Chapter Four : Missionaries – Escape From The Underground Graveyard
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 “Rooooooaaaaarrrrr!!!” Hati let out a crazed roar as he went to attack me but I quickly dodge away from his claw attack and cut him with my Sword. Hati let out a pained groan and with that, Hati finally went down.

  “Ha...ti…” Maria calls out to Hati as she drags herself along the pavement toward Hati, her body mangled and wounded. I couldn’t help but help her along the way so she wouldn’t hurt her body anymore. Once she was close to Hati she tried to summon her Sacred Artifact, I went to stop her from doing that but someone else stopped her before me.

  “Maria…” Hati reaches for her arm, canceling the summoning before it can be completed. He looks at the severely Maria who I still had an arm around her shoulders and speaks calmly, completely devoid of the fury from moments ago. I looked at both of them and realized I should give them some privacy. So after I patted Maria on the shoulder once more, I left to go off to the side so they could speak freely.


  With Maria And Hati….

  “Hey… Maria... I have someone I love, but that love will never reach them… What is the purpose of my existence? Why was I even born? My love… will leave no mark on the world. When I die, I won’t even leave a trace… This life I lead…” Hati's voice was shaky and tears were appearing in his eyes.

  “Hati, please…” Maria calls out to him firmly even though her voice sounds like it was dealing with so much pain.

  “I need to hear it, Maria. How you truly feel… in your own words… Whenever I was beaten down by her bodyguards, you rushed to my aid and told me that story…” Hati had a look in his eyes and Maria slowly nodded her head as she went to repeat what she always told Hati after he was beaten by Gabriel bodyguards.

  “I often wonder… Why does the world continue to birth new life? The same things repeat over generations. Nothing about the world changes. It should be obvious how pointless it all is. And yet we continue to be born. That is why I’m convinced… the world desperately wishes to change. The world continues to give birth to new life because it yearns for a new entity that has yet to exist. Your deviant love may not be accepted by this world. Its people will point fingers, scorn, despise it. Yet if you dare to walk the road less traveled, those who walk beside you would cherish you till their last breath. Your dreams may not be fulfilled in this lifetime, but I will never forget the time we shared, nor the life you valiantly lived. And then, when the next life ends… I want to believe there will be someone to remember them, too. As the world repeats this cycle… things will begin to change, little by little. Someday, someone like you may drastically change the way of the world. They may find a way to reach a state of existence we never could have imagined. So, please… do not hate yourself. Don’t say your life is meaningless, or that you won’t leave a mark. You must leave a legacy, one that cannot be made by any other. The legacy of why you were born into this world.” Tears stream from Hati’s eyes. The words seem to weigh heavily on his heart, heightened by the gravity of the moment. 

  He’s heard this story from Maria many times before, but the words usually rang hollow. So why… does hearing it now bring endless tears to his eyes?

  “Could I do it? For the sake of her happiness… Could I watch from afar as I continue to battle with my innate truth?” Hati was still crying as he asked Maria this and she gave him a gentle smile that seemed to increase the tears coming from his eyes.

  “The road will be tough. At times you may stray from your path and wish to give up… But when that happens, remember to look around. Someone will always be there for you. You are never alone.” Though heavily wounded, Maria still had a smile on her face, and Hati finally smiles back. Then, he speaks and reaches his hand out to Maria.

  “Maria… Please accept me as your ally. I want… to walk beside you.” Hati had an expression on his face that finally seemed like he wasn’t dealing with a deep pain anymore.


  With Masato...

  “What’s the situation, Masato?!” Shiro quickly went to my side and his expression was filled with concern. Now that I wasn’t fighting I realized my body was in a lot of pain and I felt uneasy on my feet.

  “Y-You’re hurt! Masato, are you okay?!” Ryota quickly got up close to me but he didn't put his hands on me. He was waving it in front of him with a panic expression on his face. I gave him a smile and rested my head on his soft shoulder.

  “I’m so glad to see you, Ryota. I am glad to see the both of you are alright…” I felt like I could sleep for a whole week due to how tired my body felt and how warm Ryota felt.

  “My pudding torrent is a force to be reckoned with. I can throw it, or use it to wash enemies away! It’s so versatile!” Ryota patted me on the back with his warm hand and I felt like all the energy got restored inside of me. I took my head off his shoulder and gave him a wide smirk.

