I bet none of you were expecting that last chapter to end the way it did. Our girl just cannot catch a break, can she? She's gifted her freedom from Myne and the former king, and now look where's she's ended up. Right in the clutches of the demon itself. And, who knows where all that'll end up. You'll all just have to wait and find out. But, in the meantime, our Alex has grown up! He's the king now! Woohoo! And finally, finally! He's made his move on Ayuma, kissing her and becoming a part of her party! But..... obviously that was very short lived. Now, obviously we'll be switching pov's once again, but who's it gonna be from this time? Find out right now! Enjoy! 

Also, before you begin the chapter, I've just gotta make a shoutout to one of my good friends who has supported me for most of this series. A few chapters ago, a person with the username: PrefHerna on Wattpad sent me fanart of both Ayu and Neela. Well, she's done it again, people! Below, you'll find her newest piece of fantastic artwork, as well as her twitter. I highly recommend checking her out. She does such amazing pieces of art that it's honestly staggering to me how good it is. Please, please, please do check her out if you do indeed like her artwork. It would really mean so much to me and her as well. You'll be helping both of us out if you do. Thanks!

Ayu in her current state:

PrefHerna/Somete Paint Twitter: https://twitter.com/SometePaint?s=20

-PoV: Alex-

"Thank you, Ayuma. I promise I will do all in my power and show you that I deserve to be with you and Neela!" I said to her as I gave her a heartwarming smile. 

"I'm sure you will too. And, i'm sure Neela will be excited to hear that you-" Ayuma began to say as I blinked..... and she disappeared. She was no longer in her wheelchair in front of me. Only the chair, all her armor pieces, and her eye patch laid on the ground. 

"Ayuma.....? Ayuma......!?" I called out to her as I started looking around my room. But, I stopped when my eyes locked onto one of my windows. It was broken and I quickly rushed over to it. The sun was insanely bright as it was setting but, far in the distance, I could make out a black figure flying over the land with large black wings. 

"Wait a second..... I've seen that thing before! That's the demon that took control of Ayuma! ....No...... It can't be....... Naofumi destroyed it! It can't still be alive!" I thought to myself as the demon disappeared into the horizon. 

"It's taken her away! No, it's going to use her again!" I shouted as I quickly turned around and bolted out of my room, looking for my mother. I nearly bowled over Neela as I burst through my door and she started running after me. 

"Alex, I saw miss Ayuma added you to our party. But, what's wrong? Why are you running so fast?" She asked me as we took a sharp turn to the banquet hall. I knew mother had planned a party in celebration for the five heroes, but she needed to speak with the heroes in private first. I told her that I wanted to speak with Ayuma first though, so she let me and said I could bring her around to their meeting later. 

"Neela, we need to find the queen! Ayuma's been kidnapped!" I shouted as she became shocked. 

"WHAT!? What are you talking about!? Are you sure!?" She asked me. 

"I don't have time to explain right now! Just follow me!" I yelled as we made our way into the banquet hall. All the party members of each hero were celebrating but we had no time to speak to any of them. We ran across the room and opened up two large doors. And, on the other side was the meeting room where mother and the other four heroes were currently having their discussions. 

"Alexander? What is it? And why are you out of breath?" My mother asked me. 

"It's..... It's Ayuma..... she's been...... She's been kidnapped by that demon!" I shouted as all four heroes stood up at once. 

"What!? Are you serious!?" Itsuki asked me as I gave them all a nod. 

"Yes. I was speaking with her in my private quarters when she suddenly vanished in front of my eyes. I then noticed a window in my room was broken so I investigated and saw a black humanoid figure flying away in the distance with very distinct black angel wings. It was the same as the form the demon took when Ayuma reappeared during the battle against the pope." I explained to them all. 

"How can that be though? Didn't Naofumi destroy it when he used that cheat shield of his?" Motoyasu questioned. 

"Yeah, we saw you kill it. The thing literally dissolved and turned to dust in front of us. How does anything survive that?" Ren asked. 

"To be honest, I don't got a clue. But, it sounds like it's definitely not gone. And that means Ayuma, and the rest of us are in danger again." Naofumi said. 

"AlexanderA, you say you saw it flying away. What direction was it headed in?" My mother asked me. 

"I think it was heading East. But, it disappeared into the horizon before I could watch to see if it changed course." I explained as mother went deep into thought. 

