Rumi arrived at the clinic only a few moments later, her mind running rampant.

She had never seen a monster like that before. Not once, in all her years of fighting monsters that most adventurers had never heard of. And if even she was in the dark about what the fuck a [Fractured Soulborn Shade] was…

It didn't bode well for her ability to get answers out of Izuku. Maybe. The kid was hiding something, she was sure of that. He was too lucky, far too lucky, and even though she hadn't seen someone with [Heroic] in action before, a part of her just couldn't believe that whatever Izuku pulled off against the dragon was normal for him. Or [Heroic] people in general.

But, fuck, maybe it was? A low growl escaped her throat as she stalked through the hallways. The young [Priest] at the front desk didn't even try to stop her from entering this time, either sensing Rumi's mood or having too much on her plate with the patients in the waiting area.

Whatever the case was, Rumi was glad for it. She was curious, her head was on fire, and if anyone at all stopped her before she could at least rant about it, she was going to tear them a new one.

She didn't search for Izuku, she just headed back towards where Shield's room had been. She figured that at the very least, the Shield girl could point her to whichever room the healers had put Izuku in to let him rest.

'A respite for now…'

The voice of the [Fractured Soulborn Shade] echoed through her mind, and even now, knowing that it had dissipated, that she had killed it, her entire body tensed as if in battle again.

When was the last time she had been truly afraid of a monster? It was too long ago for her to remember, but probably at some point after that bastard Abraham put out that bounty on her head… even that was so long ago, she couldn't remember it clearly.

Or, more specifically, so much had happened to her since, that she had purposefully blotted out that dark time by throwing herself at so much work she had broken records.

She eventually reached the room that Shield was in, barging into it shoulder first. The Shield girl was startled by her entrance but seemed to calm down when she saw it was Rumi, and turned back to her Dad. "Lady Usagiyama. Is… did you kill it?"

Rumi nodded, letting out a grunt as she leaned up against the door frame. "The thing's dead, yeah. But it took half of the [?] Dragon with it, so Izuku's getting less shit from his fight. It's a right shame."

Melissa glanced in her direction, a confused look on her face. "It… took half of the corpse? How did it do that?"

Rumi frowned as the question sparked the feeling of fighting the [Fractured Soulborn Shade] again, sending shivers down her spine, but controlled herself. "Thing tried to take over the corpse, use it as a body. I separated the back half so it would be crippled even if it succeeded, and then killed the front half. It evaporated into black smoke right after."

She saw the Shield girl tense up at that, clearly remembering how Shield had also been billowing that black smoke from his body, but… "Calm down. He'd be dead already if it worked the same way."

Her shoulders seemed to relax. Whether it was because the Shield girl believed her, or because she wanted to believe her, Rumi didn't know. But as long as she wasn't panicking, then Rumi saw it as a win. "Shield."

The girl took a moment to realise that Rumi was speaking to her but looked over, and Rumi saw how red her eyes were. "Did you need somethi- oh, right. Uh, Izuku should be in room 23M. Just down the hall, on your right."

Rumi nodded sharply to the girl, turning to leave. "Right, I'm going to go check on him. I'll leave you to it."

Almost as if on cue, Shield let out a cough, followed right after by a groan, his face scrunching. Rumi left quickly as Melissa practically attacked the man, a loud 'Dad!' echoing through the room.

She would get the chance to talk with Shield later, once everything had calmed down. For now, she had to make sure Izuku hadn't killed himself with his latest stunt. Fucking [Heroic] bastard, making her actually like him...

This whole situation would be so much easier on her emotions if he was some snobby brat on a power trip that she could hate.

In hindsight, she probably would have been able to tell which room was Izuku's without Melissa telling her.

Mainly because of the pink-haired man sitting on the floor next to the doorway, his palms to his forehead as his elbows rested on his knees. He looked up as she approached, but didn't say anything. She stopped right before she went into the room, glancing down at him. "Otto, right? You hurt or something?"

He didn't even look at her this time, just nodding softly, his voice breathy. "Or something. I'll be fine."

She's not close enough with the man to even begin to start unpacking whatever was plaguing him. She could tell that it was likely something very personal, and she sucked at comforting.

So she let him be and pushed open the door to Izuku's room. Inside, she found a remarkably similar set-up to Shield's room, with Izuku lying on the bed, and Mei sitting beside it. The main difference that Rumi could tell was that this time she didn't think Mei was here out of familial affection for Izuku, if the puppy dog eyes the girl was sending his way meant what she thought.

Not that feelings were her strong suit.

Mei didn't even turn to face her as she entered, too busy tinkering with the clock that had been in the room, somehow smoothly adjusting its parts while never taking her eyes off Izuku.

"He doing alright?"

She saw the slight jump Mei did, and Rumi realised that she literally hadn't noticed her come in, and hadn't just ignored her. Kinda funny to be honest, but Rumi wasn't in a laughing mood. Mei still didn't look at her, but she nodded.

"Is it always like this? Being friends with adventurers? Am I just gonna be worried about him forever? I've never had to worry about someone like this before. Can't say that I'm a fan."

