Back at Renacido, after finding out that Miko had left, Momo and the others were left in confusion.

“We must go after him. I have an eerie feeling about this.”

After saying that Momo left the base and was about to leave for the capital.

“Where are going in such a hurry, Momo?”

She came across Layla and Jason.

“Miko.”

That was all she said before pushing past them.

“I wouldn’t go after Miko if I were you. It’s pretty dangerous right now.”

Momo stopped and looked back at Layla.

“What do you mean?”

“Come, I was about to explain it to the others.”

“I don’t have time. Explain now or I’m leaving regardless of your warning.”

“Momo!”

Hina and the others ran out of the base and ended up catching up to Momo.

“Well, since everyone’s here I guess we can talk.”

Layla looked at everyone and spoke.

“Currently Renacido is being isolated from the rest of the Dragna empire. No one can get in or out.”

“What? What’s the reason?”

“The Flameheart Clan.”

Jason answered.

“They shut down the country’s borders it shares with the rest of the empire. Only the borders at Jara Jungle are unguarded.”

“The Flameheart Clan? So they want to prevent us from meeting up with Miko? Their numbers?”

“I’ve confirmed a couple hundred. There are several people dressed like elders among them.”

“Elders….We can’t fight Elders of the Flameheart Clan….”

The last time Momo fought a clan elder she was brutally defeated. That memory caused her to no longer underestimate anyone who was an elder. She started wondering what to do, and that was when an old memory flashed before her eyes.

It was around a decade ago. Momo was asked to pick up Miko by Sasha, and while she was doing that she saw a familiar face.

“Luka Flameheart?”

She saw a six-year-old Luka sitting by herself with a frown on her face. Seeing her like that she immediately headed over to her.

“Luka.”

“….Who are you?”

Luka looked up and asked.

“I’m Momo Dragna.”

“You are? But you’re a kid. I heard that Momo was a genius spellmaster.”

“Haha…Well, for various reasons I use this form.”

“I see.”

Luka looked at Momo with curiosity.

“I heard you were named Miko’s fiancée. That’s great. Please take care of him.”

“Tsk.”

“Huh?”

Momo was caught off guard by Luka clicking her tongue.

(Why does she look so irritated?)

She asked herself.

“Could it be that you don’t like Miko?”

“I hate him.”

(Well, that’s the normal reaction towards Miko I guess.)

“That guy is so full of himself.”

“Miko’s full of himself? Explain.”

As if she wanted someone to vent to Luka started talking nonstop about her days as Miko’s classmate. Apparently, while Miko was always top of the class, Luka was always right behind him. If Miko got 100% on a test, she would get 98%. That was a common thing in their class.

“That guy thinks he’s so much better than everyone else. I’ve tried to become his friend countless times already, but he would do everything to push me away. If I sit next to him he would move away, if I call out to him he would ignore me, he just pisses me off!”

Luka shouted.

“I mean I know that he’s a genius and everything, but he doesn’t need to look down on everyone else!”

While she was venting her frustrations Momo listened with widened eyes.

(Someone actually tried to befriend Miko? Normally, kids would be afraid of him or hate him because of what the adults would say about him, or because they would be mercilessly crushed by him….Yet, someone still tried to befriend him?)

Momo was both happy and shocked at the same time.

“Luka, aren’t you afraid of Miko?”

“Huh? Why would I be? He’s just a kid just like me isn’t he?”

(Such an innocent and righteous answer!)

Momo’s were filled with tears. There was finally a kid Miko’s age, outside of the clan, who saw Miko as a person rather than a monster.

(But Why did Miko push her away….Could it be…)

A thought came to Momo which made her smile.

“I’m still upset I’m engaged to a guy like that. I don’t want to marry someone who would look down on me.”

“No! You must marry him!”

Momo found herself desperately grasping Luka’s shoulders.

“Um….I mean, Miko isn’t like what you think.”

She let go of her shoulders.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“I think Miko just doesn’t know how to interact with you. You’re in the same class as him, so I’m sure you’ve seen how everyone looks or treats him. If you come at him so openly with good intentions, he will feel troubled.”

“I don’t believe that. I’m sure he’s just looking down on me.”

Momo looked at Luka silently for a bit before having an idea.

“Luka, would you say Miko is a privileged person born with unmatched talent and everything he ever wanted?”

“You think so too?”

Momo smiled and shook her head.

“Hey, do you wanna see something interesting?”

