Astraea: The Journey of Magic

"Well, what is it Valiance? They have important work to do" Ozlo said, acting a bit more forceful then yesterday.

"Shut it, you are a simple grandchild of a count. I outrank you!"

"But I am the only one actually supposed to be here. and there is no need to adventurers currently engaged in protecting the city to have to answer your trivialities".

"Shush. It is simply goblins, the situation is not so dire you need these G-Rankers".

Kuroki twitched. He got corrected on their rank yesterday, which meant he absolutely had to be doing this on purpose. Unless he truly was that dumb.

"Silver Storm, proceed to depart at once".

"Hold it. You lot are billing the city for this aren't you? I find it suspicious these kids are being said to be F-Rankers, aren't you just doing this to embezzle money from the city into your own pocket?!"

Kuroki couldn't believe his ears. Was this person actually trying to accuse Ozlo of embezzlement all of a sudden as well.

Ozlo stood up from his chair, and a chilling aura filled the tent. Everything seemed to crack, as his mana exploded from his body. It was so dense, not as dense as Sebas', but Ozlo did seem to have better control of it. Without making a single offensive move, he filled the tent with his mana, and everyone began to find it difficult to breathe. The rods holding the tent up began to shake and creak, and every step he took felt as if it silenced the area. Kuroki was forced onto his hands and knees, same with the others. Ryuu collapsed outright, and one of the servants fainted entirely.

"...the Dragon's Den..."

One person named the phenomena that was happening to them. Dragon's Den. Ozlo's unique magical power, something born of his will. His special spellcraft. They were now inside of Ozlo's domain. Kuroki had heard of Domains before. Supposedly powerful mages turned their own bases into their domains, and could even create a sort of mini-domain around them.

But what Ozlo was doing was different. It's as if he had changed the atmosphere itself. Made it inhospitable for humans, but perfect for dragons. Then what did that make him, who stood there unaffected? Had the Dragon Caller become a dragon himself, or was he simply able to exclude himself.

Ozlo looked at Valiance, who had fallen to his knee. "Are you really attempting such an obviously fake rumor? What is your goal? You have been speaking in circles for ages now".

"Trying to intimidate me into silence?"

"What do you mean? I am just standing here, not doing a thing. Oh, by any chance, are you having difficulties standing?"

Ozlo bounced up and down on his tippy toes, seemingly especially childish and "innocent" right now. Valiance glared at Ozlo, who refused to take his bait. At least the way he wanted Ozlo to.

"Now now, Dragon Caller. I think that is enough" Count Cremalis said, being the only other person totally unaffected by Dragon's Den.

"I don't recall doing anything" Ozlo said with a peaceful smile, as he reigned in his oppressive aura and restored the atmosphere of the tent to normal.

Count Cremalis just scoffed. "Sure sure. You did nothing. That guy was just being an idiot again".

Once again, Cremalis seemed to be putting Valiance in his place...and stopping Ozlo as well.

There is definitely more history between them then we know about.

While Kuroki had such thoughts, Valiance spoke up again.

"Still, we nobles need to see first hand how they are conducting these operations. As well as evaluating them to see if they are worth the costs".

A few other nobles spoke up and agreed with them. This wasn't looking very good for Kuroki's group. Valiance seemed insistent to come along with them specifically for some reason, and Kuroki was sure it wasn't good. In the worst case scenario, they might claim Kuroki's party did something to him and use that to press charges against them. Its not like they could use magic to show what really happened, since magically obtained evidence was generally considered inadmissible in the court of law.

Kuroki knew there might be some flack due to their first encounter with his father, but this seemed just a bit odd. Did he also have a beef with Master as well?

Ozlo meanwhile was internally groaning.

Not only is Valiance clearly up to something no good, now he and the others want to make this an escort quest as well? We dont even let low ranking adventurers deal with nobles normally! That is the sort of thing that is D-Rank minimum! Are they that much of money grubbers?!

