《The Conductor of Apollo》 Prologue: The Rise of Ares Ages ago, Apollo the God of Music created Symphonia, a world where music reigned supreme. The musical arts flourished in every kingdom, and his chosen musicians were known as Conductors. They were highly capable individuals that were granted the blessings of Apollo. A conductor is capable of leading both an orchestra and an army. They controlled the flow of the battle and struck fear in the hearts of their enemies as strategists without caliber. Every kingdom sought to employ their services or at the very least garner their favor. Yet despite the occasional battle, Symphonia was a peaceful world. Disputes were largely contained through musical competitions. Humans lived in harmony with nature and animals alike, and the world reflected that with its lush greenery, sparkling clear water, and bountiful harvests. However, one god despised music as weak and pointless: the God of War Ares. Ares wished for the clashing of swords, the splattering of blood, and the cries of death. Symphonia was far too peaceful for his tastes, so he plotted an uprising. He attacked Apollo and trapped him in an eternal prison, isolating him from Symphonia. However, Apollo was not an ignorant god. Seconds before his enclosure, he performed 2 tasks. First, he released the 9 Muses into the world of Symphonia to keep the world from devolving to a barbaric world of merely swords and bloodshed. In their dormant state, they would provide the inspiration needed for the arts. Second, he granted his strongest blessing to the most talented individual of the arts he could find, even if they were not natives of Symphonia. With that, Apollo was sealed away, and all his blessings other than his strongest one disappeared. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Symphonia underwent a rapid change in the 40 years after the incident hereafter known as the Lost Sound. Monsters grew more vicious and bloodthirsty, while the kingdoms were at a loss without their conductors. Many people lost their families due to the sudden change, and kingdoms were destroyed. After stabilizing the situation, humanity had only 4 kingdoms remaining: the Renaissance kingdom, Baroque kingdom, the Classica kingdom, and the Romanzen kingdom. A new peace returned for humanity, but the elderly who remember the wondrous world before the Lost Sound desperately wish for that time to return. Meanwhile, in a quaint town in Japan, a baby was born with 2 peculiar birthmarks. On the back of his left hand was a lyre while the pupil of his right eye showed a music note. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Let me know what you think in the comments below. I was inspired to write this after reading lots of different works like Konjiki no Wordmaster and Forgotten Conqueror. It was also influenced by the little bit of musical background I had. I''ll see if I can get another chapter or 2 out today to help bring the main character to light. My goal is to make this story engaging, comedic, and fun so please give me any constructive criticism necessary to do so. Symphony 1: My Mother and Me In Japan My name is Hideyoshi Itsuki, son of Hideyoshi Anna. From birth, I¡¯ve had 2 really conspicuous birthmarks. One is on my left hand, a symbol of a lyre. The other is in my right eye, a musical note. Could birthmarks really happen in the eye? Anyway, leaving that aside, my mother¡¯s nickname for me is her little Apollo since I was very tall, handsome, and extremely gifted in the musical arts. In terms of looks, I had a charm that would catch the eye of others easily along with a decently good-looking face to accompany my head of spiky black hair. Musically, I tried the violin, cello, cellobass, flute, and even trumpet. I was exceptional at all of them. It was like my soul could easily resonate with the notes and instruments. Honestly, I truly enjoyed music, but I loved seeing how happy my music made my mother. She would sing along to the songs I played, and her vibrant personality made me smile with joy every time. We were just a son and his mother, but truthfully, that was all I needed. This world with the two of us. You see, my mother was just a common working woman and single mother ever since she divorced with my father. I don¡¯t know his name, but mother did say he was an alcoholic. She raised me all by herself, and I always felt guilty every time she came home exhausted from the amount of paperwork she had to deal with. When I was 7 years old, I chose to do my best in terms of housework so that she could come home to a clean house with food on the table. When I first attempted cooking, I almost gagged at the abomination that was supposed to be porridge. Who knew you aren¡¯t supposed to throw whatever white things are in the fridge into the porridge to get that white color? So it¡¯s not my fault right? Ok¡­.sorry. Yea it was my fault. I tried to hide the evidence, but that day my mother came home early and saw it. She quickly scooped herself a bowl of that steaming mush and gobbled it down. With a gentle smile on her face, she told me it had a bit too much salt, and that she would teach me how to properly cook. Boy that opened a new window of fun in my life. Cooking is great. I mean, rice is life. It can be made into riceballs, porridge, curry, fried rice and more. If I didn¡¯t love music as much as I did, I probably would have decided to become a chef. My goal would have been to be the first Japanese chef to get the Pluspol award! You have to aim high right? What? Someone already beat me to that? Dude named Shinomiya? Ok fine whatever. Not that I¡¯m trying to be a chef anymore anyway. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Half a year ago, my mother passed away after I reached the ripe old age of 21. She was diagnosed with a severe form of leukemia, and her constant overtaxing of her body quickly led to the deterioration of her condition. Before she passed away, she constantly praised me and told me to take the world by musical storm while handing me a golden locket that contained a picture of the two of us together. I put the widest smile on my face and promised her that I would pass the conductor exam so that I can perform with the best orchestra ever. After she passed, I cried like a baby, gripping the locket with all I had, praying that this was all just a dream. However, it wasn¡¯t. When my tears finally dried up, I made my resolve. Time to prepare for that conductor test that will change my life forever. In Symphonia ????. ¡°Hermes, it is time to collect the one with Apollo¡¯s blessing.¡± Hermes: ¡°Aw come on Artemis. I literally just got to sit down after all my errands today. Can¡¯t you wait until I finish watching this episode of Yu-Gi-Oh? The Dark Magician Girl just got played!¡± Artemis: ¡°¡­¡± Hermes: ¡°Alright alright! Geez. I get it. I¡¯m the only god that can cross the boundaries to that world. Gotta save Brother Apollo and then kick Ares¡¯s butt. Promise I get a real break when I get back ok?¡± Artemis: ¡°Yes yes. Now get going. I await his arrival at the Renaissance Kingdom. Ares will pay for what he did to Apollo.¡± Hermes strapped on his winged sandals and flew through a portal, heading straight for Japan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I somehow was able to crank out the next chapter relatively quickly. Striking while the iron is hot really is a good idea. In this chapter, I wanted to show my main protagonist as very human despite his talents and otherworldly good looks. And no Apollo isn''t his dad or anything. It''s just, the blessing was the strongest one ever done as earlier I mentioned, so it seems some godliness made its way there. No big deal. Please leave comments and constructive criticisms so that I can write better. I''d love to write all I can before school starts again, so let''s keep it up. Thank you all. Symphony 2: The Conductor Performs My last chapter of the day. After the next chapter, we will get out of Earth and head off to Symphonia! Please be patient since the action has yet to begin. Please enjoy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arriving in front of the huge amphitheater, Itsuki¡¯s eyes widened at its sheer size. Itsuki: ¡°Holy cow. This building can easily fit 100,000 people. How am I supposed to find my way here? Oh well, I hope my clothes are alright. I could only afford black pants and a white dress shirt.¡± After looking around the lobby of the theater when he walked in, Itsuki noticed a receptionist next to a board that said Conductor¡¯s Test. Hurrying over while taking care to not mess up his clothes, Itsuki exclaimed: ¡°I would like to take the exam!¡± The receptionist named Jenny, hearing a loud voice looked up and gasped. How could there be such a good looking man! His silky smooth black hair and his beautiful green eyes created quite a stir in her. There¡¯s even a musical note in his right eye! As she was trapped in her own thoughts with her mouth still gaping, Itsuki decided to call out to her once again. ¡°Excuse me, this is where I sign up to take the Conductor¡¯s test correct?¡± ¡°Oh! I sincerely apologize. That was highly unprofessional of me. Please give me your name and age. I¡¯ll get you all signed up.¡± ¡°My name is Hideyoshi Itsuki, 21 years old.¡± ¡°Got it. Please head to the waiting room, second door to your right, and wait for your number to be called. By the way, your number is 9. Good luck, Mr. Itsuki.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. See you later Miss Jenny.¡± As Itsuki walked away to the waiting room, Jenny heaved a sigh. She couldn¡¯t believe that she was so caught up on his looks that she even stared! How embarrassing¡­.That eye of his is quite mysterious, but I do want to see his performance. We might have a new star on our hands! In the waiting room When Itsuki reached the waiting room, there was a man in front of the door holding a packet of sheet music. After confirming that he was indeed a tester, the man handed him the sheet music and let him through. Inside the room, 3 other individuals were fooling around. Itsuki figured that the test must have already started and Testers 1-5 were already performing. At his arrival, the three individuals turned to face him and immediately they grew hostile. One individual, with his sleek blonde hair and obnoxious white outfit, strut forward while the two others walked behind him like followers. Mr. Obnoxious: ¡°So another pitiful fool who wishes to be a conductor. How can you even dare dream my dream! Take your pitiful appearance elsewhere since I will win this competition, and the world does not need anyone other than the great me.¡± Follower 1: ¡°Oh yes, praise Eric the great. Your music will sing in the hearts of everyone today.¡± Follower 2: ¡°Soon you¡¯ll be as great as your father, the great conductor Peter Rosseni!¡± Stunned at the sudden antagonistic and sycophantic words of this Eric Rosseni and his followers, Itsuki did not say a word. He merely shook himself back to reality, picked a seat, and began to go over the piece for the test. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 1st movement. It was an intriguing piece. I wonder, it seems this part can be jazzed up a bit and so can this¡­. It was Eric¡¯s turn to be stunned. No one and he means NO ONE ever ignores Eric Rosseni. Not unless they had a death wish. Yet this lamely dressed individual did just that and is now reviewing his piece like nothing happened. How infuriating! He was even lost in his own world. Despite the jeers that Follower 1 and 2 were throwing at him, this commoner remained unfazed. Hehe¡­hehehe¡­HAHAHAHAHAHA. Very well. It seems this commoner is practicing very hard to pass this test. Well, who wouldn¡¯t? If you took 1st place, you could immediately pack your bags to head to Europe for concert tours with some of the best conductors in the business. 2nd and 3rd place allowed for learning experiences as well. I guess I should go visit my uncle who so happens to be judging this very competition. With that, Eric Rosseni left with a smile so sinister, the devil would be pleased. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Itsuki only looked up from his sheet music after hearing his number being called. Itsuki: ¡°Wow, I guess I lost track of time. Those other guys left to their performance already huh?¡± He jumped up from his chair, slapped his cheeks to wake up, and took out his golden locket. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going to do it. I¡¯ll make you proud.¡± Making his way over to the orchestra, he grabbed hold of the conductor¡¯s baton and bowed to the audience to begin. When the starting signal began, he waved his baton, and the performance began. The audience could hardly believe their ears. With every wave of his baton, the tempo and intensity of the piece changed with such harmony and vivacity that it seemed unreal. Even the orchestra players were stunned at how different this young conductor¡¯s cues were to the past 8, yet they were performing the piece as if this was how the piece should have been played all along. The concertmaster, a young female violinist of Japanese heritage, could hardly take her eyes off the conductor. His cues were so riveting to watch, yet they flowed the way a harmony should. However, his features were also attracting her eyes like magnets to metal, and boy was this young conductor a piece of gold. At this moment, she made the decision to follow him to whatever country and be his concertmaster. (Too bad girl. Not your fault. Guy is going to be BUSY.) The audience was dragged into the symphony as though they were nobles in the 18th century, dancing and fraternizing at a party. Jenny the receptionist could only stare in awe at how provoking the music was. How stellar was this young man? His every move was filled with poise and charisma unbefitting his age. What a godly talent! As the piece began to wind down, everyone, orchestra members and audience alike, could feel the disappointment coming from their own hearts that the piece was ending. Likewise, they felt great pride in having witnessed the birth of a new legend in music! There was absolutely no doubt that this young man would take the 1st place in this competition. Finally, the piece ended, and Itsuki turned to the audience once again and gave a bow. This time, he was inundated with cheers and applause that continued without end until Itsuki left the stage. Amidst the cheering audience, there were 2 related individuals staring daggers at Itsuki. But slowly, those faces all gave a sinister smile as hands were greased and results were coming. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Again, any comments will help to make this story even better. Hope these first few chapters are not too boring for you. We''re almost out of here! By the way, anyone watch Sound Euphonium? It''s a good show that sort of sparked my desire to start writing a novel about a heroic conductor. Symphony 3: Attack on Hermes Here''s the last chapter regarding Earth. It''s a lot of information at once, and I''m sorry for that. Next chapter is more of an info dump, but I hope I made it less tedious. Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While the results were being calculated, Itsuki decided he would go buy lunch from a convenience store nearby. However, he was immediately stunned by the appearance of a boy that looked to be around 16 years old. He had short black hair, deep blue eyes, and the most peculiar wing motif sandals. In fact, if not for his sporting an ostentatious Titan shirt from the hit series Attack on Titan, he would have blended in with the crowd. Moreover, the boy was skipping as he was moving towards Itsuki. ???: ¡°Yo, you¡¯re Itsuki right?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yes, I am. Who are you?¡± Hermes: ¡°I am Hermes, god of trade, athletes, and travelers. So I know you¡¯ve got many MANY questions, but hear me out first. First, you¡¯re going to lose the competition.¡± Itsuki: ¡°What? Wait Hermes? What about the competition? How do you know?¡± Itsuki was already thrown off by the young boy¡¯s proclamation of godhood, leaving him completely off guard by the later remark. Hermes: ¡°Whoa there big guy. Everything I¡¯ve said so far is true. Your music is a work of art, but some people have jealous hearts and greedy pockets. That uh obnoxious guy got his uncle to pay off the other judges, so you won¡¯t even get 3rd place.¡± Itsuki: ¡°But that¡¯s horrible! I don¡¯t even remember talking to that guy¡­Are you sure you aren¡¯t making it up?¡± Hermes: ¡°Good question kid. That special eye of yours right there will tell you that. Just let me wake it up.¡± Immediately, Hermes chanted some sort of incantation, and a blinding light flashed out of Itsuki¡¯s right eye, revealing a golden wreath instead of the music note from before. Hermes: ¡°Itsuki, that eye of yours is known as the eye of Apollo. He is also known as the god of truth, so that eye can see through lies and deceit. It can always get to the truth. What does your eye tell you when you see me?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­you¡¯re Hermes, the god of trade, athletes, and travelers¡­you love to play pranks, hate missing your morning anime, ate Artemis¡¯s pudding 46 years ago, fell in love with Cassandra¡­.¡± Hermes: ¡°STOP STOP STOP. I got it I got it. Geez. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen that eye. I forgot Apollo put a little extra oomph in that eye to see deeper into a god since gods are great at deception. Don¡¯t worry; your skill doesn¡¯t go that far on normal humans. Sighs. And don¡¯t tell anyone about Cassandra ok? She¡¯s just got this great rack, killer smile, and oh sorry. I got a little carried away.¡± Itsuki: ¡°What was that about eating Artemis¡¯s pudding?¡± Hermes: ¡°Oh shit, I forgot about that. Yea, don¡¯t tell her that either. I accidentally ate her double chocolate fudge swirl deluxe pudding that she received as an offering from this really good baker. I¡¯m drooling just remembering it. Anyway, forget the pudding kid. Now, you have every qualification to be a conductor, but your destiny is not in this world. It¡¯s in another one called Symphonia. The birthmark on your hand and your special eye symbolize your blessing from Apollo, and he needs your help. What do you say? The world is filled with music, and someone like you would probably find it way more enjoyable than this one.¡± ???. ¡°He is correct, Master. You should do as he says and go to Symphonia where all shall be explained.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Huh, a voice in my head is telling me to go¡­wait what! There¡¯s a voice in my head!¡± ???. ¡°Quiet down Master. I do not wish for Hermes to find out about me. Please trust me for now, and I will explain everything after we arrive in Symphonia.¡± For some odd reason, I could feel no deception or harmful intentions coming from the voice, so I chose to remain calm and do as she said. However, a new world huh¡­That is definitely going to be interesting. I do not have anything tying me to this world any longer, so how about we jump head first into the unknown? Itsuki: ¡°Deal. I¡¯ll go, but I would like to ask a favor before I do.¡± Hermes: ¡°Sure thing. That was nice and fast. You sir just bought me an extra day of vacation. I thought it¡¯d take another day for an answer. ¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Itsuki: ¡°Can you make the Rosseni family pay for what they have done? I don¡¯t particularly mind losing a competition, but they are degrading what music stands for by using money to fix the results.¡± Hermes: ¡°Done and done. Even if you didn¡¯t ask, I was going to do something anyway. Happy trip kid, and I¡¯ll catch you later.¡± Immediately, a golden circle appeared below Itsuki¡¯s feet, and he disappeared inside a resplendent light. Once the light faded away, a chime sounded, signifying the announcement of the results. The chime instantly put a smile on Hermes¡¯s face as he shouted with glee: ¡°Time to show these Rossenis up, and start my gaming shopping spree!¡± An overwhelming number of people packed the auditorium, anxiously awaiting the appearance of the mysterious new conductor that stole their hearts. Eric Rosseni was seated in the front, unabashedly exalting his own skills, fully confident in his victory. Simon Rosseni, Eric¡¯s uncle, was the man in charge of the results, and thus he would be conferring the awards to the winners of the competition. Simon Rosseni: I congratulate everyone on their efforts here today, and I will now start the awards ceremony. In 3rd place, Peter Stainwell. In 2nd place, John Stamos. Finally, in 1st place, the winner of the competition is none other than Eric Rosseni!¡± The audience gasped and was immediately confounded. How did these three young men defeat the marvelous maestro that was number 9? Simon Rosseni was laughing inwardly. The foolish audience will initially doubt the decision, but they will just eventually accept the result under the notion that I, a renowned music critic, knew more about music than them. However, a mischievous god in the audience was not so kind to allow this to end so easily. Hermes shouted: ¡°I thought number 9 was a better conductor than that snob on stage! What a farce! They¡¯re both Rossenis, so could it have been rigged?¡± After those words reverberated in the auditorium, there was just stunned silence. Who just said that? Could it be true? Sparks were flying in the audience, and the temperature in the room was definitely rising because of it. At least, Simon Rosseni thought so as his forehead became drenched in sweat. The god of travelers knew that you increased a fire by fanning the flames, so what if he dropped gasoline on it? Hermes again shouted: ¡°What is that I see on stage? Is that a picture of our very own Simon Rosseni bribing the other judges with cash? Oh my!¡± While Hermes was stubbornly trying to keep himself from as they say busting a gut, a projector screen was turned on, and the very moment at which Simon Rosseni was paying off the judges was seen clear as day. Mayhem ensued as the fervent audience seemed ready for a witch-hunt. This scandal led to the downfall of the Rosseni name, as the amount of bad press shattered their reputation, and both Simon and Eric Rosseni never took the spotlight ever again. No one thereafter could find any news on the identity of the mysterious conductor number 9, and he became a legend to all musicians. Hermes, however, finally done with his mission, flew straight to the nearest game store to stock up on his favorite games. Mount Olympus may be the home of the gods and all, but it can get dull. Ever since Ares sealed Apollo away, no one really smiles anymore. We can¡¯t stand against him since he is way too strong, so all the gods and goddesses stay cooped up in their rooms, waiting for the day Apollo gets freed. For Hermes, Earth games were the best. His current addiction was Fire Emblem. Knowing that he arrived at Earth just in time for the newest release, he could almost kiss Artemis for sending him! Almost. Hermes: ¡°Ah the new Fire Emblem. I wonder if I can make a similar game for the gods and goddesses back in Symphonia. Hell, for them, I might as well make incest possible considering some of the gods love that. Well whatever. Games gotten! Time to go find something for Cassandra¡­.