Alvara's sudden leave from the Death Faction spread like wildfire among the Elder Gods, and word was that a young Marionette Disciple, Christopher Hallowswift, had enticed her to do it. When the news reached Achlys's ear, she was furious.
Quickly, she gathered her disciples in the Death Faction's headquarters, and a meeting was started.
***
Achlys stood at the front of the room upon a large stage, taking a seat at her throne. She mischievously grinned toward her children, who eagerly awaited the reason for her sudden call.
"My Lord, what is the reason for your summons?" One of the Death Disciples, Alice, questioned. Her blonde hair draped past her shoulders in a wavy fashion as she stood with both hands at her side. The girl's left eye glimmered a bright yellow, whereas her other was pure black. She, along with her younger sister, were both half-elves, and wore the title proudly.
Alice watched as Achlys mischievously grinned toward them. From her body, emitted a dark and chaotic aura which made those who weren't already her disciples tremble in fear.
Finally, Achlys spoke. With great slowness, she stood up from her seat, and peered around the room. Each one of her followers were present.
"Ahem. My fellow disciples, I come here with devastating news." She stated. Her voice was medium pitched, and womanly in nature. Achlys's presence alone was enough to demand authority from anyone who stood in her path.
"What is it?" Alice subsequently tilted her head. Usually if Achlys were to label something as devastating, she'd ask her disciples to take care of it, one of the many cases being if one of the disciples were eliminated by another. In cases like those, the disciples were tasked with bringing her the head of the murderer.
She anticipated it would've been one of those…but she was wrong.
Achlys locked gazes with the half-elf, and put on a fake frown, which fooled them all.
"During the mission I assigned her and her familiar, both Alvara and Quth were eliminated by the Marionette Disciple known as 'Christopher Hallowswift' and his familiar, an elite who goes by the name, 'Est Marionette.' They were slaughtered mercilessly, their flesh and bones broken into while they screamed in agony, begging for their lives. But they were spared no mercy. Both of them were murdered in cold blood with not a spec of life remaining for me retrieve."
"What?!"
"No! That can't be!"
"N-no way!! You can't be serious!"
The disciples, especially Alice, were stunned. They couldn't believe someone would kill them off in such a horrific manner.
"Please, tell me you're joking, Goddess. You have to be! Sh-she couldn't have been-"
"However, after her death, Christopher Hallowswift called a meeting with the deity Alastor for her to be revived, and it was accepted. Alastor had her resurrected as a Marionette Disciple, an enemy of the Death Faction. Alvara Marionette was informed of this, and she gladly accepted the position. She has thus been labelled as an enemy of the Death Faction and all its people."
Alice didn't process all the details at first. She played her Goddess's words over and over again in her mind, though not a single one of them did she understand. She gaped over to the other disciples, who were all in uproar. Some were joyous of the news, while others were either stunned, or just didn't care at all.
She looked at Achlys once more, asking her to repeat her words.
"What…what did you…just say, Lord Achlys?"
"She said that your sister's DEAD! BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Hahaha! Oh boo hoo! Look who's all flustered! Looks like even your sister couldn't stand you anymore! Hahahahaahha!"
"__" She ignored their words, and eyed the deity once more. Achlys too, looked in her direction. BUt ultimately, she wasn't listened to.
Instead, she signalled the population, and they immediately went silent.
"I will assign a handful of you to intercept and eliminate all four of them. You will have a week for this mission. Do not fail me, Death Disciples."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"We shall not fail you, my Goddess."
"Yes, those foul traitors won't even know what hit'em!"
"Mehhh, this is gonna be easy. Hahahahaha!"
Alice frantically peered toward her fellow disciples, but all of them seemed to be filled with anticipation for the task. None of them were bothered by the fact that the person they were tasked with killing was her younger sister. Not even Achlys was.
She could do nothing to stop them. If she tried, then she too would be eliminated.
In the end, all Alice did was stand and idiotically stare at the deity with worry painted all over her face, who refused to even look at her in return. Alvara…how could you…what could've happened to you during that mission that made you think it was a good idea to leave…?! She thought to herself. Then suddenly, she recalled Achlys's words.
"Christopher Hallowswift…Est Marionette…" It was them who caused this to happen. They were the reason for her betrayal-for her sister's impending doom. Thinking about what they could've done to her…all of it served to her blood boil with fury.
"...I'm going to kill you."
***
"*Yawn* What a night…These beds are nothing like the ones back at home…they're so hard…I don't think I'll ever get used to it…" The party of four walked through the adventurer's stop together, each of them holding a small apple-like fruit.
