Chapter 5 - Resolution?
At the mansion
Ana sat on a sofa as she looked around living room curiously. Elizabeth wanted to further question the girl's sudden appearance and claim to being Merlin's child. Though she didn't want to do that and accidentally make the girl feel threatened.
"Ana, are you hungry or thirsty? I'm sure you've been looking around for quite a while." Elizabeth asked.
Ana started thinking, "A little bit miss." she said.
"Okay, what would you like?" Elizabeth asked.
Ana shrugged, "I don't know." she said.
"I'll go ask one of the servants." Veronica said as she left for the kitchen.
"Okay, while my sister gets you some lunch. Can you tell me about yourself?" Elizabeth asked. "Firstly, how old are you?" She asked.
"Hmm… I don't know." Ana answered.
"You don't know? Do you have a birthday?" Elizabeth asked.
"Maybe August or maybe September." Ana said with a shrug. "I was in the woods for a little while. Then I learned to talk and read by myself." she explained.
Elizabeth felt concerned, "Okay, Ana don't take this the wrong way, but do you know what species you are?" she asked.
The other people in the room looked at Elizabeth very oddly. It wasn't uncommon for non-humans to exist for them but even King and Diane were unsure if Merlin is human. By now they know that Merlin is very old and knew Meliodas for many years. Meaning that her age hasn't changed and this is considering the fact that Merlin can turn into an adult when she's actually a child.
With the idea of immortality or extended age in mind, it was safe to say Merlin isn't an ordinary human. Though with Ana's explanation, it could be possible she's lying or even unaware of anything herself.
However, Ana looked very confused.
"What's a species?" Ana asked making everyone face fault.
"Ana, it's basically what animal you are. For example, Mordred here is a slime, Sir King is a Fairy and Lady Diane is a Giant." Elizabeth explained, thinking she convinced Ana.
"I'm a person." Ana responded.
"What kind of person?" Elizabeth asked.
"I think I'm a Fairy, I'm short like Mr. King." Ana said, sounding cute.
Diane just wanted to hug her, "Oh, she's so adorable!" she squealed.
King on the other hand, looked distraught, "You can't dictate your race by your height." he said looking depressed.
Elizabeth sighed, "Maybe we should wait for Merlin to come back. Perhaps she could explain." she said.
"Where is my mama?" Ana asked curiously.
With Merlin's Group
Merlin was leading the way as she rapidly flew around the seemingly destroyed village. Gowther ran right behind her while doing the trademark shinobi run.
It's funny how Gowther was running with his back lowered and his arms raised behind his back. If it were possible to trademark a pose, Gowther would have made millions by this era. Not that he would care for money, unless Meliodas pushed him into doing it to gain money for the tavern.
Speaking of Meliodas, he was walking at a normal pace with his hands behind the back of his head. The original captain of the Seven Deadly Sins didn't seem to feel a sense of urgency. By now, he realized that they were trapped in an illusion but wondered how they would break free. There was a whole lot of random ideas going on in his head that let him wonder how this situation is going on and how to handle it.
"Hey Merlin, if genjutsu is an attack on the mind. Are we all trapped in the same illusion or are we in separated?" Meliodas asked.
Merlin stopped for a moment to think, "I suppose that's a good question captain. I don't think trapping everyone is impossible." she said while looking around. "However, even I'm still having questions about the power behind this art." she said.
"Gowther, you have any ideas?" Meliodas asked.
"it's tricky to consider captain, initially I believed memories to be merely pieces of information. Which I myself can access as well as manipulate." Gowther said.
"Yeah, I know. Diane was super detailed about the Guila accident." Meliodas said with a blank face.
"However, the concept of a dream has never occurred to me. You see, I see this as a dream in a way. Though illusions may just obscure perception, genjutsu can leave individual in an unconscious or semi-unconscious state." Gowther explained as he looked around the damaged buildings.
"I only understood 10% of that." Meliodas happily replied.
"He means that we may have forcefully fallen asleep. If that's the case, time may move more quickly here but it would be best if we move with haste while our bodies are exposed." Merlin said.
"I suggest we look around. Perhaps Ido is exposed in some way here." Gowther suggested.
"Perhaps, in the end, this type genjutsu is a two way transmission." Merlin said.
"That sounds confusing." Meliodas said.
"I'll explain on the way." Merlin said as they continued to look around.
Then Gowther suddenly made a sharp turn and it took Meliodas a few seconds to register the fact. He almost concluded with the fact that Gowther needed the bathroom, but immediately remembered that Gowther is a doll and that they're in some dream realm. The two stopped and went back to look for the Goat Sin of Lust who immediately revealed himself.
"I wished to test the detail of this world in an attempt to destabilize the whole realm." Gowther said, knowing they question his sudden absence.
"How did that go?" Meliodas asked.
"The buildings are mostly collapsed and in disrepair. There is no weakness I could exploit." Gowther said.
Meliodas then scoffed, "We are so not wasting time trying to find an exit in all of these buildings." he said.
"Captain, you could try using Lostvayne. You could duplicate yourself that way." Gowther said, confusing Meliodas.
"I mean, it would lesson the work but it's pretty useless if they don't come back before they time out." Meliodas responded.
Gowther frowned, which bothered Meliodas, did Gowther frown? Was this his form of frowning or did his puppet buddy finally start to fall apart? Meliodas has seen Gowther get emotional, but now he felt like his comrade became an alien.
"I'm sorry, I mixed up the detail of your powers." Gowther said.
'What is wrong with him?' Meliodas wondered as he scratched his head.
"We should continue searching for a potential weakness we can take advantage of." Gowther said.
Merlin also frowned as she followed Gowther. At the same time, she knew what Gowther was implying when suggesting Meliodas should duplicate himself. Meliodas was confused but decided to not press the issue until the job was finished.
'Maybe they forgot my abilities. I did get some new powers after we sealed everyone.' Meliodas thought as he followed his teammates.
Back at the mansion
Ana was playing with her slime creation while a test was being conducted. Merlin was currently absent and she was the only reliable expert on magic. Which only left the servants that she requested Naruto to give her in order to set up her laboratory. Those servants were knowledgable in handling her tools and were given the task of collecting DNA samples of Merlin that she had left behind along with a hair sample taken from Ana.
It wasn't entirely a matter of Ana's legitimacy to being Merlin's daughter. Rather, it was more like wondering what species she is. Just about everyone was concerned that Ana is a clone or an accidental lab experiment that became sentient.
Howzer mentioned that at one point, the servants had to set up an emergency route for a failed experiment. It was almost never used, but it was made because of an accident that almost created a plague or something. Howzer didn't know the details, he just said that he almost lost his head that day because Ban threw a beaker that contained a green foaming liquid inside.
Currently, Elizabeth was watching over Ana as the test was being finished.
"Look auntie, Mordred is very smart." Ana said
Elizabeth giggled as she saw Ana's slime creation solve a few homemade puzzles. The puzzles themselves looked like toys meant to help toddlers learn problem solving skills. It wasn't anything too impressive, but the fact that Ana created a sentient capable of learning was impressive.
