Milady! You shouldn't be doing this!" Rene begged while crawling backwards frantically.
"But Reneee I'm so lonely…" Antonola said while crawling towards Rene. "And I can sense a great power in your trousers."
Rene hated to admit it, but he was slowly becoming aroused as well. Being trapped in this room, it was only a matter of time before the poor knight would give in. But he was a Hospitalier so his chastity had stayed untouched by demand of the Oath of the Hospitaliers. Rene needed to stay strong if he was to prevent himself from failing to her charms. He saw a bottle in the woman's hands and realized that she was drunk. Rene then decided to risk it, as he grabbed the girl by the shoulders. The girl stared amorously into Rene's eyes as she puckered her lips for a kiss. Rene frantically grabbed the bottle from her hands and stuck it into the girl's mouth. The girl suddenly falls over, finally unconscious from her drunken state. Rene sits down and sighed, that was close, too close for comfort. Rene glanced at the girl with a frown.
"I don't blame her for being so excited. Being isolated from humanity for so long." Rene said while sighing. "It seems so cruel…"
Rene stood in the tunnels, still deep in thought. But he saw a familiar sight, a purple-haired woman in the middle, Antonola, seemingly talking to the ants. She seemed to be invested in her work, as Rene saw utmost seriousness on her face, as if she was absolutely sure of what she was speaking of. She still had her white silk dress on with her antenna hat on, while holding a book in her hand. Rene was curious to see this side of her after seeing her drunken state. He approached her, hearing her instructions to the ants.
"Gather a small workforce to harvest the fungus, it's almost harvesting season and the brood really need feeding." Nola said while crouching down to one of the ants, who then went their way.
"And you!" Nola pointed to a large soldier ant. "Another attempted spider raid? Get some soldiers out there and tighten defenses! We can't afford to have another mimic in our colony! Send a hunting party to kill any more spiders in the area!"
The soldier ant also went on its way. A worker ant walks up to Nola, with a limb of some sort of creature in its mouth.
"Ooh! An orc arm!" Nola said with delight while petting the ant. "Gather some workers to get the rest of him!"
Nola then saw Rene, causing her to blush, hiding her face behind her booklet. Rene walked up to her, trying to exhibit confidence so that she would not think that he was still embarrassed from the night before. But judging from her expression, it looked like she was the shyer one here.
"H-Hi…" Nola choked out, trying to speak properly while averting her gaze.
"You seem to be really busy." Rene added.
"O-Of course! Being a general also involves a good allocation of resources!" Nola said while skimming through her notes. "I'm currently handling the problems the colony ants have reported to me."
"You are?" Rene asked while glancing at the wolf-sized ant, which seemed to be looking at him curiously. "How do you… talk to them?"
"You don't know? I thought you were an ant person?"
"W-Well, this is my first time on the job." Rene lied, hoping that this would throw her off.
"Hmmm, fair enough!" Nola said while picking up one of the smaller ants, about the size of a large cat, then bringing it and placing it at Rene's feet. "Go on then!"
"Er what?"
"You want to talk to them right?" Nola asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes but—"
"It's easy!" Nola added. "Just look into her eyes and establish a connection, once you establish a connection, you'll have no problem speaking."
Rene took off his helmet, his black hair shining under the dappled sunlight shining splendidly into the subterranean city. His facial features were well defined and quite clean, compared to his other grittier looking combatants. He didn't even have any signs of facial hair, and his greenish eyes were bursting with youthful vigor. He seemed more like an energetic youngling than a tired warrior. Rene then bent on one knee and looked into the ant's eyes, trying to establish a connection with the smallish creature. The insect looked curiously into Rene's eyes, tilting its head in wonder. Rene had a gut feeling that prompted him to say.
"Climb onto my shoulder."
The ant paused before it hesitantly approached Rene, creeping up to him in uncertainty. The ant approached Rene's body before using its antennae to feel him. The ant gets a little closer, before suddenly climbing onto Rene's body. The ant began to walk all over the knight's body before settling on Rene's shoulder. Rene smirked at the little ant as it nuzzled itself onto him.
"Okay, I think I got it." Rene said.
"That was amazing!" Nola said with her eyes shining. "I could never really talk to him without having another ant explain it to him!"
"It's all good." Rene said while petting the young ant on his shoulder.
