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Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 13
🕑 Added 2025-03-17 16:31:39 +0000 UTCTheir journey had been surprisingly comfortable.
If there was one thing Himmel had, it was money. So he and his friends easily managed to find plenty of accommodation along the way. No trouble was found on the road either, Zofia was, without a doubt, the safest country in the world.
No sickness, no bandits. Nothing. Just a nice and comfortable adventure for a couple of dumb teenagers.
And now they had finally arrived at their destination.
Alm gawked at it. "Wow, the walls... the gate... everything is so massive!" It was certainly an impressive sight for a boy who had never left his village before.
They had traveled through a couple of villages and cities on the way to Zofia's Castle, of course, but those weren't the places where the king ruled the country from. So Alm's mind had not built enough resistance for something this impressive.
Faye was equally impressed. "I-It looks like something out of a fairy tale!" No, it most certainly didn't.
Himmel could already see that the walls weren't exactly well kept. Possibly as a result of no conflict reaching even close to its walls for years. He could only assume its Warding was in equally bad shape. Not that a mage would cause trouble here unless they were insane, but it still worried him.
Kliff nodded. "For once I'll have to agree with such an asinine statement." What kind of thirteen-year-old said asinine!? "Seeing it almost makes the journey worth it."
Himmel chuckled. "I'm glad everyone is happy we finally made it, but before we commemorate, let's see if the guards even let us in." He wouldn't be surprised if they were rejected.
They were armed to the teeth after all. Himmel had bought his trusted Silver Sword, Alm had bought his not-trusted normal sword, Kliff had bought Himmel's first Fire Tome, and Faye had bought her spear. Not to mention how they dragged Epona along so she could help carry it all.
The past towns hadn't raised an eyebrow at travelers being armed, but that would change in the city where the king lived.
Faye paled. "I-I hadn't thought of that! What will we do if they stop us?!"
Kliff crossed his arms. "I doubt they will forbid our entry entirely. I mean, why would they?"
Himmel looked at the boy as if he was an idiot. "Because we are armed strangers entering a massive city?" Did Kliff lack common sense or what!?
The brat shrugged. "So what? It doesn't really matter." Yeah, he definitely lacked common sense.
It was Mila's fault. It had to be. Because she took such good care of her little humans, they started feeling comfortable enough for things like this. Well, he still far preferred the Mother's warm embrace over Duma's lunacy. Especially now that the Father had literally become a lunatic.
In the end Himmel sighed. "Whatever, let's just go." If they let them pass, great. If they didn't, then it was what it was.
And so, the group of brats and one reincarnated brat made their way to the grate. Entering the city was a lengthy and annoying process, mostly because even though the city had many gates, there was still a massive queue to enter. Maybe that would be good, though? Too many people to check on meant sneaking on a city was easier.
Eventually it was the turn of his group to pass on through. "Hello, good day, sirs." He didn't actually know if the guards were knights.
It was always better to flatter someone than not, though.
The poor guard looked tired as hell. "Hello... " And then his eyes widened, for some reason, he bowed. "Good day, milord!" Where had that come from!?
"W-what...?" Himmel definitely didn't look enough like a noble for this. He was dressed like a commoner after all, and so were all of his friends.
But for some reason the guard really seemed to think he was some sort of nobility. "Please go on right ahead, milord!" He didn't even bother checking his weapons. "I hope you and your servants enjoy Zofia's Castle!"
Kliff squinted his eyes. "Servants...?" The little brat was definitely offended, and Himmel didn't blame him.
But it wasn't time for a fight. Himmel would not question such an unexpected gift. "We will, sir." He then proceeded to practically drag his friends along.
Once they actually entered the city, Kliff made his displeasure known. "What was that?" The power of corruption, probably.
Thankfully this time it worked in their favor. "That soldier seemed to think I was a noble. And I guess he didn't want to pick a fight by checking on our equipment." So they actually got to enter the city fully armed. Amazing
Next step, killing the king!
Well, he wasn't actually gonna do that, but the point was made!
Kliff glared at him. "I got that, but why was I seen as a servant? We don't look like we're from two completely different stations." He was definitely arguing out of embarrassment and anger, but he was actually right...
Alm spoke up. "It's probably because Himmel just... feels all prince-like. Sorta like Celica." Celica did indeed feel all princess-like. Also, that was news to Himmel.
He raised an eyebrow. "What about me gives you the aura of a prince?"
Alm shrugged. "I don't know. It just is what it is." Could it be his Holy Blood? Or was Himmel looking too deeply into something that didn't really matter?
Faye smiled. "Yes! Himmel looks and acts like a fairy tale prince!" He doubted the latter, but he was flattered about the first.
Could it really be something as simple as his looks, though? It was true that handsome people could get away with some dumb shit, but was he handsome enough to enter a major city without an inspection!?
