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Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 24
🕑 Added 2025-05-10 18:59:53 +0000 UTCAfter all that had happened, Himmel shouldn’t have been surprised when Deirdre asked to talk with him privately.
He didn’t even know why he had accepted such an offer. There was a chance that his mother was just trying to trick everyone to get a chance to stab Himmel in the gut after all. Wouldn’t should never doubt the scheming ability of a woman who had betrayed her husband and friends and turned them into charcoal.
Nonetheless, he had foolishly accepted her request. “So, what do you want to talk about…?”
“Um… I-I don’t exactly know.” At least she wasn’t crying anymore. “To be honest, I don’t understand at all what is going on… I… Have I really betrayed Sigurd?” It must have been an alien thing to say to her.
For a moment Himmel wondered what it would be like to experience what she was going through. What would he do if he one day closed his eyes, and suddenly he was an older person? What if that older person had killed Kris? Killed the brats? Killed Sonya? Would he even believe that?
It was the type of despair that couldn’t really be even comprehended by the human mind. “Apparently. At least that’s what I have been told.” Himmel put a hand on his chin. “They say Sigurd and his army moved to Belhalla, in hopes of securing some kind of deal with Arvis. He just executed them on the spot though. Later on it became public knowledge that you two were married.”
Funnily enough, knowledge of Deirdre’s relationship with Sigurd was much more hidden.
Himmel used to occasionally wonder if perhaps they never had wed and just been lovers. Considering Deirdre called Sigurd husband however, that seemed unlikely. Which brought up an interesting question… Why did Sigurd, genius conqueror that he was, hide the fact that he had married the princess of his nation?
Deirdre raised her hand, and bit her fingernail, clearly stressed. “Arvis…” She narrowed her eyes. “I’ll get to the bottom of this, I definitely will, Sigurd…!” Before long she started muttering to herself.
Himmel hoped she wasn’t swearing revenge against Arvis or anything like that. It would be foolish to challenge the emperor— Then again, Arvis was only the emperor due to Deirdre.
Before he knew it, an ugly thought implanted itself on his head. If he went to Jugdral with Deirdre, could he actually take the throne? Failing that, he could probably secure himself a spot as a real imperial prince…
No, he didn’t want that. And this wasn’t even denial done to save face. Getting stuck in an important political position like that would suck. He didn’t need the stress that came with it.
While Himmel had been lost in thoughts, Deirdre had recomposed herself enough to focus on his other words. “That name you mentioned… Kris, may I ask who that is?”
Himmel nodded. “Sure, he’s my surrogate father.” A smile naturally appeared on his face. “He’s a man wise beyond his years, but that sadly shows on his face. Seriously, I’m pretty sure he’s younger than you and yet—” A realization hit him. “Actually, you probably know him somewhat.”
There was no way she wouldn’t. “While I have called him Kris for most of my life, that was just for our safety. His real name is Oifey.” Sigurd’s adopted brother.
Or at least that’s what Himmel believed. He could only hope Deirdre wasn’t about to deliver some mind shattering plot twist.
She wasn’t, instead she simply gasped. “Oifey is alive!? I am… I am so glad to hear that…” Indeed, she seemed happy, but there was also something strange about her expression. “He raised you then? I… I’m thankful for him.” She didn’t seem grateful.
He finally understood what her expression was. It was envy. It was only natural, after all she had just learned her baby was raised by another person.
Well, Himmel was not a baby, so she would never get the opportunity to raise anything. She should be happy she actually got rid of the weird evil reincarnation baby, in fact. Naturally, he wasn’t about to tell her that. Mostly because he valued his life.
She continued. “But… where is he right?” She scrunched her eyebrows together. “And where are we? I am very lost about our location right now.”
That was understandable. He wasn’t sure Alm had told her the details of the voyage or not, but he was pretty sure she wouldn’t have been paying attention with her mind so confused anyways.
Which meant it was time to be an exposition man. “Kris— Oifey, is on Valentia, on Zofia to be more specific. That was actually the country where he raised me, so we have lived there for quite a while.” He was more Valentian than he was Jugdralian.
HImmel continued. “As for where we are… This ship is headed to Archanea, Grust to be more specific. After it, the plan was then to return to Valentia, but due to yours and Julia’s sudden appearance, it will be headed for Jugdral afterwards.” Though Himmel wasn’t exactly sure what country the Captain wished to make land in.
Deirdre’s eyes widened. “That is quite the journey, but… my sudden appearance… How did that even happen?”
Himmel shrugged. “I don’t know, you two just suddenly teleported near the ship. Julia probably knows why, but… she was waiting for you to wake up to talk with you about it.”
“...” The mention of the girl silenced her.
Himmel took the opportunity to try and help his little sister. “I… uh… I know things are awkward between the two of you, but I really hope you two can talk about it.” He scratched his cheek in embarrassment. “I actually talked with you a little before you lost your memories, and you seemed to really love her.”
The previous Deirdre had fought tooth and nail to save her daughter. There was no denying that.
Deirdre looked down. “I understand and I…” She scowled. “I have no intention of abandoning my children, not a single one.”
Oh boy, he didn’t know if he liked the sound of that. “I’m sure she will appreciate that. Julia is probably feeling pretty lost right now.” He cleared his throat. “Maybe I should call her in and leave? I think you guys need a family reunion.”
Deirdre nodded. “Please do call her…” Okay, that he liked the sound of! “But don’t stay behind, come back with her. Please.” Or maybe not.