  “Have you seen that Nyarlathotep fellow? During the battle, he… uh… they… disappeared without a trace.” Shiro seemed confused about Nyarlathotep's sudden disappearance and I couldn’t help but let out a tired sigh at his usual disappearing trick.

  “Yeah, it was really random. A few of them were carried away by the pudding rapids, but I’m not sure where they ended up.” Ryota seems confused as to where Nyarlathotep could have disappeared to as well. I couldn’t help but think he was just around here, hiding and waiting.

  “It’s very odd… What is he trying to achieve? He seems like nothing more than a prankster… At any rate, we don’t have enough info. It’s pointless to keep playing this guessing game.” Shiro seemed annoyed with Nyarlathotep's actions but decided not to focus too much on it due to the lack of information.

  “So, what happened?! How’s Maria? Where’s Hati?!” Ryota got up close to me once again as he couldn’t hide his concern about the other two. I could understand his feelings but they should be alright…

  “C-Calm down, Ryota! If Masato is safe, I’m sure everyone else is.” Shiro said that with a confident tone but I couldn’t help but get a bad feeling. This bad feeling grew stronger after I heard the scream of Hati and I quickly turned back to the place I left them alone together.

  “Huh?! What?! Was that a scream?!” Ryota seemed shocked to hear the scream and I couldn’t help but worry something had happened to Maria. 

  “That must be Maria! Quick, let’s go!” Shiro started to quickly move towards the place where the scream came from and I try to run ahead but my body was still in a lot of pain so I could only move a bit slow.

  “H-Hang in there, Maria!” I could hear Hati's concerned voice and I quickly headed to the source of his voice even though my body was screaming at me to rest. There, I find Maria’s limp body, lying in a pool of blood. I quickly headed over to Maria and tried to see what I could do to help her but there was just so much blood and I couldn’t think calmly, I was panicking. 

  “Maria! Your wounds… The blood…!” Ryota also was at my side with tears in his eyes as he wanted to touch Maria but was worried he would cause her more pain. I couldn’t understand how this happened? She was still rather hurt when I left but it wasn’t this bad.

  “Ryo...Ryota.” Maria weakly called out to Ryota and she tried to smile to calm him down but it was only a pained smile. She was really pale and her breathing was getting shallow. 

  “All of a sudden, she just went down! The bleeding… It won’t stop!” Hati was crying at Maria's side and he was panicking as well at the sight of Maria bleeding out on the ground.

  “It must be from the strain of channeling so much pain through her Sacred Artifact. She’s exceeded her limit…” Shiro was the only one who seemed to be thinking clearly and I felt so glad he was here or else I wouldn’t understand what was happening to her.

  “Hey! If we close the App, then everything that happened in battle will go back to its original state, right?! Everyone, close your Apps! We’ve gotta do something before Maria…” Ryota got ready to close his App but was stopped by Maria who called out with a weak voice.

  “No, Ryota… You mustn’t close the App…” Maria grabs Ryota’s arm, her voice faint. “If you close the App now… If Shiro’s Sacred Artifact… disappears… We could be forced out of this underground graveyard… this site of collision… with another world… It may be Shiro’s Sacred Artifact… Not his existence itself that binds us to this place… Just like… a Transient… If the worst should happen… the gate to these collided worlds could disappear… We may never… be able to return… That cannot happen! Not under any circumstances… for Lord Arsalan… and for Gabriel… For all it costs to find these precious clues… We cannot just throw it all away!” Maria started to cough up some blood when she spoke too loudly. I wipe at the blood coming from her mouth, my hand shaking as I did it.

  “But… But, Maria!” Ryota protested what Maria was saying and he started to cry at the fact we couldn’t do anything to help her.

  “I can go on… no longer… I’ve overused the power of my Sacred Artifact… Please… forgive my selfish decision. There is no knowing what lies ahead… Now, I must heal you… and prepare you… for the unknown. Leave me! Keep… moving… forward!” Maria was trying to make us leave but I didn’t want to leave her here to die. What can I do to help her… I only have a sword, nothing that can heal anyone!

  “N-No! We can’t do that!” Ryota didn’t want to leave Maria either and the tears coming from his eyes kept increasing as he slowly realized that she may… die here.

  “When it’s all over, surely… I will be reborn… So… do not fret…” Maria said that with a weak smile on her face. I didn’t know if what she was saying was true or not so I looked over at Shiro for an answer, he would know!

