ on learning.
Economics. ████████████ The sciences. Everything and ████████████ I could get my hands on that'd ████████████.
I didn't ████████████ on History, as History is the ████████████ repeating the same mistakes ████████████ the time one ape slapped another. Nor did I ████████████ like cooking, since they were irrelevant to ████████████. Even if I was forced to learn those skills later in life.
I didn't talk to ████████████, nor did I interact with them after ████████████. I was fine with that. On some level, I think they were fine with it too, since none of them ever tried to ████████████.
Not that I would have allowed them.
By this point, ████████████ had hammered into me that to ████████████ would be a waste of my time and talents. While they were ████████████ unaffectionate, my efforts were rewarded as they got me into the top ████████████. There, I was able to foster my growing talents and intellectual prowess with all ████████████ who were experts in their fields.
I didn't waste time with ████████████ or the ████████████ peers got into. I couldn't. I was ████████████, and not a second could be wasted ████████████.
My efforts throughout ████████████ eventually landed me into ████████████ Where I eventually ████████████ with a degree ████████████ and then another ████████████ after another year.
I was the top of my class. Truly, I was smarter than ████████████ who were amazed that I wasn't the one ████████████. It was all perfect. For once, everything in my life was looking up.
The day of the International Conference arrived.
Kizuna shuffled uncomfortably in the new outfit she was wearing. Instead of her usual frilly dress and cloak, she was now clad in a wave-patterned indigo kimono with sleeves that went all the way down to her wrists. She was also walking on tough wood sandals just like Glass.
It definitely looked out of place on her, and she didn't like it at all. "Ugh, why do I have to wear this Glassy?"
"You are a Cardinal Hero representing Sickle. It would be informal if you didn't dress the part when meeting the other nations. Especially so, since you will be leading it. Not to mention, this is your first public appearance in years and-" Glass kept on talking. She was also wearing her usual kimono outfit.
Kizuna pouted and interrupted her. "Okay, okay, I get it. But still, how do you find this comfortable?"
"You get used to it." Glass shrugged. Then kept on going with her earlier speech.
The pair were walking through the town towards the Dragon Hourglass building.
Chris was with the group, resting on Glass's head while one of his flippers played with the spirit woman's hair.
Glass's hand moved up to rub her and Kizuna's son on the head. Chris's face shone with happiness in response. "Pen!"
The spirit woman smiled. She was, fortunately, not wearing any cuffs since Kizuna had promised not to run off or do something equally stupid.
Kizuna was still pouting though. People in the town paused to look at them, mostly in amusement when Glass had finished giving her logical argument. "I'd feel a lot better wearing the haori you made for me!"
"I… I appreciate the thought, Kizuna." Glass flushed in embarrassment. "But it really was beat up from all those years in that Labyrinth. This was as good a time as any to have Romina fix it up."
"It isn't beat up! It's lived in!" Kizuna retorted.
…
Kizuna crossed her arms on her nonexistent chest and continued to pout at Glass's blank stare. "I'd still feel better if I had it."
The last member of their group, Itsuki, spoke up then, sounding just a little bit nervous. "Is this really that big of a deal? I haven't been able to wear my usual attire for a while and you don't hear me complaining. And besides, shouldn't you be more worried about how you're going to address all the various country representatives?"
Itsuki was dressed in the same Kyudo outfit he'd gotten before they went to rescue Glass and the others from Katana. He really didn't mind having to part with his old armor for now. In fact, he was wondering if he'd somehow be able to get this outfit replicated in his world so he could wear it there. It was way more comfortable than what he'd worn before.
Thoughts for after they beat Kyo, he supposed.
"I already have a speech prepared for that." Kizuna waved her hand dismissively. "But this?" She gestured down at her body.
"I mean, wearing a kimono just really shows how short I am!" Kizuna whined back to the Bow Hero. "How am I supposed to look threatening and intimidating like this?!"
"Glass was able to pull that off pretty damn well when we first met," Itsuki commented to himself, only to then grimace at what he'd said.
Glass's face fell a bit at remembering that particular event. Kizuna's playful facade fell briefly to look up at her best friend in worry before squeezing her hand. Glass looked down at Kizuna with a grateful smile before thinking of something to say to take her mind off the past. "That one soldier we took from Katana called me the Ruby-eyed demon. So Itsuki is not entirely wrong."
"No way, you're not a demon! You're more like a cuddly bunny rabbit!" Kizuna pulled on Glass's cheeks while laughing. Glass blushed tenfold as some of the townspeople who were around to witness the sight laughed. The spirit woman tried in vain to fight her best friend off.
Itsuki coughed into his fist. Damn, there he'd gone running his big mouth again. Was he ever going to stop doing that? "By the way, regarding the whole "height" thing. You really ought to be more aware of who you're with when complaining about things like that." Just like how he needed to be more aware of who he was with when making certain comments of his own.
Itsuki could almost smell the hypocrisy coming off of himself.
"What do you-" Kizuna stopped playing with her best friend to look at Itsuki, only to freeze up.
The Bow Hero was just a smidge taller than her. He was actually the shortest of the Cardinal Heroes in his world, even though he wasn't the youngest.
That title went to Ren.
Kizuna chuckled nervously. "Oh, right, we both suffer from the same curse, don't we? Heh Heh."
"Let's just get on with our task. We have a long day ahead of us." Itsuki sighed.
"Yes, let's." Glass agreed. She'd rather they got there before Kizuna felt tempted to pull on her cheeks in public again.
Itsuki still might have been a little sensitive about being the youngest looking of the Heroes in his world. And while it might have been a little selfish, he hoped it was the same for Kizuna so at least one person would be able to share his pain.
He still couldn't believe that Naofumi had asked him to go with Kizuna in his place like they'd initially planned. But Naofumi was still trying to get a hang on life force before they had to face Kyo. Just in case the bastard had developed defense piercing or defense rating attacks in the time since they'd last met. Over the last few days, he'd only gotten to the point where he could redirect such attacks reliably a fifth of the time.
Then there was that trick with his Blessed Series that he was also trying to figure out…
Well, regardless, Kizuna also needed a Cardinal Hero from their world to represent it when she gave Sickle's long-term plans during the meeting. And while that part could be postponed for later, Naofumi had a bad gut feeling about this Conference, due to his experiences with Siltvelt. So the Shield Hero wanted someone reliable to keep an eye on his younger sister beside her own friends. So that was another reason Itsuki was going along.
"By the way, Itsuki, did you unlock anything useful from the White Tiger Clones we faced in Label?" Glass suddenly asked. "Considering how they were artificially created monsters, I expected to get something unique. But neither me, L'Arc, or Kizuna got anything unusual from them."
"I got some weapons, yes. They're not really all that special though." Itsuki grimaced. It was likely because they were clones of the original and the materials they dropped were, likewise, scaled down in quality.
That was something else L'Arc had actually done for them. It'd been a while since the defeat of their world's Guardian Beasts, so it was actually pretty hard to find materials from them in their world, including Byakko, the beast the White Tiger Clones were based off of. The Scythe Hero had opened the storehouse to Romina though, and he and the Council of Ministers were trying to find out if they could possibly acquire any more Guardian Beast materials from anywhere else in the world for Naofumi, Itsuki, and Raphtalia to absorb and get some more powerful weapon forms.
