Chapter 218: Special Quests Completion (1)
"P-Prune?!"
"H-Hello.." she waved her hand timidly.
"She's safe, no worries," I patted Prune in the shoulder.
She reflexively took a step forward and glanced at me in confusion. Maybe I'm overacting my role..
"Prune!!" Nataline ran up to embrace her. With her pregnant stomach, wrapping her sole arm around her shoulder while tip-toeing was the best she could do by this point. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.. I couldn't do anything.."
"I-it's alright.."
"Prune-neesan!!"
"Prune-neesan--"
The children shouted. Makes me kind of lonely, I'm not popular it seems. I mean.. I don't really show up often so what can I say?
"Prune-san.. how.." Miss Familia looked at us in astonishment.
"I came back alive, that's it."
"Y-Your not hurt right?"
"Prune-neesan!!" A blue haired girl clung to Prune's legs, it was Lucia-chan.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. A little bit of a traumatic experience.. that's all.."
"Where's Liliath-oneesan?" the little blue girl asked with upturned eyes.
"Liliath-onee..?"
"I WANT LILIATH ONEESAN!! UWAWAWAWAA!!"
Ouch--
Of all things this girl Prune save could've said...
Lucia started banging on Prune's legs.. hey, don't lift up her skirt will you?! I tore Lucia away, she kept flailing about.
"I want Liliath-oneesan! I want Liliath-oneesan!"
Prune's shoulders dropped.
"Oh come on.." I sympathized with Prune. I also wanted to be with Liliath today but she said she had something she needed to do. I had to support Lucia from under her arms because she was acting like a spoiled child whose legs gave way.
"Ah, please come in, come in. Children, give some way okay? Lucia-chan, if you continue this, I'll tell Liliath-san not to come later." Miss Familia called out.
"Uwu.."
A path was opened up, Prune and I entered the orphanage-cum-mansion. Passing the living room, we were somehow dragged into the study room.
Nataline peeked in between the crack of the door before locking it. She let loose a sigh.
"Nataline-san?"
"Y-You're alright, right, Prune-san?"
"No problems.. what's going on?"
"You see.. when we said you were kidnapped.. that frog started acting out."
"The frog?"
"Ribbit."
Speak of the devil.
Nataline gawked, and yelled, "Behind you!!"
Prune and I turned around. On top of the book shelf was this abominable blue creature. The frog, so to speak. The mouth cavity kept expanding and shrinking.
Huh, so he's been expecting Prune?
"Milady, glad to see that you're safe and well. Ribbit."
Prune nodded, and without a care, turned to Nataline. "What's this about?"
Natalin shuddered, stammering, she said, "No-nothing.."
Is there something I'm not getting here? I turned to look at the frog myself, I was welcomed with it's hostile gaze. What.. are you kidding me? Of all things, the first creature I have to protect Prune from, it's this frog?
Okay fine. No problems, its stats had already been tampered with because of [Nine's Curse]. I wonder where he got such an original idea.
"No, no. That's besides the point. What happened? How come you're here?" Nataline asked.
"Um.. I was saved? In short.." Prune looked at me bashfully, casting her gaze away before her eyes met mine.
"The princess said they would mobilize the intelligence agents in the royal castle to find you.. you know?! Even the two heroes that appeared yesterday said they would help find you."
"Aha?" Prune voiced, all jittering.
Even I didn't expect that..
Ribbit.
It's square eyes stared into mine. Is it trying to assert dominance against me? I heard this as a joke but this frog has a thing for Prune after being kissed.
"I-it's alright. The most important thing is that you're safe, Sister Ela is contacting them to say that you're found."
"O-okay.." Prune gulped.
Knock. Knock.
"Ah, pardon me," Nataline got up and opened the door, "Thanks," she came back with a tray of cups filled with warm water.
"Milady, do you not wish to see me that much. Ribbit."
Prune's ear perked up a little before returning to it's normal form. She received the water with thanks.
"Noel-san, you too. Stop paying attention to that frog," She whispered the latter half.
"I'll see about that.. thanks.. What happened yesterday exactly? The frog isn't dangerous right?"
Ribbit.
It's stare had the intensity of a tiny dragon. I shuddered for some reason. Liliath said it's a person's soul trapped inside a frog, so this person was.. who exactly? I couldn't get any info from appraisal.
"Well, it started hopping around and spitting curses, saying that it'll kill anyone who tries to hurt Prune-san.."
Isn't that just throwing a tantrum.. I don't get it.
Sensing my funny look, she went on to explain. "Hey, it's like that weird feeling you get if someone calm and collected starts panicking and cussing all of a sudden."
I think I get that but.. it has nothing to do with us right? Oh, maybe that explains why there isn't a point in kicking out the frog from the room.
Ribbit.
Is it just me or is the 'ribbit' getting more intense and deep.
Prune looked at us curiously.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to leave you out, you're the star of the day. Ahahaha.. I'm sorry about yesterday Prune, truly sorry," Nataline's tone shifted to a somnolent one, "I couldn't protect you in the end.."
"It's not your fault. I'm partly wrong too.. I should've called for help instead of trying to.. The important thing is that I'm still alive," Prune smiled bitterly.
I was suddenly reminded of yesterday night's Bleu's domain visit. As Bleu had said, [Bleu's Blessing] is there to protect us, even in cases like a kidnap or what-not. It's too much of a coincidence I was able to do something about the asshole yesterday before he actually ate Prune.
I held my head.
"Noel-san?"
"N-Noel?"
"No, it's nothing.."
It's so cliche. It's not nothing, it's just the guilt of killing and the pre-manifestation sign of my horns. I held my head to hold back the urge.
"You demon. Ribbit."
"Yeah, shut up."
"H-Huh? Demon?"
