Micchi Versus the New World - Chapter 119

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Chapter 119

The giant obsidian monolith disappeared as soon as we defeated Dogra and Sultan Yusef. It left a gaping hole in the middle of the sultan's palace. Demons who didn't make it back to the monolith retreated by flying away or throwing themselves into the sea.

Loraine sent a message to anyone who was worth a damn in Amarinth to come to Kajar. If they didn't come, Yui and I would bring them here personally. A week later, they arrived at the palace. But she was getting cold feet. Kawa watched from the bed, her tail wagging as Loraine paced up and down Sultan Yusef's room we hunkered down in.

"Oh, what was I thinking?" Loraine sulked. "I'm not fit to be Sultana of Amarinth… I was a slave-wife to an orc and guild member of another nation not too long ago! I know next to nothing about ruling!"

"What happened to the Loraine after we took Ash'tar? You telling me you can't go through with it anymore?" I asked.

She ran up to me all bug-eyed and teary. "Being the leader of an entire nation is a lot of work, you know? That means less time I get to spend with you! Wait… How about we leave all this behind? All three of us. Me, you, and Kawa. We take a boat out to a remote part of Dysentia and live out the rest of our lives in peace?"

Sighing, I pushed Loraine to sit down on the bed. Kawa scooted closer to lay her head on Loraine's lap and whimpered.

"As nice as that sounds," I began, "Leaving ain't something I can do yet. Chika finally showed herself. We're so close. Everytime I think about her, my chest knots up. I have to find out why she brought us here, and why she's so intent on tearing everything down. She was the first real family Yui and I ever had."

"How much did she hurt you?" Loraine asked, reaching up to cup my cheeks.

"It's not that she hurt me. Something about her just doesn't feel right, so I gotta find out. And the only way to do that is to hear it from the horse's mouth."

After a while, Loraine got up and hugged me.

"If you have the courage to face your old friend-turned demon lord, then I should at least show half that courage." Loraine stepped away to undress and put on the gold-threaded dress, the sultan's crown, and serpent armlet.

The entire outfit was probably worth more than a small country, but Loraine looked the part of royalty. Well, she was royalty.

"You good?" I asked to be sure.

"I am." Loraine nodded.

Kawa hopped off the bed to follow us out of the bedchamber.

Lords, nobles, and the who's who of Amarinth waited for us in the throne room. There had to at least be a hundred of them. When we entered, many gasped and others kept their heads low. Kain and the others weren't here. This was just supposed to be a meeting between Loraine and important bastards.

Loraine stood in front of the throne that Sultan Yusef was on not too long ago. Her demeanor was a lot softer than the pit of snakes below us.

"As I'm sure many of you suspect, Yusef Arselios has been deposed as sultan. His crimes were many, but the ones most worth condemning are the attack on Cynderace, plotting the assassination and kidnapping of Emperor Yonnu, secretly colluding with demons, and… having a hand in the death of my father, Laeeq Arselios."

The audience erupted in gasps again, hearing the name of Loraine's old man.

A middle-aged dark elven woman stepped forward from the crowds. Her face was caked up in makeup and foundation. A piss poor attempt to hide wrinkles and creases. All the necklaces and earrings on her pointed ears were probably to distract from her age.

"Surely, you didn't invite us here to tell us that. We've been invited to pledge fealty to you, the new Sultana of Amarinth. Is that correct?" the elf asked.

"That's right. My uncle sired no children, which makes me the next in line through my father. If—"

"And why should we follow someone as young and green as yourself? From what I understand, you are a citizen of Scoth. My fellows, is this not King Allo's attempt to install a puppet?" she asked the others.

"No one humor her," I said, then fired a glare at the loudmouth. "Bitch, the only people you can call 'fellows' are raisins. Now shut the fuck up before I go down there and put some more creases on your face."

"Why… I never!"

A dark elven pretty boy placed a hand on the woman's shoulder to calm her down. He wore a turban and a light, flowing skirt. His bare chest, however, was bare for all to see.

"Forgive Lady Trevai for not choosing more polite words, but if I may? I am Emir Jouann Pledis. Sultana Loraine, even you must agree that ruling all of Amarinth is a monumental task for someone absent from this great nation for so long. For example, are you aware of the drought situation in western Amarinth?"