But the atmosphere changed, with Rene feeling a sudden chill in the air. Rene saw a soldier ant frantically crawling through the tunnels. Rene stared curiously at the ant before it disappeared. But rumbling can be heard as hundreds of worker and soldier ants alike rushed through the tunnel, prompting Nola and Rene to jump out of the way of the giant stampede. Rene looked at the crowd of ants disappear, as he then turned to Nola, who wore a face of seriousness before running off. Rene and his new ant companion followed Nola to a room, where Nola cuts open a silk container, finding a set of armor.
The armor was detailed but not ornate, it wasn't made of gold or any sort of metal, in fact, it looked organic, like the shell of a beetle. There were wings attached to the chest that had a segmented design. Her helmet had a curved horn like that of a rhinoceros, and her gauntlets and greaves had strange spines on them. In that armor, Nola resembled a giant insect.
"W-What's that?" Rene wondered, sizing up Nola in her new set of armor.
"Scarab armor, or chitin armor. I earned it when I fought and killed my first giant beetle, though sadly they're becoming rarer and rarer."
Rene saw Nola grab a spear and shield made of, and tried to run after her as she stomped her way towards the exit.
"Wait, why are you getting yourself armed? Why were there so many ants stampeding through the tunnels?"
"Because the Black Dogs have arrived." Nola said with utmost seriousness.
"Come on lads! That sexy general should come out any time soon!" A mercenary riding a giant boar cheered, as he then knocked down another tree, and burned it.
"Boss! The murmeks are approachin'!"
"Bah! Rain fire on them, make 'em pay for keepin' someone as sexy as that lady without our say!"
The mercenaries and monsters then raised their weapons and shouted while they ran towards the ants. As soon as the two masses collided, it was a bloodbath. The worker ants began to swarm the larger targets. Men screamed as they were sprayed by the acid from the ants. The ogres swatted the smaller opponents with ease, but not before being picked up by the super majors and chomped in half. It was a stalemate, but the ants' much greater ability to work as a cohesive unit begins to overwhelm the Black Dogs as they began to push them back.
The general raised his spear, signaling catapult crew to use fire and rain down hell upon the ants. Naturally, the ants began to panic and retreated from the smoke, too weak to even continue. The ants retreated back to the wetter area, closer to the nest. The monsters and mercenaries charged in once more, but a figure emerged from the tunnel and rushed forward, taking down mercenaries and monsters alike with her spear. The figure waves her spear and reveals herself to be Nola. Seeing that their general was there to lead them, the ants formed into defensive positions ready to hold their ground. Nola spotted the mercenary general and shouted.
"Why do you kill these poor innocent creatures!? What do you want!?"
"We want you obviously!" The general replied while licking his lips. "We've heard about the sexy leader of the tunnels. Didn't think you were with those murmeks though, but it doesn't matter! First one to grab the lass gets to fuck her first!"
The monsters and men shouted in unison, both shouts being hard to differentiate from the other.
"Long live the Sex Empire!" They screamed before charging at the ants.
"Form a wall!" Nola commanded, making hand gestures to the soldier ants. "Keep them back with your jaws!"
The soldier ants lined up side by side, their jaws sticking out, ready to bite whoever dared come close. Nola then gestured to the worker ants, who were gathered in thousands, awaiting Nola's command.
"Swarm the opponents! About, two ants per goblin, five ants per human, and eight ants per ogre! Spray acid onto them and aim for the eyes!" Nola pointed towards the charging mass of monsters. "Make sure to keep spraying them with the acid until they are either dead or incapacitated!"
The ants went in waves, swarming the opponents and spraying acid on them. More screams of pain were heard as the ants began to bite and spray acid on the mercenaries. But the contraptions in the back launched more fire as the smoke began to suffocate and kill the ants. Nola grit her teeth as the ant numbers began to thin. She didn't want to waste ant lives so recklessly. She was tempted to sound the retreat, but more catapult shots cause the tunnels to collapse, leaving Nola and her forces backed against a wall.
We need a miracle… Nola thought while seeing the eventual loss of her forces.
Meanwhile, Rene navigated the tunnels frantically, searching for a certain area. His ant companion follows him as he tried to look for a way out. The small ant makes a clicking noise, questioning him. Rene sighed and turned to her.
