It’s already the day’s second bell but I couldn’t sleep at all. As I raised my upper body sluggishly and sat on the bed, I put the memory from last night in the folder ‘Never Forget’ and subfolder ‘Not To Be Opened Carelessly’ in my mental HDD. I don’t intend to forget the stupidity, no, the sin I committed so easily but always thinking about it would be a torture.

When I look back at the me from last night, I concluded that perhaps I had some feelings for Lavinia as well.

I wonder what happened after I just left her like that? Considering nothing like knights storming this room had happened until now means she didn’t do anything… or she might just be too emotionally unstable to do anything. If Eneas knew what happened to her then I’m sure he would be furious and ask for a duel, no, he might even try to kill me on the spot.

*Sigh

Moping lifelessly won’t change anything. I know that but the mixed feelings and the lack of sleep are chaining me to the bed, I simply don’t want to do anything. I also forgot about Azanthys and Mareritter but I don’t even have the motivation to do anything about them right now…

I heard the door being knocked lightly several times in a row but I didn’t move. I finally managed to force myself to stand and leave the bed after I heard the door being knocked quicker and louder with Liz’s worried voice calling my name from beyond.

I opened the door and saw Liz being relieved, which soon changed to a surprised look after she looked at my face.

“Morning, Liz.”

“Good morning… wait, what happened? Erik, your eyes are red.”

She held my hand that was holding the doorknob took it in front of her chest and she got closer.

“Ah, well… I just couldn’t sleep at all I feel like crap right now.”

“Eh, that’s bad… ah but we don’t have much time, the breakfast preparation almost finished and we have to prepare to return to Arx Norr. Martlea is also waiting over there… I know, you can sleep all you want on the coach.”

I looked to the direction of Liz and Martlea’s room to see Martlea talking with two maids, probably about the breakfast and our leave.

Breakfast eh… I could only hope that Lavinia won’t participate. Wait, it shouldn’t be another meal with the royalties anyway. If I remember it right we will eat in a different dining hall for guests use The only one who will attend from the other side should be the old man Delan since he will give Martlea the promised money after the breakfast. That’s good.

“Yeah, maybe I’ll do just that.”

I smiled and patted her head but there was no ‘fueee’. Instead, Liz was looking at me while furrowing her brows worriedly.

“Erik… did something happen yesterday?”

“Hm? Uhhh, nothing special…”

“… If Erik says so…”

She shook her head and continued.

“No, I mean… Erik spoke with the princess and then you said you couldn’t sleep. Moreover, Erik smiled but it felt so lonely.”

There it is, she’s sharp… well, anyone might be able to come to that conclusion looking at me right now.

“I, is it? Well it might be because my face is in a mess right now. I haven’t washed it.”

Liz kept her silence and worried expression to my answer.

“Erik…I told Erik this before but I’ll always be there for Erik so please talk to me when you feel like it. No… please tell me everything when Erik decides that it is okay to do so.”

I was speechless. I managed to force a nod but the next thing I did was something I couldn’t control. I pulled Liz’s hand that was holding mine then bending my body forward to match Liz’s height I hugged her.

“FUEEEE!? E, Erik?”

She flailed weakly but soon stopped to my words.

“Sorry Liz, let me stay like this for a bit. Also… thanks.”

She then returned my hug and said.

“Erik has done so much for me, so if I can be of help to Erik like this then I’m the one who is happy.”

Fortunately I pulled Liz so Martlea couldn’t see us. I don’t know if she heard Liz’s ‘fuee’ or not though.

After a minute or so has passed I released Liz. Her face was decorated with a bit of rosy tinge and a slightly embarrassed smile. This time I answered hers with an unshackled smile of my own.

“Thanks, Liz. I’m back to normal right now. Let me fix my face and tell Martlea I’ll be there soon.”

“Un.”

She gave me a cheerful nod and turned the other way around, going to where Martlea is.

***

Our business in the capital has been finished and we departed for Arx Norr. I couldn’t get Azanthys and Mareritter but I’ll just leave it for later.

The coach we’re on was moving steadily along the highway outside of the capital’s perimeter. Liz was sleeping while leaning onto me, she shouldn’t be lacking some sleep like me but I’m sure she is tired from everything that had happened. I was also sleeping until a moment ago though. I who just woke up was about to yawn when it was disrupted by a loud crashing sound followed by a tremor and the coach stopping abruptly. Liz also woke up while looking confused.

“What happened?”

Martlea who sat behind Karl, the driver, immediately turned around in his direction.

