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dennydraws · 2 months

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I can't believe @sunnyluma bullied me into posting this... Disclaimer: I write fanfiction once in 10 years, English isn't my native language. I got plot bunnies during the affinity event in FEH

Day of Devotion Words: 1877 Characters: F/Robin (FEAwakening) x Julius (FE4)

The Day of Devotion. A lovely holiday in Askr, a day to bring flowers and express love - all kinds of love. Love towards friends, family … and more. Robin smiled as she placed the flowers through her hair. A smile that would slowly wilt with every next bloom that found it's place on her garments. Her family - the shepherds, they were not here. Not in the same ones in any case. Chrom who once was the closest to her heart was now spending the holiday with another Robin. Not that this Chrom was the same Chrom she knew. Just how many versions of herself were there? It would've been a lie if she said she didn't feel cheated that she was plucked form a timeline she had found happiness and salvation from Grima… or was on the verge of it in any case. And now she was here, in the middle of other conflicts. Happiness was so close and then taken away.

But feelings, especially personal ones such as those had no room on the battlefield and she as a tactician knew that better than anyone. So, her smile adorned her lips once more. She still had plenty to be thankful for - Askr was welcoming place and she had the unique opportunity to meet so many heroes from across time and space - even …more versions of herself! She saw some Robins with worse fate - reminding her of what could've been had she not met Chrom. And there were some Robins who seemed to have tied the knot …with some questionable individuals from the army. She still couldn't wrap her mind over how could any versions of herself would get married to Gangrel of all people and yet the utter devotion she could see in their eyes spoke volumes of how strong that bond was. The smile began to wilt again.

"Oh, get a grip Robin… that's not like you at all." She closed her eyes and shook off any sign of bitterness that could even try to emerge. After all, she knew full well what Grima would feed upon if she even slightly allows it. Instead Robin picked the buoquet of flowers and went out to find someone out there who got no flowers today - surely there ought to be a lone soul somewhere in Askr that could use a little happiness today. As Robin strolled the paved streets, slowly but surely she reminded herself - it was for a tactical benefit. Happier heroes make for stronger units. At the end of the day their survival was the main goal. And that's exactly what she thought when her eyes stopped upon Julius. Alone as usual, he was leaning on a tree in the shades and away from everyone and everything. Robin was aware of his circumstances, in fact she considered him almost like a distant reflection of herself. She knew how a dragon's hold on the mind could feel even when everyone in the army was sure there was nothing left of the real Julius there. Purely for tactical purposes, she reminded herself once more. "Happy day of devotion." Robin beamed a polite smile, holding forth the flowers.

There was a moment of complete confusion on Julius' face. Julia had attempted to sneak a bouquet earlier today which he had instantly crushed despite the screams from his inner mortal puppet. He didn't expect more or any other interactions today, in fact he was hoping he'd be left alone today and this brief moment of confusion loosened the grip he had. "Why?" Julius uttered in an usual calmer voice. Robin immediately caught it. So he was still in there, she thought. Talking to her own fallen self was completely useless when she had tried before but this change of tone made her consider - there might still be something of Julius left in him. "Why not? You've been helping the army fight off whatever evil is looming over us. Isn't that a good reason to thank you for your efforts?" Robin answered pulling her best tactician voice. After all, it was simply stating the facts.

"Hah! You think I do that out of devotion? I long to crush you like the little insects you are. The contract simply binds me to crush only specific ones. But when this contract is broken you will make no difference to me!" Julius leaned in, his hand over the flowers clutched into a tight grip before Robin could even let go. "Yes well… I'm glad you are accepting the flowers though my hand doesn't come with them." Robin noted completely ignoring the dragon's taunts. Another moment caught off guard. "Ah…" A sudden obedient withdraw followed. There he was again, Robin thought and a smirk formed her lips. So that's how you had to go with it. The more you registered Loptous the more he emerged. She just had to see Julius instead. Her eyes squinted. But that was an issue wasn't it? No one knew Julius… except when he was a child and even then, that was so long ago. Whoever was inside had all grown up now. "You seek something that is no longer there." the dragon smirked, taking the flowers, nails gripping into them. Oh he only had to tear them now in front of her to make his point and yet, this hand was flinching in disobedience.

