The Sun Prince - Re:Zero OC

Watching the passing scenery of the rural countryside, I turned to Crusch, who was sitting opposite me.

"This is the first time touring the north of the territory, correct? How do you like it?" I asked.

Crusch, Priscilla, and I were currently conducting a survey of the surrounding villages, wanting to complete a final inspection before the seasonal taxes were expected to be collected.

This was also a way to see if there was anything out of place in the barony, and if a situation within a village was dire, we would negotiate the movement of its citizens into the town or a village closer to it.

"It is… different, but nice," Crusch said with a smile. "It's a wonderful way to get adapted to my new surroundings… although, seeing as this is my third month here, I wonder if I can truly call it 'new'."

"That's good," I said with a nod, before I looked over to the coach seat, where Schult was sitting with the reins of the ground dragons in his hands. "And you have been doing wonderful, Schult. At this point, I can say that you're better at driving a carriage than me."

"H-Huh!?" he shouted, sitting up a little straighter as he glanced back at us.

"Indeed, my Selian does prove a point," Priscilla said, raising her head that was resting on my shoulder to smile at Schult. "You have truly become a competent butler. It was apparent that the education in the capital has proven useful."

Schult, hearing this praise, quickly closed his eyes as he shook his head from side to side.

"T-Thank you, Priscilla-sama, Selian-sama, b-but I truly am nothing special!" he said before he looked downward. "I… I want to do more… I want to be strong and cool like Selian-sama and Crusch-sama…"

Hah. I knew that Schult often liked watching me train, but to think it was something like this…

"You're plenty cool enough already, Schult," I said.

"Hmph. There is no need for my cute butler to be 'cool', but I suppose I can agree," Priscilla added.

Schult grew a smile at this, but he still seemed a bit down.

"Right… but, if you wish to be stronger, then I can train you if you would like," I said, causing the boy's head to perk up.

"And I am more than willing to aid in this as well, although I have not trained another individually," Crusch said.

"R-Really? W-Would it not take too much of your time?" Schult asked.

"We already train in the mornings, so we would simply give you tips and watch you as we do our own," I said.

"I see… then, thank you, Selian-sama, Crusch-sama!" Schult said, bowing his head.

"No problem… now keep your eyes on the road, please," I said with a small smile.

"Ah! That's right, my apologies!" he said before turning back to the front.

What a funny kid… but, he was nice, and he was loyal, and most importantly, he was one of the few people Priscilla could stand at her side.

Looking back out to the passing scenery, I noticed that there was a small village coming up, the nearby fields covered in farmland, and from the amount of houses, there seemed to be only a hundred or so people living here.

There was supposed to be a river around here, right?

Perhaps we could look into making some trade posts to make use of the easy transportation of boats, but-

"Schult. Stop here," Priscilla suddenly said.

"Uh… Pris?" I asked, confused.

Looking over to Crusch, she seemed confused as well.

"Something feels off…" she said, narrowing her eyes as Schult pulled off towards the front of the village.

As we came to a stop, I stepped out first, helping Priscilla down with my hand as we slowly walked forward, only to see an old man walk over with a calm smile.

"Tch… disgusting," Priscilla said, causing me to look over to her.

She… looked furious.

"What is it?" I asked as Crusch also stepped out.

"Do you notice anything?" she asked with narrowed eyes, gesturing towards the old man that was coming closer.

Notice anything?

Looking at the old man, I couldn't sense anything out of place, other than the odd limp he had.

But if Priscilla said she felt something off… perhaps I needed to look deeper.

And thankfully, my training allowed me to.

With my Divine Protection, not only did it allow me to sense and control the ambient mana in the world, but as I had discovered, that sense also extended to the Od.

In general, the skill was quite useless, especially for how much concentration it took to feel it, but in a time like this… well, it had proven quite practical.

"His Od…" I said, reaching for the spear on my back. "It's disgusting. It feels distorted… nearly inhuman."

