The Knight Of Mahora Academy
Period 23: When Pain Is Unavoidable
I forgot how much fun it was to write these things. And I forgot that this story has a unique Naruto that my other stories don't allow for. One that is culturally savvy and can make jokes about modern things. He's lived his life as a teenager in this world, and not isolated in a fantasy realm, alternate history, or being completely out of touch because he's never engaged with the world around him.
I know it's not original but dammit it's fun to just have fun!
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Negi-kun, that tragedy ended up shaping both you and Naruto-kun in ways we never could have expected."
Asuna shuffled in closer as she heard her crush speak with Negi about Naruto's past. When Negi had been alerted in the early morning that he needed to be debriefed on the Wilhelm attack, Asuna, Chamo, and Konoka looked worried that he'd do it alone. So they ended up following him to make sure he was okay. Setsuna had been out and about as well while they were making their way over and joined them. When they got here they were already talking and didn't want to interrupt so they ended up hiding and eavesdropping.
"Now when the attack happened on your village, no one knew the motive or reasoning behind it. Was it a statement? Did someone hold a grudge on that village? Were they after something? No one could find an answer that made any sense." Takamichi shook his head, "All they knew was that this was a seemingly unprovoked attack that no side was taking credit for. And that left many questions hanging in the air with tensions growing."
Negi gulped anxiously as he looked at his older friend, "Well what did they do next?"
"Well with no clear motive or reasoning offered, people started attributing whatever they could to try and make sense of it." The well-dressed teacher informed with a solemn shake of his head, "Demons were planning to make an advance on the old world. Heroes trying to take a stand against mistreatment in the magical world. The reasons were numerous and never stopped coming."
Negi's eyes trembled in shock and his hand tightened against his knee. The senseless attack on his village had spurred people into action? And some thought it was their way of fighting for a noble cause? Even with Wilhelm's foreknowledge and context of the attack, Negi could still not see it as anything but a cruel act committed for solely cruel reasons.
"In the end tensions started to rise as some demons took a stance for better treatment while others used their platform to push their biases against demons. In the end, a dignitary was sent from the demon world to denounce the attack as senseless violence and try to smooth things over. Word had started to travel about her arrival and there were stirrings about how they could intercept and stop her. So a plan for her safe travel was determined."
Takamichi leaned back in his seat, "I worked alongside a great deal of other capable people to help in the situation. And well…a precocious youngster wanted to try his hand."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Thank you for coming, Takamichi."
"Of course, Theodora-sama. Whatever you need."
He bowed his head respectfully to the beautiful, mature third princess of the Hellas Empire. Once upon a time, the lovely royal princess had been a dear ally and friend of both Takamichi and Ala Rubra in a time of war. He had personally joined Theodora's side in leading the Hellas Empire's fleet to subdue and restrain Cosmo Entelecheia's world-ending attack in the last days of the war.
Even after Ala Rubra disbanded and the years ticked by, the princess liked to keep in touch when she could. Mostly to pester him about Rakan's current whereabouts so she could make a pass at him. But also when she required a trustworthy ally for a mission.
"Still a stickler for etiquette, aren't you Takamichi?" She noted with a smile as they walked through the halls of the castle. Her soldiers stood at attention and saluted her as she walked by with Takamichi following behind her, "Have you been kept abreast of what the plan is?"
"Yes, your majesty." He respectfully answered, "We've announced the emissary's route of transport between Hellas and the assembly held in Tristan. We plan to travel by ship with large support of soldiers guarding us as we make our way over there."
Theodora smirked, "Which is going to draw a lot of attention."
"Exactly." Takamichi agreed while huffing some smoke, "We believe the most vocal and adamant supporters of the attack and opponents to the lady's plan will show up to attack. Where myself and other guards will be standing by to intercept them."
"That's right! And while the bait is fighting off the misguided supporters of these attacks, where shall our dear emissary be? Traveling, hidden and away from everything going on!" Theodora smirked and wildly turned around, "And that's where you come in!"
It took her a second to realize she wasn't pointing at anyone.
As she stared at the space blankly, Takamichi sighed, "Oh dear. He slipped away when we weren't looking."
"W-Where'd he go?! He was following right behind us!"
"He concealed his presence and slipped away when he got the chance." Takamichi said with a light chuckle, "That kid has come a long way in his training. Kyūbi-San recently recovered his 5th tail, so you know he's been making great strides in his development."
"I don't wanna hear his report card! I want to know where that little brat went off to! Gah, if he slipped out to cause trouble-"
"Theo-neechan!" The third princess flinched and Takamichi looked over as he saw an excitable 10-year old Naruto come running down the hall to rejoin them. He had some crumps and cream around his mouth with a half-eaten piece of cake in hand, "You need to invite me here more often! I always forget that your staff puts out the tastiest snacks ever! Hey you think if I got them a ramen recipe-"
"You brat!" Theodora rushed forward and grabbed Naruto's whiskered cheeks before lifting him off the ground and pulling them apart, "We're trying to go through the mission brief and you run off to grab some snacks?!"
Naruto whined through his cheeks getting yanked apart before he grumbled, "Well I got this piece of cake for you but if you don't want it-"
"You already ate half of it!"
"And I'll eat the rest now!" He shoved the last of the cake into his mouth.
"You little turd! That was my cake!" Theodora pulled on his cheeks harder and in response he reached up, grabbing hold of her cheeks as well as the 10-year old freelance agent and third princess of the Hellas Empire tried to make the other yield.
Takamichi could only sigh in exhaustion as he watched their dispute. Hard to believe this was how they wanted to conduct themselves before such an important mission.
It was only after 5 minutes of petty arguing were the two finally separated. Naruto nursed his stinging red cheeks while Theodora pretended hers weren't in the same amount of agony, "Uh-hum!" She coughed and regained her composure before looking at Naruto critically, "Can you please take this seriously now? I was expecting more professional behavior from an aspiring member of Mage Association."
"Hey, what do you mean aspiring member?" Naruto yelled indignantly while crossing his arms like a petulant child, "I already have taken on several missions that were super hard. I'm doing this as a favor because Michi asked and you used to be fun to hang out with, Theo-neechan."
"Used to be?!"
