Arc 2- Chapter 12: History Lesson
"Ah YunYun, Welcome ba-" Before DanDan could greet her daughter home, she ran past him and into her room where she shut the door and locked it. He could only look on in confusion before shrugging his shoulders and muttering- "Kids these days."
After YunYun closed her door, panting as she did so after running, she slowly walks up to her bed before falling down onto the comfy yet firm mattress. The feeling of finally laying down to rest after a long day of walking was soothing to her, yet her mind could not rest just yet.
After that moment where Kazuma smiled at her, she couldn't shake that image of her head. It felt so nice to know and be comforted she wasn't an annoyance to him or anyone, but it made her feel more than just reassurance. She felt an emotion so foreign and new to her, she doesn't even know what to call it. But, she does have a slight hunch on to what it is.
"Guuu." She makes a little sound before grabbing a nearby stuffed teddy bear and hugging it. Unnecessary detail but, the bear itself is as big as her body.
She snuggles her head into the nook of the plushie's neck, her face burning red. It was very clear that she was embarrassed about something. And that something was-
"Kazuma-san..."
She sinks in deeper into the stuffed bear.
"Uuuuh, why am I feeling this way? Why does my body feel so hot? Why does my stomach feel like twisted knots? Why does my heart skip a beat whenever I think about..." She thinks in confusion.
She let's go of the plushie, her back laying on her bed, her face looking up at the hardwood seeling. She could still feel her whole body tingling, little shivers go up her spine whenever she thinks about him.
"Hmmm. Do I..."
She violently shook her head. There's no way. A repeat of her thoughts ran in like before, denying her feelings for the crude man. But just like before, she casts a doubt on that. If she really does deny thses feelings of affection, then why does she feel so much happiness, or shyness, or embarrassment, towards the idea that she loves him?
She could only come up with one answer. One undeniable answer to what she's been dealing this whole evening.
"I do love him."
"Kyaaa!" She covers her face, her legs flailing up and down.
Behind her bedroom door, was her father listening in. He got curious as to what happened to his daughter. He knew it was wrong, eavesdropping his own daughter and all that, but he couldn't help it. And after hearing what YunYun was saying behind that door, he just couldn't help but snicker.
He left eventually, leaving YunYun to her own world.
"Hehe, that daughter of mine."
"Don't worry Kazuma, you have my permission."
The next day, YunYun was currently Infront of the door where Kazuma stayed at. She knew of the inn he went for, (Maybe because she was the one who suggested it) and even asked the receptionist where his room was at. It felt a little creepy, but she just wanted to talk to Kazuma this early in the morning. Maybe they could grab some breakfast after this, together.
"I hope this isn't too weird!" She panicked a little, but soon recovered.
She looks at the door, before balling her fist to knock on it. She was about you but stops midway. She's hesitant. Hesitant to knock. Maybe because she was shy, maybe it was due to fear of disturbing Kazuma's sleep and possibly annoying him. She grew anxious the more she thought about what if's, and looking at tthis wooden door wasn't helping at all. She swore she could see reality distort as her breath grew weary.
"No."
"YunYun, this is not the time to be scared."
"huh?" For a moment, she was knocked out oh her trance when her inner thoughts came to snap her out of it.
"B-but I'm so scared..." She whispered quietly, her legs shook and her hands now gripped her skirt tightly.
"Come on YunYun, you can do it. Kazuma is understanding enough. He won't be mad." She psyched herself up, encouraging herself to finally come out of her shell of shyness and be more brave than before. But, it was easier said than done. Social anxiety was no joke.
"But what if he does?"
"So? You won't know if you don't do it, right? YunYun, you'll regret it if you don't invite him to hang out." Now, it really felt like her inner thoughts was beating herself into submission. Felt kinda embarrassing really, but it doesn't matter.
"Hngh, but..."
"But what? Are you really going to be a doormat for the rest of your life? Please YunYun, do us a favor and knock on that door!" Her mind fully ordered herself to do it, to be shy no more and be brave.
To anyone watching this scene from afar, they could only look on in fear to why this girl was talking to herself. A similar case to a housekeeper who was attending to clean the rooms, and hurriedly ran away into the other room.
"F-fine! I-I'll do it!" She stuttered a bit, but it was an attempt. She breathed in, and out. In, and out. Okay, she can do it. She can. All she has to do was hit her knuckles on the door a few times, and then invite him to breakfast, and go sightseeing and and-
"YunYun?"
"Aaahhh! Kazumadoyouwanttogoandgetbreakfastwithme?"
Kazuma, who was about to leave his room, opened his door and saw YunYun standing there, which loooked like she was about to knock. Confused, he called out her name. To which, triggered YunYun's fight or flight response and in turn, made her invitation come out prematurely. In a fashion where she jumbled her words so fast, it formed itself into one singular word.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Ah I-I mean, good morning Kazuma! Hehe, w-what w-want to go out with me? I mean eat breakfast with me?"
YunYun, was an absolute mess. And Kazuma knew that already, but seeing her absolutely struggle for such a simple invitation, just amplified that idea even more. He doesn't know if he should laugh, or pity her social anxiety. Maybe he should keep it to himself. Don't want to risk breaking her heart, especially not with how buff her dad looked.
"YunYun."
Kazuma spoke in a serious tone. This fact didn't go unnotice as YunYun looks at him with full attention.
"Let's go to the library. I need to read something there."
We cut to a scene where Kazuma was browsing through the shelves upn shelves filled with books, all in various degrees of length, thickness and color. He asked the clerk where the history section was, and ended up on a stool to reach the upper halves of the bookcase since it was too high up to reach.
"Um, Kazuma-san?"
"Yes?" He said, not bothering to look at her as his eyes were glued to the book spines.
"Why are you learning about the world's history?" It wasn't an odd question really. She got curious since on the way to the library, Kazuma had talked about why he wanted to go there in the first place - and apparently he wanted to know more about history.
"I just got curious." A straight forward answer was tthe one he gave.
YunYun, didn't believe that. She knew he was lying. No one is suddenly that interested on one topic after a day. He must've experienced something that night to have such vigor and curiosity for something so mundane.
Kazuma resumed his search. YunYun meekly sat at her table silently, waiting for Kazuma to find the right book.
"Ah, got it." She perked up as she heard Kazuma say something, indicating that he found the thing he was looking for. He walked over to where YunYun was sitting at and say down with her.
"History of the world?" She spoke the title off the book. It didn't have any fancy fonts or graphic book cover. It was in a dark blue and hard cover, with the color of the title in gold.
"Yeah. With this, maybe I could find out what that dream was." He said, more to himself. YunYun shrugged off what he was saying as Kazuma opened the book and saw the chapter list.
"Hmm... hmm- There." He placed his fnger fown and dragged downwards and he reads off the list. Before stopping onto one particular chapter.
"The beginning." YunYun said out loud.
