Demon's Labyrinth, Seiryuu City, DesuMachi Planet…
Hachiman asked Tama, Pochi, and Liza to gather the belongings of the deceased from the remaining cocoons, while he and Sora offered food and water to the survivors. The young lady complained about the humble rations at first, but her hunger won in the end. She finished her share quickly, cheeks puffed with every bite.
"The cores here are of very high grade. You don't often see ones this red on the market," Nidoren commented between bites, watching Hachiman sort the magic cores.
According to him, such cores could be purified and used to create magic tools. The higher the grade of the core is, the more powerful the final product.
"I see…" Hachiman nodded, mentally noting the information away.
Once everyone had rested and eaten, Hachiman handed out the spare weapons and armor they'd found around the area. The young man, meeker now after being scolded by the old merchant, also received a simple set of equipment. Hoping them to increase the combat capability of their group
But perhaps that plan had been too optimistic.
"I have no desire to use my magic on such minor foes. My abilities are suited only for the most formidable opponents."
"I'll manage on my own somehow, but don't count on me to help in combat."
The young lady had an excuse at the ready for every situation, refusing to lift a finger, while Nidoren simply declared himself unfit for battle both conveniently escaping any contribution.
Nidoren's reluctance was one thing, but Hachiman had actually hoped for the viscount's daughter to be useful with her magic.
But more frustrating than either of those two was the young man. Apparently, being given the short sword and shield had gone straight to his head…
"Hmph! If those beastkins and that brat can fight, then I can take on a hundredfold more than them combined! If I'd had a weapon back there, that stupid spider wouldn't have slowed me down a bit!" he boasted, right before rushing towards a skeleton monster and instantly getting wiped out in just one hit.
His opponent was just a level 10 skeleton. Before it could finish him off, Pochi jumped forward and parried the club strike with her short sword, saving him for the second time today.
"Liza-san, if you would." Sora asked dryly.
Her tone was flat, and the twitch in her eyebrow told Hachiman she was seconds away from exploding at the young man.
"Of course," Liza replied calmly.
At Sora's simple order, Liza stepped forward. Her first thrust pierced straight through the skeleton's torso. Her second strike severed the arm holding its weapon. Her third shattered its skull entirely. The monster collapsed before it even understood what happened.
Sighing, Hachiman silently gestured at Nidoren to help the groaning young man. The older merchant smiled wryly before nodding and crouched beside the young man without a word.
"Are you all right there?"
"Tch… I didn't expect a skeleton to be so strong."
"It looks like you might have a broken rib here…"
Ignoring the young man's curses, Hachiman listened to the slave merchant's diagnosis.
'Tsk… of all the people we could've saved… it had to be this kind of idiot,' Hachiman sighed internally. 'Haaa…. But if his rib is broken, we shouldn't move him… so what exactly are we supposed to do now?'
"Nngh…! Am I gonna die here?" the young man groaned dramatically.
"If Pochi-chan hadn't saved you, I'm pretty sure you'd have died the instant that club hit your skull," Sora said, dripping so much sarcasm that Hachiman winced.
It would've been the perfect chance for him to apologize to Pochi after she saved his life again but of course he didn't utter a single word of apology or even thanks.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I gotta live! I'm not gonna die in a place like this!" he shouted, blood dripping from his lip.
"Tsk… such a baby." Sora spat back, her voice sharp enough to cut something into half. Her cute, gentle face twisted into something far less adorable as she turned away.
'Ooohhh… Sora-san, please calm down, okay?! Your cute face is turning scary, you know?!' Hachiman cried in his head, half-pleading with the universe.
"Hmph. If he can't walk on his own, we should leave him behind. Meeting up with my father and the troops who were sent to assist us is more important. Know that your own foolishness has sealed your fate, commoner. Accept the consequences of your actions." Tina declared, her voice sharp and devoid of sympathy.
'Whoa… that's cold. And she's completely serious,' Hachiman thought, stunned.
Pochi and Tama tugged gently at his sleeve, their wide eyes silently pleading with him to help the young man. He let out a tiny sigh.
'…Dang it. Iroha might be right. I'm weak to kids and anyone younger than me,' he admitted internally as he reached into his bag and pulled out one of the potions they'd found earlier.
"Use this medicine," he said, holding it out.
