ESS Chapter 2: 1001 nights…minus 999.

*yawn*

“Mñom…mñom…sho weird…why am I sho tired…haa…”

Hmm…? Eh?

AGAIN?!

Why is it that you are now only coming this late?!

Huh? New anime season? Not just that, but a new season of that certain Undead Majesty anime?!

Wait…did they already get past that lizard documentary volume?

Yes?! It’s already way beyond it?! Seriously?!

Man…I so wanted to watch everything that happened after that!!! The novels are so good!!!

Well, I guess now I know what my darling and I will start with in our next divine realm anime marathon!!

Still…you being here at this hour means that you missed my tour through the food district with Bertia and Jules…

And guess what, the tour of it that Gabby and I did in our date was not enough to cover the whole place, so you missed lots of different restaurants and stalls…

Like…a lot.

Haa…and I really tried my best to describe all that new isekai food for all of you, you know…?

It was so hard trying to come up with comparisons between some of Arte’s ingredients and those that you could think of as their Earth counterparts. Let alone those I just didn’t know how to classify!

Although, that was a nice problem to have, since I was literally trying new things! That’s an isekai for ya! Heh.

Of course, we ended up eating a lot, so much that I’m thinking of skipping dinner altogether and going straight to my room…

Yep, that’s it, I’m totally not skipping dinner because we just finished said tour like…five minutes ago. Mhm. I’m totally not completely and utterly full for the first time since I came here. Not at all. I swear…

And it is certainly not because I’ve been feeling more tired than usual when I shouldn’t at all because of my draconic body…

Ahahaha…

Putting those things aside, it would’ve been nice if I had taken Ilya and Celesia with me, we visited many different places that had lots of amazing sweets and desserts, which I’m sure they would’ve loved.

But, you see, I want them to learn a bit more about everything before taking them to the outside world.

‘Specially Celesia, since I don’t want her to suddenly summon one of her coloring books and cast some spell that might ruin her fun or worse…cause an accident.

Still, seeing how my dear cutie is giving her all in her classes, I’m sure that she’ll be able to control that very, very soon.

And that means that next time I’ll be able to take my girls with me!!

Ahh, I so want my little princesses’ first trip to the outside world to be as trouble-free and fun as possible!

After all, first experiences matter a lot! And I’ll be damned if it’s not a happy one for them! Hmph!

As for actually bringing them to the outside world…well, in the case of Ilya, my instinct tells me that I only need to cast my [Dress for Heaven] spell on her.

Meanwhile, I only need to cast a small illusion spell on Celesia to hide her draconic features and she’ll be able to look human.

Hmm? Why not use [Shapeshifting Touch] on her like I do with myself, you ask? Good question author weeb who’s crossplaying as a magical monster girl!

The answer to that is very simple, it’s because I think that using [Shapeshifting Touch] on her would be too drastic since she is still little.

Either way, soon there’s going to be nothing stopping the personification of a volcano and a mini-dragon lord from going for a stroll with their dear Father! Muahahahaha!!

Oh! Maybe they’ll finally make some friends their age!! Ahhh, that would be so good!! And an instant check in my isekai list too! Why? Because my little girls have everything to be main characters of course! And all child main characters have their trusty band of friends!

“She is almost here, Erevain. Just remember, say it like I told you, fufufu~~.”

"Ve-very well...I shall do so."

"Father...will be surprised..."

"Yes! Surprised! Surprised!"

Hooh? What did my long and pointy ears just hear coming from my room? Could it be the sweet voices of Nerinne, Ere, Ilya, and Celesia?  Yes, yes, they were!

Now, what kind of surprise could they be planning in there I wonder, hehehehe.

I can’t wait to see it, so I better speed up and reach my room!

Also, I just remembered, but Nerinne is telling the next part of the story tonight.

Huh, could that be the real reason why you are here at this hour?

If that’s the case, then less reason to keep you and my dears waiting!

Let’s go inside!

"We-welcome home...dear. Do you wish to hear the story, a bath, or…do you want to…hug me?"

"..."

...MENTAL DEEP BREATH TO CALM DOWN…CALM DOWN…CALM…AS IF!

HNNNNNGGHHHHHH!! BLUSHING. ERE. IS. SO. FRIGGING. CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!!

I SO WANT TO JUMP AT ERE RIGHT NOW AND HUG THE HECK OUT OF HER ONESIE WEARING SELF!

DAGA! BUT!

I don’t want to end up being dominated out of nowhere like last time by this wolf in literal sheep’s clothing!

A-at least…n-not tonight…ahaha…

Ahem…and yeah, she is wearing a sheep onesie tonight! THAT’S WHY SHE LOOKS CUTER THAN YESTERDAY!

"Fufufufu~~~."

And of course, this was all planned by you my darling, Nerinne!!

You, bear onesie wearing Goddess!!

"Father...were you surprised...?"

"Papa! Papa! Did Mama surprise you? Did she?!"

DAWW!! MY DAUGHTERS ARE CUTER TODAY TOO!! ILYA IS WEARING A BABY CHICK ONESIE, WHILE CELESIA IS WEARING A BABY SHEEP ONESIE!!

AND THEY ARE ALREADY COMING TO HUG ME!!

I WILL NEVER GROW TIRED OF THIS!

TIME TO SCOOP THEM UP AND GIVE THEM A BIG HUG WHILE RESPONDING!

“Yes, I was completely surprised, my dearies! She looks so cute that I even was speechless for a moment.”

"That’s…t-thank you...My Lord. It…gladdens me that I left such impression on you."

AAAAAAHHHHHH BASHFUL ERE PLAYING WITH HER HAIR WHILE SAYING THAT!! QUICK SOMEONE MAKE A GIF OUT OF IT!!

1000000 OUT OF 10 WOULD BE IN THE TOP TEN BEST ERE REACTIONS!!!

Now, as much as I’d love to just stand here and marvel at Ere’s cuteness, I need to carry my daughters back to the bed, so I start doing that.

"Papa! Papa! Miss Mika told me that I did a good job in class today! Yes! Yes! No more baddie places for circles! No! No!"

“Hoooh~~, is that so?”

“Yes, Papa! Yes!”

Did you hear that?! She fixed her mistake in just a day! My daughter is obviously a genius! Just like her Papa!

“That’s amazing, Celesia! I’m so happy and so proud! Now, here is your reward!"

*kiss*

"A kiss in that cute little forehead of yours! Keep it up my little light!"

"Ehehehe...thank you, Papa! I will! I will!"

Just look at her, she is sho cute with those puffy cheeks and innocent smile of hers. I love her very, very much.

"Father...Miss Josie...praised the enchanted…bracelet...that Ilya made as a project in…Miss Roxxy’s fun fun class...look...it’s shiny shiny and pretty…"

Aww, my cinnamon roll is so proud of the bracelet she’s wearing that her eyes are shining as she holds up her little arm high enough so I can get perfect view of it! And why wouldn’t she? She made it!

And if that wasn’t enough, this enchanted bracelet looks so beautiful!

“...!”

Wait...isn't this ebonice?! As in one of the metals she has access to thanks to her volcano form…? By my darling…it is! But didn’t Roxxy say that it takes a bit of technique to make things with it...? And what is it with this immense power I’m feeling from it?! Did she really make it?!

I just glanced at Nerinne, and she nodded! So that means…wow! Just...

"…wow! That bracelet is awesome, Ilya! Well done!! I’m so proud of you too my twinkle star! And that means, you also get a reward!”

*kiss*

"Hihihi…thank you...Father...Ilya is happy...so happy..."

Ahhhh, that little smile always melts my heart! I love Ilya sho much too! Sho, sho much!!

And imagine this, if my adorable daughters keep improving like this...just how much potential do they have? My bet is on A LOT! Duh! They are MY daughters after all!! It only makes sense that their potential would be nonsensical!! Ahahahahaha!

