Virtue of the Shield Hero

by Allen Blaster

According to Newton's Third Law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Unfortunately, Naofumi and co will find this to be especially true after returning from their Otherworld trip. Rest of Summary inside. The third installment is here. Multiple pairings. Covers Season Three Territory and beyond. Arc 11: Chapter 39: Ninja Invasion

184. 31: Shield Party Filolials

So there were originally going to be two chapters today... butttttt this one is already almost 17k, and the next chapter is 20k, so... yeah. I'm not subjecting you all to that much reading.

Enjoy, and see you all again in two weeks!

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Chapter Thirty-One: Shield Party + Filolials

---

Home was great.

Home was fantastic.

There was no place better in the whole wide world than home.

But home was so, so…

"So, hungry." Blurghhhh…

Empty.

The small, blonde-haired angel girl lying on the couch moaned in agony as her stomach also voiced its displeasure at the same time as her mouth.

Besides the time she'd spent as a humming fairy in the Otherworld (on that note, the little girl also missed being able to fly a lot), it was normal for Filo to always feel perpetually hungry.

Rare were the times she could remember being full as a Filolial, even with Daddy trying his best to satisfy her immense appetite when she made him really happy. But these days, her hunger was hitting her especially hard.

She wasn't working more than usual. Actually, compared to when she was first born, she was pulling large heavy carriages far less, to the point where she volunteered to help ferry people or bring supplies to and from Seaetto during the day so she could spend some time pulling carriages again.

Sure, she also filled her time going out and hunting monsters to help raise people's levels. But the monsters here were so weak. She didn't even get a workout carrying five people around at this point thanks to her stats.

No, the real reason why Filo was so hungry was because…

"Why does Daddy have to be so busy?" Filo complained to the ceiling.

Yeah. With everyone else so busy, inevitably, Naofumi spent less time cooking meals for his family so he could make more time for other projects.

It was not intentional on the Shield Hero's part. He still cooked. He just cooked… less than he normally did. Making enough to feed everyone in the house twice or three times a day, with enough leftover for seconds (which Filo usually ate). But without thirds, fourths, or fifths, Filo didn't feel as if she was eating enough.

Sure, she could eat most of the monsters she found in the mountains, leaving just enough of the monster for Daddy or Spear Uncle to absorb, but Daddy's food was superior to anything else. Even Cat Guy's best attempts at the communal kitchen paled in comparison.

No offense to Cat Guy, but Cat Guy was not as good a cook as Daddy.

The front door opened, and a familiar bluette walked in. "Hey, Filo, how's it going?" Melty asked happily.

"Too hungry right now Mel." Filo responded with a groan.

"Ehhh?! But didn't we just eat breakfast an hour ago?!" The bluette asked in surprise.

"Yessss, but Daddy didn't cook enough againnnnn~!" Filo moaned as she held her stomach.

Blurrrrgggghhhhhh!

Melty's blue eyes widened in disbelief, and then worry. "Oh no! Do I need to get a doctor!?"

"Food. Filo just needs Daddy's food and Filo will live." Filo reached out towards the ceiling dramatically.

"Oh no, I don't know where Naofumi went! He and Hickwaal are so busy these days!" Melty looked around in worry, before her face brightened. "Wait, I know, I can find Motoyasu and he'll cook for you!"

…

Well, it was a bit better than Garfield's cooking, but…

"But Spear Uncle doesn't cook as good as Daddy." Filo whined.

… fair, I say.

The bluette girl crumpled in defeat. "I'm sorry. How I can help?"

"... Can Mel learn to cook as good as Daddy?" Filo asked in a tired, weak voice.

"... … …"

Melty stared at her best friend and sister for a moment, her eyes slowly blinking once.

"Um… that's a really hard ask there." She eventually said, rubbing a hand behind her neck.

"Right. Filo forgot, Mel is also pretty busy." The angel girl slowly shook her head and let out a long, depressed sigh.

Melty had actually been thinking about how she couldn't hope to ever cook as well as Naofumi, but she didn't bother to correct her best friend on that detail.

"Everyone Filo knows, be it Daddy, Mommy, Tiger Guy, Strawberry Girl, Fitoria, and more are busy doing stuff. And there just isn't enough time to make Filo enough food anymore."

…

Melty felt really torn. She'd originally come to the house to grab some important documents she'd been studying the previous night… BUT HER BEST FRIEND WAS SUFFERING AND SHE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP!

And, actually...

"Now that you say it… I don't feel like I had enough for breakfast either." Melty patted a hand to her stomach.

Grrr…

Yep, she'd been spoiled by Naofumi's cooking too. Especially with how much he'd made when he first returned. It didn't help that Filo eating a lot made the princess want to eat a lot too.

Then again, with how busy and active Melty's new schedule was, she probably needed the extra calories.

"Now that I think about it, Garfield wouldn't be cooking right now either, since he spends most of the morning and afternoon training his therianthrope form these days." Melty then said to herself as she pondered what to do.

…

Huh, so not even Cat Guy was available to cook then?

That… didn't sit well with Filo. It wasn't just Daddy or Spear Uncle or Mel or the others in Filo's family: everyone else in town was busy too.

Could… could that mean that it wasn't just her and Mel who were constantly hungry either?

…

…

…

Ding!

Filo suddenly sat up straight, a bright look on her face. "Wait, Filo knows what Filo can do!"

"Eh?!" Melty fell back from where she'd sat on the couch, but within seconds, Filo was right in front of her face.

"If Daddy and the others are too busy to cook, then Filo will have to cook for the town instead! That way Filo can satisfy Filo's hunger and everyone else's at the same time!" The filolial girl exclaimed, a burning passion blazing in her eyes.

…

…

…

…

…

"Eh?" Melty said in confusion.

"Come on, Mel! Filo's going to need to gather some help for this!" Filo, eyes still blazing with passion, grabbed her best friend by the hand before running for the door.

…

"EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Melty screamed in confusion as she was dragged along.

---

"Alright! Listen up, everyone! Today, Filo's going to teach you all to cook just like Filo's Daddy!"

"Hmmm, Rikka isn't sure if Rikka's Tyrant Eye is suited for cooking?"

"Filo dragged Blue away from Blacksmithing Guy for this?!"

"Oooh! Amber's been wanting to learn how to cook for Blondie and Blondie's future mates!"

"Rafu!"

Filo stood in the center of the empty communal kitchen on a stepstool. A chef's hat rested on her head and a ladle was held in one of her hands.

Standing in front of her were the other three Filolial Royals, whom she'd grabbed and brought here. Ren's friends were confused or angry about why they were there. Amber, on the other hand, was bursting with excitement.

And of course, standing on the nearby counter as the lovely assistant was Raph-Chan. Sporting a tiny chef's hat of her own and posing cutely for attention.

"Rikka, Blue, and Amber must be suffering from hunger pains just like Filo, correct?!" The short angel girl pointed forward with her ladle dramatically as she spoke.

…

At first, she was met with silence, the three Royals staring at her, until…

Bluuuuurrrrrrrggggghhhhh…

All three looked down at their tummies at the same time.

"Yeah." "Yes." "Rikka's Tyrant Eye needs more sustenance." The three Royals admitted.

"Blondie doesn't cook nearly enough anymore with S'yne and Nice Orca Lady eating so much." Amber sighed.

"Noodle doesn't have the energy to cook to begin with. Blue has to eat here a lot when Blue isn't out hunting." The short preteen agreed with a pout.

"And Awesome Cool Hero's Mate doesn't cook very often," Rikka added.

Filo nodded. "And Cat Guy has been very busy as well. Which is why Filo proposes for Filo, Amber, Blue, and Rikka to cook for everyone today!"

"... but Filo, how do you expect Amber and the others to cook?" The orange-haired girl asked.

"The only fires Blue has handled are with Blacksmith Guy. And those fires are too hot for food."

"Hmmm, would cooking make Awesome Cool Hero's Mate more motivated to teach Rikka the magic of dragons?" Rikka asked.

"Ew, no." Filo made a face at Rikka's question, before smiling brightly at the other Filolials. "And no need to worry. Daddy taught Filo many things about cooking while in the Otherworld! And Filo has Little Sis here to help Filo out!"

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan proudly saluted.

"Along with that!" Filo turned a chair around, revealing a still confused-but-also-kind-of-happy-looking Melty who'd been sitting silently and admiring the group of Royals from the background. "Mel has agreed to be the taste-tester for everything we make!"

"Wha- but you never told me-" Melty started to say in surprise.

"Now, put on your white hats!" Filo's eyes blazed with passion and determination once more as she pointed at the Filolial Royals before her again.

"WE'VE GOT SOME COOKING TO DO!"

---

You'd expect with the current group in the kitchen that everything would be in complete and total chaos. Messes going on everywhere and everyone having no idea what they were doing under the current head chef.

You'd be right, in part. It certainly did look chaotic.

"Blue, knead more flour into that dough! Otherwise, it'll stick to the pan and be a pain to work with!"

"Ok!" Blue nodded his head, following the instructions Filo gave him to the letter.

"Amber isn't cutting the vegetables or meat chunks thin enough! They won't make a fine broth if they take too long to boil!"

"Sorry, Amber will get on it!"

"Rikka, Filo likes the smell! Keep up the good work!"

"Ahahahaha! Nothing's too much for Rikka's Tyrant Eye!" The brunette laughed evilly while stirring a mixture of spices Raph-Chan had added to her large pot.

"Rafu!"

Filo, after making sure the others were fine, checked on the sauce she had in a pan on the stovetop. She let the sweet smell of concentrated strawberry oranges fill her nose for a moment before she dumped another cup of sugar Daddy had gotten from the Otherworld into it. Mixing it and making the jam inside thicker than before.

She took some out with a fresh spoon, licking a little off like Daddy had taught her, and smiled wide at the taste.

Daddy was right! The more sugar, the better! This would go perfectly with the crepes Blue wanted to make!

She then licked off the rest of the spoon, putting it in the sink before moving on to her next thing. A dish she had sizzling in a large flat pan.