"Hmm, yeah been there, done that." Robin waved her hand after which she completely ignored the looming figure and sat under the tree next to him. This dress certainly made it a bit harder. As much as she enjoyed the flowers, at the back of her head she only wished she was in her comfortable long robes and poofy pants. "They only see the monster, the big disappointment that you are no longer you. It really chips away from your confidence, doesn't it? We're not that different - you and I." Julius remained frozen and still. The dragon was silenced in sheer anger. How dared this mortal overlook him!?

"I was just… lucky. I had someone to pull me before that grip got too strong to bear. But there were times I wasn't as lucky." Robin wasn't looking at him, her smile turned somber, "But you are still holding on. It means you are devoted to something - a hope, an idea, maybe someone… That's worth celebrating today, don't you think?" The pain coming through Julius' head was immense but he made no noise. He couldn't let Loptous groan or grunt like every other time he even tried to produce a thought of his own. His hand was holding on to these flowers - a devotion to hope he never dared speak and he was ready to break his own hand before he lets him crush them. The silence hung in the air. Robin didn't move or look up. A heavy feeling began to swell into her throat - is this how Emmeryn felt? Memories of her speech before she lept into her death after no reaction came from the armies started to surface. The painful realization that the ideals you hold on to are not strong enough to change the inevitable tragedy ahead. A mental kick followed - when did she get so foolish as to let emotions dictate her so? She was a tactician. Emmeryn pure and kind expected the best in people and the world needed people like her but Robin? She had to ground herself. This conversation was nothing but tactical approach to boost morale, nothing more.

Something gently snuck behind her ear. A flower form the bouquet. "I used to.. place flowers in her hair." Julius muttered, slow and uncertain. He had leaned over, his look distant yet searching. Robin turned immediately with her eyes widened. This was most certainly not Loptous. Her mind raced. What did he mean? Oh, he probably meant Ishtar. Of course he did. A little bitter reminder. She mentally bit her tongue - now was not the time for this. The point was - he was still there, in fact he emerged. Was it a good moment to run and call for her? No, that would mean leaving him alone and this moment felt too crucial. Like a battlefield on it's own, it was all about timing, catching the flow and turning it to your favor. "The…best I could do... was to let them go. If they hated me…they would not come near, they would not …be hurt by him. If they... knew I was still here…they would hesitate and he would kill them. They…are safe now… without me." Julius continued speaking with his look turning more and more empty with each word.

Robin recognized where this was going. His thoughts would spiral in despair and Loptous would emerge again, maybe this time for good. She had to think fast, what to reply before he'd slip again. She had to help him win this battle. "Your strength is admirable and I say that as a tactician." Robin replied with a forced brighter tone, pushing any and all emotions that could possibly create a tremble. She had to focus on… Julius. Not on Loptous. Not on the weaved tragedy that had stained every step of his life but on the hero who no one would see or even believe was still in there. Julius' eyes gained a brief focus even if no words came out, Robin knew he was looking at her… maybe a bit too strongly. It was strange, she had seen Julius many times, but never… The Julius, nor his look ever felt on her, not like this. She gave herself another mental kick. Now she began to see how some version of her out there married Gangrel - he too probably did this helpless lost look on her and tugged her heart strings. Probably even gave her flowers. Apparently that was a weak spot she had not realized. Although the image of Gangrel holding a bouquet of flowers was absurd and yet suddenly things began to make a bit more sense regarding her romantic choices in some alternative realities.

"I mean it. I'm proud of you, Julius!" Robin added further as small attempt to break the silence once more and shake any potential emotions trying to find their way into her heart. Instead of a reply Julius simply slumped on his knees, much like a tired puppet with loosen strings and planted his forehead on her shoulder. Robin turned stiff as a statue. That certainly wasn't an expected turn of events. Carefully she moved her arms to give him a careful pat which gradually became a hug. Goodness, this… escalated quickly, she thought. Julius couldn't utter more words. Rather he basked in the sensation of his own body for as brief as this was going to last. He wanted to enjoy the moment - he wasn't sure if he'd ever get another. But the smell of flowers in her dress, her hair, the gentle hold on him - yes he… he would get another. He would fight to get another moment such as this.

Autor Note: Do not blame me for this idea, blame this!

I can't believe I wrote a fanfic in 2024 about Fire Emblem...

