An Archer's Promise Chapter 38: Primrose (Patreon)

Beta read by Fluffy Slayer and Shigiya

Sorry about the delay, I've been very busy lately with work and had to deal with some issues with the bank (minor things like changing personal details and number) these things should be simple yet take so much freaking time! I spent 7h total waiting in the lobby while playing chess on my phone T-T for three straight days.

Anyways, here is the chapter

Also IMPORTANT: I'll be posting a poll post about two artists I've found for this month's commission. It's a bit urgent as they need an answer today so ;be sure to be on the lookout and chooss the one y'all find to be the best.

Edit 1: Beta read but more will be done later on.

Edit 2: Even more beta reading.

Edit 3: Even more edits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ＼⁠(⁠°⁠o⁠°⁠)⁠／
.

.

.

-Alicia’s camp-


The journey from Ansur to Feoh took only a few days for Claudia and her platoon to traverse, but it was a grueling experience for most of them. Due to the urgency of the situation, they were forced to march faster than normal the whole way, covering distances at a pace that would traditionally take weeks to a few days. As such even with the healers working relentlessly to rejuvenate their stamina, it still couldn’t circumvent the mental exhaustion building up within the units. Magic after all, may be omnipresent, but it wasn’t infinite nor was it a cure-all. Claudia understood this inevitability, the accumulating exhaustion and insomnia having drained her considerably.


"We are nearly there everyone! Stay sharp and persevere!" Motivated by her words, the Knights and nuns responded in return with tired cheers. 


All hoping to impress her with their resilience.


The distress signal from Alicia had been quite effective in boosting this initiative. Initially, she feared the worst and thought that Feoh or Ur had been invaded by the forces of the Dark Queen. But that was put to rest by one of the scout messages mentioning that Prim Fiorire had disappeared into the woods with her trail disappearing near a waterfall. 


For this to occur under Alicia’s supposedly watchful eye was inconceivable to Claudia. The shield was notorious for how overprotective she was over Prim, usually appointing dozens of bodyguards for any trip outside the castle walls. 


This was the sole reason why they were aggressively heading towards the West forest. Klaus remained in Ansur to take care of the administrative paperwork and the goings ons of the kingdom while also trying to convince his father about the topic of adopting a child. They knew it wouldn't be an easy feat, but Claudia was confident that her husband would find the courage to confront Grave.


The challenges that awaited him were monumental, not to mention his father was far too narrow-minded on certain subjects. His desire to gain another heir after labeling his own son 'incompetent' was known by many if not all of the people in their kingdom.


'Klaus can do it… he's not a wimp and I know he can overcome anything as long as he believes in himself.' 


"It's Alicia-sama's carriage!" Signaled by one of the girls, Claudia could now see the camp in the distance. Knights were guarding a golden-gilded coach that she recognized immediately. 


Noticing their approach, a squad of Alicia's Knights and a few Templars started getting into defensive positions, but were frozen in place when they noticed that familiar steely glare. 


"Everybody stand down!" Realizing who it was, they quickly stood aside in hopes of not offending the Shield who trained them. Not to mention how gruesome their punishment would be if Alicia ever found out that they pointed their weapons at her mentor. 


One by one, they all bend the knee with their heads bowed. Their weapons sheathed as the galloping horses of Claudia's group came closer and closer. With bated breath and fear-stricken faces, they all heard the following command from the Princess Knight. 


"Bring me to Alicia." She ordered, her voice stern and cold, showing that she is not in a good mood right now. 


"Right this way, Alicia-sama has been expecting you." 


The brunette nodded, signaling her group to rest for now — something they all greatly appreciated. Especially the nuns, they were the most exhausted but only persevered through sheer stubborn will. Claudia almost chuckled when she saw one of them fall off their horse with a thud, dead asleep.


Surveying her surroundings as she followed the knight, she noticed an adequate quantity of wild game, fruits and fish being prepared for the next few days' as rations. This irritated her as they should have been primarily setting up a perimeter and securing the camp against predators or bandits. Not running around like headless chickens.


"Why is everyone gathering food? Has Alicia forgotten to stock up on supplies for the journey?" Shriveling in fear, the knight accompanying her started stuttering.


"W-We had no ch-choice. We did stock up on food before we left but later found out that it had all been contaminated by one of our stocks. The Princess Knight's orders were to burn everything and prioritize Princess Prim's retrieval above all else." Remembering the foul stench left the knight in a sullen mood. 


