"Lord Albirion!"
"Sylphid Dance!"
"Radiant Waltz!"
"Bloody Hearts!"
One after another, four S-Crafts were initiated, lighting up the entire battlefield around what appeared to be three figures swiftly moving about while one stayed behind, who currently had an ancient-looking staff raised up high. To begin with, a large broadsword became clad in a watery-blue aura, then enlarged itself, making the sword even more domineering. It slashed forth, hitting a large group of monsters.
Following that were the loud shots of two dagger-like gunblades, moving around left and right. The momentum remained steady, unleashing a barrage of orbal bullets onto each target. It didn't end there, the speed soon increased, and the figure vanished from sight entirely, almost as if they had become the wind itself. From there, the third attack came. The entire group of Monsters were encapsulated by four phantom towers. An illusion was cast, and a white, misty energy condensed to a single point, only to shoot out with a large blast from the top of the four towers, hitting the entire battlefield. With that third blow, all Monsters vanished into oblivion, barring one. The one that towered over the rest. It was a gigantic, phantom-life Monsters whose body was entirely see through. Just like how a ghost would behave.
To end the attack, a violet-haired boy trapped the gigantic monster upward into a bloody crystal. The boy vanished from sight, and reappeared on the other side. The crystal shattered after striking right through it. Since this boy was present, a huge damage number appeared over the boss, instantly whittling away what health it had remaining. Its death woes resounded around the room in what appeared to be an ancient-looking castle. A large one at that.
Two full months have passed since Naoto found himself in Legram to begin a new adventure where he will continuously train and prepare for the Vermillion Trials. He hadn't set a time to initiate the Vermillion Trials, but he knew he had to do it by the time Estelle and Joshua become Bracers, or perhaps during when their story plays out. It is now approaching the end of S1199. The month presently is November.
Six figures, with two of them watching the battle from afar, watched the battle end before them. A plum-haired girl, a white-haired girl, a blue-haired girl, and a violet-haired boy successfully fought against a powerful enemy resting within the depths of Lohengrin Castle and its minions. A Nosferatu!
They were of course Fie, Emma, Laura and yours truly, me. I had no idea that Emma and Fie had encountered one another back near Emma's home, let alone wander toward our direction in Legram. Thankfully, I have Tamamo with me, and the moment she locked onto Celine's mana signature, I knew what was being thrown our way. I had no need to turn on my Vermillion Eyes. We had a little reunion during this, and during that time, I came to learn that alongside Fie, Emma was training with, to my surprise, Duvalie.
But now that I think about it, that does make sense. If we're speaking of those who teach them. You got Roselia Millstein on one finger, and Arianrhod on another. Emma has been learning magic since a young age under Roselia before she wandered outside of Eryn Village, while Arianrhod picked up Duvalie to become a member of the Stahlritter. Sadly, I didn't have the pleasure of meeting Duvalie by the time Emma and Fie arrived in Legram. Apparently she wanted nothing to do with me. I don't blame her. Duvalie and Emma went their separate ways. Once we all got settled down in Legram, I was already learning the Arseid Style.
With that in mind, I saw the Gamer Notifications come through, making me smile.
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Party (The Best There Ever Was: 4/6) has finished the battle.]
[Ding! 1 Lucifuge - Level 95 and 14 Shadow Spirits - Level 95 have been defeated.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Title, True Harem Seeker, has triggered.]
[Ding! Three girls have been identified in Gamer Naoto's Party.]
[Ding! Final Obtained Experience will be increased by 90%.]
[Ding! Now calculating Obtained Experience...]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has received an additional 220% EXP due to the Level Difference.]
[Ding! Total Experience Gain has been calculated. Experience: 30,000.]
[Ding! A Tactical Bonus of 5.0x has been applied!]
[Ding! Final Obtained Experience: 150,000.]
[Ding! Final Obtained Experience has been increased by 90%.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has obtained 285,000 EXP!]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has leveled up! 89 -> 90 (818,000/818,000)
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Current Level: 90 (52,000/837,000)]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Party has completed current Quest: Explore Lohengrin Castle.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Enigma II - Slot 1 has been unlocked in its entirety.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has received two Levels.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has received 1 Quartz Box (UR - Selectable)]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has activated the first Skill of the Second Genesis!]
[Ding! As a result of unlocking the Second Genesis's first Skill, Gamer Naoto's Skill, Regeneration, has been upgraded to Greater Regeneration.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has Leveled Up!]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has Leveled Up!]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Current Level: 92.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Arseid Style's Skill Proficiency has increased.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Skill, Basic Arseid Style, has reached Level 100!]