"That he is. I'm so proud of you." Elizabeth said.
"Do you think my mama will like it?" Ana asked with hope in her voice.
Elizabeth smiled, "I'm sure Merlin will be impressed. She might even take you on as her apprentice if you behave." she said.
"I'll be good! I'm a good girl!" Ana said as Mordred hopped behind her.
Suddenly, Arthur came walking by and was about to enter another room. When Mordred suddenly chased after Arthur and tackled him into the floor. The last King of Camelot suddenly found himself in a struggle with Ana's experiment.
"Mordred, no! Bad slime! Mama and auntie will get mad if you misbehave!" Ana said as she ran to grab her slime.
"Oh dear, hopefully Merlin returns home soon." Elizabeth said.
Soon enough, Calcifer's physical body had arrived with the results. Calcifer briefly paused and watched the ensuing chaos unfold between Arthur and Mordred. He patiently waited as Elizabeth helped remove the slime from the King of Camelot before presenting the results.
"Lady Elizabeth, the results. I thought it would be best if you learned of them first." Calficer said.
Elizabeth looked curious as she accepted the document, "I see, my little surrogate sister truly is a mother. Even if not by traditional means." she said as she smiled at Ana. Then she read another detail, "Ana dear, are you sure you don't know your father's identity? At the very least, are you aware of his name?" she asked, hoping Ana remembered something.
Ana shook her head sadly as if she truly is unaware of her parentage. As Elizabeth double checked the results which were simplified for her to understand. She was fully aware that Ana had two parents despite her abnormal birth. Elizabeth sighed as the results were both good and bad. However, before she could speak to Ana about this matter which had become sensitive, Calcifer spoke up again.
"It seems that Kasumi has arrived." Calcifer said, having sensed Kasumi's presence.
This gave Elizabeth an idea, "Ana, follow me please. There's someone I want you to meet." she said.
"Who?" Ana curiously asked.
"I'm going to introduce you to your auntie." Elizabeth said, putting on a brave smile.
"Auntie?" Ana asked, sounding very confused.
"Yes, your auntie. She's your father's little sister." Elizabeth answered.
Ana looked up Elizabeth in shock and the silver haired woman took this as surprise. She thought Ana might have a million questions but Elizabeth couldn't wonder what was going on in Ana's head as the air became very cold and a bit thick. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable and even Calcifer looked confused.
"Sir Calcifer, is something wrong with the temperature? Wasn't there mention of technology that could regulate it?" Elizabeth asked, thinking that the air conditioner was at fault.
"I'll check." Calcifer said before sinking through the floor.
Elizabeth was too distracted by the sudden change in temperature that she didn't notice the look in Ana's eyes. Instead of curiosity or surprise, her eyes flickered to as if she were given very bad news. Perhaps Elizabeth might still be naive or it could be that Ana's appearance and behavior was too cute to notice. Even if she is Merlin's daughter, there is nothing normal about Ana and there's more that Elizabeth and the others haven't realized.
Ana shook her head and snapped out of her mixed up emotions. Just in time too as Elizabeth was then distracted by some other noise.
"Don't worry, sometimes a little bit of force might motivate these things." Diane said before punching the ceiling and breaking a part of it. "Oops, my bad." she said as she felt embarrassed.
"Lady Diane, I don't think punching the cold air device will work." Elizabeth said, practically reminding Diane that the whole mansion is sentient.
Diane blushed, "I'm sorry Calcifer, wherever you are." she said.
Even if Calcifer can no longer feel physical pain when the servants are killed or if someone damages the infrastructure of the building. He does feel great concern as he has a limit as to what he can repair. There's a certain limit to being omnipresent that Calcifer is fine with.
Elizabeth on the other hand, decided it would be a good time to go outside. So she gently took Ana's hand and led the girl outside to meet Kasumi. Still blissfully unaware of the rapid emotions going through Ana's head.
Back with Merlin's group
The journey was still rather fruitless for the most part as they took on Gowther's theory. However, they did quickly cut down on time as they just started blowing things up. Seeing as they are most likely unconscious, there was no priority on reserving their power for when they deal with Ido. Assuming that their own mental prowess isn't being exhausted by all of the destruction.
"Merlin, I think the only progress we did is just make a bigger mess and coming from me. That's really saying something." Meliodas said but Merlin didn't look phased.
"I see your point, Captain. While we can still gamble on Ido's ability to maintain this reality. There's also the possibility that we may stumble onto something." Merlin said.
"And what would that "something" be?" Meliodas asked.
Merlin raised her hand and pointed at the outskirts of the village, "The Kurama clan Manor itself." she said before quickly flying in that direction.
Meliodas still felt confused, "Merlin, the world here is fake remember? This place is literally limited." He said.
Meliodas didn't want to immediately deny Merlin's hypothesis and he may not be a genius like her. However with what he's been able to experience so far, he imagined that the Kurama Clan's Manor probably doesn't exist due to the lack of detail. If it did, it probably lacked detailed space like most of these buildings. But then again, there was no point in destroying every building in the illusion.
"I guess one idea is better than no idea." Meliodas said.
"Then off we go into the unknown until we find what we do know." Gowther said as he ran after Merlin.
"What does that mean? Are you some kind of transcendentalist?" Meliodas asked as he followed Gowther.
"Captain, everything in this plane in unknown. Therefore we have to find what we do know." Gowther said, phrasing his idea very poorly.
"Gowther, if I had to measure everything I know… it would be small because now I know even less." Meliodas said.
At the Manor
As Merlin predicted, the halls of the manor were active as if they were real. They weren't blank or empty spaces like most of the other buildings. Then feeling almost a sense of deja vu as she went through the halls before raising up her hand.
"Now this is just repetitive." Merlin said. "Absolute Cancel." She said, making a pair of doors appear.
Just then, Gowther and Meliodas arrived to see Merlin's handiwork. Only now, Meliodas had some slight discomfort as his mind wandered into the idea that he's going to be trapped in some kind of endless loop of multiple dreams. It really made him anxious until he saw Merlin forcefully open the doors to reveal a room that looked like it was trapped in some kind of dimension with atmosphere made of darkness with many canvases floating around in the air.
"Neat." Meliodas said, feeling relieved that he won't be trapped in an endless loop.
"I suppose a change in scenery is welcoming even if the setting isn't very nice." Gowther said.
Merlin smirked as she floated inside, "It was merely a wild guess on my part, but I felt that the demon was too much in a rush when he put us into a deep sleep." she said. "It's almost something I would expect from Vivian." she added, remembering how impatient her student used to be.
As Merlin predicted, Ido revealed himself or at least the strange hybrid form of Ido fused with Yakumo Kurama. At that moment, the room became darker as images appeared on the floating canvases. Where black arms made of ink came out and quickly restrained the trio.
"My plan was not rushed, merely a distraction so that I may eliminate the traitor and his allies." Ido said.