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I’m sure Julia will bring up whatever happened between the two of you, and she seemed to consider it a family issue—”
“You are family!” She shut him up suddenly.
“Right…” Himmel ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I’m gonna go find her, then.”
There was no point in arguing back with the woman, since from her perspective he really was her son. Hell, she was probably more attached to him than to Julia, as messed up as that was. And unless he was planning to reveal his status as a fake baby, that wasn’t going to change so easily.
Another bothersome secret was on his lap. He had shouldered this one for so long however, that it didn’t even feel like it had any weight in the first place.
He began walking away, but as soon as put a hand on the handle of the door, he was stopped by Deirdre. “Actually, please wait a moment…”
Himmel tilted his head. “What’s up?”
“...” She took a deep breath. “You said you met me before I lost my… my memories, correct? How was I like?” Her curiosity was natural.
But he didn’t have much to say. He had barely interacted with the woman. “It wasn’t really an environment where I could gauge your personality. You and Julia were drowning and I was trying to save you two.”
He closed his eyes. “But… you seemed fiercely protective of her. I have no doubts you would have given your life for your daughter.” And in a way she had, having lost her memories and all that.
“I see… but how did I react to you?”
Once again, he shrugged. “You paled and called me a ghost. I guess I’m pretty similar to my father.” Something which he still didn’t know if it was good or not. “We started struggling to get you and Julia onto a boat. Once that happened you passed out.”
Deirdre put a hand on her head. “And then when I woke up I was different.” That was pretty much it. “But tell me, Seliph, would I have… Do you think I would have given my life to save you?”
What kind of question was that? “Of course not, you wanted me dead.” He was willing to bet past-Deirdre would have drowned him right there if given the opportunity. “But don’t worry too much about it, oh and one more thing…”
He sighed, putting a hand on the back of his neck. “I don’t care if you call me Himmel or Seliph, but please be careful with the latter in the future. It is supposed to be a secret name after all.” Though at this point all the brats knew about it… and the Captain.
Tobin and Gray had been spared though. Himmel was kind of looking forward to blowing their minds once he got back.
Deirdre let out a sob, clueing Himmel into the fact he had messed up somewhere along the way. “I understand.” But she certainly didn’t like it.
It couldn’t be helped though. Someone could forget the past, act as if it didn’t exist, but it wouldn’t change it.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The brats had all been gathered in one place. He guessed they were gossiping to each other like neglected wives or something. That seemed to fit them, especially Faye and Clair for some reason.
It was time to put a momentary end to it, however. “Yo, everyone!” Himmel waved at them with a smile.
He received a few smiles back, and a scowl. That scowl came from Alm of course. “You’re back huh? Did everything go well?” The brat seemed really angry for some reason.
Back when Himmel had come back to Deirdre’s room to prove to Faye that he wasn’t scared, Alm had not been there. Now with his reaction to Himmel’s return, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on through the brat’s mind.
Still, he would ask him later. “Yeah, more or less, but my talk with Deirdre isn’t over.” Alm had definitely been told about the situation, so Himmel didn’t bother explaining anything. “I’m here to take Julia to her. We are… having a family meeting. I guess.”
Julia clasped her hands, hope on her eyes. “Has she remembered me?”
Himmel hated to rain on his sister's parade, but it couldn’t be helped. “I’m sorry to say, but no. Still… you should come. Especially since at this point you need to talk about what happened when you guys got teleported here.”
Thankfully, hope did not disappear from her eyes. “I understand… I’ll go talk with my mother.” Good. That was good.
Alm interjected. “Should anyone talk with her!?” He pointed at HImmel. “You shouldn’t even be in the same room as her! She’s dangerous!” Oh, so that is where his anger came from.
Himmel waved him off, making light of his worries. “Dangerous to who? Without a tome she’s no mage.” Valentia stays winning. All praise the Mother and the Father. “Besides, currently she thinks I’m her lovable baby or whatever, so—”
“The lovable baby she tried to kill!” Alm gritted his teeth. “Can you really trust such a woman? With your life? And what about Julia’s life, huh? What if she decides she doesn’t want kids at all? Or what if her memories suddenly come back? What if her memories haven’t been lost at all?”
Celica interjected. “Alm, drop it. Himmel is the one who should decide how to handle this.”
“I know, that’s why I’m talking with him.” Alm looked Himmel right in the eye. “So, what do you have to say?”
Himmel narrowed his eyes. “I… I want to know who Deirdre is.”
“Huh?”
“Right now, she’s showing a completely different side of what I had imagined, at least towards me.” She seemed to genuinely care for him, and anytime the name Sigurd was brought up, it looked like she would break. “I don’t know what happened, what changed her, or if she changed at all… but I want to find out.”
He couldn’t help but be curious. It was his family after all, and he was sure Kris would like to hear all about it once he came back. With that said… “But admittedly, this is a pretty low priority thing for me. I don’t care about it too much…”
There was someone who did, however. “I’m not Deirdre’s only child though, I’m sure Julia cares about this way more than I do. And I want to help her, I think.” He looked at his sister. “Isn’t that right?”
Julia agreed without any hesitation. “Yes, of course! I—!” She calmed herself down. “The mother I knew was not the type to kill her own child, so I have to get to the bottom of this.”
Alm growled. “Fine, whatever.” It seems for now his anger was sated. “But if she does anything, and I mean anything dangerous to either of you, I’ll… definitely kill her.”
“I understand. Thank you for controlling your blade, Lord Alm.” Julia bowed.