"Well, just keep that to yourself."
"You, a demon?" Nataline backed away.
Ah shit, a verbal slip?
"Um.. Noel?" Prune turned to me.
"Hm.." I turned to the frog.
"Demons shouldn't persist in this territory of humans. Ribbit," it crept forward.
"Should I be worried.." Nataline asked.
"No.." Prune hesitated.
Okay. What now? I was found out. I messed up.
"Okay. Put it in this way. I'm human, okay? Don't dig too deep about it. Even if you use the best appraisal in the world, you're still going to see that my race is human."
"S-so you're human?"
"A demon should perish in the gallows!!" The frog jumped.
For a level 200 creature, it sure does look anti-climatic. I rolled a small barrier around myself and casted a sleep spell on the frog a couple times. I don't know what would happen if I used [Absolute End] on a frog, an overdose might actually kill it.
Splat. It hit the shield before flopping to the floor like a dead fly.
"Is this what you mean by the frog going nuts?"
"A-Ah, right. Yes. Exactly, it started calling the kids heractic and slaves that should serve under him. Some kids cried, and it became a mess. Everyone was told not to approach the frog afterwards.."
"Makes sense.. so I'm a demon huh?" I tried to play dumb.
In the midst of it all, Prune blinked in confusion.
"You're not a demon lord right.."
Knock. Knock.
Before Nataline could finish, two knocks resounded.
"Pardon the intrusion, Aoki and Sayu-chan here," a male voice resounded.
"A-anyone inside?"
Nataline gathered herself and opened the door. You could see the kids gather around them from the corner, and a sister standing just behind two black hair individuals.
"Ah, O' hero-sama.. er.. huh?"
Huh? The heroes? What the heck?
"Yeah, we came to confirm that she's safe.. Prune-san, you're the white haired?"
"Don't be rude," the girl nudged his flank.
"Ai, ai. I got it, I got it. Do you mind if I join you three?"
"What about me?"
"And Sayu-chan too."
"Hmh," the girl pouted in annoyance.
Both have black hair, both have Japanese-looking faces. So the guy is Aoki and the girl is Takata? No way.. I thought [Bleu's Blessing] doesn't cause these sorts of developments to happen-- or is it because I've been using [Reincarnated Otherworlder] too much? I don't know what to think about this really.
It's barely a month and we're already merging with the hero's plotline.
"I heard a bit from Nine-sama, turns out you're alright, fortunately, " Takata said.
Prune merely nodded. I guess it is slightly tiring to hear people bless your safety.
I also wanted to retort about how they referred to Nine with '-sama', but I decided to shut up. I don't know if they already know about me or..
"And you are?" the guy, Aoki turned to me.
"Just a random passerby, hero-sama," I'm surprised I even said that.
They nodded and entered.
"U-Uh.. should I prepare some drinks.."
"Ah, no it's alright, you should rest.."
"No, no. I insist."
Nataline left the scene and went to prepare some drinks.
Should I be acting flustered? I don't know actually.
"So you're Noel-san, and you're Prune-san."
"Yes."
"Right."
"Nine-sama's companions huh.."
"Um, sorry for the sudden intrusion. Did we interrupt anything?" Takata asked.
"No, you didn't interrupt anything."
"Um.. so what happened to that frog?"
"It's sleeping."
"What kind of frog sleeps like that.. it's totally suspicious. Oh, before that, who kidnapped you and how did you get out alive? We came to confirm this," Aoki shifted his attention from me to Prune.
"I don't know?"
"Memory loss eh? So how did it happen?"
"Just think of it as Nine's work," I said on a whim. Since they're all gung-ho about Nine being their saviour..
"Yes, yes.. I think that's what happened.." Prune said, but sent me a troubled look.
"If it's that girl then it's possible.. ey!"
"That's being short sighted. There has to be something more. What is your relationship with the Irregular Nine-sama? You mentioned her without honorifics didn't you?" Takata asked.
"That's just how it is in our party?"
No way am I going to use -sama on that gal named Nine. I might consider it if it was Liliath, she's an ex-princess after all.
It turned into a scary interrogation somehow.
Skipping through a bunch of interview questions, we manage to arrive at the conclusion that Nine was the one who saved Prune and Prune didn't remember what organization exactly it was that tried to kidnap her.
As for the frog, Prune took some of the thicker books, 5 of them to be exact, to create a sort of bunker around him. Or is it better to call it a tombstone?
"Where is Nine-sama at this time?"
"She's.. probably hunting?" Prune replied to Takata.
"I see.. is it alright if we form a party in the future? Nine-sama is the leader right? And Liliath-san is the vice-leader?"
"But the only guy here is Noel-san isn't it?"
"Eh.. we'll talk to her about it. Wait, don't you have to serve the country or something?" I asked.
"We'll do our best to get consent to get our freedom. So until then, please ask Nine-sama to leave a spot for us," Aoki bowed. Takata did the same.
Nataline didn't say anything, but her expression is one of puzzlement. Me too.
I'm sure she's confused why they were worshipping this person called Nine. More so was why Nine turned out to be a girl when the Nine that usually came to visit was a guy. I'm sure she has a lot of questions.
"Also, can I ask something personal?" Aoki asked.
"Okay, ask away," he got up from his seat and walked closer to me.
For a moment I wondered what he was trying to do, putting his face so close to my ear.
"Is Nine-sama a Goddess in flesh isn't she?"
I didn't know how to reply to that.
I too have a number of questions I want to ask Nine-- because if you check the two heroes' titles, you'd see [Nine's Blessing] there in the column. I think they could see it if they checked their own status too.
I don't know if it's because Nine just wants to fool around.. or is he being influenced by Bleu? It's probably that right?
Speaking of which, I wonder what he's doing now..
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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