#My writing!?#Fire Emblem Awakening #Fire Emblem Genealogy of The Holy War #Julius #Robin #I can't believe I got bullied into posting this...help meee #Thank you for stopping by though!#I hope you enjoyed this sudden fuzzy idea :D;;#Sometimes the plot bunnies strike and you just have to write it all in one go

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delicatemusickingdom · 2 days

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Book 1 Part 1 Chapter 3.2

Chapter 3.2

Their first time ‘outside’. A vast sky, unobstructed by the castle walls, with no sign of the barrier’s shining rings. Lush verdant grasslands that stretched out forever. Dark, sprawling forests. And, majestic, towering mountains in the far-off distance.

Even the whistling wind smelled different. With the herald of early summer, the plant life was sprouting all at once, and signs of vitality overflowed from every place.

So this is the ‘outside’.

The boys thought, overwhelmed, sweating as they pushed the cart under the brilliant sunlight.

Even Flynn seemed to be at a loss in the presence of such unadulterated freedom. He looked incredibly moved.

There was no trace of the feeling of being stifled like back in the lower quarter. More than anything else, this place was under no one’s jurisdiction. There were no nobles, rich people, or knights here. Not even adults. Even the capital of the world, Zaphias, was nothing more than a small existence in the face of the vast scenery that spread out from before their very eyes. When they thought about it that way, even the ‘other side of the wall’, that had always been the target of their envy and jealousy, started to feel like a suffocating place squeezed between the castle walls.

It’s not like they hadn’t come into contact with nature before. They’ve walked through places where trees grew thickly, where there were no buildings, right on the edge of the barrier. But now, as they moved forward with an especially heightened awareness of what it meant to be ‘outside’, the outside world seemed full of stimulation in a different way compared to before.

Apart from the sound of the cart’s wheels rolling over pebbles on unpaved road, the only sound they could hear was the occasional chirping of birds. It was nothing short of idyllic.

But. As he pushed the cart, Yuri looked down at his waist. The hatchet tucked into his waistband gave off a dull glint. There were dangers lurking within the scenery that dictated the necessity of such precautionary defensive measures.

Jiri and the others had told Yuri so many times, about the threat of monsters roaming about in the outside world. It wasn't that he didn’t believe the adults’ warnings, but he was sure that if he acted quickly, he’d make it work out somehow. He didn’t really know the concrete details of what a monster was, and at most, he’d only seen one or two types of monster corpses. How dangerous they were had always been left vague and unclear. But now that Flynn had mentioned the need for weapons, things suddenly started to feel more realistic.

It was only now that he keenly realised how reckless he had been, but now that he had come this far, there was no turning back. Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to reach the intended river and return with the water as soon as possible.

Yuri glanced at Flynn beside him. Ever since they set out, he had been silently pushing the cart, not speaking a single word. But his machete was firmly secured to his waist, and his face was as alert and vigilant as a boy could look.

Flynn’s presence reassured him. When Yuri realised he was thinking that, he frowned slightly, and pushed the cart with more force than necessary.

As for Jareth and the other boys, they didn’t even try to hide their anxiety at first, clutching at their farming tools-quickly-turned-weapons. But as they walked and nothing seemed to occur, in the face of the liveliness of the early summer and refreshing breeze, they gradually started to gain more confidence. Right now, they were enjoying themselves, chatting away without a care in the world.

Yuri felt mildly irritated at the fact that they looked like they had forgotten about the danger of the monsters, but it was true that despite the adults’ repeated warnings, it was hard to evoke such feelings from this rich scenery unlike that of the gloominess of the Gray Alleyways.

“I’ll build a house, as easy as that, I’ll build two houses, as easy…”

One of the boys got carried away and started to sing, and the other boys joined in as well. As expected, that was going too far, so Yuri opened his mouth to give them a warning.

“We don’t know where monsters will come from. It’s better not to be so loud.”

Flynn said without looking behind.

Jareth and the others, who had their good moods ruined, rebelled all at once.

“Don’t be such a bore. It’s only a song.”

“Surely the monsters are scared of us.”

“They’re nowhere to be found, aren’t they?”

Flynn looked like he was about to say more, but he seemed to have changed his mind and kept quiet. With no other choice, Yuri took over from him.

“That’s enough. What if the monsters really hear us?”

After Yuri said that, Jareth and the other boys stopped singing, but they didn’t stop talking, deliberately calling out things like ‘There are no monsters’, ‘We’re not afraid’, in loud voices so Yuri could hear them, and had to tell them to stop again. Flynn didn’t say anything.

