《Knight’s Fate: Knight and Princess》 Prologue: Fatebreaker Some say rulers are born rulers, but¡­ they couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. From the flames of war and destruction of the land, many arose to ever greater heights as fate would have them. Though many have succeeded, countless have failed because such was the way of war. And when the longest war of humans and demons ended, the tension between those two races only grew until yet another conflict sparked from the embers of hatred. Many deemed a cause worth dying for, yet another reason to spill blood of innocents, soaking the already crimson painted earth. In the far corner of the eastern nation, many kilometers away from the royal capital of Arcadia, there was a single minded young woman wielding a worn and scratched longsword with bleeding determination, her aquamarine eyes had an eerie light blue glow around her irises that emitted a faint light amidst the dark entrance of the cave. A serious male voice echoed from within. ¡°So, we finally meet, Leona Crossford. Or should I call you, Princess Tactician?¡± The loud snap of fingers light up the place with floating bright orbs of light, illuminating the wide hallway of carved stone. Through squinting eyes, she saw only a few meters ahead of her, the figure of a man shrouded in darkness so deep not even light could reach him. After getting accustomed to the bright light, Leona looked around. It was painfully visible that her travels had worn her. The knife-cut blonde disheveled hair was tied back to a short high ponytail with both uneven bangs hanging close to the side of her face along with a messy fringe curling up to the left of her forehead. She wore a washed out green military garb with sewed patches of different colored cloth around her forearms with one fingerless glove on her left hand and a dull steel gauntlet on the right. Her legs were covered by thick green pants which was also part of the overall uniform, but her left thigh had a blood stained cloth tightly tied around it. The high leather boots were the only part of her clothing that seemed somewhat new. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The longsword she carried emitted a faint silver glow, as if it had magic within the metal, though it was extensively used, shown by the plethora of scratches and marks on the metal but even so, there wasn¡¯t a single dent in the blade itself, which only meant one thing. ¡°You are a swordswoman through and through eh?¡± His voice seemed to come from the amalgamation of darkness, from it a few strings of the void seemed to seep from within tainting the surroundings with a dark red miasma. Nevertheless she wasn¡¯t afraid, if anything that only made her steel her resolve. Upon tightening her grip around the handle she raised the blade perpendicular to her body with both hands, a most unusual stance for a knight. From within the darkness, the man laughed. ¡°Very well, you¡¯ve shown your determination.¡± Another snap of his fingers prompted two female figures to appear from the curtain of shadows behind him before walking back into the darkened hall they just came from. ¡°Leona Crossford, tactician of the Great Kingdom of Arcadia.¡° The right-most female figure held a spear made of dark red energy, much like what the man had cloaked himself with. She gripped the shaft with both hands spaced out by almost an entire arm¡¯s length as she pointed towards the young woman. While the other unsheathed a curved blade from seemingly out of thin air, assuming a battle stance with the weapon perpendicular to the ground. ¡°We guardians of the greatest hero shall test your mettle. Come!¡± Chapter I: Till Death Do Us Part The heavy metallic footsteps echoed throughout the mansion¡¯s hall. The wooden flooring covered by a red carpet creaked as the knight took each step forward, his silver armor gleaming as the moon light shone upon it. ¡°Princess Leona.¡± He stood in front of the living room, a vast open space brightly lit by the fireplace. Only two comfortable armchairs and a small table filled the room once used for military meetings. The walls, decorated with weapons ranging from swords to muskets made the place feel even more antique. The person he referred to was his liege, a beautiful young girl wearing a purple dress along with a dark blue cape which was held by a gemstone pin. Her blonde hair was long and well kept, so much so that the moon light seemed to reflect on it. On her left side a wooden hairpin held her bangs in place, a flower-like reminder of her mother and also proof of her noble lineage. She was having some tea by the fireplace located on the far wall of the room. ¡°Oh hello Krieg. How was the meeting?¡± Head slightly turned to the left to greet him, she held a cup of tea between her hands, a gentle stream of warm air wavered from the hot beverage. ¡°It went well. I¡¯m here to inform you that we¡¯ll be going tomorrow morning. Adele and I will accompany you.¡± Her gaze seemed to fade in the distance along with her carefree thoughts. ¡°Windia huh¡­ I¡¯ve heard there are great mages over there.¡± She left the tea cup on the table beside her. ¡°I was hoping I could spend more time here.¡± ¡°Lord Jean also wished so, but the arrangements have already been made.¡± The knight turned his head slightly down as he spoke to her. ¡°I¡¯ve tried Princess, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I understand.¡± She stared at her reflection on the still reddish liquid, her eyebrows frowned for a second before moving her eyes back to the knight. ¡°Krieg, is there a way for me to ease the burden on Father?¡± He approached her left side and with a light shake of his head, he answered. ¡°He¡¯s strong enough to carry his own burdens Princess, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happier if you pursue your own dreams.¡± ¡°My dreams¡­?¡± Light footsteps came closer to the room¡¯s entrance. A maid came in holding a longsword in a simple scabbard. Her scarlet red eyes and jet black short hair were astonishing features, she almost could be mistaken for a princess if it wasn¡¯t for the two black coiled horns protruding from the sides of her head, it pointed upwards, allowing her to match the knight¡¯s height. ¡°Princess, I¡¯ve brought the weapon you asked for.¡± She approached from her right and bowed. Her clothing was somewhat unusual for a maid, wearing a skirt that divided on her left hip, allowing for free movement but also leaving her black stockings in full view. ¡°Good evening, lord Krieg.¡± ¡°Good evening, Adele.¡± The knight answered. The maid proceeded to kneel and ceremoniously hand the scabbard to her. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to do this Adele. Come, stand.¡± She kept her head low while still holding the scabbard. ¡°My respect for you is too great to stand eye to eye with you.¡± Leona sighed and took the scabbard from her hand, holding her shoulder so she would look up. ¡°Stand, I wouldn¡¯t want you or Krieg taking this shameful pose just to greet me.¡± Adele slowly stood up and their eyes met for a moment, making Adele look away from her. ¡°Princess I-¡° Leona held her hands tightly with confidence. ¡°I want you to see me as a friend rather than your superior.¡± Her eyes filled with kindness made Adele feel at ease. ¡°Princess you¡¯re just like lord Jean.¡± Krieg spoke from behind the closed helmet, his deep voice sounded muffled. ¡°In which way?¡± Before the knight could answer, a strong explosion shook the place, the glass windows shattered and some of the weapons fell from the walls as if struck by an earthquake. Adele knew that sound, if the war had taught anything, it was when to take cover. ¡°That sound¡­ those are cannons! Princess get down!¡± Another shot ripped through the wooden wall, shouting could be heard from outside, voices of many men. A siege was upon them. Krieg held Leona close while shouting commands to the other servants that came running by. Maids armed with longswords and other knights with greatswords formed a defensive position around the room¡¯s entrance. ¡°Outside, now! I¡¯m taking the Princess to safety!¡± Leona was terrified, such loud explosions crumbling away the place she once called home. ¡°Krieg what is happening!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s too dangerous to stay here!¡± He pulled her by the hand as she struggled to keep up with him, tripping on her own legs due to the fast movement and poor choice of footwear. They exited the room towards the hallway running behind the defensive line composed of knights and armed maids. ¡°Krieg wait!¡± ¡°We have to get out of here before-¡° The wooden wall in front of them got blown apart by an explosion, planks and splinters were sent flying everywhere. Krieg shielded her by putting his own body in front of the explosion. The other knights and maids were caught in the blast, some were killed while others were badly injured. ¡°Princess are you alright?¡± ¡°Y-Yes Krieg thank you for shielding me.¡± Three foot soldiers with short swords and a light armored warrior using a mace came from the hole in the wall. ¡°Capture her! Now!¡± The foot soldiers charged in and Krieg braced himself to fight them off but it wasn¡¯t necessary, as Adele pointed her hand towards the invaders. She chanted under her breath and as she spoke the air seemed to get colder, crystallizing around her, unleashing an almost instant explosion of light blue flames engulfing all four foes, encasing them completely in ice. ¡°Lord Krieg¡­!¡± A wounded knight had a piece of wood lodged in her right shoulder but with her left arm she mustered enough strength to lift the longsword. ¡°Take it, protect the Princess!¡± He took the weapon by the handle. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Adele took a hatchet from one of the maids and approached Krieg. ¡°My lord we must move. Once they notice their invasion failed they¡¯ll start another volley.¡± The knight agreed with a nod. ¡°Princess, let¡¯s go.¡± She glanced back and forth, the other servants lying on the ground made her worry but time was the essence and Krieg knew that. ¡°We need to go, now!¡± She hesitated but started to run right behind them. Krieg led the front while Leona ran behind him holding her dress up to not trip again and Adele kept right behind to keep her safe. The group managed to reach a part of the mansion yet to be destroyed, intact rooms and walls reassured they would be safe, or so they thought. ¡°There they are.¡± A trio of assassins were waiting for them inside the dining room, a chandelier was hanging in the middle of the room above a large wooden table. Each assassin held a different weapon, the nearest threat had a longsword, behind him a dagger wielder while the furthermost carried a longbow. Krieg and Adele were on the opposite side of the table with Leona right behind them. ¡°Kill both of them, keep the Princess alive.¡± The knight raised his sword with both hands, legs slightly bent with his right behind the hip. The steel blade was facing the nearest assassin, but his eyes were keeping a constant watch for the others. ¡°Adele.¡± Krieg called her out as he put his weight on his back leg. ¡°You take the archer.¡± ¡°Yes Lord Krieg.¡± The assassin wielding a longsword slowly approached the knight with his guard up. Krieg lunged the blade forward by taking a step with his right foot, the assassin deflected the strike with the flat side of his sword and winded his arms back for a thrust aimed at the joint of Krieg¡¯s arms. However he wasn¡¯t expecting the knight to let go of his weapon and run towards the attack, Krieg used his right gauntlet to slide the blade off of it and close the gap between them. ¡°What the-!¡± He then shoved the blade away and hit the assassin¡¯s face with a full swing of his right fist. The impact was so great that it knocked the man flat on the ground. Adele was kept busy holding off the dagger wielding assassin as she also had the archer to worry about. ¡°Princess, I need you to back away.¡± Adele saw Krieg defeating his enemy so she put the hatchet behind her body. Her attacker readied his dagger and charged, thinking it would be his opportunity, however. ¡°Watch out!¡± The archer yelled as their ally came crashing against the other. Krieg threw the assassin against the other challenging Adele, knocking them both against the wall. ¡°Tch at least I¡¯ll-¡° He didn¡¯t even have time to pull the arrow back as the hatchet found its way to his skull before he could do anything. ¡°Princess are you alright!?¡± Leona only noticed she was on the ground after Adele extended a hand to help. Her legs have given up on her without her realizing. ¡°I¡­ yeah I¡¯m ok.¡± Leona stood up with the maid¡¯s help, her body was still shaken from watching the fight unfold right in front of her eyes. Krieg picked up the longsword and walked up to the deceased archer, with his left foot he pressed against the archer¡¯s head and pulled the hatchet out. He then removed part of the blood by swinging the weapon before handing it back to the maid and turning around to lead the way. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving.¡± He looked at Leona. ¡°Princess, are you able to walk?¡± ¡°Yes I¡¯m ok¡­¡± He nodded then turned to Adele. ¡°Adele stay in the back, I''ll clear anyone that stands in our way." ¡°Understood.¡± They ran through the dining room to the kitchen. There were other maids lying dead on the ground with weapons still on their hands. Both walls from left and right were splattered with blood. ¡°No¡­ why¡­?¡± A dreadful sensation started to boil inside, her body was trembling in fear, she could feel the warmth slowly escape from her body. ¡°Princess avert your eyes from them.¡± Krieg blocked her view with his red cape. ¡°They are no longer from this world.¡± Adele hugged her from the side and slowly led Leona out of the room to the cellar door. With her body still shaken from the scene she just saw, she slowly descended the staircase to the cellar along with the maid and the knight. The tight brick walls allowed only one person at the time which made the knight worried of his liege¡¯s state. ¡°Adele, keep a close eye in the rear.¡± ¡°Yes my lord.¡± Once they reached the cellar the knight raised his blade parallel to his body while maintaining his right elbow straight. ¡°Adele we need a light.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± She flicked her hand and a flame sprouted on the palm of her left hand, it was strong enough to allow him to see what was up ahead, which was a bunch of barrels and stacked up crates of wine. Nothing out of the ordinary, which was supposed to be odd, given the intense siege going on outside. Krieg slowed his pace as he turned slightly to the side. ¡°Princess stay close to me.¡± She took the same steps as him, just staying behind at arm¡¯s reach. His footsteps were each taken carefully, as to not expose the group to the unseen dangers lurking in the dark. The quiet sound of an unsheathing blade woke the knight¡¯s instincts. Lying behind a wooden barrel, an assassin prepared to strike. A blade struck against the barrel he was standing behind, the longsword exited the other side of the barrel, pouring wine on the ground as everyone heard a surprised grunt. "What the-!?" But before the assailant could get up, Krieg kicked the barrel with all his might, pinning the man between the wooden cask and the wall. He struggled to hit the knight but it was in vain since the blade could only scratch the surface of his shin armor. ¡°Damn you!¡± The knight¡¯s blade cut deep into the assassin¡¯s arm, disarming him through the sheer pain. ¡°Gah! You-!¡± Krieg casted the barrel aside and grabbed the assassin by the neck. ¡°Who do you work for?¡± ¡°Do you really think I would just spit it out for a scum like you?¡± Krieg heard a distinct sound and turned the man towards the darkness of the cellar where two arrows came from. The bodkin heads had pierced the assassin¡¯s body, the sharp edges protruding out of his chest showed how lethal they were, he breathed his last in a futile attempt to escape Krieg¡¯s grasp. ¡°Adele, keep the princess safe.¡± ¡°Leave it to me..¡± Leona clutched her hands near her breast. ¡°Krieg, be careful¡­¡± The knight held the lifeless body while slowly walking towards where the projectiles came from. More arrows penetrated the meat shield but they couldn¡¯t harm him. ¡°Cease this instant if you value your life.¡± He warned. Even though it was dark, the reflection of the steel arrow head gave off the archer¡¯s position, allowing Krieg to throw the body in his direction. He dodged it but couldn¡¯t pull another arrow on the string since Krieg was already within arm''s reach with his long sword drawn. ¡°Gaaaaah!¡± The knight¡¯s blade dug deep into the enemy¡¯s chest, the bow he held was cut in half. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Behind him, Adele and Leona were surprised by a soldier coming down the staircase, he wore a white gambeson shirt and brown pants going inside the leather boots, his weapon consisted of a short sword and a round shield, especially effective against foes with light weapons. That didn¡¯t faze the maid however. She bent her legs ready to fight. ¡°Princess, stay behind me.¡± Her right grip around the handle tightened and the other hand closed in a tight fist. The soldier approached with the shield up slowly trying to get in slashing range but Adele decided to take the initiative and charge forward. She baited a thrust and caught the blade between the hatchet¡¯s iron head and the wooden handle, she then swung the hatchet against the opponent¡¯s shield and exploiting the opening from the left she grabbed the man¡¯s face. Her left grip started to emit an orange glow as blazing flames erupted from her palm, melting the man¡¯s face, he fell limp, lifeless. His last screams of pain echoed in the cellar and traveled to the rooms above, other soldiers and mercenaries hesitated to climb down the staircase. ¡°Princess, Adele, come this way.¡± Krieg kept his calm tone even though the danger was growing near. Adele took a few steps back and took a deep breath. Her red eyes started to glow as the air turned frigid cold, ice bursted out of the ground, blocking the staircase and sealed the burnt body inside. Adele took a few steps back and turned around to keep up with the group. Leona and Krieg were already up ahead scrounging the place for supplies. ¡°Princess carry this please.¡± The knight gave her a sack of white powder, flour. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°Flour, if anything happens just throw it against your enemies.¡± She tightened the grip on the scabbard of her longsword. A feeling of dread was consuming her mind, powerlessness. ¡°Krieg¡­ do you think I can fend off by myself?¡± He looked towards her left hand gripping the longsword¡¯s scabbard and then to her eyes, full of determination. However he proceeded to continue forward. ¡°With all due respect Princess, you¡¯re still not ready to fight.¡± ¡°What am I lacking?¡± He stopped to inspect a wooden rack on the side of the cellar as he explained to her. ¡°The will to kill. It¡¯s not something easy to acquire, let alone in a situation like this.¡± She reluctantly nodded. He proceeded to pick up a bottle of wine from one of the racks and threw it to Adele. ¡°Carry it please.¡± Leona wondered what that meant but decided not to ask any further questions. Adele followed them closely behind while Krieg led the way out of the cellar into a tunnel, the narrow passage had been made by brute force of the mansion¡¯s residents. Be a man or woman, it didn''t matter, all their efforts were there. ¡°I never knew such a place existed right under the mansion.¡± Leona was stunned by the work put into making that place, it branched to many directions, it was impossible to believe such an escape system existed right underneath her feet. ¡°Lord Jean is cautious, so much so to think of ways to escape should an invasion happen.¡± Krieg moved a plank hidden between a crevice in the stone wall, he pulled out a wooden box from it, it was tightly closed by a silver lock. The knight put it on the ground and gave the lock a good strike with the pommel of his sword. ¡°What are you doing Krieg?¡± The princess was inspecting the box from over his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know where the key is, so I¡¯m forcefully opening it.¡± He set the sword aside and pushed it open. ¡°This should do.¡± On his hand, a small cylinder shaped metal container alongside a small triangular blade. ¡°What are those for?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°This is a tinderbox, useful to make a light in emergencies¡± ¡°Lord Krieg, if you would like, I can keep the fire spell.¡± Adele spoke from behind them while she held the bottle with all but one index finger with a light flame weavering back and forth. ¡°You should save your magic for enemies we may find.¡± He struck the blade against the cylinder letting sparks fly through the air, igniting the tip of the tinderbox. ¡°Here Princess.¡± He took a piece of cloth from his armor and rolled around the metallic cylinder. ¡°Ah, you didn¡¯t need to cut your own cape.¡± ¡°Your hand is more important princess.¡± She held the tinderbox over her right shoulder, illuminating a small area around them. Adele walked closely behind them with the hatchet in hand and the wine bottle on the other. ¡°Lord Krieg, do you think they may be waiting for us?¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± He brushed a moss curtain to the side and kept walking until they reached an exit. They weren¡¯t far from it, the fresh breeze coming from the crevice up ahead made it clear that it was a way out. Krieg paused for a few moments and said without looking at her. ¡°Princess, if we happen to be ambushed, throw the flour towards the attackers.¡± ¡°But, flour¡­? Will this really distract them?¡± ¡°Just leave it to me if anything happens.¡± She reluctantly nodded, unsure of his answer, what could flour achieve? ¡°Lord Krieg, I don¡¯t feel traces of magic.¡± Adele had her eyes closed for a few seconds as they walked. ¡°Good, at least there won¡¯t be any spell casters.¡± ¡°Are we really going outside?¡± Insecurity in Leona¡¯s voice was apparent, the way Krieg spoke made her feel uneasy. ¡°We have no other choice, it¡¯s either this or turn back and be ambushed.¡± His head turned around to face her, his voice filled with kindness. ¡°Stay behind me Princess, I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡± Krieg took a step outside the cave, the dim light of the full moon illuminated the forest glade. The faint sound of water and buzzing of the bugs would have been the only sound to be heard in that peaceful night, if not for the metallic noise of unsheathing blades. "Ah there they are." Seven soldiers stood in front of the knight. Four archers, two knights wielding maces and shields and a dark knight holding a greatsword. They had the arrows knocked on the string, it was a matter of pulling it back to fire. Krieg dropped his longsword on the ground near his right foot, Leona was right behind him so she stopped at the sound of the metal sword hitting the ground, she readied her left arm holding the bag of flour and threw it above the knight. ¡°Now Adele!¡± He yelled as he kicked the blade upwards, a white dust cloud formed in front of them as the blade cut the flour bag mid-air. ¡°Shield your eyes!¡± A burst of flames ignited the fine powder resulting in a loud explosion and a dazzling flash. Krieg turned around and embraced Leona to protect her. The powerful flash blind the archers, giving Adele enough time to cast another fire spell, this time a flaming sphere the size of her hand. Krieg caught the blade with his right hand and slammed his left arm against the nearest knight holding a shield, his forearm covered the whole length of the shield, allowing him to use it as a leverage to lower his opponent¡¯s guard and sink the tip of the blade in the enemy¡¯s neck. ¡°Brother!¡± The other knight shouted as he came rushing to strike Krieg¡¯s arm with the mace. However Krieg was faster, he removed the blade just in time to block the shaft of the mace and redirect it to the side, such force made the opposing knight stumble. ¡°Damn you!¡± His opponent struggled to raise the shield. Using a technique learned from his master, Krieg grabbed the blade of the longsword and swung upwards, the crossguard caught the side of the metal and was yanked aside, then using the momentum of the pull, he drove the guard straight into the enemy¡¯s helmet, the loud clunk was followed by a dry thud, both knights fell on the ground, lifeless. ¡°Krieg watch out!¡± Leona yelled as the dark knight was about to strike him with an overhead slash. He didn¡¯t have time to properly hold the sword so instead he used the blade to push himself back by using the enemy¡¯s attack. ¡°You¡¯re not half bad, knight.¡± The dark knight was holding his greatsword over his head, blade resting on the shoulder. The unusually open stance threw Krieg off guard, as it wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d seen that type of swordsmanship. Seeing how the opposing knight created an impasse he decided to jump backwards as the archers were readying their bows, the blinding effect could only last so long. ¡°Adele, now!¡± Behind him, the demon maid had a red sphere the size of a golf ball, she then winded her arm back. The blazing orb had a deep red color to it as if fire was so condensed to the point that anything not fire resistant could light up into flames from just being near it. ¡°Have a taste of hell¡¯s specialty." As she hurled the spell, it felt like air itself burned around it. The impact seemed harmless at first before an extreme amount of heat was generated in a fraction of a second, forming a cone of blazing hell flames. Even though the blast was directed towards their attackers, Leona could feel her skin being scorched from all that heat. Krieg quickly shielded her. ¡°Are you ok Princess?¡± ¡°Mhm, thank you Krieg.¡± After the flames subsided, Adele couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. ¡°No way¡­ after a full blast of hellflame?!¡± She clenched her teeth as she prepared to cast another spell but Krieg stopped her by placing his hand near hers. All the enemies but one were dead, the dark knight was standing there, unscathed, behind him, no other sign of life remained. All was burnt in a cone shape, some adjacent trees and bushes were still on fire. To survive a direct attack of hell flame magic, they would need to be a demon themselves. ¡°Heh not bad, I wasn¡¯t expecting such a strong spellcaster. Maybe I underestimated you.¡± His deep voice appeared unfazed by the destruction left around him. The surface of his armor was steaming, he didn¡¯t even bother to shield himself from the attack, instead choosing to take it directly. ¡°Adele¡± Krieg tapped the maid¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Leave him to me, take the Princess somewhere safe.¡± ¡°Krieg you can¡¯t possibly-¡± Leona was rejecting the idea but was abruptly cut short by Krieg¡¯s words. ¡°Princess, I¡¯m your personal knight, it is my duty to keep you safe, no matter the cost.¡± He wielded the longsword close to his chest with both hands. ¡°I¡¯ll defeat him and catch up with you.¡± Leona hesitated but nevertheless followed Adele. Both left the knight behind to face off against his opponent. Even though the area around them was set ablaze by hell flames, Krieg felt a frigid chill go down his spine. ¡°So, are you ready?¡± Krieg¡¯s fingers slowly tightened around the longsword handle, of course he was nervous, but that didn¡¯t change his duty. After raising the sword straight to the sky and readying it beside his chest he was prepared to face him. ¡°Not much for talking huh? Alright, fine by me.¡± The dark knight picked the greatsword from the ground and readied it in front of himself.] ¡°This is your end, Leonard.¡± Not very far from the battle, Leona and Adele kept running through the dense forest, the night had just begun and the way was poorly illuminated. ¡°Keep close to me Princess, this place is easy to get lost in.¡± ¡°Adele, do you think Krieg will be alright?¡± The maid could see the clear expression of worry on the princess¡¯ face, nevertheless, she approached her and gave a soft smile whilst holding her trembling hand. ¡°It¡¯s lord Krieg, he wouldn¡¯t lose to that man, even if my magic can¡¯t reach him, his blade will.¡± A noise coming from the bushes behind them made both stay on their guards. Adele prepared an icicle spike and launched it against the bushes behind them. ¡°Ack!¡± A distraught grunt was heard from the bushes, apparently the maid hit whatever it was hiding in it. There was some movement before it came to a stop, however as soon as the bushes stopped something came cutting the air towards them. Sharp pain stung Adele¡¯s left thigh. She lost the strength in her leg. hitting her knee on the ground while clenching her teeth. ¡°Nghh!¡± A crossbow bolt embedded about five centimeters into her flesh, the bolt itself was about three times that size. ¡°Adele!¡± Leona quickly came to her side in order to aid her but the moment she kneeled down, the bushes shook violently as a man wielding a shortsword jumped out of it intending to stab the maid. His right leg was still pierced with the icicle but only death could quell the man¡¯s rage. Without thinking, Leona drew her sword and with both hands, swung the weapon that found its way inside the man¡¯s left shoulder, it cut flesh and cartilage in a singular ruthless motion. She backed away leaving the sword embedded as the man fell on the ground agonizing, wailing the shortsword left and right. ¡°AAAAAH DAMN YOU! MY ARM! MY ARM!¡± Adele threw the hatchet against the assassin¡¯s head, unfortunately hitting him with the blunt side. However it did stop his wailing for a moment to give Leona enough time to come in and yank the sword out of his shoulder. ¡°GAAAAAH!¡± Still struggling on the ground, the assassin tried to stab Leona¡¯s legs, but thanks to her sword¡¯s length she could hit him outside the reach of the dangerous blade. She attempted to slash his throat open with one strike but it was a shallow hit, merely nicking a vein as the man was still trying to fight back, gurgling blood from the deep wound like a fountain. His troublesome movements were cut short by Adele¡¯s hatchet. She finished the job with a straight chop from the hatchet she just picked up. ¡°Are you alright Princess?¡± Leona didn¡¯t notice her erratic breathing until she lowered the blood soaked longsword. Her trembling hands could barely hold the weapon as the strength in her slender fingers disappeared. ¡°Princess Leona?¡± She had teary eyes as she looked towards Adele. ¡°Adele¡­ I¡­ I¡­ killed a person.¡± The maid stumbled towards the Princess and held her hands between hers. ¡°You did the right thing Princess, I failed to protect you so it¡¯s not your fau-¡° ¡°They can¡¯t be far now!¡± A group of armed men appeared from where they came from. They wielded longbows and flintlock rifles. Adele quickly turned to Leona again. ¡°We need to get out of here, can you move Princess?¡± ¡°I can but what about your- your leg!¡± A solid semi-transparent light blue spell seemed to encase the crossbow bolt, making it imobile inside the wound. ¡°I casted an ice spell on it, I¡¯m able to move.¡± She grabbed both the longsword handle and Leona¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Cold sweat was dripping down from the princess¡¯ forehead onto her brows, the feeling of hacking through flesh was still a vivid memory both in her muscles and mind. She couldn¡¯t begin to fathom the pain she must have caused. Adele looked behind her for the signs of pursuers, but apparently they didn¡¯t spot them right away. The maid led Leona from bush to bush, zig-zagging through the woods until they found a clearing, against the foot of a mountain an eerie cave entrance broke the pattern of the rocky wall. Rays of light shone softly over the foliage, if they weren¡¯t in danger, it would be a great place to stop and admire nature¡¯s beauty. ¡°Princess once we get in that cave you¡¯ll have to jump down.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ that¡¯s ¡°No Man¡¯s¡± cave-¡° ¡°I don¡¯t have time to explain. We have to jump down and stay alive, the river¡¯s current should take us near the village.¡± ¡°What about Krieg?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure lord Krieg will manage someho-¡° A rifle shot pierced through the maid¡¯s left shoulder, making her stumble forward and lose her balance. The loud sound of the explosion and smell of gunpowder filled the air. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Adele!¡± Her left leg was bleeding from the shattered ice, the bolt was pushed deeper with her fall. The shot that perforated her flesh left burn marks on the entrance and exit of the wound. Adele instinctively turned around and extended her left hand out. A burst of blue fire sprouted from her hand. Quickly forming a thick wall of ice behind them. Plenty more steel hit the wall but thankfully the ice was thick enough to stop them. ¡°Princess you have to run! I don¡¯t know how much- argh!¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m taking you with me!¡± Leona rushed to her side and put Adele¡¯s right arm around her own neck. ¡°Even if it takes all the strength that I have, I¡¯m not leaving you behind!¡± ¡°Princess¡­¡± An armed soldier came around the ice wall with the flintlock rifle ready to fire, at that distance, just a few meters away from Leona¡¯s face, it would surely hit her. ¡°Princess!¡± Adele was starting to cast an ice spell to protect her but there wasn¡¯t enough time. ¡°Princess! No!¡± A thick dark blade cleaved the man¡¯s arm off along with the barrel of the gun, the deafening shot hit the ground as the gun fell down, blood spilled from his left hand tainted the earth. His screams of pain and agony echoed through the entrance of the cavern. ¡°MY ARM! AAAAARGH!¡± ¡°Out of my way.¡± The knight¡¯s fist backhanded the soldier in the face, leaving him motionless on the ground. Krieg showed up in battered armor but with a black greatsword on his hand. ¡°Princess, Adele, are you two alright?¡± ¡°Adele was shot in the leg. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Krieg glanced over the maid. Adele¡¯s eyes met his and the two of them agreed in a silent exchange of stares. Krieg nodded before hurling the greatsword over his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re going now princess.¡± He grabbed Leona from the waist, easily lifting her close to his chest. Leaving Adele laying with her back against the wall of ice. ¡°Wait! Krieg what are you doing!? We have to take Adele with us!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry princess.¡± Adele said as she slowly slid with her back down against the ice, she sat while taking one last look at the princess whom she served for years. ¡°This is where we must part ways, it was a great honor to serve you all these years.¡± ¡°No! We¡¯re going to get out of this together! Krieg!¡± The knight gave a last nod to the maid and started to run towards the depths of the cave. ¡°Adeleeeeeeeeeee!¡± Leona¡¯s pleas were all but echoes from within the cave. Until she couldn¡¯t be heard anymore. Adele smiled as the princess¡¯ voice became just a faint memory. Her right hand closed tightly around her right horn. ¡°If gods really do exist in this world, I only wish for redemption¡­ from my fallen brothers and sister, I, Adele Heikel, sacrifice upon thee my last possession.¡± She exerted a lot of force, snapping the thick coiled horn. Agony, pain, rage¡­ she felt it all, breaking the horns of a demon would be a death sentence, for they are the sole catalyst for a demon to cast the very powerful spells they are known for. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡± The flow of energy made Adele go berserk. Her wounds quickly started to regenerate at an unbelievable speed. Albeit more than regenerating, her limbs were taking a different form, increasing in size and becoming distorted as body started to crook. ¡°We have them surrounded!¡± Many riflemen and soldiers circled around the ice wall. But upon seeing the grotesque sight of a transformed demon the less courageous turned up and began to flee as soon as they saw it while others that withstood the urge to run, attacked instantly with their weapons. Adele was nothing more than an abomination, her whole skin was now covered in hard black scales, the red eyes of a reptile twitched left and right looking for targets. A sword strike bounced off her back, sparks went flying. ¡°What the!?¡± In a split second he was gored in half by her claws, entrails, blood, bones, all showered upon the other soldiers who came behind him. Panic and despair, a menacing aura emanated from her as if death stared directly at each man standing near the hulking monstrosity that once was the gentle maid. ¡°It¡¯s a monster! A monster!¡± Cries and screams echoed the vast forest as the verdant soil was tainted by blood. In the depths of the No Man¡¯s cave, the strong water current washed away two poor souls that happened to be caught within the river¡¯s violent current. Usually where there would be a clear path on the side of the river, it was now flooded due to strong rains in the past few days. ¡°Krieg! We have to save her!¡± Leona grabbed on a rock near the edge of the river in order to go back up. ¡°Princess don¡¯t-!¡± She tried to fight against the current but it was too strong, rocks broke beneath her feet and she was washed away along with the current. ¡°Princess!¡± Krieg swimmed after her. ¡°Take my hand!¡± She extended her hand the maximum she could but only the tips of their fingers touched. ¡°Ahh! Krieg!¡± ¡°Princess!¡± Without hesitation, he used the newly acquired greatsword to propulse himself forward through the water. His only objective was to keep Leona alive, at all costs. ¡°Princess, grab my hand!¡± Leona extended her arm, this time Krieg was close enough to grab her wrist, he pulled her towards him with one smooth motion he hugged and swapped places with her. ¡°Gah!¡± A loud thwack sound came from the knight, his back hit with full force against a rock that divided the water current, Leona was grazed by the unconscious knight as he was flung towards her from the impact. ¡°Krieg!¡± He was unconscious, but the raging cold water didn¡¯t pay any heed to whoever was caught in its path, on the contrary, it just showed how deadly it really was. The current suddenly goes to a stop not too far from where Leona could see in the now open tunnel, which meant it was the end of the line. ¡°Oof!¡± Leona hit a very thick net that kept them from going over the drop; however it was just a matter of time before it began to snap under the weight of the two. Just beside of her there was a crevice carved into the stone, a passage, similarly constructed to the underground tunnels of the mansion. She tried to muster strength to fight the current but she was barely keeping her head above the water. ¡®I have to find a way to pull us out of here!¡¯ With each snap, the net let them closer to an unavoidable demise. ¡°No¡­ no¡­!¡± Leona racked her brain, they would eventually fall and if she didn¡¯t do anything, it would mean certain death. ¡°Ice¡­ ice magic will work!¡± She focused all her strength into her right hand as the ropes snapped, all the energy in her being was on that one point. The air became colder and a light blue energy stopped the water flow, freezing it in place, but the ice was too unstable and shattered as they fell in the river meters below them. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± Chapter II: Unforgettable Allies ¡°Straighten your spine boy!¡± Younger and more frail, Krieg took a slap on his back that almost made him stumble forward. Gray hair, the same color as his eyebrows. The crimson eyes contrasted greatly with his somewhat pale complexion as he winced from the sharp pain. ¡°How is this even supposed to help me to fight? New stance, so what?¡± ¡°Tsk, you stubborn brat.¡± His instructor sighed before standing in front of him. Tall, long dark brown hair, blue eyes and a really upset expression, those were the usual features that she wore during their daily training. ¡°Listen, do you think you can parry any angle with that flopsy stance? You need a strong straight back and your arms ready to spring out and hit your opponent in a split second.¡± She was wearing full plate armor, the gentle rays of the morning sun reflected on the polished silver of her chestplate. As she unsheathed her two handed sword, the light seemed to follow her movements slightly. ¡°Eleonora, I¡¯m almost sure I can parry anyone¡¯s attack with my usual stance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s captain Eleonora for you.¡± She held the weapon with both hands before putting her right foot behind her, slightly bending her legs. ¡°Get ready Krieg.¡± She stepped in his range with her left foot while keeping her guard up, Krieg¡¯s first response was to swing his greatsword down with all his might. Eleonora used the flat part of her blade to redirect his strike to the ground beside her and before he could pull the sword out of the soil, her blade was already close enough to Krieg''s neck. ¡°Your raw strength is something out of this world. But strength alone doesn¡¯t ensure victory. Remember that Krieg.¡± The knight suddenly woke up to the sound of running water, his whole body screamed of pain, he stared a few seconds at his blurry hand opening and closing. ¡°Princess¡­¡± He stood up and looked around, even with his disoriented vision he saw, lying a few meters ahead, someone unconscious on the pebbles near the riverbank. Stumbling while walking, he reached her and gently lifted her body. Breathing. He thought. At this point he was starting to regain his strength, blinking a few times, his no longer blurry vision scouted after possible ambush spots. The crevice formed in the riverbank by the erosion of dirt created a natural cover from both prying eyes and the occasional chilly wind of dawn. While Krieg had lost his greatsword, it wasn¡¯t a major concern, his objective was to get to the nearby village before the sunrise. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely protect you Princess.¡± Trembling legs, rugged breathing and unbalanced steps were showing the result of falling meters into water. He sourly chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve had it worse.¡± ¡°Try again Krieg, this time with less strength and more speed.¡± His memories of the grueling training with the captain knight served as fuel for his determination. ¡°Krieg, listen, when punching, speed is just as important as the power behind it. A punch hurts most when you get your enemy off-guard.¡± ¡°Aye captain.¡± His rather lean arms locked in a stance ready to fight. The knight captain stood with her padded caestus gloves. ¡°Alright one two!¡± His left foot stepped in and the punches came lightning fast as if he was shooting a gun. ¡°Uppercut!¡± His right fist buried in the glove, Eleonora stepped backwards two times until she regained her footing. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today. You did great, Krieg.¡± ¡°I thought a knight needed his sword rather than his fists.¡± She removed both caestus, the palm of her left hand had some bruises on the skin. Her right was slightly red from all the parrying. ¡°You are a great warrior but since you have enough strength to take down five fully armored knights with only your body, I¡¯d figured it would be good for you to know some things about hand to hand combat.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really help me parry swords now does it?¡± ¡°When you serve under someone, you¡¯ll have to fight no matter what to keep them safe.¡± Now I understand what you meant, Eleonora. Krieg held Leona tight. His body, while still in great pain, had an unwavering will to keep going, each footstep carried the weight of a whole lineage, he was determined to keep her safe. ¡°Hold!¡± Krieg froze in place. Slowly looking over his shoulder, a few meters behind him was a cloaked figure wielding a longbow, from their features he could tell it was an elf, she was probably older than him but her height couldn¡¯t be used to confirm his theory since she was way shorter than him. ¡°Are you by chance, knight Krieg?¡± He nodded once. ¡°I¡¯m a friend, I¡¯m here to help you.¡± ¡°And who might you be?¡± ¡°My name is Phoebe, I was assigned to watch over you.¡± ¡°By whom?¡± ¡°That would be queen Eleonora.¡± He became silent, Phoebe couldn¡¯t tell if he believed her or was just suspicious, but then he turned his head forward. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move, I need to keep princess Leona safe.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Her footsteps were light as the wind, he almost couldn¡¯t hear her behind him. ¡°How is she? Queen Eleonora I mean.¡± Krieg''s sudden question surprised the elf. ¡°Ah well¡­ she was busy with the undercover expedition to the east country. But last time I saw her personally she was doing ok.¡± ¡°Hm. That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Silence. Only the dry sound of metal clunking against each other and the noise coming from the river filled the air around them. Phoebe asked herself as to why the queen would assign her to a trivial mission such as this. She observed the knight, his mannerisms, the observant yet wary quick glances he took while walking carefully through the uneven riverside pebbles. ¡°Y-¡± ¡°Phoebe, do you happen to know about healing magic?¡± ¡°Hm? Ah, I assume that she needs healing then.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He lowered her feet on the pebbles while maintaining her back straight. Phoebe kneeled near them. Looking closer, her gentle eyes were dark, her short black hair was messy, the clothing she wore was unusual for that part of the country, consisting of scaled wooden plates for the arms and shins making it too light for a frontline soldier. Underneath it, dark blue cloth made part of her clothing wrapped over her body, a dark blue leather quiver rested against her lower back, some of the fletched arrows protruded out of her slim figure. She placed her right hand on Leonora¡¯s stomach and a faint green light surged between her fingers. ¡°She used too much magic.¡± Phoebe said whilst keeping the healing spell. She opened one of the pouches latched onto her belt and took a transparent vial out of it. The content was slightly blue, it seemed to sparkle in the darkness of the night. ¡°She¡¯ll recover shortly after drinking this.¡± The elf pulled the cork out of the bottle and gently poured its content into Leona¡¯s mouth. ¡°How long until she recovers?¡± Krieg was obviously worried about her well-being. ¡°She only needs to rest. Thankfully she didn¡¯t go beyond her magical reserves otherwise she would be in a coma right now.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Silence didn¡¯t last much longer as the elf¡¯s curiosity grew from Krieg¡¯s lack of magic knowledge. ¡°Ser Krieg, are you not familiar with magic?¡± ¡°I was taught only a few healing spells.¡± ¡°As expected from one of Eleonorian knights.¡± ¡°Eleonorian knights?¡± ¡°Usually knights from the royal academy are taught many schools of magic, but all who fought under her cause weren¡¯t from any prestigious family nor have received any formal training. Though I must admit they were the most brave and strong knights the kingdom ever had.¡± ¡°You speak as if you didn¡¯t fight alongside Eleonora.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, however my mother was one of her trusted assassins. I, on the other hand, offer the service of a bodyguard to her empress.¡± ¡°Just how used to fighting are you?¡± ¡°Enough to kill, my mother taught me much.¡± Krieg nodded to himself. The early morning sky was slowly giving its place to the sun¡¯s gentle embrace, birds chirping in the distance as another day rose anew. ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t know what Eleonora wants from me after all this time but I intend to see it through. We¡¯ll talk once I fetch a room in the village for Princess Leona.¡± ¡°Can do.¡± They reached the nearest town without much trouble, the sun had already risen, bathing the land in its warmth. It was a small village, only a few residents were gathering outside, either walking to gather wood or food in the nearby forest. Though some of them couldn¡¯t help but to feel uneasy in the trio¡¯s presence. ¡°I believe we might be drawing too much attention.¡± Phoebe calmly commented as she felt the restless stares come from all directions. As if they were concerned with their arrival. ¡°This is fine, we only need some time to figure out what to do.¡± ¡°Krieg¡­¡± The princess¡¯ mumbles caught his attention. ¡°Everything will be alright, I¡¯m here to protect you, Leona.¡± His arms tightened slightly around her. Phoebe spotted a place where they could rest. Her left hand reached the belt as she opened the door to the inn. The place was simple, the wooden floor creaked under Krieg¡¯s weight while barely making any noise from Phoebe¡¯s steps, the poor light from the sun outside served in their favor to hide Leona¡¯s identity. ¡°I-¡° As Krieg started to speak, Phoebe intervened. ¡°We¡¯d like to rent a room until the afternoon.¡± The elf had taken the front desk while putting a small sack of coins in front of the innkeeper. ¡°I-I see but this is barely enough for one person, you want a room for three?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just for our comrade, she was struck by our mark while we were hunting, we¡¯d like her to get proper rest before we head back to the city.¡± Without asking many questions the innkeeper took the coins and showed the way to their room. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯ll stay with her if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Take your time, after all your comrade needs to rest.¡± Phoebe took the key and opened the door, the room was plain, as much as one would expect from a small village¡¯s inn, it was small, intended only for one person, the bed against the far wall of the room had a clean sheet, free of creases, on the nightstand by the left side of the bed was a candle on top of a ceramic plate, never used before since the wax was intact. ¡°Ser Krieg.¡± Phoebe turned around as she locked the door. ¡°Is it true that you were adopted by Eleonora herself?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He answered without taking his eyes off Leona¡¯s face as he sat on the ground with his back against the nightstand. ¡°She said I came from the east when I was a child. Not that I would remember it. Why the question?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°No, there was this one rumor amongst the assassins that you would be her successor.¡± That remark made him flinch. ¡°The eastern child was raised and trained under the way of the Eleonorian knighthood. Possessing the strength of a hundred men, he shall bring the light in our hour of darkness¡­ or so the rumor goes.¡± ¡°Those are just baseless rumors.¡± He looked to the window, the sky was clear, and the bright sun was peeking just above the fluffy clouds. ¡°After all, if I was really this hero. I wouldn¡¯t be running away.¡± ¡°There is courage in running away.¡± The elf added. ¡°After all she wouldn¡¯t be here if you stood your ground against them.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± He leaned his head against the nightstand, his helmet made a light noise as it hit against the wooden knob. ¡°Ser Krieg, another question if you allow me.¡± ¡°Hm? Go on, you don¡¯t need my permission to talk.¡± ¡°Why are you so sure that I work for queen Eleonora?¡± ¡°The way you addressed me was enough to give it away.¡± The elf pondered. ¡°Wait really?¡± ¡°Yes. That and most people wouldn¡¯t know my connection with Eleonora anyway.¡± As he finished his sentence he heard noises coming from the door. Heavy footsteps and in numbers. ¡°Phoebe.¡± She nodded whilst drawing a dagger from her cloak, ever so slightly, she gently unlocked the door, barely making any noise. ¡°Try to be as silent as possible, I¡¯ll jump in if it¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry sire.¡± Their room was the second to last one in the hallway, before theirs, there were another two doors. Some insistent knocking could be heard coming from outside. Phoebe held a dagger on her left hand along with the bow, the string had an arrow ready to be drawn. ¡°They must be here in one of these rooms:¡± A male voice came from outside. Apparently a leader of sorts. ¡°Leave no place unsearched.¡± Phoebe leaned against the slightly opened door with her back. She took a deep breath as she threw her body backwards and drew the bow to its maximum power. ¡°Captain we got enemi-¡° The mercenary¡¯s throat was pierced through the bodkin arrow, not even chainmail could protect against such a powerful shot at close range. ¡°Wha-¡° Three enemies remain. Phoebe dashed full speed towards them, leaving the bow behind and reciting an incantation whilst pulling another dagger from under her cloak. ¡°Winds of time, bestow peace for my enemies, silence!¡± The mercenary who appeared to be their leader started to shout. ¡°What are you waiting for!? Kill her!¡± The other two readied their weapons, the first had a battle axe, he tried to swing down towards her right shoulder but Phoebe nimbly dodged to her left, letting the axe splinter the wooden floor. ¡°The hell!?¡± She slit his throat while still keeping full speed going towards the other two. ¡°You imbeciles!¡± Yelling, the leader took his spear out, appearing to be ready to charge, meanwhile the other mercenary aimed his crossbow at her. ¡°I got you now!¡± Phoebe suddenly lowered her body into a fast slide under his legs while cutting the nerves behind his knees. ¡°Ah no you won¡¯t!¡± The spearman aimed to impale her stomach but the elf put her right foot under the shaft of the weapon and lifted upwards. ¡°What the hell!?¡± She used the left foot to kick the beginning of the wooden shaft, sinking the weapon head into the ceiling. Using the momentum of her enemy she sunk both daggers into his chest, blood spilled all over her hands. However, wasting no time, she rolled with her back on the floor and threw his lifeless body backwards against the crossbowman on the ground, who was in the process of getting another bolt ready. ¡°You little-!¡± She got up and quickly stabbed the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Done and done.¡± After walking away from the carnage, she knocked on the door. ¡°Sire, I''m done.¡± Krieg opened the door with his left hand while hiding the other from view. He peeked outside, leaving the right hand off the wooden chair that he held. Surprised by the carnage outside of their room, Krieg looked back at Phoebe and said. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Why thank you.¡± He motioned for her to wait outside. He gently lifted Leona up and stepped out of the room. ¡°We must move, I can¡¯t allow them to capture her.¡± ¡°Understood. Let¡¯s go.¡± Phoebe grabbed her longbow and rushed downstairs, Krieg carefully avoided the pools of blood while glancing over the bodies of the deceased mercenaries. ¡°She sure is good at her job.¡± Down the entrance the place was trashed down by the unwanted guests, the elf assassin helped the inn owner to get up, he was roughened up, with a trickling of blood by the side of his mouth. ¡°Thank you lass.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Are you three alright? They came barging in without a second thought.¡± ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± Krieg interjected. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move.¡± Phoebe left an extra five gold coins on the counter. ¡°Thank you for the hospitality, albeit only for a little while. You might want to hire some carriages to take out the bodies¡± ¡°E-excuse me!?¡± She carefully peeked outside, glancing quickly over the outside of the inn. Empty, aside from a few horses, most likely from the now dead previous owners. ¡°Ser Krieg, by horse is better than on foot I suppose? He carefully looked around before answering. ¡°Yes, prepare one for yourself, I¡¯ll take care of the princess.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want help?¡± Krieg took the reins of the nearest horse, a brown steed, at first it was wary of him but after a while it just brushed the knight¡¯s chest with its nose. He sure knows how to deal with animals. Phoebe thought as she went through the remaining horses to see which one was the most tame. With a few tries she managed to gain the trust of the smallest steed, a gray donkey. Looking to the knight, he managed, with one hand, pulled himself and the princess up onto the horse¡¯s back while showing no signs of imbalance, as if he had done that same movement many times before. ¡°We¡¯re ready to move.¡± ¡°Right, I¡¯ll lead the way.¡± They swiftly made their way out of the village, into the narrow forest trail. The sun was up in the sky, the chirp of birds and the constant sound of flowing water from a nearby river filled the air around them. But Krieg knew that this peace was anything but a fleeting moment; once word gets out of that village, trouble would surely come after them. ¡°Originally, lord Jean wanted me to take princess Leona to Windia, but from what you told me, queen Eleonora has a backup plan of sorts?¡± ¡°Not much was told to me, but I believe you¡¯ll be far safer there than any other place in this country.¡± ¡°So, where exactly is she?¡± ¡°East, last time she gave me an order, it was to ¡®watch over you¡¯ and make sure you got there alive.¡± ¡°East¡­ you don¡¯t mean-¡± ¡°Yeah, the demon country.¡± He kept the reins tight on his left hand while embracing Leona¡¯s back with his right, while maintaining a good balance between them on the horse¡¯s back, but his discomfort seemed to unsettle his steed. Why would she go back there of all places¡­ The knight seemed lost in thought. Phoebe glanced behind her to check on them as she felt a sharp chill go down her spine. For some reason looking at Krieg made her feel an ominous presence. She shook her head and turned her attention towards the trail ahead of her. What was that? ¡°Krieg¡­¡± Leona gently muttered his name. ¡°Princess? Are you awake?¡± Her aquamarine eyes were half open, the fatigue could be seen in her face as she tried to speak. ¡°I feel weak.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t provide a better resting place.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, where are we right now?¡± She slowly glanced around while holding on his torso tighter. ¡°Near the Karna village.¡± Shaking the cold feeling off her back, Phoebe glanced back again. ¡°Ah I see you¡¯re awake princess Leona.¡± She greeted her warmly. ¡°My name is Phoebe, I¡¯m here to help you and Ser Krieg out of this situation.¡± Surprised but not particularly startled, Leona looked towards the elf while smiling weakly. ¡°Thank you, any help is very welcomed, as you see only Krieg here is really capable of fighting I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Fret not Princess, Ser Krieg and I will keep you out of harm¡¯s way.¡± Krieg turned his helmet towards Leona. ¡°Princess, Queen Eleonora is alive.¡± ¡°She is!?¡± The knight nodded. ¡°Phoebe here told me so, she¡¯s looking for me.¡± That statement sent chills down her spine. She knew that Krieg was previously one of the knights that followed Eleonora closely until the war ended, however, the queen¡¯s return meant his duty to serve was not yet over. ¡°I¡­ see¡­ what are you planning to do?¡± ¡°Head east, to the demon country. Eleonora awaits me there.¡± A small pause of silence as Leona swallowed dry. The chilly breeze fluttered her long tattered skirt from the side of the ride. ¡°Krieg, I know I¡¯m in no position to ask you this but¡­ before we go, can I ask you to look for my father? He- he¡¯s the only family I have left.¡± ¡°I-¡° Before Krieg could answer her question, Phoebe started to speak. ¡°Ser Krieg. I¡¯m here strictly to aid you, so don¡¯t hesitate to put my skills to use should you need them.¡± ¡°Yes thank you.¡± He turned to Leona again. ¡°My sincere apologies Princess, I didn¡¯t mean to make your worries any less than mine. I¡¯ll fulfill my duties as your knight and will make sure lord Jean is safe so you two can be reunited.¡± ¡°No, don''t apologize, I know you didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I just¡­ with Adele and the mansion being attacked I just-¡° Phoebe stopped her. ¡°Princess Leona. With all due respect, even if Ser Krieg and myself were to assault this group that harmed your state, I doubt both of us could accomplish anything significant.¡± She made a brief pause as she scanned around them. ¡°I was resting around these woods when I heard loud explosions from the capital. A group with that amount of firepower usually has a large backup just in case. Whoever your family messed with is bad news.¡± ¡°But my father-!¡± ¡°Now. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s impossible but we are in dire need of extra hands. I know some people near the city of Windia.¡± Phoebe said while looking behind at them both. ¡°Once we¡¯re there we¡¯ll have an actual fighting chance. However, it¡¯s still at least two more weeks to travel there and back here.¡± ¡°How many people can you enlist to help us?¡± Krieg asked as if he was already planning a counter-attack. ¡°Four more. A talented spellcaster, an inconspicuous thief, a life saving priest and a brute of a barbarian. They are few, but they are extremely capable.¡± After a while of silence Leona glanced at Krieg, which made him turn his attention to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this never happened before and it never occurred to me that this could ever happen so I¡¯m still a bit shaken.¡± ¡°No one could ever blame you princess.¡± He tried to comfort her with the best choice of words he could find. He wasn¡¯t the type of person to reach out to support other people¡¯s feelings, but that was his liege and in some way, it was his responsibility to keep her both safe and sane. ¡°Life in the capital makes life look peaceful.¡± Phoebe stated without taking her eyes off the road. ¡°Too peaceful even-¡± ¡°Phoebe that¡¯s enough.¡± Krieg cut her off. ¡°Princess Leona may have only lived her life under the Crossford¡¯s household but that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s-¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok Krieg, what she said is not entirely wrong. I was naive to believe everything would return to normal when the war was finally over. Our family, liking it or not, has too much influence over the nobility, it¡¯s no wonder they would come after me.¡± He went silent. The previous meeting his lord had with him made clear that someone was after their family. ¡°Krieg, I need you to take my daughter to Windia, things with the families are most definitely not looking good.¡± ¡°Sire, with all due respect, princess Leona¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s young, she has all the time she needs in order to take the reins of this household. I trust her to keep my legacy alive, I just hope she will make better decisions than I did.¡± ¡°...Very well. I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯ll get there safely.¡± ¡°Thank you Krieg, you are one of the few people that I can entrust with this.¡± The knight swallowed dry. Tension was built up in his chest, a tight feeling of loss, a familiar sensation for those who went to war. Leona held on top of his left hand slightly. ¡°Krieg.¡± ¡°Yes princess?¡± ¡°While we travel, can you give me at least some basic combat training?¡± Combat. That word didn¡¯t suit her, he thought. Though, it wasn¡¯t all wrong to train for the worst. He held her hand firmly. ¡°We¡¯ll start as soon as we make camp.¡± Her face brightened a little. ¡°Thank you. ¡°Ser Krieg.¡± Phoebe stopped her steed. ¡°We might want to take another route.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°A bear up ahead.¡± She pointed at the looming figure just beyond the tree line. In the middle of the trail, there was a sleeping brown bear, it¡¯s back arching softly from breathing while its head rested against the large clawed paw. Krieg slowly stopped his horse while keeping an eye out on the animal before him. ¡°Princess, stay on the horse. I¡¯ll deal with it shortly.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just circle around it?¡± She asked worriedly. ¡°I believe he has a plan, otherwise it would be suicidal to go against it.¡± Phoebe explained while also dismounting. ¡°I¡¯ll assist Ser Krieg.¡± She pulled her longbow strapped from on the shoulder and laid an arrow against the string. Krieg reached for his lower back, pulling a straight double edged dagger from a hidden sheath under his armor. ¡°Phoebe, aim for its eyes. I¡¯ll kill it when it¡¯s thrashing about.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Be careful Krieg.¡± He nodded before heading off. She knew of his capabilities, but only against men, not a hulking animal twice his size, nevertheless she didn¡¯t stop him, but instead decided to watch carefully. Learning was second nature for her, but only through pen and parchment. Skills with blades weren¡¯t totally foreign to her but fighting was. As Krieg prowled closer to the large bear, Phoebe left two extra arrows out of her quiver, one between her lips and the other along with the bow. Leona held her breath as her knight got closer and closer to his mark, dagger held reversely and close to his body. He turned to Phoebe and counted down with his fingers, three, two, one. Phoebe released the bodkin arrow, hitting its right eye socket, at the same time Krieg leaped on the back of the bear and stabbed its neck. It instantly got up in a rage of pain, swinging the knight around with its massive body. ¡°Krieg!¡± As Leona expressed her worries for him, the elf pulled the arrow she had between her lips onto the string and back. ¡°Ser Krieg, try to keep it steady!¡± He had both legs wrapped around the bear¡¯s torso, it thrashed left and right trying to hit him with its paws. ¡°Quite hard to do that!¡± He held the bear¡¯s head with his left arm by wrapping his forearm around the eyes height and pushed the dagger back and forth, ruthlessly cutting nerves and sinew as he violently turned his upper body left and right, as if trying to uncork its head. Phoebe sunk an arrow near the upper chest of the beast and ran to the side of it, already drawing the other arrow. Krieg evaded a paw strike from the right but the left managed to scratch his armor, thankfully not doing much damage to it. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to die already!¡± He yanked the dagger out and stabbed it again in a different angle, the angry roaring and thrashing about was causing rather unwanted commotion. Deciding to give up on skill and rely on brute strength, Krieg grabbed the head with both of his arms and arched backwards as if trying to pull out a cork out of a bottle. To the side, the elf was pulling another arrow but the sight of the knight ripping the head out of its place, made her stop in her tracks. ¡°What in the world¡­¡± He had felled the bear, however his lower armor as well as his arms were slick with blood. He pulled the dagger out of the body as Phoebe and Leona approached. ¡°Krieg are you alright?¡± Leona¡¯s concern was justified, he took a few paw strikes directly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± He looked at the bear lying dead on the ground. ¡°Phoebe, keep an eye out for anything wandering close to us. I¡¯ll take some time to skin this bear.¡± She gave him a puzzled look. ¡°Skin it?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll require food but a bear¡¯s skins is worth some coin too.¡± ¡°Right, I¡¯ll keep an eye out then.¡± He then kneeled and proceeded to cut between fat and muscle. Leona approached him while holding both steeds from their reins. ¡°Krieg.¡± ¡°Yes, Princess?¡± He didn¡¯t take an eye off from the hunted animal in front of him. ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Normally, he¡¯d say to leave it to him. But he saw in her eyes, a look for purpose, of one that seeks to carve a path for their own, even if only a little. ¡°Very well, leave our rides with Phoebe. I¡¯ll instruct you how to skin and clean this game.¡± She nodded slightly then proceeded to kneel beside him while he gently put the bloody dagger on her right hand. The slick grip was sticky and very uncomfortable, but she managed to close her fingers as tightly as she could around the handle. Krieg had turned the bear on its back with one good push then instructed Leona to get on top of the corpse. Seeing the animal so up close sent a chill down her spine as she was about to carve its skin. ¡°Gently start to cut from the neck towards the bottom, you want to feel the blade going only through the meat, not in.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The strong odor of the wild game was off-putting for her, as she winced just by feeling a small waff that came in her direction as she kneeled down on the chest of the beast. Soon, the blade found its way through the deeply cut neck down towards the belly of the animal. By following his instructions she was able to remove most of the pelt, the bare meat bear then was cut to carryable pieces by the knight¡¯s swift bladework, he then stuffed the meat inside a bag found attached to the horse¡¯s saddle. ¡°You can leave the rest to me now. We should be good with this pelt.¡± He rolled the thick brown fur that Leona had just skinned and tied up behind the saddle. She looked down towards herself, the once prestigious golden colored hair now soaked in blood, her tattered blue cloak tainted with red by the skinning process, it however didn¡¯t make her totally uncomfortable. It had purpose, she thought for herself. ¡°Are you ok princess?¡± Phoebe approached with the two steeds in tow. "Yes, thank you for asking Phoebe.¡± ¡°We still have time if you wish to clean the blood off of you.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Ser Krieg, I believe you¡¯d also need some cleaning.¡± The elf stared at the previous dull silver plate, now smeared with red segments. ¡°I¡¯ll have it cleaned later.¡± He turned towards Leona. ¡°Let me escort you to the river.¡± ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± After they reached the passing river, Leona removed her blue cloak and started to rub it against itself while dipping it into the river. ¡°Princess, do you-¡± ¡°I¡¯m ok Krieg. I can do this myself.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± With each time she rubbed the cloak, more of the blood was washed away on the river, a string of red was left behind as she stood up. ¡°Krieg, turn around please.¡± He looked at her first, but after she motioned with her head he decided to fully turn around. ¡°Princess this is hardly necessary for me.¡± Leona held the wet cloak to clean his armor. However he didn¡¯t seem too fond of the idea of his liege exerting herself for something so trivial. ¡°With all due respect princess, this is not necessary.¡± She signed. ¡°Remember what I said back at the mansion just before we were attacked?¡± ¡°Yes but-¡± Her grip tightened around the edges of the cloak as she pulled it apart, ripping a sizeable part of the blue cloth. ¡°Princess¡­¡± ¡°Just let me do this, you did so much for me already.¡± She wiped the majority of the blood off his armor and after cleaning the piece of cloak she handed it to him. ¡°Here, keep this for cleaning your weapons or armor.¡± ¡°...Thank you Princess.¡± They returned to where Phoebe was with the horses. ¡°Yes. Yes I told you, we need some extra hands. I expect it to be as hard as the previous job.¡± She stopped for a few moments. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you later.¡± ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± Krieg inquired. ¡°With the people that will help us, I let them know in advance that we¡¯ll be needing their help.¡± ¡°Right, how much can we trust them with this?¡± ¡°As much as you¡¯re trusting me on it. But seriously, they are good, reliable folk.¡± He looked at Leona before staring back at the elf. ¡°Alright, lead the way then.¡± ¡°To Windia we go.¡± She hopped onto her steed and with a light motion of the reins, started to pick up pace through the forest trail. Leaving the village behind, they ventured forth towards the desert city of magic. Chapter III: Haze of Vengeance Night, the cold winds of the outskirts of the Arcadian forest signaled the vast desert of Windravt was approaching, a few days of travel had already cost them some supplies along with the wear and tear of their equipment. ¡°We should camp around here for the night.¡± Krieg stopped their steed and dismounted. ¡°Princess, here.¡± He offered his hand as she stepped on the stirrup to get down. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Ser Krieg, I found a suitable place between the trees up ahead.¡± ¡°Good work Phoebe.¡± He looked at her before turning towards Leona once again. ¡°Princess, are you cold?¡± Her slender hands were clutching the sides of her now slightly shorter blue cloak. ¡°Ah, no this is nothing I- achoo!¡± He removed a white folded, but slightly wet, handkerchief from his belt satchel and handed it over to her. ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll work on getting a campfire for us, Phoebe, mind taking the first watch?¡± The elf nodded while strolling towards the thicker parts of the woods. Leona accompanied the knight to the clearing. He had hitched the horse to a nearby tree, then proceeded to lay down some previously gathered firewood on the ground. ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± She asked as he put the tinderbox on the ground. ¡°If you want to try lighting the fire.¡± He removed a c shaped piece of steel from the tinderbox and handed it over to her along with a somewhat jagged black rock. ¡°How do I use these?¡± ¡°Hold the flint on an angle and strike it with the steel.¡± She put her fingers through the loop while resting the thumb against the top of the steel and with the other hand she held the flint diagonally right on top of the plume-like wood kindling he had prepared. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She struck the flint but nothing happened. ¡°With more speed Princess.¡± ¡°Right.¡± It took her a few tries until a spark flung out of the flint and a few more before it hit a spot on the plumed kindling. ¡°Now gently blow the ember, it¡¯ll catch fire if you do it right.¡± She lowered and started to gently puff a continuous yet steady breath. The ember slowly turned more bright as the kindle started to smoke. ¡°Steady now, just a little more.¡± Not very surprising, she was almost out of breath when the twigs lit up ablaze. She took a few deep breaths before speaking to him. ¡°Must you do this every time you wish to light a campfire?¡± ¡°Unless you know fire magic. But yes it¡¯s normally how we do it.¡± ¡°I wish it was easier.¡± He chuckled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s quite alright Princess. Let me get you something warmer for you to sleep on.¡± Krieg untied the bear pelt from the horse saddle and put it on the ground somewhat near the campfire. ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± He nodded before sitting down near the root of a nearby tree and folding his arms. Leona couldn¡¯t tell if he was trying to fall asleep or just resting. ¡°Krieg.¡± ¡°Yes, Princess?¡± ¡°Do you think my father is okay?¡± She asked whilst putting the somewhat pungent smelling bear pelt around herself for warmth. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to lord Jean. If anything was to happen to the head of the Crossford family that would be inviting half of the nation for a civil war.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t help it but feel uneasy about all of this. Why would they go after Father and me now? It just doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± He adjusted his posture against the tree and took a few glances around them before continuing. ¡°Mayhaps the end of the war has something to do with it. The other families may be plotting to start another conflict for profit.¡± ¡°For profit? How so? War seems so pointless.¡± She peeked out of the pelt that enveloped her, it was akin to a sleeping bag, but with fur. ¡°Soldiers need weapons, armor, supplies¡­ Most of these things are provided by the noble families for the war effort, but the kingdom pays for them with the people¡¯s money.¡± ¡°But something¡¯s off¡­ if it¡¯s profit they seek, why would they want anything to do with us?¡± ¡°That is what I don¡¯t know Princess. It is safe to say that they are trying to increase their influence by taking the Crossford family out. From what I understand, only Phoebe and a few others know about Eleonora¡¯s whereabouts.¡± ¡°So the reason why they would attack us would be to ascend to the throne?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the possibilities.¡± Krieg clenched his hands. His frustration was visible with the deep sigh. ¡°If only I had blade energy, this would¡¯ve been different.¡± Leona¡¯s aquamarine eyes showed concern for her knight, but she couldn¡¯t find the right words to comfort him. It was the first time he had shown such emotions. ¡°It¡¯s... not your fault Krieg.¡± Silence. She could imagine how frustrated he was, being driven out of their home, the shame of running away, the powerlessness. All those feelings made Leona want to cry, but she knew it wouldn¡¯t help her. She clutched her pendant tightly, it was a present from her late mother for her fifteenth birthday, also known as ¡®Prism Star¡¯, symbolizing infinite possibilities. But ever since then, it has only been hardships. Leona knew the burdens of nobility, however she could never have expected to fear for the lives of the people around her. ¡°Krieg. It¡¯s not your¡­ fault.¡± Leona muttered as she slowly fell asleep. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I failed you Princess.¡± He slammed his hand against the rock beside the tree. The force of the impact made cracks appear from where he had hit it. His frustrations were nothing like what he had felt before, powerlessness wasn¡¯t uncommon in the war, but everything had means for an end, he was a soldier, not a strategist. Thinking back on the possibilities made his head hurt in anger, anger for not being able to protect what was important to him. ¡°Ser Krieg.¡± He looked to his left and through the corner of his helmet he saw Phoebe bring more firewood near the campfire before sitting down beside him. ¡°Did you see anything?¡± He asked while returning to look at Leona. ¡°No, nothing of interest at least, just a few night critters.¡± ¡°I see, good work.¡± Phoebe leaned forward trying to see features of his face but it was mostly covered by his helmet. ¡°You can sleep if you wish to, I¡¯ll stay up for a few hours.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rest soon.¡± The elf nodded before taking a stroll around the camp again. Krieg on the other hand lifted his head to pull a small bronze locket from a pedant around his neck, the now quite faded painted picture was of a couple. A black haired man holding a baby in his arms wearing a dark crimson robe and beside him a silver haired woman with two thin horns coming out of her forehead, she wore a black robe with gold trimmings by the edges of the clothing. He sighed slightly as he closed the locket to put it back inside his armor. His crimson red eyes slowly found purchase in the depths of his subconscious as he fell asleep. The forest was filled with the sounds of the night-time critters, the sky was clear and plenty of moonlight penetrated through the forest foliage. Phoebe quietly moved through the brush around the campsite doing a few irregular rounds around it to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. However, as attentive as she was, nothing other than the usual stray animal would come across her path. ¡°Quiet¡­ too quiet¡­¡± She muttered to herself as she inspected both of her daggers, the gleam of steel served to see some of the dents on the blade, most likely caused from the previous fight against the mercenaries. Phoebe felt tense in that situation. Killing a target and escaping was one thing, watching over the safety of others wasn¡¯t her strong suit, even less so when it came to nobility. She stayed up for a couple of hours before watching through the corner of her eye, Princess Leona getting up from her pelt sleeping bag. She lifted her arms to stretch and after doing so she started to look around as if searching for something. The elf decided to walk out of the bushes she was hiding in, making her presence known to the noble girl. ¡°Oh, there you are. Come by the fire, warm yourself up.¡± She motioned with her hand to approach. ¡°I¡¯m keeping watch.¡± ¡°You can keep watch here, you don¡¯t need to be out there in the cold.¡± Phoebe was troubled, in her mind nobles were nothing but a nuisance, looking down on the poor, flaunting about their own possession and riches, but this girl right in front of her with tattered clothing, dirty skin and a mess of a blonde hair was offering her to stay by her side even though she knew nothing of her. ¡°...Alright.¡± Reluctantly, Phoebe sat down with her back against a mound of hardened dirt. The fire crackled gently as Leona put more firewood into the fire. ¡°Say, Phoebe was it?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my name.¡± ¡°How do you know about Krieg? Are you a friend of his?¡± ¡°No, I was assigned to keep watch over him. Queen Eleonora seemed worried about him for some reason.¡± Leona seemed puzzled. She knew about the relationship between them, but why would the queen herself assign someone to watch over him after all that time? ¡°Then, are you some sort of bodyguard?¡± ¡°I was trained as an assassin. I know how to kill, not to protect.¡± There was a slight discomfort visible in her expression as Phoebe finished her sentence. Questions raised even more questions in her mind. ¡°Let me show you something that might appeal to your worries.¡± Phoebe fiddled through her pockets to find a small wooden carved box that roughly fit on her hand. It was a very well made container to whatever it was inside, finely carved drawings of stars with platinum trimmings on the edges and a small lock made the box as a whole. The elf pulled a weirdly looking jagged key and proceeded to unlock the case. ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡­ it.¡± Leona was shocked when she saw the same carved prism star pendant she wore inside the box. However some pieces of the puzzle didn¡¯t quite fit together, Leona was racking her mind to find the answers, but that stone made even less sense when it was shown to her. ¡°Who¡­ who gave this to you?¡± ¡°The queen herself, she said to show to whoever was with lord Krieg.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± She held her jaw in confusion. It would have made more sense if it was some sort of symbol to Krieg or any other person, but that stone specifically held a much greater importance to her. Hesitant but determined, Leona was about to speak when a light snap of a stick in the bushes behind them caught the elf¡¯s attention. ¡°Shh.¡± Phoebe quickly tucked the small box away. Raising her left hand as the other went for an arrow in her quiver. ¡°I heard something behind us, I¡¯ll go check it out. Meanwhile, wake up ser Krieg.¡± Leona nodded then proceeded to slowly move towards the knight while crouching. With her left hand, the elf readied her longbow as she took cover behind a tree that overlooked the bushes where she heard the sound from. Her eyes zig-zagged through the foliage trying to find the source of the noise, but nothing seemed to catch her attention. ¡°What was it that you heard?¡± Krieg¡¯s voice discreetly asked her from behind, he clutched what seemed to be a sizable stone. ¡°A snap of a twig, the animals around here normally don¡¯t weigh much to be able to break something that would make that much noise.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He leaned to the side of the elf, but also didn¡¯t see anything suspicious. ¡°Princess stay behind me. Phoebe, mind taking a closer look around the place you heard the noise from?¡± ¡°On it.¡± She held the dagger on her right hand as she nocked an arrow on the string with her index and middle finger. Treading lightly through the grass and taking each step carefully so as to not make unnecessary noise, Phoebe circled to the left of the group towards where she heard the sound. Krieg on the other hand kept an eye to the right side while using a tree as cover, and right behind him, Leona looked around for anything that moved. ¡°Krieg, what do you think it was?¡± ¡°Hopefully just a stray wolf, if not, me and Phoebe will handle accordingly.¡± She glanced to the ground and found a sizable wooden branch, it had a crooked tip as if it was a walking cane but much thicker. Without much thought she grabbed it and held it as a club. ¡°Hopefully I won¡¯t have to use this¡­¡± She muttered under her breath before hearing Phoebe¡¯s voice. ¡°Lord Krieg, I caught someone snooping around.¡± Both the knight¡¯s and the princess¡¯ attention turned towards her voice. Heading over behind a thick patch of bushes they found the elf holding a cloaked figure, lightly clothed, dirty ruined boots and a short sword sheathed on the side of his belt. His cloak fell off as he tried to fight against Phoebe¡¯s grasp. ¡°Please let me go, I was just looking for a place to stay.¡± His voice was of a young man in his early twenties, his brown hair and dark colored eyes were plain enough that he could be mistaken for a simple farmer were it not for the tattered cloak and short sword on his hip. ¡°If you wish to keep your throat intact then start talking.¡± She held the dagger¡¯s blade dangerously close to his throat. ¡°I- I- I just escaped from some bandits in the desert, I¡¯m just looking for a place to stay.¡± Krieg reached for the elf¡¯s hand and lowered the blade from his throat, but not before removing the short sword from his belt. ¡°I¡¯ll keep this. Just search him for other belongings, see if he isn¡¯t a lure or anything.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Leona curiously peeked around the knight to see whoever that person was. ¡°Wait¡­ Luke? Is that you?¡± Hearing his name the young man looked towards where her voice came from. His eyes sparkled the moment he saw her. ¡°Leo?! But if you¡¯re here¡­ oh gods no I¡¯m too late!¡± His frenetic voice startled the elf and made her loosen her grip. In turn, he tried to approach the princess but Krieg drew the short sword and pointed it at him. ¡°Not a step further.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Krieg.¡± Leona said while gently lowering his weapon. ¡°He¡¯s an old friend of mine.¡± She stepped forward beside the knight, allowing the young man to take a better look at her face. ¡°Leo, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± He fell on his knees crying. Teary eyes, trembling arms and a serious case of hiccups, those were what defined Luke. ¡°It¡¯s alright now. Krieg, take him with us near the campfire, call Phoebe there too, I think he has information that we¡¯ll need.¡± ¡°Understood princess.¡± It took a few minutes to calm him down, between Leona gently patting him on the back to giving him some of the water Phoebe carried. Eventually finding some solace in the presence of his friend, Luke started to talk. ¡°I heard news that my older brother was readying a small army of mercenaries to assault the Crossford household. I was on my way to warn you but he had put guards to prevent me from leaving the city.¡± Leona¡¯s expression suddenly darkened, Luke¡¯s brother was¡­ ¡°Alexander Lorraine¡­¡± She muttered under her breath as her teeth clenched in anger. ¡°I cannot believe this. To go so far for something so petty...¡± ¡°I¡¯m ashamed to have him as a brother. Though the Lorraine household is at its place because of him.¡± Luke was hugging his legs close to his chest. His gaze was affixed to the fire crackling in front of him. ¡°If I¡¯ve tried harder, maybe I could have prevented this from happening. I¡¯m so sorry Leo.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. If anything, this serves to confirm my suspicions.¡± Phoebe was standing with her back against the same tree as Krieg, but looking out towards the desert beyond the treeline. ¡°Ser Krieg, do you happen to know more about this Lorraine family?¡± ¡°Just that they are a competitor of sorts. They specialize in making heavy weaponry, but unlike the Crossfords, they are seeking to purge the demons from the continent.¡± ¡°Rare to see a noble altruistic family in the capital.¡± The small talk between Luke and Leona continued. Krieg kept a watchful eye on the two of them, resting his hand by the handle of the blade and without looking at her he replied. ¡°It¡¯s because of that I¡¯m still alive.¡± Phoebe took one last glance towards the two nobles by the campfire before returning to her patrol around the camp. ¡°I¡¯ll be out if you need me.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± She nodded before disappearing into the bushes. Luke rubbed his weary eyes trying to stay awake through the conversation. Leona had her arms folded tugged inside the bear pelt, she had a puzzled expression on her face. ¡°So how exactly did you come to know about your brother attacking my father¡¯s place?¡± ¡°My cousin used some sort of clairvoyance magic to keep tabs on Alex and he discovered in the past week he was hiring those mercenaries.¡± ¡°And the only reason he would hire them would be to attack us.¡± ¡°I beg of you Leo whatever you do, do not go back there. He¡¯s up to no good.¡± ¡°I have to Luke, my father is still there. I can¡¯t just let him take control of my life.¡± ¡°He has the entire Lorraine household under his command, not counting the mercenaries. It would be suicide to go there!¡± ¡°My father is the only family I have left. I won¡¯t stay twiddling my thumbs while he¡¯s imprisoned somewhere out there.¡± Luke couldn¡¯t hide his nervousness from his expression. Sweat built up on his forehead and slowly wetted his eyebrows. ¡°Then¡­ at least take me and my cousin with you. We¡¯ll help however we can.¡± Leona¡¯s head perked up to look at him, her aquamarine stare narrowed when she heard his statement. ¡°If anything, wouldn¡¯t you be in danger if you went with us?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to face him eventually. Me and¡­ Las.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your cousin?¡± ¡°Yeah. Laslow Lorraine.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She closed her eyes deep in thought before looking at him again, now with a more determined expression. ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s head to Windia in the morning, Phoebe told me we could get more help there.¡± He nodded. ¡°Great, Las still there, probably keeping tabs on Alex.¡± She sighed lightly. ¡°Alright, you can head to sleep. I¡¯ll keep watch for now.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah I got some sleep before you came sneaking around.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± She brushed off with a motion of her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Now rest, we¡¯ll head off early in the morning.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks Leo.¡± He folded a part of his cloak and put it under his head. ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Rest well.¡± Leona got up while still covered with the bear pelt and sat beside Krieg leaning on his left arm. She shared half of the pelt with him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that princess.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too hot so you can keep half of it.¡± ¡°...Thank you princess.¡± ¡°Krieg, you should start calling me Leona instead of princess.¡± ¡°...Alright, Leona.¡± She glanced up to his face and smiled before putting the hood of the cloak against his shoulder to make a soft spot on the metal armor. ¡°I¡¯m the one who needs to thank you. Who knows what would happen to me were you not there to save me.¡± ¡°Your praises are wasted on me prin- I mean, Leona. If I were stronger you wouldn¡¯t have to sleep out here in the cold of the night.¡± ¡°Under a very beautiful sky with the warmth of a somewhat comfortable beast skin.¡± She looked towards the bear pelt. ¡°I¡­ after I talked with Luke, I¡¯ve come to realize my father may not be in any immediate danger for now so I should shift my focus towards getting this small army together and head there instead of pondering too much on things outside of my control.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll keep your mind clear when you need it the most, princess.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± She nudged against his shoulder and kept still, listening to the quiet sounds of fire crackling and critters in the dark. It was calming, many ways off how her life usually was. While danger was an ever present possibility, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of life it would have been had she chosen the path of an adventurer like her mother¡¯s. ¡°Krieg, did you have many nights like these back when you travelled with Eleonora?¡± He lifted his head up to the sky. Many stars filled the dark infinite horizon before him, such as it was back in the war. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Was it¡­ fun?¡± ¡°...Yes.¡± A small tear formed on the side of her right eye. ¡°I think when this is finally over I¡¯ll go on an adventure, if you come with me.¡± Her voice, gentle yet pained, made his resolve even stronger. ¡°I¡¯ll gladly accompany you.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ Krieg¡­¡± She slowly fell back to sleep on her own. ¡°I won¡¯t let harm come to you princess. This is my vow as your knight.¡± Hours passed, the night slowly giving its place to the early morning sun basking its glow across all of the Arcadian great forest. Chirps of the birds announced the coming of a new day and the start of yet another arduous journey through the desert. ¡°Mmmmmgh¡­¡± Leona had woken up with some sunlight coming through the trees. Krieg wasn¡¯t by her side, however the bear pelt was arranged to cover her entire body, which was only covering her chest previously when she fell asleep. She got up, her back feeling a little sore but nevertheless ready to continue forward. ¡°Krieg. Where are you?¡± ¡°Ser Krieg is by the river washing his face.¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice came from behind but she couldn¡¯t find the elf anywhere. ¡°Up, princess.¡± Her eyes darted up to find Phoebe sitting on the tree branch, the longbow resting on her thighs but with an arrow loosely ready on the string. ¡°I¡¯m keeping watch for him. You can go ahead and wash your face too, he¡¯s not too far from here.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you Phoebe.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t nothin¡¯.¡± Leona wandered slowly through the previously walked trail, eventually finding the river stream. Krieg had his helmet lying on the ground beside him while he used the familiar piece of blue cloth to clean his face. His wet grey hair was slicked back and crimson red eyes were focused on the flowing water before glancing to Leona once she approached. ¡°Good morning pr- Leona.¡± She chuckled lightly. Her blonde hair was somewhat messy but it still had its beautiful glow. ¡°Good morning Krieg. Did you get any sleep?¡± ¡°Yes I got enough. How about you?¡± She nodded. ¡°I need to thank you for keeping watch, it made me feel more secure.¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± He grabbed the helmet and put it under his left arm when he stood up. Leona proceeded to kneel beside the river and scoop some of the water to wash her face, some of the dirt came off as she changed her focus towards her hair. Her fingers ran across the golden strings to remove the built up dust from last night¡¯s sleep. After she finished cleaning herself Krieg handed the short sword to her. Its sheath was strapped with a makeshift belt made out of braided dry grass. Leona took the weapon but had a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to hold on this Krieg?¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you had some way to defend yourself.¡± She grasped the handle with her right hand while holding the sheath with the other. Pulling the weapon out, the iron blade was simple yet sturdy, it reflected her eyes on the metal. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep it then. Thank you.¡± He nodded and walked to the side of the trail, motioning for her to go in front of him, which she did while tying the belt to her hip. ¡°Phoebe.¡± Krieg called out to her as they reached the camp. ¡°Prepare to head out, I believe we can reach halfway towards Windia if we hurry.¡± ¡°Krieg, sir, if I may?¡± Luke approached him, his scrawny body hunched forward slightly as he spoke. ¡°I have a spell that may help traverse the scorching heat of the desert.¡± The knight turned to Leona as she looked back at him. With a firm nod she confirmed what her childhood friend said. ¡°Very well. How do you apply this ¡®spell¡¯ of yours?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll just take a second.¡± His bony hand touched the silver chestplate as an orange glow started to emanate from his hand enveloping the knight whole. ¡°Here you go. You¡¯ll be resistant to heat for a day.¡± Krieg looked at his hands, while not feeling any immediate difference to his being, the armor did feel less hot. ¡°Leo, I can apply it to you if you want.¡± ¡°I would like to. I have never been to the desert but it sounds like a harsh environment.¡± He placed her hands between his and cast the spell. A faint orange glow gently poured out of her like a ward to prevent heat from rising her body¡¯s temperature. ¡°Would you like it as well miss Phoebe?¡± She leaped down from the tree, landing right beside Leona. Her longbow previously drawn was now strapped with its string across her chest with the top of it sticking out of the left side of her back. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you could apply it to our steed.¡± Luke looked over his shoulder as she motioned with her chin past him. ¡°Oh I can only cast it one more time if that¡¯s ok with you.¡± ¡°No problem, I¡¯m used to traversing the desert.¡± She pulled some extra light colored cloth out of her satchel and lightly wrapped around her face, covering most of her hair and ears, only leaving the dark eyes exposed. ¡°Understood.¡± He went over to the horse to apply the magical ward. Meanwhile Leona witnessed Phoebe pick some of the cool charcoal from the side of the previous campfire and grind it on her fingers before smudging some under her eyes. ¡°Krieg, what is she doing?¡± He glanced towards the elf then returned to arranging the bear pelt on the horse¡¯s saddle. ¡°She¡¯s protecting her eyes from the sun. I don¡¯t know about the details but I know it works.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Approaching slowly, Leona stood beside the elf before asking. ¡°How does that work?¡± Just after finishing applying the charcoal dust she turned to answer her. ¡°The desert sand reflects the glare of the sun, it could potentially damage your vision so I prefer to keep it safe.¡± Phoebe reached her hand towards her face and applied some of the black dust under her eyes. ¡°Cover your head with the hood and you¡¯ll be alright.¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks Phoebe.¡± She gave her a bow before heading out to scout. The princess walked back to the knight, showing the smudges on her face. ¡°Are you going to do the same Krieg?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He had removed most of his armor and was in the process of removing one of the remaining greaves. ¡°I just need to remove this armor and I¡¯ll be ready.¡± A few minutes later, after preparing the armor on the backside of the horse and acquiring a few rocks to put in the knight¡¯s pockets. They headed out to the vast desert of Windravt. The sun wasn¡¯t exactly high which made it easier to determine the direction to go, but the heat could be felt on everyone¡¯s back as they traversed the dunes of the desert. Leona was sitting on top of the horse, guided by Krieg while Luke and Phoebe walked on the left and right side of it accordingly. Previously fully armored, the knight had now removed most of his defenses, saving for the chest plate and chainmail. His clothing was a simple white long sleeved shirt and brown thick pants while his feet were wrapped with plenty of cloth. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel hot with that armor?¡± Leona was wobbling back and forth with each step of the horse, her hood almost falling at times. ¡°Not much, I believe sir Luke¡¯s spell really did make a difference.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it helped sir Krieg.¡± Luke sounded proud of his spell as his thin body straightened up, a rare sight from him. ¡°It took me a while to create a fire spell that would work as a ward, the concept behind its creation was the offensive spell known as Hellfire Wall that-¡± ¡°Luke, Krieg isn¡¯t familiar with magic.¡± Leona gently interrupted him. ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s okay you don¡¯t need to actually know magic to understand the principles of the inner workings of such spells. Imagination is, after all, the most powerful weapon of humanity.¡± Krieg chuckled lightly. ¡°Well I can certainly see the similarities.¡± ¡°Krieg!¡± Leona¡¯s face became flustered. ¡°I know I used to be a bookworm back then but you don¡¯t need to tell that to everyone.¡± ¡°Now everyone knows, princess.¡± Phoebe smirked under the cloth mask, her eyes squinting as she chuckled to herself. Princess was beet red from embarrassment. ¡°Funny story, Leo here used to be the most studious of the class back in the capital, I remember her coming up with some crazy ideas with wind aspected magic.¡± Luke seemed very excited by the conversation but quickly stopped after Krieg reached his shoulder while shaking his head. ¡°You should save your breath sir Luke, we might be travelling as a group but we cannot afford tiring ourselves before reaching our destination.¡± ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯ll do exactly that.¡± The knight then turned to the princess. She had a faint smile on her face. While Luke was her friend, she wasn¡¯t really appreciative of attention. Continuing on, the midday sun heat made the sand dunes sparkle with each step they took. The sharp green shards of glass stuck in the dunes reflected the rays of light. At that point, the haze from the shimmering air near the sand started to distort the distant imagery. Dunes and more dunes were still between them and the city of Windia. Large glass domes, structures looming above the sand ocean beckoned the small group towards it. Windia, about a day of travelling away from them. ¡°I have never been to Windia. But I can see it¡¯s a beautiful place.¡± ¡°Best of the land, well, the only one there is.¡± Phoebe commented. She carried her longbow with her left hand while the other swinged back and forth while she walked. ¡°Hard to believe it stood for a few hundred years in the middle of the desert.¡± Luke agreed with her before saying. ¡°If magic wasn¡¯t so prevalent in people¡¯s lives, maybe it wouldn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°People are more tenacious than you imagine.¡± The knight said while kicking a piece of glass shard out of the horse¡¯s way. ¡°They won¡¯t give up on their homes without fighting for it.¡± Leona had a serious look on her face. ¡°That is indeed the truth.¡± The sun reflected off the glass domes on the horizon. One more day of travel and one day closer exact retribution from those who wronged her. Princess'' eyes narrowed with determination towards the wondrous jewel of the desert. Chapter IV: Verdant Desert The high stone walls loomed over the small group that just finished traversing the desert. Tired, tattered and mostly in need of water, they reached the desert city right when the sun had set behind the glass dome buildings. ¡°Krieg, have you been to Windia before?¡± He turned around to see her. Weary expression, shoulder slumped forward and hands loosely holding the horse¡¯s reins. She was clearly exhausted from the journey, but nevertheless she was awake and determined to at least see inside the city. ¡°Yes, but that was about fifteen years ago. Back then Windia was still known for its fire mages.¡± ¡°Ah yes, my mentor is a fire-aspected spell caster, it was from some of his offensive spells that I came up with the idea for Fire Ward.¡± Luke, while tired, the mention of history about the city made him liven up. While travelling, conversing with him was a good way to both pass time and acquire knowledge, the young man didn¡¯t seem to be reserved with his scholarship. ¡°But do you know of any places we could rest?¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice was somewhat muffled from the cloth wrapped around her face. Her short hair poked out through some spots of the fabric along with the tips of the elven ears. She didn¡¯t seem particularly tired but some wear could be seen from her cloth shoes. ¡°Ah I have a place that might be suitable.¡± Krieg¡¯s eyes met the princess¡¯. They silently agreed he wouldn¡¯t be exactly a great guide for this. After crossing the front gates, Krieg felt stares on the back of his neck. The outskirts of the city were known for its ¡®less¡¯ savory type of people, there were honest hard-working folks here too, but it was a gamble whether or not you would have been greeted with a handshake or shanked between the ribs with a dull knife. ¡°This city has changed a lot.¡± The knight¡¯s remarks prompted Luke to respond. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this until a few years ago, it started after the changes in the mining policy. The king implemented laws that enforced the exchange of valuable stones with the guilds, so many of the independent miners were forced to trade gems for a lower price. Eventually, it became less profitable and with the influx of miners in the previous years-¡± ¡°Hey, is that the place?¡± Phoebe interrupted his line of thought to point towards a place called Slowsand. It wasn¡¯t exactly a well kept place. ¡°Huh? Ah, yes, that¡¯s the place.¡± It was a somewhat hidden building in a quiet alleyway big enough for two horses to pass through. Krieg left the horse tied to the inn¡¯s hitching post while he wore the armor back on again. The full plate armor wasn¡¯t exactly conspicuous but thankfully the alley was empty. He helped Leona to get off the horse. ¡°Ready to go in?¡± Luke asked the knight. Which he answered with a nod. They entered through the wooden double doors into the stone inn building. It was a simple one story building with rooms in the back side of the room through another wooden door. A tanned tough looking woman greeted them as they entered. ¡°Aye rare to see you kind of fancy folk ¡®round here, watchu need?¡± Luke approached the reception table, which was a carved slab of stone that covered just above the woman¡¯s waist. ¡°Three rooms-¡± ¡°Two.¡± Phoebe interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep with them.¡± ¡°Ah I¡¯m so sorry lady, we just have them couple rooms. Ya threesome will have to wait ¡®nother day.¡± Leona stood behind Krieg with her hood up, but it seemed to draw more attention to herself rather than keep it away. The clerk leaned to the side to see her shrink into her hood more. ¡°Ay, don¡¯t be shy. We don¡¯t bite ¡®ere.¡± Krieg placed his hand on Luke¡¯s shoulder. The woman¡¯s off-putting demeanor made him act in order to keep Leona out of her reach. ¡°Just pay her.¡± ¡°Huh? Ah yes, my apologies.¡± He put thirty copper coins on the table. ¡°This should be enough right?¡± ¡°Aye. It is, you can head through the door over there, here are your keys.¡± She tossed three keychains to Luke before picking something behind the counter. ¡°Here ya go, ya gonna like this.¡± The innkeeper handed a bottle of a brackish liquid to the knight as he walked by. He in turn, just took it without saying anything. They headed through the single wooden door on the left side of the counter, it was a long corridor with a series of doors on the left side. Candles inside a salience carved inside the wall like a small archway illuminated the area, though dimly, it was enough to see the end of the far corner. ¡°Here.¡± Luke turned around and handed both Krieg and Phoebe their keys. ¡°I¡¯ll go to my room now, I¡¯m tired.¡± He bowed before turning around and leaving. Krieg leaned sideways to talk to Leona. ¡°We should get some rest too.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± They headed to the room between Luke¡¯s and Phoebe¡¯s. The interior was somewhat dusty because most of the stone ceiling was flaking away, but otherwise it wasn¡¯t a bad room. There was a spacious bed with beige sheets, some candles packed against the left corner of the room and some dim light coming from a very thin slit in the wall for a makeshift window. Krieg picked some of the candles after setting the rolled bear pelt against the wall near the unlit lights. He brought it over to the stone carved nightstand and set the wick on fire with his own tinderbox. The weak light let a gentle yellow glow around the dark room. ¡°Krieg, what is that bottle?¡± She pointed to the brackish colored glass leaning against the bear pelt. ¡°Serf¡¯s Swill, normally they hand these in brothels, but apparently the owner here misunderstood our situation.¡± ¡°Misunderstood? In which way do you mean?¡± ¡°She most likely thought we were a ¡®couple¡¯ of sorts.¡± Leona flinched while looking at him with one eyebrow raised. ¡°What are you getting at?¡± ¡°The beverage, it¡¯s for making people drunk.¡± Her eyes went wide, she had read about those acts in the past, getting one drunk enough to take advantage of them. Utterly disgusting, but it was the truth for most of that region of the city. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll stay clear from those.¡± ¡°It would be wise to decline any kind of food or drinks they serve here. It may be poisoned or drugged.¡± She nodded a few times to reassure herself of the dangers present, even though she was inside a city, it didn¡¯t mean there wouldn¡¯t be dangers or possible ambushes. ¡°But fret not, I¡¯ll thoroughly inspect everything for your safe consumption.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind Krieg.¡± ¡°On that note, I¡¯ll go fetch water for us.¡± She nodded once. ¡°Thank you.¡± She laid down on the bed after he closed the door. Her eyes closed effortlessly as the built up fatigue from the travel came all at once, her shoulders softened up against the dusty sheet. She started to ponder about everything that happened thus far, but it only served to disappoint her. To travel such places, surely, one has to be prepared, but more than that they need to know their role and purpose in a group, something that definitely eluded her while traveling together with them. She knew Krieg only wanted to take care of her well-being, but the noble girl couldn¡¯t help but feel useless. A few knocks on the door made her jolt up with a nervous fumbling around the short sword handle before she found a grip with her right hand. She carefully walked up to the door with the handle tightly held. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°Prism star, may watch over you.¡± The tension on her shoulders went away as she opened the door. Krieg was holding what seemed to be a big round ceramic jar, the sloshing sound within suggested that it was filled with liquid. ¡°Welcome back, Krieg.¡± ¡°Thank you, princess.¡± She put her hands on her hips before looking at him with a stern look on her face. ¡°Leona, right?¡± ¡°My apologies, princess Leona, I mean, Leona.¡± She faintly smiled towards him before letting go of her imposing posture. ¡°I¡¯m just playing with you. It¡¯s just us here after all.¡± He put the jar down and she took a seat on the bed again. Her feet started to swing back and forth gently against the bed. Krieg glanced up to her from behind the helmet before removing it. ¡°Is there something wrong Leona?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You are¡­ crying.¡± She blinked a few times before realizing tears were starting to pour out of her eyes. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m-¡± She tried to clean her tears, but the more she tried more and more tears started to come. Her efforts to keep everything inside was futile, the unknown stress she had built up came out without warning. Krieg knew many like her. Head-strong, good-willed, kind and above all, righteous. Many amazing people, but just like those before her, if given too many burdens anyone would break under the weight. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Krieg, I¡¯m just¡­ not sure why I started to-¡± He gently placed his right hand on her left knee while looking up to her face, his crimson eyes met hers. ¡°I¡¯m here for you, I¡¯ll always be by your side. No matter what happens.¡± Her hands grasped his on each side, small as they were she couldn¡¯t fully cover the backside of his hand. She tried to force herself to smile, but she couldn''t muster the strength to do so. Instead her expression was of pure pain. Arched eyebrows, frowned brow and clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Krieg¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Her hands involuntarily brought his near her forehead. Her grasp tightened as she turned her head down. Tears left many darkened droplet spots on her purple dress. She never had felt pain so great like this before. It was like countless vine thorns had a hold of her heart, slowly snuffing its life away with each passing second. ¡°Leona, you shouldn¡¯t blame yourself for something that is my fault. Had I been more strong, you wouldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault for being weak! What did my knowledge serve for all this time?! Nothing! It is useless as I am! If it wasn¡¯t for my incompetence as a tactician Adele would still be here! Father wouldn¡¯t have been left behind! I¡­ I¡­ I¡­!¡± Her usual steady breathing was now erratic. The feeling of anger was pouring uncontrollably from her, until she felt something grasp her right shoulder. She looked towards him. Krieg¡¯s face was a few centimeters from hers, his eyes filled with purpose. ¡°No one could¡¯ve predicted that. Not even lord Jean. All we can do is to stay calm, decide carefully what path we want to take and see to everyone¡¯s safety. Lord Jean wouldn¡¯t want to see you blaming yourself like this.¡± ¡°But I-¡± ¡°Leona, I swore my allegiance to you not because of pity nor guilt. I choose to serve under you because I saw your potential, you are a ruler that can change the kingdom. Aren¡¯t you Leona Crossford? The fabled princess tactician that prevented thousands of lives from being scythed by the Death Angels?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t-¡± ¡°Then what about the great fall of the arcadian woods? Who else could¡¯ve prevented that?¡± She grasped his hands tightly while also clenching her teeth. ¡°Leona. You are not useless. I¡¯ve seen your potential, I¡¯ve seen you achieve many great things, give yourself another chance to grow even more stronger than you are.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Almost as if giving up on suppressing her emotions she threw herself against him into a very tight hug, she screamed, she cried, she pleaded for forgiveness for her foolish words. ¡°We are all fools in the end.¡± Phoebe said while hearing the bartering of the other room. ¡°Well¡­ no rest for the wicked I suppose.¡± She got up from the dusty bed and headed out the door into the corridor. She glanced from one side to another before locking her door. As she was proceeding to walk outside the voice of the innkeeper came from the counter. ¡°Aye ya better be careful out there, folk tend to no like ya new wanderers.¡± ¡°Aye aye. Thanks.¡± She walked outside and turned to the left, seeing as no one was around she leaped on the horse¡¯s saddle and from it to the roof. Silently landing on the dusty stone carved surface. The sight of the desert city never ceased to amaze her. Bright glass domes towards the center of the circular city showed the beauty of the Windian¡¯s craftsmanship. Shining like a kaleidoscope, the jewel of the barren desert land, the Eye of Kings. Towering above all other domes, a giant glass dome changed its color depending on the time of the day, now emitting a vibrant green sheen towards the sky. It was where the great school of magic resided, but it was also where Phoebe needed to go. ¡°Pho, where are you currently?¡± Her mind was rudely invaded by the projected thought of her adventurer acquaintance, Laslow. His low pitched voice sounded even more rough when inside her mind. ¡°Gah, can you like, give me a heads up before suddenly popping into my head like that?¡± ¡°What? Did I interrupt something?¡± ¡°No hells no. Just tell me what you wanted to say.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the mercs my dearest cousin sent. Apparently they either have another esper on their side or a great tactician.¡± ¡°Or both.¡± ¡°Bah, highly unlikely. Point is, they are moving. Whether they know about Luke or not, I have no idea.¡± ¡°I see, thank you for the information.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to relay that to the yuppie?¡± ¡°Watch your mouth, I prefer to not get on the bad side of any noble.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not speaking with my mouth dear Pho.¡± ¡°Just¡­ shut up Las.¡± ¡°Aye aye cap. Also before I go, Laura wanted to have a word with you. She¡¯s in the Keep.¡± ¡°Right¡­ tell her I¡¯ll be there in a few minutes.¡± Her mind became clearer after finishing the conversation with Laslow. She started to leap across the rooftops, quickly but incredibly silent, she made her way towards the east side of the Eye of Kings, a wooden construction stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the stone carved buildings. The Keep Laslow referred to was a simple base of operations for Phoebe¡¯s comrades, it was a spacious wooden shack with no doors or windows, surprising to anyone, but not for them. The lack of a door wasn¡¯t an issue as Phoebe simply phased through the far wall of the wooden shack. Inside it was built like a bunker, instead of the usual stone carved building it was made of hardened slabs of sandstone. ¡°No matter how many times I come through it, it still feels weird to pass through that illusion.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, cap.¡± Laslow was across a wooden balcony that separated the room she was in. He wore a dark beige colored turban to cover most of his face, saving for the light blue eyes, dull white cotton pants and cloth wrapped around his feet. Phoebe pulled a nearby chair to sit while holding her arms folded on the backside of it. Laslow approached her and took his seat against a carved bench near the left wall, he crossed his legs and his left hand seemed to disappear into a void in the air before he pulled out a book from inside of it. He started to read. A few heavy footsteps echoed from the other side of the room, coming up from the stairs that led to an underground passageway, a hulking barbarian of a woman. Short pale blonde hair fell on the left side of her face, covering one of her emerald colored eyes, her clothing was simple much akin to a gladiator, dull light colored leather chest armor, short brown rough skirt and leather strapped sandals. The thick broadsword was hung by a braided leather string across her chest, resting on her back. Phoebe let out a rare smile towards her massive friend. ¡°Laura, good to see you.¡± ¡°Same here Pho. I forged the item you asked of me.¡± ¡°I see, thank you very much.¡± The woman nodded, her square chin had a deep scar near her left side of the lip. Some sweat was coming down from her brow, making her squint from the salty droplets of bodily fluids. Her folded biceps were almost the size of Phoebe¡¯s chest. Laura¡¯s left foot ground some of the stone floor under her weight as she started to speak again. ¡°I¡­ have something to ask of you, if it¡¯s not too much trouble.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unusual for you to be this reserved. Tell me what it is.¡± ¡°About this job, we may possibly come across his family, correct?¡± The barbarian motioned her chin towards Laslow, which he just waved his hand in disdain before speaking up. ¡°I don¡¯t care for the lot of them, if possible I¡¯d like them to bite the dust along that fool.¡± Laura bit her under lip before continuing. ¡°I would prefer if we could at least spare his parents.¡± His eyes rolled before looking at Laura with a stern stare. ¡°Please, we talked about this before. They deserve to share a shallow grave along with the rest of those idiots. If they wanted to invite a war over because of a petty reason such as the human-demon treaty, so be it. We have nothing to do with th-¡± ¡°You have, it¡¯s your family.¡± Phoebe interrupted him and with her hand open towards him before continuing. ¡°Laura¡¯s right, you may be able to kill him without a second thought but you only have one family, if they didn¡¯t want your well-being they wouldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°They sent me here because I was a burden.¡± Laslow closed the book, throwing it away as it vanished in the void. He approached the elf menacingly, prompting Laura to step to her side. ¡±They brought this on themselves. If anything, it would be better if the Lorraine household ceased to exist. The Crossfords have the right idea to keep the kingdom on the right track.¡± Phoebe looked down, but not out of fear. She couldn¡¯t find the right words to make him understand the importance of that decision. Killing someone you hate was one thing, but snuffing out the life of the ones you used to love was an unthinkable act even for her. ¡°Hmph. Very well, Laura, since you made this point known to Phoebe I¡¯ll consider what to do when we get there.¡± Laslow said before turning back towards the staircase. ¡°I¡¯m glad you at least put some thought to it.¡± The barbarian bowed to him. ¡°I¡¯ll return to my quarters. I need to finish my research.¡± With a snap of his fingers, two flesh simulacrum images of himself started to arrange food on the kitchen counter. ¡°You should eat before heading back.¡± He said as his head vanished with the last steps down the staircase. ¡°Thank you.¡± Phoebe voiced her appreciation, which in turn he made one of the images bow towards her. Laura had a guilty expression on her. She waited for a few seconds before speaking with the elf again. ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­ he means well.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that Laura. I still agree with what you said. Though I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t surprised when you spoke about it.¡± ¡°It was on my mind for a while.¡± Laura took a seat on the stone bench where Laslow was. One of the simulacrums brought a platter of sausage with a dull green cabbage on the side to Phoebe. ¡°He sure likes his sauerkraut.¡± Laura chuckled. ¡°Well it¡¯s the only food he knows how to cook.¡± ¡°One of many.¡± Another female voice came from the illusionary doorway. Near it a light armored woman with an iron mace on her belt hip was carrying a sizable bag. ¡°Neil! It¡¯s good to see you.¡± Phoebe left the platter on the stone bench and gave her a warm hug before holding both of her shoulders to take a better look at her. The woman¡¯s eyes were deep blue like the ocean, her dark long hair was tied on a high bun with dried string. A warm smile came from her face after she hugged the elf. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay Phoebe.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± She was a tad taller than the elf but her brigandine armor gave some extra size to her torso. ¡°Well if you excuse me, I need to deliver some things to Laslow.¡± Phoebe nodded before letting her go. Neiliel then proceeded downstairs before vanishing into the corridor. The elf grabbed the half-eaten meal and started to bite on the cabbage. The dull green vegetable mushed down as she chewed on it. ¡°Ah, Laura.¡± Phoebe spoke as she finished the meal. ¡°Hm? Yes?¡± ¡°Where is John?¡± ¡°He had some items he needed to¡­ ¡®acquire¡¯ for the journey.¡± The elf nodded. ¡°I see. Well, tell him to show up near the Slowsand tomorrow, yeah?¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± She handed the empty platter to a simulacrum. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be heading back to the inn. Thanks for meeting me in person Laura.¡± The barbarian nodded. ¡°Yeah, stay safe.¡± ¡°You too.¡± With her stomach full she headed outside again. The moon was high in the sky as she took a few deep breaths. Leaping across rooftop to rooftop, she made her way back to the inn, the owner was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She gingerly took a quick look on the other side of the balcony, but the counter was empty. ¡°Oh well.¡± But then decided to go back to her room. Inside the dusty bedroom she turned around and locked the door before laying on the bed to sleep. Her eyes slowly found purchase within the darkness, her consciousness fading away. Morning rose to a new day, as Krieg came to consciousness while sitting against Leona¡¯s bed. She was still asleep with her mouth half-open while laying on her right side, he gently brushed her hair off her face which made her muscles tense for a second before turning on her back. The faint light coming from the slit in the wall got his attention as he stood up to inspect the outside. Leaning close but not directly in front of it, he peeked outside, the sun was already above the city walls but not above the Eye of Kings with its now bluish sheen reflected off the giant glass dome. ¡°Mmmmmmgh...¡± He turned towards the bed and saw Leona bring her forearm in front of her eyes, brushing sluggishly, trying to wake up. ¡°Good morning Leona.¡± She turned on her right side again before pushing herself up to a sitting position on the bed. Her hair had a few stray strings coming off from the sides along with a few crumples on the edges. Blinking once, twice, three times, very long intervals in between, she finally focused her vision on the knight already kneeling by her. He had the rolled bear pelt tied to his back with a few dried hemp strings. ¡°Good morning Krieg¡­¡± ¡°Did you manage to sleep well?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ too well apparently.¡± She turned to the right and her feet touched the stone floor, Krieg offered a ceramic bowl filled with water to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± She drank it slowly, but the liquid hitting her empty morning stomach made her wince slightly in pain. It was something that never occurred to her, the lack of food in the morning never happened in the Crossford household. ¡°Leona should I fetch something for you to eat?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not necessary. Thank you.¡± He took the bowl from her hand and put it inside the water jar. Troubling as it was, if she said it wasn¡¯t necessary he would not actively pursue food, but in the back of his mind she was still only the frail princess he knew. ¡°So, shall we head out?¡± She asked as she stood up, brushing the sand dust off her as much as she could. The knight nodded, picked up the bear pelt and unlocked the door and after a quick inspection of the corridor he walked outside the room, at high alert all the time. ¡°Good morning ser Krieg. Leona.¡± Phoebe peeked from the doorway that led to the inn¡¯s entrance. Cloth already wrapped around her face, longbow across her shoulder and an unusual longsword sheathed by her left side. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± Leona replied while still trying to shrug off the drowsiness. Krieg just nodded instead of saying anything. They moved to the reception room and the half-awake innkeeper greeted them. ¡°Mornin¡¯ to ya folks. Early birds now aren¡¯tcha?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be heading off now, thank you for the rooms.¡± Phoebe left five extra pieces of copper on the stone counter before leaving. ¡°Aye thank ye lass.¡± The knight made sure to put himself between the owner and Leona, almost covering her entirely with his own body. ¡°Where¡­ where is Luke?¡± Leona asked while rubbing her right eye. ¡°With the rest. They are waiting by the walls outside.¡± They exited the inn and Krieg noticed the absence of the pack horse worried him. Instinctively the knight turned his head around, but the alleyway was empty. As he turned his head back again he stumbled upon a figure taller than himself, casting her shadow over him. Looking up he could see her serious expression closely, emerald green eyes, pale blonde hair and a very muscular upper body. She had two greatswords on her back with straps of leather coming on as a cross in front of her chest only covered with a simple dull leather armor, a skirt that was almost as long as her thighs albeit a little shorter and leather strapped sandals. ¡°So. Is this him?¡± The tall woman asked while looking at Phoebe. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s the knight I told you about.¡± Before Krieg could enter in a defensive stance, the hulking woman before him extended her open right hand towards him. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, I¡¯m Laura Gannant, Pho¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Also a blacksmith.¡± The elf added. ¡°Huh?¡± Leona seemed to not understand what was going on. ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± Said the knight as he took Laura¡¯s hand into a handshake. ¡°My name is Krieg, I¡¯m Leona¡¯s personal knight.¡± She nodded before continuing. ¡°She asked if I could hammer you a weapon in the last two days.¡± With her left hand she pulled out the greatsword strapped against her left shoulder and handed it to him. He took the weapon and held it from the scabbard, it was a finely tanned leather with zig-zagging patterns in the sew. The sword guard was slightly curved upwards, the handle was made of a dark colored leather with the round pommel holding everything in place, as he pulled the blade out the metal seemed to emit a soft silver sheen. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m without words.¡± He spoke while looking at the polished metal that showed his reflection on the blade, the sight of a finely crafted weapon just for him was just as surprising as the help that Phoebe had acquired in less than a day. ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯ll use this to protect my liege.¡± He sheathed the blade again with a low click of metal as he lunged it over his left shoulder while holding the braided leather with his left hand close to his chest. The sword handle wobbled side to side as he walked. Leona looked at the way he carried the weapon, unusual in her mind as the leather strap was long enough for him to put over his head. ¡°Krieg.¡± She rubbed her left eye with the backside of her left hand as she tugged his belt with her right. ¡°Yes, Leona?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you carry the sword like her?¡± She pointed at the tall barbarian that was too busy talking to the elf to notice their conversation. He stared at the scabbard resting diagonally on her back before looking back at the princess to answer. ¡°She is tall enough to be able to pull that greatsword without an issue but this one is too big for me to have it on my back.¡± He put it diagonally with the leather on top of his right shoulder crossing to his left lower side. He then grabbed the hilt and tried to draw the sword only for it to be stuck. Leona leaned from one side to another while checking the weapon, about one third of the blade to be caught against the scabbard. ¡°Oh¡­ I see now why.¡± He sheathed the blade and held it against his left shoulder again. His muffled voice started to explain. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to not be able to draw your weapon, that is why I prefer to carry it like this.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s fine to carry a longsword like that?¡± ¡°Depends on who is carrying it, but I prefer to have it easily accessible.¡± They exited the gates of the desert city and found themselves with another group of four people, amongst them was the familiar scrawny young man Luke on top of a camel between its two humps. ¡°Hey good morning Leo!¡± He waved nonchalantly while trying to keep his balance on his ride. ¡°Good morning Luke.¡± She replied with a light chuckle. ¡°So¡­ this is the person we¡¯re supposed to protect this time?¡± The man wearing a turban and light colored cotton shirt started to approach Leona, but Krieg got in his way. Reaching only to his shoulder, the man stopped to look up at him, still with the same demeaning tone in his voice. ¡°How about you move it chump?¡± ¡°Take another step and your head will be rolling down the dunes.¡± Krieg towered above him. His eyes, while still wearing the helmet, could be seen to gleam a dangerous red aura around his irises. ¡°Alright now.¡± Another male voice came from behind the man before a gloved hand pulled him back. It was a young man with brown hair and very deep blue eyes took his place. He wore a simple leather vest with a washed white cloak that went around his neck towards the bottom of his thighs which were covered with light cotton trousers and high studded leather boots that went up his shin. ¡°I¡¯m so very sorry for my friend¡¯s manners, I¡¯m Johnatan Du Haine, pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± He formally bowed, swinging his left arm outwards as he brought the other close to his chest. ¡°As you could tell, we are Miss Phoebe¡¯s allies, which makes us your allies as well, Mister Krieg. I apologize profusely for my friend Laslow here. He¡¯s quite wary of nobles because of his family.¡± Krieg, who was previously hunched forward with his left hand loosely gripping the leather strap of his new sword, returned to his usual straightened back. Leona tugged his belt once again. ¡°Krieg, it¡¯s alright. I can take care of myself.¡± He looked back at her and nodded before taking a step back. The princess in turn stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m Leona Crossford, next heir of the Crossford family. I hereby officially request your help to rescue my father and drive back the House of Lorraine back to where they came.¡± Chapter V: Darker than any Abyss The blazing sun high in the sky scorched the sand beneath their feet. Krieg had already removed the armor which was dangling from the camel Leona was riding. They had three camels for the group. Two of which carried the noble blooded Luke and princess Leona, and the other carried the light armored priestess named Neiliel. She wore a light tunic that covered up until halfway her thighs and cotton trousers with knee-high light leather boots. She moved her camel to pace beside Leona¡¯s as she pulled a waterskin from the side of her ride and offered to her. ¡°Princess, do you want some water?¡± ¡°Ah! Umm¡­ sure, I¡¯ll have some, thank you.¡± Leona was startled by her sudden interaction but nevertheless held the waterskin and took a few sips from it. Krieg walked while holding the camel¡¯s reins from below but never letting his eyes off Leona whenever someone was close to her. Neiliel took the waterskin back and tied to the side of her saddle. Her long black hair was tied in a thick bun on top of her head, her deep blue eyes had a kind look towards Leona as she smiled gently. The princess couldn¡¯t help but feel a comfortable warmth grow within her chest, the mere presence of the priestess was enough to ease the tension around her shoulders. While her general appearance wasn¡¯t particularly close to Leona¡¯s mother, her kindness did spark a fond memory of her. The princess closed her eyes with a happy smile. ¡°Hmm?¡± Neiliel tilted her head slightly to the side whilst still faintly smiling to Leona. The princess was surprised by her own reminiscent moment as she explained to the priestess . ¡°Ah¡­ no it¡¯s¡­ you reminded me of someone I hold dear in my heart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. May it give you the strength to go forward.¡± Leona nodded while feeling grateful for her act of kindness. ¡°Sir Krieg?¡± The knight turned his head to his left side. A tall thin young man was walking at the knight¡¯s pace with his hood up, it was Jonathan. The knight spoke without turning his attention from Leona. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± ¡°You see, I wanted to make it clear that my friend didn¡¯t mean what he said¡­ he¡¯s just misunderstood.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as he doesn¡¯t get close to her.¡± ¡°May I ask you about your relationship with-¡± He was about to finish the sentence when he stopped and held the knight¡¯s arm as he looked towards the back of the group. Krieg stopped Leona¡¯s steed as he looked to the thief looking for answers. ¡°Did you see anything?¡± ¡°Not see, feel.¡± At first he didn¡¯t understand what he meant but the knight felt the ground rumble slightly, with each passing second it becoming stronger. Color drained from his face as he turned to Leona. ¡°Princess, get down from the camel!¡± ¡°Wha-¡± Jonathan started to shout as soon as he saw the knight run. ¡°Scatter! Scatter! Sand demon!¡± Krieg picked Leona from the waist and dashed away from the group as they scattered to all directions before the ground erupted in a geyser of sand. A giant sandworm devoured the camel the princess was riding on with its gaping maw, it was large enough to swallow a person of Laura¡¯s size in one bite. ¡°Krieg! That¡¯s a Neleidae!¡± Leona shouted while she was shaking from his arms. ¡°What?! I can¡¯t hear you!¡± ¡°Neleidae! Commonly known as sandworm! They are weak to fire and ice!¡± On the other side of the towering beast, Laura unsheathed the greatsword from her back readying herself to battle. On her right side, there was Neiliel dismounted from the panicked camel as she cast a reinforcement spell on the barbarian. Behind both of them, Laslow was holding a book on his left hand while motioning arcane sigils in the air with his right. Luke and Phoebe were on the right side of the worm, the elf was already loosing arrows against the hide of the beast while the young man chanted a spell under his breath. Leona could only look back towards the fight over the knight¡¯s shoulder as she started to tap on his back as she shouted as loud as she could. ¡°Krieg! You got to tell them! Ice is effective against its hide and fire against its maw!¡± ¡°Princess with all due respect! I am not leaving your life to chance just to go back there!¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know its weakness! If we don¡¯t kill it fast it¡¯ll call more of its brethren!¡± Without being given much choice, he stopped in his tracks as he put her feet on the sand, before saying. ¡°I need you to stay behind me at all times, if anything so much as presents danger to you, I¡¯ll be taking you out of there.¡± She nodded firmly. While she didn¡¯t command any armies personally, she was familiar with giving order directly and effectively to others. ¡°Alright Krieg, protect me, I¡¯ll make sure no one else dies.¡± ¡°Yes, princess.¡± The Sandworm started to thrash about when Laura carved her sword through the beast¡¯s hide, spraying green liquid all over the place, some that hit her arms started to sizzle in white smoke. ¡°Ack! Dammit!¡± Laura¡¯s grunts of pain prompted the priestess to chant a healing spell and upon completion, she warned. ¡°Careful! Its blood is acidic! My Wall of Iron won¡¯t protect against that!¡± Laura picked Neiliel with her left arm and jumped away from the maw of the enraged beast as it buried itself in the sand. On the other side, Luke was still preparing a spell on the elf. ¡°Oi can¡¯t you chant faster?!¡± Phoebe was keeping her eyes locked on the foe until it disappeared under the sand, she looked back at the young man that was still in the process of chanting the spell. ¡°...may it strike true as Artemis¡¯ shot! True Volley!¡± A powerful green glow started to emanate from her bow, the arrow she nocked in seemed to enchant itself with the same color. ¡°Aye totally worthless now that it¡¯s in the ground.¡± ¡°Hey! I did my best!¡± ¡°Stop bickering and prepare to fight!¡± Laslow shouted over them as he had just finished his spell. Where he was pointing, about twenty meters in front of him, a bright yellow flame the size of a golf ball was floating above the sand, steadily growing bigger with each passing second. Jonathan approached him while keeping his senses sharp for the reappearance of the Sandworm. ¡°Are you doing that fancy spell of yours again?¡± The thief asked while unsheathing two short swords from beneath his cloak. ¡°Delayed Fire Blast, yes, I do require help dodging out of its maw should it attack me.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Leona stopped running as soon as she noticed everyone waiting. Sandworms had a predatory behavior to target any strong vibration on the surface of the sand, she was well aware of the danger to move. ¡°Krieg. I need you to be ready to dash in and strike it where I hit it.¡± She clasped her hands together and slowly pulled them away with blue mist condensing in the middle of her grasp. ¡°Understood.¡± He pulled the strap of the sheath from his shoulder and swung it in a wide arc as the handle hit against his right hand. In one swift motion he drew the blade from the sheath he left hanging on his back. Deafening silence, everyone was waiting for the beast to show up. The desert wind pushed the sand off the top of the dunes, warm gusts hit the princess¡¯ face. Tension rose for every second without knowing where the mighty foe would arise from. Leona¡¯s brow was dripping with sweat while she focused the ice spell on her hand, increasing it in size and intensity, however holding such spell for a longer period of time had its drawbacks, the tips of her fingers started to frost with jagged ice around all of them, she winced in pain as some blood started to drip from her gums from how strong she clenched her teeth. Neiliel pulled an iron mace from her belt, the weapon¡¯s head had very prominent round protrusions on all sides of the cylindrical shaft. She raised it above her head as thunderclouds started to form from thin air from her silent chanting. ¡°Luke! Throw anything near that fire sphere!¡± Leona shouted over to him while still maintaining the ice spell, which was slowly starting to encase her whole fingers of both hands. The noble young man looked at her but without moving much of his lower body. ¡°R-right!¡± He pulled out a couple of gray sharp stones from his belt satchel and threw them to the air right above the spell Laslow had cast. ¡°Bound together by fire and flames, formed together by strength of the ancients, Rock Fall!¡± The sharp stones quickly deformed as if they melted mid air to form a much bigger rock, some of the sand nearby also seemed to travel up from the ground to it. The giant rock was about two meters tall by one in diameter, formed with black and green spots as it plummet into the ground just missing the fire sphere now the size of a melon. The ground shook from the impact, sand went flying in a yellow dark cloud a few meters above the rock. A few seconds later the ground began to rumble once again with the Sandworm¡¯s approach. Laslow started to shout over to the barbarian. ¡°Laura I need you to cave its hide! Aim for where the knight will hit!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The tremors became even stronger but it was somehow different from the previous one, instead of an ever growing intensity it was more continuous and rhythmic. Leona stared at the ground wide-eyed. ¡°...this isn¡¯t good!¡± She started to shout as loud as she could. ¡°Everyone get away! It¡¯ll try to swallow all of us!¡± She dropped the spell and started to run, Krieg went right behind her with his greatsword resting against his right shoulder. Phoebe seeing her flee also did the same whilst grabbing Luke from the back of his cloak. Laura went to pick up the priestess once again but she was too late as the sand started to quickly funnel down into a spiral drain, the Sandworm was devouring everything it was caught in the way, even the rock Luke had created was being destroyed to bits by the monster¡¯s serrated teeth. ¡°Laura!¡± Neiliel shouted as she was flung back about ten meters, she witnessed the barbarian being snared by the quicksand trap, slowly drifting away from her sight down into the maw below. Laura¡¯s voice kept strong even through the terrible noise of rocks and sediment being crushed by the multitude of teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll be ok! Laslow! Make that spell go off!¡± ¡°Tch! Don¡¯t you die on me!¡± The wizard swung his right hand into a wide arc of orange arcane energy as the sphere of fire started to pulsate. Laura threw her sword away from the creature and sharply turned towards its mouth. She dashed in, gaining speed with each step and focusing on the sphere of fire. ¡°You die here and now!¡± She screamed from the top of her lungs as she carved her fingers into the flaming sphere mid-air and hurled it inside the gaping maw of the beast. From Leona¡¯s perspective she had already been swallowed, until a bright light made out her silhouette against the sand. An ground trembling explosion ripped the Sandworm¡¯s insides apart, sending sand, rocks and other debris flying through the air. Krieg had to shield her from bits and pieces of the former predator as well from some rocks and glass shards that luckily hit the flat side of the greatsword he stuck in the ground behind himself. Luke and Phoebe managed to escape far away to not be in the blasting zone but not enough to avoid the debris entirely, while the elf managed to dodge all that came her way, the young man had to pull up a barrier made of molten sand to avoid being hit by dangerous shards of glass. Jonathan and Neiliel were protected by a semi-transparent barrier created by Laslow, the dome was large enough to fit all of them inside safely from the flying hazards. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Laura! Laura!¡± The priestess was hitting the insides of the barrier with her left hand. ¡°Dammit! Laslow drop this barrier now!¡± ¡°So you can run out there and put yourself in danger? No Neil I won¡¯t allow that.¡± ¡°At this rate I won¡¯t be able to help Laura!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be reckless, what happens if you get injured? Who will heal you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just sit here and let her die out there!¡± ¡°You mustn''t hurry, look.¡± Though awfully calm, Laslow pointed with his left hand at the duo descending the sand crater formed by the explosion. Krieg and Leona were sliding down the sand, the knight holding the sword above their heads to protect from anything that would fatally injure them. ¡°Krieg keep close to me, I¡¯ll chill the ground with my magic.¡± She shifted her focus towards the palm of her hands as a condensed mist of ice was constantly being pushed out from the air in front of her hands. ¡°Princess¡­ don¡¯t overuse it, your hands are-¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware, but this is the least I can do to make up for the favor she did to you.¡± She winced in pain from the freezing cold, but it was thanks to her that they didn¡¯t burn their feet nor their clothing light up in flames. Near the center of the crater was Laura lying unconscious with half of her lower body and hands burned, part of her hair was also smoltering from the heat still left from the explosion. Leona inspected the injuries, they were much worse than she thought. ¡°Quick! We have to help her.¡± Leona¡¯s hands were about to touch her arms, when a gloved hand stopped her. Jonathan, accompanied by Neiliel, grabbed on each side the barbarian¡¯s arms and brought her up outside the crater, Laslow once again cast another barrier once everyone was gathered together. Luke had the other two camels on a tight leash while he tried to calm the animals from the terrifying encounter with the Sandworm. Phoebe kneeled beside Laura and held her left hand whilst maintaining a green glow coming off from her palms. ¡°Laura, you shouldn¡¯t have sacrificed yourself like that¡­ dammit.¡± The elf was clutching her friend¡¯s ruined hand, the edge of her fingers were charred almost to the bone. Leona used a combination of wind and water magic to keep most of Laura¡¯s lower half submerged in lukewarm water, Neiliel rushed to the other side while clutching a four pointed talisman close to her chest with her left hand. ¡°You won¡¯t die on me! You can¡¯t!¡± She threw the mace on the ground and held Laura¡¯s right arm tightly with a strong light golden glow emanating from the hand that grasped the barbarian¡¯s arm. Most of the charred skin began to recover with the divine energy spreading through her veins, going from her arms towards her legs. Both Laura¡¯s skirt and leather sandals were burned to a crisp, leaving traces of her former garb melted onto her skin. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ Nei.¡± The barbarian muttered weakly towards the priestess that refused to let go of her arm. There was a faint smile on her face. ¡°Save your strength, I¡¯ll heal you in no time.¡± Krieg kneeled between Leona and Phoebe, he started to observe the burns closely. ¡°Phoebe.¡± He called her without looking directly at her face. ¡°What is it, ser Krieg?