"Well YunYun, hope you love history, since, we're gonna be here all day." Kazuma teased, but he himself felt like he was gonna get bored. He was never a fan of history. In and outside of school. Any text that wasn't apart of a game he would usually brush off or ignore, since to him, it was boring or useless.
"Don't worry Kazuma-san, I won't be bored." She smiled.
"Alright, then let's get started."
720 Years ago.
"Hey, isn't that number almost the same as the year we're in?" Asked Kazuma. Indeed, it was. The current year is in fact 725. Making the writing of this particular book written in 720.
"Yes actually. Let's read more since it would make more sense later." Replied YunYun.
"Right..."
The first demon king was defeated.
"Ahh, so that's why." Kazuma commented.
"See?"
"Yeah yeah, let's just get back to reading again."
Before the hero came, before the demon king even existed, life in the world was thriving. Civilization was just getting started. Kingdos like Belzerg, Elroad, Gulbert, didn't even exist. What existed however were villages and tribes. The concept of monarchy wasn't conceived yet.
As the people of the world 100 B.D, they lived in relitive peace.
That is until, a giant calamity struck the world. This detail is unrecorded so it might not be historically accurate, but from the stories that were passed down, people described it as a huge ball of fire and rock entered the skies. They saw this fireball pass them in a blinding light. It was big, very big. Much larger than any known villages or tribes. They saw it past them before crashing down onto the world and causing a massive earthquake.
The ground shook violently, and a large bang was heard throug out the surrounding area as they saw this massive ball of fire and rock explode in the distance like an explosion spell. Though, much bigger and more powerful. The entire world shook to it's core as the fireball made contact. It was bright, brighter than the sun, before it dimmed down and the ground rumbled no more.
This event is called, the impact.
The civilizations that were close by the impact zone were curious, so they went there to check it out. As they got closer however, the ground rumbled yet again. Many fled, while others prayed, but few got closer. Though, one thing all three groups saw however, was that the impact was actually the place the first demon king was born.
"Ah, so that's where he came from. But, how is the demon king still here? Wasn't he killed centuries ago or something?" He asked out of curiosity.
"Well, it is true that the first demon king was defeated, but he does have successors. And all of them are not the same people." YunYun explained. "We don't really know why or how."
"So basically, after a demon king is defeated, a new one appears?"
"Unfortunately, yes. The difference is just how long it takes." She said with a sad expression.
"That's... weird." He mumbles before he continued reading the text out loud again.
The people who ran, prayed and curious all saw how the sky had suddenly turn dark and red. The one who ran looked back, the people who prayed stopped their prayers, and the ones who got closer, observed with fear.
Before them, a large body of some sorts, covered from smoke and ash, grew from the impact zone. It was slow, yet horrifying. It was the largest creature they had ever seen. Much larger than the ones they would hunt and gather.
As the beast grew taller and larger, he spread his wings, and devilish horns began to take shape. Then, after a few moments of aww-ing at the emerging beast Infront of them, their eardrums were shortly raptured as the beast let out a horrifying roar. The stories described it as if you took all the cries of a thousand souls trapped into one, that would be the result. A cry for help, to escape the clutches of the beast.
"Just like last night..." He whispered, which however went unnoticed by YunYun.
As the beast settled down it's roar, the ground began to rumble under their feet, and the beast grew larger and larger. They could only deduce one thing; it was approaching them. Then, all of the collective groups, ran for their lives. Screams of terror echoed in the valleys as they ran for dear life.
The beast was much faster than expected, faster than any living being at that time. Some were burnt in the flames as the beast itself was made of fire, lava and magma. Some were squashed under the footsteps of the beast, or the rubble he kicked. While others luckily escaped. Living to tell the tale.
After years of this creature roaming the world, trampling and stomping countless villages, tribes and people, he was collectively named by all of them...
The King Of Demons, Pleiades.
"Oh shit." Kazuma audibly gasped as he read those final lines. So that's what Hostis meant. Ay least, that's what he thought. "So you were a worshipper of him. It all makes sense now."
"Kazuma-san, what are you talking about?" YunYun, was clearly out of the loop. He had been saying some nonsensical things ever since morning. She guessed she got fed up by it.
"Heh, sorry YunYun for not explaining earlier. It's just that, I was so caught up in trying to make sense of my situation, I kinda forgot how to be a human being." He slightly chuckled to himself.
"Listen YunYun, last night, I had this dream." He started. "It was, really weird. I think I remember some people talking about a wish of some sort, and apparently he was pissed off, but that's not important. The thing is, I saw this thing."
"This, demon or something, he looked fucking horrifying. Like Jesus Christ, I felt like I saw satan himself. And that got me curious." He looks back at the history book on the table. "There was this gut feeling that if I knew about the history of this world, I could somehow find out what I saw last night."
"I don't know how." He shook his head. "Maybe it was Hostis or something."
"Wait, Hostis?" YunYun asked. Looking intrigued.
"Hostis Dei. He's a necromancer. Chris, a friend named Ferdinand, and myself killed. Before he died, he said that we would soon find the truth. I had no clue on what the hell he was saying. But this?" He motions towards the history book. "Maybe I could find out about it."
"Hmm, that's very interesting - and odd. Was there anything more about this necromancer?"
"He also said that he was a desciple for Pleiades."
"Wait, a disciple?" YunYun suddenly perks up, which caught the attention of Kazuma. "So it wasn't a coincidence." She thought.
"Uh, yes."
"How could there still be a desciple? I thought they were all dead centuries ago..." She expressed confusion as she placed a finger on her chin, deep in thought as her previous knowledge being shacken by this new information.
"Wait, what the hell are you talking about? You're telling me he wasn't supposed to be alive?" Kazuma tries to reason with her. She eventually did snap out of her train of thought and filled in on Kazuma's question.
"Sorry about that Kazuma-san. It's just that, when Pleiades was still alive, he had desciples. Think of them as demon king generals." He nodded along. "After Pleiades was defeated, the desciples were angered by this that they went to kill the hero."
"They all died in trying to do so. But, it doesn't make sense how there's still one alive after so many years. Luckily, you killed him so there aren't any more despicles. At least, I hope so." She ended her lengthy explanation.
"Don't worry, Hostis said that he was the last one, so I think we won't run into anymore of these 'desciples' again." Kazuma reassured her.
"Still, that doesn't explain how he's lived after centuries. You did say he was a necromancer when he you saw him right?" He nodded. "Maybe that's why..." Clearly, she was caught up on this death. She did know he killed a necromancer, but didn't know that necromancer was connected to the desciples. The only theory she could come up with is that shortly after he died, he cheated death and became an undead.
Kazuma shruggs. "I don't really know, and I don't care. I'm just happy that dude is dead now."
"Let's look at the other chapters." He suggested as he focuses back on the book. He went back to the index to see what other information it has in stall.
"The desciples, the king of demons, the kingdom Belzerg, and ... the legendary hero. Hmm, I'm getting pretty bored." In all honesty, he just wanted to know who that monster was, so other things like how the desciples were killed or how Belzerg came to be were all just extra info he didn't need. Kind of like trivia.
