Round Table

by Bluestar076

In the kingdom of Seven, miles away from the Fairy Tail guild, Lunafreya Lacrima becomes the new queen and decides to find a guild of fellow knights to become stronger and improve her traits to become a proper guide for the land. To do so, these knights will embark on adventures of every type with allies and fellow guilds as new threats approach (SYOC closed).

6. A Quest Meant for the Brave

Round Table Chapter 6: A Quest Meant for The Brave

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! It's time to start this new year with our writing flow! I surely hope to get an extensive fuel of chapters flowing from here to December! To make things more proper I've decided to bring back a bit to the origins and split the next two chapters I'll write into the next days. So, while I'll work on this chapter, I'll also work on the next one of Shogunate Pride! Now that a new year has started, it's time for me to get back properly. I don't know which one will come out first, but I'll put the same effort into both! As of today's episode, we're getting halfway through this first arc and we'll have already introduced half of the cast! Part of me still thinks that it's incredible how I'm continuing a story with over 42 protagonists, but still, here I am somehow! And as the good masochist that I am, I'm still standing wanting more pain! And today we'll get a more classic adventure and something a bit different with more OCs made by you guys! With this said, I don't take any more of your time and we can start right away with this 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 6: A Quest Meant for The Brave

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Seven – Capital of Somnus – Ceulfan Residence

"Fly me to the Moon and let me play…among the stars…let me see what's bringing life to…Jupiter and Mars…In other words…hold my hand…in other words…darling, kiss me…"

An elegant jazz song was being reproduced from a turntable inside one of the many rooms inside a large and wealthy mansion, belonging to one of the most renowned noble families in the Kingdom of Seven.

The latest representative of such a family played the song to create an atmosphere as he made a glass of wine. He then drank it, enjoying himself.

This boy was 177 cm tall with a lean yet muscular build. He had long, golden blonde hair cascading down his back. He had sharp, 'aristocratic' features and piercing emerald-green eyes. He wore regal, tailored clothing based on velvet and silk garments in shades of black and dark green, accented with gold embroidery.

"Aaah. Nothing better to enjoy than the rise of the pale moon accompanied by a glass of red wine Montreal directly coming from Fiore dated X686 and a rearrangement of a classic in the world of music. This is the sight and atmosphere that makes me say 'Yes. I'm at home, right now.'" He commented with a cold, collected, and calm tone that immediately said nobility.

Galtier Ceulfan – The Emerald Fang

The young man turned around to meet his eyes with an acquaintance, a woman with short purple hair, and green eyes, wearing a white-furred jacket with a single brown button, a white skirt, and white boots.

"Just so you know, I put up with all of this to make you feel at ease. I'm sure you were confused and a bit worried when I asked you to come at this hour, Ms. Cyril Ifey." Galtier commented as he sat down.

"Oh, please! I'm a grown woman! It's not like the dark scares me or something! I can handle myself! Besides…if I get to talk more with you or the rest of the Ceulfan family, I could travel the whole ocean!" The woman said with a small laugh.

"I'm glad that you think of this. Because this is actually the reason why I wanted to talk to you here: business." The young man answered back while putting his elbows on the desk.

The woman seemed excited upon hearing that. "Really? Don't add another word! You want to renew the contract with my mining activity, right?"

Galtier's expression didn't change, and his eyes were fixated on her client. "Actually…after the recent discovery we had made…I think we can call it a close."

Cyril's face changed immediately. "W-What…?"

To give his answer, Galtier took out what seemed to be two crystals that were emitting a multicolor light. "I'm sure that you, more than me, know of the peculiarity of these Stellanium crystals, coming directly from the Kingdom of Stella."

"Of course I do! I dig them out as part of my job, after all! Even Queen Sonya calls me to give her some!" While Ms. Cyril started to sweat, she still tried to keep it cool.

"Really? Then I'm sure you can explain what I'm going to tell you." Galtier answered, raising the hand with the right crystal. "This is a Stellanium crystal our family got from our past diggings in the Stella caves." He started to tighten the grip. "As you can see, despite my strength, the crystal isn't showing any cracks or signs of damage, the sign of its notable resistance."

"I-It's quite bizarre that you're showing me things that I already know, Galtier, because I can't seem to understand where you're going with this," Cyril said, trying to act dumb.

But Galtier's expression remained the same, although he slightly frowned his eyebrows. "Oh, don't worry. I was just about to tell you now." He raised the hand with the left crystal. "This is the Stellanium crystal you gave us as part of our affair." Like with the other, he tightened the grip, but this time…

CRACK!

The crystal shattered into pieces, and Cyril's face started to pale.

After putting down the right crystal, Galtier again stared at the woman. "Should I add something else?"

"O-Oh, Galtier, I-I don't know what to say! I had no idea! I…ah! Y-You know how those caves are frequently subject to landslides, right? Let me explain-" The woman tried to justify herself, but the young man promptly stopped her.

"What else there is to explain? Other than the fact that you scammed us even after we paid you in advance?" He said with a threatening tone.

Cyril flinched. "I-I…"

"Perhaps you had no idea who you decided to talk with when you approached us initially. We of the Galtier family are among the most respectable members of the nobility of Seven, who have done their work of material trading and blacksmithing ever since the era of King Bartz Convexity. And if there's something we value more than the materials we work on…is dignity, like everyone else out there." Galtier spoke. "Now…Ms. Cyril Ifey. I don't know what got into your mind when you wanted to rob us with your petty reproductions, but if you thought that we could have missed that detail despite our knowledge of the subject well…I'd say that your calculations were utterly mistaken."

Cyril kept quiet, trembling as she put a hand on her back.

"I'm sure you already know this but don't think we'll close an eye on your ridiculous act. So, I ask you this…will you go to the knights' station of your own or should I be the one calling the Order Patrols?" Galtier then asked.

"N-No…you're right Galtier! You got me! And let me tell you that I'm very sorry for what happened! I was a bit down with money and I needed a big help, but I guess that it wasn't very nice of me. So, I'll tell you what, I'll give you back the money and explain everything to the knights! Or…well…" Cyril replied.

Galtier raised his head in confusion, and just as he did so…

"It's what you think I would say!" Cyril exclaimed, pulling out a dagger from her back. She immediately threw herself in an attempt to stab the man in the throat, but if anything, Galtier was the last person you would call unaware of such things.

After closing his eyes, he immediately stood up from his chair and swiftly moved away, reaching her back in less than a second.

"W-What!? GAH!" Cyril couldn't even realize what happened a single blow in the back of her head knocked her out, making her fall to the ground.

Galtier looked at her with disgust. "You were more oblivious than I thought if you believed that I wouldn't know how to react. Well, now I have more than one reason to tell the guards to throw you inside a bar." He commented.

Right then, the music ended, and the turntable stopped moving.

Sometime later…

A quick call brought the guards to the residence and made them bring Cyril away. Galtier also got back the amount he gave her, so the damage had been restored.

The young man sat on his desk, looking at the golden coins. "Tch…scamming us. The sole idea is that someone thinks they're the first ones trying to take advantage of us is laughable at least." He then looked outside the window. "The business net of Seven is skyrocketing again. Now that Zeref is gone for good, we can focus back on how to continue our businesses. There's no place for commoners who are trying to get rich with mediocre methods."

Drrrrinnnn…

Right at that moment, the telephone that stood on the desk started to ring. Without wasting a second, Galtier picked it up.

"Galtier speaking. Oh, good evening, mother. How did the agreement go? Very well, that's good to hear. Yes, I've dealt with that scammer lady from Stella and was able to get back our money. You can stay assured. With me, the name of the Ceulfan won't be besmirched that easily. Hm? Something important to tell me? The queen? Yes, of course, I did hear of the guild she had opened. And it seems that it's already making a name of its own apart from being hosted by our ruler despite being newly created. Why the question?" As he discussed with his mother on the other side, something important came out. And when she delivered her request, the young man was surprised enough to raise his back from the chair.

"You what!? Are you sure, mother? We're talking about high grounds here…yes, of course. No, I didn't get sloppy with my magic. Yes, I understood. I'll do as you ask. Everything is for the sake of the family. I'll present myself tomorrow morning. Yes, see you soon."

The call ended, and he hung up the phone. Galtier had always listened to his mother ever since he was a kid and always did his best to follow her directives as the respectable director of the business of their family. But this time, the request that came from her was more…bizarre than expected. Not only because it was completely different from the usual, but also because it involved…'hanging' around with a certain type of people. In particular…he was going to approach the higher grounds.

His new objective made him look at a picture he had on his desk. A tradition of nobility in Seven was to always have a picture of the ruling monarch in the place where they worked. And in Galtier's case…it was a picture of none other than the new young queen.

"Queen Lunafreya Lacrima…the current ruler of this kingdom, the fifteenth in total, and the third ruler of the Lacrima line. It seems that against every prediction…I'll have to get closer to you. Well…not that I didn't plan to do it so."

---

The Next day…

Somnus – Lichtschwert Residence

SWISH!

SWASH!

CLANG!

The next morning, inside the residence of another renowned noble family of the kingdom, two swords clashed with noise and vigorous power in one of the halls, as two young but promising ladies were sparring, with the sunlight shining on their bodies through the windows.

"En guard, knight!"

"Ah! Y-You won't get me that easily!"

After her recruitment, Lilybeth seemed to have gotten more in touch with Alexis who, intrigued by her desire to become stronger through the road of chivalry, decided to give her more tips on how to become a proper figure in the world of knights, to the point that the Lichtschwert mage invited the Annabeth one to her residence.

It was like two high-school girls studying together. But instead of a school subject, they were studying combat, and instead of schoolbooks, they used what they were the best at: swords.

"HIYAAAA!" Amid the clash, Lilybeth charged forward, starting to attack repeatedly the younger girl, who stepped backward while defending herself. The blondie was sweating, but her composure and manner didn't seem to falter nonetheless.

"You're giving a too-direct approach! You can't focus only on defense!" Augusta was also there to witness the match, looking at how the two girls were moving with her arms crossed. While Alexis was trained ever since a tender age, the tips from a more experienced person were never a bad idea. Augusta in particular, as part of the Golden Knights branch of the Royal Army, was more than fond of helping others with training.

"W-What?" While she kept on attacking, Lilybeth heard the suggestion from her guildmate, and all that it took was a single moment of opening for her opponent to react.

"HM!" Alexis immediately attacked Lilybeth's sword, pushing it upwards to leave the girl exposed and go with a horizontal swipe.

"O-OH NO!" Through adrenaline charge out of panic, Lilybeth put the sword in front of her at the right moment to defend herself. Still, the impact was strong enough to make the girl recoil. When she opened her eyes after flinching for a moment, she could see that Alexis was already running towards her swinging her rapier. "Ah!"

The situation reversed in the blink of an eye. Thanks to her past experiences, Lilybeth was able to move the sword at the right moment to defend herself. But even with that, the difference between the two girls was clear. Even if younger, Alexis showed how she grew up in swordsmanship through time. But even with that, Lilybeth did her best to resist.

Due to that, Augusta could see a flaw in Alexis's attacks. "Stop using standard attacks. Start using unorthodox tactics!"

"Yes, Lady Hector!" Alexis nodded right away and her movements became more wild and violent. There was a certain moment when she even was able to swing her sword while standing head down after a spin.

At a certain point, Lilybeth was able to see an opening when she kicked Alexis at her feet, making her lose her balance.

But as soon as she touched the ground, Alexis made a somersault to regain balance and defend herself at the right time with the rapier, continuing the match.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Control your movements!" Augusta exclaimed.

"Yes!" Both teenagers exclaimed as they continued.

And in that last fragment, Augusta could notice a flaw in both girls.

"Alexis, you're holding your rapier too tightly!"

After hearing that, Lilybeth thought that she could have gotten an advantage, but just as she thought so…

SDONG!

"AH!"

With a single vertical swipe, Alexis was able to throw Lilybeth's sword up, making it plant itself on the ground, disarming her.

The girl known as Lady Galahad was left speechless as the girl in front of her regained breath.

"And you Lilybeth…are holding the sword too lightly," Augusta spoke as she came closer. While holding her chin, she gave a careful look at the girls after their performance. "Impressive, though. If you work constantly on your flaws, you could reach notable heights worthy of your knight names."

Lilybeth made a melancholic sigh, though. "I don't know, I still think you expect too much from me. I mean, I know something about weapons already, but come on, it's clear the difference between me and Alexis! I'll probably have to take years before reaching that level…"

"N-Now, Beth, there's no need to act this way, it's only natural. Even if I train with swords ever since I was five, I still refine myself every time, to the point that I could go on even if my arms were broken!" Alexis tried to reassure her.

Augusta had a drop of sweat falling from near her head after hearing that. "Uhm…perhaps we can avoid that last part. But Alexis is right. Do you think I got this big in a matter of days?"

"But…Lady Hector, didn't they say that you could kill a wolf when you were five?" Alexis asked, mentioning one of her most famous episodes.

Augusta felt embarrassed, thinking she might not bring up the best example. "Well, you get my point. Like they tell the samurais in Caelum and in the Eastern Continent, one of the greatest virtues in a warrior is patience. You must wait your moment while you keep on practicing yourself, and learn to live constantly with fear, hesitation, and alarm. Once you know yourself better than anyone, then you'll be able to feel the grasp of victory."

"That's…reassuring to hear but…man, seeing how you two can fight, I can't help but wish to be like the others. If I have to be honest…one of my biggest wishes would be to become strong enough by myself and not be reduced to using Seethe all the time. Uhm…no offense." Lilybeth expressed, talking to her demonic sword, which she had attached to her pelvis.

"Meh. Don't care."

"Even if it takes control over your body, I don't see that sword as a flaw. It saved you from the attack of that dark mage, right?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah but…nonetheless, I needed to resort to it to help. I wish…I could be something out of myself, nothing more." Lilybeth insisted.

"Hmm. If that is your wish, you'll have to make it a reality of your own with pure effort. If you're dedicated enough, then maybe you will become stronger." Augusta told her.

"That's right! I've learned it my way as well. The painting doesn't come out from just a brush! It needs a patient and constant painter to make it bloom!" An adding voice said from behind them.

When all the women turned around they could see a woman sitting on an elegant chair, who had witnessed the fight up until that moment. This woman had a pale face, long, flowy blonde hair, and clear blue eyes, giving her a beauty of her own. She was wearing an elegant white dress with blue ribbons and white high-heeled shoes. She also had a bracelet with a sapphire on her right wrist.

The four female knights came closer to her. Alexis in particular seemed eager to meet her. "How did we go, mother?"

The woman answered to her with a bright smile. "Magnificent! I don't put Lady Hector's opinions here in doubt, but I do think that you both put on a brilliant performance, worthy of a Lichtscwhert. The same goes for you, Lily dear!"

Gisela Lichtschwert – Female Lead of the Lichtschwert House (and a renowned painter)

Lilybeth's face went full red. "AH! N-NO PLEASE NOT THAT NICKNAME, IT'S TOO CUTE FOR ME!"

"Why not? It's just perfect for you! Mother here always recognizes cuteness when she sees it!" Alexis said before starting to snuggle with her mother.

"You're just too kind, my dear snowflake!" Gisela snuggled as well. "Still, you both did good! If I wasn't dressed like this, I would have immediately drawn a painting out of your performance!"

Lilybeth's embarrassment couldn't grow further. "T-That would have killed me…"

Gisela then looked to her right. "Besides, I'd say that for the person we have here as a guest, it's only natural that you would have done your best. Don't you think, Your Majesty?"

The person she was speaking to was none other than Lunafreya, who assisted the match as well, intrigued and a bit excited. She went to the Licthschwert residence under the request (and insistence) of Alexis herself, also because her parents were eager to know her after she got crowned. As soon as she got mentioned, she got embarrassed and looked elsewhere.

"Ehm, now, Mrs. Lichtschwert, you're giving me too much credit! I came here mostly because Alexis asked me to, and what person would I be to say no?"

Naturally, Alexis felt moved and felt the urge to hug her. "You're too kind, Your Majesty…" She spoke. Lunafreya hugged her back.

"Still, if Alexis cares about you that much apart from our tradition of loyalty toward the crown, it must mean something, don't you think? I never thought you loved to act casual." Gisela mentioned.

Lunafreya kept on cuddling Alexis. "I know I can't avoid the public's eyes due to my title, but I just like to think that apart from a queen, I'm a friend to the people of this kingdom, a girl like the others, and a Guild Master! So naturally I'm attached to each one of my members." She replied. "That includes you too, Lilybeth!" She added with a wink.

The girl known as Lady Galahad felt a triple embarrassment. "I-It's still a surprise for me to be in the guild and stay in this mansion!"

"Oh, don't worry about that! Seeing our little bunny bring here so many friends warms my heart! It's so lovable to see her devotion being repaid! So you'll be more than welcome any time, Lily dear!" Gisela told her.

"AGAIN WITH THAT NICK!" The teenager cried out.

"Just wait until you hear a title of mine." Augusta thought, looking at her.

Gisela then looked at the young queen. "By the way, I find your idea of a guild of knights quite interesting as well! Especially with the knight names! You should have seen how Alexis here fawned all night after you called her 'Lady Lancelot'." She said with a small laugh.

Like a chain reaction, Alexis got embarrassed. "MOM, PLEASE!"

"Oh, I got that name in a short time! Besides, if she wants to be my left-hand woman, it's only natural that I give her a knight name worthy of such office!" Lunafreya answered back.

Alexis couldn't hold it. "N-NOT YOU TOO, YOUR MAJESTY!"

"Why are you feeling so flustered, Alexis?" Another voice intervened, making everyone turn around.

A man came closer, showing elegance and authority at the same time. He had long purple hair, and red eyes, and was wearing a grey jacket with golden lineaments over a white buttoned shirt, long white trousers, a pair of black elegant shoes, and black gloves.

"Ah! Father!" Alexis immediately stood at attention as soon as he saw him.

Even Augusta and Lunafreya seemed surprised to see him. "Commander Atticus!"

As soon as he got close, the man stopped on his steps and made a small bow. "I thank you for accepting my daughter's request, Your Majesty. You too, Lady Hector. You don't know of the honor you make by granting this mansion of your presence."

Atticus Lichtschwert – Male Lead Figure of the Lichtscwhert House – Commander of the Royal Army

"C-Can I say that I feel out of place?" Lilybeth asked, trying to be respectful.

"You are in some manner," Seethe told her.

"Shut up, Seethe!" The girl immediately exclaimed.

Augusta promptly lowered her head to her. "That's Atticus Lichtscwhert. One of the many commanders of the Royal Army, and undoubtedly one of the strongest. It has been said that one day, he wiped out a thousand men of his own with a single blast, and he's told to be the most loyal knight to the crown right after General Bogardius." She explained.

"O-Oh…oh my…that means that I'm staring at a VIP right now…" Lilybeth commented, starting to sweat.

Atticus simply closed his eyes. "I simply consider myself a man devoted to the cause who likes to keep the reputation of the family high. As one of the families who founded the Kingdom of Seven, our devotion to the crown and the land must be absolute, and we do our best to make it so." He then looked at his daughter. "I'm sure you know this, Alexis."

"Of course, father! I would never doubt it!" Alexis promptly answered.

"If so, don't feel embarrassed out of compliments, especially when they come from your family and the queen herself. Learn to embrace them and make them your force." Her father told her.

"Y-Yes, father I'll…keep in mind that." The girl nodded, feeling a bit under pressure. For her, following her father's directive was absolute.

Atticus nodded. "We wouldn't want to leave out some embarrassing gossip out there. Especially after the queen blessed you with a knight name of high charge." He looked at her. "Once again, allow me to give you my thanks."

"I-It's nothing, really! Alexis here does a great job of her own!" Lunafreya replied.

Gisela then took the chance to come closer to her husband and stroke his head. "Yeah, no need to be tense! You should learn to…take it easy, darling." She said with a tempting voice.

Atticus's expression immediately changed to a charmed one. "Oh my…maybe you're right honey…"

The mages of Round Table looked at each other confused.

"Uhm…I-It happens all the time," Alexis explained.

"Ooooh…"

"In any case, I've come to tell you that the maids had almost ended serving the table. So, you two better take a quick shower and then come for lunch." Atticus then said, looking at Alexis and Lilybeth.

"Ah! Y-Yes, sir!"

A few minutes later…

The table was set with food and drinks, but the queen and her new friends could notice already a particular: Most of the plates were meat-based. Pork, beef, chicken, and much more.

The young knights didn't complain and ate, but the queen couldn't help but ask. "Uhm…is it normal to see all this meat?"

"Oh, yes! It's my husband's favorite! He's quite passionate at it." Gisela told her.

And to confirm, that, Atticus was already devouring the pork chop he served himself. "Meat has lots of proteins, and it helps you grow up some muscles. That's how I got this far and how I wish our Alexis goes." He turned at his daughter. "What do you have on your plate?"