At least the Bow Hero had gotten a good bow from the last Wave Boss they'd faced, he had it equipped right now. It was called the Demon Elephant Bow.
It was big and gray, with a target on the front similar to the symbol that'd been on the beast's head. It was better than anything he'd gotten from the Wave Bosses in his world. And while it didn't have a skill, it did have a special effect that would change the arrows he fired from that weapon form into elephant tusks that had an increased chance of landing a critical hit and doing more damage to a target.
Very handy.
"So are you sure that you're okay with being separated from Squishy for today?" Kizuna then asked with a snicker, seeing how Glass's attempt at conversation had panned out.
Itsuki was about to ask, then remembered that Kizuna used that nickname for Rishia for some weird reason. He still frowned. "No, it's alright. Rishia can take care of herself. She doesn't need me to keep an eye on her anymore."
…
"Oh… well alright then." Kizuna promptly backpedaled at the weird tone that Itsuki replied in.
"To be honest, I'm more concerned about how sparse our security measures are." Itsuki continued without missing a beat. "I'm confident in my abilities and I've experienced what Glass can do firsthand, but still…"
"I would normally agree with you wholeheartedly on matters like this." Glass replied. "I would drag everyone out for this including Ethnobalt and a small army of Sickle's finest soldiers to escort Kizuna. But it is better that we don't take too much of our fighting strength away for this Conference. It could make us be seen as a threat. Or worse, it could leave Sickle open to attack.
"Many people who will be there already know how strong I am, and Naofumi should be well known for his accomplishments in breaking Kizuna out of Mikikage and assisting the Katana Hero in defeating-"
A breeze blew down the street, covering over the name Glass uttered, much to Itsuki and Kizuna's confusion, but Glass continued on like nothing had happened. "- in Label. That leaves you as an outlier. An extra bodyguard for Kizuna while we're in Lapis. Our potential enemies will look at me as the main threat, without realizing that it's you who is the person that they should be watching out for, since you are stronger."
"..." Itsuki paused in his walk, causing the other two to look back at him. "I'm… I'm stronger than you?" Itsuki asked incredulously.
Glass smiled. "You, Naofumi, and Ren beat me soundly at the Cal Mira Wave. And you've only grown stronger since then. And, unlike me, you don't tire so quickly. If a fight broke out while we were there, I'd be relying on you to carve a way out of it for Kizuna."
"And… to tell the truth, I feel better having you come along instead of Naofumi." Glass paused in her speech to find the right words. But fortunately, they came rather quickly. "Unlike Naofumi, you have the eyes of a killer."
…
Itsuki remained silent while Kizuna openly cringed. "Glass, that's a little…"
"No, Kizuna. I am not trying to offend or stir up trouble by saying this." The spirit woman continued. "It's just an observation of mine. I can tell, because my hands are tainted with blood and sin as well. I won't ask nor judge. But in a twisted way, I feel more confident and relieved to have Itsuki protecting you, Kizuna.
"Unlike Naofumi, Itsuki won't hesitate to do what's necessary at any given moment for the sake of the mission.
"Had it been Itsuki taking the shot at the Spirit Tortoise's core instead of Naofumi back in their world, we wouldn't have had to hold Kyo down for so long. The Shield Hero's hesitation to kill nearly cost us our lives."
"... I still disagree with such rhetoric," Kizuna replied sourly. "If it comes down to it, I'd rather surrender than pay for my safety with innocent lives."
Itsuki had begun to smile a little at the Spirit Woman's words though. It was kind of nice, having a kindred spirit who understood what he'd gone through…
Heh, kindred spirit. He almost said so out loud but decided against that dumb pun. That was more Naofumi's line of work anyway.
Though, he did disagree with Glass about Ost. Had he been the one taking the shot instead of Naofumi…
Would he have hesitated, actually? He remembered he'd helped with Kyo because he didn't think he'd have the firepower to break the barriers and destroy the core. But what if he had the firepower then…?
Well, whatever the case, he'd seriously rather a fight didn't break out. Itsuki didn't want Naofumi's bad premonitions to come true. Again.
"Anyway, enough of that nonsense. I won't be in near as much danger as you might think while we're in Lapis." Kizuna shook her head. "I saved the King's life during the war against the Demon Dragon. And L'Arc and Therese helped him become popular enough to be elected by the people. He'll make sure the security details at the conference are top notch."
"If anything, I'm more worried about our witness friend. I really hope Ethnobalt was able to deliver him there safely."
"He was. I checked with Ethnobalt yesterday evening while he was studying with Rishia." Itsuki said.
"Good. Oh, and Glass forgot to say it, but we need you to come along since you know how to use the crystal ball from your world." Kizuna said.
"Well, that was obvious," Glass muttered.
"Still can't believe your world has video cameras. Why can't we have them too?" Kizuna mumbled to herself.
Right. They weren't just having this Conference to garner military support against Kyo or to establish that Kizuna was allying with Heroes from another world. They first needed to clear the misplaced blame on Sickle for murdering the past Katana Hero and then the rest could follow.
Hopefully.
Itsuki didn't know what the political environment was like in this world. He hoped that it was at least somewhat better than what they'd been dealing with in theirs.
Itsuki remained silent, thinking to himself on how he could possibly help here. He felt a bit better after helping Ethnobalt. He'd felt like he was stagnating before that, but maybe if he could continue building on with that success…
They finally reached the Hourglass building. L'Arc was there waiting for them, as well as Therese, Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Rishia.
"Are Dou-Lon, Maya, and Aksel not here to see us off?" Kizuna asked curiously.
"Dou-Lon is back to training again," Naofumi answered. "As for those two, who knows."
"To be honest, I'd rather not know what those two are doing right now." Itsuki rolled his eyes.
Rishia weakly fuehed in agreement.
Little did they know that Aksel had fallen asleep in his chair next to Maya's bed after taking care of her all night. The raccoon girl was holding his hand and smiling while watching her knight sleep.
It was nothing but wholesome and the people there should have been ashamed of themselves for assuming they'd be doing something lewd at that moment.
Though, in their defense, they had very good reasons to back up why they would have expected that to be the case, based on the last couple of weeks.
"Erm…" L'Arc walked up and rested a hand on Kizuna's shoulder. "I doubt I need to tell you this, but be careful over there, okay?"
"Yeah yeah. I won't be participating in any fighting. And if things go from worse to worst, I guess Itsuki can teleport us back here immediately." Kizuna rolled her eyes. "Why do they have the awesome portal skills? We wouldn't have near as much trouble if we could use those skills too."
"Heheh. Yeah, I feel ya…Thanks for agreeing to escort my little sister, Bow Ki-… Itsuki." L'Arc struggled to not say his nickname for the young boy.
Itsuki sighed as he turned away. Better he didn't acknowledge the Scythe Hero, as any further conversation with the Scythe King would just get that stupid nickname out in the air again and again.
Glass talked with Naofumi and Raphtalia briefly, double-checking that she had plenty of Soul Healing Waters in her fans in case a fight broke out. And Rishia and Itsuki began to say a long awkward goodbye to each other while Ethnobalt stood nearby listening in with a smile on his face.
It was now or never for the redhead to talk to Kizuna in private.
"Hey, lil' sis, I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to spend any time with you these past few days," L'Arc said sadly. "You know that I'd like nothing more than to catch up with a fishing trip."
