8 Chapter 8: Maia is here

Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi

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Grünes Bergdorf-

Today was his last day in the village.

No matter how Archer looked at his situation, he had wasted enough time in this town. He had initially planned to spend a day or two here, not nearly 2 weeks! Granted, if he had left early then the Dark Queen's forces would have destroyed this place, along with ravaging the entire female population into breeding stocks. And another good thing, he got to meet some of the Kuroinu mercenaries early on.

But right now, the biggest hurdle that stood in his way was the presence of the Princess Knight, Maia. She could be a boon in his quest or a cumbersome thorn to his side.

"She won't just stand aside and watch as I kill her own men like that. I'm still not familiar with this world's magic, so I can't exactly measure the strength of a Princess Knight. Just from the vast quantity available, she could be a Heroic Spirit level threat for all I know." He just couldn't take the risk, there were too many unknown factors. Not to mention, he didn't want to be hunted down by the entirety of Eostia so soon, seeing he was now mortal. It would make his task of killing Vault that much more arduous. "Patience is key, I need to take a much more subtle approach."

He killed the Orc army, so, in the eyes of the Kingdom, he shouldn't be classified as an ally to Olga. Which would help with communication and going under the radar. Though with his display of Caladbolg, something told Archer that it wouldn't be so easy to avoid attention.

"Order number 52, Venison meat pie with a side of roasted potatoes and almond milk rice for dessert. Think you can handle it?" He asked his unofficial sou-chef/boss. "And for the love of everything that is sacred, please don't confuse salt with sugar. And why did you add so much chilly inside the curry? Are you trying to feed a fake priest!?"

"Eh? Fake priest?"

"Nevermind," He didn't want Alice to become a cook like Rin. He may have forgotten much of the past but his stomach still remembered the trauma. "Just add the spices in moderation and don't overdo it."

"Yes, Archer-san!" Alice had gotten better at cooking. She was leagues above her previous self when he first arrived here. The first milestone in his opinion was when she learned to crack an egg properly and not have the egg shells fall into the dish. 

They had just opened the Emerald Inn not even two hours ago and they already received half a hundred orders. At this rate, their food stock won't even last till noon. 

At least Alice was more lively. She moved around the kitchen with confidence and poise, as some of her moves mimicked his perfectly. Around her waist, she still carried the dagger he gave her, even made a small leather strap for it. He didn't dismiss the blade, Archer didn't really have a reason to do it. He just let her keep it, seeing that it made her feel more confident.

"It's quite packed today, Archer-san," Alice said, cutting some potatoes for the dish.

"Hn? Yes, it is, though it is becoming a pain to manage all of this by ourselves. If more keep coming, we won't be able to keep up. You should think of hiring someone, you can train them in handling the counter while you cook the food with someone else helping you around here." Like a training period of sorts. "I don't see any problems with these plans, many would jump at the chance to work as a cook here, you just need to give them the initiative with a decent wage and plenty of food… the latter alone can work." 

'Especially in this world…' He thought to himself, not voicing out that particular opinion out loud.

"I don't need to. After all, Archer-san is here to help me. And I don't need anyone else." She pointed out, oblivious to his intentions.  

"That is not a good mindset to have, not everything lasts forever. I won't be staying here forever. One day, I'll leave and you'll need to manage the Inn without me, Alice."

"Eh, you're leaving!?" She nearly dropped the knife from the stupor. "Why!? It's so soon and I'm not ready!" She couldn't imagine surviving a single day without him by her side. He had done so much for her, and the thought of him leaving one day made her heart bleed with sadness. "W-when are you leaving?" She said in a low voice while looking at him with teary eyes.

"I… I don't know. It can be anytime—"

"—Then it's not today!" She didn't even let him finish. "Then I have more time to prepare!"

He sighed.

'This isn't going to be easy…'

How was he going to tell the girl that this might be his last day here? She had become too dependent on him to co-run this place, and that was not a good thing. Though it wasn't an idea he was fond of, Archer believed that it was time he had a talk with her. Sometimes being blunt and straight to the point would cause less damage than just leaving without a word.

