Chapter 54: LET'S START A FAMILY
The next morning Yue and Ivan took their time to wake up as they groggily moved about. Washing their faces, putting on their armor, and then going downstairs for a meal. Today they would search for Will Cudeta. They had before nightfall to find him or their mission would become considerably more difficult. There's also the factor that the boy may already be dead or in danger.
Either way, the two still decided to have breakfast before heading out. Greeting Foss, they sat at the same table they held yesterday. They made sure the curtains were drawn as they waited for their food. Then in about fifteen minutes, Foss announced himself before entering with plates of food. Ivan and Yue thanked him as he bowed his way out courteously.
Each bite invigorated their will to head out for the day. Blissful expressions on their faces as they closed their eyes and savored the taste. But that was when a voice emanated from outside their alcove. A voice that Ivan couldn't get out of his head since last night.
"U-Um, excuse me!... May I please come in? I would like to ask the two of you a favor…" Aiko's stammering voice halted their movement toward their plates. Yue and Ivan made eye contact before slipping on their masks. Ivan nodded to Yue as she opened her mouth to allow Aiko entry.
"... You may come in." Her cold and stoic voice frightened Aiko for a second. But holding her duties as a teacher in her heart, she pushed away the curtains to meet these two masked adventurers. Though she was curious how they could see through those masks despite there not being any openings, she was afraid it'd elicit an annoyed reaction if she questioned them too much.
"... I know this introduction is a bit late, but I am Aiko Hatayama, a teacher to the summoned heroes. And firstly I would like to apologize for my actions yesterday." She finished those words with a bow. Ivan and Yue looked at each other before Yue nodded.
"We accept your apology. We understand that you were under the misconception that Paracelsus matched the description of someone you knew. And though we may have acted coldly yesterday, we would like to give you our condolences for your fallen student." The two bowed solemnly as Aiko stared back in a daze. Seconds later she snapped out of it and begged the two to not bow to her.
"T-Thank you very much you two!... Oh right, I almost forgot!" Aiko pulled out her phone after thanking the two for their sympathy. She scrolled through her photos before showing them a picture of her entire class together. Ivan eyed the battery percentage before returning to the photo.
"This is a picture of my class, all of the students in this photo were brought to this world… Unfortunately we couldn't get a photo with Ivan. But, this student right here is Yukitoshi Shimizu. He is the student of mine that went missing the day after we got to Ur."
Aiko pointed to a young man with a pale complexion that stood in the corner of the photo. He had black messy hair and dark bags under his eyes. Ivan and Yue instantly knew what she wanted from the both of them the moment she showed them the picture.
"... I know you two are heading to the mountain range. And I'd like to request that if you see this boy that you bring him back to us. Honestly, I don't know where else he could have gone. But if you manage to find him I can promise you that the Holy Church would be grateful!" Though Shimizu as a person was quite disappointing, his skills and proficiency in his dark magic were something the Holy Church coveted.
Aiko stared resolutely at the two as she awaited their answer. Ivan made some hand motions as Yue stared at him intently. She nodded curtly before turning back to Aiko. Though they both had zero knowledge of sign language this act was just a front to make it seem like they were debating it.
It'd be a bit suspicious of the two if they instantly accepted the quest for such a vague reward like the 'Holy Church's gratefulness.' As far as Aiko is concerned the two of them are not indebted at all, in fact, they were likely to not accept this request as she rudely interrogated them yesterday. But for Ivan, this was a way to pay back Aiko for everything, for her faith in his words and her job protecting the students.
"We accept your request. Rest assured if we find him we will return him to you. We accept payment the moment we complete it. Once we are done we can head to the guild branch in Fuhren to forge a document as proof of our agreement."
Aiko's face brightened as the two agreed to her request. Though she may be under a bit of scrutiny for selling a favor of the Holy Church she knew they wouldn't do anything against her since her job and knowledge were vital for making the land prosperous. She shook both of their hands gratefully before returning upstairs, presumably to get ready for the day and wake up her students.
Watching her back ascend the stairs, Ivan sighed aloud before making his way to the inn's exit. Yue followed alongside him as they took to the streets. Once they were a safe distance away they deemed it alright to speak.
