Magic Knight Rayearth: Saving the Villainess

by HORRIOR

After meeting his end in an accident, Hotaru ends up reincarnated in Tokyo Japan, only to find out this world may not be as mundane as he first thought it to be. After stowing away in on someone else's adventure, he finds out that maybe he wasn't as uninvited as he thought. The usual retelling of MKR anime with a fourth character, done in the honor of 30th anniversary.

45. Relationship Built to Last

Having received the long-range alarm system from Zazu, Hotaru visited all twenty villages under his protection to install them. The first few times required some trial and error due to a lack of instructions he could read, but in the end, it was a simple three step process. Unable to use any characters he was familiar with; he used a notebook to write down which village corresponded to which letter. Getting the villagers familiarized with the color-coded system was straightforward enough, but there were some debates as to the locations of the setups.

With the control panel installed in his mansion's main building's game room, Hotaru was finally freed from his three daily surveillance flights. To celebrate, he and Alcyone had taken their new flying mythological mounts out on a ride. Alcyone rode the unicorn, Zenith, and Hotaru attempted to ride Nadir, their bicorn. With Hotaru having never ridden a horse before, Alcyone had to teach him alongside Envix about mounts. The purple-haired teenager had been significantly more gifted at riding than Hotaru was, but he eventually got the hang of it.

Once the time came for the actual trip, Hotaru couldn't help but activate Aluminum Flight while holding onto Nadir's reins. Though he was used to flying and now familiar with riding a horse, flying on a horse was still nerve-wracking. With Aluminum Flight, he could sit back on Nadir and not have to worry about falling off, as he was essentially unaffected by gravity. Alcyone wasn't too happy about this, as horse riding was meant to be a form of exercise. But finding out Hotaru was still nervous, she quickly let it be.

For their date, they visited a few picturesque locations Hotaru had spotted while flying about on his surveillance flights. First, they visited a winding, slowly flowing river surrounded by tall, golden grasslands and large, red, bell-shaped flowers with star-like petals. Taking their time to soak their feet in the clear waters and enjoy the breeze, they enjoyed the silence of nature. As small animals came over to drink from the river, they couldn't help but play with them for a short while.

Their next stop was a floating island with a giant crystal on it. While the island itself was nothing out of the ordinary, what made it special was how low to the ground it hovered. Surrounded by mountains that reached higher than the crystal, it left a permanent shady grove of mushrooms below it. The mushroom forest was full of all kinds of strange fungi, some of which grew as tall as trees. Using Alcyone's mycological knowhow, they managed to gather edible mushrooms that looked like meatballs and walnuts, which they then smoked.

Next up was a forested valley between two mountain ranges that curved inward like a giant ribcage. The curves were continued by huge jungle trees that grew in large arches across the valley, creating a natural roof over it. The slightly dim valley was full of magical plants, trees, and flowers, some of which gave off light. At the center of the valley was a large tiered spring, made out of round and perfectly blue pools of water. The valley was populated by fairies, mermaids, satyrs, lamias, and harpies of different sizes and maturities. The spirits first acted coldly towards Alcyone, as many of them remembered the wars she had caused. But after hearing Hotaru praise her as the one to help him the most in saving Cephiro, they warmed up to her slowly.

Their final destination was a large and deep lake in a rocky moor, with herds of Cephiroan sheep grazing the fields. The area itself wouldn't have been impressive, but as the night had already fallen, bright lights could be seen shining from the lake. At the bottom of the lake, bioluminescent fish and algae swam around large, colorful crystals, making the waters glow in a multitude of colors.

Their date was interrupted on a few occasions, as Hotaru's wristwatch-like mobile computer started beeping. On one occasion it was a monster attack, on another one of the village children had set off a false alarm out of curiosity. Despite these interruptions, Alcyone managed to have a great time, collecting rare flowers, mushrooms, and herbs during their trip, to take back to their mansion. After the day was done, they were so tired from all the horse riding that they went straight to bed.

Sore from riding all day, the next day was spent resting up and relaxing, with even the maids being given a day off. Livina took the time visiting her home village and Integra to read a few books in the mansion's library while eating snacks. Envix to everyone's surprise took Zenith out for a flight to visit her mother. Having rested in the morning, Hotaru and Alcyone decided to make the most of their mansion's facilities, letting their passions flow. With no interruptions from the mobile computer or their servants, the two of them experimented with new ways to show their love to one another.

Three days after receiving the alarm system, Hotaru would have liked to continue enjoying his newfound freedom with Alcyone. However, the sorceress was adamant about getting to plant the flora and fungi she had collected, before they would dry up. After finishing with his daily exercises, Hotaru found himself struggling to find something to do, until he came up with an idea.

Returning to the mansion, Hotaru yelled out, "Alcyone, where are you?"

"I'm by the water flowers!" her voice echoed from the depths of the courtyard.

Following the pathways, Hotaru soon found Alcyone squatting over a patch of mushrooms she was planting next to the pond. She was wearing a white summer dress as she worked, as it felt lighter than the reinforced leotard and cape of her evolving armor. To keep her extremely long black-hair clean and away from the ground, she had tied it up into a large hair bun and a ponytail. Otherwise, she was doing her yard work barefoot and -handed, to let her do more precise work and to feel if her garden was healthy.

Seeing Hotaru stare at her with a smile, she asked in a playful tone, "What is it you have in mind now?"

"…Hmmm? Sorry, I was just thinking how endearing you look while working," Hotaru snapped out of his thoughts. "I was just coming to let you know I will be going out for a trip to visit Lafarga and Caldina. It's been a while since I've last seen them. Mind listening to the alarm system while I'm away?"

Alcyone thought about the offer for a moment, before frowning towards Hotaru, "And why can't I come with you?"

"Well…" Hotaru's mind blanked for a moment, "I didn't want to bother your gardening… Also, I thought you didn't like spending time with Caldina?"

"I am almost finished," Alcyone said, getting up and cleaning herself up with magic. "Besides, while I am not fond of Caldina, I'd prefer to not leave you two alone."

"Oh, come on," Hotaru rolled his eyes. "You really think we would cheat on our beloved spouses?"

"…No," Alcyone looked up at him, almost offendedly. "I just don't want you gambling or drinking away your savings in whatever bar or casino she has built."

"I have more than enough self-control to avoid doing anything like that," Hotaru crossed his arms, before adding, "…outside of moderation. Also, I doubt Caldina has done anything like that. Clef told us she and Lafarga were protecting villages like I am."

Shaking her head slowly, Alcyone spoke expertly, "Do not underestimate that hustler's hunger for gold and ability to multi-task. Considering she works with Lafarga with less than half the villages you do, she definitely has a side business or two going for her."

Thinking about Alcyone's take on the matter, Hotaru couldn't exactly deny her words. In fact, one of the reasons he had wanted to go was to see how Caldina and Lafarga were doing in their profession. Maybe he could either help them out or learn a thing or two himself. The idea that Caldina could also have some form of entertainment business going on, could make life on Cephiro a lot more exciting.

"Well…" Hotaru thought about it, before smiling. "Not like I have anything against you coming along."

With the informal visit decided upon, Alcyone let down her hair and put on her regular clothes, before allowing Hotaru to carry her. While they now had mounts, Hotaru was still much faster at flying. This was necessary, as Caldina and Lafarga lived pretty much on the other side of the northern hemisphere, on a different continent. While Alcyone was working on learning Mass Teleportation, she didn't feel comfortable practicing it on such a long distance to an unknown location. Taking a different page out of her former master's book, she cast a barrier circle around them, allowing Hotaru to fly at full speed. While they weren't in danger of hitting a stray insect at Mach sixteen, they had to stay focused so as not to get carried away.

"…I guess one never gets used to the princess carry," Alcyone blushed slightly, after they had flown for an hour and a half.

"If one got used to it, it would lose all meaning," Hotaru winked at her with a smile. "Although, for us this pose will always be special."

Realizing what he meant, Alcyone smiled, "Please, say it again."

"Alright," Hotaru smirked. "I love you."

"I love you too," Alcyone smiled with her eyes closed.

"Happy six-month anniversary, I guess," Hotaru chuckled, before looking down and around. "Huh… how do you suppose we find Caldina and Lafarga on this continent? Should we land and ask for directions?"

Wanting to stay in Hotaru's arms a bit longer, Alcyone claimed, "No need, I'm sure I can sense them from up here… Though maybe fly a bit closer to the ground?"

Following Alcyone's instructions, Hotaru descended down to the height of a few hundred meters, slowing his speed to one tenth. As Alcyone scanned the area, Hotaru paid attention to the surroundings. Although all of Cephiro was of a temperate climate, the continent felt slightly colder to him. The temperature was the same as in the jungle covered regions of Renault he often visited, but this continent had a lot of coniferous trees. There were large swatches of taiga, split up by lakes and rivers, yet also areas that resembled savannahs or prairies. Flying around, they could see that the villages vastly preferred the open grasslands over the wooded areas.

Due to time differential, it was early morning by the time their search came to a stop. Flying past a larger settlement that Hotaru remembered bringing people over to months ago, Alcyone spoke up.

"That way!" Alcyone pointed towards a dirt path leading away from the village.

Landing on the path, Hotaru gently lowered Alcyone on the ground, before walking, so as not to startle their friends. The dirt road led them around a large rocky crag, over a low hill and through a small coniferous forest. Walking through the woods, it had started getting bright outside, and they could see two large buildings in the distance. One of the buildings was made out of sandstone, two stories tall, had a large domed roof as well as a couple towers. The other building was mostly made out of wood, was single story, and much wider than the stone building.

Looking at the two buildings, Hotaru couldn't help but notice how one of them was distinctly Chizetan in shape, while the other looked quite bland.