Compared to the bright flame of Priscilla's, and the calm breeze of Crusch's, this was like a murky swamp… but more than that, even the 'shape' felt off.

It was difficult to describe, but all I could explain was that it was wrong.

"I see. Well done, Selian. You truly are the only one meant for my divine self," Priscilla said, taking out her Yang Sword. "Now you who sully my lands… disappear."

And with a single swing, the man that was about to greet us was then engulfed in flames, his body being reduced to not even ashes as he was instantly consumed in the blaze.

"P-Priscilla-sama!?" Crusch shouted in both surprise and anger. "W-What… what do you think you are doing!?"

"Wait, Crusch. It's not what it looks like," I said, grabbing her wrist that was resting on her sword. "Just watch…"

As another man came out to greet us, I noticed that he also had a distorted Od as I went over to greet him.

"Ah! Are you nobles? Do you need something-"

His words were cut off as my spear cut through his neck, sending his head to the ground as his body… remained standing, only to walk backwards in shock.

Gross… there had been rumours of such magic, but to think we would see it here, so out in the open… no wonder Priscilla was angry.

"It seems that this village has been infested with a type of undead… although I have no clue as to how," I said as I struck forward.

Stabbing my spear into the man's chest, I aimed for his Od before flaring my mana outward in a small explosion as the body then fell to the ground, this time remaining still.

So targeting the Od worked for these things… good to know.

Looking up, I noticed that more people were coming out to greet us, all of them being men, and all of them not seeming very 'welcoming' to our presence.

"Crusch… are you prepared?" I asked.

"I… still don't know what is happening, but these civilians… is there a possibility of returning them to normal?" she asked with a frown.

"I doubt it… and it certainly is not possible for us. If they are undead, then it is best to let their souls rest peacefully," I said.

"I see… then, if I have no choice…" she said as she unsheathed her sword. "This is my first time facing combat as a knight of Priscilla-sama… so I will not waver."

Good.

With a nod shared between us, we then both shot forward, with Priscilla watching from behind as she stood guard in front of Schult.

Seeing as her Yang Sword could easily remove them, I wasn't too worried… but I still wanted to give her a show she could be proud of.

The fight was nothing special, as despite their numbers, they had no skills to speak of, with their weapons only consisting of their bodies and a few pitchforks and axes.

There was still the issue of durability, but Crusch was able to easily immobilize them with her sword, while I destroyed their Od with my spear, leading us to finish things in but a few minutes.

And like that… around forty bodies lay strewn across the ground, but for better or worse, there was no blood to be seen.

That must be a product of their 'curse', whatever that was.

"Hmm… a grand display. Your skills are something to admire, Duchess," Priscilla praised Crusch as she walked up to us.

"Ah… thank you. Though, I don't think I can call this a respectable showing, considering our opponents…" she said, looking down at the bodies with a frown. "Who would do such a thing? Was it deliberate, or was it some kind of accident?"

"I'm not sure… but don't feel too down. Despite the… unfortunate circumstances, you still used your blade to protect this territory, and therefore, the nation," I said, patting Crusch's shoulder as I passed by. "Now… aside from these guys, there seems to be others…"

Feeling the presences approaching, I felt Priscilla walk up to my side.

"Then let us greet them. If they aren't the same as these commoners, then perhaps we will finally get some answers," she said, extending her hand.

"Priscilla?" I asked in question.

"Are you that much of an idiot?" she asked, turning my way. "I want you to hold it."

"Ah… got it," I said, grasping her hand as our fingers instinctively interlaced.

Quite an odd place to share a romantic moment, but that seemed par for the course with our relationship.

The three of us waited as the presences eventually revealed themselves, all of them being women and children, presumably the occupants of this village.

"Y-You… got rid of them?" one of the women said, hesitantly walking over to us. "T-Thank you!"

Hmm… but why was it only the men in the village?