¡± ¡°Do you still have potions in your satchel?¡± ¡°I only have mana potions..¡± ¡°I got some.¡± Jonathan spoke up from behind Neiliel. Krieg shifted his attention towards the thief. ¡°Alright then. Pull one out and pour the contents in the water, it¡¯ll help her heal faster.¡± He was taken aback the moment the knight said that, he scrambled the brown belt satchel until he pulled a light green colored potion with a string knotted near the tip of the bottle. He bit the cork and uncorked it before pouring the liquid in the water, the faint green glow seemed to mix with the solution before beginning to be absorbed by Laura¡¯s skin. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s working...¡± Jonathan¡¯s eyes were open wide in surprise. Meanwhile, Leona was starting to have a hard time maintaining both the spells to keep Laura¡¯s body submerged in water. Laslow reached for the princess¡¯ shoulder and a faint white glow started to flow from his left hand towards her body. It reinvigorated her mental exhaustion from the continuous control of both elements at the same time, though surprising, it didn¡¯t waver her focus from the two spells. ¡°Thank you.¡± She showed her appreciation without looking at him, both spells while not awfully difficult to create, it was taxing to keep them in a continuous state, even more so when it had been so long since she practiced paired manipulation. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with either spell that you¡¯re maintaining so¡­ you have my thanks for aiding her.¡± Laslow¡¯s voice came from behind her while he continued to aid with her mental fatigue, his knowledge of the arcane was vast, but even the most talented sometimes can¡¯t grasp the intricate parts of elemental magic. Krieg kneeled beside Leona and took the blue cloth out of his pocket to wipe the sweat off her brow. ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± ¡°Should I get you some water?¡± ¡°Yes please.¡± Jonathan fumbled through his own satchel and pulled out some bandages and a small pot covered shut with cloth, after pulling off the cloth it revealed a green paste inside. He went ahead and applied the green paste on the burn spots that didn¡¯t seem to heal completely even after Neiliel¡¯s ministrations, the bandage was slightly soaked in some of the healing water before being applied. Overall, Laura was stabilized, her breathing returned to normal little by little, most of her burned skin and muscle was recovered with the combination of healing spells from the priestess and potion treatment provided by both Leona and Phoebe. The barbarian reached for the elf¡¯s hand that held her left hand, her voice was firm for someone who was on the brink of death not long ago. ¡°Pho, I¡¯m alright now. Help me get up so we can continue on.¡± She winced in pain but the faint smile showed her strength returning. However Neiliel reprimanded her. ¡°These are serious wounds Laura, you can¡¯t possibly be serious to walk all the way to the capital.¡± The wind spell faded and the water plopped onto the ground as Leona stood up. ¡°I have an idea.¡± Her voice made all three of them look her way as she continued on. ¡°We could use both camels to make a movable bedding.¡± Neiliel¡¯s eyes were observing Krieg¡¯s unchanged expression before saying. ¡°That would indeed help her rest but¡­ wouldn¡¯t that make it hard for you to travel with us, princess Leona?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll figure out a way.¡± Phoebe intervened, holding Leona¡¯s hands gently as she started to cast a healing spell. ¡°Before that. Let me heal your hands.¡± ¡°Ah. Thank you Phoebe.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, princess.¡± Jonathan and Neiliel locked their arms on Laura¡¯s biceps, helping her to stand up. Luke brought both camels forth, placing them perpendicular to her. While the group was arranging the barbarian¡¯s ride, Krieg decided to head down in the crater with Leona¡¯s approval where the Sandworm had died. He glanced inside the worm¡¯s sundered body but could only see the guts and viscera mixed in with the sand slowly filling its insides, no signs of the former camel nor his plate armor. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m a joke of a knight.¡± He sheathed his greatsword and hung its strap back on his left shoulder. Seeing his disappointed expression was enough for Leona to understand. ¡°Krieg. We¡¯ll find a way to get you some armor when we are back in the capital.¡± ¡°I appreciate the thought but it¡¯s not necessary, I¡¯m more accustomed to fighting without armor. Though I wanted to recover that specific one because it was a gift.¡± She chuckled albeit there was a hint of sadness in her voice. ¡°She would¡¯ve preferred you alive than some piece of armor, Krieg.¡± He scratched the back of the head. Leona¡¯s mother was known to be a very kind woman, she was definitely one of the people Krieg respected the most, she was the one who gave him that armor. ¡°Princess Leona! Princess Leona!¡± Krieg was searching frantically for his liege amidst the wide streets of the capital, it was only a few years after he was officially appointed to be Leona¡¯s personal knight when it happened. Her mother¡¯s death. It was meant to be just another day travelling together with her mother, Leona was excited because of the Prism Star pendant her mother gave her, it was a special day after all. The bustling center of the capital was filled with people, the season of harvest was an important one after all. Carriages bringing workers and crops alike, children running around without a care in the world and the famous Queen¡¯s statue on a pedestal of the central square. Krieg accompanied both mother and daughter as their bodyguard clad in full silver plate armor. On their way to the carriage, Leona¡¯s mother glanced to the side where the knight was and with a warm smile she whispered to him. ¡°Krieg, could you pick up the cake from the shop for me? Leona loves it but I didn¡¯t have time to go there myself.¡± She wore a white long sleeved dress with a black corsage, unusual for a noblewoman but it was her regular attire for public social environments. ¡°Lady Ravness, with all due respect, I can¡¯t leave princess Leona nor yourself unguarded.¡± He looked at the unaware girl dressed in a yellow long dress gazing at the prismatic star pendant before glancing back at Ravness¡¯ ruby colored eyes as she whispered back. ¡°It¡¯ll be only for a little bit, we¡¯ll wait by the carriage.¡± Krieg scratched the back of his helmet before turning towards her again. ¡°Very well. What flavor should I pick?¡± ¡°Carrot.¡± He hesitated a little as if it took some time for him to understand what she just had said. ¡°Carrot, you say Lady Ravness?¡± She had a warm smile while nodding subtly to him. He bowed before turning around and heading towards the sweets shop. It was a small building between two big tailoring stores, its foundation was made of whitish bricks, but the walls were made of dark brown wood with a single circular window on the left side of the doorway. As Krieg opened the door, the brass chimes on top of the doorway rang and an inviting smell of baked goods hit his nose. There were breads, cakes, custards and plenty of other sweets on display inside a short glass cabinet. ¡°Oh, welcome! What can I help you with?¡± A young girl in her mid twenties with dark red hair and deep blue eyes leaned from the doorway on the opposite side of the front door. She wore a beige uniform along with a dark brown apron tied to her back. She brought an orange colored cake from the room in the back to the glass display, there was some steam coming off from it. ¡°Thank you, I was told to come fetch a carrot cake, is there one available?¡± ¡°Oh, great timing, I just finished baking this one. Wait a minute¡­ are you perchance Krieg?¡± He turned his head slightly at her. ¡°Why the question?¡± ¡°Just making sure you¡¯re the right person, Lady Ravness had already ordered this cake about a day ago.¡± The knight gave one short nod of acknowledgement. ¡°Right, so I¡¯ll be paying now.¡± ¡°No need, she already paid for it.¡± The level of preparation was starting to throw him off, he wasn¡¯t expecting such a methodically planned trip. ¡°Very well¡­ I¡¯ll be taking it then.¡± ¡°Here you go, thank you for your patronage!¡± She already had a fancy paper bag ready for take out. ¡°Wish Leona a happy birthday for me! Come again soon!¡± He nodded before closing the shop¡¯s door. Krieg turned around only to be greeted by four men clad in full plate armor, while they didn¡¯t have their weapons out it was clear they weren¡¯t on friendly terms. ¡°Excuse me, my liege is waiting for me.¡± Krieg tried to walk between two of the knights but they blocked his path by siding shoulder to shoulder, the other two behind them started to unsheathe their weapons. Without any hesitation he dropped the cake and uppercutted the knight¡¯s jaw on his right, making him fall backwards unconscious, the other one on the left tried to pull out the longsword from his sheath but Krieg stopped the knight¡¯s hand with his left and shoved the man against the other two behind him. Using the opening he ran out to the open street, many bystanders stared at the frantic knight as he started to shout. ¡°Princess Leona! Princess Leona!¡± His head flickered left and right, but there were no signs of Leona nor Ravness. Three of the knights previously knocked down were now rushing towards him with weapons drawn, first in line was a mace user, the second had a hand-axe and the last one was holding his longsword by the blade. Krieg dodged the attack from behind by side stepping to his left and turned around to backhand the knight¡¯s face with his left fist, the other one tried to hit his head with the axe but he caught the assailant¡¯s wrist and pulled him in for an elbow in the face. The last foe tried to hit his ribs using the longsword¡¯s guard but Krieg caught the handle with the right hand and gripped the blade with the other and through brute force he swung the blade upwards, the steel blade hit the enemy¡¯s jaw, but Krieg grabbed him by the chestplate before he could join his allies on the ground. ¡°Where is she?¡± He took him off the ground, the dangling legs trying to find the street pavement but to no avail. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, I was ordered to stop you from-¡± ¡°I said! Where is she?!¡± Krieg hit the man¡¯s ribs, but not even the plated armor stopped his fist from delivering the painful blow to his bones. The metal bent inwards as his knuckles left the deformed metal behind. ¡°Ack! She¡­ she was supposed to be taken away by the others.¡± ¡°To where?! Answer me before I take your life!¡± ¡°The inn! The Side¡¯s Peak Inn!¡± Without holding anything back he slammed the knight on the ground, leaving the unconscious man behind. Krieg didn¡¯t spare any effort to run towards the inn, he knew time was of the essence, the Crossford family had many enemies in the kingdom, he didn¡¯t have any idea what could happen to them, he didn¡¯t want to know. ¡°Princess¡­ Princess!¡± He turned to the left of the central square and dashed along a narrow alleyway to the right before he found himself amongst a full crowd of people a few streets below. The festival brought all sorts of shows to the city, but that only served as an obstacle to him. ¡°Make way! I need to hurry! Make way!¡± Without discretion he shoved people aside to move through the crowd, some of the bystanders tried to retaliate but nothing could stop him. The inn was just a few meters ahead, it was a fairly old building previously owned by Leona¡¯s grandfather. ¡°Princess Leona! Lady Ravness!¡± Krieg tried to open the door but it was locked. ¡°Dammit!¡± The knight violently kicked it open, breaking the top hinge which made the whole thing hang against the wall. It was dimly lit on the inside, three lightly armored men were standing in the middle of the wooden floored room armed with shortswords, the reception hall was riddled with bodies probably from customers as some of them had fancy looking clothing and jewels. Behind them was a woman and a hooded man, Leona and her mother were cornered against the wall, Ravness taking the front while holding her wounded right shoulder. ¡°What the hell?!¡± The middle-aged woman was holding what seemed to be a shortsword as she looked back towards the entrance. She wore a set of steel breastplate and gauntlets with a dark brown tunic underneath it, her eyes widened when she saw the knight burst down the door. ¡°What are you waiting for?! Kill him!¡± Krieg grabbed the side of the broken door and ripped from the last hinge that held it. With all his strength he sent it flying against the three soldiers. The wooden door wasn¡¯t exactly fragile, quite opposite in fact, it was made of a dark heavy wood only found in the Arcadian forests. As it hit the trio it knocked them all down, Krieg rushed in and used the door as a platform to jump over the counter that separated him from his liege. The hooded man quickly turned towards the knight and a purple static energy started to jump from his hand to the surroundings. ¡°Krieg watch out!¡± Ravness pulled out a hidden knife from her sleeve and managed to stab the hooded man right under the right scapula. ¡°Urk!¡± He grunted in pain but the spell was already leaving his hands. A loud thundering noise ripped through the interior of the inn, shooting through the ceiling from the misfired spell, however part of the spell leaped from the ceiling to everything around it, some unfortunately hitting Krieg¡¯s armor. ¡°Argh!¡± His muscles tensed up with the sudden jolt of electricity while he fell head on against the wooden counter. Ears still ringing from the shock he stood up only to witness Ravness be cut down by the woman¡¯s shortsword as the noblewoman stood in front of her daughter. ¡°Mother!¡± ¡°Lady Ravness!¡± Blood. A stream of crimson stained the pure white dress as the shortsword cleaved from her left shoulder down to the right thigh. ¡°Serves you right!¡± The woman was ready to finish her with another slash but instead her blade hit against metal, Krieg stepped in blocking with his right arm up. ¡°Wha-!¡± She barely had time to react as he closed the distance with a hook to the liver. The woman gasped for air, raising her head making it easier for Krieg to nail an uppercut to the chin, following with another powerful blow to her stomach. At that point she had already dropped the shortsword. ¡°Mother! Mother! You can¡¯t die here! You can¡¯t!¡± Leona held her mother¡¯s hand. Her ruby eyes had a calming expression as she looked towards her daughter. ¡°Leona, you must be strong, even when I¡¯m not here anymore¡­¡± ¡°Stop¡­ don¡¯t say things like that¡­¡± Ravness reached her tears and gently wiped them off her daughter¡¯s face before turning to the knight. ¡°Krieg, my final order to you¡­ keep my daughter safe.¡± She smiled warmly, but warmth slowly left her expression as she closed her eyes. ¡°Mother¡­? Mother?! Mother!¡± Chapter VI: Fate of the Defiled The vast verdant hills had its grass gently swaying back and forth with each breeze from the endless horizon beyond the seas. Leona was standing atop of the hill gazing upon the broad ocean as the wind welcomed her to the expanse scenery as the sun broke between the clouds above. She extended her hands outwards the sky as rays of sunlight slipped between her stretched fingers, the warmth reminded her of her late mother. Her gentle expression was all she could remember as she closed her eyes before hearing someone call out her name. ¡°Leona¡­¡± The voice came from behind her and as she turned, the scene seemed to change dramatically. The once verdant hills were barren, a wasteland void of life with violent storm clouds forming above, flashes of lightning and the harsh wind blowing against her face almost made her lose balance. Standing afloat the desolate land was a woman of silver hair. It shone brightly as if it was made of light, her clothing appeared to be weaved by her own hair as it entangled her pale body, her hands reaching towards Leona¡¯s face as she instinctively started to back away. ¡°Leona¡­ you must heed my call, or will you suffer the same fate four years ago?¡± As much as she wanted to scream, she couldn¡¯t nor could she look away from the woman¡¯s eyes. They had a mesmerizing gold color alluring as an endless abyss. ¡°Will you bow to fate? Or will you carve your own path? Death awaits at every corner, your life is in ruins, do what you must, become what you must, control the reins of your destiny.¡± The woman released her from her grasp, it was as if her mind had returned to her body once again, but when she looked back to the ocean, it was a sea of red riddled with floating bodies. ¡°Ah!¡± Leona¡¯s body jolted up as she gasped for air. Wide-eyed, breathing erratic and drenched in sweat, she tried to shake off the chills down her spine, just thinking of the strange woman in her dreams was enough to tense all her muscles. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± Jonathan was sitting across the campfire, they were all huddled together in a clearing inside the Arcadian forest, Krieg was leaning against a rock beside Leona with his greatsword clutched between his arm, right across them was the thief and Phoebe which was deep in her sleep, on the princess¡¯ left side Luke and Laslow were leaning against each other and on her right, Laura had Neiliel sleeping near her. ¡°Ah I¡¯m¡­ it was a nightmare.¡± Leona lowered her head and her right thumb started to press between the eyebrows. Stress was certainly taking its toll on the young lady and Jonathan knew that. In his line of work, dealing with people was the norm, reading their emotions, learning their nature, controlling or misleading them, those were his specialties, but that wasn¡¯t the first time he was hired for a job like that. Before he became a thief he was an assassin like Phoebe, furtive, deadly and above all, discreet, qualities that would get you far in the underworld, but he was tired of that, tired of all the killing, destroying families and futures, possibly really bright ones. The first time he laid eyes upon Leona he knew some of his targets had children like her, children that just wanted to live their lives with their families. ¡°It¡¯ll be over soon, we¡¯ll get your father and land back for sure.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kindness, I¡­ I just want my father to be safe.¡± ¡°Only your father?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I never told anyone before my apologies, my mother was killed four years ago. I¡¯m the sole heir of House Crossford.¡± His expression darkened. For someone so young to have their parent taken away, it was all too real for him. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry for hearing that.¡± She fell silent, it had been four years, but it felt like yesterday for her. Lying in a pool of her own mother¡¯s blood, all the grief and pain she felt, nothing could possibly compare to that. Staring at her frail pale hands now dirtied with mud and charcoal, she felt the same feeling from back then, powerlessness, meaningless, unworthy and beyond that, the anger. Anger for not being able to change. Her hand closed tightly around her pendant as she took a long deep breath. ¡°Excuse me.¡± She slowly stood up and shambly headed off behind a bush not too far from the camp. Leona stopped after she was out of sight and held her hand out against a nearby tree, her head hanging low as she leaned forward, gasping and crying. Tears started to pour as she hit the tree with her left fist, once, twice, three, four times, it was painful to think she could lose her father too. ¡°Dammit¡­!¡± Her fist was stopped as she was about to punch a fifth time, the caring crimson eyes were staring at hers when she looked up towards him. Krieg was holding her fist. ¡°You¡¯ll hurt your hand like that, Princess Leona.¡± ¡°Krieg¡­¡± ¡°Princess, I¡¯ll do what I must to save lord Jean, but it is my duty to see to your health too.¡± He released her hand, the knuckles were red and some of the skin had peeled off from the bashing against the wood. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been dragging you down with my tantrum.¡± She cleaned the tears but still couldn¡¯t face him. ¡°You¡¯re not the one to blame Princess.¡± He offered her the shortsword. ¡°Shall we train? I once heard from lord Jean that exercising is a good way to have a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but smile weakly before taking the weapon off his hand. ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± Though not familiar with Krieg being awfully warmhearted towards her, she tried her best to keep bad thoughts away from her mind since he was trying so hard for her. His presence was inspiring somehow, she couldn¡¯t just mop around feeling sorry for herself when he was standing strong beside her. He approached from behind her, gently holding her right hand from beside her arms with his own and closing her fingers around the handle close to the guard. His other hand moved her stiff left grasp from close to her right hand towards the pommel as he gently pulled the hilt to her hip and pointed the tip of the blade forward. ¡°This guard is more focused on defending yourself.¡± She loosely extended and flexed her fingers around the leather handle. He then proceeded to kneel and move her right leg forward, bending her knee slightly. ¡°What is this for?¡± She asked while trying to maintain the stance. ¡°This is so you have a more stable lower body. Footwork is just as crucial as knowing how to hold a blade.¡± He continued to fix her left leg¡¯s position more towards the back of her body with a ninety-degree angle between both feet. While clearly uncomfortable, she felt her muscles fall in place with the stance he was putting herself in, it felt compact, solid and made her ready to use the blade. ¡°Now the only thing left is your back, try to lean in slightly while keeping that straight posture.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The knight circled around her and inspected the stance from head to toe and with a firm nod said. ¡°Well done Princess. That was also the first stance I ever learned, it¡¯s useful for defending your lower body and it has the advantage of being able to quickly deliver a stab attack.¡± He picked a long branch on the ground and readied another stance in front of her. The point of the wooden stick was pointed to her as his back leaned in slightly forward with his left foot forward. He twisted the left wrist into a slash aimed towards her left side, but she quickly parried it with the flat of the shortsword. A smile appeared across his face. ¡°Ideally you¡¯d want a longer blade but this serves the purpose well. Now try to stab me.¡± ¡°But Krieg¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Do not worry, I¡¯m ready for it.¡± She fell back into the stance and with a natural motion of her muscles, her arms sprung forward with the tip of the sword being side-parried by the branch before he turned it sideways, reaching close to her face. ¡°For each attack, we have a way to defend ourselves. I¡¯ll teach you the very basics of some stances.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Back in the campsite, Jonathan and Laslow were talking to each other while sharing the campfire that was starting to get low. The thief broke some of the firewood before throwing it into the flames before continuing to speak. ¡°Quite a rare sight of you. Using mana transferring for someone other than Neiliel.¡± The wizard was holding his tome open on a page full of scribblings while weaving an arcane glyph in the air and without breaking his concentration, he said. ¡°That girl was more useful than I anticipated. When Phoebe said it was another job involving a noble I thought I¡¯d have to cast silence on them. But thankfully I was wrong.¡± ¡°Not all nobles are like that. Laslow, you know it better than anyone.¡± He clicked his tongue before dissipating the orange arcane glyph from the air. ¡°What are you doing now John? It¡¯s rich coming from a former King Slayer.¡± ¡°I left that life a long time ago. I moved on, and so should you. The binds that held you back before are not here anymore, why should you hold a grudge against someone that has no relation whatsoever with what happened to you? She is a noble, yes, but she made mistakes, she¡¯s human, like us, like them.¡± Jonathan pointed to his fellow teammates around him, most of them still asleep. To the wizard, nobles were nothing but freeloaders abusing their power and wealth over others, but such it has been for as long as humanity has known itself. Seeing his unchanging expression prompted the thief to continue talking. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it your dream to see this kingdom move forward? Well, you can definitely say it is.¡± Laslow closed his book after inscribing a few paragraphs of glyphs and put it inside his cloak, his face turned towards the thief before answering, he was intrigued by his friend¡¯s behaviour towards such a talented yet confusing noble girl. ¡°A kingdom is not built upon the weak, authority without power is meaningless.¡± ¡°Power without vision is meaningless. She isn¡¯t like the nobles you¡¯d see in the capital, she¡¯s different.¡± He raised an eyebrow as if mocking him. ¡°Oh? And what do you have to prove it?¡± Jonathan pointed towards the bushes behind Laslow with his chin. The wizard gave a look of disdain before turning around. While it was dark and not much could be seen, he did see the shapes of two figures fighting, a slimer shorter figure brandishing a blade against the taller one. ¡°You are not telling me that¡­¡± ¡°She had been training there for the last couple of hours. Do you think ¡®those¡¯ nobles would try their hardest for something you deemed so ¡®mundane¡¯?¡± ¡°I deemed mundane for being unnecessary for myself. I¡¯m a wizard and an esper, I don¡¯t need to dabble in such things.¡± ¡°Yes I know full well of it, but that girl knows magic but still tries to learn swordplay. Don¡¯t you think someone that expands their horizons instead of tunneling themselves into a corner makes for a better ruler than our previous Queen?¡± Laslow averted his gaze, he clenched the corner of his cloak as he turned once again towards the thief. ¡°That is not for us to answer. A ruler¡¯s duty is to see to their subjects, but who are their subjects? You can¡¯t consider yourself an Arcadian if you don¡¯t believe in your ruler, but many do, they take it for granted, using others as stepping stones for their own benefit or do you think she¡¯s suited to fix this?¡± ¡°And who are we to say she isn¡¯t ready?¡± An impasse, while Jonathan was not an scholar he was well versed in the arts of diplomacy and struggles of power between nobles. Laslow on the other hand became a historian before devoting himself in the study of the arcane, therefore his concerns were not unfounded. They both knew the state of the less fortunate in the capital or otherwise, a peasant would be the same anywhere they went, no matter where they came from after all. ¡°Could you two keep it down? I know talking about monarchy can get lively but we¡¯re trying to rest.¡± Laura¡¯s voice had a hint of dooziness as she loosely scratched her right eye with the bandaged hand, the heated discussion appeared to have woken her up. Many parts of her upper torso were bandaged, mostly around the chest and shoulders while the lower body kept covered by the dull brown blanket that covered both her and the priestess. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯m so very sorry Laura, I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt your sleep.¡± Jonathan said while holding his hands together in front of his slightly lowered head, though the smile made it look less apologetic. ¡°Fine¡­ just keep it down alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry Laura.¡± Laslow took the chance to apologize to her, but it was obvious by the look of his face that he was upset, but not at her. ¡°Laslow, I told you to let the spell go off, didn''t I? I¡¯m the one who took full responsibility for it.¡± She closed her right fist on her chest. ¡°I¡¯m quite sturdy as you can see.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but smile because of her kindness, but deep down he felt guilty for his own incompetence. While he was no war strategist, the well-being of his comrades was one of his concerns when out on a mission. Laura is a tough woman, but one person can only take so much pressure before they bend. ¡°I appreciate your kindness Laura. Truly, but you mustn¡¯t push yourself too hard, that spell was one of my most powerful ones.¡± A faint smile could be seen on her face, she hustled around with the blanket, setting it on top of the snoring Neiliel before closing her eyes to sleep again. Laslow, for the first time after departing from Windia, smiled. Jonathan saw his expression change but decided to not say anything in the end and instead started to fumble around his own bag for a tattered faded yellow blanket. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll be getting my share of sleep now, excuse me.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± A few minutes passed with Laslow slowly going through the firewood stacked near the campfire, sticks and logs being raised in the air by an invisible force before being dropped gently into the fire. The sky was clear with many stars filling the darkness around the bright full moon. It was a common sight for him but it didn¡¯t make it any less breathtaking. He returned to scribing on his tome before having his attention shift towards the bushes on his right side. Both Krieg and Leona came out of the foliage, the knight carrying a stack of firewood under his left arm and the princess bearing his greatsword by the leather strap using her right shoulder to support the weight. They both settled down near the campfire where they previously were near a sizable rock, Krieg left some of the firewood on his right side. Leona sat down by his left side leaning against the rock while putting the greatsword resting on the ground near the knight¡¯s side. Without exchanging words she went to sleep, albeit a bit sweaty from the physical exertion she didn¡¯t have any problems in finally finding rest by sloping on his left shoulder. ¡°...Is she a good liege to you, knight?¡± An unusual question coming from someone that would prefer to see her away from his group, Laslow was sure not the best for social interactions. ¡°Where are you coming from with this question?¡± Krieg¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t shift off the crackling fire swaying back and forth, his first impression of the wizard wasn¡¯t in a positive light. ¡°Merely curious, most of the servants from the nobles I knew would rather see their masters dead.¡± ¡°What would you do to repay the person who saved your life from a miserable end? How far would you go for that person?¡± ¡°Not enough to bind me to their lives.¡± ¡°Loyalty is different from servitude, I do what I do because I believe it¡¯s right. Leona needs me as much as I need her.¡± ¡°Seems contradictory seeing a capable swordsman with a frail noble girl.¡± The knight shook his head. ¡°A ruler¡¯s job is not on the battlefield. It starts before and after the battle is won or lost. She desires for peace and I will do anything I can to see her wish come true.¡± ¡°Peace huh¡­¡± He looked towards the starry sky, a very long time ago he also wished the same, when House Lorraine wasn¡¯t at war against itself. He closed his eyes as a bittersweet sensation overcame his senses, the feel of someone who had lost a dear person. ¡°Laslow, can you teach me more about spellcasting today? I¡¯ve hit a snag with Spark.¡± A chainmail armored young woman was finishing sharpening her longsword with a whetstone, she was sitting on a tree stump amidst the open forest. Her long and wavy pale blonde hair swayed along the afternoon breeze, her hazel eyes full of excitement. The sun was high in the sky but the trees around them made enough shade for them. ¡°Why do you want to know magic anyway? Isn¡¯t it pointless for a knight?¡± A young Laslow was sitting right beside the stump looking up at the woman, he wore a leather jacket that was a little on the bigger side with the sleeves rolled up to his wrists, dark cotton shirt and pants with high leather boots. His expression seemed troubled by the woman¡¯s strange request. ¡°It is pointless for those who are blind to see its usefulness. I, however, believe I can put this knowledge to greater use.¡± ¡°Like what? Shocking your opponent in arm¡¯s reach?¡± ¡°Another knight wouldn¡¯t be expecting that.¡± She giggled playfully as she finished sharpening and promptly sheathed the sword. After standing up she extended her left hand in front of her and electricity started to zap around her body, arcing flashes of light around the chainmail to her arm, until it reached the fingers of her gauntlets fizzling out of existence. ¡°See? For some reason it fails to release.¡± He sighed deeply as he closed the book with one hand and tucked inside his leather jacket. Standing up nowhere near as tall as her, he removed her metal gauntlets exposing her slim but full of calluses hand. ¡°Try now. It should release its full potential.¡± He said while swinging the piece of armor back and forth. She closed her fingers and breath deeply, focusing her mind on the spot between her knuckles and fingers. A jolt of electricity came through her body as she opened her hands and lightning arced from her fingertips towards the ground. ¡°Ah! It worked! Thanks Laslow.¡± ¡°Good grief this sister of mine, I swear I should make you take notes when I explain things about magic.¡± She smiled nonetheless, her right hand scruffing his head with the metallic fingers of the gauntlet. ¡°I¡¯ll be your sword and shield, you¡¯ll be my pen and paper.¡± It was just a memory burned in his mind, Laslow was happy, even though being an illegitimate son of royalty had a steep price. Mostly an outcast, he lived in the shadows of her older sister Lena that sought knighthood from a very early age, however, she was a kind soul, caring for her brother and family. Laslow smiled while recalling the fond past he shared with her. But that was a long time ago. ¡°Well, I wish to formally apologize for my behaviour towards your liege and yourself, knight Krieg. I unnecessarily judged you two before having an honest opinion. I¡¯m very sorry.¡± The knight snapped a piece of wood and threw in the fire before looking at him. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you apologized to her instead of me. I¡¯m merely doing what needs to be done.¡± The wizard gazed at his crimson eyes, but could not see any hint of emotion, it was as if he looked at himself from back then. ¡°Very well. I shall as soon as she wakes up.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Krieg stared at his own hands, opening and closing them as if trying to grasp something, he frowned his brow, sighing quietly. ¡°Nngh¡­ I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up.¡± A muffled voice came from across the campfire, Phoebe got up and motioned for Laslow to get some sleep. Her messy black hair got even messier as she scuffed it with her hands. ¡°Oh, hello ser Krieg. Didn¡¯t expect you to be on watch duty.¡± ¡°Both Neiliel and Laura seem to need more rest and I got plenty after we set camp.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you company then.¡± The elf took out the daggers beneath her cloak and started to set them on the ground in front of her along the longbow and a few shorter but thicker knives. With a small whetstone not bigger than the palm of her hand, she started to sharpen all her weapons with an unwavering diligence in each swipe. Occasionally summoning small bubbles of water on top of the stone to ease the sharpening process she started to glance towards the opposite side of the campfire. Leona had her mouth half open with a hint of drool coming out of the edge of her mouth while leaning on the knight¡¯s left shoulder. Phoebe stopped for a few seconds before speaking up. ¡°Ser Krieg, if I may.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What does the Crossford family do?¡± Without taking his eyes off his hands he replied. ¡°Mostly weapons manufacturing.¡± ¡°Like swords and muskets?¡± ¡°Swords, muskets, cannons, gunpowder¡­ anything you can think of for war.¡± ¡°War huh¡­¡± She shifted her focus back on the dagger. Cleaning the slurry off the blade as she put it back in the sheath somewhere between her armpit and ribs under the cloak. She carefully cleaned all the knives and put them in a belt holster before moving to the bow. Krieg asked as she was removing the string of the weapon. ¡°Why the sudden interest?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ I¡¯d figure it would be good to know who we are helping, that''s all.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He picked up the greatsword in its sheath and clutched between his right arm while gripping the guard loosely. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to figure out whether they are good people or not, I at least can''t say any bad things about them. Helping someone who has the characteristics of a demon while the whole country was on a persecution against demonkind, it¡¯s not something a noble family would do only because of goodwill.¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± She put the string aside before inspecting the wooden body of the weapon, a few small cracks were forming around the handle where it curved backwards. She sighed and started to fumble with Jonathan¡¯s bag. ¡°Ser Krieg.¡± While still searching inside the large bag she continued. ¡°I was wondering about Miss Leona. What does she do? She seems too well versed in magic to be just a sheltered noble girl.¡± Krieg¡¯s eyes darted left and right, checking if any of her other comrades were awake and just after ascertaining they were the only ones up, he decided to speak. ¡°Her mother taught everything she knows. She is a quadra- no I mean, tri-elemental mage.¡± The fumbling with the bag stopped as Phoebe¡¯s wide eyes looked at his direction, more specifically, towards Leona. ¡°Do you really mean, she can control that many?!¡± He nodded. It was rare enough for a human to be able to cast elemental spells, but being a tri-elemental mage was something out of this world. Different from the favor of the goddess, an elemental caster uses his own ability to control the myriad fundamental forces of the world to release spells. Leona was capable of much more than the average human spellcaster. Of course that would make anyone¡¯s jaw drop and Phoebe was no exception. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to say, not even Laslow is capable of using more than two elements. I didn¡¯t know she was so powerful.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say powerful, she can¡¯t use her magic to harm another human being.¡± ¡°But with this much power¡­ she should¡¯ve been able to enter the Grand Academy.¡± Krieg frowned his brow looking away with a bitter expression. His teeth clenching with regret. ¡°She did, she was the top student there. But-¡± ¡°Sir Krieg.¡± A male voice came from his left side, he shifted his eyes towards him, Luke was scratching his head trying to shake off the drowsiness. His eyes had a bittersweet expression to them as he continued. ¡°I¡¯d like you to let me explain, if only for a bit.¡± The knight nodded. Luke smiled. ¡°Thank you. Now...¡± He turned towards Phoebe who had a puzzled look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s quicker if I show you, Miss Phoebe.¡± The young man started by removing his cloak, the edges of his shoulders became visible, scarred, tough skin with a paler complexion than the rest of his arm, it was an unpleasant sight. But he continued to remove his clothing and as the shirt came off his whole chest became visible, scarred from the center outwards, a huge burn mark left by what appeared to be a concentrated fiery explosion right in the middle of his torso. Phoebe winced by just looking at it, she had never experienced the pain of being burned but the huge scar alone was enough to make her uncomfortable. After exposing his skin he started to talk. ¡°I was an apprentice mage from the Grand Academy before I joined the House of Mages and¡­ I¡¯m the reason why Leona was expelled from the academy.¡± He reached towards his left shoulder, pressing it gently as he continued to explain. ¡°Leona was a gifted mage, talented in multiple fields of magic with an endless thirst for knowledge, naturally that would make her stand out from the crowd. But not everyone there had good intentions.¡± ¡°But what then¡­ what do you have to do with her? I thought you were friends.¡± ¡°We are, that¡¯s why I thought I¡¯d protect her from others but that made things worse.¡± Eight years ago, when Leona was just a curious kid trying to learn everything she could about magic, Luke approached her trying to understand that unfathomable yet peculiar fellow mage. ¡°I erm¡­ good morning, Miss Crossford, could I have a seat?¡± A glass wearing brown haired boy no older than fourteen years with a very formal overcoat buttoned up to his neck bowed slightly towards the girl in a long indigo dress, her slender fingers held the book up close to her face. She sat by the center fountain of the academy yard where she would usually read and that day wasn¡¯t any different. The tall buildings around them kept the place fairly shaded with some finely trimmed bushes to embellish the yard. Her eyes peeked from the corner of the book towards him. ¡°Hmmmm? Oh, feel free to have a seat, I¡¯m just reading this book-¡± ¡°Elementals, from Archmage Eira, correct?¡± ¡°Ah! So you¡¯re also familiar with the author¡¯s book!¡± She lowered the book and a warm smile came effortlessly. She offered her hand for a handshake while introducing herself. ¡°Leona Crossford, from class 5A, pleasure to meet you¡­?¡± He took her hand. ¡°Luke of Lorraine, from class 2A, the pleasure is all mine.¡± She firmly shook his hand. Luke could just smile from that fond memory. ¡°Back then, it wasn¡¯t all bad, the Lorraine family had good standings with the other noble houses, but something started to change once my older brother became the head of the family. I wasn¡¯t allowed to interact with the other nobles for the reason of being considered ¡®less¡¯ than them, or at least that was what my brother used to say.¡± ¡°Stop hurting him!¡± Leona yelled. Luke had his glasses thrown aside from a blow to the face. The bigger student was at least three grades above him, much older and physically stronger, without magic the frail young boy wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. ¡°Make me! He deserves this! No one messes with the Heliels!¡± He grabbed Luke by the collar of his coat and started to slug his face, blood splattering across both student¡¯s uniforms, horror overcame Leona¡¯s senses, the blood dripping from her friend¡¯s face was enough to send her over the edge. ¡°I SAID STOP!¡± Her trembling right hand started to emanate heat as on the palm of her hand a red ember not bigger than a few millimeters started to rapidly grow into a reddish orange sphere of flames. The brightness of the spell made the bully look towards her and his eyes went wide when he saw the spell turn from an orange sphere to a much smaller incandescent blue orb, that surprisingly enough was void of heat. ¡°DON¡¯T DO IT LEONA!¡± Luke mustered all the strength he could to push the bully¡¯s hand aside and cast a last second fire ward spell on himself. He stood in front of her as she released the spell. The moment the blue orb touched him, it didn¡¯t seem to do anything, until a violent streak of small explosions consumed the center mass of the young boy, denting the shield before a strong focused blast of fire shattered the shield, sending him flying backwards against a bush. His eyes rolled back with a large burn on his chest, some of the overcoat was clinging to the melted skin. Leona fell back on her butt, eyes shaking looking at her own trembling hands. The screams were all he heard before passing out. ¡°Were I a better mage back then, I could¡¯ve dispelled her magic or taken the attack directly without taking that much damage.¡± The air around the campfire became heavy. Phoebe wasn¡¯t aware of how much she actually went through, it was horrible. Her own past was filled with its hardships of training to become an assassin but nothing came close to what she had just heard from the young man. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry for hearing that.¡± The elf said without taking her eyes off the scars on his body. ¡°That must have been a terrible experience for you both.¡± Luke nodded before starting to put his clothing back on. ¡°I¡¯m also the one to blame.¡± Krieg started to speak with regret in his voice. He glanced briefly at the princess before looking towards the crackling fire. ¡°I became her personal knight only after that happened, I wasn¡¯t really aware of the extent of her burdens, first this, then Lady Ravness¡¯ death.¡± Phoebe applied some sort of wax to the loose string before putting it back on the bow, forcing the lower side between her feet and bringing the loop of the string in the nock, locking it in place. She looked towards Luke. ¡°This sounds one more of Alex¡¯s ploys, wasn¡¯t the Heliels one of the mercenary families with close ties to the Lorraines?¡± His head flinched backwards as his eyes met hers, apparently some sort of idea lit up in his head. ¡°Now that you¡¯re telling me, yeah it is suspicious. They never had any relation to the House Lorraine before, only after Alex became the head of the family¡­ don¡¯t tell me...¡± He glanced at Krieg and a silent agreement occurred between the two. Krieg reached a conclusion that he wanted to deny, but it was the true hard and cruel reality. ¡°Then most of the military might in the capital is under his control.¡± Chapter VII: The Embers of War In the darkest abyss where no light could come, Leona found herself floating in the endless void, but as tumultuous as her mind was she found strangely at peace. ¡°You have met a terrible fate, haven¡¯t you?¡± A distorted male voice came from behind her, she turned around only to be met with an undulating ominous dark red energy barely visible from her perspective. She tried to speak but it was as if the very air was sucked out of her lungs, even though she could not say a word, its presence did not cause any alarm. It continued to reverberate with its surroundings and a voice reached her ears once again. ¡°Our fate has been intertwined since the beginning, you have what it takes to change the very principles of this world.¡± She reached out for the dark red energy, trying to grasp it but it was just out of reach. Her hands were clouded with a strange dark mist and the further away from her body it got, the stronger it became. ¡°Endure this road of troubles and we¡¯ll meet again. My champion of darkness.¡± Pulsating red energy enveloped her and before she knew her eyes opened to the gentle rays of sun coming between the leaves. ¡°What¡­¡± She blinked a few times, confused. Looking around, everyone seemed to still be asleep, saving for Neiliel leaning with her back against a tree near Laura, she had her mace out while gripping the handle lightly. Embers of the former campfire were still emitting a weak orange glow while a thin trail of smoke raised from the ashes. The priestess noticed Leona wake up from the edge of her vision. ¡°Good morning Princess Leona.¡± She said whilst smiling warmingly. ¡°Good¡­ good morning Neiliel.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seem taken aback by something.¡± A trickle of cold sweat was coming down from Princess¡¯ brow, she dried it with her right thumb and held the rest of her hand against the forehead deep in thought. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, I feel like I had a dream but I cannot recall what I dreamed about.¡± ¡°It is better if you don¡¯t dwell on it too much.¡± She picked a dark hemp sack from her bag and gave it to Leona as she said. ¡°It¡¯s not much but I hope it¡¯s filling.¡± Inside the hemp sack there was a round dark crusted bread big enough to fit between both her hands. She was mesmerized by the lump of loaf and asked without taking her eyes off it. ¡°Can I have this?¡± The question seemed to confuse the priestess a little at first, but with a light chuckle she answered. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Leona¡¯s slender fingers dug slightly into the crust as it released a pleasant crunching sound, she then forced a quarter of it apart and a sweet aroma of baked dough hit her nose. She shyly took a bite and her eyes widened in surprise towards Neiliel who was watching her expectantly. ¡°This is¡­ this is really good. Where did you get this?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m glad you liked it. I baked it yesterday myself. Leona gazed on the bread for a good few minutes, before looking towards the priestess again. ¡°Can I have all of this?¡± ¡°Yes I made it for you.¡± Hustling beside her, Krieg had come to consciousness. His tight grip on the guard of his weapon relaxed as he noticed the Princess immediate to his left. ¡°Good morning Leona.¡± He said while blinking a few times to focus his vision on the object she held. She turned towards him and greeted with a mouth half full of bread. ¡°Good. Morning. Krieg.¡± ¡°Is that¡­ bread?¡± She nodded and offered him the round loaf, it had a part torn off but it still had its freshness to it. He reached out and pulled out a chunk with his index and thumb, some of the crust flaked off on the grass. He took a bite and started to nod as he chewed. ¡°This is some very good bread.¡± ¡°I know right? Adele used to make some-¡° She stopped mid-sentence regretting what she had just said. Her fingers curled around the bread slightly as her expression saddened, the former maid was part of most of her childhood and now she missed her dearly. ¡°Adele¡­¡± She muttered while staring at the embers of the campfire. Most of the days she spent after losing her mother was in Adele¡¯s company, the dutiful maid kept the so necessary parenthood care that her mother once gave her. From waking her up to getting her ready to sleep, the two horned maid was always supporting Leona however way she could. Krieg was resentful for his own incompetence to protect her, it felt just like the day Lady Ravness was killed, nothing but regret and pain. He stood up and put the greatsword leather strap on his left shoulder. ¡°Leona I¡¯ll go wash my face, I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± She answered dispiritedly and kept eating pieces of bread. Neiliel, seeing what just happened, sat beside her. ¡°Princess Leona. I know not of what afflicts you but know that many things in this great world are not set in stone.¡± Although she was listening, her expression didn¡¯t change as she asked. ¡°¡­Not even death?¡± ¡°The goddess Eleonora is a merciful deity, as long as we find the person, there¡¯ll be a place for salvation.¡± ¡°I just hope it doesn¡¯t come to that, I don¡¯t know if I can bear losing my father¡­¡± Her eyes were filled with sadness, but Neiliel slowly reached her arms around the princess¡¯ shoulder before hugging her lightly. ¡°Everything will be alright.¡± Near a wide but not too deep pond, Krieg kneeled and washed his face vigorously with a hint of anger with his movements. His failures led to the situation they were in, or at least he thought so. They were still days away from the capital and a few more from the mansion, there was still time to prepare Leona for whatever would happen there, be it a happy ending or an unfolding tragedy of unimaginable proportions. He didn¡¯t want to leave it to chance again, it was something he could not forgive himself for if it happened again. ¡°I will not fail you, for that I swear upon my own life.¡± He stood up and in a split second of hearing hustling in the bushes to his right side he jumped backwards to avoid a volley of crossbow bolts coming from the foliage and as the leather scabbard came forward from his sudden movement, he held the greatsword handle and drew the blade. Three cloaked figures dashed from within the thick bushes with two shortswords each, Krieg dropped the leather scabbard on the ground behind him and held the greatsword with both hands as the assassins fanned out around trying to find a blindspot in his guard, however the knight kept moving sideways as he stepped closer to the pond while still keeping an eye out for any sudden movement. They spread out around him trying to get out of his peripheral but before they could accomplish so, Krieg kicked a chunk of earth towards the one in the middle which he promptly dodged by stepping to the right side and as he did so the knight rushed towards the one on the left with a wide swing. The assassin jumped backwards, evading most of the attack that slashed part of his cloak, whilst in mid-air he threw a couple of knives towards Krieg but they were easily blocked by the flat part of his sword. Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, the knight instead decided to charge the one in front of him, hanging the sword low near his hip and pointed forward towards his victim like a spearhead. Krieg dodged a sword strike coming for his back by bolting forward with his head low, the assassin desperately tried to jump backwards once again but was met with a tree trunk behind him and this time without nowhere to run, the knight impaled him through the stomach pinning him against the wood trunk. ¡°AAARGH!¡± He dropped both swords and screamed loudly in pain, his hand trying to grasp the blade but with no avail, only serving to cut his palms. Krieg used the momentum to snatch a shortsword and swiftly throw it backwards towards the closest assailant, which he dodged and threw his own sword at the knight. He dodged the weapon and raised his fists. Unorthodox as the knight was, the assassin seemed to hesitate before trying to stab him in the chest, Krieg dodged sideways and quickly jabbed the opponent in the jaw. Stumbling back a few steps he recovered from the sudden strike and tried a wide slash towards the knight¡¯s arms but he simply leaned backwards and evaded the attack altogether and using his opponent¡¯s opening he grabbed the assassin¡¯s right wrist and hit his face with a headbutt. ¡°Oof!¡± The attacker stumbled back again and collided against the other assassin, Krieg used this brief moment to grab the greatsword handle with both hands while anchoring both his feet in place before twisting his upper body with all his might. ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± He pulled the blade out of the trunk, leaving the impaled assassin to fall on the ground and beheaded both opponents in one strike, their heads were sent flying into the pond that slowly turned crimson. The assassin left on the ground was agonizing while blood poured endlessly from the wound. ¡°Aaa¡­ aaa¡­ aa¡­¡± He was slowly crawling away but Krieg grabbed his left ankle and started to drag him away towards the camp. Desperation kicked in and the assassin tried to use a hidden blade to wound the knight¡¯s left hand but instead his whole right wrist was lopped off from his arm as Krieg turned with the greatsword downwards like a guillotine. ¡°AAAAAAA!¡± Back in the camp, many were startled by the sudden scream. Everyone seemed to rushily get ready for a battle until the elf¡¯s ears twitched as she muttered. ¡°What was that?¡± Phoebe¡¯s head turned suddenly towards where the sound came from and instinctively drew her longbow. Leona looked to the elf and followed her eyes towards a familiar trail in between the bushes. ¡°That¡¯s where Krieg went to- Krieg! Are you alright?!¡± ¡°Shhhh! Keep it down, it may be an ambush.¡± Phoebe motioned for her to stay quiet as she knocked an arrow ready as she pulled the string halfway back. ¡°It¡¯s me, don¡¯t shoot.¡± Krieg¡¯s voice came from the foliage before he moved it aside with the flat side of his sword. The bloodied blade left a trail of crimson on the leaves and on the ground, behind him an agonizing hooded man with a terrible wound on his stomach, the knight tossed the man forward and raised the sword to rest on his shoulder before looking towards the priestess. ¡°Can you heal him? I have some questions that need answering.¡± The whole group was in shock, he merely took some time to wash his face and instead brought a man half dead back with his weapon soaked in blood, luckily for the Princess, Phoebe had just enough time to cover her eyes. Laura slowly put down her greatsword as she leaned back on the tree trunk behind her, Laslow and Luke both inspected the man from afar but without saying a word, Jonathan approached right behind Neiliel that kneeled to heal the man, Leona approached the knight after Phoebe let her go, he still held the greatsword with one hand while the blade rested on his shoulder. ¡°Are you alright Krieg?¡± ¡°I am unharmed, I¡¯m sorry for worrying you.¡± ¡°I trust your strength but please don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± He nodded and before her gaze could meet the man¡¯s wounded body he put his arm around her shoulder, turning her to the other side. ¡°Princess, that is not a very pleasant sight.¡± ¡°Krieg, I appreciate your concern but I¡¯m afraid there¡¯ll only be more terrible things awaiting us once we get back to the capital and I¡­¡± There was a long pause, she swallowed dry as she tried to finish her sentence, of course it was a terrible sight and she knew deep inside that it would haunt her for the last of her days, but just like once she had wounded a man with a blade, it was necessary for her to get accustomed to that sort of thing, even if it meant having nightmares. ¡°...I should focus on getting stronger.¡± He looked towards the bloodied ground, while the concept of death and killing was something that accompanied him throughout most of his life, he wanted to protect the innocence of that young girl, but his liege was no longer just a little girl and the times are different. Albeit with regret, he released her shoulder and turned around. ¡°...Very well Princess.¡± Leona inhaled deeply before turning around herself. Lying in a pool of blood, the handless man was being held in place by Jonathan while Neiliel worked on his wounds, the gruesome image of flesh became burned in her mind as her breathing stuttered from a sudden surge of panic as the memory of hacking through flesh with a weapon of her own became vivid in her mind. Krieg held her trembling shoulder gently and stayed there quietly while she recovered her composure. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Listen here friend.¡± Jonathan held the man¡¯s left arm while trying to talk to him. ¡°For better or worse you should start talking, we may even send you on your way if you decide to cooperate, who knows, maybe even reattach that lost hand to your stump of a wrist.¡± With the pain noticeably subsiding, the man seemed to calm down, if only a little. Luke who had gone to fetch the knight¡¯s scabbard also brought back the man¡¯s hand still clutching a dirk of some sort, the blade however, was blackened. ¡°Hey, I got the guy¡¯s hand.¡± Holding it with the end of a forked stick, he carefully put it down near Jonathan who proceeded to pry it open and remove the weapon from its grasp. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not paid enough for this garbage.¡± The man spoke in a weak tone, with the hood half off his head it was possible to see his brown hair and reddish eyes and a familiar squiggly crown mark on his clavicule. ¡°You are¡­ a Slayer?¡± Jonathan wasn¡¯t very sure as he never saw this specific person before but it was certain he was a King Slayer. ¡°Hah, I don¡¯t recognize you sonny, maybe a newer member o¡¯ sorts?¡± ¡°Cut the chat, who sent you? Why were you targeting me?¡± Krieg grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, where the cloak was being held. Neiliel stopped healing when the knight suddenly got physical with her patient. The man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I ain¡¯t sure, Just doin¡¯ my client¡¯s orders but they didn¡¯t pay me enough to mess with ya sort big guy. Man¡¯s call himself the King, I was just followin¡¯ his request.¡± He shoved the man back on the ground again and nodded to the priestess who continued to heal him. Laslow and his cousin approached the knight as he took part of the man¡¯s cloak to clean the blood off his greatsword. Luke seemed worried as he explained. ¡°Sir Krieg, I¡¯m almost certain that the person who this man is referring to is my brother. It is to no surprise that he wants to become King, now as to why he would make use of assassins rather than the soldiers in the capital, I have not the slightless clue.¡± ¡°It matters not in the end.¡± Laslow said then turned to the knight. ¡°Should we head out? Karna village is not too far from here, maybe we could acquire more information there, although I doubt there¡¯ll be much use.¡± He agreed but Leona stepped in the conversation. ¡°I believe it would be best if we avoided the village.¡± She had mostly recovered from her panic attack, though her voice seemed to betray it as she stuttered to finish her sentence. The wizard looked at her with doubt showing on his brow before asking. ¡°And why would you suggest that?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s imagine he knows we¡¯re coming from Windia, Karna village being a few days inwards the Great Forest, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to estimate how many days on average a small unit of assassins like these would take to return there, if so, there is probably an ambush set for us, either that or they already plan of hunting us inside the forest.¡± Laslow slowly started to nod, understanding her reasoning. ¡°Right then, so what do you propose we do?¡± ¡°Circle around the border of the Great Forest, while maintaining a march towards Arcadia, the underground tunnels should give us the needed entry towards the capital.¡± ¡°Aren''t the tunnels abandoned due to the increasing monster infestation?¡± Luke voiced his concerns while glancing every so often towards the man having his hand attached by Neiliel and Jonathan. Krieg sheathed his blade and hung it around his left shoulder, his eyes met Leona¡¯s as he started to talk. ¡°They can¡¯t be more dangerous than what I¡¯ve faced so far.¡± ¡°Still, their numbers are the most worrisome, while I¡¯m not certain of how many, I know it¡¯s more than one man alone can handle.¡± Jonathan walked up to them with a light crossbow loaded on his hands. He seemed to have taken all the assassin¡¯s weapons before sending him off. ¡°Hey, I got some new weapons. Hm? What¡¯s with the serious faces?¡± Laslow turned to him and hit his shoulder with a light punch. ¡°We got a job for you. But first let¡¯s get moving, lest more assassins jump out of bushes.¡± They packed everything and the thief carefully erased any trail of the camp and sent their camels off towards the desert. Laslow and Krieg moved in front of the group while Luke, Laura, Leona and Neiliel kept to the middle with Jonathan coming up last. While the pace wasn¡¯t exactly fast, they made sure no tracks were left behind with the thief¡¯s help. Leona carefully observed his techniques while they moved, his knack for hiding his own footsteps in the grassy forest floor by walking along tree roots and disguising the group¡¯s trace by shifting rocks or foliage over more noticeable footsteps. She started to mimic those behaviours but her footwear was ill suited for stepping on top of the tree¡¯s foundation and her right foot slipped. ¡°Ah!¡± Luke caught her hand before she could fall backwards into a bush. He pulled her back and asked if she was ok. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine. Thank you.¡± ¡°Those shoes aren¡¯t the best for this kind of thing, Princess Leona.¡± Jonathan had his eyes on her movement patterns for the last couple of minutes as he continued to clean most of the trace left from the group. He handed her a couple of worn out bandages rolled up into small tubes. ¡°Use these around your shoes, it¡¯ll help with friction.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thank you.¡± She didn¡¯t have the slightest clue how to wear it but Laura gently grabbed them from her hand, she stood a good half meter above her, but her voice seemed so gentle for someone so intimidating. ¡°Sit down for a few minutes and I¡¯ll show you how to wear them properly.¡± Leona nodded as she sat on a nearby rock. The whole group stopped but each one kept an eye out around them, Laura pulled off her shoes, though Leona wanted to protest against it she decided not to in the end as the former formal footwear would do more bad than good in the intricate forest. The barbarian proceeded to strap her right foot with the bandages, creating a thick boot-like cover around it; she did the same to the other one and was left with two low heel shoes on hand. ¡°Best if you throw them out.¡± Jonathan explained as he continued to point out the reason. ¡°If you leave something like this here it¡¯ll just point out that we were here.¡± Leona was hesitant but ended up nodding to Laura, who was waiting for her answer with both shoes on hand. The barbarian got up and winded her arm back before throwing both shoes far into the sky in the opposite direction where they came from, it pained her to see a gift from her father to be thrown out like that but it was necessary as they were hardly keeping up with the rough terrain she had been walking through for the last couple of days. Krieg frowned his brow slightly but nonetheless turned around to keep going, Laslow right behind him to keep track if they were actually going the correct way as walking through the forest without following a trail was much harder. ¡°Are you alright Leo?¡± Luke asked. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Even if she said that, it was obvious she was not okay with it. Her right hand painfully clutched the prismatic pendant on her neck. The young man grasped her left hand tightly with his eyes staring at hers. ¡°Everything will be fine, we won¡¯t let anything happen to your dad.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but smile weakly. ¡°Thanks Luke, you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re a great friend.¡± He nodded firmly. His friend was a gifted mage, a great companion and above all, a dear friend to him, she gave him the resolution to go forward as a mage and as a person, when he couldn¡¯t find words to close the gap between himself and his parents, she was there to support him. And now the time had come to repay everything she helped him achieve. With a quiet chant, Luke cast a protective aura around her that gave off a slight orange sheen as he let go of her hand. Leona felt a warm sensation on her chest and a strange sense of peace within, the grasp on the pendant slowly weakened as she found herself calm once again. In the serenity of her thoughts she found a surge of power she did not have before, each step through the woods felt as if the shadows followed her steps, embracing her every movement. Neiliel felt a chill go down her spine, it felt something ominous was following them closely, but every time she looked behind her nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Noticing her nervousness, Laura approached her and quietly asked. ¡°Is there something wrong Neiliel? You seem like you saw a ghost.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know but something is following us.¡± ¡°In the spiritual manner you mean?¡± The priestess nodded. She held the star shaped talisman close to her chest and a golden glow enveloped her body when she opened her eyes again they had a glint of divine energy coursing through them. Changing the once deep blue eyes towards a bright yellow color, she scanned the area but couldn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, until she glanced at Leona. Neiliel¡¯s eyes widened as an ominous dark red aura could faintly be seen from the princess surroundings, though the power not familiar to her, it was certainly beyond just demonic powers, as it lacked the usual malice that would come along a demon worshipper but it wasn¡¯t dark elemental magic either since the red aura that normally accompanied fire aspected magic was present without an increase in temperature. A streak of chills went down her spine, it was as if she looked into the abyss, unnatural and void of meaning. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something on my face?¡± Leona questioned the strange expression the priestess was giving her. Neiliel tried to dismiss it. ¡°Ah no¡­ it¡¯s nothing you need to worry about Princess.¡± ¡°Are you sure? You seem ill¡­¡± She was going to reach out to her but a strange sensation compelled her hand to stay put, much like a parent¡¯s cautious grasp, a faint bit of dark mist enveloped around her left wrist. Leona¡¯s eyes glanced towards her own hand but there was nothing there. ¡°I¡¯m fine, honestly, I was just scanning the area for fiends or the like.¡± ¡°I see, well do tell me if you see anything.¡± ¡°I most surely will.¡± Neiliel decided to walk a few meters behind the Princess while observing the strange dark aura that enveloped her, it was much like staring into the abyss, an endless darkness void of the kindness grasp of the goddess or the never-ending malice of the demon god. It felt much older and powerful, something she could not begin to understand. Laura scuttled towards her while keeping her voice low. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not sure, there is something about her that I can¡¯t quite put my finger on. It¡¯s not dangerous by any means but it¡¯s presence is unsettling.¡± ¡°Should I keep an eye on her?¡± ¡°If possible, yes.¡± The barbarian nodded and proceeded to walk closer to Leona. Towards the front of the group, Laslow pointed the direction towards east as Krieg used a shortsword to push the foliage aside without cutting it. ¡°Laslow, what kind of mage are you?¡± The knight asked without losing focus of the path he was taking between the thicket. ¡°I¡¯m a dual element, fire and lightning, but I¡¯m also an esper.¡± ¡°Esper huh? What does that mean?¡± ¡°Are you not familiar with espers? We are mages who control physical and abstract things with our mind.¡± The wizard put his left index finger along the side of his nose as he closed his eyes and suddenly the bushes in front of Krieg moved aside, creating a straight path. He opened his eyes to the knight staring at him and continued to explain. ¡°There are a multitude of things I can do but it¡¯s much more taxing than casting elemental magic so I¡¯d rather not use it unless absolutely necessary.¡± ¡°I see. It certainly has its uses.¡± After a while of silence Laslow asked out of nowhere. ¡°Are you not a wielder of any magic?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not familiar with the concept of magic.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I believe it would be useful to at least learn ephemeral enchanting. It has its uses from time to time.¡± Krieg raised an eyebrow, learning magic was not something in his priority list, much less so right now. ¡°And what would that do?¡± His voice showed he wasn¡¯t exactly invested in the learning process so Laslow decided to take a more direct approach. He grabbed a dirk that he had taken from the Slayer assassin and held it out in front of his body. A faint blue aura started to envelop the weapon slowly transferring from his hand to the handle then towards the very edge of the blade and with a flick of his fingers the whole blade became on fire, tightly embracing the steel like a deadly dance of elements. Krieg¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up with the sight of the enchanted blade. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s much like blade energy. Do you know anything about it?¡± ¡°Blade energy?¡± He flicked the flames out of existence as he raised one eyebrow. ¡°No I have not heard of that before, sounds akin to an enchantment of sorts. What does the blade look like when it¡¯s active?¡± ¡°It¡¯s much like a blue spectral force, it¡¯s more of a concentrated energy within the blade rather than what you just showed me.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ that is very interesting, yet totally unfamiliar to me. Where did you see that before?¡± ¡°Only from a few knights of the east. Queen Eleonora was also able to wield it.¡± Laslow scratched his chin underneath the cloth turban. Coming from someone who had no experience with magic, the description seemed too accurate to be just told legend. He racked his brain to remember something like what the knight had just explained but it came as a blank. ¡°Ugh¡­ I don¡¯t recall anything from the library like you just said. Maybe it¡¯s something about the weapon and not the person wielding it?¡± ¡°Queen Eleonora could use it with any weapon, although she did mention it was easier with certain kinds of swords.¡± ¡°This certainly warrants research, but I suppose there wouldn¡¯t be much information even at the Grand Academy¡­¡± A faint crackling sound caught Phoebe¡¯s attention as she warned the group to stop. ¡°I hear something¡­ it¡¯s coming from deeper in the forest.¡± The moment they stopped a familiar scent hit Leona¡¯s nose, burned wood and foliage. It was something she could hardly forget after experiencing the horrors of the battlefield that once was her home. She glanced at the group in the front. ¡°It¡¯s fire, I¡¯m sure of it. We must get out of the forest before we end up trapped.¡± Laslow then decided to take the lead. ¡°Let¡¯s move north then, it should have enough trees to provide visual cover but not enough to entrap us should the fire spread this far.¡± They darted through the woods as there wouldn¡¯t be any trail left if the forest fire caught up to them. About twenty minutes after they started to run, the fire seemed to be getting closer and closer as the roaring sound of flames became more apparent with the thick veil of white smoke coming through the trees obscuring most of their vision. Krieg, seeing how the fumes of the fire were starting to catch up to them, started to shout orders to the rest of the team while pulling Leona towards his side and covering her nose with a piece of blue cloth. ¡°Cover your eyes and nose! Hold onto the person in front of you so you don¡¯t get lost!¡± Luke ignored the knight¡¯s warning and rushed to each member of the group and started to cast a protective ward that fended off the heavy fumes, though not much, it still helped the ones further back to hold out longer. The debilitating fog started to affect everyone as it prevented them from breathing almost any fresh air for minutes. Luckily, Laslow seemed to have a great sense of direction as it did not take much longer for them to find the edge of the forest. Almost everyone bent to their knees after finding fresh air outside the thicket. Leona seemed the most unaffect as Krieg¡¯s aid helped her immensely, followed up by Phoebe who was quick on her feet, the wizard himself whose head was already covered in cloth and the knight himself who seemed to have shaken off the effects of the fumes. Laura, Neiliel and Jonathan were struggling to breathe but they weren¡¯t in mortal danger. Luke however, was much worse. Breathing heavily after being exposed to too much smoke, his eyes were aching with a stinging pain he could hardly keep them open. The young man fell down on his knees while clutching his throat and gasping for air. ¡°Luke! What happened?!¡± Princess quickly got to him, but as she turned him on his side, part of his brow was starting to turn blue, he kicked his legs while pleading for his life when their eyes met. Phoebe ran as quickly as she could toward him and started to rummage through the bag on her belt until she found a red glass flask with a ring knot made of straw near the top of it. She bit on the cork and spit it out before pouring its contents in his mouth. ¡°You¡¯ll be alright! Neiliel! I need you here right now!¡± He drank the red liquid as if he was parched, desperation was setting in from the lack of oxygen going through his lungs, until Neiliel reached out from the corner of his vision and placed her hand upon his chest, when his vision was about to fade a far away voice brought him back from the edge of unconsciousness. ¡°Oh ever merciful goddess of light, bring respite unto this frail body, Lesser Cure!¡± A faint blue light started to glow from her hands and slowly spread to his whole body, with a deep groan and quick gasps for breath, Luke took a very deep breath as he started to cough again, a black watery substance came out of his mouth. ¡°Aaaah¡­ haa¡­ I thought¡­ I thought I was a goner.¡± Phoebe put the empty flask on a bag on the other side of her belt and held Luke¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to die on-¡± A splash of blood accompanied by a loud sound of an explosion going off interrupted the elf¡¯s speech as she fell on the ground beside Luke. ¡°Phoebe?!¡± A hole was left on her left shoulder as she closed her fist groaning in pain. Her clothing was burned as well as the wound, leaving an ugly black mark around it. Everyone turned to face where the loud noise came from and two figures cloaked with white robes were floating above the smoke, the one on the right had electricity crackling around their left hand. ¡°Kill them all and bring her back, correct?¡± His deep voice showed how much older he was compared to the party. The other figure nodded while floating away from him. ¡°Just don¡¯t kill her.¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice probably over her twenties, but she could barely be heard from where the group was. ¡°Oh don¡¯t you worry¡­¡± The man raised his other hand behind his back when sparks of fire lit up on each individual finger before converging into a ball of fire. ¡°She won¡¯t die instantly from this.¡± Chapter VIII: The Blackest Night ¡°That¡¯s not good¡­¡± The ball of fire swirled around the white robbed man¡¯s right hand. Leona looked towards the clouded sky above them where the man floated about twenty meters off the ground. Lightning sundered the air in constant bursts. ¡°Now now¡­ don¡¯t die!¡± He hurled the fireball that seemed to get bigger and faster as it traveled through the air. ¡°Everyone! Get behind me!¡± Leona quickly created a spiraling vortex of dull yellow air towards herself and large amounts of water in front of the cone of wind. The whole group gathered behind her, Laslow had vestiges of fire on both his hands as he put himself beside Princess, Krieg promptly unsheathed his blade and stood by Leona¡¯s left side, Jonathan readied the light crossbow with a bolt tip coated in murky green liquid between the two mages while Laura and Neiliel protected Luke and Phoebe at the back of the group. The moment the fireball impacted against the water it seemed to boil the liquid instantaneously as it traveled through it, but Leona made the water travel with the fire, creating a capsule that heavily diminished its destructive power, but the heat was so great that all liquid started to seethe. ¡°Argh! I won¡¯t let this hurt anyone!¡± She strengthened the vortex of wind and as the pressure decreased with its increased speed, the water became thinner until it simmered to nothing. The ball of fire was considerably smaller but still coming towards them, but Leona¡¯s legs gave in as her spell started to weaken. It was at this moment Laslow released the spell he had prepared. ¡°Hell Fire Wall!¡± He swung his arms apart as the trailing vestiges of fire on his hand hit the sand, violent blazes erupted from the ground creating a wall of intense orange red flames in front of them, surprisingly enough it didn¡¯t burn anyone on the backside of the fire even though they were just a few meters shy of it. ¡°Now!¡± Jonathan yelled as he dashed towards the right side of the wall and fired his crossbow at the floating wizard the second he had a direct line of sight of him. Krieg winded up his greatsword backwards over his back. Neiliel took her mace out and touched Leona¡¯s right shoulder, before raising the mace towards the sky, a warm golden aura enveloped the princess while the cylindrical weapon started to shine. ¡°Oh ever merciful goddess of light, grants us the strength to prevail against our foes, Smite!¡± As soon as the wall of fire started to fan out and the skies seemed to answer the priestess'' call as a golden ray of light struck the figure with a tremendous thundering sound. ¡°Argh!¡± The holy strike hit true as the figure wobbled in the air before taking a crossbow bolt to the left thigh. ¡°You damm insects! Hah?!¡± A greatsword was spinning rapidly towards him, normally, foot soldiers wouldn¡¯t be a problem without ranged weaponry, but throwing such a heavy sword upwards spinning at such speed was not a feat achieved by anyone. ¡°What the hell?!¡± The mage floated away, dodging the weapon hurled by Krieg. Laslow held his right index and middle finger against the side of his head as if trying to concentrate on the opposing wizard, his eyes narrowed and he could see a faint line that connected both of them, seemingly otherworldly. He started to focus all his malice and anger towards the mage. ¡°Ack! What¡­ what is this pain¡­?!¡± The robbed man clutched his head in pain, seeming to lose his control over the flight magic, it felt as if his head was being split in two. Laslow began to clench his teeth as he increased the output of mental stress towards the opposite mage, his nose began to bleed. ¡°Enough.¡± A snap of the fingers was enough to sever the mental connection between the two, the female magic caster behind the man was holding the greatsword Krieg had hurled albeit without directly touching it and instead seeming to hold it locked in place with some sort of spell on her right hand. She slowly descended as the other mage plummeted towards the sand. Thunder echoed and lightning could be in the distance, the group bunched up together ready to fight. Both Luke and Phoebe were standing up as well, the young man held a few stones he pulled out of his pocket on his left hand while the elf had a dagger on her right hand as her left arm was flailing limply on the side of her body. ¡°Well¡­ considering how this went.¡± The wizard started to speak. Her voice was calm yet an unsettling feeling of danger started to grow within everyone on the opposite side. ¡°No way¡­¡± Phoebe muttered under her breath. The woman pulled away her hood and revealed a long black haired elf that looked around her forties; her deep blue eyes had a piercing gaze, with her features, one could mistake her for a noble, saving for one tiny scar on her left cheek. ¡°Why are you here?!¡± A smile came over the woman¡¯s face as she saw Phoebe. She left the sword stuck on the sand while walking towards the group, Laura stood in front together with Krieg to form a wall between them, Leona and Laslow were both kneeling on the sand as Neiliel aided them to recover from the exhaustion of using too many spells. Jonathan was quietly loading another bolt on the crossbow from afar as the two elves kept talking. ¡°I missed you Phoebe. It has been a while.¡± Leona looked over her shoulder to the elf behind her. She never once saw Phoebe angry in the short time they spent together, but this time she seemed to be fuming with an endless source of hatred, her right hand clenched on the knife so hard it wouldn¡¯t be strange if her nails started to bleed from the sheer pressure. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll KILL YOU!¡± Even with her useless left arm, Phoebe dashed recklessly towards the woman with her dagger. Leona tried to grasp her as well as Laura but the elf was much faster than any of them, so instead of waiting, Krieg and Laura decided to run in together. ¡°Now that won¡¯t do.¡± The woman mockingly said with another snap of the finger. The greatsword that was previously stuck on the sand came flying towards her right hand like a magnet, Phoebe was aiming towards her throat but the mage raised her left hand and a powerful gale of dark red wind stopped all of her movements. ¡°Gah!¡± Laura came right behind Phoebe with a downward swing of her greatsword towards the magic caster but was effortlessly parried by the blade. ¡°What the-!¡± The barbarian couldn¡¯t pull her weapon back as if they had blades locked, a strange dark energy seemed to hold the sword. Krieg dashed to her right flank and went for a powerful cross with his right towards her face, but the moment his fist was about to hit her it suddenly came to a stop as if there was a shield of dark red wind stopping his whole arm in place. ¡°Tch!¡± ¡°Krieg!¡± Leona was about to get up but Neiliel put her hand in front and shook her head. The priestess raised her mace. ¡°Oh ever merciful goddess of light, grant this child the power to smite our foes, Weapon of Light!¡± The knight¡¯s fist and the barbarian¡¯s greatsword started to shine with golden divine energy. Krieg felt the resistance on his right arm decreasing so he used all his strength to grasp the greatsword handle from the elf¡¯s hand instead. Noticing the struggle between the two and an opening on her guard, Laura quickly swung the sword diagonally against the mage, but she dodged by jumping backwards releasing the wind spell. Phoebe was left to fall back on the ground while Krieg got a hold of his weapon again. ¡°Not bad at all.¡± The mage praised. ¡°But it¡¯s only a matter of time. After I put an end to this pointless war, I¡¯ll have you back again dear sister. When lord Alexander finally rises to the throne, I¡¯ll have you for myself.¡± She pointed her right index finger towards the dead body of her fellow mage who had died by the poison bolt Jonathan had shot him with and using some sort of spell to scoop the cadaver off the sand, she hurled his body backwards towards the burning forest. She looked towards Leona one last time before her robe started to give off a faint light as once invisible runes started to flash up on the side of the sleeves. ¡°Take it as my warning to you, do not defy lord Alexander or we will hunt down everything that you hold dear. It is pointless to stall the inevitable.¡± She took off towards the darkened sky with incredible speed. Phoebe cursed under her breath. ¡°Hope lightning strikes you. You damn...¡± Jonathan tried to sneak in a shot with his crossbow but the bolt simply didn¡¯t have enough power to reach the flying wizard in the first place, she became a white dot before disappearing completely over the burning forest. After the group was left in the open desert all eyes seemed to lock on the elf standing in the middle of everyone. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s my older sister Kaeli.¡± Her expression was bitter, eyes frowned and teeth clenching while looking towards where the mage had flown off. ¡°She betrayed our family¡¯s ways to become a witch.¡± ¡°Curses.¡± Jonathan came running to the group with his crossbow holstered while still staring at the way Kaeli went. ¡°Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be a royal election before anyone was accepted as a ruler? The way she spoke implied he had already become king of Arcadia.¡± Neiliel used the opportunity to change the subject as she explained. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to hold a ceremony with all other noble families before handing the rulership of the kingdom. But it could vary depending on the Kingdom¡¯s current standing.¡± Laslow stood up, still a bit dizzy from the mental struggle against the now dead mage. His nose had a thick trail of blood wiped off by the sleeve of his robe giving an appearance of having been just punched in the face by someone. ¡°First things first, I believe we should get out of the open desert. Me and Krieg will take up the front, Neiliel, could I have you look up to Phoebe¡¯s wounds?¡± The priestess nodded. ¡°Thank you. You, Luke, stick with Princess Leona, if anything comes near any of you two, blow it up to smithereens with your fire magic, you still have some in you right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± Luke gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move out.¡± He cleaned the rest of the blood with a handkerchief Neiliel handed him. Laura escorted the backline of the group as they walked for a few hours before reentering the forest, though not deep enough to not be able to see the desert sand. Hours went by silently, with Jonathan still taking care of the group¡¯s trace and the priestess healing Phoebe¡¯s wounded arm. ¡°Is this alright Pho?¡± Neiliel had used divine magic to heal the elf¡¯s wounds, where originally there was a hole the size of a coin was now quickly remending itself with a faint golden glow, muscle tissue and the skin seemed to knit itself back, closing the wound like nothing ever happened. ¡°Yes, thank you Neil. I¡¯m sorry for what I did, it was¡­ reckless.¡± ¡°Everyone makes mistakes. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright now.¡± The elf¡¯s eyes trailed off when she tried to digest the reality of her sister chasing her half a continent only to hunt her down. When she became an assassin for Queen Eleonora, she vowed to kill the traitor who ended her mother¡¯s life, which turned out to be her older sister. The fond memories she had made with Kaeli in her childhood only made her feel worse, killing someone for revenge was one thing, but the target of her hatred was someone she used to admire and love, that was now corrupted with power. ¡°I¡­ I used to admire her, she was dependable, strong and honest, but something changed her.¡± She closed and opened her left fist to test the strength of her grip. She stared at her fist, opening it and then closing it firmly one last time. ¡°Before I joined the assassin ranks under Queen Eleonora, me and Kaeli used to train together with our mother. She was quick to learn and even quicker to apply what she learnt, it was beautiful at the time, terrifying now. I remember now every night, the day she murdered our mother.¡± On a thunderous day by the eastern country¡¯s shore, Phoebe crossed blades with her forsworn foe of same blood, Kaeli. Both elves were armed with two shortswords, the usual weapon for an assassin employed by the Queen. ¡°Why¡­ WHY?! KAELI!¡± Phoebe¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, on her face, she wore a mix of anger and despair. Her trembling blades showed signs of uncertainty of what her next action would be. Fight? Flee? Logic couldn¡¯t explain why her mother was lying in a pool of blood and her sister was bathed in crimson. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kaeli¡¯s face didn¡¯t answer any of her questions, if anything, it made Phoebe even more confused when she started to smile. A spine-chilling smile surged from her mouth as her laugh crackled against the storm and waves crashing against the tumultuous ocean in the distance. Lightning struck the waters, thunder echoed, each second that passed, her laugher got even more maniacal. Phoebe felt her blood start to boil, the fear and despair gave in place of anger and hatred, she sprint baring her blades against her sister. ¡°Phoebe! I did it! We won¡¯t have to fear any of this! This living hell! Hahahahahahahaha!¡± Paying no heed to what lunatical nonsense she was spouting, Phoebe aimed directly at her guts but the blades bounced off where they should have sinked in flesh, but instead of backing away she continued to hack and slash against her, but her blades dulling and denting with each strike. ¡°You¡¯ll soon forgive me for this sacrifice our mom has made.¡± Phoebe¡¯s right arm completely stopped mid-swing as something appeared to grip her wrist, she looked up but couldn¡¯t see anything. In her wrath she tried to escape whatever was holding her, but Kaeli seemed to have other plans for her. ¡°It¡¯s pointless Phoebe, nothing will ever harm us, I¡¯ll take you far away from this madness and we¡¯ll live happily forever.¡± ¡°Argh! Aaagh!¡± She flailed about her other hand but she couldn¡¯t reach her with the blade. ¡°No, no, no that won¡¯t do, Phoebe you must behave if I am to take you with me.¡± ¡°GO DIE!¡± She threw her weapon at her and to Kaeli¡¯s surprise, the blade nicked the edge of her left cheek. The long haired elf winced in pain and suddenly stopped moving entirely before reaching for her own face. As the touch left her cheek, a bit of blood could be seen on the tips of her fingers, her joyous and happy expression became dark and serious as her gaze turned to Phoebe. ¡°Be a good girl, or I¡¯ll have to punish you Phoebe.¡± Words couldn¡¯t stop her flailing and so Kaeli came up with the only solution in her mind. A loud dry crack noise happened the moment Phoebe¡¯s right forearm became crooked slightly. ¡°AAAH! HAAAA! MY ARM!¡± Her sharp scream of pain seemed to throw off the older elf as she stumbled back a little bit before she recovered her composure. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Phoebe but this is for your own go-¡± She jumped back as a flash of bright blue energy exploded in front of her and whatever was holding the elf girl by the arm released her. ¡°I know not what you did, but you have only one choice, stand down or be cut where you stand.¡± A male voice came from Phoebe¡¯s left side, clutching her crooked left arm, she saw on the edge of her vision a tattered robed black haired man before her consciousness faded away with the sound of rain and clashing of steel. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think after all of this.¡± Leona spoke while staring at the elf resting loosely against a tree trunk that had fallen over. The group took a short break at a small clearing on the side of the forest, everyone but Krieg, Jonathan and Laslow were present, the others were silently listening to Phoebe''s story as she explained to the princess. The elf then took out a light blue silver metal pocket watch from beneath her top, it had a strange white sheen like it was made of snow, she gripped it tightly before opening it. The edges were rough as if they were dropped or thrown on the ground repeatedly. On the inside, the glass was shattered and jagged. Neither of the crystal arrows were moving. ¡°This is all I have left of my mother. It was a watch she made for my sister, but she never got the chance to give it to her. Before she died she asked me to forgive Kaeli, but how am I supposed to do that? How can I forgive the person who took my mother¡¯s life?¡± Leona lowered her face, staring at the mud covered cloth shoes. As a single child of a powerful household, it never occurred to her how it would be if she had any siblings, much less so if something terrible like that happened to her. But a strange sensation of tranquility came over her when she thought of her late mother and her last words. ¡°Be strong. That¡¯s what my mother told me before she died. I think your mother would have wanted you to forget the sins your sister committed, for both your sakes.¡± Phoebe took a last look at the watch before closing it and putting it back inside her robe. ¡°I wish I could forgive her. But then why, why would she do something like this?¡± ¡°Demons most likely.¡± Neiliel voiced her opinion from the other side of the clearing, she had her mace out along with a small pocket book open on the ground with her four pointed wooden talisman on top of it. She appeared to be in the middle of a ritual of some kind while she continued to explain. ¡°I heard some of them tempt their chosen prey in doing terrible deeds for their own amusement. Some even grant their avatars power through a contract.¡± ¡°Looking from the aspect of her mana, that might be the case.¡± Luke had a dark expression on his face when he said it. He was massaging his own wrists from time to time, before looking towards Phoebe. ¡°Wind magic usually has the environment¡¯s appearance but hers was something else entirely, besides that, I never heard anyone being able to create a wind barrier so strong it could protect from blows like sir Krieg¡¯s and miss Laura¡¯s.¡± The elf frowned, her gaze locking on a spot on the ground. ¡°Whatever it may be. I have a mission and I must accomplish it no matter what. Be for the favor of a demon or her own selfishness, I will put her down when we cross paths again.¡± She lifted her face as a gentle touch reached her left hand, Leona was holding her hand while giving a soft squeeze. ¡°I know this is¡­ egoistical of me, but please, try to make amends with her. If she was the totally terrible person you think she is, don¡¯t you think our encounter could¡¯ve gone much worse?¡± Their eyes locked for a few seconds before Phoebe looked away. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but smile, at least deep down she didn¡¯t only hate her sister at heart. But in the back of the Princess¡¯ mind she couldn¡¯t help but feel worried for Kaeli¡¯s warning, if Alexander really did become ruler of the Arcadian kingdom, it would spell doom for the entire continent. The Lorraine family used to be just a weapons manufacturer just like the Crossfords, but it wasn¡¯t until he became the head of the family that it all became clear, Alexander despised demons, as for the reason behind it, Leona didn¡¯t have the slightest idea why he harbored such resentment. Surely the war caused more harm than good, but it was thanks to it that both families thrived. Before Leona¡¯s father became a noble, he was a simple weapon instructor, born to serve under the more powerful and influential families of the kingdom. It was only after he met his demi human wife he started to get somewhere, with his expertise with weapons and her knack for creating things, both worked together towards their own future, the same future that Leona was now trying to protect. A future where demonkind can coexist with humankind. Now staring at her own two frail hands, she questioned whether or not she was suited to make that change happen or if she could even stop a whole kingdom from going towards certain destruction. ¡®Not alone.¡¯ She thought as she looked at everyone surrounding her, allies. She squeezed the elf¡¯s hand one more time as she gazed back into the princess¡¯ aquamarine eyes filled with determination. A strong-willed smile appeared on Leona¡¯s face as she started to speak full of conviction. ¡°We¡¯ll find a way to bring your sister to her senses, together I¡¯m sure we can do it.¡± Phoebe smiled back albeit still a little shaken from the whole experience. ¡°Thank you Princess Leona. I¡¯ll give it my all to help you and sir Krieg.¡± The elf turned to the rest of the group, lowering her head, before thanking them as well. ¡°If not for you all here, I don¡¯t know what could have happened today, thank you.¡± Laura bumped her fist on her chest before giving her a smile back, Neiliel nodded in agreement seemingly satisfied and Luke simply smiled while still tuckered in his own cloak. Morale wasn¡¯t exactly high amongst them after seeing what those mages were capable of, but Leona tried her best to shake the feeling of powerlessness between them by speaking with each one individually. Meanwhile Krieg and Laslow were scouting ahead with Jonathan much further forward, the forest were still burning as waves of smoke came with the wind breeze blowing from the south, rendering visibility low at times. The wizard was crouched beside the knight that had his greatsword out, a trickle of sweat could be seen on his forehead as he wiped with the back of his left hand before glancing at Laslow the moment he opened his mouth. ¡°Krieg. Do you think Princess Leona can handle travelling more on foot? I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s wise to rest in the forest with the fire still going on.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be able to walk at the same pace as the group, but I¡¯ll make sure to carry her if necessary.¡± Even though he had a turban on his head covering most of his face, the surprise on the wizard¡¯s eyes became apparent. ¡°I¡¯m aware that knights are trained to persevere through very inhospitable environments but even so, carrying a person along with your equipment and yourself for another day worth of travel seems a bit too much.¡± ¡°No need to concern yourself with either of us, I¡¯ve done this before.¡± Krieg glanced forward towards where Jonathan went, but with the thief no longer in his field of view he decided to backtrack. ¡°I¡¯ll fetch the others.¡± Laslow nodded and started to scratch the back of his head through the turban. ¡°Shoot. Way to go Laslow.¡± He mumbled to himself before setting a small arrow with pebbles and stones he found on the ground, pointing to where Jonathan went before heading the same way. ¡°Well ain¡¯t that a bad job at socializing.¡± The voice to his immediate right made the wizard jump to the opposite side with a vestige of fire swirling on the palm of his right hand. But who was peeking behind a bush was none other than the thief himself. ¡°For the love of goddess Jonathan, do you wish to be burned alive so badly?.¡± Jonathan shrugged off with a light chuckle. He jumped over the bush so as to not leave any trace and landed with his hand on the ground beside Laslow. He glanced back before looking at the wizard. ¡°At least you know how to hold your fire. Anyhow, I scouted ahead but got nothing, apparently he didn¡¯t send any soldiers to look out for us.¡± ¡°Can never be too careful, especially when it¡¯s about that snake.¡± Laslow was squeezing his wrists slightly, he seemed nervous, something the thief had never seen before. ¡°Hey.¡± Jonathan¡¯s fist hit his right shoulder softly and with a smirk across his face he said. ¡°You got us, we¡¯ll be there to take care of your back, as you have with ours.¡± Laslow sighed while shaking his head slightly, he looked down on the ground before closing his eyes and turning to meet his friend¡¯s gaze. ¡°You were the last person I wanted to hear that from, but thank you. I¡¯ll make sure that bastard dies the most painful way possible.¡± The thief nodded with a confident smirk on his face as he stood up to meet the approaching group. Krieg motioned with his head to the people approaching from the trail behind him. ¡°Everyone is here. Let¡¯s move.¡± The knight still had his greatsword out but it was resting with the blade flat on his right shoulder. Though an ally, his height and muscle size was intimidating, especially with the weapon being held so easily with one hand. ¡°Right this way.¡± Laslow showed the path they would be taking. Jonathan headed to the back of the group as he continued to take care of the traces left from footsteps, Laura¡¯s were particularly difficult to hide due to its size and depth on the somewhat muddy terrain but he still managed to use the foliage and pebbles as to not make it too obvious that a group walked through the trail. Hours went by, eventually the sun started to settle and the tint of orange painted the sky along with the darkness encroaching as the light became dimmer. It was considerably more difficult to traverse the forest without a source of light as many couldn¡¯t see well in the dark, save for Krieg. ¡°Come on, this way, be careful with your footing.¡± He took the lead from that point onwards, only consulting Laslow occasionally to keep going the right direction in the maze-like forest. Guiding the group through a shallow river, he made sure to hold Leona above the water as he crossed it carrying her, though it didn¡¯t make her particularly happy. ¡°Krieg, I appreciate your concern but I can walk through this without issue.¡± ¡°This is for your own safety Princess. Without proper footwear you shouldn¡¯t try to thread through water or mud. You could get yourself stuck.¡± ¡°Or sick, with sludge foot.¡± Laura added as she further explained. ¡°If you stay too long with your feet wet it can create blisters and all kinds of nasty stuff. I experienced it myself and it ain¡¯t pretty.¡± Having never heard of such a horrible condition made Leona reevaluate how she had treated the knight with his, more than justifiable way to show his concern. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m- I apologize Krieg.¡± ¡°It is okay Princess. Back in the war, my captain used to tell me how to keep myself battle ready and one of the lessons was about keeping my feet in shape to march if needed.¡± ¡°Still, it was uncalled for, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok-¡± Neiliel elbowed him on the right side of his rib and motioned with her hand as trying to say, ¡®just accept it¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ll explain next time rather than do things on my own.¡± Leona smiled weakly while they traversed the water, she had fond memories when Krieg held her like that, even though it made her feel like a kid now as a young woman. ¡°Kri! Let¡¯s play tag!¡± A very young Leona wearing a yellow dress was swinging her arms up and down trying to get the full armored knight¡¯s attention as he towered meters above the little girl. The mansion was busy with maids running around as it was Lady Ravness¡¯ birthday. One of the older maids carrying a basket of flowers stopped to scold the girl. ¡°Princess Leona, Krieg is currently on patrol and-¡± He put his hand up to stop her from speaking, before giving a nod and turning to the little girl. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s play tag Princess Leona.¡± A smile curled up on her face. ¡°You won¡¯t catch me wearing that armor! Kri!¡± She started to run to the opposite side of the hallway zig-zagging through the many maids carrying different tools or baskets. Krieg however, didn¡¯t take the competition lightly as he too was nimble enough, even while wearing a full suit of silver armor, to avoid bumping into anyone while chasing the girl. She sharply turned the next corner and when the knight reached the same place he instead bumped directly into Adele, she had a very wide basket filled to the brim with bright yellow flowers that almost went to the ground but the knight helped her hold it before it fell. ¡°Oh I¡¯m so sorry Miss Adele.¡± Her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Ah, Krieg, what is so important that you are in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Did you see Princess Leona? She came running this way.¡± The maid tilted her head slightly to the side, her thick coiled horns almost hitting her slender shoulder. ¡°Princess Leona? No, I haven''t seen her at all.¡± ¡°Really? I swear she ran this way.¡± A faint giggle caught the knight¡¯s attention and for a moment he stopped moving entirely. Adele couldn¡¯t help but smirk at the sight of the knight looking around clueless. ¡°Can I help you Krieg?¡± ¡°Did you hear something?¡± ¡°Hear? My apologies, the only thing I heard was you asking me if I heard anything.¡± Another faint giggle before Krieg looked towards his feet, a part of his right silver boot was affixed to the wooden floor with ice as a small hand was peeking out from Adele¡¯s skirt. Dashing quickly out of the hiding spot down the hallway, Leona was laughing from the prank she pulled on the knight. ¡°Hahaha Kri is too slow!¡± He tried to pull the boot but the wooden plank simply creaked as if it was about to break. Adele giggled before flicking a small flame into existence to melt the ice away. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Princess Leona I helped you.¡± ¡°I am ever grateful for your help, Miss Adele.¡± He bowed quickly before continuing to run after the young princess. Adele took a long look at the two of them with a smile on her face before heading off to do her chores. ¡°Princess that was low!¡± ¡°Haha! Maybe wear a normal shoe next time!¡± She created a sheet of ice on the floor as she slid on top, gaining speed. Krieg focused all his strength on his legs as a burst of force sprung him forward. ¡°You¡¯ll never catch me Kri!¡± The moment she looked back, he was no longer there and when she was about to stop to figure out where he went, she suddenly didn¡¯t feel her feet touch the ground anymore. ¡°Huh? Where did he- Wah!¡± Krieg had picked her up by the waist. His left arm was big enough to wrap around her small body frame as she was held high off the ground. ¡°I caught you.¡± ¡°Aw, you got me.¡± Even though she lost the game she still smiled warmly at him. ¡°Shall we go see Lady Ravness?¡± ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go see mom!¡± He walked at a peaceful pace back to the main hall, maids bowing towards Leona as she waved, greeting all of them cheerfully while clinging on the knight¡¯s chest. They reached the double doored war room, the intricate carvings on the wooden entrance represented two wolf heads meeting towards the middle. Krieg turned the knob and opened the door. ¡°Lady Ravness, I brought Princess Leona.¡± The room was awfully dark even with the large clear windows open to the garden outside, some sort of mist gathered around the center of the room when they walked in. Her mother was sitting with her back towards the doorway on a comfortable armchair while holding what seemed to be a cracked tea cup with her left hand, a dark red liquid was oozing from her long sleeve as her head turned almost one hundred eighty degrees to face them. Hollowed eye sockets and a creepy smile surged from her cracked lips. ¡°I gave everything for you, what else do you need to become stronger? Why haven¡¯t you used your power?¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened in terror. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re not my mother! She tried to tear Krieg¡¯s grasp away from her hips but the knight kept imobile, the same red liquid started to come out from the gaps on his helmet like some sort of slime. ¡°Heed my call Leona. Our destinies are intertwined, now more than ever.¡± Chapter IX: A Rightful Vow The woman before her stood up, four crooked bone wings emerged from her back and on each bone that there would be a feather was a thick red liquid dripping down instead, said ooze seemed to have it¡¯s own life, slowly crawling towards Leona. Her mother''s hands were blackened with pulsating red paste as she shambly approached the girl. ¡°Remember my name, impart upon your soul, for I am Lastraeous, the true god of this world!¡± Darkness seemed to engulf her whole, muffling her screams of terror into an eternal abyss void of light. Leona shot up awake, her breathing was rugged, uneven pale puffs of air came from her mouth. It was already night time, some bags of the group were piled up together to form a slope against the rocky cave wall, apparently she was sleeping on them. Leona reached for her forehead to swipe the cold sweat before covering her eyes with both hands and breathe deeply. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Laslow was looking at her from over his book on the other side of the shallow cave, lying against what appeared to be a thick tuft of grass. ¡°It was just a bad dream.¡± She answered before lowering her hands covered with sweat, drying them against the ripped blue cloak around her shoulders. ¡°A nightmare you mean.¡± The Princess refrained from replying, instead she laid her back against the bags again trying to concentrate on her breathing to calm down. A spiking cold chill went down her spine the moment she tried to remember what the dream was about, but she wasn¡¯t able to. It felt surreal, almost as if she couldn¡¯t grasp the meaning behind it, yet it was there lingering on her mind like poison spreading in water. ¡°Princess Leona, I need to apologize for the way I spoke to you when we first met, it was unsightly of me to judge you based on my personal experiences with previous nobles.¡± He crossed his legs and put each hand on his knees and lowered his head. ¡°I am very sorry.¡± Her eyes slowly glanced at him prostrating towards her. She grasped her nose ridge and closed her eyes before saying. ¡°Water under the bridge. You did us a service by protecting everyone in the previous confrontation with the wizards. As long as we can fight together, that¡¯s what matters to me.¡± Being apologized to was not exactly a common occurrence to her, it wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant, but it wasn¡¯t unwelcomed either. She opened her eyes again to face him. ¡°Let¡¯s just forget this happened and move on, you¡¯ve proven more than capable to help us so there is no need for you to get worked up for this.¡± He lifted his head to look at her. ¡°I am ever in your debt, if you find yourself in need of a tutor in the arcane field, do consider telling me so, I may not look but I am one of the teachers in the magic school of Windia.¡± She nodded half heartedly before reaching for her belt, the shortsword was still there. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, thank you. If you excuse me.¡± She stood up and looked around, deeper into the cave Phoebe and Luke were handling the campfire, the two were apparently too occupied to notice her. To the other side there was a forest line not too far from where she stood. She decided to head inside and pull her sword out. The metallic blade grazing against the leather scabbard made a distinct sound that caught the elf¡¯s attention as she swiftly turned to face where the sound came from with both her hands inside the cloak. Luke turned right after her but with his hand on a piece of burning wood. ¡°Ah, Princess Leona, did you manage to rest?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m just going to train a little while we have time.¡± ¡°Very well, do tell me if you need anything.¡± Leona nodded. Luke smiled. ¡°Good to see you better Leo.¡± ¡°It was thanks to everyone really. How about you? Are you fully recovered?¡± ¡°Yeah I- Eowch!¡± He dropped the piece of log he had picked up right back into the campfire. ¡°I¡¯m feeling better, yes, not so much now. Ow¡­¡± The princess giggled from the sight of him shaking his hand. She approached him and kneeled down before opening her left hand. A rock of ice the size of her palm began to form from the crystallization of the air. ¡°Here, use it.¡± She handed it to him. ¡°Appreciate it Leo.¡± After taking care of her friend, she decided to take a few steps back and lift the shortsword into a stance, pointing the tip of the blade towards the far wall. Her right leg was forward and slightly bent while she anchored her left foot behind her, she raised the weapon above her head and while exhaling her breath, she stepped forward with her left foot and swung the blade downwards. By putting too much strength on the swing, it made the blade go too low and bounce off the rocky ground sending sparks around her. ¡°Ah!¡± She held the blade up again, surprised by what just happened. After taking another deep breath she assumed the same stance but focusing more on the blade. ¡®I mustn¡¯t swing with everything I have.¡¯ She thought as she raised the blade once again. With another left foot step, she brought the sword down but only a few centimeters past below her chest. The blade was firmly held between her slender fingers. Phoebe finished preparing the campfire before laying her back against a rock behind her, hearing the sword travel through the air a couple of times made her stare at the one using the blade. While the Princess¡¯ stance was not the best, each swing seemed to be more sharp and precise than the last. She repeated the same swings for a couple more times before switching to another stance. Leona raised her sword horizontally above her head, holding the handle firmly with her right hand and having the other secure the pommel in place, her legs gently bending to increase her stability. This time her slashes came off diagonally, two strikes forming an x and a finishing upwards cut with a step of her left foot forward. She returned to her initial stance and repeated the attacks once again. Sweat started to build up on the sides of her face, at one point it fell on her right eye, forcing her to stop swinging the blade to dry up. She dried herself by using the edge of her ragged cloak. ¡°Hey Princess.¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice caught her attention but the moment she turned towards her a small pebble was thrown in her direction by the elf. ¡°Ow!¡± Leona took a step back when the rock no bigger than an egg hit her right on the clavicle. She regained balance while still with her right eye closed due to her own perspiration. ¡°Wha- what was that for?¡± ¡°Take it as a lesson from me.¡± She picked another two pebbles off the ground. Throwing them up and down on her right palm. ¡°You¡¯d want to either dodge or parry, a sword is useless if their user is incapacitated.¡± Leona swiped the right side of her eyebrow with her backhand and grasped the sword towards the elf. ¡°Princess, this stance is called long point. It¡¯s a guard meant for a more defensive style, useful to deal with an opponent whose range is greater than your own. You can easily sidestep an incoming strike or parry by using the flat surface of your blade and punish it with an attack of your own.¡± Remembering Krieg¡¯s words, made her hold the weapon with more confidence as the elf prepared to chuck the pebbles at her. Leona took a deep and steady breath, by focusing all her senses the moment Phoebe threw the pebble, time seemed to come to a crawl. Darkness slowly creeped into her field of view. A strange dark red force enveloped her arms like a gentle touch, moving the weapon on her hand like a puppet on a string. The first pebble was swatted to the side by the flat side of the blade and the other was cut in half with a horizontal slash, Leona only realized what she had done after looking at the dumbfounded elf staring at her intently. ¡°Princess Leona, that was amazing. Just how did you manage to do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not sure myself, it felt like my sword was being guided.¡± Looking down at her hands, nothing seemed different. She closed her eyes trying to recall the feeling she felt but it was in vain, much like a violent gust of wind, it was a powerful yet fleeting influence. With surprise on his face, Luke started to clap behind Phoebe. ¡°That was impressive Leo! I didn¡¯t know you improved so much in so little time.¡± Leona knew it wasn¡¯t her own effort completely, but she smiled nonetheless. ¡°Thank you Luke.¡± Her eyes shifted to the entrance of the cave, whatever was guiding her blade seemed to be on her side and she would take up any help she could get to save her father, even if it meant corrupting herself in doing so. ¡®Father, I will save you, no matter the cost.¡¯ The moon was high in the sky, brightening the forest, or what was left of it. Krieg, Laura, Neiliel and Jonathan were scrounging the forest for food, each fanned out to search before the thief came across a half-melted wall of ice in the middle of the forest not too far from where they set up camp. ¡°Neil, come here.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. His voice prompted the priestess to walk up to him. ¡°What do you need?¡± He motioned with his head to the ice behind him and asked as she took a closer look. ¡°This can¡¯t possibly be natural, right?¡± She kneeled and touched the ice. concentrating on the frigid cold spot while shaking her head. ¡°It was made, most likely from those wizards from before.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s safe to say they planned the fire. Damn.¡± ¡°To be willing to sacrifice the Great Forest for something like this¡­ hm?!¡± Her head turned sharply to Jonathan, she rushed forward knocking him aside with her left hand and pulling her mace with the right hand. ¡°Merciful goddess of light, put this restless soul at peace, Exorcise!¡± A blinding flash of light burst from her mace in a radiant burning energy, the shambling humanoid creature that was dangerously close to Jonathan¡¯s back took a few steps away from the light, seemingly scorched by the divine energy emitted from the priestess weapon, but it only made it angrier. It¡¯s hanging mouth opened in an ear splitting screech that prompted them both to cover their ears. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Laura was a few meters away from Krieg who also turned towards the sound. The forest used to be a dense maze, but it was mostly cleared out due to the fire, however that didn¡¯t make it any easier to locate things, even through sound. ¡°Yeah, it came from where Jonathan and Neiliel went. We should go.¡± The barbarian nodded while also drawing her weapon. The knight rushed through the foliage, cutting down any resistance from what remained from bushes. A strong flash of light caught the knight¡¯s attention by the edge of his vision, he sharply turned towards the light and jumped over a bush before finding Jonathan clutching his head with his knees on the ground. Neiliel had a deep cut on the right side of her arm she was clutching with her left hand. A few meters in front of her was a skeletal humanoid creature cloaked in dark mist wielding what seemed to be a shortsword. It tried to attack the priestess once again but she sidestepped the stab going for her exposed shoulder and hit the skeleton¡¯s head with a horizontal strike of the mace. It was a solid hit but it wasn¡¯t enough for it to fall, its head turned awkwardly to the right side before turning back towards her with its empty eye sockets. ¡°Wha-!¡± The next attack was going directly for her left eye but a greatsword smashed the skeleton¡¯s elbow and lower body in one strike. Laura was holding the weapon which had sunken into the ground tightly in her enormous hands with an unbelievable amount of anger on her face. ¡°Are- are you alright Neil?¡± The barbarian was breathing hard, it was possible to see the glint of rage still in her emerald eyes as the malicious dark magic left the formerly animated skeleton. ¡°Y-yeah. But Jonathan needs help, I¡¯m almost out of mana too.¡± Neiliel held her arm tighter to prevent more loss of blood, she needed to cast the healing spell but the pain was too much causing her to lose concentration when trying to tap into her divine powers. ¡°Laura. Grab both of them and get out of here.¡± Krieg spoke as he stood in front of them. Laura was already in the process of getting them ready to carry but what the knight said made the barbarian worry for their safety. ¡°What are you saying? Wasn¡¯t that the only enemy here?¡± ¡°A dark wraith is never without its master.¡± Krieg held the greatsword firmly with both hands and put his left foot behind his body, slightly bending his knees into a long point stance. The sound of metallic armor clanging in the distance became more apparent the closer the foe approached. Like nightmares fueled by malice, the blackened armor left a dark trail of mist behind its user. The towering figure brought a blackened greatsword on his right hand, the blade had even darker red spots, what seemed to be dried blood stained upon the metal. ¡°So we meet again. Krieg.¡± The croaky voice echoed from behind the closed helmet. He loomed above the dried bushes, the heavily armored knight clad in black armor crushed the bones of his former minion under the weight of his sabatons. Laura flinched at the sight of the opposing knight, the air seemed to chill around his armor as if screams of the dead screeched the black metal. ¡°Laura, take both of them and run.¡± Krieg tightened the grip around the sword¡¯s handle, small amounts of sweat started to drip from the sides of his forehead. The barbarian was hesitating, with only one enemy remaining it was possible to take on the opposing knight, but leaving the two helpless on the ground could be a fatal mistake should the enemy go for a killing blow. She tightly gritted her teeth before picking up both of them under each arm. ¡°Sir Krieg¡­ I¡¯ll return with help. I promise.¡± She dashed over the bushes and ran as fast as she could towards the cave. The black knight turned to Krieg, pulling his sword up straight to the sky close to his chest, his left hand grasping the lower part of the handle. The starry night sky was brightly lit by the reflection of the full moon in the sky, light seemed to come to a stop on the surface of the blade, not even the slightest glimmer of light was reflected by the dark metal. ¡°I hope you have been training Krieg.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Krieg stared at his opponent, but no matter where he looked, there was no way to tell how he would attack. The stance was too unorthodox to be an Arcadian knight, and even if he was from the kingdom, someone that stood out like that would be widely known especially in the capital. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± Seemingly ignoring his question, the black knight swung his weapon down with all his might, the air crackling with bursts of lightning coming off the blade. Instead of parrying, Krieg evaded with a sidestep while also switching to a more compact stance in order to stab the enemy¡¯s shoulder as the armor is normally thinner there. However his foe noticed the stance and instead of backing away he charged in with his sword low behind his body. Krieg couldn¡¯t back away so he rotated the blade to a horizontal position and tried to go for the gap between the helmet and chest armor. They exchanged blows almost at the same time, but Krieg¡¯s blade was deflected to the side when the other knight used his left shoulder armor to redirect the blade outwards and with an upward swing, his greatsword stopped a few centimeters shy from beheading Krieg that had dropped his weapon at that point. ¡°I¡­ yield.¡± The black knight lowered the blade, his voice seemed disappointed. ¡°You regressed from the time we last met. Why are you not attacking? Have you grown too accustomed to the protection of your armor that you forgot what a real knight is capable of? A knight¡¯s mettle is won by hard cold steel driven by purpose and duty. Such duty must be taken head on without fear, ¡®tis courage that guides us forward, even against overwhelming odds.¡± Krieg picked up his greatsword before sheathing it, all the while looking at the knight walking away from him. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll discover soon enough, Leonard Krieg.¡± Night shadows from the moonlight seemed to engulf the knight before suddenly disappearing into the woods. Krieg felt a strange sensation of familiarity through those words, as if it was something he should remember but it only appeared to be a distant memory in his mind. Exhausted and disappointed by his own display of skill, or lack thereof, he decided to go back to the cave. His sword-arm had a strange feeling of lightness to it as he opened and closed his hand repeatedly. Back in the shallow cave, Luke, Laslow, Leona and Phoebe were gathered together around the fire sharing a big enough bread to feed all of them for days. Light conversation happened as the Princess tore part of the bread on her hands to eat in small bites. Her shortsword was lying on the ground in its worn scabbard. ¡°Las doesn¡¯t really seem like an instructor to me. Though he knows a lot about magic I¡¯ll give you that.¡± Phoebe chuckled before she laid back again on her own bag against the wall. Laslow had an annoyed expression while he tended to the sizable casted iron cauldron held above the fire by a sturdy branch, some sort of soup was being made by the wizard. ¡°Knock it off will you, I was officially recognized by my arcane expertise by the director. I am more than qualified to teach about magic.¡± Luke was trying to calm his cousin, however he was failing to do so.¡± ¡°Now, now¡­ don¡¯t need to fight over that-¡± ¡°Laslow! Phoebe!¡± Leona¡¯s hand instinctively reached for the weapon lying on the ground beside her as she turned around with the other hand on the handle ready to draw steel. Phoebe and Laslow readied the longbow and a fire spell respectively as their eyes met with the barbarian¡¯s weary body. Though big and strong, her body was on the limit of carrying one person on each arm while running through the narrow forest. ¡°What happened?!¡± The elf was the first to rush forward to aid them as Laslow motioned to Luke to keep an eye on the food as he too approached them. A cold feel in Leona¡¯s stomach started to grow as she didn¡¯t see Krieg come behind the barbarian. Her body started to tremble from imagining what could have happened to the knight. By mustering all her courage, she asked the barbarian who was in the middle of tending Neiliel¡¯s wounds with bandages from a nearby bag. ¡°Where- where is Krieg? Wasn¡¯t he with you?¡± Laura¡¯s eyes drifted for a moment of worry but then met Princess¡¯. ¡°He stayed behind to fend off the enemy, it was a single knight wearing black armor.¡± Her eyes went wide and a biting cold chill went down to the base of her spine. ¡®It can¡¯t be that knight¡­ Krieg defeated him before.¡¯ Her mind started to race trying to come up with a reasonable explanation but nothing seemed to make sense, if that knight was really alive and seeking revenge, it could mean the end of Krieg¡¯s life. Such thoughts frightened her to the core. A flash of Adele¡¯s last words came to her mind. The maid laid on the blood soaked ground waiting for her life to snuff out like a dying candle. It couldn¡¯t happen again, not with someone so close to her as Krieg. ¡°This can¡¯t happen¡­ not again¡­¡± Words came out of her mouth as small mutters while her hand tightened its grip around the shortsword handle. Phoebe noticed her strange behaviour from the corner of her vision. ¡°Princess?¡± The elf called out but she suddenly dashed towards the entrance of the cave. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears, desperation had kicked in, anguish born from the thought of losing another person precious to her. She couldn¡¯t bear it, through her own hands she decided to end it. ¡°Leo, wait!¡± Their voices became dimmer as Leona reckless sprinted out of the cave and through the forest, though she had no clue which direction they took first but reasoning was out of the window as the only thing she could think of was the knight¡¯s safety. What could she do even if there were enemies? Fight? She could barely hold a candle to Krieg¡¯s swordplay, much less so in a serious fight. ¡®Offer my life¡­?¡¯ A dangerous idea occurred to her, if they were really only after her, it meant that accepting to come quietly would mean the safety of those around her, possibly even saving her father. ¡°Princess?¡± The familiar voice made her stop and look to her right side. ¡°Why are you out here?¡± Krieg was standing with his scabbard loosely held on his left shoulder by the leather strap. His face was drenched with sweat but no wounds were apparent on his body. He was alive. ¡°K-Krieg¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was on my way back to the camp but an enemy showed up and-¡± She didn¡¯t wait for him to finish what he was saying and instead let go of the shortsword, throwing herself onto the knight with a tight hug to his chest. Krieg was first taken aback but then only caressed her head with a genuine smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you, Leona.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you leave my side ever again.¡± She sobbed, hiccuping and crying all the while. Her legs gave out eventually, making her fall with her knees on the ground but still grasping the knight¡¯s clothes tightly with no intention of letting go. ¡°There you two are.¡± Krieg lifted his face and saw the wizard standing in front of him, he had his book open and his robe was wavering like it was submerged in water. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, everyone needs some rest.¡± Laslow motioned with his chin to Leona. ¡°She needs it the most apparently.¡± Krieg nodded. He held the Princess¡¯ hands and kneeled to face her eye to eye. ¡°Leona we need to go back, can you walk?¡± She shook her head slightly. Krieg smiled while sighing lightly before picking her up in his arms. The knight then looked towards the wizard that floated mid-air. ¡°Laslow, can you protect us while I take Leona back to the camp?¡± ¡°Hm? I¡¯ll keep an eye on you two from above then.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± They started to walk back slowly. Leona all the while clutching tightly around the knight¡¯s neck. Krieg could understand why she was so worried, but he also knew it was his fault, for his selfishness of improving, he left his liege unattended when she needed him. The black knight¡¯s words still echoing in his mind. ¡®A knight¡¯s mettle is won by hard cold steel driven by purpose and duty.¡¯ Long did Krieg not know for what purpose he fought, nor why he did so. His duty was always so plain and clear to him but now it was cloudy and uncertain. The existence of Eleonora made his mind doubt for whom he fought for, but now more than ever, he knew it was in Leona¡¯s name. Her life was the sole reason why he still drew breath. ¡°I took my own vow too lightly, and those around me paid the price for my mistakes, I won¡¯t allow this to happen again. I promise you Leona.¡± The dark sky beckoned them to another day, however the next day would soon prove to be ever more arduous than the last. Chapter X: Fragments of the Past The sun was high in the sky in the slums of the Arcadian capital, so high in fact that it heated the bone white tiled floor to the point of scorching one¡¯s barefoot. A young lad of short messy brown hair and deep blue eyes was staring at the fruits being sold on a makeshift stall raised on the side of the wide street by two wooden planks on each edge of the wooden roof. It was a busy day bustling with people working or looking for work in the central square of the slums, it was a monthly occurrence there, most folks would set up stalls to sell whatever they hunted, gathered, or even stole, most didn¡¯t seem too worried about being arrested but not because they were quick or cunning to hide their goods, but instead it was just the city guards that would not even bother going there. ¡°John, how are we doing this?¡± Another kid approached young Jonathan with a small hemp sack, large enough to fit maybe ten apples. He wore a tattered shirt and a hemp sack with holes for trousers. His hair was a lighter toned brown with his right eye being hazel and the other one brown. ¡°Grab ¡®n¡¯ leave. Meet ya in the alley, shoulda be easy enough with the two of us.¡± The kid nodded. ¡°Right. Be right behind ya.¡± Young Jonathan took the lead zig-zagging through the crowd like he did it many times before. The fruit stall was manned by a bald man in his forties, grumpy old looking fella with a crude lit cigar stuck to the side of his cracked mouth. His blonde eyebrows were mostly thin due to previously working in the smelters, such heat would often cause facial hair to burn. He was preoccupied with a long dark red haired young woman seemingly disinterested about the apples he was trying to sell. ¡°Jake.¡± Jonathan called the other kid and discreetly grabbed the hemp sack before stuffing it into his own pants. He looked around before continuing to explain the plan. ¡°I¡¯mma grab a few of those apples ¡®n¡¯ some other fruits but if he seems like he¡¯ll turn around just go and kick the plank down. ¡°Got it.¡± He nodded before wandering near the young woman who was still trying to shake the old man off her skirt. Meanwhile Jonathan hung around the other side of the stall for a couple of more minutes before carefully slipping a few red apples and black round berries from wooden crates into the hemp sack that was still inside his pants. He would often look around for any gazes before grabbing another fruit he could lay his hands on and jam it inside his pants. ¡°Bah piss off my arse.¡± A male voice coming from his right made Jonathan¡¯s eyes peek through the edge of his vision without turning his head as the young woman seemed to leave the man talking by himself. The man sighed before turning his attention to the young possible customer standing right in front of him, puffing a thick white smoke cloud. ¡°Ya buyin¡¯ anything lad?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m so hungry. Would you not leave some scraps for me, old man?¡± Jake begged for food with dirty small hands out in front of him but instead of food he got a wooden stick beaten to the palms of his hand. ¡°Bugger off ya beggar. Go stain someone else''s stall.¡± He winced in pain and started to walk away clutching his stomach. The man moved his cigar from side to side before puffing another cloud of smoke. ¡°Beggars¡­ should die all of ¡®em. Hm?¡± He looked at the few irregular holes in the merchandise on the left-most crates and raised an eyebrow. His eyes darted around the wide street before seeing a young boy walking away from his stall leaning forward. The cigar was crushed by his teeth before he spewed it out and started to stomp his way towards the boy. ¡°Oi. Whatchu carrying there?¡± He angrily grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. The boy¡¯s weak deep blue eyes stared right back at the merchant, he was clutching his belly seemingly hungry. ¡°Hmph.¡± The man shoved Jonathan back, who almost fell on the ground. Behind him a crash noise accompanied by startled screams made the merchant take his eyes over to his stall which was now toppled over its own roof. ¡°Ah! Ma stall! Who was the little sh-¡± Jonathan took a few steps away before dashing to the left between the crowd, vanishing almost instantly amidst the bustling street. A smirk came across his face as he pulled the hemp sack from inside his pants the moment he stepped out of sight of the main street. It took a few more minutes walking through other narrow streets before he reached the alleyway they agreed to meet. ¡°Ah¡­ there he is.¡± Jake, who seemed tired from running, was sitting on a large wooden crate with a young girl of silver colored hair and deep purple eyes right beside him, her hands were grasping what seemed to be a stuffed owl with buttons for eyes, part of the toy¡¯s left ear was missing. She wore a dirt stained white frilly dress with long white sleeves also frilled near the wrists, if her clothing was cleaner she could be mistaken for a noble young girl. ¡°Hey. I brought us some food.¡± Jonathan set the sack on top of the crate between the two. He took an apple out and handed it to the girl first. ¡°Mmmm, thank you John.¡± She thanked him before holding it and taking it towards her mouth, she took a bite out of it and some of its juice trickled down to her chin. ¡°Ah. Alisa, ya need to eat less messily.¡± Jonathan reached for the side of her face with his right hand and cleaned the juice with his thumb. A weak smile surged from his face as he took care of the girl. Jake reached for one of the apples and started to eat as well. ¡°Oi punks.¡± The two young boys slowly turned to the other end of the alleyway, a trio of male teenagers approached, the two in front were younger ones with wooden planks wearing pieces of cloth as a turban around their faces, the older one in the back wore a tattered leather jacket and wielded what seemed to be a broken dagger. ¡°Give us that sack.¡± The one in the back raised the dagger towards the two of them, Jake hopped off the crate and lifted Alisa down to the ground behind him, she grabbed the edge of his clothing seemingly afraid of what was happening. Jonathan took the sack and threw it to the one on the front left, he grabbed it mid air and flipped the bag over his left shoulder. Jonathan motioned with his hand slowly to Jake to back away, but the young man in the middle noticed the little girl with a half eaten apple, motioning the dagger up and down towards them he said. ¡°Leave that on the crate. Or I¡¯ll gut y¡¯all.¡± ¡°Jake, take Alisa and run!¡± Jonathan¡¯s shout made the other young boy spring into action, lifting the girl on his arms and sprinting away from the alley. Jonathan on the other hand grabbed what seemed to be a loose broken brick from the ground and started to run in the same direction the two had run. ¡°What the hell are ya two waiting for?! Get ¡®em!¡± They started to sprint towards them with planks in hand. Jake turned a sharp left on the next corner and Jonathan followed suit, but instead of running along with him he stopped and turned with the brick in hand. ¡°Catch them before he guts us too!¡± He heard their voices approaching but didn¡¯t flinch, instead he listened closely to the footsteps before timing when to throw the brick. ¡°They are just kids, they can¡¯t have gone too far.¡± The moment Jonathan saw a foot peeking the corner he threw the stone brick at the height of one¡¯s head would be. ¡°Ack!¡± A brick flying to his face was not expected in the least as the young man stumbled to his right before tumbling on the ground and letting all the food spill out of the sack, Jonathan started to run across the street away from where Jake had run off to. The young man who was knocked down wasn¡¯t getting up but the one behind him started to give chase, Jonathan led him to another alley but this one was even more narrow with barely enough space to fit two adult men side to side. He was now cornered by his pursuer who was now mocking him as he approached with the weapon ready. ¡°Give it up kiddo, ya getting beaten one way or another now.¡± The young boy smirked as he started to climb the ledges of the window, jumping from wall to wall climbing up the alley. ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°Tough being dumb eh?¡± Jonathan mocked too soon, as he turned to look at their faces the selfsame brick came flying towards his chest, the loud thud against the boy¡¯s chest showed how violently the object had been thrown. He fell down on his back with a dry thump as the one he had knocked down with the brick was stomping towards him readying the wooden plank, now both of his attackers were there with him in the narrow alley. ¡°Ya piece of shit gonna learn ya lesson now!¡± He struck the boy without remorse, at first hitting with the flat surface of the plank but then the other joined using the edge of the irregular plank, each strike drawing blood from the poor young boy. Seconds, minutes went by as his attackers were growing tired of beating him. Jonathan had both of his arms crippled and a few broken ribs, but he endured without letting out a sound. ¡°Aight, aight, enough of this sack o¡¯ garbage, let me finish this.¡± The third one in the back was tired of waiting and was flipping his dagger before approaching the boy laying on his own blood on the ground. ¡°If ya only gave us all what we wanted.¡± He lifted the blade but for some reason remained there with his arm apparently stuck mid-air. ¡°My arm-!¡± In a split second his face and upper body became mangled as an invisible force seemed to torn him apart, blood spewed out everywhere and the two accomplices screamed in terror of what just had happened in front of them. ¡°Wha-! What the hell?!¡± ¡°Too loud.¡± A muffled female voice came from behind the mangled body in front of Jonathan. Before the other two could do anything, daggers seemed to be sticking out of their throats as the other two also fell dead on the ground, a beautiful flaming red haired woman was the last thing Jonathan saw before passing out with the relief that those three had died. ¡°I¡¯ll only say this once, Minerva is my name and from today onwards you¡¯ll be working under me. Boy.¡± Jonathan sprung up awake. The cavern entrance was dimly lit by the early morning sun, chirping of the birds could be heard in the distance as the thief slowly stood up. He reached for both of his ears to check if he was indeed hearing, fortunately for him the faint chirps filled his eardrums the moment a flock flew by the cave. His eyes naturally wandered to Neiliel who was still asleep lying awkwardly against Laura¡¯s left arm in the far corner of the cave. The thief, for the first time in the journey, smiled sincerely. He took his cloak off and used it to cover the priestess¡¯ upper body. Her face twitched at first, making him recoil instinctively, but he eventually laid the fabric on her. ¡°Thank you.¡± He whispered before turning around to take a look at the surroundings. Most of the party was asleep, save for a muscular young man clutching the scabbard of his greatsword against his chest. Sitting on the right side of the cavern entrance, Krieg was looking out towards the rising sun in the horizon. ¡°Good morning sir Krieg.¡± Jonathan¡¯s voice prompted the knight¡¯s eyes to shift to his direction, seemingly unsurprised by the thief being awake at that time. ¡°Good morning. Were you able to rest well?¡± ¡°Why yes, thank you for asking. Mind if I stay here?¡± He motioned on the other side of the entrance and Krieg nodded before shifting his attention back to the forest outside. Jonathan took a seat leaving his right leg extended while having the other one folded near his body, now without his usual white washed cloak it was possible to see two shortswords bound to his hip belt, one in each side. Without paying much mind at first he just pulled a dagger from the scabbard on the side of his vest and started to inspect the blade¡¯s condition, though it didn¡¯t take long for him to complete the usual checkup on his weapons and clothing, especially the boots. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Somewhat bored, the thief instead took his time observing the knight¡¯s build, it was hard to believe he was just a personal knight, even if Leona¡¯s family was an influential one back in the capital, Krieg looked more like a captain than your run-of-the-mill knight. Muscle strength wasn¡¯t only built from intensive training, it was also from what you could eat and the quality of such food. Jonathan would be more than familiar with such concepts, only after he started training under his mentor was when his body and mind started to develop. ¡®I wonder how she is¡­¡¯ His mind wandered as memories of his mentor started to come to his mind once again. She was strict, unforgiving and rude, but was also caring and understandable with her pupils. While there were many others, Jake, Alisa and Jonathan were the ones she paid more attention to and as result, were also the ones most pushed to the limit. ¡®Stop slacking off on your training!¡¯ Her words were still clear as day even though it had been years since they met. Though said memories would also bring darker ones as they had only one job and that was taking lives. The King Slayer group was mainly formed from the poor and downtrodden, some that would naturally hold a grudge against nobility, their creation was founded on the idea of getting rid of the corrupted nobles in power to better cleanse the kingdom, but somewhere along the road they defected from being righteous blades for the weak to a deadly guild of assassins for hire. Shame coursed through him, he fought so long to escape poverty and find himself a place to call home, but his actions would bring an end to many children¡¯s lives, just thinking about it made him feel a bitter taste in his mouth. ¡°Jonathan, wasn¡¯t it?¡± His eyes perked up as the knight called out for him, though the crimson eyes were still staring at the distant forest line. Unsure whether or not it was his imagination, he decided to answer half-heartedly. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Can you tell me about your group? I barely know Phoebe but the way she spoke about you all, seems to me that you are a close knitted band.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ it''s a long story.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind hearing it.¡± The thief nodded slowly as he thought where to start from and what he could tell him. ¡°It all started with Pho about five years ago. I was a former assassin from a group called King Slayer, I came across her in one of my missions, oddly enough we were hunting the same person, but that being said, it wasn¡¯t all easy at first. She would often argue with me about how I approached the task was foolish or unnecessary.¡± Seemingly how invested he was in telling the story, Krieg decided to shift half of his attention to actually listen to what he said and started to look him through the corner of his eyes. ¡°We stayed together for a while, meeting Laura and Neil further west in the goddess¡¯ temple in the Empyrean mountain ranges. From there we traveled east to Windia through the salt lakes, before meeting both Laslow and Luke. Those two were a close bond even before we met them.¡± ¡°And you have been working together for all this time?¡± ¡°We had our fall outs here and there but never abandoned each other.¡± Krieg nodded, knowing how close they were was reassuring, to the knight, nothing other than keeping his liege safe was more important, even if he had to deal with people like Laslow. ¡°Hm?¡± Jonathan shifted his head towards the inside of the cave, some hustling from bags caught his attention. The first to wake up was Leona, she scratched her eyes and apparently had a good sleep since the bags under her eyes were gone. ¡°Ah, good morning Krieg, good morning Jonathan.¡± She bowed slightly. The knight had a faint smile on his face before he answered. ¡°Good morning Leona.¡± The thief raised his hand to greet her. ¡°Mornin¡¯ Princess.¡± ¡°What are you two doing this early in the morning?¡± Both men looked at each other before Jonathan motioned with his hand towards Krieg as if saying ¡®go ahead¡¯. The knight turned back to her. ¡°I was keeping watch, but Jonathan here kept me company while he told me about how he met Phoebe and the others.¡± Leona was pleasantly surprised to see Krieg interact with others, even if only for listening to their stories, she sat down near the knight as she turned to ask the thief. ¡°Ah I see. Mind telling me as well?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, yes I can.