Shield master, Tetsurou Akagi
It was dawn, like every other hard-working member of the Force, I am going through my daily routine whenever I'm free from assignments.
Leisurely, as I jog my way through the quadrangle of the Avalon lake, it was of course man made, but still.
Honestly, one year in joining the force, I'm always getting surprise by the breakthroughs my best friend is making at the advancement of magical technology.
Just six months ago, we evacuated from our base near Horus city, to this island we named Avalon, with the cloaking technology that Ash had created we managed to conceal our new base of operations.
The gentle breeze was generated inside even with the barrier, if I wasn't there when we erected the barrier, I wouldn't even believe there was one, looking up above, there was nothing but the clear sky, but on the outside all the people could see was a mountainous island unsuitable to be habituated.
At this point in time, since it was still early in the morning, I decided to make my run through the whole island.
"On your left"
As I feel the morning breeze on my face, Ash just then wheezed past me in a sprint.
Unlike me, ever since he became awakened, he's been working hard to everything, from re-creating the modern technology and even in combat.
The island was pretty big, it was no bigger than Okinawa Island back in japan, so after an hour, I was half way across the island now.
"On your left"
Again, Ash just wheezed past me in full sprint just an hour! He's already in his second lap!
"Uh-huh, on my left! Got it!"
At this point in time, I feel like Ash is just mocking me, another hour past, just a half mile before I make my first lap.
I could already hear the fast footsteps of Ash racing behind. I glanced for a bit; it was him.
"Don't say it" I warned "Don't you say it!"
"On your left!"
"Come on!!!"
I went to a full sprint as Ash raced past me for the third time, he left me to dust in three seconds, a quarter mile after I was already out of breath.
As I finished my lap, I collapsed to a tree, struggling for breath.
"Need a medic?"
Ash approached me with a grin on his annoying face.
"Hah! I need a new set of lungs" I struggled to say, I raised my hand opting him to help me up. "You just ran 7 miles in an hour, what's with you?"
He chuckled "Huh, guess I got a late start"
He had the gall to even brag with the difference in our ability now.
"Bitch…"
"Jerk"
But still, I'm glad this guy's back, two months ago, the whole Guardian Force had a battle against the 2nd angel a lot of our comrades died in the fight, in the end, Cecilia and Ash managed to wound the Angel, but at the price, Ash with his memories, Cecilia, her consciousness.
I still look at Ash's white hair, I can't help but feel guilt of being helpless at that time. My job was a Shield Master, but I couldn't even protect my best friend from that battle. His hair turned white now, and it was long, he's keeping it long for now, I feel like it's his devotion on waiting for Cecilia to wake up.
Thankfully, after his first mission back, he regained his memories back too.
"Hey, Ri-chan and the others are here, want to see them?"
"Wait, what?!"
I just got back from a mission yesterday, so, I didn't know, but Ash actually took Ri-chan here? That's a surprise.
I thought, he hated our classmates for dumping him and abandoning him. Then again, I too, was the same.
Three months after, Ash was branded a criminal, and I strongly believed that it was a set-up, at that time, I wasn't in the castle, I was dragged by Daichi's lackey into the town for some reason. Then when I got back, I learned of the news.
Ash tried to rape Nakamura, all of our classmates bought the lie, but I know that he won't do something like that, I've been with him for years, I mean years. We're practically brothers.
I, of all people, know that Ash won't do something criminal like that.
I wanted to go after him, but Murasame and the others begged me to stay, and I did. Then one day, at an exploration in the Scarlet Labyrinth, we fell into a trap, I did my best to save our classmates, but in the end, someone betrayed me and fell into the abyss.
If it weren't for Ash finding me in the bottom of that hellhole, I'm probably dead by now.
"Well, just visit Ri-chan in the hospital," he said "Also, stop by at the lab, let's see if you have a compatibility with the Key of Frost you guys retrieved the other day."
I nodded, I've been waiting for this, for a year since learning of the Divine Key's I've been yearning to wield one, not because I crave power, because I wanted to stand beside that kid from Tokyo that was too dumb to run away from a fight.
Synergist, Asher Guren
"You're grounded"
After my morning routine, a 21 miles sprint, then 200 pushups and sit ups. I was basically superhuman, but doing the basic stuff still helps rise my stats so I'm not skipping it.
I was called to William's office, going there, I saw Charles and as usual, Bella was in the room on stand-by.
"What?"
What do they mean grounded? I'm not a kid.
"You just recovered from a Houkai infection, there's also the big battle you participated in." William said "It's about time you take a break"
"For how long?"
"Three Weeks!" Charles said
"Three weeks!? No!"
That's too much! Who would spend three weeks of break…? wait, that actually is great, with three weeks, I can work on the postponed projects I made.
"On the contrary, I'll take it"
"I forgot to mention that no exposure to Houkai Radiation too"
"What!? That's not fair! How can I even work on my projects, if that's not even allowed!"
"Surrender Vulcan and the Void Archives, now, Ash" Will said
"This isn't fair" I took off the Void Archives and Vulcan then handed it to Will.
"Stop whining like a child" Charles said "Even as a Legacy, three weeks isn't enough to have a full recovery from an infection"
"Tch! Cheapskate"
"Your life is on the line here! Stop being a brat! Now shoo, shoo!" Will said
The Key of Dominion was kept to the vault for now, until we find a suitable wielder, that power was too powerful even for me, besides, Will decided that it should be stashed for now, I already wield two Divine Keys, he said I'd be too powerful to stop if I possess another Divine Key.
What's wrong with that?! Angels possess unlimited power, why can't we have that power to stop them?
What the hell am I supposed to do now? I walked back to the workshop, the moment the door opened, I saw the mess.
The papers were all over the place, wrenches, hammers, screw drivers and other tools lay either on the floor or the tables, a bunch of uncomplete works were here and there.
"Maybe, I should tidy up a bit"
After an hour of cleaning, the workshop looks more organized, the tools are beautifully arranged and hanged on the wall, I moved the materials into the test area for a while, I'll work on them later.
I was getting absorbed in my admiration for how clean the workshop was but a strong force kicked me to the ground.
Then rested her feet on my face.
"Oh, here you are slave"
"Slave my ass!!" I retorted back, "Get your foot of my face Éclair!!"
Éclair was having an ecstatic smile while burying her feet on my face, this damned sadist!!
"Ara~ I thought you like it?"
"Like it!? Only perverts would be happy getting a shoe on their face!"
"Yes, yes, I know~" she agreed then removed her shoes then presented her barefoot near my face "You like to lick them yes?"
"NO!!!!! Get it off!!!"
I struggled to my feet but as soon as I got to all fours, she suddenly sat on my back.
"So, you like this kind of punishment?"
"Punishment!!!?? I'm not a masochist!! Get off me!!!"
"What's with you!? I was trying to give you a reward for doing an outstanding job the other day~"
"Outstanding!? Reward!? Leave me alone, that'd be a good reward!!"
This sadistic girl, she's making fun of me, whenever she sees me, does she really think I'm a M!? hell no! I don't enjoy getting hurt!
"I thought you're a masochist? Here I was ready to be your queen"
"Who said I was that!?"
"Tetsurou said"
"Tetsu did!?"
"He said you like getting hurt"
"Hah!?"
True that I often get beaten back in the day, but I never enjoyed it!! Wait, what does she even want from me? She won't come to the workshop just to tease me, right?
"What is it you really came here?"
"You finally asked, your pretty slow for a slave"
"Drop it!!"
"Luna wants you to check on her arms"
Up until now I didn't notice her, but Luna was standing on the door quietly fidgeting.
"Luna… you could've come anytime; you don't need to bring this sadist here"
"Hey, are you referring about me? Do you want me to shoot you now?"
Ignoring Éclair, I made my way to Luna, looking at her mechanical arms, it seems to have been burdening her for a while now.
"Come on, I can't check it from here, right?"
Luna nodded quietly, she wasn't much of a talker unlike her annoying sister, but on the two, Luna was pretty much fighting melee, the mechanical arms are already bent up and all from the battles they went through.
"how about it?" She asked.
"Hmm… well, it definitely needs a maintenance, I'll remove it for now"
I proceeded to remove the mechanical arms, after detaching it, it showed her severed arm, whenever I saw it, I can't help but feel sorry for the girl. Éclair too, made a difficult expression.