"Ahhhh! I’m really, really proud of you two, my honeybuns!"

“Ehehehe!”

“Hihihi…”

YES I AM A VERY PROUD PAPA RIGHT NOW!! THUS, I HUG THEM AGAIN AND TAKE THEM TO THE BED!

“To see My Lord not keep up appearances whenever she is with her daughters is always such a welcome sight.”

So says Ere with a warm smile on her face while watching me put our adorable daughters on the bed and kissing them on their cute little foreheads once again.

"Fufufu~~, that is because there is no need to do so. Right, my dear?"

Nice prompt pass there, Nerinne! Thank you!

“Exactly. Although, it is not as if it’s only with my daughters, my dear Ere. After all…you are here too, are you not?”

"That is...! That is certainly true...Auros...and I…very much like that."

HNNNNGH!! DOUBLE DOSE OF BASHFUL ERE IN ONE NIGHT!! I DON’T KNOW IF MY HEART CAN TAKE IT! EVEN MORE SINCE SHE CALLED ME BY MY NAME! BUT EVEN THEN!! THIS. IS. JUSTICE!!

Ha…ha…ha…still, let’s continue before I melt…so…right, my onesie, I haven’t talked about that….

Thanks to a certain someone magically changing my clothes right when I entered, I’m already wearing my onesie for the night, which is…a cow onesie…

…seriously, Nerinne?

Whatever do you mean, dear? I just kept with the theme~.

Riiiiight, and you calling me Cowros that one time had nothing to do with it, huh.

Not at all, dear. You could even say that I completely forgot about that and how funny and fitting it was…just like the onesie, fufufufuhahahaha!

You…!! Haa…I’ll stop here and sit on the bed to keep things moving, but I’m going to make you blush so hard in front of everyone that they’ll think you are the Goddess of tomatoes! Mark my words!

"Mother...the story...Ilya wants to know...what happens...next..."

"Mother! Hurry! Hurry! The princess was going to be in trouble, right?! Right?!"

DAWWWW!! THEY ARE SO EAGER FOR THE REST OF THE STORY THAT THEY ARE SITTING RIGHT IN FRONT OF NERINNE AND ARE CUTELY PULLING AT HER!!! QUICK!! A PHOTO! I NEED A PHOTO OF THIS!

“If I may, I wish to know what happened next too. As her elder sister, I want to see more of what made Euphy into the incredible young woman that has made me so proud.”

This might sound very redundant, but Ere is so, so proud of Euphemia…and why wouldn’t she? Last time we saw how she overcame so, so much, all for the sake of helping her family and fighting beside Ere, and she managed to do it.

You could even say that she did not bend the knee to the trauma of what happened, even more so at such a young age. Instead, she rose up to the challenge and worked hard to reach her goal. So yeah, of course Ere would be proud of her.

And I bet that Euphemia was proud of herself too. After all, what is that if not one heck of a personal achievement?

Although, I still haven’t forgiven her for being all smug to me because she was able to eat isekai meat with her bare hands and I was not…

"Fufufu~~~, very well, the wish of my beloved audience is my command."

Heh, it’s adorably funny to see Nerinne bow all regal like that while wearing the onesie.

Of course, I’m also glad that you are enjoying yourself, darling.

Of course, dear. One must enjoy the tales one tells to make others enjoy them just as much. Or so the saying goes here~. Now…

“…let us begin once again.”

With that and a sure smile, the mist-like screen came flowing out of Nerinne’s hands once again and is now showing something in a very specific art style.

It was a path.

One that cut right through the elven forests and lead to the expansive and luscious green valleys that are the outskirts of Deamis.

_______________________________

This time, our story begins a few days after Princess Euphemia left the capital of Deamis, along with her trusty attendants and the very capable escorts that were sent by the elven King.

Now…what do you think happened in those days my dearies?

Did the Princess and everyone else encounter some meanie beasts and monsters as they made their way through the forest country? Something worse?

Or perhaps they enjoyed a very peaceful journey filled with everyone getting along and telling stories of their own?

Fufufu~, I see, I see.

You both think they encountered trouble because of what I said last time, hmm~?

Well, they didn’t.

Yes, you heard that right, dearies.

They didn’t.

Aww…don’t say that, Celesia! That hurts mother…sniff…sniff…I didn’t lie to you…!

I promise that you’ll soon see why I said that last night! I swear!

Ahem…but before that, we need to know how the Princess and her entourage managed to stay out of trouble.

In the case of encountering meanie beasts and monsters, the people of Deamis are quite good at making travelling routes that don’t go across any dangerous beasts’ territories and relocating any that find themselves there.

Of course, if they are unable to do that or if the beast is considered a danger, they would instead hunt it down. Something that is the norm for monsters in general.

And you can bet your sweet little smiles that that Old King had his people clean out the route the Princess was going to take.

As for the baddies that would like to threaten the Princess, like bandits, or people who were specifically targeting her, like the henchmen of the eeeeevil woman controlling her traitorous Father’s forces…other measures were used to help deal with them.

For bandits and the like, the mere presence of the escort forces was more than enough to convince them that trying to rob them was not worth the trouble.

But that was not going to be enough to dissuade the henchmen of the eeevil woman, her father’s advisor, and one tasked to push him deeper into the abyss by her own master.

All for the sake of their goal.

All so that he would redouble his efforts to inadvertently free an ancient evil.

And what a better way to do so than to hurt the daughter he still loved enough to feel that his conviction would waver if she ever were to know what he was doing and told him that she hated him for it.

Yes…she was a cold, cold woman who would even do that just to follow her Master’s whims and desires for a more entertaining play.

Of course, it was not as if that Old King of Deamis knew about all of this specifically. His keen insight and even keener foresight didn’t work like that, but again, he didn’t need it to.

He knew that the Princess would face trials on her way home, regardless of what they’d be, and that was more than enough.

Thus, he and the escorts resorted to trickier methods to deal with situations like that.

Misdirection.

Not only had the escorts disguised themselves as mercenaries, but they had also disguised the magical carriage as one that belonged to a merchant that owed that Old King a favor.

A merchant that was known to travel to the Kyrie Kingdom around that time of the year.

That way anyone would think that the one inside the carriage was not the Princess but the merchant and his entourage.

And that was not all, because if any meanie tried to peek inside the carriage with magic, they would find themselves unable to see a thing thanks to the strong spell casted by one of the casters in the escort team.

With that, the Princess and her identity were thoroughly protected.

No evil henchmen would be able to know if their target was there or not.

Hm? What is it, Celesia sweetie? Does that mean that evil meanies can look into your room?

Fufufu~~, yes…that means that evil meanies can look into your room, get inside and…TICKLE YOU LIKE THIS! FUFUFUFHAHAHA!

Gah! Don’t say that Mother is one of those meanies! I’m not! Mou…

I just couldn’t resist tickling a very cute sheep…

Even more so one that laughs so cute~!

Ack…don’t hate me! I won’t do it again!

Sniff…sniff…

A-Anyways…it’s not as if the escorts were leaving everything to chance and the preparations I mentioned. They were all very proud of their abilities and they showed that pride in how they handled themselves, always paying attention not only to the road ahead but also to every single one of their flanks.

Luckily, they were in the best position to do that as most of them were sitting on the carriage’s roof, which gave them a very nice view of their surroundings.

And that included the last patch of forest that they would be seeing before reaching the territory of the Kyrie Kingdom.

“…hm?”

From it, a very light, almost imperceptible crunching sound mixed with a whistling one grabbed the attention of one of the escorts’ archers, making him suddenly stop talking with his comrades and turn in the sound’s direction, bow at the ready.

He then noticed the birds flying away from deep in the forest and thought that maybe it was just a group of beasts fighting for food or maybe a group of hunters doing their thing.

But then again, why was that sound getting louder by the second? More…booming.

“What is it, Leglas…?”

Of course, the archer’s sudden change in demeanor alerted his friends and made them all stop talking, save for the one who whispered that question to the archer.