"You mean you wouldn't get bored out of your mind like last time, big bro?" Kizuna asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
L'Arc smirked, and he rubbed a hand through her hair in response. "I actually did take to fishing somewhat after your disappearance, thank you very much."
"Hey, don't mess up my ponytails!" Kizuna complained.
"Alright, alright…" L'Arc bent down and hugged Kizuna close. Kizuna smiled as she hugged the Scythe King back.
She thought it would have been the end of their goodbye right there, but L'Arc leaned his head forward a little to speak into her ear in an oddly serious tone.
"I spoke with Kenshiro's ghost during the recent celebration. He wanted me to tell you a few things." L'Arc began.
Kizuna's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure and kept on listening while L'Arc continued speaking. "First off, he said that you aren't a greenhorn anymore, like he thought when you two first met. He recognizes you as a true hero and you have his respect."
Kizuna's eyes widened even further, and L'Arc smiled before he frowned. "As for the other thing… he wants you to try and get the other three Cardinal Heroes back into fighting shape."
"Sheesh, leave it to him to give out a crumb of praise before following it up with an impossible task." Kizuna frowned. "From what I heard so far, they don't sound like the most responsible bunch."
"Yeah, personally, I think it's a lost cause and I don't really have any hope for getting them to help us either. However, you're going to Lapis, and that's where those three have been staying these past couple of years. So, if you somehow end up meeting them and have the chance to speak with them in private… Kenshiro said to ask them why it is that they have to keep on living instead of asking them why they're not fighting."
"Why they have to keep on living?" Itsuki suddenly butted in.
The two almost fell back in surprise at the Bow Hero's intrusion. It appeared that he'd already finished saying goodbye to Rishia, who was standing off to the side with a small smile on her face. Itsuki had gathered the courage to give her a goodbye hug, and that seemed to have made her really happy.
"Oh, sorry. Was it something private?" Itsuki asked awkwardly.
"Really, Bow Kiddo? I'm trying to have a heart to heart with my little sis and you feel the need to barge in on us?" L'Arc clicked his tongue in annoyance as a large smirk appeared on his face.
Itsuki scowled at the nickname, and he subsequently turned and walked over to Glass.
L'Arc smiled at Kizuna again. "Ken said that there's some deeper reason for why they're refusing to participate in the fights against the Waves, but he didn't have the time to elaborate before he passed on. I'm still not sure what it might be, even though I've thought about it these last few hellish days. But… if you can get them on our side while you're over there somehow…"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely try," Kizuna said happily. "After all, who can possibly resist this smile?" She made a cute pose as a happy smile spread across her face.
L'Arc laughed and hugged Kizuna again. "Thanks for not thinking that I'm crazy for telling you about this."
"No worries. I already thought you were crazy when we first met." Kizuna grinned as L'Arc pouted at her words. "But I've known you long enough to tell when you're being serious. If you really saw Kenshiro's ghost, I won't ask you how. I'll just accept it and do what I can to follow your orders."
"You've really grown up, you know," L'Arc remarked.
"Not too much though." Kizuna winked.
L'Arc smiled as he hugged her again. He'd been worrying for a while that Naofumi had taken Kizuna's favorite bro spot from him. But perhaps he'd been mistaken.
"I'll see you soon, big bro. And you better be ready, because after all this is over, we're definitely going on another fishing trip!" Kizuna separated from L'Arc happily, and then she ran off and gave Naofumi and Raphtalia hugs as well.
"Just you wait! My fishing skills will leave you crying!" L'Arc yelled after her.
Kizuna stuck her tongue out at him, and Naofumi rolled his eyes while Raphtalia giggled at his side.
"Are we ready to go now?" Glass asked.
"Yep, I'm all set! See you later, everyone!" Kizuna waved to the group as she put her hand on the Hourglass. Itsuki waved to Rishia as he flashed her a confident smile.
The poor girl nearly melted on the spot.
"See you later!"
"Bye!"
"Have a safe trip!"
"Just go already. We don't have all day."
Kizuna stuck her tongue out at Naofumi, who smirked back at her. Favorite bro his &^%.
Naofumi had L'Arc beat by a mile.
"Return Dragon Vein!"
A golden glow surrounded Kizuna, Glass, and Itsuki. And then, a moment later, they disappeared from the Dragon Hourglass building and traveled across the world.
Itsuki hadn't known what to expect when they arrived. Maybe an ornate building like Label. Or the grand building like what was in Sickle. Or even the office building Naofumi had described being in Mikikage. Maybe a Church like in Melromarc. Or a cool underwater temple. Or something.
Where they arrived at in Lapis was…
Underwhelming.
There weren't any guards to meet them. No cool tapestries or anything on the walls. Just a single lone man standing in front of the Hourglass.
"Ah, you're finally here." It was a small, dimly lit room in which the walls were made of stone. It almost reminded the Bow Hero of the room he and the others had been summoned to. With one major difference he was quick to stumble upon.
This wasn't a room. This was a cave.
That was why it was so dimly lit. The only light was coming from the Dragon Hourglass glowing behind them as it counted down towards the arrival of the next Wave in the area.
Itsuki was beyond confused, and he began to open his mouth to ask if they'd gone to the right spot or not, but then Kizuna rushed up to the figure with a wide smile on her face. "Corrin! It's so great to see you again!"
The man smiled in return and accepted it as the Hunting Tools Hero tackled him with a vicious bear hug. Fortunately, it didn't hurt, since Kizuna was incapable of hurting people. "I already saw you at our last Wave. Did you miss me that much?"
"Of course! All my friends are important to me and I hate it when I'm apart from them!" Kizuna laughed in response.
"Ah, you must hate life a lot then, seeing how many friends you have all over the world." Corrin laughed along with Kizuna, and having a feeling that this person was probably someone important, Itsuki took note of his features.
Corrin had light grey shoulder-length hair, as well as piercing brown-red eyes. His hair was messy in a stylistic way. The armor he wore was a bit fancy, with greaves running down his arms all the way to the gloves on his hands. A blue robe flowed out behind him, finishing off the honestly pretty cool look.
Itsuki guessed he must have been an officer in Lapis's army. Or perhaps a member of the local nobility? He certainly looked more important than the average soldier. But he hardly looked to be older than L'Arc.
Kizuna suddenly let Corrin go and pouted. "You know, I still haven't forgiven you for that comment you made before!"
"What? Is it not true that you've hardly grown an inch since the last time we met?" The man smirked.
"You could have been a bit more gentle about it at least!" Kizuna screeched.
The pair laughed as they messed around. Itsuki wondered how much longer this would go on when Glass spoke up next to him.
"Your Majesty. Pardon the interruption, but should we not get going?"
Wait… YOUR MAJESTY!?
This was the leader of Lapis!?
"Please, just Corrin is fine here. At least, until we get to the castle. Goodness, you'd think I'd be used to that title by now." Corrin turned to the exit. His blue robe flowed with him as he moved. His hair parted on his forehead, revealing a light grey gemstone embedded in it.
Itsuki was still reeling from the discovery. And it was only thanks to Chris touching his leg with a flipper that Itsuki began to walk alongside the shikigami.
"You have done well for your country, King Corrin. I would be doing you a dishonor to not refer to you by your title." Glass responded formally.
"Eh, don't mind Glassy, Corrin. You know she's always been uptight on formalities even though I've tried so hard to break her of that habit." Kizuna grinned mischievously.
