Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

A/N: Hair and Fur are the same thing when I tried to describe the different colors of the Kitsunes

“So. that’s what happened this time around”

“Huh…I thought you would do worse”

“And what does that mean Your Highness?” 

“Nothing”

“Uhuh” 

“Anyways, is that why Python’s daughter has been following you around lately?”

“Pretty much. She swore to be my bodyguard after she ranked up”

“And what did Python think of this?’

“Oh, she encouraged it. Saying it will “Help her grow” or something along those lines”

“Well given your performance so far Miss Ophelia, I believe she made the right choice” 

“Hmm…I hope so…” 

‘I wouldn’t want to lose someone under my watch…not again’ Ophelia thought as their conversation topic came to a close. Clenching her fist as she remembered something from long ago, 

Sitting in a field north of the town, near the coast, she and Olertin were sharing a chat, Ophelia recounting the events that had transpired a few days ago. Olertin, who had just woken up from a two-day slumber, found it harder day by day to keep active, feeling that his time was near, he turned to his successor

“Can you do The Test by the end of the week?” he asked, making Ophelia raise her eyebrow

“I can…why?” she asked in return, concern on her face  

Olertin only gave her a smile that spoke the truth, his successor’s expression twisted into sadness as she understood everything then and there.

“How long?” she asked in a serious tone

“Probably till the first week of the next month…”

“I see…have you told everyone else? Mercy, and your entourage?”

“I have…they…aren’t happy about it”

“Obviously…but to think it would be sooner that I expected”

“Indeed. But that is life…that is life…” Olertin finished with a final sigh, he then started fishing for something in his pocket, making Ophelia curious 

With an outstretched hand, Olertin handed something to his successor, which Ophelia accepted. Opening her hand, she saw a small golden crystal, it was the size of her pinky and it had a crown etched onto it’s surface. 

“What’s this?” she asked

“A small token my wife made me before she passed. She called it the “Ruler’s Crystal” saying it was to signify the role I was taking and the responsibility that accompanied it. She told me that if ever I was to find a successor, I would give it to them, she planted a magic spell inside it that allows the wielder to…to…I can’t even remember anymore hehe, but it was a powerful spell. Ah! It had a spell that could temporarily boost the stats of the wielder, I remember using it against that Divine Beast but to no avail” Olertin answered her, a small smile on his lips as he recounted the item’s history. 

“Thank you. Olertin, I will keep this with me” Ophelia smiled as she clutched the tiny crystal, using <Appraisal> to examine it

Item: Holy Magic Crystal [Unique] {Ruler’s Crystal} 

Type: [Available for numerous implementations]

Material: Amberite Monster Crystal. A-Class Monster. 

Magic incantation: [Stat Booster] (Boosts all stats and power for the next 900 seconds/15 minutes) 

“Huh. your wife was able to use Holy Magic?” Ophelia asked as she was surprised by the item’s description. 

“Oh? Is that what it’s called, the golden looking magic?” Olertin asked, his interest piqued 

“Indeed, very few people could use that type of magic, it’s main purpose is for healing. But it can be used for other things if you have a creative mind. And by the looks of this enchantment made by your wife, she was indeed very creative” 

“Thank you for the compliment” the old king smiled as someone complimented his wife

“But. before I perform The Test I have to visit Yamato’s village today. She wants me to help her tribesmen to improve, as they have what she calls “Close minded” views on everyone else” 

“Heh, I remember her talking to me about that problem, it’s not that her tribe has trouble participating in the kingdom, it’s that they think they are above other’s when it comes to martial prowess” 

“Isn’t that for most of the tribes? Especially the Wolf Beastkin and the Dragonkin?” Ophelia asked as she took a Snack Cube from her item box and ate it. 

“Hah. you would think, but no” Olertin replied flatly

“The Kitsune Tribe is the one that consistently thinks they are the best in martial prowess. So having you best them and show them that outsiders are in fact stronger can help them grow” 

“I understand that reasoning. I remember having to put my foot down on some people when I was back in my duchy, I intend to deliver on what she asks” Ophelia finished, a smile on her face as she handed Olertin a Snack Cube. 