Don't know the whole story, but apparently, she lost both her arms in a monster attack years ago trying to protect Éclair.
When I met them, I made her the prosthetic arms, it wasn't good as this one at that time, it wasn't even fit for combat either.
"Hey, Luna, don't you want much better prosthetic arms?"
"I want too, but it will trouble you if you made new ones for me, right?"
I ruffled her hair with a comforting smile, this girl is a kind one unlike her sister, she cares about everyone and doesn't want to trouble any one, its why she always held herself back.
"It's fine, I'm a much better builder now than a year ago. I can build you arms that are much better and would fit more for you"
"You're okay with it?"
"You can be selfish sometimes you know; you don't need to hold back for us. Everyone knows how kind you are. we can tolerate a bit of selfishness. That's why giving you an arm or two wouldn't be much of a problem for me"
For a while, I saw her flushed cheeks with a small smile curled on her lips, Éclair had a soft smile as she looked at Luna. She won't admit it, but that girl's a Siscon.
"For now, use the old ones, I'll make something that can be switched from combat to normal mode, okay"
"Mm!"
I attached the regular prosthetic arms into her, it was just like a normal arm but she should be able to move it like a real one.
She then went out of the workshop with a smile. Before Éclair left, she said
"Thank you, Ash"
It was one of the few times she'd call me by my name, I told you, she's a siscon.
I got to work in the new arms, maybe something that would be detachable and can use magnetic force for longer reach.
Yeah, I got the idea. Now it's time to execute it!
After a few days, I finished up, Luna's new arms and had already attached it, unfortunately they had a mission schedule so I didn't have time to have her test it, she'll just have to go on the fly for that. Just hope it fits her good.
The door of the workshop opened then, Tetsu came in with a companion.
"Yo, Ash, still alive?"
I was mixing up a new batch of spider webs when they came it, anyway it was already finished anyway. The new companion was Shibuya, she was wearing the new clothes that Bella gave her, of course, with the style in mind or was it simply by coincidence, Shibuya was wearing a white frilly sleeveless gothic lolita dress, paired up with white thigh high socks and her signature twin drill tails. It just suits her best.
But why are they disturbing me now? I still have to work on the improvements of Icarus and the new prototype armor for Cecilia, then there's the Gundam Frame that I'm trying to build too. Basically, in the three weeks that was given to me, it was packed with so much to do.
"I'm still not dead, what do you want?"
"Well, you still haven't come out for days, I thought you were dead already"
"So, you come to pick up my lifeless corpse then?"
"Yeah, but I can see that you're still kicking, anyway, Shibuya said she wants to see you"
He tapped Shibuya's shoulder and nudged her forward.
"So, I'll be back in a few, maybe it's a confession, who know~"
"Shut your mouth!!" I yelled. Shibuya, on the other hand, was suddenly flustered and looked at Tetsu in alert.
After the idiot left, I was left in the room with Shibuya, she didn't say anything, I figured she was hesitating, well, she had trouble talking to me. Who wouldn't? back in Japan, I would just swoop in to save her from Daichi's torment but that was also a trap to rile me up and have an excuse to beat me down.
She probably didn't know it, but I don't care, I'm just acting on my convictions.
I grabbed a chair and set it down on the far side near Shibuya then went back to finishing Sumerbrandr 2.0. this time, I'm amplifying up the exhaust system, it's what broke the first one.
Shibuya sat down gripping her skirt, looking down. I was still waiting for her to speak; I'm not going to force her on saying what she wants; I always knew she talked in a different way but that was possibly because she's shy to talk normal.
A few minutes later, it got painfully awkward, she's not speaking, I'm just working and waiting for her to talk. The sound of my tinkering was the only one circulating the room.
I set down the wrench that I'm holding, and looked at her.
"Shall we change spot?"
"Eh?" she tilted her head in wonder, I ignore it and walked to the door.
"Come on"
We sat down on a bench at the park on the southern side of the island, it was elevated and near the seaside, upon the distance we can see Arisen city.
I didn't notice until now, but it was already dusk, the sun was already setting on the west.
On the corner I sat, Shibuya, she had an umbrella and was a few distance on the other side. She still won't talk; do I need to pry now? Glancing at her, she's a bit gloomy right now.
I'm not really good at small talks, but I'll just try it. But what topic?
"The Sky is beautiful isn't it?"
What the hell am I talking about?! Am I an old man?!
"the scorching flames of hell sears my flesh"
Eh? What? Wait, she talks like a dark empress of some sort! I just need to analyze it for a bit
Scorching flames… the sun? sears… ah!
I raised my hand on my brow to cover my eyes.
"the sunlight's a bit too strong, yeah…"
She suddenly stood up and walked beside me, looking at the distance, she covered me with the shade of her umbrella.
Seeing this kind gesture, I guess she didn't completely hate me when I was accused, I offered my hand to her umbrella.
"Thanks"
She gave me the umbrella, sat beside me as we share the shade.
I looked over the black umbrella, as far as I remember, there weren't any umbrellas in this world, even I haven't crafted one, it was three feet in radius, it wasn't visible on the outside but there's floral design on the underside, black roses. I can see the rough crafting it went through but I can feel the passion and care that the maker put in making the umbrella.
"This is a nice umbrella. Even with this, I can feel what you're into." I said "did you make this?"
She nodded, then offered me something.
"Accept these… richly colored rocks"
Colored rocks? Oh wait! Those were candies! We had some of those and was selling them around for the funding of the force, I guess it reached Rocheforte. Or did she buy it here?
"Thanks" I took up a blue colored one.
"A lot have changed since we got into this world…" I said "how'd you spend your days off now?"
"Deceiving god's eyes and etching forbidden rituals in my grimoire"
So, she's just scribbling in her notebook, did she have a notebook here?
"What about music? We don't have our cellphones now, but what do you often listen too?"
Why am I asking personal questions?
"Dark requiems. The gospel of heaven. Fairy theatre. I worship before all altars equally"
Yup, I don't get it. Are those bands or a genre?
"Do you like Salisbury steak?"
"Uweh!?" she suddenly became flustered and looked at me blushing.
"that's what I heard." I didn't mean it at that time, but I just happened to overheard her talking with her friends about their favorite foods, ugh. Now that I think of it, it's creepy, right?
"W-What…?" She stood up and distance herself in caution. "It is forbidden to touch me, but…"
I pointed the umbrella down, it was creepy for me the friendless loner, well, I have one friend, but everyone thinks of me that way.
"Me too…" I looked at her seriously "I like it too. Salisbury steak"
She was worried for a bit, but her expression softened.
"F-Forbidden fruit. Crimson tonic enhances my magic."
Wait… what? Forbidden fruit? Crimson tonic? Does she like it with ketchup!?
"I see… want to try eating it later?"
"Uweh!?"
"I may not look like it, but I'm pretty good at cooking"
She nodded for a bit and quietly sat beside me again, on that note, I raised the umbrella overhead covering us.
I've pretty much broke the ice, but I've ran out of topics… what now?
"Shibuya…"
Before I could finish, she stood up and looked at me.
"Um…" She's still hesitating but finally gained the courage to say it finally "Thank you!"
She yelled as loud as she can, with my heightened hearing it was like she screamed right next to me ear which shaken me.
"I said it…" She muttered.
It took a few seconds for me to swallow it down.
"For what…?"
"Ah… um… listen well, dark one, no, My friend!" She said proudly, she waved her arms like a Shakespearean actor, seeing it made me remember that cringy stuff I did at the castle.
"Allow me to give you appreciation, giving me courage during the times of need, I recollected myself and proceeded to use my powers to protect the people. Rejoice, my friend, for I, appreciate your courage for protecting me during my troubled nemesis"
What the hell… I thought it was something crucial, she was just here to thank me.
Wait, she called me friend… does that mean, my approval rate shot up?
I stood up and smiled at her while scratching my cheeks. "It's no big deal, and it was partially my fault back in Japan, Daichi would pick on you, it was actually a trap for me, so if anything, I should be saying sorry about it"
She was worried for a bit, but she flashed a bright expression.
