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Cale Henituse was perhaps the only being in the entire universe who both detested and underestimated his own fame.
It had started like this: the most difficult and important battle in history had been fought and won with him as a key player. Two years of meticulous planning and life-threatening battles, with him playing the roles of commander, strategist, and frontline fighter, concluded with a victorious finale. The world had finally been rid of the White Star and his forces. Treaties sprung up among kingdoms and empires. True peace had finally been achieved across the continents.
Citizens and soldiers alike rejoiced. Victory was celebrated all throughout the continents as all welcomed the beginning of a new era. Though, no one forgot what had gotten them here. The fallen were remembered and memorials were held in their name. Those who survived the time of war did not forget the difficult paths and sacrifices their newfound peace had required.
As such, the heroes responsible for the peace have become the center of every living being’s attention. For their hard work, they were honored and rewarded. Those they have saved will always be grateful and ensure that them and their heroic deeds will be remembered for generations to come. Thanks to this, there was no place where one could avoid hearing stories about the heroes’ many hardships that ended with unforgettable triumphs, most especially the legendary final battle they fought in the Roan Kingdom, and the White Star’s defeat by their hands.
To some, it almost felt as though the entire world rejoiced in a fairytale-like ending much happier than the beginning. The greatest evil had been exterminated by a tight-knit group of beloved heroes and suddenly what lay ahead looked more promising than ever before. All held a collective hope for a brighter and prosperous future, for a peace that would last.
Though, in this time of peace, the Roan Kingdom, most especially the capital and the Henituse territory, had turned extremely busy. What had previously been a weak kingdom with only a long history to boast about now looked as though it would become a powerful, long-lasting empire.
People from all around the continents went in and out of Roan regularly, curious about (and on occasion, wary of) the place. Post-war, strong individuals still continued to gather under the crown’s influence, enticed by sweet promises of fame, money, and glory. Nobles of other kingdoms desired to maintain positive diplomatic relationships with the new strongest power player. Average citizens from all around wanted to see the glory of such an esteemed place with their own eyes. (They hoped to see, if only for a moment, the heroes residing in Roan, too.)
The most famous heroes of the war originated from Roan—the youngest swordmaster, the necromancer, the several tribes. All wanted to know of their hometown.
“Who’s your favourite?” was a common question asked by children carrying around fake shields and swords, magic staffs and daggers, as they held mock battles in Roan’s streets. They’d imitate protecting one another, saving the day, and defeating the bad guys.
(“When I grow up, I wanna be a hero just like them! Fighting sounds hard, so I wanna help them!” Children would clash with swords and shields while sharing their admiration for their heroes.
“Silly! Mother says we won’t need heroes anymore! And that it’s a good thing! Because of them, we’re all safe now!”)
Among the typical favorite heroes were the necromancer with her army of bone dragons, the youngest swordmaster with his glowing aura, and all the tribes with their unique abilities. Others included, but were not limited to: the dragons, Tower Master Rosalyn, and Roan Kingdom’s new king.
Though, even among all these heroes, there was one hero revered the most.
“My favorite hero's Cale Henituse!” Most children would happily exclaim when asked about their favorite hero. If their favorite so-called hero were to hear these comments, he'd likely be frowning or close to fainting.
(“I like him, too! His ancient powers are so cool!”
"Yeah! His shield's so pretty!"
“His fire’s so cool! I wanna burn everything, too!”
“He’s a noble, but he fought so hard to protect us!”)
Cale Henituse, known by many names and titles, was easily the most favored hero of them all. Even among all the remarkable heroes, he was someone who stood apart and would forever hold a special place in the hearts of many.
Officially honored as the largest contributor to the war efforts, and as the one who had dealt the final blow to the White Star bastard, all knew his name. Of course, Cale vehemently denied all the honor, insisting that such titles do not belong to him and should instead belong to his people. Of course, people looked at his denial and saw a humble hero who deeply treasured his people and did good for the sake of doing good.
With his final public declaration being, ‘I want to live peacefully’, citizens were moved to tears and decided then and there that Cale Henituse truly was their greatest hero. After all the blood he’d bled and coughed, and knowing his weak physical state, the least he deserved was a peaceful life. The citizens would do all they could to uphold Cale’s vision of peace, knowing that should another threat arise, their hero would suffer for them once again.