Claudia shook her head in disappointment, "Alicia should have set up the perimeter first before anything else. At this rate, nothing is going to get done, let alone securing Prim’s safety. " 


She was a bit disappointed at how easily Alicia mishandled the situation, failing to keep her emotions in check when it came to Prim. The bond between those two was known by all, but that wasn't an excuse to fail her duties as a leader. The girl's incapacity to take proper decisions reflected on Claudia's teachings.


Reaching the center of the camp, they headed towards the large tent bearing a flag with the insignia of the Arcturus. 


"WHY HAVEN’T YOU FOOLS FOUND HER YET!!!!?" Hearing Alicia’s scream from the inside made every person stiffen in fear and anxiety. "She could be gravely injured or hunted by some predator for all we know! And you have the audacity to tell me to wait until tomorrow morning!? I should have you executed!"


"A-A-Alicia-sama, we are lacking the numbers required to perform a full sweep of the forest in the coming hours. Nightfall is approaching soon and without replenishing our stamina, we can't go on witho—"


"—SILENCE! I don't want to hear your petty excuses! If you stop searching then I’ll have you all charged for insubordination!" 


Alright, this was worse than she expected. Alicia is letting her anger cloud her judgment and is making rash decisions. Not wanting to hear more of this, Claudia entered the tent to intervene. 


Everyone gasped at her arrival.


"C-Claudia-sama!" 


It wasn't just the knights, even Alicia was shocked by her appearance. She didn't expect her to appear so soon, the road to Ansur was quite far — so she shouldn't have reached the camp in such a short period of time.


"Alicia," Claudia spoke, her tone calm as she gazed at the absolute mess of a princess before her eyes. Her previous refined and noble demeanor had vanished completely, replaced by bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair. Her once clear blue armor was now smothered in dirt and dust, having been neglected for days.


"Claudia… -sama…" 


"I'm very disappointed in you Alicia," Approaching the blonde, she looked at her with disapproval in her eyes. "I have not been a good teacher. Right now you lack the traits of a competent leader. It feels like I'm watching a madwoman trample on her subordinates for no good reason." They all agreed with her assessment, scavenging the forest for days without breaks was pushing their limits. Even with Celestine's blessing granting them superhuman endurance — The toll on their health was becoming unbearable for them to keep up.


"B-But Prim… she might be lost or injured I can't waste my time managing these incompetent people while she's still out there!"


"You won't get anything done with all this chaos outside. Forget about finding Prim, you can't find ANYONE under these circumstances. You are losing grasp of reality and endangering not only your cousin's life — but that of your entire squad!" Claudia sighed at how little her shouting did to quell Alicia’s trepidation. "You need to slow down and stop sending your knights out there for today and focus instead on the camp first."


"I can't! I must find her! She's not sa—slap!" 


The sound of a slap ricocheted around the quiet room. The Knights grew tense at the scene of Claudia slapping their leader, never would they have expected such a deliberate strike from her. 


"Get your house in order!" She shouted, having had enough of her students' stubbornness. "Prim is a fellow Shield, don't treat her like some weak small child. The situation may be dire, but I believe in the girl and I know she'll find a way to survive till we rescue her. However, we won't be able to do that if your entire group crumbles first!" 


The Knights and the Templars watched the scene with awe, the previously raging Princess Knight was now being scolded in front of them like a mother to a child. It felt so weird yet amazing to witness such a scene, especially when Alicia started lowering her gaze until she faced her own feet. Her hands touched her now reddened cheeks, feeling shame creep inside her with each passing rebuke.


"Listen to me, Alicia. I know how much you care about Prim and are worried about her well-being. 


"I'm… sorry." She apologized, having no defense for her actions. "I just… I don't know what to do anymore…" 


Her head jerked upwards when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Facing her was the person she admired and trusted for years, a motherly smile set on her face that soothed Alicia’s soul. She knew somewhere in her heart that everything would be alright and that Prim would be found soon. Claudia brought Alicia close to her chest for a hug, gently caressing her head in a soothing motion. It was like she returned to her younger years as a child, held in the arms of her mother-like figure.


"You must rest, child. I promise you that I'll find Prim, even if I have to flip the very earth we stand on. Just go get some rest, while I handle the situation." Claudia whispered to the blonde, sensing the tension bleeding away from the girl's body. After letting go, she turned to one of the knights, who had short black hair that reached to shoulders. "You, what is your name?"