As they ate in silence, the sound of approaching footsteps and pleasantries exchanged by the guards told the duo that someone just arrived. 

“Miss Ophelia, Your Majesty” the calm feminine voice called, 

Turning their head, they saw Yamato standing before them, dawned in a bluish robe that resembled the clothing Japanese ‘Miko’ shrine maidens wore in Ophelia’s old world. 

“Ah! Yamato, here to pick up my successor yourself I see?” The old king smiled as he asked the kitsune, to which she bowed 

“Indeed Your Majesty. If it were anyone else, they would have challenged her to a fight and it would’ve taken longer for her to get to our village” Yamato replied as she sat down next to them 

“Huh. they really are that battle crazy? From where I came from, the kitsune are usually passive and peaceful” Ophelia voiced 

“If they are like that, then something happened to them that made them lose their spirit for fighting” Yamato replied 

“There was an event that probably did, but we can discuss that another time. Shall we get going?” 

“Indeed, the sooner we go, the better it will be for everyone” 

“I wish you both goodluck, and Miss Ophelia. Drop em dead” Olertin said with a smile as he watched them both leave. 

“I hope you enjoy the report I will give you later Your Highness” Ophelia replied with a smile

“I will, have a safe trip. And you Yamato, keep up the good work”

“Thank you Your Majesty” 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As they left Olertin and his knights on that field, they began walking south, passing the Castle and the town and continuing south on the dirt road, before arriving at a split in the road that led into the forest, 

“Huh. it’s deep in the forest?”

“Yes. is there a problem with that, Miss Ophelia?” Yamato asked as she turned to her, an eyebrow raised 

“No no no, I am just surprised, I never took you Kitsunes to be the hiding type of tribe” 

“Given our battle-crazy culture, we decided that our place of residence should be in the middle of a forest to remind us that not everything in life is about fighting”

“And how has that helped?” Ophelia asked, hands on her hips

“Quite well actually. Most of the older members have mellowed out…the youth however” 

“Are the one’s who inherited their craving for a fight?” 

“Indeed” 

“Alright. So shall we continue?” 

“Indeed, follow me” 

“Oh! Before I forget, we placed illusion magic on the village to hide it, so when you see a sprawling village with some towers. The reason you did not see it as we approached it is because of that” Yamato added as she turned around again

“Alright. I understand” 

After another hour of walking, they came upon a large wooden gate, surrounded by a large wall of oak with sharpened tops to prevent anyone from breaking in or escaping. At the entrance of the gate stood three kitsune's one girl and two guys, all three of them with brown fur, each of them dressed in a Japanese-style blue battle robe. 

“Lady Yamato. Welcome back” the female kitsune uttered with a respectful bow

“Iga, have the elders convened as I had instructed before I left?” Yamato asked

“Yes. they await in the Grrand Hall…and is this His Majesty’s successor?” Iga asked as she glanced at Ophelia

“Yes. she is Miss Ophelia, you are to treat her with the same kindness and respect as me” 

“I understand. It is a pleasure to finally meet the successor of our small kingdom” Iga said as she bowed

“The pleasure is all mine. I am glad I get to meet the people who will be under my care in the future” Ophelia replied by bowing and then extending her hand which Iga warmly received. 

“Alright. With the pleasantries out of the way. Iga, lead the way” Yamato added as she saw them finish their greetings. 

“Of course. Open the gate!” Iga shouted to the two guards standing nearby, who then pushed the gate open, 

As they stepped forward, Ophelia was treated to the sight of a sprawling village, from where they were, they could look down and see the entire village. It was arranged in the form of a giant bowl, with the residential houses of the tribe to the left side when they entered, arranged in a stair-like manner that ended near the giant Japanese-style pagoda tower that had about nine floors. To their right, there was several workshops and another pagoda tower with eight floors, such as a blacksmith a lumber processing mill, and several farming patches arranged in the same staircase style. 