And what was the reason for their distorted Od and zombie-like constitution?

"W-We were confined to the sheds, but we never imagined-"

"Silence," Priscilla said as she suddenly walked forward, unlatching my hand as she then stood in front of the young village woman.

"P-Pardon?" the woman asked in question.

Priscilla simply narrowed her eyes, and with her hand reaching out to grab the woman's collar, she then pulled her towards her before… kissing her.

Umm… Priscilla?

I… did not know that you swung that way.

And more importantly, I'm right here, you know?

"P-Priscilla-sama!?" Crusch shouted in confusion.

Instead of answering, Priscilla then pulled back, and my eyes widened as I noticed that she had brought something with her, as a meter-long tentacle was strung between the village woman's throat and Priscilla's teeth.

I instantly rushed forward, gripping the monster as I pulled it away from Priscilla's mouth and threw it on the ground.

"Tch. Disgusting creature. Selian, you'll be removing this taste from my mouth after this," Priscilla said as she reached into the air, a bright flame burning a moment later as the Yang Sword was revealed.

And with a light swing, the tentacle creature that was squirming on the ground suddenly burst into flames, becoming nothing but a pile of ashes a moment later as the village woman dropped to her knees in a mix of shock and disgust.

Wait… was this… what had been infecting the villagers and turned them into monsters?

Some kind of parasitic infection that, for some reason, remained dormant in women and children?

I suppose it made sense if it wanted its hosts to breed, but then, that meant that all of these people were still infected…

My eyes tracing across the line of people watching in interest, I clenched my fist before stepping forward.

If it was buried in their throat… then I guess I would need to do the same thing Priscilla had just done.

I just hope that I would be able to-

"What in the world are you thinking?" Priscilla said, having smacked me with her hand, causing me to stop.

"Well… don't we need to do the same with all of these people? You can focus on burning, and I'll take them out," I said confidently.

That didn't seem to do the trick as her glare deepened, those piercing red eyes seemingly staring right into my soul.

She… was really annoyed.

"Hmph. There is no need for that, fool," she said, looking towards the group of villagers as she raised her sword. "And even if there was… you do not have my permission."

She then swung forward, and while nothing appeared to have happened, I sensed the wave of power that emerged from the blade, and a moment later, all the villagers suddenly dropped to their knees, writhing in pain as they held their stomachs.

"What… just happened?" Crusch asked, confused.

I also wanted to know.

"Hmph. I simply burned all those disgusting parasites," Priscilla said as her Yang Sword returned to… wherever it went.

"How… did you do that?" Crusch asked.

"My Yang Sword can cut and burn whatever I want it to," Priscilla said, turning around as her eyes narrowed in a glare. "More importantly… those disgusting creatures invaded my land. I am very angry right now."

Yeah, I could tell.

And the sword's unique ability… that was quite amazing.

"Either way, first, we need to know just how far these creatures have spread, if they have at all," I said, frowning. "There are a few villages around here, with most of them connected by the river… could it be a water-born parasite?"

That was the most common explanation, but then again, we couldn't use such a baseless assumption-

"E-Excuse me…" the village woman that Priscilla had kissed suddenly said, drawing my attention. "I-I have heard that the nearby villages have had the same disaster… but there was someone who came from one in the north, that didn't seem to have the same problem. But… he eventually succumbed to… that."

"I see… thank you," I said, turning to face Priscilla.

A small smirk adorned her lips as she unfolded her fan.

"Then it is decided," she declared, pointing to me. "Selian, we shall leave for that village at once!"

Of course… but that conviction was part of why I loved her.

"At once, my lady," I replied.

—

It was a short journey over to the next town, no longer than a few hours, but now, instead of using a carriage, it was only Priscilla and I riding on a ground dragon, with Schult and Crusch being sent back to get the Crimson Battlefront to check on the neighbouring villages.

But despite the… more rugged transportation, I couldn't find it in myself to be displeased.