Or at least, that was what Christopher thought it resembled. The fruit was called an 'appa' and had both the same texture, and flavour of a normal apple. Although they were both bigger and tasted sweeter than the usual one. He thought about which one he liked more-and the appa came victorious.
He sank his teeth into the fruit, and bit a large portion off and into his mouth, savouring the various flavours that poured onto his taste buds.
"Mmm…" He uttered, feeling satisfied, "...You weren't kidding when you said these were good, Vara. These things are great!"
"Vara?" Alvara looked at him as if he were an idiot, then snickered, "Now we've got nicknames for each other? Get real, we literally just met a moment ago."
"Hey, it's not my fault, you've just got a long name, that's all!"
"*Sigh* You've got a long name too, you know…" Alvara shook her head in disappointment toward the boy, "At least before you gimme a nickname, stupid…"
"God, then what would you like to be called then? Var seems pretty good…I mean, it's better than Al and Alva…"
"No way, don't you dare call me Al, idiot! That's a boy's name!" Alvara suddenly snapped, and stuck a finger to Christopher's chest, he instinctively put his hands up. Going back a few steps, she let out a long sigh, then shook her head for a second time. "Call me…Var-var."
"Var-var?" Christopher asked.
"Yeah, it sounds cute!" Alvara cheerily exclaimed. "Better than that stupid 'Vara' name you came up with."
"..." No way I'm calling her that.
First of all, Var-var sounded like a name you'd give your pet cat or relationship partner as a sign of affection. Second, the name was way too girly for Christopher to handle. He was a boy, a boy with standards.
But at the same time it did kind of suit her. Given that she was only twelve, he did see why she chose it without being flustered or embarrassed.
She's innocent…that's why… Smiling a little, he accepted her self-chosen nickname.
"Alright…I'll call you Var-var…even though it does sound quite stupid…"
"I'll pretend you didn't say the last part, thanks, Christopher!" Alvara seemed content with his choice. Next was his turn…what would he be called?
"Oh, hey, about my nickname…how about you call me-"
"Ho, ho, ho…it's good to see you kids getting along…"
Rudely interrupting their conversation, an old man approached them from behind. His name was Almond, and was a hired carriage driver. His wrinkled white skin, along with his light brown eyes seemed quite healthy for his old age.
"Oh, Almond. Is the carriage ready?" Christopher was the first to speak to him. Almond replied with a slow nod.
"Yes, it is. Are you ready to depart for the Aznozian Kingdom now or would you be waiting till later?"
"Hmm…" His eyes fell upon the three girls. He knew that Est would be fine with leaving at any time he seemed fit, but he wondered about the other two. "...It's your call, ladies."
"I am fine with leaving when you wish to leave, master." Est replied, standing at his side with her signature neutral gaze.
"Well…we…we could leave now…I…I'm fine with it…w–what do you think, m-master…?" Quth timidly murmured, her eyes upon Alvara. Christopher noticed the quietness of her voice, he partially knew the reason for it.
"Thanks Almond, but we're not right in a rush. We can leave later, right, Chris?" Alvara decided that they'd leave later. Given that they didn't have anywhere really to be…they basically had all the time in the world to depart.
"R-right, thanks Almond."
Almond acknowledged them with a happy twinkle. He was pleased by how well the two children got along with each other.
"Alright, kids. Come get me when you're ready to go, I'll be at the inn resting in the meantime." Not long after, Almond headed back toward the inn.
Seeing that they chose to stay at the adventurer's stop for a bit longer…
"Oh hey, tell me again why you think it'll be a good idea to head to the Aznozian Kingdom from here, Var-var? I still don't really get why we can't just live here from now on."
"Gosh, Christopherrrr!! I told you like five times already! You said you'd protect me from the Death Faction, right?!"
"Yeah…?"
"And we still need a place to live, right?!"
"Yes…?"
"I've been to the Aznozian Kingdom many, many times before and I know a lotta people there, so I know firsthand that there's indeed a guild station there! And affordable housing even for kids like us! No way I'm staying in a dirty old inn for the rest of my life, so we can just find a place to stay there and live there from now on! We also wouldn't have to worry about money since as adventurers, we can do guild quests to earn money. Don't tell me you don't get my reasoning here!"
"No, no, that does make sense actually…" Christopher went through what Alvara said, and found perfect reasoning behind her words. "...But how much does it cost for a house there?"