"Steak, porkchop, and sausages with wine, father!" Alexis promptly replied.

"Good! Eat your heart out of them! I need you to grow fine muscles!" The commander answered back.

Lunafreya looked at her guildmate a bit surprised. "Well…I can see now where she gets the devotion but…maybe it's a bit too much?" She wondered.

"Oh, don't worry, Your Highness. Atticus may sound maybe a bit stoic and diligent, but in reality, he loves Alexis a lot. He just wants our daughter to grow strong and keep faith in the name of the Licthscwhert family. Our little girl joining your guild quite caught us all by surprise, and made Atticus blow with pride."

Lunafreya changed her mind quickly and felt charmed by it. "Oh, that's…adorable!" She commented before looking back at Alexis and Atticus. She could see it. Even if they were both devoted and a bit stubborn in their beliefs…she could see chemistry and affection in them, like what a father should have with his daughter. She couldn't help it and made a small smile followed by a sigh.

"I wonder if Dad is proud of me as well at this moment…" She thought.

"You know…what the commander says isn't that wrong. Meat surely helps in building muscles. I used to eat a lot of it back in the days of my training." Augusta, or Lady Hector, said, starting to eat as well.

"So…do you think I could grow up some muscles as well if I eat this?" Lilybeth asked.

"It could be a start. But don't ignore physical activity either." The older and bigger woman told her.

"Ah, yes!" With that, even Lady Galahad started to eat.

Lunafreya made a small laugh and looked at her plate. "Well, if I want to be a strong queen and knight, I should dive in too!"

What came out of it was a normal and tranquil lunch inside a noble family, with those who were eating making a lot of noise. And of course, a bit of chat wasn't missing, especially with Alexis's parents eager to talk with none other than the queen herself in their presence.

"So, Your Majesty, how does it feel to have a double identity? I assume that being both a queen and a Guild Master is quite a hard job, but you surely surprised everyone out there!" Gisela asked.

"It is challenging, yes, but as someone who became queen earlier…I thought that it would have been a good idea to start commanding with a smaller circle of people. I still think that what I said back at my crowning is true, and I need to find the right strength to do so. Though…I don't know if I'm doing a good job or not, neither with the others nor with the people of Seven in general." Lunafreya replied.

"You do!" Augusta, Lilybeth, and Alexis all answered in unison, leaving the queen speechless.

"A-Ah…"

Gisela couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "It seems that you already got an answer!"

Atticus silently nodded. "I've patrolled the capital and a few other cities of the kingdom throughout the days as part of my job, and the people in general seemed satisfied with the work you've done up until now. And even I can say that the fears I had are starting to disappear after seeing you act both diplomatically and on the battlefield. It doesn't surprise me that you're Aegium's daughter. He, too, tended to do a bit much, but he was passionate about it."

Hearing all those comments made Lunafreya get big and wet puppy eyes. "Y-You'll all gonna kill me with these comments one day."

"Oh, it's only natural, Your Majesty, don't be like that! Plus, the fact that your guild counts already seventeen members means that it's working apart from your title! Am I right, Lady Galahad?" Gisela asked Lilybeth.

"Ah!" The young girl didn't expect it and looked around. "Uhm…I've wandered for a while in search of a place to become strong and…well, I came from Fiore but I was afraid to join a guild of the caliber of Fairy Tail or Sabertooth and…after coming in here, I thought that joining Lady Arthur's guild was a possible choice. B-But I like it! There are plenty of nice people! E-Especially that blind boy…"

"Oh, you mean Xavier? Yeah, he's a nice guy! Even if a bit bizarre." Lunafreya told her.

By hearing her name, Lilybeth blushed a little. She still remembered how he seemed open to her even if she barely joined the guild. "Y-Yes, him."

Augusta raised an eyebrow after seeing that reaction. She felt like there was something deeper in it.

"And…if I have to be honest, I also like Alexis a lot. The idea that I could stay in such a noble's household and be trained by knights of such caliber is just…wow! You know? And…I owe it to her." Lilybeth then added.

"Awww…" Alexis couldn't help it. She stood up for a moment and went to hug Lilybeth, who became red as a tomato. But she surely didn't mind. "Thank you, Lily. I just did what I thought was right!"

"Awawawwawawawa- that nick again-" Lady Galahad was in affection overload, but…she snuggled too. As someone who lacked affection, she wanted to earn every moment of it.

And naturally, the others at the table were surely pleased to see that, especially Alexis's parents.

"Would you look at that, Alexis darling! You already got a kohai!" Gisela said with a smile.

Atticus nodded with an eyes-closed grin. "Didn't expect nothing less from a Lichtschwert member. Don't disappoint us, Alexis. Or should I say…Lady Lancelot?"

This time it was Alexis who blushed. "Ah! Y-Yes, Father!"

After the lunch was done, it was time for Lunafreya and her guildmates, or fellow knights, to go back to their activities. This included Alexis as well.

The mages of Round Table were at the entrance of the household for a salute.

"Then we shall take our leave, Sir Atticus and Lady Gisela. We thank you once again for the hospitality and for giving Lilybeth a chance to train in here!" Lunafreya said with a small bow. The other girls followed.

"Don't even mention it! You're not only the queen, but a friend of our dear Alexis! Feel free to come anytime!" Gisela said back with a small smile.

"And please, keep on taking care of her, so that she can become a proper left-handed woman for you," Atticus added before looking at his daughter. "And you, Alexis, make sure to do your best even today."

Alexis immediately stood at attention. "Leave it to me, father!"

Then, Gisela closely came closer to the queen and gave her a small piece of paper, leaving her confused. But Gisela winked. "Then, we'll see you soon! Have a good day!"

With that, the mages started to leave, heading toward their guild for another day of work, and possibly a new adventure.

"Wow…didn't expect such hospitality. When I first saw him, I thought that Atticus was going to eat me alive!" Lilybeth commented.

"Oh, father likes to act like that, but in reality…he can be very soft when he wants. Just like every good Lichtschwert family member!" Alexis replied. "Ah, Your Majesty! Can I come with you today if you go on a mission? All these discussions gave the me right charge!"

"I don't see why not!" The queen promptly told her.

"I can see where Alexis here took her great pride. Not that it's a bad thing." Augusta added. "By the way, Your Majesty, what did Lady Grisela give to you?"

"Oh, right! I wonder too…" Lunafreya said, opening her hand, revealing…something that surprised her at first, but then it made her giggle. "Oh my!"

Augusta looked as well and couldn't help but let out a chuckle too.

Lilybeth raised her head to see. "Awwww!"

Alexis was confused. "Uhm…what's that?" She asked.

After another small laugh, Lunafreya made her see. "You were this adorable, Alexis?"

What Gisela gave to the queen was a picture of Alexis when she was just a month old, sitting on her bed with two large eyes, the pacifier in her mouth, and a bib with written Daddy's little girl.

"AH!?" Alexis was bewildered at that, and she became fully red as lava before releasing a scream that would have even made nearby birds fly away.

"COME ON, MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

---

Somnus – Headquarter of Round Table

Back at the main hall of the Round Table guild, everyone had come back after having lunch, and while deciding on what to do for the day, a few groups were already chatting with each other. Now that the guild was counting seventeen members in total, whenever someone stepped in the hall, they could already see the more familiar air of a guild of mages. And they didn't even know if it was going to grow or not…

One member in particular, against every prediction of hers, gathered attention after a detail came out.

"So let me get this straight: your eyepatch hides an artificial eye that can sense magic and can measure someone's power level?" Orlok asked.

"In short, yes. It's constructed to analyze and track down the presence of ethernano in the air, especially inside people. By doing this, it can give me an idea of how strong the enemy is." Ruina explained.

"Wait, really?" Vivienne asked, surprised. "That's incredible even for a person of my caliber! While I have no problem in perceiving ethernano in the air, I'm still not able to craft such a thing!"

"Perceiving ethernano like you're doing with me noo?" Saoirse asked as the royal sorceress was currently analyzing her body to see how the Dullahan nature was working.

"Yes! And stay still, I'm not finished yet." Vivienne told her.

"Well, it's not something I was able to do on my own. My teacher and his wife helped me out and it surely wasn't an easy task. We just thought it could have helped me to track down more monsters. A thing that…" Ruina continued before frowning both at Orlok and Xavier. "…it seems to be working."

"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not a vampire, I just have a magic related to blood!" Orlok told her.

"It will take a long road to convince me, mister, stay assured of that." The huntress warned him.

"And you can stay assured on my side, Lady Palamedes! If anything, I like to bring misfortune to other demons, ah ah!" Xavier said.

"Uhm…Xavier? You're facing the wrong way." Escanor warned him.

"Oh, sorry!" The boy known as Sir Percival turned around…only to look to another side.

"Leaving all of this aside, could you give us a demonstration about it?" Sir Gawain then asked Ruina who was…confused.

"You're…that interested?"

"Of course we are! You're holding a revolutionary thing in the world of magic! Plus, I think some of us are quite curious to see how powerful they are." Vivienne told her with a smile. Some of the members were already nodding in agreement.

Ruina didn't know what to say. First Lunafreya, now more people were willing to talk to her, when she was nothing else than a vampire hunter who wanted to do her job. Still…she wasn't someone to say no in a rude way.

She sighed. "If you insist…any volunteers?"

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Pavlova started to jump while raising her head, sounding like a barking dog. "I want to do it!"

"All right. Stand still. Keep in mind that the level you'll see now will be the one you have at this moment, and it could increase during a battle." Ruina told her. She clicked on the right side of her head to set up the artificial eye. Several characters and runes started to appear on the right eye of her point of view, until they went to a halt, giving a precise number.

Power Level: 7260

Ruina referred the number to Lady Bedivere, who seemed happy to hear it.

"Wow! Am I really that strong? This is amazing!"

"Oi, it actually works!" Faris exclaimed.

"Let me try now! I'm curious to know how powerful I am with the power of the sun!" Escanor asked.

Ruina did so and in a matter of seconds, the result arrived.

Power Level: 8720

"Well, not bad at all! It's clear that I'm blessed!" Escanor commented.

"Hey, brother! How about you try?" Persephone asked his adoptive brother.

"Well, I could give it a shot. Don't know what will come out of it considering my magic…" Hector replied.

Power Level: 8360

"Aaaand I'm not even close to disappointment! Though it seems that I'm a bit lower than Escanor." Sir Daniel commented.

"Just keep on practicing, my friend! We're still pretty close with that unique magic of yours!" Escanor told him.

"Oh, thank you, Escanor! Though you should see him when he's on a train." Persephone told him with a smug smile.

"HEY, IT'S IN MY NATURE TO HAVE MOTION SICKNESS!" Hector exclaimed.

"All right, I want to be next! I expect something big from a Demon Prince!" Xavier then proposed.

Ruina made a skeptical face. "Am I becoming a circus monkey or what?" Nonetheless, she calculated.

Power Level: 9500

…

Ruina didn't want to speak it out loud at first because she knew what she would have brought.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

The huntress made a very long sigh. "It's…9500."

"So it's…over nine-thousand? IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND!" Faris shouted out.

"WHAT, NINE THOUSAND!?" Grendel exclaimed.

Ruina facepalmed hard. "I fucking knew it…"

"Ah-ha, I knew it! My demonic power was enough to surprise everyone!" Xavier, on the other hand, was happy to see the result.

"Are we done now?" Ruina asked.

"Absolutely not! We want to know ours, now! You think I would miss a chance to know how badass I am?" Grendel told her, tightening already her fist.

"That's right! I expect mine to be impressive enough! I'll become the greatest knight of them all, let's not forget it!" Faris added.

"I can't help but have the feeling that things will go bad if I tell these two their power level. Should I stop? Hmm…naaah, it's not like I have nothing better to do now." Ruina thought. Without adding anything, she calculated once again.

First Faris.

Power Level: 10.050

And then Grendel.

Power Level: 10.060

"WHAT!? Oh, come on, you can't be serious!" Faris exclaimed, feeling annoyed.

The huntress simply shrugged. "My eye rarely malfunctions."

"Ha!" Grendel, on the other hand, was happy and was already flexing the muscles. "Sorry, sis! But it's clear here who trained the most!"

But the girl known as Lady Mordred already changed to an arrogant smirk. "We'll see about that! How about we verify if those numbers are correct now?" She proposed, already surrounded by red electric shockwaves.

"HA!" Grendel already clapped her fist, with her aura showing up. "I couldn't ask for anything better!"

Vivienne already started to sweat a bit. "U-Uhm, girls? Could you at least do it in the gym? You both know how Lunafreya would react if-"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lady Merlin's attempts ended up being wasted as usual. The two girls were already clashing against each other, crashing on the walls and the floor, exchanging blow after blow and looking like two pinballs bouncing around on the flipper field.

And Vivienne, who just wanted to make a favor to her queen and favorite pupil just stood there in defeat, speechless.

"I can understand you, Vivienne…" Hector comforted her.

"Is this really the norm I have to get used to?" Ruina asked.

"I certainly don't dislyk it! COME ON! CLAP YER ASS-BACKET!" Saoirse shouted, already encouraging them.

Even Scuti, Honoka, and Myuu, who were sitting at another table looked at the scene in silence.

"To think that I took a few hours to polish the table. I can imagine the whips goshujin-sama will implement with me…" The young maid commented.

Myuu naturally got embarrassed. "C-Come on now, Lady Lucan! It's not even her fault! Man, I think we need to do therapy work in that regard." She told her before looking at the two rampaging girls. "Still, they're making a mess here. Shouldn't we stop them?"

The taller member of the guild took a sip of his peach cold tea. "This guild is slowly becoming a regular one. All right, let me finish my tea and I'll envelop them in a barrier."

"When you finish your tea!?" Myuu asked him, stunned.

"What? I'm at three-quarters done. Besides, as long as they're in our camp, it's not like there will be any major damage." Scuti replied.

…And just as he called it…the main door got opened.

Galtier entered the guild, looking at the address he was given, ready to serve in his duty. "This must be the place. Considering that it's run by the queen herself, I expect people of high caliber to-" He raised his head…only two see two comets of energy come toward him.

"I GOT YOU NOW!"

"IN YOUR DREAMS!"

"WHAT THE-"

KA-BOOOOOOM!

The large impact caused by the two girls sent Galtier to fly several meters away.

And right at that moment, Lunafreya and the others were approaching the guild.

"Now that I think of it, do you think it was ok to leave the guild to the others, Your Majesty?" Alexis asked.

"Oh, don't worry! Certainly, they're noisy and quirky, but like the other times, I want to trust that nothing bad will happe- …Do you hear that, too?" Lunafreya replied before getting her attention caught by an approaching noise.

"…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-" After a while, they could see Galtier getting thrown near them before he started to roll on the ground and hit his head on a tree, getting knocked out.

Lunafreya, Augusta, Alexis, and Lilybeth looked at the scene with eyes wide open. Shortly after, the rest of the members came in, worried for the man.

"Is he ok!?" Pavlova asked worried.

Myuu frowned at Scuti on the other hand.

"What? It was just a coincidence." Scuti justified himself.

Seeing how the poor man was also smoking, Lunafreya looked past the others and could already see a mess in the hall. Her eyes were already showing blue flames instead of regular pupils. "Who. Done. THIS."

Without blinking once, all the members of the guild pointed at the two tomboys, who looked like two little girls who got caught with their hands on the marshmallows.

After a few seconds in silence…Grendel and Faris pointed at each other.

"SHE DID!"

A few minutes later…

Scuti placed his ear on Galtier's chest to see if there was some heartbeat to hear. Luckily, this was the case.

"Ok, he's still with us. He's just knocked out."

"Phew, thank God…" Escanor commented, taking a breath of relief.

"Oh, come on, why are you worried? If we wanted to kill him we would have done wo- OUCH!" Faris wanted to assure them but Augusta slapped her in the back of the head.

"This is your fault, don't forget it." The huge girl told her.

"Man, this brings us back, right brother?" Persephone asked.

"Yeah, though our case was less…worrying," Hector commented. "The real question is…what are we going to do with him?" He asked.

"Well…I'd say that we wait until he wakes up, but I wouldn't want him to awaken in a place he doesn't know. Does anyone have ideas?" Lunafreya asked in turn.

"Should we make him smell some aroma?" Ruina offered.

"Maybe a good punch?" Grendel added.

"YOU STAY THERE!" Lunafreya immediately exclaimed, making Lady Gaheris groan.

"How about an electrocardiogram? I'm good at those with my magic!" Xavier proposed.

"Maybe it's a bit too much…I could lick his ear!" Pavlova added.

"Ew! Keep yer dowg instincts under control for once! Hmmm…I don't ken, maybe throwing some ale at him?" Saoirse said.

"I could throw him some glitter?" Vivienne proposed.

"Maybe I could put him upside down?" Orlok added.

Lunafreya started to get confused. "Uhm…guys? Why are your resources so…extreme?"

"Most of us come from a complicated background, what do you expect?" Scuti told her.

"…Right, I forgot about it." The queen acknowledged, even if she didn't know most of her guildmates' stories.

"Oh, I know! How about we make him a clito-" Honoka was about to propose something extreme, but at this point, everyone, including the most chaotic members stopped her.

"HONOKA, NO!"

"Ugh…" Suddenly, Galtier started to groan.

"Ah! He's waking up!" Lilybeth noticed.

"Stay away, leave him some space," Augusta suggested, with everyone doing so.

Everything felt a bit dizzy at first, but eventually, everything took form. Galtier regained consciousness...and finally woke up.

"Gh…" He saw an unfamiliar bedroom when he raised his back and head. "Where…am I?"

"Uhm…are you feeling ok?" Pavlova asked, getting his attention. "You got accidentally knocked out before, so we put you in bed so that you could rest."

The young man held his head. "Oh…thank you. Gh…gosh, that was a hard blow. Uhm…forgive me for asking you, but…I was looking for the Round Table guild. Could you tell me where I should go?" He then asked.

That question brought up a small laugh coming from everyone else.

"Hey, what are you laughing at? What's so funny?" Galtier asked.

"Oh, nothing don't worry! It's just that it's funny you ask it because you're inside of it right now!" Alexis told him.

The blonde man was surprised. "I am?"

"Yes! Welcome to Round Table! And we're the knights!" Escanor replied. "I assume you were searching for us!"

Galtier remained a bit confused and later looked back at the piece of paper where the address stood. "Hmmm…'Western section of the capital, old Wyrm residence…'" To confirm it, he looked out the window and could recognize the sight. Suddenly, everything was clearer for him. He remembered everything. "Ah! Right! I actually arrived in here! Until I was hit by…" When he got back his memory of just a few minutes earlier…he stopped himself, remaining immobile as a statue.

The others got confused.

"Uhm…sir?" Lunafreya asked.

Galtier started to make static movements, like a possessed doll…until his head slowly looked toward two people in particular. The ones who caused him that accident.

Faris and Grendel looked at each other and then at him. "What?"

"…Seriously?" Ruina asked.

"This won't end well…" Orlok added.

STOMP. STOMP. STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

In an instant, Galtier was already in front of them and threw all the venom he could at the two girls. "YOU SCOUNDRELS! WHAT DOES THAT BRAIN OF YOURS TELL YOU TO ATTACK ME LIKE THAT WHEN I JUST WALKED IN!? ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE KNIGHTS!? BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IF YOU'RE THAT AGGRESSIVE, THAT NONCHALANT THAT…BARBARIAN! THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE! SAVAGES, SAVAGES! BARELY EVEN HUMAN!"

Naturally, for the two girls, all those comments weren't pleasant at all and answered in the same tone.

"OI, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!? ARE YOU ASKING FOR MORE, ASSHOLE!?" Grendel exclaimed.

"YEAH! AND DON'T YOU EVEN THINK TO START SINGING!" Faris added.

The three were ready to kill each other, but Orlok and Augusta promptly stood in and separated them from each other.

"All right, I think we have heard enough!" Orlok said.

"That's right, calm down, both of you," Augusta added.

"HEY! HE STARTED IT!" Faris protested.

"Well, who attacked him first while making a mess at the guild?" Lunafreya retorted, looking at her badly.

To that…Faris and Grendel grumped and crossed their arms in defeat.

"Come on, girls, don't make me beg you. Let's all accept it was an accident and apologize." Lunafreya asked, already assuming a sweeter tone.

The two rebellious girls thought for a moment that they had softened too much but…

"…We're sorry."

Galtier frowned a bit, but after hearing them apologize, he took a breath to calm down. "That's already better."

"You should apologize too, you know? You still insulted them." Myuu fairly pointed out. The looks on the other knights seemed to approve of that.

Despite his position, Galtier couldn't help but sweat a bit. "Dammit…it's the first time that I come here and I already made a bad impression of myself despite being in the right. Mother would kill me…" He thought. He then made a formal bow. "You're right. I may have sharpened my tongue a bit too much. I just didn't expect it. I apologize."