Meliodas scoffed, "That's not right, I can hear the hesitance in your voice you try hard." He said.
"Deny your doom another second, false prince." Ido said.
"I'm not denying anything. I can literally see that you made up what you just made something up to say at the last second." Meliodas said, doubting Ido to be a true threat.
"I concur, Merlin's analysis felt too convenient and yet she was right." Gowther said, believing in his captain's doubt.
This only angered Ido, "I will not be mocked by a traitor and humans!" he snarled.
"He's a doll and Merlin is… well she's Merlin.' Meliodas said, further annoying Ido.
While Ido seemed to have some idea of how to kill them. Merlin was trying to find a way to defeat the demon and watched her captain and Gowther continued to distract Ido who seems to have a short fuse. To be fair, Meliodas either does not see any danger in Ido's abilities or is very ignorant of the circumstances when he doesn't take these things seriously.
Then to even Merlin's surprise, things got more out of hand as the doors were opened again. This time six copies of Meliodas suddenly appeared at the door. Then she noticed the Meliodas that was bound by ink had suddenly disappeared.
"Haha, I took a page out of my grandson's book and let a copy of myself scout ahead." Meliodas explained, making Ido curse.
Ido then commanded the world around them to try and restrain or kill Meliodas. As the various hands made of ink got to work. Merlin already got to work on escaping and freeing Gowther as well. Merlin then asked for Gowther to help Meliodas in combatting Ido and see if his own powers had any way to counter Ido's genjutsu.
"Stay still!" Ido commanded as the Meliodas clones destroyed his ink arms.
"No thanks." Meliodas casually replied.
Things went well for Meliodas until he seemed to have been squashed by an ink hand. Which was followed up by more ink projections that took on the form of sharp objects that pierced his body. Ido grinned at the sight of blood trickling from the body only to see the body disappear.
"WHAT!?" Ido angrily yelled.
"Wow, don't you know the basics of probability?" Meliodas asked from behind Ido.
Ido turned around, looking startled before trying to conjure up more ink projections. This failed as Meliodas delivered a swift blow to Ido's chin, sending him flying into the air where Gowther had sight of him.
"Twin Bow Herritt: Jido Tsuibi Mode." Gowther said before locking onto Ido and filling his body with multiple arrows.
Ido cried out in pain as he came floating back down to the ground. Where he was met by Meliodas who delivered a hard kick that sent him crashing into the ground. Ido let out a grunt of pain before finding his limbs being bound by magic.
"For all of the control you have and with it being bound to your own imagination. You lack the knowledge and strategy to utilize it." Merlin said with her smile practically mocking Ido.
"I am Ido! The last demon loyal to the True Demon King! Reality is bound to how I see it!" Ido roared.
"Then you should have saw a reality where you won." Meliodas said with a snicker.
Merlin then looked towards the Goat Sin of Lust, "Gowther if you will. Perhaps you can find an exit." she said.
Gowther nodded and kneeled down to Ido's level, "Invasion." He said.
"NOOOO!" Ido angrily screamed as reality collapsed.
Back in the Manor
Yakumo let out a pain filled scream as the three sins woke up. During this whole time, Gowther's body was standing still while Merlin and Meliodas were lying on the floor. However, when those two had awakened, they saw Gowther's body was still emitting pink energy as it was forcefully pulling on a ghostly entity that looked more ferocious than Ido himself.
"Merlin, I believe it's time we traded positions." Gowther said as he struggled with Ido.
Ido seemed to be trying to enter Yakumo's body again or at least he looked like it couldn't leave. Whatever the case, Merlin had to begun to work on purging the demon from the girl's body. Merlin then raised her sacred treasure, Aldan, where she detected a seal on Yakumo's back.
"Look away boys, I have to help a lady get changed." Merlin said as the two left the room.
Moments later, they saw a flash of light coming from the room along with Yakumo letting out a cry of pain. After a few more minutes, Merlin came out with Yakumo's unconscious body being levitated by her magic.
"Did you get rid of Ido?" Meliodas asked.
Merlin the presented a bottle in her hand, "I expelled Ido, but he will be coming with me for research." she answered.
"Is that gonna be okay to bring back home?" Meliodas asked.
Merlin just smiled, "Naruto told me anything is okay as long as it follows a few specific rules. So long as it does not cause the apocalypse, damage the space time continuum, destroy the village as well as the Land of Fire or permanently stain the mansion then it is okay to build." she explained.
"Wow, I didn't think my own grandkid could force so many rules." Meliodas said with minor surprise.
Meliodas opened his mouth again to say something that would be somewhat funny but closed it as he realized how dark it is. Now he wanted to hit himself over the head just for thinking about it. However, Merlin had a good idea of what Meliodas said and it didn't take a mind reader like Gowther to know. In fact, Merlin just kept up her smile.
"Captain, even if he left a will. The mansion would belong to Ban and Elaine who are his guardians. Likely with some other rules and promises that Ban does not evict King." Merlin said, making Meliodas smile.
"That's good to hear, so is the Boar Hat still up for grabs?" Meliodas quipped.
Gowther suddenly placed his arm in front of Meliodas, "I'm afraid not, Captain." he said as he adjusted his glasses with his free arm. "For I am the new master of the Boar Hat." he said, looking serious.
"Gowther you don't even drink and you need fake taste buds just to enjoy food." Meliodas said as he began to walk out of the manor.
"It does not matter, I will continue my adopted brother's dreams of continuing the family business." Gowther said as he followed The Original Sin of Wrath.
"Yeah, the family business that I started." Meliodas countered.
Merlin held back her laughter as she floated out of the manor with Yakumo and Ido in hand.
Later, Hokage's Office
Merlin smiled as she finished attaching a ring to Yakumo's hand. After giving the report to the current Hokage and explaining the situation revolving around Ido to Yakumo, albeit leaving out some details. Merlin decided to help the girl out by giving her a ring that limits her powers. It doesn't completely seal them away as what Hiruzen and Kurenai did. Rather, it stops Yakumo from using her genjutsu to it's true potential.
"So I still can't use genjutsu?" Yakumo asked.
"Not entirely, you won't have access to the full extent of your genjutsu. Your power isn't gone, just restricted to an extent until you learn to control it properly." Merlin explained.
"So I won't lose control, but I'm still weaker?" Yakumo asked.
"In a way, but if you can reach a degree of skill without any real damage. Then I can remove a part of the limiter and you can keep regaining some of your potential back." Merlin said.
To be fair, Merlin saw the dangers of Yakumo's power as she was at the borderline of manipulating reality with Ido's help. However, she didn't want to repeat the same mistakes as Kurenai did. Merlin wasn't perfect either as she had Vivian and a certain other student who became evil, but those two were impatient and desired more. Yakumo just wanted to be have a chance like everyone else.
"Just promise to try and learn to control your power. I don't want to have to come back and completely block your power." Merlin said.
Yakumo nodded but looked sad, "Thank you but it's not like I'll be able to be a shinobi." she said.