"Mmm…if it's for all four of us…then seven thousand gold pieces should do the trick."
"S-seven thousand…gold pieces…?" Then suddenlyyyyyy all his hope was lost upon hearing the price…Alvara didn't seem fazed at all by it though, it was as if she already owned that much…sadly she didn't.
"Don't worry yourself so muchhhhh! We'd have that many in no time!"
"...Are you serious? I only have one gold piece and a few dozen silver. How much do you have?"
"Errr…" Alvara reached into the coin purse strapped around her waist, and looked inside, "...Thirteen gold pieces and…twenty four silver…so in total, we've got fourteen gold pieces!" She exclaimed with a hopeful grin.
"Yeah…we don't have nearly enough for a home that can fit all four of us."
"And that's why you and Est need one of theseeee!!"
Alvara suddenly removed a small, silver coloured, rectangular card from her coin purse, and showed it off. The front of it had her name, as well as her familiar's printed in bold letters.
"Heehee, are you surprised? I'm a silver ranked adventurer!"
"Silver ranked?" Christopher knew from video games from his world that a silver ranked adventurer is one of the strongest…but he had his doubts about the adventurer titles from his new one…but he didn't want to come off as a dunce to Alvara.
"Yeah, since you're a demon and there probably isn't a guild posted in the Underworld I highly doubt you'd understand what this is…but silver rank is the second highest rank in the guild system, so I have access to pretty much all the quests. I can also take along lower ranked members with me if they're strong enough. You two are plenty strong as you are, so…"
"..."
Just the fact alone that she was a silver rank rendered him speechless. She was so young…how did she even manage to be permitted in the first place?
Before he was given the opportunity to say something, Alvara put the card back into her coin purse, and stretched out her arms. She still wore the black coat from before, along with Quth.
"Ahh…we're heading back to our room. Catch ya later, Christopher."
The two of them smiled at each other, and before she left, Alvara gave him a quick, tight embrace.
***
They left for the Aznozian Kingdom shortly following. Est sat beside him on the carriage, whereas the other two sat on the opposite side. He watched as their surroundings gradually changed from a rest stop, to a completely open landscape.
The carriage followed a narrow dirt roadway constructed in the middle of a densely populated forest area. Dozens upon dozens of trees were situated on either side of the pathway, each of them towering over the carriage.
The roadway was originally built just after the world's ruling system was reformed, years after the Heavenly War was concluded. It was given the title, 'NightShade.'
No one knew why it was called by that name. Some say it was because the road was connected to the Underworld, which was located twelve miles back from Christopher's location, while others say that there must've been a deeper reason, one dating back to before the War was ended.
Alvara kept her eyes on the trees passing by, while Quth maintained her guard. After all, they were no longer under the protection of the adventurer's stop.
"How much longer till we reach the stop?" Christopher asked the driver.
"Ho…I'd say about half a day remaining. There's an inn about six miles from here. Shall we rest a bit when we arrive?"
"Yes please. I'm exhausted…" Alvara mouthed, heaving a sigh. She met Christopher's tired gaze with a small grin. "...How're you holding up, Chris?"
"I should be asking you the same thing. You look more tired than I am by far." He lightly joked. Alvara glared at him a little, but ultimately decided he wasn't worth the time.
"Ugh…nevermind. You're a Marionette Disciple so of course you don't know manners…"
"You do know you're one to, right…?"
Alvara tried to ignore him, but ended up chuckling to herself.
"Oh shut up…"
"Aha…"
Next, his eyes fell upon Quth, who hadn't said a word since they left. When she noticed him, she jumped a little, then averted her eyes.
"U-Um…y-yes…Christopher…?"
Christopher was aware of the reason for her timidity at that moment, he wanted to apologise for all he'd done. Leaning in closer to her, he gave her the gentlest smile he could muster.
"I'm sorry for lying to you that night, Quth…and I'm sorry for what my familiar and I put you through…I know apologising won't solve anything, but I just want you to know that I regret what happened."
"...?" Quth stared at him after hearing his words. She didn't expect Christopher to apologise to her for his and Est's doings.
Before she knew it, tears were already forming in her little light brown eyes.
"You…you're apologising to me…?"
"Yeah. I…I can't imagine the amount of pain you must've been in the other day…those screams, the haunting look on your face…I just…" His downcast gaze moved to the base of the carriage as he continued, "...It's okay to hate me for what we did, but I just want you to know that I wholeheartedly regret what happened."
"..."