"Naruto-kun," Takamichi spoke sternly while looking down at his young friend, "That's not how you should behave when taking a job as a professional." He looked ready to voice an argument before Takamichi raised his hand, "I'm sure Nagi-San or Rakan-San would proceed however they want, but remember how Eishun-San, Master, and her highness taught you respect and manners, right? You have to show that kind of appearance too while you are around people, okay?"
Naruto pouted in response but looked aside before nodding, "Okay Michi, I'll try." He turned back and seemed miffed before nodding his head, "Sorry Theo-neechan." Takamichi coughed and the young boy sighed, "Theodora-sama."
Theodora was still frowning but fumed a little less after his apology. She sighed, "Geez, I wish Rakan could be here to help as well. Why didn't he come and join us? I asked nicely."
"He said he didn't feel like coming out of retirement. And also that 'As long as that tomboy princess is dick crazy I'll be hiding', whatever that meant." Naruto informed them brazenly as his words slammed down on Theodora's head like a stone, "Hey what does dick crazy even mean?"
"I won't tell you ever," Takamichi grumbled around his cigarette. He looked down at the traumatized princess and cleared his throat, "Theodora-sama? The mission?"
"O-Oh, right." She picked herself up and continued along the hallway as they followed behind her, "Takamichi will be acting as the main attack force on our primary bait ship. We'll also be sending out several convoys with replacement models of the emissary. Naruto, you will be traveling with her ladyship among several appointed guardians tasked with getting her to the assembly in a few days. Are you ready for that?"
The little blond boy smirked and pumped his arms, "You know it! I've been waiting for a chance to show people what I've got to offer!"
"Hehe, don't get ahead of yourself kid." Theodora warned with some snark and a smirk of her own, "You can talk the talk but it's time to see if you can get the job done." She walked up to a door and opened it, "Ma'am, I have the gentlemen I wanted you to meet."
"Of course Theodora-sama."
She nodded and stepped in, ushering the two Mages to follow her. Takamichi and Naruto walked in and saw a young, dark-skinned woman with light hair dressed in regal attire. She must have only been a year or 2 older than Naruto, and not that much taller from the looks of it. As they walked in Theodora smiled, "This is Takamichi Takahata and Naruto Uzumaki. They'll be personally overseeing the completion of this mission. Boys, this is the 3rd cousin of the royal family."
"Heyla Ishtar Reinydae Montes." The royal emissary lifted the sides of her skirt and curtsied to the two Mages. Takamichi gracefully bowed his head and Naruto quickly followed his lead as she smiled, "Thank you for your help gentlemen."
"Of course ma'am. We believe you'll be able to help the situation here a lot with your words." Takamichi nodded pleasantly before pushing Naruto forward, "This is Naruto-kun. You can trust him to get you to the public assembly in time."
Naruto sweated and flushed a little from the attention before he grinned, "Nice to meetcha, Heyla-chan. You don't gotta worry. I'll get you where you need to go!"
Takamichi chuckled as Theodora groaned and palmed her face. Heyla seemed surprised by his informal address before a light giggle slipped out and she smiled, "Thank you kindly, Naruto-San. I'm trusting you with my safety."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
("How do things look on your end?")
"Going fine." Naruto said into his hand as he heard Takamichi's voice from the other side, "Traveling is pretty good considering we're moving in such a small convoy." He looked around the cabin of the wagon they were traveling in as he smiled, "Heyla-chan is taking the downgrade pretty well, all things considered."
"I-I'm not some pompous royal, Naruto-San!" Heyla responded indignantly at the blond boy's remark as the other guardians chuckled, "R-Really! I don't require some unnecessary accommodations or anything! I'm perfectly fine traveling like this with all of you!"
"Well, I think we're doing well over here." Naruto smiled, "What about your end, Michi?"
("I thought it was clear sailing but it looks like we're going to be running into some turbulence soon. I'll try and contact you later.")
"See ya Michi." Naruto halted communication and shifted in place to get more comfortable in their wagon, "Well I think things are going pretty well on the distraction side of the plan."
"It baffles me that you can talk to someone like Takamichi T. Takahata like that." One of the guardians entrusted with this mission, a stout Mage with a round and kind face named Armone, noted with a chuckle, "You know that man is a living legend, right?"
"Yeah I know, but I also know Michi as my goofy friend for years now. Hard for me to picture him as anything else."
"Hehe, you're quite the enigma, Naruto-kun." The man driving their caravan, a handsome young Mage named Colten, said while looking back at them, "Now how is it that a young newcomer to the Mage Association is so capable at such a young age? You must have trained with some very strong teachers to get this far so soon."
Naruto chuckled knowingly as he looked aside and scratched his cheek, "Eh, you could say that. You might say they were the best in the business."
"I think you're an uppity brat that's out of his league."
A vein pulsed on his head, "Say that again?"
"You didn't hear me?" A woman older than him but still younger than the other two guardians spoke up without fear. She was a Demi-human with a chest plate and pauldron with red hair and cat ears sprouting from her head. Her name was Leanna, and she was the only person on this job Naruto just couldn't seem to mesh with, "I said you're a brat way out of your depth. We need people able to do jobs and we're stuck with a greenhorn!"
"Greenhorn?!" Naruto repeated, agitated just at the suggestion he didn't know what he was handling as he ground his teeth and glared the feline hybrid down in spite, "Hey I've taken on a bunch of jobs and seen them to completion!"
"Good for you! We need people with years of experience and trust in this job! Not some snot-nosed, nobody punk who got in through nepotism!"
"I-I don't even know what that means!" Naruto exclaimed in fury before his eyes started to twitch and he clenched his fist, "But I'm more than strong enough to handle this! Hell, I bet I could handle whatever you're doing too!"
"Oh, you wanna bet!" Leanna snarled as she jumped to a knee and extended her nails in preparation for a brawl, "Why don't you get over here and I'll-"
"Whoa, hey now!" Armone slipped in and pushed the two competent youths away from each other before things could escalate. Naruto continued to try and push forward and Leanna hissed and swiped at his face. The oldest, most mature Mage there sighed as he held them back, "If this is what we have to look forward to for the next few days then it's going to be a long journey."
As Naruto and Leanna continued to bicker, Armone kept them separated as Heyla nervously hummed and Colten laughed from the front seat.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
They had to stop for everyone to go to the bathroom. Naruto was adamant about sticking together with Heyla to make sure she was okay.
