"Talking"
"Thinking"
[Status Magic or other reference to a system or power]
...
Nearing the end of the second full day of travel, they were a little disappointed to see that they hadn't reached Lurolona, but they made progress. They went to sleep that night a little early. Naofumi saved the place they rested at and prepared for the next day. They had people to meet in the capital tomorrow... First Ren, then Wyndia. Leon was the most excited for sure, but everyone wanted to meet her for different reasons.
...
The following morning
...
Naofumi woke up early as planned. Raphtalia and Naofumi had adjusted well to the new sleeping arrangement and the lack of embarrassment left them all the more comfortable sleeping next to one another. Naofumi had also become quite the expert of slipping out of Raphtalia's grip in the mornings to make breakfast. The breakfast was quick this morning, whatever Naofumi felt like, wrapped in flat bread. Even something like this was great to eat, because Naofumi made it.
They didn't even finish their meals before Naofumi stored the cart and used [Portal Shield] to return them to the capital. As they exited the defunct church, munching on their meal, Naofumi thought to look at his menus. Godiva was still two levels off for classing up
"Probably close to a level up though. Maybe we should focus a bit more." Naofumi considered.
You could tell how special today was by the kids' moods. Leon was more energetic than he ever was normally and Filo didn't even mess with him. Meanwhile, Teal didn't even look like she was planning evil like she normally did. Monti also had zero negativity showing, then again, he hadn't since they were told that they could have Lurolona.
As they made it towards the main gates of the castle, they saw Ren. Despite leaving early, Ren beat them there. He once again was without his party, he must really not like them.
"I'm surprised that you showed up, I thought you'd show me up."
"I meant what I said, Ren. This world is real and I'm going to prove it to you"
Ren turned away from Naofumi. He didn't want to think about things like that..., but if he really wanted to avoid this, he wouldn't have shown up.
"I'll see for myself... What exactly is your plan to prove me wrong?" Ren asked, doing his best to avoid eye contact with Leon.
"I just want you to come with me to a place in town and talk to somebody." Naofumi said, already walking away and motioning him to follow.
Everyone was walking and now Ren felt obligated to follow. He wanted to be all cool, but now he either followed or things got weird. As they traveled, Ren tried asking some questions. It felt so uncomfortable to be following Naofumi's party from behind. They seemed to move together and belong together that he just felt all the more called out.
"Um... where exactly are we heading?" Ren asked, seeing they were going to the shadier side of town.
"Mr. Beloukas', now hurry up." Naofumi told him, seeing that Ren was too far back.
"This just seems suspicious..." Ren said.
"Wait... Beloukas... that was who he said he bought Raphtalia and Filo! from" Ren remembered.
"Why are we going to that slaver's place?" Ren was getting very nervous.
"..." They all kept walking, they ignored him.
"...Naofumi, I want an answer." Ren said, stopping.
Naofumi sighed. "Listen... If I tell you, you'll chicken out." Naofumi told him.
Ren went to say something, but the strong look from Leon made him hesitate.
"...I'm not chickening out... For all I know, this is a trap." Ren reasoned.
The kids spoke their minds.
"Dad never said you had to come alone." Filo reminded Ren
"Can't you teleport away whenever you want?" Teal pointed out.
"If we wanted to, we could easily kill you right now and yet, we are not." Leon told Ren straight to his face.
"This isn't just about you..." Monti told him.
Under their collective peer pressure, Ren's resistance crumbled. Ren could fight a monster, but say no to a group telling him to do something? That was a lot harder for him. He quickly agreed to continue following them.
They eventually reached the tent and went inside without delay. Even Raphtalia went in without hesitation, wanting to free Wyndia as soon as possible. Ren stood in front of the tent a moment before making his way inside.
He looked around and felt wrong for being here. Wicked animals in small cages, stacked both high and close together. Noises ranging from aggressive to whimpering came from them. He felt so uneasy that he had slowed down too much.
"Hurry up, sword hero." Leon scolded, saying his title with some ridicule.
He sped up if only to leave here sooner, he reached the group just as they reached Beloukas.
"Ah~... Dear customer..." Beloukas greeted more awkwardly than normal.
"Hello, Mr. Beloukas. You know Raphtalia doesn't like this place, so we'll keep it short today." Naofumi greeted.
"Where's Wyndia?" Leon burst in.