Merlin frowned, some compliments and encouragement would be good but she thinks Yakumo would hate to be pitied. There's also the fact that Merlin still knows very little of the shinobi system and the bureaucracy of the village is not something she fully understands. The authority rests solely on the current Hokage and maybe some guidance from the advisors if they were still here.
Luckily, Herodias decided to try and give the girl a chance. While Herodias wasn't in the business of making or breaking soldiers, she did see that the village was in dire need of boosting its defenses and increasing security.
"Yakumo Kurama, you will go through proper psychological evaluations and physical testing. While I trust Merlin-san and her team in subduing your tenant. This is just a precautionary measure." Herodias said, seeing Yakumo frown. "However, should the results be positive. You may be allowed to attempt the academy exam after a year of close tutoring. As well as a lot of physical training to meet basic expectations." she said.
Yakumo wanted to smile but still felt a heavy weight. The opportunity was there and she didn't want to be overly optimistic.
"I will not automatically guarantee you a spot on the shinobi corps. However, you will not be denied the proper resources to try again. With more suitable tutors and equal opportunity." Herodias said, making Yakumo feel a bit better.
"Thank you Hokage-sama, I accept the opportunity." Yakumo said with a bow. "Thank you too, Merlin-san. I've felt underestimated, but at least now this just means I just have to try harder I suppose." she said, looking at the restraint on her arm.
"You are welcome, Yakumo. Now, just listen to your psychologist and your instructors. Try not to be easily frustrated, I've had a student of my own who made poor choices because of how eager she was." Merlin said, surprising Yakumo.
Back at the mansion, Vivan started sneezing and wondering if she was catching a cold.
"If that is all, my team will be taking our leave." Merlin said.
"You are dismissed." Herodias said as Merlin left.
Later that day
Kasumi was looking tired as she saw Ana giving her an angry look. Elizabeth, still being ditzy, had dropped the bombshell on Kasumi with the recent testing she had requested. Kasumi couldn't process it, but Ana was Naruto's daughter and this made her Ana's aunt by extension. Now the girl just looked at Kasumi as if she were a dangerous criminal.
'I just wanted to do more training.' Kasumi thought as she groaned.
"You look like a dork." Ana said.
"Ana, that was rude! Please apologize to Kasumi, she is your aunt!" Elizabeth said, trying to be stern.
Ana looked away, "Not my auntie, you're my auntie." She said.
Elizabeth sweat dropped, "Technically, I'm your ancestor. That means I'm a very distant grandmother." she said, remembering the test results again.
If it wasn't for the fact that she had to deal with Ana's stubborn behavior. Elizabeth would have found it cute to realize that Merlin, her pseudo little sister, is technically her in-law now. Speaking of Britannia's greatest mage, she could hear Calcifer announce the return of the other Sins.
"Elizabeth, we're home and we didn't get paid!" Meliodas announced.
"Yeah, you can blame Merlin now that we're going to starve." Ban said.
"Ms. Merlin is not to blame. Clearly it was inadequacy on your parts and almost my own had I been allowed to join you on your mission." Escanor said, his daylight self still active.
As the returning five members arrived and went their separate ways. Merlin followed Meliodas and went to see Elizabeth and Kasumi. Just as she was about to bring up today's strange mission, she noticed Ana staring up at her with wide eyes. Almost instantly, Merlin felt this strange tightness in her chest as if something was making it hard to breathe.
"And who might you be?" Merlin asked.
"My name is Ana and this is Mordred." Ana said as she presented Mordred.
Merlin raised an eyebrow, "A sentient slime and you tamed it?" she asked.
Ana shook her head, "I made him, he's really smart but I can't make him talk yet." she said. "Do you like him?" she asked.
"I would be lying if I said that it did not peek my interest." Merlin said as she tilted her head. "Elizabeth, where did this girl come from?" she asked.
Elizabeth gave a nervous smile, "How do I put this? She's actually a close family member." she said.
Merlin looked suspicious, "Elizabeth, please be blunt for once." she said.
"She's definitely not our kid. Elizabeth's chest is still the same size so there's no way she could have gotten pregnant so fast." Meliodas said as he groped Elizabeth.
"AHHH! Not in front of the children!" Elizabeth squealed.
"Get off of her, ero-jiji!" Kasumi yelled as she tried to pull Meliodas off of Elizabeth.
"Merlin, she's your child! Ana is your child! Calcifer took a paternity test using samples of your hair that you left behind!" Elizabeth said as Meliodas continued to grope her.
Merlin looked shocked by Elizabeth's claim, "Impossible, I've never conceived a child and I've never reached that level of intimacy with anyone." she said. "Where are the results?" she asked, sounding very serious.
This sounded too trivial for Merlin to consider and yet, it felt like Merlin needed to confirm something. As if hearing what Elizabeth said was enough to build up a great amount of anxiety. Once Meliodas let go of his wife, Elizabeth handed the test results over to Merlin who quickly scanned through them.
Once again, Merlin reminded everyone that she has never reached intimacy with anyone to the point of pregnancy. The only person she did have close relations with never went that far, even if he was the descendant of Meliodas. Yet, this document claims that same man is this child's father as well. As Merlin focused on Calcifer's results, Ana looked at Merlin with worry.
"Mama? Mama, don't you want me?" Ana asked, getting Merlin's attention. "I can prove you are my mama. I'm super smart and I can do lots of magic. I made Mordred to show you that." she said, sounding desperate
Merlin looked at Ana with a serious expression, one that nearly everyone in the group took as uncaring. While Merlin did have good control of her emotions and is capable of reading the room, unlike Gowther. She felt this knot in her chest that made it more difficult to breathe. As Merlin looked at Ana's eyes pleading for approval, Merlin could see her younger self pleading for love from her own father. Merlin remembered her father and hardly likes talking, let alone thinking about that arrogant man who saw her as a tool.
Among her regrets and pain, Merlin's father isn't in any of those lists. Yet, Ana looked like she was ready to cry if she didn't hear anything positive from Merlin. Merlin let out a sigh and quickly thought of something.
"Ana, is it?" Merlin asked, receiving a nod of confirmation. "Mother is just tired, my afternoon job distracts me and… your arrival is just a big surprise. A good surprise, really." she said, lying to make Ana feel better.
Ana smiled as she hugged her mother's legs. Elizabeth and Kasumi felt their hearts melt as they saw Merlin gently place a hand on Ana's head.
"Look Ana, let's just go to my lab. Calcifer isn't a good doctor, so I should check to make sure you didn't catch a virus or something while you were by yourself." Merlin said, using it as an excuse to do her own test.
"Okay." Ana said before feeling Merlin using levitation magic on her.
"This way is faster, but hold onto me very tightly." Merlin said as she grabbed Ana's hand. "I'll be right back." she told everyone else as she left with Ana.
"Mordred, we're going on a trip with mama!" Ana excitedly told the slime who nudged around in her free arm.
A few second after Merlin left with Ana. Ban came walking in and noticed the odd looks.
"What did I miss?" Ban asked.
