Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 06

Year 394, Zofia.

"Himmel, we have something to discuss." As soon as he ate his breakfast, Kris's face suddenly became serious.

Himmel hesitantly nodded. "Alright...?" But his hesitation did not mean fear. He wasn't scared after all, just a bit curious.

He hadn't done anything wrong in the recent days... His studies were progressing as fast as usual, he was still good friends with everyone, and he had even managed to contain himself and not act like a pervert when he occasionally had to sleep with Celica!

Mostly because puberty hadn't arrived yet. The whole sleeping thing probably had to end before that dreaded day, or Ram Village would never be the same.

His guardian crossed his arms. "I'll be leaving for a few days." Oh?

That was... unusual. Kris pretty much always stayed in Ram Village. He also didn't tend to leave the house... Or at least Himmel rarely saw him do that. Since when he wasn't studying he was always busy with his social circle, maybe he just missed knowledge on Kris' routine.

He continued. "And while I'm out, Mycen shall be repaying the favor he owes us." What he was saying was pretty obvious, Himmel would be staying with the old knight for a few days. "Do you have any objections?"

Himmel was surprised he could even object at all. "Nope, it's all good." Especially since he was already used to sleeping there.

Celica didn't ask for his help every single day, and in fact she had been asking for it less and less as time went on, but he still spent a significant amount of time at that house. The only real annoying part here would be slowing down on his studies, but he could accept that.

His guardian nodded. "Oh, and while you're there, Mycen shall be handling your education." And look at that, his only problem was immediately solved. "However... he cannot exactly help you with etiquette and politics. Only your training in tactics shall continue while I'm out."

That was alright. Himmel hated learning both of those, mostly due to Kris' insistence that he should learn more than just the way things worked on Valentia.

Himmel knew how to bow in so many different ways at this point... The Zofian way, the Rigelian way, the Granvallian way... and many, many more. Currently he had been learning a specific dance the nobility from Thracia enjoyed. And he had to learn that without a partner.

Pain.

It went without saying that politics were about a hundred times worse than etiquette. It was like he was being prepared to deal with thousands of village brats, except those village brats actually had enough power to ruin his life.

Himmel put his hands on his hips. "Welp, that stinks." It really didn't. "I might even cry... but somehow I think I will be just fine." Heh, he would have the opportunity to flex on Alm for a few days.

Unless Alm had already surpassed him even though Himmel had such a massive lead in learning and was also an adult... Ugh, if that happened, he would actually cry.

Kris chuckled and ruffled Himmel's hair. "Damn brat... Well then, take care." Hah!? He was already leaving!?

"I will... Though..." A spark of curiosity had been born in him. "What exactly are you going to be doing anyways?" They didn't own a horse, so there were only so many places he could go.

The farthest he could see someone walking on foot without taking way too long was... maybe Zofia's castle? And as that was the place of residence of the king, it was basically a major city. Though really, that went for most castles.

When people thought of the world castle, they tended to think of one big building, but the truth is that a castle was typically one big building surrounded by a town. So Zofia's castle was damn massive.

According to his studies, of course, he had never actually gone there in person. A village boy didn't visit the king.

Kris hummed, clearly considering whether he should tell him or not... eventually he relented. "I will go around... meeting some people. Learning some things." He sighed. "Normally they come to me, but Valentia... Zofia has been... in a state of ruckus recently." Well, didn't that sound suspicious?

But he should worry about the most urgent matter first. "Has something happened in Zofia?" That's the country he lives in! Save us, Lady Mila the kind! Or something like that...

Yet again Kris hesitated before answering. "Yes... To be honest, I do not know if I should be telling you something like this due to your age, but... you have studied history. You know how dark the world can be."

Indeed. This world had plenty of horrible things in its history... in that way it was the exact same as his old world. Nonetheless, hearing that something had happened in his country made Himmel feel ill.

His guardian continued. "The king's children... even his trueborn... were all slaughtered." Immediately Himmel's eyes widened. "Supposedly. For now I only know of rumors, so it could be wrong." That was...!

Not as bad as Himmel first thought. Obviously something like that could destabilize the kingdom, and it meant someone was plotting something big. Not to mention how it was horrible that children had been mercilessly murdered, but...

In the end, as long as nothing happened to Mila, everything would be fine.

If this was the doing of Rigel, she would step in. If this was an inside job, then nothing changed, she would keep supplying good food and stamping out sickness. Besides, the king was a horny fucker, he would have new heirs soon!

Or at least that's what he was desperately trying to lie to himself. Things were definitely about to take a turn for the worse...

In the end, however, he was nine, and in a few months he would be ten. He was just not ready to meddle with things like these. And as a village boy, he probably never would.

Kris interrupted his thoughts. "Fret not, Himmel, I'm sure justice will come. Zofia is a country of good and righteous people." Yeah, it was definitely justice that he was worried about.