“I don’t know, Gur, besides the birds from over there suddenly flying away there’s this strange sound coming from the forest. It was light at first but now it’s increasingly getting louder, like something is—?!”

“““““““…?!!!”””””

That is when they all saw it.

Trees falling in the not so far distance.

And not in a natural manner.

No, my dearies.

They were being blown away.

Fwiiiish! Boom! Crash!

All while those sounds grew louder and louder.

Worst of all, they all realized that it, whatever it was, was coming towards them. Fast.

“LEADER, SOMETHING IS COMING!” immediately turning to the front of the carriage, the one who the archer had called Gur shouted that to the carriage’s driver, the leader of the escorts, an elf named Fen’Ru-el.

“Got it! Princess, everyone, I apologize but things might get a bit rou—?!”

So he attempted to say but before he could finish his sentence…

FWIIIIIISSSS-BOOOOOOM!

…a sudden explosion cut him off! Just like that!

“UIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!!!”

And right after it but just as deafening, a roar made the ground tremble and the carriage shake, a roar unleashed by the one behind everything as it finally made its entrance! Announcing not only the end of the calm, easy journey of our dear Princess, but also the arrival of trouble! And fate would make it double!

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, dearies! Instead, let us focus on the one everyone in the carriage was looking at and with good reason!

It was a ferocious beast, one so vicious and savage that all who laid eyes on it instantly felt a shiver go down their spines.

It was also very big, easily towering over everyone there AND the carriage itself.

It was known as the nightmare of many inexperienced hunters and unexpecting explorers, one of the greatest dangers that live in the forests, where even monsters fear it.

It had white, silvery fur, and branch-like shining horns, brimming with wind attribute mana.

It looked like a white stag, but it was something much, much, much worse.

It was a…

“…DOORIM!”

“UIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!!!”

““““““…!!!”””””

And as if responding to the shout of the archer, Leglas, the Doorim roared once again, making it clear that they were not seeing things.

“Leader! The Doorim is—!”

The Doorim was real, and it was seemingly running towards the carriage.

“You don’t even have to say it, Gur! I’m making this thing go as fast as it can! There’s no way I’m letting it reach us!”

That of course called for the driver to speed up, and he was doing just that, even when it didn’t seem like it.

“Dammit, what’s a Doorim doing here?! This is nowhere near their usual territory!”

“Maybe it wanted a change of scenery?! A snack?! How should we know, Alphi’Nott?! The point is that it’s here and it’s coming for us!”

“You are right, Ghyllen, it’s just that it doesn’t make any sense for it to be this far out without a reason…”

“Guys…” called out one of the casters, his face showing concern over whatever he had realized.

“““““What, Sols?!””””

“I think I can see the reason…”so said that same caster, Sols, as he pointed at a faint silhouette mere meters in front of the running Doorim, one still caught within the dust cloud raised by the beast.

Meanwhile, looking from inside the carriage, was the Princess and her attendants, Charles and Sistina.

“I’ve read about them in books and in class, but to think that they have this vicious of a presence…”

“If I may, My Lady. Doorims are, for all intents and purposes, apex predators shaped by the merciless conditions the introduction of monsters birthed by the Evil One caused in their habitat. They are not to be trifled with unless thou art of matching strength or thou art an experienced hunter.”

“And this one seems like it won’t stop until we are either blown away or its lunch…”

This last one, Sistina, was more than right with what she said and yet she had been wrong in one very important detail.

The target of its ire.

In other words, who was this meanie deer angry with, dearies?

I ask because I am sure that no one in the carriage did anything to make it angry, right?

So, who?

That’s right, Ilya sweetie! If they were not the ones who made that meanie deer angry, then the only one left was…

“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP! PLEAAASE!! HELP ME!!”

““““““…!!!””””””

…the man who had been within the dust cloud and now–after running out of it with everything he could and seeing the carriage–made his presence known with a pleading scream.

One that reached the ears of everyone.

The man not only looked genuinely desperate, but he looked like a haggard vagabond, with torn up clothes and plenty of cuts and bruises filling his skin.

“Leader, what do we do? This might be part of an ambush!”

“I know…! Curses…”

As Fen’Ru-el tried his best to think of a course of action as fast as he could, the same happened inside the carriage, with the Princess clenching her fists and sharpening her gaze with worry and a certain desire.

“…”

A desire to do what she thought was right.

One that a certain person here knows very well.

After all, they had a hand in instilling it in her, fufufu~.

In her case, she wanted to jump out of the carriage and save that man.

But just as she was going to do it, she was stopped from opening the carriage’s doors by Charles’ white-gloved hand as it firmly held on to her wrist and was not letting go.

“Pardon me, My Lady, but I know that look in thine eyes and I cannot permit thee to go. The chances for this to be a ruse are but incredibly high after all.”

“But Charles, trap or not, his life is in danger! He might not even know that he is being used!”

“I know–truly, I know. But My Lady, even if they might be using him as unknowing bait to lure thy personage out, I cannot permit thee to go. Specially because it is not farfetched to think that the people we desire to stop know of thy personality. So, please, take a seat, My Lady.”

“I…”

The Princess couldn’t respond to that. He was right. He was so right that she could only look down in frustration as precious seconds went on.

Furthermore, she knew that Charles was not going to budge. After all, she knew that Charles was a man that not even the deepest parts of the Draconic Front managed to break.

His demeanor, his mindset, even his grip was all like iron, exuding this hardness and coolness forged in the fires of ample of experiences where being led by emotions could’ve ended very, very badly.

And the eyes he was showing her told her that this one might turn into one of those situations very, very quickly.

So of course, he was not going to let her go, not when keeping her safe was his number one priority.

Yet…besides Iron, the title Charles had earned in his time as both butler and warrior had also another word in it, and that was Gentleman. These two aspects spoke of a man that while he was calm, collected, and highly disciplined, he was also extremely loyal to his Master.

These two aspects led to him having to thread the needle between him expecting this same level of discipline from all his students, regardless of them being the child of a family close to the King and Queen, like our dear Erica, or them being his very Master, like our dear Euphemia was, and nurturing the traits that made this Master worthy of his loyalty.

And when he was faced with the resolute eyes that Euphemia showed as she looked up at him, well, he was seeing one of those traits.

One that resonated deep within his heart and memories.

Memories of seeing a certain Saintess escape from the castle to help yet another village in danger, another battlefield, another person in need, all despite her sickness.

Memories of seeing a certain young man off as he went to the Front to face the trials needed to become worthy of being a paragon, a leader of Knights.

“…alas, thy personage truly resembles the Queen and the Crown Prince. And perhaps a little too much on the side of the Queen and her…good-hearted recklessness, for I know that thou shall jump out of the carriage the moment I let go of thee. Regardless of the danger.”

Yes…he was not heartless. On the contrary, his heart has always been in the right place, but perhaps that was what prompted him to be as disciplined as he was. That way he wouldn’t be blinded by it.

“That means…!”

Our dear Princess’ expression lit up as she heard those words, thinking that she had gotten his blessing.

But…

“No. It doth not mean that.”

…she hadn’t, fufufu~.

But that didn’t mean that Charles was done talking, something he clarified by raising his hand as Euphemia’s expression seemed to darken once more with frustration. Yet, what he said as he turned to the small, opened window showing the carriage’s driver on the other side made that murky emotion she had been feeling go away.

“But…it certainly doth not mean that this is a situation where no one else is willing to help that young man. Am I correct, Mister Fen’Ru-el?”

“…!”

“Heh, it seems that you have read my mind, Mister Charles. To be truthful, leaving that man to such grim a fate would leave a bad taste in the mouth of me and my subordinates, but I was not sure if you’d feel the same way, given the risk we’d have to assume. But now I am glad that all of you do.”

