Hello Scrolls and Nazarins, another chapter of my fanfic The One Who Came Back, closing this arc with our favorite Chūnibyō.
The Blue Roses visit more cities and make several decisions.
With you
The One Who Came Back
Chapter 52: Alone
Lakius had a lot to think about. After leaving her friend, she went straight to the hotel. She had no more inclination to celebrate, spending the whole night staring at her sword.
The next morning, the sun shone in the sky, and she got up with a heavy heart.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Muscle Pile. Looks like you had fun."
"A lot, shorty, but in the end, the little wizard couldn't match up to THIS!" Gargaran said, flexing his chest.
"I hope you didn't kill him," Tia said.
"We won't hide any bodies for you," Tina added.
"The last time I saw him, he was still breathing. I missed you guys. Where were you?"
"We encountered someone on the way, and then each of us decided to do something different," Evileye explained.
"Who did you encounter?"
"Renner. We found Renner," Lakius said, entering the room.
"Looks like you took a beating, boss. Did the monster on your sword let you sleep?"
"It was... something like that."
"And how is it possible for the princess to still be alive?"
"Give me a cup of strong tea, and I'll tell you about Renner. That's it, thanks. When we were coming back..." The leader of the Blue Roses spent the next half-hour recounting the events of the previous day.
"Damn, she encountered the Sorcerer King himself. So, the cherry boy is alive too. But after that, I don't think I can call him that anymore, hahaha!"
"Why would you think such things?"
"It's natural, boss. In moments of pain, life and death, people turn to instinct. Besides, it's no secret that she always wanted to drag him out of that armor. Well, what are we going to do?"
"I think we'll stay just a few more days."
"Can we trust her?"
"I don't know. She seems changed. Even without mental control, she's different, stronger, more determined. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but her decisions still seem like the ones she would make."
"Maybe. So, for now, let's continue doing what we've been doing so far."
"Yes, observe and learn."
In the following days, they visited the demi-human districts. They were strange, as if human architecture had been imposed on the construction pattern, only adapted for other species. The further into the districts, the less this influence was felt, but never completely erased.
When they decided they had seen enough, they went to the town hall to say goodbye.
After all, a month in the city was already enough.
"Goodbye, my friend. I hope we see each other soon. Too bad you couldn't meet Momon, but your responsibilities are no longer limited to just E-Rantel."
Actually, Pandora's Actor was trying to avoid meeting the little vampire harasser.
"Goodbye, Renner. I also hope to return soon. Goodbye, Climb. It was good to see you again."
"I say the same, Miss Lakius."
"See you later, big guy. Looks like you've grown quite a bit. If you keep it up, you'll end up taller than me, hahaha!"
"Cut it out, Mrs. Gargaran. At least now it seems like I no longer attract your attention."
"Oh ho ho! And you've become more cheeky too," Gargaran said, punching Climb's shoulder, who pretended to lose balance.
"All right, girls, let's go."
After their departure, Climb and Renner still stood on the balcony, watching the carriage move away.
"Will they be okay?"
"Yes, my love. According to Lord Demiurge, they are part of our lord's plans, and their deaths are not foreseen... for now."
"I should feel bad about hiding what happened to us, but now I just feel a slight discomfort. Is this coming from our new nature?"
"Probably, but you would still make decisions based on your experiences. But don't think too much about it. Just be yourself. Now, lie down!" Renner said, spreading her wings and pushing Climb onto the sofa.
Traveling nowadays has become much easier. The new roads were much better, although they didn't compare to those in E-Rantel, they still significantly shortened the travel time. In the following weeks, what they saw along the way were places where there should have been a village or town, and now... nothing. Only in what should be the largest ones, it was still possible to see parts of the buildings that had not been reused. As for the other cities and villages that hadn't been razed, they seemed larger and more prosperous, a glaring duality.
The Blue Roses passed through E-Pespel, E-Libera, and other cities, always looking for something, but soon realized that not even they had any idea of what it could be. Those who survived thanked their gods as usual.
There was religious freedom, even though many had turned to the new emerging religion or just clung even more to the one dedicated to Shusharna. Nothing was imposed except order, and the laws, strange as they were, none were absurd.
They arrived one night in the port city of E-Naúru. After settling in the inn, they went to a nearby tavern, the best source of information in a city.
"This shouldn't be possible."
"What, evil boss?"
"This, people drinking without punching each other. This is a tavern. Where have you ever seen one without fights?"
"Must be because of the undead guards?"
"They can't be everywhere, and there are hardly any outside the port."
Then one of the twins lightly extended the tip of her foot, causing a person to stumble and spill their drink on another seated customer.
"SON OF A BITCH! Watch where you're going!"
"I tripped, my bad."
"My bad, my ass, I'M GONNA BUST YOU UP!"
"You're not going to do anything!" said the bartender approaching with a baton, "you'll let him go, or I'll call a patrol."
"I'm not afraid of the guards or spending the night in a cell."