She flipped what was inside over, finding the other side a nice brown.

Smiling, Filo quickly put a cutting board in front of her, took some dough, flattened it out, cut it into strips, and then placed a ball of meat in the center, before rolling up the dough around it, dumping what was in the pan into a large bowl, and then adding the fresh dumplings she'd put together onto the pan, as well as a fine layer of oil to make sure they cooked just as well as the previous batches.

This was all rapidly done in seconds. Stats truly were no joke, especially when it came to someone who knew what they were doing.

"Mel! Filo's first batch of dumplings is ready! Filo wants Mel to taste!" The girl yelled as she took another pan she'd set to cook minutes earlier off the stove, after flipping the dumplings to make sure both sides had cooked evenly.

"What kind of meat is in these?" Melty asked hesitantly.

"Filo used Usapil for these!" Filo smiled brightly as she took one of the fresh dumplings off the top with a fork, dipping it in what Daddy had called 'soy sauce' before handing the fork to the bluette.

Melty studied it curiously. It didn't look as carefully crafted as what Naofumi would make. But she took a bite regardless.

"MMM!" Her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly wolfed down the rest of it. "This is so good! It's almost as good as Naofumi's! I didn't know you could cook so well, Filo!"

"Ehehehe! Daddy taught Filo a lot in the Otherworld! Filo was just too busy to cook lately since Filo was catching up with all of Filo's friends or eating Daddy's cooking!" The angel girl posed proudly.

Behind her, one of the pots caught fire. "Ack! Too much fire! Too much fire!" Amber panicked.

"Whatever Amber does, don't use wind magic to put it out!" Filo suddenly turned around, fear in her eyes.

"Eh?! But Amber doesn't even know how to use Wind Magic!" The girl cocked her head in confusion while trying to fan the flames with a cloth.

"I've got it!" Blue shouted. "As the smartest Filolial to ever live I command thee! Decipher the laws of nature and launch a ball of water at my target! Fast Aqua Shot!"

"Nooooo-" Rikka tried to stop the spell, but it was too late.

Swoosh!

On the bright side, the fire was put out.

On the downside, Amber's broth went flying everywhere.

"Fast Wind Barrier!"

Luckily, Filo's spell appeared in time, keeping the broth from ruining anything else besides the stovetop underneath.

"... oops. Sorry." Blue rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Amber's shoulders sank as she began to pout sadly. "Amber's going to have to start all over again now."

"Not to worry! Trial and error as Daddy would say!" Filo said reassuringly. "Come on! Let's clean up and get back to it! There's many tasty dishes to be made, Filo says!"

At the use of the familiar phrase, Amber perked up. "Yeah, there's still plenty Amber can make for Blondie, Amber says!"

And just like that, the group got back to work.

Filo kept a close eye on everyone's projects as she helped direct them through the process.

They started with one thing at a time at first, but she gradually moved on to assigning the other royal Filolials more and more complex things to make as they became more comfortable.

"Why is Filo mashing that up instead of putting them in the oven like the others?" Amber asked curiously.

"Because Daddy taught Filo how to peel these and soften them up before putting a really good brown sauce on top!" Filo answered excitedly. Her hands didn't stop from mashing what she was pretty sure Daddy had called 'potatoes' in the Otherworld.

It was a good thing the Bio-Plants in this world grew them too. Also weird that he called them potatoes instead of potato-like things like Daddy normally did with other foods. Maybe potatoes were just one of those universal foods?

Either way, the baked version, which she put some shredded cheese and little meaty bits into, as well as the mashed version with gravy, were both placed before Melty, as well as noodles Amber had mixed with the broth she made, recalling how Motoyasu had made them, and the crepes Blue had put together with the sauce Filo cooked, as well as Rikka's Quiche, which looked a bit weird but smelled delicious. And much more.

Melty's eyes sparkled at the feast they were placing before her. This was truly a dream come true, I say!

She tasted everything placed before her, sometimes unable to help herself as she ate a whole baked potato, several crepes filled with thick and sugary strawberry orange jam, a whole bowl of meat and veggie-infused noodles, slices of bread, other kinds of dumplings dipped in soy sauce, a meat pie, several sandwiches made with the bread Filo baked, a slice of Rikka's quiche, and more.

After around an hour of taste tests, the poor bluette laid back in her chair. Her stomach was bloated, and a groan came from the girl who couldn't eat another bite.

"So, Mel, was all of it good?" Filo asked hopefully.

"Mmmmmm…" The princess mumbled something since she couldn't respond, due to being on the verge of entering a food-induced coma. But she raised a single thumbs up with all the energy she could muster.

"Yayyyyyy~! Thanks, Mel has been a great help!" Filo clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan also cheered while dancing on the countertop.

"Does this mean we can eat now?" Blue asked, his mouth salivating as he stared at what was left on the table.

"Hmmm, Rikka doesn't think that'll be enough for everyone." Rikka stared at what was on the table.

"It'll make for a good snack though!" Amber said happily.

"Yep! Eat up! Because after this, the real work starts!" Filo said, smiling widely as the other Filolials looked back at her.

"The town is going to need waaaaaaay more food than this, and so are Filo and Filo's friends!" The girl's eyes reignited with the same burning passion as at the start. "And so, Filo will cook until Filo and the others can't eat anymore!"

The eyes of the other Royals widened, and then, excitement began to shake their bodies.

Enough food… to make their Royal forms feel full! On top of everyone else!

"Alright, let's get to it!" Amber shouted passionately.

"FOOOOOOOD!" Blue roared, devouring what was on the table while eager to get back to work.

"Hey, save some for Rikka! Ever heard the phrase ladies first?!" The brunette complained as she, Amber, and Filo dove in as well to feast on what was left.

"Boo! That only applies to humans!"

Melty slowly slipped into her food coma, full, and happy as her flock of friends made a mess in front of her.

---

Evening came for the Hero's Nation, with many residents returning from Seaetto, after their hunts, fishing trips, training, leveling, and various other things.

The first thing on many of their minds was food. Garfield, in particular, was returning to the kitchen at last.

The cat man let out a sigh. He'd lost track of time. He should have been back two hours ago to make sure everything would be ready for his apprentices when they returned from classes with Mr. Ramseed.

Thankfully, the menacing-looking man in question was actually still with them, acknowledging part of the delay as his fault and offering to help out in Lurolona, so everyone would be able to have dinner mostly on time.

"Hmm?" The sheep demihuman suddenly sniffed the air with a thoughtful expression. "I thought you said there was no one using the communal kitchen today, Garfield?"

The cat demihuman sensed it too then. What was that good smell? Had one of his apprentices returned early and decided to cook without him? No, everyone was there with him and Mr. Ramseed.

He felt oddly nervous about this. But the smell was good. Did someone decide to use the communal kitchen to cook for themselves while the usual staff was out to study in Seaetto?

…

…

"What the?!" Garfield yelled when he entered the communal hall.

The tables were stacked with food. Like, stacked. Almost all the way up to the ceiling.

The pots holding noodles and stews were massive, at least eight feet tall. Covered over by a red layer of fire magic that was keeping the contents inside warm.

The tables were already packed with other residents too. Including the kids and teens who sometimes helped Gar out at mealtime.

"Did you all do this?" Gar asked as he approached them.

"No, it was the Hero's Filolials!" One of the boys responded excitedly.

"I didn't even know they could cook!"

"So yummy!"

"CREPEEEEES!"

At another table, a dog girl fresh from class was devouring the strawberry orange crepes she'd stacked on her plate. Opposite her, Anya's eyebrows slowly raised up at Keel's reaction to the pastry.

Like, yeah. They tasted good. Anya was shoveling them down as well as everything else on her plate! But Keel was acting like she was addicted to the delicious dessert!

"More! I need more!" Keel, her plate already cleaned off, tried to jump for the dessert table, where even more of them sat in a massive stack.

"No! You'll get fat if you keep eating them!" Fohl hugged the maid tomboy from behind, restraining her to the table.

"Wouldn't that be a good thing though? Maybe it'd help Keel's chest to grow bigger." Anya jabbed from her spot.

"Huh- you think so?!" Keel yipped back at the cat girl excitedly, her happiness rising as well as the hug she thought Fohl was giving her.

"ACK! Don't put such weird ideas in her head!" Fohl whipped his head at one of his other friends as he let Keel go.

Keel's face fell in disappointment. Awwww, she wanted him to hug her some more.

Wait, she could easily fix that!

"I don't know if I'll grow as big as Raphtalia-san, but I'll definitely try my best!" Keel turned around and hugged the tiger boy's head to her chest, resting her head against his hair. It was handy that she was still a head taller than him, due to being in the middle of another teenage growth spurt.

"ACK- NO! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! HELP! HELPPPPPP!" Fohl screamed as he tried to pull his head away from the eager and happy dog girl and the two surprisingly soft mounds that he was currently in the process of being suffocated by.

Anya… could only stare in open-mouthed shock at her friend this time.

Then, she looked down at her plate, then at where Rishia was sitting next to Granny at another table.

And then, without a word, she got up with her plate, moving over to the green-haired girl and abandoning Fohl to his fate. There was no way in hell she was staying around for the fallout of this encounter.

"Mmmm, yes."

Garfield, still shocked at what he was witnessing, turned to the side at the sound of Mr. Ramseed's voice. The tall and imposing demihuman stood at a table filled with quiche, having taken a bite of the stuff. "Finally, some good %$#$ing food."

…

Garfield was inevitably dragged to the same table by his wife. And they sat down with the other party members of Itsuki's party to enjoy the feast that'd been laid before them.

If it even had Mr. Ramseed's approval, then there was no room for complaints.

"Eat up, everyone! Filo made sure to make plenty for everyone!" The angel girl cried out at the top of her lungs from the doors of the kitchen.

"Yayyyyyy!" The crowd of hungry individuals roared in gratitude.

Filo, smiling widely, then joined her other Filolial friends at the head table, where Melty sat.