Lunafreya looked at him in silence for a few moments and then…made an eyes-closed smile. "There we go! Already better!"

With that, the mood in particular seemed to have gotten lighter.

Galtier looked at everyone. "At least that ended quickly…"

Everyone went back to the main hall, with Honoka already starting to clean up the mess caused by the two girls. Even though the queen didn't want to make her sweat, the maid was more than happy to do so.

"All right! Now that the small incident is out of the way, we can properly introduce ourselves, right?" Vivienne asked.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure that you came here for a reason." Scuti added.

"Indeed I am, gentleman and gentlewoman. But first…" Galtier started…before coming closer to Lunafreya.

"Uh?" Hector wondered.

Augusta already frowned, ready for everything.

But unlike what she thought…the young man kneeled down, grabbed the queen's hand, and kissed it formally.

"AH!?" Everyone was shocked by that gesture, especially Lilybeth and Alexis.

Galtier remained impassible on the act. "I once again apologize for my hasty behavior shown before. I hope I can give you once again a demonstration of the person I really am, Your Royal Highness Queen Lunafreya Lacrima." He spoke…before noticing something. "Uhm…your hand is a bit hot, is something-" When he looked up, he could see the queen with her face smoking and red, and her eyes being replaced with spirals.

"Awawawawawawawawawawawawawa…"

"Ah! Your Majesty, are you ok!?" Galtier asked, worried.

Vivienne promptly grabbed her. "Ehm, yes, don't worry! She's just not used to all this formality yet!"

"…She's not?" The man asked confused.

"Yeah, you should see the face she made at my parents a few hours ago…she still needs some time," Alexis told him.

A few minutes later, Lunafreya recovered by sitting down and taking a cup of tea. "Ok, I'm fine now. I should be the one to apologize now, eh eh."

"No, I can understand the situation. I ask you to take your time, Your Majesty." Galtier replied, sitting in front of him. "Though to be fair, I'm quite confused…even if she admitted her weakness back at her crowning, I expected her to be a girl with high manners but instead…she's more of a girl like the others?"

"All right, let's start back from zero, for real this time! Welcome to our guild! Is there any way we could help you, sir?" Lunafreya then asked.

"Or well…you could tell us who you are first. You still didn't introduce yourself." Ruina pointed out.

"Ah- I didn't want to sound rude by asking it…" The queen commented.

"No, it's fine. I should have done so as soon as I regained consciousness. Let me remedy." Galtier assured her before clearing his throat. "My name is Galtier Ceulfan. I'm one of the many representatives of the Ceulfan household."

Immediately, Escanor, Vivienne, and Alexis were stunned to hear that name. "The Ceulfan household!?"

"Oh great, another blue-blooded," Grendel commented with a scuff.

"Uhm…is he someone important?" Lilybeth asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah, who is he?" Lunafreya asked.

Galtier couldn't help but show a bit of concern with a drop of sweat coming from near his head. "She doesn't know us?"

"Yeah, he can be considered quite important, Luna. The Ceulfan is one of the most renowned families of blacksmiths in the Kingdom of Seven. Over 20% of the metal used for swords, shields, and armor is worked by their hands."

"Wait, is that so!?" The queen asked, surprised.

"Oh, this means that he's not that different from a demonic blacksmith! They also have some reputation!" Xavier added.

Galtier simply nodded. "We also have a certain lineage that gives us some notoriety. But we have always sustained the crown and the kingdom since ancient times. And once again, duty brings us to your service."

"Your duty? Alexis asked.

"Indeed, young Lichtschwert." The man continued. "I'm not one to circle around a message, so I'll be direct. I was interested in joining the guild."

"Oh?" Everyone asked.

"What!? Are you serious!?" Faris exclaimed.

"Got any problem with that? I think I already apologized." Galtier promptly told her.

Faris grits her teeth but Lunafreya puts a hand on her arm. "Uhm, please forgive her. My cousin can be quite stubborn sometimes.

"Bah. Do as you want. Just watch your mouth from now on!" Grendel added.

"I intend to do so if you'll be more careful next time." The man didn't double down and retorted back.

"YOU-" Grendel tightened his fist but Orlok promptly held her.

"Uhm, forgive her as well!" The large man said before whispering to her. "Grendel please…"

"GRRRRRRR!" The two rebellious knights were already releasing some foam from their mouths for the rage as they were held.

"Come on, let's keep it down, please!" Lunafreya asked them. "Back to the point, I'm very pleased to hear your request about joining us, Galtier! Is there a particular reason behind it?" She asked.

"Nothing much. As soon as I heard about your plan to find a guild to gather people who wanted to become stronger, I thought that I contributed as well both as a blacksmith and as a mage." Galtier explained. "I surely can't tell her that it was my mother who sent me to get closer contact with the crown…" He thought.

"Uuuuh, so yer also a mhèir, eh?" Saoirse asked.

"He wouldn't be here if he wasn't! Though I'm curious to know what your magic is about now! Think you can show us?" Vivienne added.

"And…possibly without damaging the hall further? I don't want Honoka to sweat longer…" The queen asked.

"Oh…goshujin-sama, you're too kind," Honoka commented while she was still cleaning.

"No worries. I can afford to do that. Give me some space." Galtier accepted the request, and everyone walked a few centimeters away from him. That allowed the mage to close his eyes and start to focus. He opened his hand and a particular spear formed in his hand, seemingly made of a particular ore. He raised the spear, whose tip shone for a moment and as soon as it did, a majestic spiral of emerald energy surrounded the mage, leaving the hall also untouched.

"Woah…" Everyone said in awe.

Faris and Grendel looked…disappointed. "…Shit, he seems actually strong."

"What happened?" Xavier fairly asked.

Hector in particular could see some similarities with his magic. "You…control elements as well?"

"Yes. I'm a Maker-type mage, but throughout time, instead of trying to perfectionate a single element like most Maker-types do, I've practiced myself to be more versatile and be able to control more than one magic, henceforth I was able to reach the point where I could craft my personal one, the Molding Multi-Make Magic." Galtier explained.

Another choir of 'ooohs' followed.

And for the first time…even Scuti seemed interested.

"Hmm…impressive indeed. You were able to sustain a training of such lengths when the Maker Magic is already a hard task to master on its own?" The tall knight asked.

"We of the Ceulfan family are known for our iron solid determination. Whatever the price is, I'm firm on reaching what I have planned." Galtier told him.

"You do give the air of a solid person. I can already respect that." Ruina commented.

"Yes! That magic is very cool! Almost like- AH! Ehm…" Pavlova added before trying to keep herself quiet.

"Almost like what?" Augusta asked her.

"EHM NOTHING! Pretend I didn't say anything, eh eh!" Lady Bedivere said, trying to act innocent.

Lunafreya was confused but she let it slip and went back to the newcomer. "Well, other than an interesting background you also have what seems to be a special magic! There's no reason for me to reject you! Welcome aboard!" She told him with an eyes-closed smile.

Despite achieving what he came for, Galtier sweated a bit, still confused. "Wait, it worked? Was…was that easy? I-I thought I needed to pass through some complicated trials, prove my chivalry or anything but…I'm simply liked. Well, there goes my hours of mental preparation…" He thought while, obviously, saying something different. "Your Majesty, you won't regret this. My skills will completely be at your service."

"It will be quite the pleasure to have another worthy name here at the guild, honorable Galtier!" Escanor commented.

"Well great, it seems that we'll get used to this guy…good grief," Grendel commented.

"Let's give him the bis when the others aren't seeing…" Faris whispered to her.

"I heard you!" Xavier told them.

"DAMMIT!" Both girls shouted.

With that done, Lunafreya looked at all the members. "Well, I think this settles in! Let's make another worthy day!"

"YES!" Everyone shouted.

"Hmmm…it appears that you don't miss productivity," Galtier commented as he looked around.

"As a guild of knights, we make sure to give us a good reputation despite our bizarre quirks! You should see me every day!" Vivienne told him with a small laugh. "Speaking of which, this also means you! Are you ready to go into your first mission?"

"Already?" The young man asked.

"Why, of course! Whenever a new member comes in, I can't wait to see him in action! So, we'll get to follow you on your first mission! Do you have any preferences in mind?" Lunafreya asked.

"So, this guild is even more free than expected. I could take advantage of this request…" Galtier thought. "If you insist, Your Majesty…I'd like to go on a mission that could help us positively raise our reputation."

"Raise our reputation? What, are we known for being a bad guild?" Orlok asked.

"AH! R-REALLY!?" Lunafreya panicked.

Galtier alarmed. "Ah! N-No, I didn't mean that! I meant that I wanted to find a guild to grow our name. I don't doubt the efficiency of this guild, but we're still new compared to other established legal guilds in the rest of Seven and the continent. I'd like to help in a way that could make us a renowned guild apart from being run by the queen herself."

"Huh…" Lunafreya put two fingers on her chin, thinking. "I…never saw it that way. It could also help me have more certainty of the efficiency of my job."

Orlok whistled at his reasoning. "This guy seems quite the ambitious one! I'm surprised you hate him, Faris!"

"Shut up." The crimson-haired girl cut it out, not wanting to admit the similarity.

"And what do you suggest for this maneuver, Galtier?" Vivienne asked, a bit interested.

"It's simple. We must do something that people could not expect that will put the reflectors on us." The young man answered. "Tell me…which type of missions have you done up until now?"

Lunafreya thought of it. "Hmmm…we have mostly done rescue missions or tasks that consisted of fighting some wanted people. We didn't even cross paths with a dark guild now that I think of it."

"Well, if ya don't count what happened the other day with that syraine and her pipe!" Saoirse exclaimed, still annoyed at that.

"Meeting with what-?" Galtier asked, confused about the word she used.

"Ah! Never mind! We'll tell you later!" Vivienne quickly shut it down, sweating a bit. "We can't tell anyone that we have found something related to Zeref that easily…"

"I see. In any case, I can see a pattern that has been repeated within this guild. And while it is not a bad thing per se…I think we need something that could stir the public perception of our guild, apart from being one founded by the queen herself." Galtier said.

"How about you look at the bulletin board, then? Even if we had started our activity, our wall is just as full as one from any other guild! I'm sure you'll find the different mission you're looking for!" The queen invited.

"Now that I think of it, most of those missions were there for a while and were getting some spiderwebs." Honoka noticed, embarrassing her master.

"L-LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT IT!"

"What can we say? Even the most hypochondriac can make some mistakes." Scuti added before sipping his cold peach tea.

"You're still drinking tea!?" Myuu exclaimed.

"Two tea on the fly, nothing bad." The tall man insisted.

Galtier bent an eyelash confused on those last exchanges of words. "Is this really the guild of knights handled by the queen I've heard of and that my mom insisted on joining in? N-No, let's not think of it." He quickly shook his head. "Thank you. Then, if you allow…" He then went to the upper floor to check the bulletin board.

While he was absent, Faris took the chance to come closer to her cousin. "Oi, cousin, are you sure that this will be a good affair?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Lunafreya asked.

"Well, apart from pissing me off, he gives me some wrong vibes, like…the way he's approaching us, and this whole idea to expand the guild is a bit…I don't know, off." Faris expressed.

"I just think he's another pompous idiot," Grendel added.

"Grendel!" Escanor scolded her.

Lunafreya thought about it. "Well…he seems to have a particular idea in mind. But I think it's too soon to judge. Besides, making this guild famous had always been my intention to see whether this idea worked or not! And well…also to see if I can get closer to the greatness of Fairy Tail, but you get the drill! Having someone that handles the bureaucratic and commercial sides of the guild could be of great help!"

"That, and also because by doing so, you won't have to think about it by yourself, right?" Ruina figured it out, embarrassing the other girl once again.

"I-I have an entire kingdom to handle already, give me some air!"

"With all due respect, Luna, I think there are still parts in the guild we need to cover, like hiring a receptionist or a secretary…" Vivienne told her.

"Or even an accountant!" Hector added.

Lunafreya could only sigh. "See now why I started this guild in the first place? I'm a fraud…"

Vivienne, Augusta, Pavlova, Honoka, and Alexis all came in a group to cuddle her. "No, you're not!" This gathered the confused stares from people like Grendel or Ruina.

"O-Oh come on now, don't need to act like this! There are worse people! L-Like me…" Lilybeth told her. And this brought Lunafreya, who was already getting cuddled, to cuddle her.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!"

"AWAWAWAWAWAWAWA-" Lady Galahad's face immediately became red.

In the meantime, Galtier was giving a careful look at the bulletin board, which was indeed big and full of requests.

"Hmmm…find a magical bracelet…help me remove the spell of a magic rod…help me find love with astrology…get rid of a demon in a volcano…take out the dark guild Goblin's Loot…Stay one day without drinking a cup of tea at 5 p.m. Are they crazy!? Kh…most of these missions are pretty basic. Not that I'd expect something else, especially considering that the queen didn't still pick S-Class mages and therefore there's no distinction between missions. But I'm certain that there's a mission that differentiates from the others…I just need to find it…"

As he kept on looking, the requests changed more frequently from genre and objective, but things remained stagnant for a while, bringing the young Ceulfan to think that maybe he had been too hasty and that he needed to wait a bit longer before engrossing both the guild and his family's name. He had barely joined after all.

But then…hidden behind another mission, one paper had a request that stood out from the others.

"Ah!" Galtier didn't waste any time. He grabbed it and gave it a quick look. The request itself made the boy sweat fast. But there was no doubt: that was the mission he was looking for. "That's it…" He raised his head and looked down. "I found it!"

He quickly went down the staircase and showed it to the others. But those who were originally from Seven were all stunned to read it, if not directly shocked.

"Woah, are you crazy!? That's the complete opposite of becoming popular, you're directly searching for troubles!" Vivienne told him.

"Yeah, don't you think you should reconsider?" Escanor added.

"Still…it seems just like the type of mission he was looking for," Augusta commented.

"Hey, what mission did he pick? You know…" Xavier added. It was Lilybeth who read it for him.

"Uhm…Reach the heart of the Nythvail's Groove! A challenge that remained undefeated for centuries! Do you think you can do it? In the heart of the forest where whispers dwell, lies a wish no tongue can tell. Wait, what!? Centuries!?"

"Really!? Man, that seems tough! But…I don't get it, it's just a forest, right?" Orlok fairly asked.

Vivienne sighed. "We'd wish it would be that easy, but unfortunately this is not the case."

"So…can you tell us more?" Persephone asked.

"I think they need an explanation, considering that most of them are external to Seven," Lunafreya told to her teacher.

"Leave it to me! Pay attention, everyone!" Lady Merlin was more than happy to give it. To get everyone's attention, she used her scepter to make several images with magic.

"The Nythvail's Groove is a forest that is placed not that distant from Somnus. It's a forest in which trees stand high, even reaching the heights of the royal castle, and the sunlight only enters it by being filtered by the leaves. But that forest is not a forest like the others, as some may think. It's an enchanted forest, a place that became the theater of legends, rumors, and misfortune, a place that parents would bring up to their children in fairy tales!" Vivienne started explaining.

"My mom would tell me of it!" Escanor added.

"Shh." Ruina quickly shut him. She wouldn't have admitted it, but she was caught by the story.

"For many years, due to the bizarre look of the forest, no one has ever dared to step inside the forest, but soon enough, a voice started to spread throughout the kingdom…a mysterious saying that is said to hold the true nature of the forest, the same that it's written in the request. In the heart of the forest where whispers dwell, lies a wish no tongue can tell."

"I wonder what it could mean…" Myuu wondered.

"This saying brought people to believe in treasures or gems in the heart of the forest to be found, and as a consequence, many adventurers tried to dive inside the forest and tell with glory what they had found but…" Vivienne continued, only to get predicted by the other members.

"No one ever made it."

"…Wow. Are you sure you don't know this story?" The sorceress asked.

"Oh, please. There are plenty of cursed woods like that in Pergrande." Ruina commented.

"Plus, we live in a world surrounded by magic, this is quite the norm," Scuti added.

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting about it, eh eh!" Vivienne joked. "Anyways, this is pretty much it. Some of the previous rulers of Seven even sent out some soldiers of the royal army to figure out what was the deal with the forest, but…they met the same fate."

A bit of tension came out of that.

"Uhm…what was this fate…?" Lilybeth asked, worried.

"Oh, they'd wander around for a few days, get hit hard from whatever is inside there, and then they would end up back at the entrance with more bruises." Lady Merlin replied.

"Aaaaah…" A relieved choir came out from the others.

"Still…this can still be quite the challenge…I think that the Magic Council sent this challenge for people who wanted to tempt their luck." Vivienne remembered, turning at the newcomer. "Do you think that you're able to do such a thing? It's not as hard, but it can still be a challenging mission like the 100 Years Quest! And it's not like Fairy Tail nailed that easily!"

"Maybe I did find an over-the-top mission…" Galtier thought. But he looked at his paper and somehow…his determination grew stronger. "But…this could be the chance. Both the guild and the Ceulfan family could take a lot out of this. I won't be a weak link…I'll show the world what I can do!"

He took a deep breath and looked at everyone. "If you think this may be too much for you all, I don't blame you. I'm ready to take it on my own. I don't intend to underestimate the difficulty of this quest in any way. But what I said just a few minutes earlier is still valid. I want to make sure that this guild shines in the best of ways so that the name of our queen can shine even brighter. Besides…I consider myself quite skilled with magic. I'll make sure to put up a good resistance inside that forest. I'm a member of the renowned Ceulfan family, and I don't intend to back down."

There was a general silence in the guild hall. That declaration indeed had some tense effect on the others.

To the point that the young blonde man sweated a bit. "…Should I get ready to defend myself?"

And surprisingly enough, the first one to react was Faris, who made a sigh. "Man…you're quite arrogant to say a thing like that you know?"

Galtier gulped. But to his shock…the girl came closer to his side. "But…even if I still find you a complete idiot…I can admire that side of yours!" She admitted before letting out one of her typical smirks. "A centenary challenge? HA! Bullshit! It seems that they still didn't get a taste of the greatest knight of them all! I'll go to that forest and show anything that they're not so untouchable!"

A choir of 'ooooooh' rose.

"R-Really, Faris?" Lilybeth asked, still worried.

"Are you sure?" Lunafreya added.

"What? Too scared? Well, I'm not! If this thing really brings me some fame, I'm all for it!" Faris insisted before turning to Grendel. "What do you say, sis?"

Seeing the member she was the most confident with in the guild accept the challenge made her feel more willing to go with that flow. "HA! Are you kidding me?" She came closer and high-fived her. "I've faced worse. Punching a tree or two won't do anything to me!"

Galtier looked at them. "So…changed your ideas quicker than I thought?" He asked.

"Shut up." Both girls told him.

"…I tried."

While the other members were still thinking about it…Xavier started to form a smile.

"Well, it seems that the air of challenge is bringing up a group I see! And who am I to not chime in as well? As Lady Mordred says, a forest shouldn't be much of a bother for me, a Demon Prince! I shall be able to exercise my dominion even there, so count me in!" After stating his decision, he reached Galtier as well.

"I had no doubts in that regard," Scuti commented.

"Ah! You're going too, Xavier? Hmmm…" Lilybeth said.

"What do you want to do? I honestly don't care in both cases." Seethe asked.

After hearing the story of the forest, Lilybeth was surely the most reluctant one to chime in. But deep inside…there was a part of her that wanted to join as well. Was it because Xavier, the knight that approached her first was interested or because she wanted to find that bravery as well?

Even she couldn't tell. But somehow…she came closer to Galtier. "Well…I won't ever become a proper knight if I don't try to take some risks, right?"

"Ah, ah! That's what I wanted to hear, Beth! Don't worry, I've got your back!"

Lilybeth looked down, to not show that she got read. "T-Thank you, count on me."

Saoirse got the chance to hit herself in the head. "Ah, wait, what am I thinking!? I can't let behint ya laddies! I need to show the BAWBAGS of yer friendly Dullahan! Besides! Widds are our favorite place! Hol' up, balachs! I'm coming with ya!"

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Pavlova chimed in, almost barking! I can come too! Personally, I'm quite experienced with traveling through the woods! So, you may need my good nose and sight with you! Count me in!"

Heavy footsteps joined the group, as Orlok already followed them and stood behind them. "Thought you could forget about me? Of course, I'm coming! Plus, I wouldn't stand being all on my own when you go on an adventure of such heights, am I right?"

"You'd better keep it up with us, then! I don't accept you standing behind!" Grendel told him with a grin.

"Hey, if a group is already forming to come in this mission, who am I to not chime in?" It didn't take long before even Escanor decided to join the group that was getting bigger. "Besides, I think that to succeed in such a hard mission, we could use some help from the SUN!" He exclaimed, making a particular pose that made the others feel…confused.

"Uhm…what do you want to do, Hector?" Persephone asked.

"The situation got reversed quite quickly. But…" To answer, her adoptive brother came closer to the others. "Guess that we can still give it a shot, don't you think?"

