Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Dreams Are Made Of This

The world was always in danger.

It was a truly terrifying statement, but nonetheless true: at any point in time, there was a high chance that something dangerous was threatening a part of the world.

Fortunately, the very soul of the world knew of this, and while it could not prevent the upsurge of evil, it could give those who lived within the very tools they needed to fight it. Every threat to the world was eventually met by someone that could face and defeat it.

Many, along the years, had been the ones to wield such power, helping those in need and stopping whoever threatened peace.

And, in this time where the sword was slowly replaced by the gun, where magical mechanisms were created and could take the role of horses and where walled cities grew out of their bounds, those who fought against the threats still existed.

The most common were those who people called “adventurers”. Be it by their training, by pure luck of the draw or by strong-headed determination, these people took to the roads and the cities to seek tasks that people needed help with. Whether it were packs of wolves that became too destructive or people who murdered others and managed to escape, the adventurers were prepared to handle them, sometimes for their own wish to do good, others because of the chance to gain coin and glory.

Above them stood Heroes. Usually adventurers that had managed to defeat threats normally beyond their ken, they gained a greater understanding of their skills, becoming more powerful in consequence, and turned their abilities towards finding terrible secrets, doing their best to stop potential wars or ending great curses upon the land.

And, to the Heroes as the Heroes were to the adventurers... was the Knight.

Leader in war and peace. Protector of the world. Heir of the legacy that was said to become directly from the gods themselves. Host of power that made the mightiest archmage in the world become green with jealousy. The Knight was the one children all over the world dreamed to become – and only one appeared in every generation.

But a Knight's mere existence was a double-edged sword for those who knew the truth.

Because, yes, they had power and skill that none but other Knights could understand, and their presence led to the forging of alliances and the making of peace. The Knight truly served as the lighthouse that showed everyone the path they ought to follow, and led the fight and channeled the spirit of those who did good through righteous fury.

But, at the same time... the Knight only appeared when the danger that threatened the world was so great that only one with such great power could halt it. The Knight had managed to save the world every time the world was in need of him – but those who knew the truth always feared that, at one point, the Knight might actually fail in their fated quest.

In spite of the name, the Knight was not one person nor held the rank commonly known as 'knight'. The Knight could be male or female, young or old, a warrior or a scholar: the important thing was that they would end up becoming what the world needed at the time. Eight generations had passed since the last turn that had made the world what it was now, and eight Knights had appeared to become the ones that would prevent the triumph of evil.

The First was called Ernst, and came from the lands of Allema. The one that gave the Knights their name by being a recently knighted warrior, he had taken up his new role when fiends started to appear in greater numbers. He managed to gather a group of brave crusaders willing to support him in his task – and had discovered that the demons were trying to create a rip that would directly connect the heart of the Abyss, the Outer Plane they came from, with the heart of Allema, allowing them to expand their taint among the mortals. The First Crusaders had warred them and prevented the ritual.

From further east came Según. Boisterous, charming, deft with a sword and with a pistol, he had surged into fame as an adventurer who had stopped several murder attempts – only to become the Second Knight when the murder attempts were found to be connected to a warlock's nefarious ritual. And then, it turned out that the warlock was but part of a world-wide cult that sought the return of an ancient, evil god of madness by ritually assassinating people. The fight led him and his friends to the ruins of a city, where they found the terrible leader of the cult, empowered by its god to levels common mortals could not hope to reach on their own, and finally slew him under a thunderstorm.

The Third could be no more different than the first two Knights: a gentle witch scholar by the name of Miku who lived in the Academy of Magic of Edo, she had been suddenly thrust into her role when the Queen of Orrion began to plot how to plunge the entire world into an eternal winter, one where she and those she so desired would rule over the masses. The young Miku had left her studies as an untested witch who had barely left the confines of home and academy in her twenty years of life – but by the time the Winter Queen was met in battle, it was by a hardened veteran with great knowledge of magic and the ability to blast her enemies with nary a thought while empowering her allies.

Three decades and a half later, out of Orrion itself came Ceatru. Red haired, always smiling, crook in hand and an eagle on his shoulder, she claimed she was a warrior of nature, and that bond with animal and plant served her well when she became the Fourth Knight. The blight of crops and the finding of animals deceased for no actual reason in Orrion caused the discovery of a mad king and his cabal of wizards: Mad Tiera desired to ensure his country would be the only one to exist, so he had ordered such dearth to kill all other nations by hunger, upon which moment he would send his armies to conquer everything in sight. Tiera would die when Ceatru grew a large tree around him, trapping the man, and later Ceatru used her power to bring new growth to the lands killed by the wizards.

Pyotr, a bald Dolarran priest of cold Novigor, had seen his village destroyed by the Steeltooth Army, a marauding army of all sorts of creatures led by a terrible orc whose patron had turned into a beast never seen in the world. Upon his ascension to become the Fifth Knight, he had followed the Steeltooth Army, rescued the survivors of their attacks and sought nearby nations to lend their aid in stopping the threat. Soon, the survivors had forged an army capable of whittling away the strength of the Steeltooth Army with the wrath of justice, until the Beast and his generals faced Pyotr and his friends: with what some called the intervention of Dolarra, the Beast was smote from the face of the world, and his army either died or surrendered.

From the western deserts came Alsadis. Armed with a scimitar and powers beget upon her by her god and wearing a cowl that covered her hair, Alsadis was quite the mysterious woman, but had the charisma to make others forget that part of her – and that charisma became important when she sought out people that could help her, the Sixth Knight, stop a threat in the form of a being made of living sand, who wanted to expand the desert it lived in by drowning entire towns in sand. The army she forged had to fight through a sandstorm to reach the creature's core, and they were forced to send a firestorm against it to stop it forever.

Eria was the homeland of Nana, a member of one of its cities' guard, and had never dealt with anything worse than a couple of thieves, living with her husband and child... until a grinning killer attempted to stab her son in the middle of the night. She managed to force it to run away... and shortly thereafter, made it her mission to go after the killer: Kashikoi the Smiler, a being that had, for some reason, decided to murder all the children in the world. Fighting him had been a terrible ordeal, taking her and those who joined her through many a horrible situation that would have left most people gibbering in fear – until she finally managed to find where the monstrous entity holed itself up whenever he was not out trying to kill children: forcing a way through a dimensional gate into its lair, she single-handedly turned it into a lake of ichor and unleashed her fury upon the monster, destroying it and ensuring it would never return.

And the last, but not the least, was the Eighth. Yagi, a man who, much like Según, had become an adventurer, but in his case it was because he liked to see the smiles on the people when he helped them. A good man, by any measure. Perhaps not the sharpest, but certainly intelligent and capable. It had only been pure chance that had let to an encounter with a feared necromancer by the name Subeteno Tameni, and luck that had allowed him to survive, becoming a Knight. But that had not stopped Yagi from tailing the necromancer, finding information and building himself up, and then, just as Subeteno attempted to turn an entire city into his undead minions, giving him almost unlimited levels of power, he struck, disrupting his plans and finishing him.

Two decades and a half had passed since Yagi achieved his monumental task. Unfortunately, the passing of time had been unyielding, and every Knight had grown old and died. The only one that still remained alive, still 'fighting the good fight', was the Eighth Knight, and he had started to slow down in his self-appointed quest, as even the great powers bestowed onto him upon his ascension were just enough to allow him to keep up with the younger generations.

A new threat was now arising. A threat so great, that it would require the awakening of the Ninth. The new Knight had to learn of the true role they held in the world, step forward to fulfill a destiny unknown, full of risk and danger... yet rewarding in the end, should they carry out their expected role.

And, as many other things in the world, it started with a dream. But not any normal dream: this was a prophetic dream.

For, hidden from the people, existed the ones that were the stewards of those that granted the Knights their power. The process was always the same. One of them had a dream. Should the dream be considered truthful, then the one who had the dream would become the one that sought the Knight. They would become the Knight's companion, and the bond between them would make them close as the Knight learned.

This time was not different from any of the previous ones. And, after twenty five years, a steward had had a dream. That steward was now ready to go out and find the Knight. And the Knight's life was going to change forever...

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

The dark sky, illuminated briefly by a flash of lightning, before thunder shook their world...

The raindrops bouncing off a lance that was made of a material that could boast of being the strongest that could be found anywhere...

The clamour of battle, as magic flew across the field and a sword engraved with lightning and a dragon crossguard, clashed against another with a skull in one side and a hand in the other...

Those beautiful green eyes that normally looked up in wonder and admiration, now gazing in the distance while a wild fire rages behind them...

That face looking at her from above, his green hair tangled in her hands while his smile threatened to blind her as...

The chirp of the birds flying outside filtered through her ears and woke her up. She would have loved to ignore the feeling, but as light entered through her lair's opening to nature, she realized that it was wishful thinking to believe she would be able to sleep any more.

Shaking her head to get rid of its mental cobwebs, she stretched out her body to get rid of the kinks and cricks that had accumulated during the night: even when she slept in her most comfortable position, there was still something she needed to work out before she could start her day.

Finally standing up, and lamenting the fact that she had to leave her bed, she shook herself off again and went about carrying her morning rituals, looking around the place she lived in.

It was, she told herself, quite the nice den. It was quite wide, luminous without being too open to the elements, just dry enough to avert the problem with mildew without being too dry. Her future had definitely been in her mind when she found this place, and also when she had used magic to secure it while ensuring it would be a comfortable place for its future guest. Plus, its very location had become part of the security features she had had in mind – because, what protection could be better than simply ensuring no one knew where it was?

Of course, it was somewhat lonely in exchange. There were inhabited places close enough that she could reach them within the day and return, but for the most part she lived alone, and she admitted that she sometimes missed the sound of other people being nearby.

Today, though, was the day she knew things would change.

I will finally meet my Knight! she thought, giddily, as she thought of the dregs of her dream she could cling to. My Knight. How will it be, when he finally is here? When we finally train together? When we finally share this den?

Any woman of a young age might have blushed at the thought of sharing such intimate space with a young man, particularly one she felt attracted to. The possibilities, the certainties, could leave them stuttering and unable or unwilling to say what they truly meant.

She was far more than any woman. Her main thought about the future was her hopes that he would take well to the revelation of his fate – and that he would like her den.

She wondered if it was usual to be like this about someone she actually did not know... but, to be honest, she did not care much about it.

It was not important. The important thing was that he would be finally here. Like she had dreamt of two months before. Herself and her Knight – a young man with eyes the color of a forest in spring and hair like darkgrass, with a wiry frame that hid a strong body – fighting against the minions of someone who could, somehow, destroy things with a mere touch. Him with the lance, the longsword and the shield, her with her own weapons and her magic, working together to force their enemies to back off or die.

But, at the same time, she saw times where the two just... spent their time together. Training. Talking. Reading. Watching the sun rising. And... so many things! So many possibilities, him and her together.

And the one that most interested her now... today. Her dream had told her how he would meet him today. There were parts that she disliked, but she knew she had to carry them out as seen. Sadly, she had not been able to see every detail of the event: while she knew where to go and what to do, a good part of her first encounter with her Knight, she had not seen the moment she would actually meet him.

To be honest to herself... she wanted him. Not just as her Knight. She wanted him to be hers, and her to be his.

It would not even be the first time such thing had happened between a Knight and their companion.

The best example was, without a doubt, Fuuta. He had been famed for his intelligence, his ability to comprehend and apply all knowledge he came across... and for his lack of skill when he needed to speak with others. He was the one people asked when they had doubts, but they did so reluctantly, because he was quite dour.

Then, he had the Knight dream: he became the Third Knight's companion.

At the beginning, the sudden changes to their lives had been too much of a swerve: Miku had just been pulled out of the life she had known for years, and the pressure of her new role as would-be savior of the world put a lot of weight on her thin shoulders, and Fuuta was completely out of his depth in his new position as the young Knight's companion and teacher.

The clashes in personality between the two of them had been quite epic, or so she had been told. If there was a matter they had different opinions with, they were bound to verbally fight with each other for hours.

But, eventually, that which could have separated them had eventually become what kept them together. Their love of knowledge had given them outlets to their feelings without arguing. Battle had forged their links with each other. Time spent together, alone or with Miku's allies, had allowed them to realize that there was more to each other than they had thought. And, eventually, one of them had made the first step.

By the time the group assaulted the Witch Queen's castle and put an end to her plots, Miku and Fuuta were all but married to each other. Their wedding took place some time afterward, and soon they were forming a family. Several children came from them, and even as their watch over the world continued, they took care of their own, grew old together and lived happily until the end of their days. Their numerous descendants were still around, making their mark in the world, and liked to tell the tale of how their ancestors met each other.

That.. that was the kind of thing she wanted. Her Knight and her, always together...

But that was for the future.

Today, she had to take the first step.

One last check around told her that everything was in its right place. Her Knight's rooms were ready, the pantry well supplied, even the flowers to give the place a nice smell... it was finally the time.

She stepped out of her den and into the open terrace she liked to use for this, transformed into her draconic form, and with a whip of her wings, she took off for the town where her Knight awaited.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

Her destination was close, barely an hour of flight away from her den, and even then it took her less than the norm to reach it.

Musutafu. A town with a few hundred inhabitants, dedicated, mostly, to rice farming and animal husbandry. One of many towns that ended up supplying Edo with the foodstuffs they needed. Just a few kilometers away from the capital, the trade allowed them to be relatively prosperous, which showed in how the town's houses were well built and taken care of. She wished she could have scouted the place before, back when she had her dream, but she knew she would have been unable to resist seeking her Knight before the time came: this would be the first time she saw Musutafu in person.

As she approached, she sought the air currents and overflew the town, giving out a roar to attract their attention: from her vantage point, she could easily see the people looking up and hear several screams of panic. She doubted any of them had seen a dragon in decades, so she supposed it was understandable. Even the best of dragons could be quite prone to being slightly prone towards anger when their pride was insulted, and she knew she was not immune to this.

That did not mean she could not enjoy the moment for a while: it was rare that she had the chance to show off, and this was a good moment to do so, since she knew it would add to her message to the people on the ground. Control over her internal magic allowed her to breathe out several lightnings in quick succession, making herself look more fearsome with the weapon that would have fried whichever hapless creature she was facing, and finally she landed right outside the town, calling out the town's inhabitants with a powerful roar.

She did not have to wait long before a group of them walked the distance from the town to where she was. She internally applauded their bravery: few people would be willing to approach an angry dragon, one who could easily destroy the town if she felt like it. Not that she would, of course. One of them, whom she assumed was the town's leader, stepped forward, trembling like a leaf.

“N-noble dragon,” he spoke. “Why do you come to our town, so angry? Nothing has been done in this town that could merit the anger of your people. We hold nothing of value here, beyond our stock and our crops, and we live in peace.”

“I dare say you do have things of worth in your town,” she replied, her tone clearly brooking no chance of denial and showing that she was in control of the situation, but controlling it to prevent herself from sounding like a monster. “One of your own must be brought here before the sun is at its highest point, or else you shall regret the consequences.”

She disliked the most obvious way her words could be interpreted, but she knew it was the one thing that would ensure she would achieve her objective. It was not as if she was lying when she said that: without her Knight coming with her, the world would suffer from not having her Knight ready to fight the evil that was to come.

As she waited, she wondered what would happen. Would her Knight choose to sacrifice himself, to save the people from the wrath of a dragon? It would certainly with his role as the shield of the innocent, as the one that fought for the helpless.

She did not have to wait for long until a figure came out, and as she looked she thought something strange was happening. For starters, the man walking up to her had short, spiky blond hair and red eyes, very much unlike the fluffy forest green of her dreams. He was also carrying a large lump over his right shoulder, which she could not identify.

“There you have it! You get what you want, and we get rid of useless Deku!” the blond shouted when he was just a few meters, throwing the lump to the ground and beginning to turn around.

Her attention, though was on the lump – which, much to her horror, was a person.

A person with the green hair she had seen so many times in the past month.

My Knight, she thought, knowing that she could only recognize him because of the hair, for his face was covered in clear signs of having received a recent beating. His eyes were closed and starting to swell, his nose was broken and bleeding, and she could hear his wheezing as he tried to breathe.

The guilty party was clear.

After all, she could easily see and smell the bloodied knuckles on the blond's hands.

Before he could get away with his crime, she reached out and grabbed him with her claw, bringing him closer to her mouth.

“Explain to me his state. Right. NOW,” she raged, sparks flaring out of her mouth as her control slipped. The sight of her Knight so grievously wounded, in clear pain and probably on the verge of unconsciousness was pushing her into punishing the knave, especially since it was obvious he had not even the honor of allowing her Knight to even defend himself.

“Why the fuck do you even care? It's not as if he's complaining about it!” the knave said, clearly unconcerned by his proximity to a mouth full of lightning that could also eat him alive at once, as he turned to her injured Knight. “Oi, Deku! You sure you don't wanna stay here as a waste of space instead of letting this thing eat you?”

All she could hear in the silence that followed was a pained mumble that almost broke her heart.

“There you have it! If he didn't want to go, he would be complaining now! Just take him away and leave us the fuck alone!”

A small part of her wondered if this knave was suicidally brave or just wanted to die, because he should already know that angering a dragon was considered in many places to be a form of suicide. The larger part of herself was concentrated in not blasting him with her most potent lightning, and only her own oaths and her morality kept her from frying him until he was crunchy.

After several moments of glaring at the completely clueless knave, she took another gaze at her Knight – Deku? It clearly could not be his name, particularly since the knave had clearly used it as an insult, even if it might evoke, in some way, a can-do-it attitude – and knew she had to act soon in order to heal him. It was when she noticed his legs – or, rather, his leg, for he was missing his left – that she made up her mind.

“You better hope I do not return, or else you might find yourself quite... unlucky,” she growled in his face before throwing him a good distance away, breathing just enough lightning at him to hurt the knave enough that it would serve as a painful reminder of what might happen to him if he kept with that attitude. As he ran away as best as he could, she carefully took her Knight between her front paws and took flight in order to return to her lair.

“Dra... gon...” she heard her Knight say, weakly, and as she picked up her speed she brought him closer to her, protecting him from the intense winds that were blowing around herself. She knew that every second could be vital if she wanted to heal him, and the sooner she reached her lair the better for both of them.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

For Izuku, son of Hisashi and Inko, life had certainly not been the best. There had been good moments, but in the past years the bad had started to overwhelm the good.

As far as Izuku could remember, the three had lived in the town of Musutafu. His father's job as Musutafu's blacksmith had ensured they had a good living, and the lands Inko had inherited from her parents, while small, ensured they would always have rice and vegetables available for their nourishment. It had been a happy life, where they were content with what they had as they shared out their work with others in town.

It was when Izuku turned ten that everything started to go downhill for the three of them.

First, there was an accident at Hisashi's smithy: Hisashi had suffered injuries, but the worst was that the smithy had been completely lost. The loss was terribly felt for everyone, as the smithy was the only one in hours, apart from what existed in Edo, and the expense of rebuilding it from the ground up was too high for them to be able to carry it out.

A year later, while he was helping his mother in the field, a horse got spooked and kicked Izuku in the leg. The strength behind the kick was such that the only way to save him had been to amputate the leg under the knee: ever since, Izuku had to use a crutch and a peg leg to be able to walk. While he could still aid his mother in the farm, it was a much harder task than usual.

War had come later, and Hisashi had been called to work for the army as a blacksmith. Misfortune came, though, as the army's camp was suddenly attacked while the army itself was away, and everyone within was brutally killed: they could not even recover Hisashi's body for burial, as the attackers had also torched the camp and burned all the bodies together.

Inko had not allowed the horrible news detract her from continuing to take care of Izuku, however. The two had cried and healed together, and slowly they had managed to return to as normal a life as one could have. It was hard, for even with the aid of their friends the sowing and reaping of the crops was difficult, but it was still a good life as mother and son took care of each other.

But then, when Izuku was fifteen, Inko died in her sleep. An affliction of the heart, it was said. No matter the cause, though, the result was the same: Izuku was now alone in the world, a lame boy that was not even an adult yet, whose only means of living now involved hours of back-breaking work he was just able to do when his parents lived. Now, he was expected to do it all on his own – and, slowly, those who had helped them in the past had stopped coming.

The worst of all, was the one person that he had hoped to have at his side, but instead turned on him: Katsuki.

When they were young, the two of them had been the best of friends. Their parents oft joked that they were attached at the hip, considering that they spent all their free time together, playing and imagining what they could be when they became older. Katsuki liked to imagine becoming the next Knight, and Izuku would usually play one of his companions as the two fought evil.

All of it had changed when they were ten. Around the same time his father's smithy burned down in ruins, Katsuki had started to change. He would make up excuses about having to help his mother or his father when Izuku went to ask if he wanted to play. If Izuku made a suggestion or had an idea, he would make an angry retort or would sarcastically answer to shoot it down. After his leg was amputated, he only came twice, and that was because his parents had come as well.

Any pretense of friendship that may have still remained in the following years completely vanished in the aftermath of his mother's death. It had been four years since that happened, and since then Katsuki had started to act rougher: insulting Izuku, throwing him to the ground if they crossed paths, tripping him if he was trying to pass by... and, later, even going as far as beating him. As far as Izuku could tell, he was just doing it for his own pleasure: the only other reason he could think of, running him out of town just so Katsuki could take Izuku's farm, probably wasn't the real one, seeing that Katsuki barely mentioned it in his tirades.

And to think, that Katsuki still claimed he could be the greatest Knight to ever live if he was ever chosen... Izuku knew that, should he somehow become a Knight, all of the others would be rolling in their graves over the insult.

Today had been the final straw: a creature had come in flying and landed nearby – a metallic dragon, apparently. The elders had gone to talk with the creature and then they had returned, mentioning that the dragon had demanded someone to be brought out for it.

He had not even thought about it. No words, not even his usual drivel. Katsuki had just tackled him and beaten him up to drag him out. He did not even know what else happened: he could barely remember the feeling of being thrown to the ground, falling face up... and then the feeling of flight as he fell unconscious.

As he came to wakefulness once more, there were many signs that he was clearly no more in his home town.

The first, that he was in the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in. His hands were touching not the coarse burlap his straw bed was covered with, but a soft fabric that slipped under his fingers and a mattress that might have been filled with feathers.

Next was the sound. Or, rather, the lack of it. In his home, even in the dead of the night, there would always be some noise: cows and sheep settling in to sleep, wild animals in the distance or the wind blowing through the trees were usual companions of his sleep. But, here, the only thing his ears caught was total silence.

And then, as he breathed, smell came through. The fields and farms of Musutafu were now missing from the air. Instead, it was the smell of dust, coming straight from a broken rock, slightly humid... and cooking? Someone was cooking nearby? Quite nearby, in fact. And... it actually smelled like pork. Could almost feel in in his tongue, in fact. How long had it been since he had last had his mother's katsudon?

He wanted to open his eyes and see if he could actually find the source of such a delicious smell, but it was... almost painful. He was so tired that he could barely move a muscle beyond the fingers, and he groaned as he tried to move, summoning his strength to push away the sheets and move to the side of the bed, but it was hard.

He did hear steps coming, just as he finally opened his eyes, only to have to close them again as the light blinded him.

“Oh, you're awake!” someone said, from slightly away. A female voice? And a fairly young one, at that. Not that he could tell, since he could not see the person who had spoken. This time, he opened his eyes slower, allowing the light in to get accostumed to it, and he could see he was... in a cave? He could see the rocky walls, that had a rough touch to them yet were smooth enough that things could be hung from them, like that torch that burned brightly to one side. A small wardrobe stood in front of him, as well as a table. It was quite bare, but still homey.

Then, the door in front of the torch opened, and he was left speechless.

Musutafu, like any other town large enough, had a number of pretty girls living within, attracting the sight of men and boys alike. None of them had ever had a will to talk to Deku, the cripple orphan, much less a word for someone who was alone in the world.

But, the girl... no, the woman now walking up to him... every other girl paled before her beauty, for, if they were stars, she had to be the sun itself. Long, lustrous brown hair, shining eyes of an earthy brown that felt alive like nature itself, a wide smile that showed unbounded joy...

Oh my goodness, she's so beautiful, he thought... or, at least, he thought he thought.

“Thank you,” she said, her smile somehow becoming a tad shinier, and he grimaced at realizing he had said it aloud. At least, she did not seem to take it badly, since she just walked to the bed and sat on the edge. “I'm glad you woke up, I was quite worried. After what that brute did to you, I had feared you would be too badly injured to wake up soon.”

Izuku smiled back, before he started to look around.

“Well... I guess I have to thank you. So... who are you? And where are we?”

“You can call me Ochako, and this is my lair. And I just made breakfast. Will you join me?”

“Oh. Eh.” When was the last time anyone had invited him? “Sure. If you don't mind. I am Izuku. At your service, m'lady.”

That seemed to amuse the woman, much to his confusion.

“We'll talk about that, alright?” she said, gently patting his leg. “Are you in any pain? I healed you the best I could, but I am not sure if it was enough.”

“I... think so, yes. Nothing hurts, and...” Izuku trawled, before realizing that Ochako still had her hand on his leg.

His left leg. The one he had lost eight years before. The one that had been broken by a spooked horse. The main obstacle to his existence for nearly half of his life. It was... it was back. He could move his toes. He could put his feet together. He could... he could walk again.

He pulled off the sheet off himself – Ochako having had the presence of mind to stand up and allow him to do that – and there it was.

“How... how...” he managed to stutter.

“Magic can do a lot of things, and even in this age and time, it is amazing,” she replied, her smile turning gentle and encouraging. “Do you think you'll be able to come with me? Breakfast is getting cold, after all.”

Izuku nodded, unable to speak, and with her encouragement and support he managed to slowly stand up, revelling on a feeling he had not had since he was eleven, and allowed her to guide him outside the room.

That was how Izuku, unknowingly, gave his first steps as the Ninth Knight.

Soon, there would be more things to consider.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2
I Had So Much To Give You, So Many Things To Tell You

Following Ochako, Izuku was soon bursting with questions to ask of the pretty lady who had managed to heal him. Who she was, how had she brought him here, where had she learned the magic needed to do this... he had many questions at the tip of his tongue, but he held them all back.

For one, he did not want to anger her. Sure, she was really nice, but she was clearly powerful, and the last thing he needed was to make her angry and use her power against him. She had also healed him, which granted her a lot of respect from him, and his mother had also taught him to respect other people until they proved they did not deserve it.

Another thing that kept him from talking was that he was taking in on the cave Ochako had called her den. In spite of what such word might bring to mind, it was spacious, well illuminated, clean and well structured, if quite bare in decoration. In fact, he could tell that most of it had not formed naturally, rather being excavated by a large creature or with magic. Whoever had done this – Ochako, clearly – was very good at the job.

The third and last thing that kept him from speaking too much was... well... he was hungry, and Ochako had prepared what amounted to be a small feast, just for the two of them. And it was all delicious: tasting a bit of everything had left him almost drowning

He was glad to see her also eating with gusto and without prompting. Apart from the fact that he would have felt really awkward if she had made it all for him – after so long on his own, he was used to cooking for himself - he would not have been able to eat everything she had made. And one thing he hated was to see food being wasted.

Finally, after both were done with eating, they took the dishes to the sink and – much to his surprise – began to wash them with water from a small fountain that was on top of the sink.

“Where do you get the water?” he asked.

“Magic,” she replied, grinning. “A friend of mine makes special magical objects, and she gave me a special jarafe that creates water. I keep a deposit filled and if there is not much water I just can refill it. Meaning, that don't worry about using too much water when you take a rain bath.”

“That sounds good,” Izuku said, wondering – but guessing – what a 'rain bath' was. “So... do you think we could talk about... why I am here? And how did I come here?”

“There are many things to talk about, and I guess it will take long... but we ought to begin talking about it, indeed. But, the easy question first. I brought you here. And before you ask how, I am stronger than I look like.”

“You can do magic, I guess you are. But... I remember a dragon at our town. How did you...”

“That's part of the harder questions. I can answer now, or later when we are more comfortable.”

“I guess... it can wait.”

“Not for long, though. We're all but finished with the dishes,” Ochako replied, as the last of the dirty dishes was washed up and put out to dry. “We'll be better at the common room, I think.”

“It is your place, so you're probably right,” Izuku said, and Ochako smiled.

It dawned on him how strange this was. He had never been good at talking with girls, but, somehow, he felt so at ease with this woman that he talked without a stutter or getting nervous at all. Well, not too nervous – it would be impossible not to be nervous near someone like her. But, as long as he did not think too hard on everything about her, he should be alright. He let her guide him to the common room, a room in front of an unlit chimney with several comfortable looking seats, covered in a green cloth Izuku could guess was different from the one in the bed he had woken up in.

Ochako took him to the largest of the seats, and decided to sit next to him, much to his surprise. That was a lot closer than she had been while eating earlier. He struggled to keep the blood from rushing to his face. He was not sure if he had succeeded.

“Well, time for questions. You wanted to know about the dragon that came to your town, right? It's me.”

Izuku blinked.

“What.”

“I know it sounds strange, but... it's the truth. I am part of a people that can transform between dragon and human forms at will.”

“Is it uncomfortable to change?”

“No. It's... it's like changing clothes. But faster.”

“Wow. It must be so awesome.”

“It was difficult, but I got used to it. I'll take you for a flight later, if you want. You can ride me, if you want,” Ochako said, winking. She became surprised by Izuku's lack of reaction to what had been quite the obvious insinuation, but chose to let it go and find out why later: from what little she could tell, she suspected he probably did not have any experience with women.

Such an innocent boy... Hmm, maybe I'll be able to give him that experience, she happily told herself. That would have to wait for the future, though. There would be time for pleasure later: today, it was about introducing Izuku to his new role.

“You are taking it quite in stride,” Ochako said.

“I know there's a lot of strange things in the world that none in my town has seen... and you healed me. You don't seem to be the type to lie.”

At least he does appear to believe. I will have to teach him to be a bit less trusting of others, though: being too naive can be as bad as being too untrusting.

“Where are we? You did mention that this was your den, but nothing else.”

“Correct. This is – or, rather, was – a cave, an hour of flight away from Musutafu. Probably about... forty kilometers, I think.”

“I... I've never been so far away from my home,” Izuku mumbled, although Ochako heard it perfectly. “It would take me days to make it that far.”

“I'd be happy to take you back if you want me to,” she replied.

“No... not right now. I... none of them tried to help me after Bakugo turned on me.”

“Bakugo... is that the idiotic knave that attacked you and brought you out to me?”

“Yes. Once, we were friends, but nine years ago he just... decided he did not want to be seen with me any more. I tried to ask him, but he always blew me off.”

A knave, and a traitor... truly, the crimes of this Bakugo against my Knight grow by the moment.

“Is there something wrong?” Izuku asked.

“No, why?”

“You had this scary face on. Your pupils actually became like a dragon's. I think.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I was just angry. But it's a minor thing, unimportant.”

Izuku was not sure if he actually believed that, but chose to accept it and move on.

“So... I know who you are, I know where I am... but why did you bring me here?”

“That's.. a bit of a big question, and there's other things I need to ask you about before. What do you know about Knights?”

Izuku's eyes started to shine like a star, or at least so it seemed to Ochako, who could easily tell that this was something he liked to talk about.

“Oh, a lot! They are the most powerful heroes in the world, and they usually appear whenever there's a great threat coming! They find other heroes to help them, because even with all their power they always need help, and they grow in strength quickly because they need to ensure that evil does not grow out of control, and there's always a fated final battle between them and the leader of evil. And... well, my dad once told me they would ride... dragons.”

Ochako smiled.

“That last part is not something everybody knows. How did you find out?”

“Dad... he told me that his grandfather had been one of Knight Nana's companions. He was a blacksmith who had also learned how to fight as a soldier. He actually met his wife during their adventures.”

“Really? I didn't know that. I suppose I should be thankful to Knight Nana for more reasons, then?”

“What? I mean, why?”

“Haven't you figured out yet, Izuku?”

“Do you... want my help to find the Knight? To be their ally?”

She mentally rolled her eyes. She was not sure if it was because of lack of confidence, if he was being deliberately obtuse or something else: she suspected it was the former reason, as losing a leg probably had not done much for his ability to accept his own worth.

“No. You are my Knight.”

Izuku... blinked. Ochako could actually feel the shock she had just given him: she could even hear something grinding behind those beautiful green eyes of his, as he tried to comprehend something that he probably had never expected to hear. Still, she quite liked the face he was making: a confused Izuku looked really cute.

“What.”

He... he had to have heard wrong. There was no way she had said what he thought she just had said. Him, Musutafu's cripple boy, as a Knight? Alright, he was not a cripple anymore, thanks to Ochako, but he knew nothing about fighting, or using weapons, or magic, or any of the hundreds of things a Knight was supposed to do! All he knew was how to take care of the fields and farm animals and hobble with his crutches.

“I... you... I...”

“Izuku... I know you heard me correctly. Don't make me repeat myself.”

“But... it doesn't make sense!”

“Why? Why do you claim it doesn't make sense?”