"Well, Yue. We got a lot on our plate now huh… I'm sorry for all this." Ivan knew that if it weren't for him Yue wouldn't have even bothered taking Aiko's request. She shook her head before turning to him.
"It's fine… She is a person you respect. Which means she is someone deserving of my respect as well. And her words yesterday… I believe someone of such sincerity is deserving of my aid. So, don't apologize. This is what I want as well."
Ivan ruffled her blonde hair as he smiled under his mask. No matter what, this little vampire princess has always supported him each step of the way. The only problem he had with this attitude is that there wasn't much he could do for her. As the only desire she expressed was to not be apart from him, Ivan mulled over his thoughts.
Though she wouldn't often express her thoughts she should have something she desires as well. Perhaps a new weapon, maybe powerful jewelry, and armor, or she could want some additional functions added to the workshop in construction.
Or maybe even– Ivan's thoughts were cut off as he felt two soft hands grip his arm. He looked back at Yue to see her staring at him. And though he couldn't see the expression she showed just being next to her started to feel odd.
"A kid." She said nonchalantly.
"... Huh?" Ivan was puzzled by her random outburst of words. He thought a bit about what the context could be. That's when he came to a realization. 'She can't read my mind… right?' He thought as he felt his heart pounding.
"I want a kid." She stated again, but this time with more vigor. It would seem she knew that he was thinking of a way to show his gratitude. So seeing the opportunity she threw in her suggestion.
"... I see. Yue, let's talk about this when the workshop is done… Though I may need to speak with the builders for future room additions…" Ivan thought it'd be a pretty ironic way of achieving his dream. And while this world was full of danger it had nothing to do with them. Starting a family, running the workshop, living out in the outskirts of town peacefully. It all didn't seem too bad an idea to him.
But seeing as how continuing this discussion when they don't even have a home to raise a child in would be useless he decided to cut the topic off there. But seeing Ivan not adverse to the idea was enough to make Yue shine with glee. And just like that, they spent their entire walk together toward the mountain range entangled with each other. Ivan was a bit annoyed with Yue's overly affectionate attitude but seeing her shining with happiness overpowered that feeling.
Their search for a man most likely in danger of losing his life turned into a date in the woods. The two marveled at the sight of luscious bushes and trees full of resources right for the plucking. While there were quite a few monsters that got in their way, they were instantly obliterated by Yue who was upset about their interruption.
As expected the reports the guild received about the increased monster activity were right as the two frequently made contact with them. It was an irregular and unnatural pattern of attacks that tipped the two off that something was wrong. It wasn't until they made it to a high elevation of the mountain did the monster activity reduce.
In fact, it was as if there were no monsters at all. Yue and Ivan stood defensively as they inspected the area. The lack of birds chirping and trees rustling making the hair on their neck stand up.
Ivan took a step forward toward a lake they found that started from a waterfall. Yue watched his back as they progressed closer.
CRUNCH!
Ivan inspected whatever he stepped on as he looked at the bottom of his boot. Seeing nothing there he looked back at the floor and saw something shining from it. A tiny bit of gold was exposed to the surface as the sun illuminated it with rays. He held his left hand to the ground as the dirt and mud started dispersing.
Beneath it all was a golden locket. Ivan picked it up as he inspected the outside, not seeing any engravings or marks on the outside he opened it up. A black and white picture of a beautiful young woman is what was held inside. Short shoulder-length hair that reached her shoulders, a small mole that added to her charm set beneath her right eye. And the soft expression she showed was sure to captivate the hearts of others.
He assumed the locket belonged to an adventurer that was either a part of Will's party or of someone a part of the search team. Not too far from where he stood, he spotted a multitude of other things as well. A rusty sword, a bruised shield, a bag full of broken glass, and liquids. Even farther was a grand crater with large monster prints in them. Whatever it breathed fire hot enough to char steel, and was large enough to create man-sized ditches with its steps.
Ivan followed each step taken by what looked like a footprint belonging to a person rater than the monster. Some lead to destroyed gear, and others had their trail end in the middle of nowhere. It was likely the latter footsteps belonged to people who attempted to run away before being burnt to nothing.
