With Sherryl and Van now gone, it was just the four of us flying through the skies of Zemuria. We took our time coming to Liberl. As I previously said, we needed time. Especially for what happened with Renne. While she did not experience the brunt of what happened in the games, it still takes time, you know? I did say the four of us, but my group grew back to six people. Two people left, while two new people joined.
Renne, and a boy who calls himself Quatre Salision. Another character from Daybreak who decides to join Van's party in the future. Or at least from what I could tell. Apparently he's a super genius, and attends the Basel Institute of Technology under one of the Epstein Foundation's three direct disciples. Not the two men you'd be familiar with from Sky or Cold Steel, Professor Russell and Professor Schmidt. No, Quatre receives care from Epstein's third disciple, an old woman who is named Professor Hamilton. That's the extent that I know what happens. Right now, Quatre is really young, and is already developing a bond with us, so we'll see if things still lead to that.
For now, we all spent aboard the Glorious these last couple months. At the beginning, Ennea did not react much. Tio, on the other hand, had sparkles in her eyes every corner she looked into. Well, her expressions remained deadpan thanks to Gnosis, but you could still see the stars in her eyes. Honestly, it was pretty funny seeing Tio react like this. As for Emma, she had a surprised Pikachu face the whole time, wondering how such a feat was even possible. But with that said, we were able to meet the other Enforcers on board. They came and went, doing about their own lives. Unlike the Anguis, Enforcers have full freedom. They can do whatever they want, as long as they participate in Ouroboros's plans when the time comes.
The Grandmaster offered me the position of either Anguis, or Enforcer, should I join Ouroboros. In the end, I might not, but the thought of it counts. If I had to choose, I'm definitely leaning toward Enforcer. I don't want to be tied down like that. I do know Ouroboros is based on the Arcana, and The Emperor Arcana has not been filled in, as far as I'm aware. If I chose an Enforcer seat, it'd likely be Enforcer No. IV. Only time will tell, I guess.
The only Enforcer we did not come across was Enforcer I, McBurn the Blazing Demon. He is still in seclusion thanks to the power-up he received from Instance Dungeon II. Hopefully he will come out of it by the time the Phantasmal Blaze Plan starts during Cold Steel. He does act as an Enforcer during it after all.
The first one who showed himself was Leonhardt the Bladelord, then came Joshua the Black Fang, Enforcer II and XIII respectively. During this time, Joshua was already The Faceless's puppet, so there really isn't much to say there. He's just a killing machine right now. With Estelle's help during Sky, he will break free from those chains. That's Trails in the Sky in a nutshell, so right now, there is not much merit to having a conversation with him. Loewe, in comparison, was great company.
What came next was another surprise. This time, it was for Ennea. She met Enforcer III, the Golden Butterfly. Apparently she's part of the Daybreak cast of characters, so it's not someone I'm too familiar with. But the main point of discussion here was that the two belonged to the same organization before it was wiped out. The Order of the Moonlight Horse. She loved to play dress-up with Ennea during these couple of months. It was pretty awkward for Ennea, but it was quite funny to watch, haha!
Along that line, there was another Enforcer from the same Order. This third person called herself Sharon Kreuger. Enforcer IX, the Severing Chains. She was well-acquainted with Enforcer III. That's right, this Sharon is the very same Sharon who will serve a member of future Class VII. I say that she's an Enforcer, but we didn't see Sharon on board a single time. It looks like her events already took place, making Sharon retire from Ouroboros. Enforcer III also mentioned there being other members, which surprisingly included one of the Anguis, a man called the Thousand Oathbreaker. But he wasn't around on the Glorious so we didn't get to meet him.
Sharon might still hold onto Enforcer IX title, but technically, it's free right now. That meant her battle against a wounded Franz Reinford took place, which also meant that Isola's battle against Black Alberich also happened, to which the latter taking place first. This is something I'll also cover later. The fateful battle happened, and Isola was saved with Roselia's incantation. She is now resting her soul alongside Kasia's!
As far as Sharon goes, she will make an appearance again once future Class VII comes together. That won't happen for quite some time, so I don't need to worry about that for now. The Enforcer who came next might be everyone's most disliked Enforcer.
