The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

Comparison Is A Thief (Beyond a Dragon 4/7)

IV.

"You are, without a doubt, absolutely mad!" Eraziror shrieked in mock horror at Madoka as they walked out the Guild Hall. His face was not joking, but she still did not know if he was serious this time or not. He grinned, despite the paleness setting on his skin. "Not bad! Just how many tricks do you have up your sleeve? Fate is the Goddess Gechick's chosen one, a Godtouched by Ceghinort's blood!"

Madoka's head swam by all the new names floating around in it, but she sighed as Eraziror continued rambling.

"It's quite clear how you don't understand what you've done, so I will just level with you."

Oh. Upon studying the dragon man further as they stopped, she realized Eraziror was dead serious.

"A Goddess's power blasting through a person can level mountains with their magic, and even created the Petals that scar this land today," he sighed. "That was a tiny fraction of it and it tore up the room! The Ways of the Old Nobles can only get so far. I've sang songs on the history of Noble wars, but still! How did you see through her test?"

"That was easy," Madoka muttered. "Of course I survived whatever the kind goddess Gechick had. I was in another dimension today."

"What?" Eraziror asked her, luckily he did not hear her first explanation.

"She knows of me and my Master," Madoka guessed. "Harming me would be the least of her problems."

"Harming?" Eraziror laughed, but evidently gave up trying to understand her. "She's destroyed many adventurers during this place's time of lawlessness. Weren't you paying attention to that bit?"

The thought of that furball, the Orange Demon who spoke in Royal, was the only thing that she remembered about the whole meeting. His purring and meowing caused her to want to mimic him, along with just sitting next to him and stroking his fur.

"Meow," she murmured, before realizing it escaped out her mouth.

"I'll take that as a no. Lady Dalion..." Eraziror murmured. "I don't doubt you crazy people at all, fact is, I'm sure you're all in a league on your own. L-Let's just get this work done and meet up tomorrow, eh?"

"Let's get to it," Madoka said. Eraziror glanced at her for a moment, and something compelled her to interrupt him before they did. "My apologies."

The armor clinked as the dragon man stopped and turned his head towards her.

"For?"

"Subjecting you to... my antics, I guess," Madoka tucked her head down and shuffled her feet. "I get like that when Au- Milady is concerned. Should never have pushed my luck against someone who has been touched by a kind god."

"Heh, it's alright," Eraziror laughed it off, but Madoka could tell he was not hiding his disappointment in himself. She did not know what this man has gone through either and just like her, he was not ready to share any of it anyways. "No, seriously, that apology does make it better. I think it ended up in our favor. I wish I was as strong as you, still. I was sat there terrified. Ceghinort's blood knows how many times I've run when I should have remained stalwart like you."

"Comparison is a thief of joy," Madoka mused. The saying was one from Audrey's many thought needles, but she said it anyways. Her head and heart were mixed with hers, somehow, although she felt like there could be a little too much of Her Highness inside of her now. "You got your life and head still on, I know you can do it!"

"Right," Eraziror seemed comforted by her Princess's stolen words. "Onwards, my temporary party member! Did you catch anything Lady Fate said or was that... beast distracting you too much?"