"Hey, you're back."
"Finally, we were beginning to think you died out there." The carriage the party of three took to Aznozian Kingdom arrived at the gate, where they were met with the same two knights from before. They both seemed relieved to see them.
"Us? Die? Get real. Those Babylonians were a piece of cake for us!" Christopher enthusiastically exclaimed. He half-expected to be faced with a more negative one…due to what happened when he first arrived in the kingdom.
"Ha, as expected from Marionette Disciples. I see you've also gotten a second familiar, am I correct?"
"Oh yeah, she's a cutie too!" Both knights had their eyes on Ofira, who flinched at the sudden recognition.
"Um, y-yeah…I-I'm Ofira…a rank four Creation Familiar…Christopher took me from the Babylonian Empire's top knight who was an Amaterasu Disciple after him and Est slew him…"
Ofira was a bit bashful in front of the knights, but that just made her even more alluring to them. Although after hearing her words, they were even more surprised.
"A Creation Disciple? Babylonia had a Creation Disciple with them?!" The first knight blurted out, "Y-you really were our only hope then, Christopher…"
"Yeah…we don't know how to thank you…you seriously saved our asses…"
None of the soldiers the Aznozian Kingdom had to spare were enough to face off against a disciple of an Elder God, so Christopher, Alvara, and the others' intervention might've very well saved the entire nation from falling. Due to the troubles they went through, a proper thank you was much appreciated.
"Not a problem." He responded to them, "Has princess Eloise returned yet?"
"Yes. Her, Alvara and Quth all returned safely. They should all be in the castle waiting for you."
"That's a relief." The worst case scenario out of all that happened would've been the other three not making it back safely, or at all. But there shouldn't have been any dangers other than wild beasts, which he was certain Quth could've handled on her own.
He swiftly threw a glance over the castle and recalled what the king said to them.
"What a week…I really hope the king wasn't lying to us when he said he'd give us a place to stay…"
"Well you would've known if he was lying to you or not, you're a demon after all, master." Ofira reassured him, "Besides, if he doesn't give you the reward, just kill him and take over the kingdom instead."
"K-kill him?! N-no way, Ofira! W-what's gotten into you?!" He jokingly yelled out. It wasn't a bad option though…if the king changed his mind Christopher did possess enough power to take over the nation…then again, he knew nothing of ruling…
"Ahaha!" Ofira cheekily smirked, then leaned onto his waist with a hug, "Sorry master, it was a joke, I couldn't help it…mmmm…."
"Aww…" The girl's cute behaviour brought a soft smile to his lips. He was still getting used to her affection, "...I know, Ofira…"
***
Inside the kingdom, the citizens were finally starting to come out of their homes. After seeing the boy, Est, and Ofira riding through the streets, all of them started cheering.
"Our saviours!!! They've returned!!!"
"The war is finally over!!!!"
"Thank you, oh thank you, disciples of Alastor!!!"
They were thanking Christopher for the efforts of his party despite him being a demon-someone who shouldn't even be in the Overworld (according to what he discovered earlier) in the first place. He wondered if it was because it was his party who ended the war.
"They're thanking us…"
"It seems so, master." Est said, "Do not be fooled by them though, master. They are only saying this because we ended the war. I advise you not to interact with such pathetic beings."
"That's one way to put it…" Ofira observed them as well, "...They're humans after all."
"Yes." The Marionette Familiar nodded, "I do not condone such behaviour. Ignore them, master."
"I will…" It was sad to think that what Est said was correct…if he revealed himself before his actions were done, they would've rejected him due to his race. But since the war was over because of his party, they welcomed him. Thinking about it depressed him.
He watched as the people all gathered around the carriage upon reaching the stop. The party exited, and quickly found themselves trapped in a sea of human beings.
"Marionette Disciple, Marionette Disciple! Just how did you end the war?! Th-The king said you were tasked with killing even the Babylonian top knight! H-he's so strong, how did you pull it off?!"
"I-is it true that you're a demon?! B-but the teachings say that if a demon enters the overworld his skin will burn off! How is it that you're not dead?!"
"Marionette Disciple, come sleep at our inn tonight! We'll offer you the finest dishes and rooms! You'll even be our honoured guest!"
"Ahaha, n-no thanks, th-the only reason we helped you all is because the king offered us a place to stay in return so I won't be needing-"
"Are you sure?! You love red bean soup, don't you?! We've got plenty of that!!"
"H-how do you-"
The innkeeper pulled out a bowl of red bean soup from right behind her back, and instantly shoved a spoonful into Christopher's mouth. The sweet-sour taste of the dish overflowed his taste buds and he found himself wanting more.
