Headed by a Snake



It was a warm and merry time, dinner with Pale and his companions. 

The celebration of high spirits and camaraderie had successfully distracted Tycondrius from the reason he was upset. 

But the inevitable came to pass... and that very reason reared his ugly head. 

"BUH-BUH-BUh-bu-bubu-buh-riSSKETTTT!!!" 

Brisket. 

That ...*thing* meant to say 'brisket'-- beef, from the look and scent of it. 

⟬ Stephanos, Gold-Rank Gorgon Idiot. ⟭

Stephanos, the... self-proclaimed Fierce Knight entered the dining room, carrying two metal plates as if he they were dumbbells. 

Atop the first plate was a hefty cut of beef brisket, the subject of his mediocre singing voice. It was smoked tender and lightly showered with herbs and freshly cracked pepper. 

On the other plate was a respectably sized bird, the size of the Gorgon's head. From the way the meat jiggled as Stephanos walked, that, too, had been smoked low and slow to be soft and delectable. 

The two, combined, almost made up his identity.

...He was Sasarame's 'Iron Chef.'

The 9-fulm tall, four-legged bull-idiot-centaur wasn't even made of iron. If anything, the composition of his metal skin was closer to Titanite. 

(Also, it was a troublesome thought, but Tycon was fairly certain that Gorgon meat was 80% similar to regular beef.)

After placing the first two metal plates down, Stephanos used his tail to reach another platter filled with side dishes. 

His torso and arms were too muscle-clad for him to reach behind himself. It was a wonder, though, that he was so dextrous with his scorpion-like tail. 

He dropped the platter. 

Of course, he would. 

Thankfully, and without hesitation, Tycon and Pale, dove simultaneously, both over and under the table. 

It was in moments of great trepidation and uncertainty where the true nature of a Hero came to light. 

In that brief, precarious moment, Tycon and the Hero worked together in tandem to rescue all six bowls and plates of foodstuffs from abject disaster. . 

"I'l... I'll get the ale," Stephanos offered.

"Don't bother," Tycon glared. "Sit and eat."

⟬ ⌈Vexing Gaze⌋ conditions met. Activate? Y/N? ⟭

« Hold. Let's see his response... »

"Don't MIND if I do!!" the dullard grinned. 

« Do not activate. »

And so, Stephanos, the Fierce Knight, sat at the end of the table, without a chair. Even after dropping his haunches, he towered over the rest of the table's recipients. 

Then, he began passing forward dishes before taking a fork and carving knife to the poultry. 

(For personal reasons, Tycon didn't allow the Gorgon to carve the beef.)

Pale got the drinks from the kitchen and the bread out of the oven. 

For whatever reason, Kimura insisted that Troia stay at the table. 

--out of politeness, perhaps? 

From what Tycon remembered, the Holy Princess had experience in the kitchen. At the Basilica, she would sometimes cook or bake dishes for Pale. 

Hm. He wondered if that was a sign she was fond of him? He made a mental note to privately remind Pale to treat her well. 

Anyroad... aside from the garlic bread, Tycon had high praise for the rest of the menu. 

[I ate so much salad,] Troia signed. [I can't eat a single bite!]

Tycon placed a chicken wing on her plate. Children loved chicken wings. 

The dreadfully underweight Holy Princess sat and stared at for a long moment. 

[Thank you,] she signed. 

Her expression didn't look particularly bright, but Tycon chose to believe in her words. There was no reason to expect duplicity from that young lady. 

"So..." Stephanos began. 

Tycon took a deep breath. He had *just* recovered his good mood, but Stephanos the... Fierce Knight chose that particular moment to remind Tycon that he yet lived and breathed. 

"Duel, WHEN?!" the Gorgon demanded. 

"I refuse," Tycon waved.

"Please?"

...Tycon narrowed his eyes. 

The children's gazes were bright and curious. 

That made it difficult for Tycon to reject the fool without reason. 

He sighed in resignation... "Perhaps... if you can best the youngest, I'll take your request into consideration."

"AwwwwWW YISSSSSS!!!" cheered Stephanos, the Fierce Knight. 

...

With the most bothersome topic out of the way, the Gorgon had many questions for the children. And they, too, were excited to talk about their adventures. 

Stephanos was familiar with Pale, the boy having won his respect during the assault on Caeruleum. 

The Gorgon got along suspiciously well with Kimura Taree... as creatures of similar intellect. However, the Martialist was still young. In a few years, her skull and brain would grow and she would gain the capacity for common maths and critical thinking skills. 

That, he sincerely hoped. 

And, of course, Troia was always lovely. It was somewhat surprising that the bull-fellow could understand sign language, but the notion wasn't worth questioning. 