"I'm trying to escape."
The ant replied with clicks of confusion.
"I have another task to do."
The ant clicked again, but with a more frantic and fearful tone.
"No! That doesn't mean I'll leave her to die! She's perfectly capable of defeating those barbarians."
The ant made more clicks out of skepticism and inquisitiveness, as if it were giving Rene a deadpan.
"What are you talking about? She— I mean how could she—GAH! Okay! If she were to actually lose, I would never let her be at those monsters' mercy."
The ant then questioned Rene with a few more clicks.
"Because…" Rene paused, trying to piece his reply together. "I have my orders, and I have to see them completed! I didn't see THIS coming! I didn't see myself being kidnapped by a swarm of giant insects and an eccentric ant woman!"
The ant dejectedly clicks at that.
"Yes… I admit that I am involved in this now…" Rene said while looking back to the exit. "And I have done nothing but trick her with lies to draw more information from her when she trusted me."
Rene hung his head in contemplation, before saying,
"Fine then, I will finish what I started."
"Excellent choice." a voice said in Rene's head.
Rene then turned to the source of the voice, seeing a very large ant with wings, about the size of a house. It had very large jaws, and was accompanied by other winged ants of the same size and other smaller winged ants. Rene stared in awe at them and asked.
"Who are you?"
"We are the queens of this nest, and we have been awakened by the slaughter of our own kin."
"Why are you here?" Rene questioned, gazing at their size in awe.
"And we have overheard your most wise decision of staying to help, and we would like to extend our support."
Rene then looked at the other ants appear before him as he then asked.
"How?"
Back to Nola, who was cornered against the blocked entrance to the nest, surrounded by thousands of hungry men and monsters. She, together with a handful of worker ants, try their best to stick together as they become surrounded by the enemy. The general rides up and dismounts his boar, drawing his weapon and licking his lips.
"Give it up! You're already outnumbered! Just surrender already!"
"I know what your kind does to women! I'd rather die!"
"Shame." The general said before sending forward his soldiers. "Tie her up lads!"
The ants and Nola got into fighting position as they prepared their last stand. But the ground began to rumble, as the tunnels suddenly bursted, with the queen ants breaking out of the tunnel entrance and begin flying up with hundreds of drones following them. Nola could see Rene riding on the back on one of the queens, as he then dismounted and pointed his sword towards the opposing army catapult.
"Flyers, disable those catapults and kill the crew!" Rene commanded before pointing to the worker ants who accompanied the queens. "Swarm their archers, don't let them shoot the flyers."
"How shall I and my sisters be of assistance brave warrior?" the queen asked.
"Clear a path to the catapult, as long as those exist, the fire won't stop raining." Rene replied without even blinking.
"Gladly." the queen said before thrashing her head and jaws, clearing a path for the worker ants to pass her.
Nola approached Rene, staring at him with awe. He was their saving grace, coming in when she needed help the most. He looked much more powerful, more awesome than he did back at the nest. Nola could wonder what Rene was going to say next. Rene turned to her, his the light peering into visor and revealing his greenish eyes.
"So I met your queens, a fascinating bunch." Rene commented, fully turning his body to Nola.
"You came for me…" Nola said with disbelief.
"Of course." Rene replied with assurance, as he came closer to Nola. "It would not do for a Knight Hospitalier to leave a maiden in peril."
That word rang in Nola's head. Knight. Like those princess knights? No. It was the real deal. Those knights she would hear in those stories. Stories of chivalry and heroism, committed by great men of great faith. Those stories would always make her eyes shine with hope at the future. When she heard of the establishment of the Sex Empire, she lost hope in man, thinking of knights as nothing but a pipe dream. But now, Nola realized that Rene was no ant person, he was something much greater.
But her thought process is interrupted by a random dog monster attacking Rene, who raises his shield and blocks the attack. Nola then stabbed another monster sneaking up on Rene.
"Let's finish the battle before we finish this conversation."
"Agreed." Nola nodded, while getting into fighting stance.
