Round Table Chapter 3: Make Haste for the Demon Prince!
By Bluestar076
Yes, I did say that I would have worked on my Digimon Adventure 04 story next, but I always end up changing ideas. Plus, a bit of time has passed since the previous chapter, and I want to show you more to ensure the story will go strong like Shogunate Pride, so here we are! Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! As you can guess, we will continue straight from where we interrupted ourselves last time with the aid of a new friend who can be considered the star of today's episode! We don't need to add much other than I hope to show you more action this time! So, we can dive right into today's chapter! As always, I hope you enjoy it!
Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, CloverWorks, and J.C. Staff.
Chapter 3: Make Haste for the Demon Prince!
Seven – City of Wensleydale
At the North of Seven, a few miles away from the capital of Somnus stood another city that wasn't as imposing as the main one but that could still hold a name of its own.
The city of Wensleydale.
A city with around eighty-five-thousand inhabitants known for its historical buildings and houses, large prairies with cows, markets, and most of all, for being the ideal city where to prove the best of Seven's typical food. More specifically, the cheese in there had a lot of follow-ups, especially the one that had a mark with a strange bald man and a dog as a logo.
Being the perfect mix of modernity and antiquity, it was the ideal place for many to live or simply visit, and in fact, a lot of people were filling the streets every day.
And this was known well for those who wanted to take advantage of a possible large crowd, including someone in particular.
"Come along! Come along, ladies and gentlemen and feast your eyes on a show you won't forget easily!" A young girl was able to gather the attention of a few people passing by in the city, making her able to start her opera in her theater.
Or well, the theater was a big word, considering that it was made of many boxes on top of each other, a thin silk veil as a curtain moved by a few ropes, and some cardboard that served as 'ambiance'.
Despite this, the girl seemed pretty happy to see people interested in her opera and took the chance to begin her presentation. In particular, she seemed to be around her twenties, having green hair collected in a particular double-tail and yellow eyes. She was wearing a pink jacket with white and green triangular sleeves, over a white shirt with golden lines, a long dark green skirt with a golden line, and a golden collar.
Thomasina Gringoire – Just a street poet
"Make sure to stay comfy, as I am about to bring you into a world of the past, dreams, magic, and love! The name's Thomasina Gringoire! And I'm here to revive the stories of the past! What I have here for you today is the story of the young and beautiful Giuliana, betrothed to the strong yet naïve Mandricardo, when she actually loves the kind Alessandro, but the oppressive and authoritarian Vincenzone won't stop at anything to make sure that the marriage will take place! And let's not forget that Mandricardo is in the eyes of the femme fatale Albertina! This whole plot will get the interest of the gods that will-"
The young poet kept on explaining the plot, making the viewers already look at her with skeptical eyes, yawn, and start to get bored.
Even the actors weren't that convinced (if you could even call them. They were bystanders whom Thomasina paid to stick with them).
"How long does she talk?"
Then, as the girl kept on explaining, one of the viewers turned around and noticed something more worthy of attention. "Hey! Look here!"
The rest of the crowd quickly followed him and could see as well. Not that far from them, a girl was exhibiting impressive dance moves in the street.
The girl was tall, with long brown hair that faded into black at the ends, as if they were burnt. From her left forearm down to the tips of her fingers, her skin was as black as the ends of her hair and her veins seemed to emit a fiery glow. She was wearing a dark sleeveless bodice with gold trimming and black accents. The form-fitting bodice had a waist-high slit, exposing her dark red asymmetrical tights. Her left leg was bare, barring the gold ornaments she wore on her thigh and her golden anklet, and she was barefoot. What immediately stood out for the people who were observing her was that she was able to perform stunning movements with her dance…while wearing a blindfold.
"D-Did you see her!?"
"Yes! Look at those movements!"
"How can she make them with that blindfold on her eyes!?"
"Wooo! Please hear my voice, you're cool!"
Cheers and compliments were already flying high among the crowd, and several coins were thrown at the girl, who, naturally, took advantage of it by smiling, sending kisses, and most of all, continuing.
Thomasina stopped her monologue only when she noticed that the crowd already turned around and wasn't paying attention to her anymore "Uh!? What!? N-No no, wait! Turn around please, I haven't started yet! I promise you to give you an authentic experience!" She never thought that she even had to plea for them to listen, and the worst part was that it turned out to be futile.
The performance from the other girl ended and after one last choir of applauses followed by a bow of hers, the crowd simply went away, and Thomasina was left there…sad and disappointed.
"T-That one time I thought I had an audience…" The poet spoke with a puppy-like voice. She turned around to see the actors she paid and, while they felt bad for her, they could see how things turned out and simply shrugged. "T-Thank you for trying to participate…you can keep the money…" The poet told her, despite them giving her back the money.
Naturally, she couldn't accept the fact that the one who stole her audience was the one crawling for money. She, at least, needed to tell her opinion. So, she raised her long dress and climbed down the pile of boxes to meet her directly in person.
The young dancer had started to collect the money the crowd gave her when she heard someone calling out for her.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Thomasina shouted, getting her attention. "What were you thinking to do, trying to steal my public!?" She exclaimed.
"Your…public?" The girl asked.
"Yes! I was finally able to pique someone's interest in reviving an old style of theater and then you came up ruining everything! This is not how you respect others' art!" Thomasina scolded her.
The girl realized what she was talking about when she quickly looked behind Thomasina and slightly raised her blindfold for a few seconds before immediately putting it down again. "Ooooh, now I see!" She then made a small bow, surprising the other girl. "I apologize for it, buuut…I don't see my mistake!"
Thomasina felt embarrassed. After seeing her react like that, she looked like the one in the wrong there. Still, she tried to make her point. "Your mistake was that I was already here putting up my show and then you appeared and took my audience!"
"Your audience? I thought this was a public street!" The other girl replied. Right then, she saw a knight of the army passing by, a perfect coincidence. "Excuse me, did this girl book this street for a show?"
The knight gave a quick look at Thomasina and then answered. "Not that I think of? She should have asked the municipality for it."
Naturally, Thomasina started to panic internally while she tried to act casual and naïve on the outside. "W-Well…I'm a street artist! I-I just take the perfect spots, that's all!"
The knight wasn't that convinced. "Yeaaah…if that's the case, then I should make you notice that your boxes are occupying a large portion of the street. Please take them off if you don't want me to fine you."
"AH!" Thomasina was astonished, but as a part of the order's forces, she couldn't do much but smile and nod.
"Want me to help you?" The girl asked.
"No, no, I'll do it myself…" Thomasina replied.
The girl didn't seem convinced. "That's a lot of boxes…"
"It's fine-"
15 minutes later…
"And we're done!" It took some effort but the girl and Thomasina were able to pack up all the boxes and put them into the latter's van.
Thomasina though was still bitter about what happened. "This is not what I thought would happen after I left Fiore…I just want to put up a good show, and just like nothing, people always turn their back on me! And they do it…every single time!"
"Maybe…you're doing it wrong?" The girl asked.
"But how? I've studied at Crocus's academy and know everything about poetry and literature and yet here I am! Working as a street poet!" Thomasina wondered before making a sigh. "Maybe I really am not fit for this…or I lack inspiration…"
The girl felt bad for her and wanted to come up with something to help her. "Hmm…well, do you like theater and poetry?"
"Of course I do! It just…gives me freedom and wonder every time I come up with a new work!" Thomasina replied. There seemed to be passion in her words.
"Then you should be just fine! As long as you have passion, it's already a pass for me! I simply dance because I like to see the effect that gives to the others, so I'm pretty sure that you could do the same!" the girl replied.
It was the first time someone told something like that to Thomasina, to the point that she felt moved. "Y-You stole my audience yet you're so kind…thank you-" She wanted to express gratitude but right at that moment…
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr…
Her stomach made a funny noise, embarrassing her. "AH- oh…right…I was so focused on putting up the show that I didn't make breakfast…"
"Want to go somewhere to eat?" The girl asked.
"Oh no, no, you were kind enough to help me here, but I'll be fine, I'll just have to find a good place where to-"
5 minutes later…
"WAAAAA! This cheese is so good!" Thomasina cheered as she proved a sandwich from a food truck with the famous Wensleydale cheese. And the girl was near her.
"I know right? They always make it good! This is another good part of me being a street dancer! You can earn something better when you least expect it!" She spoke.
"How come that you are acting so nice to me? I…I scolded you back there!" Thomasina then asked.
"Oh no worries, I've heard and seen worse, trust me! And besides, it's always a good thing to help a fellow street artist!" The girl replied, all happy.
Thomasina simply couldn't resist and shared more tears. "I just look at a kind soul at this moment…thank you really-" She then noticed something particular. "O-Oh right…I don't think we've introduced each other yet. I'm Thomasina Malory. I aspire to become a great poet and theatrical director."
Naturally, the girl answered back. "There isn't much to know about me! The name's Sansa Solaris! I'm just a wandering dancer!"
Sansa Solaris – Host of The Eternal Blaze
"Sansa Solaris…a name that inspires the flames…maybe the sun!" Thomasina commented.
"Ironic…" Sansa thought as she found that comment coincidental.
"Well…thank you for your kindness, Sansa…what are you going to do now?" The young poet then asked.
"Oh, it's actually a nice story! Say, have you heard of today's proclamation from the queen? I just heard that it spread throughout all the kingdom already!" Sansa replied.
"Ah! You mean…the one mentioning her new guild?" Thomasina asked.
"Mhm! I'm planning to go in there! I think I could have so much to learn by working alongside Her Majesty! Plus, it could be a lot of fun!" The other girl replied.
Naturally, the poet was shocked. "Ah!? Y-You're a mage!?"
To give her an answer, Sansa made some movements that unleashed a spiral of flames around her. "What do you say?"
"A-AH! Outstanding…a dancer of flames?" Thomasina commented, stunned.
"Or directly a Flamenco!" Sansa replied with a wink.
Hearing all of that made Thomasina think. In the end…she was in the same situation as Sansa. She moved from Fiore in search of a place where she could share her passion for writing, but up until now, she just did so in the streets and with very little success. Maybe in the capital, she could have had a bit of better luck…and an even greater one if she could have met the queen. This made her answer in a particular way.
"Well, in that case…would you like a ride? Though it could take a few days from here to Somnus…"
Sansa gasped. "You'd really do that?"
"Well, you were this kind to me, it's only fair I repay you somehow! And besides…what greater chance is there to me for getting into the great Somnus? House of restaurants, castles, museums…and most of all the great theater Broadway? It could be like a dream to me!" Thomasina replied.
"Well, you need to add no more! Count me in!" Sansa immediately agreed, and as they said, they jumped into the van, ready to go.
"At last…my road to redemption is finally upon me!" Thomasina proclaimed as she turned on the van and started to drive.
"Aaah, can't wait to see what a guild looks like! Maybe I could entertain us with my stories. Like that one time, I got chased by a cult after throwing a cake at their leader!" Sansa commented.
Thomasina…simply looked at her confused. But she could tell that at least, she had found herself a traveling mate. And who knows what other surprises fate had in store for her?
Delvar's Hamlet – At the feet of the mountain
After getting its first members already, Round Table was more than free to go and start their activity with the first mission: a particular request to rescue a kid and his parent from one of Seven's most plagued locations. Between an intense fight and a last-moment escape, the new guildmates found themselves surrounded, only to be rescued by a sudden helper, who stunned them with his…title.
"Demon…Prince?"
"I know. Stunning, right? Yet you're gazing your eyes right in front of one now!" Xavier Ahriman replied.
The others were still confused, despite the boy being the one who rescued them.
Faris in particular smelled the air coming from the man but…it didn't seem effectively like that of a demon but rather…something else. A strong pulse of magic was still there, especially after what he did with the chameleons.
"Let me get this straight…you're a demon prince?" She asked.
"Yes!" Xavier replied with a happy tone.
"As in…the ones who inhabit this hamlet?" Augusta asked.
"Yes!" Xavier answered.
"And…by coincidence…do you know of a certain child and his parent that were kidnapped by them?" Vivienne asked.
"Oh, you talk about-" Xavier was about to answer, but as soon as he showed a glimmer of information, Vivienne shot at him with holy water. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-"
"VIVIENNE, WHAT THE HELL!?" Lunafreya immediately exclaimed while some like Augusta, Faris, and Grendel seemed to agree with what she had done.
"What? He's a Demon Prince who knows about our target!" Vivienne explained.
"DUDE! DID YOU JUST THROW HOLY WATER AT ME!? THE ONLY THING…that…hurts…demons?" Xavier wanted to freak out but…quickly noticed that it didn't work. "Oh, right! I should have warned that normal holy magic or items don't really work on me! Strange, right? Even I don't know how to explain it, but I think it's a special attribute of me being a Demon Pri- OUCH!" Once again, he got interrupted since Vivienne smacked him with his scepter.
Faris, Grendel, Augusta, and Alexis all chimed up with the royal sorceress to keep on kicking him.
"OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! HEY, STOP IT!"
"SHUT UP AND STAY DOWN!" Grendel quickly shut him up.
"Tell us where you hide that kid if you don't want to make a bad end," Augusta added.
"Or even worse, I could use my Devil Slayer Magic with you! Wanna try it?" Faris exclaimed.
"Guys! Let him breathe, for Claire's sake!" Lunafreya tried to make them stop, but they seemed deeply focused.
Escanor and Pavlova simply remained there, watching. "Uhm…should we…go there and help them, Escanor?" The dog girl asked.
"I-I would like to but Augusta does frighten me a bit…what should we do, Master?" Escanor then fairly asked the queen.
"If you let me explain- AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Xavier tried a third time to talk, but he suddenly got surrounded by an exorcising light.
"I WILL KILL, I WILL LET LIVE, I WILL HARM, I WILL HEAL-" Vivienne was about to deliver a purifying baptism rite to exorcise him, but Lunafreya grabbed her scepter to make her stop.
"STOP IT! ALL OF YOU! IT'S AN ORDER!" The young queen shouted.
In the blink of an eye, everyone stood in line (though Faris and Grendel were a bit reluctant about it).
"Did you forget that he just saved our lives? And you repay him by beating the crap out of him!?" Lunafreya fairly exclaimed.
"But…he said he was a demon prince and he knows about- ouch!" Vivienne tried to justify herself, but the other girl poked her at the front.
