The Hero of Vengeance

Chapter 23: Settling In

The next two weeks after my engagement were full of smiles and happiness. Since I was allowed unrestricted access to castle grounds, I had become something of a regular.

Shortly after it happened, I told Jorgan and everyone at the Diner. When they heard, they all congratulated me. I also mentioned to them that they should remain quiet about it.

Some of the guys in the kitchen were really envious the next time they saw Isabella and I together, but ultimately just laughed it off.

I often went to the training grounds to learn from the Grandmaster and Isabella even joined in.

We had been ignoring the Black Ooze too much and needed to get strong quickly.

Isabella, under the persona of Rose, would frequently take requests with me from the adventurers guild. Walter even joined in wearing his full armor to hide his identity.

I still had trouble believing that the same person I had become friends with in Lorelei was the First Princess of Albatross.

And soon, she would be my wife!

I discovered that Walter had never truly left Isabella alone while she and I were adventuring. Walter possessed skills that allowed him to turn invisible and hide his presence completely.

It was a bit creepy when I thought about it, but once I was engaged to the person he was in charge of protecting, he didn't seem so scary.

Walter was a kind and honorable man. He was a level 100 Arcane Warrior that wielded the legendary sword 'Honor'.

We had talked about our classes and it turns out that there were a handful of them available only to legendary sword wielders. Isabella was envious of me being able to have the class 'Magic Knight', but was still excited about it.

Speaking of which, Magic Knight was a basic class for legendary sword wielders. Each one had an advanced class starting with the name 'Arcane'. Unfortunately, Walter only knew a few and Vengeance wasn't one of them... I would have to be patient.

Nevertheless, I gained several levels within two weeks and even reached 50.

I chose to save a few of my skill points again and my stats were starting to rise much higher as well. It seemed like my class bonuses would also rise every ten levels as well.

I quickly admired my status screen with all of my abilities.

{Status}

{Name: Mizik Iratus}

{Class: Magic Knight}

{Level: 50}

{Hp: 1380(+400)}

{Mp: 1583(+600))}

{P.attack: 857(+550)}

{M.attack: 950(+600)}

{P.defense: 692(+365)}

{M.defense: 704(+400)}

{Acc: 499(+200)}

{Eva: 571(+400)}

{Spd: 487(+300)}

{Passive Abilities: Sword Proficiency LV.9

Shield Proficiency LV.5

Magic Proficiency LV.7

Ranged Weapon Proficiency LV.5

Light Armor Proficiency LV.4

Unknown Skill LV.????}

{Active Abilities: Full Moon Slash LV.5

Armor Break LV.3

Rage Of Iratus LV.3

Lethal Slash LV.5

Assault Slash LV.7

Piercing Shot LV.4}

{Magic Abilities: Ember LV.10

Create Water: LV.10

Nightvision LV.7

Arcane Ballista LV.3

Greater Heal LV.4

Fireball LV.6

Chain Lightning LV.7

Enemy Detection LV.6

Sword Enchant LV.3}

{Current Equipment bonuses:}

{Hp +400}

{Mp +600}

{P.attack +550}

{M.attack +600}

{P.defense +365}

{M.defense +400}

{Acc +200}

{Eva +400}

{Spd +300}

{Class Bonuses:}

{Hp +400}

{Mp +500}

{P.attack +550}

{M.attack +600}

{P.defense +500}

{M.defense +500}

{Acc +250}

{Eva +300}

{Spd +330}

{Skill Points: 6}

I smiled as I reflected on how strong I had become. When I began my journey, I was little more than a child with a knife.

Now I was a legendary sword user with incredible power.

I only had room to grow from here.

I stood up and took a look around the knights' training area. I had been waiting here for Isabella while I practiced.

We planned to just meet up and talk with each other and I had a few questions that needed her input.

A few days ago, I realized something.

I'm engaged to a girl and I hadn't even gotten her a ring to show it, yet.

How could I be so stupid!? That should have been the first thing I did!!!

I was beside myself with figuring out how to get her a ring she liked.

Isabella didn't wear much jewelry at all, but when she did it was usually plain silver. She was really modest like that, despite being royalty. Cassandra, on the other hand, loved wearing bracelets, necklaces, and the like.

