Khana and I stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. My one-handed, powered up Steel Axe was up and ready, as was her two-handed hammer of choice.

She was a veteran hero with a lot of experience under her belt, both in terms of actual experience and XP. She could have dozens of skills ready to use and the weapon form she used could have any number of effects on it.

I, on the other hand, had every power up method working to some degree, aside from the Projectile's—no need to spend money I didn't have to increase the other methods that were already doing fine. What's more, I had the Axe of Rage to use. She'd seen it before, but hadn't commented on it. That meant she either didn't know what it was, or assumed I had it under some control.

Taking the variables into consideration, I put myself to win at, say, 80%. Even with Martin there, who held up his hands to prepare a spell, I could burn my way through them without much risk.

Still…

"Come on, little man, say you're lying. Say it's a joke. Say you got scared and just reacted. Give me something here." She was practically pleading with me.

"Sorry. Really." I didn't want her to be a reincarnated. Rato was a partner, now technically a slave. Hailey was a filolial who hadn't transformed yet.

But Khana…I was really starting to like her. No, I did like her. It wouldn't be wrong to say she was my first friend in this world. It wasn't like I encountered a lot of hostile people, or that I couldn't find any help down the road, but she…

I couldn't think like that. I couldn't hesitate. Not again. We only spent one night together. One wonderful night where I got to forget the day before and only focus on being close with someone, if only physically.

"Damn, I was wrong." Khana sighed, her expression turning a bit more solemn. "I really thought you weren't one of them and just lucked your way into things."

"My luck has been pretty good recently, all things considered." I took in a deep breath. "Of course something like this would happen."

If the reincarnated here were like the ones from the books, I wouldn't be having this issue. They'd all be selfish pricks and I'd just chop them to bits without a second thought. But no, that wasn't the case, at least not for all of them. Some worked for their gods in one form or another, even if it was more indirect. They had goals. And, unfortunately, most of those gods were against my goddess in one form or another.

"Miss Khana—"

"Martin! Don't get involved." She replied sharply, not taking her eyes off of me. "Dante, if you kill me, leave Martin and my party alone. Martin, speak of what happens here to no one. Understand?"

"B-But…"

"No buts. You live, you get me?" Her eyes shifted to the boy on the bed for only a moment.

He nodded in reply, tears starting to form.

"If he doesn't pick a fight, I won't have a problem with him." I told her.

She gave me a nod in return. "I appreciate that."

Even now, she only thought of her party, her friends. And if she was warning Martin, and wanting my word I'd leave him and her party alone, she knew how dangerous reincarnated could be. But I couldn't let that stop me. The moment my goddess hired me, I knew I'd have to get my hands dirty, just like every other job I took. This was just another part of that.

"I'm not like whoever you've dealt with before, but that doesn't really change our positions much." I responded.

"So…when are you going to attack?"

"When are you?"

I tightened my grip on my axe's shaft as Khana spaced out her feet a little more.

"Would you believe me if I said this wasn't the first time I had to kill someone naked, both me and the other person?" I was stalling, I knew, but I couldn't help it.

"I had to kill a woman who I was just starting to get busy with." Khana replied. "Barely missed my jugular with a knife."

"Heh. Never had one of my hookups try that, at least not while we were in the act. Killed a man at a nudist beach once."

"I'm sure that'd be quite the story."

"Yeah…" This was so fucked.

I suppose I should be thankful nothing like this happened before. The closest was when I hired a woman for the night and she tried to stab me the moment we walked into the hotel room. Well, she did stab me, but she wasn't very good at it. That scar was always an embarrassing story to tell.

"Well?" Khana lifted her hammer up slightly.

"I guess we can't really put this off any longer." I sighed.

"Before we start, which one brought you back? Not that any of the others bothered to say." Khana shifted slightly to the side to reposition, then dug her feet into the carpeted floor a little more.

"Can't say." I shook my head. "She never told me her name, likely in case one of you caught and tortured me. How about you? Who do you work for?"

Khana bared her teeth at me. "I don't work for him. That bastard…"

"Bastard?" That was a weird thing to say.

"Only met him once, and that was far too much for what he put me through. Making me live through that again…but I made something of myself. I'm my own woman now, and I won't be his plaything like the others."