If it was going to be like this, it would have been better to come here alone, even if it meant bringing less buckets. Yuri didn’t know how many times he had thought that bitterly.

But eventually Jareth and the others were forced to keep quiet. At this point, they had to get off the main road and push the cart into the grasslands. That was the only way they could get close to the river.

The cart became more difficult to push, and the boys gasped for breath, no longer having the energy to spare for idle chatter or criticisms. At times they even had to push the cart through grass that reached up to their waists.

****

The river suddenly appeared in front of their eyes. Although they could hear the sound of water, they didn’t notice it until they got closer because of the surrounding grass blocking their sight and because it was the size of a ditch.

It was one of the many nameless brooks that flowed from the distant mountains, trickling and meandering by until eventually flowing into the large river.

“Yeah!! We’re here! We’re finally here!”

“Calm down. We haven’t done anything yet.”

Yuri chided them, but that didn’t dampen the boys’ excitement. Yuri gave up and, letting out a sigh, went around to the back of the cart where the loading platform was. He reached out a hand to bring down a bucket. And from the other side, another hand reached out to support its weight together.

It was Flynn. He didn’t look at Yuri, but it seemed he was determined to lend Yuri his strength. Just like that, Yuri brought down the bucket without a word, and, with both hands, carried it to the river. Flynn followed after him silently.

The river was narrow, but not to the point they could leap over it, and there were clumps of tall grass growing on the riverbank on both sides, so he could fall in if he wasn’t careful.

Perhaps because the flowing water had eroded the earth in places, but there was a big difference in level between the grassy area they were on and the riverbank, about tall as an adult. Yuri and Flynn had to search for a way to get down to the riverbank.

They finally found a relatively gentle slope. It took the both of them to lower the bucket together and dip it into the dark, flowing water. Yuri flinched from the weight as he pulled the bucket out of the water. It’s going to be tough carrying this up all the way on my own.

“Hey, everyone! Come over here!”

Yuri shouted a few times from the riverbank, and after a few minutes Jareth and the other boys finally appeared.

From there, everyone concentrated on the operation, working to carry down the buckets, lower it into the water, bring it back up, and load it into the cart. They needed to synchronise their timings because the buckets were quite heavy when filled with water, so they called out to each other. They worked together, sweating while doing their jobs, and for a while, everyone stopped thinking about unnecessary things.

Everyone was drenched in sweat by the time the last bucket was loaded onto the cart. Yuri and Flynn sat side by side, their backs against the cart, panting heavily.

When Yuri looked at Flynn, he found Flynn also looking back at him. He gave Flynn a small nod, then stood up. It isn’t over yet. Now, we have to go back the way we came. As if those feelings were transmitted to Flynn, he stood up as well.

Yuri was about to turn around and call out to the others, but suddenly — the sound of something falling into the water rang out.

Instinctively, Yuri began to run towards where the sound had come from, but when he heard the cheers that followed, he stopped in his tracks.

The sound of water again. Then, cheers. And again.

Feeling a rush of anger, Yuri approached the riverbank and looked down at the river.

Jareth and the other boys were swimming. They didn’t even take off their clothes, shockingly enough, and when they noticed Yuri and Flynn peering down at them they waved their hands.

“Yuri, you should come down too! It feels great in here!”

“Whoa, it’s really cold!”

“I’m glad to be free of all that sweat and stickiness!”

Yuri’s patience finally snapped.

“Knock it off, all of you!”

He yelled, and Jareth and the other boys, startled, started to tremble.

“What did you all come here for? This isn’t the time for fun and games! What if—”

“Yuri.”

A voice near his ear said abruptly. When he looked up, he saw Flynn looking in the opposite direction of the river with a grave look on his face. The level of seriousness in his countenance was different compared to anything he had seen before.

Instead of speaking further, Flynn slowly turned his body in the same direction as his gaze. Then, he pulled out the machete from his waist.

Ahead of Flynn’s gaze, something large and black was steadily approaching, pushing through the grass as it moved. One, no, two. Sweat dripped down the back of Yuri’s neck.

If only he’d mistaken what he saw, but as if to shatter than wish, Flynn murmured.

“Monsters.”