Leanna nearly scratched his eyes out when he started following them over to their portion of the forest.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Armone decided that he needed to impart some sage wisdom and advice on his juniors and started to tell them stories about jobs he completed in the past.
Heyla was the only one that listened earnestly, and that was mostly because she was being polite. Naruto and Leanna were drifting in and out of consciousness while Colten nearly fell asleep at the reins.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
When night came they hitched their magical beasts up and started hunting for food. As four capable guardians, they were able to gather more than enough food to keep them fed. However, when they returned to the carriage they were worried that Heyla wouldn't be able to eat such large portions in such an undignified manner.
They were wrong. She devoured everything in front of her like a beast.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Armone offered to teach Naruto how to drive the carriage as Leanna took a nap and Colten asked their charge about politics and magic styles of the demon world.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Leanna got so bored that she started poking Naruto's flank to get a reaction.
He snapped and challenged her to a challenge of skill.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
She easily overwhelmed him in an arm-wrestling match.
He nearly broke his teeth mashing them so hard.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
He pulled out the advantage of hitting distance targets with Sagitta Magica.
She stomped her foot in a rage.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Naruto would regularly receive updates from Takamichi on the state of the operation. The Airfish they were traveling in made many stops to garner more attention as a decoy.
They had fought many oncoming threats trying to attack the ship and capture the royal emissary. However…it wasn't any many as predicted. And the other decoy caravans sent out to draw attention hadn't received any attacks yet.
Naruto relayed this to his team and they seemed as perturbed by it as he was.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
It was the third day of traveling when their wagon strolled over a large rock and jostled Naruto awake from his nap. His eyes opened in a bleary haze as he yawned and smacked his lips. As he started to regain his thoughts he sat up…
"To the men and women - no, to the people gathered before me today." Naruto scratched his head as he heard quiet mumbling at his side. He turned and saw Heyla quietly talk under her breath, the royal emissary mumbling and shaking her head as she spoke, "To the people gathered before me today, I implore you - no too soon for that. I stand before you here…today?" She groaned into her hands, "Oh come on, I can't do that."
"Heyla-chan?" Naruto grumbled as he rubbed his eyes, "What are you doing? Talking to yourself?"
"She's practicing her speech." He looked to the other side of the wagon as Armone listened intently to her composing her words and Leanna had her eyes closed to get some rest, "I think we'll be reaching our destination in the next day so she wants to go over what she'll say at the assembly."
"What for?" Naruto questioned, "Aren't speeches like that taken care of beforehand? By other people or something? That's what I heard at least."
"They are, Naruto-San, for the most part." Heyla answered as she stopped her focusing and answered him, "But I'm going to be appealing to an entire room of people that do this kind of thing for a living. If the words I give them don't come at least partially from me or without my heart, they'll be torn apart and denied within minutes."
It didn't make much sense to Naruto but he decided to trust her experience in this field. He wasn't well-versed in politics so he didn't know what process was more important or not. However, while they rode along in silence Naruto sat up and decided to ask a question that had lingered on his mind for a while, "Hey, so what started all of this exactly? I know there is a lot of arguing and fighting going on right now but honestly," He shrugged, "I don't know anything other than that."
Leanna opened one eye, "You at least know of the attack back in the old world, right? I'm going to be disappointed if you haven't heard that part at least."
"Yeah, I heard that part." Naruto mumbled with a scowl, "But there are a ton of incidents and attacks like that in the old world all the time, right? And the forces that work over there and take charge of things are usually the ones that deal with it, don't they? So why is it such a big deal in this world?"
"The attack was a terrible atrocity that only left a handful of people unharmed after a mass petrification attack and raid. That alone is enough to drum up attention and worry. But in the absence of a motive or reason, people from all around started using their views and opinions to try and make sense of it." Heyla answered in a somber tone, "And one of those groups, one of the loudest at that, was a group with very antiquated and counterproductive views."
"What do you mean?"
"Naruto-kun," Colten spoke up from the front seat, "What do you know about the demon world and its foundation?" At his silence, the others took that as a sign they had a lot to cover, "When humanity was first taking its steps on the face of the old world, demons had already created a society on their world of countless people trying to vie for immortality and power."
"It was a society built around strength and ruthlessness. If you were strong you were safe and you were right." Heyla looked ahead in silence, "It's been millennia since then and things have gotten better, relatively speaking, but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done. There's a reason demons are associated so closely with Hell, and it's because of what our world had become." She looked back at Naruto, "Some demons believe that the royal family and those closest to them have grown weak and complacent in the years since they claimed victory as the strongest. That they shouldn't be the ones leading us anymore."
"Why would they think that?"
"Because of people like me." Heyla answered as she held up her hand and allowed a faint glow of magical power to come off of it, "Even though I'm a high-ranking demon, I'm significantly weaker than someone of my station should be. Even so, I still hold power and control that people much stronger than me don't because of what family I was born into. Some demons cry out in outrage and suggest we go back to the old ways again. Fighting and killing and securing our rights through strength. The attack on the old world is reminiscent of what our ancestors did millennia ago when humans were still young and we wanted to prove our superiority."
Heyla sighed and leaned back in deep thought, "The disparity on our homeworld. The feeling of solitude in this one. And the tension rising because of the attack on the old world. There's so much that needs to be resolved." She clutched her hand to her chest, "I might be weak but I want to try and make things better for my world and my people. It's the least I can do-"
"Ma'am," Leanna spoke up and shook her head, "I don't think you need to keep going. He got lost somewhere along the way."
"W-What?!" Naruto squawked before growling at the Demi-human, "I-I was listening! Heyla-chan was talking about something super important!"
"Yes. Yes, she was. And you had the most vacant eyes I've ever seen. You had no idea what to follow."
"Yes, I did!" Naruto tried to save face as Heyla giggled at his expression. A burning red blush started growing over his face before he scowled at Leanna, "That's it! Bad kitty!"
"What'd you say?!" Leanna snapped and leaped across the wagon to tackle him on the other side.
Heyla scooted away as the two thrashed around, "N-Now please, Naruto-San, Leanna-San, you shouldn't-"
"L-Leanna-San!" Colten called back from the driver's seat, "Please get back on your side!"