A popular thief who calls himself Phantom Thief B. Enforcer X, Bleublanc. A well-known noble hailing from Erebonia who was met with misfortune, and somehow ended up becoming a phantom thief with his trickery and magics. We're both nobles, so we might have more in common than I initially thought.
Then you got someone I'm more familiar with, Enforcer VI, the Bewitching Bell. Luciola. She is none other than Scherazard's older sister wrought with a dark past that was drenched in blood.
It was only the Enforcers we came across. There were no Anguis during this time. After we bid farewell to Sherryl and Van in Calvard who left with Zin and Gunther respectively, our next destination was Remiferia. Tio's home country. It is also the same country to whom I had the pleasure of meeting with, the second prince, Albert von Bartholomeus, of House Bartholomeus. I decided to do the same as Guy Bannings did originally in the games, by taking Tio back to her family.
But things took a turn for the worse. Tio reacted the same way to her parents, and became estranged. Her parents didn't know who Tio was anymore thanks to taking Gnosis. She quickly became alienated from them. Tio was disheartened by this. She truly thought her parents could change for the better. But just after a mere couple of weeks, their parents disowned Tio. Sad, I know. So now, Tio had nowhere to go.
Thankfully, we did not immediately leave. We remained in the area to see how it would develop. Tio was still capable of crying, to our surprise. That didn't stop the paperwork from being filled out. After going through this period of sadness, Tio became determined again. She expressed her interest to learn. Learn what, exactly?
Orbal tech! On top of that, Tio expressed an interest in learning Magic too! Tio went with the former first, and reached out to me with a request to visit the Epstein Foundation. Tio's intellect was also raised by a good amount thanks to Gnosis. It wasn't just her sensory perceptions that skyrocketed. So that we did.
We flew from Calvard to Remiferia then all the way to Leman State where the Epstein Foundation was situated. Its researchers and scientists didn't take long to realize Tio's potential, regardless of her young age. The Foundation offered a hand to all capable people with the goal of progressing orbal tech. Tio might only be six years old this year, but the Foundation accepted her nonetheless. Tio was reluctant to say goodbye, but after a hopeful hug, she bid us all farewell. Tio was the third person to leave the Glorious.
With Tio's departure, she promised that once she had achieved good results at the Foundation and became older, she would seek me out again. I am not sure when that will happen, but hopefully before Zero starts around S1204. There's still eight years until then.
Now, it is just Ennea, Emma and I. Ennea made the decision to stay on board the Glorious. She received an invitation to meet one of the Anguis. Someone I knew well, and it was none other than the same person Father and I bore witness to from afar. Arianrhod, the Steel Maiden. Perhaps it was during this time Ennea joined the Stahlritter, becoming its first member. It wasn't clear whether or not Arianrhod already recruited Duvalie and Ines.
However, this time around, I am not sure if Ennea will fully commit herself to the Stahlritter. After all, she now serves me and me alone. We'll see. As for Emma, it was quite simple with her present position. Roselia tasked Emma to watch over me for the time being instead of Vita. So no matter where I go, Emma follows. It's as simple as that. Thanks to that, my Favorability with Emma has been increasing at a steady pace. She is closer to becoming maxed, compared to others.
From Remiferia and Leman State, we made a detour at Heimdallr. In secret, of course. Lechter and Rufus were with us, and I ordered them to keep their lips sealed. If their words really did hold true, that meant I could order them around! So I told them to keep their lips shut about Ouroboros. Father will reach out to them on his own in due time, so that needs to happen. Until then, Lechter and Rufus will feign ignorance.
I also ordered Rufus to monitor House Cayenne. Musse's parents were due to die anytime now, or perhaps it already happened. I am not sure. They lost their lives at sea, very similar to Kloe's position. I did warn them back during His Imperial Majesty's ascension. So we'll see if they live from this. I am doubtful. Rufus was quick to see what I was up to, so he promised me he will look into the matter. That's what I like about him, even if he's a conniving bastard. This will be fun~
So yeah, it was just us three now and the other Enforcers on deck. That is, apart from the girl sleeping on my bed while Quatre remained in his own quarters with Ennea looking after him. Before I realized it, we reached our long, overdue destination. Liberl.
It won't be long until we reach Grancel Castle. Seeing the sun pass by as a couple of hours were spent with me at my desk, I heard a subtle shift echo around me. I heard the covers move down.