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By the way, I am officially changing the Louvre kingdom to the Romanzen kingdom so that all the kingdoms have their apparent musical period embedded somehow in the name. I''ll edit the prologue as well. Symphony 4: Awakening in Demeters Forest I figured there would be some who can''t wait for the arrival into Symphonia any longer, so I wrote 2 chapters at one time. There''s a good bit of information in this one, but I hope you enjoy! The story truly begins now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Opening his eyes, Itsuki froze at the sight before him. Rather than a man-made building, he was instead in the middle of a forest, so peaceful and full of life that he felt immediately at ease rather than in danger. Behind him was a grove of apple orchards, completely decorated with red fruit as though these were Christmas trees being sold from the stores on Earth. In front of him appeared a spring filled with crystal clear water that seemed to be the definition of real sparkling water. He only managed to snap back to his senses when he heard that voice in his head calling out to him once again. ???: ¡°Master, we have arrived in Demeter¡¯s forest. Welcome to Symphonia.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Ah, thanks. It¡¯s a really beautiful forest. Oh, can I finally learn who you are?¡± ???: ¡°Indeed Master. Allow me to show myself first.¡± A small orb appeared out of Itsuki¡¯s body and slowly materialized into a little pixie no taller than 1 foot. Her short pink hair and prismatic translucent wings were accented by the sheer white dress she wore. When she gazed right at Itsuki, he could see her eyes being just as green as his, and she began to speak. ???: ¡°Master, my name is Veritas. Despite the way I look, I was once what your world considered a valkyrie. I am the Valkyrie of Truth who served under Apollo. 40 years ago, I fought Ares in order to buy Apollo time to release the Muses and grant his blessing to you. As a result, I was killed. The world does not know, however, that Apollo attached me to his blessing, granting me a second life to serve you. Thus, I asked you to keep it quiet in the presence of Hermes. That frivolous god could not keep a secret even if his life depended on it. I¡¯m sure Cassandra learns everything from that loose-lipped god. Itsuki: ¡°I see what you mean¡­wait¡­you were the one feeding me those lines about Artemis¡¯s pudding and what not huh?¡± Veritas: ¡°Very astute Master. Hermes, moronic as he is, should have known that the eye of Apollo is incapable of delving that deep into the truth of a person. I just dislike him and wanted to play a prank on him. It was all true though.¡± At this moment, Veritas crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks in a way that Itsuki could only describe as cute. Itsuki: ¡°Hmm can we do something about that master part? I kind of get this itch from that. Could you just call me Itsuki?¡± Veritas: ¡°But master, you are my master. Using your name like that would be disrespectful!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Well, I as your master wish for you to use my name. In exchange¡­I¡¯ll call you Veri! Veritas seems a little stiff. We will be journeying together from now on anyway right?¡± Veri: ¡°Sigh. Just as stubborn as Apollo I see. Very well, Itsuki. I do enjoy the nickname by the way. Regardless, I believe it is time for me to explain your Conductor class to you.¡± Itsuki¡¯s eyes began gleaming with excitement, and he plopped himself under the nearest tree in order to learn what he could do in this world. Veri: ¡°The Conductor class is the most important class in all of Symphonia. It is proof of your ability to lead musical performances, but it also shows your ability to fight battles. It is the ultimate chess piece. You are currently the only conductor left in this world ever since Apollo was sealed away. All other conductors lost their powers and have subsequently passed away after the 40 years. Now, in Symphonia, there is no such thing as stats and the like. Our world is no video game. If you get a cut, you have an injury. If you were stabbed in the heart, it would be instant death rather than a critical hit. Vitality is the primary measure of strength, as the more stamina you have, the longer you can fight. Any skills you use will take an appropriate amount of vitality, and once over your limit, you will faint. Is that clear so far?¡± Itsuki: ¡°I get it, but can I really be of any use? I¡¯m not an athlete¡­¡± Veri: ¡°Hahahaha, did you forget what world you¡¯re in? You¡¯re in Symphonia, a world where music is power. When I was a valkyrie, I had stamina through training. You, however, can both train your stamina and reduce the strain skills have on your vitality. Wonderful is it not?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Phew. That makes me feel a lot better. Ok, please continue with the explanation.¡± Veri: ¡°Very well. The conductor class has quite a few perks, one of them being paradigm shift. You will be able to use 3 fighting modes, each with its own strengths and weakness. Legato form is the highly offensive blade form, where you overwhelm the enemy by constantly striking him. Thus, you leave him no chance to retaliate. It is ever flowing, chaining blow after blow. In all honesty, it is my favorite form of the conductors.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Itsuki: ¡°Is it safe to assume the other 2 modes are Staccato form and Pizzicato form?¡± Veri: ¡°You get a gold star! Staccato form is a support form. It involves blocking and repelling the enemy from your long ranged fighters while casting supports at allies and spells at the enemy. In terms of fighting a war, this was the form of choice. Finally, Pizzicato form is a long ranged archery form meant to kill your foes from far away or act as long ranged help for your frontal bruisers. Since all conductors have the blessing of Apollo, their archery skills are indeed formidable. So with all that said, can you understand why conductors are so useful?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yup! Definitely! But, am I stuck in one form in a battle or is it easy to switch between them?¡± Veri: ¡°A conductor is the ultimate chess piece because he can freely switch between the forms. In music, you control the tempo and rhythm of the piece, and you can freely change the form if you truly wanted to. It is the exact same here. Control the tempo and rhythm of the battlefield, and choose the proper form for the proper situation. It¡¯ll take a lot of practice, but I think you¡¯ll be just fine. Now, to unlock the forms, you need to meet someone who¡¯s fighting style is similar to that form itself. Since I adore fighting head-on without pause, I can unlock your Legato form. Here we go!¡± A blue light shone in Veris¡¯ hand, and I could feel strength welling up inside of me. Legato form huh? Whoa! There¡¯s a skill list in my head now! Itsuki the Conductor Skills Music Creation: Using the power of a conductor orb granted by the gods or the strong feelings embedded in an object along with the essence of a musical composition, one can create new skills. Rhythm Break: Everyone has a natural rhythm that is unchangeable. Read the opponent¡¯s natural rhythm and interfere with it. Causes the opponent to be momentarily stunned. Glissando Steps: Switch to a sliding motion that makes your movements difficult to read and hard to catch. Rhythm Overtake: Fully internalize a song and synchronize one¡¯s body to it, allowing for an abrupt change in tempo and natural rhythm to confuse foes. Legato Form Accelerando: Gain an explosive burst in movement and attacking speed. Clavichord: Put all of one¡¯s strength into a downward motion to hammer the enemy to the ground. Can double one¡¯s strength for the hit. Mezzo: Simultaneously strike high and low, allowing your foes to block one but not the other. Staccato Form LOCKED Pizzicato Form LOCKED With eyes as excited as a kid in a candy store, Itsuki asked Veri, ¡°Veri Veri! These skills sound amazing! For Music Creation, can I really make all the skills I want??? I can¡¯t believe the skill names are so awesome! Rhythm Overtake sounds like a skill that I would use all the time! And And¡­¡± Veri: ¡°Itsuki, calm down for a second. Yes, your skills are great, but you can only use them to half of their potential at this moment on a good day. You need to train your ability to use your skills to feel the true power of your skills. Fighting is all about technique, strength, and instinct. You have none of these right now, but I will make sure you do. For Music Creation however, I am sorry. The number of conductor orbs that exist is very low. Ares made sure to destroy all the ones he could find to stunt the potential of the Conductor of Apollo. If there are any around, only a god would have one hidden somewhere.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Hm¡­that¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll just work hard! My dream hasn¡¯t changed! I will be the best conductor in this world!¡± At this moment, Itsuki¡¯s golden locket he received from his mother began to glow, as though it were trying to call out to Itsuki. A warm light began to envelope him, and his surroundings changed into a prairie full of wild flowers with a gentle wind. A figure stood in front of him, a figure he had not seen for 6 months. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please give any constructive criticisms or comments! This story is just beginning, and I have some ideas for down the road, but this is my first fiction. I will probably just got wherever my writer''s head takes me. By the way, my favorite character right now is Hermes just cause I can make him as snarky and mischievous as I want. Too bad he won''t show up for a while. Also, the battle system is there because I don''t want to deal with levels or stat gains and things like that. No one shows up to a fight like hey my strength is over 400. So sorry about that if you find it confusing. I''ll do what I can to make it better if it is. Thanks for reading! Symphony 5: The Elysian Fields I''m back with another chapter! I hope you all enjoy it. Next chapter is going to be a period of training, and then we''ll be making our way to the Renaissance Kingdom! By the way, in advance, I have nothing against blond bimbos. Promise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In front of Itsuki appeared his mother Anna, dressed in a blue and white gown with her signature smile on her face. Itsuki: ¡°M-M-Mom, is that you?¡± Anna: ¡°Yes, it is silly boy. Give me a hug.¡± With her arms wide open, Anna pulled Itsuki into a warm embrace. Time felt like it stopped here, as both mother and son reaffirmed their affections to each other with tears running down their faces. Truly, a mother¡¯s love is everlasting and indomitable, as Anna¡¯s spirit traveled to Symphonia in order to continue watching over her son. Itsuki: ¡°By the way, where are we, Mom? This place doesn¡¯t look like the forest I was just in.¡± Anna: ¡°Well, this is the Elysian Fields or Elysium, a home for the spirits of the dead. I was able to meet you thanks to the help of the goddess Demeter. When I told her I haven¡¯t been able to see you for 6 months, she burst out into tears wailing about how she understands my situation. From what she told me, her daughter Persephone will be leaving her again soon. We ended up trading mommy stories and became good friends. I think we might go drinking later fufufu.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I understand, but seriously Mom? How do you just befriend a goddess like that? Oh well. I will definitely properly thank her when I get back. I¡¯m just really happy to see you again.¡± Anna: ¡°I am too, son. But what¡¯s this I hear! My boy seems to have quite the destiny. Hehe if I was still alive and working, I¡¯d get to rub it in that blond bimbo¡¯s face! Oh that skank. Always going on about how her son is a millionaire and what not. Yeah right! He was just an ugly gigolo! My son is going to kick monster booty and save a god!¡± Anna quickly got lost in her own world, as her blazing enthusiasm got the best of her. Itsuki: ¡°Mom! I can see death hasn¡¯t changed you a single bit. Calm down for a sec.¡± Anna: ¡°Ahem sorry sweetie. Anyway, you have a tough road ahead of you, but you are my son. Never forget that. I will always believe in you. Now, do you remember our code?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yes! Code 1 ¨C Treat others earnestly and honestly for they will be just as earnest and honest to you!¡± Anna brusquely retorted: ¡°Don¡¯t forget the addendum, Itsuki.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Right¡­Code 1 ¨C Treat others earnestly and honestly for they will be just as earnest and honest to you unless they¡¯re a blond bimbo. Don¡¯t trust them hoes.¡± Anna: ¡°Perfect! What¡¯s the last one?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Code 2- There are things nobody can do alone. Getting help to solve a problem is not a weakness but a strength.¡± Anna: ¡°Ahem. Addendum.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Sighhh Code 2- There are things nobody can do alone. Getting help to solve a problem is not a weakness but a strength unless they¡¯re a blond bimbo. If you need a blond bimbo¡¯s help, you¡¯re just weak and out of luck.¡± Anna: ¡°Good boy. Never trust those blond bimbos. Now, I don¡¯t have much time left, so listen carefully. My feelings along with the locket are capable of empowering your Music Creation to allow you to create one new skill. Keep my words in mind. I want you to create a skill in order to protect yourself from danger. Be it a shield or anything. If you do that, I can rest at ease.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I got it Mom. Don¡¯t worry, and rest up.¡± Anna: ¡°Good. Well then my little man, it¡¯s time for me to go. Good luck and knock the people of this world¡¯s pants off!¡± Itsuki: ¡°You got it! I¡¯ll enjoy every minute of it, so I can tell you epic stories when I see you again.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.After giving Itsuki a kiss on the forehead, Anna spun around and gave him a thumbs up. With a wide smile on her face, she slowly disappeared from view as Itsuki¡¯s vision began to blacken. Snapping back to reality, Itsuki saw a familiar forest with an all too familiar floating pixie. Veri: ¡°Oh you¡¯re back! How was Elysium?¡± Itsuki puzzlingly asked: ¡°How did you know?¡± Veri: ¡°Demeter felt my presence in her forest and told me. She was always a sensitive one. Luckily, both Ares and Hermes are idiots anyway, so they wouldn''t feel my presence unless it was right in their face. Anyway, my plans for you haven¡¯t changed. Right now you are way too weak in regards to technique, so I asked her if we could stay in her forest to train. Demeter was super happy. I think she hit it off with your mom quite well. That mom of yours sure is adaptable huh?¡± Itsuki: ¡°You bet she is. It¡¯s probably her strongest trait. Anyway, is it alright to train here? This forest is so peaceful, so I¡¯d hate to break things.¡± Veri: ¡°Not a problem. She seems to see you as sort of her godchild, so there isn¡¯t an issue. She also granted you her blessing, meaning your connection with nature has increased. Lastly, she dropped off a gift for you. Seeing as how you are a musician, you need an instrument. Thus, Demeter gave you a lyre to use.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Sweet! Guess I¡¯ll fiddle with that later. First and foremost, I need to use Music Creation.¡± Mentally, Itsuki invoked Music Creation. Using his locket as the object with strong feelings, he began to think about the best protection he could get. When thinking of strength, a certain pixie¡¯s past came to mind. Wouldn¡¯t she be the perfect bodyguard if needed? Thus, the musical composition he chose to serve as his skill¡¯s base was Richard Wagner¡¯s Ride of the Valkyries. The glorious fanfare of this piece immediately sounded throughout the entire forest, and Itsuki could feel his skill list get one skill longer. In case you wish to hear it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRU1AJsXN1g Itsuki the Conductor New Skill Ride of the Valkyrie ¨C Enables the summoning of a valkyrie for aid. The valkyrie can remain summoned for as long as the caster¡¯s vitality can withstand. Current time: 10 seconds. *Because the Valkyrie of Truth, Veritas, was envisioned along with the creation process, this skill will temporarily allow Veritas to regain her valkyrie form instead of summoning a valkyrie. Itsuki: ¡°Yes! Veri, are you ready for a surprise?¡± Veri: ¡°What surprise are you referring to Itsuki? All I heard was that fanfare¡­.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Well, you¡¯ll see. Activate Rise of the Valkyrie!¡± A transformation scene that would put Sailor Moon to shame began at this moment. Veri¡¯s body was covered in silver light as she grew taller and taller until she was the same height as Itsuki. Her pink hair grew longer to where it reached her waist. Her white gown converted itself into silver armor highly similar to Saber Lily¡¯s armor. A large silver shield decorated with blue and gold colored inscriptions appeared in her left hand, while a silver greatsword appeared in her right. At this moment, the Valkyrie of Truth truly returned to Symphonia in all of her former glory. Just her aura alone could cause mortal men to fall on their knees either out of respect or pure fear. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is what I had in mind when I created Veritas. She''s the best trainer and companion he could get, and this will help explain why he''ll be somewhat strong in so short a time. Please leave any comments that can help with the story! Or just comment what you think so far. I don''t know how long it''ll be at this point, but we''ll just go with the flow for now. Symphony 6: No Pain No Gain Here''s the next chapter. Throwing a guy who never really trained or fought before into a place messed around by Ares would be suicide, so here''s some quick training. I think I''ll have about 2 more chapter at most, and we''ll then move to the 1st Kingdom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Veri: ¡°You¡­.this¡­.¡± Veri was too stunned for words, as her sudden return to form left her incoherent. Itsuki looked at her with a big smile on his face, since her normal composure was all but lost. Itsuki: ¡°Hehe, surprised aren¡¯t you? I used my Music Creat-pwakkk!¡± A fist clad in steel smashed right onto Itsuki¡¯s skull, inflicting a large amount of pain on his head. Veri: ¡°Are you a dumbass! Since you caught me by surprise, I couldn¡¯t suppress my aura in time, so Ares could have sensed it! Sigh¡­.you¡¯re lucky I¡¯m only at 10% strength right now. Since my aura is still relatively low and we are located in Demeter¡¯s domain, Ares probably will assume it was Demeter¡¯s aura.¡± Slowly, tears began to fill Veri¡¯s eyes as she began to sob with joy. Veri: ¡° *sniff* But thank you Itsuki. I honestly never thought I would see my valkyrie form again. *sniff*¡± Itsuki: ¡°Owww¡­.you¡¯re welcome. Maybe you could be less violent next time? Anyway, I think¡­that¡¯s my limit¡­for now.¡± With a thud, Itsuki fell onto his knees, clearly physically exhausted. Only 10 seconds had passed, but his body ached all over as though he just ran a marathon sprinting. With another flash of light, the valkyrie was no more, and a foot tall pixie was in her place. Veri: ¡°I see. You developed a new skill and were able to restore my form for a limited amount of time. Well, now it¡¯s even more apparent that you need training. Quickly, adopt a mediation form, and listen and absorb the musical essence around you. You can regain your vitality faster that way.¡± Immediately, Itsuki crossed his legs and began to listen intensely to the sounds around him. The rippling of the water nearby, the chirping of the birds, and the rustling of the grass began to form a distinct melody, soothing his soul. In turn, his body began to relax itself, and his strength returned. After meditating for half an hour, Itsuki jumped up and stretched his limbs. Itsuki: ¡°Man that felt good. You weren¡¯t kidding when you said the musical essence of the world could nourish you. Though, I am pretty hungry right now.¡± Grabbing an apple from a nearby tree, Itsuki sunk his teeth into the juiciest apple he had ever tasted! Its aroma and flavor were leagues above the supposed organic apples back on Earth. Truly, the powers of a goddess¡¯s blessing could not be underestimated. While he enjoyed his snack, a little pixie was staring at him in shock. Veri: ¡°I¡¯m super impressed at how quickly you were able to recover. Most normal people would take at least a day to recover from that sort of fatigue, while the most gifted conductors took 3 hours!¡± A sadistic smile appeared on the pink haired pixie¡¯s face. Veri: ¡°I guess that means your training can be even tougher than I expected. I enjoyed having my body back, so I¡¯m going to whip you into shape so that I can stay out longer. Prepare yourself Itsuki <3.¡± A half eaten apple tumbled to the ground, as Itsuki couldn¡¯t stop himself from trembling. Itsuki: ¡°Aw crap. What have I gotten myself into?¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Veri¡¯s initial training regimen was 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and 10km of running a day. Seriously? Did you learn that from back on Earth? If so, I swear I better be able to one punch everything after this. Every day, my legs were shaking out of pain, and my arms groaned in agony. Veri was always there to haul my butt off the ground when I fell and kick me back into motion. Probably due to all of the pain, I didn¡¯t notice my muscles becoming more and more defined. Every break, Veri made me meditate to regain my lost vitality. It seems my natural affinity to musical essences sped up my recovery rate, but Demeter¡¯s blessing played a major factor as well. With the blessing in her domain, recovery was twice as fast as normal. I thought Veri had a well-planned training menu for me though. For a battle junkie valkyrie, her plan was quite simple. Overtax my body, empty my vitality reserves, and force my vitality pool to increase. It truly felt like I was ripping myself apart only to piece myself back together. When my body slowly began to get used to the training, Veri then doubled everything¡­when will it end? Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. My only solace was when I got to stop training momentarily and play with my lyre. It let out a beautiful sound, and I plucked away at it in pure bliss. Ah, I decided to play a sound I remember hearing from an anime I watched. This soothing plucking sound, I could just sit here and play for hours¡­.huh? Hello little fox. Oh and you too little puppy. Now there¡¯s a rabbit and a cub. Did my music attract them? Well, I guess it¡¯s alright. Let¡¯s just keep playing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VMK2srfhGU After three months of basic physical training had passed, I can keep Veri summoned in valkyrie form for 1 whole hour! A great accomplishment right? Eh¡­did I hear wrong? Sword training with Veri? Veri: ¡°Like I said, for the next 3 months, we will spar to give you combat experience. I only have 10% of my strength right now, so it should be easy. Let¡¯s see how long you can last.¡± Veri, using her exquisite sword skills, cut down a tree in an instant and fashioned two wooden swords for training. Picking up the sword and activating Legato form, I stand firm, ready and excited to show the fruits of my efforts. The signal is shot, and I raise my sword¡­.eh? My head is stuck in the ground? What just happened? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile Demeter watched the crystal ball in her room of the young man in her forest. After trading so many stories with his mother Anna, Demeter gained a soft spot for him. He pushed himself beyond the normal limits of man, never giving up or faltering. When he began to play the lyre that she gifted him, his sound reverberated throughout the forest. It was a simple melody, but it was beautiful. Even the animals gathered around him as he played. It¡¯s been 3 months already since he has been in the forest. She never gave anyone permission to be in her forest before, let alone her blessing. His presence filled the emptiness in her heart from Persephone¡¯s departure 3 months ago. How strange the forest looked despite winter beginning! It seemed as though the forest was frozen in eternal spring. If a friendly goddess were to ask why I am feeling ok despite Persephone¡¯s absence, what should I say? Because the boy is like a godson to me? No¡­I¡¯ll just say it¡¯s because Veritas is there. Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ll say. At the top of Mount Olympus, a messenger stood before the God Ares. Messenger: ¡°Oh Ares, god of war and battle, I have news to report.¡± Ares: ¡°Speak.¡± Messenger: ¡°There was a spike in energy in Demeter¡¯s forest. It was not very strong, but it could be worth looking into.¡± Ares: ¡°Forget it. That hag is probably upset that her daughter has to go hang with Hades at this time. More importantly, what have the others said about the creatures they promised?¡± Messenger: ¡°They have started creating stronger monsters just as you asked. So far, the strongest is the A class beast, Hydra.¡± Ares: ¡°Good¡­.the humans can¡¯t get complacent. It¡¯d be too boring that way¡­¡± Ares looked out the window and down to the weak creatures known as humans. Ares: ¡°Your world was too peaceful brother. Allow me to wash it in blood. Haha..hahaha..HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This chapter looks pretty short, but the word count is the same as last chapter you know! I guess since there''s less dialogue, there''s less spacing. Anyway, I hope everyone gets the reference I made in regards to his training schedule. I wanted to make sure the training segment wasn''t merely chapter on chapter of physical exercise and the like, so I wrote it like this to speed it up but allow for ample amounts of entertainment. We also get a glimpse of the enemy, Ares. All comments and constructive criticisms are welcome. Thanks for reading! Symphony 7: Leaving the Forest Here''s the next chapter! I kinda got inspiration for this chapter, and it kept writing itself. So, I said 2 more chapters training, but it ended up being one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After pulling his head out of the ground, Itsuki stumbled to his feet and stared at Veri. What kind of speed was that? If that sword was real, I would have been split into two by now¡­ Veri: ¡°Focus your mind. Ready yourself for the next round.¡± Her tone was harsh, and she already prepared her stance. The minute Itsuki raised his sword, another blindingly fast slash rammed into his side, sending him to his knees. Itsuki: ¡°*hack cough cough* This speed is unreal¡­.¡± Veri: ¡°Hurry back into position. Since you can only materialize me for 1 hour before being exhausted, I¡¯m damn sure going to make it useful. Now up.¡± For the next hour, Itsuki was thrashed and beaten until his consciousness was hanging by a single thread. When Veri finally dematerialized and became her pixie form again, Itsuki collapsed onto the floor and fainted. After resting for an hour, Veri kicked him awake, and the new training regimen repeated. Itsuki would maneuver his sword as best as he could, but his senses were nowhere near capable enough to allow him to detect Veri¡¯s sword. Frequently, he also found himself hesitating with his guard due to the wave of fighting spirit Veri would release. As Veri said before, Itsuki lacked technique, strength, and instincts to survive in this world. For 3 months, she made him train his physical strength to quite an absurd level. His techniques would naturally grow as he fought, but his instincts needed to be honed. That is why Veri rushed at him with all that she could in order to ingrain his body with razor sharp instincts. Slowly, days went by as Itsuki continued to stand up and withstand more hits before collapsing. His parries began to work, and he began to be able to read Veri¡¯s motions and predict the locations of her slashes. The rhythmic sound of wood knocking against wood became a common echo throughout the forest rather than wood against flesh. He started to block 1 blow, 2 blows, 3 blows¡­until he could finally withstand 10 blows and even manage a counterattack before being knocked to the ground. Was it from pride or desperation that he continued to crawl up and grit his teeth for more? His progress was nothing short of extraordinary, as his resolute will enabled him to reach this point in only 3 months since they began sparring. In fact, he hasn¡¯t noticed it yet due to the density of Veritas¡¯s fighting spirit, but his own fighting spirit began to develop as well. *Veri¡¯s Point of View* I knew he was incredible musically, but I had no idea how he could return me to my original form so easily. Sometimes, I wonder, what can¡¯t this young man do? Ah, it seems it¡¯s really exhausting for him though. Only 10 seconds have passed, and I¡¯ve already returned to being a little pixie¡­I, a proud valkyrie stuck as a pixie, is honestly quite humiliating. True, this sensation of flying with wings isn¡¯t so bad, but I used to be able to jump really high and just glide around like that! That does it! Time to train his body so that I can stay as a valkyrie longer! Hehehe. Back on Earth, I read a manga with Itsuki where the main protagonist could defeat everything with one punch. I wonder¡­does that training regimen work? Let¡¯s give it a shot. Oh¡­.he¡¯s already collapsed after the 5th kilometer¡­.let¡¯s see what happens when I kick him back up. Oohhh, he¡¯s running again. Good boy. It¡¯s been 3 months since I¡¯ve been making Itsuki train his body, and he¡¯s really surprised me with his perseverance. True, he can¡¯t instantly crush say a Titan of old or what not, but I¡¯m positive he could smash a C rank monster or below with brute strength alone. Time to move on, and give him some sparring lessons¡­hohohoh this will be SO FUN. What was that? Is my main reason for fighting him to just vent some frustration and release some stress? Of course not¡­.it¡¯s obviously to give him some instincts. Though, I won¡¯t deny it is really really fun. He is incapable of even blocking my first blow due to my sheer speed. Oi Oi, this is only 10% of my strength you know! I proceed to smack him again and again and again. I think his body at the very least will become powerful enough to withstand loads of damage. Whenever he passes out after I finally return to pixie form, he doesn¡¯t realize he gets visited by Demeter. We usually chat a good bit about lady things, though I do wish she would quit asking me when I¡¯m getting married. The valkyrie of truth does not require love! Demeter then proceeds to place Itsuki¡¯s head on her lap as she strokes his head. Sigh, she really has taken a huge liking to him. Well¡­I won¡¯t deny it. His unshaken will as he continues to get up and resume training impresses me to no end, and he is quite attractive when playing the lyre¡­ Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Lately, Itsuki¡¯s been improving by leaps and bounds. He¡¯s been a little disappointed that he can only block one of my strikes, but I don¡¯t let him know that I can increase my strength beyond 10%. I don¡¯t want him getting complacent, so I¡¯ve been secretly increasing my strength to keep him level-headed. After being summoned so frequently, I learned that for every 10% extra that I unleash of my true power, the amount of time I am capable of staying out is halved. Just yesterday, Itsuki improved enough to make me utilize 40% of my strength. Luckily, his vitality improved enough to allow my 10% self to remain for 2 hours. After increasing my strength to 40%, I only had a mere 15 minutes! Sigh, it seems I¡¯m going to have to allow him to go past 1 strike now¡­how humiliating. Too bad we¡¯re leaving the forest soon, or else I would force him to train until I could remain my 100% self indefinitely. I wonder, how long will that take? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Itsuki: ¡°Man, 6 months sure went by in a flash. I guess it¡¯s time to leave the forest?¡± Veri ¡°Yes, we shouldn¡¯t delay going to see Artemis at the Renaissance kingdom, and I think your training has reached a good point. Now, you need to hone your skills by fighting monsters.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Ok, though there is one thing bothering me¡­my clothes are tattered and the wooden swords are shattered now. I don¡¯t have clothes, a weapon, or supply of food¡­I feel like some beggar guy¡­¡± Demeter: ¡°Allow me to fix that for you my child.¡± Demeter appeared from thin air with another young woman in tow. Demeter: ¡°This should be enough to sustain you until you reach Renaissance kingdom.¡± She handed Itsuki a set of clothes for traveling. In addition, he was also given a green cloak that radiated nature¡¯s energy with a wheat symbol embroidered into it, and a simple iron sword. Demeter: ¡°I am not gifted in making clothes, but the cloak should give you a good deal of protection. The clothes were just something done roughly, so do forgive me on that. Furthermore, only Hephaestus is capable of dealing with weapons, so I could only give you a simple iron sword left by a former adventurer who wandered into my domain.¡± Persephone: ¡°Itsuki, I sincerely thank you for soothing my mother¡¯s heart for the past 6 months. Due to my mistake, she has usually been alone, but this time, you were here. I have a special bag here for you to carry that will preserve any and all food that you put inside it. Since you¡¯ll be traveling a lot, I am sure it will be helpful. There¡¯s also a special pouch for water, and all water that you put inside it will be transformed into blessed water.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Thank you¡­these gifts are incredible. Would it be alright if I came back to visit?¡± Demeter: ¡°Of course my child. I see you as a godson, and your mother is my good friend. Perhaps, next time, come and play music when Persephone is here. I¡¯m sure she will find your music stunning just as I did.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Hehe. Will do!¡± Demeter: ¡°Not going to say good-bye Veritas? Or is it Veri now? Hohoho¡± Veri: ¡°Agh you freaking gossip hungry goddess. Good-bye!¡± Demeter: ¡°That is enough teasing for now. The valkyrie of truth does not require love correct?¡± Immediately, Demeter¡¯s countenance became frightening to behold. Demeter: ¡°Be on your guard Veritas. Those traitors up on Mount Olympus are strong. I¡¯m not sure what Artemis has in mind at the moment since all of us have been isolated from each other, but the one in most danger is Itsuki. Protect him as best as you can, else I don¡¯t know how to face his mother Anna the next time I see her.¡± Veri responded with a hardened expression: ¡°I understand.¡± Itsuki bowed to both Demeter and Persephone as he turned to leave this forest he called home for the past 6 months with a pixie in tow. Readying himself for the start of his adventure, he began to make his way for the Renaissance kingdom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There goes the quick training arc. 6 months without Persephone would usually drive Demeter to depression, but luckily our protagonist was there! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed writing from Veri''s perspective since her character is meant to be slightly sadistic, super fun, and also super serious. I''m trying to avoid writing a tsundere character since I''m not a fan of them. Let''s hope that doesn''t happen. Maybe Veri''s just a novice at love? Symphony 8: Walking sucks, lets ride in a wagon! Here''s the next chapter, and Itsuki''s first meeting with people in Symphonia begins. Do enjoy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Walking across an endless plain, Itsuki munched on an apple. Despite the deliciousness of the apple, he craved some juicy meat. Too bad all the animals were so friendly in Demeter¡¯s forest. Sigh...the first thing on the agenda in the Renaissance must be to eat good food! While absent-mindedly walking, Itsuki didn¡¯t realize he strolled right into a group of goblins. Veri: ¡°SNAP OUT OF IT MORON!¡± Itsuki flinched at the volume of the little pixie, but he quickly dodged a slash aimed for his neck. Brandishing his sword, he decapitated the head of every goblin in a mere moment. Veri: ¡°You¡¯re lucky goblins are only D ranked monsters. If you were this careless with a B rank monster, you¡¯d be dead! You need to be more aware of your surroundings.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I was thinking about my next meal. How much longer will it take to get to the kingdom?¡± Veri: ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that much longer, but geez¡­you do realize you¡¯re on your own here? You can¡¯t haphazardly summon me to fight since it could attract unnecessary attention. I won¡¯t answer your summon unless it¡¯s an A rank beast.¡± Itsuki: ¡°You did mention that I¡¯d be able to handle C ranked monsters and below, but what are my odds at the higher tiers?¡± Veri: ¡°Well, every beast is different, but generally, you¡¯d have a 70% chance against a B rank, 30% chance against an A rank, and 1% chance against an S rank putting it nicely. You shouldn¡¯t worry too much about S ranks though. That rank is exclusively for the Gods and Titans.¡± After crossing over a hill, Itsuki¡¯s eyes noticed a caravan. Could this be his lucky chance? Jogging over to the group of wagons, Itsuki approached a man roughly in his 40s. Itsuki: ¡°Excuse me, but would you happen to be heading to the Renaissance kingdom?¡± ???: ¡°Why yes lad. Who might you be?¡± After leaving the forest, Veri explained that people in Symphonia were named on a first name last name basis. Thus, to prevent any confusion, Itsuki should introduce himself as Itsuki Hideyoshi. Itsuki: ¡°My name is Itsuki Hideyoshi. I¡¯m traveling the world, and my first stop is the Renaissance kingdom.¡± ???: ¡°Hohoho, an adventurous lad I see! My name¡¯s Bruno Grest. I¡¯m a merchant born in Renaissance kingdom. I just finished a huge job, and I figure I can stay at home with my wife for a good while. Itsuki: ¡°Would it be ok if I hitched a ride with you to the kingdom then? I¡¯ve been walking all day, and I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll reach it.¡± Bruno: ¡°Sure thing kid. We need to stick together! Lots of unexplainable things have been happening. I¡¯ve heard that whirlpools are preventing boats from traveling at some sea, and powerful monsters have sprung forth out of nowhere. Another intriguing thing I heard was that someone claimed Demeter¡¯s forest stayed lush and green all year, experiencing an eternal spring! How amazing is that?¡± Itsuki: ¡°That¡¯s¡­definitely quite something. Perhaps the goddess was pleased this year?¡± Bruno: ¡°Haha who knows. Anyway, hop in. All I¡¯ve got with me is my granddaughter Hina.¡± Itsuki hopped into the wagon and immediately appeared face to face with a young girl, probably age 7. Her hazel eyes stared intensely at Itsuki, and a wide smile appeared on her face. She struck a pose as her self-introduction began, causing the ribbon tying her long brunette hair to fall to the ground. Hina: ¡°Hiya mister! My name is Hina Cranos, and I¡¯m 7 years old! I like playing music and playing with cute animals.¡± Itsuki gently replied: ¡°Hello there Hina, my name is Itsuki Hideyoshi. I¡¯m actually 22 right now. But what a coincidence. I too love playing music. Oh, here¡¯s your ribbon by the way. I do wonder though, why are traveling with your grandpa?¡± Hina: ¡°Thanks! I¡¯m traveling with grandpa because---.¡± Bruno: ¡°I can answer that one. That little mischief maker snuck into my cargo when I set off. By the time I realized she was there, I couldn¡¯t turn back. Sigh, my daughter Martha is going to scold me¡­maybe my wife Sarah will too...oh dear...¡± Hina: ¡°But grandpa! Staying at home is so boring. I got to see so many interesting things traveling with you! Please let me do it again?¡± She clung to his shirt and begged him with her upturned eyes. Ah what is this¡­this must be the special technique all grandchildren instinctively know that is super effective against their grandparents! Bruno: ¡°Sigh, I¡¯ll talk to your mother¡­It¡¯s so hard to refuse her when she does that¡­¡± Bruno then readied the horses, and the wagon began to move in conjunction with the other wagons. The trip was relatively peaceful, as Hina would talk continuously while Itsuki listened. Veri seemed to have fallen asleep. Once Hina was done speaking, she pulled out a recorder and began to practice. Barely any sound was coming out of the recorder as her face slowly began to get red. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Itsuki: ¡°Hina, are you alright?¡± Hina: ¡°*cough cough* Yes, I¡¯m fine¡­*cough*¡± Itsuki: ¡°Here, have some water.¡± Itsuki pulled out his water pouch gifted by Persephone. Hina: ¡°Wow, this water is delicious! I guess I was really thirsty. But¡­I don¡¯t understand. I saw a man playing the recorder really easily¡­and the song was really complicated! I¡¯ve been trying to copy him, but it isn¡¯t going well¡­¡± Her dejection was so visible, as her cheeks puffed up from her pouting. Itsuki: ¡°Hm, would it be alright if I tried the recorder?¡± With a nod, Hina handed Itsuki the recorder. Itsuki, with his experience playing so many instruments, easily began to play a simple melody he remembered for a recorder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9yCGvnHMcQ Applause filled the air as Hina furiously clapped her hands in admiration. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she jumped at Itsuki. Hina: ¡°Itsuki, please please please teach me how to do that!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Haha, alright. Now¡­¡± Itsuki began showing Hina how to properly breathe and play the recorder. As she continued to try, she finally began to make a sound using the recorder. With her first success, her excitement climbed even higher, only stopping her practice for eating and sleeping. Itsuki watched over her with a gentle smile, as there was nothing better than an enthusiastic student. He would give her pointers and listen to her play all day without a complaint. Bruno was quite happy to see his granddaughter so engrossed in the recorder. He felt guilty that he couldn¡¯t spend time with her while driving the wagon. Thus, he was grateful for Itsuki being there for his granddaughter. Two days had passed since Itsuki boarded Bruno¡¯s wagon. In those two days, Hina¡¯s skill with the recorder grew leaps and bounds due to Itsuki¡¯s teaching and her own diligence. It would be an understatement to say that Hina grew really close with Itsuki in the span of two days. She would always sit next to him when it was time to eat, and she would snuggle up next to him in order to fall asleep. Bruno jokingly warned Itsuki not to get any ideas, but Itsuki scoffed at the thought. Today, Hina took a break from practicing to stare at the view outside the carriage with Itsuki. Their eyes caught many animals like cows and sheep roaming the pastures. However, a shrill cry came from a wagon up ahead. Staring outside the wagon, Itsuki saw a horde of wolves surrounding the wagon in front of them, forcing all the wagons to stop. Bruno: ¡°10 D-ranked brown wolves. They¡¯re a bit dangerous in a large group, but we hired some adventurers for this.¡± Five mercenaries ran to engage the wolves. Four were D ranked adventurers, while one was a C ranker as Bruno explained. They were quite skilled, as the wolves quickly began to fall one after the other. The adventurers were confident that they had control of the situation until a wolf three times as large as the brown wolves appeared. Its sheer size and intimidating aura caused the 4 D rankers to fall onto their knees while the C ranker began to sweat. Slowly, the wolf moved, each step forward sending waves of fear among the mercenaries and merchants alike. Bruno: ¡°By the gods, what is a B-ranked Alpha wolf doing so close to the kingdom! Hina, do not step out the wagon do you understand? I won¡¯t let that wolf hurt you even if it kills me.¡± Hina: ¡°*hic* Grandpa, I¡¯m scared¡­that wolf looks really mean¡­¡± The Alpha wolf all of a sudden sprinted directly for the C ranked mercenary, and his life flashed before his eyes. He truly felt the coming of death and prayed for a swift release from the pain. However, the feeling of sharp claws piercing his flesh never arrived, and the mercenary looked up, stunned at the young man who intercepted the claw with his sword. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here comes a battle! Since B ranked monsters are quite strong, I can show some more of Itsuki''s fighting rather than immediate decapitation. The music I randomly use in this story are just instrumentals or pieces I enjoy, so I do hope you do too. Leave any constructive criticisms or comments to help me improve the story if needed! Thank you for reading. Symphony 9: Rhythm Break Here we go with a somewhat anticlimactic fight. Itsuki will use his most used skill for the first time here, and I just needed to show how overpowered it truly is. He''ll honestly only have a major deal of trouble once I have him dealing with A and S rank opponents. He''ll at most struggle a little from B rank. Decapitation is the future of all C rank and below! Enjoy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A stalemate resulted from the clashing of sword and claw. Itsuki and the Alpha Wolf disengaged from each other and readied themselves for the next contact. Itsuki: ¡°Excuse me Mr. Mercenary, but please move. I need to focus on this little wolf here, and I don¡¯t wish for you to get hurt.¡± Wordlessly, the man picked himself up and moved a safe distance away, relieved that his life was currently spared. Meanwhile, Veri began to mentally give advice to Itsuki. Veri: ¡°Itsuki, your reaction time, speed, and power are on the same level as this Alpha Wolf. Usually, this means both it and you have an equal chance of winning this fight. However, you are a conductor. Read his rhythm and break his stance. Good luck.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Thanks Veri.¡± Focusing all of his concentration on the wolf before him, Itsuki breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. His incredible state of concentration was a byproduct of Veri¡¯s hellish training, and entering the state of mind was a simple matter to him now. When the wolf leapt to slash Itsuki to death, Itsuki activated his skill Rhythm Break. The wolf¡¯s fighting pattern and rhythm was quite simplistic and easy for Itsuki to read: it merely ran and charged at the opponent. Despite the simplicity, its movements were as ferocious as a waterfall, exhibiting a sense of harmony. However, with a simple change in Itsuki¡¯s center of gravity, the wolf¡¯s attack lost all of its force, and Itsuki parried it immediately. With the momentum on his side, he rained slashes on the wolf¡¯s defenseless body, allowing no resistance and leaving deep gashes in its fore limbs and eye. Wounded, the wolf glared at Itsuki powerlessly. Itsuki: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but if I don¡¯t kill you, these kind people I just met will get hurt. I grant you peace from the pain in death.