Her words made me flinch. It couldn't be, could it? It almost sounded like before. "Are you…the one who reincarnated you. What's his name?"

"Does it really matter, little…Dante?" She asked, changing her name for me.

"It does." I insisted.

"Fine." She scoffed. "Pahadron."

Pahadron. The same god who brought back that girl. That meant…

"You got want you wanted." Khana drew back her hammer. "Now, let's get this over with."

"Wait!" I held up my free hand. "We don't have to fight!"

Khana scoffed again. "You're not the first to try that, Dante." She took a careful step forward.

"The girl!" I shouted before quieting down again. "The girl from the Wave. She was one of Pahadron's."

Khana halted her advance. "So what?"

I had an opening. "My goddess told me he still has her soul. Probably yours too, once you die. You'll be reincarnated again, going through whatever hell he wants to put you through. Is that what you want?"

She stared at me, hopefully considering what I said. Whatever happened to her, at least it was bad enough that she didn't reject what I said immediately. It was twisted to think of, but it helped right now.

"We don't have to kill each other." I lowered my axe, trying to show I meant what I said.

"Dante…" I could see it on her face. The conflict. The consideration. The fear of making the wrong choice. I wondered if this was what I looked like when I considered my goddess's offer.

No…I didn't even have to think about that.

I took it one step further, changing the Steel Axe to the Bracelet Axe, just like it had been all night. "Come on, Khana." I spoke softly. "Neither of us want this. Maybe I can do something about him." I didn't know if I—or, more accurately, my goddess—could, but I wanted to try.

She continued to stand there, deep concentration written on her face. Her eyes shifted to Martin for a moment before returning to me.

"If…Say we don't fight." Khana said, her posture the same. "Then what?"

"Then we go on as if this never happened." I told her. "We fight the Waves and protect the world."

"How do I know you aren't planning on destroying the world?" Khana asked. "Some of the others wanted nothing less."

It was a fair question, though a bit lopsided, considering how I just fought in a Wave. She probably wanted to see how I would respond. "Because if that's what my goddess wanted, we probably wouldn't have ever met. I'd kill the four Cardinal Heroes during a Wave, or at least the last living one, and be done with it."

That seemed to be an acceptable answer, since Khana lowered her hammer slightly.

"It's really that easy?" She asked.

"It is. Unfortunately." I breathed a bit easier.

Khana continued to look at me a few seconds more, likely trying to gauge my honesty. Then, she slowly set the head of her hammer on the ground, leaning slightly on the end of the shaft as she scratched her chin. "I guess splitting the Cardinal Heroes up really is a good idea. I figured putting them in every Wave together would help end them more quickly, but…"

"After enough time, doing that will be necessary." I said, taking a couple steps closer to her. She didn't react beyond keeping an eye on me. "In the meantime, gaining levels, as well as drops, gear, and whatever else, will be more important."

She hummed, looking thoughtful. "We should discuss this more with Lloyd, when we see him. Plus all the rulers and diplomats here."

While not in the Wave, Lloyd was to meet us at the inn Khana and I stayed at the past two nights. I'd hand over some monster drops—which were bones, so not something he could really use outside of improving armor. He probably wanted meat for his monsters.

"About that…" I wanted to address her other point. "I have certain knowledge that'll become less relevant the more it's revealed. We should probably hold off on spreading too much of it for now."

I was worried I'd have to convince her, since I hadn't really planned on any of this happening at all and had no real argument prepared. Thankfully, she nodded, even if it was a hesitant one.

"I haven't told anyone about that girl, and asked my party not to also." She began. "Not really sure how to explain that, and I don't want anything about me getting out either. Doing that wouldn't help anyone." She nodded more resolutely. "Alright. We keep things between us heroes for now."

That would be much more manageable. I was glad she understood the importance of keeping information hidden.

With another hum, Khana looked out the rather large window in the room. It had a nice view of the courtyard. More relevant, we could see the sun's position. It was already above the castle walls, though we weren't on the first floor, so it wasn't that late in the day.

"Well, the king will probably wake up soon and give out rewards. Let's get some breakfast before then, and then we can figure things out. Sound good, little man?" Khana looked back at me with a smile.