The bluette was eating, though not nearly as much as earlier, as she was conscious of being put into another food coma again. She was also busy reading up on documents since she needed to make up for her time spent in said food coma.

Totally worth it though. She'd gladly do something like this again in a heartbeat.

As for Filo and the other Filolial Royals though, they ate like the Kings and Queens they were. It was hard to hold themselves back, especially as the mountain of food that they'd prepared grew bigger and bigger, but now that the feast had started, they were safe to partake.

It also helped that the food out here on the tables wasn't everything. No, they still had plenty sitting in the large kitchen that could be brought out at a moment's notice.

In fact, Filo, upon seeing how quickly the pile of crepes was disappearing, thanks to Keel and her friends feasting on them, stopped eating and dashed back into the kitchen. She then quickly came back out with another plate stacked almost to the ceiling with them, using wind magic to keep it all from tumbling to the ground.

After doing that, the angel-winged girl went back to devouring the stacked contents of her plate. And then the plate after that. And the one after that.

It was truly a feast in every sense of the word.

Eventually, Filo saw Mommy and Daddy enter, looking surprised as they also tried the dinner for themselves. And then, Filo's parents found her and sat next to her and Raph-Chan.

"Honey, were you the one to organize all this?" Naofumi asked, holding a half-eaten strawberry orange crepe in his hand.

"Mmhmm!" The girl nodded happily. "Does the food taste good?"

"It tastes wonderful!" Naofumi quickly gulped down the other half of his crepe before speaking again. "I'm just curious why you did all this yourself."

"Because Filo realized how busy Daddy's been lately. And then Filo realized that Filo hadn't done much cooking since coming home.

"And Filo thought that Filo hadn't been as busy as Daddy and Mommy lately. And so, Filo wanted to do something that'd help Daddy out…"

…

"Oh, and Filo was really hungry, so Filo wanted to make looooots of good food to eat!" The girl grinned happily.

"... heh." Naofumi chuckled. He reached out and patted his daughter on the head. "I'm sorry, I guess I haven't been cooking as much lately, with everything going on."

"It's ok, Daddy! It was about time Filo stepped up and did her share too!"

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan cheered on the side happily.

"I'm so happy I got to be Filo's tastetester today!" Melty almost began to bawl from happiness at how adorable Filo looked being headpatted by the Shield Hero.

The Shield Hero laughed, and after he was done head patting Filo, he gave Melty a headpat as well. "Thank you for assisting Filo. You're doing awesome, Melty."

"Oi! We helped Filo out too, you know!" Blue pouted from his seat, only to immediately be slapped in the back of the head by the Filolial Queen sitting next to him.

"Don't ruin their family moment." Amber chided the younger-looking boy.

"Why does everyone keep hitting me for voicing my opinions lately!?" Blue yelled in frustration.

"Everyone would hit Blue less if Blue acted as smart as he claimed to be," Rikka spoke dryly opposite her friend, before savoring the tasty Quiche she'd created.

Mmmmm, yes. Putting Griffon meat in it had been the best decision ever. Food was the only thing that race was good for, unlike dragons.

"BOO!" Blue's pout grew deeper and the boy went back to eating his crepes.

The Shield Family ended up sitting at the same table, enjoying the feast Filo and her friends had made. Motoyasu and his friends later joined them, though they sat on the other side of the table to enjoy the feast, giving Naofumi's family the space they needed.

And it was as they were eating together that something happened.

"Beg your pardon. Naofumi, right?"

The Shield Hero briefly looked away from his plate to see a tall sheep demihuman with wicked-looking curled horns looming over him.

The initial menacing image was then quickly ruined by the fact that the man held a plate with a partly eaten slice of Quiche on it. His fifth serving of it for the night.

"Huh? Oh! Yea, that's me. You're Hickwaal's personal cook, Mr. Ramseed, right?" Naofumi quickly recalled.

"Please, no need for formalities, just call me chef." The man shook his head before giving a subtle bow. "Hickwaal has spoken highly of you."

Naofumi smiled politely. "Sure thing, Chef. Hickwaal tells me you have a no-nonsense attitude in your kitchen. I look forward to seeing that for myself."

"Quite. I do try to control myself when children are involved, however. Speaking of which." The man returned the polite smile before his expression turned passive again. "I heard the one responsible for organizing this feast was your daughter?"

"Yeah. Filo really surprised everyone." Naofumi smiled proudly.

"Hmm?" Filo looked up from her plate then at the mention of her name and finally noticed the new arrival too. "Whoa! Horns!" She pointed at the sides of the man's head, making his stern expression soften into a warm smile.

"Hello, you must be Filo. The food here today is delicious." Mr. Ramseed grabbed the fork on his plate and took another bite of the Quiche with a pleased expression. "Did you cook it all by yourself?"

"Umm, well, not by myself. Amber, Blue, and Rikka all helped too, Horny guy!" The girl exclaimed happily.

Raphtalia nearly choked on her food. "F-filo! Language!" She managed to croak out.

Thankfully, instead of taking offense, Mr Ramseed just threw his head back and let out a loud thundering holler of laughter. "Oh, that's a new one! Your daughter has a wonderful sense of humor, Naofumi."

"Aha... yea. She sure does." Naofumi sweatdropped while Filo just looked confused.

Mr. Ramseed took that moment to briefly set his plate on the table and get down on one knee to get on the same level with Filo. He then extended his hand out for a handshake with a friendly smile. "You can call me Chef, Filo. Everyone else does."

"Oh um, okay, Chef guy." Filo blinked once and shook the man's outstretched hand.

"Hah, close enough." The sheep demihuman chuckled and withdrew his hand. "Do you like to cook, Filo?"

"Mhm!" The girl nodded enthusiastically. "It's super fun! And Filo loves being able to help out Filo's daddy!"

"Ah yes, I heard that he is quite a talented cook himself." Mr. Ramseed nodded at that before turning his head to face Naofumi again. "So you were the one who taught her then?"

"Just the basics, really," Naofumi responded humbly. "She took to it like a fish to water though, didn't you honey?" He then reached out with his hand to pat his daughter on the head again.

"Hehe! Daddy, Filo's not a fish, Filo's a Filolial!" The girl laughed.

The exchange made Mr. Ramseed's warm smile return. "How wonderful. Truly splendid. Are you planning to teach her more perhaps?"

"I'd love to, but I'm afraid my schedule is so full lately that I barely have enough time just to cook for my family normally, let alone turn it into a lesson. It's actually why Filo made this feast in the first place, she was hungry since I was only able to throw together a quick meal this morning." Naofumi explained as Mr. Ramseed listened attentively.

"I see. Yes, I can imagine your workload as one of the Cardinal Heroes must be quite extreme, Naofumi." The man nodded to himself.

It was at that moment that Naofumi suddenly realized that the chef had actually approached him by just his name, instead of any of his titles and all that nonsense, even though he was a demi-human.

Naofumi knew for sure at that point that the chef was a man that he'd get along with.

"That being said, would you perhaps be interested in sending Filo over to Seaetto to study in my class?" Ramseed suggested. "The campus is still being built, but I already teach cooking three times a week; on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, starting at ten. I can tell that Filo is quite talented, but I think I can help her and her friends learn a whole lot more, if they're interested." Mr. Ramseed looked down the table at the other Filolial Royals in attendance.

They weren't paying him any attention, too busy eating or talking amongst themselves to care about anything else going on.

"Oh! I didn't even think of that. I'm still getting used to the fact that we're about to open a community college of sorts." Naofumi realized with his eyes wide, before seriously giving it some thought. "I think that'd be great. What about you, Raphtalia?"

The tanuki nodded eagerly as well. "I think Mr. Ramseed would be the perfect person to help our daughter out! I've se- heard! I meant heard about how great he is in the kitchen!"

Naofumi looked confusedly at his wife friend, but the sheepman interrupted his train of thought with a chuckle.

"Please, please, just chef is fine." The man waved his hand in front of him.

"I admit, I kind of thought he was a combat trainer at first glance." Eclair coughed into her hand while Dou-Lon just snorted in response with a shrug before returning to his bowl of noodles.

Raph-Chan was too busy stuffing her face to respond but she didn't seem to protest either.

"And what about you, Filo? Would you like to study how to cook even better?" Naofumi then turned to the girl in question.

"Huh?" The filolial looked up from her plate again, having grown bored of the adults talking as soon as Mr. Ramseed had stopped addressing her earlier. "Mmmm, Filo would rather Daddy teach Filo how to cook… but if Daddy is busy then Filo guesses that Filo can learn from Chef Guy instead.

"But only as long as Daddy promises to make time for Filo from time to time as well!" The little girl then pouted up at her father.

"Of course, honey. We haven't been getting a lot of father-daughter time lately, have we?" Naofumi shook his head while hugging an arm around the young girl.

"Yayyyyyy~!" The girl began to cheer happily as she returned the hug, before suddenly stopping. "Wait! Just to make sure! Chef Guy is good at cooking, right?" Filo turned to look at Mr. Ramseed with a scrutinizing look.

"Filo, don't be rude!" Raphtalia chided her again.

Fortunately, the man didn't take any more offense to this than from Filo's last inappropriate comment and just laughed it off again before responding. "I do like to think that I know my way around a kitchen. No one ever complained about my cooking, that's for sure!"

"Ok! Then Filo will study hard!" The girl smiled happily, her blue eyes blazing with determination once more.

The feast continued after that. Filo, Amber, Blue, and Rikka would eat so much that they would end up full.

The leftovers after the people had eaten were given to the members of Fitoria's flock by them, filling them up as well.

It was truly a miracle, in every sense of the word. Everyone went to bed with full stomachs that night for the first time in a long time.

…

…

Well, except for Naofumi. But in his defense, he didn't go to bed till late that night for one sole reason.

And no, it wasn't because of Raphtalia.

When it was all said and done and the communal hall was cleaned up, the Shield Hero entered the kitchen to help with the dishes… and his right eye began to twitch when he saw the kitchen sink.