Of course, Ozlo was actually a noble as well. His grandfather was made into a Count for his deeds. But due to various incidents in his past, he tended to not think of himself as a noble and more of a commoner. There would be some, especially the lower class, who might take offense to such thoughts, given that Ozlo was better off than them, but that was besides the point right now.

Stupid stupid Valiance! But, I do have a counter...

"So your saying you will pay for an escort request then".

Suddenly, the nobles all stopped for a moment upon hearing Ozlo's words. He turned to face them all.

"I mean, you are asking adventurers to escort you into these monster filled areas, where there are more monsters than normal right now, and protect you. Not to mention that unless you all plan to go together, each individual noble will require their own escort request, so really you will have to pay for multiple escort requests. Ah, but as this is a city quest, they will have to prioritize goblins and themselves over you if you run into real trouble. After all, this is the negotiations done with the lord of this city already. He himself said these were the final terms, so anything outside of that you want to do, you will have to pay a separate request for. Course, your escorts would also have to be between E and G rank as well. Since you quite insisted it wasn't dangerous enough to bring C-Ranks or above on standby, and the D-Ranks cant leave this camp unless its an emergency".

Ozlo pulled no punches, and went right for their pocketbooks. Either they would back off, or Ozlo would make a killing in profits. The lord of the city had finalized the terms so that the Guild wouldn't be able to move the E-Ranks sent into the sewers for the first two days at least, in order to appease the other nobles and force the GUild to do his demands. But now, Ozlo was turning that around against the other nobles. They couldn't go against the city lord and try to add on new clauses to get things for free, and they couldn't even bring in higher ranked adventurers. He even pointed out the danger, causing the more cowardly nobles to back off instantly.

He had turned their agreement back at them in an instant. The agreement that the guild more or less got strongarmed into, Ozlo had turned into a weapon against the very people responsible.

Cremalis just let out a whistle of admiration, as the conflict played out before them.

How pitiful, these people are. And many of them are supposed to be successors to their houses? Did none of the competent noble families show up? Too many of them are still affected from the pressure Ozlo unleashed in the tent, when he turned this entire tent into a place with volcanic air perfect for dragons.

Not all nobles were like this, and certainly not like Valiance. But everyone, even Cremalis, had to play the game to some extent. Otherwise the truly bad apples might take control.

Still, one seemed stubbornly insistant on poking the sleeping dragon.

"You say that, but how can we even be sure this threat is real, when you wont let us see what is going on. For all we know, you could be using the same goblin ears each day to pad the numbers! Everyone knows adventurers are greedy vagrants who will do anything for money. And now you are trying to extort more form us?!"

Ozlo proceeded to grab Valiance's neck, throttle him, punch him in the face repeatedly, and then bury him in the ground. At least, thats what happened in his imagination. In reality, he did none of those things, but he really wanted to right now.

And then Valiance had to go and be a bigger idiot.

"Besides, I am skilled in combat myself, and I have my knights as escorts".

Gods, give me strength.

Ozlo had seen his combat skill before, so he knew he wasn't lying. At least, completely. The younger Valiance did have some ability in combat. But compared to many of the others Ozlo had seen, he wasn't that skilled. Granted, Ozlo knew a lot of strong people, but he was able to keep a level head so his perception would only be slightly skewed at most. The fact that his grandfather could be stripped naked, have his hands tied behind his back, and would be able to defeat the Young Valiance even after letting him get a free kick or two in without getting any further injuries was something that did not skew his perception, because he knew his grandfather was just that abnormal.

I mean, his grandfather had the physical body of a thirteen year old boy after all. The fact that Ozlo was taller then him, even if it was just by a smidge, at fourteen years old was a dead giveaway he wasn't normal.

"So, you brats will...huh?"

When he turned around, he realized Kuroki's group had left some time ago.

"Why are you so surprised? I did tell them to depart immediately" Ozlo pointed out, a grin appearing on his face. Ozlo had taken so much attention on himself, Kuroki had slipped away without anyone noticing. Valiance growled at Ozlo, understanding clearly that this had been Ozlo's true aim from the start. Kuroki's group now had a few minutes of a head start, and unlike the noble in front of Ozlo, they already had a map marked with their new position. Valiance would be forced to look up a map and figure out the exact zone if he wanted to get there, and then go on his own, or at least only with his knights.