Ophelia was impressed by the sight she was given, comparing the village before her to the other two, Wilcor’s village had several workshops as well that dotted the trees as they were making their way to the magical research center, but had no farm in sight. While Python’s village was simply giant sturdy tents in the middle of a large field, with them herding cattle and tilling the soil that was nearby. But no special structure beside’s the arena in sight. 

“How is it?” Yamato asked, seeing the impressed expression on her guest’s face. 

“Impressive, while Wilcor’s village lacked any noticeable farming area they had impressive workshops that processed their lumber and helped refine some of their magic. While Python’s village had a lot of open space for them to train, farm and herd cattle. Then there is yours. A combination of both I am assuming? Considering I can see some workshops off to the right. And what I assume is the village dojo, that being the giant tower” Ophelia replied 

“You are indeed correct Miss Ophelia, what a good eye. Those buildings to our right in the distance are the village workshops. We have a blacksmith, a lumber mill and a furniture and porcelain manufacturing center. We also have some layered fields to grow our crops and behind the large pagoda tower in the center is where we herd some livestock” 

“And the second tower?” 

“Oh right. Yes, you are correct to assume that is the village dojo, the higher your skill is the higher you go, each floor has at least one class at any given time. The top floor is where fighters such as Iga train” Yamato finished as she gave one last gesture to the sight before them. 

“But before we go there, we have to meet the village elders. They are like the people who come to me and tell me the current problems of the village. Most of which are complaints about the youth being more and more aggressive these days” Yamato added as she sighed and gripped the bridge of her nose. 

“Must be fun” Ophelia replied her sarcasm seeping out with a smirk

“Oh it is, they remind me every day that I have problems” the kitsune replied with a smirk of her own, 

“Right. Let’s get on with it. Iga, lead the way” Yamato continued as they continued towards the center pagoda tower. 

As they walked down to the tower, there were many people they had passed on the way. They all bowed and greeted their village chief and the girl who was walking next to her, their eyes still trained on her as she passed by, the younger kitsunes who were watching began running around and telling everyone that Yamato returned with someone, prompting most of the village by the time they had reached the base of the tower, to just watch them, surrounding them from all sides. 

“Alright, everyone. Return to what you were doing” she ordered as she turned around and met the gazes of everyone who was staring at them

“Anyone who isn’t will run forty laps around the village and up the dojo tower” she added, which prompted everyone to disperse and quickly return to their duties, even the kids who were simply running around the village returned to their houses. 

“Laps?” Ophelia asked

“Indeed. They run around the village with iron balls tied to their waists. They have to run fast or risk the instructor hitting them with the scabbard of his sword” Iga answered her

“Huh…at least it wasn’t being sent to fight high-class monsters with nothing but a knife” she remarked, causing the two kitsunes to stare at her with concern. 

“A..Anyways, let’s head inside. The elders are waiting for us on the 4th floor of the tower” Yamato quickly said as she recomposed herself

“What are in the other floors?” Ophelia asked

“The first three floors are for our library which is filled with the knowledge passed down to us by our ancestors. The 4th floor is the special meeting hall, the 6th floor is for praying to the Goddess of Life, Histiana and the 7th and 8th floors are the personal residence of the village chief” Iga once again answered the curious human’s question. 

"Histiana? sounds like our Goddess Histy in the religion practiced back from where I am from" Ophelia remarked 

"I am not surprised, the Goddess of Life has many names so it is safe to assume you know of her in a different name" Yamato replied 

Heading inside, Ophelia was amazed by the large shelves filled with books that stretched throughout the room, passing by she was able to see that many of them were books on how to build and produce their items, climbing the staircase to the side she saw the same sight but the books on these shelves were books about fighting techniques from simple hand-to-hand to using weapons. There were even books detailing how to channel magic into the weapon and how to use it in and out of combat, finally on the third floor, the books were records of everyone in the village, from before to the present, detailing everything about them. 

‘Huh. this is a very expansive library, even the royal archives pale in comparison to this’ Ophelia thought as they climbed the last staircase and entered the 4th floor. 

