Chapter Five: An Underestimation
As our carriage halted in front of the building where the dragon hourglass was located, Lazy Pig grumbled about something or other to Father.
“Huh? You want to stay to watch the carriage? Again?”
Just how lazy could this pig truly be?
Lazy Pig oinked in response.
“You think they’ll know who you are and it might give us unnecessary trouble?”
It appeared that this time she was using the excuse that because she was from a noble family, the Church of the Three Heroes or other nobles might find out if she showed up at an important site like the dragon hourglass. Another excuse to be lazy, of course. Most pigs are only concerned for themselves, I say.
“Okay, well, I don’t think it will take us very long, so we’ll be back soon. Thanks, Elena.”
“Oiiiink.”
“I wanna come!” Sakura chirped.
“Me too!” said Kou.
“It’s not going to be any different from the one in Siltvelt,” I told the filolials.
“Aw, man!” said Kou. “Then I’ll wait out here.”
“In that case, I shall accompany you,” Yuki announced.
So Yuki and Sakura were coming with us. Sakura came, of course, because it was her duty to protect Father. She seemed to be getting along well with Keel too. Sakura was giving puppy Keel a big hug.
“Let’s go!” barked Keel, wagging her tail in excitement. Father watched the scene with a bright smile.
Finally, we were off to the dragon hourglass!
When we entered the building, a pig came to greet us. She had a strict, unfriendly expression. I had to stop myself from impulsively grabbing my spear. I wanted to turn this pig into half-burnt charcoal as soon as I had the opportunity.
“We come because the wave of destruction is supposed to arrive tomorrow,” Father explained to the pig.
The pig led us to the dragon hourglass. Since Father had seen the dragon hourglass in Siltvelt as well, he didn’t seem particularly surprised.
Suddenly, I remembered something—in the first go-around, I had originally gained my Portal Spear skill from the dragon hourglass on my first visit there. Getting sand from the hourglass let me acquire the skill. This same pig had brought it to me after Father and Big Sis left in a terrible mood. I had requested to use the sand as an ingredient, after all. But that was the reason why Father never got to use the sand as an ingredient himself, because the pig made him angry and he ended up leaving! Father hadn’t even realized that was how we got the portal skill until I explained it to him after defeating the High Priest much later.
The memory sparked an idea.
“Father, I must inform you of something,” I declared.
“Huh? What is it?”
I whispered into his ear a potential plan.
“Really? Okay, got it.”
Father nodded and stood in front of the dragon hourglass. A light shone out of the dragon hourglass and hit Father’s shield. It informed Father of exactly when the wave of destruction would arrive.
Father nodded and turned to us. “Just as expected, it’s coming tomorrow.”
Since this would be the very first wave, I wasn’t expecting it to be much of an issue. Once we handled the wave of destruction tomorrow, we could return our undivided attention to peddling and quickly wrap things up.
“I know it’s your first wave, but don’t be too afraid. I want you to fling yourself at it, headfirst, no fear,” I told Father.
“No problem,” Father said. “I think we’re as ready as we can be.”
“I’ll protect you, Naofumi,” Sakura said.
“And I’ll kick some monster butt!” Keel barked.
And at that moment, just as we had been expecting, Itsuki called out to us from behind.
“Oh? If it isn’t Motoyasu and Naofumi.”
We turned around and saw Itsuki and Ren walking toward us.
Of course, if we hadn’t thought that Itsuki and Ren were coming here today, then we wouldn’t have needed to come in the first place. Father and everyone else turned around to face them.
Oho? I noticed that the Crimson Swine wasn’t with them. Wherever could she be? I had wanted intel on her movements, too. I glanced around the room, but all I could see were Ren and his companions.
“What are you all doing here?” Ren asked. “Some sort of meetup?”
“No, not exactly,” Father said.
“We haven’t seen you at all since then.” Ren glanced at Sakura and Keel. “It looks like you got some companions. That’s good.” As always, Ren’s tone was completely cold and indifferent. Still, I suspected that Ren had been a little concerned about Father. He knew to mistrust Trash and the Crimson Swine this time around, so the concern was to be expected.