¡± Itsuki gathered all of his strength into his arms and proceeded to pierce the Alpha Wolf¡¯s heart. With that, the fight was over. Despite the ease at which Itsuki ended the life of this Alpha Wolf, the wolf was not weak. It could be said that Itsuki¡¯s Rhythm Break skill was just too overpowered when used properly. All living things, whether they are humans or monsters, train in some fashion in order to hit better or move more efficiently. For example, human swordsmen swing their sword until they feel one with their sword. Their polished swordsmanship, considered a strength normally, is actually a weakness in the presence of Itsuki¡¯s Rhythm Break. That ingrained pattern can be sensed as a musical bar by Itsuki. When playing a musical piece, a wrong note can be heard easily due to its cacophony. No matter how experienced a musician is, his mind will then momentarily focus on the noticeable mistake. Similarly, after years of training, a true warrior can immediately notice a bad swing instinctively because it just feels wrong. This realization will create an unavoidable moment of hesitation in the fighter. Therefore, Itsuki¡¯s Rhythm Break is actually very simple but complex to do. He can read the pattern of the attacker and force the attack slightly off-key, pushing the attacker into a frozen state. How does one get an experienced pianist to miss a key and hit an off-sounding sharp instead? You merely warp the keys. Itsuki¡¯s Rhythm Break alters his own center of gravity by such a small margin that no one can detect it. However, this causes the incoming attack to deviate, resulting in dissonance for the attacker. With the instinctive and momentary hesitation, Itsuki can easily parry the blow that¡¯s lost its strength and counterattack. Even if the opponent is extremely skilled and experienced in fighting, those frozen moments begin to pile up, forcing the opponent into an overwhelming disadvantage. Veri: ¡°Every time you use it, it is quite stunning how much of an advantage it gives you.¡± Itsuki sarcastically responded: ¡°It sure never worked against you though.¡± Veri began to make noises in Itsuki¡¯s head, oddly reminiscent of a child stick their tongue out and blowing raspberries. Veri: ¡°All of my abilities are considered in the S rank. Even if you get a moment¡¯s hesitation out of me, my pure speed and power can respond quickly enough to stop you. Even though your speed and power have been strengthened considerably, in the face of overwhelming power, you can easily lose. Never forget that.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yea, I definitely won¡¯t.¡± Veri: ¡°I will admit though, you are not someone anyone wishes to have a battle of attrition with. With that technique and my training, you really could be considered a monster to creatures of the B rank or below. Good work on the wolf. Skin it and scavenge it for meat. I don¡¯t want to hear your whining about meat this or meat that later.¡± Itsuki: ¡°How exciting! I wonder though, what does wolf meat taste like?¡± Itsuki began to dismantle the Alpha Wolf¡¯s corpse until loud cheering could be heard behind him. In fact, the cheers were so loud that he almost dropped his sword in the process of skinning the creature. Once the cheering died down, the adrenaline keeping everyone standing disappeared, resulting in many of the passengers to collapse onto their knees. Due to the mental exhaustion everyone in the caravan had from the unexpected B ranked monster attack, it was decided that everyone would stop here for the night to recuperate. Huge flocks of people flooded to Itsuki to offer their gratitude on his vanquishing of the Alpha Wolf. They all realized that had he not been there, they would be dead. Some women, however, talked to him with amorous gazes in their eyes, seeing his skill and handsome looks. In fact, many had to be carried back to their wagon as the combination of exhaustion and handsome man was too much for them to physically handle. After everyone finally settled down and returned to their wagons, a campfire was started next to Bruno¡¯s wagon. Itsuki began to roast the meat of the Alpha Wolf, and he shared them with Bruno and Hina as he cooked them. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Hina: ¡°Wow! This is super yummy! This is way better than the beans we kept eating!¡± Bruno: ¡°I had no idea that you could cook Itsuki! True, the meat of the Alpha Wolf is superb, but your skills made this meat taste even better.¡± Itsuki: ¡°You¡¯re giving me too much credit. I just added some of your spices and cooked it. It¡¯s no big deal. But man, this is good! I haven¡¯t had meat in so long, but it¡¯s so juicy and amazing.¡± Within his mind, Veri stared greedily at the pieces of meat. Despite the fact that she knew she should continue hiding, her desire for meat overwhelmed her. Her reasoning, however, broke as she decided to quit hiding. She fluttered out of Itsuki¡¯s mind and began to devour the meat that Itsuki had. Bruno: ¡°My word! Is that a pixie? Those are quite rare!¡± Hina: ¡°Hahaha, she¡¯s so pretty! And she eats a lot of meat!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Her name is Veri, and yes she is a pixie. HOLD ON! Veri, stop eating all my meat!¡± Veri: ¡°Pleased to*nom nom* meet you. *Gulp* Sorry¡­it¡¯s just too good. I can¡¯t help myself!¡± The meat was quickly torn apart by the three hungry people and one ravenous pixie. Once dinner was over, Bruno and Hina began to excitedly speak to Itsuki about his fight with the Alpha Wolf. Bruno: ¡°By heavens! That was the most incredible thing I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± Hina: ¡°Big brother Itsuki is so cool! I want to be that strong someday!¡± Veri: ¡°Hmph. I could¡¯ve beaten that little wolf instantly.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Haha, thanks. I¡¯m glad I beat it before it hurt you guys. I owe y¡¯all a lot you know? Taking in a stranger like me and giving me a ride. Veri, actually, I don¡¯t doubt you could at all haha.¡± Bruno: ¡°Think nothing of it. In fact, you¡¯re an adventurer right? My wife owns an inn, so please stay there with us for free. Of course, you as well Veri.¡± Hina: ¡°Yea, yea! That¡¯d be awesome! Big brother Itsuki is gonna stay with us! Veri too!¡± Without even waiting for a reply, Hina began to dance around the campfire gleefully. Itsuki: ¡°Well then, allow us to impose on your hospitality.¡± Veri: ¡°Great! We finally get to sleep in a bed! Your head is sorta comfy Itsuki, but nothing beats a bonafide bed. Sure, being linked is convenient since I can talk with you mentally and stay in your head, but I sure do enjoy being out and about. I think I¡¯ll just stay out from now on unless a god shows up.¡± Bruno: ¡°Good good. Anyway, Itsuki, are you a master swordsman? Your skill with the blade was impeccable.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Ah, I trust you Bruno, as well as you Hina. Please don¡¯t tell anyone else other than perhaps your family since I¡¯m currently trying to remain hidden from prying eyes. I am not a master swordsman. Rather, I am a conductor.¡± Bruno had just put a pouch of water to his mouth until Itsuki¡¯s words caused him to spit it up immediately. Bruno: ¡°*cough cough cough* You¡¯re a conductor? But¡­that¡¯s impossible! There hasn¡¯t been a conductor since the Lost Sound!¡± Itsuki: ¡°All I can say is that I¡¯m speaking the truth. I¡¯m the only one alive right now, and it seems I have a mission of sorts that I need to learn about.¡± Hina: ¡°Grandpa, what¡¯s a conductor? Is it connected to big brother¡¯s eye and hand mark?¡± Bruno: ¡°Hina, a conductor is a person blessed by Apollo, possessing powerful skills as a fighter, strategist, and musician. They were considered some of the strongest in the world! Every kingdom dreamed of having one. When I was very young, I watched one in the Classica Kingdom conduct a symphony more beautiful than any other. Right after his performance, he took charge of a battle that resulted in the Classica Kingdom¡¯s complete victory! They are incredible people. Itsuki, is the birthmark on your hand and eye connected to Apollo?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yes, indeed it is. This is my mark as a conductor of Apollo.¡± Veri: ¡°I understand it must be difficult to think this clueless looking guy is a conductor, but it is the truth.¡± Veri exaggeratedly shook her head and shrugged her shoulders to mock Itsuki. Itsuki: ¡°Oi Veri! You don¡¯t have to say it like that you know!¡± Bruno: ¡°Hahaha. Marvelous. Absolutely marvelous. You continue to surprise me. I swear to keep your secret Itsuki. Rest assured! To think I could not only see a new conductor after 40 years but also be saved by him, I truly am blessed. I do not know what your destiny could be, but perhaps the Temple of Artemis that we have in the Renaissance kingdom could shed some light on it. In two days, we¡¯ll arrive at the kingdom. I¡¯ll take you there myself after we settle into the inn.¡± Hina: ¡°Hina promises too!¡± Bruno radiated an aura of sincerity as he swore to assist Itsuki as best as he could. His straightforward attitude made Itsuki quite happy because there was no sign of deception or desire evident in him. Itsuki: ¡°I appreciate it, Bruno. You too, Hina. For now, let¡¯s rest up. Our journey is almost over.¡± Bruno: ¡°Indeed we should. Hina! It¡¯s time for bed.¡± Hina immediately hugged Itsuki¡¯s neck and laughed. Hina: ¡°Let¡¯s get to bed, Big Brother! If not, you¡¯ll oversleep tomorrow!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Ah this girl! You know that you''re the one that loves to oversleep!¡± Hina pulled Itsuki along to the mat in the wagon and plopped herself on his right arm. With a quick goodnight to her grandfather, Veri, and Itsuki, she fell asleep, completely exhausted from the day¡¯s ordeal. Veri floated herself onto Itsuki¡¯s chest, curled up into a ball, and began to sleep as well. Itsuki wore a wry smile as he saw the two girls fast asleep, and he rubbed Hina¡¯s head gently until he too descended into the land of dreams. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was much longer than I expected since I needed to fully explain Rhythm Break. Any thoughts on your favorite character so far? Hermes, Itsuki, Veri, Anna, Hina, Bruno, and Demeter I think are the main people that have been fleshed out enough so far. I like Veri since she''s really spunky. Leave comments and constructive criticisms if you want! Until next time. Symphony 10: Renaissance Kingdom Sorry if this chapter or any future ones start getting a little slow. I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to establish a sort of timeline for the entire story. I think I have a general idea of how this story will go and end, but not sure how long it will be. I was also adding details to my characters. In general, if they have a full name, they''re probably somewhat important. Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two days later, the caravan arrived at the gates of the Renaissance Kingdom. Everyone gave their gratitude to Itsuki once again and left. Since it was still early morning, Hina was still asleep, so Itsuki gave her a piggyback ride. Veri perched herself onto Itsuki¡¯s shoulder, and Bruno began to guide the way to his wife¡¯s inn. Along the way, he became a tour guide for Itsuki. Bruno: The Renaissance Kingdom prides itself on its simplicity and devoutness to the gods. Our temple is the best of the 4 kingdoms, and every pilgrimage will begin here.¡± Itsuki whispered to Veri: ¡°Kinda reminds of Besaid island then.¡± Veri softly responded: ¡°Oh! You mean that island with the super huge gangster bird!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Oi Oi you can¡¯t call it a gangster bird just cause it had a huge piercing¡­¡± Bruno: ¡°Ahem. That chapel like building you see to the north is the Temple of Artemis. 40 years ago, the building was actually known as the Temple of Twins. However, since Apollo has disappeared for so long, many have opted to call it the Temple of Artemis. In Symphonia¡¯s history, Apollo was the sun while Artemis was the moon. They led the gods, but Apollo was the better known one. For some reason, no image of Artemis exists so there are only paintings of what she could look like.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Sorry, sorry. Hmm, I wonder why no one has ever seen Artemis though. Hey Veri, did you ever see Artemis?¡± Veri uncharacteristically kept her quiet, trying to stifle an extreme urge to burst out laughing. Her actions puzzled Itsuki, but the pixie herself was quite odd anyway. Hina: ¡°ehehe¡­chocolate cake¡­¡± Bruno: ¡°Haha, she¡¯s talking in her sleep about cake. Now, the special thing about the Renaissance kingdom is that there is no king. The administrator is actually the Head Priestess of the temple. She believes that our kingdom needs only the gods and peace. With her fervent desire for peace, no one in the city makes trouble. In a sense, she¡¯s our idol, though not in a blasphemous way. She¡¯s training an apprentice who is just as much of an idol as her.¡± Itsuki: ¡°That¡¯s actually really amazing. The sounds of this kingdom are really beautiful, and the atmosphere also has a sense of serenity. I can¡¯t wait to walk around and see what else this place has to offer! By any chance, would I see her when we head to the temple? I¡¯d really love to meet the person who helped make a place like this.¡± Bruno: ¡°Maybe if we¡¯re lucky. She¡¯s usually very busy. Anyway, the main places you should check out other than the temple would be¡­Claus¡¯s music shop which sells musical instruments and the farmer¡¯s market which has some really fresh ingredients. Ah! Here we are. My home and inn. Welcome to the Grest¡¯s Rest. My wife, Sarah, named it. I was really embarrassed about it at first, but I got used to it after she whacked me a few times.¡± Veri: ¡°*pfft* Hahahahaha, that naming sense is superb! I think your wife and I will get along just fine.¡± Itsuki sighed shaking his head: ¡°Veri¡­I think you just enjoy the fact that she sounds like a hit first ask later kind of person. Hina, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± Hina slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them. Letting out a huge yawn, she saw the sign of her home and snapped wide awake with excitement. As she began to wiggle around, Itsuki let her down only to have her dash inside the inn. Hina: ¡°We¡¯re home we¡¯re home! Mommy, grandma where are youuuuu!¡± Bruno: ¡°She was really homesick wasn¡¯t she? Well time to take my scolding like a man hahaha.¡± Itsuki and Bruno followed Hina into the store only to have a hand slap Bruno across the face. Hina was crying in the arms of a young woman, while an older yet still beautiful woman prepared her hand for another slap. Sarah: ¡°How could you be so careless?!! What merchant doesn¡¯t check his goods until he¡¯s miles away from town? Oh if there¡¯s a scratch on my little baby, you are going to be in the dog house mister! If you hadn¡¯t sent us a letter saying Hina was with you, I swear I would¡¯ve bought every damn mercenary in this place to go find her.¡± Bruno gasped: ¡°Ow! Oh, not the dog house honey¡­it¡¯s so tight in there¡­please forgive me dear. When I realized she was there, I worked harder than before. The job usually takes a month, but I finished the deliveries and returned in 2 and a half weeks to bring Hina back home faster¡­¡± Martha: ¡°Forgive Dad, Mother. Hina seems to be in great shape, though a scolding is in order for her. Before that, shouldn¡¯t we hear how the trip went? I¡¯ll go brew some tea.¡± Martha left to the kitchen to brew some tea, while Hina ran to hug her grandmother that she hadn¡¯t seen for a few weeks. Hina: ¡°Grandmaaaa. I missed you soooo much!¡± Sarah: ¡°Oh me too my little angel. Oh! I sincerely apologize. I was so preoccupied with my granddaughter that I didn¡¯t notice you. My name is Sarah Grest. Who might you be?¡± Hina: ¡°That¡¯s big brother Itsuki!¡± Itsuki: ¡°As she said, my name is Itsuki Hideyoshi. I came to meet Bruno and Hina while traveling to this kingdom. We¡¯ve become really good friends.¡± Veri: ¡°And I¡¯m Veri! It¡¯s a pleasure.¡± Sarah: ¡°My my, a pixie. She¡¯s a cute one too. Please take a seat as my daughter prepares the tea. I have a feeling an interesting story is about to be told.¡± Martha brought tea out for everyone, and she took a seat with Hina on her lap. After everyone properly introduced themselves, everyone say down to listen to the story. Veri decided to sit on top of Itsuki¡¯s head, much to his chagrin. Bruno began to tell Sarah and Martha about what had occurred. Of course, it shocked them tremendously. Sarah: ¡°An Alpha Wolf only two days away?!!! Oh goddess the times are getting scarier.¡± Martha: ¡°Dad, perhaps you should stay at home for a while. The number of monsters is only going up. And Hina, you aren¡¯t allowed to leave the house for a week for running out like that.¡± Hina: ¡°Ok Mommy¡­¡± Bruno: ¡°I know, but you should have seen Itsuki! He beat the Alpha Wolf like nothing. Keep this quiet, but he¡¯s a bonafide conductor!¡± Sarah: ¡°WHAT!¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Bruno: ¡°Quiet Honey!¡± Sarah: ¡°Sorry, but are you serious? If so, he¡¯d be the first one since the Lost Sound¡­¡± Bruno: ¡°Indeed. Change is coming, and I think this young man will be the eye of the storm.¡± Sarah: ¡°Thank you, Itsuki. I can see that if it wasn¡¯t for you, my husband and granddaughter might not be here. Also, seeing a conductor in the flesh sure gets me excited. I really do wonder what your destiny is.¡± Martha: ¡°I too wish to thank you for saving my father and daughter.¡± Hina: ¡°Grandma! Mommy! Can big brother Itsuki stay at the inn? Pretty pleaseee?¡± Sarah: ¡°Of course. There¡¯s an open room on the second floor, room 215. No charge, and stay as long as you like. It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± Veri: ¡°We¡¯ll be in your care you mean.¡± Bruno: ¡°Haha! That settles it. Ok, while you prepare the room, I¡¯ll take him to the temple. The goddess might be able to tell him what his destiny is. Perhaps the Head Priestess can give some advice as well if we can meet her.¡± Sarah: ¡°Alright. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t put you in the dog house after all eh Bruno? Helping out the first conductor in decades has to be quite an honor. Fufufu perhaps I¡¯ll have him perform a song for us tonight. He might play really well with the new girl we got two weeks ago. Her name is Eulina Moretz. She¡¯s a traveling bard, but her voice is absolutely heavenly. I¡¯ll introduce you later when you come back from the temple.¡± Hina: ¡°Hina wants to go to the temple with big brother Itsuki!¡± Martha: ¡°No. Hina, you are going to be getting a bath. You¡¯ll see him when he returns.¡± Hina: ¡°Boooooooooo.¡± Itsuki: ¡°It¡¯s ok, Hina. I¡¯ll see if I can get your grandpa to bring back a gift from the marketplace, so be a good girl and wait ok?" Hina: ¡°Ok! Yay!!¡± Bruno: ¡°Sigh¡­it¡¯s always me isn¡¯t it. Oh well, let¡¯s head out Itsuki and Veri.¡± The two men and a pixie went straight to the Temple of Artemis only to see a crowd around the entrance. In the middle of the crowd was a girl on the short side, with purple short hair in white priestess clothes. Despite her clothes, you could easily tell she was a slender beauty with B cup breasts. Man A: ¡°Please marry me!¡± Man B: ¡°No you dolt. Why would she marry you if she has me?¡± Constant bickering erupted in the crowd as the unfortunate girl was red in the face and looked like she had steam coming out of her head. ???: ¡°Please um stop fighting. Fighting isn¡¯t a good thing at all¡­¡± Bruno: ¡°AHEM. Excuse me love struck boys, but I need to get into the temple.¡± Man C: ¡°AHHH. Crap run! It¡¯s Bruno the Beast! He might break you if you piss him off too much!¡± Man D: ¡°I hear only his wife can control him! Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± The crowd of men instantly dispersed in every direction. As though a huge weight was taken off her, the girl collapsed onto her knees clearly exhausted. Bruno: ¡°This is the apprentice I was talking to you about. Her name is Polly, though as you can see, she is terrible at dealing with men, especially the kind lusting after her. This is an emergency though. Let¡¯s help her into the temple.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Roger that Mr. Beast!¡± Bruno: ¡°OI! I was just a foolhardy man ok? Let¡¯s not talk about that anymore.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Haha, alright. She is really pretty though. No wonder she has so many suitors. Anyway, can you stand?¡± Itsuki reached his hand out to her and pulled her up from the ground. Immediately, a warm sensation rushed through the girl, as though she was waking up from a long slumber. Her body got hot, as the blood in her veins began to pump faster than ever before. She looked at Itsuki with a confused expression, but she immediately noticed her hand touching his and pulled away. Veri raised an eyebrow to her behavior, but she made no attempt to tell Itsuki what she felt just happened. If she was correct¡­no. We¡¯ll see what Artemis has to say. Polly: ¡°I-I-I am really s-s-sorry about that. T-That was a rather inappropriate sight to show you. Ahem. My name is Polly Dreamstone. I have been a priestess ever since I was adopted by the Head Priestess when I was 9 years old. Could I ask why you have come to the temple today?¡± Bruno: ¡°We wish to pray to the Goddess Artemis in order to see if my friend here has a particular destiny he must follow. He¡¯s a special one, though that¡¯s all I can say right now. Is the Head Priestess busy at the moment?¡± Polly: ¡°Head Priestess Natalia is currently in meditation right now. I can go see if she is done. In the meantime, go ahead and pray to the statue of Artemis for a sign.¡± Rather than say she walked hurriedly away, it seemed more like she was sprinting from Itsuki. Bruno: ¡°Over here Itsuki. The statue of the goddess is here. Let¡¯s do as she says and pray.¡± Itsuki: ¡°So this is what Artemis supposedly looks like huh¡­¡± The Statue of Artemis stood tall and regal. Her overflowing womanly features were accented by her gorgeous face full of honor and maturity. Truly, she was a goddess that could stand above all others. Veri whispered to herself: ¡°If only they knew¡­hehehe.¡± Itsuki knelt in front of the statue and prayed deeply to know what it is that he was tasked to accomplish in this world. Bright lights filled the room as the statue of Artemis began to glow. Itsuki could hardly open his eyes, or else he felt he would be blinded. Despite this thought, the light was warm and gentle. When he turned to Bruno to ask if he was ok, Bruno was frozen, still bowing his head in supplication. From the light stepped out a girl, no taller than 4 feet. Her childish face and non-existent proportions did not stop the aura of godliness coming from her, and music filled the room as though a gospel choir was present. Her proud face looked at Itsuki with a haughty smile, and she began to speak in the most dignified way despite her voice sounding like a tsundere character played by Rie Kugimiya. ???: ¡°I have finally met you, Conductor of Apollo. I am Artemis, the goddess of archery and the moon.