With this, it should squash whatever Valiance had planned.

And yet, Ozlo's thoughts were upended.

"Good thing I made sure to mark that same spot yesterday then as well. We can deploy and follow them immediately" Valiance said, leaving with his knights.

That fucking bastard!

"Yimi" Ozlo said, his voice as cold as ice as he spoke too softly for anyone else to hear. "Follow them. Intervene if necessary. Something is seriously messed up here".

Ozlo knew there was no way the young Valiance could have outsmarted him here. He was far too desire driven, and far too much of an idiot. That entire time, Ozlo led him around by the nose. And yet, there was a weird persistence here. And setting things up ahead of time? Its not the first time he had used an ambush, but Ozlo honestly doubted the fool could have prepared a map like that and made such a decisive move. Ozlo had endured a great deal of humiliation and suffering thanks to Valiance.

Which means, someone is manipulating him. Could it be...the Devil that attacked the Guildmaster?

That thing was still out there. The Devil that managed to get the better of both Anna and the Guildmaster. Two people with rock-solid mental defenses, the latter having developed spells specifically to counter what happened to the former, and he still got affected to a degree. And he was the best at dealing with curses in the city.

However, there were other options as well.

Sebas is a viable option. And there could be others we just haven't thought of yet, or don't know that they are involved. Still...to be safe, I should send extra insurance all around.

Ozlo secretly called forth three more dragons, having them remain cloaked as they flew off to various fronts to monitor the situation accordingly.

Someone might be manipulating Valiance and got one over on him. But Ozlo wasn't the type to let things go the way they wanted, nor was he the type to charge in recklessly and push himself into the frontlines. Ozlo had his own style, and whoever this enemy was now had Ozlo's attention.

At the same time this was going on, Akano was walking through the market area with Granny.

"So you are heading to the capital next? Shouldn't I go with you?"

"If the bonds between your friends are strong, they are more likely within one of the cities in this region, probably scattered throughout them in fact. Its possible they might all be in cities that surround the Cursed Woods. There is a sleeping disaster there after all, which was yet another reason I was asked to come here as well. Although, I know of others who check on it as well, but you can never be too sure. Hmm...when I get to the capital, I should try contacting him, but I also need to check on the Oracle. The Ivory Tower is a dangerous place, and he was the one who pointed me in this direction. Typically, Starfallen don't appear in Oracles, as they come from another world, and as such they can cause changes within oracles and destinies when they arrive. But he is skilled, and I cant rule out he saw the distortion itself coming".

The way she spoke of the Oracle indicated both sorrow and affection. Regret as well, as it was an emotion Akano knew all too well. He felt it himself, for continuously failing to get Kuroki away from that shitty father of his.

In truth, Akano's family had even been working behind the scenes to try and adopt Kuroki. He was afraid to give Kuroki hope when they were not even sure it would be possible though, but it was something they had wanted to do.

And the way she spoke...

"Who is this Oracle? Is he okay?"

"I am not completely sure. Even I cannot meet him so freely. But the fact that he rarely leaves the Ivory Tower makes me concerned that the Dark Side of the Church might still be festering. As for who he is...he is the greatest known Oracle currently alive. He has one of the strongest timeline viewing abilities of any oracle, but there is a price for holding such power. He has some health issues, and he lost the ability to grow at age ten. He can be a bit sarcastic and self bashing, but I think his desire to be free of his situation is strong. I am just not sure how picky he is right now about the method involved".

"The Dark Side of the Church?"

"Any large-scale organization or government has a dark side. That doesn't mean its all consumed by that darkside, but such a darkside certainly exists. Even after all that happened and all the investigations and purges, the Church surely has one still as well. Make no mistake Akano. There is no guarantee every holy person will be your ally".

"Understood".

They finished their shopping for dinner, as he looked over at the sun, which had reached the center of the sky.

