Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 22

Crying could feel good. Really good even.

And as far as things like these went, this had been a good crying. Himmel's body was already feeling lighter. However, there were prices to pay for anything in this, and his past world. This time the price was how both him and Celica were emotionally drained by the end.

So they were resting a bit before going back.

Himmel hummed. "They might start getting worried if we don't go back soon. Maybe we should wash our faces and go?" Washing their faces would be a crucial step.

Mostly because if Himmel and Celica showed up with red eyes from crying, well... Things would probably get complicated. To put it lightly.

Celica shook her head. "Wait a moment. There is something I must address."

She put a hand on her chest. "Himmel, I... I will become the queen of Zofia and save you all!" That was certainly nice to hear. Not surprising though, he had considered the idea of it happening if she forgave him.

It's just that Himmel hadn't thought she would forgive him. "That... makes me really happy to hear." Really, really happy!

Wasn't this what he wanted to hear the most!? Fuck Archanea! Fuck Jugdral! As soon as this stupid boat landed on that first continent, Himmel would find another and head straight home!

He wanted to laugh... and to start crying again... but, he was emotionally drained, so his expression remained surprisingly neutral.

Celica blushed. "Hm... well... but can I ask you for something in exchange?"

Himmel raised an eyebrow. "Sure. My life is quite literally in your hands, after all." He'd be a fool to say no.

"When you say it like that, it makes me not want to ask for anything..." Oops, he messed up.

Himmel sighed. "You're way too nice. I am in your debt, so just ask me. And... if it helps, I would help you even if I didn't owe you anything."

Her blush became fiercer. "In that case, help me become queen."

"Huh?" He froze.

Celica elaborated. "Once I try to claim the throne, I imagine I won't be immediately accepted. Especially since I actually have went most of my life distanced from the throne... and that I'm still fairly young." That would be troublesome indeed.

Being the daughter of the king didn't always mean you would actually get to succeed him. There must be plenty of people who would love to steal Celica's birthright.

Himmel nodded. "I'll help you as best as I can." In the end he just couldn't escape politics. "Just keep in mind that my track record isn't the best when it comes to heroics."

This all actually reminded him of the promise he once made to Sonya. Though this one was a lot more immediate. Not to mention how he actually had something personal to gain this time.

Going to Archanea, hiding and hoping the storm would end while possibly avoiding a super dragon. Hiding in Jugdral and living off the Emperor's generosity while hoping his identity would not be discovered. Going back to Valentia with Celica and playing the politics game.

All of those were super dangerous, above a common village boy like him. He would have to do the latter though, both because it was the one with a clear win condition, and because he couldn't fail Celica.

Celica frowned. "Why do I have a feeling you are beating yourself up again?"

Himmel chuckled. "Beating myself up? Haven't you heard my little spiel? I actually covet this type of stuff." Even if he shouldn't.

She looke down. "You really are beating yourself down again..."

"..." A little crying session couldn't truly fix his problems, in the end. They were problems deeply rooted into him.

Still... "Hey, Celica. You plan on telling the others about your true lineage, right?"

She nodded. "Of course. It will be scary, but I want to involve them with this plan." Everybody would be coming back home. Celica really had saved their bacon.

It left a bad taste in his mouth though. For her to go revealing her secrets while he kept all of his... all of them besides the secret of killing the king of course. In the end revealing that secret actually helped him, however.

"I see... I... have something to tell you Celica. Although... Although I would prefer if you didn't tell everyone else."

"Why?"

"I... don't know." Was it mistrust? That couldn't be it. He did trust the brats, but... something always stopped him.

Maybe he just didn't want to admit that he wasn't Himmel the good village boy, to admit that he was Seliph the failure of a important person. How arrogant.

"Okay, I won't tell them then."

Himmel's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's all it takes to convince you?"

She tilted her head. "Yes...? People don't always need a reason why they don't want to say their secrets. The decision is yours to make." She blushed. "But I am honored you are opening up to me, of course!"

And soon that would probably change to anger. Because telling her now would mean confessing he had not told her before when she revealed her identity as a princess. No, he shouldn't start thinking about that. If he did, he would pussy out.

"...Celica, my father is Sigurd of Chalphy."

"Hm..." She squinted her eyes. "Isn't your father Sir Kris?" What was with that reaction!?