"S-Sara, Ma’am!" 


"Alright, take Alicia to her bed and make sure she doesn't leave after getting a full day of rest." 


The girl saluted before carefully bringing the blonde Shield to her quarters. Everyone in the room collectively released their breath they'd been holding in since Claudia first stepped in. All of them were grateful for her timely arrival, otherwise, Alicia would have started turning violent if this kept up any longer. 


Clap!


“Alright listen up! I won't hold you all here for long as I’m assuming control of this operation. I want all tents and defenses to be set in place before nightfall. From what I've seen, there is enough food to last 2 days so I want someone to notify the other Knights in the woods to return and get some rest. Those who are still able to work for a bit longer will be tasked with watch duty. My current goal is to have all of you back in top form by tomorrow morning when we go out on a patrol together." 


Though she would still need to scout the area as well, just to get a feel of the landscape and come up with a plan of action to find Prim's whereabouts.


"Do you all understand?" She asked sternly, making them all stand up straighter.


"Yes!" 


"Dismissed." 


Hopefully they’ll find her before it’s too late… she knew Prim was competent enough to watch herself when need be. Plus Celestine would have sensed her passing and informed them if she had died— so she was thankful that nothing happened so far.


Analyzing the map of the area, she reviewed the waterfall’s location and the many rivers it branches off into.


"Hmm, we can start with this one… Its current should be the strongest and thus would have carried the girl there."


{Break}


-???-


Sizzle…


Crackle…


Watching the red crackling flames dance in the campfire while dangling a long stick with a fish at the end was a weird sensation for the red bowman. The fish in question was odd as well, belonging to a species he never encountered before in his life. It possessed six fins of varying lengths and a coating pattern similar to that of a tiger's fur — it sure looked very different from what he was used to. One of the odd species of this world. 


"Am I… technically eating an alien?" 


Why did he set up camp near the river that he caught the fish in? Because of hunger and the fact that his rations were dwindling. To prevent using it all up, the man decided to hunt some of the local wildlife instead. It took him just a few minutes to find the river and set up the necessary tools required to hunt — Well fishing to be exact.


"Hm, thankfully I packed enough salt and pepper with me." He also found some herbs and a few fruits to munch on as he waited. "Humpf, who would have thought I’ll be fishing during a mission…"


His current body required nourishment to function, much like a regular human's. He couldn't sustain himself from Magical Energy or even ignore it. Not that it would take long to cook a quick meal, maybe an hour at most before he continues on his journey. Vault and his men should be near the outskirts of the forest delimiting Feoh and Olga's lands. 


While gazing at the fire, Archer's mind reminisced about the past. There were plentiful memories to revisit, but it was the periods without utter destruction that gave him solace. Even the Grail Wars were quite memorable. The various times Rin would use her command to turn him into an obedient Servant for house chores were quite amusing. All because the cheeky girl wanted to feel in control. 


If she was a bit less trusting, then she could have used the commands to force him to reveal his identity since he usually lied about the missing memory.


A lost opportunity in his opinion, had she just taken the time to understand his methods and provide him with support… then Shirou Emiya would have definitely died at his hands. 


How unfortunate.


"Oh well, water under the bridge." He could try again, possibly get summoned by someone else… Though the chances of that were very low, it still existed.

"Well, It should be done by now."


Grilled to perfection, Archer took a bite of the fish. It was slightly sweet but savory, a tasty meal to be sure. 


"I'll have to catch more while I still have the opportunity." If he had more cooking utensils and  ingredients, then this meal would have turned out better.


"Hm?" 


While in the midst of his dinner break, Archer noticed something weird floating down the river. Looking to his right he saw what looked like a pink fabric being swept along the current.


Upon further inspection it was an unconscious girl barely clothed — her entire chest was out in the open, showing off her E-cups. She looked pale with sunken cheeks, spotting a bleeding leg, and various cuts along her arms. For a moment, the girl looked like a corpse to him, but that was proven wrong by the faint breaths she was taking. Archer's head followed the body as it floated towards him. 


"..."


Poke


Poke


To make sure she was truly unconscious, Archer took his stick and poked her a couple of times on the head — she didn't move nor showed any signs of consciousness other than her nose scrunching cutely. Though upon further inspection, he noticed some purple stains on her lips, including her hands as well. Archer raised his eyebrow when he saw a single berry stuck to her clothes, having a slight suspicion he grabbed it and examined it closely before taking a small bite, spitting out the contents immediately.