"My name is Ranko Shibuya. I abide by the blood pact and perform in resonance of souls. The feast begins."
I guess this occasion does makes us friends. It was getting dark already, I asked her and we head back to the mansion.
Then made Salisbury steak for everyone, Stella almost died sarcastically when she learned I can cook. But in the end, Shibuya, was happy about eating her favorite Salisbury steak in a long time.
The next day, Ri-chan and the others were already to leave, so, Tetsu and I flew them from the island back to Mizushima lake.
The templar knights that was with them on the trip came running when they see us and cried at Ri-chan's feet, it was too funny to watch.
"Shibuya…"
She looked back and was sulking for some reason, she was also muttering in a low voice, even for me it was impossible to hear.
"…"
"What…?"
"…ion"
"Eh?"
"I give permission!" She yelled "I give you permission to use my name!"
She flailed her arms around like a child, all of us were surprised by her sudden change and was staring her.
"Then, Ranko-chan… here"
I gave her back the umbrella she lent me yesterday.
"This…"
"I fixed it" well, I kinda polished her crudely made umbrella, it looked much better while also retaining the design.
On the handle was a small jewel, it's actually a magic stone with a gimmick, but I won't tell her for now, it's better to surprise her by it.
She lovingly clutched the umbrella to her chest.
"Thank you…"
Seeing her like this, I couldn't help it, my heart skipped a beat. I can see now why she was being protected by everyone. That smile was just too precious.
I lightly scratched my cheeks in embarrassment.
"W-Well, we'll be off now, you guys take care okay…" Tetsu said "Oh, before I forgot, don't forget to contact us if something happens"
"How?" Sonohara asked.
"just look for a wishing star!" I jokingly said.
"Jerk!!"
"That's more like it!" I said "You've lost your edge after that fight, might as well sharpen it again"
"Guren-kun! How do we contact you?" Ri-chan asked.
I pointed at Ranko's umbrella "That's where the secret lies"
"Just tell me how!" She cried out
"I don't want too! We'll lose the dramatic entrance then!"
Leaving out the ranting teacher and our classmates behind, I closed the ramp and head to the pilot seat then took off.
"Where to next?" Tetsurou asked.
I'd like to go back and work on my projects, but since we're already out, I'll buy some materials and have fun for now.
"Let's go to the merchant state, Adera city"
"You're the boss"
Somewhere Dark
"Mama..." A young girl huddled in the corner of a cell. Iron bars and cold flagstones surrounded her. She couldn't have been more than four or five years old. Weakly, she cried out for her mother over and over. But there was no reply.
After a few minutes, she heard the sound of footsteps. She started trembling. She hugged her knees and shrunk back. A boorish looking man passed by her. Following behind him was the young boy who had been in the cell next to hers.
This was all information she inferred from what she heard. She didn't dare raise her head up to look. She was too afraid. That boy was the fifth. The fifth one she'd heard led out of here. The other four had never come back. This boy too, would probably never come back.
Young as she was, the girl still understood that they hadn't been released. Now and again, men would come into the room and examine the kids locked up here. Even if she didn't fully understand their haggling over prices, the girl knew that being taken from here wasn't a good thing.
"Mama..." Her faint voice trailed off, heard by no one. Swallowed up by the dark underbelly of the city...for now.
Rocheforte Castle.
A week had passed since the monster army attack on Mizushima lake, Hayato and the others learned of Yukitoshi's death and that the boy was brainwashed by the Devils, Rika was taken by an unknown white-haired man when she got injured, since then the kingdom organized a search party, but the guards that are with Rika pleaded to stay in the Town for a while.
They had all returned to the capital. There was one very important thing they had to do before they headed out for war. Help Hayato overcome his reservations against killing people. If he was to fight in this war, he would need to be able to kill, one way or another. Otherwise, he would likely end up like Yukitoshi, dead before long.
There wasn't much time left. Hayato and the others knew of the events at Mizushima. It was clear the Devils are gathering their forces. The battle would start soon. And so, it was imperative that Hayato overcome his aversion to killing as fast as possible.
He was currently training for Anti-personnel combat with Noel, the head commander of the Knights, and his knights. The castle break in that happened months ago also damaged the morale of the Heroes as they couldn't even stop one person from taking the precious relic they've found. Ryu, Kondou, Murata, and the other had all been somewhat prepared to kill, but their resolve had been shaken when they'd seen Yukitoshi's body with a gaping hole on his chest. They accompanied Hayato for his training, wondering all the while if they'd really be able to do it when the time came.
The knights were worried as well. They needed the kids to be ready to kill, but it was meaningless if the mental strain of it broke them.
It was in the middle of this that good news finally reached the castle.
Rika and the other students had been found and returned. Normally, it fell to Hayato and his charisma to keep everyone in high spirits, but now that he himself was dejected, the other students had no one to turn to. An air of gloom had fallen over the castle. Moral was all time low from Yukitoshi's death, and still grappling with the issue of murder, the students were on the verge of breaking. The only things holding them together were Mei and Murata's calm leadership, and Haru's cheerfulness, but they weren't able to life the heavy fog that had settled on the student's hearts. That was why they were all extremely grateful for Rika's return.
Mei was the first to act when they learned she'd come back. She ended training early and ran off to see her. She wanted to exchange information with Rika before the other students talked to her. Mei was worried and wanted to know who took her away from Mizushima.
She dashed through the halls of the palace, her sword dangling in her waist. For some reason, the maids all started longingly at her when she passed by. Even in another world, Mei was more popular with the ladies than the guys. Worse, everyone, including older ladies, had taken to calling her "Onee-sama"
Mei had read reports about a mysterious group that protected Mizushima, but she wanted to hear the details directly from Rika.
Mei knocked on the door of Rika's room. But there was no reply. One of the nearby servants explained that Rika had gone and give her report to the king and not yet returned. Mei leaned against the wall and decided to wait.
Rika finally returned after half an hour. Her mouth was a grim slash, and she was heedless of her surroundings. It seemed she was pondering something serious.
She passed by Mei, and the door to her own room, without even noticing it. Wondering what on earth had her so lost in thought, Mei loudly spoke up.
"Sensei… Sensei!"
"Hwuh!?" Rika started looking around wildly. After a few seconds, she spotted Mei leaning against the wall. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Murasame-san! I haven't seen you in ages. How are you doing? You're not hurt, are you? Is everyone alright?" Despite the fact that she was quite clearly struggling with her own problems, she put her students first as always. Mei smiled, glad to see that "Ri-chan-sensei" hadn't changed at all.
The two made small talk for a few minutes before moving on to the main reason of Mei's visit. The two of them went inside Rika's room to swap stories.
"I see... so, Yukitoshi-kun was…" A cute claw foot table separated the two girls. They both sipped their black tea and lapsed into thought. Rika had just finished telling Mei what happened at Mizushima and the mysterious group were friend of Asher.
Yukitoshi's death weighed heavily on Rika and Mei, too, was saddened to hear of how he died. Rika's shoulders dropped as she thought back to that day. Mei didn't know what to say. Considering how much Rika valued her students, Rika knew it must have been a heavy blow.
Still, she did her best to cheer Rika up.
"What happened to Yukitoshi-kun is truly unfortunate. But still, I'm glad you're okay, Sensei. Thank god Guren-kun was around to help you guys" Mei smiled at Rika, and Rika smiled back. She didn't want to burden her students with her own problems.
"Indeed. You know, when we first reunited with him, he acted like he didn't care about any of us, or this world at all… I can't believe that he's actually working with an organization that was protecting the world. Oh, when he took us to their place, Akagi-kun was there"
"What?! Akagi-kun's alive?"
Rika nodded happily, "Yes, and it was actually surprising, but in their base, it was so nostalgic, it was like I'm back in Japan. Akagi -kun said that Guren-kun developed everything from scratch and made the technology that healed me"
Rika chatted happily as she recollected everything that she experienced on Avalon. Noticing Mei's gaze, Rika quickly cut short her reminiscing and cleared her throat loudly. However, the damaged was already done. Mei saw the need to probe into this a little further. Her expression wooden, she glared at Rika.
"Sensei. You mentioned that Guren-kun saved you from certain death. Can you go into a bit more detail about that?"
"Huh!?"