Don't tell me those two are also living separately? With Ferio and Ascot it made sense, but is their relationship so rocky that separate bedrooms aren't enough? Perhaps we could give them some relationship advi—

ROAR*

Before Hotaru could finish his thoughts, something big leapt on top of him from the side, knocking him off his balance. Out of pure instinct, Hotaru activated Tungsten Defense before he hit the ground, causing the ground to shake as he landed on his back. Looking up, he saw a large white beast with glowing blue eyes stare down at him while attempting to maul him. It wrapped its large jaw around his neck and tried to sink its large canines into him, while its sharp claws scratched at his clothes. Had it not been for his spell, this beast with snow-white fur with black stripes would have made short work of him.

"Is that a Siberian tiger!?" Alcyone yelled out frightenedly.

"I'm surprised you know what that is," Hotaru said calmly while grabbing hold of the back of its neck.

Seeing Hotaru get up and lift the tiger with Steel Strength, Alcyone's heart was still beating erratically, "I r-read about them in the book Mokona gave me… Though now that I look at it, I think this thing is way too big to be one…"

Holding the tiger's head away at arm's length, Hotaru looked at the snarling beast still swatting at him, "We also don't have animals with glowing eyes. Think it is a monster?"

"ARE YOU TWO ALRIGHT!?" A deep yet familiar voice yelled at them from a distance.

Looking towards the voice, they saw a tall blonde man with a ponytail running over. He wore a suit of blue armor with white trims and large pauldrons, as well as a long black cape that wrapped around his arms. Underneath the armor, he wore a slightly baggy, navy-blue sleeveless shirt and pants, with a silvery grey belt holding them up. Attached to the belt were several pouches, and on his right index finger, he wore a ring with a large sapphire on it.

"Lafarga!" Hotaru greeted him cheerfully. "So good to see you. I didn't expect you to have a tiger infestation."

"Hotaru!? Alcyone!" Lafarga stared at them in surprise, before sighing in relief. "Oh, thank goodness it was you two…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alcyone asked, still slightly paler than usual.

Extending his right arm out, a bright flash of light was emitted from Lafarga's ring's blue gem, engulfing the tiger. The tiger soon matched the light of the glove, before being absorbed into the gem. Seeing this happen, both Hotaru and Alcyone were left speechless and confused.

Turning towards Alcyone, Hotaru smiled wryly, "And you said monsters didn't convert into energy and store inside little orbs."

"Well, you didn't tell me tigers did the same," Alcyone snarked back at him.

"It was not a monster," Lafarga spoke out, walking over to them. "That was Pantera, a Chizetan spirit tiger. Caldina attained it for me to act as a mount, in order to help me get around from village to village faster."

"So, it is a spirit then," Alcyone thought out loud, while dusting Hotaru off, before raising an eyebrow. "Is it safe to have that thing around near villages?"

Sighing tiredly, Lafarga crossed his arms, "I thought I had managed to tame Pantera, make it feel at ease near strangers. Normally it is a fine companion beast and doesn't act unless told to. But I guess your powerful presences scared it?"

"The feeling is mutual then…" Alcyone rolled her eyes, still a bit on the edge.

With a silence falling over the three of them, Lafarga cleared his throat, "So, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

"We have finally had some time off so we came to visit you and Caldina," Hotaru answered honestly and casually. "I guess this is what we get for showing up uninvited but what can you do."

"Well, it is an honor to have you two over," Lafarga smiled at his old friends. "Come inside, Caldina shouldn't have headed for work yet."

"Told ya," Alcyone whispered at Hotaru smugly.

Of the two buildings, they followed Lafarga to the one built like a miniature Taj Mahal. As they got closer, they could spot quaint little gardens at the front door, as well as a marble patio with white deck chairs. The house was decorated with olive-green trims and golden details near the windows, and had decorative carvings on the sides of the towers.

The walls on the inside were white and clean, with large latticework windows giving plenty of light. The floors were covered in decorative carpets and each doorway was framed by potted plants. The furniture included plenty of large pillows and couches, and there was a sweet aroma wafting in the air. The source of the fragrance was discovered in the kitchen, where Caldina was sitting, drinking tea from a golden tea-set.

With the dancer's back being turned towards the door, she asked casually, "Did ya manage to catch Pantera before she mauled the mailman again?"

Before Lafarga could answer, Hotaru spoke up, "No it was the mailman who mauled the tiger!"

Almost choking on the tea, Caldina let out an extended spit take, before getting up, "Hotaru! Alcyone! You caught me unready…"

The dancer was wearing a purple bathrobe and soft, pink, pointy slippers, while letting her long pink hair hang freely. As the Chizetan dancer stood up, her morning getup had suffered a slight malfunction, showing off more of her swarthy skin than supposed to. As she fixed herself up, Hotaru busied himself by looking at all the various Chizetan paraphernalia around the kitchen. With Caldina offering them all some tea, they sat down while Hotaru and Alcyone explained why they had come over.

"So, you came to see our little homestead," Caldina smiled, before tilting her head. "Mind if we stop by to see yours when we are free?"

"It would be acceptable, yes," Alcyone smiled, before looking around. "This is quite the cozy little home you have built for yourselves. Is this what your home was like back in Chizeta?"

"Nah! This is what I wished my home was like back when I was a child," Caldina admitted, chuckling a little. "I was so happy when Lafarga allowed me to splurge a little when designin' it."

"We aren't exactly spoilt for gold, but I wanted Caldina to be happy with our home," Lafarga smiled, before taking a sip of tea. "Things have gotten better for us after we learnt of your monster protection service. It has greatly improved everyone's lives here."

Seeing Hotaru smiling smugly, Alcyone rolled her eyes playfully, "Have there been a lot of attacks?"

"Not that many, but with Lafarga and Pantera takin' care of the monsters, I've been able to focus on my other job," Caldina explained.

"And that would be?" Hotaru asked, taking a sip.

"A teacher!" Caldina smiled proudly, causing her guests to spit take in return.

---

As the clock was getting close to nine, a large group of children walked down the dirt road outside Caldina's and Lafarga's house. Instead of heading for their home, the children, and a couple of parents escorting them headed for the single-story wooden school. The children came in all sizes and ages, and were all carrying either boxes, bundles, or baskets with their lunches. As they approached, those at the school could hear the children singing a merry tune. Even with Lafarga having taken his leave to look after the villages with Pantera, the school's faculty had tripled for the day.

Inside the school there were three classrooms. One was a room with large round tables with plenty of chairs around it, meant for arts, crafts, and vocational learning. The second was a gymnasium with simple standard gym equipment, such as ropes, balls, and wall bars. The third was a more traditional classroom with a blackboard and rows of wide desks and chairs. Looking outside from the classroom window, Hotaru and Alcyone watched as the children approached the school.

"I still cannot believe it…" Alcyone said out loud, watching from one of the windows. "You built a school and act as its only teacher?"

"What's so weird 'bout that? I heard ya we're acting as an apothecary," Caldina chuckled.

Instead of her dancer's outfit or the revealing leotard Caldina had obtained in the Sanctuary, she was wearing a relatively modest teacher's uniform. This included a black blouse with wide, elbow-length sleeves and a dark red, knee-length skirt. In addition, she still wore parts of her original outfit. Her golden arm bands and breast plate were worn over the blouse, popping off against the black fabric. Under her skirt, one could see her see-through stockings, and black slippers. The round red jewels on her earrings, gloves, shoes, and choker, signaled that she hadn't disarmed herself to be a teacher.

"But why though?" Hotaru asked, leaning against the classroom wall. "I'm sure you would've found other ways to provide for the society and make money in the process."

"I thought about that too, but, when livin' among the Cephiroans, I realized money doesn't hold the same importance as it does back in Chizeta. Even if ya have no money, people are still willing to help ya out, because they know ya will help them back."

Turning to look outside, Caldina stared into the distance a smile, "So that made me wonder, what should I do that was worthwhile? Then I heard there was a shortage of teachers and schools in the area. I may not know much, but I too had trouble findin' anyone to teach me when I was their age."

Hearing Caldina's reasoning, Hotaru and Alcyone couldn't avoid feeling somewhat rotten for their actions. They, who lived in a magnificent mansion and were making more than ten thousand gold coins per month, hadn't given nearly as much of their time to the people. Though they were called heroes, they spent a lot of their time just lazing around and indulging, compared to the so-called hustler.

Smiling with her eyes closed, Caldina spoke in a slightly embarrassed tone, "I guess spendin' so much time with Ascot made me realize, that I really love bright little children."

"…They are our future," Hotaru chuckled, somewhat longingly, watching parents outside say bye to their children.

"Right?" Caldina smiled brightly. "By the way… Would ya like to ring the school bell, Hotaru?"

"Oh! Sure."

With Hotaru pulling on a thick rope in a closed off area, a heavy bell swung in its belfry, ringing and calling in the students. Soon after, many bright-eyed children walked in, filling the classroom before Hotaru could get back. The crowd of around 45 children took their seats in front of their simplistic desks, each one seating three students. Although Hotaru could see in their eyes that they recognized him and Alcyone, none of them spoke out of term.

These kids are either really well behaved, or Caldina is a really strict teacher…

"Alright class~!" Caldina clapped her hands together with a smile. "Today we have special guests visiting us and I'm sure you've met them before. Say hi to Hotaru and Alcyone!"

"Hello Sir Hotaru and Lady Alcyone!" The children greeted them together.

"Hello! Long time no see, everyone!" Hotaru greeted them back jovially. "Alcyone, did we bring any of your candy with us?"

"Ooooh!" the kids gasped excitedly.

Slightly taken aback how naturally Hotaru asked about it, Alcyone smiled awkwardly, "Yes… but everyone can only have some after lunch!"

"Eeeeh!?"

"Now they'll only be thinkin' 'bout that…" Caldina whispered to herself defeatedly, before perking up. "Now! These two will be helping us with today's lessons, so make sure to treat them as your teachers, okay?"

"Yes Ms. Caldina!"

With everyone on board, Caldina smiled and nodded happily, before grabbing a piece of chalk, "Now then, let us start today with a math lesson!"

As the class was full of children of different ages, Caldina began by asking easier questions from the younger ones. These included subtraction and addition, after which she moved onto multiplication and division, as well as fractions. Instead of using direct questions, Caldina always used physical examples and scenarios, like asking how to divide fifteen gold coins between four people. With all the kids having been given the chance to answer a question, Caldina moved onto probabilities.