"No buts! Are you planning on giving us a bad reputation on our first mission? Now you'll all apologize to him!"
It didn't take too long for Vivienne, Augusta, and Alexis to listen to her and bow down. "…We're sorry."
Lunafreya wasn't convinced as she turned at the remaining girls who had a sulk on their faces. "I said ALL of you."
Faris and Grendel looked at each other. "Ah, fuck it. We're sorry."
"Much better!" The young queen commented.
"To think that she had to resource to her authority to make them stop…" Escanor said.
"W-Well, at least we can say that she already has a great guard, eh eh! Oh God…" Pavlova added.
Lunafreya then quickly turned around at the boy and bowed. "Please forgive them…they can be…quirky."
Finally, Xavier stood up and could talk. "Dear lord! And here I thought I was violent! But, no worries, I can understand their agitation! It's not like you see the likes of me every day!"
Naturally, Lunafreya took the chance to ask him a few questions. "So…are you really sure that you're a Demon Prince?"
"He doesn't smell like one, that's for sure," Faris added, skeptical.
"Of course I am!" Xavier replied before making a particular bizarre pose that could have come from an anime with muscular characters. "Can't you see by how I made these foul reptiles crawl to the floor in a matter of seconds? Or by my exotic appearance?"
An awkward silence followed, with everyone looking at him still in the pose.
"I think this guy has some confused ideas…" Alexis commented.
"He's not confused. He's just an idiot." Grendel replied.
"Grendel!" Alexis exclaimed.
"What!? You were there beating him up as well! Don't you Grendel me!" The other girl complained.
Vivienne came closer to the queen. "Uhm, Luna? Should we keep on talking with him? This discussion doesn't seem to go anywhere…" She whispered.
"Let's hear what he has to say first," Lunafreya whispered back before turning to the boy. "So…Xavier, considering that you are a Demon Prince, have you heard of a kid and his parent getting kidnapped in this area?"
Upon hearing that question, Xavier seemed quite disgusted. "What!? That seems disgusting! A demon does not need to kidnap a child!"
Everyone looked confused.
"…Are you…serious?" Augusta asked.
"Why wouldn't I? That's not something we demons would like to have among our virtues! Being threatening and all bad? BLEAH!" Xavier answered with a decision.
"Dude, I'm a literal Devil Slayer and you have no idea how many demons I've seen acting like this! It's like…their favorite hobbies when they're bored! Do you even listen yourself!?" Faris asked.
"Then let me tell you that what you have faced are not authentic demons, but just pretending monsters! In fact…how about I give you aid in this? As an authority of a certain thickness, I have to correct those of my kind!" Xavier countered.
Everyone seemed surprised by it.
"You want to help us?" Escanor asked.
"I certainly wouldn't mind a further help, and a new friend!" Pavlova added, already wiggling her tail.
"Do you know this area, Xavier?" Lunafreya asked, wanting to grab the hook.
"Oh yes, I have made many travels here. Especially recently!" Xavier replied with pride.
Vivienne looked back at her queen in doubt. "Should we…really follow him, though?"
"Well, if he knows the place, we might reach the top in a shorter time. I'd say that we could trust him for now." Lunafreya replied.
"I don't put that in doubt but…did you not see the blindfold? He's obviously blind…" The sorceress pointed out.
"I heard that!" The boy said.
"AH! Sorry-" Vivienne quickly apologized.
"No need to! That may be a human flaw, but fret not! It is the job of a powerful demon such as myself to help assist and make the lesser races almost as great as we are!" Xavier explained. "You were aiming at the mountain, right?"
"Yes, it's where our client is supposed to be." Augusta shortly replied.
"Then you were on the right way! There's a bridge behind us that leads right at the start!" Xavier replied by pointing behind himself and going that way. "Follow me!"
"…We're…following a blind man…am I hearing that right?" Grendel commented.
Faris scoffed. "Don't look at me. As a Devil Slayer, he's giving me more mindfucks any second that passes."
"He does seem like a nice guy, though! If he has a plan, I'd say we follow him!" Escanor was of a different opinion and already started to follow him.
"Ditto!" Pavlova added.
"What should we do, Your Highness?" Alexis asked, sincerely not knowing what to say.
"Well, you heard Pava before. If he knows the way, we can give him a chance." With those words, Lunafreya started to follow the boy as well.
"If you say so…" Augusta quietly commented, following as well.
After a few more minutes of walk, the small group reached what indeed was a long wooden bridge that connected the end of the hamlet to the beginning of the mountain.
"Oh, would you look at that! There was a bridge!" Pavlova commented.
"Indeed! And aaaaaaaaaaaaa…" Alexis wanted to observe more but stunned herself as soon as she saw the gap between the two parts.
A huge bottomless sinkhole.
Faris immediately noticed it. "What?"
"U-Uhm…" Alexis raised her head. "Are we sure this is the only way, Xavier?"
"The other one would be to make a great jump if you can!" Xavier replied. He then got close to the bridge and became a straight bolt of lightning that passed through.
"WOAH!" Everyone was stunned by his speed.
"IT'S NOT THAT SCARY, I ASSURE YOU!" The boy shouted from the other part.
The mages of Round Table looked at each other and nodded.
"Well…guess it's our turn!" Vivienne commented.
Lunafreya, on the other hand, noticed a small yet important particular. "Though…this bridge seems small for Augusta. She could fall easily…"
"For that, there's no need to worry, My Queen," Augusta said before giving the girl what seemed to be a special bracelet with a gem. "By pressing this gem, you'll automatically call me whenever you want. It's a special device made for the Golden Knights to serve the kingdom."
"Oh, that's cool! Alright then, we shall pass one by one and once everyone is on the other side, I'll call you!" Lunafreya replied.
"Make sure to stay in a single file!" Vivienne recommended. And so they did.
First Lunafreya, then Vivienne, then Pavlova, then Escanor, and then Grendel…
Augusta looked at the other two remaining girls.
"Well, it looks like it's our turn, tough girl," Faris said.
The other knight was actually sweating, and not because of the armor. "I-Indeed…"
"You're starting to act weird. I've known you only today but that doesn't seem like you. What is it?" Faris asked.
"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine! I'm just…making my mental observations, that's all!" Alexis 'explained'.
But the Lacrima mage didn't believe that easily and quickly realized the truth. "What? You're telling me that after facing a horde of gargoyles, you're afraid of something like heights?"
"No! I'm not afraid of heights! Let's just say that I feel slightly uncomfortable upon passing on a bridge standing above A PIT WITH NO FREAKING BOTTOM!" Alexis replied, starting to get agitated.
"Oh boy, this will be rough. Alright, how about this? We'll pass through it together, so I'll be there to get you." Faris then proposed.
"That's…quite nice coming from you, Faris." Augusta noticed.
The other knight took the chance to smirk. "I'll be the greatest knight of them all, so I'll surely need to give an example!"
With that said, the two girls started to cross, and as promised, Faris stood behind Alexis. "T-Thank you, Faris…I'm already feeling better…"
"Come on, no need to. You just need to go forward without looking down. I'm right behind you." The other knight told her, and so they did.
The others from the other side of the bridge could notice them in that way.
"What are they doing?" Escanor wondered.
Alexis took a deep breath as she looked forward and kept on moving, and for a bit, things went smoothly. "Don't look down…don't look down…don't look down…"
That is…until she made a step on a splint that fell into the hole, forcing her to look…and panic. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! FARIS, I'M LOOKING DOWN!" She instantly turned around. "THAT'S IT, LET ME GO BACK, I'LL WAIT FOR YOUR RETURN ONCE YOU FINISH WITH THE MISSION!"
"You can't say that when you're halfway through! Are you a knight or a pussy!?" Faris protested.
"THAT OTHER HALF IS SAFER, PLEASE LET ME GO!" Alexis retorted. Normally, she wouldn't have said something like that, and deep inside felt a bit of shame as a member of the Lichtschwert family, but she just couldn't hold the panic.
"Alright, just go! I don't have time to waste!" Faris wanted to make her happy, but they ended up having problems moving apart.
"NGHH!"
"GODDAMMIT, JUST MOVE!"
"YOU'RE BLOCKING THE WAY!"
"YOU'RE SHORTER THAN ME! JUST LOWER YOUR HEAD AND PASS THROUGH MY LEGS!"
"DID YOU JUST ASK ME TO DO THAT!?"
Naturally, they could be seen from both sides with drops of sweat from their heads.
"Are they…arguing or something?" Lunafreya asked.
"Maybe they're bonding! I…hope so-" Pavlova tried to guess.
"MOVE ALREADY!" As Faris tried to move on, she accidentally pushed the bridge's ropes, shaking it.
Naturally, this panicked the young Lichtscwhert mage even further. "AAAH! STOP IT! DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!"
Faris was confused. "Doing what?" But she quickly realized and grinned. "Ooooh! You mean…THIS?" And she shook the bridge again.
"Y-YES! THAT!" Alexis protested.
But the other knight's plan was already in motion. "Yes? Yes! I'll do it! Ok!" And she kept on going.
Getting in further panic, Alexis started to move backward. "NO NO NOO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"
"What? I think I've heard you wanted me to do it! Come on!" Faris said as she kept on doing it and moving forward.
Alexis started to shake her head and close her eyes. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT! PLEASE STOP IT! AAAAAAAAAAH! OH GOD, OH GOD, I DON'T WANNA DIE! PLEASE, I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! JUST MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" She kept on whining until only a few seconds later, she noticed that the ground wasn't shaking anymore. "…Uh?"
When she opened her eyes again, she could see that she reached the other side of the bridge, where the others were looking at her. "A-Ah…"
"You ok, Alexis?" Lunafreya asked.
"Y-Yes…Your Majesty…" This was the least the young knight could ask.
Faris reached her shortly and stroked her head. "Would you look at that! The blind guy was right! It was easier than we thought! A nice step forward!" she said with a smile with closed eyes.
Alexis simply crawled down for a bit, trying to turn around to not be seen for the impression she gave. Pavlova immediately rushed to her and gave her some cuddles.
"You…could have handled it a bit better, you know?" Vivienne asked Faris with a skeptical face.
"What? I did stay with her the whole time! And we got the result!" Faris explained.
Lunafreya preferred to move on and looked at the other side. "Ok, so according to what she said…" She pressed the gem on the wrist and just like that, Augusta, who stood behind, turned into a fine dust of light that quickly reached the other side and reappeared right in front of Lunafreya.
"Woah!" Everyone said.
The giant woman looked confused. "I'll…just pretend nothing happened."
"This was only the appetizer! There's still a whole mountain to climb!" Xavier announced before making his way further. Everyone (including Alexis who recovered quickly) followed her.
The mission was getting closer to its culminating stage.
The small group of Round Table finally got to climb the place of their mission, the mountain of Delvar's Hamlet, with the aid of an unexpected and bizarre ally. And if you expected a certain old man to ask five- three questions, it's still soon for that, but it will come! Your narrator can be dangerous with references.
The road to the top was upward and complex, with the floor being pointy, wrecked, and intricated, but somehow, the knights were getting the hang of it.
Pavlova sniffed around. "Hmmm…I sense lots of smells in here…" She commented.
Even Faris did so. "Yup. Including smells of demons. Keep your eyes open."
"Easy to say, sis! I'm having a hard time moving around!" Grendel replied, trying to not trip or step on a crumbling rock. "Dammit, this mountain almost looks like it's made of charcoal instead of rock! I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to have this armor on…"
"Want me to help you move?" Escanor gently asked her.
"No, thanks, I can handle it. I've got used to worse, you know?" Grendel replied.
"I don't put that in doubt, but stay assured that if you need anything we're right here!" The boy told her.
"Good grief. I may need to get used to this chivalry stuff…" Grendel commented with a scoff.
"Does that mean you're actually thinking of staying?" Alexis asked her.
"W-Well, we shall see!" The blonde girl replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Lunafreya and Vivienne took a quick look back and saw how the others were talking to each other. "It seems they're keeping on talking to each other! Not a bad result for the start, right?" The royal sorceress asked the queen, who looked elsewhere with an embarrassed smile.
"Eh eh, who would have thought?"
Xavier was right in front of them leading the walk, hearing them. "So, you're actually the queen that owns all of these lands who just opened one of those famous guilds of mages?" He asked. Despite being a particular individual, he knew well of the concept of guilds.
"I know, I don't really give the impression of what you would see from a queen, right?" Lunafreya answered back.
"Now, don't say it like that, we just barely met after all! And if anything, I'm actually surprised to meet another monarch! Fate can surely give us some surprises don't you think?" Xavier said, instead. He then looked behind at the other knights. "Speaking of surprises, there's another avalanche of rocks coming ahead now!"
"WHAT!?" The other knights exclaimed. And just like that, several noises of crumbling rocks could be heard. When they raised their heads, they could see actual rocks coming down.
"GODDESS CLAIRE!" Luckily, they were all able to jump away in time. Though it surely wasn't something pleasing.
Though Vivienne was actually surprised. "This is the third time in a row! How are you able to detect them? We can't really tell since well…everything is a rock!" She asked.
"I can hear the rocks fall and the ground gives way," Xavier replied. "That is unique to me, as my father said so."
"Really? Well, that's truly interesting. So, you compensate for the loss of sight by developing further the rest of your senses? I've heard that there were people like that in Earth Land, but I didn't expect to meet one of them!" The royal sorceress commented.
Xavier was naturally happy to hear that. "Modestly, this is the least that you could expect from a Demon Prince like me! The one demon we're looking for will have a taste of it!"
Faris stood up after escaping the landslide. "Are we sure it isn't a curse!? It's like I'd say that several monsters are coming right now and that-" She was about to make an example when this actually became truth.
From underneath the ground, several black creatures with yellow eyes and small horns rose, glaring at the knights and growling.
"Ah! Wendigos!" Pavlova exclaimed. The rest of the group glared at Faris.
"WHAT!? It's just a coincidence!" The girl defended herself.
Lunafreya quickly unsheathed her sword. "We need to stop them!"
"Then let me open the way!" As soon as he saw the challenge, Xavier ran down and made a large jump toward the creatures, gathering their attention.