From Cale’s perspective, though, the whole situation wasn’t nearly quite as melancholic. To him, it looked a little something like this:
He now had the slacker life of his dreams (excluding the irritating farming agreement). The external and internal affairs of Roan no longer needed his involvement, and he was not set to become the successor of his household. All the money, land, and resources he could ever want were his. And, most importantly, his people were safe.
Presently, Cale was staying with the children in the Henituse villa in Roan’s capital. They were only here because the children had insisted on it, something about them missing one of their other homes. Had anyone else asked to drag him away from the comfort of the Henituse territory to travel, it’s likely that Cale wouldn’t have agreed.
Over the past few months, the children had dragged him all around in their adventures to travel and explore the world. He wouldn’t oppose this, of course, and went along with whatever they wanted. Even within the Henituse territory, they were curious and active and brought Cale along for the ride. They’d bring him to restaurants, shops with magic devices, and any and all places that piqued their interest.
Sometimes, when the children were feeling particularly mischievous (or just wanted some cookies), they’d even teleport to the bedroom of the newly crowned king with little to no prior warning, regardless of the time of day. Alberu would frown and grumble and call Cale an annoying bastard, but he’d never tell them to leave. Rather, he’d prepare snacks, put off what work he could, and ask the children about their adventures.
Yesterday, the children had tugged him off to Roan's capital, saying something about missing their other home and wanting to talk with Alberu again. They had teleported in late at night, visited Alberu, and then, once again at the childrens’ insistence, slept in the villa.
If it had been up to Cale, he was just fine with teleporting back to the Henituse territory. Though, staying in the capital longer did give him a valid excuse to leave all the farming to the others for a while, so when he’d gone along with their usual mischief yesterday, he hadn’t been complaining.
Now, however, he wants to complain.
When they had arrived yesterday, it had been rather difficult to hide his arrival. This was to say his arrival hadn’t been successfully hidden in the slightest and everyone within the city’s walls who was awake at midnight had been informed in minutes. In spite of coming here at an inconvenient hour and without warning, the news of his stay in the capital (and the citizens’ consequent joy) had taken no time at all to spread. By the time he’d woken up the following day, he was met with a terrifying situation.
The citizens outside were cheering his name. Very loudly. Ron kept coming in with a benign smile to tell him such. Cale, however, didn’t need Ron to tell him. He had his hands over his ears and could hear cheering even with all but one window shut. It’s been hours of this verbal torture, yet Raon still refused to put up a soundproof barrier. It’s been a few months since the conclusion of the final battle, yet the streets were still filled with the energy of a new festival that showed no signs of dying down.
("Where'd they get the funds for this?" Cale wondered, because according to Ron, the commotion outside was basically a festival with free food, drinks, and entertainment. There was no way that many people were providing goods and services for free without a backer. Then, he considers where they are and the mischievous king who rules the place. "It was Alberu, wasn't it?")
Alberu had stayed true to his promise. Cale could slack off all he wanted. This wasn’t part of the deal, though, and why did he have a bad feeling that this was some sort of revenge?
"Human! Human! Can we go out soon? I wanna know why they're cheering,” Raon said with his face sticking out of the window.
"Nya, I wanna know, too!" Hong cheered, imitating Raon and peering out. On looked at the sight of her two siblings and the festival in the streets with a smile, then gave Cale, who was still laying in bed with a tired expression, a pitying look. Cale knew, though, that if they were to go outside like he’d promised, she’d enjoy the festival, too.
Cale sighed and glanced at the clock. It was too early for this nonsense. Though he supposed, by his standards, it was always too early for any kind of nonsense.
The children turned to him and Cale could see the excitement and curiosity in their eyes.
“We can go at noon,” he gave in and prepared to make the most of his last few hours of not-quite-peace, “But no sooner.”
***
It was exactly noon when they finally stepped out of the villa and headed into the streets to fulfill Cale’s promise to the children and order some apple pies. The last time they’d been here around a month ago, Raon had made Cale order from a stall selling apple pies with a shield insignia and wings carved on top of the crust. The children wanted that same apple pie again. And Cale hated to admit it, but the apple pie had tasted great and the gluttonous priestess had enjoyed it.
Two hours have passed since he’d woken up, but the frenzy brought by his arrival had died down only a little. Though, the cheering had dropped in volume enough that it was no longer deafening and there were less people on the streets. It was all more than enough to make what should’ve been an average stroll terribly annoying, but he’d made a promise.