"What is it?" Nidoren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a magic potion," Hachiman replied.
"Magic potion?!" Nidoren choked, eyes wide in shock. Even the young lady, cold as she was, looked surprised.
"It was something we picked up in an alchemist's house earlier, so I'm not totally sure how effective it is," Hachiman added casually.
'Be grateful Pochi and Tama are softhearted, pal. If they hadn't pushed me, I wouldn't have bothered giving this to you,' he added silently.
Nervously, the young man brought the potion to his lips. The effect was almost absurdly immediate. Just seconds ago he'd been writhing and whining, but the moment the potion hit his tongue, he jolted upright with a shout, "I'm healed!" and jump to his feet. It happened so fast that even Hachiman and Sora exchanged a look with a slightly impressed, slightly disturbed.
"A single intermediate-level potion is worth three gold coins, you know. You must be quite the eccentric fellow to let a stranger drink a thing like that," Nidoren said with a wry smile.
When the old slave merchant quoted a value slightly higher than what Hachiman expected, the young man's newly regained color immediately drained again. Hachiman hadn't planned on charging him for the potion… but he also didn't go out of his way to reassure him.
'That took more time than I wanted,' Hachiman sighed inwardly. 'Now that everyone's patched up, we can finally move on to the next room and regroup with Mei and Zena.'
—---
Going back a little earlier, while Hachiman and his group were rescuing the trapped people in the spider room, Mei and her group continued their advance. Fortunately, despite their large numbers, they didn't run into any situation that forced them into difficult choices.
With Mei's overwhelming strength, any monsters that appeared were defeated so quickly that no one else even had time to react. By the time the group noticed an enemy, Mei had already dealt with it.
'Good, we're finally done in this room,' the Herrscher of Thunder commented inside Mei's mind. 'Even better, we can finally meet up with our Monarch and the kid in the next room.'
Mei nodded at her other self's words as she sheathed her katana. 'Indeed. And it seems Zena-san and the Earldom's troops are ahead as well. After this, just a few more rooms and we can leave this place.'
They proceeded toward the next room, where Zena and the others should be. With Mei's heightened senses as a Herrscher, she immediately picked up the sounds of battle ahead. She glanced at her minimap, Zena along with the other soldiers were fighting slimes and skeleton monsters. However, it seemed they'd charged in too quickly and ended up in a room completely packed with monsters.
"Everyone, there's a battle in the next room! Please stay calm and don't panic!" Mei warned.
The group tensed for a moment, but their trust in Mei allowed them to calm their breathing. Auna, the Viscount, the priest, and those who could fight all exchanged nods and braced themselves.
Upon reaching the entrance of the room, Mei quickly assessed the scene, several men in tunics were tumbling helplessly across the floor where Zena and the soldiers fought.
"Wah! Stay away from me!"
"It burns… so hot… I don't wanna die!"
The last man was being pressed into the floor, half‑sunken as a slime pulled him in like quicksand. He stretched out his trembling hand, begging for help, but the others near him were too terrified to move, shrinking back with pale faces.
At the far corner, Zena's accompanying soldiers were locked in a chaotic fight against both slimes and skeleton monsters. A few meters away, Zena herself was striking at slimes with her long staff, while forming a protective wall around a group of priestesses who were shielding the injured behind them. The fact that she was using her staff instead of magic meant only one thing, she may have run out of MP.
In a single blink, Mei fully grasped the situation. She wasted no time. Her Electro Emblem lights up with elemental energy, lightning dancing around her limbs before enveloping her body entirely. She launched forward in a burst of purple light, cutting through the slimes attacking the man and destroying them in an instant.
"Auna-san! Please check this person's injuries!" Mei called while already dashing again.
"Wait Mei-sama...!" Auna's shout was drowned by the surroundings.
She moved with elegant, smooth steps, graceful and deadly, as she slipped through panicked civilians and fighting soldiers. Each slash of her katana killed a monster; each spin or sidestep flowed like she was dancing.
She reached Zena's side just as one slime latched onto her staff, trying to pull her downward. Zena let out a cry as her footing faltered.
"Zena-san!" Mei shouted.
Mei twisted her body, using the sheath of her katana to rip the slime off Zena. With a sharp cry, she threw the creature aside. In the same motion, she swung her blade and pierced the slime with a burst of lightning, destroying its core instantly.