"Ah... well... Do you possibly wish to discuss seed trading first?" Beloukas asked nervously. That was a red flag, Beloukas was never evasive in a conversation. He'd sell a man is own family and never act like it was anything but business.
"Beloukas... What happened?" Leon asked with some fear.
"...Well, I hope that I've proven myself to be reliable up to this point. Even I can't do everything. In fact, it wasn't my fault, one of-"
"Where is she!?" Leon asked again, more worried.
"She escaped." Beloukas admitted.
"What? ...How? She had a crest, right?" Naofumi asked.
"She should have, but I can't see how she could have escaped if those idiots were doing their job..." Beloukas began to explain.
"Tell us everything!" Naofumi demanded.
Ren saw what they were here for. The idea of facing that girl was actually quite scary to Ren. Things seemed like they weren't going according to plan though. Maybe he could avoid meeting her?
"It happened at a merchandise transfer. A number of monsters all went crazy at once and in a combined effort they broke free and killed the slavers. The survivor clearly stated that she was alive the last time he saw her. Said that she using some strange black fire on a few of the men, said that she and the monsters left together." Beloukas told them.
"No, no, no. We were so close, dammit!" Leon was beginning to cry in frustration.
Ren watched Leon crying with a tightness in his chest growing. Leon beat him in combat, but here he was crying pretty easily. Ren almost forgot Leon was a kid before seeing this.
"Wait... She was raised by a dragon then left with monsters." Teal said.
"So she broke out using those monsters?" Raphtalia assumed.
"...Where did this happen and what direction were they going?" Naofumi asked.
"Hmm, let me see." Beloukas went over to a map he had on his desk. "I don't know the exact transfer spot, but the meet up and exchange usually happens along this road. From there, they went eastward... That's a long road and eastward isn't exactly an accurate direction..." Beloukas said disappointingly.
Naofumi studied what was east of that long stretch of road. There was no major city and the border was still quite far...
"!"
Beloukas went to continue. "I'm sorry customer, truly... I wanted that bonu-"
"Mirso village! She's going back to Mirso village!" Naofumi announced.
Ren was trying to stay out of things, but the moment he heard that, he moved forward and checked the map himself. He glanced at the map from several feet away, not wanting to show that he was caring.
Leon began yelling. "We need to get there first! We-"
[Portal Sword]
In an instant Ren was gone.
"Y-You damned coward!" Leon screamed. Monti came from behind and steadied his brother, he was about to fall over.
Things were happening too fast, they needed to get there now.
"Mom? Dad? W-What do we do?" Leon asked, looking quite pitiful.
Naofumi was trying to think. "When did this happen exactly!?"
"...Two days ago, maybe the late night before that." Beloukas answered.
"...Not a lot of time. Filo, We can't drag a cart. I need you running full speed. I-"
"Please, let me come." Leon begged.
"I'll summon you all when I get..." Naofumi stopped, seeing Leon's face, tears flowing.
"...One more isn't heavy for Filo." Filo said, also seeing Leon's emotional state.
"...Right. You two with me, I'll summon the rest of you when we get there." Naofumi told them as the three of them ran out of the tent.
Things were supposed to be so simple. They would have Ren face one of his victims and he would see the truth of things. Wyndia would meet Leon and they'd both know the other's fate. Wyndia would be free, maybe they'd have her stay in the village..., but now something awful might happen.
Naofumi and Leon could barely hold on to a full speed Filo. This was the speed that no one saw outside of a fight. Not only was she running forward at great speed, building momentum, but her new [Motion Magic] meant that her stats were increasing the faster she traveled, including speed. It had diminishing returns, but she was so fast that Naofumi and Leon could hardly believe it. Filo herself was pushing herself really far. She hadn't traveled this fast before, but also she was doing everything she could to get every inch possible. Even more, Filo would not stop until they reached Mirso. She was prepared to run full speed for a full day if needed.
Those that remained were worried for Wyndia and, by extension, Leon. Teal told Beloukas that she was too worried about the current situation to do business and the three left. They didn't do much the rest of the day, wanting to be ready when Naofumi summoned them.
With Filo's great speed, it took Naofumi and Leon just over nine hours to reach Mirso. Filo was a mess at this point, but she kept going. Naofumi and Leon really became worried when they saw smoke. Just one hill before the village was in sight, Filo collapsed. They didn't have time to stop for Filo, so they both cast [Fast Heal] on her and ran up the hill. They both feared the worst, but when they reached the top, they never expected this.
