Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 19

"So this is Novis, huh..."

Himmel felt weirdly free as soon as he stepped outside of that cursed ship. Finally he didn't need to constantly feel like the ground beneath him was a traitor. Finally there were things that smelled differently from fish.

This was paradise. It almost made him forget how he had almost... had temporally gone insane a few days prior.

Though his relief was small when compared to the relief of his most loyal and trusted friend... and no, he was not talking about Alm. Or Faye. And definitely not about Kliff or Clair!

He was talking about Epona, of course. "Sorry that I've made you go through that, girl." He apologized to his poor horse.

If the trip had been rough on him, he couldn't imagine how rough it had been on her. Here though, she could finally walk around for a bit. Still, this whole thing made him feel like a dirty animal abuser...

Julia interrupted his apology. "I am sure she does not mind, Lord Himmel. Epona looks as healthy as ever!" He appreciate his little sister's attempt at making him feel better, but...

A horse owner just knew what his horse felt, and Epona was definitely mad!

Still, he forced a chuckle. "She's strong... that aside, please do not call me Lord Himmel while here, Julia. It may bring troublesome gazes upon us."

That was why he also did not refer to her as Princess Julia. It was better if people thought they were just slightly quirky merchants. Well, there was also the option of them not leaving the ship of course, but that would make him feel for the brats.

Hell, he was feeling bad for Alm right now, who was still stuck guarding Deirdre. Honestly, Himmel almost wanted to volunteer into switching with the boy, but...

He did not want to be near Deirdre. Both because he feared what he would do, and because he feared her. As his little maniac episode had shown. Well, one of the brats would probably switch with Alm eventually, so it was probably okay.

Julia looked down, avoiding his gaze. "Of course, my apologies H-Himmel..."

Kliff cleared his throat. "That aside, what are our plans for this trip—"

"I want to eat real food." Himmel's answer came in an instant.

"Cow. Meat." Faye truly was his soulmate.

"I also wish to eat something... different from what we have been forced into enduring." Clair was his second soulmate.

Jokes aside, Himmel truly was looking forward to exploring Novis. This might... might be the place where he would build a new life, after all. He needed to decide before the day was over, but he was confident he knew what his choice would be.

It would hurt. He kind of hated it. But it was time to say goodbye to the brats. Even if he had no idea how he would explain that to them.

Kliff thought about rolling his eyes at their desperation, but he was actually on the same boat, so he just nodded. "Okay then, let's find a nice restaurant—"

"A-actually..." Julia gulped. "Lord H-Himmel— Himmel, may I talk with you about something? In private?"

His heart froze.

He was no longer denying the fear he felt towards this little girl, so he knew exactly what this was. Was it finally about to happen? Was she gonna kill him somehow? Or maybe ask him something that he could not refuse.

"Is that really necessary?" His princess in shining armor had come to save him. More specifically, Clair.

And he doubted it was just a coincidence either. While she didn't know of Himmel's breakdown, they did have that discussion which lead him to breaking down in the first place. Not that Himmel blamed her for that though, in fact he was grateful.

"W-well, it isn't exactly necessary, b-but..." But she felt more comfortable talking with Himmel, and clearly this was a delicate matter. "S-sorry, please forgive my rudeness." But as expected of Julia, she dropped the subject once she received push back.

Himmel didn't know how to feel about that weak attitude of hers. One one hand, it probably made it easier for him to survive, on the other hand, it made him worried as her big brother. A princess couldn't afford to be so shy.

Hah... dealing with Julia always made him feel conflicted. "It's fine Julia, I don't mind talking to you privately for a bit." Though maybe he should.

Julia talking about whatever this was in front of everyone could help her open up, after all.

His little sister smiled. "Truly? I would be eternally grateful!"

His smile was much more strained. "Truly. Well, I need to take Epona for a walk, probably, so why don't you go with me...?" He chuckled. "Though I suppose Epona herself will overhear us."

Julia giggled. "Oh, I don't mind her." What a fool.

Epona was the smarted person here. She could bring down Grannvale if she so wished.



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"So, what did you need to tell me, Princess Julia?" They had walked a decent bit.