Actually, now that Himmel thought about it... He didn't know what Sigurd looked like, but Kris had said Deirdre was considered by some to be the most beautiful woman in the world, and Himmel did have her genes running through his blood.
Himmel's eyes became stars. "Could it be that I'm actually really handsome...!?" Perhaps that's why his grooming efforts with Faye were going so well!?
The girl clasped her hands together. "Y-yes, you are very pretty, Himmel!" Pretty wasn't handsome.
Pretty really wasn't handsome.
Those stars died. "I'll take what I can get." Well, it was decided long ago that he would be the pretty boy while Alm was the macho man. Celica didn't like beards after all.
Kliff's frustration was evident on his face. "Himmel still dresses like a commoner. So..." Perhaps they thought he was a noble who liked to dress weirdly?
Or much more likely. "I think I actually know the reason why." Himmel tapped the hilt of his Silver Sword. "It's because of this. Anyone with eyes can see that it's not something that can be carried around by a commoner."
Even if one could only see the hilt, the sword basically screamed money. By comparison, Alm's sword and Faye's spear looked cheap as hell. Meanwhile, Kliff's Tome was more well hidden, even if it would probably be expensive too.
He continued. "And then there's Epona. Commoners can have horses too, of course, but she is carrying my coin." Maybe they saw the bags and thought they were too big for a commoner?
Himmel hadn't exactly worried about bringing too much money. Zofia was bandit-free, and he wanted to help his friends with the travel expenses. So he supposed maybe he did look like an eccentric fourteen-year-old noble hanging around with his servants.
Alm clicked his tongue. "Who cares? It doesn't matter, right? Let's just go and have fun!" They were lucky to arrive before night fell, so maybe that was a good idea.
Himmel chuckled. "Fair enough, but before that... let's find a place where Epona can rest and a place where we can get some food." There would be plenty of inns in a place like this.
Well, there would be plenty of everything!
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"Let's just go pray already to get that out of the way." That was what lame-ass Kliff had chosen as their first activity.
"Let's go eat something really fancy!" That's what based Alm had chosen as their first activity, fully aware that Himmel would be paying for it.
"Let's go see if we can find a Pegasus Knight!" That's what the most precious special girl in the whole world had chosen as their first activity.
Since Himmel had no particular preference, he sided with his future wife. As any good husband would do. However... "Where would we even find a Pegasus Knight?" Supposedly there were tons in Zofia's Castle, but...
That didn't mean one could easily find them. Himmel couldn't exactly walk into a military barrack.
Kliff sighed, disappointed that he had lost. "Maybe we can find some in the palace? They won't let us enter, of course, but maybe there's a knight or two near it." That wasn't the worst idea in the world.
Faye's smile became even wider. "And then we can see the palace too!" Killing two birds with one stone. "People say it's the most beautiful thing in all of Zofia, only behind the Mother's temple!" It was the king's home...
And Himmel did want to see it.
This city was not super special in his eyes because he was used to seeing massive skyscrapers and the like, but there was still a certain charm to walking around a medieval city. No doubt that charm would be particularly impressive around the palace.
Himmel smiled. "Well then, it's settled. Let's go stare in awe at the palace."
Thankfully, Zofia was not a hard place to navigate, even for a couple of commoners. The city was well structured, and it also helped that the palace wasn't exactly a hard place to find, considering it was massive. The whole city was built around it, after all.
Once again, the minds of the little brats were blown. "Woah..." Alm was actually left speechless. "Somebody actually lives in there?"
Himmel interjected. "Tons of people live there." The king, his lovers, his servants, probably some visiting nobles...
A palace was filled with people, with life, at all times.
Faye blushed. "I-I want to live there..."
Himmel sputtered. "N-nothing wrong with dreaming big, I guess!" Even if he was some ambitious man, that was something he would never be able to grant her.
Well, unless he was ambitious enough to go and try and take Arvis' head. That probably left the realm of ambition and went straight to insanity though.
Kliff, who, much like Alm, was left speechless, finally recovered. "She could also work there. Not all servants of the king are nobility." Just most of them. "But we shouldn't talk about that right now. We came here for a reason."
Himmel nodded. "Right, Pegasus Knight. Let's see if we can find one."
Alm surveyed the area. "I can barely see even a knight, much less a Pegasus Knight." There were just enough knights to keep the populace from trying to enter the palace.
Himmel put his hands on his hips. "It doesn't surprise me... If we want to actually see a Pegasus Knight, we would probably need to go to a tourney or something."
Alm had an Alm brand idea. "Let's go inside the palace and look for one then!"
Himmel raised an eyebrow. "How are we supposed to enter a palace?" The boy was audacious, but he wasn't an idiot. So he would have an answer.
"The guards of the gate confused you as a noble, right? We can try repeating that to enter the castle." Himmel took it back, he was both audacious and an idiot.