For a second Himmel was confused by her choice of words, but eventually he understood. “Wait, there was a sword discarded back in the room… Alm, don’t tell me you actually tried to kill her…” That sword definitely belonged to Alm.
And right now it was back on his hip. The brats had collected it before leaving the room. It wouldn’t be wise to leave a blade near the suspicious Deirdre.
Alm huffed. “I didn’t do it in the end, so it’s not like it matters.”
“Fair enough, I suppose.” It sure did matter, because this information would one day contribute to Himmel having a heart attack. Seriously, he was already impulsive, Alm didn’t need to follow his example. “Well if Julia is ready, we’ll take our leave.”
“Of course. Let us go, Lord… um… Himmel…” He had a feeling this family meeting would be a massive pain.
The two began preparing to leave, but before that, Himmel turned towards one of the brats. “And before I go, I just wanted to say… Thanks, Clair.” Damn it, why did he decide to do this so publicly? “I’ve been opening up recently, and I think it was due to you. So, I’m grateful, really.”
Celica had been the one to more or less solve the situation, and considering his stress had started once he killed her father, nobody else but her could have done it. Still, Clair had been the first one to reach out to him, and so he imagined he would be in a much worse place without her. He probably wouldn't have lasted until Celica showed up in the first place.
Clair had the advantages that came with being a new element, he supposed. Since the girl was not yet used to the dynamics of the group, she had not hesitated to try and talk with him personally.
Clair, who had mostly stayed silent until now, suddenly had a blush on her face. “No need to thank me, your Imperial Highness. I only do the best I can, at all times. As is a noble’s duty.” She seemed to be rambling.
Kliff pinched his nose, and grumbled. “Why do I suddenly feel like I’ll have to stop Faye from commiting murder soon?” To his comment, Faye did not react at all. Which just made things worse.
That aside, Himmel did not know how to feel about this. Would Clair give him special treatment due to his lineage? She had always been like that of course, he knew that from their first meeting. It didn’t mean he had to like it though.
Then again, why would he complain about having a blonde ojou-sama thirsting over him? Wasn’t that actually a blessing?
In the end he just didn’t know. Nonetheless, he answered Clair. “It wasn’t your duty. You helped me because you’re a good person. That’s all.”
“I— Well— Those words are music to my ears, your Imperial Majesty.” Yep, he definitely liked seeing a flustered ojou-sama. Though he would have to tell her to drop the imperial majesty thing later.
Now that he had said his thanks, he and Julia started making their way to Deirdre’s room. It was a hard walk, mostly because he just knew he would be mentally exhausted after it. And if he was feeling that way, then it was no doubt a thousand times worse for his sister, who in a way had actually lost a part of her mother today.
Seeing the slight sadness on her face, he eventually stopped walking. “Hey, Julia…”
She stopped too. “Yes, Lord Himmel?”
“I meant it, when I said I would help you if you asked.” He nodded to himself, affirming his own resolve. “I don’t know what’s about to happen right now, but I’ll take your side no matter what.”
She smiled, but he knew it was a fake one. “I don’t believe taking sides will be necessary at all, Lord Himmel… Although… If I can ask you for anything… May I ask how you wish to be addressed?”
Ah, so that question finally came. “In whatever way you’d like. Himmel, Seliph, I don’t mind. Though you have to be careful with the latter in public.” He frowned. “Oh yeah, and drop the lord thing already, or I’m gonna go crazy.” For some reason that made him angrier than his friends calling him imperial majesty.
“Then…” Her lips twitched. “May I call you brother…?”
“Of course. Call me whatever you wish.” Though much like with his real name, she should be careful with calling him that in public.
She looked down. “Are you sure…? Don’t you hate me?”
Ah, he really should have expected a question of this nature. “Of course not. It’s not like you ever did anything bad to me.” He hummed. “Admittedly hanging out with you has been stressful due to my secret, but now that there is no such thing anymore, I feel at peace.”
He snorted. “Being near to a princess is basically a dream even. Please forget about our relation and become my wife.” If Deirdre’s current condition wasn’t enough to give Arvis a heart attack, this certainly would.
His sudden comment made Julia sputter. “D-do not say things like that without warning!” She pouted. “Honestly, you are behaving in a bad way, Lord Himmel! You shouldn’t toy with so many women!”
Still Lord Himmel, huh? “Sorry, sorry.” The worst she can say is no. Or she could scold the hell out of you. “That aside, are you ready for this? Truly?”
“I do not believe I will be any readier for this tomorrow, then I am today.” She took a deep breath. “So I cannot run away.” Wow, his sister was way too amazing.
And here he was, always thinking of her as shy and a bit weak willed when she could actually run circles around him when things mattered. It was true, people showed their true colors in hard times.
Even so… “It’s good to see you’ve made your mind, but I wouldn’t blame you for putting this off. If you can’t though, do you at least want a hug or something?” Maybe he was being too direct. Julia had asked him if he hated her, but he had yet to ask Julia if she hated him.
He had no reason to hate his sister, but from her perspective he must have just stolen everything from her. It was downright cruel, even if he wasn’t directly at fault for it.
Her eyes widened. “You wish to embrace me, Lord Himmel? Have I already told you to stop toying with women?”
He chuckled. “Hey, I’m actually asking if you wish to embrace me.” Besides, it totally didn’t count as womanizing if it was with his sister.