"I'm just curious how he managed to cure such a fatal poison"
"W-Well… he injected me with some serum, and then took me to some island where there was a hospital and I was healed there"
Rika flustered as she tried to explain how she was cured, in reality, Asher warned her not to spread about the modern technology that was hidden in the world. But due to the pressure that Mei was probing, she curled up and confess.
"Anyway, Sensei. How'd your report to the king go? It seemed pretty serious from what I heard" Rika frowned angrily. Whatever had happened in there, it wasn't good.
"The holy church has branded Guren-kun and Akagi-kun a heretic"
"What…!? Why? Actually, I can probably guess why, but… aren't they being too hasty in their judgement?"
Asher's strength was unparalleled. His tiny group had wiped out a monster army 60,000 strong. Each of his companions was strong, and they all wielded artifacts no one had seen before. Despite which, the holy church had decided they were going to oppose him. Mei could understand why the nobles and priests considered him dangerous.
However, it was still too reckless to declare him a heretic without even considering the consequences.
Now that he was considered an enemy of the god, anyone could try to kill him at any time, and it would be sanctioned by the government. It was entirely possible they would mobilize holy paladins, or even the army to purge him, which meant that Asher would be forced to see them as his enemies, and likely slaughter the lot of them. The nobles and the priests should have realized this danger. And yet, they still chose to oppose Asher. Their decision baffled Mei.
Rika nodded sympathetically.
"I feel the same way. Besides, Guren-kun was the one who saved Mizushima and its people, and he's been doing that from the shadows till a year ago. I told them they shouldn't make an enemy out of him just because he won't follow their orders, but they wouldn't listen. I thought, I'd have more influence with the king after Guren-kun worked hard and made me famous, but it seems that's not the case." Rika looked down and shook her head.
"According to my guards, rumors of 'the fertility goddess and her holy knight' have already started spreading through the land. To the people, declaring him a heretic is the same as declaring me one. That's why I'd thought my words would carry some weight with them. But they still passed down that decree. Now that I think about it, it's strange. The bishop was always a devout believer, so his behavior is understandable, but there was something off about the king and his nobles when I was giving my report…"
"That's certainly worrying. What could they possibly have been thinking… at any rate, our problem now is who they're going to send to kill Guren-kun? Considering how strong he is, they only have one option"
"That's right! They'll probably…"
"Ask us to do it, yep. But there's no way I'm doing that. I like living. Just the thought of fighting Guren-kun, and thinking that Akagi-kun is in the same level, sends shivers down my spine" Mei shivered, and Rika gave her a sympathetic smile.
Rika knew she needed to tell everyone what Asher had told her about the mad god that ruled this world, and what his true goals were, before the bishop tricked Hayato into fighting Asher. She had no proof, though. It was possible Hayato and the others wouldn't believe her. After all, they'd fought on thus far thinking the gods would send them home if they won the war.
However, the truth was that those gods were twisted psychopaths who reveled in watching people suffer. Their only hop of returning home lay in the conquest to find the Key of Void hidden somewhere in the world. Unfortunately, that was a hard tale to swallow.
Will they believe me? Or will they think I'm just spouting nonsense and keep fighting like they have been until now? Either way, Rika had to at least persuade the students not to trust the holy church too much. She'd had her own suspicions, but Asher's tale, and their current attitude had convinced her.
"Murasame-san. There's one other thing Guren-kun told me. He didn't want to tell anyone else because he thought they'd just get angry at him for saying it."
"What... was it?"
"Well, it has to do with the gods the Holy Church worships, and what Guren-kun's true goal is. There's no proof backing up any of it, but... I think it's important that I tell everyone. Could you gather everyone tonight... No, by this evening?"
"That's... No, forget it. I could get them all right now if you want?"
"No. I don't want it to seem suspicious. It's better to wait until a time we'd all be together anyway, like dinner. That way we'll be able to pass it off like we're just trying to catch up with each other."
"I see... Alright then. We'll do it at dinner."
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before parting ways. Neither of them knowing what would happen between then and dinner.
The sun was just beginning to set. Rika strode through one of the castle's deserted hallways. Its cold stone walls were painted a brilliant orange by the sun's dying rays. The dark shadows that lay over the areas not lit by the sun contrasted beautifully with the light.
Rika was admiring the sunset when suddenly she heard footsteps. She came to a stop, wondering who it was. She looked in front of her and saw a female figure hiding in the shadows. The figure was standing in the middle of the hallway, her back ramrod straight. She was wearing the traditional garb of an Ouranos priestess.
She spoke in a beautiful, but eerily inorganic voice.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Rika Akiyama. I have come to collect you." The woman's robotic voice sent chills down Rika's spine.
"Umm, nice to meet you? What do you mean you've come to collect me? I was just about to go eat dinner with my students."
"I'm afraid your plans have been changed. You must accompany me to the temple."
"Huh?"
The woman stated it as a command, not a question. She stepped out of the shadows, and Rika got a good look at her for the first time. Rika gasped when she saw who it was. Her supernatural beauty left Rika awestruck.
Navy blue hair that scintillated in the sunlight, striking golden eyes, and an ageless appearance that made her seem like both a mature woman and a little girl at the same time. She was the perfect embodiment of feminine beauty. She was tall for a woman, almost 170 centimeters. Rika had to crane her neck to look up at her. Her skin was like fine porcelain, and her limbs were slender. Her breasts were modest, but not small. They fit her frame perfectly.
However, her face was utterly expressionless. So much so that it seemed like she was wearing a mask. She had the kind of beauty that stirred artists, but at the same time, she seemed entirely artificial.
The woman continued speaking.
"My master is displeased with what you are attempting to do. They would find it much more... interesting, if your students continued down their current path. Thus, I must remove you from the game board until events have run their course."
"Wh-What are you..."
The woman took a few steps forward. Rika took a few steps back. The woman's priestess robe rustled and her eyes glimmered. A second later, a haze descended upon Rika's consciousness. She instinctively focused her mind, like she did when she was trying to cast magic, making the haze disperse.
"I understand now. You truly are worthy of the title 'goddess.' To think you could repel my charm. Very well, I suppose I shall have to take you back by force."
"S-Stay back! Wh-What are you after!?" Rika began chanting a spell. However, before she could finish, the woman closed the distance between them and slammed her fist into Rika's solar plexus.
As she felt her consciousness slip away, Rika could faintly make out the last words the woman said.
"Fear not. I won't kill you. You are a very precious pawn. Plus, your abilities may be required later in eliminating that irregular."
Asher's face flashed in her mind. Even though she knew there was no way her voice could reach him, she tried to warn him before her consciousness was completely swallowed up.
Guren-kun!
"Hmm?" The woman picked Rika up as easily as she would a feather and threw the teacher over her shoulder. She then turned around, looking behind her suspiciously. After a few minutes of careful scrutiny, she walked up to one of the guest chambers and opened the door.
She made sure her footsteps could be heard clearly, then stomped over to the closet. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw its doors open.
However, there was no one inside. The woman tilted her head in confusion, and once more examined the room. Eventually, she decided it must just have been her imagination and headed out of the room.
Once she was gone, a tiny whisper echoed through the silent room.
"I have to... tell someone..." There was still no one in the room. However, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard going in the opposite direction the woman had left in.
A few seconds later, silence filled the room once more.
Synergist, Asher Guren
"Whaa~"
I yawned as we walked on the streets of Adera city. A place where people, goods, and ambitions all mixed together to form the largest trading center in the world. Today too, it was bustling with activity. One could hear the clamor of the city a good distance away from the walls, even.
"Did you find anything interesting?" I asked Tetsu beside me. He was the one who invited me to drop off Ri-chan back into Mizushima, on the way home we stopped by the city to get some materials I'll need, of course, with just a request from Will, I could get the finest material there is, but that's no fun, I'm already on a day off.
I might as well have a blast looking and gather for materials.
On the side note, Stella and Captain was sent on a reconnaissance mission, I wasn't with them because I was in a state of "recovering"
Well, gathering materials, I can do that alone, but Tetsu was with me, so while we're at it, we went on a gourmet tour around the city.
"Haa… that's a feast!" Tetsu said happily tapping his stomach.