Rumi raised an eyebrow at the girl, pulling over a chair and plopping down next to her, putting her feet up on the bed. It was wide enough that she wasn't touching Izuku, so it was probably fine.

Mei blew a raspberry, leaning over and putting the clock back on the bedside table, and even to Rumi's non-craftsman eyes, she could tell that whatever Mei had done to it was an upgrade. "I guess that's a silly question to be asking an adventurer, of all people."

She leaned her head on the top of the backrest, letting it fall to the side so that she could look at Mei. "Nah, it's fine. And while I'm usually on the other end of the equation with my friends… I'm just as worried for him as you are."

Mei turned to her at that, a curious look on her face. "Really? I thought you were just like, a mercenary bodyguard that Melissa's Dad brought in to stop him from getting hurt. Why are you worried about him?"

Rumi let out a half-sigh/half-laugh at that, sinking further into her chair. "That's what I was at the start, yeah. But he grew on me, and pretty quickly at that. I respect him, and that makes him part of a very exclusive group."

Shaking her head, she lifted her leg and softly kicked the mattress he was lying on, a snort escaping her. "Fucking bastard made me get all attached and then worked himself into a coma or two. [Heroic] my ass, sometimes I wonder if he's even sane."

Mei frowned, her shoulders drooping. "Sorry, I know I'm blunt, but I wasn't trying to be rude. Do you… do you think he's gonna wake up soon? I want… I want to make more babies with him. Having the person who's going to use my baby there while it's being made feels… it feels good."

All Rumi could do was shrug at that, a hand reaching over to pat the pink-haired girl's shoulder. Mei raised an eyebrow at her and Rumi clicked her tongue. "Sorry, but I ain't a healer. But he fucking better wake up soon. I have questions, and I'm hoping he has answers, cause it's some very important shit."

It didn't look like she would be getting any answers today, unfortunately.

"Dad!"

The first thing that David Shield heard as he felt his consciousness return to him was Melissa seemingly yelling at the top of her lungs. His eyes weren't even open yet, but he felt her slam into him, pinning him to the bed he had only just started trying to sit up from.

A small cough escaped him, which caused Melissa to let go of him, but it subsided quickly. "Hey, kiddo. Where… where am I?"

As he heard the sound of a chair scraping against the ground, most likely Melissa bringing it closer to his bed, he forced one of his eyes open, his sight blurry without his glasses, but not blurry enough that he couldn't see his daughter.

She had been crying, and she looked exhausted… but she was ok. Alive and intact, at least, and now that he was awake that was good enough for him. They could figure the rest out later.

She grabbed his hand as he got his other eyes open, his sight clearing up slightly as he blinked some of the sleep from his eyes. "The clinic in Mustafu. You've been unconscious for a few days now, I don't know exactly how many, I haven't been keeping track."

That tracked with how he felt, for sure. His whole body had been battered to hell and back when- "Wait! The Dragon! What happened with the Dragon?! Is everyone okay?!"

Melissa let out a small laugh at that, her forehead dropping to sit on his forearm. "Y-yeah, most everyone is okay, Dad. I… I can fill you in on what happened in the last couple of days if you want, but it's a pretty long story. If you're not feeling up to it right now…"

David frowned at her words, moving to sit up, only to have his body commit mutiny against his brain. His entire body felt like it was seizing up, and it sent him crashing back down onto the pillow, a wince escaping him.

"Hey, hey. Stay lying down. You were in a really bad condition. So please just rest some more."

Melissa's pleading sapped any will he had to keep moving, and he let his body relax into the mattress. After taking a moment to acknowledge the pain he was feeling, he pushed through it, grabbing Melissa's hand and squeezing softly.

"Alright, I promise to rest a bit more. Just… tell me what happened. I want to know everything. What was the dragon? How am I still alive? Is Rumi still alive? What happened to the incursions…"

It was then that his brain seemed to catch up with his questions, and his eyes blew open wide, a feeling of guilt entering him that it wasn't his first thought. "Oh gods, what happened with Izuku? Is he ok?"

As he spoke he could feel himself getting slightly panicked. He hadn't been so summarily thrashed by a monster in decades, and it had spooked him. But before he could fully spiral, Melissa grabbed his hand with both of hers and spoke.

"Alright, I'll explain, just calm down. Before I start, everyone is ok. Me, Mei, Izuku, Lady Usagiyama, the town guards, everyone. Injuries and shock, sure, but for as much as I don't like him, Sir Abraham is a good commander when it comes to keeping his 'assets' safe."

A bark of relieved laughter escaped from his mouth, and Melissa continued. "Let me start by explaining right from when you were hit."

What came next was a thrilling, and terrifying, tale. Melissa told him of [Heroic] dragon slaying, of the system being active in a way that sent chills down David's spine, of Izuku's reckless charge into the dungeon, and then finally…

Sir David Shield

Level: 33

Classes: Magic Craftsman, Mana Mage

HP: 200/200

Mana: 124/175

Stamina: 36/90

It was weird, looking at his screen, and having it show almost identical information to 30 years ago. He'd fought [Soulborn Shade]s before. He'd killed them before. He'd even briefly enslaved one as a familiar in his youth so that he could study them to help Yagi in his quest to defeat All for One.