“Yeah, more or less,” Father said.
“I don’t like your tone,” Itsuki said, casting an angry glare at Father. “Have you got something to hide?”
His accusation suggested we had no right to even speak in his presence. But really, it was Itsuki who had no right to talk down to us, I say! Itsuki and his damned messiah complex! He was a fool who could be swayed by nothing more than a few pig tears. Yes—just like my past self!
Pigs, those demonic beings capable of shedding fake tears for their own scheming purposes . . . They should all be eradicated from this world, I say! When the right time came, I would utterly destroy that Crimson Swine.
A long silence ensued. An ugly atmosphere, as Father would say.
But there was no need for silence! In the first go-around, once Father ended up leaving, all that happened was Ren and Itsuki classing up. So I decided to take the first step forward and begin to execute my ingenious plan.
“Did you two come to class up your companions?” I inquired.
“Well, yes,” Itsuki said.
“What about you?” Ren asked.
“Uh . . .” Father hesitated. We had already classed up, but if we revealed to them that we had been acting outside of Melromarc, then it would ruin all of our carefully cultivated plans. So we couldn’t tell them that we had classed up before coming here. I could sense that the pig that had greeted and led us here was sneering in the background. Perhaps she assumed that our levels were too low to even class up.
In response to that pig’s vile arrogance, it was all that I, Motoyasu Kitamura, could do to suppress booming laughter! The sheer idiocy!
But this was all just a part of Father’s scheme. If our enemy underestimated us, then they would become just that much easier to fight. And his scheme was working marvelously.
“We just wanted to find out how much time there was until the wave of destruction,” Father said.
“Does it really matter?” Ren asked. “If you’re that weak, you shouldn’t bother dealing with the wave.”
“Yeah, good point.”
I could tell that Father didn’t like getting looked down on by Ren. But he shut down the feeling and put on a smile.
“So do you think we can class up here as well?” I inquired.
“I’m not sure if you guys would be able to anytime soon,” Ren responded.
“Perhaps not,” I agreed.
For a moment, I saw Father’s shoulder twitch and the shadow of a scornful expression cross his face. I mean, we were much more powerful than Ren and Itsuki from all of our training in Siltvelt. But please, Ren and Itsuki, go ahead—feel superior to us for the time being.
“What are you talking about?!” Keel growled, snapping forward from behind Father to bite at Ren and Itsuki. “Big Bro is—” But Father held her back and calmed her down.
“There’s no need. Right?” Father smiled. “Sakura, you need to calm down too.”
Father had noticed that Sakura’s hands were drifting toward the hilts of her two swords. If he hadn’t, then both Ren and Itsuki would’ve ended up dead. They probably wouldn’t stand a chance against either Sakura or Keel.
But they were heroes after all. There was no way they were that weak. Just based on my impression, they were about equal in strength, maybe.
Ren glanced at Sakura and Keel. “You’ve sure got some strange companions,” he commented.
“Keel is certainly a bit of an oddball,” I agreed.
“Me!?”
You don’t often see a dog therianthrope like Keel, so I had nothing but the utmost affection for her, I say.
“Well, yeah, that guy, but also . . .”
Ren glanced at Yuki and Sakura.
Ren, just what did you mean by suggesting that Yuki and Sakura were strange companions? Filolials—this world’s supreme, ultimate beings! Don’t you dare put yourself in the same sentence, I say!
“Are they demi-humans with wings growing out of their backs? Their legs look kinda bird-like too.”
Ren was examining Yuki and Sakura closely. He wasn’t even close to correct. He may as well have been blind. He ought to have known from all of his gaming experience that filolials were not mere demi-humans. Well, I did also make unfortunate errors based on my gaming knowledge in the past, I supposed.
“The white-haired one looks way too young to be your companion. Are you forcing her to come along with you?” Itsuki demanded.
