"Ah, thank you for waiting" Aer mentioned, as he and Saphri came out of the shower area with fresh clean bodies and clothing.

"No problem, it would have been awkward to continue our conversation like that".

Raevin said that, as he sat at a table drinking tea. It was set up in the meadow outside the stables, and it all looked rather elegant and surreal. Paladin Remarse was there too, keeping him company, but he seemed nervous and unsure about something.

"Now then, Cadet Aer is it? Lets go somewhere a bit more peaceful. I would like to talk to you about some things".

"Right, yes...of course".

And so, the two boys headed off.

----------------------------------------

"Well now, here it is" Ciel muttered, looking at the residence in question. It was in a poorer area of the Imperial Capital, and although the Imperial Capital boasted impressive security, every city had some area, a more unsecure area that had lots of poor.

"Is there anything else you request, Avatar Ciel" a cloaked figure asked, appearing next to Ciel in an instant.

"Nothing beyond what I have already requested" Ciel mentioned. "Well, it is true this lace might be a bit tough to break into..."

Certainly, the place had some clear issues Ciel had to take account of. There were a few tough looking people guarding the inside, and some decently tough people guarding the outside. There was also the fact that it had a surprisingly high amount of magic defense.

"If I just charge in there, I am not sure I can save the hostages. They might kill them before I can kill them all. How troublesome".

But as he thought that, he saw that group of people, a very particular group of people, having just arrived in the Imperial Capital. People who he could make use of. All the pieces were starting to align, as if it had been orchistrated by a higher power.

"This timing is just so perfect" Ciel muttered, as he decided to go and greet them.

And meanwhile, in one of the various side streets of the run down district of the Imperial Capital, a certain trio were walking their way through.

"I told you we shouldn't have made a turn" Kotori said with a sigh. "You have absolutely no sense of direction, sis".

"Relax! I am sure everything will be fine!".

"I think you might get too worked up over the smaller details, Kotori. Furthermore, your pace is so slow. One of us should pick you up again, like this".

Suddenly, Yulari picked up Kotori in a princess carry. She picked him up so naturally and easily, his light body being easy for her. After all, Kotori's height only went up to her chest. Rayheart was almost as tall as her as well.

"No! No no no! Its embarrassing! Also too close! And also, I still feel sore from going at that ridiculous pace already!"

Kotori complained and squirmed, so she eventually put him down. At first Kotori thought they had listened to him for a change, but then he noticed that they seemed to have been surrounded. Men and women alike, who appeared tough as they eyed them. A number of them looked at them with eyes of greed, while others looked at them with perverse eyes.

Such an encounter seemed absolutely ridiculous inside the Imperial Capital, but here it was. Many of the men had lustful looks to the two girls, but Kotori was also getting some of those looks from the males, as well as many females.

Kotori could see it though, he could tell there was something wrong with these people. While certainly they were depraved, he could see a lingering influence, strings on them as if they were puppets. He saw what no one else could see.

"Heyo, little boya...allow me to give you a treat".

"Girlie, you look like you are really prime. Let me show you all my experience".

"Those swords are not the sort of thing a girl like you should have..."

As they said such scum filled things, Rayheart was completely unphazed She definently felt like they were no good, but she didn't really get all the looks she was getting.

Perhaps...are they dumb?

The dumbest person there thought something like that.

As for Yulari...

"I will have you know, if you really want to force me to do anything I dont want, you have to beat me!"

She said such a thing that made various people lick their lips, and made Kotori want to bang his head into a wall several times over.

Of course, due to the absurd things that were happening in front of him, he got distracted as a woman grabbed his wrist and lifted his body off the ground.

"What a cute little boy...I will show you the appeal of a mature women...and sex, of cou..."

As she said that, suddenly a fist impacted into her face as another twisted her wrist, forcing her to let go of Kotori while sending her flying.

As for the one who did it, it was Rayheart, who seemed to be pouting and mad.

"You shouldn't talk about that stuff in front of minors! Kotori, plug your ears! This conversation is too mature for you!"

Rayheart declared there, as she now saw all of them as her enemies. Kotori wanted to point out several flaws in her understanding, but he decided not to since she had officially started seeing these people as enemies.

"For the crime of trying to do nasty things to my little brother, you shall be punished".

"Ah, I am so glad I didn't have to explain the situation to her" Yulari muttered, as she drew her swords. A few of them were startled, but then one person called out to them.

"They might be strong, but if we gang up on them, they cant defeat us all!"