"Alice," He called her, gaining the young woman's attention "We need to talk about something important. I'm lea—."

Bam!

Someone burst open the kitchen door and ran inside hastily. It was Jint, his face was red and breathing haggard; looking like he had run a marathon or something. Alice nearly dropped the knife from the sudden jumpscare from the blacksmith.

"A-Archer-sama, Alice we have a problem!" Howling like a mad man, Jint acted as if another demon army was about to destroy the village. 

'Maybe it is…'

"W-w-what happened?" Another thing about Alice that made Archer have a headache was that she was still a mess when it came to communicating with others. She no longer stuttered with him, most likely have grown used to his presence. But she needed to get rid of this fear of speaking to strangers, as an Inn matron, she needed to be able to interact with customers on a daily bases.

Jint waved his hands around, "S-S-She is coming!" Great, now even the blacksmith was stuttering, Archer hoped that this wasn't a local illness. Still…

"Who is coming? The Mayor's wife? Who did she sleep with this time?" 

"This is not the time to be a sarcastic ass!"

"When is there ever a time to be one I wonder…"

"It's the Princess Knight!" 

The moment those words escaped his mouth, everything stopped and became deadly quiet. Alice's face slowly became increasingly pale and she looked downright ready to faint right then and there. 

Archer meanwhile had a neutral face, not betraying any sort of emotions. He slowly picked up the pace and continued cooking, "I see." 

He should have expected her visit at some point. After all, she did meet Brynn and the other girls, so they had definitely divulged everything they knew about him—aside from his name that is. He found it funny that all this time, not once had that brunette realized that he never gave her his name. But then again… the commotion he created last time did make his name quite popular around the village. Though that didn't mean that his name would have made the girls think about him when they first met. 

"That's your reaction!?" Jint couldn't believe how unimpressed the man looked, the Queen of Mercenaries was coming to this establishment. The same woman who literally served their Goddess as one of her swords!

"You want me to go down on my knees and cry bloody murder, followed by running around the Inn crying 'Oh my god she is coming!'? Get real, Alice and I over here have more important things to worry about. We have what seems like an entire army worth of people to feed… including your daily increasing appetite."

Jint was speechless.

Did the man even know the implications of serving one of the Seven Shields? Some people could go their entire lives without even seeing their faces! In the end, he just chalked it up to Archer being ignorant of their culture and just threw his hands above, making his way out of the kitchen before he suddenly stopped.

"Oh… can I have a bite of that fish you're cooking?"

"Get out, Jint."

"Right, sorry, I'll order it."

{Break}

-Outside the Emerald Inn-

The streets that were crowded with people who lined themselves up to get a spot free in the Inn were suddenly empty in a matter of seconds. All of the people in the line had either ran away or made way to the person, who to their eyes, was nothing short of the emissary of their Goddess and a Queen as well!

There were thousands of rumours and legends surrounding the Princess Knights. From being granted a powerful blessing from Celestine Lucross herself. A general agreed upon idea was that the Shields were stronger than the regular human—though to what extent was unknown. Alicia Arcturus was the most famous of them all, being blessed with exceptional swordsmanship and speed. Claudia was the strongest fighter of the group, she was blessed with similar powers as Alicia but coupled with strength and wisdom as well. Maia was a mystery, people knew her as a former Kuroinu mercenary and were quite familiar with her capabilities. Though even after becoming a Princess Knight she didn't show any distinct changes. This made many people suspect that she was hiding her true power—thus making her more frightening than Alicia herself!

"So this is the place? Are you really telling me that the guy who blasted the entire demon army to ashes, really works here as a COOK? Not exactly the craziest story I've heard but it certainly ranks quite high, but still…" She said to the trembling mayor while holding him by the collar. "Are you pulling my leg? Not that I don't believe you, but the story is a bit hard to believe. Are you sure you recognized that face properly and didn't mistake someone random as our main guy? Because it would be very awkward for me if I got my hands on the wrong guy." 