Rene and Nola charged into the fray, with thousands of ants following them from behind. Rene did a mix of defense and attack as he blocked and struck his enemies with great rhythm. But he was playing it safe, making sure not to go beyond the range of his shield's protection. Nola, on the other hand, was playing it more aggressively. With great agility, she jumped and dodged attacks before quickly dispatching her opponents. Contrasting to Rene's defensive style of combatting, Nola was going full offense relying on her speed and agility to avoid damage. Rene stood with the defensive line, as he slowly advanced with the help of the ants. But he noticed that Nola was too far out of formation and called out.
"Stick with the formation, we can't afford to be picked off one by one!" Rene commanded, before hearing the catapult move, launching a ball of fire that was headed straight for Nola.
Rene's eyes were filled with dread, as he feared for Nola's life. He rushed as fast as he could to Nola, as she was still stuck in place from all the enemies. Nola had only realized too late that the fireball was heading for her, and was too scared to move. Rene ran as fast as his legs could move until Nola was in arm's reach. The catapult shot left a thick smoke that covered the two.
Nola coughed and coughed as she realized that she wasn't dead. She looked up, to see her savior, Rene, holding up his shield. Nola swore that Rene was glowing for a second, as she stared at him. Rene held the position for awhile, before sighing in relief and dropping his stance. He breathed heavily before he extended a hand to help up Nola.
"Watch your surroundings next time." Rene reprimanded.
"H-How did you survive that?" Nola asked in awe.
"What?" Rene asked in confusion. "The catapult just barely missed us, it wasn't a direct hit!"
Nola shakily pointed a finger at Rene's shield. Rene looked at it to see that the paint was ruined, but more importantly, the shield was smoking and it had a very big dent. The shield was in very bad shape, but somehow it survived, together with an unharmed Rene. Rene pondered on how he did survive a 90 kg projectile launched from 300 meters.
"You were glowing for a second, so I thought that it was one of your special knight powers."
"Knight powers? That's it!" Rene said with realization. "It was the Lord who was so generous to provide me protection!"
Rene then got on his knees and screamed to the heavens.
"Gratias ago tibi, Domine! Non sum dignus coram te!" (Thank you, Lord! I'm not worthy of your blessing!)
Nola looked at Rene curiously as he then dusted himself up, before Rene noticed Nola's curious glance.
"What?"
"You're rather strange. I've never met someone who gives so much thanks to an invisible being."
"That's because this was clearly the Lord's work, otherwise I would have died right there."
"You actually never told me about your religion." Nola noted. "I'm not religious myself, but after seeing that, I would like to know more."
"I'll be glad to tell you, but let us finish the battle first." Rene said while turning back to the carnage.
Nola nodded as she went into the fray, but this time sticking closer to Rene. Both stood with their battle lines as they pushed back the Black Dog mercenaries and monsters.
"Where's the catapult support!?" The enemy general barked.
"The flying murmeks killed the crew!" The soldier replied before running away. "The battle is lost! Run for your lives! Save yourselves!"
Unfortunately for them, the army had heard the cry and they began to break. More men and monsters broke from the battle line, running from the onslaught of worker ants. Men and monster screamed alike while they sought to save their own skins. The ants took this chance to bite the heels of the escapees, making sure that some of them would not escape. The general grit his teeth as he grabbed one of the spare bows and ran off. The army of ants chased the Black Dogs until they crossed the raging river in retreat. The panicking soldiers were swept away as the routing army was vanquished.
Rene and Nola cheered while the ants made audible clicking noises. The ants then stopped to lick their wounds. Nola sighed in relief before she gazed at Rene and smiled at him, with Rene taking off his helmet and looking at her with an expression of relief. Nola then embraced Rene, catching him slightly off-guard.
"Thank you." Nola whispered with utmost gratitude, tears flowing.
"For what?" Rene asked, confused at her immense gratitude.
"For choosing to fight." Nola replied while releasing her embrace and averting her gaze.
Both walked closer to the river, with Rene sheathing his sword and reattaching his shield to his back, with his helmet in his arm. They stood by the cliff edging over the raging water as Nola then commented.
"So… you're not really an ant person?"
Rene hung his head at the mention of that.
"Yes... I apologize for misleading you." Rene replied in shame.
"Oh no! That's okay! It's my fault for assuming that you were an ant person because of your name!" Nola said reassuringly. "Besides, you're something much better anyway. You're a knight! Like the hero in those stories!"
"Stories?" Rene asked.