As Kliff made sure to immediately state. "Are you insane? Do you want to win the prize of the dumbest reason to get executed in all of Zofian history?"
A boy with a mysterious Brand, the son of Sigurd of Chalphy and two commoners, sneak into a palace... to see a horse with wings. What an amazing way to go.
Himmel sighed. "I cannot help but agree with Kliff. Doing something like that could land us in some serious trouble." Even a bunch of kids would not be forgiven for such an action.
He couldn't believe Alm wanted to pull the medieval version of trying to look like a repair guy to enter into a concert. It's just that instead of confidently walking in with stairs, he wanted to walk in with a super expensive sword.
Alm winced. "It was just an idea. No need to get on my case over it."
Faye spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "We can just leave, it's fine. I wanted to see a pegasus, but it's no big deal if I don't. Seeing something as magnificent as the palace was already good enough for me." This girl...
Was way too manipulative! Even if she didn't realize it!
When a guy heard such words from a girl, said with a tinge of disappointment, their dumb hormone brain told them that they had to fix what was wrong no matter what! And Himmel, even with his adult soul, was not completely immune to it.
Alm's idea was really stupid though, so Himmel could only flinch. "Faye... Sorry." This was one of the things she was most looking forward to.
She waved him off. "Don't apologize, Himmel, like I said, it's fine. And you didn't do anything wrong anyways." A man's natural instinct was to apologize to his wife once she was sad, even if he had done nothing wrong.
Himmel looked away. "Right... But you know, Alm's idea has some merit."
Kliff looked at him like he was an alien. "Since when...!?"
Alm looked at him as if he was a savior. "It totally does, doesn't it?"
It didn't, Himmel was just weak to Faye. "It... does... because..." He couldn't even convince himself. "It's not like the guards will kill us for trying, we are a bunch of young kids." That was sort of true. "We just act confident and then don't raise a fuss if they stop us."
If they got stopped at the entrance, then great. The guards would probably get mad and shout at them, but in the end they wouldn't kill a bunch of dumb, curious kids for being dumb, curious kids. The problem arose if they actually succeeded and got caught after the fact.
It was still really dangerous, though. Not the type of thing he should be doing.
The problem with hanging around young teens, though, is that they would accept any excuse to throw their lives away. "I guess you're right, Himmel, the idea does hold some merit when you say it like that." Kliff actually agreed with him now. Oh no.
He pointed at Alm. "But he had definitely not thought about it, so I won't take back what I said."
Alm's eye twitched. "You know, you can be really annoying sometimes."
Faye ignored their bickering. "So we are going inside of the palace!?" Her happiness was more blinding than the sun. "Are we!? Are we!?" And her excitement was cute.
He couldn't resist cute things. "Don't get your hopes up. It can't be that easy."
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"It was that easy." They were now inside of the beautiful palace.
The guards had barely bothered to take a look at him! It was like someone was just begging to get the king killed! Seriously, at this point things were so bad that, as far as Himmel was concerned, Mila could not be blamed anymore!
He had the most nervous of smiles on his face. "Well, let's go look for the stables or something..." A palace was pretty much like a second, minor city. It should have one.
"Y-yeah..." Kliff was just as shocked as him... everyone was.
But they shouldn't waste precious time lingering on it. "A-anyways, let's move. We find what we came for, and then we leave immediately afterwards, got it? And if we wander into a place that looks too expensive, we turn around."
Even nobles couldn't freely explore the king's palace. Surely. Probably.
Alm proudly nodded. "Sure, just follow me!" Since he came with the plan, he was the leader. Or at least that was probably his thought process.
And as they walked around, Himmel had to admit something. This was a far more luxurious palace than he could have imagined. The media from his world put the idea in his head that medieval places were always gray and lacking in color, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.
The people who lived in this place were rich as hell, and clearly they wanted to show it to the world. They did that by wasting money on expensive and colorful things. Himmel was pretty sure Tobin would have a heart attack at the sight of it.
And eventually they ran into one of those people, one accompanied by many servants. "Oh? And who is this fine fellow I see?" A young, beautiful girl who, for some reason, went out of her way to greet Himmel.
It was almost funny, Alm was leading them, so she completely and utterly ignored the poor, now confused boy.
Himmel immediately bowed. "A good day to you, milady." It was time to put Kris' etiquette lessons to use.
Hopefully focusing on that would calm down his desperately beating heart, he was naturally super nervous. Why did this girl come and talk with him!? Was it the clothes!? Did they look super suspicious or something!? Of course they did, they were commoner's clothes!
Well, it didn't matter, he would have to fake it until he made it. "My name is..." Shit, should he give his real name? Definitely not, right? "Seliph." He gave his actual real name!