Seriously, he was pretty sure every deity in the world would be willing to smite him for the body stealing alone. He didn’t need to add incest to the list too, unless he really wanted to experience some messed up BDSM at the hands of the Mother.
“In that case… in that case… Yes, I do wish to embrace you.” Great.
He had been getting help from everywhere recently, so for once it felt nice to be the one comforting someone.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
“Sorry that it took us so long.” Himmel bowed towards Deirdre.
His poor mother must have started to worry as it took longer and longer for them to come back. It couldn’t be helped though, not when he had so much to do. And even now he felt as if he still owed explanations to the brats. The hug with Julia had also taken quite a while, even if it had totally been worth it.
Especially since Julia did indeed look a bit more energized, even if Himmel knew his hug couldn’t compare to her pain in this situation. “Yes, I am sorry mother— Can I call you that?” He had a feeling all the effects from the hug would go away if Deirdre refused.
Thankfully such a scenario didn’t happen. “Y-yes, I… I believe that would be fine.” She had accepted Julia, probably because there was no denying their similarity. “Forgive me for my hesitance, child, I am just… a bit lost.” She was totally lost.
The people who she had lost, the people who she had hurt… Himmel knew for sure that even if she had acknowledged it all, she had yet to truly accept it. It could be the case that she would never accept it. The mind of a human being was not infallible, contrary to what certain stories told.
“It’s more than fine, mother. I understand your situation.” Julia’s eyes lightened up with joy. “Now let us talk.”
Himmel interjected. “Yeah, and I hate to rush us along, but can we get the story of how you two ended up here?” He felt as if perhaps that could give some important clues to Deirdre’s very specific amnesia.
It could just be trauma of course, but it was always hard to just accept that when he now lived in such a fantastical world of magic and dragons.
Julia cleared her throat. “Ah, yes, of course…” The resolve she previously had flickered for a bit, before disappearing. “The one that caused us to teleport was… my brother. And I do not mean Lord Himmel, I mean Julius…”
She took a pause before continuing. “He suddenly attacked my mother and I. You didn’t even try fighting back, Mother, only tried defending yourself. When that proved too much however, you teleported us away. I don’t exactly know why you teleported us so far though. We were in Belhalla.” Which was pretty far away from here.
That aside, Himmel didn’t know much about the future emperor of Jugdral, just as he had not known much about Julia, but it was hard to imagine someone similar to her being some kind of threat. Still, if nothing else this explained why Julia had not told this to him before. If her brother had tried to assassinate her, that isn’t something she would want to share with a stranger.
HImmel hummed, lost in thought. “Your brother, do you have any idea why he attacked you two?” Maybe it was some sort of political ploy?
To his surprise, Julia actually had an answer. “Yes… sort of… Some sort of dark energy had been surrounding him. Empowering him even. Julius had always been a bit… fragile, were it not for that dark energy, I fail to see how he could challenge mother. I imagine that energy must also have been messing with his mind.”
Well, that wasn’t good. Could it be that the future emperor had been messing with some forbidden magic? Or perhaps he was the target of somebody else’s forbidden magic. Either way, having the emperor controlled by evil couldn’t be good.
It actually reminded Himmel of Sonya’s sisters. Could something similar have happened?
And more interesting… “Dark energy…? Is that what Celica had sensed in Deirdre?” He mumbled to himself.
Julia heard him, of course. “Most likely. But if her Holy Blood was able to fight it, then perhaps the same is happening to my brother.” True. If so, maybe this problem would get solved by itself.
Which would be amazing. Seriously, Himmel had no idea how to fix his brother if he suddenly decided to surrender to the dark side of the force or whatever. Especially since stepping foot in Jugdral still seemed a bit scary—
A sudden thought hit him like a freight train.
Before he could voice it though, Deirdre spoke up. “So… this Julius is my son?”
“Yes mother. A-and he’s a good brother… most of the time.” When he wasn’t being controlled by dark powers, Himmel was guessing.
Deirdre clenched her fists. “Then I’ll save him for whatever affliction has gotten a hold of his mind. I definitely will.” Well, that was probably a good goal to have.
Julia smiled. “We’ll save him together, mother.”
Cute, but Himmel had something to say that might sadly ruin the good mood the two were beginning to establish. “Speaking of afflictions that affect the mind, I have been thinking, and… what if that dark energy affecting Deirdre had not been due to Julius’ attacks or whatever?”
“Huh?” Both Deirdre and Julia were surprised.
Himmel elaborated. “Maybe it was not due to this attack, but something Deirdre had been suffering from before. That is to say, maybe she had been controlled by this dark force in the past.” She seemed to genuinely regret doing what she did.
So maybe she was guiltyless. Maybe some dark magic affected her and caused her to betray her husband and her friends, caused her to hunt down Seliph.
“...” Deirdre seemed at a loss for words at first.
The same did not apply to Julia. “That’s an interesting theory and I can’t completely discard it, but mother has visited many healers across the years for occasional sickness and things like that. Wouldn’t one of them have noticed this energy, just as Lady Celica did?”
She continued. “And… um… I know this may sound awful for you, Lord Himmel, so I ask for your forgiveness, but to me… to my brother, and my father… Mother never acted cruelly.”
Right. There was no way Julia would have loved some evil mind controlled villain. “You’re right, sorry. I jumped onto a stupid conclusion—”
Deirdre cut him off. “N-no! Y-you may just be right, Seliph!” Her voice was filled with desperation. “Some dark magic must have been messing with my mind! That must have been it!” No, it was more than just desperation.
It was hope.
