Cardinal Hero Homecoming

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Armory of the Forgotten Hero! And yes, as mentioned this is the last chapter before I go on hiatus for a little bit. It shouldn't be too horribly long given that the manga is already into the Zeltoble arc so once I find a good place to resume I'll be right back to writing this story. So in the meantime if you need other stories from me to read, try some of my other fics or my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! And, if I haven't mentioned it, I'd like to give a shout out to my wonderful artist friends, Aoui and Overlord, for creating the gorgeous title cover that this story has been needing for a while. Now that wraps up everything I needed to announce and with no guest review questions this chapter let's dive on in!

Evening: Home of the Hunting Hero

With the success of their mission came other successes. Kyo's death ended the Wave and with Ethnobalt's help they were able to bring the news about the capture of the vassal book and mirror to the front lines. That, along with the reveal of the madman's numerous plans and manipulations was more than enough for the leaders of Label to call off what remained of their forces and agreed to negotiating with L'arc and the rest of the kingdom. Naturally he set the date a couple days away so that everyone could reorganize, and so he could wish all of them farewell.

As It turned out, Darius and Naofumi's parties didn't need to worry about a complicated way to return to their world. With the completion of their mission the Spirit Tortoise's special permission was lifted, meaning they'd be teleported back soon enough. But it seemed Ost's will was giving them one last gift: an extra day in Glass's world before sending them back. Enough time for a few heartfelt goodbyes.

"So these things can record and generate images like the crystal balls used in our world," the armory hero surmised while examining the crystal in his hand.

"Yep," Kizuna confirmed, "they're really handy for painter's, sculptor's and other artists who need a still image but the subject can't or won't stay still for long."

"You must be paying the best artist in the kingdom if you're expecting a good picture by tomorrow," Darius commented while activating the crystal, taking one more look at the image that was taken before tossing it back to the hunting hero.

"It'll be alright," she assured while snatching the item out of the air, "you can just take a look at it the next time you swing by." Naofumi was about to inform her that it was likely impossible but she interrupted him with a very fast raised finger. "No, there will be a next time, I'm certain of it. Both of our groups have already bent the rules of traveling between worlds once and it's probably gonna happen again if we're attempting to permanently stop the Waves."

"I guess that does track," the shield hero admitted, "if things had been working like they should during the Waves we might not even be sitting here talking to each other right now."

"I wouldn't be here, period," Darius added, "but what the heck, if throwing a monkey wrench into the works finally puts an end to this world fusing nonsense then that's at least one upside. Too bad we had to go through so much suck to get here."

"You're telling me," Kizuna and Naofumi said at the same time before the shorter hero continued, "and we still have a lot of work ahead of us. But we all did good today, so let's enjoy ourselves for a bit with a little party here." As if on cue, the rest of their party members, the vassal heroes and Yomogi came in through the door. They were also accompanied by Tsugumi and the former members of Trash 2's harem.

"Hey Tsugumi!" the hunting hero greeted with a wave, "are you sure you should be up right now?"

"We're not in fighting shape or anything," she informed, indicating the bandages they still had on some parts of their bodies, "but the healers let us out for today so long as we don't push ourselves too hard. We would've waited longer but we heard the shield and armory heroes would be leaving with their parties the next day. So we came to offer our apologies and gratitude."

"Just try to remember not to trust a shady character the next time you go on a revenge quest and we'll call it good," Rifana stated good-naturedly.

"I heard that L'arc intends to pardon all of you," Raphtalia said, "what do you plan to do once you're all fully healed?"

"We're going to aid the country of Sikul in investigating Kazuki and Kyo's experiments," Tsugumi replied, "with luck, we'll find something in their notes that will help us better understand the Waves while also preventing the creation of more monsters like the ones we nearly became."

"I also intend to help in that endeavor," Yomogi revealed, "there's a lot I have to make up for and Kyo had a number of allies I need to bring to justice."

"Fortunately we have a lot more time to dedicate to that now," Glass pointed out before turning to Darius and Naofumi, "we'll uphold our part of the agreement and won't be attacking you again, but expect a potential visit from me or L'arc and Therese."

"You'll probably have more notes to share than we will, at least at first," Darius informed, "hopefully the Queen's managed to keep the allied nations together while we were gone."