"Alright, now listen closely everyone," Caldina spoke out clearly, before writing on the chalkboard. "Let's say you are playing cards with a friend with a deck with 64 cards in it. You both have five cards in your hands and it is time for you to swap out cards. If you swap out one card from your hand with one in the deck, what are the chances of you getting the exact card that you want?"

"I should've guessed she would teach them how to gamble…" Alcyone whispered to Hotaru.

Seeing one of the girls raising their hand, Caldina gave permission, "Greiz."

"One out of 64!"

"Not quite. Breeze."

"Since both players have five cards, it is one in 54!" one of the older boys spoke up.

"Getting closer!" Caldina cheered them on.

"One out of 59 since the card might be in the opponent's hand!" A younger boy spoke out.

"That is correct Quint," Caldina congratulated him, before scolding gently, "but please request for permission to speak next time!"

While none of the students were taking notes, Hotaru could see that they were all paying attention as well as discussing the answer. After a moment of silence, Caldina wiped the board clean before addressing the class again.

"Now, has anyone got any questions at this point?" she asked before pausing. "…No? Alright, Hotaru, Alcyone, any questions you wish to present to the class?"

Having observed Caldina's teaching methods, Hotaru had noticed something about her math questions. As such, he was about to step towards the blackboard, before his mobile computer started beeping. Activating his wristwatch, Hotaru could see a village numbered with a symbol resembling B being under yellow alert.

"It's Bentley," he said to Alcyone, before turning to Caldina. "I got to be going, I will try to be back before the day is over."

"No need for that," Alcyone spoke up. "I will take care of it for you. You just show these kids what you wanted to."

"You sure it won't… Oh right, you can teleport," Hotaru chuckled. "Good luck."

Right before the two of them were about to kiss for goodbye out of habit, Alcyone teleported away in a flash. To hide his slight embarrassment, Hotaru grabbed the chalk from Caldina and started writing on the board.

"Now class, who of you can tell me how much is 56 839 plus 70 598?" Hotaru asked, writing the numbers on the chalkboard. "Anyone?"

Looking around the class, everyone aside from Caldina was speechless, as if waiting for this to be some form of joke. Seeing their shocked faces, Hotaru smiled smugly, having figured he was right about Caldina not using large numbers.

"Daunting task I know, but let me teach you something called columnar addition," Hotaru said, before rewriting the numbers. "This is essentially a cheat code for handling huge numbers, by going them through one by one."

Starting from the right, Hotaru went through each digit one at a time with the class, while carrying the ones. Getting to the answer of 127437, the students were amazed how quickly he had gotten the answer. He then moved onto writing three numbers with forty-five digits, before calling each student over to solve one column. While neither he nor the students knew what to call a number that big, every student regardless of age learnt how to add the giant numbers. Before they were finished, Alcyone had teleported back, having dealt with the monster quickly.

With the math lesson over, Caldina let the children out for a recess. During the recess she thanked Hotaru for his little lecture, saying she hadn't been sure how to approach the subject. By the time the recess was over, it was time for a lesson in Japanese, or Cephiroan as it were. Borrowing one of Alcyone's books, Caldina handed it over to one of the older students, telling her to read it out loud for a sentence before passing it along. As it was a book about Cephiroan history, there were a lot of difficult words in it that the students struggled with.

"During the era of Pillar Safran, Cephiro was g-governed by an un-unusual twofold system…" one of the older students stuttered, handing the book over to the one in front.

"The Pillar had ap-appointed his twin brother C-Curcuma as a king, who held equal power in po-po-po-…"

Seeing her student struggling, Caldina walked over, helping them out, "Political circles. With King Curcuma taking care of the politics and legislating…

With the book being handed over to them, the next student continued, "…Pillar Safran could fully focus on praying for the planet."

"This created a pro-prospre-perous era for Cephiro, until Pillar Safran wanted to step down, as they were…"

This time Alcyone stepped in, picking up the book gently, "Languishing due to a lack of companionship and loved ones."

Alcyone handed the book over to an older student, who started reading fluently, "Knowing the next Pillar wouldn't necessarily want to keep King Curcuma around, he tried sabotaging the efforts of the Magic Knights."

With the entire class gasping in surprise, the book was then handed over to a much younger student, "T-They tried to e… e… ummm…"

Figuring it was his turn, Hotaru reached down and picked up the book, "Let me help you with that."

Turning the book over, Hotaru looked at the page for a while, before going silent. Seeing his eyes grow wide and his face turn pale, Alcyone wondered if there was a rather gruesome scene being depicted. Not having memorized the book, she walked over to Hotaru, who was still frozen in place with a stiff expression.

"Is something wrong?" Caldina asked, walking over as well, looking at the book.

"I can't read this…" Hotaru whispered quietly.

"…Doesn't seem like there is anything too bad happening, go ahead and continue," Alcyone gave him the permission.

"It's not that…" Hotaru admitted agonizingly, his voice going up by an octave. "I mean I can't read this…"

"Eh?!" the two women gasped.

Although Hotaru could speak Japanese and every human he had met in this world did too, the book wasn't written in Japanese. In fact, it wasn't written in any writing system he was aware of in any language. While he had used Arabic numerals in his math example and he could spot more in the page numbers and dates, the letters were like nothing he had seen before. The characters looked like kanji written in all straight lines, kind of like runes, and seemed to form words like Latin alphabet. While he didn't know the alphabet in question, he could tell from first glance there were over forty different letters in it.

With the students having stared at them in awkward silence for a good while, Caldina composed herself before clapping her hands together again, "Alright class! It seems that from now on Mr. Hotaru will be joining us daily for a while!"

"HUH!?" Hotaru's jaw dropped, as the children cheered. "Alcyone, is she serious?"

Placing her hand on his shoulder, Alcyone admitted slightly embarrassedly, "I think this might be what is best for you… You can't really be the Hero of Cephiro if you can't read our writing."

Seeing how serious she was, Hotaru couldn't help but drop his head in shame, "…How can I be the Hero of Cephiro, if I am 55 years old and I am retaking first grade for the second time…"

---

For the next several weeks, Hotaru would attend Caldina's Cephiroan classes daily, doing his best to learn to read as quickly as possible. While Caldina turned out to be a good teacher, he still didn't enjoy coming to her classes. Being in the same class as small children was beyond embarrassing to himself, not helped by the kids cracking jokes about it every now and then. In addition, while the lessons only lasted an hour each, the commutes from across the continents and back made the whole daily ordeal last almost four hours. Caldina had suggested that she would start giving evening courses to adults, but Hotaru had refused, as evening for her was three in the morning for him.

As the days went by, Hotaru realized why Caldina's students behaved so well during class. Cephiro didn't have any form of delinquent culture and education was seen as a privilege. For this reason, both Caldina and the students were quite shocked to see Hotaru acting aloof or sometimes zoning out during class. As Caldina saw this had a bad influence on her students, with many of the boys copying him, she reprimanded Hotaru, telling him to pay attention.

In addition to the classes, Caldina (against her usual methods) assigned Hotaru homework, to speed up the learning process. The lessons all but continued at home with Alcyone helping him with his homework and making sure to quiz him afterwards. To blow off steam and get some time off from schooling, Hotaru would sometimes join Lafarga in patrolling his area or join him for a drink. Though it took some time for Pantera to get used to Hotaru's presence, the spirit tiger eventually got tired of being treated like a stuffed animal when misbehaving.

On their first time hanging out, Lafarga had explained he only protected less than half of the continent's villages. With his ability to teleport and sense danger from far away, Lantis had taken under his wing most of the villages on the continent. Upon asking where Lantis lived, Lafarga had told Hotaru that he didn't have a fixed address, but lived in a portable home which he pitched wherever he pleased. With the description reminding him of Mokona's shelter, Hotaru started keeping an eye out for the portable home whenever commuting to school.

With days turning into weeks, Hotaru started having a good grasp on the Cephiroan writing system. While it had plenty of unique vowels as the writing system didn't have diacritics, it also had far more consonants. Instead of writing consonants back-to-back, each consonant combination, like th-, ts-, wr-. or fr-, had its own consonant. It took a lot of memorizing, but slowly he began to learn how to read long sentences, and write short ones.

While Hotaru was making progress, he felt like he could have been doing more if it hadn't been for constant interruptions from his alarm system. While Alcyone did promise to take care of the attacks when he was at school, Hotaru still had to take care of them during study time. Having started his monster protection job, he had only had to fight a monster around once a week. But now that the monster alarm system had been installed, two attacks per week was the minimum.

While this clearly seemed like an increase in monster related activity, the villagers were assured it was just that he was being made aware of them more. This was supported by the fact that most alarms were green, which stood for a monster being spotted, but not attacking. On a rare few occasions, the monsters weren't even hostile, but were in fact beasts similar to those summoned by Ascot. The young summoner was quite happy to receive a few new friends.

By the time Fay Moon rolled in, Hotaru had been going to school for a full month. One day, when reaching the school, he found it closed, as Caldina had fallen ill and was being taken care of by Lafarga. On his way back home through the scenic route, he spotted something on the ground in a forest. A black, horse-shoe shaped object, that was quite a bit wider than the nearby trees. Flying closer to it, he could see it being a black building with silver trims, standing on top of dozens of small arched struts. It was very similar to Mokona's shelter, except several times larger, looking more like a house than a hut.

The horseshoe-shaped house was single-story and had three entrances with small staircases in front of them. One at each tip, and one in the middle of the inner curve. There were small, round and triangular windows with each wall that were so high even Hotaru couldn't look inside. With all the signs, Hotaru didn't need the black flaming horse standing next to the house to know this was Lantis's home.

Knowing how sharp Lantis's senses were, he was surprised to not have already been welcomed by the magic swordsman. Either he was away, asleep, or washing at a stream somewhere close by. Whatever the case, Hotaru was no stranger to breaking and entering.

