Idiot DuranDuck
This girl… as I expected, she is a Valkyrie. "You are a Valkyrie," I stated. Turning my head to the side, my eyes landed on the other girl.
"I am very sorry, Mister Lloyd. We have something to ask you about," The short-haired girl politely demanded.
Wait… I don't remember giving them my name. How did she know?
"I received your name from the lady from the shop before, Mister Lloyd," sensing my confusion, the girl replied.
"Thank you for answering my question," I deadpanned at the girl.
"Why are you two talking like that!" The long-haired girl… Bianka, I think her name, huffed.
"Because this is a basic courtesy?" I answered, glancing at Rita.
"I agree with what he said, Durandal-sama," Rita nodded her head. "You should know about these by now," she added.
Turning her head toward me, "I am very sorry for my Squad Leader's behavior," Rita apologized.
"No worries," I accepted the apology. Putting down my backpack, "I feel sorry for you," I looked at Rita in pity.
"This Rita shall accept your pity," Wiping her fake tears, Rita sobs.
"Stop it! Both of you!" A faint blush appeared on Bianka's face. Glaring both at her friend and me, she gritted her teeth.
"Isn't that Abyss Flower in your hand?" I pointed at the lance she was holding. "You shouldn't point something dangerous like that to people," I deadpanned.
"You know about Abyss Flower," Bianka's stare on me hardened. "You are not a normal butler, aren't you?" I am speechless by her words. Is she an idiot?
"Durandal-sama, he is not a real butler," Rita chimed in from the side.
"But, Rita! He was wearing the uniform back then!" I slapped my forehead… hard.
"Durandal-sama… That was a roleplaying cafe," Rita sighed.
"So… he's not a real butler?"
"No, I'm not." "No, he isn't."
"Well…," Bianka scratched her cheek.
"Anyway, it is dangerous to point at a person with Abyss Flower, young lady," I reprimanded the girl. I know the best about Abyss Flower since it was my weapon in my previous life.
"Oh, I am sorry," the girl apologized, relaxing the fighting stance. "No, wait. How do you know about Abyss Flower?"
"I mean, I know about Valkyries. Isn't it natural to know about the god keys too?" I shrugged my shoulders.
"Ah… I see. It's only natural to know about it," Bianka nodded.
My palm meets my forehead. Looking at the short-haired Rita, I asked, "Is she for real?"
"I believe… Durandal-sama is what people called honest and frank," she replied. She looks like she's not even sure of her answer.
"She's an idiot, isn't she?" I deadpanned at her, making Rita look away in shame.
"I am very sorry," she apologized.
"I'm not an idiot!" Come the Dumb Goose's retort, but the two of us give her the stare.
"Wha… What?" Bianka asked, noticing our stares.
"Yup! She's an idiot alright," I nodded.
"Hey!"
Looking straight into her eyes, "Who else would believe my bullshit aside from idiots?!" I nearly screamed in frustration.
"That's it!" Swinging the Black Abyss, Bianka charged straight at me. Besides being an idiot, she is also a hothead… good to know.
I sidestepped to dodge the incoming attack and returned a roundhouse kick to her face. Surprisingly, she avoided the kick even though I made sure to connect the attack.
"You are good," I praised the girl.
"Heh," Bianka moved the hairs covering her eyes. "This much is nothing."
I must admit. I have taken a liking to this girl more and more. Dodging another stab coming from her, I smirked. She knows how to use Abyss Flower well too.
"Do you want to take this somewhere else? I'm afraid we'll wake up the whole neighborhood," I tried to reason with her.
"I have no reason to refuse," Bianka nods without even thinking for a moment.
"Bianka," I stared straight at her and sighed. This girl… how much of a blockhead can she be?
"In this situation, you have to get whatever advantage you can have over your opponent," I explained.
"He is correct, Durandal-sama," Rita agreed with my sentence.
"Rita, right? I think we can have a very beautiful friendship," I beamed her a smile.
"Ara… This Rita believes something more than a friendship can bloom between us in the future, Mister Lloyd," Rita covers her mouth and replies.
"Oh my, not even a full 24 hours since we've met yet you are already flirting with me? You are such a bad maid, Rita," I smirked and returned a smile.