Persephone shrugged with a smile. "You know how it is. Wherever you go, I'm with you!"

Even so, they all looked lively, with Galtier who was surprised to somehow come up with such a big group.

And the remaining members, who remained with Lunafreya were no less. The young queen in particular was surprised to see a large part of her guild willing to take part in this mission despite the voices and the warnings. But at the same time…she couldn't help but feel…interested in it.

"I…came up with such a hot-headed group, didn't I?" She commented.

Vivienne came closer to her. "Indeed. But hey! Aren't all guilds like this, after all? I certainly don't mind trying to make things bigger!" She spoke. "What do you want to do, Luna? You could see their reactions despite everything!"

Adding to her, the other mages who hadn't decided yet looked at her, such as Augusta, Honoka, or Myuu.

Lunafreya thought about it carefully. The voices around that forest weren't made just to scare children or pretentious mages, as there were actual testimonies to confirm them. But…the idea of trying something bigger for the guild…wasn't something that she wasn't looking at with entirely a bad eye. If anything…she felt stimulated.

"…If I were to go with them, would you come with me, Vivienne?" She asked.

"Hm?" The royal sorceress leaned her head to the right in question.

The young queen turned around to look at her with puppy eyes. "It has been a while since we've done a mission together, and I always have fun with my teacher…"

Vivienne felt blinded. "AAAACK! TOO ADORABLE!" She exclaimed. "Buuut…apart from being my queen and my Guild Master…who am I to not please my favorite pupil!"

"Well, I'm the only pupil you ever had." Lunafreya pointed out.

"Ehm, you get what you mean. Plus! I did tell you that I would have followed you in this foolishness, no matter what, right? Of course, I'm coming if you ask!" Vivienne continued before bringing her head closer. "You do know that we'll probably get chaotic, right?"

"I'm all for it, let's do it!" Lunafreya said happily before kissing Vivienne on the cheek and rubbing it with her own. "I love you so much, Vivienne!"

Naturally, the royal sorceress was more than happy to get all those cuddles. "I love you too, Luna!"

The queen then looked at the others who still didn't talk. "What's it going to be for you? I don't mind if we all come together on this big quest!"

"You even need to ask? Of course, I'll assist Her Majesty! Didn't I also say that I would have come to your next mission today?" Alexis accepted.

"Count me in, too. If this forest is tough as they say, you'll surely need someone to back you up. And this is also a good occasion to see how Alexis and Lily progressed." Augusta added.

Lilybeth couldn't help but feel flustered. "T-Thank you girls, BUT STOP CALLING ME LILY!"

"Why? It sounds like a cute appellative!" Xavier chimed in. And with that, Lilybeth's embarrassment bar shattered down.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lunafreya felt someone poking her from behind, and when she turned around, she could see Honoka looking at her. "I assume that you want to join?"

To answer, the young maid took out her greatsword and nodded. "The answer Augusta gave is the same for me, goshujin-sama. I'll smack every enemy that will appear and force them to count as they-" She was going too far, forcing the queen to put a hand on her mouth.

"O-OK, that's a bit too much!" She exclaimed with a drop of sweat.

"It's…almost everyone, it seems." Myuu noticed.

"What about it? Do you want to go as well, Myuu? Or better yet, Lady Leodegrance?" Scuti asked her.

"U-Uh? Why you ask me?" The girl asked, surprised.

Scuti took a sip of his juice. "I just took note of the stare you were having after seeing the others chime in one after another and the attention you gave in while Lady Merlin was telling the story. Are you…perhaps willing to join?"

Myuu tried to look elsewhere. "N-Now, I don't see where you could see all those details. If anything, I'm the person who you would count on less to go on an adventure like this. I'm more for mercenary stuff…"

"But you aren't a mercenary." Scuti is fairly noted.

"Ack-" The twilight purple girl flinched. "Uhm…what about you, Sir Tristan? Do you plan to go with them?" She asked.

Scuti closed his eyes. "Well. This seems like a hard challenge for them to face, so maybe a hand coming from the undersigned might be useful for them. Also, they could use someone that checks if they don't make silly mistakes, especially when Lady Mordred and Lady Gaheris are around."

"Now that I think of it…you give the impression that you've been around Seven for a long time. Have you heard of this place before, Sir Tristan?" Myuu asked.

"Just a few times. It got the spotlight in the newspaper, but I've never gone there personally. Could be the perfect chance to see if it's this terrible." The tall knight simply replied.

"So, you're coming too…well…" Lady Leodegrance spoke before coming closer. "I don't want to sound rude or anything so…I think I can stick with this. Thank you for convincing me."

Scuti shrugged. "You've done it yourself. I just expressed my opinion."

Once again, Galtier sweated. "Those two as well-!?"

"Thank you, guys! So, the only one that's left to have all the guild coming together is…" Lunafreya said, looking at the last member.

Ruina was looking at her back with a skeptical stare. "…Really?"

"Come now, Lady Palamedes, this could be fun!" Xavier encouraged.

"Yes! It's like a big trip with your besties!" Pavlova added while wiggling her tail.

"Are you sure you want to miss this experience?" Orlok added with a large smile.

Lunafreya and Vivienne even slipped closer, leaning their heads on her shoulder.

"Come on, Ruina, don't let us beg you…" Lunafreya asked with puppy eyes.

"What do you have to miss? There could even be a vampire for you to slay down there!" Vivienne added.

"GH!" For a moment, Ruina lost to the temptation but quickly shook her head. "Your Majesty, Lady Merlin, I appreciate your thought, but I'm personally not interested. We can even think of the possibility that someone might come to the guild when you're out for the quest."

"We can think about that later! Plus, it's not like this is the only guild in the capital, there are plenty to ask for!" Lunafreya justified before assuming a sweeter tone. "Come on, this could even be a chance to know each other better! You seemed happy the other day after the song! I promise to keep the others at bay if they bother you!"

Ruina's cheeks started to get red as she got nervous. "Why of all people, this queen seems so interested in me!? I'm just a vampire hunter!" She thought. "Again, no thank you, and I don't think that the possibility of a vampire down there could convince me." She stood her ground solid…until Vivienne made her the proposal that caused the surrender.

"Not even a Scooby Snack?

"…Motherfucker."

And with that, just when a few minutes earlier, everyone seemed reluctant on that, they were all on the other side, ready to participate in this impossible quest.

"Well, Galtier! It seems that in the end, you brought everyone to your side!" Lunafreya told him.

"Indeed! It's not from everyone to convince a full squadron of knights to take part in a mission apart from royalty!" Escanor added.

"Hear it? So, you'd better be grateful!" Gaheris scolded him.

The blonde noble young man could only see slightly astonished at that huge number. "T-Things have escalated quickly out of hand…is this really a guild handled by the queen or is it just like any others? Well…this could be of great help if that forest is surrounded by that legend. And it could help me out showing my possibilities as a member of the Ceulfan family…" He thought before clearing his throat. "Indeed, Your Majesty. Truth to be told, I'm quite surprised by myself. But if that's how it is, I can't do anything more than thank you for such trust and interest. The best I can do is to show you that I intend to keep my word."

"You'd better have, young Ceulfan. You'd surely put the expectations high." Augusta told him.

"This is so exciting! We've never done a mission all together ever since the very first mission of this guild!" Pavlova commented happy, looking at everyone with her wiggling tail.

"Well, last time there were fewer members! But I agree with the excitement! I wonder about the…experience we could have." Vivienne said with an intrigued smirk."

"Only one way to find out, right, teacher?" Lunafreya asked with a smile, getting a nod back. "Is there anything you need to add?"

"Not one bit! We're ready to go, Your Majesty!" Xavier replied. Everyone seemed to agree on that.

"Yes! Let's burn that forest down!" Faris exclaimed.

"That's…a bit too much, don't you think?" Hector asked with a drop of sweat coming down.

"Great to know! With this said we can…" Lunafreya was about to give the signal, but right at that moment…she remembered something. "…Oh."

"Is there something wrong, Your Highness?" Alexis asked.

"Now that I think of it…we're eighteen this time, so there isn't enough space in the Regalia for you…" The queen noticed.

"Shall we make our road on foot? I don't think the others here will complain." Vivienne proposed, especially considering that there were members like Orlok and Augusta.

"True, but I don't want them to get tired or annoyed before we come here. If there was an alternative for that, it could be great…" Lunafreya explained. And just as she thought of it…

Ding!

"Oh, right! Quite surprised that I didn't think of it earlier considering the guild's nature!" The queen spoke before turning around. "Tell me, guys…who in here has experience in…riding?"

Only Augusta, Alexis, Escanor, Faris, Scuti, Honoka, and Galtier raised their hands to that question.

"…What?" Gaheris asked, confused.

"Hmm...well, there's a first time for everything!" Lunafreya said before snapping her fingers. "Honoka!"

The small girl immediately came closer. "Yes, goshujin-sama?"

"Take those who haven't raised their heads around the capital stalls! It's time to take a new important experience!" The queen ordered.

Lilybeth went pale. "I don't like where this is going…"

Sometime later…

All the members were gathered in front of the guild, with their armor on, ready to depart on the new mission. But first…they looked intensively and confused at their new way of transport.

"Uhm…so…does anyone here know how to use these?" Lilybeth asked.

"Not one bit!" Pavlova replied happy.

"I've just seen other people doing it, but I've never tried myself," Ruina gave her opinion.

"Same here. They're popular in Caelum but…I've never tried." Myuu added.

"Well, this is just great. As if putting on this armor wasn't enough. Are we sure this is a good idea, queenie?" Grendel asked, already annoyed.

"Oh, don't worry sis. Once you get the drill, it's actually pleasant. Plus, didn't you live on a farm or something? Thought you'd like it!" Faris assured her.

Grendel tried to look away embarrassed. "W-Well kinda…"

"Yeah! I don't think we'll have that much of problems! I don't think is that difficult to ride…a horse." Orlok added.

Such was Lunafreya's idea, the last element that could have made them an effective guild of knights. The members of Round Table were all in front of their respective horses.

They were all bigger than usual. Some were black, others were brown and a few were of a particular color. Some were curious about the people they had in front of them, and others snorted.

Lunafreya and Vivienne looked at the others while holding their two specimens: two horses of the same race dressed in fancy armor. The difference was that Lunafreya's one was white and male, while Vivienne's one was black and female.

"Just as Faris said, I know that it can be scary and challenging but don't worry! All you need to be ok is some basic tips and you and your steed will be one thing." The queen told them. "Am I right, Xanthos?" She asked her personal steed, who beat the hove in answer, all happy.

"This reminds me that we'll have to put a stall in the guild for those who sleep in there…" Vivienne added.

"I agree with what the queen, said! Gringolet and I are the proof, right?" Escanor asked his horse, who snorted. "Even better, I think that me and him could teach you the basics of riding!"

"Wait!" Galtier halted him. Speaking of him, he was wearing his personal armor made out of the same golden, emerald, and black pattern of his casual clothes. Among those of the guild members, his was one of the fanciest armors. "Let me handle the teaching. As the one who suggested the mission, I think it's appropriate that I teach them this new subject."

Escanor looked at Lunafreya, who told him to let him do it. "Well, the stage is yours!"

The ones who had never ridden a horse all looked at Galtier, who didn't waste time and started. "Now, even if the basics to ride a horse aren't a lot, they still need to be done with immaculate precision, since we're talking about riding on other consentient animals with their consciousness. So, keep your ears and eyes open to what I'm going to say and show to you."

To answer, Pavlova already raised her ears with a smile.

"Very well, let's start." Seeing how he got everyone's attention, he put two hands on his mouth and whistled. "Loretta! Come here!"

But…nothing happened.

The young Ceulfan mage sweated a bit. "Oh, come on, of all the moments, right now!?"

"Uhm…is everything ok?" Lilybeth asked.

"Yes, yes. Don't worry. Just give me some seconds." The blonde boy wanted to reassure them and whistled again. "LORETTA!"

Again…only silence.

"…Are we sure you have a horse?" Ruina asked with a skeptical face.

"Of course I do! What, you even doubt me? I even brought it with me on the way here!" Galtier told her.

"So, you lost her?" Honoka asked.

"N-No, it's just that she's a bit…quirky." The other knight concluded before whistling again. "LORETTA! DON'T COME AND MAKE ME GET YOU! For Claire's sake where she could-" Just as he was starting to get annoyed, everyone could see a large mare with pitch-black coat and emerald eyes…running straight forward behind Galtier and making him fly in the air with a heavy headbutt and then fall to the ground. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH- OUCH!"

Faris and Grendel immediately started to burst into laughter, while the others were confused.

"Is…is that your horse?" Alexis asked with a drop of sweat.

"Well! She is the quirky one!" Vivienne said, trying to keep herself from laughing.

"Hey, what happened? Why are Faris and Grendel laughing?" Xavier naturally asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just the newbie getting banged by his cuddie!" Saoirse told him.

"WHAT, AH AH AH AH AH!" Even the self-proclaimed demon prince couldn't resist the laughter.

Galtier stood up, annoyed by the act of his steed. "Loretta! When will you stop acting like this!? Can't you see that we're in the middle of something important!?"

The tall horse neighed, sounding like she was laughing.

3 minutes later…

Everyone calmed down, and Galtier could resume his 'lesson'.

"All right. Now that we're all settled, let me explain. The first thing you need to do to ride a horse is to earn their trust. As I said before, they're still animals with consciousnesses of their own, and as such, they could do dangerous and mischievous things if not approached correctly."

"Like what just happened with yours?" Hector fairly asked, making the other knight get embarrassed.

"THAT'S BECAUSE SOMEHOW I GOT A CHAOTIC HORSE!" Galtier shouted before clearing his throat. "Leaving this aside, the first thing to do is to establish a bond with your specimen. Your horse needs to know that you don't intend to harm them in any way possible. If you're able to do so, you'll be able to at least let it get on you and pass to the first stage of riding."

Once he said so, everyone started to do as they were told, and surprisingly…they all did a good job. In just a few moments, the horses felt comfortable with their new riders. Even the hot-headed ones like Grendel and Saoirse somehow knew how to deal with them.

"There, there, good boy!" Xavier told his horse.

"Oh, look at him, Hector! He wants you to pet him!" Persephone said, happily.

Pavlova's horse started to smell him. "Ah ah! What is it? You smell something familiar?"

"Would you look at that! They all seem to be already fine with them!" Vivienne noticed while gently stroking her own horse.

"Eh, eh! Modestly, between knights and horses, there's always an understanding!" Lunafreya told her.

Needless to say, the first step was done in a few minutes.

"Huh…you all surprised me on that. Well, this will surely save us time on the next-" Galtier was giving his comment but stopped when he heard general laughter among the others. "What now!?" When he turned around, he could see Loretta chomping his coat like nothing. "LORETTA!" The next minutes that followed consisted of the man trying to free his coat.

Another 3 minutes later…

All the horses were equipped with saddles and reins.

"Now that you've all established a bond with your horses, we can pass on how to get on them. Even a simple thing such as this has its procedure, since a wrong step could make the horse get nervous, and you could get a bad wound on your head." Galtier explained.

"Trust me, I know something about it…" Alexis confirmed.

"The first thing you need to know is that you have to get on a horse always on the left shoulder side, holding the saddle firmly which means holding the neck reins always on the left side. The right hand must be on the center of the saddle when you get on the staff with your left foot to let the right one pass on the other staff. The same thing is valid for when you get down, always on the left side, making the same procedure but backward." After explaining the procedure, Galtier wanted to make a practice demonstration. "Here just like-" But just as he was showing how it was done, Loretta kept on moving a few inches. "…I SAID, just like-" And again…and again…and again.

"Say, Vivienne, do you think animals know the concept of 'mockery'? 'Cause I think she's doing it on purpose." Orlok asked the royal sorceress.

"Well, I can't say for exactly all animals, but this horse surely does!" The other knight replied.

In the meantime, Galtier kept on trying to show how it was done. "STAY STILL DAMMIT!" Then, just as he tried, his foot remained stuck on the staff, so when Loretta was moving around, he got dragged alongside. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Another three minutes later…

Galtier had some bruises here and there and his armor still had some specks of dust, but he finally got on Loretta's back. Once again, the others didn't have problems repeating the procedure and they were all on their horses now.

"Ahem. You've done well once again. Now, let's move on to the next step of the basic procedure. A horse's movements are split into three levels: step, trot, and gallop. Before we go into that, make sure that your talons are put downward while the tips of your feet are put upward. Additionally, you must keep your shoulders back and stand fully upright, while your legs must stay attached to the staff down to your knees. The calves will guide your horse. Last thing, your hands must be held tightly to the reins, but the grip must be soft. If you exaggerate, the horse will feel the pain and will try to run away, while the wrists must be at the withers' height, put in a slightly arcuate position. With this said, to add speed to the horse, you'll have to make a small pressure with the legs, while adjusting the pace, you'll have to put a little pressure on the grip without exaggerating. Once again, let me show you-" And for the third time, just as Galtier wanted to give a demonstration, Loretta reared up with a loud neigh and started to run around without control. "L-Loretta!? What are you doing?! HEY STOP! I TOLD YOU TO STOP! WHY ARE YOU MOVING LIKE THIS, WE'LL CRASH!"

All the other mages of Round Table simply followed the crazy trajectory with their eyeballs and a not-so-impressed expression on their faces. Even the other horses looked with a similar expression.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

CRASH!

When Galtier ultimately fell to the ground, the others simply followed the stare with their necks.

"…Escanor?" Scuti said.

"Yes, Scuti?" Escanor asked.

"Next time Galtier asks you to let him show something…go on with the demonstration."

"…Yes. I think that'll do."

You know how it is, right?

Galtier was once again on his horse, full of plasters and bruises. "All right. It seems that you all got used to how to use a horse quickly."

After all those scenes his horse had caused, all the other mages could only look at him with skeptical faces.

"I think there's nothing else to add, Your Majesty. You can give the signal." The Ceulfan mage concluded.

Lunafreya looked at everyone else. "You guys ready?"

"YES!" A unanimous answer was what she got.

"Very good!" Once she heard it, Lunafreya made her horse rear up with a loud neigh while she pointed the sword onward.

"S-Such regality!" Alexis, Escanor, and Galtier all exclaimed.

"Onward to the Nythvail's Groove! Round Table!" Lunafreya exclaimed.

"LET'S GO!"

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!"

Clop clop clop clop clop clop clop!

Nitrites and noises of galloping could be heard echoing near the guild hall, as another bizarre adventure awaited the mages of the guild belonging to the Queen of Seven.

A challenging quest that had remained undefeated for years. Could just two dens of mages be able to change this thing and perhaps even change the story of the world of magic?

One thing was sure, they wouldn't have surrendered that easily. The one who incited this mission in particular was more than resolute to see it through. He had a reputation to defend.

"Just you see. I'll show once again the radiance of the Ceulfan family!" These were Galtier's last thoughts as he dashed forward with the others (and hoping that Loretta wouldn't have made him fall once again).

---

Seven – Nythvail's Groove's Depths

Magic is more than a power; it is a secret. In the Kingdom of Seven, every stone in its foundation whispers a tale, each version unique, yet bound by the same history.

One of these stories revolved around a particular forest situated not that far from the royal capital of Somnus. It was known as…Nythvail's Groove, a forest of which history is as ancient as the kingdom itself or perhaps…even older.

Many people, between brave knights, and even mages from various guilds had tried to see which secret or treasure this apparently normal forest could have held, but to no avail. Some voices say that even Magia Dragon, the very first legal guild that Earth Land has ever seen, had tried to unveil the secrets of the forest, but like the others, they failed, despite being aided by Elfeseria himself.

And as centuries passed on nothing has changed. The only thing that could be said of that forest was an ancient saying that it was said to represent its essence.

In the heart of the forest where whispers dwell, lies a wish no tongue can tell.

What did that mean? No one could ever know, and to that day, no one knew yet. But the research continued despite everything, from mages and other brave adventurers…even from those who ended up in those woods by accident.

"O-Ok…we're pretty up…If I keep this pace I'll surely get on top and figure out where-"

Crack

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH- DOUGH!"

A young boy ended up adventuring in this mysterious forest by pure coincidence as he was wandering throughout the kingdom of Seven. Even if he was in a completely unknown place to him, he didn't lose heart and kept on moving, even if his results weren't bringing him far.

"Ouch…" When he stood up, holding his head for the pain, he looked upward, only to see that the point where he was standing before was now too high and covered by the web of branches that covered the sky, filtering only the sun's rays. "Ah, dammit! I was this close to figuring out where I ended in! I just thought that branches could resist well even with these iron leggings!" He complained. "Guess I'll have to figure out on the ground floor." He looked as the road ahead of him had a more…sinister look. "Man…it seems that I've ended up somewhere bad. N-No, wait! What am I afraid of? I'm a knight! If I don't show enough bravery, I'll become the joke of the entire kingdom and I can't allow it!" By cheering himself, he went for the only way.