Yulari briefly considered the negatives of doing things like carelessly killing them all, but she decided that considering several of them considered a small boy as valid, and since they attacked first, anything that happened as a result was valid self defense.

As such, she cut through them without much care, not bothering to hold back. Although she did not possess superhuman strength, her strength was enhanced a bit through her status. But more importantly, she had her sword skill and technique she carried over from her previous life.

That said, the amount of enemies could not be discounted. It was certainly problematic, especially since Rayheart was pulling her punches to not kill them.

Although, it was only to not kill them. Even the hero would get a bit upset when her little brother was targeted in such a way. Rayheart only tended to be oblivious when it came to herself.

However, the amount of people coming at them was clearly way too much.

"Now now, its not nice to gang up on people".

A gush of wind was felt, as a boy who appeared as young as Kotori landed in the middle of the attackers, having seemingly dropped down from above. He held a spear out, and as he landed, those around him suddenly fell to the ground. And not only that, but no matter how long their allies waited, they did not get back up, having been rendered unconscious.

No, in that moment, he also crushed several bones they had, but none of them vital.

This boy also had an aura about him. Rayheart could roughly tell he was strong, but also an honest and kind boy. Not one to use deception unless he felt it was necessary. Yulari though, had taken a guard stance against him, but looked excited, and Kotori seemed to be the one who was the most shocked, although he had probably seen this ahead of time.

"What the hell, what did you do shortie! Which whore is your moth..."

Almost instantly, the man found his head impacted into the dirt, dug in good, with the boy standing on top of it.

"...you call my mother that again, and you will lose your head. I dont have the time to deal with you trash, but if you provoke me I wont back down".

For a moment, the boy seemed genuinely angry, and his bloodthirst caused the others to either give up and run away, pass out from fear, or in addition to those two, soil themselves. The boy noticed this, and quickly calmed down, taking a deep breath as he hopped off the trash.

"And for the record, I am still growing" he said, although Rayheart felt as if he just lied right there.

"Who...are you?" Rayheart asked.

"Ah, sorry for interrupting your fight. You are the hero, Rayheart, right? And an Otherworlder at that, how nice" he said, alarming them all. "And you are accompanied by another Otherworlder, and a boy who is not but is related to you by blood, and also...a future Sage, I suspect".

"...that was not an answer" Kotori pointed out, as they stood a bit wary on the street. Since the fighting stopped, a few people from the nearby buildings came out to investigate.

"Ah, sorry. Its just, you stopped in such a convienent place. Anyways, my name is Ciel, I was named after the God of Status and Reincarnation. I am also an S-Rank Adventurer, even though I am such a cute and lovable boy. In any case, a man is being made to kill a bunch of your classmates and their friends. His wife and two children are being held hostage in this building. Wanna help me rescue them?"

The moment that was said, almost everyone who came out went back inside, except for the two from the building Ciel pointed at. When they realized what he just said, they began to draw their swords while opening their mouths, but both of them were hit by Rayheart's Holy Sword and went flying, creating holes through the building and making a large entrance for them.

Inside, there were several more people, all with weapons and who already took a defensive stance.

"Hold them off for me while I rescue them, kay?" Ciel said, suddenly darting past them while avoiding their weapons. A few wanted to pursue, but then Rayheart and Yulari charged at them together, while Kotori backed them up.

Rayheart didn't even hesitate, the moment she heard two children needed her help. Yulari either, and Kotori basically just went along with it all.

Although, he was bothered a bit by how that boy, Ciel, saw through them so easily.

Either way, a major fight broke out.

----------------------------------------

"Nonono, please I can..."

"Don't bother fighting it! It is for your own good, and its our job!"

"Go with the flow, Master!"

"Why am I being made to do this as well!?"

Such words were said, as Rikuo, Sora, and even Ruu were held down in the changing room by the maids, and stripped of all their clothes, and in Ruu's case, made to take human form. That said, it was impossible to remove the gold bands on his wrist and ankle, and they did not try to remove the collars and chokers at all. Instead, Rikuo had to wear one, a special one as proof he was a commoner that was invited.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

And after all that fuss, they were brought into the royal bathing chamber, with one woman actually carrying the smaller Rikuo in her arms.

"Ma'am, are you sure this level of treatment is okay?" a maid asked.

"Our superior, Jezre, has ordered this, and given strict instructions as to handle the situation. As they are commoners, we must be harsh so they will remember better, and behave and act properly around the king".

