《Legacy of the Resourceful Hero》Chapter Two: Parasitic Conundrum
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All the rain had put out the fires, and following the defeat of the monsters, everything was much more peaceful.
Cereo returned to the princess, and placed Nelmin's head onto the ground in front of her. "The leader of these foul monstrosity's has been defeated. He claimed himself to be the 4th commander of the demonic onslaught, leading me to believe that there will be more attacks where that came from."
Myosis couldn't believe her eyes, neither could Sendal, who stepped forward from behind her to look at the evidence.
"Impossible. That gear is made of-.." the princess began.
Sendal stepped in. "Magnificent work hero! The one who entrusted us with that cube certainly wasn't bluffing when he told our dear princess of its abilities."
"You are indeed correct." Cereo sheathed his blade. "There are hundreds of heroes tailored to specific situations held within the confines of that cube. I was just lucky enough to be the one selected."
"Ah, I see. That's interesting information on the cube, thank you for sharing." For a moment, Sendal thought to himself, before saying, "I believe you discussed the topic of rewards with us? Yes? Well, while we don't have any prepared at this moment in time, I'm sure the princess would be delighted to have you at the castle for a meal with her and the king. Isn't that right, Myosis?"
Accepting the fact that the hero won under these circumstances, attaining victory in a matter of minutes that is, Myosis quickly agreed. "Why yes, of course. If it weren't for his bravery, I wouldn't be able to have a meal tonight at all."
"Hah!" Cereo gestured with a thumbs up. "That sounds like a magnificent idea my muscular friend. It is decided then. I will feast alongside the princess and her father, before proceeding to bathe and slumber within their awe inspiring castle. Whichever way it is, I will follow."
The group of three traveled back to the main castle of Sabarum. The king, who's elderly age understandably kept him from assisting with the battle, greeted them all from inside the throne room. "Though we suffered massive amounts of damage, the kingdom is still standing, and my daughter is alive. To me, that is what's important above all else." he looked over at Cereo. "I see that we have a new face, whom might this be? He seems to own some high level gear that even the likes of myself has never seen before."
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"This is Cereo, father." Myosis informed him. "He's a hero that we summoned from the cube given to me by the dragon slayer."
"The cube.. I see." The King continued. "He must have played a big role in our kingdom's protection."
"Yes, he did indeed. Without him... I'm afraid I would have failed, and Sabarum would have been completely wiped out. I-I'm sorry.." the eyes of Myosis began to water, but before she could cry, Cereo placed a hand upon her shoulder.
"Without the princess, my summoning would have never occurred in the first place. She is not only the one who felt the time was right to bring me out, but she also acquired the cube. I'm unaware of how she did so, but nevertheless, she's as responsible for the safety of Sabarum as I am."
Sendal smiled. "The hero is right, Myosis acquired an item that saved us all. She was far from a failure."
Princess Myosis glanced at both Cereo and Sendal.
"As expected from my daughter." The King responded. "In any case, now that the battle is over, I believe you all could use some well deserved rest."
Nodding, Cereo agreed. "Though I was encaged inside that cube for an unspeakable number of years, I agree that a moment of relaxation would be ideal."
"King Myosis." Sendal began. "We discussed the possibility of treating the hero to a feast for his deeds. If it's not to much trouble, would you be so kind as to assist us with that?"
"Very well, I don't see why not. I will prepare a grande meal at once!"
That was the king's final statement, as Princess Myosis killed him with a dagger to the neck a moment later.
Cereo was taken aback. "Err-.. uh, is there a reason why you just offed your own father?"
"That was.. not my father." she said. "It was a parasitic abomination that we had suspected took over his body for weeks. The King would have scolded me for gaining assistance from a hero, and not doing things myself. Accepting our request for a feast was just the nail in the coffin.."
"Hm.." Cereo stared at her. "You don't seem to be as devastated as one who just lost a parent."
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"Like I said, we suspected it for weeks okay? And even though they were just suspicions, in the back of my mind I-.. knew."
"Please refrain from causing her further stress Cereo, holding back her emotions is hard enough as it is." Warned Sendal.
"Hm, very well." Cereo paced back and forth for a moment. "A parasitic abomination, huh? Sounds like you're familiar with it."
With a nod, Sendal gave further insight. "In addition to the demons you faced, our world has been plagued with numerous other dilemmas. One of which is a parasite that overtakes human bodies, altering their personalities."
"And that's it? While it is indeed unfortunate to see great change come to one's self uninvited, I cannot say I understand what makes killing them a necessary precaution."
"It's necessary to kill them, because if they remain under the influence of the parasite for five years, the host is transformed into a winged beast that I won't even attempt to describe."
"Ah, I see." Cereo touched his chin. "Do you know of a location where these cases are frequent?"
"Yes, we do. Myosis can-.." Noticing that Myosis was still grieving, Sendal decided to explain himself. "Frace village. While not a very well known place, it's for some reason become a hot spot for the parasites to feed."
"A hot spot you say? That's exactly what I was looking for." Cereo spun himself around, and placed a hand on the door used to exit. "If a magnet for the parasites exists, then I shall travel there to resolve the issue at once. Saving this world from all of its dangers is why I was summoned after all. Both of you, wait here in this now vacanted castle until I return. Once I do so, I assure you that I will have successfully created an antidote for the parasite issue. Until then, I bid you both farewell."
Myosis looked up, and even Sendal seemed surprised. "But.. Cereo. You are still unaware of a multitude of factors."
"Factors that are irrelevant. All I need to know are the basics, and my instincts will do the rest. Put your faith in me, and I will not let you down." Cereo departed toward the village, despite having no knowledge of its location. He was stopped by a man wearing a blindfold and a modern day lab coat before even exiting the castle gates.
The lab coat sporting man put his foot on the self driving carriage Cereo had somehow built in mere moments.
"What is it I'm looking at?" He said. "I've never seen a contraption such as this, let alone within our castle walls. Explain quickly, or I'll end your life."
Cereo gazed at him for a moment. "This man is able to see, even with a blindfold covering his eyes? Impressive, I shall do as he asks for now." He exited his vehicle. "This is simply called, an automatic carriage, sir. While it's not a widespread or known vehicle, I assure you there's no reason for panic."
The unknown man kicked the automatic carriage seventy times within the span of a second, shattering it to pieces.
Not reacting much facially, Cereo looked down at the rubble, and then looked back up at the man. "Uh, did you not listen to my statement? What you just destroyed was merely a harmless form of transportation. Nothing more."
"Before you left, Sendal requested that I accompany you on your journey. Probably to see how you plan on curing a worldwide pandemic in a near instant. While he trusts you though, I don't. I have no reason to. So we'll be using one of my vehicles, do you understand?"
"Hm. I doubt it'll be as effective but, as you wish. I guess I'll have to earn your trust on the way there."
The man adjusted his coat. "If you believe that's a possibility, then by all means try as much as you'd like." After entering one of his vehicles, a humongous carriage, one that seemed to hold an entire room inside, he looked at Cereo. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Blank.. and no matter how great you may think you are, it doesn't impress me."
Cereo entered the vehicle alongside Blank, and they traveled to Frace Village. What they found there though, was far from what either of them had expected.
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