“I’m sorry, errr… two people just fell from the sky right in front of us and destroyed part of the road… They are glaring over here, what should I do?”

“Huh?”

That was the only thing leaked out from Martlea’s mouth in response to Karl who spoke with half confused half surprised tone.

There is no time to wear the armor plates so after grabbing my weapons I immediately jumped off the coach followed by Martlea to confirm what Karl just said. Perhaps because she is still sleepy, albeit slowly Liz also got off and stood next to me.

Amidst the gradually dissipating dustcloud the figures of a young male and female can be seen. The male whose irises and not so messy curly hair are black, wears a standard butler uniform comprised of black coat, darkish grey vest, white wing collar shirt, black trousers, complete with accessories like windup pocket watch and white gloves. The female instead has pale blue irises and bluish silver shoulder length layered hair. She is wearing a black and white maid uniform which is within my personal range of a cute frilly maid uniform. Viva maid uniforms with short skirt and thigh highs! Wait, this isn’t the time to make a calm observation. They are completely glaring at me menacingly ever since I got out of the coach.

Judging by the situation, I just readied my stance with the serrated sword in my right when suddenly the butler dashed and got right in front of me before I could even blink. His right hand formed a fist aiming for my solar plexus. I barely reacted by placing the serrated sword in between. Due to the lack of time I couldn’t parry and just blocked the blow, losing the chance to counter. Heck, the blow was strong enough to make me decide to jump backward to lessen the impact so it will not break the sword.

Martlea and Liz are both startled at the event but Martlea managed to respond.

“Anvis sa-“

She started chanting a wind magic but couldn’t finish it as the maid suddenly appeared before her, thrusting a short sword which seemed to be made of ice at her neck until the very tip made a slight indentation on the skin.

“Don’t… interfere.”

They are fast.

“Liz, don’t. It seems I’m their only target so just wait right there.”

I immediately stopped Liz who was also about to do something. It’ll be bad if the maid got to her as well.

“So, care to explain to me who you guys are?”

The butler loosened his battle stance and stood upright. With a foot touching the ground followed by the other as if she had just landed from a jump, gracefully, the maid who should have been near Martlea appeared next to him.

“How cruel of you to forget about us, is what I would like to say but I know that it is unreasonable for me to say that”

“Left… us.”

Huh? Do I know them? I don’t think so… and what does ‘left us’ mean?

“It seemed that many things had happened to you but for now…”

““Qual ver Locetas””

The two said something like magic spell, but I don’t recognize it. I should have memorized the basic vocabulary for all four elements and the non-elemental. The damn hero status didn’t help to translate ancient language after all.

Suddenly the world seemed to have stopped. Everything, even the wind came to a standstill while the surrounding was tinged with a slight darkness. The heck is this magic? The chant was so short but they don’t seem to be of demon race. I have never heard of time stopping magic either.

I don’t know why I was unaffected but maybe they just want to fight without disturbance? The butler then confirmed my thought.

“We have cut the connection with outside world. Whatever we do here won’t affect those on the other side so let us fight without holding back then.”

As the butler said that the two dashed with speed even faster than before, attacking me.

The butler whose fists are enveloped by black sparky electricity like thing reached me first. His attacks are all aimed at dangerous places like my chin, eyes, solar plexus again, etc., moreover they are even faster than the first one. This time I decided to get serious as well so I managed to evade all of them. Sometimes he changed his fist into palm or finger thrust to get me by surprise but I managed to react to them. I don’t know what will happen to me if the black electricity hit me directly.

Suddenly I felt a chill. I could feel a literally chilling sensation on my back.

When I looked at the source, about ten meters away I see the maid with one hand raised forward surrounded by cold aura and five or six huge mist exuding ice stakes, each with size of a small car. Wait, what? The butler got black electricity and the maid ice? Those magic aren’t in modern magic knowledge at the very least and they’re doing it chantless. Who the heck are they?

Right as she launched the ice stakes, the butler jumped backward after kicking me in the stomach which I blocked with my sword. Thanks to that I lost the timing to evade the ice stakes.

I remembered something and decided to try it out right now. I stabbed the serrated sword to the ground and unsheathe my wyvern fang daggers. I poured as much mana as I could given the short timing to the daggers and slash at the ice stakes. I was surprised by the result. One of it produces a strong forward bursting flame as if an extension of my slash which melted a bit of the ice while the other one sends out a wind blade in similar fashion which cleaved the ice stake halfway through, forming cracks on the ice and thus made it easier to crush them. The flame and wind are barely as strong as mid-level advanced class magic which I can’t use and the range seems to be relatively short. I only crushed three of the ice stakes and dodged the rest, letting them be planted in the ground

That weapon shop old man could make something like this? This isn’t enough to be counted as magic tools but the basic crafting process might be similar.