Right now they were kind of in the middle of nowhere, so it was probably okay to refer to her by her real title. There was no need to for the two to have moved so far of course, but Himmel wanted to find some nice grass for Epona.

"I wanted to talk about mother..." So she wished to talk about his second walking nightmare! Ah, Deirdre wasn't really walking. "I am getting very, very worried about her."

Himmel put a hand on his chin. "It is true that she should have woken up by this point, but I can't find anything wrong with her..." Though he wasn't exactly the best user of White Magic in the world.

Julia nodded. "Yes, but I would like to try my hand at healing mother as well... b-but... u-um... I would need you to acquire a Staff for me." So she could use healing magic...

She continued. "I understand such an item could be... expensive of course, which is why I would like your permission to reveal my true name to a merchant."

She wanted to bargain for a good Staff by using her name, essentially. Not exactly a bad idea, the same principle had worked on the ship even. But Himmel imagined convincing any merchant of her true name would be a pain, not to mention very risky. Someone could perhaps attempt to sell her to Zofia, for example.

Still, he had to wonder why she wanted to talk privately about this. Was she just afraid her idea would be immediately be shut down by the others?

That would be funny, because he would immediately shut down her idea! "I'm afraid your request is denied, then."

"B-but Lord Himmel—"

"Worry not, I do have a solution." One that was maybe a bit better. Just maybe. "Novis has a strong presence of the faith, perhaps we can find a healer willing to aid us here. More importantly, a healer that will do so out of the kindness of their own heart."

He continued. "Not to say we cannot use your name, of course, but let us keep it as a last resort."

"Y-yes, of course! Thank you for helping me, Lord Himmel!"

"Anytime, Princess Julia." Would Mila smite him if he prayed that Deirdre's healing failed?

Probably.

"With that said, I will have to reveal this to the others."

Her eyes widened. "I-I... While I'm sure t-they will accept me seeming help, I-I'm not sure they will accept me revealing my true status..." Ah, so that really was why she wanted to keep this meeting private.

It made him want to laugh, really. "No, Julia, they would understand your situation. Trust me." Because they were far better people than him, after all.

Maybe some of them found Julia annoying and disliked her, but nonetheless they all would help with no hesitation. And hey, none of them were struggling with the desire to kill Julia. That was a problem only Himmel faced, so he was definitely the worst.

"I..." She looked down. "I do trust you, that is why I always seek your help, Lord Himmel... I do not know why, but I feel calm around you..." Well, what a way to stab at his heart. "W-which is why I'll do as you ask, I'll trust them more! F-Faye does scare me a bit, though."

"That's understandable." Faye could scare him a bit sometimes too!



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Himmel was a sinful man. He had left his poor, precious companion behind, and now walked only with Julia.

In his defense, it would have probably been seen as extremely disrespectful to enter a priory while carrying a horse. So Epona had been left to the care of Faye. Naturally, this meant he told his friends about Julia's little plan... And they all accepted it easily. Little heroic brats that they were.

However, he now faced a different challenge.

"Himmel, do you have any idea on who we should speak with?" His little sister questioned him.

He had a disappointing answer. "I'm afraid I do not. Well just have to bother people until we find someone willing to help." Hopefully he and Julia wouldn't cause troubles.

"Okay then—"

"Himmel!?" As a shout rang out across the priory, Himmel once again felt his heart freeze.

Though this time he was more confused than anything! Who the hell knew his name here of all places!? He turned around towards the source the voice to find out and—

Huh, apparently the reason why the Mother hadn't immediately sent a bolt of lightning towards his head was because she had a crueler punishment in mind. And he was definitely blaming this on Mila, because there was no way this wasn't divine intervention.

The person who had called his name was— "Celica...?"

It was undoubtedly her. She looked older... and tired, but he could recognize her with one glance. There was no way he wouldn't be able to, really, Celica was striking, a person who's appearance you couldn't forget or mistake for anyone.

Just like her father, who Himmel had killed.

The girl ran towards him. "Y-yes, it's— it's me! You recognize me!" Apparently that made her happy.

It also made Julia confused. "Um... who is this, Lord Himmel?" The confusion of it was enough to make her use the lord thing again.