Cale tried his best to ignore all the attention and continue normally walking, but that was impossible. With their eyes wide and mouths agape, the citizens stared. Cale could feel all the gazes on him as he walked around the capital with two cats in his arms and an invisible dragon floating around them. As well-intentioned as they may be, the eyes of every person within sight looking at him made his skin crawl and gave him a headache. He quickened his pace.
Cale had always been the recipient of unwanted attention. It had been this way ever since he became Cale Henituse, although it had been for drastically different reasons in the beginning. He remembered when he’d first walked around the Henituse territory and had citizens eying him with caution, but now it was different, as in the hearts of far too many, he’d been unfortunately labeled a hero.
As they looked at him, their faces were now filled with admiration and awe, disbelief and shock. For them, they were witnessing their greatest hero himself in the flesh. For Cale, he was the uncomfortable recipient of looks that rivaled Clopeh’s. Being looked at as if he was trash was worlds better than this.
“Commander Cale Henituse! Thank you for your hard work!” A person in the gathering crowd yelled particularly loudly. Cale faced forward and carried on walking, eyeing his destination of an apple pie vendor and looking at as few people as possible. Thankfully, they still gave him enough space to walk.
Cale was trying to tune out all of the nonsense. He really was, but there was just so much of it.
“The hero of the continents? That’s really him, isn’t it?”
“Thank you so much, young master!”
This was the misfortune that came with being called the Roan Kingdom’s hero, young master silver shield, the hero who will never be seen again, and all the other ridiculous titles. No one was discrete about his presence at all and only attracted more overenthusiastic people for their cause. Crazy hero-worshippers attract even more of their kind and Cale almost prays for this headache to stop.
“Human! They came up with new nicknames again!” Raon is a voice impossible to tune out and the dragon sounds far too excited. "Some of them sound cool—no! All of them sound really cool!"
“Nya! They’re calling you the hero of the continents now!” Hong looks up at him innocently. On, once again, looks at him with an understanding gaze but a smile Cale almost wants to call sly.
Cale paled at the children’s comments. “Human! They’re thanking you and calling you the greatest hero ever!” Where the hell had that, and the hero of the continents come from? And who the hell was spreading around the ludicrous title of God Slayer? They weren't even accurate at all. He really needed to get away from here.
The crowds of people were getting far too large now, even as he steadily tried to walk away. No physical contact between him and anyone else had been made, and they all keep at least a few feet of space between them, but he really doesn’t want to be here. All he wanted to do was rest. He holds On and Hong a little tighter, and feels a weight on his shoulders from Raon perching on them. Cale didn’t want to use his dominating aura on well-intentioned civilians, but for a moment, he really considers using it just a little bit.
This was the Roan Kingdom, though, and here, he was looked after properly and there was no need to use the power. Nearby guards quickly took notice of the sudden commotion and acted quickly. They ushered the civilians back and kept a more comfortable distance between Cale and everyone else. He sighed in relief, and the surrounding people looked at this his pale complexion and took it as him being tired. “Please give the hero some space," a guard said. After noting how pale he looked, the citizens complied easily and took several steps back.
He said a quiet thank you to the nearest guard, almost inaudible over the citizens cheering names that seemed to get more and more absurd and a few whispers about how he looked a little sickly. If Cale remembered correctly, the guard he’d thanked had been the first to step up and corral the citizens. When Cale uttered his gratitude, however, the guard lost all composure he previously had and stuttered in disbelief. “No! Thank you, Commander! What I’ve done is nothing!”
Cale’s face stiffens and he voices a little louder. “That’s nonsense.” Why are you calling me commander? That title was renounced a year ago? Cale turns away before he can hear the guard sputter another thank you and a quieter you're welcome. As Cale walks past, the guards and citizens in his path step back to allow him through. They’re left staring at his back with a strengthened admiration and resolve.
Was this how one felt to be unworthy of their god?
Cale Henituse had bled and fought and gifted them peace. He deserves to live the rest of his life in peace, the citizens think. He deserves more than what they can give him. They stare at his retreating silhouette with a strengthened admiration and resolve.
They say to never meet your idols, but the Cale Henituse from the stories does not disappoint. If anything, the stories could never do such a good man justice. He’s human, they know, they’ve seen him bleed, but, in spite of that, he feels so distant from them.
Regardless, one fact remains:
Roan treasures its hero.