"Yeah, it's poisonous alright. She looks like your average princess without a grasp on how to  survive in the woods." The crown-like ornament on her head just further proves that point.


What a weird way for him to meet a noble lady. It was definitely one of those moments where his own luck wasn’t the cause of such fortuity, since the girl was in dire straits compared to him.


Slowly, he watched as her body floated away and then gazed at the unfinished fish he was eating. Arched shrugged and went back to sit on the rock and finish his meal.


"I'll get to her later… might as well cook another fish."


.


.


.


{Break}


'I made a mistake.'


That was the only thought going through Prim's mind the entire time. 


It all started when she decided to sneak away from her cousin and head into the woods on her own. Conjuring up her memories from the time she and Alicia used to hang out there, she retraced the path towards the  waterfall. Finding it just as beautiful as she remembered it. The crystal blue water coupled with the breathtaking scenery of the fauna dazzled her for a while. 


But it all turned for the worse when she decided to dip her toes into the water a bit. Prim did not take into account the force of the current and ended up losing her balance. 


It was a horrifying experience, losing all control as the current swept her against her will,  dragging her towards the end of the waterfall where she dropped into the pool below.  


Thankfully, she woke up later on a shore, she was cold, wet, famished and clutching her broken ankle   — she ate the first thing she deemed edible… although that turned out to be a grave mistake on her part. 


'I'm scared… I want Alicia…' 


One thing that made her sigh in relief was the feeling of lying on solid ground and not water. She could feel the blades of grass between her fingers and the scent of flowers and… meat?


"Urgh…" 


Prim tried to open her eyes, but the exhaustion from being famished and wounded had taken a toll on her. Even opening one eye was strenuous enough. 


Dusk was approaching, the sky had already turned a deep orange shade. 


The blur in her eyes started to fade, making it possible for her to see the fire crackling near her. Looking around, she found herself near a small campfire with the  heat keeping her warm. Smelling something fragrant, her attention shifted immediately to grilled fish on the stick, a loud growl escaping her stomach at the sight as her hunger overcame her senses. The girl didn't even bother with her wounds nor her location or savior. 


"Ouch!" She cried in pain from taking a bite of the still-sizzling fish. 


But that pain soon got overwhelmed by the absolutely divine taste that graced her tongue. The crispy skin and soft texture, coupled with the intense flavor that exploded on her tongue was something she never tasted in her life. Not even Claudia could cook anything remotely this good, and she was known to be the greatest cook out of the seven!


"It’s so delicious!" 


With hunger still entrenched within her mind, she devoured every bit of the fish until only bones remained — going so far as to take a bite of the head but regretting it afterwards. Still, this single meal was sufficient enough to rejuvenate her strength and clarity. 


That was when she realized the state she was in, as her left ankle was wrapped in some kind of cloth with both of her legs being tied together.


"Eh? What… what happened?" 


"You just nearly encountered death and ate my food without permission." 


A voice echoed from the back, instinctively causing Prim to back away. Focusing on the origin of the voice, Prim noticed a man sitting under the shade of a juniper tree, possessing white hair that contrasted with his dark skin and gray eyes. He was wearing a large cloak with the hood down while  reading a map, paying her no attention at all.


She was momentarily entranced by his face, those eyes of his stood out the most to her. 


"... Hello," She spoke up, unsure what to say to this person. Not knowing whether he was an ally or possibly an enemy. "A-Are you the one who helped me, kind sir?


Alicia always told her to be wary of strangers and ignore them if possible. But the pink-haired shield disagreed entirely with her cousin's mindset. With enough respect and politeness, she believed that no one would hurt her in the first place.


Archer stopped reading the map and stared at the girl.


"Oh, that's a surprise. You're the first person with manners that I've encountered in Eostia." He said. "I expected you to start ranting and demanding me to release you from your binds or else I'll have my head cut off and something like that." 


"I would never do such a thing!" She exclaimed, feeling a bit offended "One mustn't be ungrateful for the small things in life. You saved me, and for that, I'm eternally grateful."


Again, her polite attitude surprised him.


"U-Um… also can you perhaps untie my legs, please?" 


Archer shook his head. 


"No, and besides you can't even walk with that broken leg of yours. I just tied you up as a precaution in case you tried anything funny." Not that she could anyways. 


She suffered multiple bone fractures and had a habit of moving a lot in her sleep. To prevent further complications, he had to contain the situation.