Now that it could be seen better, he was wearing a heavy suit of full plate armor, complete with a paladin's scapular overtop. The scapular was made of simple, uncolored white cloth. His face could still not be seen as he wore a simple closed helmet with no embellishment.

Valdric – Siegebreaker

As Valdric kept on moving on, he couldn't either see or hear anything suspicious for a few minutes. The only things that made him company were the noise of the leaves getting stepped on, the trees moved by the wind, and the chirping of the birds. Things that could usually be seen as normal but that here…made the knight feel a bit nervous.

"Boy, this forest is incredibly big and there's not an animal passing? Not even a deer? Come on, you would at least see one! I-It's not that I'm saying it because I'm afraid, oh no. I...don't even know who am I talking to.

Just to make himself feel better, he took out his weapon, a longsword he held with both of his hands. "I may need to take this, I could never know what could come out of nowhere. A knight must always be ready for everything, right? And if I want to make a good impression on Her Majesty, I need to show myself that I'm definitely rea-"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Just as he kept on talking to himself, a sudden growl of fight alarmed him.

"Uh!?" Valdric looked in the direction where the yell arrived. He didn't know what would have awaited him, but his adrenaline rush made him run that way while raising his sword high.

This led him to a zone in the forest that looked like a small hill and where the sky could be seen better. "I'm pretty sure it came from here! What am I supposed to- OH MY GOD!" He exclaimed, as soon as he saw what that was about.

Several strange humanoid creatures that looked like they were made out of trunks with strange purple blobs on their inside that could be seen were all circled up, attacking what seemed to be another knight, who was struggling against them.

The knight was wearing armor constructed of black metal with intricate, sharp, and jagged designs. The helmet was especially menacing, featuring large, curved horns that extended outward and upward, giving the knight a demonic appearance. The helmet covered the entire face, with only two eyes visible through the slits, adding to its ominous aura. The surface of the armor was adorned with angular, plate-like segments, layered together in a way that suggested both protection and a sleek, predatory look. The chest plate is thick and ridged, designed to look muscular, with red glowing highlights. The pauldrons were spiked and angular, with additional ridges and pointed edges that enhanced the armor's aggressive aesthetic. The arms were heavily plated, featuring gauntlets whose fingers were pointed like claws. The lower part of the armor was equally complex, with segmented leg plates that mirror the jagged, blade-like designs of the upper body. The boots were thick and armored, yet shaped in a way that allowed for movement.

"GRAAAAAH!" The knight seemed to struggle against the creatures, as they used their weapon, a long Odachi sword to slice through the creatures' bodies. But they had the numeric superiority there that made them attack the knight repeatedly, putting him on his knees. "GAAAH!" The knight let out a painful yell of pain as the creatures were ready to stab them to death.

If he had to admit it, Valdric was scared of the other knight's demonic look, but as he saw better the situation, he could see how he was the one in need of help. This made him act. "HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" He shouted, gathering both the other knight and the humanoid trunks' attention.

"Uh!? H-HEY! GET OUT OF HERE! RUN!" The black knight incited Valdric to leave. Their voice seemed distorted, probably an effect of the helmet.

But Valdric seemed determined, as he pointed his longsword to the creatures. "Absolutely not! A good knight always comes to the rescue of a fellow soldier! Let me use my sacred power for your aid!" After proclaiming this, Valdric's sword started to get engulfed by golden flames that even released some sort of choir.

Provoked by this, the humanoid trees started to run toward him. The black knight seemed to be worried about it, but Valdric was confident. After all…the flaming energy in his sword was converging into his attack.

"Burning Angel's Message!" By swinging his sword, the young boy released a burst of golden flames from the blade that was sent directly against the creatures, destroying four of them, and leaving only piles of smoke in their places.

The other humanoid trees were shocked, but still eager to fight, releasing some strange and sharp screams.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! C'MON! OVER HERE, YOU FIENDS! PERISH, FOUL CREATURES! I AM VALDRIC THE SIEGEBREAKER! AND YOU SHALL FEEL MY WRATH!" Valdric was afraid as soon as he entered the forest, it was true, but his chivalrous code made him act whenever he saw someone in trouble, especially if it was about another knight. The creatures were many, but he didn't care, especially with the magic that was aiding him.

With his blade still infused with those golden flames, he went on the charge, starting a direct approach with the enemies. "Burning Angel's Blessing!" With surprisingly good accuracy and power, Valdric was able to attack back the creatures, blocking their claws with the sword at the right time and answering back with heavy diagonal cuts that pierced their bodies into pieces. One of those creatures tried to attack him from behind, but he quickly rolled away and stood up again a few centimeters away. "Ha! Come on, now, is that all you can do?" After he said this, the humanoid trees released several roots from their bodies and started to attack him repeatedly using said roots as whips. "AH!" Valdric got alarmed and used his sword to defend himself, before releasing what seemed to be a tornado of golden fire that surrounded him. "Burning Angel's Blessing!" The roots all burned out when they touched him. "Eh eh! Let's see how you handle a running ram! Have at you! HIYAAAAA!" The young knight ran as fast as he could toward the trees, crashing into them with the sword for direct cuts, impaling more than one of them like a skewer.

The black knight seemed impressed by his act and fighting style. Not only he was fighting with a type of magic he had never seen before, but more particularly…he was fighting to rescue them. They couldn't help but wonder…why?

"He's fighting for me…like father did…" He thought. But before he could think of anything else, a sight alarmed them. "Ah! Watch out!"

"Uh!?" Valdric turned around to see one of the humanoid trees trying to assault him by closing him into a cage of roots.

But before it could do so, the black knight stood up and got back his grit. "GRRRRRRRRRRR!" They expanded their arm, which became gigantic, and stroked down the creature to pieces with a single cut of the Odachi sword. "Command T: Titan's Grasp!"

"WOAH!" Valdric had his jaw slammed on the ground after seeing such an attack. He then looked at the other knights and saw how they were breathing heavily, implying that they were preparing something.

"I don't know why you saved a waste like me. But I surely can't stay here doing nothing. Let me repay the debt." The black knight said. His eyes were glowing beneath the helmet.

Instead of feeling intimidated…Valdric found an added charge. "I'd be more than happy to do so, and don't even mention it! Come on! Let's take them down!" Without adding anything, he went back to the charge, burning down his opponents.

The black knight did the same, glaring at some of the other tree creatures that were about to stretch their arms to suffocate him. They simply pointed at them with two fingers raised to answer. "Command T: Shrinkage!" Like nothing, all the creatures were reduced to the dimensions of an ant, and when they looked up, they could see the knight's sword falling to them like a meteor, crushing them. He then looked up and used the Titan's Grasp to expand their arm's height and use it to spin around to destroy a good portion of the enemy.

Valdric, on the other hand, kept on chopping down the foes with the sword, until all that was left was a pile of them, who all merged up to create a bigger creature that was about to crush them down with a large tree arm.

"There it comes! Think you can use one of your special tricks to deal with him?" Valdric asked the other knight.

They nodded and used once again the Shrinkage to shrink the arm the creature was going to use to attack.

Valdric didn't waste further time and rushed toward the bigger creature. "FAAAAAAARFUNDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" With a loud battle cry he jumped on the creature and stabbed the purple blob that lay hidden within the roots, burning it with his sword, and by consequence, burning the rest of the body. The creature roared in pain and Valdric quickly jumped down.

"NOW, NEW FRIEND!"

"N-New friend!? N-No, never mind. Command T: Titan's Grasp!" To finish it, the black knight expanded his arm to reduce the monster to a pile of broken pieces of wood. You could make a bonfire with them.

"Anf…anf…anf…anf…" Once the battle was over, the black knight re-fell on his knees to regain breath.

"Wohohoooo! That was incredible! Who would have thought I would have seen someone with such incredible magic? Though I could swear to have seen it somewhere…" Valdric commented. He then looked around to see the warrior he helped. "Ah! My God!" Seeing him on his knees again made him come to his aid. "Hey! You ok, buddy?"

"Anf…yes…don't worry. I'm just…a bit tired. Those creatures assaulted me by surprise. I was afraid to use my magic at first to avoid causing big damage, and they took advantage of it." The black knight answered.

"Indeed, they seemed to be cleverer than the usual monsters you could find to work together. I usually prefer to not kill my opponents, but there was something in those things that told me that I could leave my own restraints for once." Valdric commented. "And the fact that you wanted to limit yourself to not harm the forest gives you only honor, brave knight! It's a good thing to put codes and limits to ourselves!"

"Oh, please…there's no need to mention that, not with someone like me." The other knight said.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Valdric asked.

"Elegant and kind words are wasted with me. To be honest…I could see why those creatures attacked me. They probably could feel that I was a weak creature, and they're not that wrong." The mysterious knight said, assuming a melancholic tone.

"ARE. YOU. KIDDING!? Did you just see what you could do!? You were just a cyclone out there on the battlefield! You can't say such things with that grand power you hold!" The young knight insisted.

"I-I wanted to repay the debt! And…it usually happens. Whenever I fight, I get so completely immersed that any other thought goes away. But outside of that…it's not like I'm such a precious person to be saved, especially by a good person like you. I still thank you for coming to my rescue, but even if you didn't…It would have been fine." The knight explained, expecting to end the discussion there. But to their surprise, Valdric put both hands on their shoulders. "Uh!?"

"Mister knight, don't you ever, EVER, talk like that, because that's definitely not the case for either you or me! It's been a while now ever since I started my personal journey to become a knight and if there's one thing they've always told me to make sure is that a knight always helps those in need! I couldn't leave you get killed like that by default! And you definitely shouldn't say such things to yourself, it's not a healthy thing to feel sorry for yourself, you know? I think you're going through the same route as I, so stand proud, because you look promising!" Valdric went to give him a lecture…only to see the only knight starting to tremble. The metal of the armor getting shaken could even be heard. "My God! You ok?"

"Y-Yeah! It's just that…I'm not…used to such words and I don't know how to behave with such words. Y-You're being so kind to me when I don't deserve it…I don't even know you!" The black knight said with a trembling voice.

"Oh my! Who would have thought that behind that ferocious look was such a soft person? Don't worry! Knowledge isn't needed to be kind to someone who deserves it! Here! How about I take off my helmet to show you some confidence?" Valdric proposed, already having his hands on his helmet.

"What!?" The black knight exclaimed. Before they could say or do something, Valdric already removed his helmet, revealing his face.

He turned out to be quite the young guy, with light-tanned skin, and light brown hair, cut in a very short style and deep, navy, blue eyes. Judging by the armor, he also seemed to have a strong, well-developed build.

"See? I'm not someone to see as a saint or someone that important! I'm just a regular boy! So don't feel inferior or anything!" Valdric told them with a smile.

The black knight looked at him in silence. Despite not knowing them, this boy had a friendly demeanor with them, someone they considered to be trash. They didn't know whether to feel pleased or guilty for him to waste time on them. But one thing was sure…

He was showing trust to them. They couldn't be any less.

They stood up and put their hands on the helmet as well…taking it off.

"Oh?" Valdric was curious to see what hid behind that demonic mask…and the result stunned him a lot. "UH!?"

Beneath that helmet that showed ferocity…stood a face that showed grace and sweetness. Their long, straight, platinum hair was seemingly transparent and gave off a soft glow akin to the shine of the sun. The radiance of their hair created the effect of a glistening waterfall that traveled down their slender shoulders and rested slightly below his knee line. Their eyes, with slit pupils, were as deep blue as the sea and were framed by long eyelashes. They also had a prominent scar running from the back of their skull to the leftmost side of their face that slightly touched the corner of their left eye.

The knight looked at them a bit concerned and embarrassed…but Valdric looked in awe.

"O-Oh my…" He immediately kneeled and gently grabbed their hand.

The knight looked at him with wonder, even further when Valdric gently placed his lips on the hand, in sign of respect and cordiality.

"I hope you may forgive my ways. I surely couldn't expect that beneath that armor of violent aspect stood a gentle woman such as you! Maybe my methods have been a bit hasty for your kind, so from now on, I hope to treat you with more kindness, sweet lady!" Valdric proclaimed, with an etiquette worthy of a knight.

The other knight was embarrassed. But they gave their answer.

"…Actually…I'm a guy."

…

Silence. Simple…silence.

Valdric stood fixed on his position for a few moments.

"Uhm…sir?" The other knight asked.

Valdric didn't answer…he simply looked elsewhere…with a bewildered expression…looking at the void, with his eye pupils looking like bottomless holes.

(Mozart – Lacrimosa)

Those few words were enough to paralyze the knight for a few minutes.

Instead of Botticelli's Venus…he had to think of Michelangelo's David…especially with THAT part of the statue.

"Sir...? Are you ok?" The…boy asked, getting more worried.

Valdric shook his head as if he had fallen from a dream. "Wha-!? UHM!" He immediately stood up. "Y-Yes, I'm fine! Sorry for that! And I uh…sorry myself once again for misgendering you! Eh eh, you may think of me as an idiot now."

"Oh, no. It's all right. I…somehow have this effect on everyone. It's hard to guess it with my helmet on." The black knight explained.

Valdric sweated a bit. "Y-Yeah! I can see why!" He simply replied. "So, fellow knight, what were you planning to do? I ended up in this forest by mistake and I'm searching for a way out!"

"Oh…I'm actually in the same situation. I…got lost while I was trying to go into the capital to…" The black knight tried to tell his version until he stopped himself.

"…To? What?" Valdric asked.

"No, I can't say it." The boy insisted.

"Come on, you can tell me anything!" Valdric insisted.

The tender boy became red. "…Will you promise that you won't laugh?"

Valdric immediately made his cross to heart.

"I…heard that Queen Lunafreya founded a guild for knights and…I wanted to join." The boy admitted.

…Valdric couldn't help it. He laughed.

"H-Hey! You promised!"

"I know! Sorry, it's not for mockery!" Valdric assured. "I just find it funny! Because I was also looking to join Her Majesty's guild!"

"W-What!?" The black knight exclaimed.

"Guess that we're on the same boat, eh?" The Angel Slayer jokingly asked. "Hey! How about we make the road together from now on?"

"W-WHAT!?" The black knight repeated, more stunned than before.

"Well, we're both going in the same direction, so it's only fair that we do the work together! And if Her Majesty were to pick both of us, we'd be guildmates! So, if we become friends already, it could be only better, don't you think?" Valdric explained.

The black knight knew that his reasoning was correct and fair but…he was still talking about him, of all people. A complete failure. "Are…are you really ok with this? Traveling with a living misfortune like me?" He asked.

"I think I've already told you my vision! The fact that I'm proposing it to you should make it clear to you!" Valdric insisted with a smile.

The black knight wasn't sure of this. Not one inch at all. He was still afraid to bring harm to Valdric somehow, even if unwillingly. But…either way…he felt happy, even if he couldn't say why.

Maybe…he was just happy that another person lent him a hand.

"If…if you're ok with it." The black knight accepted…showing the first smile ever since he met Valdric.

The other knight was surely happy to hear it. "Ah, now that was something I wanted to see! I'll make sure to watch over your back!"

"Same here…" The soft boy simply answered back.

And so they started to venture together, despite the oddity of the place that was waiting for them. Then…right at that moment, Valdric came with a natural thought.

"Oh, my! How could I not think of it? Eh eh, you know, all this time talking and we still haven't introduced ourselves!" He told him. "I'm Valdric! What's your name?"

The black knight was reluctant at first, but considering how they were going to travel together, it was only natural to tell him.

"I'm…Ayuri. Ayuri Longinus. Nice to meet you."

Ayuri Longinus

"Longinus…what an elegant last name! Similar to that of an angel, like those of my magic! Well Ayuri, get ready! Because it seems that a messy forest is waiting for us!" Valdric commented.

And with that…they ventured deeper into the forest, not knowing that those who they were looking for…weren't that far from them.

---

Nythvail's Groove – Entrance

Soon, Queen Lunafreya and her company reached their destination. In front of them, they could see the entrance of the Nythvail's Groove: towering trees that were apparently hidden by a sea of fog. Not too far from it, there was a large squared fence with a sign that said "Park your Horse here"

"Uh…strangely…convenient?" Lunafreya commented.

"I think they've gotten quite used to people coming here back and forth. Well…do we trust it?" Vivienne asked.

"Hmm…there seems to be enough space for all of our horses and there's grass for them to eat. Let's park them here." The queen said.

And so, they did. In a few seconds, each of their horses found a spot where to stay in chill.

"Do you think it's a good idea to put them all together here, goshujin-sama?" Honoka then asked her master.

"What about it?" Lunafreya asked.

"I mean…they could start to get on each other and-" Lady Lucan gave her explanation but got stopped immediately.

"NO! I-I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE CASE! U-Uhm…does anyone here know when the mating season of a horse is?" Lunafreya asked embarrassed.

"Uhm…Your Majesty…it goes from April to September and…we're in September." Augusta told her.

Lunafreya sweated terribly. She could already hear the neighs and the horses trying to act like towers with each other.

Myuu came closer and lent her a tissue. "Uhm…you want it?"

"Y-Yes, thanks." The queen instantly took it and started to wipe her face. "C-Come on, guys! We're at the end of the season! Nothing will happen, right? R-Right…?"

"We can only hope. DID YOU HEAR IT, LORETTA!?" Galtier asked his horse, who snorted in a way that seemed to say 'no promises'.

Leaving the horses aside, they got closer to the entrance apparently hidden in fog.

"Ah, man. It hasn't even passed a week and we already have another fog? Well, at least we have Xavier with us, now!" Persephone commented.

"Modestly, my sense of hearing is a boon for these sorts of places!" Xavier said, feeling pleased.

"So, whit if there's a fog!? We've done it afore, an' we can dae it again! Findin' out what's inside of this and ca' it a day!" Saoirse already brandished her scythe, swinging it in the air in preparation for possible fights ahead.

But…Ruina came closer…suspicious. "Hmm…I feel like there's a strange energy pervading this forest, but it's different from that of a vampire or a demon."

"Indeed…" Vivienne added, coming closer. "I won't go too much into detail, but she's right. The magic here doesn't feel malicious at all. That being said, I'd still advise to keep our guard up."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will stay close!" Lady Lancelot said as she moved closer to the queen.

"Ah! Me too, please!" Lilybeth exclaimed. "Staying close to Alexis makes me feel better…"

Lunafreya smiled at her knight's enthusiasm, albeit nervously. Only one thing was left in that case.

The entrance was foggy and ominous…but they were there for a reason.

The queen turned around to meet her guildmates' eyes. "Ok. Ready to do this?" She asked

"You bet we are, cousin! Let's go in there AND KICK THIS MOTHERFUCKING FOREST!" Faris exclaimed, delighted with her swords already at hand.

Nothing else needed to be added. Everyone was in the same mood.

"Then let's do this impossible quest!" Lunafreya concluded. "I allow myself to take a famous quote from a certain mage: I'm all fired up!"

And so, they ventured in, starting the quest.

At first…it was just like Innsmouth, with nothing that could be seen, and because of that, they were getting ready for anything that could have come out.

But that was when things changed. Unlike the abandoned port they had gone in a few days earlier…the fog disappeared after a few minutes.

"Uh?" Everyone looked surprised as the mist disappeared revealing instead…a beautiful landscape of a forest's fork. The grass and leaves were yellow and the trunks were black. The chirping of the noises could be heard echoing throughout the place, and the sun rays filtered through the trees' branches, which were all tangled up as if they were forming a dome.

"Woaaah!" Pavlova looked in amazement. "This is beautiful!"

"Is…this supposed to be a place of misfortune? I could come here for a picnic one day…" Myuu added.

"It's too early to talk. We're still at the beginning." Ruina warned before looking back. "Though…it is indeed strange. The mist was there only for a few moments…"

"Yeah, kinda like it served as some sort of entrance…" Vivienne added. "This feels…oddly familiar. Makes me want to put up a bonfire."

"Ah, who cares! The mist is gone, we can see clearly this time, and most importantly…" Escanor said, looking up with spread arms. "We can once again be under the blessing of the sun…aaaah…the sun."

"And here we go again," Scuti commented.

"Ruina is right. We can't take it easily despite the place looking good. It's better if we keep on moving." Galtier warned.

"Wait…" Suddenly, Xavier gathered everyone's attention. "Did you hear it?"

"…You do know we don't have the same quirk as you do, right?" Grendel asked, skeptical.

"Oh no, this time it's pretty clear! Listen!" Sir Percival insisted.

All the mages of Round Table raised their heads and looked around. At first, it didn't seem like there was something around but then…it became clearer.

A particular melody could be heard throughout the air. A melody that had both a mysterious and an adventurous vibe. Overall, it seemed…pleasant to hear.

"What's this…music?" Orlok wondered.

"That's weird. It's not like there's a musical instrument playing it in the distance. It's like this is surrounding us." Scuti added.

"Oh no…what if it's that dark mage again trying to get her revenge!?" Lilybeth asked, worried.