Armone saw their dispute and sighed, "Alright kids, that's enou-"
A giant iron spike pierced through the fabric of the wagon and gouged out Armone's chest. Everyone looked shocked and horrified as more metal spikes rained down on that side of the wagon. Some even shredded through the magical beasts pulling them along as Colten jumped into the back of the wagon with them, "We're under attack!"
"Where are they?!" Naruto and Leanna quickly untangled and shifted into gear as the Demi-human slid to the other side of the wagon. She paid no heed to Armone's corpse as she looked through the shredded fabric, "Contact! 500 meters long-range assault!"
"A-Armone-San?" Heyla whispered in horrified shock as she reached out, "Are you-"
"Don't!" Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled it back before getting her to huddle close, "You can't leave my side, okay?" The demon girl still looked petrified but managed a hollow nod, "What do we do?!"
"W-We have to secure a path out of here!" Colten yelled as he gathered magic, "Leanna-San, warn us when you see-"
"They're attacking again!" The Demi-human rushed to the side and cut the fabric of the wagon, "Move!"
Naruto swooped Heyla up in his arms and jumped out of the wagon as his comrades escaped as well. They rushed away as quickly as they could as the wagon exploded in a shower of flames and splinters.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
They ran for a full hour to escape any stragglers that were trying to follow them. Leanna led the charge forward as Colten followed on his wand with Naruto carrying Heyla in the middle of the formation. They kept running for as long as they could before they finally decided they put enough space between them and their attackers.
"Naruto-San," Heyla rubbed his back as he doubled over to catch his breath, "I'm sorry you had to carry me like that."
"I-It's fine." Naruto wheezed as he took a deep breath in, "Nothing I couldn't handle."
"Armone-San," Colten whimpered in horror as he finally realized that their numbers were reduced by one. The lanky Mage shook his head, "I-I can't believe they got him like that."
Naruto frowned in disappointment that such a nice man had fallen but shook his head, "We can't think about him now." He didn't want to sound callous but they had to focus, "We need to keep moving. We might be on foot now but if we keep going we'll reach Tristan."
"Tristan?!" Colten repeated in shock, "We're not going to make it if we're being pursued and attacked the whole way!"
"I know, but I can reach Michi and the others to give them an update." He put his hand to his ear and reached out to his friend, "They can give us cover while we make our way…" He paused as no connection or answer came through. Naruto pulled his hand back before trying again but to no answer, "I-It's not-"
"They're blocking communications." Leanna said as she looked out into the forest around them, "It's the first rule of cornering a target; make it impossible for them to get help." The Demi-human turned back to face the others, "We're not going to get help out here."
Heyla looked fretful as she turned to her protectors, "What do we do now?"
"Well first," Leanna stepped forward and confronted Naruto with a deep glare. The young blond instinctively took a step back, "We need to figure out who set us up." She didn't falter at all despite the looks she got as she continued, "The other convoys and decoys weren't attacked. They came directly at us without any warning. And they knew to cut off our communication. So that means someone sold us out."
Naruto was about to snap and tear into the woman's baseless accusation of him before he saw her eyes. The intensity. The unwavering confidence. The direction they were pointing.
Oh…he understood.
Her claws started to extend.
Naruto summoned a black and red blade from his artifact.
"N-Now hold on you two," Colten stepped up to stop their confrontation, "There's no need to-"
And immediately found himself at the end of their weapons.
Naruto looked at the older man in disappointment as Leanna looked at him quizzically, "How did they know where our wagon was going? Only Takahata and the Hellas 3rd princess knew of our route."
Colten raised his hands defensively, "I-I don't know! Maybe a leak or something?"
"How was the brat's communication cut off conveniently when we needed them instead of when we were attacked?"
"I don't know! Why are you pointing your weapons at me?!"
"Everyone," Heyla tried to be the voice of reason, "Please, we might need-"
"Hold on ma'am, I have one more question for him." The feline Demi-human glared the frightened Mage down before asking, "I've been arguing with this kid day-in and day-out for three days now. We snap and bark and roughhouse and no one said a thing." She tilted her head, "So why did you ask me to sit back down on my side of the wagon today? Just when those spires would have come in and shredded me and Armone to chunks?"
Heyla looked at the startled Mage in shock and Naruto felt his stomach drop as a result. Leanna just shook her head, "Did you believe in their cause, or was the money just too good?"
…
Colten shrugged, "It was a really good settlement."
Before they could attack the traitor or get any more out of him, several demonic shadows dropped down from above.
Naruto pulled Heyla into his side and blocked the dropping strikes of their attackers. Leanna tried to make a move against Colten but another attacker jumped in from her side. She jumped back and Naruto joined her as they had to weave around the flurry of attacks coming their way.
Heyla gasped and let out of cry of surprise into his shoulder as he carried her and blocked the demons' attacks. Just as he was about to be overwhelmed Leanna jumped in, kicking them back and giving him room to breathe, "Get her out of here! I'll hold them-"
Several spires of rock jutted up from the ground and speared into the Demi-human's body. Naruto and Heyla could only watch in horror as blood gushed out from where she'd been stabbed. Naruto turned to the side and saw Colten smirking with his hand outstretched-
"YOU BAST-"
A blur flashed in and Naruto found himself doubling over a fist buried in his gut. Blood rushed up to his throat and the air vacated his lungs as he looked up at the red, long-horned demon in front of him. The vicious demon smirked as he yanked a frightened Heyla out of his arms, "We appreciate you delivering her to us."
Before Naruto could react, the demon's claws extended and slashed him up in the chest and sent him flying into the trees. He bodily crashed through everything in his way until he finally slid to a stop. The young blond boy spat up blood and tried to lift himself up-
"Bye Naruto-kun," He looked up and saw Colten flying away with the demons at his side and Heyla in their grasp. A light started building up in the ground as the human Mage laughed, "It was fun while it lasted."
"NARUTO-SAAAAAANNNN-"
Heyla's voice was drowned out by the explosion of the earth underneath them.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Wake up!"
A rough kick to the shoulder stirred him awake, "W-Wha - Ah!" He groaned and rubbed his stomach as he felt a lingering pain over his chest. With a pained grumble, he sat up, "W-What happened? T-Those demons came a-and Colten turned and - Heyla-chan! We've got to - oh god!"
"About time you noticed." Leanna groused faintly as she leaned back against a rock with several deep and bloody gouges on her body. When she coughed there was a deep wet sound underneath it before she mumbled, "Making a dying woman jump in and save you. I knew you were green."