I too, had my fill and it was delicious, if the world wasn't in actual danger, I would've brought Tetsu and travel around the world for a gourmet world tour. But we can't do that now.
Just as we walked I stopped and focused.
"What's wrong?"
"My 'spider sense' is tingling"
"Huh? Why are you even using that?"
"It's training, besides, if Éclair was in the base, she'd snuck on my back and probably haul me in a torture room somewhere"
"Ah…" Tetsu made an exasperated expression
Éclair was a sadist, everyone knows that, but for some reason, she's always locking in for me to be her torture pig. Do I really look like a masochist?
"What's so special about it? We're in a crowded place"
"No, it's under us"
"Below? Aren't the sewers below us? Maybe someone's doing some work on them?"
"if it was just that sure, but the presence is really small. Plus, it feels weak… I think it's a kid. A really hurt kid"
"Wha-!? Shit! What if they accidentally fell in and swept away by the water!? Ash, let's get to them"
I told him the direction and we dashed off. I'm not keen on saving one life at a time, but this was a kid, he still has a future to grow into a proper adult and not some twisted bastard.
Together with Tetsu, I tried to pinpoint the location of the moving child. I just realized they were being carried by the current toward the sewer channel that ran beneath the street we were on. We dashed forward ahead of the presence, I pressed my hand on the ground and transmuted a hole in the streets.
Without hesitation, Tetsu and I leaped into the hole. I grabbed hold of Tetsu's hand and used Icarus's aerodynamics to slow our descent to one of the walk ways that snaked alongside each side of the tunnel. I had no intention of falling into the foul-smelling sewer sludge.
"Ash, I can sense it too now. I'll jump in and rescue whoever it is"
"Don't be stupid, you don't have to do that" Tetsu didn't hesitate to leap forward, even though it would've gotten his clothes dirty. However, I grabbed him by the collar and held him back. I placed my hands on the ground and transmuted it.
A latticework of clay rose up from the bottom of the sewer. I tilted the makeshift net and scooped up the child that was being washed down the sewer. Then, carefully rolled them closer to where I was standing. Finally, I shot out my left arm, grabbed the child, and reeled them in.
"This girl's..."
"She's still breathing. Let's get out of here first. It smells disgusting." Tetsu's eyes opened wide as he saw the girl, I pulled in. We were pretty surprised. Even with our limited knowledge of this world, I'm certain someone like her wasn't supposed to be in a city like this. However, considering where we were, it really wasn't the time to worry about that. The unhygienic conditions were bad for us both physically and mentally.
Considering who she was, I doubted she'd fallen in here by accident. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to bring her up into the open street, so I closed the earlier hole I'd made and transmuted a new one into the wall. Then, I used my knowledge of the nearby layout to map out a new path. After that, I pulled a blanket out of my pack and wrapped it around the girl.
Blue sparks flared in a small back alley, and suddenly a hole appeared in the ground. Out of it appeared We stepped. then closed the hole behind us and took a proper look at the girl we rescued.
She had long, emerald-green hair. Her adorable features shone through the dirt and shit that was caked on her face. From the looks of it, she couldn't have been more than three or four years old.
However, her most striking feature, the one that had surprised me and Tetsu, were her ears. Instead of human ears, two fan-shaped fins sprouted from the sides of her head. Furthermore, I could see thin webbing on the tiny red hand that poked out of the blanket.
"This girl's a siren. What's she doing here?"
"Well, whatever the reason is, it's probably not good."
Fishmen were a unique race among the beastmen. They lived in the coastal city of Arisen, which was to the west of the continent, past even the massive Yale Desert. Thanks to their racial traits, they were well suited to the water. So much so that they provided seventy percent of the continent's marine produce. It was thanks to their usefulness that the Rocheforte Kingdom guaranteed their safety, despite the fact that they were beastmen. The kingdom's opportunism knew no bounds. Even as they discriminated against the other races, they protected any that were useful to them.
It seemed impossible that a fishmen child would be in one of the largest cities on the continent, and even more impossible that they'd find her in the sewers of all places. The whole affair reeked of shady dealings at work.
As Tetsu and I looked at each other, unsure of what to do, the little girl's nose twitched, and she opened her eyes.
She looked around in confusion for a little bit before finally settling her large round pupils on me. She stared silently at me.
Unable to look away, I stared back. Seconds passed. Seconds turned into minutes. And the minutes continued stretching on.
"What's staring gonna do?" Tetsu's exasperated interjection shattered the strange tension that had formed around us, and the girl's stomach gurgled. Her nose twitched again and this time her eyes locked on to the food Tetsu still had wrapped up in his hands.
Tetsu tilted his head and pulled out a meat skewer. He slowly waved it from right to left, and the girl's gaze followed it like a magnet. She was clearly hungry. I stopped her before she could unwrap the skewer and started transmuting.
"So, what's your name?" She shrank back as blue sparks filled the air and the ground rose up to make a small box. The skewer was no longer the center of her attention. After a moment of hesitation, she quietly whispered her name.
"Lily."
"I see. I'm Ash, and that's Tetsu. Anyway, Lily, before you can eat that, we have to clean you up first." I took some clean water out of the pack and poured it into a makeshift bathtub, then heated with some magic stones under the tub to warm it, finishing off my impromptu bath. I don't think it would be healthy even for a siren to eat with hands caked in sewer sludge. As she'd probably swallowed some earlier when she was being washed away, we'd probably need to give her some antibiotics as well.
Without even giving her time to reply, I stripped off her dirty clothes and plopped her into the bath. Lily let out a terrified squeal, but after she realized the warm water actually felt pleasant, she slowly relaxed.
I pulled out a towel, some medicine, and a bar of soap. Tetsu left me to bathe Myu while he went out to purchase new clothes for her.
Shield Master, Tetsurou Akagi
When I returned, I found Lily hugging Ash, a blanket wrapped around her body. she'd already finished her bath. Ash was in the process of feeding her the meat skewer. Lily's small mouth worked furiously to chew the large chunks. Her hair had regained its original luster, and she looked like a tiny angel surrounded in a halo of emerald green.
"Looks like you're having fun taking care of a child" Tetsu teased "Should I call the police?"
"My ass, shut up and give me the clothes you bought"
Ash stroked Lily's damp hair as he retorted. Still chewing on the meat, Lily turned back to stare at me now. It looked like she was trying to decide whether I was a good or bad person.
I nodded and pulled out the clothes I bought. It was a small white one-piece dress. I'd also gotten her a pair of gladiator sandals and some basic underwear. Even though it had been for a kid, I could feel the clerk's eyes boring into me when I went to buy them.
Ash gently pulled the blanket off her and pulled the dress over her head. Of course, he helped her put the underwear on as well. Then, he knelt down and slipped the sandals onto her feet.
Once that was finished, he pulled out a hair dryer from his pack, why does he have that? I don't know. He started drying Lily's hair. At first Lily just silently watched Ash, but as the hot air hit her back, she let out a cute squeal and smiled a little.
"I didn't realize you were so good at looking after people, Ash."
"Well, yeah. Remember that kid that used to come to my house?"
"Ah…" it was around sixth grade, there was this one girl in the neighborhood, her parents aren't often at home so she was always at Ash's house, I guess that's where he got the experience.
"Anyway, we need to think about what to do next..."
"You mean about Lily-chan, right..." Realizing we were talking about her, Lily shifted her gaze between the two of us. We decided to first figure out what was going on with her.
Lily haltingly told us everything, after a lot of prodding. It was more or less what we had already guessed. One day, while she'd been swimming, she'd gotten separated from her mother and had ended up being captured by humans.
After a grueling journey through the desert, Lily had been taken to Adera and locked up in a dark cell somewhere. Apparently, there'd been other human children in the cells next to her. Then, after a few days, a few of the children were taken away each morning. None of them ever came back. She overheard that one of the older boys had been shown off to a bunch of people before being sold to someone.
It was meant to be her turn today, but the door to the sewers had been left open. Probably because someone had gone in to maintain it and forgotten to close the door. Regardless, the sound of rushing water had called to Lily, and she'd jumped in.
It was a blessing that they hadn't shackled her. They had probably figured a young child like her couldn't have done much anyway. Anyway, thanks to that, Lily was able to swim. She did her best not to gag at the terrible smell and started paddling. Though she was young, she was a Siren. Nobody on foot could have hoped to catch her, especially as she was swimming with the current.