***
At least, most of Roan treasured him.
There are always those who will succumb to their vices and react violently to any other person’s success, jealousy only growing the more another succeeds. If a brief moment of envy can already taint the heart and cause irreparable damage, what more can occur when it’s been years of the feeling? Especially when it’s possessed by greedy nobles?
Since the start, some nobles have been eyeing Cale’s fame and glory and wishing it were theirs. Or, at least, they wished that the hero had gotten nothing. Some were uncaring of all he’d gone through to obtain such money and status and acted only in their own self-interest, even as they lived on with time granted by the sacrifices of someone else. The children will witness this unfold and respond appropriately.
***
In the opportune moment provided by the guards, Cale walked away from all the nonsense. He didn't turn back, even as he felt the weight of their gazes.
The further he walked, the quieter the cheerings of the civilians and the less eyes on him. The crowd wasn’t following behind him, nor were they loudly exclaiming his name. For whatever reason this was, Cale didn’t care.
When they arrived at the apple pie stall, the vendor looked at him with wide eyes.
“H-hero? Cale Henituse?” the vendor sputtered. His eyes were shaking, and his mouth hung wide open.
“Please don’t call me that,” Cale sighed, while the children were positively beaming, ignorant to his suffering. He could see On and Hong drooling at the sight of so many apple pies, and it wasn’t hard to imagine Raon doing the same. “Human! Let’s get a lot of apple pies!” Raon said in his head, and On and Hong looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Y-yes, young master! the vendor replied. Then, he added, “Take whatever you’d like, sir!”
Cale raised a brow. The man switched from stuttering to looking almost enthusiastic in no time. Cale guessed he knew a valuable customer when he saw one.
“In that case,” Cale gestures to all the apple pies on display and tosses several gold coins onto the table, “I’ll take your entire stock.”
A few minutes later, Cale leaves a grinning vendor behind and finally gets the children to stop protesting his recent bulk purchase. He looks to the children in his arms who moments ago, hadn’t been happy with the small amount of money he’d just spent. At the promise of more treats, though, they’d finally settled down.
“Now,” Cale sighs at all the attention on him, “Let’s head somewhere quiet to eat...”
***
Soon, in search of a quiet place, they found themselves in the district frequented by the nobles, upper class, and the rest of the stupidly rich. Shop windows displayed more elaborate and luxurious products, restaurants advertised with high-quality imported delicacies, and services dispalyed were a dream to the common folk.
There were less people here, and he’d dare not call it peaceful. The unfortunate tradeoff for the lack of overjoyed citizens was that now he was around the upper echelon of society. And maybe Cale regretted his decision, as this had the potential to go much, much worse.
Nobles, merchants, experts—all the eccentrics with wealth, power, and status—from both inside and outside Roan were gathered here and Cale had none of his normal means used to deter them from trying to approach him. Although it wasn’t loud or crowded, there certainly were more people here than he ever remembered there being. Alberu wasn’t kidding when he said the capital had become busy.
A change in the type of people brought a change in what he’d heard. Here, gossip spread like wildfire and shitting on others was the norm.
The longer he spent here, the more nobles turned aware of his presence. He could hear the growing scorn in the voices of the power-hungry. He could see eyes that looked at him in pity. Perhaps he could feel the regret in others, who didn’t latch onto him and would curse themselves for it for years to come.
He turned a corner by a fancy bakery and found a bench they could stay on for a while. It was isolated enough that he couldn’t see anyone infuriating, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hear their words.
“Is he really that strong? He doesn’t look like it. He looks weak.” Cale frowned while taking a bite out of the apple pie given by Raon. Did he think Cale wouldn’t punish him because of his noble hero reputation? What a punk.
“You’ve seen the footage, though. That monster, the God?”
The first person hadn’t been wrong, though. Cale was a slacker: he was weak and had no reason not to be. Still, as the conversation carried on and the children continued eating, he wanted to be out of hearing range of that conversation as soon as possible. Whatever the noble was about to say next, the children didn’t need to hear it. He’d rather not have them dwell on that difficult final battle again.
Soon enough, On, Hong, and Raon finished eating while Cale lamented the terrible day. He just wanted to get apple pies and accompany the children outside, so why’d he have to listen to this?
On and Hong jump back into his arms, Raon turns invisible and returns the unfinished apple pies back into his spatial dimension, and they walk out of the alley. As they walked past the nobles still chattering away, the children, with their hearing better than Cale’s, could hear some remarks Cale couldn’t.