After a while, he finally found some footsteps that seemed to belong to someone that didn't lead to ashes or anything. Those footsteps lead him right in front of the waterfall. He nodded towards Yue as she held out her arms.
"Updraft. Water Castle." Two spells erupted from Yue and hit the wall of water. The former spell holding up the water to stop it from walling, and the latter making the water at their feet as possible to walk on. And as expected what was behind the waterfall was a cave that burrowed deep into the hill the waterfall was settled in.
They traversed carefully inside, Yue casting a fire spell to illuminate the way. Soon after two minutes of walking they finally reached the end of the path. The two looked down at the figure curled up like a ball on the floor. Ivan withdrew the mission documents out of his satchel and held it up to the figure's face, using the photo clapped to the documents to discern this figure's identity.
"Yup, this is our guy, Will Cudeta. Though unconscious and covered in soot and dirt he matches the photo. I'm guessing he hid after whatever attacked them killed off the rest of the adventurers. He's probably gone days without food." Ivan spoke as he crouched down to the curled-up Will.
All that was left to do was return this guy to Fuhren and their job will be over. Ivan pulled a canteen from his satchel as he held above the sleeping Will. Using the gauntlet in his other hand to make the water slightly cold.
"... Buh….. Huff… Bwah—!" Will woke up in a panic as he felt he was drowning. But he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that he was still in the safety of the cave. However, the sight of two figures looming over him caught him off guard.
"W-Who are you guys…?" He said afraid as he scrunched up against the wall behind him.
"We're here on a mission to rescue a Will Cudeta. Assigned by the guild branch in Fuhren. Any chance that's you?"
The boy nodded hurriedly as he stood up from the ground. Wiping off his clothes he inched towards Ivan with a disheartened expression. "... Yes, that's me. Thank you so much for finding me, I thought I was going to starve to death here… but the people out there… I abandoned them. Maybe… just maybe, I could have saved at least one of them or perhaps even all of them if I lead them in here with me!"
Will clutched his head with both hands, nearing the point of ripping his hair out. Ivan and Yue watched on at his display of despair without bothering to chime in. Yue herself wasn't very well versed in words and Ivan, not having any experience in what the man was dealing with decided it was best not to pretend he knew what was best.
Ivan asked Will over and over what he was afraid of, only muttering and whimpering in response. As Well was as now he'd only be a burden if they were to enter a fight. Things would only get worse if he decided to run away in a random direction at the slightest sight of danger. Having enough of Will's actions Ivan pulled out a pill from his satchel and inserted it into Will's mouth the moment in between muttering.
Will tried hard to resist the foreign object but against Ivan's physical parameters found himself at his mercy. The resistance became more pathetic as time went on, signs of the pill finally taking effect. Without speaking a word Ivan held Will up and slumped him over his shoulder. Even Yue saw nothing wrong with this act as the two leisurely walked towards the waterfall again.
The two of them smiled happily as they managed to reach their objective rather swiftly.
RUMBLE RUMBLE
But of course when were things ever that easy? Yue and Ivan stood still as the ground trembled. Whatever shook the ground was now standing at their exit. It was likely whatever killed off Will's team had returned to finish the job. Ivan sighed as he rested his hand against the cave's wall.
BZZZZZZT!
The wall started to push back as it formed into a set of stone stairs. The two walked up the steps as Ivan transmuted an opening at the top. In seconds they now stood at the top of the waterfall. But rather than taking in the beautiful sight above the forest, they stared at the large figure sitting at the bottom.
"GRAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
A dragon, its scales jet black and its eyes glinting a cruel gold. It spanned its wings open wide as it took to the air, now glaring down at them from the sky.
"Huh…. I thought these things went extinct."
"... Me too."
Yue and Ivan muttered as the dragon flew swiftly towards them.
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Been in quite the writing funk since last night. It was difficult to write even this basic chapter, I'm hoping I'll get into the spirit of things by tomorrow. Writing half assed like this just makes me guilty and ashamed. Also, I've gotten real into visual novels lately. I'm probably going to start Higurashi soon, how nostalgic, I remember watching the original anime when it first came out.
Anyways sorry for my bitching, thanks again to you all for reading and may you have a great day/night!
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