¡± While she listened to Jonathan¡¯s rehearsal of the previously told tale, she twirled sharp pieces of ice around her palm with wind magic while also trying to add water into said ice spikes to make them larger. It was the first time Krieg witnessed her practice magic ever since she left the castle, she would usually be relentlessly going through the various books and tomes about military strategy in her father¡¯s study. After her mother passed away, reading was what brought her peace, it was what her mother used to do for her after all. Spending time reading in the quiet atheneum was how she went through her days. Those memories made him grasp the scabbard tighter, surely if there had been a way to prevent all of that, he would¡¯ve done so, even if it cost him greatly. ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s some very accurate control of magic, Princess Leona.¡± A familiar haunty voice came from her left, Laslow had just woken up, his usually hidden features could be seen with the morning sunshine hitting directly on his wincing expression. Blonde short hair, messily cut with a dagger and serious light blue eyes that were intently looking at the training the Princess was doing. Though he didn¡¯t show much care for what his friend was saying about the past and instead continued to talk to Leona. ¡°A triple elemental mage with such control at your age is unprecedented, where most struggle to wield basic magic, you excel both in control and creation, marvelous indeed.¡± Leona was taken aback how much his behavior had changed in the past couple of days, before he would not bat an eye to her, but now he was full of curiosity. ¡°Ah, thank you Laslow.¡± He grasped his chin while looking attentively at her manipulation of the three elements simultaneously. ¡°But I have to say¡­ are you not adept at fire magic?¡± Her eyes widened in surprise. She slightly frowned her eyebrows while looking away, the memory was too painful. Fire, an element of most importance to humans and demons alike, useful on the right hands, dangerous on the wrong ones. She knew first hand what was to wield it irresponsibly as it almost cost her friend¡¯s life. ¡°...no I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Usually, great control over wind magic comes along with the potential of fire magic, unless-¡± She turned to him, her eyes void of emotion as she spoke. ¡°I am no fire mage, Laslow. If anything, I¡¯m a failure at controlling fire.¡± She unceremoniously stood up before taking her leave from the cave, turning to Krieg on her way out. ¡°Can you accompany me? I want to take a breath of fresh air.¡± The knight silently nodded as he also stood up to follow behind her. As the two left Jonathan hit Laslow¡¯s ankle with a kick. ¡°Ow, what are you doing?¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing? Didn¡¯t Phoebe tell you to keep quiet about that stuff?¡± ¡°How is she supposed to improve if she stays stagnated with fear? Fire is just about the best element for offensive magic, if not the best. If we are indeed fighting against Alex, this is the bare minimum to do.¡± The thief clicked his tongue as he looked away. Laslow¡¯s pragmatism was not without reasoning, Jonathan knew first-hand how ruthless and calculating the man was, if anything, whatever they had prepared for up until now could all have been a waste of time on their end. Facing a ruler of a kingdom was what the thief had trained for under his master¡¯s watchful eye, but something just spelled danger about Alexander. Jonathan hit his closed fist on his thigh. ¡°Dammit.¡± Approaching behind Laslow, Luke was scratching his eyes trying to shake off the drowsiness. ¡°Good morning¡­ wait¡­ where did Leo go?¡± In the forest outside, but not too far from the cave, Leona stopped to look at the trees that were untouched by the roaring flames from the day before. A sense of peace came to her as leaves fell with the gentle breeze on her body. ¡°Krieg. Am I a coward? All this time, I have been running away but everything seems to just come back no matter how far I run.¡± She extended both of her hands out as more leaves fell on her hand, some were new, some others old and eaten away. Her eyes continued to gaze at the tree above her as she kept speaking. ¡°Are you afraid of what you became?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She turned around to face him leaving the leaves to fall on the ground, his eyes were serious, his expression was a mix of bitterness and sadness. ¡°Power comes with a price, the way you wield it is your responsibility. To fear the power you yourself obtained is to deny your own existence.¡± He unsheathed the greatsword and the metal was polished to the point of Leona being able to see her own reflection. He raised the blade above his head and looked at the fine sharpened edge before looking at her again, continuing to explain. ¡°With my skills with the sword I have taken countless lives of demons and humans alike, yet, I am willing to risk life and limb for you because I believe it is right. Loyalty and trust doesn¡¯t come with the oaths we made, but the bonds we share. Same can be said about power.¡± She could feel her chest ache, her inability to wield the flames that once served her wasn¡¯t because she had grown weak. It was of her own fear of hurting the people she loved and cared for. ¡°Krieg, I... ¡° She looked to her feet before looking at him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I made you worry.¡± Her small slender hands grasped the pendant close to her chest, being the first magic she was taught from her mother, it was a fond memory of being able to control the flames. Though happy memories weren¡¯t the only thing it reminded her of, from her recklessness and misuse of the powers that were entrusted to her, she had almost taken the life of her first friend. She grasped the prismatic star as she fell on her knees. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry Luke.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Luke¡¯s voice came from behind her, the young man was standing there with a bittersweet expression on his face. Seemingly winded from running all the way there, he had a trickle of sweat on his brow as he continued while trying his best to not interrupt himself in order to breathe. ¡°I don¡¯t resent you Leo. You were the first person to ever come to my aid like that. I was and still am grateful from the bottom of my heart. Still, she didn¡¯t turn around to face him as she painfully started to speak. ¡±What if I hurt someone again? Am I allowed to even have this power when all it does is to hurt others?¡± Luke approached and held her right shoulder before kneeling beside her. She looked at him, her eyes full to the brim with tears. ¡°If that happens I¡¯ll protect them until you can control it. Don¡¯t forsake what you fought so hard to obtain. Mister Krieg, I and everyone else will be here by your side, so¡­ don¡¯t be afraid to use it.¡± She sniffed a few times before closing her eyes and nodding slowly. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll try¡­¡± ¡°Come on now, let¡¯s go back to the cave, Phoebe is probably making something for us to eat.¡± He helped her get up before taking her to the camp, on the way back he nodded to Krieg who also gave him a nod back in acknowledgement. The knight sheathed his sword before taking a last look around the forest as he headed back. ¡°Do we have no more firesteel? Which is the bag with it?¡± Phoebe was asking around everyone while rummaging through different bags. ¡°It''s usually in Neil¡¯s bag isn¡¯t it?¡± Jonathan shouted from the entrance of the cave. ¡°She¡¯s sleeping on her bag, I can¡¯t just yank it out from underneath her head.¡± ¡°Ah well¡­ can¡¯t you do without soup in the morning?¡± ¡°That bread is too hard to eat without something to dip it in.¡± ¡°Damn elves and their brittle teeth.¡± Jonathan cursed as he got up. ¡°I heard that you halfwit!¡± She shouted back. ¡°Seven hells with you Pho...¡± He silently swore before standing up to help her. Laslow was on his way inside as well before he saw the trio coming from the forest below and instead decided to stay where he was, albeit with a faint smile on his face. He greeted them as they passed by him. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Luke nodded while she brought Leona with his arm around her shoulder. ¡°Is it ready yet Pho?¡± The young man asked but instead of answering, the elf gave him a stinky eye when she motioned with her open palm to the flameless stone pit. ¡°Do you see the wood burning?¡± ¡°Ouch, no need to be so rude first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°Should I¡­ light it?¡± Leona looked at Phoebe who turned her head slightly as she heard her. ¡°Huh, yeah go right ahead Leona.¡± The Princess extended her right hand slowly and started to concentrate on the center of the palm of her hand. She took a deep breath as she focused on all her memories, from failure to acceptance, from happiness to despair, she concentrated all those emotions into one small point, as she exhaled a small blue flame flickered into existence. She held her hand out on top of the pile of wood and let the blue flame slowly travel down to the firewood. For a moment Phoebe doubted such a small flame could have any impact in lightning up the stack of wood without proper kindling. It took less than a second, as the flame hit the wood a vicious orange flame bursted from where the small flame had touched, the flames were consuming the wood as if it had been lit for a while. The elf recoiled from the sudden appearance of the flames. ¡°Woah¡­ that¡¯s amazing Leona.¡± Phoebe was mesmerized by how well it was burning. The Princess smiled faintly as she gazed into the fire. ¡°T-thank you. My mother taught me how to use magic like this.¡± The elf approached her before giving a light hug from the side, which surprised her. ¡°Be proud of it, I¡¯ll make you some good breakfast soup as a token of my gratitude.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll take up your offer Phoebe.¡± After preparing breakfast, which was mainly composed of vegetable soup, hard bread and some dried meat, they headed out in the direction of Karna, the village Krieg, Leona and Phoebe came upon first in the beginning of their journey. It had been quite a while since the last time they were there. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Laslow was walking in the middle of the group as he inspected the weather, his eyes narrowed between the cloth turban. It was cloudy, most of the white fluffy clouds were blocking the scorching sun rays of spring. ¡°Interesting, it seems it¡¯ll rain for the next three or four days if this continues on.¡± Phoebe, who was in the front of the group along with Krieg, glanced at the wizard with a puzzled look on her face. ¡°I still don¡¯t get how you can know just by looking at the clouds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all about temperature, it¡¯s dropping, slowly but steadily. If you ever learn about fire magic you¡¯ll be able to sense it.¡± She raised an eyebrow before shifting her attention towards the young man right beside Laslow. ¡°Oh really? Luke, can you sense it as well?¡± ¡°I huh¡­ I¡¯m not certain to be frank, I¡¯m more of an earth mage myself.¡± Phoebe raised her shoulders, disappointed. Behind Laslow and Luke, Laura and Jonathan were keeping an eye out for anything suspicious while taking care not to allow anything or anyone to flank the group. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll listen to you Laura?¡± Jonathan had a worried expression as he questioned the barbarian beside him. Her eyes seemed to be locked in place somewhere in the group as she replied. ¡°I believe so, he¡¯s not a bad guy, just a misunderstood one, besides. He¡¯s smart enough to understand my reasons behind it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I just hope that is the case.¡± Suddenly Phoebe raised her hand into a fist, halting the group. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver and knocked on the string of her longbow. ¡°I hear voices in the distance, probably a few hundred meters ahead.¡± Leona looked surprised at Neiliel who was beside her. The priestess started to whisper to her. ¡°She knows a wind spell that allows you to heighten your hearing. Though it¡¯s tricky to use.¡± Phoebe was fully focused on the sounds she heard, she had to kneel down with her eyes closed. ¡°There¡¯s also some horses and¡­ apparently, some armored soldiers¡­ they are coming this way.¡± Chapter XI: Taste of Blood Leona could feel her heart starting to race as she heard Phoebe¡¯s words. An uncontrollable shaking took over her body as she couldn¡¯t stop thinking how she would help them if it came down to a fight. She had once harmed someone with magic, but it was a foreign concept to her to use magic to take someone¡¯s life. ¡°Stay calm, everything will be alright.¡± Neiliel¡¯s hand held hers tightly as she gave a confident nod to the Princess. ¡°We¡¯ll be here, just defend yourself if it comes down to it.¡± ¡°R-right, thank you Neiliel.¡± She swallowed dry trying to control her erratic breathing as everyone around her were starting to prepare for a fight. Krieg had his sword out and was placing himself in front of Leona, if anything were to come after her they would need to go through him first. Neiliel and Luke flanked the knight, the priestess with her mace out and Luke twirling three orbs of crackling fire on each of his hands. Phoebe and Jonathan seemed to vanish into the vegetation around the group while Laslow took a step further behind everyone and started to give out orders. ¡°Don¡¯t be caught in a fair fight, group up and let them come to you, they can¡¯t use horses in this thicket.¡± Utter silence came over the group, aside from the sizzling sound of fire from Luke¡¯s hands nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the forest, the gentle breeze shifted the vegetation around and the pleasant chirp of many birds echoed between the rich green forest. Laslow put his right ear against the ground and with a bit of lightning spell from the palm of his hand, he could hear rapid footsteps approaching their location. ¡°They are here!¡± Thanks to Krieg¡¯s fast reaction, Luke wasn¡¯t pierced through by the large javelin thrown from the bushes in front of them, the knight cut the weapon in half before it could hit the young man. ¡°Ah! Thank you!¡± Luke almost let the fire balls snuff out from surprise, but Krieg quickly shook him off with his shouting. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, more of them are coming!¡± Almost as fast as a loose arrow, a full steel plate armored knight came rushing from the bushes where the javelin had been thrown from with a battleaxe in hand, Krieg blocked the incoming strike with the blade as it was caught between the reinforced wooden handle and the axe head, the weapon was so heavy he had to take one step back as the opposing knight tried to force the weapon through his guard. Phoebe tried to strike the assailant¡¯s back neck with a bodkin arrow from the tree branch she was standing on but the projectile simply bounced off from what seemed to be a magical shield employed on him. ¡°Tsk.¡± She clicked her tongue as she once again vanished further into the woods. Seeing how ranged attacks were ineffective, Laura raised her greatsword above her head, she towered the enemy knight by a meter or so and a strike with her blade would most likely dent their armor or worse, however, a flying dagger hit her right shoulder, embedding itself about three centimeters into her brawn making her flinch. ¡°Argh!¡± A cloaked figure appeared from the shadows and swung their blade against Laura who was forced to lower the sword in order to block the attack. The figure¡¯s sword was much thinner and slightly curved back with a tint of rainbow all over the sharp edge. ¡°Laura! That¡¯s an enchanted sword!¡± Laslow yelled from the back while scribbling something on the air. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m aware.¡± She brought her own sword back and swung it upwards forcing the figure to step back. On the other side Luke unloaded the fire balls he had summoned forth into the enemy knight but once again it was blocked by some sort of spell. ¡°It¡¯s a wind spell! Projectiles won¡¯t work against it!¡± Leona yelled as she prepared a spell of her own. Her chant was surprisingly steady and focused as words came off her mouth in the heat of the fight. ¡°Oh graceful power of winds, unveil the magic that protects my enemies, Dispel!¡± A vivid green gust of wind enveloped the armored knight and seemed to destroy the protective barrier that was around him. The moment that happened Luke charged more fireballs on his hand. ¡°Sir Krieg stand back!¡± Hearing Luke¡¯s voice, Krieg promptly kicked the foe on their chest before shifting his eyes briefly at the assailant near Laura. ¡°Eat this!¡± Luke started hurling fire orbs one after another against the knight. Each fire spell struck against the armor erupted into vicious flames that engulfed the enemy whole. ¡°Argh! Damn you magic caster!¡± A distorted male voice filled with hatred echoed from the closed helmet as the knight tried to fan out the flames by smacking his own armor with his gauntlets to no avail. ¡°Marco!¡± The other figure shouted, her feminine soft-spoken voice was unexpected from the way she fiercely fought. She jumped back out of Laura¡¯s overhead strike which promptly struck the ground with great force sending dirt and mud all over the place. With strange wide movements of both her hands, the figure started to chant under her breath. ¡°Heaven¡¯s fall, upon this blade edge, Thunderclap!¡± A deafening sound of thunder came from Leona¡¯s left side, she turned to where Luke was standing but instead found Neiliel collapsed on the ground with smoke coming off her whole twitching body. ¡°Neil!¡± Luke screamed as he tried to get a hold of her but her body was spasming out of control. Hearing her name being uttered out made Laura instinctively move her eyes towards her friend who was down on the ground. ¡°You-! I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡± Her voice pierced through everyone¡¯s head as the barbarian left an ear splitting cry of rage, throwing everyone but Laslow and Krieg off their feet. Not even the female cloaked figure who had just harmed the priestess could stand up from the rage filled towering opponent in front of her. Laura¡¯s arms seemed to engorge as she charged down her foe, her objective was nothing more than to pulverize the young woman in front of her through sheer violence. Before she could reach her opponent however, five bolts sunk into Laura¡¯s chest. ¡°AAARGH!¡± She ripped the serrated bolts out of her chest which were coated with a murky green poison, but the toxins didn¡¯t seem to affect her as the source of her anger was at sword¡¯s length as she raised the sword. Some ways ahead of the main group, Phoebe and Jonathan were skulking around to find possible supporting enemies on the backline, jumping from tree to tree. ¡°Pho, did you hear that?¡± Jonathan had one dirk his right hand and the light crossbow on the other already loaded with a bolt coated with poison. His eyes were darting around the forest searching for more enemies but nothing caught his attention. The elf was still scanning the area with her longbow loosely drawn ready to shoot at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Something must have happened to Neil. We need to find the other guys and end this fight as fast as we can.¡± ¡°I kept an eye out for movement but couldn¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°Maybe they have a spell shield cast on them. Though I would have heard it if they casted while in range of my Amplification. Wait¡­ do you still have that powdered charcoal on you?¡± The thief raised an eyebrow. ¡°Huh? Yeah, I still have some.¡± ¡°Throw the whole bag out there, I think I know what spell they are using.¡± He unfastened a pouch he carried on the side of his belt and by swinging in a wide arc, he scattered the fine black dust in the air. The fine scintillating charcoal particles started to settle on the vegetation below them until the dust gathered around two humanoid silhouettes standing out from the natural terrain. Phoebe followed the human outline forming out of thin air with her bow ready. ¡°There!¡± She shot the bodkin arrow where the neck would be and seconds later terrifying gurgling sounds came from below. Phoebe had hit her mark with deadly precision as the invisibility spell faded, a hooded young woman wearing white priestess clothes stained crimson red appeared on the ground struggling violently with an arrow piercing through the top side of her neck going down into the base. Her blue eyes were wide with pain and dread as she desperately tried to pull the arrow out, in front of her there was a grizzled man probably in his late fifties wearing a dark green cloak on top of leather armor, he kneeled beside her with his face full of desperation as the young woman tried to beg for help, but her words came out as grotesque groans void of meaning. ¡°Luna! I¡¯ll help you! Just- please try to stay calm! You won¡¯t die on me!¡± The man¡¯s blue eyes were so focused on getting his medical equipment from the bag he didn¡¯t even notice Jonathan sneak up behind him until the woman tried to warn him with blood splattering from her mouth. ¡°Move and I¡¯ll gut you.¡± Jonathan placed the dirk against the man¡¯s back, slightly pressing against his clothing and the crossbow pointed at the young woman. ¡°Please¡­ just let me save her. She¡¯s my daughter and I-¡± The man begged, his rough voice filled with despair, as each second that passed the young woman slowly lost the color of her brow, from a healthy reddish pink to a pale blue which darkened each time she tried to breathe too hard. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to cast spells. Just finish the old man and let¡¯s rush back.¡± Phoebe started to run back to where the group was. Jonathan clenched his teeth, it was a bitter taste in his mouth to have someone¡¯s life on the edge of his blade once agai. He knew for a fact that man had a much deeper relationship with that young woman than just adventurers in a party, that much was obvious for the old man¡¯s course of action. ¡°...¡± ¡°I beg you-! I-¡± The thief hit the back of his head with the pommel of his weapon and sheathed the blade. The man was knocked out unconscious and left on the ground. Her eyes went wide, as she saw him get knocked out, fear took her whole body as Jonathan approached with his crossbow still out, but instead of finishing her off, he kneeled down beside her. ¡°It¡¯ll hurt like hell, but bear with it please.¡± He grasped the wooden shaft of the arrow and gently started to pull it out. Her body screamed in pain but she did her best to endure it until he pulled the dart off her neck, blood gushed out as he held it with a couple of bandages. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Here, let me staunch it.¡± Back with the group, Laura was recklessly swinging her greatsword against the cloaked female figure who could barely dodge out of the way. ¡°Give the Princess back!¡± The armored knight yelled as he charged at Krieg who parried them each time he was attacked. By keeping himself at close range, Luke nor Laslow could cast any powerful offensive magic that could possibly harm him, so they stayed each ready to cast a spell at the right moment. Leona tried to tend to Neiliel who was still not moving on the ground, thankfully not spasming anymore. ¡°What are you talking about¡­ you were the ones who attacked the Crossford household.¡± Krieg narrowed his eyes as his fingers tightly embraced the weapon¡¯s hilt. Anger started to build inside of him, the pain Leona had endured up until now would¡¯ve been for nothing if she was taken by them. The armored knight locked eyes with him as Krieg¡¯s words seemed to pierce right through him. ¡°I won¡¯t allow it¡­ none of you will lay a finger on her.¡± Leona turned around when it happened, it was so fast her mind almost lost track of all the movements Krieg did. From the long point guard he held, he baited the enemy¡¯s sword with a feint lunge, the knight¡¯s blade was off to the side when Krieg shoulder tackled him full force, sending the fully armored opponent down on the mud. ¡°Piercing Flame!¡± Luke rushed the incantation in order to make the most of the opening Krieg had made, as he flickered a wide flame onto his hand, the arrow-like spell was hurled against the knight. The moment it impacted against the armor the flames bursted into a cone against him, leaving only the scream of pain behind as he fell on the ground on fire, leather and cotton parts of the armor ignited with the second spell. ¡°Argh! My flesh!¡± ¡°Marco! Hang in there I¡¯ll help you-!¡± The cloaked young woman had her hands full with Laura¡¯s wide swings, usually if someone brandished a large weapon like that many times they would become fatigued enough to not be able to lift said weapon, but her strength seemed endless. ¡°Just¡­ run! They are more powerful than we anticipated¡­!¡± The knight¡¯s voice was mostly silenced due to the lack of oxygen in his lungs, as though he tried he couldn¡¯t breathe enough to be able to shout. Leona had her right arm grabbed as she looked startled towards Neiliel lying on her arms. ¡°Princess Leona- I¡¯m alright, just let Laura known that I¡¯m fine¡­ she should calm down-¡± She was coughing dry, the lightning attack seemed to fatigue her more than it did damage. ¡°Just please, don¡¯t let her kill anyone- she doesn¡¯t deserve any of this.¡± Leona nodded. ¡°I will. Just sit tight.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She left the priestess on the ground before standing up herself. On the other side of the field, Laura managed to hit the cloaked figure, luckily for her assailant, the blow was parried by the curved blade but the barbarian¡¯s strength carried the figure and thrown her against the trunk of a tree, hitting her back against it made her lose air and fall on the ground staggered. ¡°I WILL END YOU!¡± ¡°Laura! Wait! Neiliel¡¯s alive! Don¡¯t kill her!¡± Leona¡¯s voice echoed behind her and thankfully before the swing that would ultimately decapitate her foe. The edge of the greatsword was dangerously close to her neck. ¡°Neil¡¯s¡­ alright?¡± Laura glanced over her shoulder towards the priestess on the ground behind Leona, she lifted her left arm and waved back to the barbarian. ¡°She¡¯s fine, just don¡¯t kill- watch out!¡± Leona shouted as the cloaked figure tried a desperate attempt to stab Laura¡¯s stomach, but luckily for her the blade was parried between Phoebe¡¯s dual daggers, the elf quickly moved the weapon to her left side as she locked the woman¡¯s arm under her armpit and with the other dagger she threatened to stab her throat. ¡°Move and you die. Drop the weapon, now.¡± Under the cloak it was possible to see her golden eyes narrowed in anger with her teeth clenched. ¡°How about you cooperate? Otherwise I¡¯ll kill him.¡± Laslow was beside Krieg with purple lightning sparks above the fallen armored knight. He reached even closer to the helmet, killing intent in his eyes between the turban. ¡°I won¡¯t miss at this distance.¡± A dry thud as the curved sword fell on the mud. Laslow let out a chuckle before turning to his cousin. ¡°Good. Good. Luke go pick her weapon.¡± ¡°Huh? Alright¡­¡± Some noises coming from the bushes behind Leona made her jump back with her hand on the short sword handle, but it was Jonathan carrying another young woman with a bandaged throat. He raised his hand to greet the rest of the group as he said. ¡°Hey. We got the backline.¡± After confiscating all weapons, healing the ones that needed most and tying them up with plenty of rope, Leona and Laslow were trying to get them to talk, but with little success. The armored knight called Marco was staring at the Princess intently with his dark brown eyes, they had removed his helmet so the short light brown hair was completely visible, some soot was on his face from when Luke pelted him with spells. He didn¡¯t seem like a bad person, but was most likely misunderstanding the situation Leona was in. ¡°Why are you cooperating with them, Princess Leona? I thought your speech was more than just flowery words.¡± Now recovered from the burns, his voice could be heard clearly, he was in his mid twenties and was reasonably strong, being able to wield a battle-axe relatively easily while wearing full plate armor. ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± The cloaked figure now without the cover of her clothing could be identified as an unusual sight in that part of the kingdom, long black straight hair, dark eyes, slim figure and sharp face with two small black thin horns protruding from her forehead, she was beautiful, yet very much deadly. Her hands were tied behind her back tightly with extra rope to prevent her from casting her strange magic. She seemed very angry with the situation at hand, especially at Leona as she yelled. ¡°Why have you betrayed us?!¡± Laslow interrupted before Leona could retort, he seemed more than just upset with the misunderstanding the woman had just caused. ¡°Do you know the full scope of what happened in the capital? If not I¡¯d suggest you stay your tongue, unless you want your friend Marco here to experience being burned a third time.¡± The mage¡¯s hand crackled with red flames bursting out of the palm of his hand, the knight recoiled ever so slightly from the display of arcane might Laslow possessed, being burned was itself a terrible experience with armor, now without his helmet it would be deadly. The woman turned her gaze to the ground in front of her. Satisfied with the results the mage decided to dispel the spell and kneel down. ¡°Alright now that you¡¯re willing to listen I¡¯ll explain in detail what happened so far.¡± It took more than half an hour for Laslow and Leona to explain the current situation they were in, accounting for what happened before they even came to know each other. With each part of her story explained in detail, both the knight and the young woman started to doubt what information was given to them before. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± Marco had a pained expression on his face as he started to talk. The fact that everything he knew was both a lie and a thoroughly weaved plan to capture the Princess made him feel betrayed. ¡°We were told that Princess Leona betrayed her own father in order to raise herself to head of the Crossford family. We thought we¡¯d seek the true answer ourselves.¡± ¡°Were you given a reward bounty from Alex?¡± Laslow questioned, now more relaxed since they no longer showed hostility towards him. Emi, the tied young woman, decided to speak up this time. ¡°There was. But it was more¡­ ¡®our¡¯ situation.¡± She emphasized as she hinted with her head towards Marco. The knight looked away with his face beet red. ¡°Let me explain. When Princess Leona gave her speech about uniting demons and mankind together to fend off the Death Angels, you could say I was taken aback. Me and Emi here have been working together for about five years now, with everything that happened with the demon war, we didn¡¯t think there would be a day that a ruler could possibly unite the two but with your speech and the victory from the battle of Lugna Plains it was clear that if anyone could do it, it had to be you Princess Leona, but when we heard you had betrayed your father we-¡± Emi elbowed him before bluntly saying what their relationship was. ¡°Too long of an explanation. We just want to live together, as spouse and husband, but we all know Alexander is against demonkind.¡± She looked up to her horns. ¡°I can¡¯t really hide these either¡­¡± Laslow raised his hand to stop her. ¡°No need to explain any further, I believe we understood your situation completely. Princess Leona, any input?¡± He turned to her, but the Princess¡¯ expression was dark. The intricate lies would have stirred the hearts of many in the capital, from people that both supported and despised her family. It would surely create a huge hurdle in order to restore peace. ¡°Right, sorry. I¡¯m glad you two came to answer your own doubts, even though it was a misunderstanding, but what about them?¡± Leona turned to the grizzled man and the young woman behind them, while the man was tied up unconscious, the woman was being treated by Neiliel. The priestess seemed upset with Phoebe and was reprimanding her as she healed her patient, thankfully they were too far away for Leona to hear the sermon. ¡°Oh Luna and Samuel.¡± Marco started to explain. ¡°Luna¡¯s a priestess and Samuel is her father, they live together but since the church doesn¡¯t have much to give for the poor they were trying to raise coin to give the kids education, we met a few days ago saying they were interested in the bounty. The old man¡¯s good with tinkering, he made that crossbow of his and the elf¡­ well, she¡¯s good with healing magic.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Leona felt a sting of sadness when she heard about them. She nodded to herself before standing up, but before walking away she turned to Laslow. ¡°Untie them, there is no need for that now that we know their side of things.¡± The wizard nodded and pulled out a pocket knife from inside of his robes and started working on the ropes. Leona approached Neiliel who had just finished healing the poor young woman. Princess looked concerned after hearing she was shot in the neck by Phoebe. ¡°How is she?¡± The priestess turned her attention to Leona who was just beside her. ¡°Oh Princess, she¡¯s alright now. There¡¯s some recovering to do from the shock, it¡¯s not common to be pierced in the throat by an arrow, isn¡¯t that right Phoebe?¡± The elf raised both her hands as if giving up on the argument. ¡°Hey I had to do something about it quickly, I didn¡¯t know I would hit her in the throat.¡± Turning Leona¡¯s attention to the blonde girl, it was possible to see the tip of her pointed ears through the short blonde hair. She was also an elf much like Phoebe but unlike the assassin, her features seemed less unique. Elfs were mostly portrayed in the books Leona used to read as prideful individuals but the one in front of her didn¡¯t add up for their fame. ¡®Well I guess you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover¡¯ She thought as she looked at Krieg approaching her. ¡°Leona, are they trustworthy?¡± The knight motioned with his chin towards the two untied in the back, she glanced at them over the shoulder before looking back at him. ¡°Yeah, it was all a misunderstanding after all, Alexander made me be the culprit of the attack at the mansion.¡± ¡°He what?!¡± ¡°Apparently the information spread around soldiers and mercenaries is that I tried a coup against my father.¡± She gritted her teeth. Words couldn¡¯t express the anger swelling inside of her. ¡°That bastard¡­¡± Krieg started to scratch under his chin, it was a habit of his when he was nervous. ¡°A coup¡­ this is more troubling than I expected, this Alex fellow.¡± The atmosphere was heavy, the situation back in the capital could be much worse than what Leona previously expected, being signed as a coward was one thing, but she was accused of treachery against her own father. She closed her hands into a fist as she gathered her resolution. ¡°This¡­ this will not stand. We must go back to Arcadia, faster than ever now.¡± Everyone gathered around as Leona prepared to leave. The demon woman Emi approached her before she departed. ¡°Princess, I must warn you, they sent a couple of the kingdom soldiers with us. They are stationed at the former Karna village.¡± The way she spoke made Leona raise an eyebrow. ¡°Former?¡± ¡°Yeah it has been burned to the ground, it was said to be your doing, ¡®a rebellion against the kingdom¡¯ Alexander said.¡± ¡°What about the people there?¡± ¡°They¡­ they were dead.¡± Laslow reached for the Princess¡¯ shoulder and shook his head the moment she turned around. ¡°Do not anger yourself over this. This is exactly what he¡¯s hoping to do to you.¡± ¡°This leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, I can¡¯t believe this is happening¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Princess Leona.¡± Emi apologized with her head hanging low. The female warrior was more than ashamed for what happened to the ruler she respected. Leona turned around clutching her forehead. ¡°We need to go back. There is no other way, if he¡¯s using my father as an excuse to do these atrocities under my name, I will not have it.¡± Everyone packed their things and as the Princess was starting to leave, Emi once again reached out to her. ¡°Wait, Princess.¡± She turned around once again and saw the young woman hold out a strange looking straw doll with pieces of cloth sewed into it forming symbols she had never seen before. ¡°This is a protection doll. Keep on yourself for safety.¡± ¡°Ah. Huh¡­ thank you. I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Leona thanked them before heading with the rest of the group, leaving behind the group of four adventurers. ¡°Thank the lord she is still on our side.¡± Emi sighed deeply, still upset about her own shortcomings. Marco stayed by her side as he put his helmet back on, his voice became muffled after that. ¡°I hope she stays safe.¡± The elf priestess stood up behind them, her legs still trembling from the terrible experience she went through earlier. ¡°Where¡­ where is Princess Leona?¡± Her meek voice was even more silent due to the straining in her throat. ¡°Luna you shouldn¡¯t be standing up like that.¡± Emi went to help her as her legs gave out, the demon woman shouldering half of her weight. ¡°No you must warn her¡­ the church, they want¡­ they want to kill her.¡± Chapter XII: Echoes of the Dead It was still morning, not that it mattered in the dense forest. Krieg and Phoebe lead the group on a wide berth around Karna village, though the mangled corpses on pikes could be seen from a distance, the elf made sure Leona wouldn¡¯t look at them anymore. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Neiliel asked while handing the Princess a water skin. ¡°Yeah¡­ thank you Neil.¡± Leona¡¯s hands were trembling as she held the water bag. While she didn¡¯t know any of the corpses hanged on pikes by ropes, the sight of someone brutally murdered by hanging was enough to make her lose her composure. Her slender fingers closed tightly into a fist. ¡°He¡­ he won¡¯t get away with this.¡± ¡°I understand your anger Princess Leona but don¡¯t let it cloud your judgment, we need you level-headed in order to strategize.¡± Laslow calmly talked to her as they walked. He continued while taking notes on his tome in a frantic manner. ¡°I may be good at reading other people¡¯s intentions but you succeed where I lack and that is in the military stratagem.¡± ¡°Using innocent people to sully my family¡¯s name¡­ he¡¯s truly a despicable man.¡± Deep down Leona knew it was an effective strategy, rallying the people against a common cause was the most effective way to raise the soldier¡¯s morale and obtain support from the people. But she had hope, her family wasn¡¯t one despised by the people unlike many others in the kingdom. ¡°Alexander would do anything to make his plans work.¡± Laslow said as he closed his tome and put it in the bag hanging from his left shoulder. His eyes were serious and focused, as if he was planning something. His voice was filled with bitterness. ¡°Even go as far as killing his own family.¡± Laslow¡¯s adoptive sister, Lena, was a squire training in order to become a royal knight. They were known as Eleonorian Knights back when Queen Eleonora rose to the throne. Might in power, even mightier against demons as they could wield the powers bestowed by the goddess to slay the fiends. However, after the war was over, Eleonora and the new demon king Reinhardt agreed to end the human demon war that lasted for decades. Peace would rule the land until the disappearance of the Queen and consequently her abdication. ¡°...then when we thought we might know peace, my sister was assassinated. She was the head of the Lorraine family back then, before Alexander took it all away from me. As an adopted son I didn¡¯t have any voice to the matter and was casted away by the rest.¡± Laslow squeezed his own wrists one at a time as he tried to keep himself calm. Everyone around was silent, some were paying attention such as Leona who couldn¡¯t avert her eyes from him, but others like Krieg were keeping an eye out on the forest around them. ¡°Until we met in Windia a few years back.¡± Luke had a weak smile on his face, the ups and downs he had through the journey so far seemed to have taken a toll on his morale. Leona raised an eyebrow. ¡°You didn¡¯t know each other?¡± Luke¡¯s eyes trailed back and forth seemingly flustered by the question. ¡°My family was nothing influential back then, I just had the title of a noble because of my mother. But as Laslow said so far, after Lena was assassinated the next in line would be my mother.¡± Leona raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wait¡­ wouldn¡¯t she be the head of the family as the oldest one?¡± ¡°The Lorraines are a branch family.¡± Laslow explained. ¡°My adoptive sister¡¯s name was Lena Lothaire. Originally, the Lothaire family was the previous king¡¯s right hand of highly trained knights. But their numbers quickly declined due to the consecutive losses against the demon army until there was only me and Lena.¡± The Princess stopped on her tracks as she heard the wizard¡¯s explanation. Neiliel had to push her from behind for her to keep walking with the group. ¡°That¡­ that was never in the history books I read in my father¡¯s study, how come I never heard of this?¡± Luke looked over his shoulder to her. ¡°It¡¯s most likely because of Alexander, influential as he was back then he could easily employ people to erase things from history. After all, not everyone in the kingdom knows how to read or write.¡± A cold feeling started to grow within Leona¡¯s stomach, such planning was beyond her understanding. She studied hard to become a tactician that could save lives, but she was against someone that lived to take them, to go as far to murder the people of his own blood. ¡°I don¡¯t want to interrupt your history lesson but¡­ we are here. Underground tunnels of the Arcadian capital.¡± Phoebe stopped the conversation as she halted the group. The foot of the mountain was wide with a dark passage within that could easily fit four meters wide and ten meters from ground to ceiling. It was a big passage but something about it seemed to put everyone on edge. An eerie sound of passing wind came from inside, it was biting cold, to the point of making Leona shiver. Luke inspected the large entrance with a small flame to illuminate the surroundings as the forest around them was thick enough to not let much sunlight come through the leaves. ¡°I have never been here.¡± He said as he flicked the small flame into the tunnel, illuminating halfway through before it was snuffed out by the wind. Seeing how the flame was easily extinguished, Jonathan grabbed a few things from his bag and with some small effort, he put together three torches made from nearby tree branches and cloth doused in a thick oil. ¡°Here. And here you go.¡± He offered one to Luke, threw another one to Laslow and held the last one for Laura. The wizard flicked his fingers and the torch burst into flames. ¡°Let me go in front.¡± Laslow walked to the front of the group and as he passed by Krieg he whispered. ¡°You should stick close to Princess Leona, these tunnels are very dangerous.¡± The knight simply observed the wizard walk by and when the elf¡¯s eyes glanced at him he simply motioned with his thumb before moving to Leona¡¯s side. His expression usually didn¡¯t change much but this time he was dead serious. ¡°Leona. Stay close to me as we go through here.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡± One by one, they started to enter the cave, but the Princess stopped them as they walked in. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t it safer if we walk side by side? Space doesn¡¯t seem to be a major issue inside this place.¡± Laslow scratched the side of his turban and started to nod as she finished her reasoning. ¡°While there shouldn¡¯t be any rational foe inside this place, I believe it¡¯s safer to go with Princess¡¯ plan. So how should we head in?¡± He was intrigued by the point she had made. No one could see it but he was smirking beneath the cloth waiting for her answer. Leona pondered about how best she could utilize the numbers they had until she raised her hand again with the index finger pointing to the ceiling. ¡°How about two columns and four rows? That way we have at least someone by our side at every moment.¡± ¡°Seems like a solid plan.¡± The wizard nodded in agreement as he took off in the front of the group. ¡°Alright let¡¯s head in.¡± Laslow and the elf were the first to enter, right behind them Luke and Neiliel with the young man holding the unlit torch on his left hand while the priestess carried her mace. Leona and Krieg were together with their weapons unsheathed, the greatsword blade was gently leaning on his chest while he carried it from the pommel. Jonathan as well as Laura were last, with the thief carefully erasing their tracks and the barbarian holding up the blazing torch as they entered the cave. It was dark, only a few meters ahead could be seen with the lit torch, rocky walls and uneven terrain made walking very uncomfortable with the shoe made of cloth that Leona was using. The breeze from the inside was unsettlingly cold.This used to be a mining tunnel system until the city of Arcadia was built on the plateau above, more importantly the resources they used to mine here was something known as frostburnt silver, an important metal with the unique property of magic conductivity. ¡°Careful with your footing, there¡¯s water here.¡± Phoebe warned as she dodged a puddle of water. Everyone kept walking right behind the two in the front, Laslow carefully moved the torch to inspect the walls of the tunnel to check for other passages, but it appeared to be only an upward long hallway of stone. The surface had a lot of markings from the extensive mining operations that took place there. There was an eerie sound inside the tunnel, with each step they took the more prominent it became, it was like a low hum, but slightly unpleasant to the body. ¡°What is this sound¡­?¡± Laura asked as she grasped her head, the constant low frequency hum was making her uncomfortable. ¡°This is most likely the mana running through the walls, it¡¯s a common occurrence in mana-rich places. I can help you with it if it¡¯s too annoying.¡± Leona explained as she turned around to face the barbarian who towered above her. The princess reached her hand out. ¡°Yes please do.¡± Laura kneeled as Leona¡¯s hand touched the right side of her pale blonde short hair. ¡°Winds of time, bestow protection for my ally, Barrier!¡± From the point where she touched her, hexagonal translucent shields started to spread around her body, erected by thin air. Soon after she had finished casting the spell, Laura felt the usual silence inside a cavern which was just the wind echoing in the distance. ¡°Thank you Princess Leona. This feels much better.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome Laura.¡± Leona smiled at her before Krieg gently tapped her shoulder to get her attention. ¡°Leona, careful with your footing, it¡¯s more slippery here.¡± ¡°Right, thanks.¡± Looking down, it was possible to see some water trickling down from the path they were heading towards. The ground had probably been eroding for a long time since there was a thin track deep in the floor leading the water through it. Phoebe crouched to inspect the flow of the liquid, she jammed her finger between the track carved by the water it started to overflow around the crevice. ¡°Hmm¡­ there is an unusual amount of water coming through here.¡± ¡°Up there, look.¡± Laslow pointed to the peak of the long passage they had been walking through. A ghostly light blue light seemed to pulsate in rhythmic intervals like a heartbeat. They approached slowly, the air became colder with each step they took, it was much like having the heat sucked out of the lungs. A biting cold aura enveloped around the place. ¡°Frostburnt silver.¡± Leona muttered as she tried to keep her body warm with the rest of what used to be her cloak. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how it works exactly but it¡¯s said to be a magical silver metal. Oddly it first appeared in the Londrian kingdom but it started spreading everywhere in the country. It must have something to do with the magic currents.¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± Laslow commented while he evoked a sphere of fire to warm everyone around. His eyes narrowed focusing on the spell. Strangely, it didn¡¯t illuminate more than the torch but it was much hotter near it, it appeared more as a liquid rather than flames. They continued walking with everyone mostly warmed, aside from Laura on the back who didn¡¯t feel anything, Laslow was struggling to keep his body temperature in check. He held the torch closer to his body while muttering to himself. ¡°Ah it¡¯s cold¡­¡± It took only a few more minutes for them to reach the peak of the long carved tunnel, the source of the ghostly light came into view as the somewhat narrow corridor gave in to a spacious dome shaped room. A white lustrous amalgamation of metal all around the walls emitted a bright pulsating light blue glow, the edges forming out of the clusters were sharp as a knife with many edges and uniform salience. The arrangement of the mineral was unnatural, it appeared like a disease spreading through the surroundings, with veins stretching from all around the place towards the other side of the dome, which seemed to be another corridor. ¡°Wow¡­¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Leona was amazed by the beauty of the place, but it was soon cut short the moment her eyes drifted upwards towards the high ceiling. At first she thought it was the reflection of the light against the uneven rocky roof but the bulbous texture gave her roughly an idea of what it was. ¡°Are those¡­ slimes?¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze trailed to her as she pointed upwards, Krieg followed closely with his eyes to where she was looking. The ceiling which was about twenty meters from the ground was engulfed with what seemed to be hundreds of invertebrate monsters, the constant shifting from each individual slime seemed to make the ceiling have a life of its own. Strangely what normally are ground monsters with the usual blue or green color were now hanging upside down from the ceiling with a silver like metal coat around their bodies. Laslow snuffed out the fire ball he had evoked, only holding the torch higher now. ¡°They must have bred down here, eating away the silver.¡± The wizard mentioned as he thought of ways to cross the room without having all of those slimes drop on top of them. Phoebe knocked an arrow on her bow and fired it against the far right wall, the moment it ricocheted off the metal wall a couple of slimes dropped from the ceiling seemingly attracted by the noise. The arrow disappeared in the middle of all the slimes and after they dispersed the projectile was nowhere to be seen, the elf shook her head. ¡°Well¡­ sound is a no go. What about magic?¡± She turned to Luke who upon noticing her gaze started to cast a simple fire spell. With a flick of his right wrist, the young man released a small orb of liquid lava which bounced off the ground a couple of times before rolling into a stop before it started to break up into a puddle of bright fire, shortly thereafter a vast amount of slimes started to fall down after the puddle. The faint light it emitted was snuffed out by the multitude of slimes. ¡°The true question is whether or not they sense mana coming off our bodies.¡± Laslow threw a pebble against the nearest slime from the pack, which then promptly started to creep up closer to the wizard. He lit up a small flame on the tip of his right index finger, swiping left and right but the metallic slime seemed to not react to it and instead it creeped even closer to him. His eyes narrowed as he backed away while dissipating the spell. ¡°Hmmm this is strange¡­ slimes normally react to either mana but this one seems more interested in something else.¡± While he pondered why that slime had such a strange behaviour, Phoebe came in holding one of the arrows and stabbed the gelatinous monster and before everyone knew, it broke up into a puddle of silver liquid. She inspected the semi-digested arrow head as she turned to the wizard, saying. ¡°No matter how many of these are out there, we just need to hit their core and they¡¯ll die like any other slime.¡± She raised her head and the moment she did so a gelatinous blob hit her face, the weight of one of those slimes were probably much more than the average one as the elf was knocked back against the ground while trashing her legs as she tried to get rid of the monster on her head, though the slimy body was extremely difficult to grasp bare-handed. ¡°Ah! Get this thing off me!¡± ¡°Pho!¡± Laura and Jonathan both shouted at the same time as they rushed in to help her. Neiliel''s eyes went wide as she also rushed to her friend¡¯s aid. Krieg kept watching the ceiling for any other slime that could drop from above, but fortunately that was no other left there. Leona was frozen in place from the shock. Jonathan dropped the torch beside the princess and started to shout. ¡°Stay still Pho!¡± The thief pulled out one of his daggers while taking a hold of the elf¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°Easier said than-!¡± At that point her face was covered by the metallic gel. Laslow and Luke were standing close to her but neither of them had a spell that could help in that situation. ¡°Shit! Laura can¡¯t you rip this thing off her face?!¡± Not known where the core was, Jonathan was having a hard time stabbing the slime without hurting Phoebe in the process. ¡°What do you think I¡¯m trying to do here?!¡± Meanwhile the barbarian¡¯s grip was ineffective in grasping the monster¡¯s body as it slipped between her fingers. The elf¡¯s legs were trashing even harder, eventually hitting the ground and making more noise. Seeing the desperation kicking in made Laura shout at the priestess. ¡°Neil! Quick! Your magic! At this rate she¡¯ll-!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know any magic that can help! I¡¯ll try to keep her alive but you must get that thing off her face!¡± ¡°Leona, you know how to take care of this right?¡± Leona suddenly snapped out of the shock when she heard Krieg¡¯s voice whilst he shook her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed into a sharp glare as she ran towards the elf, she then placed her hand on the slime. Everyone¡¯s eyes darted to her as she quickly chanted a word. ¡°Freeze!¡± The slime started solidifying and the moment it did so Laura yanked it out of Phoebe¡¯s scarred face. ¡°Gah! My face!¡± She gasped for air, her pale face was red with spots of exposed flesh, she looked at the priestess who was already in the process of healing her wounds. Leona fell on her butt from relief, knowing the slime¡¯s body composition is almost all water, freezing it would make removing it much easier. ¡°You know ice magic as well?¡± Laslow spoke as he stood beside her while looking at the elf being treated. ¡°Yes, my mother taught me. Even though she couldn¡¯t use any magic herself.¡± ¡°Thank you for saving her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ the least I could do.¡± Leona took deep breaths to calm herself down, amidst the panic she had lost her composure and froze, she felt pathetic. She buried her face between her hands with her fingers slowly grasping the sides of her head in frustration. Something on the other side of the dome room caught Krieg¡¯s attention. A few slimes dropped from the ceiling, but they started to slowly form a mound of sorts, with many slimes climbing on each other. ¡°We got company.¡± The knight¡¯s voice made Luke, Laslow and Leona turn towards him then to the abomination in the middle of the dome room. Amounting to the height of a normal person, the slimes started to melt and shift around taking a humanoid form. The Princess¡¯ jaw dropped. ¡°What¡­ what is this?!¡± The humanoid form took the appearance of a two horned maid with bright crimson eyes, her metallic skin slowly took the usual pale complexion of the former maid in service of the Princess. ¡°Prin¡­ cess...¡± Seemingly intelligent the doppelganger bowed ceremoniously with her hands grasping the edges of her long skirt, as she lifted her face a familiar smile surged from her face. It was painful yet it seemed like a dream seeing Adele one more time after all what happened about a week ago. But in the end Leona was well aware that wasn¡¯t possible, she saw the maid on the brink of death back then and no matter how strong she was, it was simply too much for anyone to handle. ¡°Krieg¡­¡± Leona couldn¡¯t avert her gaze while she muttered with her voice filled with pain and sadness. ¡°Help me to make this quick.¡± Her left hand charged with a blue glow as she started to walk towards the fake clone, her aquamarine eyes narrowed into a sharp, concentrated gaze when she raised her hand with ice crystals forming on her left wrist slowly creeping up her fingers. Krieg dashed in from behind the Princess with an overhead slash coming down on the imitation of the beloved maid. ¡°Ehe¡­ eee...¡± The blade bounced right off a metallic whip that came from the maid¡¯s back as she smiled with her half open mouth with an unnerving chuckle. Krieg tried an upward slash which the slime simply morphed through the metal blade, avoiding the attack entirely. During said time Leona rushed in with her left hand fully encased in ice, but the moment she tried to grab the slime¡¯s body it simply dissolved only to reform a few meters away from her. ¡°I don- wan- t- k-kill y-¡± The bizarre speech finally formed a somewhat understandable expression which made Leona even more angry, promptly making her sprint towards the slime with killing intent. However the knight¡¯s hand held her shoulder before she could take another step. ¡°Princess don¡¯t.¡± A fireball suddenly hit the ceiling in front of them, suddenly brightening up the place as well as emitting a surprising amount of heat. Laura carried the elf on her back while leading the charge through the slimes Neiliel and Luke right behind her with Jonathan quickly calling the duo to come along. ¡°Come on! We got to go!¡± Laslow blasted the doppelganger maid with another fireball which created a curtain of smoke and dashed alongside the princess and knight. Anger was still visible on her face, Krieg made sure she went first as they rushed through the narrow passageway. ¡°What was that thing¡­!?¡± The priestess asked while healing Phoebe. Leona averted her gaze when she muttered. ¡°A former ally and friend, that slime took the exact appearance of her.¡± ¡°I am so sorry¡­¡± Neiliel felt bad for asking such a sensitive question. ¡°No it¡¯s alright, I have to face the truth from now on, both my family and kingdom needs me more than ever. I can¡¯t allow myself to be pampered any longer.¡± She stared at her own hands, closing them into a tight fist. Krieg patted her back a few times after they moved far enough away from the previous room, she was clearly bothered by the slime¡¯s appearance and speech, while it wasn¡¯t able to clearly voice whatever it was thinking, if it was indeed thinking of anything, it had the same tone of the demon maid. ¡°Dammit. Why? Why is this happening¡­?¡± Leona slumped against the tunnel wall, strength seeming to leave her body after the surge of anger. Krieg knew just how painful it was to see a former comrade again, especially if their body was being used by someone, or something else. ¡°Leona, we¡¯ll find a way to exterminate that thing, but for now we must keep moving. This place is much more dangerous than it seems.¡± The moment he finished talking a minor tremor happened. Jonathan turned around to where they came from and blurr of metallic silver was moving towards them with increased speed. ¡°This ain¡¯t good-! Everyone! Run!¡± He shouted from the top of his lungs and started to sprint. Krieg scooped Leona from the ground between his arms and started to run, Neiliel had to stop her healing to focus on fleeing as everyone picked up the thief¡¯s pace. As a long upward climb, Luke and Laslow had more difficulty keeping up with the group. The unending flood of ooze was catching up speed as the upward motion didn¡¯t seem to impede its movement. ¡°We will be caught at this rate!¡± Laslow shouted as he started to charge another fireball on his left hand but Luke blocked his way with his arm and stood his ground seemingly determined to keep the wave of slimes from reaching them. ¡°Luke?! What the hell are you doing?!¡± The wizard turned around yelling at his cousin. ¡°I¡¯ll hold it off just go!¡± ¡°What?! No way I¡¯m letting you die here!¡± ¡°If you blast that thing with a fireball we¡¯ll all die!¡± Laslow was about to turn around and help Luke but the young lad was dead serious on stopping the monstrous wave of deadly gelatinous silver. His dark hazel eyes had a subtle blue tint, a familiar spark for the wizard who studied magic all his life. ¡°You and I, we both have duties to finish, mine is to make amends for being weak. Now go!¡± ¡°Grr¡­ dammit Luke!¡± Laslow turned around with his teeth clenched sprinting for his life. Luke took one last look at the group becoming more distant, time felt like it came to a stop. Maybe his sacrifice would make a difference, maybe everything he fought for to become stronger would have made a difference, his life being nothing more than a puppet to his older brother had ended, that day, he chose his own fate. ¡°By the powers granted to myself, upon my body and bastion, I beseech thy power, Rampart of the Earth!¡± The ground trembled, with all strength of his mind he shaped the walls of the tunnels. Behind him it created a dead end of multiple layers of crags seemingly woven together and bound by the metal found in the soil, in front of himself, many spikes of stone started to erupt from the sides of the tunnel creating an impassable stone blockade, such powerful magic left him spent. He slumped against the wall he had just created behind him, in the lonely darkness he grasped the unlit torch and kindled it with a very weak fire spell. Imprisoned in stone while leaving the torch beside him on the ground, he laughed at himself. ¡°Leo, I¡¯m sorry for being selfish once again¡­ I hope¡­ I hope in the future, when all of this is done. You would forgive me.¡± The trembling earth dropped dust from the small chamber he made for himself, the sound of crumbling rock came from the barricade he had just made. He tried to get up but his body was too frail. ¡°No way¡­¡± They reached another room after running for minutes, a giant spiral pathway upwards to the surface¡¯s sun was in reach, many other tunnels connected to that single room, apparently it was the main hub of the mining operations that took place underground. Ropes, mining equipment, old lanterns and many other necessities were found around them as they exited the narrow tunnel, before them there was a drop of a few meters down to access the start of the spiraling ramp. Everyone gasped for breath, Laura put Phoebe down and rested alongside her while Neiliel, who was still panting, started to cast another healing spell on the elf. Krieg let go of Leona who seemed a bit dizzy from the shaking on the knight¡¯s arms, Laslow and Jonathan appeared last from the tunnel. ¡°Haa¡­ ah¡­ we¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re safe.¡± Jonathan was out of breath, still holding his torch. Leona looked around but couldn¡¯t see her friend anywhere. ¡°Where is Luke?¡± Only Laslow didn¡¯t turn to her, everyone scanned the room and near the tunnel entrance but there was no sign of the young man. Another tremor happened and she instinctively turned to the tunnel. ¡°We need to go back.¡± ¡°Princess, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Krieg put himself in her way. ¡°Krieg. Move.¡± The moment his eyes met hers seemed like an unexpected shock as her serious glare suggested him to not stand in her way. ¡°It¡¯s no use.¡± Laslow mutters reached her ears and she walked up to him with her shortsword still on hand without hesitating. ¡°Laslow, where is he?¡± ¡°He¡­ he stayed behind to save us all.¡± She grabbed him by the collar of his cloak with her left hand, bringing him closer to her as she was a bit shorter than the mage. The ice previously on her hand started to encroach around his clothing, it was like a light blue poison spreading through the cloth, making it brittle the longer she touched it. ¡°You knew and you left him?! You know how deadly those slimes are and yet, despite all of this, you left your cousin to die there?!¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand, he knew we couldn¡¯t escape if no one acted. He did this for us.¡± Leona raised her blade as readying to strike him. Luke had suffered much before she met him and even after that he was still a main target for everyone else in school, being a scrawny shy kid who didn¡¯t put much of a fight, he was a prime target for other nobles, however, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he was her friend. She clenched her teeth in anger, so much so her gums started to bleed, but in the end she lowered the blade. ¡°This- this won¡¯t change anything.¡± She let go of his collar and walked away towards Krieg, who seemed ready to hold her arm if she really decided to attack the wizard. ¡°Princess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Krieg but¡­ I¡¯d like to be left alone.¡± The knight nodded once and observed her walk alongside the edge of the steep cliff, sitting down far from the group. She put the shortsword on her lap and gazed on the blade. A few dents and scratches on the surface of the metal showed just how worn the weapon was, its previous owner used to train a lot with that specific blade. ¡°Why Luke¡­? You selfish idiot¡­¡± A long and unceremonious sigh left her mouth as she tightened the grip on the handle. She kept playing what just happened inside her head. Could have she prevented that? Was there another solution? Maybe if she did something different that wouldn¡¯t have happened, but it was no use thinking of the past. It wouldn¡¯t bring the young lad back. Tears ran down her face. It happened again, someone she cared for, expired, left to become nourishment to the ground. She felt helplessly, powerless against the whims of the world. Once again her knowledge didn¡¯t serve for anything. ¡°Why¡­ why does this keep happening?¡± She slammed her left fist on the ground, breaking up parts of the ice encasing her skin which started to bleed in the process. The pain didn¡¯t affect her as much as the pain she felt from losing Luke. It was like being shot through the chest, a hollow feeling void of meaning. Droplets of blood stained the edge of where she was sitting, the crimson liquid started to seep through the ground while some started to run alongside the steep cliff. Leona spent a few minutes with her eyes closed, mourning silently for her friend. Until an usual skittering noise caught her attention, the moment she opened her eyes she saw in the edge of her vision, a dark blurr climbing the cliff she was sitting on. She quickly threw herself backwards while pointing the blade to the creature. As it finished climbing the edge it became visible. A six legged long creature with two thick snapping pincers the size of her head with serrated mandibles for a mouth, much like a scorpion, but unlike the small insect that monstrosity had its outer exoskeleton made of stone. ¡°Wha-!¡± Out of nowhere, it sprung towards Leona¡¯s body, but a greatsword suddenly cut it in half before it could get anywhere near her. ¡°Princess, are you alright?¡± Krieg removed the blade that became stuck on the ground. She swallowed trying to keep her calm after witnessing such an abomination try to attack her. ¡°I- I¡¯m alright. Thank you Krieg.¡± She stood up with his help and the rest of the group gathered together after hearing her startled voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Laslow asked as he glanced between everyone in the group to the slain monster lying on a pool of blue murky liquid which was quickly drying up into strange fumes. His eyes went wide after witnessing it. ¡°That¡¯s a geocyte spawn¡­ we have to run!¡± Not long after he shouted, a deafening sound of hundreds of legs skittering through the various tunnels echoed through the cavern. They were surrounded, many were different in sizes but one thing was in common, all of them snapped their pincers as if looking for prey. Chapter XIII: Fractal Echoes Part I Geocyte, a name given to monsters akin to scorpions, however instead of poison as they lack stingers to inject it, they use their absurd strength on their pincers to crush their prey and ultimately devour them with the brutal serrated mandibles in front of their mouth. The name usually confuses new adventurers as its spawn is usually easily dealt with by using the right weapons or magic against its somewhat soft body. However, once it grows, a geocyte gains enough strength to feed on minerals and gems that become its newfound armor, making most weapons useless against it. ¡°This ain¡¯t good.¡± Jonathan backed up against Laura as he pulled both of his daggers out. Leona was in the middle of the group with Laslow who was preparing a spell. Krieg and Phoebe were on the opposite side of the barbarian and thief duo with their respective melee weapons out. A number of geocytes were gathering along the various floors of the tunnels. Many varied in size, the average being about one and half meter long from end to the pincers, but two in particularly stood out from the rest, a bright scarlet armored giant geocyte, spanning almost three meters and a totally black one of same size that almost blend in to the dark environment if it wasn¡¯t for the torch illuminating most of the area around them. Both giant geocytes could easily crush anyone in the group if they were caught, but instead of rushing towards their prey, both stood somewhat still, only snapping its pincers and letting their spawn do the work. Hundreds of smaller creatures gathered around the party as if inspecting each one of the members. ¡°We have to get out of here, fighting all of these will spell our doom.¡± The wizard spoke while paying attention to the foes closer to him as his hand crackled with a bright orange fireball. ¡°I¡¯ll hurl another one of these and the moment it explodes we¡¯ll have to run.¡± ¡°Krieg.¡± Leona called him. The knight glanced to his side, barely seeing her face. She thought of a plan, but the knight had to protect her. ¡°I¡¯ll need time to cast a spell. Do you think you can keep me safe for eight seconds?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She took a deep breath. Some of the smaller monsters started to skittle closer to the party, at that moment Laslow released his spell against the bigger cluster of geocytes. The heat of the explosion made some of the closer ones burned and died along with the others hit directly by the fireball, not accustomed to the heat made the others scatter. ¡°Run!¡± The wizard slid down the cliff with Laura right behind him, she swung her greatsword accurately at each leaping geocyte that tried to snap at his face. Leona was on their tails while holding both of her hands close together while muttering chanting words. Jonathan and Phoebe kept the flanks safe by knocking away the leaping creatures with the daggers. When the foot of the cliff became visible, a number of mangled bodies came into view from the torchlight, some wore armor, others some kind of black and white clothing, like maid uniforms. ¡°What¡­?¡± Leona froze in place when she recognized the contrasting fabric. ¡°No¡­ this can¡¯t be¡­¡± There were numerous amounts of cloth and other fabric, though no intact bodies, all of them were chewed beyond recognition. The spell fizzled out from her hand when her concentration broke. ¡°Leona! Snap out of it Leona!¡± Phoebe was yanking her arm violently. ¡°Ah!¡± She was once again scooped off the ground by the knight who wielded the greatsword with his right hand and carried the princess with his left. He slashed through many smaller geocytes that tried to leap on them, but one jumped from his left blindspot and gave him a nasty bite on his upper back. The elf managed to kick the small creature off his back, but the flesh being ripped out of his body made him clench his teeth in pain, but he kept running without looking back. Thankfully the whole group reached the lower level that gave access to the spiraling ramp, spanning a total of twenty to thirty meters upwards, the ramp was well made and smooth, while not perfect to run on, it was better than the previous tunnels. However that meant that it was just as good for the geocytes chasing after them. ¡°Leona! We need your magic! Now!¡± Laslow yelled as he blasted another leaping creature out of the air with a concentrated fire explosion from the palm of his left hand. The Princess knew it was just a matter of time before they were overrun, the more they climbed the spiraling ramp, more of the geocytes skittered along the vertical walls to cut them off. She took a deep breath and clasped her hands together. Ice crystalizing from her palms to her fingers then to her arms encasing both into a gauntlet of sharp frozen water. ¡°By the blessings of my creator, I order it to halt, time and space, Diamond Frost!¡± She jumped off Krieg¡¯s arm, swiping her right hand against the ground. Ice seemed to shoot out like a gust of wind in a cone, freezing the ramp behind them. The geocytes right behind them started to skiddle on the ice, eventually falling off the ramp, with her left hand she spread ice along the edges of the ramp, preventing more of the small scorpion-like creatures from climbing onto the path they were taking. ¡°Good! We¡¯re shaking them off our tail!¡± Phoebe commemorated too early as she was cut off by a black pincer emerging from the side of the ramp. The previous giant black geocyte was actively pursuing them now with many spawns on its back. All the ice Leona had coated the side of the ramp was being broken into pieces by the black creature that pierced right through the thin frozen surface with its strong legs. ¡°It¡¯s climbing up! Laura do your thing!¡± Laslow yelled whilst bombarding the smaller geocytes off the big one¡¯s back. ¡°On it!¡± She shouted while swinging the greatsword down with all her might against the creature. The blade hit with such force it shattered part of the ramp, but the weapon was caught between the monster¡¯s pincers. ¡°Kgh! Haaaaaaa!¡± With a war cry, the barbarian lifted the rock scorpion off the side of the ramp and was preparing to lob it. ¡°Laura watch out!¡± Neiliel¡¯s scream came from behind her as she pushed Laura out of the way. The other black pincer snapped onto the priestess''s body, her left arm was folded to pry the rock pliers open but no matter how much strength she used it didn¡¯t budge. Quite contrary to her belief, the strength on the claw was overwhelming, it slowly crushed both her arm and forearm, sharp blackened stones piercing her flesh as she desperately tried to smash it with her mace, but the strikes simply bounced off the stone plating with flying sparks to every direction. Her scream of excruciating pain prompted Laura to let go of her sword and grab on one of the bigger parts of the claw, whilst Krieg dropped his weapon on the ground to hold on the other. ¡°Let go! You oversized bug!¡± Laura shouted. With her rage combined with Krieg¡¯s immense strength, they managed to open just a little of the deadly grip to free the priestess who was now on the ground with her broken left arm dangling from her torso in an awkward position. ¡°Neil!¡± Phoebe got a hold of the priestess to help her stand up. ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m alright-¡± Krieg let go of the pincer and kicked the monster¡¯s head in order to knock it off the edge, but its legs were firmly embedded in the wall making it almost impossible to move without removing the ground it was affixed to. Leona dashed between the barbarian and knight, placing both of her hands on the ground in front of the black geocyte when she started to chant. ¡°Great power of the sea, sever the shackles of our enemies, Water Blade!¡± Her hand suddenly splashed out blood from the sides of her palm as the ground in front of her burst with water coming out of grooves that were not previously there. She winced from the pain but kept on casting the spell two more times until the ground broke apart. ¡°Now Krieg!¡± Upon hearing Leona¡¯s voice, he together with Laura, kicked the monster¡¯s face which on receiving the impact, its legs faltered from the broken ground and fell meters below with a deafening screech. The barbarian¡¯s weapon was lost in its pincer but at least they removed the immediate threat, or so they thought. ¡°Come on, let''s get out of here!¡± Jonathan took the lead by cleaning the smaller geocytes that climbed from the sides in front of them but upon turning around the spiral ramp he came across the scarlet arachnid bearing its claws and mandibles at him. Out of reflex he sheathed the dagger on his left hand and pulled a silver vial from the bag on his belt. ¡°Eat this!¡± He threw the flask on its face and when it shattered on the red stone skin it started to sizzle and melt away parts of the crimson stone. An ear-splitting shriek made Jonathan stumble back in pain whilst clutching his head. The scarlet geocyte closed its pincers in front of its face and charged at the vulnerable thief. ¡°Argh!¡± Air violently exited his lungs as he was hit, a sharp pain accompanied by cracked rib bones, even protecting himself with his arms didn¡¯t do much against its monstrous might. ¡°Jonathan!¡± Laura saw him being thrown out of the ramp, but he had a trick under his sleeve. Hidden beneath his washed white cloak there was a rope with a dagger attached to the end of it, he threw the projectile between the crimson geocyte¡¯s pincers aiming to its soft mouth. But with a clank the dagger ricocheted off the closed maw. ¡®Is this¡­ the end for me?¡¯ Time seemed to come to a stop as his body started to fall. Geocytes awaited the prey below with snapping pincers and hungry mandibles. Everyone¡¯s eyes were locked on him mid-air. Phoebe screamed as she tried to run towards the thief, ultimately a futile attempt as she didn¡¯t have the strength nor the reach to do so. Leona and Laslow seemed to shout something as they ran up towards the ramp with both Neiliel and Krieg. Certain death awaited him below, however he felt strangely at peace, as he did try to make amends to what bleak future he brought to innocent children before. Knowing that Leona could possibly be that one kid¡¯s future he saved. His body fell but before he plummeted into the geocyte infested ground he was suddenly yanked from the back. Looking up, the barbarian had gotten a hold of the rope by the dagger he had thrown, sharp metal was cutting deep into her flesh as her cry of pure rage kept her from letting go of the weapon. ¡°Laura!¡± ¡°I WILL! NOT! LET! THIS! GO! AAAAAAAARGH!¡± She locked her hand in the blade as she pulled the thief up, hauling his body one small piece of rope at time. Meanwhile a little bit further on the ramp, Krieg was keeping the snapping crimson geocyte busy by dodging and parrying its massive wide attacks to the ground. On a closer inspection, the creature¡¯s armor was much different from the previous black geocyte, where there normally would be rocks and prominent round protrusions, instead there was scintillating ruby-like sharp gems sprouting out of its wide back. The pincers had much deadlier sharp edges all across the surface, if a prey were caught between those they could be easily shredded to pieces. ¡°Breaking this thing¡¯s armor will be difficult!¡± The knight shouted back at Laslow. ¡°Just aim at its eyes! It¡¯s right above the head!¡± Its beady black eyes above the red shell was one of the weak points of the creature, but getting through the massive claws that protected it was not something easily achieved with a greatsword. Krieg turned the weapon upside down and held it by blade. Leona was surprised by the unorthodox way to hold a sword, but nevertheless she punched the two gauntlets of ice together before circling around the geocyte. ¡°I just need a few seconds Krieg!¡± She shouted while focusing to maintain the ice armor active, though it was already starting to put a strain on her body as sweat built up on her brow and her vision started to blur. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, reclaim mine enemy unto the ashes, Flame Spear!¡± Laslow chanted as he threw fire javelins at the monster¡¯s claws. The high heat didn¡¯t seem to affect it much but using the brief window when it closed its guard, Krieg landed a blow with the guard of his weapon. Normally a sword would be unable to pierce through heavy armor, that was true in most cases but with enough power and technique, it was possible to employ an attack called. ¡°Murderstroke. When your opponent is too heavily armored you¡¯ll need ways to deal with them.¡± He remembered those words from his tutor. The Queen herself. ¡°Aaaagh!¡± He shouted as he attacked. The strike was so powerful it bent the guard of the weapon inwards, but as result, part of the creature¡¯s flesh was visible from the cracked exoskeleton. It shrieked even more loudly than before, its sense of pain was only further amplified since not many individuals are capable of exerting enough force to break through the heavy natural armor. ¡°Now Leona!¡± Krieg shouted but wasn¡¯t expecting his liege to get so close to a raging beast, even less so when she reached out to touch it with her frozen gauntlets. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Frigid northern winds, freeze my foe under ice, Frost Touch!¡± The left claw was taken over by rapid growing spikes of ice from the point of contact, spreading like a disease, the cloudy frozen water created layer upon layer of spiked ice, hindering its movements and puncturing through its red soft flesh underneath the exposed crimson pincer. It let out another shriek followed up with a claw attack at Leona, the giant snapping claw would surely crush her body if it wasn¡¯t for Krieg stepping in to deftly parry its limb to the ground but the geocyte wasn¡¯t done yet as it instead decided to snap at the knight. Moving out of the way would mean Leona would get hit by it so instead of dodging, he stood his ground and let the creature grapple him. He clenched his teeth from the sharp gems sinking into the flesh of his back. ¡°Krieg!¡± Leona was about to move to help him but Laslow yelled from behind her. ¡°Leona you have to hit its flesh with fire!¡± ¡°But Krieg will-!¡± ¡°Leona!¡± The knight yelled as he grabbed one side of the sharp claw, barely keeping it from crushing his torso and with all his might he once again looked right into her eyes. ¡°I put my life on the line for you! Do what you must to kill this thing!¡± Duty or determination, there wasn¡¯t really an explanation as to what had driven Krieg to that point, but his resolve to put his life in her hands only made her hesitate more. Blasting the geocyte with her full power would be enough to kill it at that range, but that would mean to harm the knight with the explosion as well. ¡°Leona! You have to do it!¡± Laslow shouted. She knew her indecision to act could cost his life, but even more frightening was the idea that she could be the one killing someone she cared for. ¡°Leona¡­! Kgh!¡± Krieg was struggling to keep the deadly pincers from crushing his body, for each second that passed the sharp limbs were closing into his chest. Blood spilled from his hands from holding onto the bladed claw, the knight¡¯s clothes became stained with crimson. Leona held her trembling left hand back, summoning a sphere not bigger than a golf ball of blue swirling flames. The heat was enough to melt her gauntlet, without totally focusing on the spell it could end up harming her too in that distance. Her body was suddenly yanked backwards by Jonathan who was also in poor shape from the fight against the creature. ¡°Princess, move!¡± Without realizing, most of the ice that covered the left pincer had melted away leaving the scarlet flesh exposed and weakening the frozen prison. The thief managed to disrupt the princess¡¯ concentration to make the spell fizzle out of her hand as he jumped in front of the exposed pincer and jammed a dagger with his right hand inside the moist flesh, a viscous yellow liquid started to ooze from the wound, A flash of pain made the creature lower the pressure of its hold on Krieg¡¯s body and the knight used that opening to grab his greatsword again by the blade. ¡°Die will you?!¡± Jonathan yelled as he pulled a cork off a silver colored vial with his teeth and dumped everything inside the open wound which promptly started to sizzle on contact with it. The creature thrashed wildly and between one swing of the free pincer, Krieg swung the greatsword down with all his might between the two beady eyes. ¡°Eat this!¡± The scintillant ruby armor cracked with the first strike as the creature retaliated with a swing of its right pincer against his body, but Laura blocked the attack with her folded left arm close to her body to better absorb the impact, blood was dripping from her hand down on the ground with each strike she took as she tightened her body to withstand the geocyte¡¯s onslaught. Seeing how the barbarian was holding the creature¡¯s attention he mustered all his strength upon taking a deep breath as he started wailing on the cracked carapace, each strike sinking the ruby armor inwards and splashing the yellow viscous fat everywhere. With each of Krieg¡¯s brutal attacks its legs started to give in until it was completely immobile on the ground, its shrieks becoming more and more quiet as the knight killed the creature. ¡°Princess, let¡¯s go.¡± Phoebe held her from the shoulders as she pushed the dazed princess forward. A high pitched screech came from below, most likely from the previous black geocyte accompanied by a rumble under their feet. ¡°Let¡¯s move! Come on!¡± Laslow motioned the group to run as he pelted the smaller creatures climbing the walls of the ramp. Everyone was exhausted from the previous fight against the ruby geocyte, Neiliel supported her weight on the barbarian¡¯s waist with her right hand, Laura herself almost couldn¡¯t hold her weapon due to her hands being lacerated from holding the dagger with the thief¡¯s life hanging on it. The group rushed out of the cavern by climbing the rest of the way, though many of the smaller geocytes were right on their heels. Upon exiting the cave Laslow turned around, extending his hands out as if he was holding something between his palms. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring ruination to those who oppose me, Fireball!¡± A sphere slightly bigger than his hands shot out straight to the top of the entrance exploding in a roaring blast of flames. The impact rumbled the ground eventually collapsing the opening under rocks and dirt. Laslow fell on his back against the mud with his eyes gazing on the darkened sky. Black clouds filled his view, lightning struck periodically around the abandoned mine camp they found themselves in, it was a grove with parts of the forest cleared out to make space for buildings. A few simple wooden shacks circled the cave entrance, many were rotten to the point of falling apart if a gust of wind blew hard enough, but one sizable warehouse built with a stone foundation and seemingly treated wood was still standing on the far right side of the semi-circle group of buildings. ¡°Let¡¯s head there.¡± Leona said as she pointed to the warehouse, while she supported Jonathan with her shoulder to help him walk. Neiliel looked at the barbarian before muttering to herself. ¡°We are in dire need of rest.¡± Phoebe took the lead to inspect the double doorway. ¡°Careful¡­ there might be people inside.¡± Leona warned the elf as she touched the doors but she seemed too focused to even notice her speech. ¡®Locked¡­¡¯ She thought as her hands gently searched for traps and only after confirming there was none, she started to work on the lock. It only took her a few seconds to unlock the door with a few tools from her satchel, though she motioned everyone to back away in case of a surprise. The elf grabbed the left door handle with her left hand and while holding a dagger upside down on her right, she gently pushed the door open. There were many wooden boxes stacked upon each other near the doorway with some spilling a certain glowy silver dust from underneath the worn containers. Deep inside there was a faint bit of candle light that seemed to flicker ever so slightly with the wind coming from outside. Sound of metallic chains rattling inside showed it wasn¡¯t empty. In fact, Phoebe went in knowing that. The princess slowly unsheathed her shortsword and followed the elf a few meters back while paying close attention to her surroundings. ¡°W-w-who¡¯s there?¡± A trembling female voice came from inside, unsure where it came from made Leona uneasy. Her nervousness was showing on the trembling steel on her hands. Krieg stopped her from moving forward inside, instead he lifted his greatsword with both hands, even though they were lacerated badly. ¡°Princess. If you¡¯re going to enter, stay behind me.¡± ¡°Krieg you shouldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°Sir Krieg come over here, I found someone.¡± The elf¡¯s voice came from deeper into the room, seeing how Phoebe was out of sight promptly made the two move together, though inside was too dark to see anything other than the light in the end of the warehouse. Walking slowly through the creaky floor, they made their way between the stacked wooden boxes until they could see the source of the light. Against the far left corner of the warehouse there was a half melted candle affixed with its own wax on part of the wooden floor, beside there was a young girl of dark purple hair and dark red eyes with two coiled horns protruding from the sides of her head pointing forward. Probably between sixteen to eighteen years old, she held a broken longsword pointed against the elf with both hands. The girl¡¯s small frame was further highlighted by her skinny limbs that could barely hold the sword steadily, her pale complexion couldn¡¯t be explained if it was from the lack of food, fear or the natural color of her skin. She wore nothing more than tattered brown cloth around her intimate parts, with visible cuts with dry blood smeared around her legs, thighs and arms. ¡°W-Who are you?¡± Her voice was filled with fear, the weapon on her hand didn¡¯t seem to stop shaking anytime soon. ¡°Calm down, we¡¯re not with the kingdom. Me and my comrades are seeking shelter from the rain.¡± Phoebe tried to approach slowly while holding the dagger behind her. ¡°I- I don¡¯t trust you! Stay back!¡± Her small hands grasped the handle even tighter, but her trembling arms couldn¡¯t keep it from shaking. At that time Krieg appeared out of the shadows with his greatsword ready. The girl tried to move away as soon as she saw the weapon in his hands but her back hit the corner behind her, she desperately looked side to side as if searching for a way out but there was none, the elf had her left side blocked while the knight was covering the path between the stacked wooden boxes. ¡°I can disarm her.¡± Krieg said with a serious expression on his face, only making things worse as the girl¡¯s trembling legs gave out and her back slumped against the wall. She slowly slid down while still clutching the broken weapon on her hands, eventually wetting herself as a puddle of yellowish liquid started to form around her lower body. ¡°Krieg, Phoebe, please just... let me do this.¡± Leona walked beside the knight while putting her hand on top of the flat part of the blade, gently lowering the greatsword. Seeing how she was determined, Phoebe decided to back away slowly. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for startling you. My group was ambushed by monsters in the caverns and we were looking for shelter. We won¡¯t be here long.¡± The Princess¡¯ voice was strangely calming, even for the elf who was on the verge of attacking the girl who refused to cooperate was now tranquil. The girl on the other hand seemed to calm down a little, her trembling wasn¡¯t as bad as before, but it didn¡¯t seem that she could move. ¡°Can you lower your weapon? I only wish to talk.¡± Leona approached very slowly while the girl still had her weapon pointing at her. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard being alone out here, but we can help you. My name is Leona Crossford, the gentleman over there is Krieg, my personal knight and the elf here is Phoebe, she helps him keep me safe.¡± Tears started to fall from her dark red eyes. She eventually lowered the blade with cries of relief echoing through the warehouse. It took a few minutes to sort everything out. Everyone needed rest, especially Krieg, Laura and Neiliel whose bodies were wounded the most during the escape from the geocyte riddled cavern. Laslow seemed busy inspecting the glowy dust from the crates while Phoebe healed the knight¡¯s back. Jonathan was working on removing parts of the wooden floor to make a campfire indoors. Leona helped the girl clean herself and thanks to the barbarian¡¯s preparation, she had extra clothing inside her bag, though the raw cotton shirt that was meant for Laura was too big for her so instead it ended up being an oversized dress, with the sleeves going much past her hands. ¡°T-Thank you¡­ I was so scared when I heard something unlock the door I wasn¡¯t thinking straight.¡± On a closer inspection she was much like a normal girl, except the two horns pointing forward on her eye level, they were coiled but the right one seemed broken near the tip, making it sharper than the other one. Leona shook her head as she sympathized with her. ¡°It¡¯s only normal to be afraid like this. How long have you been here? What exactly happened in the capital?¡± ¡°It has been three days since me and my father ran away.¡± Her eyes drifted before meeting Leona¡¯s ¡°Miss Leona, they told us you were dead. We didn¡¯t want to believe, other demi-human families sought answers from lord Alexander, only to be killed on the spot. Everyone who had any appearance close to demons was attacked...¡± The Princess gritted her teeth, everything she worked so hard to build was being destroyed by someone she barely knew. It made her furious, but the girl placed her hand on Leona¡¯s shoulder before shaking her head. Princess knew getting angry wouldn¡¯t help, but it was hard to accept that reality. ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry¡­ this happened to your family because of me.¡± ¡°No, no, please it¡¯s not your fault Miss Leona. I- father and I, we are thankful to you because we could start to live in peace in the capital.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes slowly drifted towards the floor in front of her. While she was grateful for the kind words of a stranger, she was ashamed from letting that happen to someone in the kingdom she swore to do right by. ¡°Sorry, I never asked your name.¡± ¡°Selene Loraexion, Miss Leona.¡± While still looking at the floor, she closed her eyes and with a deep breath she turned to the girl once again. ¡°Selene¡­ I see. Do you need anything other than food?¡± ¡°No, not really. My father went outside to search for food but he¡¯ll be back soon. I¡¯ll be okay.¡± Princess nodded once before heading over to Krieg who had just finished receiving treatment from Phoebe. ¡°Krieg, are you alright? I didn¡¯t know your wounds were so serious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m graced by your worries Princess.¡± She softly hit his right shoulder with her fist before sitting on the ground beside him. She was tired, very tired. Never once in her life had she traveled so far on foot nor have been chased by wild creatures. ¡°I told you to call me by my name.¡± ¡°Apologies Leona.¡± She started unwrapping her feet from the muddied cloth which was so thin it could tear apart at any moment, she started to massage her right foot. Krieg noticed how red her soles were, mostly from the poor terrain they traveled on. He leaned in forward before asking. ¡°Do you want me to help you with that?¡± She turned to look at him with a weak smile on her face. ¡°No it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m getting used to walking. The problem has been this wetness from the rain and mud outside, my feet are soaked to the bone.¡± Her small thumbs pressed strongly on her sole, the reddish pink skin turned white before slowly returning to the usual color. She did the same movements a few more times before moving to the other foot. For a moment she stopped to ask the knight. ¡°Krieg, I¡¯ve been thinking. What drives someone to hate something so much?¡± ¡°Pain, remorse, powerlessness¡­ many things come into play when feeding someone¡¯s hatred. I myself was once driven by resentment from my parents. That one day I would meet them and pay them back for what I suffered through, but the power of rancor only gets you so far, it blinds you, closing all other possibilities that would otherwise be available to you. That much Eleonora taught me.¡± She was surprised, never would she suspect the knight who was usually collected and level headed harbored such deep hatred, though it was understandable as his past was only filled with war, violence and death. ¡°I see¡­ do you still think like that?¡± Glancing through the corner of her eyes, she saw an almost imperceptible smile as he chuckled quietly to himself. ¡°No, the Queen opened my eyes to the truth. My father was a swordmaster in the far east, my late mother was an experienced mage who served as a healer in the village I was born in. Before I could even walk, death angels attacked and my father had to defend the village, but my mother died while carrying me in her arms. After everything was over and with no one to take proper care of me, my father had a witch take me to the arcadian continent.¡± ¡°Where you met Eleonora.¡± ¡°Yes, exactly. After Medea, my caretaker, was killed by bandits, Eleonora¡¯s troops were passing by and rescued me. Although most of them thought I was a demon and wanted to slay me on the spot, she took me under her wing as a squire. From there I trained to become a full fledged knight and second in command for her army.¡± Leona¡¯s expression was dumbfounded, never she thought her personal knight was someone so important in regard to how she first found him half dead near her family¡¯s mansion. ¡°How come you never told me all of this? I thought you were just another knight in Eleonora¡¯s army.¡± ¡°I thought it might have distracted you from your duties, Leona.¡± She turned her head down as if she was staring at her own foot for a while, before raising her head again to look at him. ¡°Truly, having a former second in command knight of the greatest army in the entire world would certainly be distracting, but I¡¯d prefer to know fully about you rather than just pieces and bits of loose information. After all, you know all about my life, it wouldn¡¯t be fair now would it?¡± For the first time she noticed him fluster as he turned his face away from her. ¡°Very well¡­ I¡¯ll tell you about myself.¡± On the far corner of the room against a few stacked boxes, Jonathan often glanced at everyone while he kept the campfire going which was now slowly burning part of the wooden floor he had removed. A sizable cast iron pot had rain water heating above the fire. The thief worked on cutting fillets of dried meat to heighten the soup¡¯s flavor; some vegetables were already floating inside the broth. ¡°Soup again?¡± The wizard¡¯s voice came from above him. ¡°Shut it. It¡¯s what we are having for today.¡± ¡°Figured as much.¡± Laslow stepped down from the stack of boxes and sat on the lower one near the thief with his tome open. ¡°One more day until we reach the capital. Then¡­ we¡¯ll end this madness.¡± ¡°Listen, Las. I know where you¡¯re going with this, I know why you are so determined to put him down, but don¡¯t you feel anything? Luke died down there for us, even if he was only your cousin, family still-¡± ¡°I would have found another way.¡± He replied without taking his eyes off the tome. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If he wasn¡¯t a fool to kill himself I would have found another way.¡± Jonathan suddenly stood up as he grabbed the wizard by the collar of his cloak. ¡°You¡¯re now telling me that you could have spared his life?!¡± ¡°John¡­ getting physical with me won¡¯t help us. Let go.¡± The wizard grabbed his wrist firmly with a serious look in his eyes. ¡°Help us?! You left him to die! What can you say about helping the group you selfish bastard!¡± Anger took over him and with his shouting, it drew attention to the two. Phoebe stomped her feet towards them as she pulled the two apart. ¡°Enough! We have wounded that need treatment, the situation is bad as it is, we don¡¯t need you two arguing here. If you want to do this, take it outside!¡± A loud thud of armor echoed behind her as she turned. Neiliel had fallen on the ground while clutching the collar of her breastplate with Laura desperately holding her. ¡°Neil! What happened? Neil, talk to me!¡± Chapter XIV: Fractal Echoes Part II ¡°Priestess Neiliel?¡± It was another morning in the Arcadian capital. The sun slowly rose through the buildings around the destroyed church, its walls were mostly destroyed, what was left was only rubble and grass that took over the ruined building. A lone woman with long black hair was silently praying to the remains of a stone altar in the center of the church; she wore typical clothings for a priestess, composed of a white long robe with gold trimmings with purple edges on her sleeves. She turned around to face the other nun standing just outside the ruined building. Neiliel¡¯s deep blue eyes locked in a bittersweet gaze with hers as she tilted her head slightly. ¡°Yes? I was just finishing my prayers to the children.¡± She stood up, her long white dress had dirtied green spots on her knees from the moss covered rubble she was on. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you. It¡¯s just¡­ we¡¯re in need of more food. We¡¯re almost out of food.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Door on door, the priestess would ask for the merciful help of the citizens, though mostly denied, others simply ignored her pleas. There wasn¡¯t really a shortage of food, but the prices had risen considerably since the war started and with the church of the goddess receiving less and less support, most of the orphan children didn¡¯t have anything to eat, relying solely on donations and even so it wasn¡¯t much to go on. ¡°Priestess¡­¡± Neiliel was winded up from walking a whole district searching for a merciful grace but it was all for naught as her hands were empty. She closed her hands tightly in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m responsible for those children. The other priests are busy working to raise funds for all of us, I can¡¯t let them down.¡± ¡°But Priestess, you are no adventurer, you don¡¯t need to push yourself so far like this.¡± ¡°What do you suggest we do? Leave them to starve to death?¡± ¡°N-no that¡¯s not what I meant-¡± The two stopped near the exit of an alleyway as a group of four adventurers caught Neiliel¡¯s attention, two seemed to be an archer and a thief with their faces hidden under a hood while the other two were a fully armored knight and a female barbarian of pale blonde hair and emerald eyes. They were apparently heading to the guild and the priestess decided to tail behind them. ¡°Priestess? Priestess Neiliel!¡± Following her, the nun started to see where exactly they were heading. She stood in front of Neiliel to stop her. They were only a few meters away from the entrance of the guild. ¡°Wait, Priestess, you¡¯re not considering actually becoming an adventurer, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do what I must. Sister Rabiane.¡± She put her hand on the nun¡¯s shoulder to gently push her away but the frail woman stood her ground. ¡°Please I beg you Priestess , reconsider it. We had others try to raise coin that way only to meet their deaths, you can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± The thief who was previously walking alongside the group was thrown out of the guild by someone with great force as the individual skidded through the floor on his back, eventually stopping near Neiliel¡¯s feet. His face was a bloody mess, with thick crimson liquid pouring out of his nose which seemed broken. With almost no time to react, the priestess saw a bulky woman come out of the guild wielding a hammer ready to smash the man¡¯s skull to bits. ¡°Oh ever merciful goddess of light, protect thy children from harm, Protection!¡± A translucent golden barrier swiftly erected around the thief, managing to stop the incoming blow that would have taken his life instantly. Almost consumed by rage, the muscular woman shifted her attention towards the priestess. ¡°Oi! Why are you protecting this scum?!¡± Neiliel raised her open hand motioning her to stop. ¡°Calm down, why don¡¯t we talk this out? I¡¯m sure you would rather do that than be taken into custody for muder. After all, it is in the middle of the day in a busy district.¡± Looking around herself, the barbarian noticed many eyes looking at her. Some whispered to each other, while others used the opportunity to quietly leave. ¡°Tch, religious trash.¡± She lobbed the hammer over her shoulder and stomped back inside. ¡°Sister Rabiane, could you take care of this gentleman? I¡¯ll see if we can solve this problem.¡± The nun wanted to protest but Neiliel was faster than her and chased the barbarian inside the guild. It was rather easy to spot a tall woman amidst the average height adventurers that frequented the place. She chugged mugs of mead one after the other, still angry from whatever happened between them. The priestess approached the round table she was sharing with the other three of her group and despite everyone¡¯s gaze at her, Neiliel didn¡¯t feel intimidated. ¡°Hello, I would like to know what caused you to attack that man.¡± She asked without any concern. Even while sitting, the barbarian was the same height as her. Her muscular arms were almost the same size as the priestess¡¯ head, showing how easily she could kill someone even unarmed. She looked at the goddess representative from the corner of her eyes before focusing on the freshly served ale by the nervous waiter who wore a stained brown apron on the simple clothing. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Look, the guards will be here soon, if you don¡¯t talk now you can just talk later when they take you for interrogation.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± The barbarian clicked her tongue as she put her feet up on the round wooden table. ¡°Fine, pay me another round of ale and I¡¯ll consider.¡± Everyone in the immediate proximity laughed from what the barbarian had just said, openly mocking a religious figure could have serious implications, though the priestess unexpectedly humored the ferocious warrior. ¡°Waiter. Another round for the barbarian lady.¡± The man who hoped to scuttle away before the situation got any more serious slumped his shoulders before heading to the back of the bar to grab more beverages. Dazed by what the priestess had done, she lowered her feet from the table as she grabbed another mug and started to chug down, only after she was done with the empty mug she started to talk. ¡°Alright then¡­ apparently you¡¯re serious about this.¡± Over a couple more mugs of ale, the barbarian told how her group was tricked into working for the thief she had knocked out cold. It took part of Neiliel¡¯s persuasion to change her mind about bashing the man¡¯s skull in. Though not much longer after she was done talking, the guards arrived, heavily armored individuals with different weapons, ranging from longswords to polearms standing right outside the guild¡¯s door. Most of them wore full plate armor with a red cape around their necks that extended over the left shoulder down the shin, the center of the velvet was trimmed with a golden eight pointed star accompanied by two swords crossing the mid section of the celestial symbol. One knight in the center wore a winged helmet and a different blue cape from the rest, he was the captain of that troop and while he himself didn¡¯t have a heavy weapon, the two knights flanking him both had a pole-axe capable of beheading an unarmored opponent with a well placed strike. Three of the group of eight knights went inside, the captain¡¯s metallic sabatons echoed inside the main hall of the establishment, essentially announcing his presence to everyone around the entrance. ¡°So, who was responsible for a fight this time?¡± No one responded to his inquiry save for the priestess who stood up from her seat and headed over to the armored commander. He stood a few centimeters above her head. ¡°Captain. I¡¯ve already inquired about it and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen the gentleman lying outside, he¡¯s a swindler that tried to steal from this group of esteemed adventurers.¡± ¡°Priestess Neilie¡­ I wasn¡¯t told you were already here.¡± While it wasn¡¯t possible to see his eyes, the slight movement of his helmet gave away his glances from one side or another as if he was scanning the room. After locking eyes with the barbarian for brief seconds he turned to Neiliel and bowed slightly with his left hand peeking out of the cape. She did the same courteous bow before the knight prepared to take his leave. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking him into custody then, stay safe Priestess.¡± She nodded with a warm smile on her face. ¡°Thank you captain.¡± The knight trio exited the establishment, the guild was silent until the barbarian started to laugh while slapping her own knee. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m seeing this. You really did it, eh priestess?¡± Neiliel turned to her with an intense grin on her face as if she had plans stored for the hulking woman. ¡°The goddess graces those who repay their debts, miss barbarian.¡± The bulky woman raised an indignant eyebrow. Neileil kneeled on the wooden floor with her fingers clasped, the quiet calm voice filled the room with prayer. ¡°Oh ever merciful goddess of light, bind this soul unto my faithfulness unwavering duty, Confiteor!¡± A divine glow surged from the barbarian¡¯s chest, eventually enveloping her whole. Everyone watched in awe at what was happening, the hulking woman was not pleased however as she reached for the priestess collar, raising her high enough for her feet to not be able to touch the ground. ¡°What the hell did you do to me?!¡± ¡°As a believer of Eleonora¡¯s holy light, you have been blessed by her boundless radiance. You and I are bound by duty, to make right by the people who deserve it.¡± ¡°Hah? I never agreed to help you, if anything you¡¯re the one who should be thankful that I didn¡¯t smack your face!¡± As she winded up for a punch a strange force of golden energy seemed to curl from her chest to her right fist, locking it in place. No matter how much strength she tried to muster she couldn¡¯t move her tightly closed fist. ¡°Try as you might, you may not harm me, for we are bound together. Until you repay this debt wholeheartedly, this spell will not fade.¡± The barbarian clenched her teeth tightly in anger, she slowly lowered her right hand but suddenly tried to go for an uppercut but once again the golden light kept her fist from hitting the priestess. Eventually she let go of the religious proxy, fuming with anger. ¡°Nnnnngh¡­! You dirty Priestess!¡± Neiliel fixed her clothing by straightening the creased parts of her collar. She chuckled before gazing into the barbarian¡¯s angry eyes. ¡°If you help me do good, I¡¯ll consider your debt repaid, even if you don¡¯t feel like helping.¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t help you?¡± ¡°That glow will stay on you until you do.¡± Looking down right in the middle of her chest there was a pulsating golden glow periodically shining. It wasn¡¯t anything blinding but it was surely annoying. ¡°Grr¡­¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The barbarian stomped her way to the table and grabbed the hammer that lay against the edge of it. She finished a mug of ale from another adventurer that was with her and turned to the priestess. ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s go then!¡± Neiliel smiled as she motioned outside to her. Their adventure started on the most uncommon of circumstances, between a jobless adventurer and a big hearted priestess, from mundane cleaning jobs to slaying groups of dangerous bandits. Eventually they found themselves relying more and more on each other, traveling far and wide across the land in search of riches to help the poor. Neiliel had found solace in adventuring, though it only served to avert her attention from the growing corruption of the capital. In the end, Neiliel was no longer recognized as priestess of the Eleonorian church in Arcadia and was forced to leave the capital as a heretic that abandoned her duties, however what most didn¡¯t know was that she still kept helping in secret. Her actions were of pure benevolence and goodwill. ¡°Why do you still do this Neiliel?¡± The duo were camping in a ruined sanctum of the goddess of light amidst the Empyrean mountain range, it was dark and only the crackling bonfire illuminated the washed white rubble that covered their bodies from the cold winds. Laura was sitting on the opposite side of the priestess who had just finished her prayer and was getting ready to tuck herself in. ¡°Eleonora¡¯s light will shine whenever I am recognized by the church of men or not. I believe to do right by the people in need is the true purpose of a priestess.¡± ¡°Even so, it was them who left you, don¡¯t you feel angry about that?¡± ¡°Anger is but a fleeting feeling amidst what we go through every day. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to live a fulfilling life rather than seek retribution for mundane acts against oneself?¡± Laura became quiet, only staring at the ground in front of her. The sound of crickets singing in the dark forest accompanied by the swaying snapping fire filled the silent night. Neiliel covered her body tightly with the thick fur blanket while half smiling as she started to talk. ¡°I never expected you to stick with me for so long Laura. I thought you¡¯d leave me the second our contract was over.¡± The barbarian chuckled sourly. Truly, she didn¡¯t want to admit but traveling with the priestess and doing good for the people who actually needed it was more gratifying than throwing coins in ale and other needless extravagance. ¡°Life has a way of turning things around unexpectedly, that much I learned from being with you all this time.¡± Laura closed her eyes in a chuckle and when she opened them again, the priestess had moved over beside her, sharing the thick fur blanket with her. It was surprising, but not unwelcome since the weather was starting to become colder due to the change of seasons. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s rest, Phoebe and Jonathan are waiting for us in Zenith.¡± Like a fleeting dream, the moment Neiliel opened her eyes, she could barely see someone yelling over her body. Her vision was dark and blurred, she only knew who it was because of the loud voice calling her out. ¡°Neil! What happened? Neil, talk to me!¡± The barbarian was trying to help the priestess but with her torn hands it was difficult to unfasten the belts of the breastplate armor armor. Hurriedly, Phoebe and Leona made their way to the two, the elf managed to remove the priestess¡¯ breastplate which seemed to suffocate her as the princess tried to make sense of what was happening. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry...¡± Neiliel was muttering weakly while shifting her head from one side to another apparently in pain. Leona reached for her forehead with her left hand and placed the right on her own to compare the temperature but it was barely necessary as the priestess face was burning up from heat. ¡°She has a fever. I need some water, Krieg can you fetch water from the rain?¡± She turned around at the knight who was already in the process of standing up. ¡°On it.¡± He proceeded outside carrying what seemed to be a waterskin on his hands. Phoebe decided to start healing her right away after noticing just how badly her left arm was. Laura held the priestess¡¯ right hand tightly, lowering her forehead with a silent prayer. ¡°Oh merciful goddess of light, may your blessing radiance guide us towards the rightful path of redemption, upon this weary body and soul, bestow your gracing gleaming hope so that it may live and fight another day in the name of the light.¡± Surprising everyone around her, Laura¡¯s unexpected prayer seemed to spark a tiny light in Neiliel¡¯s chest. Her long black hair which was usually tied in a tight bun was now all over the floor, the deep blue eyes full of life was now slowly extinguishing as she mustered all her strength to reach the barbarian¡¯s face with her right palm, gently caressing her left cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­ You- you did great out there.¡± Laura held her hand while trying to contain her tears inside with her eyes closed, her lips trembling as she tried to speak. ¡°Stop, save your strength. You mustn¡¯t talk. You¡¯ll be alright, Phoebe and Leona wil find a way to-¡± ¡°I never once in my life thought that the one person you would pray for would be me. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m glad.¡± The barbarian¡¯s eyes opened to an excruciating painful sight, as Neiliel¡¯s words slowly came out of her mouth her arm started to feel more and more heavy. The faint shimmer of light in her chest vanished along with her life in a quick breath. Neiliel was no more. ¡°Neil, come on¡­ we promised to walk this land together, to do right by those who were wronged! I vowed to take care of you, you can¡¯t- you can¡¯t die like this! Neil!¡± Laura¡¯s cries fell on deaf ears, she didn¡¯t want to believe. Phoebe¡¯s spell started to slowly diminish as much as she didn¡¯t want to the truth, the priestess who once helped her greatly was now lying dead in front of her. Leona lowered her head trying to hold back her tears as she clutched her pendant. Seeing how the elf had stopped, Laura suddenly grabbed her shoulder as she started to yell. ¡°Pho what are you doing?! Heal her! She¡¯s not dead yet! She¡¯s-!¡± Laura¡¯s wrist was held by someone else who stood beside the elf. Jonathan was staring intently at her as he spoke. ¡°Laura, please stop. Neil¡­ Neil is dead.¡± That made her look once again at her friend¡¯s body lying motionless on the ground with both eyes half open in an unfocused gaze. Laslow slowly made his way over the priestess face and gently closed her eyes before moving her broken left arm over her stomach. He closed left hand into a fist and closed the other one around it as he lowered his head, muttering quietly to himself. Krieg had returned in the meantime with the waterskin full of rain water, but seeing how everyone was kneeling around the still priestess he could tell what exactly happened. He lowered his head with a quiet sigh as he leaned his back on a nearby wooden box. While he wasn¡¯t directly responsible for their lives, one could be hard pressed to find allies like these. He knew it and seeing another person parting filled him with a bitter sensation of incompetence. ¡®This is my fault¡­ if only we took one more day, one more day and this wouldn¡¯t have cost both Luke¡¯s and Neiliel¡¯s life.¡¯ Leona clenched her fists tightly as she reprimanded herself. While haste was necessary, precaution when dealing with a path on a march was just as important as timing itself. She read books about it, how armies could lose even before fighting because of the terrain or living conditions, but she couldn¡¯t imagine the scale of her current situation, which is why it led to casualties. Casualties that could have been avoided. ¡°Neil¡­¡± Laura couldn¡¯t let go of her friend¡¯s hand, her eyes were closed shut from the encroaching despair within her. The bond they forged while on their travels seemed indestructible, first bound by duty and then friendship. The barbarian felt her chest tightening as she started to recall all memories she could from the kind priestess that stood by her side all these years. ¡°Dammit!¡± She hit the floor with her full strength, the wooden planks snapped and rose from where she had punched, reaching her elbow. Boiling with hatred, she couldn¡¯t stop trembling, for everything they went through together, death was something she could not begin to understand. ¡°This is his fault¡­ Alexander, I swear on what little importance rests on this world, I will end your life.¡± Her words echoed amidst the rainfall, with nothing left to lose, there was no point in striving for a fulfilling life. From that day onwards, she lived not for grace or righteousness, but for vengeance. Phoebe gently raised her deceased friend¡¯s head over her own bag as she straightened the beautiful dark hair along over her shoulders. With Laura letting go of her right hand, the elf clasped both of the priestess¡¯ fingers together before offering her a silent prayer. Everyone stood there silently gazing upon their former comrade laying seemingly peacefully on the ground. ¡°We should give her a proper burial.¡± Phoebe stood up cleaning tears off her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. It was certainly not easy to part with a friend like that, especially under those circumstances, but time was still of the essence for their journey. Laura stared at her blood soaked hands, closing them tightly as crimson liquid dripped from the sides of her palm onto the broken floor below. Strangely, she couldn¡¯t muster anger that normally could overcome her senses, by now she should have ripped the place apart, tearing anything and anyone on her path, but instead she felt empty. The bitter taste of solitude when it finally hit her. Her dearest friend was not in this world anymore. She grasped the middle of her chest leather armor, her fingers almost digging in the protective gear and smearing a crimson stain across it. Her voice was soft, filled with sadness and sorrow. ¡°Why¡­ why Neiliel...¡± The rest of the group decided to stand up and proceed with the preparations, Leona anxiously left the barbarian kneeling beside the priestess, while she wanted to speak some words of comfort for all it was worth, Krieg gently reached for her right shoulder and shook his head before walking away. The princess gave one last look at both of them and decided to follow him. Watching everything unfold from near the campfire across the room, the lone demon girl fiddled with a piece of wire she had grabbed from one of the boxes. Her small hands worked swiftly bending the metal with precise movements of her fingers, as Laura raised her head once again, Selene had brought the wire charm to her. It was the same symbol as the amulet the priestess carried on her neck, a four pointed star charm usually given to the followers of the Eleonorian church. ¡°I¡­ I made this for her.¡± In her tiny scarred hands, the same star was made from wires coiled together albeit a little bent from all her fiddling. It was a suitable parting gift, if one could call it that. Laura laid her eyes upon the small charm as she slowly gazed at the girl¡¯s seemingly intimidated face. Selene¡¯s small fingers trembled as the barbarian¡¯s large hands enveloped hers gently while trying to speak kindly to her. ¡°Thank you, Selene. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy to have this.¡± She clutched the charm between her big fingers before putting it underneath the priestess'' hands, which at that point was starting to become pale and cold. Laura kept holding Neiliel¡¯s with a sorrowful expression on her face. Just outside the warehouse, Phoebe and Jonathan had their hoods up digging the mud of a clearing between some trees, the soil was soaked enough to be able to be dug out by hand, but the elf had a more reliable method. By using a tree branch and enchanting it with wind aspected magic, she made a tool that could remove the soil much like a shovel, however since it was very taxing to keep two spells active at the same time she decided to use it first. She worked silently through the soft earth until the thief reached to her with his hand in order to take her place in the miserable duty of digging a shallow grave. He gently took the tool off her hand and started to dig, all the while Phoebe leaned against a nearby tree as she gazed into the darkened sky above. Lightning periodically struck the forest plateau, thunder reverberating through the woods as she started to ask herself. ¡°Why must we go through this¡­? This pain, this anger, this world is too unfair.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s where we live. We don¡¯t have much choice other than keep going.¡± Jonathan¡¯s voice was being muffled under the constant rain, his usual upbeat attitude was much more washed down because of what happened. He jammed the crooked branch into the soil and scooped a good amount of mud before dumping it on the side of the grave, glancing over the elf who was still with her head hanging low. Between each heap of mud removed, he tried to console the elf. ¡°One man with a heart more wicked than the demon king himself is all that it takes to throw an entire kingdom into chaos. We¡¯ll be doing everyone a favor by taking him out.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Besides, you need to hurry back to Eleonora don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°He never gave me a time limit, but yes I do. After all, he promised to teach me the ways of the assassin.¡± Jonathan scratched the back of his head. He knew how much killing does to people, some become hungry for more, others collapse under the weight of all deaths on their hands. While Phoebe called herself an assassin, however, she only killed individuals whose fate was already to be killed, sinners to be punished by the laws of gods or men. She tightened her hands into fists as she stared into the grave slowly filling with rain water. ¡°I will end this madness once and for all.¡± She was living her life only for the sake of retribution. It was much different from the thief¡¯s past, where he would kill anyone for the right amount of coin, no matter if they deserved it or not. It saddened him, to see a close ally and friend to seek solace in the sharp point of a dagger. ¡°Pho¡­¡± ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± Footsteps approached them from the direction of the warehouse as Laslow stood there also with his hood up under the rain. He seemed indifferent under the turban¡¯s cover, but it took a few seconds of him breathing in deeply with his eyes closed before he finally looked both Jonathan and Phoebe in their eyes as he said in an unusually dejected tone. ¡°Is everything ready? Should we bring her?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The thief replied wearily while the elf simply nodded slowly. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go tell Laura then.¡± He turned around but as he did, Jonathan called him out, promptly making the wizard stop halfway through without looking at him. ¡°Las. I¡¯m sorry for what I said earlier.¡± Also seemingly exhausted, he nodded once saying a few words before heading back. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry as well, John.¡± Inside the warehouse, Laura, Leona, Selene and Krieg were around the priestess¡¯ body, offering one last prayer as the partially soaked wizard approached them. ¡°They said it¡¯s ready.¡± The barbarian sighed regretfully, her hands gently lifted her friend¡¯s deceased body as she slowly started to make her way outside, each step she took made her feel more anxious. Outside, Phoebe and Jonathan were waiting with their hoods up under a tree, the elf still holding the crooked branch she used to cash the spell. Leona had her torn cloak over her head with Krieg right behind escorting her to the burial site, Selene watched from the entrance of the warehouse, keeping herself out of the rain, but she was clutching her chest slightly. Laura walked all the way beside the shallow grave, she slowly kneeled and as she lowered her head against her friend¡¯s body she started to sing the prayer for the dead. ¡°May we forever remember this sorrowful day for a brighter future built upon today¡¯s grief, Neiliel Zio, I, Laura Gannant, yearn for your departure to be a peaceful one. May you find respite in Eleonora''s kind embrace, the light shall ever be with you.¡± Steadily, she lowered Neiliel¡¯s body in the dug trench which was beginning to accumulate water. Every one of them had their heads hanging low, under the constant rain, Phoebe started to cover the priestess¡¯ body starting from her feet, Jonathan helped her with his bare hands and as Leona tried to help, Krieg held her arm while shaking his head. ¡°We should give them some space.¡± ¡°I- no, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s head inside.¡± He nodded and accompanied the princess back inside the warehouse, all the while she looked back at everyone¡¯s faces. Not a glimmer of hope, only anger, grief and despair. All she could do was to learn from her mistake and move on with a better plan, if everything up until now was an elaborate plan from Alexander, she had to come up with something that could shift the tides into her favor. She sat near the campfire to warm herself, resting her back against the creaky wooden walls she pinched her nose ridge between the eyes. ¡°Are you alright Leona?¡± Krieg asked as he sat beside her while unsheathing the greatsword to inspect the blade. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m just tired.¡± She exhaled air from her mouth in a long quiet sigh. No matter what course of action she thought of, the result would be the same. They would assault the mansion in a few days, search for her father and hopefully capture or kill Alexander in the process but there were too many variables to go smoothly. First, her father could be kept somewhere else other than the mansion itself, making it a waste of their time; second, it could also be a trap ready to catch her, a group of six people could hardly put up a fight if the royal knights were involved. But lastly, what crept in the back of her mind was the idea that her father could be already dead. It sent a chill down her spine, the closer they got to their destination, the more anxious Leona became. She felt a warm touch on her left shoulder, Krieg¡¯s crimson eyes were staring at hers with purpose. ¡°Leona, I know not what your plans are for when we go back to the capital, but my blade is yours to command, it always has been.¡± The princess couldn¡¯t help but smile at him. It comforted her to know how determined the knight was. She gazed at her hands, there were smudges of dirt on her palm as well as roughened spots from the sword training she went through the last couple of days. She closed them into a tight fist before turning to the knight once again. ¡°Thank you Krieg. I will make sure we succeed, we must.¡± Chapter XV: Rightful Creator Night had fallen in the outskirts of the Arcadian capital, the rain subsided enough to not flood the warehouse they were in. Jonathan was making a soup with the ingredients they had packed in Windia which consisted of boiled sausages, slices of sheep meat, herbs found in the forest and edible mushrooms Neiliel had dried before leaving the desert city. It was a quiet evening with only the sounds of crackling fire, the rain softly hitting the ceiling and the eventual cricket in the distance, nobody was really in the mood to talk, especially after everything that happened. Leona was sitting against the knight who was leaning on a box with his empty dish in hand while she discreetly drank the soup from the bowl directly instead of using the wooden spoon given to her. On the other side of the fire, Laslow had just finished his meal and started to go through his notes, seemingly concerned by something. Jonathan was stirring some of the broth before scooping it to serve himself. Laura didn¡¯t have any appetite so she decided to take a nap for the time being and was tucked in between some boxes on the far corner away from the group and Phoebe was out on patrol. Selene was sharing the meal provided by them and kept repeating one full bowl after the other. ¡°I¡¯m so grateful for you to share this food with me. I- no, my father and I were on the run for two days straight and we didn¡¯t bring any food with us. Though I wish he was here now¡­¡± Between each spoon of soup she told her tale again, this time with less stuttering in her voice. Leona promptly left her empty bowl on the floor, she was intrigued by what she had said. ¡°So you and your father ran from the capital, did anything happen there or you two just left after hearing the news about me?¡± ¡°We left after we heard rumors that Miss Leona was going to be executed for treason, we¡­ we knew something bad was going to happen so we ran away.¡± ¡°Executed huh. He must have found someone else to pin the blame on.¡± She started to rub her forehead with her right thumb as some sweat started to form around her face. Knowing how cunning Alexander was, there must have been a reason why to announce a public execution, however that much didn¡¯t make sense since a man like that wouldn¡¯t mistakenly kill a peasant for herself. She rubbed her forehead more intensively as she tried to understand while speaking out loud. ¡°But¡­ it doesn¡¯t add up, why would he order a public execution¡­? Is it to rat out potential hidden allies of my family?¡± ¡°Most likely to demoralize potential riots from the demi-humans.¡± Laslow explained while still focused on his tome. Though his eyes narrowed from time to time as he read on the notes. ¡°Think about it, if they were to witness a public execution of the noble that so fiercely tried to aid them all this time, what would it happen?¡± Leona raised an eyebrow as she questioned his reasoning. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that have the opposite effect?¡± ¡°Not everyone has the same mindset as you Princess Leona. The lower populace unfortunately thinks of themselves as cattle waiting to be slaughtered. Accepting their fate as if it was meant to be.¡± The way he spoke made her feel guilty, after all, it was her who started the changes on how the general public saw demi-humans. But that was mostly because her mother was one, she wished for a kingdom that could embrace every citizen equally and give all a chance to shine, just as she did years ago. ¡°We¡­ we are not fighters¡­¡± Selene¡¯s shylily voiced her opinion while grasping her bowl with trembling hands. Her input promptly made the two turn their attention to her, but she kept staring on the floor. ¡°How are we supposed to act if we can¡¯t even protect ourselves? My father was wounded trying to protect me from mercenaries. But I- I couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°...¡± Leona averted her gaze, clenching her teeth. She knew that demi-humans had it rough, but hearing directly from someone that clearly suffered through the hands of other denizens of the capital made her heart ache. Even though the girl¡¯s voice was starting to stutter, she kept talking. ¡°My friends were killed and hung in the slums as¡­ as¡­ examples¡­ because- because they didn¡¯t want to come along with the mercenaries¡­¡± She started to sob quietly, her shoulders trembling with each hiccup while she tried her best to keep it down. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so sorry for hearing that.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t look her in the face. For so long she raised to help them, the most unfortunate side of the capital, but time and time again her efforts wouldn¡¯t show any results, instead only making her feel a false sense of achievement when she saw an occasional demi-human working on establishments in the capital. Deep down, she knew it wasn¡¯t making a huge difference, but she tried regardless, time and time again with more determination, she wanted to show everyone that a mere place of birth didn¡¯t make a human different than any other demon out there. Leona couldn¡¯t allow the meaningless vengeance of one man to bring down an entire country with him, otherwise her mother¡¯s death would have been for nothing. ¡°I can imagine how a life like that would be.¡± Laslow suddenly spoke, though his tone seemed unchanged. He closed his tome and after letting out a long exasperated sigh he turned to Selene. Jonathan, who had remained quiet all that time, already put his bowl down as if he knew something was going to happen. ¡°But if you don¡¯t even try to fight for what is yours by right, then you should have no right to live.¡± ¡°Laslow! What the hell are you-¡± The wizard raised his hand to stop the thief from interfering and still kept talking to the sobbing girl. ¡°If you knew how to fight, your father wouldn¡¯t have been wounded would he?¡± ¡°I- I don¡¯t know-¡± ¡°I despise people that take everything for granted, they wait for salvation to come with their blood soaked bodies only to be met with an axe to the neck.¡± His words were harsh, if anything they¡¯d cut deeper than any sword, but Laslow could simply sigh and stare at the wooden floor with his head hanging low as he continued speaking with a melancholic tone in his voice. ¡°My sister was the only family I had left and she died because I couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Then what are you telling me to do?! I just want to live peacefully with my father!¡± Selene yelled out in a burst of anger as she slammed the wooden bowl on the floor. ¡°Princess Leona is fighting to save her father who is still out there somewhere in the capital. The only one who can shape your fate is yourself, that much is given.¡± The girl hit her closed right fist against the wooden floor in frustration as tears started to form on the edge of her eyes. ¡°I¡­ I just wanted us to live a happy life together. After we left the citadel to come here, it has only been hardships without end. I helped my father everyday in the forge so we could afford to eat¡­ is it much to ask to have our lives back as they were?¡± Leona slowly closed her eyes in thought, the citadel she referred to was the dwarven city to the east of Arcadia, she knew it was occasionally sieged by death angels but for a family to come all that way to the west was also troubling. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My friend here didn¡¯t mean to hurt your feelings.¡± Jonathan gave the wizard a serious scowl as he continued to comfort the girl. ¡°We ourselves are headed there as he explained to hopefully put an end to this. Do you have any information about the royal knights or what happened to them? I don¡¯t think they would just blindly accept a noble naming himself lord of the kingdom.¡± ¡°They- they were gone from the city, when lord Alexander announced his lordship there were only mercenaries protecting him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good¡­ if they have total control of the capital it¡¯ll be difficult for us to do anything.¡± ¡°Unless, we hit hard and fast.¡± Laslow interrupted, his arms were folded inside the cloak he wore and his eyes were shut as he explained. ¡°Even if he has the capital under his control, he doesn¡¯t know who most of us are. Especially you or Laura so we could gather intel before moving out with a plan, since the main objective is to save her father it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find clues around the Lorraine household.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he know of you?¡± Jonathan presented a valid question as they were of the same family at some point, but nevertheless Laslow shook his head. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t bother remembering who I am, after all I was merely a stepping stone for that bastard.¡± Silence reigned as they stopped discussing the plans for the next day, everyone was tired after the day they went through, especially Leona. After witnessing her friend be buried under countless boulders and the priestess¡¯ passing, she was more than just tired. ¡°I¡¯ll go rest for now, good night.¡± The princess slowly stood up and after patting out some of the dust off her dirtied dress she turned towards a stack of boxes somewhat near the sleeping barbarian and climbed on the lower parts of it. Keeping herself off ground level was the smarter move as it can get really cold in the Great Forest. ¡°Do you need anything else Leona?¡± Krieg approached her, his form looming over where she had laid down. ¡°No this is fine Krieg, thank you.¡± He nodded before sitting with his back against the stacked boxes that she was sleeping on. He turned his head up, even though he couldn¡¯t see her, he wished her a good night. ¡°Good night to you too, Krieg.¡± She rolled on her left side, turning her back against the campfire, however she could hardly shut her eyes as her mind started pondering through what happened on that exhausting day. Before when she was a tactician confined inside the safety of the Crossford mansion, she thought of soldiers as pieces from a game of chess, now as lives of people close to her were at hand, making decisions was that much more difficult, one slip or miscalculation could cost a life. What more was the sole reason they were there, as a rescue party, she knew it wasn¡¯t necessary to take down Alexander, but at the same time if let to his own devices she could not fathom what horrors the capital would go through in his hands. ¡®To be strong by yourself it means that you are a hero, to be stronger together with a kingdom it means that you are a ruler.¡¯ Those were the words of her late mother as she used to teach Leona. If anything a ruler must know how to best use their subject¡¯s skills in order to raise the kingdom to heights never obtainable before. The Princess knew everyone had something to offer, however small that was and that maybe it could make a difference on the grand scale of things. But at that moment, she couldn¡¯t help but feel lost, many things had gone awry with one wrong step she had taken and the concept of death stayed in the back of her mind all the time after those mistakes. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to lose anyone anymore, this isn¡¯t a chess game.¡± She quietly muttered to herself as she tightened her grasp on the prismatic pendant. Her eyes slowly shut as she told herself many times that sleep was necessary. But as soon as she embraced the cold darkness of her mind, a voice echoed in her consciousness just as if it was waiting for her. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°And so we meet again, Leona Crossford.¡± She was once again taken to a world void of light, an abyss of unimaginable proportions with darkness that seemed to be infinite in all directions. Her form was oddly much more stable than the time she had been there before, extending her hands out only faintly made her fingers disappear in a weak haze of black dust, but once she brought her hand back it would return to normal. Undulating waves of pulsing crimson energy seemed to take form in the abyss as a silhouette of a mouth, while its teeth were there, she couldn¡¯t see anything as it was pitch black aside from the unsettling moving red lips. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel miserable? Being so powerless in a world that only the strong have the right to rule?¡± ¡°Just, who- no, what are you?¡± ¡°I have told you already, I am Lastraeous the true god of this world.¡± The mouth grinned in satisfaction. ¡°You are one of the few individuals that have my blessing to reach beyond the boundaries of this world, yet even I cannot comprehend the things that you do. Humans are truly peculiar things.¡± ¡°Blessed?¡± ¡°Why yes, your mother was the same. Why do you think she, a demon, would not be capable of using elemental magic? They are intricately connected with the world around them, but she was one of a kind, much smarter than her misbegotten brethren. But that intelligence would be wasted if she was to be a spell caster.¡± Leona clenched her teeth in anger. ¡°So you cursed her?¡± ¡°Curse is the wrong word Princess. I just gave her another potential to further develop your world.¡± It crackled in amusement with its laughter echoing in the infinite darkness. ¡°Humans and demons have one thing in common, they wage war for the slightest of provocations, though that makes them ever more entertaining to watch.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but tighten both of her hands into fists. Even if that was truly a god, making light of the whole world¡¯s situation as if it was all just a game made her feel furious. ¡°Oh but apologies, you and a handful of others are the only ones worthy of my attention. Though I must say, your choices are the most intriguing of them all. Do you really expect your father to be alive after all this time?¡± ¡°He- he IS alive. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°I wonder what hope you¡¯re clinging upon.¡± Suddenly, the abyss vanished on a blinding warm day. Leona winced as her eyes were assaulted by dim sunlight, the environment around her changed to a very familiar forest amidst the light rain. In front of her there was a large wooden building albeit ripped apart by spells and cannon balls a few days back. ¡°Wait this is¡­¡± She was standing right outside the mansion, though she couldn¡¯t understand how. Looking down, she noticed her body became lighter as she wore nothing but the black haze that took the shape of a swaying dress with the rest of her limbs had taken on a ghostly appearance as it was now possible to see through them. She looked around her for the moving mouth but didn¡¯t see it anywhere. Upon looking behind her, she noticed a band of three men armed with longswords while wearing similar brigandine armor and closed steel helmets, at first she reached for where the shortsword would be on her hip but there was nothing there. ¡®Dammit!¡¯ She prepared to cast a spell but the mercenaries didn¡¯t react but instead kept walking straight towards her, after stepping to the side while watching them walk past seemingly not noticing her presence. Suddenly, a floating darkened eyeball with red iris flew by her, taking perch on a nearby tree. ¡°What is happening here?¡± Her puzzled expression as she asked made it chuckle. ¡°This is your projected consciousness, let¡¯s say this is a favor for entertaining me thus far.¡± It explained through its echoing voice inside Leona¡¯s head. It flew gingerly behind the mercenaries who were on their way inside through a ripped hole in the wall before turning around to face her. ¡°Come follow me.¡± Hesitantly, Leona walked behind the unusual guide. The interior wooden walls were soaked in blood, marks on the carpet of gashes of blades were around everywhere, some parts of the halls the princess used to run through were splintered open most likely from a missed axe strike, though there were no corpses inside, the whole place smelled of iron. She kept following the flying eyeball though it was as if there was something stuck in her throat the whole time as she couldn¡¯t help herself but feel on the edge. Each step she took closer to the council room made her heart race even though she was but a ghostly form of herself. From the depths of her soul she wished her father was safe and this was no more than just the construction of her imagination. A nightmare. ¡°Lord Alexander, we are here to report.¡± The mercenary in the middle of the group stopped by the doorway where there used to be a double door of carved wood. Although she couldn¡¯t see what was inside, she did notice one of the mercenaries flinch right after they stopped. ¡°Out with it.¡± A strident voice came from inside, apparently the man was rudely interrupted in whatever he was working on as footsteps grew closer to the doorway. Eventually it stopped as the leader mercenary took one step back as he cleared his throat. ¡°Our patrols didn¡¯t spot Princess Leona today either.¡± ¡°Hmmm, good work. Now if you please leave me alone, I have things to do.¡± ¡°Y-yes my lord.¡± The armored man rushily bowed before heading off along the hallway with the other mercenaries in tow, Leona grasped for her pendant but it was not there so instead she held her hands on her chest as she slowly built up the courage to peek around the doorway. Horror struck her very soul the moment she gazed upon inside the chamber and while she didn¡¯t have the means to throw up, she automatically reached for her mouth as if something was going to come out. It was one big amalgamation of corpses of both mercenaries and mansion dwellers that almost reached the ceiling, it swayed back and forth in the middle of the carpet, random hands with broken weapons scratched the wooden surface from time to time as a young dark haired man was standing with arms behind his back seemingly observing the nightmarish creature while mumbling to himself. ¡°Hmmm¡­ perhaps more corpses with intact brains are necessary.¡± Alexander wore a fine woven cotton white buttoned shirt with both sleeves rolled back up to his elbows, the black trousers were a tight fit along with the studded dark leather boots. His left dark hazel and right golden eyes were staring intently at the amalgamation of bodies, though lacking definite form, it only could shift as much mass around, seemingly being a slow creature. He passed his fingers through the dark brown hair eventually brushing it back due to the excess grease and with a long sigh he muttered. ¡°This is no good, again.