Who Needs Magic in a Fantasy World Anyway?

Chapter 19: The Child of Change

"Are you still washing your hands?" David asked, apparently baffled that Koko still hadn't moved from the washroom since they got back from finding the mithril mine.

"You have no idea how disgusting it was to touch those undead." Koko replied with a strained tone as she continued to scrub both her hands and feet, making sure that she was rid of all of the monster remains that might be attached to them even though the creatures themselves had disappeared. "I've finally found the drawback from fighting without weapons..."

"There's a lot of drawbacks from fighting without weapons." David laughed as he walked inside and carried another basin of water into the room for her. "You lose out on the cutting power that you would have a sword, and even a mace would have more reach and more crushing power. Though, with both of those things, one wouldn't be nearly as fast as I saw you while fighting. As a matter of fact, the way you can do it is pretty amazing. You might even give rogues a run for their money."

"I can do that, plus I don't need to spend money on maintaining weapons and equipment." Koko said with pride. "All I need are light cloths that are a dime a dozen and I'm ready to fight anything."

"Anything other than slimes and some other kinds of monsters, you mean." David just had to ruin her mood. "Slimes are so acidic that you'd melt your hands off before you actually did any damage to them and some monsters are covered head to toe in spikes, so you would end up on the receiving end of pain if you tried punching them."

"Then I'll find some other way to defeat them!" Koko harrumphed at David, making him laugh slightly before the guy suddenly put his hand on top of Koko's head and started patting it.

"Hey! Cut that out!" Koko snapped at him, not wanting this to turn into some anime situation where she suddenly discovered that she had a fetish for head patting.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help it." David laughed. "You've never been a normal kid and you've always been annoying beyond belief, but you know, I wouldn't have you any other way."

"I'm the one that's annoying?!" Koko asked, finally having enough before she forcibly removed his hand from her head.

"Yeah, but when you fought today, I realized that you aren't the weak little girl that I always thought that you were." David suddenly sounded serious. "That abomination couldn't have been easy for you to defeat what with the difference in level. Yet you did it anyway, and your smile afterwards was the cutest I've ever seen on you."

"Take it easy because  you're starting to sound like a Sis-con." Koko warned him.

"Sis-con?" David asked curiously before shaking his head as he dismissing it along with all of the other phrases that she'd learned on Earth and that the people of Elnor didn't understand.

"Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I trust you, both on and off of the battlefield. Today, you showed that you had my back by protecting Teya. You were really brave and didn't falter in the slightest when it came to protecting your family..." David sighed before losing his smile. "Are you still planning on becoming an adventurer when you grow up?"

"Yeah, why?" Koko asked as he'd never had any problems with it before.

"Because they can experience a lot of things that are even worse than the monsters that we fought today." David explained. "Please, just do me a favor and never lose your smile, okay? You just wouldn't be you without it."

"I promise that I won't." Koko laughed suddenly before she suddenly became mischievous. "But enough about me, you've got problems of your own, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" David asked curiously.

"You're going to have to become a Baron when dad finally retires. And what's worse, you've been at the knight's academy for two whole years and haven't even had a single girlfriend yet... are you sure that you're alright?" Koko asked with fake sympathy.

"G-girl-" David suddenly started stammering with his face turning completely red. "How do you even know about that stuff yet?! You're too young!"

"Fu fu... don't underestimate the powers of a little sister." Koko teased him. "You're leaving tomorrow again for the academy, right? Good luck on your relationships."

"Koko... you..." David seemed to get angry before he stood up and started stomping his way out of the room. "This is why I said that you're annoying!"

"Sleep well!" Koko laughed as David finally shut the door behind him, though afterwards all she did was smile. Not because it was at David's expense, but because she was glad to have such a caring older brother in this life.

James's P.O.V

"So? Did you track down Blackman's pirate contacts?" James asked, not even turning around as he could somehow tell that someone had entered his private chambers.

"We've captured five, which I believe is all of them. Though I left a few of my men behind in Wence just to be sure." Ganton reported.

"Good... Then the Cryners are finally rid of the corruption." James smiled. "And what about the other thing that I asked you to look into?"

"If the king ever discovered that you were using me to spy on a little girl, he'd be outraged." Ganton sighed before taking out several pieces of paper from his satchel. "If he asks, then I won't deny anything."

"Then I just have to make sure that he doesn't ask." James smiled as he took the papers, seeing that they were all drawings of what looked like Koko fighting an abomination. "So? How was she?"

"Skilled, despite being so young." Ganton replied. "She had a strange fighting style and was able to defeat a monster much higher level than her with her hands and feet alone... She may well be the birth of a new class."

"Amazing, isn't it?" James asked excitedly. "Imagine being able to train a group of soldiers to be able to defeat their enemies with just their hands alone and with practically no armor. It would cut down on the costs of their supplies immensely and any unit using such techniques would be able to travel faster seeing as they wouldn't be burdened down by all of the metal."

"It would indeed be a great discovery, but it remains to be seen if it's a valid class yet." Ganton stated. "We rogues use light equipment and speed as well, yet we cannot fight on the front line like the other classes... Lady Koko's techniques may be interesting, but they may also be useless. To us, at least."

"Maybe so... but did you notice anything else about her while she was there?" James asked.

"That she acts like no seven-year-old girl should, especially one that has been raised in a noble family?" Ganton asked in reply.

"She suddenly appears at a young age, using phrases and words that most have never heard of before and develops a new way of fighting that may have potential to not just drastically change our military, but give all classes new techniques and skills which may further strengthen them." James smiled as he looked at the pictures. "I wonder just what she will be capable of when she's older..."

"Just make sure that your interest stays purely for the kingdom's interest." Ganton sighed. "It would not be well received if word got out that the second prince had feelings for the second daughter of a mere duke."

"My feelings are indeed only for the kingdom's benefit." James assured the man, and Ganton soon left as James was still looking at the drawings he'd been given. Though, the one that he was pausing on now had Koko with her hands raised above her head and a smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts.

"My feelings are only for the kingdom's benefit... for now." James corrected himself, thinking of just what he'd be willing to do in the future if he could have that smile by his side.