Himmel gulped. "Right." Hopefully nothing that affected Ram Village would happen. "So, you're gonna go out to learn more about this whole thing?" What was even the point of killing the king's kids?

It wasn't like there was someone else who could inherit the throne, right? Maybe the chancellor...? He had risen to power very fast these past few years... Then again, that didn't mean shit. He didn't have royal blood, people would never accept him as king.

If there was nothing to be gained from an insider, then it had to be a Rigelian job, right?

Yet again, Kris cut off his thought process. "Yeah. Though I also want to learn more about some... other problems. First of all, Jugdral has supposedly completely closed off its borders. No one leaves, no one enters... legally." Was the world ending or what!?

Himmel tilted his head. "I'm guessing that has something to do with that newly fanged empire of theirs?" These past few years, Granvalle had a crazy war, which greatly increased their power...

And the execution of the traitorous and warmongering Sigurd of Chalphy hadn't changed things like it had been promised. Granvalle kept invading and conquering other kingdoms... they kept winning.

Still, in the end of things, empires were prone to fucking up and failing. And Jugdral was one big powder keg full of supernaturally strong people that really didn't want to be oppressed... Himmel considered himself lucky for not having been born there.

Well, the truth is that he didn't know much about the empire. Probably because it was so new... News traveled slowly between continents after all.

Kris scowled. "Most likely... that Emperor Arvis is..." He shook his head. "Well, let's just say I don't trust him. You shouldn't either, Himmel." He didn't.

From what Himmel had learned from Kris, Emperor Arvis was a cowardly man and all that... but Himmel also didn't care about it. Why the hell should he even think about a man who was a whole continent away from him?

Honestly, while them closing off their borders sucked, it wouldn't affect Zofia too much. Most of Zofia's trade happened with Archanea and its many kingdoms... including the kingdom of Archanea.

Who thought it was a good idea to name a continent and a kingdom in that continent the same thing? Just asking...

Kris continued. "And to make things even worse, Archanea is rumored to be closing its borders very soon..." Ah! Not his trade! "And before you ask, I have no idea why..." As previously mentioned, news traveled slowly between continents.

His guardian patted Himmel's head. "Boy... without a doubt you shall grow in tumultuous times... Nonetheless, keep marching on."

Himmel slapped his hand away. "I know that, don't worry." Well, losing trade sucked, but everything would be okay as long as Zofia bounced back from that horrible child slaughter.

Jugdral didn't matter at all. In fact, it was probably a good thing it was preoccupied with its own inside politics. Less of a chance of Alm getting kidnapped back to his homeland or something.

And... Archanean trade was just... just an extra, a bonus. Zofia did not need it to survive, all it needed was Mila and her blessings.

Rigel was fucked though. Heh.

Suddenly Kris smiled. "But enough with the bad news." Now it was time for the horrible ones? "I will also leave to... acquire something for you. Let's just call it an early birthday present."

Immediately Himmel forgot all about the end of the world. "Really!? What is it!?" It was at moments like these that he remembered his young body and mind affecting him.

Kris chuckled. "Let's leave it as a surprise..." Last time his guardian said that, the surprise had just been more work.

"To be honest, this is something I could acquire around here, but... I want to bring something of good quality. Your father would haunt me to the grave otherwise." Oh? Since it was related to his father, would it also get locked into a dumb chest for years?

Seriously though, what could it be? It definitely wasn't him going out to hire a magical teacher. They had pretty clearly established that would only happen once he became twelve.

Ah... In the end there was no hiding it. He was really looking forward to it.



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"I've been thinking about sleeping with you guys too." Alm put his hands on his hips. "I mean, I don't want to miss any fun!" The boy was clearly excited about Himmel staying a few days in his house.

Hah, as if Himmel didn't come here all the time. He supposed children were just dumb like that though.

Celica tilted her head. "What fun? It's just sleeping..."

Himmel snorted. "There won't be any sleeping with Alm here, trust me." He still remembered those hellish days when Alm had stayed at his house. "He has way too much energy, so he keeps waking up during the night to play."

Celica clearly hated this information. "I-I see..." But she tried being polite, as usual. Himmel was surprised they hadn't slept together before, but then again, they did have separate rooms.

The boy pouted. "What's the point of this whole thing if we aren't gonna have fun?"

Himmel's eye twitched. "Sleeping? Resting? The obvious?"

Alm's pout just got fiercer. "Well, yeah, that's the point of sleeping, but this isn't just sleeping!" He jumped in place. "You're gonna be here for a whole month...! Maybe even more! We can't just waste that!" How would they even waste that in the first place?

"I was actually a bit jealous that Celica got to hog you all for herself, so now I want in too!" Oh, wasn't that cute? Sadly, Alm was not a girl, and so Himmel's heart hadn't been shaken at all.

Really, he should be jealous of Himmel! Didn't he see the future that was slowly coming towards them!? Celica would clearly grow up to be gorgeous!

Actually, the same thing applied to Faye.