"How is it?! You like it don't you?! Please say you like it!!"
"I-it's great I-"
"Splendid!!! I-if you stay at our inn tonight we'll give you all the soup you want!!"
"B-but the king…"
"Hey, he said no, didn't he?"
"Hmmm? Oh, would you like the red bean soup instead my dear?!" The innkeeper's attention suddenly diverted to a girl behind her, who suddenly appeared through the crowd.Christopher swiftly recognised who she was, and was about to her when Ofira stopped him.
"No, I'm just here to pick up the boy and his familiars, the king wishes to see them." The purple haired lady said. She pushed through, and abruptly grabbed hold of Christopher's hand.
"I'm here, Christopher!!" She leaned in and whispered into his ear.
"A-Alvara…! Boy am I glad to see you…"
"Come on, Eloise is waiting for you three!!"
"Hey, wait!! O-our saviour is being taken away!!"
***
"Holy cow…that…that was close…th-thanks Var, you saved us…!"
"Masterrrrr!! I don't like crowds! YOu should've warned me about this!!"
"Yes master, you could've told me to eliminate them all as well if they were bothering you."
"B-but let's not eliminate them though…ahahaha…"
The party was swiftly dragged inside the Aznozaian castle, away from the overwhelming crowd outside-Alvara came at exactly the right time.
Christopher stopped to catch his breath. Even though they were only bombarded for a few minutes, he was completely exhausted.
"Whew…Us being war heroes must've really gotten to their heads!" He shouted out. Next, he focused his tired gaze upon Alvara, who had her back turned toward him the whole time,
"You okay Var?" Christopher straightened himself up, and approached her from behind, "It's a relief to see you, Quth and Eloise made it back alright."
"*Whimper* Christopher…"
"Var?"
Alvara's shoulders shook slightly, her fists clenched tightly. She didn't know what to feel upon his arrival. Anger for taking so long, relief that he was alive, or both. She wanted to punch him, she absolutely craved to hurt the boy.
"Grrr…" She made up her mind, and ultimately decided that hurting him was her best option. Alvara raised a fist, and ferociously threw it toward Christopher's face, it was a direct hit, he was sent staggering backwards while desperately holding onto his cheek.
The punch he was dealt, his mind was shaken by the pain which quickly overtook all his senses. There was a sudden sharp tingle of pain within his mouth, as one of his teeth was cracked by the impact.
Just before he reacted, Alvara yelled at him at the top of his lungs, her eyes shooting daggers in the party's direction,
"CHRISTOPHER YOU IDIOT!! JERK!!! CRETIN!!!! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!?!?! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW LONG WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU?! STUPID!!! DUMBASS!!! IDIOT!!!!"
"A-Alvara?!"
Her eyes swiftly overflowed with her tears. Upon realising what she meant, the anger welling up inside of the boy was quelled.
"A-Alvara…"
"*Whimper* You…you jerk…I…w-when you didn't come back last night I…I thought something bad happened to you, you know…"
She spread out her arms, and threw them around his chest, hugging him,
"...Don't ever do that again…okay? You…you had me worried sick…"
"..." Alvara…
A smile automatically formed on his lips as he was thankful for her concern. The main reason he took so long in the first place was because he, along with his familiars, camped out for the night to avoid the pitch blackness, as well as any monsters that would've attacked them.
Ooh…she's probably worried because of the Creation Disciple we had to kill as well… He assumed. Her worry sent a soft, loving feeling throughout his body. He was glad for it. Was he selfish for taking satisfaction from the intense concern that befell the little girl?
He slowly raised his arms, and wrapped them around her, cuddling her tightly with his face pressed into her silky purple hair.
"Alvara…the reason we didn't come back yesterday was because we all decided to camp out for the night. Don't worry so much…"
"Don't worry so much? But you three were up against a Creation Disciple! Why would I not be worried?!"
"Because." Christopher muttered, he cheekily smirked in her direction as she impatiently gaped at him, "Even though my head was cut off and smashed to bits, thanks to Alastor's powers, all Marionette Disciples have the power to stitch any part of their body back together!!!"
"...What?"
"Yeah, during the fight I-OOF-!"
For a second time, Alvara dealt a heavy blow to Christopher's poor, fragile face, this time sucker-punching him straight on the nose. Thankfully, nothing was broken, but it sure did hurt like hell.
"W-WHAT WAS THAT ONE FOR?!"
"YOU IDIOT!!! IF YOU KNEW YOU COULDN'T BEAT HIM, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LET EST FIGHT HIIM THEN?!"