“Because... I'm not a warrior! I'm a farmer. And barely one, because I had to struggle a lot every day to keep everything running! I never learned how to fight, because I didn't have a leg so I couldn't even grab a sword like the others did! I don't know magic, or how to lead, or how to talk with important people, or, or–”

Ochako put a finger on his lips, preventing him from continuing his short tirade-slash-mumbling, and he immediately blushed at the feeling.

“In first place, I will not allow anyone, not even you, to badmouth my Knight. Understood?” Izuku nodded slowly, and Ochako smiled again. “Good. In the second place, I will not have you imply that I am wrong about such an important matter. I will accept opinions, criticisms, suggestions and other things... but do not believe, for any reason or moment, that I am wrong about you being my Knight. You will not like my response.”

He might have said something about it... if it were not for the fact that Ochako, who did not seem that threatening at first, could be a very scary woman – one who was powerful enough to easily restore his leg and with the kind of quiet confidence that proved she did not need to boast about her skills: she instead just proved that she was what she was. She proceeded to take her finger away.

“I know how you feel. You think that, just because of what your life was before, you are... unworthy, perhaps?”

Izuku, applying his earthly wisdom, decided to nod slowly again instead of sharing what he was actually thinking.

“Well, you are lucky, because it's not a matter of whether you feel worthy or not. It's a matter of being worthy. And I assure you, you are worthy.”

“Really?”

“Hmm-mm. You see, my people have known how to find Knights since they began to exist, and it was me that found you were the Ninth. You might think that it might have been better if, instead of you, it were a cavalier or a mage, just like some of the previous Knights were when they were found... but you must know one thing. The strength of the body and the strength of the mind can be trained, but the strength of the soul, the most important thing, that's something that is inborn. The one who has the determination to carry out their task, the drive to excel, the compassion to protect the weak, the ability to lead people... that's you, Izuku. And me? I am going to be here the entire time. I'm going to help you gain the strength you need to be the best Knight you can be, and you and I and everyone else we can find are then going out there and kick evil's ass.”

There were several motives why Izuku was blushing harder than ever as she finished.

The first, Ochako's intensity as she spoke. He suspected that her eyes – yes, her pupils were dragon-like – could illuminate an entire room all by themselves, so hard they were shining, and he could almost see a golden aura surrounding her in the process.

The second, that in her excitement she had become even closer than she had been before. In fact, that any girl had been: she was now straddling his lap, her nose nearly touching his, her mouth so close to his that he could actually feel her breath on his face. Minty, probably from her tea.

And that was combined with the third reason: Ochako was beautiful, but seeing her this close, he could actually see her beauty in greater detail. Apart from her shining rich earth brown eyes, he noticed her slightly rosy cheeks, a couple of freckles that gave her a touch of youthfulness, her cute nose...

She leaned back, and the spell was broken, but Ochako did not lose her smile, even as it turned slightly amused. He saw her eyes quickly looking down before returning to his face.

“Sorry, I got too enthusiastic, it happens sometimes,” she said, standing up and turning around. Izuku closed his eyes in an attempt to will his natural reaction down, while, unknown to him, Ochako was blushing as well.

Oh, my, that was quite... unexpected. Still, to blush like a maiden just because this! Granted, I am a maiden, but you would think I know nothing about the act to react in this way! Though, at least it confirms that he is attracted...

She was grinning as her blush finally vanished and she turned around. Izuku still had a bit of a blush, but appeared to have recovered from the little incident.

“Do you understand now? Why you are here?” she asked, softly.

“Yes, I do,” Izuku answered, and then he stood up. He had not noticed it before, but Ochako was slightly shorter than him. At least, in her human form: in her dragon form, she obviously towered over him. “Can... can we begin? I don't know a thing about how to fight.”

“Of course!” her smile almost shone. She gently took his hand and started to drag him. “In first place, you are going to learn the basics.”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

“You said the basics... I really did not expect something this basic,” Izuku said as he wrapped the strap around his hand, following Ochako's directions.

“Hand in hand fighting is how humanity first learned to fight against an enemy,” Ochako pointed out, her hands already prepared. “Even nowadays, there are people who fight like this against all sorts of monsters. Sure, they manage to infuse their inner force into their fists and legs, but they do quite the good job.”

“I had heard of monks that learned how to fight like that, but I wasn't sure if it was real.”

“They exist. Now, I am going to teach you how to move in a fight. It's going to take quite a lot of work, because you need to re-learn how to move without a crutch. Your balance, your feet, your arms... everything needs to change. First, I'll show you the moves, and then you will repeat them. When I am certain that you have them down, we'll make a practice fight – that's what the handwraps are for. Don't worry about injuries, we do have magic.”

“So... what's first?”

For the next hour, Ochako started to show some of the basic movements she knew, making Izuku do them. Every time he made a mistake, she was quick to show him where his mistake was, sometimes doing it by moving a leg or arm with her own, causing him to blush slightly. Fortunately, while his body was unused to the feeling of positioning itself in such ways, it was an easy task to learn. He actually felt well as he got used to his new balance, as if his body knew it had returned to normality and quickly remembered it.

The actual fighting part was a bit more suspect, because, obviously, he had never done anything similar before. However, Ochako was a very good teacher, and he managed to do several moves quick enough that she praised him, even though he was still far from being good.

That was proven when, in the afternoon, they finally had their first fight.

Less than ten seconds later, he was hitting the floor.

“Ouch,” he groaned, slightly dizzy; he had managed to somehow dodge the first blow – mostly because she had made it too obvious – but she had dodged his clumsy grab and the next two punches had hit him in the shoulder and chest, before a tackle sent him to the ground.

“Are you fine?” Ochako asked, crouching next to him.

“Yes, it was painful, but not much. You didn't hit as hard as you could.”

“My Knight, if I had hit you as hard as I could, you would not be on the floor, but on the wall. I would have then spent hours trying to heal you.”

“Thank you, then,” he replied, turning to move onto his knees and then stand up. “Let's try again.”

The second time was a bit better: fifteen seconds. And he actually almost touched her shoulder.

The third is only three seconds, but that was because he had tried to outright tackle her and she had easily dodged him before tripping him.

The rest of the afternoon went on like that. The most he managed to last was just half a minute, and he had only touched her in fight three times, none of them causing any actual harm.

“You're learning fast, Izuku,” Ochako said as she helped him to the rain-bath. “You are getting better at dodging.”

“Could have gone better,” he replied.

“Everybody begins as a novice. It's going to take some time before you are actually good.”

“I know that. Ugh,” he grumpled as he felt one of his bruises flare up.

“Get in there and relax, because after supper we are going to see to magic.”

“You mean... I can do magic?”

“Well, of course! I do not know what type of magic you ought to be good with, but usually there's a good overlap between fighting skills and magic power. Now, get in there, clothes off and enjoy!”

Izuku smiled at Ochako as he trudged into the bathroom, slowly pulling off the training clothes Ochako had provided him for the day, and wincing as he noted the different bruises that had formed during the training. Some of those attacks had hurt.

At least, the method to control the rain-bath was quite straightforward. One knob controlled the temperature, the other how much water came out. It actually felt relaxing to feel the water flow down his body, as he considered what might happen in their magic lesson.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

She had underestimated the effect having him this close would have in her.

She had, at least, managed to control herself from doing more than some light touching under the pretext of examining the injuries she had caused.

It did make her wonder how foolish the women of Musutafu had to be, to ignore her Knight's worth as a potential lover. His sweet personality, his will to work hard and the lean, strong figure he had gained from working at the farm made him quite the nice package, in her opinion.

She would have to make sure not to scare him, though. When he fell in love with her – and she was sure it would happen: she had seen flashes of him doing marvelous things to and with her – she wanted it to happen naturally, because he wanted, not because he might feel forced to for the sake of her prophetic dream.

Ignoring the sounds of the rain-bath as Izuku cleaned up, she checked her pantry and decided to begin making supper. Had she had some time, she could have tried to make those sweet rice cakes she had found once, during her explorations of Nihon: she would make them some other day. She picked several vegetables, rice and the required instruments and pots, and started to work on cutting up and preparing the rice.

“Hey. Is there anything I can do?” Izuku asked as he found her mid-work with oiling a pan to stir-fry the vegetables.

“Yes. Could you pick up the dishes and cutlery and place them on the table? This should be ready soon,” she replied as she made sure not to burn the food. Izuku quickly grabbed what he had been asked to, and checked the rice without any prompting from Ochako, who looked at him.

“I have been living on my own for quite a while, I know my way around cooking,” he explained, picking up a wooden spoon and getting a few grains out of the pot, he ate them, noting the texture and taste. “They still need a bit more at the fire.”

“I might have to ask you to make me some food in the future, if you are good at it,” she said, smiling.

“Well, of course. I'd be bored if you did all the cooking, and to be honest it would not feel right.”

“You like cooking?”

“It's one of the few things I could do at home. I had enough food from my farm, and it wasn't as if people came to ask if I wanted to have supper with them, so...”

Ochako chose not to let him know how little she was thinking of the people of Musutafu now. They would ignore this sweet young man just for not having a leg? Well, their loss, her gain.

Instead, she just worked on supper, which was ready soon thereafter. The two enjoyed the simple yet delicious dish, as Izuku asked Ochako about her family and what she had learned: her education had been quite extensive and comprehensive, covering many matters and including the art of magic, leaving Izuku in wonder at how intelligent she was, which left Ochako somewhat bashful and surprised that he was making her feel bashful.

Finally, supper was finished, dishes were cleaned and set to dry, and Ochako took Izuku to the common room. To both his relief and disappointment, this time she picked a seat so she could face him.

“Now, Izuku... what do you know about magic?”

“That it can do things normal people can't?” Izuku said, making Ochako giggle.

“True, but incomplete. You see, many have tried to describe what magic is, but I like to consider it a... way to impose your will on the world. However, it's not easy, because your skill with magic is going to be limited by your own power and by the world itself. However, with time people have managed to develop ways to channel their power – that's spells. The way they are used can change between different people, though: while a wizard studies and memorizes an exact pattern of movements, words and foci that they have developed to cast a spell-”

“Foci?” Izuku interrupted.

“Something that can be used to channel the spell. While wizards do that, sorcerers, in exchange, know this in a more instinctive way, as if the spell were engraved in their own minds. This is both a blessing and a curse for them, for, while the magic that is an innate part of them allows them to cast more magic every day, the way they learn spells limits their repertoire, as opposed to the wizard, who can decide which spells they will memorize for the day.”

“So, that means that people either have access to many spells but can only use a few of them, or they only know a few spells but can use them a lot of times?”

“Pretty much. Another matter of importance is where this power comes from, as there are several of them. There's the arcane, which is the magic inherent in the people. The divine, the magic that comes from faith and the gods. The occult, which is the magic that comes from the unknown. And the primal, that which lives in nature, in the cycle of life. At the end of the day, it produces similar results, but that does have importance in how it is channeled and the effects it may produce.”

“If I can do magic... where would it come from?”

“I'd say either the divine or the occult. The primal would have awakened, since you have lived close to nature your entire life, and the arcane usually shows clear signs at some point in youth. But don't worry too much for the moment – we will find out soon what kind of magic you can do. Now, a person who can do magic cannot access all the magic it can do from the beginning. Usually, they begin by learning small spells that, by virtue of the low power they carry, can be used as many times as one wants. Spells with a greater power are limited in how many times they can be used in a day, and normally require some kind of... ceremony or event to recover.”

“And I guess that the more powerful the spell the less you can cast them every day.”

“Precisely. Now, I am going to show you a spell. Pretty much every person capable of doing magic knows how to use it because how useful it is. Different people have given it different names, but the most common is Light.”

“I'm assuming that it creates a light that is under your control.”

“Almost,” she admitted with a smile. “It actually turns an object into a lantern. The effects lasts for a short time, but as it is one of those small spells, you can use it as many times as you want. Watch this.”

Ochako grabbed a pebble that lined the small table next to her and made a series of hand movements and soft spoken words over it before touching the pebble with a fingertip. Immediately, the pebble began to shine like a torch, nearly blinding Izuku from the brightness.

“Ow, that was intense,” he replied, blinking and averting his gaze.

“I did tell you about the light, my Knight.”

“I did not expect it to be that intense.”

“Now you know. Also, this makes it very useful when you are exploring caves. You can just pick up a pebble, light it and throw it to illuminate a section of the cave that is away or to check how deep a hole in the ground is. There are more powerful versions of this spell, but all of them require some experience. Now, you try it. Just think to make something shine and... do what instinct tells you.”

Izuku picked up another pebble and thought about what could make it shine like a torch. He knew, of course, how light could be made – he had lit plenty of fires in his life – but here that approach was not going to work. Now, he needed this to shine on its own without a combustible. It had to be like a torch or a lantern, capable of shining on its own. As if it were a star, or the sun. As...

“Shine, shine, small star, light the night and shine far,” he whispered, touching the pebble...

… and the pebble lighted up.

“Great!” Ochako said, jumping up and hugging him, shocking him out of his meditative state as he felt her arms around his neck and shoulders.

The pebble, meanwhile, fell to the floor and rolled under the couch he was sitting on.

“Mind not giving me shocks like that, Ochako?”

“Oh, sorry, I was just so happy to see that you could do magic that I could barely hold back. It was also quite the curious chant.”

“It... was something my mom sang to help me sleep when I was a toddler. After my father died... I used it to help her sleep,” he replied, his eyes downcast at the memory of his mother: even four years after having to bury her, it still hurt like a dagger to the heart.

“Sorry. I... I wish I could have met her.”

“I think she would have liked you.”

Ochako cuddled him for a moment, hoping to console him (but not being above letting her fingers through her Knight's fluffy hair) before she finally let go of him.

“Alright, that was a fine first spell. Now, let's continue. There's a lot you need to learn, and the sooner everything is done, the better.”

“Yeah. What else can you show me.”

“Good question. The answer is many, many things.”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

Two weeks later...

They were finally ready.

As much as Ochako would have liked to be with Izuku alone, she knew that time was a precious resource, and they could not spend any more than what was strictly necessary to get her Knight up to task.

At least, all that time had been very well spent. Izuku, surprisingly, had taken to fighting quite well. Not that he could now outmatch every warrior on the planet, but with either sword and shield or greatsword he could fight and defend himself quite well.

Magic had been a different issue: Izuku had proven himself capable with some of the small spells, but anything more powerful than that was still beyond him. He had been quite downcast, but she thought that it was simply a matter of working on it. He had described it as if there were a wall preventing him from reaching out: perhaps there was some kind of threshold he had to surpass before he could gain that power.

They would have to find on the way.

“Are you ready?” Izuku asked her.

“Yes.”

“It's going to be a long week.” They were going to go to Edo's Magical Academy, to check if there were any magic wielders willing to join them in their quest. On the way, they would train by fighting any magical creature or bandit that attacked them. And, if they found any other potential partner on the way, all the better.

“But completely worth it.”

Izuku approached her and looked around what had been their abode in the past weeks, sighing.

“I am going to miss this place.”

“Me too. But we'll return.”

Ochako lit up the wards that would protect her lair while the two were away, and soon the Knight and the Dragon made their way down the mountain.

The first step to save the world.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3
The Language of Angels

After two weeks in Ochako's lovely cave, returning to the outside for longer than a couple of hours was a great change for Izuku. In a way, he welcomed it. Getting too used to the comforts of the place would not aid him much, as he was going to have to do much work in the field as a Knight (something he was still thinking he was dreaming about).

That did not mean that he would not miss the lair, with its comfortable beds, its relaxing baths, its furniture and its cooking space.

Fortunately, the company more than made up for it. Ochako was as jolly as ever as they walked under the canopy of the forest trees in the morning of their third day of their travel to Edo. Being sad was almost impossible when she was near, and somehow the energy she emitted spread out to him as they made their way north-east.

“Look there, there are two squirrels running!” she said with child-like wonder. Let it not be said that dragons were serious, humorless individuals. Also, seeing squirrels run along the branches was surprisingly entertaining.

“It's spring, looks like they are doing their courting,” Izuku replied. “The female's the one that picks who is their mate, incidentally.”

Ochako smirked, and she was glad that her Knight could not see her face because she knew it looked kind of diabolical. He had just given her another idea. She approached him, turning her smile to be more innocent-like, and turned around to look at him.

“Sooo... if it were you, would you do the chasing or would the girl have to chase you?”

Much to her delight, her Knight went fire red, which she would forever swear was such a cute sight she struggled not to grab him and put his head on her bosom.

“I, er, I, I don't, I, er...”

“Come on, don't be shy, my Knight! Almost every girl in the world will want to have you for themselves when they realize the Ninth Knight is such a good and adorable man!”

Not that I will let them get too close, though. If a girl tries to steal my Knight she's going to get shocked.

Izuku's mouth seemed to be stuck in a grimace that was somewhere between screaming and just asking what kind of crazy world he had just dropped in.

Maaaaaaybe I went a bit too far?

She caressed his face and carefully forced it into its normal position, tapping his nose.

“No need to answer if you don't know what to say, Izuku. Just a bit of teasing, and also something for you to think about. Are you alright?”

“...ased...”

“Pardon?”

Izuku finally shook his head, clearly trying to also shake off his shame, and he smiled at Ochako, perhaps slightly forced, but genuine enough to show her that he was not angry.

“Oh, fine, I'm fine. Let's keep going, we're not going to reach Edo if we stay here!” he said brightly as he restarted the march. Ochako knew he was just trying to dodge the question – not that he had managed to completely mask his answer there, thanks to her fine hearing – but she decided to let it lay.

She would have to find a way to boost both his confidence and his ability to resist seduction. At least, seduction by other females. She could not have him falter the moment he was out of his comfort zone, nor get a mental block the moment an attractive woman – and there were bound to be several of those among those they would fight, evil was not restricted to the male half of sentience after all – complimented him or showed off her figure.

She quickly paced up to Izuku and decided to ask about what he knew of nature – which actually seemed to be a lot. While he had lived in the town for his entire life, his mother had quite the varied knowledge about the forest and its animals and had strived to pass it onto him. It made her wish even more she could have known Inko: she had had to be an extraordinary woman to raise Izuku to be such a good man.

Their talk did, nonetheless, keep them cheered up and moving at a relatively quick pace: the light load they were carrying, the good temperature and the relative lack of obstacles made it quite the good situation for walking.

It still made her wonder how Izuku was so easily keeping up with her without any obvious signs of tiredness. She thought that it may have been a consequence of having to work on his farm on his own while lamed, but she was not sure.

Medicine was not exactly her forte, even if she had studied some to learn how to heal people.

Her musings on what her Knight was capable of doing were cut-off when they heard a scream somewhere off to their right: they were immediately on guard, with Izuku pulling out the longsword Ochako had gifted him while she brought her quarterstaff.

“Looks like someone needs help,” Ochako said, starting to run towards the scream.

“Sí, puede que los estén atacando unos bandidos.”

Ochako almost tripped over a root after she heard Izuku speak. That was most certainly not the language they had been speaking until five seconds before.

“¡Ochako! ¿Estás bien?” Izuku asked, worried.

“Eh, sí, no te preocupes, ha sido un tropiezo,” she answered in the same language, noticing that Izuku's eyes were giving out an emerald shine. She would have to talk with him later, but she was starting to guess what kind of power he could have gained from becoming the Ninth Knight. “¡Venga, vamos!”

“Espero no llegar tarde...” Izuku mumbled. Ochako could tell that Izuku did not even realize that he was suddenly not speaking Nihongese. She would definitely have to mention this to him.

It took a few seconds for them to reach the place the scream had come from: an open carriage that was surrounded by twelve misshapen creatures that looked like dogs walking on their hind legs, with humanoid-like hands that carried axes and cudgels. Within the carriage stood two men and a woman, who were fending them off as best as they could, but they were heavily outnumbered and could barely prevent them from getting too close.

“Parecen inugamis, pero algo los ha cambiado,” Ochako said, identifying the creatures in spite of their strange aspect. “No son difíciles de derrotar uno a uno, pero se les da bien el combate en manada.”

“¡Hay que atraer su atención!”

One of the inugamis took advantage of a moment of distraction to jump into the carriage and attack with its cudgel, hitting one of the men – the blond one – in the shoulder, only to be punched in the snout by the woman, who seemed to be grinning in spite of her current situation.

“Shota, come on, this is fun! These guys go down with one attack!”

“Don't underestimate them, Emi, they are many and tougher than they look like,” the second man – this one black-haired – replied as he grabbed two of the creatures that had come too close and crashed their heads together.

“¡Eh, vosotros! ¡Venid a por mí si os atrevéis!” Izuku shouted, his eyes shining again while he hit one of the creatures with the flat of the blade: they had been so distracted with the 'easy' prey in front of them that it had been unable to hear him until he shouted. Meanwhile, Ochako pulled out her staff and used it to cast a basic blessing that should give herself, Izuku and the people in the carriage a small boost in their fighting power: the staff in hand was also ready to be used for debilitating strikes on any inugami that attempted to attack her.

Several of the creatures turned around, clearly believing they had found easier victims than the three in the carriage, but the blond man – his eyes covered with a pair of darkened glasses – smirked.

“Cover your ears, kids!” he shouted. His two companions cringed as he clenched his fist, began to sing in a language Ochako could not understand... and then opened his fist.

BANG!

A explosion shook the section where most of the inugamis were, causing them to howl in pain as their sensitive ears took on most of the burst of sound and, as they attempted to cover them, they dropped their weapons. Izuku slammed another inugami, causing it to fall unconscious, while Ochako did the same with the one she had aimed for earlier. The dark-haired man and the woman managed to knock out some of those who had been unaffected by the previous spell, leaving eight standing.

The last inugami to remain unstunned managed to tackle the woman and tried to bring its axe down on her, but a rapid kick to the face by the dark-haired man temporarily prevented that, and the woman let out a flurry of punches into its gut, until it, too, was left unconscious.

Izuku and Ochako struck the stunned creatures, sending two into the realm of dreams, but one of them, recovering from the spell, tried to bite Ochako, who found herself in bad position to block the attack.

“¡A mí! ¡Atácame a mí!” Izuku shouted, his eyes shining once more. Suddenly, the inugami shuddered before turning on the spot and trying to attack Izuku instead. Izuku managed to parry its jaws, but the next to attack him bit his left arm, causing him to hiss in pain, averting the next attack by pure chance. Ochako had gained enough time thanks to Izuku's action, which allowed her to present her quarterstaff and force the other two inugami back. The one that had bit Izuku got killed by an expert blade being thrown at its chest, while the one that had attempted to attack Ochako started to look around in confusion as the blond man continued to sing.

The few remaining inugamis, clearly noting that they had lost the advantage, decided to take off, leaving their fallen behind, which was something Ochako thought was quite curious: inugamis were pack creatures, and usually they would do their best to help any fellows that could not fight to get away when the need came. It reinforced her belief that these inugamis had been changed in some way, and not a good one, either for them or for anyone that could not control them.

As they winded down, the dark-haired man threw the unconscious inugami that had attacked his partner out of the carriage, while the woman jumped off and trotted up to them.

“Hey, kids! How are you two? Any injuries?”

“¿Perdón? No la entiendo,” Izuku asked, sheathing his sword before wincing at the injury he had in his arm. Ochako held it in her hands and observed the injury.

“Tranquilo, mi Caballero. La herida no es profunda,” she said, whispering a spell to cure the light wound. This would also take care of any possible infection the creature might have passed, fortunately: inugamis did not carry any venom in their teeth, but better safe than sorry.

“Gracias, Ochako, eres the best,” he replied, now fully out of his battle trance and thus capable of understanding people that did not speak the same language he had before.

“Well, looks like you two are fine already. Let me check on my boys and then we can talk about what we can do for you,” the woman – who had a strangely intense aquamarine tone of hair – said, smiling, as she went back to the two men, who were now doing their best to repair what damage the canids had done to the carriage and the mechanical horses.

“Izuku, I think I have figured out some of your power. Do you remember what we talked about the first day you came, how people could draw power from different sources and in different ways?”

“Yes. Did I... did I call to one of them?”

“Yes, you did. Have you ever heard about oracles?” Izuku shook his head, so she continued. “Sorcerers can draw power from their blood, from their ancestry, and that allows them to perform certain kinds of magic. Oracles are similar to them in that they can memorize spells permanently, but instead they draw such power from the divine. This allows them to access special powers that are inherent in the form the divine inspiration takes, but, at the same time, they also suffer from what may be called a curse.”

“A... a curse?” he whispered, scared.

“Yes, although, fortunately, yours is relatively benign. ¿Entiendes lo que digo?”

“Claro que sí, ¿por qué no iba a en... what was that?”

“You have the Curse of Tongues, my dear Knight. You are cursed with being able to only speak and understand one language while you are involved in actual conflict. However, as you grow in power, this translates into you being able to understand every language at any moment, as well as speak them while outside of battle. I'd say that this ought to be very useful to find friends to support you.”

“It... it was like... I didn't even notice that I was speaking something else,” Izuku said. “It felt like I had spoken it my entire life, but I'm sure I've never used it before.”

“That was the language of angels, Izuku. Or Celestial, as the erudites like to call it. I'm glad I also know how to speak it.” She lightly caressed his cheek. “Otherwise it would be a mess to try to understand you while in a fight.”

“Yeah, probably,” he replied, giving a shaky smile. “And, hey, I just did my first hero thing.”

“You did. See? I told you you were worthy. And you even cast a spell when that inugami tried to attack me – you compelled it to attack you instead. There's no need to do that, I can take care of myself.”

“I know. But... I owe you so much already, I might spend my entire life paying you back.”

“That's an idea,” Ochako replied. Before Izuku could answer, someone cleared their throat near them, and the two turned to see the three they had helped standing just away from them.

“This is illogical behaviour. You should have already started to move if you want to reach your destination as soon as possible,” the dark-haired man said, his face showing clear signs of not having slept enough in a long time.

“Hey, Shouta, don't worry! I don't think letting the two lovebirds have a little nice talk is going to set them off their schedule!” the woman stated, pulling him closer and kissing him in the cheek. Now that the battle had ended, Ochako checked their clothing: all of them wore clothes that were stylish yet practical enough for long travels, which she guessed was because they probably were experienced adventurers or even heroes. The woman wore a dark blue shirt and striped aquamarine and orange trousers, while the two men chose to wear all black, with the blond man's clothes somehow shining under the sun that filtered through the forest canopy.

“So, we must thank you for your aid!” the blond man stated. “What are your names, young adventurers?”

“I am Izuku.”

“My name is Ochako.”

“Nice to meet the three of you! My name is Hizashi Yamada, and these are my good friends Shota and Emi Fukuzawa!”

Izuku looked at the other two in the group.

“So, you two are-”

“Married!” Emi exclaimed, grinning as she hooked her arm around Shota. “He looks like a grumpy man, and he is, but behind it all is a heart made of solid gold! Not actual gold, you understand, so don't think you can steal his heart and sell it.”

“Emi,” Shota grumbled, with all the feeling of a man that had probably seen and heard the same thing happen many times. Emi kissed him on the cheek as he gazed at Izuku and Ochako. “Thank you for your aid. Where are you going right now?”

“We seek Edo's Magical Academy for potential partners,” Ochako replied.

“You are in luck! Precisely, we are going there as well!” Hizashi stated. “Would you be interested in sharing our carriage with us? We should be there in a day and a half!”

“That fast? Those mechanical horses must be very good,” Izuku said, pointing at the horse-like automatons that pulled the carriage.

“The best from House Hatsume. It was actually built by their youngest scion, a prodigy in all senses.”

“Well, if you are offering... why not?” Ochako said, accepting the offer.

“Great! The more companions, the better! We'll also be able to provide you with all our hard-earned wisdom on the way, if you are willing to listen to a bunch of old guys like us,” Emi stated, her smile just as shining as before.

The carriage was as fast as it promised to be, and with Hizashi at the reins to make sure to direct the mechanical horses, the married couple turned to the young duo that had helped them. Danger – for the moment – behind them, the back of the carriage loaded with those weapons taken from the inugamis that were still useful, they could now check on their new companions.

The green-haired boy, Izuku, was dressed in an interesting combination: a forest green vest over a white shirt, dark blue trousers and a pair of – yes – red shoes, with a one stripe haversack to the back and a hand-and-a-half sword hanging from his belt. He had shown himself to be quite proficient with the use of the weapon, although his age and actual skill level showed: if Shota were a betting man, he would put his money on Izuku learning how to wield such a weapon little more than a month or two before.

As for the girl, Ochako, she wore a simple white robe that was somewhat adjusted to her body, with a long brown cape hanging from her shoulders, a pair of long dark-red boots on her feet and a backpack now lying on her lap. Her quarterstaff was well made and had been perfectly capable of knocking the inugami around, and she had proven able of using divine magic: probably a cleric, although he was not sure what god or goddess she could be praying to. However, there was something else to this girl, something... hidden to the naked eye. Talking about eye, the girl's was definitely strange, but he could not put his finger on what made it so strange.

“Soooo... we know you are going to the Academy, who are you going to meet?”

“We... don't know. We are hoping to find someone that may be willing to join our party,” Ochako replied to Emi's question. “It's actually the first time we are going there, so we are not sure of what to expect from the Academy and its students.”

“Depends on what you are seeking and your luck,” Shota stated. “Many there are irrationally convinced that they can take on anything that tries to face them even when they are just beginners in the art of magic. Some are smarter and understand that the world within the Academy's walls is much different than that outside of them. And there's everything in between. If you find someone, you would do well to make sure they understand the difference and are willing to learn more.”

“Do you know any of them?”

“No. But I have friends there, I'm sure one of them will be willing to help you,” Hizashi stated from the front seat. “They have so many students that I am sure several may be capable of filling the role in your party.”

“Any help you can give us would be welcome, thank you,” Izuku stated.

“How long have you been using that sword, kid?” Shota suddenly asked.

“Just... ten days. I was learning how to fight for a week before picking a weapon and feeling this one fit me best. And this was my first serious fight.”

Shota's eyebrow rose on its own as he mentally revised his opinion of the young man in front of him. Only seventeen days learning how to fight, and he could do what he did? Not a prodigy, by any extent, but he did seem to learn quickly. If he was saying the truth, that is.

“I can give you some tips on sword fighting later, when we stop for the night. If you are interested, of course.”

“Anything that helps me grow and learn is welcome, sir.”

“Good. Remember this, kid: the moment you stop learning is the moment you start dying. Always keep attentive to any lesson you might learn and any information that you might hear, you never know when it could become useful.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Oh, stop it with the 'sir', kid! It's not like we're your actual mentors or something! Same goes for you, Ochako! How good are you with divine magic, then? I saw you throw out a blessing! And you, don't think I'll ignore that little spell you did to force the inugami to go after you!”

“I, eh, don't even know what I did there,” Izuku stated. “It just... came to me, all of a sudden.”

“Indeed? Hm, not the most common thing to see,” Shota said. “I heard you talking in a completely different language, and I could tell you were confused when my wife spoke with you earlier. Am I right in guessing you have the powers of an oracle?”

“Erm... yes?”

“You would do well in trying to explore the limits of the power you have gained. Knowing your limits will be the best way to know how to expand them. There are advisors in the Academy that might be willing to aid you, but if you manage to find your own path, it will probably work better for you.”

“I'll do that.”

“As for me, I am not a novice in the art of divine magic, but unfortunately the greater mysteries are still beyond my reach,” Ochako replied to Emi's previous question. “I am hoping that working alongside Izuku will help me achieve that honor.”

“You will have a lot of hard work before you,” Shota warned her, and Ochako shook her head.

“I know that, but I am not afraid of hard work. I have to do this if I want to ensure Izuku and I keep up.”

Shota looked at her for a moment, before nodding once.

“You have potential. Don't waste it.”

“I won't.”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

As Hizashi had promised, the travel to Edo had only taken a day and a half, meaning that they arrived to the capital city with the crescent moon over their heads illuminating the path they were following: the city itself was illuminated with great torches that, according to Hizashi, had been subjected to magic spells that ensured it would burn always without requiring any kind of fuel.

For Izuku, who had always lived in a town, the sight was amazing.

The walls were taller than any tree he had ever seen in the forests nearby Musutafu or the one he had come through to reach this place, maybe the height of ten men put one on top of the other. And, beyond that, there were even taller buildings sticking out, crowned with inclined roofs of blue and red tiles or with small gardens that gave a touch of nature in between the urban grounds.

Approaching the gates had been a bit of a shaky moment, since neither he nor Ochako had anything to prove their identity, but fortunately Hizashi carried papers that gave him and his companions leave to enter the city at any time. They were all inspected for potentially troubling elements, but apart from that – and after warning them against acting against they law – the gates opened.

Even at this time of the night, there were hundreds of people running about the paved streets: guards making their rounds, young men and women bringing messages to one or another person, those who returned home after a long day at work, a few who had imbibed perhaps too much alcohol and were being taken back by their slightly less drunk companions... it was the largest city in the entire country, and it showed in every corner as the carriage made its way through the streets.

“As it is obvious you do not have any plans on where to sleep, I don't think you'll be opposed to take a room in the Academy's guest wing? They do not get many use at this time of the year, and they'll be quite glad to have more people within. And knowing them as I do, they might even show you some of their best students to give them some actual experience,” Hizashi explained, now sitting in front of them as Shota took the reins.