¡± He was displeased with the result and thus turned around with a snap of his fingers and the monster simply dissolved into a putrid smelling gelatinous puddle that stained the ruined red carpet. Leona couldn¡¯t breathe, not that she needed to in that state but she found herself instinctively holding her breath upon seeing the abomination created through foul magic. She took a few steps back but her legs locked in the moment she heard the young man speak. ¡°Listen lord- or rather, sir Jean, do you not have any better demi-humans for this?¡± ¡®Father¡­?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t see past the man walking back and forth patiently, before he eventually stopped and leaned in forward to the chair in front of him. Slumped against the chair, Leona¡¯s father had a number of knives stabbed in his stomach and thighs, though he was bound to the seat by the wrists and shins he didn¡¯t seem to budge even after what the young man said, seemingly unconscious from the wounds. ¡°Ah¡­ this is no good. He passed out again. Ladies.¡± Alexander clapped his hands twice before turning around towards the doorway. ¡°Heal him so I can continue the interrogation.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes went wide with anger, the usual calm and collected though insecure girl was now burning with pain and the dress made of black haze started to sway on the edges like a roaring fire. She kneeled on the ground while clutching her own arms while screaming from shock, she couldn¡¯t stand up; it was as if part of her was ripped and torn apart. ¡°Father¡­ I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Very well this is enough.¡± Lastraeus¡¯ eye brightened with red energy and the projection faded, returning both of them into the darkness of the abyss, devoid of will, Leona was still curled up along the ground trembling. Her mind couldn¡¯t comprehend such a level of cruelty, it was inhumane, it was even beyond what a demon would be capable of. She felt guilty for leaving her father there, while she was out of harm¡¯s way, Jean endured hellish torture over and over again, she couldn¡¯t fathom for how long but seeing her parent almost on death¡¯s door was enough to drive her to the point of crying. ¡°Leona Crossford, I will once again introduce myself. I am Lastraeus the true god of this world, become my champion and I shall bestow great powers upon you.¡± She slammed her right hand down and it seemed to hit a dark substance that couldn¡¯t be described as solid nor liquid, she kept hitting against it while still clutching her arm with the left hand, she wish she could scream her lungs out, she wish it was just a nightmare that she would wake up on her bed inside the mansion just like another day. But upon looking up, she saw a giant eyeball staring at her very soul. It was a tempting offer, to become powerful, but power does not come without consequence, she couldn¡¯t stand, but even while kneeling she gazed back at the singular red iris as she asked. ¡°Why¡­ why have you shown me these things¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I want you to become my champion, embrace my power and destroy those who oppose me.¡± The eye started to dissipate into the darkness, but its voice echoed in her mind before she was totally left in the abyss. ¡°When you become victorious, this world may finally know the true reason why it exists.¡± Leona woke up with a jolt as her body bumped against the boxes she was sleeping on. She was damp with sweat dripping from her brow down to her face, she used part of her cloak to dry the liquid while breathing deeply and steadily. ¡®Why am I feeling this nervous?¡¯ She thought to herself as she sat on the wooden floor with her back against the boxes. Upon looking at her hand as she lowered the cloak, she noticed a strange symbol of an eye drawn along the palm of her hand. Her eyes blinked once, twice, three times, but it was still there. She tried to rub it off with her cloak but it didn¡¯t seem to be an ink of sorts. ¡°Leona?¡± She heard a familiar voice coming from the entrance of the warehouse and as she turned to look, she saw Krieg standing between the boxes in the hall holding his greatsword from the strap on his left shoulder. ¡°Oh, good morning Krieg.¡± She greeted him by waving her left hand and hid the other without thinking, the knight however didn¡¯t seem to notice her behaviour and instead slowly approached her before taking a seat beside the princess. ¡°Good morning. I was wondering if it is truly a good idea for us to go directly to the mansion.¡± ¡°This is rare for you. Discussing strategies I mean.¡± ¡°Does this displease you?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± She vehemently denied as she held his right hand between hers with expectancy as she continued. ¡°I always wanted to discuss strategies with someone else, but father used to be too busy.¡± She stopped for a few seconds as words left her mouth. ¡®Used to?¡¯ Her thoughts were messy, it was as if she knew of something but couldn¡¯t exactly put her finger on what was. Thankfully Krieg¡¯s voice made her come back to the conversation at hand. ¡°I¡¯m just concerned with your well-being.¡± He gently lowered her hands while continuing to explain. ¡°After all, it could be a trap to lure us there. Laslow kept me company in the last night¡¯s watch and so we discussed possible locations that lord Jean could be.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯d rather not imagine that anything happened to my father.¡± ¡°Neither myself, but we came upon three possible locations; the mansion itself, the Lorraine household or the palace- hmm?¡± He held her hands with both palms facing him. Leona felt a chill go down her spine and instinctively recoiled her hands. Noticing how rude it was of him he bowed to her. ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry Leona. I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± ¡°Ah, no, don¡¯t apologize. It just startled me, that''s all.¡± She once again put her hands on his as she asked. ¡°Is there something wrong with my hands?¡± He ran his thumbs across both palms gently, a few bumps started to form around palms on the opposite side of the knuckles. Only after he touched them, she felt the roughness of her own skin. He looked somewhat sad at her before he turned again to her hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s because of me that you have these calluses.¡± ¡°Ah these? I always wondered why my mother and father used to have these but not me.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but smile. Although much different to her usual smile, there was a hint of melancholy as she closed and opened her hands. ¡°At least now I have something to remind me of them.¡± Krieg squeezed her hands gently as his crimson eyes met hers. His gaze seemed ever more determined than before. ¡°I promise you, we¡¯ll save lord Jean and we¡¯ll finally put an end to this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind Krieg.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Hey keep it down will you?¡± A haughty voice came from over one of the boxes on the top of the stack as both of them turned to the source of the sound, they noticed a leg dangling from the very top. It was Phoebe who seemed to have a rough night¡¯s sleep. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Phoebe.¡± Leona spoke and the moment she did she heard someone shout behind her. ¡°Catch!¡± Jonathan threw an object which flew right against the elf, whatever hit her was big enough to make her stumble and fall from the boxes, causing the stack of wooden crates to collapse into a big crash. ¡°Ah curses! Bloody seven hells and above!¡± Phoebe''s muffled curses came from underneath as she tried to stand up from the avalanche of containers, thankfully Krieg was kind enough to lift most of the boxes so she could at least get out from beneath. ¡°Gah! Thank you Krieg.¡± She turned to the thief with a stinky eye. Silently saying by moving her mouth ¡®I¡¯ll end you¡¯ as she patted the dust off her clothing. Jonathan greeted her by raising a metal mug he used to carry around with him, there was a gentle stream of vapor coming from inside it. ¡°Good morning to you too.¡± ¡°Nnngh¡­ what the hell did you throw at me?¡± She reached for the strange dark object lying underneath a box. The moment she pulled it out she felt a dizzying odor, as the studded leather boot was half open on her hand. ¡°Ah dammit John what the hell?!¡± She tossed it back at him but he simply dodged out of the way. He picked another metal metallic mug and poured half of his beverage to her as a means of apology. ¡°Sorry, sorry, we can¡¯t have you in a bad mood now can we?¡± The elf took the mug out of his hand with a pout before sitting down near the campfire he was tending. Leona laughed at the two, it had been forever since she had laughed so genuinely it made Krieg happy. Though that happiness would soon come to an end in the upcoming days. Chapter XVI: Hearts Sing of Death Part I The rain didn¡¯t seem to be subsiding anytime soon as the group exited the warehouse. Darkened clouds covered the sky while a very thin rain fell constantly on the Great Forest. Before they left for their journey Laura stopped by the doorway and turned around with Neiliel¡¯s leather bag of supplies in hand as she gave it to the demi-human girl. Everyone stopped when they noticed the barbarian linger behind, the hulking woman kneeled down to meet Selene¡¯s eyes before laying her hand gently on the girl¡¯s slender shoulder to say her goodbyes. ¡°Take care Selene. I hope this will keep you fed for the next few days, take care of your dad as well alright?¡± Selene¡¯s trembling hands grasped the worn leather bag with a few tears forming from her wine red eyes. ¡°I- I will, Miss Laura, thank you.¡± Laura had a bittersweet smile as she stood up to accompany the rest of the group. Leaving the warehouse and a waving demi-human girl behind. Selene grasped the bag tight against her chest while shedding silent tears of sadness. ¡°That was admirable.¡± Jonathan discreetly spoke to the barbarian so no one else heard what he said. With a faint smile, Laura replied. ¡°It was what Neil would have wanted.¡± More silent footsteps as they traversed through the thicket, Krieg and Phoebe kept leading the party with Leona and Laslow in the middle while the thief and barbarian kept in the back in case anything went wrong. But even if they were inside the enemy''s territory, the chances of finding someone to that side of the Great Forest was much lower compared to the central portion of the plateau. ¡°How long until we reach this mansion?¡± Laslow asked while tugging something underneath his robes. Apparently his tome wasn¡¯t enchanted against water as he took an extra precaution to keep it dry. ¡°About four hours of walking. But with this rain to cover our tracks, probably less.¡± Krieg answered while still focused on the forest ahead of him. He carefully made his way through the vegetation in order to not make the trail stand out much, but the water levels made the journey difficult for everyone since the soil was practically mud. As they walked, Leona realized Laslow was having no trouble whatsoever walking through the sloshy terrain, as she took in consideration that his stamina wouldn¡¯t be so different from a sheltered noble like her, she decided to ask him either way. ¡°Laslow. Could you tell me how you are able to walk normally on this ground? I can¡¯t help but feel that I¡¯m missing something.¡± She went straight to the point without wasting time as her breath was becoming more and more fatigued as they went on. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m surprised you noticed. I¡¯m just using fire to harden the mud beneath my feet as I walk.¡± He took his next step very slowly and before his right foot could touch the mud, a very thin flash of orange covered the ground and solidified the sludge and after he stepped on, it broke apart and pieces were lost amidst the mud. ¡°See? It¡¯s not awfully difficult to pull it off but since I can only create orange levels of flames, it¡¯s not exactly discreet.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but want to try, it was already very difficult to walk in the mud, but it was especially bad for her since it only made her feet more wet and it was not a feeling she wanted to get used to. Focusing on the sole of her foot while lifting her left leg, she started by imagining a thin layer of air before it turned into the blue flash of seething flames and as she took her step forward, a large area on the mud around her foot became crackled smoking with distinctively blue flames. ¡°Gah!¡± Her leg instinctively flinched backwards to avoid stepping on the scorched ground and was thankfully supported by Laura who was directly behind her before she could fall with her back on the mud.. ¡°Oop. Careful Princess.¡± ¡°Thank you Laura.¡± She regained her footing but was now left with a disc of about half a meter of dried mud leaving a trace of heat on the ground. Laslow kneeled down before pressing with his index against the disc, easily breaking its surface while barely using any strength. He stood up and nodded as he encouraged her. ¡°It¡¯s alright, try again with less mana. Your flames are much more potent than the ones I¡¯m able to make, so instead of a layer, try to go for a small point in the middle of your foot.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± She walked once again through the mud for a few more steps as Jonathan cleaned up the dried soil behind her. Leona sharpened her mind, focusing on the same flash of fire but more controlled right in the middle of her foot like a morning warm breeze and the moment she was about to step on the ground, a very gentle wave of azure fire dried the mud beneath her foot and she was able to step on the hardened ground without fear of being burned. ¡°I¡­ I did it!¡± Though it was easier for the first step, consecutive steps made her break concentration as she tried to keep up to the group¡¯s pace and in the end she gave up. But it was a notable experience for her as it was an unusual use of fire magic, the element she deemed so dangerous before. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you learn quickly, Leona.¡± Laslow expressed his genuine surprise with her spellcasting prowess. ¡°Not many mages are capable of adapting on the fly like this.¡± ¡°Well¡­ not that I succeeded on the other tries however¡­¡± She glanced down slightly disappointed. ¡°Oh it took me months of practice to be able to do this without a second thought.¡± He laughed sourly as he continued to explain. ¡°Phoebe used to help me a lot with these things.¡± ¡°You and your weird magic experiments.¡± The elf complained from the front while going through the foliage. Leona chuckled. Those two reminded her of when she studied in the Grand Academy, when Luke would often help her in order to discover new ways to use elemental magic, one of which was her unique spell, Diamond Frost. It took a few months for her to develop, all the while having Luke produce stone golems to test the potency of the freezing spell. Though the fond memory of her friend was almost all she had left after what happened in the cave. ¡®I just hope¡­ he didn¡¯t suffer.¡¯ She thought to herself. Being a noble had its perks, she never really had to do any difficult or straining chores nor was she ever hurt badly to the point of feeling intense pain, eventual scratches from falling over or minor wounds from mild experiments going wrong was all she had to deal with in her time studying, but just imagining what would be to go through what Luke did was enough to send chills down her spine. She could only dream of ending that madness as fast as she could, lives of many were on the line and if Alexander was indeed successful in achieving control of the capital, things could be more dire than she imagined. Seizing the rights to rule was a convoluted process, first, one individual had to be acknowledged by at least five other noble families of the council of ten, second, the current king or queen had to willingly pass on the throne, but in this case a duel could also settle the dispute. The third and last requirement was to have the Eleonorian church hold a binding ritual, though this process was complicated as the ruler had to go through many procedures to ¡®appease¡¯ the goddess of light. Leona knew all of that, because like every other person of a noble house, she had to be taught the arts of ruling in case she ever decided to rise up in power, which was mostly the same for the other nine families, but with all the information she acquired from Selene, it was very much clear that the Crossford household held almost no power now. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if she could turn the whole capital against him, many pieces were starting to fit together as to how the mansion was attacked with such a large number of soldiers and also why the royal knights didn¡¯t do anything. Obviously Alexander had planned it all, though his methods still eluded her. For someone to be able to put so many things in motion in such little time was beyond her logic. However her line of thought was interrupted when Laura commented from behind her. ¡°Isn¡¯t it getting foggy? I swear I can¡¯t see more than thirty meters ahead.¡± Leona shifted her weight to the left, glancing over the elf¡¯s shoulder only to notice a creeping white mist engulfing the forest around them, slowly but surely it was starting to make it more difficult to navigate through the woods. ¡°We should stick closer together, you never know what might jump out of the fog.¡± Laslow suggested while gesturing to Jonathan and Laura since both were in the rear. Krieg and Phoebe also started to slow down their pace in order to match their march, while in the middle of the group was technically the safest place, Leona couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious, it was as if something was staring at her from the fog. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re being watched.¡± She voiced her concern as she summoned a small blue flame that served to disperse some of the fog around them, though it only worked while she pointed in the desired direction. Phoebe seemed bothered by the display of magic as she glanced over her shoulder to speak to her. ¡°That¡¯ll attract more attention, if anything, you should put it out.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± With a quick flick of her hand the fire dissipated and for a split second the wizard winced from the intense heat he felt on his face, though it was not enough to cause any pain directly he still seemed curious when he motioned with his hand to get the Princess¡¯ attention. ¡°Leona, how are you able to make a blue flame like that? I often thought that it was because of the amount of mana used but that doesn¡¯t seem to be in your case.¡± ¡°I actually don¡¯t know, I was always able to make my flames blue.¡± ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± He flicked a very small flame on the palm of his right hand and the color varied between orange and red, though always shifting more towards orange. He turned towards her while gesturing with his other hand open towards the spell. ¡°See this? It¡¯s not a very powerful spell, though its destructive power depends on the user¡¯s mana, but what determines the intensity of the flame is still a mystery to me.¡± The Princess never gave a second thought as to why her magic was so different from all the other fire mages, not only was it more potent but also very efficient in mana consumption. ¡°My mother taught me how to cast spells and I remember she used to say something about imagining plenty of air fueling the flame, like as if you simultaneously casted a wind spell to feed it.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ that¡¯s genius¡­! So instead of continuously using the fire you instead use wind to feed the flame of the already existing fire spell.¡± Without any hesitation, he pulled out his tome and under the cover of the cloak started to quickly scribble with a metal pointed pen. The tip swiftly tracing burn marks across the paper as he jotted down everything he just learned. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Hey isn¡¯t that going to blur with this rain?¡± Jonathan asked while trying to help his friend protect the page from the rain with part of his cloak. Laslow chuckled before he explained. ¡°My friend, this is a burn pen. I heat the tip with magic and it marks the paper, though I can¡¯t write the front and back of it. It¡¯s very useful for taking notes when traveling.¡± The heated tip smoldered the thick page marking his discovery. Meanwhile Leona stared at her right hand, closing and opening her fingers individually. She began to create tiny spheres of different elements, water, ice, wind and fire from her pinky to index finger accordingly. A sense of wonder started to fill her, why her mother, a manaless spell caster, was able to teach her so much about magic? While a bird is born to fly, humans weren¡¯t born to cast magic like demons or demi-humans were, yet she could grasp every concept of magecraft her mother taught her. She dispelled the elemental spheres and glanced at the wizard who just finished jotting down his notes, seemingly satisfied with himself. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thought of using two elements simultaneously like that. Your mother sure taught you a lot.¡± ¡°Maybe, it¡¯s because she couldn¡¯t cast any magic so her understanding of elemental magic was different than other mages. Though how she could grasp something so abstract such as magic without being able to use it is beyond my comprehension.¡± ¡°I believe some people are born for certain things.¡± The back side of the group, especially Laslow and Leona turned at the barbarian, who seemed a little down from her tone of voice. She seemed to be so lost in thought not even noticing she was speaking out loud. ¡°Hey Laura, are you alright?¡± Phoebe asked from the front, not turning around but apparently worried about her friend. ¡°Huh?¡± Her emerald eyes perked up to glance at the elf who was still surveying the area around the group carefully. With a cautious tone, Phoebe warned the barbarian without ever looking back. ¡°You were spacing out. If you¡¯re not feeling okay you should turn back now. This is no place for the dispirited.¡± The elf¡¯s comment ticked her off as she promptly asked indignantly. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly as I said, if you are spacing out like that you might put the whole group at risk. If you¡¯re not feeling alright you should-¡± ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying Phoebe, I¡¯m here for a reason and I¡¯ll see it to the end even if it costs my life.¡± Phoebe sighed quietly before calmly explaining to her. ¡°Listen, I know you¡¯re angry because of what happened but we have to keep it together if we are to succeed. Lives of others are depending on this, if we do something harsh-¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± Laura halted and when the rest of the group noticed her lagging behind they stopped walking altogether. Jonathan decided to approach her while trying to alleviate the situation at hand. ¡°Huh? Hey Laura we¡¯re-¡± ¡°I SAID SHUT UP!¡± Her yell promptly made Leona recoil and cover her ears with both hands, it echoed in the forest seemingly for meters beyond the dense fog. It caught most off-guard, though not Phoebe who quietly cast a spell. ¡°Winds of time, bestow peace for my enemies, Silence.¡± Laslow raised both his hands open at the barbarian while slowly but steadily approaching her while at the same time trying to appeal to a more diplomatic solution. ¡°Calm down Laura, this is hardly the time or place to fight between ourselves.¡± She ignored the wizard and went straight to the elf, grabbing her by the collar of her clothing. ¡°Listen here, I¡¯m coming along whether you like it or not. Neiliel died thanks to this job and I intend to see it done for her sake.¡± Phoebe grabbed her wrists with one hand staring at her eyes intently. ¡°Save this for later. Thanks to your display we are being hunted now.¡± The elf shoved her hand aside with a surprising amount of force before turning around to keep walking. Tension was high in the group due to what happened the previous day, but Phoebe knew they needed to keep going as fast as they could, because unlike Leona who merely felt being watched, the elf was much more perceptive and already had an idea of their pursuers whereabouts even in the dense mist. Her plan was to ambush them but for that plan to go smoothly, she needed a less open space, turning to the knight beside her, she asked. ¡°Krieg, sire. Do you know anywhere near the mansion that is less open?¡± Without looking at her he replied. ¡°There is a clearing of a cave known as Dead Man¡¯s cave. There¡¯s also the mansion''s secret entrance but I think I know why you want a place like that.¡± ¡°Did you notice?¡± ¡°Someone is trailing us, yes. Although I¡¯m not exactly sure where they are.¡± ¡°A few hundred meters behind us, if we keep this pace they won¡¯t reach us.¡± ¡°Right. Let¡¯s speed things up then.¡± He slowed his pace to let Leona catch up with him, she noticed his gaze and decided to ask what was wrong. ¡°Do you need to tell me something?¡± ¡°We are being trailed so we¡¯d like to double the pace, do you think I should carry your or-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I can run along at that pace.¡± He nodded before looking behind at the rest of the group. ¡°Let¡¯s increase the pace.¡± Jonathan and Laslow nodded while Laura simply complied by jogging faster. They were on a brisk run at that point. With Krieg navigating the group, even in that fog he was able to discern where to go in order to reach the infamous cave. The knight endured harsh training in order to become one of the most important figures in the royal Arcadian army, even though the same kingdom casted him aside when the war was over, he couldn¡¯t forget the reason why he was able to live for so long. First was Queen Eleonora who gave him power and a purpose, nurturing his ever growing strength with caring of a mother he didn¡¯t have. And now Princess Leona, the once little girl who was resolute in her duty to help others less fortunate, was now possibly the next ruler of the kingdom and her life depended on his ability to keep her safe. His blood soaked past had to make a difference, it was now or never. He ploughed through bushes and vegetation, both his speed and size was key to make a path for everyone to follow. Though that tactic had a risk, if the pursuers knew the place as well as him they could cut them off or instead go directly to the mansion and call reinforcements, though Phoebe was gambling on their lack of knowledge of the terrain. ¡°If we keep running straight we should reach the cave in about an hour.¡± Krieg warned as he broke through a big rotten tree trunk with his arms. Thankfully everyone was fast enough to go through the path before the pieces of the wooden trunk fell back in the trail. ¡°An hour of running¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t think... I can run for that long¡­!¡± Leona muttered, starting to sound tired, barely being able to speak as her legs did their best to carry the noble girl through the muddied path. Phoebe, showing an impressive feat of dexterity, began to run backwards while casting a spell on the winded up Princess. ¡°Winds of time, bestow thy grace upon this tired body, Steps of Wind! Murky green wind started to envelop Leona¡¯s legs like vortexes, with each step she took it seemed like she was running on air, which made it much easier for her to keep the pace without getting too tired. On top of that, Phoebe threw a green vial towards her which almost found its way to the mud before Leona caught it mid air. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Drink while running if you can, it¡¯s a stamina potion.¡± Leona hesitantly uncorked the vial. The smell wasn¡¯t particularly bad as there was a hint of mint inside of it but the green liquid made it hard for her to drink it. Jonathan caught up with her, the moment he noticed the vial in her hand he chuckled before telling her to drink it. ¡°Chug it down, it¡¯s easier if you do it in one go.¡± ¡°Nnngh¡­¡± She closed one of her eyes and downed the whole flask in one go. The taste was something she had never felt before, it was a mixture of mint with honey which made it very sweet but also surprisingly refreshing. ¡°Ah!¡± This- this is actually good! I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be this sweet.¡± Phoebe took the vial back from her and pocketed in her leather satchel before continuing running. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Just make sure to tell us if you¡¯re not feeling okay.¡± ¡°Yeah, thank you Phoebe.¡± Laslow was continuously creating a thin path of hardened dirt while chanting under his breath. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, flow through the time and await thy end, Delayed Fire Blast!¡± A small sphere of flame the size of a golf ball gently fell on the hardened path, slowly increasing in size as it was left behind by the wizard who had a smug look on his face. ¡°This will do some damage.¡± They continued to run for minutes, thankfully Laslow could keep up the pace without falling too far behind thanks to his ground hardening technique, though it was a challenge for the wizard to run so much in so little time. Leona surprisingly was able to keep up with Krieg and Phoebe in the front, mostly thanks to the elf¡¯s wind magic, not much was able to slow her down. Jonathan and Laura were closely behind the rest of the group, the thief making use of his speed to not slow down in the mud while the barbarian was able to just force her way through without much trouble. With time passing, the temperature started to rise little by little and with it the fog dissipated allowing a better view of the environment around them, not that it made much difference in the dense forest, but it was better than not being able to see more than ten meters ahead of them. Suddenly the thicket opened up for a bright clearing, to the right, a familiar cave entrance with mangled corpses around it, along with them there were broken weapons and pieces of teared armor. It was a shocking sight, much more for Leona since she relived memories she didn¡¯t want to remember. She calmly breathed in and out before accompanying behind the knight towards the clearing, most of the corpses were beyond recognition, with claw marks carving through solid metal breastplates and gnawed rotten limbs around, most likely because of the wildlife. ¡°Leona are you alright?¡± Phoebe noticed her sudden change in the breathing pattern, as if she was anxious. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m alright. This was the last place I saw a dear maid of mine. Her name was Adele Heikel. I... really hoped to see her once again.¡± Krieg noticed something on the ground beside one of the slashed corpses already in decay. While the smell was terrible, he was more focused on the object and simply ignored the smell. After picking up the small sharp coiled whitish object, he offered it to the Princess. ¡°Princess, I think you should keep this.¡± He gently placed it between her hands and upon inspecting the object closer, she recognized it as part of Adele¡¯s horn, it was but a tiny memory of her. Leona did her best to hold her cries but she gripped it tightly near her chest. It was painful to face that reality but at least she had something to remember her dear friend and maid. ¡°Hey¡­ are you guys feeling this too?¡± Jonathan asked. The ground began to rumble and shortly after there was a dry explosion in the distance. Whoever or whatever was following them seemed to trigger Laslow¡¯s magic trap. The wizard chuckled as he declared. ¡°Well, you can kiss whatever was following us goodbye.¡± ¡°Save the fanfare for later Las.¡± Phoebe said at the same time she pulled three arrows from her quiver, Krieg and Laura covered the Princess using the entrance of the cave as a place to put their backs to. A number of mercenaries came out of the woods as if they were waiting for them. ¡°Well, well, what do we have here, you are one hour ahead of schedule. Leona.¡± An irritating voice came from behind the line of mercs as a well dressed dark brown haired man was accompanied by two dirty demi-human slaves, one holding what seemed to be a fancy dark umbrella to protect the lord¡¯s expensive dark wine velvet suit from the rain while the other one made what seemed to be an improved version of Laslow¡¯s mud hardening spell to keep water from reaching his fine leather shoes. He seemed in a very good mood as he gazed upon the Princess wearing nothing but dirty clothes and cloth for shoes. ¡°I believe you have something that I want and I-¡± He snapped his fingers and motioned behind him before completing the phrase. ¡°Have something that you want.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes went wide as she saw her father in his sorry state, while being carried by two other mercenaries by each arm, he could barely open his eyes, his face was bruised beyond recognition and marks of stained blood was all over his clothing, which seemed to had been pierced over and over again. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Leona¡­?¡± His frail voice could barely be heard from that distance. Leona wanted to rush to save him but was stopped by Krieg¡¯s arm who blocked her path while shaking his head. Her eyes darted once again to her father¡¯s face which he seemed to be smiling. ¡°Ha¡­ well¡­ I¡¯m sorry dear. You didn¡¯t need to see your dad in this sorry state.¡± ¡°Father¡­ don¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°Alright, alright shows over.¡± Alexander interrupted the reunion as he started to clap his hands. He fixed his necktie and extended his arms once to fix the sleeves, he then turned once again to the Princess with an intriguing question. ¡°So. Tell me. How did your mom make it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If you just tell me how and I won¡¯t have to hurt your father.¡± Sweat started to build up on her brow as she had no idea of what he was talking about. Surely, her mother invented the firearms they know as muskets but nothing else came to mind. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!¡± He sighed before pointing with his chin towards the mercenary beside him who took a punch at Jean. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Father!¡± Alexander scratched his chin amused by the situation. ¡°Keep this up and he might not live long, actually he doesn¡¯t have long to live, but we¡¯ll get to that later. I spent almost two weeks trying to get information out of him but he wouldn¡¯t speak up, but I¡¯m sure if I have you, he¡¯ll tell me for sure.¡± He snapped his fingers once again. ¡°Alright listen up. I only want her alive. You can kill the rest.¡± He turned around but the moment he did time seemed to stop for a brief moment as Phoebe quickly drew an arrow and fired at the back of his head. It was meant to be a deadly blow but somehow the man simply threw the demi human creating a path of hardened soil behind himself to take the arrow for him. The projectile pierced the young man¡¯s neck as he fell on the ground pleading for air, the other slave was paralyzed with fear and ended up wetting herself on the spot. ¡°Ah what a waste.¡± Alexander muttered as he glanced at his shoe smeared with mud. On the other side Phoebe couldn¡¯t understand how he was able to predict where she would shoot, but instead of dwelling too much about it, she knocked the other arrow ready while having a third one between her lips. The sky was sundered by light as lightning struck in the distance. Laslow, who seemed to be stunned in anger, finally snapped. ¡°ALEXANDER!¡± Chapter XVII: Hearts Sing of Death Part II The taste of iron was still vivid in Laslow¡¯s memories, the cloudy afternoon in the Lothaine household was filled with death, corpses of knights and mansion workers alike filled the forest floor like dead insects. Lena led Laslow by the wrist through the forest while having her longsword on hand as if she already expected trouble. ¡°Why, why is this happening to us?!¡± ¡°Shh, we need to get out of here. The central city shouldn¡¯t be far, we¡¯ll be safe when we get there.¡± They traversed through the dense vegetation, at the time Arcadia was still rebuilding from the recent war against demonkind and plenty of the soon to be city inhabited the Great Forest. That was also true for nobles who sought distance from the general populace of the city. His sister was slightly wounded which was visible from her limping, the forest also didn¡¯t help as the bushes were almost waist high and kept getting in the way of her rather short legs. ¡°Dammit it all¡­ I should¡¯ve listened to the old man¡¯s advice.¡± Lena muttered under her breath as she swung her longsword to make a path for them. Nobles usually have personal attendants, normally some are trained under military tactics, others politics and public image. The Lothaine family was renowned for its might in the war but with humanity¡¯s consecutive losses, its army of highly trained knights proved to be ineffective against demon¡¯s powerful spells. By then more than eighty percent of its total force was dead or had retired. And now Lena was running away for her life and her little brother¡¯s, unbeknownst to her everything was but an intricate plan to get rid of her to finally erase her family¡¯s name from history. ¡°Lena, can you let go? I can walk on my own too.¡± She only noticed how hard she was gripping the boy¡¯s wrist after they stopped running. She turned around and kneeled to face him, her brow dripping with sweat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Las, but I can¡¯t bear losing you too, you understand me right? Just this once, we have to stay close together.¡± She offered her hand and the boy nodded firmly as his smaller fingers tightened around hers. Lena smiled as she stood up once again, her left leg still a bit shaky. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s keep going. Once we see the lights of the city we¡¯ll be safe.¡± Her left foot dragged the mud and dirt along with it as she tried to pick up the pace, it was already difficult to heave her own body along but taking care of her little brother as well turned that situation on a whole nother level of complexity. Most of the force that attacked her estate was after her head especifically, rather than destroying the whole place, they hunted along the halls without making too much commotion assassinating anyone that could pose a threat. Lena was so lost in thought she didn¡¯t notice Laslow¡¯s grip weaken as he ran ahead of her, pointing to a glinting orange light beyond the forest line. ¡°Lena, I can see lights up ahead!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°We¡¯re finally out of this forest!¡± He hastily jumped over the vegetation towards the light. ¡°LAS NO!¡± The moment the boy broke through the thicker bushes he was spotted by eight different mercenaries wearing matching wine red gambeson armor, steel plate boots and dark turbans around their faces covering all of their features. Deep in the night, most of them carried lanterns by the belt to illuminate the area and with a quick glance it was possible to see the glint of metallic barrels coming from behind every mercenary. All of them were armed with muskets hanging from slings behind their shoulders. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± One of them pointed the lantern towards Laslow who was caught between all eight armed men. But before he was shot, laughter echoed from behind the line of mercenaries. A very familiar laugh. Alexander was laughing as he approached the boy who recoiled in fear. Between the armed individuals he started to speak in a very sarcastic tone. ¡°Now. I think it¡¯s my birthday today, for the runt to come my way. The other one must be nearby.¡± He snapped his finger as a grin surged from his face. ¡°I know, Lena, come out before this innocent boy gets shot. You have ten seconds.¡± From behind the bushes just out of view, Lena was clenching the handle of her blade tightly as she hit the ground with her left fist. That was it, he had her brother and his life was now on the line, but coming out of that bush meant certain death to her and deep down she knew even Laslow¡¯s safety wasn¡¯t guaranteed. Nevertheless she walked out of the bushes, breaking twigs under her weight with her arms raised above her head. All the guns suddenly pointed to her with Alexander¡¯s grinning almost beyond what was humanly possible. While slowly clapping his hands he started to talk with his usual tone of mockery. ¡°Well, well, I knew it would pay off to spend my time in this despicable place. You gave me a lot of trouble Lena, I¡¯m very glad to end this.¡± She dropped her longsword on the mud without hesitation, already knowing her fate. Laslow was petrified with fear as the mercenaries were ready to fire at any moment. Noticing her brother¡¯s fright she decided to slowly walk forward. ¡°I know this will be my end and with it, the end of the Lothaines, but I have one final request as head of the family.¡± Alexander scratched his chin while glancing side to side before replying. ¡°I¡¯ll allow that much. What is your request?¡± ¡°Let my little brother live. He has no part of this mess.¡± ¡°Ah. The runt? Don¡¯t you worry, he¡¯s worthless for my plans.¡± Lena chuckled sourly. She then turned to face Laslow who was now sitting almost on his back. She smiled while she offered her final farewell. ¡°Be strong Las and remember, wherever you go, I¡¯ll be with you. Your sister loves you dearly.¡± ¡°Lena!¡± He extended both of his hands out as if trying to reach her but with a flash and deafening sound of gunshots, he was sprayed with blood from the person who gave him the love he never had. The love of a sister. ¡°LENA!¡± She fell face first into the mud. Her blood warmed the cold muck as life was slowly draining from her body, the impact of steel shots were too great for her to withstand and so, only her eyes traced around to find Laslow in her peripheral vision. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Las¡­ live on. Promise me that you¡¯ll live, no matter what.¡± He grabbed her left hand which was weakened to the point of not being able to grasp his hand. Tears came down from his eyes, his trembling fingers desperately clinging to hers in a futile act of keeping her alive. He wished with all his might that she would live but her hand became limp as life left her. ¡°Well, that takes care of that.¡± Alexander brushed his hair back with his fingers as he turned around seemingly done with what he came to do. ¡°Sir, what about the kid?¡± One of the mercenaries had his gun loaded once again but wasn¡¯t pointing at Laslow. ¡°Leave him be. The runt probably won¡¯t survive the trip to the city anyway, it¡¯s almost an hour of walking¡­ although, it would be funny if he did survive.¡± He chuckled before turning around to face Laslow who was still grasping his sister¡¯s hand. ¡°Do your best to survive alright? Maybe I¡¯ll even have something interesting to write once people start trying to exact revenge against me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± Laslow muttered. The young man played dumb and turned his right ear as if he didn¡¯t hear the boy. ¡°Can you say that again? I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡± Alexander laughed so much his back started to curve, after that he stared at the boy deep in his eyes before saying a few words. ¡°Come and try.¡± Laslow knew from the beginning it wouldn¡¯t be an easy journey. On that thunderous rainy day, only one could walk away alive and it had to be him. Alexander turned as he heard him scream of hatred. The wizard pulled out a satchel hidden under his robe. It glittered a light blue hue as he scattered the magic powder around him, but instead of falling towards the ground, the fine curtain of dust seemed to flutter around him like the haze of a scorching day. Phoebe knew exactly what kind of spell that was and quickly threw herself back landing near Leona and Krieg as she shouted at them. ¡°Get down!¡± Without a second thought, Krieg held Leona as they both fell beside the elf. Laura was already lying on the ground while covering her face with both hands. ¡°Flames of hatred feed upon mine animosity, let it consume my foe in blazing inferno, Terminal Conflagration!¡± Laslow finished chanting his spell and the light blue silver dust started to rapid change to a blinding white light, it seemed to serve as fuel to his spell as the light quickly diminished before the soil where Alexander stood erupted into vicious flames towering the nearby trees while setting them ablaze from the unbearable heat. Leona, while still being protected by Krieg, could feel the heat on her face. It was a very discomfortable feeling forcing her to close her eyes in pain. The knight however had burns on his back, he was clenching his teeth in pain but was determined to keep Princess safe. Phoebe and Laura made the right decision to dive into the mud as it dampened the heat greatly, the dirty clothes were a small price to pay for protecting their bodies. However, most of the mercenaries around the explosion were badly injured, the proximity with the fire made their skin melt on the muscles, most of them died. Some wished they did and instead were on death¡¯s door screaming in agony. ¡°Father!¡± Leona screamed but thankfully he was just far enough away to not be burned alive, however she couldn¡¯t tell how he was since he was on the ground with the other mercenaries. In the center of the fiery explosion, about three charred bodies remained on the ground, but none seemed to resemble the noble lord. ¡°Well, well¡­ what do I owe the pleasure, runt? Or should I say, Laslow of Lothaine?¡± Seemingly unharmed, Alexander turned his head at Laslow who instinctively raised his right hand to his own head. Filled with never-ending hatred, the wizard channeled all those negative emotions to sunder the lord¡¯s mind, but the moment he used his ability, it was as if he hit a wall. It felt empty like the void, before a torrent of thoughts barraged Laslow¡¯s mind. Struck with great pain, he fell on his knees, however the usual flash of pain was not subsiding and instead it only got more intense. His mind was splitting in half, as if his body was no longer his. Blood started to drip from his nose in a continuous stream his eyes felt like they were about to pop out their sockets from the intense pain. ¡°Die!¡± Laura yelled as she darted out of the mud and swung her greatsword down towards the man¡¯s head, but her blade was deflected by a strange force surrounding him, much like an invisible shield blocking and redirecting her blows. ¡°What a brute woman.¡± Alexander chuckled before he flicked his left hand at her and a sudden burst of wind sent her flying backwards into a tree, slamming her back with enough force to make air come out of her lungs. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Laura!¡± Krieg stood up with his greatsword drawn when he noticed a mercenary coming from the flank towards Leona. He impaled the man who was sprinting towards the princess with daggers on each hand by using his blade like a horn of a rhinoceros, lifting the screaming man by his torso before launching him towards Alexander, however the man¡¯s body was cleaved in half before it could reach him, blood splattered in a cone around the lord as the two chunks of body flew past him into the woods. He chuckled. ¡°How low of you, using my own subordinates against myself.¡± He turned to Laura with a grin on his face. ¡°Fine, have at you!¡± By extending his right hand, he seemed to muster enough force with wind magic to hurl the barbarian against Krieg. Laura¡¯s eyes went wide as she was picked up by this strange force. ¡°What the?!¡± The knight was forced to let go of the greatsword to lessen the impact as they both collided and fell on the mud. The elf shot one more arrow aimed directly at his neck but the projectile bounced off trajectory, landing itself in a tree far from him, she clicked her tongue as she rushed to aid both of them ¡°Are you alright?!¡± Phoebe started to cast healing magic on both before a distant yell caught her attention. ¡°STOP!¡± Lord Jean stood up with his left arm limp while holding a longsword on his right hand, apparently taken from a mercenary he had just killed amidst the confusion caused by Laslow¡¯s spell. Alexander turned to him with a raised eyebrow before mocking him. ¡°So, what are you going to do with that? I proved to you that your swordsmanship is useless against me.¡± ¡°Maybe against you, yes.¡± His eyes had a glint of determination as he swiftly turned the sharp blade against his own throat. Alexander flinched for a split second as the confident grin disappeared from his face. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t. Your daughter¡¯s life is in my hands, if you die before telling me, I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯ll suffer even greater pain than you have.¡± Jean gave out a weak laugh as his weary eyes turned his daughter. She didn¡¯t want to believe what she was seeing. ¡°Leona. As a father, I¡¯m honored to have you as my daughter, for the hardships you endured, to the joys you brought to the mansion.¡± ¡°No¡­ father, don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Your mother, wherever she is, must also be proud of you.¡± ¡°Father you can¡¯t!¡± ¡°My only regret is to not have given you a better future.¡± He slashed against his throat. ¡°No you won¡¯t!¡± Alexander reached for his head much like Laslow and for a split second, the blade which was already carving through the flesh, stopped. But that brief moment was all he needed.¡± ¡°Caught you¡­!¡± Laslow, who was crawling ever so slightly through the mud towards Alexander, grabbed his ankle with determination in his eyes. The lord only had time to look down as the wizard finished casting his spell. ¡°Flames of hatred feed upon mine animosity, let my life fuel my nemesis end, Terminus Ignis!¡± His hand shimmered red with heat. For a second it seemed like the spell fizzled but Laslow¡¯s body suddenly erupted into a blazing bright red fire, much more powerful than the previous spell, however unlike before, by directly touching Alexander, the flames quickly traversed from the wizard to the lord¡¯s leg as the flames hungrily started to burn his flesh away. ¡°ARGH! YOU LITTLE-¡± By controlling the wind, he snuffed out the fire creating a vacuum. But that was another distraction of the unplanned distraction. Footsteps quickly approached him from behind. Lord Jean rushed at him with the longsword, going for the base of the man¡¯s throat. ¡°For my daughter!¡± He stabbed him, but the blade was caught between Alexander¡¯s bloodied palm. He held the blade firmly while gritting his teeth, seemingly in great pain. For a brief moment Leona stopped breathing, waiting for the end of that arduous journey as her eyes met her father¡¯s. ¡°Leona¡­ run aw-¡± But instead of her enemy¡¯s head, it was her father¡¯s which rolled on the mud. With a swift motion of the magician¡¯s hand, her father was dead. She couldn¡¯t understand what she had just witnessed. Time felt to come to a stop, her eyes wandered from her father¡¯s upper torso towards the mud, his last expression of dread forever imprinted on the severed head. ¡°Aaah¡­ haaa¡­¡± Chapter XVIII: Hearts Sing of Death Part III Leona trembling hands grasped the ground, trying to crawl towards her father¡¯s severed head, but suddenly she was yanked backwards by Krieg who started to sprint without looking back. Laura darted in with both the knight¡¯s greatsword and her¡¯s one in each hand, Phoebe drew her bow, but the barbarian blocked her with one of the blades. ¡°You are needed elsewhere, Pho.¡± ¡°But Laura-!¡± The barbarian let out a warm smile, something rare coming from her in these past couple of days. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything Pho. We will meet again someday.¡± With parting words, she furiously charged down Alexander. The elf grit her teeth before quickly turning around to run away. Running for their lives was the last thing Krieg imagined to do. Both his and the strength of his allies were for naught in the end. Before he knew, everything was going down the drain, both Leona¡¯s life, his lord¡¯s and his honor as a knight. ¡°Father¡­! Father! This- this can¡¯t be happening! FATHER!¡± Leona cried, her strength was waning with each scream as the clearing grew further behind them. Krieg continued to run through the forest, slamming his right arm through the heavier foliage to open a path as he carried the Princess on his left shoulder. ¡°Sir Krieg, where are we going?¡± Phoebe suddenly appeared running beside them able to keep up thanks to her speed, nimbly dodging through the various branches and foliage in her way. While still keeping his attention on the path ahead of him, the knight replied. ¡°Out of this place. As far as we can, to the eastern country.¡± ¡°How are we supposed to climb down? I don¡¯t think there is any other way other than that cave.¡± ¡°There is. Lord Jean had prepared many escape routes in case something like this were to happen.¡± ¡°What kind of escape route?¡± They ran to the edge of the plateau, to the east a breathtaking sight. A verdant forest that expanded almost endlessly in the horizon, towering above said expanse of trees, was the dwarven citadel of Vargold, it was said that the entire city was built on top of a massive dragon¡¯s carcass, which some take as explanation for the city¡¯s great advances of smithing and construction. However none of that mattered for Krieg, he only wished to keep Leona safe away from Alexander. For a man to withstand the attack of multiple people who the knight had deemed ¡®Capable¡¯, he would¡¯ve had to be on par with the Knight Queen Eleonora, but he was nothing compared to her. Physically, a mere squire could take him on, but with the aid of magic, he seemed invulnerable to anything Krieg specialized in. The knight clenched his teeth in anger, although he was very different from other knights, who would prefer to die rather than run away, his retreat was nothing if desperate. Witnessing the power of a master spell caster was beyond anything he had seen before, even demons paled in comparison. ¡°Sir Krieg¡­¡± Phoebe glanced left and right but there was no other way from around the precipice that awaited them just a few steps forward. It was a deadly drop spanning about a hundred meters before solid ground. ¡°There is no path here aside from the obvious fall. I take it¡¯s not part of the plan to plummet to our deaths?¡± ¡°No, lord Jean had prepared many ways to escape from this place.¡± He searched the ground by sweeping his right foot until it got caught on a slight bump in the flat terrain. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡®There!¡¯ Upon finding it, he stomped on the seemingly ordinary mound of dirt and for a couple of seconds nothing happened. Phoebe tilted her head slightly, doubting the knight¡¯s words for a moment. ¡°Sir Krieg?¡± ¡°It takes some time to activate.¡± ¡°Activate?¡± The elf felt a slight tremor underneath her feet, but unlike when they were in the desert, it was much fainter, almost imperceptible for anyone that was not trained in the art of tracking and hunting. Though said rumbling was constant as if something was happening inside the earth. It didn¡¯t take long for the ground in front of Krieg split open, slowly drifting apart much like ice breaking from an iceberg, this however was planned much in advance should someone have to use it. An escape route devised by Leona¡¯s mother and constructed by dwarves from the citadel. ¡°Woah!¡± Startled by the earth suddenly opening, Phoebe jumped back a few meters. ¡°It¡¯s our way out. Though until we reach the ground level we won¡¯t be able to close the entrance, so let¡¯s be quick.¡± He jogged down the stone carved stairs, leaving Phoebe stunned from what she just had seen. ¡°Is this normal for you?¡± She asked before running after him. The spiraling staircase was illuminated by intricate glasswork carved into the wall, Phoebe hadn¡¯t the slightest idea how it emitted light but nonetheless it helped to traverse through the narrow flight of stairs. On his way down, Krieg tried to get a hold of Leona as the young woman seemed to be lost in a haze of confusion and despair. ¡°Father¡­ this can¡¯t- this can¡¯t be happening¡­¡± ¡°Leona talk to me. I need you to be aware of our surroundings.¡± His words fell on deaf ears as she continued on with her lamentation. ¡°Father¡­ father¡­¡± Holding her in a tighter embrace, Krieg frowned his brows in determination. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you no matter what happens. And I promise you¡¯ll have your revenge, our revenge.¡± They spent the next couple of minutes descending the seemingly endless spiral staircase before it came to a stop, while on the surface it appeared to be a dead end, the rocky wall had a small lever pushed inside of it. Krieg stuck his left foot under the lever and with a slight kick, lifted it. The wall made of rock started to slide open and some of the drizzling rain hit his face. The sky was darkened with clouds, though apparently the lightning had subsided to not be a concern anymore. ¡°Ah, we¡¯re finally here.¡± Phoebe jumped off the remaining steps, landing right beside the knight. ¡°Phoebe could you pull a lever underneath that salience over there?¡± Her eyes drifted to where Krieg was motioning with his chin, beside the unusual opening in the middle of the foot of the mountain, there was a rocky protrusion that stood out after he pointed out. Phoebe reached with her left hand underneath and her fingers caught something that seemed to be made out of wood. ¡°Found it.¡± She pulled it and the moment she did, the entrance of the staircase started to slowly slide to close itself. ¡°Sir Krieg, wouldn''t it have been easier to just climb through here instead of going through the cave?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t open from the outside, it was made for the only purpose of escaping, not entering. And besides, even if we could manage to break that wall, the entire staircase would be inside the mountain.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s much more complicated than I thought.¡± ¡°Leona¡¯s mother would never let anything to chance, if she could predict it, she would devise ways to prevent it.¡± They both started to head towards the citadel, a few days of travel awaited them before they could find proper shelter. They were close yet so far from their objective, it was much like a carrot dangling from a stick in front of a horse, but there was nothing they could do in order to defeat Alexander so the only logical option was to run away. ¡°Father¡­¡± Leona stared at her own hands searching for an explanation in her mind of what she had witnessed earlier. Death comes to all living beings but to have her father¡¯s life being taken away with a flick of a hand was something beyond her comprehension, for it was the most precious person taken away from her in matters of seconds. She was in a state of disarray, her only reason to keep going was to see her father to safety, but now nothing made sense anymore. Her eyes started to tear up, but her voice was nowhere to be heard, if anything she wore no emotion at all on her face. Phoebe knew that expression, hollow eyes devoid of life or meaning, death at that point would be a mercy. But deep down she knew the Princess had a bigger role to play in Krieg¡¯s life, which in turn affected her own mission, taking him to the eastern country. That of course didn¡¯t mean she could let Leona die, quite the opposite of that since the queen apparently knew her, something much bigger could be at stake than just a mere reunion. ¡®She will live, I will make sure of that.¡¯ Phoebe grit her teeth with determination in her eyes as they braved the forest. Chapter XIX: Old World, New Beginning Part I Death was an ever present company for Krieg, war did nothing else but to enforce the feeling that one day everyone would eventually die, one way or another. His duties as Leona¡¯s personal knight was seen with skepticism, not only he found his job lacking, but also saw it as an awkward way to employ him for what he did best, which was to eliminate foes. More accurately, to slay those who would try to harm her. ¡°Krieg!¡± While on watch outside the mansion, a very young Leona came running to him with a motionless squirrel on hands. She seemed worried for the small critter but the knight knew it was too late, nevertheless he kneeled as she approached. ¡°Yes, Princess?¡± ¡°I found it lying near a tree, do you think it¡¯s wounded?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s no longer alive, Princess Leona.¡± Her small hands gently caressed the animal¡¯s dead body while her eyes closed solemnly. A few seconds passed before she looked up to the knight again. ¡°Can we bury it?¡± Taken aback by what he heard he couldn¡¯t help but hesitate before answering. ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ll help you make a proper burial for the little guy.¡± ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± They walked not far into the forest and beneath a very tall tree, the knight dug the ground with a trowel while the Princess held the deceased animal between her hands. ¡°Princess, do you not feel disgusted by a dead animal?¡± The question seemed to confuse her as she asked. ¡°Why? Should I feel disgusted?¡± ¡°No that¡¯s not it, I just wanted to know since you are still holding it.¡± ¡°It was alive at a certain point. I just- I just couldn¡¯t leave it alone like that.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He continued to dig until it was a sizable hole to fit the animal entirely. Leona gently laid its body inside the small grave before Krieg covered it with soft earth. He stood up and patted her head. ¡°You have a very kind heart, Princess Leona.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He chuckled lightly. ¡°You¡¯ll understand it someday.¡± His words were echoing in his mind, he decided to make sure she would live long enough to understand it. They were traversing at a brisk pace through the beaten path, Leona still in the knight¡¯s arms as he jogged through the dirt road that connected the two kingdoms. It was a rather open area, enough to fit two medium sized carriages side by side, normally there would be some semblance of trade, but with Eleonora¡¯s reign and the continuous assault of death angels that preyed on merchants coming from the east, it has seen less and less use. ¡°Sir Krieg, have you traveled beyond this road?¡± ¡°Only a few times to Akrapocalis when accompanying my lord and his wife, not beyond that however.¡± ¡°I see. I have been in the citadel before but that was before I came to search for you. Queen Eleonora had other plans with the dwarves and I was here to deliver them.¡± ¡°Queen Eleonora huh¡­¡± Krieg frowned his brow, as normal as it would seem, the knight wasn¡¯t convinced by that. Eleonora was formerly a captain of the royal arcadian knights, but she was no strategist. She only filled the spot as commander for her former deeds but behind the scenes there was always Reinhardt, the sole heir and now current demon king. They used to travel together to end the war and bring peace to the continent. It took a few years, but in the end they accomplished one of their goals, but true peace would elude even the ones that didn¡¯t wish for conflict, for this world is still filled with malice. Knowing such things, Krieg couldn¡¯t help but feel despondent. Though that didn¡¯t waver the focus from his duty, he made a vow and it had to cost his life if he was ever going to break it. "Phoebe, I don¡¯t doubt your words, since if you ever had second intentions you would have acted on them before, but are you completely sure that it was Queen Eleonora that gave you these orders?¡± ¡°Yes, it has to. She gave them directly to me.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but feel a knot form in his gut. It didn¡¯t seem right, but for the sake of trusting the elf in front of him, he decided to let it go for the time being.¡± ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± The brisk rain was starting to fall more vigorously, giving place to stronger rain pelting their faces, albeit Leona seemed unaffected, or to be more precise, her expression hadn''t changed ever since they left the mansion, as if her mind wasn¡¯t exactly there. ¡°Is she ok?¡± Phoebe asked while staring at the princess¡¯ hollow eyes as she bounced up and down with each step the knight took. While he was worried for her mental state, he couldn¡¯t stop until there was enough of a distance between them and the Arcadian capital, cavalry wasn¡¯t common ever since the Great War but some of the royal knights had horses for traveling purposes, it wasn¡¯t a risk he was willing to take. In order to be safer, they needed a place to rest that was away from the main road and far from prying eyes. ¡°No, but I intend to look after her when we make camp. For now, the further away we can get from the capital the better.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯m somewhat familiar with the terrain, so I''ll help us find a proper place to rest.¡± ¡°Thank you, and¡­ I¡¯m sorry for your comrades. We were together just for a while but without their help I don¡¯t know if we could¡¯ve made it back to the mansion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. If anything it was my fault for being overconfident, I knew Laslow was a competent mage but I didn¡¯t expect our foe to have such mastery over magecraft¡­ though I¡¯m not sure about Laura or Jonathan, I just hope they are ok somehow.¡± ¡°I will make sure to avenge them when the time comes, that much I owe you all.¡± Phoebe smiled beneath the dark blue cloak that covered her face, it was an unusual sign of kindness coming from him, but it was appreciated nonetheless. Many days remained until they reached the citadel of Akrapocalis, but that was only the beginning. Chapter XX: Old World, New Beginning Part II ¡°You walk this path, because it¡¯s yours to follow, the choices you make now will shape the future. Leona Crossford.¡± Jolted up wide awake, the Princess found herself lying on what seemed to be a cold smooth floor, it was moist and cold to the touch but the texture was reminiscent of liquid, it didn¡¯t seem to cling to her as ripples formed the moment she raised her hand from it. Endlessly reverberating throughout the seemingly infinite horizon of water. Looking up, a sky she never saw was before her eyes. The golden red sky itself seemed shattered, fragments of reality and void seemed to flicker between themselves as if fighting for the right to exist. ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± She flinched the moment she heard it. A male voice filled with melancholy came from behind her, instinctively she turned around while standing up. It was a male figure shrouded in dark haze, his form was so unstable she could imagine it dissipating into nothing at any moment. She then asked. ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡± The figure stopped looking at the sky and turned at her, head tilted as if thinking about something. A few silent seconds later he started to slowly nod while bringing his left hand towards his chin. ¡°Right¡­ I forgot I brought your mind over from there. Fine, very well.¡± With a snap of his right hand, a violent torrent of thoughts and memories flooded her mind and everything from the previous encounter with Lastraeous came back as a distant memory. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± The pain was so great she fell to her knees, hitting the ground with her fists in an attempt to ease the pain in her head. ¡°Oh dear, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have given you all the memories in one go. Well, I¡¯m still learning so bear with me.¡± He took one step forward and in the middle of the motion, his form shifted in a black current, finding himself forming back to his humanoid self beside the agonizing Princess. His hand reached for her head and her pain suddenly subsided. He pulled his hand back and adjusted something near where it should be his neck. ¡°I believe we can skip formalities, Leona.¡± He was about to fall on his back when the ground itself formed a chair of flowing water, he took his seat, which was surprisingly solid, and crossed his legs before taking a deep breath. ¡°Here, where you are right now, this is my realm. It has no specific name as I¡¯m terrible with providing such. If you wish to ask anything, now is the time.¡± He flicked his left hand up and another chair of water formed on the opposite side of him, behind the Princess. Her breathing was ragged, head still pulsating from the pain, although her thoughts stopped rushing, the memories of her time spent in the void was slowly coming back. Her eyes filled with anger locked onto the black haze where his eyes would be. ¡°Lastraeous¡­ why have you done this¡­!? Those memories¡­ if I had them I would have prevented this!¡± She tried to stand but fell back on her knees again, her body still shaken from the flood of information that assaulted her brain. The god on the other hand, seemed disinterested in her struggles and instead just wavered his hand in disdain as he spoke. ¡°Foolish girl, no amount of knowledge from the future would have prevented this from happening. Even with the royal army at your disposal you wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat him.¡± He changed his legs, crossing the left on top of the right while scratching his chin before continuing. ¡°¡­Besides, it¡¯s best to be this way. Your animosity makes it easier to speak with you like this.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± With her legs still trembling, she managed to get herself back on her feet. Her teeth clenched to the point of causing her pain. ¡°Why are you doing this to me!?.¡± upon closing both hands into tight fists, she stumbled forward trying to hit the black haze. Her clumsy swing passed through the figure, unharmed by her attack. ¡°Do you know how humanity became stronger?¡± She couldn¡¯t muster any more strength and before she could fall with her back on the ground, a chair erupted from the water and formed right where she would sit. Knowing that trying to harm him would do her no good, she decided to indulge his question. ¡°Acquisition of knowledge?¡± ¡°Close, but not quite. Before the human-demon war, there was barely no industrial production, relying solely on the strength of arms to produce weapons and armor. People died of sickness as if it was a natural occurrence of life. War and strife moves people forward to a common goal. The people you swore to protect and bring to ever greater heights used to fight amongst themselves for food and water.¡± ¡°And so you decided to create another war through Alexander?¡± He chuckled lightly. ¡°No, no, he is the precise reason as to why I have chosen you as my champion. He is under the influence of Eleonora, the goddess of life and death.¡± Leona frowned her brow. ¡°Goddess of life and death? Isn¡¯t she who governs the light?¡± He laughed, his voice seemed a bit more human than last time they talked. After he was done, he seemed to clean something off where his eye would be and explained. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°She is one of my brethren. I had given life to her in order to create beings that could inhabit Arcadia with a continuous cycle of life and death. But with the rise of the warrior known as Eleonora, she has been wrongly recognized for her light and let¡¯s say, she doesn¡¯t take betrayal lightly.¡± He made a double edged dagger appear out of thin air as he flicked his left hand and started to spin it around his fingers as he continued to explain. ¡°That being said, a misbehaving child needs to be punished and what better way to do it if not beating her own game?¡± That statement made Leona¡¯s blood boil, if whatever he was speaking was true, that meant countless lives were lost for a mere quarrel between the gods. One of which was her father. She closed her hands into tight fists trying to quell the rage within as she further questioned the god. ¡°Then¡­ everything for all of you, was a game?¡± He scratched his chin with the point of the blade before flicking it at the princess as he answered. ¡°Not quite. Your world is an interesting one, it is riddled with strife and hatred yet there¡¯s so much beauty and compassion. I, for one, prefer to see how long it lasts, after all it was a hassle to create your kind.¡± He inspected the dagger before turning at her, before she could say anything he threw the weapon at her. She couldn¡¯t react in time and the only thing she felt was the warm blood dripping from the wound in her throat as she looked down and stared at the handle of the blade sticking out from under her chin. Her hands instinctively reached for the handle in order to remove it, even though she felt no pain at all the feeling of having something embedded in her body made her panic. Although before she could do anything, Lastraeous approached her from the peripheral of her vision, grabbing her hands which were holding the handle. ¡°As a token of my trust, I shall allow you to keep these memories of our encounter. Go, my champion, show my own unruly child the power of civilization.¡± He plunged the blade deeper into her throat. ¡°Gah!¡± She could only hear her own gasp as life left her and with a violent jolt, Leona woke up to what seemed to be a dense forest. Though she had no idea where she was, she did remember that Krieg was with her. Upon reaching her hands beside her lower body to get up she felt a cold surface on the touch, much different from the rest of the wet uneven forest floor. Lying on the ground, a double edged dagger was under her right hand. She held the handle and brought it closer to her face, inspecting the weapon. It was no different than a regular dagger and to her surprise, it was the same one she just had the displeasure of having stuck in her throat. She could still feel the lingering sensation of steel piercing through her flesh and instinctively reached for her throat to inspect it. ¡®Damn you Lastraeous.¡¯ Thankfully there was nothing wrong with it. She stood up and removed the cloak, tying around her hip to serve as a belt as she tucked the dagger behind her lower back. Her eyes wandered around the vicinity in order to look for Krieg; however there was nothing but vegetation around her. A tingle of desperation started to hit her, what if he had left her? No home to turn back to, no purpose left to live for, why would he still accompany her? ¡®No¡­ it¡¯s not like him.¡¯ She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she dispersed the unnecessary negative thoughts that plagued her mind. ¡®I won¡¯t give in to despair. Krieg would never leave me, not like this.¡¯ Upon focusing and sharpening her senses she could feel the flow of magic of her surroundings, a common usage of the user¡¯s personal magic as it could react to others, may it be living or just the natural environment. Though with her mother¡¯s teachings, Leona was a bit more perceptive than other mages of her own age, which was implied to improve as their days went by. Much like the plane she was before, the world seemed to turn dark for a moment only to become filled with a myriad of colors representing the different flow of mana around her and after a brief moment of total focus, she found her knight not too far from there, a few meters ahead of her kneeling down near a bush. ¡®What is he doing¡­?¡± She crouched and opened her eyes, much calmer now she decided to move silently. Threading through the mud with her feet covered in waterlogged rags was much more difficult than it initially appeared, but nevertheless she continued on, periodically checking for his position by emitting a small amount of mana towards her surroundings. ¡°Princess Leona, you should stop doing that.¡± A familiar voice startled her, looking up, she noticed the elf sitting on a branch right above her, Phoebe¡¯s smile was comforting in that situation. ¡°Phoebe!¡± ¡°Shhh¡­¡± The assassin brought her index finger in front of her mouth to signal silence to her. Her voice was low, barely able to be heard with the constant sound of rain pelting the dense foliage around her. ¡°Sir Krieg saw a few knights. He¡¯s checking if we should attack them or not.¡± ¡°Knights?¡± The elf nimbly climbed down, landing right beside her. The dark blue cloak covered most of her features but the mesmerizing deep blue eyes were entrancing to look at, from Leona¡¯s perspective, she could easily pass for being a noble. Phoebe suddenly stood up and nodded for the Princess¡¯ surprise. ¡°Come Princess.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The elf stood up motioning with her hand in order to call the Princess to tag along with her. Leona stumbled forward with her feet sinking slightly into the muck. In front of her, Krieg donned a full set of steel plate armor, something which threw the Princess off as to how he managed to acquire the new protective gear. Behind him there were five mounted knights wearing Arcadia¡¯s brand stamped in their red capes ¡°I wished we could meet in more agreeable times, but alas, it is what fate stored for us.¡± An unfamiliar male voice came from behind Krieg, standing at the knight¡¯s shoulder, a man in his fourties¡¯ wearing what seemed to be military garb from the royal army, it was a dark blue uniform with golden trimmed shoulder pads and a seamless and also golden chain that crossed his chest, his trousers were held by a thick dark leather belt which then stopped at the shins where the high leather boots covered. His hair showed age as there were some white strands standing out from the well kept dark brown brushed back hair. His dark blue eyes seemed to convey a strange warmth as he approached her. ¡°I¡¯m commander Hawk, leader of the High Knights of Arcadia. It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Leona Crossford.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, commander Hawk. Mind I ask however, how do you know me?¡± ¡°I worked very closely with your mother and father, though it pains me to admit that I have been far too long away from them after the war ended.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Krieg cleared his throat, which promptly made him nod in agreement whilst looking at the knight. ¡°Right, apologies. I¡¯ve come to offer my limited aid to you, as of now, Arcadia is currently under Alexander of Lorraine¡¯s rule as you already know. However, most of us do not agree with his intervention nor do we wish for another war¡­ we¡¯ve come too far for peace and I won¡¯t accept a noble runt to throw our hard work away.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, hearing that from someone with influence in the order of the royal knights was comforting. The commander closed his right hand into a very tight fist as he looked deep into the Princess¡¯ eyes. ¡°Leona Crossford, for the future of the Arcadian Kingdom, I beg of you, follow Eleonora¡¯s footsteps and become the rightful ruler of Arcadia. I- no. We must prevail if we are to keep the kingdom from falling into another age of blood.¡± Chapter XXI: My Guiding Light Commander of the High Knights of Arcadia, Hawk. He was one of the most important figures in the war against demons as he was considered Eleonora¡¯s right arm for his incredible marksmanship with the musket. Though his weapon was fine tuned for long range engagements, it didn¡¯t take away the considerable skill taken to hit targets beyond any normal man¡¯s reach with a longbow. Leona knew nothing of that, nor did she need to, as his extended helping hand showed just how much he was willing to risk for a peaceful future, one that the Queen fought and sacrificed much for. ¡°Princess Leona, what do you say?¡± His eyes were filled with hope, she knew he probably had heard of her speech about demonkind and what she intended to do once she was the ruler of Arcadia. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and upon opening them, she had already decided on an answer. ¡°I accept your proposal. My parents also fought to win the war one way or another, I won¡¯t let him squander the sacrifices we¡¯ve made.¡± Tension seemed to leave the officer¡¯s face and upon her statement he lifted his right arm, signaling a mounted knight behind him to climb down from the steed; it was a muscular brown skinned horse. Upon doing so, the knight tapped on the horse¡¯s side and handed the reins to Krieg. ¡°By the commander''s orders. Take my steed. She¡¯ll serve you well in your journey.¡± The knight¡¯s voice was mostly muffled from the closed helmet but he seemed genuinely grateful for being able to help. Krieg nodded once and thanked him. ¡°She¡¯ll help keep Princess Leona safe.¡± ¡°I took the liberty to add a few provisions for your journey. Please make use of them.¡± Hawk explained before doing a short bow before sending them off. Leona was taken aback from how much he was helping and humbly bowed. ¡°Sir Hawk, I cannot think of a way to express our gratitude¡­¡± ¡°Think nothing of it Princess. After all, you are also helping my family, indirectly as it may be.¡± The man¡¯s eyes drifted towards Phoebe who stood in the back, somewhat far from them. ¡°Family?¡± Upon lifting her face and tracing the officer¡¯s gaze, she noticed the elf looking away in a bashful way. The man chuckled before turning around to climb on the horse of the nearest knight. ¡°Nevermind that Princess, I must go back and report that my knights haven¡¯t found anyone.¡± Leona bowed while holding her right hand on her chest. ¡°We appreciate your kindness Commander Hawk.¡± ¡°Godspeed, Princess. We¡¯ll await your return.¡± He turned to the knights once again, the one who left his steed behind was instead accompanying him. ¡°Men! Let us return to Arcadia.¡± ¡°Yes, lord commander!¡± They responded in unison before taking off in the opposite direction, leaving Leona, Krieg and Phoebe alone in the middle of the road. The rain poured, though much less than before, it was still enough to turn the beaten dirt into mud. ¡°Shall we continue on as well?¡± Phoebe suggested as she turned her eyes away from the knights slowly making their way back. Pondering on what the commander had said and the elf¡¯s sudden change in attitude made Leona realize the family he spoke of was indeed her. The Princess didn¡¯t know much about her while Krieg was adjusting the new steed¡¯s saddle. ¡°Phoebe, I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking, but how is commander Hawk related to you?¡± She seemed a bit awkward at first, seemingly discontent. ¡°He¡¯s huh¡­ he¡¯s my father. I wasn¡¯t planning to meet him here of all places.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Leona blinked a few times, her brain had taken a while to process what she just heard. Noticing her spacing out, Phoebe waved her hand in front of her. ¡°Huh¡­ hello? Princess?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was just¡­ very surprised. I was not expecting you to be the daughter of such an influential figure.¡± Phoebe chuckled sourly as she turned around to scan the road ahead of them, her voice filled with melancholy. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t influential, maybe he would¡¯ve been by my mother¡¯s side when she breathed her last.¡± It felt like a bolt pierced Leona¡¯s heart at that moment, she knew how much pain it was to lose someone dear to her, but no matter what happened, someone else was always there by her side, supporting her in that time of need. Before Phoebe walked further away from her, the Princess called out to her. ¡°Phoebe!¡± Stopping but not turning to face her, she replied. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I never thought about your situation with your father, it was¡­ very insensitive of me.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it, he is just doing his part. As I shall do mine.¡± She continued walking on ahead to scout the area. Meanwhile Krieg had brought the horse he had prepared to Leona. The stirrup had been shortened to more comfortably fit her feet. ¡°Hmm? What is wrong, Leona?¡± ¡°Ah Krieg¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡± She rubbed her right hand against her eyes and as her fingers ran through the skin, she felt it was much past the time for a bath since her face was oily. But knowing they had much more pressing matters at hand, she decided to not say anything and follow her knight¡¯s lead. With a helping hand, Krieg supported Leona as she clumsily fit her cloth wrapped right foot inside the stirrup before seating herself on the saddle. She noticed her palms covered in dirt as she grabbed the reins. The knight moved the sling of the new acquired greatsword from his back to his usual left shoulder carry. Noticing his preparations, Leona couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Won¡¯t you ride with me?¡± ¡°I need to be able to defend you if something happens. We can¡¯t escape on horseback with all this mud.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She glanced at the road ahead, a fine brisk rain was falling, slightly obscuring faraway view of the path which led to Akrapocalis. Though never being there herself made her feel a sense of wonder for what kind of city awaited them. In the front, Phoebe kept a constant watch around the road for possible ambushes, though it was harder to notice any tracks since the rain could have erased them entirely from the soaked soil. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The elf muttered to herself as she inspected a suspicious trace forming slight grooves which seemed to appear from the road and headed towards the thicker parts of the forest. Appearing to be recent, Phoebe decided to backtrack to warn the other two of her findings. Leona¡¯s steed was beginning to steadily walk through the muddied road with Krieg right beside her, the knight was carefully watching the surroundings until the elf made her presence clear in front of them on the side of the road. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Phoebe?¡± Krieg asked as the elf started to walk alongside him. She was fixing the sleeves of her clothing as she replied. ¡°I saw some suspicious tracks that were still fresh not too far ahead, apparently a carriage of sorts either crashed or was dragged deeper into the forest.¡± ¡°I see, thank you for reporting.¡± He looked at Leona who heard the whole conversation. She nodded once before giving her answer. ¡°We should go as fast as we can to avoid possible confrontations, we don¡¯t know if there are any other pursuers after us. Avoiding confrontation should be our utmost priority.¡± Both the elf and the knight nodded. Phoebe swiftly stepped away towards the forest and vanished between the trees. Leona tightly gripped the reins, she couldn¡¯t shake off the nervousness building up inside of her. A shattering cold sensation of dread enveloped her senses, the realization that everything she went through was indeed reality, not just a mere nightmare. Her purpose was to see a world where humans and demons could live peacefully, that one day her mother could be seen for who she was rather than what she was. But what was the point? Living in a world where both of them were gone, with no more reason to fight, why walk such a perilous path full of strife and hatred? She wasn¡¯t sure herself, deep down she couldn¡¯t muster an answer, but upon looking at the valiant knight who accompanied her through all of this and more, it made her feel somewhat relieved, much like a sight of an oasis amidst the barren desert waste. That was nothing short of a miracle as she tried to think what she would do if she was in Krieg¡¯s shoes. Give it up, that was the first thing that came to mind. It was truly intriguing how he, not even once, had suggested to her to run away from her goals. What she set out to do, no matter how foolish or dangerous, he would support it if he could. ¡°Krieg.¡± She called with a faint hint of unease in her voice, which was just enough for the knight to perceive. He raised his head to look at her, though the closed steel helmet covered almost all his features, saving for the crimson eyes which glinted faintly behind the visor which were various slits carved vertically in the armor. ¡°Yes?¡± His voice was muffled, the rain hitting the metal armor on his body made a faint sound of low consistent thuds. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking. What drives you to do what you do for me?¡± He turned his head down, taking a few moments to think for himself, before turning to her again. ¡°It was probably fate. In a moment of despair, utter defeat and disappointment, you and your family had been my guiding light. We shared joy, anger, sadness and happiness. It would not be too far from saying that I saw your family as my own at some point.¡± He looked away for a few seconds whilst scratching the side of his helmet before continuing. ¡°Though the real reason I fight by your side, is to see the world, as wicked as though it may be, change for the better, where we can live our lives to the fullest without fear from tomorrow. That¡¯s why I fought beside Eleonora and now, that is why I¡¯ll follow wherever your path may lead. Princess Leona.¡± Chapter XXII: The Future is Not Written War was a difficult thing for rulers, soldiers and the common folk, though not a rare thing in this day and age. People fight for what they think it¡¯s right, but there is no right or wrong in war, instead the victory goes to those who survive it to tell the tale and the defeated is always condemned to be the villain. Leona knew only so much from textbooks and history lessons from the Grand Academy and thinking back, she was probably not taught everything that actually happened back then. In the days of old, even before men used to be at odds with demonkind, there was already another conflict, dwarves from the Citadel of Akrapocalis and the people from the Kingdom of Arcadia used to trade blows in the selfsame Great Forest, in a much smaller scale for sure but it was still war nonetheless. Death soaked the soil with lives of good men and women who were forced to kill in order to live to see another day. One can only do so much in order to imagine the horror witnessed by them. Rulers were concerned with territory and wealth, the people suffered, soldiers died, such was the reality of those days. Now, with another war brewing at Arcadia¡¯s doorstep, Leona knew something had to be done, but she couldn¡¯t do it alone. She tried her best to understand everyone, no matter their birth, creed or status. By trying to do so, she began to see the bigger picture, why people do what they do and how to rule in a way that could help benefit the majority in need. At least, that was how she was taught by her mother. Upon clutching the pendant tightly in her right hand, she turned to the knight, her voice firm as it could ever be. ¡°Krieg. For the sake of my late mother and father, we have to survive and put an end to Alexander¡¯s plans. Come what may, we must win.¡± His helmet turned to face her determined expression, a revitalized beacon of hope strengthened by her resolve. ¡°So we shall, in your leadership I trust, Princess Leona.¡± She smiled at him, having the knight by her side meant much more to her than he realized, for he was the only one left she could truly call family. Though she couldn¡¯t dare to say that in front of him. Krieg on the other hand felt a stinging sensation of uselessness, glancing on each of his feet covered in metal swinging forward each time he took a step forward made him ponder about his purpose beside Leona. Surely, he was much stronger than the average soldier, but from there on out, there was no telling which kind of foe they could encounter and that seriously worried him, with good reason. Magicians weren¡¯t exactly common, from the general populace only a handful of people could use magic offensively to an extent, but it wouldn¡¯t be more than just a spark of flames. But the ones who could, were potential risks even to a fully armored soldier. Fire magic was the most common among the six known schools of magic. Ice, wind, earth, lightning and water made up the rest of the known controllable elements by mages of that era, but since fire based spells are easiest to grasp its concept and make use of it in actual battles, it is the most widely known element. Now, a mage could make use of multiple elements, being able to wield different kinds allowed for much more complex and more often than not, dangerous spells. It was not something easily accomplished however, casting spells takes a toll on the user, with more power comes a greater cost, anyone could cast a fireball and hurl it, but there were many steps before that could happen. The first one was the mind, the caster needs to visualize the shape and element of said spell, giving it form and purpose. Having done that the next component was enhancing one¡¯s body in order to better accommodate the casting, that is done by reinforcing the body part of which you are casting from, since offensive spells have the chance of backfiring if not cast correctly, enhancing could be taken to be the most important part of the process. Next was control, stabilizing the spell before releasing was a component to allow it to do its job properly, releasing a half-evoked fireball could result in an early detonation or a delayed one. Finally, the integral part of magic was mana, a magic caster could employ different methods to channel said resource, be it from the environment around them or from their own body. Though Krieg had no idea how to conjure even the most basic fire spell, he knew it was an art of its own, just like the blade he carried on his shoulder that was used to defend others, magic was just a means to an end. He saw it as a chance to improve himself where his swordsmanship could not. ¡°Leona.¡± She glanced towards the knight walking beside her steed. He was looking straight to the road but was paying enough attention to her after calling her. Leona slightly tilted her head. ¡°Hmm? What is it, Krieg?¡± ¡°I was wondering if you could teach me magic.¡± There was a brief pause of silence, only the sounds of the mud sticking to the horse¡¯s hooves and the knight¡¯s boots could be heard alongside the brisk rain pelting the vegetation around them. Leona resumed by clearing her throat before speaking. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had an interest in such things.¡± ¡°It¡¯s less about being interested. My swordsmanship can only do so much about magic users from afar.¡± He recalled the bitter memory of having to throw his greatsword at the flying wizards back in the Windravt desert. Meanwhile the princess seemed conflicted. ¡°I can try, but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be of any help. Everything I know is mostly what my mother taught me.¡± ¡°Anything will help, it is better than just standing powerless against magic users.¡± A weak smile formed on her face as she turned her attention again to the road ahead of her. ¡®Krieg sure changed¡­¡¯ She thought. ¡®Back then he would not speak a word nor leave my side but now¡­¡¯ Glancing through the corner of her eye, she saw him staring at his own right hand, opening and closing before extending it, seemingly pretending to chant a spell quietly under his breath. Leona giggled. It was a fond situation, knowing the knight for such a long time and seeing him interact more with her made her glad. If anything that¡¯s exactly what she needed, a time to quietly spend together with people she was happy to have as company. Even in such a disheartening situation she found herself in, the princess could find solace in the small joys of life. ¡°Krieg, don¡¯t you do anything for fun?¡± A teenager Leona was sitting on the edge of the mountainside overlooking the seemingly endless Great Forest, only a hint of civilization peeked in the orange horizon from afar in the form of walls of stone, the dwarven Citadel of Akrapocalis. The Princess swung each of her legs back and forth while enjoying the calm breeze from the dangerous seat of one of the highest places in Arcadia. ¡°Princess Leona I believe it would be best to have this conversation inside the mansion, lest have the wind interrupt you.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t fret about it Krieg. This might actually be the best place to have a calm talk. After all, look at this scenery, is there anywhere else so breathtaking?¡± ¡°I believe I haven¡¯t seen any other place like this one, Princess.¡± ¡°Then at least sit down and relax a little. I won¡¯t be out here for too long.¡± Stolen novel; please report. The knight was conflicted, nevertheless it was his duty to keep an eye on her so nothing could come to harm her. Hesitantly, he sat at arm''s length distance from her. ¡°Very well¡­ I¡¯ll take up your offer.¡± She was staring towards the sky, mesmerized by the few stars visible in the calm sunset. A weak smile came across her face as she extended her right hand out to the sky. ¡°I wonder¡­ if my mother is out there somewhere still looking at me.¡± Leona closed her hand as if she tried to pluck out a star from the skies. Her dreams of a new kingdom without strife was still fueled by her own ambition, an ambition that only grew with her mother¡¯s passing. ¡°I hope I made her proud with my speech at the capital.¡± ¡°Yours is a righteous path Princess. Lady Ravness couldn¡¯t be more proud of you.¡± She brought her right hand tightly closed to her chest. Her body twitched slightly up, Krieg could hear faint hiccups coming from her and tears started to form in the edges of her eyes. She leaned in forward trying to suppress her crying but with no avail. While a ruler must keep appearances to their subjects, they were no more than any other man or woman. It was even more burdening for Leona, having lost her mother in an early age and still having to play the role of a ruler. It was too much for anyone to handle, but for the people who couldn¡¯t speak up for themselves, for the people who suffered far longer than she could ever imagine, she endured, she fought and rose to ever greater heights, being recognized as a brilliant tactician and prominent ruler of the Arcadian kingdom. But nothing could be achieved if it wasn¡¯t for those who stood alongside her and she knew that better than anyone. In order to do right by those who helped her, she had her mind set on building a kingdom where everyone could live peacefully. Many trials awaited her, a young naive noble girl who didn¡¯t quite know the meaning of life itself. ¡°Leona.¡± Like a snap back to reality, Krieg¡¯s voice made her realize she was still on horseback in the muck filled road. Krieg was looking at her, although she couldn¡¯t see his face, it was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was worried. ¡°I think it would be wise to keep yourself out of the rain once we create more distance between us and the kingdom.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but smile a bit. It was comforting to have someone worrying for her well-being but time was of the essence, if they didn¡¯t make it to the citadel that meant they would be forced to sleep in the forest. The absence of trade was already a sign of danger lurking in the woods. ¡°I appreciate your concern Krieg but we must reach the citadel as soon as possible. Although we have no money, it¡¯s better to find shelter in a city rather than the forest.¡± ¡°Oh that.¡± He reached for a satchel that was strapped to his new leather belt. The sewing was unique as it formed crosses on the edges of the satchel, giving a more elegant look to the otherwise mundane item of holding. He proceeded to pull a few silver coins from it, fiddling them between his fingers with surprising dexterity, given they were covered with steel armor before explaining where it came from. ¡°I was given some funds from the commander. Thankfully it¡¯s enough for a comfortable stay at an inn for a few days.¡± ¡°That eases my mind, we haven¡¯t had a good place to sleep in days. Don¡¯t you find it exhausting to sleep outdoors?¡± ¡°A little, but I¡¯m used to it. Back when I was Eleonora¡¯s second in command, I would always sleep with the troops in tents, which were more often than not, outside.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get used to this¡­¡± They almost didn¡¯t notice the crashed carriage on the right hand side since they were conversing. Leona¡¯s eyes went wide when she saw the crash site, mangled bodies were lying around broken wooden wheels, the smell of putrid flesh hit her nose the moment they had a clear vision of the carnage. There were about three bodies, mostly impossible to discern from man or woman from the way they were torn apart. Leona could feel last night¡¯s meal coming back up in her throat, the nauseous smell became even stronger as they passed by it, she tried to ignore it but the sight was already burned in her mind. After coughing a few times, she turned to the knight for guidance. ¡°Krieg, what do you think happened here?¡± ¡°That looked too gruesome to be a bear attack. Something like a demon perhaps?¡± ¡°It was a death angel.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice came from the opposite side of the crash site, to Leona¡¯s left side, startling her in the process. Upon looking at the elf she noticed she had her longbow out instead of the daggers. The princess proceeded to question her after she had recovered from the minor scare. ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°There was a trace of white blood, apparently one of the travelers managed to wound it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Thankfully it¡¯s old so I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need to worry about it roaming around this place.¡± ¡°Still, that warrants caution. We hardly have the means to kill any medium sized death angel should it attack us.¡± They left the carnage behind them and Phoebe decided to vanish into the forest to scout ahead of them once again. Leona felt a certain unease building up inside of her, death angels were known for devouring their prey whole in order to strengthen itself before moving on in search for another meal in a never ending cycle of hunger. Mangled carcasses were a very uncommon sight in those attacks. Something else must have done that. Leona glanced to the horizon towards the citadel. There was a faint breeze coming from the east carrying more clouds of rain for the next few days, which wouldn¡¯t be bad if the roads weren¡¯t already filled with mud. The horse¡¯s hooves made a sloshing sound each time it moved through the muck, Krieg¡¯s sabatons were also starting to look less like steel and more like work boots from the thick cover of brown sediment. However he didn¡¯t seem to mind the extra effort to walk, in fact it didn¡¯t seem like it bothered him at all. Seeing how he marched without any hint of exhaustion, Leona decided to ask. ¡°Krieg, how can you walk with your armor full of mud like that? Doesn¡¯t it weigh you down?¡± He slightly turned to see her in the corner of his closed helmet. ¡°Hm? No, not really. It will be bothersome to clean this but it can be done after we reach a safe place to rest.¡± She wanted to know just how strong he was, but couldn¡¯t quite gauge his strength compared to the common soldier, at least, not by comparing mud covered boots. Adele would often tell her that Krieg was one of a kind, that the Crossford family would be hard pressed to find someone like him. Frankly, it was true, most former high ranking officers would rather be peddling the streets rather than working as a bodyguard for nobles, but he was different. Not only in his conduct, which was unparalleled to other knights, but also the way he carried on with his duties. Being a personal knight meant he would spend most of his day by her side, but more than just a bodyguard, he would become her most trusted ally and friend. He would offer much welcomed advice when it came to military matters, such as unit formations, strategic use of the terrain in the battlefield and army morale. Knights were slowly becoming obsolete for large-scale warfare with the appearance of muskets and long range magic, but most of his time spent as second in command of the Arcadian army served to shape him into a proper captain. However what most didn¡¯t know, not all orders came from him. He just served as a proxy in order to shape men¡¯s morale. Lead by example, was the concept and who better suited to lead the knights if not the best of all of them? Commander Hawk was mostly in charge of the strategies and the ¡®how to¡¯ in the day to day operations. Though that didn¡¯t stop Krieg from trying to learn what he could from him. The knight looked to the clouded sky, lightning struck in the distance and after a few seconds they heard the echoing thunder. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, before the war was over, the clouds didn¡¯t seem to part from Windravt. A world of darkness ruled by demonic beasts and demi-humans. The only reason why he kept going was to hopefully pay Eleonora back one day. ¡®Death is part of our duty, but more than that, we must seek the light in the darkness.¡¯ Those were the words Eleonora left him with before she parted to fulfill her own duty by the demon prince side. Then from there, once the war was over and the queen was gone, the uprising began. Demi-humans were persecuted, the chasm between nobility and the common man only grew. Violence and hatred grew within the Arcadian¡¯s heart like a plague. It was until a teenager Leona decided to rise up as a potential ruler of the kingdom, back then everyone doubted her words since she was just another noble amongst the plethora of corrupted candidates, but with much effort, she managed to show the people just how much she was capable of, by increasing the capital¡¯s efficiency in food production by introducing crop rotation and mining precious metals by designing intelligent and more important, safe methods for excavating the mountainous terrain of Arcadia. Getting results, that was her way of showing how much she could improve while being the ruler of Arcadia. Though the people¡¯s hearts were still afflicted by the war, forgiving demonkind was not something easily done, with almost a hundred years of seemingly endless war, asking them to forgive a mortal enemy was too much and it proved so when Alexander rose in power. It rendered her powerless, but she knew better than anyone that a prosperous future was not one created from fear and hatred. Something had to change. Leona looked over her shoulder towards the towering castle atop the plateau, she dreamed of being there not for the sake of being a queen, but for the sake of leading a nation towards a better future. ¡®Goodbye, Arcadia.¡¯ She thought as she slowly turned around to the road ahead of her. Dark clouds were gathering in the distance, the way to Akrapocalis was a perilous one. Chapter XXIII: Quietude Interlude ¡°Hiya!¡± The night critters were interrupted by the sound of clashing steel, the forest was quiet, it was a perfect opportunity to hone one¡¯s senses for danger. Leona was being taught by both the knight and the assassin at the same time as she held her own against the two opponents. In a rather open clearing with damp grass, while the food cooked in a makeshift campfire, the princess held her longsword close to her chest with both hands as she carefully watched both Krieg and Phoebe as they tried to circle around to her blind spot. Leona was smart enough to know not to let an enemy away from her sight for long and instead decided to go for the obvious approach. Her arms tensed as her feet quickly took off in the assassin¡¯s direction, knowing Krieg would follow closely behind her, she decided to feint a swing at Phoebe and suddenly change direction towards the knight for a horizontal slash, but the elf saw it coming and instead of backing away, she dashed in with her sheathed dagger and parry Leona¡¯s blade to the side. Before the princess could muster enough concentration to cast a spell, the sheathed dagger was already against her throat. Leona chuckled before letting go of the weapon on her right hand. ¡°I give up.¡± Phoebe backed away before putting the dagger back in her belt. She cleaned some sweat off her eyebrow and proceeded to take off the cloth mask. Her deep blue eyes really contrasted with the short jet black hair, she was much different from the usual blonde elves Leona knew. She approached the princess with a half smug face. ¡°That was really bold of you. To feint a swing and go for the other attacker, but remember the opponent in front of you has much less space to close up to you than the one behind.¡± Leona stood up before picking up the longsword and sheathing it in the scabbard affixed to her makeshift cloth belt. She had streaks of sweat coming down from her brow and her breath left a weak trail of steam each time she exhaled, the prolonged expedition helped her improve her stamina somewhat as she didn¡¯t feel too exhausted. However she could feel a constant burning sensation in the soles of her feet and once she sat down, she proceeded to remove the cloth wrapped around the right one. ¡°Yeowch¡­¡± The sole of her foot was riddled with sizable blisters, some bursted and left sticky stains from the inside of the cloth. As soon as she saw parts of her right foot in the flesh, she could feel her foot start to throb as the sensation started to spread to her legs, until she clenched her teeth in pain. The elf noticed her self inspection and decided to approach. ¡°Ooh¡­ that looks bad.¡± Phoebe kneeled beside her while reaching out with her hand extended towards the princess¡¯ exposed right foot. ¡°Let me heal it.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± With a simple incantation she had healed the exposed flesh back to what it was, though Leona could still feel the throbbing in her muscles. After healing both feet, she could manage to stand up on the damp grass without fear of an infection, it was but a simple solution to a lasting problem, if the princess was to walk without fearing her soles turning into chunks of flesh she needed a way to protect her feet rather than wearing cloth wrapped around them. Knowing that their journey would be extended to at least until they reach the east country, she had to do something to at least make it easier for her to travel. ¡°Princess, since we have time I¡¯ll make something to ease the pain on your foot.¡± She reached for her satchel, removing a lengthy tightly packed cord tied in a loop from it as she sat on the roots of a tree to stay above the damp grass, slowly, the elf started to weave the cord tightly around a semi circumference. Leona approached her and was watching intensively for each step Phoebe took to make whatever she was working on. ¡°Leona. Need some water?¡± Krieg¡¯s voice came from behind her, she turned around and he offered a waterskin, he was still in full armor with his greatsword sheathed hanging by the left shoulder as usual. ¡°The training did leave me quite thirsty, thank you.¡± She grabbed the recipient by the neck and took a few gulps before handing it back to him. Meanwhile he glanced down seeing she was bare feet on the damp grass. He offered to carry her, but she shook her head slightly before answering. ¡°I¡¯m fine Krieg, thank you. I¡¯ll sit here to keep my feet out of the ground.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. She sat beside Phoebe and lifted both her legs, tucking them closely against her chest. Some water dripped from her toes before she dried them while massaging her feet with each hand. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll go prepare the fire then.¡± Krieg gave a short bow before taking his leave. Leona couldn¡¯t help but smile while he walked away. The sense of dread that had been plaguing her mind had subsided a little, even with everything she went through in the last couple of days, she hadn''t lost hope. Memories of both her parents are what kept her from going insane. Sorrow, fear, those were still very much present but at least she had an objective and she was set in seeing it through. ¡®Lastraeous, you have given me knowledge of this world, but I won¡¯t play your game¡­ the fate of the world can only be decided by the people.¡± She closed her eyes, she always dreamed of a world without fear, without violence, a world where man and demonkind could co-exist and strive to ever greater heights, somewhere where peace would reign over petty discord of race. Though it was a very far-fetched dream that was mostly born because of her own heritage, she couldn¡¯t let go of it, for it was the same reason why she had been born. So many bright lives like hers with so much potential, only to be snuffed out by the flames of conflict. It filled her with purpose, it was a just cause, something worth fighting for and yet, so many people refused to answer her plea. Maybe it was because she was just a spoiled kid in their eyes, maybe the Arcadians were already tired of fighting, whatever it was, she didn¡¯t have a clear answer. It was never a clear answer to begin with. Leona weakly sighed. ¡°Princess.¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice suddenly got her attention as she turned her head slightly to the side, seeing a strange arrangement of cord woven together to bind itself in a very familiar format. Upon being handed over the strange piece of footwear, Leona inspected it from all sides before asking the elf. ¡°How exactly do I wear this?¡± ¡°Let me help you with it.¡± She took a piece of dark blue cloth from her satchel and started to wrap the princess¡¯ left foot tightly with it. Leona raised an eyebrow as she asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same from before?¡± ¡°Oh not at all. That last one was a poor imitation of waraji.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± It was the first time she heard a word that sounded so strange to her ears. Upon looking at a confused Leona, Phoebe chuckled before explaining. ¡°You can imagine this as a caligae, it¡¯s made entirely of woven straw cord rather than leather.¡± The sole was tightly woven together with a few other knots coming from the side to supposedly hold onto the foot. However she had no idea how to wear it so Phoebe stopped weaving to fix the Princess¡¯ new footwear. ¡°Here.¡± She motioned to the loop wide open and Leona slipped her left foot through it, a string was caught between her thumb and index toe before the elf finished tying the woven cord halfway to her shin. Her new footwear was quite sturdy despite the material it was made of and it fit quite comfortably. Leona stood on her left foot to test how it felt and upon touching the wet grass she noticed how firmly it fit her. ¡°This is quite comfortable. How did you learn to make this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it is to your liking.¡± Phoebe chuckled before working on the other side while still talking to the princess. ¡°The chief of my town used to help my mother a lot. Usually taking care of me and my older sister at the time, while also teaching us things that could be useful in life.¡± ¡°Chief? Then you lived in a small town then.¡± ¡°Yes, it was very secluded from the rest of the kingdom. Though I left it behind when my sister betrayed us. I looked everywhere for power, any way I could grow stronger.¡± Leona sat down again while scratching the side of her face, seemingly lost in thought. Meanwhile Phoebe kept working on the other side of the straw caligae with a hint of reminiscence in each of her words. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d come this far for revenge. Well¡­ not that I managed to accomplish anything notable until now.¡± ¡°You have, you are alive and you are helping us now.¡± Her voice made Phoebe stop for a moment as a weak smile curled up on her face. She knew the journey would be harsh, but at least she was having a role in the bigger picture and that made her glad to be there. ¡°Thank you Princess.¡± The elf kept moving her hand, weaving string between strings to form Leona¡¯s new footwear. Krieg watched them interact from a distance while caring for the valuable steed given by the commander. It was a well kept horse, albeit a bit too gentle for war in the knight¡¯s eyes. He petted along its long face and the horse nudged its nose against his chest affectionately while making a low pitched rumbling sound. ¡°Good girl. I need you to be strong for tomorrow as well, my liege needs you.¡± He petted her body a few more times before heading to where Leona and Phoebe were sitting. Krieg took his greatsword off his shoulder and placed it between his legs with the flat scabbard resting against his chest, the handle just above his helmet. He was tired. He used to fight much worse foes when the war was at its peak, it could be days, weeks, months of constant fighting, but he never backed down from it, but apparently serving the princess as a personal knight made him stop relying too much on his own strength. Although he was sure to be even stronger than ten years ago, his stamina had taken a hit and the past couple of days without proper sleep was taking a toll on his body. ¡®Dammit¡­ I need to stay awake.¡¯ He thought, as his eyes were closing on their own. The night offered a very sweet alluring embrace and as fierce as he fought it, no man or demon could go on forever without resting. Krieg felt his eyelids heavier and heavier, until he found himself completely surrendered to the mercy of the night. Chapter XXIV: Angels Toll A legend is born whether they succeed splendidly or fail miserably. Tales are weaves of a myriad of views and opinions and through it, history lives on. But is it really what truly happened? Krieg could remember the day the war ended. Cheers, endless voices and happiness, all combined in a surging explosion of emotion only brought to the people by their savior. Queen Eleonora. The Knight Queen Eleonora, a woman of bottomless conviction with a merciful hand to do right by those who were wronged, a beacon of hope forever engraved in humanity¡¯s history. Her achievements couldn¡¯t reach such proportions if not for those who walked the same path. Krieg was one of them, but despite what he had achieved, it was all lost when the people came to know he was a half demon, or demi-human. Even Krieg himself wasn¡¯t sure what he was anymore and time and time again he would stare at his own hands and ask himself. ¡®What am I?¡¯ The further he investigated, more questions started to arise, but no one could really answer them since the only one who knew about the truth was Eleonora. Still, after the war was over, he wished to know who his parents really were, why he came to western lands if he was born in the east. Life was always difficult for him, even as a high ranking officer in the Arcadian army, but the thought of giving up never crossed his mind so he wanted to know why he was abandoned. Why would their parents give up on him like that? ¡°Sire Krieg?¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice woke him up from the dream, he blinked a few times before his vision could adjust to the early morning sunlight hitting his eyes directly from between the leaves of the tree looming over him. The elf¡¯s blurry image was just visible on the very edge of his helmet¡¯s visor, her worry wasn¡¯t apparent at first until she started to talk. ¡°Oh, you are awake, thank the heavens. You seemed so deep in your sleep I thought something had happened.¡± He tried to brush off the drowsiness by fixing the helmet on his head and blinking a few more times until his vision focused on her face, she seemed too wide awake to have had any sleep. ¡°Sorry Phoebe, the fatigue finally caught up to me.¡± His left hand was still clutching the greatsword scabbard firmly, his body couldn¡¯t easily forget the years of sleeping in the battlefield. Noticing how quiet the morning was, he stood up and leisurely hung the leather strap on his left shoulder before turning to Phoebe. ¡°Where is Princess Leona?¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s still asleep.¡± She glanced to the tree where the horse had been hitched, Leona lying with her head against the same tree. The steed seemed to be already awake as well and was standing quietly brushing the tail sideways as it looked to the duo. Glancing around, the forest was strangely quiet, aside from the sound of the whistling breeze passing through the foliage, nothing else seemed to be alive in the Great Forest. The rain from the day before still showed its effect as most of the place was damp. The clearing they were in thankfully wasn¡¯t too affected by it but it was still somewhat cold. Krieg approached the horse while trying to not make too much noise so the Princess could sleep some more, he took a thick brown blanket out of the bag tied to the side of the steed, the ones knights usually take for long voyages to stave off the cold of the night and covered Leona¡¯s slim figure with it. He sat down near her while watching the surroundings for movement, meanwhile Phoebe decided to take a better look around the vicinity by grabbing the nearest tree branch and swinging her body upwards above the ground. From treetop to treetop, she started to cover a large area around their camp, circling around and checking for anything that could catch her attention. ¡®It¡¯s awfully quiet.¡¯ A gentle breeze swayed the foliage back and forth a few times, brushing it against the elf¡¯s face as she tried to gaze beyond the top of the trees, the early morning fog kept her from having a full view of the expansive forest. Upon squinting her eyes, she noticed a strange bright glow between trees not too far from where she was. She gazed at the sun partially blocked by the fog and clouds. ¡°Damm¡­¡± She backtracked to the way she came hastefully with each step taking less time to propel her forward, but none of the branches she stepped on seemed to even bend from her feather footed retreat. Once she spotted the clearing, she landed violently against the tree where the horse was hitched to and a second later the sound of unsheathing steel singed the air, Krieg was wielding the blade with two hands but the moment he saw the elf his shoulders relaxed. He lowered the blade but didn¡¯t sheath it, Leona was still asleep behind him when he asked. ¡°What happened Phoebe?¡± ¡°A death angel not too far to the east, it was glowing so I think it¡¯s healing itself.¡± Krieg grunted under his breath. He hastily unhitched the horse and started to gently shake Leona¡¯s body. ¡°Nnnngh¡­ whaaat¡­?¡± While still a little drowsy, the Princess¡¯ eyes slowly opened as her body was being shaken. Krieg motioned with his head to Phoebe as she went to prepare the horse. Leona slowly blinked herself awake as she took the thick blanket off her body, she glanced at the knight staring at her before speaking in a half asleep tone. ¡°Krieg? Are we leaving soon?¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. He nodded before taking one last quick look around the vicinity and extending his hand to her. ¡°Phoebe spotted a death angel healing itself not far from here, we must leave soon.¡± The mention of a death angel instantly woke her up as her eyes went wide. She never actually saw one personally, but the illustrations she often found on soldier¡¯s sketches were enough to send chills down her spine. Having access to full reports of fights led by the Crossford¡¯s personal order of knights, it wasn¡¯t an easy effort to stave off the death angel threat, some eventually got past the dwarven citadel and it was their job to deal with such foes. But with the continuous problem in the Arcadian capital regarding humans and demons, most of the knights were reallocated as royal guards, as it was a request from the head commander himself. Leona knew that even if they were able to reach the dwarven city, it was just a matter of time before the loose death angel could wreak havoc again. Her eyes had a spark of determination as she looked at the knight. ¡°Krieg, can¡¯t we do anything about it? It¡¯s supposedly weak right? Maybe we could ambush it with Phoebe¡¯s skill with the bow.¡± He would always be taken aback by that glimmer in her eyes, it was a hopeful gaze and it was thanks to her that he began to think about the bigger picture whenever she mentioned her plans. ¡®Think outside the box.¡¯ was her way of doing things, that was probably one of the things she had learned from her mother. Leona was clever and bold, but everyone makes mistakes and Krieg wasn¡¯t going to allow her to be put in danger, even if it was for the greater good. ¡°With all due respect, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise for us to search for it. It may be weakened to the point of having to heal itself but in small numbers like we are, there would be casualties and I can¡¯t possibly risk putting you in such danger.¡± She lowered her head while closing her right hand in a tight fist, she knew it was reckless, but after she saw what had happened with others, she couldn¡¯t let it stand like that. ¡°Then, at least let us head to Akrapocalis as fast as we can. That way we can at least let them know there is a monster loose in this area.¡± He nodded in agreement. She packed the thick blanket in a tight roll and handed it to him, as she didn¡¯t know quite well where it came from. He stuffed it inside the horse¡¯s saddle bag and Phoebe who finished preparing the steed helped her get up. ¡°Thank you Phoebe.¡± The elf bowed slightly before heading ahead of them to scout for danger. While Leona didn¡¯t like to leave such dangerous affairs to her, she was the only one who could do that without risking exposing herself, unlike the heavily armored knight beside her. Krieg was staring at the road in front of them for a few seconds before turning to face the princess. ¡°Princess.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Leona replied nonetheless, she was still accustomed to him calling her Princess after all. He lifted the face protection in order to see her eye to eye and in a serious tone, he said. ¡°No matter what happens to us, you must reach the dwarven fortress.¡± ¡°What are you saying Krieg? We¡¯ll get there together.¡± The knight closed his left hand in a tight fist in anger. Anxiety was building up inside him since he never fought a death angel before, not knowing what his possible opponent could do made him fear for the worse, but Leona was doing the right thing, that was no time to panic, if anything he had to stay focused in reaching the citadel. ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± Leona smiled before turning to the road and taking a slow, deep breath. She took the reins and the horse started to trot through the muddied path, Krieg made sure to not fall behind by jogging beside them while still holding the scabbard strap against his left shoulder. The rain from the previous night had stopped completely by the time they set off to Akrapocalis, though its effect were blatantly clear on the dirt road as it worsened it considerably, even in a brisk pace, the horse¡¯s hooves would slip ever so slightly, throwing off Leona¡¯s balance. She struggled to keep her back straight as they traversed the mud, shaking her body one side to the other. It was uncomfortable, but seeing Krieg jog through the same terrain made her determined to go through it safely. He always put a lot of effort in seeing to her safety and that made her glad, but also worried her as he would often put her well-being above his own. Seeing him tread through the mud when there was enough grass on the sides of the road only to be by her side made her feel guilty. ¡°Krieg, careful to not slip.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, this is nothing.¡± They made some progress even on the soaked road and soon, from the top of her steed, Leona saw the eerie glowing light of the supposed wounded death angel, showing off in the distance atop of the trees. A chill went down her spine, after all, it was a monster that could easily tear a man to shreds, even knights with their heavy armor were at its mercy. The only way to deal with them was ranged fire and even so, it would take a lot of effort to bring it down. ¡®Everything will be fine¡­ everything will be fine, it¡¯s healing itself, it won¡¯t bother searching around.¡¯ She constantly repeated in her mind to ease herself. Even though she didn¡¯t show Krieg, her fear of ever encountering one of those beasts was much more than she could handle, no amount of planning could prepare her to face such monstrosities herself. ¡°We are still far from the citadel but I believe we¡¯ll reach it today at this pace.¡± Krieg made an observation after estimating the distance of the stone walls in the horizon. It only takes a few days of traveling on foot and less so on horseback. The darkened sky blocked most of the sunlight from the forest, leaving a dark and eerie environment to the otherwise lively forest, sounds of water droplets falling from the damp leaves on the ground were the only thing Leona could hear beside the brisk steps in the mud. Tension rose the closer they got to the dull white light illuminating the forest to the south of them. But then, something caught the Princess¡¯ eyes. ¡°Krieg¡­ why did the light suddenly vanish?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He looked towards where the light was and there was nothing illuminating the area, only a violent sound of vegetation being torn apart as something was tearing through whatever was between them and those two. The moment the knight heard those sounds, he swung his scabbard in front of him only managing to partially block the hulking white monster that charged in Leona¡¯s direction. Her eyes went wide as it was merely meters away from her. A muscular humanoid creature of pale white skin, its head was filled with vertical eyelids that opened and closed discontinuously, the mouth was a horrible crevice that extended from its face down to the abdomen with many sharp teeth lined up in a way that it could shred anything unfortunate enough to be caught between its vertical jaws. Krieg didn¡¯t even have time to unsheath the blade and was instead struggling to keep the creature¡¯s folded arms from breaking his hold, but the ground underneath the knight¡¯s foot was starting to give in from the monstrous strength the creature possessed. The horse lifted both front legs as it was frightened by the relentless beast beside it. Leona had to hold tight to the reins to not be thrown back into the mud. She couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from the divine monster until Krieg shouted at her. ¡°LEONA RUN!¡± Chapter XXV: No Mercy ¡°RUN! JUST RUN!¡± Krieg struggled to keep the gaping maw of the angelic beast away from his face as it tried to devour him and with the greatsword locked in place against its hulking arms there was nothing he could do if not shout to Leona. ¡°Kr-¡± She was dumbstruck, the sight of the death angel was much more than she could handle and every fiber of her being was screaming of danger as she hit the reins as hard as she could to take the frightened horse and herself out of the situation. Upon seeing the bigger prey leave, the death angel turned directly to the fleeing Princess. ¡°No you won¡¯t!¡± As its head moved towards her, Krieg managed to dodge the hulking fist aimed at his upper body by ducking beneath it and drawing the blade while moving to the right side as he left the scabbard behind to wind up the greatsword over behind his right shoulder. Taking a close look at it, the knight noticed its left side was torn to pieces, exposing the purple flesh, organs and dark ichor that came out of it in pulses. He swung down the blade with all his might as the weapon carved into the exposed flesh, hacking away part of what seemed to be the ribcage and splashing dark ichor everywhere. The knight¡¯s strike was so powerful that sent the beast stumbling to the side, after that it turned around at him with both arms open as the thorax opened into what was a cruel death sentence. Before it could try anything, three arrows pierced its mouth in quick succession, making it go into a wild flailing giving time for Krieg to take a few steps back. ¡°Sire, are you alright?!¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice came from somewhere up behind him. ¡°Thanks to you.¡± He lifted his blade perpendicular to his body with the left leg slightly bent in front while the other stayed at an angle to leverage the next strike. He took a deep breath before shouting to the elf. ¡°Let¡¯s hold off this beast for a little while longer before we retreat, got it?¡± ¡°Aye. I¡¯ll keep it busy from afar!¡± Krieg grasped the handle of the greatsword tighter in his hand before dashing in. A few hundred meters away from the initial struggle, Leona was still desperately trying to lead the frightened horse through the muddied road in a dangerous full throttle gallop. She could feel the biting cold wind hit her face and enter her lungs and with each step the steed was dangerously close to skidding on the slippery mud road. ¡®I can¡¯t let either Krieg or Phoebe die in this wretched place¡­! I won¡¯t!¡¯ She bit her teeth in anger and grabbed the reins even tighter, her mind couldn¡¯t think of anything else. While Krieg was much stronger than any knight she knew, it was not another man he was up against but a monstrosity capable of decimating an entire city on its own. She couldn¡¯t bear to lose another person, not someone like Krieg. Nothing could be left to chance, if she did, she was risking everything she fought for to achieve, a world without those she loved around her was not a world worth living in and much less fighting for. ¡®What was the point?! Why am I fighting if I can¡¯t be anything but a burden to those around me?!¡¯ Her fingers dug into the leather rein, making her fingernails start to bleed from the pressure and just like them, she could feel the taste of iron infest her mouth as she kept it shut to not accidentally bite off her tongue from the harsh movement she was putting her body through. Her head was spinning and an urge to vomit started to rise, her body was not accustomed to such violent shaking and before she could stop, her steed skidded in an agonizing squeal. Its right front leg suddenly slipped to the left, turning the horse¡¯s body sideways as it violently threw Leona off the saddle. ¡°Gah!¡± She fell on her right side as the impact took out all the air from her lungs, both her dagger and longsword was flung away from her makeshift belt in the first spin, before she repeatedly hit the ground, rolling about ten meters before coming to a stop head down in the mud. Her vision was blurry, the only thing she could see was the dark ground and the wet sensation was being overpowered by a strangely warm pulsating feeling all over her body. Her ears were ringing with the sound of the horse¡¯s squeal. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Kuh¡­¡± A burning stinging sensation started to creep up on the right side of her ribcage, her eyes wavered around looking for the right way as the sound of rain started to fill her still ringing ears. ¡°The citadel¡­ I need¡­ to get to¡­ the citadel¡­¡± She tried to bring her right arm to lift herself off the mud but to no avail, not only she couldn¡¯t muster the strength of her body, but her arm wasn¡¯t responding. ¡°Aargh!¡± The extremely sharp pain in her shoulder kept her from trying a second time, but she couldn¡¯t just stay there, she needed to reach the dwarven citadel no matter what it took. She then managed to bring her left arm in front of her albeit in great pain. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Her left thumb was crooked in an unusual position, it was definitely broken. Upon seeing it, her breath became erratic, it was the first time she ever saw part of her body broken like that and at that moment she started to feel the pain which seemed to not have affected her until just now. ¡°Aaa¡­ Haaa¡­! My hand¡­! My hand!¡± She cried in agony. Her entire body was screaming in pain, she could barely move her legs even though her natural reaction was to flail them, nothing happened, only weak twitches in her muscles could be noticed. The rain started to fall once again, for better or worse at dampening the squeals of pain and the unfortunate fate of the screaming Princess. Pain, it was something that all living beings would come to experience one time or another. For an individual who never fought, who was never hurt, that pain was much worse than anything she could fathom. ¡°Aaaaaaaaagh!¡± But even so, she was determined. Even with her broken thumb she started to drag herself through the mud with her left hand, pulling her battered body towards the stone walls in the horizon. Her teeth were clenched in pain, each grain of sediment that got between her bleeding nails sent a stinging pain to her brain, but she continued, dragging herself out of that green hell. ¡°Krieg needs me¡­ I can¡¯t die here¡­ I won¡¯t! I can¡¯t!¡± Upon extending her hand one more time on the mud, her fingers touched a cold smooth surface, steel. She grabbed and lifted whatever she touched and it was nothing more than the double edged dagger, a gift from a certain god. She smiled bitterly. Upon grasping the handle with only her four fingers, she used it to stab the mud in front of her and pull. Part of her vision started to blur red, with a warm sensation on her forehead, she probably cut it on the fall. Seconds, minutes, time seemed infinite, whatever progress she was making appeared to be pointless. The great walls of the citadel still far away from her, rain and the agonizing squeal of her horse was slowly fading away as the beat of her heart became more apparent, her body felt colder. ¡®I¡¯m dying...¡¯ She thought for herself. Oftentimes she would hear tales of knights on the brink of death, they would stop hearing everything if not for their own heartbeat. A bittersweet end. Leona couldn¡¯t help but wonder what would happen from there, would her death be pointless? What of Krieg and Phoebe? Would they survive? And if they did, would they blame her? Questions, questions¡­ but no answers, was her story destined to end there? ¡°Hey! I found someone!¡± An unrecognizable voice rang her ears. Her eyes widened as she mustered her all to look towards the voice. A blonde male man with long ears just like Phoebe was kneeling in front of her with what seemed to be a mace, his clothing consisted of a vibrant yellow gambeson that was mostly blurred in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a mess! What the hell happened to you?¡± Hands, more than a pair touched her body and in a group effort, she was turned on her back though the sharp pain made her breath short bursts of air out of her lungs in pain, she was offered something made of glass on her lower lips. A female voice this time told her. ¡°Come on, drink it, it¡¯ll help you recover.¡± A cold liquid started to come in her mouth, it was sweet with a hint of honey in it and slowly her cold body started to become warmer, even with the rain constantly pelting her. ¡°My friends¡­¡± Leona said in a weak voice as a blurred image of a second person looking at her was looming above her face, apparently paying attention to whatever she could mumble. ¡°They are being attacked by a death angel¡­ on the road¡­ please¡­ help them¡­¡± The Princess lifted her left hand and a warm sensation enveloped it, as a soothing voice finally calmed her heart. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll save your friends. Rest for now, you deserve it.¡± With a short sigh of relief, Leona smiled weakly before passing out. Chapter XXVI: Broken Wings Once again, Leona found herself in the endless expansive horizon of the abyss, this time instead of a seemingly endless dark sky, there was actually a vibrant shade of blue with fluff white cloud above in the distance, the sun seemed to be just shy above them, giving a very warm and welcoming atmosphere to the otherwise strange water-like blade ground that stretched endlessly in all directions the eyes could see. ¡°Well, didn¡¯t expect to see you so soon, Princess Leona.¡± Upon turning around, she saw the same dark haze figure, though this time it was much more visible and unlike before, there was an actual form solidifying and turning into haze in a continuous cycle. He held what seemed to be a wine glass of sorts with a swirling liquid inside of it. Without lowering her guard, Leona decided to answer in kind. ¡°I can say the same, Lastraeous.¡± He chuckled before taking a seat on a throne of water that formed from the ground. He drank the glass empty and made it disappear as he crossed his left leg over the other one, folding his arms and leaning in back. ¡°Leona, you are certainly an incredible individual I have to say. Crawling your way out of that hellish forest on your own with no promise of survival for the sake of another. Not many rulers would have done the same. At least not from this world.¡± She leaned in a little bit forward with her eyes narrowed and fists closed tightly. ¡°You seem to be underestimating us. We humans are like that by nature, it is in our blood to help the fellow man and woman at our side.¡± From the way the haze moved, she swore the god was smiling, but not in a welcoming way. ¡°Even demons? Your kind seems more focused on exterminating them. If anything, you humans forget history too easily.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Demonkind, it was once hunted to the brink of extinction very long ago. My fellow child created them in order to balance the ever growing human population, but to his demise, his sister turned them into mindless beasts that roamed the land. Which you now know as demon beasts.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ so you¡¯re saying Eleonora isn¡¯t the only actual existing god?¡± ¡°Your people spread tales for a reason. Whether they can¡¯t understand the reason behind why things happen, or because it is real.¡± He flickered a small flame into existence, placing it above the water floor. It burned in a bright orange as if it was fueled by something else other than mana. ¡°Take this flame as an example. What do you say it is?¡± Leona raised an eyebrow, she couldn¡¯t tell if he was messing with her or being serious by his tone of voice. Deceptive as he was, it could be either or both. Nevertheless she decided to answer. ¡°A fire.¡± ¡°How do you make a fire?¡± ¡°Atriction? Casting a spell?¡± He pointed his index finger while swinging it back and forth shortly. ¡°You grasped the concept of what a flame is. Congratulations.¡± After chuckling he stood up and dissipated the flame, creating illusions of what seemed to be a bipedal beast made of haze the size of his foot before flicking another flame into existence. The small figure cowered in fear behind its creator¡¯s left leg. ¡°But what would happen if you didn¡¯t know what a fire was, or how it was made?¡± She stopped to think, his questions so far always led to a rational answer, no matter what it was. ¡°I would¡­ believe something else created it.¡± ¡°Bingo. That¡¯s exactly how deities are created and how they live on people¡¯s hearts. Unlike many worlds before this one, mana reigns supreme here. The more you believe in something the more real it¡¯ll be.¡± Leona looked at her own hands, they were clean and without a hint of bruises, unlike what her memory tells her. It was an odd feeling, despite everything that happened to her body previously, she felt normal, strangely so. She glanced at the god as he played with his bipedal creation before dissipating it into nothing. ¡°Lastraeous, I have a request.¡± Those words coming out of her mouth picked the god¡¯s interest. He turned to her with a certain expectation in his steps as he approached her, His haze figure looming over her, about half a meter taller than her. She gazed at where it seemed to be his eyes and took one deep breath before asking. ¡°Can you tell me anything about the other gods?¡± The haze flickered for a moment before laughter echoed in the endless expansive horizon. His crackling only ended after he tired himself out enough to sit down on the water floor. ¡°Are you out of your mind? If I did that your journey wouldn¡¯t be fun anymore. I live for the moment and the thrill of life of others. Nothing excites me more than the beginning of a new tale. Yours is truly a magnificent one, I won¡¯t interfere by explaining anything more than I need to. It is up to you to learn the truths of this world you live in.¡± It didn¡¯t sit quite well with her, knowing other gods could just as well be watching her every move. But knowing Lastraeous, she knew it was a lost cause even if she was to insist. She instead sighed before looking at her hands once again. A flash of blood painted her hands for a split second and the moment she blinked again her hands were normal. ¡°I look forward to the story you shall weave, may it be of a hero or a villain, victory or defeat. I shall be watching. Until then Princess Leona.¡± He snapped his fingers and she woke up to a wooden ceiling, the bright morning sun coming from her right was illuminating the room she was in just enough for her to see the inside. She tried to lift herself up from the surprisingly comfortable bed but a sharp pain in her lower back made her give up. Whatever had happened before still affected her body greatly, although she didn¡¯t feel any major issues with any particular part of her body, the build up soreness was still pulsating through the muscles of her back, arms and legs. She focused her vision and noticed the knight sitting on a wooden chair beside her bed, his arms folded and head hanging low, seemingly asleep. ¡°Krieg?¡± Her voice was dry and her throat hurt the moment she uttered his name. However there was no reply, instead only the faint sound of his breath under the closed helmet. ¡®At least take it off when you¡¯re resting.¡¯ She thought as a weak smile curled up on her face. Extending her left hand over his right knee she noticed her previous crooked thumb was now in the right place, albeit covered in a white rag with some sort of wooden stick to maintain it straight. A few weak knocks from the wooden door on the far corner of the room startled her as the knob turned a click and it gently opened. A woman wearing a green tunic and brown trousers had entered the room holding a basket with clothing and a few white towels. She was rather tall, standing almost on Krieg¡¯s height, her skin was tanned from the sun, the emerald eyes carried a serene expression as she put down the basket and started to tie her shoulder length brown hair with a piece of thin white fabric. ¡°Hm?¡± As she was doing so, her eyes wandered off around the room before noticing Leona silently staring right at her. ¡°I see you are awake.¡± Her voice was calm and very pleasant to the Princess¡¯ tired ears, she approached slowly in order to not make too much noise to avoid waking up the sleeping knight. She kneeled beside her bed and even while doing so she was still tall enough to the point the Princess still needed to raise her head to look in her eyes. She gently held Leona¡¯s left hand while asking. ¡°Are you feeling alright? Do you remember how you were brought here?¡± Leona cleared her throat before answering. ¡°Yes, although a bit thirsty and¡­ unfortunately I don¡¯t remember how I came to be in this place.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry we¡¯ll see you recover in due time. I bid you welcome to house Loraexion, I¡¯m one of the humble servants of this house, Karla Boulevard, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Leona Crossford.¡± Leona was a bit surprised at first, not only did she know who she was but the name of the household was very familiar to the demi-girl she met back in the capital. For a second she exhaled in relief, but in the next there was a hint of sadness overtaking the expression in her face as she turned to ask the healer beside her. ¡°Did Krieg say anything about her?¡± Karla simply nodded, giving a short pause before continuing. ¡°Mistress Fye was thankful for the information he shared, she was relieved once she knew Miss Selene was alive and well.¡± Leona mustered a weak smile as she stared back at the ceiling, relieved that she was indeed somewhere safe. Karla gently squeezed her hand before standing up. ¡°You said you were thirsty, right? I¡¯ll fetch you some water. Excuse me.¡± She gave a small bow before heading through the door again. Laying on that comfortable bed made her remember all the times Adele would come in her room to wake her up. The breakfast the other maids made and the peaceful mornings she shared with her father and everyone in the mansion. ¡°All gone, in a flash¡­¡± She closed her eyes and as if living in a nightmare, she could hear the sounds of screams and destruction that happened in the mansion. The stench of death of all those dear to her, so many lives lost for the ambition of a single man. There was a fine line between ruling and dictating, Leona knew about both and in her eyes, Alexander was nothing but a madman that would lead the kingdom her parents fought hard to protect to ruin. Unity is forged through trust and goodwill, but how was she to nurture this unknown feeling if the people wished for war? How could they accept a ruler such as him, someone that would eventually bring death not to his enemies, but all his subjects? Questions and more questions arose as she thought for herself why everything happened. Maybe war wasn¡¯t as simple as she initially thought. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Excuse me, Princess Leona, I¡¯ve brought you water.¡± Karla was standing beside the doorway holding a wooden tray in her left hand. She had brought a round short glass filled with water and a bowl of what seemed to be some sort of hot liquid as the Princess could easily see steam coming off from it just by turning her head at her. ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± The caretaker approached her and upon stepping beside the knight, his body jolted awake. ¡°Sssngh- ah.¡± He looked at Leona and a sigh of relief could be heard from inside his helmet. Karla went ahead and put the tray on the knight¡¯s right side on an empty nightstand before heading out again. She stopped by the doorway and bowed before saying. ¡°If you need anything, all you need to do is call me.¡± ¡°Thank you Karla.¡± Krieg replied as he turned to the weakened Princess in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect you better¡­¡± She gave a short chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Krieg. If anything, this is all on me from being too reckless.¡± ¡°Still, if I was stronger, you wouldn¡¯t have the need to run away.¡± She shook her head slightly. ¡°It¡¯s in the past. I¡¯m glad that you are in good health.¡± He lowered his head a little, Leona put her hand on top of his right gauntlet and when he looked at her again she asked. ¡°Help me sit up.¡± The knight nodded and gently slipped his hands between her arm and chest, pulling her up on the bed. She winced from the sharp pain in her lower back but nevertheless was able to sit up straight. He then took the glass of water and offered it to her. Her parched throat felt instant relief the moment she drank the glass contents, it felt strangely cold the moment it went inside her body. Once she returned the glass to the knight, she took her time to look around the room she was in. It was a rather spacious room with another bed across hers, on her left side there was a nightstand and a bed, though unlike the one across her, that one had messy sheets. On the right side there was a big window of clear glass which gave enough of a view of the dwarven city, parallelepiped tiles formed the wide street below, some citizens walked around wearing thick clothing while some others wore nothing but tunics under heavy dark aprons. One noticeable feature was the fact that not everyone she saw was actually a dwarf. Humans, elves, demi-humans and the sort walked the calm road, it really seemed just like another day in the citadel. Leona had a bittersweet smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s so peaceful. It¡¯s hard to believe this is the kingdom most affected by the angels¡¯ presence.¡± She sighed and turned to Krieg who held the wooden bowl of stew to her. The moment she grabbed the bowl a cozy feeling started to spread out from her palm towards her arms, just knowing she could eat peacefully in the comfort of a bed made all her pent up stress wash away. Floating on the red-orange surface of the thick broth were a few vegetables, namely, her favorite rich orange carrots and potatoes sliced in small cubes. The mouthwatering smell of the meat stew hit her nose and her body slowly started to come up to its senses asking for food through the ever growing rumble in her stomach. She looked at him slightly flustered. ¡°Ah. Excuse me Krieg.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me Leona. Here you go.¡± He passed her a wooden spoon. She held it between her right thumb and index finger while looking intently at the stew in front of her, not quite sure from where she should start. Her eyes wandered for a split second which was enough to notice the knight staring at her with a certain anticipation. ¡°Krieg.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Could you look the other way for a moment? I¡­ I¡¯m uneasy if you look at me like that.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry it wasn¡¯t my intention.¡± He stood up and turned the chair in a ninety degree angle towards the bed across the room, facing away from her. Without looking at her, he asked. ¡°Will this do?¡± ¡°Yes, I apologize. I just become shy if someone is looking at me so closely like this.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± She smiled at him, even though he couldn¡¯t see it, before turning her attention to the bowl of stew in her hand. She started on the right edge, scooping a piece of sliced carrot and a chunk of shredded meat. Saliva went down her throat as she swallowed in suspense before taking that first bite. Krieg heard a familiar soft clang of wood against teeth then complete silence. For a moment he thought she didn¡¯t really like the food but then a very small weep caught his ears. ¡°Leona? What happened? Was it not to your liking?¡± He asked without turning around. ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not that¡­ please don¡¯t look at me right now Krieg.¡± ¡°...Very well.¡± Left the wooden spoon halfway stuck inside the food, she used her right hand to clean the tears off her eyes. It had been so long she ate such a tasty meal that it reminded her of the peaceful days in the mansion. As a noble, she had her duties to keep everything running, accounting of the servants monthly payment in coins, the maintenance of books, strategy meetings with knights and other influential figures in the security of the kingdom, but with all of that, it was peaceful, she could enjoy her days without struggling to survive another day. But ever since the day the mansion was attacked, her life turned upside down, there was no more peace and everyday became a fight for survival. That small sense of comfort in enjoying a meal in a warm room became a reason of joy, for Leona who had never seen that side of life, it was truly a relief bigger than anything she had felt and one worth shedding tears for. She could hardly contain her cries, instead of waiting she just continued eating, with each sob and hiccup she took a spoonful of stew to her mouth, savoring the taste to its fullest until she was finally satisfied. It took a bit of time before her hiccups calmed down and once she recomposed herself, she decided to talk to the knight who was now sitting towards her bed looking at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Krieg, it feels like it has been too long since I could take my mind off things and just enjoy the food given to me.¡± ¡°I understand what you mean.¡± She tapped her right index finger lightly against the empty bowl in her hands as she looked outside the window, the street below was starting to bustle with people, apparently it was time for lunch and everyone was either heading home or to a place to eat nearby. The sense of relief was soon starting to vanish once she realized they couldn¡¯t stay in that place for too long since the eastern country was still very far away and the faster they reached it, the faster they supposedly would be able to reclaim Arcadia. ¡°Krieg.¡± She turned at him, staring at the small slit of the visor while he simply waited for her to talk. ¡°How long until we reach the east country?¡± ¡°Sixty days on foot, probably forty five on horseback. Considering we don¡¯t run into any death angels and ignoring the fact that we need a vessel for water transportation.¡± She racked her brain in order to come up with a plan, considering Arcadia doesn¡¯t really have a lot of knights at the current time, it would mean that if they would take at least a total of a hundred twenty days to go and come back, there would be a chance of war already starting before they could do anything about it. ¡°Then¡­ we¡¯ll need horses. Do you know anywhere here that we can buy some?¡± He raised his right hand to her, before lowering his head, seemingly in shame. ¡°There is one slight problem I wished to discuss with you once you woke up. It¡¯s regarding our expedition to the east.¡± He stood up and called Karla, who swiftly answered by coming in the doorway. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Could you call your mistress? My liege is ready to talk to her.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± The Princess¡¯ eyes traced from the servant to the knight, who was now with his head hanging low. As unreasonable as their days were, it was the first time that she had seen Krieg in such a state, being nervous was unlike him so Leona couldn¡¯t help but feel tense herself. Footsteps approached the doorway, the somewhat small hallway made it echo the moment she set foot in the front of the room. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are awake, Princess Leona Crossford, honorable guest of the Loxaerion household. My name is Fye Loxaerion, mother of the girl Selene you found lost in your kingdom.¡± She was stunned by her beauty, the long wavy dark purple hair was loosely covering around her neck with part tucked inside her thick dark green coat with fluffy fur around the nape, her lapis lazuli eyes had a gentle expression towards her. Most of her clothing was made for the cold as seen by the increased thickness of the dark green linen pants accompanied by the high dark boots that covered halfway to her knees. Without knowing how to properly reply, Leona hesitated for a moment. It wasn¡¯t exactly the first time she addressed an important figure but something about her made the Princess feel nervous. ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Lady Fye.¡± The woman dismissed her servant by motioning with her hand while entering the room and sitting on the bed across Leona. She rubbed the tip of her left horn while observing the Princess¡¯ expression, then after a few seconds of eye contact she started to talk. ¡°Your knight has told me of the details of your journey and how you came to Akrapocalis. But I wanted to hear for myself, what is it that drives you to such lengths?¡± For a moment Leona was surprised by the question, it was not often someone would ask about her own feelings on the matter, much less expecting from someone she just met. Nevertheless, she was determined to answer with all her conviction. ¡°Because it is what I believe is right.¡± Fye¡¯s eyes narrowed in disbelief as she stopped rubbing her horn and interlocked her fingers on top of her lap. ¡°Then do you take the people¡¯s pain in the war as nothing?¡± Leona¡¯s eyes went wide as her mouth was halfway open to retort. ¡°I-¡± But a feeling of self-righteousness stopped her from doing so. Arguing there was not the answer, much less so with the person who supposedly offered her the needed shelter and respite. No, this time was meant for her to steel her resolve to see it through. Upon taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes with a glint of hope. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to take my people¡¯s pain lightly, but if we don¡¯t make a path forged by peace, then what was the point of the bloodshed from the war? I wish for a world where we can all live in harmony and look for prosperity. I don¡¯t believe a road paved in the corpses of our former enemies will make for a way for harmony.¡± Lady Fye took her right hand in front of her mouth to muffle the short chuckle, which caused Leona to raise an eyebrow, but before the princess said anything, the lady extended her hand in motion for her to stop. ¡°Apologies, I didn¡¯t mean to make fun of your statement just now.¡± She interlocked her fingers once again, fiddling her thumbs around each other, while sighing regretfully. ¡°It is just as my daughter has told me about yourself. ¡®Princess Leona Crossford would make for the perfect ruler of Arcadia. She welcomes everyone with open arms, may they be demons or fellow demi-humans.¡¯ I wished to meet you in person, for you were the one who shined brightly like a guiding star for my daughter.¡± Leona saw her serious expression turn into a bittersweet smile after mentioning her daughter. That same expression stung her heart like a nail through wood. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your daughter, we didn¡¯t know she was from the citadel, otherwise we would¡¯ve-¡± She stopped after the noble started to shake her head slightly. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. My husband wished to work under your family because of how the rest of the noble families here took our marriage. Some of them reduced or outright stopped supplying us with materials necessary for our research and production.¡± Leona tilted her head slightly. ¡°Does the house Loxaerion also make production in this city? I thought only the royal family was allowed to run mass production here.¡± ¡°Oh no, that was in the past, after the war had died down the king changed many policies regarding arms production and research. Our family focuses mainly on supplying the kingdom with means of transportation.¡± ¡°Then¡­ horses and carriages?¡± ¡°Yes, but not quite. We are working on an airship, the kind that could take people beyond the great mountain ranges of the citadel, above the clouds.¡± Her statement instantly sparkled a glint of curiosity in Leona¡¯s eyes. A flying vehicle was something much needed for her if she was to traverse the whole mountain range without ever encountering death angels. ¡°An airship?!¡± Lady Fye smiled, though her tone of voice could clearly tell that she was sad. ¡°I say airship but it¡¯s more of a small vessel, we haven¡¯t been able to put it to flight yet due to some issues with our engine, we¡¯d like some advice from our associates in the north but with the constant threat of death angels we can¡¯t diverge our attention to this matter that was deemed, ¡®unimportant¡¯ at the present moment.¡± Leona tilted her head once again while raising an eyebrow upon asking. ¡°But then, the reason you¡¯re telling me this¡­ is because you want us to do this?¡± The lady sighed regretfully before explaining. ¡°If I was given another option I would rather not leave family matters to individuals unrelated with this matter. However, our situation is dire and we have no other means of contacting our associates.¡± She stood up, she wasn¡¯t exactly tall, but her horns made her look somewhat more intimidating than intended. Once she extended her hand out to the Princess, she appealed to her. ¡°Therefore, I, Fye Loxaerion, head of the Loxaerion family, officially request your help, Princess Leona Crossford. Help us finish this project and we¡¯ll help you in your journey to the east.¡± Chapter XXVII: Unsung Tales To soar the skies, unhindered by the shackles of earth. That was Fye Loraexion¡¯s dream, ever since a young age she wished to see the world from above and beyond the clouds, an ambition many would call foolish or pointless. But ever since she had married her husband, she saw her dreams come just a little bit closer to reality. ¡°What do you say Princess Leona? Will you help us finish our greatest creation?¡± The Princess¡¯ eyes wandered from the lady¡¯s hand extended in front of her to Krieg¡¯s visor which was slightly turned towards her. She was at loss, she truly wished to see something like that become real, but at the same time where excitement grew, her worries did the same. Even if she was able to deliver whatever that Fye wanted, there was no guarantee that it would help finish that ambitious project and if that failed, she would have wasted precious time going to the northern kingdom. Leona took a deep breath while racking her brain for answers, but instead she drew a blank. However before panic could take over, she took one glance at Krieg and decided to take the most rational approach to the matter at hand. ¡°I want to say yes, but I¡¯m still unsure how we¡¯ll be able to proceed through all of that. Could I have some time to decide on the matter?¡± Fye retracted her extended hand and nodded gently. ¡°Yes, of course. Once you have decided on an answer please do let me know. Whatever it may be.¡± ¡°I will make sure of that, thank you Lady Fye.¡± The elegant demi-human lady took her leave and gently closed the door behind her, once her footsteps vanished away in the corridor, Leona turned to the knight wearing a worried expression on her face. ¡°Krieg, I want to know your opinion on this. Even if we do succeed in aiding in whatever that plan is, don¡¯t you think it would put us back too much needed time?¡± He folded his arms while staring at the floor. There was much to be considered in a voyage like that, to the east the path consisted mainly of mountain ranges and narrow passages through caves which all in all wasn¡¯t that dangerous, not considering the fact that death angels could be found at any moment since there was no guarantee of safety outside the kingdom¡¯s borders. Now to the north, while consisting mostly of plains and hills, the temperature could drop way below water¡¯s freezing point, which made the travel much harsher on both people and transport alike. However, it would only take thirty days to get there on foot as opposed to sixty to the east border, not accounting the water transportation which could be from a month to anywhere close to two months depending on the captain of the ship. ¡°Considering this does indeed succeed and we are allowed to take the air vessel, we should be able to cut the time needed by more than half.¡± Leona raised an eyebrow while looking at him. ¡°Half? How can you be so sure?¡± ¡°Queen Eleonora once rode a dragon in the war to the Empyrean Mountain Range, it took half the time than on foot.¡± ¡°I see¡­ this is some very good information.¡± She lowered her head while pinching her nose ridge with the right index and thumb. Half the time on foot, that was a gigantic time difference, even if they had to take breaks or be attentive to whatever was the needs of a flying vessel, that meant they could make it to the east country and back with more than enough time to spare. Though that was assuming it would succeed, nevertheless Leona opened her eyes with a confident glint in her irises as she looked to the knight. ¡°Alright. Krieg, call Phoebe, we are heading to the Londrian empire as soon as we are able to.¡± He bowed before standing up and exiting out the room with each of his heavy footsteps. The moment he left Leona alone she tried to lift herself up but a sharp pain in the right side of her ribs and with smaller breaths in quick succession she managed to shake off the pain, though it was nothing she ever felt before. ¡®Must be from yesterday¡¯s fall¡­¡¯ Upon turning on her right side the pain subsided and she was able to sit up and touch the cold wooden floor with both bare feet. A chill went up her spine as it had been a very long time since she felt such low temperature. Apparently the blankets were of high quality since she couldn¡¯t feel the difference until just now. ¡°Brrr¡­¡± Each one of her toes folded inward and out, as if trying to warm themselves. A pair of comfortable looking brown slippers were on the ground just beside her bed, apparently it was readied for her. She slipped both her feet inside them and an almost instant relief hit her body as the fluffy footwear warmed her soles. She stood up noticing her clothing was changed to a set of white silky clean pajamas and surprisingly it kept most of her body heat from dissipating in the cold room. Reminiscing about the colder nights back in the kingdom made her appreciate the comfortable clothing they prepared. ¡®This is really good¡­¡¯ Leona stepped out of the room and was greeted by Karla who seemed to be waiting for her with a coat ready. She gave a short bow before coming up behind the Princess and putting the coat over her shoulders before helping her wear the surprisingly light garment. Leona couldn¡¯t help but want to ask. ¡°Karla, are these pieces of clothing made here in the citadel?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, no, most of them are brought from Londria, since the Loraexion family works closely with researchers from the empire they usually send us prototypes or some samples of finished products. Many of them are garments which sound strange now that I mentioned it since our focus has always been production of arms and transportation, it does sound odd doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ no one would ever argue against better clothing in this cold I suppose.¡± Karla chuckled. ¡°That is true.¡± The servant showed Leona the way as they arrived perpendicular to a staircase after passing through a wooden double door. It was a well lit interior with bright lamps hanging from a silver chandelier, the walls also had mounted supports for lamps but as Leona could easily tell, they were much brighter than the gas-powered lamps found back in the Arcadian capital. The walls were decorated with paintings of previous heads of the Loraexion family, many of which were total strangers to the Princess¡¯ eyes, only the last one that was hanging in the middle of the two staircases leading to the second floor was familiar as she had spoken with Lady Fye just a few minutes ago. Leona was mesmerized, it felt like a different world, many other servants were busy attending to their daily chores to pay any heed to the princess wandering in the middle of the hall while curiously looking around the whole place as if she was in a museum. Upon crossing to the other side of the hall, she noticed a faint noise of clicking metal, though she wasn¡¯t exactly sure what that was, it surely caught her attention as she turned around to Karla. ¡°What is this noise?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the typewriter, the young lord must be recording the shipment again.¡± ¡°Typewriter?¡± ¡°Yes, shall we take a look?¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but feel giddy inside as an involuntary smile grew on her face. ¡°I would be pleased if possible.¡± Karla felt satisfied with herself for being able to entertain such an esteemed guest such as her. She opened another set of double door and this time instead of a dimly lit hallway, there was a spacious storeroom choked full with supplies, different kinds of metals both raw ores and processed ingots were sitting around the place, wooden crates filled with different textile materials were pushed against the stone wall and a few riveted horizontal barrels in the far corner of the room. Sitting in the middle of all that mess there was a pale horned young man of short messy blonde hair and crimson red eyes. His clothing was rather informal and more focused on comfort rather than looks since the washed white shirt was lazily buttoned and the baggy fluffy trousers didn¡¯t make any sense with the rest of his clothing. He pushed up the round glasses as he was going through what seemed to be an endless list of materials on his left hand while the right kept all fingers frantically pressing different keys on a machine set in front of him and every so often he¡¯d smack the side of it, making a cylindrical part make a ding sound every time it hit the edge of the curious contraption. His concentration was only broken the moment Karla got close enough to gently knock on the table, but even then he refused to take his eyes off the task at hand. ¡°Apologies, I¡¯m finishing soon.¡± His voice was deep and serious. Leona couldn¡¯t tell if it was his personality or just the current work weighing in his attention, as his eyes darted back and forth while checking the list as his fingertips nimbly typed out the rest of his remaining workload with a sharp ding coming off the machine the moment he finished. The young lord first slumped back on the chair looking to the ceiling before releasing a relieved sigh. Karla approached him and leaned in beside his left ear, whispering. ¡°Young lord, we have a guest.¡± His eyes darted downwards and the moment he saw Leona awkwardly staring at him, he jolted from his seat and stood up straightening his shirt and glasses. Looking closer, his horns were akin to Lady Fye¡¯s in both form and color, but it was much more coiled. He bowed courteously with his right hand in front of his chest while the other was behind his lower back. ¡°I sincerely apologize for my lack of perception. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Cyrus Loraexion, elder son of this household. Pleasure to meet you Princess.¡± Leona chuckled while shaking her right hand in front of her. ¡°There is no need for formalities lord Cyrus, my name is Leona Crossford, it is also a pleasure to meet you.¡± She observed the way he was dressed and it reminded her of both of her mother and father as they would usually use clothes that were more shifted to comfort and practicality rather than looks and status. Though what really caught her attention was the strange machine sitting on top of the table on his right. ¡°Lord Cyrus, mind if I ask what this curious invention is?¡± She motioned to the surface of the table. He followed her left hand with his eyes until he came across the typewriter. The moment he looked back at her, his eyes had a glint of strange happiness to it. ¡°Oh you mean the typewriter! It¡¯s a personal gift from an inventor friend of mine, he devised a way to press words into the paper using blocks rather than writing them manually with ink. Come here I¡¯ll show you a sample of it.¡± He removed the piece of paper with his annotations and handed it to Karla, who then proceeded to take it outside. Cyrus sat in front of the table as he put a new piece of paper on the top of the typewriter and adjusted the machine by rotating a knob-like piece from the right side, which eventually led the paper to go around the rotating cylinder. He looked up to her with a small grin on his face. ¡°Here you go, each key represents what you''ll ¡®type¡¯ on the paper. Here, try it out.¡± He stood up beside the table while motioning to Leona to take the seat. ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± She raised both hands above the keyboard with anticipation, each finger spreading towards different keys as she carefully looked for each key she pressed to make sure she wasn¡¯t writing it wrong. In the spacious storeroom, the dry sound of metallic stamps hitting the paper in an uneven rhythm filled the place. Leona was mesmerized by how each of her letters were being imprinted in the paper slowly coming to life, it felt surreal, like as if she was dreaming. ¡°Princess Leona. I¡¯ve brought Phoebe as you requested.¡± Krieg¡¯s voice caught her attention as it snapped her back to the storeroom choked full of supplies. Standing by the doorway, the knight was accompanied by both Phoebe and Karla. Surprised and also a little bit disappointed by their fast return, Leona stood up from the chair. ¡°Thank you very much Krieg. Lord Cyrus.¡± She extended her hand for a handshake after a short bow, showing the excitement in her glittering eyes as she continued. ¡°I¡¯m honored that you let me use this typewriter machine, I¡¯ll return to this household to discuss more about it with you, if that¡¯s possible.¡± He smiled in return while scratching the tip of his left horn as his big right hand grasped the Princess¡¯ smaller palm. ¡°Of course! I¡¯m glad you liked using it, as brief as it was, Princess Leona.¡± She shook his hand firmly with a few nods before walking out of the storeroom accompanied by the knight and the elf behind her. They followed her to the main hall where a few workers carried wooden boxes and other supplies around in a hurry, apparently it was just another day in the Loraexion household. Settling for the side of the spacious hall where they wouldn¡¯t get in the way, Leona decided to speak with both of them. Her eyes had a glint of determination, an usual sight for the knight but not so much for Phoebe who already held her right hand up as to tell her to wait. ¡°Before anything Princess, while I don¡¯t believe this household has any grudge against you I would advise to keep an eye out outside, the moment we step out of this house there¡¯ll be eyes of the capital all around us.¡± Leona tilted her head slightly as she raised an eyebrow, not quite sure of what the elf was talking about. ¡°Sorry Phoebe but could you explain that better? Are you telling me there are Arcadian spies here?¡± ¡°Not spies, it¡¯s the royal knights from Arcadia, apparently there was a dispatch yesterday from the capital.¡± ¡°Yesterday? Didn¡¯t we flee just the day before? How did they-¡± Phoebe flinched a bit before sharing worried stares towards Krieg who raised his right hand and shook it in disapproval. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Oh¡­¡± The elf slowly nodded while gently biting her lower lips. Leona looked at both of them obviously confused by their strange behavior. She sighed before asking them both. ¡°What exactly is going on between you two? Did I miss anything?¡± Krieg scratched the side of his helmet as he explained. ¡°Princess, I couldn¡¯t find a better time to tell you this but, you have been sleeping for three days straight.¡± Leona blinked a few times, it was as if her brain was trying to comprehend what he had just said. ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Phoebe continued to explain. ¡°After the soldiers aided us in driving the death angel back we hurried to the citadel where they were already taking you to treat the wounds. They were originally a rescue team for the youngest heir of their family.¡± Leona covered her mouth with her right hand as her heart was stung by a sense of guilt. ¡°Selene¡­¡± ¡°Worry not Princess Leona. I already dispatched other soldiers to look for my daughter.¡± Upon hearing a familiar female voice, she turned around to face Fye standing somewhat in the middle of the hallway accompanied by two soldiers wearing dark green caps, overcoats, trousers and thigh high brown leather boots. They carried bags and weapons much like the muskets found in Arcadia but slightly bulkier and shorter than normal attached to a sling over their shoulder across the chest. The soldier on the right gave Leona a short bow, she squinted her eyes for a few seconds before she recognized the sharp pointy ears and the blonde hair. Her face lit in surprise as she pointed at him. ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re the person who saved me!¡± He straightened his back and placed both hands behind him as he raised his chin before speaking clearly. ¡°Lest Kimbell, at your service Princess Leona.¡± Upon taking a better look, she noticed his eyes were of different colors, the right one being green and the other was blue, they almost seemed to sparkle with pride. Shortly after his introduction he was elbowed in the ribs by the soldier standing beside him. ¡°Ow. What was that for?¡± ¡°Idiot, if it wasn¡¯t for me she would¡¯ve died. Who in their right mind would forget to carry their medical supplies for a six day trip?¡± The haughty female voice surprised Leona since she thought the soldier was another man, her voice however sounded familiar to the Princess¡¯ ears. The female soldier took a step forward and bowed respectfully with her arms behind her back. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for my brother¡¯s behavior, my name is Frey Kimbell. I¡¯m the captain of the Personal Self Defense Squad.¡± She raised her head again, her eyes were much like her brother¡¯s except opposite colors, her hair was much shorter just slightly above her neck and most of her feminine traits were concealed by the heavy military overcoat. Leona was somewhat surprised by what she had just heard, female knights were a rare sight, one being a captain was unheard of even in Eleonora¡¯s reign. Seeing someone hold an esteemed position within a household of great importance in another kingdom was definitely impressive in those times. Seeing her with her mouth half opened in surprise, Lady Fey decided to explain. ¡°They work under our orders, a private army of soldiers if you will. Our family is centered in the business of warfare and technology advancement after all.¡± She scratched the side of her right horn with her thumb. Aimlessly gazing at the workers moving all manner of things left and right in a hurry, she shortly returned to look Leona in the eyes, her dark purple eyes with a spark of hope. ¡°May I have your answer, Princess Leona?¡± The Princess¡¯ eyes slowly drifted downwards before she shut her eyes, she took a deep breath before opening them again, staring at the depths of the mesmerizing violet gaze in front of her. There really wasn¡¯t an optimal choice, the added danger from going to the frozen lands of Londria was indeed a very tall hurdle, but with only three people if they ever encountered a death angel in their travels to the east it meant certain death for them. If anything the cold aided in fending off those unholy beasts, but at the same time it was the worst enemy for those unprepared for the arduous travel. ¡°My answer had already been decided after I left my room. I shall provide whatever aid I can to the Loraexion household in return for the rights to use your airship invention for my expedition to the east.¡± Fey couldn¡¯t help but let a small smile curl up in her face as she turned around to the two soldiers. ¡°Very well, then it¡¯s decided. Take them to the supply and armament depot, give them anything they need for the expedition. Don¡¯t forget to report back to Cyrus once you are done.¡± ¡°Yes, Madam Fye!¡± They both saluted with their backs straight as the woman started to walk towards the staircase, Leona, Phoebe and Krieg followed her with their eyes until she turned around again to the Princess. ¡°Safe travels. I pray that you succeed and may our alliance be a lasting one.¡± ¡°I appreciate your concern and I hope the same.¡± Lady Fye nodded and started to head upstairs. Leona turned around to face Frey who was already holding in her hands the bag she was carrying on her back. ¡°This is our standard uniform, Lady Fye suggested that you wear this in case there were any Arcadian knights patrolling the streets.¡± ¡°I see¡­ thank you.¡± Leona took the folded dark green overcoat, opened it and slid her arms through the thick sleeves, it was a perfect fit. Even while still wearing the ragged dress she was able to wear the full uniform without hindering her mobility, the boots were a very welcomed addition after spending almost a week wearing nothing but cloth to protect her feet. The overall quality of the uniform was something beyond her imagination for the common footsoldier, not only that but seeing how they were armed with ranged weaponry rather than swords or lances meant they weren¡¯t specialized in taking down beasts, but fellow men and women. She couldn¡¯t help but want to ask. ¡°Tell me captain Frey, do you use that weapon on your back often?¡± The elf glanced at her without moving her head. Her posture was impeccably straight as if she was standing ready for combat at any moment. ¡°Not really, unless something like a riot breaks out but even then our job is only to keep people safe, not kill them.¡± ¡°I see, I believe your words. It¡¯s reassuring to know I¡¯m working with people like yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored that you feel that way.¡± Once Leona wore the military garb, Frey stepped in to help her button up the coat, it was a different kind of button from what the Princess was used to and instead of weaving it inside a hole it was two pieces of metal that snapped together when pressed against one another. ¡°Thank you. I never knew it worked that way.¡± Upon looking to the side, she noticed Krieg had already changed to the military garb, his features however stood out amongst the rest of the group, the gray hair and crimson red eyes were unusual features in that part of the country, even some workers stopped in their tracks to take a quick glance before continuing their work. Frey took a look at the knight wearing the overcoat and noticed the Princess also doing the same, which brought a half smile on her face as she started to explain some of the history behind it. ¡°These are new uniforms from Londria, we were originally from there but the Loraexion family hired us as bodyguards at first before giving us formal training and founding the Personal Self Defense Squad.¡± Curiosity picked Leona¡¯s attention after the captain mentioned military training. ¡°Mind if I ask who exactly gave you this formal training?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t, that¡¯s confidential information.¡± ¡°I see, sorry I asked. So shall we move out?¡± ¡°Follow me closely.¡± Frey turned around and headed to the double doors on the opposite side of the staircase, it had an intricate looking clockwork lock with many gears and switches that once the captain inserted the key that was hanging from a string hidden around her neck into the diamond shaped lock, the contraption started to move as if it was alive. Clicking and snapping could be heard as the gears moved into place to unlock the heavy metal door. With the creak of metal, the door slowly opened inwards, the sudden light bombarded Leona¡¯s eyes as she squinted and looked away for a few seconds before she could adjust to the unusual bright blue tint. It was becoming much colder in the dwarven citadel with each passing day and the weather reflected exactly that. A thin layer of sleet covered the stone paved street and a chill breeze brushed against Leona¡¯s cheeks, making her instinctively squint her eyes and cover her face with the right arm. After her eyes adjusted to the brighter environment, she noticed the double doors went direct to the street rather than a front entrance, it made her wonder how exactly the place she spent three days in looked like from the outside. She noticed once she had turned around, the building seemed more like a factory rather than a noble¡¯s mansion. Metallic tubes encompassed the entire building, probably pipes for transporting liquids or gas, though the Princess had no idea what they were for. The city was much different from the Arcadian industrialized areas, for one it was much less noisy, there was less traffic of people bringing materials from one place to another and the city was much cleaner. ¡°Have you ever been to the citadel before Princess?¡± Lest asked while adjusting the sling of his rifle from across the chest to the left shoulder, carrying it much like Krieg did with his greatsword. The street itself wasn¡¯t exactly empty but there were a few civilians walking around minding their own business. ¡°No, not really. Maybe I came with my family but I was too young to remember anything.¡± ¡°I see, I hope the cold doesn¡¯t bother you. It¡¯s not as bad as Londria¡¯s weather but it¡¯s chillier than Arcadia¡¯s.¡± Leona gave a half hearted bitter grin. ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯ll be going there anyway so I don¡¯t think I have much choice other than to get used to the cold.¡± Frey scratched the side of her cap before straightening it on her head. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move. The supply depot isn¡¯t far from here, from there we¡¯ll head to the northern gates to see you three off.¡± ¡°Will we get anything to transport our things?¡± Phoebe asked out of the blue which almost surprised the captain. Phoebe¡¯s presence felt like it could blend itself to any environment, or maybe it was because she is usually quiet. ¡°Why yes, you still have to bring a piece of equipment with you. We¡¯ll arrange your ride so don¡¯t worry about transportation.¡± ¡°I see, how very kind.¡± The Princess could feel some tension in the air as the two elves exchanged words. She knew about the existence of elves and high elves and how they shunned one another for cultural reasons, which didn¡¯t make much sense in her head but nevertheless she had read a thing or two about the rivalry between each race. Lest cleared his throat before speaking up, breaking the intense exchange of glares from both elves. ¡°Shall we? It¡¯s rather cold here to be standing idly.¡± Frey took a step forward as her head slowly turned away from Phoebe¡¯s intense stare. The soldier sighed while shaking his head. They proceeded through the wide streets. The path they took wasn¡¯t exactly subtle, much of the time they spent moving was in full open view of other citizens that occasionally glanced at the unusual group of five odd individuals. ¡°Worry not, most of them mind their own business.¡± Frey assured them. Though she knew half of the reason why there were some stares as she glanced back at the knight holding the greatsword on the left shoulder by the sling and the elf wearing her infiltrator garb. Leona noticed the captain eyeing Phoebe up and down as if there was something wrong, but upon gazing at the elf wearing nothing but some seemingly thin cloth she decided to ask. ¡°Phoebe. Isn''t it too cold with that little clothing?¡± ¡°Hm? Ah, worry not about me Princess. This shinobi armor is actually enchanted to withstand both heat and cold.¡± ¡°Shi- what?¡± ¡°Ah, I think a short explanation is in order. Some time after the great war a certain swordmaster started to teach some new ways of warfare and I was trained in one of them. They call us shinobi.¡± ¡°Huh, I haven¡¯t heard of news like that. But I guess it¡¯s only natural, given the circumstances of the death angel menace there.¡± Phoebe nodded slowly a few times. ¡°Truly, even with our arts it takes too much effort to bring a medium sized death angel down.¡± ¡°Arts?¡± ¡°Do you remember our encounter with that party of adventurers in the forest near Karna Village? The curved sword wielding female demi-human, she was using what we call noble arts. To put simply, she could invoke the power of the heavens to inflict thunder attacks upon her enemies.¡± Leona grasped both sides of her chin, seemingly lost in thought. ¡®So she did cast a spell with hand movements. Interesting.¡¯ ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but we are here.¡± Frey stopped the group before gesturing with her open hand towards the right side. A tall semi-circular building made of metal sheets riveted together had a reinforced metal sliding door halfway open, inside there were incandescent light bulbs illuminating the vast area inside, though different in sizes, there were a plethora of wooden boxes stacked with some of them open and filled to the brim with raw materials, mainly metal sheets and beams. Leona was awestruck, there were many workers bringing in and out materials, soldiers from the Personal Guard were also lending a hand with the moving of parts and pieces. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Frey stepped in front of the group. ¡°Just one minute, I¡¯ll arrange your transport.¡± After a short bow she entered the building while Lest stayed outside with the group while checking their surroundings. Leona wanted to tag along but both guards standing beside the entrance didn¡¯t seem to let anyone in aside from their team inside. Krieg noticed his liege¡¯s eagerness but he was merely wearing the guards outfit, so instead he approached Lest while whispering just low enough so the Princess wouldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°Do you think you can arrange a way inside for her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Lest glanced at the Princess looking earnestly towards the entrance of the supply depot. He scratched the back of his head before turning to the knight once again. ¡°I¡¯ll try, but don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± The male elf walked with his rifle behind his shoulder and started to talk to one of the guards posted in front of the entrance. Meanwhile Leona approached Krieg with excitement all over her face. ¡°Krieg, the design and material choice for every building in this city is amazing. Maybe when this is over I¡¯ll officially ask for Lady Fye¡¯s assistance towards the infrastructure matter back in Arcadia.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are enjoying yourself, Leona.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered how these incredible cities were founded. Capital city of Arcadia, Empire of Londria, Citadel of Akrapocalis, even Windia, being a rather small city amidst the neverending ocean of sand. How they came to be what they are today and how we can learn to improve as a nation.¡± The spark in her eyes never ceased to amaze the knight, ever since she was little she would always think ahead how to help or improve other people¡¯s lives. Not only for herself or those around them, but also those unfortunate souls mistreated by fate. She believed in a place where everyone could earn their living if they worked hard enough and for that she needed to improve as a ruler and as a person. The two of them were distracted with the small talk before Lest approached them with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Princess Leona, I arranged a deal with the guards stationed here, they will allow your entry while my sister is inside. Feel free to follow me, I¡¯ll show you the way around the place.¡± Leona could barely hold her excitement the moment she heard his words, surely it was just a supply depot, not much of interest could be happening inside but her brain was brimming with curiosity. Lest turned around to walk inside, he glanced over his shoulder towards Krieg and Phoebe before calling them. ¡°Oh and you two can come along too. Just keep your weapons sheathed so we don¡¯t disturb the workers inside.¡± Phoebe nodded, while Krieg simply let out a short laugh as he followed the Princess inside the building. Though it looked very messy from the outside, once they were inside there was a clear path between all the stacked wooden boxes and shelves holding materials of all sorts of sizes. Though mostly were of iron, some had intricate looking wooden parts and a few others from brass. ¡°I¡¯m sure my sister is still handling some of the business regarding your transportation, it is honestly not all that easy to arrange such things in less than three days. Though considering it was a direct order from Lady Fye, I doubt anyone would have the nerve to ignore her in these dire times.¡± Phoebe squinted her eyes a bit after she heard what Lest said. ¡°You say dire, but from what I¡¯ve seen this city is mostly peaceful inside these fortified walls.¡± She kept glancing around randomly at the workers who passed by carrying materials, some didn¡¯t even notice and those who did, tried their best to avoid eye contact with her. ¡°Well¡­ not many are aware of the death angel threat. Those who know about it only heard rumors about them. Thankfully we haven¡¯t had a single casualty inside these walls but I can¡¯t say the same for Lugna, I only helped from afar but the whole place feels like a battlefield.¡± Lost in thought, Leona grasped her chin as they reached a wider space amidst the maze of stacked boxes. ¡°Lugna Plains¡­ wait, you mean you are fighting in an open field against death angels?! Why would anyone do that?!¡± ¡°Because we don¡¯t want those fiends terrorizing the hearts of our people.¡± The deep voice of a man came from the immediate right of Leona, her eyes traced to the right until she noticed Frey standing with her arms behind her straightened back. The Princess'' eyes further moved to the side and upon noticing someone standing beside the captain, she lifted her head to see the face of the person who just spoke. He was very tall, even slightly taller than Krieg. The tanned complexion as well as the grizzled hair, beard and sharp hazel eyes showed his experience, he wore the same outfit as the other soldiers only with different shoulder decorations which instead of matching the colors of said uniform, they were made to stand out with a hint of frostburnt silver on the epaulets. ¡°Greetings, one of the throne candidates, Leona Crossford. My name is Kurt Dietrich, commander of the Personal Self Defense Force. Or should I call you, Princess Tactician?¡± Chapter XXVIII: Beacon of Hope Princess Tactician, the nickname given to her amongst nobles and other influential figures from military background. Despite being young, Leona anticipated where and when death angels would arrive, though the threat was taken lightly by many since in theory, they were only known as territorial beings sighted in the far eastern lands and as such thought to be only a menace in that region. But upon studying more about magic currents, Leona noticed a strange pattern in their behavior, that being why they never moved from the eastern region, much like how global wind currents come and go as the temperature rises or lowers, great changes were occurring in the magic currents of the world because of the end of the war. With that she theorized that there would be a chance the death angel would migrate from the east towards the west. The first battle ever fought against such menace was the Battle of Lugna Plains, the green small hills that formed seemingly endlessly towards the eastern mountain range were painted crimson. At the time nobody knew how to kill those abominations as they came in different forms and sizes, many could fly, others could attack at range, but every single one of them was driven by one thing. The hunger for human flesh. After rumors spread about the massacre and how total defeat was avoided due to a battalion of knights sent from a certain Arcadian noblehouse, many of the Citadel¡¯s efforts were to prevent such things from happening again, though it wasn¡¯t long before reinforcements from the capital stopped coming and eventually they were left to fend the fiends on their own. Unbeknownst to Leona, the Crossford family used to have a sizable army of knights at their disposal, but since many didn¡¯t return from the battle of Lugna. Knowing how dangerous their expeditions were, many potential servants shied away from her family, leaving them only known as people to avoid. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t wish to fight the horde at your doorstep, aren¡¯t you simply sending soldiers to their deaths if they go outside the protection of the citadel walls? That is the same as throwing away your only advantage against those things!¡± Leona was having an intense discussion with the commander about the strategic decision of bringing the fight to the enemy instead of waiting inside the safety of the walls. Though even with every logical explanation possible, commander Kurt didn¡¯t seem to budge about his own approach to the matter and instead was insisting on how it was the best for the general populace to not have the battlefield on their doorstep. ¡°Princess Leona, how can the people of Akrapocalis live without worry if the death angel threat is so close to our doors?¡± ¡°Tossing their lives away for a facade for the common folk is just as absurd!¡± ¡°Ours is a city of innovation, if the brilliant minds of our engineers can¡¯t focus on their tasks how are we supposed to progress forward in exterminating the death angel menace?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The look of doubt became obvious on Leona¡¯s face as the commander mentioned a way to defeat death angels. As it was widely known at this day and age, death angels were practically immune to anything that wasn¡¯t holy magic, until now that is. Her astonishment amused the tall dwarf, prompting him to call one of the workers to bring him one of the experimental weapons they called rifles. ¡°Hey, someone bring me the experimental rifle for our guests to take a look at.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes sparkled with interest upon seeing the weapon up close on the worker¡¯s hand. Unlike the muskets which had to be loaded with gunpowder and then with a steel shot, the mechanism was loaded from the top with individual round casings holding the projectile already loaded with said gunpowder, the gun itself housed five rounds which could be increased to six once one round was loaded inside the firing chamber. The whole design was much more polished and elegant than what her mother had originally invented, which was already considered a huge step forward considering most of the human populace couldn¡¯t cast even the most basic spells at the time. Upon being handed the rifle, she was surprised by its weight, being heavier than what she had thought to be. The finely crafted wooden stock sat comfortably against her slim shoulder as if it was second nature. She was given a few dummy rounds by the aforementioned worker and upon understanding the mechanisms of the gun, she nimbly pulled the bolt back, opening the top breach, loading five rounds before chambering the ammo before pulling the bolt back once more to load the sixth bullet. ¡°This is¡­ amazing. That aside however, how is this weapon supposed to kill a death angel?¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s not about the weapon itself, although that plays a major part in it. Once you go to Londria you¡¯ll be able to talk to the inventor herself. I¡¯m not some kind of engineer, I just keep things running along the battlefield.¡± She pulled the bolt back, which ejected a round which she caught midair. She inspected the ammo by rotating it around her fingers, the brass metal seemed odd at first but upon thinking about it a little more she remembered a class back in the academy that mentioned how that specific kind of metal was more resistant to corrosion. She handed the gun back to the worker who was waiting patiently to go back to his post, then turned to the commander who had an amused expression curling up his face. Leona briefly cleared her throat before saying. ¡°Interesting. Well then¡­ if you truly believe this to be a good strategy then I won¡¯t question it, after all this is something I did not account for.¡± Meanwhile Krieg stayed right behind Leona, as if looking after her and Phoebe was further back still, looking around the place with Lest beside her. The commander chuckled before offering her a way by standing sideways as his big right hand showed a clear path between the storage mess. ¡°I¡¯ll show you to your transport, this way.¡± The group followed suit, though Frey already knew of what was in store for them, Lest was just as curious as Leona as they traversed to the far corner of the supply depot, where the mountain of stacked wooden boxes started to clear up. ¡°Wait¡­ what is that?¡± In the very middle of the spacious depot, there was an unusual contraption made of metal and wood, it looked like a bathtub in Leona¡¯s eyes but since it had two thick boards made of wood and dark spiked wheels suspending the whole thing off the ground she could easily guess that it wasn¡¯t the aforementioned bathing recipient. Around it there were three workers wearing different uniforms from the rest, while the majority wore green overalls they had a finer blue velvet coat and held stacks of paper with a thin ballpoint pen which Leona also had no idea what it was. ¡°It¡¯s a motorized snow vehicle. We call it sledge.¡± Frey started to explain. ¡°Though this one is technically a failed prototype since nobody can run this thing at full capacity without going through a mana shock.¡± Phoebe blinked a few times, seemingly outraged by the foolish idea before saying. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this thing feeds on the mana of its user.¡± ¡°Not on the mana specifically, but the spell. Fire spells that can cause small explosions are used to move the cylinders inside the engine which propels the whole thing forward. The thing is though, we don¡¯t have lighter materials to build this thing with and if we used wood for the whole construction it could potentially become a fire hazard for anyone inside.¡± Notably, Frey seemed very knowledgeable about it. Leona on the other hand couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard, the idea to use explosions of a spell to make a hunk of metal move was just too bizarre for her to believe, yet she wasn¡¯t about to dismiss everything the captain had just said. She knew about the existence of engines but only for the sole purpose of moving machinery for material processing and production of goods. Not in her wildest dreams she imagined to have the opportunity to ride a horseless vehicle. Frey let out a somewhat relieved sigh whilst looking at Leona. ¡°Or that was the problem until a few days ago. You see Princess, sir Krieg here told me some feats you are capable of and to be frank I was quite intrigued by his tale. A blue flame spell is notoriously known for being highly destructive and coincidentally, our manafication engine works on the principle of using explosions in order to move the inside parts to create movement but the main issue was the lack of a powerful mage in the first place.¡± Leona gazed upon her hands, she was still getting over the fear of her own powers, but at the same time she knew how important it was for them to succeed in this mission and if that vehicle really worked to their favor, it was a chance she couldn¡¯t miss. ¡°Then I assume it hasn¡¯t been tested before?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Krieg voiced his concern from over Leona¡¯s shoulder. It was imperative that he¡¯d ask about it since if they were to ride it, he needed to be completely sure that his liege would be safe. The Princess braced herself by closing both hands into tight fists close to her chest and taking a deep breath looking at Frey straight in the eyes. ¡°Very well. When can I test this invention of yours?¡± ¡°Right now if that¡¯s alright with you Princess.¡± Kurt chuckled as he turned around giving his farewells. ¡°Until we meet again Tactician. Hopefully our next encounter will be on a more positive note.¡± Without saying anything back, Leona simply nodded as the towering man walked away. She couldn¡¯t quite hide the bitterness of knowing that soldiers were sacrificing themselves if there was an easier option, but that wasn¡¯t her battlefield nor her people. She started to follow Frey amidst the heavy populated midsection of the depot, all the while noticing the various stares and whispers coming from the crowd. The motorized sledge was elevated just a little off the ground, the platform itself was round and it could rotate on its axis for easier positioning. Once Leona came closer she noticed the previously hidden chains now hanging from above the prototype with heavy looking materials, at first it made her uneasy but seeing Frey casually stroll under it made her feel safer. The captain raised her hand in a greeting to the nearby engineer who had his hands full with notes and a wrench which had seen some use since most of the metal had a lot of visible scratches. He raised his hand back and with a short nod he greeted her back. ¡°Hello captain. We¡¯re done with the last touches, we added frostburnt silver for the piston parts as well as the explosion chamber as you instructed, but are you certain that this will work? The extra magic mitigation will make it safer in theory but wouldn¡¯t it make it more difficult to move the parts even with magic?¡± Frey chuckled, before shaking her hand in front of her in an apologetic way. ¡°Trust me, those parts won¡¯t last long if what I heard is true. I already have our mage here to test it out.¡± The captain stepped to the side letting Leona take the spotlight for a moment as all three engineers approached her with bated breath, as if they were looking at a godly artifact of some kind, albeit also maintaining a healthy distance from her. ¡°Welcome to the main supply and armament depot.¡± One of the engineers greeted her. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, we would like to see your magic in action as soon as possible.¡± Another showed her the way to the contraption by walking along with the Princess. Krieg maintained a consistent distance from Leona in case he needed to protect her. She climbed up the elevated platform and stood right beside the strange vehicle. It was made to tightly fit three people with one of the leather cushioned seats facing the rear of the transport with a hatch giving access to the circular explosion chamber. The front seat had a steering handle made of metal which was easily on arm¡¯s length and a sturdy looking lever protruding from the floor of the vehicle. ¡°This allows you to steer the whole thing.¡± Frey approached Leona¡¯s right side while pointing towards the horizontal handlebar to introduce her to the. She then moved to the lever down near the seat. ¡°This is the brake system we developed in a hurry so it might not work as intended. So we¡¯d rather have you not rely on this.¡± ¡°Right¡­ how can I test this engine of yours before you explain to me how this vehicle works?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s right here.¡± The captain tapped the back seat¡¯s leather cushion a few times. ¡°See that small hatch? If possible I¡¯d like you to release a small quantity of the fire spell you¡¯ve been known for. Don¡¯t worry about the explosion, the hatch closes itself to prevent you from harm.¡± Leona shifted her weight from one leg to another as she sat down on the rather stiff seat. She adjusted her back comfortably before taking a deep breath with both hands close to each other. All the engineers gathered around to witness her power, all the while Krieg and Phoebe watched from afar hoping everything would be ok. ¡°Alright, here goes.¡± Her eyes closed. She pictured flames inside her mind turning blue as they raged fiercely, consuming every drop of air around into a blazing inferno. Once she opened her eyes again, there was a vibrant blue flame, smaller than a golf ball, swirling between her hands. Everyone around was in awe as she let go of the highly explosive ordinance, tossing it inside the chamber. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the orb of fire entered the engine. The hatch thankfully worked as intended and closed the moment the spell entered the chamber but then right after it there was a ground shaking rumble as the engine started to move, puffs of smoke from the explosion¡¯s leftovers exited the exhaust pipe below the vehicle. Everyone was taken aback, even workers that passed by stopped to marvel at the working invention, it was just the second time in many years that it worked inside that depot, it was thought to be just a failed prototype until just now. Leona on the other hand was dumbstruck, being inside the vehicle meant she could feel the rumbling of the manafication engine going through the seat directly to her bones, it was an otherworldly experience though not an unwelcome one. She looked at the people surrounding her immediate vicinity, all of them staring at her holding their breath. ¡°Did it work?¡± Leona cluelessly asked while staring at each one of the unknown faces looking at her. Captain Frey grasped Leona¡¯s hand tightly with eyes full of tears. ¡°If it worked? You did more than that! You saved a lost dream of mine!¡± ¡°We did it captain!¡± ¡°Hooray!¡± The cheers seemed endless, hearing those voices of joy made Leona feel happy inside. After so much time loathing the powers she had acquired through studying and hard work a small sense of relief filled her mind. The strength that was nurtured by her mother seemed pointless until just now, Leona blamed herself for misusing the powers taught to her and in result, never moved on from it and even before she could make amends to her past errors, her mother died in front of her eyes. ¡®Thank you mother for allowing me to learn by your side.¡¯ She thought as the cheers started to fade as distant sounds in her ears. Instinctively, her eyes looked around, everyone seemed to move slower until they stopped completely as if she was being locked in another time and space. ¡°Not bad at all Leona.¡± An unrecognizable male voice echoed in her head. Without showing any sign of surprise, Leona called out towards the speaker. ¡°Is it you that did this?¡± ¡°Hah, is that the first thing you ask a mage you just met? I¡¯m here to warn you of this expedition, if you are unprepared, one of you will surely perish. Ask the elf captain, learn what you can of the Arc family, they¡¯ll be an asset in Londria.¡± The tone of his voice caught Leona¡¯s attention somewhat, which prompted her to try and prolong the situation. ¡°Wait-!¡± But it was in vain, the moment she uttered her voice the world seemed back to normal and everyone was still cheering as if nothing had ever happened. Without being able to ignore what just transpired, Leona decided to talk to Frey but without all the prying eyes aimed towards them. The Princess tried her best to speak louder than the current shouts of cheers, but just loud enough so nobody but her would hear. ¡°Captain Frey, I know this is sudden, but can I have a word with you?¡± ¡°Huh? But of course! We still have some time to do a few last changes before you can depart.¡± ¡°What can you tell me of house Arc?¡± The happiness in her face suddenly vanished as those words left Leona¡¯s mouth, instead, her gaze seemed to wander aimlessly as her voice cracked under the stress she was put in. ¡°M-may I ask why you require such information?¡± Noticing her strange change of behavior, the Princess decided to prod a bit more on the matter with her. ¡°It¡¯s just some rumors I heard about them, but I¡¯d prefer if you could tell me more about them.¡± Frey looked around nervously waving and nodding her head to disperse the attention towards them before doing very subtle motions with her hand for Leona to follow whilst quietly saying. ¡°I have a private room where we can talk, come.¡± The Princess nodded and stood up from the leather seat, Krieg noticed them walking away but before he could follow, Leona dismissed his worries by closing her right hand into a fist in front of her chest, telling him everything was fine. Both walked away from the curious crowd towards the back of the depot where there were individual rooms set up for the higher ups, although they were made of metal just like the rest of the depot. Inside, there was a coiled metal appliance near the far wall along with a bed with missing sheets. In the middle of the room there was a simple wooden table with two chairs, one on each side of the table. Frey moved closed the door behind Leona and took her hat off on a coat hanger near the doorway. ¡°Take a seat, I¡¯ll get you something to drink while we talk¡­ about this curiosity of yours.¡± The captain went around the table and filled two mugs with dark hot liquid from a tall recipient before turning around to serve the Princess and sit on the opposite side of the table. Leona looked at the strange beverage sitting in front of her. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called hot cocoa. The commander said we should have it every once in a while to calm down the nerves.¡± Leona took a sip of the beverage and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet taste as the toasty liquid warmed up her cold cheeks. ¡°The flavor is quite good, I didn¡¯t imagine this quality of beverage being served to soldiers.¡± ¡°Well it was the commander¡¯s idea.¡± Frey melancholically swirled the warm liquid inside her mug before sighing deeply. ¡°About the Arc family. I won¡¯t ask who told you about this, but they once were a proud generation of engineers in Londria. Building and inventing all manner of things, from improving the city¡¯s life conditions to fend off enemies from the kingdom¡¯s borders. It was all thanks to them and their innovations of machinery and magic that made the great northern glacies habitable.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but wonder why she was warned about such a family that seemed to be the sole reason why the whole Londrian Empire still stood in the frozen regions of the north. It all seemed too great, until before Frey finished her sentence. ¡°Arc, is our former family and the sole reason why we cast our names aside. Because they are the reason why death angels exist.¡± Chapter XXIX: Flames of Destiny Death Angels. The sudden appearance of these angelic monstrosities were once attributed to the gods¡¯ doings, their fury transcending the divine realms towards unwilling mortals, it wasn¡¯t a wrong interpretation in a sense. However, as a goddess of life and death, the creation of new life forms was but just another breath for Eleonora, the anger towards her subjects led the creation of the first death angel, which back then was just a simple life form that sought mana from other organisms, killing anything they could get a hand of in the process. Though it didn¡¯t pass for more than a simple beast easily taken down by an armed person. She knew it was a weak creation and it was just a matter of time before it could be enhanced further as a nigh unstoppable killing machine. ¡°The Arc family holds much knowledge of mana and machinery, though not much about life itself so it was simple to devise they would do anything to learn how to manipulate it. My father knew of the dangers of fiddling with beings made of flesh, but my grandfather¡¯s ambitions were greater than anything, not even the death of my parents stopped him from going beyond to create the ultimate being.¡± Frey had a sad look in her eyes, her hands gripped the mug tightly. She was clearly bothered by the topic of the current conversation but it was only fair she¡¯d speak clearly with Leona since she showed everyone else that her invention wasn¡¯t for nothing. ¡°Then¡­ he¡¯d speak about a goddess showing him the truth of life and how he could change it. It was then when me and my brother decided to leave Londria for good, we were just two kids with no name or coin on our backs, but my smarts and my brother¡¯s marksmanship got us work and a place to live here under the Loraexion family.¡± Frey chuckled sourly. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m getting off tracked. Anyway the point is, my grandfather is still working as lead engineer of the Londrian Empire and as far as I know, most of the royalty and influential folk know about the Arc incident. They just prefer not to disclose to anyone that the death angels are a Londrian creation for their own sake since it is widely known those beasts don¡¯t fare well in the cold climates of the northern region.¡± ¡°I see¡­ and that could cause a war to break out should the other kingdoms see them as a threat. But wait, doesn¡¯t that mean that both of you are in danger?¡± ¡°As expected of a tactician. I don¡¯t expect them to silence us either since most of the production of wood and metalwork comes from here and as members of the army, I believe there is little to worry about our safety.¡± Leona nodded a few times before slowly taking a sip from her mug. Her mind was racing while trying to put together why would anyone other than the true god warn her of something. ¡®There has to be a reason. So far the only person, if I can even call it a person, who warned me about things that were clearly outside of my control was Lastraeous. But then who would this person be?¡¯ Leona had a puzzled expression on her face prompting Frey to ask out of worry. Her heterochromic eyes dazzled Leona for a brief moment. ¡°Is everything ok Princess?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make you worry. I¡¯m just pondering over everything that happened so far. I¡¯m thankful I was rescued by you and your brother, you two bringing me here has given me much to think about. Both about my situation and the kingdom¡¯s.¡± ¡°I see, I¡¯m glad you feel that way. If I¡¯m allowed to be honest, I was worried at first, the Loraexion¡¯s household rule is to aid anyone if possible, but we don¡¯t really know what kind of person we are saving. There were instances where we were shunned by the people who we saved.¡± ¡°Must be rough. Back in the kingdom my family would often be seen as exploiters, taking advantage of the demonkind minority present in Arcadia in order to gain servants who¡¯d work for free. Though, we actually helped them find a job which suited them in order to nurture each one¡¯s potential. After all, anyone could be a diamond in the rough.¡± ¡°Indeed. At first I didn¡¯t expect Akrapocalis to house so many different races, but after living here for almost ten years I¡¯ve come to realize how close minded is to shun out others just because of their place of birth, though I must say I still can¡¯t bring myself to involve with high elves.¡± Leona slowly nodded as she confirmed it was indeed because of Phoebe that Frey was on the edge. Elves and high elves were once seen as common folk and nobility from a religious standpoint, it was said that the goddess Eleonora gave high elves the ability to manipulate magic with more ease and a sign of it was their longer ears. But that was before the Great Human Demon War, after most humans fled the west towards the east borders, both elves and high elves were just as weakened, it was then when they were questioned if the longer ears were a curse or a blessing. Leona couldn¡¯t help but just chuckle nervously. After all, she didn¡¯t know much about it, only rumors. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make you distressed, but Phoebe has been a valuable ally to me and Krieg so I couldn¡¯t just leave her behind.¡± ¡°Ah no, no. I¡¯m the one who should be sorry, my brother often says that I need to open my mind towards this matter and look from another perspective, it¡¯s just-¡± Before she could finish her sentence, there was a knock on the door accompanied by a loud female voice calling out for Frey. ¡°Captain! The preparations are ready!¡± ¡°Loud and clear, we¡¯ll be joining everyone soon.¡± Frey responded in kind and stood up. Leona drank the last sip of the hot cocoa before doing the same. The elf took her cap from the hanger and wore it tightly on her head, she looked at Leona as she opened the door which let a cold breeze come through. ¡°Alright then, shall we Princess?¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Right behind you.¡± They headed outside the room when a chilly breeze brushed against Leona¡¯s cheeks, sending a chill down her body. Walking along the crates on her way back she noticed Phoebe talking to one of the engineers near the motorized snow sledge. Meanwhile Krieg walked up to Leona to check how she was, both of them moved to the side of the elevated platform to give space for those who were working on the last touches before they¡¯d head off. ¡°Are you alright Princess?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine Krieg, I was just having a private conversation with Captain Frey. Apparently we should be wary of the lead engineer of the Londrian empire, he¡¯s a dangerous man.¡± ¡°In which sense?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the details later, but to sum it up. He does not care about the lives of others.¡± The knight slowly nodded whilst tightening his grip around the leather sling of the scabbard. After waiting a few more minutes, the crew of workers had assembled the last parts of the vehicle, being the rudimentary back axle that gave extra support for the spiked wheels and a metal chest in the front compartiment that was secured with metal latches against the sledge itself. ¡°All set!¡± An engineer who reviewed the installation gave a thumbs up to Frey who stood on the opposite side of the platform, she took a deep breath before turning around to face Leona waiting patiently at the side of the workspace. The captain stepped down and motioned with her open hand towards the vehicle now ready to depart. ¡°Everything is ready, the blueprints lady Fye requested to be delivered to Londria can be found in the safe metal chest we provided. We also had extra rations and firewood to be placed in the front compartment of the sledge for your travel, though it¡¯ll only last for about two weeks at max so I advise careful planning of said reserves.¡± Leona nodded before saying with a smile on her face. ¡°Thank you for everything Captain Frey. We¡¯ll return once everything is settled.¡± The elf bowed courteously before turning around and ordering the other workers. ¡°Rise the chains! Manafront will depart soon!¡± ¡°Aye captain!¡± With a simple command everyone scattered from the main floor and shortly after a siren started to go off, alerting anyone on the ground floor to leave. All the wooden boxes of materials that were on the way from where they came started to be lifted, Leona at first didn¡¯t notice but once it started to move she realized all of them were standing on a very thick metal plate that was being lifted off the ground by chains on each corner of the square shape platform. Once all that weight was lifted, it revealed a tunnel like entrance dug in the ground. Frey approached Leona and pointed to the tunnel. ¡°To leave the citadel and go straight towards Londria, we dug out this tunnel a few years ago. After the many failures in starting to make this vehicle work I thought I¡¯ve made a grave mistake but thankfully you proved my fears wrong. Thank you again Princess Leona.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me who has to thank you for letting me make use of your incredible creation.¡± Frey bowed again before heading off to the side of the platform in order to see them off. Leona nervously sat on the leather cushion and before she could do anything a female worker brought her a pair of goggles while also explaining. ¡°While you are in the vehicle it¡¯s advised to wear these to protect your eyes.¡± ¡°Ah I see, thank you.¡± Krieg took the seat behind Leona and Phoebe sat in front of the steering handlebar. They both also got the same protective gear. ¡°Phoebe do you know how this thing works?¡± The knight asked while putting his goggles on. ¡°I¡¯ve been learning for the past thirty minutes. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± She set down the protective eyewear and took a deep breath. Her fingers slowly gripped around the handlebar as the captain shouted over from the side platform. ¡°You can start the engine!¡± Leona nodded and upon clasping her hands together she formed a blue sphere of fire which she proceeded to gently tuck it inside the engine chamber. With a strong rumble, the vehicle started to work, all the six spiked wheels started to spin continuously speeding up until Frey signaled the release of the platforms suspending the sledge above the platform. ¡°Ah!¡± With a loud thud the whole machine dropped towards the ground and without giving a chance to Leona say her last goodbyes, the vehicle started to speed up with each of the wheels sending sparks to all directions as the spikes frictioned against the metal floor. The violent start almost sent the Princess backwards face first against the engine, but thankfully her feet held her body firmly on the leather cushioned seat. Phoebe struggled to get the whole thing to enter the tunnel but once they were inside she noticed it was considerably easier to maneuver since the tunnel floor was made mostly of sleet. ¡°No one told me this thing was this fast!¡± The high elf screamed as they started to speed through the underground passage, at that point she remembered what one of the engineers told her to do. ¡°When you head inside of the tunnel, do not steer the vehicle, otherwise you risk crashing the whole thing underground and considering how fast you¡¯ll be going, it¡¯ll be a one way ticket to heaven if you so much change the direction you¡¯re going.¡± Her sweaty hands gripped the handlebar even tighter in order to keep it straight but the rush of air around her face was not helping her stay any calmer. ¡°Are you sure this wretched thing works?!¡± Krieg screamed out of his lungs, but none of the other two heard any of his protests. Leona was struggling to keep herself straight since the vehicle was going too fast and Phoebe kept straining her muscles in order to keep the handlebar straight. ¡®I can¡¯t see a damn thing! How am I supposed to know if we are getting closer to the exit or not?!¡¯ The high elf squinted her eyes but no matter how much she did so it didn¡¯t seem to be an end to the tunnel, until her body slowly started to shift leftwards by a strange force. Krieg and Leona felt like they were going to get launched off the vehicle. It was at that point when Phoebe thought of pulling the break but after it started to suddenly get brighter as a light approached. With a loud skid through the sleet and the sound of the metal spikes carving into the mud, they were greeted by an unusual straight clearing through the forest outside of the citadel walls. Dazzled by the bright sun to her left, Leona reached her hand to the left side of the temple in order to shield her eyes from the sunlight. She turned around to see where they were heading and the man-made corridor between the forest seemed all too surreal. ¡°So this is what they had in mind¡­ I see, at least we¡¯ll be going fast.¡± Leona muttered before noticing the high elf quickly turn around. ¡°We might want some more power!¡± Her yell caught the Princess'' attention before her eyes glanced up towards the path they were taking, not too far from them, there was an incline that led through the middle of a deforested hill. ¡°On it!¡± Leona rushed back on her seat before conjuring another fire sphere, this time a much bigger one the size of an orange. The moment she tossed it inside of the engine chamber if it wasn¡¯t for Krieg holding her across the stomach she would have been tossed over the vehicle. Phoebe clenched her teeth as the propulsion shook her head back before yelling again. ¡°IT''S GOING TOO FAST!¡± Chapter XXX: Crimson Road The cold wind was rushing past the three of them until the sledge left the ground after Leona powered the engine with a bit too much magic. ¡°HOLD TIGHT!¡± Phoebe yelled as loud as she could while gripping the handlebar firmly in order to maintain it straight. Thankfully they hit the other side of the hill at an angle, which reduced the impact greatly, but Leona could feel her head spin for a moment before she regained her composure. The high elf kept the sledge going for another two hundred meters before pulling the break. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I shouldn¡¯t have used that much magic.¡± Leona apologized after she got out of the vehicle, whilst Phoebe checked the underside of the sledge, looking for any visible damage. Krieg kept watch, circling around the area while keeping eyes and ears on the environment. Upon realizing there was no damage, at least none in her layman¡¯s eyes, she stood up and turned to the Princess in order to calm her down a bit. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I still don¡¯t know how to steer this thing properly and I¡¯m sure there is no way to tell how fast we¡¯ll go unless you shoot a spell inside it.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s complicated. I still don¡¯t have the feeling for how much power I should put into it.¡± Phoebe scratched the side of her head before a thought came to her mind. ¡°Then give me a few minutes.¡± She pulled out a small rectangular mirror from her pocket and set it on the side of the metallic chamber, the topside was too hot and she almost burned her hand trying to affix the reflective object on one of the less hot pipes that came out of it. Leona questioned after she finished. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± ¡°I remember hearing we can estimate speed better if we actually look at where we are going. With this mirror you should have an idea of how much power you should use for the spell.¡± ¡°Oh, that is very smart. Thank you Phoebe.¡± ¡°This is nothing. Now, shall we move?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go. Krieg! We¡¯re heading out!¡± She called the knight and not long after they were all set. Looking in the mirror, she noticed Phoebe giving her a thumbs up before turning around. Leona took a deep breath to focus her mind. The image of a black space being gently lit by a smoldering ember slowly and gently burning away in a bright blue hue came to her mind, her hands started to tingle ever so slightly as the mana circuits of her body carried the magic necessary to cast the spell. Much like roots, raw blue mana started to grow out from the extremities of her fingers into a spiraling orange colored flame, then shortly after that, the same mana began to change trajectory and swirl around the small flickering fire until its color changed to a dark blue. The mana ceased to exit from her fingertips and swirled even faster, turning the murky blue into a bright azure color. ¡°Alright let¡¯s depart! To Londria!¡± Leona cheerfully said as she released the spell into the engine. In a matter of milliseconds, the hatch closed and the pistons started to move, spinning the spiked wheels on each side taking them off the muddied sleet back into the path between trees. Krieg had his greatsword lying diagonally against the front of his chest, while he wore the protection goggles, he didn¡¯t seem too bothered by the wind as much as the high elf who was struggling to keep her body at a comfortable temperature. His eyes wandered around the landscape rushing past him, observantly. ¡®Judging how fast we are going, we might be able to reach the Londrian borders at the end of this week¡­¡¯ The knight had a knack for calculating distances based on speed, but it was his first time ever witnessing such a fast method of transportation, it was exciting albeit more dangerous than what he was used to. Snow was kicking up the back of the vehicle, some flew on top of the engine before quickly melting and vaporizing. Leona¡¯s eyes checked on the mirror seeing they were losing speed she charged an orange flame and tossed it inside the chamber, giving the vehicle a small omph. Phoebe was starting to get the hang of it, but it was rather difficult to keep track of how much they would speed up since it all depended on Leona¡¯s magic to accelerate. ¡®No matter how you look at it, this is just bad design.¡¯ The high elf had a bitter thought. ¡®Damn elves.¡¯ She gritted her teeth. While originally from the west, elven population had spread out to the east due to the encroaching war in the Empyreal Mountain Range, in turn, many decided to head east and start new life. Phoebe¡¯s mother was no different, after serving the queen for a long time, she decided to settle down in the coastal village of the Allied East Front. Phoebe spent most of her childhood there living and training to follow her mother¡¯s footsteps as an assassin and more often than not she would find herself at odds with other residents of said village, elves who had a common hatred for their high elf counterpart. ¡°Mom, why do they hate us?¡± A young Phoebe asked the woman sitting beside her underneath a tree shade. Her long straight golden blonde hair swayed with the gentle marine breeze, the gentle right hand carefully pushed the little high elf girl¡¯s lock of hair behind her ear before answering. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°They don¡¯t hate us dear, it¡¯s the circumstances that made them this way.¡± Her mother¡¯s deep blue eyes were like sapphires, shining with unspoken happiness while caressing her child¡¯s head while continuing to explain. ¡°One day we will all walk on the same path again and I hope to see that day come with my own eyes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re strange, mother.¡± ¡°Haha, do you think so? Your father used to say the same.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m heading out.¡± Another young female voice came from behind them, promptly making their mother turn around. Upon noticing that, the young girl did the same, tracing where she was looking. ¡°Just be careful Kaeli.¡± ¡°Yeah I know.¡± Standing a few meters behind them, there was a high elf girl just past her teens, straight jet black hair and the same deep blue eyes as her mother¡¯s. The moment she noticed Phoebe staring at her, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°See you later Pho, take care of mom for me.¡± ¡°Yeah! Leave it to me!¡± The high elf gritted her teeth, a mere memory was enough to set her nerves on fire from anger. It had been a few minutes they were on the straight path out of the forest, the cold wind was stiffening Phoebe¡¯s angry expression before she pulled up the mask of her shinobi uniform to cover her cheeks, mouth and nose. Originally a deep forest around Akrapocalis, most of the trees were felled in order to make a straight road to Londria for ease of transportation of goods and trade. However with the death angel menace the construction of such an ambitious project was put on hold and only part of the forest was cleared, leaving a dangerously narrow path ahead of them. ¡°I don¡¯t like this¡­¡± Phoebe muttered to herself before turning her head slightly to shout over her shoulder to the knight. ¡°Sire Krieg! There may be some stray branches in the way as we go, do your best to protect the Princess!¡± ¡°On it.¡± He unsheathed the greatsword leaving the scabbard hanging across his back. Looking at the mirror, Leona noticed the knight standing up on his seat , concerned with his safety she turned around to warn him but instead was met by a branch that flew so close to her face that it would have removed a tooth or two if it hit her. ¡°Leona, you might want to keep your head down!¡± He shouted over the excruciatingly loud engine while his blade flawlessly met all the branches that could pose a threat to his liege. ¡°Thanks Krieg! But couldn¡¯t we just keep our heads down like Phoebe?!¡± ¡°I fear that won¡¯t be possible. The rear part of this transport would be hit if I stopped!¡± Leona glanced at the engine and it was indeed a bit taller than her own seat so it meant if a branch could hit her, it would be able to hit it as well. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I slice them off at range then?!¡± ¡°We need your spells to keep this thing moving!¡± Phoebe shouted as she carefully steered the vehicle to the right as part of tree roots passed by on their left. But in doing so a thicker branch on the right was approaching quickly. ¡°Ah dammit!¡± The high elf suddenly jerked the handlebar to the left causing the knight to lose his balance and as result, he swung his sword in an awkward position only partially cleaving the sizable tree branch and getting the blade stuck against the snow to prevent him from falling off the moving vehicle. With just seconds to react and without being able to swing his blade he decided to plow through the hanging piece of wood with his shin. A loud crack startled the Princess who just had time to see a thick branch hit the top part of the engine, bending the metal exhaust pipe in a ninety-degree angle before rolling off in the snow behind them. ¡°Krieg are you ok?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a flesh wound.¡± His left shin was torn to the muscle, part of the uniform was ripped on the impact and there was a streak of blood coming off the wound. But instead of saying anything he picked off some snow with the edge of his sword upon regaining balance and pressuring it against the wound, staunching some of the blood. He winced slightly in pain but upon seeing the forest opening up little by little he decided to sit down, sheath his sword and tend to the wound. ¡°We need more speed!¡± Phoebe shouted since they were gradually losing speed faster than usual. Leona answered by casting another fire spell but instead of the usual rumbling pistons, it sounded much less powerful. ¡°Huh?¡± Confused, Leona cast a spell of similar strength but it was the same, but she could feel the heat rising from the engine but it didn¡¯t get any faster, in fact it was slowing down with puffs of darkened smoke exiting from the bent exhaust. ¡°Phoebe my magic isn¡¯t working!¡± The high elf turned around and saw the bent exhaust pipe coughing up dark smoke. ¡°Dammit¡­ hold tight I¡¯ll try to slow us down!¡± She grabbed on the lever on the right side and pulled it. A terrible loud screeching noise echoed from the backside of the vehicle and they gradually lost speed. Though upon stopping, Leona stumbled out of the vehicle holding the sides of her head and fell on the ground in pain. The loud noise caused her ears to start ringing, disorienting and causing discomfort as she fell on the snow. ¡°Leona!¡± Krieg quickly made his way beside her seeing how she was on all fours on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I¡¯m just a little dizzy, my ears started ringing as we were stopping¡­¡± The moment she looked at him, she noticed blood dripping on the snow from his left shin. ¡°Your leg¡­ Krieg-¡± ¡°This is nothing, I¡¯ll ask Phoebe for healing magic before we continue.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let things like these for later that could cost your-¡± She stopped mid-sentence and threw up on the snow in front of her. The ground felt like it was spinning and her hearing seemed to be recovering little by little as she repeatedly took deep breaths to stabilize herself. ¡°Leona hang on tight I¡¯ll call Phoebe.¡± The high elf was trying to unbend the exhaust but the part didn¡¯t even budge even with her pulling at full strength. ¡°Ah dammit. We need to fix this thing if we want to keep going.¡± She checked around the engine for other damages but thankfully that seemed the only one at the time. Krieg approached her with his left leg slightly hidden behind the right one as to not get her attention. ¡°Phoebe, Leona needs your care as fast as possible.¡± Without looking at him, she asked. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, she¡¯s feeling dizzy and vomiting.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can.¡± But before they could do anything else a howl of a wolf echoed from the deep forest around them, shortly thereafter, more howls in unison. ¡°Great. What¡¯s next? Giant spiders?¡± Frustated, Phoebe said as she pulled out her bow. Chapter XXXI: The Black Blade The howling echoing through the dwarven forest kept the trio on their toes, Leona was recovering beside the vehicle while Krieg and Phoebe covered each side around the Princess to keep a safe perimeter should any foe arrive. The high elf had her bow out with a bodkin arrow knocked on the string and the knight held his greatsword low on the ground in front of him, some blood still dripped from the wound but it didn¡¯t bother him at all after applying some ice on it. Some of the nausea had gone away and Leona was starting to feel better, but she still couldn¡¯t muster strength to stand up. ¡°Krieg¡­ those are probably gray wolves. The smell of blood attracted them.¡± Phoebe¡¯s eyes kept sweeping the landscape around them for any movement as she muttered. ¡°It is the beginning of winter after all. They must be starving for food, but I don¡¯t plan to become a meal for them.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Krieg noticed movement in the corner of his vision and the moment he turned towards it, there was a gray wolf of large stature hitting around the knight¡¯s knee in height which meant it was taller than Leona if it stood on its hind legs. It was eyeing the Princess sitting defenseless against the vehicle and it seemed to not even worry about Krieg before the greatsword came crashing down where it was, but instead of a cleaved corpse there was nothing but mud splattered around the place. ¡°Phoebe, we got one on your left!¡± The knight shouted but before they knew it, many other wolves surrounded them in a wide circle, forcing the two of them to tighten the perimeter around Leona. Phoebe pulled the arrow halfway back against the string then turned slightly to the side in order to speak. ¡°Sire, I think we might need more firepower.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me.¡± The wolves were carefully closing the circle, more wary of the knight since he showed just how much strength he had with the last swing. ¡°Krieg, help me stand up. I¡¯ll scare them off with one spell.¡± She extended her hand out to the knight, who swiftly grabbed her hand with the left and pulled her up. One wolf tried to come in to bite him in the leg but it got scared off when he swung the large sword with only the right hand against the ground where it stood. Standing up weakly, Leona took a deep breath and put her left hand near her breast while closing both her eyes to concentrate her mind. In the depths of her psyche she pictured a simple blue flame being fueled by a spiraling wind containing its power before erupting into a huge ball of fire. ¡°You two better cover your ears!¡± She yelled before focusing again on the spell. Both held their ears Very thin strings of mana started to gather from her feet spiraling upwards as she raised her left hand to the clouded sky, an outburst of wind generated from the ground up and upon feeding the small blue sphere. ¡°Roaring flames and violent gale. Surge as one!¡± It got much brighter before she released it to the sky in one fierce explosion strong enough to send shock waves through the ground and obliterate nearby tree tops. Most of the wolves backed very far away from her, saving for one. The very first wolf who attacked them didn¡¯t even seem to flinch and instead it howled towards the sky. Its red eyes started to emit an unusual blue glow as the air crackled around it, Leona noticed the glint before it was too late and pushed Krieg to the ground. ¡°Phoebe get down!¡± The high elf followed suit as they dived face first before a thunder struck from the skies where they stood, snapping tree branches and leaving the wet ground sizzling from the lightning. ¡°What the hell?! A wolf casting magic?!¡± Phoebe threw her longbow inside the snow sledge driver¡¯s seat and nimbly stood up while drawing both daggers out from beneath her uniform. After the surprising reveal of magic prowess the rest of the pack started approaching the trio in a circle again, seemingly regaining courage after the leader showed its powers. Krieg stood up in front of Leona with his greatsword pointing towards the large wolf while shouting from over his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll be sitting ducks here if we don¡¯t do anything! Phoebe, what do we need to do to fix this thing?!¡± ¡°Just unbend the pipe! It¡¯ll start working normally once we fix it!¡± Leona, who just got to her knees whispered to the knight while already getting in position to cast another spell. ¡°I¡¯ll create a distraction, can you get that part fixed?¡± ¡°I just need three seconds.¡± She nodded and for a brief moment the forest battlefield went quiet as if both parties were waiting for something to happen. The chilly northern wind blew around the treetops, letting dew drop on the forest floor and for a split second, all seemed to go down in one swift motion like an arrow piercing through the air. While the other wolves tried to go for Krieg and Phoebe, the pack leader seemed more interested in Leona and was preparing to charge another spell, but before it could do anything to harm the Princess, she already knew it was planning something so her hand pointed to it with a small pebble in the middle of her palm. ¡°Winds of time, grant thy power unto myself, Windshot!¡± Mana strings rapidly spun around the pebble, creating a vortex of blue ramifications before it spiraled out quickly, launching the pebble incredibly fast. Without much time to react, the wolf tried to sidestep the projectile but it still nicked it on the right side of its head, causing the spell it was casting to fizzle out. ¡°Now Krieg!¡± The knight turned around in a hundred eighty degree angle and cleaved the bend part of the exhaust right off the engine, breaking more than half of the metal pipe and sending it rolling down the hill. Phoebe jumped backwards near the driver¡¯s seat whilst throwing what seemed to be thin needles coated in liquid out like a fan towards the backside of the vehicle where most of the wolves were preparing to strike, taking out a few with them. ¡°Get in! Get in!¡± She yelled while grabbing the longbow with an arrow already between her right index and middle finger. Leona saw the opportunity to jump inside the vehicle but not before making sure there wouldn¡¯t be any chances for the wolves to attack. ¡°Krieg get behind me!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± He jumped backwards as the Princess swung her right hand palm open upwards, mana quickly flew out of her fingers moving through the ground and erupting into ice spikes aimed outwards like a deadly wall of about two meters high which impaled some of the wolves which tried to pounce on them. At that point the pack leader tried to cast another thunder spell but Phoebe was keeping tabs on its location and shot three arrows in quick succession in order to not let it cast any magic, forcing it to take cover behind a tree. As much as Leona wanted to get away, three wolves used their dead brethren to climb the wall of spikes and pounce from the top at her. ¡°No you won¡¯t!¡± Krieg swung his blade with both hands and upon making contact with the wolf¡¯s rib cage, he let go of the right hand allowing the left hand to carry its dead body along the trajectory of the weapon. Without enough time to kill the second one he used his right forearm to block the bite meant for Leona and once the greatsword was free of the carcass, he winded up the greatsword once again, impaling the third one. With the animal yelping and squirming on the end of his blade he lifted the blade up and slammed the wolf against the one holding his right forearm, killing both in one swing. Once the sharp jaws let go of his arm he jumped on the vehicle, standing guard on his seat as Leona had just sat down to start the engine. ¡°Give it your all! We have to get out of here!¡± Phoebe yelled as she shot a few more arrows at the pack leader in order to keep it occupied while the Princess prepared to charge a fire spell. ¡°I¡¯m working on it!¡± She clapped both hands together and it generated a faint spread of mana around her fingers which then was pulled separately, creating a pressure of wind and with the remnants of mana, she ignited the air into bright flames. The fire sphere quickly turned bright blue as she jammed the spell inside the engine, releasing all that energy in the combustion chamber making the vehicle come to life once again. Almost losing balance, Phoebe sat on top of the back of her seat and shot one last arrow while holding the handlebar straight with her right foot. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. They abruptly moved forward at high speed, Krieg also almost falling off the vehicle as they broke through the wolf encirclement. Though not without its share of troubles as one of the wolves actually bit into the edge of the vehicle near where Phoebe was, its sharp teeth sinking into the metal like it was some sort of meal. ¡°Dammit!¡± The high elf was about to take her dagger out but in a split second there was a flash of crimson as the whole body was cleaved clean by Krieg¡¯s blade, the head however kept hanging on the side of the vehicle with a death grip. ¡°We¡¯re finally free from those bastards!¡± Phoebe shouted while getting comfortable on her seat but it was too early to celebrate as the engine, even though the exhaust pipe was unbent, part of it was broken and the overall power of the engine decreased, resulting in less speed. Which made it all more easier for the leader to follow alongside its pack. ¡°Phoebe, I don¡¯t mean to alarm you but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going fast enough!¡± Leona yelled from the backseat as she witnessed the pack of wolves gaining speed behind them. The leader¡¯s eyes were starting to emit a faint glow and the Princess knew exactly why and winded up her right arm behind her back. ¡®We¡¯ll be sitting ducks if I don¡¯t do anything.¡¯ Her vision suddenly blurred out for a split second before she could focus on her target again, she shook her head to shake off the fatigue and cold sweat before chanting. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, reclaim mine enemy unto the ashes, Flame Spear!¡± Forming on her empty hand, an azure shaped javelin of flames, the very tip of the elemental weapon was much brighter and had streaks of fire pulsating from it, signaling just how powerful the spell was compared to when other mages cast it. The wolf leader seemed much more aware that she could counter its moves so instead of charging head first, it howled at the sky, calling another lightning strike aimed at the mud in front of the pack. ¡°Huh?!¡± Leona was surprised by the wolf¡¯s ingenuity as the explosion from the spell vaporized most of the water present in the mud, causing a vapor screen to emerge from the ground and obstruct her view. ¡°Tch!¡± She turned her hand around towards the ground and the former spear turned into a broadsword with the handle being significantly cooler than the rest of the bright blue blade. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring upon my foes the fires of justice, Great Flame Sword!¡± Upon swinging the elemental sword the blade of fire changed shape due to the Princess¡¯ control over the mana, spreading out like a deadly heatwave and setting everything ablaze on its path. The blazing inferno consumed most of the forest and as a result, killed or maimed most of the wolves chasing after them, however the leader of the pack was nowhere to be seen even after the carnage. Breathing heavily, Leona still held the flaming weapon with both hands, though the blade was just a small flickering orange fire before slowly snuffing out between her fingers. At first, she let out a sigh of relief knowing that the mana she spent could put an end to the fight. ¡°I did it¡­¡± Her vision darkened before she lost consciousness on Krieg¡¯s arms. The knight gently held her while the snow sledge trudged downhill through the mud. ¡°You did your best Leona. But now you can leave it to me.¡± His kind voice praised her as he seated her on the middle leathered cushion of the vehicle, behind them a single wolf remained, viciously running after the snow sledge with an insatiable hunger for blood. The knight raised the sword while stepping between the backseat and the working engine, his right forearm was dripping blood through the ripped military uniform. ¡°Phoebe! Take care of Leona for me, continue as much as you can, I¡¯ll catch up to you afterwards.¡± ¡°Sire we should be together for this!¡± ¡°Leona¡¯s out cold! I need to kill this wolf before it can harm her!¡± The high elf clenched her teeth as she turned around to shout. ¡°Don¡¯t you die on us!¡± He gave a confident half-smile. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± The knight tightened both hands around the handle, putting the blade low behind his body before lobbing the metal blade at the wolf. It was already aware of what the knight was going to do, however the weapon was thrown with so much strength that it was spinning incredibly fast. The animal was forced to jump sideways to avoid the blade, but the moment it was in the air Krieg had jumped after it, hitting the side of its body with a full swing of his left arm, sending the wolf flying through the air into a nearby tree. With a loud yelp it fell on the ground with its legs shaking and coughing up blood. The knight picked up the greatsword from the ground stained with a mix of blood and mud. His crimson eyes burning with hatred for the foe in front of him, it didn¡¯t matter if it was human or not, as long as it hurt his liege that was all the reason he needed to unleash his full strength. ¡°You probably can¡¯t understand me.¡± He grasped the handle with both hands and raised the blade parallel to his body. ¡°But death awaits you.¡± As if it could understand what he had said it stood up growling at him, its eyes had a different glint in Krieg¡¯s perspective, but before the knight could close the gap between them, it called down another bolt of lighting that hit his blade and consequently, his entire body. ¡°Urk!¡± He could feel his muscles involuntarily stiffening as the shock passed right through them, although it would¡¯ve been much worse were he using any metallic armor. The wolf tried to cast another spell, but Krieg noticed the faint glint in its eyes and kicked up mud towards its face, instinctively, it jumped away giving him enough time to dash in for an overhead cleave. It was much quicker than other foes he had fought and the tip of the weapon merely embedded itself into the mud where it was. Following the sidestep to the left, the wolf quickly pounced on the knight aiming for his neck. ¡°Hmph.¡± Krieg blocked with his left forearm as the sharp teeth sunk into his flesh, but it was exactly how he had planned. Upon luring a bite he managed to get close to it and by letting go of the greatsword entirely, he had his right hand free as he went to grab its nose. But the wolf seemed to sense the danger as it quickly jumped back, Krieg tried to follow up by grabbing the handle with his left and swing horizontally, but the animal jumped over the blade. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now!¡± He used the momentum of his weapon to carry his body for a full power right hook to its side, sending the unfortunate animal spinning through the air before it hit the ground, tumbling a few times before it came to a stop, motionless. ¡®This should do it.¡¯ The knight felt faint for a moment as he jabbed the sword into the ground to hold his weight as he took a moment to breathe. Sustaining that many wounds would¡¯ve killed any lesser man, but thankfully he had enough strength to walk. Carefully, he looked around the ground for traces of the snow sledge before heading in the same direction it appeared to have gone. His mind only had his liege¡¯s safety in mind as he slowly made his way forward using the sword as support. A few hundred meters ahead of him. Phoebe was forced to stop in a slight incline as the engine had run out of fuel, but having the Princess unconscious inside the vehicle was too risky so the high elf decided to take a few steps away from it while carrying her on the back. ¡®I hope he is ok.¡¯ She thought while trudging carefully though the muddied ground to not leave obvious trails while also looking out for traces of other animals or people. The high elf let the princess on a small patch of grass against a tree trunk before sitting on the opposite side with the longbow and a dagger on the left hand while holding an arrow lightly against the bowstring with the right. Her eyes and ears were sharp to keep watch, nothing but the gentle breeze through the forest tree tops could be heard. Looking at Leona¡¯s face she realized the young woman entered a state of mana shock. It was something almost every magic caster had experienced in their lives before, the constant usage of mana from their bodies impact the mind negatively as weaving magic through the inner circuits requires effort from the brain, but when the body can¡¯t muster any more mana the whole system collapses and the user enters a state called mana shock. Phoebe knew how dangerous that could be since she too once almost died from it. ¡®Can¡¯t do anything if not wait for him.¡¯ She held the arrow against the longbow with her left index finger and placed her right hand on top of Leona¡¯s chest. Focusing on the Princess¡¯ core, she started to pour her own mana to her. The pained expression Leona wore gradually recovered to a mere sleeping state in just a few minutes, thankfully only a small amount was enough to stabilize her. ¡®Good, at least it¡¯s nothing serious.¡¯ She stood up and looked around once again and this time she noticed a humanoid figure walking towards them, though in the low light ambience of the forest she couldn¡¯t discern exactly who or what it was. But she was certain it wasn¡¯t the knight as it was much larger than him. ¡°Great¡­ more work for me.¡± She muttered as her slender arms locked in pulling the bowstring while her back did most of the work to draw the arrow. She was strong enough to keep the aim stable until the moment her fingers released the deadly projectile aimed at where the clavicle and neck meet. However, the arrowhead sparked off a metallic surface, releasing some embers of heated metal to the side and revealing the figure for a split second with the light emitted from it. ¡°What in the world¡­?!¡± Phoebe was against a fully armored dark knight in the middle of a forest already kilometers away from the dwarven citadel. She couldn¡¯t come up with a logical explanation for why it was there, but she didn¡¯t need one as the knight started to sprint towards her, summoning a black greatsword out of thin air while closing in. The knight was deceptively fast even while wearing the heavy looking armor and carrying a massive black blade. While she tried to knock another arrow ready it made half the way to her. ¡®I won¡¯t have enough time for another shot!¡¯ She pulled the arrow back with the bow laying horizontally while dashing to the right in order to create some distance between her and the unconscious Princess. She shot once again, this time aiming at the open slit of the helmet. However, the foe used the greatsword to block the attack while still going at full sprint towards her. ¡°Tsk!¡± Upon letting go of the longbow, she readied both daggers, the left one facing down and the other up. With another dash the knight swung down the greatsword with the intention to cleave the high elf in half, but she was faster and dodged with a tight sidestep to the right, following up with a slash of the left dagger aimed at the elbow joint before ducking beneath the left backfist of the knight. She moved into the flank and swung the right dagger through the knee joint, weakening its left leg enough to go down its knee. Following the previous attacks she rotated directly behind it before jumping on the large back and grappling its chest with both legs locking herself in place as she carved both daggers through the joint between the chestplate and helmet. ¡®Bullseye.¡¯ However, unlike the previous two hits, neither weapon felt like it made contact with anything, instead it felt like sinking both blades into mud. ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Got you now.¡± The rough ghostly voice echoed bizarrely through the helmet, much like an open interior as if it was void of physical form. Phoebe felt her body suddenly move backwards before hitting against a nearby tree, her stomach was hit by its helmet and her legs loosened just enough for the knight to grab her face with its right hand and slam the high elf into the ground. ¡°Gah!¡± All air inside her lungs came out with the impact, pain quickly surged from all her back muscles as she let go of the daggers. Even though the knight had more than enough strength to crush her head like an egg, it let go of her face and stood up as if it was never wounded, raising the black greatsword above its head. ¡®I can¡¯t die in a place like this¡­!¡¯ She gritted her teeth but no matter how much willpower she mustered, her wounded body just wouldn¡¯t listen. The incoming blade was the last thing she saw before closing her eyes. Chapter XXXII: Minds Edge As the blade went down, so too did her eyes as Phoebe waited for her death, but a loud metallic clang jolted her eyes open again. The black blade was sunk into the ground beside her chest and as she looked up, she saw Krieg holding the greatsword above his head with the flat part of the blade against his folded left arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I took so long.¡± He took a forward step with the left leg while twisting his right wrist, swinging the greatsword diagonally down at the joint between the shoulder and neck but the other knight deflected the blade with its right forearm, sliding the metallic blade across the black gauntlet. Krieg¡¯s sword met the ground for a split second and it was all the opposing knight needed to retaliate. It followed up with a horizontal slash from the right, which Krieg deflected by raising the flat part of his blade, bringing his foe¡¯s weapon above his own head and around his body, from that position he slammed the pommel against the black knight¡¯s helmet, knocking him a few steps back. ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve improved since the last time we met.¡± Its ghostly voice echoed inside the empty helmet. While maintaining a good distance, Krieg evaluated the foe as he was at considerable disadvantage wearing nothing but the already tattered military garb. So he tried the most logical thing. ¡°At first I thought you¡¯d only target me, why go after Phoebe?¡± Buy time. Both Phoebe and Leona needed it to recover so any extra second he could delay the better, after all, he didn¡¯t know if the black knight was going to fight until one of them was dead. It simply shook its head in response before dashing in for a double handed horizontal slash. Krieg managed to deflect the attack once again by angling the flat side of his blade making the attack go above his head, seeing how the black knight had its left flank exposed, he countered by grabbing the blade of his own sword and plummeting it like a spear towards the edge of the shoulder where the armor was weaker. The blade sunk in akin to a can opener piercing through the thick metal, carving the armor in through sheer force. ¡°Argh!¡± It had made contact and once Krieg pulled the blade back there was a strong trace of blue ichor coating the tip of his greatsword. ¡°Not bad¡­ not bad at all!¡± The tone of its voice seemed to challenge Krieg as it took a few steps back putting the greatsword against the left side of the hip with the left arm seemingly holding the blade while the other tightened around the handle. At first he thought it was just another stance much like Eleonora¡¯s but shortly after there was an eerie cold blue glow emitting from the blade like the metal was coated in ice before a flash of light almost blinded him. ¡®This is bad!¡¯ As the black knight drew the blade out, a wave of dark energy was released like a blade of water. Krieg pulled his sword to a diagonal position with the flat surface facing the attack while the left hand held the other extremity to mitigate the blow better but just like being hit by a warhammer, he felt the impact go through the bones and muscles from his hands to his arms as his body was thrown backwards a few meters from the impact. ¡°Gah¡­¡± He could feel his arms tingling from the blow, but his instincts were on high alert as even with the pain, he raised the blade in front of him only to realize the black knight was no longer there. His eyes darted around while he turned a full circle around to check where his enemy might be, but the forest was dead silent. Seconds, minutes passed and the forest critters along with the gentle brushing of foliage was the only sound present around himself. He sheathed his sword. ¡®What was this all about?¡¯ He thought. Not only that phantom black knight would attack without any warning, it didn¡¯t seem like its intention was to kill any of them it didn¡¯t add up. In the end, he decided not to mull over what already happened and instead decided to go back to help Leona and Phoebe. With a short three minute jog back, he found the high elf still stretched out on the ground with both her arms motionless. ¡°Phoebe are you alright?¡± The knight kneeled beside her while grabbing a reddish potion out of the pocket of the uniform. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alive, but certainly not feeling great-¡± She squinted her eyes in pain the moment she tried to lift her head. Her entire back felt like it was on fire, the slight depression in the ground showed just how brutally she had been slammed against it. On the bright side, she could still move her lower body, it was just too painful to do so. Krieg decided to gently hold the back of her head as he administered the vial of healing he had taken out of the pocket of his uniform. ¡°Here, let me help you.¡± Upon drinking the red contents, the high elf could feel a pleasant warm tingling sensation spread in her body, alleviating some of the pain allowing her to turn on her left side to get up. ¡°Thank you, sire. I¡¯m ok now, but we should check on Princess Leona, she is just around this treeline.¡± She pointed towards the slight hill incline that created a visual cover for anyone looking from below. He noticed it was Phoebe¡¯s intention to let Leona out of the black knight¡¯s sight as much as possible. ¡°Thank you for having her safety in mind.¡± She simply shook her head. ¡°It was the only option at the time. I don¡¯t know how you defeated that¡­ ¡®thing¡¯ but you have my thanks and also my sincere apology for having to cover up for my mistake.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be. I didn¡¯t defeat it, it simply ran away.¡± He helped her stand up and they continued to speak as they made their way back to where Leona was. Upon arriving near the parked vehicle, Krieg noticed the Princess discreetly lying against a tree a few meters away from it. He approached her and kneeled down before checking how she was. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Still sleeping¡­¡± He muttered before standing up again and turning at the high elf. ¡°I¡¯ll carry her back. Do you happen to know fire magic?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately I only know wind magic.¡± The knight scratched the back of his head. ¡°Alright I¡¯ll figure something out.¡± He took Leona between his arms, carrying her to the middle seat of the vehicle while Phoebe sat in front of her. Krieg went around the metallic construction and removed the decapitated wolf head from the side of the driver¡¯s seat by prying its jaws open before heading behind the engine. From there he shouted to Phoebe. ¡°I¡¯ll push this thing. Just keep it going in the right direction.¡± ¡°But sire, we¡¯re in an incline, it¡¯s impossible to-¡± She stopped talking as it started to move, slowly, but it was surely moving little by little with each hard earned step of the knight. To ease his effort, the high elf decided to pull off the breaks that held the back metal tires. He clenched both jaws together as he took deep breaths between each push, letting the air out through his teeth as it created puffs of white every time he exhaled. Krieg¡¯s arms and legs were working to their limit to fight off gravity that insisted on bringing the weighty vehicle down the hill. With each push, he was reaching his limit but there was only one thing in his mind. ¡®I will bring her to Londria¡­ no matter what!¡¯ His body was starting to scream in pain, both arms and legs were falling numb from the constant need of the already lacking oxygen in his limbs. But nothing else mattered in his mind, even should his soul ache in pain, if it was for Leona he knew there was a way. Upon clenching his teeth and locking his feet in place, a surge of strength accompanied his determined mind. A strange pulse of vigor started to spread from his chest towards the extremities of his limbs, the bulging arteries of his wounded arms were healing off the bite marks left from the wolves at incredible speed while at the same time supplying the much needed oxygen. His legs locked in place as both feet carved into the mud below to affix to a more solid ground as he pushed the snow sledge. Phoebe was becoming worried about the knight¡¯s physical condition when her body suddenly jerked forward. She looked at the back of the vehicle, but couldn¡¯t get a clear view of him. However it was starting to pick up speed, as if the engine was working through that uphill battle. ¡®His strength is¡­ abnormal.¡¯ She thought. When she was given the mission to escort Krieg back to queen Eleonora, she thought it was only because he was an important person to her, but seeing his strength up close it had to be because of that. Not too long after, they made their way to the top of the hill where Phoebe pulled the breaks again. Krieg sat with his back against the vehicle, his body was tired from all the exertion but at least they were in a better position to keep watch should animals or bandits try to approach them. The high elf jumped out of the driver¡¯s seat and leaned against the outside of it. She noticed a glint of blue in her peripheral vision as she was about to turn at the knight to ask him a question. ¡°Sire-¡± She started, getting his attention but she simply stood there dumbfounded. Seeing how she was staring at him but not saying anything prompted him to ask. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Phoebe, did you see something?¡± Her half open mouth started to formulate words slowly, seemingly in shock from what she was seeing. ¡°Y-your arms, they are glowing with mana.¡± He looked down towards them both only noticing a faint glistering red glow coming off from the veins and arteries closer to the skin, he almost didn¡¯t feel any fatigue it felt like he had a good night¡¯s rest and had just awakened. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything different.¡± Phoebe was taken aback, from her view it was plainly obvious that he imbued his limbs with mana as the distinctive light blue glow was coursing through his arms like water through a river, but hearing the knight¡¯s reply made her tilt her head in confusion. She proceeded to ask. ¡°Sire, do you not see anything different from Princess Leona when she casts a spell?¡± He leaned the back of his head against the snow sledge while looking towards the treetops above him, it blocked most of the sunlight which made the soil naturally damper. He seemed indifferent when answered. ¡°Just a faint glow but that¡¯s it. I think the color depends on the type of spell being cast.¡± Phoebe held her chin, lost in thought. Never once did she hear about someone being able to see the element of a spell while it was being cast, but Krieg¡¯s lack of knowledge about magic made it more plausible that it was more likely a mistake than anything. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not particularly something that''d get in the way. After all, not many people know how to use magic.¡± She started to think for herself but in the past few weeks almost all foes they fought knew some sort of spellcasting. She stared at the ground silently hoping they wouldn¡¯t have to fight another mage. Krieg on the other hand, was relieved nothing happened to Leona while he was fighting the wolves and the black knight. Even looking at his own arm, he couldn¡¯t believe it was almost healed from exerting himself beyond his limit. Staring at it he started to feel a pleasant tingling sensation coursing through each fiber of his muscles. As if a soothing liquid was running through his veins and arteries while repairing the torn tissues. He closed his eyes remembering what Eleonora once told him. ¡°Even if you can¡¯t use sword energy, do not despair Krieg. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find a way to become even more powerful as a swordsman and a knight.¡± Queen Eleonora, the strongest knight ever recorded in Arcadia¡¯s history. She was the first to use a martial art called energy blade, a technique that allowed her to coat her weapons with the element of light, capable of destroying even the previous demon king. Though not all knights under her lead were able to use it, only a very select few were taken into the Queen¡¯s last expedition against demonkind. Krieg grasped the scabbard with his left hand, reminiscing about the war and how on the very last campaign he was left behind to protect the falling walls of Arcadia as Eleonora herself lead an elite group to a do-or-die attempt to end the war that have been waged for as long as anyone could remember. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, taking in a deep breath before raising his head towards the dark forest roof above. Sighing, he caught Phoebe¡¯s attention, who in all that time traveling with them, never saw the knight do that, so she decided to ask. ¡°Sire, are you alright?¡± ¡°Huh? Why¡¯d you ask?¡± ¡°I''ve never seen you sigh like this before.¡± He stopped for a few seconds, it was indeed unusual for him to do that, but noticing how the high elf was concerned it prompted him to explain the reason behind his worries. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering about Princess Leona¡¯s condition, mana shock isn¡¯t something that I¡¯m overly familiar with and I don¡¯t have the slightest clue how to treat it.¡± ¡°Oh, I administered her a mana potion already, she should recover with a little bit of rest.¡± She glanced at Leona who slept soundly in the middle seat. A few locks of hair had fallen on her face, making Phoebe lean over the edge of the vehicle to move it out of the Princess¡¯ serene expression. The high elf couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of dream she was having. ¡°Finally making some progress huh? Princess Leona.¡± Inside the ever-expanding horizon of glistering stars and mellow fractured skies, Leona was once again inside a domain of the void, sometimes she¡¯d wonder whether it was her own consciousness playing tricks on her or if a god would really bother making such a fuss over her. Sitting across her on a familiar throne of liquid, the hazy male figure chuckled with his left leg across the right while supporting the chin with the left open hand. Seeing him made the Princess realize she was once again either sleeping or unconscious, not that she could differentiate from either in that place. She focused on the hazy figure, trying to look at where his eyes would be. ¡°Lastraeus. Why am I here again?¡± ¡°It was rather convenient to suffer that mana shock. I was getting bored of waiting.¡± He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, both elbows being supported against his thighs. ¡°I have a suggestion for you.¡± Chapter XXXIII: Searing Blood ¡°Learn how to properly make use of magic.¡± Lastraeus sounded serious, more than ever for the infamous playful god. Leona was unsure how to reply to such an odd suggestion, so instead she decided to take another kind of approach. ¡°Are you implying I don¡¯t know how to cast magic?¡± ¡°Not cast, use. There is a fatal difference between them. The first is by taking lessons and using predetermined words to shape mana in an usable manner such as fire, wind, water or earth spells. What I meant with the latter however, is true mastery of magic.¡± He stood up from the throne which instantly dissolved back into the water blade floor below, while the god continued to explain. ¡°How can ice be considered a separate school of elemental magic if the starting product is simply water? Or why nobody can use multiple fire spells without burning out all their mana? These are just some blatant examples of how ignorant magicians of your world truly are to magic.¡± Through those few words, Leona glimpsed some possibilities how she could improve her own abilities, albeit all of them were just theories at that point. Without any hesitation, Lastraeus stood right up against her, the hazy figure towering over her much like Krieg as he looked down directly into her eyes. The swirling black haze seemed to suck out her soul the more she looked at it. ¡°Seek my former champion in the village of Nara. He shall lend you a much needed aid, should you survive the trip.¡± No words could leave her mouth, she felt her entire body being crushed under the god¡¯s presence. It wasn¡¯t frightening but ominous, much like staring at a bottomless pit. She started to feel her body suddenly lose footing as her feet sunk deep in the freezing cold water floor. At first she tried to grasp the god¡¯s legs, but her fingers passed through the black haze like it was air. Lastraeus stepped closer, leaning over her while waving his fingers as she was engulfed by the water floor. Instinctively, she tried to hold her breath, but the more time passed her body sank deeper and deeper into what it seemed to be an endless void beneath her flaying feet. Her body screamed for air, as pressure raised the remaining gasp of breath in her lungs started to burst into bubbles from her mouth. Both eyes felt heavy as the lack of air started to take her consciousness away, she saw a gentle flash of the fractured sky before fainting. ¡°Pfff! Gah!¡± Leona jolted back up awake when a chunk of snow hit her right in the face. The sudden movement sent a spike of pain from her lower back to her brain, prompting her to groan. ¡°Nnnngh¡­!¡± She arched back and with her left hand she started to rub part of her back in order to alleviate the pain as best as she could. ¡°Princess are you alright?¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice made Leona open her eyes. Upon seeing a blurry image of the high elf¡¯s face uncomfortably close to hers, she sat back up straight to make some space between them while answering. ¡°It was just a minor pain in the lower back.¡± The Princess scratched her eyes to remove some of the rheum that had built up during her sleep in the corner of both eyelids. Even though she had slept for at least a couple of hours, seeing it was night-time, she didn¡¯t feel exactly rested. She did notice however that a green colored cloth was covering her upper body while the snow sledge moved ever so slightly in short intervals. When her vision started to focus, she leaned over the edge of her seat and noticed a humanoid figure holding thick links of chains over against each shoulder, pulling the vehicle forward through strength alone. In that freezing cold night, Krieg had taken off the jacket of the military garb he wore in order to warm her up, all the while pulling the extremely heavy metal sledge. ¡°Krieg!¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She yelled before tossing the jacket aside on the seat, despite the pain in her lower back, she jumped over the vehicle and ran towards the knight. Just after that she noticed they were no longer in the incline hills near Akrapocalis, but instead in a snow covered forest. The knight seemed so focused in pulling that he didn¡¯t seem to notice her approaching his left side. Phoebe noticed the Princess¡¯ proximity to the knight and also jumped after her while shouting. ¡°Wait Princess don¡¯t touch him-¡± ¡°Krieg are you alright?!¡± Before she could think of touching his upper body, her fingertips felt a sharp pain of heat as she pulled her arm back and fell on her butt on the snow. Phoebe rushed to her side and checked her right palm if there were any signs of burns, but thankfully nothing happened to the Princess¡¯ skin. ¡°Ow¡­ what is happening with him?¡± Leona was shaking her hand slightly when she noticed the snow beneath the knight¡¯s feet was melting and leaving puddles of water behind him. Phoebe helped her stand up while explaining. ¡°Apparently he discovered a method to utilize his own mana to strengthen himself, but then after he decided to use it to haul this whole chunk of metal.¡± The high elf motioned to the vehicle behind them with her thumb as she continued. ¡°His mana started to suddenly change, though his body still seems to be holding itself well despite the extreme amount of heat coming off from him.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Leona observed from afar, her aquamarine eyes possessed a faint blue tint around the irises as she focused on observing the mana in the air around him. ¡°Wait¡­ no way¡­¡± In the night brightened by moonlight, Leona could see a fierce aura being emitted off the knight¡¯s body, much like waves of heat emanating from a very hot surface, the air seemed to distort around him as result of the constant release of mana. Normally most living beings passively release the excess mana inside their bodies through the endings of magic circuits present inside their bodies, however in Krieg¡¯s case, instead of flowing through the normal pathways that are generally the extremities of the body like hands and feet, his mana was seeping through the skin directly, as if his whole body was radiating fire aspected magic. Leona had a vague memory of reading in her father¡¯s study about dragons being able to coat themselves with mana in order to repel magical attacks, but the last sighting of an actual dragon was over two hundred years ago according to some other books. She knew Krieg was a demi-human but being a descendant of a dragon seemed too surreal. Leona cleaned the snow off her uniform and started to circle around the knight, standing in front of him as result. ¡°Krieg!¡± She called out, but he didn¡¯t seem to respond to her voice. However the Princess wasn¡¯t totally convinced, she grabbed a chunk of snow and lobbed it at him, but it evaporated even before it could reach his chest. Phoebe accompanied her in a slow step while trying to maintain a healthy distance from the knight. ¡°Princess, I believe we¡¯ll need to stabilize his overflow of mana before doing anything. I tried talking to him for quite a while but nothing seemed to get through him.¡± ¡°Very well. Stand back.¡± Leona took a few steps back and upon inhaling deeply, she started to chant while pointing both hands open towards the Krieg. ¡°Great power of the sea-¡± Thin strings of mana gathered from her fingertips, spiraling out like a blooming flower while she continued to speak. ¡°Lend me your almighty strength-¡± Suddenly, part of the symmetric array of light blue strings started to curve themselves back in between her hands forming a condensed mass of mana as the air around her seemed to take shape, her long blonde hair fluttering on the gentle breeze before she chanted the last part of the spell. ¡°Maelstrom!¡± The condensed mana transformed into a sphere of clear water before the spiraling mana took the form of a wind cyclone, shooting the excess liquid like a powerful jet towards the knight. With a vicious torrent of water, the first few seconds near Krieg was just a thick screen of steam, before the water finally overtook the heat and started to hit him directly. ¡°Princess Leona, isn''t this a bit too much?!¡± Phoebe was shielding her face from the heat dissipated through the hot steam while she tried to speak over the noise of splashing water. The spell lasted only for a few seconds before she hunched over while holding onto her knees with each hand. ¡®That was close¡­ I almost fainted again.¡¯ The world felt like it was spinning slightly, throwing off the balance of her body. Since the mana levels in her body haven¡¯t stabilized completely yet, using any magic of a larger scale would drain the last remaining reserves she had, causing another mana shock. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± Phoebe approached her whilst extending her hand in case she¡¯d fall. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just¡­ tired that¡¯s all.¡± A sizzling noise caught both girl¡¯s attention, once they looked at Krieg, they could see a faint red glow coming off more prominently from his arms up until his neck. His hands were still clutching the chains tightly. After standing up properly, even though her back still hurt, Leona approached him. ¡°Krieg?¡± She extended her hand but before she could touch him, he dropped head first into the snow. ¡°Krieg?!¡± Chapter XXXIV: Greater Good ¡°Krieg!¡± With the knight fallen on the semi-melted snow, Leona was trying to turn him over on his back but weakened as she was, there was no way she could muster enough strength to help him. ¡°Allow me Princess.¡± Phoebe grabbed a nearby tree branch and stabbed the snow beneath the knight while placing one of the wooden boxes of supplies from the vehicle underneath it. ¡°Come let¡¯s push.¡± The high elf motioned to the other end of the branch to Leona. The Princess grabbed it firmly and tried to push the branch down but they could barely flip him over. ¡°More strength come on!¡± Phoebe encouraged while also clenching her teeth behind the cloth mask while bending her knees in order to get the most out of her own body weight. ¡°Nnnngh!¡± Seeing what the high elf was doing, Leona jumped for a brief moment and used her own weight as leverage before the branch snapped where it was being supported by the wooden box. Krieg rolled one time, almost falling face down again before tumbling back with both mouth and nose finally unobstructed. Leona on the other hand fell with her back against the snow and a sharp pain in the lower back went up her spine. ¡°Urk!¡± It was much like pouring boiling water against her lower back, her eyes squinted shut while her teeth clenched in pain and her back arched. ¡°Hey are you alright?!¡± Phoebe let go of the snapped branch and kneeled beside the Princess, who seemed in agony while holding on her lower back. She could barely speak from the pain, but at least managed to utter some words. ¡°My back¡­ I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Let me see what I can do about it.¡± The high elf quickly circled around and gently rolled the Princess¡¯ body on her right side so she could see her back more clearly. Near the end of the lower back, there was a slight bump as if the muscles in that region were inflamed. ¡°Princess, I need you to breathe deeply.¡± ¡°Nngh¡­!¡± Even though in great pain. Leona nodded firmly and started to take a deep breath, meanwhile Phoebe seemed to be getting ready, placing the Princess¡¯s right hand over the left scapula and holding her lower back with the open left palm. ¡°Exhale now.¡± The moment Phoebe said it, Leona started to empty her lungs and at the point where she had no more air to breathe out, the high elf¡¯s hands moved firmly and swiftly. With the left palm she forced the side of the lumpy muscle while the other hand held the Princess¡¯s hands firmly. With a gasp, Leona could feel something snapping back into place, albeit it wasn¡¯t a painless process, after a loud crack, she felt almost an instant relief on her back muscles. ¡°Nngh!¡± Her eyes went wide with flashing lights in her vision, it felt like part of her body was finally inserted back in the right place. She finally felt like she could move normally, it was as if the sensation of relief spread out to her entire body. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ thanks a lot Phoebe.¡± The Princess stood up with minimal effort, of course not all the discomfort went away but at that point it became just a mild inconvenience rather than unbearable pain. However she didn¡¯t waste any time checking on the unconscious knight beside her. With Phoebe¡¯s help, she managed to lift Krieg¡¯s upper body just enough so the high elf could slide his torn military garb under his back. Upon realizing he was breathing but with no apparent signs of waking up, Leona turned at Phoebe. ¡°We need some wood for fire.¡± ¡°Right, I¡¯ll work on it.¡± The high elf swiftly made her way through the snow apparently using some sort of wind magic to keep her feet from sinking in the fluff ground. Using her ability to sense magic, Leona started to check the knight¡¯s mana circuits by holding his right wrist. Her eyes were glittering with a light blue tint as she peered into the roots of his being, a myriad of tangled circuits forming a much larger structure that served as a conduit to magic. Through using a small quantity of her own mana, she began to discover and map out his anatomy much like a dolphin using echolocation. Normally, when a person first uses magic, they need to send a signal from the brain to the core of the soul in order to convert said mana into something usable once it exits the body through the circuit gates like elemental magic. However in Krieg¡¯s case it was as if there were no gates to begin with, instead of open ends of mana circuits, it was an entire closed system with instead much more capillaries extending from the main pathways especially around his forearms and back. ¡°This is¡­ impossible¡­¡± Without means of releasing mana most people would collapse from mana fever, an illness that is common throughout children whose gates aren¡¯t fully developed yet. But in that case, there were gates to begin with, which puzzled the Princess even more. ¡°But then, how can I help you?¡± She noticed the temperature of his wrist was rapidly rising again which prompted her to perform another mana reading, but the second she poured her own mana into his wrist she felt a jolt of electricity run through the tip of her fingers, as if she had touched an unprotected power cable. ¡°Gah!¡± Stumbling back and falling on her butt, she held her right hand out with the left as to shake off the numbness from the shock. ¡®Mana overload¡­?!¡¯ Her eyes darted back towards the knight, his body started to heat up once again and melt the snow around him. She stood up as fast as she could and while running towards the knight, she summoned a blade of fire with a quick chant. ¡°Searing Blade!¡± Strings of mana spun around her right forearm towards her palm before erupting into violent flames around her closing fingers, upon holding both hands over her right shoulder, the blade grew in size as she released a wave of fire towards the sky. ¡°It¡¯s my turn to help you Krieg!¡± The moment she swung the blade, there was a split second where her mind almost blacked out from the lack of mana, but her determination kept her body going towards him and the moment her left foot touched the knight¡¯s right wrist, she could feel a burst of energy course through her body and much like electricity, it felt like her muscles were burning with the overload of mana. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With her teeth clenched, she aimed her open palm towards the night sky. By controlling the mana that was running through her body, she managed to condensate most of it into a small flaming azure sphere the size of a glass marble. Time seemed to stop for that split second where she aimed the deadly spell up. ¡°Leona, do you remember the first lesson I taught you to cast magic?¡± Her mother¡¯s voice echoed in her mind. She was just a kid at the time, unknowingly learning the most important aspect of spellcasting. ¡°Always coat yourself with mana prior to casting any spells, right?¡± A young Leona answered happily. ¡°Yes, now why do we do that?¡± ¡°So we don¡¯t get hurt by our own powers.¡± ¡°Exactly. For our next lessons I¡¯ll need you to remember this, do you promise me to always put your safety first?¡± ¡°Yeah! I promise!¡± But there was not enough time, any extra second she could shave off casting her most powerful spells was important for the knight¡¯s survival as it was only a matter of time before mana burn would happen. ¡®I¡¯m sorry mom, but I¡¯ll have to break that promise¡­!¡¯ The air crackled around her extended hand as the mana coursing from her left foot rapidly amassed in the singular azure sphere of fire floating just a few centimeters from her open palm and as it grew in size, so did the heat gathered at that one point. Her fingertips felt like they were melting and with the increased weight of the spell it was becoming harder to maintain it afloat. ¡°Grrrrh!¡± By winding back her right arm, she focused on strengthening her limbs with violent wind vortexes around her forearm, shredding her long sleeve and cutting her skin as she arched her back with the left arm extending out. In conjunction with the wind spell and a wide throw arc, she managed to lob the small sphere high towards the night sky, where it remained afloat for about half a second before erupting in a blinding flash of light. Somewhat far away from where they were, Phoebe was still grabbing a few dry twigs she could break off easily from the lower trees. ¡°I should¡¯ve learned fire magic, this would¡¯ve been much easier if I-¡± Her muttering halted the moment an unusual bright light caught her attention. As she turned towards it, she only caught the end of it as a darkened cloud started to form in the bright night sky. ¡®That is near where they are-!¡¯ A second later she took a step forward and a powerful gust of wind blew against her body, knocking her off her feet. ¡°Ngh!¡± All twigs she had gathered scattered across the snow as her vision tried to adjust through the white fine snow floating around her. She decided to get up and head towards the direction of where the snow sledge was, but after standing up, she noticed a glint of blue in the sky and shortly after, another explosion went off. A blinding white flash made the high elf avert her gaze and prepare her footing as another shockwave swept through the ground, lifting up more snow and scattering the twigs she had gathered, but firewood was the least of her problems now as she started to run towards where the explosions were happening. ¡°I will save you no matter what!¡± Leona screamed each time she lobbed another sphere of fire, there was only so much protective mana coating could do in face of such destructive spells. She started to release those powerful magics with both hands, but that meant even more strain in her body as the heat became unbearable and started to slowly burn the skin of her fingertips. Her delicate skin began melting away, revealing the crimson flesh underneath it as she struggled to keep the spells going as mana kept surging from the knight¡¯s body without showing any signs of diminishing. She clasped her hands together and the moment she separated them, a large quantity of mana gathered into an orb of pulsating azure fire the size of an apple. At that point even with most of her fingers burnt, she mustered enough strength to once again cast the spell towards the sky, where at first it pulsed once before erupting into a bright cross shaped explosion that took out almost all of the treetops around them. A few seconds before the shockwave hit them, Leona was able to make a dome of ice to protect them from the wind and deafening sound of the explosion, but it was instantly shattered right after it was hit. Showing just how powerful and deadly those spells really were. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring upon my foes the fires of justice, Great Flame Sword!¡± Once the normal sized flame sword, it changed shape to a massive greatsword-like blade with half of her arm¡¯s length for a guard. She swung the fiery weapon down and it exploded in a blue fire line that crossed the forest until her eyes couldn¡¯t see. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to sustain this for much longer¡­!