"Maybe I could talk more about the desciples? I could if you want me too." YunYun suggested.
"Yeah sorry YunYun. I'm just not interested." He politely declines as he closes the book. "Welp, that's all I need to know. You have any suggestions on what we should do today?" He then looks at her.
"Oh um, maybe we could... get breakfast together?" She invites as her voice becomes quieter and quieter. By the end, it was more of a squek than anything else, but heard nonetheless.
"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about breakfast." He says as he recollects his memories. Due to how determined he was to find out about Pleiades, he brushed off any essential activities for the morning. Heck, he even forgot to shower. Oh god, he just realized that now. Hopefully everyone and YunYun didn't notice his smell.
"I think we should go get some grub. Got any places in mind?"
"I know just the place." She smiles sweetly.
"I've gotta say YunYun, this is some pretty good breakfast." Kazuma complimented the food he was eating in after swallowing his bite.
Currently, YunYun and Kazuma were both sitting across each other. After they went to a restaurant which she recommended, they both ordered their respective breakfasts, even if it was now close to 11 a.m approximately.
"I knew you would like it." YunYun smiles as she continues to devour the meal before her.
After grabbing his drink and sipping the liquid in it, Kazuma decided to ask a question. "Hey YunYun."
"Hmm?"
"Do you know how Pleiades was defeated?" It was out of curiosity, really. He never thought he'd be like this, but after reading that small passage of text describing the first demon king, he won't lie, it got him thirsting for more.
"Well," YunYun settels her utensils on her plate for a moment. "After a year or so I believe, the legendary hero came and defeated him with a sword named Triumph."
"I believe he used a really old sword technique where he uses all the mana in the area and slashes down. Causing a huge beam off light to slice and kill Pleiades." She finished explaining.
"Uses all the mana in the area huh?"
"And I'm guessing after that, the desciples went out to kill him." Kazuma remembered that detail from her earlier.
"Hmhm." She nodded.
"Hmm, the way your describing it, it sounds like this hero had no problem killing the first demon king. Especially with how large he sounded." He mused.
"Yes. In fact, the legendary hero was more or less struggling to kill the eight desciples themselves compared to Pleiades." YunYun, recollected the recorded history she read years ago while growing up.
"Heh, you're pretty good at this history stuff." Kazuma snickered.
"R-really? Well, it does make sense since history was my favorite subject in school..." YunYun, halted her confident demeanor earlier and went back to her old usual self. She brushed her hair behind her ear, her face slightly crimson.
"Nerd."
"H-hey!"
"Haha, I'm just kidding." Kazuma chuckled as he saw YunYun make the cutest pouting face he had ever seen. Though, it didn't last very long...
"D-don't tease me like that..." It sounded like she was a bit mad at him, but her tone hit drastically different. It was actually more like a hint of sadness tinged in her words. Kazuma, caught up on this.
"H-hey, YunYun, what's the matter?" Kazuma now felt like a sack of garbage after hearing how sad she sounded like, and tried to figure out what was bothering her.
"It's nothing Kazuma-san! Let's just continue eating shall we?" Her downcast demeanor suddenly changed to forced cluelessness. She picked up her silverware again and continued to eat her meal.
"YunYun."
"If there's anything bothering you, just tell me okay?" Kazuma too, went back to finish his breakfast as well.
"Hmm." YunYun mumbled as she chewed her bite. Giving some, food for thought, as to what Kazuma had said.
As they were eating however, they were disrupted as a woman came running at them and startled the two adventurers.
"YunYun!" Seh yelled, even though she was right beside her.
The two had recognized her as she was no ordinary woman, she was in fact the assistant towards the chieftain, DanDan. Why she was here screaming at DanDan's daughter however were clueless to them.
"What's the matter FuQing-chan?" YunYun asks while Kazuma looks away as he tries to contain his laugh.
"This is an emergency! The village's budget were stolen!" FuQing said, or mkre accurately, yelled at her.
"What?!" YunYun got up quickly. "Kazuma-san, I'll go pay. We're going back to my home right now." She then went to the counter in a hurry.
"FuQing-sama, how did you guys get robbed?" Kazuma tries to ignore her name and opted to know more about this recent burglary out of concern.
"We were doing our buisness as usual until break time, DanDan-sama and I went to our favorite bar to drink. When we got back however, we found out our entire office was trashed. We then went to check the coffers and saw most of the money gone." FuQing explained in despair.
"Damn, that really is bad." Kazuma looks at the ground with his finger in his chin. To think some thieves were able to steal most of the village's budget sounded extonishing. How were they able to escape? How did they go undetected when it's the (close) middle of the day? Heck, how did they manage to carry it all? It just didn't add up.
"Do you have any lead on the thieves?" He asked to her.
"Well, we do have a clue. It's most likey them." She said that last part with disdain and venom, a fact noticable by Kazuma.
"Um, who exactly is them?"
"The Hunts." She said, her eyes burn a fiery flame of crimson.
Kazuma was about to express verbal confusion before being cut off by YunYun's arrival.
"Alright, let's go back to my father's place."
"I'm guessing you two have already heard the news." DanDan said, despair ran through his words as he spoke to them.
YunYun, Kazuma, and FuQing had just arrived at the headquarters for the village. DanDan was immediately notified of this as he heard them come in through the door. With FuQing at the front and the two adventurers at the back.
They sat down across DanDan.
"Yes Father. Thanks to FuQing-chan, we were quickly notified of this news." YunYun said formally, much to the surprise of Kazuma as he had never seen this side of her.
"I heard that the money in the coffers were stolen correct?"
"Indeed. Well, most of it at least. After the guards outside heard some noise coming from the inside, they went in and saw the perpetrators already leaving." DanDan explains to them, recalling the events that were told to him. "While some chased after them, the guards saw that our coffers were drastically drained."
"Some villagers did see these thieves whizz through the village. I heard they used grappling hooks to climb atop the buildings."
"What we're dealing with isn't some ordinary inexperienced thieves, but ruthless veterans who knows how to steal. And one infamous group certainly fits the bill."
"... The Hunts." Kazuma answered before him. DanDan clicks his tounge, signifying his answer was correct.
"Heard about 'em?" DanDan asks.
"Not a clue. FuQing-sama was the one to fill me in." He said.
"Well all you need to know about them is that their a notorious theiving group well known across the kingdom. They were infamous for stealing valuable treasure in the capital and made their runs by stealing off of nobles." DanDan explained the criminal organization as he leams back on his chair.
"Father is right. They also wear hoods above their heads to conceal their identities. It's easily recognizable since their all in different shades of green." YunYun added in some extra detail.
"Well, that doesn't really help me now does it." Kazuma mused, eluding to the fact that he too, was wearing a green cloak and hood.
"O-oh, haha, I just realized..." YunYun chuckled nervously. "A-anyways, father, what are we going to do now?"