“Really? Why? We're just two people seeking companions, nothing else,” Izuku stated.

“Well, for starters, we can tell that there's a lot more to the two of you than just a pair of adventurers,” Emi replied, turning to Izuku. “Let's call it... a hunch, if you will, but you have proven to be an interesting conundrum, because your skills are quite good, perhaps too good for someone who claims to have been learning the art of the sword for just a week and a half, specially combined with the oracular power you were showing yesterday. And you, young lady... those pretty eyes of yours are quite interesting. With a form that we could call... draconian, maybe?”

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. Ochako was better at controlling her knee-jerk response to the statement, but it was clear they somehow knew the truth about the two of them.

“Fret not, we won't be selling you out, nor reveal your secret,” Shota said from the front seat. “If you have been called to arms, it is clear the world is in danger, and you need all the help you can get. We may not be able to join you, but that does not mean we cannot use what we know to support you.”

“How... how did you...” Izuku stammered.

“We know certain people of importance, young adventurer,” Hizashi replied, winking. “We were too young to fight alongside them at the critical moment, of course, but rest assured that we have helped them from time to time in the last few years. I am not sure if they are there right now, but should they be, I'm sure they'll be glad to meet you.”

Oh my Gods, the Eighth and his Dragon may be here, this is so cool, I could meet Yagi and ask him how he fought that necromancer and how he got so strong, I could get tips on using magic and on how to become a Knight and how to deal with all those enemies he fought and-

“Izuku, you're mumbling,” Ochako said, smiling and lightly shaking him out of his personal cavilations. He blinked, and blushed at the fact that he had, once again, muttered out what he believed he was just thinking.

“Don't worry, kid. I've seen worse things, and cheering at the idea of meeting your personal hero is not a bad thing,” Emi said. “His partner may be more of a sourpuss than my husband there, but he is quite the nice man. He'll probably end up crossing paths with you eventually, because he's bound to want to meet his successor and teach you what he can, even if your fighting styles are quite different.”

“How... how does he fight?”

“From what I could tell, he's never been one for using weapons when he can punch or wrestle his way through most obstacles, and if that's not enough he can boost his attacks with magic. It is an interesting thing to see – he can send people flying or make his target burst in flames with one punch.”

“Wow, he is even stronger than I thought,” Izuku said, his eyes shining, and Ochako grinned. She loved it when he was so enthusiastic about something. The shine in his eyes... it reminded her of her dreams.

“Ah! We are approaching the Academy!” Hizashi exclaimed. Izuku and Ochako looked beyond, and what they saw was magnificent.

The Magical Academy of Edo was the main institution of magical learning in the entire country and probably of the region, and was thus one of the biggest buildings in the nation, only behind some like the Imperial Palace. The central building was a former castle that had been granted to a number of wizards and sorcerers many centuries before to allow them to host their students, and it had been expanded ever since: now, it reached almost thirty meters into the sky and, while it still had the look of a castle, its eight-sided exterior walls were clearly a lot newer than the original building, and it was so large that Izuku thought all of Musutafu's houses would easily fit in and leave a lot of space.

The other standing part was the eight towers, connected to the main building through a number of bridges and stone-paved paths. Also eight-sided, each side was about ten meters long, but it more than compensated with their height, which was probably twice that of the main building. Curiously, Izuku noticed that each tower was painted over in different colors, which gave it an interesting look.

“Why does it look like that?” he asked.

“Magic is usually divided in eight schools of study, according to what they do,” Shota began to explain. “The yellow one is Abjuration, which is dedicated to spells that protect the user. The green one is Conjuration, which go from healing spells to the summoning of creatures from other planes. The purple one is for Divination, the art of finding secrets, predict the future and similar effects. The orange tower is for Enchantment, whose spells manipulate people's minds and behavior. The red tower is for Evocation, which directly manipulate magical energy to cause effects that tend to be harmful. The blue one is for Illusion, spells that trick the target into seeing or hearing things that are not there. The black one is for Necromancy, the manipulation of the power of death and the ability to interact with the dead. And last, but not least, the brown one, Transmutation, the ability to change the properties of a creature or object.”

“Yes! For example, I can cast many spells, but my favorite ones are of the Enchantment and Illusion schools, although I also dabble in Evocation and Divination,” Hizashi added.

“I'm guessing... that explosion that left the inugamis stunned... that was an Evocation spell.”

“A basic one. It does not do a lot of damage, but leaves the enemy wide open to getting pummeled by an ally for a few seconds, which has saved our lives many times!”

“Shota, love, who's supposed to meet us at the gate?” Emi asked, leaning back on her seat.

“I don't know. The headmaster indicated he would arrange to keep someone at the gate for our arrival, but I don't know who it is.”

It was just as the bells began to toll, marking the beginning of a new day, when they reached the gates to the enormous enclosure and they opened up, showing another person waiting at the other side.

After looking for a moment, Izuku turned his gaze away as he felt his cheeks reddening. He had not known a woman's clothing could be so...

… revealing.

Ochako, meanwhile, was torn between her jealousy of the woman that had made her Knight blush like that and her wish to take notes so she could pull off that look as well. Dressed with a black dress over an ivory top that showed more than hid both from the top – with quite the impressive cleavage – and the bottom – revealing her long legs clad in leather boots – the woman gave the impression of someone who had no problem in showing off her body and quite likely more than willing to use that to seduce those she wanted.

“Still attached to the sourpuss rogue, Emi?”

“Still trying to find yourself a man that can keep up with you, Nemuri?”

The woman at the gate glared at a smiling Emi before grinning herself and starting to laugh, while Emi jumped out of the carriage to give her a hug.

“Gods, Emi, it's been too long since we last saw each other.”

“It was you that decided that being a witch and learning here fit you better than being outside with us,” Emi replied. “But I must say, it definitely fits you better.”

“Doesn't it?” Nemuri replied, as a fox jumped on her shoulder and she petted it. “It is so wonderful to be here and mold the young students to the proper state of mind. Letting them out and seeing how they make their mark... it's always gratifying. And, should any of them be good enough to return and bring something to their favorite teacher, then who's going to complain?”

“Maybe those who wonder what you are doing with their children, Nemuri,” Shota stated as he brought the carriage closer.

“Still the living proof that opposites do attract each other, dear Shota. And Hizashi! I hope you've been getting your good friend in trouble!” Her eyes then turned to the last two travelers and her eyes shone. “Oh! And who is this delectable young man? If he is a birthday present, it happens in three months.”

“Don't bother, Nemuri, you won't be able to pry Izuku out of Ochako's claws, and vice versa,” Emi informed her. “I don't think even Inari would be able to push them apart.”

“Pity. They look quite... delicious.” Ochako glared at her, while Izuku did his best to keep looking away. “Well, welcome to the Magical Academy! If you are here to learn of the art and science of magic, it is the best place you'll be able to find in thousands of miles around! If you seek partners, then the best minds are at your disposal! And if you seek other kind of partners, that's why I am here, of course.”

Ochako chose to ignore that last part for the sake of not blasting the (admittedly attractive) witch into the nearest ocean. At the very least, she could be glad that her Knight was not doing something stupid just for seeing the woman.

She admitted it was a tad hypocritical of her since she would not be opposed to him doing something stupid when he saw her wearing something like what Nemuri had. That could be something she could aim for in the future.

“Come on, get this thing moving!” Nemuri said, dragging Emi up to the carriage and jumping next to a driving Aizawa. “I need my beauty sleep and Nezu's waiting for you to finally appear!”

“Nezu?” Izuku asked, curious.

“The Academy Headmaster, young adventurer!” Hizashi exclaimed. “One of the most powerful wizards in the world, and one of its most terrifyingly intelligent inhabitants! Quite eccentric, but nonetheless dangerous if you are on his bad side.”

“Don't worry, he's very nice,” Nemuri stated. “Just behave normally and all will be fine.”

Izuku and Ochako looked at each other, wondering what was going on and what kind of person Nezu had to be.

Five minutes later, they arrived to the entrance, and they found a creature that seemed to be a white bear-dog chimera the size of a child. Who was standing. And grabbing a staff that was taller than him. And wearing a white robe, a monocle, a headband, several stones orbiting around his head and a pointy hat. And smiling and waving at them.

Izuku wondered if someone had just used an enchantment or illusion on him.

“Be welcome, everyone! I do hope you four will be willing to join me for a late dinner, because it's been a long time since new interesting people came here!” the bear-dog creature said.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4
I Like To Dream

When Izuku heard of wizards from his parents' tales, he imagined them tall, powerful, with long beards (if they were male, of course) and clearly capable of dealing devastating damage to their enemy with a snap of their fingers. Sure, now he knew better, but as a child his imagination was quite boundless.

Somehow, Nezu did not quite make the cut for that image.

Even as plates floated in front of the five people that the Academy's headmaster had invited to have dinner, Izuku was still unsure about the matter. Though, he had to admit that the chimeric creature was clearly doing his best to prove himself up to that task.

“Unseen Servants are very good at their job,” Nezu explained, having noticed Izuku's gaze as the plates moved. “And, frankly, I have so many available spells and so few things to use them on that it's almost a relief to actually do something useful with them.”

“Aren't you afraid of someone, don't know, attacking this academy after you have spent spells in this way, Headmaster?” Izuku asked.

“If anyone was foolhardy enough to try to attack the Academy and yet capable enough to get through the wards, they would find themselves beset by a large number of this nation's best wizards, sorcerers, witches and other magic users, as well as hundreds of students,” Nezu said, digging into his plate of chicken on cheese sauce. “There is, of course, the chance of someone being sneaky enough to get through in some way or another, but even then we have enough means of protection in place to keep track of any intruders, who would promptly suffer the aforementioned assault. And, of course, travel into the school with teleportation magic is restricted to us teachers, heavily reducing the avenues of attack we could suffer. But, enough talk about the academy. You are here seeking someone that can cast arcane magic and is willing to join you two, am I right?”

“Yes. We can cast divine magic, and Izuku is quite good at fighting with his sword... but we need more people in our group, and someone that can do magic we do not have access to would be welcome. We know that we need more people who can fight, but this was the first stop in our travel and... and I feel like we will find more companions in our way.”

“Indeed. It is true that many an adventurer comes and goes across the lands. But make no mistake, my students are very proficient in the art of arcane magic, and any of them will be more than able to fit with you in your quest. In fact, I already have several names in mind that I think you will like. But that shall be a matter of the future – for the moment, let us enjoy what Rasshu has prepared, he doesn't like to see his efforts wasted.”

Izuku would have loved to ask more about the Academy or those students, but he had to admit that the food that had just been served was delicious, and given that there was a chance they would not enjoy things like this in the nearby future, it was better to take advantage of that.

“So, young man, your good companion mentioned that both of you can cast divine magic,” the Headmaster asked. “May I ask, which is the source of your magic?”

“I am an Oracle, Headmaster.”

“Hmm. Given your proficiency with that sword of yours, I'd say that you are of the Battle Mystery, but... there's something else there. Can't quite put my finger on it. Well, something to consider later. While a minor group, there are divine magic casters attending this academy, perhaps one or two of them may be interested in speaking with you so you can learn more of your future power?”

“That would be quite good, Headmaster.”

“Excellent! Tomorrow will truly be a busy day for us, young Izuku. It's not every day that someone of such potential such as yours and young Ochako's arrives to this Academy,” Nezu stated, grinning.

Izuku shared a gaze with Ochako, who just shrugged, but both of them could tell there was some additional meaning hidden behind the Headmaster's words.

Someone else who knows I am the Ninth Knight? Is it that easy to tell? Izuku wondered, looking down at himself. He certainly did not feel like he was giving off some kind of aura or sign that he had become the successor to those that had saved the world again and again. The only reason Shota had known the truth was that he had noticed Ochako's draconic eyes.

He did not know how old the Headmaster was, but... maybe he knew the Eighth Knight? After all, Emi, Hizashi and Shota had stated they had worked several times with him. It would make a lot of sense for such a powerful wizard to have worked with the Eighth at some point.

“I wonder if I could ask you something, Headmaster,” Ochako said, in a tone that indicated she did not expect the question to be welcomed.

“Well, of course, young Ochako! What is it?”

“I was wondering... how did you...”

“How did I come up to be? Don't worry, everyone wonders the same thing when they meet me,” Nezu said, as the veteran adventurers turned to look at her. Izuku was not sure what their reaction was, pity or anger, but either way it did not predict anything good. “I was born quite well before your own birth, I believe. I can't be quite certain where or how, but the first memory I have is of a woman about Professor Nemuri's age, doing magic near me – who, as it turned out to be, had just made me her familiar, and given me a rather generous magical boost to my intelligence because she wanted to have someone smart to talk with about her magical research. It was, of course, interesting, but she still had to take a long time in teaching me because in my youth I lacked the required knowledge to actually provide her with the conversation she sought, not that she didn't enjoy the idea...”

And Nezu kept talking.

And talking.

And talking.

Izuku realized the reason behind the looks and lost the thread of the speech around minute three and the role tea played in his upbringing from simple familiar to actual sentient being (for some reason, it was important). Poor Ochako looked like she wished to turn back time and slap her past self at the back of the head to stop her from making the question. And Emi, Hizashi and Shota had likely started to politely ignore Nezu within the first two minutes of his speech and kept eating their dinner while talking through hand signs to avoid interrupting the headmaster: clearly, they were quite used to this speech.

He was not even sure of how long it took until the Headmaster finished: all he knew was that, by the time he realized he was done, he looked down to see that he had finished what appeared to be some kind of dessert that had left traces of yellow in the plate after he had finished eating it.

What happened to the time I lost? Izuku wondered, stunned, as the now empty plates were retrieved and replaced with cups of smoking hot tea. Nezu picked up his cup and smelled the vapor, smiling.

“I always find that the best way to end a day of hard work is with a nice cup of chamomile tea with a touch of mint. And at least the two of you will need it. You are going to want a long, nice sleep if you want to wake up well refreshed tomorrow.”

“Yeah...” Ochako mumbled, still stunned from Nezu's long talk, as she also picked a cup and blew on it, sipping the hot drink. Izuku did the same, and mentally continued to wonder about how he had missed most of his dinner. Perhaps the Headmaster had some kind of magical power that kept people acting like automatons while he spoke?

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

He opened his eyes.

That did not mean he was awake.

He could tell by the fact that what he was seeing around himself was, most certainly, not the place where he had fallen asleep in: the four stone walls with a window that let the moonlight filter in and the quite comfortable bed with the oak wardrobe and table had been replaced by... nothing.

Literally, nothing.

All he could see around now was pure darkness, yet, in spite of the lack of light sources, he could actually look at his body as if he were under the clear skies. Which yielded yet another surprise: instead of the sleeping clothes he had been wearing when he fell asleep, he was now with a set of heavy armor painted in green that covered most of his body. To his back, a hand-and-a-half sword made of a different – stronger – metal, and even he could feel the enchantments it contained as he unsheathed it.

“Well, this is weird,” he said aloud.

“I quite agree with you.”

Izuku turned to the voice, and saw one person wearing shining silver armor, longsword to the belt and shield tied to his left hand, and his helmet off: a man, with long white hair covering a side of his face, yet looking kindly at him.

“So... you are the Ninth,” the strange man said, giving a small smile.

“You... you know who I am? Who are you?” Izuku asked.

“Well, I know your title, and I know the role you will play for the world. But you, personally? No. Nonetheless, I hope I will be able to.”

“Who are you? And why am I here?” Izuku asked once more, feeling quite unnerved about what this man had done.

“My apologies, I should have done this before. I am Ernst Lebenbaum. That name may not be known to you, but perhaps you know of what I did in life. When fiends attempted to open a gate to the Abyss, I found fighters, mages, heroes that would be willing to come with me. Somehow, a young dragon by the name of Hellekrallen decided that I was worth of having his power aid me – and I found myself with a power of my own unlike any other.”

Izuku felt his jaw might actually dislocate from the shock.

“You... you are the First! The First Knight!”

“Well, back then, I was just a knight. I never learned who decided that would be the title bestowed upon those who would follow me into the role of protectors of the world,” Ernst replied, smiling. “Still, it is good to see how the legacy I started persists fighting. You seem to be a good kid, Izuku, and it is a pity none of us were alive when your Dragon met you.”

That was when he noticed that the two of them were not alone in this vast expansion of blackness. All he could see were smoky forms of different colors floating nearby, all of them looking at him, but none approaching nor appearing to take forms similar to Ernst's. Six of them, in fact.

“There is little I can do for you right now, kid – you need to become stronger if you are to be able to handle the full power the Knights can have – but there's someone else that can help. You'll be able to meet him soon.”

“Who?”

“Trust me, you'll know when you talk with him. For now... all I can do is wish you good luck, and do your best.”

And, with a solid clap to his shoulder, Ernst Lebenbaum, the First Knight, vanished in a shower of white light, followed by the other forms, creating a spectacle of lights that slowly vanished into the darkness.

And then he opened his eyes. This time, he was awake. And Ochako was standing next to his bed, ready to shake him awake.

“Did you hear me come up to you?” she asked, an eyebrow raised at how quickly he had woken up.

“No, I just... just had a weird dream,” he said, shaking his head as he got out of bed.

“Define weird.”

“'I see dead people talking with me' weird.”

“That is weird. What happened?” Ochako said.

“The First Knight... he said he wanted to meet me. He said I was not ready for a Knight's full power... and that there was someone I would meet soon that could help me.”

“Good. You need all the help you can get – though, the First Knight coming to you in dreams? I might have to ask my people if that happened to the previous Knights – it's not something I ever heard about. Now, get dressed, the Headmaster said we ought to have breakfast before trying to find our new partner and I don't want to miss it.”

“Aye, aye,” Izuku replied, finding some clean clothes to wear.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

“Excuse me, young man... is this seat taken?”

Izuku turned to look at whoever had spoken to him. He was a tall, thin (but not unhealthily) man with long golden hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a loose blue shirt with yellow and red undertones and black trousers. The interesting thing about the man, though, were his eyes: blue, but not like the sky or a river. Instead, they were blue like lightning itself when it struck through the sky. The gentle look in his face, though, told Izuku enough about the man's intentions.

“Sure. My friend's coming soon with our food. Table's big enough for four people, I guess there's no problem in sharing the space.”

“Thank you. My friend should come soon as well, he went to find some food.” The man sat down in front of Izuku, smiling. “My name is Toshinori. And yours?”

“Izuku, sir,” he said, smiling back.

“Now, now, no need to call me 'sir'. You can use my name. Now, are you and your friend new students here?”

“Oh, no. We are seeking potential partners for an adventure, and this academy has some of the best arcane magic users in the region.”

“Adventurers, huh? I used to be one as well, but...”

“I'm guessing an injury.”

“Yes. It made walking a bit difficult, but fortunately healing magic does wonders and eventually I regained my strength. But I knew I would have to tone down my outings, so while I still go out to help people, nowadays I spend time here, helping young magi attain the first steps towards their true potential. Not exactly what I expected... but I am glad I can help the next generations achieve their goals.”

“That's... that's really good. I'm wondering, though – have you ever trained people with divine magic? I find myself in need of some ideas.”

“Divine magic? Huh, no, I cannot say I have worked with many. I am more a man of action, and, save for paladins, they usually act more from the backlines. Though, I would be willing to share any suggestions you could need.”

“Anything that helps me is welcome.”

“So, this is what you got up to, runt? Talking to a student while I had to bring your food?” another person grumbled, and when Izuku looked at the source of the voice... he had to look a bit lower than expected, as the speaker was a short man with short, unruly white hair and a scowl on his face, and what he could see of the rest of his body – covered with a yellowish robe – was hidden by a large tray that held several plates with different foods.

Wow, this canteen really has everything, Izuku thought when he saw the variety of foods.

“You did volunteer to do it. Also, Taiyaki again, Sora? You know better than to have that at every day,” Toshinori chided the elder, taking the tray from his hands and placing it on the table.

“I'm old and have fought too much, that means I'm entitled to eat what I want for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” the elder grumbled as he sat next to Toshinori. “So, who's are you, runt?”

“My name's Izuku, sir. I'm here to find mage partners for a quest.”

“Good thing you came here, then. Nezu's an irritating arse at times, but he knows what he's doing here. If he tells you one of them is a good pick, you'd do well taking them in your group.”

“Indeed. He's a good judge of character.”

“You know Nezu as well?” Izuku asked.

“We've worked together quite a few times,” Toshinori answered.

“Hello, there!” Ochako said, finally arriving to the table with her own tray. As she placed the tray on the table, she turned to look at the two that had also seated at their table – and when she looked at Sora, her jaw dropped. “You are...”

“Yes, whelp, I am. Keep silent about it,” Sora interrupted her. Izuku wondered what they were talking about, while Toshinori chuckled.

“First time in a long time I've heard you use that word to talk to someone, Sora. Are you certain?”

“Been around longer than you have been alive, Toshi, of course I am!”

Izuku felt like he had missed something in the conversation, but he could deduce things.

Ochako either knows or recognizes Sora from somewhere else. Sora reacted immediately, meaning that he knows how Ochako recognized him. But that means that it has to be that Sora is famous, and as far as I know Ochako's never been much away from her people's lands, so he's probably someone from her lands, which means he's a dra-

“Does this commonly happen?” Toshinori said, poking Izuku on the side and shocking him out of his thought caravan, which he apparently had spoken aloud again.

“You get used to it. I think it's cute!” Ochako replied, smiling, bringing a blush to Izuku's face. Sora rolled his eyes.

“Oh, great. Another one of those,” he grumbled. “Runt, whelp, you better start eating, if I know the rat well he'll be asking for you any moment now.”

“Yeah, we better do that,” Izuku said. After what happened the previous day, he could believe a lot of things about the chimeric creature, and would rather face him and the next shock after being well-fed.

Hopefully, it would not be as big as realizing who the two people sitting with him and Ochako were.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

Whoever was in charge of listening to prayers must have been listening to him, because Nezu's action was quite tame: he had just shown him a piece of paper and told him it was a summary he had written up about the student he would present to them.

Personal Name: Momo

Family Name: Yaoyorozu

Age: 20

Birthplace: Edo

Designation: Wizard (Conjurer)

Skills: High intelligence. Methodical. Ingenious. Diplomatic.

Defects: Lacks actual experience. Prone to overthinking. Needs self-confidence.

Young Momo comes from the Yaoyorozus, a noble family of certain influence in Edo and with important trading links in all of Nihon and other countries. Highly intelligent and capable of deductions and developments in shorter times than most, her sheltered upbringing has nonetheless left her without experience in the real world. She seeks the opportunity to prove herself beyond her identity as a Yaoyorozu, and to learn beyond what the Academy can teach her. I recommend you to bring her in

The format looked in which it was all written felt really weird to Izuku: rather than what he had expected, the paper just rattled about the girl's skills. Then again, he had never done this kind of thing, so maybe it was normal in the business of adventurers and heroes.

It may have just been Nezu's way to entertain himself, though.

“It is an... interesting way to present someone,” Ochako said, having read the paper at the same time as him.

“Yeah. But if she is as good as Nezu claims... she could be a good partner.”

“Yes, she could be. Do you want to talk with her?”

“We'll never know if she fits with us unless we do,” Izuku stated. “Let's talk with her.”

“Excellent idea, young Izuku,” the Headmaster said as he opened the door. “And, since I figured you would be willing to talk with young Momo, I thought it prudent to bring her in already. Young Momo, these are Izuku and Ochako. I believe you will get along swimmingly. I'll let you three talk alone, as I do not have anything to say here and I would just be an obstacle to a frank discussion between you all. Have fun!”

The door closed, leaving the two fo them alone with a girl that had to be Momo. Dressed in a simple red robe with a green sash crossing from left shoulder to right hip, a small bag hanging from her left side, and with a staff and a ring on her right hand, she certainly fit the image of a wizard.

She was also one beautiful young lady, and that Ochako admitted with a slight touch of jealousy. Graceful, long black hair tied in a tail that somehow spread it like a lion's mane, a charming face with dark intelligent eyes and a small smile that nonetheless shone in the room, and Ochako could tell that, beneath her robe, hid a body that would probably not lose much on Nemuri's, even if the latter showed off.

One look aside to her Knight showed that he was engaging in an exercise of will to keep his eyes on Momo's face. She almost rolled her eyes about it, but supposed she could not fault him for finding this girl beautiful. Though, he'd better respect the girl, or she would not be happy.

“Lady Momo?” Izuku asked, standing up.

“Oh, no need to stand on ceremony. I may have been born out of a noble family, but here I am just a wizard like the others. You may call me Momo. If we are to be partners, it is only proper,” the girl replied. “You must be Izuku and Ochako. I'll be in your care.”

“Nice to meet you, Momo,” Ochako said. “Now, there's a few things we wanted to ask you about, if that is fine.”

“It is. You would not be able to tell what I can do if I did not.”

“What kind of magic can you do?” Izuku asked.

“Arcane magic.” A moment of silence, made heavy by Ochako's deadpan look, was followed by a giggle by Momo. “My apologies, people make me that question so many times that I thought I answer with a joke. Now, I actually am specialized in the art of creation magic, a subschool of conjuration magic. Unfortunately, this has left me unable to concentrate in everything of the arcane, so my knowledge of illusions and necromancy is somewhat lacking when compared to others. I can do spells of the second circle already, and I have trained in the craft of magical objects, which should be useful, although I would still need to find or buy the materials required for it to work. I have also acquired great knowledge of magical creatures, magic in itself and the mysteries of the planes, among others. In fighting without magic, I have learned how to use my staff and crossbow, although I must confess that I am not very good with them.”

“It is no problem. Ochako and I can fight well hand in hand, and you only need training to be able to fight better. Though, with your magical power in hand, perhaps you might not need fight with weaponry,” Izuku said. “It should be enough for a while, although I fear we will eventually need someone else to aid in actual fighting: if we get overwhelmed, your life would be at risk.”

“I know that. I cannot expect to go out there and not see my life at risk. It will take me some time to get used to the hardships away from the Academy, but I see them well worth the experience I will gain.”

“Since you were talking about magic... what kind of conjurations can you do?” Ochako asked, curious. “I can do some myself, like the art of summoning creatures, but I wonder what you can do.”

“Oh! I can show you!” Momo said, placing her staff against the wall, and with a whisper and a snap of the fingers, a small figure made of wood appeared in her extended left hand. “Wizards can do a trick like this to make several effects such as creating small objects, but they are very fragile and don't have much of an use outside of decoration. However, conjurers of the creation subschool like me, who have deeply studied the nature of such magic, know other special tricks that no others can replicate, at least not without higher knowledge.”

Concentrating for a few moments, Momo whispered a few words of arcane power, and out of her left hand (free after she put the wooden figure on a table) grew a staff, similar to the one at the wall, which she grabbed with the right and pulled until it fully came out, waving it in the air before touching the ground with its tip.

“I can weave the magic of creation in me to make objects like this, but they only last for a minute or so, less if I let them go. I can only use it a few times a day, but in case of emergency it is quite useful should I find myself lacking a weapon. Also, I have noticed with time that the objects I can create this way are heavier than the ones I could make when I started, so I presume the weight and size I can handle will continue to increase.”

“Happens to everyone. So, you mentioned you could make magical objects. What kind of objects can you create?”

“Many! It naturally takes time, effort and money in the form of materials, but the results are varied. For example, while I am not wearing it now, I have a cape that empowers my ability to resist spells, and I have a pair of gloves that allow anyone to cast some minor spells like mine – I believe either of you would benefit from them. As for anything else... I know I can do them, but time and materials will always be required. And being on the move would not make for easier object construction.”

“Well, if you can make them in spite of that, then it should not be a problem...” Izuku trailed, before looking at Ochako, who nodded with a smile. “We ought to go out and see how we can work together in a fight, but I think we can have you in our party with no problem.”

Momo gave a bright smile – so bright that Ochako swore she could see sparks flying around her – and clapped twice in enthusiasm.

“Perfect! There are a few things I have to do before we depart, but I will be able to do everything today. Do you think we will be able to start our travel together tomorrow?”

“I... don't think it should be a problem,” Izuku stated. “We need to do a few things as well before leaving, as well. We could meet for supper and decide what to do tomorrow?”

“Yes, that is an excellent idea! I will ask the headmaster where we can meet tonight, I should be able to find everything I'll need by then. And, in the meantime, you could seek any other supplies you require. Is that fine?”

“Of course. Make sure to pack at least for a couple of weeks, we'll likely be going for long,” Ochako pointed out.

“I will. Thank you for accepting me in your group!” Momo said, smiling and giving them a brief bow before picking her staff back and leaving the room.

“What do you think? Good enough for our quest?”

“I'd like to think so. She seems eager and smart, and she brings in power that none of us has. We are still going to need someone that can protect her while we fight, or that can go with me while you stay with her, but for the moment we'll just keep close to her.”

“Look, I... did you notice who ate with us?”

“Yes. You think we could ask them?”

“They are veterans, they probably could give us some suggestions.”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

“You did not take too long in noticing who we are,” Toshinori said, smiling at Izuku.

“Heh... well, after I saw how Ochako reacted to Sora, I just... deduced it.”

Sora gave a dry chuckle.

“See what happens when you use your brains, Toshi? You get to see this kind of thing.”

“Sora,” Toshinori said in a warning tone while Sora kept chuckling, and he turned back to Izuku. “You found your wizard, if what Nezu told me was correct.”

“Yes. Momo was willing to join us in our quest.”

“The Yaoyorozu scion? She is someone with great potential if she has the chance. More than she knows about, actually,” Toshinori said, smiling.

“What do you mean?” Ochako asked, curious.

“Let's say that I know things about her and her family. She ought to discover that on her own, though – it is not our secret to tell, after all.”

“I think that's enough chit-chat, Toshi. Runt, whelp, what do you want?” Sora asked.

“We... let's be honest, we are not sure of where to go now,” Izuku replied. “We came here because we need more companions for our quest, but we don't know where to go now. You have done this before, so... any suggestions you can make would be welcome.”

“Brings you back, eh, Sora?”

“Indeed. If it weren't for your previous experience and the fact that we found a clue about his minions so shortly after I saved your life, it would have left us in quite the serious situation.”

“Nana and Peiste would have gone mad trying to help us when we met.”

“Alright, suggestions for you two,” Sora finally stated. "As Toshi could tell you, most towns will likely have certain taverns where adventurers meet: people in need of help will go there to request for support, and gossip flies like sparrows across the skies. That's potential companions for you to recruit, quests that can allow you to aid people, train your abilities and earn money or supplies and a way to find information that could be useful. You could also check with Nezu if he has any leads, he's got his tiny paws in so many pies he could probably have you working for a century just on what he can give you. And we can put you in contact with some of the people we met during our own quest. Some of them should be capable of supporting you in some way.”

“And... do you have anything to do the rest of the day?” Toshinori asked.

“We have already gone to get all the supplies we need, so no,” Ochako replied.

“Good. Because we are going to explain you quite a few things about what you are likely to encounter in the future.”

And thus, Toshinori Yagi and Sorahiko, the Eighth Knight and the Dragon that had been at his side since the day they met more than twenty-five years before, began to hand down their hard-earned knowledge to their successors.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5
Just Say It

It was finally the time to part from the Academy. They had gained valuable intelligence about the possible actions they could carry out, powerful allies that they could call on if there was need for them (which hopefully would not be the case until much later) and they also had their first partner, a wizard that had great potential and ability to grow.

Said wizard, one Momo Yaoyorozu, was now giving hugs to all her friends in the academy with promises of returning eventually (even though they all knew it might not happen: such was the risk of becoming an adventurer, as many were the ones who died in the middle of one quest or ended at some place where return to the home was either undesired or impossible) before parting from them and joining Izuku and Ochako, who had already given their own goodbyes to the people they had spoken.

“I'm ready to go,” Momo said, her pack hanging from her shoulders and staff in hand. “Where are we going?”

“West,” Izuku replied as the three of them walked out the Academy's gates. “There's mention of adventurers mysteriously disappearing and leaving behind only a few drops of blood, and people are getting scared, because so far no one has been able to find what is happening to them. It's also on the way to meet with someone Nezu said could help us, but right now the situation in Hosu is the most urgent.”

“Who are we meeting, then? Maybe I know who they are,” Momo stated.

“I... have no idea. I think Nezu was having fun, because he only gave us directions to 'Tatenoie', whoever or wherever they are.”

“I believe he's just giving us a challenge, force us to figure it out on our own,” Ochako said. “After all, we might end up having to solve problems or find people based on few clues in the future. We can't get everything easily.”

“Did the Headmaster write down that name at some point, or was it just by word?” Momo asked, thinking over what Izuku had said.

“He gave me this paper,” Izuku replied, showing her a piece of paper where the Academy Headmater had written 'タテノイエ'.

“'Tatenoie'... 'Tate no Ie'? Shield's house?”

Izuku looked at the piece of paper and realized that it had been so plain to see, and yet he had missed the obvious: Nezu had done a very simple transformation of the actual words into fragmentary symbols, fooling him.