"Hey, I do not refer to you by title anymore at the very least!" Glass replied angrily.
"Yes, that would also explain your change in attire." Corrin returned the younger girl's grin. "I take it she had to force you into that?"
"Yep! The whole thing! What I'd give to be out of this and-"
Kizuna stopped talking as she suddenly felt someone's hands get put on her shoulders threateningly. The girl swallowed hard in response, now painfully aware of what felt like the God of Death looming over her tiny form, with its ruby eyes glowing within the dark cloud looming above her.
"A-Anyway, is Hinoka here too?!" The Hunting Hero asked frantically.
"O-Of course! She's waiting for us at the ship! You know her, she's always been the better pilot! Hahahaha!" Corrin responded quickly, feeling a trail of sweat going down the back of his neck.
Itsuki trembled a little bit even though he wasn't in the line of fire.
He didn't care what anybody else said. Glass was definitely the scariest person he'd ever met.
Unless you counted how terrifying Naofumi's plans usually were. He might have her beat then.
"Yay! I'll get to see Hinoka too!" Kizuna said gleefully.
"Pen!"
As the group walked away from the hourglass, Glass's demeanor returned back to its calmer state. But she was still following the Hunting Tools Hero like a shadow, forcing Kizuna and the King to talk to each other in hushed voices. Itsuki would have tried talking to Chris… if Chris could talk.
Itsuki instead returned to his thoughts on where they were. And wondered why Lapis's hourglass was in a bland boring cave.
There were no statues. No guards. No portraits. Nothing. The walls and floor weren't even carved. Only the ceiling had been touched, and it looked like it was to clear it of stalactites.
It made no sense. Everywhere in his world, minus the Underwater Temple, the Hourglass was normally in the middle of the city in an elaborate building of some kind. And while the hourglasses served an essential purpose counting down to the Waves, they were even more essential in this world since people could use them to get drop items, register for Waves, or, thanks to Trash's recent invention, teleport from Hourglass to Hourglass.
So, why was it in the middle of some stupid cave?!
It took almost a minute. But they eventually came out onto a small hillside in the middle of a tiny island.
A red-haired woman was waiting for them. Standing on the deck of a ship similar to the Invincible. However, unlike it, it had rows of gemstones lined all along its hull. The ones underneath glowed a faint blue while the ones on the sides were green.
The ship was also floating in the air and not sitting in the water. It was a short walk away from the cave's entrance. Looking around, there was no city or anything. Meaning the Hourglass was in the middle of no where.
"It's about time. I was beginning to think that we'd have to wait here forever." The woman said sarcastically, but she had a happy smile on her face regardless. "Welcome back, Hunting Tools Hero."
"Hahahaha, I'm sorry I didn't get to spend much time with you two last time." Kizuna laughed happily.
"You know how it is. Having to lead a country while also taking care of a baby." The woman rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised I haven't gotten a call from one of the the nannies pleading for help with Kana."
"Don't worry, we'll have the whole ride to the castle to catch up." Corrin laid a hand on her shoulder as he smiled at his wife.
Hinoka had armored greaves on her shoulders and a naginata sheathed on her back. But otherwise, her state of dress was tamer compared to Corrin's. With a red vest over a white shirt, boots that went up to her thighs, and white sleeves that only covered her forearms, leaving her muscled upper arms exposed.
Her hair and eyes were red. And the short locks in the front briefly parted, revealing a red gemstone embedded in her forehead. She looked like a warrior, just like her husband.
It was hard to imagine that they were actually the rulers of a country. Itsuki was still trying to wrap his mind around that.
It was probably then that Itsuki noticed the island they were on was located in the middle of a large lake. And in the distance, there was a far larger island with a bridge connecting it to the mainland.
"Is… is that where we're going?" Itsuki asked Glass, as Kizuna was already talking to Corrin while Hinoka took over at the helm.
"Yes. I suggest you get a good look while we fly over it. Lazuli is considered to be one of our world's greatest wonders and seeing it from above is a rare and breathtaking experience." Glass suggested as she moved to the side of the boat, giving Kizuna time to catch up with two of her friends. Chris moved to stand beside her.
Itsuki nodded, deciding to take the advice, and kept his eyes on the horizon while Hinoka brought the ship up into the sky. Laughing as the wind blew against her face. "Now this is much better!"
It took a few minutes to cross over the massive lake. And Itsuki kept on rubbing his eyes as he thought that the sun's glare was reflecting off the crystal-blue water of the lake, preventing him from seeing the city that they were flying to.
But that wasn't the case. It was the white city wall gleaming with the refracted sunlight of thousands upon thousands of different color gemstones blocking his view.
The Bow Hero's mouth hung open as he finally realized that.
"That's Lazuli's famous gem wall. It has been built and upgraded for millennia by countless generations of gem people. Not even the Demon Dragon's forces at the height of their power were able to get past it." Glass explained beside Itsuki. There was a hint of awe in her voice. "It's said the Demon Dragon itself tried to personally breach it only to fail."
"Pen!" Chris gestured in agreement.
"Haha. That's a huge exaggeration." Corrin laughed from where he stood by Kizuna. The two had paused in their conversation to look at the approaching city. "The gem wall is powerful but it's still only a wall. Had the Demon Dragon really come for us personally, I'm certain that his cursed breath would have destroyed it."
The king suddenly did a double take on the bow hero. "Oh, that's right! I haven't introduced myself yet! I apologize, it's easy to get carried away when around Kizuna and her boundless energy. My name is Corrin and this beautiful woman is my wife, Hinoka."
"Yo!" The redhead waved her hand behind her without turning away from the wheel.
"As you already figured out, we are the king and queen of Lapis, respectively." The diamond gem person continued. "And I assume that you are one of the two heroes from another world that Kizuna spoke of? The bow one, yes?"
"That's correct, your majesty. My name is Itsuki, it's a pleasure to meet you." The Bow Hero decided to go for a more casual greeting. After reading the atmosphere, it was apparent that proper etiquette could be skipped, at least for now.
"Kizuna sang many praises for you and your friends." The king smiled without missing a beat, Itsuki's hunch was right. "I have high hopes for this alliance that she told me about. It sounds quite fantastic, but I have grown to know that the world we live in is quite fantastic in and of itself. So, it's not as outlandish of a story as one might think at first. And Kizuna has never failed us before, so I shall follow her discretion and welcome you with open arms as well."
"Thank you. Your open-mindedness is appreciated, your majesty." Itsuki made a short bow before speaking again. "Back at the topic at hand, however, this 'gem wall', does it act as some sort of magic barrier?"
"Yes, among other things. If you're determined to be a threat, some of the gemstones will shift into attack mode, and… well, it wouldn't be pretty. Fire magic. Water magic. Thunder magic. You name it. It might not have stood against the Demon Dragon, but it did repel that Earth General of his. Almost killed the blasted creature too. Too bad it managed to escape with its forces." Corrin elaborated.
Itsuki began to pray that none of them would be considered a threat.
This place definitely didn't have to worry about dealing with Titans anytime soon, that's for sure.
Fortunately, they were allowed to fly over the wall and the city proper came into view.
And it was… beautiful.
It was weird to call a city beautiful. But Itsuki couldn't think of any other word he could use to describe it.