"Welp, there's only one thing we could do..."
"Catch them thieves."
DanDan then explains to the two that the guards situated around the village saw a couple of green hoods fly above them and into the forest nearby. And considering how the burglary happened just a few minutes ago, they concluded that the Hunts were still in the area, meaning they could still catch them.
"Let me guess, you're entrusting us to do it right?" Kazuma asks after DanDan explained the whole situation to them.
"Heh, you catch on pretty quick kid." DanDan snickers. "Yeah, you're completely right. So, Kazuma, my daughter YunYun, could you help this old man catch some theives?" He said completely disregarding the safety of it all.
Kazuma lets out tired sigh. "Can't believe I'm catching more thieves again." He whispers to himself. "Fine, we'll do it. Right YunYun?" He then faces his head towards the girl beside her.
"If it means I help father and the village, then I'll do it." The future leader of the village said confidently. He took it as a yes.
"We better get a good pay for this." Kazuma, greedy as always, asks for a bit of compensation on this make shift quest.
"Haha, don't worry kid, after you bring us our money back and the Hunts, you'll get a pretty good payroll since the Hunts have a hefty bounty." DanDan grins.
"How much are we talking?"
"How does 150 gold sound?"
"Alright, YunYun let's go!" Kazuma immediately got up, and dragged YunYun away from her seat.
"K-Kazuma-san wait!" She yelped as she was drag outside passing FuQing, who was standing behind them the entire time.
"DanDan-sama."She then walked forward towards him.
"Are you sure you're okay with letting those two do the job? Shouldn't we be entrusting this job to the guards?" She asked out of concern.
"Don't worry FuQing. Have some faith in them. They'll be fine." He answered with a nonchalant carefree attitude. "Plus, I don't have to pay them unlike guards. The kingdom will pay them with the bounty." She rolled her eyes at this.
"Hehe, listen, I know my daughter better than everyone. She's strong, stronger than her classmates and everyone. Maybe even more than her old man." He then looks down at the coffee table Infront of him, his eyes showed happiness in them.
"I know she'll succeed..."
"Isn't that right, Lan."
FuQing couldn't help but have a bittersweet feeling at seeing her boss's demeanor. He was clearly still longing for his wife, but it wasn't filled with regret or sorrow. Rather, it was acceptence. She shook her head and went back to their office, deciding on their next plan of action.
Meanwhile...
"Kazuma-san, can we slow down for a second? My legs are starting to get tired." YunYun expressed tiredness. This time however, she wasn't dragged around but rather following him close behind.
"Sorry about that YunYun. It's just that, these guy's bounty is just too much to pass off." If Kazuma recalled correctly, the demon king has a bounty of 300 gold. If changed into eris, the currency of the world, it would add up to roughly 3 billion eris. Which is, in of itself, an already insane number. For the Hunts, it would be 1.5 billion eris. So safe tto say, if Kazuma- I mean, if they got these thugs, they would be mega rich.
With this in mind, Kazuma was determined to catch them and turn them in. Not because it was for the greater good, but because it was for the money. A fitting and perfect mindset for this otherworldly man.
"I guess you're right." YunYun sighs and keeps up with him.
"They said the thieves went east word. Looks like we're almost there." Indeed, the guards did see them pass above them in eastern side of the village, and into the forest.
Like Kazuma had said, they were getting close. And after they got there, they asked the guards stationed there on the whereabouts of the Hunts. They said they saw them disappear into the trees as they were chasing after them. With the new info in mind, they thanked the guards and set off.
"H-hey, don't you need some help?" The guards asked just before the duo could leave. "We could assist you."
"Don't worry about us. We got this." Kazuma said. "Right YunYun?" She nodded cutely.
"Alright then, good luck on your journey." The guard bid them luck.
And off they go on their quest to catch some thieves.
"Ahh, I never thought I'd say this but it feels good to go on quests again. Even if it's not officially posted by a guild."
Kazuma expressed surprising enthusiasm for this unofficial quest. Both him and YunYun were currently treading in a forest, the high trees and thick branches blocking the sun, making it nice and warm to traverse through.
YunYun too was feeling the energy like him. "I agree Kazuma-san. After travelling the kingdom for three months, I forgot how fun going on quests were."
"Y'know, I still can't believe you spent three whole months just to find me." He chuckled.
She blushed red. "Ah haha... I guess I really cared about you back then... And now..." She said, the volume on her voice gradually going down, to the point it where Kazuma couldn't even hear it. A habit he grew used too. He didn't even bother to ask to hear it again.
He looks on to the path Infront of him. It was indeed a forest. No changing that. Observing the lush green bushes that surrounds them made him relax. The cool breeze hitting their faces, the pretty flowers that some bushes had, the scent of wood coming from the trees, it was all refreshing to the two.
As Kazuma looks up at the the tall trees, admiring their magnificent height, he notices something peculiar about them.
"Hold on a sec."
"What's the matter Kazuma-san?" YunYun asks as she saw Kazuma suddenly stop walking.
"Look up there." He then points up at the tree across them. "See something off?"
"Hmm." YunYun looks to where he was pointing at. Trying to see on any details that could entail on what Kazuma was so caught up about. Before, she spots it.
"A... branch is broken off?" Indeed, a branch from that said tree, was broken off.
"Not just that one." He then drifts his arm to point at more trees beside it. "Multiple of them are."
"You're right!" YunYun, seeing the full picture now, fully understanding him completely. "But, why is that?" This revelation however, brought up another question. Why?
Why was there multiple trees with branches broken, pointing towards one direction? Heck, it wasn't just that one. They saw multiple trees from the side with the same type of conditions; broken off branchess.
"Maybe we should investigate further by following it." Kazuma deduce since they were all broken off in a seemingly straight line. The branches that were broken off all were on the same side, and conveniently, were going into a linear line. Meaning that wherever direction these trees lead to, they must've been man made. A trail so to speak. Which also means-
"Looks like we know where our bounty is." Kazuma said. "Come on YunYun, let's go." He then jogged to where the trees were leading him. YunYun followed close behind him.
As they were walking pretty fast through the forest, they saw that some of the trees had broken branches, but some were still intact. But, those that are still intact however, had scar marks on it. Kazuma took note of that information.
"That's weird. The ones that are still intact have some scratches on them. The gurads did say they saw them fly above their heads, meaning that they must've used grappling hooks." Kazuma deduced in his head.
"YunYun, I think I know why these branches are broken off." He turns his head to face her.
"What do you think, Kazuma-san?"
"The Hunts must've used grappling hooks to get up the trees. Maybe some of them snapped while others were successful, and scratched the trees."
"That makes a lot of sense Kazuma-san! But, how did you come up with that?" She asked.
"It's simple, the guards said they saw them fly above them right? The only explanation there is they used grappling hooks and rope to escape." Unless they had Spiderman's power, it was the only logical explanation on how they made their escape.
"Hmm. Wait, I hear something." YunYun stopped walking as she heard some loud chatter way Infront of them.