After all, aside from this method making us go faster, having Priscilla so close to me, pressed tightly against my chest as my head rested right next to hers… well, perhaps we should ride like this more often.

And from the few kisses we had exchanged on the way in order to cleanse her mouth of the foul taste of that villager, and how she ordered me to rest my hands on her hips, she seemed to enjoy the intimate position as well.

But either way… we were here.

And after going through the walls of the town, I instantly focused on the citizens that were nearby, and thankfully, their Od's were completely normal.

"Selian, focus please," Priscilla said, causing me to lift me head.

Right… we were currently meeting the head of the village, Edda.

She was a tall woman, one that nearly reached the room's ceiling, and after quite the… unserious introduction, she had finally returned with a plate of water.

Ah… so she wasn't even putting up appearances, was she?

"Do you notice?" Priscilla whispered, her red eyes narrowing at the woman as she set down the refreshments.

"Yeah… what would you have me do?" I asked, having felt the woman's Od the moment she greeted us.

It wasn't as horribly distorted as the previously infected men in that other village, but it was still wrong… as if the infestation had completely taken over the woman's soul, her Od too murky to see through.

So was this truly Edda?

Or was this personality a complete fabrication from… whatever it was that had infected her?

"Ah… you two… is there something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head as she towered over our seated forms. "Why don't you have a drink?"

We did not answer, my hand inching towards the spear I had left leaning against the chair as Edda's smile grew strained.

"I see… you two are just too smart for your own good," she said, shaking her head as she then tapped her foot against the floor.

I instantly felt the floor behind me disappear as I began falling down with wide eyes.

A trapdoor?

Ah… so this was her strategy.

Separate me from Priscilla, and then use that to do whatever she wanted with my lady…

Well, aside from the fact that Priscilla was plenty strong enough to protect herself, this method was probably the worst one for containing me.

Focusing on the area next to Priscilla, I connected to the mana in the air before teleporting a moment later, spinning my spear in my hands to point at Edda as I crouched down in an attacking position.

"Are you an idiot? Why would you do such a thing?" I asked.

"Tch. So that didn't work…" Edda said, shaking her head. "Oh well."

With a shrug of her shoulders, I was about to attack her before five men burst through the nearby windows, all of them closing in on me as I released a wide slash, my spear creating an arc that cut through all their heads in an instant, their bodies dropping to the floor, and one of them falling down the trapdoor.

"Haha! So you're strong too? Well, that's fine… even if you're strong, you can't stop the might of an entire town!" Edda shouted with a crazed smile. "But you know… you won't have to get hurt if you just leave the woman behind you. I promise not to harm her… it's not in my interest, after all."

Not harming her…?

But… oh, so that must be why.

These parasites… the one controlling Edda here must be the leader.

Or, it might even me that all the parasites are one being, with this woman here being the 'brain'.

But either way, wanting Priscilla, and leaving her unharmed no less… its plan must be to take over her body and grow her position as a royal candidate, or something like that…

As if I would allow such a thing.

Resetting my stance, I noticed that aside from the four bodies that were slowly getting back to their feet, we were also completely surrounded outside the building.

So she must have called them here… but it doesn't matter if their leader is dead-!

"Selian…" Priscilla said, her hand gripping the hem of my shirt, stopping me just as I was about to leap towards Edda. "Stop. I have some questions for this fiend."

Turning back to look at her, I saw that beneath the angered frown, Priscilla was wearing an expression of intrigue, although there was also a spark of annoyance as her fingers twitched.

"It seems that my beloved blade has decided to spite me for this night… how bothersome," she said, narrowing her eyes before she turned to me. "Selian, deal with all the scoundrels and cleanse this corrupted town… I will remain here with this lout to discern the culprit of this farce."