It didn't matter though, the world at large knew him as Himmel anyways. And surely there were many other people with the name Seliph. He did not know who named him, but surely they didn't pick a completely unique name.
He continued, hopefully not sweating out of anxiety. "It's a pleasure to meet a lady as radiant as you." Lesson 1# of etiquette, nobles were shallow as hell! Compliment them whenever possible!
Faye squinted her eyes. "Yeah, a pleasure." This was not the time for jealousy!
Thankfully the noble lady did like all good noble ladies did and ignored the peasant. "Oh, no need for all of that." He got a giggle out of her, that had to be good, right? "I am Clair of house Aumont, and the pleasure is all mine."
Shit, he hadn't given the name of his house like she did. That was definitely considered rude... but maybe that wasn't a bad thing? If she saw him as a pain in the ass and then left, Himmel would have succeeded.
However, he couldn't outright tell her to fuck off. "Charmed. Now, may I ask what such a fine lady needs of me?"
She smiled. "Of course. I was simply curious." Not a good thing. "Those clothes are quite... something." It really was the commoner clothing!? "And even though your brilliance shines through them, milord, I cannot help but be curious as to why you wear them as if you were a common servant." Nosy brat...!
Before he could respond, the blonde flinched. "And I must make this very clear, y-you do not look bad, milord, as I've said, your brilliance shines through!" Huh?
She gulped. "Yes, you look nothing at all like the gentlemen who I typically see around these parts. You are quite... muscular, for example, so please take no offense." Did other nobles of his age look fat or something?
That was normal... he supposed. He didn't know the veracity of it, but in his old life he had heard many stories about how nobles tended to look chubbier because it was a symbol of health. And in a land like Zofia, where the fields were so bountiful, maybe that happened too.
Still, it was a weird thing to say. "I... see? I am afraid I simply wear this clothing for practical reasons. You see, I come from the far south, and it was a long journey." He was trying to come up with some bullshitting.
Anything that wouldn't get him and his friends punished. "My house is also certainly not as storied and honorable as the Aumonts, we are simply barons, Lady Clair. I'm afraid you will not see me wearing much better garments than this even on my best days."
The Aumonts weren't actually that big of a deal. Himmel recognized their name and could remember a few important historic figures across history belonging to it, but they weren't dukes or anything like that. They were earls.
So powerful enough to ruin everything Himmel held dear, but not powerful enough to do it to a supposed noble for no reason. As long as he acted polite, Clair should eventually leave. Hell, she might do it now that he had revealed to hold much lower status than her.
She put a hand to her chin. "A baron's house to the south? May I ask its name?" Disappointment was clear in her voice. Good.
Time to lie... "Of course, it's... Oifey, milady." He could feel Kliff glaring a hole at his back. He could not blame him.
Clair hummed. "Seliph of house Oifey... I must say, I have never heard of such a family."
Somehow, he actually managed to not explode in fear. "I do not blame you. We really are but a minor house, milady. For one as low as I, to even have the pleasure of speaking with you is a great honor."
He could hear Alm whispering to Kliff. "He's really going for it, huh?" Of course he was! He couldn't back down now!
Clair shook her head. "There is no need to refer to yourself as low, Lord Seliph! I must say, the fact that you are so humble proves your pedigree!" S-she wasn't gonna back down now that she heard of his fake rank!?
Actually...
He did technically outrank her. Himmel... Seliph was the Duke of House Chalpy and all. So maybe she just had a good sense for these types of things?
She continued. "And I sincerely apologize if my comments offended your honor, I just... I just..."
It was Faye's annoying muttering that made everything click into place. "She thinks she's so subtle..." Was she doing something sneaky?
No, Clair was just blushing. And occasionally playing with her hair. And giggling out of nowhere. And she came to talk with him for a dumb reason that she clearly regretted. And she was acting awkward in general.
By the Mother, she was trying to flirt with him.
He should have realized these signs a lot sooner, the only reason he didn't was because he was so nervous. Now that he had noticed them, however, they were far too obvious to ignore...
The reason the girl had come to him was because she saw a hot guy and was trying to strike up a conversation. Very adorable and all, especially since she seemed to not care about rank too much, but considering his current position, it was terrifying!
Finally, Clair managed to find a way to claw herself out of the hole she had dug. "It's just that I think you would look dashing in white!" That's what she came up with!? "Some blue would help as well..."
Her blush really was prominent. "How about this, Lord Seliph? You and I take a little stroll outside and purchase you some proper clothing, befitting of your... charms." H-her voice actually cracked at the end.
Cute...
One of her servants cleared their throat. "Lady Clair, your brother said—."
Clair clicked her tongue. "I am well aware of what my brother has said, but it is not as if I would roam the streets around with a ruffian. Unless you mean to challenge Lord Seliph's character."
The servant paled, taking a look at Himmel's sword. "No, milady, but..."