"I see. So then it's headed there then...." She said as we all became curious. 

"Headed where?" Ren asked her. 

"Exactly where I was going to tell all five of you heroes about. Cal Mira Archipelago. It's a small collection of islands off the coast of this country that appears only every decade." Mother explained. 

"Cal Mira....? Oh, I remember that name! You took me there ten years ago when I was eight, right?" I asked as she nodded. 

"What's so special about this archipelago? And why would the demon take Ayuma there?" Naofumi asked. 

"Because it appears for only a specific amount of time, Cal Mira generates a special field that grants extra obtained experience and levels. I presume the demon took the axe hero there so they could grow stronger much quicker. And, seeing as they can fly, they'd get there much quicker than you all, meaning it'll be able to grow to a higher level much faster." Mother explained. 

"Then what are we standing around for? Let's go to this Cal Mira place, or whatever it's called and kick this demon's ass again!" Motoyasu shouted as he raised his weapon into the air. 

"Yeah, i'm with ya. Ayuma's the reason we're all alive, right? She saved us during the second wave, so now it's our turn to save her." Ren said as he raised his weapon up too. 

""We owe her all our lives. It's the least we can do for her." Itsuki says as he holds his bow up high, just like the others. 

"Now, i'm not saying no. But, i'm sure no matter what we said, the king here would order us to go anyway, right?" Naofumi asked as he chuckled a bit and glanced over to me. I give him a nod as he gives me one back. 

"Well, it looks like all four of us are finally in agreement! Now let's go to this Cal Mira archipelago." Naofumi says as he raised his shield up with the others. All four of them were in agreement, a true sight to behold. Especially with the bad blood they all had for each other and Ayuma. 

"Then it's settled. I'll have preparations be made for you all to journey to Cal Mira at the break of dawn tomorrow. Please be at the port as soon as possible. The journey takes several days and only one ship leaves to there every day." The queen instructed as we all bowed in agreement. 

"Yes, your majesty." The heroes said as they all left the room. Neela went with Naofumi to discuss with him but I stayed with mother to speak with her. 

"Is something on your mind, Alexander? It's okay to talk with me, i'm your mother." She said to me as I sat down next to her and lowered my head. 

"Everything is just happening so..... so fast for me. I mean, earlier today, my older sister and father were nearly executed, I became king, I became a member of Ayuma's party and..... I.... may have kissed her. But now, she's gone again." I said as I began to cry. 

"Lift your head, Alexander. This is no time for a king to be sobbing." My mother said as I raised my head to face her. 

"I understand how you feel right now. Truly, I do. But, I chose you to become king because I know you are ready for that responsibility. You are strong, loyal, passionate, and a terrific leader. You're everything a king should be." My mother said to me as I wiped away my tears. 

"But.... as the king, I cannot go to Cal Mira. Even though i'm a member of her party, I must stay here while the other heroes go." I said as my mother giggled a bit. 

"Now who ever said that? You are the king of this country. Only I have a more powerful say than you. And right now, I choose to say nothing. So, what will you do, my son?" Mother asked me as I got out of my chair and kneeled before her. 

"I..... I wish to lead this mission to Cal Mira, mother. I want to work together with the other four heroes.... and find Ayuma. I want to save her! I want to prove to her that I deserve to be on her party! I want to prove that I deserve the title of king!" I announced to my mother as she patted the top of my head. 

"Good. And i'm sure that's what she'd want of you. Very well, then. I put you in charge of this operation. But, when you all arrive at the archipelago, be sure to have the heroes level up as well. No doubt they'll have to if they want to combat this fearsome foe." Mother explained as I stood back up and hugged her. 

"Thank you, mother. I will not let you, the heroes, or this country down. I promise to return with the axe hero." I said to her as we let go of each other. 

"I know you will. Now, get your things prepared. This journey will be long and hard for you. The challenge you all face will strike you without hesitation. You all must be ready to meet it head on and strike back. Stow your fears and fill your hearts with courage, because this demon will surely try and exploit that which you are afraid of." Mother said as I nodded to her. 

"I understand. I will not let my own obsessions blind me. And, i'll do my best to keep the heroes in check. I promise." I said to mother as I left to go prepare for this journey. 