****

Were they attracted by the sound of Jareth and the boys making noise, or the sound of them drawing the water? Or maybe they had been following them since long ago. Whichever it was, it didn’t matter now.

The black shadows were now close enough that he could make out their shape. Eyes that burned brightly even through the tall grass. Long fur that bristled on end.

Yuri had seen them before — as corpses. If he remembered correctly, they were creatures called demonic wolves. According to Jiri, they were monsters classified as extremely weak. But taking another look at the living demonic wolves in front of his eyes, Yuri couldn’t shake the thought that maybe that was only the case if you were Jiri.

Behind him, Jareth and the others must have sensed something was wrong and come up from the riverbank, because he heard their gasps. Without turning around, he called out to them.

“Stay hidden! Don’t come out, no matter what!”

Jareth and the other boys had left their weapons scattered around the cart. There was no guarantee they could get there before they were attacked. If that happened, it would be a nightmare.

If only I had a blastia. That thought also crossed his mind. A bodhi blastia, designed to let humans combat monsters. It was said that if one possessed a bodhi blastia, they could exhibit power unimaginable for humans, allowing them to stand toe-to-toe with — or even surpass — monsters.

But Yuri had only heard about such things from stories told by someone else a long time ago. He’d never seen the real thing before. Right now, the only thing he could expect to have was what he had on hand — a hatchet, which had at most been used for chopping wood.

No— Yuri looked at the boy standing at his side. At the very least, Flynn was here. He didn’t know when Flynn had moved, but he was now gripping his machete and in a battle-ready stance just like Yuri.

But.

Is the tip of his machete trembling? Before he could think about what that meant, Flynn opened his mouth.

“Yuri, can I ask you something?”

“What, do we really have time for this?”

“Have you ever fought a monster before?”

At that question, he felt a surge of fear rush through him.

“Not at all. ……You?”

The golden-haired boy answered without taking his eyes off the approaching monsters.

“Me neither.”

Yuri lifted his eyebrows in amusement.

When all is said and done, he’s not such a bad guy after all. Yuri thought to himself. Perhaps we could even get along well — if we survive this, that is.

“I heard this monster has a habit of targeting nearby prey.”

Flynn said, in a tone as if reciting from memory.

“I’ll bait it from the front. You—”

Without waiting for Flynn to finish speaking, Yuri started to run. Out of the two demonic wolves, he leapt at the one in front.

The demonic wolf was momentarily confused by the sudden movement, but then it let out a low growl. Kicking off the ground, it sprang towards Yuri.

As he watched the monster’s jaws draw near him, he felt goosebumps running all over his body. He skidded to a sudden halt, and, using that same momentum, jumped backwards. It wasn’t over with that one time, though — as soon as his feet touched the ground, he dodged the attack with another jump.

One more time— is what he thought, but his foot caught on the grass, and he fell backwards. His vision was filled with a view of the sky, quickly covered by a fierce shadow—

“HAAA!!”

Accompanying that spirited yell, a chilling, dull thud rang out. Yuri felt a warm liquid splash onto his face. The black shadow collapsed heavily beside him, and the ground shook slightly.

“Hurry and get up. The next one is coming!”

Flynn’s voice called him back to his senses, and he quickly got up. The demonic wolf lay collapsed right next to him. Blood gushed out from its forehead as it twitched and convulsed in its final moments of agony.

Yuri let out a deep breath. He didn’t know when, but Flynn must have stopped it.

Flynn was right by his side. Fresh blood dripped down the machete he was holding as he stood there, protecting Yuri. His face looked angry, and at the same time, surprised. Without looking at Yuri, he yelled.

“How could you be so reckless!?”

“You were going to do the same, weren’t you?”

“But!”

“I just thought your aim would be more ‘reliable’!”

Flynn was about to argue further, but was abruptly interrupted. The second demonic wolf suddenly rushed towards the both of them.

“Ugh!”

“Why, you!”

As if by agreement, the two of them simultaneously leapt to the left and right. The demonic wolf landed in the spot in between them and paused, exposing its flanks defenselessly. Yuri and Flynn immediately slashed at it from both sides.

The demonic wolf shrieked, and with the last of its strength, attacked Flynn. Yuri struck it with a blow from his hatchet, ending the last remains of its life.

This time the demonic wolf fell to the ground with a splatter of blood, where it lay beside its companion and stopped moving. The smell of blood they were unaccustomed to made the both of them feel nauseous, but a sudden gust of wind carried the smell away.