The boy only hoped that Est felt the same way…but after remembering the look she wore as she tortured her…he knew that the thought of apologising wouldn't even cross her mind.
"Ch…Christopher…*sniffle*"
The words spoken at that moment brought Quth more joy than ever before. So much that tears immediately began rolling down her squishy, petite cheeks.
"Thank you…thank you…Christopher…you…you really hurt me, you know…"
"I know…I regret it all."
"But…no amount of physical pain at all could amount to the utter dread I felt as I watched you kill my master…Christopher…"
"Quth…"
Quth covered her eyes with both her hands, and silently wept into them. Alvara quickly took note of this, and was about to comfort her, but she was halted.
"I-I'm fine…" The familiar half-aggressively exclaimed. Once more she looked toward the boy's direction. "...Sorry…I…I just…I just can't…imagine a life without her, you know? I…I've been with her for her entire life. I watched her grow into the girl she is today. I love her. I could even say that I'm attached to her as well. To see her die right in front of me…I…I've really…never ever felt pain like what I felt before…"
Quth gazed toward Alvara, her face showing great affection toward the girl.
"I love my master more than anyone and anything else in the world. I wish to be by her side up until her final breath, and even after she crosses over to the afterlife. I want to be her familiar for the rest of eternity."
"Aww…Quth…"
"Which is why I'm counting on you to protect her, Christopher. So please, do not fail me."
"..."
Christopher heard what she said, and took serious note of it.
"I won't, Quth. I promise." He was stern, he intended to guard both of them even with his life. With Est by his side, he was more than confident that nothing bad would ever happen to them…that was, if Est was willing to protect those two…
He was still flabbergasted by how brutal Est was toward her victims…he just couldn't process all of it. The girl she was then compared to the previous night…were like two completely different people…just the thought of it made him shiver.
The boy looked toward that girl, and instinctively, Est acknowledged him.
"Do you need something, master?" Est questioned in her usual indifferent tone.
"No thanks, Est. It's nothing." Christopher answered her, "You holding up okay?"
"Yes, master. I am. This ride is nothing to me."
"G-good…" He was still in the process of getting used to her remarks…especially once such as those.
***
The Aznozian Kingdom was nothing like they'd imagined. Upon arrival, they were faced with seven royal guards, all aiming their spears at the carriage. Christopher had to hide his horns otherwise he'd never be let in. Quickly, before they spotted them, Alvara threw off her coat then handed it to Christopher, which revealed her attire.
Alvara wore a purple dress with a red bow at her neck area, her arms were covered with the dresses long sleeves, which even covered her hands. The edges of the outfit were coloured a purplish-white, and had a thin line of yellow just above it.
On her legs, Alvara wore dark blue stockings. To Christopher, her small dark purple boots which covered her feet seemed unfit for adventuring...
Christopher wore her coat with the hoodie on as the carriage was inspected by all the knights. Thankfully, they were of the human species, so they were unable to feel Est's chaotic aura, nor were they able to tell she was a familiar.
"You may go." The inspection ended on a good note, as no one was found out.
"Oh my Gods…what happened to the Aznozian Kingdom?!" The kingdom was a mess. Homes of the townsfolk both near the entrance and further into the area were all either burned to the ground, or collapsed, as if they just barely survived an enemy attack. The people living there appeared bruised and bloodied, some were weeping, and some were just barely standing.The once smooth road was filled with potholes, and blood was scattered everywhere in small pools.
Clearly, things were not well.
The party got off the carriage. With a troubled face, Almond bid them farewell, and wished the four a safe journey.
Alvara frantically looked around, she couldn't believe the horrendous state of the kingdom.
"No, no, it wasn't supposed to be like this, what in the world happened here?!" She yelled out.
"M-master, calm down! M-maybe you should ask the townsfolk! Surely they'd know what's going on!"
"Y-Yeah…c-calm down, Var-var!" Christopher swiftly grabbed hold of her shoulders, and gave her the most serene smile he could offer. To his relievement, that did the trick. After a few deep breaths, her composure finally returned.
"Okay…okay…" She murmured, "...I'm fine, I'm fine…" He took his hands away from her shoulders, maintaining his peaceful twinkle.
Aznozian was a nation founded by humans long before the Heavenly War took place. Its bloodline ran for millennia, making it one of the oldest nations to exist. The current ruler was a muscular middle-aged man who went by the name 'Duncan,' his surname was the name of the kingdom.
