“So, what did you agree on?” Jamie, Elliot and Dorian were sitting around a table in Dorian’s office. After the awkward fight downstairs had ended, the students were ordered by Elliot to wait for his return and behave to which they agreed under some mild protest.

“Let me cut right to the case.” Elliot cleared his throat. “I can’t comply with your request. If the church would keep silent about this war any longer… frankly I am afraid of what would happen. Basically, I will do the opposite of what you want: The church will join the fight in just a few days. We are aware about the consequences, a war with the church involved would mean a holy war.”

Jamie sighed. This meant all their worries came true. “Well fu- I mean damn. So what exactly does that mean? I just heard stories about these ‘holy wars’ but nothing specific.”

Dorian had no idea either and they both looked at Elliot in anticipation. His gaze lowered before he began to explain the concept of a holy war. “In the case of a holy war, every civilian is considered a soldier and has the rights of one. That means they can be ordered into battle by the king or the pope and it also means that everyone has the right to learn spells.”

“Alright, so everyone can fight, where’s the problem?” Dorian asked.

“For the battle, it isn’t. But whenever there is a holy war, chaos ensues. EVERYONE can learn spells. There is no background check, if there is the need for the church’s army to interfere in battle, then the situation is really dire. In such a case it doesn’t matter if you are a mother or a serial killer because it’s about humanities survival as a whole.” Elliot sighed. Apparently he didn’t want this holy war either but he was left with no other choice.

Jamie scratched his head. “But is the situation really that bad? I mean we have been here for what? A month of regular time? And during that time nothing major has happened to the front lines, we are standing our ground aren’t we?”

“Are you serious? You do realize that our neighbouring Kingdom fell two months ago? This whole Area of our country is gone, it is infested by those demons. No human is living there anymore, except for those taken captive. Sure the front line has been fighting the enemy off thus far but the reality is that one Kingdom has already fallen and we can’t keep this up forever.” Elliot explained with a serious expression on his face.

“Wait hold up. You mean the land south west of King Morgan’s kingdom? I thought it had always been the land of the demons…” Dorian hadn’t put that much thought into the geopolitical situation of this world.

He knew that there were three Continents, one of which was the homeland of the demons. The one they were on was called Urtanian and was located in the middle of the three. The Continent had five countries, which were each under the Control of an emperor. The countries themselves were divided into the Kingdoms which themselves were also divided into domains, ruled by nobles like the Baralots and the Eisenfausts. All in all way too complicated for Dorian who didn’t really care about this stuff in the first place. Jamie once told him that it was like those famous Russian dolls and that analogy had helped him a lot.

“All right, so that means part of this country had already fallen when we arrived here… Guess Ruby was right after all… Eh, we better not tell her this…” Jamie whispered to Dorian while the pope nervously walked up and down in the room.

Dorian nodded. He now had a better grasp of the situation. “I see so basically we are fuc-” The pope glared at him. “I mean we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. But why don’t the other Kingdoms help under the rule of the emperor? Or heck, we could use the help of other countries or the other continent! Together we could definitely beat the demons army, right?” Dorian wondered why no one had thought of this before.

“That would be nice, you are right with that but all surrounding Kingdoms as well as countries have stopped communication with us. I don’t even know if they are aware of our dire situation. The church is an institution that usually over goes the borders between countries, with each country having their own pope but I can’t reach any of them.” Elliot elaborated.

“What? How is that possible?” Dorian asked confused.

“I knew that you were an off-putting person but I didn’t expect it to be THAT bad…” Jamie mumbled.

Eliot’s face turned red. “AM NOT! It’s just… sigh I don’t know why the communication died either… None of the messengers returned, they are all missing. That’s why I was so happy when I heard about the heroes who had been summoned but… Anyway I can’t wait any longer, either you interfere with the battle, which I know you won’t or the church interferes in battle, making this war a holy war.”

“I see… Thanks anyway Elliot.” Dorian said low-spirited.

“So we are just going to ignore that he said sigh instead of actually sighing? Guys?” Jamie had other problems.

“Don’t worry about it Dorian. Maybe you two sleep over this conversation. Perhaps you even have a change of heart? Well either way I’ll pray for you two.” He shook Dorian’s hand and then Jamie’s, who still couldn’t get over the fact that Elliot downright vocalized a sigh.

* * * * *

“I am so sorry!” Diane was apologising to Ruby for the third time in a row. Because of her, Ruby’s secret nearly got exposed and while she somehow avoided her friend the embarrassment, she still felt really bad about it. They had managed to slip away from the crowd into of Dorian’s laboratory located in the room right behind the bar counter.

“Look, I already told you that it’s all right! Nothing happened, right? More than anything I feel like I should apologise, without me you wouldn’t have had to deal with such a crazy fan.” Ruby explained and bowed down, showing her gratitude.