  “What do you think, Shiro? Once the App closes… Will Maria truly be restored?” I looked at Shiro with pleading eyes but he only let out a sigh as he shook his head at me.

  “I don’t know. I really don’t know. It pains me to say, but this shows just how little we know about the App. Will the App function normally in a place that exists due to a collision with another world? For instance… What if the App crashed right now? Who’s to say she wouldn’t really die here? More importantly…” Shiro's words just made everything even harder and Maria’s life is slowly fading in front of my eyes. I want to look away but I can’t look away from this brutal reality.

  “Ryota… Hati… All of you… Please… Stay strong.” Vines emerge from Maria and extend towards everyone in the vicinity. They took all of my wounds, and all of my pain, all of my sufferings, and transferred it to Maria. Even though I wasn’t in pain anymore… I felt like there was a pain in my heart that wouldn’t go away and kept getting worse.

  “Maria… Why?! Don’t you suffer?! Aren’t you in pain?! Please…! Just stop! Aaaagh!” Ryota takes out his Sacred Artifact, pouring his hope into the Chalice. “Grant me this wish, my Sacred Artifact. Do whatever you must to save Maria!”

  The Sacred Artifact doesn’t respond. It doesn’t even shine. Ryota’s plea rings out in vain. 

  “Why…? Why?! Why does Maria always have to suffer like this?!” Ryota was angry and his fist was hitting the ground. I didn’t know what to do to help him… I didn’t know what to do at all… Shiro called out to Ryota but he didn’t know what to say either.

  “I just want my friends to smile. I want to have a good time, and laugh together…!” Ryota sobs as he realizes nothing could be done to help Maria. 

  “That’s right, baby! Laugh like crazy till you die! Feel it in the pit of your stomach! Delightful, eh? You crack me up!” Nyarlathotep's voice appeared next to me and I realized he was standing near Ryota, I quickly got my Sword and pointed it at him with a glare on my face.

  “You!” Shiro pointed at Nyarlathotep with a glare on his face as well. I slowly got up from where I was sitting close to Maria with my Sword still being pointed at him. “Nyarl… What are you doing here still? Read the mood!”

  “All life eventually perishes and decays, baby! We are but shooting stars. Specks of dust, y’know? So wouldn’t you rather do as you please and live irresponsibility, like me?! Who wouldn’t want to die laughing? So c’mon now, no more cryin’, my useless pierrots! Tears don’t suit clowns like you! Sure, some days can be rough! You wanna cry, right? Just cry your heart out on those days, my good-for-nothin’ human pets! But when the rainy days are over, the bright, sunny days of catastrophe will be waiting! You’ll see!” Nyarlathotep had two clones surrounding Ryota who was still crying but didn’t say anything to him. I didn’t like how close Nyarlathotep was close to him but I couldn't just attack him.

  “Now stand up and do you! Give her a funeral if you want, but make it snappy, baby! In time, your heart’ll heal and you’ll forget all about her! When that day comes, we’ll link arms and drink up, fam!” Nyarlathotep's words were cold even though he was saying it in such a cheery way.

  “Shut up, shut up, shut up! Just stop! Don’t talk about moving on like she’s already dead!” Ryota snapped at Nyarlathotep who didn’t seem to mind the fact he was getting glared at by Ryota now.

  “Oh my, but haven’t you already given up? I just wanna make you feel better! It’s not like I’ve got evil intentions or anything, baby!” Nyarlathotep let out a laugh and it felt rather creepy seeing a clone of him laughing along with him as well.

  “I haven’t given up, because it isn’t over yet! I… I… I won’t let that happen! Come, my Sacred Artifact! Answer me!” Ryota called out to his Sacred Artifact again and I saw a spark… the faintest, tiny glimmer of light. It seemed like it was coming from Ryota directly like it was answering his wish and who he was as a person.

  “Ryota, you…” I couldn’t understand the connection I just felt at the moment but Ryota looked at me with his usual smile back on his face.

  “Did you see that just now? For a moment… we connected. Will you hold my hand? I feel like I can do this with your support, Masato…”Ryota held his hand out to me and I put my hand into his warm one. Nyarlathotep didn’t say anything as he watched this happen. I let my Sword hang at my side as I went to stay closer to Ryota.