"Oh shit." He quickly rushed to her side and looked over her wounds. Cursing his lack of healing abilities, he gritted his teeth in anger. Before he forced a faint, uneasy smile, "H-Hey, Demi-humans are super resilient, right? And you have a healing factor, don't you? Then just hold on until we can get help-"
"This is with the healing factor kid." She groaned, closing her eyes to try and ease the pain of breathing. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a crystal orb before holding it out for Naruto. He looked down at it as a red light appeared in the orb and shifted to one side of it, "I put a tracking spell on Heyla-sama's cloak when she didn't know it. This will track it down." He looked at her in shock as she placed the orb in his hand, "The closer you are the more intense the light. Go save her."
"But you-"
"There's a job to do." She weakly wheezed out, "Go do it."
He bit his lip and looked down at the magic orb before shaking his head. Standing up and trying to secure a line to Takamichi again, he got nothing as their communication was still disrupted. Weighing the choice of leaving Leanna in this state or saving Heyla, he tried to imagine carrying her along-
"Kid." He looked down as her eyes started to lid over. Dread filled his stomach and he reached out to her as she whispered, "Don't…fuck…this…"
…
He reached up and gently closed them the rest of the way.
His other hand crackled with magical power as he turned and watched the orb react.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
As fast as he could run. Even faster. Even longer. Go! Go! Go!
He looked down as the light on the orb shifted to the side slightly. Changing directions so it was directly in the middle, the young Mage continued to charge ahead in quick bursts of speed to reach his destination. He pushed himself farther and farther before finally-
He slid to a stop as he saw the hidden base carved into the side of a cave formation. Demon sentries were patrolling the perimeter and standing on the openings for it. If he wasn't careful the numbers in this place could overwhelm him.
But Heyla was in there-
"Adeat." He whispered as a light shined from his card and two gauntlets of black and red formed on his arms. With a powerful concentration of Ki over his arms he rushed out of the thicket and charged the base.
"Who-"
"HAAA!" Naruto punched into the side of the cave and caused it to violently erupt. The demons in his way were blown back as he rushed through the interior and tried to find his way through. As he stormed the base, demons dropped in from every angle to try and stop him. He countered their attacks and swings with the back of his gauntlets as he rushed by, "Triginta Septem spiritus ignis! Sagitta Magica, Series Ignis!"
A rush of flaming magical arrows fired from his hands and bombarded the hallway in front of him. Any demons that were rushing to attack him were swallowed up in the explosive rush. With a resounding bellow, Naruto plowed through anyone and anything that got in his way. He spared a look down at the magic orb, followed its guide, and kicked down the door in his way.
He found Colten, the red long-horned demon, and another subordinate of theirs surrounding a half-conscious Heyla. The dark-skinned demon's eyes were half-lidded, under the glow of Colten's wand with a cut just along her face. She blearily looked up in his direction, "Na…Naruto-San?"
"Hehe." Colten ran his hand along her cheek and closed the cut entirely. He turned back around, "I'm surprised you made it Na-"
His knee slammed into the traitorous Mage's face, caving in his nose and teeth altogether. As the bastard went sailing into the wall with a bodily slam, one of Naruto's arms shot up to block the red demon's punch as his other fist lashed out to knock the other demon aside. He started trading blows with the red demon, who was a far stronger foe than anyone else in this base and was probably the leader of this group. Even though he was putting up a good fight, the older demon was gaining the edge and would have overwhelmed him-
Before Naruto shifted his artifact into a blade instead to gain range. And with each swing of his sword, he shifted its weight, making it hundreds of pounds heavier when it swung down and weigh as much as a gram when he swung up.
The demon realized he didn't want to get any closer while the blade was so dangerous and jumped back entirely. He grabbed his fallen demon comrade before smirking, "Good job coming to this far, little hero. Here's your consolation."
With a snap of his fingers, the room they stood in started to hiss and glow red. The demons ran away, leaving him, Heyla, and a broken Colten to their own devices. Naruto rushed for Heyla and picked her up before running away-
Another explosion rocked the entire cave formation.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn!" Theodora turned in place as she anxiously waited for any updates from their trusted young friend, "This can't be happening! What could have happened to them?!"
"Theodora-sama," Takamichi raised his hand, "Please calm down."
"Calm down?! Naruto would have contacted you if anything went wrong, right?! And they should have gotten here already! So what's going on?!"
Honestly, Takamichi couldn't fight the butterflies of anxiety in his stomach. He knew his young friend could handle trouble, but he firmly believed that the hardest part of this mission would have been on his shoulders and not Naruto's. If something had happened to them-
"Princess!"
"If it doesn't involve the royal emissary and her guards then I don't want to hear it!"
"Your majesty, a pair are approaching Tristan's city limit! We believe it is Heyla-sama!"
Takamichi and Theodora shared a look before rushing out of the room. They quickly rushed out to the guard post on the edge of the city and joined the guards protecting that station. They looked out-
And saw one figure approaching while carrying another on their back.
Takamichi wasted no time jumping out there to meet them. He approached quickly and landed at their side with a look of surprise.
Naruto stood there, soot and burns on his body with faint trails of blood where he was exposed. And carried on his back was a half-conscious demon royal that looked up at him quietly. Naruto turned to look up at Takamichi.
He smirked, "We're not late, are we?"
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Colten-kun seemed like such a trustworthy Mage. He had a bright future with the Mage Association." Takamichi shook his head in disappointment, "I don't know why he would throw it all away to work with terrorists. And Armone-San and Leanna-kun…it's a shame."
"I left that bastard in the explosion." Naruto said in his hospital bed as he was checked up on over his injuries in a Tristan care facility, "Sorry. If I had tried to capture him-"
"You saved Heyla-sama, which was the far more important thing to do." The older man smiled proudly and ran his hand through the young boy's hair, "Way to go, kiddo."
"H-Hey, stop that." Naruto tried to swat Takamichi's hand away despite the joyful smile on his face. The impatient blond shifted in his bed, "Hey can I leave now? This bed is stuffy."
"Not yet. Still need to go through your check-up." The older man smiled, "You behave and I'll treat you to ramen."
"You promise?!"
"Absolutely."
"Yes! I'm gonna bleed you dry, Michi!" The young whiskered boy grinned before there was a knock on the door, "It's open!" The door was ajar and Theodora leaned her head in, "Theo-neechan, what are you doing here?"