He had just foolishly given Deirdre hope. Hope that she had not caused any pain to others. And while that might sound nice, he just knew it would mean a greater fall for her later.
For a moment, Julia frowned, and Himmel became sure he would not be forgiven, however in the end her attitude surprised him. “That may be so, but please do not put all of your faith in it, Mother.”
Deirdre tilted her head, confused. “I… will try not to?” It was clear doing such a thing was impossible at this point. “Nonetheless, I understand the situation now. We must all go to Jugdral and save your brother.”
That Julia could accept. “Indeed. Let’s do our best.”
But there was one problem here, one that Himmel would not leave unaddressed. “That plan is great and all, I super support it, but just to make it clear, I will not step foot in Jugdral.” He felt for his brother of course…
He wouldn’t be able to help him if he got executed however, so it was better to avoid Jugdral. Besides, what help could Himmel offer that other people couldn’t? He may be a Master of Black Magic, but there were better mages out there, and there were certainly better swordsmen out there as well.
“I see.” Julia was disappointed with his decision of course, but not actually angry. “Then—”
“Of course you will be setting foot in Jugdral.” Deirdre was different from her daughter. He had a feeling convincing her would be a lot harder. “It is your homeland, the place you were born in, so…”
Himmel waved her off. “Eh, I literally have no memories of the place, so it’s not like I long to return or whatever.” He puffed up his chest. “Valentia is my home, and after my friends and I arrive at Archanea, we will be going back to it.” The plan of putting Celica on the throne and clearing their names was still in place. He had no intention of changing it.
“But…” Before Deirdre could continue, she silenced herself for a moment, carefully choosing her words. “May I ask why this trip is happening, then? What is the reason you left Valentia for Archanea?”
Julia interjected with an embarrassed blush. “I must say, I’m curious about this as well, Lord Himmel. I mean, you and your friends can be pretty… shifty about it.” She had noticed huh? He supposed she would have to have been a fool not to. “And Archanea is extremely dangerous right now. I can’t fathom why someone would wish to go there.”
For Deirdre, this was alarming news. “Has something happened on Archanea?”
Himmel raised a hand and clarified. “Dragons are enslaving all humans. It’s alright though, ‘cause we are going to be landing in the country where humans betrayed their fellow humans and are now buddies with the dragons.” Pretty usual stuff.
Jokes aside, it was a terrifying thing and all that, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Or anybody else really. He could only ignore it and pray for Mila’s salvation should any of those crazy dragons decide to migrate to another continent.
Deirdre gaped. “What!?” Yeah, that was the expected reaction.
Julia cleared her throat. “Brother has… severely summarized the situation, but yes, that is more or less what has occurred on Archanea. Though it is hard to say what is the current situation of the continent, news from it has been traveling even slower than usual.”
Deirdre began looking between the two of them, still seeking clarifications. “B-but, why would such a thing even happen? What quick started this war!?”
Julia hummed. “From what I understand, Medeus from the legend of Anri has been resurrected or unsealed or something.” It was kind of funny how she talked about it as if it was just something unimportant.
And it kind of was, to them at least. The war on Archanea had been going strong for a few years now, so it wasn’t something that could blow their minds.
For Deirdre this was all news however. “And what about the king of Altea? If Medeus breathes again, then it is his duty to stop that!”
“He’s dead.” As far as Himmel knew, at least. “And so is his family.” Their deaths had kind of been the first big event of the war. Though again, his information could be inaccurate due to the distance between Valentia and Archanea
“...” Deirdre’s jaw was on the floor. “Then… then… I-I will call Sigurd and—” Sigurd was dead too. Had been dead for longer.
But it seemed for a moment she had forgotten that. Well, not that Himmel thought his conqueror father could do much of anything against an army of dragons.
Deirdre slowly began lowering her head, fear showing on her face. “So… the world is doomed then…”
Julia shrugged. “Not really, Mother. Father has been organizing the army, and he’s pretty confident he could repel an army if it came to be. Judgral is stronger and more united than it has ever been.” A great time for Prince Seliph the stupid to go and get himself killed trying to start a rebellion then.
Jokes aside, that was good to hear. “Valentia is safe too.” Himmel put a hand on his chest. “Should Medeus invade, the Mother and the Father, Mila and Duma, will unite to push him off.” Well, Duma was insane right now.
In a battlefield however, Himmel was guessing an insane Duma was scarier than a sane one anyways.
“Oh…” Deirdre let out a nervous chuckle. “Times have… certainly changed from my days…” Suddenly she stared at Himmel right in the eyes. “But if Archanea is so dangerous right now, why do you wish to go to it? Don’t tell me you are going to fight against the dragons?”
Where had that come from? “Um… no? The Captain just wants to sell some goods for expensive as hell prices before the Archanea economy stabilizes. And as for me… Sorry, but I can’t tell you why I am here.” That was the decision he had come to, and while it sounded foolish, he actually thought he had a pretty good justification for it.
Himmel continued. “It’s a secret that involves all my friends, and I can’t compromise their safety. Once again, my apologies.” In the end he just couldn’t trust them with this without consulting everyone else first.
Not that he thought Julia would react wildly to the information of Celica being a princess and the kingslaying that had happened, but who knows. Deirdre however, was by far the person he was most worried about, she wasn’t in a good place mentally right now, and her resolve to help her children, while noble, also just made him uncomfortable for some reason.
He made a mistake with his words, however. “What kind of secret could compromise their safety? Are you in trouble, Himmel?” Deirdre sounded more serious than ever.