"Merlin reunited with her daughter." Meliodas answered.
"What?" Ban asked.
Meliodas looked at his wife, "Care to explain?" he asked.
Meliodas literally saw the exchange and still has no idea what had just occurred.
"You mean you don't know either?" Ban asked.
"Whatever is going on, I'm apparently an aunt." Kasumi said, sounding confused.
Later that night
Ana lied in bed with Mordred by her side while Merlin pulled up a chair. Merlin had finished her own tests and could confirm that Ana's DNA matched her own, but her genetics were unique. So far, she could confirm that Ana was not human but she was definitely related to Merlin.
Now Merlin finds herself having to be a mother despite never asking to be one. Yet, there's this knot in her chest that keeps hurting her. Merlin was definitely going to investigate the origin of Ana's existence but for now, she had to understand that Ana is just a child.
"And now you rest up. I can only imagine how long you were in the woods." Merlin said.
"Good night mama." Ana said as she yawned.
"Good night Ana." Merlin said as she stroked the girl's blond hair.
Ana fell asleep and Mordred closed his eyes, seemingly doing the same. Merlin smiled at the girl's sleeping form and found some tranquility in the sense of peace. She then looked at Mordred who appeared to be throbbing or something. Merlin had to assume that slimes were different when it came to sleeping as Mordred had no bones or limbs or humanoid organs.
"To create sentient life at a young age is an incredible feat." Merlin whispered to herself. "She is quite intelligent, but to teach herself?" she asked.
Ana smiled, thinking Merlin was praising her on her feats. Unaware that Merlin was feeling suspicious and not distracted by Ana's adorable appearance. Even if Ana was that smart, Merlin would always question things as she would always find herself interested in the most peculiar subjects. Even those that may turn out to be dangerous or are not meant to discovered.
As such, Merlin lives because she will always hunger for knowledge. That is her sin.
The next morning
Whether or not Ana is a normal child, Merlin had to make sure the girl was healthy. Normally she wouldn't be the babysitting type, but Merlin has had to put with Naruto who was quite a handful even when she gave him a chance. Then again, she knew Meliodas for thousands of years and he was less mature. Between the obnoxious kid and the man who publicly gropes his wife, the level of patience that the mage has is quite respectable.
"Mama, what are we going to do today?" Ana asked as Merlin took her to the kitchen.
"Well, I was planning to go to my lab and continue my research where I left off. Although, I suppose I'll have to adjust my schedule." Merlin answered.
This got Ana excited, thinking Merlin would spend time with her and try to teach her something.
"For now, you need breakfast. Speaking of which, what did you eat while you were alone in the woods? In fact, how long wereyou in the woods for?" Merlin asked, wondering if Ana would let a detail slip out.
"Uh um… uh… I tried catching a fish. Sometimes I got it right, then my tummy hurt." Ana answered.
"And how long have you lived in the woods?" Merlin asked.
Ana just shrugged.
"And what about those clothes. Surely you weren't born with them." Merlin said.
Ana started to look nervous.
"Ana, tell the truth. I won't be mad." Merlin said, trying to reduce the girl's stress.
Even if Ana resorted to theft, Merlin wasn't going to judge her. This was a test, not an interrogation. However, Ban got in between Merlin and her research again by loudly placing a bowl on the table.
"Stop scaring the kid, Merlin. Let her eat something before she passes out." Ban said.
As Merlin was about to retort, she noticed the contents of the bowl and saw a whole lot of noodles with various ingredients. Merlin just sighed as she looked at the massive bowl before looking at Ban who got to work again.
"Really? You want to feed this to the girl?" Merlin asked.
"If she is who the test said she is, then she won't mind." Ban answered.
Merlin narrowed her eyes, "Even so, this is unhealthy for a small child." She said.
"I didn't know you were a dietitian." Ban replied. "Besides, raisin bread pancakes everyday aren't much better." he said.
Then silence filled the room.
"Okay, that was a low blow on my part." Ban said as he slapped his forehead.
"Forget it. I am just…" Merlin tried to say before hearing a loud slurp.
She looked back at Ana with wide eyes as she saw the bowl was empty to the point that it was dry. Ana just looked at Merlin, thinking she was in trouble.
"Excuse me." Ana said, receiving more silence. "Was I supposed to share?" she asked.
"No Ana, it's… never mind. Are you still hungry?" Merlin asked before seeing Ana nod her head. She then sighed, "Ban do you mind serving Ana again?" she asked.
"I got this, anyways what do you want for yourself?" Ban asked.
Merlin thought it over
Flashback
Naruto was unsure if he placed the raising inside the wheat correctly. He just scratched his head and hoped the lumpy shape of the raisins didn't ruin the appeal of the breakfast.
"Here's your raisin bread pancakes, hime." Naruto said.
Merlin smiled at the pancakes, "They look quite exotic." she said.
"Eh, I usually perfect recipes after two or three times at most." Naruto replied.
"I will warn you, I have high expectations when it comes to dishes. I know Ban trained you, but you still have your grandfather in you." Merlin said.
"No fair, I was told that grandpa had a bad sense of taste." Naruto argued.
"Meliodas had no sense of taste. He only recognized good alcoholic beverages." Merlin replied as she grabbed a fork. "Now, let's dig in." She said as she took a bite.
End of flashback
Merlin's eyes wavered, "Just eggs and toast." She said.
Ana could see her mother looked less lively. It made her pout as she tried coming up with ways to cheer her up. Her thoughts were interrupted by a ring at the doorbell.
"I'm sure Calcifer will get it." Ban said as he got to work again. "Also, just so you know. I am educating myself in nutrition. I have a pregnant wife and I doubt Fairy hybrids are going to develop well." He said.
Merlin started to smile, "You are too sweet, are you sure you're the real Ban?" she asked.
Ban grew a tick mark on his head, "I'm gonna add extra salt to your breakfast." He said.
Ban eventually finished making another bowl of ramen for Ana. As he was finishing up with Merlin's breakfast, he was met by Calcifer's avatar.
"Master Ban, it seems that an exotic guest is asking for you." Calcifer said.
"That sounds ominous." Ban said before leaving Merlin with her food plate.
Once Merlin had taken a bite from her toast, she immediately heard a loud slurp. She turned her head and saw Ana had finished her bowl again. The good thing to come from this was that Merlin saw Ana didn't burp and cleaned herself up with a nearby napkin.
"I see manners are instilled into you." Merlin said as Ana flashed a grin. Then she noticed something, "Where is your slime? Did you leave him in the room?" she asked.
"Oh, Mordred is still sleeping. He's quite lazy and hard to move around with sometimes." Ana explained.
Merlin raised a brow, "Then your first lesson will be in disciplining your familiars. You can't let them do as they please." she said.
Ana nodded, but she didn't need the lessons. Deep down, Ana knew that Mordred would follow any command he was given.
At the doorway
Ban's eye was twitching as he saw a fox sitting outside.
"Hey buddy, it's me! I know! I know! You're lost for words!" Filmore said.