There was a feudal-like ruling, with the most powerful man sitting on the throne, the queen to the seat on the right side, and advisor to the left. The advisor usually held more power than the queen. A decision was never made before bringing it to the high council, which consisted of the royalties, as well as Lords and nobles who possessed great power within the nation.
"Come on, let's try to find out what happened here."
"Y-yeah…" Alvara slightly nodded to his statement, "...If it's a war…since we're disciples of Elder Gods…think we should help them?"
"If it's within our power, then yes. We should." He wholeheartedly replied. "Quth, Est, you're with us?"
"Yes, master. If you choose to, then I shall help as well." Est agreed to the plan.
"Y-yeah! As long as it's not another disciple attacking then we should be just fine!" Quth cheerily responded. Christopher found satisfaction in their words.
"Good. Let's go then."
***
The townsfolk were questioned, and the party managed to get most of the story from them.
The war began when the Babylonian Empire invaded the nation and marched straight to the castle's throne room for an audience with the royalties. The convoy consisted of the prince, the king's best knight, and a party of twelve soldiers, all armed with swords and shields.
The prince demanded that the Aznozian Princess, Princess Eloise, and him were to wed, otherwise he would storm the kingdom and take her by force. Naturally, Aznozian declined, and the nation was destroyed.
The one to lead the invasion was Sir Royland, who was rumoured to be one of the greatest human fighters who ever lived. He worked as the king's sworn shield for as long as he'd remembered, and has taken down countless enemies to the Babylonian Empire. Not one of the Aznozian Kingdom's soldiers survived the attack as he stole away the princess.
The Aznozian Kingdom was left utterly defenceless after the invasion, and was given a period of two weeks to surrender, else another invasion would take place. Which meant Aznozian would fall to the hands of the Babylonian Empire.
Hearing all of this, the boy was furious.
"W-What the hell…? The Babylonians attacked and destroyed the kingdom…just because Eloise refused to marry the prince…?"
"Yeah…looks like it…" Quth replied to Christopher. She quickly looked at him with a determined gaze plastered onto her face, "...We should help them, Christopher! It seems like the right thing to do!"
"I know." He replied, "Alvara, should we help them? It's your call."
"..." Alvara wouldn't even have a second thought about helping the Aznozians. She wished for her future home-to-be's location to be in the kingdom. Her eyes focused on Christopher, her mind was made up.
"Yes, we have to help them, Christopher!!"
"Alright." Christopher turned toward the castle, and decided the best move was to introduce themselves to the heads first. "Let's go introduce ourselves then."
"Right!"
***
"Halt! Who goes there?!"
"H-hey! W-What're you-" Immediately upon entering, the party was restrained, one of the five knights around tore the hoodie off Christopher's head, revealing his two black demon horns.
"W-What the-a-a-demon?!"
"A demon?!"
When they were discovered, the party was released, and all five knights retreated a step back, drawing their weapons in the process.
"Master, are we being arrested?" Est calmly questioned, "If so, shall I eliminate them all?"
"Eliminate?" Christopher looked at her, "No, not yet." His eyes fell upon the knights. He knew they wouldn't trust him due to his species, so he thought about surrendering…to show that he meant no harm.
"D-don't worry, I-I may be a demon, but I mean no harm! Honest!" He suddenly blurted out, "Just look at who I'm travelling with! A human!" He meant Alvara, who vigorously nodded in return.
"Y-Yeah! We do not mean any harm. We've come to help with the war!"
"__"
The Aznozian Knights around them refused to believe their words. One of them sneered, and moved his sword in a threatening way.
"And why should we believe you, demon?! Your species isn't even allowed in the Overworld! It's a miracle the Gods haven't smote you yet." They shouted, "Get out of the castle, and don't you dare come back!"
"B-but we're here to help! Y-you can't just-"
"It is clear you're just Babylonian spies! If you don't leave right this instant, we'll make you!"
"B-but-"
"Out. NOW!"
The party stared at them. None of them could believe the knights' behaviour toward them, all because he was a demon. Should he engage them, or should he leave? He wondered.
Promptly, Est nudged his sleeve.
"They're threatening us. Should I engage?"
"No, they're not worth the trouble." He replied. Continuing, he maintained a stern gaze toward them.
"Fine. We'll leave. Come on Est, Quth, Var, we're leaving."
"Yes master."
The four of them turned their backs to the knights, and were about to leave when Christopher made his final statement to them,
"Remember, you just turned down the only backup you needed to finish this war."
"Hmph. Unless you could cook up an army larger than Babylonia's, we won't be needing your help."