Unfortunately, neither of the two were allowed ear piercings. That made it more difficult to tell them apart from a distance.

Luckily I had only seen Cassandra a couple of times in the last week.

One time, she just looked at me in disgust and stormed off.

The other time, was when Isabella wanted to show me how to ballroom dance...on top of announcing her engagement to the other nobles.

That situation was a catastrophe and only made Cassandra hate me even more.

Still, I showed them that I was capable of wielding Vengeance. Since I was a legendary sword user, they wouldn't be able to bother me.

In every major nation on Avernia, those who became legendary weapon users were automatically granted titles of nobility within the confines of that country.

The King had yet to get the documents for my rise in status, but I would be given the title of Baron to start with for simplicity's sake. After all, I would eventually be a Prince.

There was talk about whether or not I should take the title of Consort as well. Effectively pushing the responsibility of actually ruling to the next Queen, Isabella.

Isabella denied it. She wanted our rule to be a joint effort.

So much for that...

Regardless, I still needed to get my fiance a ring. And as I was pondering what kind of ring to get for Isabella while pacing the training grounds, someone snuck up from behind and threw their arms around me.

I could tell by her sweet smell and gentle touch that it was Isabella. I turned around and embraced her.

"Mizik! I'm so glad to see you again! How are you today? Did you sleep well? Have you eaten?" She said as she bombarded me with questions

"Yes, I'm doing well. I slept good and I haven't eaten yet today," I said to her in response.

She frowned at me and gave me a frustrated look.

"You can't just skip meals! That's not healthy!"

I couldn't help myself. I had ample opportunity to eat breakfast at the Diner, but even so...

"I wanted to eat with you, Isabella," I said as I gave a gentle smile.

"You're so sweet, Mizik!" She said.

She kissed my forehead.

This is heavenly. I don't want these moments to ever end...

"Well then, I'll have some of the castle chefs prepare us a meal. Does that sound good?" She asked me.

I nodded and we made our way to the castle dining hall.

After she requested a meal for the two of us, we sat down next to each other and struck up a conversation.

I had plans to ask her about the ring.

I also had a strategy to measure it out perfectly. First I would attack with a not so obvious question.

"Isabella, I'm curious...do you have a favorite gemstone?" I asked casually.

"Of course, doesn't every girl?" She said as she stared into my eyes.

"What is it, then? If you don't mind me asking."

Isabella gently lifted her hand and pointed directly at my eyes as she leaned close.

"Emeralds. They remind me of your eyes," she said.

I felt my face heat up as I screamed internally in frustration.

She's too strong! My heart can't take it!

"W-well...I appreciate it..." I stammered.

This was going to be difficult if she kept acting so damn cute...

Moments later, our food arrived.

I still wasn't used to living like this. They had brought us two plates of...

I wasn't sure.

The food in Castle Albatross was beyond delicious. But as tasty as it was, it was very complex. Dishes were made in ways I had never dreamed of cooking with luxurious and exotic ingredients I'd never even heard of.

My commoner side was truly at a loss...

But for some reason, I felt relieved every time I ate this food. It felt natural.

The current meal was something similar to grilled meat with a decadent sauce drizzled over it. On the side, was a small bowl of...something like potato soup?

It was decorated with spices and vegetables arranged in a pattern.

By the gods, I feel so put of place here...

"Thank you very much for the meal. I hope it will bring a smile to my beloved's face," Isabella said sweetly.

The chef and other servants bowed. They seemed very proud of their work.

Isabella looked at me and I gave her an awkward smile.

"I have no idea what this is...but it looks tasty," I said.

She giggled at my words.

"You are all dismissed. Please allow us to eat in peace," she said kindly.

Immediately, they all left the dining hall.

"You don't have to feel so out of place, my love. I understand not being used to high society, however. But...I hope you understand why the taste of simplistic meals crafted with love intrigue me so much."

"I'm starting to understand..." I said.

The two of us began eating.

The food was absolutely amazing.

The meat, previously unknown to me, was beef. But it was far more tender and rich than anything I'd ever eaten before. The sauce only served to enhance its flavor without overwhelming or covering the meat's natural taste.