Holy. Talk about a bountiful gain there. And you saw that right. During my two month stay here in Legram, I had gotten quite used to living in the lively town. It is not as big as other cities Erebonia has to offer, but it is one of the most scenic towns there is. The only downside is that the fog from Lake Ebel stretches all around Legram most of the year, making it quite hard to pick and choose when to head out and explore. During that time, I had gotten acquainted with Laura Arseid, and we became friends. She even began to consider me as a fellow rival the moment she learned her father accepted me as one of his own students. Not a student of the Arseid Dojo, no. Victor Arseid accepted me as his personal disciple.
Thanks to that, my presence in Legram soared. People acknowledged me left and right. Sometimes they became nosy but they were rather friendly. It was a close-knit town. They respected Victor Arseid to all hell. He isn't one of those stuck-up nobles who would eventually join what's called the Noble Alliance. His personality is enjoyable too. He's quite literally the opposite of pompous nobles like Duke Cayenne. He can also be stern when he wants to be. On a scale of one to ten, he's a high nine when it comes to teaching his way of the sword. I grew considerably well thanks to that. Laura's Favorability also rose during these two months.
And then, they came. It wasn't just Laura and I anymore. As much as I'd love to further go through what all had just happened, I had a look at the plum-haired girl and the white-haired girl beside the two of us. Who else could they be but Emma and Fie?
"Heh. Serves that spirit right. It was no match for us.", Fie said, placing her gunblades back onto her waist.
"Yes. That was splendidly done.", Emma happily said. "I was a little worried knowing that you had come all the way here to western Erebonia Naoto, but seeing your progress like this, I can rest easy."
"I could say the same thing to you. Your training looks like it's been going well.", I said. "Didn't think we'd meet up like this out of the blue. Been staying in Legram for a while after Victor accepted me as his own disciple. Don't tell Rose, okay? Haha!"
"I don't think Grandmother would really care about whether you take on a new teacher...", Emma sighed. It was then the blue-haired girl took in a deep breath, seeing the battle now over. Interest grew in her eyes once she spotted Emma and Fie.
Thanks to the ongoing path I'm currently on, these three girls have come into contact with one another, five years before when they're supposed to. I am not sure if this will develop into anything more.
"You two carry yourselves well. Acquaintances of Lord Naoto, I presume?"
"Oh come on, Laura. Enough of this "Lord", business already. While it is true I outrank Victor, he requested me to drop titles during my stay here. And that was a personal request of him.", I said, looking at Laura.
"Father really requested that?", Laura uttered, becoming surprised. "Well, if that really is the case, then I must oblige by it."
"Good. Good. Just call me Naoto, just like Emma and Fie here do.", I happily replied.
"That's one giant sword. Seems powerful.", Fie bluntly said, taking a moment to observe the sword now placed back on Laura's back. "You a noble here?"
"Yes. I am the daughter of the Viscount who oversees Legram. You may call me Laura.", Laura said, keeping her demeanor polite as she introduced herself. I didn't think I'd come across Emma and Fie like this. They saw Laura and I fighting against Lucifuge, and they joined midway during the battle. Turns out I can invite them into the Party during battle too. "It is nice to meet you two. Thank you for providing assistance in our battle just now."
"It is no trouble. Any friend of Naoto's is a friend of ours. Isn't that right, Fie?", Emma asked.
"Yup.", Fie simply responded. "It doesn't matter if you're a noble or not. On the battlefield, all that matters is the strength you possess to overcome your enemies."
"Well spoken. Likewise, considering you know Naoto, I think we can become friends.", Laura happily said. "YOu were distracted there for a good moment too once the battle ended. This Party thing is still quite new to me. That number assigned to your name increased. Was it related to that?"
"So you noticed. I experienced what you call a "Level Up". Since we finished exploring the depths of this place, the Quest that was assigned to me finished. I gained a couple Levels from it. To put it simply, it means I am growing stronger. Considering you're part of the Party too, you felt it too, right?"
"So that's what that feeling was. It was quite soothing. I feel even more invigorated than before. I was looking to take a nice long bath once we make it back to town, but I may not even have a reason to do that.", Laura mused. "And you're saying you're used to this?"
"Pretty much.", I responded.
"I won't deny it. It's a feeling I've missed too. The ability you have really is a strange one. It changes our surroundings so much. Even though I'm more used to it, it's still weird seeing all those damage numbers appear over the Monsters' heads. They don't even stand a chance against you now.", Emma said.
"Does it really change us that much?", Fie questioned, still doubtful. "It's not like someone will actually die if their health reaches zero, do they?"
"I have not actually tested that. But if I had to take a guess, they only get knocked out.", I replied, wondering if that really was the case. I've had two life-and-death battles to date. One against Randy, and one against Ace. Both had around five or ten percent health points remaining by the time their respective battles concluded. The latter was the reason why I did not receive any experience once that battle ended. Ace's health didn't reach zero, and that was why I did not receive any experience points then. So I'm not exactly sure what would happen here in the real world.