"Ah, The laddie with the pipe!?" Saoirse exclaimed, holding her scythe. "I'll make her ass whooped again!"

"Hey, calm down, you too! This doesn't seem like it's coming from a flute!" Hector assured them. "Though it's surely strange."

"Indeed. The strangest part is that…this is the most JRPG melody I've ever heard. Where it could come from?" Lunafreya said.

"Hmm…I may have an idea about it!" Vivienne suggested. "Remember what I said about the legend? People thought that the forest had a will of its own, so it could be the spirit of this groove that heard our presence and is…greeting us? With this music?"

"So, this is…our soundtrack?" Lilybeth asked, more confused than ever.

"Huh. Makes me wonder what music the other people who came in here heard." Galtier wondered. "But we can think of it later. If this music isn't dangerous, we can keep going with it."

"I agree! It's actually pleasant to hear! You could build up some lyrics on it!" Vivienne added with a smile.

"If you start singing, we'll punch you." Faris and Grendel immediately told her.

"…Or maybe not." Lady Merlin concluded with a nervous smile while sweating.

"Yeah…even if it's odd, it's something we can bear with…" Lunafreya said, feeling confused. "…Ah, never mind, let's go." She then ordered to proceed, not knowing that for a second, she and the others looked like 16-bit sprites.

The fork kept on going for a few minutes until they reached a vast zone that looked like the room of a temple. The road ahead was blocked by tangled roots, and there were four roots put symmetrically and attached to the dome of branches.

"Eh? The road is blocked?" Lunafreya asked, confused.

"By roots, of all things? I could see if there was someone who put them here but…this is getting weirder." Escanor added.

Honoka promptly came closer. "Please, goshujin-sama, let me handle this."

Lunafreya let her do so, and with her consent, Honoka came closer to the trees. Her greatsword was already engulfed in flames. "Fire Bombs!" She threw several small bombs at the 'gate', unleashing several small explosions on it. Everyone thought that the problem was solved, but with surprise, once the smoke faded away, they could see that the wall was still there. "Uh!?"

"What the-!? They're roots! They should have been pulverized!" Galtier exclaimed.

Vivienne was confused, and as such, she quickly used an Enchant spell on Honoka. "Try now?"

"Fire Bombs!" The small lady tried the attack once again…but the result was the same. "I-Impossible…" She fell on her knees, demoralized. "Goshujin-sama, I have failed you. Let me expose my back so you can whip me-"

"NO NEED FOR THAT EVEN HERE!" Lunafreya exclaimed, embarrassed. "There's surely a way to get rid of that." She added, scratching her head.

"Oh, sure there is!" Faris already got closer. "You're simply not putting enough strength!"

"Uhm, Faris? I don't think that's the case, you know how strong Honoka is-" Alexis warned her.

"Pfui! Who do you think you're talking to? Let me show you how you blast a gate! It's not the first time I do so!" Faris insisted, and her two blades were already releasing red electric shockwaves. "Crimson Devil's Rage!"

She unleashed two crimson beams at the wall with violence, only for her to have the same result as Honoka.

"What-!? WHAT THE-!? HOW DID IT HAPPEN!?" Lady Mordred shouted.

"I told you-" Lady Lancelot said with a skeptical face.

"OI, SIS! YOU OK!?" Grendel asked.

"YES, I AM! That was just a fluke! This will be a good try!" Faris still believed in it and shot again. "Crimson Devil's Rage!"

Nothing.

"GRRRRRRRR!" The young girl was getting more frustrated.

"I…don't think that keep on trying will change something-" Scuti warned her.

"SHUT UP! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE STRENGTH OF THE GREATEST KNIGHT! I just have to continue! Crimson Devil's Rage!"

And she tried again…

"Crimson Devil's Rage! Crimson Devil's Rage! Crimson Devil's Rage! CRIMSON DEVIL'S RAGE! CRIMSON DEVIL'S RAGE!"

The other mages simply…looked at the scene, finding it the stupidest ever.

10 minutes later…

Faris was still trying.

"Crimson Devil's Rage…Crimson Devil's Rage…Crimson…Devil's…Rage…Aaaah…" She ended up getting tired, and fell on the ground, with spirals in her eyes.

"Ok, I think we have ascertained that magic doesn't work on this wall, so let's stop trying," Lunafreya told the others. "Saoirse, I see you."

"Ah shite-"

"Hmmm…" Then, it was Hector's turn to try.

"Got any ideas, big brother?" Persephone asked.

Hector raised his sword. "Maybe a good old sword attack will go?" He let the blade fall and…

SDONG!

"AaaaAAAAAaaaaAAAAAaaaaAAAAH!" A loud bang made the white knight vibrate for a few seconds.

"Eh…nothing. At least you tried!" Her exceed sister comforted him.

Then Orlok came out with something. "Well…if neither weapons nor magic work…then we can try in the oldest way possible! With our hands!" He tried to open the 'wall' in two by tearing the roots apart with his strength but…they didn't seem to move. "NGHHHHHHHHHHH! NGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"COME ON, KEEP PUSHING, ORLOK!" Augusta encouraged him, but she could only see as her friend's face was getting redder. "…Ok, support coming!" She joined him and tried to split the gate into two. But even with someone like her…it seemed impossible. "NGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Lunafreya was getting worried. "Uhm…guys? It's ok, you can stop. You'll…lose your breath."

"Phew…" Both Orlok and Augusta stopped and had to take some minutes to regain air.

"How can these roots be this tough!? Were they put with Super Attak or something!?" Orlok exclaimed

"I don't know whether to feel humiliated or confused, really," Augusta added. "If we can't even pass through a gate like this, I can see where this quest gets its fame."

"At this point, we'll be stuck!" Pavlova exclaimed before looking at Lilybeth. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Uhm…I don't know you guys but…" Lilybeth got everyone's attention. "I couldn't help but notice those four roots that are attached to the ceiling."

"Uh?" Everyone stopped focusing on the 'gate' for a moment and looked where she was pointing.

"Huh…I didn't notice them." Grendel commented.

"Quite suspicious, aren't they? Are you suggesting that they may be the key to get through that gate?" Vivienne asked. "Quite clever as reasoning." She added with a small grin.

"Ah! I don't know! I just saw how they were put in that way…" Lady Galahad explained.

"Well!" Saoirse made her scythe spin. "Worth a shote! HIYA!" She threw the weapon to cut down one of the roots…only for it to regrow instantly. "WHAT!? THIS TOO!?"

"Wait!" Alexis drew a few swords of light with her rapier. "Let's try to take them all!" With an order, she threw the blades and cut down the roots one by one…only for them to regrow.

The young Lady Lancelot stood still for a few moments…only to close herself in a fetal position. "I'm the disgrace of the Lichtschwert family…"

"No, no! Don't say it like this!" Liliybeth immediately went after her to comfort her with tons of head pats.

"Hmm…this could be a problem. These roots are the only things that we can hit in this room, but if even these have something behind, we won't get far." Lunafreya commented.

"She's right. We can't falter right at the first test…there must be something behind it. I surely wouldn't want to get the reputation of being a masochist who puts others in situations they can't handle!" Galtier thought. Like the others, he tried to come up with a solution.

They couldn't pass through the wall, which seemed indestructible…and the only other thing they could hit were those four roots, but if you tried to take even one of them, these re-grew instantly.

Even a single one…grew back…

"…Ah! Wait!" Then…Galtier thought of it.

"Got any ideas, Galtier?" Xavier asked.

"Let me try something…" The Ceulfan mage closed his eyes and started to concentrate his energy. When he opened his eyes back, he released a spiral of green flames upward, attacking the roots.

But this time…he attacked all of them at the same time.

Everyone looked at the scene with a bit of tension. And then…

The roots didn't re-grow. And not only that.

The other roots that were forming the wall that blocked the way untied themselves and retreated underground.

"It worked!" Everyone said. They could even hear a particular jingle that confirmed it.

"So, there wasn't anything too complex…this was nothing more than a riddle!" Vivienne realized.

"Yes. Since trying to take down all the roots normally didn't work, I thought that destroying them all at once could have done something differently. But I think we also need to thank Lilybeth here. She's the one who brought our attention to the roots." Galtier explained.

"Eh-!?" Lilybeth became red in the face. "C-Come on, I didn't do anything special, I-"

"Way to go, Lily!" Alexis immediately complimented her.

"Yeah! We can proceed now!" Xavier added.

Hearing those many compliments, especially by those people made Lilybeth smoke…adding to hearing being called Lily. "AAAAAAH!" She fell to the ground.

"AH! L-Lily!? Are you ok!?" Xavier asked worried.

Lunafreya looked at the scene with a smile. "So…this is the truth behind the challenge."

"Yes, I think I've grasped it as well. The reason why many people weren't able to reach the end was because they couldn't grasp riddles such as this. It's not a quest of strength…it's a quest of intelligence." Ruina added.

"Which means that we'll see more of them. But with the right patience, we'll get through them, don't you think Ruina?" Lunafreya asked with a smile.

"Uhm…kinda." The black-haired girl replied.

Everyone could finally proceed…and Grendel had to carry Faris by her legs for a few minutes.

"I tell you! I could take it down! I just needed some more strength! I didn't drink enough milk today!" Faris insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Myuu cut it.

---

The next 'room' was a lot wider. It consisted of a central platform standing on a large pond with several leaves on it. The platform had several wooden bridges that led to other platforms with circular doors. The door that stood in front of the central platform seemed to be bigger than the others, and it was closed by a strange lock with studs.

When the mages of Round Table entered, they looked around, quite amazed.

"It…feels like we've entered inside something completely different," Alexis commented.

"Yes! Now this feels more like a swamp than anything." Escanor added before looking down. "And it seems like we have more than one door to go in."

"Kinda like a maze…" Ruina quickly observed. "And there comes another reason why people gave up."

"They got lost!" Pavlova said it out loud.

Orlok and Hector gave a quick look at the bigger door. "I think that door says 'the end is here.'" The former said.

"But it seems that we can't go in there already. We'll have quite a lot to explore. And this brings to a question." The latter added, before turning to the queen. "Where do we start?"

Lunafreya put two fingers to her chin and looked carefully. "Hmm…we surely have a vast choice. The best idea would be to split up, but we should have an idea of where we going."

"I surely wouldn't want to end up like in those horror movies Ruina sees…" Pavlova said with her ears lowered.

"Hey, were you peeking?" Ruina asked, a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah, it's quite the problem…" Xavier added…before listening to something. "Oh my…that's an odd music…"

"Music?" Escanor asked. "The music we heard before stopped. I don't hear anything this time."

"Oh, right! I forgot to clarify up until now. To me, magic has its own "song" that I can hear at times. When we just entered right now, I heard it: a sudden play of wood instruments in a playful tone. This forest is filled to the brim with…." Xavier stopped his explanation, making everyone look at him. The blind mage flinched before he turned his gaze deeper in.

"Wait a second…I recognize this melody…" He said…as he walked closer to…what seemed to be a big rock with…a hat?

"Xavier…?" Lunafreya asked, a bit worried. "Wait…what is that?"

Xavier looked at the strange object with a strange focus. "Well, would you look at that! Of all people, I never expected to see you here!"

Everyone looked at him in silence.

"…Did he lose it already?" Scuti wondered. But his affirmation was disproved quickly…as the rock turned around, revealing a face with large lips, sharp fangs, two skeletal eyes, and two red glowing eyes that looked like glasses.

"UH!?"

"I could say the same about you, my liege!" The creature talked. Right after that, he stood up, revealing his big body, giving him the look of some sort of giant fish.

"A DEMON!?" Ruina quickly grabbed her whip.

Faris did the same by unsheathing her sword. "Finally! I was getting hungry!"

Everyone's tension raised, but Xavier…kept a friendly tone.

"Morphine! It soothes my soul to hear you hale and hearty!"

"Young master, it's a real pleasure to be seein' you, too. Why, you're lookin' finer than a brand-new coin fresh from the bank!" The fish-like demon laughed, speaking in a deep southern accent.

Morphine – Demonic Butler

"What?" The hunter of the night shook her head. As she was about to continue drawing her blade, Scuti already closed the distance and held her shoulder.

"Wait…I recognize that aura. You must be a dream demon." He confirmed. Everyone looked at him.

"You know what this is?" Orlok asked.

"Me too! Dream demons…also known as Dream Eaters." Vivienne added as she walked and turned to Ruina. "An old one. Not the super powerful kind, but he's been doing his job for almost as long as this Kingdom. If you killed him, which I believe is quite easy, you will end up unleashing his collection of dreams for hundreds of years in the span of a second. Not a pleasant feeling, I assure you."

Ruina slightly lowered her weapons, even if she wasn't entirely convinced. She looked at the self-proclaimed Demon Prince as he was having a conversation with the giant creature. "Hey, Xavier. What about him? Is he friend or foe?"

"Oh, absolutely friend! He's under my wing, I can assure you!" Xavier told her.

Ruina looked at the demon with suspicion, but she ultimately put her whip away. "All right. Just so you know I'm watching it."

"Uhm…you too, Faris. It's ok." Lunafreya asked her cousin.

"Bah." Faris sheathed back her sword.

After noticing the knights who stood behind Xavier, the demon, Morphine, walked ahead and bowed before them, taking off his hat in a showy motion. "Well now, it's a true pleasure makin' your acquaintance. The name's Morphine—connoisseur and purveyor o' dreams, at your service. Here's hopin' we get along like butter on a hot biscuit."

Myuu caught what else Morphine just described. "Purveyor? As in a merchant?"

But soon, Lunafreya felt all eyes on her before she coughed into her hand. "Uhm, well met! What's your relation to Xavier… Mr. Morphine?"

"Now, don't go bein' so formal 'round little ol' me! Just call me Morphine, or Morph, as you folks seem to fancy shortenin' names. As for my ties to my Young Master, Xavier here? Well, he did save my life, so I swore mine to his service in return. I'm what you humans like to call… a butler?"

Honoka raised her brow at the mention of being similar to such… a creature, before turning to Xavier. She wondered if the blind mage was perhaps who he claimed he was.

Yet, Xavier also perked up at the mention. "Now that you mention it, Morphine. I am surprised to hear of you so soon again."

"Truth be told, young master, I wasn't out lookin' for ya this time. I was wandering around throughout the lands of Seven once again and I couldn't help but get attracted by the magical energy these woods were showin'! I thought I could have gotten a client or two!" Morphine explained.

"You mean…someone who willingly gave you their dreams?" Pavlova asked, a bit worried.

"Precisely! But no worries! I don't act on instinct! I simply offer my services to those who are willing to give me their dreams, that's all!" The demonic butler explained.

"That's…quite the definition of demon." Myuu thought.

At that moment, Galtier perked up. "Magical energy? So, you could feel the forest's nature as well? We're here to try and take on a hard quest that made a lot of people quit."

"Really? Then I guess that I ended up in a 5-star restaurant, ah ah! But after a quick stroll, I could see why! The locals tend to play a bit more than they should!"

"Locals?" Saiorse scratches her head. "Whit dae ye mean, locals? Naebody bides here!"

Xavier perks up as he realizes something. "Oh! You mean those are here?"

"Those what?" Grendel asked.

"Heh, I should have guessed. Morphine, do me a favor, please. I believe some of my friends aren't aware of forest spirits" Xavier asked.

"Forest spirits? Ah! You mean…" Vivienne asked.

"Indeed! Beneath forests where ethernano is present, there can be the presence of many mystical like faeries, tarasques…" Morphine started to explain.

"Sasquatches!?" Pavlova asked happy.

"Vampires!?" Ruina asked angrily.

"Uuuuh, no. Not them." Morphine said.

"DAMMIT!" Both girls shouted.

"As I was saying, one of these creatures are forest spirit! Unmaterial inhabitants of the grooves that float and defend their environment. There can be many types, but they are usually peaceful, although a bit…playful, as I said earlier! In particular, those who inhabit this forest are called 'Shushi Shushi', and they love it when new people come inside these woods!" Morphine continued.

"Sushi Sushi? What, are they fishes like you but edible? How do you eat a spirit?" Faris asked.

"Shushi Shushi, with an H. It means 'Seeds Seeds'. I've heard of them in the past. In Caelum, they are recognized as Yokais. I'm quite surprised they're here in Seven, too…" Myuu explained.

"And…you said that they like to play with whoever comes in here?" Hector asked.

"Exactly! I don't know who commands them, but they always put whoever gets inside these woods to some riddles and puzzles to see if they are worthy to proceed!" Morphine continued.

A choir of 'Ooooh…' rose.

All the mages of Round Table uncomfortably looked at each other.

"Say…do you think that…?" Alexis asked the others.

"Yes, I think it's because of them that most people quit," Scuti concluded the line.

"Oh, probably! Especially considering that they can't be seen by the naked eye!" Morphine added

"What!?" Everyone exclaimed.

"Oh, right! Well, whadd'ya expect? Bogles show themselves only when they want to! Thanks to me bein' Dullahan, I can see them with no problems but…ye, this is gettin' hard." Saoirse explained.

"Man…if we need to pass through their trials to complete the quest…we'll have some problems…" Lunafreya added, looking down.

Right at that moment…Morphine came closer to her. "Well…I could have something to help you out."

"Eh? Really?" The queen asked.

"Of course! I'm a demon, so I know well other supernatural creatures! You just need to affine your sense of sight to see them properly." Morphine explained before taking out a suitcase, opening it, and revealing some blue acorns. "These acorns should do it for you. A single bite and your eyes will see things that can't be seen on a material plane."

"Woaaah…" Everyone whispered.

"Well, you're very kind to give us the-" Persephone was about to grab them, but Morphine quickly closed the suitcase. "Eh!?"

"Ah, ah, ah! I'm a merchant, remember? I could give you these, but not for free!" The demonic butler stated.

"Are you kidding me?" Grendel asked with a skeptical face.

Lunafreya had a drop of sweat near her head. "No, Grendel. He's right. I should have thought of it. Don't worry, I'm willing to purchase them if you'd like." She said before taking her wallet and getting some banknotes. "Will 10.000 Jewels be enough?"

"Oh, don't worry, sweet lady! I don't ask for money. I'm sure you still remember that I'm a Dream Eater. Nothing would make me happier for you to give me your dreams." Morphine proposed.

Lunafreya looked around, confused and a bit worried. "Ok…? And how am I going to do that? Do I have to get sleep?"

"Oh, no it won't be necessary. I just need…a single hair of yours." The demon said.

Everyone looked at the queen with an uncomfortable stare.

"…Your Majesty, you're not really thinking of-" Augusta asked.

"Well…it's not that we have that much of a choice, right?" Lunafreya replied.

"What!? That easily? Have you thought of what he could do with your hair!?" Galtier added.

"Hey, if we want to do the mission you proposed, we need to have all the keys on the table to surpass it. And to do so, we need to be ready for every risk! Plus, Xavier told us that we can count on him, and we all trust him, so I don't see why we shouldn't make this bargain. Unless you want to stay here for days or give up." Lunafreya insisted.

To that…Galtier didn't really know what to answer. "R-Right…it was my idea, after all. Go ahead."

"Be careful, Your Majesty…" Alexis concluded, worried.

Lunafreya looked at Morphine and took a deep breath. "Ok…here goes nothing." She grabbed a single hair and gave it to him.

The demon was delighted that she accepted, and without hesitation, he took the hair and sipped it like it was spaghetti. Everyone was grossed out by that, Lilybeth almost puked, even.

"Ah! The dream of a queen of light, and a slayer, too! Exquisite!" Morphine commented. "Oh, well. After this, I can't disregard my own word." He gave her the suitcase. "Here! These are all yours!"

Lunafreya grabbed one of the acorns and looked at it. It was…well…a normal acorn, except for the blue color. "Uhm…is there any coloring or chemical substance in it?"

"Oh no, there are naturals. I bought them from several farmers in Midi. They're known for being spiritual." Morphine replied.

"Hmmm…" Not wanting to think too much, Lady Arthur ate the acorn entirely and waited. At first…it seemed that nothing happened. "…So…when will the effect come-"

KRA-KROOOOM!

Suddenly, she could hear lightning in her ear and her pupils shined for a moment. "AH!"

"Oh, God!" Vivienne exclaimed.

"My lady, are you ok?" Myuu asked, worried.

"Ngh…" Lunafreya groaned while wrinkling her eyes. But when she opened them…she could see them.

Several spirits were floating around the area, laughing and making gibberish noises. They were very small and looked like tiny yellow onions wearing leaf masks.

"I…I can see them! It works!" The queen exclaimed.

"It does!?" Pavlova exclaimed.

"Morphine here always keeps his word!" Xavier said with a proud smile.

"Quick, guys! Eat these! We can move better!" Lunafreya told the others, who immediately did so.

Just like that, everyone ate the acorns…and could see them as well.

"Oh oh oh! I never thought I could live the day to see this!" Vivienne said with a delighted smile.

