The dew and the chirping sound of a new day sings to the couple's ears as Gina and Gran wakes up when the rays of the sun shines through their face. Gina stands first as she fixes her hair and Gran follows her.
"Good morning my love..." Gran says but he feels bad saying it.
"Gina, can i promise you something? Saying that earlier leaves a bad taste. I want to promise one thing, I will make Mayuri return, I swear on my soul."
Gran's words make Gina remember what happen yesterday, and she bury her face on his chest and she cries bitter tears again. Gran still feels guilty as he hears somebody knocking at the door. "Excuse us, Good Morning Sir and Madam. A guest wants to use the room as well. Would you be so kindly share the room with them?" The butler's voice rings through the room as Gran opens it and let the butler and the guest in. A fine young man in a formal suit enters with a tired servant following behind him.
"Is that the..." Gran thinking out loud as he is interrupts by Gina by dragging his hand and getting out of the way. "We will be going now!" Gina state as the young man nods to them, acknowledging them while leaving. Gina does the same as she wants to get them out as she wants to check on Rinko and Veronica.
"Gina..." Gran softly calls out but he doesn't force it as he just let her drag him. The two of them walks through flight of stairs as they approach Rinko's room and they knock into it. "Rinko? Veronica? You there? Are you okay? Please answer... Don't leave me..." Gina says those words and it is sinking to Gran little by little the effect of his defiance yesterday. It clearly affect Gina's thinking.
"Tch, looks like I won't be staying for long then." Gran thinks as he tries to remove his hand from Gina's grasp, but she grabs it back again, as if she's asking for him something. "Please don't leave me... I want to be strong, no, I need to be strong. Please be by my side Gran." Gina begs of her man as he nods and stays with her.
The door opens as Veronica and Rinko gets out of the room, wearing their usual gears for adventuring rather than the pretty clothes Iguro prepares. "I will have my freedom." Rinko says in such a cute tone of voice that even Gina can't take it seriously.
"Right, it seems your matchmaking partner is here. Give him a piece of your mind there." Gina says as Rinko and Veronica hypes themselves with a cheer. Gran feels a little relief as the remaining Valkyries are trying to maintain their closeness even though Mayuri just leave them. Rinko faces Gran, and she put her fist on his chest.
"Promise me this, you will win back Mayuri once I gain my freedom. Is that clear?" Rinko makes an agreement with the Exorcist as he is now glad that they consider him a part of the group as well. "Yeah! I swear!"
As Gran agrees, he feels the determination from her eyes as she descends through the carpeted stairs as she recalls the day she make that agreement with her Father.
At her childhood...
"Wah!" Rinko is taken down by a small wooden sword by that kid and she stands up again while the kid is acting tough while their instructor stops the sparring match. "Heh! If you'll become my girlfriend I'll protect you from any harm!" The kid says while it is clear that he doesn't like Rinko but he only likes to bully her.
"No! I won't like you! You bully!" Rinko shouts in a cute but fierce voice as she shows her resilience to the kid. The instructor separate them with his hand as the match is over. Iguro sees this engagement of the two and he actually looks at the kid.
"A strong kid that can protect her huh... Rough around the edges but I will whip him up and discipline him." Iguro thinks as he ask Rinko about something. "Hey Rinko, want to be friends with that kid?" As he points it out, kid Rinko revolts and she makes an agreement with her father on the spot.
"If I can be a S rank adventurer before I get old, I will not be having someone like him to be friends or anything!" Rinko says as she pouts and trying to hit her father with the wooden sword. Her Father laughs as Rinko descends and Iguro laid eyes on her and he's not surprise by what she's wearing right now.
"I really hope she doesn't hate me that much..." Iguro prays on his head as she steps on the last tread, she recalls in her head the time she starts being an Adventurer, the time she joins an intermediate adventurer party who traumatized her.
She and the said party tread to the dark dungeon as they are looking to get to the dungeon boss while she is being a frontline swordswoman and facing a variety of monsters along the way. The party members gave her praises and compliments as she is scratching her head and their eyes are like vultures eyeing their prey.
"Hey, this is the known Spider Lair, want to recon first before we enter there?" One of the lady party members proposes but Rinko refuses as she wants to surprise the Giant Spider instead of waiting for it. She ask the others to cover her up and she kick down the double doors, where the Giant Spider is weaving its food in a cocoon of webbing. It looks at Rinko as she later feels a kick on her back.