"Oh, I've gathered a great amount of books in my spare time and they would always talk about the true knights. Men of great faith who did great acts of righteousness, like slaying the dragon and saving the princess!"
"I'm not so sure about slaying the dragon." Rene said doubtfully. "But it wouldn't have been knightly of me to leave you to those bastards' mercy."
"Speaking of which, why did you come back?"
"Hmm? Did I not tell you earlier?" Rene questioned while tilting his head.
"That's not the whole truth and you know it." Nola said while crossing her arms. "There's something deeper to it."
"How would you know that?" Rene asked skeptically.
"Just a hunch." Nola shrugged.
Rene stared at Nola for awhile, before sighing and scratching his head.
"Well, it's just that when I saw you being so serious about the nest logistics, and the invasion, you reminded me of someone. Someone I admired so much." Rene said while walking forward while looking up in contemplation.
"I reminded you of someone you admired?" Nola asked with her cheeks reddening a bit, and her hand clutching her chest a bit tighter. "Who was this person?"
"He's actually my commander, I'm not sure if the man's name is well-known yet, but his name is Duke Haru of Whirlingpool."
"Him!? You mean the general who saved Thore from the clutches of the Black Dogs!?" Nola asked with her eyes as wide as dinner plates.
"So he has become famous…" Rene muttered to himself, before turning to Nola. "Yes, since I was a page, I would hear of his great exploits. Haru was a man who wasn't afraid to face impossible odds and face down his opponents personally. When I saw you giving commands and being so brave in confronting the Black Dogs, I saw a little bit of him inside you. The willingness to confront adversity in the face of uncertainty. Because of that, I wanted to help you succeed to the best of my ability."
Was that what Rene really thought of her when he saw her work? Did he really see something so great in what she considered so ordinary. She saw Rene turn around to her.
"You are undoubtedly the most astounding woman I've met." Rene said with a smile.
That statement left Nola's heart pumping as she struggled to find a response. Her face flushed red, as she felt her chest tighten and her legs quiver at those words. But the tender moment is cut short by an arrow suddenly appearing and piercing Rene's neck. Nola had little time to react as Rene slowly collapsed and fell over the side, into the raging river. Nola looked over the side and tried to reach her hand over, but to no success as Rene was nowhere to be seen.
"Rene…" Nola said softly, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared into the deep abyss where the raging river was. "Rene!"
Nola then sobbed deeply. He was gone. The man who saved her, and gave his companionship. Nola smashed the ground in frustration, before looking around to find the source of the shot. It was the general, at the other side of the river, with his bow out. The enemy general wore a proud sneer at shooting down Rene, even taunting out.
"So! Are ya finally dead!?" The general shouted into the abyss, before being promptly impaled by Nola's throwing spear.
Nola had used all her rage into that single throw, to nail the bastard who dared hurt Rene. The general cowered and shivered in feared as Nola then coldly commanded.
"Drones. Take this man back to the nest. Pick him apart one by one, and make it as slow and painful as possible."
The drones flew to the general and carried him screaming back into the confines of the nest. Nola simply stood their, emptily staring at the raging river, seeing one of her newest yet most precious companions get washed away by the strong current.
But some aren't ready to give up. The small ant from before resurfaces from the shrubbery and follows the path of the river. It walks along the cliff walls as it followed wherever the current would take him. Though it was hard to see, Rene was visibly floating in the current, his shield keeping him afloat. The ant squeaked in joy as it tried to chase its new master through the current.
Haru pulled up on the bar, breathing heavily as he was lifting himself up. He goes up, then back down, up, then back down. He did these with perfect rhythm, before finally tiring and jumping off the training bars, much to the applause of his subjects. Haru grabbed the nearest cloak and wiped the sweat off his shirtless body, before making a gesture for a servant to hand him a pitcher of water. A servant comes in with a pitcher and cup, but Haru simply takes the pitcher and gulps down the water before dumping it on his face. He is then approached by a servant who then said,
"Sire, Madam Claudia and Madam Alicia are in the training grounds with the commanders, they are currently making good progress in training new professional soldiers."
"Good, tell the commanders that I will be heading there as well."
"Excuse me sire?"
"You heard me, I will be joining them for today. The construction of the church is going as planned, the roads have been built safely and other constructions are still on hold. I'd stay my wife, but she is busy with her Greek literature in the gardens, so I wish to pass the time."