¡¯ Mana overload was an easy thing to achieve with catalysts such as mana crystals or from a strong source like a mana fissure, but normally even with it, a mage would need to be exceptionally attuned to absorption in order to overload themselves, but in Leona¡¯s case, it was simply because she allowed her body to be a conduit for the magic overflowing from the knight¡¯s body. It was terrifying, most common mages wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain that large output of mana in so little time, but she didn¡¯t have a choice, it was either risking her own life to save his, or outright forsaking everything she fought for right there on the spot. She clenched her teeth as she decided to take the chance while still casting spells through her right foot, creating what seemed to be spikes of ice that erupted continuously from the ground in straight lines. ¡°By the blessings of my creator, I order it to halt, time and space, Diamond Frost!¡± The air around both of her arms started to coalesce into fine particles of frozen water and in a matter of seconds, they were covered in a thick gauntlet of ice. She extended both arms out and shouted. ¡°Violent gale and roaring flames, surge as one!¡± The entirety of her ice gauntlets burst into blue flames that rapidly started to grow out in a vortex. She joined both hands together towards the sky and the vicious flames grew in size, turning itself into a fiery tornado with both of her arms as the starting point. The heat was immense but at least that way she didn¡¯t have to worry about shockwaves nor the deafening sound of explosions. ¡°Nnngh!¡± However, wielding such a tremendous spell was much more taxing physically rather than mentally, the fire tornado felt like it was crushing her limbs and the violent updraft around her made it very difficult to breathe. She was beginning to lose control over the tornado, but letting it fall now would mean setting the whole forest on fire or worse, killing them through the extreme heat. ¡°I won¡¯t let it fall!¡± She clenched her teeth and raised the output of the wind magic in order to contain the blazing tornado straight up but that also meant the azure flames were continuously getting heavier as time went on. In a desperate attempt to keep the tornado straight up, she decided to use wind magic to reinforce her gauntlets but without any mana to coat them, the wind began to chip away the ice from her armor until it shattered in glistering shards. At first the heat didn¡¯t seem to do anything to her, but after the numbness from the cold went away she started to feel her skin melt from the extreme heat. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!¡± She dropped on her right knee, still trying to keep the spell from obliterating them both. The edges of her blonde hair started to curl around itself from the heat. ¡°Tsk, tsk. I thought you were called Princess Tactician for a reason. Apparently I was wrong.¡± A familiar male voice came from behind her, but before she could turn her head to look, she felt an outburst of mana that sent chills down her spine. ¡°Wha-!¡± ¡°Major Dispel!¡± One short chant was all that it took for the tornado to fizzle out of existence as well as destroying the sharp pillars of ice around her. It felt like her body was frozen from the sudden shock, dispelling spells by nature cancels out mana conversion that is found on mana gates, meaning the person afflicted by it will feel a slight discomfort around those parts of the soul which can potentially transmit towards the physical body as a result if the dispelled spell is strong enough. From the left corner of her vision, she noticed an unusual footwear, it seemed like a leather boot of sorts but it was soot black with an unnatural gleam to it. Even kneeling, he was tall enough to just allow his hand to be seen touching Krieg¡¯s wrist and as much as Leona wanted to see who this person was, her body was just too weak to comply with her will. ¡°My, my¡­ what do we have here.¡± A dark red miasma started to seep out of his pale right hand and it seemed to drain mana out from the knight¡¯s body, as the darkened crimson fog began to brighten to a blood-like coloration, he stood up as the fine red mist was absorbed through his palm. ¡°Alright, we are done here. Take better care of your comrades, Leona. After all, tomorrow¡¯s not promised for anyone.¡± She noticed the same blood red miasma coil around her, seemingly invigorating her after being in contact with her body. However, she was still shaking off the numbness and the mysterious person was already walking away when she asked. ¡°Wait, who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait until you become stronger. Just know that I am on your side, for now.¡± She managed to catch a glimpse of him just before he vanished with a blinding flash, wearing a jet black leather jacket and baggy pants, the short black hair caught her attention as it didn¡¯t seem like someone from the kingdoms she had visited before. Her gaze seemed aimless for a split second before she glanced over at the knight. She crawled through the snow and grasped his wrist with the left hand and upon making another mana reading, she noticed its flow returned to normal. She let out a sigh of relief, plopping the side of her face on the snow. Upon bringing her right hand near her head she noticed it glow with a faint crimson miasma. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡®I finally have you now.¡¯ The familiar voice of the void assaulted her head with an unbearable headache before she passed out cold on the snow. Chapter XXXV: Princess No More The excruciating pain she was going through was nothing like any headache she had felt before, it was as if her brain was being split in half with the screams of agony echoing through her mind, the pain of a myriad others that came before her kept bombarding her with an endless stream of madness and sorrow. Her consciousness gave in from the neverending suffering as she passed out cold on the snow. She found herself in a familiar place, though the usual shattered sky was no longer fractured, it had a faint orange glow in the darkness, as if sunbreak was nigh. However upon looking down, she no longer looked at only water but a torrent of crimson void swirling below her. Despair so great not even the holiest of light could ever restore back hope, it was a pit of ever growing darkness crawling with tormented souls. Yet Leona could only swallow dry the instinct to jump back and scream. ¡°Well, welcome again to my domain, Leona Crossford.¡± As if an excuse to avert her gaze from her feet, she looked up towards the familiar voice of the self proclaimed true deity of this and many other worlds. Lastraeus¡¯ form seemed much more vivid this time around, the haze was much more vivid as if it had finally taken a solid appearance, now it was even possible to discern him wearing a thin cloak made of dark red miasma over his form. Upon seeing him, it felt like all her fears had vanished as her eyes narrowed before she began to ask. ¡°Was it you? The one who saved us.¡± He chuckled, promptly making the tormented souls beneath his feet to writhe as they formed a seat with the unsettling gooey limbs and hollow eyed heads sticking out from every corner of the throne, thankfully she was able to keep looking straight at him, preventing fear from taking over her already shaken mind. ¡°As much as I wanted to show off, I prefer not to meddle in human¡¯s affairs. If your fate was to die there I wouldn¡¯t have lifted a finger to help. But as it stands, you seem to be someone important in many people¡¯s eyes. Congratulations.¡± ¡°You speak as if you know the person who helped me.¡± ¡°He is my former champion, unlike you human lot I don¡¯t easily forget those who served me well.¡± She had a vague memory that his former champion was a master of magic, but she never expected to be helped by someone with so much power. Even so, that only made her feel bitter, not for being helped, but from not being able to do anything when it mattered the most. Her own knowledge that she deemed vast, was nothing if not a speck of dust compared to what she witnessed that night. Upon noticing a faint dark haze emanate from her, Lastraeus let out a short laugh which caught the Princess¡¯ attention, prompting her to look at him. He simply waved his hand in disregard of her annoyed stare. ¡°Accept who you are, your fears, your failures, your shortcomings so that one day, you may become stronger. A good tale is not always crafted with the finest of materials after all.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! It was unusually nice of him to say such things, after all, the only Lastraeous Leona knew of was the cunning god that would control many people for his own amusement. Something that always hung in the back of her mind, what would an almighty god want from her? There were too many questions and not much time. Even though she remembered exactly what happened to her the moment before coming to that place, there was no way to tell how faster or slower time passed in such a place that defied all laws of nature. ¡°Nevertheless, I shall still watch you. Victory or defeat, I await the completion of your tale.¡± He snapped his fingers and Leona could feel the world spinning once again but this time there was no pain or headache but it surely felt like her body was being distorted and crushed. The next second she blinked, she noticed she was facing the snow on the ground and upon standing up she realized her clothing was barely damp. ¡®So does time there pass on his whims?¡¯ She thought as she turned her head to the side and saw the knight also laying with his bareback on the snow. After approaching him, she used a small amount of mana to reinforce both of her arms with vortexes of wind to try and lift him. And surprisingly, after adjusting the strength of the spell she managed to pull him through armpits out of the thick snow and place his back against a ruined nearby tree. Leona sat down beside him and sighed. Even though her body no longer lacked mana, exhaustion was starting to catch up to her. ¡°¡®A good tale is not always crafted with the finest of materials.¡¯ Huh.¡± She muttered under her breath as she slowly closed her eyes. Thinking back on her journey up until now, many of the lives lost in this campaign could¡¯ve been saved if she was stronger, if she had true mastery of magic or even the blade, maybe, just maybe, lives could¡¯ve been spared. Pain, suffering, sadness, averted. But that was in the past, there was no way she could¡¯ve known. From that point onwards she needed to grow stronger and acquire the power she needed to protect those in need. It was an honorable act, selfless ambition in the eyes of others, but to her it was more than that. It had to be done, if she was to see the world both of her parents died for come to reality, she couldn¡¯t be just a Princess anymore. Closing her hands in anger of herself, she felt the cold solid touch of a familiar texture. Her eyes opened and looked towards her right hand, beneath there was a polished gleam of steel. She picked up and noticed it was the very same blade that once almost took her life in the void, was it not for the strange rules that reigned in that place. The small handle felt comfortable between her slender scorched fingers. On the other side of clearing, Phoebe noticed the Princess standing beside the unconscious knight while seemingly looking down at him with a dagger in hand. ¡®Wait is she¡­ no¡­ it can¡¯t be!¡± By instinct, the high elf tried to reach for the longbow that is usually strapped to her quiver, but she had forgotten it in the snow sledge, which meant there was only one option to her, close quarters. Almost without making a noise she rushed towards Leona, only to realize she put the dagger alongside her own throat. ¡°Princess Leona!¡± Phoebe shouted but it didn¡¯t seem to even faze her as the Princess grabbed the entirety of her hair around the nape and brought it forward. With one swift swing of the dagger, she had cut almost three palms of her lustrous hair with the sharp blade. The high elf stopped in her tracks, seemingly lost for words for what she had just witnessed. Leona scattered the rest of the strands on her left hand as the freezing breeze carried them through the air towards the sky, each string fluttering against the night¡¯s bright sky like a breeze of gold. She dropped the dagger in the snow and looked at her open hands before firmly closing them once the last strand of hair flew away, her gaze turned towards the sky as the wind brushed against her now short uneven hair. She turned around to face Phoebe behind her. ¡°Phoebe, let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter XXXVI: Frozen Memories Loyalty. That was what mattered the most in the Crossford family. Blood, coin, status, nothing else could possibly compare to what every servant in that household had, that being loyalty beyond human understanding. If they were ordered to die for their masters, they would do so without a second thought. Bravery, conviction, courage and relentless support, those were the core values of the Crossford family, ever since the great war, they always abided to help those in need, bring justice to those who deserved it and bestow peace to a war torn kingdom. Their efforts to rebuild a kingdom paved by peace was a hard-fought one. Instead of shunning the former enemy, they gave them a place to call it home and a chance to begin anew. Slowly, little by little, they started to earn the trust of the demons living in Arcadia, bringing together what was the former Crossford household, a place where demons could hopefully live in harmony with humans without the worry of having a sword to the back. However, all of that was taken away that one night. After all that time running away she finally understood what war meant. It wasn¡¯t history from books anymore, it was her reality. If she was to survive and bring back peace, her hands would eventually be stained crimson red, be it from a beast, demon or another fellow human. After feeling what it meant to fight for tomorrow¡¯s hope, she decided to abandon the mantle of Princess, this time, she would fight with her own two hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go Phoebe.¡± A chill went down the high elf¡¯s spine, it was as if she was talking to someone else entirely, the kind princess she knew was no longer there. Nevertheless she followed her suit, helping the young lady to bring Krieg over inside the snow sledge. ¡°Can you drive this?¡± Leona asked as she folded up her torn sleeves out of the way, from her fingers down towards both forearms were burned to the flesh, however even with the stinging pain, she decided to travel through the snow forest as fast as she could in order to find a better place to rest. After all, those explosions from before had easily given away their position to any would-be pursuers or predators. Phoebe saw the burns as she turned to answer and promptly rushed to her side in order to heal the wounds. ¡°Princess, we need to treat these before we go. We can¡¯t risk you getting an infection from this.¡± The high elf gently held her right forearm before chanting the healing spell, letting out a faint green glow that slowly dried out the surface flesh, but since they were burns from very powerful spells there was only so much she could do with the knowledge she possessed. Most wounds are normally easily healed with just a small amount of mana, but fire spells were especially hard to treat even with healing magics as the seared tissue has its natural regeneration halted due to the burns. After spending about ten minutes healing the exposed wounds on both arms, Phoebe sat down on the driver¡¯s seat as Leona finished strapping the knight with his own tattered uniform in order to not leave him exposed to the weather. She sat down in front of the mana engine and took a deep breath before turning her head slightly to tell the high elf. ¡°All ready here.¡± ¡°Right, I¡¯m all set too.¡± She put on the protective goggles and grabbed the handlebar with both hands. ¡°I¡¯m firing the engine in three, two, one-¡± A compact azure fire sphere the size of a golf ball was created by weaving together mana while feeding it plenty of air; she released the spell inside the engine chamber. In no time they were already traveling through the snow forest, occasionally Leona would supply the engine with more fire spells in order to keep the high speed. At one point it became natural for her to fling small sparks of blue flames inside the engine to keep it working. Thinking back on everything the god had said to her, it was plainly clear that she needed to become stronger, but even so, how could she improve without guidance? Her swordsmanship lacked, her magic which at first seemed to be above the rest was now just an elaborate excuse to fight, the only redeeming feature she could think of was her ability to strategize, but even so what would that help if she had to fight alone? The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Questions plagued her mind, the more she tried to come up with a simple answer, more questions raised only to thwart her plans. In the back of her mind there was an answer, training. ¡®But do I have enough time?¡¯ She thought. ¡®Not only the blade but also magic and tactics, can I become the ruler I aspire to be?¡¯ She clicked her tongue and closed both hands into tight fists. ¡®No, it¡¯s not a matter if I can or can¡¯t. I must become the ruler I aspire to be. For my family, for the ones I care about and for the kingdom. I must become stronger.¡¯ That said, it seemed harder to put it in practice, how did one become stronger? Everything she read about magic was either about shortening chantings or increasing a spell¡¯s potency by fueling it with more mana. She opened her right hand, all fingers were tingling from the burns, but there were a few parts of the skin that seemed intact from the top of her hand, which prompted her to remember something the wizard Laslow had said to her. ¡®...its destructive power depends on the user¡¯s mana, but what determines the intensity of the flame is still a mystery to me.¡¯ Her mother used to teach her a lot about magic even before she started attending the Grand Academy. If she could achieve results that not even scholars of the prestigious academy could, that meant something about her way of teaching magic was different. She tried to remember the first time she was able to cast a spell. It was a faint memory of her mother placing an object over a wooden fence. ¡°Now, darling, try to focus on the glass of water, imagine the liquid inside slowly becoming solid until it becomes ice.¡± ¡°Mmm! I¡¯ll try!¡± Once it became clearer, she noticed it was the yard behind the mansion, near the patch of sunflowers, her mother was instructing her how to cast an ice spell. It was usually the first spell to be learned since it was one of the easiest elements to grasp the concept of. Upon closing her eyes and extending both hands towards the half-filled glass cup, she took a deep breath and concentrated on the image of stillness, much like the thin surface of a calm lake, she imagined the water stop moving and become stable. Once she opened her eyes again, two very thin strings of mana grew outwards from the palm of her hands and circled around the glass as the surface of the water slowly started to freeze. ¡°Ah! Mom! I did it!¡± ¡°Yes you did it! Congratulations!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She was only tall enough to hug around her mother¡¯s legs but it was clear how happy she was to accomplish such a feat. Her mother put her hair behind the left ear as she patted Leona¡¯s head. ¡°You are my most precious thing in the world, Leona.¡± A small tear came to her eyes, but it quickly dried away from the cold wind brushing against the back of her head. Leona finally had a clue on how to become stronger. ¡®So the trick is to train the basics in order to cast spells without chanting as well as mix in elements that are compatible for more destructive power.¡¯ She thought while extending both hands outwards the snow sledge, she visualized a thin enough blade of water shooting out of both of her palms and the moment, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. ¡®Focus Leona. You can do it.¡¯ Upon exhaling and opening her eyes, she shot out blades of water through the palm of her hands by condensating the air with mana and right after it, before the water eventually plunged towards the ground, she weaved mana in a vortex motion in order to generate a powerful short burst of wind that upon contacting the water mid air created enough propulsion to send her body slightly backwards. The snow sledge shook a bit, which made Phoebe worry about its durability as she leaned left and right in order to inspect both sides of the vehicle. Seeing how there was nothing apparent wrong with it, she decided to keep going even though she almost couldn¡¯t feel the tip of her fingers from the temperature steadily dropping the further away they got from the dwarven citadel. The high elf began to slow her breathing in order to try and keep her body warm as the enchantments of her clothing wasn¡¯t going to be enough in that cold environment. A small quantity of ice started to form around the ends of the black hair sticking out of the cloth. ¡®I thought the enchantments were strong enough but apparently my father was right. Even in the borders of the kingdom is enough to freeze an unprepared adventurer.¡¯ Formerly, a tightly packed forest gave space to a vast plain of white, between the far darkened storm clouds it was possible to see the peak of the Londrian castle. The spire broke out from the flat incline of snow as their ride started to ascend the slight slope of snow. ¡°Here we are, Princess! The frozen kingdom of Londria!¡± Phoebe shouted towards the back of the sledge which prompted Leona to turn her upper body around whilst partially covering her eyes from the wind rushing by her face. Thankfully the night sky was clear enough for her to appreciate the starry sky accompanied by the cold breeze that carried snowflakes that seemed to scintillate with the dim light of the moon. ¡°...¡± It seemed impressive, but for some reason Leona couldn¡¯t find joy in that moment. Surely, it was a very different sight from what she was used to, but at the same time it felt melancholic. Her chest tightened at a feeling of anger, but she wasn¡¯t exactly sure why she felt such hatred. Upon reaching with her closed hand to her breast she quietly muttered with determination. ¡°This time for sure¡­ I won¡¯t let anyone die.¡± Chapter XXXVII: There Is Blood on My Hands, How Long Until It Reaches My Heart? Part I Not much happened since they left the borders of dwarven citadel, the temperature continued to drop as they ventured further in Londrian territory, with the occasional low visibility due to storms that passed by, however thanks to Phoebe¡¯s navigational skills they were able to more or less keep going in the right direction through the vast white expanse without much trouble. Days, weeks flew by however the knight was still unconscious and unresponsive to any physical stimuli, Leona still took great care of him with the little rations that were given to them, she kept him hydrated throughout the journey. But she couldn¡¯t take it off her mind that his state was a result of her own foolishness. Nevertheless it was almost the sixteenth day of travel and they were still somewhat far from Londria, the castle¡¯s spire visible from the borders between the two kingdoms was now more clear, spiking through the darkened clouds like a spear aimed upon the heavens beyond the mountains to the north. ¡°We are already running low on supplies¡­¡± Leona muttered while checking the box of supplies given to them in the beginning of the journey, unfortunately, even with the knight not partaking in the consumption of the rudimentary canned food, it was only a matter of days before they ran empty on food. ¡°Princess! There are some people up ahead!¡± The high elf¡¯s voice prompted Leona to turn around. She noticed between the gap of her fingers and squinted eye, a group of around three people just a little beyond the peak of the hill alongside a crashed carriage. ¡°Let¡¯s stop by them, maybe we can help and get some supplies in return!¡± She yelled back and the high elf started to gently pull the brakes. A deafening screech echoed from the wheels behind the vehicle as they started to slow down. However due to the vehicle being a massive chunk of metal, the moment it approached the group of two men and one woman were startled by the unusual machine. All of them wore clothes suited for the harsh Londrian weather with thick fur coats, pants, high leather boots and fluffy hats that covered the side of the head, but the carriage¡¯s back wheel was broken and there were many tracks alongside the crash site. ¡°What in the world is this thing?!¡± The woman took a few steps back while the other two went for the longswords in their sheathes. ¡°Calm down! This is just our ride.¡± Phoebe started to say with both of her hands out as if trying to calm them down. Leona also stepped out of the vehicle while looking around, seemingly searching for something. ¡°This blasphemy?! How do you even ride that thing without an animal?!¡± The woman kept pointing at the snow sledge. ¡°I could say the same to you.¡± Leona¡¯s tone surprised Phoebe. Her statement made tension¡¯s rise as everyone caught on where she was leading the conversation to, with both men having their hands inching towards the blade at their hips, unbeknownst to them, both Phoebe and the young lady were more than capable to take them on. While hiding her left hand from the trio behind her own back, Leona continued with a loud and clear voice. ¡°At first I thought you three to be merchants but seeing how you¡¯re missing an animal to pull your carriage, you¡¯re not merchants are you?¡± When words left her mouth, time seemed to slow down for a few seconds as both males pulled out the longswords, as they did, Phoebe drew both of her daggers and Leona took a single step back, revealing her left hand to be encased slightly in ice. She winded her left arm across her chest and swung it outward, shooting out a barrage of thin sharp icicles in a cone in front of her. At the same time, the high elf chucked the dagger on her left hand towards the man on the left side, hitting his forehead and knocking him off balance. The man on the right was pierced by the five shards of ice, two in the chest, one in the right bicep and another in the forearm while the last hit the left leg thigh. As everything happened, the woman was scrambling on the ground for something around her waist. ¡°Gah! Dammit!¡± The man pierced by the icicles was still alive and shouted full of anger as he tried to raise the blade over his head to strike Leona, but the handle escaped from his grasp and fell between him and the young lady. Noticing an opening, she rushed forward before he could pick up the blade and with a swing of her right hand she created a powerful impact of wind against the man¡¯s chest, sinking the rest of the exposed icicle in his chest deeper into the wound while knocking him off his feet as the fur hat and longsword went flying away from the blast. Seeing Leona out of danger, Phoebe focused on barely dodging the longsword coming for her chest with a left sidestep and stabbing the man¡¯s throat as she passed by running towards the woman now armed with what seemed to be a matchlock pistol. ¡°Die!¡± She yelled when pulling the trigger but Phoebe already knew what kind of weapon that was and dodged the shot effortlessly to the right while also picking up the dagger she had thrown. The high elf closed the gap and slashed her opponent¡¯s wrist before she could make another move. The woman dropped the weapon and screamed in agony as the warm blood painted the snow red. Leona approached after taking a good look around, she asked. ¡°Where are the people who owned this carriage?¡± ¡°Hah? Why would I spill it out to a brat like you?¡± Phoebe suddenly put the sharp blade of her dagger right against the woman¡¯s throat as a faint trickle of blood started to accumulate over the steel¡¯s edge. ¡°A cave! In the foot of the mountain to the north, it¡¯s hidden with an illusion spell, it shouldn¡¯t be hard to find, just look for a boulder with the shape of a knot!¡± Leona took a deep breath and after closing her eyes for a second she turned to the high elf before heading back to the snow sledge. ¡°Alright. Grab all of their things we can use, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait, you''re just going to leave me here in the cold?!¡± The woman tried to talk her way out but Phoebe punched the side of her chin, knocking her out cold. Leona was about to reach the sledge when she dropped on her knees as she raised both hands towards her mouth to try to stop the impending urge to vomit but it was futile. Smeared all over the snow, there was mostly gastric acid and remains of the food she had eaten earlier in the day. Her legs felt weak, even though she knew she had to kill in order to stay alive, it just felt surreal to take another human¡¯s life in a heartbeat and unlike many days ago she knew he died by her hands alone. She grasped the snow between each hand as she coughed the last acid taste off her mouth. ¡®This¡­ this is the dreadful path I¡¯ll have to walk from now on, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ She thought to reassure herself. It had to be done, if it wasn¡¯t now, it would surely happen eventually and she wouldn¡¯t have the luxury to hesitate when it came. ¡°Are you alright Princess?¡± Phoebe came to aid her after noticing the poor lass throwing up, but Leona simply raised her right palm while shaking her head, replying. ¡°It¡¯s just a minor reaction, I¡¯m not quite used to this yet. So don¡¯t worry about me.¡± It was possible to see the high elf¡¯s expression frown under the cloth around her face, it was simply regret, regret of allowing someone to bloody their hands for the first time because she knew better than anyone, the first time is never the last in that line of work. Leona slammed her fist against the snow and tried to stand up, only to stumble forward and catch herself against the edge of the snow sledge. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming, but the moment she laid eyes upon the knight resting defenselessly against the edge of the middle seat, she found some solace knowing that she had protected him for the first time. Upon gathering strength, she pulled herself over the edge of the vehicle and sat sloppily on the backseat. She held her head with both hands by squeezing her nose ridge firmly with the index fingers while frowning her brow. She needed to loot the corpses of those bandits but the mere thought of touching the body of someone she had killed was enough to make her feel queasy again. Thankfully Phoebe made short work of their belongings as well as clothing as she was seen wearing a fur coat over her shinobi armor and a fluffy hat covering almost all the side of her neck. She approached the left side of where Leona was sitting and reported. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Princess, I got everything I could off them and there was nothing useful inside the carriage. What should we do now?¡± ¡°We go to this cave that woman was talking about. We need shelter for Krieg to rest-¡± The thought of having to kill more people made her stop mid-sentence which caused Phoebe to lean sideways to look at her face and ask. ¡°Are you certain you want to do this? It¡¯s not too late to set up camp here.¡± ¡°No, we must move forward. Each second we pass without moving forward means delaying the end of this grueling campaign.¡± ¡°But you need to consider the state that you are in right now Princess. Are you certain you can do this? There might be more than just three people in there considering how confident they were in ambushing travelers all the way out here.¡± ¡°I know. But still, we need shelter and they have it in the middle of this frigid place, there¡¯ll be a storm soon and I don¡¯t want Krieg to be out in the forest once it hits.¡± With a few seconds of silence, the high elf nodded once before reaching for the equipment she had gathered from the bandits behind her. ¡°Here, at least take this with you. It¡¯s not much but from what I remember you know how to use it.¡± She handed over the sheathed longsword to her. The scabbard had dark red stains all over the leather near the guard and the blade itself had some dents but it was a serviceable weapon. Leona silently took the sheathed sword and strapped it to her belt. When before all of this happened she had a feeling of wonder when handling arms, now there was a hint of anxiety in her expression. Nevertheless she had to wield it, if not for her, for the loyal knight that has always been protecting her. ¡°Let¡¯s go Phoebe.¡± She said without looking at the high elf, who simply nodded and climbed up the vehicle, sitting in the driver¡¯s seat. After checking the handlebar, break and putting on the protection goggles she turned around slightly to tell Leona. ¡°All ready here.¡± ¡°Firing it, in three, two, one¡­ fire.¡± She let out a small blue spark from between her hands into the chamber, powering up the vehicle which started to puff out gasses from the exhaust pipe. The spiked wheels made short work of the snow beneath them, carving a way through the soft snow and as they went forward. Leona noticed the protective eyewear she was supposed to use on the floor near the engine, she grabbed it and wore it properly even though the wind wasn¡¯t directly against her face, if she needed to turn around at least there wasn¡¯t a risk of something blinding her. After that she leaned slightly to the side to take a look at the knight who was still asleep. ¡°Krieg¡­ I hope you are alright.¡± She muttered with a hint of sadness in her voice. Ever since he was assigned to be her personal knight, she never saw him falter. His utmost devotion to her safety was what kept her alive for so long until now and she knew that if he was any less of a fighter than what her father assured her he was, she wouldn¡¯t be there to begin with. But there was nothing else she could do for him if not finding shelter, even though she has a vast knowledge of elemental magic, she had no idea how to treat people¡¯s wounds or injuries. Mulling over something she couldn¡¯t do was pointless, so instead she focused on what she could do to help, even if it meant tainting her hands red. ¡°Phoebe, can I speed things up?!¡± She shouted from behind the vehicle and upon hearing it the high elf simply gave her a thumbs up without taking her eyes off the path they were taking. Leona closed her eyes, she needed a compact flame strong enough to make the engine work properly without overstraining it, but at the same time one that could last for minutes. Inside her mind she visualized a pulsing orb of fire that released its energy periodically instead of instantly like most fire spells worked. ¡®Delayed Fire Blast should work if I make some changes to it.¡¯ First, she approached both hands against each other with all fingers spaced out from one another, many thin strings of light blue mana gathered from her fingers towards the point in the center between both hands. As the strings gathered, the mass started to take the shape of an orb, heating up quickly turning from light blue to orange and slowly changing to a darker blue tone as she used the same strings to rotate plenty of air around the fire. She then started to force her hands together, compressing the orb of fire in a way that made the blue flames become much more intense. It started to hurt her eyes when staring directly at it. After reducing it to almost a quarter of the original size, she started to work on dividing the spell into layers, while feeding it more mana between each one as she kept the constant flow of air to keep the spell alive. When her muscles were almost exhausted from holding down the spell, she released it inside the firing chamber which at first didn¡¯t seem to do anything, until the first explosion happened. The spell she had released was much more potent as the snow sledge yanked forward without much warning, prompting the high elf to make adjustments to not let the vehicle topple with the increased speed. Leona on the other hand roughly knew for how long the spell would last, affording her a few minutes of rest as she leaned her head back on the knight¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Why am I so pathetic¡­?¡± She muttered as she closed her eyes, thinking back how she ended the life of another human being with a simple motion of her arm made her feel guilty for using the knowledge her mother had given her in order to kill. ¡°This isn¡¯t what my mother wanted from me. If I knew how to handle magic better then maybe¡­¡± There was no other way she could have solved it, even if she had aimed the ice or the wind towards the man¡¯s legs he could still have wounded her or Phoebe and even if he didn¡¯t, he would¡¯ve died to the cold or wild animals anyway. Her mind struggled to accept it as the right choice, the duality of killing to protect, she wondered if Krieg ever faced the same dilemma when taking a foe¡¯s life. Nevertheless she needed to recover the mana she had spent so she grabbed the edges of the uniform which thankfully was warm enough to keep her comfortable and slowly closed her eyes. Though even with the thoughts plaguing her mind from what she had done, she managed to rest. Meanwhile Phoebe found herself in a dire situation, while she acquired the necessary clothing to not rely on the Princess¡¯ heating magic anymore, the extra size from the fur coat over the shinobi armor made it somewhat uncomfortable to move in, but at the same time she didn¡¯t want to part with it since it was a rather warm garment. It had been almost six months since she departed from the east nation in order to find Krieg, but even now she still wondered how one man without any remarkable talent beside fighting could save the Queen. After all, the continuous battle against the death angel horde was nothing like fighting other humans or demons, they never feel fatigued, pain only makes them stronger and sleep was something unnecessary for the beasts making it an ever uphill fight against such a foe. While she still had the responsibility to learn more about where they came from, she still had her own revenge in mind, but the fact her sister was on the new king¡¯s side made things more complicated. Knowing just how powerful she was as a magic caster coupled with the might of the Arcadian army made her former plan of assassinating her go down the drain, at the same time she hadn''t learned anything useful up until now so her mind wasn¡¯t exactly at peace. ¡°That being said, Londria is supposed to hold more knowledge on magical beasts. Maybe if I manage to sneak into one of their laboratories¡­ but then again I would be risking putting them in danger.¡± It was an impasse, even if her top priority was to take him to the east, she wanted to at least make some progress in learning about her enemy, as it stood the divine menace was still her sister¡¯s responsibility in her eyes. ¡°Dammit. I¡¯m not getting anywhere with this.¡± She focused on driving the snow sledge, judging from how long they¡¯ve been traveling she knew it would take time for the sun to come back and that meant there would be no way for her to check if they were really going north besides the stars. By looking up, she expected the find the shiny star known as Red Comet that is used to find the way north with more ease but the former clear sky was already covered with clouds, they were at the edge of the snow storm, with fine white particles pelting Phoebe in the face she was forced to lower her face slightly and pull the fur cap in front of her forehead as a thankful thought came to her mind. ¡®We were lucky these past couple of days, who knew a storm would catch us out here in the open.¡¯ Through little of what she could see, she noticed the path they took started to incline up ever so slightly. ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡¯ She started to gently pull the breaks, slowing the vehicle with a high pitched screech as she looked around. With a small window between the gusts of wind carrying snow, she noticed the beginning of the foot of a mountain not too far from them, to the very far right, darkened rocks broke the flat surface of the snow. As she started to approach the mountain formation, she noticed a strange looking jagged rock in the shape of a knot. She used the incline coupled with a gentle turn of the handlebar and a well timed pull of the break to park the snow sledge against the foot of the mountain, looking around it was possible to see some footprints on the snow which varied in size. Phoebe got off the vehicle, strapped her longbow to the quiver and held out one dagger in each hand as she inspected the footprints. From the difference in size and depth of each footprint it was possible to deduce there were at least six people inside, with two of them being lighter on their feet. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She hugged the far wall of the mountain and carefully inspected where the illusion began by tapping the rocks gently with the tip of the blade. Eventually when she approached the knot rock again, about two meters before it, her dagger suddenly sank through the wall as if it was made of sand, she quickly retracted her blade and noticed part of the wall regenerating back the part she had just broken. ¡®Earth magic huh? Interesting¡­¡¯ Carefully, she backed away towards the vehicle. At that time, Leona was waking up, yawning and rubbing the corner of her eyes to clean out the accumulated gunk. The high elf approached her side and reported to her while keeping tabs on her back to see if no one came to the entrance while they were there. ¡°Princess, we¡¯ve reached the cave, I inspected the entrance and found out that said illusion is made from constructing a wall to look like the rest of the mountain with earth magic.¡± After blinking a few times, she was somewhat awake, still a bit groggy from having just woken up before she leaned forward to look past her. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°I looked around, according to the footprints in the snow, there are at least six people with two of them being lighter.¡± ¡°Do you think they might be prisoners?¡± Even under the cover of her mask, Leona could tell she was frowning her brows. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I can¡¯t think of one person driving a carriage alone through this harsh environment.¡± ¡°That does make sense¡­ well then, we¡¯ll head in carefully, clear the place out then bring Krieg inside.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± With a short nod, Phoebe made her way back to the side of the entrance with both daggers at hand. Leona carefully threaded through the snow against the opposite side near the knot rock and unsheathed the longsword slowly in order to avoid its distinguishable drawing sound. ¡°On three.¡± The young lady whispered as she tightened the grip around the blade¡¯s handle. She felt an uncomfortable sensation in her gut as cold sweat started dripping from her forehead. She knew what she had to do once battle breaks out, but it didn¡¯t make it any easier. With her fingers signaling the countdown, she began whispering. ¡°Three-¡± Phoebe swallowed dry as she breathed slowly and deeply. ¡°Two-¡± Leona took one last glance towards Krieg before her eyes turned back again to look at the high elf across her. ¡°One-¡± Both of them crossed the illusory wall of earth, entering the cave barely illuminated by the moon peeking through the clouds that gathered, a storm was coming. Chapter XXXVIII: There Is Blood on My Hands, How Long Until It Reaches My Heart? Part II Inside the dark cave where barely any light came in, Phoebe walked alongside the wall as Leona followed her movements on the opposite side. The high elf knew some traps could be on the ground and with the poor visibility and without any means to make a light without attracting unwanted attention, there was no other choice but to avoid instead of disarm them. Leona however didn¡¯t know any of that and was simply imitating what she did in order to not do anything that could give them away. The cave itself didn¡¯t seem deep at first, but after threading along the wall it was possible to see a curve towards the right side of Leona¡¯s wall that seemed to be another passage. Phoebe raised her hand in order to make her stop before proceeding. With the young lady waiting against the right wall, Phoebe carefully approached the curve and peeked inside the next pathway, revealing to be an oval shaped room lit with slow burning torches hanging from the walls with iron support embedded into the rock illuminating what seemed to be wooden boxes stacked on top of one another in the far corner of the room. She kept scanning the room until she was certain no one was inside, motioning to Leona to approach her only after she made sure it was safe to do so. Upon closing in, she whispered to the high elf. ¡°Any signs of people?¡± ¡°Not yet at least, I think this is merely a storeroom for plundered goods.¡± ¡°I see¡­ how do you think we should do this?¡± ¡°Eliminate one by one. Even with sire Krieg outside, he is strong enough against the cold that we don¡¯t need to needlessly rush this. Let¡¯s take our time and be extra careful with our engagements.¡± Leona was hesitant, even if she knew that he would be ok, she didn¡¯t want to leave him out there more than she needed to. ¡°Right. But let¡¯s try to be swift, I would rather not leave him unattended for long, should they have more people coming from outside-¡± She didn¡¯t want to think of that possibility, instead she had chosen to stay quiet, only gripping the sword handle tighter as result of her anxiety. Upon noticing her own arm trembling from it, she grabbed her own right wrist firmly to stop the blade from shaking and took a deep breath. ¡®Calm down Leona, you mustn¡¯t give in to despair. Remember who you are, who you want to become¡­ don¡¯t let those who gave their lives for you be in vain.¡¯ Each deep breath worked to slow down her pulse, calming herself and sharpening all senses in the process. Her eyes opened with a light blue glint under the irises, the blade felt lighter on her hand and her feet moved like feathers on the wind while following the high elf who in turn was quite surprised by how silent she moved. Both of them made their way through the storeroom to the next corridor, this one however was very well illuminated unlike the entrance as there was almost no shadows to be had from the amount of torches placed against the rocky walls. Phoebe once again leaned against the wall that preceded the corridor as she heard footsteps coming towards their direction, she held the dagger with the pommel near her chest while the left hand held the other dagger as if ready to stab the next unfortunate victim. ¡°Princess, I¡¯ll attack the second person who comes by this, I want you to kill the first person that comes in. Preferably aim for their throat.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Leona stood right in front of her with both hands tightly holding the longsword handle at hip¡¯s height with the tip of the sword diagonally along her bent upper body. Phoebe seemed to silently count down as the footsteps grew louder, until the moment she noticed a boot to appear around the corner as a brown haired man with almost Krieg¡¯s height came in wearing the same fluff coat the high elf had taken from the bandits a while back, behind him there was a black haired younger man holding a wooden box similar to those across the room. At that point Leona dashed in with her sword winded up behind her back, going for an all out diagonal slash towards the first man¡¯s neck, but even with her fast movements, the man noticed her before she could fully land the blow, but even so she managed to nick his neck before he stumbled to the right side holding the wounded neck with the left hand while pulling the sword out of the scabbard on his hip with the right. ¡°Dammit! Intruders!¡± Seeing what happened in front of him, the young man was about to scream as he dropped the wooden box. ¡°No you won¡¯t!¡± Phoebe managed to run in and slash his throat once before plunging the dagger in between the neck and chest, leaving him to die from blood loss as he squirmed on the ground in agony as a fountain of red painted the cave¡¯s floor. Leona stumbled to the left side as most of the swing missed, but the man she had attacked was determined to kill her as he raised the longsword above his head. ¡°You little-!¡± She noticed the attack coming and stepped to the right while bringing the longsword in a horizontal slash. When both blades collided sparks went flying to the right as she staggered to the right side. ¡®Heavy!¡¯ Her arms felt the brunt of the strike. Even using only one hand, most of the man¡¯s weight was into that attack which made it very difficult for her to parry without feeling through the handle of her own weapon. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Call the others! We have intruders!¡± The man called out towards the young man that was behind him, but instead when he turned he saw Phoebe rushing in with the dagger in hand. ¡°Joe?! What the hell!¡± She tried to stab him but the blade simply screeched through the metallic armor he wore underneath the fur coat. The man quickly turned while swinging the longsword diagonally upwards but the high elf was much faster and simply hopped back while reaching for the longbow as she jumped. Even while panting, seeing how he was wide open Leona decided to wind up the blade once again above her head and go for an overhead slash aimed at the man¡¯s head. ¡®Please die!¡± She empowered her hands with wind magic to strengthen the blow and for a split second she closed her eyes shut. As if working against her favor, she felt the sensation much clearer as her hands brought the blade down with the sound of shattering bone before the disgusting sensation of cleaving flesh was transmitted through the handle of the weapon towards her own brain. With her eyes still shut, she tried to slightly pull the blade but once she felt bones scratching through the metal she simply gave up and stood still. From Phoebe¡¯s point of view it was something gruesome to watch, she put away the longbow and approached the dead kneeling man before prying his right hand open for the longsword he wielded. ¡°Princess.¡± She called out while touching her stiffened hands. ¡°You can let go. He¡¯s dead.¡± Leona slowly opened her eyes and saw a portion of the blood spilled on her hands but she couldn¡¯t dare to look at the other end of the longsword, instead she let go of the weapon¡¯s handle, falling on her back gasping for air as she was holding her breath for the entire time she was holding the sword. It felt too vivid, the feeling of hacking through someone¡¯s flesh and bones, it was the same a few weeks back, but this time was much worse. Thankfully she didn¡¯t look and instead just averted her gaze towards the ground as she carefully stood up, resisting the urge to throw up while going around the dead body. ¡°Here Princess.¡± The high elf handed her another longsword, but just by glancing at it she could tell it was from the man she had just killed, but to avoid any further burden on her mind she decided to keep moving without looking back at him. After pulling the bodies inside the far corner of the room Phoebe remained hidden against the corner while peeking in the corridor to check if no one else was coming. ¡°How many are left again?¡± Leona, who was standing right behind her, asked. ¡°Four from what I counted the footprints outside, but always assume there¡¯s more.¡± Seeing how some minutes passed and no one else was showing up, she decided to move. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± She swiftly moved through the corridor while Leona tailed behind her while taking care to not let her footsteps make much noise. The young lass couldn¡¯t help but wonder why and how that place was built, it seemed to be more than just a hidden warehouse as the corridor expanded much deeper into the mountain. Once they reached the end of the tunnel the high elf stood dumbstruck against the entrance. ¡°No way¡­¡± Her mutter under her breath prompted Leona to approach her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter Phoe-¡± She was cut short by the high elf¡¯s arm blocking her path forward, beyond that entrance was a huge trove of stolen goods. ¡°-be¡­¡± Leona was without words, there were mountains of treasure lying around in different piles of glistering gold riches in the area meters below the entrance, the place seemed like a vault of coin bustling with cutthroats, bandits and all manner of ill-intentioned folk. Groups seemed to form around the stashes of gold sitting on short wooden stools by round tables, drinking away in laugher as bottles of alcohol were tossed around to each person in the same group. ¡°A pit of fiends¡­¡± Phoebe clicked her tongue in disgust. ¡°Never once I thought I¡¯d see one of these.¡± ¡°I never heard of anything quite like this.¡± Leona took one step back and scanned their surroundings. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ isn¡¯t that a cage?¡± Deep into the room, there was a cubic cage with thick bars of metal barring a man and a woman inside, they wore sophisticated clothes but appeared unarmed, the man was grasping the bars whilst shouting something, until one of the nearby bandits wearing what seemed to be the same clothing Phoebe had ¡®borrowed¡¯ from one of their members hit the man through the bars with his sheathed longsword. The young woman beside him seemed to shout at the assailant who simply laughed. Leona tried to discern who they were and what they said, but at that distance it was impossible to ascertain due to the plethora of voices coming from inside the room. ¡°Seems like prisoners to me.¡± Phoebe whispered. ¡°Those are for ransom most likely from the way they are dressed. The other unfortunate souls over there however¡­¡± With a motion of her chin, she pointed the way to Leona which upon glancing past the mountain of coins on the right side of the room, she saw. ¡°No¡­¡± Young men and women, a few dozen or so no more older than herself probably, buck naked and broken, left in a ditch in the corner of the cold cavern to rot away after being spent in order to satisfy the lascivious desires of the sinners inside that place. It was a sickening sight, Leona could feel her insides stirr from the nauseating thoughts of the depravity that happened inside that cavern, so many that could be otherwise living their lives to the fullest, left to die a meaningless death after being a toy for some nameless scumbag. The nausea gave place for anger, the glint in her eyes started to change from light blue to a faint orange color as her right hand started to charge an ice spell, but after stepping towards the entrance she remembered her previous mistakes born from haste. Luke¡¯s death as well as Neiliel¡¯s was on her hands, they died because in her haste of saving her father she had chosen the easier path. Upon breathing deeply and slowly, she glanced at the high elf standing beside the entrance seemingly analyzing the situation at hand. Leona asked. ¡°Phoebe. Do you think we can free the prisoners while killing all of these people inside?¡± She shook her head slowly, without taking her eyes away from inside the room. ¡°Unlikely. There are far too many for us to take them on. If we are able to hide the bodies of the people we eliminate however, that is a different story.¡± Without any hint of hesitation she pulled out her longbow and drew it to its maximum power. ¡°Like this.¡± Her slender reddened fingers let go of the arrow, piercing through the room before carving itself into an unfortunate bandit¡¯s skull as he was disposing of food in the corner of the room. Phoebe kneeled and set some arrows against the wall for easier access while Leona grasped the longsword tightly as she stepped to the side of the entrance. ¡°I¡¯ll head inside, I wager the woman is capable of fighting.¡± ¡°Princess that¡¯s too dangerous, what if they-¡± ¡°Even if we were to pick them one by one, eventually someone will notice and a fight would break out. We better have more on our side by then.¡± The high elf hesitantly nodded as she started to sneak inside. Chapter XXXIX: There Is Blood on My Hands, How Long Until It Reaches My Heart? Part III Fear was consuming Leona from inside out, never once she had to take lives as a way to save another, but she was determined to do so in order to keep the knight safe from the ever growing storm approaching from the north. Her footsteps were light, betraying the sense of security inside the cave as she carefully took each step in order to not make the faintest of noises. The path to the entrance was thankfully being blocked by a semi-collapsed stone pillar that laid diagonally against the nearby wall, she made her way down the ramp whilst using said pillar as cover from the many drunken eyes that wandered around the room. To the right of the foot of the ramp there was a big pile of stolen goods which varied from vanity furniture made of silver or gold, to vintage sheathed weapons stuck beneath the mountain of coins which the scabbard seemed more like a work of art than a weapon of war. On the immediate left there was another pile of treasure, but lying near it there was a sleeping bandit wearing only his fur hat, already deep in his cups, the man didn¡¯t seem to wake up anytime soon. Leona decided to take the safer option and survey the area around her before making a move. Over the pillar she had her back against, there was a way behind and around the pile of gold which seemed to be out of sight of everyone else in the cave, while on the front, she¡¯d have to go across the ramp to find cover on the other side of the pile of treasure the drunken bandit was sleeping against. ¡®Hm¡­¡¯ She took another quick peek over the collapsed pillar and noticed no one was looking in her direction before she decided to vault over the stone formation and dash behind the mountain of treasure, carefully making her way around the scattered coins to avoid making any noise. With her longsword in hand she could feel the vibrations of her heartbeat pulsate through the metallic blade in her hand, cold sweat started to form on her brow as she tried her best to control the agitated breathing. ¡®Alright¡­ now if I can rotate around this pile and go to the right side of the cavern I¡¯ll be able to have a clear shot with wind mag-¡¯ As she was preparing to put her plan into action, hurried footsteps seemed to be approaching from the right side of the pile of treasure, prompting her to duck behind the mountain of gold whilst holding her breath. The man stopped just a few steps away from her, standing beside the ditch of corpses just across her. ¡°Ah man¡­ it¡¯s another one of those days¡­¡± A hint of discomfort in his muttering made Leona relax a little knowing she wasn¡¯t spotted, but the man wasn¡¯t moving away from that spot meaning she couldn¡¯t move without being seen. ¡°This god damned pit, they should¡¯ve thrown these to the wolves.¡± She grasped the handle tighter, if she moved there was a high chance that he would notice her, on the other hand if she stayed there, the moment he turned around he would see her crouching behind him, it was a lose-lose situation with only one plausible solution. ¡®I have to kill him.¡¯ Leona thought. Though it was easier said than done, it had to be one singular strike that could take the man¡¯s life in a split second so nobody else in that cavern would notice. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. She slowly stood up, approaching the man from behind while raising the longsword above her shoulder level and grasping the handle with both hands. Unsure where to strike, she began aiming at his neck, but her arms felt heavy, the longsword even heavier as she mustered all her courage to swing down the blade. The moment she winded up her arm to strike, he began to turn around which made her hesitate. For that split second before he could notice her standing with the sword in hand an arrow pierced the side of his skull splattering her face with droplets of blood. It was at that moment she snapped out of it and managed to grab him by the fur coat with the left hand before the body collapsed on the ground. Upon glancing back, she noticed Phoebe gesturing to keep moving. Leona slowly put the man down near the pit as the weight of the carcass made it slip down in the pit alongside the other decomposing corpses. She swallowed the urge to vomit as she began skulking around the outer side of the room, focusing only on getting near the prisoners. ¡®Get it together me. I talked big to Phoebe but still needed her help in the end.¡± She frowned her brow in discontent as she continued to move through the shadows with the weapon at the ready. There was a certain tension in the air as she slowly made her way from pile to pile, avoiding being in the line of sight of the people in the center of the room. Leona wasn¡¯t particularly good at hiding, but moving without making a noise was something she extensively trained in her childhood when running from Krieg and maids in the mansion. It was second nature to her, but unlike in her household, getting caught here could mean her death or worse, joining the pile of bodies in the foul pit. She stopped once she was across the iron cage, there was two bandits standing guard, one on each side, the closest to Leona held a crossbow while the other had what seemed to be a long barreled rifle, though from that distance she couldn¡¯t tell exactly if it was a matchlock or the more recent type of breech loaded rifle. In either case, she had a serious problem in her hands. She could only take one of them out and the moment the other noticed she would have to rely on them missing her in order to have enough time to cast another spell. She clenched her teeth in frustration, even if she was fast enough to kill the furthest one with a ranged spell and rush down the crossbowman with her longsword, it would only expose her to the rest of the bandits, making her lose the only advantage she had. At the same time, stalling the reason why she went in was also dangerous as it would only raise the chances of her being noticed. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ She glanced at the entrance and saw the high elf staring right at her as if waiting for something. Leona didn¡¯t know whether or not it was going to work but nevertheless she needed to try. Phoebe was kneeling beside the entrance with an arrow loosely knocked against the bowstring while she carefully observed the Princess¡¯ movements until she stopped behind a pile of treasure and glanced right back at her. Leona waved twice before arching her left hand over her own head towards the center of the room. The high elf¡¯s eyes glanced to the middle of the open space and noticed the two bandits standing guard on each side of the cage. ¡°Heh, not bad Princess.¡± She picked four other arrows between each finger and held them in the right hand while dipping them quickly in a glass vial of green solution, before pulling back the one already in the string. From Leona¡¯s perspective, seeing the high elf ready the bow to fire seemed to mean she got the message across. Before the fight breaks out she needed to kill as many as she could in the shortest possible time, there would be no second chances. The young lass glanced down at her own left palm, closing and opening before taking a deep breath. ¡°Should it come to this then¡­¡± Muttering under her breath she began to chant her unique spell. ¡°By the blessings of my creator, I order it to halt, time and space, Diamond Frost.¡± Slowly, the air around her left arm began to coalesce into fine particles of ice as it worked its way up from her elbow until it covered her entire hand in a chiseled thick gauntlet of ice. She exhaled a fine mist of steam while aiming the open palm of her left hand towards the crossbowman while she prepared herself mentally. ¡°It¡¯s now or nothing¡­!¡± Chapter XL: Unexpected Alliances A few seconds before she set her plans in motion, Leona prepared herself. Even knowing fully well just how dangerous it would be and having an idea what was the best way she could execute it, she was on edge, her muscles stiffened with an ever growing cold feeling from the bottom of her stomach. Upon extending her open left palm encased in ice, she began to chant, trying her best to shake off the nervousness with a firm and loud voice. "Winds of time, grant thy power upon myself, Windshot!" In no time, a solid pebble of ice formed from her gauntlet speeding up with rotational force before being shot at an incredible speed from the wind spell. The crossbowman only had time to turn around at the sound of Leona¡¯s voice as the ice projectile hit dead center against his stomach making him hunch his head forward from the impact. ¡°Gah!¡± He dropped the crossbow on the ground while trying to yell, but the pebble hit his diaphragm, rendering him unable to breathe. On the other side of the cage, the marksman turned towards his fallen comrade only to see Leona charging towards them wielding the longsword with both hands behind her body. ¡°Shit! We got an intruder!¡± He rapidly raised the rifle to aim at her, but his weapon was knocked to the right side as the woman inside the cage had thrown a rock that served as a distraction as Leona rushed in with a wide overhead swing of her sword. The man jumped back, dodging the attack entirely while drawing a dagger from a sheath in his belt, the other bandits stood up from their seats around the gold piles, there was a total of eight of them, three of which were women in their late twenties while the rest of the men seemed to be in their thirties or so, physically, they were stronger than Leona, but with the help of magic, she was sure there was a chance to win. Leona¡¯s opponent was ready to attack her when an arrow pierced through the right side of his rib cage, the flash of pain was obvious as his face frowned in agony while the screaming filled the cavern, nevertheless it was an opening for her to exploit. From the long point stance, she thrust the longsword forward horizontally, embedding the metal inside the left side of the man¡¯s chest. ¡®Die quickly please!¡¯ She thought, but even though she had pierced his left lung, he was very much alive and in great pain showed by just how desperately he tried to slash her, fortunately for Leona her blade had much more reach than his dagger, keeping her outside of immediate danger. From her left, a red haired woman was charging towards her with a steel handaxe, she wore pretty much the same attire as everyone else, only the right side of her arm had no sleeve and was exposed to the cold environment of the cave. ¡°Die!¡± She shouted as she got closer to the tactician, who had her hands full trying to keep the man she stabbed from slashing her. ¡®Dammit! I won¡¯t be able to-!¡¯ Leona considered letting go of her left grip in order to cast a spell to render her attacker incapacitated, but before the woman could get close enough to strike, she heard a faint whistle cutting the air before an arrow shaft sprouted from the woman¡¯s back. In a span of three seconds, other four bandits behind the charging red headed woman fell on the ground with arrows protruding out of different parts of their bodies. Shortly thereafter their mouths began to foam while spasming uncontrollably on the ground. ¡°Archer in the entrance!¡± One female voice echoed from somewhere to Leona¡¯s left, apparently there were more people other than the ones in the center of the room. However she had barely no time to worry about other possible assailants as the man she stabbed tried to throw the dagger against her face. ¡°Ngh!¡± She leaned to the right just barely dodging the incoming blade which nicked her in the left cheek, leaving a trace of blood dripping from the cut. In that moment of distraction, the man rotated to her left to try and pick up the handaxe from the ground but Leona managed to get a firm hold of the sword handle and swing the blade and eventually his body to the left, causing the man to lose his balance and fall sideways against the cavern floor. ¡°DAMMIT MY RIBS! YOU BITCH!¡± He screamed while grasping the blade with his bare hands, bleeding both palms while trying to desperately pull the steel longsword out of his ribcage but Leona couldn¡¯t suffer to let him attack her after Phoebe had knocked most of the bandits down. ¡°Grr!¡± In a contest of raw strength, she could easily be overwhelmed, but seeing how he was unarmed and down on the ground made her take the initiative lest let him recover. ¡°Die already!¡± She changed both her left and right hand to a reverse grip and used the brief moment the man managed to raise the blade out of his body to her advantage before using all her strength to plummet the tip of the weapon through where the clavicle and sternum meet. ¡°GAH!¡± A dying gasp left his lungs as the blade sank inside his body, the unimaginable pain sent chills down Leona¡¯s spine as this time, she had both felt and seen the result of her actions. Blood began to quickly stain his clothing as well as irregular splutters of crimson from his mouth before his hands stopped its futile struggle, sliding through the blade¡¯s edge until collapsing beside his chest, motionless. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Aah¡­ haa¡­¡± Only after being certain that he was dead Leona let go of the sword¡¯s handle, reaching for both her knees from exhaustion. ¡®I did it¡­¡¯ She thought, though it was but a mere respite from what was coming next. ¡°Leona!¡± ¡°Phoe-¡± The high elf¡¯s voice came from her left and the moment Leona turned around to look at her a blade suddenly appeared dangerously close to her throat from behind, the bandit previously holding the crossbow was now holding her at daggerpoint. Panic started to overcome the tactician¡¯s senses as she slowly raised her hands. Seemingly still in pain from the pebble shot against his diaphragm, he spoke just a few words, winded by his own voice. ¡°Come no closer¡­!¡± Phoebe raised both her hands as well, whilst letting go of the bloodied daggers in each hand, hitting the ground with a dry thud which echoed the now eerily silent cavern. ¡°Just know that you won¡¯t survive for long if you try to flee on foot.¡± The high elf said while slowly trying to approach him. ¡°Do not move! Or¡­ I¡¯ll kill her!¡± He raised the blade that was now touching Leona¡¯s skin, while not immediately bleeding, she felt the edge would cut her if she breathed any harder. He recklessly pulled her backwards as he took a step back, seemingly intimidated by the large marks of splattered blood across the high elf¡¯s fur overcoat. Eventually, he hit his left heel against an object, the distinct clang of small metallic bits echoed from his foot, Leona knew that familiar sound. Shortly after the click of a trigger followed by a deafening loud blast from her right while at the same time particles of blood and bits of bone hit the right side of her face. As a reaction from the intense sound, she closed her eyes shut for a second, only to hear the agonizing scream taking place somewhere behind her left side. Upon turning around she noticed the long red haired young woman finishing the job by shooting the man screaming on the ground in the head. However she wasn¡¯t done there, she loaded another round in the chamber with the lever under the grip and shot again. Then one more time, then another, until the rifle had no more ammunition. ¡°Death is a mercy for savages like you.¡± Her voice seemed younger than her appearance gave credit for. She ejected the last bullet out of the rifle and cleaned her right hand against her coat before letting out a tired sigh. Her tired light blue eyes seemed to wander around looking at Leona and Phoebe before turning to help the young man behind her. On closer inspection, her clothing seemed like a military uniform of some kind, a white buttoned black overcoat large enough to cover from her upper body down to the shins with a handkerchief tucked inside the collar of the coat, the pants were made of a thick fabric which seemed hot enough for the cold Londrian environment accompanied by a heavy pair of black leather boots. The young man shared an uncanny physical appearance to the young woman. He seemed to notice Phoebe approaching the cage and began to cower in fear. Hugging his own body trembling without control. ¡°Calm down, Art. Everything will be fine now.¡± She put both of her hands on each of his shoulders before giving a light squeeze to reassure him everything would be alright. Outside the metallic cage, Phoebe reached out to the tactician to check if there were any visible wounds while asking. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Leona nodded once in return. ¡°I¡¯m fine thanks to her. In the end it¡¯s my fault, I should¡¯ve been more careful.¡± She massaged her throat, checking if there were no wounds, Phoebe on the other hand moved past her and started to loot off the bandits just killed, turning over empty pockets searching for useful things. Leona couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly as the high elf went on as if it was another day in the job. ¡®And in the end, she did everything¡­¡¯ She felt slightly frustrated after looking around the room before her, about seven were dead lying on top of puddles of blood while another four were squirming like maggots on the ground whilst foaming from their mouths, a fitting end for them but an unsightly thing to behold. ¡°So how long are you going to stand there?¡± Leona noticed the young woman was addressing as the moment she turned around, she was met with a stern look from her light blue eyes, as if she was tired of waiting for her to do something. Dumbfounded, the tactician blinked a few times before saying. ¡°Excuse me?¡± The woman simply sighed whilst shaking her head, she then raised her hand motioning to Leona as to give her something. ¡°Give me the key, the bandit with the rifle, he had it on him.¡± The tactician was taken aback, never once she met someone so conceited that after that life and death situation she¡¯d be ordering her saviors. Nevertheless, Leona decided to help out of goodwill, she was about to turn around when an object flew by the left side of her face. ¡°Here.¡± Phoebe said as she tossed the iron key to the young woman. ¡°At least tell us who you are and why you were captured by bandits.¡± The woman caught it midair and without wasting any time, she proceeded to unlock the cage from the outside. ¡°Name¡¯s Athena Kaiser, that should explain why we were captured in the first place.¡± Without looking at either Leona or Phoebe, she rotated the key opening up the cage¡¯s door. She went back and grabbed the rifle, strapping the leather sling over her right shoulder. ¡°Come Art, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± She grabbed his arm by the wrist while also helping him stand up with her left hand. ¡°But sister, what about them?¡± He asked as he stood up. ¡°Wasn¡¯t they who helped us?¡± ¡°Hm? No, listen Art, we have to reach Londria by the next few days, if we take longer than that who knows what mother will tell everybody else.¡± ¡°And how exactly do you plan to go to Londria? On foot?¡± Leona intervened, she knew it was hardly her place to put her nose in, but after the trouble both her and Phoebe went to save them, as accidental as it was, she wasn¡¯t planning to see those two die outside that cave. ¡°That is none of your business.¡± Athena replied with no hesitation. ¡°My family depends on this job and I intend to finish it.¡± Phoebe picked up both of her daggers from the ground and used a nearby bandit who had just finished breathing his last to clean the blood off the blade while occasionally glancing at Leona conversing with the Kaiser siblings. ¡°Sister please¡­¡± His voice was full of fear, but even so he tried to reason with her. ¡°They saved us, let us just take a moment of respite, I¡¯m sure the people at Londria will understand if we explain what happened to us.¡± Upon looking at his pleading light blue eyes, Athena couldn¡¯t help but to sigh and give up. ¡°Very well.¡± She turned at the tactician with a stern glare. ¡°I take it you have another option?¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to listen.¡± Chapter XLI: A Hero’s Journey It had been a long day, after clearing the bandit outpost Leona and Phoebe managed to drag Krieg inside and after acquiring the necessary materials for a campfire, they found a measure of peace, though by just breathing slightly deeper, it was possible to feel the smell of rotten flesh from across the spacious stone room. The place wasn¡¯t comfortable, but at least it was out of the incoming storm. The other two newly met acquaintances slowly began to open up to Leona after brief introductions. The younger brother, Arthur was afflicted with a disease known as silver decay, it was a very rare occurrence after the end of the war, but it was extensively seen in knights that donned equipment made of frostburnt silver for long periods of time. While the older sister Athena was an inventor responsible for the creation of the bolt action rifle prototype seen in Akrapocalis. Albeit she didn¡¯t want to divulge any more than she needed to as it clearly made her uncomfortable in doing so. Phoebe was arranging the fire by tossing pieces of wooden furniture used by the former residents of that rotten den. Meanwhile Leona was inspecting the lever action rifle with a nigh endless curiosity as it was a much different type of weapon than the bolt action one she saw back in Akrapocalis. ¡°So this is called a lever action rifle.¡± She muttered with the weapon in her slender hands it seemed much bigger than it actually was. She moved the lever down and back to the original position, looking at each moving part of the gun. ¡°That is a design stolen from my family. Damn swindlers, they used my father¡¯s death as an excuse to take everything he worked so hard to create.¡± Athena was clearly upset from remembering her father¡¯s fate. The light blue eyes had a hint of hate which was more clearly seen by Phoebe who also knew what was to have everything taken away from her. ¡°While he created a concept using a lever, the people who he worked with conspired his death to take credit for his hard work.¡± ¡°Such is the shallowness of men.¡± Phoebe bitterly chuckled. ¡°At one point everyone is working together against a greater foe, the second the threat is gone they are back to pointing their swords to one another.¡± The high elf sighed whilst shaking her head. ¡°Then¡­¡± Leona began to speak as she handed the rifle back to Athena. ¡°Why exactly are you heading back to Londria? Wouldn¡¯t you find an easier job at Akrapocalis instead of heading all the way up north to where your father died above all things?¡± Her brow frowned slightly. ¡°My family is on the brink of poverty, us Kaisers were a prominent family in Akrapocalis but with my father¡¯s investments on his own research, it left little for us to live from. At the same time that I acquire the coin my family needs to survive, I will also be looking for the backstabber who planned his death.¡± She clenched her hand in a tight fist before turning to her brother. ¡°And supposedly, there are a few chirurgeons who know much about silver decay there. I wish to find a way to cure him from it.¡± Leona glanced at Arthur, his pale complexion showed how much it had affected him, comparing his older sister¡¯s skin, it was clear that it wasn¡¯t the normal tone of his body and instead an effect of the disease. ¡°I read about it, though it was mostly known to affect knights who wore frostburnt silver for long periods of time. Was he a knight by any chance?¡± Athena shook her head, she began staring at the uneven stone floor while twisting her mouth slightly to the side. ¡°No, it was my fault.¡± Her voice was filled with regret as she looked at her brother sleeping tucked against a pile of gold coins. ¡°I¡¯ve made bullets with frostburnt silver as propellant, though not known to me at the time and contrary to popular belief, the magic in the silver dust doesn¡¯t dissipate entirely.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes went wide as she came to a realization. ¡°Which means he inhaled frostburnt silver¡­!¡± Athena nodded shortly. Frustration could be easily seen throughout her arms as both hands clenched into tight fists. The burden of taking care of someone she held dear, though not a familiar concept to Leona, she could feel the pain and suffering it had caused on the young woman in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± Phoebe said. ¡°I know it all too well, when the life of someone you hold dear is on the line.¡± The young inventor glanced around the room, as if searching for something she might have lost. Such a story weighed heavily on the tactician''s mind, the downfall of a loved one from her own personal mistakes. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. She couldn¡¯t help but look at the knight leaned against a pile of fur coats. It was much like what happened to her, albeit Leona couldn¡¯t have any way of knowing how long Krieg would remain unconscious or if he would ever wake up at all. But whatever was the result of his own sacrifice, she wasn¡¯t planning to be for nothing. ¡°But even so¡­¡± She began talking earnestly with Athena, which promptly caught the inventor¡¯s attention. ¡°You are still seeking a way to cure him, so don¡¯t blame yourself for what already happened and instead you should look for a brighter future.¡± Athena chuckled sourly. ¡°I wish I could be this positive. No, my purpose is sorely driven by hatred of both the people who took my father¡¯s life and myself from letting fame and profit blind me from the dangers I put my brother in.¡± She stared at her own open palm before closing it tightly. ¡°If I can bring even a semblance of normalcy for him, that is all that I ask for. It is the least I can do after I robbed him of his life.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t find words to console her, the young woman in front of her couldn¡¯t be too older than her and even so she was already full of regret so early in her life. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± She looked away towards the ground, before turning to her again. ¡°But let us help you. We plan on heading towards Londria on the morrow if the storm agrees with our plan, we¡¯ll see how you can accompany us with our ride.¡± Athena went silent for a few seconds before looking Leona in the eyes. For some reason her piercing gaze sent chills down the tactician¡¯s spine as she replied. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m grateful for your assistance in this matter with the bandits, but I don¡¯t fully trust you just yet.¡± She glanced at Phoebe who was sharpening her daggers with a leather belt she had found. ¡°Besides, you have one of the most infamous assassins of the continent at your disposal. It doesn¡¯t necessarily make me comfortable.¡± Leona blinked twice before glancing to the high elf to her right, who simply shrugged as she answered. ¡°I think my reputation with the bow and blade precedes me.¡± She finished sharpening the last dagger and lifted the dead woman near her from her long brown hair and sliced through a thick lock of strings with one swipe, letting the corpse¡¯s head fall back against the ground with a dry thud. She flipped the dagger from one side to the other before turning to Leona with a faint smile on her face. ¡°Not that it matters, no one can really tell who I really am unless they see me in action and normally even if they see me, they are not long for this world. But however you decide to help is none of my business Princess Leona. I¡¯m just a bodyguard at the present moment so I won¡¯t be looking for trouble if that¡¯s your concern.¡± Leona shook her head before giving a small smile as she replied to her. ¡°I hadn¡¯t doubted you for even a moment Phoebe, it¡¯s just- I didn¡¯t know you were someone so well known, even if it is for the strangest of motives. If anything it only serves as reassurance for me.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Athena cleared her throat which prompted both of them to look at her. She didn¡¯t seem convinced by their exchange of words but nevertheless she tried to gauge just how much faith she was willing to put in them. ¡°But I still have to ask, what is your reason to come all the way here? Even if your household was attacked directly, as a noble of your kingdom you must have some sort of personal military at your disposal, mercenaries are also an option, you could¡¯ve easily fought back and regained your-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not simple like that.¡± Leona¡¯s abrupt change of tone surprised both Phoebe and Athena. Her Aquamarine eyes had a faint dark red glow under the irises, leaving an eerie trace whenever her eyes moved. ¡°My family spent most of our coin to help fund the war, my mother created the muskets that served as a foundation for the present weaponry that you yourself created, everything came from our personal funds, from food to our workers and researchers to the blades and firearms of our soldiers. After the war ended there were only a handful of knights left in our ranks and even after so much dread and suffering, we welcomed demonkind to our doorstep so we could forge a path for a future without strife. Those soldiers who once served us now despise my family from aiding those whose fate was outside of their hands.¡± She took a deep breath, while Athena wanted to speak she couldn¡¯t help but feel overwhelmed by her tale. A girl much younger than herself held a burden much greater than her own. ¡°But even so.¡± Leona continued with pain embedded in her voice. ¡°My mother was a half demon herself, but even with the ¡®accursed blood¡¯ she fought on for the peace of mankind and for what? It cost her life to save a kingdom of ingrates so self absorbed with hatred that can¡¯t even see the greater picture. Death angels are roaming these lands and without uniting to fight against this incoming threat, all life, not just ours but everything on this planet will perish. There won¡¯t be a tomorrow for them nor us.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Athena was lost for words, her tale was heavy, much heavier than anything she had ever heard. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know.¡± As the daughter of an inventor, she wasn¡¯t a noble, nor was interested in having the life of one. She always had an impression that those of the upper classes were sheltered individuals just idling away their lives until they were needed for some trivial paperwork here or there. But seeing someone younger than her shouldering such a burden alone, it made the inventor feel powerless. It wasn¡¯t a struggle against a single person or entity, it was a battle for the life of the very planet that was hanging in the balance. ¡°Nevertheless.¡± Leona wiped off some tears that began to overflow from her eyes before continuing. ¡°We still live here and now, we must reach Londria no matter what.¡± Athena took a deep breath, whilst closing her eyes. It was certainly a lot to take in, she knew about Leona and her deciding strategy to win the battle of Lugna Plains. But to hear that another war could spark at any moment while the death angel threat was at Akrapocalis¡¯ doorstep meant that not only the dwarven citadel but all the other kingdoms could easily fall prey to the angelic menace. ¡°Very well.¡± The young inventor opened her eyes which sparked with fiery determination. ¡°I¡¯ll help you in what I can, so let¡¯s head to Londria as soon as we are able.¡± Chapter XLII: Power of the Heart The bitter cold night was thankfully averted by the abundance of flammable materials in the cave Leona didn¡¯t know if she could handle another night without a proper fire. Between the three of them they decided to keep watch in determined intervals whilst keeping the campfire working at all times so they wouldn¡¯t freeze to death, since even though it was a cave, the chill air gathered in the lower parts of the spacious room. Leona was last, so she was afforded at least more sleep throughout the night, not that it was a blessing in a way. She blinked her eyes a few times and felt the strange sensation of staring into the darkness again, only to be greeted by a flash of light that forced her to shut them close again. For a brief moment the blinding light subsided allowing her to slowly open her eyes. ¡°Let me welcome again, Leona Crossford.¡± Through her blurred vision, she saw a man of about her height sitting on a throne of swirling miasma. ¡°Though I much prefer when you can¡¯t see me clearly, you see, it makes for a more dramatic encounter.¡± He wore a prestigious military garb that consisted in a dark navy blue overcoat closed with golden buttons, shoulder pads of same color accompanied by pure white cotton gloves, the trousers shared the color of the coat which was broken by the black shin high leather boots. His hair was soot black beneath the military hat that held a pair of goggles around it, his laid back ocean blue eyes stared at his guests standing in front of him. Leona¡¯s expression changed the moment she heard his voice. ¡°Lastraeous.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m taken aback, at least you remember who I am, even though I no longer wear the miasma.¡± He clapped his hands together once. ¡°You have grown splendidly well. I¡¯d say you are now attuned to the darkness within you.¡± That sentence sent chills all over her body as if it was something like a terrible memory from the past. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± She threaded carefully as the words of an all almighty god couldn¡¯t be taken lightly. ¡°Oh dispense your worries for now.¡± He waved his hand back and forth in disdain. ¡°Life isn¡¯t meant to be always filled with happiness, that would make you take it for granted.¡± ¡°Hasn''t my life been filled with enough chaos already? While death is inevitable, enough suffering has already been engraved deep in the hearts of my people and mine. From the despair of having a loved one robbed right before our eyes, from a hard toiled dream crumble beneath the weight of hatred.¡± ¡°Mark my words Leona. To live is to suffer, a myriad of worlds beyond the rift are bound to the same fate of your story as we speak. Pain and dread is an ever present emotion in the hearts of living beings. May they be human or demon.¡± He chuckled to himself. ¡°Well, not that it is the topic of the present conversation I wished to have with you.¡± He stood up and with a snap of his fingers, his clothing dissipated in miasma only to remold itself into an expensive-looking dark red tuxedo, coupled with tight leather gloves sharing the same color. Dark red formal pants and a shiny well polished leather shoe. ¡°Honestly you are one of the few mortals that are able to derail the conversation from the original subject.¡± He adjusted the gloves in each hand before sitting down on the throne once again. ¡°Darkness is a sentiment present in every living being. Not many know that is also a source of power, a nigh limitless one at that. However, I must warn you, the power that you possess is but a fraction of your true potential.¡± ¡°Wait, why are you bothering telling me this then?¡± ¡°Because in time, if left unchecked it will consume your very being. In a world filled with pain and despair, it is all too easy to give yourself in and let it control you. While I believe death to be a beautiful thing, it often takes those whose duties are not yet completed. You still have a part to play in this act and it would pain me to see you being taken away by the very power I hold.¡± ¡°So this does concern my well-being after all.¡± She frowned her brows. ¡°So what happens if this ¡®darkness¡¯ you speak of takes a hold of me?¡± ¡°It would be easy if I just showed you.¡± The moment he snapped his fingers again, her feet felt like it had no purchase with the once solid surface blade of water. At first it was an unpleasantly cold sensation throughout her legs as she tried to grasp whatever she could from the ground before sinking in entirely. Even though her body felt like it was immersed in liquid, she could still breathe normally, however the light that came from above was quickly dissipating inside the curtain of darkness that she found herself sinking through. ¡®Dammit, what in the world is going on here?!¡¯ As she moved her body, it felt as if fragments of her soul were starting to scatter throughout the liquid, numbness began to set in before her right arm was violently grasped by something that felt like a cold hand. ¡°Gah!¡± She instinctively tried to pry it open with her left, but that arm was also held by multiple hands along her forearm. In her struggle, she began to hear voices echoing throughout the darkness. ¡°There is no hope¡­¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°No tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Accept your inevitable fate¡­¡± ¡°That is death.¡± Her body felt like it was breaking apart, the myriad of cold hands pulled her even deeper in the darkness below and whatever faint light left from the surface became just a mere glint in the sea of black. As her consciousness began to fade, a memory of her mother and father flashed in her mind, despair set in as she struggled with all her might. ¡°I won¡¯t die here! I can¡¯t!¡± As she extended her hand towards the light, many others began to cling to her, dragging her body deeper into the darkness, until she couldn¡¯t see anything anymore. ¡°Do you finally understand?¡± Lastraeous voice sounded distant, though his tone betrayed any hint of worry. ¡°Humanity¡¯s woes are an infinite source of power for those attuned to the darkness within themselves. Continue on your path, but remember, even if you embrace the light, there shall always be a shadow behind your back.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Leona shot up awake, she was drenched in cold sweat as she looked at both of her arms but there was no sign of marks from the hands that were dragging her down the abyss. She couldn¡¯t tell how every time she was brought to the void she could feel the sensations in her body so clearly yet there didn¡¯t seem to be any signs of what transpired in her physical form. ¡°Are you alright?¡± A female voice came from her right. Athena¡¯s eyes were wide open from surprise staring at Leona, she held a broken piece of wooden table in her right hand while the left rested on the lever action rifle on the ground near her. ¡°It was just a nightmare, that¡¯s all.¡± She reached for her face, rubbing both eyes as her sight adjusted to the light of the campfire. The cold breeze made her have goosebumps while her whole body shook up along the chill from the base of her back towards the very tip of her head. She blinked a few more times and once she raised her head, she noticed Athena holding a fur coat from its collar. ¡°Here, take it. I was wondering why the elf left it with me before she went outside. Guess it was meant for you.¡± Leona slowly nodded a few times as she grabbed the coat and put it over her back. The piece of clothing was somewhat big for her, covering most of her upper body plus part of her thighs. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She tossed the piece of broken table in the fire before laying with her back against a pile of gold. ¡°Listen Leona, I huh¡­ I¡¯m sorry ok? I didn¡¯t know about what you went through and went ahead and said something I shouldn¡¯t have.¡± The tactician had a weak smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, anyone would assume what you did. After all, many nobles don¡¯t deserve the position of nobility.¡± ¡°Still, I think your tale is something straight out of a fairy tale, if not for your elf companion I wouldn¡¯t have believed you.¡± ¡°How do you even know about Phoebe? I thought she was a bodyguard until just now.¡± ¡°¡®Where an elf shrouded in darkness walks, death is surely to follow.¡¯ Or that is how the people of Akrapocalis say. She is quite infamous for killing corrupt nobles, much like the King Slayers. Though not quite as brutal as them.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I wasn¡¯t aware that she was such an accomplished fighter.¡± Athena tilted her head slightly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say fighter.¡± She picked an arrow she had lying on the ground near her and showed to Leona, the tip was still coated with a murky dark green liquid, presumably a poison of some kind. ¡°The moment she shot these coated arrows, most of the bandits here were already convulsing on the ground whilst foaming from their mouths. My point is, she probably knows exactly what to do to bring a man down as fast as one possibly can. It¡¯s a frightening thought.¡± ¡°Yes I know exactly where to aim if that¡¯s your concern.¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice came from somewhere behind them. ¡°AH!¡± Athena instinctively threw the arrow away but thankfully the high elf managed to catch it through the shaft. ¡°Careful with these, it can kill a person within a few seconds.¡± She tossed it in the fire. ¡°Even the slightest nick in the skin can get it inside your system and bam, you¡¯re dead.¡± The inventor brushed dust off her coat as she moved to the right to give Phoebe enough space to sit between her and Leona. ¡°Welcome back Phoebe.¡± ¡°Thank you Princess.¡± As soon as she sat down, Athena tried to keep the casual conversation going to try and hide her nervousness from being near a well renowned assassin. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how you can make poison like this, don¡¯t you fear you end up poisoning yourself?¡± ¡°Hah, I am still afraid of messing up while making them, but with enough time comes experience and with it, comes a certain trust in your own abilities. I am no legendary assassin, I¡¯m just a person that has become a little capable at something others can¡¯t do.¡± She leaned back and turned on her side to sleep. ¡°Either way, I¡¯ll rest for now. Keep an eye out on the entrance, I made multiple rounds to see if there was any other way in but there were none so as long as you keep your attention there, nothing should take us off guard.¡± Leona nodded firmly and noticed Phoebe crossing her arms while holding both daggers in each hand to sleep. An unusual sight, but not enough to warrant a question from the tactician. A few minutes of quiet went by with only the sound of the crackling campfire to damp the sound of emptiness from the cave. Athena threw another piece of broken chair into the fire while occasionally glancing towards the sleeping high elf. ¡°Well she is certainly a pro in my book.¡± The inventor let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Phoebe still sleeping soundly after she spoke. ¡°I never met anyone in that field of work before.¡± ¡°Phoebe is very reliable. It was because of her that me and Krieg were able to flee from the capital.¡± Leona said without taking her eyes off the swaying fire, she reminded herself of her fears but within there was a glimpse of hope like the embers that fuel said fire. ¡°Me on the other hand¡­ I¡¯ve let my fears consume me for long enough.¡± ¡°You had your reasons. I¡¯m sure it was the first time for you, killing a person I mean.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but look directly into the inventor¡¯s eyes. ¡°Have you ever taken the life of another?¡± ¡°Twice. I still can remember the feeling of pulling the trigger.¡± She seemed bothered by reliving the memory deep in her mind. ¡°It was when I first knew about my brother¡¯s condition, my mother¡¯s retainers were ordered to take him away for ¡®cleansing¡¯ which was basically a death sentence for him.¡± Shock could be seen on the tactician¡¯s face, for her own parents to wish death upon one of her own blood it seemed inconceivable. ¡°You own mother?! But then the ¡®family¡¯ you spoke of before-¡± ¡°It is just me and him left. My first kill was my mother¡¯s most trusted retainer while the second¡­¡± She swallowed dry before turning to look Leona in the eyes. ¡±...was my own mother.¡± Chapter XLIII: Darkness Embrace Death was a familiar concept to Leona, she had lost so much up to this point that she didn¡¯t know if she could even shed any more tears. But what differed her from Athena, was that she was loved through and through by everyone who had died by other¡¯s hands. It was inevitable for a noble to be targeted, that much she knew, but with each life taken away from her, a certain sensation of hatred had begun to grow within her. A feeling only the people who experienced the same could understand. Upon hearing the inventor¡¯s tale she noticed just how much more pain and suffering still existed in the world even after the war. As the sole heir of the Crossford family, she didn¡¯t have any siblings, nor knew about the dynamics of having one since most of the people she knew didn¡¯t have a close sibling whom she could observe. Nevertheless, it made her feel sick, the mere thought of such sin was too much for her to stay collected. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± Leona said melancholically, whilst holding the longsword scabbard firmly against her lap. ¡°I can¡¯t begin to imagine how painful it must have been for you.¡± Athena stared at her own left palm, opening and closing before settling the same hand on the rifle¡¯s handle beside her. ¡°I just wish it didn¡¯t have come down to this. My family is just another branch of the main family but still, if my mother really wished to save my brother, she could¡¯ve found a way. Even if that meant begging on the streets.¡± Leona glanced back at the swaying crackling fire. She thought back to the time when her mother was still alive, teaching her the principles of magic and helping her to overcome her initial fear of flames. It wasn¡¯t easy for her because as much as she was talented, one couldn¡¯t easily overcome an instinctual fear without a lot of effort and patience. Ravness was a prime example for Leona with each passing day she would encourage her daughter without pushing against her will, it was through kindness and love that the young tactician started to wield the elemental destructive power of the flames. It brought a smile to her face, which was hidden behind her folded arms on top of her knees. It was at times like these that those memories mattered the most. Serving to strengthen her will to forge on through the arduous path she had chosen to follow, a path her parents once walked to the ends of the old world. But now it was her turn to make a difference and every step she took was solely towards that one goal. To unite humans and demons so they could finally live in a world without strife. She took a deep breath before standing up, she glanced towards the inventor still tending to the fire. ¡°I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve found someone like you two to travel with us. Even though our goals differ, we just might be able to make a difference in the lives of the people we care about.¡± She grabbed the weapon from the scabbard near the guard. ¡°You should rest now, I¡¯ll go for a walk to shake off the drowsiness while I keep watch.¡± ¡°Same here and huh¡­¡± Athena scratched the back of her head before giving an earnest, but bashful look to her. ¡°Thanks again Leo.¡± The tactician¡¯s eyes widened somewhat in surprise upon being called like that. It took a few seconds before a faint smile curled up her face as she replied. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Leona turned around and headed towards the entrance of the spacious room, she climbed up the slope and glanced over her shoulder seeing Athena laying down, seemingly resting. Upon turning around again she took a few more steps before she collapsed to her knees in tears. It may have been a simple gesture from the inventor¡¯s part, but it meant more to Leona than she would¡¯ve known. Such interaction was awfully similar to when she first met Luke back in the Grand Academy. It felt like her heart was about to burst out. She grasped the top of her chest but it wasn¡¯t a painful feeling, strangely it felt like joy as if she was looking at the light in the end of a seemingly endless dark tunnel. ¡°Your allies are not without fault, but I suppose it is better than threading this place alone.¡± An unfamiliar male voice came from somewhere in front of her. Instinctively, she slammed the tip of the scabbard on the ground to serve as a support point and while she stood up, her right hand grasped the handle, unsheathing the longsword with a familiar sound of singing steel. ¡°And who are you supposed to be?¡± She asked as her teary eyes adjusted to the sight in front of her. It was a man clad in full dark plate armor with an ominous looking black greatsword being held in front of him with the tip of the blade slightly touching the ground. ¡°I¡¯m but a warrior seeking to atone for my past mistakes.¡± He lifted his greatsword which prompted Leona to take a step back while still pointing the tip of her blade at him. However he simply laid the flat part of the blade against his shoulder plate armor and turned around. ¡°Come, follow me.¡± Common sense dictated that she¡¯d run. But something within her was telling her to go, despite how insane that idea sounded. ¡°Why?¡± She asked, but the knight didn¡¯t seem inclined to answer or stop. As if feeling that she would lose something important, she dashed after him, his steps were twice hers which meant she had to literally sprint to get to him. Once she made it out of the cave, the snow storm pelted her body unrelentingly, the dark knight however was much ahead of her, heading down towards where they came first with the motorized snow sledge. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Hey! Wait!¡± She shouted, but to no avail, he kept walking down towards what seemed to be a flat part of the hill they were on, only stopping then and turning around to face her. Once she finally caught up with him, she was already somewhat winded from running through the shin-high snow. ¡°Leona Crossford, sole heir of the Crossford family. Princess Tactician of the proud Arcadian nation. I, Miyamoto Kojiro, challenge you to a duel to the death.¡± He brandished his greatsword horizontally, creating a gust of wind so powerful that Leona was forced to sink the longsword in the ground to not be sent flying along the snow. After the white settled down, the knight was no longer there, instead, an old man of similar height to Leona was clad in translucent straps of light blue color, his irises were brown while the hair was black as the night, sharp eyes that looked at Leona with an intense killing gaze. ¡°Wait!¡± Leona shouted but it was to no avail, he began to sprint towards her before unleashing a thin curved blade made of mana from his cloak made of the same material. In response, she entered a long point stance in order to keep him at bay, but it was for naught. He was much nimbler than what his appearance would lead to believe, he slashed horizontally and Leona answered in kind by parrying the incoming blade with her own while backing away with quick steps backwards. ¡°What do you gain from this?! What is your objective?!¡± She shouted, but the man didn¡¯t seem to care, instead he dashed in and released a flurry of slashes coming from multiple angles, Leona managed to fend off each and every strike albeit with considerably less success than the first one. ¡®If this keeps on going, I''ll be cornered!¡¯ With an upward swing, she managed to force him to create some distance. Only after his barrage of attacks stopped did she notice cuts around her forearm that were just deep enough for her to feel the stinging sensation of the wound pouring blood out of it. She clenched her teeth as she raised her left hand towards the sky, between each tired gasp for air, she began to chant. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring upon my foes the fires of justice-¡± A fiery tornado formed from her wrist melting the snow around her, a second later the tornado took the shape of a large sword, she let go of the longsword and grasped the elemental blade with her right hand, further empowering the spell. The old man sheathed his mana sword within the cloak behind him as he curved his body forward, waiting for Leona to attack. Such an unorthodox stance was never seen in any book she had read before, but from the blows they exchanged she was certain he couldn¡¯t be a magic user even though his sword was made of pure mana. ¡®Essentially a wizard must channel their mana in order to cast a spell, he on the other hand is merely releasing mana in the shape of a blade.¡¯ She evaluated, with such distance between them, there was no way he could harm her with a mere sword. ¡°-Great Flame Sword!¡± Upon releasing the spell with a downwards slash, the old man unleashed the magic blade from its sheath and the moment he swung the blade, a light blue flash of light engulfed her attack. A seemingly impossible feat happened right in front of her eyes. ¡°No way¡­¡± She stood dumbstruck upon seeing his slash absorb the spell she had cast, the mana from the fire spell flowed to his blade, making it shine even brighter. He dashed quickly in front of her, readying his sword for a diagonal slash. Leona snapped out of her trance and hastily picked up the longsword stuck in the snow, raising it horizontally above her head and holding the flat part of the blade with the left hand to block the incoming attack. ¡°Now face your fate!¡± He shouted, while swinging down the blade. Leona thought she would be able to stop his sword but the second their weapons collided, she saw the steel blade being cut in half like butter. She tried to move out of the way but the blade sunk deep through her chest. The burning sensation spread throughout her body like fire; it was as if scalding water was thrown at her chest. ¡°Argh!¡± She stumbled backwards panting while grasping her chest with her left hand, her palm was soaked in blood. If she was to continue fighting she needed to stop the bleeding as fast as possible but with her foe right in front of her, it was impossible to do anything in such a short time, aside from one option. She clenched her left hand and upon opening it, she cast a small blue fire in the middle of her palm while purposefully leaving her chest unprotected from the flames. ¡°AAAAAAAAARGH!¡± With the spell, she seared her own wound shut. Though the pain was so great she almost fainted, in order to not die she endured through it with sheer willpower. Her eyes had a glint of dark red under both irises. Seemingly noticing this, the old warrior raised his blade perpendicular to his frail body as he announced. ¡°I applaud your tenacity, but it is time we settled this!¡± Leona tossed the broken longsword and extended both hands out, summoning a stake of fire in the right hand, while the other had a powerful vortex gathering around it. ¡°Violent gale and roaring flames, surge as one!¡± As if the very shadows empowered both spells, the bright blue fire had a tint of dark red swirling around it which was the same for the wind vortex in her left hand. As if holding a sword with two hands, she joined them in an imaginary handle. When both spell collided, they fused to one another creating what was a storm of blue dark red flames, the heat was so intense that it quickly melted the snow from the flat part of the hill, causing a small pond to form around them, which it also didn¡¯t take long to start to evaporate. ¡°Such ferocity!¡± The heat did indeed begin to have an effect on the old man as he tried to shield his body with the mantle of mana, but without success as his body started to scorch from the outside with the sheer amount of heat Leona was generating through the spell. ¡°Let this sacrifice not be in vain-¡± With an unrelenting might, betraying all signs of age, he dashed right towards her incoming attack. Once Leona swung down the spell, a torrent of fire washed away in a conal explosion, scorching the earth in a blazing inferno, the very shadows each flame created seemed to fuel the fires even further, strengthening its power as it washed away in a long and continuous wave of fiery destruction. After the initial attack, Leona quickly glanced around to ascertain his whereabouts, but without seeing no body her instincts started to scream of danger. A second later the moonlight coming at her face was covered, making her look up. ¡°-for you shall be the greatest of heroes!¡± He shouted as he drove his sword right through her chest. Chapter XLIV: Visions of the Past Something she thought she¡¯d only see in a nightmare or in the darkness of the abyss was happening right before her eyes. ¡®Am I¡­ really going to die like this?¡¯ Leona thought as she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the hilt of the blade driven through her chest. There was no pain, instead just a sense of wonder how she was still breathing, it was a strange sensation of peace. Her bloodied left hand tried to grasp the blade, but she simply couldn¡¯t get a hold of the handle, it was as if the weapon itself was made of air. She felt her legs go numb as she fell sideways on the snow, her consciousness slowly fading away as the snowflakes poured on her cold body. ¡°You¡¯ve got a long road ahead of you young miss.¡± The old man¡¯s voice had a strange kindness to it, as if they¡¯ve met before. ¡°Rest now, you¡¯ll need it for your journey.¡± She extended her hand out only for it to fall limp on the snow once again. Her vision was fading as her body became motionless against the snow. Silence, it was as if time stopped flowing, the wonder of stillness was within Leona¡¯s mind as she thought of everything she had done up until that point. Was it all for nothing? One bland mistake to end an unfinished journey? She still had much to do, so much to accomplish, it was as if life had a grudge against her very being. In the depths of her consciousness she felt a glint of reality. ¡°Nothing is given, everything is granted, by the might of our ancestors we were able to strive to this very point.¡± An unfamiliar male voice ringed in her mind with resolution. Flashes of memories assaulted her soul, unknown memories to her, from a much more distant time. ¡°Our people seek retribution from the onis, my lord, who are we to defy them?¡± Another unfamiliar voice, this one now from a woman filled with pain and regret. Leona found herself in a sea of recollections, this time, within a royal palace of which interior was unknown to her. ¡°I won¡¯t allow bloodshed to be invited to our shores ever again. By my rightful rule we shall ever know true peace.¡± The same first voice rang in her mind, though his resolution was still the same it forbade a sense of impending doom. Seconds, minutes, hours, she was unsure how long it took for her to finally feel something again, as if her soul began to restructure itself from a million shattered pieces her consciousness finally began to hold a tangible sense of self. Once she opened her eyes she found herself overlooking a beautiful pristine lake with trees beautifully shaped like a painting of a surreal view alongside the edge of the water. ¡°Lord Miyamoto. I¡¯m here to bring news about your wife.¡± A female voice caught her attention upon mentioning a very familiar name. Leona looked to the left side and saw a long black haired man around his thirties, standing imposingly with both of his hands hidden within the large sleeves of his white robe. ¡°And how did it go?¡± He asked without taking his eyes off the lake. ¡°She has given birth, your son is all but in good health my lord.¡± He nodded slowly to himself. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll be there shortly then.¡± ¡°Yes my lord.¡± Leona glanced to the side and saw the woman who was addressing him, she had two thin horns coming out of her forehead and her clothing was similar to Phoebe¡¯s in design, a shinobi, from what she could recall the high elf say. ¡°Onis were incredibly skilled in the art of the shinobi.¡± A familiar voice came from behind her, the old man who she had just fought was sitting with his legs crossed on the floor mat. ¡°In my days of lordship, they were the main force behind our army.¡± ¡°Why am I seeing these memories?¡± She asked while still looking at the female shinobi leaving the lord alone. They didn¡¯t seem to perceive either her or the old man. ¡°I¡¯ve done what my benefactor taught me, a fusion of the soul. To better help you and yours, I¡¯ve given up what remained of my own soul in order to teach you the art of the sword.¡± ¡°But even so, why?¡± Instead of answering, he simply motioned forward with his hand, upon turning around Leona saw yet another different memory, sitting on a large round volcanic rock a woman of silky silver hair was holding a baby enveloped in a fluffy white cloth, upon closer inspection Leona noticed the infant had the same hair color as the woman¡¯s. Her eyes seemed like rubies against the gentle rays of the morning sunlight, the deep red color contrasted to her pale complexion along the thin jet black horns coming out of her forehead. ¡°My dear, have you come up with a proper name for our son?¡± Her voice was soft, as if each time she spoke a gentle touch brisked Leona¡¯s face. ¡°I have been thinking. Mayhaps a strong name should be in order for him, I have no doubts that he¡¯ll easily surpass me in strength in just a few winters.¡± His wife giggled playfully. ¡°Perhaps so, but you seem joyful for that.¡± He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed for her astute perception. ¡°Ahem.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°In honor of a recent endeavor with the western nation and our continuous success in leading a prosperous nation. I believe Leonard should be a fine name.¡± She gave him a puzzled look. ¡°A knight¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Indeed. And his last name should be Louvre.¡± She blinked a few times, apparently in confusion. ¡°But dear. What about your last name?¡± He shook his head slowly. ¡°This nation won¡¯t need any more leaders like me. I most certainly wish to not burder him with the weight of leading the masses like I had for these last decades. In this land of prosperity, I hope for all my subjects to live a hard earned but honest life without ever worrying for peace. Such is my dream.¡± After he was done speaking, the baby began to cry a little, but when the woman placed her index finger near his small left hand, his small fingers grasped around hers. ¡°It¡¯s okay Leonard. Your father is here and we won¡¯t ever leave your side.¡± The baby opened his eyes, revealing a crimson red color in his irises. For the split second Leona saw it, she felt like she had seen him before. ¡°Wait¡­ it can¡¯t be¡­¡± She muttered under her breath as she suddenly turned around. ¡°Is Krieg your-¡± He was no longer there, but this time it was a different memory, she was standing atop a mountain of human corpses, some so mangled it was almost impossible to discern where a limb began or ended. The earth was scorched with golden fires, the sky fractured with what seemed to be corruption from another dimension seeping in their reality, a nightmarish sight upon a once beautiful land, between flashes of memories she could see what once was an entire city bustling with both humans and onis, now destroyed by angelic demons. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Death angels. The beginning of the end was right before her eyes. The corruption of the land and the destruction of mankind. She blinked and found herself again in another memory. This time facing a man cloaked in darkness so deep not even light could escape his surroundings. ¡°Greetings. I¡¯ve come with a proposal, lord of Nara, if you wish to save your nation all you have to do is reach out to me.¡± The amalgamation of darkness extended a hand towards him, a broken husk of a man standing lifelessly with a long curved blade in hand. Once their hands touched, she couldn¡¯t see anything anymore. ¡°Ah?!¡± Leona jolted up awake from the snow, the place she fought against the old warrior was still the same as before, scorched earth, blood spilled on the ground and the broken longsword lying beside her. She placed her hand on top of her chest and noticed the scar from the seared cut was still there along with dried blood smeared on her palm. ¡®So this wasn¡¯t a dream¡­¡¯ She slowly stood up, the pain from the wound was still very noticeable as each time she moved her chest she could feel the stinging sensation inside her flesh. Once up, she looked around but there was no sign of the old man nor the dark knight. ¡®Was he trying to help us all this time?¡¯ She wondered as she stood up, albeit with great difficulty as the seared slash across her chest began to throb. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± After taking three steps forward, she fell face first on the snow. She could hear the beating of her heart as the white storm piled snow on her body as her breathing was becoming slower and slower. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­ die¡­ here¡­¡¯ She extended her hand forward and with the last ounce of magic she had, she put all in one explosive spell. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call¡­ flow through time and await thy end- Delayed Fire Blast!¡± She summoned a blue fire orb the size of a golf ball a few meters ahead of her and the moment she finished casting, her consciousness waned. Leaving her laying on the snow motionless. Back in the cavern, the silent spacious room rumbled just like the sound of a distant explosion. Startled, Arthur jolted up awake from the shaking of the floor beneath him. He looked around before tapping his sister on the shoulder multiple times. ¡°Sis wake up, I think something happened outside.¡± ¡°Nnnnngh¡­ Art, I told you many times to not do that.¡± She sat up and scratched the corner of both of eyes. ¡°What did you hear that made you so agitated?¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading outside.¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice came from the inventor¡¯s left side. She was armed with daggers in each hand as she made a dash towards the entrance. ¡°Wait!¡± Athena tried to stop her but it was for nothing. Instead she turned to her brother. ¡°Let¡¯s go after her.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± She haphazardly picked her ammunition pouch and ran to keep up with the high elf while her brother stumbled right behind her. After running to the entrance of the cave, Athena was almost out of breath while both Phoebe and Arthur seemed fine. The inventor braced her rifle while looking around for potential enemies while the high elf kneeled to inspect the snow. A freezing breeze hit against Athena¡¯s pale cheeks sending chills down her spine. ¡°Leo can¡¯t possibly be out here right? Even with this clothing I¡¯m feeling the cold in my bones.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t doubt that.¡± Phoebe replied as she stood up, looking down the hill where they came from with the motorized snow sledge. ¡°There are two different footprints here and it was somewhat recent, I think Princess might have gone down that way.¡± ¡°Wait, are you planning to go out there by yourself?¡± ¡°It¡¯s her life on the line and I¡¯m not risking letting her die out there for nothing. If you want you can stay here and wait but I¡¯m going after her.¡± Without wasting any time she took off at full sprint, the snow didn¡¯t seem to hinder her movements. ¡°Dammit.¡± Athena clenched her teeth. ¡°Are they out of their minds?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°What are we going to do sis?¡± ¡°We wait and hope that they come back in one piece, going out in a storm like this is asking to die.¡± Arthur looked the way Phoebe went, he clutched his right hand to his chest. ¡°I hope they come back alive.¡± The inventor turned around whilst shaking her head, asking herself what could¡¯ve made Leona go outside in such weather. Meanwhile Arthur kept staring in the same direction until his sister called him inside. He then turned around and went in, leaving the entrance of the cave to gather snow from the storm. About two hundred meters from the cave, Phoebe was still making her way through the sea of snow that only increased in height as time passed, both serving to erase the footprints and slow her down. The storm was pelting her right side nonstop, almost making her fall at times when the wind picked up speed. ¡®Where could she have gone to?¡¯ Her mind was racing to find a possible answer, but all seemed to not make any sense. ¡®If it was an enemy, she could run back and wake us up. But if it was an ally, she would¡¯ve brought them inside. Then if it wasn¡¯t either¡­¡¯ She stopped once she felt a faint smell of burned wood. She looked to her right and noticed a giant part of scorched earth near some burnt trees on the edge of the forest. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Her eyes glanced a bit more to the right, seeing how the scorched mark seemed to funnel into one direction. Without wasting any time she jumped from the snow on the drier ground, using it to traverse quicker than if she was to go through the sea of white. After sprinting a fair distance, she came across a person lying face first on the ground. ¡°Princess!¡± She shouted but there was no reaction from her. Without even turning her around, she cast a restorative spell. ¡°Heal!¡± A faint green light seemed to permeate Leona¡¯s body, but she was still unresponsive. Phoebe touched her cold body, hurriedly turned her over and noticed the horrible scar beginning from her left clavicle down towards the waist, the military uniform was cut perfectly without any hint of resistance, whatever did that to her was much more deadly than a thug armed with a sword. Beside her, there was the hilt of a longsword stuck in the snow with a piece of dirty old cloth wrapped near the end of it. ¡®What happened here¡­?¡¯ Without the means to ascertain if there were still enemies nearby, she picked Leona up on her arms and started to make her way back as fast as she could through the snow. However, since she was carrying her there was no feasible way to traverse through the knee-high snow without slowing down, she began to chant a wind spell. ¡°Winds of time, bestow thy grace upon this tired body, Steps of Wind!¡± Gusts of wind gathered around her feet seemingly levitating her through the air as each step she took became lighter and lighter until she was almost no longer touching the snow. Once the spell was in effect, she started to run as fast as she could with Leona between her arms. The wind was beginning to pick up speed again, painting the whole scenery white and dropping the temperature even further; however even while wearing the fur coat on top of her armor, she could still feel the biting cold wind rushing through her clothing. It was already difficult to move in such low temperature, but it was especially hard on her body to keep up the speed whilst carrying Leona as she could feel her arms going numb each second it passed. ¡®My stamina can¡¯t keep up with this¡­ but if I don¡¯t save her, what will become of sire Krieg?¡¯ The high elf clenched her teeth in order to push her body to its limits, even with the help of the levitation magic, she was just barely keeping them above the snow with a forward arching back as the weight of the tactician was starting to become very apparent in her tired arms. In the back of her mind she knew that if Leona died there it could be the end of her alliance with Krieg, causing her to not only lose an important ally, but also her only means to approach the magician who taught Kaeli the spells she knows today. If Phoebe was to kill her, she needed to know her weakness. That was how she proceeded with every target for assassination and her sister was just that, another target of a personal contract for herself. She was so focused on getting back to the cave as fast as she could that she didn¡¯t notice that wolves were gathering around her, flanking from both sides as they ran to match up the high elf¡¯s speed. ¡°Huh?!¡± She saw movement coming from beyond the thick snow storm from the corner of her eye, giving her enough time to stop in her tracks as a growling wolf pounced towards where she would be. ¡°Dammit not now!¡± She reached for her throwing needles within her clothing but another wolf jumped and bit her right arm before she could pull them out. ¡°Argh!¡± Without being given much choice she let go of Leona, who fell with her back against the snow, and with her left hand she punched its nose, making it yelp before letting go for a split second which was enough time for her to pull and throw some poison coated needles at it as it backed away. Unfortunately due to the bite, the projectiles didn¡¯t have enough force behind them to pierce through the animal¡¯s thick fur. ¡°Tsk.¡± She drew her daggers as she sensed the presence of another two wolves behind her, making it a total of four against her. ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­ I have to kill at least one of them fast, if I do that the others should turn up and flee.¡¯ The wolves pack were smart, they slowly circled around Phoebe, making use of the storm to conceal their big frame whilst looking for openings. Though after some time of observing, it was clear they noticed Leona being unconscious as one of them tried to approach her before the high elf tossed poison needles aimed for its eyes but the strong winds made it almost impossible to land a perfect hit. Fighting against a group of enemies wasn¡¯t her forte, especially in an open field, she was the type to rely on stealth and confusion to make the most of her poisons and blades, but the odds were stacked against her this time. Not only did she have to worry about herself, but Leona was also in danger of being killed. ¡°Princess you¡¯ve got to wake up!¡± She yelled. ¡°Else we die here for nothing!¡± One of the wolves pounced at her throat. She barely dodged sideways and with her left dagger, slashed upwards at its sides partially cutting the flesh as it yelped in pain, she then followed up with a forward stab with her right dagger, hitting deep in the beast¡¯s stomach. It was badly injured but before she could finish it off another wolf had rotated around her back and pounced at her. ¡®I don¡¯t have enough time to dodge!¡¯ She was ready to sacrifice her left forearm in order to block the bite, but as soon as she lifted it, a blinding flash of blue light decapitated the pouncing wolf midair, showering her with blood. ¡°Pff- Argh!¡± Phoebe spitted out blood that happened to spray on her mouth, she didn¡¯t understand what happened but at least she had her forearm spared. She glanced to the side of where the light came from and Leona was standing with her right leg forward while a blade of light blue mana was dissipating from between her hands. However as soon as the light dissipated she fell on her right knee with her left hand holding on the left knee. ¡°Aaah¡­ haa¡­¡± Leona was panting, each time she exhaled a puff of warm air came out from her mouth. ¡°I did it¡­¡± As if shocked from the sudden death of one of their own, the rest of the wolves began to flee, scattering through the storm to avoid being slashed. Phoebe rushed to Leona¡¯s side as she was about to fall on the snow, she managed to hold the tactician¡¯s arm and put it around her own neck to help her shoulder the weight. ¡°Princess Leona, are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes. Mostly.¡± She reached for her own chest, it was as if warmth was radiating from her. ¡°I had help from another ruler.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Leona chuckled as she shook her head for herself. ¡°Nevermind what I said. Let¡¯s get out of this cold.¡± Phoebe nodded regardless and started to slowly walk while shouldering the tactician¡¯s body. The walk back was fortunately uneventful and thanks to the warmth that Leona was emitting, they reached the cave without having to worry of freezing to death from the storm. As soon as they entered the treasure room again, they were greeted by an anxious Athena pointing the rifle at them. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back. Thank the heavens.¡± She lowered her gun. ¡°I would ask why you went outside in this frigid hell but the wolf carcass behind concerns me more.¡± Phoebe had tied the dead wolf¡¯s hindlegs with a long cord to her shoulders like a backpack to drag it back to the cave. ¡°What?¡± Phoebe asked. ¡°It¡¯s food.¡± Athena¡¯s face frowned in disgust, she never considered those beasts as a source of nourishment. But what could she do about it? There were only a couple of scraps of food left from the bandits and those were also on the verge of spoiling. She didn¡¯t have the luxury to be picky about it. After a bit of dirty work, the high elf skinned the wolf open with her dagger, separating organs, muscles and bones neatly around the campfire. She then began to cook the bones and tendons inside a large cook pot she fetched from the snow sledge over the fire, meanwhile she picked the muscle meat with the tip of her dagger and cooked it over the campfire like an improvised skewer. ¡°How do you even know how to separate all of this?¡± Athena was taken aback by how quickly Phoebe dissected the animal into edible parts. ¡°I thought you were an assassin not a hunter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a necessary skill if you live walking from place to place.¡± The high elf replied as she took a bite of the well-done chunk of meat hanging by the blade of her dagger. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s better to know how to hunt and prepare your own food lest you die from hunger.¡± That statement didn¡¯t make the inventor feel any more at ease from looking at the dismembered wolf parts, but the hunger was starting to win her over as she found herself holding a cut of meat over the fire. ¡°Cook it well-done.¡± Phoebe advised. ¡°You don¡¯t want to have food poisoning out here.¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯m doing that.¡± Leona silently watched them from the side, she wasn¡¯t feeling hungry, nor cold, even without wearing a proper fur coat like the high elf. It was as if her body became much lighter, she stared at her palms feeling as if her body was different somehow, but she couldn¡¯t quite explain how. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. ¡®Miyamoto entrusted me with this power, but why, why would he trust me of all people?¡¯ She thought for herself as she recalled how she decapitated a wolf from meters away by shaping her mana into a blade. ¡®Krieg, even Phoebe, any of them would be more suited to this than I.¡¯ The moment she opened her eyes, she was looking from the top of a cliff. A city below with an endless spread of flames, she never saw such a place but her instincts knew where it was. ¡®Nara.¡¯ She thought. The largest city in the eastern land was devastated in a matter of days, with the continuous attacks of death angels, there was nothing anyone could do, except for one man. ¡°My lord!¡± Leona heard a familiar female voice come from behind her. As she turned around, she noticed it was the same oni woman from the swordmaster¡¯s memories. ¡°Yuna. Flee this place, you are to take my wife and son to somewhere safe near the shores of nara.¡± Miyamoto was standing with his back to the servant, he was staring at a gravestone with strange calligraphy engraved upon it and even though it was written in a foreign language, she could somehow read it as Yoshitsune Asura. ¡°But my lord! You can¡¯t possibly be considering fighting all by yourself?!¡± ¡°It is my duty as emperor to protect my subjects. Even if it costs my life, I¡¯ll bring it all to bear if it means to bring peace to my kingdom. To my family.¡± He turned his head slightly in order to meet his servant¡¯s pleading eyes. ¡°Go, this is my last order. Save those who can and live on, no matter what it takes, tell them to keep fighting, through man¡¯s own will we shall live on.¡± She was hesitating. It was clear she didn¡¯t want to abandon him but it was an order she couldn¡¯t refuse. She bowed one last time. ¡°Stay safe, my lord.¡± She stood up and turned around, sprinting with all her might through the narrow path of the cliff. Once Leona looked towards the swordmaster she could feel a faint sense of malice coming off from him. Looking more attentively, she noticed he was silently praying to the gravestone, his left hand close to his chest as miasma started to pour out of the grave, enveloping his drawn blade until the metal became folded in darkness. ¡°If I must become one of them to destroy these angels, so be it. By this blade I swear my name to the ruler of the darkest abyss, Asura hearken to me, lend me your bottomless might!¡± As if listening to his plea, the miasma took the shape of his body, fusing to his being like a mantle covering his body. Once the ritual was complete, he turned around, as his eyes met the tactician¡¯s it was as if he knew that she was there, but he proceeded down the steep path towards the burning city. ¡°This was my turning point.¡± The swordmaster¡¯s voice rang inside her mind. ¡°The beginning of the end¡­¡± Once she blinked again she was back in the dark cold cavern, Phoebe was conversing with Athena as if nothing happened. Upon staring at her own hands she realized it was a dream, though it was much more vivid than normal. ¡®So that was Nara¡­¡¯ She thought. ¡®Lastraeous did say to seek out his former champion there. But if that was the case, why would he send me to such a desolate place?¡¯ Things didn¡¯t seem to add up, the self proclaimed true god was never really worthy of trust, but at the same time his words always pointed her in the right direction somehow. Making her seek someone in the ruins of a lost civilization seemed a bit strange. She looked down to both of her hands, her eyes had a faint light blue glint under the irises, allowing her to see traces of lingering mana from the blade attack she unleashed earlier. It was as if she had acquired something that allowed her to have a better grasp on the mana of her own body. ¡°Princess, are you sure you don¡¯t need to eat?¡± Phoebe approached her with a bowl of bone broth, there were chunks of meat and pieces of bone floating on the surface of the deep brown soup, it wasn¡¯t particularly good-looking and the smell wasn¡¯t anything special either but it was edible. ¡°I¡¯ll pass, thank you Phoebe.¡± Their eyes met for a moment and the high elf tilted her head slightly. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She was surprised by the sudden question, it made her wonder if she was frowning her face without noticing herself. ¡°Yeah, aside from the throbbing of the wound in my chest, I¡¯m feeling mostly okay, why do you ask?¡± ¡°You just seem different somehow, as if you experienced much more than just an exchange of blows back there.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Leona glanced down to her worn boots, compared to what Miyamoto went through, her tale seemed more of a joke. Not that she could tell Phoebe that she could see the memories of a long past ruler of a far forgotten place. ¡°I¡¯ve just been thinking about the things that happened lately and how I must improve if I want to stay alive.¡± The high elf nodded slowly. ¡°Well, power does have its perks. But without eating a proper meal you won¡¯t be able to grow stronger.¡± She left the bowl on the floor beside the tactician. ¡°Eat it before it gets cold.¡± Without saying another word, she left Leona to her thoughts as she went back to tend the campfire. Athena was struggling to eat the bowl of food given to her as she could barely stand the smell of the meat. ¡°Gah, what is this ungodly smell?!¡± The inventor complained. ¡°My sweaty socks after a day of work smell better than this!¡± ¡°Stop complaining and eat.¡± Phoebe sat down and threw another piece of broken chair in the fire. ¡°You should be thankful to have something edible to chew on rather than sit there with an empty stomach.¡± ¡°Guh¡­¡± A small smile appeared on Leona¡¯s face as she looked at them from afar. She wasn¡¯t feeling particularly hungry, but nevertheless it was a good idea to heed to the high elf¡¯s words. No warrior, no matter how great, could stand without eating the most basics of meals and deep down she knew she was no different. ¡®Well¡­ I better eat this then.¡¯ She reached for the bowl and noticed the distinct smell of wolf meat. It was a gamey scent, but not too off putting for her as she had already some experience with bear and deer meat which weren¡¯t similar in smell, but worse in gaminess. She wiped her right index and thumb against the collar of her jacket and picked a piece of meat floating in the broth, scalding her fingers slightly in the process. ¡®Here goes nothing.¡¯ She took a bite as she gasped hot air out of her mouth. The taste was somewhat similar to the bear meat, though the taste was far less strong; it had the typical carnivore musky scent to it. Without turning her nose she kept eating, slurping on the bone marrow and drinking the nutrient rich broth until there was no more. After Phoebe finished heating up the cooking pot, she laid back against the pile of gold coins to eat just before seeing Leona approach the campfire with an empty bowl in hand. ¡°Can I have some more?¡± The tactician asked her. ¡°I was more hungry than I thought.¡± The high elf chuckled. ¡°Sure, let me serve you.¡± With Athena¡¯s complaints and the sound of crackling fire, they rested for the day. Chapter XLV: Champion of Darkness After sleeping soundly and not being dragged into the abyss without her consent, Leona managed to get a semi-decent rest. Thanks to the wound across her chest throbbing from time to time she would wake up in the middle of the night in pain. Though she was certain such pain was better than witnessing the darkness of the abyss again, the despair of many could be felt so vividly now that she was more attuned to the darkness within herself so she wasn¡¯t eager to go back there. She woke up to the crackle of the dying fire, the cold breeze whistling from the entrance as she sat up. Naturally, her eyes glanced over to her left, but the knight remained in the same position from the day before, his heavy breathing could still be heard from inside the helmet. ¡®Krieg¡­¡¯ She closed her eyes and placed her left hand near her neck, where the star shaped pendant usually was. ¡°Huh?¡± Looking down to her chest, the pendant was nowhere to be found. She frantically looked on the ground around her, but couldn¡¯t seem to find the precious keepsake no matter how hard she searched for it. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong Princess?¡± Phoebe had just returned from outside, given how there were snow flakes sprinkled on top of her shoulders, she put her longbow down before feeding the fire. ¡°I lost my pedant. Have you seen it?¡± ¡°Pendant?¡± ¡°Yes, it is a prismatic star shaped pendant, I always carry it on my neck.¡± ¡°Unfortunately no, but if you were carrying it around your neck, it probably got slashed away when you were attacked.¡± Upon hearing her words Leona felt an urgent need to go back outside to look for it, but the moment she stood up, the high elf blocked her way with the left arm. ¡°Leave it to me. I¡¯m more suited to find things and besides, you need to rest.¡± The tactician hesitantly agreed with a nod, the wound in her chest wasn¡¯t debilitating but it wouldn¡¯t be good for her to exert herself more than she had to, lest she wanted to reopen the large wound. She laid her back against the pile of gold before scratching her eyes to try to shake off the drowsiness, as much as she wanted to go deep down she knew Phoebe was right and the most logical thing was to sit down and rest as much as she could. ¡°Lost your pendant eh?¡± A familiar male voice came from her right, she glanced sideways and noticed a spectral old man sitting diagonally across her with his back against a broken table. His hair reached his slender shoulders with his beard covering the neck down until the sternum. Upon witnessing the ghostly figure, Leona squinted her eyes before scratching them both again and after that she was still seeing him there sitting on the opposite side of the campfire. ¡°Miyamoto?¡± ¡°I wish I could say in the flesh.¡± He tried to grasp a dirty bowl that was left there from the meal of the previous day, but his hand simply passed right through it as if it didn¡¯t have any substance. ¡°But as you can see, I¡¯m nothing but a shade.¡± ¡°I thought you forfeit your life back then.¡± ¡°That is correct, but I didn¡¯t do so out of despair or pity. I did it because you are the only one who can save him and this world.¡± ¡°You mean Krieg?¡± She looked towards the knight immobile beside her. ¡°Leonard Louvre. That is his name, even if himself doesn''t remember it.¡± The skin of his forehead frowned bitterly. ¡°Long have I waited for the day I could spar with him without all the care in the world. But alas, my kingdom, my people, even my body is gone.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t understand, why give me so much power? I¡¯m sure you have never heard of me, there was no possible way you could have heard of my name.¡± ¡°Ever since the attack at the mansion, after everything that was done to destroy your family you still stood strong. Amongst all those who fell to despair, you rose to the challenge yet again and even returned with allies in order to slay Alexander.¡± ¡°-only to lose the selfsame allies who fought for my cause.¡± She closed both hands into tight fists. ¡°I still can¡¯t see the reasoning behind your grace.¡± He shook his head. ¡°In these times of conflict, conviction is what drives humanity forward towards a common goal.¡± He looked towards the cave ceiling before stretching his open hand out. ¡°I restored a lost empire from the ashes of war through my own strength, but in my moment of joy I grew complacent, not only was war invited to our shores, but also fermented within my kingdom. You however, are blessed with stout comrades, your ability to raise those around you is your greatest strength as well as your greatest weakness. That is the sole reason why I bestow you with my knowledge and power, so you may rise again and face those challenges even if no one else can.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry for doubting your reasons.¡± ¡°Though of course, this isn¡¯t only for your benefit.¡± He glanced at Krieg with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Take care of him for me, Leona. I had many regrets in life. I hope I can spare you the same fate.¡± She looked at the knight with a sense of responsibility and the moment she looked back to thank the swordmaster, he was no longer there. ¡®A shade cursed to wander between life and death until I myself die.¡¯ She looked down as such thoughts started to fill her mind. ¡®Isn¡¯t that more punishing than death itself?¡¯ She stared at her right palm, she could see her own mana circuits coursing through her hand as mana gathered in the very tips of her fingers where the circuits ended. By picturing a clear vision of a blade, she summoned forth a light blue longsword, though its edge was rough and lacking a proper guard and hilt, it was most certainly a mana blade formed by her. Upon opening her hand, the magic weapon dissipated into mana particles and returned to her body through her fingertips. ¡°Hm?!¡± Her eyes went wide. ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± She looked at her left hand. ¡®No it can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ After extending her left arm out, she began to chant a familiar spell. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring upon my foes the fires of justice, Great Flame Sword!¡± She could see clearly how the mana behaved once she visualized the spell, the myriad strings waved back and forth in an unbelievable speed as the light blue magic turned into a deep blue color, emitting heat and growing in size. The moment her fingers enveloped the handle the blade shot up like a geyser of flames, the heat was bearable, but she could definitely sense how the mana flowing around it made the spell much stronger than it usually is for most fire mages. She took a deep breath and began to focus solely on the flaming sword on her hand, imagining the very core of the blade diminishing and returning to its original state. Little by little, the flaming blade began to lose its radiance until she was left with nothing but a mana sword thoroughly lacking heat. She looked up once again and dispelled the blade, making most of her spent mana return to her body. She closed her left hand in a tight fist. It was always speculated that a mage couldn¡¯t reabsorb the mana from a cast spell without seriously hurting or even permanently damaging their mana circuits, however it was never explained how spells came to be or how they could be perceived by the human eye. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± She flickered a small flame between her fingers before converting it back into raw mana and absorbing it. ¡°Though is there any other use for this I wonder?¡± ¡°Ah bollocks.¡± Before Leona could find a practical use to the skill she just learned, her attention was taken away by Athena¡¯s complaining. ¡°Do they not carry extra ammunition anywhere in this hell hole?¡± Glancing to her left, she noticed the inventor going through some of the clothing that was spread around the campfire. ¡°Can I help you Athena?¡± She turned somewhat startled at Leona, half expecting her to be still asleep. ¡°Oh good morning Leo, I thought I¡¯d find some ammunition for my gun but apparently none of these blokes kept spare ammo.