I gave her one as well. "Yeah." What can I say? I was happy I didn't have to kill her. I already killed one child used by that bastard. I didn't want to have to kill another one, since I could only assume Khana died young. That'd be another thing to talk about eventually. Even if she was grown now, it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Khana changed her hammer into a bracelet and walked to the door. Just as she put her hand on the handle—

"Miss Khana!" Martin yelled.

"What? Oh." Khana looked back at him. I did as well, likely spotting the same thing she did.

"You almost walked around naked. Again." Martin told her, his hands at his sides as he kneeled on the bed.

"Hm. So I did." Khana turned her smile into a smirk. "You can calm down now, Martin."

"I-I am calm!" He stammered out. "It was just a little scary at first, but I'm glad you aren't going to fight Sir Dante."

"Oh, I can tell." Khana crossed her arms under her chest, pushing up her assets. "Look, if you want us to stay in here a little longer, I don't mind. Maybe little man here would be interested in another round."

I shrugged. "Maybe. I did it drunk, so maybe I'll try it sober. It might help my hangover a little." The adrenaline was starting to wear off anyway, so I could go for some endorphins.

Martin's heavy blush contrasted pretty well with his blue hair. I actually would go so far to say it was cute this time. "M-Miss Khana! That's not what I'm saying! Even if I'd like that…" His voice went soft near the end.

"Clearly." Khana laughed, pointing at him. Well, she was certainly pointing at him, just somewhere specific.

Martin followed her finger and looked down, immediately understanding. He covered himself with his hands and brought up a knee to assist, but the damage was already done.

"Does the sight of me preparing to kill someone really excite you that much?" Khana asked with another laugh.

"No…" He moved his hands to cover his face, flopping over on the bed to keep somewhat covered.

Not one to pass up an opportunity to strike, I spoke up. "Have to say, for such a small guy, you're really packing."

"You're not so bad yourself, little man. It was really nice when you two worked together." Khana was just close enough to tap me with her elbow.

"Don't make this weird, Khana." I said, though her grin told me she would.

"It's weird. Embrace it."

"Please stop…" Martin's soft plea fell on deaf ears.

I smiled a bit wider. "God, I'm glad we don't have to kill each other. You're too much fun. Can't say I'm all that happy learning about Martin's strange perversions."

"I'm not a pervert…" His rebuttal was weak and soft.

"Sure~." Khana laughed at her poor mage.

There was nothing quite like a good laugh after nearly having to fight to the death, even if Martin had to suffer for it.

~The Right Man~

After getting dressed and armored up, plus the last round of holy water treatment for me, the three of us left the room to get breakfast. The rest of Khana's party was already at the table prepared for us. Those three looked at us expectantly.

Sighing, I pointed to Omir, knowing full well what they wanted to know. The smug cat-man held out his hand to his two grumbling party members, receiving a gold coin from each of them. I had to wonder who was more observant between the two of them: Omir or Khana. Well, Omir spotted a shadow, so my money was on him for recon and Khana for social cues.

After a nice, secluded breakfast, we were led to the throne room. The king had prepared a reward for both parties, even if mine wasn't currently there. The room was filled with nobles, much like how it was the night before.

Khana and I neared the throne, with Khana's party lined up behind her. We stood and waited as the king addressed us. Curiously, he had a small card in his hand that he looked at.

"Despite your short time in this world, Axe Hero, you acted in defense of my country and people. For swiftly defeating the Wave, I award you 1,000 silver."

Wow. The king was pretty generous with the reward, especially since I never presented myself to him before. I was pretty sure I got twice what Naofumi did. Then again, this might have just been showing off wealth. Since I was benefiting, I wasn't going to comment.

An attendant approached me and offered a nicely made bag of coins. It was actually a small bag, a coin purse, only a few coins jingling inside. I suppose 1,000 silver sounded better than 10 gold.

"For your work in my country, as well as protecting my people and one of the largest agricultural sources of my kingdom, I offer you 2,000 silver, Hammer Hero."

Another attendant came forward and presented Khana with her reward.

"Furthermore," the king went on, clearly reading from the card, "Axe Hero Dante. In recognition of your quick growth in strength, you are hereby requested to join the other Seven Star Heroes in training and guiding the Cardinal Heroes when they are summoned. Great rewards await you for this task. Do you accept?"

I could see Khana look at me, giving me a smirk and raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Your Majesty." I responded.