"Yeah, but your guild credit will definitely drop. No Dungeon for a good while, for sure."
The brute seemed to think, then released the person.
"And you, buy him a drink."
"But I tripped, it was unintentional!"
"I saved you from a beating. Now, buy the drink and get out of here."
The Blue Roses just watched the action.
"Excuse me, sir, is it always like this?"
"What? These little fights?! Nah! We're still in the center. In the more remote bars, it can be more frequent."
"No, I mean, how was it resolved, with this conversation?"
"Here? Sometimes it works, with the less drunk, at least. Sometimes not, then the guard is called."
"And how do they resolve it? We didn't see so many undead guards, actually, outside of E-Rantel, they are quite rare in cities."
"The regular guards handle it. In doubt, they arrest both. If there's a crime, they call an itinerant judge, a Linch. Then they use charm or something like that to find out who's to blame."
"And if it's a situation where the regular guards can't handle it?"
"Then we handle it," said a knight who had just entered. "I never thought I'd see the Blue Roses around here."
The bartender moved away as Lakius approached the knight.
"Good evening, I'm Lakius Alvein Dale Aindra, leader of the Blue Roses."
"I'm Scama Elbero, leader of the Four Weapons, this is my companion Lilynette Piano. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is ours. Would you like to sit and have a drink with us?"
"I will accept, thank you."
"I won't, thank you. My shift is over, so I'm going back to my hubby," Lilynette said, kind of drooling.
"Good night, Lily. Well, what brings you to E-Naúru?"
"We're traveling, Miss Scama, on a mission. You know, we heard that this city was besieged. How did it survive if Re-Uroval, which was larger, didn't?"
"Luck?! I think that was it. There was an army of undead surrounding us. We had to face a Death Knight and a Death Warrior, but we weren't a match for them. Only when someone from the Red Drop appeared and destroyed them, we had a chance to escape through the docks. But when we got there, there was an army emerging from the water. Count Naeura, in a moment of frustration, raised his hands and shouted, 'I surrender!'" Scama spoke, comically imitating the gesture with raised arms. "To our surprise, a Linch appeared and accepted the surrender. We didn't even know it was possible to negotiate with the dead. I think Re-Uroval didn't have the same chance."
"And now you're the largest northern port city, the last one before the City-State of Argland."
"That's strange, isn't it? I think in the end, there was another reason to spare us, but I have no idea why," said Scama, emptying her beer mug.
After several beers, they returned to the inn.
"It looks the same as the other cities, boss. The ones that survived, I mean."
"Yes, it seems they were carefully chosen, not just for surrendering but for their location and infrastructure. Each with nobles capable of maintaining order and following the new laws."
"And doubling in size in the meantime. Is it the same in other countries?" pondered Lakius.
"I don't know, Gargaran, but I think it's time to go to Argland and find Rigrit."
"I'm not going," said Evileye. "I want to go back to E-Rantel. We need to talk to Momon."
"But Evil..."
"We're not going either, evil boss."
"You too?"
"Yes, we need more perspective. If we stay together, it would take a lifetime to look at everything. We're going to the Draconic Kingdom. We'll meet in a few months."
"And you, Gargaran? It seems you've already made up your mind too."
"Yes, boss. I want to go to the Noble Kingdom and then to Abellions Hills. We've only seen human cities. We need to know what's happening over there."
"Alright, you're right," she said, resigned.
"Let's keep in touch. See you in a few months, then. Tomorrow, each one goes in a different direction."
After everyone left, Lakius was alone in her room, staring at her sword.
"And you, demon, aren't you going to say anything? Or have you decided to abandon me too. COME ON! SPEAK! Aren't you going to tempt me with your sweet and poisonous words?! SPEAK TO ME, DAMN IT!!!"
No one answered. As always, Lakius spoke to herself. She had become an adventurer at a very young age and had always dreamed of facing a great villain or enduring temptation using only her willpower. This habit accompanied her into adulthood, and even after facing so many truly strong enemies, it ended up creating misunderstandings among her friends.
The Shadow Demon in the room was almost tempted to respond, but without guidance from Renner, he chose to remain silent. However, Lord Demiurge would be informed of this strange habit.
...
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Ufa! Finishing another arc, now I'm going to have some time off to rest because the next 6 chapters are already ready, I ended up having to write this one at the last minute because I didn't want to go back and forth in the timeline.
Here I tried to give some background to Lakius' habit of talking to herself or with a sword, for those who don't know Chūnibyō is the term used for "Second Degree Illness", a shameful phase where teenagers, trying to think they are special, imagine being a hero, Acting eccentrically, having a curse or special power, this phase usually passes, but sometimes psychological help may be necessary.
Detail: Lakius is not the only one who has this, Ainz/Satouro had this phase and Pandora's Actor is a shameful reminder of that time.
So, Ainz's vacation is over and you know what happened at the end of volume 16.
Join me on discord to see updates on Fanfic and Ainz's new cosplay. /invite/5GTw7S2d