Or rather, was unable to see it, due to all the pots, pans, cooking utensils, measuring cups, etc.; covering it, the floor, and the counters around it.

Nearly half the kitchen was buried by the mess, which extended outside.

The stovetops were all a mess. With failed food experiments and food explosion stains covering a majority of the kitchen surfaces all around.

…

Also… after seeing the nearly empty pantry in the back…

"Filo, did you use all the sugar Daddy had here for the strawberry orange jam?" Naofumi asked in a faux-sweet tone.

"Yep! Filo and Filo's friends really cooked a lot of food, huh!" Filo responded happily.

…

…

…

…

…

'Fuuuuuuuuuuu…' Naofumi knew it'd been a bad idea to put the rest of the sugar he'd gotten in the Otherworld here. He'd thought there'd been enough bags stored away to last Gar and his apprentices months!

Filo had gone through all of it in less than a day though… and left him with enough dishes to drive him insane, not even including the rest of the cleaning he'd have to do.

…

Guess he'd have to ask Rat to make a Bio-Plant that made sugarcane or sugar beets… or hope that Ethnobalt came by soon with the opportunity for trade.

And he'd been so happy to add some sweetness to meals lately too…

In the end, Filo got to feel full as a Filolial for the first time in a long while… and even got to continue helping out in the communal kitchen when she wasn't busy with other things.

Filo and Amber would be the only ones amongst the Royals to accept Mr. Ramseed's offer. However, Amber only came by once a week for lessons to improve on what she was making for Blondie and Blondie's family at home.

Sometimes, Filo had Mel as a taste tester whenever she learned a new dish from her Daddy, or from Mr. Ramseed, who, true to his word, turned out to be almost as good as Naofumi.

Not quite as good. But Filo was admittedly a little biased, I say.

However, she had to be taught to limit how much she made so the Hero's Nation didn't run out of expensive ingredients again.

Thank goodness their new Hero Block business was coming just in time to patch up this hole in the town's budget.

---

"Blacksmith Guy, how does this look?"

"Hmmm." Jerry looked up from the hot rod of iron he was twisting repeatedly to examine the blue-haired preteen's latest creation, which he was holding above his head. "I'd say it's looking pretty good there, lad."

"Alright, let's see if…" Poof!

Clang! "Ow!"

Jerry quickly set the rod of rebar down as he got up to help the Filolial Royal who was hopping around, one wing clutching his clawed foot, which the filolial-head-shaped helmet he'd put together had fallen on. "Easy laddie! Ya don't want to hurt yerself more by jumping around in me shop!"

It took a couple minutes, and a transformation back to his human form, before the blacksmith had the bright kid sitting in a chair.

He carefully wrapped some cloth around Blue's bare foot, and once the pain finally lessened enough, Blue used water-healing magic to soothe the area.

Though it did nothing to heal his pride.

"Alright, how about this time, ya transform, and I help ya put that there helmet on?" Jerry offered.

"But I want to be able to transform with the armor falling into place when I do so." Blue pouted up at the Scottish man.

"So you can change in and out of it midbattle?" Jerry asked confusedly.

"No, because it'd look cool!" Blue explained matter-of-factly.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What? Doesn't Blacksmith Guy value looking cool too?!" The blue-haired angel boy asked.

"... it's nothing, laddie." Jerry shook his head, withholding a massive sigh as he did so. "Come on. Let's try putting it on the 'uncool' way first to see if it'd even fit that head of yours."

"Boo!"

Blue pouted at not being allowed to put it on the cool way, but after a little more coaxing, he did relent and transformed into his Royal form. Allowing Jerry to fit the head helmet on the Royal for him.

"Hmmmm," Jerry hummed in thought after fitting it on and tightening the straps. "I must say lad, while you have your… quirks, you did an impressive job on this. This fits the measurements of your Royal form almost to a T, just like the other pieces of armor you made for yourself."

"Duhhh! That's because Blue plans to be the greatest blacksmith ever after Noodle!" Blue proudly posed as he stepped back from the man. Flexing his wings in a way he thought made him look 'cool'.

Jerry chuckled this time. Setting aside his work for now, which was thankfully far more simple and easier for him to do. The nice and simple things like kitchin utensils was what he excelled at. Each passing day took him further away from being forced to single-handedly supply the town with arms and armor and he couldn't be happier about it.

The man went and grabbed the other pieces of armor Blue had made for his Royal form from around his shop and helped the preteen with putting them on.

It was very reminiscent of the armor that a certain panda woman wore in Zeltoble. A sort of round ball of plate mail with flexible portions for the legs, wings, and the short necks they as Royals had compared to the lesser Filolials and their long chocobo necks. And Blue had crafted each part of the set himself, without help from Jerry or the Sword Hero.

And when it was all finally put together:

Steel Filolial Armor Set

Quality: Good

Equip Effects: Defense Up (Medium), Agility Down (small), Slashing Resistance (Medium), Blunt Resistance (Small)

The damn kid even managed a good set of equip effects on the prototype armor. It had the one negative effect, sure, but honestly, it was really impressive that Blue had managed to do this much on a first of its kind.

In all, it'd taken Jerry about five minutes to dress Blue in his new set of armor. "Aight, what do ya think there, laddie?"

"Urgh, is it supposed to take this long to put on, Blacksmith Guy? Blue feels like he could have slain a whole horde of monsters already!" The Royal complained.

"Sorry, son, but it doesn't help that your Royal form ain't suited for dressing yourself in armor." The kind blacksmith shrugged.

"Blue really wants to find a way around that issue." The Royal pouted.

"Trust me boyo, many beastmen blacksmiths have been trying to find a way around that issue for therianthrope races for generations. Currently, the best the majority of them can do is clothes that transform with them.

"It allows for the user's magic stats to increase the clothing's effectiveness, sure, but I get where you're coming from. That doesn't help those who don't use magic one bit. And it doesn't really offer that 'basic' protection a set of plate armor gives ya."

"Mhm," Blue mumbled his agreement. "And then there's also… well, this."

Poof!

Blue transformed back into his preteen form.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

And all the pieces of armor he'd been wearing fell on the ground around him, with Jerry quickly jumping back to make sure nothing fell on his foot.

Blue frowned. "Unlike my clothes, that armor is only effective in my Royal form. Limiting my options in combat unless I want to shed it with a transformation."

"It'd also mean I'd have to start combat in my Royal form… and spend time putting it on with someone else's help before the battle ever started." Blue grimaced as he picked one of the pieces up.

Also, because he'd just transformed and let the pieces fall on the ground haphazardly instead of taking them off and treating them with care…

Filolial Armor Set

Quality: Average

Yep, some of these pieces had been of Great quality when he'd first finished them. But after a few falls like this, and the minor dents and scratches they'd accumulated from his brief use of them… the armor's effectiveness overall had decreased.

Maybe once he made one from a better material like dragon steel, he'd be able to afford to be more careless with the armor. But he was already pushing the limits of this material, making an armor set with a level requirement of twenty-eight- wait, twenty-five now, after that quality dip. And to think some of the pieces had a level requirement of thirty when they were first made.

"... you know, you could try making some weapons instead maybe? You do have the skill for it" Jerry suggested.

"Boo, Noodle's going to be making plenty of weapons once he recovers." The preteen pouted, before studying the helmet he picked up off the ground and frowning. "Blue just wants to make armor that'd be capable of protecting Noodle and Blue, as well as Blue and Noodle's friends."

While he'd want to claim a set of Filolial Armor was his idea… admittedly, it was because of Amber he was doing this.

Lately, his fellow Royal had really been taking on a knightly attitude alongside her motherly personality. Blue didn't mind it per say, it was certainly a more tolerable type of eccentricity compared to Rikka's… but what was it a knight needed besides a weapon?

Armor. Not a pretty dress, but nice, solid metal covering their body.

And Blue thought the idea of an armored Filolial rushing into battle was pretty cool- scratch that, it was epic! Beyond epic!

He could see it right now in his mind. Noodle rode on his back while he rushed into the frontline like a bowling ball, crashing over anyone in his way while Noodle exploded the rest with his awesome blade!

It sent chills down the middle-aged Filolial's spine. Amber probably dreamed of such scenarios and more with Spear Guy, or Blondie as she called him. And that made Blue want to craft an armor set that'd work for both her Royal and human form even more.

Which was proving quite impossible, as even though Blue had crafted this set to his exact measurements, it didn't morph with him into his human form as his clothes did. A problem that most beastmen therianthropes shared, as Jerry had pointed out.

"Hey, at the very least, you've made something no other blacksmith has made before." Jerry patted a hand on the kid's shoulder. "That's worth some mighty fine praise in my book."

"Hmmm…" Blue just hummed as he looked at his latest creation.

…

When Jerry went back to work making more rebar, Blue took the set out back to the furnace. Detaching all the leather from the steel before placing the metal in a mold and fitting it into the furnace.

At the very least, he could just reuse everything and remake it again.

He'd just need to experiment with it and other materials to figure out how to get it to work with his human form too. Maybe that Magic String would be a good idea to try out?

---

Several days later, an exhausted Blue was leaning over a table in Ren's house, his wings hanging limply on his back.

"Any luck, Blue?" Amber asked curiously as she walked in to meet with him. Surprisingly, she had S'yne following beside her too, the Otherworlder expressing curiosity of her own at what Blue was making.

"Nooooo." The preteen groaned. Two newly crafted, shining armor sets were laid out on the table in front of him. One was the same armor set for his Royal form as before. But the other had been made to fit his smaller, human form.

Blue's Steel Royal Filolial Transformation Armor Set

Quality: Great

Equip Effects: Defense Up (Large), Slash Resistance (Large), Blunt Resistance (Medium), Water Resistance (Medium)

Blue's Steel Human Transformation Armor Set

Quality: Very Great

Equip Effects: Defense Up (Large), Agility Up (Small), Slash Resistance (Large), Blunt Resistance (Small), Water Magic Up (Medium), Water Resistance (Medium)

Both had a level requirement of 32. They were even better than his prototype. Mainly due to him treating the pieces with care after making them, and also thanks to him incorporating magic thread he'd made at Mahoya's place and trying to sew it into the leather parts of the armor (which he'd done a messy job of, admittedly, since he wasn't that good at sewing).