"Hey wha-" As Rinko turns around, she hears the door shut as she face the Giant Spider and it charges into her. She kept her guard up and tries to fight the Giant Spider alone, but she's quickly disarmed as the webbing it shoot traps her sword and she later only have a shield. She put in some mana on her shield as she continues to bump and crash against the Giant Spider, but it is also relentless.
"What the heck is that?" As Rinko looks up, she sees that several of the Baby Spiders hatch as she starts to lose her determination and her sanity. "No... No... Stay away..." The girl ask as she slowly stepping back and she later sees and overwhelming number of spiders are assembling in a cramped space. She is shaking her head as she doesn't want to believe that she might die in this claustrophobic space.
"NOOOO!! STAY AWAY!!!"
Rinko tries to knock the door in desparation as she hears the multi legged steps of the monsters approaching her way. She later use her mana to coat her shield in it and bash the door open. As it budges out, she quickly ran away as she is like a frantic woman who can't think straight and the only way out of there is to run into the light.
"Help! HELP!!" Her voice becoming hoarse as later she felt something pin her left foot down. She later trips and as she turns around, she sees the terrifying eyes of the Giant Spider and several Baby Spider. "GO AWAY! DON'T COME NEAR ME!! SOMEBODY HELP MEEE!"
As the dark dungeon with only a light illuminating the exit and the looming danger that will end her life, Rinko's voice echo through the hall of the oppressing dungeon, a sudden sound of metal rings through.
*SHIIING
A spear hits the Giant Spider, hitting its head as the monster blood pours down on its eyes and face. "Mayuri, take point!" A commanding female voice clears out the hollow halls of the dungeon as the green haired rogue charges and follows up the spear thrown earlier as she slices the legs of the Giant Spider and jumps to slice the face of the monster further.
The brown skinned commanding voice then joins to the frontline as she grabs her spear back and stab and whack the Baby Spiders to death. In just couple of minutes the two painted the halls with monster blood, and as the scared Rinko is trying to free her foot, the woman slice the webbing with her spear and extend her hand.
"Hey you okay? Can you talk? Name's Gina, that's Mayuri. We happen to catch some nasty people back there and they are grinning as if they're planning something." The woman introduces as Rinko holds her hand and she pulls her up to stand. "Don't force yourself to talk. I just want to ask you something..." Gina says but before she ends her question, Rinko embrace her and heavily cries.
"That's right! That's the hand who help me, the hand who taught me to embrace the fear and learn how to fight it!" Rinko thinks as she turns to look at her reason for asking for freedom. She rubs her hands in her thigh as she looks ahead and the man that will ask her hand is facing her. She looks at his face and even Veronica remarks something.
"Oh, he's not actually looks bad, in fact, he might have some chance..."
As son she says that, Gran and Gina looks on her, where she apologizes later. Rinko steels her heart as the guy bows while putting his left hand on his chest and he extend his right hand.
"Uhm, hello... You're still as beautiful as ever Rinko. Will you be my wife?" Kenji ask while he hears his beating heart rings through his ears. He waits for her response, and every second feels like an eternity for him. Rinko then also bows and she answers.
"I'm sorry! I can't be your wife!" Rinko answers as Kenji raises his head and Iguro and the servants have already anticipated this answer.
"Oh no..." Iguro thinks as he remember their first meeting a month ago, where he is watching a sword sparring match and Kenji stands out. Iguro then becomes curious as to who is that kid, and his servants fill him in. "Kenji... Where do I hear that name?" Iguro is trying to remember as the young man approach him as he wants to speak with him.
"Okay, it's not everyday you hear something about a duelist eh." Iguro remarks as he allows the young man to enter his room, at the balcony of the arena. The young duelist introduces himself. "Hello Mr. Iguro, I am Kenji, and I am once a classmate of your daughter Rinko."
"Oh? So what do you need? I don't have any reservations or any connections from my daughter's class before." Iguro answers as he is still bowing and never raises his head. "I know, but I want you to hear my request!" Iguro, raising his eyebrows, raises his right leg to lean on his left. "Oh, what is it then?" Iguro ask as Kenji slightly raises his hesd to meet his gaze.
"Yes sir! I know this is presumptuous for me to say as you just know me a while ago, but sir... I love your daughter! As i kid we promise to marry each other and I intend to honor that!"