"Excellent." The king dropped the card and stood from his throne. "Then this concludes the audience." He then lumbered off, leaving one of his attendants to pick up the card and follow after him.

What followed was another round of nobles gathering around us. This time, Khana and her party couldn't keep them away. That was fine, since I had a night to recuperate.

I gave a bunch of noncommittal promises—as much of an oxymoron as that was—about finding time to work with these nobles about various things, plus a few more mentions of single daughters looking for a groom. A political marriage was the last thing I wanted, unless it would greatly improve my work here. A high-ranking member of nobility might really help, considering how I sucked at politics. Let the people smarter than me worry about that sort of thing.

Eventually, after talking for what felt like hours—though I knew it couldn't have been more than 20 minutes—the crowd of nobles began to disperse. We were able to make our way to the doors of the throne room, the guards there opening them for us.

"I hate politics." I muttered as we walked.

"I noticed." Khana gave me an elbow to my armored chest. "I have someone in Shieldfreeden to take care of all that for me."

"Smart." I nodded. We really thought alike on that. Eddy was much more of a big picture guy than me. "Think you could introduce me?"

"I don't know~." She stroked her chin with a smile. "You might try to seduce her."

"My first thought." I deadpanned.

We rounded a corner, coming up to a maid in the middle of the hall.

"Lady Khana, Sir Dante." The maid bowed slightly. "My mistress, Queen Mirellia Q. Melromarc, wishes to speak with you."

Khana and I gave each other a look. Come to think of it, I didn't see the queen in the throne room this morning. This might have had something to do with what I said last night. I'd never been so shitfaced that I couldn't remember the night before—as much as I wanted to forget that morning.

"Sure." I told her.

Khana nodded as well. "We'll meet you back at the inn." She told her party.

The two of us followed the maid down a few halls, leading to an area guarded my Melromarc knights. She approached one of the doors and gave it a few taps.

"My queen, the heroes are here." She said.

"Enter." The voice of the queen responded.

The maid pulled opened the door and stood to the side. Khana and I entered to see the queen sitting behind a table with a few papers laid out in front of her, though it seemed like most were collected into a pile. What's more, a young girl with purple-blue twintails and a well-made dress stood next to the queen. Based on her appearance, it was safe to say this was Melty.

Two knights were on either side of the door, one of them pulling it shut. Another two stood at attention further in, one at either side behind the queen.

"Welcome, heroes." Mirellia said calmly.

I cleared my throat before I spoke. "About last night…" She held up a hand to stop me.

"There's no need to bring that up." Mirella simply said. "There are more important matters to discuss."

"Okay? Such as?" I wasn't sure what she meant.

Mirellia folded her hands together on the table. "For instance, why would two heroes, who appeared so friendly before, suddenly fight one another?"

Beside me, I saw Khana stiffen. Someone was spying on us. Khana clearly realized the same thing.

Thinking fast, I spoke first. "Just a misunderstanding. Nothing to concern yourself with."

Mirellia smiled, though it felt dangerous. "Is that so?"

I could feel a certain tension in the air.

"Then, what of this girl from the Wave? Something of gods as well?" Mirellia asked.

I didn't know how much was heard, so I wasn't sure how much to say. I opted for silence.

"You know, Hero MacRory," she continued, "there are a few religions in our world. I don't know how they are where you are from, but not all of them are in harmony with one another. Take the Three Heroes Church and the Shield Church, for instance. The national religions of Melromarc and Siltvelt, respectively. As an outsider, you can't be expected to follow one or understand all their aspects. Hero Khana, however…"

The danger in the air felt more imposing as the queen locked eyes with Khana. "I've never heard of a god that brings someone back from the dead, or born anew with their memories intact."

Khana's hand clenched into a fist at her side. She didn't say how many people knew she was reincarnated, but I'd bet it wasn't many. Fortunately, so far, it didn't seem like Mirellia fully understood what was said.

"I wonder what some of the nobles here might think of such of a belief, let alone the clergy." Mirellia said, finishing her speech by leaning back in her chair.

I hated politics. Partly because I wasn't good at it. But I knew enough to get by. "It's our word against yours." I told her. Spreading rumors would be easy enough, and some might take hold if enough details were given. Still, it wasn't anything to worry too much about.