Mei turned quickly toward Zena, "Zena-san, are you alri—?!"
She froze. The words died on her tongue as her eyes widened.
Like any cliché fantasy story had warned, slimes truly were the natural enemy of women. The indecent creature had torn a gaping hole through Zena's blouse and melted part of her chest wrapping leaving… Well, nothing left to hide her modesty. And having narrowly escaped death, Zena hadn't even realized her own state yet.
Without hesitation, Mei removed her crew cape and gently wrapped it around Zena's shoulders.
"Oh—thank you! …Mei-san?!" Zena finally looked up, noticing who had helped her. With a startled cry, she threw her arms around Mei.
"Mei-san! I'm so glad you're all right!" Her voice trembled with relief.
Mei felt a warm feeling bloom in her chest as she returned the hug. "I'm also glad you're safe as well, Zena-san."
Mei wasn't sure if they were close enough for this kind of embrace yet… but she didn't dislike it. After everything she had gone through in the Honkai world, having someone show her such earnest, gentle affection felt like a gift she didn't know she needed. And truthfully, Mei was happy to see Zena again. Someone she could consider a friend beyond the crew.
"Mei-sama! Zena! Are both of you alright?!" Auna shouted as she finally caught up with them.
"Ah, Auna-san."
"Auna-sama!"
Mei turned and saw Auna approaching, protected closely by the Viscount and the Garleon priest. Zena immediately released Mei and pulled Auna into a tight, relieved hug.
"Auna-sama! I'm so glad you're safe as well!" Zena said, voice trembling slightly.
"Zena…" Auna whispered as she returned the hug. "I'm glad you're safe too."
Mei smiled softly, feeling her shoulders relax—tension she hadn't even realized she was carrying finally easing.
"Auna-sama, Zena-dono, please save your excitement for later. Finishing off these monsters takes priority," the Viscount reminded them as he fired a lance of flame toward the slimes.
"Ah—s-sorry about that! Gosh! What am I doing…?" Zena quickly stepped back, her cheeks blushing lightly.
"Don't worry. I'm happy you were that relieved to see me," Auna said, offering a shy smile of her own.
Everyone regrouped around them, forming a tight defensive circle as the slimes and skeletons closed in.
"Now then… what should be our next move?" the Viscount asked, eyes scanning the battlefield around.
"The skeleton monsters are manageable, but the slimes are the real problem," Zena muttered, earning several nods.
"Slicing them, smashing them, even magic hardly works on those things…" one of the soldiers grumbled.
"Does anyone perhaps know what the weakness of the slimes is?" Auna asked the group. Although she'd seen how easily Mei defeated them earlier, she chalked that up to the overwhelming ability of a 'hero'—not something normal people could replicate.
"A-ah… actually… slimes all have small cores inside their bodies, so if you break that, you can defeat them easily." a hesitant voice answered.
When everyone turned to see who spoke, they found a beastkin slave girl, one of the few survivors left. She was an adorable, petite black cat girl with soft dark eyes, short black hair, and a long tail that twitched nervously.
Realizing all the attention was on her, the girl lowered her head, trying to hide her face. Mei offered her a reassuring smile, gently raising her hand to pat the girl's head.
"I see. Thank you for telling us," Mei said softly.
The cat girl flinched at first, then slowly relaxed under Mei's touch, her cheeks tinting pink.
"Everyone heard her, right? Aim for the slime's core," Auna called out, bringing everyone back to the fight. "Be careful of their movements and stay mindful of the skeleton monsters, too."
""Yes!!""
The soldiers and anyone able to fight shouted back in unison. The clash resumed—and this time, they quickly gained the upper hand. With the soldiers' disciplined coordination, they cut down any slimes that approached.
They were performing so well that Mei didn't even need to step in.
As more and more monsters fell, the remaining ones suddenly changed their tactics. In a desperate move, one skeleton monster grabbed a slime and threw it straight toward Auna.
"Auna-sama!" Zena cried out, throwing herself in front of her and shielding her with her own body.
Mei was already preparing to intervene, when a blur of motion shot past her.
A shadow leapt in from nowhere, rapier flashing, and pierced the incoming slime mid‑air before landing in a perfectly executed heroic pose. Mei gasped the moment she recognized the silhouette.