¡± Wait¡­.the great beautiful mature goddess¡­was a LOLI? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Time to find out his mission! Anyone curious as to why Polly started to feel the way she did? Find out next time! Should I keep a skills and character list somewhere to make it easier? Symphony 11: The Truth of What Happened Here is the next chapter, and boy is it a doozy. If someone asked what is the plot of this series, well, it''s finally revealed here. Quite a lot of information, but I hope anyone apprehensive about the story can rest at ease. Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I, Itsuki Hideyoshi, am undergoing the most difficult ordeal so far in my life. I was praying to the goddess Artemis in order to learn about what I must do, but a short, haughty loli appeared declaring herself as Artemis. I have this odd feeling that if I laugh, I probably will die¡­ Artemis: ¡°What? Are you stunned at my refreshing beauty? Hahaha! Very well. Though I am just an image, look to your heart¡¯s content!¡± Veri: ¡°No you underage brat of a goddess. Your appearance looks nothing like the perceived appearance that the human followers have of you, so he¡¯s stunned himself solid. I know that 100 years ago, you gave visions to all of your followers of a fake version of yourself. Couldn¡¯t bear being worshipped as a loli goddess?¡± Artemis: ¡°I knew I could feel an ugly presence. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still alive, Veritas. I figured you croaked all those years ago by Ares¡¯s sword. Your new look suits you. Even smaller than me and just as inferior. Hmphhh!¡± Veri began to curse softly and turned to Itsuki. Veri: ¡°Itsuki, I can control the output of energy now, so don¡¯t worry. Even better, we¡¯re in the presence of this mature goddess, so no one should sense it. Use Rise of the Valkyrie. Her threatening stare bore holes into Itsuki as he couldn¡¯t believe this sense of enmity between Artemis and Veritas. Itsuki muttered obediently: ¡°Rise of the Valkyrie.¡± Immediately, Veri appeared in her valkyrie armor, looking tall, strong, and glorious. Veri: ¡°Who¡¯s the tiny one now eh Artemis? Artemis: ¡°Grrrrrrrrrr GAHHHH. Damn you damn you damn you!¡± Artemis began stomping her feet. Itsuki: ¡°Artemis, please calm down. Veri, stop riling her up. Why is she reacting so aggressively?¡± Veri: ¡°Have you really not noticed, Itsuki? Look at the statue of Artemis again and look at me. What Artemis considers the perfect version of her is actually just a version of me. That is why she can¡¯t stand me, the foolish goddess.¡± Artemis: ¡°Kiiiiiiiii. Tsk. Apollo should have just let you fall to the underworld! He must have felt that his conductor would need you. If not, I swear once I break this seal, you¡¯re dead!¡± Veri: ¡°Sigh¡­Artemis, enough with our childish banter. We have something important to discuss.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Goddess Artemis, I sincerely ask that you tell me what it is I was called here to do. Hermes did not tell me very much of what I must accomplish.¡± Artemis: ¡°I knew he wouldn¡¯t. He¡¯s too moronic and heads over heels for that whore Cassandra. Useful whore she is though. Anyway, I agree we need to get on track. I understand that you and Veritas do not know what happened that caused the Lost Sound. The truth only appeared after Veritas was killed and Apollo was sealed. I¡¯m sure you, Veritas, must have wondered how the strongest god among gods could be so easily dispatched without any of us knowing. We were betrayed by not just Ares. Zeus the god of the sky, Hades the god of the underworld, and Kratos the personification of power were also involved in the uprising. They were the most discontent with Apollo¡¯s peaceful world. Such brutish men they are.¡± Veri: ¡°Damn them! I should have realized that sooner¡­¡± Artemis: ¡°Not even we gods knew what was happening. It is understandable that you did not. Athena and Hephaestus were also captured since they were close friends of Apollo. We three were considered obstacles in the plan to seal Apollo. Zeus held off Athena, Kratos stalled Hephaestus, and Hades came for me. Thus, Ares was able to sneak attack Apollo and seal him away. That seal was special, and thus it could only be used once. If not, I have no doubts they would have sealed me and the other two with it as well. Instead, they isolated us from each other to prevent a rebellion. Currently, the other gods and goddesses are remaining in their own domains in order to avoid the wrath of the four.¡± Itsuki: ¡°So while you are busy being sealed, I must free Apollo, correct?¡± Artemis: ¡°Yes, that is the purpose Apollo had in mind when giving you his blessing. Being his twin sister, I know the way he thinks. When you were born 22 years ago, the Muses that were sent to Symphonia awakened as well. They cast their full blessing to 9 newly born maidens, and if you, he who has Apollo''s blessing, were to consciously touch a girl with the blessing of a Muse, her blood will awaken to signify her mission to aid you. All 9 Muses specialized in some form of art, and the blessing they gave will grant each maiden talent that could help you. Seek them out, and then head for Mount Parnassus. There, you will perform a ritual to free Apollo. Itsuki: ¡°I see. I think I get it. Could you tell me sort of what the Muses¡¯ blessings were? I think I should know a general idea about them in order to find these girls.¡± Artemis: ¡°Sure, I can give you my hunches as a goddess, though those usually wind up being correct. The Muses are Calliope, Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, and Urania. Since Calliope was the Muse of epic poetry, I believe her maiden would be talented in combat like a knight. Clio was the Muse of history, thus hers would likely be a scholar. Euterpe was the Muse of flutes and lyric poetry, so my guess would be her maiden should be able to sing. Thalia, the Muse of comedy and pastoral poetry, adored wildlife. Her maiden should have an increased affinity with animals. Melpomene, Muse of tragedy, would grant her maiden the power to control the darkness. Terpsichore¡¯s maiden would be given the ability to dance since she is the Muse of dance. Erato, Muse of love poetry, would grant her maiden an increased affinity to nature since the gift of love is most evident in nature. Polyhymnia, Muse of sacred poetry, would grant an increased connection with the divine. In fact, this is why I asked Hermes to send you to the Renaissance kingdom first. Increased link with the divine would imply a priestess, and I would probably hear her supplication at some point. I think you have already met the first maiden carrying Polyhymnia¡¯s blessing.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Itsuki: ¡°Ah! You don¡¯t mean¡­Polly?¡± Veri: ¡°As I thought. I sensed the girl¡¯s blood boiling and moving at a rapid pace after you picked her up off the ground, Itsuki. She is the first Muse you have found.¡± Artemis: ¡°Praise me for my genius. One down, eight to go. Anyway, where was I? Ah, the last Muse is Urania. She is the Muse of astronomy, thus her maiden would utilize space magic. Seeking these maiden out should not be difficult, as their talents should make it quite apparent. The fates will also likely steer them to you without you even knowing. I wish you luck, young conductor. Please save my brother.¡± Itsuki resolutely responded: ¡°Yes, I will do everything I can. I have not been in this world for very long, but I have already found someone who has granted me their favor, someone who has trained me so that I may defend myself in this world, and people who have treated me with nothing but love and kindness. Even if you did not ask me to do so, I feel that I would already strive to protect them as best as I could. Thank you for giving me this chance to make a difference.¡± Artemis shed a few tears listening to Itsuki¡¯s heartfelt reply. Artemis with a smile on her face: ¡°I can clearly see why my brother¡¯s blessing made its way to you.¡± Veri: ¡°Haha. I too can see why. They both have similar qualities." Itsuki: ¡°By the way, Artemis, is there anything I can do to free you from your prison?¡± Artemis: ¡°Before being trapped here, I was able to cast a kink into the seal. Thus, Hermes is capable of speaking to me. If given a little more time, I will break free of this seal on my own. However, I alone am not enough to help defeat the other four. Hermes was meant to take charge of the other mission, but I can¡¯t trust the blasted fool for anything. Focus on finding the maidens and performing the ritual. On the side, I ask that you inquire the whereabouts of Athena and Hephaestus from Cassandra. She lives in Thrinacia, an island off the coast of the Baroque Kingdom. If it¡¯s her, she should be able to see where they are being held captive. The last God I hope you can find is Poseidon, who lies in his underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Poseidon disagreed with Zeus and Hades, but he could not stop both of them. Thus, he isolated himself away from the conflict in exchange for non-interference in his domain. That is why there are so few monsters roaming the water. If you can convince him to stand with us, our chance of victory is high.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I accept this mission. I pray that you watch over me and grant me strength in this fight.¡± Artemis: ¡°At least your disciple has manners, Veritas, unlike you.¡± Veri: ¡°Grr. You want to start something again?¡± Artemis: ¡°Not at all. My time is limited. I will have to unfreeze time again soon. Before I do, I hope you did not forget, Itsuki, that I am the goddess of archery. I am capable of unlocking your Pizzicato form. Veritas has undoubtedly trained you well in the Legato form, but there will be opponents that will be easier to defeat when done quietly and from far away. Take this simple bow and my blessing, and go forth. This bow requires no arrows, rather the arrows are a manifestation of your vitality. If you can reach Hephaestus, I will give you a better prize.¡± An orb of light entered Itsuki, and he could see that his Pizzicato form was unlocked mentally. Pizzicato Form ¨C Defeat your foe from long range using archery skills granted by the goddess of archery herself. Skills Piano Motion ¨C Erases the sound associated with motion. Enables for ease with ambushes. Can be upgraded. Rondo Barrage: Shoot a rapid number of arrows to overwhelm the enemy. Eternal Rest ¨C An arrow shot with a large amount of vitality. When it contacts a body part, that body part becomes paralyzed for a full day. If it were to hit the heart, it would result in instant death regardless of the degree of penetration. Artemis: ¡°I have one final gift for you. My Head Priestess has been praying to me for protection against monsters. This is the perfect opportunity to grant that. I give you the ability, Barrier Symphony. Use it to help my children in their time of need.¡± Skill Barrier Symphony ¨C Special skill of the Conductors. Using a musical performance and someone¡¯s strong will, create a barrier imbued with the desire and will of the individual. Itsuki smiled excitedly: ¡°Thank you goddess Artemis!¡± Veri: ¡°Break out of that cage soon you loli goddess. Nothing should be able to contain you.¡± Artemis: ¡°Train the boy well so that you can properly separate from him as a valkyrie again. If not, I might just make little keychains of your new form and sell them like hotcakes.¡± Both Veri and Artemis smiled at each other, truly happy that the other was safe despite the fact that they refused to show it to each other. Finally, Artemis¡¯s time was up. Time was unfrozen, and both Itsuki and Veri returned to reality. Veri also reverted to her pixie form, lest unnecessary questions were asked. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Man this was a long chapter. Well, we have our path forward now. I just want to remind everyone that since the Lost Sound happened only 40 years ago, these people are still rather simplistic in terms of fighting skill. They just have swordsmen, spearmen, and archers. No special classes or anything. So in the viewpoint of this world, the future girls will have odd skills. Look forward to them! Which Muse maiden are you most interested in seeing? Symphony 12: Polly and Natalia Boom here''s a new chapter. We''ll be seeing things from Polly''s Past, Natalia''s Past, and through Polly''s eyes. I will probably do this frequently in order to help show my characters'' personalities more. It also helps me show their past without just writing a long conversation with the main character. That just sounds dull. Hope you enjoy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Polly¡¯s Flashback My name is Polly Dreamstone. When I was 9 years old, my parents and I rode a carriage to visit the Classica Kingdom, and I was extremely excited. My parents said that they wanted to visit the Great Classica Library to understand more about me. They told me a bright light enveloped me when I was born, as though I was blessed by the gods. However, our carriage was assaulted by bandits. The mercenaries my parents hired were quickly killed, and they came for my family next. My father and mother smothered me in clothes and told me not to make a sound. I heard their pleas for mercy before being killed. I was so afraid¡­I could hear the bandits making their way to me. Closer and closer their footsteps moved. My tears flowed endlessly from grief over my parents¡¯ deaths and fear of my own. All of a sudden, I heard a horse neighing loudly and the bandits crying for help. After a while, someone pulled the clothes off of me. It was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair carrying a bloody sword in her hand. She found me and helped me to mourn my parents¡¯ deaths. I cried non-stop for a whole hour, yet she only continued to rub my back and gently tell me it¡¯s alright. I later learned that her name was Natalia Ernst. She told me that she was tired of days full of fighting and death. Thus, she was giving up her mercenary lifestyle and relocating to the Renaissance kingdom. She asked me if I wished to live with her, and I readily agreed. I had no other family to rely on, and something inside me told me she was a good person. When Natalia suddenly joined the Temple of Artemis and was appointed Head Priestess, I decided to follow her path as well. In a way, she is my idol and the embodiment of who I wish to become. For 13 years, Natalia has raised me as her own child, and I am truly thankful to her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Natalia Flashback It¡¯s already been 13 years since I¡¯ve adopted Polly and become a Head Priestess. Who would have thought that I, once known as the Crimson Lily due to always being covered in my enemy¡¯s blood, would end up a temple woman? It¡¯s a laughable thought. However, I still remember the events that led up to my arrival in this kingdom. When I was planning to retire from my mercenary life in search of peace 13 years ago, I heard a voice call out to me. The voice gave me a message that shocked me. ¡°Head to the Renaissance Kingdom to find the life you seek.¡± I, with nothing left to lose, decided to follow the mysterious voice¡¯s message. On my way to the kingdom, a group of bandits attacked a carriage, and I ran out to slaughter them. After slicing the neck of the last bandit, I heard sniffling coming from the carriage and found a young girl. Most likely, her parents were just killed. What should I do? Can I really care for a young girl like this? Am I even allowed to with my dirty hands? As I sat down comforting the child, I made my resolve to adopt and care for her. When we arrived in the kingdom, I rented a room at the Grest¡¯s Rest. Polly was exhausted after the ordeal and immediately passed out on the bed. I too prepared to rest until that mysterious voice reappeared, calling me to the Temple of Artemis. Obediently, I arrived at the temple and began to pray. It was the goddess Artemis who was speaking to me! She said she felt the goodness in my heart and appointed me the Head Priestess of the Temple. This is insane! The Head of the Temple is in essence the highest power of the kingdom! I can¡¯t handle this! True, this kingdom is not that large, but it¡¯s still a scary position! However, the goddess assured me that I was the most qualified and presented me a golden necklace to symbolize my position to the populace. If I wore this, no one will object to my appointment. Her final words to me were ¡°Peace will remain in this kingdom depending on your efforts, but peace of the world is intertwined with the fate of your child. That is what the Moirai have told me.¡± I was flabbergasted as I returned to the inn. The goddess talked to me, my efforts can bring peace to this kingdom, and Polly is a key to returning peace to the world? I pinch myself several times in order to confirm if this was a dream or not. However, I only feel pain and wake up to reality. Bruno saw my necklace and understood what it signified. Excitedly, he cheered that a beautiful woman was taking control of the kingdom! That earned him a punch in the head by his wife. Haha he¡¯s such a character. The next day, I was officially introduced as the Head Priestess by Bruno to the citizens of the kingdom, and I feared their resentment. However, to my surprise, they cheered for me once they saw my necklace. I guess it''s the symbol of the leader chosen by Artemis, so no one has any qualms about it. Many of the men asked me to marry them, but I kindly refused. Polly resolutely decided to join me as a Priestess in training, and together, we have spent the past 13 years protecting the peace of the kingdom. With all my heart, I always ask the citizens to not fight anymore and instead get along. There were a few spats in the beginning, but there is now a tacit understanding to avoid conflict. Now, I truly feel that the peace I was searching for is here. I spend much of my time mediating affairs and conversing with the citizens. It is quite funny that I still have suitors despite my age. However, the number of suitors aiming for Polly increases every day. Thus, I decided to teach Polly how to defend herself from them if need be. It is quite sad, but I am a failure as a priestess. I am incapable of any sacred arts, so my appointment as the Head Priestess honestly makes no sense. I can¡¯t teach Polly anything in regards to that. Instead, she should teach me! When she was 15, she learned to use healing and barrier magic by herself! When I asked her how she learned to do it, she told me she could use it when she woke up. I was both extremely proud and jealous of her that day. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Polly¡¯s destiny, however, has me worried for her safety. What kind of dangers would she run into if trying to restore the peace of the world? I must resolve myself to the fact that she will be leaving one day to do great things. Until that day comes, I will do everything in my power to prepare her for those hardships. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Present day, Polly POV Today is another great morning. Natalia is currently meditating on how to best protect the citizens from the surge in monster attacks. She¡¯s so admirable. Thus, I must welcome all the citizens coming to pray at the temple today. Despite being so early, a crowd of people arrived. It¡¯s the suitors again¡­ Man A: ¡°Please marry me!¡± Man B: ¡°No you dolt. Why would she marry you if she has me?¡± I groan inside. I¡¯ve spent most of my life as a priestess in training, and I rarely interact with men. Usually, Natalia deals with these guys. Oh what do I do, what do I do¡­ Polly: ¡°Please um¡­stop fighting¡­Fighting isn¡¯t a good thing at all¡­¡± Ah, it¡¯s no good. No one can hear me. I don¡¯t know how I became an idol to these people. I¡¯m extremely shy unlike Natalia, yet she tells me the number of suitors climb by the day¡­ Dealing with all of these men at once is so scary¡­Ah! It¡¯s Bruno! I¡¯m saved. Since I met Bruno at his inn 13 years ago, his family has taken care of both Natalia and me. They are really good people. This crowd has already gotten me exhausted, causing me to fall on my knees. Hm? A young man is offering me his hand to pull me up. Before I grab it, I see his face¡­and oh my god he¡¯s so handsome! His green eyes look right back at me, and I get this warm gentle feeling from him. Oh no¡­if I touch him, I will probably think of something indecent¡­but I want to touch him¡­Ah! Stop thinking dirty thoughts!!! I was pulled up by this young man, but just his touch has caused me to become extremely hot inside. My blood feels like its boiling, and I almost faint from it. A voice immediately rings out in my head. ¡°Your destiny has begun, maiden of the sacred arts. The Conductor has arrived to begin his perilous journey. I, Polyhymnia, have officially accomplished my duty per the wish of my master, Apollo.¡± Ehhhhhhh?!! I am so confused right now¡­what destiny? What conductor? Oh, it¡¯s no good. I should ask Bruno what he needs so that I can run to Natalia and ask her what to do. After stumbling through my lines, I dash into Natalia¡¯s room. Natalia: ¡°Polly, is something wrong? Normally, you would knock before entering.¡± Polly: ¡°N-Natalia¡­I feel weird. A young guy outside touched me, and my body got hot¡­¡± Natalia: ¡°Oh my, was there a suitor that struck your fancy? Oh look at you, all grown up now haha!¡± Polly: ¡°No no no! He wasn¡¯t a suitor. Bruno brought a man over to the temple because of his special destiny or something. Once I touched him, Polyhymnia spoke to me and told me that my destiny has begun. What does that mean?¡± Natalia shot upwards and became serious. Natalia: ¡°Your destiny has begun?!! I see¡­I was told that the Fates informed Artemis of your destiny being intertwined with the peace of the world. Perhaps it has finally begun.¡± Polly: ¡°Wh-what?? Peace of the world? I already have my hands full with helping you!¡± Natalia: ¡°Polly, I have seen you do many many incredible things. Your healing and barrier magic qualify you for such an ordeal. You do realize that in this world, healing and barrier magic is usually granted by the gods themselves? To awaken with it is unheard of. I resolved myself of your fate long ago, which is partially why I chose to train you to defend yourself. If I could increase your chance of living by just 1%, then my effort was worth it.¡± Polly: ¡°Natalia¡­I understand. It seems I might have something crazy in store for me huh?¡± Natalia: ¡°Indeed. Probably not as crazy as a blood-thirsty mercenary becoming a priestess right?¡± The two of them began to laugh. Natalia: ¡°Now then, is there anything you can tell me about that young man?¡± Polly: ¡°Well¡­he was really good looking? I got this warm gentle feeling from him. Oh! Polyhymnia said something about the Conductor arriving when he touched me.¡± Natalia: ¡°What?!! That young man is a conductor? Ok, now I really need to see him. Handsome and a conductor. Ha! You sure got mixed up with one incredible guy. Take me to him.¡± With her face completely beet red, Polly led Natasha to the statue of Artemis. Despite her apparent embarrassment, she was definitely interested in seeing that young man again. Hopefully, she won''t do anything too strange to him... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I hope you enjoyed learning about Polly''s past. I also hope you love her character. I find that characters who deviate from their projected role are extremely endearing. Now, that won''t always be the case with my characters, but it is here. As already stated, her healing and barrier magic are incredible innate talents granted by the Muse Polyhymnia. If you are confused at the difference between her barrier magic and Itsuki''s Barrier Symphony, I can explain it here. Her barrier magic is relatively easy for her to cast, and it affects a small radius of her choosing. Barrier Symphony is an intensive skill requiring the use of many people, so it can''t be used easily. In fact, he might use it soon...Thank you for reading! Symphony 13: Preparations for a Party I just wanted to let everyone who reads this series to know that releases will begin to slow down. School is getting closer, and I won''t have time to write a chapter every day. It won''t be terribly slow, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up if a chapter were not to come out. Don''t worry. There won''t be a hiatus. The plus side is that the chapters are getting longer. Anyway, Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Returning to Itsuki Bruno: ¡°Oh dear, I feel like I¡¯ve had my body in supplication for so long despite only doing so for half a minute. I must be getting old.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Nah Bruno, the goddess came and talked to us. She froze time in order to speak to us for a while.¡± Bruno: ¡°What! Incredible! Was she as majestic as we imagine?¡± Since Artemis did so much for him, Itsuki figured he could give the goddess some lip service as thanks. Itsuki chuckled at his enthusiasm: ¡°Of course! She was elegant and mature beyond words. I hope to meet her again. Anyway, we clearly finished a bit too quickly. Do you think the Head Priestess will be out soon?¡± Natalia: ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Both Bruno and Itsuki turned around at the sound of the voice to come face to face with a woman with long black hair and rimmed glasses. She carried the maturity of a 60 year old woman, but her features would more accurately describe her as a youthful 40 year old. Pinpointing her age was extremely difficult, and asking her about it would probably be rude. Standing behind her with a red face was Polly Dreamstone, the priestess apprentice earlier mentioned. Itsuki: ¡°Hello, Head Priestess. My name is Itsuki Hideyoshi.¡± Natalia: ¡°Hello¡­Itsuki. You too, Bruno.¡± Natalia was already stunned by the appearance of the young man in front of her. Polly did say that the man was handsome, but this level was definitely something else. Bruno: ¡°Haha Natalia, you should stop by the inn again. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been working your butt off as usual.¡± Natalia: ¡°Haha, I really have to. Sarah might already be mad at me for not seeing her for the past few months. Anyway, Itsuki, I have to ask. Are you truly a conductor?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Veri: ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already Itsuki? It¡¯s hard believing that you of all people is a conductor haha!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Gah! Veri, must you make fun of me every time this happens?!!¡± Natalia: ¡°Incredible. A conductor and a pixie. Two of the rarest things in the world are in front of me right now haha. I feel that the goddess probably talked to you here didn¡¯t she? If you don¡¯t mind, could you tell me what she said concerning this destiny of yours that would require Polly?¡± Bruno and Polly both looked at Itsuki, readying themselves for what he was about to say. But they were not prepared for such an insane quest. Itsuki, fearful of what the full truth would do to the peace of the kingdom, merely informed the people present of his mission to help Apollo and how finding the 9 maidens of the Muses was the key for that. However, that alone created a strange tension in the temple. Natalia: ¡°By the goddess, a human setting out to free a god? I just don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± Bruno: ¡°Bwahahaha! Boy, I knew you were special Itsuki when you chased away that B rank monster like nothing, but this just takes the cake. Bruno began to shake his head with his hand to his forehead. Bruno: ¡°However, I won¡¯t doubt you. Something tells me you¡¯ll succeed. I¡¯ll just continue to pray that you do.¡± Polly currently remained silent, but Natalia, who spent years raising her, could tell from her eyes. A burning determination resided in them, and Natalia could already tell how Polly would respond. Polly: ¡°Itsuki, please let me come with you. I understand this trip will have dangers, but I want to do something to change this world. I can see that this will do just that. Will you let me come with you?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Sigh. Even if I said no, I can tell you would figure out a way to force me to bring you along. The truth, however, is that I need you, and I sure would enjoy the company.¡± Itsuki grinned at Polly and extended his hand. Itsuki: ¡°Welcome to the team, Polly.¡± Polly saw Itsuki¡¯s hand and nearly jumped for joy. She immediately grabbed it with both hands and shook it wildly out of happiness. After returning to her senses, she pulled her hand away, completely embarrassed at her behavior. Bruno: ¡°Haha, you know, we should have a party tonight at the inn. My life was saved by Itsuki, and now Polly¡¯s leaving the nest. Yup, I¡¯m not taking no for an answer.¡± Veri: ¡°Ooooh. Party Party! That means food!¡± Polly: ¡°Yay! I love parties!¡± Itsuki: ¡°If you¡¯re going to bring lots of food, then I won¡¯t say no haha!¡± Natalia: ¡°I guess that settles it. We¡¯ll head over later, Bruno. There¡¯s something I¡¯m worried about though. I was informed right when you returned to town about the B ranked monster so close to the kingdom. That¡­is a cause of concern. They¡¯re clearly becoming more aggressive.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Ah! I forgot. The goddess Artemis granted me a new skill in order to help you with that.¡± Natalia: ¡°Really?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yea, it¡¯s called Barrier Symphony. I can erect a barrier covering the kingdom if I conduct a musical piece. I also have to imbue a will of sorts into the barrier, giving it a reason for existing. Would you like me to do that?¡± Natalia momentarily praised the goddess for hearing her worries. Polly, however, grew red as her mind was in turmoil after Itsuki¡¯s second sentence. Oh, goodness¡­I should never have opened that bad book to learn more about men¡­I¡¯m still not used to them and now I¡¯m like this¡­Ooooh¡­please don¡¯t say erect again Itsuki¡­ Natalia: ¡°Please do. I would be really grateful if the citizens here could live without worrying about a monster attack in the kingdom at the very least.¡± Itsuki began to show a devious smile and hardened look. Itsuki: ¡°Then, what would I get for accomplishing this huge feat?¡± Veri: ¡°Itsuki, what are you saying?!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Quiet Veri. I know what poverty is like. After my mother passed, I spent everything I had to study for that exam. A man can not be full on dreams alone. More importantly, in this world, my goal is to save it. How can I not expect assistance? Those dumb RPG worlds where the hero trying to stop the world from being destroyed has to pay for potions and equipment are ridiculous!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Natalia: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­we don¡¯t have much money here¡­but I can give you whatever I have since it¡¯s for the citizen¡¯s sake.¡± Polly: ¡°¡­¡± Bruno: ¡°Itsuki¡­¡± Itsuki: ¡°Ok, can I have a tent?¡± Natalia, Polly, and Bruno: ¡°What?¡± Itsuki¡¯s face returned to his jolly self, as though the hardened face from before was nonexistent. Itsuki: ¡°I was kidding about the rewards. I don¡¯t need them since I am really self sufficient. However, now that Polly is traveling with me, I want a tent so that she doesn¡¯t have to sleep on the floor. It¡¯d also be nice to have some supplies in case something happens to her. That¡¯s all I ask for. I just don¡¯t have money to purchase them. Is that alright?¡± Natalia: ¡°Sigh, you sure know how to frighten someone out of their wits. But yes, that¡¯s a really simple thing to do, and I would have done it anyway. Polly isn¡¯t used to the outdoors, so I want to make it as comfortable as possible anyway.¡± Bruno: ¡°Boy, you nearly made me pass out with that devious face of yours! Haha, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle all of it.¡± Polly: ¡°Mouu, Itsuki. Did you really have to do that? My heart almost stopped!¡± Veri: ¡°Though he looks jolly like this, this guy is an evil prankster. You shouldn¡¯t let your guard down.¡± Itsuki: ¡°You know Veri¡­can you really be saying that? Anyway, sorry about that. Clearly the joke was in poor taste. Anyway, Head Priestess, please tell me, what do you hope for in the barrier?¡± Natalia: ¡°Please, just call me Natalia. Simply, I wish for peace. I want the barrier to provide a peaceful haven for my people.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I thought as much. If it¡¯s peace¡­perhaps a song radiating peace yet also supplicating to the gods. Natalia, could you tell me what instruments the Renaissance kingdom has?¡± Natalia: ¡°We only have old instruments, so things like recorders, lyres, and a few other woodwinds. Would that be alright?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yes, I think so. This song I have in mind is simple, requiring only a few woodwinds. Ok, I will transcribe it tonight. Since Bruno is taking care of the supplies, could you gather a few players for tomorrow Natalia?¡± Natalia: ¡°Will do. Thank you, Itsuki. Polly, you¡¯ll need to prepare for your journey immediately.¡± Bruno: ¡°We should also head back. I¡¯ll tell my wife about the party tonight and then get to work on those supplies. Itsuki, you just head back and rest up.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yup. That sounds good. Ready to go Veri?¡± Veri: ¡°Yea! I¡¯ll probably talk to Sarah a lot tonight. We seem to have plenty in common.¡± The groups separated here, and Itsuki and his gang returned to the Grest¡¯s Rest. Bruno: ¡°And that¡¯s what happened. So, shall we have a celebration honey?¡± Sarah: ¡°Oh my, how incredible! Polly¡¯s going out into the world. Of course we need one! You did make sure Natalia is coming right? I swear, if we don¡¯t push her to come here, she barely eats anything. Sigh. Oh! Itsuki, come meet our bard. Her voice is like silk; I can¡¯t get enough of it. Eulina, come here. Meet Itsuki. He¡¯s young, but he¡¯s a conductor!¡± With the call, a girl of average height came forth with her sky colored short hair. She walked with a cheerful yet calm gait, and her similarly colored eyes could easily make anyone get lost in them. Staring curiously at Itsuki, she began to respond. Eulina: ¡°Um, hello, Itsuki. My name is Eulina Moretz. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Her crystal clear soprano-like voice sounded throughout the bar, causing many people to turn and look at her in awe. The wonderful sound instinctively made Itsuki¡¯s face curl up into a grin. Itsuki: ¡°Eulina, huh. Nice to meet you. As Sarah said, I¡¯m Itsuki Hideyoshi. I hope we can get along. I¡¯ve heard a lot about your voice, but nothing prepared me for such a rich, beautiful sound. Haha, I can¡¯t wait to hear your performance later tonight.¡± At that moment, Martha barged into the inn in a panic. Martha: ¡°Mother! We have bad news. Johnson broke his arm from a slip at the creek. He won¡¯t be able to come in today to cook.¡± Sarah: ¡°What! How about Charles and Donnie? They¡¯re off today, but we can still call them in right?¡± Martha: ¡°I checked, but they said that they are spending the day with their girls. They won¡¯t come in today either.¡± Sarah: ¡°Damnit. We¡¯ve got quite a lot of guests today, and a celebration planned. I can work the kitchen, but I probably won¡¯t be fast enough by myself.¡± Itsuki and Eulina: ¡°I can help in the kitchen!¡± Everyone stared at the two who made the outburst. In fact, Itsuki and Eulina stared at each other, both completely red due to the embarrassment from speaking the same thing at the same time. Sarah: ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to refuse the bit of help I get. Sorry to make the two of you help out but let¡¯s go.¡± Veri: ¡°Ah, good luck Itsuki. I can¡¯t cook for my life, so I¡¯ll go snuggle up with Hina. It seems she¡¯s taking a nap.¡± Sarah led the way to the kitchen and began to pull out pots, pans, and knives from every direction. She asked Itsuki to peel the potatoes, while Eulina was in charge of chopping onions. Luckily, they had plenty of time till lunch since most of their guests only wished for coffee in the morning. Eulina, however, anxious about being too slow, rushed and slipped on a wet spot in the kitchen. Seeing her falling, Itsuki immediately grabbed his free hand out to catch her, and their hands met. At that instant, Eulina¡¯s blood began to boil, and her tender hand temporarily lost strength. Then, a message began to play in her head: ¡°Your destiny has begun, maiden of lyrics and music. The Conductor has arrived to begin his perilous journey. I, Euterpe, have officially accomplished my duty per the wish of my master, Apollo.¡± Eulina could only think What???? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello Maiden #2. If you''ve noticed by now, the maidens'' names will all be somewhat related to that of their Muse. Sort of helps with remembering who''s who. Though some names were hard. I''m looking at you Terpsichore. Now we are going to become a cooking series. Just kidding. But about half of the next chapter will be about them cooking so maybe just a little. Hope you enjoy it. Symphony 14: Celebration Here''s the next chapter. It made me a bit hungry actually. I wish I could cook in real life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Itsuki pulled Eulina to her feet, but he noticed that her face had gone completely scarlet. She stood there in a trance, clearly confused about something. Itsuki: ¡°Eulina? Are you ok?¡± Eulina: ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry. Um, Itsuki, you¡¯re a conductor correct?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yup. Is something the matter?¡± Eulina: ¡°Euterpe, the Muse of lyric and song, just told me that you are on a perilous quest. It seems I am meant to help you.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Seriously? I can¡¯t believe I found you so quickly! That¡¯s¡­¡± Thud! A spatula slammed onto Itsuki¡¯s head, causing him to scream in pain. Itsuki: ¡°Ow!¡± Sarah: ¡°I asked for workers not lollygaggers! Get moving! We need to be able to start cooking once lunch hour starts!¡± Itsuki and Eulina: ¡°Sorry!¡± In no time, the preparations had all finished, and the kitchen was ready for the lunch hour. After confirming Itsuki¡¯s skills, Sarah was pleased and left him in charge of cooking the special of the day, chicken paella. A swarm of guests began to pack the inn¡¯s dining room. Man A: ¡°Martha! Can I have a today¡¯s special with a beer?¡± Man B: ¡°One pork sandwich for me!¡± Woman A: ¡°I¡¯ll have a salad and beer please!¡± Martha: ¡°No problem! Itsuki, one order for the special. Mom, take care of the pork sandwich. Eulina, please get the salad ready.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Got it. I believe the special today is paella. That should be simple enough.¡± Eulina: ¡°I¡¯ve already finished the salad! Order up!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Geh! That was fast! I know it¡¯s just salad but come on! Haha¡± Itsuki began to cook the rice with garlic, onions, and oil. In no time, the scent of the garlic and onion pervaded the inn, and growls of anticipation began to be heard. Man C: ¡°Oh man, is that the special today? I¡¯ll have an order of that!¡± After the rice was cooked long enough, he used a combination of herbs and spices like saffron, cloves, and parsley. After adding the marinated chicken pieces, he shook the entire pan in order to mix up the ingredients evenly and scorched the rice just enough to add an extra flavor to the dish. Itsuki: ¡°Order of chicken paella ready!¡± Martha: ¡°Here¡¯s your order sir. One today¡¯s special. Enjoy!¡± Man A: ¡°Oh it smells so good!¡± Digging his spoon into the paella, the man gulped it down greedily. Immediately, a look of sheer satisfaction appeared on his face. Man A: ¡°Oh man. The food here is always so good, but today, it¡¯s simply divine. Munch munch gulp. Haha. It goes perfectly with my beer. Damn if this isn¡¯t living life, I don¡¯t know what is!¡± Seeing the man¡¯s state of bliss, hearing the man¡¯s words, and smelling the scent of the paella caused the inn to be packed in no time. Orders began to pile in for the paella, and Itsuki had to work multiple pans at once in order to fill the orders. Almost every customer ordered the special paella, causing Itsuki¡¯s workload to never slow down. Seeing his increased workload, Eulina moved to help him. Together, their efficiency became a sight to behold. When Itsuki was ready to add the herbs and spices, Eulina had already prepared them for him and moved on to the chicken. In this case, adding one to one made something greater than 2. Their sheer speed and in tune movements allowed them to finish the lunch time rush with energy to spare. Itsuki: ¡°Phew. That sure was intense. Are you holding up alright, Eulina?¡± Eulina: ¡°I¡¯m fine thanks. I¡¯m used to helping in a kitchen anyway. Now that we have a break, could you explain to me what¡¯s happening?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Yea, sure thing. It starts with¡­¡± Itsuki spent his small break filling Eulina in on the details of his quest, and she listened attentively. Once he was done speaking, she looked ecstatic. Eulina: ¡°My! That sounds wonderful. Traveling is very fun, and I¡¯d love to see the other kingdoms!¡± Itsuki: ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard you traveled a bit before arriving here. Were you all by yourself? If so, that¡¯s really dangerous.¡± Eulina: ¡°Well, I traveled with a mercenary group for a short while, and they taught me how to defend myself. After they retired, I left on my own. I wanted to see the world for myself because the greatest inspiration for a bard is what they see and hear for themselves. However, I noticed that when I sang while traveling, monsters didn¡¯t attack me. That¡¯s why it was never dangerous.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Haha, that¡¯s convenient. I¡¯m also interested in seeing the many things this world has to offer. Would you come with me then?¡± Eulina: ¡°Of course! I don¡¯t know how much I can do to help on your quest, but I get this feeling that I¡¯ll have plenty of inspiration traveling with you. I should tell Sarah about this.¡± Sarah: ¡°Hahaha! If you two ever come back to the Renaissance kingdom, you¡¯re welcome to work here any time. Man, we made a killing today thanks to you both!¡± Eulina: ¡°How did you know I was leaving? I was just about to tell you¡­¡± Sarah: ¡°Silly girl. I¡¯m not deaf. I could hear everything from across the room. But seriously, you two work well together.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I think it was more Eulina¡¯s conscientiousness more than anything. She made sure to not get in my way while preparing everything I needed right when I needed them. She¡¯s amazing.¡± Eulina: ¡°Hehe. Thanks for the compliment. I¡¯m just used to observing others due to singing to my audience.¡± Sarah: ¡°Well, whatever it was, I¡¯m grateful. Now, you two better get some quick rest! Since we¡¯re closing the eatery tonight, I¡¯ll handle the food for the little party we¡¯re having! I want to hear some good performances from you both later!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Aye Aye. Sigh, all I have is my lyre though. I can¡¯t really think of any song that would be proper for a celebration party¡­¡± Eulina: ¡°Hm? Could it be that you can play other instruments Itsuki?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Ah yea. I can play a lot of them, though most of the pieces I know use the violin or piano.¡± Eulina: ¡°Then you can borrow mine.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Eh!! You have a violin? Really?!!¡± Eulina: ¡°Yea. It was a parting gift from the mercenary group I talked to you about. I still haven¡¯t been able to play it very well, but maybe I can learn from watching you use it.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Even better, I¡¯ll teach you as we travel. That should be fine right?¡± Her beautiful face smiled radiantly at this promise. Eulina: ¡°Yes!¡± With promises made, the two kicked back and relaxed until the time of the celebration began. Bruno had brought Polly and Natalia, and Sarah had cooked her special meat skewers with a secret sauce. Martha brought out the kegs of beer, and the party officially started. Bruno: ¡°To Itsuki who saved my life, Polly who¡¯s finally spreading her wings, and haha Eulina who¡¯s going to travel with them, I propose a toast! All: ¡°Cheers!¡± Veri: ¡°Oi Sarah, these skewers are seriously good! What kind of sauce did you use on them?!!¡± Sarah: ¡°Hoho Veri, even if it¡¯s you, I can¡¯t tell you that. I might the next time you come back though, so make sure you bring Itsuki and the girls back here safe and sound ok?¡± Veri: ¡°munch munch you got it!¡± Natalia: ¡°Ha¡­being a priestess and all, I don¡¯t join celebrations like this anymore, but chugging down beers feels so nostalgic.¡± Bruno: ¡°Hahaha drink drink! It¡¯s all good. No one except for us is around. Just be yourself.¡± Itsuki appeared on the stage with Eulina¡¯s violin in hand. Eulina was behind him, also ready to perform. Bruno: ¡°Oh, let¡¯s see how good he is with that violin.¡± Itsuki began to play an upbeat song for the party, leaving everyone present stunned. It was upbeat and intense, setting the mood for the party. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B42dozDeEfA This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.Following his great performance, applause came from everyone, and Hina stood up clapping the loudest. Afterwards, Eulina went to the forefront and began to sing a song she wrote. Her song of hope and adventure, combined with her honey like voice, enraptured everyone present. Once the performances were done, the two high-fived each other for a job well done and began to dig in to the food Sarah made. Natalia: ¡°You¡¯re really good with that violin Itsuki. Probably one of the best I¡¯ve ever heard haha. That girl, Eulina was it? Her voice was fantastic.¡± Bruno: ¡°Ah, Sarah said Eulina was a maiden as well right Itsuki?¡± Itsuki: ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s the maiden of Euterpe. I got really lucky finding two of them right from the get go.¡± Meanwhile, at another table Eulina: ¡°Nice to meet you Polly. It looks like we¡¯ll be traveling together from now on.¡± Polly: ¡°Yup! I¡¯m actually kind of excited. I¡¯m a little scared of leaving, but I think I¡¯ll be safe with Itsuki and my self-defense skills.¡± Hina: ¡°Big brother Itsuki is super strong! Wham pow boom! He knocked the wolf down so fast!