In a modest inn room, Tanimoto finally woke up as the morning sunlight shone through the window, illuminating the blonde woman sleeping beside him. She appeared to be naked from last night's passionate encounter.
He groaned softly, rubbing his temples as memories of alcohol and their heated moments flooded back like a flash flood. The sheets were even tangled around their bodies; evidence of their wild night and the scattering of their clothes.
"Damn… I hadn't had that much fun in ages." Tanimoto carefully extricated himself from the bed, trying not to wake the woman as he gathered his clothes from the floor. He stretched luxuriously as a satisfied grin plastered his face, remembering every detail of last night. "That shit was fucking fantastic! Who would've thought pussy in this world tasted like candy." His perverted thoughts ran wild as the blonde woman beside him stirred slightly, shifting her body beneath the sheets.
Tanimoto ran his fingers through his messy hair as he felt the lingering effects of the alcohol take effect, but thanks to his superhuman willpower that all heroes had, hangovers were the least of his worries.
"Oh, why don't you look at that? Here I thought you'd be asleep all day from that pounding!" He shouted teasingly, leaning down to gently kiss the woman's shoulder. "Morning, Annabel. Last night really got you fucked up, huh?"
Annabel slowly opened her eyes, releasing a gentle yawn until a seductive smile played on her lips. "Ah… Tanimoto…" She suddenly reached up to pull him back into bed. "Good morning, mister hero. Do you wanna go for another round?"
Tanimoto's grin widened at Annabel's invitation, as he leaned forward to kiss her, but suddenly, there was a loud sound filtering through their window. "Huh?" Glancing toward the open glass, the hero strode to the window as his curiosity was piqued. "Just what the hell is going on this early in the morning?" Peeking out the window, he saw colorful banners and festival decor adorning the city streets as crowds of people danced to the medieval music blasting about.
"What's the matter, love?" Annabel sat up in bed, covering her breasts with the sheets.
Tanimoto turned back to the woman with a puzzled expression. "I don't know, but it looks like some kind of festival is going on."
Annabel lifted her brow, equally confused.
"Shitttt, maybe it's something important. I must've missed out on details from the other heroes after being gone all day yesterday." He sighed under his breath and shrugged it off. "Oh well, who gives a shit? It's not my problem."
All of a sudden, Annabel sat up in bed as a look of realization crossed her face.
"Oh! The Spirit Festival, how could I forget?" She jumped out of bed, naked, and scrambled to her clothes. "My Mother is expecting me! I must dress!"
Tanimoto's eyes widened in confusion, tilting his head to the side.
"The Spirit Festival? What the hell is that?"
Annabel looked at him, a bit shocked by his ignorance.
"Surely you're joking, love? The Spirit Festival is an ancient tradition. The Heroic Spirits choose a new bearer for their weapons every few generations, to be saviors for Algunita. You and the other heroes will receive their Holy Vessels."
"What?!" Tanimoto shouted in surprise, quickly putting on his clothes as he stumbled back and forth. "Shit, shit shit! I can't miss out on this!"
+
Sounds of cheering filled the streets, louder than ever before. Jin, Daiki, Isabel, and the other heroes of virtue walked through the festival streets, surrounded by adoring crowds. Jin's easygoing smile made the women flustered, while Daiki flexing his muscles made the other women blush. Meanwhile, Isabel walked with confident grace as her eyes scanned the crowd with a cocky smile.
"Ahaha! Everyone is so excited to see us." Exclaimed Jin, waving back at everyone as they marched through the streets.
"You don't say? We are the Heroes of Algunita after all. These people are relying on us." Said Daiki, flexing his bicep as they continued onward.
"It feels so great seeing everyone so happy! It motivates me to become even stronger so I won't fail them." Said Isabel, waving back at the crowds.
A group of musicians played a heroic tune, and vendors called out their wares.
"Heroes! O' Mighty Heroes of Virtue! Please accept our offerings!" A merchant held up beautifully crafted rings in a display case, capturing the attention of the many heroes.
"Oh wow… so pretty!" One of the heroes, a girl with long brunette hair, stepped forward. Her name was Madeline, the Hero of Forgiveness. "Are these diamonds?" She asked.
"Why yes! I managed to come across them the other day." Said the merchant, handing her the display case. "I thought, why not give it away to our mighty heroes as a gift?"
All the heroes were intrigued by the jewelry, specifically the girls. Even Isabel approached the display case to see what was inside, while Jin and Daiki stood behind.