"What is it YunYun?" He whispered to her.
"Someone's talking. Let's take a closer look." She said with the same volume as him. She walks slower this time, looking down at the ground so that she doesn't step on a stick amd break it, potentially alerting the intruders Infront of them. Kazuma did the same as well.
They walked slowly, but took big steps in case the chatters went away, leaving them clueless.
*Zip*
Both Kazuma and YunYun stopped walking as they were alerted by a zipping sound of some sorts.
*zip* *zip* *zip* *zip*
Then, multiple zip sounds echoed from the direction Infront of them.
"Maybe we should hurry up. In case these guys are already moving." Kazuma proposed, and YunYun nodded in agreement.
They walked faster than before, still being careful as to not alert these unidentified sounds. It was confirmed human as they heard laughter coming from above the trees.
"Were those sounds grappling hooks?" He guessed after hearing that laugh.
"YunYun, let me check something."
"Huh? Kazuma-san, what are you-"
"Stay right here alright." He cut her off as he pointed his right arm at a tree branch. Before using his skill which he practiced many weeks ago.
"Grapple." A grappling hook emerged from his hand and whizzed through the air, faster than she could see. Before that hook wrapped around the tree branch he was pointing at. "Reverse grapple." He then reeled himself up, the rope shortening more and more and he got higher and higher. Shortly after, he was now hanging above YunYun and the ground, now stuck on the tree branch.
YunYun, who had never seen this trick performed by him before, was unsurprisingly, surprised.
"K-Kazuma-san! you could do that?" She yelled out loud, before covering her mouth at the blunder she just made. Hopefully that didn't ruin their mission.
"Damn it YunYun." He silently cussed. "YunYun, could you stay down there and run with me? I'm gonna use these trees to navigate." He yelled down.
"Fuck! I did it too!" He slapped himself in the forehead.
"What do you mean?"
"Just follow me!" He motions his hand to follow him before he does the same trick like he did before. Grappling to a tree, before swinging down and reeling himself in. Kinda like spiderman! Or those guys called, scouts? was it? It didn't matter.
What mattered was that Kazuma was hopping off from tree to tree. YunYun finally understood him and ran after him. With Kazuma in the air, and YunYun on the ground, the two were getting closer and closer to the notorious thieving group, the Hunts.
As Kazuma whizzed through the forest, he soon saw something up ahead.
"Foresight." He whispered under his breath. His vision then changed where he sees things much more closer. Like binoculars.
What he saw in the distance were rustling leaves and branches, but most importantly, what caused them to rustle. As the leaves settled, he saw glimpses of a figure, multiple of them. As he was about to inspect further however, he lost sight of them as they presumably jumped down, or rather, did the same thing as him...
"I think I know how they escaped now. Fully this time." He figured mentally.
"YunYun you okay down there?" He stopped swinging as he rests on a branch, looking down at the ground.
"Y-yes I'm fine Kazuma-san! What's the matter?" Caught off guard by the sudden call out, she looked up to where he was perching.
"Listen, I think I saw them! They're just straight ahead!" He yelled down. "Hang in there alright!" He then resumes his scouting mission.
"Okay!" She looks determined as she followed suite, her legs not giving up now.
Kazuma whizzed through the trees with his grappling hooks, faster than YunYun could catch up. But soon, Kazuma would catch up to these goons as he saw their figures being more visible and he could make out details now.
Indeed, with his enhanced vision, he made out that they had in fact wore green hoods above their heads. Though, they were all in different shades of green. Nevertheless, they all had the same color. That's when he had an idea pop off his head.
He looked down to where YunYun was at. Pitifully, she was trying her best to catch up to him. Maybe he'll apologize later. Anyhow, he went down, his grapple stuck to the branch so that he could descend much safer than just jumping down. YunYun looked up and saw Kazuma coming down to her level.
"What's going on Kazuma-san? Did you lose them?" She asked concerned.
"Don't worry YunYun, I haven't lost them yet. Actually, I have a plan in mind." He said.
"What is it then?"
"You know how these guys distinct features are green hoods?" He asked, she already saw where this was going. "Well, how about I pretend like I'm in there group with my cloak. I'm sure they won't notice." He said confidently, or more accurately, cockily.
"Kazuma-san, wouldn't that be really dangerous if you were caught? And what happens after you infiltrate them? You can't just carry all their money on your back." YunYun was already pointing out the plethora of holees in his plan.
In Kazuma's mind, yes it would work. With his hood over his head, disguising his identity, the Hunts would just assume he was apart of their team. Maybe he was lagging behind or something. But, if he were caught however, the consequences would be devastating. This thieving group didn't just get that hefty bounty for stealing oranges from grandma. They must've had some hardcore mercenaries that took stealing up to heisting as a career. Being able to steal some valuable treasures from the capital and the nobility is no easy feat.
Kazuma had to think this plan out accordingly, or else his head wouldn't be resting on his shoulders for long.
"Okay, how about this. I try to, negotiate, with their leader or something. And if things go south, I give a signal for you to launch whatever spells at them so that I could get the money and get out of there." He said. "Agree?"
"But, what about the money?"
"Fuck, forgot about that." He cussed to himself. He totally forgot about the true purpose of this quest; to get the village money back.
He racked his brain up, figuring out a way to bring the budget of the village, while also escaping a group of bandits chasing behind them. He knew that carrying it wouldn't work, since they were only two of them. And he doubt both of them are strong enough to carry tons worth of eris on their backs. That is until, he remembered something.
"YunYun, could you use teleport on items?"
Right, he remembered just now the time where he went to the crimson demon village for the first time. It was via teleportation. If YunYun could in fact teleport items away, i.e eris. than that means she could just teleport it all into the coffers back at her home. And it fits with the rules of teleportation. A user must see and been to that place to teleport. Unless she wants to use random teleport like Wiz did. God did he regert saying he'll take responsibility for that.
YunYun caught on with what he was trying to say. "You want me to teleport the money to the coffers?" He hummed in response. "Hmm, that could work..."
"I'll try Kazuma-san."
"Awesome. Now then, how do I go in..." With that out of the way, he now thought for a moment, planning his way on how to infiltrate their base.
He then came up with a plan.
"Okay, I'll just walk right in, act dumb to distract them while I scout for the money. When I do find it, I'll scream. When their all around me, you swoop in and teleport the money, and get out. I'll find a way to escape."
YunYun, just looked at him dumbfounded. "Kazuma-san, I'm sorry to say this, but your plan sounds incredibly stupid."
"Sheesh, never thought you would say that." He commented. "Well that's how I plan it at least. Unless you have some other plan, let's hear it."
"Well, I obviously wouldn't leave you there by yourself. Hmm. I guess after I teleport the money, if I see you surrounded, I'll use cursed lightning to shock them, giving you time to escape alive." She said, a plan much more logical than his.
"I guess that works..." He thought about it for a moment. "Okay, that's the plan."
"Wait."