"You think this Oracle might have sent you here to find Starfallen...to find me?"

"Yes. I think he likely knows far more than anyone else, including himself, knows and realizes. That boy has the potential to set in motion events that will pay off over a decade later. I have seen it myself. Still, he isn't omniscient nor omnipotent. If he is truly trapped within the Ivory Tower as I suspect, it just shows even he cant so easily overcome the Dark Side of the Church. Its possible he might still be waiting for outside help. That he would need it, trapped in that gilded cage".

In other words, his situation was also bleak.

"So while you look into that, I should keep looking for my friends?"

"First, work on requests for the adventurer's guild. You have abilities, but you need to get used to fighting. You are no good to your friends like that right now. It might be best to find some allies as well".

Akano thought back to the cloaked boy from the other day, the one he saw in the guild. He was certain the boy was a Starfallen too, he seemed unusually focused on Akano and despite his size and apparent age, he took down that scum who had also come to this world that was one of the regular bullies that targeted Kuroki.

"That is probably wise".

"Thinking about that insolent brat from the guild again?"

Akano nodded. Torito Ogami was someone who Akano considered a major threat. If he was corned while alone, Ogami would probably win. He had far better fighting skills in their previous world after all. Akano probably didn't even stand a chance.

This also made him remember The Cloaked One however. The mysterious boy who Akano was sure was a Starfallen. He had yet to see his face or hear his voice, but he was certain the boy was a Starfallen. If he had to guess, the boy was a third or second grader. He was probably a bit shorter then Kuroki. And yet, that level of skill was...it went beyond what Starfallen gifts should be able to give you.

As Akano refocused on the road ahead of them, he then spotted the very person he was thinking about. He had black boots, dark blue shorts that seemed a bit shorter than average, a black cloak with a hood that was up, a black sleeveless shirt, and dark blue gloves. The cloak did have sleeves though. That said, he looked rather dirty, and although it looked like he cleaned up a bit, there was some blood on his shoes that he had missed. Akano figured he probably went to do a request in the forest again, and only just came back. But considering the time, either it was a very short time for him, or he spent all night out there.

He seemed to be paying for lunch, but Akano still heard no words come out of his mouth. He used gestures and nods. When he was done, he got what appeared to be a meat skewer. When he started to eat it, since his hood was up, it just appeared to enter a black abyss.

Actually, it was currently noon with the sun fully up, so Akano wondered why he couldn't see under that hood. It was kept pretty far over, but was that really enough?

He seemed to be happily chowing down, before turning to head down the road. Akano turned to look at Granny, who had an interested look in her eye.

"Oooh, this kid aint normal".

"So you think he is a Starfallen as well?"

"Its certainly possible. Although I also question if thats really a child as well" she mused, intriguided.

"What do you mean?"

Granny watched the boy. Specifically, she eyed his bare legs. It lasted for a few seconds, before she nodded.

"...what are you doing?"

"Relax, don't be so suspicious. I just wanted to confirm something. That boy is expertly controlling the force he puts into his legs, even now. I wouldn't recommend trying to follow him Akano, its pointless. He already noticed us for sure as well".

"Wait what?"

"Tell me, is it normal for children to be trained as rogues or assassins or...what was that word? Ninjas?"

Akano shook his head. "No, absolutely not".

"Then if he is a Starfallen, he is quite the abnormal one. That boy has prepared his legs and is walking in a way where he can break out into a sprint in a moment's notice. He is completely aware of us. Its possible he can even hear everything we are saying right now...no, perhaps that is a guarantee? Also, should you be forced to restrain him, provided you can manage to defeat him, strip him bare and make the restraints tight and use redundancies. That boy has at least six concealed weapons that I noticed, and possibly more I don't. He has a dagger under the legs of his shorts, strapped to each thigh. He has another strapped to each arm near the shoulder, ready to pull out of those sleeves. He even has something hidden inside the pocket of his cloak. I only confirmed one side, but going by the pattern, he probably has one for each side as well".