He imagined that if she had asked this question a few days ago he would have collapsed from stress on the spot. That would have certainly been a way to make his mother lose her mind even more than she already had.
Thankfully, he was no longer feeling like his world was crumbling. “No. Everything is going to be alright from now on.”
His mother didn’t want to kill him anymore. He wouldn’t get executed for killing the king. His life was slowly but surely returning to normal. One day this whole stressful adventure would become just a stressful memory.
Julia put a finger on her lips. “Are you sure, Lord Himmel? There is that prophecy to worry about…” At her words, Deirdre immediately gave her full attention.
“What prophecy?” This wasn’t good.
One of Himmel’s eyes twitched. “I really wish Celica didn’t talk about that so openly…” He muttered to himself, but complaining wouldn’t help now.
“What prophecy?” Deirdre repeated herself, sounding more frustrated now.
Julia faked a cough. “Lady Celica has been having repeated dreams of Lord Himmel being defeated and eaten by a dragon. Since she is a priestess of Mila, she has come to the conclusion that this is a prophecy.”
“And we are heading to Archanea!?” Deirdre looked as if she was about to pass out. “We have to turn this ship away from that land right now! Or—”
“Can’t be done.” Himmel cut her off. “The Captain has his own plans and this is his ship. I’ll be careful while we are there, though.” He might not even leave the ship, to be honest—
No, he needed to feel the land beneath his feet. He had seriously come to hate the ocean during this trip.
“Then… then… give me paper and ink.” Huh? “I was Sigurd’s strongest mage. Please give me materials to write a tome with. Then I can use it to protect you.” Well, he wasn’t against getting some super dangerous bodyguard.
And considering Deirdre had teleported so far away and lived to tell the tale, there was no doubt she was just as strong as she claimed to be. Possibly stronger considering she had forgotten what could be years of training. Nonetheless, there was no way he could ever agree with her request.
“No. Sorry, but I would rather keep magic away from you.” Seriously, the dragon was already dangerous enough by himself.
“But why!? I must protect you!” Something which Himmel appreciated the sentiment of, but…
He narrowed his eyes. “Because I don’t trust you.” That quickly silenced her. “Don’t misunderstand me, it’s not like I hate you or anything. To be honest, I actually lived a pretty good life with Kris— Oifey— Whatever you wish to call him, so I really have no reason to talk about hate or whatever.”
“But I fear you. You’re strong, stronger than me, my friends, and possibly all the teachers I ever had.” She was a fully trained mage with Holy Blood. Essentially this world’s version of a nuclear bomb. “And you want to kill me. There’s no way I can arm you.” He might as well jump off the ship right there and then.
“I don’t want to kill you!” Right now she didn’t, at least. “You are my child! There’s no way—”
“The you of yesterday most likely had a different opinion of me.” He sighed. “What if you regain your memories? What if you are simply tricking me right now? I imagine the woman who betrayed her husband must be a good actress. I cannot trust you, and I cannot stop fearing you, because I’m not an idiot.” Sometimes, at least.
Which is why… “So I won’t give you a weapon, and I won’t go to Jugdral and present my neck to your husband on a silver platter. I know this is hurtful, and I’m sorry for that, but I won’t let go of my fear. The past can be forgotten, but not changed.”
For a moment, a very long moment, Deirdre looked as if she was going to break down in tears again. That’s what Himmel expected her to do even, and he wouldn’t blame her for it. In the end it’s not like he wished to hurt her, he had grown beyond that, but he really couldn’t afford to trust her.
It was funny. He told Faye he did not fear Deirdre, but in the end some amount of fear was just healthy. Caution was a weapon that could not be discarded.
Deirdre did not cry however. “I’ll make you trust me… and then we’ll go to Jugdral. I promise you that.” She trembled for a bit. “I promise Sigurd that.”
“Do as you please.”
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Seraphim, an offensive Spell categorized as White Magic.
Except it really wasn’t. It was definitely more accurate to say it worked like Black Magic, considering it had the goal of blasting people in the face. Still, since it was a spell more or less hogged by the church, they got to decide on what to call it.
Besides, much like Recover, it worked on the basis of faith.
“Grrr…” Himmel raised an arm and pointed at the air, growling and trying to cast the spell. He did not succeed.
It wasn’t an easy thing to do, since it was so different from the other spells he knew like Thunder or Excalibur. It didn’t even backfire on his body, instead failure was costless. Though according to Celica, that would not be the case if Himmel had been a dark creature of some sort. Whatever that was supposed to mean. Apparently being a body snatcher didn’t count.
Celica, who for once was on the ground suffering the effects of Thunder, raised a finger. “You have to use faith, Himmel! Faith! Pray to Lord Mila and smite the enemy in front of you!” She sounded like a drill instructor.
Seriously, not only was Celica a different teacher from Sonya, but she also felt like a different woman from Celica herself! He supposed she just took teaching very seriously though.
Also, as far as drill instructors went she was pretty nice. She just liked to scream a lot.
Himmel winced. “Must I actually pray? My older teacher said that wasn’t actually necessary…” He really didn’t want to risk pissing off mommy Mila again. He might have to give up on Seraphim if that was the case.
Which would be a shame. Learning magic was way too fun.
Celica scowled. “Your older teacher was correct! But having a focus helps one sharpen their faith! So pray! Pray for Mother Mila! For the world! Even for the sword, if that’s what you want! Pick a god and pray!” Maybe he would pray for the Father.