Ban slammed the door on his face.
"Hey! Don't close the door on me! Let me in!" Filmore pleaded as he scratched the front door.
Ban just shook his head and started walking away.
"You can't leave me to fend for myself! The Fairies won't let me crash at their place any longer!" Filmore exclaimed.
"We're not letting you stay here at all." Ban said.
"Have a heart and let me in! I even got stuff you might want!" Filmore yelled as he kept scratching.
"It's probably stolen." Ban replied.
"I'm giving you free loot! It's meant for all of you! Stop being a jerk!" Filmore screamed as he scratched for several minutes.
Then Meliodas opened up, "Oh hey Filmore, did you come to give me the money you owe me?" he asked.
"Uh… I would but old Britannian currency is long gone so…" Filmore trailed off nervously.
Meliodas just smiled, "We used old gold coins. I'm sure you can pay me back the equivalent of 500 gold coins." he said.
Filmore shivered, 'I could buy a small but decent house for less than ten. Gold is actually valuable here, even little coin shaped gold.' he thought. "Actually, I got a thing worth trading." he said.
"Cool, I'll accept your collateral right now." Meliodas said.
"Hey, let's negotiate first!" Filmore argued.
"Okay, give me whatever you have and I'll consider not letting you be eaten by wolves." Meliodas said.
"You are a terrible negotiator!" Filmore argued.
A few minutes later
Filmore was still grumbling as he lied on the couch and glared at Meliodas. All the while Merlin was looking at the file folder that Filmore gave them. At first, it looked like a useless empty object before she managed to break the seal and found another word.
Charity
Merlin smirked as she put her other words with this one. Meliodas looked confused as always, but that's when she pulled out a pen.
"And now, we also have the odd pen that King had found in the forest." Merlin said.
"King just fusses about people losing their pens?" Meliodas asked.
Merlin ignored him and found the seal on it before breaking it.
Diligence
"Hey fox, is this some kind of puzzle?" Meliodas asked.
"I don't know, I just know I had to bring it here." Filmore answered before curling up.
Merlin started piecing the words together, "Temperance, Kindness, Charity and Diligence. Care to take a guess of what these words are supposed to mean?" she asked.
"They describe someone who's a stick in the mud?" Meliodas asked.
"No, they're opposites. Antonyms of our sins." Merlin answered as she put the words together. She then wrote a few more words, "Gluttony, Envy, Greed and Sloth. Each of our titles comes from a cardinal sin but these words are the opposite." she said.
Meliodas thought about it, "So there are three left words then? What do you think it will mean when we find all seven?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, but I will have to keep an eye out for these virtues." Merlin said. "Seven Heavenly Virtues." she muttered to herself.
Filmore yawned loudly in the background, "The thing I carried is just words?" he asked. "I almost got killed trying to deliver words?" he asked.
"There are literal shinobi that risk their lives to deliver packages like the postmen. I'm sure you are overreacting." Merlin said, disregarding Filmore's safety.
"Pfft, dumb witch." Filmore muttered.
"I am a mage and one that is not deaf." Merlin said.
Filmore shivered despite how calm and collected Merlin sounded. Her words sounded like she was stating the facts, but it almost felt like a threat she would follow through with.
'I should check on Ana real soon.' Merlin thought.
As Merlin had received these items, she decided to distract Ana by giving her some homework to practice outside. Merlin didn't think too much about having Ana go outside by herself as she wouldn't stray too far from the mansion. It sounded reckless, but Merlin was too sure that Ana would be fine with her distraction.
Later, outside
Zeal was with Konohamaru's group as he practiced with the instructions from the scrolls that Naruto left behind. The boy's young sensei thought ahead of time either to make Zeal very strong or because Naruto must have really wanted an apprentice. Still, it was a lot notes that were organized as to give some kid less difficulty than what Naruto faced.
"Come on guys, just two more years and we're going to be genin." Konohamaru said as they followed a separate set of scrolls.
"You guys must be really excited to graduate." Zeal said.
"Of course we are! We're going to be the best team!" Konohamaru replied.
"We don't know if we're going to be paired together." Udon said.
"Don't be so negative. The academy won't risk separating the three best academy students." Konohamaru said proudly.
"How can you be one of the best if you don't study?" Moegi asked, making Konohamaru face fault. "And Udon, I don't want to sound mean but you kind of lack motivation and confidence." she said.
"You're right, the practical tests are just hard and I just end up embarrassing myself." Udon said, having low self esteem.
Zeal was slightly younger than the kids, but while he was training to be strong. It was mostly to defend himself and others like his sister when she didn't have the strength to raise a sword. Even still, the young boy wasn't entirely sure of what he wanted from life. He didn't want to be a shinobi or anything like that. So it just left him asking himself what he wanted despite being so young.
"Hey everyone, how do you know what you wanted to be?" Zeal asked.
"It's in my bloodlines, besides my dream was to Hokage and to be stronger than the old man. Only now, I'm going to be a shinobi to make Konoha a better village." Konohamaru said.
Zeal was too young to fully understand what Konohamaru meant but just thought of it as a noble goal. He decided to respect the other boy's desire while the other two explained their own reasons.
"Obviously, I'm going to be an awesome kunoichi." Moegi said while trying to make a cute pose.
Zeal just looked confused so Udon tries to help.
"That's like a female ninja, also Moegi is weird." Udon whispered.
"Hey, I heard that last part!" Moegi said.
"So what's your motivation?" Zeal asked Udon.
Now Udon felt anxious, "Aw man, I hate it when people ask these kinds of questions. It takes me too long to answer." He said.
Udon likely wouldn't say anything shallow or depressing, but as a nerdy type with little self esteem. He does take too long to say something when put on a spot. If this was related to math, he would probably give a speech on his answer.
"Okay, here it is. I want to be a shinobi because…" Udon trailed off as they heard some noises.
"What the heck is that?" Konohamaru asked.
The kids followed the noises and found Ana standing by a small river stream. They could see Mordred sitting on a rock while Ana was making large orbs of water come out of the river. The three academy students watched in awe as Ana tried to reshape the orbs of water with some difficulty on her end.
"It's that girl we found in the woods." Konohamaru whispered.
"She must be tough if she can use water jutsus like that." Udon said.
Zeal with the Konohamaru corps continued to watch Ana demonstrate her power to the point the water orbs began to break apart. The smaller parts then lined before adjusting their positions and turning into a small vortex. Ana then released the water back into the stream and took a seat next to the rock.
"I did it Mordred. Mama is going to be proud of me." Ana said.
Mordred hopped around a few times, seemingly excited. However, Ana could tell that Mordred was trying to tell her something.
"Someone is watching me?" Ana asked before noticing the kids. "AHH! Pervs!" she shouted.
"Hey! We're not pervs!" Konohamaru shouted.
Ana hid herself behind a rock, "Mama, there's a pervy boy and he's staring at me!" she yelled.
"Konohamaru, we gotta calm her down before we get into trouble." Udon said.
Konohamaru groaned as he tried thinking of something.