The soup was also spectacular. It was creamy and had a savory sweetness to it.

It took all of my willpower not to just scarf it down. But then again...this was an everyday occurrence. The food in this castle was divine.

Still...I had to focus. There was something I needed to do.

I glanced at Isabella and narrowed my eyes.

Now's my chance!

I put my hand under the table and reached into my inventory while she was distracted.

I had purchased a tool for ring measurement the other day and now was the time to use it. It was essentially just a bag of plain rings to check the size of someones finger.

I pulled out a ring measure that I thought was the approximate size for her finger and clutched it in my hand. I didn't plan to actually place it on her finger. That would be too obvious. I needed a more subtle approach...

I looked at Isabella out of the corner of my eyes again as we ate. The food was delicious, and Isabella took small, graceful bites of her meal next to me.

I just wanted to stare at her, but I had work to do.

I looked over to her left hand as she lifted a glass of juice to her lips.

If I could just hold her hand for a moment...

That's when she noticed me staring.

"Mizik? Are you looking at my hand for some reason?" She asked.

Crap. Maybe I can use this to my advantage?

"Well...a bit. I realized that we haven't really...held hands a lot? I wanted to for just a moment..." I said.

It wasn't exactly a lie, in all honesty...

Isabella smiled and held out her hand.

I took it in mine and felt how soft and smooth her skin was.

I took the ring measure and placed it under my leg in the chair as I took her hand in both of mine.

"You have beautiful hands, Isabella," I said.

Isabella gave me a confused look.

"Mizik, did you want to measure my finger for a ring or something?" She asked bluntly.

Dammit! She's too smart!

"I...uh...well..."

"I was wondering why you were being so cautious. I assumed that you planned to ask me at some point."

"I wanted it to be a surprise..." I mumbled.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I can pretend to not have noticed if that helps..."

"No...that would be weird..." I said in a defeated tone.

I lost so terribly. It's like she knew the entire time!

"I'll at least let you measure it properly, then!" She said as she held out her hand. I reached into my inventory and got out the rest of the rings. I tried them out on her and found one that fit better than the one I had under my leg.

As I put that one aside, Isabella took my hand in hers. She gently caressed my hand as she picked up some of the rings to measure my finger with.

I guess it's a good thing I failed then... She's not my enemy. She's my ally!

Once she finished, she placed the ring measure in her inventory.

When that was over with, we finished our meal.

Isabella and I shared many moments such as these together.

Although later that day, I learned something that upset me greatly.

* * *

As Isabella and I trained together, she suddenly stopped and smiled.

"Mizik! I just thought of something!" She said.

"What is it?"

"Well...seeing as Walter purchased a house in Lorelei while I was staying there, I technically have a place to live in your home town, right?"

That's true, but...

"I'm not allowed to go to Lorelei, Isabella. Duke Oswald exiled me..."

"Oh? He can't very well deny the next King, can he? And if the First Princess commanded him to allow you entry, he would be forced! That silly old Duke likes to think he has more political power than he really does. But ever since the domains were abolished, the royal family holds all the political power in Albatross while the country remains in a permanent state of martial law," She said proudly.

Her status is...REALLY useful...

The state of this country, as my father taught me, was greatly changed towards the end of the Kalsan Albatross war.

My father said that due to the meddling of a certain secret organization, the King of Albatross at the time, King Ronald Balthazaar Albatross' father, was forced to make a bold move.

He abolished the domains owned by every noble in the country, placed the country in a permanent state of martial law where the royal family held all of the power over the land and military, and used Walter Orthright as a means of threatening all who dared to oppose him. The strength of a single wielder was more than enough to get them to comply.

The result...was an odd monarchy where the nobles had to have permission from the crown to do anything at all. They could issue small orders and govern their former territories, but the royal military kept in constant contact with the capital. Spies and informants were everywhere. Any orders or activities directly at odds with the law or policies of the royal family was met with swift and brutal punishment to stop the spread of corrupt nobility.

It took several years, but things calmed down enough to reach a state of normalcy again.

And the royal family, along with the two Princesses had all of the power.

I was astounded at how much authority my fiance had.