Father narrowed his eyes at Itsuki. “Why are you so intent on painting me as a criminal? We have no intention of making her fight against the waves of destruction, and we’re protecting her at all costs.”
“Yeah!” chimed in Keel. “I won’t let anything happen to her!”
I understood how Keel was feeling. Father’s words were so moving they made one want to lay their life on the line out of sheer loyalty!
“This is Keel,” Father said to Ren and Itsuki. “Right now he’s in therianthrope form, but he’s a great demi-human.”
“I’ve been able to transform for a while now!”
“So it wasn’t just a monster capable of speaking our language then . . .” Ren muttered.
“That’s closer to what Sakura and Yuki are,” Father said, gesturing to the filolials, who transformed with a poof.
Ren’s and Itsuki’s jaws dropped. The filolials quickly reverted back to their angel forms.
“Keel lost his village in the first wave of destruction, before we were all summoned here.”
“Yeah! Which is why I’m gonna stop the wave no matter what!”
“And I’m Sakura.” Sakura introduced herself, stepping forward and bowing her head.
“You all didn’t know?” Itsuki sneered. “Naofumi is a convicted rapist.”
“Itsuki!” Father shouted, unable to contain himself. Ren let out a long sigh.
“Big Bro’s a rapist?” Keel burst out laughing. “What a joke! He can barely bring himself to glance at Sakura when she’s naked!”
“Keel!” Father glared over at her. “Look, I’m glad you believe me . . .”
Father turned back to face Itsuki.
“Look, I didn’t do it, whatever you think I did. And don’t even think about going after the people who actually trust me and are my friends.”
Itsuki scoffed. “I wonder what they would think after seeing the tears rushing down Myne’s face.”
The tears of a pig. I didn’t know what one was supposed to think after witnessing such a revolting sight.
Perhaps the time had come where I should think about putting an end to that disgusting creature.
“She’s a pig,” I spat. “That pig is the one who committed crimes against Father, not the other way around. Those were poisoned tears!”
“I couldn’t agree more!” Yuki declared. “Naofumi is simply not that kind of person! I know because Motoyasu trusts him. And from what I’ve heard and seen myself, Naofumi would never do such a horrible thing. He’s so peaceful and gentle that he’d sooner be the victim of such a crime than to actually commit it himself!”
Thank you, Yuki! Together we shall be Father’s defense against the prosecution!
“Motoyasu, Yuki, please—if we make a big fuss, this isn’t going to end easily,” Father protested. “And Yuki—what do you mean I’d sooner be the victim?”
“There have been rumors about the horrible deeds you’ve committed,” Itsuki said, ignoring Father’s protests. “I hope you aren’t thinking of coming to arms against your fellow heroes.”
Yes, I had forgotten that Melromarc was spreading rumors about us. I supposed Itsuki believed every last word.
“When you accuse me of things I have no memory of, all I can do is tell you that I honestly don’t know anything,” Father said, exasperated.
“So you’re practically admitting to your crimes,” Itsuki proclaimed.
Father sighed. Why in the world was Itsuki so absolutely convinced that Father was a rapist? I was the same way in the first go-around, but seeing it with my own two eyes made it hard to believe. He probably had come to think ill of Father from what the Crimson Swine had told him.
I also remembered Father calling Itsuki a slave to justice. His lone objective was to claim that others have done wrong, even if it was a lie.
Ultimately, Itsuki was working alongside the Crimson Swine at this point. He’d believe anything she told him, no questions asked. Otherwise, he wouldn’t believe all the fake rumors about Father.
Ren butted in with an annoyed expression. “Just how long are you going to keep having this pointless debate? I want to class up already.”
The pig who had up until now been watching on the sidelines with a smirk quickly assumed a serious expression. But I saw you, pig! You cannot hide your repulsive behavior!
Ren turned to the pig. “Can we class up now?”
“Oink oink,” replied the pig and took Ren and his party members to class up.
“Make sure to do it fast,” Ren told his companions. I remembered how Ren had always been like that. He didn’t care about giving his companions the ability to choose like Father did. Even I had let my pig companions freely class up, I say.