“I saw it like this, and I did not consider he could just be obfuscating the actual name,” Izuku said, groaning.

“Sometimes things are able to hide in plain sight,” Momo replied with a smile. “Don't fret – even the best adventurers make this kind of mistake. From what I have seen, you are intelligent, you may simply be unused to this situation. Give it some time and you'll likely become used to this.”

“Don't worry, my Kn-Izuku, we'll get stronger soon!” Ochako said, smiling and holding onto Izuku's arm. Momo turned to them with a rising eyebrow, looking with curiosity at the duo that had requested for her support.

“Are you two... in a relationship?” she asked.

The young noble was not prepared to see the face of the young oracle go from his usual tan to redder than salmon in a few seconds, as what she had just said poured into his mind. Meanwhile, Ochako's permanently blushing cheeks just became a little rosier, but she smiled widely.

“No. But we are great friends and we will be for a long time. We just... fit together from the moment we met.”

“You certainly look like it,” Momo replied with a smile.

Fortunately for Izuku's heart, the conversation lulled over and derived into safer grounds as they made their way out of the city through the western gate, the sun brightly shining at their backs while they walked along the road. Momo, who had not left the city in quite some time, was left in wonder at the sights, and she asked the other two about some of the things they passed by, those who she had not come across in her studies: Izuku and Ochako were all too happy to share their knowledge with the wizardess.

“May I ask you a question, Momo?” Izuku asked during a reprieve in their knowledge sharing, as the sun approached the highest point in the sky.

“Of course! Granted, I may not answer, though.”

“Fair. Well... you are a noble, of an important family if what the Headmaster said is accurate. How come you decided to learn magic, join the Academy and become an adventurer?”

The hand that was not holding a staff went to the back of her neck, slightly scratching it as if in cavilation.

“I... I am the eldest child of my parents. They have always had high expectations for me, and ensured I had the best education available so I could learn how to govern and make our holdings prosper – they are unorthodox when compared to other nobles, so they saw no issue in me becoming the head of the family. Though, I was also expected to get married to the scion of another family, so as to forge an alliance, and so our children could inherit the Yaoyorozu legacy. But, when I was fourteen... I discovered I had talent for magic. It took a lot for me to convince my family to allow me to do this, and while they were willing to let me attend this school, I think they are still hoping I will eventually return and take up my role as heir to the Yaoyorozu headship.”

“Hm. Well, if you ever decide to do that, we'll help you. Not that we want to force you to do that, you are more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you want, or join another group, or-”

“Calm down, Izuku, I know you mean well. And I don't plan on leaving you any time soon. We have a deal, after all!”

Izuku nodded, and Ochako began to ask Momo about her apprenticeship, prompting a short discussion on how she had learned the art of arcane magic, first under the guidance of Mistress Dokuhebi, a conjurer like her but who preferred to concentrate in the creature summoning, then joining the Academy for more in-depth training on not only conjuration, but also the other schools of magic, even the ones she did not work with.

The conversation had then turned to the differences between arcane and divine magic, as well as between Izuku's and the girls' magic, for all of them worked in different ways: Momo could inscribe any of them that she wanted into her spellbook, but that took time and money in the form of special inks she had to buy for the action. Ochako could just meditate for an hour and she would get the spells she needed but her options were slightly limited in scope, although she did have the power to cast healing spells in place of any that she had prepared for. As for Izuku, he was able to cast all the spells he knew at any point, and his capacity for spell-casting was higher than the girls, but in exchange his repertoire of spells was vastly more limited: he only knew a couple of spells and a few minor ones. It was a mysterious fact of life how magic itself appeared to balance itself among spellcasters, but no one had ever managed to determine the exact reason, so all they could do was to let the idea go.

It was as the road going west entered the forest that Momo brought up another matter.

“Izuku, you mentioned you knew things about nature. Would you be kind to share them?”

“Oh, of course! What do you want to know?”

“For example, these trees. What do you know?”

“They are sallows. Their bark can be used as a remedy for fever and usual aches, their wood is very good for crafts and in a pinch their catkins can be eaten.”

“Good to know – given what we are going to do, we won't always be assured of having access to medical supplies, and it'll be yet some time before Ochako can cast magic powerful enough to heal illnesses.”

“It'll take training before I am capable of handling that type of magic, so anything we can use is welcome,” Ochako said.

They kept walking westward, following the road and the signs as they kept engaging in the same type of conversation, greeting other travelers as they crossed paths with them and doing their best to enjoy the trip while it was calm and tranquil.

The tranquility ended when Ochako's expression turned sharp as she looked to a side in surprise and pointed in that direction.

“I hear noise. A fight. Someone needs help!”

“Let's go!” Izuku said, rushing towards the direction Ochako had pointed at, followed by the humaniform dragon and Momo, who was quite shocked at how quickly her partners had reacted before following them top haste, going over the spells she had prepared that morning. Magic Missile was likely to be a good choice, but her Acid Arrow would be able to do quite some damage, and Glitterdust would be a good support spell to help blind whoever had to be fought for a short period of time.

Of course, all of that would have to depend on who or what was going to be their enemy.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

As he approached the direction of the fighting, sword already in hand, Izuku could only have one thing in mind: an innocent was likely in danger, and apparently it was up to him and his partner – partners – to help them. It was difficult, though: the forest was dense enough at this place that running between the trees was risky at best, and doing so with a weapon in hand was even riskier.

Wielding the weapon was important, though: not knowing where the attacker was, he would probably have barely one or two seconds to react and attack, and acting quick was important.

“¡Ochako! ¿Ves algo?” he asked, unwittingly starting to fall into the Curse he was afflicted with.

“¡Sí! ¡Creo que están – oh, no, corre!” Ochako replied, and he pushed himself forward even faster – only to see a surprising scene.

A group of three people (two men and a woman) were fighting for their lives. The woman and one of the men were using arms and legs to strike at the people attacking them, using clearly different styles: he kept moving in what were clearly stances of some kind, deflecting his enemies' weapons with quick swipes of his hands before countering with devastating punches, while she went all in, brawling close enough to the attackers that they could not wield their weapons properly against her.

The other man's opponent was the strangest of all: a creature whose form seemed to be in constant flow, shifting like a green viscous slime as it avoided the man's whip and countering with its own limbs, barely blocked by the man's shield.

“Just give up, human! I have need of minions, and you will be excellent for me!” the creature screeched, the green slime moving and – oh, gods, it was a mouth with huge teeth.

“Never, you monster!” the man replied.

Izuku could not understand what was being said. Immersed in his battle trance, all that was being said sounded like complete gibberish. But he could catch the important thing: the creature was not only intelligent, it had the demeanor of someone who reveled in making others suffer. There was no other choice. Justice had to be dealt.

“¡Detente, villano!” he shouted, charging at the strange creature, ready to slash.

“What, another minion? And this one comes willingly!” the creature screeched with what might have been a laugh in a human being.

“Back, kid! This monster is dangerous!” The man with the whip said, lashing the creature again as a couple of the minions fell to the others' punches. If it had not been for Izuku's curse, he would have heard him trying to stop him. But he could not, so Izuku attacked without regard for his own safety.

The first slash caused the creature to screech in pain as a piece of slime fell off, but it did not seem to truly be affected by the attack as it launched a slimy tentacle towards Izuku, trying to grab him, only for several projectiles made of force to strike it before it could try, all flying out of Momo's outstretched hand, her gaze of concentration aiming at the living slime with utter contempt as Ochako got close enough to the group that her next spell would cover everyone.

“Blessed be ye, mine friends,” she said, as the burst of arcane energy covered the battleground.

“Thanks for that, kid!” the woman shouted as her next punch knocked out yet another of the apparently mind-controlled individuals who were assaulting the group. The other fist-fighter nodded as he grappled another into submission, and the man with the whip lashed at the slime's 'face', causing it to recoil as the tip got dangerously close to its 'eye'. Izuku took advantage of it to slash again with his sword, causing more of the slime to fall off.

“GRAAAH! That's it, you brat! You're dead!” the slime creature shouted, and the next slimy tentacle that sprung out grabbed Izuku's face and pulled him on him.

“IZUKU!” Ochako shouted, trying to get through to him, but some of the men the slime creature was clearly controlling were now standing between her and her Knight, blocking her path and keeping her from helping him.

“Damnit!” the whip man cursed, trying to come up with some way to help Izuku as he struggled against the grapple, trying to push the slime away but unable to due to its viscosity.

“Don't worry, little girl! Soon he'll be a lot better. At least as far as I am concerned!” the slime crowed, before screaming in pain again, this time as Momo threw a snowball at its face, making it stagger, but it did not let go of Izuku.

Hijo de la grandísima- ¡suéltame ya! Izuku thought, even his thoughts in Celestial, as he struggled to get the tentacle out of his face, but it was not possible. No funciona, ¿qué hago?

He felt something grabbing him by the ankle and trying to pull him away from the slime creature, but it was still too strong to be able to counter.

Me estoy... ahogando... he kept thinking. Esta cosa... punto débil... ¿los ojos? La espada por la... hoja...

Stopping his struggle, Izuku instead grabbed his sword by the blade and tried to stab with it somewhere above where his head was, the only place he could imagine could hold a weakness.

Wherever the sword had landed seemed to do the trick, though, as it released him while also releasing a scream that sounded like it had been more painful than everything else they had thrown at it. Choking for air, he stepped away from the slime creature as he turned around, barely noticing how the last of the minions were knocked out by the combined efforts of everyone else, as the slime kept wildly swinging its appendages without any sort of aim: Izuku supposed he had really hit in the eyes, or the closest it had to that, given how it was holding its face.

“Ríndete, estás acabado,” Izuku challenged the slime, trying to make himself intimidating and make the creature accept its loss. Coughing up some slime did not help much in that regard, though.

For whatever reason, the slime did not react favorably to that demand, and answered instead by trying to attack Izuku, who easily dodged the blind strike.

“Está bien,” he said, coughing up again. “Lo siento, pero si no te rindes, sólo hay una manera de detenerte.”

Wielding his sword with both hands, Izuku jumped as hard as he could and then let gravity do its work while he brought the weapon down with all of his strength.

Every sound the slime creature was making vanished as the sword cut through the amorphous body as if it were butter, not stopping until the blade touched ground. Slowly, the body collapsed, leaving behind two halves of green slime falling to the sides that splattered against the dirt, melting and dissolving in death until, in the end, nothing was left of the monster.

Izuku continued to take deep breaths, holding himself standing by letting the sword on the ground and placing his hands on his knees, while Ochako carefully approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder to check on his health. Fortunately, it did not seem that he had suffered much beyond being choked and a few cuts in his hands from holding the sword by the blade, which she healed with some bandages.

“My goodness! That was impressive!” the man with the whip said, astonished, looking between the space that had been emptied by Izuku's last attack and the young man that had helped him. While it was clear he needed to train and polish his skills, he had nonetheless proven himself a strong fighter, capable of dealing the slime creature a mortal injury.

“Le ha parecido impresionante,” Ochako told Izuku, who nodded as he regained his bearings and abandoned the battle frenzy.

“What was that?” the other man asked, having approached his partner and heard Ochako talk.

“Celestial. When Izuku gets into a fight, it's the only language he understands, and it takes him a while to recover from that,” she explained, smiling as her Knight took one last deep breath and stood once more on his feet without panting.

“Man, you got cursed with that?” the woman said, brushing dust off her white-ish shirt and breeches. “You got off lightly there, kid. Someone I know got a wasting curse and he had to cover his face because he scared a lot of people off. He was really good when he decided to convince people to surrender, though.”

“Well, interesting anecdotes apart, thank you for helping us,” the man with the whip – now hanging from a side of his brown vest - said. “My name is Shinji.”

“I am Yu,” the woman stated, smiling.

“I am named Shibuki,” the other man replied, clanging his chainless manacles together as he bowed, his light blue clothes making a striking contrast with his tanned skin. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Izuku, Ochako and Momo presented themselves, as they helped them move over the unconscious bodies towards more comfortable positions, and then the other travelers invited them to have an early lunch with them, an offer they took gladly.

“What was that slimy creature? I have never heard of anything like this,” Momo asked.

“We think it was some kind of sorcerer that tried to experiment and ended up fusing with an actual slime,” Shinji said. “The intelligence of a human combined with a complete lack of morals and a body that can so easily repair itself... never a good combination. Particularly considering that it was controlling these people. Given what nearly happened to you, young man, I suspect that it would render people unconscious or nearly dead and then forced part of itself into their bodies, turning them into its puppets. We will have to see what happens to these victims of his, but I hope they will recover.”

“So, what brings three youngsters like you to these lands? Because I don't think it you were just walking through the forest for fun,” Shibuki pointed out.

“We are going to the west. We heard there was trouble of some kind in Hosu, so we hoped we could help in some way. Do you know anything about that?” Momo asked.

“That's... kind of a mess, right now,” Yu replied with a grimace.

“Why?”

“Several adventurers have gone missing,” Shinji explained. “The only thing left behind is some blood smeared on the nearest surface and a note about seeking true heroes. No one has managed to find either them or whoever is kidnapping or killing them, and many have tried. Or, if they have, they have been unable to warn other people. Do you think you will be able to do something about it?”

“I don't know. But perhaps a fresh pair of eyes might be enough to find the truth?” Ochako pointed out.

“Perhaps. We saw an armored man going that way as well, so you would not be alone. I can see that attempting to warn you off is impossible, right?” Shibuki said.

“I have to try, at the very least. How can I... we become heroes if we don't do our best at saving people?”

“I shall wish you three good luck, then. Be careful and take good care of yourselves. The path can be treacherous, but it ought to be well marked. Just beware of potential dangers. And, should you find whoever is behind those attacks, ensure they are brought before justice.”

“We shall do that,” Izuku promised.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

The two groups parted ways shortly after finishing their meal, wishing each other good luck as they did so.

“Do you think we should have asked them to join us?” Momo asked Izuku, who shook his head.

“They had their own plans and goals, and they are stronger than us. Asking them to come with us would be in vain. Maybe in the future we could find them and ask for their help.”

“I hope so. They did seem to be very good people.”

The three of them continued their way along the earthen path, animated by the shining sun rays coming through the forest canopy, the birds tweeting and flying between trunks and a few squirrels that made Ochako smile quite smugly towards a completely oblivious Izuku, who was unaware of the thoughts running through the young human-shaped dragon's mind.

The calm time seemed to come to an end several hours later, though, when they spotted something unexpected on the ground: a strange dark brown mark in the middle of the road, with several small circles dropped around it.

“What... what's that?” Momo asked. Ochako carefully approached the mark and crouched to look at it closely, only for her sense of smell – much stronger than a human's, even in her current form – to notice a metallic scent coming out of it. Combined with her knowledge of medicine, she knew what it was.

“I think... I think this is blood. Quite possibly... human blood.”

Izuku and Momo approached her, surprised.

“How can you tell?” Izuku asked.

“This blood is dried out, but Yu, Shinji and Shibuki didn't mention anything even thought they had to have come past this point, so it was probably spread around mid-morning. Forest animals are not keen on crossing paths during the day because they prefer using the forest as cover. The way the blood is spread looks like some kind of slashing weapon cutting, but not lethally. And, well, if you look, there are signs of several people fighting in this place.”

Izuku looked, and as he focused his attention on the nearby ground, yes, he could see the marks made by different people that were running around, and even the stab of a few swords here and there.

“The fight... it was more than three people. They all ran this way as they fought. Maybe one of them was trying to escape or attract their attention away from the road,” Ochako continued. “Whoever got hurt was not too hurt but was still bleeding as they ran in that direction.”

“Wow, you are good at this,” Momo pointed out, nodding. “Should we follow the tracks? Someone might need help.”

“Yes, we better do. This bleeding does not look good at all,” Ochako replied, and the trio began to follow the tracks left behind by whoever was fighting.

The trail was, unsurprisingly, easy to follow. Not only because of the blood that had dripped from the injured individual – which they had spread around some trees and bushes in the way, probably by accident or when they tried to steady themselves with the hand they had used to cover the injury – but also because the ground and the vegetation was pocked, here and there, with clear marks of the fight going on. A sword, probably an mace, definitely several daggers and knives... If Izuku had to make a bet, he would say that a group of bandits had attempted to attack someone that was more than capable of defending themselves. They even saw a pack, which they took with them: the owner had probably left it behind during the fight and had not been able to return to recover it.

It was when they found the first body when they realized how serious the fight had been. The man lying on the ground, wearing a leather armor piece over the chest, had been stabbed on the leg, and as a consequence had died quickly, bleeding out from a massive injury before he could even think to stop it.

The next body to be found, about three minutes away, had had a clear slash across the neck: this man's death was probably even quicker than the previous one.

Given what they were carrying and their weapons, Ochako ventured that they were probably bandits. It was a sad fact of life that not everyone was lucky enough to have the chance for a good life: an attack on a town, a lost harvest or simple rotten luck could drive some people into thievery, into trying to take from luckier people what they did not have. Of course, there were those that turned to banditry because they liked stealing and hurting people.

For Izuku and Momo, it was a challenge not to lose their lunch. It was the first time they saw a person that had been killed, and it was messy indeed. Only by reminding themselves that they had to get used to this, because it was a matter of time before they had to kill or be killed, that they managed to avoid that problem.

“The body is still warm,” Ochako said, more inured to death than her companions, as she checked the second body, using what knowledge of medicine she could remember to find any valuable information. “This man died recently, some time after we parted ways with the adventurers.”

“We must keep going, then.”

“Let's.”

Their speed increased even as the signs of a fight became more sparse yet deeper, probably as the ones still standing tired of a fight where no side was willing to give up yet they could barely continue doing so. Here and there, there were marks like a broken branch, a stab on a tree, leather pieces and metal shards from weapons and armor... and blood. Dark red blood at several points.

The sun was already setting when they reached a clearing next to a cave, and they finally found the end of the ongoing battle they had been following.

At the edge of the clearing was another dead bandit: unlike the previous ones, this one had multiple cuts all over his body, his leather armor torn and what was an obvious stab on the stomach. Ochako chose not to tell Izuku nor Momo that how agonizing his death had probably been.

Near the mouth of the cave was the last bandit, possibly the leader judging by his chain shirt armor. The cause of death was obvious: a long sword had been thrust deep into his side, possibly taking advantage of the hole that had been opened there. On his hand, he had a broken wooden handle, and at his feet was the head of a spiky mace Momo identified as a morningstar.

The last combatant was lying just a few steps into the cave, which they discovered as they entered with a light spell attached to Izuku's sword. This armored person, unlike the bandits, was wearing full armor, covering all of their body from head to feet, the only decoration being a shining sun-like mark on the center of the chestplate. In spite of the clear protection the armor offered, they had also suffered greatly during the fight, as the bleeding patches through the armor's joints and weak sports and the knife sticking out on a shoulder paid witness to.

Ochako knelt next to the armored one, lamenting that they had been too late to stop the fight, when her keen senses noticed something else: a whistle, coming from the armor's helmet. Leaning down, she heard the whistle coming and going like a drip from a crack on the roof, and she felt the air weakly blowing on her cheek.

“This one is alive!” she said, alerting Izuku and Momo, who returned from their attempt to explore the rest of the cave and rejoined her.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. He's breathing, although very weakly. Probably unconscious, suffering from the loss of blood. If it were not for the armor, he would be dead.”

“You... said he. How are you sure?” Momo asked.

“Mostly a feeling, you know? It isn't as if I have had the time to check.”

“We ought to heal him first, before trying to argue about who this person is.”

“True. Help me take his armor off,” Ochako said as she moved to take off the helmet, but as she pulled she realized that she could not do it. “What the?”

“What?”

“The helmet is stuck.”

“How rare,” Momo replied. “I cannot take his gauntlets off, either.”

Izuku voiced over a spell and concentrated on the armor for several seconds, before shaking his head.

“The armor is magical, but I don't know what it could be. Maybe it's just that only the owner can take it off.”

“Well, then we'll have to heal him through it. Momo, you pull that dagger, Izuku and me will take care of healing him.”

Momo nodded, and moved her hands to the pommel, pulling out as hard as she could. The person shook, pain making him shake even in unconsciousness, but soon cleric and oracle imposed their hands on the injured and cast their healing spells, stanching the wound and allowing easier breathing. Regardless, they cast another spell, hoping it would bring them back to consciousness.

It did not.

“He must have been badly injured for him to collapse like this,” Ochako said. “He's out of danger, yes, but he'll probably need rest.”

Ochako cast a light spell on her staff and approached the end to the helmet.

“Do you see something?”

“Just... some blue strands.”

“Blue hair?”

“Maybe.”

“I know of some people with blue hair. The Kizukis, the Iidas, the Shirakumo... but this person could be anyone.”

“Indeed. All we can do is let him rest and see if we'll be lucky tomorrow,” Ochako said.

“Might as well set up camp here, don't you think so? It's getting late.”

“Yes. This is a good place to sleep in. Sheltered, isolated yet close enough to the road that returning would not be hard. One alarm spell at the mouth of the cave should be enough to warn us.”

“I'll take care of getting wood and make some food,” Izuku said. “Could one of you set up some stones for the fire? I'd rather not risk burning down the forest.”

“I'll do that,” Momo replied. “Should we do something about the bandits?”

“Maybe the one outside the cave. The others, we can take care of them tomorrow.”

The three of them set out to their self-appointed tasks, and soon enough they were enjoying a good supper out of travel rations and some wild fruits they had found in the forest. The pack had been set next to the armored person, and they started to relax, with Momo taking a pair of gloves out of her backpack and handing them to Ochako.

“I can't believe I forgot these,” she said, sheepish.

“What are this?”

“The gloves I mentioned yesterday.”

Ochako's eyebrows flew, and she put on the gloves, concentrating for a second.

“Clean, fix, shine,” she voiced as she snapped her fingers, and suddenly her clothes were clean. “My goodness, they do a good work.”

“Yes, they do. I think they were some good work.” She took out a cloak out of her backpack and some tools. “I'll see how much work I can do with this cloak. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish it in a couple of days.”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

The night was placid and tranquil, with no one disturbing the peace of their rest. Even animals kept far away from them, in spite of the cave being a good place for any of them to sleep in. Perhaps the smell of human kept them away, perhaps the fact that the fighting had scared them away, or perhaps divine intervention had directed them away. Regardless of the reason, their sleep, unburdened by the need to keep watch for part of the night, allowed them to relax.

Finally, the sun came up, and Izuku woke up. He felt energized, stronger, and as his mind wandered he realized that, somehow, he had the knowledge of new spells burrowed in his mind: one that allowed him to make any weapon stronger, and another that made him or whoever he touched larger and stronger.

His elucubrations were stopped when he also realized that there was something too big in his arms that he was quite certain was not there when he went to sleep. He opened his eyes, and was met with the long chestnut mane that belonged to a certain person.

Somehow, at some point during the night, Ochako had drifted from her sleeping place towards him, and now they were lying on his bedroll, front to back, with him embracing her around the waist. He felt himself blush at the close contact between the two of them and carefully let her go, moving back as he slowly freed his arm from the weight of her body: even if he really wanted to stay with her (and he was tempted to) they needed to prepare for the day, and he did not want the day to begin with a misunderstanding.

As soon as he was gone, Ochako pouted at the loss of contact with her Knight.

Izuku built a small fire to heat up some water for tea, and brought out some food for breakfast, as Momo woke up and yawned.

“Good morning, Izuku,” she said, mumbling a few words and snapping her fingers to clean herself up. “Did he wake up already?”

“I don't think so,” Izuku replied, looking back at the armor, which was still in the same position from the previous night. Ochako decided it was time to stop faking sleep and stood, stretching her arms above her head and standing from the bedroll.

“Morning, Momo, Izuku.”

“Morning. How did you sleep?” Momo asked.

“Oh, quite fine, thank you,” she replied with a smile, as Izuku chose to concentrate in the fire. “I don't know why, but it was really comfortable...”

Izuku's struggle with his concentration was lost, although at least he welcomed the distraction, since it was coming from an unexpected corner: the armor had started to move, as its owner groaned. Izuku carefully put the teapot aside and approached the unknown person.

“Are you alright?” he asked, kneeling.

A moment later, a well-aimed sucker punch hit him in the face, knocking him away as the armored person rolled away and stood up on their feet, clearly prepared to continue whatever fight he had been before he fainted.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Ochako said, shaking her hands to show she did not carry any weapons.

“Who are you? Where am I? What are you doing? Where are my things?” the man – yes, it was a man – asked, looking around for something, perhaps his sword.

“We are adventurers. This is a cave in the road from Edo to Hosu. We found you yesterday unconscious, and did our best to heal you from your injuries. Your pack is right next to you, and your sword is still outside,” Momo replied.

As Ochako applied some healing magic on the stunned Izuku, the armored man kept looking around as he sought the items Momo had pointed at, and slowly, never showing his back at them, retrieved them.

“Thank you,” he simply said. “Sorry about punching you.”

He made to leave, but his stomach grumbled and he stopped, unsure of what to do.

“You could... sit with us? We were about to have breakfast.”

“Why? I just attacked him.”

“You thought I was a bandit, I understand,” Izuku said, recovering from the attack as he walked back to the fire to continue making tea. “I'd rather you didn't do that anymore, though.”

Slowly, the man walked towards the fire, his armor clinking as he moved, and sat near the fire, on the side opposite to Izuku, while the women sat elsewhere, beginning to work on their morning rituals to connect with their magic and decide the spells they would be using that day.

The man was quite sparing with words, but when Izuku mentioned how they were going to Hosu, he suddenly became more interested in what they were doing.

“Why are you going there?” he asked.

“We heard about adventurers going missing, and we wanted to see if we could find them and whoever is behind this attack.”

“What a coincidence. I, too, plan to find the one who is behind the attacks.”

Izuku could tell there was more to the tale, and chose to let him continue his story.

“My brother... he was with a group of adventurers, training to gain experience and become a stronger adventurer. He was not able to actually send messages with regularity, but he did send word from time to time about his feats. But, suddenly, a moon passed without one such message, and naturally, my parents, my other siblings and I were scared. It wasn't until we received a message from somebody who had found one of his belongings left behind, along with what had been written by the kidnapper. 'Only one who is a worthy Hero may stop me'. Every time they struck, the same message was left behind. I... made a mistake.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“I was preparing myself to come here. This armor has belonged to our family for a long time, and I thought to use it since it was made for someone my height. I made a vow to find my brother, whatever it took, and for some reason the armor reacted to the vow. Shortly after, I found that I could not take it off for any reason. This armor... it is very powerful, but it is cursed at the same time. Until such a time that I fulfill my vow, I won't be able to take it off.”

“There are magical methods to revert such a curse,” Momo said, still paying attention to the conversation even though she was reading her spellbook.

“There are. But none we could find was capable of doing so. In the end, I decided to accept this curse, since it is not much of a hassle for me to carry out my intended task."

“Would you be interested in working with us? We might be able to achieve our common task if we work together,” Izuku suggested.

“I... may be amenable. What are your names?”

“My name is Izuku, and these are Ochako and Momo. What about yours?”

“You can call me Kishou.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 6
Like the Rush that Bends

Kishou was a man of few words, but nonetheless a good aid. Izuku could easily tell that he was a veteran, not only in fighting, but also in being an adventurer: Izuku knew much about nature, but Kishou was very good at finding edible plants with which to supplement their travel rations. He was also a very, very good fighter, and decided that, to compensate Izuku for punching him, he would teach him how to better wield that sword.

In the four days that took them to get from the cave they had found him to Hosu, Izuku found him to be a very strict, but quite good teacher, who had managed to show him how to wield the sword Ochako had gifted him so he could do it with one hand instead of two. He considered it a good tradeoff, since it would allow him to use a shield and gain some protection, even if his attacks lost some power: he would still have to wait until he could get to a smith that could make him a decent shield. He did also explore some of the new spells granted to him by his power: the feeling of suddenly growing twice his normal height was certainly something he would not forget any time soon.

He was not the only one to keep busy during those four days. Momo managed to turn the cloak she had been working with into a cape similar to the one she already carried, and gifted it to Izuku, who took it rather reluctantly: he had seen the kind of materials Momo had used to make the cape's magical reagents, and it was probably more money than his parents had seen put together in their lives. Hopefully, living as an adventurer would allow him to earn a lot of money, because he shuddered to think about the cost of making more powerful objects. It was not all that she did, however, for she also did work on studying her own magical skills and how to improve her knowledge.

Ochako, meanwhile, had taken to do a bit of everything: training in the use of her staff in melée with Izuku and Kishou, practicing with some of the powers she had gained thanks to her connection to the divine (the skill to create healing energy around her, she had known about, but the trick to blast people with lightning had caught her by surprise when she accidentally triggered it and hit a tree) and even exploring some of her spells with Momo's help, who had seen them being used by her fellow students and was willing to give her pointers on using them – in exchange of getting her support for her future projects.

In and on itself, the travel was quite tranquil. The road was relatively well used, but the recent events in the west had given people fear and thus most of those who would go in that direction – which had also affected the number of dangers prowling in search of victims: after all, in lack of prey, the predator would seek greener pastures.

That was not to say there were no dangers along the road between Edo and Hosu. Wild animals, hellish creatures, people that wanted to take advantage of the region's isolation for their own ends... it was truly interesting to consider what kind of individuals could spring up in the face of a lack of law-abiding protectors.

Such as what they found a day away from Hosu.

“I had heard that there were such creatures in the world, but I never imagined to see several of them,” Izuku said, still stunned at the creatures they had had to deal with.

“I have seen the likes of them before,” Kishou replied. “They are quite irritating, but for the most part not much of a problem.”

“Don't think Ochako and Momo believe the same,” Izuku whispered, looking at the two women that were walking in front of them – and the almost too literal tempest that was surrounding them both. One of the small oni – one that had a peculiar purplish tone to his skin, as well as what appeared some sort of balls on his head – they had met earlier had been all too keen on gazing upon them in a way that, even in his limited understanding, Izuku knew would have been very much out of place in a human male, much less the creature. To compound on his mistakes, the oni had then attempted to 'trade' passage through that part of the road for a chance to do what was clearly inappropiate touching on the two girls.

Needless to say, before Izuku could intervene to show the oni that he had made a great mistake making that 'trade offer', Ochako had shot lightning at him and then Momo had struck him with her quarterstaff until he blissfully passed out. Also needless to say, the oni, very much impressed with how the duo had dealt with one of their own, had let them pass through without issue, probably scared out of their wits.

Not that the girls were much happy about all of it.

“I swear, when I get the chance I'm going to have to bathe for hours,” Ochako muttered, still shuddering at how dirty she felt just from the oni's gaze upon her.

“You and I. That little monster is lucky I didn't skewer him with my yari,” Momo growled, her jet black eyes shining like a storm.

“You have a yari? Where?”

“I would have created it with my power.”

“That would have been interesting to see,” Ochako replied. She looked back at Izuku, who gave her a tentative smile, and she felt her fury with the little monster wash away from the power of her Knight's curved lips.

Momo noticed her companion's gaze and smiled as well as she looked in the same direction. She did not know what circumstances had tied these two together, but it was obvious that they were quite enchanted with each other. Perhaps this was what people in love looked like when turning to their beloved?

“Say, Ochako...” she said, calling the other woman's attention. “I know this is a tad too personal, but I was wondering... how did you meet Izuku?”

“It... was not the best moment,” Ochako replied, her smile turning brittle. “Izuku did not have the easiest time before we met. It's his life, so I won't tell you much about him, but... it was bad. I was glad to meet him, because I could see what he could become, rather than what the people in his hometown believed him to be. I helped him when he was down at his worst, and managed to show him that he could truly be great. I... I think he deserves to be happy, you know? And I want to be there with him when he finally does that.”

“You do really like him, don't you?”

“I do.” Her cheeks turned rosier, and her smile was stronger now. “While it is too soon to think about it... I can barely imagine not being with him. Have you ever had that feeling?”

Momo shook her head. Time spent studying in the Academy, and her position as Heir to the Yaoyorozu legacy had left her with little time exploring her potential romantic interest in other people.

“Well, when you have that... you will know what I am talking about.”

“I'll take your word for it. Now, I want to know – how did you find making that lightning trick?”

“Impressive, if a bit scary. I know it shouldn't do a lot of damage, but it's always good to know I do have something I can do in case of emergency...”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

The sun was at its highest point when the foursome finally arrived to their destination.

Hosu. A mid-sized town in the center of their country. About five thousand souls lived there, give or take a few dozen from people that came and went between the place and others nearby. It wasn't a trade hub or a place that attracted people due to the existence of great temples or important institutions being nearby: it had simply grown out of a number of hamlets attracted to the fertile grounds, as well as the discovery of a large vein of iron under several hills nearby. Both elements had ensured the creation of a town that could be almost self-sufficient, and a temple dedicated to Inari, goddess of fertility, was more than enough to fulfill the religious needs of those that felt them.

As of late, though, a problem had arisen: the disappearance of adventurers without a trace. While in the beginning this had attracted more people seeking to solve the trouble, eventually the influx of volunteers had dried up. So far, no local inhabitant had suffered, but fear still settled among them, and that was something the small group discovered when they arrived.