Clair scowled. "But nothing." And then she looked back at Himmel with a smile. "My apologies, my brother can be quite overprotective... thankfully my father does not think like him." Her brother was in the right.
She was highborn, she shouldn't go around the streets with some nobody. What if that nobody was lying about his nobility because he wanted to enter the palace!? Not that anybody would be crazy enough to do that, of course.
The things he did for love...
"It's quite alright, milady. And about your offer, while I'm... honored, I cannot accept it." And now she was frowning, but that was inevitable. "My servants and I have a reason for being here, one which I would like to get to."
She huffed. "May I ask what that reason is?" A scorned woman was a terrifying one.
He would need to tread lightly. "To praise the Mother. My companions and I came to this city to visit the many shrines of Lady Mila..." He was actually telling the truth for once.
Clair's eyes widened. "So you wish to see the palace's shrine?" The palace had a shrine!?
Rich people really were insane. "I wouldn't dare to intrude that much. The truth is that one of my servants wishes to see a pegasus, so we came here in search of one before continuing with our mission."
He continued. "You never see one of those magnificent beings down in the south after all, and it seemed like a great opportunity."
She raised an eyebrow. "You would go so far out of your way for a servant?"
He didn't hesitate to nod. "Of course. Servant she may be, but to me she is like a sister." He could only hope Clair would feel enough disgust to leave.
That said, his words weren't completely impossible for a baron. They typically didn't have too many servants, so it wasn't unusual for them to get overly attached to the ones they did have.
Sadly, Clair was not stuck-up enough. "That's... so wonderful! You truly are a humble man, Lord Seliph!" And she truly was a crazy lady! Couldn't she just leave already!? "Now I feel bad however, I have practically spit on the faces of your family so far."
She finally acknowledged the existence of his friends. "May I ask the forgiveness of everyone here? And your names, of course."
Alm slowly nodded. "Y-yeah, it's okay. My name is..." He too gave a fake name. "Gray. I'm a sparring partner for Seliph." But the worst fake name of all time! And a sparring partner!? Couldn't he have come up with something better!?
Kliff was next. "And I'm Tobin." These two were just the worst. "I'm a butler-in-training in service of Seliph." At least that was more serviceable than Alm's profession.
Faye glared at the woman. "I'm Celica." She must never know... "And I... take care of the horses. I actually am the one who bothered Lord Seliph for this, sorry." She did not mean that apology.
But Clair took it in good faith. "You all sound like excellent servants... and..." She looked down, that blush returning. "I may have some good news. You see... I am a Pegasus Knight. Or at least I'm training to be..."
"So perhaps in exchange for that outing I talked about, I could show my pegasus?"
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"She's beautiful..." Faye was looking at the pegasus with wonder in her eyes. Her dislike of Clair had even been forgotten... for now.
Clair giggled once again. "She most certainly is! I would even go as far as to say she is the most beautiful pegasus in all of Valentia." Maybe, but Epona was still better. "Do you wish to pet her, Celica?"
Faye sent the girl a worried look. "Can I? Won't she get mad?" Pegasi were notorious for being pretty emotional. Even if not as much as wyverns.
But Clair waved her off. "Worry not, unless you are unpure of heart... or a man, she shall let you touch her." Then Faye was cooked.
The girl was still hesitating. "Even so, she is your pegasus, Lady Clair..."
Clair chuckled. "So? Trust me, my heart won't shatter because someone else touched my pegasus. And besides, I understand your curiosity. I myself wish to see one of those wondrous cattle raised by lowborn...!"
"Excuse me?" Poor little Faye immediately became lost.
Clair quickly clarified. It did not help. "Cows. Pigs. The like! Aren't such animals just wonderful...!? And yet I have never seen one!" Just how sheltered was she!? "So I understand how you feel, even though we may be from different stations."
"O-okay then..." They had done it. They found the way-too-innocent Ojou-Sama.
Himmel wanted to put some bastards into her. Alas, doing such a thing would mean getting castrated. Or executed. Or castrated and then executed.
But it might just be worth it... Clair was training to be a knight, and that clearly showed, her legs were just perf—.
"Himmel, stop drooling for a second and pay attention." Kliff snapped him out of his lust for Ojou-Samas, whispering in his ear.
"S-sorry, what's up?" He was forced into taking his eyes off Clair and Faye. What a shame.
Kliff scowled. "Just what is the plan here...? Why are we going along with this? That woman is going to be our doom...!" Wasn't it obvious?
Himmel sighed. "What were you expecting? I couldn't just ignore her or tell her to leave. That would just make more trouble."
Alm interjected. "Himmel's right. Lady Clair may be acting super nice, but that could change, and if it does, we are screwed. So we need to act nice back." The crazy battle gremlin was showing some wisdom? Insane.
Kliff scoffed. "Even so... can we really lie to her forever?"