"Women and their jewelry… it never gets old, huh?" Proclaimed Daiki, leaning toward Jin.
"Well, they're pretty, so I can't exactly blame them." Said the hero of hope with a gentle smile, facing the group of children who stared at them in awe.
Footsteps suddenly approached Daiki and Jin from the group of heroes. A boy with short brown hair and light green eyes stood before them. It was Araki, the Hero of Humility.
"Jin, Daiki." He said, bowing his head to show some respect. "I'm sure you guys noticed by now, but Tanimoto is nowhere to be found." His tone was one of disappointment, observing his surroundings to see no sign of the hero of liberation.
Jin crossed his arms and sighed under his breath, shaking his head back and forth. "As expected from someone like Tanimoto, I doubt he even knows about the festival to begin with, considering he left yesterday, fairly early."
Daiki laughed out loud, unsurprised.
"Pwa ha ha! No kidding! What the hell were you expecting? A responsible douchebag? Not happening any time soon, bro."
Jin couldn't help but snicker at Daiki's comment, though he tried to take matters seriously.
"Yeah, but we have no choice but to find him. This is an important event, and if he misses this day, he won't receive the Holy Vessel that we were promised."
Araki nodded his head, understanding their next course of action. "Right, our first destination should be the tavern, so we can get some answers on his whereabouts. Surely other people have seen him last night."
Daiki chuckled. "Yeah, for sure. That son of a bitch has a loud mouth on em, he's pretty hard to miss." Walking forward, the hero of justice moved onwards. "Let's not waste any time."
"Mm." Jin nodded his head, following behind. "That would be wise." Turning to face Isabel, the hero of hope called out to her: "Isabel, we are off to search for Tanimoto, we'll return with haste."
Isabel perked her head up from the display case as the other female heroes tried jewelry on.
"Oh, okay you three, make sure to return soon! I heard the arrival of spirits start in a few hours or so!" She waved them off as Jin and Daiki nodded their heads.
"So, Jin, last night, Alicia talked about these Holy Vessels. What exactly are they?" Asked Daiki, scratching his scalp.
"Oh, well, they're known as the most powerful weapons in the world forged from the horn of unicorns." It was hard for him to keep a straight face while saying such a thing, but Jin continued nonetheless. "Believe it or not, Unicorns are powerful, ancient creatures. They're said to be something called Hexbeasts in this world, and they're from the Bifrost of Yggdrasil. Apparently, their horns have infinite mana which is what's needed for a Holy Vessel to function."
Daiki lifted his brows as Araki glanced behind him, unaware of this information.
"And you learned all of this last night?" Asked the brown-haired hero.
Jin nodded his head with a humble grin. "Yeah, I spent most of the night reading about Algunita and Yggdrasil, everything's so fascinating."
Daiki looked down in thought, crossing his arms.
"Alright, that makes sense, the only thing I remember Alicia saying was that Holy Vessels have enough power to destroy entire worlds. Hearing something like that took me by surprise."
Jin chuckled at his response.
"Of course it did, why wouldn't it? They're powerful weapons and are a necessity when it comes to killing something like the Eater of Worlds. We'll need them."
Araki nodded his head in agreement. "And if anyone acts out of line with their Holy Vessel, it's only right we strike them down." Said the Hero of Humility.
"Now that I can agree with. We can't have bastards like Tanimoto going around and showing off his Holy Vessel just for attention." Proclaimed Daiki, annoyed in his expression.
"Even if Tanimoto decides to do something absurd with his Holy Vessel, it can willingly reject him. To hold one of those weapons, you must be worthy." Exclaimed Jin, glancing at his two friends.
"Oh, I see…" Daiki looked up in thought as they continued forward.
"So far, the strongest of the Holy Vessels are Galatine, Arondight, Failnaught, and Longinus. But the one who remains supreme is Excalibur, the Sword of Victory. I heard it was strong enough to drive away the Evil God, Nyarlathotep, from this world." Jin looked onwards, excited, and fantasizing about wielding such a powerful weapon. "I'm hoping I get chosen to wield that sword. I want to use it for good… and for the sake of everyone else."
Araki and Daiki closed their eyes, smiling at his comment.
"There's no doubt in my mind that someone like you won't get the strongest Holy Vessel, Jin. You're a leader and the foundation of our team. You deserve it, man." Said Daiki, turning back to face his friend.
"I couldn't agree more." Announced Araki, smiling.