"Where is your apprentice Ruby?"
"I gave her the day off together with Millicas, Penelope and Sumire. Those youngsters need some of their fun after all."
Ruby walked down the busy market aisles and sighed as she looked at her list. It was difficult to procure all the items that Lady Rias asked for. It would have been better if she was informed of the Duke's birthday at least a few days before the birthday banquet. Rias had instructed the princesses and the staff to keep Haru occupied until they had everything ready the next day. Claudia and Alicia were to keep the duke in the training grounds, the nobles would keep him in the pub, and if worst comes to worst, Rias would be the one to personally keep him occupied.
The problem was that Rias was the one doing all the planning and organizing, if it came down to her distracting Haru, the servants and preparers of the banquet would have to improvise, so it was important that Claudia and Alicia keep the good duke occupied for as long as possible.
Penny, Sumire, and Ruby had split up to cover their share of the list and lighten the burden. It was Ruby's job to gather the special local spices and ingredients to make special concoctions for the Duke's good health. She would also have to buy something for the Duke herself. It was surprisingly kind of him to accept her request to be his apprentice, so she would love to show him the same amount of kindness as well. She just couldn't think of what to give. But maybe it would be easier to think if she wasn't carrying such a heavy basket.
Ruby was practically hauling it with all her might, though being a seventeen year old girl meant that her strength would be slightly inadequate. But Ruby had an idea as she then took out her wand and waved it at the basket.
"Levitate!"
The basket began to float, but just barely above the ground. Ruby frowned at the lack of potency of her spell.
"How do those Catholic priests do it?" Ruby wondered as she decided to go on her way.
But sadly, Ruby uses up her mana and the basket drops to the ground, but Ruby cannot move as well, as her stamina has been drained by the mana depletion. She drops to the ground, as she cursed herself for using her magic recklessly. The crowd was so busy, so thick, that no one bothered to stop for her. It was getting a bit stuffy, and Ruby was panicking, what's going to happen to her? Will she be okay? Ruby's vision began to blur before seeing a metal hand reach out to her. She summons her remaining strength to sharpen her view, as she sees Millicas right in front of her, holding a hand out.
"Are you okay, Lady Ruby?"
"Er, I seemed to have overexerted myself." Ruby replied with embarrassment. "I'm currently immobile until I recover my mana is restored."
"Mana?" Millicas asked.
"It's really complicated but basically, it's the energy us mages draw our magical attacks from." Ruby explained. "It's directly linked to stamina, so that's why I'm kind of exhausted right now."
"Oh, that seems reasonable." Millicas said while walking to the heavy basket. "You were trying to carry this?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to—"
Millicas promptly lifted up the basket, much to Ruby's surprise. But Millicas breathed out as he dropped the basket right after he lifted it.
"Goodness, this really is heavy! What's inside?"
"Books and ingredients for the Duke's banquet." Denis replied.
"Ah yes, uncle's birthday banquet is going to be held tomorrow after all." Millicas commented before rubbing his hands together and lifting it once again. "So where do you want this to be taken?"
"Into the castle please, have the maidservants bring it to my room." Ruby replied.
"Okay, good." Millicas replied in satisfaction, before he approached Ruby, turned around and crouched. "Come on then."
"Huh?" Ruby questioned, wondering why Millicas was crouching.
"Climb on, I'll carry you back to the castle." Millicas said calmly.
"B-But won't that be too heavy?"
"The castle is only a minute's walk from here." Millicas said while turning his head.
"W-Won't it be embarrassing for you to carry me?"
"I'm here to help. Just trust me."
Ruby saw no escape from this as she summoned the strength to reach out, and wrap her arms around Mark. Millicas put the basket on his shoulder and supported Ruby's legs with his arms. It was a built uncomfortable for Ruby to be in this position but she overcame it as Millicas began to walk to the castle. Ruby tried her best to ignore the stares of passersby who looked curiously at the red-haired mage being piggybacked by a lad in metal armor.
Along the way, Millicas decided to ask Ruby something.
"So what did you get for the duke?" Millicas asked, turning his head to Ruby.
Ruby averted her gaze in embarrassment as she had not thought of a gift for the Duke. It was hard. These past few days of watching him work on the welfare of the kingdom had yielded not even an inkling of what the Duke liked and disliked.