As if that had severed the tension in the air, Yuri sank to his knees on the spot. His hatchet fell to the ground with a heavy thud. The moment he thought it was over, the strength in his waist gave out and his legs started shaking. He didn’t care about anything anymore.

Flynn sat beside him. His hands were also trembling slightly, and he slowly peeled his fingers off the machete gripped in his right hand.

Neither of them spoke for a while, basking in the reality that they had narrowly escaped from the jaws of death. They had no blastia, no experience fighting monsters, and even though the monsters were considered one of the weaker types, they had still managed to take them down. For the boys, they were truly fortunate.

Some time later, Flynn spoke.

“Yuri, what was that thing you did earlier?”

“What thing?”

“You spun the axe in your hand as you slashed the monster, right? I’ve never heard of anyone doing that before. If you slipped up, you could have cut yourself.”

“Ah, yeah…”

Yuri tilted his head, as if realising it only after Flynn pointed it out.

“I mean, the head of the axe is heavier, so I just thought it’d be easier to spin it.”

In response to Yuri’s answer, Flynn opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, looking extremely surprised. His face suddenly softened.

“Easier, you say…… You really are strange.”

“Maybe so.”

Yuri shrugged lightly.

“Pft.”

Laughter burst out of both of them like a fountain, gradually growing louder until it permeated the blue skies.

“Ha ha ha ha…”

From their hiding places in the grass by riverbank, Jareth and the other boys watched on in wonder.

****

“Alright, before we go back, I’m going to wash up a bit.”

Yuri said as he stood up. His face and clothes were covered in monster blood. Even if he tried to wash it off in the river, he wasn’t sure how much of it would come off, but it was better than not doing anything at all. If I went home like this and Grandma Jiri caught me, who knows what she’d say.

Flynn also stood up, and, sensing that it was safe to come out, Jareth and the other boys also showed themselves.

Yuri was about to nod to them when Flynn cried out sharply.

“Look out!”

From a corner of his vision, a black shadow rushed towards Jareth and the other boys. A third one! By the time he realised that, it was already in right in front of Jareth and the other boys.

Then a golden blur crashed into it.

“Flynn!”

Yuri screamed and rushed forward as well. Flynn had used his body to collide into the demonic wolf. Its large body staggered from the blow, and it struggled to regain its footing. Yuri reached it before it could stand up, and, using all of his strength, rammed himself into its shoulder.

In front of the cowering boys, the demonic wolf and the two of them clinging to it did a somersault, rolled over, and — fell. Past the grass, and towards the river.

Three pillars of water rose up. The first was Yuri. He had fallen into a shallow part of the river, and quickly got up and grabbed onto the grass growing by the riverbank.

The second pillar of water was much larger, and as it floated to the water’s surface, quickly revealed itself to be the body of the large demonic wolf. There was no sign of the demonic wolf moving, and it continued to float slowly along the river’s current. Jareth and the others thought they saw something like a handle of a hatchet sticking out from its body, but it soon disappeared from view as the corpse spun in the current.

The problem was the third one — Flynn. Despite being a small river, the current was still deep and rapid in some places. Clearly, Flynn had fallen into one of those. He kept trying to get close to the shore, but the current would sweep him away each time, preventing him from getting close.

Yuri, who had been pulled up and out of the riverbank by Jareth and the others, frantically searched for a rope or something that could serve as one. But unfortunately, in such a place in the middle of nowhere, there was nothing they could use lying around. In the meantime, Flynn was being swept further and further downstream.

Yuri and the others were worried that Flynn would drown at this rate, but surprisingly Flynn wasn’t sinking under the water at all. Looking closer, they could see that he was clinging to something white in colour. They didn’t know what it was, but thanks to that it looked like he was able to stay afloat.

“We’re going after him!”

Yuri called out to Jareth as he ran along the river. He had no idea what to do, but he knew that he couldn’t lose sight of Flynn no matter what.

Flynn continued to be swept away by the current, and there was no signs that he was any closer to the shore. How far will this go? As Yuri started to worry, one of his fellow friends cried out.

“Look over there! It’s a caravan!”

There were several horse-drawn carriages parked on the shore downstream from where they were. Smoke from a bonfire rose from a corner of one of them.

“Heeeeey!”