  “Here we go, my Sacred Artifact! Engrave mine name of Yakushimaru unto thee! Heed my plea! Ultimate Supper!” Ryota’s Sacred Artifact glows with a luminescence far brighter than it has ever emitted before. It is light born from Ryota’s deepest wish. His Rule pours into the Chalice in the form of pure light.

  “What’s going on? Maria’s wounds are healing with unbelievable speed!” I could hear Shiro's shocked voice as the light slowly went away from Ryota Sacred Artifact.

  “This light… It’s so gentle, like being wrapped in a warm blanket…” I could also hear Hati's voice and I could also understand where he was coming from. It felt like I was being hugged by a gentle force. The very power that gives birth to life itself flows forth from Ryota’s Chalice.

  “So this is the latent power hidden within Ryota’s Sacred Artifact,” Maria spoke up as well but her voice didn’t sound weird anymore more and like she was in a lot of pain. Ryota looked at her with wide eyes and called out her name. “Maria…”

  “Ryota, I…” Maria went to say something but was stopped by Ryota who continued to speak.

  “I don’t want anyone to dislike me… especially you, Maria. But let me say this. If you disappeared… I would be horribly sad. Gabriel would also be so, so sad. Please… don’t forget that, Maria.” I could feel Ryota's hand tighten around mine and I squeezed his hand back in a comforting way.

  “Ryota… I understand. I will remember those words. And… I extend my deepest gratitude for giving me the opportunity to correct my shortcomings. Thank you, Ryota..” Maria gave Ryota a gentle smile and the feeling in my heart went away, it felt light once again. But there was something else I needed to bring up…

  “Hey, Ryota… Should we stop holding hands now? I mean, I’m okay with it, but…” I could feel my face getting warm when I realized that Ryota didn’t seem to want to let go of my hand at the moment. It makes me think of some things that really aren't helping me calm down. My nose feels super itchy at the moment... 

  “Huh? Oh, s-sorry. Uh… W-Was I squeezing too hard?!” Ryota quickly let go of my hand and had a hard time looking me directly in the eyes. “Eh, uh, w-well! Moving on then! So glad you’re okay, Maria!”

  “That’s it?! We’re just going to forget everything that happened?!” Hati didn’t seem to like the fact Ryota was going to forget what happened a second ago and I felt a bit disappointed we weren’t going to talk about how long we were holding hands. It felt so… personal.

“Isn’t it best to let the past stay in the past? Even a great meal would taste terrible if you dragged it out for too long.” Ryota didn’t seem to care at how fast he was changing his emotions after the current situation and I couldn’t really get mad at him.

  “Ryota, that’s so very… you. Anyway, good work, my friend.” Shiro pat Ryota on the shoulder as he told Ryota this.

  “Hey, Shiro! Where’ve you been? How dare you miss my glorious performance?!” Ryota pointed out that Shiro disappeared for a while there and I also noticed that Nyarlathotep wasn’t here anymore as well.

  “I was chasing after Nyarlathotep… Once again, he disappeared into thin air without a trace.” Shiro let out an annoyed sigh and I couldn’t help but wonder how Nyarlathotep always managed to disappear without a trace like that.

  “Come to think of it, Nyarl did appear out of nowhere. What’s his deal? I kinda feel like it was his taunting that enabled me to use my Sacred Artifact in the first place.” Ryota tilted his head as he mentioned this and I kind of realized it did seem like Nyarlathotep was doing that with a goal in mind... 

  “I do not understand him. He wreaks havoc on our emotions, but his actions are so inconsistent… If it weren’t for him, I… don’t think I would have ended up like this, either.” Hati's expression wasn’t good as he mentioned Nyarlathotep and how he got like this because of his actions as well.

  “This is way too confusing. My head’s spinning just thinking about it! If only we could get an explanation from Nyarl himself!” Ryota grabbed at his head as he tried to understand what Nyarlathotep's whole deal was and I feel like he shouldn’t bother with that, Nyarlathotep is someone whose actions could only be understood by someone like him.

  “Let us set that aside for now. We have a mission to accomplish.” Maria didn’t seem too bothered with Nyarlathotep at all as she got focused on the reason why we were here in the first place.

  “You’re right. Let’s keep moving.” Shiro agreed with Maria and we continued on walking so that we could find the two people we came here for in the first place.

  From then on, things move surprisingly smoothly. The underground graveyard, which had seemed as though it continued endlessly into the very bowels of the earth, suddenly seemed to stop.

  “I will wait here, so…” Hati went to stay outside of the place where Gabriel was getting held and I couldn’t help but get annoyed with how he was acting still. We have passed this already.

  “What are you saying, Hati? Don’t be a sore loser. Come on, let’s go already.” I got behind him and started to push him forward. I kept increasing my force so he couldn’t avoid not moving at all.

  “Hey, stop pushing! I’m not emotionally prepared!” Hati struggled not to move anymore but I wasn’t going to let him avoid seeing Gabriel. He had to face his actions and accepted what will happen next.

  “Oh, Hati… You are very aware of who awaits you up ahead…” Maria softly said that as I continue to push Hati along the way, not allowing him to escape from my pushing at all.

  “Maria” Gabriel smiled happily once she saw Maria appear outside of her jail cell. Once the door was opened, Gabriel immediately hugged Maria who returned her hug as well.

  “Gabriel! Thank goodness you’re safe!” Maria hugged Gabriel with a smile on her face and this just caused Gabriel to increase how hard she was hugging Maria “I knew you’d come! You’re always there when I’m in need, Maria!” 

  “Ah, Gabriel, that hurts. Please don’t squeeze so much!” Even though Maria said that she didn’t go to push Gabriel off her and only laugh at the way Gabriel was acting.

  “Can’t stop! Too happy! I’m gonna hug my bestie hard and never let go of her again!” Gabriel rubs her face into Maria's neck as she lets out a pleased hum.

  “Very well… I am so relieved you’re okay, Gabriel. Gabriel, where is Lord Arsalan? Wasn’t he captured with you?” Maria noticed that Lord Arsalan wasn’t here with Gabriel and Gabriel started to frown at that.

  “Yeah, we were together at first… but I was moved to this dungeon by myself pretty quickly. Nyarl said that though he’s against gender discrimination, he thought that having a private space would be better for me.” Gabriel told Maria this and this caused her to nod her head in understanding.

  “Maybe Nyarl’s not such a bad guy after all,” Ryota said this, and I couldn’t help but disagree a little bit. Nyarlathotep may not be a bad guy but he isn’t a good guy either.

  “Maybe he’s actually pretty nyarly!” I couldn’t help but make that pun but quickly got embarrassed once I was given a look by everyone. I noticed from the corner of my eyes that Hati was trying to sneak away but I quickly grabbed his wrist and gave him a firm look.

  “Okay, then let’s search the other dungeons,” Shiro suggested that we check out the other place to find Lord Arsalan who was somewhere else.

  “Maria, would you mind staying with her? You must have lots to catch up on.” Ryota suggested that Maria stay here with Maria and we could search for Lord Arsalan ourselves.

  “Thank you for your consideration. I think I will stay here as you suggest and leave Lord Arsalan to you.” Maria nodded her head at Ryota with a gentle smile on her face.

  “You should rest too, Masato. Even though your physical injuries are gone, you must be pretty tired.” Shiro told me to wait as well and I didn’t know how I felt just allowing them to search by themselves. But I was still rather tired even though my wounds were healed…

  “Remember, even if your wounds are healed, the fatigue will still remain. All right, off we go!” Ryota waves before he leaves with Shiro. Hati was here with us as well, seeing as I wouldn’t allow him to get away from my sight, and he looked to be thinking deeply.

  “Maria, could I speak with Gabriel privately for a moment?” Hati spoke up finally and Gabriel looked shocked to learn that he wanted to speak to her privately. Gabriel went to hide behind Maria as she looked at Hati with a nervous expression.

  “Of course, Hati… It’s alright, Gabriel. I’m sure you both have many things to work out. It all begins with a conversation.” Maria gently pushed Gabriel from behind her and toward Hati. I went to stay next to Maria as we gave Hati some space to talk to Gabriel.

  “I appreciate it, Maria. Gabriel… please hear me out.” Hati takes three steps away from Gabriel, then bends one knee to the ground, and soon the other. “I am truly sorry. What I did was unbelievably foolish. I will never do such a thing again!” 

  “I know what I did is unforgivable, but still, I must ask… Please… Somehow… Forgive me! Gabriel, I promise that I will never touch or come close to you again! So… Please!” With both knees planted on the ground, Hati presses his forehead to the floor in apology.

  Gabriel turns to Maria, who stands beside Hati. Then, Maria nods and places a hand on Hati’s shoulder.

  “Hati, as your ally, I will see to it that you fulfill this promise. You have my word, Gabriel. Please give him your answer.” Maria looked toward Gabriel who no longer had a nervous look on her face.

  “Okay. Mr. Wolf… please stand up.” Gabriel motioned for Hati to get off his knees and Hati looked up at her in confusion. “Gabriel…?”

  “I will forgive you out of respect for my friendship with Maria. You must promise that you won’t betray her trust in you. There’s one more thing I would like to know. Do my songs… hurt you? Do you feel… like you never want to hear my songs again?” Gabriel looked at Hati with a nervous look on her face and she was messing around with her fingers.

  “Absolutely not! I still love your songs, Gabriel! Like your new single, Angel AI-DOLL! I love everything about it from the track, to the choreography, to your smile on the cover! If you would allow it, I’d like to continue listening to them… forever. I swear on this limited edition fan pin! I will never stop! This wolf could not go on living without his moon!” Hati went into his fanboy mood and I couldn’t help but smile at seeing him back to normal once again. His fanboy self…

  “I’m glad to hear that… That was my biggest concern. I was afraid my voice couldn’t reach you… It was such a scary feeling. If that were the case… I wouldn’t be able to fulfill the promise I made to my very best friend. So, Mr. Wolf… I hope you will continue to support me. But remember! You must never do anything like this again. If you break your promise, I’m afraid my bodyguards won’t hold back!” Gabriel had a pout on her face as she waved her finger in front of her and I couldn’t help but want to take a picture of this cute scene. Idols are so cute…

  “Yes… Yes! You can count on me, Gabriel!” Hati happily agreed to Gabriel's request with a wide smile on his face.

  “Maria… You overdid it again, didn’t you?” Gabriel looked over to Maria with a frown on her face but Maria just shook her head at Gabriel's disapproving look. “Not at all. I am perfectly fine, Gabriel.”

  “You’re lying! You totally did! You’re a terrible liar, Maria.” Gabriel puffs up her cheeks as she stomps her feet at Maria for lying to her. 

  “It only a little damage, Gabriel… I only had a minor scolding.” Maria scratched her cheek as she spoke about getting scolded by Ryota in a roundabout way.

  “Wait, who’d scold you, Maria?! I want names! Were you sad? Did you cry?” Gabriel got close to Maria as she cheek to see if her eyes were red from crying.

  “No, he was gentle. I was… very kindly reprimanded.” Maria told Gabriel this with a soft look in her eyes.

  “What does that even mean? You’re such a weirdo.” Gabriel puffs out her cheeks in protest, then lunges in to hug Maria again. Maria let out a surprised noise as she tried not to fall to the ground due to the sudden extra weight on her.

  “I’m always asking you not to push too hard… but you always do, Maria… You always do. You don’t listen to my requests. Not one bit. I can tell there’s someone else in your heart, Maria. Some secret person who is far more important to you than me. I’m super selfish, you know! I need you to think of me first, or else! Nnnnnggg… I tooooootally hate you, Maria!” Gabriel squeezes Maria in an even tiger embrace. Her face is hidden, but her expression is pretty obvious. Maria lightly pats Gabriel’s back a few times and returns the hug.

  “My apologies, Gabriel. Thank you for everything… Thank you.” Maria softly told Gabriel that as they continue to hug each other.

  “Oh… how wonderful! Is this… a new kind of light? I’m witnessing a world that is beyond me, but its glow still warms my heart…” The moment Hati spoke it felt like the mood was destroyed and I shot him a glare.

  “You’re killing the mood, Hati!” I put both my hands on his shoulder as I told him this with a dark expression on my face.

  “Yeaaaaarrrrgh!! Huh?! You scared me, Masato!” Hati put a hand on his chest as he tried to calm down his heartbeat and I couldn’t help but shake my head at the way he was acting.

  “I have been a burden on you, as well. I’ve hurt you… I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.” Hati lower his head towards me and I couldn’t help but smile at this.

  “Let’s go see a concert together again soon!” I grabbed Hati's hands as I told him this with a big smile on my face. I wasn’t mad at him at all, I was just worried about how my friend was and wanted to help him.

  “Thanks, chum… I’ll teach you all the audience moves and callbacks!” Hati squeezed my hand back as well and I let go of his hand. After this, I realized that Gabriel was standing behind me. 

  “You and Maria saved me. Thank you, Masato. I really owe you!” Gabriel gave me a cute smile and I could feel my face get hot right away.

  “Please invite me to another one of your concerts!” That was the only way I knew she could repay me. I really enjoyed hearing her singing and I wanted to hear it again!

  “Yes, definitely! Please come to the next one! Be sure to bring that muscle head Kengo along, too.” Gabriel had a pout on her face as she mentioned Kengo and I really thought about how Kengo really wouldn’t want to come to the concert with me…

  After a while, Ryota and Shiro came back from looking for Arsalan and it seemed like they found the place where he was.

  “Hey! Look what I found! It’s Arsalan! ...I think.” Ryota seemed a bit unsure as he told us this and I couldn’t help but wonder why. “You think?”

“Just come see. I need you to tell me if he’s the real deal.” Shiro motions for us to follow him to where they think Arsalan is.

  When we got to the place I saw a lion Transient chained up and only wearing a small cloth that was covering his lower half. He looked pretty rough but I could see that he was a pretty attractive-looking man. Nice looking muscles on him…

  “Lord Arsalan! You look absolutely disheveled! Are you all right?” Maria sounded really concerned as she looked over at the lion Transient who was Arsalan.

  “So it really is him. If you’d like to know how he is… listen very closely.” Shiro's expression looked a bit weird as he said this to Maria who had a confused look on her face. “Huh? Listen…? For what?”

  “Do you mean, like… listen for a heartbeat? Wouldn’t Mr. Wolf be best suited for that kind of thing?” Gabriel was also confused about what Shiro was talking about. Do we have to put our head on his firm-looking chest to listen for his heartbeat?

  “Rest assured, Arsalan is fine. You will understand in a moment.” Hati's expression was also weird as he said this and I really wanted to know what they were talking about but then I finally heard it. “Snoooooore! Haa…” 

  “He’s asleep?!” Maria, Gabriel, Ryota, and me all said this at the same time as we realized he was just sleeping and wasn’t badly hurt.

  “Hahahaha! Boy, you sure got me out of that pickle! My, I forgot how sweet freedom is.” Arsalan stretched out his limbs as he said this. He let out a yawn as he got rid of the sleep from his eyes.

  “...What’s with that outfit?!” I feel like he didn’t seem to mind the way he was dressed at all. He is really different from what I was expecting…

  “I lost my sword, my armor, and my shoes… but those are all easy to replace. Wahahahahaha!” Arsalan let out a laugh as he sat on the ground. I was trying very hard not to let my eyes look down at the cloth covering his lower half.

  “W-Well, Arsalan, we have retrieved your belongings. They’re over here. Also… Of course, we would like you to be comfortable, but please assume a more suitable appearance before heading outside.” Maria's cheeks looked a bit red as she told Arsalan this and she was looking directly at his face only.

  “Yes, yes. Pardon me, Maria. Hold on one second, would you? I’ll get changed right away…” Arsalan started to get undressed and my nose started to bleed right away. I had to look away from him as I pinch my nose so it would stop bleeding.

  “Oh, no, Lord Arsalan! Don’t get naked here! Please, change over there!” Gabriel covered her eyes as she pointed to a different area for Arsalan to get changed, out of sight of us.

  “L-Lord Arsalan! Over there! Please, go over there!” Maria also covers her eyes as she motion for him to change in a different area as well.

  “Yeah, yeah. Can’t catch a break with you lot.” Arsalan grumbled this as he went to change in a different area. I was still trying to stop my nose bleed after I almost saw Arsalan get naked in front of me.

 “I see. So you’re the young cub who saved Maria… and myself, as well.” Arsalan was finally wearing clothes, well he was wearing a cape and pants. I could still see that chest of his and for some reason… he seemed a bit oily?

  “My name is Arsalan. I fear I am in your debt, seeing as how you have rescued me from captivity. I will never forget this, cub.” He said this in a serious way but the way he was dressed and acted really made it hard to see him as someone who was serious…

  “Wow! You sound so regal, but you don’t look it at all.” Ryota said the thing I was thinking at the moment. He is really the person who is really respected in Maria guild… I wonder how that happened?

  “Excuse me… You are the fabled Arsalan, correct? It’s just that… there is such a gap between the legend… and the fact.” Shiro was a bit more polite in the way he told Arsalan his personality doesn't match his image.

  “Indeed, I am Arsalan, member of the Aoyama Guild, along with Maria and Gabriel here.” Arsalan got a serious look on his face but I still couldn’t forget how his personality is at all.

  “Even imprisonment couldn’t change you one bit, old Arsalan. Uh… I mean… S-Sorry… Uh…” Hati started to fumble with his words as he avoided eye contact with Arsalan.

  “Hey, Hati. So, you failed, eh? Lost the fight, did you? Wahaha!” Arsalan really didn’t hold back with his words and I felt a bit sorry for Hati since I knew he was trying to apologize to him. Hati got tears in his eyes as he had to deal with Arsalan's direct words. “That’s not the point! Don’t interrupt me while I’m trying to apologize!”

  “It’s quite common to get your nose busted up when you’re young. Don’t let it get to you. Wahahaha!” Arsalan didn’t seem bothered at all with what Hati did to him and I really felt shocked at how laid back he was.

  “I can’t believe he was a prisoner just moments ago…” I really couldn’t get over the fact this is the way Arsalan really acted and that he was such a chilled guy.

  “Well, if you live long enough, you’ll end up spending time in a dungeon now and then. You know what I mean? Personally, by the tenth time, I was pretty used to it, and after more than a hundred, I can’t bring myself to be bothered. Every prison has its own style and charm. This one, I’d rate at… 65 points.” I was kind of wondering if being in a dungeon was really an interesting experience if Arsalan was okay with being with them so many times.

  “I guess I wouldn’t mind experiencing captivity once or twice…” I couldn’t help but mumble that and I immediately felt a stare burning into my back. When I looked over my shoulder I could see Shiro giving me a disapproving look.

  “Wahaha! You should definitely try it! I like the way you think, cub.” Arsalan pats his strong hand on my shoulder and I kind of felt myself almost fall to the ground due to how strong his pat was.

  “This is just the kind of old man he is. He is always being careless and ending up in some dungeon. And every time, he suddenly pops up again like nothing ever happened.” Hati explained this to us and this felt like Arsalan just goes on a little trip then returns back to his regular life.

  “It’s practically a hobby at this point! A hobby!” Ryota couldn’t help but point that out after hearing what Hati told us.

  “Now I want to know what makes a perfect dungeon…” Shiro couldn’t help but be curious about what makes a perfect dungeon and I had to admit I wanted to know that as well.

  “Hey… are you not upset? I helped the guy that captured you…” Hati still looked guilty about what he did and Arsalan only frowned at that.

  “Ha! You regret your own roguish behavior, Hati? Your youth may render you naive, but I expected more grit from you. It is a thin line that separates enemy from ally. Life is always in constant flux, our thoughts and circumstances always shifting. If you let yourself get shaken up by every little incident, there’ll be no end to it. In time you’ll learn.” Arsalan waved off Hati's worries and forgave him rather easily. I thought it would be a bit more serious or something like that.

  “Well, now I feel silly for worrying about him.” I was worried that Arsalan was in danger but he is just relaxing in this place like it is his second home and he doesn’t care that people from his guild were the ones who put him here.

  “Well, I suppose this is what draws others to him. Somehow, I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.” Hati relaxed at Arsalan's words and seemed to accept that he was forgiven rather quickly.

  “Enough chit chat. Come, Maria. Didn’t you need me for something?” Arsalan got serious as he looked at Maria who nodded her head at him. “Indeed, Lord Arsalan. Outside our friend and ally battles against Lord Zabaniyya.”

  “I see. Well, Maria? What would you have me do? Shall I save our brethren or this ally of whom you speak of?” Arsalan asked Maria this, his expression still serious.

  “I pray you may save them both. Please try to neutralize the conflict.” Maria lowered her head toward Arsalan as she asked this of him.

 “Very well. Come on, then! Leave everything to old Arsalan!” Arsalan nodded his head and started to head out first. I look at everyone else before going to follow behind him.

  ‘I really hope Kengo is doing okay…’  I couldn’t help but worry about how Kengo was doing currently, he tends to be rather reckless with how he fights sometimes. Don't bother to think, only know how to act.


I am surprised I managed to get this chapter done for this week but it didn't take that long... I mean it didn't take until midnight. And I had to stop only because I needed to charge my laptop. I am just here to tell everyone that Maria is basically the best girl in this game. I just love her so much! Well, that is it for me now. I hope this chapter was enjoyable and that you are safe physically and mentally. Bye-bye for now and I hope to see you again (*●⁰ꈊ⁰●)ノ~☆

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