¡± Polly: ¡°Hahaha Hina, I can¡¯t believe how attached you¡¯ve become to him. I hope you don¡¯t feel too sad that he¡¯s leaving tomorrow.¡± Martha: ¡°I think she¡¯ll be oka-¡­huh?!¡± Hina: ¡°hic sniff Why? Why is he leaving? Does he not like Hina anymore?¡± She dashed off to find Itsuki. Martha: ¡°Oh dear¡­I guess she didn¡¯t expect him to leave so soon. Well, considering what he has to do, time could be of the essence.¡± Hina jumped onto Itsuki¡¯s lap and stared at him with puppy eyes so powerful, no man could truly resist. Hina: ¡°Big brother Itsuki, please stay longer with Hina. Please!¡± Itsuki: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Hina...but I have something very important to do. I¡¯ll send letters and what not, and I¡¯ll be back when I finish my mission. Promise.¡± Hina: ¡°Muuu¡­¡± She dashed off once again. Bruno: ¡°Don¡¯t worry lad. She¡¯ll be ok. I don¡¯t know how long your mission will take; perhaps it¡¯s a fast one. Maybe it¡¯s a long one. Just send a letter every once in a while so she can be happy.¡± Natalia: ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to hear from Polly you got that? She¡¯s definitely strong enough to defend herself from sleaze balls, but big monsters may be tough. Don¡¯t let her get hurt.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Definitely. Let me go see the others.¡± Eulina and Polly were having a toast, and Itsuki walked over to join them. After chugging their glasses, Polly began to sway a little. Itsuki: ¡°Hey Polly, are you a good drinker?¡± Polly: ¡°Natalia made me learn a lot of things despite never having a chance to show it. I¡¯m quite proud of how much I can drink! Hahaha!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Um¡­that¡¯s the wall.¡± Polly: ¡°Huh¡­what are you talking about? Your face is right there haha! Hmm¡­you¡¯re quite hard ¡­that¡¯s not good¡­you need self-restraint got that? Got that?!!¡± Eulina: ¡°She¡¯s¡­hugging a wall. Haha she¡¯s so funny!¡± Martha: ¡°Haha I think Polly might need to head to bed soon. She¡¯s probably going to collapse any time now.¡± Eulina: ¡°She can spend the night with me in my room. I don¡¯t mind. Though if she wasn¡¯t drunk, we could have talked about girl stuff.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Sigh you two will probably do just that on this trip-ah!¡± Again, Itsuki was headbutted by a little hyperactive girl. Hina: ¡°Hina¡­Hina won¡¯t cry anymore!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Hina¡­¡± Martha: ¡°Ah, what a good girl.¡± Hina: ¡°Hina wants to give this to big brother Itsuki! If you have this, you¡¯ll never forget Hina!¡± She took out a small blue colored object. It was an ocarina. Hina: ¡°This is Hina¡¯s treasure, so please take care of it!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Thank you. I will. Promise.¡± Once given to him, the lyre in his bag began to glow furiously. Seeing this occur, Itsuki grabbed the lyre, and it proceeded to engulf the ocarina. Itsuki: ¡°What!¡± However, it was not gone. Rather, once Itsuki thought of the ocarina, the lyre disappeared from his hand, and replacing it was that blue ocarina, leading to shocked faces all around. Itsuki: ¡°Wait¡­don¡¯t tell me I can store my musical instruments in this! That would save so much space! Man, you can never expect a goddess to give a simple gift.¡± Hina: ¡°That was so cool! Haha do it again!¡± Martha: ¡°I wonder what else it could store¡­¡± Natalia: ¡°That¡¯s incredible! Do you think it could store a piano as well?¡± Eulina: ¡°Hmm, it probably didn¡¯t happen with the violin since it¡¯s mine.¡± Sarah: ¡°I think I¡¯ve got enough surprises today to last me till the day I die! Haha¡± Veri: ¡°I mean there¡¯s no way a goddess could give a simple gift anyway. They¡¯re proud people. They have to make it the best gift possible.¡± Polly even sobered up at the sight. Polly: ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a thing before¡­¡± Bruno: ¡°Boy, you got this from a goddess you say? Don¡¯t tell me it was Demeter!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Geh! How did you know?¡± Bruno: ¡°It was just a guess. You had the lyre before I met you, and you were walking in a direction away from the forest. Furthermore, you are a special person, so meeting gods and goddesses clearly isn¡¯t impossible for you. Finally, it would explain why Demeter¡¯s forest experienced an eternal spring this year.¡± Itsuki: ¡°For an old man, you¡¯re a bit too smart!¡± Natalia: ¡°To have probably received blessings from both Demeter and Artemis. What a special child. Haha. I really do believe he can do this.¡± The party continued on till past midnight. Martha had long taken the sleepy yet resisting Hina to bed. At this hour, almost everyone had passed out from all the alcohol they imbued. The only ones left awake were the young ones, namely Itsuki, Polly, and Eulina. The three helped to clean up the mess as quietly as possible, and they brought blankets for everyone else. Once done, they prepared to head to bed. Itsuki made sure to grab Veri before heading to his room. Itsuki: ¡°Good night girls. We¡¯ve got a long journey ahead of us, but I¡¯m depending on you.¡± Polly: ¡°Of course! Though, a priestess and a bard first huh¡­We don¡¯t have strong damage dealing skills so you¡¯ll be fighting by yourself. All we can do is support you.¡± Eulina: ¡°Yea¡­I¡¯d be more comfortable if we had another close ranged fighter. I don¡¯t want Itsuki to have to handle it alone and get hurt.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine. My skills will help me out, and your support will make me stronger.¡± Eulina: ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Polly: ¡°It¡¯s ok! If he gets hurt, I¡¯ll just heal him! No big deal.¡± Eulina: ¡°Haha, you¡¯re so pumped up. Then we should really head to bed. Good night Itsuki.¡± Polly: ¡°Night!¡± They all made their way to their respective rooms, and sleep quickly took hold of them. Except someone forgot to transcribe the musical piece for tomorrow''s Barrier Symphony... Itsuki: "Oh crap!" Needless to say, he was up all night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We prepare to leave the Renaissance Kingdom. Their stay was short, but they didn''t have to stay long. It won''t be as fast in the other kingdoms because of issues. I mean everywhere can''t possibly be as peaceful as here right? Yup. Next chapter they officially leave, and we''ll head towards side quest! Thanks for reading! Symphony 15: The Barrier of Peace Next chapter here. We see the new skill, move on from the kingdom, and surprises galore. Enjoy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everyone other than Itsuki and his party woke up extremely hung over the next day. However, due to her serious and responsible nature, Natalia slapped herself awake and began to finish preparing for the Barrier Symphony. Itsuki had passed to her the transcribed composition to allow the performers a chance to look at the piece, after which he was immediately assaulted by Hina. Meanwhile, Eulina and Polly were preparing to shop for anything they needed. Bruno: ¡°Gah my head¡­sorry girls. I drank a bit too much there. I bought the carriage yesterday, and some camping supplies should be coming. However, I doubt I could get you any food supplies right now. If you girls can go, that¡¯d be great.¡± Polly: ¡°Sure thing! Let¡¯s go, Eulina.¡± Eulina: ¡°Yea!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Haha, I see you two have gotten closer overnight. That¡¯s great. Take this bag. It¡¯s a bag just for food. You can get anything you like and put it in without worrying about it spoiling. I¡¯ll get ready for the performance.¡± After handing the two the bag he received from Demeter, Itsuki began to mentally prepare himself for the performance. His concentration was so incredible, that Hina¡¯s antics on his head did not stir him. Veri beckoned Hina to come play with her in order to give Itsuki his needed space to prepare. Polly: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­food that lasts long would be potatoes and beans right?¡± Eulina: ¡°But Itsuki did say any food was ok¡­because of this bag right?¡± Polly: ¡°I guess so. I love oranges, so I¡¯ll add a lot of them.¡± Eulina: ¡°Vegetables are good to bring along if we can.¡± Polly: ¡°Ohhhhh that huge piece of meat looks so gooood!¡± Eulina: ¡°Haha...I can¡¯t believe this bag. We continue to buy more food but it swallows all of it up. Better yet, I can hardly feel any weight carrying it. A few sacks of rice please!¡± Polly: ¡°Spices and condiments are here.¡± Eulina: ¡°That hair clip would look really cute on you.¡± Polly: ¡°That necklace is really nice!¡± Slowly, the girls bought an assortment of food that would probably last them weeks. Fortunately, they had the sense to use all of the money on food rather than accessories. They bonded together after spending the night together having girl talk, and this furthered after this shopping trip. In their own little world together, they immersed themselves in idle chatter and shopping, unaware of the crowd that was watching them. Man A: ¡°Oh Polly looks stunning today! The girl next to her is just as beautiful!¡± Man B: ¡°What can I do to get them to see me? Maybe¡­if I ran over to show off my muscles?¡± Man C: ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! How could you show our idol something so grotesque?!!¡± Wherever the girls passed, brawls began to take place. However, they continued on unaffected by the events around them. After finishing their shopping trip, they returned to the Grest¡¯s Rest. Polly: ¡°We¡¯re back!¡± Sarah: ¡°Excellent timing. We¡¯re all about to head to the temple to hear the performance. Come with us.¡± Bruno: ¡°Leave the bag here. We¡¯ll load it once you get back.¡± Veri: ¡°I hope you two bought a lot of meaaattt~¡± Eulina: ¡°Of course Veri haha. We bought a little bit of everything. Since Bruno was able to get us cooking tools, we shouldn¡¯t have a problem with our meals for a few weeks.¡± Hina puffed her cheeks and yelled: ¡°Stop being so slowwww! Big brother Itsuki already left to play music! Let¡¯s go let¡¯s go!¡± Everyone was dragged out of the inn by Hina, and they made their way to the temple. On arriving, they saw Itsuki facing a group of woodwind players, recorder players, and lyre players. It was a simple arrangement, but to Itsuki, it was enough. This performance was not publicized in order to protect Itsuki¡¯s identity for a little while longer. Thus, the only ones watching were whoever was at the celebration party yesterday. Itsuki waved his arm in order to start the performance, and he invoked Barrier Symphony to begin. From Natalia¡¯s heart, her honest yearning for peace from the gods became the core of the skill. The initial plucking by the lyre players started the piece, followed by the melody of the woodwind and recorder players. The piece was simple, peaceful, yet full of hopes and prayers. Gradually, a translucent barrier began to form slowly. The performers followed Itsuki¡¯s directions carefully, and their performance in the eyes of the audience was so gentle and moving. As though the barrier was made of music itself, every note played added another part to the barrier until the performance ended. Piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUpkaXA80tA However, the Piano Arrangement is better to me so I''ll add that too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8FYh7oEHvE This day marked a very special day for the citizens of the Renaissance kingdom. Rumors would spread like wildfire days after about a mysterious conductor and the beginning of his journey. The kingdom was protected from monsters, and the citizens were wrapped in the warmth known as peace. Parents could allow their children to play outside without fear of monster attacks. In fact, a celebration would be held every year to mark the anniversary of this day. But that is a story for another time. Finishing the piece, Itsuki bowed to his performers and left the stage to see the friends he made at this kingdom. Right when he got close, he was obviously assaulted by the little ball of energy and sunshine known as Hina. Hina: ¡°That was suuuper good! Can you teach Hina how to do that arm waving thing?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Haha definitely when my quest ends, I will teach you what I know. How about that?¡± Hina: ¡°Mm!¡± Natalia: ¡°I feel so at ease now. For years, the monsters have gotten closer and closer to the kingdom, and the citizens became afraid to take their children out of their houses. Now, however, that fear is unfounded. I think the kingdom¡¯s going to get a lot noisier in the coming days. Thank you Itsuki.¡± Bruno: ¡°Haha I thought the goddess Artemis would appear at some point.¡± Sarah: ¡°Ah, we should head back. I need to cook up some food for them to eat before they leave. Bruno, go pack up the carriage.¡± Bruno: ¡°Yes, dear.¡± Natalia: ¡°Polly, stay back for a second. I need to talk to you.¡± Polly: ¡°Oh, ok. Everybody, head back first. I¡¯ll catch up later.¡± Once Polly and Natalia were alone, they gave each other a great big hug. Natalia, proud of the girl who had grown so much, had a lonely light in her eyes. Natalia: ¡°It¡¯s time for you to go. See the world. Make sure to tell me all about it when you get back.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Polly: ¡°That¡¯s a promise! Don¡¯t overwork yourself now that I¡¯m not around ok? Rely on Bruno and Sarah more. Bruno said he¡¯s going to be in the kingdom for a good long while this time, so he¡¯s like a helping hand.¡± Natalia: ¡°Silly girl. My job is not as dangerous as what you are about to set off to do. Thus, I wish to give this to you.¡± In her hands was the golden necklace that was gifted by Artemis. It was of superb quality, probably considered priceless by any appraiser. Polly: ¡°What! I can¡¯t accept that. Artemis gave it to you as the symbol of the one who is in charge of the kingdom!¡± Natalia: ¡°I always found it odd that we call this place a kingdom, despite its small size and lack of a king. However, it¡¯s been so long already that everyone sees me as such. I do not need such a thing. Instead, I have this feeling it can be of use to you. Take it, and I pray it will empower you in some way. Also, I have one letter that you need to deliver to the Baroque kingdom. Give it to Arnold Breaker. If you say it¡¯s from me, then he¡¯ll understand and help you as much as he can.¡± Polly: ¡°¡­I understand. Thank you, Natalia. Take care of yourself ok?¡± Tears streamed down her face as she looked at Natalia for the last time before her departure. Then, Polly turned around and headed away to the inn to leave. On her arrival at the inn, Itsuki, Eulina, and Veri were eating loaves of bread with eggs and bacon. The sheer sight of her friends stuffing their faces caused her gloomy atmosphere to immediately disperse. Itsuki: ¡°Oh you¡¯re back, Polly! Hurry and eat or else nothing will be left after Veri¡¯s done.¡± Veri: ¡°Shut up! Is it so wrong for me to eat a lot?¡± Eulina: ¡°I don¡¯t think he meant it like that, but it is strange that Veri¡¯s so small but eats so much haha.¡± Polly: ¡°Koraa! Save some food for me guys haha!¡± Breakfast was lively, and Bruno packed everything they needed into the carriage. After giving their last good-byes and promising to write, the trio with a pixie set off to the Baroque Kingdom 10 days away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The party had an efficient system in place. Polly, who had some knowledge on driving carriages around the kingdom, was in the driver¡¯s seat. Eulina, whose voice could keep monsters at bay, would sing during the trip whenever they reached a monster filled region. Itsuki would sit next to Polly in his Pizzicato form in order to be able to see potential dangers from far away and respond with his bow. This formation allowed them to pass through the danger zones with ease compared to the caravans with large groups of mercenaries. During their first break, Polly showed off her barrier magic. Polly: ¡°Holy Barrier!¡± A radius of 3 meters became a safe haven for the party as they relaxed any tense nerves. Eulina: ¡°Wow! We¡¯re so safe now. Thank you, Polly!¡± Polly: ¡°Ehehe, it was nothing.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I guess I¡¯ll start cooking then. What are you two going to do?¡± Polly: ¡°Meh¡­I can¡¯t cook anyway. I¡¯ll just sunbathe or something.¡± Eulina: ¡°If you need help, I can help you. If not, I¡¯ll start tailoring.¡± Polly: ¡°Hm? You know how to tailor?¡± Eulina: ¡°It¡¯s an indispensable skill after all! I always tore my clothes when I was traveling, so I had to learn¡­Now, if given the materials, I can make a lot of things.¡± Veri: ¡°Oh, if you can use it, why not use the Alpha Wolf fur that Itsuki got the other day? We sure can¡¯t use it.¡± Eulina: ¡°Is it ok?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Go ahead. I can¡¯t sew for my life.¡± Eulina happily took the wolf fur and began to make something. Whatever it was took all of her attention, as she didn¡¯t look up once from her project. Polly and Veri decided to watch her intensely, while Itsuki lamented his having to cook and missing out on whatever Eulina was doing. After tearing Eulina away from her project long enough to eat their lunch of curry, they set off once again. This time, Eulina remained focused on her creation, and it slowly began to take shape. After three days, she finally finished her¡­teddy bear? Polly: ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a teddy bear right? It¡¯s super cute!¡± Veri: ¡°It¡¯s soo¡­fluffy. Where did the cotton from the inside come from?¡± Eulina: ¡°Fufufu I had cotton on me but nothing worth using as its fur. This wolf fur was of such high quality that it¡¯s really soft! This is my ultimate teddy bear! I¡¯ll name him Lute, and he¡¯ll have a flute made for him too!¡± Itsuki thought in his head: ¡°Haha, usually, she¡¯s so calm and mature about things that I forget she¡¯s still a normal girl. Well, nothing wrong with a doll or two.¡± Polly: ¡°I want to sleep with him¡­¡± Veri: ¡°Me too¡­¡± Eulina: ¡°No! Lute is mine! At least let me sleep with him on the first day!¡± Itsuki cried silently: ¡°Man this bear is popular. I wish I was a teddy bear right now¡­¡± That night, after fighting over the bear, the three girls ended up sharing him. Itsuki, on look out, watched them snoozing away next to a little furried bear, and he began to chuckle to himself. He could tell that his journey would definitely not be boring with them around. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By the 6th day of the trip, everything so far had been smoother than expected. There were no monster attacks except for the occasional deaf wolf or falcon thanks to Eulina¡¯s singing, and they were easily disposed of by Itsuki. However, this day was different. Using the far sight he gained by switching to Pizzicato form, Itsuki could see a small girl being chased by rabid tigers. Immediately, he asked Polly to speed up the carriage, lest they fail to make it in time. The girl tripped due to sprinting with all she had, leaving her wide open for the teeth of the tigers until an arrow went into the closest tiger¡¯s eye. Itsuki cursed at the fact that his arrow didn¡¯t pierce through the tiger¡¯s brain due to the extensive distance between the two. This caused his arrows to lose a good bit of power upon reaching its target. Eulina, noticing the situation, used her skill Attack Song in order to buff Itsuki¡¯s strength through singing. With the newfound buff, Itsuki used the skill Rondo Barrage and shot a huge number of arrows at the tigers, killing them before they could eat the young girl. Finally, the carriage reached the little girl, and Polly jumped out the driver¡¯s seat once she saw the numerous scratches on the child. While invoking her healing magic on the girl, the little girl spoke with the last of her energy before passing out. ???: ¡°Please, save the Hesperides.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope you enjoyed this chapter. More intense fighting on the way next chapter. Until next time. Symphony 16: Operation Save the Hesperides! Next chapter up! Hope you enjoy it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ???¡¯s POV Run faster. Don¡¯t stop. Everyone¡¯s counting on me. The number of times I told myself this mentally is too high to count. If I don¡¯t hurry, everyone will be captured. Feral tigers are following me, tracking my every move, waiting for me to slip up. Despite the branches I keep running through, I can¡¯t stop. Even though my skin is covered in scratches and blood, even though my clothes are torn, I need to push through. I¡¯m completely exhausted, but I must find people to help. Please oh goddess Artemis help me. Ah! I tripped on my own tired feet. Is this my end? Is this our end? Their teeth are about to gnaw right through me¡­An arrow? Wah, all the tigers are dead. I see a carriage hastily making its way over to me. A woman in priestess garb runs over to me. I¡¯m¡­losing consciousness¡­wait the message. Please¡­save the Hesperides. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Polly: ¡°Her wounds aren¡¯t deep, but there are a lot of them. She must have been running as fast as she could without carrying about the pain.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Ok, Polly please set up a barrier. I¡¯ll start cooking something easy for her to eat like porridge or something.¡± Eulina: ¡°I¡¯ll try to make her something quick and easy to wear. She can¡¯t just wear torn rags all day.¡± The three began to do their respective jobs as they settled down for the girl to wake up. Once the jobs were done, Veri called the three to attention. Veri: ¡°Ok, you guys might be getting caught up in something really big if she really did say the Hesperides.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Oh, she did mention that. I kinda forgot since I was worried about her. What are Hesperides anyway?¡± Veri: ¡°Hesperides are nymphs, but they have a higher standing than normal nymphs you see lying around. Their job is to tend to Apollo¡¯s golden apple grotto. Their leader is usually she who is blessed with golden hair like their apples, and those apples are harbingers of chaos if used improperly. Polly: ¡°Huh? What does learning about the leader do in this situation?¡± Veri: ¡°Sigh¡­you guys are so inobservant. Itsuki, what color is this child¡¯s hair?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just golden¡­GOLDEN colored!¡± Eulina: ¡°Does that mean the leader of the nymphs is with us right now?¡± Veri: ¡°Based on the age, probably not. She is, however, most likely the one to inherit the leadership position of the Hesperides. My guess is that the other nymphs bought time for this one to escape and hopefully get help.¡± Itsuki: ¡°But what purpose would invading them have? Do those apples taste that good?¡± Veri: ¡°The ultimate drink of the gods is called ambrosia, and those apples are the major ingredient in that. However, there is a strong protection that is supposed to prevent any invaders into the grotto. Only Apollo is allowed to enter the grotto other than the Hesperides, thus only Apollo is capable of making ambrosia.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I see. So the protection is being compromised. That means someone strong enough to get past Apollo¡¯s protection is the culprit¡­They must also really want ambrosia since Apollo isn¡¯t around to make it anymore.¡± Eulina: ¡°That¡­doesn¡¯t bode well, does it?¡± Polly: ¡°Hey Veri, do you have any idea who might be behind this?