"Someone wanted to pay a visit." The Hellas princess stepped in and opened the door as a dark-skinned demon girl stepped in with a meek smile.
"Heyla-chan," Naruto sat up happily as he saw the royal emissary up on her feet again, "You're okay?"
"I am." She nodded happily, "I'm glad to see you're doing good as well, Naruto-San."
"Oh, no worries." He grinned and flexed his arm, "I'm built super tough. Raka-Ji would be upset if I couldn't handle this much damage and still keep going."
Theodora chuckled, "Yep, sounds like that jerk."
"Heyla-chan, you're still going to be able to make it to the assembly, right?"
"I am." She nodded eagerly, "It's thanks to your help in getting me here, Naruto-San. And Armone-San and Leanna-San." She looked down dejectedly, "I know this wasn't as easy of a mission as expected but…I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for your help."
"Aw," Naruto waved it off, "Don't worry about it. I'm more than happy to help you how I can, Heyla-chan. Now go out there and do what you can to help."
"I will." The beautiful young demon girl nodded, quickly lowering her gaze with a faint blush on her face, "And when I'm done here I…I hope you and I can visit what Tristan has to offer."
She quickly stepped in and left a quick kiss on his cheek before running out of the room in a hurry. Theodora whistled and walked out with a smirk as Takamichi smiled and followed them out.
Naruto was the only one remaining, sitting in bed with red running up his neck and touching the spot she kissed.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Wow!" Negi gasped with sparkles in his eyes after hearing the tale Takamichi shared, "That - that's amazing! I had no idea Nii-San had completed such an important mission! That's incredible!"
From their spot hidden from view, the girls whispered and quickly agreed with Negi's astonishment. Asuna couldn't help but smile as she imagined the whiskered menace they lived with fighting as a kid and protecting the royal heroine that would save the day. She looked aside and saw the others Konoka silently cheering for the young Naruto after hearing his tale.
Asuna looked at Setsuna and saw a look of quiet pride on the swordswoman's face as she learned more of her partner's past.
"What happened next? Did Nii-San and Heyla-San go out and see the city after she was done?"
Asuna perked up as well to hear more of the story. She giggled at the thought of a young Naruto on a date with a pretty noble girl and listened intently.
…
Nothing was said.
"Takamichi?"
The older teacher closed his eyes and sucked on his cigarette.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"Need to stretch my legs," Naruto mumbled to himself as he walked the streets of Tristan, slipping out of his hospital room after waiting hours to get a go-ahead. He wasn't in pain and there was nothing wrong.
Hell, Heyla was already at the assembly doing her job and she wasn't complaining!
As he walked by he heard a broadcast on a holographic screen and poked his head into a bar. There he saw several people watching the assembly as Heyla made her speech. The demon noble was passionately reciting the words she had practiced and seemed to be getting across to not only the politicians but the people watching as well.
Naruto smiled proudly as he watched her work.
("Montes-sama wishes to bring across her point that the disparity in demon culture should be recognized and rectified where it can. She has currently denounced the demons responsible for the attack in the old world and - oh wait a moment.")
Things went quiet as Heyla paused and gripped the podium she spoke from a little tighter. Naruto looked on in concern as she doubled over and dropped to her knees.
("I-It appears that Montes-sama is in pain. The other members are coming to her side to-")
A giant magical circle formed out of her body before the broadcast cut off entirely.
A massive explosion rang out from miles away and caused people to scream in shock.
Naruto's mind immediately registered what it could have been and he started dashing.
He leaped from building to building before the political assembly came into view. And when he saw it he froze in horror.
Dust and smoke were rising out of the building that had been partially reduced to fragile rock. People were pointing and screaming at it in horror as they tried to make sense of what was going on.
Naruto immediately jumped through a window and intruded on ground zero. He started making his way through the destroyed building, noticing that if anyone wasn't trying to escape they were already partially petrified. As he came closer and closer to the center of the building he could barely even breathe.
He walked into the main hall. Rows and rows of people were either partially stoned or fully affected. He could hear whimpering and screaming all around him as the victims tried to make sense of what was happening. And even then he focused solely on the main podium and the girl who had been standing by it.
The closer he got, the harder it was to think or even breathe. He was nearly hyperventilating as he stepped around the podium to look down.
There she was.
Her entire body had been turned to stone. And in the panic she'd fallen over, shattering her bottom half and cracking the top portion.
He fell to his knees and reached out to gently pick her up. Naruto's shuddering breath nearly made him faint as he turned her over.
The look of fear and pain on her face had been captured forever in her stone visage. An expression of anguish and sorrow as she realized what was happening and that there was nothing she could do.
And now there was nothing he could do to help her.
Her body cracked and shattered under even the slightest pressure. The once brilliant and kind noble demon was reduced to sand and ash in his hands. He had brought her here to help her people…
And he not only failed to save her…but ruined everything.
He didn't realize during this entire experience that he had been screaming. It was only as his throat started to bleed that he realized why he had such a hard time breathing.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Negi looked at Takamichi in shock as the older man stopped and took a long drag of his cigarette. The young teacher waited for some indication that his friend's story was a fabrication or would take a turn that made everything better.
It was clear from the look on his face that it didn't.
Unbeknownst to him, his students that stayed to listen also felt unsettled by the story of their assistant teacher.
"During the short time she was captured, no one thought the extremists would make a move. The fact she was alive and barely hurt was considered a miracle. But in hindsight, it was a setup." Takamichi looked at the end of his cigarette, "Between the time she was apprehended and Naruto-kun retrieving her, without her knowing, they implanted a small but powerful large-scale petrification spell that would ignite after a set amount of time. The people that did her checkup before the political assembly tried to find any abnormalities in her system. But any residual magic they found on her was attributed to the cut on her cheek they healed while her savior was watching."
They planned it. They planned for their assassination attempt to fail and for the dignitary to be retrieved. Because then she was at the center of a massive political assembly…and their targets would all be together.
The fact anyone could think up a plan like that made Negi's stomach twist in disgust.
"After that things devolved. Some blamed the attack on a suicide bombing prepared by the demon emissaries. Some demons pointed their hands at other races trying to drum up fear and support against them. Demons that quietly agreed with the extremists' views came out of the woodwork and proclaimed proudly what they had done. Others tried to leave populated areas of anti-demon sentiment before things could take a turn for the worse. It was a few very hectic months of cleaning up a terrible mess brought on by unnecessary tragedy."