They couldn't, Himmel knew that. "No. But we can lie for a bit. It's not like we are ever gonna see her again after today, we can go back to the village while she forgets all about us." He was just a baron in her eyes.
A hot one, thanks Mom and possibly Dad, but just a baron nonetheless.
Kliff relented. "I guess you're right..." The poor boy was as pale as a ghost.
Himmel felt bad about it. He may have been handling this situation more or less well, but he was an adult. He had paid taxes in his past life, he knew how to be brave! He couldn't blame Kliff for not being the same.
And that's not even to mention that as an adult he should have killed this little invade the palace plan in the crib instead of succumbing to the allure of Faye. In his defense, could anyone resist the allure of Faye?
"So, what are you boys whispering about?" It seems Clair stopped playing with her pegasus.
Himmel didn't hesitate for a second. "My apologies, Lady Clair, we were just gossiping about the three beauties in front of us."
A smug smirk appeared on her face. "My, I thought you could do better than act as a brigand, Lord Seliph. And really, comparing me to a horse?"
He chuckled. "I am afraid I'm a man like all others. There's no need to worry, however, for you have beaten the horse with the utmost ease." He winked at her. "I hope your pegasus is not offended."
Clair moved closer to him, giggling all the way. "She may not be, but I am... With that said, you are forgiven if it so happened that I took the first spot in this little discussion of yours."
Now it was time for him to act smug. "My apologies, but matching Celica is simply impossible for any mortal woman. Perhaps if the Mother paid us a visit, there would be more of a competition..."
Clair exaggeratedly pouted. "You show quite the nerve...!" Her fake anger was easy to see through, since she was laughing and all.
He shrugged. "As I said, I am but a normal man. And a normal man always picks family above all, wouldn't you agree?"
She went back to giggling. "Please. I like to say none can compare to my elder brother, but that would get to his head..."
Alm tilted his head. "These two are really getting along, huh...? It's great."
Faye clenched her fists. "It sure is..." Himmel had a feeling that perhaps Clair wasn't the one he should be worrying about.
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As promised, they went on that little outing to purchase some clothing.
Though at least Himmel had the decency of going back to the inn and getting his own money. Not only because it would be an insane dick move to use Clair's cash when he was lying to her, but also because having so much money supported the lie of him being some backwards noble.
"I-I knew it!" Clair was blushing bright red at his new appearance. "You look dashing, Lord Seliph! Less like a baron and more like a prince!" Was he now?
Just as she had suggested, he was now wearing some fine white clothing with some touches of blue. In his personal opinion, it made him look like a snob, especially since he had a damn half-cape. However, he supposed that it was a worthy sacrifice to have an Ojou-Sama gushing over his appearance.
He looked at himself. "If you say so..."
"I do say so...!" She had stars in her eyes.
But he tried looking behind her, tried looking at a person whom he knew far better. Faye was blushing like a girl in love, so Himmel would just have to accept Clair knew what she was doing.
He chuckled. "Well, then, I suppose I shall acquire these then." Even if Kris would chew him the fuck out for wasting their coin on pretty clothing.
She waved him off. "No, no, no. Please let me pay for them, Lord Seliph. I shall barely feel a drain in my coffers." Probably true...
But it was too late for that. "And how do you happen to have this money on your hands right now, Lady Clair?" She had dismissed her servants, pretty rudely at that, so she had nothing.
Honestly, she was way too naive. All because she didn't want her brother to hear what had happened later.
Clair's face became bright red. "I... You are right. My apologies, I shouldn't have taken you to such an expensive place and then made you pay for it." E-expensive place!?
Now, he of course knew the place was gonna be expensive, but he didn't expect it would be so even to the standards of the daughter of an Earl. He might be doomed.
He began feeling more stress then when he saw her. "I... Your company is worth more than any amount of coin, milady." It definitely fucking wasn't!
He looked at Kliff since the boy was his fake servant. "L-let us go pay, Tobin." Clair was ruining his life. And then when he came back to Ram Village, Kris would take it.
Kliff smirked. "Of course, milord." The little bastard was definitely enjoying his pain. Just as he was blaming Himmel for getting them into this mess.
With a barely disguised sigh from Himmel, they went to the cashier.
However, as soon as they saw the woman, Clair spoke up. "Excuse me, miss! I would like to purchase what this gentleman is wearing!" It would be rude not to, at this point.
The cashier smiled. "O-of course, Lady Clair..." She knew Clair, huh... maybe the girl had purchased from this place before?
Clair didn't hesitate to say something absurd. "Thank you. But I'm without coin in hand right now, so I'll pay later."
"Wha—." That came from him, not the cashier, who was still smiling.
Clair turned around and hugged his arm. "There, I believe I have solved the problem."