"Yeah, that...sounds about right! Then that means..."

"We can visit your family!" Isabella said happily.

I felt overjoyed. I wondered how everyone would react to us showing up and spending time with them.

Especially since Aria kept assuming we would get married.

I knew she was going to hold that over our heads.

Although...

The thought of living in a house with Isabella...

I felt my face heat up.

But come to think of it...

"Hey Isabella, didn't you say your Uncle bought the house?" I asked.

"Ah...sorry! Walter is like an Uncle to me. I wasn't being entirely truthful, but it wasn't a complete lie, either."

"That makes sense. So, where is this house, anyway?"

"Oh, it was apparently vacated a couple of months before I arrived. It was the strangest thing... There was still furniture in it. Bookcases, tableware, and even clothes. It was a nice little home with two floors."

"Was it located in the eastern part of town by the woods? Was there a river nearby...?" I asked.

I had a sinking suspicion...

"Yes, of course. How did you know? A lot of the books in it were about Kalsa and Noir as well."

"Two couches in the living room...a small table...two bookcases on either side of the stairs in the living room. Behind the left one, a hole in the wall close to the floor? The second floor had four rooms. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a study...?"

"Eh...y-yes...we thought it was strange, but..."

"That was my house, Isabella. The one I got evicted from by Knight Captain Cain..." I said dejectedly.

Suddenly, she looked panicked.

"That...oh... I am so sorry! I had no idea! I-"

I held up a hand to stop her.

"What did Walter do with the things in the house?"

"He put the clothes from the room I was staying in up in the attic. He didn't want a man's clothes to be so close to me. Umm...they seemed to be the clothes of a younger man...kind of like you? Does that mean..."

"Was my bed comfortable, at least...?" I asked.

She covered her face.

"Waaah! I hate this! I can't believe I bought your house and slept in your bed after you got evicted! I'm so sorry, Mizik! Please forgive me!" Isabella said.

She was on the verge of tears.

"It's okay! Don't cry Isabella! You didn't know, right?" I said.

I wasn't mad at her, it's just that losing my house right after my Dad died was still a really painful thing for me.

"I didn't...they never said who lived there previously! And even if they had, I wouldn't have known..."

"Then it's okay. Besides...this means someone else won't get the house, instead. So..."

"We can have our honeymoon there! Yes! I'll even transfer the ownership back to you! And I'd like to see them try and evict you when I'm there as your wife!" Isabella said.

Now she was beaming with pride.

Looks like I might get the house back after all, Dad!

"Thank you, Isabella. This means a lot to me. I love you!"

"I love you too, Mizik! So very much!"

*   *   *

A week later, I presented Isabella with a custom made emerald silver ring.

It cost me most of the money I had saved up.

Around 11,000g...

It was the most expensive item I had ever purchased, but it was worth every coin to see her smile. The ring was beautiful, although it might not have been up to the same standards as one made for royalty.

Even so, she vowed to treasure it always.

She lovingly accepted it with tears in her eyes and a warm smile on her face.

I had never felt so satisfied in my entire life.

Isabella also presented me with a ring. A silver ring lined with crystal mana stones. The same color as her eyes.

Even when I was away from her, I still had a part of Isabella with me.

We would do nearly everything together. I had also become great friends with Walter and earned more respect and gratitude from the King.

King Ronald told me that he had never seen Isabella any happier in her entire life.

Even as everything happened between Isabella and me, I couldn't help but silently wonder...

Was this alright? Could I truly settle with the real happiness I found here? Only time would tell.

Truthfully...all I wanted was to live in peace. I was perfectly content not having to fight. But the Black Ooze was still a problem...

I wanted my happiness with Isabella to last. And that meant destroying the Black Ooze and saving the world.

Soon, I received another from Lorelei as well.

Nothing much had changed, except that they didn't know I was engaged to the First Princess now.

I asked permission from Isabella to let them know and she allowed it as long as I swore them to secrecy.

I knew Aria would hold that over our heads...but I didn't care. I looked forward to seeing her again. Both her and the sly smile I just knew she planned to give us.

After sending the letter, I made my way to the castle with a confident stride.

* * *

As I walked through the halls I heard the voice of a familiar demon woman behind me.