The head maid said that. She seemed older then the others, and always had a stern expression on her face. Though, while she seemed full of malice, there was a bit of a sadness to her, or at least Rikuo felt that.

"Now then, we will wash you head to toe three times over, and then you will soak in the bath until we come to get you" the head maid said, sounding very strict. "You may be honored guests of the king, and even allowed to use the royal baths instead of the servant ones, but dont think we wont punish you for defying the order of the Castle. Especially you, stop squirming!"

She glared at Rikuo, but Rikuo was in a position that made him not want to at all, even with Multi-Parallel Thought Processing it was overwhelming to him.

"Ma'am...we cant actually..." the maid next to her started to mutter.

"Just treat him the way your mother would treat a naughty boy. Go for at least a minute" the head maid declared. Almost immediately, the maid holding Rikuo knelt down and flipped him over, with him over the knee. Rikuo immediately realized what was coming, and tried to struggle out of it while apologizing. But then, it began, as his rear faced a brutal spanking.

Sora and Ruuruu looked away, sympathizing. Sora could tell this likely had something to do with that title he was burdened with. Not only that, but Sora could also roughly tell that it probably hurt a lot, given how red he got in several areas. Mentally and physically.

Well, there is also the fact each and every maid here is armed with some sort of combat weapon. If it was a normal maid or butler, it probably would not be as bad...

However, those thoughts were interrupted when they found themselved grabbed as well.

"Familiars should also recieve some of the punishment, especially when they fail to take care of their master".

And so, the trio suffered once more. Once they were released, they were much more obedient.

They sure seem strict....

"To be honest, although I dont know too much about noble and royal customs, they are actually treating us very well. And yes, I say that as my butt is still red and hurts. But, usually if a commoner disrespects or throws a fit like you were, they might recieve a lash or a whip. She is harsh when it comes to following the rules, but when it comes to punishments, a minute of spanking? That is lightweight".

"The few times Darius actually brought me into a royal place, even he acted with such perfect respect and integrity. He might be scum, but he knows how to play them well".

That said, the three boys were made to sit down immediately afterwards so they could be washed by the maids. It hurt when they sat though, but then a few maids came in, also naked, and sat down first. The trio was then made to sit in their laps, which still hurt, but they were held there and soft skin was better then a hard seat.

"Well, that was an interesting show" Herra mentioned, sitting down next to the trio along with Arila. It appeared that, at least in this kingdom, not even the royal baths were gender segregated, having full gender equality since its creation.

The kingdom could even be ruled by a queen, provided she was the eldest child and no other was named successor.

That said, Sora was was probably the least phased by this, although even he seemed to have some issues. Well, there was also Arila, who appeared fine as well, but was pouting a bit.

"...washing Rikuo is supposed to be my job...well, aside from Herra sometimes".

That is not the...oh whatever.

Rikuo didn't even have the capacity to complain right now, as they were soaped up, shampooed, and washed three times over, before finally being brought to the baths themselves. Naturally, Rikuo was carried again.

And when they saw the baths up close, it was marvelous. It was as large as a swimming pool, The floor was tiled, or made of marble, and the water came in from what appeared to be a manmade waterfall coming out of a stone statue, which appeared to have some large wheels one could turn on the side. The water itself looked so pure and beautiful, it seemed almost divine. And also, there were a few people here.

Once they finally arrived, the maid who had picked up Rikuo finally put him down again.

"So you are the one who pulled out the spear" one boy said, with long blonde hair and glowing green eyes. He stood right in front of Rikuo, hands on his hips and completely naked, looking at him with a passion in his eyes. "To think it was someone younger then me...but still, you will make a good rival!"

Although he said younger, while he was taller then Rikuo, he was only about ten years old.

"Third Prince Elri! I didn't realize you were here! My apologies, I will take them away and have them wait in the waiting room until you are done" the head maid said, bowing respectfully.

"No way!" he said, grabbing Rikuo's hand. "I wanna bathe and play with him! With all of them!"

"Ehh, dont hog the newcomers brother!" a girl said, coming up to Rikuo as well. "You look cute! You can be a flowerboy at me and Haru's wedding!"

"Third Princess...Haru is a servant, and a commoner, you cant..."

"No way! Haru is Haru! He will be my hubby!"

She appeared to only be around eight, but the Princess seemed very tomboyish.

The maid seemed insistant on making them leave though.

"...every second you look at them right now is more punishment time later" she told them, causing Rikuo and the others to immediately look away.