But he'd never been the victim of one before. "Gods above, that was too close for comfort. If I'd hit Level 0…"

He must have spoken his thoughts out loud, as Melissa seemed to focus in on him, a worried look on her face. "Wait, what did you say? You know the monster that attacked you?! I've been pouring over our bestiaries since it left your body, and I can't find anything on it!"

Internally, he swore to himself for letting himself slip. [Soulborn Shade]s were meant to be a state secret, on Mirai's orders. They had eradicated them after All for One's defeat, and decided that knowing they existed at some point would cause the people nothing but fear…

And now that Melissa knew that he knew even some amount of information about them, it would lead her to ask questions he would have to lie to her about.

But if [Soulborn Shade]s were popping up again after 20 years of being extinct, then maybe it was best that she knows about them, if only because they were a sign of one thing and one thing only.

All for One was still around in some capacity. And if his minions were out stealing levels, then it was either personal, due to his own involvement in All for One's defeat or he was planning something.

In either case, he needed to be stopped. But for now… his body twinged in pain as he adjusted himself on the bed. "I… it's hard to explain, especially right now. But I promise you that I will explain, Melissa."

She seemed to take him at his word on that, smiling down at him. "Alright, I trust you, dad. After listening to me talk for so long, you'll probably need to sleep, so I'll go check on Izuku."

David nodded, smiling right back at her. "Of course. And if he wakes up while I'm asleep… don't let him go careening into a dungeon while running on fumes this time, alright?"

Melissa took that for the joke it was, laughing sharply, tears still in her eyes, having never stopped flowing since he woke up. He felt the call of sleep pulling at him as Melissa moved to the door, the lights dimming now that he was the only occupant of the room.

"I'm really glad that you're okay, Dad. I love you."

Even as he felt himself fall asleep right after, he was sure he had a smile on his face. He'd have to make sure he found time to tell her how proud of her he was when he woke up tomorrow.

"Sir! Careful with your footing, it's not safe!"

Yagi waved off the caravan driver's concern as he exited the carriage. They were most of the way to Mustafu at this point, Mirai had really come through for him, hiring one of the fastest companies available.

They had been travelling at an upwards angle for almost the entire day as they climbed the path up a mountain in between the capital and Mustafu, and the whole reason he had exited the carriage was that they had just crested the top of the mountain, and he was feeling cooped up.

"No worries, my friend. It'll take more than some loose rocks to take down the likes of me!"

The driver suddenly looked very panicked, before messily saluting him. "Yes, of course, sir! Sorry for speaking without thinking, sir!"

Yagi sighed internally but didn't even try to calm the man down. He'd learnt his lesson after all his years as ruler of an empire. No one who wasn't already friends with you before you ascended to the throne would ever look at you as anything but their king.

It was partly why he missed David so much, and why having Mirai and Torino in the Capital were so beneficial to his mental health. Shaking his head, he pulled himself from such thoughts and scanned the horizon.

"Driver, what direction should I be looking to spot Mustafu from here?"

He'd also learned in his years, that the best way to stop people from panicking as the driver had, was to give them a task. The man fiddled with his map for a moment, before pointing forward at about 3 o'clock. "You're not supposed to actually be able to see the town from here, sir, but… it's that way."

The man's voice had a worried tinge to it, and Yagi could understand why. There was a mountain, a much smaller one, in the distance, the one that the UA Dungeon was built into, and from behind it...

"The direction that large plume of smoke is coming from, yes?"

The driver gulped, clearly nervous about it, but nodded. "Y-yes, sir. If we can see it from here, then there was likely an incident that caused major damage to the town… sir. Do you still want to proceed?"

Yagi almost laughed out loud at that. "Of course! I must go check on my citizens, and on my friend! In fact, we must speed up as much as it is safe too. How much longer until we arrive?"

The driver checked his map again, a thoughtful look on his face. "Usually it would be another 5 days from here, sir. But if we cut across this river here… I think we could make it in 4. I might need your help carrying supplies over the river if we do though, uh, if it would be alright, sir."

Yagi nodded, moving back towards the carriage door. "Sounds like a plan. On the double! I'll carry whatever you need when we get there."

The door to his carriage shut a moment later, and Yagi let out a deep sigh of worry. They were almost a full week of travel away, and they could already see smoke. He felt himself bouncing his knee, and out of old muscle memory tried to pull up his menu.

His palm facing up, he watched as a small golden light tried to spark above his palm, failing each time, the sound of shattering glass filling his ears. Swearing, he stopped trying to bring up his menu.

Ever since his fight will All for One, the system had been like this. Just out of reach, all of his abilities locked away. The only thing remaining to him was the strength he had earned, but would that be enough to protect his citizens if All for One was making a return?

A small, shuddering sigh escaped him. It would have to be. Even if it cost him his life, he would put down that monster once and for all.

He was the only one who could.