“Indeed, we do, Mister Fen’Ru-el. Of course, if thou hast need of reinforcements or healing, me and Sistina shalt be glad to assist. And if the man ends up being troublesome once inside, thou hast my word that I shall dispatch him in a swift manner, and we shan’t hold it against you and yours.”

“…!!”

Our dear Princess was very surprised at this development, if a bit embarrassed. After all, she really thought that everyone was going to prioritize the mission instead of helping that man.

And while that was the rational thing to do, she was happy that everyone wanted to do the right thing instead.

But most importantly, she was grateful, and she needed to express that.

“Thank you, Charles! Mister Fen’Ru-el! Everyone! I know there’s no need for me to say it, but I still will! Please, save that man!”

And so, she did.

“““““““Heh…”””””””

And they–now with a smile on their faces and no hesitation in their hearts–replied to her in the best way possible.

“You heard the Princess, everyone! Gur'Enel! Leglas! Alphi’Nott! Ghyllen! Sols! We are saving that guy and stopping the Doorim from reaching this carriage!”

“““““You got it, Leader!”””””

They answered.

They answered to the Princess’ heartfelt plea not only through words, but also through what came next.

First, Fen’Ru-el immediately hit the magical brakes and stopped the carriage, masterfully making it drift in a way that made its right side face the incoming Doorim and the man, giving his people the best position to deal with the beast and the man the easiest way to get into the carriage.

Then…their battle against the Doorim started! And it started with a bang!

““[PRECISE SHOT]!!””

The archers let loose their mana clad arrows from their bows.

“[SOARING MANA BLADES]!!”

The one warrior besides their fearless Leader cut the air with their mana clad swords and shot various mana blades from them.

“…[GREAT FIREBALL]”

“…[GREAT LIGHTNING BALL]”

And the casters…the casters unleashed their strongest explosive spells above and below the Doorim, who was too focused on its prey to notice everything coming at it before they fell on it.

And fell they did.

TUNK!! SLAAASH!! BOOOM!!

“UIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII—?!”

“…?!”

Such were the sounds that filled the air, shook the ground, and silenced a certain beast mid-roar as it was drowned in the light of the magical explosions that came right after the arrows and blades reached it and knocked it on the ground.

Of course, the Doorim was not the only one taken by surprise, as the man was just as shocked since he had begun to think that he was not going to be saved.

Good thing that he was lucky enough to chance upon our dear Princess’ carriage, right dearies? Fufufu~~.

In any case, he was immediately pulled out of such shock by none other than Fen’Ru-el.

“HEY!! YOU!! HURRY AND GET IN!! WE’LL COVER YOU!!” so he shouted at the running man as he stood on the driver’s seat while signaling him to get inside the carriage.

“Y-YES…!!” shaking off his surprise, the running man stumbled with his words, but not with his feet as he kept running, and now he was doing it faster than before, putting more than his everything in every step he took, for each and every one of them put him closer to safety.

To surviving.

To living.

“KEEP FIRING EVERYONE!! A GROUNDED DOORIM IS A DOORIM NOT USING ITS MAGIC!!”

“Ha…ha…ha..ha!”

So he ran and ran and ran some more! He ran the hardest he ever had in his life! All while Fen’Ru-el shouted orders and magical and physical projectiles kept raining upon the Doorim that had been pursuing him, pinning it down where it once stood.

Now, I wish I could tell you that the man managed to get into the carriage shortly after that and that the Doorim was stopped right then and there.

But that is not how this went.

No, my dearies.

After all, if it was that easy to bring down a Doorim, they wouldn’t be so feared by hunters.

Doorims are really, really strong.

Doorims are stubborn.

But most importantly.

Doorims are smart.

“…uuu…”

Smart enough to know that someone else was trying to take away its prey from it and to act as if it was down to give them a good look, to ascertain those who would dare to do that.

And once it did, the fires of his ire encompassed all who were reflected in its eyes.

It was not going to let them take its prey.

It was going to rise.

And rise it did.

“…UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRR!!”

“OOMPH—!!”

With a mighty roar, mightier than the one that it had let out before, it rose up from the ground while unleashing a shockwave of wind attribute mana all around it, hitting the running man with its full force and almost toppling the carriage.

“““““““…!!!!”””””””

But that was not all, for the Doorim made itself very clear right after that, even without needing to speak.

‘Your attacks are now useless, and nothing can stop me from getting my prey now’ that was its message to all as it showed itself clad in a barrier that could only be described as a spherical vortex of wind.

A very loud and clear message.

Now Fen’Ru-el and his subordinates needed to change their tactics and they needed to do it fast, but there was another matter.

One even more important than that.

The very reason why they were confronting the Doorim.

“HEY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! CAN YOU GET UP?! GIVE ME A SIGN! ANY SIGN!”

“…”

The man who had been running away from the Doorim was not getting up after being hit with the full brunt of the Doorim’s wind shockwave. And so, no matter how many times Fen’Ru-el shouted, no response would come back to him.

Yet…the elven leader still got a sign, a sign that kept him from thinking the worst, a sign that he thanked his keen eyesight for being able to catch.

“…! Thank the Goddess…”

Slight movements.

“…he is still alive…”

Those that people sometimes make when unconscious and in pain.

“…but….”

…that didn’t mean that the man was out of danger. Quite the opposite in fact, the danger that was the Doorim was getting closer to him. Worst of all, there was something in the Doorim’s slow approach that caused a chill to go down Fen’Ru-el’s spine.

“Dammit…”

It almost felt as if the Doorim was intentionally taking its time to enjoy what seemed to be the last stretch of its hunt and its victory over them.

But if that was the case, then our dear angry deer forgot about a little something.

After all, if Fen’Ru-el and his subordinates were brave enough to get between it and its prey once, what’s stopping them from doing it again?

“No, I’m not letting you get him now that we decided to save him. That simply is not in this journey’s itinerary. Everyone! Cover me! I’m getting him!”

Armed with that very same bravery, Fen’Ru-el exclaimed that as he jumped off the driver’s seat and unsheathed his sword, all while his sharp eyes moved between the man lying on the ground and the towering Doorim.

“““““We got you, Leader!””””

And just like him, his subordinates also jumped off from the top of the carriage, arms in hand and hearts ready for round 2.

Thus, Fen’Ru-el ran towards the unconscious man while his subordinates charged at the beast and resumed their assault on it, hoping to take its attention away from their Leader and the man.

As for the Doorim…

“…”

…it strangely stopped its slow advance and just stood there.

It just stood there letting its mighty wind barrier take it all.

Arrows.

Slashes.

Spells.

The Doorim just welcomed it all while it watched as Fen’Ru-el got closer and closer to the unconscious man, its prey.

It knew that the man was trying to take its prey again and yet it was doing nothing.

“I know you can’t hear me now, but don’t worry. I got you now. We got you. So hold on and we’ll get you patched up in no time.”

“Hrrnngh…”

Yes, it didn’t even flinch when Fen’Ru-el finally managed got to the man, put him on his back, and started running towards the carriage.

Strange, right dearies?

Well, Fen’Ru-el and his friends thought the same, but even then, they couldn’t just waste the chance that the Doorim was providing them by not moving. Some, like the warrior Alphi’Nott, thought that maybe it was even a lucky break, while others, like the caster Sols, thought that maybe the Doorim had become wary of another surprise attack.

Whatever it was, there was only one thing they could do now, and that was to get the man to the carriage and get out as quickly as possible, nothing else mattered. Even if the Doorim’s sudden change in demeanor was indeed baffling…and worrying.

So worrying in fact that it gave a certain battle-experienced butler a bad feeling, a very bad feeling, for he saw the Doorim’s attitude for what it was.

“That Doorim…its change in demeanor spells naught but trouble.”

“What do you mean, Charles?”

“Tis’ biding its time, Sistina. Just like a predator would before taking care of its prey in one fell swoop. Worst of all, this one is confident that it can do exactly that. Thus, I suspect that it might use something much stronger than the shockwave it used before” so declared Charles as he watched everything unfold through one of the carriage’s windows with a grim expression, the reflection of Fen’Ru-el and his subordinates showing in his monocle.