Walking over to the central door, he grabbed it by the handle and opened it, "Oji-san! You didn't bring me any presents for my birthday so I came to collect the debt myself!"

Stepping inside, Hotaru entered a spacious yet simply decorated living room. There were wide angled couches lining up the walls with a wide coffee table in the middle, with potted plants coloring the corners. Two doors led to the left and right side of the horseshoe, with a fold-out bar decorating the back wall. Before he could inspect the area closer, he was blind sighted.

CLANG!*

"INTRUDER! DEBT COLLECTOR!" a high pitched yelled out. "…Oh, it's you, Brute."

With his head spinning and his nose feeling close to breaking, Hotaru turned around to see Primera flying next to him. She was dangling a large frying pan by its handle, making Hotaru question how she could hold it up, or how many teeth he had left.

"Ow… Primera, is Lantis home?" Hotaru asked, rubbing his face.

"No, he isn't!" Primera said haughtily, despite struggling with her weapon. "He left to—"

"Perfect," Hotaru smiled, before using Silver Speed to grab the pan and lifting it up, "you havefiveseconds to apologize!"

With Hotaru brandishing the frying pan like a flyswatter, Primera's face went pale, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Sitting down on the couch while still grasping the frying pan, Hotaru leaned back, letting Primera cast Futura on him. With his face healed, Hotaru finally let go of the cast iron pan, before striking up a conversation.

"Nice place you two got here," Hotaru said, admiring the interior. "A lot more spacious than what me and the Magic Knights had when traveling. Where did you get it?"

"Lantis already had it," Primera answered, sitting down next to him. "He told me it was what he used to live in while traveling. I wanted for us to get a nice house to settle in, but he insists on living in this lodge and staying on the move. Honestly, that guy…"

"Why do you still insist on him?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow. "Whether either of us like it or not, he and Hikaru are…"

"I don't give a damn!" Primera exclaimed, raising her fists up in the air. "Hikaru won't stick around forever! Either Lantis gets bored of her or she dies of old age! But I will be here to love Lantis forever and ever!"

Leaning back and sighing annoyedly, Hotaru whispered to himself, "Why is it that Zagato's family attracts all the obsessive types? …And what will you do if Lantis decides to grow old alongside Hikaru?"

Primera's eyes widened for a moment, before she puffed her cheeks with a pout, "That will never happen… Even if it does, I will prove that I am a better fit for Lantis than that girl is!"

"Yeah well, with your size difference, I don't think you should be boasting aboutfit," Hotaru snarked.

"AAAAAARRRGH!" Primera roared, starting to punch the oversized paladin repeatedly.

Chuckling at her attempts, Hotaru eventually calmed himself down, "Anyway, where is Lantis right now?"

Taking a pause from treating Hotaru as a sandbag, Primera looked up, confused, "Why are you asking? It'syourplace that he visits."

"…Huh?" Hotaru asked, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Lantis has never visited us."

"Yes, he has!" Integra insisted, clenching her little fists. "He visits you weekly! He always tells me he goes to visit you two and then just teleports away! He did so a little over an hour ago!"

Yeah right, he probably just wants some time away from this little house fly. Can't blame him. I've only been here for five minutes and I already… Wait. Little over an hour ago?

"…That's when I left for school," Hotaru's eyes widened.

"Huh? What do you…" Primera asked, before being knocked over. "GYAH!"

Getting off the couch quickly, Hotaru rushed out of the portable lodge's front door in blind rage. Expanding his Double Armor, Hotaru summoned Mazdakin and took off straight up at maximum speed with Silver Speed and Aluminum Flight, almost startling Lantis's horse. Flying high up into the air, he activated Mazdakin's boosters and emitters, reaching the sky above his home in mere seconds. Unsummoning his Mashin, Hotaru descended quickly towards the familiar mountain range. As he closed in on his home, he had time to calm down a bit, but his head was still a storm of emotions.

It can't be, it can't be, it can't be! There's no way Lantis would cheat on someone behind their back! …There's no wayAlcyonewould cheat onme! …But if Primera is still so fixated on Lantis, then couldn't she still see Zagato in him? I need to know forcertain!

Reaching the mansion, Hotaru sharpened his senses, trying to figure out where Lantis and Alcyone were. Sensing a presence on the first floor of the main building, he quickly landed in front of the main doors and shoved them open. Seeing no one in the living room, he instead rushed over to the dining room doors, slamming them open, startling the people inside.

"Ah! Hotaru!" Alcyone shouted out startled. "You're home early…"

Half expecting a surprise party, Hotaru was shocked to see Alcyone and Lantis sitting on opposite sides of a large dining room table. It wasn't dark out yet, but they had lit a candle on the table between them. Instead of her summer dress or armored leotard, Alcyone was wearing her light teal nightgown. As for Lantis, he was dressed in his black turtleneck and pants, having taken off his armor to better sit on the wooden chair.

The large room had reddish-brown walls and a relatively low ceiling, with dome-shaped lamps. The walls were decorated with a few landscape paints and still lifes, and glass cabinets housing tableware. The cabinets were dark lacquered wood, carved in wavy shapes, with a few blood red, teardrop shaped red gems at the curves. The ground was smooth granite with a large maroon and gold, ornate carpet covering the center of it. Although the room supposedly never saw any use, the table, cabinets, and carpet all showed signs of wear, telling this wasn't the first time they were meeting.

With the table empty of anything aside from a tea set and a few cups, this could hardly be considered a romantic candlelit dinner. However, looking at the faces of the two raven-haired culprits, he could tell this tea party wasn't entirely innocent either.

"So… This is what you are up to, while I leave the house?" Hotaru asked in a vexed voice. "Care to explain?"

"Please Hotaru, it is not what you think…" Lantis assured him, standing up defensively.

"Well, you better start explaining quickly," Hotaru raised his voice slightly, looking down at his shorter relative. "…There's no way Alcyone could do anything immoral behind my back and be able to hide her guilt. The maids definitely would have found out if you had done something crazy, and they for sure couldn't keep a secret…"

Looking at the situation back and forth tensely, Hotaru weighed all the possible options as to why Lantis was here with Alcyone. While the atmosphere was tense, there was a soothing fragrance of freshly brewed tea, which Hotaru recognized as one that Alcyone brewed to calm herself down. Having put two and two together, Hotaru walked over to Alcyone's side of the table, towering over the raven-haired sorceress.

Looking up at Hotaru, Alcyone tried her best to hide her nervousness, "Hotaru, I have not…!"

"You've been talking about Zagato," Hotaru talked over her, "have you not?"

Alcyone looked at him in shock before turning away while holding back a twinge of guilt, "…Yes, that's right."

A moment of silence passed, as Alcyone waited to hear Hotaru's reaction. But instead, her boyfriend remained quiet, coaxing her into turning around carefully. To her surprise, Hotaru didn't look angry, but was rather calmly waiting for her to continue talking.

"…Lantis and I have been meeting up every now and then in secret to talk about Zagato. He wants to know about things that happened to his brother after he left, and I want to know about Zagato before he left," Alcyone explained.

"Makes sense," Hotaru nodded, "you two would know the most about him and have fond memories. But why the secrecy?"

"Not many people think highly of him or people related to him, especially when speaking highly of him," Lantis answered, clenching his fist slightly. "I now know how many terrible things my brother did, some of them truly horrifying. I understand that people see him as nothing but a monster, but that doesn't change the past that we shared!

Seeing the usually so stoic Lantis this heated up, Hotaru was taken aback a bit. Even during the weeks of darkness, Lantis never as much as raised his voice when getting angry or hurt. But now, Hotaru could barely recognize the magic swordsman by his demeanor.

"He was a great older brother who always supported me and our mother, and only ever wanted to help those in need! I refuse to let the memory of that side of him be buried and forgotten, and act like it was never there!" Lantis declared, before finally calming down to his usual self. "…That is why we keep these meetings a secret."

Glancing at Alcyone, Hotaru asked, "Do you also think of him positively?"

Looking down slightly guiltily, Alcyone crossed her arms, "…He tricked me into helping him by keeping his true intentions hidden, causing me to ruin my family and countless others. He ordered me to kill you and broke my heart. And yet… I didn't fall in love with him for nothing."

Though Hotaru barely heard that last part, Alcyone's voice quickly picked up confidence, "Before my… overreaction to him overthrowing the royal castle, he was a wonderful and kind person. While Master Mage Clef was the one to teach me to be a sorceress, Zagato was the one to make me love being one. He showed me how personal and unique magic could be, and how it was an extension of ourselves. Though at times he could be strict, he genuinely cared for and encouraged me to improve myself, even praising me when I started working alongside him. He was good with animals and servants alike, and never treated anyone poorly regardless of their background. I just… I just want someone to understand why I ever loved him…"

Listening carefully, Hotaru eventually asked, "Then why hide this from me?"

Keeping her arms crossed, Alcyone turned away slightly, "Because I know how you always get when I speak of Zagato or Lantis. Maybe I could have told you, but you barging in here in full armor doesn't fill me with confidence. You always make me feel like a cheap harlot when you think I will just abandon you for a chance to be with someone who resembles Zagato…"

Listening to Alcyone speak, Hotaru couldn't avoid feeling like a total jackass. Even though he hadn't outright accused Alcyone of cheating on him, the implications were still there. Although he didn't see his actions as too egregious, he knew how highly Alcyone thought of him, and how much she cared about his opinions about her.

"I'm… I'm sorry that I've made you feel that way," Hotaru apologized, before smiling slightly. "But to be fair, you are also extremely jealous at times."

"I am most certainly not!" Alcyone gawked at him offendedly. "I have no reason to be jealous of anyone."

"Oh? And who was it that wanted to make sure they were prettier than the maids we hired?" Hotaru reminded her. "Who was it that didn't want me spending more time with Hikaru and the others instead of them? Who was it that didn't want me spending time alone with Caldina?"

"Two of those were preventative measures!" Alcyone poked him on the chest. "I know you have a history of lying and cheating on your partners! I on the other hand are loyal to a fault…"

While Hotaru couldn't deny this, it wasn't like he didn't have a response, "And I have seen you call him Zagato with misty eyes more times than I want to remember!"