"Soul of Thunder: Burst!" The boy quickly became as fast as a bolt of lightning, reaching even 1234 kmh, and dashed forward, destroying a large portion of the wendigos and leaving a large trail of the destroyed road behind him.
"WOAH!" Everyone was once again stunned by the speed that the boy showed.
"Even I couldn't reach that type of speed with my Mercury Essence!" Augusta commented.
"Is this guy for real!?" Grendel exclaimed.
Vivienne in particular…noticed something about his magic. "That type of element…could it be?" She thought.
When Xavier landed on his feet and turned around, he could 'see' that some wendigos were still there, ready to throw themselves at him. "You hadn't had enough? Alright! Here's some more punishment! Soul of Thunder: Bolts!" He generated several baseball-sized spheres of purple energy that he threw with stunning speed at the enemies, piercing through their bodies. Some of these balls even bounced around. "Ah, ah, ah! It's always a blast!"
Lunafreya was indeed impressed, but she quickly noticed that more of those wendigos were coming up, probably attracted by their smells. This made her raise her sword and call out for the others. "More are coming, let's scatter!"
"Yes!" Everyone quickly replied.
"Ready for some fun again, Grendel!?" Faris immediately exclaimed.
"You're kidding? I'M ALL TO IT, SIS! LET'S GO!" Grendel immediately replied. Like nothing, her body was already surrounded by her orange aura and threw herself with a kick. "WINDBREAKER!" She delivered a powerful kick that pushed backward a wendigo, making it clash against more of them until she had at least six of them attached to the first one. "GRAAAAAAAH!" Once she had her satisfying pack, she raised her leg to make all the wendigos fly up. She then made a large jump and finished each one of them with several fists. "ORA! ORA! ORA! ORAORAORAORA!"
Faris was no less. She soon found herself surrounded by some of the wendigos, but that was exactly as she wanted. As soon as the beasts threw themselves against her, the red light was already surrounding her two blades as she quickly started to attack them with a fast yet precise sequence of sword attacks, flowing her blades between one wendigo and another. "Crimson Devil's Ars Arcanum!" At the end of the combo, she planted her two swords on the ground, releasing a small shockwave of crimson energy that wiped away the cut-down wendigos.
"TakeOver: Satyr!" Pavlova was already running towards the Wendigos while assuming a different form. This time, her legs became long hooves and her ears became long horns. By continuously jumping, the girl cut the distance from them and started to attack the creatures by sending them up with her hoof kicks or her horns, then jumping and wiping them away with her swords. "HIYA! I'm starting to get the hang of it!" She said all happy.
Even Alexis was no less, as she drew a violin with her rapier. "Light Pict Magic – Symphonie der Sirenen!" She started to play the magic violin that emitted a melody that stunned the Wendigos that surrounded her, giving her the chance to knock them out with the rapier. "Hmph! Time to regain my dignity a bit!"
"Malleus Dei!" Vivienne, on the other hand, planted her scepter on the ground to intensify the gravity on the Wendigos to crush them down, giving Lunafreya the time to cut them to sizes.
"Holy Sword God's Punishment!" Similar to Faris, the young queen moved from one beast to another while slashing them down with her sword engulfed by holy magic. Soon, all of the creatures seemed down, between knocked ones and dead ones. "We should have taken all of them down."
"Impressive! No wonder how you didn't seem afraid of me!" Xavier commented after seeing everyone's skills.
Right at that moment, Pavlova saw something that disturbed her deeply. "AH! XAVIER, BEHIND YOU!"
"Uh!?" When the boy turned around, he could see a bigger Wendigo than the others, who released a tremendous shriek that stunned everyone.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"NGHHHHH!"
"W-What is this!? I can't move!?" Alexis asked.
"It must be its magical cry! Every demonic creature has one! We need to get out of this as soon as possible!"
"FUCK! Just when I was about to have fun!" Grendel complained.
The Wendigo took advantage of the stun and tried to crush down Xavier with a single fist.
"XAVIER, LOOK OUT!" Lunafreya tried to warn him but to her surprise…
"Soul of Ash: Form!" Xavier formed a variant of his magic that made him completely turn into smoke, making him move right behind the Wendigo before turning into normal.
"What the!?" Faris exclaimed.
"His magic has more than one form?" Augusta added.
"Ah ah! Just what we needed! Way to go, prince!" Escanor said all happy!
As soon as Xavier was in mid-air behind the Wendigo, he used his smoke again in the form of several lances, ready at the aim. "Soul of Ash: Javelin!" All lances fell on the Wendigo, stabbing it and making it roar of pain, disabling the stun caused by its cry.
"We can move again!" Pavlova exclaimed.
Escanor took the chance to make a few steps forward to the monster. "Even if you go by the title of Demon Prince, I must thank you, great fighter! You don't mind if I take my portion of victory, do you?"
"By all means, go for it!" Xavier answered back with a smile.
"Perfect! Feel the sun directly on your skin then, foul beast!" In a matter of seconds, Escanor's sword started to absorb the energy from the few sun rays that soon converged in flames. "Searing Sunstrike - Solis Incisio!" He quickly made a slash into the Wendigo's abdomen followed by a tongue of flame that left him exposed.
"He's all yours, Augusta!" Escanor warned. Just behind him, the giant woman was already jumping and using her magic to change form.
"Even if driven by animal instinct, get ready for what you deserve! Royal Ascension Style – First Form – Knight's Endless Assault!" Despite her size, she quickly dashed toward the Wendigo while holding her broadsword with both of her hands. She started with a diagonal slash from the bottom left to the top right, then went down, rotated her arms and crossed her wrists, and made an equal slash but from the bottom right to the top left and then went down. The others could see as if she had almost drawn the symbol of the infinite before the Wendigo ended up cut into pieces.
After everything was settled, Xavier landed down and all the knights who had a sword swung it before sheathing it with smoothness.
Krrrrrrr… clunk!
"Now that was something! I keep on getting surprised at everyone!" Escanor commented happily.
"You, the blind guy and the thick girl surely took the best of fun with the giant one!" Faris complained.
"You have the guts to say that despite the mountain of Wendigos you left behind?" Alexis asked.
"Hey, whenever there's something we can smack…we smack it." Grendel countered with a smirk.
"You tell'em, sis!" Faris added before fisting her bump with the other girl.
"Dear lord…" Alexis commented while shaking her head.
Lunafreya took the chance to come closer. "Well, at least everyone is safe again! Great job, everyone! Especially you, Xavier. You surely did us a favor back there with that smoke of yours!"
"Ah ah ah! Glad that you seem to understand the wonders of a Demon Prince! But you surely have some credit as well! You looked all breathtaking! You surely made yourself a nice army with these guys, queen!" Xavier replied.
Naturally, Lunafreya blushed. "N-Now, it's them that wanted to join I just…started everything…" She tried to justify herself, but she was clearly happy to help.
"Still…seeing how you're able to manage such a fast magic is an impressive feat. I can say for sure that I'm glad we have you as an ally." Augusta commented.
"The same could be said about you! You looked like a battle machine!" Xavier answered back.
To that, the giant girl looked confused. "Why do people keep calling me that?"
Vivienne looked up and could see that the top was getting closer. "We still need to make some road, but we are getting closer to the top!"
"Oh boy! Just a step closer to victory! I can't wait for the jumps of joy!" Pavlova added, starting to run around.
Lunafreya looked up as well. "Heh…time to see if we really work, eh?"
"What about it? Don't tell me that you're doubting right now! You still need to give me that proof you were flexing before!" Grendel told her.
"Oh, I surely am planning to! Does that mean this is not enough?" Lunafreya asked her with a smile.
"HA!" As an answer, Grendel fisted her bump. "It's very hard to make me consume my battery! Just wait until we reach that demon, then I'll give my final answer!"
"Better! Keep up the hype, we'll need it!" Lunafreya concluded before looking up. "Considering that Xavier is here with us…we're about to see what this demon is about…and hope that the one who gave us that mission and their son are still ok." She thought. Would have she been able to live up to the task?
That would have been the moment that decided if Round Table could have truly worked as a legal guild. If they weren't able to clear a mission, then what they could have done?
The doubts were many…but Lunafreya didn't want to lose her ambition. To the point that she clenched her fist. "No. I'll make it go ok! This kingdom needs a strong queen!"
"Are you ok, Luna?" Vivienne asked, seeing her like that.
The young queen raised her head and turned around with a determined stare. "Yes. Let's go."
Nothing else needed to be added. The top of the mountain and their presumed enemy were awaiting them.
The conditions of the mission were quite peculiar. Despite their situation, the one who sent the mission was still able to send a request. How were they able to do so?
With that in mind, some of the members of Round Table thought that their first mission could have had an unexpected flap.
The sounds of smoke, ash, and lightning could be heard better, and while the sight was improved, there was still an aura of threat and darkness surrounding the top of the mountain. The presence of demons and other monsters lurking in the shadows was as strong as ever, and several bones scattered around proved that. But despite all of that, there was still someone who dared to enter inside the end of that forgotten and feared domain.
"Ngh…hmmm!" The road ended up being a bit challenging, but in the end, the seven mages of the new guild and their unexpected ally reached the top of the mountain.
Pavlova got closer to the borderline to witness the sight of it. "Woaaaah! Look at this! You can even see what lies beyond the hamlet from here!" She commented. A particular was that the rest of the sight seemed sunny compared to the hamlet. "And…it seems a lot better…"
Alexis looked around. "Hmm…if they didn't escape, our target is here, but…this top seems pretty vast and…open. Where could they hide?"
"Knowing demons' wicked nature, they surely held a trick or an asset to get us when they least expect us, so I suggest keeping our eyes open," Augusta replied.
"Hearing these words makes me want to apologize for the bad behavior that my kin are showing these last years. If there's someone that needs to show them the way, then I'm up to it!" Xavier commented.
Faris looked at him with a skeptical expression. "Again…are we sure that he's a demon?"
"Well, not all demons are evil by default! Even E.N.D didn't turn out to be that bad, after all! Let's give him the benefit of the doubt!" Vivienne tried to justify him, although her mind was on another thought. "Though…the aura that I'm sensing doesn't belong to a demon kind…even the magic seems…different."
Escanor looked up and sighed. "To think this would have been a perfect spot for praising the sun…oh well." He commented before turning to Xavier. "Now that I think of it, considering that you are a Demon Prince, you could know more about your kind. Do you have an idea of where this demon could be hiding?" He asked.
Xavier thought of it for a few moments, and all eyes were on him. But despite that…he shrugged. "No! Not at all."
"Really?" Lunafreya asked.
"Are you messing with us or what?" Grendel added with a skeptical face.
"Absolutely! If there's one thing that I learned from my father and my personal experience as a prince, is that we demons are always unpredictable! We could hide anywhere and assume the weirdest forms! So mostly, it's up to us to deduce what hiding spot this poor excuse of a demon is using!" Xavier replied.
"Seems reasonable enough for me!" Vivienne replied.
"Which means…that we simply need to inspect everything. Though it may take a while." Alexis added, starting to look around. The others followed her shortly after.
"Make sure to warn us if you find something even remotely suspicious!" Lunafreya asked.
Grendel did her part to look around until she did find something. "Something suspicious…well what about that obviously abandoned fort?" She asked.
"Uh?" When the rest of the group turned around, they could see it as well: a structure similar to a noble that was in ruin with a grey color and several cracks all over the building. Lunafreya, Vivienne, Alexis, and Escanor could immediately see how the logo was missing.
"Hmmm…this is quite bizarre. It looks like the fort of some noble but…on a place like this?" Escanor commented.
"Coming from one of those families, noble ones always tend to station themselves in places where they know no one will bother them. But with the monsters and the demons that live here, this looks everything but a quiet place for me…" Alexis added.
"Maybe this was from before the Hamlet became like that?" Pavlova tried to guess.
"It could be an answer, but…this all seems even too odd for me…" Augusta added, looking as well.
Even Faris looked around the building until she lowered her stare and noticed another particular. "What the!?"
Lunafreya looked at her. "What is it?" She asked.
"Uhm…I think this may touch you more…personally." Her cousin replied as she pointed down. When the others looked, they were started as well.
Several skeletons were lying near the entrance. Judging by the position of their limbs, it almost looked like they were trying to run away.
Lunafreya came closer to give them a look and kneeled to see a further particular. "This…is the armor that the simple soldiers wear in the army…"
"Wait, does that mean that these are knights of the castle?" Vivienne asked.
Augusta looked at the mansion. "In that case, whatever lies inside this fort isn't new to our ways." She commented.
Lunafreya couldn't help but feel sad for those corpses. Maybe they came from a time when her father was still the king…but they still fought for the kingdom as well. "…Your deaths won't be in vain."
Xavier could see how she seemed to mourn in their regards, to the point that…he found some similarities with himself in her attitude. Even the others felt a bit bad for her.
The young queen then stood up and turned to the others. "Well, this place surely raises even too many red flags. If we'll find anything, it'll be here. Let's go."
Everyone nodded, agreeing on that, and so they entered.
As they expected, the inside of the fort was pitch dark, with only a very small amount of light coming from the few sun rays that passed on the closed windows.
"Oh no…of all the tropes, why the dark hallway?" Pavlova asked, worried.
"Weren't dogs used to look in the dark?" Grendel asked her.
"H-Hey! It's not like I'm a complete dog! And…well yes, but not as entirely as other animals…" The other girl replied.
"No worries, I know how to deal with this!" Vivienne assured. She quickly used her magic to illuminate the gem in her scepter, turning it into a torch with a blue light.
"Phew, much better!" Pavlova commented.
"Maybe I should practice with my magic to do something like that…" Escanor added.
But even with some light in it, there was still some tension in the air, caused by the environment.
"Alright, where do we start? Let's not forget that he could be anywhere." Faris then asked.
"Well…it doesn't look like a big place. Maybe we could scatter?" Augusta proposed.
"Are you crazy!? Have you not seen a crystal movie in your life? That's the first step to get us all killed!" Alexis told her.
But to her surprise, Augusta looked at her confused. "What's a…crystal movie?"
"Wait what-?" The young Lichtscwhert mage said.
"Oh boy, I think we'll need to give someone a bit of culture when we're done here," Vivienne commented.
"Let's just stay all tied together for now. If they're really here, they won't be that far." Lunafreya then suggested. And right then…
Pavlova raised her ears and stood on guard. "Hm!"