This girl... well, he had said he would pay many times. If she insisted on being an idiot who got scammed, then clearly no effort of his would change her mind. So it was time to just smile and accept it.
"My thanks, Lady Clair. I'm unworthy of such a gift." Literally.
She shook her head. "N-nonsense." It seems hugging his arm had shaken her confidence. As one would expect. "You have paid me back in spades with your most pleasant company, Lord Seliph." Since when was he that charming!?
Faye stepped in. "And that company is about to end." The girl's face was constantly shifting between scowling and blushing as she shifted her gaze back and forth between Clair and Himmel.
It was kind of beautiful, in a stupid way.
She hugged Himmel's other arm. "It's almost night, Lady Clair, and so surely you should go back to the castle? Your brother is definitely worrying about you."
Clair seemed completely clueless about Faye's clear dislike. "Ugh, I'm sure my brother hasn't even noticed my leave yet. I didn't talk about this, but he's being praised and paraded around by the knights because he and a good friend stopped some... merchant rebellion in Zofia's port." That seemed like a ridiculously huge deal!
Not that Himmel was paying attention to that at all. Instead he was silently muttering to himself. "I'll be punished for this one day..."
No man in the world could get both of his arms hugged by two different beautiful girls without paying a steep price. That he most certainly knew.
Thankfully his little comment went ignored, as Faye focused fully on Clair. "O-okay, but we're about to do something really boring. We need to go visit the shrines of the Mother, so..." So she should leave.
Clair tilted her head. "Ah yes, that was Lord Seliph's original objective..." She hummed. "There are many, many shrines for the Mother across Zofia's Castle. Naturally, it would be one of my greatest joys to show them all."
Faye really couldn't win.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Night had fallen as Faye predicted, but Clair stuck around.
If her brother showed up looking for Clair and Himmel got discovered as a fraud for it, he wouldn't know how to feel. Probably some mixture of shame and anger, maybe some dread at his eventual demise too.
Right now though, he would just pray to mother Mila. Literally.
Himmel squinted his eyes. "No guards?" That didn't feel right.
Clair tilted her head. "Why would there be guards for a shrine?" It just felt right as far as Himmel was concerned. Was this another showing of Zofian neglect?
Still, she wouldn't understand that. "Forgive me, I am just being overly cautious... Even so, I should not enter a temple armed." He pinched his nose. "A foolish mistake. I should have dropped my weapons in the inn before coming here."
She tapped his shoulder. "It shall be alright, Lord Seliph. I do not doubt you are a fine warrior, but I do doubt the Mother fears you." The problem was not her, it was the poor priestesses.
Before he could explain that though, Clair took off, entering the temple before them.
Alm snorted. "She is so energetic. Seriously." To think he of all people would say that.
He had to agree, though. "Yeah, she's a bit too hard to hand—." A scream rang out from inside the temple.
Alm didn't even think before rushing in, and Himmel didn't think before following him. Faye and Kliff were following behind.
Once they entered they saw...
Clair, standing protectively over a crying nun and having her wrist held by a hooded man. "Unhand me, pig!" He had to be a noble of some sort, a minor one most likely, but one nonetheless.
Four knights stood by his side after all, clearly his bodyguards.
He sighed. "C'mon now, you went and slapped me, so it's natural you pay me back—."
Alm drew his sword. "She said to let her go! You're deaf, bastard!?" Oh boy.
This wasn't good. Memories of the knights that had once attacked Ram Village were flooding Himmel's mind.
The man flinched. "Ugh, don't shout so loud, brat, I have the worst of headaches— Oof...!" Clair took his distraction as a chance to escape, kneeing him in the gut and moving back, her arm now freed.
She was training to be a knight. This much was expected.
The knights immediately moved forward, swords drawn... Wasn't this escalating way too quickly!?
Himmel needed to interfere, so he put a hand to his hilt and cleared his throat. "Just what is going on here!? This is the house of the Mother!" Religion had power in an age like this.
Clair was still glaring at the hooded man. "This... knave was... touching the poor priestesses! I could not let such a thing come to pass!" Ah, that was really bad indeed.
This guy... did he and his entourage of knights come to a temple to rape a priestess!? Was he fucking insane or something!? Surely not even nobles could get away with shit like this!
Himmel walked forward. "Unacceptable." He glared at the man, who had gotten up at this point. "And what is your excuse?" He tried his best to sound authoritative.
This guy was just some nobody if he was going to temples with the intent of rape with only four knights with him. Clair, meanwhile, was the daughter of an Earl, therefore, Himmel's side held all the cards.
The man chuckled. "Excuse? Lighten up, brat, I'm just here to have some fun—."
"Fun!? A temple of the Mother is not your personal whore house." It was time to use his trump card. "You dare to commit such crimes in front of an Aumont!?"