Seeing Hotaru point at him, Lantis was taken aback by this revelation, until he remembered Hotaru's past knowledge. As Hotaru began to recount the events of the anime, the magic swordsman couldn't refrain from blushing.

"Oh, the passion at which you threw yourself into his arms!" Hotaru overexaggerated dramatically. "Several times you denied that Zagato had died, claiming Lantis was him! Had it not been for Hikaru, you two may have ended together! And even at your very last breath, you only ever thought of being together with Zagato again!"

"…Do you find that funny?" Alcyone asked, her lip trembling from the ridicule.

"Honestly, after everything we've been through… NO!" Hotaru yelled, grabbing Alcyone into his embrace. "I never want to see you like that again! That's why I am so defensive towards you about this topic…"

With Hotaru's arms wrapping around her and pressing her body against his armor, Alcyone was still angry at him. But soon the familiar sensation of leaning against a tall armored figure instantly brought back memories of her time with Zagato. Although she often forgot about it, Hotaru was technically Zagato's son. To hear how she had lived and died in her previous life, she wondered if she truly was conditioned to only love Zagato? These worries were quickly buried, as she heard Hotaru holding back tears.

"I know you love only me with all your heart," Hotaru sniffed, "but I cannot stop worrying about you regardless. Even with Debonair gone, I still fear losing you, like I lost Stella. Maybe your fate doesn't hang in balance anymore, but I know dozens of stupid ways I might lose you. Whether by my actions or yours, or someone else's, and it scares me…"

Wrapping her arms around Hotaru's waist slowly and gently, Alcyone confessed, "I'm also scared of losing you… Not just because of your own actions, but others too. You are now so much more powerful than I am, that if anything were to threaten you, I would be unable to do anything. That's why I want to become a Master Mage, so that I can protect you like you have protected me…"

A moment of silence passed, as Lantis followed two of his closest friends embrace. It was awkward to stand behind as a third wheel, but at the same time, he was glad to witness this.

"I guess we both have fears we cannot overcome," Hotaru said, stroking Alcyone's long black hair, "and maybe we should just accept that we are a jealous couple."

"It would be for the best…" Alcyone nodded, before looking up at him," but I am not jealous!"

Placing his hand under Alcyone's chin, Hotaru looked her in the eye, "If I told you I am taking Presea, Sierra, and Caldina out for a night of heavy drinking, how would you feel?"

"Worried that…" Alcyone started adamantly, before quieting down, "okay I see what you mean… It's still jealousy."

Having been all but ignored by the couple whose home he was in, Lantis asked awkwardly yet politely, "So, if our meeting is over, you mind if I take my leave? Primera must be getting worried by now…"

Remembering Lantis was still here, Hotaru requested, "Actually, could you stay for a bit longer? I too want to hear more about Zagato. He used to be my favorite character in the story and now I am, in a manner of speaking, his son… So, I would like to listen to both of your stories as well."

With all three of them agreeing to this, they all sat down to drink what was now lukewarm tea. Lantis shared more about his and Zagato's childhood. Even though Zagato was twenty years older than him, he had still played with Lantis while he was still growing up. As their mother had fallen ill after their father died of old age, Zagato had taken care of most of their chores. With both of them being accepted under Master Mage Clef's tutelage, their mother had been taken care of by doctors and healers. While Lantis had the habit of lazing about or goofing off during studies, Zagato had taken his education very seriously, in hopes of finding a cure for their mother. Though he had found the cure with Emeraude's help, their mother was already so old she only lived another ten years after being cured. Nevertheless, she had lived long enough for them to be positioned as Emeraude's captain of the guard and high priest.

Alcyone had in turn told about how she had used to be very similar to Envix, not being interested in paths laid out by others. Even as Clef had taken her in to teach her magic, she had just seen it as another thing decided by someone else. Meeting Zagato, she had only thought of him as a pretty face, until she had gotten to know him better. When Zagato had seen her using ice magic, he had praised her for being able to use an element so unique and rarely seen in Cephiro. After talking more with Zagato, Alcyone had realized that magic didn't just have to be what Clef taught her, but what she wanted it to be. Alcyone had been thoroughly embarrassed, remembering how she had walked the halls of the royal castle with her head held high. She had been looking down on the ordinary people around her, and only now was starting to realize how much Zagato had disapproved of that.

Eventually Lantis and Alcyone had asked Hotaru about Zagato and how he had acted in the series. Hotaru struggled to come up with that many differences, only that he had faced the Magic Knights alone and fought to his dying breath. He had also faced them alone at the Fire Shrine, without the aid of an army of brainwashed minions, and had only lost due to Rayearth's help. Things only got interesting as Hotaru narrated the events of the OVA. Hearing about how Eagle had been Emeraude's brother and had killed Alcyone, left Lantis scratching his head. As Hotaru told about Zagato killing himself for the crime of falling in love with the Pillar and Emeraude's way of coping about it, both listeners were left speechless.

With a newfound respect for the former high priest of Cephiro and gratitude for the world they lived in, the trio called off their secret meeting.

---

After Hotaru caught Alcyone and Lantis in the act of discussing about Zagato in secret, their meetings had become a weekly event. Though not needed anymore, Hotaru had learnt that the candles Lantis and Alcyone had burnt, were meant as timers to remind them when he would get home. The days of the meetings were given as vacation days for the maids, with Integra, Envix, and Livina taking Zenith and Nadir to fly off to spend time with their families. With the maids out of their hair and Hotaru no longer in the dark, the lengths of the discussions could now last for several hours.

While Hotaru didn't have much to contribute to the tales being told, he enjoyed hearing the stories. He also had his chance to speak whenever Lantis or Alcyone asked about his opinion as an outsider, or if they needed a speculative approach. Hotaru also learntmuch about the history of his and Alcyone's families, which were far less glamorous than one might think. With Cephiro being a peaceful world for centuries at a time, there weren't many noteworthy figures, aside from wealthy merchants and powerful warriors.

Hotaru had suggested that they would also invite Ferio and Clef over at some point, but the Master Mage's schedule was busy as always. And as for Ferio, his personal history was so out there that it would be pointless to ask him over without Clef.

As weeks passed, Hotaru continued going to school and answering the call of the villagers when they sounded the alarm. As Hotaru finally started getting the hang of reading and writing Cephiroan, and used to his new routine, they were visited by an unusual guest.

While feeding Zenith and Nadir some fresh hay, Envix was startled to hear the latter neigh alarmingly. Following the red eyes of the bicorn, she spotted a figure slowly walking up the path leading to the mansion. While she was vigilant at first, Envix soon lowered her guard as she saw a tired girl around the same age as her.

She was even shorter than she was, with shoulder-length midnight blue hair and green eyes. She wore a brown shirt with long sleeves and white collar, as well as a pink skirt, both covered in stains. On her chest she had a round golden brooch and, on her head, a matching hair ornament. Her shoes were so caked up with dirt, Envix could barely tell their shape, and her face seemed haggard and dirty.

Remembering what Alcyone had told her about strangers coming over, Envix asked loudly, "Halt! Who are you and why are you here?"

Panting heavily, the girl answered, "My name… is Sera… Does Hotaru the Hero live here?"

"Yes, he does..." Envix answered carefully.

"…Thank goodness…" the girl smiled, her expression growing blank, before she fainted.

"H-Hey wait!" Envix rushed over to her, trying to move her. "Integra! Help!"

With the other two maids soon rushing over to bring Sera indoors, it wasn't long until she was laid out on the corner couch of the first-floor drawing room. With Alcyone coming over to check up on the girl, she quickly proceeded to perform a checkup on her. While she first expected her to be a pretender like Starion had been, she found no trace of magic on Sera, nor signs of injuries. However, the poor girl showed signs of severe exhaustion, starvation, and dehydration.

With the help of the maids, they quickly gathered together and prepared medicine, nutritious snacks, and vitamin rich tea. While making sure the girl's condition didn't worsen, they allowed her to sleep quietly, until Hotaru finally returned from school.

"And that's what happened," Envix finished describing to Hotaru what had transpired.

"I see… She must be desperate to come and see me in that condition."

Turning towards him, Alcyone asked, "Do you know her?"

"Not at all," Hotaru admitted. "I kinda remember giving someone like her a lift, but that's most of the planet's population."

As they talked, the green eyes of the girl slowly opened, and her body twitched as she woke up. Sera's eyes slowly glanced over the people around her, before they focused on the tallest one, causing her to get up quickly.

"H-Hotaru the Hero!" Sera yelled out, almost fainting from getting up too fast.

Catching the young girl, Alcyone spoke up, "No need to hurry. You need to take it easy now. Drink this."

As Alcyone offered her a large cup of tea, Sera drank it down greedily, almost choking on the warm liquid. With her thirst quenched, she coughed up to clear her throat of dirt and dust, before breathing in deeply. Realizing she was safe; she didn't refuse as the maids offered her bite-sized fish-cakes and more to drink. Once she had fully calmed down, she saw the tall paladin crouch down in front of her.

"You must have traveled a long distance to come and see me," Hotaru looked her in the eye gently. "Let me know how I can help you."

"It…! It isn't me y-you need to help," Sera stuttered, taken aback by his kindness, "it is my village!"

"Oh? Is your village being threatened by a monster? Where are you from, little one?" Hotaru asked.

"I-I am from Caterham! But the problem isn't the monsters!" Sera corrected him. "A few months ago, my village made a deal with a large group of soldiers about protecting our village."

"Were they bandits?!" Livina asked worriedly.

"No," Sera shook her head. "They are previous royal guards. They look after our village and several others on our continent."

"I wondered where those guys went… But what seems to be the problem then?" Hotaru asked.

"I heard from my grandfather they are asking for too much money!" Sera said adamantly, looking straight in Hotaru's eyes. "Because of what we need to pay for them, our village cannot afford to develop!"

Hotaru furrowed his brow. "That could be a problem for the poorer villages… But isn't Caterham the mining village where I opened the mines at? Shouldn't you be wealthy enough to compensate for them?"