“This place looks abandoned,” Momo said, gazing upon the deserted streets.

“They are afraid of what could happen to them,” Kishou replied. “As far as I can tell, none of them has been actually attacked, but they likely fear the possibility that whatever is targeting the adventurers may go after them at some point. Thus...”

He gestured at the town.

“We should try to ask in the temple, the priests may have answers that could help us,” Ochako replied.

“I think I can see it from here. Should we go and ask?”

“Yes. The sooner we finish this problem the best for everyone,” Kishou said. Walking up to the temple, they noted as several windows opened as they passed by, only to close shortly after. The uncheery feeling did not help them feel well, and Izuku hoped they would be able to change that.

“Welcome to the Temple of Inari, foreigners,” a young priestess, wearing the traditional white haori and red hakama, said, giving a short bow. “What brings you to our small town?”

“We seek to help you. We have heard of the trouble that besets Hosu, and we hope someone will be able to guide us in the right direction,” Kishou immediately replied.

“Aye, I understand. It has been some time since the last who came here to aid Hosu, and if you can help we will be more than happy to aid you. Kindly wait here, I shall bring someone who knows more of the matter.”

The wait, fortunately, was not long, and soon enough they heard the steps coming, along with the clacking of a wooden staff in rhythm with the steps, until the person they belonged to stepped out into the light.

The first thing Izuku thought at seeing the person was 'old'. Izuku's town was not prodigious in the number of people that could reasonably reach their sixth decade of life, and passing the seventh was something akin to a miracle. This woman, with her short stature, her silvery white hair and her many, many wrinkles, was probably beyond that threshold. She could have well been become a priestess of Inari already when Knight Nana sought allies to fight Kashikoi the Smiler. Her clothes, while similar to those of the young priestess that had welcomed them, was decorated with red and orange string forming a patch with the stylized form of a fox, Inari's favored animal, and her staff was made of a deep red wood decorated with foxes and rice sprouts.

“Are you the ones that called on me to ask about the smearer?” the old woman asked, and Izuku could also tell that there was power behind the ancient lady's voice, power she probably would not doubt to use if something went wrong. Nonetheless, he stepped forward and bowed to the priestess.

“Yes, we are. My name is Izuku, and these are Ochako, Momo and Kishou. If, by the smearer, you mean whoever is making people disappear, it is our hope to stop him.”

The priestess looked at them with a piercing gaze before giving a nod, as if something had convinced her.

“You may do. Come in, you'll probably want some tea, and it should be ready soon,” she said, turning around and beginning to walk into the temple. Izuku followed along with the others, and the sun gave way to the cooling shadow of the building, letting them look around. The temple was not big, probably able to hold about two hundred people at the same time, and functional with few decorations, but still enough to serve as such and beautiful in its own way. It was, in summary, the typical temple of a town that would rather have a place of worship instead of a monument.

“Take a seat, all of you. I hope you all like green tea,” the priestess said as her younger counterpart put cups in front of them all.

“Thank you,” Momo and Kishou said, nodding as they accepted the cups, the latter lowering a part of his helmet to be able to drink.

“I've never had any,” Izuku admitted, looking down at the smoking cup he had grabbed.

“You'll like it, I am sure,” Ochako whispered, and he shrugged before he blew on the cup and took a sip, smiling.

“As people say, time is gold, so let's go straight to the matter at hand,” the priestess said. “The smearer has taken at least fifty people since he first appeared three months ago. All those people have in common that they are not from Hosu. All of them were adventurers that came here for one thing or another – lately it was trying to find that bastard – and all of them were attacked and captured. I don't know how he does it – it's almost like he can teleport in and defeat them all without being caught, because all he leaves behind when he's done is a few belongings of the people he attacks, those notes claiming that only a hero can stop him and a smear of blood spread around with a hand.”

“Could you tell us where these events happened? Perhaps we might be able to see a pattern,” Momo suggested, and Izuku could see where she was going.

“No one here has managed to find anything about it, but maybe you'll be able to. Though, given who you are, the smearer might end up coming to you, instead,” she replied, standing from her seat and walking to a nearby wardrobe, where she rummaged for a while before she pulled out a roll of parchment. “Damned bastard is always ready to pounce on whoever's got him twisted.”

Izuku felt a bit shocked at the sudden insult the elder had dropped, and looking at the others, it seemed like he was not the only one, as the priestess unrolled the parchment over the table, picked up what he recognized as a piece of charcoal from a nearby pot and began to make marks on the parchment. Twelve marks in total, along with numbers to indicate the order in which they took place and the date of each attack.

“Those are all the attacks that have happened so far,” she said. “Maybe there were others, but no one's found anything about them. If you see anything, then you are clearly smarter than me and everyone else that has tried their hand.”

Momo looked at the map and slowly traced the points and the connections with her finger, mumbling something at a low voice. Izuku was doing the same, but just with the eyes, trying to see something that may have escaped others. It felt almost like someone was throwing stones on a table and randomly picking targets based on where the rocks fell. Momo shook her head and rummaged in the bag she carried on her side, pulling out a lock of reddish hair and saying several words in her arcane language, causing the lock to vanish and herself to momentarily shine in a reddish light.

“Kindly warn us before you start using spells, child,” the priestess said, pointing her cane at Momo. “If it weren't for the fact that I know what that spell does, I would have already expelled you from these holy grounds.”

“I'm sorry, I simply sought to improve my intelligence to be able to better see into this research,” Momo apologized, going over the map again with the charcoal piece before she started to connect the points with lines. As she did, it did appear to have more of a pattern held within, almost like it was just waiting for her to come up and test her mind against that of the kidnapper. As she continued her drawing, the charcoal tip had passed by several points where there had been no attacks, and finished by making a last mark at the town's center.

“Wait... I think I have seen that somewhere,” Ochako said.

“I'm surprised. It's little known, but this is a word in the language used by the lawful outsiders,” Momo replied. “The actual meaning can vary depending on the context, but it can mean 'justice' and 'power', or perhaps 'might' should be a better translation.”

“Do you think it could be one such outsider?”

“Maybe one that has gone mad. Or perhaps a person who has a warped sense of justice. Either way... we know where we might be able to find them.”

“Unless he finds you first,” the priestess sentenced.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

“So, this is the point where we are supposed to find them?” Kishou asked as they surveyed the alley. Narrow, shadowy and completely bereft of anything, it made for a rather obvious place where some villain would attempt to ambush someone.

“I am not entirely sure, but if the pattern holds, it should be here,” Momo said, already doubting herself. Perhaps she had just seen a pattern where there had just been some sort of random factor of opportunity? It could go either way, she knew: if it was a pattern, then it did give more value to the theory of the attacker being some misguided soul thinking they were doing justice, but if it was not then it was likelier to just be someone who wanted to cause chaos.

“How long do you figure we'll have to wait?” Izuku asked. He knew it was important, but he still felt like an idiot waiting around an empty street.

“I wish I could tell you. Hopefully soon. I wouldn't want to find out this smearer decided to attack an innocent in some other place while we were here.”

“Then it is good that I decided to test your worthiness.”

Immediately, Izuku and Kishou unsheathed their swords while Ochako and Momo prepared themselves to cast spells at the first target that appeared.

“Only those worth of the name can call themselves heroes,” the strange voice, raspy and direct, sounded around them, no definite source could be seen. “Will you prove to be fakes like everybody else? Or will one of you finally be the one I seek?”

Everything was suddenly engulfed in a black mist, so dense that Izuku could not even see his own hands, and when he tried to reach out to Ochako in the darkness he realized with apprehension that she was not where she was supposed to be.

“Ochako!” he shouted, but the only answer he got was silence.

“Let us see what you do when you are without your companions, 'hero'.”

Izuku ignored the voice. He knew that whoever this individual was, he would not care for what he had to say.

“Nothing to say? Actions speak louder than words... let us see if you are an actual hero.”

The darkness lifted up, and Izuku found himself again in the same alley – but he could tell it was not the same alley. There was something here that was giving him goosebumps, almost as if the entire everything surrounding him was somehow wrong.

But then a scream pervaded the air and Izuku shut out his apprehension: someone was in trouble, and needed his help.

As he turned in the direction of the scream, he passed his hand over his sword blade.

“Magia, concede poder a este arma,” he said, and soon his sword shone like a torch as he ran as fast as possible to the scream. He turned a corner and saw a girl on the ground trying to crawl away from a growling beast slowly walking towards her.

There was only one thing to do.

He ran.

He sheathed his sword.

He grabbed the girl (as carefully as he could) into his arms and ran back to the alley, as the beast yowled and began to move faster.

“Sorry for grabbing you like that, but it was the safest way to...”

“Deku-kun?”

The voice made him stop momentarily, because he knew that voice. He finally looke at the girl he had rescued, and he realized it was...

“Ochako?”

It was Ochako. Same brown hair, same rounded face, same rosy cheeks, same cuteness.

But, at the same time, it was not Ochako. This Ochako lacked the spark that made her her, the dragon girl he so admired. She still had a spark, a shine to her that he could see, but not the one he was accostumed to. Perhaps she was a modified copy of his Ochako? An Ochako from another world? He could certainly not imagine a world that did not have someone like her.

The fact that Ochako was blushing like a pepper was another sign. The real Ochako would probably be smiling at him, but the woman in his arms was growing redder by the second.

And, finally, she had called him by that accursed name Katsuki had made up years before, when he started to change – but the way she had used it, it felt like it was affectionate.

“What?” she asked, and to Izuku's ears, it appeared to be that she was surprised. He carefully let her down in the alley and unsheathed his sword again.

“Can you defend yourself? Whatever that monster tries, I will do my best to stop it, but if you can help it would be good.”

“Well, yes, of course. Are you alright, Deku-kun? And... where did you get that sword?”

“Later,” Izuku replied as the monster finally reached them, growling and looking at them with its seven red eyes. He had never seen such a creature, but it did look dangerous. “Atrás, si no quieres acabar mal.”

The monster did not seem to get the message, and attempted to attack Izuku, who deflected the claw with his sword.

“Que el poder de mi magia me otorgue el tamaño de los gigantes.”

The divine words and the magic they carried covered his body, and suddenly his height had doubled, to the point that he now towered not only Ochako, but also the monster, which now had to look up and was, quite probably, seriously reconsidering its choices.

“He... dicho... atrás.”

The creature chose to ignore the warning, in spite of its previous reluctance, and attacked Izuku again. This time, he took a hit, but he quickly replied by slashing back with his sword, roughly hitting it and making it bleed. The monster's counter was parried away, but for some reason it started to float. Looking down, Izuku noticed that Ochako had touched it. Not a punch, not a spell. Just a touch. Izuku attacked again, and the defenseless creature was sent flying.

“Deku-kun? How.. how did you...” Ochako tried to ask, astonished, as she looked between the quickly diminishing speck that was the creature and him.

“¿Qué?”

“What... what are you speaking?”

“No te... sorry, it happens when I'm fighting,” he said, as he finally got out of the battle mentality and went over what Ochako had said. Nonetheless, he remained in his enlarged form, intent on protecting Ochako even when the danger had seemingly passed.

“You are... not my Deku.”

“Probably. My... the Ochako I know can't do what you did.”

“Oh.” She awkwardly scratched the back of her head, smiling up to him with closed eyes. “Well... thank you. That thing didn't look friendly, hehe.”

“Glad to have helped.” He looked around. “How did you end up here?”

“I... was in my room and... fell asleep? I think?”

“If it is just a dream... well, then you'll be able to return home soon. I think.”

Just then, the alley they were in began to be covered in a white mist, which he supposed was marking the end of their strange encounter.

“Sorry you got pulled away into this. Take care,” Izuku said.

“Wait, what do you mean 'got pulled away'-”

Ochako disappeared, and all that was left was white.

“Interesting,” the raspy voice from earlier said. “I have yet to see someone who has done like you.”

“Why did you get that girl involved? She's an innocent!”

“Had she suffered because of your mistakes, she would have simply thought it a nebulous nightmare, and forgotten its contents before midday. But she didn't suffer.”

“Even then! Do you think yourself in the right, after doing gods know what to tens of people? If you have a problem with me, then face me yourself, don't resort to using other people as a tool!”

“You would face me... yourself? Even though you are so out of your league that it is not even funny?”

“Isn't that what heroes do? Fight those who prey on the innocent, even when it puts their own lives at risk?”

The mysterious voice remained silent for several seconds, making Izuku worry that it would ignore him, or leave him in this situation, but suddenly the mist disappeared, and he found himself in what appeared to be some sort of fighting grounds. He looked around, but could see nobody else.

“If you think you are a hero... prove it.”

In the blink of an eye, three bodies laid on the ground, their eyes closed and without movement. Izuku easily identified them all and he knelt next to them. Using what he knew, he quickly noted that Ochako, Momo and Kishou were alive and seemingly uninjured, but remained unconscious. A quick calculation brought him to the realization that healing them would leave him bereft of spells for the rest of the day, but he figured it would be worth it if he could wake them up. As fast as he could, he applied the first healing spell on Ochako, but before he could move to Momo he felt someone moving from behind him.

He unsheathed his sword and blocked the attack just in time.

“Good reflexes. Surprising, really.”

Izuku looked at the person who had just attacked him with a katana. He was not very tall, probably slightly shorter than him. Dark hair, a sleeveless metal-plated shirt decorated with some sort of golden scales, bandages covering his arms, black clothes, a pair of hard boots with spikes and two long ratty scarves, one red around his neck, the other white and covering his eyes. The most striking feature was, however, his face... or, rather, what was missing.

¿No tiene nariz? ¿Pero qué...

“You wanted to face me. Here I am.”

In different circumstances, he would have started fighting, but right now he had a different set of priorities.

This time, he would not be a sword, but a wall.

“No dejaré que ataques a mis amigos,” he declared, glaring at the man in front of him. He leaned his head to a side.

“¿Hablas la lengua de los ángeles? Interesante,” the man replied, unfazed by the discovery. “Veremos si realmente mereces el honor de hacerlo.”

He backed off and prepared as if to receive an attack from Izuku, but he remained in place, just moving slightly to the right so he could cover all of his friends if the man tried to attack any of them.

“¿No planeas atacar?”

“No necesito hacerlo. Sólo quiero protegerles.”

The man attacked again, but this time Izuku could not avoid getting hurt, as the man was too fast. The injury burned, but Izuku pushed the pain away. He could not let this keep him from his mission.

“Morirás si no lo haces, chico.”

“Tal vez. O tal vez no. Tal vez sólo tenga que aguantar hasta que despierten y puedan ayudarme. O hasta que decidas rendirte y liberar a todos los que has capturado.”

“No es un mal plan. Pero tiene un problema. No podrás aguantar tanto tiempo.”

“Puedo hacer esto todo el día si hace falta.”

The next attack came, and Izuku managed to bend out of the way before making a sudden slash that struck the man's thin sword. The sword barely budged from the man's hands.

“Creí que dijiste que no me atacarías.”

“Si te desarmo, puedo evitar que sigas atacándome.”

The man did not answer: he just attacked again, and Izuku managed to deflect the attack by pure luck.

For a minute, they continued to fight. Izuku kept doing his best to keep the man back, and the man kept attacking. Izuku was forced to use his remaining spells in healing himself, but did not let that stop him from holding the man back.

Until, suddenly, the man changed strategies and closed in, punching him in the stomach. Izuku gasped in pain and dropped to his knees, nearly dropping his sword at the same time.

“As I suspected, another fake. Just give up, boy, you'll be better once I'm done with you.” The man turned to Ochako, who was closest to him, and raised his sword to give her a coup de grace, but before he could another sword interposed itself between both.

“Da igual lo que hagas... no lo permitiré.”

The man looked down at Izuku, who was now kneeling in front of Ochako, his sword aloft and stopping the man's from dealing a deadly blow, as he glared up to him.

Much to Izuku's surprise, the man, rather than continuing to attack, stepped back and sheathed his weapon.

“Eres realmente lo que dices. Tal vez el héroe que esperaba.”

“Eso no me dice nada. Why should I care about that? Release us and those you took.”

“Making demands already? When you are almost laying on the ground, almost spewing bile and blood from one attack?”

“I don't care. All I know is that you did injustice, and I am here to stop it.”

The two of them glared at each other, and the man eventually nodded.

“Chizome Akaguro. Remember that name, boy.”

And, in a flash of light, everything was gone.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

Izuku opened his eyes, and instead of the fighting grounds where he and the strange, noseless man had battled – well, more like him trying to defend himself and his companions – he was back in the Temple of Inari, being tended up to by the same priestess that had welcomed them earlier that day. Perhaps make it the previous day, as Izuku noted the rising sun coming up.

“Awake already?” she asked, smiling, before looking aside. “Mother Chiyo, the hero is awake!”

Before he could think of a way to ask her not to call him a hero – he hadn't done much that could be considered heroic, as far as he could tell – the elder priestess arrived, still leaning on her cane, and looking at him with something akin to... admiration, perhaps?

“Well, child, looks like you and your companions solved this problem with the smearer. From what everyone's told me, you're the one that finally forced him to stop.”

“Forced, forced... not exactly forced. More like... convinced?” Izuku replied, unsure. Now that he could begin to consider the entire fight, he could tell that the man had held back. A lot. Maybe he had seen he was so weak he had not seen a point in doing better? Or perhaps he had only wanted to test him in some way? Then, something else stuck out to him. “Wait... everyone?”

“You should see it for yourself. Quite a few people want to thank you.”

With the help of the young priestess, Izuku stood up from his bed and walked into a larger room, where several tables had been laid out. Vapor wafted from several cups of tea, held by people he did not recognize as they drunk or looked into them, clearly thinking.

Well, he could recognize some of them. There, on the corner, were Ochako and Momo, along with a blue-haired man. Ochako turned to look at him and she smiled, and for a second Izuku forgot everything under the brilliance of her smile.

For a second, he thought of the joy of seeing that smile forever.

Then she raised her hand and waved him, and the perfect picture vanished. She was still there, but the brilliance had disappeared.

“Izuku!”

Everybody in the room looked at her and then at him, and all at once they started to cheer and clap.

“Thank you!”

“You saved us!”

“You are a true hero!”

“That fight was wonderful!”

Izuku felt himself going red as everybody thanked him, and in the time it took him to go from the door to the table where his companions were waiting he shook more hands and was the recipient of more bows than he had in his entire life until now. His attempts to wave the gratitude away, saying that anyone would have done what he had, and that he had just been lucky, were for the most part ignored and laughed away, save for the one person that had said that he should not think himself lucky when he had shown his strength.

As the crowd returned to their tables and he finally got to sit next to Ochako, she took no time in giving him a long hug that he would have returned if the hug hadn't trapped his arms in the process.

“That fight was well done, Izuku,” Momo said, smiling. “I'm glad to have taken a place as your partner.”

“I'm glad I found you, as well. Thanks to you, I finally found my brother,” the blue haired man said. The voice was familiar enough for Izuku to recognize him.

“Kishou?”

“Yes,” he said, chuckling. “That was actually more of a pseudonym I took while I was wearing the armor. Something that has been running on the family for years, in fact. My actual name is-”

“Brother!”

The one who had interrupted Kishou was another young man, clearly his brother, considering his blue hair and similar faces. But where Kishou seemed to be relaxed and tranquil, the brother seemed to be straightlaced. And, curiously, he wore a pair of glasses over his eyes, which somehow did not look out of place.

“Ah, little brother! Did you find what you wanted?”

“I did. Thank you for your help!”

“Well, there's someone you need to meet. This is Izuku, the hero that got everyone out.”

Izuku tried to tell Kishou that he should not call him a hero, but his brother turned to him and made a perfect bow, putting his upper body in parallel to the ground.

“I owe you my life, Izuku! Without you, I would have been prisoner of that man for who knows how long! If you ever need my help, request it and I shall grant it!”

Ochako giggled and Momo smiled into her tea as Izuku tried to make the other man that he did not need to be so effusive in his gratefulness, and finally Kishou chuckled and grabbed his brother's shoulder.

“Tenya, calm down, no need to be so formal.”

“But I must, Tensei! He saved my life, and honor demands I pay back for it!”

“Well, you aren't going to be doing any paying yet. Mother and father want to see you back home.”

The younger man – Tenya – sighed and straightened out, taking a seat next to his brother.

“Then... should you come by our home, you will be welcome with the honors owed to a hero like you. We can do no less for you.”

“No need for that. I'm just an adventurer, I don't need that much,” Izuku replied, smiling. “I wouldn't say no to another friend, but it does appear your family wants to see you.”

Tenya smiled, and his face softened.

“Then, if you will allow it... when you come to our home, I will be ready and able to join your party. Will that be alright?”

For all answer, Izuku offered his hand – finally unentangled from Ochako's embrace – and Tenya shook it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7
I Started To Like Being Slightly Different

“Wish you could come with us,” Izuku recognized as he, Ochako, Momo and the Iida brothers reached the outskirts of Hosu, where they had been told they would always be welcome.

“So do I. But I promised my mother that I would bring Tenya back, so that's on me. Still, Tenya's offer is open. Visit us at Iida Heaven, we will welcome you any time.”

“Thank you very much. I would say something similar, but, well, we don't exactly have a place to call home,” he replied, giving an awkward grin, but Tensei smiled and clapped his shoulder.

“Don't worry. When that time comes, we will be glad to accept your hospitality. Until then... well, keep saving the world.”

“Thanks, I... guess I'll keep doing that.”

“You do that.”

“Once again, thank you for helping me, Izuku!” Tenya stated, chopping the air before giving another bow.

“Oi, we talked about this, no need to bow,” Izuku said as he shook his hands. Tensei grinned as he took his brother by the shoulder.

“Come now, Tenya, don't make him feel awkward!” he said, pulling Tenya back. “We do need to go if we want to arrive home soon. Take care, you three, and hope to see you soon.”

“So do we,” Ochako replied, waving at the blue-haired brothers as they began to make their way west. “Where are we going, then?”

“Southwest. I asked Mother Chiyo, and she mentioned there is a man called Shield living in an island somewhere off Chuukyou. Few people know about him, from what travellers tell of him he only comes to shore about once per week to buy supplies. He might actually be the one Nezu's note mentioned.”

“Strange name, Shield,” Momo pointed out. “Where does he come from?”

“No one knows. He just appeared in Chuukyou years ago, bought the island and built himself a home there. Rumor has it that he came with his family, he's been seen with the same women several times, but no one has actually confirmed that.”

“Well, if he is the person we are meant to meet, then we will likely find out the truth,” Ochako replied, smiling. “I'm curious about where Nezu met him.”

Having already said their goodbyes to the locals as well as those adventurers who would remain in town for a few more days, the young trio left Hosu, glad they had been able to solve the problem and help so many people. They began to move around the town, before taking the path that led towards the southwest: Chuukyou was about five days away on foot, according to the people that came from there, but it depended on walking speed, the weather and other factors.

Unfortunately, travel this time was uneasy: with only three people in the group, making guard was not only a lonely affair, but also longer: they could not force Momo to do so, for she needed to sleep the full night if she was to remain at her best potential. Fortunately, Ochako's connection to the divine had strengthened, and she was now able to cast a spell that restored a person and relieved them of their fatigue: needless to say, it got quite a bit of use.

And it was good that it did, because the path towards Chuukyou was not bereft of dangers – such as the one that attacked them late in the evening of the third day of travel.

“¡Atrás! ¡Atrás!” Izuku shouted, swinging his sword at the large creature and hitting it in the arm, causing it to growl in pain. “¿Alguna de vosotras sabe qué son estas criaturas?”

“¡Osos lechuza!” Momo replied, ducking just in time under a fast claw. “¡Son salvajes y brutales, pero su tamaño los hace más lentos!”

Ochako gave a step back and gave a roar as the air was suddenly filled with a loud noise that shook the creature Izuku was fighting.

“¡Rápido, Izuku, está aturdido!” she warned him, and Izuku proceeded to slash, almost gutting the creature while Momo readied a spell of her own. The other monster managed to hit her in the shoulder, drawing blood, but she held and finished her movements

“Gather, ice, and pierce my enemies!” she said, gritting through her teeth, and a giant spear made of ice lanced out of the ground, piercing it from below with a pained roar as it fell to the ground.

“¡Momo!” Izuku shouted.

“¡Acaba con él, Izuku! ¡Podemos lidiar con mis heridas después!” Momo replied, averting the monster's claw again as the other attempted to stand up, but this time Izuku brought down his sword and got through the neck: if it was not dead, then it would be close.

“Oh, life, grant your boon,” Ochako said, touching Momo, whose injuries quickly began to recede under the onslaught of positive energy.

“Thank you, Ochako!” Momo said as she jumped back, away from the second monster as Ochako, who was uninjured, stood at the forefront. The monster proceeded to strike: while she managed to avoid the pointy claws at the end of each paw, she could not escape being hit in the backstrike, and then lost her staff when she was forced to use it to hold off its bite.

“¡Que el poder de mi magia me otorgue el tamaño de los gigantes!” Izuku shouted, and quickly move as he grew to a size equal to the creature, physically taunting it to come after him instead of Ochako. Momo took advantage the distraction her friends had provided by shooting an arrow-like acid spray that splashed into the monster's shoulder, hissing as it ate through hair and flesh. Maddened with pain, it attempted to tackle Izuku and bring him down, but Izuku resisted the attack and countered with a mighty slash to the top of its head.

Bereft of her staff, Ochako decided to use one spell she had yet to test, which she had thanks to her intimate knowledge of lightning.

“Spark Blade, come forth!” she chanted, and out of her right arm sprung a scimitar-like blade that, instead of metal, was seemingly made of pure crackling lightning, ready to shock whoever was its unfortunate victim. Said unfortunate victim was suddenly hit by a snowball to the face, making it suddenly shake in cold but ultimately still able to fight.

“¡Rápido, acabad con él!” Momo warned her friends. Izuku successfully parried and blocked the monsters' attacks, and Ochako slashed at it with her Spark Blade before Izuku put it out of its misery by stabbing it in the eyes.

As the owlbear finally collapsed on the ground, dead, both Izuku and Ochako dismissed their spells, returning him to his normal height and her to an empty hand, which she quickly put remedy to by recovering her staff from where it had fallen.

“¿Estáis bien las dos?” Izuku asked, still coming down from his battle shock.

“Sí. Ochako restañó mis heridas rápidamente,” Momo said, turning to the cleric. “Ochako, what about you? You got hit rather badly.”

“Nothin' that a nice rest won't erase,” she declared, grinning. “Though, this is big, we just beat two big, bad, mean monsters!”

“Yeah. They were tough, but we stopped them!” Izuku replied. “Wish they hadn't tried to kill us, though.”

“There is little that could have been done for that, Izuku,” Momo said. “These creatures are owlbears. It is strange that they have managed to spread here, because they are mostly found in Europe. Nobody knows why, but they tend to attack anything that crosses their path without provocation. Unlike most other creatures, they seem to kill for pleasure rather than to hunt. Though, this presents an opportunity. Izuku, how good are you with skinning animals?”

“I have had to skin one or two creatures in the past. Nothing as big as this, but... you think their skin would be worth the effort?”

“Oh, yes. While I've never actually seen it, I've heard of people paying quite a lot for the chance of having an owlbear pelt in their homes.”

“Should we just make camp, then? If you plan to get their skin off, I don't think you'll be done before the sun sets,” Ochako pointed out.

“Yes, it might be better. You two took several injuries, we could really use the rest after we're finished,” Izuku agreed. “Sorry for that.”

“For what? We are all aware that you cannot be everywhere at the same time, Izuku. Sure, I was caught in a bad position, but I believed I would be capable of handling that creature while you killed the other one,” Momo said. “And we've all come out of the other side in good health. I've had to suffer pain, but I know that I cannot expect to go untouched in an adventure. Fret not, we can just consider this a learning experience for the three of us.”

“We are going to need someone else that can fight at the front, though,” Ochako admitted. “I can handle it quite well, but eventually I will have to settle on using magic to help everyone.”

“Tenya said he might be willing to do it in the future.”

“Yeah, but until then...”

The rest of the day, as the sun began to set, was complete with Izuku getting his hands red trying to skin the owlbears with Ochako's help, while Momo prepared the camp a little ways away from the road they had been using: a small cave provided good refuge, bedrolls were set up to provide the best possible comfort and she even managed to find some bays and fruits that would nicely complement the travel rations they were going to eat. The owlbears, after the skinning, were moved by Izuku to the other side of the road, hopefully providing any potential predator nearby with a distraction from the camp.

Finally, after long work, the three of them were able to sit and enjoy their food, looking outside their refuge at the stars that shone in the sky.

“Have you ever thought about what you plan to do in the future?” Momo asked, sitting on her bedroll as she sewed several runes into the cape she was making. “After you decide to retire from adventuring, that is.”

“I... I don't know for sure,” Izuku said. “Before I met Ochako, all I had was my farm, so all I saw myself doing was working there. Now, though... I don't know what to do. Perhaps I will return home and become a farmer again, or maybe I'll end up living in Edo. Depends on what happens, I guess.”

“And you, Ochako?”

“Same as Izuku.”

Izuku looked at Ochako, who was returning the look with a smile that made him both nervous and yet warm, as something in his stomach that he was quite certain had nothing to do with the food he was eating started to flap around.

Momo looked at her companions and wistfully smiled. She was sure her mother would crow about romance while subtly trying to get her to follow and find herself a man of her own. Not that she did not welcome the possibility, but she did not see herself as a wife, at least not yet. Perhaps in the future...

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

The rest of the travel, quite fortunately for them, was more restful, even if they had to deal with the extra weight of the owlbear skins. Momo swore she would make a number of bags that she knew could hold a great deal of weight in a small space, but all she knew about the spell was that it took a more powerful spellcaster to learn and use. They might be able to find or buy one at some point, but it would take a while before it was feasible.

In spite of this, Chuukyou was there at the end of the road, and they all sighed at the relief of ridding themselves of not only the skins, but also some of the stuff they had found on the way from both casual finds and a few bandits that had made the mistake of trying to attack them. Hopefully, they would be able to find a shop here willing to buy those things.

“By the Gods!” one man exclaimed, seeing the two large skins they were carrying. “What is this creature you have slain?”

“An owlbear, good sir,” Momo answered. “It's a creature that comes from the west, normally quite dangerous. This one and their mate assaulted us on the way here, but we managed to slay both. Would you be kind enough to point us towards a place where we can sell them ?”

“Hmm... old Jin's always searching for new things to sell, and he'll definitely be interested in those two skins. Got a shop in the main square, you can't miss it.”

“Thank you very much, sir,” Izuku answered.

“You're welcome. If you want to have a drink or lunch, come by the White Cloud, by the port, we've got the best sake and seafood in the city!”

“We'll try, don't worry!”

The man smiled and waved at them as they walked in the direction he had pointed at. Their passing did not go unremarked, as many people inquired over the rather exotic skins they were carrying and either offered to buy them directly or chose to do so when Jin (who was apparently quite well known in the zone) put them up for sale. Finding the shop was easy, and as Momo opened the door to let Izuku and Ochako in, they were greeted by a man that was probably Jin, somehow being outwardly old and yet spright and eager like someone a third of his age.

“Oh! Such magnificent skins! I had heard of this creature, even saw one from afar once, but I have never seen something like this! Wait, but first I must greet you! Welcome to my shop, ladies and gentleman! What can old Jin do for you?”

Izuku smiled at the man and his effusiveness. He did seem to be quite the nice individual.

“Actually, it was about these skins, we were told you might be interested in buying them.”

“You have come to the right place! Old Jin always finds an use for everything! Well, almost everything. There's always people try to sell me something that is completely useless. Tsk.” He shook his head, and Izuku could tell he was not content when thinking of them. “But, well, allow me to see those wonders! It is a rarity to see owlbears in these lands!”

“We did our best to not damage the skins, but, well, we didn't have much experience,” Izuku said as he put the skin he carried on a table.

“Hmm... yes, I can see the marks of weapons. That could add some authenticity to them, and what you left from skinning can be easily fixed. Yes, yes, these skins will fetch a very good price. I think we can make a good deal out of them where both of us will benefit...”

The door opened behind Momo.

“Oh, Jin! I see you are just as busy as always!” said a voice from the door, bright and cheery, with just a trace of a strange accent none of them had heard.

“Young Melissa! As always, your presence illuminates this old shop!”

Izuku looked back and saw a young woman that was clearly not from Nihon: tall, blonde hair, blue eyes hidden behind glasses and other features marked her as a foreigner, although her vocabulary was on point. Izuku supposed she had been living in Chuukyou quite some time, particularly since Jin had greeted her like an old friend. The woman smiled and gave a small giggle.

“You always like to exaggerate, Jin!” she replied, putting down a box on the nearest table. “Say, did you get what we requested?”

“Of course! I pride myself in giving my customers what they need! Say, would your father be interested in an authentic owlbear skin? These youngsters have managed to bring two.”

“Owlbears? I didn't know there were any nearby! Oh, I'm sorry!” She turned to them. “Nice to meet you, my name is Melissa Shield.”