And hearing this, our dear Princess took a deep breath, sharpened her gaze with conviction, and made a declaration of her own.

“Then we will help them by stopping the Doorim before it does that.”

“My Lady…”

“But Princess…”

“No. I cannot simply stay in here while others are fighting, Charles, Sistina. Not anymore. I have a duty and I plan to see it through without me being put aside” so she strongly declared at her servants, but not as the tantrum of a reckless child Master, but as a young woman who had worked hard to obtain the strength necessary to back up her words.

All so that the night that happened five years ago wouldn’t repeat itself ever again.

And so, our dear Princess and her butler locked eyes, neither of them blinking for a second, neither of them backing down.

“My Lady, thy—”

“I am not asking for permission, Charles.”

While the words were still in his mouth Euphemia cut Charles short before activating her storage bracelet and calling forth a majestic looking scepter, one that had water swirling all around the blue, crystal-like sphere that it had on top.

“Prithee harken, My Lady. I was but about to say that thy personage shouldst change if thou care about not dirtying thy dress in the fight.”

“Ah! Yes, of—”

“And that I shall be going too.”

“…!! Really…? Err…ahem…alright!”

Surprising Euphemia with his words, Charles got up from his seat, adjusted his pristine, white gloves, and turned to the Princess with a look that asked her if she was ready.

He had always been strict with her when it came to matters related to combat. If he didn’t think that she had a chance against her opponent, he would simply become the wall that would stop her from trying until she was ready.

Yet, here he was, not only letting her fight, but he was going to fight beside her.

And while that was supposed to be expected from a royal attendant, this meant that Charles believed that she could do it.

That he believed in her strength.

Thus, with a smile on her face and fire in her eyes, Euphemia nodded strongly at her butler before quickly unbuttoning both sides of her custom-made dress’ collar, causing the entire dress to fall off and reveal what had been underneath it all along.

An amazing looking enchanted light armor, one that had various magical runes engraved all over it, and most importantly, one that had a certain emblem etched very, very close to her heart.

The emblem of the Swords of Dawn.

The emblem of the Knight’s Order her dear, dear Big Brother not only belonged to, but led as their prime Paragon.

The emblem of the Knight’s Order that had been branded as one of traitors to the World by the Kingdom they served, the Kyrie Kingdom, their home.

The emblem of the Knight’s Order the one that came to be known throughout the lands as the Fallen Prince belonged to.

Despite that and more, she wore it with pride, for she knew for a fact that those words of betrayal and that title were nothing but lies. And even if she didn’t know what she knew, she’d still believe that they were lies with all her heart.

So dry your tears, Erevain, and watch how your dear sister fights fueled by the values you inspired in her.

“Sistina.”

“You do not have to say it, Princess. I am ready to treat that man’s injuries as soon as Mister Fen'Ru-el arrives with him. Now go! And may you both return uninjured!”

“Thank you, Sistina! We will!”

With that, our dear Princess and Charles left the safety of the carriage and leapt into battle!

Some would say that the elves should have said something against their charges joining the fray, but in truth, they were thankful as they too could feel it.

The dread that came before something very, very bad was about to happen.

“Mister Ghyllen. Mister Sols. I shall take care of the barrier. Meanwhile, I ask of you to ready your spells for when the barrier falls. The Princess shall deliver the finishing blow after that.”

“Got it!”

“Alright!”

Thus, when Charles and Euphemia approached the casters in the rear with his plan, they were relieved and immediately focused on seeing it through, starting their respective chants while Charles and Euphemia used [Quickstep] to practically disappear from where they were and appear right where they needed to be.

For the Princess that meant appearing around the Doorim’s left flank, not very close, but not very far either, waiting for the right moment to attack.

“…”

“UiIiIiiIrrr…”

As for Charles…that meant appearing right beside the running Fen'Ru-el and in front of the unmoving Doorim, who growled at him the moment they locked eyes with each other, bathing the butler with a massive wave of killing intent.

Yet, it did not affect him one bit.

“Keep moving, Mister Fen'Ru-el. We shan’t let harm befall you.”

“I shall take you up on that then.”

Instead, he glanced back at Fen'Ru-el and with a polite smile he said his piece before turning his gaze back again to his opponent.

“Now…let us pop that bubble, shall we?”

With that, he sharpened his gaze, reaffirmed his stance, and turned his hand not into a fist that could blow everything away, but a knife.

One that could even cut the wind itself if used correctly.

“Hmph!”

FWOOM!! So his hand went as he raised his arm and swung it down like one would do a blade!

“UiIiiIir?!”

""""...!!?""""

Strongly!

Quickly!

And then…POP! The Doorim’s mighty wind barrier was no more, cut in half by Charle’s white-gloved hand! Leaving both beast and elven escorts baffled by what happened before their eyes!

After all, it had been so sudden, fufufu~.

But he had done it, just as he said he would.

Which meant that it was their turn, and they did not waste it.

“My Lady! Gentlemen! Tis’ time to fell this beast!”

How could they when even Charles himself beckoned them?

“UUUUIIIIIiIiIiIiIiiiiiiiII!”

"...bring it forth oh power of fire...[EXPLOSION]!!"

“…burst from the skies and judge the land…[THUNDEROUS PILLAR]!!”

KABOOMM!! KRAAAKATHOOM!!

“UuUuUuuUuUuUIIIiIiI—!!!”

Thus, the elven escorts released their attacks upon the Doorim! And they did it just as the beast tried to unleash whatever it was planning to unleash, stopping it in its tracks!

First, Ghyllen’s explosion impacted the Doorim’s belly, sending it flying upwards just to be immediately slammed back into the ground by Sol’s lightning spell coming down from the sky!

“[TRIPLE SHOT]!”

“[PRECISE SHOT]!!”

“[MANA SLASH]!”

FWIISH! FWISH! FWISH! SLAAASH!!

“IIIuUuUUuIiIuiiiU—!”

Even then, it quickly tried to get back up and gather up mana in its horns, but it couldn’t as Gur'Enel and Leglas quickly took its mobility away by targeting its legs with their arrows, all while Alphi’Nott disarmed it by slashing away its horns just as they had begun to shine once again, preventing the Doorim from doing what all beasts do when cornered, an all-out attack for survival! One that would certainly hurt if unleashed!

Good thing Alphi’Nott put a stop to that, right dearies?

“Crap!!”

“UUUUUUUUUUUUUIIII!!”

Sadly, that wasn’t completely the case, as Alphi’Nott was only able to cut one of the two horns…

The Doorim, that angry, stubborn deer managed to move its head away from the blade just enough to save one of its horns, showing once again that even hurt and immobilized Doorims were not to be underestimated.

And so, the Doorim continued its gathering and weaving of mana, now imbalanced and going wild due to the absence of one of its horns.

To the point that the strong wind currents it was creating were not only hurting those around it, but also…itself.

But that didn’t matter to it.

Not anymore.

It was just going to blow everyone away…starting with the old man that was right in front of it, refusing to move away no matter how many times the wild winds cut him.

Yet, the Doorim forgot about a certain someone who had been waiting for her chance to finish things.

And for that very reason, that moment, that chance, was now.

Wasting no time to seize it, our dear, dear Princess started moving towards the Doorim, caring not for whatever cuts the winds blemished her skin with or the pain that came with them, just like her teacher.

As for why dearies…fufu~~, you already know why!

She was not going to let Charles and everyone else be hurt! Nu-uh!

Of course not!

And she wasn’t planning to let everyone’s work go to waste! M-m!

No, my lovelies! She wouldn’t!

So, there was no way that she would miss her chance to stop this meanie Doorim!

And she did not!

"[Elemental Blade: Water]! Haa!!"