When morning arrived, I felt as ready as I could be. I used my magic to craft a suit of golden armor that covered most of my body, mainly my chest area, legs, arms, and shoulders. I packed a satchel, filled to the brim with all the types of metal I owned. Iron, gold, silver, bronze, cobalt, titanium, and tungsten. I used my silver to create a sword which I slid into the hilt on my left side.

"Looks like you're all set to go. Are you ready, Mr. King?" Neela asked me as she stood at the entrance to my room. 

"Yes....... I am. What about you?" I asked as Neela held up a new staff. It was made of platinum, and, embedded in the top end of it were several jewels, each used to cast different types of magic. One red, one white, and one light blue.

"I am." She said as she walked over and hugged me. 

"Thank you for coming, Alex. It..... it really means a lot to me..... and miss Ayuma." She said to me as I hugged her back. 

"We'll get her back...... I swear it! As king..... I'll make it my first duty to ensure the axe hero is saved!" I told Neela as we let go of each other. 

"Thank you, Alex....." She said as we prepared to leave the kingdom. But, before we exited its walls, there was still one last thing the both of us had to do. We had to make a quick stop at the new church first. 

When we arrived, the church had been fully redesigned, now bearing a symbol which contained all five of the cardinal weapons. 

"Just as mother said. A religion that worships all five of them equally." I thought as we both entered and stood before the dragon hourglass. A young knight and mage stood before us, as they were elected the new guardians of the hourglass. 

"Your highness! It is an honor to be in your presence!" The knight said as they both bowed to me and Neela. 

"I thank you, but there's no need for that. Our visit will be short. We are here to perform class upgrades." I explained to them as they stepped out of the way. 

"Very well. Both of you, please step forward and place your hands on the hourglass." The mage said to us as we did as she said. We both laid our right hands down and the hourglass suddenly began to glow. A tree of upgrades appeared before my eyes but they all seemed to be blocked off. It wasn't letting me choose which one I wanted to become. Only one was available to me. 

"Well, if it's my only option, that I guess I have no choice in the matter. I choose the class upgrade status of "Silver Knight."" I said as I chose the upgrade and removed my hand from the hourglass. My level cap was broken and all the extra experience points I had gained were added to me. I was now at level 43. 

"I wish to accept the path of "Scarlet Archmage." Neela said as she removed her hand from the hourglass. I then saw as her level reached all the way up to 47. That was surely from all the training she did with Ayuma. 

"There. Now, we're ready." I said as Neela agreed with me. 

"Thank you both very much for coming. And, we wish you the best of luck on your journey!" The young knight said to us as we waved them both goodbye. We left the church and entered my own personal carriage. We took off immediately, heading straight for the port.

After about an hour of traveling, we made it to our destination. The spear, sword, and bow hero all arrived before us as they'd used their special hero skill to teleport them and their parties somewhere they'd been to before. They all now waited at the docks to board the ship that would take us to Cal Mira. I asked mother if she could find us the fastest ship in their entire fleet and she says she knew someone from back when she was younger. He would get us there in a flash. 

"Looks like we're just waiting on the shield hero, I guess. Any word that he's near?" I asked the other three heroes as they all sat at the edge of the dock. 

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Ren said to me as he pointed at a hill next to the town. Coming down a path was Naofumi and his party, Filo pulling them along in their carriage. 

"Good. I'm glad we don't have to wait long. I want to leave as soon as possible. All of you, board now. We're setting sail as soon as Naofumi and his party board." I said as they got up and walked onto the ship. Neela joined them as I decided to wait on the dock for Naofumi to arrive. When he did, I greeted him. 

"Glad you could make it. The ship was set to leave in 20 minutes, and it's the only one today. Wouldn't want you to miss out." I said to him as he chuckled a bit. 

"Yeah, sorry we're late. We had to make a quick stop first. But, we're all good to go now." Naofumi said as we shook hands and finally boarded the ship. 

"Alright, everyone's here now! Set sail for Cal Mira archipelago!" I shouted as the ship was untied from the dock and the sails were dropped. We instantly picked up the wind and we were off. I stood at the bow of the ship, feeling the wind blow through my hair as the sight of the open ocean was absolutely stunning. It was shining from the light of the sun and the sounds of the waves crashing against the ship calmed my soul. 