With that bold declaration and confession coming from Kenji, Iguro is taken aback as he almost choke on his breathing and he manage to recompose himself a moment later. Kenji bows still as he is ready accept if Iguro will chew him out, but Iguro leans back on his chair and ask. "You want to ask my daughter's hand in marriage... Are you insane? You expect for me to comply?"
"Yes! Or I don't think so but regardless I will ask for her love still." Kenji answers as Iguro smirks since in order for him to not be intimidated by his eyes, Kenji keeps bowing to look at his feet instead. "Well tell me, why you want to marry my daughter?" Iguro ask while he leans on his arm chair and his chin on his hands. "This guy is getting bold, having to say these things in front of me." Iguro thinks as Kenji remembers why he wants to work hard for himself.
"When we were kids we are classmates before, and I remember she always stood up for me. I'm not an impressive of a kid back then, I'm always being bullied being a quiet kid at the time. The only one who stood up for me is Rinko..." Kenji recalls while he is now blushing and he can't look straight to Iguro's eyes.
"I remember how she stood up to me, thinking that she's my one and only hero. Then one time when this arrogant kid bullies her on a sword sparring match, she's the only one who manage to stood her ground against him, but her swordsmanship wasn't enough to defeat this kid yet, so before the kid hit her, I stand between them and protect her... That's when I vow to myself that I need to be strong so I can be with her..." Kenji adds as Iguro's mind wants to know something.
"Okay wait, this whole affair happened on your childhoods huh, I don't think my daughter will remember such event..." Iguro interrupts but Kenji's passionate eyes shines through as he continues to recount his story with Rinko. "And then I became friends with her and also ask if she will take me as her partner. She agrees in that cute voice while we made the pinky promise."
"A pinky promise huh... You think this whole story gonna fly? I didn't remember you at all!!" Iguro protest as he calls out his servants to kick out the young swordsman in his presence, but Kenji fought them off and ask Iguro to give him a chance as he really wants to declare his feelings again to Rinko. "Sir no! I will not be denied, no, my love will not be denied by anyone!"
And so he persistently bother Iguro to have Rinko meet with him and that's what happen three days earlier. Iguro recounts the resilience of the young man as he approach Rinko while he is now dumbfounded by her response. "I apologize if I have jump into saying that since we just only met today. My name's Kenji and I am one of your classmate from back then." Kenji introduce himself as he bows in front of the shield maiden.
Kenji extend his right hand again so that he can confirm to Rinko if she'll accept his feelings. "I promise that I will be strong so one day I'll be able to ask your hand for marriage like this. I know this sound silly and childish but that pinky promise from before is what drives me to where I am now..." Kenji state as Rinko is awkwardly standing there, not knowing what to respond to the young man as she really is drawing blank abou this promise or to clue in who is he.
"I-I'm sorry, you possibly got the wrong girl..." Rinko weakly says but Kenji hears it clearly and he grabs her hands to hold. "No, I wouldn't mistaken such lovely eyes of yours..." Kenji replies as Gran and the others are kinda getting irked by that cheesy line. Gran particularly thinks how too old school the line is. "Okay this is dragging for sometime now, I expect for Rinko to speak up about this." Gran thinks as the silence permeates for a minute, where Iguro breaks the ice.
"Now now, this young man is one of the owner of the booming trade security business in the kingdom as he is also vouched by Princess Lucy to take care of our trading from now on. He is also a great swordsman that train under the legendary Anvil, the master of the great hero Van. I think he will be a good pair for you dear..." Iguro says through the silence as Rinko look through Kenji's puppy like eyes while Gran feels that this whole encounter on the staircase will get them to nowhere.
"Alright then may I step in as one of your resident troublemaker from yesterday here. If the claim of the man in the house is true, maybe your sword fighting skills shall win her over then?" Gran boldly ask as Kenji is surprised by this declaration while the others just nods as they go along. Gina knows that Rinko is not a pushover, as she's the one who presonally train her to be a shield maiden.
"Is anybody against the idea of a little spar between the starry eyed lover boy here and the silent maiden?" Gran ask again as if he is provoking the young man himself. "No! I will never do that! I love her! Why would I harm her?" Kenji ask but Rinko thinks otherwise.
"No I agree... I want to have a duel with you." Rinko says as she shakes off from Kenji's grasp as her shield is handed to her by Gina. "Go get him then..." Gina whispers as Rinko nods. The shield maiden shows her fierce expression as Kenji couldn't believe that his love wants to fight him.