All things considered, Tycon was thankful for the gentle-bull's ability to lift the mood. 

In the coming weeks, he was certain that Pale and his companions were going to face their toughest tribulations, as of yet. 

The lizard war was an impossible battle. 

Despite the small number of enemy Divine Armors, each individual construct posed a significant threat to regular, human forces. 

And if the enemy fielded Ancient Lizards on the level of Jerim Jya and Neerin Neelia, entire companies risked decimation with even a single strafing run. 

Tycon had embarrassingly few pieces capable of dealing with such threats. 

--which made it all the more important for him to field Pale and the two members of his party with care. 

The boy was arguably his strongest asset. 

Once Troia had reocvered, she had similar strength when factored together with Dawnbringer. 

Kimura Taree would be able to deal with some lesser threats, properly armed with an enchanted Lizardbane Weapon. 

A party comprising all three, Tycon would classify as half-step Sky-Rank. 

However, the current war had no need for such a consolidation of strength. 

It would be more appropriate to field them separately. 

Each had the strength of spirit and, in theory, the knowledge to lead squads or companies into combat. 

Pale had undergone Officer training in San Canis as well as specialized training in order to take leadership of Sol Invictus. 

Kimura Taree was the future leader of the Whitescale Sect (or the... Ivory Judge Sect, as it was called by the current generation.)

Also, Princess Troia was the undisputed leader of the Holy Country. 

If they were to lead their own separate forces, the Anti-Lizard Offensive would have three Gold and Adamantine-Rank assets...

Yet... Tycon did not look forward to informing them of their party's dissolution. 

They would disagree. 

Kimura was very likely going to cry. 

But they would also understand that he was right. 

The current Tycon had neither the skill nor the capability to be anything but a brooding cynic. 

Yet... Stephanos... the Fierce Knight was able to fill that gap. 

The inanities of the mushroom-brained bull-scorpion-fish-centaur were able to distract the children. 

He brought out their confidence. He brought them joy. 

Tycon even considered thanking the fellow, personally. 

He did not. 

The other staffmembers of Hero's Hearth joined Stephanos and the heroes, playing games and singing songs well into the evening. 

Tycon allowed it. 

Their time in Hero's Hearth would last no longer than eight nights and seven suns. 

Afterward, their every waking moment would be devoted to wartime operations. 

--fighting on behalf of the future. 

--and ever-under the threat of ash and fire. 

...

The rest of the evening went well enough. 

The children were forced to bathe. 

(And Tycon ensured Pale bathed with soap.)

Their clothes were collected and enchanted by a series of long-duration hygiene Spells. 

Sasarame had hired a servants from Charm with impeccable workmanship. 

Besides, the greatest of modern facilities that Hero's Hearth had to offer were a set of hot springs. 

The water was provided by stonework engineering beyond Tycon's level of understanding. And the pools were heated and cleaned by a series of clever and comprehensive Spell Formations. 

After the children were sent to bed, Tycon was the last to enter the baths. 

He refused the assistance of the hired servants, allowing Sasarame as his only attendant. 

She scrubbed his back as she gave an overview on current events. 

Tycon's foray in the Plane of Fire took less than 48 bells. The magical ⌈Contract⌋ he made with his sister forced him to expedite many processes in order to accomplish it. 

However, those 48 bells Off-Realm equated to over five weeks in the Material Plane-- 37 suns, to be exact. 

The notion annoyed him greatly. If he had taken longer, Cass would have been none the wiser. 

--not that he'd violate the contract in that regard. His integrity was inviolable. 

But according to the reports, the Commander of the Western Front had performed dutifully and with excellence. 

Cass, the War Princess of Charm, chose not to base in the safety of the captured City of Making. Instead, she kept her forces kept mobile, actively preventing the lizards from taking key points of interest in her jurisdiction. 

In recent weeks, she'd established a stable supply line through the plains lands. With that, she managed to pressure the lizard forces in their fringe territories into non-aggression and in two cases, full withdrawal. 

On top of that, the losses incurred to her forces were negligible. 

That girl was a genius. Tycon honestly doubted he could do better, himself. 

With his duties as Commander-in-Chief of the Anti-Lizard Offensive satisfied, Tycon opened a conversation with his daughter on the topic of her schooling. 

Sasarame had also performed admirably. 

She learned as much as the Basilica offered. She kept her identity as a non-human secret. And despite intentionally keeping her grades in the middle of her classes, she was proud to admit a basic mastery in Divination Magics. 

Also, she kept away from the boys. 

Tycon did not recall him ordering her to do so... and, logically, avoiding a group comprising approximately half the population was somewhat antithetical to her social growth. 

However, he decided that was for the best. 

And for a reason he could not explain... he found the notion favorable.