"A-And Nii-San?" Negi asked in a whisper, "What about Nii-San?"
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Takamichi landed outside of the ruined state building after the attack. Magical authorities were already doing their part to contain the damage, moving the civilians away, and quantify what needed to be done. The only reason he was here was that Kyūbi had told him-
"NO! NOOO! I-I HAVE TO GO BACK! THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING I CAN DO!"
"We're already moving the injured! Sir please, stop resisting!"
"But-"
"Naruto-kun!"
Takamichi called out and gained the blond boy's attention. He looked scared and frantic with tears coming down his eyes, and even then he was struggling against several older and more experienced men trying to hold him back. Naruto turned and slipped out of their grasp to run to Takamichi, "M-Michi! Michi, you gotta tell them to let me back in there!"
"Naruto-kun, there's nothing-"
"I-I can do it!" The boy said with an almost desperate crack in his voice as he buried his hands in the older man's jacket. He stared up at the former member of Ala Rubra and Takamichi felt his heartbreak at the look of denial on his dusty face, "I-I know I can!" Tears built up in his eyes again, "Takamichi please, j-just let me-"
He knelt and embraced the sobbing young boy as his words came out in unintelligible gasps. Takamichi looked up at the smoking building and down at the boy in his arms before squeezing him tighter.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"We admitted Naruto-kun in for a checkup for several days, with a physical and mental evaluation prepared for him before release. But he…" Takamichi shook his head, "He didn't train all those years for nothing. He slipped away in the night and searched for whatever information he could about the extremists that caused everything. Kyūbi-San attempted to locate him but had their connection denied several times. Finally, Naruto-kun let it slip and Kyūbi-San got an idea while his attention was split. And I followed after him."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"There!"
"I see it!" Takamichi floated down by the building as a fire raged inside it. He saw young demons lying dead by the doorway with slashes and blunt injuries over their bodies. Kyūbi rushed in ahead and Takamichi followed behind him.
As they ran along they saw numerously defeated and injured demon extremists and sympathizers laid out across the ground. Some were dead but some were just injured in the heat of the moment and left to nurse their wounds. There were so many that he had a hard time believing that one boy could have done all this.
"This is for our pride!" Takamichi heard through the floor and walls above, "Demons are being short-changed and discriminated against! We must take bold action!"
"I don't care!" Naruto's voice followed, "Why her?! Why did you have to kill her?!"
"Her sacrifice will lead the way for demons everywhere! She'll be a martyr!"
"She loved her people! She wanted to help! And you still killed her!"
"It was necessary!"
"WRAAAAHHHHHHH-"
Takamichi busted through the door as he heard his young friend's bloodcurdling scream pierce through the walls.
He saw the long-horned demon slash up into Naruto's face and nearly tear his whole cheek out.
And at that moment Naruto pressed his hands into the demon's face, releasing a torrent of fire and darkness at point-blank range that incinerated his head completely.
The spell died in his hands and the extremist demon toppled to the ground lifeless. The young ten-year-old stumbled back, blood dripping down from where his cheek to ear was shredded open as he gasped for air, "Abeat!"
Blades and weapons that lay around the room shifted into a light and returned to his card. The determined and angry boy snarled before looking his way, "Takamichi? How - oh, it was you."
"You look like you've been busy."
"A ton of their members got away while I was fighting their boss." Naruto growled as he started marching towards them with fire in his eyes, "We have to look for the rest of them and stop-"
Takamichi put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him completely.
Naruto looked down at his hand like he'd been touched by burning iron before looking up at Takamichi, "What are you doing? We have to look for them!"
There was so much blood on his face. It looked like a portion of his cheek had been torn off completely and he didn't seem to care.
Takamichi shook his head, "You got him. It's time to-"
"It's not done!" The little whiskered boy snarled as he faced Takamichi and Kyūbi in anger, looking ready to jump them if they stood in his way, "So many of them got away! We have to stop them! That's what Nagi and the others would have done! Hunted them down and-"
"No. It's not." He interrupted, firmly staring down at the boy's empty eyes, "They wouldn't do this. They wouldn't go this far. And they wouldn't want you to either. So stop."
"B-But-"
"They're not here. Ala Rubra isn't fighting this fight. You are. And you'll get yourself killed."
He stared down at his young friend silently as the fire that was burning in his expression slowly faded away. Naruto's muscles seemed to unwind all at once as his arms went slack and his fists fell to his side. Without anything to say in return Naruto just hung his head and stared at the ground.
Takamichi pulled him in, letting the boy hide his face in his jacket. He quietly held the boy close as he heard him stifle his sobs.
"I-I…I t-thought it'd be easier." He heard Naruto's faint sob in his jacket as he whispered, "Nagi…Raka-Ji…all of them…t-they made it look easy. I-I thought - I thought I could do it like them. Carry the torch in their place u-until - until they reappeared. But after-" Takamichi felt the boy's shoulder tremble as he sniffled and gasped for air, "T-They wouldn't let this happen. They wouldn't."
"Naruto-kun-"
"I-I can't do it, Michi. I can't be like them."
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
"After that, it was a lot of cleanups. Settling the diplomatic matters between the demon world, its emigrant civilians in Mundus Magicus, and capturing the remnants of the extremist faction that escaped. It wasn't an easy process but after a few months the worst of it settled down and things got back to normal. The petrification attack on the assembly is remembered annually as a tragedy we try to move on from."
"As for Naruto-kun, we got him patched up. It looked worse than it was at the time but the cut on his cheek was primarily healed. However he insisted that it wasn't fully removed, I believe as some kind of reminder of what happened that day." Negi looked at Takamichi sadly as he continued, "He slipped away again when no one was looking. Except for this time, Kyūbi-San decided not to tell me or anyone where he was going. I didn't see Naruto-kun again for months after that. And when he did come back, he didn't seem fully over it but he was ready to carry on with his life. Walking around with those scars on his face."