Shield... wait, that name... I feel like I should know it... Izuku thought. That word was tugging at his memory, and he felt like the small pocket where he was keeping Nezu's note was burning. Is she related to the man we're looking for?

“Nice to meet you too!” Ochako replied. “I am Ochako, and these are Momo and Izuku.”

“Can I see those skins? I could tell my dad about them and see if he's interested,” Melissa asked, looking from them to the skins.

“Sure. They are not treated yet, though, so it'll be better if you wait for someone to work on them,” Izuku pointed out.

“No problem. Jin's good with a lot of everything, he'll deal just fine with it. Do you think you can save one of them for us, in case Dad wants it?”

“Of course, young Melissa. Oh, and here's your package. Everything just fine, as expected. And how are things at House Shield?”

“Quite fine, thank you. Mei's still a riot, I don't think she's got any limits to what she makes,” she replied with a laugh.

“Wait, House Shield?” Izuku asked. Melissa turned to him, her eyebrow risen.

“It's named after my family. Is there a problem?”

“No, no, no, it's just that a teacher of ours mentioned a friend of his who lived in a place named like that and I thought that maybe you were related to that friend of our teacher or you could introduce us to them or-”

“Sshhhh, Izuku, relax,” Ochako said, taking one of his hands that had gone flying around without any apparent control and caressing it in an attempt to calm him down, and the blonde girl smiled.

“And what friend sent you here? Mind you, my father has made many friends on the way here from Columbia.”

“Er... his name is Toshinori...” Izuku said, hoping that it was the right answer. Judging by the way her eyes shone, it might be.

“Uncle Might? You know Uncle Might?”

“Uncle Might?”

“Oh, er...” she sheepishly said, scratching the back of her head. “Maybe we should have this discussion somewhere else? We are crowding Jin's shop.”

“Don't worry about me, young Melissa, I am just trying to figure where to put these skins and begin to treat them. You are always welcome here. Though, if there's something you want to talk with them with no one to interrupt, then it might be better if you find some private place. You never know who might be listening in, after all,” Jin replied, bringing a short knife that Izuku knew was meant to be used in scratching the inner side of the skin.

“Hmm, true that. I'm going to go out on a limb and invite you to my house. If you know him, then Dad will be interested to meet you.”

“That.. that would be interesting,” Momo pointed out.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

“How do you know Yagi?” Izuku asked, carrying Melissa's package, as the foreign-like girl guided their group towards the port: House Shield being built on a small island off the coast, they had a boat they used to regularly travel to land and buy supplies of all types.

“Well... when he was on his travels, he came by Columbia and met my parents, who were just married, and he was quite impressed, so he invited them to join him. After they fought that necromancer, my parents liked this place so they decided to settle here. And after I was born, he came by a lot, so he's pretty much my uncle. It's been several months since the last time I saw him. How is he doing at the Academy?”

“He is well liked as a teacher,” Momo replied. “While he doesn't have as much experience with spells as a wizard would have, he is very good at teaching how to defend oneself while using arcane power. Granted, he can actually deliver spells through his own attacks, but his knowledge has served us well.”

“I'm glad. I wish I could have gone to the Academy, but I did not have any potential for magic, so I stayed to learn everything my father has learned.”

“What does your father know? What did he do for Toshinori?” Ochako asked.

“Machines. Like this one.” She stopped in front of a small ship, one markedly different from all from all others, bringing them to surprise.

The only common elements between this ship and the others was the fact that it was made of wood and had a stylized shape that, if Izuku was not wrong, allowed it to move through water fast enough. But, unlike all other ships, this one had no sails to push it with the strength of air, no masts for the sails to hang from, no prow or stern as in the other ships to guide it from. The only significant addition was what appeared to be two large paddles that were joined to the back of the ship, but for some reason they were at an angle from the ship.

“How does this ship move? With no sails nor oars, it would be impossible to move,” Momo stated, mystified.

“See those propellers?” she replied, pointing at the paddles at the back. “They are connected to a machine that makes them turn around at a fast pace. They are at an angle, which turns that circular motion into forward impulsion. It requires fuel like wood or coal, but in exchange it's more reliable than relying on the wind and does not require keeping a large crew. I can actually crew this ship on my own without aid.”

“Wow! Impressive,” Izuku said. He had never been to the sea in his life, but even he could tell that such an idea could be really useful. A ship with these machines could easily cross the seas without having to wait for the wind to blow for you. Sure, it needed something else to work, but less crew made it easier to have enough food, and if combined with magic it could potentially provide great changes.

“Thank you! It took us a year to build the Isley and the engines. It's one of our best creations.” She passed her hand over the ship's hull, smiling as she touched what appeared to be a name on it. “Come on board, it shouldn't take us too long to arrive home.”

The three adventurers carefully boarded the small ship, with Izuku placing the box in a secure compartment and Melissa checking a large boiler and nodding in agreement.

“Have you considered requesting an artisan for a boilerplate? It would be a bit of an initial expense, but it would not require you to use fuel,” Momo pointed out.

“We considered it, but it would have to be something for more long term investments. For a ship like the Isley, it's a lot more cheaper to keep this engine. Should we build something bigger, then we can consider it.”

“Nonetheless, it is a beautiful ship,” Ochako pointed out. “Do you use it a lot?”

“Once a week.” Pulling a lever, Melissa moved to the helm and began to turn it to the right. The paddles began to turn and the ship slid forward over the water, easily leaving the docks and setting off as the sun made its way west, slowly giving way to the evening while the waning moon rose from the sea. “This time of the year, we can live off our garden and the fish we capture, but there are still things we need, and of course what we use for our work, so we need to come to Chuukyou at least that much. Though, since Mei joined us we have to buy more things.”

“You mentioned her earlier. Who is she?”

“Mei Hatsume.”

“Like the family of artificers?” Momo asked.

“She is the youngest of the family, actually.”

“Remember Shota, Ochako? He mentioned his horses...”

“... were made by her. Sounded like they actually met.”

“Yes, Mei's really good at building mechanisms, but lately she's been coming up with some secret project she won't tell us about. I'm not sure if she's needling us on purpose.”

“Maybe she just wants to give you a great surprise?” Ochako suggested.

“Maybe. She's enough of a gadfly to try that.”

The four of them kept talking, sharing on some stories – Izuku being particularly interested in David Shield's work – until they finally reached the island. The three of them liked it from the beginning: the island was large enough to accommodate a nice two-floor cottage along with three just-as-large buildings that seemed to be more like storehouses, but which Melissa pointed out were actually extended laboratories/forges where they built anything either of them wanted to work on. The newest of them was, naturally, Mei's, which was also somehow the most banged up of the lot: apparently, the Hatsume scion was prone to build things that exploded, causing holes that had to be patched up.

When they docked, they were met with a tall man with short, messy brown hair and glasses over his eyes, dressed in a blue shirt and grey breeches. Izuku's first impression was that this man was happy and prone to smiling, as well as quite intelligent, judging by the sharp look he was giving them as Melissa showed them how to tie down the boat so it wouldn't go away. As the plank came down, the man greeted Melissa in a language that was probably the language from Columbia: he believed he could understand one or two words here and there, but everything else was out of his league.

“So,” the man – Melissa's father, clearly – said, speaking in accented Nihongese. “Melissa tells me you know my old friend Toshinori! How's he doing in Edo?”

“Very fine, sir,” Momo replied. “He's a good teacher, even if half of what he does isn't something most of his pupils can usually make use of.”

“Yeah, I always told him that his habit of punching his way through would eventually stop being useful,” the man replied. “My apologies, I haven't presented myself. David Shield, Melissa's father. What brings you here?”

The three of them presented themselves before turning to the matter at hand.

“We asked ideas on what to do from Nezu and Toshinori for where to go, and they suggested we come here to visit you.”

“They did? Hmm. I have a lot of things that could be useful for you. I could provide you with some objects that were quite useful for us when we traveled, though, and I could tell you some of the things we did during our adventures. But I'm not completely sure of why they would send you here, there's not much I can actually do for you: my adventuring days are behind me.”

“Perhaps. Maybe we'll find out on the way?”

“Hope so. I wouldn't want to disappoint Toshi. I really need to take time to visit him, Mel and I miss him much.”

“He'll likely welcome you,” Izuku replied, smiling.

“Where's Mei, Dad? I'm sure she will be interested in meeting them,” Melissa said.

“Where do you think she is? In her workshop,” her father stated, rolling his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder why we haven't just put her bed in there, maybe then she'll remember to actually go to sleep at night.”

“She'd probably dismantle it while working on one of her projects and then wonder why she fell asleep again on the table.”

Father and daughter chuckled, while the three adventurers looked aside at them.

“Is that... normal?” Momo asked.

“I've lost count of how many times I've ended up taking that girl in my arms back to her room,” David stated as the group approached the building. “For all I know, she's actually snoozing on the floor after working on her project all night.”

“That wouldn't surprise me at all,” Melissa replied.

The moment she stopped speaking, just as they approached the entrance, something within the workshop exploded. The door flew off, covering everything nearby in smoke, and a scream of something that might be surprise echoed in the air as a collision took place.

“Mei, again? We have talked about this, young lady,” David stated, quite annoyed but certainly not surprised at the sudden event. “Don't build things that can cause explosions without supervision!”

“Explosions are just a subproduct of SCIENCE!” a female voice shouted from within the deepest part of the smoke cloud. “I've finished what I started and I've started a lot more! Though, where did you find this cushion? It's really firm and comfy!”

“Grant me a creation in need,” Momo said, and slowly the smoke dispersed as the young wizard fanned it away.

“Oh, my,” the mysterious voice from before. “You're not a cushion at all. You are much firmer than a cushion, yes, indeed.”

“Help,” someone else begged, and Ochako realized that it was Izuku, who, as luck had it, had been the one that had suffered the collision. With, as the clearing air showed, another girl wearing leathers and a half-helmet that barely covered her pink locks and who was-

Oooooh-you-damned-bit-

All Momo could hear in the moment after the smoke cleared was as if lightning had struck nearby, even though the skies were perfectly clear, as Ochako – My goodness, she's going to shoot lightning at her! – grabbed the pink-haired girl by the neck of her clothes and effortlessly lifted her from a pale Izuku.

“What da hell d'you think y'er doing to me Knight ya hussy!” Ochako yelled in the face of the other girl, who seemed to be completely unfazed about the thunderous death that was threatening to befall her. Meanwhile, everyone else looked at her as they took note on the marked change of accent, which was almost as surprising as the mood whiplash from gentle to wrathful.

“Hey, that's a cool effect with the lightning! What kind of magic are you using to do that? It would be really awesome if I could replicate that with my babies!” the pink-haired girl – Mei – replied with a manic voice and her yellow eyes, hidden behind a set of strange glasses that were right over them, all over the place, particularly at Ochako's mouth, which was sparking from holding her lightning breath: she may have turned human, but she was still very much capable of using some of her natural abilities.

“Mei...” Melissa grumbled as she went over to the two girls and attempted to pry Mei out of Ochako's hand, while Momo took pity on Izuku and helped him back on his feet. “Sorry, for all that she's a wonder at the workshop, she has the social skills of a hermit.”

“Just give me time and I'll get something that speaks for me!” Mei promised, her fist shaking, still hanging from Ochako's firm grip. Momo absently noted that the girl's vest had to be of very good quality to hold her weight that way.

“O-Ochako, maybe you should... let her go?” Izuku asked. “It was all an accident, she didn't want to hit me.”

“Hey, it's my cushion! Do you want a better armor? I just need to take some measurements and I can make you something awesome!”

The fact that she could still talk normally at Izuku while Ochako glared at her and shook her after the 'my cushion' comment was quite impressive.

“She isn't doing it on purpose, Ochako,” Melissa said, gently grabbing the cleric's arm. “She's nice, but she doesn't know how to filter what she's saying.”

“... Fine.” Ochako dropped Mei, who managed to remain on her feet as she turned to David.

“Sensei, Sensei, I've finished my big baby, you got to see it, now!” she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the still smoking workshop: clearly the older man was used to this sort of behavior, as he followed the girl without discussion. Curious, Izuku and his friends went in as well, wondering what could have caused such an explosion.

“Is this... a rifle?” David asked. Izuku looked: it seemed to be a long metal tube, attached to some sort of wooden stock with a set of smaller tubes in the middle.

“Rifles, bah. They can only fire one bullet and then it's all about stuffing it again. My baby here is like a rifle, but also like one of those box gun things you mentioned once that can shoot several bullets before having to... reload, yes, that's the word, reload, and it's got six of them, and I figure that, with some training, it would take just one or two seconds to put new bullets in, and it can also hit at something like twenty meters!”

“A pepperbox rifle? I can see the appeal,” David agreed. “Never seen someone working out how to make a sturdy one though. Then again, I've been here for a long time, so likely someone else might have. Though, how did making this turn into an explosion?”

“Oh, that wasn't what caused the explosion. This one, at least.”

“This one?” Izuku muttered, stunned.

“I was actually building this other baby!” she said, jumping to another table where laid something that had clearly been affected by whatever had exploded. At the moment, it was just a lump of metal attached to several spider-like legs, surrounded by small dented wheels. “This baby here can hold, fire and reload a crossbow on its own for a minute. Or, well, it should. When I build it right.”

“Mei... how did you cause an explosion with a clockwork device that shouldn't have anything that could explode?” Melissa asked, puzzled.

“I tried to see if I could add a small oil engine so it could last for longer, but then there was a couple of sparks and they hit the oil and that's when it blew up. But, hey, at least now I know how not to do it.”

“I hope so, because now you're forbidden from building anything until you clean up here,” David replied with a stern tone.

“NOOOOOO! You can't do this to me, Sensei! It's unfair!” Mei yelled, grabbing the elder man and shaking him – or at least trying. He instantly replied by hitting her on top of her head with his right hand index and middle fingers. “OW!”

“Maybe that way you will finally learn to think twice before you do something possibly dangerous, young lady. I know your parents repeatedly tried to get this through your brains, but you are too set into your ways to understand your limits.” David sighed. “Melissa, mind keeping an eye on her and make sure she cleans her workshop? I'd like to have a talk with our guests.”

“Sure thing, Dad. Now, Mei, get moving. You should know where the broom and the rags are.”

“Should I?” she asked, clearly mystified, before Melissa grabbed her by the ear and pulled her towards the home, causing her to yowl in pain as the two girls left the building, leaving the elder man with the three adventurers, who took them outside, towards the shore.

“I think I know why Toshinori sent you here. You are the Ninth Knight, aren't you, Izuku?”

Momo's jaw fell in surprise as she looked at the green-haired boy, who was clearly uncomfortable with having his status revealed.

“I see you didn't share everything about yourself with young Momo here. That means that Ochako is your dragon partner. And, from what I have gathered, you haven't even left Nihon. Am I right?”

“... yes,” Izuku answered.

“That's enough to tell me a few things. Among them, that the three of you are going to need all the help you can get if you want to finish your mission. I may not have all the gear from when I helped Toshinori stop Tameni, but I still have a few things that can be sufficient. If you are willing to stay here for a few days, I could help gear you three up with a few things you would find useful, and then help you with pointers on where you could go and people you could contact. It's been more than two decades since our party went out there in the world, but hopefully I have more than enough to supply you with useful objects-”

Suddenly, the large home that stood in the middle of the small island exploded in a fireball, breaking several crystals and bringing down multiple walls. The top floor began to burn at multiple points and some pieces fell to the ground. The shockwave had shaken the four of them, but they had all managed to stand on their feet, and quickly they began to run for the house.

“MELISSA! MEI!” David shouted, going towards the house to find the two girls, but they were stopped when three people landed in the grounds between them and the house.

At the left of the group was a white-haired woman with deathly-pale skin and a dark brown tunic, carried by a large bat that carefully left her on the ground as she looked at them with a bored gaze. The individual on the right was not so much human as a humanoid shadow that was floating right next to the person in the middle, a young man with cyan hair riding a large black winged chimeric creature that seemed to have come out of a dark wizard's drunk nightmares.

A man who, for some reason, had a mummified hand covering his face, showing a pair of reddish eyes and a mad, cracked grin, and was throwing something similar to a ball with marks from his hand.

“Shield-san,” the young man said, his voice clearly betraying he was unhinged. “Do you feel lucky?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8
We Must Fight Against His Evil

Immediately, Izuku unsheathed his sword and stood in front of David, ready to defend the man. Never mind that the elder Shield was an experienced Hero, Izuku was meant to fight evil, and the new arrivals were clearly not on the side of good. He observed the trio of attackers: the woman's features gave the feeling of having been carved out of a rock by a sculptor with some ability, and her simple clothing had the signs of having been used for quite some time already. The shadow man's purple haze was complimented with a set of well-worn but still somewhat elegant black breeches and white shirt that gave him a distinguished style that Izuku thought would be more in place in a large city than in this island. As for the man in the middle... well, it looked like he was just keen on wearing worn-out black clothing from the neck to the feet.

“What have you done, you...” David growled: it did not bear much consideration to find that these intruders were behind the explosion.

“Now, now, Shield-san,” the hand-covered man interrupted, still that mad grin under the hand on his face, “no need to roll for intimidation, it doesn't work against PCs like me. And besides, that was just a friendly warning of what might happen if you say no, because I have a fantastic offer that I'm sure you will accept!”

“What makes you believe I'm going to accept anything from the-” and here David started a long string of words that sounded like the man's language and, given the tone, it appeared to be a set of quite strong invectives and insults, making Izuku glad that he could not (currently) understand that language,, “-that just destroyed my house and tried to kill my family?”

“Destroyed, destroyed... don't exaggerate, Shield-san!” the other man said, still maniacally grinning, as if David had just said some amusing joke. “Some paint, a few wooden planks and a little work and it should-”

“Master Tomura, try not to elaborate on this matter. The sooner we leave, the better chance we will have to settle our affairs without causing waves,” the shadow next to the hand-covered said in a whispery tone, causing him – Tomura – to glare at him.

“Don't interrupt me while I'm making my speech, Kurogiri!” he screamed, his eyes almost shining red in his rage. “Do it again and I'll disintegrate you!”

“Yes, Master Tomura,” the shadow replied, the picture of patience and the tone of long-suffering clear to everyone as the younger man turned back to David.

“Where was I? Oh, yes, my offer. You see, I'm looking for someone that can make things for me, and you fit the bill for what I want. I can make sure you're loaded with gp and more power and followers than what the Leadership feat can give you.”

“The fact that you keep talking nonsense doesn't mean I won't kick you out of here with your tail between the legs the moment I have the chance,” David threatened.

“Yeah!” Ochako piped in. “Why would he want to work with you at all? You're a villain!”

“Shut up, you little level one rookie, the adults are talking.”

“The fact that you think yourself an adult would be amusing,” David fired, itching to either move into his burning home and find his daughter and ward or make good on his threat to kick the villain out of the island, “if it weren't for the fact that you are clearly a spoilt brat whose tantrums amount to a threat to other people.”

Tomura's mood made an obvious shift the next moment, as all his false affability evaporated and the red eyes behind the hand blazed in anger as he glared at David.

“I would have made this easy. You could have left with us without an issue and become loaded, and I would have even left these level ones alive. But now? Now I'm going to break you, and force you to see as I turn the NPCs into ashes and burn your home to the ground! NOMU!”

The creature that had carried Tomura into the island snarled and coiled itself for a moment before jumping ahead to try and follow its master's orders –

“¡Que el poder de mi magia me otorgue el tamaño de los gigantes!”

– until a large sword swung down on the creature, cutting its charge short and preventing it from reaching David, as Izuku, now the size of a giant, glared back at Tomura.

“¿De veras creías que dejaría que le hicieras daño?” Izuku challenged, his voice almost thundering in anger.

“Wow, the little boy has actually hit a growth spurt,” the hand-covered villain replied, clearly not impressed at all. “Hiding behind the big noob, Shield-san? I have something better than that! Kurogiri, woman, attack them!”

“I have a name, you idiot,” the unnamed woman drawled as the bat flew up and over her head, quickly saying several words in something that sounded like different animals speaking up at the same time, and suddenly a explosion of pine needles covered them: Izuku got the worst of it due to his increased size, but Ochako, Momo and David also suffered from the green projectiles. All the while, the shadow spoke in a language that could only be described as hellish, and energy appeared in one of its hands before he pointed that hand towards them.

David quickly shouted something in yet another language, and the energy coalescing on Kurogiri's hands cracked and dissipated.

“WHAT!” Tomura said, surprised at how easily the Columbian man had just dispelled the spell Kurogiri had been about to cast.

“I've been fighting since before you were born, boy,” David replied. “Don't think me defenseless!”

“You fucking min-maxer! That trick should be nerfed!”

“Brilliant powder, blind the enemy,” Momo said, and a small ball of dust flew towards the villains: the ball exploded in shining particles that immediately covered all of them. Tomura and the woman shouted as they tried to cover their eyes, while Kurogiri shied away from the dust but remained unaffected.

“Blessed be ye, my friends!” Ochako cast her basic blessing spell, granting them all some extra defense, as well as gifting Izuku with extra ability with his sword.

The creature controlled by Tomura – Nomu, he had called it – attacked Izuku, who shouted in pain as the beak bit into his leg, but he did not let that keep him from stabbing the creature with all his might, causing it to groan in obvious pain as it bled black ichor.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, NOMU? WHY AREN'T YOU KILLING THEM?” Tomura shouted as he tried to shake off the glittering dust on his eyes, but still unable to see what was happening. The woman did manage to clear her sight and shouted something in that same language from earlier, and the bat dropped quickly to slash at Izuku's face, making him bleed. At the same time, Kurogiri said more words in the strange language and a dark wave spread over the ground around him, strengthening the villains while weakening the retired hero and his protectors.

“IZUKU!” Ochako shouted, touching him in the back. “¡Sana al que está herido!”

The magic spread from her fingers and washed all over the young Knight, closing several of the injuries and granting him renewed strength, which he silently thanked her for while Momo threw a small pebble towards the villains.

“Stone, heed my call!” she shouted, and suddenly the rocks around the villains started to swirl as if a tornado had suddenly landed there, hitting them all multiple times. The creature known as the Nomu screamed as it exploded, leaving behind a small puddle of black goo that quickly dried up.

“Master Tomura, I'm afraid your eidolon was sent away,” Kurogiri calmly said.

“AARGH! STUPID NOMU! HE LOST AGAINST A BUNCH OF LEVEL ONES!”

“DAD! TAKE THIS!”

That was when two things happened at the same time.

The first was a large bandolier flying towards David, who quickly grabbed it and put it across his chest, pulling out one box out of one of its pockets.

The second was an explosion that came from the direction of the house, almost at the same time as Tomura's right hand was pierced by something small and fast flying, leaving behind a bleeding hole that he looked at with surprise, unable to voice anything.

“HA! Look at how good my baby rifle is! Now, whoever you are, you better leave Sensei alone or you're getting another hole!” Mei screamed, throwing her own manic grin and keeping her weapon pointed at the villains.

“AHHHHHHH!” Tomura screamed, holding his hand in pain as David opened the box and threw what appeared to be a number of caltrops, large and shining green, which landed with great precision around the three attackers and gave a burst of energy, surrounding them all in a green barred cage.

“There, now you can stew in there for a while until I'm ready to deal with you,” David growled. “Or you can just surrender and save me the need of having to leave you unconscious before you can face justice.”

“Master Tomura, this power is beyond what we can face,” the shadow man said. “Perhaps it would be better if we made a tactical retreat? The Master should learn of these events.”

“And how the FUCK are we going to do THAT!” Tomura screamed back. The manic grin the disembodied hand on his face half-covered had been replaced with a frothing, twisted grimace

“Seriously?” the woman replied, clearly unimpressed by his reaction. “You are making me wonder why I chose to come here, brat.”

Before Tomura could turn to her, Kurogiri whispered a few hellish words and healed the wound Tomura had suffered through the hand as-

BANG!

“AAAAAARGHHHHHH!”

“I can keep shooting at you with my baby until you surrender!” Mei said, grinning, pulling back a small lever at the back

“Very well,” Kurogiri stated with another sigh. “Koda, would you mind asking your bat to follow?”

“There better be some good reward for making me lose time like this, shadow,” she replied, sullenly, before speaking up in the same animal-like language as Kurogiri moved to stand between the two other people in the cage.

“Oh, no, you don't,” David said, pulling out a wand and firing a green ray at Kurogiri, but the bars in the cage ended up taking the hit before a dark cloud covered the three attackers for a second – and they disappeared. “Damnit, I wasn't fast enough.”

“By the gods,” Momo replied, leaning on her staff as Izuku returned to his normal size and Ochako picked him on his arms, and Melissa grabbed her father and the two started to quickly speak in their mother language. Mei surprised her by hugging Momo, who looked at her askance.

“Oh, wait, should I have not done that? I mean, you and I were the only ones not hugging someone and I thought it might be nice,” Mei said, shrugging, and Momo decided to let her do as she wanted. She needed a few moments to catch her breath again, and she might as well let the girl do that. As long as it was not inappropiate, she had no problem with it.

Of course, that was when the tranquility of the post-battle was shaken, as several explosions similar to the one that had preluded the arrival of the three villains struck the buildings, setting everything on fire and prompting the group to run back there in order to salvage everything they could.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

A couple of hours later, they managed to put down the fire, but the end result was completely disheartening for the Shields: their home still stood, but a good part of the interior had turned into ashes. They had managed to save several crucial supplies and personal belongings, but most had burned down.

“I'm sorry about this,” Izuku said as he helped David and Melissa put together the surviving memories of their life in this beautiful island.

“It's not your fault, young man,” David replied. “Those people would have tried to attack me whether you were here or not. I might have been able to hold them off on my own, but it would have been a lot harder and caused more trouble. You three did most of the job here, I barely had the time to act.”

“You did stop that spell by the shadow man – Kurogiri,” Momo pointed out. “Do you know what it was?”

“The Unholy Blight. A spell favored by divine spellcasters of evil sign, for it most affects people who are on the side of good. When I was an adventurer, we fought against many who could unleash it, so I learned to recognize the signs. I had to sacrifice my connection to one of my prototypes to dispel it, but it was feasible. I just wish I had managed to hit him with the Dimensional Anchor, we could have captured and interrogated them.”

“That was the green ray, right?”

“Right. If it weren't for the bars, I'd have kept him from teleporting away.”

“So... what do you intend to do now?” Ochako asked.

“We're going to Edo, to meet Uncle Might!” Melissa replied. “He's always said we were welcome to meet him, and, well, after this, we might actually need his help.”

“Not me! I wanna go with them!”

David and Melissa looked at Mei, who had grabbed her things already and was now starting to tie her pepperbox rifle to her back with a strap of leather that crossed right above a bandolier with small metal-tipped tubes. She had put her glasses over her forehead to clear her sight, her eyes showing the determination that she would not be diverted from her new target.

“I'm... sorry?” Momo asked.

“I've learned a lot under Sensei, but I've realized that, if I want to learn more about making babies, I need to be out there and find the inspiration for them! Plus, my cushion's gonna be there, and I'm sure I could make lots of babies for him!”

Ignoring the sudden crackle of electricity behind him – dragons are always jealous of what they consider theirs, he thought – David approached his ward and looked at her, straight in the eyes, and what he saw there was all the proof he needed.

Mei had been living with them for a couple of years already, and she had always had that passion of creation and invention that surpassed even his own, ever seeking how to put ideas to paper or how to make them real. It had been quite a few times where her ideas had turned out to be explosive, mostly because her enthusiasm was such that she rushed into creation without caring about safety. But now... she was burning with the passion of discovery and adventure.

“If you are sure about this, I'm not the one that will stop you. You still have many lessons to learn, but perhaps I don't have much more to teach you. Just, you know, perhaps you should have asked them if they would be willing to have you in their team? Because if they can't take you with them, then claiming you will join them is not going to work out well for you.”

As if to remark on this, he turned to seek the Ninth Knight, his Dragon and the young Wizard, who were looking at his ward with different looks: the former seemed half curious, half scared – perfectly understandable considering what had happened before their little scuffle – the latter was quite curious herself – perhaps he should tell her about the synergy she could provide to Mei if she could research her spells – and the Dragon... well, she was quite predictable: anyone with eyes would see that she was smitten with her Knight and quite likely to be violent if anyone threatened that – she had almost set her lightning breath on Mei after the little accident.

He silently hoped young Izuku would not do anything as dumb as hinting at interest in some other girl. Not that he would, of course – he had also noticed the looks he gave her – but confirmation would only do good in this case.

“Oh, wait, I thought I had already done that,” she said, biting her thumb before turning to the adventurers. “Can I join you? Pleeeeeeeeeease?”

Momo looked at her, somewhat stunned, before turning to her companions, who were equally stunned.

“Er... what do we do?” she asked, baffled.

“Well... the more aid we have, the better, right?” Izuku asked, slowly scratching his head. “What do you think, Ochako?”

The dragon girl kept looking with disdain at Mei, but in the end she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Fine. She can come with us. But you,” she stated, pointing at Mei, “don't ya dare touch my Knight, get it? I don't wanna end up scorchin' ya.”

“Weeeee!” Mei squealed, and she promptly jumped to grab a startled Ochako into a tight hug, almost jumping in place and only held in place by Ochako's hands grabbing her shoulders.

“Mei, calm down,” David warned her. “They just let you in their group, try not to drive them crazy. At least wait for a while.”

“That does not fill me with confidence,” Momo sentenced.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

In the end, when they finally got everything that could be salvaged out of the ruined buildings, there were more things than what they would be able to carry on hand, even with David's special bag. Thus, the decision was made to take the Isley to Edo. The travel would certainly be faster than going on foot, but it would require several stops if they were to ensure having enough supplies. Plus, the ship was not very big, although fortunately the elder adventurer kept a few other objects from his time with the Eighth Knight that would make traveling somewhat comfortable.

“Your old tent? The one with the spatial manipulation enchantments?” Melissa asked when she saw the large tarp on her father's hands.

“The same one. It was meant for eight people, so we should be comfortable. Now, help me put the tent in place, we can talk when it is done.”

Between them all – even Mei, after David glared at her into submission – the tent soon occupied the ship's cargo hold, along with the Shields' belongings, and David brought them inside, the tent.

“My goodness,” Izuku said, fascinated. “It's bigger on the inside!”

The difference between the exterior and the interior was quite great. Outside, the tent seemed like the typical tarp-covered refuge that could probably host two people if they were not shy about sharing very close quarters. Inside, though, it was almost like a very homey home, if you would pardon the redundance. Right now, they were in a sorts of common room, decked in red, green and yellow tones forming drawings of stars and lines that covered the wall. A couch, four seats and a table with eight chairs filled most of the space, the former looking to a chimney, while four doors led to other rooms.

“Indeed,” David replied with a chuckle. “It took us a couple of months until we were able to afford making this tent, and even then it took me almost a month to finish it during our travel, but the moment it was done we pretty much swore off any inns when it came down to sleeping. I think it still contains some of the gear we used back then, although no idea on its state. Either way, it should be enough for the six of us.”

“It reminds me of the dorm room I lived in while in the Academy,” Momo suggested, smiling.

“It wouldn't surprise me if Toshinori managed to make changes in the decoration of the Academy after starting to teach there,” David replied. “We'll be seeing for ourselves soon. Shall we depart, then? I'm sure we'd all like to reach our destination as soon as possible. I can show you around the tent later.”

Everybody agreed, and David and Melissa left to deal with the preparations. While Izuku decided to sit down – between the injuries incurred in battle, the battle itself and the mad rush to save as much as possible from the home, he was tired – Ochako decided to join him – both for that and worry over her Knight's state – Mei chose to follow her teacher – while trying to come up with new ideas for her babies – and Momo went to the deck, intent on enjoying the sea breeze and the sun rays.

The ship began to move, shaking as the boiler began to work and heat up the water it contained, reminding Momo that she had offered to transform the boiler so it didn't have to burn fuel to work. Perhaps she could aid David or Melissa in achieving the change?

Her musings were interrupted by a far-away shriek, sharp and loud, that pierced through her contentedness. Looking towards the source, she saw purple.

She also understood what the voice was yelling about. The obscenity was quite striking, and all too obvious

She glared, and quickly readied a spell. It was not one of her speciality, but it always paid to be prepared, and this kind of spell could do just enough to keep herself from doing worse.

The moment it was in range, she shouted back.

The purple creature was quickly hit, making it fall straight into a bush, out of sight, much to her relief. Hopefully, it would remain there long enough for the Isley to leave.

“Momo!” Izuku shouted, reaching the deck shortly thereafter, followed by Ochako. “What happened?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said, trying not to stammer. “I just... was shouting to relief stress. After the day we've had, I think we really need to take a breather. It was nice of the Shields to offer us transport to Edo, don't you think?”

“Yes, it is quite nice,” Izuku agreed. “Melissa bringing us here was the first time I was on a boat. I think I am going to like this.”

“Let's hope. It's going to take quite a few days of travel,” Ochako said, looking between Momo and the bush that was moving in spite of the lack of wind.

“Should we go down? I think David may want to talk with us,” Izuku suggested.