Oh, it appeared he had just broken her mind amd caused her to respond before she actually processed what he had said. Now he could see with all the clarity in the world as the realization set in.

"You father is Sigurd of Chalpy!?" And there it was.

Himmel immediately covered her mouth. "Maybe we shouldn't scream about that." Hopefully nobody had overhead it.

He had probably already wasted all his luck with nobody overhearing his little rant towards Celica earlier. He didn't want to test fate any further. Especially since fate seemed to dislike him.

As Celica became calmer, he removed his hand. "Still, sorry about that just now." At least she wasn't the type to lick a hand.

Celica complete ignored his apology. "Sigurd... Is Sir Kris... is he Sigurd of Chalphy in disguise...!?" Huh, now she was both screaming and whispering at the same time. What a impressive ability.

And what a even more impressive theory. "Of course not, he is just a old friend of my father... and also his adopted brother."

Celica's jaw had hit the floor. "I see...! To think... I don't even know what to say about this."

Himmel crossed his arms. "Then wait, because there is more." And the second part was probably even more shocking. "My mother... is Julia's mother."

He continued. "I'm her oldest child. Which means that empire of Arvis is technically supposed to go to me." Depending on who you asked of course. "Arvis only became emperor because he married my biological mother afterwards."

"Which brings the question of why my existence has been kept a secret thus far. There is a myriad of reasons, really. First is that Emperor Arvis... and my mother, want me dead. Guess I'm a threat."

He pointed at himself. "Apparently in Jugdral... Let's just say blue haired kids should watch out. That said, the Emperor is wise to do this, because Kris really wants me to go and fight for my birthright."

He looked down. "Something which I don't really want to do. Something which I refuse to do."

Neither Himmel the village boy, nor Seliph the wannabe hero wished to fight some dumbass war in some foreign continent. Wars weren't fun adventures, they were terror incarnate.

Maybe his vision on the matter wasn't shared by most in the era that this world was currently in, where glory was so sought after, but... Himmel did not come from this era. Not only from this era at least.

Celica looked completely shocked. "I... but wasn't Emperor Arvis the one that executed Sigurd of Chalpy...? Then—"

"Then my backstory is a mess? Yes. Absolutely." It was like something out of a soap opera.

While Celica tried to process what she had just been told, Himmel snorted. "By the way, here's something a bit more calm to tell you. My real name is not Himmel, it's Seliph." It felt good to say it.

Even if he did not truly know if he actually meant those words.

To his surprise, his words really did snap her out of her shock. "Truly? I go by a fake name as well."

Himmel nodded. "I guess going around by Celica could be dangerous, huh...?"

"No, my fake name is Celica." For real!? "My true name is Anthiese."

"..." He did not know what to say about that. People really never ran out of secrets, did they?

Celica, seeing his expression, giggled. "I can't believe you're the one so surprised here. My name being fake is nothing compared to all you just told me."

Himmel scratched his cheek. "I suppose so, but... What kind of name even is Anthiese?" It sounded kind of awful. Seliph was a way better true princely name.

Celica pouted. "What is that supposed to mean— Actually, while I'm glad the mood has gotten better, there is something I must ask you, Seliph. Or should I keep calling you Himmel?"

"Call me whatever you want. Though obviously don't address me by Seliph in front of others." He probably shouldn't be saying that after using Seliph as a cover name.

Celica took a deep breath. "Okay Himmel, then I must ask... that woman, she is your mother... and she wants... to kill you?"

Himmel shrugged. "Probably. I can't say if she dislikes me or anything like that, but even if she doesn't, I'm a threat to her true children. So I can't blame her for it."

Celica raised an eyebrow. "True children? You are her true child as well." Not really.

There is no way Celica could know that though. And while he had come out with tons of secrets to her today, even he had his limits. Telling her about his true nature definitely wouldn't end well for any of the parties involved.

Himmel waved her off. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that all of this won't become an issue as long as she doesn't find out about my presence here."

He continued. "Once she wakes up, she must absolutely not find out about my true identity, got it?"

"Forget that!" Huh? "Can we even let a woman who wishes to end her own child's life to wake up?"

"Y-yeah...?" He didn't know where this was coming from.