So from a distance, we watched Ren and his team finish classing up. Then, after they were finished, Itsuki and his companions went next. I observed his team. I had secretly assassinated Smoked Human, but what exactly was the outcome of that? And just as I thought, the Crimson Swine wasn’t a member of his party either.
“What happened to the Crimson Swine?” I inquired.
“Crimson Swine?” Itsuki gave me a strange expression. “Who in the world are you talking about?”
His attitude was so irritating that if he hadn’t been a hero, I might have just about snapped. Paralyze Lance would have been a good compromise to make him suffer without any real consequences.
“He’s probably talking about the princess,” Father chimed in.
“Princess Malty?” Itsuki asked. “She’s helping us out from behind the scenes, but she’s not a part of my team. When we visit the castle, she supports us.”
I could hardly believe it. She wasn’t a member of Itsuki’s party?
“You should know, she wanted to help out the heroes, but after being nearly raped by one of them, she was traumatized and couldn’t actually set out from the castle,” Itsuki said, casting a glare at Father.
He was irritatingly stubborn. He continued to fixate a disgusted glare at Father, but Father had managed to ignore it so far, so I ignored Itsuki as well.
Still, when you think about it, it was a strange outcome. Originally, the Crimson Swine was working with me. So why wouldn’t she just go with Itsuki instead?
Could it be that cooperating with Itsuki would actually interfere with her evil deeds? Or was it that Itsuki was in fact too annoying to cooperate with at all? When I thought back, she mostly supported us from behind the scenes, even when she accompanied me. She really was pathetic to her core.
When you consider Itsuki’s aggressive fighting style as well, if things didn’t go well, she could end up getting crushed with the rest of them. So she was taking care to separate herself from the battles and support only from the sidelines.
While I pondered such matters, Itsuki and his companions finished classing up. I wasn’t 100% sure, but it did seem like he had different companions this time around. For example, I knew that one of his companions was that stalker pig, but I didn’t see her anywhere.
Then again, I recalled that around this point in the first go-around, she hadn’t been with him either.
Finally, Ren and Itsuki’s companions finished classing up. After this, Ren and Itsuki would get the portal skill for their weapons, which meant that they would be heading to Zeltoble sooner or later. So first they had to get the sand from the dragon hourglass after finishing classing up. I remembered that in the first go-around, Ren had asked on behalf of Father when the Shield Hero would get the sand. The pig responded by lying and saying that she would give it to him later. I also vaguely remembered Father complaining about how they wouldn’t let him class up in Melromarc at the time. And so that was my plan: to get Father to try to class up. Then, when they rejected him, it would only give Ren more evidence to distrust Melromarc, I say.
“Let’s class up your companions now, Father!” I proclaimed.
“What?” Father glanced at me in confusion. I gave him my signature leave-it-to-me glance, and Father nodded and understood. Yes, Father had already classed up, but this was an ingenious bluff.
The pig that had led us here oinked, squealed, and snorted in surprise.
“You can class up?” Ren asked.
“This glorious filolial Yuki here grows at a remarkable rate, so I think she should be able to make it, I say!”
If you get a filolial up to level 30, they should just be about able to class up. You might have problems depending on how you want to class up, but even in the game there was no strict minimum on what level you needed to be. I had used that knowledge in the first go-around, so I expected Ren would have the same knowledge.
He let us go through, unexpectedly, without a fight. This was the potential scenario that I had whispered about to Father before, but Keel and Sakura were tilting their heads in confusion.
“Hey, Big Bro—”
“Naofumi—”
Father raised a finger to his lips.
“I’d love to at least take a look,” Father said. “I know that at level 30 there may not be a lot of options, but the wave of destruction is almost here, and I think we’d fare better with a class up.”
The pig snorted and squealed some confusing explanation.
“Huh? Why would Naofumi’s companions have to get up to level 40?” Ren asked. “Some of mine were just barely level 35, but they could class up. So they shouldn’t have been able to do it.”