"I think you guys can handle whatever's going on back in your world now that the Spirit Tortoise is able to rest and the Waves will be stopped for a little while," Kizuna said, "but let's not worry about that right now. Time's runnin' out and we need to celebrate!" And celebrate they did. Everyone pitched in and got the hunting hero's house set up with seats and tables in practically no time at all and food preparation went efficiently under Naofumi's watch.

The evening was filled with laughter, joking and funny stories from that point on along with a few little games that everyone was able to take part in. Multiple farewell gifts were also given by Glass's group to Darius and Naofumi's party such as L'arc and Glass sharing their weapon forms with Darius and Naofumi getting a few new accessories for his shield. Raphtalia and Rifana were given a couple more jewels that would hopefully be compatible with their equipment back in their world while Johann and Filo were gifted some toys they could bring back to the children in Rurorona village. Finally, Rishia was gifted a Byakko character costume which she'd apparently requested at some point. Naturally they tried to give their own gifts as well.

Naofumi gave Glass the recipe for Soul Soothing Potions and several prototype accessories to Therese. Darius showed L'arc and Kizuna several of his weapons for them to use their weapon copy skills on along with some pieces of gear he hoped could be altered by the blacksmith for them. It honestly reminded the three otherworlders of Christmas for a moment, bringing a tear to at least one of their eyes. It would prove to be one of the best nights they had in Glass's world and they admittedly stayed up later than they should've, but no one would regret it.

The Next Morning: 'Landing Pad' Used by the Boat Hero

"Thank you again for all your help," Ethnobalt said with a smile as he floated on his vassal weapon in its platform mode, "because of your efforts we might actually have a chance at easing the tensions between the nations now."

"Just remember to stay on the 'young master's' back about it," Naofumi quipped.

"What's that supposed to mean," L'arc asked with an annoyed smile on his face.

"We'll take care of the royal affairs here, don't worry," Therese assured, "thought it also means we probably won't be able to aid you in your world during the next Wave."

"Just leave that to us," Johann replied while bringing his fist to his open palm, "we'll mop the floor with every last one of our Waves so don't you guys go getting yourselves killed, otherwise we can't keep score."

"We'll keep that in mind," Glass replied with a slight smile.

"Are you sure you're okay with me leaving this world with the vassal katana," Raphtalia asked.

"As we've said before it's likely better off in your world right now," the fan wielder reminded, "we have the vassal weapons of multiple countries at the moment which will serve as more than enough of a deterrent. And besides, even if you could actually relinquish the blade, the Spirit Tortoise was only the first of the four beasts. Should another awaken, you'll need all the help you can get."

"And if we actually have a vassal hero," Rifana reminded her with a hand on her shoulder, "we could come back here and visit!"

"That wouldn't be terrible, actually," Yomogi said before suddenly moving forward and pecking Darius on the cheek, "but just in case, I'll leave that for you to remember me by."

"Oh, uh, you didn't really need to do that," the armory hero laughed nervously while rubbing his cheek where he'd been kissed.

"Yeah, you really didn't," Rifana grumbled while rolling her eyes, "he's gonna get plenty when he gets back."

"I didn't have time to prepare a proper gift," Yomogi replied with a sweet smile, "that was all I could think of. I wish you luck on the rest of your journey."

"Good luck on yours as well," Rishia said with a smile of her own. The area around them began to glow then.

"It's time," Naofumi informed as the counters on their HUDs reached zero. The light grew brighter and brighter as their vision of the world started to blur. For those on the outside, it appeared as if the two, now three, heroes and their parties were turning into light.

"Naofumi, Darius," Kizuna called, "we'll always be friends! So even if we don't see each other again, let's do our best as heroes!" They might've said something back, but by this time the teleportation had dematerialized them, becoming a light that shot up into the sky and back to their world. "Goodbye, and thank you." She would return to her home that day, smiling inspite of herself. The artist had been as good as his word, and now a picture of her, Glass, L'arc, Therese, Darius, Naofumi, all their friends and even Yomogi sat amongst all the other pictures depicting happy memories.

The Wasteland: Now the Resting Place of the Spirit Tortoise

Both Spirit Tortoise Shield and bands glowed as everyone stood at the base of the mountain sized sacred beast. Beams of light shot up from them, joining together in the air before exploding like fireworks in the sky. The returned energy fell like snow then, drifting back into the tortoise's body and returning to the world. Their weapons transformed back then as Raphtalia asked the all important question.

"Master Naofumi," she said, "did we…..?"

"Yeah," he confirmed while still looking at the Spirit Tortoise, "the energy is back, all of it."