FWIIISTZIIIIINNN!! So went the watery blade that burst out of the blue gem at the top of Euphemia’s scepter as she let her mana flow into it!!

Its length was short, but don’t let that fool you, dearies! That blade was sharp enough to even cut through metal with it!

“UUUUUUUUUUUUUIIII—!!”

And so, as the Doorim raised its head, let out a desperate roar, and was but moments away of blowing everything and everyone away, the Princess’ watery blade found its target on the Doorim’s neck…and pierced it.

With a ‘thud’, the Doorim fell to the ground and returned to the cycle of reincarnation.

It had not been a painless battle, it is true, but it was at least a quick end.

Now my dearies, I show you all of this so that you can understand that sometimes there is no other way but to fight to protect yourself or someone else.

But that does not mean that one should disrespect the life that was ended for another to live, even more so in the case of beasts.

Yes, they might be wild, scary, and some, like the Doorim, very, very dangerous.

But they are still a very important part of this world, and they do what they do to survive and keep on doing what’s their role in nature.

That is why after checking that everyone was alright, our dear Princess and her escorts put their right hands over their hearts and prayed for the Doorim with their eyes solemnly closed.

They prayed in thanks for the nourishment it was going to provide in their journey, and they promised to use everything it had left behind.

That way its death would have a meaning beyond saving the man.

That was the elven way of showing respect to a fallen creature of the forest.

One of the things of their culture that Euphemia took up as hers after living for five years in Deamis and from such a young age.

After that, having begrudgingly left the processing of the Doorim to her escorts–much to the relief of both these and her butler since they couldn’t have their charge do such a task–our dear, dear Princess and the latter decided to go check on the man they had rescued.

There they found Sistina, who was quite the capable Healer, already tending to the man’s many wounds, from the ones caused by the Doorim and others.

Looking at the man from up close, the image of him looking like a haggard vagabond was only reinforced.

His black hair was disheveled, his unkempt beard had dirt in it, and his upper clothes–which were put aside by Sistina–were now even more torn than they already were.

One thing that immediately grabbed their attention though was the prosthetic left arm that was attached to his shoulder, but they made no comment about it.

Even then, Charles raised an eyebrow the moment he saw it, seemingly noticing something.

What that was, however, we’ll know soon enough, dearies.

“How is he, Sistina?”

“To be honest, he is…lucky, Princess. It’s clear that this man hasn’t received medical attention in quite a while, and he was making do with salves and stitches for the deeper wounds. You can hazard what happened with those after he was hit with that shockwave…”

“They all opened…tis’ not an uncommon fate for those who end up deep in the lands past the Draconic Front where healers are not enough or…absent.”

“Oh no…”

“It is as Charles says, Princess. All these wounds he had stitched up opened at the same time, but do not worry, I was able to properly treat them all before they became a threat to his life along with the wounds from the shockwave. That is why I said he was lucky, if he hadn’t crossed paths with us then…well…it could have been the Doorim or an infection down the line, but I don’t think he would have made it to wherever is his destination.”

“…thank the Goddess we were able to save him then. And you, Sistina, thank you so much.”

“It is nothing, Princess. The Goddess and her spirits of light and nature gave me this blessing for a reason, but I am still glad to be of use” so said Sistina to the relieved Euphemia with a gentle smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Charles had a more serious look on his face, a pensive one.

“Indeed, tis’ a relief to see this man hale. Yet, I doth wonder what manner of circumstances bringeth a man to such a sorry state…? More so when there are many a settlement between here and our recently felled beast’s territory…” so wondered Charles aloud as he looked at the man lying in the carriage, his question making Euphemia and Sistina wonder the same.

“Hrrngh…”

And it seemed that they would have their answers very soon as the man slowly began to regain consciousness.

“…nnghh…”

Slowly opening his eyes, the man groaned and grimaced for a moment as his sight adjusted to the daylight once again.

Then…

“Where…?! The thing! It’s—”

“Easy there…you are safe. The beast has been slain and your wounds have been treated, but you have been through a lot, so it’s better if you don’t try to do sudden movements for now.”

…he remembered what was happening right before everything went to black for him and that made all the fear and desperation return for a moment.

Once again, he was scared.

Once again, he wanted and needed to run away.

But Sistina gently stopped him from doing that by softly placing her hand on his chest as he tried to get up, bringing him back to the safety of the present.

“I…I see…” he paused, looking at himself and his surroundings, confirming everything that Sistina told him and of course, noticing the mustached old man with a monocle and the young woman with checkered black and white hair that were standing close to Sistina.

“Are you the ones who saved my life then…? Thank you…amm…”so he asked awkwardly, eyeing everyone with a nervous expression as he wondered how to refer to them, something that made Euphemia’s healer maid giggle.

“Hehe, Sistina, my name is Sistina. And I healed your wounds, yes, but the ones who made that happen and rescued you from the beast over there are the elves taking care of its remains and these two people here” so she said as she motioned towards the escorts and then to our dear Princess and her Butler, the former group pausing what they were doing to turn and happily wave at the man, causing him to wave back and smile at them in gratitude before returning his attention to the latter group.

“There is no need for thanks, for My Lady and all of us here just decided to do the right thing. Still, tis’ good to see you awake, Ser. My name is Charles, and My Lady here is Euphemia.”

“Hi! It is a pleasure to meet you! And I am so glad that you are fine!”

“It-It is a pleasure to meet you too…all of you…”

Not caring about appearances, our dear Princess joyfully grabbed one of the man’s hands and shook it, taking him by surprise for a moment before he replied and smiled back at Euphemia, albeit awkwardly, before turning to Charles.

“And M-Mister Charles, if…I may, I still think that I need to thank you for what you did…”

“Hmm…then dost thou mind me asking thee some questions, Ser?” asked Charles in a way that seemed as if the thought had just occurred to him, yet both Euphemia and Sistina could not help but stare at him with suspecting eyes, thinking that he intentionally had said what he did to lead the conversation to such ‘suggestion’.

“N-No! Not at all! Please, ask away! I’ll try my best to answer them, I…it’s the least I can do as thanks for saving my life.”

One that the man was happy to go along with.

Fufu~~, such a crafty move.

Then again, if it’s for the safety of his Master, Charles didn’t mind using those kinds of tricks.

And so, ignoring the stares of both his Master and his fellow servant, he began with his questions.

“In that case, let us start with thy name, Ser. Can thee tell us?”

“My name…? Ah! By the Goddess, where are my manners?! Y-Yes! Of course! I-I should have started with that! Ahem…I am Kori Toh, a…traveler so to speak.”

“Ser Kori it is.”

“Y-Yes…ah! Wrong hand…sorry. Here…”

Having slightly, and slowly, raised himself with Sistina’s help, Kori tried to shake hands with Charles, but stopped as he realized that he had reached out with the ‘wrong hand’, his prosthetic one, and immediately pulled it back before extending the other one, something that made Charles raise an eyebrow once again.

“To mind shaking a prosthetic hand is but the height of oafishness, a lack of basic respect towards one’s fellows. Thou hast naught to worry about such a thing from me, Ser Kori. Truly.”

“Eh? Oh! N-Nono—no! I-I wasn’t i-implying that, Mister Charles… N-Not at all! I…please, it’s just…it’s just how I am… Still, I-I truly apologize…”

“Hm, I understand. Pay it no mind then since I did not take offence in that. Here.”

Reassuring Kori, Charles shook his hand firmly and respectfully, showing him that there really was no problem.

That made it easier for Kori to respond in kind instead of showing his nervousness and inner turmoil through the trembling of his hand.

“Oh dear, thy grip is quite the familiar one, Ser Kori. Art thou a retired soldier, perhaps? If that is the case…prithee, may I know under which nation’s banner you fought? Perhaps thou hast not yet retired and serve under a different banner now… A certain Kingdom’s mayhaps? Ah, but these art just the idle musings of an old veteran that cannot help himself but be curious about such things, for there is a chance that I may have fought beside thine elders once upon a time” so asked Charles in a seemingly casual manner but the glint in his eyes was anything but casual. Furthermore, he didn’t seem like he was going to release poor Kori’s hand any time soon.