Takamichi stared out the window with a forlorn gaze, "I think something changed in his mindset that day. Before then he had been such a confident little kid. Something of a brat that brazenly faced life and believed that he could be just like Nagi-San and the others if he just kept working at it. It wouldn't be a lie to say the way he carried himself was exactly like the heroes he looked up to. But that incident…made him realize that he wasn't just like them. Since then Naruto-kun has done a lot of great work to help people and become stronger. I think he strives to make sure an incident like that never occurs again. That he can live up to the idea that he believes Nagi-San and the others stand for."
"Catch…up. Can't do…w-what they did…but have to…so I'll…c-catch…up."
Asuna remembered the words he wheezed out last night when his throat had nearly closed from petrification.
"The truth is, Negi-kun when I found out that was your village that was attacked I wanted to come and meet you. And when I did…I wanted to bring Naruto-kun as well." Negi looked at his old friend in surprise, "But he left on his journey while I came to visit you. And after he returned he focused on helping where he could. And you were delving into your studies to become a Magister Magi. Time passed and it seemed like both of you wanted to focus on your futures."
"But then you came here to finish your training. And Naruto-kun didn't have any direction to go in. So I requested that he come here. And that you two could finally meet properly. I'd hoped you both would enjoy a safe, uneventful year where you could know each other, learn more about the world, and just have fun." The older man sighed and stood up before solemnly smiling, "But I guess we can't expect for everything."
He patted Negi on the shoulder and started making his way out. And when he walked through the door and looked down at the girls he knew had been listening, he didn't say a word.
They were just left to contemplate the story they had been told.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Negi sat at the overpass just above the spot where he had challenged Chachamaru for apprenticeship under Evangeline.
It was strange to think that so much had changed since then. It had only been a few days ago but due to the resort and the events since then, it felt so much longer.
The young Welsh boy simply sat in silence, feeling the fatigue in his body and mind as he stared out at the rising sun.
"Hey, Negi."
The boy flinched and looked back as Naruto approached, "Nii-San."
"Did you get hounded for the stuff last night?"
"Yes, I got debriefed by Takamichi." Naruto sat down by his side and let his legs hang off the edge, "What about you?"
"The headmaster asked me to tell him my side last night." The older boy answered, "That's why I didn't get back home in time to sleep. I've pretty much been up all night."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
…
"So-"
"I-"
Both boys tried to speak at the same time and fumbled over their words. They chuckled and Negi nodded, "Please go ahead."
"Well, I just wanted to tell you that Setsuna informed me of everything. What she and the others saw of your story." Naruto rubbed his neck in guilt, "She had told me a little bit before things went down and she couldn't sleep afterward so she told me through the card. I just…I thought I should tell you-"
"T-Takamichi told me about you!" Negi blurted out, startling Naruto as the younger boy continued, "H-He told me about what happened to - to Heyla-San, and your confrontation with those terrorists. I-I didn't know something like that happened because of the attack on my village."
"Oh." Naruto looked out at the horizon before he let out a dry scoff, "Huh, I guess we both did some back door work to learn something about the other, huh?"
Negi lowered his head, "Y-Yes, I guess so." Both boys sat in relative silence as their discussion fell into a lull, "Nii-San?" The blond turned to listen, "I don't want what happened to my village to ever happen again. And you don't want what happened at the assembly to occur ever again, right?" The little redhead gripped his fist tightly to his chest and looked up at his friend, "We're in charge of looking after our class and our students now. S-So let's make sure we watch over them, together!"
Negi proclaimed to his dear friend and hoped his plea would strike a chord. In an instant, Naruto smiled contently and nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like a plan." He held up his fist and grinned, "To looking out for them."
"R-Right!"
They bumped fists, promising to watch out so they could prevent any tragedies like the ones that marred their pasts from happening again.
They agreed and looked back out at the horizon.
…
"You sound just like Nagi when you talk like that."
"I-I think you're like him too, Nii-San."
"You think?"
"Helping me. Striving to do good. That's the Superman I looked up to. And I see you like that too."
"Heh, is that so?"
…
"FOUND YOU!"
A piercing yell broke the comfortable silence and a dropkick to Naruto's back sent him flying off the overpass. Negi watched with eyes as wide as plates as his friend fell below and the young Hanyō landed in his place, "I was lookin' fer ya guys everywhere!"
"K-Kotarou-kun?"
"This place is huge! Ya sure it's just a school?" The rowdy boy looked around before grinning, "Hey show me around! I wanna see what this place has got t' offer!"
"Dammit, Kotarou! Cheap move!"
"Hey, ya let yer guard down, Naru-nii! Not my fault!"
"I'm coming back up there and giving you a noogie!"
"I won't let ya!"
"Your consent isn't a factor here!"
"K-Kotarou-kun," Negi stood up to face his fellow child, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, ya remember that I had community service t' make up for that crap in Kyoto? Well, Eishun-jiichan asked the super old guy if I could stay here an' complete it. He said where better t' rehabili-whatever than a school? So I'm transferin' here!" The young Hanyō punched his open hand, "And we can finally be fightin' like I was lookin' forward to!"
Naruto jumped back up to their level and lorded over the wolf-eared boy, "Okay brat, time for a punishment."
"Hey Naru-nii, I'm lookin' forward to fightin' you too!"
"Come at me kid! I'll put you in the ground!"
Negi watched Naruto grab Kotarou's cheeks and pull them as the Hanyō furiously swung at his face. As he did a small giggle slipped out before he just started laughing. Somehow just seeing them act like this made all the things that had lingered in his mind minutes ago not feel so heavy.
Asuna, Konoka, and Setsuna watched from quite a bit away with Chamo and Kyūbi joining them. The girls smiled in relief once they saw the boys start to lighten up around each other.
The twin-tailed girl watched them talk and joke in content silence. It seemed like both of them looked up to Nagi's father as a goal to reach. Both had suffered in different ways from an event that quickly spiraled out of control. And now they tried to live their lives following what they learned.
They were similar in a lot more ways than Asuna had realized. And it looked like it would be up to her and the others to make sure they didn't get lost or confused along the way.
[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]
Done
So there's one more chapter after this that kinda rounds out this Past/Demon Encounter Arc that's been going on for *mumble mumble mumble* so look forward to that.
After the next chapter, I think I'm going to just release very short, decompress standalone chapters to fill in the time before we get to you know what. That's the next big arc in this story after Kyoto and I gotta work out an outline for that story because I'm just…I'm making it more difficult for myself the longer I think about it.
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Thank You and Bye