A few minutes later
It took a while, but Konohamaru managed to explain what they were doing and why they were spying on Ana.
"I bet you're secretly a perv." Ana said accusingly.
"I'm not, besides we all train." Konohamaru said.
"Yeah, we're the Konohamaru corps and we're going to be the best shinobi team in the future." Moegi said.
Ana frowned at their enthusiasm.
"All of you but the other boy are dorks." Ana said, making them face fault.
"That wasn't nice." Zeal said.
Konohamaru took it the worst, "What do you mea we're dorks?" he asked.
"You try too hard and have put too much energy into getting excited." Ana said.
Apparently, Ana thinks the Konohamaru corps are putting too much effort into optimism than getting stronger. Yet that didn't let the young Sarutobi get discouraged. One little girl's words would not be enough to stop her.
"Say what you want, I'm not letting a single word stop me. It didn't stop our boss and it's not stopping me or my team." Konohamaru said.
"I don't know, maybe she has a point." Udon said, his poor self esteem revealing itself.
"Udon, you really need to need to improve that attitude. Otherwise everyone is going to step all over you." Moegi said with a sigh.
The thing about trying to form a team with your friends is trying to push away the negative quirks within each of them. Whether it's Konohamaru's pride, Udon's lack of confidence and Moegi's occasional anger issues but not at the level of a certain pink haired genin. Ana still had no confidence in these three being competent.
She barely had any confidence in Zeal, but could see the boy just wants to be strong enough to defend himself and his sister. At least that's what she heard as she never directly interacted with Zeal.
"Ana, are you still here?" A voice called out.
Ana smiled, "Yes mama, I was practicing like you said." she said.
The Konohamaru corps looked confused before watching Merlin arrive and saw Ana run up to her. The trio were confused as they remembered having met Ana when she said she was looking for her mother. Yet, they are very confused as to why she was referring to Merlin as her mother. They may have hardly spoken to Merlin, but Konohamaru wouldn't forget the women who dating their boss.
"Oh hello children, are you here to practice your techniques?" Merlin asked.
"Yes ma'am." Zeal answered.
"Excuse me, miss nude lady… AH!" Konohamaru tried to say before being hit on the head.
"Don't call her that! Never refer to a lady like that, dummy!" Moegi exclaimed.
Merlin just snickered, "Perhaps your next lesson should be on tact, young Sarutobi." she said. "Ana, have you made friends with the children?" she asked.
Ana hid behind Merlin's leg and frowned, "No, all of them except Zeal are dorks." she said.
"So mean." Konohamaru said.
"Ana, don't be rude. Everyone has their quirks but that is what creates diversity." Merlin said as she put her hand on Ana's head. "Anyways, I've finished up my work. Let's go inside now." she said.
"I finished my homework, mama. Can I show you?" Ana asked excitedly.
"Of course dear." Merlin said as she levitated Ana to her side. "Zeal, try not to stay out too long or stray too far. I don't want you to worry your sister." she said.
"Yes ma'am." Zeal said.
"Come here Mordred." Ana said as Mordred hopped after her.
As the mother and daughter left, the Konohamaru corps started realizing something.
"Guys, if that girl is really Merlin-san's daughter. Then do you think…?" Udon trailed off.
"What are you guys talking about?" Zeal asked.
Moegi cringed, "Ew." she said.
"What? Tell me." Zeal said.
"It doesn't make any sense though." Udon said.
"It does make sense. That Ana girl is clearly Naruto's daughter." Konohamaru said much to Zeal's surprise.
"You think?" Zeal asked.
"It doesn't make sense, Ana is blond but she's almost our age. The boss would have been around 8 when Ana was born." Udon said.
"He paid the stork to deliver her at a late age." Konohamaru said.
Moegi and Udon just sweat dropped. While the adults haven't told them the proper process of reproduction. They were just told it takes a man and a woman to get together. The story about the storks is just a made up myth.
"Zeal, you might want to go home before Konohamaru damages your brain cell count." Moegi said.
"Hey!" Konohamaru shouted angrily.
Later that night
Ana was once again being tucked into bed by Merlin.
"Rest up Ana, I will be in my lab to finish up some work and then I will be back." Merlin said.
"Mama, how come you have a later bedtime? You need to sleep too." Ana said.
Merlin just smiled, "My work is very important. Besides, these are things I might end up teaching you." she said.
Ana smiled back, "Okay mama, come to bed soon." she said as she closed her eyes.
Merlin gently stroked Ana's hair before walking out the door and sighing.
'That girl is an enigma. I need to learn where she came from, what she is and why she is here.' Merlin thought as she pulled out a lock of Ana's hair from her jacket. 'Still, she is a child. I should at least give her a normal environment.' she thought as she held onto the hair very tightly.
Merlin started making her way to her lab when she started having flashbacks. She thought back to Belialuin and the "childhood" she had. Back then, the only hunger Merlin felt was hunger for love and affection. Merlin grimaced as she imagined her father's smug look when she was given the aptitude test.
'Don't let the memories haunt you. They happened and there is nothing you can do.' Merlin thought.
Her realistic side tells her to study Ana and understand where she came from but a small part of Merlin's humanity was telling her that Ana is just a child.
Back with Ana, the girl opened her eyes and sat up as she looked at her Slime familiar. She smirked as she stroked it's head.
"Mordred, go sneak out. She won't be back until at least after midnight." Ana whispered.
The slime looked around and hopped off the bed before looking back at Ana again.
"Don't worry, I will cast a decoy just in case." Ana whispered.
Mordred nodded before hopping towards the window and opening it. It jumped over the small balcony and made it's way to the bottom unharmed. Ana just smiled the whole time as she conjured up a decoy slime by her side.
'Take your time mama because soon, you won't work late nights anymore and we can have the same bedtime.' Ana thought as she sat up and looked in the drawer. "And then you will be back too, papa." she whispered as she took out a picture frame of Merlin and Naruto.
Ana hugged the frame before putting it back and going back to bed.
At The Boar Hat
Vivian groaned in annoyance, "I know I did some really bad things and I'm still no saint, but do I have to do this?" she asked.
After realizing that the Boar Hat was beyond repair and due to fall apart any day now. Meliodas had decided it was time to let the Boar Hat go and begin it's demolition. With great promises to have it continue business once a new building is constructed.
"Don't complain, think of it as one of those spiritual enlightenment things. You know, the thing where you feel depravity and then realize that you had more than what you deserved and then decide to be a good person. That sort of thing." Meliodas explained as he brought out some boxes filled with inventory.
Meliodas said this but he was trying to get whoever he could get his hands on to help him move. It was easy to convince Arthur and Gilthunder, but the latter turned out to be busy with something else. So while he had Arthur, Meliodas forced Vivian to help by using her magic to help move the boxes of his current inventory.
"You know, I'm kind of sad to see the old place go. My own descendant even tried running this place with Ban's help." Meliodas said as he saw a photo frame in the back.