"...you could tell all this?"

"When one has been around as long as I have, you pick up on things boyo" she said. "Now then, are you getting used to work?"

Akano let out a sigh.

"Honestly, it's hard. Thanks to your help granny I am sure it hasn't been as hard on me, but...as expected, its strange. Even though I feel like I am adapting well, and that complying to this world is the right and natural thing to do, it still feels weird being a full time worker all of a sudden. I was in middle school, soon high school. Now I have to work for a living hunting monsters and healing people, and find my friends along with that".

In his old world, child labor laws would have absolutely prevented a lot of what he saw in the guild, including children clearly younger then him, a fifteen year old boy. Even if he was short enough to be mistaken for thirteen years old, he still saw those who were shorter and younger than him.

And it wasn't just the adventurer's guild. He saw them working as assistants and apprentices to blacksmiths, merchants, working as receptionists, and other fields. There were quite a number of them who worked as messengers, running around delivering messages to and from places. Although, it was possible child labor law supporters might let that last one slide.

"Starfallen, and Otherworlders in general, always take some time getting used to our world. But our world developed its own culture and values, and to try and assert your own and claim that your old world was right and this was wrong is just idiocy and foolish. Our world developed its culture based on its own series of events and the values that formed from it, and to try and assert that its somehow lesser isn't just rude and arrogant. Its one of the highest orders of idiocy".

"I guess that's why the previous hero is so hated".

"Yes. The heroes of this generation will have their work cut out for them. Now then, I need to make my departure soon, but remember what I told you. You should try to find allies to form a party with. To be honest, I actually have a promising lead. So lets head over to the Beastiary now to check it out, as well as the creatures that will be pulling my carriage".

"A lead?"

"Yes. Follow me".

Akano followed Granny to the Beastiary. It was a place near their inn, where tamed monsters, such as those used to pull the more expensive carriages, were. Not just horse like monsters and mythic beasts, but also other creatures that were useful like dogs or dog like monsters could often be found there. That said, security was strict. There were quite a few people who hated monsters so much they would even try to go after these, and also it was to alleviate concerns the monsters might go berserk, rush out, and kill everyone. And they were going to the Sanctuary, where people helped to treat and wash such creatures. It was also a place of naturalism, since they held unicorns there, so most people had to enter naked the first few times so the creatures would feel as if they were equals. Unicorns were full of purity, naturalism, and innocence, to the point they often would not let people ride them unless they were naked or a child, or both. Unicorns were incredibly rare since they avoided civilization, and they were considered a protected species by the kingdom.

Of course, this was only for the very secure back area of the beastiary where they roamed, not the countless larger public areas that were its main facility and held the more common beasts. Naturally security was still good for those places too, but one didn't have to remove their clothes to visit them. This was just a sign of how valuable and protected Unicorns were.

Akano was used to how this world viewed things however, so while embarrassed, he was able to enter with Granny. Of course, Granny was let in and allowed to remain fully dressed, while he couldn't have so much as a stitch. But that was just how high ranking and trusted she was. Plus apparently this was a place she had been to hundreds of times in the past, and she had other merits, though Akano never heard what those were.

"We have a new apprentice caretaker looking after the unicorns as well as a bunch of dogs. He should be the one who interacted with them last, so you can hear their status from him".

Granny whistled. "You are letting him work alone? As a newbie? He must have made a very good impression".

"Well...he actually arrived in town completely naked riding the very unicorn he is taking care of, who apparently got wounded protecting him. So he left a rather good impression on our boss".

It wasn't strange for unicorns to protect children, who were considered innocent. But for one to bring a child all the way to the city, a place they typically hate, indicated a lot.

The two headed in further. They never ran into another person, but they did see quite a few creatures. A few dogs and cats, but also they saw a Pegasus as well. They even saw a unicorn or two, one of which came up and licked Akano all the way down his back, which was unnerving and cold and embarrassing.

"Its a good sign. In fact, its said if a Unicorn gives you a bath, you recieve good luck".

"...wait, with its tongue?"