However, the stress of the kidnapping, the terrible journey, and the inadequate food she'd been given finally caught up to her. Swimming through a city's worth of human waste was impossible for her in her weakened condition.
She'd blacked out and when she next awoke, she had been in Ash's arms.
"Shown off and then sold, huh? Sounds like an auction. And if they're selling Siren and human children too, it's clearly an illegal one."
"Ash, what should we do?" I hugged Myu tight. This poor girl had endured so much, I can't just let her be like that, there were those children too.
And yet, Ash simply shook his head.
"It would be better to leave her to the safety department."
"You can't! You're going to just abandon her and all those other kids?" I cried out vehemently. I looked at Ash in shock. Did my best righteous best friend die along with the amnesia…?
The safety department was the police in this world. Placing her in the care of a public institution like that would mean that her fate was completely out of our hands. It wasn't exactly the same as abandoning her, and it was, in fact, the normal procedure for when someone found a lost child, but considering the situation, I can't believe what Ash just decided.
Ash knelt down and explained to me point by point.
"Look, Tetsu. Normally, when you find a lost child, the proper thing to do is to send them to the safety department. Besides, Lily's a Siren. They'll definitely treat her well. And the fact that there's an underground auction that deals in Siren will cause a huge uproar. There'll definitely a full-scale investigation, and all the other kids will end up in the department's protection as well"
Even if Lily was a beastman, she was one of the races under the kingdom's protection. Adera did possess a level of independence, but they couldn't ignore people that were so flagrantly flouting the kingdom's authority. Sure, the officials of the city would have to act, which would surely lead to Lily being returned home.
Ash continued to pile rational reasons why we should leave Lily in the city's care.
I know that's a rational thing to do, but… leaving this girl to her fate, what if the bastards come back and kidnapped her again before the officials move? Government was never always reliable there's a bunch of bullshit they'd have to follow before actually moving.
"You get it, right? We're dealing with here is the underworld that exists in every large city. If they're capable of capturing Myu, then it's obvious they have eyes and ears in places the government can't reach them. This whole affair is Adera's problem. It's not something we should poke our noses into. Besides, whatever we decide to do, we still have to report this to someone. Our mission is to protect the world from the Houkai, we're not a world police force."
"I get your point… but we could at least take her with us. Right? We're headed back to Arisen, anyway…"
"Come on, bringing her with us would light a fire in our asses, if we brought her back without any warning, we'd be arrested for even having a Siren in our possession. We'd be no different from the kidnappers"
"Tch! I get it okay…" regretful as it was, Ash won this one. Guessing that she was the cause of their argument, Lily tightly hugged me. It seemed Lily was pretty comfortable around me now, too. Her hug made me even more reluctant to let her go.
However, what Ash was saying was right, so I reluctantly nodded. Ash squatted down next to Lily and slowly explained what they'd decided.
"Okay, Lily. We're going to take you to some people who can protect you. It might take some time, but they'll definitely get you back home."
"What about you?" Lily's voice was anxious.
"Sorry, but we'll have to say bye to you there."
"No!"
"Hey now, don't be like that..."
"I like being with Onii-chan! I'm staying with you!" Her adamant refusal threw Ash off-balance.
She started struggling in my lap. She'd been surprisingly mature up until now, but that might have just been because she was still trying to figure out what kinds of people we were. Now that she'd decided we were people she could trust, she'd begun acting more spoiled, like a kid her age. It was possible she'd been a lot more cheerful and noisy before all this had happened to her.
Ash probably was glad Lily liked him, but he knew he'd have to report this to the authorities.
After seeing how reluctant Lily was, Ash gave up on trying to explain things to her. Instead, he forcibly put her on his shoulders and headed for the safety department building.
The whole way there, she scratched and pulled at Ash's hair, headband and face. She had finally found people she could trust after escaping that hellish prison, so she wasn't going to let us go without a fight.
Had it not been for me following behind them placating everyone, it was quite possible Ash would have been reported as a kidnapper himself. We arrived in the safety department, Ash was covered in scratches and his hair a mess. He explained to the wide-eyed receptionist what we discovered.
The receptionist told Ash that in order to launch an investigation and to make sure the procedures to get Myu sent home they would have to talk to their boss. They promised Lily would be safe in their hands, and urged Ash to leave her there. As Ash had guessed, this was a huge deal. They would probably need to call in reinforcements from their headquarters as well. Seeing that our job was done, we turned to leave. However.
"Onii-chan, do you hate me?" Even Ash couldn't take Lily's teary-eyed puppy-dog look. Most people wouldn't be able to. He let out a garbled groan and tried to explain once again why he couldn't take Lily with us, and that she would be safe with the kind old man standing over there. But even when he told her the man would take her home, Lily's sorrowful expression remained.
The people at the safety department tried to console Lily, and somewhat forcibly attempted to separate her from Ash. After many tears and pulled hairs, we finally left the department building behind.
Neither of us were in the mood to even talk, I kept shooting worried glances back at the safety department building.
Finally, we were out of sight of the building. Looking so glum, Ash tried to cheer me up.
However, just as he opened his mouth, there was a massive explosion behind us. The two of us whirled around and saw black smoke rising in the distance.
"That's!"
"The safety department building!" Ash ran back without hesitation on his steps, I soon followed.
We tried to hold back our panic, I feared the worst-case scenario might happened. We arrived at the blown-out building with glass and masonry lying everywhere. Fortunately, the building itself was still intact. Gingerly we stepped inside and found the kindly old receptionist lying face-down on the ground.
I quickly searched over the building for Lily.
"She's not here! but I found this"
I handed him the slip of paper. That was the demands for the bastard.
"If you value your life, don't dare come after us"
Ash quietly crushed the paper in his hands, the quiet fury was building up somewhere inside him. I've only seen him like this a couple of times and it did not end well.
"Tetsu…"
"Yeah?"
"Get ready… we're going for a war, I'm gonna rip them to shreds!"
I made a fearless smile, it's really not gonna end well… for the other party that is.
Synergist, Asher Guren
So, they kidnapped Lily once more, not only that but they'd decided to also threaten me… those who had the guts never lived long to see the next day.
We went back for the Jet and grabbed a few items for this war I'm starting.
I sported a bullet proof vest under my jacket with four long pouched housing P90 mags, then on my waist holstered two cylindrical silver tubes, and three pouches carrying M16 mags, then two grenades, in my hand was the semi-automatic carbine, AR-57, the super chimera gun that has two receivers, the upper was for P90 magazines and the lower was M16 mags. It was equipped with a holographic sight.
The holsters under my jacket was also equipped with two Uzis.
"Hey, Ash, you're really planning to go on a war?"
"Fuck yeah! They took away that cute girl! She called me Onii-chan!! Even I was reluctant to let her go, but now there's no need for reservations! We're crushing that gang right here and now!!"
"Well, this will be my first time using my partner anyway"
Tetsu fixed the brace that was in left hand, it was the Key of Frost.
"Remember, that thing lowers your body temperature in each use"
"Yeah, I know, it's the exact opposite of Vulcan, right?"
"Yeah"
"What do you say we crush some insects?"
So, we went on a killing spree, damn it was a festival around Adera, guns blazing we went in, I'm already spent 5 mags on the fuckers, fortunately, with some torture from Tetsu's divine key, they spit out the locations of their other hide outs.
"They're not putting up a fight…"
"Well, I've been shooting them with a carbine rifle, who could even put a fight on that?"
"welp, they've given up the location, wanna use this?" I offered the AR-57 at Tetsu.
"Much as I'd like too, you've already spent all your bullets, right?"
Well, I guess he's counting them, yeah, I pretty much blown through the mags I've been carrying, the gun was pretty much useless now, the Uzis only have 30 rounds each and that was also spent.
I dropped all of the stuff I was carrying that wasn't necessary anymore, but leaving them here would expose our technology, so I put them back in the pack.
My only weapons now, was the two cylindrical tubes resting at my waist.
"Let's head to the tourist quarter"
"This is the place... Ah, yeah, I can sense people below us."
"Okay."