“Is he running away? Isn’t he supposed to be a fighter? How pathetic.”
“With how fast he’s walking, looks like he has something urgent. King called on his obedient little pawn or what?”
“He’s really just a naïve kid. How disappointing.”
“Tch. What a fool.”
“King’s favor? He doesn’t desire anything more? How fake.”
“Makes it harder for us to snatch up anything.”
“It’d be easier without him in the picture.”
The kittens snarled in his arms. Cale stiffened for a moment and looked at them before quickly turning his head away. Why’d they look so vicious?
On and Hong shared a terrifying, scheming look a frowning Cale turned away from Then, they looked up to where they assumed their youngest to be. As if in reply, a breeze blew by with a flap of invisible wings and they could hear Raon’s voice in their minds. “We’re gonna get revenge for the human!”
At that very instant, a frightening plan was formed that would be enacted upon by three loving children.
Anyone who insulted their weak yet kind human would pay.
***
It’s early morning the day after when the children averaging nine-years-old put their plan into motion.
This plan was only possible because Cale trusted the children to be safe as they freely roamed around and did whatever they pleased. They were children, and he never had any plans of restricting their fun. He trusted them not to get into any situations beyond their abilities, and he trusted that they could judge whether it was appropriate to fight in a tough situation or run away.
The children really, really hoped what they were about to do wasn’t a gross violation of that trust.
If it was, well, Cale would forgive them. He was kind like that. Besides, this plan was absolutely necessary! (Even though the human would probably call it otherwise.)
On, Hong, and Raon had spent long hours evaluating their situation and plan beforehand. They ensured that yes, this was a perfectly safe plan for them and all innocent parties involved. Yes, Cale would have no valid reasons to worry. Every little nuance has been planned out with utmost care, all possible failures accounted for.
They learned best from example, and so they have learned from Cale. They have learned from always watching him, always sticking close to his side, and always witnessing his plans and their outcomes. Cale has taught them to plan thoroughly and assist each other. So they put their heads together and their joint conclusion was the following:
1. A bunch of bastard nobles had been very, very mean to their human.
2. Said bastards all deserved s̶e̶v̶e̶r̶e̶ p̶u̶n̶i̶s̶h̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ a light smack to the backs of the heads.
3. Success means revenge. (Failure is not an option, and they will not fail, because they have a great and mighty dragon on their side.)
4. Success also means money.
5. Revenge makes them very happy.
6. Money makes the human very happy.
7. This plan was absolutely necessary.
The sun has barely risen when the children wake up. Orange light seeps through the windows and curtains. The faintest outline of stars twinkle in the sky. It’s hours before they normally wake up, let alone when Cale wakes up.
Careful not to disturb the sleeping human, they climb out of bed carefully. Raon has the most difficulty. He’s tangled up in Cale’s arms and because he’s bigger than the kittens, has trouble slipping out. The arms around him are still frail, but they're warm and comfortable. He feels safe in them. He never wants to leave, but this was necessary.
The human stirs a little once Raon, On, and Hong detach themselves from his side. They stiffen and go silent. Cale mumbles something in his sleep, then settles, but they continue to hold their breathes. Waking up the human this early won’t do. They need revenge and he needs sleep. The kittens move across the floor with silent footsteps, and Raon flies over to them without a sound, either.
The door to the terrace unlocks with a soft click and is pulled open wide enough for them to slip through. On has one foot out the door. The moment they thought they’d succeeded a voice calls out.
“Wha-?” Cale's up at the slight noise and the children can't help but startle, then freeze in place the way kids do when their parents catch them with a hand in the cookie jar.
“Oh,” Cale says. He stares at them and then the open terrace door. Then he yawns, and his shoulders sag a little and he relaxes.
Cale had been up at the irregularity of On, Hong, and Roan missing and not cuddled up to him like they always were. He was concerned that something had happened to them for a moment. But now he can tell it’s just another one of their unusual antics.
“Where are you going...?” he asks quietly. It’s barely above a whisper.
A gentle breeze flows by the terrace’s open door, and the curtains part in its wake. Raon stands in the light of the early-morning sun, frozen and caught in the middle of turning invisible. On and Hong’s eyes glow a rich gold in the light.