Can they hear me shouting from all the way over here? And even if they did, will they notice Flynn and save him? He didn’t know but had no choice but to call out anyway. Yuri and the others all ran and called out to the caravan as loudly as they could.

Sure enough, there was movement. They saw people frantically moving around the carriages, taking something out.

They cast out something like a fishing net and caught Flynn. As several people pulled him ashore, Yuri and the others finally arrived and helped out as well.

“Flyn……wait, what the heck is this!?!?!?”

Yuri yelled involuntarily. Definitely, what they pulled ashore was Flynn, wrapped in the fishing net. But the thing that Flynn was clinging onto—

“Watch out, that’s a merman!”

One of the adults from the caravan shouted. It had a large, pointed head that screamed carnivorous, and small, unshapely human-like limbs attached to a slippery body. Just like how there were demonic wolves lurking in the grasslands, there were aquatic monsters lurking underwater. And Flynn was clinging onto one of them.

But the merman was even more limp than Flynn was. It didn’t move even as Flynn crawled out from the fishing net.

“……Is it dead?”

At the adult’s question, Flynn shook his head.

“I think it’s just passed out.”

Sure enough, as he spoke, the merman beside him slowly started to move. Realising that it was surrounded by humans, it hurriedly slipped out from the fishing net, jumped into the river and, in the blink of an eye, swam away. Everyone looked on in shock.

“That’s a monster that usually lives in the ocean. I’ve never heard of one appearing in a river. I hope it’s not an omen of things to come…”

A man from the caravan murmured. Yuri ignored him and rushed to Flynn’s side.

“I was wondering what you were holding onto, but I didn’t expect it to be a monster. There’s something wrong with you.”

“I heard if you cover the gills around the merman’s neck they won’t be able to breathe. Well, I never thought I’d be able to test it out for myself.”

“You heard from whom?”

It was only after he’d said that that Yuri realised he’d messed up. In an instant, that familiar stiffness slipped back onto Flynn’s face — like a mask.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Both of us, I mean.”

Yuri didn’t pursue it any further and said. The mask disappeared, and Flynn broke into a smile.

“Yes, I’m glad that was no big deal.”

Both of them were stained with monster blood and soaking wet from their fall into the river. Although it was true that they had miraculously gotten away with no injuries apart from a few bruises and scrapes, the things they had experienced in that brief period amounted to more than just a big deal. Despite that, Flynn had spoken so dismissively. Yuri could only shrug his shoulders in amazement.

“It was a big deal for you, though.”

As if interpreting Yuri’s words as sarcasm again, Flynn looked a little offended.

“U-Um…”

Jareth and the other boys spoke up timidly. The boys were fidgeting, looking for the next words to say, as they looked at Flynn. Flynn had a suspicious look on his face, but Yuri grinned.

“If you guys have something to say, make sure you say it properly.”

Prompted by those words, Jareth and the other boys took a step forward.

“Um, well, thanks for saving us.”

They stuttered as they spoke, as if they were probing Flynn’s reaction with each word. Flynn, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have expected it, and his expression looked as blank as always. Jareth hesitated, unsure if he should continue, but then he took a deep breath and let it all out in one go.

“So, we’re sorry for everything we did before! We were in the wrong!”

Jareth and the other boys bowed their heads in unison. It took about a second for it to sink for Flynn.

“Okay.”

Not saying anything unnecessarily, Flynn nodded seriously. Jareth and the others continued mumbling, but they looked visibly relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

“Well then…”

A man from the caravan, who had been watching the entire exchange, cleared his throat.

“You guys seem to be done making up, so is now a good time? I’m guessing you guys are kids from the Imperial Capital? We’re also headed there. We can’t just leave you kids alone like this, so if you want to we can travel there together.”

When Jareth and the other boys heard this, they cried out in joy, as if they had forgotten why they had come here in the first place. ‘The adults are coming with us. We can go home.’ Looking at them, even Flynn let out a somewhat happy expression.

But Yuri couldn’t bring himself to truly feel happy. He had intended on carrying things out secretly, but it had ended up getting adults involved. He had a pretty good idea as to what awaited them when they returned.

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#Danzaisha no Keifu #Tales of Vesperia #Genealogy of the Condemned #Tales of Vesperia: Genealogy of the Condemned #delicate posts #delicate translations #the famed no big deal scene and shining fang moment...

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