To explain, the capital of Lapis was located on a huge island in the center of an equally huge lake. Some parts of the great wall surrounding it reached even down into the water. And yet, that didn't stop the city from having several shipyards on the shoreline inside the wall. Some were built to house ships capable of flight like the one they were on, while others were able to enter and leave by water via the gates built into the walls.
The streets of the city were filled to the brim with countless people. With his eyes and his skill helping him out, Itsuki could see spirit people, wood elves, dwarves, and many other races. Carriages moved along the roads here and there, but there weren't many of them.
There were also these weird gem golems patrolling the streets. They were at least ten feet tall, and their outer stone layer flashed with the light of many gemstones embedded in their skin. Along with them the Bow Hero also spotted a few odd-looking cats on the street. They reminded him of a certain pokemon with a gem on its forehead.
And, of course, there were gem people.
Lots and lots of gem people.
"Lapis is considered to be the birthplace and homeland of the Gem People," Glass answered when Itsuki pointed that out. "And Lazuli is often considered the "Heart" of their race."
"A… Amazing." Itsuki looked down below again. The gems seemed to be a part of everything. Even the houses and shops that he could see.
Why couldn't their world have something like this? That was a bit unfair. No wonder the other Heroes had chosen to stay here. Just from above, Itsuki could spot enough wealth to make the greatest of treasure troves look like a poor man's mite.
With his birds-eye view, assisted by skills from his bow, he saw all kinds of shops and restaurants as they flew overhead. He could have sworn that he even saw a maid cafe on one street. There was a Greek Styled Gym in another part of the city too. The two stood out because of how different they looked compared to the other nearby buildings there. Though Itsuki quickly lost interest in them as a glow on another street caught his attention.
The glow faded, revealing a crying newborn baby on the ground. A blue gem was embedded in its forehead, and it was stark naked, without so much as a blanket wrapped around it. As Itsuki stared down at it in surprise, he opened his mouth to shout for Hinoka to slow down and land the ship.
But then, a pair of golems patrolling the street below moved over to the crying baby. They picked it up with a gentleness that was surprising for their jewel-encrusted stone bodies. One settled the little one in a white blanket while the other began to glow. The newborn quieted as if it was hearing a gentle lullaby.
The two golems then moved with the calm newborn to the main street, where the local people quickly parted. They all smiled as they gave way for the stone constructs. They carried the baby away, down the street and out of Itsuki's sight.
"What… what just happened down there?" Itsuki asked in confusion.
"Where?" Glass asked tensely, looking where Itsuki had been looking to see what potential threat he was talking about. She quickly relaxed when he explained what it was though. "Oh, that? Do not worry, that child will be fine. That is a normal thing that happens around here."
Itsuki's eyebrow arched up, but by that point, the ship was approaching another set of walls. These ones, however, surrounded a large castle built at the top of the city like an impregnable fortress.
It wasn't enough that the walls of the city proper were already built around the city in the center of a large freaking island. It wasn't enough that the Hourglass for the city was located offshore. These walls were lined with ballistae and cannons. And there were slots in the wall that could open to reveal more cannons or allow slots for archers and mages to attack from.
And, of course, it had plenty of gemstones that likely held the same function as those on the outer wall.
If the enemy somehow got over the first massive wall, if they got through the streets, the stone guardians, and fought their way up to this point, they'd still have to deal with yet another wall embedded with gemstones. As well as an array of heavy weaponry.
Plus, as Itsuki figured out when they flew over it, they'd have to deal with the fleet of airships parked on the ground next to some more armaments too.
They had a freaking airfield next to the castle.
That was so cool it wasn't even funny. Their world really needed to shape up.
Maybe Kizuna had a point when she said not to worry about danger here too much. It also explained why Glass was not nearly as paranoid about her safety as Itsuki thought she would be.
He thought that Label's, the Katana Country's capital looked impregnable when he first saw it, and it made sense, considering their militaristic nature. But Lazuli? It completely blew it away in terms of security. And unlike that city, Lazuli still managed to keep a sense of wealth, culture, otherwordly beauty, and aesthetics, despite the sheer number of defensive measures it held.
Naofumi had definitely missed out by wanting to stay behind to train. If only Rishia could see this.
"Ah… that was nice," Hinoka commented contentedly as she landed the ship in an area where people were already standing to guide her in. Kind of like the guide persons Itsuki saw at the airport back in his world. "I really wish I had excuses like this to fly personally more often."
"Honey, you know we are only supposed to use these ships for major fights or when we need to outside of that. I only agreed to this because of how important Kizuna is." Corrin frowned. "Not even the other dignitaries got this kind of treatment."
"Yeah yeah, of course they're war machines and all that. It sure sucks though, since I was clearly born to fly." The gem woman pouted.
"Which is quite ironic, since we came from the ground." Corrin rolled his eyes.
"Maybe we could go for another circle around the island?" Hinoka asked, sounding hopeful. "As long as we're near it, the gems powering the ship will naturally recharge their power from the Earth. So it wouldn't be a big deal. And if some of our citizens, or the representatives attending the meeting have a problem with that then they can kiss my %$#."
…
Yeah, you definitely wouldn't have thought that she was the Queen at first glance.
"Honey… we'll fly again later, I promise. We can't be too careful." Corrin responded patiently. "Especially today."
Hinoka would have refuted, but an ofuda on her side began to buzz. She picked it up, only to groan softly. "It's Kana. The nannies say she just woke from her nap and needs to be fed."
"Well, you're her mommy. Unless you'd rather have one of the wet nurses do it?" Corrin suggested with a smile.
"No. She's my daughter." Hinoka scowled protectively.
Corrin kissed her on the lips, softening the scowl on her face into an embarrassed smile. "Then I'll see you both later. Hopefully by dinnertime, if things don't run for too long."
Hinoka blushed and hurriedly ran off into the castle without another word. She looked really happy though.
"Man, I still can't believe you two had a kid and that it wasn't by adoption. Every day I learn new things that I missed out on and it sucks." The hunting hero pouted..
"Haha, well, to be fair, it's not often for the two rulers of our nation to actually love each other. And it didn't happen that long ago." The king patted the pouting girl on the head reassuringly. "She was only born six months ago, believe it or not. And she's already quite the spitfire! Just like her mother!"
"That's… that's so great!" Kizuna smiled widely, only for her smile to falter. "I… I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it. I really did miss a lot while I was gone…"
"It's fine. I promise that you'll be able to meet her for yourself when there's time." Corrin smiled again as he pulled his hand back.
Kizuna perked up at that and flashed her friend a thank you smile of her own. "Um…" Itsuki walked forward, a questioning look in his gaze. "It was really cool flying over the city and all… and I'm sure you have other things you need to do, but I really need to ask since it was so out of place. Why is your Hourglass so far away?"
"Ah… I admit the change is recent. We used to have it in the castle up until a couple of weeks ago." Corrin admitted.
"... what?" Itsuki tilted his head.
"When we learned that an item had been created that replicated the Hero's portal function, we thought the security risk would be too great. We relocated the Hourglass outside the walls for now until we have its new sanctuary ready."
"It's a hassle for our nation's adventurers. But better to use the machines for drops until we're certain that an enemy army won't be able to just appear in the heart of our country."
"Is that possible?" Glass asked worriedly.
"It would take only one person registering at the hourglass to allow for waves and waves of soldiers to be teleported in after them via the scrolls," Corrin explained.
Glass thought it over to herself, however, Itsuki spoke before she could. "I thought those giant things were immovable?"