They stay still for a moment longer, but Cale is patient, even at this hour. They feel a little guilty for waking him up. He’s been enjoying sleep a lot more than before, so it feels bad to have interrupted that. Cale stretches lazily while he awaits their reply. A clump of hair falls in front of his eye but he doesn’t move it. His eyes are a little unfocused.
“Human! It’s early, go back to sleep!” Raon flies back to his side, a little concerned. He circles around Cale several times and checks if he’s unwell in any way. After a few rounds, Raon nods and simply floats in front of Cale’s face.
“We’re gonna get apple pies!” Raon says quietly, because while they were going to act on their plan, they were going to do that, too. He wasn't lying, and he'd never lie to the human. He was taking a page out of Choi Han's book, but he still feels a little guilty.
Cale doesn't miss Raon's odd reaction. A hand moves to stroke his head gently. Raon leans into the touch.
“Again? At this hour?” Cale asks quietly. Raon, On, and Hong all nod at the same time. He knew he’d told the children to eat as much as they wanted, but maybe he should start trying to balance their diets. They were active, it was an unusual hour, and so much sweets couldn’t be good for them.
At their reply, Cale moves slowly without saying another word. He swings his legs over the side of the bed and yawns again. The children tilt their head at this, why was Cale getting up now.
“I’ll come with you,” Cale says, noticing their expressions.
They tilt their heads a little more. Cale stares back at them with a confused expression. Another clump of red hair falls in front of his face.
“Someone needs to pay for them,” he says, like he hasn’t given them enough allowance to warrant their own treasuries, On doesn’t look old enough in her human form to pay for things just fine, and multiple food stalls aren’t still in a festive mood and giving away their entire menus for free. The children are given no room for argument, though.
“Call Ron in. Tell him we’re going out in thirty minutes and having apple pies for breakfast.”
The children exchanged a look between themselves. This was definitely a deviation from their plans, but it wasn’t an unwanted development. Cale would only get suspicious if they told him not to come, and they really, really wouldn’t pass on an opportunity to spend more time with him. They’d still proceed with their plan, of course, just with a few minor alterations.
Cale watches as Hong runs out to get Ron, On locks the door and closes the curtains they’d opened, and Raon descends into his lap. When On and Hong finish their respective tasks, they join Raon in nuzzling up to him, and he strokes their heads as they waits for Ron.
It’s five-thirty in the morning, far too early for children to be up and sneaking out for sweets and who knows what else. Something is amiss and Cale knows it. It’s not that he doesn’t trust the children to look after themselves—On has good judgement, Hong takes reasonable risks, and Raon can always teleport the three away if needed—it’s that he doesn’t know what kind of chaos they could cause others.
Cale doesn’t know what mischief they’re up to, or who their unfortunate victims (or collateral damage) may be, but he has to watch over them in some capacity and take responsibility to clean up any messes they make. After all, his duty as their guardian isn’t something he can slack on.
***
They head out of the villa thirty minutes later, when Ron has made sure that Cale at the very least looks presentable. He’s dressed in attire that’s simple and comfortable. Part of his hair is tied back loosely with a black ribbon, and the sides hang over his shoulders. There’s no obvious jewels or a hint of anything shiny. He looks the part of a proper and humble noble, though that definitely wasn’t Cale’s intentions. On snickers at what is definitely going to end up as another misunderstanding.
This early in the morning, there aren’t many people out yet. Some shops are just beginning to open. For both Cale and the children, the atmosphere is much more comfortable than it was yesterday.
The citizens seem to give him more space than they did yesterday. The stationed guards are alert at his presence. Cale isn’t sure why their behavior has changed so much in the span of a single day, but he’s glad it did. A small smile can be seen on his face that wasn’t there yesterday. ‘This is truly the best.’ he thinks. The citizens recoil in shock at their commander smiling so freely. It was pleasant to see.
It’s a rare sight, Cale smiling in a way that doesn’t suggest scamming someone. It’s tempting to relish this moment, but the children do not forget their initial goal. They are set on a revenge that will make everyone happy, that will make Cale happy.
On and Hong discreetly eye the surrounding people with sharp eyes. Raon serves as another pair of eyes in the sky while also being their messenger. They search for their targets in the crowd of people while Cale carries on walking normally.
Raon had only seen them briefly, but he perfectly remembered the faces of the people who’d badmouthed his human. On and Hong’s memory of those idiots was almost photographic, too.