"What is it now YunYun." He rolled his eyes.
"What happens if you do get caught?"
"Then... I guess we just make a run for it and tell DanDan of their base." It was their last resort. If things do turn out for the worst, then he guessed he should leave that bounty be instead of risking his life. Evn though he's literally doing that right now.
"Then, I have no further qualms." YunYun said.
"Okay then." He took a deep breath, before saying-
"I go in, shout to where the money is, you go in and teleport it while I distract them. You lightning them to give us both time to escape." He summarized. "How does me carrying you sound?"
"W-what?! K-Kazuma-san, that's..." YunYun was taken aback by what she just heard. More out of shock than disgust.
"Well how do you want to escape? They have the same grappling hook strategy as mine. You want to run or some shit?" Kazuma stated the obvious. After YunYun used teleportation on the money, and maybe on cursed lightning, he guessed that she'd only have enough mana to run. So...
"I guess you can carry me..." She sighed.
"Alright, any other things we should discuss about?" She shook her head. "Then, let's go." Kazuma reeled his grappling hook, which was still hanging on the tree by the way, upwards. YunYun saw him ascend at fast speeds.
"YunYun, just follow me like before. When we see their base, just hide alright?" He then launches another grappling hook from his free hand, hooking to a tree Infront of him, before reeling himself in again. This cycle continued interchangeably, one hand grapples to a tree, while the other releases the previous one. She followed him like before.
Kazuma swung like tarzan while YunYun was running a marathon. It didn't take long before they reached their base.
"Kazuma-san, I think I see their base!" She yelled at him.
It was true. Infront of them, they saw tents and maybe even a few hooded people walking around. YunYun slowed down her steps, while Kazuma continued his swinging. He advanced forward before stopping on a tree, his front view being the base for the Hunts.
"Looks like this is it." He looked down and saw multiple people with hoods. "There's more than those five I saw earlier. It's like a whole organization down there!"
"Actually, i think this might be easier. I could blend in easily since there's so many people down there. If it were the five before, they'd obviously knew there's an extra." Down where Kazuma saw, there were roughly 40 to 50 people.
"Foresight." With his enhanced vision, he scouted out where the money bags were.
"Hmm... hmm- there!" Soon enough, he spotted it. He saw the same five people all carrying bags behind their backs. They then loaded them onto a cart. It looks like they were struggling as well, so it must've been something heavy. Like eris...
Kazuma breathed in. "Okay Kazuma, you can do this. Get the money, tell the guards they're here, and get that bounty." He was planning on capturing them, but after seeing the true size of the Hunts, he opted with letting the gurds deal with them.
He silently prepared himself, before going down and reeling the grapple back into him, the only thing separating him and the Hunts was a bush.
"Hope your ready YunYun."
"Good luck Kazuma-san."
He covered his head with his hood, and walked right into their camp.
"Hey what's our next destination?"
"After this, I think we're going to Maine."
"Did you see the boss yet?"
"Man I'm gonna go solo on a casino."
"Hey when are going to the capital again?"
Kazuma walked through the crowd full of hooded people, all busy with their own business. Some were men, some were women. Some sounded young, while others sounded mature. He saw various people with different sizes and height. But one thing they all had in common though was their hoods.
The very thing keeping their identity, and his, a secret.
"Alright, where's those bags I saw them loading in a cart...?" He whispered to himself, trying not to draw any attention out.
"There!" Finally, he saw it, the cart. The one full of the village's budget. He power walked to it, careful not to look suspicious. That is until...
"Cloak!"
Behind him, a grully man said out loud, particularly towards his direction. His voice sounded rough, and it definitely sounded like he wasn't messing around either. Kazuma stopped dead in his tracks.
"Yeah, I'm talking about you. Where you going? King Hunt is about to talk about her next plan." Okay, he was definitely talking to him.
Kazuma slowly turned around to face him.
"Uh, okay." He said.
"Jeez, I didn't know you were this weird. Come on, she's waiting for us." The man said before turning around, and walking away. Presumably towards this woman named 'King Hunt'.
"Maybe I should follow him. Who knows, he'll probably notice I'm not there and grows suspicious." He finally decided to follow him, his heart beating faster by the minute.
The two walk up to a tree stump where a bunch of people were gathered around. This is where Kazuma sees how truly devoted these guys were to their hoods. Some had cloaks that went all the way to the ground. Another had a hat with a veil blocking their head. Even some wrapped green cloths around their heads, only showing their eyes to see. The variety, yet same dedicated team, all following their own set of rules in their own different ways.
Before then, a man was seen standing up on the tree stump, his signature hood being a long scarf.
"Quiet everyone!" He said with a loud voice that was overheard by everyone, silencing the chitter chatter amongst the hooded people. Kazuma too was silent, not daring to whisper even a single word.
"King Hunt is about to speak!" He said, before retreating down the stump. Making way for the esteemed figure.
Truly, she was a sight to see. She was the only one which everyone could see their face. She wore a cloak around her body, its length just stopping on her stomach. Atop her head was a big green hat, the shape of which had a big collar and a ginger colored feather resting on it. It was blocking her luscious blonde hair that flowed down to her neck. It was short, but not too short. And her eyes were the same as the baby blue in the sky. Indeed, one would mistake her as a noble. But, this noble was the leader of the notorious thieving group - The Hunts.
She wad labeled as such, the King Hunt.
"Thank you Scarf. Listen hunters!" Her voice even sounded like nobility, but it was tinged with a bit of roughness. Feminine, while also laced with masculinity.
"We just had a successful run with the crimson demon village. With that out of the way, our next destination would be Elroad!" She said, murmurs began to spread in the sea of people.
"Now, I know what you're thinking. Why go to another kingdom? Well, since Elroad is famous for its many rich casinos, perfect for us to steal from thr rich!" She smirked. The skeptical crowd before now change into scheming foes.
"We'll be going by tomorrow morning. I got some guys to help us cross the borders without the immigration knowing. You're all dismissed." The King Hunt hen called off her short speech, indicating the end for the gather up.
"Phew, good thing it ended short." Kazuma mentally sighed.
"Now then, time to notify YunYun." With the end of their little notice, Kazuma then power walked oncr more towards the money cart.
Meanwhile, YunYun was observing the whole ordeal.
She was hiding inside a bush, looking out for Kazuma's well being. She knew well which one he was so it wasn't hard to keep track of him. She saw how the Hunts had this short meeting where she supposedly guessed their leader was giving a speech. With that ending, she saw Kazuma walking pretty fast towards one direction.
"Looks like he found it." She whispered to nobody in particular. "Wait, how am I supposed to sneak in again?"
"Wait, Kazuma-san?" Before she could advance in however, she saw the man in question being stopped by the same one who gave that short announcement.
"Oh no, Kazuma-san, be careful!" She silently panicked, hoping their outcome would end peacefully.
Back to Kazuma.
"Hey you."
A voice was heard from behind his back, this time, it was feminine.
"Oh great, not this again."