"I… don't know what to get your uncle." Ruby admitted shyly.
"Figures." Millicas snorted. "Don't worry, everyone has that problem when it comes to the Duke, they usually just hand him the token rare gifts or great wealth items. But obviously, you don't have the money for those, right?"
Ruby dumbly nodded, listening intently on whatever advice Millicas had to give.
"Listen, the Duke gives absolutely no damns about wealth. Most of the wealth he receives often goes to public welfare. Instead, give him something that always cheers him up."
"What would that be?" Ruby asked.
"Eh, I'm no sorcerer." Millicas quipped, much to Ruby's amusement. "But it should be easy for you, since you remind him so much of his sister."
"I did hear him mention her a few times."
"Your shy and timid disposition and desire to help are probably what triggered his memories." Millicas added. "Besides, I can see a bit of my mother in you anyway, so you should be somewhat capable of making him smile."
"What was your Duke's sister like as your mother?"
"Never got the chance to meet her." Millicas replied curtly. "She died giving birth to me."
"Oh… sorry."
"It's all good. I always thought of my mother was dainty and delicate, like a dandelion in the summer."
"That's a very poetic way of putting it."
"That's how I envision women sometimes." Millicas added before looking at Ruby. "Looking at you, you'd probably be a dahlia. Someone who is still graceful under pressure, and drawing upon inner strength to succeed."
"That's actually… really nice." Ruby commented, her cheeks turning pink. "Thank you."
"It's just a poetic compliment." Millicas said before stopping. "Anyway, just remember, get something that can make the Duke smile, nothing too expensive but something worthwhile for him."
"Of course! Thanks for the advice!" Ruby replied with confidence.
There was a long awkward pause between the two as Millicas then said,
"Erm… Ruby, you can get off now."
"Oops!" Ruby audibly said as she frantically got off Millicas and grabbed her basket. "Sorry! And thanks for the lift!"
"No problem." Millicas calmly saluted. "Good luck with my uncle's gift!"
"Same for you Millicas!" Ruby exclaimed while bowing before running inside, with the servants carrying her basket inside.
Ruby then entered her room with the basket inside. She slammed the door and got to the table. She was inspired now with Millicas' help. With her heart set in the right place, she would make the Duke something that he would truly appreciate.
"Arrgh!" Claudia exclaimed in frustration, hissing from the pain, before holding her nicked shoulder.
Haru put a sword to Claudia's neck and smirked. He won pretty handily against one of the best fighters of this land, so it was a bit satisfying to show up these people by beating their leaders in battle.
"I win." Haru smiled.
"That was a great fight!" Alicia exclaimed while walking to the Duke. "You are quite the swordsman Haru!"
"That may be." Haru said while putting down his longsword. "But I'm far from being the best fighter in this army."
"What!? That's nonsense! A leader should be a greater than his subordinates!" Claudia retorted.
"Well I do know a specific someone who is blatant exception to that rule." Haru mused while pointing to a giant redhead man with his poleaxe. "That man over there is a much better fighter than I am."
"Just who is he?" Alicia questioned, intrigued at the man's size. "How is he so large?"
"That man's name is Pyrrho, the captain of my personal guard. Risen from the ranks of peasant soldier to being my personal guard. I've sparred with him multiple times and I always come out the loser."
"But he's way bigger than you! He's probably bigger than Volt!" Claudia added.
"But that's the thing, size matters. If two men of different sizes had the same amount of experience, then the bigger one would win more often than not."
Their conversation is interrupted by the cage opening, with the Duke perking up and saying.
"Ah! Here's our chance to witness Pyrrho's prowess!"
The trio walked closer to see Pyrrho ready himself, and standing his ground against the emerging monster. It had a bull's head, but a man's body. Its appearance frightened spectators as they kept their distance. But Pyrrho stood still, ready to brave the incoming beast.
"A minotaur?" Alice questioned. "Where did you get it?"
"We're gathering some of the monsters for the public tournaments, to keep the populace entertained."
"You do that?" Claudia questioned.
"Oh no doubt, we used to do it with the local fauna but now that the monsters are here, the money we'll gather from betting pool alone will make us a fortune!" Haru laughed.