"And we're definitely back too," Darius observed as he noted Melromarc's forces approaching them, "Here come some familiar faces." Naturally, the return of the Spirit Tortoise's energy had been plenty flashy, serving as a signal to everyone that the heroes had returned. Though even without it, the first two would've already known Darius was back within minutes.

"Darling! Darius!" Izumi and Figneria exclaimed as they both enveloped the armory hero in a hug that, yes, kind of sandwiched his face in their breasts.

"About time," Grilaroc commented after showing up a moment later, "those two have been getting antsy even if it hasn't been that long."

"How long have we been gone," Raphtalia asked, "in Glass's world we stayed for close to a week."

"It's only been about a day or so here," Éclair informed, "we've kept ourselves busy while you were gone. Tell me, is Kyo..?"

"Dead," Naofumi confirmed, "we technically killed him three times with the last one being a soul eater devouring his spirit."

"A fitting punishment for one who brought such destruction for little more than personal gain," Izumi commented, "but are you all well? Your bodies, most of you have something tainting them."

"Yeah we had to use the curse series," Darius replied while rubbing the back of his head, "kinda overdid it a bit and now most of the party is feeling it too."

"Worry not," the horned girl assured, "the other healers and I will work to rid your bodies of its effects."

"First things first," the shield hero said as the queen approached, "we need to get everyone up to speed."

Later: The Streets of Melromarc

The streets were packed with people as they waved and cheered at the Queen's passing carriage. She'd gotten an extra large one to accommodate the increased size of the two hero's parties though Johann and Filo still had to sit next to her, not that she minded. "This is an amazing homecoming," Rishia noted in both surprise and awe.

"Naturally," Mirellia replied with a smile, "the people are showing their sincere gratitude. Will you wave back at them, Sir Heroes?"

"That's not really my style," Naofumi responded with his arms crossed.

"I would but I think Johann and Filo have got us covered," the armory hero said, indicating how their excited mounts were standing up in their seats and waving to everyone, "Plus, kind of hard for me to wave right now." The reason being that while everyone else had managed to more or less find a seat in the carriage, Izumi had decided that Darius's lap was the best place for her to sit while Rifana and Figneria sat on either side of him.

"I was merely making room for everyone else," the Yama clan girl said innocently.

"Not like you take up a whole lot of room to begin with," Rifana commented with a sigh of annoyance. Even though she knew something like this was coming it still irked her slightly.

"You already know what I'm going to say, Rifana," Figneria spoke up while leaning against Darius.

"Yeah I know, it's that time," she replied with a nod.

"By the way, I noticed there's a lot of damage here," Raphtalia said while noting several buildings looked like they'd been through an attack.

"Even with the Spirit Tortoise vanquished some of its familiars still roamed," the queen explained, "their last charge managed to break our ranks and get into the city. We dealt with them but there were still casualties."

"That's why we never got back to the village," Grilaroc explained, "we had our hands full here."

"Did you happen to hear if everything is okay there?" Rishia asked.

"Rino is looking after the place along with Keel and some of your personal guard," Éclair informed, "we got word back recently that everything was fine for the moment."

"Good, because we're gonna need to have a word with Erhard," Naofumi said while indicating everyone's outfits, "some of our gear doesn't seem to be functioning properly."

"Filo's outfit is okay, though," the Filolial noted while Johann discovered that his was fine too.

"Guess it was gonna work both ways," Rifana surmised, "a lot of our equipment from here didn't work in Glass's world. I think it had something to do with incompatible materials."

"Unknown substances from another world," Mirellia mused while pressing her fan to her lips, "how intriguing."

"Yeah but now I'm wondering if any of the farewell gifts we received will work," Naofumi commented while examining his equipment to see what did and didn't work.

"Even if they don't, the good news is that you're all back safely," the queen said with a smile, "I share my people's happiness at your return. Would you please tell me, what happened in the world on the other side of the Wave?"

The Next Day: Melromarc Castle

They told Mirellia about their time in Glass's world, their initial separation and depowerment, freeing Kizuna, reuniting and teaming up with L'arc and his group against Trash #2, their agreement to search for a solution to the Waves together, dealing with those who'd been manipulated by Kyo, their battle and eventual victory against the vassal book wielder, and their farewells to their new friends. That alone took up a good amount of time and then there was, of course, the awards ceremony where they were gifted more funds and resources along with the first bits of the Spirit Tortoise meat to take back with them. There was also some bad news. The three heroes had recovered and partook in the battle against the familiars, but fled the moment it was obvious the soldiers would be able to handle the rest. Naturally the queen had what forces she could looking for them now but so far they'd come up empty.