"Oh, that's a common misconception. They can be moved. It just takes a lot of manpower to do it. About half of our fleet of ships to be precise." Corrin answered. "And it was slow going too. It took at least a few days of careful flying and a lot of planning to get it inside that cave. It'll suck to move it back out. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. Lazuli… my family, can't afford to have that kind of hole in our defenses."
…
Corrin handed Kizuna a communication ofuda as Itsuki couldn't think of how to respond to that. "There's still a little time before the Conference is scheduled to commence. I have rooms prepared for everyone, but knowing you, they will probably remain unused again. The guards have orders to allow you and your friends unlimited access in and out of the castle. Show them this ofuda when you do so. It has a special seal on it for identification. Now go ahead and play around at your leisure. Just don't forget to come back in time for the meeting proper."
"Thanks, Corrin! I promise we won't cause any trouble!" Kizuna said happily.
"I will make sure she does not break that promise," Glass muttered dryly.
"Awwww, come on Glassy." Kizuna pouted.
Corrin smiled again as a group of guards approached him. "I'll see you all later." Holding his hands behind his back, the King walked with his escort towards the doors of the castle.
Itsuki pondered on what he'd learned. As well as what they should do now. There was so much here that was new that he wanted to understand. Before he could ask though, Kizuna pointed to a path beside the castle. "Let's go that way! I think I remember them having an awesome gem garden there!"
"Gem… garden?" Itsuki asked.
"You will find the Gem People have found a wide variety of ways to use the gems of this land thanks to their magic and craftsmanship," Glass said with a shrug. "Though these creations came from a past Jewel Hero, if I'm not mistaken."
"Come on Glassy, Itsuki will get bored if you keep it to a lecture!" Kizuna encouraged her spirit friend.
"Pen!"
"Sure." Glass smiled. "I would like to see them again too."
Intrigued in the best of ways, Itsuki followed beside the two girls as they left the small airfield behind.
Itsuki found that his stay in Lapis's Capital was going to be accompanied by many moments of awe and wonder.
The city itself had looked great from above. But stepping into the castle's Gem Garden really took things to another level.
There was no ceiling up above, but the walls of the area were engraved with drawings of flowers and trees. And the gemstones used on them made the walls look alive.
Yes, gemstones were so plentiful here that they were embedded in the walls for artwork. And the shingles of homes. And pots holding plants in them. And the toys kids played with.
Gems seemed to be a part of daily life here and could be seen in most everything.
But then there was what was in the garden.
Imagine seeing a wide variety of flowers. Then, imagine if the stems were made of gold, silver, or some other exotic metal, and the petals were precious gemstones of all kinds from diamonds, rubies, tanzanite, and everything else under the sun.
It was like walking into a vault of all the precious materials in the entire world, in flower form.
"In… Incredible." Itsuki slowly reached a hand out to what looked like a lily with ruby petals, wondering if he'd even be allowed to touch it. There were more of those stone golems on patrol here. Some were tending to the flowers in the garden.
"Feel free to take one," Kizuna said as she plucked a different flower from the ground nearby.
"W-Wait! Really?! We can do that?!" Itsuki asked in shock.
"Yeah. Thanks to the magic in this area, they'll grow back eventually. And besides, it would be a great souvenir for Squishy." Kizuna winked.
How could she talk about precious metals growing?! That'd be like printing money! That was impossible, and…
But that emerald petaled flower really did look pretty. And he imagined Rishia holding it with a smile on her face. Or, even better, wearing it in her hair.
"A-Alright." Itsuki carefully picked it up by the stem. Even after leaving the dirt it was growing in, it didn't look any less alive.
He couldn't wait to see the green-haired girl's reaction!
A golem suddenly lumbered over to them after the action. Itsuki quickly backpedaled in surprise, thinking it was going to attack them.
But it simply stopped in front of the disturbed soil.
It stared at it for a moment. Well, it didn't really have eyes, but the top of it was bent down towards the soil.
But then, one of its rocky hands reached out, digging a small hole. From its arm, it pried loose an emerald, planting it into the soil like it was a seed.
A low groan came from it, and the emerald glowed faintly. The golem then covered it over with soil again before lumbering away to another part of the garden.
"See? A few weeks from now, another flower will have grown in its place." Kizuna said happily. "And Corrin won't mind us taking a couple back home as long as we treat them with care."
"T-Treat them with care?" Itsuki asked hesitantly.
"Duh. This garden is alive silly. They all need an infusion of magic power every so often to maintain their growth."
With that, Kizuna skipped off to admire some amethyst-tinted flowers nearby.
…
Itsuki stared at the flower in his hands with a look that felt mixed between awe and confusion. "How can these things be alive and growing though? They're metal and fancy rocks. This… doesn't make any sense."
"Did you forget what we saw earlier?" Glass asked, this time in amusement.
"What are you talking about?" Itsuki blanched.
"Did you not see the newborn baby?" The Spirit Woman elaborated.
"I did. But I still don't understand where it came from or anything. Did its parents abandon it in the street or something?" Itsuki asked.
"No, of course not. What you saw was a Gem finishing its journey and being reborn as a gem person," Glass answered.
…
Itsuki just stared blankly in response. "What, you have people in your world that mature and grow with levels. Is it that odd for people here to be born from gemstones?" Glass chuckled.
"I… I'm just trying to process how that works." Itsuki muttered. "Is it a thing for two gemstones to love each other very much or something?"
"No, nothing like that. Though, truthfully I don't understand all the details either, even after Therese painstakingly explained the whole process to me from start to finish. It is a phenomenon unique to our world, and more so to this land specifically. It takes certain requirements to take place. One being a continual saturation of magic power."
"Didn't… didn't Hinoka mention something about that earlier? How the gems powering the airships would naturally recharge if she flies around the island?" The Bow Hero recalled.
"That is part of it, yes. The whole land here is overflowing with magic power from the earth. This power is captured by the gems all over the city. This causes gemstones to be produced much more quickly here. It also serves as a catalyst for what you witnessed earlier."
"Huh… Is it any gemstone that can, or…" Itsuki trembled, thinking in horror about all the random places where a baby could get born.
"The Gem People understand the requirements better than me. When they sense that one will become a person soon, they put the gemstone in an open area like the streets. Where they will be easy to find and get picked up by the city's golem caretakers once their transformation is complete."
…
Oh, that was a relief. If one of those wall gemstones were to ever…
You know what. It'd be better to not go down that line of thought.
"Though, these flowers also hold the potential to give birth to a Gem Person." Glass then added playfully. "You and your friend could end up having a kid of your own if you are not careful."
"Ack! So that's what Kizuna meant when she said that they're alive!" Itsuki said incredulously. He purposefully ignored the second part of Glass's statement.
"Of course. Remember, our races are different compared to what you have in your world." Glass's form became transparent for emphasis as she spoke, only to solidify right after.
"O-Of course our races back home are different. Still, people being born from flowers?... Yeesh!" Itsuki said awkwardly.
That was even weirder than seeing a kid with animal ears become an adult in less than a month's time.
Glass laughed again while smiling. "Yes, it is a strange thing for outsiders to learn. It is something many parts of our world are ignorant of, actually. Even though it is the Gem People who have helped to advance our technology the most during the last few hundred years. Though it does not help that it is extremely rare for gems to become people outside of Lapis. Even if the other requirements are met, it is hard to supply them with the magic power they need over such a long period of time."