¡± She sighed. ¡°Then again, I¡¯m expecting too much from people whose only knowledge is plunder.¡± The tactician let out a short laugh. ¡°At least justice was served.¡± ¡°Well it would¡¯ve been thanks to both of you.¡± She pushed the lever of her gun down and inserted one of the few bullets she had left from a satchel tied to her hip belt. ¡°Without a firearm I¡¯m but a scrawny lass, or so my father would say. Oh and speaking of which.¡± She reached for a vintage rucksack behind her, it was tailored with black leather adorned with gold trimmings just like her military uniform. Upon pulling her hand out, she held what seemed to be a flintlock pistol inside a holster, though it was much smaller in size. ¡°I used this to defend myself but two bullets were just too few to fend off a group of bandits by myself.¡± Athena flipped the small handgun and handed it to Leona. ¡°If I had magic on the other hand, it would¡¯ve been different. But in your case, this shouldn¡¯t be a problem right?¡± The tactician grasped the weapon¡¯s wooden handle and rotated it around on her hand, inspecting both sides of the antique looking silver pistol, it had two barrels with two letters engraved on the left side of each barrel. ¡°A.K.¡± Leona spelled out before glancing at the inventor with a puzzled look. ¡°Athena Kaiser?¡± She nodded. ¡°I made the design when I was twelve. When my father saw the design he tried to submit it as a creation under my name but apparently it was too flawed for military use.¡± She had a hint of reminiscence in her eyes, a bittersweet feeling swollen inside her chest. ¡°Nevertheless, he used our family funds to craft a working model for my eighteenth birthday.¡± ¡°Then¡­ are you sure you want to give it to me? It seems like a very important memory to you of your father.¡± She slowly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just a weapon in the end. It¡¯s more of a waste if it goes unused, especially now that I know that it can be in good hands.¡± ¡°You give me too much credit.¡± Leona had a sad smile on her face, those words felt like what everyone who walked beside her path would say. Allies that were no longer in this world. ¡°...but I appreciate your kind words, Athena.¡± The tactician strapped the holster to her hip and took out two bullets from the strap located on the side of the black leather holster, it had room for a total of eight projectiles, leaving six left for her to use. Upon pressing a switch on the side of the gun, the two barrels broke downwards, revealing where the bullet should go in. ¡°Oh I almost forgot. For extra safety, leave the hammer uncocked.¡± ¡°Safety first right?¡± Leona held the small handgun with her index finger along the side of the barrel instead of on the trigger, this caught Athena¡¯s attention as it wasn¡¯t a common practice even amongst soldiers trained with firearms, which prompted her to ask. ¡°Say, did you happen to read a manual about firearms safety written by a man named Jean?¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± The tactician never expected to hear that name after so long. ¡°That manual was written by my father, where did you read it? I thought he had only two copies of it.¡± ¡°Wha-!¡± Her eyes went wide. ¡°Lord Jean is your father?!¡± Athena hurriedly reached again for the rucksack and pulled out a book adorned with a hard leather cover closed with a solid bronze latch. Upon opening it, it became clear the book was like an old artifact, if not for the sturdy cover, the pages would have been long gone. The calligraphy was familiar to the tactician but she was too surprised to say anything. ¡°He left this copy of the manual with my family way before I was born. My father used to say that if not for Jean and his wife, we would never have reached the status of nobles in Akrapocalis.¡± Athena had a glint of hope in her eyes. ¡°Your father helped my family and now decades later, I have the chance to repay the favor. Truly, this world is full of surprises.¡± Leona held the frail book with both hands, reminiscing about the days back in the mansion where her father would often bring her along to the daily training sessions with the servants. She remained hugging the book close to her chest before taking a deep and slow breath before thanking her. ¡°Thank you Athena.¡± She carefully handed the book back to her. ¡°My father''s memories still live on even in a faraway place like this.¡± ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m the last person to know your father-¡± A sound of clanking metal caught both¡¯s attention as they turned towards the entrance at the same time. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Leona nodded. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think that was Phoebe.¡± She pulled the pistol out of the holster as she stood up and ran behind the nearest pile of gold. Athena motioned to her brother to hide while also rushing to Leona¡¯s side, she hugged the pile with her back while checking the lever on the rifle. ¡°Alright loaded and ready to fire.¡± She peeked from the other side of the gold pile. ¡°Wait¡­ I know that man.¡± ¡°Milady Athena! Are you here? If so, please say something!¡± It was a blonde young elf man with emerald eyes wearing a light blue military uniform with the design resembling Athena¡¯s clothing, albeit seemingly much less stuffed in nature, his voice sounded younger than his appearance gave credit for. ¡°Ah¡­ I see they came.¡± With a sigh of relief, the inventor lowered her rifle, which prompted Leona to relax a little as she continued on with a short explanation. ¡°That¡¯s Oliver Arc. A friend of mine so to speak.¡± Athena moved from behind the pile of gold whilst waving her left arm. ¡°I¡¯m here and I have new friends too so don¡¯t shoot them.¡± The tactician was still behind the pile of gold with her hands shaking slightly. ¡®She said Arc, didn¡¯t she?¡¯ A cold chill went down her spine as the surname rang a bell. ¡®I should be careful from now on then.¡¯ She took a deep breath before holstering her weapon and walking beside the inventor. At that time Oliver and other three soldiers armed with rifles came down the ramp entrance. ¡°Ah! Milady. I¡¯m so very sorry, I tried to convince them to search earlier for you but the chain of command demanded me to-¡± ¡°Yes, yes, spare me the details.¡± Athena shrugged it off. ¡°So, how many of you are outside?¡± ¡°Fourteen counting with me milady.¡± ¡°Great. Make room for five more then. My friend Leona here has other two comrades and I¡¯ll see that she gets fair treatment in return for her hasty intervention.¡± He looked Leona in the eyes before putting his arm in front of his stomach and bowing to her. ¡°For keeping Athena safe, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Lady Leona.¡± He kept his head low while still speaking. ¡°If there is anything I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± A female soldier showed up at the entrance of the cave armed with her rifle in hand yelled. ¡°We have an enemy!¡± Both soldiers behind Oliver looked at him for orders and he issued them without hesitation. ¡°Go and help them! I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± Both of them answered loud and clear before they started to dash towards the entrance. Leona shared a look of worry with Athena who also seemed to already have a rough idea of who the enemy could be and decided to take action. ¡°Leo let¡¯s move.¡± The tactician nodded as they ran right behind the two soldiers. Chapter XLVI: Familiar Enemies ¡°Hey where are you two going?!¡± Oliver promptly ran after them, seeing how the two of them were in a hurry. As both Leona and Athena made their way out, right outside of the cavern a familiar high elf held a soldier at daggerpoint. Her blade was dangerously close to the man¡¯s throat before she questioned. ¡°Where is the Princess?!¡± Phoebe yelled the moment the tactician came out of the cave accompanied by Athena and other two soldiers. ¡°Phoebe!¡± Leona loudly told her. ¡°They are our allies, please lower your weapon!¡± ¡°Princess?!¡± The high elf was surprised. It was only a five minute trip to look for a lost pendant and the moment she came back there was a small army waiting at the entrance of the cavern, of course she would react the way she did. ¡°It¡¯s alright, lower your weapons.¡± Athena told the soldiers. Some hesitated, but in the end all of them were no longer pointing their guns at the high elf, who also put away the dagger after seeing Leona safe. ¡°She is much deadlier with those daggers than any of you with a rifle, keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± They saluted. Athena turned around the moment she heard footsteps behind her, Oliver was standing there with his rifle on the ready. ¡°You told them about me, I¡¯m assuming?¡± The inventor questioned the captain. ¡°Not only they listened to me but also called me ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯.¡± ¡°Only the important info.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You are technically an officer as well, all things considered. Second lieutenant Kaiser.¡± ¡°I left that title behind me years ago.¡± She shook her head. ¡°In any case, we have a few of our belongings inside, I take it you¡¯ll depart as long as we are ready?¡± ¡°But of course.¡± He replied before turning to the soldiers. ¡°I want you to support these three in whatever way you can, until you finish, their orders are my orders.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± All of them answered with a straightened back and open palms near the temple. Leona watched everything unfold from the sidelines. ¡®So influential.¡¯ She thought. ¡°Princess.¡± Phoebe approached her from behind, speaking in a low tone. ¡°Are these people trustworthy?¡± ¡°If I am to be completely honest, I¡¯m not sure.¡± The tactician answered while trying to keep her voice as low as possible. ¡°While I do trust Athena, the captain over there, Oliver. I¡¯m not sure if we can trust him.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­We should talk more inside when there are less people around.¡± Phoebe made her way inside whilst glancing occasionally towards the captain who was busy talking to another soldier. ¡®Oliver Arc¡­¡¯ Leona thought as the memories of her conversation with captain Frey came to mind. From the outside, the Arc family seems just like a group of researchers whose goal was to improve the Londrian kingdom. However, she knew there was much more than what meets the eye, according to Frey, it was just a pretext to use the kingdom and its people for inhumane experiments. It made her feel uneasy knowing her recent ally was involved with them. ¡°Leona? Is there anything wrong?¡± Athena¡¯s voice broke her attention, prompting her to look towards the inventor. ¡°You were almost making a hole through Oliver with that stare.¡± ¡°Ah I¡¯m sorry, I was distracted.¡± Athena chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry most of the soldiers are going inside to help us carry whatever belongings we have. Plus I think some of that gold can be put to good use in the capital.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t all of that stolen goods though?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we can know from whom it was stolen in the first place. And the kingdom isn¡¯t going to ask where all of this gold came from anyway.¡± She glanced over her shoulder to one of the soldiers walking in as they gave her a thumbs up. ¡°As long as we give them some of it, I suppose.¡± It didn¡¯t sit right with Leona, but she knew coin was important for their survival, both food and equipment could be bought with enough of it and since their food supply was mostly gone, she wanted to make sure they wouldn¡¯t starve before accomplishing their mission in Londria. As they were walking inside, the tactician decided to ask her. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take before we reach the capital?¡± ¡°Probably one more day of travel, assuming we don¡¯t run into any problems.¡± ¡°I see.¡± They walked further in, the hallway that connected the storage area with the depths of the cavern was somewhat cluttered with soldiers moving crates of coin and other valuable items If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°What business do you have in the capital? I don¡¯t take it you¡¯re trying to enlist the help of mercenaries?¡± ¡°No, we are simply trying to accomplish a task given to us. I owe them my life and my comrade¡¯s.¡± Leona felt guilty the moment she remembered why the soldiers had saved her in the first place. ¡°This is but a small retribution of such favor.¡± ¡°You really are a righteous person aren¡¯t you? I pray I¡¯m able to help you regain your nobility, the kingdom shouldn¡¯t lose a leader such as yourself.¡± Leona had a bitter faint smile across her mouth because one thing she was certain of. ¡®No¡­ I am not worthy of the mantle of ruler just yet. I let too many die in my name already.¡¯ She tightened her hands into fists. ¡®But I will make sure nobody else dies, this isn¡¯t just about the kingdom anymore, if I can find a way to stop the death angels from advancing, we just may have a chance in exterminating them. But for that to happen¡­¡¯ Her eyes glanced towards the captain walking in front of them. ¡®I need to find a way to get closer to his family somehow.¡¯ ¡°Say Athena.¡± Leona started a conversation as they walked. ¡°I heard you two talking, but how exactly did you get to know each other?¡± ¡°You mean me and Oliver?¡± Upon seeing the tactician nod once she continued. ¡°We studied in the same school. He and I go a long way back, he didn¡¯t have the Arc surname back then. He was adopted by the head of the family after his parents passed away in an unfortunate accident with machinery.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ sorry that sounded like a bad memory to bring it up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry he is long past that. Or at least that¡¯s what he told me after he was adopted.¡± She scratched the side of her head. ¡°But don¡¯t tell him that I told you, it has been a while since I talked to him so I don¡¯t know how he would react if someone just out of nowhere mentioned it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be careful, thank you for warning me in advance.¡± She was almost fooled thinking he was an actual heir as his appearance did match the Kimbell elf duo from back in Akrapocalis. Maybe it was just pure coincidence or his appearance did have something to do with his adoption. ¡®I need to find a way to learn more about the creator of those beasts. However¡­¡¯ Her eyes locked on Krieg sleeping against the pile of gold, he didn¡¯t move at all from where she had left him. ¡®I have to find a way to wake him up, otherwise it¡¯ll be just me and Phoebe to deal with this situation.¡¯ She kneeled down beside the unconscious knight as the soldiers gathered around her. ¡°This is Krieg, I¡¯ve been traveling with him for the last month but he succumbed to a deep slumber a few weeks back. He is still alive but I don¡¯t know what exactly happened to him.¡± ¡°Right, we¡¯ll be able to provide further care to him at the capital.¡± Oliver motioned with his chin for two soldiers. ¡°Carry him to the entrance, we¡¯ll take him with our pod.¡± ¡°Pod? What is that?¡± Leona asked curiously. ¡°Oh, those¡­¡± Athena seemed disinterested, but she explained nonetheless. ¡°The newest vehicle made with a steam engine, honestly I still prefer the sled wolves.¡± ¡°Even though it leaves your face exposed to the cold wind?¡± Oliver asked playfully before turning to Leona. ¡°Come with us once you finish gathering your belongings, I¡¯ll show you what a ¡®pod¡¯ is.¡± ¡°Steam engines aren¡¯t really that good for this cold weather but who am I to judge a genius¡¯ design right?¡± The inventor scoffed as she picked her vintage bag from the ground while moving towards where her brother was. After Leona picked her own rucksack and stuffed it with some of the coins, she waited a bit as Phoebe approached her once again. The two of them were a few meters away from the group of soldiers. ¡°Here you go Princess, before anyone else sees it.¡± She handed her pendant back, though the metal that held the prismatic star had been shattered, the fact the high elf was able to find it amidst the storm outside was nothing short of a miracle. Upon having the dear memento back, Leona pocketed it inside her vest and buttoned it tightly in order to not lose it again. ¡°Thank you Phoebe.¡± The high elf nodded as she took a look around. ¡°Princess, while I was not given a time limit to complete my mission I would prefer to take you two as fast as I possibly can to the eastern nation, Nara to be more precise.¡± She pulled out the familiar small box that held another prismatic star in a pendant. ¡°Remember I showed you this before? I¡¯ve been thinking all this time, why would Queen Eleonora give me such a pendant for no apparent reason? That was the question I asked myself countless times and now I think I know why. She never meant for me to meet Krieg, but you instead.¡± Leona tilted her head slightly with one eyebrow raised. ¡°But why¡­? I never met Eleonora before and I¡¯m positive that she wouldn¡¯t know much about me.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so certain if I was you. I heard once that your mother was a knight in all but name for the Arcadian kingdom.¡± ¡°My mother? She passed most of her days inside the mansion, there was no way she could possibly-¡± She stopped as her mind started to search her childhood memories, most of the time her mother was seen doing anything other than tinkering with weapons and medicine, was when she spent time writing. Often she would take her time going through a myriad of different letters, by replying to them in a hurried manner going through as many as she could in one day. For the young Leona it seemed just another day but after connecting the dots, it all started to make sense. Otherwise how could her family welcome demons with open arms in a kingdom that was so fixated in exterminating them in the war? ¡°I do believe the person Queen Eleonora wanted me to bring to her wasn¡¯t sire Krieg, but you.¡± The high elf concluded. ¡°Why else would she hand me a pendant that closely resembles yours and tell me to show it to Krieg¡¯s liege? I-¡± Leona raised her hand promptly stopping Phoebe from speaking. ¡°Now I¡¯m beginning to understand a bit of what is going on, but as you also know, we need to finish this job before we are hopefully able to make the trip to Nara. If this method of air transportation works it means free passage from the inherent risks of death angels roaming the land.¡± ¡°Yes I am aware of that. But what I¡¯m saying is, whatever that elf told you back in Akrapocalis, don¡¯t get yourself involved with it. It bodes ill to ally yourself with their lot. Allies of that noble demi woman they may be, but that does warrant them enough trust for you to be pulled in whatever schemes they have planned. Elves are deceptive by nature, Princess Leona.¡± She suddenly turned around with a needle in hand. ¡°Who goes there?¡± Leona only noticed who was skulking behind them after the high elf pointed out. The blonde emerald eyed elf had both of his hands to the air. ¡°I take it you heard from my siblings?¡± He had his laid back attitude from before, but something seemed different somehow. ¡°If so I¡¯d prefer if you hear me out before anything.¡± Phoebe glanced from the corner of her eye towards Leona, but the tactician nodded. ¡°Tsk.¡± The high elf clicked her tongue as she put the needle back inside her coat. Oliver approached the two before looking around to check if anyone else was near. ¡°If you didn¡¯t notice, I¡¯m not a legitimate heir to the Arc family.¡± Unlike before, his eyes were sharp and focused, as if his life depended on that conversation. ¡±And the sole reason why I keep this facade is to take revenge on them.¡± Chapter XLVII: Semblance of Truth Frozen kingdom of Londria. An empire built on the bones of a great wyrm that once ruled the land, history says that it used to be a simple fishing village but with the invasion of the demon king army and increasing hostility near its borders a great witch called Eira summoned the power of the great draconic emperor to her aid, following that, the land was covered in ice, freezing more than half of the demon army but keeping the residents of the village safe. Through harnessing the power of frostburnt silver they slowly progressed to today¡¯s kingdomship, many died from the cold, but legend says that every true descendant of the witch is still protected by the wyrm¡¯s blessing. ¡°I was adopted when my parents were killed by my step-grandfather¡¯s schemes.¡± Oliver¡¯s voice was filled with a subtle hint of hatred. ¡°Though he had no reason to adopt me, I think he did so not out of pity, but the circumstances dictated that he had to. Both his grandchildren fled from the prestigious Arc household and with nobody else to fill that role, I was the perfect puppet. With no one else to vouch for my identity, I became an Arc.¡± ¡°Get to the point.¡± Phoebe was clearly becoming impatient with his pacing, shown by her lack of tact. ¡°I was getting there.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°As outsiders, most won¡¯t suspect you asking around for information, I need to know what the people think about him.¡± ¡°What makes you think we¡¯d do that?¡± The high elf still kept the hostility towards Oliver almost as a means to shoo him away, but Leona quickly intervened. ¡°Wait Phoebe.¡± She placed her hand in front of her as she turned to the captain. ¡°Why are you asking us to do something like that? I get it that you¡¯d want revenge but to take revenge upon someone you don¡¯t really require information to do that.¡± He looked away with a hint of anger in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s- it¡¯s complicated¡­ I¡¯m not sure but there is more to him than meets the eye and I want to know for sure what is going on before I act. Even if I take my revenge, it¡¯ll be for nothing if it ends up making many others miserable like me.¡± He turned his attention towards the soldiers. ¡°Some of them have families to take care of, I don¡¯t want my actions to cost them their livelihood.¡± Leona understood his reasoning completely, the meaning of having people to put their lives in their master¡¯s hands was something very familiar to her own family. On top of that, being able to extract information directly from the source seemed like a worthwhile endeavor, however Phoebe¡¯s words were still fresh in her mind. ¡®Don¡¯t get yourself involved with it.¡¯ But chances don¡¯t come without risks and she knew if she was to make any sort of progress, there were going to be things at stake. Therefore she began to carefully lay the groundwork for her objectives. ¡°Very well¡­ does Athena know about your hatred for your own adoptive family?¡± He looked away seemingly in shame. ¡°No, I never had the courage to tell her that because it was thanks to them that I was able to meet her in the first place.¡± ¡°Then I take it you wouldn¡¯t want to involve her in your revenge?¡± ¡°She has nothing to do with this, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to get her into my own mess.¡± He clenched his teeth. ¡°She suffered enough in the hands of my family.¡± ¡°So the Arcs are also involved in the murder of her father?¡± He shook his head lightly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, it¡¯s all speculation up to this point, but they might be according to all the evidence in the circle of researchers. That being said-¡± ¡°Captain, we secured most of the appointed goods, we are ready to depart at your command.¡± One of the soldiers approached the group and saluted Oliver, who quickly dismissed him before turning back to Leona. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more once we reach Londria, it¡¯s about a day of travel with our pods.¡± They began walking back towards the entrance, the large amounts of gold coins were dug out from many sides, diminishing the pile¡¯s size but not by much. Upon reaching the hallway to the entrance, they found the soldiers carrying Krieg, Phoebe quickly ran up to them and stopped the duo as they were about to exit the cave. ¡°We have our ride.¡± The high elf insisted. ¡°Plus I think it might even be faster than your pods.¡± ¡°But miss, wouldn¡¯t it be better for your comrade to be protected from the snow? It¡¯s quite the brutal storm out there.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°We¡¯ll go with them, Phoebe.¡± Leona told her. ¡°Just make sure to take out that box you told me about. Lest we let it be damaged by the weather.¡± Phoebe raised an eyebrow as she turned around to face the tactician. ¡°Then, can they even bring this enormous piece of metal without anyone powering it?¡± ¡°Oh you underestimate our pods.¡± Oliver walked past the two of them. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can haul your vehicle as well while bringing everyone on board.¡± The attrition between elf and high elf became obvious as both parties had their voices borderlining verbal violence. ¡°Come on now.¡± Athena saw both fighting and stepped in while glancing at each of them. ¡°Save the exchange of insults for later. Let¡¯s get going and quit this place.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Both elves turned their heads away from each other as the rest of the soldiers proceeded with the loading of extra cargo. Around the cavern¡¯s entrance, there was a round shaped metallic pod of almost three times the size as the mobile snow sledge Leona¡¯s party was using to traverse the vast white of the frozen land. Although the design was odd at first glance, the large tank-like threads offered great area of contact meaning the whole thing, as heavy as it was, wouldn¡¯t sink in the snow even when the vehicle was stationary. ¡°Oh this is quite interesting¡­¡± Leona muttered as she circled around the odd vehicle, the passengers would board from behind it, while on the right side outside had racks for different materials and tools like shovels, pickaxes, handsaws and sledgehammers, the left had a hatch for burnable fuel while also carrying said fuel in separate compartments-like boxes. The exhaust vent was just above the rectangular hatch that was open by rotating the large center wheel counter-clockwise which also gave access to the boilers used to feed the engine necessary steam to move. Inside there was enough space for ten people although there wasn¡¯t much in terms of personal comfort, but it was functional. ¡°Not bad for Londrian technology eh?¡± Athena smacked the side metal bodywork twice. ¡°But this thing is too cumbersome to go beyond the snowy landscape unfortunately.¡± ¡°You make it sound like that is an issue.¡± Oliver shrugged off as he turned to Phoebe. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come in with us, there is enough space for everyone.¡± The high elf was about to raise an eyebrow but instead just shook her head lightly. ¡°As a bodyguard, I¡¯ll follow Leona wherever she goes. You don¡¯t need to remind me.¡± Once Krieg was carried inside the vehicle, the tactician followed suit and sat beside him shouldering some of the knight¡¯s weight with her own. Phoebe sat on the opposite side of the two while keeping an eye on the elf captain that came after them, closely behind Athena was accompanied by her brother and another four soldiers, one of which went to the driver¡¯s seat in a separate room in front of the vehicle. ¡°Thankfully it is somewhat insulated inside.¡± Athena let out a sigh as she sat beside Leona after hanging her rifle on a rack inside the vehicle. ¡°The early prototypes used to not have any protection from the cold. Imagine not having any sort of measure against the freezing temperatures of this land.¡± ¡°They had, until someone thought it was a good idea to burn coal inside an enclosed space.¡± Oliver sourly added. ¡°Until they resolved the exhaust issue they couldn¡¯t exactly make the boiler go through the inside of the vehicle.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that it uses its own engine in order to heat the interior?¡± Leona was concerned. ¡°Yeah pretty much.¡± Athena answered. ¡°But then, wouldn¡¯t it get too hot inside?¡± Both the captain and inventor shared glances before laughing it off. Phoebe seemed a bit annoyed by the elf¡¯s reaction. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that it shows that you don¡¯t know much about Londria.¡± Oliver took a mercury thermometer from the wall and showed it to Leona, it was currently marking ten degrees celsius. ¡°If you¡¯ve seen a thermometer before, it should represent well just how brutal the cold here is. It usually barely reaches twenty at full use of the boiler.¡± The tactician was left speechless, the coldest she had ever felt was about fifteen degrees so anything below that would feel unreasonably cold. All she could do now was to shrink in her seat and hope the body warmth of both Krieg and Athena was enough to keep her from feeling too cold. At that point, one soldier approached and stood outside the vehicle as he talked to the captain. ¡°Sir. The others are ready.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± The elf nodded. ¡°Let us head back to Londria. Don¡¯t burn through all of the fuel, we might need to take a detour if the storm is still strong in the capital.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The soldier saluted and helped close the vehicle¡¯s hatch, however closing the only entrance made the interior of the pod become black as night. ¡°Ah, I forgot to turn this on.¡± Oliver¡¯s voice could be heard as he was going through the other seats in the darkness. A few thuds and clunks later he seemed to have found what he wanted. ¡°There it is.¡± A click and Leona squinted her eyes at the sudden flash of orange light that suddenly assaulted her eyes. In the very center of the roof there was a switch to turn on the warm lamp that illuminated the interior of the vehicle as there were no windows in the passenger compartment making it simply impossible to see without a light. ¡°Well then¡­ I suppose some sleep is in order then.¡± Athena crossed her arms and leaned her head against the back of her seat, which was seemingly designed with that in mind as it was comfortably cushioned to fit one¡¯s head. ¡°Wake me up if something happens.¡± Seeing how the captain also began to prepare to sleep, it made Leona wonder if she could do the same as her eyelids were gradually feeling heavier. Maybe it was because of the cozy interior of the vehicle and the fact that she had been enduring the cold weather for some time now. ¡°Feel free to sleep Princess.¡± Phoebe reassured after noticing the tactician almost nod off. ¡°Rest assured that I¡¯ll wake you up if anything happens.¡± Leona nodded sluggishly as she folded her arms and leaned her head against the comfortable seat cushion. Sleep took over her in a matter of just a few minutes as her head tilted towards Krieg¡¯s side. ¡®Well then¡­ I think I might rest for a bit too.¡¯ The high elf folded her arms and closed her eyes for a brief respite. Chapter XLVIII: Frozen Blessing The calm after the storm, Leona always cherished those moments when her heart could finally find peace within when the endless seas of turbulent thoughts ceased into stillness. Especially after all Krieg, Phoebe and herself have been through, that moment of well deserved rest was supposed to be her respite. Her eyes instantly recognized the abyssal plane she was brought into from her dreams, the unsettling swirling void beneath her feet seemed to crawl out of the depths to reach her, only to be pulled back by some unknown greater force. Leona wasn¡¯t at all startled even when looking directly into the countless squirming hands underneath her. ¡°Welcome again.¡± The god¡¯s voice came from somewhere above her. ¡°I see you brought a guest.¡± She looked up and saw what seemed to be a fracture in the sky pulsating with dark red energy, she could feel the voice coming from it as if it was some sort of speaker used by the god. ¡°I thought only I could be pulled into this wretched place. Besides, why this sort of treatment all of the sudden? I thought you¡¯d prefer to talk face to face.¡± ¡°Haha, someone is sure to be sharp with her tongue. Very well, why don¡¯t your friend show yourself and I¡¯ll do the same?¡± Before she could reply, her corporeal body felt like it was being split in half. Albeit it didn¡¯t cause her any pain, it felt gruesome as if someone had ripped part of her out. Beside her a translucent blob of slime began to take the form of an old man and in a matter of seconds his form was substantial enough for speech. ¡°Will this do?¡± The familiar voice brought a certain feeling of ease to the tactician. Having someone else''s company in that cursed place was just what she needed to not be driven insane. ¡°Yes, thank you for showing yourself. Saves me the trouble of splicing her soul.¡± Upon glancing towards the fractured sky, she noticed dark red energy ooze out of the abyss before dropping down and slowly reform itself into the familiar image of the god, this time using a simple white shirt, black pants and polished shoes of same color. ¡°Goodness gracious. This is probably the first time I ever had an uninvited visitor in my domain. What is your name, departed soul?¡± ¡°Miyamoto of Nara. I am- or rather, was the lord of the kingdom of Nara.¡± ¡°I see. I see. Well-¡± The god snapped his fingers and a throne erupted from the ground behind him as he sat down crossing his legs. ¡°Sit back and do not speak and I might just let this one slide. Else I¡¯ll feed you to the souls beneath us. Now where was I¡­? Oh yes, your performance in these last couple of days Leona. I¡¯d say I¡¯m quite impressed, not meaning to insult or anything but you really do seem to be holding yourself pretty well, despite your sheltered upbringing.¡± That sentence ticked her off a bit, but in respect of the lord beside her and for her own safety she decided to nod it off. ¡°I¡¯m trying my best with the cards given to me. Although I would be more thankful if most of the people I come by my travels didn¡¯t want to murder me or my allies.¡± ¡°That has ever been the struggles of mankind, in any world they may come from.¡± The god waved his hand back and forth, creating what seemed to be a small cloud of miasma before dissipating it with a light snap of his fingers. ¡°Either way, I¡¯ve seen you made some progress in your skills with the blade. What was her name again? The elder elf that trained you.¡± She raised an eyebrow as she answered. ¡°Phoebe?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, her. It has been a while since I¡¯ve seen such an accomplished assassin, in an underdeveloped world such as yours finding such skilled individuals is a miracle. Let alone have one accompany you as a bodyguard.¡± ¡°I am blessed with stout allies, but I can¡¯t say the same for the gods above.¡± He chuckled. ¡°As expected of my children. Unruly though they may be, at least they did shape your world into what it is today.¡± After leaning his back against the throne, he crossed his fingers on his lap. ¡°Now, a word of warning before I let you go. My child¡¯s influence in Londria is far greater than it seems, even under the guise of a technological kingdom her blessing can be seen like a plague spreading throughout Eira¡¯s kinsman.¡± Leona tilted her head slightly sideways as she asked. ¡°Right¡­ so is this your way of telling me to find a way to free them from her?¡± He waved his hand with disdain. ¡°Oh no, no. Whatever you do is fine, just don¡¯t go off dying on your own. I¡¯ve grown too invested in your story to just watch you die a pointless death.¡± ¡°I should have expected that.¡± The tactician simply sighed. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll do things my way then.¡± ¡°I trust you will.¡± He raised his arm and snapped his fingers, engulfing both her and the swordsman in darkness. Her mind felt like it was being fused again with the lord¡¯s soul amidst the void as her consciousness wandered in a seemingly endless void and before she knew it, she was back inside the pod as her body muscles jerked involuntarily. She blinked a few times as if she had just woken up, staring up at the ceiling she felt a bit of drool from the side of her mouth before she discreetly wiped off with the back of her left hand. After raising her head, she noticed most of the passengers were asleep, save for Phoebe and another soldier on the far back of the vehicle. ¡°Good morning Princess.¡± In a low voice, the high elf greeted her. ¡°Ah. Good morning Phoebe, did you rest too?¡± The assassin shook her head. ¡°Even if I tried, I wouldn¡¯t be able to. I¡¯m not comfortable in enclosed spaces like this.¡± ¡°Oh? I wasn¡¯t aware of that, doesn¡¯t it feel too uncomfortable here then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ bearable. Although I much prefer the vehicle we were using.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Leona didn¡¯t quite feel suffocated, it was akin to riding the closed carriages back in Arcadia so it felt somewhat familiar to her, albeit with less personal space than she hoped for. ¡°Nnngh¡­¡± Athena¡¯s voice sounded strangely close to the tactician¡¯s ears and the moment she glanced to her left she noticed the inventor¡¯s head slightly leaned towards her as she mumbled in her sleep. ¡°Nooo¡­ don¡¯t eat my food¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s sleeping right?¡± Leona poked the side of her right cheek, but since Athena simply grumbled before turning to the other side she already knew the answer. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Most of you are very heavy sleepers, I¡¯m surprised none of you woke up during the storm.¡± ¡°Storm?¡± ¡°There was a heavy storm that kept shaking this whole thing, but thankfully we made past it without too much problem.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Leona glanced around the dimly lit interior, she could hardly believe she was somewhat comfortable inside a vehicle amidst the frigid cold land. To see technology evolve in such a way to fight against the deadly nature of the wilderness made her feel hopeful in humanity¡¯s ability to overcome any hurdle, given enough time and research. Her optimistic thought was cut short by Phoebe¡¯s voice. ¡°Oh right, the captain over there told me that if you want to see what outside looks like you can enter the driver¡¯s cabin. Knock first though.¡± That sentence made her eyes sparkle instantly in excitement, as someone who has never traveled to Londria, she wondered what the kingdom looked like ever since they were set to travel there. Leona glanced at Krieg before standing up with her back hunched forward she then moved towards the door and knocked twice. ¡°Can I come in? I want to see the scenery outside.¡± She asked. ¡°Sure thing.¡± A muffled male voice replied from behind the thick metal door as she gently opened it. The first thing that hit her was the bright light of the day accompanied by a sharp cold breeze coming from the opened hatch the soldier was using to see the path in front of him. ¡°Ah sorry.¡± He said as he looked back towards the path he was driving the pod through, he used what seemed to be a see-through protective eyewear of sorts. ¡°We don¡¯t quite have heating here, so bear with me until you go back there. Feel free to take a seat, we are almost at the border of the capital.¡± ¡°Is it always like this to drive?¡± She could feel the cold down to her bones, it was a very uncomfortable situation where she could barely keep her body from shivering as the wind brushed against her exposed cheeks, she sat down on the seat that was a simple chair-like molded metal with a blanket on top, even though it covered the seat entirely, she could feel the cold of the metal coming through the thin fabric.. ¡°Well, not always, today just happens to be more windy. There is a latch to your right, you can get the blanket and goggles from there, it should help ease the cold as well as allow you to have a clearer view.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing Miss.¡± The moment she covered herself with the blanket, put the goggles on and snuggled against her own coat she stopped for a few minutes to appreciate the view. They had taken the longer route going around the mountain near the coast, if you could call a seemingly endless expanse of ice a coast. From where they were, the capital city was located across a half moon road on the very top of a mountain overlooking the frozen ocean, the spiral buildings seemed to break the round natural formation but much like Windia, each and every building had a certain charm to itself as if trying to stand out the bland cold scenery. However what took her breath away was the castle, it was much bigger than the Arcadian fortress, but at the same time it seemed to be far better maintained. With many towers sprouting out uniformly of the main structure she wondered if it was possible to defend against aerial assaults, but on closer inspection she noticed what seemed to be large cannons and ballistas on every defensive tower. The giant center spiral atop of the castle seemed to gather the surrounding mana as it emitted a slight blue tinted glow and while it blended with the surrounding scenery, it did leave the city with a certain air of mystery around it. ¡°I¡¯m sure you heard about the capital of Londria, Miss Crossford?¡± ¡°Only through books. I never thought it was this¡­ beautiful.¡± She puffed a warm breath against her hands while rubbing them together. ¡°It really is a sight to behold.¡± Somewhere deep down she wished she could share that view with her parents, even though she knew both her mother and father had already been there when they first met. It was a childish desire, but she couldn¡¯t help it. A small glint of joy was enough to strengthen her will to fight for a better world. She sat silently rubbing her hands together while appreciating the view, the noisy steam engine and the clanking of the parts as they went down the road towards the capital were the only things that kept her ears busy. However after a while the soldier beside her began to speak, albeit with a careful tone in his voice. ¡°Miss Crossford, mind if I ask you something?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She glanced at the soldier, he wore the same uniform as Oliver but the color patterns were a bit different, instead of navy blue with white trimmings, it was a darker blue with black trimmings. His face was covered with a cloth that protected his throat, mouth and nose from the wind, while the goggles popped out alongside the puffy cap on his head. ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered how the Arcadians handled the situation with the demons and I would hear merchants talking a lot how slavery was something that was being abolished there. Was it your family who decided to take such actions?¡± That was one question that she didn¡¯t expect to hear coming from a soldier of another nation. Surely, many of the laws put in place were her father¡¯s idea, but all of them had to go through the Queen and only then be legally acknowledged as a rule within the kingdom. While she wasn¡¯t particularly involved in their making, she was aware of how important those laws were. ¡°The short answer is yes, but the long answer is¡­ complicated. Are you familiar with the Arcadian law system?¡± ¡°Not much. The only thing I know for certain is regarding how laws are made. Which falls to the noble families to come up with solutions alongside their vassals and the common folk.¡± ¡°Correct. But the nobles don¡¯t have free reign to decide what law will be put in use. We only put up proposals and then the Queen passes them as she sees fit. In short we are much like advisors to the kingdom.¡± He slowly nodded as he continued on. ¡°I thought they had free reign as long as they didn¡¯t do anything that went against the royal family.¡± ¡°It was like that until Eleonora¡¯s reign. Of course as nobles we still retain some autonomy over our own domain but it doesn¡¯t mean we are free from judgment of the kingdom. But what about Londria? I only read about how instead of nobles the people elect who they want in power, how does that work?¡± ¡°You are well versed in our political system.¡± He sounded genuinely surprised. ¡°We call it elections, every free man and woman has the right to vote for a selected few individuals, as for how they are chosen, it all comes down to their field of work. Let¡¯s say if a person is skilled enough in the medical field, they can be elected to be the minister of health. Or if they are reliable for their knowledge, minister of education and so on.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but keep slowly nodding as he spoke, it was a very logical system with the aid of the people for their own gain. She wondered who came up with such a complex idea. ¡°Do you know who created this system?¡± ¡°Ah, that was king Uriel. Alongside his group of advisors he deemed kingship to be a thing of the past, if we were to move forward no single man could be competent enough to lead an entire kingdom alone.¡± Even though the soldier¡¯s story seemed believable, she couldn¡¯t help but feel something was off. Through the little time she spent with Lastraeous, she was able to tell when some sort of deity was involved in man¡¯s history and the unmistakable trace of otherworldly knowledge was the biggest giveaway. For a world that slavery and human trafficking wasn¡¯t that all uncommon, the idea of having the common folk participate in choosing their leaders felt very off. ¡°I¡¯m thankful that my kids are able to have the life I couldn¡¯t.¡± He sounded emotional when he started to talk about his family. ¡°I¡¯ll be forever thankful to the kingdom and the goddess Eleonora for bringing salvation to our land.¡± ¡®Well that didn¡¯t take long.¡¯ Leona thought as she heard the man speak. ¡®Now¡­ how am I supposed to trust anyone in this kingdom?¡¯ She looked over the horizon as the Londrian capital approached. While smirking bitterly she scratched the side of her nose. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just have to figure something out.¡¯ Chapter XLIX: Angelic Mendacity The frigid wind was freezing Leona down to the bone, even with the thick blanket covering most of her body, she could still feel the chill permeating through the fabric. The weather felt odd however, it didn¡¯t feel that cold when they were at the cavern and there was a snow storm happening back then, but here right next to the capital felt like it was much colder than it should be. ¡®Is this the witch¡¯s curse that I¡¯ve read so much about in the books back in the mansion?¡¯ Leona thought for herself as she tried her best to keep her body warm by shrinking even more against the seat. The witch¡¯s curse. Some scholars described that within the Londrian capital the aspect of ice mana was so strong that it could freeze still water in a glass in a matter of just a few minutes. The tactician was well aware of that but the amount of cold she was feeling felt like the scholars did a poor job in describing just how bad it really was. ¡°Miss Crossford, I think it would be better if you went to the passenger¡¯s side. It¡¯s about to get very cold from now on.¡± ¡°I-I-I¡¯m feeling it in my bones.¡± The soldier had a worried look as he turned to face her. ¡°Right, I should¡¯ve given this to you from the beginning.¡± He handed her a small glass mug protected by thin strips of brass going around the cylindrical vial, it had a tightly sealed lid made of the same material strapped to a leather chain for easy carrying. ¡°Drink it when you feel you can¡¯t stand the cold.¡± Inside of the glass, there was a bright thick reddish liquid that sloshed around whenever the vehicle shook, it had a strange dull glow to it as if it had mana imbued into the fluid. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Warm up drink rations. They give us these when we head out of base.¡± ¡°Oh I can¡¯t take something you need.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I was supposed to drink it but this new uniform they made us protect very well from the cold already.¡± It was noticeable that even though his uniform¡¯s fabric was considerably thinner, he was faring much better than herself against the cold weather. After taking a look at just how little clothing he seemed to be using, she decided to take the drink. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll gladly take it, thank you.¡± She reached for the glass vial and it felt strangely warm to the touch as if the concoction was just brewed a while ago. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the lid was open by using a small latch on top of the vial and with a surprising pop the lid opened and revealed a sweet aroma coming off from inside. It reminded her of the herbal tea that Adele used to make her on cold days back in the mansion. Without hesitation she pressed the edge of the round glass against her lips and began to slowly drink the concoction. The milky texture made her think if it was made of the dairy product, but once she sloshed the beverage inside her mouth there was no hint of it, instead a scent of herbs and a strong taste of berries filled her mouth. It was a pleasant feeling that soothed her cold body from inside out, but oddly enough it wasn¡¯t as if she had ingested a warm liquid, it felt more like the warmth was spreading through another way. It was much more effective than when she had tea back in the mansion. Before long, she wasn¡¯t being affected too much by the cold. ¡°Wait¡­ this drink is actually miraculous.¡± She spoke in surprise after seeing just how potent the concoction really was. ¡°The head scientist created it in order to protect us soldiers from the cold. Some may be able to survive in this harsh weather but not all have the blessing so it¡¯s quite unfortunate to have to work under this brutal cold.¡± ¡°Scientist?¡± The nomenclature wasn¡¯t familiar to her, if anything many of the things the soldiers and her newly befriended ally spoke of didn¡¯t make much sense to her. ¡°Yeah, we call the people who create these inventions scientists. It was thanks to them that most of us didn¡¯t die from the cold. I heard the weather here is far harsher than anywhere else anyone has ever been before.¡± She scratched the side of her head. ¡°Interesting. I noticed there is something strange with the mana around these parts, it feels¡­ stagnant. I¡¯m surprised these inventions can help ward off its effects on the body with a tasty drink on top of that.¡± She handed the glass vial back to the soldier who put it back on a satchel on his waist belt. ¡°I¡¯m glad I could show you some gratitude, Miss Crossford.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve done more than just show gratitude¡­¡± She thought she knew his name but only after all this time she realized she had never asked his name. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I know it is rather late, but what is your name?¡± ¡°Oh right, I went on and on and never told you my name did I?¡± He offered his right hand to a handshake. ¡°Henry Zio, sergeant of the seventh division platoon at your disposal.¡± She returned his firm handshake, even through the thick gloves it was possible to tell just how tough he was by simply holding his hand as it was considerably bigger than the tactician¡¯s. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°You already know my name, but for the sake of formality I¡¯ll say again. Leona Crossford, heir of the Crossford family back in Arcadia.¡± After the handshake, she returned to her position on the seat and asked. ¡°I never heard of any of the words you and captain Oliver said before. Second lieu- what was it?¡± ¡°You must mean lieutenant. Those are ranks within the Londrian army. She ranks above me but below the Captain. We all have responsibilities regarding the soldiers working under us, but as a field officer, Captain Oliver answers for all of us if we mess up.¡± ¡°That sounds awfully complicated, but I can see the reasoning behind it.¡± She began to think Arcadia was awfully behind in terms of research and knowledge. While they had to train knights to fight with swords, Londria had soldiers who could kill at range with much less training. It felt somewhat frustrating but it was how technology worked, the northern kingdom wasn¡¯t especially keen in sharing their discoveries, but so too was Arcadia and therefore they had major differences in the arcane and technological field. ¡°Miss Crossford, I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking out of curiosity but have you heard of a priestess named Neiliel from the church of the light?¡± Leona blinked a few times before slowly turning to face him, Henry¡¯s eyes were still on the road while he waited for an answer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I must have misheard you. Who were you asking me about?¡± ¡°Neiliel, she should be a priestess now, she always wanted to help the children in need but combat wasn¡¯t really her thing so to raise money to aid the less fortunate she became a priestess.¡± A bitter cold sensation of guilt stung through her heart, that name wasn¡¯t one she was expecting to hear after all the time that had passed. She held responsibility for what happened, due to her inability to assess the situation properly. It had cost other¡¯s lives, in a way she felt like it was her reckoning. ¡°You don¡¯t mind me asking what your relationship with her was, right?¡± He glanced sideways at her before chuckling. ¡°Oh, not at all. After all, I¡¯m her older brother, maybe not by blood, but I¡¯m still her sibling.¡± His earnest reply made her feel even more guilty than surprised. She in fact never knew Neiliel¡¯s last name, but the soldier¡¯s reply made it clear that he was indeed related to her in some way. ¡°I see¡­¡± She swallowed dry. From a strategic point of view, revealing her death could cause a number of problems depending on how he would react. If he attacked her there was little she could do if not take his life with a close range spell, on the other hand, making him hold a grudge against her or become suspicious was another gamble she wasn¡¯t willing to take. ¡°Why the question though? I assume Miss Crossford knows my sister then?¡± She was hesitant, but as if someone was holding her shoulders with a gentle squeeze, she found strength to face the soldier and tell him the truth. ¡°Your sister, Neiliel. She died near the Crossford state due to wounds caused by an attack of geocytes. She fought to protect our party, but we couldn¡¯t save her.¡± She could tell he was surprised by the wide open eyes staring at her but then he simply turned again to look to the road ahead of them. He glanced down before taking a deep breath as he asked. ¡°Did she suffer?¡± Leona slowly shook her head. ¡°Then I think she passed on doing what she wanted. Even before when we lived together in Londria, she never wanted anything to do with politics or the military, all she ever wanted was to spread peace to those in need. I¡¯m sure if your cause wasn¡¯t just she wouldn¡¯t have laid down her life for it. I know it must have been hard but thank you for telling me in all your earnest.¡± ¡°I truly am sorry, if I planned ahead a bit more we could¡¯ve avoided her death and others that were with me, but I was naive to think the dangers could be averted because we were in such a large group of people. The sense of safety left me complacent and it cost her life.¡± ¡°You learned from your mistake and are still pressing on with your duty, I don¡¯t think you should feel ashamed of your past. After all, what already happened can¡¯t be changed.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± She agreed with a slow nod, while it was true that she did learn a lot from the unwanted practical experience, it cost her a great deal of allies and when her spirit was almost broken, the memories of her fallen comrades kept her going alongside the loyal knight and ever dependant assassin. ¡°I¡¯m simply lucky to have the allies that I do.¡± He chuckled, it seemed like he was reminiscing of good memories as even a faint smile could be seen through the cloth mask. ¡°I know what it is to have people you can depend on. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need me to tell you this but make sure to cherish them. If only I had insisted for her to continue her priestess work here instead of going all the way to Arcadia¡­ but then again, if not for her I wouldn¡¯t have the chance to meet such a famous individual like yourself.¡± ¡°I appreciate your words but I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m famous in the first place.¡± ¡°The title of tactician aside, the surname Crossford almost brings a tear to my eye, it was thanks to your family that we could end the war peacefully. Much innocent blood was spilled in the name of hatred.¡± He slowly steered the vehicle out of the way of a boulder that was in the middle of the road. They were steadily getting closer to the capital as its outer walls were becoming visible in the horizon. ¡°Peace forged by communication and understanding¡­ while idealistic, I honestly believe it is possible.¡± ¡°Even with fierce devouts of the church of light?¡± She was gambling with that sentence, there was no way to be sure if he was already influenced by it or just a bystander in that mess. ¡°Well¡­¡± He seemed a bit in an uncomfortable situation when she mentioned the church. His fingers kept opening and closing around the steering wheel, as he glanced back at the door behind his seat a few times before leaning closer to Leona and whispering. ¡°Personally speaking, I¡¯d rather not have the church in our kingdom. It was because of the goddess that this war went on as long as it did in the first place. But don¡¯t tell others I told you this. Some of the other soldiers can get very personal regarding this.¡± ¡°I see, thank you for sharing this. While I¡¯m not against religion. The ideals of the church are too extreme to be helpful. Even in Arcadia, knights were constantly needed to quell the rage of its followers. It even went as far as assaulting a demi-human in broad daylight.¡± ¡°In all honesty, I wish we could just work together with them. I know the Crossford family have been working on that ever since the war ended but with you being here without an official escort tells me something went wrong down there.¡± Leona nodded. ¡°There was a power struggle with another family and I was forced to flee the kingdom. But my goal hasn¡¯t changed, in order to fight the death angel menace, humans and demons must cooperate if we wish to survive yet another cataclysm.¡± ¡°It¡¯s heartwarming to know that Miss Crossford, but I must warn you. In Londria, not everyone agrees with the unison of demons and men, if anything the church made their perception of them worse.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll take extra care when we reach the city. I thank you for telling me in advance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± They were about to reach the fortified gates when a deafening roar echoed from somewhere behind them. ¡°What was that?!¡± Leona looked around as she couldn¡¯t tell exactly where the sound came from, but upon looking at Henry she had an answer she wasn¡¯t expecting. ¡°It¡¯s another one of them¡­¡± He looked at Leona as if pleading for help. ¡°...another death angel.¡± Chapter L: The Beginning of the End As if they were already waiting for something like this to happen, a line of about twenty soldiers lined up side by side near the gate, all of them used the standard bolt action rifle and wore the same navy blue uniform albeit with a black mask for facial protection against the cold. All of them raised their weapons while frantically looking around for the angelic beast, what bothered Leona the most was some soldiers looking towards the sky as if they expected a flying foe. Henry started to bang his hand against the door behind him until another soldier opened it and asked. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Death angels at our rear. Make sure to wake everyone up.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± He went back and at the same time Leona followed behind him. With the loud noise both Athena and her brother woke up as the two were still blinking to drive the drowsiness away, Oliver and Phoebe on the other hand seemed ready to as if already expecting something like this to happen. ¡°All units prepare for battle!¡± Oliver stood up and shouted. ¡°Sergeant, stop the vehicle! We¡¯ll split into two groups. Jill, Hank, you two take sir Krieg to safety! Henry, Lyon with me!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± All four soldiers answered as the captain pushed the door hatch open. The freezing cold rushed inside as if sucking all the heat out of the interior. The female soldier named Jill shouldered Krieg¡¯s body by putting his right arm around her neck, meanwhile Hank did the same on the opposite side as they both got up. Leona followed right behind the group Oliver was leading and the moment she stepped out of the vehicle her face was assaulted by the bone chilling cold wind, it seemed surreal how cold it was compared to the cave they were in a day ago, but thankfully she drank the warmth drink Henry had given to her so she wasn¡¯t feeling too cold. Unlike the high elf, whose teeth were chattering from the intense cold as she complained out loud. ¡°I can¡¯t feel my damn fingers¡­!¡± ¡°No time to waste, let¡¯s move!¡± The female soldier shouted as she and her comrade began carrying the knight out of the vehicle towards the city¡¯s walls. Leona hastily followed behind them, Phoebe had the longbow ready with an arrow coated in poison loosely knocked against the string, Athena and Arthur both held rifles in their hands whilst running towards the gate. ¡°All soldiers! In formation!¡± Oliver¡¯s shouting could be heard from the other side of the vehicle, Leona looked over her shoulder and saw the captain getting other soldiers into a line with their rifles ready. The tactician felt some confidence from the numbers of soldiers present, if Krieg and Phoebe along with a handful of Akrapocalian soldiers managed to fend off a death angel, they surely could do the same. ¡®This should be fine, they are trained for this after all-¡¯ But right before her eyes, the pod the other soldiers were in was squashed like a bug under the weight of a gigantic humanoid white winged scaly beast, blood began to seep out of the destroyed vehicle forming a puddle around the crash, instead of a head, both arms had serpent heads to hands each hissing and licking the air as if searching for prey in the vicinity and instantly started to rip the pod apart as if trying to get to the succulent insides of a fruit. Its chest had some sort of vertical opening that kept moving up and down making a horrid sound of numerous teeth grinding against each other. All soldiers were paralyzed with fear, Leona wished she hadn¡¯t turned around as her legs locked in place even though all cells in her body screamed in terror of the sight of the angelic demon. Phoebe fought her instinct to draw the bow as she noticed a gentle sheen of the scales covering its entire body as it could probably stop an arrow without denting. Athena held her brother to keep him from moving as she whispered while looking over her shoulder. ¡°Art, do not move.¡± Jill and Hank were standing still while clenching their teeth as to hold their breaths. Leona was trying to come up with a plan to attack the beast as running away could potentially mean death of everyone including her group. There were too many variables with a foe she had never seen before, would the scales be strong enough to reflect bullets? Magic? Could they even manage to penetrate it? How was it not outright attacking them? Could it be blind? There was a flood of questions to which she lacked enough information to form a cohesive plan. However the death angel didn¡¯t hold back as it flung back pieces of the destroyed pod beneath its scaly human feet as it easily went through the bodywork and before long it reached the bloody insides of the former transportation. Much like a child picking a piece of fruit from a canned good, it picked up a squashed soldier from the arm and opened its vertical chest maw revealing many rows of sharp teeth as it gulped the whole man in one bite as the teeth ground the man¡¯s body into nothing. Some of the blood seeped down towards the scaly groin of the beast before a terrified scream broke the stillness of the situation. ¡°FIRE! FIRE! WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?!¡± A man wearing a slightly different uniform issued the command to the soldiers near the city¡¯s walls, he was already in his forties as it could be seen from the many wrinkles around his brow and a few white strands of hair popping from the captain¡¯s hat. However that was hardly the right time as the panicked soldiers took blind shots at it as they were still heavily affected by the mere sight of the death angel feeding itself and many of the projectiles either missed entirely, almost hitting some of Oliver¡¯s men or simply ricocheting off the scales at a poor angle. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! KILL IT!¡± The death angel suddenly turned its two snake hands towards the soldiers who fired their guns and it seemed to prepare both wings for flight but the moment it turned around Oliver saw an opportunity. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°All units fall into position! Take aim!¡± His commanding voice made the soldiers around him make organized firing rows, four soldiers stood behind four kneeling as they aimed their rifles at the monster¡¯s flat back. ¡°FIRE!¡± A volley of shots pierced through the beast''s scales as a dark purple ichor began to pour out of every hole made from the bullets. But as if right out of a horror movie, the left hand suddenly twisted and turned around its back, biting into the side of one of the kneeling soldiers flinging him towards soldiers defending the city like a child¡¯s toy. The body skipped against the snow terrain once before colliding full force against the defensive line, knocking most of the soldiers away like bowling pins. ¡°Fall back!¡± Oliver yelled as he noticed the other arm preparing to do the same. ¡°Don¡¯t let it grab you!¡± ¡°John!¡± Henry shouted but the moment he did so the other snake arm bit right beneath his right arm and began to coil around his torso. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Phoebe!¡± Leona quickly turned to her. ¡°Aim for its mouth once it opens it!¡± As if they shared the same idea, the high elf nodded as she pulled the longbow to a maximum draw. All happened in one fell swoop, as the monster raised the right arm to devour Henry, Phoebe managed to release the arrow that lodged itself in the right side of the terrible maw. With the arrow piercing through the inside of its body, the death angel began to flail around whilst letting out a terrible roar and eventually let go of Henry who was flung against the snow a few meters away. Leona managed to stay focused despite the deafening bellow ringing her ears as she unsheathed the longsword before winding it up behind her back. ¡°Winds of time, grant thy power unto myself, Windshot!¡± Once she finished chanting, she lobbed the blade full force at the death angel¡¯s open maw and as the blade was spinning through the air she raised her left hand as her palm started to release sparks of blue flames as she shortened a chant. ¡°Piercing Flame!¡± Mana coiled around her arm before condensing into a flaming azure spear of fire. As she shot the spell the previously thrown sword was spinning so fast it could be mistaken for a saw blade, once it made contact with the interior of the mouth, it tore apart a chunk of purple flesh out of the beast but even before it could react to the pain, the flaming spear came right behind exploding the fleshy insides, searing the already gruesome wounds. At the same time the high elf used the window of opportunity to lay down as many arrows as she could physically fire. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take it up a notch as well.¡± After grabbing seven arrows out of her quiver and began to fire one after the other with seemingly singular movement for each projectile. While not coated in poison, the bodkin arrows could do more than enough damage at a full draw weight against its soft mouth. ¡°...Aim!¡± Oliver managed to get the rest of the soldiers in position as he also aimed a rifle at the flailing beast. ¡°FIRE!¡± Another volley of shots made a direct hit and the monster was already showing signs of sustaining heavy damage as purple ichor gushed out in greater quantity and the whitish scales began to fall like flakes. ¡®We¡­ we can kill it!¡¯ Seeing how the battle was progressing towards their favor, Leona was confident they could finish it off before there were any more casualties and began to prepare to cast a fire spell. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, reclaim mine enemy unto the ashes, Flame Spear!¡± The tactician kept pelting the death angel¡¯s front with a continuous barrage of powerful fire spears that exploded on impact, slowly pushing the gigantic monstrosity off the pod¡¯s remains. After the city¡¯s soldiers regained their composure, they also started to fire in unison against the angelic threat and made a number of wounds on the outside of its body. It was looking like the monster was finally giving in to the continuous assault. However, a beast is far more dangerous when wounded and Phoebe was sure it had at least one last trick up its sleeve before it either died or fled away. ¡°All units take aim!¡± Oliver raised his voice one more time as the death angel enveloped itself within its wings. ¡°FIRE!¡± ¡°No wait!¡± Phoebe noticed the odd pattern of movements the beast was making but it was too late. She turned to Leona and grappled her towards the ground. ¡°GET DOWN!¡± Once the bullets made contact with the feathers, the death angel¡¯s wings started to shudder before suddenly springing wide open, releasing a number of razor sharp feathers in every direction. ¡°ARGH!¡± Henry was badly wounded in the left leg as a feather the size of his arm cut deep through his thigh. Oliver was lucky to be standing behind one soldier who took the full force of one feather and instantly died from the impact. The soldiers from the city¡¯s defense scattered around in panic as they saw their leader fall beheaded on the ground. Leona was thankfully saved by Phoebe¡¯s quick thinking. Jill, Hank and Krieg were safely behind the pod so there was no danger presented to them. With most of its assailants not able to fight, the death angel took three corpses of the soldiers beneath itself before taking off in a fast flight towards the mountains to the south. Everyone was too shocked to talk about what had just happened. ¡°What in the world¡­?¡± Leona looked around her and noticed a few trees missing bits and pieces from the feather explosion. The high elf stood up first before offering the tactician a hand. ¡°Thank you Phoebe¡­¡± ¡°That was a close one.¡± Phoebe sighed whilst looking around the carnage. ¡°I should¡¯ve seen that coming, cornered beasts are often the most dangerous kind.¡± ¡°I thought we''d be able to kill it before anybody else was killed. That was¡­ reckless of me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself. Just look around, at least our group wasn¡¯t hit by any of these.¡± She kicked a feather stuck in the snow, the size was about a longbow¡¯s arrow with razor sharp edges on the plume, not only the feathery part, but the root of the oversized projectile was also hard enough to pierce through chainmail. ¡°I wonder how these things evolve like that. I thought it was only capable of mindless destruction.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying it purposely waited for us to attack?¡± ¡°Maybe. You know what they say, the hunter can become the hunted anytime.¡± She glanced over the rest of the soldiers who managed to survive, albeit almost barely. ¡°I¡¯ll go help them so we can get out of this infernal cold.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Leona nodded and Phoebe went on her way. Turning around she noticed both soldiers carrying Krieg in somewhat of a hurry towards the city gate. The tactician hurried to their side in order to make sure they were okay as she asked. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Thankfully we were behind the pod.¡± Jill replied. ¡°I shudder to think what would have happened to us if we were faster.¡± ¡°Turned into sheep cheese most likely.¡± Hank bitterly laughed. ¡°I never thought at my age I would see something more terrifying than what I¡¯ve seen in the war. To think the angels themselves are hunting us down.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that, Hank.¡± The other soldier advised. ¡°These aren¡¯t the goddess messengers, if anything it¡¯s probably something the demons came up with in order to deceive us.¡± The two of them kept moving towards the city¡¯s entrance while trying to keep their own spirit up by talking about the goddess of light. Leona looked over her shoulder towards where the death angel fled to. It was a mere feeling but she could tell something was different from that one particular death angel. ¡°I¡¯m sure this won¡¯t be the last time we¡¯ll see that thing.¡± She mumbled before turning around and heading to the capital city gate. Chapter LI: The Inventor, the Tactician and the High Elf The way inside the city was thankfully uneventful. They were brought in as guests of the house Kaiser with an important mission to deliver blueprints to the Loxaerion¡¯s family associates. Needless to say Leona was eager to meet said associate, but since it was around noon they decided to eat at a local inn before delivering the locked ornate box to their client. Upon entering the inn, the tactician was pleasantly surprised to feel the warmth of the interior. Unlike the freezing cold outside, the establishment was furnished with all manner of heating and lighting devices, from the weird looking coiled metal near the far wall of the inn to the various orange heated light bulbs dangling from the low ceiling. A bald muscular man was hunched forward to avoid accidentally hitting his head against the light fixtures. He just finished serving a woman before turning on the sound of the ringing chime. ¡°Welcome- oh why hello Miss Athena, long time no see.¡± His small hazel eyes locked on the inventor¡¯s face, although his size was out of place in such a cramped establishment he had incredible dexterous movements as he zig zagged through the seats without disturbing any of the other guests¡¯ tables only to personally greet her. His hand was almost three times bigger than Athena¡¯s but there was no hint of pain the moment they exchanged handshakes. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Jano.¡± ¡°The pleasure is all mine.¡± He proceeded to pull the edges of his brown mustache as he glanced over her and noticed the tactician and high elf behind. ¡°May I help you?¡± Athena blinked twice before she looked over her own shoulder. ¡°Oh right. How rude of me.¡± She cleared her throat as she gestured to Leona with her open hand. ¡°This is Leona, a guest of house Kaiser and this is Phoebe, an employed mercenary by her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Miss Leona, Miss Phoebe.¡± He went ahead and bowed as he took their hands into a generous handshake. Leona was somewhat worried of her hand being crushed by his, but after the greeting she was left wondering how he could manage his strength so well. ¡°I hope you enjoy your stay here at the Capital. Now can I get you ladies a seat? You must be tired of your travel.¡± ¡°If you¡¯d be so kind.¡± Athena replied before turning around to face both tactician and high elf. ¡°Sorry for the excess hospitality. This is the only place I know where we won¡¯t be ripped off from the current death angel situation going on.¡± Leona shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, a change of pace seems to be in order after these tumultuous days. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Phoebe?¡± The high elf nodded. ¡°Even though it¡¯s quite the norm for me to go through days without food, having a meal prepared by someone else is good for a change.¡± Jano showed them a round table with three plates and stools to serve as seats which seemed more like a bar rather than a tavern, not that any of the three would know the difference between the two. The big man turned around with a comically small notepad on his left hand while his right was holding a pencil between the index and thumb finger. ¡°Should I get the menu for the Misses or can I make a suggestion?¡± ¡°I uh¡­¡± Unsure of how to proceed, Leona glanced at Athena for guidance who in turn gave her a confident wink before raising her right index finger. ¡°I¡¯ll have one of the secret menu for four.¡± ¡°It shall be done.¡± Without jotting down anything he pocketed the notepad and pencil inside the apron and headed off to the kitchen. ¡°Wait Athena, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be too much for us?¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll love it. Especially this time of the year with the freezing cold temperatures outside, then again, when is it not cold in Londria?¡± Even with the small talk, the tactician seemed on the edge, often looking out the window as if waiting for someone. Phoebe already knew the reason why she was acting like that and gently tugged the tactician¡¯s sleeve and whispered before Athena noticed. ¡°Princess, he¡¯s safe there. I put some extra measures so no one enters the room aside from us.¡± Leona lowered her head to avoid being seen speaking. ¡°I know but still. I can¡¯t help but feel something is wrong with this city.¡± She glanced at other customers who seemed unaffected by what she was feeling. ¡°The mana is almost stagnant to the point that it affects the temperature.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She began to focus her senses on the ambient mana and her irises started to emit a faint light blue sheen. At first the stillness of the blue strings was worrisome until she noticed a distortion in the air around the coiled metallic feature near the wall; it seemed to work by emitting some sort of aura around it, stimulating the ambient mana around it. ¡°First time seeing a heater?¡± Athena¡¯s voice caught Leona¡¯s attention. ¡°It¡¯s a somewhat old invention. It works on electricity if I recall. Coils inside heats up and warms the air passing through them.¡± ¡°With electricity? How?¡± ¡°Resistance. It¡¯s the same principle that powers up these lights. Electricity running inside of it generates heat and in turn warms whatever is nearby.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ this is interesting. I never really heard anything about it even in the Grand Academy.¡± ¡°I could never trust in the words of mages. Don¡¯t get me wrong, magic is versatile and all but it can¡¯t be trusted like science.¡± ¡°Science huh. To be frank, I¡¯m not sure if I-¡± She was interrupted once a plate the size of almost the entire table was put right in front of her. ¡°What in the world is this?!¡± It was a literal mountain of spaghetti doused in an orange colored thick sauce, bits and pieces of well roasted lamb were mixed in the middle of the intimidating dish. If anything it was enough to make Leona already feel full by just staring at it. Jano bowed shortly before explaining. ¡°Lamb Stroganov. Normally we¡¯d serve it with rice but since there are almost no traders coming from Akrapocalis, I had to settle with serving it with pasta instead. Apologies.¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± Athena questioned as she readied both knife and fork on each hand as she was ready to devour the feast. ¡°This by itself looks amazing. Don¡¯t mind if I start eating.¡± The inventor took a big chunk off spaghetti with the metallic tongs that came with the giant platter. Somewhat stunned by her appetite, Leona and Phoebe exchanged glances as if asking between them what they should do. ¡°Hey aren¡¯t you two going to eat?¡± Athena asked with a single piece of spaghetti dangling from the right side of her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s really good, trust me.¡± ¡°Right¡­ excuse me.¡± Leona picked up the tongs and picked up a chunk of dripping pasta. Once she put it on her plate she could smell a faint fragrance of milk. She rolled some of the spaghetti around her fork and hesitantly took a bite. What followed after was a very familiar sensation, of eating a warm and well made meal after coming back from the Academy, it reminded her of home. A few tears began to drop down on her lap. ¡°Huh¡­? Why am I crying?¡± Jano slowly nodded to himself and took his leave discreetly after leaving mugs of apple cider on the table. ¡°Are you alright Princess?¡± Phoebe asked out of concern, but Athena simply motioned to the high elf¡¯s empty plate with her open hand. ¡°Try it yourself first.¡± Even though she was worried about Leona, she couldn¡¯t come up with a reason as to why she would be crying and was left with the only option to eat the meal. After serving herself with only half of the plate worth in stroganov, she took a careful bite. At first she was wary of the milky taste but once she began to chew, it was as if all of the tension built up on her shoulders were released. The warm meal made her strangely comfortable, even though she was very far away from her own place she called home. ¡°I think¡­ I can understand why she felt like crying now.¡± There was a certain melancholy to her tone, although it made her happy, the warm meal also reminded her of her mother, her vow to kill her sister. ¡°Let us enjoy this calm after the storm. For our health!¡± She grabbed the mug of cider and toasted. ¡°Cheers!¡± They spent about an hour eating and talking about their plans going forward. As the head of the Kaiser family, Athena had to compromise with her duties within the so called ¡®research¡¯ facility in the outskirts of town, which prompted Leona¡¯s curiosity, however even herself was aware they were in Londria for the singular objective of delivering the ornate metal box entrusted to them by Lady Fye and not for visiting. ¡°Well then. I¡¯ll be heading off.¡± Athena stood up and tossed a gold coin to Jano, who was patiently waiting beside the doorway, as she was about to leave the man gently opened the door for her. ¡°Farewell my friends, may we meet again someday under better circumstances.¡± Leona and Phoebe offered her a goodbye, waving their hands until she was no longer in sight. ¡°She is¡­ different from the people I¡¯ve met before. Some sort of easy going but serious way about her.¡± Leona muttered. ¡°Indeed she is. Not once I¡¯ve met someone quite unique in that regard.¡± Phoebe drank the last gulp of her apple cider and stood up. ¡°Shall we get going as well?¡± The tactician nodded. Capital city of Londria or mostly known as the silver kingdom, can be said to be one of the most important kingdoms in the entire continent. Not only frostburnt silver was extensively used for its mana conductivity, but it was easily the most dangerous metal against any living being as the lingering frost damage could seep into the victim¡¯s wounds and not before long it would make the affected body part brittle as ice or in case of long exposures to the metal¡¯s aura¡­ ¡°Silver decay.¡± Phoebe spoke as they made their way inside the main research building near the city gate. ¡°I don¡¯t really know where the name came from. But I do remember my mother saying it was one of the most dangerous metals to have ever existed. Long ago when humans and demons were still at war, most weapons and armor were made of this precious metal for its ability to render regeneration useless.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange?¡± Leona asked as she walked by a soldier wearing an Akrapocalian uniform who greeted them in continence as she carried the ornate box. ¡°Even though they knew the dangers of using that metal for armor, they still used them regardless.¡± While doing some small talk, they finished talking to the receptionist who gestured to them to wait by the entrance. She wore a similar uniform to the soldiers standing guard, but less armored as to make whoever visits more at ease. ¡°Apologies, all researchers are currently busy but our second lead researcher will take you to the premises.¡± She gestured with an open palm to her right as a familiar crimson red haired woman appeared wearing what seemed to be a blacksmith¡¯s attire, consisting of a thick stained leather apron and mitts of the same material. ¡°Miss Athena Kaiser, leader research of weapons and arms of the Kaiser manufacturer. Second lead researcher of the mobile transportation branch of the Loraexion household.¡± ¡°Greetings my name is-¡± Athena was beginning to introduce herself but once she raised her head, her jaw seemed to drop. ¡°Hah?¡± Chapter LII: Lingering Shadow ¡°Wha¡­¡± Athena was dumbstruck, she wasn¡¯t quite sure what was happening or why both the tactician and high elf were standing there. ¡°Athena?!¡± Leona raised her voice as a result of the surprise. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ then are you the researcher everyone in Akrapocalis told me about?!¡± ¡°Aiya¡­ this just got very complicated.¡± The inventor scratched the side of her head with the oversized leather mitts before motioning to both of them to follow her. ¡°Come with me, I have a room in the back where we can talk privately.¡± She turned around and began to walk, her steps sounded heavy from the thick soled shoes she was wearing. The attire was something Leona had never seen before, even though she heard a lot from the maids from the mansion it was the first time she saw someone wearing a blacksmith garb. ¡°So you work on¡­ research.¡± Phoebe began to talk as her eyes wandered around the hallway. ¡°What kind of research do you do that needs that amount of protection?¡± Athena stopped by a double door made of metal, grabbed the knob with her right hand placing her whole right arm against the door and with the left hand she pushed it as she answered. ¡°Oh you¡¯ll see why in tim-¡± A loud explosion made air rush though half open the doorway and shortly after a piece of bent metal came sliding to the inventor¡¯s feet. ¡°Ah, my grandfather¡¯s stained underwear! What did you guys do this time?!¡± She went running inside which prompted Leona to rush behind her and Phoebe to do the same. The inside was a stunning view, a multitude of chains hoisted all manner of metallic inventions off the ground, while many workers ran left and right with boxes chock full of materials. In the middle it seemed others ¡®scientists¡¯ were also wearing the same garb Athena was donning earlier. But one of them was on the ground, he was wearing a washed white long sleeved uniform and was about to get up before Athena helped him sit before scolding him. ¡°Lawrence what the heck did you do while I was out?!¡± He chuckled before turning to her, some black soot was smeared on the side of his cheek and the edges of his light blue hair was smoked and curled from heat. ¡°Ah apologies, apologies, I thought if we increased the mana intake just a bit we would get more significant results but alas, I was wrong. Thankfully nobody was hurt.¡± He tried to reach for something on his head but there was nothing there. ¡°Ah where did my glasses go?¡± ¡°Nobody my ass! You¡¯re bleeding from your forehead dumbass!¡± She frantically pulled a large piece of white cloth from her apron pocket and began to bandage Lawrence¡¯¡¯s forehead. In turn, he simply smiled. ¡°You¡¯re very kind Athena. Have you seen my glasses though?¡± Leona and Phoebe stood there without exchanging a word as they watched the whole scene unfold, the inventor seemed upset on the surface but both could see she clearly cared for him as if he was her brother. ¡°Umm¡­ Athena?¡± The tactician muttered before she got sidetracked while cleaning the man¡¯s robes. ¡°Ah I¡¯m sorry Leo.¡± She turned to Leona and cleared her throat, a few other workers gathered around the inventor in a semicircle. ¡°This is the person who was responsible for the delivery of the new schematics as well as the one who saved me and my brother from the bandit hideout, Leona Crossford. And her bodyguard who also helped me a lot, Phoebe.¡± A few claps echoed through the large workshop, amidst the cheering Lawrence stood up before bowing down to both of them. ¡°Words cannot express how much I¡¯m thankful for your actions, if not for Athena here most of us wouldn¡¯t have a job to keep their families fed throughout the harsh winter. Thank you.¡± Leona slightly shook her head. ¡°No need to thank us, if anything, she helped us when we needed the most.¡± ¡°Still, if you ever need help, just tell us. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m speaking for everyone on this matter.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Count with us.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Some of the other workers agreed without hesitation, it seemed like Athena was somebody important in that environment. ¡°W-well I¡¯m glad everyone is alright, even without me here.¡± The inventor cleared her throat once again before showing both Leona and Phoebe a way to her private room. ¡°Now if you excuse us, I need to know what Lady Fye has stored for us in this little box. Meanwhile-¡± ¡°We¡¯ll work on the engine.¡± Lawrence completed. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Athena nodded and headed to the back of the workshop, removing her mitts and hanging them in a hook on the wall beside the door to her room. Inside was a simple office room furnished with a single bed in the far corner, a nightstand with a small gas lamp, a table with numerous blueprints and scribbled papers with different drawings of seemingly prototypes of an engine. Athena took off her apron and threw it over her own chair as she sat behind the table and cleaned part of the papers by putting them on the ground beside the table and then later motioning them both to sit down on the wooden chairs across the table. ¡°Right, so let¡¯s get down to business. Lady Fye sent you here with a blueprint of their latest prototype for the airship, correct? Can you show it to me?¡± ¡°Let me open it.¡± Phoebe pulled out an ornate key that was strapped to a cord around her own neck beneath the heavy fluffy coat she got from one of the bandits a few days back. She fit it inside the keyhole and turned it, but for a time it seemed to not do anything until a single metallic click sound came from inside, after a few seconds another few clicks happened as if there was a certain mechanism working inside of it. Athena began to inch closer to the box with her head sideways to hear what was happening inside the box before it gave out a loud spring noise before opening, startling her in the process. ¡°Gah!¡± She expected something to pop out of it like a jack in the box and had both arms protecting her face but instead only a small gap formed between the upper and lower portion of the ornate chest. ¡°Does Lady Fye usually put traps in these things?¡± Leona asked her. ¡°Last time I lost the key for a box she sent, I had to ask one of the other workers to disarm a fire trap inside of it.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°That sounds a bit extreme¡­¡± Phoebe scratched the side of her nose as she laid back against the wooden chair with her arms folded. ¡°I quite understand her reasons for being protective of her blueprints, this is Londria after all.¡± Athena reached for the inside of the box and pulled out a stack of papers protected by a hard leather cover which tied all prints together in one large book. ¡°Oh, this will take a while to go through.¡± She opened and began to skim through it. Leona¡¯s eyes wandered around the room to get a feel for the environment she was in while at the same time she asked. ¡°I have never been to Londria before, what makes this place so bad according to what you just told us?¡± ¡°Competition. While it is a good thing on the surface, the kingdom itself wants to keep knowledge within while ¡®stealing¡¯ other people¡¯s work. Unfortunately for us, most of the researchers here are talented and they wouldn¡¯t give up their lives they built up here just to live in Akrapocalis. I get it, having a stable source of income while also having a safe place to call home is anybody¡¯s dream in this god¡¯s forsaken world.¡± She pulled a blank paper from the stack she had left on the ground and began to scribble things on it while she was reading through the book. ¡°But if everything really is as you said. They aren¡¯t making a big deal out of the death angel menace roaming around these lands. I thought at first they couldn¡¯t come to this place thanks to the cold but alas¡­ I was wrong.¡± ¡°Something is wrong with the winds of magic in this place. It feels stagnant yet, somehow it manages to support life.¡± ¡°Then it probably has to do with Lawrence¡¯s invention. The warm drink, I¡¯m sure some of the soldiers gave a flask or two for each of you? That thing is passed out to almost everyone in the city.¡± She was so focused on her notes her eyes barely moved out of it. ¡°He was studying how mana influences air conditions and how a manafication engine is poorly designed for higher altitudes where it can both affect the vehicle and passengers in unexpected ways.¡± ¡°Such ways are¡­?¡± Leona became curious. Not many knew about how mana interacts with the environment since it was a closed guarded knowledge from the Grand Academy and seeing how Lawrence was awfully familiar with how it worked, it could only mean he had previously been told or discovered on his own. ¡°I have no clue regarding that. He focused primarily on transportation inventions but he was also researching a way to bring his son back from mana stasis. I believe that¡¯s his condition, it has something to do with him being unable to gather enough mana from the environment to make his body function properly.¡± Athena spoke about it with such a natural tone that even shocked Leona once she heard the other researcher¡¯s tale. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± Leona remained silent looking down to her own feet. She felt a certain guilt prying about his life, deep down she could relate to his plight. Phoebe glanced once at the tactician and decided to leave it at that. Not before long, Athena noticed the awkward silence and stopped writing before looking at both of them with a hint of confusion in her expression. ¡°Ah wait, I didn¡¯t mean-¡± She put her pen down and grasped her nose ridge with her right index and thumb. ¡°I can¡¯t quite focus on two things at the same time, I apologize. Lawrence¡¯s son isn¡¯t fully taken by stasis. Thanks to the production of warm drinks, the symptoms have eased a bit on the boy¡¯s body. At least that was back when I visited, I should catch up with him when we have time. Oh and speaking of time, I think he might have a break soon so you could ask him about his research into the matter since it interests you.¡± Her words made Leona feel a bit more at ease. The tactician placed her right hand on her chest and with a short bow she thanked her. ¡°I appreciate your kindness Athena.¡± With a short chuckle she looked Leona in the eyes. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just repaying you for saving me and my brother¡¯s life.¡± She glanced down on the papers between her hands. ¡°But huh¡­ would you mind if you take some of your time? I¡¯d like to ask you about a few things they wrote to me about your help with the manafication engine.¡± Leona glanced at Phoebe as if she was going to ask her for something but the assassin already knew what she wanted and instead just stood up and bowed towards Athena. ¡°Excuse me but I¡¯ll be going ahead. I hardly believe I¡¯ll be needed for such scholarly discussions in the first place.¡± ¡°Ah sorry, don¡¯t make me keep you.¡± Athena stood up and went around her table before opening the door to the high elf. ¡°Thanks for helping us earlier with the death angel. I couldn¡¯t find the right time to tell you.¡± Phoebe smirked and gave her a half hearted wave as she went out. Even from behind the metallic door the high elf could hear everything they were talking, she felt her hearing was getting even sharper. After her defeat to the dark knight in the Akrapocalian forest, she had been training more ever since. She sighed. ¡®I should get moving.¡¯ Without drawing attention to herself, she exited the building. It was snowing lightly outside, the fine layer of snow covered the whole street making it quite slippery to the unprepared, thankfully Phoebe was using a pair of leather boots equipped with small spikes to better adhere to the sleet. A sharp cold breeze made her clothing flutter in the wind and while her head was fully covered with cloth, she could feel her facial muscles stiffen from the extreme temperature. But something felt wrong, while she was used to lower temperatures from the eastern country where she came from, in Londria the cold felt like it was seeping through her flesh down to the bone. It even was somewhat painful. She snuggled herself by holding the sides of her slender arms and shrinking in to keep the warmth as she walked towards the inn where Krieg rested. On the way back she noticed a group of workers carrying firewood in makeshift bags worn on the back with many pieces of wood stacked on top of another. One of them waved to her which made her wave back in response. ¡®It seems peaceful at first, but this is just like Akrapocalis.¡¯ She glanced at the clouded sky, which seemed to be the norm to those parts of the land. ¡®Darkness and death looms at every corner of this place. We should get out of here as soon as we can.¡¯ She reached the inn after walking a bit more. ¡°Welcome back Miss Phoebe.¡± The large man greeted her once she entered the tavern area. ¡°Thank you Jano. Did anyone come here looking for Krieg?¡± ¡°No, not really. Only our regulars are here today.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be heading off to our room then.¡± ¡°Have a pleasant stay Miss.¡± He bowed once again and Phoebe made her way to the room upstairs. The first thing she did on arriving in front of the door was to check the very edge of the floor where she had put a metal clip holding the door together with the doorway. ¡®It¡¯s not broken.¡¯ She glanced from one side of the hall to the other and after confirming there was no one else other than her, she reached for the metal clip and entered the room, locking the door behind her afterwards. Inside, there were separate beds for each of them divided by nightstands in between, Krieg was sleeping on the furthest one from the door near the window while Phoebe got the one nearest to the entry point of the room. The high elf slowly made her way to the window and checked it for possible invasions however the lock remained as it was left. ¡®Good, no one tried to come here- hm?¡¯ She felt a familiar sensation coming from outside the window, as if she was being observed. Upon glancing towards the castle, she noticed a faint glint of light coming from one of the spiraling towers in the middle of the city but once tried to look directly at it to ascertain what the glint was, it suddenly vanished. ¡°Hmm¡­ I should be more careful next time.¡± She silently muttered to herself before closing half of the curtain near Krieg¡¯s bed. On the other side of the city, inside what seemed to be a poorly lit rudimentary laboratory was full of many bloodied tools, from axes to bonesaws, machetes and even iron pliers, they all served some kind of purpose in the nightmarish place. ¡°So, have you discovered anything about the newcomers?¡± An old elf was staring through what could be explained to be a microscope of sorts, though much clunkier and bigger, a normal sight for an underdeveloped world. The lack of hair on top of his head showed just how old he really was, a few tufts of gray hair on his chin was all he had left from the passing of years. His voice was arrogant with a tone of impatience. ¡°Just about their leader. A noble named Leona Crossford.¡± Another voice this time of a tired young man echoed in the room. ¡°Though I¡¯ll need more time to learn about the others.¡± ¡°Fine. Do whatever you have to do in order to get more information out of them. If what the report you sent to me is true, having a duo elemental mage to run experiments with will vastly increase our knowledge of how to better control these angels significantly.¡± ¡°Though I would like to remind you that I survived by sheer luck, if that beast can really distinguish between friend and foe I¡¯d like to not be targeted next time.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you are alive and well aren¡¯t you?¡± He stopped looking through the microscope for a moment and glanced at the young man across the research table, the old elf¡¯s right eye had a weak golden shine to it while the other was emerald green. ¡°Now go and come back when you have information regarding the rest of them. Do not disappoint me.¡± The young man closed his retractable spy glass and put it inside the military coat. His face couldn¡¯t be seen from the contrast with the sunlight coming from behind him. ¡°I shall do my best. Father.¡± Chapter LIII: Tales of Innocence It was some time before Leona was able to leave, it was already evening. Her face said it all with a tired expression and slumping shoulders, but nevertheless she needed to walk back to the inn. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she tends to go all out whenever it involves new technology.¡± The calm male voice caught her attention as she left the office. It was Lawrence holding what seemed to be a ceramic mug with a dark hot beverage with a red stained white bandage around his head. ¡°Here you go.¡± Leona grasped the mug but was unsure of what it was, the smell seemed a bit too strong for her taste. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Coffee. I put some extra sugar in it.¡± Even though the smell was somewhat dizzying. She felt bad for not even trying, she took a sip and before long the mixture of sweet and bitter taste energized her tired body. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ good, but this doesn¡¯t seem to be local ware otherwise I would have probably heard about it.¡± ¡°It was imported before they began limiting the entry of foreign goods.¡± He sighed whilst scratching the side of his eyes, he seemed much more tired than how he looked a few hours ago. ¡°I fail to understand how making the people suffer will help in fighting death angels. Then again, this sounds more like the minister¡¯s plot rather than the council.¡± ¡®I feel like I can tell who this minister is.¡¯ Leona thought before asking. ¡°Interesting. Could I know your opinion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably Jakob Arc. He is known for wanting to keep Londrian knowledge to the kingdom rather than letting it be partaken from others. A pathetic way to think in my opinion, as a scientist it pains me to know that many out there could be contributing to humanity¡¯s cause if they had the knowledge that we possess, as limited as it may be.¡± He sighed deeply, although Leona didn¡¯t know what exactly his meaning of ¡®knowledge¡¯ entailed she did relate to the restriction of scholarly education since only nobles could afford entering the Grand Academy back in Arcadia. ¡°It¡¯s the same back in my kingdom, the tuition is so high it¡¯s almost impossible to enroll without being a noble.¡± ¡°I just wish they could see the advantages of having more skilled individuals working together towards a set goal. Me and Athena made huge leaps in improving the hot beverages and heat system using electricity but both our minds have a certain limit on how creative we can get with our problems.¡± He touched the mug of coffee with his right hand and chuckled innocently. ¡°Sorry I¡¯d like to talk more but I need to get this one to Athena. It was nice chatting with you, Leona.¡± ¡°The pleasure is mine, thank you for the drink. Where should I leave this?¡± She motioned by raising the mug and he simply extended his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t let our guests hold on to empty cups now can I? I¡¯ll have it cleaned afterwards.¡± After handing the empty mug to Lawrence, Leona made her way towards the entrance of the building, while the wooden double doors were closed to keep the cold air from entering, she could see the darkened sky through the blurry glass window. ¡®Thankfully the inn isn¡¯t too far away.¡¯ As she opened the right door a freezing breeze hit her face which made her entire body shiver in reflex ¡®I¡¯m still not used to this stillness¡­¡¯ The stagnancy of the ambient mana felt like it was sapping her strength, by concentrating her senses she could see small amounts of her own mana being drained away. Before she could take another step, a familiar male voice came from behind where she came from. ¡°Ah! Miss Leona! A moment before you go!¡± Lawrence seemed out of breath as if he had run back and forth through the workshop before seeing her. He was holding what seemed to be another reinforced glass container similar to the soldier Henry had on him early the same day filled to the brim with the same reddish liquid. ¡°Here you go, I forgot to give you this.¡± He handed the mildly warm glass to her. ¡°Oh¡­ thank you Lawrence.¡± ¡°I heard from Athena that you wanted to talk more about the mana conditions around the kingdom, if you have time to spare tomorrow I would love to hear from someone who isn¡¯t from here.¡± ¡°Sure, tomorrow it is then. What time?¡± ¡°How about¡­ at lunch in Jano¡¯s inn?¡± Leona nodded once. ¡°Fine by me. Thank you again for this.¡± She raised the reinforced glass container and gave a bit of a shake. ¡°Oh don¡¯t mention it. It¡¯s just a small token of appreciation for all you¡¯ve done for us. If you or your group need more you can talk directly to me and I¡¯ll provide them during your stay.¡± He placed both hands on each of his thighs and bowed. ¡°Thank you once again for saving her and bringing us the blueprints from Akrapocalis, this means more to us than you¡¯d imagine.¡± After saying her goodbyes, Leona decided to go back to the inn, only now realizing she never knew its name. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡®I can do that when I get back.¡¯ She slowly turned her head up towards the darkened sky, bereft of stars as only clouds loomed over the great expanse. ¡®I hope tomorrow will be uneventful.¡¯ She continued walking, the snow gently crunching beneath her feet as she did, the street suddenly lit up in an orange glow as the lamps began to light up one after the other, it had a certain cozy feeling to it even with her body shivering from the cold. ¡®This place¡­ it¡¯s much more advanced than Arcadia.¡¯ She noticed a few workers wearing heavy looking clothes to fight against the cold as they entered a building, apparently a bar of sorts. Even with the freezing temperature, there were people walking around the street carrying baskets and bags of groceries back to their homes. ¡®...and more lively.¡¯ She sighed in satisfaction and began to pick up the pace, the sleet however was dangerously slippery and by the time she reached the inn she already had about a dozen close calls. ¡°Haah¡­ I need a better pair of boots.¡± Out of breath, she held onto the side of the wooden doorway as she removed the disgusting mixture of mud and ice off the soles of her footwear with a nearby snow shovel. After removing the heavier crust and tapping the tip of her feet against the ground to shake off the rest, she opened the door. As the familiar chime ringed, the big muscular manly figure came to greet her on the doorway. ¡°Welcome back Miss Leona. What can I help you with this fine evening?¡± Jano elegantly bowed with his enormous arm folded in front of his chest. ¡°Ah, good evening Jano. I¡¯m heading back upstairs for some rest, but I¡¯ll come here for dinner after.¡± ¡°Very well. I shall be waiting with bated breath.¡± Leona gave a short bow before heading back to the room they were assigned to in the beginning of the hallway. She knocked twice, waited for a second then a third time. She looked around the hallway and after ascertaining no one was nearby, she whispered near the door. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Phoebe¡¯s muffled voice came from inside, promptly making the tactician let out a sigh of relief. Upon entering the room she noticed most of the window was blocked by the curtain while the only source of light inside the room was a small candle on the nightstand beside Krieg¡¯s bed. Phoebe was sitting against the wall beneath the window holding both daggers one in each hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t it awfully dark like this?¡± Leona questioned as she sat on the edge of her own bed. ¡°I felt like I was being watched this afternoon. I stayed here until you came back but nothing really was out of the ordinary.¡± ¡°Being watched huh?¡± She scratched her nose. ¡°Do you think it might be someone from Arcadia?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell, but I saw a glint coming from the tower in the middle of the city.¡± ¡°A telescope?¡± ¡°Most likely. They made a mistake trying to look with the sun up. But we can¡¯t know much from only that alone.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± She was about to suggest for her to investigate but the high elf stared at her that even in the dark she could tell she didn¡¯t look happy. ¡°Princess, with all due respect. Sticking with the original plan and not involving yourself more than needed in this city seems to be the best approach regarding Londria, this is after all the city of inventions and inventors. If anything it might be too dangerous to go snooping around uninvited.¡± ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t as well just leave things half finished. If what captain Oliver said is true, even Athena might be in danger.¡± Leave her then. Or at least was what Phoebe wanted to say, but she knew the soft hearted princess couldn¡¯t just abandon people knowing their plight. After sighing deeply and closing both eyes for a moment, the high elf muttered begrudgingly. ¡°I¡¯ll look for whatever I can find. But promise me you won¡¯t do anything harsh. I can barely imagine what I would say to queen Eleonora if anything happened to you.¡± Leona nodded once. ¡°Thank you Phoebe. I¡¯ll be extra careful from now on, don''t worry.¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m losing a few years with these requests.¡± She stood up and carefully took a peek outside. ¡°So, do you have any leads as to where to start?¡± ¡°That tower you spoke of seems promising. Although I would rather have some more information before you go there, if it¡¯s anything like Athena said, it¡¯s best if we tread carefully.¡± ¡°Indeed. There is a lingering dread in the air that is almost tangible, though that may be because of the death angel menace or at least I want to believe so.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She hesitated for a moment when she remembered Frey¡¯s words back in Akrapocalis. ¡®The Arc family. They are the reason why death angels exist.¡¯ ¡°If it¡¯s only that.¡± ¡°Did you say something Princess?¡± ¡°No, nothing. Best if we get some rest after dinner. It¡¯s late after all.¡± Phoebe agreed with a nod. After setting up the same alarm of sorts on the doorway, both of them headed downstairs for some food prepared by Jano. Back in the castle of the capital city of Arcadia, Alexander was wearing his usual wine red suit alongside the fancy looking pants of same color, he folded his left leg on top of the right one to show off the glimmering polished dark leather shoe as he got comfortable in the throne. A stone statue of a demi-human with thick horns was shattered along the red carpet that preceded the ornate throne. Beside it there were two royal guards wielding spears and metallic tower shields standing at the ready. ¡°So, you said you¡¯ve lost track of her in Akrapocalis?¡± The ruler asked a hooded man kneeling in front of him with a clear sign of annoyance in his voice. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry my king but after she was brought in by the Loraexion household we lost all track of her, it seems that she fled.¡± ¡°IT SEEMS?! YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL!¡± Alexander violently slammed the armrest of the stone throne which promptly surprised everyone in the room. ¡°I SHOULD HAVE YOU BEHEADED FOR THIS!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry! Please give me another week and I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Another week won¡¯t cut it. I want you to find her now! Do whatever you must to know where she went, I even declare war against Akrapocalis if I must! Unless you want me to have you thrown to the amalgis.¡± ¡°No please! Anything but that!¡± ¡°THEN GO! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!¡± ¡°Aieee!¡± The hooded man turned up and left running down the hall, tripping against the broken statue and almost falling before vanishing through the double doorway. ¡°These imbeciles.¡± Alexander muttered under his breath before turning to the royal guard on his left. ¡°Go fetch the captain for me, tell him to meet me in the war room.¡± ¡°My king with all due respect- declaring war at a neighboring kingdom at a time like this-¡± ¡°Did I stutter?¡± ¡°N-no my lord. I apologize for my unworthy words.¡± ¡°Good. Then go.¡± After the knight left he sat up straight before hunching forward with both hands intertwined near his mouth. ¡°Damn you Leona Crossford. I swear I¡¯ll make all of you pay for what you¡¯ve done. No demon has the right to live on this planet as long as I live.¡± Chapter LIV: Rightful Ruler Part I The distant howling of wolves was all Leona could hear inside the quiet inn room, it was too quiet to the point she could hear her own breathing at times. Being unable to sleep made her anxious enough to warrant her to leave the room for a bit, stepping as silently as she could manage, she left the room and went downstairs, the lively restaurant was now just a dark empty room with only the dim light of a gas candle near the entrance where Jano was sitting beside it on a sturdy stool. The chef¡¯s large body was leaned against the wall while his legs were supported by the desk in front of him. Leona quietly made her way over to him and inspected his face from a distance. ¡®Sleeping.¡¯ She gently held the door knob and turned as slow as she could, but the cold metal alongside the wooden door began to creak ever so slightly, prompting her to stop, breathe deeply and try again. That kept repeating until she made enough room for her body to slip through the doorway, however the moment she stepped outside she felt her whole body stiffen from the freezing cold temperature. ¡°Brrr¡­¡± Upon managing to close the door somewhat silently, she went around to the back of the inn, where there was a lone street near the tall walls of the city bereft of any citizen or guard. Her eyes darted around before walking to the middle of the evenly tiled street. After taking a deep breath, she began to focus her mind in her body from the sensation of the cold spreading throughout her exposed fingertips to the numbness of her lower body before exhaling a puff of hot air as she chanted. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring upon my foes the fires of justice, Great Flame Sword!¡± She grasped the blue fiery blade with both hands. The handle seemed to envelop her hands slightly as the continuous blaze emitted light and heat to its surroundings, melting the snow and boiling the water away. Upon sharpening her senses, she managed to encapsulate the blade in mana to keep the heat from igniting nearby flammable objects and with it she began to train a series of vertical strikes aimed directly in front of her as if there was a foe standing there. She bent her legs slightly and swung the sword down as she stepped forward, creating a slight gust of wind with the elemental weapon. That was her daily training after what happened with Krieg, she would train everyday without fault alongside Phoebe who taught the core basics of swordsmanship, upon closing her eyes she could see the first training session she had with only the high elf teaching her. While by the campfire amidst the snow forest, Phoebe held both of Leona¡¯s arms as she motioned an overhead swing with the longsword on the tactician¡¯s hands. ¡°Be diligent and never forget to train each and every swing at least a hundred times per day. Your arms may scream of pain, your body may want to give up, but once you build the foundation that will serve to protect and guide yourself, everything will become easier.¡± ¡°But, is just swinging a sword considered training? I thought you¡¯d need to fight an opponent to improve.¡± ¡°While that is true, much of the swordsmanship you have seen before you is simply automatic reflexes of the body, a memory of the muscle if you will. How we assassins can kill an opponent swiftly is not mostly because we kill a lot, no, it¡¯s from arduous training to target the right part of the body in order to finish the fight before it even begins.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I never thought of it this way.¡± She looked at the dull steel blade between her hands. ¡°Very well, teach me everything you can. I¡¯ll follow it through so I won¡¯t be a burden anymore.¡± The high elf nodded as she began to instruct her, from her stance, to how swing the blade, even if those basics concepts were nothing for a full fledged knight, a noble whose environment was a safe and calm mansion far away from the battlefield was hardly classified as competent to wield a weapon. ¡°That I will Princess, but bear with me, I¡¯m no kind teacher. Knowing that, will you still train under me?¡± Leona nodded with conviction before she began their training. To her it felt like a distant memory already, after saving Athena she didn¡¯t have the time to properly do her training routine which left her anxious and without being able to sleep. ¡®Such a fool that I am.¡¯ She thought to herself as the shimmering blade emitted a faint blue light that reflected off her pale complexion. ¡®I was so focused on doing things that were out of my reach by relying on others that I lost one of my only allies in this distant land. Nevertheless if I am to continue forward I have to rely on my own power to shape my future. Not only Arcadia, but the whole world will be in danger if we don¡¯t solve this death angel problem.¡¯ She glanced at the darkened sky bereft of stars. It was a lonely sight, the dark clouds looming over as a neverending veil of despair, changing and shifting as if to imitate the constant dread that plagued the city. Instead of letting those dark thoughts take hold, Leona raised her blade over her right shoulder and swung diagonally downwards to the left, she repeated the same movement a hundred times, changed stances, putting her right foot forward and swinging the blade diagonally downwards to the right this time and also repeated a hundred times taking extra care to keep the blade aligned with each strike. After finishing her practice swings, she was breathing puffs of warm air as she kneeled down to rest for a bit with the elemental blade supporting some of her weight by holding onto it by each side of the guard. ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯m getting used to this¡­¡± She muttered while breathing deeply. Both of her arms ached but it was a good kind of ache, it felt like she was making progress in becoming an independent fighter. ¡°That¡¯s some good form.¡± The moment she heard an unfamiliar female voice she jumped up using the hilt of the blade as leverage and turned around into a long point stance. However the woman behind her didn¡¯t seem fazed by her reflex. ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡± The pale slightly wrinkled skin contrasted greatly with the long straight gray hair and dark brown eyes, by her unsurprised facial expression she seemed to be used to having people point weapons at her, since all she could do was to smile and tilt her head slightly to the side. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Ah- I¡¯m the one who should be apologizing.¡± Leona quickly put the weapon to her right side which made a small puddle of snow turn into water and start to quiet sizzle. The woman noticed the phenomenon and unceremoniously approached the tactician and pointed to the glowing elemental sword. ¡°Now this is an interesting weapon,is it enchanted?¡± She almost could see sparkles in the woman¡¯s eyes as she inspected the spell, but to prevent further questioning she decided to simply dispel the sword with a flick of her wrist and raise both hands saying. ¡°You see, it¡¯s actually a spell not a real weapon.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± The woman seemed intrigued as she leaned back and chuckled to herself before muttering under her breath. ¡°I must be becoming senile after all these years.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Ah no, nothing, where are my manners?¡± She raised her right arm perpendicular in front of her stomach and bowed. ¡°Minerva Eduhainaust. At your service.¡± ¡°Leona, Leona Cr-¡± She thought for a split second and realized it would be a mistake to reveal her true name to a complete stranger and instead decided to use her mother¡¯s name. ¡°Frostleaf, Leona Frostleaf. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Minerva.¡± ¡°The pleasure is all mine, young lady Leona.¡± Her kind smile reminded Leona a bit of her mother. She turned towards the inn¡¯s entrance before looking at the tactician once again. ¡°If you excuse me I shall head inside. Take care to not overexert yourself.¡± After bowing once more she headed inside the establishment, leaving Leona once again by herself. ¡®That was one peculiar woman¡­¡¯ She slowly turned away from the inn¡¯s entrance to look at her own right palm, closing and opening whilst concentrating on feeling the mana inside her body. ¡®Almost low huh¡­? I suppose I should try doing it before I head inside.¡¯ She flicked her left wrist, creating a small azure flame in the middle of her palm. A few seconds passed, then a minute as she stared at the spell with a certain anticipation as she was about to test a theory about absorption of mana. ¡®Here goes nothing.¡¯ She slowly closed her hand imagining the fire snuffing out to its basic components; however upon closing her hand entirely, she felt a jolt of painful heat course through her left arm and instantly clenched her teeth as the pain spread throughout her body. The sudden shock was enough to send her down to her knees while she sunk her entire left arm inside an untouched snow pile near the inn¡¯s doorway. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± She cursed quietly between each deep breath. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be difficult and yet¡­¡± She had been attempting to reutilize the mana spent to create the fire spell through reabsorption of the raw magic component in order to transform into another element but putting the theory in practice was proving far more difficult than she imagined. Without any leads on how to make it work she decided to simply sigh and give up for the day once again and head back inside the inn. ¡®If I can¡¯t exactly break it down to the basic components, then what other option is there?¡¯ Upon opening the door, she noticed Jano was nowhere near the entrance and instead was standing near a table from the restaurant area with the gas lamp still on, looking closely, she noticed the woman she had just met was sitting on the opposite side of the table, sharing a very late night meal with the oversized chef. ¡°Ah, see? I told you she would come in sooner or later.¡± Minerva waved to her. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind making company to a weary traveler.¡± Finding it hard to avoid the invitation, Leona awkwardly made her way to the table on the opposite side to her. After sitting down, Jano served her a cup of warm barley tea which made her feel a bit nauseous at first glance since it made her remember the day where it all began. The silent war room inside the mansion back in Arcadia, she was drinking the very same tea. ¡°T-thank you Jano.¡± She gave a short bow as the chef nodded before walking away to give the two more space. ¡°Me and Jano go way back when the war was still going.¡± Minerva commented as she took a big bite out of the stroganov she was having. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear your opinion, what is a ruler supposed to be like?¡± Leona tilted her head slightly. ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± Minerva smiled warmly while shaking her hand to keep a carefree impression going as she spoke. ¡°Oh nothing special really, I¡¯m just trying to start a conversation here, food¡¯s better over a good talk after all.¡± The tactician folded her arms and lowered her head slightly, thinking deeply before coming to the conclusion that there was no harm in answering it. ¡°Well¡­¡± She breathed deeply before answering. ¡°A ruler must be righteous, just and be a beacon for everyone else to follow, someone without those traits can hardly be called a ruler.¡± ¡°Then, what if a person was to make their subjects believe they have such traits?¡± She put her fork down, took a sip of her water and continued. ¡°Let¡¯s say they play the role of a perfect ruler, how would anyone else know their true nature?¡± Minerva began to eat again, apparently amused by how serious Leona was taking their conversation. ¡°Deception and lies can only take them so far. Even the slightest crack in their act will make everything else fall apart in time.¡± ¡°In time you say¡­¡± She muttered quietly to herself before finishing her plate of food. After she was done, Jano came to pick up the dish and place a cup of warm tea in front of her. ¡°Thank you Jano.¡± He nodded before heading off to the kitchen. After taking a sip and leaving the teacup on the table, Minerva smiled and leaned back against her chair before continuing. ¡°But then young lady Leona, wouldn¡¯t you say that believing in a lie is also a possible outcome from the point of view of a simple subject of the kingdom?¡± That struck surprisingly close to home when the tactician heard those words, after all, unless one were of royalty, they wouldn¡¯t know what exactly happened back in the war. Demons were portrayed as the scorn of the world while queen Eleonora rose to power and reclaimed the wasted lands corrupted by demonic miasma with her righteous holy blade. However the queen¡¯s most trusted ally was none other than the demon prince Reinhardt, as he wished to end his father¡¯s mindless bloody path to conquest. Nobody knew the actual truth, rumors began to take root within the populace and only fragments of what actually happened became known history for those outside the battlefield. ¡°I-¡± Leona was obviously conflicted. Being presented with such a realistic question of whether or not people would follow a truthful ruler over one that offered dreams come to reality made her conviction waver. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t they be-¡± ¡°Wrong? Maybe, but isn¡¯t justice and righteousness just as fiddle as truth or lie? What may be just for one may not be for another. What seems to be the truth can be a lie. Deception is an art of its own after all.¡± She drank the rest of the tea and stood up before the tactician even gave an answer. ¡°Well don¡¯t mind my ramblings. I¡¯m just an old lady with a knack for politics after all. Jano I¡¯m heading upstairs, leave the food, drink as well as Leona¡¯s drink on my tab.¡± ¡°That shall be done. Have a good rest, my lady.¡± ¡°That I will, my friend.¡± She was beginning to climb the stairs before Leona quickly stood up, still a bit shaken by the possible reality presented to her. ¡°Wait. Lady Minerva.¡± The tactician felt her chest tighten from the thoughts assaulting her mind. ¡°Just, who are you?¡± The woman giggled. ¡°An old lady that knows a thing or two about rulership. That is all.¡± She turned her back to her and kept going up the stairs until her footsteps disappeared in the dark staircase, leaving Leona to think by herself. ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m on the right path, right?¡¯ Chapter LV: Rightful Ruler Part II It was late in the night when Leona settled back on her bed, albeit she was merely staring at the wooden roof instead of actually sleeping due to the conversation she had earlier with Minerva. It made her think of the possibilities if she were to return to Arcadia as she were, would the people accept her? ¡°Of course not¡­¡± She muttered quietly to herself. ¡°At least not when I turned my back and ran after what happened.¡± Upon extending her right open hand towards the roof she slowly clenched it into a tight fist before closing her eyes and resting the right arm on top of her stomach. ¡®I wonder what I can do to make all of this work. If Krieg was here with me then maybe, maybe he would know what to do¡­¡¯ Her sheltered heart was beginning to give in, but deep down she knew there was only one way to move forward. And the answer was within her own determination. ¡®But then, I wouldn¡¯t be a leader worth following, would I?¡¯ She slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding it in four seconds before exhaling silently with her mouth for another four seconds. She repeated the same process over and over until her body began to feel relaxed enough to sleep, a technique she picked up from Phoebe in order to calm her nerves during their travels through the snowy Londrian landscape. Sleep overcame her senses as the comfortable temperature beneath the blanket helped her mind drift away knowing she was safe from the elements inside the inn room. But just as soon as her mind drifted away, her mind was once again pulled from the river of consciousness by a strangely familiar female voice. ¡°Hearken to my voice. Champion of darkness. Let time and space cease its existence, through forged bonds of destiny we once again meet.¡± Before long, Leona opened her eyes only to see the raging ocean beneath enormous storm clouds looming over a castle near the coast of a mountainous scenery. If she never saw it herself it would just pass up as a dream, but she recognized the landscape as well as the iconic blue sheen to the imposing fortification towering the rest of the city. ¡°Wait¡­ that place is Londria.¡± Upon realizing what just happened, she turned around instinctively grasping the left side of her hip for the longsword, but there was no weapon there, instead looking down she noticed her body was clad in a dark mist that seemed to coalesce in the center of her chest. Standing in front of her was a long silver haired woman wearing a long white dress sitting on a gray rock with an ornate greatsword resting on top of her lap. The handle was finely enveloped with a white leather-like textile being held by a golden pommel, the rectangular guard perpendicular to the rest of the weapon with a platinum sheen covered about a palm on both sides of the sword. It was impossible to discern what kind of metal the blade was made of since the entirety of its length was covered by an irradiating white golden glow. ¡°At ease Leona.¡± The woman smiled warmly, her golden eyes looked at the tactician with kindness. ¡°My name is Eleonora. I¡¯m known as the goddess of light by your people. But I¡¯m sure you already knew that.¡± ¡°Yes I am well aware.¡± Leona was still on the defense, if her previous experiences with gods taught her anything is that she couldn¡¯t fully trust any of them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the goddess of life and death?¡± Her smile began to fade as if the warmth from her face was extinguished by that phrase alone. The fingers of her left hand traced along the edge of the blade on her lap. ¡°So you¡¯ve met him.¡± She sighed before taking a deep breath and looking Leona in the eyes as she continued. ¡°I was originally known to have control over life and death itself, that was back when the world was whole, humans and demons lived in harmony. However, with countless wars waged in these lands where the faith towards my vessels is strong, I began to change, little by little, with every prayer, every hope. I¡¯ve come to wield the light as my blade to save those from the darkest depths of despair.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Your vessels? Do you mean like Queen Eleonora?¡± She slowly nodded. ¡°Through countless others before her, I was able to make amends to my late brothers. To right the wrongs of my past self and relinquish the sorrow of those affected by it.¡± The goddess spoke of the last great war that happened over thousands of years ago. Demon human dragon war, which brought an end to the empire of dragons to the west of the world. Demons together with humans, defeated the dragons that ruled the land, after the years Eleonora¡¯s fame slowly shifted over the course of humanity¡¯s growing fear and woes of demons as the goddess of light. ¡°Then¡­ are you saying that you killed the other gods?¡± ¡°Humanity killed them. We gods can only survive from the faith and devotion of others, if nobody is there to believe in us, how can we exist?¡± She rested her right hand on the guard of the holy sword. ¡°When I realized, all the faith in both of my brothers died when the wars ended and so I was left alone.¡± Leona just realized what all of that meant, if wars made the goddess the way she was, there was only one reason as to why the angelic beasts were created. ¡°Is that the reason why you created the death angels? So they wreck havoc in order to create more reason for the people to believe in you?¡± She shook her head. Her half open eyes were filled with sorrow as she passed her left palm alongside the flat surface of the blade. ¡°My father created those abominations in order to prolong this suffering. The neverending madness rooted in the hearts of men, through it, he grows stronger.¡± Once the goddess mentioned it, Leona¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. ¡°Wait¡­ then, the reason why he created them-¡± ¡°To both weaken me and strengthen himself. By making humanity lose hope towards the light, he manages to accomplish his goals to become the only god.¡± Leona glanced down towards her hands, both of them were swirling with dark red miasma which at some point before was a normal sight in the void but now it sickened her. The very power that she holds now was born from hatred so deep she could barely begin to understand. However that conversation made everything clear, if she was to do something about the plague that promises to deliver the end of the world, she had to cut the evil by its roots. She turned towards the goddess with a fierce look in her eyes. ¡°Is there a way to defeat him?¡± Eleonora simply shook her head. ¡°As he is now, even if my brothers were alive, we wouldn¡¯t be able to leave so much as a scratch on him.¡± Her eyes shifted towards the handle of the blade resting on her lap. ¡°But there is one thing that I can provide to you. However, I ask you to forgive me in advance.¡± ¡°Wait what do you mean-?¡± Eleonora lifted the sword flat in front of her own face and closed her eyes, in a silent prayer she began to chant and just a few words the tactician could barely make out from beneath the goddess mutters were. ¡°...oh holy blade of Eden¡­ grant thy power unto this worthy champion.¡± From the middle of Leona¡¯s chest a warm light began to dissipate the miasma that engulfed her, her prismatic pendant began to shine warmly. ¡°Wait¡­ what is happening- my body?!¡± Upon looking towards her arms, she noticed her veins began to glow golden and a gentle warm sensation spread throughout her body, but the pleasant sensation suddenly turned to an intense pain as if boiling water was coursing through her arteries as the core of her body began to feel like it was about to burst open from heat. ¡°AAAAAGH! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY BODY?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!¡± The goddess let go of her weapon and kneeled in front of the tactician in order to hold her hands together between hers. Even while kneeling she was a bit taller than Leona. ¡°Endure it with all your might! I believe in your potential Leona, for the better future of this world, you must achieve your dreams!¡± Upon hearing those words, the tactician clenched her teeth and began to remember all the memories she had created back in the mansion, her maids, her mother, her father, Krieg, everyone who gave their lives for her to come this far. ¡°I-¡± She grasped the goddess¡¯ hands back. ¡°I will survive-!¡± Chapter LVI: Memories of the Fallen Eleonora¡¯s hands felt warm and comfortable to the touch and after remaining conscious for a few minutes despite the burning pain, the raging flames inside her body began to subside. Slowly but surely she was regaining her senses and the feeling throughout her body could only be described as otherworldly. Upon looking at her own arms, she noticed all visible veins emitted a weak golden glow that seemed to pulsate along her heartbeat. She felt strangely light, while pleasant, it raised many concerns as she decided to question the goddess. ¡°What¡­ what was happening with my body just now?¡± ¡°Just how the darkness repels the light, so too light repels darkness. What I did was to cleanse your soul from the ever growing hatred rooted inside of you, that seed of animosity would eventually grow into something much darker than you could ever imagine. Being one with the void, Lastraeous could easily take a hold of your body and use it as his vessel.¡± Leona closed and opened her hands, she could feel a newfound strength within her. ¡°I take it that I¡¯m free from his influence then?¡± The goddess sadly shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately as he stands, he can still corrupt mortals in order to gain a measure of control over them. Despair, hate, sorrow, greed, fear, jealousy¡­ many of these feelings can sprout a new seed of darkness within them.¡± ¡°So to deliver us from doom, light is needed to banish these dark desires?¡± ¡°While you are not entirely wrong, there are a few details that I must explain to you.¡± Eleonora extended both of her hands out as if imitating a weighing scale, as she raised her left hand a bright glow started to emit from the palm of her hand while the right had a swirling orb of darkness weighing down on her left hand. ¡°Despite everything I¡¯ve said, those feelings are an important aspect in the hearts of men, it inspires them to reach greater heights, but too much of it and it turns destructive. In contrast, too much light in their hearts and they might as well become complacent with peace, so a balance is needed between these two.¡± She balanced both hands and clapped them together and both elemental orbs vanished in thin air. Leona stood a bit stunned by the excess of information she had to digest, all the goals she thought were aligned for her were all gone in a flash. She did indeed feel her magic was undoubtedly stronger than before, but if the cost was her to become a mere puppet of a god, she was more than determined to put an end to it. Her eyes locked into the goddess¡¯ as she asked from the depths of her heart. ¡°Eleonora. Are you really on humanity¡¯s side?¡± A weak smile curled on her face as she replied. ¡°If not for you, my children. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to exist. My powers may have weakened but not my zeal to keep all of you alive and safe. Men must be free to choose what kind of future they want for themselves.¡± She grasped the holy sword on the ground beside her before standing up, the towering divine figure looked down to the tactician like only a mother would to their child. ¡°Leona, you are more powerful than you realize. Through your resolution you¡¯ll be able to gather the people you need to put a stop to this madness and hopefully with time, I too can avenge my brothers.¡± Eleonora looked at the frosty city of Londria far away. Leona followed her gaze until she noticed the storm clouds began to swirl ever more violently above the city and once she looked back to see the goddess, there was no one there. Only through a whisper in the wind was she able to hear her one more time. ¡°Stay strong Leona. Your light shall be the guide to many. As your mother was once to you.¡± Upon closing her eyes, the tactician grasped the pendant on her chest as if it was second nature and the second she opened her eyes again she found herself inside the inn bedroom. The roof still above her head meant nothing terrible had happened while she was sleeping or at least she could presume she slept as there was no hint of fatigue in her body as she sat up on the bed, staring first at her own arms. ¡°...¡± Noticing there was no visible change to her body, she decided to wear her clothes. She glanced around the room while putting on the garments , but only saw Krieg on his bed and Phoebe was nowhere to be seen. ¡®I need to rethink my plans. If everything up until now was something Lastraeous planned in advance to further his goals, that can only mean one thing.¡¯ She stood up and went to the window on the end of the room, while it was covered by the thick dark blue curtain, she decided to discreetly peek through the side to check the inn surroundings. ¡®Whatever he is planning to achieve is close to completion.¡¯ It was difficult to see much without almost any sunlight , Leona closed the curtain and headed to the doorway, before heading downstairs she looked once more at the sleeping knight and grasped the prismatic pendant. ¡°I¡¯m off Krieg.¡± She glanced around the hallway and seeing it was empty she headed downstairs to the restaurant area. It was mostly empty, just a few tables had customers getting their breakfast meal before heading off to work. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Oh, good morning Leo.¡± The familiar female voice called her out from the far left side of the room, Athena was peeking around the corner waving to her while Jano seemed to be getting her order. ¡°Come here, let¡¯s eat together. It¡¯s my treat.¡± The tactician¡¯s eyes quickly glanced around and since none of the other customers were looking at her, she discreetly made her way over to the inventor¡¯s table. On top of it, there was a mug filled to the brim with a familiar black hot liquid. ¡°Coffee?¡± Leona muttered as she noticed the gentle waft coming off from the mug. ¡°Ah, is Miss Leona familiar with coffee?¡± Jano held what seemed to be a toy tray in his hand while putting down a thin white ceramic plate holding a few circular toasted cake-like doused by a thick transparent liquid much like honey near Athena before also placing a knife and a fork on each side of the dish. ¡°Leo is a noble after all.¡± The inventor took the knife and fork on each hand and began to slice part of the top of the stack. ¡°Ah, Jano. Get another of the same pancakes I¡¯m having for her, if you¡¯d be so kind, don¡¯t forget the coffee too.¡± ¡°That shall be done.¡± He bowed shortly before heading off to the kitchen. Leona sat across her while being unable to take her eyes off the pancakes in front of Athena. She could feel her mouth start salivating, even though she had never seen or eaten anything like it before, the sweet smell of the syrup alone was enough to make her crave the unfamiliar dish. ¡°Leo?¡± Athena was looking at her with her head slightly tilted near the table in order to look her straight in the eyes. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Ah, no, no. Sorry, I was just looking at your food, I¡¯ve never seen anything quite like it before.¡± ¡°Oh really? I thought it would be a common dessert amongst nobles.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I quite fit that bill¡­¡± While it was true that Leona¡¯s family held both rank and riches to qualify them as nobles, she would barely hang out with other kids of her social status. Oftentimes she would instead take walks in the forest around the mansion while accompanied by her mother or maids while escorted by Krieg, or help her mother with the tinkering of other mechanical devices aside from firearms. Other than that she would spend most of her time inside her father¡¯s study, reading and learning about military tactics and literature that caught her interest, namely historical books alongside arithmetics and chemistry ones. ¡°Ah- no I mean- actually-¡± Seeing how rude her remark was, Athena started to panic which affected her ability to speak properly. Thankfully Jano came just in time with another tray holding the cake-like dessert and a mug containing coffee, saving the inventor some face. ¡°Here¡¯s your order, Miss Athena.¡± The chef had a faint smile on his face which made the mustache curve a bit upwards. ¡°I hope you enjoy it, Miss Leona.¡± The pancakes were doused with a generous amount of sweet syrup with a vibrant decorative red five thick pointed leaf on the very top of the dessert. On the side, the coffee left a trail of warm air rising from the black surface. The combination of the acidic and sweet aroma was enough to make her want to dig in as fast as she could. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Leona held the fork and knife before she began to lead the short blade through the pancake¡¯s soft surface. As she cut down a slice of the mountain of pancakes, the syrup began to seep in as she drove the fork through multiple layers of the soft flatbread. She contemplated the dessert with anticipation before swallowing the built up saliva in her mouth. Both Athena and Jano looked at her with excitement in their eyes as it was rare to see someone try out that dessert for the first time since it is so famous throughout the people in the capital. The moment the tactician bit down she could feel the soft sweet texture grinding gently against her teeth, the mildly sweet taste of syrup gave complexity and moisturized the otherwise dry cake batter. Leona naturally began to smile as she chewed with her eyes closed as to savor the taste which made both inventor and chef relax their shoulders. ¡°Oh that was a good bite.¡± Jano chuckled as he rubbed the right side of his mustache with his fingers. ¡°I will now excuse myself, enjoy the dessert Miss Leona.¡± She couldn¡¯t even reply since her mouth was stuffed with pancakes and instead just nodded. Athena leaned back against the chair and finished the mug of coffee she had ordered to herself. ¡°I¡¯m glad you liked it. It was rare to see Jano wait for a customer to start eating.¡± After chewing through it, Leona took a sip of the coffee to down the rest of the pancake. ¡°Phew, I don¡¯t remember the last time I had a sweet so good like this.¡± ¡°I only came to this place back when my father used to bring me and my brother here. It was almost a ritual at this point to come and eat at least one pancake before leaving for Akrapocalis.¡± Only after slicing a part of the dessert Leona noticed the aforementioned vibrant red leaf used for decorating the dish. ¡°What is this leaf for?¡± The tactician picked it up from the small stalk it had left. Upon closer inspection she noticed it was dried much like the leaves she would see from time to time in the middle of books containing herbalistic knowledge. ¡°Just decoration. I once asked the same thing to Jano and he said for the very first time a customer eats this dessert at his restaurant he makes sure to have it decorated like that.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ that is awfully specific.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because his wife used to do that. I heard from my father that before Jano became a chef, he was an adventurer, a really good one at that, but his wife was killed during an expedition to the Londrian mines by a frost golem.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes went wide as her hand even stopped moving the fork. ¡°A golem? I thought it was only a legend, after all it¡¯s supposedly impossible to animate a golem through magic alone.¡± ¡°Me too. My father said the story came from Jano¡¯s own mouth but I still have my doubts, if it really was a frost golem you¡¯d think the kingdom would hunt it down or at least close down the mines, but nothing really happened as far as I know.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­¡± The inventor took the last sip from her coffee and set it down on the table. ¡°But that is beside the point.¡± Athena shook her hand as she moved on from the subject. ¡°I came here early so I could discuss with you some findings and a few concerns that I have regarding the air vessel we are working on. Since, well¡­ if I¡¯m to be completely honest, it¡¯s not going well.¡± Chapter LVII: Law & Order Leona gathered whatever courage she had left in her heart as she heard the inventor¡¯s words. ¡°...If I¡¯m to be completely honest, it¡¯s not going well.¡± While the tactician barely knew much about blueprints and schematics, she had some knowledge regarding inventions and patenting since her mother was involved in many cases of dispute with other noble families in the production of arms, namely muskets. ¡°What is going wrong exactly?¡± Athena scratched the side of her head, visibly frustrated as her pride somewhat got in the way of expressing the evident problem. ¡°We have no idea how this new manafication engine works. When I say that we don¡¯t understand the workings, I don¡¯t mean the engine itself as it is a common mechanical process. While I¡¯m not completely oblivious to what mana is and how it works to fuel spells and whatnot, I¡¯m not familiar with how it can affect machinery as¡­ well¡­ let¡¯s say it¡¯s not common to use mana in those in the first place.