"Amazing! Is this what you see every day, Saoirse?" Orlok asked.

"Yesh! Pretty cool, right?" Saoirse asked.

"No." Ruina cut it. "I can't believe I'm looking at ghosts, right now…"

"Forest Spirits, actually!" Pavlova corrected her. "So, these are the Shushi Shushi? They're so cute!"

"I'm surprised I couldn't see them before since… Nah, can't say it." Scuti commented.

"I wonder if my celestial spirits could…" Myuu added.

"The effect will last for the next twenty-four hours. So, you should finish this quest as soon as you can! As I said, in some rooms, the Shushi Shushi will invite you to play with them, while in others, there will be some riddles that you'll have to solve. Once you're finished with everything, you should get somethin' that will allow you to pass through the bigger key, where it's said that the secret of the forest lies." Morphine explained.

"I thought you didn't know this forest?" Faris asked.

"Oh, the Shushi Shushi told me. They have an easy talk" The demon told her.

"Got it. Well, thank you, Morphine! We'll make sure that your help won't be wasted!" Lunafreya told him with a smile.

"Oh, it's always a pleasure to do business, even with royalty! I think I'll stay in this forest for a lil' longer, so if you need my help again, all you have to do is find me!" Morphine said.

"Stay safe, Morphine!" Xavier saluted him.

"You too, my liege! Glad to see that you found some friends!" And with those words, the demonic butler dived into the pond and started to swim away.

"Aaaah…what a nice guy!" Xavier commented.

"I…don't know about it," Ruina replied.

"He did help us! The least we can do is use the help he gave us and continue." Lunafreya told them before looking at the large room again. "So…we have to go through all these doors, solve the games and riddles, and then…we'll get deeper within this forest."

"I have the impression that I'll get bored a lot…" Grendel commented. "I sincerely hope I'll get to smack something big like a dragon in the end!"

"Not all missions must be about fighting, you know?" Galtier told her.

"You're telling it to someone who has THESE!" Grendel countered, showing him the knuckle dusters.

"Err…" Once again, Galtier didn't know how to answer. "I think I started with the wrong foot here…"

"So…what do you suggest, Luna?" Vivienne asked.

"Now that we can see the spirits, we can split up and see what these games are about. Once you're done, get back here. We'll all meet again to see what's the secret that lies within this forest." Lunafreya told everyone. "Wanna come with me, Vivienne?" She then asked with a puppy smile.

"Of course!" Vivienne hugged her back.

"Well, you've listened to her, guys! Good luck to everyone!" Xavier said.

"Ah, shit…here we go again." Somehow, Faris, Grendel, Saoirse, and Ruina were able to say the same thing at the same time.

And so, the queen's guild scattered to pass on the trials. The true nature of the challenge surely had thrown their expectations away but…were they going to be hard nonetheless?

---

As soon as the split started, Lilybeth was getting flustered every second that it passed. Not really because she was on her own…but more like…

"So, it appears that we're together for this moment! I've been looking to see your skills in action for a while now, so this is the perfect chance!"

Xavier was with her.

Ever since they started going out together (not in the way you think), Lilybeth kept on looking down to not show how her face was full red.

"Hm? Are you ok?" Xavier asked.

"Y-Yes, don't worry! Just…keep on moving…" The girl told him. But her thought was another. "Dammit! Why do I always act like this when I'm close to him!? It always has been ever since he greeted me well when I first joined the guild! I mean, there's nothing wrong right? He's just a good person, although he's a chunnibyou, and he has a good look, and he always comes to others' rescue so..." Her constant thought led her to a direction…that she wanted to deny immediately. She started to shake her head constantly. "NOOOO! THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT! THAT COULD NEVER!"

"Ah! Lilybeth, are you ok?" Xavier asked, seeing her like that all of a sudden.

"CAN YOU STOP WHINING FOR ONE FUCKING MINUTE!?" A voice from behind shouted.

When Lilybeth turned around with tears in her eyes, she remembered that she and Xavier weren't the only ones who went for their door.

Faris and Grendel were right behind them. And judging by their expressions, they weren't happy with the noise the young girl was making.

Lilybeth lifted her mucus. "S-Sorry."

"Come on, girls! Show some understanding here! There's clearly something that makes her agitated!" Xavier asked.

"Look, it's already enough that we have to use our brains for this mission, I'd like to do it at least without having to hear someone complaining!" Faris exclaimed, insisting on her position.

"Why did we even go this way?" Grendel asked.

"I don't know, it was the first door I saw!" Lady Mordred replied before tearing up a bit. "The idea of not fighting for a while and not showing how I'll become the greatest knight makes me so frustrated that sometimes I lose the concept of space and time."

Grendel felt empathetic and hugged her. "I get you SO MUCH, sis!"

All that left the other two knights…silent.

"Uhm…" Lilybeth tried to say something but just…couldn't come up with anything.

"Don't worry about them. They're…quirky." Xavier assured her. "But, seriously. Are you ok?" He then asked.

"Oh, don't worry! They're…episodes that I sometimes have! I just have a dirty mind that's all." Lady Galahad said. "Please cut it short…"

"I see! Well, in case you need something, you always know that I'm here!" The self-proclaimed demon prince told her…giving her another reason to blush.

"T-Thank you…"

Faris was looking at them with a skeptical face. "Ok, this is starting to bore me. Let's just get over with it." She went ahead…until she felt something strange.

"…Uh. That's weird. I don't feel what I'm walking on." She spoke. But when she looked down…she realized she was in a bottomless hole, so she was literally walking in the middle of nothing, scaring the others. "…Oh." Needless to say, she started to fall. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"FARIS!" Everyone shouted, trying to come to her rescue, but the possibilities were very low.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS! IS THIS HEAVEN PUNISHING ME!? ALRIGHT, I'M SORRY, LILYBETH! JUST MAKE ME LIIIIVE-" Surprisingly, Faris started to pray and repent herself, fearing that it may have been her end. But just before she couldn't be seen anymore…she could feel herself stop falling. "…Eh?"

"Woah…" The others were surprised to see what prevented her from falling.

Same with Faris, since when she opened her eyes, she could see herself being held by a giant hand clad in black armor. "WOAH! Did I get grabbed by a giant!?" She wondered. "No wait…I recognize this…Command T Magic?"

"Wait what!?" Lilybeth asked.

"Could it be…? Brandish?" Faris looked up, but surprisingly, it wasn't who she thought.

When the other knights looked up, they could see Valdric and Ayuri coming out from another squared entrance. The latter in particular stretched his arm through his magic to save Faris.

"Who are those?" Grendel wondered.

"Ah ah! Well done, Ayuri! Are you still sure you're not worthy?" Valdric asked.

"I just did the right thing, nothing much…" The black knight replied. After that, he put Faris back with the others, and Grendel immediately went toward her.

"Sis, are you ok!?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah, luckily. I could see my mom for a moment calling for me." Faris replied. "Don't worry."

Lilybeth came closer and smiled. "Glad that you're ok. And…I accept your apologies!"

"Seems that you also get scared, eh, Lady Mordred?" Xavier added with a smile.

The lady in crimson immediately looked elsewhere with her cheeks slightly red. "Shut up." She then looked up to the other knights. "More importantly…who are they?"

"Glad that you are ok!" Valdric said.

"Can you come down here? So that we can thank you properly?" Xavier proposed.

Ayuri immediately became flustered. "U-Uhm, Valdric, we did our duty, right? We can bid farewell and keep on going!"

"Oh, come on, Ayuri! Don't you like the idea of making more friends? Come on let's go! You have to get some gratitude, after all!" Valdric already grabbed him and jumped down.

"A-Ah! Wait!"

In a minute, they were already in front of the other knights, a sight that surely pleased the young Angel Slayer.

"Oh, my! I surely didn't expect to see all these knights getting lost in this groove! At least we have the certainty of not being the only ones!" He commented.

"Oh, actually we came here on purpose to take on the hard quest of getting through this groove! And it seems that you came at the right time!" Xavier replied.

"Yeah…" Faris looked at the black knight, a bit relentless in admitting it, but he still saved his life, so he had to say it. "Thank you."

"No, don't worry. I just…didn't want someone to die, that's all." Ayuri told her.

"Awww, you look so humble!" Lilybeth commented.

"So, who exactly are you?" Grendel then asked.

"Oh, right! This time we should introduce ourselves straight away!" Valdric replied by taking off his helmet. "I'm Valdric The Siegebreaker, a knight aspiring for greatness!"

Even Ayuri, albeit a bit embarrassed, removed his helmet to show his face. "And I'm…Ayuri Longinus. There's nothing much to be said. Nice to meet you."

The mages of Round Table were surely surprised by his look.

"Wha-!?" Grendel exclaimed.

"O-Oh my! I didn't expect you to be a girl! S-Sorry…you're very cute!" Lilybeth added.

"Oh…thanks. But…you weren't that wrong. I'm a guy, actually." Ayuri corrected.

…

Silence. Simple silence. No one could say a word.

"…Here we go again…" Ayuri whispered, not happy with himself always giving that effect.

"Y-Yeah, I should have warned…" Valdric added.

Grendel, Xavier and Lilybeth couldn't say a word. All they could do…was look elsewhere, with eyes (except for Xavier) similar to two black holes.

(Mozart – Lacrimosa)

Those words…were enough to paralyze them.

Instead of Jan Vermeer's Girl with the Turban…they had to think of Michelangelo's Adam's Creation. Especially THAT part of the statue.

"Uhm…are you ok?" Ayuri asked.

Everyone shook their heads. "UHM…Yes, we are!" Lilybeth exclaimed.

"Yes! Sorry! I just…remembered of something." Xavier added.

"Eugh…" Grendel shivered a bit. "I've encountered weirdo after weirdo ever since we joined the guild. Don't you agree, Faris?" She asked her friend…before noticing something wrong. "Uhm…Faris? Hello?"

Faris didn't answer. She remained stuck on staring at Ayuri…but not in the same way as the others. It wasn't bewilderment but…something else…that kept on growing as she kept on looking. Something…she couldn't say what it was.

(I want your love and I want your revenge! You and me could write a bad romance! I want your love and I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance! Oooooooh! Caught in a bad romance! Ooooooooh! Caught in a bad romance!)

Faris would have never admitted it. But she blushed.

"Oi, Faris!" But then Grendel called her back to reality.

"AH! W-What?" Faris asked, waking up.

"…Are you sure you're ok, sis?" The other girl asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uhm…yes. Don't worry. Maybe I'm still shocked by the fall." The red-haired girl quickly admitted. "We were saying?"

"Oh, right! You said that…you were here on a quest? Are you from a guild or something?" Valdric asked.

"Indeed! We're knights from Round Table! We've been told that to reach the end of the forest, we need to overcome some games and riddles." Xavier explained…stunning both newcomers.

"W-What!? Round Table!?" Ayuri exclaimed.

"Hm? What about it? Why the surprise?" Grendel asked.

"Oh well…nothing much! Just that we were actually searching for your guild! Both of us wanted to join!" Valdric said with a smile.

"What!?" Xavier, Lilybeth, and Grendel exclaimed.

"REALLY?" Faris asked with a large smile on her face. After the others looked at her confused, she regained composure. "Ahem, I mean…oh, really? That's interesting."

Xavier left that thing aside and looked back at the two with a smile. "After Morphine, it seems that fate is bringing me such funny surprises! If that's the case…do you two want to join us in this quest? The queen is with us, so you can ask her when we get back!" He proposed.

"AH! T-T-The queen!?" Ayuri asked, starting to tremble. "I-I'm not mentally prepared to meet such radiance!"

"I get you a lot…" Lilybeth said.

"Oh, don't worry. My cousin isn't as aristocratic as you'd think. You'll be fine." Faris assured him.

"In any case, we would be more than happy to accept! We can consider this our very first adventure with Round Table! Aren't you happy, Ayuri?" Valdric accepted.

"Y-Yes, I guess so…" The black knight replied while still trembling.

Faris stepped forward again, but this time, she was careful. "Before that, we need to figure out what's with this room, and how I almost fell." When she looked forward, she could see that the room actually consisted of two platforms: one where they were standing, and one on the other side of a huge bottomless whole. The only things that were present were a few pillars here and there and the upper entrance Valdric and Ayuri came from.

"Ah, crap. Now I see what happened." Faris commented, annoyed.

Lilybeth came closer as well and saw that on the platform on the other side…stood what seemed to be a treasure box. "I think…we're in a puzzle room. We need to figure out how to reach the other side."

Grendel looked with her arms crossed. "Good grief. Ok, unless someone here knows how to run through walls, I have no clues on how we're supposed to do that."

"Are you sure, Grendel? Because…I think I have an idea. I'm sensing several small energies throughout this room, can you confirm?" Xavier asked.

"Small…energies?" Lilybeth asked. When she looked again, she could notice them better. "Ah! Those small energies!"

Several globes of white energy were floating up and down in the room. Apart from those small repetitive movements, they didn't seem to float around, so their positions were solid.

"Oh! What are those bouncing balls?" Valdric wondered.

"They look…cute," Ayuri commented, a bit ashamed to admit it.

"So, what? Are these our tools to reach the other side? I don't think they can be touched or anything. I…don't even think we can reach them from here." Faris asked.

"Hmm…maybe we don't exactly need to reach them." Xavier wondered as he came closer. From his perspective, the energy presence was small but…particular.

He could feel a few particles that intended that, while they couldn't be touched, those globes could be…interacted with.

By analyzing those…Xavier had the feeling that…he could still do something with them. Then…

Ding!

"Oh! Of course!"

"What did you get?" Grendel asked.

Sir Percival stood ready. "Look carefully! Even if it's a bit ironic coming from me." He warned. "Soul of Ash: Lightning!" He quickly became a bolt of lightning, aiming at the globe…which started the miracle.

Suddenly, as if they worked as tunnels, the globes connected Xavier with one globe and another, forming a track of light that led Xavier to the other side.

"WOAH!" Everyone exclaimed.

Xavier could feel that he was standing in another spot, so he turned around and waved with a smile. "Ah ah, it worked!"

"Now I get it! These globes serve as handholds of this room! And it seems that they can guide us through magic!" Valdric realized.

"This means that…if we use our magic on it, they can lead us to the other side like it happened with that blind guy," Ayuri added.

"Uhm…about that we have a problem. I have a Holder-Type magic, and I don't know if Seethe here can do something about it." Lilybeth said.

"Nope." The small sword confirmed.

Grendel snorted and came closer. "Alright, no need to worry. Get on my back."

"Ah, w-what!?" Lady Galahad asked, embarrassed.

"Do you want to remain here, or what?" Lady Gaheris told her, not wanting to waste time.

"Oh, no!" Surely, Lilybeth would have never made her angry and did as she said.

As soon as she put the smaller girl onto her back, Grendel's body started to get surrounded by an orange aura. "Hold on tight. Groundbreaker!" She delivered an axe kick toward the globe. In her case, she put her foot on top of the globes and by using the spell, she was able to jump between one globe and another to reach the other side.

"I-Impressive…" Lilybeth commented.

"Ok, you can get off now." Grendel quickly ordered her, making her do so.

"T-Thank you."

Grendel looked elsewhere, not wanting to show herself embarrassed. "Think of an idea next time, ok?"

Faris quickly resumed her typical smirk. "Oh, so it's like that? Because if that's the case, I have the perfect energy to reach the other side!" She spoke. Her body was already covered in electric shockwaves, and in less than a second, she dashed covered in crimson energy. She bounced between one globe and another, almost like a flipper, and quickly reached the other side.

Ayuri was impressed by the showcase of energy they were putting. But since he was on the same boat, he could be no less.

"Ok…so it works like this?" Ayuri used the Titan's Grasp to extend his arm. He could feel his hand attached to the globe and so…he let himself go. He found out that he could use the globes as handholds and move between them to reach the other side. After a few seconds, he was on the other side. "That felt…weird. I almost looked like a king of the jungle."

"What about you, Valdric?" Xavier asked.

"No worries! I won't even have to use the globes! Take a look!" The young knight said. "Burning Angel's Gift!" By using the spell, he made himself two angelic wings made out of golden fire that he used to fly on the other side. "There! Less than ten seconds!"

"W-What did you say? Angel Slayer!? I've never heard of it!" Xavier asked, impressed, and even a bit scared since…well, he was talking about angels.

"Yes! I've got it after a long story, but it helps me a lot!" Valdric replied. When he turned around…he could see that Faris and Grendel were looking at him extremely annoyed. "Uhm…are you ok?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU USE THOSE WINGS TO BRING US TO THE OTHER SIDE!?" They both shouted.

Valdric didn't understand what they said at first, but he later realized it. "O-Oh! Right…that…didn't come on my mind immediately eh eh…uhm…what's with the weapon?" His question was useless. They were already beating him down. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"HEY, HEY, STOP!" Xavier intervened to make them stop, while Lilybeth and Ayuri had to look in silence, with the latter trembling.

"Eh eh…welcome to Round Table." That was all Lilybeth could say with a drop of sweat coming down from her head.

2 minutes later…

Somehow, they all calmed down, even if it took a bit longer to make Faris and Grendel apologize. All that mattered was that they were on the other side. The jingle from before confirmed that they solved the riddle.

"Well, all that is left is to open this chest and see what's in it!" Xavier said.

"Ah, wait! What if it's one of those traps that look like treasure chests? What was their names again…uhm…mimic?" Lilybeth asked.

"Don't worry, I can guarantee that this is not the case!" Valdric told her. "Mimics usually have their chain rounded, while this chest has it linear."

"You know something about it?" Faris asked him.

Valdric looked elsewhere with a nervous smile. "Let's say…I had a few experiences with them."

Once they had the confirmation, Xavier opened the treasure chest, which was a bit empty…if not for a small piece of key.

"Really? What are we going to do with that?" Grendel asked.

"Wait…wasn't the bigger door closed by a giant lock? Maybe this is a piece for the key!" Lilybeth answered.

"Uh…uhm, forget I said anything." The blonde girl ended.

"This means we did it!" Valdric said happy.

"It seems so! We should head back from the others now. Valdric, Ayuri, you're both free to come with us!" Xavier said. "Oh, right! I'm Xavier Ahriham, powerful demon prince! These are Grendel Hellebores, Lilybeth Abernathy, Faris Lacrima and Grendel Hellebores."

"Pleasure to meet you all…" Ayuri simply replied.

"That's right." Faris looked at Ayuri. "So, your name is Ayuri, correct?" She asked before winking. "I'll make sure to not forget it."

Ayuri couldn't help but feel…tremendously confused.

"…Why did she look at me like that?"

And so…the first trial was passed.

---

Another group, consisting of Lunafreya, Vivienne, and Galtier went to another door.

"Quite funny that you, of all people, went with us, don't you think?" Vivienne asked with a smile.

"Well…I just ended up with you while the others scattered that's all." The young man explained. "It's actually on purpose. I need to make sure to give the queen a good first impression…"

"So…where did we end up?" Lunafreya wondered as she looked around. Although there wasn't much to see, except for one small particular.

The room they ended up in was actually small. The dome was slightly opened there, so there was enough sunlight to illuminate a platform with treasure chests. Around…fifty of them.

"Oh my God! Look at all these treasure chests!" Vivienne exclaimed.

"Are…are we sure we didn't end up at the heart of the forest and this is the secret?" Galtier added.

"N-No, come on guys, there has to be an explanation for this." Lunafreya tried to calm them down. "Though…the idea of all these chests having money is tempting…" Then, her attention was caught by a gibberish sound. "Uh?"

When she looked down, she could see a small Shushi Shushi spirit, waving its hand at her.

"Oh hi, little guy!" Lunafreya kneeled to look at it better. "Are you the keeper of this room?" She asked. The small forest spirit nodded happily.

"Oh! This must be one of those rooms where we have to play a game, then!" Vivienne realized.

"This feels so odd to say…" Galtier thought. "So, little one, what do we have to do?"

To make itself be understood, the Shushi Shushi went toward the chests and with its tiny arms, imitated the action of opening them and made a circular form later on.

Vivienne seemed to be the only one to understand what it was trying to say. "We need to open the chests…and one of them has the thing to solve the game?"

The small spirit nodded.

Galtier sweated a bit upon that affirmation. "We'll surely take a while considering that there are around fifty of them."

"Well, there doesn't seem to be any problem, since it's just us," Lunafreya assured. "Come on, let's split up the lines! We should make it quicker this way."

With that simple order, they started to open the chests. And just as they'd expect, many of them were empty.

"We should have brought at least someone else with us..." Galtier said to himself while opening one of the chests, where he found…what seemed to be a red buzzer. "Uh?"

BZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Ca-Clunk!

When he opened the chest, the buzzer made a loud noise that closed all the chests.

"Uh!?" Lunafreya and Vivienne were stunned to see what happened, while the Shushi Shushi laughed a bit.