Itsuki looked at the flower, thinking long and hard. He almost felt guilty for picking it, but at least it didn't… seem to be unhappy with being picked. Its petals continued to gleam with a soft green light that was reminding Itsuki of Rishia's hair. And he almost thought he heard a giggle come from it…
…
Yeah, he must have been going insane. There was no other explanation for it.
He put the item near his Bow's gemstone, and it glowed in response. He absorbed the flower into his Bow, unlocking the Emerald Flower Bow. He didn't pull it up yet since he wanted to continue learning from Glass. "Are the Gem People born from this garden special in any way?"
"Hmm? In a manner of speaking, yes," Glass answered. "Those born within the walls of the castle are known to possess higher capabilities for magic than other Gem People. They're normally taken in by the royals or the high nobles living here. Though, they don't always necessarily become royals or nobles themselves. Therese is one such example."
"..." Itsuki didn't even ask. He'd already learned a lot of surprising things today. Yet Glass still led him to another part of the garden. Here, sapphire flowers grew alongside ruby orchids and diamond flowers.
"When we visited with her once, she pointed this patch of ground out to L'Arc, saying that this was where she was born. I still can't forget the look on his face when she said that. Nor can I forget hers when he eventually gave his response."
"What did that idiot say?" Itsuki asked.
Kizuna suddenly appeared coughing into her hand, before starting to mimic L'Arc's voice as best as she could. "No wonder you're so beautiful! You were born from the most amazing flowers in the world!"
…
Itsuki stared at Kizuna in surprise. Glass smiled though, not contradicting her friend or anything.
"I… I can't picture him ever saying something that smooth." Itsuki finally responded.
"Believe me. It took the rest of us by surprise too," Glass smirked. "If anything, it was the first time I'd ever seen Therese blushing so much from embarrassment. But it also made her really happy at the same time."
"I really wish those two would get together already." Kizuna pouted up at Glass. "Therese doesn't have to worry about returning to Lapis anymore. And big bro's the king now, so people won't care if he marries a gem girl or not. Heck, Therese has even gotten the Council of Ministers on her side. What gives?"
"From my understanding, Therese wants to keep L'Arc focused on his role as a hero." The Spirit Woman explained somberly. "She doesn't want to distract him from leading his country and saving the world with the mundane elements of family life… Though, if you ask me, I think she just enjoys playing hard to get far too much." Glass rolled her eyes at the end.
"Awww. Maybe one day she'll stop toying with big bro." Kizuna sighed.
While they talked, Itsuki took the moment to absorb a few more of the gem flowers around the garden. Unlocking more Bow Forms in the process.
They weren't anything too special. A stat increase here, and resistance to magic damage there. Though one had an equip effect called Gem Reform.
That sounded like something quite useful. Maybe this was how the past Jewel Hero made the gem flowers?
He really hoped this was ok. He was only limiting himself to one… well, two flowers per type, so Naofumi could absorb these too. But he was leaving the majority of the garden untouched. And the golems didn't seem to mind it either, as they simply planted more gem seeds in the areas that Itsuki picked them from.
Gem seeds? He'd never thought he'd think of those two words together. He would have thought on it some more or considered going through the rest of the garden to see what he could find/unlock.
However…
"Ahahaha! I was right!"
A short guy in a weird-looking white tunic fastened at the shoulder suddenly dashed through one of the garden's entrances. Running past Itsuki towards Glass and Kizuna.
"Huh-" The two girls turned in surprise at the newcomer. But the guy pushed Kizuna out of the way to stare in awe at the spirit woman. "The Hunting Tools Hero really does look like an Amazon Warrior! Incredible!"
"Ughhhh…" Kizuna slowly sat up, rubbing her sore head. She'd just barely avoided squashing a patch of amethyst gem flowers.
"I'm… sorry, I believe you are-" Glass began to speak. Her left eye was twitching.
"It's decided then! I won't rest until I have you in my bed! I'll make you my wife and-"
Smash!
The unfortunate young man, whoever he was, never got to finish his sentence. As soon as Glass understood what he was implying, her hand grabbed the fool by the back of the head and smashed it into the ground below.
She buried it through a layer of brick and gemstones. Impressive.
For the young man, that is. Itsuki was pretty certain that any lesser man would have died from such an attack delivered by the Fan Hero.
"Mmm! Mmmmm!" The guy's confused screeching could be heard beneath the destroyed brickwork. He pushed against the ground with his hands and knees to try and pull his head out.
"You know this guy, Glassy?" Kizuna asked in confusion.
"Ugh. Forget him." Glass looked disgusted.
There was only one person that she'd ever allow to 'bed' her. And it was definitely a girl, not a guy.
"Is he going to be okay…?" Itsuki began to ask, only to trail off.
The guy was still alive. So he must have had decent stats at the very least.
Or a very thick and hard skull.
"He'll be fine. Now, come on. I believe the conference should be starting soon. And we must prepare." Glass grabbed Kizuna and Itsuki by the arms, dragging them both off towards the castle.
"Hey, I can walk on my own!" Itsuki complained.
"I can too!" Kizuna complained as well.
They left the gemyard. Leaving the poor musclehead buried neck-deep in the ground.
Another hour quickly passed by. By then, all the delegates had gathered in a large dome-shaped conference room.
It had multiple levels, with different people sitting all over it. There were grass elves. There were dwarves. There were humans and spirit people and gem people of all kinds. The representatives of the countries with smaller amounts of influence sat near the back while larger countries with Vassal Heroes had seats up front.
"Where are Luvar's delegates? We were supposed to start fifteen minutes ago." Itsuki muttered.
"I don't know. I sent Yomogi a letter asking her to be here!" Kizuna said frantically. "I was hoping to clear some things up through her, since she's Kyo's spokesperson and because she's always felt more honest and genuine to me, but she never responded!"
"Perhaps Kyo doesn't want her or anyone else from his country to attend," Glass murmured.
"Uhhh… who the heck is Yomogi?" Itsuki asked.
"I'll explain later. Right now, I need to focus." Kizuna began breathing in and out deeply at a frantic rate to try and calm herself down.
She really wished that she had Chris there to pet. But the shikigami was currently stored away in an ofuda for the meeting. And unfortunately, Naofumi hadn't managed to make an ofuda that mimicked the real feel of the shikigami.
A weird side obsession from her older brother's love of Raph-Chan. But now Kizuna could see why he'd spend time trying to make such a thing.
The three frowned. They looked at the chamber entrance again where two golems stood by, guarding it. But with all the murmuring in the room, it was growing increasingly apparent that everyone wanted to start things already.
Just as Corrin began to stand, the doors opened.
"Finally, it's about time they-" Itsuki began to murmur to himself, only to stop.
"S-Sorry we're late, Your Majesty."
"Yeah, we found this idiot stuck in the ground in the gardens and had to dig him out."
"I-I wasn't stuck! I was going to get out eventually!"
Three figures walked into the room. Two guys and a girl.
The first guy that'd spoken was around Naofumi's height. He wore a black turtleneck with long sleeves that he was constantly pulling up as well as a pair of gray trousers. He wore an old pair of dress shoes, and his messy black hair seemed to constantly be getting into his gray eyes, covering them up, though an attempt had been made to comb it for the occasion. It'd likely been ruined trying to help his friend out. A box with several ofuda in it rested on his hip. The box had a gray gemstone embedded into it.
