95 – Target acquired
When I arrived on scene with Lia and Sylvia at the source of the deflected megaflare, I was greeted with a ridiculous sight.
Melty, holding what looked like a dagger made from white feathers and a white crystal in its pommel.
Filo, holding a whip with a black crystal attached to the bottom of its handle.
Morgan, holding the Falchion, but with its gap filled with a glowing crimson diamond.
And then Bahamut, my son. Holding a golden sword handle with a blade that looked like pure azure flames... the same azure flames that showed up when he used Megaflare.
And azure flames that VERY much made the sword look like the Ultima Weapon from Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI.
My left eye twitched as I took in the surroundings.
They had APPARENTLY found a secret cave in the cliffside by the coast. And inside of the cave, there was a giant tablet that clearly had Hylian written on it.
I hadn't bothered memorizing the alphabet, so I didn't know what it said.
But clearly it did SOMETHING.
Because all four of these brats were definitely holding upgraded endgame equipment of sorts.
Bahamut stared at me.
I stared back.
Then he let out a nervous laugh and said, "...I found treasure?"
"...You are grounded. So grounded. Forever grounded. Banned from casting magic until I figure out how to punish you like my parents punish me so you'll stop doing things. That kind of grounded."
"Aw man..." Bahamut looked dejected and turned off his Ultima Weapon before pocketing the golden sword hilt.
I stared at it. Especially how the golden hilt didn't generate any energy, meaning that it was really just a channel for energy...
Wait.
I stared at the sword hilt.
...For some reason, I felt like it was staring back.
And then I remembered a retro anime where the 'Sword of Light' had turned out to be a spaceship subordinate of some being of pure darkness...
I stared at the sword hilt again and slowly said, "You had better stay as just a lightsaber if you know what's good for you."
Whether I was just being paranoid or if I was right, I didn't find out since the hilt didn't react in any way.
Melty looked over at me and said, "Please do not be too harsh on Bahamut, Lord Naofumi."
Filo nodded. "That's right! We were the ones who asked him to do the dragon breath! And Morgan wanted to try deflecting it!"
I slowly turned to look at Morgan.
Morgan's face turned a bright red and he coughed, averting his gaze. "...I learned a few skills and was curious..."
I let out a long suffering sigh and rubbed my face. "Kids... Fine. You're ALL grounded. Now come on... And no more playing with your new toys until we make sure they're safe."
===
By the time we headed back to the beach where I had set up camp, it was sunset.
Mirellia and Daji were both just idling in the sun beneath a parasol and sipping wine, clearly chatting like a pair of good friends.
Lucina was standing by the shore, staring with awe at the sleeves of a shimmering blue kimono she was wearing that looked spun from clouds.
S'yne was standing nearby and observing Lucina, taking down notes and measurements.
And then Rishia was making a way too elaborate sandcastle with Mina and Nina, complete with moat, sand dragon, and miniature knights.
And surprisingly... at least for me, none of them even looked over or asked about the megaflare incident.
"...Well." I chuckled as I walked over. "I suppose it's good that you're all relaxing."
Lucina reacted first, letting out a soft smile as she waved. "Welcome back, Naofumi. Did you enjoy your training?" Then she noticed Morgan standing sheepishly behind me and Bahamut. "...Morgan?"
Morgan blushed. "I-It was nothing, Mother. Just a bit of a training incident..."
"Ah." Lucina nodded, looking nostalgic. "I had a few of those when I was small as well. It can be difficult to control your strength. And training to use Aether was difficult."
Morgan let out a relieved sigh when he saw that his mother wasn't upset.
Bahamut took the opportunity to slip away and hide among his sisters and Rishia to help them with the sandcastle.
Sly kid... definitely takes after me.
And I STILL didn't know if he was trolling about literally being Bahamut. His status screen SAID he was...
But then also, which Bahamut?!
...Well, it didn't matter too much-
Wait.
I swept my gaze around the surroundings and noticed Mein was missing. "...Where's Mein?"
"Ah." Lucina nodded. "You see, while you were gone..."
===
A dimension away. Glass's world.
Looking around the foreign land and feeling the different mana in the air, Mein clutched her staff and murmured, "This is a stupid idea. This is such a stupid idea."
Kizuna glanced back at Mein and said, "Are you sure it's fine for you to be here, Miss Mein?"
L'Arc nodded and said, "If you want to go home, you can. The boundary between our worlds is just thin enough for Vassal Heroes to slip back and forth."