Deirdre covered her mouth, trying to stifle giggling. “Valentian magic is certainly quite the spectacle.” That’s right, his mother was here. Making everyone uncomfortable.
She had asked to join their training. Not to actually train, but just to watch them training. Something which Himmel thought sounded harmless, so he allowed it. It also helped that he hoped this would be a good opportunity for Deidre and Julia to bond. Which is where the biggest problem in all of this came from.
They weren’t bonding at all!
Himmel could see from the corner of his eye, his poor sister all alone (actually training with Kliff), looking like a hurt puppy (actually completely focused on her training). This was messed up!
Himmel faked a cough. “Yes, I quite enjoy magic as well… But Fire is the best magic when you think about it. Since it’s where everyone starts.” He nodded to himself. “Julia is at that step right now, so perhaps you should go talk with her about it.” She could summon a fireball, but she was a long way from mastering it.
After she had done so, Himmel would then… Well, he didn’t have the heart to force his sister through learning the Mage Breaker. So maybe he would teach her how to make Vulneraries or something? That was kind of hard to do on a ship where he couldn’t find any ingredients… Warding then? Or Tome making? She might know the latter two already though. Those weren’t Valentia exclusive.
Deirdre clasped her hands together. “We can talk about it at night. So for now let’s focus on you.” Ugh, he hated that he had to accept that excuse.
Julia and Deirdre were now sleeping together… Thankfully he was no longer stuck being a bodyguard at least. Not just because Julia’s weak Fire Magic would be enough to defend herself from some sailors, but because Celica had more or less stolen his role.
She was Deirdre’s doctor, so she wanted to stay close to Deirdre as much as possible.
“Okay then…” He better get to work, before instructor Celica murdered him.
Before he could do so however, Deirdre got closer to him, uncomfortably closer. “I suppose I won that bet.” She hadn’t even done it with a particular motive in mind. She just wanted to be near her child.
Unaware that her life was at a major risk! Namely due to two people, Alm and Faye, both who were watching from the shadows like the world’s scariest vultures. Why did Himmel feel like he was the only normal person here even though he was literally a reincarnated guy?
That aside… “A bet?” Did she make a bet with Julia?
Deirdre began explaining with a bright smile. “Your father and I once made a bet about your potential with magic. Sigurd, he…” That smile disappeared, before quickly returning. “He said you would… would…” Ah, so it was time for that again.
Whenever Deirdre brought up his father, it was a coin toss on whether she would keep talking like normal or break down crying on the spot.
It had become almost like a depressing routine. It was to the point where even Julia, who was training away from them, stole a glance at her mother and got ready to go comfort her if need be.
Thankfully, this time she pulled through. “He said you wouldn’t be good at magic. I disagreed, so we made a bet about it.”
Himmel snorted. “It’s good to see he had faith in me.” His father, huh…
Maybe if Deirdre wasn’t in such a dangerous mental state he could have asked more about the man. Though then again, Oifey had also been a good source of information about him, and Himmel had never taken the opportunity. In the end he just didn’t care that much.
Deirdre shook her head. “It’s not like that! It’s just that Sigurd was suuuuper bad with magic. I once gave him a tome for a fire spell, a basic one made for practice, and he managed to blow up everything around him by accident on his first, and only attempt. Almost started a forest fire too…” And suddenly Himmel knew why he had always been shit at learning magic.
She continued. “But when it came to using a sword or a spear, he was invincible. He thought you would be like that too.” Her smile became smug. “I’m glad I’ve won then. I love magic, so I knew magic would love you.”
“I suppose you did.” She had actually lost, but he would let her keep her smugness. “I can use a sword though… But I never used a spear.” Maybe he should pick one up. It would be useful while riding Epona.
Deirdre chuckled. “Then… then maybe you simply took from both of us.”
This felt so awkward. “...Maybe—”
Thankfully, his savior came for him. “Enough slacking, slacker! Back to work, Himmel!” Instructor Celica was truly powerful. If she used this energy as a queen she would change the world into a masochist filled one. How terrifying.
“Aye, aye. I shall pray for your protection, goddess of beauty Celica.” That might actually work.
Celica put her hands on her hips and huffed. “No joking around, maggot!” She actually called him a maggot!? “T-though if that really will help you, feel free to do so.” Ah, a bit of the normal Celica came out.
She cleared her throat, and drove off normal Celica. “And remember that fate is not enough! You must have the will to smite what stands before you! Just as I am going to smite your weakness!”
“Right…” He still didn’t know if this was cute or not. “What exactly does that mean though? Can you explain it… erm… without screaming. Please.”
“It means… have you ever seen something that should not exist? An evil that you must extinguish from this world?” She hummed. “It’s that feeling you have to concentrate on. And then join it with your fate and expel it outwards!” She still shouted at the end!
Himmel put a hand on his chin. “An evil I must extinguish, I can imagine that easily enough.” Ironically, Celica’s father was the first that came to mind. “But to be honest, I’ve tried that before and it didn’t work.” Did he just lack hatred or something?
Actually, should a church even teach this kind of magic?
“Well… maybe it’s because you misunderstood what I’ve been saying.” Oh? “I’m not talking about a common evil such as a bandit or anything like that. In fact, forget about human evils, Seraphim wouldn’t even hurt those in the first place. Instead you must think of something truly unnatural. As I’ve said, something that should not exist in this world.”
