Chapter 26: Signs of a New Disturbance

“All righty, newbie! On to the next store!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Tiana led me by the hand as we walked through the streets of Sirius City. Yesterday she’d only shown me around, but today she happily stopped by the various stores to eat and shop.

“They sell troll ice cream over there!” she told me. “It’s super stretchy and fun! It has troll muscle fibers mixed in!”

“Is it good?” I asked.

“Awful!” she exclaimed, laughing heartily. I caught a glimpse of her slightly protruding fangs. Cute!

Man, I knew she was a good person. Can’t believe she actually asked me to hang out!

Earlier that morning, I’d been hunting down aetherborn on the outskirts of the city to feed Muramasa and the others when Tiana came running after me, ordering, “No hunting! Not today! You and I are gonna hang out!”

I was so moved! No girl my age had ever wanted to hang out with me!

“C’mon, Crow, get a move on! Or are you out of money already? The money mama and I gave you should last you three days’ worth of messing around!”

“Oh, no, I’m good on money. Iris, Vita, and Hypno also gave me some.”

“I’m sorry, what? The vice-captain, a genius knight, and a former elite knight?!”

Yep. All of them. People just kept giving me money for some reason. Did I look that poor? Granted, I was, but you know. And the payment for the missions I’d completed wasn’t due for another few days, so...

It’s me, Crow, the man whose wallet smells like women. I think there’s a word for people like me. What was it? “Gigolo”?

“Wow. And mama’s the commander of the Sirius division too! Everyone around you is so impressive...except for me,” Tiana murmured with a somber expression, oblivious to my inner thoughts. Taking a bite out of a skewer we’d bought from a street stall, she quietly asked, “Hey, Crow. Do you think there’s any meaning to being a weak knight?”

“Pardon?”

What was with her all of a sudden?

“You know, unlike you and the people around you, I’m a measly fifth-class knight. I’m well aware I don’t have a whole lot of potential,” she explained nonchalantly. “All someone like me can do is pester a hardworking newbie, who willingly goes out to hunt aetherborn, and drag him around town to try different foods. Someone else would’ve been able to help you hunt and stuff.” Tiana shrugged. “I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the insane speed at which you’ve been cutting enemies down.”

She stood before me, staring straight into my eyes.

“Hey, Crow. If I’m bothering you, tell me, okay?”

“Why would you say that?” I asked, confused.

“I mean, if push came to shove, I wouldn’t be able to save anyone. Yet here I am, taking up the time of someone who does, in fact, save people. Isn’t that wrong of me?” she said, smiling sadly.

Ah. So that was what she was hung up on.

“Oh, by the way! If you’re going back to hunting, stop by the division first for some healing potions! And bring some bandages too—”

“Tiana,” I cut in, taking both of her hands in mine.

“Fweh?!”

“Listen to me, Tiana. I’m very grateful to you.”

That’s right! I didn’t think she was bothering me at all! Quite the opposite, actually.

“I have to keep fighting due to circumstances beyond my control,” I explained. “Even in my free time, I succumb to bloodlust and hunt down aetherborn and dark magi. That’s the kind of sad man I’ve become.”

“But... Your hometown was destroyed, so you want revenge, right?” Tiana asked.

“Yes.” No! My cursed arms were just total pests. Even if I tried to keep them fed, they just kicked up a fuss in my soul. Pain in the ass.

So, when I had the energy, it was easier to just go along and let them eat their fill than to try to resist them. Naturally, I ended up feeling like these things were controlling my life.

“That’s why, Tiana, even if you did so forcibly, I’m deeply grateful to you for pulling me away from fighting and allowing me to enjoy an ordinary day.”

“What?! You can’t be serious!”

“I’m quite serious.” I really was! See, I’d been wasting my youth away. Tiana got 100 points of gratitude from me for inviting me to hang out and pulling me out of my barren, ashen days! She could exchange those for a Crow body pillow set. Also, she was awarded the title of Angel #2, second only to Iris!

“You called yourself a weak knight, unable to save anyone. You’re wrong. It takes strength to reach out to someone like me,” I said to a stunned Tiana. “And you protected my heart from its bloodthirst. I respect you.”

Tears began to stream down her face. She made a valiant effort to hold them back, to no avail.

“Wh-What the hell!” she exclaimed, her tears coming in large drops, one after the other. “You haven’t cracked a single smile this whole time! I was so worried I was actually bothering you!”

“Oh. I apologize. I was simply nervous,” I explained. “I’ve never had any luck with girls my age before.”

“Liar!” she retorted. “A dark, brooding type like you? Girls would be all over that!”

No, really, it was true. I’d never had any luck with girls! Why would they prefer gloomy dudes? What kinda logic was that?

Even that guy from back home, Fukashi (RIP?), had told me, “Crow, girls fawn all over dudes who never stop smiling. You know, like me!”

I mean, he didn’t so much smile as smirk, really, and it was the creepiest smirk ever, but oh well.

Tiana sighed. “All right, then. It’s enough for me that you’re having fun. Thanks for praising me, despite my failings,” she said, smiling brightly.

Good. Cheery smiles suited her best. And they were soothing to my soul!

“You know,” I said with a chuckle, “being with you calms me down.”

“H-Huh?! What’s with the flirting all of a sudden?! What are you, stupid?!”

She was blushing for some reason. And I wasn’t trying to flirt or anything. What was that about?

“I’m only expressing my honest feelings,” I replied.

She let out a loud, bewildered sound. “Hmmmmm?!”

Iris would react like that too, sometimes. Maybe it was the latest trend among girls?

Anyway, in the middle of our friendly moment, Muramasa—at my hip as always—suddenly got fussy. A sickly-sweet male voice rang out. “Ah, how marvelous youth is!”

Tiana and I looked in the direction the voice had come from. A middle-aged man stood there, dressed in extravagant clothing. Who the hell?

“Crow! Straighten yourself!” Tiana commanded sharply. Her smile was gone, replaced by a tense expression as she stared at the fancy man.

I obeyed and quickly straightened my back.

“Oh? For an outer dweller, you seem to know some etiquette,” the man said, looking me up and down as if measuring my worth. He bowed gracefully after a moment, and said, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Superbius, prime minister of this country.”

Prime minister?! That’s, like, really high-ranking, I think?! Why is someone so important here?! Crap, what do I do?!

My nerves were shot. I wasn’t good with authority!

“Now, Crow, I’ve heard a great deal about you,” he said. “You’re the famous Iris’s disciple, and a myth conqueror as well, yes? Why, you may as well have been chosen by the heavens! I’ve become quite a fan, you see. I came here to meet you.”

Wait, he did?!

Wow! What a massive honor that was! I was neither Iris’s pupil nor a myth thingy, but that didn’t matter! He liked me! That meant I liked him back, period!

Now what?! Do I shake his hand?!

“On that note, Crow, I would like to see your legend soar to even greater heights,” he stated, rummaging through his breast pocket.

Ooh, what’s he gonna give me? Is it candy? Tell me it’s candy.

In a complete betrayal of my sugary expectations, he handed me a mission order instead. Man.

“Crow Titus, sixth-class knight! I hereby order you to hunt down, alone, the strongest of all aetherborn—a dragon. You’ll do it, won’t you? ♡”

Wait. No. What? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

Hunt down a dragon?! Alone?! Was this guy nuts?!