Diane stood there dumbfounded, then as if something had made click in her, a grin formed in her face. “Yeah, you’re right. You should apologise. So, what are you going to do to make up for that torture I had to endure?”

“W-what, but you said that-” Ruby stared at Diane’s smug expression and knew exactly what had happened. Her father always told her about this: “Give them a finger and they’ll take the whole hand.” Of course he referred to commoners begging him for food but it still worked in this context.

“…Okay, what do you want?” Ruby mumbled defeated. Her father was always heartless when it came to denying requests but Diane was one of the first friendships that she didn’t want to lose at any cost.

Surprised Diane tilted her head. She didn’t expect such a reaction, sometimes she forgot that Ruby was a real princess, of course she wasn’t accustomed to the constant teasing and bantering between good friends. She could still remember the looks of shock and surprise on everyone’s faces when Ruby revealed that not only was she a princess, but would also start working at the Golden Blood.

“All right, then I demand you to…” She made a dramatic pause to enjoy Ruby’s squealing face. “…forgive me.” Another grin appeared on Diane’s face but this time there was no teasing intent behind it.

“Yes, I am happy to do so!” Ruby said with a smile on her face. Then she opened the door a bit to see outside. “Now… what do we do about this situation?”

The students were currently being babysitter by the president, after Elliot had finished his lecture on good behaviour and followed Dorian and Jamie up the stairs. While The President wasn’t particularly muscular or intimidating, he had an aura that demanded attention and respect. He was the kind of person who would utter the most gruesome threats with a genuine and warm smile. Ruby had asked Jamie on more than one occasion what his deal was but he had always managed to change the topic before she got any answers.

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“All right, while he is talking to them, they are under control. If I go out now and gather all their attention while The President takes care of the troublemakers, you should be able to sneak out unnoticed. Got it?” Diane’s plan wasn’t flawless but the best option they had, especially with Dorian’s and Jamie’s absence. Ruby nodded and after a deep breath Diane headed out.

After a few seconds Ruby heard the excited chatting of her classmates. “Here goes nothing” she mumbled and opened the door.

CREAK

Immediately everyone stared at the direction of the loud noise, the door Ruby had just opened.

Noooo!!! Why did it have to creak now of all times?! Diane was fine!! Is this some sort of divine punishment?!

Her rage filled thoughts contrasted strongly with the bright smile on her face. She had no other choice but to act her way out of this.

“Oh my god! Guys? Is that you?! It is SO good to see you, how have you been?” Her words were as unnatural as her friendly tone. She approached her old classmates who looked at her in awe.

“R-Ruby? What are you doing here and… what is that outfit you are wearing…? It can’t be, you aren’t actually working in this shi-” Her Classmate was interrupted by Diane who loudly cleared her throat. If he were to insult Ruby for working here, it would also be an insult to their idol.

“What? Nooooo, of course I am not working here! This is just- Just a disguise, yes exactly! You see, supposedly there is a… Informant for the demon lord army who often visits this place, and that’s why I am undercover, yeah.” Her forced smile hurt, but she tried to keep her façade up.

One of the girls snapped her fingers. “Ahh, that makes sense! So, tell us all about your journey! When we heard that you weren’t coming back for the new semester because you were chosen by the gods to guide the heroes, we all thought that it would take way longer until we’d next get to see you!” She obviously said it without bad intent, but hearing how her old friends were all rooting for her, hurt Ruby.

“Yeah, while we were sad that you didn’t even say goodbye, we of course knew why you needed to leave immediately, although that didn’t stop Cleo from crying her heart out.” The boy grinned, friendly teasing the girl who had just spoken.

“W-what, no I did not! Besides the one who was hurt the most was Elliot, stop bugging me Chris!” She blushed and angrily glared at Chris who returned her hostility with a smile.

Ruby had missed this constant bantering between friends. She knew all of their quirks, having spent weeks on different training missions. They were being trained as a special task force against the demon’s army but in truth they were all just young adults preparing for a suicide mission.

“So, tell us about what happened in the time we haven’t seen you!” The girl who initiated the drinking looked expectant at Ruby.

“Yeah, sure!” Ruby kept her forced smile up and sat down with the others. Knowing that they were expecting so much of her hurt even more than the embarrassment of working in a tavern. “So, where do I start, what do you want to hear?”

“Oh, I know! Tell us about the legendary heroes! Can you introduce us to them? How are they? Are they as dreamy as everyone says?” Cleo grabbed Ruby’s hand and pestered her with questions.

“Oh, the heroes… Yes, they are… certainly VERY interesting people. Really I have never met someone similar to them. Truly they are one of a kind.” It wasn’t a lie, Ruby was simply hiding the truth.

The students began to talk, excited about the ones supposed to lead them into battle one day. “Hey, is it true that they are summoned from another world? Is their world similar to ours?”

“Well, from what they told me, they don’t have magic in their world, however their civilisation was way more developed than ours. Though one of them did tell me that a comparison is hard because our world is too complicated to just compare it to theirs.” Ruby explained.