That was until Mirellia pulled a small crystal out from her sleeve. It gave off a small projection of a door, a closeup of the knob and lock. Then…

"This is my second life. I'm reincarnated, too, having memories of my first life."

The visual didn't change, but the audio played out. Khana and I stood there, listening to the recording. I'd forgotten this sort of thing existed here, mostly because I could only recall it being used like this twice. Once was with framing Naofumi for kidnapping Melty, and the other was in the web novel with Malty being given to the Pig King.

It continued on for a minute or so before cutting off, the visual changing to a hallway being moved through. A servant or something might have just walked by. The last thing said was just before mentioning which god reincarnated Khana.

"Quite unfamiliar topics." The queen concluded. "It doesn't seem like either of you are a threat, but I can't help but suspect you don't want any of this to get out."

I was really starting to regret getting drunk last night and mouthing off like I did. Mirellia doing this…I shouldn't be surprised. The world leaders were here to figure out how to protect their world, but Mirellia was still the queen of a country. Getting two heroes under her thumb, especially one who knew something he shouldn't about her husband, would be too tempting to pass up.

"What do you want?" Khana asked through gritted teeth.

If not for what she just demonstrated, the smile on Mirellia's face would be calming. "I simply wish for two powerful heroes to aid my country's chosen Cardinal Hero when the time comes."

I didn't have to be good at politics to understand what this was: blackmail. And I didn't actually know, but since she showed us the crystal, she probably had a copy. Otherwise, she'd risk losing her leverage against two powerful heroes who could kill her knights and take that crystal from her hands.

"Of course, I don't expect you to disregard your duties as heroes." Mirellia continue, gesturing to the side with her hand. "By all means, protect Shieldfreeden and Zeltoble as well. But, the hero of Melromarc comes first."

The silence that followed felt oppressive, though it wasn't from Mirellia. At least, the feeling didn't come from her. Khana hid it well, but I could tell she was seething next to me.

"I thought the leaders meeting here were putting aside their differences for the sake of the world." I asked, trying to get a handle on what exactly this woman was thinking.

"Indeed." She nodded. "The four Cardinal Heroes will be summoned and dispersed across the world to fight the Waves. I am merely ensuring that my country has what it needs without upsetting that agreement."

As expected of a ruler, I suppose. Mirellia was still acting somewhat like she had in the books. In fact, I remembered a line about her not caring if Malty had wrapped Naofumi around her finger and…what was it? Domesticated him? It might have been empty words, but she said it all the same.

Now that I thought about it, Mirellia was probably so compliant with Naofumi because she had to be. No matter the timeline, it was always after Melromarc summoned the heroes and painted a target on the country. She had to make sure Naofumi wanted to stay. The other times with Motoyasu and his time-traveling shenanigans had that as the backdrop, but also with Motoyasu himself being a force of nature—really, a natural disaster.

Another scene came to mind, this one from the web novel. Mirellia actually used Melty to lure out the church, sending her into danger. And when questioned about what if Melty had died because of that, the response was more or less "so be it". I wouldn't call this Mirellia's views psychopathic so far, but I still should keep all that in mind.

"Do I have your support?" The queen asked us then.

"…Fine." Khana responded icily. "But I will remember this."

Mirellia continued to smile. "Please do. And you, Hero MacRory?" She turned to me then.

"I already told you I was going to Melromarc eventually. Now it's just sooner." I said, giving her a scoff.

"Of course." Mirellia nodded. "But I have an extra task for you. The king of Faubrey, you see, has his eyes on my oldest daughter. I would very much like to keep it at that and nothing more."

The movement was subtle, but Melty scrunched up the front of her dress where here hands rested. She knew what kind fate awaited any woman the Pig King wanted. Despite the kind of person Malty was, Melty clearly didn't want that for her sister.

"Yeah?" I crossed my arms.

"The companions of heroes have certain protections, you see, in addition to gaining levels. While I have no doubt she will join with the Cardinal Hero's party, I would feel much better knowing she has another hero watching out for her." Mirellia continued to smile as her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "For this, I will ensure no one hears how you murdered a young girl in the Wave."

The knights behind her immediately gripped the swords at their sides. Melty took a step back as well, though the queen remained motionless. I must have given off a strong bloodlust, since I didn't feel myself move.

