The Rising of the Scythe Hero

"…and thus, I — Fitoria, Queen of the Filolials — acknowledge you, Night, filolial of the Scythe Hero, as my successor and the future queen of all filolials. Please, bow your head."

At first, Night cast a confused glance my way, but after I gave her a confirming nod, she did as Fitoria asked.

"This is proof that I recognize you as the next Queen of the Filolials." Above Fitoria's outstretched palm, a silver diadem adorned with countless precious gems materialized. "It will allow you to grow even faster than before."

With a careful motion, Fitoria placed the diadem on Night's head — and it… looked strange. Far too ornate, too lavish… and honestly, rather tasteless. Like something some pompous aristocrat would flaunt, cramming as many expensive gems as possible into a single ornament. I'd even say it wasn't so much a diadem with gemstones as it was gemstones with a diadem attached.

Night, still not entirely grasping what was happening, reached up to touch the object now resting atop her head. And then…

"Oh?" The diadem began to glow and simply dissolved into nothing. I barely had time to process it before—

pop!

…a single lock of hair shot out from her fringe, sticking straight up.

Night froze. Staring straight ahead with a completely blank expression, she very slowly raised both hands toward her head… and, with an almost reverent delicacy, cupped the new addition to her appearance.

"Uh… Night?"

She stayed perfectly still in that strange pose, arms bent over her head, fingers gingerly touching what I was pretty sure was called an ahoge.

Then, just as slowly, she began turning her head toward me. And that's when I saw her eyes — wide. Very wide.

"Master…"

"Night?"

"…Master. I… I've failed, Master…" It was like her entire world was crumbling right there in her gaze.

"I'm not following. Failed… how?"

"Night… is no longer perfect. I… was careless, and now I'm cursed with this strange protrusion." As if to demonstrate the "post-mortem" curse, Night sharply jerked her hands upward, yanking out the small tuft of hair that had caused her reaction in the first place.

Her expression didn't change in the slightest. She already knew what was going to happen — and sure enough, within a second, a brand-new tuft popped right back up in exactly the same spot.

"This really bothers you that much?" I asked, genuinely baffled by her reaction.

"Master… once called Night perfect. But now… the perfect image is ruined."

How… how did she even arrive at that conclusion? Sure, there was a tiny grain of logic there, but still… what kind of absurd reasoning was this?

"Oh, you silly little bird." Sighing, I knelt down in front of her. "One stray lock doesn't ruin your looks. Honestly… it's kind of cute." I reached out and flicked the little strand between my fingers. Then, smiling, I moved my hand to rest on Night's head. "You're still perfect in my eyes. A tiny change in your hairstyle won't change that."

"Really?" she asked, looking up at me from under her lashes with such a pitiful, pleading expression that I couldn't resist ruffling her silky hair a bit.

"Really. So don't stress over something so silly. It's not your hairstyle that makes you perfect."

"Then what does?"

"…You've been surprisingly talkative lately."

"Is that bad? Does Master not like it when I speak?" Night tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Not at all. Quite the opposite — I'd be happy if you spoke up more often. As for your first question… that one's a little tricky." Smirking, I turned over in my mind what I could say in a moment like this. "I like you just the way you are. I like your looks, your personality, your easygoing nature, and how much effort you put in just to meet my whims… though I don't understand why." A sigh slipped from my chest along with the last words.

"Master… doesn't understand?"

"I don't understand why you try so hard for me. What drives you to risk your life for my sake? To train, to obey every command without complaint, even to fight those you've gotten at least a little close to."

These questions had been gnawing at me for a while now. In the original story, Filo had grown attached to Naofumi right away, but… even that hadn't come close to this level of absolute, unquestioning loyalty.

"Master is the one who gave me life. I live, eat, grow, and receive care because of you. Master has never hurt me. You've always protected me. I belong entirely to you, Master. That's how it should be — I can feel it."

"You feel it?" Night simply nodded, offering no further explanation. I turned to Fitoria, who'd been silently listening the entire time. "Is that how it's supposed to be?"

"I… can't give a precise answer." Hesitating, Fitoria regarded her new successor with an unreadable mix of emotions. "Filolials raised by Heroes always form a bond with their masters. I felt something similar… but I'm not sure mine was ever this strong."

"I see." I decided I could chalk Night's devotion up to her personal nature and the worldview she'd developed so far. At least, I couldn't draw any other conclusions. "Alright… enough heart-to-heart talk. We've got plenty to do ahead of us."

"Good luck, Scythe Hero," Fitoria said, lifting her gaze to my face. "And remember — Heroes must never fight among themselves. The fate of the world depends on it."