A few minutes later, Luka followed Momo to the training grounds of their school.

“Why are we coming here? This place is locked, there’s no one here.”

“You’ll see.”

Momo held her by her waist, leaped into the air, and landed on top of a tree. She then pointed down at the field.

“Look.”

Luka looked down at the field and saw someone there. She focused her eyes a bit and saw who it was.

“Miko?”

There she saw Miko dressed in his training gear. He had his right hand stretched out in front of him, mumbling something.

“What is he doing?”

“He’s trying to create a fireball with magic.”

“Huh?”

Luka looked again. Miko was breathing heavily and his body was trembling.

“Are you sure?”

Momo nodded.

“Luka, can you create a fireball?”

“Yeah.”

Luka stretched out her hand and a fireball instantly appeared. It was small but it was there.

“We’re supposed to learn it next week, but I wanted to be prepared so I had my grandfather teach me how to.”

“How long did it take you to learn it?”

“A few days, I think.”

Momo smiled and looked back at Miko.

“One month.”

She looked at Luka.

“Miko has been trying to create a fireball for a month.”

“No way….”

Momo nodded.

“You see, Miko isn’t really as talented as everyone thinks. He just works really hard not to be left behind.”

“That’s a lie! I’ve seen Miko do things that no one else in our class can do yet! Things that took everyone days to learn, he did it instantly!”

Momo shook her head.

“It just seems that way. Miko doesn’t really pay attention in class does he?”

“No. He’s always staring into space and ignoring the teacher.”

“That’s because Miko has been receiving education that’s several years ahead of his peers since he could remember. Magic, martial arts, warfare, weapons mastery, Miko has been instructed on all of this before he even started school. At his own request as well.”

“Why would he request that?”

“He wants to become stronger than anybody else. That way everyone will have no choice but to acknowledge him. To make that dream a reality he works himself beyond what a child should be able to handle. Every day he trains like a madman. For some reason, he can’t really use magic that well. His talent for it is below the average person, but Miko found a solution. Work harder. That’s his solution for everything really.”

“….Then why did he come here if he’s already ahead? To show off?”

Mono shook her head.

“His mother only sent him to school to socialize….Although it looks like that isn’t really working out.”

Momo chuckled a bit.

Luka looked back at Miko. His body was trembling. He was exhausted, yet he showed no signs of giving up.

“….It’s just creating a fireball…It shouldn’t exhaust him that much.”

Luka mumbled.

“Let’s head down.”

Momo held her by her waist again and jumped down on the ground. She then released her.

“If I don’t stop him, he might continue doing that all night.”

She smiled at Luka and started walking away.

“Oh.”

She suddenly stopped and looked back at Luka.

“Please take care of Miko for me. Despite how he acts, he loves to kid around and is a bright kid. So please don’t give up on him…..Maybe you can do for him what I can’t.”

Luka looked back at Miko and then at Momo. She smile and nodded.

“I’ll keep trying. Maybe if I beat him one day he’ll finally come around?”

What she said made Momo smile.

“Maybe.”

******

“Momo? What should we do?”

Layla asked Momo who had been silent for a while now.

“……”

Momo silently looked at her for a bit before smiling.

“What else? We’ll break through and force our way to Miko!”

A huge smile appeared on Layla’s face when she heard that.

“Roger.”

She took out a communicator and spoke into it.

“Attention, Renacido! Attention, Renacido!”

Layla’s voice was projected from speakers and communicators across the country. Everyone in the country stopped what they were doing and listened to what she had to say.

“I’ve received reports that some fools are trying to plot against our Don and King. They’ve completely surrounded our borders and are trying to isolate us from him.”

“What?”

“King Miko?”

“Those guys must have a death wish!”

People across the country started to become visibly angered after hearing Layla’s report.

“I don’t know about you but Miko gave me a place where I can feel safe and truly be myself. And now some bastards are trying to take that place from us. Doesn’t that just piss you off?!”

“Yeah!”

Countless people answered in unison.

“I see. Then Renacido, how about we show these fools what it means to go against the Country of Rebirth, the country of monsters, the country of outcasts! Miko’s country!”

“YEAH!”

This time it was as if the whole country had shouted together.

“Renacido, it’s time to run wild!”

The borders of Renacido. Hundreds of Flameheart members were seen patrolling the area. They prevented anyone from entering it and threatened to kill anyone who wanted to come out.

“Listen, no one is to interfere with the Princess’ battle! You’re allowed to kill anyone that wants to get in her way!”