"Yeah…" I ground out. "I'll do that."

"Excellent." She nodded past them, one of the guards opening the door. The knights behind her eased back. "Then I believe this meeting is concluded. I look forward to your return after the hero summoning."

Khana gave the queen one more hateful look before turning around. I followed after her.

Now back in the hall, I had to pick up my pace to keep up with Khana. Her boots clacked against the ground, even with the rolled-out carpet over the stone. She stormed down the halls, looking ready for a fight. Couldn't say I blamed her. I wanted to go back there and smash in that damn woman's face for saying that to me.

"Hey." I reached out to grab her shoulder, only for her to slap my hand away. We paused in the hall, her fist clenched as she looked down at me. I held my hands up soothingly.

"That…bitch." Khana murmured, resuming her walk at a slower pace.

"Don't worry about it." I told her as we walked side by side.

"How can I not!?" She practically barked out. "Bringing Omir to a place like that…he's strong enough to take care of himself, but we'll still have to keep an eye out. More than normal. And what she said to you—"

"You won't have to worry about any of that." I assured her. No one threatens my friends and gets away with.

"How's that?" She turned her head slightly to look at me.

"Not here." I shook my head. "Omir first."

We couldn't talk where shadows and spies could overhear what I had to say, especially since one already did just that. Omir spotted a shadow from a large distance before. If he could make sure none were nearby, I could say a few things before explaining more.

~The Right Man~

I had one stop to make first. At Baric's shop, I bought a variety of ore to test out for Smelting and Ore Equip. They were easy to carry, since absorbed ore went into a sort of "ore inventory", as I called it. Khana gave me a look, but I simply told her, "Later".

We made it back to the inn we stayed at before. Rato and the rest of Khana's party greeted us as we approached, as well as Lloyd. He didn't have his griffin with him at the moment. I got an extra greeting from my favorite filolial.

"Gweh!" Hailey bobbed her head around as I scratched around her neck before craning her head down and over my shoulder.

"Such a good girl." I told her, patting the side of her head. The moment I saw her, I felt myself calming down. Animals were always nice to be around, and this fluffy bird was no exception.

When she backed up a little, I took a good look at her. She appeared no different than she did yesterday. Her growth seemed to be complete and there was no hint at her growing outward any.

"Hmmm." I looked at her from side to side. "I wonder…are you just being shy?"

"Gweh?" Hailey cocked her head at my question.

"Maybe not." It was a silly thought. Now that I thought about it, it was probably a Holy Hero that was needed to make a royal filolial. Otherwise, one of the Seven Star Heroes would have one already. I didn't really think about it, since Lloyd had griffins. I just assumed…well, he didn't say he never raised a filolial before. Others could have just preferred other monsters as mounts. Dragons were pretty cool.

"Gweh…" Hailey looked disheartened. She might have sensed my disappointment at the situation.

"Hey now, I still love you." I scratched around her neck and chest. It was just another reason to go to Melromarc.

"Gweh!" She happily flapped her wings at my attention given to her.

"Well?" When I turned around, Khana was looking at me with crossed arms. Her party stood behind and around her.

"Out of the city." I told them. "If Omir would keep watch for anyone that shouldn't be here?"

He looked to Khana, who gave him a nod.

We proceeded to walk through the city, receiving praise from the people we passed. I couldn't say it improved my mood much, but I'd already calmed down halfway to the inn. After all, I knew things.

Once through the city gates and onto the plains, we put a good distance between us and the walls. Omir kept looking around, though he gave no indication we were being followed.

"Alright then." I said, stopping our movement and turning around. The rest of the group stood before me. First things first. "Khana, what do you think of Lloyd?"

"Um…" The hero in question rubbed the back of his neck as he looked to Khana.

"He's a dependable man who I trust with my life." She responded with crossed arms. That put a smile on Lloyd's face, as well as putting me at ease.

"In that case, I'll tell you all how I'm so strong." I said, earning their full attention.

"I thought you seemed a little strong for your level." Lloyd admitted.

"But I'll need two things from you first." I held up my hand, extending a finger. "First, tell this to no one, especially Conrad."

"What? But—"

"Fine." Khana said, cutting off Lloyd. I still wasn't sure where Conrad stood in terms of being a reincarnated, but he would be against me regardless for freeing Rato.