Two dozen monsters were strung around the field just outside the entrance to the village. They were all badly wounded, but none of them were dead. Further ahead, feet from the entrance were two people on their knees. As they came closer they could tell who they were.
Ren was here. He had used his [Portal Sword] to travel somewhere nearby, then rushed here, reaching Mirso first. He had defeated but spared the monsters that approached the village.
Ren looked hurt, several wounds were visible. Next to him was a decent sized axe. The wielder? In Ren's arms. He couldn't think of any other way of stopping her other than grabbing her and holding her in place. She had struggled and bit at him at first, then screamed and cursed at him, then cried after that, and now finally, she had worn herself out and fell asleep. Ren remained exactly where the battle ended. He wasn't too hurt to move, even with giving her and her monster many free hits, he was above 80% Hp.
No, he was unwilling to move, not unable. As Naofumi and Leon slowly approached, Ren hesitantly looked up to see them. To Naofumi, Ren really looked his age now, more than ever before. He was confused, crying and lost. Nothing like the 'cool guy' he pretended to be.
"I-It's true, isn't it? Isn't it?" Ren asked, still crying.
He looked nearly broken and Naofumi was going to finish the job.
Naofumi knew what he was asking. "Yeah... This is real."
"...Goddammit..." Ren whispered as he cried harder.
Ren felt those words like a bullet. He never knew why emotional and physical pain were often equivocated, but now he understood. He was so devastated that he was in physical pain. He would have yelled out and been quite dramatic..., but he was holding Wyndia. He'd done enough harm to her already.
Leon approached Ren and held his arms out. Ren stared at him blankly a moment before realizing what he wanted. He handed Wyndia to Leon, but didn't want to let go. He had to make this right, but how could he do that? He couldn't. Nothing could make up for this.
"All that is can be erased... faced with that, those who can save us from such a fate would have our eternal gratitude and forgiveness." Ren remembered the queen's words.
That was it. Nothing short of saving the world could even make a dent in repaying for what had happened.
With Wyndia in his arms, Leon calmed down immensely. He looked over her a moment. Not a scratch on her, even though she was fighting a hero. Leon stole a glance at Ren, he seemed different than the bastard Leon believed he was...
"Take her back to Filo and take care of both of them... I'll take care of Ren." Naofumi told him.
Leon just nodded and did as he was told. After Leon was over the hill, Naofumi turned back to Ren.
"What happened here?" Naofumi asked him.
Ren told him what happened, pausing often. It was clear that Ren was not thinking straight, but Naofumi let him explain what he could. Naofumi didn't immediately react. Ren clearly said that the monsters around here were acting under Wyndia's orders. So Ren also spared them. A far cry from the Ren that less than a week ago tried to kill Leon and again a week before that.
"You did good..." Naofumi told him before turning towards the monsters.
Ren had it rough, but being friendly to the person who nearly killed his kid twice? Ren would need to do a hell of a lot more to earn his forgiveness. If this was a sign of a more cooperative Ren, though, he'd not turn him down.
"Naofumi..." Ren began to say something.
"What?" Naofumi asked, not turning around.
"...I'm sorry... for everything. It w-I was stupid..." Ren told him.
"...Those two are owed an apology a hell of a lot more than me..." Naofumi brushed him off.
He appreciated the words and the actions... If he felt like being less of a hard ass, he'd realize that Ren, knowing that things are real, was not an enemy anymore. Still, Naofumi couldn't bring himself to forgive him easily. Had he killed Leon... He avoided thinking about it. Better to not trigger the curse series. Naofumi cast [All Fast Heal] on the monsters, then went around checking them one by one. If he just knew his intermediate spells, it'd be much simpler. He'd focus on that in the days to come.
...
On the other side of the hill
...
Meanwhile, Leon took Wyndia over to Filo, who was still wiped out. He softly sat Wyndia on the soft grass of the hill, then went and grabbed Filo.
"I know you can't hear me, but... thanks, sis." Leon said with some pain.
He'd never be this nice to Filo, but she really hurt herself for him... and with her asleep, he had plausible deniability. Or he would if Filo wasn't faking. He moved her over to the same hill near Wyndia and laid her down. He then sat there next to the both of them.
After a bit, Leon decided to start talking. He had a lot on his mind and while he wasn't alone, he was as alone as he had been in a while.