“A-A soldier…? K-Kingdom…? Hahahaha, no, no! Not at all, Mister Charles! As I said before, I am just a traveler. Nothing more and…nothing less.”

“…”

Charles grimaced at Kori’s response. Although he was not angry, but rather…disappointed as Kori had lied. And that meant that things were going to get a bit harder…for Kori.

“I…have trouble believing that Ser Kori. That specific model of prosthetic hand is given to the soldiers of a certain island nation after losing a limb in the Draconic Front.”

“That’s…! How did you…?”

“Did I not mention it? I am an old veteran. I served for 75 years to be exact. I am privy to this knowledge because of that, because some of my comrades received those at the end of their deployments” so said Charles as his tone became more and more serious and…cold.

“…!!”

Kori was so shocked that his eyes opened wide. Nothing had outwardly changed from Charles’ demeanor, but Kori could feel it, that coldness, the man in front of him would have no qualms with dealing with him if he was deemed a threat.

“…”

Meanwhile, Sisitina glanced to our dear, dear Princess, asking her with a look if she was alright with Charles going further as he was clearly going to do and she answered with a wink and a smile, telling her maid not to worry.

Indeed, our dear, dear Princess was planning to step in the moment she felt that it was enough.

Thus, the interrogation continued.

“Ser Kori, I was truthful when I mentioned my liking for conversing with young soldiers and veterans. And thanks to that I am quite well informed with these and many other things. So please, Ser Kori, I suggest thee be more truthful about thy background. For both of our sakes.”

“I-I…”

Fearful of him as he was now, Kori thought of telling the old man not only the truth, but everything about himself.

Yet…the fear he felt was nothing compared to the feeling of shame and disgust he felt towards that very truth and himself, feelings that intensified as a barrage of hazy images flooded his mind.

Memories of his past.

Evidence of a shameful truth.

His truth.

And all that turmoil was immediately reflected on his own demeanor as he started to look down in shame without even noticing it, and when he did notice it…those emotions only became worse.

“…I do not want to talk about that time of my life…please…Sir Charles…I beg of you…I am just a traveler now.”

“…truly, if our circumstances were different, I would not press thee anymore, as I know very well that this long war can…change even those most steadfast. So not wanting to look back at those memories is more than understandable. But…”

Kori’s inner turmoil gnawed at him to the point that he had force the words out of his mouth to answer to the old man, but even then, Charles’ heart was not moved.

“But…that is not the case here. I cannot afford to take half measures with someone who appeared out of nowhere with a Doorim in pursuit right when our carriage was passing through. ‘Tis a risk I simply cannot take.”

“W-what…?”

Indeed, Charles’ heart proved to be as hard and cold as iron, for that’s what the situation at hand called for. He couldn’t risk himself to feel for a potential enemy, at least not until he confirmed he was not one. And so, he moved one step closer to Kori while still firmly holding his hand, but that was more than enough to make him more intimidating in Kori’s eyes.

Even then he felt that he had to say something, that he needed to clarify things.

So he tried.

“I…nn…I swear that I was just looking for food and herbs to treat myself. I-I guess I entered that…thing’s…that Doorim’s territory without noticing because then it appeared out of nowhere and started attacking me! I tried to run away, t-to make it lose my trail but…I just couldn’t! No matter how many turns I took! I-It just kept coming after me! But I swear on the name of the Goddess that I did not intend to harm anyone! Anyone!”

He tried to explain himself. To show that he was not someone who would do something as hateful as to try to ambush others or whatever else Charles was thinking of.

“Using the name of the Goddess in vain is grave sin, Ser Kori.”

Indeed, it is. And quite the bad one, dearies.

Still, Charles’ doubting words made the shaken Kori feel a certain anger. An understandable one. After all, who was he to doubt him so? He didn’t know him. He didn’t know everything he had gone through.

“I am not using it in vain, Sir Charles.”

“I see.”

“…”

“…”

So, that anger became the firm tone with which he answered to the butler, leading to them falling silent as they stared at each other while sharpening their gazes.

“That is enough, Charles.”

And before either of them could say anything else, our dear, dear Princess intervened, breaking the silence with her own words and their long, long handshake with her hand.

“Very well, My Lady. But what is thy judgement?”

Following that, Charles stepped back and moved behind our dear princess, his intimidating demeanor disappearing immediately as he asked that.

“He is innocent.”

"Are you sure, My Lady? Our opponents would have no problem spouting such lies. In fact, they have done so already, as thou knowest.”

“Indeed. But Kori is not part of that group.”

“Hoh? May I inquire about My Lady’s reasoning for such conclusion?”

Euphemia nodded and smiled before turning to Kori and giving Charles his answer.

“His eyes, Charles. They are the eyes of a person who was left behind and is desperately trying to find a way out from that dark place.”

“…?!”

Surprised to the core, Kori became speechless as a knot began forming inside his throat, but just as he thought that he couldn’t be any more surprised, our dear, dear Princess grabbed hold of Kori’s prosthetic hand and held it tight.

Neither of her attendants stopped her, as they had understood the will of their Master and intended to follow it. Furthermore, Charles could be seen smiling in approval of Euphemia’s judgement.

“I sincerely apologize for this interrogation. We had to make sure. Now…let me introduce myself again. Properly this time. I am Euphemia vi Kyrie, Princess of the Kyrie Kingdom, and there is a way out, Sir Kori.”

“…”

She knew.

She knew it all too well.

That…dark place.

That is what Kori felt from her words and the genuine, empathetic smile she was showing to him.

He felt that so strongly that he couldn’t help but shed a tear.

______________________________________________________________________

“Aaaand that’s it for tonight, my dearies~.”

“What…?”

“Nuuuuu! But…but…!”

“Fufufu~~.”

Yep, this time our cinnamon rolls are not only still awake, but they are going through something that all weebs have experienced in their lives! And that’s a chapter being so good that you are shocked when it suddenly ends, and you can’t help but want to watch the next episode NOW!

I mean, just look at them! Ilya is absolutely shocked and Celesia is about to throw a tantrum! Sho cute!

But also, also!! THEY MAKE ME SHO PROUD!!

Yesh! Because what else can you expect from our daughters than them getting this hyped after such a battle scene took place! Their very first battle scene!!

Even more so when my lovable Goddess of a partner and first heroine showed it in such an amazingly done anime style instead of the usual realistic filter!

You should’ve seen it! My little lights were going ‘Ohhhhhhh! Ahhhhh!’ and ‘Papa! Papa! That was awesome! Awesome!’ and so much more!!

SO CUTE!

And that is not to say that Ere wasn’t into it, oh no, she was! A lot! She teared up for a moment and after that I even heard her murmur ‘Euphy looks incredible like that…’.

Heh.

Just a bit more and you’ll be one of us, Ere! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Well, maybe that was just her sister-spoiling proud elder sister side…but still!

Hm? A little someone is pulling at my onesie!

“Papa! Papa! Tell Mother to continue the story!”

“Huhuhuh, I want to, but I can’t, Celesia, my little light. Staying awake past bedtime is very bad after all and as luck would have it, it is almost time for us to go to sleep.”

Indeed! Staying awake until 6 am reading manga and watching anime is bad! Very bad! Good thing I never did that! No sir! Aha-ha-ha! And Nerinne is totally not looking at me with a shit-eating grin calling me out on that! Nope!

“Fufufu~~, besides, don’t you have classes tomorrow, dearie?”

“Yes…”

“And you wouldn’t want to be sleepy sleepy then and miss the awesome things Miss Josie and Miss Mika teach you, right?”

“I wouldn’t, Mother…but…but…”

Daww, Celesia is getting teary eyed…

Don’t worry, I got this, dear~.