Clair puffed her chest, realizing it was her cue. "It's audacious, I'll give you that! But it's far more foolish! Take another step, and my father will have your head on a spike!" And so would her brother.
Now the man would back down. He had to.
He certainly seemed to stop... for a moment. "Ah, you're the kid sister of that knight everyone is singing praises about, aren't you? I should have remembered you, you're hot for your age." This guy...
He was just as shameful as Himmel!
He shrugged. "Fuck it, let's turn this into an orgy." Himmel was left speechless. And so was everyone else. Hell, even the men's knights seemed lost.
He really was shameless. "I'll send that... Clive guy some title or whatever as an apology later." He shifted his head, looking at Faye. "And you... congrats, girl, your family is now rich."
Himmel expected Faye to be scared. He expected her to hide behind Kliff or Alm.
It was Kliff who was hiding behind her. Faye was just smiling with a spear in hand. "Touch me with those filthy hands and you will lose them."
The hooded man laughed. "Now that's the attitude I like!" He began walking towards Faye, uncaring.
Himmel scrunched his eyebrows together. "Are you... drunk?" High? His speech was slurring, and he was definitely not thinking straight.
The man walked in front of Himmel. "I'm always drunk, brat. Don't get so strung up though, you and your... brats can join in..." He looked Himmel right in the eye.
Finally Himmel could more or less see his face... his first thought was that the man reminded him of Celica, the princess. His hair was orange too. Could it be...!?
No way. No king would walk around so unguarded.
Even the man's smile reminded him of Celica, and just thinking about that made Himmel sick to his stomach. "I'm guessing Blondie is above you, right? Since you brought her name up... well, you can have some fun with her. Knock her up, it might give you the boost you need in life." This man...
Himmel gritted his teeth. "You're a demon." A mad one.
The man patted his shoulder. "I've been called worse." And then he walked past Himmel.
It was such a display of recklessness, of insanity, that nobody even dared to move.
The man stopped right in front of Faye. "Okay then, let's fix that attitude, lass." He raised a hand...
And then proceeded to lose it.
Was it Alm who did it? The brat had always been quick to escalate things. Or maybe it was Kliff? Nah, he couldn't have done something like that with a Fire Tome. Then could it be Faye? She had threatened to do it, and even now her face showed she meant it.
Ah, it had actually been Himmel.
And as soon as Himmel himself realized he had taken the man's hand with the Silver Sword, he moved and took his head too. It didn't feel wrong, it didn't feel scary, it felt just right. He could feel his blood singing.
As soon as the man's head hit the floor, the world's worst knights apparently remembered their jobs and moved towards the group with their swords drawn.
It was a dumb mistake, they should have taken Clair or the priestesses as a hostage instead, but at the same time they couldn't be blamed for underestimating a bunch of children.
Himmel clashed against them, but he did not do so alone. Alm was with him. "I'll crush you heartless bastards!" It was an unreal sight.
Alm's sword impacted against the enemy sword with so much force that both weapons broke. Naturally the knight stopped in shock, but Alm didn't. He was used to this, so he followed up with a kick to the chest with so much strength that the knight's armor broke under it.
Fighting Alm was like fighting a storm. That knight didn't know that, so he perished to it. He fell down to the ground without breathing.
Himmel didn't pay much attention to it, he had his own battle to worry about, his much easier battle.
Because when his Silver Sword clashed against his opponent's weapon, it did not break, even if the same could not be said about the enemy's sword. And so Himmel quickly followed up and cut the man in two.
Holy Blood was, without a doubt, an absurd thing.
Himmel then moved forward to the next opponent, there were two more knights after all, and now they knew of the enemy's strength.
Some of it, at least. "Thunder." It was easy to take down one of them by summoning a literal bolt of lightning above his head.
As soon as the man was hit, the temple shook with the noise, and he fell dead. Himmel did not know if he died from the shock or the heat. It didn't matter.
The final knight quickly fell as well.
First, Kliff actually created the courage to move. "Fire!" His spell was weak without the Tome, it wouldn't have done a damn thing, but at this point the knight was as cautious as one could be.
So he defended against it.
Faye took this opportunity to throw her lance. "Alm!" She didn't even use the boy's fake name.
Alm grabbed without difficulty. He didn't know how to actually use it, but he sure knew how to stab people. So he rushed at the knight and ran him through with it.
"Die!" Due to Alm's strength, the spear faced no troubles. The last man fell upon the ground. Dead.
Four knights and one demon dead.
Himmel took a deep breath and sheathed his sword. "Is everyone unharmed...?" He didn't see anything, but...
"T-the king..." Clair was covering her mouth as she looked at the dead demon. "Y-you killed..." He knew. He knew from the moment he saw Celica in the man's smile.
And nonetheless... his hands trembled, and he repeated himself. "Is everyone unharmed?" They better be.
He refused to become Zofia's most wanted man for nothing.