Sera shook her head, "The mines yield ore, but we need to sell it raw as we can't afford to smelt it! Since we are among the most remote villages, the shipping costs also take their toll. After paying off the soldiers, we only have enough to pay for bare necessities!"

"That's really is terrible…" Alcyone admitted, thinking about the situation. "…How many guards are there?"

"Our village has about twenty," Sera answered. "I think the others have about as many. They do keep monsters away, but we cannot afford their service, or live without it! I asked if they could lower their prices, but they just laughed at me…"

"And that is where I come in, is that right?" Hotaru chuckled, sitting down on the couch next to Sera.

"That's right!" Sera said excitedly. "I traveled all this way to ask you directly, if you could convince the knights to lower their prices! I know we are already in your debt for all you've done, but this way we might be able to pay you back…"

Seeing Sera quiet down as Hotaru crossed his arms, Integra asked, "Will you do it, Sir Hotaru?"

"While the offer is nice and I see where you're coming from, we also must think of the royal guard's point of view in all this," Hotaru explained. "Though monsters pose no threat to me, they are risking their lives to fend them off. As such, they all require some compensation from protecting you all. With their group potentially having hundreds of people, that understandably ramps up the price."

Looking down at her lap, Sera answered sheepishly, "I guess so…"

Seeing Sera understood what he meant, Hotaru asked gently, "Now, how much are they charging you? I might be able to lend some financial aid."

With Sera's eyes sparkling, she answered, "Yes thank you! They charge us four thousand gold per month!"

Quickly getting up off the couch, Hotaru turned to Alcyone, "I'm going for a flight…"

---

Having given himself an orbital drop head-start with Mazdakin, it didn't take long for Hotaru to reach the south eastern continent. The continent still showed some signs of the times it was predominantly mesa, but greenery and water had returned to large sections of the area.

Despite the rugged yet beautiful view, Hotaru's brow was stuck in an unrelenting frown, as he flew over the continent, scouring for a village. While he knew the prices for hiring an entire army to look after villages were high, he hadn't expected it to be ten times what he charged. Knowing there were at least a dozen villages on this relatively small continent, the army could have been charging tens of thousands per month.

"Invent a lucrative business that benefits everyone and see someone try and exploit it!" Hotaru snarled through his teeth. "…Then again, I don't know the full story here. It could be that the guards are just asking four thousand from Caterham and less from other villages to balance it out. But considering Sera risked her life coming all the way to meet me on the other side of the globe, I doubt it is that simple…"

Asking that much money may seem like a no brainer for a large group, but large groups have other advantages. And if they use the wrong advantages, I'm gonna twist their heads to the left till they get it right!

Twenty minutes after leaving his house, Hotaru spotted his first village. It was late afternoon, so the sun was still high up in the sky. The houses were the same ramshackle buildings as he remembered seeing months ago, with crop fields outside the down without fences. Outside the village, there were quite a few olive-green and brown tents. The roads were unpaved and plants were growing from the less trodden paths. While it wasn't Caterham, this almost wild-west-like village didn't fill Hotaru with confidence.

Landing on the main road leading through the village, he looked around, seeing people going about their day to day lives. Their clothes were dirty and worn out, and the faces of the villagers, men, women, children alike, all seemed slightly emaciated. As Hotaru walked past them, he could hear the people recognizing him even without his armor, as they whispered his name. Not out of fear, but out of suspense. Observing the buildings, the only establishment around that seemed to be doing well for itself, was the local watering hole.

Without even stepping inside, Hotaru could spot a bunch of men wearing suits of grey armor with blue details. They were sitting around a few tables on the saloon veranda, some of them with their feet on the tables, drinking large tankards of ale. While seeing them drinking so early in the day was unbecoming of members of the royal guard, Hotaru could tell they weren't just lazing around. Looking at their armors, he could spot scratch and dents on them, which seemed fresh from his experience.

"That last monster sure went down fast!" one of the guards chuckled.

"It's all about teamwork! Getting a monster down with twenty people is no problem if the formation holds up."

"What formation? Lieutenant all but slaughtered that monster by himself," another one scoffed.

"Well yeah but we kept the monster from moving around," the handsomest of the group pointed out. "I say we've deserved a nice long break for the day… HAY—!"

Having pulled the chair from underneath him, Hotaru spoke up, "Feet off the table. People eat there."

"What is your prob—! Oh…" the man looked up, color draining from his face. "He- Hotaru…"

Seeing the 205-centimeter man towering over them, the guards quickly got up from their seats. Some of them were trying to reach for their weapons, but others quickly stopped them. Although they all knew Hotaru as the hero who saved Cephiro, they also knew just how powerful and short tempered the paladin was.

"M-Mr. Hotaru, what are you doing here?" the oldest of the guards stuttered.

"Just checking to see how the village is recovering," Hotaru said nonchalantly, looking around. "Not good if I'm honest. I would expect more progress to have been made with the royal guard looking after this area."

"W-We're not the royal guard anymore," one of the guards braved to speak up. "The royal guard was disbanded months ago as there was no royalty to protect."

"Then who's in charge here now?" Hotaru asked, raising an eyebrow. "I doubt Captain Lafarga would allow such lack of discipline from his guards."

"That would be Captain Darracq," a loud voice boomed from inside the tavern.

With heavy footsteps, a man head taller than Hotaru walked out of the tavern. He had tanned skin and shoulder-length, curly and messy, silverish teal hair, and short beard. He was wearing a mostly blue suit of armor, with thick red and brown clothes underneath it. His face had a large scar down the entire left side that passed over his eye and lips. Despite this, his amber eyes were sharp and stern, with the stench of sweat and ale coming off of his beard.

"—the leader of the Galant Guard," the man finished his sentence, leaning over Hotaru.

"Is that so? Well, you don't seem very gallant to me," Hotaru smirked unflinchingly, though only he got his joke. "May I inquire where I may find your captain? I wish to have a word with him. Between colleagues of course."

"Colleagues? That's a laugh! I've heard about ya, Hero of Cephiro!" the man laughed sardonically. "We protect this village daily and stick around to stay on guard! I hear you spend all day lying about in your big mansion, while not giving the poor people of this continent a time of day!"

"…I assure you, the people here being poor is no fault of mine," Hotaru answered dryly. "Mind telling me who you are? I wish to apologize to your captain."

"I am Lieutenant Titan!" the towering man introduced himself. "…And apologize about what?"

"For this," Hotaru said gently, before slapping his palm against Titan's cuirass.

Using his Tungsten Defense-increased mass, Hotaru struck the giant's center mass like a pickup truck. Due to his daily training and exercises, Hotaru had figured he didn't have to use Steel Strength, if his density was high enough. The lieutenant was pushed back with enough force to send him crashing through the saloon doors, his spread-out arms leaving holes in the walls. There were a few loud screams from inside the saloon, as Titan struck the floor boards.

Turning towards the oldest of the remaining guards, Hotaru spoke softly, "I hope you are better at giving directions than your lieutenant was."

---

After terrifying the guards and putting a little involuntary smile on the faces of the villagers, Hotaru had taken off towards the center of the continent. It was the lushest region around, with a small lake surrounded by jungle. There was a small village near the lake, or rather, a military encampment. It had tall wooden walls on two sides, and a mountain at the back of it, with the front left open aside from a few spiked barricades. There were a few large buildings, as well as several tents that surrounded firepits. Around the base, there were more guards in grey armor, tending to horses, sharpening their weapons, or preparing arrows. A long-house with multiple windows had the smell of spices and roast meat wafting from its chimney. Another of the larger buildings had a small stream flow into it and then out from the other side. A large L shaped building with white walls was located at the back, and was clearly better constructed than the rest.

Figuring this was the Fort Galant that the guards had told him about, Hotaru landed in front of the main building, skipping the guarded checkpoint. Before any of the guards outside could spot him, Hotaru entered the building like he owned the place. Inside, he had expected to come across a guard or two, but no one was around. There was a reception desk near the door, with a sign that read On a Break, Will Return Soon. Following the only sign on the wall, which read Captain's Office, Hotaru headed to the bend of the L-shaped building.

Opening the wooden door at the end of the corridor, he was greeted by a rather spacious but simple office. The room had plenty of bookshelves filled with stacks of papers, and a large, skillfully carved desk in the center, atop a green carpet. Both sides of the room had arched windows, and the back wall was decorated by a painting of the continent. Before the painting, behind the desk, sat a young-looking man in his mid-twenties.

He had lush, dark-brown hair that reached below his shoulders and his slightly tanned face looked noble yet sharp. He had keen, dark red eyes and two golden, triangular piercings on his left ear. He wore a suit of blue armor with a golden trim, and silver chain-mail underneath it. He was fully focused on the paperwork in front of him, to a point where he didn't pay attention to Hotaru.

"Burning the candle on both ends, ay Darracq?" Hotaru greeted him familiarly.

"I just need to finish a few more papers and I will be with the rest of you Rone," the captain of the Galant Guard responded.

"Wrong person," Hotaru stated right next to him, having silently hovered over.

"AHCK!" Darracq jumped on his feet.

With the captain now standing, Hotaru could see that the man was quite tall, only a few inches shorter than Lantis. Despite his rather amusing screech, Darracq quickly composed himself, looking at Hotaru with a serious expression. His left hand that had been reaching for his sword, slowly returned to his side. Despite his composed and professional demeanor, Hotaru could sense the familiar feeling of resentment being directed at him.

"What are you doing here, Paladin Hotaru?" he asked vigilantly.

"That's Commander Hotaru to you, captain," Hotaru smirked, rubbing his knuckles against his shirt's braided embroideries. "Jokes aside, I am here to talk to you about the effect you are having on this region."

"Is that so…" Darracq calmed down a bit. "Well, 'commander', I hope you approve of the work my men have done so far. Not a single life has been lost in any of the villages we've guarded."

"Impressive enough, I guess," Hotaru noted, unimpressed. "Tell me, how many villages does your organization look after?"