"Are you going to punish this bad maid, Mister Lloyd?" Rita asked back without losing her momentum. Wow… this maid, she might not be as good as Sakuya, but she's good nonetheless.
I walked toward her, not minding the idiot gawking at us. Standing in front of the maid, I offered her a hand, "I like you," a short and simple sentence escaped from my mouth.
"Ara… this Rita is flattered but I am very sorry. I already belong to Durandal-sama, both my body and my mind," Rita replied with a slight tone of regret.
"Rita!" Comes the shouting of the DuranDuck.
"But I have to admit I like you too, Mister Lloyd," A smile appeared on the maid's face, and she grabbed my hand. Nothing needed to be said between the two of us as we understood each other's intentions.
(The Illustration)
"You guys!" And~ our moment was broken by Bianka's yell.
"Don't worry, we won't forget you, Bianka," I turned my head toward the long-haired Valkyrie.
"You are the only one for me, Durandal-sama. Please don't be jealous. But… Durandal-sama's jealous face is adorable," Rita giggled, amused to see Durandal's blushing face.
"Hmm… You are right, Rita. Bianka is indeed adorable when she is jealous," I leaned toward Rita and said in fake awe.
"That's it! I am going home!" Bianka screamed and retreated to where she came from.
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10 minutes later,
"Boss! Three bowls of Shirakawa Ramen!" I shouted as I walked into an establishment.
"Oh, Lloyd! It's rare to see you come here with friends," The boss greeted me with a smile while he prepared the order.
"Why am I here?" Durandal huffed and sat down on the chair.
"Because we don't want you to feel like a third-wheel on our date?" I replied as I pointed at Rita beside me with my thumb.
"Date?!" Bianka's eyes widened.
"I am sorry, Durandal-sama. To keep you safe from his wicked claws, this Rita can only sacrifice her body. But my heart will always belong to you, Durandal-sama," Rita fake cried and wiped her tears.
"What will you do, Bianka?" I leaned forward. "Do you wish to rescue your friend from my hand?"
"Don't worry about me, Durandal-sama. Please save yourself first," Rita joined the fray.
"You two," Bianka sighed and… *Bam!* Her head hit the table.
"Did we overdo it?" I leaned toward Rita and whispered.
"Durandal-sama is very forgiving. Please don't worry about it, Mister Lloyd," Rita leaned to my side and whispered back.
"Wow! That means I can tease her as much as I want, huh?!" Wow… Bianka is such an angel. I was engrossed in my new teasing techniques I didn't notice a nasty grin on my face.
"You are an interesting individual, Mister Lloyd," Rita chuckled.
"I can still hear what you two are talking about," Bianka lifts up her head and glares at us.
"Your glare made you even more adorable, Bianka," I gave her a thumbs up.
Her glare deepens, but she just sighs and gives up. "But why a ramen shop?" Bianka asked, laying her head on her arms.
"Because a ramen shop is the best place to create bonds," I replied, looking at the long-haired girl like an idiot.
"Said who?" Drinking the water, Bianka huffed.
"My late friend KEVIN," I replied, putting my chin on my knuckle.
*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*
Bianka coughed out the water she was drinking. Looks like the water went into the wrong pipe. "I am sorry," she apologized.
"You didn't know. It's not your fault," I replied lazily. Yes, I miss KEVIN and the gang. I'll still miss them like how I miss my family from my previous life.
Our orders arrived before the conversation became more awkward. The ramen smells as good as I remember.
This shop is the same shop I came to in my previous life with KEVIN and SU. I don't know how this shop is here, but… I am glad. At least I can relive the time I spent with them.
"By the way," I started, swallowing the noodles. "Do any of you know how to go to the other branch of Imaginary Tree? I think my parents are worried sick," I heaved a sigh.
"Another branch?" Bianka tilts her head. "I might know if you are asking about traveling to another Bubble Universe but I don't know about traveling to the other Imaginary Tree branch. Sorry," she answered after thinking for a little.
"No, wait," she uttered a yelp after thinking for a while. "How about we ask the Overseer? He might know," she continued.