"W-What happened!? Why did all the chests close up suddenly!?" Lunafreya asked.

"I don't know! I just opened a chest with a buzzer in it and…oh..." Galtier found a solution of his own, which made him turn to the Shushi Shushi nod.

Vivienne already started to sweat. "O-Ok, we just need to avoid that box next time."

Lunafreya sighed. "Come on…let's try again." And so, they did.

For a while, it went well. Around seventeen chests were open…but then…it was Vivienne who found a chest with a buzzer inside of it.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Ca-clunk!

"Ah, dammit!" Vivienne exclaimed. "Sorry guys!"

"Hey, it's ok! We just need to avoid that chest alongside…" Lunafreya wanted to assure her but a dreadful thought came to her mind. "Uhm…Galtier? Where was the other chest with the buzzer?"

"Oh, it was…" Galtier wanted to answer but…he couldn't. Instead…he realized something terrible. "…It was…"

Vivienne gulped. "G-Galtier?"

"I…I don't remember…I think I forgot!" The boy admitted.

That alone…made them realize the sense of the game.

They needed to find the right chest within those fifty chests. But among the chests, there were a few of them with red buzzers. If they're opened, they make all the previously opened chests close again.

So…other than opening the chests…they needed to remember which ones had the buzzer.

And so…like the player 456 of a killing game who realized that he had to play caramel to survive…they raised their head, which went pale for the pressure, and altogether…they could think of one sole phrase.

"We're fucked…"

It took them a lot of time…

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"ACK!"

And a lot of trials…

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"DAMMIT!"

But it was the only way they could solve the game, like everything else in life, really. There come times… when the only thing that can save you is your memory…

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"OH COME ON!"

But when the pressure comes up…it's difficult to have a clear mind, the third trait of the samurai.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"FUCK!"

And when you don't have a clear mind…even your memory can play some dirty tricks.

"Ok…I think this didn't have the buzzer…so let's give it a look…"

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"AAAASSS!"

Just like it was in their case.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"CUNT!"

The chests were full…and they had a hard time figuring out which one had the buzzer. But every trial…put them right back at the beginning.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Galtier at one point…simply lost it. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUUUUCK!" He shot a burst of energy at a distant wall, out of frustration. And in all of this, the Shushi Shushi almost lost breath for the laughs.

A long time later, the three knights all lay down, looking at the ceiling of the dome. They couldn't bring up something to say for a good two minutes. The energies…were starting to leave them.

The Shushi Shushi leaned its head curious.

"…Your Majesty…Lady Vivienne…" Galtier then said.

Lunafreya and Vivienne simply raised their eyeballs.

"I…think I owe an apology. To both of you." The man continued.

"For what?" They both asked.

"…It's my fault that we're here. I…wanted to prove to you what I could do as a member of the Ceulfan family and as such…I brought you to this mission. I was so convinced to join but…it's clear that maybe it was beyond our grasp. I just…wanted to prove myself, that's all." Galtier admitted with a sense of guilt. "I just can think of Mother's face when she finds out that my first mission was a failure."

"Hey…Galtier." Lunafreya then called him. "It's all right. It happens."

"What? How can you say so?" Galtier asked.

"What, did you think that just because I'm a queen, I'd be infallible and set expectations high on you?" Lunafreya asked with a smile.

"I can assure you that Luna here is the last person to be like that. She still gets embarrassed when she gets revered!" Vivienne added.

"Your Majesty…" Galtier whispered.

Lunafreya stood up with her back. "I know well how it feels to put expectations high. I am the queen of a kingdom, after all. So, it's only natural that someone may think of me as some high and imposing figure, but truth be told…I'm definitely not like that. I got the crown very earlier than what it should have been and as such...I still make a lot of mistakes! You should see me when I try to come up with new directives for the lords' chamber! Not even Vivienne here is perfect! She's the royal sorceress and she blew up the city several times!"

"Yeah, I sometimes exaggerate, I admit it," Vivienne confessed, trying to look elsewhere.

"But the point is…that it's normal to make mistakes. That's why I founded the guild in the first place. To improve myself! I've created Round Table to become better and give other people the opportunity to become better people. And I think that this includes you."

"Your Majesty I…" Galtier didn't know what to say.

"If anything…I could ask someone like you to improve my noble impression." Lunafreya admitted.

"W-What!?" Galtier exclaimed.

"Yeah, you who has such a sophisticated manners and look! I mean, look at me! Even if I wear this armor, I'm still a teenager! Well…technically a Young Adult, but you get the point! If…you could help me to improve how I should use my noble etiquette…it could be something I could be eternally grateful for."

Galtier stood up. "Well…You're my queen. It would be an act of insubordination to refuse." He spoke.

Lunafreya smiled and stood up as well. Vivienne joined them.

"All right, I think that the tension made us crumble for a while, but I still didn't hear one of us saying that we were going to give up, correct? Even if we're all flawed, we can continue and find the right way!" The royal sorceress suggested. "Buuut…I think that what we need to do first…is a comfort hug to relieve the stress."

Lunafreya didn't think twice and did so. She was always happy to hug Vivienne, since, apart from being her teacher, she was basically a second mom to her. "You can join in, you know?" Vivienne proposed with a grin.

Galtier, despite his cool appearance…couldn't resist. The stress was too much, and joined in a manly and tight hug.

"So, how about it? Shall we resume our search for the right chest?" Lunafreya proposed.

"But…how are we going to remember which chests have the buzzer?" Galtier asked.

"Well…" To answer that, Vivienne took out a block note. "We'll simply have to note them!"

Galtier looked stunned for a moment…and felt stupid. "…Oh…How could I not think of it?"

And so…the trick worked. When you can't rely on your memory…the only thing that you can do is to keep it in writing.

Slowly…the times when they got the buzzer were less frequent. By writing the number and the line where the buzzer chests were, the three mages could reduce the number of the chests and avoid them for good.

Finally…on the verge of commotion, almost all the chests were opened. Only two of them remained.

"We did avoid all the buzzer chests, right?" Galtier asked.

To confirm it, Lunafreya looked down at the notes, which seemed to match what they did. "Yes! What we need to beat the game is inside one of these two chests! But…which one?"

The Shushi Shushi was curious to see how that was going to end.

Vivienne came closer and gave it a look at both of them, standing side by side. They were practically identical, and they avoided the buzzer ones so one pulled the other.

"Hmmm…" After a few moments, she looked at one of them. "I think it's this one!" She went to open it.

Lunafreya and Galtier looked better to see if there were no troubles…only to find one. But it wasn't about a buzzer.

The chain was rounded.

This alarmed both of them, who tried to warn her. "VIVIENNE, DON'T!"

The Shushi Shushi made a sound similar to an 'uh oh'.

But it was too late. She already opened it. "Uh? What do you-" Before she could end the line, Several sharp fangs and a red tongue appeared on the chest, which grabbed Vivienne with one bite and tried to swallow her. "AAAAAH!"

"VIVIENNE!" Lunafreya and Galtier exclaimed, running to rescue her.

"MFMFMFMFMMFFFF!" While cursing how disgusting it was, Vivienne struggled with all that she could to get out of the mouth, but the treasure chest, revealed as a mimic, wasn't going to let it happen.

"NGHHHHHHH!" Both Lunafreya and Galtier used all their strength to pull their friend out. " .GO!"

"AAAAAH!" Luckily, they were able to do so, although the royal sorceress was not that nice to see, as she was soaked all in saliva. "Eugh!"

The mimic felt annoyed at how they took away its meal, and as such, it stood up, revealing a tall body with long arms and legs.

"…GEE, THANK YOU! I DIDN'T NEED TO SLEEP TONIGHT!" Lunafreya complained.

"GRAAAAAH!" The Mimic didn't lose time and attacked the trio, forcing them to jump.

"Holy Sword God's Judgement!" Lunafreya summoned two blades of light that impaled themselves on the Mimic's body.

"Stardust Shower!" Vivienne quickly generated several golden stars that she threw against the mimic to push it away.

Galtier, on the other hand, created a spear of ice and enchanted it to make it tougher. "Ice-Make: Frostbite Lance!" He didn't hesitate as he threw it at the mimic, who got impaled again. But even this didn't seem to make him fall.

"How resistant is that thing is!? Its body looks like a literal toothpick!"

The mimic glared at them…Vivienne, in particular.

Lady Merlin quickly raised her scepter. "OH NO! I DON'T INTEND TO SATISFY YOUR VORE FANTASIES!"

Lunafreya quickly looked at her. "Vivienne, you know that term…?"

"I know many things, unfortunately…" The sorceress concluded.

With a roar, the mimic ran toward the three mages, ready to resume its attack, but right at that point…

"Nightwalker: Clawcutter."

"Uh?" A spell's pronunciation made the three mages turn around, where they saw a pile of smoke right behind them. But it didn't seem negative for them.

From the smoke, what seemed to be a large ghostly owl with glowing eyes came out and started to fly around the mimic, keeping on attacking it with its claws.

"What's with that owl?" Lunafreya asked.

"That…doesn't seem normal. I can sense a particular magical energy coming from it, almost like…" Galtier observed, realizing it. "A familiar! Wait…so this is…"

Vivienne slightly widened her eyes in bewilderment. "…Witchcraft…"

"SKREEEEEE!" The owl didn't hesitate and kept on moving around the mimic, keeping on giving it claws. The fake treasure chest tried to grab it with its long tongue, but the howl simply flew high and then dived against it, making it fall to the ground.

"Smoke Sword." The voice from before pronounced another spell. From the pile of smoke, several swords were generated, which were thrown all at the mimic's body, ending it for good.

"Skreeee!" The owl flew back toward the smoke, and the three knights could turn around to see…who suddenly came to their aid.

They could hear footsteps coming closer. The knights tightened their weapons as they didn't know what was coming.

Vivienne in particular was holding her scepter tight, not liking a bit of that energy that she recognized.

A silhouette could be seen, alongside that of the owl that seemed attached to the back of the figure.

"I should have guessed that this forest's silence wouldn't have lasted forever. It would have brought me somewhere one way or another. And it looks like it brought me to…someone." A voice spoke out. A deep feminine voice…which was followed by the full appearance, which surprised a bit the mages of Round Table.

It turned out to be a woman of above-average height standing at 185 cm with a curvaceous plus-size build and an hourglass figure. She was a dark-skinned woman with black lipstick and fingernails, who had completely blackened eyes, curly eyelashes, and thick eyebrows. She also had long snow-white hair that reached to her mid-back; it was incredibly dense and curly and seemed to have muted purplish flowers growing from it. Alongside a large chest and buttocks, she possessed pointed ears, pitch-black eyes, and most peculiar of all a right arm made entirely of compressed vines and leaves coiled together like muscle fibers the same color as the flower growing from her hair. She wore a black dress with no shoulders and with gold lining. This dress included kimono sleeves that stopped around the middle of her forearms and the collar of the dress was golden ruffles, exposing the top of her chest. In the middle of the dress, she wore a golden sash and she had a standard black witch hat with a golden dress of a snake wrapping it. Like said before she didn't wear no shoes or socks. She had golden snake bite piercings on her lower lips, golden hoop earrings, a golden clip earring in her left ear, a golden choker around her neck, and an old string necklace of a snake skull.

The woman looked at them with a particular giggle as she gently stroked the owl. "Though to be fair…of all people…I didn't expect to meet you, Queen Lunafreya."

Vesta Venator – Monster of Monsters

Vivienne immediately went in front of the queen. "Stay back! I don't intend to let you trick us!" She exclaimed.

The witch, known as Vesta, looked surprised. "Tricks? Now…I wish for you to not jump to hasty conclusions…"

"Hasty conclusions!? Do you think that in all of my years of studying magic, I don't know what you are capable of!? Don't think you can mask it that easily! I could smell it from here! That smoke you're using is witchcraft!" Vivienne accused.

"Yes…but tell me, white mage. Am I using it against you right now?" Vesta asked, keeping her composure.

"I…uh…well…" Vivienne didn't want to lower her guard, but she didn't know how to answer.

Vesta kept on stroking her owl like nothing. "If I wanted to harm you, I would have done it already, bringing upon a fight. But that was surely not my intention. You're right about keeping your defenses high, but please…let me assure you that I don't have any intention of harming you in any way." She asked.

Vivienne's eyebrows were twitching. At this point, she expected her to use a spell to hypnotize them but she didn't. "I don't get it, what's your game!?"

"Game? How can I convince you? There's nothing if not simple kindness!" The witch insisted.

Then…Lunafreya spoke up. "…Vivienne…"

"Luna?"

The queen looked at her. "Why such hostility?" She asked. Her tone didn't seem that of a hypnotized one, but rather a sincere one. "I mean…even if she was actually a witch, she still helped us against that mimic! Don't you think we should thank her?"

"Yeah but-" Vivienne wanted to retort, but Galtier intervened.

"She's right, Lady Vivienne. Let's show some respect." The man said before turning to Vesta. "Thank you for your assistance, miss…uhm…"

Vesta giggled. "Oh, right! I still didn't introduce myself." With those words, she came closer.

"GH!" Vivienne was getting more nervous. But all that Vesta did was grab her dress and make an elegant bow.

"You have no idea how much of a pleasure it is to meet you, Your Majesty. The name is Vesta Venator. And like your sorceress friend suggested, yes. I won't hide the fact that I am a witch. But stay assured that I don't go around throwing curses at princesses or kidnap kids to eat them."

"That's great to know! Also, no need for the bow, I'm just a normal mage right now, eh eh…" Lunafreya told her. "I also thank you for saving us. This one here is my royal sorceress and teacher, Vivienne Avalon, who is also my wing-woman for my guild Round Table!"

"Ecstatic." Vivienne sarcastically asked with her arms crossed.

To that, Vesta simply answered with a wink. Something that made Vivienne grit her teeth.

"GNGNGNGNGN!"

"And this one here is Galtier Ceulfan! He recently joined my guild." Lunafreya continued.

"A pleasure, lady. I couldn't help but notice the unicity of your magic affiliated with familiars…" Galtier noticed.

Vesta giggled. "The correct term would be witchcraft. But…if you're curious…I could give you a demonstration." With those words, she started to move her hands and gather several clouds of smoke around her, like a spiral. Skulls and other monsters seemed to be forming around her.

"Woah…" Both Lunafreya and Galtier whispered while Vivienne got more worried.

"Uh oh…this is real witchcraft…"

"Adding to my Witchcraft that allows me to summon familiars on my side…I'm also taught the ways of Smoke magic. It's a simple but effective type of magic that allows me to mold smoke in whatever form I wish." Vesta explained.

"So it's like a molding magic…but not entirely. Interesting indeed." Galtier commented.

Lunafreya on the other hand seemed…fascinated by it, to the point that she made a particular question. "Say…Vesta…what brought you to this forest?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing much. I was reaching the capital and…I ended up here accidentally. On my way out, I stumbled upon this room and assisted you." Vesta explained before grinning. "But judging by that smile, I assume that you want to know more of me."

"WHAT!?" Vivienne asked, looking at her former student.

"W-Well…" Lunafreya was curling her hair. "If it's not a bother to you."

"Oh, please. It's not like I have anything better to do. I don't mind following you for a while. Hanging out with the queen of Seven is not something you can brag about every day, after all!" Vesta replied. "Plus, considering that I was looking for you, this is just perfect."

"Oh, that would be-" Lunafreya was about to show her appreciation, but Vivienne quickly grabbed her shoulder.

"Vesta, dear! Could you give us a moment?" The royal sorceress asked before immediately turning around.

Confused, the witch looked at Galtier, who simply shook his head. "Forgive her."

"Luna, are you sure of what you're asking?" Vivienne whispered.

"Vivienne, I can't understand why you're being so hostile to her, she helped us!" Lunafreya fairly asked.

"You even need to ask!? She's a witch! We can never know what's with them! I thought I taught you well what they could try to do! Plus, don't you remember what Madam Mim tried to do with you when you were twelve years old?" Vivienne replied.

Lunafreya had a drop of sweat. "You…really pulled out that rival of yours that keeps on losing against you and that episode of nine years ago? Come on, Viv, you know the deal with that crazy lady! This seems with her head in the right place!"

"That's the point! We can never tell!" Vivienne insisted, but Lunafreya assumed a more serious tone.

"Vivienne! I don't intend to carry on this prejudice of yours. I'm happy that you are worried about me, but it's not good that you keep accusing someone who helped us."

This time, the royal sorceress flinched, knowing that she was upset. "…Yeah…sorry."

Lunafreya turned at Vesta with a smile. "We would be more than happy to have your company, Vesta! If you were to be close to Vivienne throughout the rest of this mission, I would really appreciate it!"

"WHAT!?" Vivienne exclaimed.

"To appreciate someone you need to hang with them, right?" Lunafreya asked with a wink.

Vivienne just couldn't believe it, but she also knew that she couldn't do much about it, so she sighed. "All right, you tricked me."

Vesta promptly came closer to her. "I hope there will be no hard feelings between us!" She spoke.

Vivienne already had a skeptical face. "I'll…try my best."

Galtier…simply looked at the scene in silence before clearing his throat. "Glad to see that things ended peacefully. Now back to our topic, I believe we have one treasure chest left."

"Oh right, the chest!" Lunafreya and Vivienne said it together. When they turned around, they could see it. The chest that made them curse so much.

When they opened it…it revealed the piece of a key.

Confused, Lunafreya looked at the Shushi Shushi. "Is this the goal?"

The small spirit clapped its hand in approval.

"Oh, glad to know! Now if you allow me…" Vivienne asked. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT ONE OF THE CHESTS WAS A MIMIC!?"

The spirit trembled and nervously shrugged as if it wanted to say 'whoops'?

Vivienne took a deep breath. "I think that after this, I'll have to start meditation again." Lady Merlin commented.

"Uh, meditation? Seems interesting! Mind if I join you?" Vesta asked.

"AAAAAH!" Vivienne got frightened at the idea.

All that was left…was simply Lunafreya and Galtier looking at the two magic women.

"…Say…Your Majesty…should I get used to seeing these types of scenarios as a new member of the guild?"

"Do you want the truth or the answer you want to hear?"

"The truth, please."

"Yes. Yes, you should."

"Oh, great."

---

And we're finally done! I honestly didn't know how long this chapter would have been, but then, since the first part turned out to be longer than expected, I decided to split this part of the Recruitment arc into two parts, so yes, there won't be any new OCs next chapter, but to compensate it, expect a lot of time spent on the rest of the cast! At least I didn't touch the 40k words this time XD Speaking of which, the idea of putting all the characters together was a last-choice moment! Originally, the only ones that were going to go to the quest were supposed to be Lunafreya, Vivienne, Alexis, Escanor, Ruina, Saoirse, and the new OCs introduced. But then, as I've hyped up the idea of the impossible quest and after listening to some Legend of Zelda OST, I've decided to engross things and come up with the idea of all the members up until now, which also reminded me of a bit of Shogunate Pride! And considering what I have in mind for the second part, our queen could use some extra help!

Also, this chapter signs up the first work of ToBlazePurple, Xavier's creator, as a co-writer! Yes, they proposed to me to co-write the story, and since there were some parts in the story that still needed to be cleared, he offered me occasional help to do so. When it comes to this chapter, he helped me out with the forest's name, Morphine's debut and even bringing the idea of a mission based on riddles and games as a break from all the battles! I've tried to put some rumble here and there, but I still like the direction we took! So, I sincerely thank them for the work they've done! I hope we can get more occasions like this!

Another notable issue is that there are some hints of ships here and there, this is the first time I put a more than the usual, but seeing how you were already liking all the ships you formed, I thought it could have brought you a smile to see the start of some of them!

Oh, and before I forget: in case someone misunderstood, Vivienne's prejudice was based on the sole fact that she was a witch. There wasn't any subtlety about Vesta being black and stuff. I'm not racist and I surely don't want to bring out bad misunderstandings. I hope this helped!

But of course, I leave the final opinion to you! Did you like the chapter? What are your opinions on the new characters? What other challenges do you think will appear? Will Vivienne learn to stand Vesta? What lies at the heart of the forest? As always, please sustain this story with reviews! Your opinion is important!

Now that I'm done with this chapter, as I promised, I'll focus on the Shogunate Pride one which is at a good point! If I work seriously as I did with this, I should be able to bring that sooner than expected! So I hope you'll hang in there for that!

One last thing I'd like to address: If you're one of the OC makers who still hasn't done it, let me know if you want to join the official Discord server of the story! If you're interested, contact me on DM and I'll give you everything you need!

And with this, I think we can part ways for now. I once again 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! For the luckiest ones (not me ;-;) I wish you a happy St. Valentine's Day! From Bluestar here, arrivederci!

OC Credits:

Galtier Ceulfan - Oscar From Shark Tale (RIP Akira Toriyama) (On Discord)

Valdric - The Almighty Lump

Ayuri Longinus - Hypoxychloride

Vesta Venator - Dennnpai