"Yeah. I'll try to knock some sense into them, but I can't promise anything." Smiling, I looked at the reigning Queen of the Filolials, whose face tightened slightly at my words. "But I can promise you this: I'll do everything in my power to preserve the world you care about so much. That I promise you. And don't forget what I told you last night."

"…Alright. That's acceptable." She even seemed slightly flustered as she nodded again.

"Then it's a deal. We'll meet again, Queen of the Filolials."

"…Yes."

A soft flash of light spread through the area. I couldn't see Fitoria's face in that moment, but I caught the faint movement of her lips and the ever-so-distant whisper of her voice.

"I'll be waiting for that…"

And then, just like that, the scenery around us shifted from dense forest to the lavish royal décor of one of Melromarc Castle's chambers.

"Kya!" The maid, apparently in the middle of her daily cleaning, flinched hard the moment Night and I materialized in the room assigned to me by the queen.

"Oh. My bad. Don't mind us — we're leaving anyway." Flashing a friendly smile at the frozen maid, I gave Night a gentle push on the back, and we really did head for the door.

"Y-yes…"

I didn't have memory problems, so even in the few times I'd wandered the castle, I'd managed to memorize the route to the places where the Queen of Melromarc was most likely to be found.

On the way, though, I decided to confirm with a few servants whether Mirellia was actually in the palace — just in case. It'd be awkward to show up only to find her gone.

My current level of life-sensing still wasn't enough to cover the entire castle and pick out one specific person inside it, so asking around was unavoidable.

"It's good to see you again, Nott-sama." Mirellia, found in her office thanks to the servants' directions, gave me a polite nod when she saw me. "I've already been informed about what happened at Rabier's estate — and that toward the end of the incident, you vanished somewhere."

There was no accusation or reproach in her tone, only pure curiosity. Still, in the emotions I could feel from her, there were faint traces of lingering fear.

"I had… let's say, a scheduled but still unexpected business meeting."

"A business meeting? In the middle of the forest?"

"During the fight with the sealed monster, the Queen of the Filolials appeared." I laid it out plainly, seeing no reason to hide the gist of it from Mirellia.

"The Queen… of the Filolials?" At first, her reaction was mild, but the moment she spoke the second word, her eyes widened in astonishment, sparkling with an odd light…

Oh, right. If I remembered correctly, Mirellia had a thing for all things legendary and mythical. Stories, legends, myths, ancient tales — she adored them in and of themselves, but when a legend suddenly became reality…

"W-what was she like?" Mirellia shot up from her seat and hurried toward me. "Fierce? Intimidating? Majestic? And what did she look like?" Once the distance between us was almost nothing, she even grabbed my arm, giving me pleading, puppy-like eyes.

"Well… I think you might be a little disappointed with the answers to those questions," I said slowly, not quite sure how to put it.

I doubted that the image of a silver-haired loli with a doll-like face in a frilly lace dress would match whatever grandiose figure the queen had conjured in her imagination from ancient tales.

Although… thinking about it… there was something regal about Fitoria. Majestic, too. Probably because, after living so many years, she simply couldn't project any other impression — at least, not when in her usual calm emotional state. My mind still held the vivid image of her cheeks faintly flushed…

"That doesn't matter, Nott-sama! Please, tell me!"

And so… I endured a full forty minutes of what could only be described as an interrogation under bright lights. Contrary to my expectations, Mirellia wasn't disappointed in the least. In fact, she became even more enraptured. The image of a delicate, refined girl carrying the burden of protecting the entire world was, to her, the very pinnacle of what a legendary filolial should be.

I decided not to point out that Fitoria's desire was to protect the world itself, not necessarily its inhabitants.

"Ahem. My apologies for letting you see… that side of me." Mirellia cleared her throat into her fist, clearly trying to compose herself and return to her usual regal demeanor. "I assume you came here for a reason, correct?"

"Yeah. I wanted to know how that whole incident wrapped up, and whether any of my other companions have shown up."

"Oh… well, in that case, I'll tell you everything."

So, to sum up yet another small chapter in my life — Rabier survived and was currently rotting somewhere in the castle's dungeons, providing the queen with whatever information she wanted. He had already told them quite a lot, but unless something wildly unexpected happened, there was no way he'd ever see the light of day again. Whether he was executed or simply left to waste away in prison for the rest of his life didn't really matter.

Naofumi, before delivering the prisoner to the castle, had first inspected Idol Rabier's estate, which led to the rescue of some surviving demi-human children being kept in the sadistic aristocrat's dungeons. Some of them were in critical condition and didn't survive the trip. But there were also those who lived, saved just in time. Among them, incidentally, was Kiel — a fellow villager of Raphtalia's. Honestly, I remembered very little about him beyond the fact that he existed. And, to be frank, I wasn't particularly interested.