Glass idly fanned herself with the Vassal Fan and said, "A shame that we could not return with Therese at this time. But if what Mein says is true, then it should soon become unnecessary."
Mein sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "No, it's fine... I needed training anyway. And if I'm back with everyone else... I just have this nagging feeling that I'll get pulled into a bed sooner rather than later."
L'Arc blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"Don't worry about it." Mein shook her head and smiled. "In any case... Master Naofumi will be happy that I'm doing proper work as an ambassador. So please, lead the way and continue your explanation. I will ensure to relay it all to Master Naofumi afterwards, especially with your intentions on allying with Libertas."
"We truly appreciate that, Lady Mein. Then..." L'Arc nodded and said, "The situation is fairly dire. Unlike your world, where the Legendary Heroes are united and still in full force, we only have Kizuna left. As a result, the waves come frequently, leaving only the few Vassal Heroes that remain and willing adventurers to defend the world." His expression darkened. "As for the other countries and world powers... they simply see the waves as a mean to profit and strengthen their armies."
"Ah." Mein furrowed her brow.
Glass noticed and said, "...That reaction does not bode well."
"Um..." Mein thought a bit. Then she said, "...By any chance. Is there a particular country that oppress individuals or treat people as slaves?"
Kizuna looked genuinely upset at the question and nodded. "Yes. The Demon Dragon Nation does. They're across the ocean on another continent, but rumors are that everyone other than the Demon Dragon and his subordinates are treated as just... resources." She paused. "...Though other than L'Arc's country Sikul, they're all... kind of not very good?"
"...Oh. Um. In that case..." Mein started to sweat. "We should quickly hurry to fix that before-"
At that time, the space around them began to distort.
L'Arc quickly pulled out his weapon, the Vassal Sickle, and then got in a combat stance. "An ambush?!"
"Kizuna!" Glass quickly moved in front of Kizuna. "I'll protect you!"
Kizuna looked upset, but she nodded and said, "I'm sorry, Glass... This stupid weapon still won't let me hurt people..."
"It's fine." Glass smiled. "I'm happy to be of use to you, Kizuna."
Mein slowly blinked and said, "Why are you all so worried?"
L'Arc looked at Mein, genuinely confused. "What do you mean? Can't you sense the stirring mana? An encounter will begin soon!"
"An encounter?" Mein tilted her head. "What do you mean, an encounter-"
"Die in the name of the Demon Dragon Emperor, Vassal Heroes!"
A demon with dark scales and black flames appeared out of the blue, swinging a burning greatsword.
L'Arc, Glass, and Kizuna got prepared for combat.
Mein, though, just looked amused.
As for the reason why...
> Your owner has redirected the attacker!
...Well, Mein was under Naofumi's protection, and he was a ridiculous enough person to claim the moon so-
Mein's thought's froze when she properly read the status message. Then her face turned a bright red. "NAOFUMI IS NOT MY OWNER! I mean, technically, but... Staff! Stop laughing!"
===
I was listening to Lucina's explanation when space suddenly rippled and a demon rushed towards me, swinging a flaming greatsword.
*CLANG*
The demon froze.
Lucina paused.
Lia and Sylvia both slowly drew their blades.
Rishia immediately stood in front of Mina and Nina, quietly pulling out a small arsenal of weapons from a Void Bag that Dante must have passed her before he left.
Mirellia moved in front of Filo and Melty, ice already flickering around her.
Morgan smiled, Falchion burning with white flames.
S'yne slowly pulled out her sewing kit and turned it into a pair of giant shears.
And then Daji chuckled. "My, my." Nine tails flickered into existence around her, as well as an oppressive air that felt like the heavens themselves were being sealed away. "You certainly do not belong in this world."
The demon slowly looked around. Then he gulped.
I smiled and walked over, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Hello, Friend. It seems you've suffered an unfortunate fate. Now, you can cooperate... or I can see if I can make a demonic blade of pure suffering from the viscera of a demon who has died a terrible death. What say you, friend?"
"...Th-The Demon Dragon Emperor will-"
Bahamut perked up, his blue eyes glittering. "...Dragon Emperor? Do I have a challenger to my throne?"
The demon glanced at Bahamut. And then his dark scales literally paled in recognition. "...Oh no."
Bahamut let out a sharp grin. "Oh yes." He smiled and walked over. "Father... I do believe we just heard something fun."
"...Okay, Boy. I'll postpone your punishment." I patted the demon's shoulder. "Now, friend. Tell me a bit more about this... Demon Dragon Emperor. And the world you come from."