Wyndia had dog ears that weren't too dissimilar to his mother's ears. She was a little taller than he expected, but as a demi-human she must have aged some due to leveling. Her clothes no longer fit her well at all.
"So you're Wyndia... Wyndia... I don't know what I was really expecting, I just know I needed to find you. You protected me, just as Gaelion did..., but unlike him, I could return you the favor... Now I'm drawing a blank on what to call you. I already have siblings... and parents... So maybe, cousin? I don't know..." He didn't know what he was saying.
Wyndia started speaking "Your smell is all different, but..."
Leon nearly lost his cool. He was halfway between screaming and crying.
"You're awake!" Leon turned to her, yelling.
"Yeah..." Wyndia sat up and stared at him. "You're really you, right? You're the egg that was hidden?" She asked.
"Dad said he found me hidden behind a wall in a child's room... because you never told them about me." Leon answered.
Wyndia wore a huge smile now, knowing he wasn't lying. She leaned over and hugged him.
"I'm Wyndia." She introduced herself.
"I'm Leon Iwatani." He introduced himself.
"I'd never snitch on my nestmate. Hehe... Did this 'father' of yours find anything else?" She asked.
"...He may have said something of a few spare coins..." Leon played dumb a moment.
"Wow. You'd lie to me to keep the gold?" Wyndia laughed.
"I was just kidding." Leon laughed back.
"...So what's going on?" Wyndia asked, turning the conversation
"My dad's dealing with the sword hero... and likely healing your friends." Leon answered. He was kind of disappointed that she switched it to a serious subject.
"Deal with him? Your dad is strong enough to kill him?" Wyndia asked doubtfully.
"My dad is the shield hero, Naofumi Iwatani. He's super strong and could totally beat him. I even beat him once... though I had help." Leon admitted. "But we can't kill him. The world needs the heroes." Leon told her.
"...I see." Wyndia said, her feelings everywhere on that matter.
"You're not going to argue and tell me that Gaelion is my dad?" Leon asked.
"Why would I? If the blood you shared with dad made him your father despite the fact someone else is raising you, then I couldn't say Gaelion is my father. And he is... or was." Wyndia told him.
"It's nice talking to someone who gets it." Leon admitted.
"If we think alike, then you know my next question..." Wyndia alluded.
"You can have half." Leon told her, assuming she was going to ask about Gaelion's gold.
"That too, but I was going to ask about that." She said, pointing at Filo.
Leon half turned to his 'sleeping' sister.
"Oh, that's Filo, one of my sisters." Leon said with a pained look.
"What!? What the hell!? That's just wrong. Super uncool." Wyndia said with disappointment, making a face.
"...I know filolials suck, but... Filo is... She's my sister and she's okay." Leon said with some difficulty. "She hurt herself getting us here to help." He told her.
"Hmm..." Wyndia made another weird face. "I still don't like it."
They both laughed at that. They spoke for some time. Leon told her of his family and about their adventures. Wyndia was entertained, but also very happy to hear that Leon had a family to care for him and that her keeping her mouth shut really meant something in the end. He also told her that they were the ones originally buying her to set her free before her little jailbreak. Leon told her that the lord here actually was preparing coin for her as requested by Naofumi. No amount of coin could satisfy her, but also hearing about what happened to the people was a huge surprise. That about 130 died and all the damage done. She thought she might be able to make peace with it.
"Still... A dragon hanging out with a filolial is just lame." Wyndia said, making a face.
Leon went to argue again. "Like I said she's..."
"Filo's what?" Filo asked.
"Gah!? Um... She's a fat bird that eats everything and smells like ketchup!" Leon yelled.
"Filo doesn't smell like ketchup! If Filo did, Filo would eat Filo! Since Filo isn't eating Filo, Filo doesn't smell like ketchup! See? Dumb brother is dumb." Filo argued, it making perfect sense in her head.
Despite her valiant attempts to not succumb, Wyndia couldn't help but laugh.
"Okay, maybe this one single filolial isn't the worst thing ever." She admitted to herself.
Filo decided to not reveal that she was awake the whole time. Filo liked her fights with Leon, that was how they bonded.
"I'm glad everyone is getting along." Naofumi said as he crested the hill, Ren next to him.
Wyndia leapt to her feet at the sight of Ren and looked for her weapon. Naofumi saw her behavior and went to nip it in the bud.
"All of the monsters that were with you are okay. You can have this back after we talk, not before." Naofumi told her, dangling the axe.
Wyndia was too angry to listen. "Grrr, tell him to leave! I-"
"Shut up and do as I say!" Naofumi told her.
Wyndia was accustomed to this. The strong rule over the weak. She nodded and grew quiet. Naofumi sat down next to Filo while Ren sat down a little further away from the group. Naofumi pat Filo's head in appreciation of her hard work.
"So first, like I said, they're all fine and will likely wake up soon. When that happens, you need to reel them in or I will." Naofumi told her.
"Understood... How did they all live when father did not?" Wyndia thought to ask.
"We'll get to that, first I want to know how you escaped. Your crest should have stopped you from killing your owner." Naofumi was the one in charge of the conversation.
Wyndia grew a devilish smile not too dissimilar to the one Leon had from time to time.
"Easy, I didn't kill my owner. I talked to the monsters that were in the cages near me and I had a plan. I was able to unlock most of their cages because the idiot only ordered me to not try to escape, he said nothing about helping others." Wyndia began.
"But how did they kill their owner?" Leon asked.
"They also didn't. The moment my ownership changed to the new man, I attacked my old master. Before my new master could order me to stop, the monsters either pounced on him or freed some of my new owner's pets, which helped me with the old owner. Basically, we went after whoever wasn't our master and took them out." Wyndia explained. "...Seems like a lot of work now knowing you were buying me." Wyndia thought aloud.
"You can talk to those monsters?" Naofumi asked.
"Yup. My dad was a dragon after all." She said proudly.
"Hmm. Well, to answer your question, they survived a fight with Ren for the same reason he didn't put a scratch on you... He didn't want to." Naofumi told her.
He prepared for the screaming and yelling that was going to follow, but after she took a huge breath to start yelling, she stopped. Regardless of her feelings on the matter, she could not deny that she was unharmed and that there is no way her new friends could survive a fight against something that killed the great Gaelion.
"You seem like you're in more of a listening mood now... You're up." Naofumi motioned to Ren.
Ren flinched and stood after a moment of delay. He walked over to Wyndia and got on his knees and put his forehead to the dirt.
"I don't know exactly what to say. No amount of apologizing would be enough and no excuse would be acceptable... especially as pitiful as mine is... Like I told Leon before, if I knew the weight of my actions back then and what they meant, I never would have done them. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Ren never raised his head.
Wyndia saw her father's killer sprawled on the ground before her. She was beginning to see things as they were, even if she wanted to reject it. He was at her feet, even though she was the one that lost. He had shown that he even meant those words, by sparing the lives of her new friends. That said, there was a part of Wyndia that refused it and him, outright.
She stood up, fists clenched, face red with anger.
"Do you... Do think that I'm going to forgive you!?" Wyndia yelled. "After killing father? After I was put in chains!?" Wyndia was making herself more upset.
"..." Ren didn't know what to say. Even a normal amount of scrutiny was too much for him, this was completely different.
"Well!?" Wyndia wanted an answer.
Ren couldn't handle the situation, but knew she did deserve an answer
"...No. I doubt you'll ever forgive me... I surely won't forgive myself, but that... that doesn't mean I don't still need to say it, I do. I am sorry." Ren told her, his head still low.
Leon saw this and turned to Filo who nodded, he meant his words. Ren had gotten here in time to stop Wyndia from doing something awful and he did so without harming her...
Wyndia did not accept his apology and instead started walking away. She went to check on the various monsters that had become her friends. Ren didn't raise his head. He stayed there bowing. He wasn't expecting her forgiveness, but he didn't know what else to do.
They stayed there another hour. Naofumi contacted the others and told them the good news. They sounded quite relieved. Leon spent time with Wyndia and Filo actually behaved well enough. Ren eventually moved from his spot, asking how he could help and Wyndia giving him the stink eye. Once the monsters were all awake and told to calm down, the real question came up.
"Wyndia, what's your plan now?" Leon asked.
Wyndia didn't answer immediately. She had a lot of feelings on the matter. Her first instinct was to join Naofumi's party, but felt that wasn't the right decision. They were not nor would she want them to be a new family to her. They were Leon's family. Through Leon and through recent events, she had grown to the point of needing to find her own way in the world.