Darius and Naofumi knew they'd probably have to help bring them in at some point, depending on how things went but now wasn't that time. Between their exhaustion and the amount of time spent at the castle it was already too late in the evening for them to head back. Sure they could've teleported but no one wanted to wake the village up at such a late hour and Filo wanted to pull a wagon again after the last one had been destroyed. So the queen put them up in some of the rooms in the castle that night, though Rifana insisted on rooming with Rishia for a bit.

There was no great mystery as to why. 'Ugh, my body feels heavy,' Darius thought as he slowly opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling of the room he'd been sleeping in, 'our Stat drop was huge, we're down to thirty percent of our normal strength. Well, most of us are.' He looked down to the sleeping form of Izumi who was draped across his chest while Figneria was hugging his waist, nuzzled beneath his left arm. 'Honestly amazed I was able to keep up with these two last night.'

"Mmm," Izumi moaned slightly as her blue and gold eyes slowly opened to peer into his, "good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock if you don't count the aches and pains from the curse series," he replied while lightly rubbing her bare back, "hope I didn't disappoint last night."

"I was simply happy to have you in my arms again," Figneria commented without opening her eyes, "it's been some time since I felt the anticipation of waiting for a lover to return. But in case you were wondering it was worth the wait."

"No argument here," the cardinal hero agreed as he pulled his weapon's teacher closer, "I missed you."

"And what about me, darling," Izumi asked as she got up slightly so that her face was hovering over his, "was I worth the wait?"

"Let's just say you meant it when you said you'd been taught how to please a hero," Darius responded with a small smile.

"I'm happy to hear my performance is satisfactory," she replied while pecking him on the lips, "and remember, don't hold back. If there's something I can improve on, or do, please tell me." She laid back down on him with her head under his chin.

"I guess if I had to pick something," the armory hero mused, "I'd like you to be honest too."

"How do you mean," she asked, not bothering to move her head. It was impressive she was managing not to hit him in the face with her horns.

"I wanna know your real thoughts on all this," Darius explained, "if we get right to the heart of it you've been asked to marry and make babies with a complete stranger. Admittedy we've about skipped right to the babymaking if not for Figneria's potion and I really should've said this sooner but, are you really okay with all of this?"

"You make it sound like I'm enduring a less than ideal situation," Izumi pointed out, lifting her head up just enough to look at him. "I assure you, I'm fully prepared to give everything for you and for my clan."

"I'm not doubting that, believe me," the cardinal hero assured her, "I guess what I'm trying to ask is if your clan didn't tell you too, if you could choose the person you wanted to be with, would it really be someone like me?"

"And why not you," Izumi asked as she sat up while still stradling him, "you have many traits that would be desirable in a husband. You're strong, skilled, kind, considerate, you have an income that can support a family, an odd but still entertaining sense of humor. What's more, you're going out of your way to make sure I'm comfortable with everything even though I too am a stranger to you. I am aware my abilities are valuable to you and your party but you do not treat me as though I were a mere tool, which surprises me."

"Why should it be surprising that I treat you like a person?" Darius asked while shooting her a quizzical look.

"It is, or rather was…..a fear of mine," Izumi admitted, "in truth, a part of me wondered if it'd be better for the Armory Hero never to show." She laid back down on him then, looking off to the side as he stroked her back soothingly. "I've known for years now that I am among the most beautiful and talented of my clan. How could I not, when I was reminded of the fact at least once almost every day. It's true that it was something I wanted very much but in rare moments of what my clan might call, weakness, I wished I could be like some of the others."

"What would've happened if I'd never shown," the armory hero couldn't help but ask.

"We have a cutoff age," the Yama clan member explained, "between twenty five and thirty. By that point it is considered better for the clan if our chosen members go and marry someone else. Since the cardinal heroes are usually young adults between sixteen and twenty five, it is believed that those of a similar age are better suited for marrying heroes."

"Did you have someone special you might've chosen had that time come to pass," Figneria asked, her own curiosity piqued. And she didn't mind a delay in their rising from the bed. She'd spent more than enough time worrying, in her opinion, and had no intention of letting her lover out of her sight for the time being.