"What is it, Pava?" Lunafreya asked.
"My ears never disappoint me. I've heard something!" The young knight warned. Everyone started to look around.
"Where exactly?" Vivienne asked.
"Right around us! Anyone who has good reflexes stay ready!" Pavlova warned.
Everyone did so, having their weapons at the ready and standing close to each other, similar to a Roman turtle.
The silent noise that Pavlova was hearing started to become stronger and more evident, to the point that even the others could hear it.
"I hear it too! These are…footsteps?" Alexis said.
"You think we're surrounded?" Escanor asked.
"No. We would hear more of them. This seems more like a single being." Augusta answered.
Grendel smirked as she stood ready. "Not that I would like to throw myself again against an entire horde."
"We'll get our satisfaction with the big target instead!" Faris added.
"Stay ready…" Lunafreya whispered.
The footsteps, which became clearer as time went on, kept on going. Someone was running around the knights.
"Stay ready!" The queen repeated.
Everything became faster. The knights' hands became tighter around their weapons. One fake move from both sides could have changed everything. It was only a matter of time before the battle erupted. And then…
"Ah! Xavier, right in front of you!" Pavlova warned.
"Uh?" The boy raised his head and just as he did so…
"HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Someone very small jumped on his head and started to attack him with…a toy sword. "Take that! And that, and that, and that, bad demon, stay down!"
Xavier simply remained there confused while the kid kept on 'attacking him', luckily it didn't hurt.
Even the others were stunned.
"A...a kid?" Vivienne asked. And it was just like that.
"Was that what I sensed?" Pavlova added. And it was just like that. What attacked Xavier was nothing more than a five-year-old kid with short black hair and blue eyes that remained attached to Xavier's head and kept on attacking him with a toy sword.
Grendel scoffed, disappointed. "Really? All that tension for nothing?" She commented.
The child stopped for a moment and glared at Grendel, not afraid. "You'll regret saying it! I'm not afraid of you demons!" As soon as he said it, Grendel glared at him and the kid started to shiver. "AH! N-Ngh, bring it on!"
Augusta quickly looked at the fellow knight. "Maybe you should go easy with him. He's just a kid."
But Grendel answered with a smirk. "Don't worry. Kids are among the few things I wouldn't punch. I simply know how to put them down after knowing a few of them."
Upon hearing that, Pavlova gasped. "Grendel! Does that mean that you love kids? Aww, so do I!"
"DON'T START NOW!" The other girl quickly countered.
Xavier then took the chance to grab the kid and 'look' at him with a smile. "Now, now, big fellow, no need to be agitated like that! True, I am a Demon, but I'll assure you that I don't want to harm you!" He spoke. "Congrats, though! Not everyone has the guts to do so!"
Even Lunafreya came closer to talk to him. "Are you all by yourself, little one? Where are your parents?" She asked.
Despite being grabbed, the kid tried his best to keep up a grunt. "You won't trick me with that fake kindness of yours! I know he had sent you to eat my mom!" He exclaimed.
"Eat…your mom? Does it look like we're cannibals? Or…fifth generation Dragon Slayers?" Faris asked with a skeptical face.
"And what do you mean by-" Vivienne was about to ask another question, but they got interrupted by a second external voice.
"Holon? What are you doing?" It was a feminine voice. When everyone turned around, they saw what seemed to be a maid with short black hair and blue eyes wearing a typical uniform. Alexis in particular found it similar to the maids that worked at the Lichtscwhert's mansion. Even Lunafreya found it similar to the maids they had in the castle.
The kid, named Holon got embarrassed as soon as he saw her. "AH! M-Mom! T-These demons have entered inside without warning!"
The mother gave a careful look at the small group of knights and sighed. "Holon, how many times do I have to tell you that not anyone is a demon? Though…I didn't expect someone to come here either…"
"Sorry mom…" Holon immediately felt bad as Xavier put him down to make him go back to his mother.
"Is this funny little guy yours?" Xavier asked.
The maid made a small bow. "Yes, and I apologize if he had disturbed you on your affairs. We certainly didn't think someone would have been able to come up here."
"Modestly, it has been a child's pla- OUCH!" Faris was about to brag but Augusta hit her before explaining.
"We've received a request directly from this mountain and we came to investigate."
That sentence made Olga startle. "A request? Does that mean that...you've read the plea I've sent to the guilds?"
Lunafreya nodded. "That's right. I'm Lunafreya Lacrima, and these are my guildmates of my new guild Round Table and a kind helper called Xavier."
The maid gasped and quickly bowed. "Oh…oh! Your Majesty!" She then looked at her son. "Holon, be a good boy and bow to your queen."
"Ah!" Panicked, Holon did the same, making the young queen feel embarrassed even further.
"I'll never get used to it…" She commented.
"Oh, you will, no worries!" Vivienne told her.
Trying to not talk about it, Lunafreya spurred the maid and her son to not bow anymore. "Like Augusta here said, we had come to rescue you."
"Yes! We've heard of a demon here! Someone that needs to be taught a lesson by someone of a higher caliber like me!" Xavier added.
To that, Olga looked down with a grim face. Everyone could soon tell that it was, indeed, a delicate topic. She looked around as if to make sure that nobody else was listening and then turned around. "Follow me. Let's go deeper in the mansion where we can't be heard." With those words, she and Holon started to walk away.
The mages of Round Table and Xavier looked at each other confused. But they didn't have a reason to doubt the maid, she seemed sincere enough, so they followed her.
Olga led them to an empty circular hall with several columns around. Like the rest of the mansion, everything was closed, except for a few holes from which the low light passed.
"No one should be able to listen to us that openly from here," Olga said.
"You're afraid of someone eavesdropping? There are eight of us who are magic users, you should be completely safe!" Grendel asked.
"I don't put that in doubt but…I can't help but be terrified of what could happen if he was around…"
"He, you say?" Lunafreya asked.
"Even your son had mentioned someone as him before. Do we need to assume that it's the demon you mentioned in the request?" Vivienne added.
Olga was a bit hesitant to answer, but since they were there to help her, there wasn't much of a reason to hide the truth. "…I referred to…the owner of this decaying fort and…" She looked at Holon. "My son's father."
"Uh!?" Everyone asked.
"His…father?" Lunafreya and Xavier seemed the most perplexed and caught by the answer.
Olga nodded and started to explain. "My master, Molock Nostradamus was the descendant of a noble family here in Seven. He's known for his ambitious personality and his elegant beauty, and he always made sure that his family remained on top. Still…he wasn't seen with a keen eye by other people of his ranks, as he was known to be violent and direct with his opponents even for petty reasons or for brutally finishing them off when it wasn't necessary. This brought him to be exiled by King Aegium a few years ago."
"My father exiled him?" Lunafreya asked.
"How strange…I never heard him mention this…" Vivienne added.
"Tch. Does this mean that this is an A-Grade Asshole?" Faris commented.
"The king thought that this would have put him to a stop. After being banished from even his main location, Molock remained here. All that he was left with was a few of his servants, including me, this fort that was his family's property before the hamlet turned out the way it is now…and his wife. But even this didn't put an end to his ambition to stay at the top among the nobility. He was left with one still possibility: having an heir that could have inherited his battle and legacy." Olga continued.
That made Lunafreya look down at the child, who was getting afraid.
"His wife unfortunately passed away at childbirth. Even the offspring lost their life due to the complications. The master was furious. He couldn't accept what had happened. He wanted too much to have something that could have reserved his place at the top of society." Olga started to tremble. "I…was the only female servant that remained at his side and…" She looked at her son. "Holon here…is the result."
"Mom…?" Judging by the tone, it seemed that even for him, it was the first time hearing that.
All the knights widened their eyes in dismay, while Xavier was startled.
"To make things clear, he didn't do what you think he did. We just had…an affair, promising me to be treated better than the other servants…or so I thought. He finally had what he wanted but…despite everything, he wasn't satisfied. His fury didn't leave him and started to treat badly both Holon and me, his mother, by forcing him to have a certain behavior and punishing him physically if he didn't do as he said. The other servants tried to stop him but they were all cut down to pieces, and if I wasn't a Servant…I think he would have done the same thing to me."
Pavlova looked with a horrified expression. "W-Why?"
"That's just…plain cruelty! Does he really do so just because he needed something to inherit his frustration!?" Alexis exclaimed.
"He really is a demon after all, then…" Augusta commented.
"Tch. Ambition is something you should earn by yourself, not surely by using others." Faris added. "As a Devil Slayer and someone who aims at the top, I can say that this guy is a real mess!"
Xavier was strangely silent.
Olga, on the other hand…started to tremble and sob. "And the worst part of all of this…is that despite giving birth to him…I'm normally not allowed to spend time with him, but…I…I can't just help it! He may have come out from an affair but...I still love this child! He's still my son! He's so young and harmless and he has to pass through a living hell because that man wants to shape him into a successor as horrendous as him! The times when he's not in the mansion…are the only ones where I can make sure that this kid has a mother that loves him…" She confessed.
Naturally, Holon couldn't hold himself and started to cry. "Mom…please don't say these things, I always loved you, not him!" He said while hugging her.
Olga hugged back but still felt awful. "Lord Molock is indeed the one that gave me a home and a job but…I couldn't just go on with the idea that he would treat my son like that…I don't want my child to turn like him and live in constant fear! Lord Molock is often outside to try and find ways to get back inside the kingdom or at least the capital through various ways…and I took advantage of it. I've tried to send several messages through special magical letters to the local knights of the army…but Lord Molock turned out to be too strong for them and killed them all." She raised her sleeve to show several scars on her arms. "This is the price I had to pay."
"That…monster!" Escanor exclaimed.
"Why resort to such things? Is…Is nobility that low?" Lunafreya wondered.
Vivienne sighed and looked down. "Unfortunately, yes…for most of the part."
Olga folded the sleeve back. "But…even if I said that I wouldn't have tried something like that…I didn't want to give up. My last resource…was to use one of those magical letters directly to the Magic Council department of Seven and hope that it could have spread and a legal guild could have come here and…saved us from this nightmare." She concluded.
A grim silence pervaded the hole. It surely was a heartbreaking story.
But nonetheless…Lunafreya came closer. "Olga…"
The maid raised her head.
"…It's true that-" The queen wanted to assure her, but she got interrupted by Xavier who abruptly turned around.
"Someone's coming! Quick jump!" He warned.
"Uh!?" The others didn't understand, but just as he said…several demonic filaments of light started to rush in their direction.
"Look out!" Vivienne exclaimed. Soon, everyone jumped away, but they soon noticed that the beams were mostly aimed at Olga and Holon.
"OVER HERE!" Xavier quickly dashed in their direction and brought them away from the trajectory, making the beams create a hole in the wall. "Are you ok?"
"Y-Yes, thanks…" Olga replied. That was enough for Xavier to glare toward the direction where the filaments were shot.
"That was surely demonic magic! Get ready!" Faris warned.
"Demonic magic? But then…!" Alexis realized.
Vivienne frowned as she prepared her scepter. "It wasn't only a figure of speech…"
Holon started to panic holding his toy sword. "I-It's him!"
Tap…tap…tap…tap…
Several footsteps could be heard echoing in the empty hall.
"I-I thought that he would have still been out…" Olga whispered, feeling terrified.
"You should be more concerned about your mistake, Olga." An elegant voice followed, putting everyone in an alert state and swinging their weapons. "I thought I had made myself clear that day. All you needed to do was to learn your place and I would have sheltered both you and our son. And yet…here you are, trying to get meaningless help from a third party again."
In the end, the figure came out…revealing what seemed to be a man with an androgynous face, long green hair collected in a long tail, black eyes, and wearing what seemed to be light pink armor.
"Lord Molock…" Olga whispered.
"So, this is the real deal? Quite ironic that a fancy face like that belongs to a huge turd like you!" Grendel commented, already in her position to throw some fists.
"You should moderate your language, supposed knight. What are you staring at right now is the definition of elegance and perfection, a name that will carry on in the following centuries that won't die." Molock retorted.
"Elegance and perfection are two words a scumbag like you shouldn't even mention," Augusta said with a cold stare.
"That's right! I hope you're ready to get what you deserve! As a noble myself, I can say that your manners are utterly disgusting!" Alexis added swinging the rapier.
Even Lunafreya swung her sword. "And let's not forget me here. My father never told me about your deals, but judging from what I've heard from Olga, you're someone I won't welcome back to this kingdom!"
Upon hearing her words, Molock widened his eyes in disgust and looked at her better. "Your…father? That crown…you must be Aegium's little pest, the new queen. How infuriating…years of planning my rise to power and I can't even get my revenge on the right man…"
"Your grudge toward my father is the last thing you have to think about. You're facing me and my knights now!" Lunafreya retorted.
Molock was already moving his arms in specific positions and prepared himself. "You think you can intimidate me with your mere words, Your Majesty? I'm spending years…exiled on this disgusting place filled with ugly creatures to wait for my revenge and that kid is the only way I can ever redeem myself, so if you think that you can stop me like nothing then you are dea-" He was about to answer and prepare himself when he noticed Xavier making a few steps forwards. "Uh?"
"Xavier?" Escanor asked.
Like nothing…Xavier stood ready and, in an instant, already pummeled Molock to a column with his staff at a superlative speed and outstanding power that made all the walls crack.
"Oh God!" Pavlova exclaimed.
"He released all that power like nothing! He must be furious as hell! Not that blame him!" Faris added.
"GHHH…" When he opened his eyes, Molock could see the staff planted in his bleeding bell and his hair being all messy. "YOU…MONGREL!? You dare to harm my perfect body with no respect!?"
"Apologize to that kid…right now." Xavier simply said with a cold tone.
"What did you just say!?" Molock asked with utter annoyance.
"I said APOLOGIZE TO THAT KID RIGHT NOW!" The blind boy shouted back before throwing the noble away, making him crash to the ground.
"Ngah!"
The others could observe his direct change of mood.
"He has left his carefree attitude and showed his fangs for the sake of that little kid…now he's more of my liking…" Grendel commented.
"Xavier…" Lunafreya whispered.
"You were his father…your duty was to inspire, to uplift your son…NOT PUTTING HIM IN A LIVING HELL!" Xavier protested. The flashes of lightning were already manifesting around his body, implying that he would have continued.