"Ten villages. There are two more villages that have yet to decide whether to enter a deal with the Galant Guard or not," Darracq reported, seeming quite pleased with himself.

"And why do you think that is?" Hotaru tilted his head, placing his hands in his pockets. "Perhaps they think it is better to have a full belly than an empty wallet?"

Squinting his eyes, Darracq spoke coldly, "If you are insinuating what I think you are, I'm afraid I have no desire to continue this conversation. We only charge what we absolutely have to in order to have the funds to pay our soldiers and repair our gear. To make sure we have enough food, we have to hunt for our meat."

"How many soldiers do you have?"

"Two hundred, if we include the officers," Darracq answered firmly. "That means less than two hundred gold coins per month, per soldier. A far cry from you who makes thousands of gold coins per month while sitting in your mountaintop mansion along with Lady Alcyone! Most of us have to live in tents!"

"Math checks out," Hotaru scoffed, ignoring the insults, "but I believe you are all failing to live up to your full potential and the entire region suffers because of that."

"Full potential?" Darracq raised his eyebrow. "If you have suggestions as to how my soldiers can achieve more than they do now, I am happy to hear that."

"Good. Step one, GET OFF YOUR ASSES!" Hotaru snarled angrily, causing the guard to jump. "You have any idea how badly you are crippling the local economy? You say you are doing it on the cheap but everywhere else, the villages have already started building permanent residences! Not ramshackle buildings!"

Slightly taken aback by the paladin's words, Darracq's eyes narrowed as he stood his ground. Quelling his anger, he stood up tall and proud.

"Well excuse us if these villages do not have the luxury of being looked after by the Hero of Cephiro personally. Even the other continents have people like Ex Captain Lafarga, Lantis, and Prince Ferio looking after them. But here, we ordinary people have to look after ourselves!" Darracq exclaimed unflinchingly. "You may say we are bad for their economy, but all of the money we make eventually makes its way back to the people!"

"Yeah, the local taverns are looking really prosperous," Hotaru grinned sarcastically, before leaning down on Darracq. "Tell me Captain, how often do these villages get attacked by monsters?"

"Once or twice a month, per village," Darracq butted heads without stepping down. "A far cry from how things used to be when Princess Emeraude ruled over the lands."

Giving Darracq's answer some thought, the rate of attacks was admittedly numerically higher than what Hotaru was usedto. The reason may have been due to the distance from the Sanctuary and the overall stress of living in such a distant area. Another possibility was the lack of food and resources increasing the stress. Whichever the case, Hotaru had no intention of letting Darracq off the hook.

"So, in other words, your guards on average spend up to two weeks doing nothing, while waiting for the next monster attack?" Hotaru pointed out.

"That is what it means to beonguard, yes," Darracq crossed his arms.

"And you don't think the majority of the guards could do something productive in the meanwhile?" Hotaru lowered his eyebrows. "Sure, I sit around my mansion most of the day or fuck around, but that is because I myself am looking after twenty villages! You dunces charge five times the amount as I do from my villages, while each doing only afour-hundredththe work that I do!"

Darracq's eyes widened for a moment, before he responded, "Well if you look at itthatway it does look bad, but all of us are—"

"Doing nothing worthwhile with your time!" Hotaru interrupted him. "If you are expecting these people pay the same prices as Princess Emeraude did with the taxes of the entire PLANET, thenfuck off! A young girl risked her life and well-being to come to me, in order to tell you to lower your prices!"

"Then what do you expect us to do!?"

"GET A JOB!" Hotaru roared, scaring off even Darracq. "There's two hundred of you! You can do so much more than I can alone! You have all the free time in the world required to work another job that actually contributes to the rebuilding of these villages! Instead of having all of you on the lookout for monsters, have rotating shifts! Instead of expecting all your gold to come from being mercenaries, use it to bolster your standard income!"

"B-But that would leave gaps in our defenses!" Darracq objected. "It is our constant vigilance that has guaranteed that no citizen should fall by the hands of monsters! And what if some people are away because of their work or outside their armor when the attack happens! You think us, the former members of the royal guard, would stoop so low as to shirk our duties and treat this part-time job!?"

"You're forgetting you are not the royal guard anymore, but a bunch of mercenaries! While your vigil is keeping them safe from the monsters, at this rate people are going tostarve!" Hotaru spread out his arms to emphasize his point. "Just avoid getting jobs that need you to be out of town or armor, and stop being such leeches on society! I may not have protected these villages directly, but as the Hero of Cephiro, the well being ofallits people is my goal!"

Unwilling to call guards in order to not lose face, Darracq snapped back, "You are no hero! You may have saved the world, yes, but now you try to lord over it like a tyrant! Considering how into Zagato she was, I am not surprised Lady Alcyone now hangs onto you!"

A moment of silence passed in the office, as the air seemed to stand still, before moving suddenly. Darracq watched as Hotaru's left eye twitched and his lime-green aura flared out. As the paladin clenched his fists, the atmosphere seemed to grow tenser in response. Despite knowing that a single attack from Hotaru would end his life, Darracq swallowed and steeled his nerves.

"You think of me as a tyrant?" Hotaru asked with a murderous tone in his voice. "Alright, let's have it your way. I will give you two choices. First one is that you drop the villages' monthly payments to a quarter. The second is that I quarter the people in your organization."

With a shiver of fear running down his spine, the dark-haired man stuttered, "Y-You're bluffing…"

Raising a single eyebrow, Hotaru turned around and walked off. Instead of using the door however, he walked right through the office's right wall, leaving a door-sized hole where the window had used to be. As Darracq stood still frozen, he heard yells of alarm and fear from outside, causing his blood to curdle. Just as he was imagining the horrible things the Cephiro's so-called hero was doing outside, the entire building shook.

He almost lost his balance, as he watched the world outside his office suddenly fall down before his eyes. By the time he realized it was the building that had risen into the air, Darracq's world was suddenly flipped upside down. There was a loud crash as the bookshelves, desk, chairs, and himself all fell to the ceiling, scattering months of paperwork all around the place. Before he had time to fully realize what had happened, the building quickly rotated horizontally before gently descending.

Hearing a booming thud as the roof hit the ground beneath him, Darracq quickly rushed out of the hole in the wall to the main building's front yard. Still disorientated from everything that had happened, Darracq quickly took inventory of everything around him. Ignoring the towering behemoth of a paladin in front of him, he looked to see the condition of his troops. They all seemed unharmed, though even more shaken than himself and none of the other building's had been touched by the giant. Just as he was about to take a sigh of relief, the giant pointed its tree-sized finger at Darracq.

"Let this serve as a warning to you! I will be back to check up on the villages of this continent in two months!" Hotaru's voice boomed over the area. "If you haven't lowered your prices, next time I will terminate your organization!"

---

Having returned home, Hotaru told Alcyone, Sera, and the maids what had happened, aside from a few minor details. As it was already dark outside, Hotaru and Alcyone allowed Sera to use the guest house for the night. The next day, Hotaru had flown back to the south eastern continent with Sera in tow, bringing her back to Caterham with as little fanfare as possible. Instead of flying back home, Hotaru headed straight to school.

As several weeks passed again, Hotaru had completely gotten the hang of reading Cephiroan texts. Spending time with Alcyone in their mansion's library, the two of them would lay in each other's arms while reading. While Alcyone studied more about magic and different spells to prepare herself for her path to becoming Master Mage, Hotaru immersed himself in Cephiro's history and laws. He still continued going to Caldina's lessons, not only to improve his writing, but to also see his classmates improve.

In addition to school and home, Hotaru would often fly around the continent, visiting and exploring different places. With the alarm system helping him keep track of the villages, he was able to venture out without worry. As the weeks passed, the villagers were able to feel safe and focus on their homes. Soon stone buildings and paved roads were a common sight in the villages, and people began to open up businesses. Hotaru would have wanted to invest some of his money into the businesses, but figured that for now there would be no point in doing so. There was no reason to try and increase the supply of bread or transportation, as demand was limited.

As the Sky Moon came, Hotaru and Alcyone had plenty of time to spend together. To kill some time and enjoy some intimacy, they would practice ballroom dancing, with Alcyone teaching Hotaru. One day when finished with dancing, they sat down in front of a fireplace and pampered one another. Hotaru had mentioned to Alcyone about celebrating Christmas around this time of year in his old world, and when requested, told her about the holiday. As she was interested in the concept of a winter holiday, Hotaru told her about the many ways it was celebrated around the world. To make Hotaru feel more at home in Cephiro, she had developed a spell to make it snow for a few days. But that is a story for another time.

As the new year arrived in Cephiro, Hotaru was still trying to figure out the perfect gift for Alcyone's birthday. Her birthday was less than two weeks away and he was out of ideas. He had already prepared plenty of gifts, but with Alcyone always going the extra mile for him daily, he felt the need to do the same. But then, with only ten days to spare, he finally figured it out.

For Alcyone, her birthday started like any other day, with a breakfast prepared by the maids to her and Hotaru. At first everything seemed so normal to her that she didn't think there was something special about the day. But as the maids brought her and Hotaru mint-chocolate chip ice cream for dessert, she remembered she was turning 73.

As it was a special day for her, Hotaru had taken the day off from school to celebrate it with her. Despite this, Hotaru still had to go take care of a monster problem in a faraway village, leaving Alcyone alone with the maids. Although it could not be called a surprise party anymore, the maids had baked a cake for her, and Clef, Presea, Sierra, Zazu, Lantis, Primera, and Mokona arrived as guests. Though the number of guests was small, Alcyone was still happy that so many people had come to celebrate her birthday, even if Primera was present.

By the time Hotaru made it back, the party had already started with everyone sharing stories and catching up. While there were no plans for party games, Hotaru had suggested they play a round of charades each. While Clef and Livina struggled with their impersonations, Lantis, Integra, and Zazu were surprisingly skilled at the game. Presea and Sierra had together tried to mimic some form of a spider creature, but their pose was ruined by Mokona jumping on top of them. For the next quarter of an hour the game had turned into Pin the Tail on Mokona; with one half of the party goers trying to catch the bunny blob while the others tried to catch the chasers.