His skills had also improved in that short span, remaking the armor set and later, the human variant several times for both his human and Royal form. He even got rid of the one negative effect the more bulky armor had previously every time he'd made it.

Jerry had been beyond flabbergasted with his progress. Even pleading with Blue to figure out how he'd done what he'd done… Blue's only answer was that he just hammered and shaped the steel until it fit what Blue wanted it to do.

Again, that was the thing with Filolials. They were bad at explaining how they did what they did. But when they were passionate about something, they were very good at learning it. To an unthinkable degree.

S'yne hummed in thought as she looked the pieces over. Her usual Sir Bubba doll had been replaced with a doll that looked a lot like Atla floating next to her head. "I don't see any problems with this. While you'd need better materials for it to be effective at your level, these look good overall." The doll concluded.

"The 'problem'," Blue emphasized the word. "Is that Blue can't get either armor to change forms when Blue transforms."

Amber breathed in sharply. "So you have been trying to make Amber's dream come true?!"

"Of course I have! This is a project worthy of the smartest Filolial of all time, you know!" Blue bristled at his friend, but Amber's eyes shone with excitement and happiness.

"Thank you, Blue! Amber loves you!" She reached across the table and hugged the preteen tight.

"Gah! Alright, alright, back off! No need to get so mushy about it." Blue pushed back against his friend, escaping her grip.

"But like I said, Blue doesn't want to have to make armor for both forms! Blue wants to make an armor set that'll transform with the Royal just like magic clothes!" The preteen complained. "It's impractical in its current state since it cuts our capabilities in a battle instead of enhancing them like the armor sets Noodle and the other Heroes wear!"

"Hmmm… Amber does see Blue's point." The girl put a hand to her chin as a troubled look appeared on her face.

S'yne picked one of the pieces of armor up to examine how Blue had incorporated Magic Thread into his creation.

"You want this armor to transform together with you, like magic clothes, correct?" S'yne asked for clarification.

"Yes. That's how it's supposed to work, at least." Blue pouted. "Unfortunately, if used with other materials, it doesn't allow the armor to mold its shape… at least to the point where it'd still fit."

He'd learned more about the process after begging Spear Guy to take him to Zeltoble to meet the panda woman in charge there. Her armor did change to fit her shape, but only because the differences between her panda form and her human form weren't that great compared to other therianthrope races.

A little bit shorter, and a bit more compact, but otherwise, not much of a difference like it was for Blue and his Royal Filolial form, where every part of his body changed drastically with the transformation.

"If I could overcome that problem, then I'm sure I could make us proper sets of armor that'd work just like our magic clothes." The Filolial King continued.

"Hmmm… could Blue incorporate the magic thread into the metal itself?" Amber asked.

"Blue could, but even if I interweaved it into the metal, it wouldn't give it-" Blue started to reply.

"Why are you not just dissolving the magic thread into the metal instead of sewing it in?" S'yne interrupted.

…

…

…

"... … …" Blue looked at S'yne confusedly. "What?"

"You dissolve it," S'yne repeated. "You know, instead of just sewing it into other materials like you did here.

"Why not combine the properties of magic thread with metal?"

"Is… is that even possible?" Blue blinked and his eyes began to twinkle.

"It should be. The Armor Hero of my world made a suit of armor with magic thread melted into the metal so he'd have a weapon form that had superior magic defense." S'yne admitted. "He gave the prototype to a beastman in our world who could transform with it.

"The process is just a little more magic-heavy since you have to infuse mana into it. And the magic thread in this world is more specific to the individual than it was in our world. But I could teach you if you want." The silent girl offered.

"BLUE WANTS TO LEARN! BLUE DEFINITELY WANTS TO LEARN!" Blue fell to his knees in front of S'yne, his hands brought together and his tone filled with pleading. "PLEASE TEACH BLUE HOW TO DO WHAT YOU DESCRIBED!"

S'yne was surprised at his eagerness but then smiled as she nodded her head. "Alright. Let's make some more magic threads, and let's try with Magic Steel. I think the process works a lot easier when the ore used has magic properties with it as well."

"... … … ohhhhhhhh." Blue groaned.

He was going to have to make even more magic thread from his mana now.

If only the process of doing that wasn't so tiring…

---

S'yne spent some of her time over the next couple of days with the young preteen.

Amber stepped in as well every now and then to excitedly watch over her friend's process. Rikka had come in to look too, despite initially dismissing the idea as dumb. She'd changed her mind after thinking how cool it'd be to have armor made for when she learned how to turn into a dragon form using the power of Earth Vein that she was now learning from Wyndia, thanks to her best friend Gaelion bestowing her blessing upon her.

Something Blue personally found horrible, but he was too involved in what he was trying to do to give any thoughts about it.

The new magic alloy infusion process, which initially sounded pretty straightforward, turned out to be rather complex. The magic thread was very delicate and easily flammable in its raw unrefined state and required a particular chemical processing that transformed it back into the form of the original magic crystal that it was initially drawn out of during the alignment process.

That bit of information then required a short side trip to the town's apothecary and then to Naofumi's house, to see if the alchemical concoction recipe stored in S'yne's weapon menu could actually be replicated in this world from locally sourced ingredients. Naofumi's new Alchemy reference book proved to be handy once again in that regard, and through another stroke of good luck, they confirmed that the recipe was doable.

The resulting mixture smelled strongly of what Naofumi identified as kerosene and was so acidic that it melted right through most containers that weren't made from glass or stone.

The bucket that the initial batch was mixed in was not made from glass or stone and promptly dissolved with a hiss, making a huge mess and burning a hole right through the floor of the apothecary's house. The incident was followed by an earnest apology from S'yne who forgot to mention this fact about the recipe.

The next batch was a bit less disastrous, with the mixture properly stored. There was some skepticism about whether it would actually work as described, instead of outright destroying the magic thread. But to everyone's surprise, once it was added to the foul, sharp-smelling mixture, the glowing from the thread rapidly spread out throughout the new compound, transforming it into a softly glowing and translucent liquid which S'yne confirmed was on the right track of what they needed.

Unfortunately, that batch had to be thrown out too, since S'yne embarrassingly didn't know the exact details of what you were supposed to do next after this besides 'add it to the metal'. So some experimentation was in order.

KABOOM!

Adding the compound as is to the molten metal just made it explode, which should have probably been obvious in retrospect. No one was hurt, thankfully, but Naofumi and the Apothecary were forced to brew a third batch of the magic thread solvent after that.

Naofumi also noted down how this could be useful as a grenade in the right circumstances. Though he knew well enough to test that himself, given how his initial experiments using gunpowder to make bombs while on the run had turned out.

After that, Jerry briefly suggested that they could try boiling the liquefied magic thread to remove all the excess moisture and leave only the dry residue behind to add to the metal. That sounded more promising and was immediately put to a test.

Boiling the compound at a high temperature ended in failure, as it transformed into a thick tarlike substance that lost its glow. For the sake of argument, Blue did try to add the tar in while making a regular plain old iron helmet as a test, but it did absolutely nothing.

Well, besides giving the resulting helmet a slew of terrible debuffs that would only activate if the person to whom the magic thread was aligned to tried to put it on.

When Amber tried it, it was just a bad helmet, but when Blue tried it, he immediately felt the onset of a terrible headache and dizziness and threw it off. The helmet was thrown out into the trash afterward.

The fourth batch was boiled at a low temperature instead at the Apothecary's suggestion, who pointed out that it could make a difference for delicate chemicals like these.

It looked promising at first. The liquid gradually evaporated without changing in consistency. It didn't release any foul fumes as it did so either, unlike before. Everyone waited with bated breaths as the amount of liquid in the stone pot shrunk and shrunk until...

There was nothing left. No leftover residue. No powdery substance. It wasn't invisible either. The whole batch evaporated, like it was water, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

With every failure, S'yne grew more frantic and redfaced in embarrassment and shame, almost being brought to the verge of tears as she swore that this process was real and that she wasn't making it up. Fortunately, no one actually doubted her with how earnest she looked, but it was starting to get annoying and taking a lot of time on top of that. And Blue was starting to get exhausted from being forced to make more and more magic thread for hours on end.

It was with the fifth batch that they finally succeeded.

Scratching his head for a moment after S'yne came to him for advice, Motoyasu gave his thoughts on it. "Maybe... just let the metal soak in it as is?"

"Wait, you mean like the finished armor?" Naofumi scrunched his face up in thought.

"No, I mean the ingots. Then you can try to use them to craft something and see what happens." The Spear Hero clarified. "I at least remember being able to do something similar in a game before when I tried out being a craftsman.

"Didn't get very far into it since it required too much grinding. But hey, might as well try it?"

…

No one had any better ideas, and so the magic steel ingots were left to marinade inside the glowing liquid overnight under an airtight cover to make sure that it wouldn't evaporate again.

The next day, the liquid was gone and the ingots had changed.

Infused Magic Steel Ingot: Quality Good

"Dat's new." Jerry rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he gingerly picked the ingot up and weighted it in his hand as he looked it over. "It doesn't look any different. But the name's changed."

"I think this is it!" S'yne's doll spoke excitedly. "You should try making something from it and see what happens, Blue!"

"Alright!" Blue rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Wow. Good call, Moto." Naofumi shook his head in the background.

"Heh, what do you know, sometimes, playing random games does pay off!" The Spear Hero laughed.

The rest of the experiment was more conventionally difficult since Jerry didn't really know how to use magic steel that well, and Blue ended up getting the majority of his instruction from a blacksmith at Cal Mira alongside Ren during his next visit to the island chain. Because of this as well, the Cardinal Heroes were able to go back to their day to day lives whilst Blue worked hard to finish his project.

But between his uncanny ability to learn, and S'yne's instructions, at least as far as she was able to remember, his brain was able to fill in the gaps through trial and error.