“The one with the suit and the one with the jewels! They’re the idiots from yesterday that talked bad about our human!” Raon shouts in On and Hong’s heads, having spotted the noble bastards when the path to the apple pie vendor brought them close to the noble’s shopping district. The two nod slightly to show they received the message, Hong from Cale’s arms and On from the ground.
He looks very stupid, Raon thinks. He has a stupidly dignified look on his face. Raon also thinks he’s right about his judgement, because only an idiot would insult the human under the protection of a great and mighty dragon.
On and Hong exchange a look and a nod. Silently, On leaves Cale’s side in an almost unseen flash of silver. Skillfully, she dashes in between people’s legs and sticks out of sight. Each of her movements is carefully calculated and efficient, bringing her closer to the first step of their revenge. Until On comes back, Hong and Raon fulfill their task: distract Cale with innocent questions.
“Human! Can we get cookies later?” Raon says in his head.
Hong meows and peers up at him pleadingly.
‘The children really are scheming again,’ Cale thinks. They always seem to plot some outrageous plan now whenever they want something. That might be his fault...
“Alright,” Cale says. There’s a good bakery in the heart of the noble district that serves cookies similar to Alberu’s. The children liked them a lot. They can drop by and get them after the apple pies. Then, he adds, “Tell me if you want anything else.”
Raon and Hong shake their heads. Cale pauses in his strides and turns to where On normally walks along beside him. The silver kitten meets his eyes and shakes her head a meow. They carry on walking.
Once Cale isn’t paying attention, Raon flies towards On. A gust of wind tells On that Raon’s here to pick up their loot. He takes the watch and jewels pickpocketed from the nobles and deposits them into his spatial dimension. The children all share a serious look. For the first light smack in the back of the head, it was satisfactory.
***
Cale walked around with slumped shoulders and an unhappy expression. Even this far into the quiet noble district, the mere memory of the citizens started cheering earlier made him shiver. Plus, throughout the day, the behaviour of the children had been strange.
Cale was tired.
All the guards he walked past stared at him like he’d personally hung the sun for them. The shopkeepers still stared out their windows with wide eyes and looks of disbelief. It was all giving him a headache.
His only solace was that no one of high status had successfully approached him yet, though there were many around and they kept staring at him. Perhaps it was an abuse of his powers, but every time one walked towards him, he’d allow hints of the dominating aura to shine through. The nobles would look like they’d pissed their pants and stand frozen in place. Cale would walk past them without any further acknowledgement.
“Human, are you tired?” Raon took notice quickly, when Cale let out a particularly heavy sigh after intimidating another noble into staying the hell away. Cale felt a slight breeze around him and could tell it was Raon making a fuss. He nods slightly. Sure, he was tired, but he’d made a promise to the children. “We can still get the cookies, though.”
Silence fills the air. Oh, the children think, that’s why he’s trying so hard.
“You should rest, nya.” Hong looks up at him from his arms. He makes a move to jump off, but Cale just sighs again and strokes his head. Hong hesitates for a moment before settling back in his arms. Hong’s not that heavy. It wouldn’t make Cale any more tired to continue to carry him.
He feels a paw on his shoes and look at On. She nods at him once more with that sympathetic look in her eyes. “You can rest, nya.”
“Human! We can always steal cookies from the king! So you should go and rest!”
“Listen to our youngest! Our youngest is smart!”
Cale Henituse, the hero of the Roan Kingdom, is peer pressured into resting by three children.
***
A wind chime softly announces their entry into a quaint tea shop. The receptionist turns to the door with a practiced smile. She starts in autopilot before losing her shit, “Welco—the hero of Roan?!?”
All head whip toward him. There’s an echo of porcelain cups shattering against the floor and someone spits out their tea. Cale thinks he hears someone slipping on the spilt tea and another choking, but he’s not so sure.
The staff of the tea shop look more ready to faint than Cale ever has. They rush forward in a line, bow a little too eagerly, and smile with enthusiastic and disbelieving faces.
Goddammit. He came here to rest. What the hell was this?
“Welcome! Please order whatever you wish! There’s no need to pay! We are honoured by your presence in this humble establishment! It is with utmost pleasure and devotion that we serve the young master, the hero of the Roan Kingdom!” The manager—Cale can tell from her uniform—exclaims. Her employees follow in her lead with similar nonsense.