"Well, Unicorns can also use magic. Their horns are actually what inspired the creation of wands, and many of the first wands used Unicorn horns as a base. Unfortunately that led to overhunting, which is part of why Unicorns dislike civilization. But I have never seen so many appear so relaxed. Even if you are naked, they normally wouldn't be this open and friendly".

"I still think its unfair only one of us has to make this walk naked. Especially since there are pebbles everywhere, not to mention nuts, that I keep stepping on".

Inside of the Beastiary was a giant forest and wilderness. The inside of the building was much bigger then the outside thanks to Space Expansion enchantments. Apparently, with large buildings like this, it was far easier, especially since it was stationary. On things like bags, they were far less effective, only being able to double the interior space at most. With a large building like this, it was even easier. The entire thing was like a greenhouse in a way.

Eventually they heard a voice, laughing in the distance while trying to sound stern.

"No, no! You have to accept your bath properly! Look, I am here with you, so come! Ah, don't think licking me will work! Wait, no not there! Ahahaha!"

They followed the voice until they came across an odd sight. A naked Dog Beastkin boy, who appeared to be eleven or twelve years old at most, was on the ground surrounded by wet dogs. One was licking him everywhere which he was trying to stop before he reached various ticklish areas and what not, but he seemed helpless and defenseless against them. Their cold tongues moistened his skin, and even the unicorn was joining in. This unicorn had a scar on its torso, but it looked like it had already been healed and was in stable condition.

One dog even started licking his feet as well to make him drop his guard. He looked completely helpless against this onslaught. However, while Akano processed all of that, there was something more he realized.

"Tamaki?"

He recognized that voice. He recognized that face. Hell, he recognized that body. This was similar to how they first met after all, after his family had moved in next door several years ago. Akano and his family had gone to visit and welcome them to the neighborhood, but when the door opened, a dog tried to rush out followed by a naked boy, both wet and covered in soap. Akano's dad was able to stop the dog from exiting, but then another tried. IT was a smaller dog that the boy quickly scooped up though, quite the puppy.

Tamaki Tsukiko. While now twelve, he was seven at the time. He was an only child, but his family had four dogs. Apparently Tamaki's father was a veterinarian, and some of them were rescues. But that was fine, because Tamaki really really loved dogs. He liked many animals. Not all of them, he seemed to be freaked or grossed out by sea life and bugs, but mammals like dogs, cats, horses, he loved those. Dogs were his favorite above all others though, so the fact that he was not only a Dog Beastkin but also surrounded by dogs who were licking him head to toe and showing affection for him was nothing new. Hell, this exact scene was one Akano had witnessed many times in his previous world. Tamaki's parents worked nights a lot and a few afternoons, so his family was sometimes asked to check in on him, and Akano had shared a few baths with him even. But he was often taking care of the dogs, and bathed with them. Apparently, the dogs disliked it unless he bathed with them, and Akano had been pulled in a few times as well. Akano was never sure what they were saying, but Tamaki somehow always had a good idea of what they were saying.

He was like a dog whisperer.

As Akano and granny approached, the dogs finally stopped and turned towards them, looking as if they were protecting their favorite toy. Tamaki meanwhile tried to wipe some of the slobber off, when he saw Akano.

"Aka-nii!" he said, jumping forward and giving him a full on hug, his tail wagging joyfully.

"Ahh! Ew ew! Get off, you are covered in dog slobber! Great! Now I need to take a bath here too!" Akano complained.

"Ah, sorry...guess its too late now" he said as he kept hugging Akano. However, he seemed to be trembling a bit.

"...you okay, Tamaki?"

"...not fully. Do you mind if we stay like this for a bit?"

"MMhm. Sure, I get it. I haven't found my family or friends either. You are the first person I have found that I actually know".

"...that's lucky. I...I found someone already, but..."

Tamaki was already sniffling, on the verge of tears as the subject came up.

"Sorry to hear that. It wasn't..."

"No, it wasn't my parents. It was my cram school teacher. I didn't really like her, she was way too strict, but...to see her dead in a crater like that..."