"There were some who wished to be my suitor," Izumi confirmed, "but I turned them all away. As you know I am eighteen and I had at least seven more years before the clan started to consider pulling me from the list of chosen warriors. Had that come to pass, then I would've sought love from another. But you came, you are here and you're giving me this chance."

She pulled Darius's hand up to cover her bare breast, humming in pleasure at the physical contact. "I will admit, you are quite different from what I imagined. But you are still wonderful and I am finding out little by little just how wonderful you are every day." She leaned in and kissed him again while Figneria sighed contentedly.

"I don't think anyone will mind terribly if we're late for breakfast," she mused, "let's take this to the baths."

Later: The Dining Hall

"It's good to see you're all in wonderful spirits," Mirellia greeted as Darius, Figneria and Izumi entered.

"For the moment," the cardinal hero replied as he pecked Rifana on the lips before sitting next to her. Figneria sat across from him while Izumi sat on his other side. Johann and Filo sat, thankfully, on far opposite sides of the table from each other where they devoured the notably smaller portions of food. Rishia sat on the other side of Figneria.

"I can always help with that later," Rifana replied, smiling in spite of herself before turning to their host, "but I'm guessing you might have some not so great news for us. Like the food supply."

"Yes, I'm afraid the supply lines are a little under reorganization right now," the queen informed, "we're getting food to the people as best we can and reconstruction efforts have already begun. In an ironic twist Koteraan is now offering us aid as they managed to be far enough away to escape the brunt of the familiars."

"I'm, of course, happy to keep diplomatic relations up between our countries," Figneria purred, "you know how I love visiting Melromarc."

"I believe I know your favorite place to visit, too," Mirellia replied with a glance towards Darius before continuing, "naturally this means we won't be able to spare as much manpower towards your village at this point in time."

"No problems here," Darius said, "we'll be picking up some extra forces of our own soon. Their help should be more than enough around the village."

"The Yama clan looks forward to aiding the armory hero," Izumi said, "and do not worry. They've been ordered not to make trouble while in Melromarc."

"If their discipline is anything like yours then I don't believe we'll have anything to worry about," Mirellia agreed with a smile.

"Speaking of worrying," Rishia chimed in, "has anyone seen Naofumi or Raphtalia?"

"They arrived earlier, grabbed some food and said they needed to check something," the queen informed, "I wasn't told anything more than that other than they'd be back after a while."

"That's a bit unusual," Rifana noted, "who told you they were heading out? Was it Naofumi or Raphtalia?"

"Apparently they'd both agreed on it beforehand," Mirellia replied, "I do wonder what it is they're planning on doing."

"'Planning' is probably what they plan to do," Darius guessed, "you gave us the gist of the situation but I imagine Naofumi's already figured a lot of this out on his own. They're probably trying to think of a next step."

"That would be like Sir Iwatani," the queen agreed, "already thinking of how best to deal with the future."

A Short Time Later: A Hill With a View of the Spirit Tortoise's Remains

'The future,' Naofumi and Raphtalia thought as they watched the progress on dividing up the sacred beast's body. For obvious reasons a giant rotting corpse near the kingdom would cause problems from the potential smell alone, and that wasn't even counting the potential for disease spread or attracting other monsters. Of course even if those weren't factors the edible parts of the tortoise would still need to be divided up as a way to feed the people until the supply lines were back to normal. Naturally the thoughts on the shield hero's mind as he looked at their late ally/forced enemy was what they were going to do against the next sacred beast?

It was supposed to be a giant phoenix and there was no telling if or when it was going to awaken. With their luck it was likely going to, though, but perhaps it wouldn't utilize familiars in the same way the spirit tortoise had. But again, that was assuming it wasn't awakened by another like Kyo Ethnina. That in and of itself was another mystery. The vassal book hero had clearly been an other worlder like him and Darius but there was something off about it.

He'd been in Glass's world a lot longer than them, since childhood when he was recognized as a genius. Naofumi remembered all the isekai he'd read over the years and one word kept repeating in his mind over and over again: reincarnation. It explained the numerous differences between them such as his advanced knowledge from a young age, his better understanding of the world's magics and systems, even his possession of what was likely ancient knowledge. But it also raised several questions as well.

Who or what allowed him to be reincarnated, did he have any help at all or was it something he'd done himself? When he said he was promised that he'd be the strongest, was that from an ally, another hero, another demented individual like himself, or something else entirely. Whatever the case it was something they'd have to keep looking into in their spare time. The main priority right now was getting their fighting force increased in strength.