The third prince and princess immediately raised protests to that statement though, but it seemed they were too young to have much of a say.

"Archrilla, leave them be" a young woman told her. The moment that was said, she and the others immediately had a much stronger reaction, and showed respect. When they looked over at the source of the voice, a woman who also was naked walked over to them, with her brilliant long blonde hair, and her eyes that felt as if they could see into their very souls. The maids quickly let the five of them go.

"Of course, Crown Princess. As the heir commands, we will simply assist..."

"No, these people might be commoners, but they are guests invited by the royal family. I dont care what Jezre told you, but they deserve to relax. I am not sure they can do that here, so we will take care of them as an apology. You shall wait outside".

"...yes, Crown Princess Esmerelda".

Hearing that, the group of them left. Rikuo felt relieved, but then suddenly the moment the first princess entered the baths and sat down, she picked Rikuo up again and put him on her lap.

"Eh, no fair!"

"Don't hog him to yourself!"

"There are others to play with, you know? Like the dragon boy and the spear itself, as well as the swordswoman and the rogue" she mentioned. "But I want to talk to him, leader to leader first".

And as she said that, she held his small body close to her own. It appeared considering her sitting position, there was a sort of marble bench or ledge that could be sat on around the edge of the pool.

"...and I want to talk to you, about you being an Otherworlder".

Rikuo, at first glance, felt as if this woman was dangerous. He wanted to run away, but for some reason as the others got in the bath, no one got close to them, and it seemed like even the sound was dulled. Her arms were closely wrapped around him, and his body was in a sitting position in her lap. Furthermore...in his Status, a new condition had been applied. Magically Weakened. His magical powers were being suppressed somehow.

He had no way to escape, and he felt like calling for help would not work either. Furthermore, even Herra was not reacting. Since he was naked, he didn't even have any equipment or potions.

And I obviously cant hurt the princess without screwing us all over, although I suspect I cant harm her either way right now. Damnit, I let my guard down and fell into such a trap!

"I don't know what you....ahhhg!"

Suddenly, Rikuo felt the choker around his neck give him a shock. No one else seemed to notice though, not even Herra. All he could do was squirm in pain in her lap, his arms were restrained well so it was just his legs and bottom that kicked around and moved, but to no avail. He was trapped there on her lap.

"I special made that one, anyone who lies to me gets a nasty electric shock, just so you know".

It seemed that Rikuo could not even try to play the fool.

"How did you know?" Rikuo asked.

"It was obvious from the way you acted. Just a tip, but normal commoner boys and adventurers, upon being allowed to rest in a noble or royal level room, would have stripped completely, jumped into the bed, and snuggled and rested together. It happens over ninety percent of the time. Granted, I always look at people who come here more closely, but that gave me a clear sign. The fact the girls didn't join you, it means at least one of them was an Otherworlder and understood, and at least two of you were as well. Maids can easily tell what actually happened in a room from the state it is in, for the record".

Rikuo could not help but remember what Ciel said. Behaviors that deviate from the norm could clue people in and cause trouble.

Either way, he still had no clue what was going in specifically right now.

"...why are you doing this?"

"Ah, you mean the magical weakening? Well, I could tell right away you have no strong physical abilities. You can turn into lightning though, so I thought I would make sure you didn't do something rash accidentally. After all, not only would you electrocute your cute friends, but my cute younger siblings as well, who are playing so nicely right now or relaxing".

"And?"

"So suspicious...well, first of all...I need to know if you are working for Darius?"

Hearing that name, Rikuo was a bit shocked. Especially with the question.

"No, I am not".

"Well, that is a relief. Maybe I wont have to kill you after all" she said happily. "Now, who summoned you to this world, and why?"

"A god, I think" Rikuo told her, although he was unsure of the specifics himself. That said, his collar shocked him still. "That wasn't a lie!"

"Did you leave something out?"

Rikuo thought for a moment, and realized something.

"I was not summoned, but Reincarnated".

"...huh. And to think there are three of you. Are you all Reincarnators?"

"Yes".

"How many of you are there in total".

"I don't know".

Rikuo answered honestly, but the collar still shocked him in such a way that it hurt like crazy, and tears went down his face.

"You shouldn't lie".

"I didn't...I mean, it is true I dont know. But I suppose, given my last memory, and seeing that its more then just me, I can make the guess that my class, and maybe even my teacher, also Reincarnated. There is also the possibility that other people who died in the accident got reincarnated as well, but I honestly don't know for certain".