And eventually, around three weeks after the Hero's return from the Otherworld…

"Blacksmith Guy! Blacksmith Guy! Look! Look!" Poof!

"My Gods, laddie! Careful where you transform!"

"Ehehehehe!" Blue giggled in delight, however, as his Royal form was shown, covered in blue-tinted armor.

Blue's Infused Magic Steel Armor Set

Quality: Good

Equip Effects: Defense Up (Large), Magic Defense Up (Medium), Agility Down (Small), Slash Resistance Up (Large), Blunt Resistance Up (Medium), Pierce Resistance Up (Small), Water Magic Up (Medium), MP Recovery (small)

It fit him perfectly. The helmet had a visor he could open and close with a thought, and beneath it, armor covered the back of his neck and continued over his main body. Even having a small, flexible layer over his thick taloned legs to give them some extra protection.

It even covered the top portion of his wings, which suited him just fine, as Filolials couldn't fly anyway.

Poof!

Blue then transformed back into his human form, with the armor he was wearing changing to fit the smaller preteen.

The bonuses it provided didn't change, but Blue now stood in full plate mail, from head to toe. The visor raised by itself and he smiled at the blacksmith, who stared in wide-eyed wonder and disbelief at Blue demonstrating yet another first he'd managed to accomplish.

"I say, this will be a new age for this world, brought about by the greatness of the smartest Filolial to ever live!" Blue declared.

Granted, because it was mixed with a lesser metal, the boost in stats compared to regular magic clothes wasn't as great… but that was a hurdle Blue would overcome once he learned how to work with better metals like Magic Mythril or Dragonsteel or even Guardian Beast materials.

Oh man, those would be a true game-changer. Too bad he was a long way off from using those yet. He'd need a really good master to figure that stuff out.

"So, Blacksmith Guy, what do you think?" Blue asked.

"... you know what I think, laddie?" Jerry smiled wide as he patted the preteen on the shoulder.

"I think what ya made here is 'pretty cool'."

"Ehehehehe!"

Thankfully, with only three weeks having passed since the Heroes had returned from the Otherworld, Blue would have plenty more time to improve on his craft.

---

Dou-Lon sat at the top of the cliffs outside the town's wall, meditating under a tree. The open sea stretched out before him, and the afternoon sun painted a pretty picture of colors on the surface of the water.

He'd changed spots for today. If someone were to ask him, the tiger man would say that it was because he wanted a fresh new view to work through the problems he was experiencing.

But the actual reason was… well, not so good.

You see, Eclair, after the day's training session, had beaten her hakuko rival home. As he went downstairs to the closed door of his room to meditate as he normally did, Dou-Lon noticed her unique scent, fresh from training, emanating from inside, waiting for him.

So Dou-Lon, in a state of fear, ran like a bat out of hell until he'd found himself here.

…

Crap, it was only upon thinking about his reaction now that he realized she'd probably heard him approach his room's door before suddenly fleeing.

Should he just avoid talking with her tonight too with the excuse that he needs more sleep?

Not like they'd been having many night chats these days, since Dou-Lon tried to stay in a deep meditation whenever she entered his room to visit him as she usually did.

…

Thinking more about it, Dou-Lon realized that she'd probably come home early that day because of how he'd been using his meditation to avoid talking to her.

…

It wasn't going to look good if he kept on hiding away instead of confronting Eclair about his feelings. The thought of seeing her outside training sessions or when not around Naofumi and Raphtalia just made him feel so awkward though! He couldn't focus or do the things he needed to get done, and-

He just didn't feel confident about confronting her right now! He wanted to be her friend and wanted to act as if nothing had changed between them, but every time he was around her it was as if his heart was about to beat out of his chest all over again!

The mere touch of her skin against his made him want to scream in joy and-

A branch snapped nearby, and Dou-Lon instantly cocked his head in the direction. His nostrils flared, and his eyes dilated as his hand moved to the hilt of his weapon.

…

After a tense moment, he realized it wasn't a monster sneaking up on him. Or Eclair for that matter.

Dou-Lon breathed out a sigh. Whether of relief or frustration was unknown. However, he did recognize the scent, though he had as of yet to personally speak to the one it belonged to.

Maybe he could change that today? It'd certainly help if he could get his mind off his current predicament.

…

The hakuko continued to sit in his spot. Relaxing his body as he waited to see if the individual who'd followed him out here today again would make an appearance or not.

…

Snap! "#$%&!"

There was the sound of another branch snapping, louder than the first time, and it was followed by someone cursing under their breath.

Dou-Lon smiled, thankfully feeling more relaxed, and for once, having no thoughts of that crazy swordswoman to drive his mind into a frenzy whatsoever. This person was being louder than usual. Should he just- ah, what the hell, why not?

"It's alright. I already know you're here."

"You might as well stop hiding and come out already. Unless you want me to find you."

…

When no response came, Dou-Lon spoke again.

"Listen, just come out. I already know you've been following me around for the last few days. Your stealth skills could use some work.

"You're a new member of Sir Motoyasu's party together with your sister, correct?"

"I'm not-" The reply was suddenly cut off as if the individual had bitten on their tongue.

Dou-Lon chuckled as he tilted his head to the side, resting his hands on his lap as he patiently waited.

…

…

"Urgh…" Eventually, a familiar-looking teenager walked out from his hiding place in the underbrush. Having enough shame to have his tail tucked between his legs as he stopped in front of the older hakuko. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Fohl, correct?" Dou-Lon extended a hand.

"Y… Yes, I'm Fohl." The tiger teen awkwardly shook his fellow hakuko's hand. Looking as stiff as a board as he did so.

"Is there something wrong, Fohl?" Dou-Lon asked this time a note of worry appearing in his tone.

"I, it's nothing, well, it's just, um…" Fohl looked at a loss for words as he stumbled through what he was trying to say.

…

…

"Here, have a seat." Dou-Lon broke the awkward silence and patted the ground next to him.

"... eh?" Fohl tilted his head in confusion.

"You appear to have a lot on your mind, just as I do.

"Sit, and do a breathing exercise with me, Fohl. Afterward, we can talk." Dou-Lon suggested, smiling as he did so.

…

…

The young tiger teen looked conflicted for a moment. But then, he nodded his head, and at the older hakuko's direction, he sat down cross-legged next to Dou-Lon, staring towards the sea just like him.

His body still looked stiff, but at least he was listening.

"To start, I want you to breathe in deep. And then exhale." Dou-Lon closed his eyes as he instructed.

"U-Um, Granny has us do this too." Fohl interrupted. "It's not as though-"

Dou-Lon barely turned his head in the kid's direction, and Fohl suddenly quieted. Forcing down the rest of his sentence, he breathed in as much as he could, before quickly exhaling it all out.

"Now, again, this time, breathe in slowly through your nose. And exhale slowly through your mouth.

"Do this. Then, repeat." Dou-Lon instructed calmly.

"But why-" Fohl started to refute, only to stop himself. Yet Dou-Lon answered anyway.

"I sense that it's been a while since you've last felt at peace with yourself. It is my experience that stress, worry, and anxiety can make it hard for a person to think things through for themselves." Dou-Lon explained.

Fohl wanted to object, only to feel his gut knotting in on itself again.

…

The teen did as he was instructed. His breathing became slower, and Dou-Lon spoke again.

"I want you to listen to the waves below us.

"Feel their calm cadence. Be as the water, breathing in as it crests, and out as it recedes.

"Let the sound fill your mind, and bring you to a place of peace. And there, contemplate on those things that weigh heavily on your mind."

Fohl frowned, concentrating on the waves hitting the beach down below. There were the distant sounds of activity in the town, as well as the prowling of monsters in the forest.

"You, are the ocean's gray waves. Destined to seek, life beyond, the shore, just out of reach."

"Yet, the waters, ever change, flowing like time. The path is, yours to climb."

Dou-Lon hummed quietly. The tune was something Fohl was unfamiliar with, but one that meshed well with the sound of the ocean.

Fohl continued doing what Dou-Lon had instructed.

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

In…

…

Out…

…

…

…

---

"Ahahaha!" Waves lapped against the shore of their home as a happy little boy played in the sand.

He had an innocent expression on his face as he tried to waddle over to the water on his small, stubby legs. Almost tripping over his tail several times as he did so.

"Young Master, please stop." A man dressed similarly in style to Sebas sighed as he picked the small tiger boy up off the ground.

"Mmmm! Nooo! Don't wanna!" The tiger toddler complained as he tried to escape the man's grasp.

"Fohl!"

The little kid stopped struggling as another figure came into view, being guided along by a maid. "You're not causing trouble for Juste now, are you?"

"M-Mama!" Fohl reached out happily to the tall and beautiful white-haired figure.

"Madelyn, if you could." The woman gestured with her head to the maid, and the older woman nodded as she grabbed her mistress's son, before handing Fohl to his blind mother.

"Ehehehe!" Fohl laughed happily as he embraced his mom around the neck.

"Careful. I'm also carrying your younger sibling, dear." His mom chided him kindly.

"Little sis?" Fohl looked down at his mom's rounded belly curiously. Even as their maid and butler finished escorting her to a chair set up on the beach, so she could get a little sun.

Fohl climbed down from his mom to rest his head against her large belly. Listening for the sound of his sister moving around inside as the ocean's waves gently lapped against the shore in the background.

"She's asleep right now. I'm afraid you'll have to wait till later." His mom patted the boy on the head.

"Awwww, I wanna see her now." Fohl lamented.

"Ehehe. Soon dear. Very soon.

…

"I can just tell that your little sister is going to have the best big brother in the whole wide world."

Fohl stayed quiet, listening to the sound of his sister's heartbeat inside his mom as the waves of the beach softly sang in the background.

---

…

…

…

"Very good."

The sound of the older hakuko's voice made Fohl open his eyes. He quickly blinked the tears out of his eyes and glanced at Dou-Lon, who was still seated next to Fohl.