"Mmm...", Renne uttered. Her eyelids opened, and was greeted with the suns' rays. She slowly woke up, and rubbed her eyes a little bit. She saw me at my desk with my diary open. I managed to recall a lot of events that happened during these couple of months. Seeing me, Renne smiled.
"Good morning, Big Brother.", Renne said, and propped her back against the pillows behind her. "Already writing again? You sure are an early riser, aren't you?"
Hearing that, I chuckled.
"Haha. Not this time. I was just doing a bit of recollecting. Most of my friends have departed to their respective places for the time being. It looks like I'm next on deck. No pun intended. We entered Liberl's airspace not too long ago.", I said, smiling at Renne.
"I see.", Renne said. Her eyes became downcast. "Must you go? Can't I come with you?"
"I have my own role to fulfill, Renne. People are expecting me. You, on the other hand, are free. You're having fun with Loewe, Joshua and the others, aren't you?", I asked. I could see Renne was worried. I stepped away from my chair, and approached her, only to pat Renne on the head.
"Uh-huh. It's fun playing with everyone. But I'd rather go with you!", Renne said, pouting.
"Tell you what, Renne. Why don't you do something for me? Do that, and I will bring you back to play in Grancel Castle. How does that sound?", I decided to ask, causing Renne's eyes to bright up.
"Really? You'll take me to play at your castle?", Renne excitedly asked.
"I sure will. It may just take a little bit of time. It won't happen immediately. Is that alright, Renne?", I asked, wanting to be sure. Renne had her own position to fulfill, just like me. With a little push, I'm sure she'll do well.
"That's fine, Big Brother. What do I need to do?", Renne asked.
"Stay here on the Glorious. Become an Enforcer. They have their own training regimes to go through, but I'm sure you'll do fine with that quick wit of yours. You're too smart for your own good. I feel it will be a waste if you just follow me back to Grancel.", I said, explaining what I wanted Renne to do.
"Become an Enforcer...", Renne uttered, going into her own thoughts for a moment. She then shifted her head upward, and looked back at me with a smile. "Alright! I'll become an Enforcer, Big Brother. Then we can play at your castle!"
"Haha, thank you, Renne.", I said, smiling back at her. "Then, shall we do our next session? How has your back been? Any pain lately?"
"Nuh-uh. My back's been fine as of late. I don't have anything keeping me, so let's get started. Your healing magic has been really soothing, Big Brother.", Renne said, smiling again. She rummaged around her purple dress, and let it slide off her shoulders. I saw a little bit of her back. It wasn't like a normal kid's back. You could see faded bruises and such on it, just showing how much Renne endured. Yet, just as I was about to bring my chair to the bedside to sit behind Renne, the two of us heard a knock.
"Are you awake, Naoto? Campanella said we should be arriving at Grancel Castle today---?", Emma said, and peered into the room. Seeing me beside Renne, Emma's eyes flickered. "Ahh...I'm not interrupting, am I?"
Hearing that, I saw Renne's body tense up, but I placed my hand on her shoulder.
"Renne's still sensitive to others like this. Can I ask you to come back later?"
"It's alright really, Big Brother. It's Emma. She can stay.", Renne said.
"Thank you, Renne. It's those bastards who are unforgivable. To think they'd do such a horrific act...", Emma said, flaring up in anger.
"That does beg the question, though. Has Master taught you any healing incantations, Emma?", I decided to ask.
"Grandmother taught me a spell or two, yes. Shall I assist you?"
"I'd like that.", Renne happily said.
"You heard her. Take a chair and come sit next to me---?", I tried to say, only to hear a second knock.
"Are you starting your next session, Big Brother? Is it alright if I join too? I may not be like Renne, but it's still soothing.", Quatre's voice said, calling out to us.
"You don't mind, do you, Renne?", I asked, wanting to be sure.
"Quatre can join in too. I don't mind.", Renne said with a smile.
Hearing that, I smiled. Just like that, I, or we, now, started our next healing session. More time had passed as a result, and we inched ever so closer to our destination, Grancel Castle. To my surprise, I heard a single Gamer Notification
[Ding! Due to Gamer Naoto's repeated actions, a new Skill has been unlocked. Minor Heal - Lv1 (0/100) is now available for Gamer Naoto.]
Sweet. Am I about to become a healer now?