“Muu, those weapons, jealous!”

I don’t understand why the maid said such with sulky face but I don’t have time to think about it anyway. The butler resumed his attack on me.

I don’t like staying on defense so as I evaded his left straight I who now holds daggers suited for close range combat started my counterattack. I thrust at his unguarded left chest with my right and as if inertia had no effect on him, he evaded it by amazingly twisting his body against the thrust while tilting his back to my left, as I had anticipated. In a reverse grip, with my left hand I swung the dagger at his lower back. The maid who somehow already on the opposite side from where she was, now behind the butler, blocked the dagger with her ice sword.

Although the ice sword broke into pieces the butler managed to slip away from me and jumped to the maid’s side.

The maid produces another ice sword out of nothing and holds it without stance.

“You have gotten far stronger than before. I am convinced now. Then, for the last one…”

The two hunched over and shouted, no, roared.

“GRAAAAAAAHHH”

“KUUUUUUAAAHH”

From their back, wings sprouted. Following that I could also see something like tails also came out. They aren’t connected directly to their body but are floating.

The butler’s wings and tail seemed immaterial, the black wings are made of black electricity, or lightning being compressed into something like that famous robot’s wings in burst mode. His black lightning like tail keeps moving as if agitated. The electricity enveloping his fist also became stronger.

The maid’s wings on the other side are made completely of crystal clear ice. Her wings which fashioned to look like a bird or perhaps angel wings have ice crystals in place of feathers they’re beautiful. Her tail which is significantly longer than that of the butler is also made of ice crystals in segments.

When they faced forward, I could see that their pupils had changed form into vertical slits which reminded me to that of cats’ or in this world, wyverns’ and dragons’.

Okay, I guess the real thing is now… I made a stance with both daggers in reverse grip, right arm about 30º straight downward and left arm close to my chest. Legs open with right in front and left bent a little. It’s my self-taught stance which general Razak helped in perfecting. I barely uses this stance lately since I only fought weak demon beasts in the tower but it’s different now.

Gliding above the ground in low altitude and high speed to approach me the two attacked together. The butler still uses his fists and the maid her sword. They barraged me with rapid attacks in succession. I parried each of them with my daggers but I could feel that the weight on their attacks is far stronger than before, what with those fists that don’t even get any scratch from my daggers? Although I’m not getting zapped by the black electricity, my daggers seemed like it is getting corroded little by little. The maid’s sword also don’t break even when she block my attack intended to break it.

I occasionally use mana infused slashes at them but they would either evade it or block with their wings. They would also escape by flying to high altitude when it gets dangerous for them while the maids launches her ice stakes with size and number exceeding the previous one when she do so.

As I dodged the maid’s attack by running sideways I passed the coach and several ice stakes, or rather, boulders pierced the ground surrounding the coach.

“fueeee!?”

Huh? I thought I hear a faint but familiar voice. I don’t have the time to bother with it now so I dismissed it. Although they said the connection with outside world has been severed, I don’t know how far I can trust them. Let’s avoid fighting near the coach.

The fight had been continuing for who knows how long but the two don’t show any hint of exhaustion. Although the same can be said for myself this won’t end well for me if I don’t fight with the intention to kill…

I released my killing intent in full strength and the two, seemingly surprised, stopped in their tracks.

“Such bloodlust! It is as if you had stopped being human. I couldn’t imagine the previous you being capable of this.”

“Scary… but sad and lonely.”

They said things as if they know me. Tch, I’ll try not to kill them and get them to tell me later.

As I reduce the amount of my killing intent the two resumed their attacks. I’ll go for the butler first and dashed at him. Putting my full strength into my parrying and counterattacks, the butler’s hands now got several cuts, some are deep enough and one almost cut his artery. Shocked, he pulled back, or rather tried to escape by flying upward but I won’t let it. I dropped my daggers and grabbed his arm, pulling him closer and punched his face with my free hand.

“Guhhagh”

With my fist still on his face and another hand still gripping his arm I brought him down forcefully and send several punches on his face as he lays on the ground. Blood started to stain my hands. All of that happened in just several of seconds.