"...I see." For the most part, Prim remained calm despite her current situation. If he wanted to do something to her then the man would have already done it. Not like she could have defended herself. "Um, may I know your name?" 


"Archer." He introduced himself, seeing no harm to share such information with the pink-haired woman. 


"It is a pleasure to meet you, I'm Prim Fiorire and one of the Princess Knights of Eostia." The Princess Knight made a small bow with her head, "T-Thank you for saving me, Archer-sama! I'll make sure to repay you handsomely after returning to my cousin."


"..."


He was speechless…


Just what were the chances for him to encounter another Princess Knight like Maia in the middle of the woods!? Worst of all, if she was who she claimed to be, then surely an entire army would be searching for her by now. But after a quick look at his surroundings, there wasn’t even a hint of a search party. Just how far did this girl drift from them? 


He would have to bring her along for now, he didn't want her death to ruin his plans against Vault and his group. They could easily be called back and dispersed to various locations. Which would just make his mission more tedious than it needs to be. Not to mention he was planning to  rest in the cave nearby, having extra company until the next morning wouldn't hurt. 


Furthermore, she was a Princess Knight and from what he learned from Maia and Luu-Luu, they healed far faster than regular humans. 


Brrrrrr!


A deep rumble roared from her stomach, making the girl blush furiously while Archer couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. It looked far too familiar to a certain big breasted Innkeeper he knew. 


"I guess a single fish wouldn't be sufficient for you. Here, there are a few fruits next to you, eat those instead of the poisonous berries you ate before."


"I didn't mean to! I was just so hungry that I thought…" 


He waved his hands, "No need to explain yourself. People do much worse things when desperate for food, you're just lucky that I managed to remove the poison from your system in time. Or you would have died from a stroke by now."


Prim shivered at the idea of how close she came to death, those things looked harmless when she first found them.


"Also, do you mind covering yourself up? I can see pretty much everything." Arched stated, getting up from his spot.


"Eh? What are yo—OH NO!" 


Looking below, she found her pink dress completely ruined by now, showing all of her intimate parts to the stranger. Prim couldn't be any more embarrassed right now, being all alone with an unknown man who has seen her naked wasn't something she ever expected to happen. 


Before she could curl herself into a ball from shame, and lament on the fact that she can never get married now, a large shadow came hurtling towards her face.


Plap!


"Kyah!" 


That little flick startled Prim. To be treated as such by a stranger left her flabbergasted. But just as she was about to thank him again, she felt a lump in her throat from the sight befalling her.


'Oh… my…'


Archer was no longer wearing the cloak, revealing everything to Prim. He wasn't overly buff, but had a streamlined body that accentuated his muscles in such a mesmerizing way that she blushed once more. That black armor didn't help as it seemed to be like a second skin.


"Wear this, I don't exactly have any fancy dresses for you to switch out." Archer said, having tossed the cloak to her. "It's getting late already and there’s a chance it’ll rain soon. We'll need to find shelter first. Since you can't walk, I’ll be carrying you along the way."


His words broke her out of her concentration, she didn't exactly hear the last details but nodded vigorously nonetheless. A small cry escaped her mouth when he put his arms around her body and picked her up. 


'Nononono, calm down, calm down! He's just helping. Think of something else, someone else! Alici—No! That's making it worse!' Her heart drummed furiously and her body grew hot, she was frightened that he might feel it as well.


"Could you calm down? I'm not going to hurt you or anything." Archer said drily, walking through the forest.


"I-I'm sorry, I'm just not used to someone picking me up like this." Especially a man, as her cousin would have made sure such a thing never happened. 


.


.


.


As they walked through the woods, Prim couldn't help but grow curious about the man's presence here. ‘What was he doing in the middle of nowhere? Where did he come from?’ And so on.


He certainly didn't look to be from around here, having traits that looked very foreign and unusual from the people of Eostia. She did notice however that he had some common traits with the people from Kaguya's Kingdom. Then again, no one had gray eyes, white hair, and dark skin over there. He also mentioned how she was the first polite person he met in Eostia, which made the idea of him being a foreigner more plausible.


Before she could open her mouth, Archer spoke first.


"Here we are." Stopping in front of a small cove fit for two people, Archer looked ahead. "This should be good enough for tonight. 


{Break}


-The Dark lands-


Hidden within the dense mist of a rotten forest long since barren was a group of mercs. 