Reaching the 4th floor, she was greeted by the sight of the familiar circular room, but this time instead of bookshelves, there were a dozen square stages arranged around the center of the room that also had a stage. On each of the stages, except the one in the room, were kitsunes of differing fur color and clothing colors. Each of them had signs of their age showing and all of them had turned their head towards them the moment they came into view. 

Standing by the stairs however, was a male kitsune, dressed in a black kimono with the same color of fur as Iga, bowed to Yamato the moment he laid eyes on her

“Lady Yamato. The village elders are here and await the topic for today” the kitsune voiced, his young and spirited voice filled with happiness. 

“Thank you, Koga. I appreciate you entertaining them until I arrived” Yamato replied as she pat him on the shoulder 

“It was nothing Lady Yamato. Me and my sister live to serve the village chief without complaint” Koga replied with a smile as he bowed his head again. 

“Alright. Both of you stay with Miss Ophelia, I will speak with the elders” Yamato ordered as she then walked towards the center of the room. 

“Right this way Miss Ophelia, Koga, and I will be with you as the meeting goes on” Iga said as she led the three of them to the left side of the room near the stairs, pulling out a mat for all three of them to sit. 

As Yamato stood on the center stage, the elders in the room all stood up and bowed before her, each of them locking eyes with her as she surveyed the room. All of them then sat down and began their meeting.  

“We greet you Lady Yamato” one of the elders boomed, his voice as deep and as thick as his massive body. 

“Thank you Elder Takao”

“Elder’s today we have a special guest. The successor of His Majesty, King Olertin. She is here today to help teach the youth that being a close-minded, arrogant, and  battle-crazy tribe is not a good thing for our people” Yamato told them, her voice booming with authority 

“The Elders hear the voice of the village chief” another one of the elders spoke her head nodding to Yamato’s words 

“Finally! Someone has come to help our troubled youth!” one of the elders cried 

“Yes. Elder Fuji…someone has come. But we must remember that we have our job as the leaders of the village to help her. Do not forget that” Yamato replied, 

“And with that being said” Yamato continued

“I will be giving the floor to her, she will say a few words, you will greet her. Then we will be on our way” Yamato finished as she gestured to Koga and Iga to bring Ophelia up to her, 

Walking up the stage and bowing to each of the elders, Ophelia cleared her throat and shifted her expression to a more serious one. 

“Elders of the Kitsune village. I greet you as Ophelia Erstad. I am His Majesty’s successor. It is a pleasure to meet you all” Ophelia stated as she stood before them 

“The Elders greet you Miss Ophelia” Elder Takao boomed as he bowed his head 

“Thank you. I will be here for the rest of the day teaching the youth that thinking too highly of themselves is a bad thing. As you may now, I had recently given Miss Yamato a small demonstration of my power. And it has left an impact on her so great that she has asked me to give your youth, the same lesson” 

“The Elders receive your message! We wish you good luck Your Highness” Elder Fuji exclaimed. 

Ophelia glanced at Yamato who also looked surprised at how smooth things went, simply giving a nod to the human girl and a small smile as she too did not know what else to do. 

“Alright then. Thank you for attending this meeting, Iga and Koga will escort you all back to your residences and we will reconvene at another time” Yamato finished as she bowed to all of them, who bowed in return. 

Koga and Iga then helped each of them to their feet and began helping them down the stairs, shorty disappearing from their sight. 

“Well. that went well” Ophelia remarked, 

“Indeed. Usually, they all voice their complaints but today they acted differently” Yamato added 

“Maybe because you mentioned His Highness?” 

“Probably. But we can figure that out another time. For now, let us head to the dojo. I believe that the battle-crazed members of our village have already gathered there, thanks to Koga and Iga” 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Arriving at the base of the dojo tower, Ophelia was greeted by the sight of eight kitsune, four girls and four guys, wearing martial arts gi’s (or a dōgi since it’s Japanese) with blackbelt’s around their waists, with each of them showing signs of experience and hardened skills through years of fighting by the way they composed themselves. 

‘Hmm some have some scars 

“Miss Ophelia, these are the instructors of the village dojo, each of them is the best we have in teaching the younger generation” Yamato said as she gestured to the instructors in front of her. 

