Side Note

"The Hero is next."

"Why are the both of you standing on my bed? It's the middle of the night."

Currently, me and Merida are standing on Mel's bed. It's the middle of the night.

"I get why you're saying that, but who do you think you're talking to?"

"The voices in my head."

"Do you actually have voices in your head?"

"I hear voices in my head, they council me, they understand, they talk to me."

"She doesn't have voices in my head."

"Why do I feel like I've heard that somewhere?"

"Your Earthly origins."

"Oh, thanks Merida," Mel said, in a very sarcastic tone. "How much of my life have you watched?"

Merida got super close to Mel's face, close enough I could feel their breath touching. Actually, I couldn't. That'd be a weird thing to feel. "I've watched all of it."

"That's super creepy."

"And so is your mom from this world."

"Did you just make a 'your mom' joke?"

"A classic from your world. Now get up. The Hero is currently resting on a road. This is the prime opportunity to approach him without alerting the Demon Empress."

"It's the middle of the fucking night."

"Opportunity waits for no man!"

"No one here is a man."

"Noted. Now then, Madeleine, dress Mel into her usual getup!"

"Umm… I failed that part of Maid Schoo-"

"No, you didn't."

"I don't know where Mel keeps her clo-"

"You break into her room all the time, yes you do."

"You do what?"

"Nothing Mel! Get out of your bed!" I quickly grabbed Mel's shoulders, dragged her out of bed, and then dressed her up. Turns out her selection of clothes are minimal. Two whole outfits, two pairs of underwear, and seven different hats. "Why so many hats?"

"Hats are nice. Now give me the ranger hat. I have a feeling I'll need it."

"Aye aye, captain!"

"Are you two ready?"

"We are."

"Then let me summon Speedy." Merida grabbed out an iron handbell, one that was also missing the little thingy inside it, and rang it. A few moments passed before a sleepy Speedy walked into the room.

"Did a good night's hug?"

"No, not tonight. I need you to take these two to the Hero. He is currently walking on the singular road from the Empress' castle that leads into the forest."

"Why in the middle of the night?"

"So we don't have to approach the Empress or the Demon King. I do not wish to put you in danger, Speedy."

"Oh. Umm… thanks." Speedy looked down in embarrassment. It would be rather inconvenient if Speedy were in danger. Who'd get me my favourite sandwich from Hamblin?

"Now, take them away, Speedy!"

"I shall, master!" Speedy grabbed our wrists and ran. I'm starting to get used to this sensation. I can sort of see the trees… never mind, that was just a branch stuck to my forehead. Speedy was speeding through (Can't believe I didn't think of that before) when she suddenly came to a halt, then pointed to two random dudes on the road sitting at a campfire. "Are they the guys we're looking for?"

Mel and I took a closer look. The man in armour with a giant sword lying next to him looked familiar, but I didn't care about that. Next to the big buff fellow who screamed Hero was the Summoner! I liked him, and he liked my tea! I wonder why he's with that guy?

"Yes, that's the Hero, wearing his grand armour and his grand sword next to him. I have no idea who the other guy is, though."

"That's Ferry! He likes my tea!"

"Well, good for you. I'm going to bug someone on the other end of the world. Waking them up in the middle of the night sounds funny. You two know the drill. When you're done, give me a ring." And off Speedy went. She always seems to have someone to visit, huh.

As soon as Speedy disappeared, a dark shroud covered Mel, and out she came in her Ranger gear. She has a nice ass again!

"Hmm… been a while since that happened. It was obvious this would happen, however. Come, maid, let us approach the Hero."

I followed Mel while staring, obviously. The Hero sensed we were coming and drew his sword. The moment he saw Mel, though, he immediately lowered the sword.

"Hello there, Melanie. I see you took the maid with you."

"It's more like the maid took me. Why are you out here?"

"To search."

They're going to get all melodramatic and serious. Time to completely ignore them. "Ferry, how's it going?!"

"It's going terribly. No tea, constant hugs, two pricks constantly annoying me, and no payment for my services."

"That's rough, buddy."

"Please, take me! I don't want to be part of a harem!"

"I would take you, but…" I looked over to the Hero. Right now, his and Mel's discussion has turned into a screaming contest. Something about… uh… abandonment issues, I think, "That big guy probably won't let you go."

"I don't care. I just want tea and to summon demons, and I get neither in that stupid castle. It's why I came on this mission."

"What mission?"

"The Empress realised the Hero's party, and you were missing."

"Oh, that's bad."

"Sure is. Turns out having a Demon King means the number of servants willing to serve you is very limited. Why exactly did you stick around with us?"

"Hmm… no idea. Maybe I'm just insane."

"Seems plausible. Have any tea?"

"No. Just because I'm a maid doesn't mean I have tea on me at all times. I do have daggers, though."

"I could use some daggers. Lost mine in a ritual."

I pulled a dagger out from under my skirt. "Here you go."

"Huh. Interesting." Ferry looked over my shoulder, and a shocked look appeared on his face. "I believe your friend wants your attention."

"Anything for you, Mel!" I looked at Mel and saw the Hero's corpse next to her, with a bloodied arrow in her hand. "Eh? Did you do that?"

"What? No! I can't even pierce armour with an arrow."

"Then who did?"

"Assassins from Pansir."

"Isn't Pansir in the middle of the continent?"

"They have a teleporter and a seer."

"Explain more."

"Seer like Merida, so they know where everyone is, and then the teleporter uses that information to teleport an arrow into the target's heart. Someone must've targeted Wulfric here."

"Oh… well, that's convenient."

"What do you mean convenient?"

"They were hunting us."

"I see. Anyways, our job here is basically done, look into his dead, cold eyes."

"Aye aye, captain!" I hopped over to the Hero's corpse and opened his eyes. Ooh… such a golden shine. Shame about the whole dead thing, though.

Limitless You have no limits. Side Note: To Infinity and Beyond!

"Holy shit, that's a powerful Sacred Power."

"Limitless? Yeah. He kept boasting about it. Now, can we go home? I want to sleep."

"Can we take Ferry with us?"

"Who?"

"Ferry." I pointed at Ferry, who was waving.

"Uh… sure, I guess."

"You'll really take me?!"

"Yeah, yeah, let go of me! Hurry up and ring the bell, Madeleine!"

---

Character profile: Wulfric Break

Sacred power: Limitless

Number of lovers: Previously 35, currently It's Complicated

Description: The Hero of this world. How is the Hero chosen? Depends on which country is in charge of choosing the Hero. In Pansir, the Hero is decided through a tournament. In the Sacre Pla Nation, the Hero is decided through a lottery. In Cyst City, the Hero is chosen personally by Cyst, the city manager. In Druena, the country Hamblin belongs to, the Hero title is given to a random orphan who is immediately assassinated. The country Wulfric comes from is Trogen. The Hero there is chosen by throwing a large number of children into a frozen lake and seeing which one comes out first.

Chapter namesake: Side of the Road by Big Black Delta