She wanted to stay here with Edda… and from her words, she wouldn't be able to use her Yang Sword either…

Logically, I shouldn't move from my position, but since it was an order…

"Understood, my lady," I replied, facing the four foes that were closing in on my. "I shall give you yet another victory."

"Hmph. Having you at my side is a victory for me in and of itself… but yes, do complete this task I have assigned, and I shall give you a reward of fitting pedigree, my fool," she said with a smirk.

Well… if there was a reward on the line, then there was no way I would fail here.

—

Dodging another swiping sword, I kicked the townsman back, sending him crashing against the nearby gate as I cut through his legs, leaving him paralyzed, at least for the moment.

These guys were… slightly more troublesome than the previous village's infestation, aside from the fact that I now needed to cut down women and children as well, as none of the townsfolk had been spared from the infection.

First, their numbers were insane, with practically the entire town turning their aggression towards me as they all tried to overwhelm me.

Then, there was the fact that some of these guys were armed, with Edda having seemingly prepared for such a confrontation.

And lastly… they were stronger, and much faster, and their rate of regeneration was concerning.

Was it because they were closer to their 'mother'? Or was it something else?

I didn't know… but I knew that this couldn't go on like this.

I was more than fine with defending myself, dwindling down their numbers each time I struck their Od, causing them to be removed from the battlefield… but that wasn't going to cut it.

It was hard to strike the Od perfectly, especially with their enhanced states and without Crusch's assistance, and I was taking too long… too long leaving Priscilla alone.

Think, Selian… you already know what you have to do, right?

You've done it before.

Think… 'connecting' the strike… I had done it back when fighting Regulus, or at least, I was close to it then… so bring out that feeling.

I teleported away as three zombies jumped at me, running my spear through one of their backs and dismantling their Od a moment later.

Zombies… yeah, I guess that word really fit this fucked up situation, huh?

Even though I wasn't a big fan of those type of stories… weren't they supposed to die when you cut off their heads?

So annoying.

But focus, Selian.

Focus on their Od, their bodies, and the mana connecting your spear to it.

Feel the flow of mana, from your gate through your arm and into your spear, extend it, and then… strike!

My eyes widened as I slashed outward, my spear tip glowing as a wave of mana passed through the surroundings, and all the townsfolk that were about to jump me fell to the ground, their gates shattered.

Damn… I doubt I could do it against a normal opponent, as their own mana would block me being able to connect to their Od and gate, but for these guys who were just masses of flesh controlled by a parasite… yeah, I could do this easily.

Just wait, Priscilla, for your beloved knight is on his way!

—

Shit… taking out those guys was really a hassle… and now that I was back here…

"You… what the hell have you done, you monster!" the distorted form of Edda screamed as she clawed at her face. "Dammit… do you know how much time it took! Now they're all gone! It's all gone!"

I would have thought that Priscilla would have already killed this woman while I was busy, but it seems that wasn't the case.

I wasn't worried about her, though, as not only would killing Priscilla go against this thing's plans, but I could also sense that familiar Od inside the large building in front of me.

But it seems like I would have to go through this thing first…

"It's fine… I'll just have to get my revenge, and that bitch is already done for, so you're dead!" Edda shouted as limbs began to sprout from her skin, creating quite the disgusting scene.

Ah… and her Od… so she wasn't just one person, but multiple undead transfused together?

And I could already tell from the pressure radiating off of her that this would boost her power.

Certainly, it would be troublesome, and if her regeneration had been increased, then it might even be impossible for a normal fighter to defeat her without some very… destructive methods.

But since it was me… especially now that I had gotten some practice in earlier…

"It's quite easy… isn't it?" I muttered, teleporting in front of the thing as I ran my spear through its chest, my mana clashing together as I focused on her gate, causing its torso to explode in a shower of flesh and blood.

Disgusting… I would definitely need a long bath once I got back.

But at least, with this… it was over.

Flicking the blood off of my spear, I placed it over my back once again as I made my way inside, wiping the sweat out of my eye as I headed towards where my lady was.