"I… did not," Loraine answered truthfully.

"All I ask is that you consider creating a council. Surround yourself with trusted advisors to help you," he insisted.

"Like yourself?" I scoffed.

Jouann spread his arms apart and bowed.

This guy was trying to get close. Could be another snake. Could be innocent. Hard to tell until shit hits the fan.

I threw Loraine a look, and she nodded to give me the go-ahead for something we schemed up before coming.

"There's gonna be new changes around here. Some of you won't like it, so we're giving you an out. If any of you are loyal to Sultan Yusef or just don't like the idea of Loraine lording over you, then leave. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, and don't think about poking your head out to look at us the wrong way."

A few of them traded glances. Others like Jouann were steadfast with their feet planted firmly on the ground.

Then some began to leave. The elven woman named Trevai was among them. About a fifth of the people in the throne room made for the door. As they left their guards down—

"Guards, grab the ones that were going to leave," I ordered.

Palace guards moved in to apprehend and intercept those on the way out. Unsurprisingly, they started throwing a fit.

"What is the meaning of this? Unhand me! You said we were free to leave!" Lady Trevai shouted.

I smirked down at her. "Nah, I didn't say you were free to leave. Don't worry though. We ain't gonna hurt you or take your pretty makeup collections. Just wanna find out if any of you are planning to betray Loraine."

While they were taken away kicking and screaming, the remaining people swallowed hard.

"As you can see," Loraine began with a smile, "we are not taking any chances. All of your ships are under supervision by the port authority. I ask that you not leave. Accommodations have been made for you so that we can discuss the future of Amarinth under my rule. Guards, will you kindly show them to their rooms?"

Jouann bowed slightly before being escorted away by a palace guard. One corner of his lips curved into a soft smile.

"Whew… Uugh… My heart is beating so much. That was so scary." Loraine slumped down onto the throne seat and sighed.

"You did good. Could've used a bit more muscle, but I give it an A for good effort." I threw a thumbs up.

Loraine grabbed my hand and flailed our arms in a tantrum.

"I'm going to need Kain's help for this… In the meantime, can I ask a favor from you?" Loraine asked.

"Yeah. Anything," I said.

"You might have been instrumental in Sultan Yusef's downfall, but there are a surprising number of people in Amarinth who like you. Of course, it's not ones who were just here on the floor. I mean children, mostly. There's an orphanage near the harbor. Yui's there now. Can you visit them and tell me how the place is doing?"

"Wait… You want me to deal with rugrats? I ain't good with kids…" When I tried to pull away, Loraine's grip on me tightened.

"I read through my uncle's papers. Apparently, the orphanage sent many requests for help that went unanswered. Pleeeaassee? I want to do right as sultana and help my people," she pleaded.

"Tsk… Fine. Doing it for you though. Not for the kids. Kawa, be a good girl and make sure no one hurts Loraine," I ordered.

"Yes, Master!" Kawa transformed into beastling form to say.

On my way to the port, it was weird to see so many people going about their day like normal. Scoth and Jinwa soldiers mingled with Amarinthians like they didn't just invade the city a week ago. Though it probably helped that we kicked the demons out of town for them.

The 'orphanage' was a rundown warehouse on the docks. Paint was peeling off the walls and the roof had holes in it. Despite how shitty it was, ten snot-nosed kids were playing outside with Yui and Frey.

"Those poor children deserve better."

I followed the voice to find Kaoru standing right next to me, watching them play.

"Thought you were going back to Jinwa. Plans on hold?" I asked.

"My ship is set to sail soon, so I've come to say my farewell. The demon whose name I've already forgotten said there is a good chance obelisks will rise in Jinwa. I'll leave a small bulk of my forces to Prince Kain's command and will take the rest back to defend my domain. The next time we see each other, it will be on the battlefield against Ashura," Kaoru said.

I rubbed the back of my head, swallowed my pride, and stuck a hand out to Kaoru. She looked at it funny, then looked at me. There was a small scoff before she clasped my hand and smiled.

"You, uh… You ain't so bad," I said.

"You as well, Micchi." Kaoru nodded, then returned to staring at the orphans.

A minute went by and Kaoru was still here.

"What are you waiting for?" I broke the silence to ask.

Kaoru placed a hand to her chin. "I was thinking about adopting the orphan boys and bringing them back with me."