I sense the maid coming from behind me so I jumped and avoided her stabbing attack with a somersault. I landed next to the serrated sword and pulled it. I threw the sword at the maid’s back right when she stopped to make a turn at me. She barely managed to deflect the serrated sword with her own sword but with a “Kyah” she lost her stance. I won’t miss such chance and dashed at her. I grabbed her neck and slam her to a huge rock which happened to be nearby. I feel kind of reluctant on giving her the same treatment as the butler so with a restrained gripping force I kept her pinned to the rock and was about to threaten her to speak with my free hand raised and made into a fist but she stopped resisting at all and with a flushed face looking sideways she muttered a “Please… be gentle…” embarrassedly.

That one really threw me off. I involuntarily dropped my jaw.

*Clap clap clap*

When I heard clapping sound from behind, I turned to find the butler with his face messed up. I know I was the one who did it but the butler who stood upright dignified while his face is like that looked kind of ridiculous.

“As expected of you, it is our defeat. I humbly ask you to let go of my sister.”

He bowed at me at a perfect 90º. I don’t know how the butler’s speech doesn’t get distorted with his mouth swelling though.

Since I don’t sense any will to fight any more from them I released the maid who then kneeled in front of me. The butler who got close also kneeled next to her.

“I pledge my undying loyalty and my whole being to Erik Reynaldi Pratama to renew the half severed contract. I wish for a full contract in place of a temporary contract to prevent similar things from happening. My name is Mareritter.”

“Azanthys, I pledge my loyalty, my heart, my everything to my master, Erik Reynaldi Pratama. I wish for a full contract.”

Eh, what?

Eh?

“Eeeeeeehhhhhh?!”

***

So the three of us talked about things and I found out that they destroyed Rifst castle treasury’s door to get here because they sensed my presence getting further away. The maid, Azanthys was looking especially sulky saying

“Called to master… but not respond… I thought… master… not need us… anymore.”

“I told you that something must have happened so master could not get to us.”

“Mareritter… worried… too.”

“Ah, well… I was but just a little.

So the voice at that time was Azanthys’. Of course I won’t tell them that the reason was me getting too unmotivated to do anything. I’m also worried about the state of things in Rifst but I can’t do anything about that.

As for the contract, it seems the temporary contract was made when I first held them and they told me their name directly into my mind. As I need a huge mana capacity to have full contract it wasn’t possible at the time. As for why it was half severed, it seems to be the effect of the annihilation spell. I feel kind of glad that they didn’t forget me though.

“Come to think of it, why are you two in human form?”

“As she had judged that master will be able to supply the necessary mana for us to maintain this form, Mother has released our limiter. Currently we are using the remaining mana we had stored bit by bit from the long time we have spent with master before. We will be able to keep this form for roughly 2 more days without resupplying.”

Mareritter was surrounded by the reddish black plasma like aura and when it dissipated there is Mareritter as I knew of floating midair, the jet black oversized katar like weapon with a long side blade attached.

Then he returned to human form in similar fashion.

“Mother also said… master will come… so… want master to see this form.”

So Praesia can communicate with them eh… or rather, Azanthys’ way of speaking has been bothering me for a while but let’s forget it for now.

“Anyway, return the surrounding to normal… I’ll just give some random excuse to the others about you guys.”

I walked toward the coach, followed by the two behind me but they stopped after only several steps.

“Master, please allow me to apologize for forgetting such an important matter. We have certainly said our oath to master but we have not sealed the contract between us yet.”

“Very… important.”

I turned around to face the two while half closing my eyes. Frankly speaking I’m too tired, especially mentally, to do anything troublesome after all the recent events.

“Ah, yeah… do it quickly then. So, what should I… gmmph!?”

Before I could finish my sentence, Azanthys already pressed her lips on mine. I was too surprised to react. I couldn’t do anything as a bluish magic circle appears on the ground below us. Come to think of it, this is my first… wait, not that! I have to push her away.

“NOOOOO!”

But it wasn’t me who pushed Azanthys away. The shouting Liz forcefully separated the two of us then stood with her back facing me and both arms spread as if she is shielding me.

“Contract… complete, I am… forever master’s.”

Licking her lips Azanthys puts a hand on them posing as if she just had a delicious meal. That’s kind of stimulating oy! No, not that. Why is Liz… moving?

Different with Azanthys who has a blissful expression, behind her Mareritter showed a clear bewilderment.

“You… how? Why are you moving in our personal space? No, perhaps we carelessly included you in our magic… yes, it must be so.”

Mareritter convinced himself but he still has the troubled look. I don’t understand about this personal space magic so I don’t have anything to say.

I just remembered about the familiar voice I heard during the fight, was it Liz’s? Then that means Liz saw the whole fight? Did she also listen to our conversation? I don’t think I said anything that would hint about my past as a hero. I also fought mostly at a considerable distance from the coach though so I should still be safe, I hope.