"Huh?! You are—?!"
The figure tipped his hat with theatrical swag, pointing his rapier toward the monsters. "Nyaa sure has guts to attack Nyaa's Monarch's Queen!"
Standing proudly in the middle of the battlefield was a tabby cat with white and orange fur. But instead of behaving like any normal cat, it stood upright on two legs, wearing a hat, a flowing cape, and full knight‑like attire, minus the armor. It was Nyantaro—that's not it! It was Cait Sith, Hachiman's Persona (memosprite) he sent to Mei as a back up.
The Cait Sith stepped forward coolly, cape billowing behind him. "For daring to harm nyaa-ur's Queen… nyaa death won't be peaceful!"
The sheer absurdity of the talking cat's tone and presence left everyone stunned into silence. Even the monsters stopped moving, taken aback.
With a sharp Fuu—or rather, nyaa—the Cait Sith vanished from sight, reappearing at the skeleton monster's side. His rapier danced once, twice, thrice, each attack hit the enemy squarely, eliminating it instantly.
"Is that it, nyaa?" The Cait Sith flicked its rapier clean in one smooth sweep as the monster collapsed at his feet.
"Nyaa expected more," he added before disappearing again, reappearing beside the next monster and cutting it down in a single effortless attack.
Whether it was the soldiers, the viscount, the priest, the civilians, the other priestesses, Auna, or Zena, every single person stared at the cat in stunned disbelief. A creature they expected to be cute at best was stylishly mowing down monsters like the main character of an action anime.
Meanwhile, a little off to the side, Mei felt her cheeks warm. A small blush crept across her face as Cait Sith's earlier words keep replayed in her mind.
'Queen… Queen… he called me his Monarch's Queen!!! Hachiman's summon call me his Queen!!' A tiny imaginary poof exploded inside her head as she spiraled, a small silly grin appeared at her lips.
Even her Herrscher personality pulled back. '…My other self sure is weird. And that's coming from me.'
Within moments, every monster in the room lay defeated. With a final swoosh, Cait Sith spun his rapier and sheathed it with unnecessary—but undeniably cool—flourish.
"Hmmp. Nyaa're a hundred years too early to stand before Nyaa."
'JUST WHAT IS WITH THIS CAT?! THAT WAS SO COOL!!!' everyone shouted in their minds at the same time.
—-------
Moments later, with all the monsters finally defeated thanks to the Cait Sith, Auna and the other priestesses moved quickly, healing the injured. Most of the civilians huddled together, still in disbelief after witnessing the 'Cat Knight' wipe out an entire room of monsters in mere minutes.
Even the soldiers couldn't stop staring at the Cait Sith as he followed Mei around like an overly loyal knight while she distributed rations and water. Several civilians, who were part of her group originally, assisted her, moving wherever she moved. Every pair of eyes followed Mei as she casually taking out supplies from her storage, leaving people whispering in awe.
And because the Cait Sith kept calling her 'Queen,' rumors were already spiraling out of control. The survivors began forming their own theories: maybe Mei wasn't just a hero maybe she was an actual queen from some distant kingdom. And if so, then that meant Hachiman must be… a king.
Auna, Viscount Velton, and even the Garleon Priest couldn't resist adding their own wild interpretations about Mei's true identity. Meanwhile, Zena, who finally noticed Mei's actions as she tended the survivors, chose not to pry. She simply decided to trust her new friend and wait until Mei was ready to share.
"Mei-san, I'm done on my side. Everyone received their share of rations." Zena approached with a small smile.
"Ah, thank you, Zena-san. But… are you really okay moving around already? Weren't you injured earlier?" Mei asked, her expression a mix of gratitude and concern.
"Ahahaha. Please don't worry, Auna-sama already healed my injuries." Zena flexed her arm with a playful wink. "The wounds were minor anyway… I'm just more heartbroken that the dress I borrowed from my mother ended up like this." Her shoulders slumped as she tugged at the torn fabric.
Mei gently patted her shoulder, offering a soft, sympathetic smile. "Then once we're out of here, I'll accompany you to shop for new dresses."
"Ehh?! Really?!" Zena gasped, eyes sparkling—before her excitement faltered. "But won't you… um… be busy with other things?" she asked hesitantly.