"I-I swear in the name of the Goddess Reborn that this person is indeed the one described by Captain Brynn, I bear no lies, Maia-sama! He is not someone one could mistake, especially with his features."

It wasn't just the Mayor who was nervous, even Brynn and her group in the back were sweating nervously. If by misfortune this wasn't the guy they were searching for, then her credibility will be damaged as well! The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Maia-sama.

Maia sweatdropped at these two people's behavior. "Jeez man, I'm just making sure that you're not mistaken or something. Y'all are acting as if I'll cut your heads off. Relax, I'm not Alicia… or Claudia for that matter as she can be scary as well when she gets serious. Kaguya meanwhile is a creepy gal, you never know what she's thinking." It was just a small inspection, these people were acting as if their whole livelihood was at stake here. It's not like she'll hang them by there toes or something. 

'Sometimes I miss the good old days of working alongside Vault and the Kuroinu, going on missions, adventures, the exciting battles and having fun together.' She sighed and decided to meddle too much time with such thoughts.

"You guys can be too much sometimes… no fun at all."

""Please forgive us!"" This time both Brynn and the Mayor bowed before her in shame, believing that they wronged her in some way.

"Both of you… I was just… You know what? Fuck it. We wasted enough time dangling on the streets as it is, I'm starving and need some food in my belly!" 

As she entered the established, everything went still, and the noisy atmosphere died immediately. Making even a pin drop could heard in the building. Some of the patrons even choked on their food as they saw Maia's face.

One largely build fella who was built like a mountain, ran into the kitchen and nearly tripped on the floor.

"Why is everyone so silent all of a sudden!? What am I? An Orc!?"

Maia has entered the building.

{Break}

Going over to an empty table, which happened to be occupied a few seconds ago, but the people ran respectfully—or rather fearfully—gave her the spot instead. This didn't surprise Maia, even while working formerly as a member of the Kuroinu in the past, on many occasions people would fear their presence and not cause any trouble. It just so happened that her title as a Princess Knight made that fear be accompanied by awe and wonder. 

'Only someone as haughty like Alicia or even Kaguya would enjoy such a treatment… I just find it creepy.' 

Leaning against the chair while dropping her feet on the table, the Queen of Mercenaries couldn't wait to meet this mysterious mage archer.

"Ummm, Maia-sama… what are you after from this person?" The mayor who sat by her side asked. The woman never revealed a single detail of her objective so far also because he was too afraid to ask. But he couldn't deny that his growing interest didn't push him to ask the question. 

"What else do you think? Invite him to become a member of the Kuroinu of course! Even if he only possesses a fraction of the power he showed outside, then sign him in! And come one, who would refuse the opportunity to join Vault's side?" One of the many reasons she had a crush on him. He not only had the strength to cleave demons in half, but his words also roped in many people to his side.

"But Maia-sama, what if he… declines the offer?" This time it was Brynn who asked the question.

"Why would he decline the opportunity to join the Kuroinu? If he is a wandering mage or sellsword, then an appropriate amount of gold and silver would definitely convince him to join. Not to mention the many advantages and fame he would get among the seven kingdoms. Seriously… who would decline such an offer?" It was any adventure's dream, Maia was convinced that her visit here would turn out just fine. Not to mention she would get an excuse to visit Vault in the main capital kingdom.

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"Me." 

"What the!?" 

Maia jerked and nearly fell off her seat when she heard the voice behind her—someone was standing that close! She didn't even feel his presence! 

"I would prefer for you to stop speaking as if I have accepted your proposal." He turned his attention to Brynn who was pointing an accusatory finger at him as if he had wronged her. "I see you're still in one piece… and not naked." Said Archer before dismissing her presence.

"You!" The Knight Captain really wanted to strangle the guy.

"Since when were you here!?" She asked incredulously. Now that she could finally get to see this mysterious archer Brynn kept vouching for his existence; she could already see someone very promising. Already tall enough, forcing Maia to crank her head upwards by a lot. Lean yet quite muscular that even the many layers of clothing barely did any good at hiding those ripped arms and abs. Sharp eyes belonging to a veteran of war, the door to an individual's soul who's been through a lot in life. But most importantly, his mere presence exuded a certain aura that made Maia certain that this was the guy.