"I see… Not a bad outcome at all." I nodded once Mirellia finished her account.

"As for your companions, Lady Sadeena and Fohl arrived at the castle this morning and are waiting for your return."

"Excellent. In that case, Your Majesty, I see no reason to delay further." Seeing the questioning look on Mirellia's face, I elaborated. "From this point on, I can freely perform class advancements for all my companions. And I'd like to request your assistance in arranging it."

"That won't be difficult to organize. Do you wish to hold the ceremony right away?"

"Yes. The sooner we finish this, the better. After all, we still have one unfinished matter, don't we?"

"You are correct, Nott-sama. That story is not yet over."

"Then let's not waste any more time."

…

"Somebody just kill me…" Fohl muttered bleakly, completely worn out.

"Don't say such foolish things, brother. You're embarrassing me in front of Nott-sama." Atlha's frown deepened as she scolded her brother, attending the upcoming procedure as an observer for now.

The girl herself was now without her bandages, though still seated in a wheelchair with her eyes closed. But what I could see beneath the white wrappings that had always concealed her face — the face I'd sworn to heal — was… striking.

Even with the appearance and certain features of a child, Atla was stunningly beautiful. A slim, fragile frame that inspired a strong urge to protect. A delicate, doll-like face with a slightly pointed chin. Thin lips. Skin pale as porcelain. Slender arms ending in graceful little fingers…

If I was being honest, I'd never met anyone more beautiful up to this point. Night, Sadeena, Raphtalia, Glass… each had her own kind of beauty, her own distinctive image — but in terms of pure, unfiltered beauty, Atla fit the definition more than anyone else.

"But Atla! In just a few days, I've come closer to dying more times than in my entire life before that!" Fohl clutched his head in anguish. "A fish the size of our old house almost ate me! I was nearly dragged to the bottom of the sea three times! We were even swallowed by a giant whale!"

"You're weak, brother. If such trifles have become obstacles on your path, then you are unworthy to serve Nott-sama."

"A-Atla…"

"Go on, Night — you first." Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts and completely ignoring the sibling drama playing out next to me, I sent my bird to advance her class first.

"Oh-ho… Looks like big sister won't get to be first this time," Sadeena drawled with her usual smile.

"D-does it hurt?" Wyndia was the same as ever — she might've grown a little, but she was still a complete scaredy-cat.

Night simply nodded and stepped toward the Dragon Hourglass, over which the attendants chosen by Mirellia were just finishing the preparations.

The moment the ritual began, light from the Hourglass enveloped her, and in my head appeared a list of every possible development path available for Night.

But it didn't last long.

That single stray lock — the one that had formed from Fitoria's diadem — suddenly glowed and shot a beam of light directly into the Hourglass, forcibly overriding my choice and advancing her class according to its will.

"What?" Mirellia blinked in confusion, watching the ritual end almost as soon as it had begun.

Meanwhile, I was already checking Night's stats — and, to my surprise, they confirmed my earlier suspicions: they had doubled.

"It's fine. I had a feeling it would end up like this."

"Excuse me? I'm not sure I follow, Nott-sama."

"It's a gift from the Queen of the Filolials to her successor."

"I see…"

I could tell the queen was dying to know exactly what kind of gift a Legendary Filolial could give — but for once, she managed to restrain her curiosity. I wondered if that was because of the "outsiders" present… or if the news itself was just less exciting to her than the broader fact that it had come from Fitoria.

It went the same way with Sadeena, Fohl, and Wyndia.

"Incredible… Nott-chan, you're seeing this too, right?" Sadeena said, staring into empty space — though I could guess she was looking over her stats.

"Yeah. Add to that what you get from the slave crest, and try to imagine where you'll be by the time you hit level one hundred." I watched her with a smile as her eyes, already wide, grew even wider with every word, the realization clearly sinking in.

"This is insane… My stats before the reset were way lower than they are now…"

By the way, Fohl had needed a higher level than the others to advance his class. And considering that Class Advancement scaled a percentage increase from pre-ritual stats…

"I'm so jealous… I want to get stronger too, so I can help Nott-sama." Atla, true to form, made it clear she fully intended to fight as soon as she could stand.

"A-Atla! What are you saying?!" Fohl clearly wasn't thrilled about that idea.

"Be quiet, brother. I've already decided, and nothing you say will stop me."

"Tch! How can this be…"

They really were amusing. Sometimes I wondered if every one of their conversations was some kind of scripted skit — or just very convincing improv.

"Well then, now that we're done with the advancements, there's only one last matter to settle." I looked over each of them in turn before finally focusing on Atla, crouching down right in front of her. "Time to get you back on your feet, don't you think?"