Perhaps judging that Azanthys wouldn’t do anything else, Liz lowered her arms and turned to look at me… with teary eyes.

“Erik! Who is this woman!?”

Whoa, Liz is speaking in a strong and harsh tone. This is a first but please stop that, you’re making it sounds like I’m a husband who was caught cheating. Now, how should I respond…

“Well, they are old acquaintances from when I was in Rifsten.”

“Why would acquaintances fought like that? And Erik just k, k, ki… kissed with this woman”

It’s not ‘kissed with’ but ‘was kissed by’. I couldn’t say it to the seemingly angry Liz who is looking up at me while grabbing my shirt by the chest with one hand and pointed at Azanthys with the other.

“Ah…it was just a ritual of blessing common in her hometown. You saw a magic circle appeared right?”

“Uuuuu, but that was still a k, kiss…”

So you won’t ask any further about the fight, Liz?

“It is not… just ritual, I really…”

Mareritter stopped Azanthys by placing a hand on her mouth.

“Young lady, that was indeed a ritual. In fact I am also about to perform a similar ritual with master.”

Nice assist Mareritter… eh, wait… that means…

“Hurgh!”

I reflexively put a defensive stance with both hand shielding my mouth. No BL pleaseeeee!

“Please don’t worry, the ritual only need us to mix our body fluid, even sweat will do although I would prefer something else. And by the way, right now there is my blood on master’s hand.”

Ah, I see… Now that’s a relief. Using my dagger I then pricked at my finger. My blood flowed onto the stain that is Mareritter’s half dried blood on my hand.

“Is this good?”

Just as I said that a reddish black magic circle appeared under me and Mareritter separately, probably because of our distance.

“Yes, it is complete now.”

Whoa, his face just returned to normal.

***

After that the two dispelled their magic. The magic effect disappeared along with the trace of our battle, the ice boulders are gone and craters or rubbles returned to their previous state. Even my daggers corrosion disappeared as well but then Mareritter explained that the daggers weren’t put in the outside world during the battle and it was because the corrosion just naturally wore off. Is it like bad status effects in games?

Martlea and Karl looked to be dumbfounded. She said she thought a fight would start but before she knows it everything turned into darkness for a second and then she found that I was just talking normally with the two plus Liz.

I then told some made up story that the two are from a warrior clan from faraway country, and how the three of us fought once before and by rule of their clan the victor, me, became their master thus the way of calling. The dangerous act they did when they first get here was kind of their special greeting after long time no see… or something like that.

I expected Martlea to not believe my nonsense but surprisingly both she and Karl just nodded absentmindedly to my explanation. The culprit was Mareritter. He used something akin to hypnotism which was the strange gestures he was performing from behind my back as I was explaining. Nice! Or rather, that was a dangerous skill you got there!

As for Liz who saw everything, I thought she was getting along with my story since she previously asked me to tell everything later which I will do while concealing things that I don’t want her to know. But when I looked at her, she was glaring menacingly at Azanthys who in turn looked back at Liz expressionlessly. I could see sparks, what is going on here? Ah, Mareritter was the one who added the blackish spark while smiling. This guy look cool and dignified but his personality might be questionable.

Thus the night of the trip's second day was spent with me telling Liz about how I got Azanthys and Mareritter when Martlea wasn’t around. Since I might need the two to transform into their weapon form in the future, I just know it and Liz might have seen Mareritter transforming anyway, I told Liz that I was exploring some ruins of old civilization when I found them. Of course I didn’t say that it was Orum Arx. I left them in someone’s care but they finally decided to come for me.

I don’t know if she really paid any attention to my story since after I finished she kept asking about my relationship with Azanthys which the person in question herself answered “I am… master’s servant”. Liz rebuked with “Then what’s with that k… kiss!?” Azanthys answered with “My heart is… master’s” which just made the situation worse. I chose to not be involved but Liz barraged me with more questions, still about me and Azanthys. I pretended to not notice Mareritter staring at the starry sky muttering “I was left out…” softly.

Why is Liz so persistent about the kiss anyway… well, that was a nice one… *ahem*. It is almost like Liz is jealous. No, I shouldn’t think like that, one incident like with Lavinia is more than enough. Besides, I don’t deserve such feelings from her. I killed her father. Perhaps it was like when a little sister that is too attached to her brother just found out that the brother got a girlfriend… yeah, it must be like that.

The remaining days of the trip were basically uneventful and we finally reached Arx Norr.