She couldn't help feeling a little bit hot under the collar at his appearance.

'Definitely a hunk…' Despite her crush on Vault, Maia wasn't above admiring other men's physique. Being in love and getting some stress relief were two different things for her. Even the man she loved slept with other girls, so until they weren't together, she didn't mind having one night stands.

"Since you started dangling your feet on the table which I would ask you to stop, I'll have to clean it again."

"Uh, I mean… Hey there, good looking~" Trying to recover from her previous outburst was a bit embarrassing. Fortunately, Maia had thick skin. "Want to spend some time talking with this big sister? You look like a guy who wouldn't mind sharing a drink with me." 

"Big sister?" Archer arched his eyebrows, looking at the girl weirdly for the following seconds, creating a somewhat awkward moment between them. "You barely look to be in your twenties."

"Awww~ A charmer I see." A smile spread to her face, liking him more at the moment. 

"It's a general observation… I don't think it would look appropriate for a guy my age to consider you as a big sister." Even appearance-wise alone he was in his late twenties or early thirties. "And also, stop trying to flirt with me to drop my guard… it won't work."

"Oho, we have a tough one here!" Maia wasn't above using her womanly attributes to get the better of others, and she certainly wasn't shy about flaunting her natural sex appeal. She had slept frequently with some of the men during her stay in the Kuroinu mercenary group, it made her know more of the men's weaknesses. Too bad she still didn't get a piece of Vault back then. "Come sit beside me, I want to know more about you." She pushed her breasts, making them nearly tear her already tight clothes. Some of the men in the Inn had their eyes glued to her figure. With both lustful and dreamy looks on their face, they were all stuck in a trance. Even Jint fell to her charms.

Emiya's eyebrow began twitching… and it hadn't even been a minute since he engaged in a conversation with this woman. "No," His curt reply surprised her once more. "I just came to take your order. Alice is too scared to approach you, so I didn't have much of a choice. Don't waste my time and tell me what you want."

He—No, another version of himself, had dealt with the literal embodiment of lust and love in his time as a Counter Guardian. Goddess of love? Met her. Legendary nymphomaniacs? There was Medb and that was someone he was actually willing to pray for to avoid another meeting. He preferred letting the dog deal with her instead. For god's sake, one of his many scrambled memories consisted of meeting Kiara of all beings, a freaking Beast, and the personification of lust and depravity!

Though he would admit it was one the worst memories in his existence, being one of the closest times that he was going to die both physically and mentally… His alter self was proof enough of the damaged that was brought to him. The Beast had managed to break him once more.

Maia was a beautiful lady, he didn't deny that. But he was way beyond the point of being affected in any way by a pretty face and curvy body. She could go all naked in front of him and he would still be able to keep his cool without batting an eye.

Of course, just like with Kiara, there were moments when he was caught off guard in the past, but we don't talk about that…

"Ara? Hard to please aren't we? Don't worry handsome, I just wanted a drinking buddy with me and you look like a beefcake I won't lie. So come on, don't be a prude and join me, I promise I won't bite ya… much."

"I have mouths to feed, you're gonna waste my time."

"I'm sure they won't mind you spending some time with me, right?" A slight glare from her was all it took for everyone in the hall to nod at her words. Some even encourage Archer to sit on the damn chair.

Too bad Archer didn't care about their opinions. 

A small wooden board lightly hit Maia's head making her squeal in surprise. "I do mind, here is the menu, and when you're ready, just shout what you want." Knowing that this woman would be troublesome, Archer decided to leave right away. Every second spent here would only encourage her further… but then again… he needed to talk to her for more information on Vault and the Kuroinu. "I'll talk to you when I don't have people going insane from not getting their meal. Also, try some of the food first, you look hungry yourself."

She grasped the side of his shirt. "Woah there, tiger! I'm not done talking with you yet. You see, a little birdie told me that there was a certain mage able to shoot 'swords' as arrows with unknow magic… would you happen to know more about this?" She smirked as she noticed the twitching mouth, just a bit more and he'll bre—Flick!