Naofumi saw her thinking, but not answering. He motioned for her to follow him and the two of them went to the lord while Filo, Leon and Ren stayed put to keep the monsters in check. Once they were out of sight, Leon spoke.
"Thank you for doing this without hurting her..." He said to Ren.
"Don't thank me... I've hurt her plenty..." Ren answered.
...
The lord's manor
...
Naofumi and Wyndia walked into Mirso with many heads turning. A number of them heard the fighting earlier, but never expected Naofumi to show up. They still didn't know he was the shield hero yet, but that wouldn't be the case in a week or two. Every person Naofumi passed on the road to the lord's manor wanted to stop and thank the savior of the heavenly fowl.
As they went, Wyndia was seeing a lot of kind people that she never saw before. She'd only seen a handful of people from Mirso before. The lord and his guards. Actually seeing the people made her feel really bad. She would have hurt these people that had nothing to do with it.
Naofumi saw the guilt on her face. "Mission accomplished." He told himself.
They arrived at the gates to the manor, which were still damaged from Filo barging through the first time. The gate was already opened, with guards on either side gesturing for them to enter. Someone from the village must have seen Naofumi and ran here ahead of time to let them know.
As expected, everything was set up for them by the time they arrived at the front door. Guards stood on both sides of the door in two long rows. At the end, the lord stood holding a large container. He walked several feet forward and softly sat the container down.
"Greetings savior, as previously agreed, I did all I could to gather funds as reparation. My home has been mostly stripped bare and whatever I could afford to add from the reselling of the deceases' homes were also added. The total is about 160 gold..." The lord said in an even voice.
Wyndia wasn't happy. "I remember screaming and crying for you to let me go and all I received was a man's fist in my stomach. This seems so much different than before. Now that the hero is on my side, I get to do whatever I want with you? Is that how it is?" She growled.
"..." Even now the lord really wanted to yell at the girl and call her a 'filthy demi', but he knew better. She was right. She had the hero in her corner, so she gets whatever she wants.
"...Well, I don't like it... It was wrong for you to do that..., but it's wrong to do the same to you..." Wyndia reasoned. "I believe in survival of the fittest, but that just means killing your prey. Exploiting them is just wrong... I'll take the gold since you're offering it, but never again... consider it dealt with." Wyndia decided.
The lord was so thankful that he stayed quiet. Wyndia grabbed the container, but since it was mostly silver it weighed a ton. Naofumi absorbed it, promising to hand it back over whenever she wants. They went to leave, but Wyndia had a thought.
"What happened to the monsters around here after everything that happened?" Wyndia asked the lord.
"...First all the non-poisonous and non-venomous monsters died, then after things cleared up, they also left or died. Monster population is quite low around here now. Possibly the only good thing that this whole tragedy has granted us." The lord answered.
"That's good. Listen up! Don't hurt the monsters that'll be moving into Gaelion's home." Wyndia told them.
The lord just nodded. After that, they left.
...
Back at the hill
...
As they walked back, Wyndia was trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She saw two options in front of her. She could live with her friends back in her old home, using the money to make it super nice and having a happy life. She could also go with Leon... She was sure that they would accept her, then she could spend all kinds of time with her nestmate. Her friends would still have the cave to live in while she traveled. She thought over her options all the way back to the others.
When they returned, Wyndia caught the look on Ren's face. He seemed miserable, but that was fine by her. Leon had revealed that the second Naofumi deposited the coin, he pulled it out and counted it. They both laughed and they split it evenly, then Leon brought out Gaelion's hoard and split it too. Naofumi couldn't help but worry at the evil looks both of them had as they thought of gold.
While Leon was having fun, there was something important that Leon needed to do too.
"Wyndia, there's something else I need to give you." Leon told her in a more serious tone.
"Huh? What else are we splitting?" Wyndia asked, not registering the seriousness of his face or in his voice.
"Gaelion's parting words..." Leon told her.
She froze before looking him in the eyes.
Leon put a hand on his chest. "What remains of Gaelion lies within me. I can allow him to speak to you. This is my body, but I'd never deny him or you of this much..." Leon explained, trying to prepare her for what came next.
Ren was also stunned at the news, but he remembered that second voice when he fought Leon the second time and things started to make sense.
The two stood, Wyndia prepared herself as Leon concentrated. After a moment, Leon felt different. There was no shift in anything real, but it simply felt different. After a moment, Leon opened his eyes. He looked exactly the same and yet completely different. The posture, facial expression, it all gave off the feel of someone with real presence. It was like Leon was as he saw himself, yet Leon wasn't Leon.