Celica seemed pretty frustrated. "I can't... I can't believe I actually helped with her recovery!" Well, apparently she was eventually going to wake up anyways, so it wasn't that of a big deal when one thought about it.

Besides, Celica was probably just mad because he was her friend. That's how it tended to go with people.

No, he couldn't just ignore her feelings like that. The truth is that he understood where she was coming from, but...

"Look, Celica. Please don't lose your temper over this—"

"Don't lose my temper? There is a woman who wishes to kill her own child in this ship! A woman who I helped!" She put a hand on her chest. "Not even my father had ever fallen so far!"

Himmel's eyes widened. "That's..." Even devils had limits. Which was what he wanted to talk about in the first. "I know, but in the end of things, Deirdre is Julia's mother. And Julia looks pretty happy, doesn't she?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"I'm trying to say, that even if Deirdre has not been my mother, she is a mother." He sighed. "Don't feel bad about healing her. Even if you don't like her, just think of how Julia feels."

Celica narrowed her eyes. "It would be one thing if she had just refused to be your mother, but she chose to become your enemy. How am I supposed to accept that?"

She gritted. "Honestly, even if she were not your mother this would be wrong. Wishing to kill a child is wrong. No matter what you say."

She scowled. "Which is why—" She stopped for a moment. "Which is why I don't approve of letting her wake up... but something like this should be your choice, so I'll respect it."

"You're too nice."



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Celica was a princess. Celica was going to be a queen.

In a way, Alm had always known she was extremely important, still, hearing it being confirmed was definitely shocking. And also very helpful. He now understood why Himmel decided to swap with him for a bit to let him attend this meeting.

"I ask that you all aid me once we return to Zofia." Celica's smile was shaky, as if she was still trying to build confidence. "I will clean all your names once I become queen."

Poor Clair was bowing as deep as she could. "Y-your majesty, we will aid you of course, but—"

"Before you say anything, I did not hold any love for my father." If nothing else, that was good to know.

Alm didn't regret fighting the king and his men, he had done it to protect his friends, after all. Nonetheless, he rather have a happy Celica than a unhappy one. Thankfully, it all worked out.

Celica's words were apparently enough for Clair, silencing her.

Kliff put a hand on his chin. "To think you were a princess..." Ah, so they were now going to debate that relation. "Wait, but if Sir Mycen is your grandfather, what is happening here?"

Celica giggled. "Sir Mycen and I are not related. He was simply doing his duty towards the kingdom." Right, as a true knight should.

Alm joked. "So I'm not some secret royalty too? Shame. I could do a better job at it than you."

Celica glared at him. "Perhaps you could if being royalty involved constantly hitting things with a metal stick."

"It doesn't?"

Faye interjected. "Forget about all that." She seemed... angry? "You were a princess all along, Celica?"

Celica nodded. "Yes. As I have said, my true name is Anthiese. Forgive me for not telling any of you until today..."

Faye pouted. "No, it's totally super fine, Celica. I have to ask you though... a princess can't marry a commoner, can she?" Was Faye coming onto Celica!?

Celica tilted her head. "I suppose not? It certainly has not historical precedent."

Faye nodded. "Got it." And then began mumbling to herself. "So, so, so many stressful moments. For nothing." Seriously, what was she on about?

It probably involved Himmel. It always did when it came to Faye.

Celica cleared her throat. "My heritage aside, there is something else I must address. Something... something involving Himmel." Oh? Were they finally gonna get a explanation for why Celica and Himmel had fought?

Alm hoped so, he didn't like to see his siblings fight.



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Celica has told the brats, Himmel was absolutely sure of it. Worst of all though, she hadn't actually told them about his secret of being Himmel, she had done something way more embarrassing...

And right now Himmel couldn't avoid that, seeing as he was sharing a meal with the brats. Even Alm, who Celica had momentarily taken the spot of

Which Himmel didn't know how to feel about. Surely she wouldn't do anything to Deirdre, would she...?

Kliff awkwardly looked at him. "Hey Himmel, is that enough food for you...? If you're still feeling hungry afterwards, I can give you some of mine." Why would he ever voluntarily choose to eat more of this garbage food.

Nonetheless, Himmel smiled towards him. "This is more than enough for me. Thanks Himmel."