Celica put a hand on her chest. "I'm a childhood friend of H-Himmel... May I ask who you are? I don't remember you from Ram Village..."

That's because she was actually a princess from Jugdral. This was a meeting of royalty. Which was insane to think about, but sadly, Himmel couldn't really think of anything right now. His mind was blank, trying to process the situation.

Julia shook her head. "I am not from Ram Village, just a simple travel companion of Himmel."

"Oh, I see." Celica tilted her head. "Speaking of that, may I ask... what are you doing here, Himmel?" Strange, she sounded scared.

"I... um..." He needed time for his brain to reboot. Failing that, he needed something—

"Woah! That's Himmel! Oh yeah, I understand the crazy obsessive dreams now!" Something stupid enough to snap him back to reality.

What he could only assume were Celica's friends had made their way to them. One pink haired girl, and one dark skinned boy with white hair.

The boy immediately scowled. "Mae, watch what you say!"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Huh...?" And then she blushed. "Wait, did I say that out loud!?" This girl... sure was something special.

Himmel chuckled. "You certainly did. I... I think I am flattered? I believe I'm missing context here." His heart began calming down. Things would be fine.

Celica didn't know he had killed her father, and while this didn't make this situation any less morally awful, it did mean the brats were safe from any vengeance attempt for now. Though it also meant his plan to live on Novis had died. There was no way he could live on the same place as Celica, there was just no way.

A blushing Celica interjected. "Please forget about it, I'll tell you l-later." She cleared her throat. "For now, allow me to introduce you to two companions of mine. These are Mae and Boey."

Boey bowed. "A pleasure to meet you. We have heard plenty of good things about you."

Mae smirked. "We have heard way too many things about you, seriously, Celica is basically, like, always—"

Boey cut her off. "You're being annoying on purpose, aren't you?" He sighed. "Then again, maybe being annoying is your default state."

"H-hey!" The fact that she protested probably meant this was very much not on purpose.

What a way to rip Himmel's heart out. He knew Celica liked him back when they were younger, but he was hoping that crush had died out. Well, now that he had murdered her dad he was hoping that crush could die out.

Nonetheless, he faked a chuckle out. "Your friends sure are... lively, Celica."

The girl looked away, trying to hide her face. "Yes, they mean a lot to me."

Himmel bowed. "Well, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Himmel, and I come from Ram Village, I'm a master of Black Magic." Ah, it felt extra embarrassing to introduce himself like that in front of Celica.

He continued. "And the girl next to me is Julia, a friend and travel companion of mine."

She waved at them. "H-hello! I'm a mage as well, a-although I'm without the tools to use magic right now..."

Boey immediately raised an eyebrow. "You need tools to use magic?" Oh boy.

Well, it wouldn't be too troublesome for them to know Julia was a foreigner. "Julia over here is from Jugdral, so she relies on Tomes and Staves." He just couldn't tell them she was a princess.

Although... honestly, he doubted something bad would happen if Celica found out. At least if she hadn't changed too much from their childhood days. Still, better safe than sorry.

"Jugdral huh... I'll take your word for it, master mage." Boey's tone was filled with suspicion.

Mae pouted and slapped him on the back. "Stop being such a weirdo, Boey. You're making Celica embarrassed, and she's already a useless blushing maiden all by herself. No extra help needed."

"I am not a useless blushing maiden in any capacity!" Celica had enough of their tomfoolery. So, she grabbed Himmel by the hand— "C-come with me, we have something to discuss!" And began dragging him away.

Or at least tried to, her attempts were quickly stopped as Julia grabbed his other hand. "W-wait, I don't want to be separated from Lord Himmel!"

Celica did not release him. "It will be just a moment!"

"One moment is too much!" And neither did Julia.

This... if this wasn't being done by the two living terrors of his life, Himmel would be the happiest man alive. Currently there were two princess fighting over him, what an amazing, heart pumping experience.

Mae started waving her hand close to her face. "Is it just me or is it getting spicy in here!?" Wasn't it supposed to be hot in here!? "I cannot believe guys like these actually exist." W-was she blaming him for this!?

That was fair.