"Ouch!" Maia grasped her forehead in surprise at Archer's boldness, but did not actually feeling pain from the attack. 

"Maia-sama!?" 

"You dare!?"

"Apprehend him!" 

Some of the Knights and her own personal guards got enraged at the man's action and freed their swords, ready to arrest the man.

Archer tensed, and thousands of different swords flashed in his head. He was prepared to use lethal force if needed. There were about a handful of Knight and mercenaries from the Kuroinu—though outnumbered, he didn't worry too much. Brynn and the rest would be the easiest to take out as he already analyzed their move sets during the attack from the demons.

One of the Knights he didn't recognize, bearing the sigil of Ken, brought up her sword to his neck. "For your crimes to raise your hand against a Princess Knight, I—"

Maia slammed her fist.

"—Stand down you fucks!" They were jolted backward at Maia's sudden outburst and halted. Many of the occupants where surprised by the anger she was showing at her gaurds,"Stop overreacting from such a simple thing, it gets so fucking annoying at times! And you!" She pointed her finger at the unimpressed Archer, but her anger seemed less intense. "That was not a nice thing to do to a lady, you owe me for this." She really wanted to get done with this quickly and take the guy back to the capital Kingdom to meet the Shields and Vault. They could measure him and give him a suitable role in the Kuroinu in their soon to happen attack at Olga's castle.

Discontent began filling Archer's heart, already this day started out troublesome. And knowing her type, the woman wouldn't leave till she got what she wanted. Staying close to her was dangerous, people like this would do anything to bind their target to their side—she was probably no different. 

'I should have left before… but then again, I could extract crucial information out of her in the future.' A true conundrum he was stuck in.

"I just told you that I'll talk later on. Don't actually like an impatient brat and be patient."  

"Are you really making a maiden like me wait?"

"Yes."

She passed her hands over her breasts, making them jiggle from the slight shake, causing many of the males and some females to turn to her. 

"Are you sure? You might get lucky~"

"No," Archer answered bluntly, knocking the woman off her game.

Maia didn't know what to do anymore, she was not used to men reacting this way to her. The complete lack of reaction on his part almost made her question his sexuality. Was it weird to say that this scenario made her feel like a child trying to seduce a fed-up adult?

"Ah fuck it, go on, I'll wait for you to finish up your work." Oh and, she did come here for a meal as well. "And bring me your best dish."

"Coming right up."

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A few minutes later, a large of platter of various assortments of meat based dishes and even salads were spread all over the table.

"Huuuuuu~" The aroma alone caused both Maia and her group to feel like they were ascending to heaven.

"Who would have thought that he ain't only a pretty face, but also a gifted chef." Maia said and proceeded to take a bit of her steak. The moment she started chewing on it, a burst of complex flavour and spices exploded inside her mouth.

"Mmmnn~" The taste was so good that she couldn't but moan and cause the surrounding people to blush at her unexpected behaviour. But many just nodded at her reaction, they understood that it was her first time and anyone trying this divine food for the first time would be feeling an orgasmic feeling.

When the mayor was to try a piece of the porcutlet… STAB! A fork pierced the meat and it was Maia giving a death stare. "The fuck you think you're doing, old man?"

He was sweating profusely.

"Umm, I-I thou-thought this was my plat—"

"—Get your own!" Maia shouted, stuffing her mouth with every dish on the table. She ate like a savage without caring about her image. Not even her personal chefs in Ken were this good!

"Yes!" The mayor cried tears of sadness as he didn't think that they were going to actually eat at the Inn today, even if they did, the owner did give them anything for free despite being with Maia; so he didn't bring any coins with him!

Brynn meanwhile was lost in her own little bubble with her chubby cheeks filled with this thing called spaghetti. Many snickered at her appearance as she looked like a chipmunk.

"More!" Maia found that waiting for a while wouldn't be that bad if she could snack on his cooking.

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu and Fate are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter.