[Keeno POV]

After Sigurd beheaded the pig angel, he called in one of his people to go and raise the flag of the rebellion over the city. When the person ran off to carry out those orders, Emma stepped into the room.  When I saw her, there was a different air about her that made me smile.

 

“Hehe.” (Keeno)

 

“My Lady, it paints a very disappointing picture seeing you laugh over a corpse.” (Emma)

 

“I have no way to refute that, but that isn’t important right now.  Emma, how many people did you kill today?” (Keeno)

 

“I don’t know. It’s not like I keep track of the number of people that die when I kill or push them downstairs.” (Emma)

 

“Fair point, anyway, get over here, one knee.” (Keeno)

 

Emma looked at me with a confused expression but did as I said.  She stopped a step before me and knelt down on one knee.

 

“Emma, you have reached have slain countless foes, enough for the Goddess of Death to take notice.  Hence, I, as the Goddess of Death, offer you the position of Valkyrie.  Should you accept, you will receive the benefits of an Apostle.  Do you accept coming into my service for all eternity?” (Keeno)

 

“I shall serve as a Valkyrie from now unto eternity, my Lady.” (Emma)

 

“Then I, Keeno Okami, give you the Family Name Okami and anoint you as a Valkyrie.  Rise now, Emma Okami, and fight by my side to ensure those who’ve died pass on in peace.” (Keeno)

 

I felt a heat from my chest flow down my arm and accumulate in my hand before it flew over to Emma and surrounded her.  Her body then became shrouded in a dark aura before receding a moment later.  What Sigurd and I saw after the aura disappeared shocked us.  Unlike Red, Emma’s entire appearance changed.

 

Her once short brown hair had grown to around the same length as mine and turned white with a few streaks of red.  Her skin had turned a slight bit paler, and her figure became a bit leaner.  Her eyes changed from their jade green to an incandescent sky blue.  Her Soul Weapon beside her had changed form to a great sword that was about half her body size. She also gave off a similar feeling to the one I felt when I met Fafnir, almost like she’d become a spirit.

 

{Close, Keeno.  She’s a half-spirit now.}

 

“Who?” (Emma)

 

{Oh right, you can hear me now.  I’m Amaterasu, Keeno’s wife.}

 

“Oh…OH!  It’s nice to meet(?) you!” (Emma)

 

{The pleasure is mine.  Oh, and before I forget, thank you for taking care of Keeno when she was little, even if it was only for a small amount of time.}

 

“It was nothing…um…what should I call you?” (Emma)

 

{Just Amaterasu, or Rasu, as one of Keeno’s Valkyries, you have that much of a privilege, though seeing as it is probably not something you feel comfortable with, you can call me what you call Keeno.}

 

“Then, Lady Rasu, it was nothing, though it was a bit rocky at the very start, I’m glad to have met my Lady, and am proud to serve under her forever.” (Emma)

 

{Very good.  Now, you should finish up anything in here before moving on.  You can probably find some good stuff in that pig’s treasury.}

 

“True, but first, we need to deal with this.” (Keeno)

 

The soul of the pig was still floating around near its meat suit, dripping with corruption the entire time.

 

“I’ve been meaning to ask what that disgusting thing was when it just appeared a moment ago.” (Emma)

 

“That is the soul of that pig right there.  It’s one that is super corrupt and needs immediate purification.  And speaking of that.” (Keeno)

 

I swung one of my blades through the soul and the muddy corruption dripping from it started to burn away until all that was left was a grey glowing orb that vanished shortly after.

 

“Is that what happens every time you kill something?” (Emma)

 

“Pretty much, though normally the souls don’t float out like that, it did this time since I wasn’t the one that struck the final blow.” (Keeno)

 

“Did I do something wrong?” (Sigurd)

 

“No, you’re fine, but we should move on.  Sigurd, you should go do your general thing, Emma and I are going to move through this place and find anything that could prove useful to the cause.  If you see Pram, let her know that she’s free to heal as much as she pleases.” (Keeno)

 

“Yes, my Lady.” (Sigurd)

 

“Hehe.  It feels more like you are the general than he is.” (Emma)

 

“I’ve been feeling the same. And while I am grateful to those two for the blessing of war, it’s also weird having all this knowledge I never actually learned in my head. At this point, it feels like if I take charge anymore, I’ll end up staying here a lot longer after getting stuck with a title and responsibilities I don’t want.” (Keeno)

 

{And you would still fulfill those responsibilities if you had them.}

 

“Well, I would until I could push it off onto someone else more fitting. I’m NOT going to run this country or take any other form of leadership. So, until Freyr is king, I’m no longer taking over Sigurd’s role.” (Keeno)

 

“What do you mean making Freyr king?” (Emma)

 

“I don’t trust that, Prince. His soul is just like that pig’s. And something that pig said is stuck in my head. Of course, I could just be overthinking it, but what if this whole rebellion was just a game to them for the purpose of deciding the next ruler?” (Keeno)

 

“I don’t know, my Lady. Thinking in that way is way above my station.” (Emma)

 

{Same problem, but it’s actually the opposite, it’s under your station. As one of Keeno’s Valkyries, you are one of the most important beings in the world.}

 

“…Oh.” (Emma)

 

{For now, though, you won’t have much to-curious.}

 

“Something wrong, Ama?” (Keeno)

 

{A small piece of my place is changing, and I’m not causing it…Hmm.  I’ll be back, you two keep doing what you’re doing.}

 

We continued to look for the treasury in the manner when we came upon an extremely gaudy door full of gold and silver trimmings and made of an extremely pretty black wood that was ruined by the before mentioned additions.  Emma and I turned to each other and nodded before we both pushed the door open.

 

The room was dark and smelled of a mix of extremely strong perfume and the stink of unwashed people.  There was also a small shriek. I conjured a small ball of fire to light the room, tinting it in blue.  Barely hiding behind a table piled high with things ranging from jewelry to vials of liquid was a cat girl wearing nothing but a leather collar. She was desperately trying to cover herself, make herself as small as possible, and generally project an aura of invisibility.

 

“Little cat, we’re not here to hurt you, that pig is dead.  Emma, find her some clothes.” (Keeno)

 

Emma looked around before seeing a pile of clothes that obviously belonged to the girl. She moved over and picked them up before slowly approaching the girl. She was shivering and still had the terrified aura from when we first entered the room.

 

“Little one, what’s your name?” (Keeno)

 

“O-Ortlinde.” (Ortlinde)

 

“Then, Ortlinde, you really are safe.  That pig is dead and will never hurt you, I made sure of that.  Please, let my friend here help you.” (Keeno)

 

“H-his Corpulence, Greatest of his Name, the Baron is dead?” (Ortlinde)

 

“Did it make you call it that?” (Keeno)

 

She didn’t say anything, but the increased trembling and small nods were all the confirmation I needed. Emma proceeded to dress the girl and once she stepped away, the girl finally fully believed she was safe. She fell back to her knees sobbing. Emma and I looked at each other and came to a silent agreement to comfort this girl. We knelt next to her, and I wrapped one of my tails around her while Emm wrapped her in her arms and patted her head.  After a while, she finally calmed down and fell asleep.

 

“Emma, keep watching over her, I’m going to keep looking around.” (Keeno)

 

“Yes, my Lady.” (Emma)

 

Looking around the room, there were several bookshelves. Seeming like the most obvious thing to do, I started pulling every book off the shelves until the cliché played out. Pulling on a book with a long, overly detailed and obnoxious title that gave away the entire plot, a click sounded, and the bookshelf slid into the wall and behind another shelf.

 

“No matter the world, some things are always the same. Hidden bookshelf doors are too easy to find.” (Keeno)

 

I walked into the room to see it was full of gold and other things that looked obnoxiously opulent. Swords, shields, suits of armor made of gold and adorned with ornaments that made them far from battle worthy. Paintings of the manor’s previous owner, all nude which I promptly burned. Several chests overflowing with coins.  All typical of what I figured would be in here. I was just about to leave when I saw something that stirred something in me. Like seeing it was a slight to a pride I didn’t know I had.

 

On the wall next to the door was a relatively small item about the size of one of my hands. It was an almost glowing gold, ruined by a carved and painted crest of what I assumed to be this baron’s family. When I touched the object, it flew brighter and the painted bits burnt away, though the carving, unfortunately, remained.

 

“…It’s a dragon scale…They turned Fafnir into petty trinkets that decorate their walls!” (Keeno)

 

The heat in the room increases rapidly, causing several things to start burning.

 

{Keeno?  What’s wrong?}

 

“They turned Fafnir into ornaments!  Nothing useful, decoration!  It’s an insult!  They’ll all burn for this!” (Keeno)

 

{Clam down, Keeno. Don’t let the dragon pride control you, you’re stronger than it.}

 

Suppressing my irritation, I took a few deep breaths until I calmed down.

 

“I hope that doesn’t become a problem any time I meet anything dragon related. It’s worse than that annoyingly persistent grudge.” (Keeno)

 

{You can manage it; I believe in you.}

 

“Thanks, Ama.” (Keeno)

 

I put the scale away into my ring before leaving the treasury making a mental note to talk to Freyr.

 

“My Lady, what was that about?” (Emma)

 

“I found something irritating.  Can you carry her?” (Keeno)

 

“Easily. After becoming a Valkyrie, I feel so much stronger now that it’s mind blowing.” (Emma)

 

Emma gently lifted Ortlinde and we walked to the door.  After making our way downstairs we ran into Sigurd again.

 

“My Lady, your friend Pram didn’t need telling about the healing, she was already doing so when I found her.” (Sigurd)

 

“Figured as much.” (Keeno)

 

“Who is this young lady?” (Sigurd)

 

“Someone who is coming with me for a while. Were there any other servants in the manor?” (Keeno)

 

“I’m waiting for that report as well, though from what I can see, they’ve all probably fled when word got out that we were in the city.” (Sigurd)

 

“So, they just abandoned her…*sigh*” (Keeno)

 

“Hmm…My Lady, I have an idea, but it will have to wait for this little one to wake up, and for the four of us to be completely alone.” (Emma)

 

I nodded to Emma, and we went back to waiting for the report. It didn’t take much longer and all it really did was confirm Sigurd’s theory.

 

“Oh, Sigurd, you’ve taken several cities like this one, right?” (Keeno)

 

“Yes?” (Sigurd)

 

“Have you personally gone through the treasuries?” (Keeno)

 

“Several times, yes, but not every time.” (Sigurd)

 

I pulled the dragon scale out of my ring.

 

“Have you found any more of these, with family crests painted on them?” (Keeno)

 

“Yes, those are the proof of nobility.  We were ordered by the Prince to take those and give them to him when we found one.” (Sigurd)

 

My temper flared again, but I managed to keep it from affecting anything this time.

 

“Looks like I REALLY need to have a conversation with Freyr.  But that aside, what’s next?  Do we continue to push to the capital, or do we return to base?” (Keeno)

 

“We return.  I suspect we’ll be told what’s next in the next debriefing.  We’re close to the end, and it’s, in my opinion, best to push the rest of the way, but I’ll leave that decision to someone more experienced in warfare than me.  But I’m going to station the ones that are to watch over this city and then we rest before going back to base.  I’ve told your two companions to come here when they finish their tasks.” (Sigurd)

 

I nodded then brought one of my tails forward.

 

“Muninn, go find Prama and Freya.  Watch over them just in case.” (Keeno)

 

Muninn emerged from my tail and ruffled its feathers in acknowledgement before flapping over to Sigurd’s shoulder as he was leaving the building.

 

“Pretty bird.” (Ortlinde)

 

“You’re awake again?” (Keeno)

 

“Yes, my lady.  I-I apologize for my rude, unseemly behavior from earlier.” (Ortlinde)

 

“It’s fine, though there are some things I’d like to talk about with you.  And you don’t need to address me that way, just call me Okami.” (Keeno)

 

Emma placed Ortlinde down and, though hesitantly, she nodded her head.  We moved to a room close to the main foyer and sat down to start our discussion.  Though before it really started, Ama spoke to me.

 

{Once you three are done, I figured out what was going on here, I’ll let you know then.}

 

I nodded before looking at Ortlinde.

 

“Now then, let’s get started.” (Keeno)

 

Chaos Realm:

Luna: …

Tamamo: Luna?  What are you thinking up over there?

Luna: Hey, Payto, does Amaterasu have an order of Paladins that follow her?

She has a big following, especially in Odeen and Lokir, and they both have orders of knights that call themselves paladins, but they aren’t true Paladins.

Luna: So, she hasn’t blessed any of them?

Nope.

Tamamo: I think I see where you’re going with this now.

Luna: Can Keeno bless people yet?

No, though she should be able to give minor blessings when she takes Falheim’s Dead Zone, I think.

Luna: We need to get Keeno and Amaterasu here; I want to talk with them and give them an idea.  Can you make that happen?

Give me some time.

Tamamo: You really want this whole Paladin thing to happen, don’t you.

Luna: Of course.  I think it will be a good idea, and if it works out, an order of Paladins can really help out Keeno’s Valkyries keep the peace, so to speak.

Now, will they be Paladins of the Sun, or Death Paladins?

Luna: The Sun, Life, and Death.

And here I thought I was the one who looks at the bigger picture.

Luna: You are, I just have a different perspective.

True.