Alm interjected. "Maybe you should still eat more, ya know?" He looked Himmel right in the eyes. "Hey... you know... you're like a brother to me."

"Okay...? I'm flattered to hear that." Himmel put a hand on his chest. "I feel the same about you."

"Good." Alm was still completely focused on him. "I just wanted you to know that."

Himmel looked away, trying to avoid... whatever this was. Which meant meeting gazes with Clair this time.

Who cleared her throat. "Well, since we have started this discussion, I wish to say something as well." What discussion!? "You are a very capable man, Himmel."

"Thanks...?" Seriously, what discussion—!?

Faye suddenly jumped from her seat. "Himmel, you're the best!"

"Hah?"

"The super best!" There was a deep blush in her face. "I think its amazing how you work harder than anyone! And it's super amazing how everyone always trusts you! And it's super duper amazing how you always try to help everyone!"

"I-I think you're great too, Faye." Yep, it was clear that Celica had told them.

Told them about his little meltdown that is. Everyone was treating him like he was made out of glass. Ugh, even thinking about how Faye knew about how he had cried made him cringe. It couldn't be helped though. And hey, at least Julia was still acting normal—

"I'm externally grateful for how Lord Himmel saved mother and I!" She jumped into the bandwagon!?



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Right now Himmel felt like a king.

Mostly because he with the company of both Celica and Julia two princesses. That had to be some special treat from Mila or something. Or maybe his bad luck had finally turned around?

"Your Wind Magic truly is incredible, Himmel." He had to say though, hearing Celica's praises felt a bit tiresome.

Mostly because he had been hearing praise all week. His friends really had tried their best to comfort him. It made him feel like he had just involuntarily entered some sort of support group.

Still, he couldn't get mad at her for being nice. "It's nothing special, especially when compared to your amazing mastery of Recover. To be honest, it's just something I learned so I could then learn a magic called Excalibur."

Celica covered her mouth in awe. "You know Excalibur!?"

Himmel grinned. "I did say I was a master of Black Magic."

Julia interjected. "It really is amazing to see you casting a spell for hours without getting tired or using a Tome..." Valentia is just built different! "It makes me wonder how you would compare to my father."

Himmel choked on the air. "I'm pretty sure your father would turn me into ash and dust without any effort, I'm pretty sure." Even if their skills were equal, Arvis would have his Valflame.

That created a distance between the two that Himmel would never close. Unless Tyrfing suddenly showed up in his hands, of course.

Celica tried her best to hid a scowl. "Let's not think about battles right now." Himmel was pretty sure she just didn't want to talk about Emperor Arvis.

She now knew the truth after all, and while she clearly didn't hate Julia for it... Let's just say Deidre's daily health check-ups had become a lot more stressful. Himmel could only hope Anthiese wasn't secretly giving his mother a brain tumor or something.

Julia looked down. "My apologies, I didn't meant to bring the mood down."

For a moment Himmel stopped sending his wind against the ship's flag, choosing to pat his sister's head. "It's fine Lady Julia. Nobody is offended, so there is no need to apologize."

"Very well..." Thankfully she didn't bat his hand away, that would be embarrassing. "Bringing up a new topic however, I must say, Valentian magic always becomes more and more echanting the more I see of it."

Himmel smiled, as an idea came to his brain. "Would you like to learn it?" That would be a nice way for them to bond.

Not to mention how it would help solve the problem of Julia being more or less defenseless. It was strange, now that he thought about it, why hadn't he offered such an opportunity before? He couldn't figure it out—

No, he could. He had simply been too scared of making Julia stronger. Now though, with Celica by his side, he himself felt stronger. Withholding his sister's growth no longer felt necessary.

Julia smiled from ear to ear. "Can I!?"

Celica faked a cough. "Can she?" Oh? "Learning magic is not... a simple process."

He agreed with that, of course, but... "I'm just going to teach her Fire. Just so she can defend herself. That shouldn't be too troublesome." If he could do it as a almost baby, so could Julia!

Although she would have very little time. Now that they were in open waters, the journey towards Archanea was going extremely fast. It wouldn't be too long until they got there, and Himmel began looking for a ship that would take them back.

Ugh, would his ship adventures never end!?

Julia who seemed even happier now. "Oh! I'm certain I will be compatible with any magic related to flames!" Right, her papa was basically the fire guy.