As far as Monsters and Cryptids go, they die upon their health reaching zero. To those who controlled the character cast, they would just see the character get knocked out, unable to move in battle again until they get revived with items or Arts. We'll see how that goes.
"Still, this proved a worthy challenge nonetheless. I thank you for granting me this opportunity, Naoto. I sometimes come here to train on my own, but it is much more efficient with a group of talented individuals much like yourselves. It is a shame you won't be staying in Legram for much longer.", Laura said, feeling a hint of disappointment.
"Haha.", I said, mirroring Rean's iconic laugh. "I'll stay in touch, alright? What I am currently doing has no end in sight. You two will join me, yes?", I said, looking back at Emma and Fie.
"Hmph. Do you even have to ask that? You should already know the answer, you foolish noble.", An annoyed voice spoke out to us, only to reveal a black cat nearby. Next to the cat was a silvery-white fox with six tails. These were the two figures who were watching the battle unfold from afar.
"Come on Celine, liven up a little! What's the harm in expanding our party?", The silvery-white fox said, and arrived beside Celine. The four of us now looked at the two Familiars.
This time, it was Emma's to turn wide-eyed in shock to hear Tamamo speak in the human tongue. Guess she wasn't expecting that huh?
"Did...Tama just speak?", Emma asked, dumbfounded.
"Yeah...It's kind of a long story.", I said, and shrugged my shoulders.
"Don't sweat the small details, Emma! But if there's someone to blame, blame Rose. She gave me enough Mana while you were out training. And well, with my sixth tail, it gave me enough of a push. Here we are.", Tamamo said, only to remain perched on her paws, acting like it was a big achievement.
"The cat's out of the bag now.", Celine uttered, and sighed. Oi, you're a cat, Celine. No cat puns!
"I thought it was enough to know that talking foxes exist. It truly is a wide world out there. My eyes certainly have been opened.", Laura mused.
"You just had to get acquainted with another girl, you stupid prince. When are you going to break it to Emma?", Celine asked, shifting her eyes my way.
"Ask me? About what?"
"It's not like I'm trying to hide it or anything...", I said, scratching my check a little bit. "But is now really the time? We haven't even made it back to town yet."
"One way or another Emma's going to learn about it. How you created that Royal Harem and all.", Celine said, dropping the ball.
"Royal...Harem?", Emma began to stutter. 'Naoto did say he was going to do something in that regard...I guess he finally acted on it.', Emma thought to herself, letting her thoughts spin.
"I was briefly informed of it back at our mansion. What in Aidios's name is that supposed to be anyway? I'm not exactly familiar with the term.", Laura responded.
"It's where a guy hooks up with multiple chicks. Not seen often in today's society. Makes much more sense if you're a high-standing noble. Didn't think you'd have it in you, Phoenix. Good job.", Fie explained, and gave me a thumbs up. "As for me, I couldn't care less about romance. We Jaegers go from place to place so it's kind of hard to settle down."
"You're...seeing multiple people?", Laura uttered, becoming surprised again. "I won't question how nobles go about their lives, considering I'm one myself. The world is truly large."
"Why don't we leave it as that for now?", I suggested, before looking back at Emma. "If you really want to go into detail about it, we can at our next destination. How about that?"
"That's likely the best for now.", Emma agreed. "Why don't we head back to town---?", Emma said, only to suddenly get interrupted by a...familiar voice?
"Oh my oh my. I did not think you would explore this base of ours. That's such a coincidence~", A woman's voice said. We soon saw a figure plop down in one of the windowless window sills that you'd often see old castles have. We all saw a familiar, bluish indigo-haired woman dressed in knightly armor arrive. "Good day to you, Master. It looks like these couple of months have served you well."
"Of course it had to be you.", Celine retorted before I could even say anything. I saw this woman effortlessly hop down, arriving in the room we were currently standing in. Now that I think about it, the Stahlritter used this castle as their base, didn't they?
"We were just wrapping up. Did you decide to see who it was?", I said, smiling at the woman. After all, the two of us were seeing each other~
Seeing just a friendly gesture, Emma just looked confused. The woman turned around, and smiled at her.
"I didn't think I'd catch you out here, Lady Millstein. Surely you haven't forgotten little 'ol me, have you?", The woman asked.
"I'm...sorry? You seem familiar but I can't quite put my tongue on it...", Emma Said.
"Hahaha.", I laughed, and approached the woman. Emma's reaction is natural. She hasn't seen Ennea like this before. "You've seen this woman on multiple occasions, Emma. Even fought in the same Party before. She's Ennea, you know."
"Ennea---?", Emma tried to ask, attempting to put two-and-two together. By the time she did, her eyes turned wide in shock once again. "EHHHHHHH!?"
As Emma's exclamation resounded around the castle, Ennea grinned. "Now there's the reaction I expected. Come give your big sister a hug~"