"BECAUSE EST WAS BUSY KILLING OFF THE PRINCE AND THE KNIGHTS!!!"
"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU WAIT FOR HER TO FINISH THEN ASK HER TO?!"
"BECAUSE I WANTED TO KILL HIM MYSELF DUE TO WHAT HE DID TO OFIRA!!!"
"OFIRA?! THE HELL DOES OFIRA HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?!"
"EVERYTHING!!!" He furiously yelled out at the top of his voice, throwing his hands over his head, "Ofira's the whole reason I went after the stupid Creation Disciple in the first place!!!!"
"Y-yeah!!!" Ofira, seeing her chance, stepped into the argument in a desperate chance to calm them both, "Ch-Christopher went after Royland because he wanted to free me from him! A-and Est wasn't able to arrive on time because she was busy killing the prince and the other knights…c-could you both please calm down now?!"
"..." Alvara's face showed obvious signs of intense anger toward them all, in particular, Christopher, for his seemingly foolish choice back at the castle.
However, even she knew that arguing would've gotten her nowhere. She heaved a heavy sigh, then lightly massaged her temples while cursing under her breath.
"Fine…" Alvara finally lowered her voice down to a slight whisper, "But Christopher, you've really got to watch out for yourself more…I mean, what if you didn't even have that ability of yours? You'd be dead already!!!"
"I-I know, but I'm not. I know attacking the Creation Disciple head on was a reckless thing to do, but on the bright side, I'm still alive. The war is over, and Ofira's finally out of that bastard's reach."
"Y-yeah…but…" She pondered around what was said, and Chrstopher's remarks before giving up, "*Sigh* Whatever you say, Christopher…I'm just glad you're safe…"
***
Alvara took the party over to the throne room, where the king, queen and Eloise sat. There was one more individual, a muscular guy fully covered from top to bottom in glimmering silver armour. He was about nearly twice Christopher's height, and had a giant mace at his side.
The man stood beside the king's throne with his deep blue eyes fixated upon the party of three. Alvara approached and respectfully knelt before them.
"Your majesties, Christopher and his party have arrived safe and sound." She sternly mouthed.
"Good. You may go."
"Yes your majesty." Alvara stood back up after hearing Queen Aznozian's words, and sent one more look toward the three, "Be respectful, okay?" Was her final statement before leaving the room without turning back.
Christopher and his party were left alone, staring at the royalties. Ofira was already aware of how to act in front of them, but both familiars waited on their master to bow first.
But he didn't. He neared the thrones, and stood about three metres away from them.
"Ahem…" Clearing his throat, he spoke to them in a casual tone, "...We've done just as you asked, King Aznozian. The Babylonian Empire is finished. Have you prepared the home for us all?"
"Why you little-"
"Bertrand." King Aznozian held his arm out to the knight beside him, who reacted negatively to Chrstopher's words, "It's alright."
"B-but father-"
The knight's name was Bertrand, he was Eloise's elder brother. He despised the king's decision to send out the Marionette Disciples over to the Babylonian Empire, and resented them for accepting.
He glared toward the boy and his two familiars, but remained silent as the king silently commanded.
King Aznozian nodded at Christopher, conforming that his end of the deal was completed,
"Yes. The home is ready, and so are the maids assigned to it."
"Hell yeah!!"
"It's located at the outskirts of the kingdom, to the south of this castle. It's large and has more than enough space to house all of you. I'm certain you'll find it quite satisfying."
The king said he'd be securing a mansion for the party if the mission was successful. By what he said, he was true to his word.
This would mean his original goal was completed-find a place to live, and best of all, it was completely free. They weren't in debt, they didn't have to pay seven thousand gold pieces. That in itself was enough to raise Christopher's spirits ten fold.
He sent a look toward both Est and Ofira. Est, as usual, wasn't bothered at all, but Ofira on the other hand was overjoyed.
"Master…!! Congratulations!! You're now part of the nobility!!"
"Eh? N-nobility…?" The title of nobility was new to him, as he had yet to familiarise himself with the world's customs. I-I'm a noble now? He immediately turned to the king with a fully baffled look.
"I'm a noble now?"
"But of course." Queen Aznozian replied with a smile, "By stopping the war, you have gained the royalty's favour. As of now, you and the rest of your party members are nobles in the Aznozian Kingdom."
"Ooh…" That explained most of what Christopher wondered. But there was still the problem of not understanding the significance of the given rank.
However, he decided to leave that part of it for later-what he wanted at the moment was a bath and some food.