"That seems cruel for the animals." Alicia commented with a hint of distaste.
"Well God has given Man dominion over his creations, we are merely exercising that right." Haru said while pointing at Pyrrho. "Ignore that for now, let us see Pyrrho in action."
Alicia and Claudia then looked at Pyrrho, who was unafraid of the roaring minotaur. The minotaur began to scratch the ground with its hooves. The minotaur then charged right for Pyrrho, who held his poleaxe up in anticipation for the monster. As soon as the monster got into range, Pyrrho thrust the spear end of his poleaxe into the monster. With all his strength, he flipped the monster over him. This move shocked Alicia and Claudia, as they had not seen a man with that sort of strength, flipping over a half-ton minotaur like a pancake.
Of course, the minotaur does not go down easy and quickly gets up. It then unsheathes a giant sword, shocking the spectators and worrying Alicia and Claudia for Pyrrho's safety. But the Duke doesn't react and continues to watch.
The minotaur tries an overhead strike with his giant sword, but Pyrrho blocks and redirects the strike, throwing the minotaur off-balance. The minotaur staggers for a bit, giving Pyrrho time to readjust the grip of his poleaxe, and swinging the hammer side of the poleaxe at the minotaur's face. The minotaur falls from the strike, dazed by the strike. Pyrrho then raised his axe and swung down on the minotaur's head, decapitating him.
Alicia and Claudia were stunned at that. The battle was over so quickly and Pyrrho had done it so masterfully. Alicia was curious on how to fight someone so strong yet so masterful in his strikes. Claudia wanted to know how strong he really was, and there was only one way of doing it.
"Haru, I wish to challenge Pyrrho to a spar."
"Go ahead, he won't hurt you." Haru replied plainly.
Claudia vaulted over the fence and propped her armor. It was still a bit uncomfortable to wear so much metal, but she was getting used to it. She walked up to Pyrrho, who turned to her and looked down, indicating the clear disparity of height.
"Do you mind terribly if we spar? I wish to get a clear picture of your form." Claudia said.
"It's no trouble. Should I hold back you or all-out?" Pyrrho asked.
"All-out."
Claudia drew her sword, while Pyrrho readied his poleaxe. Spectators gathered closely as they wanted to see who would win between the Herculean Pyrrho and the Dawn Templar leader Claudia.
Claudia was the first one to strike, agilely lunging at Pyrrho. Pyrrho stands his ground and deflects a strike before thrusting his polearm at Claudia. Claudia barely dodged the strike, before swiping at Pyrrho's exposed side. But Pyrrho slides back, dodging the strike from Claudia and throwing her off balance. Pyrrho then thrusted his spear at Claudia, and she closed her eyes in fear at the attack.
Claudia slowly opened her eyes, to see that the spear tip was close to her face. Pyrrho had the control to stop his thrust just in time. Pyrrho then withdrew his poleaxe and said,
"Good fight."
Claudia breathed in relief as she then extended her hand for a handshake, and with Pyrrho responding in kind.
"You're an amazing fighter, I did not expect to lose so quickly."
"That is due to the fact that you had too much wasted movement. Had you been more precise in your strikes, you would have been able to recover your footing long before I even could react."
"Well to be honest, I thought that you'd be a little slower." Claudia admitted. "So I thought that I could afford to be a little negligent in movement."
"That's the mistake people make in fighting me. I may be cumbersome, but I can still avoid attacks decently, and people's underestimation of my speed is what always gives me an edge against skilled opponents. Even the great Duke himself lost embarrassingly to me."
"So I've heard."
"But throughout our fights, he's been improving. Becoming more precise and more alert in fighting me, succeeding fights would drag on even longer as he knew my form better. Honestly, the only reason I win is because he insists on using a longsword and that I am much larger than him."
"Well I would like to try my hand against you soon."
"Same here." Pyrrho nodded.
Claudia returned to Alicia and noticed that Haru wasn't there anymore and hissed at Alicia.
"Where is he?"
"He said that he was going to go to the balcony to clear his head on some things." Alicia replied.
"You fool!" Claudia chided. "Lady Rias instructed us to keep him occupied."
"That begs the question, why are we so subservient to these people?" Alicia asked, crossing her arms.
"Because I'd much rather get them as our rulers than those Black Dogs."