Molock stood up, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW, BLIND BOY!? HE'S THE ONLY THING THAT I'VE GOT AFTER THAT FOOLISH KING NEVER APPRECIATED ME FOR WHAT I AM! IF I COULD, I WOULD CRUSH DOWN EVERYONE WHO WRONGED ME BY MYSELF!" He shouted.
"AND BECAUSE OF THIS, AN INNOCENT CHILD AND HIS MOTHER HAVE TO PASS THROUGH YOUR IDIOCIES!? NO, I WON'T ACCEPT IT!" Xavier insisted, dashing again against him.
"EVERYONE, WE HAVE HEARD ENOUGH! ATTACK!" Lunafreya ordered, making the other knights jump at the enemy as well.
"Stay here, Holon!" Sensing the upcoming panic, Olga held his child tightly.
The eight mages didn't take too long to reach Molock already…but the corrupt noble seemed to know already how to defend himself.
"Blood Demon Art…Flight of the Papilion!" After pronouncing what seemed to be a spell, Molock generated two butterfly wings on his back that made a single flap, generating a violent magic shockwave that pushed away all the knights forcing them to recoil.
"NGHHHHH!"
"T-There's no doubt! That's an authentic demonic magic!" Faris exclaimed.
"So, the voices were correct…I really need to correct you!" Xavier added.
Molock took a deep breath, as his skin started to change color into a greener one, his eyes became a clear blue, and several marks started to appear around what was visible on his body. "Correct me? I think you've switched places. With the powers I've gotten by becoming an Oni demon after swallowing a ruby I bought in Caelum…it will be I who shall teach you to learn your place." He looked at each one of them. "Knights…nobles…even queens…It won't matter. I'll make sure to take back what is rightfully mine!"
"An Oni demon!? What's that!?" Pavlova asked.
Vivienne sweated a bit. "They're demons typical of Caelum. I've heard that despite not having a monstrous nature like regular ones, they can be stronger and more dangerous than the average."
"No matter! The stronger the merrier for me! Time for me, Faris, to have a well-satisfying hunt!" Faris stated with a smirk as she started to generate her crimson magic around her.
"Don't worry, Faris. You'll all get your part! ROUND TABLE, ATTACK!" Lunafreya swung her sword and threw herself against the demon alongside the others. With someone as repulsing as him, there wasn't any reason to hold back now. He was going to pay.
"Deus Eques, all of your reflexes are increased! LET'S GET HIM!" To accelerate the whole thing, Vivienne boosted everyone (except Augusta for some reason) and joined the attack.
Seeing everyone coming after him, Molock spread his wings and flew eye. "Try as you might, you won't get a damm thing! Blood Demon Art: Night Assault!" Several spheres started to spin around him and generate beams that forced everyone to move around the hall, leaving trails of destruction.
"Light Pict - Himmlische Säbel!" Alexis quickly drew several swords with her rapier to throw contrast the beams by constantly throwing the light weapons. "Get closer to him, now!"
"It'll be done!" Pavlova was already on her way. "TakeOver: Harpy!" She quickly turned into her harpy form to fly up and get above Molock, who was busy countering Alexis's swords. As soon as she got there, The chimera knight used a dive kick against the noble to slam him on the floor.
"GH!" Molock fell with a large thud, and when he stood up, he could already see that Faris and Grendel were ready to overwhelm him from both sides.
"TAKE…"
"THIS!"
The two knights immediately started to attack him repeatedly with barrages of fists and sword attacks. "ORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"
Molock was surprisingly agile and his reflexes were at the right point to make him constantly defend himself with his arms, to the point that he was able to push up the two knights' limbs, leaving them exposed for a stab in their bodies with his bare hands.
"NGH!"
"Even if you caught me by surprise twice, is this the best that the knights of the queen can do?" Molock mockingly asked.
But despite the wound, the two mages smirk.
"Perhaps you're still unaware of the situation you're in, dipshit!" Grendel exclaimed.
"Have you forgotten that it's not just us that are attacking you!?" Faris added.
"What!?" Molock asked, and when he looked, forward, he could already see Escanor running in his direction after absorbing the sun rays from the hole generated earlier.
"Blinding Flash – Caecus Lux!" The young boy concentrated the sunlight on his blade to generate a powerful light that blinded the demon.
"GAH!"
Augusta took advantage of it and jumped above Escanor, quickly changing form. "TakeOver: Moon Essence." This time, her eyes and hair became pure white, and her complexion clearer. She quietly aimed at the demon with her greatsword. "Accept your punishment. Midnight Light." The sword quickly released a powerful beam of blue and light that completely overwhelmed Molock, pushing him deeper into the ground and an explosion. The giant lady landed down and stayed close to the other knights.
"That blast surely got him!" Grendel commented.
"No, it's not over yet!" Alexis exclaimed.
And just like she said, Molock came out of the smoke. He was missing an arm, but his limb quickly reconstructed himself. "Alright, I take it back. But you're still a long way from taking down perfection." He commented before licking some of the blood he had left in his mouth in sign of mockery.
"Oh, please, you thought this was our greatest power?" Faris mocked, getting ready to attack him again.
"You still need to see a lot of us!" Augusta added before dashing as well with the others.
But this time, Molock saw it coming. "Blood Demon Art – Chrysalis Phantom!" The demon turned into a mass of pure light that went at outstanding speed, passing through the knights that attacked him earlier.
Pzzzzzzzz…
SPLAT!
The mages of Round Table could hear a distorted noise followed by their bodies getting large cuts even through their armors as Molock surpassed them.
"GAH! WHAT THE!?" Faris exclaimed before spitting some blood.
"He became pure light that he reached those levels of speed?" Augusta noted.
"Oh no, he's getting close to Olga!" Alexis shouted.
"See what's coming for you, ungrateful wench!" Molock screamed.
Olga panicked, while Holon tried to stand in front of her spreading his arms.
"Y-YOU WON'T TOUCH MY MOTHER, YOU MONSTER!"
"Soul of Thunder – Burst!" Another voice could be suddenly heard, and a straight arrow of lightning attacked Molock, pushing him away.
"Still haven't learned your lesson yet!?" Molock exclaimed.
"Not until I give you fair punishment as a Demon Prince!" Xavier exclaimed with rage, and not only that.
Molock could see Lunafreya as well jumping in with her sword engulfed by holy light. "And don't forget me! Holy Sword God's Punishment!" She quickly started to attack repeatedly the demon with sword attacks, added to Xavier who was attacking at impressive speed with the staff.
"Let's get him, Xavier!" Lunafreya exclaimed as they continued.
"I'd be more than glad to do that, human queen!" The boy replied.
Once again, Molock was forced to defend himself by quickly moving his limbs at the right timing, but even if he was made of light, he could start to feel some trouble, especially with those two. "Why can't you be just comprehensive!? If only you could understand what I've gone through and all the things I was deprived of!" He complained.
"Who told you we didn't!? And even so, We're not like you! WE DON'T CREATE MISERY TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS!" Lunafreya countered before managing to make a straight lunge and pierce through his spleen.
"GHHH!" Thanks to his demonic attributes, the wound closed itself, but Molock could still feel terrible pain from the attack. Xavier took even advantage of it and pushed him away with a straight blow from his staff. "ENOUGH!" Once he was away from them, he attacked them at high speed and pierced through their bodies as he did with the others, but he didn't stop there and instead, started to spin around to attack everyone (except Olga and the kid), making more cuts.
"GHHHH!" Alexis gritted her teeth to resist the pain.
"Tch! We need to follow him with the eye!" Augusta warned.
"Easier said than done! JUST STAY STILL DAMMIT!" Faris complained.
"Xavier, are you ok!?" Lunafreya asked while trying to defend herself.
"D-Don't worry about me! A Demon Prince doesn't go down that easily!" Xavier answered back.
Grendel tried to not focus on defense and tried to do as Molock as said. Right at that moment, the demon was heading towards her. "Come on…"
Then…in just a fraction of a second…she could see his clear figure. "I GOT YOU KNOW! HELLEBORES KNUCKLES!" She delivered one straight punch that was able to stop Molock in his tracks, attacking him in the belly.
"BLARGH!" The demon noble was stunned as he spit blood from it.
"AH! S-She did it!" Pavlova exclaimed.
"Which means that there's a small fragment where he can be hit despite that form!" Escanor noticed.
"That's my sis for you!" Faris added all happy.
Grendel was naturally enjoying her moment. "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, YOU ASSHOLE!? THAT WILL TEACH YOU MESSING UP WITH WEAKER PEO-" But right at that moment…
SPLAT!
Despite getting attacked, Molock stabbed Grendel back in the belly with his hand, making her spit blood.
"GAAAH! N-NOT AGAIN!"
"Did you really think that finding out something would have changed even anything vital to this fight? It seems that you underestimate the true potential of an Oni demon. So you'll be the first one TO PAY!" Molock told her before shooting a beam from the point he stabbed her, wiping her away and pushing her from one of the holes, where the downward of the mountain could be seen.
"DAMMIIIIIIIIIIIT!"
"NO!" Olga cried out, feeling guilty.
The other mages of Round Table were shocked…especially Lunafreya.
True, Grendel insulted her and was distrustful in her regard, but even so…she wanted to give Lunafreya a chance, and fought with her up until that moment.
That…was enough to make the young queen move.
"GRENDEEEEEEEEEEL!" In an almost panicked and desperate tone, Lunafreya ran with all the speed that he could toward the guildmate.
Molock quickly noticed her and tried to pursue her. "FEELING EAGER TO JOIN YOUR FRIEND- GAH!"
"NOT QUITE!" Xavier quickly pushed him away in time by using the Lightning again.
"GET OFF ME!" Molock didn't want to lose sight of the target and quickly turned around to shoot a demonic beam at Lunafreya which stabbed her in the back.
"GAAAAAH!" The queen felt the pain, but nonetheless, she kept on running toward the hole.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH-" Grendel could see how she was going to fall down from one moment to another until…
CLAP!
"Uh!?" She could feel her arm getting grabbed, and when she looked up, she could see Lunafreya holding her arm with fatigue. "Oi, what are you doing queenie!?"
"Taking care of a subject…and a guildmate! Don't worry, I got you! Push up!" Lunafreya promptly answered while trying to pull her up.
This time…Grendel was genuinely surprised. Despite everything that she did…that queen was willing to save her? She felt…a strange yet warm feeling in her heart…enough to push herself helped by the other girl. "NGHHHH!"
In the meantime, Xavier was still clashing with Molock, followed by the others who tried to surround him, but even with that, he was still too fast for their eyes.
"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT IT'S USELESS!? I AM PERFECTION!" Molock shouted as he answered the boy's blows.
Xavier could feel himself getting tired, but he couldn't give up. Not after hearing what he was doing to his son. "A Demon Prince doesn't take order from a commoner, it's the exact opposite!"
Augusta was preparing his sword for a perfect occasion. "Come on…we just need to keep up!"
Faris was gritting her teeth. "DAMMIT! He pushed my sis down that cliff, I WANT TO MAKE HIM SUFFER!"
"HA! LISTEN TO YOU! Making me suffer when you'll be the one- GAH!" At a certain point, Molock felt his light essence fade away, making him exposed. "W-What the!?" When he looked around, he could see Vivienne pointing the scepter at him.
"Deus Zero! Whatever enchantment you pulled up until this moment is now meaningless! Accept defeat!" The royal sorceress exclaimed to her.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT JUST NOW!?" The others fairly shouted at her, making her feel dumb.
"S-Sorry…w-well, he's exposed now, right? LET'S GET HIM!" After apologizing, Vivienne raised her scepter, generating several spinning stars. "Astra Siderea!" She threw the stars at Molock, pushing him backward even further, and leaving him exposed to the other knights.
"GH!" Molock could see Alexis, Pavlova, Escanor, Faris, Augusta, and Xavier all team up against him and pummeling him down with their weapons…but he was far from over. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" He spread his butterfly wings again, stunning everyone and making them crash to the ground as if they were pushed down by an intensified gravity force.
"GAAAAH!"
"D-Dammit…he took us!" Escanor said, trying to stand up.
Lunafreya and Grendel came back in time to witness what just happened. "Oh no…!" The queen muttered.
"S-Stay close, Holon!" Seeing how everyone was down, Holon did her best to protect his son. "Is this really the end?"
"Anf…anf…anf…anf…this is why I always hated knights…always standing on one side of the coin and not grasping what it means to stay on the other side. On the side of the defeated! Unfortunately for you, I already had to deal with similar shit like you, and I always know how to remain on top…now you can say goodbye as you'll die on the side of your beloved queen, and who knows? Maybe her death will bring upon some right-deserved anarchy on this corrupted land!" Molock said, coming closer to the knights to finish them off. Then…he felt something grabbing his ankle. "Uh!?"
"H-Hey…who said that I'm down?" Despite the wounds, Xavier tried his best to keep his head up.
"Still breathing, you worm? Even if you were truly a demon, you'd be a pathetic excuse for it. Why can't you just lie down and die like the others!?" Molock protested.
"W-Who said that we were about to die!?" Augusta countered.
"Even if I don't like violence, I certainly wouldn't want to let you escape with this, monster!" Pavlova added glaring at him.
"Do you really think that any of us here had always been afraid of you? No…we're still here, hoping to kick your ass further!" Vivienne said.
"That's…right…and you still haven't…apologize to your son yet…a father who neglects his son and makes him pass through hell…is not even worthy of being either a human or a demon!" Xavier exclaimed.
Molock frowned his eyebrows, feeling utterly insulted as he moved the ankle away. "I've been defied, betrayed a second time and my beautiful look has been tampered with. I've heard enough nonsense. I'm planning to take back the honor of my name, and I won't be blocked by someone who wants to give me some idiotic morals!" He raised his hand, ready to inflict the coup the grace on Xavier.
"X-Xavier!" Seeing the danger, Escanor tried to stand up with the others, but they didn't know if they would make it. Even Augusta could have been less fast with her Mercury form.
But even if he saw the demon's hand getting ready, Xavier glared at him, despite being blind.