"It truly is an honor to meet you, my king." A man said to me as I turned around to face him. He was rather tall, very well built with green eyes and short brown hair. He wore a navy blue jacket with a white undershirt below it, along with dark brown pants and black boots. In terms of age, I would say he would be in his late 20's. And, to his right was a woman, a little shorter than him, around 5 foot 10 inches if I had to guess. She had honey colored eyes, silver hair that went down to her waste, and she wore a pink and white jacket, dark brown fingerless gloves on both her hands, light brown pants that were ripped a bit at the knees, and black boots.

"Ah, you must be the captain of this ship. It's a pleasure to meet you. And thank you for taking us to Cal Mira." I said to him as we shook hands. 

"Not a problem at all. I actually owed you mother, the queen a favor after she saved my hide from a monster. It's the least I can do." He said to me as he chuckled and smiled. 

"You can call me Xavier. Xev for short. And, this lovely lady here is my first mate, Krystal." The captain said as we shook hands. 

"A pleasure to meet the new king of Melromarc. We will not fail you, sir." Krystal said to me as I laughed a bit. 

"Hey now, that's my line." I jokingly said as they both laughed at that remark. 

"Well sir, this trip will take us a day or two depending on if the wind's nice to us. Make yourself comfortable. We prepared you your special quarters just below deck. I hope it's to your liking." Xev said to me as I thanked him. 

"Thank you, but that really wasn't necessary. I'm not really that picky and it wouldn't have bothered me if I had to bunk with someone else." I said to them as they both looked at each other. 

"Kinda wishing the queen told us that, then. Oh well, can't undo it now. Enjoy it, sir. I've gotta go to the wheel and make sure my helmsman is steering us in the right direction. If you need anything, just call for Krystal here and she'll be right there to aid you." Xev explained to me as he left and headed to the other side of the ship. 

"As he said, if you need anything, just call for me. I'll be below deck checking the supply numbers." Krystal said to me as I nodded to her and she walked away. I then looked back out to the ocean and looked up into the sky at the shining sun. 

"Don't worry, Ayuma. We're going to save you soon." I said to myself as I walked away from the bow of the ship. But, when I got to the centre of the main deck, the sight was.... well..... a little unpleasant. Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki were all leaning over the side of the ship, throwing up. 

"You cannot be serious. Are all three of you sea sick?" I asked as they turned their heads to face me. 

"No, i'm not, I swear*buurp!* I don't know what's wrong with me....." Motoyasu said as we leaned back over to puke some more. And then, Naofumi came out onto the deck and the other heroes noticed him. He looked like he wasn't having any sickness problems. 

"Hey wait, how come you aren't getting sick, Naofumi?" Itsuki asked him as he nearly threw up on the deck. 

"Must be that.... overpowered shield of his....." Ren said as he lied down on his side. 

"Serves you all right for taking all the private cabins. Anyways, I figured something out. Remember in our meeting when we were talking about item refining?" Naofumi asked them. 

"Please, stop talking. I really don't want to think about anything right now." Motoyasu said as he threw up again. 

"But you've gotta listen to me. As long as the system exists...." Naofumi tried to say but he was interrupted. 

"Seriously, the sound of your voice is making me sick..... Please, stop...." Itsuki said. 

"You just have to believe the system is-" Naofumi tried to explain as Motoyasu power-vomited over the side of the ship. I wanted to be sick at this point from just listening to them. And then, a large shark-like fish was thrown up over the side of the ship, landing on the deck and nearly crushing my older sister, Mal- or, um, Bitch. She looked much better now with that shiny shaven head of hers. 

"Hiya, master! We're having grilled fish for dinner, tonight!" Filo shouted as I looked over the edge to see her in her bird form, swimming freely in the water. 

"Wait a sec, Filo can swim?" Naofumi questioned as I honestly had the same thought. 

"Really? That's the first thing you have to say about this?" Itsuki questioned him. 

"Oh god..... that fish stinks...." Ren said as he nearly threw up again. I then noticed two people I didn't recognize walk out onto the deck. One was a larger man with a fit build, medium length red hair, wearing a red and black vest, black pants and brown boots. The other was a girl, much smaller than the man with long light blue braided hair, wearing a white dress with a brown vest over top, along with a dark blue skirt and brown boots. 

"Hey, shield kiddo. What's up with them?" The man asked as he looked to the other heroes getting sick. 

"Weak stomachs. You need something?" Naofumi asked them. 