The collar seemed to twitch a bit, but it didn't react.

"I see. I think I might roughly understand. Lets keep going though. Do you know why you were Reincarnated, and by who?"

"I don't know why, but I think the who was a young, child like god called Ciel" he said, his collar twitching up again.

"Hmm, interesting. What do you know about Darius?"

"He is an asshole and a jerk, who turned one of my classmates into a spear. He seems to also be stealing souls for something, and has minions".

"So, he is your enemy thten?"

"Yes".

"Do you have plans to destroy this kingdom or hurt the royal family?"

"No, of course not!"

Suddenly, his collar shocked him something fierce. That said, at this point, she moved one of her own hands lower, which made him wary and uncomfortable, but then she suddenly kissed him on the cheek and used healing magic on him.

"My bad, aside from me, do you have plans to destroy the kingdom or hurt the royal family?"

"No".

There was no reaction this time. It appeared Rikuo's subconscious was holding quite a few angry thoughts right now towards her, as it appeared the lie detector was not limited to just his conscious mind.

"Are you in league with any of the Great Thirteen?"

"No".

"Well then, it looks like I wont have to kill you. Sorry about all this, but I had to be sure you were not the pawn of Darius or a Demon Lord...well, I suppose you might not be in a mood to forgive me, even if the spot you are in right now is probably the dream of many boys, aside from the shocks and interrogation".

In all honestly, Rikuo didn't feel anything lustful or good about this situation.

"Ah, well, you are probably too young. Physically I mean, since you got turned into a vampire when you were a child".

"...you are quite well informed".

"I am the Crown Princess. Well, before we move on to the give and take of information and requests, as an apology and a reward, I will tell you more about our mutual enemy, Darius".

"I thought Darius was considered a hero still, an Otherworlder with great power and influence?"

"Indeed. Very few of us know the truth...such as the fact that he killed a Demon Lord, and replaced him as the new Demon Lord. There is no evidence yet, but there are a number of us who are aware of the situation. And he cant hide it forever".

A Demon Lord? Seriously?

"...does that mean going after him means going after the rest of the Demon Lords or something?"

"The Great Thirteen differ by each person. They are, in essence, creatures of demonic, evil, or selfish nature, who obtained the power to ascend into a higher evolved being, and have become infamous. They dont play by the rules of the various kingdoms of the world. Some of them are not even evil, just violent or have gone against the teachings of the Supreme God, Taktos".

"I see...by the way, I don't suppose you could let me go and sit on my own?" Rikuo asked, but she only pulled him closer.

"Maintaining this barrier is tough. Even if you dont mind involving your party in this talk, the third prince and princess are innocent and I wont let them get involved. And this was the only place I could ensure a long conversation without interruption. So I need to keep it as small as possible. Right now, its covering our heads and nothing more. There is a minor barrier also preventing anyone from seeing you in pain every time you got shocked also".

"So that is a no?"

"Correct. But, isn't this comfortable for you, a princess as a seat and a pillow? This is a rare honor, even young children would love to brag about this...well, I suppose as an Otherworlder, you do always have strange cultural tastes and such, but just bear with it for now".

"Alright...what else?"

"Darius is coming here, for a party that will be held, and to help with the Hero Summoning Ritual. He wont make any overt moves against you though, he is trying to hide his true power as a Demon Lord after all, but we cant go against him either, not until we have evidence or know more. He probably has several plans to pin any troubles that happen on his enemies".

In other words, if Rikuo moved against him, he and his friends could end up taking the blame.

Rikuo definently didn't want that.

"Ah, and also, there is one thing" she said, as she suddenly moved one of her arms in front of Rikuo's mouth, and with a finger from the other one, created a small spacial blade and made a cut. "Since you are a Vampire, consider this another peace offering since I cant heal you with Holy Magic. It will serve you well".

Given the fact he was just electrocuted, and he had no protective gear, Rikuo was already feeling weak. These baths had windows, which did sort of help filter the sunlight a bit, but it was still so bright that he was feeling weakened. As such, he could not resist temptation and accepted the blood donation.

"Now then, I will inform you of a few more things, and then we can have a proper talk about discussions..."

And so, their discussion and negotiations continued.

Incidentally, while this was going on...

"...are you sure this is safe?" Sora asked, as he held a broom in his hand.

"Relax! I have authorized this duel myself, so you wont get blamed! We can spar here!" he said, holding a mop himself.

Such a ridiculous thing was occuring, but Sora made sure not to use his full Dragon Strength.