But it was time to end this.

Himmel cleared his throat. "Sorry Celica, but I really can't leave Julia alone." Finally the secret princess let him go. Though that seemed to be more due to shock than anything else. "I'm kind of acting like her bodyguard. Since she can't cast magic right now."

"O-oh I see." Celica quickly recomposed herself. "But don't worry, nobody would mess with her here. And if anybody does try something, then Boey and Mae can protect her."

Mae puffed her chest in pride. "Leave it to me. Not to Boey though, he's dead weight."

Boey clicked his tongue. "Screw you."

That... seemed fine? Himmel supposed Julia would indeed be safe here in the priory. This wasn't like the ship where they were constantly surrounded by sexually frustrated sailors who spent most of the day secretly jerking off. Instead they were surrounded by sexually frustrated priests and priestesses who spent most of the day secretly jerking off! A improvement, probably.

Still, looking at the worried Julia, he couldn't help but feel like he couldn't accept Celica's proposal. "Sorry, but Julia isn't really comfortable around new people." He truly felt like a big brother while saying that...

Julia tugged at his sleeve. "Lord Himmel!" Ah, and she probably felt like a little sister right now too. "I-I should be fine for a few moments. Feel free to converse with Miss Celica..."

"If you say so..." He turned towards the secret princess. "Please lead the way." It was surprising.

Celica did not seem offended about his initial rejection. In fact, her emotions hadn't changed from the start... Those emotions being worry and anxiety.



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Once again, Himmel was alone with a princess who asked for his private attention. Funny how that worked.

"So Celica, what did you wish to discuss—?"

She cut him off with a hug. "I missed you." A very tight hug. "I missed you dearly... a-and everyone else too, of course!" How scary, he didn't know his grooming was that powerful even when it wasn't constantly being reapplied.

He hesitantly hugged her back. "I missed you too, Celica."

...The hug wasn't stretching on for a long time. An awkwardly long time. It also didn't help that he felt guilty just by being in her presence, much less by touching her.

"U-um... Celica...?" He was starting to lose the ability to breathe.

"Yes?"

"I-is this all you wished to say...?" Maybe she was too embarrassed to hug him in front of her friends. That was both cute, and kind of hurtful when he thought about it.

"N-no!" She pulled back, ending the hug. Good, it was taking his sanity faster than it restored it. "I must warn you of something extremely dire, Himmel! Something awful will happen in your future!"

She continued. "I don't know why you're here, but you have to return to Ram Village! I'm sure you will be safe there!" That was the plan! A few years from now when his insane crime was forgotten.

For now though, that was kind of impossible. "Woah, slow down there, Celica. Where is this coming from?" She sounded a bit crazy right now, but...

He was listening. Celica, the old Celica that he knew at least, wouldn't joke about things like these.

"It came to me in a dream!"

He snorted. "Seriously?" Why did she have to say it like that!?

"Yes! Please do not mock me for it..." She frowned. "Boey and Mae have already done plenty of that, thank you." She took a deep breath. "So please, take what I have to say with complete seriousness."

He wiped the smile from his face. "Of course." He lived in a world of magic, and Celica was a princess. For all he knew, her dreams really could mean something special.

"I..." Apparently even thinking of the dream made Celica stressed. "Recently I have been dreaming of one thing, just one thing over and over again... A dream where you face a dragon in battle... a dragon who defeats you and kills you."

A dragon huh? Where would he even find a dragon around Valentia— He was going to Archanea, a land where dragons were currently enslaving humanity. Maybe Ram Village really was less dangerous.

Celica hugged herself. "At first I tried to ignore those dreams, but at this point I have accepted that they must be a sign from Lady Mila, after all... that sword you carry is the same sword you carried in the dream."

She looked at him in the eyes. "Please believe me, Himmel. You are in danger."

"I believe you, Celica."

Now what the hell could he do about that?



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AN: Celica is officially back! And she brings with her... more headaches for Himmel! You can add death prophecy to the list of things that are slowly driving him insane.

That aside, I had a surprising amount of fun writing Mae. I don't think she will be a permanent party member, but I hope she's enjoyable during the small amount of screen time she gets.