The second person, a girl, had bright flaming red hair and blue eyes. She wore a red dress adorned with all kinds of gemstones as well as a pair of matching high heeled shoes. The outfit was well made, and the bracelet she was wearing had an ocean blue gemstone embedded inside of a larger ruby. Even without the heels, she was tall, possibly as tall as Motoyasu. And she was beautiful too… though, she was lacking in certain places, similar to Kizuna. Which she made up for with extra frills on the front of her dress.
The third guy was instantly recognizable though. And Glass groaned beside the Bow Hero as they realized who they were looking at.
The guy had sandy brown hair as well as wide, green, almond-shaped eyes. His tan face would have looked kind of handsome if not for the acne, and the freckles. His body shape was not giving him any favors either, since he was super scrawny and as short as Itsuki with none of the Bow Hero's natural charm. Oh, and there were bits of earth clinging to his hair from his encounter with Glass earlier.
And strapped to his back was a large mace- wait. It wasn't strapped. It was stuck to his back. And it had a green gemstone embedded in the center of the hand grip for it.
"Ah, Cardinal Heroes, I'm grateful that you could make it. It's an honor to have you here." Corrin spoke.
These… these three were the other Cardinal Heroes of Kizuna's world?
Author's Notes:
As my proofreader said several times while reading this chapter over: The lore! THE LOREEEEEEEEEEE!
Just so you're aware upfront, there is literally no details given on the other three Heroes in Glass's world whatsoever. I'm not even sure if there are any details given of them in the Class-Up Volume or on Aneko's blog or not, so think of these three purely as OCs.
Also... yes, I am a big fan of the Fire Emblems series. I don't have a Switch so I haven't played the later games. But I love Fates, Conquest, and Birthright. I have been looking for a way to reference it for so long in a way that'd fit the story that it's not even funny.
I have already taken some liberties worldbuilding wise in Glass's world based on what's known about it. I have taken them even farther in this chapter. And I have thoroughly enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it even if you all don't.
On that note, enjoy the omake:
Hero Clips!
Gem People
"Wahhhh!" "Weh!" "Wehhhhhh!"
L'Arc and Therese were both holding two gem infants. At least half a dozen more were crying on the ground around them. They had been born from the accessories the Gem girl had been wearing on her arms.
She really had a lot of accessories.
"Th-Therese?! What the heck do we do?!" L'Arc screamed in terror.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think the gemstones I had on hand would finish their transformations outside of Lapis. Just grin and bear it until the golems get here, L'Arc." Therese said tiredly.
The redhead was trying. Honest to God, he was trying for Therese's sake. But he'd expected he'd be taking care of 'their' kids! Not a bunch of gems that turned into kids simultaneously!
L'Arc was being crushed by fatherhood and its inherent responsibilities. He was wishing Minister Stone would arrive with something for him to do! Where was that blasted old man?!
"Can I please go back to being king, please?" L'Arc begged the heavens.
"Wow, never thought I'd hear you say that."
L'Arc turned his head. Naofumi and Raphtalia were standing in the doorway together. The girl was smiling in delight while Naofumi was smirking at his predicament. "Just how weak are you to be done in by ten kids?"
"Y-Yeah?! I'd like to see you take care of them!" L'Arc challenged the Shield Hero.
"Alright. Ready, Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked.
"I was born ready." The half-raccoon girl cracked her knuckles.
Within a couple of hours, all ten babies were fast asleep. Smiling in their cribs while the tired but smiling power couple looked over the brood. Naofumi's hand was rocking a crib with a girl who had likely been born from the accessory he'd crafted, since she seemed particularly attached to the Shield Hero.
"Well done, honey," Naofumi said with satisfaction.
"You weren't so bad yourself, dear." Raphtalia smiled back.
L'Arc, on the other hand, was looking at them with eyes the size of dinner plates. "HOW!? JUST HOW!?"
"I've been a Father for Filo for how long now?" Naofumi replied blandly. "Compared to how difficult she was at the start, these babies were nothing."
"To think that Master Craftsman is not only an amazing cook, but an amazing Father too?!" Therese's eyes sparkled.
No!
NO!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
THAT STUPID *&%$ING KIDDO WAS GOING TO TAKE HIS GIRLFRIEND AWAY FROM HIM FOR SURE THIS TIME!
"Relax, L'Arc, it could always be worse." Therese patted him on the back.
"And just how would that be possible?" L'Arc asked through gritted teeth.
"Imagine if I still had the bag of gemstones I gave Wyndia back when we fought Kyo?" Therese asked.
…
They wouldn't have the same problem, right?
"WAHHHHHHH!"
"WEHHHHHH!"
The dog girl was holding four gem babies in her arms. All of whom were bawling louder than any monster her dragon father had sired.
'This is fine… this is fine…' It'd been her dream to become a mother. The dog girl was trying to convince herself that this was normal. Her hair was a mess. Her clothes were thrown haphazardly onto her body. She looked like she'd hardly slept a wink in the last few days. But it was all fine. This was perfectly normal.
Having at least three dozen kids suddenly appear one night out of the blue was totally within reason.
But she'd expected to give birth to Ren's children! Not to have them pop out of the bag Therese had given her like popcorn! When her best friend had said her gems were alive, she'd never expected THIS!
The new teenage mother was completely overwhelmed. Even with Tersia, Farrie, and Eclair there to try and assist with the tide of babies in the Sword Hero's home, things had hardly improved for the new idiot mother!
"This one needs a diaper change!" Farrie yelled. "And this one needs to be fed!"
"I only have two hands here," Tersia called back where she was doing the two tasks for two other babies. Changing one's diaper while holding a bottle for the other to drink from.
"If you stop crying, I'll teach you how to hold a sword, little one," Eclair said, trying to gently pat the back of the single baby she was carrying.
"WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Judging by how he started to cry louder, holding a sword probably wasn't what it wanted. Maybe it would have been better to ask someone besides the muscle-headed knight for help.
And to top off the craziness of it all…
"Ugh…" Ren's hand weakly reached out from the pile of ten babies covering him on the ground. He was literally drowning in the babies climbing and crying all over him.
The poor guy.
"Oh no... Ren…" Wyndia's head drooped forward, as if she was about to fall asleep. Only for a fresh wave of crying from the bundles of joy she was holding to jerk her awake and get her to try to rock them to sleep again desperately.
It was a good thing this wouldn't actually happen. Since even the Author isn't sure about all the details behind this bit of lore. He didn't know the exact process for how this would work, but he did know that gemstones in Glass's world eventually transformed into people. Meaning yes, that was one thing from this chapter that he hadn't made up!
This also meant that since details on it were scant, he could make it work via plot relevancy!
Yeah, because nothing's better than having something happen for the sake of plot!
Better watch out Itsuki, otherwise, you and Rishia might be taking care of a baby a lot sooner than you realize!
"I really hate it when Allen makes these kinds of comments to me in an omake," Itsuki said dryly. "It's almost like he's foreshadowing this actually happening to us in the story or something."
Rishia could only fueh nervously in response as the teenage parents behind them were buried in an avalanche of gem children.
It would be a long time before Naofumi and Raphtalia came back, allowing the pair of idiotic teenage parents to get a good night's sleep again.
Till Next Time
Allen