"Oi. Get outta here."

After shooing Kaoru away, I walked up to the courtyard to meet the kids.

"Oh! Anego, you came!" Yui waved, and the kid she was giving a piggyback ride to also waved at me. "Guys, this is Micchi! Come say hi!"

"Wait—"

The group of ten children swarmed me in seconds.

"You're the Lannarkis Champion!"

"Wow, your hair is so yellow!"

"You guys been out here this whole time?" I asked Yui and Frey.

"Yui has. I got here a little before you did. It sounds like they've been playing out here for a while," Frey explained.

"Look at this!" Yui lifted a beastling toddler that looked like a kitten by the shoulders. "He's soooo cute! Don't you just wanna hold 'em?"

"Don't go treating them like pets…"

I'd rather be anywhere else, to be honest. Just looking at them was giving me whiplash.

"Why are you wearing bandages?" One dark elven boy tugged on my sarashi.

"Don't pull on that, kid. It ain't bandages. It's a sarashi! Binds my chest so they don't bounce around when I fight," I explained.

They erupted with a unified, "Oohh."

"How come Yui doesn't wear one?" a beastling girl asked.

"Hey, I'm still growing!" Yui poked playfully at the girl's forehead.

Aside from the shitty living conditions, they looked fine to me.

"Hmph. It doesn't look very comfortable to wear," the same kid said.

"Neither does your—" I bit my tongue to keep from saying anymore, but each of them quickly realized what I was going to say.

Their scrawny bodies and sad eyes reminded me of myself and Yui when we were small. Alone, abandoned, without anyone to look up to. Maybe that explained why Yui got along with them so easily.

Loraine asked me to check up on them, but she wouldn't be happy to know they were in a dump like this.

"Tsk… Alright, you brats. It's time for a field trip," I shouted.

"Eh? But people get angry at us for going into the city… they say we're an eyesore." An elven girl dressed in rags was pressing her index fingers together.

I knelt down in front of her and placed a hand on her head.

"You ain't an eyesore. The ones yelling at you are. If you stay here, you go another night hungry. Come with me, and I'll make sure you eat good. Still wanna stay here?"

The girl shook her head.

"Atta girl." I grinned.

The three of us returned to the city, chaperoning ten orphans. Just like the kid said, people were throwing dirty looks their way. Some of them were so scared, they clung to the back of my jacket to hide.

Kajar was an extravagant city. No doubt about that. However, it seemed the more money a place had, the poorer someone could be.

We came to a merchant stall, selling pork being roasted over magical fire. As soon as the man saw us, his face contorted with disgust.

"Sorry, we don't do charity. You're going to have to look elsewhere," he said.

"I got money." I grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him over the counter. "If you don't want my business, how about I take you out of business?"

"Hiiiee! N-No, I won't! These kids must be yours? I'll happily sell you some food! How much would you like? A pound? Two pounds?"

"A whole hog, please!" Yui flicked a couple of gold coins over the counter.

We took our food and sat right down in front of the stall, making sure everyone saw and knew. There was nothing the troubled merchant could do.

"We can find a nice place to sit and eat! It doesn't have to be here," Frey insisted, noting the many eyes we were attracting.

"Yui and I ain't budging," I said. "This is our comfort zone. Back where we came from, we'd squat outside of convenience stores and give the stink-eye to everyone that passes.

"Dig in while it's hot, kids! Frey, too!" Yui stuffed a handful of meat into her mouth.

One by one, they sat around the pork and ripped into it. Yui helped them, tearing pieces into smaller portions for them to eat. Their eyes began to water like the glistening pork skin, stuffing their mouths with what must have been ages since a real meal.

"It's so juicy!"

"I didn't know meat could taste this good…"

Some of them began to tear up while eating. For some reason, it started getting me emotional. I wasn't sure why, but it put my mind at ease knowing they weren't going to starve today.

Once we finished eating, most of the kids were lying down with bulging bellies and greased faces.

"You guys aren't gonna pass out yet, are you?" Yui asked, picking one up onto her back. "After a full meal, there's one place we gotta go!'

"Where's that?"

"To bed?"

Leaving the bones lying on the road, we went to hit up a bathhouse. There were plenty of those in the city. We barged right into an establishment against the protests of the owners.