He turned around to face whoever was stopping him again. This time however, it was the last person he wanted to meet.
It was the King Hunt. He guessed she was the leader since everyone seemed to focus on her more and that she's the only one whose face is exposed. Plus, with a title like 'King Hunt' - it screamed importance and high praise.
"What's the matter King Hunt?" He tried to sound as smooth as possible. No stutters, no hiccups.
She raied an eyebrow in response.
"Oh god, did I mess up? Was it me saying her full title or something? I did hear that man a while ago say her full title so what is it then?" Kazuma mentally panicked.
"Nothing much. It's just that, are you new here? I've never seen a hunter share the same hood as I am. If I did, I would've noticed right away" She said, sounding nonchalant.
"Phew, it seems like she doesn't care. Huh, she sounds pretty chill. Maybe I could get out of this easily."
"Really? Well, I just like cloaks is all. You're not mad are you?" "Okay, hopefully that sounded believable."
"Heh, don't worry about it. I'm okay with it. - People are just too scared to wear the same hood as mine, it kinda sucks. I just wish they realized that I'm the same as them and thar they don't need to treat me like - a king..." Her voice trailed off by the end, but Kazuma could hear it clearly.
"..." Kazuma stayed silent.
"Sorry sorry. I'm just rambling. God, what kind of leader am I talking to a hunter about my problems." She said to herself, but it was loud enough for him to hear it.
"Don't tell the other hunters about this okay?" She winks, a tinge of red barely visible went across her cheeks.
"My lips are sealed." Kazuma made a zipping motion across his mouth.
"Hehe, you're the only one whose not serious around me." She chuckled at seeing his motion. "What's you're name by the way?"
"Kazuma." He said.
Suddenly, her friendly and carefree demeanor had vanished in an instant.
"What did you say?" Her voice now sounded cold like ice. Caution was flaring in her eyes, and her hand had suddenly moved to her hips where her visible dagger was placed.
"Uh... Kazuma?" He repeated his name again, this time with unsureness. "Fuck! What did I do wrong?" He panicked in his mind, chills went down his spine as his enemy detection went off.
"... What's the first rule of the Hunts?" She asked, still cautious of the man Infront of her. People from around them began to take notice of the sudden change in air between their leader and the hooded man. From a distance, they observed the two with caution as well.
"Um..." "Think Kazuma! Think!!!"
"It's... A hunter must not reveal their face?" He took a guess, the same unsureness was noticeable. Even by her.
"... Close, but that's the second."
"FUCK!!!"
"A hunter must never reveal their true names." She said the rules of the Hunts. Her eyes now showed sureness, not caution.
"Let me ask you another question. Who are you?" She then pulled out her daggger, indicating her hostility towards Kazuma. The spectators saw this action and pulled out heir weapons as well. It was a clear sign that if the King Hunt pulled their weapon onto another, it means that they are untrustworthy and must be captured. Hunter or not.
Kazuma could only look on with panic and regret in his eyes.
To be continued...
Side Story 3: Ferdinand Medium/Rosalina Alford - Part 1
"Haaaaaah..." In a guild hall, a particular girl was sighing heavily in boredom. To no one in particular.
Yes, this girl's name is Rosalina Alford. She was currently sitting alone at a table, waiting for someone, anyone, to come and join her party. Or more accurately, to form one since she's the only one in it.
"Come on, dad said this adventuring gig would be easy. Especially with recruiting members." She remembered tthe exact words he said.
"Don't worry Rose, I'm sure people would flock to you. Especially with how beautifuly my daughter is!" Yeah, what a joke, she thought.
For some background, Rosalina is a 17 year old who just moved into the town of Flandre, just east of the kingdom of Belzerg. With her father and her, he decided that he would take up being a merchant, while Rose followed her life long dream of becoming an adventurer.
After reading a bit of history on how the legendary hero slayed the king of demons, she was inspired and sought out to become just like the hero in the history books, as if they were fairy tales of a fantasy world. She would say to her father while growing up, that she will become just like him, the legendary hero. He obviously supported her endeavors, well, because he thought it was just a phase, that she will grow out of it.
Oh how he was wrong.
Turns out, she was serious. But that didn't bother him that much. He was just scared is all since adventuring as an occupation was not very safe, in fact, it was the most dangerous job one could ask for. When he tried to discuss it with his daughter however, it seems she was more into it than he thought. Not budging nor changing her mind about it. It was all set in stone from the very beginning.
With his reluctant support, he finally gave in and gave her permission to finally become an adventurer.
After registering in a guild, she went and chose her class; a warrior. Which surprised her actually. Though, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
Back in her early youth, she would usually end up in a brawl with the other kids, prompting very angry parents to lash out on her after injuring their kids. She would come home with bruises on her hands, but a big smile on her face. She would always be honest about it, saying she heard someone call her weak and names, and retaliate with a fist to their face. Her dad obviously did not approve of such methods, and she tried her best to behave after that. For the most part.
After getting her class, she was advised by the receptionist that she would need to wear gauntlets on her fists to better combat foes. So she went shopping with her dad, on went home with two new shiny gauntlets in her bag.
The next on her list was to practice. Luckily, there were many warriors in her area which she could learn from. Whenever she would ask these people for guidance or skills, they would always be surprised to see that a girl would choose the warrior class. Which didn't bother her in the slightest. Maybe because the warrior class is mostly consited by men. But they were supportive nonetheless.
She learned a lot of things from them. How to block, how to punch, how to build up muscle to bring out stronger punches. She really did appreciate the help the guys gave her.
And now, to the important part - actually questing.
She asked the receptionist on what quest she should do first as a beginner, to which they said (take a guess), giant toad extermination.
"Giant toads?"
"Yes. They are the easiest quest any adventurer could take - perfect for beginners." The receptionist smiled happily.
"Though, I recommend you take a friend with you. In case you get swallowed, it'd be hard to get yourself out. The friend will help you escape." They advised.
"Oh please, I don't need a friend." She cockily said. "I can do just fine by myself. Plus, it is 'the easiest quest any adventurer could take', right?"
"It is, but-"
They were about to say, before being rudely interrupted by the warrior.
"I don't want to hear. Bye bye now. I'm gonna kill a few toads and get myself a well deserved meal." She then walks away from the counter, a smug on her face.
The receptionist shook their head in disappointment. "*sigh, this is why it should be 21, not 14."
"Guards, take a close look on that girl." They called a guard over, the guard himself went to the calling receptionist. "I think she might need you're help." They said to him.
"On it."
A few minutes later, we could see Rosalina Infront of some giant toads, looking down at the meek girl.
"Alright buddy, prepare too turn into mince meat!" She pulled back her right arm, her hand now balled into a fist, amd proceeded to punch the toad with all her might.
The next scene we see her yelling out for help.
Alright so what happened earlier went something like this...
The skin of the giant toad rippled like tides after receiving the punch from the brunette haired girl. And after realizing that it did no damage at all, she looked up at the toad and gave a small, but nervous chuckle.