There were two hulking figures clothed in all black guarding the entrance. I didn't want to create a commotion just yet; they'd probably move Lily somewhere if that happened. So, we moved around the back alley and transmuted our way in.
I put over my hood and used stealth, Tetsu placed his hand on my shoulder so the skill took effect and hollowed his body too.
We searched inside the building.
Finally, we arrived at a vast underground prison. The lone guard guarding the entrance was dozing at his post.
Dumbass, I choked the life out of him before he even woke up.
We found a group of ten human children and one girl huddled together inside the cell. They were most likely the children up for the auction.
Almost all humans were faithful believers of the Holy Church, and it was illegal to take any believers as slaves. It was, however, still acceptable to buy and sell criminals and heretics. Anyone who betrayed god was no longer protected by the laws of the Holy Church. Asher highly doubted any of the children shivering on the cold stone floor were either criminals or heretics. It was obvious this was not a legal auction.
However, I don't see Lily anywhere in the cell. I undid my Stealth. The children shrank back as I walked up to their cell, but he squatted down in front of them quietly asked a question.
"Did any of you see a Siren girl come here?" They'd all been terrified it was their turn to go up, so his question took them by surprise. They all looked at each other.
Tetsu squatted down with a warm smile. It's gonna be fine, we won't hurt you"
The sole girl, around our age fidgeted nervously for a few seconds before answering.
"Umm, they took her a little while ago. Who are you?"
"We're the good guys" Tetsu said
"D-Did you come to save us!?" The girl shouted excitedly. Her voice echoed across the stone walls. Realizing her mistake, the girl hurriedly clapped his hands over her mouth. But nothing happened.
I held a wry smile at her reaction, but I already killed the guard, so it's fine by now.
"Stay back, I'll open it now"
I grabbed one of the cylindrical tubes on my waist and pushed the power button. With a low sound, a blue energy blade vibrated out as it reached out with a length of about 1 meter lighting up the dark underground.
Majestically, I carved out the cell effortlessly with the energy sword, it fell with a metallic clank, the jail cell now had a circle shaped hole, the destroyed metal fell on the ground loudly.
"Couldn't you just transmute or picked the lock?"
"It's cooler this way"
"You and your aesthetics" Tetsu grumbled.
"Okay boys and girls, you can step out now"
The kids looked at my lightsaber with shocked stares, with their mouth hanging.
"Well, Tetsu, bring them up, I'll go trash the place down"
He gave me a thumbs up and left with the kids. The girl held my jacket quietly.
"…?"
"Th-Thank you…"
"It's what heroes do, don't think too much of it, you should follow Tetsu, he'll protect you"
Underground Auction Hall, Adera City
A heavy silence filled the auction hall. There were around a hundred buyers seated in the stands. Each and every one of them was wearing a mask, and none of them were saying a word. Whenever something a customer wanted to buy appeared, they'd just silently raise their number tag. They didn't want to give any hints away about their identities.
Still, even they couldn't suppress their cries of surprise when the next item was brought to the stage. A two meters long water tank holding a young siren girl... Lily.
She'd been stripped naked and was currently hugging her knees in a corner of the tank. The reason she'd been put in the tank was to prove that she was a real siren, as they were the only race that could breathe underwater. And because she'd managed to escape once before, they'd shackled her this time. The metal shackles had been fastened so tight that her skin was chafed underneath them.
The auctioneers examined the trembling girl for a few seconds, then the bidding began. Prices soared, yet the bidding war showed no sign of stopping. Even though her existence had now been made aware to the public, most of the auctioneers seemed confident they could transport her discreetly. Or perhaps they simply weren't aware of the commotion that had happened that afternoon.
The auction hall grew noisy for the first time, and Lily shrank as far back as the tank would allow her to. Her fingers were curled tightly around a black piece of cloth. Asher's head. He'd been so preoccupied with trying to calm Lily down that he'd forgotten to take it back.
Right now, that hairband was the last thing Lily had left to cling to. She'd been taken from her mother, forced to travel a long way, been thrown in a dark cell, and swam through literal filth to escape. Finally, when she'd thought all hope was lost, she'd found herself wrapped in something warm.
When she'd opened her eyes, she'd found herself face to face with a young silver-haired boy wearing a hairband. She'd stared at him in surprise, and he'd stared back. Both of them had been too stubborn to be the first to break eye contact, but then Lily'd been distracted by the smell of something delicious.
He'd asked for her name, and she'd told him. Then, there'd been a pretty blue flash, and he'd plopped her into a bath. After that the silver haired boy had started washing her. The bath had been pleasantly warm, and he had been really gentle. Soon enough, Lily had let her guard down enough that she was calling the boy, Asher, "Onii-chan."
Lily didn't think she'd forget the taste of the skewers Asher had fed her for the rest of her life. And, while she'd been busy eating, the boy named Tetsu had come back.
She'd been a little scared of him, but then he bought her these really cute clothes and dried and combed her hair, so she started feeling better around them, too.
When they'd said she couldn't stay with them and that they'd give her to these people called the safety department, she'd been devastated. She'd been so lonely ever since she'd been separated from her mom. She didn't think she could take being lonely like that again after having found such kind people.
And so, Lily did everything she could to stay.
She pulled at Asher's hair, slapped his cheeks, and even took his hairband. If he wanted it back, he'd have to let her stay with them.
However, in the end, the kind people she'd finally found left her in a strange and unfamiliar place.
As she huddled in her tank, she thought back on what happened.
Did they leave me because I did something bad? Is it because I took the black thingy? Do Onii-chan and Onii-chan hate me? Tears welled up in her eyes. If she ever saw them again. she'd apologize. She'd even give Asher his hairband back. She'd do anything they asked. She just wanted to go with them.
Onii-chan... Onii-chan... Suddenly, there was a loud thud and her tank shook. She squealed in terror and hurriedly opened her eyes. There was a masked man wearing a tuxedo standing next to her tank. He was yelling something and kicking the glass repeatedly.
The auction manager had wanted to Lily to swim around a little in order to make the guests bid higher, but she'd just stayed curled up in a ball. Tired of waiting, he'd finally snapped and started kicking her tank.
That only served to frighten Lily further, however, as she curled into a ball and attempted to look as small as possible. All she could do was try to drown out the yelling and the kicking.
The Seldor member managing the auction grew even angrier. He was worried people would think she was sick, and not bid as high. If she sold low, he was the one who'd be punished for it. Seeing this wasn't working, he resorted to drastic measures. Feeling pressured by the crowd, he started insulting Lily in the hopes of eliciting a reaction.
"Move, you sniveling little brat. Stop causing us humans so much trouble, you stupid fish-freak!" He climbed up the ladder next to the tank as he berated her, intending to poke her with the cane he was carrying. Lily shut her eyes and braced herself.
Oddly, the impact she was waiting for never came. Instead, she heard a familiar voice.
"Here's Johnny!!" Ash leaped from the ceiling, turning the auction manager into sashimi with his lightsabers. A fountain of blood spurted from the severed sashimi body.
Asher didn't even look at the man he just killed. Instead he turned around and sliced open the water tank with the lightsaber. The glass pane melted in half; a torrent of water came flooding out as steam smoked.
"Hyaaah!" the current carried Lily out with it. But before she got very far, a warm hand caught her, and she timidly opened her eyes.
When she'd first heard his voice, she'd desperately hoped she hadn't been imagining it. And she knew she hadn't. the person holding her right now was Asher. Lily blinked a few times before staring at him, much like she had when they first met.
"Lily, it's Onii-chan~" still staring at him, she quietly whispered a single word.
"Onii-chan?"
"Mhmm! Onii-chan da yo~" Asher had a stupid grin on his face as he stared at Lily, and the tears started dripping from her eyes. After a second of silence-
"Onii-chan!" She wrapped her arms around Asher and started sobbing. Asher happily patted her back to comfort her. Then, he wrapped her in his jacket.
Black-robed men burst into the main hall and surrounded the two, cutting their reunion short. The auctioneers were certain the men could handle Asher, so none of them made any move to flee.
"Hey, brat. Do you know what happens to morons who try and mess with Seldor? If you hand over the girl, then we'll at least grant you a painless death" Lily lifted her face from Asher's neck and looked at him worriedly. Twenty burly men stood between them and safety.