Mei gave a small shrug and a wry smile. "Don't mind it. Spending time with a friend sounds a lot better than dealing with complicated stuff."
"Mei-san…" Warmth filled Zena's expression. "Yosh! I'll take you to the best dress shops in town! They might be… a little expensive though."
"Hehehe," Mei chuckled softly.
"...Would it be possible for me to join this outing?"
A tiny voice chimed in between them, making both girls jump slightly. They turned to find Auna standing there—lightly pouting, of all things.
"A-Auna-san!" "Auna-sama!" the two exclaimed.
"S-So… can I join the two of you on this outing?" Auna asked, fidgeting like a shy child caught asking for candy.
"Eh?! But… Auna-sama is an Oracle Priestess, right? Would the temple even allow you to go out for something like that?" Zena asked cautiously.
"I believe it would be fine," Auna said with a sly little smile. "I'll simply tell them I'm accompanying Mei-sama around the city. The temple will surely allow it."
Mei stared at her, deadpan. 'Why would the temple let her go freely if she's with me?'
As they could continue their conversation, the ground shook violently. Everyone in the room stumbled, sending a few civilians falling on the ground. Zena immediately grabbed Auna by the shoulders, keeping her from falling.
"What was that?" Zena said sharply, slipping straight back into her soldier mode.
"Is it a new enemy?" Auna muttered, slipping back to her dignified Oracle Priestess self.
"Auna-sama! Please stay at the back with the civilians! We'll form a defensive line near the entrance!" The Captain of the soldiers told her.
"Auna-sama, please hurry!" a priestess called as she rushed to guide her.
Unsure what to do, Auna and Zena turned to Mei only to find her facepalming.
Mei muttered under her breath, "What am I going to do with this child…? Did she pick up Hachiman's bad habits too…?"
"Mei-sama?" Auna called.
"Mei-san?" Zena echoed.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Mei lifted her head with a tired, exasperated sigh. She offered the two a small smile. "Sorry, it's nothing…"
She then stepped forward and addressed the soldiers, Viscount Velton, and the Garleon Priest who are preparing the defensive line near the entrance.
"Everyone, please clear the entrance and move to the side or you might get hurt," she said, the tone of her voice sounding tired.
"Mei-dono?" Viscount Velton raised a brow in confusion.
"...I don't know how to explain it. But please trust me on this. Whoever is coming here won't be a problem, but to keep everyone safe, please move away from the entrance," Mei added.
Everyone looked at one another, unsure what to do, until Auna stepped forward with a nod. "Please, just do as Mei-sama says."
That was enough to get everyone moving. The soldiers and civilians quickly cleared the entrance, while Mei stepped forward just a few meters away from the entrance. Beside her were Cait Sith, Zena, and Auna, who refused to move away, as well as Viscount Velton, the Garleon Priest and the Captain of the soldiers.
As time passed, the shaking grew stronger. The intervals between each tremor shortened, making everyone tense. Yet Mei remained relaxed, though her brows occasionally twitched. Meanwhile, Cait Sith practically vibrated with excitement, holding his hat as his tail swayed eagerly.
A violent tremor suddenly shook the room. Instinctively, Zena and the others moved to cover Auna—just as a loud, childish voice can be heard from the passageway connecting the entrance.
"...For Peace Offering!!"
This was immediately followed by a heavy bang and a very distinct cry of "Moo!"
A giant buffalo monster flew through the entrance as if launched by a catapult, crashing onto the ground just a few inches away from Mei and the rest.
Zena, Auna, the soldiers, even the civilians and priestesses at the rear, every single person froze with their jaws hanging open.
"Wow!! It actually landed near Mei-nee!!" a cheerful voice chirped.
Everyone mechanically turned toward the entrance.
There stood Sora, running in with a giant hammer larger than her size placed over her shoulder, smiling brightly.
"Hi Mei-nee! It's been awhile! Did you miss me?" Sora said, throwing in a playful wink.
Mei smiled sweetly. "Hello, Sora-chan. It looks like you're really having the time of your life in this Labyrinth, huh?" Her smile remained gentle—almost too gentle. "I would love to hear the full story of that."
"...Ehh?" Sora's grin stiffened as a sweat drop rolled down her cheek.
'Oh no… I'm dead,' she cried internally.
======