"THIS WILL TEACH YOU IN THE NEXT LIFE TO MESS WITH AN ONI DEMON! NOW DIE-"
"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Suddenly…Everyone could see Holon rush forward Molock and jump at him, giving him a heavy headbutt that made him fall backward.
"Ack!"
"Holon!?" All knights shouted.
"No, Holon get back here!" Olga was terrified for his child.
Molock, on the other hand, stood up and looked astonished his child stayed in front of Xavier with his arms spread, teary eyes, and even a small snot on the nose. "What are you doing, Holon!? Stay out of this! You're willing to defy your own father!?"
"YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER!" Holon shouted back with a trembling voice. "Please…why don't you just stop? When these knights entered I tried to attack them because I thought they were like you! But they were actually kind to help the mom! I never cared about being a Nostradamus! I just wanted Mom to be happy! She was concerned for me and gave me all the love you never gave me! P-Please…I don't want her to go…I don't want either of them to go. If you want to kill them then you'll have to kill me!"
Molock felt utterly disgusted by those words.
"N-No…Holon…you need to run!" Xavier warned him. But the kid turned around to look at him.
"Y-You wanted to protect me…now I'll protect you!"
"I don't have time for this!" Molock didn't care and wiped Holon away with a violent kick, making him crash against a column.
"ACK!"
"HOLON!" Everyone shouted.
"You're lucky that I need you to pass on my name and get my revenge…but I'll make sure to make you pay for this outrage! But not before I took all these knights down, that queen AND THAT BITCH WHO TRIED TO BACKSTAB-" Molock was about to resume his murder when he felt two tremendous presences behind him. "W-What!?" When he turned around, he could see Lunafreya and Grendel right in front of him, smacking his face with a punch and a sword attack, making him crash against a wall.
"Your Majesty! You're ok!" Alexis shouted.
"Even you, sis!" Faris added.
"Human queen!" Even Xavier was surprised. Olga on the other hand, quickly ran toward her son.
"M-Mom…I'm sorry…" Little Holon said while whining.
"It's alright, Holon…it's alright…" This was all the mom could say, happy at least to see that her kid was still fine.
After looking at them quickly, Lunafreya raised her sword and released some of its light that fell on the others who…felt some of their energies back.
"Hey…I can move again!" Escanor commented.
"What is this?" Faris asked.
"This blessing of the Holy Sword should give you some energies…now…" After a short explanation, Lunafreya glared at the demon, who stood up.
"Kh…so you saved your little friend there and came back to defy me even further, eh!?" Molock asked. For a moment, in Lunafreya's place could see the familiar figure of her father. "You're just like Aegium…a scumbag who sees things only from one point…I had always been violent! What's the deal with it!?"
Lunafreya couldn't help but glare at him. "Why can't you just shut the fuck up for once!?"
"What!?" The demon was astonished.
"You talk about being humiliated and deprived of everything…but you had ever stopped in your tracks and wondered WHY!? You're a reckless murderer who doesn't stop at anything to maintain his position and worst of all, YOU DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THOSE WHO SURROUND YOU! NOT EVEN YOUR OWN SON!" Lunafreya shouted out before looking down. "It's true…my father may have not been the best example of a king…but I couldn't have asked for a better father, because unlike you…he was there to listen to me and this kingdom's subjects. He would have listened to you if you weren't isolated in your contorted vision of the world! And I don't intend to make his work plagued by your lust for revenge! I've made a promise to not disappoint him!"
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? IT'S HIS FAULT IF I'M-" Molock wanted to protest but got stopped again.
"NO, IT'S NOT!" Alexis wanted to add her opinion as well. "Even my father acted rigidly toward me when I was younger, but there was a reason for it, and he never forgot what was best for me! SOMETHING THAT YOU CLEARLY LACK!"
Augusta could stand back on her knees again. "Everyone passes through horrible experiences because life is never fair. But…this doesn't mean that we need to vent our frustration toward someone who doesn't deserve it. That…is a behavior I won't tolerate."
"And I think…none of us here will do so, right?" Vivienne asked the others.
"RIGHT!" Everyone else answered.
Xavier in particular looked at Lunafreya. She seemed to like him…despite everything, her insecurities, and her weakness…she remained stoic and determined against the enemy, showing the will to be a good monarch.
And…like her…she wanted to keep a promise…to her father. Much like him…when he remembered what his father was like.
To that…the Demon Prince could only feel a big respect toward that queen. And he stood up. "Heh…who would have thought that a group like you…could have all these guts? I…I like you, guys…so I don't intend to stand down!"
"No one asked you to! Let's kick his ass!" Faris replied. Lunafreya nodded at him with a smile.
Molock, on the other hand, felt more and more disgusted. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" He held his head while his eyes showed a paranoid expression. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST UNDERSTAND!? I AM THE VICTIM HERE! I AM THE ONE WHO DESERVES JUSTICE! YOU ARE JUST TRYING TO DENY MY RIGHT TO VENEGANCE! AND I WON'T ALLOW THAT! BLOOD DEMON ART – NIGHT ASSAULT!" Feeling more frustrated, he generated more spheres, but the mages of Round Table already knew the deal.
"Light Pict - Himmlische Säbel!"
"Moon Tears!"
Adding to the swords created by Alexis's rapier that clashed with, Augusta generated small spheres of white energy that chased down Molock, exploding as soon as they touched him.
"GAAAAH!" The demon was exposed. He could already see Escanor below him.
"Foul creature who knows nothing of love, get incinerated by this flame! Celestial Flame – Caelum Fiamma!" He spun the Flagrans sword, he conjured a massive solar flare that pushed Molock upward, engulfing him in flames.
"TakeOver: Lycantrope!" Pavlova quickly turned into a werewolf to send him down again with a violent massive fist.
"DAMM YOU!" Molock tried to react by sending more filaments of light like the ones he shot at the beginning, but they were met with several explosions.
"Disappear!" Vivienne quickly raised her hand to generate several explosions that nullified the filaments and pushed Molock even further.
"GRRR!" When the demon raised his head, he could see Faris already planting his sword near his neck releasing magic from it. "GAAAAH! W-WHY DOES THIS HURT!?"
"Have I forgotten to tell you that I'm a Devil Slayer!? GET HIM, SIS!" Faris exclaimed, giving the signal.
"HELLEBORES KNUCKLES!" Grendel quickly dashed to pummel Molock with a fist at his belly. "THIS IS FOR TRYING TO MAKE ME FALL!" She then raised the noble with her fist and threw him at Xavier.
"Anf…anf…" Xavier was tired…but he knew that he still had some strength in his magic for at least a special attack. Right at that moment, the blindfold slipped away, and Vivienne could see something pulsate in the back of her head: a glowing Lacrima.
"Ah! Now I understand the strange connection! It was a Dragon Lacrima! You're a second-generation Dragon Slayer!" She noticed.
Molock could only glare at him. "B-But…you have TWO OF THEM!?"
Xavier was already generating two torrents of energy, one of flashes of lightning and one of smoke in his two arms. "I don't know what you are talking about. I am Xavier the Demon Prince! And you're about to get my punishment! UNISON RAID!" To the stun of everyone, he was able to attack with both of his elements, wiping the demon away.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Molock could feel himself getting overwhelmed by the wounds, but he tried his best to stay up. "N-NO…I WANT…TO GO BACK TO MY POWER!"
Xavier was exhausted but glared at him one last time. "A demon…understands to let those responsible handle the mistakes of others. Even if you are a demon, as a noble, you are not only my subject…you are hers."
Molock didn't understand at first, but everything soon went clear when she saw that girl run towards her with the glowing sword. Once again…he was going to get punished by the same family.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" With all the strength she could, Lunafreya slashed the sword on his head.
"GRRR!" Molock tried to use his last energies to block the blade before it could reach his neck and glare at the queen one last time. "WHY, LUNAFREYA!? WHY DID THIS KINGDOM REJECT ME!? WHERE HAVE I GONE WRONG!?"
"You should have thought of it as soon as you started to be violent and ruthless towards others and the ones that were close to you! Your mistake was to reject your humanity! And even if said it already, let me tell you twice..." Lunafreya replied...before glaring at him with charge and fury. "I DON'T WANT A SCUMBAG LIKE YOU IN MY KINGDOM! GRAAAAAAAAAA!" After giving her final answer, she pushed further.
The holy light started to burn down Molock's skin, incinerating his hands and making the blade reach the neck. And even if she needed a bit of strength.
SWISH!
With a loud noise, the blade was able to behead Molock…who could only see his headless body with an expression of terror before everything went black. "GAH-"
Once both the head and the body fell on the ground, they turned into ash, a typical phenomenon when a demon died.
Olga and Holon looked speechless as the battle finally came to a close.
"They…they did it?" Olga whispered.
The knights could finally fall on their knees and take several breaths to regain.
"Anf…anf…Oi, sis…are all demons as annoying as him?" Grendel asked.
"You bet they are!" Faris replied.
"Well, shit…I'm undecided about wanting to face more of them or facing as less as possible of them…" The other girl replied.
"You two never get a break, do you?" Escanor asked.
"You had any doubts?" both girls asked with a grin.
Pavlova looked at the ashes a bit sad. Despite not being the direct one, she wasn't happy with the fact that the others were forced to kill their enemy.
"Hey…Pava…you did a great job." Alexis assured her with a smile.
"I know…" The dog girl turned at the mother with his son with a smile. "At least…they are free."
"Eh eh…Well…we can say that this mission was a success then, eh, Augusta?" Vivienne asked the giant girl, who, in the end, made a small smile.
"Glad to see that my services can be of close help, indeed. And…this idea of a guild can be…satisfying."
"Don't say it like that! You were awesome!" Vivienne insisted before turning to the queen. "I'm sure she'd say the same."
Lunafreya stood still for a moment, looking at the ash fly away with the wind. She then found the strength to turn at Xavier.
"Anf…thank you…human queen." He spoke. "No…queen Lunafreya…"
The girl made a gentle smile. "I simply did my duty as a Master, that's all." She then looked at Olga…and came closer to her before kneeling to them.
"Your Majesty…" Olga spoke.
"…As I was saying before we got interrupted, Olga…I did say back at my crowning that I didn't feel ready, and I still think that I'm not, that's why I've made this guild in the first place. But…if there's one thing that I'm sure I want to do as a queen…is to keep my subjects safe, like my father tried to do." Lunafreya explained.
The maid simply didn't know what to say. Holon remained close to her to make sure that everything was ok.
The queen and Xavier looked down on him, embarrassing him. "You were quite brave out there, kiddo! Keep going and you could reach great heights! Well…maybe not as great as mine, ah ah!" The boy commented.
"I…I felt inspired that's all…you're very good people! And…I'm sorry if I attacked you earlier…" Holon answered.
"Eh eh, oh Holon…" Olga hugged him back. A sight that put serenity in the knights. "So…it's over, right? Is it really over?"
Lunafreya nodded at her. "It is. You and your son are now free, and I'll make sure that no one will tamper with you ever again. In fact…you're…still a maid, right? Would you perhaps want to come to work at the castle? I know that it's going to be hard but…I think you and your son will finally be able to live in a comfy place."
Olga widened her eyes in surprise. "Y-YOUR MAJESTY!" She quickly hugged her, bursting out in a loud cry of joy.
"A-AH-" Lunafreya was caught off guard by that gesture, but still hugged her back. "C-Come on now…it's alright."
"Thank you, knights! I'll make sure to become like one of you one day!" Holon added.
"Eh eh! Just never give up! I certainly didn't!" Escanor told him.
"Awww, isn't this the perfect picture?" Pavlova commented with a puppy smile while wiggling her tail.
Alexis, on the other hand, was moved. "I-I never thought I could see such compassion in the queen! It makes me want to follow her even further!"
Vivienne looked at the scene as well with crossed arms. "It is a perfect picture! Just like it is the perfect beginning!"
After the hug ended, Lunafreya looked at everyone. "Well…I'd say that the mission is complete! Let's go back to Somnus, then. Back to home!"
"So, we're going to leave the house?" Holon asked his mother.
"And we're moving to a better one! You won't have to see this place ever again!" Olga told her.
It was then that Lunafreya had a particular idea. "Augusta, could you do me a favor?" She asked.
"Anything for you, Your Majesty." The giant girl replied.
5 minutes later…
Once everyone was out of the fort, Lunafreya gave Augusta the signal. "Proceed!"
The giant knight looked at the fort and with one single swipe of her blade…the building crumbled down like it was made of paper.
"AH!" Everyone slammed their lower jaw to the ground as soon as they saw such work with ease.
"There we go! Now you won't even have to bother seeing it physically!" Lunafreya told to Olga.
"Uhm…do you think that kid will cope with the fact that we both killed his father and destroyed his house?" Grendel asked Faris.
"Fuck that, we had good reasons for it!" The other knight answered, getting a skeptical face from Alexis.
"You two are just irredeemable, aren't you?"
"You had any doubt?" Both girls asked with a smirk.
Somnus – Guild of Round Table
Everything was finally settled. All that remained was to simply come back to the capital and so they did. By the time they had arrived, there was already a starry sky above them, and the capital was surrounded by various lights.
All the new members of Round Table could finally take their armor off and had various bandages on their bodies. The mission ended up being challenging, but it wasn't important. They all came back safe and what mattered the most was that their client was satisfied.
Olga handled a large bag from which several coins and banknotes could be heard. "Here you go. These are the 500.000 Jewels I promised. They're what I got to gain from working under Molock."
Lunafreya took the bag and looked at what was inside.
"Aaah! Look at them shining!" Pavlova said, wiggling her tail.
"Are you sure, Olga? They could be of use to you…" Alexis asked.
But Olga seemed serene in her answer. "Don't worry! You've made all that road and risked your lives to save this normal maid and her son. This is the least I can do to repay you. And besides! I have a new job that will sustain both me and Holon! I…couldn't thank you enough, really. For the first time in years, I'm thinking that from now on…things will be ok."
Lunafreya was happy to hear it as she nodded. "It's alright. Apart from being a queen, I think we've tried to do our best to show what to expect from a guild like the others. Right guys?" She asked her fellow knights, who nodded.
Olga came closer and gently placed a hand on her face. "Well...in my opinion, this is enough for me to have an eternal favor in your regards. Whatever it will happen…you'll be a great ruler for Seven, like your father was."