“I am Master Sakura, the master of the first floor” The female kitsune with flowing golden hair said with a bow

“I am Master Hiroshi, the master of the second floor” The male kitsune with a short black buzz cut said with a bow

“I am Master Hikari, the master of the third floor” another female kitsune said, her facial features the same as Master Hiroshi, who then also bowed 

“These three manage the beginner levels of the tower, that being the first to the third floors. They are competent at what they do and are good with solidifying the foundations of fighting” Yamato finished 

“A pleasure to meet you three, and by any chance, Hiroshi and Hikari, are you both related?” Ophelia asked after she greeted them with a bow 

“Yes Your Highness. Hikari is the older twin between the two of us” Hiroshi answered her with a smile

“Alright, shall we continue then?” Ophelia asked as she turned to the others who have yet to introduce themselves. 

“Certainly, the next three are the masters of the intermediate levels of the dojo” Yamato nodded as she gestured to three male kitsunes standing at the ready.

“I am Master Kenji, master of the fourth floor” A dark-haired kitsune spoke up, his voice deep and his built and muscular body shining through his clothes. He also has a scar on his left eye that extends to the back

“I am Master Satoshi, master of the fifth floor” A silver-haired kitsune added, he had the same build as Kenji but without the scar on the eye, his voice was also higher than the former 

“I am Master Ryuji, master of the sixth floor” The last male kitsune spoke, his voice was much younger than the others, which was a given as he also looked much younger than everyone present, with his well-kept and youthful beige hair. 

“Each of them teaches more advanced techniques in hand-to-hand combat. They also teach the youth how to use weapons, ranging from swords to spears and even a Tessen, wielded like yours truly” Yamato added as they finished their introductions. 

“Hmm impressive” Ophelia remarked as she looked at them, using her <Appraisal> on them and the group before, even the last two who were yet to be introduced. Seeing that all of them were either B-Rank or A-Rank. 

“And now moving on to the last two, the Kurosawa twin sisters” Yamato then gestured to the last two kitsunes both of them with flowing red hair. 

“I am Master Aya, master of the seventh floor” The kitsune with the red flowing hair and blue eyes said with a bow, her motherly voice soothing Ophelia 

“And I am her twin sister, master of the eighth floor. Master Emi. we have heard from Lady Yamato that you had bested her and two other tribe leaders. As much as I believe my lady, I speak for all of us in that we want to witness it ourselves” The other kitsune with the same voice and flowing red hair but with yellow eyes voiced with her own bow. 

“It is a pleasure to meet you all. I take it I will be fighting just you masters?” Ophelia smiled as she asked her question 

“Yes. but not just us, each of us will lead our class in fighting you. We understand and sympathize with the elders and Lady Yamato’s wish of tempering the fiery spirit and fighting cravings that reside in the youth of the clan nowadays” Master Emi replied as she locked eyes with Ophelia, 

“What Emi says is right Miss Ophelia, you will be going up the tower and battling every single class, I would ask you not to hold back, but given how you bested me, I would ask that you use the same amount of force you used against me. Not too much that they lay shattered but just enough to make sure that they will be needing some nursing time in the coming weeks” Yamato asked with a grin on her face. 

“So you want me to give them the hurt? I understand Miss Yamato” 

“Very well then, I will be accompanying you all the way to the top. So let’s get started everyone?” 

“YES MY LADY!” The masters and students shouted as they scurried back into the tower. 

“This is where the fun begins” Ophelia remarked as she began stretching, followed by her quickly snapping her fingers and letting her Transformative Cube change from the simple dress she was wearing, into a dōgi and black belt of her own. Impressing Yamato who was watching her. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Stepping into the first floor, Ophelia was met with over thirty kitsunes in seiza positions waiting for her, they too were clad in their own dōgi’s but they were wearing simple white belts, and behind the thirty students, on a heightened platform was Master Sakura, smiling as she nodded at the challenger who dared enter her floor. Yamato smiled as she patted Ophelia on the shoulder before stepping to the side near the staircase, sitting down on one of the steps to observe the fight. Stepping forward, Ophelia looked around, analyzing each and every one of the students before her, 

“Go!” Sakura shouted, and at her order, all thirty of her students surrounded the challenger, all of them in fighting stances as they awaited their next command. 