“Wow, so humble! They sound like real men, like princes with a kind heart! Hey, do you think they’d be interested in dating?” One of the girls asked and Ruby had to try really hard not to lose her smile.

“Oh, I think they are way too busy with their work, b-but maybe after that!” After seeing the disappointed look on her friends face she quickly added that last part.

“How long are you in this town Ruby, maybe we could spent time with each other while we are visiting?” One of the boys suggested.

Before Ruby could find any excuse Diane came to her rescue. “Oh, I don’t think that would be a wise idea. After all, your friend is here undercover, if people would see her together with students from a military school, her cover would be blown.”

“Aww, I understand. Of course you are right Miss Diane…” One of the girls said disappointed.

Ruby saw an opportunity to leave. “Speaking of, I think it would be best if I leave you alone now, sorry guys. But I will send you off when you leave! It was great seeing all of you!” With that she quickly left the table and walked out the tavern.

Finally outside, Ruby sighed in relive. Her emotions were all over the place. Guilt because she couldn’t fulfil her classmates expectations, happiness to have met and talked with her friends again, worry because she knew they weren’t ready for the battlefield yet and last but not least regret to not have seen Elliot again…

*   *   *   *   *

Knock knock

“Come in.” Emma said and Kristina entered her room. It was the third room on the second level of the tavern, with the first two rooms being Dorian and Jamie’s bedrooms. The interior was decorated very innocently, with some cute plush animals that Emma still kept from when she was younger and lots of soft and fuzzy pillows.

“Hey there, how are you doing?” Kristina asked, obviously worrying about the young girl. After she had stormed out the slumber party yesterday, everyone was worried about Emma. Dorian’s story about their old world felt like him saying that he wanted to leave this world behind, including its inhabitants. For Emma, who only had Dorian and Jamie left as family, hearing those words were especially painful.

“I am doing… fine. You don’t need to worry about me, I accepted that they only see me as a tool to distract themselves… They never really liked me.” Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes and Kristina quickly sat down next to her, giving Emma a hug.

“No sweetie, you can’t think like that! That is a lie and you know it!” She gently stroked Emma’s hair to calm her down but Emma freed herself from Kristina’s embrace.

“That’s easy for you to say! When you said that he should be happy because he meet new people in this world, he only talked about you! He didn’t even look at me… I bet Jamie is the same, he didn’t even visit me today!” Emma was practically shouting, her emotions dwelling over and tears ran over her face. Of course she didn’t know that both Jamie and Dorian were extremely busy today due to the visit of Elliot but to her it wouldn’t have made a difference.

“You got it all wrong! I am not the one he cherishes most in this world, or in any world! It’s you, it has always been you!” Now Kristina shouted at Emma.

“Oh yeah, if that’s true then why didn’t he mention me yesterday?”

“BECAUSE HE’S AN IDIOT!” She cried out and Emma fell silent. Kristina sighed. “Look, we only got together recently so he was trying to patronize me. But the truth is that you are more important to him.” A somewhat sad smile appeared on Kristina’s face.

“D-do you really mean it?” Emma had stopped sobbing and wiped the tears out her eyes.

“Of course I do silly. He even told me that you are the only reason they are working so hard recently. You should have more confidence in them.” Kristina said and Emma nodded slightly. “Hey, if you are that worried about them leaving you, then you should go talk to him about your fear honestly and I am sure he will comfort you. Listen, we may not know for how long we have them in our world, but we should at least enjoy our time with them while they are here, right? Cut them some slack, they are also only humans, despite their powerful abilities.”

“…Thank you Kristina. You are a great friend.” Emma finally smiled again and the two of them hugged. “But if you ever hurt one of my fathers, I will make sure that you suffer, understood?”

Kristina nodded and remembered the fact that the girl’s parents were both feared assassins before they tragically perished. And now she was being raised by none other than Jamie and Dorian. Whatever would happen next, Emma’s future was sure to have an impact on history, whether in a good or bad way was still undetermined.

“You are only fourteen and already this scary? Seems like your foster parents won’t need to worry about you getting a scummy boyfriend after all.” Kristina said jokingly and the two girls laughed.

Then Emma abruptly stopped. “Wait, did they say they were worried? That’s adorable! Who was it? Was it Jamie? I know it was him, it must have been. But he’s the one I am worried about more, after blowing it with Diane I am not sure if he’ll find someone better.” She sounded honestly worried.

“Awww, you are a great daughter! Worrying so much about Jamie, come here!” Kristina hugged her even tighter, completely forgetting the fact that she was way stronger than a normal human.

“Kristina! Stop! You… are… suffocating… me!!!! Argh!” Emma struggled to get the words out and Kristina let her go.

“Oh god, are you alright, sorry!”

“Yeah… Damn, maybe I shouldn’t worry so much about Jamie, but instead worry about Dorian!” She said with a grin and they both chuckled.