A Flameheart member shouted.

“Elder!”

A member of the clan ran up to the elder and kneeled in front of him.

“What is it?”

“We’ve spotted people heading towards the borders!”

“So what? Kill them if they look like they want to force their way through.”

“But….There’s an army of them!”

“What?”

“An army of monsters and thugs are heading this way, armed from head to toe! It looks like they’re planning to kill their way through the encirclement!”

The elder looked towards Renacido and focused his eyes. About 10 kilometers away he could see hundreds of vehicles driving toward them. In the air, hundreds of monsters and aircrafts heading toward them as well. Just like his clansman had said, everyone heading towards them was armed from head to toe.

“Damn savages.”

He turned to his clansmen

“Men, prepare for battle!”

*Bam!*

The instant he shouted something crashed not too far away from his camp and caused the earth to crack open. He looked and saw a group of monsters staring at them with a bloodthirsty gaze. They were the former guardians and Oden.

“Hey, you. Move out of the way. Our king needs us.”

Oden stepped forward and said.

“A Parasite Demon? The rumors of Miko inviting those abominations into the empire were true.”

The elder had a disgusted expression when he saw Oden and the others, they of course didn’t miss this.

“Looks like we can use this opportunity to cleanse the empire of these abominations as well.”

“Oh?”

Oden started cracking his fingers.

“Try it, bitch.”

“Wait, Oden.”

At that moment, Momo and others reached the border. Momo stepped forward and stood on the border between Renacido and the rest of the empire.

“The Midnight Witch.”

The elder immediately recognized Momo.

“Do you know what you’re doing Flameheart Clan? You’re illegally occupying Renacido’s borders.”

“Hmph. We’re free to occupy wherever we want.”

The elder responded.

“Then do you know by occupying the borders you’re challenging Renacido’s, Miko’s authority?”

“I like we care!”

“Miko is our enemy and deserves death!”

“We’ll destroy everything that he’s built up and the Princess will rid him of this world!”

The Flameheart members shouted.

“I see.”

*BAM!*

Momo disappeared from where she stood and several Flameheart members were blown away with holes in their chests and blood spraying from their mouths.

“That was all I needed to hear.”

Momo said while wiping the blood from her hands.

“Regardless of who you are, threaten my Miko’s life and I will kill you without hesitation.”

“Hahaha! You’ve done it now, Momo Dragna! With your actions a war between-”

*Bam!*

The elder was interrupted and was forced to leap back to avoid Momo’s punch. Her fist hit the ground and created a deep crater.

“Blah, blah, blah. Flameheart this, Dragna that. If you want a war you got it. We’ll gladly give you one!”

“YEAH!”

The rest of the Renacido army had caught up and cheered in agreement with Momo’s declaration of war.

“Hmph. That tone and expression, you’re really that traitor, Nora’s daughter.”

“That’s right. I’m Nora and Sonia’s daughter, Luther and Vanz’s sister….But more importantly, I’m Miko’s ally!”

A spell circle appeared on Momo’s body and her figure was enveloped with light her. Her body started changing before everyone’s eyes. The light disappeared and someone completely different appeared. It was a woman with short azure hair that had black endings. She was wearing a leather halter top, low-cut jeans, and a pair of gauntlets. She was about 5’7, had a beautiful face, and a voluptuous body. This woman who was the definition of sex appeal was Momo Dragna.

“Woah!”

Ace and the other men couldn’t help but cry out when they saw the attractive woman appear in front of them.

“That form…You really look like your mother Sonia.”

“Why, thank you.”

Mono stretched her hand out and a black staff with a horned skull appeared in it.

“At least you’ve done something good before your death.”

“What arrogant brat.”

“Nero raised me after all!”

Momo leaped towards the elder and lifted her staff overhead. She swung it down.

“?!”

The elder retreated with all of his strength after feeling danger from the staff.

*BAM!*

A massive wave of dark energy rushed out of the staff and ripped apart the earth and hit the nearby Flameheart members. They burst apart like balloons as their blood and flesh rained down on the ground. Momo stood and rested the staff on her shoulders while glaring at the Flameheart Elder.

“Renacido, on behalf of Miko, I permit you to kill every Flameheart member in the vicinity of our borders and everybody else who stands in our way!”

“YES, MA’AM!”

A cruel smile appeared on Momo’s face.

“Now then, Elder. Let me show you just how similar I am to my parents.”