“Can you go ahead? I need to talk with Momo about something,” Ochako asked, and Izuku, while looking curious at the two girls, nodded and left for the tent. Once she was sure he was away, she turned to the raven-haired girl. “Was it that purple oni?”

“Yes.” Momo looked completely unrepentant. “You can imagine what it wanted. If that creature wants to follow us for such an obscene and asinine reason, then it better be ready to suffer the consequences.”

“Hope you didn't go too far. It may deserve punishment, but not death.”

“No. I just used a spell that was deliberately low powered. Perhaps it will learn its lesson and return to its home without disturbing us.”

“Somehow, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

Everyone had finally settled down in the rooms David had suggested (it didn't escape anyone's attention – but Izuku's – that Ochako had picked the room closest to Izuku's) and the group had put together a dinner out of foodstuffs that had survived the explosion, as well as some ingredients they had bought in Chuukyou while dropping in so the Shields could announce their departure. The ship was kept in the right direction thanks to a few devices of David's invention, allowing everyone to sit in the tent's common room to enjoy the products of their labor.

“When we get to Edo, what do you plan to do? Given your status, I figure you are going to have to make plans,” David asked.

“Well... we were hoping to meet with a friend there. He did indicate his willingness to join us in our travels after he settled some of his affairs with his family,” Momo replied. “After that... we might end up picking up a ship for the continent? I'd probably ask Nezu on where to go, he could likely point us in the right direction.”

“I could see that. If you don't get him to ramble on whatever stuff gets in his mind, that is.”

Ochako looked away.

“Given that you are a veteran in adventuring, do you think we should find someone else to join us?” Izuku asked.

“Kid, the question is not whether you should find someone, but who you should bring in, and how many people. Toshinori and I? We were two out of twelve. Sora, Naomasa, Isla, Herric... we were twelve people, fighting against one of the worst necromancers the world had ever seen. And, hell, I think we were stretched thin at times. Adventurers and heroes tend to go in groups of three to six, but you? You are really going to need bigger numbers.”

“I suppose that's right. Still... any suggestions on what kind of people we ought to recruit? Not about whether they'd be willing to help, but skills, abilities, that kind of thing.”

“Hmmm... you are going to need more people that can fight up close. While Ochako can wield a weapon, you need someone that can actually act as the front line fighter.”

“The friend I mentioned is a paladin,” Momo said.

“That's a good beginning, but just two people that can fight up close isn't going to cut it. You'll likely require someone that can fight from afar, but keep the long range fighters covered if someone manages to get through. I'd suggest you find someone with skills in using magical music, they tend to be very good at doing a bit of everything. More magic wielders is a must, of course, and at the very least one or two that can delve in the less... 'legal' means of acting, you never know when you might need getting a lock opened.”

“We'll... do that.” Izuku was not exactly keen on the 'illegality' thing, but, to be honest... if he thought about it, if the choice was between doing something like stealing something and seeing someone die, he'd gladly pick the former.

“Mum was part of your group, Dad?” Melissa asked, and David smiled.

“Well, of course. Your mother and I were the first to join Toshinori and Sora, just a while after he arrived to Columbia. She would have loved to be back in an adventure like this one. And, that reminds me... I did mention about getting you some things, right? Allow me a moment.”

Supper being finished, he stood up and walked up to a chest standing near the chimney. Opening it, he began to grab several objects out of it and as soon as he judged he had what he wanted, he closed the chest and walked back to the table.

He had brought quite an eclectic assortment of objects of different types. A belt, several headbands, a shield, a set of bracers, a couple of boxes and even a set of clothing.

“Now, first of all, the headbands.” Looking over them, he handed them one by one to Izuku, Ochako, Momo and Mei.

Izuku looked over his diadem: it seemed to be made of silver, and decorated with red and green gemstones. It was easily worth more than he had seen before Ochako told him he was the Ninth Knight, and he wondered what this was supposed to do for him. Looking at the girls' diadems, he noticed that Ochako's was most likely bronze, while Mei's and Momo's looked like gold, although in their case they were different enough to notice.

“These are one staple of most adventurers. These headbands can boost certain mental features, as well as aid with your spellcasting. The ones Mei and Momo have also give the wielder the ability to access certain knowledge more easily while it is worn.”

Mei quickly put on the headband, grinning, but then frowned.

“The knowledge takes a day or so to access, Mei,” David said, chuckling, as the pink-haired girl pouted. Seeing this, the others carefully placed the headbands on their heads: Izuku thought that the bronze diadem looked quite fine on Ochako.

“Now, Izuku, this belt is yours.” He offered him a brown belt crowned with a golden buckle that looked like a bear's head. “Toshinori used this belt for some time, which provided him with greater endurance. Given what you are going to be dealing with, you will most likely need it.”

He looked at the magic item in wonder, checking everything. This was an object that had belonged to Toshinori! It certainly looked like part of a hero's apparel, and it certainly was useful. He quickly tied it around his waist, although he supposed he would have to do it again later. Meanwhile, David picked the leather bracers and a tunic made of wool and handed them to Momo.

“Momo, I believe these bracers and this tunic will suit you just fine. The bracers will create a magical armor that surrounds your body and protects you from being attacked, while the tunic will help you concentrate in your spell casting should you get struck.”

“Thank you very much, David,” Momo replied, smiling. These objects were a true gift to her, and she swore to make good use of them in her quest.

“Mei, this box here contains the first weapon I made when I learned the art of weaponcraft,” David continued, giving the larger box to the girl he had hosted and taught. “I never got around to improving it, mostly because I could never find the time, and by the time I had it I had more powerful weaponry in my hands. After what you showed me this morning, I'm certain you'll give it good use.”

Mei opened the box, and actually started drooling as she lifted the object contained within: it was something like the 'rifle' she had used against Shigaraki during the fight, but smaller and with a shorter tube. Still, it was clearly powerful, as even he could feel the magic that poured out of the deadly weapon. David chuckled again as he pushed the smaller boxes towards Ochako.

“Given your role, you are going to need both protection and power, and these provide that. The ring creates a field around you that can deflect incoming attacks, and the pearl will allow you to recall one spell you have cast already, which should grant you a bit more ability to fight. I hope these two things will aid you in your travels.”

“I'm sure they will. Thank you very much,” Ochako replied, gratefully. It was not exactly in her nature to accept gifts, but she knew they were well meant, and she could deal with a little discomfort if it meant helping her Knight.

“And, last, but not least... I've seen you fighting with that sword quite well, but you are going to need a shield to help protect yourself. And, as much as I would like to keep this... I know you need it more. This shield... this was my wife Isla's shield. She would have loved and felt honored to see such a good young man bring it back into battle against evil.”

The shield was truly wondrous, in Izuku's opinion. It was quite large, with a flat top and a pointed bottom, and a golden edge that shone under the lights. It looked quite heavy, yet as David placed it on his hands, it was surprisingly light. Tracing his finger around it, he noticed that the dark grey front still held hints of other colors, a dark bluish background with hints of other colors around the middle, akin to stars against the night sky.

“Wow...” he said, stunned. He could tell that this shield was good, well used. There was power here: the power of the protector, of the one that stood between danger and those threatened by it.

“It is a very good shield. A magical shield, although I don't know what it can do,” Momo said, gazing at the shield.

“Put it on, Izuku. Let's see how you wield it!” Ochako asked, smiling. She liked the shield, and she knew it could likely do many things of import, things that could be made stronger with work.

Standing, Izuku turned the shield around and undid the straps, tying them around his left forearm and tightening them to ensure it wouldn't be able to move. In spite of it, he found it did not impede his movements much, except for the fact that he now couldn't use his left hand to grab his sword. But that was alright: he could wield it one-handed. And he demonstrated it by grabbing the hilt of the sword – hanging behind his chair – and pulling, giving a few slashes in the air before pointing it down and to the side.

Suddenly, the shield began to shine. Everyone looked at it, surprised at the unexpected change, and thus were caught unprepared when it gave a blinding flash of light.

In the chaos that followed, quite a few rather impolite words were shouted from the shock while Izuku – who had mysteriously averted the same problem, either by design or by pure luck – attempted to calm down the others, even when he himself was unsure of what just had happened. Fortunately, the blindness that had caused only lasted a few seconds, and, while they still had spots in the eyes to deal with, they soon could see again – and they all noticed that the shield had changed.

Its form was the same, a escutcheon. It was still light, yet strong. Its edge remained gilded. But everything else was changed.

The edge now shone beyond what it should have reflected off the candles lighting the room. The background of the shield, once grey, was now an intense dark blue, almost identical to the night sky, but somehow more pronounced, with mots of white as if like the stars in the firmament.

But now, the most striking feature were the actual shooting stars decorating the front, forming a spiral. First white, then blue, followed by red and green, after that orange and pink and purple, next came yellow and finally, right in the center, a shining forest green, the same shade of Izuku's hair and eyes.

“Yes... I think we can expect great things from you, young Izuku,” David stated, smiling, as that which had once protected his wife became the Shield of the Ninth Knight.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9
Why Can't We Shake Our Hands?

Traveling from Chuukyou to Edo proved to be a relaxing trip for all involved, which they took as a good thing, knowing that such moments would be far and between in the future. It did not mean they did not do anything: they made sure to train, practice, work, help in keeping the ship afloat or getting food and other supplies at the ports they stopped. Momo, with David's support, had grabbed a large metal plate and worked on engraving it with runes for the improvement she had suggested. Mei took up to coming up with new 'babies' by using Momo's spellbook as a source of ideas. Izuku trained in fighting with sword and shield. Ochako tested some of the new spells she could now make use of.

And, in the meantime, they dealt with some surprising revelations.

“So... you are a dragon,” Mei said, quite matter-of-factly, as she fiddled with one of the objects she had made, which could be used to grasp someone and deliver a shock.

“Yes. A Bronze Dragon,” Ochako replied. She was still miffed by the pink-haired girl's inappropiate touching of her Knight, but as she had learned in the past few days, Mei was... well, socially blind was putting it mildly. Despite her obvious intelligence, Mei was really bad at reading social cues, and was quite prone to making somewhat inappropiate questions and requests at times.

Also, to date, she had yet to learn her, Izuku's or Momo's names. She had probably asked them for their names four or five times, but instead she still kept using their nicknames.

“That explains the electricity. Do you think you could power one of my babies with that?”

“I... don't have that fine control over my electric breath.”

“Pity. I'm sure it could help you a lot. Though, maybe I could make something that could store electricity? That way you could just shoot and shock someone. A gun that shot electricity would be an awesome baby!”

“It would be impressive, yes. But remember, Mei, you must test before using,” Melissa interrupted as she revised Momo's work.

“But testing is booooring!” Mei moaned.

“And what do you do when your invention breaks down in the middle of a fight because you didn't test it before? Huh?”

Mei stopped working on her device, frozen, and Ochako could almost see her mind stalling as it attempted to solve the conundrum Melissa had put her through.

“I think you just broke her, Melissa,” Momo said, busy writing down on her book a spell she had just found the inspiration for, and she wanted to note down the specifics for it for future reference.

“Not the first time. She just needs to realign her inner gears and apply a little oil to absorb the new information into her brain,” Melissa replied, grinning. Mei may have been like a little sister, but sometimes it was just funny to see her struggle when her world view was challenged. She wished Izuku, Momo and Ochako best of luck in keeping her on task. Then again, perhaps she would grow up and tone down her – somewhat unhealthy – obsession with 'making babies'.

At least, until she decided to make them for real.

“Ladies, we bring lunch, so please put your appliances and tools away and clean up,” David stated, bringing a large pot that he carefully placed in the center of the table, as he turned to look at a still immobile Mei. “Did you just misalign her gears again, Melissa?”

“I just pointed out that it would be bad if her inventions broke down in the middle of a fight, Dad,” she said. David sighed, shaking his head as he carefully took the tools away from Mei's hands, cleaned up her hands as best as he could, and then maneuvered her around until she was sitting, spoon and chopsticks in hand, with the smell of her fish soup wafting up to her nose. And, through it all, Mei did not react at all.

“Is this... normal?” Izuku wondered, worried, while Ochako poked the girl, amazed at her level of stillness.

“Meh. If she gets sand in the gears, it can take a while for her to get through, but she usually comes out the better of it,” David replied. “Of course, I wish you had picked a different moment to do this, I feel like mine and Izuku's culinary efforts will be lost to her.”

“Maybe we can shock her out of this by feeding her?” Ochako suggested.

“It's a toss-up if it works. It might work, but then it might actually make her choke, and I don't want to think of what may happen then.”

“Hmm... Let me try something. I think I have enough control of my power to do this.” Ochako poked Mei again, but this time a little blue jolt of electricity jumped from her extended finger to the other girl's face, causing the pink-haired artificer to shake up in shock and look first at her hands and then the rest of the people.

“What am I doing here? Where's my baby?” she asked, not paying attention to the delicious fish soup under her nose.

“Mei, you were out of it for long enough that Dad was able to finish making dinner. What do you think?” Melissa explained.

“Aww. I lost an hour that I could have spent making babies. Still, what happened?”

“You didn't like a question I made.”

“I didn't? Oh, right, testing. Maybe I should try it? It could work. It might actually work. I'm going to need to grab some things for testing. And testees. Are you willing to help, Pillow-san?”

“Mei, dinner first, potential assaults on sanity later. And don't use Izuku as a target for your inventions!”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

Finally, ten days after departing from Chuukyou, David's ship finally reached the bay that held Edo in its coast, just as dawn illuminated the sleepy city and awoke it from slumber. Already, the fishing ships that fed the city on a daily basis were returning to port, ready to sell their catch of the day, with all on board the Isley taking some time to greet the fishermen, surprised to see a ship without sails so easily plowing through water.

Taking the wheel, David Shield smiled as he took sight of the capital of his country of adoption, city he had not been to in many years. He knew his friend was there, and he really looked forward to catching up with the Knight.

He then noticed someone moving out of the corner of his eye, and saw that it was his old friend's successor. David was reminded of being in a similar situation with Toshinori many years before, only it was the western coast of Europa that they were sailing into, and he was certainly a lot younger.

“I've... never seen this kind of thing,” Izuku confessed. “The one time I came here, it was at night and by land. It still looked amazing, but now? Looks wonderful.”

“You'll never get used to it, believe me. When you travel the world, you'll see that cities such as Edo will always have a kind of magic to them. It's just a matter of seeing them at the right time.”

“Did you see many of them?”

“Yes. So many that I've lost count, but some of them really stick out. Midday in Lutetia, dusk in Ilvira, dawn in Newguern... those are some of the things that really lift the spirit. And it also helps remind you what you are fighting for.”

The two men waited, looking into the horizon as the city approached.

“Well, let's get this old lady docked. She needs some clean up, and you lot need to get to the Academy. Tell Toshinori I'll be around soon, alright?”

“I will. And, seriously, I don't know how to pay you for all you have done for us,” Izuku replied.

“Well, I'd say that saving the world and protecting those three girls in the meantime would be more than enough,” David said, smiling. “I've been through the same thing as they will, and they are all going to need every bit of help they can find. Just go with your feelings and I'm sure you will be proven right.”

“I'll do my best.”

Before he could say more, Izuku felt a pair of arms snaking their way across his chest and a head cuddling into his back.

“I-zu-kuuu, it's too early and you weren't there,” Ochako mumbled, and Izuku swore (as his face went beet red) that she was actually sniffing him. David chuckled, remembering happy days past with his Isla, and gave them as much privacy as he could while a few meters away from them.

There was a ship he was meant to carry to safe port, after all.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

The Isley moored easily among the sail ships that populated Edo's main port, attracting a lot of attention due to its unusual design, and as soon as the ship was tied down David sent the Knight's party away, stating that they had better things to do than to stay doing the boring things related to getting the ship's presence legally registered, even pushing Izuku away with one finger when he attempted to offer helping.

The four began to traverse the city, delighting in the sights a daily visit offered that crossing the place at night had not. Momo, the person who knew best the city from her time as an Academy student, pointed to some of the amenities she had enjoyed in the past, which Izuku mentally noted tended to be on the more expensive end of cost.

He suspected it was because of how she was part of an important, influential family, and thus did not have as much knowledge on the worth of things, but it was strange that she still held to it after a few years studying in the city.

Well, with this quest they were going to go in, she would have to learn more about it.

His musings were interrupted by a peal of thunder shaking the air, even though (as a quick look to the sky told him) there was not a raincloud anywhere in sight. Besides, the thunder had sounded from much closer than that, and it felt like danger was approaching, so he unsheathed his sword and stood in front of his teammates, ready to protect them from whatever was coming.

Behind him, Momo sighed. She had not thought that this could happen just when they arrived, and yet it did.

Out of a side street ran a tall young man with spiky black hair, wearing an open dark blue robe with a white shirt underneath, and a face that seemed as if every demon in the world was hunting him, as he kept looking back and forward and barely avoiding any obstacle in his way.

“I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!” he yelled, turning into the main street, just as a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and a set of earthen clothing that ended in a surprisingly short skirt ran out of the same side street – and a face that seemed as if every demon in the world was possessing her, her eyes fixated in the boy running away from her.

“YOU GODS-BE-DAMNED IDIOT! ALWAYS THE SAME THING! BOLT!” she screamed, firing a lightning bolt from one extended hand – which the running boy just averted in the last second.

“AAAHHHHHHH! STOP DOING THAT! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME, ZAPPER!”

“IT WOULDN'T WORK ON YOU ANYWAY! STAY STILL AND TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!”

“I JUST WANTED TO BUY SOME FOOD! WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME? ROTTEN LUUUUUCK!”

The duo kept their persecution along the street, still screaming at each other, while the people just averted them – with quite the clear familiarity, Izuku noted, judging by how they barely reacted to the event – as the girl kept attempting to exact revenge for whatever the boy had done, even if it seemed to have been an accident.

“Seriously, those two are lucky Nezu finds them entertaining, one day they are going to get in serious trouble,” Momo said, as they continued their walk towards the Academy.

“You know them?” Ochako asked, intrigued by the girl's lightning bolts.

“Think you can present me to her? I want to know how she creates those lightnings, I'm getting an idea for an awesome baby!” Mei interrupted, grinning as her mind went over multiple ideas and plans in a few seconds. Momo shook her head.

“I know of them. The boy is rumored to have slayed an actual demon with his bare hands, and the girl's one of the Academy's ace sorcerers. Unfortunately, he is, quite possibly, the unluckiest person in the world, and she has both a city-wide vengeful streak and an easily quickened temper. I doubt there's been a week where they have not had a spat.”

“And no one's put a stop to that because...” Izuku asked.

“Everyone knows they want each other, romantically speaking, but she's unwilling to admit it and he's oblivious. And they have a bet on how long it will take for them to see it.”

Izuku and Ochako looked at her, almost unable to understand why the mysterious girl would vent her feelings in such a destructive way.

Doesn't she realize the boy'll never consider her as a mate if she keeps trying to hurt him? Ochako wondered. The idea of hurting the person you liked just because you were unable to deal with your feelings seemed stupid.

Violence was best reserved for those who threatened your loved ones, after all.

“Man, people are weird. That's why I prefer to stick to my babies,” Mei said.

Ochako had a flash of something like laughter, but could not tell the reason behind it before it vanished – mostly because she had noticed how red Momo had gone. She could understand why, but did not put much mind into it: whatever Mei did when she was alone was her thing.

The four followed the track left behind by the persecution, which led to the Academy: according to Momo, the boy was likely seeking some kind of protection, and since he apparently knew the Academy like the palm of his hand, he would find a hidden spot to avoid the girl's wrath until it abated.

Even if she might actually have preferred to have him grapple her and leave her breathless.

Not that she was likely to admit it.

Putting the matter of a certain duo out of their minds, they entered the large enclosure and walked to the main building, meeting the exuberant Nemuri on the way.

“Oh, it is you! And you brought a new friend, as well!” the witch said, grinning as she bounced up to them, and Izuku could feel her eyeing him up in a way that made him want to hide behind Ochako. The dragon girl just held his hand and glared at the witch.

“Professor Kayama,” Momo said, clearly used to her antics, “do you think we could fit in a meeting with the Headmaster? We need to speak with him and Professor Toshinori.”

“Oh, that's why I'm here! Nezu actually wanted me to escort you lot to his office!”

“Was he spying on us to watch until we returned?” Izuku asked, feeling awkward.

“No, he just kept an eye on any new visitors to the city. He heard of a strange ship arriving, and he knew it could only be David Shield's boat, so he warned me to watch out for you. So, when I saw you entering the Academy grounds, I just came to get you. But I can't let you monopolize my time, although you're welcome after you're done with the Headmaster! Now, come, chop, chop!” the teacher said, clapping and waving for them to follow her. Ochako kept her eyes on the woman, almost daring her to come closer to Izuku as she walked.

–

The Shields arrived soon after them, and when prompted Izuku began to tell of the events that had taken place at the island: the worry expressed in both the rodent-like wizard and the Eighth Knight were obvious. They were, of course, glad that David, Melissa and Mei had come out of the chaos alright, but the fact that sinister forces had actually carried out the attack was troubling.

David had been meant to be retired, and his home kept safe by its very own secrecy, as only a few knew that he was the one that had been one of Toshinori's partners a generation before. That this 'Tomura' had found it proved that someone with serious power or resources was clearly backing him, as did the fact that the house had been destroyed. David mentioned seeing a number of ships far from the coast, which could grant credence to that idea.

Independently of this, though, it was obvious that David and Melissa could no longer live on their own. Fortunately, Nezu was willing to offer them a job until the crisis was over: the man's experience could always help in teaching the students how to deal with the world outside, and her prowess would always be welcome in the classes dedicated to the less arcane arts.

David was also quite effusive in his praise for the younger ones, stating that they would have likely been able to deal with Tomura and his confederates even if he had not been there, causing Izuku to blush slightly, particularly as the elder hero mentioned how Izuku had stood alone and kept the eidolon at bay. That had brought a smile from Toshinori, who mentioned it reminded him of a similar event during his own quest to stop Subeteno.

It was when the discussion related to Izuku and his party's future that Nezu mentioned something of interest.

“I received a message, just last day, of a friend of mine that lives in Xina. She has mentioned having found a number of troubles, and part of what she has found of them makes me believe it may be tied to the people you fought. And, even if they are not, it may be good if you can help. What do you say?”

“Well, I did promise I would check on the Iida family, and I'm sure we all need a day or two to gather supplies. But we are going to visit a lot of places, right? We cannot stick to Nihon, and the world's going to have lots of people that need help. So, yes, I'd be willing to help.”

“I'm glad. Do not dally, though. Evil waits for no man. Or Knight.”

“Wasn't planning to.”

“Now, though, how do you intend to travel there?” David asked. “I'd be happy to get you there on the Isley, but it would take a long time to go around the islands and then west.”

“I can take care of that,” Ochako replied, grinning. It had been a while since she last transformed, but it was time to undo that. Plus, her Knight had to learn how to ride her, right? The sooner he got that lesson, the better.

She also mentally grinned at the idea. There were so many things that could apply to...

“Are you certain about that, young one?” Nezu asked, and seemed pleased at her wordless nod. “Perfect. Now, if you are interested in retrieving your friend, there is still daylight to burn. Be quick in your endeavors, and be back for dinner! The cook has tried a new recipe that he will be delighted to see tasted by such young heroes as you!”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

The group had split off. Mei had gone with the Shields and Yagi-sensei to help them establish themselves at their new home and stock up on materials she would need for her travel, and Izuku and Ochako had gone off to Iida Heaven to meet the siblings they had helped on their way south, but Momo had chosen to stay back: she desired to have one last look at the Academy's library, as she knew it would take months, perhaps even years, until she next returned, and retrieve all of her personal belongings that had remained back when she went on the first leg of the travel with the Knight.

The Ninth Knight... so different, and yet so similar, to the Third.

Whereas the Third had been at home in the study, perusing books in search of knowledge on magic or ideas to develop, the Ninth was seemingly more able to deal with the outside.

The Third was, quite likely, one of the most intelligent women of the time, but somewhat shy. The Ninth was intelligent, but above that stood an innate charisma that had drawn her in barely a few hours after their first meeting in spite of his apparent shyness.

The Third was cautious, thought everything out before choosing a course of action. The Ninth was willing to throw everything overboard for the sake of helping someone.

But... the two of them had that same drive to push forward, the heart to help those who needed it, the skill to fight the enemy with the tools they had in hand, and, of course, the willingness to stop evil wherever it laid.

Perhaps it had been fate that she had been here, in this place and time, to meet the successor of her many times great-grandmother and support him in the quest to fight the newest threat to the world.

Maybe he would be interested in her book? He may not be able to make use of most of it, but it does contain much of interest. Grandmother Miku did write a lot about the creatures she found in her travels.

“Yaoyorozu,” a voice said from behind her, and she jumped and hissed from the shock as she turned around to see that familiar face, with the scar over its left side and surrounded with short red and white hair.

“By the gods, Todoroki, would you mind not giving me such scares?” she asked, glaring at the sorcerer.

“I apologize,” he replied, clearly not being sorry about his actions. “I was seeking you for a reason. I heard you were recruited by a party of heroes. I wish to request the chance to join your party.”

Momo looked at the scarred sorcerer, almost as if unable to understand what he wanted.

“I'm sorry?”

“I wish to request the chance to join your party.”

No, she had not been mistaken.

“Why? I have never known you to be interested in the matters of adventuring. In fact, in the few times the matter arose in conversation while you were around, you were quite disdainful of it. What has changed to make you do this?”

“Personal matters that do not concern you.” The sorcerer instinctively grabbed onto his shirt's sleeves – white with red embroidery, the coat of arms of the Todoroki family sewed to the outer part of the sleeve, much like it was on the red vest he wore on top of it – as he spoke, telling Momo he was clearly hiding something important.

“Given that what you want would affect me, I'd say that those matters do concern me somewhat,” she retorted.

“If any, I will talk of this with whoever commands your party. Now, kindly lead me to them, the sooner I present my case the sooner I will be able to achieve my objective.”

“Well, you are out of luck.” Momo felt a bit of vindictive pleasure in denying Todoroki what he wanted. “Izuku is currently away on business. He'll be back soon, though.”

“I will wait, then. I must join this party.”

“What is so important that it has to be the party I'm in, Todoroki? There are multiple groups of adventurers that would be glad to have you join them.”

The sorcerer looked at her, and in spite of herself Momo felt unnerved as those eyes – one dark grey, the other turquoise – glared deep into hers.

“As I said, personal matters that do not concern you.”

“Fine. But I don't believe Izuku will think your attitude is a positive thing for the party.”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

“When they spoke of their home, I didn't think it would be this big,” Izuku said, looking at the large mansion that Tensei called 'Heaven'. Surrounded by five meter high walls built with red bricks and a garden with several flowering trees, the actual building stood at three floors, and each of them was large enough that Izuku suspected its rooms were likely to be bigger than the house he had lived his entire life before Ochako's visit to his hometown.

“Well, they did mention their family was quite wealthy. Given how good their weapons and armor are, it would fit that they are from someone able to afford those,” Ochako replied, her eyes shining. A dragon in a fight against the greatest evil of the generation she may be, but every dragon in the world loved wealth, or 'shiny things' as a former barbarian who had been a companion to the Fourth called it. It was in their blood, after all.

(as far as she was concerned, the best treasure of all was her Knight, but anything extra was always good)

Izuku took a breath and knocked on the large, sturdy sugi doors that stood on the wall, and a slit opened, revealing a pair of black eyes.

“Who comes to Iida Heaven? What are your intentions?” a voice almost thundered from behind the door, and Izuku mentally shook off the intimidated part of himself that cringed at the sound: he was a Knight, and he would not let a simple voice scare him away!

“Our names are Izuku and Ochako, and we come here to speak with Iida Tensei and Iida Tenya. We were given to believe they live here?”

The eyes looked at him and her before the slit closed again, and the Knight and the Dragon stood in front of the gate, unable to think on what to do or how to react to this situation.

“What should we do?” Ochako asked. If she were in her dragon form, perhaps she could get away with knocking down the door for what she considered lack of respect, but in human form, it was a tad more difficult to both achieve that and get away with it.

“Wait? Maybe he went to the mansion to ask Tensei or Tenya if they remember us?” Izuku suggested. Ochako nodded: it was the likeliest possibility. After what had happened to Tenya, the family would likely be very reluctant to let him be close to anyone they did not know. Hopefully, the siblings would be able to put their minds at ease.

Fortunately, it seemed like Izuku's suggestion was on point, and the doorman opened the slit again.

“How did you meet Master Tensei?”

“We found him after he fought off a group of bandits to death, in the road to Hosu, but he was unconscious, so we healed him and he woke up the next day. He punched me and then he apologized, presenting himself as Kishou.”

The slit closed again, and the large door opened: behind it stood a large, strong man, wearing light armor over blue clothes, with the sun symbol displayed on them, and an enormous tetsubo on the hand not holding the door, the point touching ground.

“You may pass, but your weapons must all remain sheathed, unless given permission by the Masters of the house. You will not like it if you disobey the orders.”

“Don't worry, we want to cause no trouble,” Izuku said, smiling. The man did not return the smile, but gave a step back, allowing them to enter the mansion grounds. Izuku noted with interest the cherry trees where the fruit was starting to grow, while Ochako kept an eye on the several armed men and women training in the grounds with bamboo swords, nodding when she noticed their fighting competence: it would take a determined group to successfully assault this place.

Crossing the main door, they were guided by a servant to a large, sparsely decorated room, where they were met by what could only be the owners of the mansion, the Iida family. The man standing in front was clearly the patriarch of the family, going by his commanding presence and greying hair mixed among all the blue, as well as the elegant kimono with a coat of arms showing a large feline running towards a rising sun. Standing by him was his wife, with long black hair tied in a simple tail and no less imposing than her husband, and still quite beautiful in her own flowery kimono in spite of her growing age. And, behind them, were Tensei and Tenya, also wearing clothes of similar making to their father, smiling as they saw the two of them enter the room.

“You must be the young couple that helped save my sons,” the elder Iida said, casting an analyzing gaze at the guests. “I must thank you for your aid. The Iida family is in debt with you. If there is anything we can do to repay you, please ask.”

And then the man deeply bowed, followed by his wife and children, much to Izuku's shock.

“No, no, no need to bow!” Izuku said, waving his hands in embarrassment. “We just did what anyone would have done in the same situation!”

“And yet, you were the only ones that did. Granted, several adventurers did try to stop the one that took Tenya, but you two and your companion saved Tensei, and then aided him in saving Tenya without asking for a reward,” the lady answered, as they all stood straight again.

“It was the right thing to do. That was all that mattered,” Ochako stated.

“And that makes you worthy of praise.”

Izuku gave a nervous smile while scratching the back of his head, uncomfortable with something he had not received much of in his life. It was hard enough when Ochako complimented him: people that were complete strangers to him doing it was even more awkward.

“We are, however, certain that you didn't come here to hear us thank you for your actions,” Tensei and Tenya's father asked.

“Aye. It was not chance that guided us towards Hosu. We have an important Quest ahead of us. One whose result could affect not only Nihon, but the entire world,” Izuku answered, gulping as he dropped his suggestion. “We wish to ask if your youngest son would be willing to join us.”

Silence hung within the room, as Tenya looked at his father, expectantly.

“Not that I mean to disparage you, but how can you be certain of the importance of this mission you claim you have?” the man said.

“I wish I could give you something that would prove my case, but unfortunately there is little I can offer but words that you may or may not believe.”

“You may be surprised.”

Izuku looked at Ochako, who looked back and gave him a tiny nod: perhaps the Iidas could be trusted with the truth, after all. From what he had heard, they had been adventurers and heroes for many generations, and while there was nothing that indicated any of them had joined a Knight's party, they had nonetheless helped fight evil across Nihon and the mainland.

“I... I am the Knight. And I think Tenya would be a good partner for our group.”

The Iidas looked at Izuku, clearly surprised at the reveal. It was not hard to understand why.

“That is... quite a bold claim. How can we be certain that you speak the truth?”

“I can't... prove it, beyond doing what I am expected to. But I can't do it alone, and I'm certain your son's aid will be important.”

“Father!” Tenya interrupted, stepping forward, his right hand clenched over his heart. “I owe Izuku my life, and whether he is the Knight or not, it is a debt that must be repaid! Please, allow me to follow him into battle!”

“Are you sure about this, Tenya?” his mother asked. “It will be dangerous, and keep you away for a long time.”

“Mother, I am certain. I made an oath as a Paladin to protect the innocent and punish evil. I sense no deceit in the ones who saved my life, and I cannot remain behind when someone needs me! As for danger, it would have been impossible to avoid as long as I were an adventurer, and I will gladly face it again for the sake of helping those in need.”

The Iidas looked at their youngest member, who was clearly intent on getting his way with this situation. The standoff lasted a few minutes, before the patriarch shook his head and looked away, smiling.

“Dear, I'm afraid we taught them too well the meaning of responsibility. I don't think Tenya will back down from this.”