She let out a sigh. “My caretaker once showed me a… undead creature, it was only then that I truly learned how to channel the feeling I’m talking about. As your teacher, I’m sorry that I cannot provide you with the same experience.” Her caretaker was kind of hardcore!
But it was fine. “Actually, I think I get what you’re saying.” It sounded like he needed to challenge Cthulhu or something. And in that case, he had the perfect abomination of a target. “I think I will get it next time.”
“Okay…?” Celica nodded, and then returned to her teacher mode. “I’ll be expecting great results! Do not dare to fail! B-but it’s okay if you do so, magic is hard.” Okay, he had decided that it was indeed cute.
Deirdre too cheered for him. “You can do it, Seliph! I’m sure of it!” She was being careless with that name…
Much to their confusion, Himmel then proceeded to walk to the edge of the ship. But he wasn’t doing that for no reason, instead he was looking for something a bit more specific.
He looked down at his own reflection, painted on the ocean.
He raised his right hand, pointing at it, and went through the steps he had been trying to beat on his head these past days.
This time, a small glow appeared on his hand, but that by itself was not enough. He only truly became satisfied once a small feather materialized itself from that light, and slowly fell down onto the ocean.
He let out a sigh of relief. “Victory…” It was just a small step, the equivalent of making a spark with Fire Magic, but with enough training all sparks could turn into something more. That’s what learning magic had taught him.
“You did it!” Deirdre clapped her hands in celebration. “Good job!” Why did he suddenly feel like a baby being cheered because he was walking?
The worst part is that such a thing might have genuinely been going through her head. In her eyes, he had been a baby not too long ago.
“Indeed, congratulations, HImmel…” She trembled in fear. “This probably means I should get back to learning the Mage Breaker.” Hah! Deirdre had yet to see such a thing, so that would be a sight. “And you should get some rest. Teacher’s orders.”
He shook his head. “Nah, I still feel fine. So I’ll keep training for a while longer.” Now that he had become invested, he would train until he couldn’t move any longer. Just like the good old times.
Celica frowned. “You look pale, Himmel. You are very experienced with magic, so I’m sure you know not to push yourself past your limits?”
“I do. I’ll reach my limits once I pass out.” He wanted to learn Seraphim before reaching Archanea, though perhaps that was a bit too cocky of him.
Still, he felt good. He was making progress with his magic, real progress. Next time he saw Sonya, he would know more spells then the last time, that he promised.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
He had been cocky, as any mage would expect, he did not learn Seraphim before reaching Archanea.
But he had reached Archanea. “We are finally here, huh?” The ship had yet to reach the port, but he could see the city from here. It was massive, far greater than Novis. Although he was certain it wouldn’t be in a good state with the war going on.
Deirdre, who refused to leave him alone for one second, nodded. “Yes, but don’t forget the prophecy and keep close to me.” What would she do to a dragon? Act as live bait?
“And me too!” As their arrival reached nearer and nearer, Celica had become just as paranoid as Deirdre. “Remember to absolutely run away if you see a dragon.”
He chuckled. “We aren’t going to see any dragons. Just normal soldiers.” Who would go through the ship and see if there was anything too illegal going on. That part was for the Captain to worry about though.
Himmel himself just needed to worry about finding a ship that would take him back to Valentia. Which might take a few days to accomplish, but if the war had ended before their arrival as the Captain predicted then it would not be an impossible feat.
Hopefully in his next trip his problems would be storms, sea serpents, and pirates. He really did not want any more mind shattering stress.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
AN: The… ship? Arc is over! It took a long ass time, but overall I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. And now we head to the Archanea arc! Or at least the first Archanea arc, which we can call… uh… the schizo prophet arc? Maybe we will get some more adventuring huzzah this time.
I actually even started a fresh playthrough of FE11 to refresh my Archanea memories… All it has done is refresh my memories on how ugly that game is. Caeda is still best girl though, no matter how ugly she looks there.
Comments
Max Unknown
You know, during this short ship trip Deirdre and Celica must have witnessed the first time the Himmel's normal "Until I Break" training. I don't want another chapter of Himmel glazing, sure - but not even a footnote?
GalloConTennis
At this point I just want Deidre to get a happy ending.
Kevin Valentin
Ngl I was expecting Himmel to say relax we won't see a dragon only for a loud roar to occur in the distance
jambas
Thanks for the chapter, it’s bigger than usual!
Max Unknown
You kept using "fate" instead of "faith" for magic scene. Anyway, a good meaty chapter, the ship is finally fucking done. However, I cut myself on the edge when he with zero build-up publicly looked in the water for "abomination" reflection (which works like shit for a moving ship, you are too far and blurry, but whatever). A bit too far, cutting yourself is only fun outside of prying eyes. Uh. I mean, you need to do more introspection for such cool/cringe moments, it looks forced otherwise. We kinda know you are an Old One of Eldrich Grooming, Himmel, but you'll lose all your aura like this.
Astralogical
>He chuckled. “We aren’t going to see any dragons. Just normal soldiers.” Who would go through the ship and see if there was anything too illegal going on. That part was for the Captain to worry about though. yeah sure you won't there wont be any mankete as soldiers here, no sir...Murphy will be laughing so hard now bonus points if its another love interest XD
RJKY
Congratulations, not many stories make it off the boat.
Kaustrios
I really love Deidre being overprotective, I can't wait for her to fight Medeus!
Yuval Roth
[You shouldn’t toy with so many women!”] Guy addicted to grooming, he doesn’t even do anything with it, he just make little girls fall in love with him and leave it at that.