"Ah, Selian… it's a good thing that you made it so quickly," Priscilla said casually from her chair as she lifted her head towards me, revealing a pleased smile. "Although, considering it was you, that was to be expected."

It was good that she trusted me, but…

My gaze narrowed at the glass set on the table next to her, a small smudge of Priscilla's red makeup on the edge.

And the glass… it was empty.

"Priscilla… why did you drink that?" I asked with worry.

That was how the parasite was transferred, wasn't it?

Did she just play into that thing's hand?

Although… now that Edda, or whatever that thing was, was dead… who knew if that even worked the same.

"How observant. But if you may know, it was simply a good way to let that idiot's guard down and to have her tell me everything in that obnoxiously boastful tone. Although, unfortunately, the information was quite useless. But another scoundrel's attempt to make use of mine divine self," she said, getting up as she walked towards me, her heels clicking against the wooden floor. "But that aside… it is also a good excuse for you to perform what I had to do earlier, but this time with your woman."

I gulped, my nose taking in the scent of her perfume as she pressed close enough so that her chest pressed against mine.

"W-What… do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I am saying, fool, that my Yang Sword still has decided to not come out, and I wish for you to remove this disgusting parasite with the other method that you know of," she said, slowly reaching her arms to wrap around my neck, as my own hands went to grab her waist.

So she wanted me to kiss her…

Seriously, this woman… she was going to be the death of me.

"You know we can do that anytime, right?" I said, looking into her eyes. "Or is this meant to be my reward?"

"I know we can do this any time I wish, but I simply need my knight's aid," she said, reaching one of her hands up to her hair. "And as for your reward… you quite like seeing me with my hair down, do you not, my perverted fool? So this shall be your reward."

Calling me perverted was a bit much… but I did like it a lot.

I watched as she undid her hair, taking out the pendant decorated with three black flowers, I watched as her golden locks cascaded over her shoulders, granting me a sight that I could only describe as… incredibly alluring.

She was beautiful wearing anything, and her hair done in any way, but for some reason, the casual style like this… it made me go crazy.

"See? A pervert, just as I had said," she said with a smile as her lips slowly approached mine. "My hair often gets in the way when I let it down like this, so be grateful, Selian… for this is a sight meant for your eyes only…"

Then, we kissed, her arms tightening around my neck as my tongue clashed against hers and my mouth gently sucked her bottom lip, eliciting a pleased hum from the woman.

But, while this was all very wonderful, unfortunately, this kiss was not meant for only pleasure.

So, with my teeth biting down on the slimy thing, I then pulled back, taking the meter-long tentacle with me as I immediately spat it out, my foot crushing it into a pile of goo as soon as it hit the floor.

"That… was gross," I muttered with a frown.

"And how do you think it felt to have it invading my precious body?" Priscilla said, with a raised eyebrow, her expression then changing into a teasing smirk. "But very well. If it was such a disgusting feeling, then there is only a need to rewrite the experience with another one, correct?"

Playing those word games to kiss me again… she really was so adorable.

"I agree… But you know, Pris…" I said, relishing in how her face glowed at the nickname as my had moved up to caress her cheek. "There is never a need for an excuse, as I am always lusting for your lips…"

Her hold around my neck tightened, and her face twisted into a loving smirk.

"You are so insolent, Selian," she said in an exasperated tone. "But if that is the case… then you must kiss me more often."

"Now that… is an order I can very willingly oblige," I said, my lips moving closer to hers.

"You… idiot," she muttered as her eyes fluttered closed.

And like that, we kissed once more amidst the surrounding bloodshed, and perhaps… a few more times after that… with both of us too distracted by each other to recognize my disgusting state.

And as for after that?

Well, things were quite easily handled in the surrounding villagers, with all of those who were completely infected being culled, while those who could be rescued having the parasites removed by Ferris' magic.

But that is quite the boring tale.