"If you say so…" They made it to the castle entrance, then gave them one last look.
"...We're Marionette Disciples by the way."
"Mario…nette…?" It took the knights a few seconds to process what he exclaimed, and when they did, their faces went pale, "W-Wait, n-no! D-don't-" But it was too late. Immediately after leaving, Quth created a wind which slammed the door shut, and a loud thump was heard behind it.
***
"What now…" Their effort at helping the Aznozian Kingdom came crashing down...which meant so did their chances at living there. Alvara looked at him, disappointed at the result.
"Well…" She stammered, "...We could always try living in the Azelfarian Kingdom…or the Harmonic Kingdom or Windhelm instead. So not all of our options are gone."
"Hmph. How dare those knights talk to my master like that…You should've let me kill them, master."
"Well, I could've done that…but we want to live here, Est. Not get exiled."
"Y-yeah…and they haven't actually done anything bad to us so…Christopher was right in saying no." Quth responded, a little anxious.
"So you think it is okay for these puny humans to talk down on us, Death Familiar? No wonder my Goddess is stronger than your own. Filthy humans...their arrogance knows no boundaries…"
"Ahaha…ahh…"
They made it all the way to the entrance to the kingdom, where they stopped. Almond were no longer there, and it didn't look like there were any carriages either…
"Guess we'll have to walk for a while. How far is the nearest kingdom?"
"About ten miles north from here. We'll catch a ride eventually though. The closest one is the non-human kingdom of Azelfare, which is widely known for its population of foxes, wolves, cats, elves, and more, so you should fit in just perfectly, Christopher!" Alvara readily answered him, "I should as well…given that I…" She stopped her remark right there, she didn't want him to know her true race…but she was hopeful.
"Alright. Well then, let's move on!"
Reaching outside the kingdom, there were two knights posted on either side of the gate.
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah. Good luck with the war." Christopher said to them.
"Thanks…you're a…demon?" Both of them looked at his horns, but Christopher brushed it off.
"Yeah, but I'm friendly. How I'm able to walk in the Overworld without getting my skin burned…it's a long story." He was just too lazy to explain it to them.
"Oh…well if you weren't friendly, we would've known by now."
"Yeah." The second one said, "Have a safe trip."
"Thanks. Farewel-"
"WAIT!!!!!!"
"EH-?!" All six individuals turned in the direction of the scream…only to see the very king of Aznozian Kingdom sprinting toward them at full speed.
"Y-your majesty?!" The knights shouted. Before they had the chance to go to him, King Aznozian reached in front of the party, completely out of breath.
"Haah…haah…you…You're the…Marionette Disciples, right?! RIGHT?!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Y-yeah, so…?"
"Please…please help us we…we cannot win this war without you four…I-I'll do anything! Anything at all! I'll even give you my daughter if you manage to save her!!"
"Huh?" What…what is he…?
"Ohhh, you're speaking about us helping you?" Alvara was pretty cheerful by the king's request…but then sshe recalled how the knights acted toward them…
"We'd be happy to help! Right Christopher? Isn't that why we came to the castle but were rudely sent away by the knights?"
"Yes, yes, in fact, we were on our way to find a place to live in the Azelfarian Kingdom right now…so if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way…" The party turned away from King Aznozian and were just about to leave…but then he grabbed hold onto the edge of Christopher's coat. He went onto his knees, and practically begged them to stay.
"No, please! You're our only hope! I-if it's a place to stay you're looking for, I'll give you the biggest mansion we have in our kingdom if you end this war for us! Please, please!"
"...Your majesty…"
"..."
It was humorous to him to see the ruler of the kingdom bowing to him. He loved the offer, so did Quth and Alvara…but Christopher wanted to enjoy the moment for a little longer…
"Oh? You'll really give us that?"
"Yes, yes! I will!! A-and as many servants as you wish! You'll even have your very own master chef at your disposal! I'll even make you a Lord! How does that sound?!"
"Hmm…" All that excited him…he knew he struck gold there in the Aznozian Kingdom by then.
"...We'll do it. As long as you keep your promise, my party and I'll solve this war for you all. Right guys?"
"Yeah!"
"Yes, master. As long as the promise is kept."
"Of course!"
Quth, Est and Alvara respectfully agreed, and it was settled. King Aznozian was overflowing with tears of joy.
"Thank you, oh thank you, Marionette Disciples!" He blurted out, "Come on, let's get you ready!!"
"O-okay! L-let's go, guys!"