They were mounted on different horses and various abominable creatures originating from these dark lands. Even the sun's rays could not pierce through the dense clouds, creating a hopeless land on the brink of becoming a wasteland.


"Who would have thought that the brothers were right about this path? There are barely any monsters here and I haven't seen a single monster scouting the place. You would have expected the Princess Knights to use such a thing to their advantage." One of the Kuroinu men spoke, making Vault chuckle.


"Oh trust me, according to the pig brothers Celestine is aware of this path. She just never shared the knowledge with her allies or anyone else for that matter, fearing it being used for another war  and potentially harming innocent travelers." He said, disgusted at the Goddess' naive attitude. "They also mentioned that some of the more… influential dark elves in Olga's territory used this path to escape the land. Don't really blame them, just look at this worthless shit hole."


"Really? Now that's just wrong, how many of us need to die for her to realize that the Dark Queen bitch must be eliminated!? Why the fuck should anyone care if one or two elves die in the process?"


Many agreed with his words, their ‘goddess’ was aware of the hundreds of deaths occurring each week, especially during invasions. To withhold such a critical piece of information to spare a few 'innocent' lives was just plain stupid.


"Thankfully we won't have to suffer another pointless war. In one day our dicks will be fucking that tight pussy of hers!" 


"YEEEEAAAHHH!!!" Everyone shouted with jubilance, excited to break free from this suffocating reality and build a world catered to their every desire. 


"Dibs on the blonde dark elf cunt! I saw how beautifully she handled her daggers during one battle, I wonder what else she can do with her hands." 


"Hey, no fair! If you get her then I'm taking Alicia for myself, that bitch once slapped me because I looked at her cousin wrong." 


"I'll have Prim Fiorire then, she acts innocent but I bet that girl is the biggest deviant of them all."


One by one, each of them started conversing about who they would have fun with first. Many chose Olga while some were willing to pay coins just to save a spot.


Kin on the other hand never uttered a single word during the entire trip, his hands clutching both the staff and the red pendant around his neck like it was a lifeline. Vault noticed his weird behavior and went to talk to the mage.


"You lost that annoying smirk of yours, has Hicks's death really affected you this much?" 


Hicks' death?


"Humph," Kin scoffed, bringing back that condescending smirk of his. "Though we stood by each other for years, that man was still a huge liability, he was bound to die at one point. You can even say that I'm happy that he's no longer here, one less idiot to deal with…" 


The group laughed, not one mourning the death of the former vice leader or even caring about his passing. They only needed Kin to activate the magic spell required to usurp Olga's castle and they already had all of the important figures in their pockets. Hicks’ absence wouldn’t change anything. 


But the mage's smile didn't last long, images of his first-ever defeat briefly flashed before his eyes. For the first time in his life, he lost control of the battle  to an ingrate carrying different artifacts. He snarled when thinking about how an accomplished mage like him lost to a simpleton relying on magical swords to win instead of spells. 


"I see you're angry again, still thinking about that guy? He's probably dead by now, you told me that the last thing you saw was the mountain being overrunned with Demons. I got a letter from Louis stating that Celestine intervened by destroying the mountain or something. I don't believe it one bit, that woman is too naive to use such an attack. I bet someone used this to spread false rumors in order to avoid the embarrassment that Maia ran away with her tail between her legs." Vault explained, completely confident in his own words on the entire situation. 


No such power existed in this world anymore, Olga and Celestine have become shells of their former selves. 


"And do you honestly think that a random mage from a fucking backwater city in Eostia truly has enough power and knowledge to surpass you? None!"


"..."


Kin was still doubting the whole thing, but decided to stay silent for now. He brought the shining ruby to his eyes. With this… nothing would stand in his way — not even the goddesses. Vault's words resonated with his pride, the ego inside of him refusing to admit that there existed a human mage superior to him. 


There just couldn't be anyone else.


That man just got lucky, nothing else.


"Yeah… you're probably right. No one can beat me with magic… I was just overthinking it." He said, starting to believe that the event of the past must have been nothing but pure luck on Archer's end.


"There's the spirit! Even if he was still alive, what would he do? Blow us up? Ha! That ain't happening." Vault said, patting Kin's back as they continued to march through Olga's territory.


"Rejoice! For this world will soon be ours! None shall stand in our way as we turn all women into our personal slaves!"


For a second time, his men cheered with all their might, ready for the new age of man to come.