With the games over with, it was time to share presents. Clef had gone first, relinquishing a heavy leather-bound tome to Alcyone, which had greatly helped him in becoming the Master Mage. Next were Presea and Sierra, who gifted Alcyone a bag of jungle flower seeds, from plants around the village of Renault. Zazu's present was a few extra alarm system units, which could either be given to new villages or work as spares for current ones. Primera's gift was a bag of fertilizer from the forest of spirits, which was rich in fairy dust. Lantis had originally wanted to present Alcyone with a new dress, but due to a lack of measurements, he instead gave silks from Fahren and velvet from Chizeta. Although the gifts varied greatly, Alcyone was extremely pleased with all of them, despite the implications of Primera's gift.

To most of their surprise, Mokona also had a gift to give. Leading them outside the mansion, the little rabbit fay used its forehead gem to summon a floating carriage without wheels. It was mostly black in color, with silver trims and lilac decorations. The carriage had ovular top and bottom, with slightly outwards curving, ornate walls with windows. The bottom of the vehicle had six purple domes in two rows that angled slightly to the sides, similar to Mokona's flying saucer. At the front, there was a seat for the driver, which looked like a small balcony with a roof. Clef explained he had finished the carriage, but it was Mokona who had paid for it.

Both Alcyone and Envix wanted to take it out for a spin, but Hotaru, who still hadn't given his present, insisted on waiting till tomorrow. With the party ending in the evening, Alcyone and Hotaru bid farewell to the guests, after which Hotaru scooped Alcyone up into his arms. Taking a comfortable position, Alcyone blushed as her lover flew her off into the horizon. The trip was long and the sky grew darker as they flew towards the east. With Hotaru staying tight-lipped about his surprise, Alcyone took her time to enjoy the view, until she saw something glowing in the horizon.

Flying over to a small mountain range, she could spot a plateau hidden between the mountain tops. The valley was so brightly lit it almost hurt to look at after flying in the moonlight for so long. Descending closer, Alcyone gasped as she saw the source of light. Hundreds of flowers the size of saucers, with three rows of upwards curving petals, that all shone in a rainbow of colors. With each flower giving off light at a different rate, the colors all mixed together, bathing the plateau in white light. As they landed, she could feel how soft and moist the mossy ground beneath them was.

"Wha- What are these?" Alcyone gasped, admiring the flowers.

"Rainbow lotuses," Hotaru answered. "Ferio told me about them and I managed to find this place during a night flight about a month ago."

"They are so beautiful…" Alcyone's eyes radiated, as she knelt to inspect them. "Is it… is it okay to pick them up?"

"Wouldn't recommend it," Hotaru shook his head with a stiff upper lip. "I tried getting one with its roots intact but it instantly turned black. I came here another day too but they had all gone black in the sunlight as well. From what I've gathered from observing them, they need a full day's worth of sunlight to shine like this in the night. You'd be surprised how much effort it takes to keep clouds away."

"I see…" Alcyone smiled, standing back up. "No wonder you couldn't share your gift with the others. Thank you so much for bringing me here!"

Seeing Alcyone so happy already, Hotaru awkwardly confessed, "Well… this isn't exactly your gift. I brought you here to hand you your gift."

"What?" Alcyone blinked with her eyes wide. "You mean you have something else to give me?"

"Mhm," Hotaru nodded, reaching for his left gauntlet. "At first I figured I would try and make it up for you for destroying your old longsword."

Ejecting a lime-green light out of his left gauntlet, Hotaru summoned a longsword with a bluish silver blade and a golden crossguard. The crossguard was shaped like a bat with its ears towards the blade and its wings spread open, so that the folds pointed towards the handle. Each section of the wing had a tear-drop shaped, seafoam green and cerulean blue opal, with little streaks of magenta running through them. The handle was black with the pommel being golden and cylindrical, with six oval opals around it.

With Hotaru handing the longsword over to Alcyone, her lip began to tremble "Are… are these Olympia opals!? Th-This is insane! Ho-How can we afford this!?"

"Don't worry, they are surprisingly common on the moon," Hotaru admitted, before crossing his arms awkwardly. "So… you're fine with the sword? I heard from Sierra it was a faux pas to give your lover a sword…"

"It's… unusual but…" Alcyone hesitated, trying to find the words to express her overjoyedness, "I can't help but be impressed by this… Wait, did you say the moon?"

"Anyway," Hotaru quickly changed the subject, "I then figured I should make you something myself instead of ordering your gift from Presea. So, I made you these."

Reaching for his gauntlet again, Hotaru pulled out a red, heart-shaped box and held it out to Alcyone. With her sword hanging between her fingers, she opened the box, revealing two dozen chocolate hearts.

"How sweet of you," Alcyone smiled blushingly, popping one into her mouth. "Mmm… a mint filling!"

"I thought you might like it," Hotaru said, handing the box over to her. "But, after everything you have done for me ever since we got together, I felt like I would be short-changing you if I just gave you candy. So, I asked Caldina for some advice."

Raising her eyebrow, Alcyone asked carefully, "…What kind of advice did she give you?"

"Well, I asked her if she knew what you would like for your birthday and she told me that you for several years wished for a love poem from Zagato," Hotaru answered, seeing Alcyone blush deep red in embarrassment. "But since necromancy isn't quite in my ballpark, I figured to write it myself."

This time it was Hotaru's turn to blush, as he reached for his right gauntlet, pulling out a piece of folded paper. Handing it over to Alcyone, he found it awkward to look her in the eye, as she silently read the poem. As her indigo eyes scanned through the paper, Hotaru could see a gentle smile spread across Alcyone's lips and her blush turned more serene.

"So… how did I do?" Hotaru asked sheepishly.

"Your grammar still needs some work," Alcyone chuckled, before storing her gifts in her forehead gem, "but it was touching and beautiful. Thank you so much for these gifts, my love!"

With Alcyone rushing over to hug him, Hotaru held out his hand, stopping her in her tracks. At first, she was confused, but then saw Hotaru smiling warmly, with his eyes locked in on hers.

"I am glad you are happy with them. But the thing is, I just couldn't help but think you deserved something so much more. An overly expensive sword is just a trinket. I already cook you almost every day, so homemade chocolates aren't that special. I've already confessed to you my love, so a poem doing the same felt cheap. Flowers, chocolates, poems, a sword; these were all gifts that I should have given you a long time ago," Hotaru smiled, reaching for his right gauntlet again. "Since you loved hearing about my old world and its customs, I realized I should show you another one."

Getting down on one knee, Hotaru looked up at Alcyone in the light of the moon and the lotuses. He held out a small purple box in his hand, lifting its lid up for her, revealing an intricate ring. Its band was made out of shining purple metal, with gold and silver lines twisting around its outer surface. At the top of it, was a large, hexagonal Olympia opal, with its many streaks and swirls forming the shape of a snowflake. While Alcyone was stunned at the ring's beauty, it was what Hotaru said next that caused her heart to flutter.

"Alcyone Subaru," Hotaru addressed her with misty eyes, "in order to spend the rest of our days together, will you marry me?"

A brisk breeze emanated from the plateau of rainbow lotuses, as the cold and warm hearts of two lovers beat as one. With her words failing her, Alcyone dived in to hug the still kneeling Hotaru, wrapping her arms around him and pushing him over. Hotaru almost lost hold of the ring box, as Alcyone buried her face in his neck.

"YES! Of course I will!" Alcyone yelled, tears of joy blinding her as she looked down at her fiancé. "I love you, Hotaru!"

Returning her embrace, Hotaru knew he had chosen the right gift, "I love you too, Alcyone."

Celebrating Alcyone's birthday and their engagement, it wasn't until the sun came up that they returned home.

---

Author's Afterword: I feel that this chapter accomplishes what I sought to do with these intermission chapters the best. Mostly disconnected short stories centered around our good couple, showing the passages of time until the Magic Knights come back. Four chapters down, two more to go till then.

What may have come as the biggest surprise to you all during this chapter, was Caldina's new job. Although many others would have thought of her starting a jewelry business, a club, a casino, or something, I wondered what the original authors would have done. Seeing how Caldina cared for Ascot, I was certain she would seek a job that included helping children when getting acclimated to Cephiro. Considering how sharp she is, I figured teacher would not only suit her but also show off her character growth.

This also helped me deal with setting up my favorite gag at Hotaru's expense. Ever since the start of this fic, I have been ducking and weaving with Hotaru avoiding having to read anything for the sake of this chapter. There is no official writing system for Cephiro, so coming up with one was interesting. While Hotaru is the strongest being on Cephiro at this point, having him be served a piece of humble pie every now and then is good for his ego.

But it is not like I only punch down on him. In fact, I think this chapter gave him some of his best lines yet. It's been a while since I have been able to let Hotaru crack jokes and dish out threats, due to lack of adversaries. As some of you may have guessed, we will be seeing more of the Galant Guard later.

The schooled and the schoolers aside, this chapter was mainly focused on Alcyone and Hotaru working out the knots in their relationship. They may not be a perfect pair, as nobody is, but despite the secrets and jealousy they harbor, they appreciate, respect, and look after each other.

Now I did mention something about Hotaru and Alcyone spending Christmas together near the end, but this will be a story for the holidays. While my plan for finishing this fic within a year isn't going to work out, the Jule special will be uploaded sometime in mid-December this year.

Next chapter, we will be leaving Cephiro behind for a bit, and head off to Autozam. Also, some of you may find Sera from this chapter kind of familiar. I have recently been checking a let's play of the Sega Saturn game of Magic Knight Rayearth and figured I would sprinkle a few NPCs from it into this story.

My Deviantart page is now up and the link for it is available in my profile bio.

As always, reviews, questions, and critiques are welcome! Let me know what you thought of the chapter! No reviews this week but I would like to thank Cartoonguy133 for their comments on my Deviantart page!

Remember, even if you leave a review on an older chapter, I will always be grateful and make sure to mention you in the next chapter!