I actually brought up to Rato before about getting her name cleared, but she refused. She'd need to be registered to someone else to verify what she said and she didn't know who all would simply lie and side with Conrad. It could be anyone up to and including the king, and that could be its own can of worms. But with me as her 'owner', it was a veteran hero's word against the new guy, so we weren't going to chance it.

"Second is a favor from both of you at some point in the future." I said, holding up a second finger. "Giving me your word will be enough for now."

"A favor?" Khana cocked an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Nothing against any moral code you might have." I assured her. "In fact, I have them in mind already if you wanted to clear the books. Khana's will have to wait until we get to Zeltoble, though."

Khana tapped a finger against her arm. "And how's that going to help against the queen of Melromarc?"

"The queen…" Lloyd looked between us. "What happened? What did you do?"

Khana glared down at the man, but Lloyd didn't back down. If I had to guess, she had a history of making enemies where she shouldn't, despite the wisdom she shared last night. That's probably why she had someone in Shieldfreeden to help her out.

"Leave her to me." I told her. "We'll see how she feels in, oh I don't know, 10 days?"

"Sounds like you know something, little man." Khana said.

"We'll have time to talk after we get out of here. That's a bit more involved than what I'm about to share. So, you're word?" I looked to both of them.

Lloyd took a moment to consider, but he nodded. Khana looked at me a bit longer before she did as well.

I gave a quick look to Omir. Picking up the meaning, he nodded, signaling that we weren't being watched. With a smile, I told them. "The heroes can share power up methods. You need to know what it does, which weapon it belongs to, and believe that it will work."

Khana raised her eyebrow once more. "Really?"

I shrugged. "I know that last one sounds silly, but it's true. Khana, the Hammer allows you to copy equip effects from different weapon forms and put them on another weapon, with a space limit. Lloyd, you can lower the levels of party members, giving them stats based on the levels sacrificed. You can also drop them back to level 1 after a class up to increase their growth."

The Hammer method was basically what I remembered, but the Whip was a little different. Then again, I didn't recall exactly how it would affect growth, or if it was ever truly laid out, so it could have been flat raw stats or increased stat growth. Interpretation and translation, and all that. Turned out it was both.

Since I told them their own methods, they looked to believe my words a bit more. Eyes looking at something I couldn't see, probably their status, they came to the same conclusion: I was right.

"Huh." Lloyd held his whip in his hand and let it crack to the side. Fire trailed a path following the end of it.

"How did you know that?" Khana asked, uncrossing her arms. "Was it…"

"Partly." I answered her unasked question. "I'll explain more in a minute, assuming this works. The Gauntlets' method gives points to put into skills, increasing their power and possibly giving additional aspects to them. Put some into your Portal Hammer and take us all to Shieldfreeden."

Once more, Khana looked through her status. Slowly, a grin creeped onto her face, just like she'd been showing me since I met her.

"You're sure you want to be giving this to someone who tried to kill you this morning?" Khana asked in a joking tone.

The other members of her party, aside from Martin, looked at me with a bit of caution. Though, since Khana was clearing having fun, they didn't reach for their weapons.

"Seriously, what did I miss?" Lloyd was completely lost as he frantically looked between us.

"It's the least I can do for my first friend in this world." I told her simply. "Whether it's giving you power or keeping some ruler out of your business."

If Mirellia was going to throw around her weight like that and thought we couldn't fight back, she was sorely mistaken. Whatever happens now will be on her.

"Aw~! We're friends?" Khana smiled a toothy smile. "And here I was starting to think you were just using me to get to Martin."

"I'm not touching that one." I sighed, but was still relieved. Her good mood was pretty infectious. "Now then, shall we? What I have to say will probably rock your world, so I'd like to do it away from potential prying eyes."

"Sure thing, little man!" Khana unhooked her hammer from her back and raised it into the air. "Portal Hammer III!"

I felt a moment of weightlessness take over me as the skill warmed up. And then, we left Faubrey.

Author's Notes:

I guess you could call this the end of the Intro Arc. Not really doing arcs, or at least I'm not planning on it, but it might work out that way. If I do, the next one will be the "To Melromarc!" arc.

I'll do a few chapter for Forging Legends, then probably hop back and forth to this fic.