“How about this, dearie. Let’s talk about what you two learned from today’s chapter of the story and if you aren’t sleepy by the end of it, I’ll consider going for another chapter. How is that, Celesia? Ilya?”

“Yes! Yes!”

“Nn…”

Nice one, darling!  Both Celesia’s teary eyes and Ilya’s shock are gone now, replaced by excited nodding, and shining eyes, heh.

“And this offer is also valid for you, Erevain~. So if something grabbed your attention, don’t hesitate to ask about it, fufu~.”

“Of course, Miss Nerinne. I shall do so.”

“Good~.”

Ere, who had been watching our little exchange with our daughters with a smile on her face, seems more comfortable here than yesterday. Heck, you wouldn’t even think that she wasn’t sure if it was alright for her to be here.

I’m glad since she is as important to me as Nerinne.

Gabby too.

“Now, who wants to go first?”

“Me…Mother…me…”

And our adorable cinnamon roll of a volcano daughter raises her adorable little hand in response! You wouldn’t guess it by her kuudere voice, but it only takes one look at her gleaming eyes to know that she was really looking forward to her dear mother asking that question

“Ilya…learned that to take…and give back…respectfully…from nature…we…need to be grateful…to beasts for their…nourishment and that…if we mean to take…we need a good reason.”

Wow…I know that she is also a volcano and that that might make her more attuned to nature by itself, but still. What Ilya just said while putting her hand over heart as the elves did is something that I believe everyone must learn and for her to have nailed it this way at her age is…amazing.

I guess her spending some quality time with our resident Beast Summoner, Max, every now and then also helped her get this better grasp of what respecting nature while living alongside it means.

Wait…she is a volcano, so wouldn’t that count as self-respect too?

“That is a very good thing to have learned, dearie! Very good indeed! And you, Celesia?”

"Mmm…"

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Mother said that the angry deer had a role…so what is my role? Do I…have one?"

Now that’s one heck of an existential question to ask while tilting your head in such an adorable way my inquisitive bundle of joy of a daughter! Like, two daughters and both dropped answers that are just…woah.

“Aww~~, that’s a great question! But what do you think?”

“That I…I have a role?”

“Fufufu~~, yes! You have a role, sweetie!”

“Then—nu?!”

“But that is for you to discover and choose, just like I chose to poke your adorable little nose~~.”

“Nuuuu!!”

“Fufufu~~, no one else can tell you what your roles is or choose it for you, dearie. Not even me. Alright?”

And again, my divine darling handled it perfectly, just as I knew she would. As for why Ere and I didn’t chip in, well, I guess it’s because we thought the same thing. Celesia is a bit tsun with Nerinne, so if there’s an event to up her dere points with her, we are not ruining it by butting in! Even more so if Celesia is the one who initiates it like this time!

“Then…”

Now let’s see what Celesia has to say!

“Then I want to be like Papa and Mama and Big Sis and M-Mother and and Aunty Euphy! Because today I learned that it's better to try and save people, than not doing it! Like Aunty Euphy did! Yes! Because because when I saw that no one was helping Kori, I felt bad and lonely…and I didn’t like that! Nu! Abandoning someone is bad! Bad! And when they turned around and saved him, I felt very happy! Happy! Aunty Euphy is awesome! Awesome! Like Papa and Mama and Big Sis and…and…M-Mother…!”

PROUD SMILES! PROUD SMILES EVERYWHERE! HECK, I’M EVEN TEARING UP! NERINNE AND ERE TOO!! AND ILYA IS BLUSHING WHILE HUGGING CELESIA!

“Ahhh! Not fair, Ilya! I want to hug Celesia too! I love you two so much!”

“Wah! Nuuuu!!”

“Hihi…Ilya loves you too, Mother…”

AND NERINNE NOW HAS GONE FOR THE HUG! AH, SUCH A WHOLESOME SCENE! MAH HEART!

But really…knowing what I know…she really is…ah, there I go again, saying the same things just like a broken record. Celesia is Celesia and I’m proud of the big heart she is nurturing with everything she has.

Anyways, let’s bring this to a close since bedtime is closing in! And I do take my role as parent seriously! Even when I’m an incorrigible weeb!

“Ahem, and did you two learn anything else from the story?”

So I ask while getting closer to Nerinne and them and patting their heads. Yes, Nerinne’s too.

Fufufu~, as you should!

“Mmm…ah. That we can’t use…Mother’s name in vain because…she gets mad.”

“…and scary! Very scary! N-Not that I was scared! Nu!”

“Ack!”

Oh darling, that’s a crit in the heart. Buuuuut, you did show a scary face when narrating that part and poor Celesia here got startled by it. She immediately tried to hide it by puffing her cheeks and looking away though.

Still…that was so mean, darling…

I didn’t mean to scare her like that, dummy! It’s just that I hate it when people do that so I can’t help it! Mou…

Hehehe, I know, I know.

You are sho cute too.

And speaking of cute! Don’t you think that I forgot about Ere’s turn!

“And you, Ere? Do you have something to ask about?”

“Yes, My…Auros…I do.”

Ahhhh, I’ll never get tired of her calling me by name! And that little moment when she was about to say ‘My Lord’ but corrected herself while lightly blushing made her all the more adorable!

“It is about Sir Kori, Miss Nerinne. This may be speculation on my part but…could it be that he is the vagabond that you mentioned back when you acknowledged Euphy’s worthiness for the throne?”

“…ah, that. Fufufu~~, yes, but I shall refrain from saying anything more for the sake of the story.”

Now that’s a fast recovery! You wouldn’t even know that this Goddess giggling in such a mysterious manner was but another emotional critical hit away from being KO’d!

Shush!

Heh.

Still, it’s nice that this family’s motto is being kept, that is…NO SPOILERS!

**yaaaaawn**

Anyways…

“…it seems our little ones need to sleep now.”

“Fufufu~, yes. That seems to be the case.”

“Indeed.”

““…!!””

Hearing what me, Nerinne, and Ere just said, Ilya and Celesia try to deny it while shaking their head…

“No...Father….Ilya can still *yawn*…”

“Big Sis! Don’t let the yawnies win! We promised to stay up late to hear more of the *yaaaawn*…”

…but a second wave of cute yawns betray their words!

Ah, such heartless villains are the yawnies that they didn’t care about their adorable promise! Furthermore, they are so powerful that….

*Yaaaaaawn*

“Not you too, Papa!”

“I’m sorry, my dear Celesia but…they got me too…the yawnies…”

So I dramatically say while falling on the bed, beaten, and very sleepy.

“Nuuuuu!”

“Fufu~~, I believe this is their win, dearie. Come, let’s go to sleep now.”

“But…but…M-Mother…the story…”

Hmm…it seems that Celesia still has some fight in her left but…

“Now, now, my violet star, we agreed with Miss Nerinne that we would go to sleep if we were sleepy after telling her what we learned, right?”

…here comes Ere with that!

“…! Yes…Mama…”

“So let us make good on our word.”

“Ok…”

Nice one, Ere!!

“Good…night…Father…Mother…”

“Goodnight…Papa…Mama…”

“““Goodnight…lights of our hearts.”””

And with such a synchronized send off to dreamland from us three, I turn off the lights with a snap of my fingers.

Goodnight to you too my dear weebs, wherever you are.

___________________________________________________________________

Once again, in some faraway place outside the perception of everyone in that room, a certain someone was still trying to enact her plan through the same window she has been watching them.

A plan that will surely end up badly for her.

“Kakaka! You are so fun, Yawue! There is no way this can end up badly for me! Our dear, dear friend will even thank me for this! You will see! Now…tonight was a dud, but I am getting better at this with every try. Just you wait…I shall invite you here soon enough. Kakakaka!”

Do not say that I did not warn you…

To be continued…(cue illustration of everyone listening to Nerinne’s story while in their onesies!)