Apparently, Tamaki had come across a dead Starfallen already, and one he knew at that. Akano had tagged along with Granny when she went to check on the crater corpses, but not a single person had been someone he knew. Or at least that he could recognize. Some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition.

"I see...I suppose at least you found me then. That is some luck".

"I am not so sure that it was. In truth, I was heading home from cram school when it happened. I had seen her just a few moments ago...and I actually saw you and your friends down the street when everything got weird".

Now that was interesting information. They already theorized that people close together might have landed near each other, but apparently Tamaki might be a big piece of evidence proving that. This meant he came into contact with two people now he had been in proximity to.

Still, clearly it wasn't perfect, and it was at least partially random. Otherwise, Akano would have found Kuroki, Reiji, and Juno by now. They had litterally been standing right next to each other after all, while Tamaki had been down the street. Akano was reasonably sure they would have found each other if they were in the same town.

A few of the dogs barked, and Tamaki looked at them.

"Yes, he is a friend. I know him, so you guys don't have to be on guard okay?"

Hearing him, the dogs wagged their tail and seemed to drop their tension. One still came up and sniffed Akano's rear however.

"Oi! No, you are not allowed to mark him as your territory! I doubt he wants to have to take two baths and extra soap anyways".

"Wow, you seem even sharper then usual...wait, can you understand what they are saying?"

Tamaki nodded, finally releasing Akano from the hug.

"Yeah! I could always kind of tell, but it seems a lot easier since coming to this world".

Oh wow. Tamaki already had an almost supernatural level ability to understand dogs in our world, being able to somehow percieve the minute differences to understand them better. If that got improved further through Starfallen Gifts, perhaps he can perfectly communicate with all dogs...no, perhaps all animals, far better then before!

Tamaki had once freed Akano and Kuroki from a rather humiliating bullying where they got locked, naked, inside of rabbit cages. Apparently, he was able to understand that a stray dog who had been nearby was trying to get help for people who were trapped, and rushed towards and found them before a crowd of people were brought over to "find" them by their bully. At least on that occasion. It was at a level where bullies actually had started targeting him as well. And this was responded by every dog who witnessed these events peeing on their shoes whenever they could. Course, given how good Tamaki was with animals, Akano suspected this might not have been a natural development, but that was besides the point.

In the end, it always comes back to one thing. Animals, especially dogs, love Tamaki. And Tamaki loves animals, especially dogs, in return as well.

Within this Beastiary, he might as well be invincible.

Granny, who had let them talk between each other this whole time, finally spoke up.

"Well, since it seems you two know each other, why not help each other out? COnsidering you have no background, if you haven't already you will probably want to become an adventurer. This world is a vast place, and unfortunately you likely wont find your parents unless you travel around for a bit and make a name for yourself".

"...this is true. Also, while I love sleeping with all the animals, I probably should get a proper bed and learn to defend myself against any more issues".

"Wait, more issues?"

"...apparently, I am being targeted by nobles. The fact that I seem to have tamed this unicorn and all these dogs so easily have apparently made some greedy one's want to capture me and use me to capture unicorns! And get this Akano, they want to use brainwashing magic to force them to submit and become obediant! Thats just too cruel! They want to force the animals to do something so against their will! And they even want to do the same to me!"

"Wait, you learned all this?"

"Well, I was told by the guy who runs this place that is what will likely happen if I get captured. They tried to send a few ruffians in here the other day to kidnap me, but the Unicorns kinda...well they stabbed them all, or used magic to destroy them. Bastian also used a fireball to incinerate one".

"Wait, who is Bastian?"

"Ah, this little guy here!" Tamaki said, pointing to the corgi that tried to mark Akano as his territory.

"...wait, he used a fireball?"

"Yep! He follows me around even more then the others. In any case, I have been stuck in here for the last few days as a result".

"The last few days?!"

"Yeah. I did need to wait for the tailor to finish my clothes anyways, although I was told they got delivered yesterday".

"I see..."