"Stop! Stop, I say! I will call the guards!" a haughty elven man growled.

"Call 'em. Make sure you bring an army," I said.

The first bathing area we entered was occupied by many people. Their eyes went wide, seeing us come in.

"A bath! Really?" the dark elf boy who was playing with my sarashi earlier rushed in.

"Not so fast." I picked him up by the scruff of his neck collar. "Bad manners going in with clothes on."

"Okay!" everyone shouted together.

The people who were already in here either scooted to the very back of the pools or left entirely. Some made dirty faces at the filthy children we brought in.

"Fuuuu~ This is bliss on my remaining seven lives," Frey said, sinking half her head into the steaming waters. Several of the kids by her side mimicked her and shut their eyes to savor the warmth.

Yui busied herself, washing and rinsing one kid's hair. A small line had formed to be spoiled with the same treatment. Meanwhile, I leaned back to watch steam rising to the ceiling. Water splashed near me, and I glanced over to find the same dark elf kid bobbing up and down at my side. It looked like he had something to say.

"What's up kid? Spit it out," I said.

"Uhm… I wanted to ask… How come you're so nice to us? I don't remember us doing anything to deserve it. D-Don't get me wrong! I really appreciate it! I'm really thankful. But… people have been looking the other way with us until you three came along…"

Why, huh?

"Kid, I don't know either. Maybe I just don't like seeing you guys looking and smelling like shit. You're fine now though." I grinned, elbowing and knocking him into the water.

He resurfaced with a pout.

"Oh, I saw you and Yui have paintings on your back. What are they?" the boy asked.

"You mean the tattooes? Yui's got a storm. I got a tsunami. It's supposed to be from—" I stopped short and swallowed my answer as a tear rolled down my cheek. "From someone who took care of us when we were kids."

Maybe he noticed that it was a sensitive topic, but he didn't pry with any more questions.

It only just hit me. Chika and Anya took care of us like what we were doing right now. Did Anego look after us on a whim? Just because we were pathetic little brats at the time?

I cast a glance over to Yui, who was dunking the children in turn. They were all having fun, and it reminded me of Anya doing it to us in her bath.

By the time we finished bathing, it was getting late. On the way back to the orphanage, however, it became clear that they didn't want us to leave.

"We don't want you to go!"

"Will you come back and visit?"

The longer they tugged on my hands and jacket, the harder it became to leave them. At the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of a clothing trader. Yui, Frey, and I herded them over to buy new clothes. Every single one of them could have passed for a normal kid in their new digs.

Next week or even next month, they might go back to their same disheveled selves from earlier today.

"Listen up, rascals. There's no telling what happens tomorrow. Hell, no telling what happens an hour from now. I know you want us to hold your hands forever, but the only ones you can really count on are yourselves. Look each other in the eyes, not those bastards who look at you dirty. These are your real friends. Maybe we'll cross paths again. Who knows?"

The elf boy who's stuck with me this whole time threw his arms around my waist. He buried his teary face into my jacket. The others did the same until I was mobbed and surrounded by them.

Something came over me. I was reminded of Chika again. How much her hug used to mean to me. I got down and brought them in and fought like hell to keep from tearing up, too.

When they were ready to leave, Yui and Frey rounded them up.

"We'll bring them back and have a couple of soldiers stand watch to make sure they sleep easy," Frey said.

"Don't spoil 'em too much or you'll spoil 'em rotten!" I shouted to Yui.

I waited until they were out of sight before heading back to the palace. Loraine was in the throne room, speaking with Kain and several dignitaries as I got back. Princey-boy regarded me with a nod and a smile, then excused himself to go back to work.

"What was that all about?" I asked Loraine.

"Negotiations on Amarinth's future as a member of the UKD. More importantly, how was your day?" Loraine questioned in return, her keen eyes telling me she knew plenty already.

"You sent me to those kids on purpose, didn't you?"

Loraine turned the other cheek and smiled. "I'm not sure what you're talking about~"

"Thanks," I said. "They gave me some perspective about my past. Helped me realize what I really want from Chika."

"Oh, what's that?" she asked.

I clenched my fist.

"It was never about getting back at her. Never about thanking her for helping me and Yui, or taking revenge for leaving us. I want her to know I'm older now, and I can stand on my own two feet. I want to show her… that we can take care of ourselves."