The Shield Hero's bloodkin had stopped humming the tune from earlier at some point and was now simply looking ahead at the sea before him.

"Did you manage to think through what was on your mind?" Dou-Lon asked.

"Oh, um… I didn't, really." Fohl sighed in defeat. "I ended up remembering an old memory of me and my mother, and well… I got distracted."

"Was it a happy memory?" Dou-Lon pressed on.

"... it was." Fohl softly smiled, as if he could still see himself on that beach. Embracing his mother and his unborn sister with his small arms.

"Then I'd say this has already been a success." Dou-Lon smiled. "You look far more relaxed than earlier, at the very least."

Indeed, Fohl's body no longer felt stiff. Uncomfortable with the position, yes, but for the first time in a long time, his body and mind felt… relaxed.

When… when had been the last time he'd felt like this? It'd been so long, he couldn't remember.

…

…

"Dou-Lon… Are you an only child?" Fohl eventually asked, his voice not cracking or breaking like it had earlier. He sounded… oddly humble.

"I am." The hakuko man nodded.

"... I see." Fohl hung his head sadly. "Still, do you maybe have some advice for taking care of a younger sister who doesn't want you around her anymore?"

"... I might. I had to take care of a girl younger than me for a while. However, I am curious why you came to me to ask for advice. Is it because I'm a hakuko too?" The older tiger demihuman asked calmly.

"Kind of, yea." Fohl continued to look down and shrugged, unable to lift his eyes to meet Dou-Lon's gaze as he spoke next. "The place we came from, err, me and Atla, I mean. Zeltoble was not particularly friendly. Most folks there either want to trick or sell you. Even simple indifference was in short supply.

"But the other hakuko there never lied or tried to swindle me. They couldn't really help me much, since all of us were slaves, but they would sometimes share their food and the ones who were part of the mercenary corps would generally look the other way when I stole stuff and didn't pursue me that hard when I was caught in the act."

"... I see. It's true. The bonds between those of our race are quite strong. It's not always for the best, but..." Dou-Lon nodded solemnly. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. That's all in the past now.

"You were saying that things are bad between you and Atla?"

"No… maybe?" Fohl shook his head shakily. "I don't know.

"It just feels like so much has changed so fast. Not to say I'm not happy about it! Just a month ago I was afraid she was going to die!

"But now, she's training to fight alongside Sir Motoyasu. She's caught up to me level-wise and just keeps growing stronger. And, whenever I try to care for her like before, she just tells me to sod off, to stop bothering her, and get stronger before she leaves me in the dust!"

The teen's ears fell to his head after shouting the admittance, and his voice quieted again. "I just worry that she's trying to take on too much too fast. And…"

Dou-Lon nodded his head. "You don't want to see her get hurt?"

"Yeah…" Fohl teared up. "I'm so used to her trying to keep a strong face for my sake growing up, that now that she's better, I just… I don't know how to act around her anymore."

…

…

"Hmmm," Dou-Lon thought to himself. "It doesn't help that your sister is blind either, huh? But she's showing a surprising amount of independence despite that."

Dou-Lon nodded to himself and looked at Fohl again. "I'm not going to say you should just leave her be. You are brother and sister. And I think the last thing Sir Motoyasu would want to do is tear the two of you apart from each other.

"However, with that in mind, I think you should allow your younger sister the freedom to do what she wants without you." He then suggested.

"What?! Why?!" The hair on Fohl's tail bristled.

"Because she is her own person, just like you." Dou-Lon poked a finger in the younger teen's chest, emphasizing his point. "If she were to restrict you from doing everything you wanted to do, wouldn't you get mad?"

"But I'm not trying to control her life, I just want to take care of her!" Fohl argued.

"So you don't want to do anything else besides that?" Dou-Lon asked.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Perhaps, and I'm at least assuming this based on what you said," Dou-Lon said gently as he rested a hand on the teen's shoulder. "But maybe she is also pushing you away because you've spent your whole life doing nothing but taking care of her.

"Maybe, in her own way, she is trying to allow you to do something else besides watch over her since she has been given a new lease on life thanks to Sir Motoyasu."

"... wouldn't I be a horrible older brother though if I abandoned her…" Fohl started, only to trail off again in uncertainty.

…

"That's only what I'd guess, at least. Given the few times that I've interacted with her while talking to Granny." Dou-Lon continued after Fohl found himself unable to continue speaking. "If you want my honest opinion, I don't think that doing so would be the equivalent of abandoning her.

"I think the fact we're even having this discussion makes it clear you're a great older brother who is trying to do what's best for his younger sister.

"Just know that even the greatest people can be ignorant of their faults from time to time.

"Sometimes, all you need is someone else to point them out so you can improve."

…

Fohl scowled, looking down at his lap again. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't.

Because even if he wanted to deny it, what the older hakuko was saying sounded like it made a lot of sense.

"So should I never bother Atla again then?" The young teen asked, anger and sadness in his voice.

"No. Not at all." Dou-Lon shook his head. "Remember, you're not abandoning her. You're just giving her the space to live her life as she chooses.

"For example, if you're sleeping in the same room together, then move into another room so she can have her own space and privacy. Still eat with her at breakfast. Maybe check in on her during training or be part of the same party when you're grinding for experience from time to time to show that you aren't lagging behind. But otherwise, trust her to care for herself and make her own mistakes while you figure out what it is you want to do with your own life now that you no longer need to constantly fight to maintain hers.

"Besides, and maybe this is something you also need to hear. You don't have to be her only family anymore. There's Sir Motoyasu and Naofumi and Granny and everyone else here in the town who'd be more than willing to help Atla when she needs it instead of just you."

"But I don't want to trust my sister to the dirty paws of that-" Fohl started to bristle, only to shut up as Dou-Lon clapped him on the back.

"It's not just you taking care of her anymore. You both have lots of friends and family here, including me.

"If you want the both of you to succeed here, you're going to have to learn to trust others. And not just other hakuko either.

"And I can tell you this much: Sir Motoyasu is not just a great Hero, but a good man. You can trust him and his friends to take good care of you and your sister."

"... … …"

Fohl didn't say anything for a long moment, his head still pointing down at his lap.

And Dou-Lon didn't speak any more on the matter either. He simply observed the younger half-hakuko pondering over his words while thinking quietly to himself.

…

…

…

"Urgh…" Fohl groaned. "I don't want to feel like I've been a bad older brother to her…

"But maybe… no, I think you're right.

"I have been too obsessed with helping Atla out when she's shown me she's capable of doing stuff on her own now."

"Mhmm. And now that you've acknowledged that, what are you going to do next?" Dou-Lon gently guided him again.

"I… maybe to start, I'll ask Sir Motoyasu if me and Atla can sleep in separate rooms," Fohl suggested, even though saying it felt like poison in his mouth.

"Good. What else?"

"I'll… try to focus more on my training with Granny instead of making sure Atla isn't tiring herself out," Fohl added. "And… I'll also go out with others to raise my level instead of going with her every time."

"Would it help if I helped you out when you're with Granny?" Dou-Lon suggested. "She's been having me try some life force exercises with her too. She says I really have the talent for it."

"W… Would you?" Fohl asked hopefully.

"Sure. It's no trouble at all." Dou-Lon smiled. With how much the young tiger had followed him around before, it'd probably help him focus if he was around him more too.

Might make the situation with Eclair a little trickier… but he could make it work. Somehow.

"But, you always seem to be in a rush to get away after you're done teaching some of the other people in town." Fohl pointed out.

"That's because I like finding good spots to meditate." Dou-Lon's smile turned into a grin. "I find that peace of mind does wonders for figuring out life's problems."

"..." Fohl didn't respond immediately, his face being covered by a look of awe.

"Now, is there anything else I can help you with?" Dou-Lon asked as his grin turned back into a relaxed smile, and he closed his eyes.

"Um, would it be alright if I also learned how to fight under you?" Fohl asked hesitantly.

…

Dou-Lon opened his eyes again and turned his head in the young teen's direction, causing Fohl to look away in embarrassment. "I thought it was really cool how you beat Lady Eclair… and your fighting style is also really cool. Cooler than anything I've seen in the Zeltoble Arenas.

"I… I'm not comfortable wielding a blade. I prefer using my fists. But do you know if it'd work with that?... it could help me keep my mind off what Atla is doing."

A frown briefly appeared on the hakuko's face at the mention of the Arenas, but Fohl never noticed it, as when he looked up, Dou-Lon was smiling brightly again. "Of course. Believe it or not, the person who taught me how to fight like that used a pair of fans."

"... fans?" Fohl asked confusedly.

"I'd let you ask Sir Motoyasu about that. It's something more common in the worlds of the Heroes." Dou-Lon continued to smile. "Needless to say, her fighting styles were flexible in the way that Granny's are. So you don't have to use a katana like me.

"You don't have to use a weapon in general either. If you're comfortable with that, then I'll help you learn the steps and feel out battles for yourself. Hell, thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I did use her forms in unarmed combat at one point!

"And more than that, I wouldn't mind having a more willing protege than Sebastian to personally tutor, especially if it'd help you out with your sister situation."

Stars appeared in Fohl's eyes. "You mean it?!"

"Yep. Just know I'm not a lazy teacher. I probably won't break your soul like Granny, but I won't make it easy either. Sebastian can attest to that.

"There'll also be points when I have you do breathing exercises like this. The fighting styles I learned are at their best when the user is at peace in their mind."

Fohl looked giddy with excitement. And though he was quick to stand up, he quickly bowed in Dou-Lon's direction. "Thank you, Dou, um, dono, I'll be in your care!"

Dou-Lon laughed. "I don't need the title, but if you insist, Fayon-dono would be a lot better.

"Dou-Lon Fayon. That's my full name."

…

Fohl didn't say anything, somehow looking even more shocked than before. Fayon, as in like, Fayon. Atla and Fohl Fayon.

Dou-Lon Fayon?!

HE AND HIS SISTER WERE ACTUALLY RELATED TO THIS AWESOME WHITE TIGER?!