"Apparently he was just a stray, so they said I could keep him! So I named him Bastian. Despite his size, he is faster than me by the way, even when I run on all fours myself. Also...he is stronger than me".

"...right. Well, how about we wash this drool off and get going to the guild?"

"Ah, but first I have to finish washing these rascals. Think you can help me?"

Akano sighed, once again being pulled into bathing with dogs by his neighbor. "Sure sure".

And so, Akano gained a new ally...and got cleaned up a bit earlier than normal today.

At the same time, Kuroki's group was now at the ruins again. They were busy staying guard, and had already dispatched a Goblin group of four. It looked like there might actually be less Goblins here then yesterday, except of course they encountered a second group again. They promptly defeated them though, as they were far easier to deal with then Rabbits. The Rabbits had successfully injured them after all.

"It feels very weird how we can handle Goblins decently enough, but not rabbits" Kaede muttered. "I mean, I know why we can, but still..."

"That is just how it is. I think part of why Goblins are considered a bigger threat is also because they can work in groups and use tools and tactics though".

"Yeah, if we had dropped our guard when that last group appeared, we might have been in trouble also" Riku added to Kuroki's words.

That last group had only partially caught them off guard, as Riku and Kuroki were litterally caught with their pants and underwear down, as they were relieving themselves behind a nearby tree. This had seriously messed with their formation, and also their minds. Riku got ambushed by a Goblin with a rusty sword who engaged him with close quarters attacks, and his mobility was terrible thanks to the fact that not only was his pants and underwear around his ankles, but he had been right in the middle of getting a poop out. Kuroki was in a similar situation, stuck in close quarters and forced to use mana manipulation for fast magic only. Had the Goblin got any closer, not only a magic fight, but a sword fight of sorts would have unintentionally happened as well. Kaede and Ryuu had been a bit away, but only a bit. They hadn't seen the Goblins sneak up, they approached from a blind spot, but they saw the ambush itself happen. After all, Kuroki had learned from his trek to the city that one should have people stand guard when other members were taking a shit.

Unfortunately, he had not fully adapted to this world and let them be a good distance away, which limited their ability to react and left Riku and Kuroki in a terrible position. Kuroki even fell backwards onto his butt to avoid a stabbing, quickly trying to freeze the goblin's legs in ice. He tried to reach for his pants and underwear, but the Goblin broke out quickly and he was forced to stop and defend himself again.

Kaede and Ryuu meanwhile got held up by the other two goblins, which delayed their response. Ryuu was eventually able to overcome his Goblin, and Kaede moved around and backstabbed hers as well. This let them rush over and help Kuroki and Riku. Riku had been knocked down and forced to roll to the side, which actually caused him to lose his pants and underwear entirely. The goblin tried to pick them up to flee, but Riku's legs were now free, so he used Brilliant Flash and beheaded it, retrieving them. Then they got dressed again.

After that had happened, Kuroki had raised their guards further, and implemented stricter bathroom protocols. Unfortunately for Kaede and Ryuu, it was their turn now, so they both ended up having to go with Riku and Kuroki basically covering over them, paying attention to everything.

After they finished wiping, they kept up their guard when a group of four arrived. Only this time, it wasn't Goblins.

"There you brats are".

Valiance had finally caught up to them. And now they had a whole new problem. There was no one around to help them this time, and they were still tired from their horrible encounter just a moment ago.

Not only that, but he was surrounded by three knights. They had full plate armor on, were clearly adults, and already had their swords drawn. Not only that, but they were clearly far more skilled then anyone they had fought before.

In other words, they were now in the woods, with no witnesses, with a noble who had depraved intentions for Kuroki and Kaede, and likely the rest of them as well. And that noble had people who were clearly on a level way above their own. There was no way they could possibly win a fight against these people, that was the sheer difference in combat experience and strength. Valiance's father had strong influence and control over the regional knights as well, so these people were likely no joke.

Kuroki's voice only filled with even more dread as he heard the next words that came out of his mouth.

"Now then, I think it is time we talked".