"...Hello little one." The voice said from within Leon.
"T-That really is you? I... I'm so glad to hear your voice." Wyndia said with a trembling voice.
"I witness everything within Leon, hearing your voice is also a pleasure..." He told her.
"..." She didn't say anything to him at first. She was afraid it wasn't real.
"I'm sorry that I failed you." Gaelion added, his guilt clear in his voice.
"Wha-No! You did no such thing! Don't blame yourself, I never did!" Wyndia shot her finger out to Ren. "He's the one I blame, it's his fault, not yours." She argued.
"No child, it was mine. I felt the terrifying might of his sword when he switched to that dragon slaying skill... and yet I was too proud to back down or approach the fight indirectly. I fought armed with pride, not wisdom. Had I not done so, I might have won." Gaelion said, slowly turning towards Ren.
Ren felt the gaze even harder than Wyndia's. Gaelion was not only his victim, like Wyndia... He had killed him. He slayed the dragon without a single word exchanged. Ren went to lower himself again.
"Don't you dare! ...In some strange way, it pains me to see you acting like this. That I was slain by you only for you to then act so pathetically. It makes a mockery of me." Gaelion bellowed.
Ren went to apologize. "I-I'm sorry. I-"
"Your words hold no value to me, boy. So don't cast them into the world... The only reason I've yet to strike you down is that you stopped Wyndia from acting foolishly." Gaelion berated him.
"Wha? Are you saying that attacking the village wasn't something I should do? But what of a dragon's wrath!?" Wyndia asked angrily.
"Even after I came to rest, they learned a dragon's wrath... What I mean is that you shouldn't do that. If I die for you and you die for me, then we're both dust and memories. Why not live for me instead, child?" Gaelion told her.
"..." Wyndia realized that if she and Leon die, then Gaelion died for nothing at all.
"Controlling this body causes little Leon both great pain and awful feelings, so I will not remain long... I've said my piece to you... Do you have words for me?" He asked with a hint of hope.
"Yes, I... Too many to think! That I love you, that I want to live by the lessons you've taught me. That I'm grateful for every hunt, every story told around the fire, everything. It was all a gift I'll never be able to repay." Wyndia said, sobbing.
The moment was supposed to be sad, but Gaelion was smiling. He was forgiven for his failure, he was able to see Leon and Wyndia safe, he was told such warming words by his little girl. A much better result than defeat usually garnered.
"Then our time is up... Naofumi Iwatani?" Gaelion called.
"Yes?" Naofumi answered evenly.
"Thank you for raising my spawn. Watching him grow has been the high point of my death... Please continue to protect him." Gaelion requested of Naofumi.
"You don't need to tell a father to protect his son." Naofumi told him back.
"Of course, forgetful me... Sword hero?" Gaelion turned his attentions one more time.
"Y-Yes?" Ren responded with hesitation.
"If you feel so hungry to capitulate to my demands to sooth that heart of yours, then I task you with overseeing Wyndia's safety. Leon has Naofumi, but Wyndia has nothing but a rabble of weak monsters." Gaelion all but ordered Ren.
Ren was absolutely willing to do as he was told, but doubted that Wyndia was feeling agreeable at all.
"Of c-course!" Ren replied.
"..." Ren would make sure that wherever Wyndia decided to live that she would be protected. He knew how serious things were now, he wouldn't screw up again.
"It's really getting hard on Leon, I have to go." Gaelion announced.
Wyndia hugged him one last time as he did the same. After a moment, he was gone. Leon was back and in a lot of pain, but he toughened up and powered through it for Wyndia's sake. She kept hugging Leon a bit longer knowing Gaelion felt it too.
"..." Leon just kept hugging her back until she pulled back. She looked like a mess, but also more well off than she was before at the same time.
A bittersweet feeling was felt by all. A mixture of loss, but also closure. They all stayed there a bit longer before Wyndia spoke.
"Sword hero... How do you plan to make up for your actions?" She asked.
"...By saving the world... and doing as Gaelion said, protecting you. I promise you that I'll do everything I can to find you somewhere safe to be." Ren answered.
"...Save the whole world? Do you have any idea how hard that is? How huge of a task that is?" Wyndia asked with a lot of doubt.
"..." Ren said nothing.