Going into a fighting stance of her own, Ophelia remained calm and unconcerned, her eyes scanning the room in front of her while relying on her honed senses to alert her from anything behind. 

“Begin!” Sakura shouted, 

“AAAAAA!”

“AAAAAA!” 

“Hup!” 

BLOCK!

BLOCK!

BAM! 

BAM!

THUD!

THUD!

 {!}

At Sakura’s order, two of her best student charged forward, from the front and behind the challenger, one launching a low kick while another a high punch. These attacks were swiftly and simply blocked by Ophelia who used a left knife-hand block to push the punch away, before twisting her body clockwise, propelling her left leg forward, dodging the kick entirely, and then using said left leg to launch a snap kick that struck hard and true to the midsection of her attacker from behind, and as she landed her kick, using the momentum to use her right hand to launch a backhanded punch that hit squarely on the jaw of her other attacker. 

Both attacks contained enough force to send both of them to collapse, groaning in pain as they felt an attack with a force they had never experienced before. The sudden sight of their best in the class quickly and swiftly defeated by a single blow, sent fear down the spines of the remaining students, all of whom steeled themselves as they were determined to come out on top. Even Sakura was stunned as she had never witnessed such a thing, she had secretly hoped that Lady Yamato was simply joking around, but seeing it now before her, she was rightfully concerned as she steeled herself for her encounter. 

“Well? Anyone else?” Ophelia asked with a smirk as she scanned the students surrounding her. Her heart raced as she knew she was going to enjoy the tower. 

The next few minutes played out the same way as the first encounter, teams of two or three students rushed forward, hoping to land a hit on their unmoving opponent, each one failing as Ophelia simply blocked and countered their moves with an attack of her own, with each attack sending a student sprawling to the floor or doubling over from the pain. By the end of ten minutes, only Sakura was left, her steely expression hardening as she swallowed her fear and replaced it by the want to avenger her students. She watched as the last student was moved to the side of the room, all of them leaning on the walls and watching her as she was the last one remaining. 

Leaping from her platform, the determined Kitsune launched a flurry of kicks and punches that were easily met and blocked, she continued to launch a relentless torrent in hopes to hopefully overwhelm her opponent, each strike aimed at taking Ophelia down. But to her frustration, Ophelia was simply smiling as she effortlessly blocked and parried her attacks, unmoving from her position, 

BAM! 

“Ugh!” 

*Gasp*

Suddenly, after one of her knife hand thrusts was parried, Sakura felt a fist crash on her right cheek, sending a wave of overwhelming pain that sent her staggering back, earning a gasp of disbelief from her students, 

BAM!

“Ugh!”

BAM!

“Ugh!”

“Hup!”

BAM!

“AAAGH!” 

Without giving her opponent a chance of respite, Ophelia followed up with two kicks that smashed on either side of Sakura’s midsection, before sending her flying with a turning long kick that hit squarely on her jaw, knocking her out as she hit the dojo floor. 

Walking over to the downed master and finding out that she was unconscious, Ophelia turned to her students and gave them a bow, before following Yamato up the stairs to the next floor and the next challenge. 

“That was impressive” Yamato remarked as Ophelia followed behind her up the stairs. 

“Oh I am just getting started” Ophelia replied, the smirk from earlier growing. 

Her heart and fighting spirit rising as she continued walking up the tower, ironically diving back into the battle-crazy and craving adventurer that she was not supposed to be when it came to tempering the youth of the village, something she had overlooked as her mind was slowly shifting back to the mind of a battle hardened adventurer and began running through ways to deliver her opponents to the ground. 

 

A/N: Hello! I am back again with another chapter, very happy that time has allowed me to do this, once again I hope you enjoy the chapter and if you have anything to ask or say, put em in the comments below, I read em and reply, plus it helps me know that people enjoy reading this series. its aight if u dont however since I wont force yee. anyways, I hope you have a pleasant day and I thank you again for reading!