"Overseer? Oh yea, you haven't told me your organization's name," I asked. I have a hunch, but it would be better to hear it from their mouths.
"Hmm? Er… right. We haven't told you yet, have we?" Bianka rubs the back of her head. "We are from Schicksal," she answered and proved my theory confirmed.
"Mister Lloyd," Rita stares at me with a sharpened gaze. "You are saying as if you came from the other branch of the Imaginary Tree," she stated.
Man, Rita is sharp, but I am not truly hiding, either. My first priority is to go back to my parents' side. And… if this Schicksal is like back home, I think I could trust them.
"Ah, yes. That is what I was saying," I admitted. "I came from the other branch of the Imaginary Tree. It was still 1487 back home… so, this branch is about 500 years into the future for me."
Rita's gaze lingered on me, but she returned to her usual smiling face after a while. "I believe Lord Otto might be able to find a way," she answered.
"Ah, yes! The Overseer might be able to find a way," Bianka nodded as she drank the ramen broth.
"Otto… is that the current Overseer's name?" I ask.
"That is correct, Mister Lloyd."
"What a coincidence," I laughed. "The Overseer back home is also called Otto," I pulled out the photo from my wallet. "He is also my father," and gave the picture to Bianka.
(The Illustration)
"Oh, what a coincidence inde— *Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*" And… she is coughing from ramen broth going into the windpipe again.
"Man, you are such a klutz, Bianka," I sighed and gave her a glass of water.
"Lloyd?"
"Yes, Bianka?"
"Who's your mother?"
"Oh, her name is Kallen Kaslana. She's a badass," I chuckled. "There was that one time when she killed a bear barehand," I added.
"So… you are the child of Otto Apocalypse and Kallen Kaslana?" She asked as she handed the photo to Rita.
"Yup! My name is Ambrose Apocalypse, the future Overseer of Schicksal. Nice to meet ya," I gave her a two-finger salute.
"Mister Lloyd," Rita's eyes widened a little after seeing the photo. "May I have a strand of your hair? We would like to make sure of something," she added.
Are they trying to make sure I am a Kaslana and an Apocalypse? I guess there are too many fake people calling themselves Apocalypse these days. "Sure, go ahead," I agreed.
"Please excuse me," Rita stood up and plucked a hair from my head. I can see Bianka is taking a picture of my photo.
"I want to ask something, Lloyd," Bianka started. "Why is the photo with color? I thought it wasn't even invented yet," she continued.
"Oh! It was my father. He created it for family use," I answered.
Schicksal… it is the organization that fights against Honkai, and they can be trusted. And from the girls praising 'that' Otto, I don't think he'll be a bad guy, and I don't believe Biana would willingly follow someone with a bad personality.
We parted ways after eating ramen. Bianka said she'll contact me after she got the answer from the Overseer. Welp! I guess I'll have to wait for her to contact me.
Tonight is my lucky night, that's for sure. I get to know the girls from Schicksal and, through them, to the Overseer. And… I think back to the time fighting against Bianka. That Black Abyss… I got a familiar feeling about it. It's just like… no, it can't be. Why would my weapon from my previous life be here?
Anyway, tonight is truly an exciting night.
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Author's Note;
Well… Bianka is an idiot. There! I said it. This Durandal is not the graceful Dumb Goose from the canon timeline, and she is from a year after the Durandal VN. So, she'll still be a hotheaded idiot.
Rita… we still don't know what she is thinking or planning under her dutiful maid mask. This is from Lloyd's POV, so he thinks she is a chill maid.
Now, about Lloyd telling the truth to Bianka and Rita. It is because he was raised in Schicksal, and his instinct tells him to trust it. There. It's simple. And yes! Lloyd's real name is not Lloyd but Ambrose! Shocking, right?
About how this chapter is totally different from the Evil Lord one… In the previous version, the relationship between Durandal, Rita, and Urien was not fully explored. That's why I am doing it in this version.
According to the previous version, this chapter should've ended with the news reporting about Raiden Ryouma embezzling the funds. I'm not doing it in this version yet because I want to explore more between Lloyd and Mei.
The next story I'll update is, 'Blazing Epic of a Certain Slothful Captain.' I should have updated it long ago, but things happened. So… see you later!