“Oink! Oink oink!”
It was exactly what I was aiming for. In the first go-around, Father had told me that the heroes didn’t need any special letter of introduction or money in order to use the dragon hourglass. But for Father, they acted like he needed both. So now we had exposed the inequality right in front of Ren and Itsuki, who had just classed up for free.
What will you do now, eh, Melromarc? An attack armed with the wisdom from the previous go-arounds—take that!
“Naofumi needs to apologize to the king to get permission, you say?” Ren snorted. “Just how much are you guys trying to hold onto that farce of an accusation against him?”
“It is an undeniable fact that he tried to rape the princess,” Itsuki interjected. “He shouldn’t be able to get permission in the first place!”
“They had no real proof that he did anything,” Ren replied.
“You’re the only one who thinks that!”
Ren opened his mouth to fire back and then sighed. “Even if we were absolutely sure that he did try to rape her, it makes no sense not to let Motoyasu and Naofumi class up. We all have to fight the waves of destruction.”
“So if he apologizes, they’ll let him fight!” Itsuki shot back.
Itsuki really was annoying. He got so easily confused in the name of justice.
However, it was problematic that this pig had the wit to come up with an excuse so easily. They couldn’t use money or a letter of introduction as an excuse, so they made it such that he needed permission from the king himself.
But Ren wasn’t moved. He looked at me and Father.
“There’s something strange going on here. Doesn’t it seem like the king and princess are working specifically against you, Naofumi?”
The pig chimed in to oink on and on about some sort of excuse, but Ren didn’t seem to believe a word she was saying. It wouldn’t be a bad time for me to reveal the whole truth here, but that might cause more troublesome differences between now and the first go-around to spring up.
Ren shook his head at the pig. “Really?”
“It’s all because he won’t properly apologize!” shouted Itsuki, pointing at Father. “Do it! Apologize!”
“Why would I have to apologize to you?” Father shouted suddenly. “Even if I were to apologize, it wouldn’t be to you of all people!”
This had gone far enough. Father had clearly understood my intentions and was pretending to lose his temper. His back was facing the dragon hourglass.
“Just forget about it,” Ren said. “It’s not like saying anything now is going to change things.”
The real performance began now. After a moment of silence, the pig brought sand from the dragon hourglass, put it into bags, and handed it over to Ren and Itsuki.
Ren checked the contents and carefully applied it to his sword. “The sand of the dragon hourglass, huh?” He looked over at us and back at the pig. “What about some for Motoyasu and Naofumi?”
“Oink oink oink oink!”
“Is this some sort of joke? There’s way more than enough for all four of us! Just what are you trying to pull?”
“The point is that Naofumi won’t be forgiven for his sins, Ren!” Itsuki interjected.
“You say that, but Melromarc is supposed to provide it to all of the heroes. How else are we supposed to face the wave of destruction? How are we supposed to protect this world with only half our strength?”
Ren’s argument even appeared to resonate with Itsuki. The pure unfairness of only giving two of the heroes items that clearly could have been distributed to all four was too evident.
“Itsuki, if you’re feeling all high-and-mighty because you’re getting treated favorably, let me give you one piece of advice. Think about what you would do if you were put in Naofumi’s situation.”
“That’s enough!” Father interrupted, turning around. “This whole argument is pointless! Let’s go, Motoyasu!”
“At once, Father!”
Ren gave us a final glance. “Whatever. Itsuki, you ought to be a little more suspicious of this whole thing.”
I followed Father out of the building, avoiding the gazes of Ren and Itsuki and their companions. We left Ren in his ugly mood.
And after leaving, I realized I forgot to figure out who Itsuki’s companions were. Oh well.
“That lady was seriously unhelpful,” remarked Keel.
“I was this close to giving her a taste of my sword,” Sakura said.
“Keel, Sakura, don’t do anything that causes a fuss,” Father said. “Yuki, thanks for staying cool.”
“I could tell from Motoyasu’s expression that there was no point in listening to the mindless drivel of such a repugnant creature,” Yuki said.