"Alright then, Fayon-dono! I'll be in your care!" Fohl said excitedly, putting his hands together and bowing his head one more time, before rushing off back towards the town.

He was so excited! He had to tell his sister about this- wait, maybe he could do that tonight. But who else was he going to tell? Maybe Keel-

Wait, why was that maid tomboy the one coming to his mind first?! DIDN'T HE HAVE ANY OTHER FRIENDS IN THE TOWN HE WAS INTERESTED IN BESIDES HER?!

NOT THAT HE WAS INTERESTED IN HER- GAH! HE NEEDED TO MAKE MORE FRIENDS IMMEDIATELY!

Dou-Lon chuckled to himself. Oddly enough, it felt warm being addressed in such a manner. It was as if Fohl truly did respect him for who he was, and…

It made him feel better, seeing a young hakuko not burdened by the shame of their race. He knew that Fohl had been a participant in the Arenas, but at least he'd done so out of necessity for his sister. And not because of some great need to prove himself in the eyes of their God.

Zeltoble, huh…? Maybe he should have asked Fohl about… no, better to not pick at that old wound.

Dou-Lon's father was likely long dead anyway.

…

…

The older hakuko truly felt at peace with himself for a moment. In fact, he'd felt at peace thanks to his whole chat with Fohl. It'd made him forget entirely about-

Snap!

Dou-Lon whipped his head, the scent of strawberries filling his nose as his heart beat fast and his eyes widened in terror and anticipation.

Only, it wasn't the rose-haired knight. It was an Usapil, which had managed to get its paws on some unharvested strawberry oranges from the Bio-Plant fields.

It took one look at the powerful hakuko meditating on the ground, dropped the stolen fruit, and took off into the forest with red eyes filled with fear.

…

'... damn it.' Dou-Lon slowly shook his head. It hadn't been Eclair, but his body had reacted as if it was.

'These feelings… they're not going away. Urgh…'

He just wanted everything to go back to normal. For the two of them to be nothing but battle buddies, just like before.

…

…

After looking around and making sure that no one else was there, Dou-Lon stood up. Shaking grass and dirt from his kimono, he unsheathed his weapon and held it out in front of him.

He was still bothered by thoughts of the rose-haired knight. But he focused on his new magic menu on his HUD, the one he'd inadvertently unlocked during their duel.

If he was going to continue being bothered by her… he might as well use this time to take those thoughts and see if he could push himself to learn more hidden techniques from Glass's fighting styles. That way he'd be able to provide her with a better excuse than 'he needed to meditate' for running off earlier.

"Zero Stance Rondo Inspiration: White Tiger's Blow!"

Dou-Lon spent the rest of that afternoon and most of that evening imagining himself facing off against the swordswoman. Using his one and only magic technique over and over again as he tried to feel out what other attacks or defenses he could learn.

Eclair only had attack techniques, but Dou-Lon got the feeling he could do more than just that.

He just had to push himself to see what he found.

…

Though it would have been far easier if he could feel that sense of peace again.

---

Author's Notes:

Trust me, if you thought this chapter was long, just wait until you look at the Spear Party's chapter.

My honest thoughts here: Even if this ended up being a lot of writing, I personally enjoyed putting these scenes together. I can finally stop hinting that Blue's passion is blacksmithing (specifically armorsmith versus Ren's weaponsmith). Dou-Lon and Fohl have officially gotten to speak with one another (and are likely to have a Zuko Iroh relationship going forward), and Filo got to use the skills Naofumi taught her in the Otherworld to cook until she was full.

That last one is probably the biggest achievement in all honesty, lol. Made me pretty hungry writing it out too. So happy to have her cooking again, and also to have an excuse to keep Mr. Ramseed around, lol.

---

Hero Clips!

---

The Real Reason Why the Hero School Was Founded

---

Naofumi heaved a massive sigh as he sat back in his chair.

It'd been a long day in general. But at last, they'd gotten done with all the preparations for getting the Hero's School set up.

He and Hickwaal had traveled to Faubley, taking Raphtalia and Filo with them to tour the Academy there so they could see how they'd model their school off the best aspects of the place while keeping the more negative aspects that'd choked into it from manifesting. Of which, Naofumi got to witness quite a few.

But thankfully, that nightmare of a trip that brought so many bad college memories to mind was over. And at last, Naofumi could forget all about it, get the Hero Academy off of its feet, and-

"Daddy, Filo's going organic from now on."

…

"What?" Naofumi asked, looking very confused at his daughter, who'd entered the room.

"Organic. Or in other words, Filo's no longer going to eat food from the Bio-Plant crops." Filo clarified.

"... … …" There was a longer moment of silence as Naofumi's brain studied the little girl's words, rebooted itself, and studied them out again, only to find that he hadn't misheard.

"I'm sorry, what!? Why?!" Naofumi yelled, his confusion growing by the second.

"Because the Bio-Plants are considered GMOs! And GMOs are super bad for Filo's health!

"Filo has to have completely organic foods from now on or else Filo's diet will be ruined Daddy!" Filo pouted up at the Shield Hero.

"... … … … …"

Naofumi again stared at his daughter as if she'd grown a second head. Which, she might as well have, given how completely out of left field this was.

No words came to his mind. What happened instead was he recalled a conversation tbetween wo students discussing such a topic while in passing at the Academy.

No way, had Filo…?!

"Also, Filo is going to be using something called Essential Oils instead of Health Potions since Filo heard they're a more 'natural' way of taking care of Filo's body." Filo continued.

NO! GODS PLEASE NO! NO! THIS COULDN'T BE HAPPENING TO HIS DAUGHTER OF ALL PEOPLE?!

WHY WORLD, WHY?!

"Hey, dear. Is everything ok?" Raphtalia walked into the room and paused when she saw the Vietnam thousand-yard-stare Naofumi was sporting on his face.

"Rafu?" Raph-Chan, who was on her shoulder, tilted her head in confusion as well.

Naofumi looked in the direction of his wife friend. He was still completely speechless, and Raphtalia turned to her daughter. "Filo, what did you say to your Daddy?"

"Actually, Filo doesn't prefer being called Filo. Filo would prefer going by they them pronouns instead of by Filo Filo pronouns from now on Mommy.

"Or would Mommy prefer it if they called Mommy Daddy?" The angel girl asked innocently.

"You never know with the society we live in, after all."

…

…

…

It was at those words that Naofumi suddenly stood straight up, grabbing Raph-Chan off the half-tanuki girl's shoulders before making a beeline for the bedroom.

%$#$ this.

%^#$ this.

%$#$ this.

Raphtalia could handle this mess. That trip was proving to be detrimental, in more ways than one.

Yeah, %$^# this. And %$^# Faubley too.

…

"... Filo." Raphtalia shook in place angrily. "Where did you learn to act like this?"

"It's not Filo, it's they them…" The little girl rolled her eyes. "As for where they learned it… it was thanks to the time they's Family spent touring the Faubley Academy.

"Can they ask why?" Filo tilted her head curiously.

…

…

…

"You know what." Raphtalia smiled a little too widely. "I'm going to pay Faubley another visit.

"On Daddy's behalf."

A red and black katana appeared in her hands, and Raphtalia ran out the front door, screaming bloody murder.

---

"And that's how Filo convinced Mommy and Daddy to spend more time homeschooling Filo from now on!" The angel-haired girl smiled happy at her Filolial friends as she finished her story.

"Really, it was that easy?" Amber asked with wide eyes.

"Mmhmm! It's also why the Hero's Nation declared war on Faubley… since Mommy kind of, you know, burned the whole school down to the ground…

"But at least Filo gets to spend more time with Filo's Mommy and Daddy because of Filo's great acting skills!" The girl said excitedly.

"Lucky." Rikka pouted in her seat. If only it'd be that easy to spend time with Cool Hero and Cool Hero's Awesome Mate.

Blue, however, sat at the table with a tinfoil hat on his head. Like Filo, he'd also gone on the Faubley trip.

"The water's turning the frogs gay!" The preteen shouted at the top of his lungs into a magically enhanced megaphone.

Unlike Filo, however, he'd fallen into a different crowd at the place.

Besides yelling randomly into his megaphone (don't ask how he had one), he also had some protest signs on the ground behind him. One calling for more guns beyond Faubley. And the other advocated for the removal of big alchemia and the health potions they provided since they were loaded with 'heavy metals'.

"Blue, you know that isn't true, right?" Amber shook her head in exasperation at the preteen.

"Fake news!" Blue yelled into the older girl's face using the megaphone to amplify his voice again.

…

After her ears had stopped ringing, and after Blue's megaphone laid on the ground in pieces, never to work again (with the pre-teen at least looking chastised about destroying his friend's eardrums), Amber spoke exasperatedly. "Does Blue even have any proof that water does that to frogs?!"

Blue frowned, but he proceeded to point down at the beach, where a pair of frog demigirls were busy making out with each other.

…

…

It was also during that when a certain spirit woman randomly appeared, bucketing up some of the water behind the two girls before suddenly bolting off to her world.

"Huh, who would have thought?" Amber frowned.

"The waves are not real! It's all fake news!" Blue proceeded to pull another megaphone from under the table and yelled up at the sky, and not at his friends this time.

Amber and Filo both blinked at the preteen in surprise. Whether because of him having another of these weird devices, or because of what he'd said, was unknown.

"Don't take any of it personally." Rikka then told the other two confused Filolials. "Blue just wants to spend more time with Cool Hero like Filo and Filo's parents and learned to act like this while at the Faubley Academy. Ain't that right Blue?"

"Just you wait! I'll prove the Waves are nothing but illusion magic projected from afar since my new tinfoil hat blocks out all forms of illusion magic from other individuals!" Blue responded to her.

…

At least, Rikka hoped that was the case.

And that turned out to be the actual reason why the Hero's Nation set up its own college in the end.

And Raphtalia's Wrath eventually burned the entirety of the corrupt nation down to its roots.

RIP Faubley.

RIP.

---

Till Next Time

Allen