"I heard what you did, that you nearly killed Leon. Every 'mistake' you seem to made looks like it was so easily avoidable, but you did it anyways... How am I supposed to trust that you won't make another mistake again?" Wyndia asked.
"..." Ren wanted to assure her, but he didn't have an answer to her specific question.
"Because I have an idea... One that'll keep you from making such mistakes again... One that'll let me know that you will keep your word." Wyndia alluded.
"I'm willing to do anything. Name it and I'll do my best." Ren promised.
"...Then take me with you." Wyndia said.
Leon and the others were surprised, but none more so than Ren.
"I want to tell her 'no'. I wanted to find her somewhere safe to live and keep her out of harm's way. That would be the best way to do as Gaelion sai-no... That's the easiest way to do as Gaelion said..." Ren was struggling in his head.
Wyndia saw his face. "Don't think, because you don't get to decide. I hit you with that [Dragon's Vein] before, you know I'm not weak..." She was trying to act firm, but the more she spoke, the less it sounded like an order and sounded more like a request.
Ren looked to Naofumi and Leon to see what he should do, but they also seemed conflicted. He had to make the decision and it couldn't be another mistake.
"...I have no right to tell you no." That was Ren's answer.
Not quite a yes, but it meant the same thing.
The next hour was spent with Leon issuing threat after threat to Ren if he does anything to hurt her, abandons her, etc. Wyndia even felt a little looked down on by Leon so she reminded him which one of them was older. During this time, Leon told Wyndia about Filo's special class upgrade, which threw Ren for a loop. Leon also remembered to tell Ren to release his seal on him. He wanted to use his favorite spell again.
While not intentional, they spent another hour there before Naofumi realized they were wasting far too much time there. He turned to Ren, who had a mixture of emotion clear on his face. Naofumi knew the two most prominent ones well, stress and worry. That actually put Naofumi at ease a bit. The sense of responsibility Ren was now feeling towards Wyndia was not dissimilar to how he felt toward Raphtalia and the kids. It made him a better person and hero, it'd hopefully do the same to Ren.
"Here." Naofumi handed Ren a piece of paper.
"What's this?" Ren asked.
"The first, address to the best blacksmith in Melromarc, and the second, the address of a crazy tailor that made all my kids' outfits. Wyndia is going to age rapidly when she levels up, so getting magic cloths that grow with her will save you a lot of headaches. The last address is the magic shop that can help you get the magic thread you need in the first place." Naofumi told him.
"Oh... thanks..." Ren answered awkwardly.
"Now let's get out of here." Naofumi said loudly to the group.
Wyndia said her goodbyes to her monster friends and directed them to her old home. Soon they all formed a party and Ren used [Portal Sword] to return to the hourglass.
Naofumi actually tricked Wyndia a bit. He knew Ren was going to get her crest removed and would not consider the slave bonuses, but by being in a party with Wyndia, even if only for a minute or two, she'd now receive the bonuses granted by his newer dog series and it'd remain, even after she was no longer in a party with him thanks to another of his new shields.
They met up with the others and things were fine. The one complaint Naofumi had was Wyndia didn't get to spend time with the rest of the family, but Ren and her needed to leave. Ren had to go to each of the places on that paper and he also needed to tell his party where he had been and introduce their newest party member.
The family had loads of questions and they'd ask them, but most of them were answered by the large smug grin Leon wore the rest of the day. One tragedy nearly caused another this day, but this time it was avoided.
.
[Author's Notes]
So yeah, Ren is convinced this is all real after facing the person he hurt the most. Now he has his head on straighter than before and Wyndia is here to help keep him there. This will be a great help to Melromarc and the Iwatani family.
Leon focused chapter since I got next to no people choosing Leon as their favorite. He was the newest kid, so may a lack of screen time was an issue?
I originally planned last chapter and this chapter to play out differently. Having last chapter ending on the cliffhanger of Wyndia escaping and them rushing to her, but cliffhangers for the sake of cliffhangers suck, right?
This is the compromise. I was going to have a mini revenge arc with Wyndia, but stopping her after only killing two slavers seems like a fair middle ground
I failed to really capture it as it was in my head but the '...Goddammit...' from Ren is supposed to be the lowest point for Ren. Thankfully his attitude was 'how do I fix this' and not 'I give up'. Otherwise we'd have curse time, not sure if greed, gluttony, maybe even sloth.
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