Himmel was actually pretty proud of his Fire Magic, so he imagined he would be getting frustrated very soon once Julia learned it and then surpassed him soon after. It would certainly be a fun experience.

Celica still wasn't convinced though. "Even if it's still Fire Magic..." Geez, what was with all this resistance?

Maybe the fear he once felt was now what she felt?

Eventually Celica sighed. "I suppose if she does collapse, I can heal her." Oh, was she just worried about mana exhaustion all along?

That would be a lot easier to address. "I doubt Lady Julia will be collapsing any time soon. She may be unfamiliar with Valentian Magic, but she does possess her blood."

Julia clapped her hands. "Yes! I will be a great student, Lord Himmel!"

He chuckled. "Someone's excited. I didn't know you were such a lover of magic, princess."

Julia blushed. "Well... mother and father began teaching me at a young age, so I do hold a lot of love for it. To be honest, I have been missing it a lot." That was surprising.

Not that that Julia was taught magic, she was a princess after all, she could find tutors for that easily. What was surprising, is how Arvis and Deirdre had apparently personally taught her, even though they should obviously be busy with other things. How adorable.

Julia continued. "Although... I do prefer magic that heals over that which harms."

That was way too cute. "I see. Well, don't worry, I can teach you that later too." Teaching someone healing magic would be... a trial, but one that he had to eventually see through if he wished to grow. "But it's better to start with Fire Magic. Trust me."

Suddenly, he found himself getting genuinely excited.

Teaching someone magic was a great way to get better at it, that was part of the reason why he occasionally taught Kliff after all. And when was the last time he had found a opportunity to become better at magic?

Ever since he had left Ram Village, he had basically not trained at all... Well, he had probably improved his stamina a bit by using his Wind Magic to help the ship move faster, but that wasn't exactly exciting.

"I'll follow whatever instructions you give me, Lord Himmel." Yeah, she was a good student already.

Celica interjected, a frustrated look on her face. "Well, I suppose I might help as well. I do know a thing or two about magic after all."

Julia looked like her birthday had come early. "I would be honored to learn the healing arts from you, Lady Celica."

Himmel hummed. "I guess we made a little study group, huh. I should invite Kliff too then." Maybe Alm and Faye too, if they were interested. "Speaking of out little study group however..."

Himmel blushed. "Celica, may I... um... ask for a bit of help regarding White Magic? I know teaching high level Recovery is complicated, but if you happen to know any other magic..."

He gulped. "I would be willing to teach you Excalibur in exchange, of course!" He was playing a dangerous game here.

White Magic was tightly guarded by the Church or Mila, so maybe Celica who was a priestess would get mad at his request. Or she would try to make him more devout to the faith. Both were nightmare scenarios.

Celica smiled. "I do know another White Magic, it's named Seraphim." That sounded powerful. "It's a magic effective against things of... an unholy nature. And I wouldn't mind teaching you, of course."

That was good to hear, but what did even classify as unholy? Sonya had previously taught him that faith in the gods wasn't actually necessary for White Magic, so now Himmel was curious about how this spell would work.

Celica continued. "Although... I can't really learn Excalibur."

Himmel waved her off. "I'm sure you can with enough effort. Though you do admittedly have to learn Wind Magic before it." Though now that he was getting more deep into the topic, maybe he really shouldn't teach her.

Could his Recover deal with the internal bleeding that Excalibur could cause? Himmel wasn't sure... and that never a good thing when it came to magic.

Thankfully, Celica had other ideas in mind. "It's not that I think I'm incapable of learning, but the truth is... I still haven't even learned the Mage Breaker. So I'm definitely undeserving of learning something like Excalibur."

Julia raised an eyebrow. "What's that...?" Oh?

Right, of course, Julia wouldn't know about it since she was a pansy little Jugdralian mage. It almost made him feel angry for some dumb reason. Magic gatekeeping wasn't exactly something he wanted to start doing though.

Celica explained to the princess. "The Mage Breaker is a title given to Thunder Magic. Let's just say... it's quite difficult to learn how to use it without a tome."

She winced. "Boey and Mae attempted it once, and after the results... Let's just say I have been hesitating and only honing my Fire Magic since then."