“Big Bro! We can’t just let her get away with it!” Keel shouted.
Father looked at Keel and smiled gently. “I’ll tell you a little secret,” he said. “Just don’t tell anyone.”
“What is it!?”
“Even I tend to lose my temper from time to time,” Father said. “Motoyasu, do you think we can really trust Ren here?”
“I suspect he already has plenty of reasons to mistrust Melromarc,” I explained. “He was bound to believe you sooner or later.”
“Well, I’ll take it. If we don’t try using his mistrust against Melromarc, then we’ll be leaving our knowledge of previous events on the table, so we may as well go for it.”
I was happy that Ren didn’t trust Melromarc, but if he ended up being unreliable as always, then it could backfire on us. Still, just as Father said, we had made the safest choice.
“So we finished our preparations, and now all we need to do is relax and wait for the wave of destruction,” Father said.
“Time off! Yay!” Keel shouted. “Big Bro, please, cook us something?”
“All right, all right,” Father said. “Let’s go cook by the riverbed over near the plain.”
“Woohoo!”
“I can’t wait to eat,” Sakura chirped.
“And I as well!” I declared.
“You always make the most wonderful food, Naofumi!” Yuki said.
Father looked over at me. “Motoyasu and Yuki, I have something I want to talk to you about really quick.”
Father took us aside to give us a serious lecture. In short, he gave us a passionate speech about how he was not in fact the type to get dominated in bed but took the lead in romantic situations. Of course, only toward someone who he had feelings for and with appropriate consent.
And in the end, we enjoyed a pleasant rest of the day.
The next day, we were waiting for the wave of destruction.
“We’ve stockpiled a good amount of medicine and made sound preparations,” Father muttered, fiddling with a bag of tools. “I know we have. But still, I can’t help but feel nervous.”
“Big Bro, you’re such a worrywart!” Keel said, patting Father with her paws. “In the last wave all I could do was run, but with how strong we are now, it’ll be no problem!”
“I won’t fail you, Naofumi,” Sakura said. She was practicing being able to draw her sword as fast as she could.
And as for me? I had been through the first Melromarc wave before, I say. I didn’t feel nervous at all. Even the first time I had launched straight into the challenge, charging toward the fissure to start my first real fight. I had been excited to go straight to the boss, I say.
If I remembered correctly, Father helped evacuate civilians. He was focused on making sure that innocent people didn’t get in the way of the fight.
It would be helpful to have a bigger force this time, but right now we simply didn’t have many allies who would actually cooperate with us. And I couldn’t predict how things would change in the future if we did.
“Father, what would you have me do?” I inquired. “If so desired, I could immediately destroy the entire horde.”
“Hmm.” Father scratched his head. “But wouldn’t that reveal how powerful you are and potentially ruin our future plans?”
“You’re not wrong. In that case, I’ll restrain myself. Ren and Itsuki will also be at the wave this time, so it should be easy. Even if I do nothing, we’ll handily win.”
“Yes, that’s true. But it would still be terrible to let people die just so we could avoid getting caught up in some scheme or another.”
Upon witnessing Father’s benevolence, I, Motoyasu Kitamura, burst into raging tears.
“Huh? Motoyasu—what’s wrong? Did I say something weird? Why are you bowing to me?”
“Oink oink,” muttered Lazy Pig.
“Because he loves me?” Father shook his head. “On the flip side, why don’t you show just an ounce of energy, Elena?”
“Oink oink.”
“Too much of a pain, I guess. Well, enthusiasm is the key to victory, so I need you to give me some!”
“Oink.”
Lazy Pig shrugged and gave a small nod.
I wasn’t sure if she was saying that she could or couldn’t give any enthusiasm. Either way, I never expected much from her in the first place.
“Motoyasu, what would you have me and Kou do?” Yuki asked me.
“Simply whatever Father tells you to, I say.”
“Understood!”
Following Father’s orders would ensure everything went as smooth as possible. The first go-around was ample evidence of that. With his peerless skill and wisdom, a better future was practically guaranteed.