"Onii-chan…"
"Don't worry too much. I'm here. Close your eyes, cover your ears and count to one hundred, okay?"
Asher peeled Lily's fingers off his neck and placed them over her ears. His confident and assuring tone assuaged Lily's worries. Still a little confused, she nodded, closed her eyes, and buried her face in Asher's chest.
"Think you can just ignore us, huh!?"
"Kill the brat! But don't lay a hand on the merchandise!" The leader angrily ordered his men to charge.
A second later there was a bright flash, and the leader was suddenly missing his head. And fell on the ground.
Unable to grasp what had happened, everyone silently watched as the leader's corpse crumpled to the ground.
And while they stood there, still confused, Asher started his massacre with the lightsaber. Flashing one my one, diced, julienne, sashimi, skewered. Eleven people fell before the rest finally realized what was going on.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! He's a monster!"
"H-He's a demon! We're all gonna be killed!" The men in black started backing away from him, while the auctioneers screamed and swarmed for the exits.
A monster huh? That's rich, coming from people who buy and sell slaves. He wanted to teach those fleeing slavers a thing or two, but he kept his attention firmly focused on the threat in front of him.
"Wh-Who the hell are you!? What, why... How did you do that!?" The man trembled in fear as he shouted in what he hoped was an intimidating voice. Another dozen men in black ran into the hall, but they faltered when they saw the bodies littering the floor.
Asher scoffed at the man who'd spoken.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to take back the girl" Asher used his Icarus and jumped up through the ceiling.
Asher pressed on the communicator in his ear
"How we doing Point Break?"
As Asher zipped through the air with the improved Icarus giving him the ability to fly for a bit.
"Well, the evacuations over, the bastards are fleeing from every direction like cockroaches"
"Let's end this with a bang, yeah?"
Lily finally finished counting to 100, her eyes snapped open and she looked around. As she took in the scenery, she let out a gasp of surprise. The view was spectacular. From their vantage point, they could see the entire city of Adera. The sun was a blazing ball of red, slowly sinking below the horizon. Underneath the crimson sky, they could see lights dotting the city; people had started lighting the streetlamps.
Lily's eyes sparkled as she took all of it in. She excitedly grabbed Asher's collar and started pointing things out.
"It's amazing, Onii-chan! We're flying through the sky!"
"We're more jumping through it than flying but... Well, whatever. Anyway, Lily, look over there. There's going to be some huge fireworks soon."
"Fire-works?"
"Fireworks are... giant explosions."
"Ex-plo-sions?"
Asher couldn't figure out a good way to explain it, but it didn't matter since she'd see for herself in a few seconds. He cradled Lily in one arm as he pulled a small cylindrical detonator. While he'd been searching for Lily, he'd left some charges here and there.
"Alright, now say, Boom~"
"Boom!"
Their voices faded away into the evening breeze. A second later, there was a boom so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire city.
The art museum that doubled as an illegal auction hall was blasted to kingdom come. Not a trace remained of the probably beautiful and historic art that had adorned its halls. The surrounding buildings that had all belonged to Seldor were toppled by the shockwave following the explosion.
He'd shaped the charges upward so the fire wouldn't spread to the rest of the city. Pillars of flame rose up to the heavens, dying the sky a deep crimson, though a different shade than that of the sunset. It looked as if a volcano had erupted in the heart of the city.
"Whaaaaaaaaat!?"
"Well, Lily? Surprised? Those are fireworks."
"Fireworks are scary." Trembling, Lily clung to Asher as she watched the spectacle.
"Whoo!! Ash, what the hell!! That was awesome!!" Tetsu shouted in his communicator.
Who doesn't like blowing stuff up anyway?
"Let's meet up in the Adventurer's guild, they're probably searching for us by now"
"Got that"
Synergist, Asher Guren
The guild leader of the Adera branch was a good friend of Will, so he knows what we did, either way, we'll just be meeting with him. Then we're off.
Both Tetsu and I was ranked Gold adventurers, that's the highest anyone can obtain, we raised to that rank during the times when we had nothing to do but train, we hunted down dangerously strong monsters. Before long we obtained the rank and we didn't even notice it.
"Fifteen buildings were destroyed, thirty suffered serious damage, and nine of them were completely leveled. On top of that, thirty-eight of Seldor's members are confirmed dead, forty-four are mortally injured, twenty-eight are seriously injured, and one hundred and nineteen are unaccounted for... Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I did you a solid, we crushed them. I've obtained a cute little sister"
"Haaaaaaaaaaaah..." They were sitting in the guild's waiting room. The Guild Master of the Adera Branch, George held a stack of reports in one hand as he glared at me. On my part, I was sharing the snacks we've been served with Lily sitting on my lap happily gnawing the snacks.
"Well, while you may have gone too far, you did destroy a massive criminal organization for us. Honestly speaking, we had no way of dealing with them. They never left any trace of their illegal dealings, and on the off chance we managed to catch a few of their underlings in the act, the main organization would just cut them off. We didn't think it was even possible to put a stop to them. Though this also means the balance of Adera's underworld has been completely toppled... Haaah, we're going to be rather busy in the coming weeks. Especially since we offered our support to the safety department."
"Well, normally it's the government's job to handle stuff like this anyway. This time was a special case. They've threatened us, so I gave them a little payback"
"That 'little payback' being destroying Adera's largest criminal organization in just half a day? You guys are crazy." George smiled bitterly.
Even I felt bad for him having too much of a headache, so I gave him a suggestion.
"Part of the reason we were so flashy about it was because we wanted to make an example out of them. You know, to make sure no one else would try the same thing. So why not use our names to your benefit? If you say the gold ranked adventurer that did this is part of your branch... wouldn't that work as a good deterrent?"
"Oh my, is that really alright? That would save us a great deal of trouble but... weren't you the kind of person that hated their name being used by others?" George looked at me in surprise.
"Well, you've been a great help to us, so I don't mind if it's just using my name. I just hope you'll use it wisely. Also, we got some innocent civilians in the skirmish, so…"
"I see… that's a big help Asher-kun"
Thanks to this guy's efforts, the safety department ruled that I acted on self-defense, thereby making me innocent, for the first time. Normally it wouldn't have gone over so smoothly, but they were pretty mad about Seldor's bombing on of their buildings.
In fact, the director of the safety department had given me a not-so-subtle-thumbs-up for destroying Seldor, the organization had flaunted the safety department's authority at every turn, expanding their illegal activities into every industry they could get their hands on. The chief, who'd apparently just celebrated his 50th birthday, had been more than happy to acquit us of all charges
"Also, about Lily-kun…" George looked down at the tiny girl who was happily gnawing on a cookie.
Lily gave a little start. She looked worriedly between me and Tetsu. She didn't want to be separated from us again.
"Either we can take care of her and send her back to Arisen through the formal routes, or we can make this an official guild request and ask you to take her back... Those are your two options. Well, which do you prefer?"
"We'll just take her under the guild request, it's much less of a hassle, I'd be more at ease, if we do it.
"Listen, Lily, we're taking you with us, but it would be confusing if you keep calling me and Tetsu, Onii-chan always, so call us by name, okay?"
"Then I'll call you daddy"
"Wh-what? Sorry, Lily. I didn't quite catch that. Could you say it again?"
"Daddy."
"U-Umm, is this like a siren word for Onii-chan or Asher or something?"
"Nope. Daddy means daddy."
"Okay, hold on a second." I started massaging my temples, I just suddenly lost my right to be called Onii-chan!
"I don't have a daddy. He went to heaven before I was born. All of my friends have one, but I don't... That's why you're my daddy now, Onii-chan."
"I kind of get it, but at the same time, I kind of don't. Anyway, Lily. I'm begging you, anything but daddy. I'm still only seventeen, you know?"
"No, I like daddy!"
"Okay, fine. Even just Onii-chan is okay! I'm not asking for much, so please, just not daddy!"
"Nooo! You're my daddy now!"
AH!!! I tried everything I could to get her to stop called be daddy, but I struck out. She seemed to like it more than Onii-chan! My cute little sister went up in flames!!!
As soon as I stopped crying, we finished talking to George and started to fly back to Avalon.
My little sister just turned into a daughter, what the hell, I feel like it was some twisted incest anime plot