The woman sighed, silently admitting the truth: her youngest son was once more ready to return to the life of an adventurer. Much like most mothers in the world, she would have wanted her son at home just a while longer, but it was his life to live. All she could hope for now, was for him to return home, hopefully with a nice girl (she had eyes, and her son did, too) he could marry and have children with, and able to recount all of his stories of what he had faced in the meantime.

“I suppose there's little we can do about this,” she replied. “Tenya, make sure to prepare everything you might need. Travel light. Who knows what you will end up finding in your travels!”

“I shall do so, Mother! The name of the family shall not be bemirsched by my actions!”

“I am not worried about that, my son. I want you to be careful while out there, and do your best.”

“I will. With your permission, I shall begin preparing!” Tenya replied, and bowing to his parents and then to Izuku and Ochako, he walked out of the room.

“I know I am asking much of you... but will you take care of my brother?” Tensei requested. “He is going to need someone willing to help him understand how the world actually works. Even after his encounter with that man, he has yet to fully understand that not everything is black and white.”

“You are paladins, right? It's the norm amongs you, if I'm not mistaken,” Ochako said.

“Maybe... but that does not mean we should not adapt to the world. And sometimes, the law is unfair. When that happens, a paladin's duty is to side with good – and I'm afraid my little brother might have trouble understanding that.”

“Then I think he's going to learn fast.”

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

Among the things Izuku expected to meet upon his return to the Academy, Momo waiting for them with a stony face was not one of them.

Nor was it that next to her stood a young man their own age, wearing a set of clothing that looked more at home in a noble's mansion rather than the more practical outfit Momo had.

Nor that said young man had a rather strange hair color – Izuku had seen people with white hair, but not people with red and white hair split down the middle – nor with such a large burn scar covering the half of his face under the red hair.

All in all, it was a puzzling situation. But he knew that life was going to throw many puzzles at him as he grew, so he decided he might as well solve this own.

“Yaoyorozu, it is good to meet you again,” Tenya said, bowing to the wizard, who gave a bow back while a small smile graced her features.

“It is, indeed, Iida. I presume you intend to join us in our adventure?”

“Aye! I swore to pay back my debt to Izuku, and this way I shall fulfill both my vow and my oath!”

“You must be the party leader,” the stranger stated, uncaring for the interaction between Momo and Tenya, as he turned to Izuku.

“I wouldn't say leader. True, I've been looking for people to work with me, but from there to leader...”

“Oh, don't be so modest, Izuku,” Ochako interrupted, smiling, as she grabbed his hand in hers and hugged his arm. “He's still learning how to do it, but I wouldn't change him for any other in the world.”

The man nodded, ignoring how Izuku's cheeks had suddenly reddened from Ochako's proximity, and looked at him straight in the eyes, allowing to note the strange phenomenon of him having eyes of different colors.

“I must join your party. Kindly accept me.”

“Why?”

This stranger – who had yet to even present himself – blinked, stunned. Whatever his reasons may have been, obviously he had not expected to be questioned on it.

“Why what?”

“You are so intent on joining me, but you don't know what I intend to do, nor do I know why you wish to join me. So... why?”

“I... need to leave this land, and prove myself. I can only do that if I join you.”

“Why would you have to leave, Todoroki?” Momo asked, looking at him with bemusement. “You are the scion of a-”

The stranger – Todoroki, he assumed – raised his right hand and fired a ray of what appeared to be frost flying in front of her face, causing her to jump back in shock.

Izuku unsheathed his sword and pointed at Todoroki, glaring at him as he stoically looked ahead.

“Apologies. I simply desired to prevent Yaoyorozu from speaking of my personal matters,” he stated, clearly unconcerned by the fact that he was close to getting pierced by a sword as he adjusted his shirt's sleeve, slightly twisting it to hide the humanoid form embroidered in red on the outside.

“You want to be part of my group, and yet you attack one of my friends?”

“I'm not here to make friends. I only wish to join your party.”

Izuku looked at him, straight in the eyes, and almost willed himself to understand him. To pierce behind the icy gaze and understand what was running in his mind to cause him to act like this. Because he refused to believe someone could actually be like this without a reason.

(He chose to ignore that Katsuki had been a lot worse for little to no reason)

Maybe, just maybe... he was just simply this way? Maybe he just did not know better? Perhaps he simply had not even been allowed to learn how to treat with others. Even in Musutafu, there had been mentions of noble families that kept their children enclosed and away from outside influences. Was Todoroki one of them?

What else was he hiding that prompted such a reaction?

“Why do you need to join us? Yes, you said you needed to leave Nihon, but that doesn't tell me anything. There are hundreds of reasons why you would want to leave, many of which wouldn't actually require to be so intent on leaving, and several that could be a threat to us. So, why are we the ones you want to join?”

Todoroki looked back at Izuku, but then he looked away, almost bashfully, as he pondered his answer.

“I... I desire to leave my father's influence. As long as I remain here, I will be unable to escape him. If what I have heard is right, you intend to leave this country for foreign lands. You might be the only way I can become my own person.”

As he considered his answer, Izuku turned to Ochako, silently asking for her opinion.

Do you think we should accept him?

Ochako leaned her head to a side, rising her eyebrows.

Are you sure about it? He doesn't seem nice.

Izuku slightly shrugged as he sheathed his sword.

Maybe. But if he is willing to change, I could accept.

Ochako sighed, and returned a small smile.

Your call. I trust your feelings.

“Very well. As long as you are willing to behave and collaborate, I guess I could let you join. Just a warning, though, this won't be easy, and while I will do anything in my hand to protect you, I cannot say you will survive everything. Is that fine?”

“Fine by me. After what I have lived, the hardships of outside may be good enough.”

“We'll meet here, tomorrow after dawn. Carry only essential items, and make sure you have a decent weapon to defend yourself.”

“Thank you,” Todoroki stated, bowing to Izuku before parting for what Izuku assumed was his dorm room, but for Izuku the important matter was Momo's dismissive look towards the departing mage.

“Is there a problem, Momo?” he asked, concerned. “What do you know about him?”

“No, not a problem. It's just... he and I have never been on good terms in our time in this academy. He is a sorcerer, and sorcerers and wizards don't usually get along, on account of how they gain from birth what we have to work to achieve. Todoroki, though, is a special case. His father is Enji Todoroki, one of Nihon's Heroes, and that granted him entrance in this academy, yet Todoroki wastes his power by denying what he inherited from him and dedicating himself only to his control over ice and water. I can't stand how he rejects what he has, yet he keeps acting as he does.”

“Enji Todoroki is a powerful flame sorcerer,” Tenya noted. “How did his son gain control over ice?”

“His mother is a powerful ice sorcerer, supposedly from a family blessed by a yuki-onna, although rumour has it she secludes herself in her family's mansion to avert attention. Supposedly, no one outside her family has seen her in the past decade, but I can't say how much truth there is there.”

Izuku grimaced. Whatever had caused Todoroki's mother to seclude herself was likely something bad, but for all he knew, there were valid reasons for it – and he had not the means, the time, nor the skill to investigate. He may have been the Knight, but he knew that such things were beyond the possible for him.

“I think we'd better finish getting ready,” Momo continued, noting Izuku's face. “Though, I wonder, how do you intend to travel to Xina? I'd have loved to use something akin to Shield-san's ship, but it might take too long. We would have to travel to the western coast and-”

“I can take care of that,” Ochako said, smiling.

“Really?” Tenya asked.

“Oh, yes. It's been a while, but I think I'll be able to do this.”

“Then, I will trust your judgement! Where is your last friend, the one you mentioned was adept with tools and machines?”

“She should be with David. Said she wanted to get one last session with her teacher before leaving. You'll like her, I'm sure!” Izuku said, smiling.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

Izuku was, perhaps, a tad too optimistic.

He had not considered how Mei's chaos could clash with Tenya's straight-laced nature, for example.

The first thing she had asked was if she could fit a mechanism into his armor to make it walk on its own, because she thought he was too slow. And the second was to suggest adding a pair of rockets to his arms so he could hit harder.

Tenya certainly did not appreciate the insult to his capabilities, and had spent a goodly amount of time verbally lambasting her, which she had completely ignored as she continued working in one of her projects, some kind of crossbow that she could just put on the ground and it could attack a target without her wielding it.

Needless to say, they were not off to a good start, particularly when combined with Momo's dislike of Todoroki and the latter's apathy and unwillingness to engage in normal conversation with the others.

Still, they were the people he had chosen to fight the threat to peace he was born to stop. He would do his best to lead them in whichever way they were. And, hopefully, they would eventually be able to get along in the future.

Those were his hopes as they left Edo for the last time, and Izuku turned for a moment to see the city as it woke up under the nascent sunrise, coming from behind the sea horizon. He felt a bit sad at the sight: he was about to leave his homeland, and he would not return for a long time, which could easily be measured in months or even years.

But he also tried to see the good side of this change. In eighteen years, he had known few places: Musutafu, Ochako's lair, Edo, Hosu and Chuukyou. He was now going to meet hundreds of new people, all of which lived in places he had never heard of and that spoke languages he did not know at all.

He was really going to save the world, was he?

“Yes, you are going to do it,” Ochako whispered, taking his hand. “Come on, we need to get going. The sooner we are far away enough, the sooner we'll reach our destination.”

For all answer, Izuku squeezed his Dragon's her hand and followed her lead, catching up with the rest of the group as they walked westwards in silence, likely preferable than any attempt to argue with each other. Izuku engaged everyone in conversation, and was successful for the most part, although getting them to speak to each other in anything better than civil tones was not feasible yet.

He would get that, sooner or later. He would not let his new companions ignore this chance.

“So, what's your plan, Lightning?” Mei asked, lifting her special goggles off her eyes. “I don't see anything. Oh, do you have an ornithopter that can carry us all? Or some kind of gate spell?”

“Orni-what? Wait, now, this isn't the moment,” Momo stated. “Though, she does make a good point. How were you planning to go to Xina, Ochako?”

“Well, I think we're far away enough to start. It's been a while since I did this, but it should be enough,” Ochako replied. “Step away, though, I don't want to hurt you.”

Knowing what was about to happen, Izuku pulled Todoroki and Iida away, while Momo did the same with a somewhat oblivious Mei, and Ochako walked further into the path they had taken as her clothes seemed to...

… meld into her.

Her hands enlarged as her palms became as large as dining dishes, while her fingers turned into claws that looked capable of gutting a deer in one attack.

Her arms became thick as tree trunks as Ochako leaned forward, her rounded face turning more angular as her mouth stretched forward, as her skull twisted to grow horns and ridges around her eyes and nose, as her teeth became sharper and deadlier.

Her legs had suddenly turned into veritable deadly weapons, able to smash enemies by stomping on them, while her feet broke out of her vanishing shoes and became just as threatening as her hands had.

Her torso widened in all dimensions as she changed from her upright position to another that caused her to fall onto her front limbs, her claws digging into the dirt as a large tail grew from her end.

Out of her back grew two enormous wings

And, as they did, her normally pale rose skin was covered in shining bronze and jade scales, covering her body in a natural armor that only the best metal could replicate.

It was only a few seconds, before where Ochako had been now stood a proud, noble bronze dragon, looking back at the others.

“I was thinking I could take you on a flight. What do you think?”

“Holy... whoa...” Izuku said, looking at Ochako with amazement as his eyes shone. “You're... magnificent.”

Ochako approached her new draconic face to Izuku, who subconsciously caressed the side of her snout as she leaned into it, careful not to cut him on his scales or hit him with her horns. She loved being in close contact with her Knight, and the fact that he did not fear her in this form made her giddy with happiness like a lovestruck human teenager.

“I must say, this was a surprise. I knew not you were a dragon!” Tenya stated, shocked but recovering from it.

“You're so awesome, I can't wait to see you breathe lightning, I really want to learn how to do that with my babies!” Mei cheered with a sparkle almost surrounding her.

“You don't seem to be surprised,” Todoroki dully said to Yaoyorozu.

“I already knew what she is. I had not known of her form, but I knew she could become a dragon.”

“How did you know that?”

Momo looked at Todoroki and gave him a small smirk.

“Personal matters that do not concern you.”

“Time to move. Izuku, do you have what I requested?”

“Yes. Everyone, put these on, it'll keep you from falling off while we fly,” Izuku said, giving everyone a set of leather straps tied and arranged in a particular manner. While it was a strange item, they could understand how to put them on, and soon they were helping Izuku put on a larger version on Ochako and hooking themselves to it: while they would be riding on Ochako's back, this would ensure that they would be unable to move too much.

Todoroki sat at the back of the group, with Mei in front of him, hugging a flustered and confused Tenya, who had sat right in front of her. Momo was slightly further ahead, and finally Izuku sat near the base of Ochako's neck, happily caressing the scales in front of him.

“Is everybody ready?” Ochako asked, turning to look at her passengers and her Knight.

“We are.”

“Then, grab to something, and be careful. We are going to go very fast!”

Ochako's wings spread and began to rhythmically beat up and down as she trotted ahead, gaining speed until she judged she was going fast enough. Then she jumped into the air, and her wingbeat became faster as it countered gravity itself, allowing her to fly forward and ahead, with the sun rising behind her as the Ninth Knight and his companions finally set out to their destination.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10
Night's Allies Salute You

Flying was nothing at all like he had imagined it.

He had figured that he would be able to look down and see what was below him, marvel at the feeling of the air blowing through his hair, feel like a bird in the sky as the ground moved under him.

Instead, flight was quite terrifying. Looking what was going on below made him feel like his stomach was dropping to his feet. The air beat his face so hard that he could not look forward for all that he tried, and the speed at which Ochako – the dragon – flew was well beyond what even his brother could achieve when using the best enchanted armor the family had. Not that there was much to see, though because nearly everything around was ocean.

Right now, all he could was to hold on, breath as best as possible and pray to the gods that the flight would end soon.

Unfortunately, this was not to be: while he knew the coast would not be anywhere close, even at the speeds of a dragon it was several hours away, and who knew how much longer it would take for Ochako to find the closest land to Nihon. But one thing was certain: he would propose not doing this ever again, unless there was no other choice.

He knew there would be situations where the choice was forced on him, already.

By the time they finally found land, the sun was starting to set, and they were all surprisingly tired, even though they had not moved from their positions on top of the dragon. Tenya attributed it to the fact that they had been forced to grab onto Ochako for hours, and that they had been unable to drink or eat anything, since the strength of the wind had made it impossible to hold anything in hand without seeing it flying away.

Ochako carefully found a large plain where they should not be disturbed and landed carefully, but before the others could jump off her, she began to transform back into her human form. Everyone, seeing what was about to happen, did their best to take off their harnesses as Ochako shrank down, but the transformation was faster. Most of them were, fortunately, able to land on their feet as the dragon's body disappeared from below them.

Most of them were not a certain Knight, who suddenly found himself straddling a beautiful girl that was smiling a tad too happily, given their current position, and said Knight suddenly felt the blood rushing to his face as he tried to jump aside and ended up landing on the ground face up. Not that he was there for long, because he quickly turned and gave a bow of supplication to an amused dragon girl.

“I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryIswearIdidn'tintendtodothatitwasmyfaultIwasn'ttryingtodoanythingindecent-”

Izuku's tirade was cut off as Ochako pulled him up from his shoulders and placed him back on his feet, before giving him a tight hug.

“Never apologize for that. It was an accident, and you didn't expect my transformation to end like this.” Then she leaned closer and whispered into his ear. “Next time, I'll be on top.”

Izuku felt like his soul was trying to escape from his body as his mind collapsed, warring with itself on whether to picture the image that little comment had created or not, while Ochako just enjoyed the feel of her Knight in her arms, before she just let him go and shook him awake from his sudden shock.

“Izuku? What's wrong?” Momo asked, worried about her friend.

“Don't worry, he's fine, just overreacted a bit to some teasing,” Ochako admitted, shaking Izuku a bit so he would return to life. “So, what about a break? I'm sure everyone's famished by now.”

“I'm feeling peckish, yes,” Todoroki stated, clearly attempting to act as if he had been unaffected by the flight. His windswept hair and paler than normal face were testimony to his failure to do so.

“Well, this place is as fine as any other to have a large supper. If there's still light after that, we can walk for a while,” Tenya stated. “Does anyone know where we are, exactly?”

“I couldn't tell how long we have been flying, but I did look at the lay of the land and I believe we are in Joseon,” Momo stated, pulling out a large map out of her bag. “Given the speed at which we have reached this place, it should only take a few more hours tomorrow to reach Xina, and then find our destination.”

“That is one detailed map,” Mei replied. “Think I'll be able to see more detail with a magnifying glass?”

“Don't think so. Anyway, we're meant to go to Saishiyeng, which is here,” Momo said, pointing in the map. “Once we reach Xina's coast, we should seek a path leading us to the interior.”

“That's all fine and good, but... does any of you speak their language?” Todoroki asked, clearly unimpressed.

“I am certain that this person Headmaster Nezu mentioned knows at least Celestial, which several of us know. And Izuku, Momo and me can cast spells that would allow us to understand other languages, so I think we might be able to handle it. We cannot handle the power required for the advanced version of that spell yet, but with training we will be able to,” Ochako replied.

Todoroki was unconvinced by the dragon girl's reply, but chose to let it go.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

As the group walked west, Todoroki reflected on his current situation. He was not fully certain of the competency of this group, but he had requested to join the group, mostly on the grounds that they seemed to be strong enough and the rumors said they were going to travel far away.

Anywhere far from anywhere the old man had some hold was a good place to be. After the man's last letter to him, he had decided he had spent too long in his shadow. Strike on his own, and shed the 'fame' of Enji Todoroki, to make his own.

“SHOTO! RETURN IMMEDIATELY! Cease in your delusions, before you give a bad name to the family!”

And, as if he had just summoned the devil by thinking of him, so had Enji Todoroki showed up in front of his eyes. Given the lack of reaction from those he had chosen to accompany, clearly it was a Sending spell. He knew that the old man did not know how to cast it: the parchment roll in the man's hands strongly suggested he had either bought or appropiated a scroll.

He chose the best option on how to deal with the old man.

“SHOTO! Don't you dare ignore me! Return immediately to-”

The image of the old man disappeared, and he sighed. Ignoring him was the best option, but now he would continue to use scrolls until he ran out of them or until Shoto answered.

He was not sure if seeing the old man waste his money like that was worth dealing with him, twenty-five words apiece.

A few seconds later, the old man reappeared. He noticed with amusement the empty scroll at the old man's feet and the one on his hands.

“Enough of this immaturity, Shoto! You will return immediately and accept your fate! As my son, you will follow the orders I give you or–”

The old man disappeared again. He sighed again.

“– I will make sure you regret this burst of, of, pettiness! You cannot think of disappearing without a trace! Your future has already been –”

More blessed silence. As the old man reappeared, three scrolls on the ground, he palmed his face. This was going to take long.

“Is there a problem, Todoroki?” Izuku asked, worried.

“Nothing that you should worry about. Let's just continue our travel.”

“Boy, you better stop ignoring me!” the illusion of the old man screamed. “You know better than to think you have any freedom! Return immediately or I will find you and–”

Whatever the old man intended to do, it would have to wait for a while. Until he could waste another scroll, at least. He knew the old man knew few spells outside the Evocation school, and none of those were of the divination school. He would have a hard time locating him somewhere that was several hours of dragonflight away from Nihon.

He appeared again, and this time there were four scrolls on the ground.

He rolled his eyes and let the old man rant.

By the time the old man gave up, he was positive he could have swun in a pond filled with the scrolls.

And he agreed that seeing the old man's increasingly deranged rants had been worth the headache he was going through now.

~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~Dragon~Knight~~~~

The following morning, Ochako transformed again into a dragon, and they traveled west for a few hours until they finally reached Xina's coast. Momo made sure to observe the terrain as Ochako slowed down and landed, so she would compare with her map and know where they would have to go. Fortunately, while these were strange lands, she had great observation skills, and a path towards their destination was easy to find.

That did not mean that the path was safe, however.

The same day they arrived, they were met by rain, leaving them drenched by the time they finally found an abandoned hut, and even then it had taken a while for the group (led by Mei, no less) to repair it. It was nowhere close to what they would have liked to have, but all of them knew this would be the norm from now on. At least, they had managed to warm up and eat under shelter.

For Izuku, it was a bit more of a struggle, since Ochako had insisted on sleeping close to him the entire night 'to stay warm', and he just could not find the will to deny her. His heart giving a few leaps when she smiled as he gave consent was a strange yet welcome feeling.

The following morning, they had been glad for the small refuge. The rest taken within had allowed them to face off an enemy none of them had any experience with.

“Do you have any idea what these creatures are?” Todoroki asked, firing a ray of cold at one of the creatures attacking them. They looked like small, hairy monkeys with large, malignant eyes, and were armed with knives that looked oversized in their hands, but they could do some real damage with them.

The creature he struck fell, covered in frost, and did not rise.

They were weak creatures.

The problem was that they were so many that their group was surrounded and heavily outnumbered.

“No!” Momo replied, beating off one of the creatures with her quarterstaff. “I've never seen one of these creatures, and nothing I've read mentions what they could be!”

Mei shot one down with her newest weapon and began to reload it, having spent all six bullets in the cylinder earlier.

“They look like some kind of undead,” she suggested, dodging one of the frenzied creatures' stabbing. “Sensei mentioned fighting things like these during his own travels.”

“Are you sure?” Ochako asked as her mace crushed the monster trying to jump at her. “Because, if they are, I have the means to hurt them fast!”

“Do it, Ochako!” Izuku's sword split another creature down the middle. “There's too many of them!”

“Alright. ¡Fuerza vital, destruye a quienes no te poseen!” she shouted, showing her divine focus. From the focus came a light burst that covered the zone they were in: the creatures squealed in pain as the holy energy coming from Ochako washed over them, and when the light vanished, it revealed that only a few of them had managed to survive the explosion of life she had unleashed.

“Aha!” Tenya's sword sliced a creature's head off. “That was a perfect channeling of energy! Few of these undead monsters could withstand your force of will!”

“Let's finish them, then. Force projected, pierce my enemies,” Todoroki declared, and from his outstretched hand flew several darts of energy that struck the remaining monsters, putting them down. The path that had been filled with shrill screams and squeals suddenly became completely silent, and the six of them quickly moved into new positions, putting Momo, Mei, and Todoroki behind the others, in case there was another ambush by creatures such as these.

Instead, the bodies of the creatures they had just killed began to dissolve into dust, leaving what appeared to be pieces of paper behind.

“What is that?” Izuku asked, surprised. Momo leaned down to grab one of them and check it under the sunlight.

“I think this is paper money.” Seeing the mystified looks in her companions' eyes, she moved to explain. “It's pretty much the same as normal money, only in the form of paper. Each of these paper pieces equals a number of coins when trading.”

“How do people agree that they have that value?” Izuku asked.

“Same way as normal coins, I assume.”

“And why did these creatures drop the money? Where were they carrying it?” Tenya wondered. Given everyone's face, it was obvious they were all thinking the same thing.

“Maybe someone local can explain this. If we find someone we can understand, that is,” Todoroki said.

“We will. Say, Momo, does your map say how far we are from our destination?”

“Well, depending on how fast we walk, we might be able a town today. It doesn't have a name marked on it, but if we're lucky it might be large enough to accommodate our immediate needs. From there, it should be four or five days to Saishiyeng, where we should find Nezu's friend, Lóngzi.”

“Strange name,” Izuku noted.

“They'd likely think the same of our names,” Ochako replied. “Is everybody alright? I can patch you up if you're hurt.”

“I require no healing,” Todoroki stated, just as stoic as ever. Izuku wondered if there was anything that could shake him off that state.

“I could use some healing, please,” Momo requested: some of the strange creatures had got close and managed to get through the shielding she had thrown around herself. Fortunately, they were so weak that the injuries they caused were minor, but they were still irritating.

“I can handle my own,” Tenya said, applying his healing hands to himself.

“Some for me, too, Armor!” Mei stated, jumping close to Tenya and causing him to look at her.

“In the first place, as I have repeated to you many times, my name is Iida Tenya, not 'Armor', and in the second place, I can only use my healing power a limited number of times that I ought to reserve for battle!” Tenya lectured the pink haired girl.

“Natter, natter, natter, gimme some healing!”

“Here,” Izuku said, using a healing spell on Mei. She turned to look at him, and for a moment he thought she had a pout before thanking him and going back to her backpack, which she had dropped during the fight.

Did I do something wrong? he wondered, as he checked his own clothes and armor were fine. He had not been hurt in the fight, but some attacks had come close and he wanted to make sure none of them would break down at the worst possible moment.

“Glad to see you didn't get hurt, my Knight,” Ochako said, smiling. “The shield working right?”

“Yeah, it deflected quite a few attacks,” he replied. “If we had been more split apart, I would have used its power, but I didn't want to blind you.”

“Quite glad you didn't,” she replied, winking at him.

“Is everybody ready to get back on the road?” Izuku asked out loud, and at the firm nods of his companions, he led once more the group towards their destination.

As Momo had predicted, they were able to reach a large town several hours later. The difference between their homeland and this were shocking, to say the least. Just the architecture of the houses was a clear change, even if there were some subtle touches that reminded them of home.

Of course, it was when they approached the entrance into the town that they ran into the problem Todoroki had foreseen.

“你是誰? 你為什麼來這裡?” one guard asked, his longspear ready to be used, but not directly threatening.

“What's the plan now?” Todoroki asked. The guards looked, clearly confused by their language, which they had likely never heard.

“W-Well, I hope they won't try to attack if I use a spell...” Izuku muttered. Pulling out his focus, he made a prayer. “Quiero entender a todos quienes viven y hablan.”

The guards became more alert as Izuku began his spell, but marginally relaxed when they saw the only person affected was him. One of them turned.

“Somebody bring the governor here! And call the sorceress down here!” he shouted, and two guards that were waiting closer to the town saluted and turned to follow the orders.

“What did he say?” Momo asked.

“They're sending for their leader and someone that might be able to understand us, I suppose.”

“Who are you? What are your intentions?”

“Oh, right. I wish I could use that other spell already,” Izuku muttered, as he tried to consider how to answer. In the end, he decided to go for the simple way, and presented everyone as he said their names. “Izuku. Ochako. Momo. Mei. Tenya. Shoto. We come from Nihongo.”

The last part was accompanied by gesturing towards the east. Hopefully, they would have heard of their country.

“Your sister?” the guard asked, pointing at Mei. Izuku looked at the pink-haired girl, wondering why the guard would think they were siblings, before shaking his head. “If you can't speak our language, you lot better wait here. Our town's sorceress will help.”

“What did the guard request?” This time, it was Tenya that asked.

“For us to wait here.”

It seemed like it would take some waiting time. Mei decided to sit on the ground and continue working on her self-reloading crossbow, which seemed to be close to being finished. Ochako waited next to Izuku, smiling as she watched the new land they had come to. Tenya checked his armor, noticing he would have to get it fixed up to avoid potential rusting problems. Momo chose to bring out her spellbook. And Todoroki... well, he just stayed in his own world. Izuku was reminded of the strange expressions he had made a few days before, but since he had never complained about it, he had chosen not to make anything out of it. The guards kept watch, but as long as they did nothing dangerous, they would not act.

Fortunately, it did not take too much before the two people they were waiting for appeared.

The first was a short, rotund bald man that nonetheless had an inner strength that made Izuku suspect he had probably been a strong adventurer in times past. Wearing a robe that was of obvious high quality, he was likely the governor.

The second was a woman slightly shorter than Izuku, wearing a strange mask that covered half her face and a long, well-fitting dress of a color that resembled red wine. If the man had inner strength, this woman oozed it through her skin: clearly, this had to be the sorceress the guards had mentioned.

“Are these the strangers you mentioned?” the sorceress asked.

“They must be. They don't look like anyone I've ever known. Clearly not from here,” the governor stated.

“Allow me, governor.” She turned to Izuku, who felt somewhat intimidated by this woman, but he held his ground. “Who are you, and where do you come from?”

“I'm Izuku. These are my friends Ochako, Momo, Mei, Tenya, and Shoto. We come from Nihongo,” he repeated. Hopefully, this woman would understand them.

“Ah, Nihongo.” Izuku felt his eyebrows jumping. She actually knew their language? “It's been a while since I met people from Nihongo. Is good old Shuu still around?”

Izuku had never heard of anyone with that name, but with the spell still working, he understood the literal translation of that name, and there was only one individual it could refer to.

“You mean... Nezu? He's fine. He actually sent us in this direction to find a friend of his.”

The woman smiled.

“Governor, gentlemen, there is no need to fret. These young men and women are coming from a good friend of mine, from my younger days. Thank you for your help.” The other men were somewhat surprised, but they nodded and the guards with the spears stepped back. “Now, you six, come with me. I'm sure you have questions.”

“Are you Lóngzi? Headmaster Nezu's friend?” Momo asked as they followed the sorceress. She lightly laughed.

“Oh, yes. I have worked with him several times, and I even attended the Academy several years ago. I still remember those days. So many people saw my name, but they always read it wrong. They called me... what was it... Ryuuko! I disliked it at the beginning, but it grew on me.”

“Wow! You must know a lot about being a hero, if you have been working on it this long!” Izuku said.

“I help, here and there. In this land live many more people that have ever lived in Nihongo, so us adventurers and heroes have a lot more work. But I do well. In fact, I have two apprentices that I think will soon be ready to go out into the wider world. You'll like them, I think.”

Izuku, bursting with curiosity, kept asking questions of the hero, who answered with a smile and a nod, even as the others joined in the conversation.

The conversation ended when thunder shook the air, followed by what seemed to be a string instrument of some kind playing at a fast pace.

“Ah, there they are,” Lóngzi said.

“Who?” Todoroki asked, as thunder sounded out once more.

“My apprentices. They must be practicing their coordination in a fight. Shall we join them?”

“Sure. It will be good to see how other heroes in training learn in different lands!” Tenya enthusiastically replied, as the music and thunder continued.

“打雷!” a female voice suddenly shouted to the beat of the music, and thunder once more answered by filling the air.

“What's that? Thunder called by music?”

“No, it is simpler. Jinghua and Dián like to coordinate their actions to the tune of her music. And Dián causes the thunder."

“打雷!”

“So, what she's shouting means 'thunder'?” Izuku asked. His spell had run out a while before, making him glad that Lóngzi knew their language.

“Indeed. Now, they don't know your language, but they have been learning Celestial, so you should be able to speak with them.”

“Good. I wish I could learn all the languages in the world.”

“Don't fret, young Knight. All will come with time.”

The group looked at her with surprise, but then they arrived to a clearing and saw two young people, as young as they all were, one girl and one boy. They both had short hair and wore short jackets made of leather and breeches that went to their ankles, but there ended their similarities.

The girl's purple hair reached her neck, although from their position they noticed a strange white line that went from the side to the front, jumping up and down like a wave before returning to the central position. She also wore long earrings that hung from her earlobes, and carried a rapier sword and a whip to her waist, and a biwa-like instrument in her hands, which she was currently playing.

The boy's hair was shorter, almost spiky, and golden, with a black streak on the left side that resembled lightning. The most striking element of the young man, however, was how his hands were covered in lightning, which kept growing as the air around him seemed to be infused with lightning arcs jumping back and forth.

“你被雷擊了!” the girl shouted, and the boy released all the lightning in the form of a creature that resembled a dragon, and flew around the field striking several scarecrows that had been clearly set up for training.

Izuku whistled. If that was as powerful as it looked, it seemed like he was a strong one. And her... he would have to see more of her working. But David had said that bards like her could be great to work with in these circumstances.

Of course, all of that depended on whether they actually wanted to join him in his crusade.

“耶...” the boy said, swaying as he made a gesture to the girl, closing his fist while sticking his thumb up. The girl just rolled her eyes as he walked up to him.

“響香, 電, 重要來訪者!” Lóngzi exclaimed, and Jinghua turned to look at them. Her cheeks became rosier, and she shook Dián, muttering something Izuku did not catch.

“歡迎來到我們的主人的住所!” she said, bowing her head. Izuku did not understand what she had said, so he decided to ask in another way.

“Lo siento, no conozco su idioma. ¿Puede entenderme?” he asked, and Jinghua looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Sí, puedo. Te daba la bienvenida al hogar de mi maestra,” she replied.

“Jinghua, un poco más de respeto. Hablas con los alumnos de mi maestro,” Lóngzi gently chided.

“Eh, técnicamente no todos somos...” Izuku replied, but went unheard as Jinghua bowed again.

“¡Mis disculpas!”

“Gracias por vuestra bienvenida, Jinghua. No tenemos duda de que será una maravillosa visita,” Momo intervened, smiling at the young Bard, who blushed again as Dián shook off his head and realized there were other people present.

“發生了什麼? 這是怎麼回事?” he asked, surprised.

“他們不了解我們, 白痴! 說天道!”

“Oh, ¡lo siento! ¡Bienvenidos a la humilde morada de nuestra maestra!” Dián said with a bow and a smile. Izuku felt a bit of a throttling wish when he noticed his eyes lingered on Ochako a bit longer than they should have.

“Muy bien, creo que deberíamos pasar todos adentro. Seguro que hay muchas cosas de qué hablar,” Lóngzi said, and everyone else followed the veteran hero into her house.