Chapter 9: A Quaint Picnic Ruined, An (Un)invited Guest.

“What is that? I don’t….Wait. No way! You guys have those here!??!!? Oh my god! I love these!” Siren exclaimed joyfully, when she looked into the bag he had placed next to her.

“You know what these are, then?” Ari asked, pulling a drink out of his dimensional storage and handing it to her.

“These are chicken nugget- is that a milkshake? Oh dear lord. I wanna say I love you, because this is just….I can’t… YES!!!!” Siren said, with extreme excitement.

Ari smiled, opening his mouth to speak.

Suddenly, his smile disappeared and his teeth clenched.

He took something long and polished from midair and spun around.

There was the sound of clashing metal, and a shockwave rippled through the air, flattening the grass below.

He had drawn out a sword, seemingly made of wood, and shaped like a katana.

It didn’t shake even a little, the other sword grinding against it, as though its wielder was putting all of their power into the giant blade.

The wooden katana was blocking a massive sword without issue, and it sparked like it was made of metal.

Ari put a little bit more strength into his guard and deflected the massive sword, proceeding to break the balance of the other person’s blade. He tapped their hand with the flat side of the sword, dropping it from their grip, and picked it up with the tip of his katana from its cross shaped guard, flinging the sword out of reach.

“What are you doing.” Ari said, a commanding presence filling the surrounding area.

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“Urk! U-U-uh…. Nothing! Anyways, who is that!? I’ve never seen you bring another person here, let alone a human!” The person said.

“That does not give you the right to disrespect me and attack a guest. My personal guest, if I might add.” Ari said, scowling.

“But-!” The person started.

“Shut up, Griz. Can’t you see I’m busy right now? It’s rude to interrupt.” Ari responded.

“But if someone sees you with a girl like this, do you understand what the political ramifications of that would be?! After all, you are th-ermfff” Griz said, being muffled by Ari before she could finish her sentence.

“Yes, I know quite well. But this area is absolutely forbidden to anyone who I haven’t given permission to enter. Nobody can see us. There isn’t a single person in this world, except maybe the hero, who can break this barrier. Even then, this specific glades' barrier may be impossible for them. I used my mothers research notes on barriers when creating it, after all. Though, it was still incredibly expensive.” Ari said, lost in thought.

Griz broke free of his grip, backing up.

She started to speak, being almost instantly cut off.

A person came up behind Griz and karate chopped her on the back of her neck, knocking her out cold.

“Sorry, my lord. I wasn’t keeping proper watch on the fool.” A young man sighed, adjusting his glasses.

“Oh, hey Zen. Thanks.” Ari said, relaxing.

Ari fell backwards, next to Siren, and let out a deep sigh.

Siren took a sip of her shake, staring at him.

Zen adjusted his glasses again, and analyzed Siren for a few seconds.

“Is this a new marriage candidate? No, that’s impossible. She’s human.” Zen said, talking to himself.

“She’s a new friend of mine, her name is Siren. I’ve only known her since around early morning. Even so, I think we get along quite well. Calling you my friend wouldn't be too much of a stretch, right?” Ari asked Siren.

Siren shook her head and held up a finger, still sipping her shake. She swallowed.

“Ahhhh. That’s delicious. Also, yeah. I consider us friends at this point. We get along pretty well, don’t we? We also have a lot of common interests. And you’ve invited me to come over again, whenever I’d like. I guess getting to know each other better is all that’s left. That’s something that will happen gradually over time. So I just have to keep coming over.” Siren said, thinking. She got a brainfreeze from drinking her milkshake too quickly.

"I see. That makes me quite glad. Zen, you may go now. Take the sack of lumpy potatoes with you." Ari said, happy.

“My lord. If I may, I have something I wish to convey to you first.” Zen said, kneeling.