The young queen slightly blushed and held the hand. "Y-You'll move me now, Olga…" She spoke. "And well…I suppose I'll see you soon! Go to the castle and search for Chef Ladle. Tell him I've hired you as a new maid and he'll find a position for you, with even a room."
"Will surely do!" With that settled, Olga took his child's hand. "Come on, Holon, let's go to the castle!"
"Thank you for everything! See you soon!" As they started to move toward the royal palace, Holon and his mother waved out their hands, saluting them.
With that, it was finally settled, and Lunafreya could take a breath of satisfaction as she turned on her guildmates. "Well…I guess that's it! Round Table's first mission is complete!"
"And what a ride that was!" Escanor added.
"I sincerely hope that it will be only the first one of many! After all of this, I can't wait for more!" Pavlova added while wiggling her tail.
"So…you're actually willing to stay as mages?" Lunafreya asked, hopeful.
"You're kidding? Of course, I am! I don't know if I'll ever be able to pull myself to kill another living being like the others do, but I'm more than willing to stay here!" The dog girl answered back.
"I've come here to do my duty as a protector of the queen. Whether it's here or in the castle, you know you can rely on me." Augusta added.
"Same for me! Like you, I need to become a valid example for the Lichtschwert family and the queen's left-hand woman, so count me in!" Alexis said.
"I think I've made myself clear at the beginning, this place is like a living paradise for me!" Escanor added. "I'll make sure to defend you all as I keep praising the sun!"
"And didn't I make myself clear? I'm one destined to stand at the top of everything, the terror knight that will make her name echo through Earth Land! There's no reason for me to leave! What better place to do so than alongside my cousin?" Faris concluded with a smirk. "Plus, it's a good place to kick some asses here and there!"
Obviously enough, Lunafreya looked at all of them with puppy eyes. "Oh guys…you're so dear!"
"Well, well, we can say that in the end, this had been a successful experiment! And I'm pretty sure that more will come eventually!" Vivienne told her.
"Indeed! As a Demon Prince myself, I'd say you have the right likeability to impress others with your charisma!" Xavier added.
It was then that everyone turned to the blind man.
"Hmmm…now that I think of it…I didn't expect you to follow us…Xavier." Lunafreya pointed out.
"Is there something else you need from us?" Escanor added.
"Oh, not really. It's just that ever since I laid foot on this foreign land, I just wandered randomly while circling that abandoned hamlet. I always thought that there was something suspicious, and incorrect inside that! Buuuut…considering that we have settled that issue, I thought that I could turn back to resume my wandering!" Xavier explained.
"And you're doing so by following us?" Vivienne asked.
"Well, not really. There's a more…in-depth answer to that." The boy replied. "To be honest, ever since I came in here, I've been mostly on myself. True, I made a name out there in some parts, but it was only me by myself! Then we casually met each other and…I can't hide the fact that I did have some fun with you guys! Well, if we exclude how you beat me up at first-"
Lunafreya made a nervous smile with some angry veins. "Yeah, it wasn't really the best." She even glared at the ones doing so, who tried to look elsewhere while whistling.
"But leaving that aside…it was the first time that I spent a small adventure with someone similar to me, especially you, Queen Lunafreya!" Xavier continued.
"Me?" The girl asked. "Is it because…of how I reacted with Molock? I did notice that you were the most upset about him."
Xavier nodded. "Truth to be told…I did so because, in a way, I know what it means to be left behind by a father. I've got abandoned by mine..."
"Uh?" Everyone was surprised.
"It happened a long time ago. And I don't know why. I can't help but wonder if it was because he kept on calling me weak, but I truly don't know. He…simply vanished one day! But…if there's one certain thing is that I will not stop until I find him again and I am as strong as he is one day. I want to be as strong as kind as he was, a true Demon King." Xavier confessed.
Everyone stood silent as he gave a small piece of his story…but then Faris came closer to him.
"Oi. As someone who finds strength herself, I can say that even if you're a weirdo who doesn't smell at all like a demon…you're pretty tough. So, stand proud, you're strong!" She said with a smirk.
"True enough! You did save our butts several times back there!" Escanor added.
"And you're probably the fastest among us unless I use my Mercury Essence form. There are plenty of things that you should take into consideration." Augusta said.
"Really? You think this of me?" Xavier asked.
Lunafreya couldn't help but smile upon hearing them and even came closer. "Considering how you stood with us until the end, I don't see why they should lie! And…I can completely understand your feelings toward your father." She spoke. "I feel the same toward mine. True, he didn't disappoint me…but I lost him a while ago…and after all the love and wisdom that he shared with me, I can't help but look at him with still the eyes of a kid and try to become like him. This kingdom needs a strong ruler who can give them the same assurances he did. That's why I'm willing to become strong."
Xavier made a great satisfied smile. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear! That's why I ended up to admire to you and your knights! We are kindred spirits!" He exclaimed. "And because of this…I was wondering if you had an adding spot in this guild of yours!"
"Ah!?" Everyone exclaimed.
"You…want to join Round Table? You want to become a knight?" Lunafreya asked.
"Why not? I still need to learn how to be a Devil King, and what better way to learn that than from a human queen? And I am in not a hurry to find my father, I think I could enjoy my time here! He'll one day hear of my great deeds and find me! MWAHAHAHAHA!" Xavier explained.
The others looked at him with a drop of sweat coming from their heads.
"Well…what do you think?" Lunafreya asked.
"He may be weird, but I don't have complaints," Alexis replied.
"Neither do I! Strong, capable, and personally I would like to have another male in the group if you don't mind!" Escanor added.
Faris and Augusta simply shrugged.
"The more the merrier as I always say! And more friends for me!" Pavlova said, already wiggling her tail.
"Besides, even if we say no, I'm sure that you'll just follow us around!" Vivienne added.
Lunafreya was happy to hear that answer. "Well, you did listen to them! And when it comes to me, I'd love to have a kindred spirit! Welcome to Round Table, Xavier Ahriman!"
"ALRIGHT!" Xavier said, raising his fist. "The pleasure is all mine! Now you'll have an adding certainty that enemies will tremble upon hearing the name of your guild!"
Grendel simply looked at the scene and sighed. "Good grief…"
Faris turned at her. "You'd been surprisingly silent for a while, sis. Everything ok?" She asked.
"Why wouldn't I? The mission is clear!" The other girl answered back. "I was just…overthinking, that's all."
This time, all eyes were on her.
"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure to know what you're thinking about," Lunafreya told her. "So…Grendel Hellebores…did I pass your text? Was I worthy enough?"
Grendel tried to look elsewhere but she knew that she wasn't going to let her go if she didn't spit it out so she sighed. "Before that…let me ask you a question." She spoke. "I did insult you earlier this day, and I did spit out all my doubts and opinions as soon as I saw you, because if there's something I don't like is hiding the truth from others, and I felt to do the same to you."
Lunafreya and the others let her talk.
"…But…despite that…when I was about to fall, you didn't hesitate and came to rescue me. Why? You could have just let me down there and kept on fighting, and don't lie about not feeling offended by my words, I know you damm are! So…why?" Grendel asked.
Lunafreya stared at her in silence for a few moments…before sighing as well. "Man, I'd assumed you were a brawler, but I never thought you'd be that much of a loner!"
"H-HEY!" The other girl exclaimed, embarrassed.
But despite that, the young queen looked at her with a smile. "It's true. I won't hide that I felt offended and a bit demoralized upon hearing your words. I'm trying my best, yet I need to accept that there will be people who won't agree with me apart from Molock or Hagen. But…despite this, did you think that I would have been that upset to the point of letting you die that easily just because of that? Vivienne can confirm that I'm not that pricky!"
"If anything, Luna's the girl that would whine on her bed for it!" The royal sorceress added with a small smile, making the queen turn red.
"YOU COULD HAVE SPARED THAT LAST PART- AHEM!" Lunafreya quickly took back her composure. "The point is…despite everything…you're still one who wanted to come with me on this mission and fight with the others. And I could see how you were pissed at Molock for how he treated his son! No matter the fact, you're still a subject of mine, Grendel, and I'd give my life to protect my subject, including you." She continued.
Grendel startled. After everything that had been through in the last years…this was the first time that someone told her something that nice.
"You need to stay away from her! She's a bad example!"
"This has always been your place, and it will always be your place, mangy dog!"
For a moment…all the insults she had been given disappeared. For once…she felt…accepted.
"…Stay still. Don't move." She then said to the queen. Augusta and Alexis were ready to punch her in the face.
"Ah? O-Ok?" Lunafreya did so, confused…and then…
…Grendel hugged her.
"AH!" Pavlova was simply shocked.
"Oh goodness!" Escanor added.
"What? What did they do? Let's not forget that I'm blind!" Xavier asked.
"A-AH…" Lunafreya became as red as a strawberry. She was already sensitive and unprepared for guests like that. Adding to the fact that it came from someone like Grendel, it was the ultimate unprepared moment.
Even Grendel had her share of embarrassment as she tried to look elsewhere. "D-Don't get the wrong idea. I'm doing it because…I wanted it. It's the least I could do. You…deserve it." She then got off…and smirked at her. "And you surely gave me proof of what you can do, I'll admit it. I thought you were just another one of those spoiled brats but for now…I think that you have the right guts on the battlefield. Credits must be given when there are some!"
"Does that mean…?" Lunafreya asked, hopeful.
"You bet I am! Besides, I'm here to repay a debt to that Bogardius, and I can surely leave my sis here alone!" Grendel confirmed.
"HA! That's what I wanted to hear, sis!" Faris answered back.
In the end, the brawl girl nodded. "I'm willing to stay in here…as an official member."
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Lunafreya quickly awed with starry eyes. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"
Everyone was cut off immediately.
"Alright, alright, no need to exaggerate now," Grendel told her. "Though…are the armor really necessa-" She was going to ask a question, but she cut off right away.
"Yes, they are."
"Ah, shit. Well, I've tried." The other girl shrugged.
"Good thing that I already had one, then!" Xavier commented.
Shortly after, everyone came back inside the guild, with the queen being more than relieved that her project seemed to have been liked and that she knew that headquarters was going to be filled with people.
"Isn't this just great, Vivienne? People…wanted to give me a chance!" Lunafreya asked.
"Well, it's not your fault if you're that likable, ah ah ah!" Vivienne replied.
It was then that the queen remembered something. "Oh, right! I forgot two important things!"
Everyone looked at her.
Lunafreya quickly took the molds. "Considering that you're official members now, there are still two things that need to be issued. First, it's the mark!"
It didn't take long before everyone had it.
Augusta wanted it on her heart, colored in gold. However, the queen needed to make several jumps to reach it.
"Ngh! Hop! Ack!"
"…Want me to lower down, Your Majesty?" The giant girl asked.
"No, no, I can make it!" Lunafreya insisted.
And so, she did. Augusta could tell that she felt happy with it. "Heh. Considering that I'm part of the Golden Knights, it's only fair that I have it this way, right?"
"It's certainly a color that fits you!" Vivienne told her.
Even Pavlova wanted it colored in gold. This time on the back of her right hand. "Yes, yes, yes! This is so cool!" The girl exclaimed, almost barking. "I promise to do my best!"
Alexis wanted it white on her right hand. She looked at the mark with light pink cheeks. "Oooooh…the mark that symbolizes my ownership to the queen! I almost want to not wash this hand ever again…"
Lunafreya looked at her with a nervous smile. "You do know that it won't go away with water, right?"
Escanor wanted it as well golden, very big, and on his back. "Aaaah! Isn't this perfect? Now I can confirm my sense of chivalry even further!"
Grendel wanted it white on her right shoulder. "Hmm. I guess I could get used to it!"
Faris wanted it deep red on the back of her neck. "Yes…the mark that will represent the beginning of my rise to power! Everyone will learn to fear it and fear me!"
Augusta and Alexis looked at her with skeptical faces. "Now you're exaggerating…" The latter said.
And finally, Xavier said that he wanted it on his right cheek and every color was fine. Due to the magic he showed during the mission, Lunafreya decided to make it purple.
"Great! Another mark in my collection!" Xavier said.
"You have more marks?" Vivienne asked.
"No, but I'm pretty sure this will be the first one! We demons are fonds of marks, after all!" The boy replied, leaving the sorceress confused.
Lunafreya on the other hand was satisfied. "There we go! This marks all of you as official members! And as for the second thing...you have to pick up your names as knights!"
Some of the members were confused.
"Titles…as knights?" Pavlova asked.
"Oh, Interesting!" Escanor said. "You see, Pava, whenever a knight enters a specific circle or manages to accomplish several deeds, they may be recognized with a name of his own."
Augusta nodded. "Even among the knights in the Seven Army, there are some who came up with a name befitting their chivalrous nature. I didn't expect that you would use it as well, Your Majesty."
Lunafreya blushed a bit with a cute face. "W-Well, it was Vivienne's idea actually. She heard that mages liked to give themselves titles and I adapted It for the theme."
"Aww, aren't you the sweetest bun, Luna?" Vivienne asked before turning to the others. "But yes, we thought that it could be a funny idea! Mine is Merlin and Luna's one is Arthur."
"Aren't Arthur and Merlin male names?" Grendel asked.
"Who cares? They're awesome!" Vivienne replied. What about you? Do you have any ideas for it?"
The other mages started to think of it.
And with that…Escanor made a smile. "Well, considering that this is a place that fits exactly my persona and my passion for chivalry, who am I not to go with this idea? I may already have one!"
"Really?" Pavlova asked.
"Yes! I'm the knight of the sun, so I think it's befitting for me to have a title that means 'radiance' and 'light', something that you could hear right at midday! Henceforth I was thinking of…Gawain!"
"Ooooooh!" Everyone was interested in it.
"Gawain…I like it!" Lunafreya said her opinion.
"Indeed! It does have that sun vibes in it! We don't mind if you have it." Vivienne added.
As a sign of gratitude, Escanor made a small bow. "Thank you, truly!"
Even Xavier seemed caught in the idea. "Hmmm, a knight's name, uh? This could be interesting. As a demon, I never thought that I could have chosen something to make me closer to human styles. It could help me gather fame as a Demon Prince! Let's see…I need something that could symbolize my search…" He thought of it for a while and then the light bulb was turned on. "Oh, I know! How about Percival?"
