Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 867: A Gathering Of Disparates – Part 3

If one’s a company, and two is a crowd, then right now what surrounded Regalia was a murder of crows crowing about. Surrounded by far too many folks, she answered their many questions about the kingdom. However, being an outsider herself, her points were interrupted by numerous corrections from Aradin’s group.

“Oh, for the love of the king… just tell her yourself and stop interrupting me!” Finally losing patience, she leaned back in her chair and glared at Aradin. “Go ahead!”

Pointing at Melenai, Meimei, Flitza, and the rest of the Eclanorian group, she urged the man to talk to them directly. Shifting his attention to the curious crew, Aradin couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated as the sheer number of them surrounding their table with chairs that they’d pulled off other tables was quite a bit.

Dandy, the shopkeeper of the shop of oddities, Elowen–the mapmaker, his daughter, Gureia, Frazer, his living companions, and his family members, Jess and Holly. Lumine, the owl girl, and Maria’s crew, alongside the monster girls, were present as well–making their group in the banquet the largest and most crowded as well. Thankfully for them, they’d been offered a space in the corner of the garden with a handful of extra tables and chairs.

“It is a splendid city, I must admit.” Folding her hands neatly by her thighs, Melenai faintly smiled at Aradin. “Much greener than my own, though Athenia’s blessings seemed to have brought more greenery even there.”

“I prefer the desert,” Flitza complained, her expression as sour as always.

Being nudged on the side by Mei’s astral hand, however, she let out a brief yelp and stared at the young blacksmith.

“What?!”

“Be considerate!” Retorted the caladrius.

While one was fascinated by the fresh air, the variety in people, and the everspring, the other was resentful for, in her mind, ever since Raven’s visit to her kingdom, her own value even in her eyes seemed to have dropped considerably.

“Stop it, you two,” jumping into their quarrel, Melenai tried to stop them from fighting, all the while, another portion of their group had busied themselves with something else entirely.

June’s daughter. Surrounded by the monster girls, as well as Maria’s group and the remainder of Elcanor’s guests, was being showered with attention, especially from Elowen, the mapmaker’s daughter. Having grown twice in size since her birth, Aurora, the half-elf girl, was trying to mimic the words she’d been hearing. Standing tall with her eyes set on her mother, her pale lips moved with a hint of hesitation, and yet the words were eerily close to what they should sound like.

“How old is she?” Gureia asked, jumping and clapping to encourage the little girl.

“Uhmm…” Unsure whether she should tell the truth, June simply brushed the girl’s hair and smiled.

“M-Mama!” As if helping her get out of an awkward situation already, Aurora called out to her mother for the first time.

Joy erupted throughout the group, and their eyes turned to the little girl. Her hands outstretched, she reached for her mother, and through barely holding tears, Juned pulled her daughter into her arms and hugged her tightly. But not everyone was thrilled, for one, Melenai and the girl’s father. One affected by the same ailment as her and the other having been around curious characters all her life, a hastened development of any child pointed to one morbid fact.

’She’s aging too fast…’ The thought was haunting and would’ve been even more haunting were she not a half elf. Given her elven side’s long age, she had quite a bit of time, but her human side, being dragged through such a long lifespan–possibly shortened by her aggressive aging, was bound to bring some problems.

“I love you so much,” their thought, shattered by June’s words as she kissed her daughter on the head, brought them both back to reality, and had them witness the playful way Aurora snickered and gnawed at her mother’s fingers. “My perfect Aurora, my baby~.”

The tears trailing down June’s cheeks felt like shards of ice in Aradin’s heart. He knew that they were waiting on a heartbreak one way or the other; however, as the father, he obviously couldn’t give up. Melenai, on the other hand, turned her attention to Meimei. Another troubled child, or at least she used to be. Had it not been for the monarchs, the girl would’ve died long ago and never become the great smith that she is.

Even in the darkest time, there seemed to be a glint of hope. And clinging onto that hope, the two prayed to their respective gods that no tragedy befall the young elf. But an answer to their prayers would come, Arche cast the group in her shade. All eyes lifted to her, but hers were honed in on the young girl, and the same held true for Mino and Maine.

Lumine and the centuarians kept their distance despite being monster girls as well. Whatever was going on in their heads was a mystery known only to them, but not for long, as Arche reached for the elven girl in June’s hand with the tip of her colossal finger.

“A petal like her deserves a guardian.” A spider emerged from under her nail and crawled onto Aurora’s hand. At first, June tried to slap it away, but to her surprise, the spider disappeared on its own by turning into a spider tattoo on the back of her daughter’s hand. Its bejeweled red back accentuated the young girl’s pale skin–almost as if the arachne had nurtured the young spider for the girl specifically.

“I have a gift as well.” Stepping forward, Maine broke a shimmering diamond scale off the back of her hand. “Here, feed it to her, and my mother Libyan’s vitality should help her prevail over all disease and poisons.”

Taking the scale off her hand, June held it close to her chest. It felt warm and full of love, and despite not touching it directly, the others could feel the same. At last, Mino stepped forward as well. Held in her hand was a string necklace with a gleaming red orb hanging from the middle.

Putting it around the girl’s neck herself, she took a step back and explained to her mother.

“If any harm were to come to her, my spirit minotaurs will keep her safe.”

Overwhelmed by their gifts, their blessings, June was at a loss for words. She wanted to offer thanks and do something for the girls in return; however, consumed by her emotions, she curled into herself and began to cry while holding her daughter close to her chest. Moving in beside her, Aradin started rubbing her back to provide comfort, and in her stead, he looked at the girl and offered a gentle nod of appreciation for their gifts.

Many from the crowd who hadn’t said a word, like Dandy, Jess, Holly, and Elowen, were all a bit baffled by everything that was going on. Lacking the context as to why the girl was so important, they weren’t sure what the fuss was about. For the rest, however, the gesture from the monster girls meant a lot. Especially since Aurora could possibly turn into the very monster that they’re set on their journey to stop.

However, such a fate was still far in the future. For now, the hero’s entry on the big stage and his announcements were finally here.