"So uh, that mince meat... forget I said that alright haha..."
"AHHH NO! HELP ME! ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME!!!"
She yelled at the top of her lungs. Her legs and lower torso were swallowed by the huge toad. The mucus and saliva filled mouth, greatly disgusted the warrior as it's tounge swirled at the young maiden's legs.
Fortunately for her, her head and upper body were still outside it's mouth, so she could call for some assistance with dealing this toad that was currently eating her.
"PLEASE, I'M TOO YOUNG AND CUTE TOO DIE!"
Luckily for her, the receptionist from earlier had anticipated that this would happen, and had a guard to watch her on standby, waiting for the worst. Indeed, it seems she needed help after all, the guard thought. He ran towards the damsel in distress and quickly saved her by killing the toad with a stab on it's stomach.
"Gahh." She panted, her body now resting on the spiky grass. "... Thank you... Thank you so much." She looked up and thanked tthe hero that saved her.
The guard shook his head in disappointment. "You really should've listen to that nice receptionist earlier. You're lucky they appointed me to watch over you. Looks like their intubation were right."
"Wait! You're telling me they knew I would fail and got you to spy on me?" She asked frantically.
"Pretty much."
She slammed her head on the ground, shame flowed through her face. "You've got to be kidding me." She mumbled on her smooshed lips, inaudible to the guard standing above her. "And now I stink..."
"I recommend you go join a party or create one. It'll be easier to do quests. Unless you're strong enough to survive on your own, a party will save your ass."
"Can I-"
"No, I'm not even an adventurer. I'm a guard." He then walked off, leaving the now smelly warrior to lay down in her sorrows.
And now, we're back to the present.
After returning home with with soggy pants that bothered the people who unfortunately wiffed her unpleasant scent as they walked by, she took a shower, and discussed with her dad on her next course of action. He of course suggested that she hung up a poster to recruit any adventurers that would like to join her party.
Now, she sees and realizes just how tough this whole adventuring gig truly is.
"Maybe I should join a party."
It wasn't an too far off from her original goal. She could just join an existing party and start off there. Though, she would have to follow their leader so she couldn't be her own boss.
"I'm getting thirsty." With how long she had been waiting on her table for anyone to come, she eventually got dehydrated from the wait.
She got up from her chair, and went to the local bar in the guild. For some reason, she didn't just order from the waitresses that were stationed throughout the guild hall. Maybe all that waiting made her forget.
She sat down and ordered. "Bartender, one glass of milk please." It was an odd drink to many people. She did have one drink of ale, an alcoholic beverage widely consumed in the general populace. But after having a really bad stomach ache, and a pounding headache after, she decided that maybe alcohol wasn't her strong suit, and opted to never drink it again.
"... Gah."
Beside her, a man grunted as he lays down his drink. She cocked an eyebrow at this, but didn't bother to nose in on his business.
"Here's you're drink ma'am." The bartender set down her drink
"Thanks." She took it and began gulping down the cold fresh milk.
"... Hmm?" The man beside her, took notice of her choice in beverage. "I take it, your not well in alcohol?" The man spoke to her.
"Oh uh, yeah..." Caught off guard by the sudden comment, she answered his question. "What about you?" A strategy she came up with in conversation is that, if a person asks you a question about you, like if your well, then you ask the same question back to them. She wasn't really good at keeping up a conversation. Not socially awkward, just doesn't really know how to keep a chat going.
"I drink, sometimes..." He looks back at the drink Infront of him. "I don't want to keep it a habit though. Especially if I end up in a bad mood..." He shook his head.
"You probably don't want to hear it though, it's pretty boring and straight forward."
"Oh no no no, I'm fine with it. - What's gotten you so down." She didn't know why, but whenever someone rants or talks about a certain topic to her, no matter the person, she would always listen to them. Taking in their rambles and try to understand them.
"I've been trying to find a party to join." He then looks at her. "They would always test me too see if I was worty enough to join, but they always say no. Saying that I was too weak or something."
"It hurts... y'know. I know its supposed to be for me to improve but... it really weighs you down after getting the same thing all the time. Maybe they were right..." Rose listened on to this man's little rant, tuning out while also paying attention to what he's saying. Like a podcast.
"Especially after immigrating from Obsidio..."
"Wait, did you say join a party?" She had caught on one crucial detail she slipped; the entire purpose on why she was here in the first place - to form a party.
"Yeah, I did." He said. "What, you want me to join your party or something?"
"That is exactly why!" She said enthusiastically, a complete contrast towards the man's stoic and somewhat depressful atmosphere.
"Hey, want to join my party? I've been looking for new members all day." She asked, her cheerfulness almost looked creepy to how desperate she sounded.
"Uh... You sure? I mean, you haven't even checked my skills. Heck, you don't even know my name." He said, reluctant, even though he himself was desperate to join one.
"Oh yeah, forgot about that." She realized, he could only look at her in wonder. "So, what's your name? We can get started on testing your skills later." She asked eager.
"My name is Ferdinand Medium. Just call me Ferdinand."
Author's note:
First if all, happy 1 year anniversary to this book! Literally the last chapter, the day after was it's birthday so what a surprise that was.
Another is that this book has reached 100k words! Excluding all the author notes, I'm confident to say it reacheed that milestone.
And finally, this book has received 100 followers as of the writing of thsi chapter, to which, I thank you all for supporting my book through it's journey. (to become stronger)
It really does mean a lot to me that so many people would follow and favorited this book of mine. I could've only dreamed of reaching this milestone before, but now I could see it with my own two eyes. Truly, thank you all so so much for following the story of this fanfic. I promise you, it will have an end. No matter how long it takes.
I feel proud to know and see the evolution of this book. From 'Kazuma's journey to becoming stronger', to the most recent chapter, I feel very proud in myself to improve and stick to tthis story from it's very beginning. And I can't wait to explain it all once the final chapter comes out.
Alright, with celebrations out of the way, I want to discuss a little bit about the chapter itself.
I feel like the first part is kinda weak. Maybe because I don't know if some of you like it being spoon fed some lore about the story. I mean, you're all literally reading a history lesson on how the first demon king came to be, so I hope that didn't like, bore you.
But among other things, the later part is, in my opinion, pretty damn good. We got new characters which will be important in the later half of the story, and character development on Rosalina. (And later Ferdinand)
I hope I explained the situations they were in well amd I hope the repeat of phrases don't get tiring. (Like confused and confusion, I think I wrote that way too many times) I want to het better at writing situations and more intricate dialogue. Since, later on in tbe story, there's gonna be some real heavy shit going on, and I want you readers to feel like you're on a rollercoaster reading it.
Well, that's enough talking, The next chapter might take longer to write since school vreak is nearing it's end. Probably 2 months if I'm being optimistic.
That's all from me, thank you all again for following this fanfic, wether your new or old, and see you in the next chapter.
P.s Bring back autocorrect!!!