¡± Veri: ¡°This reeks of Ares. He probably needs to appease Zeus with it or convince him to follow through on something. Zeus is terribly weak against ambrosia, and based on the timeline, he¡¯s been on withdrawal for 40 something years. Zeus, however, isn¡¯t stupid enough to assault the ones involved in one of the ingredients. Ares is.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I get it. Well it¡¯s probably a chosen of Ares doing this then with Ares himself breaking the protection. That just means we have a chance then. If it was Ares himself, we¡¯d be instantly killed.¡± Veri: ¡°Well, here is the problem. Despite my increased level of control over my aura and powers, if Ares¡¯s chosen sees me as a valkyrie, Ares will know without a doubt. You should understand at this point what that battle junkie will do. He¡¯ll jump down Mount Olympus illegally and come straight to me for a fight, and we can¡¯t handle that yet. That¡¯s why you can not summon my valkyrie form no matter what whenever we¡¯re in the presence of Ares¡¯s chosens.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Well damn. So, a chosen of Ares and his army of tigers versus realistically me. I can¡¯t expect Polly and Eulina to fight off a horde of tigers.¡± Polly: ¡°Hm, this would be easier if Veri could be a valkyrie again, but I guess that¡¯s out of the question. I really want to see it though.¡± The little nymph began to stir, causing everyone to watch her. Her eyes slowly opened, and she began to panic. ???: ¡°Ahhh! I can¡¯t believe I fell asleep¡­did I die? No, I don¡¯t think so¡­I need to save everyone! Ah¡­¡± Finally noticing the other people surrounding her, the nymph began to calm down. ???: ¡°Hello¡­I think you all are the ones who saved me. Thank you so much. My name is Eryth, the next leader of the Hesperides. May I ask who you are?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Hey there Eryth. My name is Itsuki Hideyoshi.¡± Polly: ¡°Polly Dreamstone! Nice to meet you!¡± Eulina: ¡°I¡¯m Eulina Moretz. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re ok.¡± Veri: ¡°Veri¡¯s the name. It¡¯s a pleasure.¡± Eryth: ¡°Ah, I just realized my wounds are cured and my clothes are new. Thank you for that. But enough of that! I saw that you were able to instantly kill the tigers chasing me. Please, I beg of you. Come with me and help save my people. A man calling himself Hercule, Chosen of Ares, broke through our barrier and launched an assault with a horde of tigers. I was barely able to escape¡­but all of my sisters were being thrown into cages. If he manages to take them away, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do!¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Itsuki: ¡°Calm down there. First of all, eat this. It¡¯s some porridge. Get your strength back up before you exhaust yourself again.¡± Eryth: ¡°Ah¡­thank you. It¡¯s delicious.¡± Veri: ¡°Little nymph, tell me, was he after the golden apples?¡± Eryth: ¡°Yes¡­though it seems he wishes to enslave our entire tribe to produce the apples for Ares. Naturally, we refused, but he was too strong for us.¡± Eulina: ¡°Well, now we need to make a plan. The odds that all the apples have been harvested already are low, so we still have a chance.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Polly, you can defend yourself right?¡± Polly: ¡°To a reasonable extent. Why?¡± Itsuki: ¡°Well I have a plan. Just hear me out. Currently, the only one in our party that can fight is me. Furthermore, the nymphs are being thrown into cages, while this Hercule guy is bagging all of the golden apples. He most likely locked the cages and has his tigers guarding them. I will attract the attention of most of the tigers as best as I can while also engaging Hercule in battle. While I distract him, I need the rest of you to free the nymphs.¡± Veri: ¡°Oi! That¡¯s too dangerous. You can¡¯t expect that Hercule guy to be normal. As a chosen of Ares, he probably has extreme strength and bloodlust. I can¡¯t approve.¡± Polly: ¡°Me neither!¡± Itsuki: ¡°So we let him do whatever he wants? I could care less about apples, but I refuse to ignore him enslaving the nymphs.¡± Eryth: ¡°Itsuki¡­¡± Eulina: ¡°Ok everybody. Calm down. I think Itsuki¡¯s plan is the best one we have. Our job is important. If we can free all of the nymphs, that should throw a huge wrench in Hercule¡¯s plans. We¡¯ll have the advantage at that point. We just need to pray that Itsuki can hold out.¡± Veri: ¡°Sigh. Fine.¡± Polly: ¡°Grrr¡­I guess so.¡± Itsuki: ¡°It¡¯s decided. Eryth, lead the way please.¡± Eryth: ¡°sniff Yes, thank you so much everyone.¡± With tears of hope in her eyes, Eryth guided the carriage through the forest, as the group made their way to the grotto. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile Zeus: ¡°Ambrosia¡­I have this craving for it! Apollo would only give me one bottle a year, that ungrateful cheapskate. ARES! You told me you would get me a never-ending supply. Why do I not have it yet?!!¡± Ares: ¡°Patience, Zeus. I have already sent my chosen to recruit some people to make it for you. More importantly, have you prepared the beasts for the other plan?¡± Zeus: ¡°Yes, I have. As you have said, this world bores me. The scurrying that these insects showed after all hell broke loose with the sealing of Apollo was entertaining! Now that so long has gone by, they¡¯ve settled again. What a resilient bunch. However, that too is boring. I have made your demon beast army. You shouldn¡¯t need more than 100 demon tigers.¡± Ares: ¡°Haha yes, my chosen has an odd obsession with tigers. But, this is great. I wonder how these humans will react when the Baroque Kingdom falls. Hahahaha. I can¡¯t wait to hear their screams of fear¡­¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the Hesperides Grotto Hercule: ¡°Good. All of the nymphs have finally been captured for God Ares. They scurry around so much that it took way too long to round them up. Hahahaha. Now, I need to throw these golden apples into a sack for him. You, golden haired wench, lead me to the apples.¡± ???: ¡°No! I refuse. Those apples are not meant for you or Ares!¡± Hercule: ¡°HAHAHA you don¡¯t have a choice. Apollo isn''t here to protect you! Either take me to the apples or watch as my hungry tigers devour your sisters one by one. I could easily murder the whole lot of you thanks to this newfound power Ares gave to me. You don¡¯t want that, do you?¡± ???: ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Hercule: ¡°Don¡¯t get any funny ideas. That one that escaped is probably dead right now. I sent three of my tigers after her. No one can help you now. Now MOVE.¡± Hercule chained the golden haired nymph and had her lead the way. She could only pray and hope at this point. ???: ¡°Eryth¡­I hope you are safe, my daughter.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a speeding carriage, Itsuki¡¯s group accelerated towards the grotto, desperately attempting to make it on time. Eulina had given the anxious Eryth Lute to hold, hoping the soft bear could give her some comfort. After a while, Eryth realized how close they were to the grotto, she immediately told Polly to stop the carriage. Eulina quickly sang an Invigoration Song along with a Speed Song in order to boost Itsuki¡¯s vitality and speed. Afterwards, Itsuki switched to his Legato form, wished the girls good luck, and dashed towards the den of tigers waiting for him. Operation Save the Hesperides had begun. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Some foreshadowing here about the future of the next destination of Itsuki and his gang. Big fight next chapter. I wonder if Eulina should make a horde of teddy bears? Until next time! Symphony 17: Clash with Hercule Here''s the next chapter! I will admit, this was harder for me to write since I don''t think I''m very good with writing combat scenes, and this is the first time it was more than just swing and dead. Hope you enjoy it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Itsuki Perspective I¡¯m just running straight, making as much noise as I can. HEY STUPID TIGER OVER THERE! Like that. I really don¡¯t know, how do you insult or provoke a tiger without sounding like an idiot? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Every time I pull a group towards me, I slaughter without mercy. Blood splatters everywhere around me as I cut and slash away at the pouncing tigers. They each fall with one slash of my sword. Without a doubt, I feel like I¡¯m playing a symphony of death right now. Alright. I¡¯ve cleared this area of tigers. Time to move to the next area. HEY TIGER BRAINS. OVER HERE. Yup¡­I sound like an idiot. Good thing the girls aren¡¯t around. Girls Perspective Eulina: ¡°Ok, we need to move quickly. Itsuki can¡¯t last forever.¡± Eryth: ¡°I¡­can feel the presence of my sisters in that direction.¡± Polly: ¡°Let¡¯s go go go!¡± Using Eryth¡¯s connection with her sisters, the group immediately closes in on a cage with 5 nymphs inside. Nymph 1: ¡°Eryth! You got help!¡± Nymph 2: ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re safe!¡± Nymph 3: ¡°All those tigers ran away chasing some heckling crazy guy. Well, I¡¯m not complaining.¡± Nymph 4: ¡°C-can you girls get us out of here?¡± Nymph 5: ¡°¡­Please.¡± Veri: ¡°Alright. We just have to break this lock off¡­damnit! We totally forgot about this! That Hercule guy most likely has the keys on him! None of us can break the cage¡­¡± Polly: ¡°Fufufu. This is where I shine! As part of Head Priestess Natalia¡¯s lessons, lockpicking was one of them!¡± Eulina: ¡°Eto¡­why would a Head Priestess teach lockpicking?¡± Polly: ¡°Well, in her words, ¡®If a guy were to kidnap you and lock you up, you need to be able to escape! Unless you¡¯re into that.¡¯ But I¡¯m not, ok!!!¡± Veri: ¡°Seriously¡­what kind of priestess did she want you to be? Anyway, we¡¯ll leave it to you Polly.¡± Polly: ¡°Roger!¡± Eulina: ¡°Eryth, start searching for the next group. We¡¯ll need to be effi¡­Huh?!! Eryth¡­why are you still holding Lute?¡± Eryth: ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry¡­He was so comfortable that I accidentally carried him with me. I¡¯ll make sure I don¡¯t drop him.¡± Eulina: ¡°Be careful with him¡­¡± Polly: ¡°Done! Onwards we go!¡± Nymph 5: ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± Nymph 2: ¡°Freedom! Thanks girls! We¡¯ll come along to help you too!¡± ROARRRRRRR Veri: ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on! Itsuki probably encountered more tigers. Move!¡± The girls along with the newly rescued nymphs began running again in another direction, following Eryth¡¯s lead. ???¡¯s POV This is so odd¡­Moments ago, the presences of my nymph sisters have grown stronger. Why, I can even sense Eryth¡¯s presence. Does that mean she succeeded? Hercule: ¡°Oi, hurry up you stupid nymph. There¡¯s a second barrier on the apple grove. I can¡¯t waste any more time in this dump.¡± I need to buy time then. A strong yet familiar feeling presence is making his way here. ???: ¡°I can¡¯t open it that easily. There¡¯s a ritual that needs to be done in order to break the barrier.¡± Hercule roared: ¡°I don¡¯t care! Hurry it up or the other nymphs will become tiger chow!¡± ???: ¡°I understand. I, Aegina, leader of the Hesperides, invoke Apollo¡¯s barrier. Answer the call of this humble servant, and fuel her with strength. Engulf my enemies in darkness, Erebia!¡± Immediately, Aegina activated a function of Apollo¡¯s second barrier. Using it as a link to the musical essence of the world, she converted that essence into her own energy, allowing her to temporarily utilize a self defense spell, Erebia. The Hesperides were often referred to as the daughters of Nyx or Darkness. This allows them access to dark magic; however, they normally do not have enough strength to cast dark magic. Thus, Apollo granted them a self defense mechanism at the golden apple grove barrier. Rely on the barrier, and use your talents in dark magic to save your lives was his message. Currently, Hercule was shrouded in darkness, causing confusion to appear on his face. Hercule: ¡°What the hell are you playing a-! What?!! Why¡¯s everything so dark! Grrr¡­messing around with me, you bitch! TIGERS MASSACRE THE NYMPHS NOW!!!¡± Silence ensued as no roar of affirmation was heard. Hercule: ¡°ANSWER ME!¡± Under the veil of darkness, Aegina escaped from Hercule and dashed behind a stunning man with his emerald colored eyes and jet black hair. A sense of security exuded the man, and she instinctively knew she could trust him due to her own connection with Apollo. Apollo¡¯s power flowed through this young man, and she made the instant link to his being a conductor. Despite Erebia¡¯s powerful darkness, Hercule¡¯s power, granted by Ares, forcefully ripped the darkness apart. A normal human would have been trapped in darkness for years! Once the dark veil lifted, Hercule could only glare at Itsuki. In his rage, he began to roar like a beast. Itsuki: "Your tigers are dead." Hercule: ¡°YOU killed them? Impossible! I can snap you like a twig!¡± Itsuki: ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself to a muscle headed idiot like you. Believe what you want. Your tigers aren¡¯t coming, and it¡¯s your turn next.¡± After speaking those words, Itsuki slashed at Aegina, removing the chains that bound and restricted her movements. Hercule grabbed his axe, and their fight began. Girls POV Polly: ¡°Phew. I¡¯m tired. I didn¡¯t realize picking open so many locks would be so exhausting.¡± Eulina: ¡°I think we released like 100 nymphs already. Are we finished yet Eryth?¡± Eryth: ¡°I don¡¯t see or sense mama¡­she has golden hair just like me because she¡¯s the leader. Hey, do any of you guys know where she is?¡± Nymph A: ¡°We tried to buy her time, but she got captured by that muscle guy. He threatened her using us as hostages, and he was definitely heading towards the golden apple grove.¡± Nymph B: ¡°If he gets into that grove, what if he chops down the tree? That¡¯s a scary thought!¡± Nymph C: ¡°Wait, if you can¡¯t sense her, then maybe she activated Erebia? That veil of darkness is really intense, so it blocks out the people around it.¡± Eryth: ¡°You must be right¡­Oh! I can feel her again! Doesn¡¯t that mean it has been dispelled? That¡¯s crazy!¡± Clash clash Boom. The sounds of fighting could be heard clearly due to the intensity. Nymph D: ¡°Somebody seems to be fighting that muscle guy. Is it the one you talked about Eryth?¡± Eryth: ¡°Yea! Itsuki is right now! He defeated all the tigers to keep us safe, and he¡¯s now fighting Hercule to buy us time.¡± Veri: ¡°We need to go to him now.¡± Polly: ¡°Hm? Are you worried Veri? Itsuki is strong! He beat the tigers so fast. I thought I was picking locks as fast as I could, but he reached Hercule even quicker than that.¡± Eulina: ¡°I understand going one on one against such an opponent is difficult after fighting a huge number of tigers, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the issue you¡¯re worried about is it Veri?¡± Veri: ¡°Talk as we move.¡± The group of girls and nymphs began to run to the sound of fighting. Meanwhile, Veri explained her fear. Veri: ¡°Other than the strength, speed, and instinct that I spent half a year cultivating in Itsuki, he has a trump card. You know which one right?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Polly: ¡°Um, I believe it was the Rhythm Break skill. Reading the opponent¡¯s rhythm and throwing it off and all that right?¡± Veri: ¡°Correct. That one. He¡¯s spent the most time practicing that one. However, Ares and his chosen fight without thinking and without pattern. This is where the difficulty lies. They have no pattern to find. Instead, they fight like berserkers who charge recklessly without fear of death. Ares grants them that berserker status along with incredible vitality and strength, causing them to be like tanks of war. That move won''t work on them. I''m afraid it could put Itsuki into a dire situation¡± Eulina: ¡°So Itsuki might be in trouble then¡­We need to hurry!¡± Veri: ¡°I hope, no I know he¡¯s resourceful enough to survive. Itsuki, hang on.¡± Itsuki¡¯s POV After arriving at the golden apple grove entrance, I see a muscular giant of a man with a petite girl that looked around 12 years old. Her slender body with long golden hair reminded me of Eryth. The girl chanted something, and a shroud of darkness appeared around the muscular man, and she ran to me and hid. After trading a few barbs with Hercule, I destroyed the chains binding the young golden haired girl. Itsuki: ¡°Hm, your golden hair, might you be the leader of the Hesperides?¡± Aegina: ¡°Ah yes, I am. My name is Aegina. Thank you for saving me, Conductor of Apollo.¡± Itsuki: ¡°Huh? You can tell?¡± Aegina: ¡°The Hesperides are linked closely to the god Apollo in the first place. Thus, we can easily detect your blessing.¡± Itsuki: ¡°I see. We¡¯ll talk later. Hide yourself so you don¡¯t get caught up in the fight. ¡° Aegina: ¡°Ah! I understand. Excuse me then.¡± She trotted away, leaving Itsuki to face Hercule. After both sides grabbed for their weapon, they accelerated towards each other. Hercule took a wide swing and smashed downwards at Itsuki. Itsuki immediately invoked glissando steps and dodged the swing with his slippery footwork. When the axe met the ground, a shockwave was released, forcing Itsuki to take another step back. Where Itsuki¡¯s body used to be, a crater resulted. Hercule: ¡°Stop scurrying like a rat. Take my axe like a man!¡± Itsuki: ¡°Screw that. I don¡¯t want to get hit by that.¡± Activating his best skill Rhythm Break, Itsuki began to use his speed to overwhelm Hercule. Slash after slash rained down on him, as Itsuki began to read Hercule¡¯s rhythm. Each slash had enough force to kill a C ranked beast, but it was completely ineffective against Hercule. Thanks to Ares¡¯s blessing, Hercule¡¯s increased strength and vitality were at a monstrous level. Itsuki: ¡°I knew he would be tough, but this is ridiculous!¡± Hercule: ¡°Come! My blood boils for a fight. You¡¯re not bad for such a scrawny punk.¡± Hercule retaliated with slashes of his own, but Itsuki¡¯s speed allowed him to dodge every one. However, a look of confusion appeared on Itsuki¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t read Hercule¡¯s rhythm¡­rather it was more like the man¡¯s every move was incomprehensible. Erratic to say the least. Hercule: ¡°Haha¡­I can tell. You¡¯re trying to read my movements. USELESS. Do you not realize the full extent of Ares¡¯s blessing? I become more beast-like! Power, speed, and best of all instinct. What pattern do you think I follow? None. I just need to crush you somehow or another. Based on instinct alone, I can attack you any way possible.¡± Damnit. If I can¡¯t grasp his rhythm, rhythm break is useless. Not only that, but his instinct is similar to my own ability of reading the rhythm of the opponent. Just, in this battle, I can¡¯t read a damn thing, but he can easily react. I guess speed is my best chance. At that moment, Itsuki dashed towards Hercule and activated another skill, Clavichord. Since Hercule is using a huge battleaxe, his ability to respond to quick attacks should be considerably low. Aiming two simultaneous hi-low slashes at Hercule¡¯s neck and stomach, Itsuki launched his skill. As expected, Hercule blocked the strike to the neck, and the strike to the stomach hit its mark. However, a fierce grin appeared on Hercule¡¯s face. Hercule: ¡°Your specialty is speed right? Hehe, I wonder, where can you go if your weapon is stuck?¡± Itsuki: ¡°What the!¡± Itsuki¡¯s sword indeed pierced Hercule¡¯s stomach, but it was now stuck there. Through sheer contraction of his stomach muscles, Hercule trapped Itsuki¡¯s blade, and he was now primed for a counterattack. Letting go of the sword, Itsuki jumped backwards just in time to avoid the brunt of his axe. However, the little bit of force that did reach him propelled him 15 feet away against a tree. Immense pain ensued in Itsuki, as he coughed up some blood. Hercule pulled out Itsuki¡¯s sword and threw it to the side. Hercule: ¡°Hahaha, not bad. Without a sword though, you can¡¯t do anything. Now, stay still so I can kill you as revenge for my dear tigers.¡± Damn that hurt. However, I won¡¯t lose yet. I refuse to lose to this bastard. I still have a weapon. Itsuki switched to Pizzicato form and equipped his bow. Pouring as much vitality he had left into his arrow, it began to glow golden. Itsuki quickly aimed and fired it at the surprised Hercule. Hercule: ¡°What, he can use a bow too? HAHA Tenacious brat.¡± Moving his axe to block the incoming arrow, Hercule was completely confident of his victory. However, the moment the arrow met his axe, a surprising event occurred. The huge amount of vitality poured into the arrow had enough force to shatter Hercule¡¯s axe. Hercule, now weaponless, was excited. Hercule: ¡°You can fire such a strong arrow? Yes¡­YES. This is what I¡¯ve been wanting! A battle to the death with a worthy opponent! HAHAHAHAHA. Good¡­Good! Keep entertaining me more!¡± Ares spoke to Ares mentally: ¡°Hercule, stop what you¡¯re doing and go collect the demon tigers I got for you. Time to start the war on the Baroque Kingdom.¡± Hercule froze as Ares began to speak to him. Itsuki, however, was confused as to why Hercule suddenly stopped talking and stood in place. Hercule responded: ¡°Aw man. I just found a fun opponent. Sigh. Got it.¡± Hercules: ¡°Well, battle¡¯s over kid. I¡¯ve got work to do. Hehe I know! Tell you what, go to the Baroque Kingdom. We¡¯ll have our rematch then. Better be there kid! You¡¯ve got my blood boiling for the first time in years hahahaha.¡± With his last words said, Hercules ran off, leaving Itsuki dumbfounded and relieved at the conclusion of this battle. Falling onto his butt, Itsuki leaned against the tree that supported him quite exhausted. Tears of frustration streamed down his face, as he knew that this match was his loss, and he swore to get stronger for the next fight. Aegina, seeing his frustration, walked over to him and hugged him while thanking him for saving her family¡¯s lives. She could feel how anguished he was from losing, yet he failed to realize what he was able to accomplish. Without his assistance, the Hesperides would be no more than slaves, and the glorious apple grove would be reduced to nothing. Thus, she sought to comfort him, this young man who confronted such a dangerous foe for their sake. Once he finally calmed down, Itsuki realized that he was being hugged by Aegina, but he decided to just let it be for a little while longer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, that''s Itsuki''s first sorta loss. Everybody needs to lose at some point right? Well, he''ll get a chance for revenge later. Hope you all liked this chapter. By the way, anyone watch Gate? This past week''s episode played Ride of the Valkyries hahahahaha. Good stuff. Apologies I was afraid that this would happen, but I''m sad it did. I started writing this fiction after finishing a chemotherapy regimen, thinking that I would be finished with it all. However, the news I just got was that I need another round. I got way too exhausted after undergoing one, so having another one is a bit heart-breaking. I won''t have the drive to continue writing, as I''ll just be recuperating and feeling like crap. I''m really sorry to anyone who enjoyed the work so far. If I was able to give you a few chapters to enjoy, then I am satisfied. Again, I am sorry about this, and thank you for all the support til now.