"Percival? That seems quite the noble name!" Alexis commented.
"Isn't it befitting for a prince such as I am?" Xavier answered back with a grin.
"I do like it!" Pavlova said.
"I agree, it's quite fitting for your persona!" Escanor added.
"Percival it is!" Lunafreya said. "The others?"
Pavlova thought of it. "Hmmm…I don't know really. I mostly came here because I thought it would have been fun and didn't think we would have gone through all the formalities." She confessed. "But I want so bad to go through with it! Hmmm…come to think of it, If I had a knight name, I would love it to have a meaning of trust, reliability, and friendship…oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Can mine be Bedivere?"
"Bedivere? If I recall correctly, that is one of the most ancient knightly names out there. An interesting pick!" Vivienne told her.
"Really?" The dog girl asked before blushing a bit. "I-I didn't know it! It just came into my mind and I liked it…"
"But it does fit you! You've been the friendliest here! I'd be happy to let you have it!" Lunafreya told her with a smile.
"YAAAY! Thank you!" Pavlova cheered, wiggling her tail. "Lady Bedivere…that sounds awesome!"
Augusta thought of it for a bit. "Hmmm…a knight name. Considering that I already was a knight by myself, it should have been easy for me but the thought never came through. But I surely don't want to make the queen sad…"
"Ah! N-No no, no worries! It's just a cute thing, that's all!" Lunafreya told her.
"No worries, Your Highness. I'll pick one." Augusta said before thinking of it again. "Hmmm…I aim to stay close to the queen as much as I can. So, I'd like to have a name that means protection and reliability most of all." Then…a smile came onto it. "Oh, I do have one." She looked down at the queen. "Is it a problem if I pick Hector as a name?"
"Hector? Heh, apart from a knight one, it's also a regular name. Are you sure people won't get confused?" Lunafreya jokingly asked.
"Hey, it's still just a title. I'd make them sure to remember my name as well." Augusta spoke.
"Absolutely! And I do like it! Feel free to use it!" The queen answered back.
Grendel on the other hand snorted. "A knight name. Of all people, I think that I'm the least one to have it. Buuut I did say that I would have stuck with the guild so I might pick up one."
"Any ideas?" Vivienne asked her.
The blonde girl made a smirk. "Well, I'd certainly like to have a name that tells people that if they mess up with me, they're dead!"
"Is there even a knight name that could-" Alexis was about to ask a question, just when Grendel came up with it.
"Oh, I know one! Gaheris! That's just perfect for me!"
"Never mind-" Alexis said with a skeptical face.
"Gaheris, you say? Now that's a name I also like!" Escanor commented, feeling strangely fine with it.
"It does give that kick-ass vibe!" Lunafreya added.
Grendel was happy to hear those comments. "Glad to hear that someone here has tastes! Heh, I could get used to it!"
Alexis then resumed her hard thinking while sweating, something that Lunafreya noticed.
"Hmm? Is there something wrong, Alexis?"
"I'm sorry, my queen, I'm trying to come up with a knight name but I can't! And considering that I come from the Lichtschwert family, it should be easy for me!" The other girl replied. "But I'd want one…"
Lunafreya felt a bit bad for her, so she wanted to help her. And by coincidence…she came up with one.
"Say…your wish is to live up to the expectations as a Lichtschwert, right?"
"Yes?" Alexis replied.
"And you want to make sure to stay by my side, correct?" Lunafreya then asked.
"Absolutely! It's my duty!" The younger girl answered. Nothing else needed to be added. Lunafreya placed a hand on her shoulder and said it.
"Lancelot. Do you like it?" The queen asked with a smile.
"AH!" Alexis startled. Even Vivienne, Escanor, and Augusta were surprised to hear it.
"…I don't understand, what's going on?" Grendel asked.
"That's…a name that is a synonym of loyalty and elite…you…really want to give it to me?" Alexis asked.
"Well, you're both a high noble and loyal to me! Is there anything else you need to ask?" The young queen asked back with a smile.
Alexis couldn't hold it and hugged Lunafreya with moving tears in her eyes. "YES, THANK YOU! Alright then! I'll make sure to live up to it!" She exclaimed. "Lady Lancelot…it sounds so good…"
"Awww! Look at how she's happy!" Pavlova said.
Vivienne nodded and looked at the last one remaining. "Well, it appears that you're the only one left! Any ideas, Faris?" She asked.
The queen's cousin had one of her grins on her face. "I do actually!" She said before taking a seat and looking at the others with confidence.
"Mordred."
"Uh?" Everyone was surprised.
"…What?" And once again, Grendel was confused.
"Are you…sure about it, Faris? Between knights, that's a name that means 'treachery'." Augusta asked.
"You're not planning to betray us one day, are you?" Alexis asked her precautious.
"Nah, don't worry. I don't have a reason and I don't want to. And that's true! It is a name that means 'treachery', but I have my reasons to do so." Faris said before assuming a colder tone. "There's a certain person I intend to declare my treachery. That's why I'm here. One day, I'll become powerful and famous, to the point that one day, that person will notice me, and I'll be able to openly declare my treachery!" She confessed. "Plus, like Gaheris, this is a name that kicks asses!"
Everyone was impressed by such sincerity, especially coming from someone like her.
Xavier, in particular, came closer to the girl. "It seems that I'm not the only one here that searches for attention, eh? I like that spirit! A great charisma hidden within a diabolical name! As Demon Prince, let me tell you that you have my respect, Lady Mordred!"
Faris looked at him with still a grin. "Glad that you seem to understand. Very well, then! Let's do our best, Sir Percival."
"Well, that seems to settle everything!" Vivienne commented, satisfied.
After hearing the name 'Mordred' for some reason, the queen held her neck and felt uncomfortable for a moment. But she quickly shook her head. "Ehm, yeah! And since that…May I ask you seven to bow down?"
The other mages did so (some more willingly, some more reluctantly).
Lunafreya took the chance to raise her sword. "I've seen my father do this a lot of times, so I thought that as a queen, I could do the same for my personal fighters and friends!" She came closer to them and placed her sword on each of their shoulders.
"Lady Hector…Lady Bedivere…Lady Lancelot…Sir Gawain…Lady Gaheris…Lady Mordred…and Sir Percival! By the authority that I have both as Queen of Seven and Guild Master of this guild, I officially declare you members of Round Table! Knights of the Round Table! I expect great things from you!"
Everyone seemed happy and satisfied after hearing that.
"Count on it!" Pavlova exclaimed all happy.
Brrrrrrrr…
Suddenly, her stomach could be heard, making her feel embarrassed. "OH GOD! I ruined the moment!" She said, all red.
"Now that I think of it…when was the last time we ate something?" Augusta asked.
"I don't know! We've been outside pretty much all day!" Escanor replied. And to confirm that.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
"O-Oh God…I don't know if hearing a queen's stomach is orthodox…" Lunafreya commented, a bit embarrassed.
"Same here-" Alexis added.
"Gosh, beating you up people makes you forget your own stomach," Grendel said.
"I suggest finding a place with dishes worthy of a Prince!" Xavier added.
Lunafreya in particular liked that idea. "Well, I do think that you need a reward for this first mission so…who's ready to harass the court's chef?"
"ME!" Everyone (including Vivienne) shouted out.
"Then let's go!" Full of happiness, the queen and her knights made their way to the castle, wanting a well-deserved rest and a worthy dinner.
It had been a long day, but if she were to be honest…Lunafreya couldn't ask for a better one, as she got everything she asked for that day.
New members, the accomplishment of a mission…and the confirmation that maybe…this project would have been the first step on her way to becoming a proper ruler for Seven.
She wanted to keep a promise…and now she knew that she could do it.
Capital of Somnus – Royal Castle – Terrace
A few more hours passed, and the day was about to reach midnight. All the lights in the city started to be turned off, and all the citizens in the capital were about to enter their slumber until the sun rose again.
Even in the castle, the lights slowly started to be turned off…but inside it, there was still someone up.
On one of the highest floors, Aurelia went to the terrace of her room, dressed only in her night vest. She leaned on the terrace, looking at the stars in the sky.
Or rather…she was waiting for someone.
After a few moments…several sparkles of light blue magic started to gather around above her. The sparkles rotated until their concentration started to merge into a form.
A humanoid form engulfed in light.
Once the form was complete…the light faded, revealing a being of a graceful and ethereal appearance.
He looked like a rather tall and lanky man with a lean and trained body build with a height of just around 218 cm ('Just!?'). His face was pointed and handsome with long waving hair with it being wavier at the tips and slightly spiky near the base. They have colored a beautiful shade of sky blue, darker at the roots and lighter almost white near the ends. He was wearing a robe colored in varying shades of blue and golden etchings, taking on a more mellow and old-school clothing style.
Aurelia seemed to recognize the being as she smiled.
The individual landed with incredible grace on the floor. He then opened his clear blue eyes and looked at the former queen with a neutral stare.
"I've heard your request from beyond the stars…Aurelia."
Scutum "Scuti" Sobiescianum – The Unwavering One
"It's so relieving to see you once again, Scuti. It has been a while!" The lady said, greeting the man. "How was your last journey? Did you find what you were looking for?"
The man, Scuti, looked at his hand and emitted a bit of starry energy with which he played a bit. "Another small piece…adding to the rest of the information. I'm starting to lose track of time ever since all of this started."
Aurelia lowered her face. "I see. I wish there was a way I could help you…" She spoke.
"Leave it be, Your Highness," Scuti replied. "This had been a task that I had been charged for. It's only fair that it is I that should carry it on. You should focus on doing what's best for this kingdom."
Aurelia nodded and took the hook. "You see…this is exactly the reason why I called upon you despite your focus on your task." She spoke. "I'm...pretty sure you've heard of what happened recently."
With still a neutral expression, Scuti nodded. "Your husband had passed away…and that little girl I could only see from afar had taken his place."
"Glad to hear that you know. She had barely started, but she was doing her best to look over the entire kingdom as she could. But…she openly admitted that she still has a lot to learn, and many threats await her." Aurelia then continued. "It would be…a very pleasing favor if you could aid her in her growth as a queen."
Scuti looked at her in silence for a few moments before closing his eyes. "So, you want me to take a side task."
"I hope it's not too much for you. I do know how important is your duty and I would never deny that. But…" The lady sighed and looked down. "I…want what's best for her, especially with the hard work she's trying to do."
Scuti re-opened his eyes and stared at her. "There's no need to worry. I think I have made myself clear the day I set foot on this kingdom again for the first time. It is my solemn duty to protect the royal families that look over Seven." He spoke with still a low voice. "If this is your request, I'll do my best."
Naturally, Aurelia was relieved to see it. "Oh, thank you, Scuti! I'll make sure to repay the debt!"
"There's no need for that. At least for now. What do you want me to do?" The man asked.
Aurelia came closer and gave him a calling card with an emblem of a circle with swords and the written ROUND TABLE. The man looked at it in silence.
"It's the guild she had just opened. A guild of knights. Vivienne is with her. I thought that you…could have given a try." The former queen told him.
"A guild, you say? Quite the unexpected choice. I did hear that people similar to me ended up on the same path, such as that Loke guy from Fiore." Scuti commented. He looked around to see that it was nighttime. "I'll pay a visit tomorrow and see what type of place that was."
"Thank you again, Scuti. I'm pretty sure that you'll be ok in it!" Aurelia told him.
"Whether I'll find the place of my liking or not is irrelevant…" Scuti replied before longing a hand towards the star.
"This had always been my duty. And I need to pursue it."
And that's it for now! As you can see this would have been mostly focused on the continuation of the first mission, but at the same time, I've wanted to not go in a single direction and put some scenes regarding future characters at the beginning and the end to give you an anticipation of what there is to expect in the future! Both Sansa and Scuti are very interesting characters that I can't wait to introduce properly! And if you're wondering about it no, Thomasina won't be an official member, but she still will have some relevance for the guild! You'll see how.
Maybe a thing you could have noticed is that apart from naturally Lunafreya, the other characters may have been a bit quieter and more in the background compared to the previous chapter, and this is mostly because as the title suggested, I wanted this chapter to focus mostly on Xavier, but I still tried to do my best to give them a role nonetheless and make sure that they served as well for the accomplishment of the mission (I loved writing the beginning of Lunafreya and Grendel's chemistry in particular)!
And speaking of which, I'd like to give my thanks and a big shoutout to ToBlazePurple, Xavier's creator (who also made Henry in Shogunate Pride), for coming up with the "storyboard" for the first mission! As I said when I started, this story is still in construction compared to the others, such as the scenarios of this first arc, so this idea for Xavier's introduction was just perfect to introduce both the character and the type of story I wanted to propose! I've made some changes to what he sent me, but the consistency remained the same. I hope he has enjoyed seeing his idea being transposed!
And yes, like it happened in Chapter 1, the OCs have titles based on the real Knights of the Round Table! It's a funny thing I've wanted to make to keep the main inspiration alive and it's something that I'm willing to do to all the OCs, considering that according to all the fonts regarding the Breton Cycle, there were at least a hundred of Knights of the Round Table! I mostly look at their personality and see which knight fits the most, and I hope that those who have sent the characters thus far liked the name I've decided to entrust them! I think they fit well!
And speaking of which! As always, I leave the last opinion to you! Did you like the first chapter? What were your thoughts on this first mission and its outcome? What are your impressions of the mysterious and exuberant Xavier? Were you able to spot the (not so much) hidden reference? What are your first thoughts on the two new OCs that appeared in this chapter? What new missions will await these bizarre knights? Please support this story with your opinions by sending tons of reviews! Your opinion is important!
And let's not forget that the SYOC is still open, but the time is almost running up! The new deadline is 07/11/24, so if you want to share an OC, you better hurry! The rules are in my profile as well as the link to get into the Discord Server.
With this said, I think that I can wait for the deadline to come up for now, and in the meantime, I'll start to really focus on Digimon Adventure 04, I'll make sure that this will be the year where the Saiba Rei Saga will end!
But leaving this aside, I thank you for reading this chapter and I'll see you either in the next one or the next chapter of another story of mine! And since it's almost here, I wish a happy Halloween to all of you! From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!
Credits for the characters:
Sansa Solaris - Sempi
Scutum "Scuti" Sobiescianum - KaousuShin