It had Naruto wearing Meliodas' uniform with Ban by his side. The photo was titled, "The Tavern's Duo", as they both worked there. They were short staffed and worked by themselves but they occasionally had Gowther to help as he looked female and would attract some customers while wearing the uniform.
'You guys were super desperate.' Meliodas said as he saw another photo.
It was of Gowther doing a cute pose in the uniform and titled, "waitress of the month".
"Could you reminisce later? I really can't hold all of these boxes." Vivian said as she tried using levitation magic on the inventory.
"Good point, I need you for when I move the important sentimental stuff." Meliodas said.
Vivan groaned, "Once a student, then a master, then a criminal, now a slave." She said with sad eyes.
"Let's go Vivian. It will be easier to move these now." Arthur said as he was already walking out the door.
Vivian just sighed as she followed Arthur outside. A few minutes after getting the boxes through the main door of the mansion, Vivian got to work on organizing them. Giving Arthur the chance to return and help Meliodas move some other things.
"Night had arrived sooner than I expected." Arthur said.
"The end of life, is never expected." said a voice.
"Huh? Vivian?" Arthur asked as he turned around.
Only to feel every hair on his body stand up as he raised his sword. Arthur felt a sense of immediate danger and looked around for it. Only to find himself collapsing as he tried raising his guard. In that instant, Arthur saw a small spark on his sword when he hit the ground. Arthur realized he was being ambushed in the darkness of night.
"Who is out there!?" Arthur asked as he recovered.
Arthur raised his guard again and stood his ground. He then found his sword being hit three times before nearly collapsing again.
'They are moving quite fast for me to see them.' Arthur thought.
"You are finished, Arthur. How does it feel to be alone and with no one to help you?" asked the attacker from the shadows. "A king with no kingdom, what does that make you?" they asked.
Arthur raised his sword up once more, "A kingdom is just a building, a plot of land. The people who follow a leader who works in the name of their prosperity is what makes a king." he said.
"And yet you have no people to support you!" the attacker yelled before striking Arthur once more.
This time, Arthur parried the attack. The attacker staggered and Arthur got a good look at them. He saw medium sized armor with a big helmet that had large ornamental horns on the sides of the helmet. All around Britannia, the Holy Knights can be recognized by their exotic armor designs instead of generic armor with a singular design. However, Arthur would not put this individual down by their appearance alone.
Especially when they could attack him while knowing his identity as a king.
"You mock me for the loss of my kingdom and people and yet you strike me from the shadows like a coward!" Arthur shouts as he slashes at his attacker. "Who are you to judge me when you lack honor?" he asked as his next blow was parried.
"Because your death will pave the way for a bright future!" The attacker yelled as they attacked with rapid strikes.
Arthur managed to keep up with the strikes before being kicked in the gut. Arthur crashed into a nearby bush and saw his attacker trying to impale him with a massive sword. Arthur tried to defend himself only to see a cube shaped barrier surrounding him, blocking the attacker's strike.
"Merlin?" Arthur asked.
"Close." Vivian said as she revealed herself.
"And the failure appears as well. How fortunate." The attacker said.
Vivian felt a tick mark on her head, "Are you making fun of me!?" she asked.
"I hold no resentment, but only honesty." the attacker said.
"Your ambush says otherwise." Arthur commented.
"Fireball!" Vivian yelled as she engulfed the attacker in a massive ball of flames. "And that's the end." she said.
Only to find the attacker walking out of the fiery destruction, looking unscathed. Vivian stepped back in fear as she noticed the attacker didn't have a single scratch.
"I was more than well prepared to destroy you both. It is my sole purpose." the attacker said.
The attacker then felt a blade hitting their helmet and ricocheting into the ground. The attacker looked down and saw a tri pronged kunai with sealing marks on it. Then suddenly, a yellow blur appeared the attacker was hit dead on with a blew orb.
"Rasengan!"
The attacker was sent crashing towards the Boar Hat, leaving a large dent. Vivian looked to see Kasumi had arrived much to her surprise.
"Kasumi-san?" Vivian asked with wide eyes.
"I know I tend to invite myself, but Merlin wanted me to stay much later this evening. I was on my way back when heard the fighting." Kasumi explained.
Vivian nodded gratefully before lowering the Perfect Cube around Arthur. Only to see the attacker return and looking no more damaged compared to Vivian's attack.
"The golden child with no real purpose. This evening has become more fortunate for me." the attacker said as blue eyes were seen behind the helmet.
Kasumi picked up her tri pronged kunai and stood at the front as Arthur and Vivian stood behind her in a triangular formation.
Inside The Boar Hat
Meliodas was distracted by another photo he found. He didn't hear the fighting outside and assumed it was just the Boar Hat losing strength to hold itself. In this ignorance, he was packing up more boxes when he found a few more distinct photos. One where Naruto was with Gowther and Ban in his mission to the Land of Snow and a few others. However, one more stood out and it was one where Diane was hugging King from behind while Naruto had his arm around Merlin's waist.
"I guess the Seven Deadly Sins were having their first missions under their new captain. I wonder what those were like." Meliodas said to himself.
Only to feel more impacts hitting the Boar Hat.
"Okay, I'm starting to think those two are rough housing." Meliodas said as he put the photos away.
With Naruto
Naruto stood over a tall hill where he looked over a massive plain filled with various plants and wildlife. The little girl in his backpack looked over his shoulder and watched with curiosity.
"I guess this is our first official mission together." Naruto said.
"Why do you call it that?" Merlin asked.
"It's how we referred adventures where I come from." Naruto answered. "Anyways, we can get traveling to work when our new friends return." he said.
"I've been to ask about them. Why do you act so strangely around them?" Merlin asked.
"Oh uh, just trying to be friendly. Some people kind of found me annoying." Naruto answered.
"I don't think that's it. You seem really happy but also anxious to see them." Merlin said.
"It's like I said, I just don't want to scare them away." Naruto said.
Merlin felt suspicious, "Is it because of their species?" she asked. "I know about the Demon Clan and Goddess Race being mortal enemies. Yet, I feel doubt about them hating each other or finding reasons to battle." She said.
"I'm not worried about them turning on each other Merlin." Naruto said.
"I know that much, but I wish you could tell me more." Merlin said.
Naruto frowned, 'There's so much I want to tell you, but I have so much to ask too. Only I don't know who to ask.' he thought.
Naruto didn't know what to do or what he really wanted. He felt frustrated because of how lost he was and could only hope by being with Merlin in her childhood years, he could find an answer and return home. He felt hungry, but not for ramen or an edible meal of any kind. He felt hungry for answers and felt anger knowing they were so far away.
TO BE CONTINUED…
NOTES: I know, I can't find a good excuse and this story is not over. I know, you guys are pissed. I swear this year will be much better. I'm going to put a lot of dedication into getting this one done. Seriously, I really can't compare the recent years to 2019 which is when I finished part 1 and started other stories.
Still, this story will be finished. Even if I have to tear a hole into the fabric of time and space! Okay maybe not go that far! But I will go pretty far!