Celica tilted her head. "Though that actually makes me wonder, did you skip Thunder, Himmel? Or do you know how to cast it?"

He smirked. "I did learn it, and I'm pretty good at it... Actually, how about I teach you it, instead of Excalibur for now?"

"..." Celica hesitated. "I suppose I trust you enough to attempt it."

...

"Lady Celica, are you alright!?" Julia was looking at poor Celica with tears in her eyes.

It was only natural, after all, Celica was on the ground almost passed out. Celica was also covered in pee. Her own pee. Because Celica had peed herself. Presumably due to all the electricity running running through her body.

"Yeah, that's the Mage Breaker for you..."



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Being a bodyguard for a comatose person was unbelievably boring, and unbelievably annoying too.

But Alm had learned of a few things that made the job a little easier to stomach. First was actually sitting down on a chair. Which may sound obvious, but his grandfather had always made sure to impart on him the importance of always being alert.

So a few days into this "job" Alm would actually always be standing.

The second was meditation. Alm was never the type to actually try it for real before, even with his grandfather's recommendations, but since it was the only thing to do in this little room... Well, he had gotten quite good at it.

Even if all that meditation constituted only of him imagining himself fighting.

However, despite all that, Alm was still completely aware of his surroundings at all times, which is why he immediately noticed the body he was supposed to guard waking up.

The Empress of Jugdral had finally recovered enough to open her eyes.

"Where... am I?" Somehow she sounded even more soft spoken than Julia.

Alm immediately bowed. "On a merchant ship, your Imperial Majesty. A friend of mine rescued you." Speaking of his friends, he should definitely go call them.

Her eyes widened. "A... merchant ship? But..." She put a hand on her forehead. "Ugh, I... I have a headache."

Alm nodded. "That doesn't surprise me, you were out for a pretty long time." He put a hand on his chin. "We do got a medic on deck, so... I'm gonna call her, if you don't mind."

He shouldn't leave Deirdre alone for long though, so the truth is that he would just ask for the closest person around to call for Celica... Which was still annoying. Maybe they should have put two bodyguards in the room instead of one.

Especially since then Alm could have shared his suffering with someone!

"Please do young man..." She paused for a moment. "Are you... working for my husband? I did not think he would employ one so... young."

Alm scowled. "Hey, I'm fourteen already! And super strong too!" He puffed up his chest in pride. "And I've killed plenty of scum already! No need to give me that look!" Okay, he had fought in a lot of real battles...

But surely bragging a little bit to an empress was okay?

To his surprise, the woman frowned. "That isn't right. Such a young boy should not be partaking in battle, no matter how strong." She narrowed her eyes. "I'll have to scold my beloved later."

She grumbled to herself. "What if it was our son preparing himself to fight and boasting about killing? He should think about that more..."

Alm's eye twitched. "Whatever, I don't work for Emperor Arvis anyways, so keep your scolding to yourself." He didn't want to be compared to some pampered little Imperial Prince.

"Emperor Arvis...?" It sounded like she couldn't believe his words. "Actually, now that I think about it, you addressed me strangely before... have you confused me for someone else?"

She then scowled. "Or is this some sort of trick? Are you trying to manipulate my mind after having captured me?

Alm immediately stepped back. "Woah, calm down there. I don't think there's any trick happening here..." He put a hand on his neck. "Don't you remember any of it?"

"I... Young man, describe what has happened to me." This didn't sound good.

Alm continued. "You dropped on the ocean with your kid—" She let out a silent gasp of horror. "And Himmel, my buddy, rescued you and Lady Julia. We've been guarding you two since then."

"Young man... I have no child by the name of Julia." She began trying to get up from bed, even as she clearly failed due to her weakened body. "My baby... his name is Seliph... I left him behind and... and then that man, he—"

"Woah, woah, woah! So you aren't the empress!?" The hell was going on here!?

She nodded. "I'm not! And the only Arvis I know of is no emperor, much less my husband!" She put a hand on her chest. "I am married to Sigurd of Chalpy!" Sigurd...?

Oh! That dead guy from Jugdral!

So the empress went crazy. This wasn't good.



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AN: Does this count as Arvis being counter-NTR'd? Anyways, I thought this idea with Deirdre would be super interesting to write, so I went with it.