As he thought about how to do this he couldn't help his eyes drifting to Raphtalia as she stood there in thought, the cloak she wore as a disguise billowing around her as the wind swept through her hair. She had one hand up to keep the strands out of her eyes while the other rested on her new weapon, the vassal katana. And for some inexplicable reason, the shield hero found himself not thinking of preparations at all. "Master Naofumi," she said suddenly, causing him to nearly flinch before catching himself as he was shaken from his thoughts, "I realized something."

"Oh, uh, what is it," the cardinal hero asked, quickly regaining his composure.

"I realized that despite everything that's happened, we still managed to have a future to look forward too," she replied, "my home village is still able to prosper right now thanks to everything we've done. But, there are still those from my village who might not have as bright of a future. I realized that when I saw some demihuman children in the streets. It really made it sink in that we're back, that there are still others out there who need our help."

"You want to find them, don't you," Naofumi surmised.

"I know it's a selfish request, especially now with everything that's going on," Raphtalia admitted as she closed the distance between them and looked him in the eye, "but I want to save them, like you and Darius saved me and Keel and our other friends. I want to give them a future where they have a chance to be happy."

"Heh," the shield hero responded with a small smile, "I was going to do that anyway."

"You were," the raccoon girl said in mild surprise, "when did you decide this?"

"A while ago," Naofumi explained, "when I first brought up the proposal to the queen about rebuilding your village I asked if she could track down anyone else from your village who was still alive. Obviously it's been a while so they've been scattered far and wide and with everything happening I haven't had time to check. But I intend to find them and bring them back home."

"Naofumi," Raphtalia said as tears of joy started to well up in her eyes.

"Don't think I'm just doing it to be nice," he quickly added with a cough, "they're still gonna have to pull their weight in the village, learn to fight or at least fill a role. I'm not running a free ship you-mfff," unbelievably he was silenced when Raphtalia pulled him in for a kiss on the lips, "know?" It was like his brain shortcircuited then, trying and failing to process what was happening. Did she, was she really?

"You know you don't have to pretend with me," the raccoon girl said with a radiant smile after ending the kiss, "I know the kind of person you really are. That's why…..I love you."

"Raphtalia, I, uh," Naofumi fumbled for words before being quieted by a finger to his lips from his companion.

"You don't have to say it back right now," she assured, "I know the two of us isn't something you're able to think about too much at the moment. But if a moment comes where you can, please tell me how you feel. And if you can't return my feelings, that's alright. I swore to be your sword always and I intend to keep that vow. I just wanted you to know that I can be more than that."

"Well," 'you were already far more than that'. It's what he wanted to say, but what came out instead was: "Something that might help convince me. Could you have the tailor put together another miko outfit for you? You looked…..really good in it."

"Of course," Raphtalia laughed before embracing the shield hero with her head beneath his chin. He returned her embrace, enveloping her in a hug. Strangely, he felt a small bit of his strength return, as if some of the curse was lifting. But he chose to ignore that for now, instead deciding to let the moment stretch on for as long as it could. It would've been a good moment to give her an answer right then and there, but alas, the moment was over too quickly. He opened his eyes and noted the others were approaching.

"We can leave if we're interrupting something," Darius commented as he and the rest of the two parties stopped a few feet from the cardinal hero and his companion.

"It's fine," Naofumi replied with a sigh, "so what's up?"

"Just thought we'd get your input," the armory hero replied, "any ideas for what we should be doing right now?" The shield hero glanced at Raphtalia, giving her a small smile before answering.

"First thing's first, let's head home," he began, "we'll make sure everything's alright and then, once we're ready, we head out again. Our goal, will be to rescue the other villagers and bring them back. Any objections?"

"None whatsoever," Darius replied with a nod, "we got a little more free time until the next Wave, after all. Just say the word and we'll be on the way."

"Then first stop, home," Naofumi answered, "after that, wherever our search takes us." And it would take them many places where they'd meet new allies, and new enemies.

And so the saga of the Spirit Tortoise and Glass's world comes to an end as our heroes return triumphant! But the fight continues and already a new objective has presented itself. Alas, it will have to wait until the hiatus is done, so in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. And if you're looking for more stories to read while you wait for this one to resume why not try one of my other fics or, better yet, my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Now with luck the hiatus won't last too terribly long given that the manga is already a few chapters into the next arc, so I'll see you all once the story resumes and our heroes head to Zeltoble! 'Til then.