“In that case, by what Motoyasu says, it should appear near Riyute village. So let’s prioritize evacuating the villagers. Motoyasu, you can help too. At the very least, we can minimize the casualties.”
“The same strategy you used in the first go-around,” I said.
“I guess,” Father said. “But since we have your strength, Motoyasu, once we finish evacuating everyone, head straight to the boss. Just make sure to hide your true power as much as you can.”
“That I shall, Father!”
Before, I had rushed headlong into the fight, but this time I would prioritize saving lives, I say! I could feel strength bubbling up inside of me.
“I can’t wait!” Kou said. “Are the wave monsters tasty?”
“Who knows?” Father said. “I do want to make sure we get the materials from the boss. They seem like they’ll be high quality.”
“In the process of defeating the boss, some of the materials got scattered and left behind,” I said. “However, I think you should be able to find them all with your shield.”
“I think we’ll have that area to ourselves away from Ren and Itsuki, so let’s get everything we can,” Father said. “But if the materials are too big, we might not have a place to store them . . .” He trailed off.
“We should just bring them to the old guy,” I suggested.
“Oh, good idea,” Father said. “Although we’re almost out of money, he should be able to use the bones and stuff for new weapons.”
“The day after the wave, Trash gave us what he called ‘support funds,’” I said. “Not to you, of course.”
Father shrugged with a frown. It had been a move to drive Father away from us, after all.
But what an idiotic king he was, to drive away Father of all people, who was far more powerful and useful than Ren or Itsuki.
I couldn’t wait to put an end to that king of fools, I say!
“Still, after the next wave of destruction, the Queen of Melromarc should come back and give you your money as well. So just be patient, Father!”
“I know. I get it. So long as I can get the money in the end, it’ll be fine. Plus, we can always get money from Siltvelt.”
“You’re already wanted for questioning. Do whatever you want. We only have to hold on for a little more,” I said.
I thought back and remembered fighting a really odd enemy at this wave.
“I know, I know,” Father said. “When I think about the king and that princess as just being pathetic, it makes it easy to take it.”
“That will have to do. I do believe it’s almost time for the wave, I say.”
Then I remembered something else from the first go-around. When I had been so foolish as to blame Father . . .
I wondered what exactly Father had felt the first time he faced a wave. It only made sense that he would come to resent the world. I had felt the same way when the Crimson Swine eventually betrayed me as well.
And Filo-tan . . . wherever could you be?
If I could just find you once again, I could come to love this world again!
Back early in the first go-around, Father didn’t have a single person he could trust. So perhaps it was Big Sis who became the first person to actually reach out and help him.
Big Sis, am I doing a good job helping Father now?
Now that I had started thinking about it, I couldn’t help but wonder where Father had met Big Sis in the first place. It seemed like we were at risk of not finding her at all. I felt like I remembered something about her ending up as a slave, but I just couldn’t remember the details. I didn’t remember seeing her anywhere when we went to buy Keel.
Well, whatever. I was sure she was safe and happy somewhere or other. A healthy, strong, and chivalrous individual such as herself would have no problem getting by.
I also recalled that once things had calmed down in Melromarc in the first go-around, Father had attempted to restore the village. I figured we ought to shoot for a similar outcome. I felt confident I could support Father enough for the both of us—Big Sis and myself!
“All right, it’s time,” Father said.
00:01
“Remember, try to make sure there are no casualties,” Father said. “Our actions here will help us succeed down the line.”
“You can count on me, Big Bro!” Keel said. “I’m going to make up for all the times you protected me before!”
Sakura, Yuki, and Kou all chimed in enthusiastically. Even Lazy Pig seemed to oink miserably about trying her best.
“All right, Motoyasu, cheer us on,” Father said.
“Absolutely,” I declared. “You’ve all become so much stronger in preparation for this day. Let’s all fight our hardest to create a better future!”
Everyone shouted in agreement just as the clock hit zero, and the first wave of destruction in this round officially began.
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