“Allow us here to serve you to the best of our abilities! This is the least we, as proud citizens of the Roan Kingdom, who were saved by your noble sacrifice, should do!”
“Any citizen of the Roan Kingdom in our position would do this for you, young master Silver Shield! Please receive our gratitude!”
“We are touched by your humility and the kindness you have shown us, mere citizens! It is you who has given us salvation and enlightenment!”
“We welcome the hero who will never be seen again! Please, ask for anything you’d like. It is no trouble at all! For you, young master, no request is unreasonable.”
The entire store is bowing down to him.
Cale’s head hurts.
***
Cale is left waiting on the highest floor of the tea shop for the children to return. He has the floor all to himself and so he relaxes, reclining back and sipping tea.
Their praises had been unpleasant, but he supposes something good had come out of it. He was given a peaceful place to relax and all the food he could ask for.
He wonders what the children are doing. They’d slipped away after forcing Cale to take a break, telling him to rest and that they’d come back safely. He trusts they aren’t in any trouble, but sometimes, he’s still a little concerned. Truly, he just hopes they’re both safe and enjoying themselves.
(Perhaps if anyone were to see him now, they’d wonder what he was thinking about that made him smile so fondly.)
***
“That one! Get their necklace! It looks expensive.”
“Isn’t that the noble that wants the human to join their faction? Rob them too!”
The smiles on the three children’s faces are eerily reminiscent of Cale’s smile when he’s scamming people. If anyone from their family were to see this sight, they’d think the children were planning to scam an entire kingdom.
(It’s still a little too early for that, though. That takes place in the near future, but not right now.)
***
It’s been almost an hour since the children left Cale to rest in the tea shop. After eating quite a but, he's close to falling asleep, eyes closed and on the verge of drifting away. It’s easy to relax here, and he thinks he’ll be frequenting this shop with the children many times in the future. Here, no one can bother him and call him nonsensical titles. It’s nice. He’d even call it peaceful.
Then he hears a familiar sound and opens his eyes. Black mana gathers in the air above the table in fumes, the air rippling and distorting around it. The two kittens emerge from the teleportation magic and land with nimble feet on the table in front of him. Raon appears in the air along with them, and dashes in front of Cale excitedly.
He has a bag in his paws that's around half his size. He pushes it towards Cale with his tail swishing back and forth happily and his wings beating more than necessary.
Cale fumbles with it for a moment and looks at it with an incredulous face.
“What is this...?” he questions, looking towards On and Hong for an answer. They both look at him with twin smiling faces.
“Nya, open it!”
“Open it, nya!”
“Human, quickly!”
Cale feels a little wary at their excitement. These were children excited by weapons and bombs, so what the hell was in this bag?
Still, with them looking at him like that—with shining eyes and big smiles—he can’t do anything else. He opens the bag.
In it is an assortment of gemstones, jewelry, coins, and other priceless riches. They shine enticingly and probably cost a fortune. A certain ancient power flares up in his head with shouts of admiration.
“Where’d you get this from?” Cale has so, so many questions, but that’s all he can ask.
Hong replies, “We robbed the bad guys!”
On nods, “We took their loot from them.”
“What bad guys?” Cale asks, because at this point, were there even any left?
“The noble bastards!” Raon answers, and Cale flinches at Raon’s choice of wording that was probably his fault.
“What did they do?” he asks. He knows not all nobles are good, but none of their actions are supposed to concern the children. What the hell had they done to piss off two vicious cats and a dragon?
“They talked bad about you, nya.” On says, like that’s all the explanation needed.
Cale looks toward On. She nods her head and doesn’t give him anything else. The two other children are the same, looking at him with the same expectant looks.
Cale sighs, but his lips curl into a smile anyways.
“Human! It’s a gift for you!” Raon exclaims.
“Do you like it?” Hong asks.
“We worked hard for it,” On says.
“I’ll treasure it, then,” Cale accepts.
He carefully stores it in his spatial bag. With that out of the way, On, Hong, and Raon settle into his lap.
Cale’s eyes turn fond as he strokes them soothingly. They’ve grown, but some of their habits will never change.
“Human, why are you smiling like that?” Raon asks.
I’m happy, Cale thinks.
Softly, he says with a hint of a chuckle, “You robbed the bad guys on your own, huh?”
He’s proud, too.
“You can join us next time!” Hong says, and On nods.
And there will be a next time because Raon, On, and Hong still haven’t robbed their palaces yet.