And even if he wasn't gay, he could admit most of the boys here were very adorable. The adorable type that would probably grow up to be handsome. What the hell was up with this village? Weren't they all supposed to be stinky, ugly little rats?

Himmel would just thank Mila for this blessing. He also hoped he wasn't the exception...

Celica smiled. "Well, of course you can sleep with us." Himmel held himself back from saying, it ain't gay if it's a three-way. "But... let's actually sleep, okay, Alm?"

He sighed. "But... geez, why do you even ask Himmel to come here almost every night if you guys don't even play?"

Celica blushed. "I call him because... because... I..." She was too embarrassed to admit trauma was controlling her young life. How cute. "Ugh, you're so stupid, Alm." A rare impolite Celica!?

Now Alm was blushing too. "Y-you're the stupid one!" Naturally they started bickering.

Himmel had to hold back a laugh. It seems the two had gotten quite close, which was definitely good for Celica. The girl needed as many supportive figures in her life as she could have.

Wait? Isn't this bad?

In this world, romantic relations between siblings were very much seen as wrong and awful, cousins, however, were a different game. And Himmel still didn't know what Celica was to Alm exactly... Which meant their little bond was putting his plan in jeopardy.

Eh? Faye? Look, a man always needs a plan A and a plan B.

Himmel naturally couldn't destroy their bond, because that would be horrible... but he could get creative. "Hah, you two look so much like brother and sister right now!" If this didn't work, he would insinuate that Alm was totally gay best friend material.

If Himmel could die to fire, then so could Alm! The boy could only blame himself for having foolishly trusted him!

They stopped bickering as Alm's blush returned with full force. "Siblings!? Me and Celica!?" It was clear that he liked the idea.

And so did Celica, apparently. The girl's smile was shining as bright as a star. "We do, don't we...?" She chuckled to herself. "I suppose Alm does remind me of a younger brother..." That said, her smile felt... strange.

Himmel could tell she was just as sad as she was happy with his comment. Her past was probably haunting her again.

Alm scowled. "Hey, I wanna be the big brother!" Brats are gonna brat.

Himmel had to hide a smirk, his plan had gone off without a hitch! Unless Alm and Celica grew to be very, very freaky.

Celica nodded. "Of course, you can be the big brother, Alm." It was clear that she just didn't want to start another argument. True big sister material.

And as expected of a younger brother, Alm looked mighty proud of himself. "Awesome, sis."

The girl then looked at Himmel. "Though returning to the matter of you sleeping here... What exactly has Sir Kris gone out to do? If you don't mind me asking." Sir huh? "I don't know much about your father, so I'm curious."

Himmel shrugged. "Dunno. It doesn't really matter though." He sort of knew, of course, but he didn't want to tell the young kids that his guardian was out collecting information about a child slaughter.

"If you say so..." She tilted her head. "Though I must admit, I am very curious. Honestly, I'm curious about your father in general... What does he do? Is he like Grandpapa?" Was the double pa really necessary?

Himmel waved her off. "He's not a knight, no. Not a retired one or an active one." He hummed. "To be honest, I don't even know what he does." He had never wasted too much time thinking about it.

Either it didn't matter, or it did matter and Kris was just gonna hit him with ol' reliable. That is to say, tell him to wait until he was older to learn the truth.

Himmel did have a feeling Kris had once held a position as a commander or something of the sort, however. Mostly because of cues he had picked up during his studies.

Kris didn't care for etiquette, was neutral on politics, and clearly loved tactics. As much as a man could love war. So perhaps he had indeed been a knight of some sort... but if that was the case, Mycen would probably recognize him.

Celica gasped. "Truly...? That seems... strange. He is your father after all." Not really, but she didn't know that.

Alm interjected. "Himmel's dad is weird in general." It was funny how Celica seemed more offended at that comment than Himmel himself. "He pretty much never talks with anyone in the village, or at least I haven't ever seen him do that."

"Though... he has to have some sort of well-paying job. I mean, your family is pretty well off, right, Himmel?" He was surprised Alm had caught that little detail.

Himmel nodded. "Yep. We pretty much never had any struggles with money." In fact, they even lived a pretty luxurious life.

They never lacked food, even during Wyrmstym. Hell, they even ate pretty expensive food fairly frequently. Their house was pretty big, and... for Himmel's education, Kris frequently brought books. This in a world where the printing press did not exist.

The many books found in his house were probably as expensive as a palace.

Celica seemed to be... excited. "Oh my! It seems we have a mystery on our hands!" Ah, it was childish curiosity, huh? Well, it was a stark contrast to the depressed girl who didn't want to even leave her room.

Alm was equally excited. "Yeah! Hey, how about we ask Grandpa about it tomorrow? He probably knows something or another."

Celica quickly agreed. "Yes, Grandpapa is friends with Sir Kris after all!"

Himmel could only snort as they... schemed.

He just knew he wasn't gonna learn a damn thing about Kris anytime soon. Not until he opened that stupid chest.