"I'm sorry Mr. Kenji, but if I win, I will get to have my freedom as I will be a S rank adventurer before I hit 30. My agreement with my father still stands today and what you are saying doesn't register to me." Rinko says as Kenji is having doubts if he needs to raise his blade against her, but he opt to use something else so he can fight without hurting her and he decides for his win condition.
"And if I win, I want to start our relationship first by dating. It is probably too fast for me to ask your hand so I want you to know me better after these years." Kenji states as they are lead by the servants into the courtyard again, where the Exorcist and the Rogue have a messy duel there yesterday.
Since the dew of the morning and the chirping birds are singing through the air, the couple stand to an end of each other, having goals on their mind. Gran sees how serious but broken the young man is while he see the determination from Rinko's eyes as she take up her shield to fight.
Kenji's servant volunteer to be the one who officiate the duel, and as he raise his left hand, Kenji's heart begins to pound.
"BEGIN!!"
The two dash at each other as Kenji steps out from the straightforward clash as he knows he is in a disadvantage as the shield Rinko is wielding covers almost all of her body. He uses a wooden sword as he parries the shield to the right as he quickly twist his wrist to a direction that he will hit Rinko, yet the shield maiden can't be caught lacking now. She over commits the first bash attack but she is able to evade and roll out of the way as Kenji swings his sword to miss.
"I'm so sorry Rinko I..." Kenji apologizes but he sees Rinko dashing again through the air and he keep his guard up to defend himself, only to be sent into the wall as he doesn't evade the attack in time. Kenji groans due to pain but he stands again as Rinko have that flame inside of her to send a message. Iguro and the servants quietly watch the duel while Gran is tapping his left foot as he is aware of something.
"No, I can't see any killing intent or malice from the kid's words and action. If this keeps up, she will hurt him so bad that this will make some irreversible stuff later down the road..." Gran assess in his mind as Kenji takes his wooden sword again while Rinko continues to attack him.
"Hey Rinko! Can't you remember our promise when we are at the playground? I swore to you that I will protect and cherish you no matter what!" Kenji plea for Rinko to remember their promise but she still relentlessly bashing and charging her shield unto him. "I apologize! I don't recall anything at all!" She answers as Kenji barely able to react and dodge her shield as she hits the wall herself.
"Hey stop being so reckless! You'll hurt yourself!" Kenji worries yet Rinko pour some of her mana onto her shield and starts chambering her shield from her back. "If you don't want to die you need to take this seriously!" Rinko shouts as these words rings out again from Kenji's mind and heart. Those same words are the words he remembers about the brave Rinko from her childhood, something he is seeing right through her now.
"Rinko why? Stop..." Kenji's heart continues to break further as Rinko's shield glows and the shield maiden throws it towards Kenji. Kenji duck under as some of his hair is graze by the shield and Kenji then follows through and defend himself when the shield returns. Rinko then charge through the guy and she push him away as Kenji is still standing as he is now tearing up recalling her sweet memories in his mind.
The duel is coming to a close and everyone there can't believe how one sided this whole affair is as Gran witness a young man's heart breaks piece by piece as the woman he loves doesn't remember anything about him. The clouds rumbles with a thunder as it is posing to rain again.
"I will win! My whole life is about this freedom that I want to achieve. I will have our party back!" Rinko's mind swirls outside of the duel now as she is only thinking of getting the Valkyries back instead. "If you are looking for a girl that likes you before, she's probably dead now as I am reborn to gain my own way of romance and happiness. I will not be used for any political marriage."
As Rinko declares that Kenji wants to know more of what happen to Rinko as he didn't ask Iguro before about her Adventurer life, but with the pouring of the rain he ask again Rinko. "Hey, so you didn't remember our pinky promise? To love each other?" Rinko doesn't answer as she can't recall anything about it. She charges again as Kenji just drops his weapon as he knows that he can't win forever.
Gran quickly act as she will hit a defenseless man now as Kenji cries with the rain. When her shield almost hit the young man, Gran kick her shield out of the way. "Yes you win Rinko stop. Your point had been made." Gran states as Kenji leaves in bitter tears as he steps into the mansion, soaked and wordless. Rinko wins the duel, yet she doesn't hear any cheer. Gina and Veronica just gives her a thumbs up as she approach them for a hug.
"I apologize for bothering you Sir Iguro. Please cancel the marriage event. It is nice knowing you all. Also please tell Rinko that I won't bother her anymore." Kenji bows out as he bids farewell. Gran decides about something as he ask if there's any near pub in the place.
"I do understand you man..." - Gran