"...Thank you…your majesties." He eventually said.
***
It was nearly sundown, Christopher had just finished his bath within the Aznozian Castle's walls, and waited in his assigned room for his familiars.
Most of the day was spent in preparation for his new mansion-signing legal documents, greeting the mansion's maids, and resting.
The mansion had fifteen maids in total, most of them adults, and only one child. The child was particularly afraid of Christopher due to his horns, so he wasn't able to speak with her much. However, the adults seemed comfortable with him at least.
The room he and his familiars stayed in was large, about fourteen feet in length, and sixteen feet in width. The limestone walls were coloured a deep grey, and the wooden floor boards were well polished, not a speck of dust was seen anywhere. In the midst of the room was a large dining table with a total of three seats placed on either side.
There was a wardrobe at the very end of the room, and inside were some of the king's formal wear. Unfortunately, all of them were too large for the boy.
He laid flat upon his king sized mattress, and stared up at the ceiling, reminiscing on the week's events.
"What a day…" A lot happened. He could hardly believe it hasn't even been a week since his reincarnation. It felt like just the day before he was walking to middle school with his little sister. Everything he experienced felt like a dream .
"Roselina…" His mind suddenly went to his lost sister. Alastor said Roselina was sent to the world he was in…but where? And why? He remembered saving her from the accident. Not even an ounce of his being saw why she was scheduled for reincarnation as well.
Unless of course…
Creek
An abrupt creek of the door disrupted him from his thoughts as he swiftly looked over.
"I apologise for the wait, did I miss anything, master?"
"*Yawn* Masterrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…zzzz…" Est and Ofira, fresh out of the bath, entered the room. Est's hair was wet, and combed backwards and to the side. The red ribbons which were previously in her hair were no longer there. Her attire was changed as well. Other than her previous clothing, she then wore a long dark frilly dress which reached to her kneecaps. In the midst of the outfit was a large black ribbon which seemed to hold it up.
Ofira's attire was changed as well, as her previous outfit was torn and bloodied. Her top was a long sleeved, cotton, dark blue blouse with patterns of small dotted white circles streaming from the top all the way to the bottom. Her lower body was covered by a matching long pair of pants, which reached past her ankles. Ofira's hands and feet were covered by the clothing, as they were too large for her to wear.
Both of the familiars approached Christopher, Ofira with her arms outspread toward him.
"Masterrrrrrrr…" She murmured sleepily as she crawled onto the mattress, and laid down beside him, "...Mmmmmmm…*Yawn*…zzzz…" The girl sank into the bed's softness, then placed her head upon his shoulder, hugging him lightly.
"Est…Ofira…you're here."
"Yes." Est stood in front of the bed with her usual expression, "I apologise for my lateness, did we miss anything?"
"Uh-uh." He shook his head and looked at her with a welcoming smile, "I was just about to head to sleep so you're just on time."
"I see. Thank you, master." Est slightly bowed to him, "Is there anything you'd like me to get you before you sleep."
"No, not right now." He replied, "Thanks anyway."
"You're welcome, master. Is it necessary for me to keep watch then?"
"I don't think so…" He said. Given that the castle is heavily guarded and the threat of the Babylonian Empire invading was gone, he didn't see any reason for Est to keep watch.
"I understand, master." For a second time, Est bowed to him, "I shall rest for the night then."
Est took a seat beside him, then curled up into a ball on the covers. She stayed like that as she played with her doll.
Christopher observed the doll's movements, the way Est moved its arms and legs, the way she tilted its head. Est didn't have the doll with her during the battle with the prince, nor did she have it when he was put back together.
"You didn't have the doll with you during the battle, how come?"
She looked at him with a slightly conflicted expression, it was clear she didn't wish to speak much of the reason.
"I gave Ofira to keep for me, I didn't want it to get dirty."
"Oh…" That made sense. She deeply cared for the doll as if it were her own child, "...Okay. Is that all?" By the face she made, he quickly knew that there were other reasons. He didn't wish to press her though, he didn't want to bother her.
"No. However, I do not wish to reveal it as yet."
"Alright. I won't force you." He smiled, then sat up beside her. Ofira was already asleep.
"You…heading to sleep soon too, Est?"
"Yes. In a bit.
"I see…" The relationship him and Est shared was no more than master and familiar, they weren't friends, but they both cared for each other. He wanted to fix that, but given her neutral, emotionless attitude she constantly showed, he couldn't see any way to.
He opened his mouth to speak, but soon closed it. For he knew his next words would serve no role whatsoever. Instead, all he did was sit and watch as Est silently played with the little doll…