"Actually, Therese here has a request." The man said as he looked to the woman next to him. 

"Raphtalia was telling me of how exceptionally skilled you are at jewel crafting. Would you be able to make an accessory for me?" Therese asked him. 

"Well now, that's random. I'll help but i'll need you to give me the materials." Naofumi said as Therese handed him a small sack that was filled. 

"Of course, you can use anything that's in this bag. And, obviously i'll pay you for your time." Therese said to him as Naofumi took the bag, opened it up and pulled out a gemstone. It was a beautiful bright red and Naofumi got a long look at it. 

"Well, what do you say?" Therese asked him. 

"It might take a while because I can't work on it while i'm searching and grinding levels. But, if that's okay, then sure." Naofumi explained to her. 

"That would be wonderful." Therese said with joy. 

"There, ya see? You got what you wanted, Therese." The man said to her as I finally approached them. 

"Hello, I don't believe we've met yet. Are you acquaintances of Naofumi, here?" I asked them as I shook hands with the man and then Therese. 

"Actually, I only just met them." Naofumi explained to me. 

"The name's L'arc Berg. But you can just call me L'arc." The man said to me. 

"And my name is Therese Alexandrite. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said to me. 

"It's nice to meet you both as well. I am king Alexander Melromarc the 3rd. But please, just call me Alex." I said as L'arc began to laugh. 

"You're the king!? That's a funny one, kiddo!" He said to me. 

"I'm not lying. And please, refrain from calling me "kiddo." I'm 18 and an adult." I explained as he laughed even harder. 

"You're only 18!? Kiddo, aren't you just a tad bit too young to be a king?" L'arc said as he nearly broke down into tears from his laughter. I simply sighed and gave up on him. 

"Fine, whatever. Have it your way. Are you two members of one of the parties on board?" I asked them as Therese shook her head. 

"No, we're just a pair of adventurers looking to level up at Cal Mira. The price was a bit much but they let us aboard this ship." She explained. 

"I see. Well, so long as you don't cause a commossion or anything, I guess I don't see why you can't stay. Welcome aboard!" I said as they thanked me, L'arc still laughing at me a bit. 

"Hold on, who's that lovely lookin' demi-human over there?" L'arc asked as he peered over me. I turned around and saw he was staring at Neela who was leaning near the bow. 

"Nice bod, looks like the right age, and cute too. I like her!" L'arc said as he started to walk over to her. But I stopped him before he passed me. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Neela over there is indeed very sweet, but, if you were to get on her bad side, and no offense, but the way you're starting act, you most certainly will, she'll beat you down in a heart beat. So, best lay those feelings of yours now to rest if you know what's good for you." I said to him as he chuckled a bit. 

"Well then, I promise i'll play nice. I'll say hi, introduce myself, and that's it. Is that alright, king kiddo?" L'arc asked me as I simply sighed. 

"It's fine with me but it's your funeral if you make her mad." I said to him as I let him pass. He walked right up to her and leaned next to her on the railing of the ship. He seemed to start a nice chat with her and he was even making her laugh. And, after a few minutes, he came back. No fighting, and no shouting whatsoever. 

"Kinda wish she wasn't already in a party. Otherwise, i'd ask her to join me and Therese. But this lady she was talking about seemed pretty wild. Kinda hope I get to meet her one day. But, it's weird that she's not here with her party members right now. Why is that?" L'arc asked me as I tried to think of an excuse. I didn't exactly want an innocent person to become involved in our situation. 

"Oh, uh, I sent her on a special mission in Melromarc. She'll be meeting with us in 2 days." I explained to L'arc as he looked at me curiously. 

"Are you lying to me?" He asked as he started eyeing me. 

"I see no reason for me to lie. Now please, avert your eyes from me. It's kinda weird to be honest." I said as he shrugged his shoulders and gave up. He, Naofumi, and Therese then walked away and went below deck to their quarters. 

Regardless if they wanted to join in and help, we had finally begun our mission to find and rescue Ayuma. Hopefully, we'd make it to Cal Mira by the morning. I wanted to get there as soon as possible. I just hoped that when we got there, everyone, including the heroes would focus on their duty and not lose sight of the objective. Finding Ayuma comes first. Leveling up is second. We just have to look for signs that the demon caused. Because if we do that....

"...We'll be one step closer to saving her."