"Look at you, so confidently walking through our castle. Unaware of how truly insignificant you are..." Cassandra said behind me.

Not this again...

I turned to see her in another beautiful dress with her arms crossed. She looked both bored and annoyed.

She was looking me up and down curiously as well...like she was some kind of predator seeking to devour a fresh kill.

It was honestly a shame that such an evil woman looked completely identical to the person I loved.

I could only feel a mixture of anger and adoration as I looked on.

"What do you want from me, Cassandra...?" I said calmly.

"I want you to disappear. I want you to know your place. My sister is far too good for someone like you, a lowly worm and the son of a filthy commoner."

"She isn't yours to give. Isabella is free to choose her husband as she sees fit," I said.

"Don't you think I know that? I just wish she would marry a man that was actually worthy of respect! Besides, the thought of being your sister-in-law makes me feel disgusting..." She growled.

Hearing that Cassandra would be extended family was almost reason enough to cancel the engagement by itself.

Almost.

Nothing in the world would make me abandon Isabella.

In fact, I would choose her over the entire world.

"Don't think about it, then. Let's just try to get along, okay? We don't have to be enemies. I would prefer to be friends, actually. I mean that. I'm sorry again about hugging you. It was honestly an accident and I had no idea who Rose really was. She's the last person I expected to see here and I never knew she had an identical twin. But was it really that bad? It was just a hug. Now please, I really need to get going..." I said as I tried to turn away from her.

Immediately I saw her standing in front of me.

What the hell!?

I recoiled slightly upon seeing her.

"What's wrong? Haven't you seen illusion magic before? I happen to specialize in it. I've been standing here the entire time, you know? You've been talking to a vase full of flowers."

I glanced back to find that the Cassandra behind me was gone without a trace. In it's place, exactly as she said.

This woman is bad news. I need to get away from her.

I moved past her and she stepped aside from me. I walked quickly down the hall away from her.

I heard her chilling voice in my ear as I moved.

"Soon you'll beg for death. But it will not find you. You'll regret what you've done to me," she said.

As her voice echoed in my ear I felt a sensation of someone breathing down my neck.

I turned immediately and she was gone.

Why do you hate me so much!?

I looked around rapidly but she was nowhere to be seen.

How can that demon wear the face of such a sweet angel!? I dont understand!!!

I turned and ran as fast as I could back to the training grounds.

* * *

I made it to the training grounds where Isabella was practicing her sword swings. In the time we had been adventuring, she had reached level 38.

She turned and saw me, then immediately sheathed her sword and sprinted towards me.

Once she got close, she hugged me tightly as usual. I embraced her as well, not caring about her wearing her armor.

"I'm glad to see you again, Mizik! I get lonely when you're not around!"

"I can say the same..." I said while still feeling somewhat nervous.

Isabella noticed quickly.

"What's wrong, my love? Is something bothering you?"

"Just...I met Cassandra on my way over. I'm not usually afraid of people, but that woman scares me. It was like she was threatening me... I tried apologizing and being nice, but I really think she still wants to hurt me..." I said.

As I finished speaking, I looked up at Isabella.

Then she leaned in and kissed me on the lips.

I was stunned. We hadn't kissed before, so why now? I wasn't about to stop her though...

Her lips were really soft.

It made my worries fade away.

She pulled back slowly and smiled at me.

"Cassandra is scary at times and even dangerous. You shouldn't wander the castle alone. She's actually really strong, you know. But I'm glad you're safe, Mizik. Please try your hardest to be kind to her, if possible. I think she hates everyone because she feels so unloved..." Isabella said sadly.

"Right...th-thank you for the...kiss..." I stammered.

She let go of me and giggled.

"I've wanted to do that for a while now. I hope it helped you calm down," she said just before slowly placing her hand in the hilt of her sword. "How about we get some practicing done?"

"That sounds great!" I said cheerfully.

I couldn't get the feeling of her lips out of my mind, but tried my best to focus on the training.

We practiced for the rest of the day before agreeing to meet up again early tomorrow.

I went home feeling both excited about seeing her again and sad that I had to be away from her.

Regardless, I laid down that night and drifted off to sleep.