¡± ¡°Oh, that kind of problem. I see, for a moment there I thought it was much bigger.¡± ¡°On a side note, Lawrence asked if I could invite you to come to the workshop instead to talk. Since he was the only person we could rely on to understand the schematics I decided to leave it to him and let¡¯s say he stayed overnight to work on it.¡± She proceeded to leave a few copper coins on the table before standing up. ¡°Thank you for the food Jano. Let¡¯s go Leo.¡± The tactician gave a bow towards the chef who responded with a satisfied nod and headed off with the inventor. On her way out she noticed a few soldiers wearing the Londrian blue navy overcoat uniform, their faces were covered with black balaclavas while some of them were wearing a hat with a hard cap. One of them, supposedly the one leading the group, stopped and made way for Athena as she exited the door. ¡°Excuse me ma¡¯am.¡± The soldier said in an apologetic tone. She in turn simply nodded and made her way through the group while Leona followed closely behind. The tactician noticed just how respectful they were acting towards her but that could only be because of Athena¡¯s attire. A royal military uniform consisting of three golden aiguillettes tied from the left center of her chest, underneath the pristine white jabot around her neck, towards the edge of her left shoulder pad. Around her hips there were two thick brown leather belts holding what seemed to be the rest of the coat closer to her body as the rest fell around her legs like a skirt, underneath it, she had a pair of thick black trousers and high dark leather boots. Leona could certainly see the impact of a uniform that standed out so much. ¡°Say Athena.¡± She couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity. ¡°Where is the clothing you¡¯re wearing right now from?¡± ¡°Oh this?¡± She picked one of the aiguillettes before dropping it on top of her breast. ¡°It was gifted to me by my former instructor. He said to me to wear it proudly when I become a captain, but let¡¯s say that never happened.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still somewhat high in the rankings aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Second lieutenant, not quite high but high enough to have authority over the common foot soldier. Not that I use said authority for anything, it just means that they don¡¯t pick a fight with me.¡± ¡°Do they abuse their power as keepers of peace? You make it sound like it¡¯s a recurring problem.¡± The lieutenant disappointedly sighed. ¡°Unfortunately yes, because most of them come from noble families you can already imagine what is the sort of problem the common folk go through.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same back in Arcadia. Not all the knights use their power for evil but some of them are just prone to making others suffer for their own amusement. It¡¯s deplorable.¡± ¡°Nothing we can do about it I¡¯m afraid. Unless the higher ups do something about it, it¡¯ll stay that way.¡± Athena reached for the small satchel on the backside of her lower belt and grabbed a small paper packet and pulled out a thin rolled piece of paper filled with a dark fibrous substance, holding it between her left index and middle finger. She then picked from the same satchel, a metallic lighter and opened it with her right thumb, revealing a small metal stub with a round piece beside it. After rolling the striker a few times, the stub caught fire and remained lit. She then placed the rolled paper against her mouth and the lighter before inhaling. When the rolled paper lit up she closed the lighter and pocket it inside the satchel. Then when she took it off her mouth, she blew a puff of smoke from her mouth. Upon smelling the acrid scent Leona instinctively moved her face away from it, taking a few steps to the side in the process before asking. ¡°What is that foul smell?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She threw it on the snow and stepped on it. ¡°That was a cigarette.¡± ¡°Is it normal to smell that bad?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah. It¡¯s more of a stress relief if anything.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t quite understand how inhaling such a foul smelling substance would relieve anyone of stress, but nevertheless she decided to leave Athena to her own devices while they walked. The darkened clouds cast an ever lasting shadow throughout the city which made the atmosphere feel gloomier than usual. However, the tactician knew most of the problems within the city was the stillness of ambient mana, not only that but people¡¯s ignorance regarding magic also contributed to the lack of actions taken against such phenomenon. ¡®I feel like I¡¯ve read something about this before¡­¡¯ Leona tried to recall everything she knew from lessons regarding mana back in the capital. ¡®And if it makes any sense, then the reason why they are facing such cold temperatures and harsh weather must be that death angel. But then, if a single death angel is creating such drastic changes in the weather, there must be something more to it¡­¡¯ The bone chilling wind made every hair follicle of her skin stand up in an attempt to keep her body temperature stable. Upon seeing how she was beginning to rub her hands against each arm, Athena decided to give her some advice. ¡°Maybe the hot drink¡¯s effect is running out. You should drink some more if you got them.¡± ¡°Ah. I forgot about that, thank you Athena.¡± Leona reached for the back side of her coat and pulled out the reinforced glass jar filled to the brim with a bright red liquid. She opened the lid with a pop and began to drink it while they walked. ¡°I remember back when Lawrence was trying to come up with something that could help the body fight off this cold, while also making it enjoyable to drink. It used to have quite a disgusting taste.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Leona finished half of the drink before she closed the lid and pocketed the rest inside her bag. ¡°How was it back then?¡± ¡°How can I describe it? It¡¯s like trying to drink mud but with a strong bitter aftertaste that makes your tongue tingle.¡± The tactician¡¯s face grimaced at the thought of such horrendous flavor. ¡°Yep that sounds disgusting alright. I prefer the mild sweet taste it has along with this soothing warming effect. I should ask him how he managed to improve mana circulation through the usage of a beverage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be glad to share it with you, he¡¯s very open about the things that he does, even the king a few years back awarded him a generous reward in coin in order for him to keep his research going.¡± She abruptly stopped, Leona did the same but almost slid on the slippery sleet and managed to catch herself on the wall adjacent to her. ¡°Here we are.¡± The tactician only noticed they were on another completely different street when they stopped. Unlike the fancy entrance with carved wooden double doors, the back of the building was made with a more practical purpose in mind rather than appearances. Wooden boxes were stacked against the wall under a large tarp to protect its contents from the weather, the spacious street were mostly filled with what seemed to be cargo from a myriad of different places as each stack of crates were slightly different from each other in the way they were constructed. ¡°Woah¡­ what are all of these?¡± ¡°Just materials for engine production. Most of these crates are empty due to the blockage of export items. For some ungodly reason they decided to do that now of all the times.¡± Athena sighed deeply. ¡°Anyway, follow me and be careful where you step, sometimes there are pieces on the ground and whatnot so don¡¯t trip.¡± The inventor reached for the lock that held the workshop door and lifted up. As she did, Leona saw a large amount of metal parts and schematics pinned against the far wall sized cork board, it was an impressive sight, it reminded her much of the time she spent looking at the strategic plans her mother and father used to put in practice in the war room back at the mansion to teach her basic army formations. On her immediate right, there were tables with similar mechanisms she saw back in the other workshop but it seemed to be already in production as there were tools lying around a half finished engine. ¡°So Athena, where are we exactly?¡± ¡°This is the ¡®main¡¯ workshop so to speak. We make the engines and a few other things that are used by the Londrian army.¡± She pointed to the left side of the building and there were countless firearms hanging on the wall while many others scattered around different tables with many tools lying around the general vicinity. ¡°I work both as a mentor and chief of the firearms production line over there. Thankfully today¡¯s a day off so many of the people that would be crowding this place are at home.¡± ¡°Wait, so then why are you working?¡± ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s say a direct order refrains me from taking my days off, but it¡¯s fine. This time we are certain this engine can work for a flying vessel. To which I say, huzzah! I finally made an impact in the creation of something other than weapons.¡± While she was trying to force herself to smile, there was a sense of tension in her words. ¡°Nevertheless, we are short of materials and manpower for this endeavor so you Leo, as the only mage I know, I¡¯d like to have you help us run a few tests and if possible and also help me gather some valuable materials from a private mine not far from the capital.¡± ¡°Huh? Wait¡­ we are going out in this cold?¡± ¡°I can arrange you some better clothing.¡± She looked at Leona from head to toe and noticed the various shredded bits of cloth hanging around her clothing. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll need it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ you two are here already.¡± A very tired Lawrence stood up from behind a few boxes stacked near one of the tables that had a half finished engine on top. ¡°Huh¡­ I, ah. Now I remember, Leona I have a few inquiries regarding the manafication engine. Could you entertain a few of my questions?¡± The tactician was somewhat worried for his health as both his hair and glasses were tangled together in a way only going through a storm would be able to achieve that result. ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t you want to take a bit of time for yourself though? You seem tired.¡± ¡°No, I''ll see this to the end before I actually fall asleep. I just need more of my coffee.¡± He reached for the table and picked a thermic bottle but the moment he popped the lid open and tried to drink its contents, nothing but a single drop of cold coffee hit his tongue ¡°Oh.¡± Athena sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll go make some more. Leo I hate to do this with you but could you find a suitable place to sit? I¡¯ll be over in a minute.¡± Leona nodded before going off to find a place they could sit and talk in the messy workshop. ¡®I wonder what Phoebe is up to¡­¡¯ She glanced at one of the small windows that allowed a bit of the weak sunlight to reach inside. ¡®I hope she doesn¡¯t get into any trouble.¡¯ Chapter LVIII: Speckled Fate On the other side of the city, the high elf was tracking a group of soldiers heading inside the tower she had noticed a glint of a spyglass the day before. She had her face as well as ears covered by the dark blue cloth of her ninja gear and most of her hair was unrecognizable by using the fluffy fur hat she had looted from the dead bandits. Overall she could be mistaken for a Londrian citizen which was the point of the excessive clothing. ¡®Hmm¡­ so this place is owned by the kingdom.¡¯ She quickly took a look around and most of the people walking around the street didn¡¯t seem to bat a look at the soldiers going inside the building. ¡®I wonder if anyone would know more about this tower.¡¯ After watching from a distance, she noticed one of them was carrying a dark burlap sack against the back, meaning it was heavier than what the soldier could actually carry, which prompted Phoebe to want to head inside the building to discover more about the place, but deep down she knew it was reckless. Since she wasn¡¯t allowed to kill, subduing trained soldiers would be too big of a task for one person alone. ¡®If John was here it would¡¯ve been different¡­¡¯ She sighed. Since there was barely anything she could about the tower itself, at least she could gather information around it. Without wasting any time, she decided to inquire about the building from people that lived nearby. ¡®Now¡­ where should I go?¡¯ She looked around and the first thing that caught her eye was the cafe in the corner of the street, it offered chairs and tables out in the open as well as inside the establishment. While it was morning and only a few workers were hanging outside with cups of what could only be coffee, Phoebe decided it would be best to not stand out like a sore thumb and blend in. After approaching the building she headed inside through the peculiar glass door in the front entrance, she noticed that not many looked at her, mostly because she did look like any other Londrian citizen looking for a morning coffee before work. Upon entering, she was greeted by the gentle warm breeze from the heated interior, a few customers that were inside glanced towards the soft ring of the chime on the entrance, saw Phoebe and returned to their drinks on the table. The wooden floor was sparkling with a sheen of wax polish, the smell of baked goods was assaulting her senses along with the calming notes of a piano against the far wall of the establishment, it was a pleasant experience, but distracting all the same. If the high elf wasn¡¯t extensively trained, the woman in a white uniform to her right flank would¡¯ve gone unnoticed, but instead she turned around to face the woman behind her which promptly startled the waitress. ¡°W-welcome to Sunrise, h-h-how can I help you?¡± Her hazel short hair had a bang covering her left eye while the right brown one was a bit erratic, glancing in every direction and her hands were obviously shaking which made Phoebe quickly break the silence. ¡°I huh¡­ a table for one.¡± She discreetly pointed to the couple sitting across the room. ¡°And I want the same drink that lady is having.¡± ¡°Ah, so very s-sorry, we are out of coffee powder. C-can I have Miss¡¯ permission to suggest another hot drink?¡± The high elf nodded shortly which made the waitress¡¯ face light up. ¡°In that case, a choccy milky would sit well with our fresh out of the oven butter cookies.¡± Phoebe scratched the side of her hat. ¡°How much would all of that cost?¡± ¡°Just nine coppers Miss.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll have that then.¡± ¡°Thank you very much! Feel free to sit anywhere you like, I¡¯ll see to your order.¡± The waitress bowed and smiled before heading off to the back of the counter. Phoebe managed to snag a seat near the glass window adjacent to the doorway, it was morning but there was almost no sunlight, as if it was way past afternoon.She leaned both of her arms on the table while interlocking her fingers. ¡®Gathering information without looking suspicious will be hard¡­ not knowing how patriotic or nosy these people are. Risky even. Not to mention just how open that tower¡¯s entrance is.¡¯ Her eyes carefully scanned the surroundings of the building in question and there was no feasible way she could enter it without being spotted by someone from the outside. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s simply a watch tower? But then why would there be a guard looking directly at the inn of all the places?¡¯ ¡°Miss?¡± Her thoughts were interrupted by the waitress¡¯ voice beside her. ¡°Here¡¯s your chocolate and butter cookies.¡± She placed a tall mug filled to the brim with a soft brown smooth and silky looking liquid, while the next plate was fully covered by round thin light beige baked goods, while looking rather simple, the smell was mouth watering. ¡°Thank you.¡± Phoebe said from beneath the cloth mask just before she pulled part of it down in order for her to taste what she had just ordered. However the waitress seemed to be waiting expectantly beside her. ¡°Uh¡­ is something wrong?¡± She brought her tray to cover part of her mouth. ¡°Ah! No, I''m so sorry. I just couldn¡¯t help but notice how Miss is absolutely gorgeous.¡± Phoebe blinked a few times before she finally processed what she had just heard. ¡°Oh, huh¡­ thank you.¡± Unbeknownst to her, most if not all customers were now looking at her because of the scene the waitress just did. However, that didn¡¯t stop the high elf from glancing out the window to keep tabs on the tower¡¯s entrance. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. And just in time, she caught a glimpse of some soldiers exiting the building, from that distance it was impossible to tell if it were the same that had entered first, but none of them carried the previously seen sack on their back. ¡°Miss, are you perchance alone?¡± The male voice drifted her immediate attention off the building and made her eyes turn towards the man standing beside her table. ¡°Hi, I work in a tailoring shop right up the street and I¡¯d like to ask you to be a model for our next product line.¡± Upon meeting his eyes, she noticed he was an elf. Light blue eyes, short silky blonde hair and long ears pointing slightly down. He wore almost the same clothing as her, saving for the coat which instead was a fluffy hoodie instead of a long coat like hers. Phoebe took a sip of the hot chocolate before putting it back on the ceramic coaster, her deep blue eyes glared at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so very sorry, where are my manners?¡± He elegantly bowed with his right arm in front of him and the left behind his back. ¡°My name is Jean Fawkes. Master tailor at Moondrop Fabrics at your service my lady. If possible I¡¯d like to hear your answer as soon as you can give me one.¡± Looking closely, he seemed to be the kind of person who would let an information or two slip up in a casual conversation so she decided to make her move. ¡°If you agree with a few conditions I can help with a pose or two.¡± She grabbed one of the butter cookies and broke part of it between her front teeth while holding her chin with the other and leaning back somewhat provocatively, she dealt the finishing blow with that mild alluring technique. ¡°But of course, whatever I can do for my lady to use my fabrics. Shall we strike ourselves a deal?¡± ¡°Well you see, I¡¯m new in the capital and I¡¯d like some pointers as well as some extra coins for my stay.¡± While the monetary gain was merely an excuse to acquire more information, the fact that she spent so little time in Londria before was true. Most of her missions involved the central portion of the Arcadian continent which made her stay mostly around Akrapocalis and Windia so it left her little choice to research about the frost northern kingdom. ¡°That is easily arranged. Shall we head to my shop then?¡± Phoebe finished her half empty mug of chocolate and butter cookies but before she could settle the coin to pay for her expenses, Jean was kind enough to do it on her behalf. ¡°Consider this a token of my appreciation.¡± Phoebe smiled before covering her face with the dark blue mask of her ninja uniform. They exited the cafe a little after and walked the street in the direction of the tower, which the high elf kept tabs on it at all times. ¡°So where do you live, Miss?¡± ¡°Akrapocalis, I¡¯m here on my friend¡¯s behalf to help with a project.¡± ¡°Ah I see. I heard most foreigners are from Akrapocalis due to the partnership some families have, I guess that is true after all. I¡¯ve always lived here so I¡¯m ignorant towards matters of other kingdoms so if anything I say sounds rude please forgive in advance.¡± ¡°Duly noted.¡± He stopped in front of a store with glass panels in front, there were mannequins donning luxurious handmade fur coats that seemed more like dresses than actual clothing for the winter. While the interior was dark due to not being open to the public, Phoebe could see clearly inside, there were coat racks on each side of the walls with the middle section of the store filled with wooden boxes of some sort holding what seemed to be folded shirts, mufflers and gloves. ¡°Sorry, give me a moment to unlock the door.¡± He fumbled with the keychain, almost dropping it on the ground before getting the right key to unlock it. ¡°There we go.¡± Once opened Phoebe felt a warm gust of air coming through the door along a sweet fragrance of flowers. After Jean cleaned his shoes from the snow, he headed inside and flicked the switch near the counter to turn on the lights. The dim warm light gave the small shop a cozy atmosphere almost like the inn. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to open the store beforehand so I apologize for the lack of hospitality.¡± He pulled a fancy looking bottle from behind the counter and began to spray the store with it. Phoebe¡¯s first reaction was to hold her breath as her left hand discreetly made its way to the dagger hidden beneath her coat. ¡°How exactly did you achieve this aroma?¡± She tried to keep her inquiry to a minimum so as to not waste precious breath. ¡°Ah, is this your first time experiencing it? It¡¯s called a perfume, a rather recent invention from my friend¡¯s wife.¡± He took a deep breath and with a smile on his face, continued speaking. ¡°Nothing settles the mood better than a fragrant aroma of flowers as you enter the store, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Flowers huh?¡± She subtly exhaled from her nose before taking another short breath, seemingly tasting the air. ¡°It really has a pleasant scent.¡± ¡°I knew Miss would like it.¡± It was just another excuse to buy her time since she was familiar with a myriad of poisons, she would be able to recognize if it was some sort of toxin, but as she half expected, it was merely perfume. ¡®Can never be too careful.¡¯ She thought for herself as she discreetly moved her left hand away from the inner side of her coat. After perfuming the interior of the shop, Jean walked behind the front counter through a door before peeking back to call Phoebe with a motion of his hand. She discreetly sighed and went through the doorway, inside the next room was a very well lit interior with various lights focusing on the center of the chamber where there was a higher platform as if to stand upon. It was an impressive sight for Phoebe who had never witnessed such a dedicated individual to his own craft. ¡°Let me get the attire, I believe it was left in the wardrobe¡­¡± He walked to the far side of the room where there was a wall sized cabinet holding an innumerable amount of different clothing. It ranged from coats, dresses, one piece suits, jackets, anything seemed fair game to the tailor as long as it was fashionable. ¡°Ah there it is.¡± He pulled out an oddly familiar coat, much like what Athena wore, but without all the golden accessories or fancy white cloth near the neck. ¡°Albeit I was told that this would be used by the military, I couldn¡¯t help but want to look for a suitable lady to wear this personal masterpiece. If Miss would grace me with your beauty, I shall do the ultmost in my capabilities to help you.¡± She was troubled, if it was another coat, she could probably remain using the hat even indoors, but with that uniform she was sure he would insist on her taking off the headwear, but even so it was worth a shot. ¡°Do I have to remove the-¡± ¡°The hat? Yes, please. Otherwise I cannot envision beauty in my own craft if not for the person wearing my creations.¡± She sighed silently. ¡°Very well. But I require both information and payment upfront before I remove anything.¡± ¡°Ah, most certainly Miss...¡± ¡°Stephanie.¡± He smiled. ¡°Miss Stephanie.¡± Chapter LIX: Tower of Malice In the brightly lit back room of the tailor shop, Phoebe made sure to get every information she could regarding the city and its current lockdown state. The lengthy conversation gave light to some of the more unknown problems that an outsider would fail to see immediately within the city. Much like Arcadia, Londria was going through many changes due the past war. The prime minister Jakob Arc passed many laws that suited the empire in keeping knowledge close to themselves while actively exploiting those who dared to come learn from them. Most of said laws also included the obvious exclusion of demons from the capital city and its borders, actively hunting and killing those who were deemed from a demon bloodline. One of the most recent rules enforced the closure of trade under the excuse of ¡®keeping the tainted blood off the promised land¡¯, leading the capital to face a shortage of goods and since nobody knew just how long it would last, most common folk were worried about ever growing scarcity of food. While the empire can sustain itself through various ways, the limited trade was raising the prices of existing products left prior to the closure. ¡°While we don¡¯t have any problems for now, it won¡¯t be long until we find ourselves stranded without any more food.¡± Jean scratched the side of his head while doodling on a notebook. ¡°And before that I must acquire the money from this commission. If anything, it¡¯ll help me get through these difficult times.¡± ¡°I see.¡± After compiling all information inside her mind, she then looked at the military garb displayed on the central mannequin. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll change into these clothes and I¡¯ll tell you when to come back.¡± ¡°Ah yes, excuse me Miss Stephanie.¡± He bowed down and pulled the makeshift curtain made of a thick white sheet. Phoebe stared blankly at the attire, thinking back about what she had learned about that tower. ¡®Rumors began a while back, even before the trade routes were cut off, that it houses a laboratory of some kind that uses living subjects as a means to conduct experiments. Then again¡­ after what I saw yesterday, it is quite plausible.¡¯ She clenched her fists. ¡®Leona doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s getting into¡­ if the kingdom supports these acts, we are better off leaving this place once that air vessel is finished.¡¯ Her thoughts were interrupted by an excited and obviously anxious elf behind the sheet cloth. ¡°Miss Stephanie, is everything alright? The deafening silence made me doubt my artisan¡¯s skills. Is there anything you don¡¯t like about it?¡± ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯m so sorry, I was just lost in thought. I¡¯ll start changing now so give me a few more minutes.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± She unceremoniously removed all her clothing saving for the cloth mask and even before a minute passed, she was already in the military garb. It even seemed like magic to her as the coat had a perfect fit on her body, just tight enough like her ninja uniform but also loose enough to not hinder her movements. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed a tall mirror near the room¡¯s doorway as she stood looking at her reflection. The unusual attire kind of grew on her. ¡®It¡¯s not bad by any means, but this would attract too much unwanted attention.¡¯ After taking a good look in the mirror, she sighed. ¡®This is certainly more comfortable than what I was wearing but the mission comes first.¡¯ She moved part of the cloth sheet and was met by Jean doodling restlessly on the counter. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Upon hearing her voice he just threw everything to the side and stood up, spinning around faster than she expected, causing her to instinctively reach for the dagger on her hip which was left inside the ninja armor she was no longer wearing. ¡°Goddess gracious, let me see!¡± He dashed in the room and as if he was holding his breath the entire time, he opened his arms widely. ¡°Miss Stephanie you are perfect! This goes beyond my wildest expectations for a model!¡± She was truly beautiful even in an overcoat meant for war. Her slim figure was further improved by the tight fit of the black buttoned corset on her waist, both shoulders were padded with gold-like ornaments. The extensive use of pressure buttons gave the attire a much modern look to what usually would be a simple piece of protective gear. Even with all that frivolous pursuit of beauty and fashion, every piece of equipment she was wearing felt like it could actually protect her life from a deadly blow of a blade since the materials were made to safeguard the user¡¯s life. It could be said it was the pinnacle of art and purpose. ¡°T-thank you.¡± ¡°But¡­ hmmm¡­ can¡¯t you remove this cloth around your face?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. He motioned on his own to show her what he wanted her to do. ¡°Do I have to?¡± ¡°No, of course not. But in exchange, I can introduce you to this friend of mine that can maybe help you get more information regarding the kingdom¡¯s prime minister. She is a former captain after all.¡± It seemed too good to be true and even if it was, there was no guarantee that this friend of his would keep it a secret. Worst come to worst Phoebe could always kill without leaving a trace, but she was trying her best to not have to rely on that and instead use her wits to further her goals. ¡°Very well then.¡± Of course it was a dangerous gamble, having other people know her face could potentially lead to undesired results, but if that was all it took for her to have more connections in that unknown land, she was willing to take the risks. Without wasting time, she pulled the edge of the cloth on her face that slowly came off her head. ¡°Oh¡­ my goddess¡­¡± Her short pitch black hair contrasted with her fair skin and deep blue stare against the lamp highlights. Everything about her made Jean think she was the perfect model for his creations. Her long and thin ears told everything about her bloodline. It could be said that she was a black swan amidst her elven countrymen, a half high elf of unparalleled beauty. Though her lineage mattered little for the tailor as all he wanted was a worthy model he could work with and at long last he found the one. ¡°Thank you very much for showing the entirety of your beauty.¡± He smiled as he handed her a piece of paper with a few names jotted down along the name of the places they would most likely be. ¡°Here, I wrote this earlier when I was waiting for you to change. This is a list of the people that can help you.¡± Glancing for only a split second she noticed two familiar names in that list, one of them being Athena Kaiser and the other was Lawrence of Astera, which prompted Phoebe to think about the man¡¯s surname. ¡®Lawrence of Astera? I didn¡¯t know he was from that place.¡¯ City of Astera, a small coastal port to the far east of the Arcadian continent, its walls often house merchants and merchandise shipped from the Eastern Alliance. But even more than that, she just couldn¡¯t quite understand the man in front of her. ¡°Well then, I should get back to finishing the other uniforms. Ah, Miss Stephanie can keep this piece, it is a modified version of the original after all.¡± He was about to head back to the store, but Phoebe couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Wait, why are you going out of your way to help me?¡± ¡°I just think you might be able to change this place for the better, whatever is that you work with, I¡¯m sure someone like Miss Stephanie can make the difference.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°If you excuse me, I must draw. You just opened a new path for the clothing in this store and for that I am eternally grateful.¡± He bowed and grabbed the sketchbook from the nearby counter and began to scribble. ¡°Tell Olivia I said hi in case you go to her. I still own her a great deal after what happened with my shop.¡± She looked at him and nodded. He exited the changing room leaving her alone to change back. Within a few seconds, she had her weapons concealed again with her ninja uniform beneath the fur coat. The military uniform was packed into a washed brown satchel sitting nearby as she slung it around her shoulder. ¡°Thank you for your help again, sir Jean. May we meet again someday.¡± ¡°I hope the same Miss Stephanie.¡± With that, she exited the store and started heading back to the inn, but not before taking a quick glance at the tower¡¯s entrance to her right. ¡®Nothing out of the ordinary.¡¯ Her eyes then traced up to the slits in the wall. ¡®Huh?¡¯ It was just a glimpse but she swore she saw the dark silhouette of a human inside. As to not look suspicious, she turned around and decided to leave as discreetly as she could. In the corner of her eye she noticed a group of Londrian soldiers with one carrying a wheelbarrow covered with a thick dark blanket. It appeared to be quite hefty as the one carrying seemed to be having trouble doing so. ¡®...There is something about that place. But let¡¯s follow the plan and head there when I have more information.¡¯ Inside the tower, the humid and cold atmosphere sent chills down the soldier carrying the wheelbarrow. It was a dark place as the only light present was a small candle in the very corner of the beginning of the staircase. ¡°Why are we doing this again?¡± The recruit carrying the cargo asked the other three soldiers accompanying him, however only the sergeant leading them replied. ¡°Orders from the captain, don¡¯t question it.¡± ¡°I know but still¡­ abducting someone in the middle of the day for no apparent reason seems a bit too extreme, even if it is for public safety.¡± ¡°Public safety needs to be taken seriously.¡± Another male voice came from the corner of the staircase. ¡°Or do you have any objections regarding how I run things?¡± The elf captain carried an oil lantern in his left hand in order to light up the way while holding on a clipboard on the other. Upon seeing his senior, the recruit simply shrinked into his uniform as he replied with an apologetic voice. ¡°N-no captain Oliver.¡± ¡°Good. In this case, bring him upstairs. After that you may rest in the barracks.¡± The four of them answered in unison. ¡°Yes sir.¡± They settled the wheelbarrow down and all four of them were needed to carry whoever was enveloped in the large dark blanket up the stone staircase. Oliver was taking another look at the clipboard which had all the information he compiled from the newcomers. ¡°What was his name again? Krieg? Maybe I can use him as bait¡­ considering how that princess was willing to go so far to save him. Then again¡­ this is Jakob.¡± He sighed. ¡°No matter, I will win in the end either way this goes.¡± He began climbing the stairs once again disappearing in the depths of the tower. Chapter LX: Heaven’s Trial Part I It was around noon, but Leona couldn¡¯t tell what time it was since the sky seemed to be the same no matter when or where she looked. Dark and gloomy, bereft of the sun''s light as the thick clouds engulfed the whole Londrian kingdom in cold hopelessness. After a prolonged discussion with both Athena and Lawrence, there was really only one option left for them and it was to gather frostburnt silver themselves from a nearby private mine. Of course it wasn¡¯t the first course of action as the trio had been trying to come up with other ways to coat the engine mechanisms but alas, they couldn¡¯t think of anything else that fit the bill other than the silver metal. ¡°I apologize for this Leo.¡± Athena lowered her head in a bow whilst apologizing. ¡°I wish I could get these materials myself, but after what happened yesterday with the death angel problem, most of the miners that usually go in search of these materials are no longer willing to head outside of the capital.¡± ¡°No need to apologize, raise your head please.¡± They were riding a stagecoach towards the other side of the capital for a few hours now, the streets seemed to be quite busy even with such bad weather, Leona glanced outside the small window to her left as she continued. ¡°If I was in their shoes, I would¡¯ve probably done the same. After all, just how much coin is worth risking your life for?¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s a very good question.¡± ¡°Excuse me, Miss Athena, we reached your destination.¡± A deep male voice came from the front of the stagecoach. ¡°This is where we get off.¡± The inventor opened the door and climbed down the wooden step before jumping on the snow, almost losing her balance backwards. ¡°Woah. Careful not to slip.¡± Leona supported her weight by grabbing on the sides of the doorway and slowly stepped on the snow. Athena went over the driver and handed him a few copper coins before turning towards the tactician. ¡°Let¡¯s go rent some of the tools and head off.¡± She fixed the heavy-looking satchel on her back that was tied diagonally across her chest with a leather belt. ¡°There should probably still be a pod available to take us there.¡± By quickly looking around, Leona noticed they were in the more industrial part of the city with a few working chimneys and hot air exhausts in each building being the giveaway. Near the reinforced gate, there were two pods standing by with soldiers armed with sabers on their hips and bolt action rifles strapped on their shoulders with a leather sling. While it was a rather common sight for Athena, it still made the tactician feel a bit intimidated by the firepower they possessed. Beside that, there were racks containing all matter of tools from pickaxes to shovels all neatly organized and to the immediate right of the pods, there was a huge stack of wood covered by a large tarp tent. ¡°Hey! Are you all still taking people to the mines?¡± The inventor shouted over to one of the soldiers that was arranging the fuel for one of the pods. He turned at her and shouted back. ¡°That we are Miss! Where are you two heading?¡± ¡°A private mine! I got the deed on me, can we have a few pickaxes?¡± She shouted as she pointed to one of the racks on the side of the checkpoint. ¡°Yeah! Pick what you need and I¡¯ll charge later with the transportation fee!¡± Athena gave him a thumbs up before heading over to the rack. Since she was clueless of which tools they needed, Leona simply followed right behind her friend. ¡°Have you ever mined ore before Leo?¡± She casually asked as she was inspecting the pickaxes on the rack. ¡°No never. Have you?¡± ¡°A couple of times. Mostly we¡¯d need a lot of iron to make gun parts so it was a common occurence back in Akrapocalis.¡± ¡°I see¡­ while my mother was involved in the making of muskets, she never told me how they were made.¡± ¡°Your mother¡¯s invention did give me the basic idea of how to make a firearm. I remember once me and my father visited Arcadia right after they opened the borders and there were a few knights firing muskets for the festival. Now that was a heart pounding sight.¡± She picked two pickaxes and gave one for Leona to carry. ¡°There we go. Finally found some good ones. Oh yeah we need hammers as well.¡± The tactician carefully held the tool with the pointy end downwards to avoid possible self injuries as she continued the conversation. ¡°You mean the coronation of the queen?¡± ¡°Yeah, my father was interested in the manufacturing process of muskets so he decided to visit as soon as possible. I believe he managed to talk with your mother.¡± She noticed one peculiar sledgehammer sitting against the side of the rack and took it. ¡°Ah now this will work nicely.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting, I don¡¯t recall anything because I was too young back then, but to imagine that your father talked to my mother¡­ what a small world.¡± ¡°That it is. I¡¯m glad I got to meet you, even though the circumstances were a bit extreme.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± With both tools in each hand, Athena headed over the pod that was loaded by the previous soldier who greeted them. He was standing ready beside the vehicle with another soldier holding a clipboard and a feather pen. He began to inspect the tools as he jotted down on the paper on the board. ¡°Two pickaxes, one sledgehammer¡­ alright, to which mine are you two heading?¡± ¡°I got the deed. The name is Lawrence of Astera, I¡¯m Athena Kaiser, we are from the same research facility and we require frostburnt silver.¡± ¡°I see, thank you for your cooperation.¡± He gave her a short bow before looking at the soldier who loaded the pod. ¡°Go start up the engine.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± He went inside the pod, meanwhile the soldier with the clipboard was muttering to himself before turning to Athena. ¡°It¡¯ll be eighty coppers for the fuel and another sixty for the tools, so one silver and forty coppers.¡± The inventor reached for the satchel attached to her belt and pulled out a sack of coins. Most of which was copper. ¡°I really should think of better ways to carry coins on me¡­¡± She mumbled as she began counting the copper pieces. Meanwhile, Leona grabbed the tools and started to load them in the pod. She wondered how strong Athena was because she seemed to be able to lift the sledgehammer quite effortlessly but in her slender hands, said tool felt a bit on the heavier side. After loading the rest of the tools, she sat on the first seat to wait for the inventor to finish counting the coins. ¡®A small amount of coins is fairly easy to carry, but counting forty coins seems a bit too much¡­ not counting how much it must weigh.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t quite familiar with the act of carrying sacks of coins around as most of the purchases were made by loyal servants in the mansion, often enough they would carry coffers with the coins already counted in advance. ¡®Maybe an easier to carry currency should replace this metal coin system.¡¯ ¡°Phew, finally over with paying everything.¡± Athena¡¯s voice came from the entrance of the pod. ¡°Carrying that much weight is sure bad for one¡¯s back.¡± She climbed up and sat across Leona and sighed in relief as her back leaned against the comfortable cushioned seat. The tactician offered her some water, but she shook her hand. ¡°Carrying that much coin is bound to be cumbersome.¡± Leona commented as she put the reinforced glass bottle away. ¡°I wish we could use something else to pay other than valuable metals.¡± ¡°Then what would we use?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m no scribe.¡± The tactician chuckled. ¡°Leo, don¡¯t answer me if you don¡¯t want to but, how exactly are you planning to take your status as princess back? I¡¯m often thought that once out of the kingdom the throne candidates couldn¡¯t claim rulership, is that not true?¡± Her instinct was to scratch the side of her face as she thought how to explain it to her. ¡°In Arcadia we have three ways of obtaining the crown, four technically. The first and most straightforward is the previous ruler to appoint you as their successor, that¡¯s what happened with Eleonora. The second is a trial by combat. Only nobles are eligible for that kind of approach. The third is the will of the people, if one gathers enough support from the populace, they can also become a ruler.¡± She had raised each finger on her right hand before lowering all of them and interlocking both hand¡¯s fingers. ¡°Now the unspoken fourth way to become sovereign would be to either assassinate other candidates until you are the only one remaining or somehow persuade the other nobles to concede their rights for the throne which would usually involve blackmailing or collection of a debt, though those are rare cases.¡± Athena was stunned after the long explanation. She blinked a few times as she slowly digested all the information and after nodding a few times she turned to her again to ask. ¡°Hang on a minute. So it¡¯s not hereditary?¡± ¡°It is to an extent. If the current monarch has a child, they usually become the next king or queen. However there are many reasons why that didn¡¯t happen in the previous two rulers.¡± She raised her index finger while crossing her legs. ¡°King Hector never had any children, at least none that survived the Great War and in Eleonora¡¯s case, it was more of her sudden disappearance that ended her rule, so it left the noble families as well as the population in disarray.¡± Athena also crossed her legs and interlocked her fingers on top of her left knee, she was genuinely interested in the conversation. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I know it makes sense that you¡¯d know about these things because you lived through it to know, but just how much does the common folk actually know about this?¡± It was like a hammer hit the nail on the head. Leona knew that much because she was taught so by her father, but upon thinking about it she realized there was no way the general population would know about those things. ¡°Excuse me ma¡¯am.¡± The soldier¡¯s voice broke the conversation the two were having. He carried a stack of logs in his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this here.¡± He settled the sizable stack beside Athena¡¯s feet, after that he motioned for others to come. ¡°Hello Misses.¡± Another soldier wearing the full blue navy overcoat uniform with a balaclava for protection against the coat greeted them, his voice seeming somewhat young for his stature. ¡°I was told by the sergeant but I wanted to confirm. Astera¡¯s mine, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Athena replied. ¡°Great, so let¡¯s get moving. The path isn¡¯t great lately because of the snow storm in the beginning of the week so bear with me. I¡¯ll have another squadmate of mine to stay behind here to fuel the engine so you two can take it easy and relax until we get there.¡± ¡°I can fuel the engine if you need.¡± Athena said. ¡°Unless the service is for free.¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°Haha, I can¡¯t possibly charge extra from someone from the army. Don¡¯t worry, take it as an extra.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The soldier talking to her headed to the cabin in front of the vehicle while the other sat near the boiler, tossing a few pieces of firewood inside the already burning chamber. Leona glanced at Athena to resume their talk. ¡°Thinking more about what you said earlier, I don¡¯t think most common folk would know about everything I¡¯ve said to you. Education is only limited to those that have the coin to afford it.¡± Even though she had a serious expression on her face, the tactician gave her a puzzled look as she asked. ¡°What were we talking about again?¡± Leona blinked a few times. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Leo, I was thinking about something else. What were you talking about?¡± ¡°Ah, your previous question was if the populace knew about the intricacies of politics back in my kingdom.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I asked that because in Akrapocalis, we have a public committee that decides who should be the next ruler. King Barbarossa was assigned to the throne for his extraordinary management skills and most people know why he¡¯s king.¡± Leona held her chin with her left hand whilst closing her eyes. ¡°A public committee huh? Now that¡¯s something I never thought about¡­¡± She seemed lost in thought while mumbling to herself. ¡°Surely, some of the noble families have a political background so it shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise for them but the more warfare focused ones would look upon it as a means to exclude them from the power struggle¡­¡± Athena was fiddling with a hand sized derringer of steel color, she was loading a green shell casing inside the single shot sidearm. She glanced at the tactician who was still mumbling to herself. ¡°Leo, have you done any maintenance in that derringer I gave you?¡± ¡°Maintenance as?¡± ¡°Checking if the ammo isn¡¯t wet for instance. Normally I¡¯d have a few storage containers made to resist cold but all of that was lost when me and my brother were captured by bandits.¡± ¡°Ah, now that I think about it, no I never even touched it.¡± She reached for the side of her leg and pulled out the two shot derringer. ¡°Might as well do it now.¡± ¡°Uh, wait a moment, just for safety.¡± Athena reached for Leona¡¯s right hand before she could pull the firearm out. ¡°But you do know how to handle a firearm, right?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯ve read my father¡¯s own manual, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± After saying that, the inventor leaned back again on her seat and watched carefully as she pulled out the weapon. Whilst aiming at the floor, Leona broke the barrel open with the click of the lock and pulled both bullets one at a time. She placed the first one in the bullet strap on her right thigh and inspected the second one she pulled out. Although the casing didn¡¯t present anything different, Athena asked her to hand the projectile over to her. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± The inventor rotated the ammunition between her fingers and decided to pocket it in her own bullet strap attached to her belt. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, I¡¯ll give you some of my own rounds, I still don¡¯t trust Akrapocalis¡¯ production yet.¡± She took two shell rounds off the strap and gave them to her. ¡°Wait¡­ this seems different than that one.¡± Leona pointed out the notably different casing, whereas one had a bullet, the other seemed more of a shell carrying multiple shots. ¡°It''s grapeshot ammunition, some cannons use this type of bullet in order to have a better area of effect. Normally you wouldn¡¯t see this in a firearm, but I took the freedom of the workshop tools to make them for my derringer.¡± Athena showed her the single barrel handgun while pointing the barrel towards the floor. ¡°Anyway, the point is that you can use this one as well since it has the same caliber and I¡¯d rather have you using working ammunition rather than a dud. Oh just remember that it¡¯s only effective at close range, grapeshot isn¡¯t meant to be fired from too far away anyway.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Leona took the shell and inserted it inside the firearm. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± After discussing gun safety and maintaining their weapons, both of them kept talking about how to improve the engine¡¯s efficiency through the use of the frostburnt silver ore they were about to gather. If anything, Leona knew quite a lot of valuable information regarding how mana and metals interacted and how they could best use said metal. Regardless, the soldier fueling the engine didn¡¯t seem too interested in the conversation and left them mostly alone until the vehicle began to stop and the driver popped out of the main cabin with his head sticking out in the doorway. ¡°Here we are. Astera¡¯s mine.¡± He looked to the other soldier standing by the exit. ¡°Can you open it for them? I¡¯ll try to get some z¡¯s while we wait.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The soldier then proceeded to close the door to get some rest. Meanwhile the other one standing beside the pod¡¯s exit got his hands on the hatch and began to open it. Leona grabbed the pickaxe beside her while Athena made sure to not forget the sledgehammer and the other pickaxe. ¡°Alright, we should take about an hour or two.¡± The inventor warned the soldier standing by as they walked out. ¡°Keep an eye out for wolves, I really don¡¯t want to come back to a pack waiting for us outside.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Miss, we brought weapons for a reason.¡± Athena nodded and headed out in the snow. The moment Leona stepped out the warm interior, a bone chilling cold hit her face making all the hair follicles on her skin stand up in response. ¡°Brrr¡­¡± She instinctively shrinked inside the fur coat but not even the thick fabric could protect her entirely from the sub zero breeze. Although when she mustered the courage to step out of the vehicle completely she could see where exactly they were. ¡°Wow¡­¡± It was a deep forest, many trees surrounded them in a seemingly infinite dark green white landscape, while mostly were tall pine trees, the sheer amount of snow piled up on the branches made the forest look much more cluttered than it actually was. ¡°Come on Leo, let¡¯s get out of the cold.¡± Athena was already moving ahead of her, only turning back to see where her friend was. ¡°Coming.¡± The knee high snow was offering much more trouble than the tactician expected, not only was it her first time trudging through that much snow, but the sharp temperature drop made her feel weaker. ¡°Careful to not fall, you don¡¯t want snow getting into your coat.¡± Athena almost tripped as she tried to climb over a fallen tree. ¡°Ah dammit, I should¡¯ve rented a shovel.¡± Noticing there was a clear path from where Athena walked, Leona decided to simply follow the trail left behind her. ¡°When I read about how cold it is in Londria, I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be this much.¡± ¡°I know right? The books often don¡¯t make justice to just how brutal it truly is out here.¡± Athena pointed to a mound suddenly forming out amidst the trees. ¡°It¡¯s right there.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Leona saw the strange small hill formation that broke out the plain snow scenery, but couldn¡¯t exactly see how that was a mine. Athena on the other hand began to run towards it, hopping with large steps in order to avoid most of the snow and once she reached the mound formation, she kicked it sideways to remove the sleet. After kicking about three times, she got the pickaxe handle and used it to push the loose snow out of the way, revealing a dark wooden door with a metallic handle. ¡°There we go. It¡¯s a hassle to do this when it snows.¡± She grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, more snow fell from the upper part of the doorway inside the mine. ¡°Careful where you step, it is quite slippery.¡± Leona lowered her head to pass through the doorway as Athena already climbed most of the way down whilst carrying both heavy duty tools. The first it came to Leona the moment she stepped in was the smell of mold and rotten wood then the obvious lack of interior light which made her wonder how the inventor was managing to climb down without seeing anything. ¡°Are there no lights?¡± She asked while taking one step at a time to make sure she wouldn¡¯t fall face first in the staircase. ¡°Not here, a little bit further and we¡¯ll get to the main tunnel, we¡¯ll find some lamps there. Hopefully.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound so sure about that.¡± Before climbing further down, Leona flickered a flame into existence with her left hand, but despite the scorching hot temperature of the blue fire, it didn¡¯t do much in order to light up the interior. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Her humming caught Athena¡¯s attention, who looked back up in order to see what was happening. ¡°Is that a blue flame?¡± She monotonically asked. ¡°Huh? Ah, yes it is.¡± ¡°Did you make that?¡± ¡°With magic, yes. Why? Shouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not a matter of should or shouldn¡¯t, the fact that you made that is a feat in itself!¡± She tossed the tools down the staircase and quickly climbed up, slipping once but catching herself in the steps as she reached for Leona¡¯s left arm, inspecting the fire spell just close enough that her hair didn¡¯t catch fire. ¡°Oh my¡­ it really does exist¡­¡± Her eyes seemed to sparkle with a passion beyond what Leona imagined possible. ¡°W-why are you so enthusiastic about this Athena?¡± ¡°You do realize what you have here right? The theoretically hottest a flame can get can be observed by its color and you just happened to achieve a miracle with this.¡± ¡°A miracle? Why are you over exaggerating about it? It¡¯s just a flam-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a flame!¡± She repeatedly pointed at the tactician¡¯s hand. ¡°This proves the very existence of ultraviolet light! I knew my professor at the academy was right!¡° Leona glanced sideways as she said. ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m not following what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°Just listen to me, can you change the color of the flame?¡± Athena¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle even more brightly than the flame the tactician was holding. ¡°Y-yeah, a bit.¡± ¡°Turn it towards the orange to red color.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Leona closed her eyes and began breathing slowly, focusing her mind in feeding the spell more of her own mana. She felt the intensity of the heat die down but in exchange it was putting more strain in her mind. Once she opened her eyes, she noticed the bright orange flame lighting up the interior of the mine. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ how is this¡­¡± ¡°AHA! I KNEW IT!¡± However the moment Athena shouted over her lungs a noise of clanging metal came from down the staircase. Instinctively, she pulled out the derringer from her holster and aimed it downstairs. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Leona charged the spell back into a small orb of blue flames ready to fire. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°I think it was just the tools that I threw down there, but can¡¯t be too careful.¡± Athena climbed down the staircase while aiming the firearm ahead of her and the tactician followed closely behind. Upon reaching the ground floor, they attentively looked around for anything out of the ordinary, but the weak light that came from the entrance could only light up a few meters ahead of where they were, leaving the rest of the mine with an eerie atmosphere as there could be something hidden in the shadows not too far from where they stood. ¡°Strange¡­¡± Athena muttered as she slowly walked forward. ¡°I swear it came from down here.¡± It was a rather spacious hall of stone, some barrels with lamps were settled against the walls and a minecart track was laid on the ground, albeit most of the wood was rotten and the metal rusted. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it was a person.¡± Leona muttered before she turned the spell back into the orange roaring flame, illuminating a wider area around them. ¡°Unless¡­¡± Her instinct was to look up and the moment she did she noticed a distinct metallic glint coming off the ceiling, but instead of the usual rock formation that one would find inside a cave, it was a bulbous ever moving gelatin like surface. The moment Leona''s eyes locked onto the familiar texture hanging from the ceiling, she screamed out her lungs to the inventor. ¡°ATHENA ABOVE YOU!¡± Chapter LXI: Heaven’s Trial Part II Athena¡¯s first reaction to Leona¡¯s voice was to jump back as far as she could without looking up, but the gelatinous monster dropped on her left thigh, covering part of the coat and trouser she was wearing. ¡°Argh!¡± She stumbled and fell on her butt, however Leona knew just how dangerous slimes were which made her take split second decisions to avoid letting her friend be hurt by one. "Northern winds hearken to me, pierce through my foe, Ice Spear!" A thin spear-like ice stake formed in front of her extended right palm before being shot out at an incredible speed, fortunately for Athena, Leona was deadly accurate with the spell and nailed the slime dead center which left almost no time for it to dissolve the inventor¡¯s clothing. ¡°Ah!¡± Athena looked shocked at the frozen solid carcass laying immobile on the ground, part of the monster was blown out not unlike when grapeshot rips death angels appart. She then looked at the tactician with both eyes widened. ¡°Thanks Leo¡­¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Leona went to her and extended her right hand. ¡°Yeah thanks to you.¡± She grabbed her hand and stood up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting a slime on the ceiling. Do you think it reacted to my movement or sound?¡± ¡°Probably movement, I encountered many of these back in Arcadia. They eat-¡± She just realized what kind of diet they have which made cold sweat beads form on her forehead. ¡°You were saying?¡± ¡°Athena, this mine is mainly to dig out frostburnt silver right?¡± ¡°Yeah, primarily, it used to be an iron mine until they discovered the frostburnt silver vein below it.¡± She patted some of the snow on the back of her coat. ¡°Most of the iron mining operations were halted and they switched to primarily extract the silver or at least that is what Lawrence told me.¡± ¡°Then we should hurry, slimes can digest frostburnt silver and where there is one there¡¯s probably more.¡± She picked up the sledgehammer from the ground and offered it to Athena. ¡°Keep an eye out on places where those things can get to your face, Phoebe was unlucky to have one of those fall on her face.¡± The moment she mentioned it the inventor simply shook her entire body from the chill that went down her spine. ¡°That certainly doesn¡¯t sound good.¡± ¡°Thankfully we had a healer back then so she was mostly fine after we removed the wretched thing off her but since neither me or you brought potions it is best to avoid getting hurt entirely.¡± The inventor got the other pickaxe and headed deeper into the mine, steps ahead there were some rusted metal cabinets slightly tilted. She reached for the first one and opened it. ¡°Ah, there we go.¡± She pulled out a handheld oil lamp from inside. ¡°I knew they left something here.¡± ¡°Is the oil still good?¡± Athena shook her head, but despite the negative response she had a smirk on her face when looking at the tactician. ¡°Probably not, but we can just thaw it and by we I mean you.¡± ¡°Huh? How am I going to do that?¡± ¡°Thankfully the underside of this thing is made of metal so just make a small concentrated flame while I hold it above it. Though I must emphasize, do not make it too intense or else you¡¯ll burn my hand.¡± She held the metallic lamp from the handle while Leona flickered the smallest blue flame she could on her palm underneath it. At first she thought it wasn¡¯t doing anything until the noise of cracking metal came from it, startling her. ¡°Keep it steady. The metal is simply expanding, there¡¯s nothing to be worried about.¡± Despite what the inventor said, it didn¡¯t change much the fact that Leona was fearing that thing would explode in her face without any warning. Each second that passed her face was further and further away while looking through the corner of her left eye before Athena took the lamp out of the fire spell. ¡°There we go, it should be thawed now.¡± She took the silver lighter out of her pocket and lit up the base of the lamp and a few seconds later she had a light source that was more than enough for the both of them. ¡°Now¡­¡± She left the lamp on the ground and went back to rummage through the metal cabinet. ¡°Not here¡­¡± Her ramblings went on as she opened the other cabinets adjacent to it which prompted Leona to ask her. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°One sec I need to find this thing¡­ here¡­ ah, found it.¡± She pulled out what could only be described as a pair of crude eyewear. It had round glasses to allow sight, but it was so dusty it was nearly impossible to see anything through it. ¡°Give it a rub to clean it before using and put a piece of cloth over your mouth and nose so you don¡¯t inhale the silver dust. That infamous powder is what causes silver decay.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, keep yourself safe.¡± Athena took a piece of cloth from her satchel and tied tightly to cover her nose and mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the front, you can deal with whatever comes with magic right?¡± ¡°I can, but don¡¯t count too much on it.¡± Luckily to Leona, she had a piece of rag inside her fur coat, though it was best if she didn¡¯t think where it came from. ¡°My mana reserves aren¡¯t that big to begin with.¡± Athena nodded and arranged both sledgehammer and pickaxe against her left shoulder in order to carry them while holding the base of the tools as well as the lamp in her left hand. Her right was holding the single shot derringer with her index finger just slightly above the trigger in case she needed to shoot. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going. We got some silver to gather.¡± Leona put the pickaxe shaft against her left shoulder and carried it much like how the inventor did. However unlike her friend, the tactician left a small ice stake already pre-cast and floating above her right palm. There was a sense of lingering dread hanging in the air not unlike the stillness of death, it was unsettling for her to be walking down that stone hall without knowing what could be waiting up ahead in the darkness. Nevertheless, there was no other option if not keep moving forward, if there was a threat it was up to her to defend the both of them. She had read from a book that more important than knowing what you¡¯re fighting, it is even more so to know her own limits and how much she could push beyond those without putting their lives at risk. ¡®About eight low mana consuming spells, or three big ones¡­¡¯ She juggled the small icicle between her fingers as she measured her own capabilities. ¡®For a while now I¡¯ve been able to increase the quantity of magic I can spend, however that hasn¡¯t impacted how many big spells I can use¡­¡¯ It was a matter of quality instead of quantity, she knew how destructive some of her incantations were but no matter how much she improved her mana pool, it was just not possible to cast more than three at her present state. They kept moving either way, Athena used the lamp to find her bearings within the mine as she led the tactician through the myriad of narrow tunnels and large corridors until they found a broad ramp that went down the mine, center of the rocky floor was outfitted with minecart rails to make transportation easier. The air was considerably colder there as if the source of the cold was inside the mine. ¡°Oh here we are.¡± She stopped at the cusp of the ramp before looking back at Leona. ¡°From this point onwards, there¡¯ll be frostburnt silver in the walls and ceiling of the shaft so take care to not let anything get through the goggles or the cloth protecting your nose and mouth. Last thing you¡¯d want is getting silver decay after coming this far.¡± The tactician nodded with confidence, though most of it was to hide the fact that she was stricken with fear down to her very bones. Deep in her mind she knew fear would only hinder her ability to react accordingly. ¡®Focus Leona¡­¡¯ She took a deep breath. ¡®Nothing good will come from letting fear take a hold of you.¡¯ She briefly closed her eyes and remembered everything that had happened in her travels, her maid¡¯s death, her friend¡¯s sacrifice, her father¡¯s demise, every piece of memory that brought her anger and despair just made her resolve even stronger in the face of uncertainty. Upon opening her eyes she glanced at the inventor who was looking at her. ¡°Alright, lead the way Athena.¡± ¡°I see you made up your mind. Let¡¯s move, better not to tarry in a place like this.¡± The lieutenant used her free right hand to support her weight against the wall on her right side as she carefully made her way down the ramp, although it wasn¡¯t particularly steep, she was making sure she wouldn¡¯t end up falling face first on the rocky floor. Leona followed her closely while keeping an eye out in their flank as well as above on the ceiling. The freezing cold air felt more and more humid the further down the ramp they went, it was a rather long way until they reached the flat ground. Moisture gathered on the floor¡¯s surface which seemed unusual at first, but the further down they went Leona began to notice not only it was becoming damp with slow dripping water from the ceiling, but also brighter with an eerie low light blue glow seemingly growing around as they walked. ¡°We should be near.¡± Athena was looking at the rotten and rusted rail tracks. ¡°We only need a good chunk of silver then we can get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.¡± Some old wooden supports that kept the tunnel open were rotten, it was a surprise that the mine hadn''t collapsed from the lack of maintenance. ¡°Agreed. While I didn¡¯t see anything up until now, I would rather not stay here longer than I have to.¡± ¡°Yeah, after witnessing that slime trying to eat my thigh I really want to get out as fast as possible.¡± She holstered her derringer for a brief moment to put the lamp on the floor while also both tools in each hand. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the lamp here since it¡¯s easier to see the silver in low light.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll follow behind you.¡± They headed deeper in the hall and despite being dark, Leona¡¯s eyes were becoming accustomed to the low light environment which further made the eerie light even creepier. However despite the horrible chills going down her spine, she kept moving on behind the inventor, it was her responsibility to keep her safe after all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Leo, in hindsight I should¡¯ve probably only rented one pickaxe after all.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting to have you work as a bodyguard.¡± ¡°Would you prefer if I mined?¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d never experience it so I thought-¡± Suddenly a noise of metal echoed from the depths of the stone hall, which prompted both Athena to draw her derringer and Leona to charge the icicle spell. ¡°That is definitely not just the wind.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s easier to spot the glint of frostburnt silver in the low light, but can I light up a fire spell and lob it down that way?¡± The tactician pointed with her left hand. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about getting too close without knowing what I¡¯m dealing with.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t lose anything if you do that.¡± Athena simply nodded. ¡°Just remember that we won¡¯t be able to see much regardless if you throw a blue fire spell.¡± ¡°Alright here goes nothing.¡± She dropped the pickaxe and once her left hand was completely free, she began to chant the fire spell, though feeding more of her own mana instead of using the environment. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, reclaim mine enemy unto the ashes, Flame Spear!¡± The bright spear of orange fire emitted a large amount of heat before she tossed it down the hall, most of the moisture from the floor quickly evaporated as the flame spear was thrown. Thankfully the spell was quite accurate and went in a straight line while also illuminating the path for brief seconds before hitting stones in the end of the tunnel. Athena had her eyes squinted at all times in order to be able to spot anything out of the ordinary other than a metallic glint in the very end of the tunnel, but since it was most likely old tools left from the previous excavation team she simply ignored it. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± The inventor straightened her back as she glanced behind her over the shoulder. ¡°And there¡¯s nothing behind us either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m positively sure that sound came from ahead of us.¡± Leona sharpened her senses in order to feel the flow of mana in the air but the moment she attempted to do so a flash of pain assaulted her brain. ¡°Nngh!¡± Though it was brief, the intensity of the pain was enough to make her collapse on her knees. Upon hearing a thud from behind, Athena looked over her shoulder and noticed her friend squirming on the ground which made her throw the tools on the floor and holster the derringer before heading over to her. ¡°Hey Leo what happened?!¡± In the tactician¡¯s vision, it seemed the inventor was trying to say something but only her mouth moved or to be more accurate, Leona only heard a deafening ringing sound in her ears. She felt Athena¡¯s hands clutching her tightly but it was as if the whole world was spinning. ¡®What is happening to me?!¡¯ She was struggling to stay conscious as her brain throbbed in pain. It was something she never felt before and the worst part is that she didn¡¯t even know why it happened. ¡°Leo, talk to me! Come on!¡± Athena was trying to understand what was happening but since her friend was unable to speak or even hear, though she didn¡¯t know that, it was practically impossible for her to know what to do. ¡°Dammit!¡± A few seconds later the sound of clanging metal rang from the passage they came from which made Athena turn her head around. ¡®It had to be in a time like this!¡¯ The inventor grabbed her derringer and pointed towards the path behind them, at first only the faint low light of the lamp she had left behind was there until she started to see some sort of shadow being cast against the wall on her right. It seemed like a semi-translucent object had been put in front of the lamp for a brief moment as the light was unobstructed. Athena swallowed dry, not only the hall of stone behind them was a dead end, but Leona was also incapacitated on the ground which left her with the only option to fight whatever it was coming to her. She grabbed the sledgehammer from the ground and decided to preemptively attack whatever was approaching, but when she peeked right around the corner her eyes widened in shock. ¡°What the hell is that?!¡± Chapter LXII: Heaven’s Trial Part III ¡°What the hell is that?!¡± Athena¡¯s jaw dropped, her eyes widened as the sledgehammer previously tightly gripped on her left hand hit the floor. At first she had only seen a glint against the low lamp light she had left behind in the beginning of the tunnel, but only after her eyes adjusted to the light she noticed what was a few steps away from her. A bulbous blob of translucent material was inching closer to her, dissolving the minecart rails as if it was nothing each time it crawled forward. It would¡¯ve probably be a simple task to run around it since despite being three times bigger than her, there was enough space in the tunnel for one person to slip by, but with Leona on the floor a few meters behind her, running away wasn¡¯t an option. She had to fight it. ¡°Dammit¡­! Dammit!¡± Athena aimed her derringer in the center mass of the blob and without wasting any time, pulled the trigger. When the hammer struck the backside of the shell, a loud explosion sent a myriad of iron pellets through the small barrel of the handgun, leaving a spent cartridge in her gun and ache ringing in her ears as a gunshot in an enclosed space was many times more painful than if she was to be outside. However, despite the increased firepower of a firearm, the individual pellets were simply absorbed by the sheer size of the slime. Seeing how ineffective that ammo was, she decided to run back to where Leona was. ¡°Leo, I need your help!¡± She desperately reached for the satchel on her belt and pulled another shell before removing the spent one and loading it in the derringer. ¡°Can you hear me?! Leo!¡± At that point the slime had reached the corner where she was standing and began to melt the sledgehammer left behind, it was just slow enough that she could outrun it, but fast enough to be able to catch her if she was to carry Leona around it. Unaware of the impending danger, the tactician was trying to fight the throbbing pain that assaulted her brain; it felt like her head was being cracked open by some strange force and despite her best efforts, the dizziness and urge to regurgitate was not going away. Meanwhile Athena was weighing her options. In order to kill a slime she knew it was important to hit its core, but the amalgamation of gelatin could easily stop a grapeshot shell which only meant one thing. ¡®I can only pierce it with a normal bullet¡­¡¯ Despite that, having already loaded another shell she decided to go for a dangerous gamble. ¡°Grrr¡­ die already!¡± She dashed forward aiming her derringer in point blank range where she thought the core would be and pulled the trigger. But despite being almost touching the dangerous monster, it only served to splash bits and pieces of gelatin around her as well as leave her ears ringing slightly. ¡°What the-?!¡± Without any warning a very thin yet sturdy tentacle shot out from the center of the slime, nicking the left side of her cheek which left a tingling burning sensation on the skin of her face. The tentacle retracted but before it could try to strike her again she stumbled backwards and fell on her butt beside Leona who was still wriggling in pain. ¡°Come on Leo!¡± Athena stood up, almost tripping in her own legs before grasping Leona¡¯s body from behind under both her armpits and dragging the struggling tactician backwards. ¡°I need you right now!¡± Despite not fully hearing what the lieutenant was saying, Leona did faintly hear her own name and through the blurred vision she saw the distortion of light going through the slime in front of her, though unable to fully tell what it really was, she knew something bad was happening. ¡°Nngh¡­¡± She was grumbling in pain as Athena kept pulling her backwards. The slime didn¡¯t seem in a hurry however, all the bits blown off from the grapeshot was already regenerating at a rapid pace and anything left behind it was sizzling with acid. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Dammit¡­ I don¡¯t want to die like this! Ahh!¡± She tripped backwards and hit the back of her head against the wall of stone, accidentally letting go of her firearm as her head bounced back from the impact. ¡°Gah!¡± It was so dark she could only see thanks to the low blue light emitted from the walls around her, she desperately searched for her firearm by touching around the vicinity where she had dropped it. ¡°Not now!¡± Using her arm, she swept the floor in order to luck out and grab her weapon but instead she hit her forearm against a wooden box no bigger than her own arm. ¡°Huh?!¡± She hurriedly grasped the box. It still had a lock but it was so rusted that she managed to break part of it with a good strike using a nearby rock. ¡®Please let it be what I think this is!¡¯ The moment she opened her eyes sparkled with hope. There was a single white cylindrical stick with a long fuse, dynamite. Normally used for mining, such explosive ordinance could prove fatal in an enclosed space, but Athena was bold if nothing else. She quickly grabbed Leona¡¯s derringer from her holster and pointed the gun at the slime while placing half of the fuse in front of the barrel as pulled the trigger. ¡°Argh!¡± The gunshot left her ears ringing and the pellets did nothing to the slime. The fuse was lit through the expansion of gasses inside the gun¡¯s barrel, but tossing it directly inside the slime would simply melt the explosive, while leaving it to explode outside would mean the blast would most likely kill them as well. ¡®I have to time it to go off when it touches it.¡¯ She winded up her arm back to throw. ¡°Athena-¡± Leona¡¯s weak voice managed to grab the inventor¡¯s attention before she could throw the live explosive. ¡°Toss it near it, I¡¯ll make sure we don¡¯t die.¡± It was visible that some of the ambient mana began to gather around the tactician¡¯s right hand as she prepared to cast a spell. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re able to pull this off?! We¡¯ll surely die if we get caught in the blast.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll just have¡­ to trust me.¡± The confident smirk on her face dispelled Athena¡¯s doubt as she once again prepared to throw the stick of dynamite, this time aiming for it to land beside the gelatinous monster. ¡°Alright Leo, here goes nothing! Hah!¡± She lobbed the explosive with a flick of her right arm and the white stick of gunpowder went flying off spinning three times in the air before hitting a rock, bouncing towards the slime and landing right in front of it before rolling slightly towards the side wall. Seeing how it landed perfectly where the slime wouldn¡¯t go through, Leona began to chant. ¡°Northern winds hearken to me, freeze those who oppose me, Ice Wall!¡± She swiped her hand in front of her releasing a generous amount of mana in the vicinity and in a matter of seconds, frozen stalagmites began to form on the ground and shoot up towards the ceiling, sealing them behind the ice wall and even after finishing casting the spell Leona kept pouring mana in the barrier to make it tougher in order to be certain the blast wouldn¡¯t affect them. ¡®Come on just a bit more!¡¯ Even though her head felt like it was going to be split in half, she continued on with reinforcing the wall until a dry sound of an explosion shook the inside of the cave. Thankfully the magically made barrier of ice seemed intact even after the strong tremor. ¡°Are we safe?¡± Athena asked with a strained voice as if she was holding her breath from tension. ¡°We should be- argh my head¡­¡± Leona clutched both sides of her skull, it felt like her cranium was being torn apart by some strange outward force. ¡°Athena I- I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to cast any more spells for a while so we might be stuck here for the moment.¡± She rolled on her back and laid there staring at the rocky ceiling that left a thin blanket of dust to come down after the tremor from the explosion. ¡°Better than being blown to smithereens I¡¯d say. Thanks to your quick thinking I didn¡¯t have to time the fuse as precisely.¡± With a dry thud, the inventor leaned against the rocky wall behind her as she sighed. ¡°On the other hand, I do worry for the tunnel¡¯s integrity. Worst case scenario we get buried under countless boulders.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that¡¯s not the case then¡­¡± She closed her eyes and both arms went limp from exhaustion. ¡°Man¡­ I just hope to get back and get that engine finished so I can take it easy for the next few days¡­ I still need to get my brother checked with Lawrence as well.¡± She pinched both sides of the ridge of her nose. ¡°I¡¯m sure you also have your hands full regarding your deal with lady Fye, but at least now that we can get our hands on some frostburnt silver we¡¯ll-¡± Seeing how her friend had her head slightly turned to the side on the cold rocky floor she decided to poke her left arm. ¡°Hey Leo, are you alright?¡± A few seconds passed and there was no response. ¡°Leo? Leona?! Hey! Leona answer me! Leona!¡± Chapter LXIII: Heaven’s Trial Part IV Athena could only assume the worst, with Leona motionless on the floor she could only come up with one conclusion after everything that happened. ¡®Is this what happens when someone has mana shock?!¡¯ The inventor quickly went over and checked for her vitals. After confirming she could hear the tactician¡¯s faint breathing, she let out a sigh of relief while leaning with her back against the rocky wall behind her. She only noticed how tired she was after letting her guard down as build up exhaustion hit her all at once, but she was well aware they weren¡¯t completely safe just yet. Extended exposure to frostburnt silver was a hazard to their long term health and she wasn¡¯t planning on dying too soon. ¡°Dammit it all.¡± Looking around the limited space they were in there wasn¡¯t any sign of tools she could use to break down the ice wall aside from a couple of rusted pickaxe heads and rotten wooden handles of different tools. ¡°What do I do now?¡± She reached for her satchel to search for anything useful but there were only firearms related gadgets without much use against a solid wall of ice. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She grabbed the most sturdy looking handle, pickaxe head and tried to put it together to make a usable tool but unfortunately the size of the handle was different and therefore was useless. ¡°Dammit, this is useless¡­ wait¡­¡± She left the tool pieces on the ground and removed one of the belts she wore and began to tie the pickaxe head to the end of the wooden handle with it. After giving it a shake and deeming it was solid enough to swing she approached the ice wall and winded up her arms back. With an overhead swing she managed to break part of it but as a result the rotten wooden handle also snapped in half. ¡°Amazing, I¡¯ll be here for a while¡­¡± Meanwhile outside the mine, both soldiers were smoking outside the pod while doing some small talk. It was beginning to snow, though the fine flakes were nothing concerning, it was a sign that a storm was starting to form. ¡°They sure are taking their time there.¡± The driver had removed part of the balaclava in order to smoke and was leaning against the side of the large vehicle. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll be back in time for lunch?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The other soldier had just finished his cigarette and threw the butt on the snow. ¡°Considering they are even using explosives down there, I think we¡¯ll be here for a while.¡± He was about to head in the pod before suddenly stopping on his tracks as he reached for his head with his right hand. ¡°Yes, this is Mark speaking. Yes, with lieutenant Athena and another woman. Wait¡­ but sir, are you sure- no, no sir, I just- yes it shall be done.¡± After a few seconds of silence, he sighed deeply before turning around to look at the driver who just finished his smoke. ¡°We got orders directly from Captain Oliver. We are to apprehend both passengers we brought once they come back.¡± ¡°What? Why? Isn¡¯t that lieutenant Athena we¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Yes but orders are orders. Get your rifle ready, we¡¯ll take them into custody once they come out of that cave.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Still¡­ something¡¯s fishy with the first battalion. First the notice to leave the defense of the capital to them, second, most of the other battalions being sent all over the kingdom. Not even Captain Trish of the seventh battalion could do anything about it despite being the most influential amongst them.¡± ¡°Leave those things to the higher ups, no way foot soldiers like us can do anything about it anyway, as long as we get paid and don¡¯t get shot, I¡¯m fine with doing what I¡¯m told.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it leave a bad taste in your mouth? I mean, why do we wear these uniforms if all we do is hunt our own countrymen?¡± ¡°I rather not talk about that. I¡¯ve already had my share of troubles when our captain tried to stand up to Oliver¡­¡± The driver shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. He even assimilated us into the first battalion. Not even the colonel opposed him.¡± ¡°I think Oliver is using his connection with the minister or something, you can occasionally see them together in the city.¡± ¡°You mean in that accursed tower? That place gives me the chills¡­¡± The driver finished his cigarette and put on his mask properly again before heading inside the pod to fetch his gun regardless of what he was saying earlier. ¡°Why do we have such a place in the middle of the city? I understand research is important and all but you¡¯d expect those to be run inside the castle or somewhere with a bit more privacy.¡± The soldier named Mark grabbed his rifle from the mounted wall rack inside the vehicle. ¡°This is minister Jakob we¡¯re talking about.¡± He then inspected the gun¡¯s ammunition by pulling the bolt back and chambering a round inside it. ¡°If we don¡¯t do our jobs, we might as well serve as test subjects for those weird experiments of his. As if we don¡¯t have enough sleepless nights because of that damned death angel.¡± ¡°Do you think he has some kind of personal squad inside the city? I mean, there is no way other soldiers are doing this by their own volition right?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that.¡± He wore the weapon¡¯s sling across his shoulder and began to walk outside. ¡°I heard some nasty rumors about him using refugees for some gruesome experiments in that tower a few weeks back.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ just hearing it gives me the chills.¡± Right after they went back outside the pod, Leona and Athena came out of the mine¡¯s entrance on the other side. ¡°Haa¡­ ah¡­ finally fresh air.¡± Athena was breathing heavily as they took the final steps out of the musky cave as she shouldered Leona with her left arm while carrying a rather small leather sack on the other hand presumably full of frostburnt silver. ¡°Are you alright Leo?¡± ¡°Just a bit dizzy, I should¡¯ve remembered that releasing raw mana inside a cave full of that silver is dangerous due the reverberation it makes.¡± ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°Think of what I did as releasing a pulse of mana, but since we were surrounded by frostburnt silver, all that mana just ricocheted back to me all at once.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in a few minutes. It¡¯s just a very nauseating and headache inducing experience.¡± They slowly made their way back to the pod where both soldiers were standing with their rifles loosely in their hands. While Athena felt something was off she didn¡¯t want to be presumptuous and pull out her derringer, but Leona on the other hand quickly glanced around looking to find some clue as to why they were holding their weapons. ¡®They didn¡¯t have to deal with anything so the only conclusion as to why they have their weapons out¡­¡¯ She discreetly put left hand behind her to charge a spell while also whispering to the inventor. ¡°Athena, I don¡¯t think they are going to help us with those guns.¡± ¡°No way¡­ but they drove us here.¡± ¡°Maybe that was their plan from the very beginning.¡± After reaching about halfway to the pod, both soldiers raised their rifles towards them, the one in front who was keeping the engine running yelled. ¡°Raise your hands both of you, by orders of the captain you two are arrested.¡± Chapter LXIV: Heaven’s Trial Part V Tension hung in the air as both rifles were pointed towards them. Athena knew when a Londrian soldier had their weapons out like that they meant business with little room for negotiation if they had chosen to threaten a fellow member of the army. She slowly raised her right hand up while trying to support Leona with the other arm. ¡°Wait¡­ calm down, what do you two think you¡¯re doing?!¡± ¡°By the orders of our captain, we are to apprehend both of you for the contraband of prohibited coins and goods. Any resistance shall be met with death!¡± Seeing how they were adamant in taking them without asking any questions, Athena began to delay as much as she could in order to buy her time to think of a plan to escape. ¡°Wait, listen to me! Why would we even be taken into custody now, of all times?! Oliver can¡¯t just issue an order out of blue like that!¡± ¡°Athena.¡± Leona whispered to her with a dead serious look in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll make a wall in front of us, we need to take them out quickly.¡± Without looking at her, the lieutenant replied as best as she could while trying to not prompt the soldiers to shoot them. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?! They are soldiers from Londria even if- no, you don¡¯t mean the minister¡­¡± ¡°You get it too don¡¯t you? He must be behind this as well.¡± ¡°Dammit it all.¡± The soldier in front named Mark noticed them exchanging a few words and decided to raised his voice. ¡°Hey! I said raise your hands!¡± He pointed his rifle at Athena. ¡°I won¡¯t say it again, raise your hands or-¡± ¡°Frost Rampart!¡± Leona shouted from the top of her lungs as she released the charged mana from her fingertips creating a conal burst of ice spikes, unlike the wall she made when back in the mine, this one was a more desperate measure in order to deflect possible bullets that could be shot their way and therefore was significantly shorter, only being able to cover their body profile behind it. ¡°Dammit!¡± The driver yelled as he accidentally shot at the ice wall. ¡°Get it together! Go around that way!¡± Mark shouted orders at his squadmate and went around his right side of the wall. Leona knew that spell would only buy them a couple of seconds and began to pre-cast another spell in her right hand. ¡°Winds of time, release thy might-¡± Meanwhile, the lieutenant took her derringer out of the holster and quickly checked if the ammunition was loaded properly. With the shell in place, she flicked the gun upwards in order to lock it and ready it to fire. The driver was going around Athena¡¯s side with another round chambered in his rifle. Both soldiers went around at the same time and each found their foe already prepared for a fight. ¡°-Wind Blast!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Leona timed to release the spell the moment the man ran around the wall which sent him flying backwards with a powerful gust of wind aimed at his chest. First he hit his back against the snow before the rifle was flung from its sling across his chest with the force of the impact as he spun in the air until he lost momentum and skid face first against the root of a tree. On the other side, Athena used her left hand to redirect the rifle¡¯s barrel to the side, causing the soldier to shoot against the snow and used the derringer to hit him right in the temple before kicking the back of his left leg, making him fall backwards as she tossed his rifle away and pointed the derringer right against his face. ¡°Don¡¯t move or I¡¯ll blow your head right off with it.¡± The driver had his left eye closed with a string of blood coming off from where she hit him and upon seeing the gun¡¯s barrel pointed at him, he simply raised his hands. ¡°I was just following orders, lieutenant.¡± She sighed before turning her head slightly to the side but without taking her eyes off him. ¡°How¡¯s on your end Leo?¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± After a brief pause to inspect the unconscious soldier, she replied to her friend. ¡°I probably cracked a few of his ribs but otherwise he¡¯s in good health. Just need to drag him inside the pod.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I¡¯ll be with you in a moment.¡± She answered before kicking the rifle further away from the soldier she was about to question. ¡°So, do you know exactly who is behind this?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, Mark was the only one who got the message, not me.¡± ¡°From who?¡± ¡°Oliver himself! He said the captain had ordered to take you two as prisoners for contraband.¡± In Athena''s eyes, he didn¡¯t seem to be lying which proved to be more of an annoyance than imagined. She didn¡¯t want to believe her childhood friend was betraying her but the possibility was there and the timing couldn¡¯t be better. ¡°Dammit.¡± She cursed under her breath and called for Leona¡¯s help. ¡°Can you get a few meters of rope? It should be near the pod¡¯s hatch on the right side when entering.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Leona replied as she was preparing to drag an unconscious Mark with her. Upon strengthening her arms and legs with wind magic, she grabbed the soldier by the shoulder pads and began dragging him backwards through the snow. ¡®Something doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡¯ The tactician thought for herself. ¡®If I were to target outsiders solely for the purpose of keeping knowledge within the confines of the kingdom, wouldn¡¯t it have made more sense to capture us when we were in the city? Or perhaps I¡¯m missing a piece of the puzzle here?¡¯ She was lost in thought. With all the information she had there wasn¡¯t enough evidence to understand why those soldiers would attack them only after taking them outside the capital. One possibility that crossed her mind was to use them as hostages for monetary gain, but then that was quickly dismissed as it wouldn¡¯t end well for foot soldiers to attempt such a risky strategy. ¡®From what that other soldier said it was an order from high in the chain of command, so that can only leave me with-¡¯ That was the point when she had an epiphany. ¡®Oliver must be betraying us. After all that story he told us could be just a mere fabrication in order to throw us off guard. But then, what is his real reason?¡¯ Regardless, it was useless to think too hard about it. Without a trustworthy source of information she would be left in the darkness just as much as she would with those bits and pieces of clues. After a bit of exertion, she managed to leave the soldier beside the vehicle before she had to crank the hatch open, thanks to her increased strength from the wind spell it was a reasonably easy endeavor. ¡°Hup.¡± She dragged the man up the vehicle¡¯s ramp and left him on the metal floor before she went to look for the rope Athena asked her. ¡°Rope, rope¡­ ah, there it is.¡± She found a length of coiled rope hung on a hook, it was thick enough to not easily break under tension, but also heavy enough for her to rely on the magic reinforcement in order to carry. After clumsily making her way back to Athena, she placed the whole coiled rope on the snow beside her. The lieutenant simply couldn¡¯t help but giggle a bit. ¡°I know I¡¯ve said rope, but it wasn¡¯t necessary for you to bring the whole thing, just a bit to tie him up was enough.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened a bit. ¡°Oh. I honestly don¡¯t know why I thought you¡¯d need everything to be frank, my apologies.¡± ¡°Haha, no it¡¯s fine.¡± She turned the soldier around and forced his arms behind his back with her left knee. ¡°Hey Lieutenant? Is this really necessary?¡± He asked while trying to not have his face against the bitter cold snow. ¡°I mean I¡¯d rather not go against you, Captain Oliver has been doing some shady stuff with the minister-¡± ¡°You can remain quiet if you don¡¯t want me to knock you out.¡± She holstered her derringer and grabbed one end of the rope and began tying the man¡¯s arms behind his back. ¡°While I personally prefer to get a helping hand, I¡¯m not too sure about those who can switch sides easily like wearing a different change of clothes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry Lieutenant.¡± She finished tying him and went to grab the rifle she had kicked out of his reach before grabbing the rope again and motioning to the tactician with her chin. ¡°Come on Leo, let¡¯s go.¡± Despite her slim appearance, Athena was able to drag the man and the whole length of rope with her to the pod without much trouble. Once they entered the pod and closed the hatch, Athena made sure none of the soldiers could get their hands on tools while they were in there by tying both their hands and feet. After making the necessary preparations, Athena sat on the driver¡¯s seat with Leona right beside her. ¡°Do you know how to drive this?¡± The tactician asked. ¡°You bet I know.¡± She reached for the vehicle¡¯s brakes and released it, allowing the pod to move. ¡°You can sit down here by me, I tossed in the remaining fuel we had so we are ready to depart.¡± ¡°Listen Athena.¡± Leona sat down on the passenger¡¯s seat and occasionally glanced back at the two tied up soldiers as she asked. ¡°Are you able to confront Oliver? I have no solid evidence but if I¡¯m right, he may be responsible for more than just this betrayal.¡± ¡°I¡­ I want to say I am. But I¡¯m honestly not so sure about it myself when you ask about it.¡± Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. She bit the underside of her lips before taking a deep breath. ¡°I honestly thought he and I shared something in common when we were in the army. We¡¯d always seek to do our best for the sake of another, but after what happened today, I¡¯m not so sure this is the same Oliver I knew.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to promise me, but I ask you from the bottom of my heart, no matter what happens, you must do what is right.¡± The sudden serious tone made Athena glance at her with a slightly raised brow as she thought Leona was merely trying to say sappy things but once their eyes met she understood the tactician was being serious. ¡°I¡­ understand.¡± ¡°I say this not for myself, but those two that came with me here. If something were to happen to either of them- I wouldn¡¯t know what to do.¡± She gripped her pendant. ¡°They are the reason I could keep fighting for what I believe to be right and it was thanks to them that I¡¯ve made this far. I hope I can trust you as much as I do them.¡± ¡°Very well. For the honor of the house Kaiser, I shall do my utmost to aid you. In turn I hope you can help me from straying from the right path. Leo.¡± She extended her hand to the tactician, who firmly shook her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you on that.¡± Chapter LXV: Legacy of the Fallen The capital of Londria, a massive city born from the remains of a great wyrm. It was said the curiosity of a great witch was the spark that led the land to freeze over with the invasion of the demon army. Many rulers came and went with the passage of time, until but recently, Londria was governed by a king named Tristan, he was known for being benevolent with his subjects and open minded as many of the laws he passed was to ensure traders of other kingdoms would visit and enrich his people¡¯s knowledge with faraway wisdom. Inside a room inside the tower in the middle of the city, an old elf wearing a washed white overcoat with a few red stains around the stomach was holding what seemed to be a newspaper. His sitting posture was unorthodox at best as his back was bent backwards as he read the paper looming over his own face. ¡°Bring back the wise king¡¯s days? Pah!¡± He threw the newspaper on the cold moist floor. ¡°Insolent fools! Did Tristan save their lives from the agonizing cold?! Or better yet, developed transportation or weapons to defend ourselves?! Bah!¡± He hit his closed fist on the low wooden table in front of him out of frustration. A few beads of sweat fell from his forehead down on the wood. ¡°I should¡¯ve known, there are bad apples amongst our populace¡­¡± He was grinding his teeth in anger but before he could unleash his anger at the nearby furniture, a few knocks on the door interrupted him. ¡°Who is there?¡± ¡°Father, I brought the subject¡¯s friend.¡± A young man¡¯s voice came from behind the locked door. ¡°Finally. Bring it to the lab. I''ll be there in a few minutes.¡± He took a deep breath before wiping the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. After unlocking and opening the door, he began to climb up the wide spiral staircase on his right and on the way up he fixed the crumpled overcoat. ¡°Put him there.¡± The young man¡¯s voice came from behind a reinforced iron door which was halfway open to the staircase. ¡°Not there, the other one.¡± The old elf opened the door, revealing a wide room of cut stone. There were light sources in the corners as stone pedestals that housed floating orbs of light, but most of the interior was hard to see due the dark color of the room, as if the pigmentation was made to absorb light however on closer inspection said color wasn¡¯t natural to the stone, but instead excess of dried blood. The whole room was repurposed from an arms storage room to a rudimentary laboratory to run a myriad of inhumane tests. There were bloodied instruments on a top of a wooden table near the corner along with few other pieces of equipment, though the excess of belts and latches made it look more like torture devices if anything else. Some of the soldiers carrying the large covered body were unsettled to be in such a place, but none of them dared to say anything in front of the minister. The old elf went around the table and removed the cloth covering the large body, revealing the person to be no other than an unconscious Krieg. ¡°So you were able to get him.¡± His golden eye seemed to glow in the low lit environment. ¡°Are you certain this man is related to that double elemental mage?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no doubt about it.¡± ¡°Good, I have a few experiments in mind for him-¡± He was interrupted by a loud banging on another reinforced door on the other side of the room. The sudden noise startled the soldiers with one of them readying his rifle. ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s just another test subject. Now since you¡¯ve done your job, I¡¯d like you all to quit this place, having too many bodies in an enclosed space is distracting.¡± ¡°Y-yes sir!¡± Without waiting for more orders, the soldiers began to hurriedly go through the half open reinforced door until it was just the young elf man and the minister in the room. The old scientist turned around to the table that had all manners of tools, but before he picked any of them, he asked. ¡°Are you not going to leave?¡± Instead he just stood there looking at his father. ¡°Father, you do not have interest in the young lady Kaiser, do you?¡± ¡°As a test subject?¡± ¡°No I meant as a key figure in the weapon production in our country.¡± ¡°No, her father¡¯s invention was enough to bring most of the other members of the council to my side. I have no further use for her.¡± ¡°Very well. Then you don¡¯t mind whatever happens to her or her brother, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, begone from this room, I must concentrate.¡± Oliver bowed left before closing the door behind him. Though after doing so he could be seen climbing down the staircase with both fists tightly closed. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡®Just a bit more¡­ you must endure until the time is right.¡¯ Inside the testing room, the old elf held an extremely sharp dagger in his left hand. ¡°I suppose I should check for mana circuits, although the chances of this one being the one I seek is quite slim.¡± He placed his hand on Krieg¡¯s left wrist but before he could pour mana through it, the scientist was met with a painful shock that made him recoil his hand. ¡°Wait¡­ this is-¡± He did it again but this time he was prepared for the recoil of mana and endured the pain as he poured his own mana throughout the knight¡¯s wrist. ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­ hahahaha! I cannot believe it! That idiot of my son actually brought someone useful this time!¡± He let go and threw the dagger back on the table full of tools. ¡°And here I was about to gut you open for mere observation of the lung system. Very well, very well¡­ where is that tome again?¡± He looked around the other corner of the room which was mostly clean of dried blood, there was an armchair with a small bookcase with a few empty spaces in between each book. Despite his age, he dashed to the armchair and grabbed a tome with a golden ornamental cover. ¡°There we go¡­ dragons¡­ dragons¡­ ah, there it is.¡± He glanced at the unconscious knight on the table as if he was the most precious test subject he had in a while. ¡°I shall take good care of you.¡± A few kilometers away from the capital city, Leona and Athena were making their way back with the stolen pod. The tactician felt a chill down her spine as if something terrible was about to happen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Leo?¡± Athena took a glance at her. ¡°You seem pale.¡± ¡°I felt like someone was watching me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably those two in the back, don¡¯t worry about them though, I made sure they wouldn¡¯t be able to cut the ropes.¡± She stopped talking for a second as she squinted her eyes, but no matter what she did, it didn¡¯t make it easier to see through the coming storm. ¡°We might have to take this a bit slower with this storm¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want to crash the pod.¡± Leona fixed her posture on her seat and without anything else to do other than look towards the seemingly endless white scenery, she began to rack her brain to find an explanation for everything they just went through. But nothing was adding up, regardless how she approached the situation there was no reason whatsoever for those soldiers to wait until there were only the two of them. If the purpose was to apprehend them, it would¡¯ve been easier to do it in the city where there were more soldiers. Leona looked behind her seat to gauge a feeling from the soldier¡¯s faces, but neither of them seemed to be the sort of person to do it for personal gains, yet¡­ ¡°Athena.¡± The tactician began to ask. ¡°What do you think these two were thinking trying to apprehend us with only the two of them?¡± ¡°Because they got rifles and we are not heavily armed?¡± ¡°No I don¡¯t mean when they tried, but why they tried after bringing us outside the city where there are less of them?¡± ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t tell you now did I?¡± She scratched the side of her head. ¡°Oliver¡¯s an esper. He can sort of communicate with people through his mind, I don¡¯t know how it works exactly but he can exchange a few words at the cost of mana or something.¡± Leona¡¯s expression darkened a bit upon hearing that word, it made her remember painful memories from the time they tried to attack the Crossford mansion. ¡°I see¡­ wouldn¡¯t he be able to find us with that ability then?¡± ¡°Possibly. That could be the reason why he asked these two to apprehend us. But we should be fine as long as we sneak into the city. I doubt he¡¯s able to pinpoint our location with precision, despite how bleak the streets look, there are a lot of citizens around the inn area and it should be enough to cover our position.¡± Having heard that, it made Leona wonder about things that happened back in Arcadia. ¡®Then that ambush¡­ could¡¯ve been because we were in the middle of the Great Forest?¡¯ She slightly shook her head and dispersed those stray thoughts. ¡®Nothing good will come out of thinking about it now.¡¯ ¡°So, we need to sneak into the city without being noticed by soldiers patrolling the entirety of a wall which lacks any sort of visual cover.¡± The tactician was already seeing how many things could go wrong with said attempt. ¡°And how do you propose that we do that?¡± ¡°All in due time, I know a way in, but it¡¯ll take time to get there. In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea to arrange the supplies we are able to carry. There are some bags as well as satchels in the back.¡± Leona nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll work on that.¡± She stood up and went to the back where the two soldiers were bound by hands, legs and feet on the left side seats. Their mouths were also covered with thick pieces of cloth so even if they wanted to talk, they wouldn¡¯t be able to. Leona ignored their scornful gaze and grabbed the nearby satchel filled with rations and water, another bag hanging on the wall was filled with other necessities such as firestarters, spare clothes and more food. ¡°Do you think we need ammunition?¡± The tactician asked. ¡°No, but we¡¯ll take the rifles though.¡± ¡°Right, I packed food, water, firestarters and a few pieces of clothing which probably don¡¯t fit either of us.¡± ¡°That should be enough. It won¡¯t take more than half a day to get to Londria on foot.¡± ¡°I just hope we don¡¯t get caught in the storm.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry I have a plan.¡± Leona finished dividing the supplies and after buttoning the bag and satchel she returned to the passenger seat beside Athena. Her hands were starting to hurt due to the cold but there were no more hot drinks for her so she would have to deal with the pain by rubbing both hands together. She didn¡¯t know at the time what her friend¡¯s plan was, but seeing there was no other way to get back to the city, she had no choice but to follow it through. Though the more time it passed her thoughts would stray about Phoebe and Krieg. She couldn¡¯t help but feel responsible if anything happened to either of them. ¡®I just hope they are okay¡­ Krieg if anything were to happen to you I¡­¡¯ ¡°Leo.¡± Athena called her attention and pointed forward with her chin. ¡°It may be storming outside but we¡¯re here.¡± Distracted, she first looked at the inventor before following her motion to the front of the vehicle. ¡°What in the world is that?¡± Chapter LXVI: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained Leona couldn¡¯t describe what she was seeing in front of her. If anything, it was much larger than anything she¡¯d ever seen before. ¡°What in the world is that?¡± She asked Athena. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go out for you to find out.¡± But before she got out of the driver¡¯s seat, she nudged closer to Leona¡¯s ear and whispered. ¡°Close the door on the way out, I don¡¯t want these two to know where we¡¯re heading.¡± With a discrete nod, she did exactly as she was told once they headed to the back of the vehicle. ¡°Hpmmm!¡± One of the soldiers was making noises in order to protest but Athena simply kneeled near him and gave him a slight slap on the side of the cheek which he responded with a sudden turn of the head. ¡°You stay put here, I¡¯m not as evil to leave the door open to the cold, but you better not make too much of a fuss or else bears might want to investigate the pod. Not that one could open the hatch by itself though.¡± She stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking these as well.¡± She grabbed both rifles and gave one to Leona. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure how this works.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how, outside. Come.¡± Athena put the sling over her head and left the rifle diagonally on her back and proceeded to rotate the crank on the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Leona glanced back at the two soldiers before grabbing both bags and accompanying the lieutenant outside, a bone freezing breeze made her body shake up from head to toe. It was like day and night from the cozy temperature inside the pod to the frozen white forest. ¡°Brr¡­¡± Leona was holding the rifle between her arms whilst hugging herself in order to keep her bodily warmth. ¡°T-tell me, what exactly was that thing anyway?¡± ¡°Our way in.¡± Athena said as she closed the pod¡¯s hatch and grabbed her bag off the ground. ¡°You see, the construction of Londria was surprisingly well planned, however in time some of the tunnels that were used for waste disposal were closed off in favor of new ones.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying, Londria used to throw its waste in the middle of the forest?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah. There was no use for this forest at the time.¡± She hit one of the trees beside her and instead of making the usual sound of wood, it was more like hitting a piece of stone. ¡°For some reason the trees around the capital are mostly frostburnt wood.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ then-¡± Athena shook her head as if she read the tactician¡¯s mind. ¡°No need to be alarmed, it¡¯s called frostburnt wood but it¡¯s not the same as the silver. For some reason the affected trees are brittle like stone and can¡¯t be used for anything other than making walls, which then again, they make a poor choice of material since despite its hardiness, it¡¯s less tougher than actual wooden logs.¡± ¡°I¡­ see¡­ so they decided to dispose of the waste here because the trees themselves were useless, but you said it¡¯s not in use anymore right? Where does it go then? The waste I mean.¡± Athena was checking if her rifle was chambered in while responding. ¡°The ocean.¡± ¡°Eh? But don¡¯t they fish from there why would they-¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you read something about Londria but whatever it was, it is probably before this mana stasis became a problem. A few years ago, a great part of the ocean froze under meters of ice, it was basically impossible to fish. So with the main source of food out of the picture, the need to trade became a problem with the waste expanding all throughout inland.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Not many outsiders would. It is a local problem after all.¡± Leona scratched her head. ¡°The more I travel to other kingdoms the more I see how much everyone else has different struggles than my own. It is honestly food for thought.¡± ¡°In any case¡­¡± Seeing how the gun was properly chambered. Athena made sure to take the lead in front of her friend. ¡°Let¡¯s check your rifle before going in. We might need to use your fire magic in order to light the path but it never hurts to have a weapon ready just in case.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather have a sword but this will do too I suppose¡­¡± ¡°First, pull the bolt back.¡± ¡°This thing?¡± Leona held the bolt handle between her thumb and index finger whilst pointing the barrel downwards to the side. ¡°Yes, pull it back gently to check whether or not you have a bullet chambered in.¡± She did as she was told and slowly pulled the handle back. There was nothing inside. ¡°Empty.¡± ¡°Okay, pull it totally back.¡± She tried to pull it further but instead it was stuck, she noticed the grooves in the parts indicating she had to rotate the bolt slightly in order to totally pull the handle back. Upon doing so she noticed a bullet emerging from inside the fixed magazine and stayed inside the chamber. ¡°Is this how it works?¡± ¡°Yeah, now just lock the bolt back in place.¡± With a clack, she chambered the round in and the rifle was loaded. ¡°Huh¡­ interesting. Back in Akrapocalis the general gave me an experimental rifle but it was slightly different than this one.¡± ¡°Oh that was a poorly made one. I didn¡¯t exactly have the time to fix the minor problems with the schematic but I intend to take the one my father made to the Loraexion household.¡± ¡°Let me put this on properly¡­¡± She wore the sling like Athena did, leaving the gun beside the bag on her back. ¡°Regardless, you can shoot five bullets out of that gun. You can probably kill just about anything with a well placed shot.¡± ¡°I hope I don¡¯t have to use this¡­¡± ¡°Me too, but it never hurts to be ready.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The large hole coming off the side of a mound was all she could make out of the middle of the snow. Upon breathing a bit harder Leona noticed the smell of old waste coming inside her lungs. She coughed a few times. ¡°Argh! What is this foul smell?!¡± ¡°Keep breathing through your nose, you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Athena carefully climbed up the pipe and inspected the brick floor of it with the tip of her boot. ¡°It¡¯s a bit slippery so be careful.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you handle this smell-¡± Leona spoke whilst pinching her nose. ¡°This has been unused for years as you said, right?¡± ¡°All kinds of waste were disposed here, it could be a mix of many things. But it is most likely human excrement.¡± ¡°Goddess above, why did you have to tell me that?!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who likes to acquire more knowledge? I¡¯m just helping you with that.¡± ¡°Eugh.¡± Without much choice, Leona decided to take short breaths through her nose in order to get used to the foul smell assaulting her senses. As they walked further inside, both the smell and visibility got worse, which forced the tactician to cast a small flame in order to light up the interior of the tunnel. With a bit of a walk, they made their way through until they reached a rectangular gallery. There was a puddle of murky green water in the middle of said gallery but thankfully with the generous walkways on the side of the room there was enough space to avoid stepping in it. Athena inspected the tunnels that connected to that room and some of them were blocked off with rubble which left only three options, one on the right to the entrance where they came from, another on the left side where the puddle of waste was bigger or another across the gallery, though the last was almost completely blocked off so it would be a tight squeeze, should they try to go through it. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too far. Jano¡¯s inn is near the walls anyway. Which means¡­¡± The lieutenant whipped out what seemed to be a silver pocket watch from her satchel except there was another neat feature inside it when she opened its cover. ¡°This way.¡± She pointed to the one across the gallery. ¡°Huh? How can you be so sure?¡± ¡°I have a compass, naturally, I¡¯d pick the option which is most likely to lead us north, which is that one.¡± ¡°Most likely huh?¡± ¡°We are bound to get close to it, better than aimlessly walking around these filthy sewers don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± So they began walking towards where Athena pointed. Though the most challenging part was trying to get past the rubble of fallen bricks and dirt without touching any of the surfaces stained with gods knew what substances. Upon reaching the other side the first thing she noticed was the floor¡¯s considerably worse condition than from the gallery before, with plenty of missing bricks making an uneven walk and the ceiling being much higher than the last room. There was a certain feeling of dread being in that place, sure it was void of anything else other than bad smell and the eventual sound of dripping water, but Leona couldn¡¯t shake the feeling they were being watched. ¡°Hey Athena, you¡¯re positively sure there is nothing else in these tunnels, right?¡± She quickly glanced over her shoulder, but there was nothing behind them. ¡°I feel like there¡¯s something or someone eyeing us.¡± ¡°Could be rats or something of the sort, it is a sewer after all.¡± Would the stare of a stray rat make her so uncomfortable? The tactician wasn¡¯t totally convinced it was simply rats. ¡°I don¡¯t know, something doesn¡¯t quite feel right- hm?¡± She stopped when she felt something caught underneath her left foot. ¡°What is this?¡± Upon attempting to lift her foot she felt like the underside of her boot was being pulled back towards the ground. The sticky nature of the substance beneath her footwear and strange silver sheen when she approached the fire on her hand made all her senses scream out in fear. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the mat-¡± The split second she turned to look at the tactician, she noticed the sticky web beneath her foot and without a second thought she threw herself against Leona, knocking her back about two meters. ¡°Oof!¡± Leona fell on the ground and witnessed the most terrifying sight she had ever seen in her entire life. A brown eight legged monster was hanging from the ceiling as it threw its net-like web from its six frontal legs against Athena, since the lieutenant saw it coming she rolled to her right side, however the sheer size of the web caught her left shin. ¡°Dammit!¡± In a fraction of a second she was flung upward as the giant spider retracted its legs. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaah!¡± As Athena was pulled, Leona tried to follow her using her eyes but all she could make out before the insect retreated in the cover of darkness was the ogre-like features of its face. Two big round eyes accompanied by two thick pedipalps and fangs that could pierce through armor like paper. ¡°ATHENA!¡± Instinctively, she charged the fire spell on her right hand creating a roaring ball of fire that illuminated all the way up the ceiling. With enough light this time, she saw the lieutenant pulling her rifle from the sling just in time before a curtain of web covered her entire upper body. ¡°Shit! You damn oversized bug!¡± Athena yelled as she took a shot from the hip, managing to nick the spider¡¯s elongated body. ¡°Gah!¡± Instead of releasing her, the giant insect simply covered her with more web and was about to retreat deeper in the sewer. ¡®I need to do something!¡¯ Leona thought. ¡®But fire will kill her too if I-¡¯ She clenched her teeth in anger of her own insecurity. ¡°No! I can¡¯t let it get away with her!¡± She further increased the strength of her spell and released against the ceiling behind the spider. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring ruin to mine enemies, Fireball!¡± The spinning bright orange sphere of fire curved from beneath the front legs of the spider and exploded behind it creating a blazing inferno that forced the arachnid to swing its body forward and the moment it did so Leona noticed the sack of web Athena was already being held by both pedipalps near its mouth. ¡°Ngh!¡± Seeing how the giant blast of fire didn¡¯t do anything other than make the lieutenant¡¯s escape even harder, the tactician decided to go for a different approach. ¡°Great power of the sea, sever the shackles of our enemies, Water Blade!¡± By swinging her left hand horizontally, she managed to release a high pressure blade of water against the spider clinging parallel to the ceiling hitting directly against its large abdomen. The force of the impact was enough to rip parts of the ceiling and send down more rubble. After jumping back to dodge the debris and destabilizing the spider¡¯s foothold, Leona began to utilize a combination of spells in order to inflict as much damage as she could in the shortest span of time. ¡°Piercing Flame! Piercing Ice! Cutting Wave! Crushing Wind!¡± With each quick chant, another took its place in each hand. First a flaming spear followed by an ice lance, then a half moon blade of water with a violent blast of wind. Upon releasing a torrent of spells against its abdomen the spider finally let go of its prey as it spewed webs everywhere. Leona''s quick thinking allowed her to slide through the dirty floor and catch Athena just before she could plummet straight into the ground. ¡°Mmmhpmm!¡± The cocoon was wriggling as if she was trying to say something but the tactician scarcely had the time to stop. With the help of wind strengthening spell, Leona made a mad dash deeper into the tunnel while also carrying a bound Athena between her arms. She was going much faster than expected because of the slippery brick floor, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing as she was quickly starting to lose her balance with each step. ¡°Ah wawawawawa!¡± Fighting against the slippery floor, she managed to just keep her legs stable to finish sliding a few more meters before stopping in her tracks underneath some sunlight coming from grades above them. ¡°Phew.¡± Suddenly, a knife popped out of the cocoon she was carrying, almost stabbing her face. ¡°AH!¡± She accidentally let go of it, dropping Athena on the moist floor. ¡°Gah!¡± The lieutenant protested before she cut the cocoon open from the inside and peeked outside. ¡°Couldn¡¯t have you been more gentle?¡± ¡°Hey now, you almost stabbed my face.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Nnnngh!¡± She managed to rip off part of the web covering her right arm before looking at Leona with her hand extended. ¡°If you can give me a lil¡¯ hand.¡± ¡°Ah, sure.¡± She chanted a small flame and used it to burn through the thickest parts of the web, managing to free Athena within a few minutes. ¡°That¡¯s much better.¡± The once bound lieutenant stretched out her arms. ¡°Oh and would you look at that, we¡¯re close.¡± Leona followed her eyes towards the ceiling, there were grades with frozen water between each gap in the metal, allowing some sunlight to enter the sewer depths. ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°These grades only exist within the city, we are already inside, now the actual problem is finding a way out that doesn¡¯t require us to alert half of the capital¡¯s guards with an explosion spell.¡± ¡°Right¡­ and how exactly are we going to do that with that spider up our tails?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll follow us outside its nest so we should be safe here¡­ at least from it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The moment she asked, a scuttling noise could be heard from deeper within the tunnels as if there were many small steps coming from every direction, prompting Leona to look around. ¡°Great. Me and my big mouth.¡± Chapter LXVII: Familiar Bonds Leona and Athena spent a few minutes running away from the noise coming behind them as fast as their legs could get them from it. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. Are there giant rats here as well?¡± Leona gasped for air, she wasn¡¯t much for walking let alone running inside sewers filled with putrid air. ¡°Possibly.¡± Athena was reloading her rifle while running in front of the tactician, to pour salt on the wound she even did so while glancing back at Leona. ¡°Or maybe giant cockroaches.¡± ¡°Perfect- ha¡­ dammit, I¡¯m almost out of breath. How can you keep running without tiring yourself out like that?¡± ¡°Training, what else can I say?¡± They went on for another five minutes, but at the end of it Leona was barely able to walk. They stopped at another gallery which at least didn¡¯t have puddles of putrid water pooled near the walkways which allowed them to rest for a while. ¡°Ha¡­ ah¡­ I¡­ I really need to train my endurance more¡­¡± The tactician was gasping for breaths with a piece of cloth on her mouth so she wouldn¡¯t breathe in the disgusting sewer air. ¡°Do I really just have to run in order to do that?¡± ¡°Yeah, it''s as simple as that. Though it would be smarter to not do that inside a sewer.¡± ¡°Y-you tell me why we have to run¡­ I don¡¯t know what those things following us were but I am certain that I don¡¯t want to know.¡± ¡°Probably roaches, you know they scavenge for food right?¡± ¡°Are human sized meals their staple food?¡± ¡°How would I know? This is also my first time here, else if I knew about that giant spider I would¡¯ve avoided it.¡± ¡°Good point. At least you were lucky enough to not get bitten, those fangs could¡¯ve easily crushed a fully armored knight.¡± ¡°In any case, we are bound to find a ladder leading to the surface if we keep going. It shouldn¡¯t be too far now.¡± Leona nodded before standing up. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m worried about Phoebe and Krieg.¡± ¡°My brother might be in danger too if Oliver is willing to go as far as ordering to arrest us, it wouldn¡¯t be too far-fetched to assume he¡¯d use him as hostage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Leona tried to be sympathetic but in the end she knew the possibility of that happening was quite high. In fact if she had the chance to do the same to Oliver, she would without a second thought. ¡°Yeah. We should hurry.¡± After picking up their things, they went deeper into the sewers and while it was less cramped than the previous tunnels, the smell didn¡¯t change even after walking for what seemed to be hours. Both the bricks on the floor and walls were covered with algae and it was very slippery in the more damp areas, forcing them to take a slow walk else they risked falling over into the putrid water. What worried Leona the most was the fact they were underground without any real means of knowing their exact location above ground. The chance of them running into soldiers in the middle of the city wasn¡¯t low. ¡°Athena.¡± The tactician called her. ¡°Even if we do find a ladder, don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be too dangerous for us to just, you know, pop out of nowhere in the middle of the street?¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t you worry, remember I told you these tunnels aren¡¯t used anymore? There¡¯s a separate line of sewers that lead out the city, we are in the old system which means the odds of soldiers patrolling the area is almost non-existent.¡± ¡°Okay, but what if we run into a patrol?¡± ¡°We take them out of course. Unfortunately the new type of non lethal ammunition I¡¯ve made was left in the lab, but I could use this to knock someone out.¡± She took out the derringer from the holster. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°How exactly?¡± ¡°If I strike someone with the handle hard enough, I¡¯m sure it would work.¡± ¡®That¡¯s awfully barbarian¡­¡¯ Leona thought as she tried to picture Athena attempting to do such a thing to an armed soldier. ¡°You can¡¯t deny it would work.¡± She holsted the gun again and looked towards where they were supposed to go, she squinted her eyes as if something had caught her attention. ¡°Hey Leo, can you make that flame brighter?¡± ¡°Hm? Yeah, sure.¡± Upon powering up the spell in her hand, the foot of a metal ladder came into view just a few meters ahead of them. ¡°Aha. Finally found one. Do you see it? There on the right.¡± Leona followed where the lieutenant was pointing towards. ¡°Where¡­ ah, I see it.¡± They approached the ladder, on closer inspection the metal was both rusted and encrusted with grime. After a few seconds of exchanging stares, Athena sighed deeply before latching her left hand on the metal. ¡°Ew¡­¡± She held the instinct to let go of the ladder and instead just looked up. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with¡­¡± The lieutenant began climbing up prompting Leona to do the same, although if she were to grasp the sides with both hands the fire spell would be snuffed out so instead she transferred the flame to the left hand and grabbed the horizontal bar with her right in a reverse grip in order to slowly climb up while providing light on the way. ¡°Hnngh¡­¡± Though it was tough, she was managing to make her way up the grime covered ladder. Athena reached the top and gently lifted the hatch which covered their exit. She raised it just enough for her to take a look around and only after confirming there was no one around she decided to come out of the hole. After getting out she looked around where exactly she was as it seemed to be a part of the city she had never been in, tall buildings surrounded her in a narrow corridor between two constructions with snow gently piled up on the ground. She looked towards the tactician who was struggling to climb up with one hand and offered to help. ¡°Come on, grab my hand. I¡¯ll hold the hatch open so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Leona gave her a short smile before grabbing her grime covered hands in order to climb out of the hole. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Now¡­¡± The lieutenant looked around. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure where we are. The street seems too covered with snow to be the usual business area and the residential area doesn¡¯t have tall buildings like this.¡± The fact she could hear the whistle of the wind passing through the narrow passages between the buildings made Athena feel uncomfortable, that was certainly not somewhere she knew and the only place that fit the bill was the slums, a place she herself never went to even during her days in the military. She made her way to the edge of the narrow passage and peeked around the wide open street. ¡°The slums huh¡­? I think we overshot our exit by quite a margin.¡± She said as she looked back at the tactician. ¡°Stick close to me, I only heard rumors about this place and none of them are pretty.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Although Leona wasn¡¯t familiar with how the slums looked even in Arcadia, just talking to the maids at the mansion was enough to give her some idea of what to expect from a place such as that. However even Londria¡¯s slums didn¡¯t seem too bad compared to the tales she heard from Arcadia¡¯s, the buildings were tall, there were no signs of litter being left on the streets and there were some shy homeless people wearing all manner of clothing warming up by a campfire built with metal sheets crudely hammered together to form a barrel. Some of them were looking attentively at the armed duo walking in the middle of the street, though none of them had weapons, the fact they were so interested in them worried Leona. ¡°Back when I was in the military, they said this place had some sort of curse that it would kill people under certain circumstances.¡± Athena bit her lower lip as she kept an eye out on the people that were eyeing them. ¡°Most refugees come to this part of the town and without energy or heating, most of them die from the cold. I¡¯d say this is no curse if not the kingdom¡¯s own fault for not properly addressing the problem.¡± Leona raised an eyebrow as she asked. ¡°You mentioned refugees, from where exactly?¡± ¡°Arcadia and more recently, Akrapocalis. Where the demon army was the previous reason, now it¡¯s death angels. Some even sneak into the capital knowing full well the city is on lockdown. But I suppose it¡¯s better to give a shot at living in the slums than dying outside the city walls or worse, being eaten by a death angel.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame them, after I saw the carnage left in the wake of one¡­ I¡¯m not sure how I managed to fight off that winged one that appeared near the city.¡± ¡°They say people who fight for others can muster an almost inhuman amount of power in order to save who is precious to them from danger. Maybe it¡¯s the same for you with Krieg.¡± The tactician was looking down on the snow gathering in the very tip of her boots. ¡°Truly, I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if he died. He¡¯s basically the only family I have left.¡± Athena let a discreet smile curl up her face and without turning to face her she said. ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve met Leona. We have so much in common despite having different experiences in life. It¡¯s truly heartening to have you by my side.¡± Her footsteps slowly came to a crawl until she stopped walking completely. ¡°So that is why-¡± Athena suddenly turned around grasping her rifle tightly, winding it up behind her as if to hit her with the weapon¡¯s stock, Leona¡¯s hand in reaction went for the derringer but the lieutenant was faster. ¡°-I have to protect you too!¡± Chapter LXVIII: On Wits End At first glance Leona thought she was going to be attacked by the lieutenant, but the rifle¡¯s buttstock went right past her and hit someone that was directly behind her. ¡°Gah!¡± The male shriek made Leona turn around as fast as she could only to notice the man about her height stumbling backwards with a rusted dagger in his left hand, his entire body was covered in tattered cloth and the only features she saw were the man¡¯s crimson eyes. After pushing him back Athena followed up with a kick to his chest which sent him with his back on the ground. ¡°Get ready Leona! We are surrounded!¡± Almost all of the homeless people around them were starting to walk towards the duo with improvised weapons in hand. Broken bottles, letter openers, knives, they had almost anything they could use to brutally take someone¡¯s life. ¡°Should I use my magic?¡± Leona whispered. ¡°If you promise it¡¯s nothing flashy, just try to not kill them.¡± She drew out her knife from a hidden sheath inside her coat before shouting. ¡°I¡¯m an officer of the army, drop your weapons if you don¡¯t want your life to be forfeit!¡± ¡°Hah! As if we ever do that!¡± The man who was knocked down stood up and cleaned the side of his mouth before spitting to the side. ¡°Y¡¯all military folk all about maintaining order but you do nothing to save us from this hellhole! Now it¡¯s our turn to make a living! Come on boys, we¡¯re having a feast tonight!¡± Other six ragged men holding makeshift weapons surrounded the homeless making orders. ¡°Tch, so much for talking our way out of this.¡± Athena swiftly held her knife in a reverse grip and slightly bent her knees ready to fight. ¡°Leo, I¡¯m leaving the ones behind us to you. I¡¯ll deal with the front.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± She opened both arms out with each hand stretching out as she began to chant. ¡°Winds of time, release thy might- A myriad of light blue strings began to flow out from the center of her chest coiling around her arms towards the middle of her hand where the energy gathered. The ragged homeless man saw his opponent wide open, so he gripped his rusty knife ready to charge in to take a stab at the tactician. ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°-Wind Blast!¡± Upon swinging both arms together, she formed a violent blast of wind that was strong enough to sweep through the whole street, sending half of the group flying with their backs towards the ground. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± The spell was so strong that even objects in the vicinity were sent flying meters down the street. Even Athena that was behind her felt the wind pressure from her back. ¡®I bet she did a number on them.¡¯ The lieutenant thought with a smirk on her face when she looked at the reaction of the foes in front of her. ¡®Well, I should clean this up quickly too.¡¯ Seeing how most of them were in shock, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She dashed in and hit the first man in the throat with the open left palm, making him bend over and drop his weapon while gasping for air. The other four noticed and snapped out of it, the first to attack was a broken bottle wielding masked man. She blocked his arm with the weapon by using her forearm against his and quickly slash his inner elbow joint, which in turn made him lose the strength in that arm. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Aaah! Dammit! My arm!¡± Then she deftly kicked him against another one charging towards her and made them both fall on the ground, leaving her with enough time to deal with the other two coming from the right. One used a curved club that seemed made out of an antique table¡¯s leg and the other had a metal bar. The one holding the metallic rod tried a strong horizontal swing to her head, but she ducked out of the way and rushed in, once the man saw her closing in on him he tried to aim for her torso but before he could swing it at full speed, she managed to lock the weapon in place between her left biceps and forearm. ¡°What the-!¡± He was about to let go of the weapon to punch her but she was faster and with a closed left fist, struck him in the chin before hitting the side of his head with the pommel of her knife, knocking him out. ¡°Grrr! I won¡¯t let you!¡± The man holding a table leg rushed up to her while winding up an overhead swing. Athena, noticing the previous knocked down foe getting up from beneath his friend, opened her left arm letting the metal bar drop down to her hand and tossed it horizontally against the man charging at her to interrupt him. ¡°Guh!¡± She hit him square in the chest and ran to the man standing up. She hit him with a left punch to the gut and grabbed the back of his head for a left knee to the face. He was left unconscious on top of his friend and when she turned around to the man holding the table leg he ran away. Athena sighed. ¡°Finally they gave up.¡± She turned to see Leona. ¡°Are you oka- why are you looking at me like that?¡± With blinking eyes and a half opened mouth the tactician was still processing what she had just seen. ¡°That was¡­ incredible. I knew you were good with a gun but not in close quarters like that.¡± ¡°I had some experience in the past.¡± She looked at her left hand before closing it tightly into a fist. ¡°In order to save those important to us, we must take action.¡± Leona nodded, she could definitely relate to it at that point. To spill blood for the sake of another may have been the most difficult thing for her to do as someone unfamiliar with the frontlines of a battlefield. ¡°Yeah.¡± The tactician muttered. ¡°I know that much.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s keep going- else we risk running into more of them.¡± Looking behind her, Leona couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat sorry for them even though they tried to rob her. Despite that she turned to Athena and nodded her head as they continued on the wide frozen streets. Though considered the slums to the Londrians, the tactician felt like they were underselling their own city. Sure maybe it housed the most impoverished part of the populace, but those were still solid buildings at least from the outside and could easily be repurposed as lodges for respite from the weather. Though saying any of that to Athena would be proven a waste of time, she kept that idea in mind. As they went on, Leona could feel the streets were getting more and more quiet, only noticing a few discreet looks from the less aggressive homeless on the corners and narrow passages of the main street here and there. With the occasional stop to gather her bearings, Athena was sure they were heading towards the edge of the city where they could more easily find their way to the inn, however as she took a step around a dark corner of an alleyway. ¡°Don¡¯t move a muscle.¡± A cloaked man held the lieutenant at knifepoint with one dagger close to her throat and the other ready to stab her in the stomach. Her first reaction was to tense up as her hand almost immediately went to her hip where her derringer was. ¡°Leona run!¡± Her shout startled both the assassin and the tactician who didn¡¯t see the man since he was out of view, the only thing she noticed was that Athena had stopped in her tracks and her right hand was practically ready to grab the weapon. At that point Leona didn¡¯t have a choice, if she left her to die it would be just like back then with Neiliel, she didn¡¯t want to commit the same mistake. With an almost automatic response, she quickly pulled Athena from the back of her coat and once she was out of the way her right hand crackled with mana. ¡°Crushing Wind!¡± A violent blast of wind sent him flying backwards but despite being spun in the air the man managed to land on his feet while sliding on the sleet covered ground. He stood up and noticed the tactician in front of Athena with two other fire spells charged in each hand. ¡°Wait¡­ Leona, is that you?!¡± The man¡¯s voice sounded oddly familiar as he spoke to her which prompted her to hesitate to unleash the spells. ¡°...How do you know me?¡± ¡°Bless the goddess you still live! It¡¯s me Jonathan!¡± Chapter LXIX: Schr?dinger’s Man The assassin took off his hood, revealing a short messy brown haired young man with nary a beard bearing a terrible scar crossing his face diagonally from the forehead all the way down to his chin going right through between his dark blue eyes and nose. Though clothed very differently to how he did back when they were together, Leona managed to recognize his face and for a brief moment tension left her muscles along with the fire spells she snuffed out. ¡°Jonathan?! You are alive!¡± She approached and grasped his shoulders. ¡°Where have you been? Why are you all the way up north like this?¡± Noticing that he was someone the tactician genuinely knew, Athena sheathed her dagger and holstered the derringer she had pulled out and walked up behind her friend. Jonathan looked around the streets before answering any of the questions as the previous wind spell had caused a ruckus and he knew it was just a matter of time before someone investigated that place. ¡°Let¡¯s head somewhere else, I¡¯ll tell you more once we get some distance from here.¡± He sheathed both daggers and turned around to walk. Before heading off Athena stood beside Leona. ¡°Is that man someone you trust?¡± The lieutenant asked. ¡°If so, do you think you can still trust him?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°It has been a while since you¡¯ve seen him, right? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be strange for him to just show up like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a coincidence, welcomed one nonetheless. He was among the people that tried to help my father escape. Though in my hubris, we were single handedly defeated by Alexander to which it cost their lives. The only ones standing after that fact were me, Krieg, Phoebe and now, him.¡± ¡°I see¡­ as long as he¡¯s an ally then-¡± Before the lieutenant could finish her sentence, Jonathan turned to them a few meters ahead. ¡°Hasten your pace, lest people see you. It¡¯s not far from here so might as well make it quick.¡± Leona and Athena exchanged looks and nodded to each other as they began to walk faster behind him. While walking Leona noticed the skies getting darker, darker than it usually was which made the narrow streets they traversed that much more eerie. Slight shadow walls overcasting the shattered bricks of the unattended road made it difficult to tell where it was safe or not to take a step all the while a storm brewing wind blew right past her sending chills down her spine as she fought her natural response to tense up. Meanwhile Athena was often looking around as if waiting for someone or something to try and ambush them. ¡®I can¡¯t shake off this feeling of dread¡­¡¯ The lieutenant thought for herself. ¡®It¡¯s as if I¡¯m facing one of them¡­¡¯ They went on for a while until Jonathan stopped in front of a large decayed building that seemed to resemble a three story mansion though the lack of a front yard made it hard to seem like one. The front of the building was haphazardly covered with wooden boards while the upper floor¡¯s windows were completely open, or more specifically, broken. ¡°We are here.¡± He said while getting one of the double wooden doors opened. The whole building seemed like it was about to collapse, cracks in the walls showed there wasn¡¯t any maintenance or repair recently. ¡°Is it okay to go inside?¡± Leona asked with a noticeable worried tone in her voice. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s safe¡­¡± He glanced over the shoulder with a half smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯ll be quick, I just need to ask you a few things.¡± ¡°Hmm. If you say so.¡± Jonathan walked inside which prompted Leona to follow. Athena took a good look around to see if she saw anyone else but that place was deserted. ¡®I don¡¯t sense any presence either¡­¡¯ She thought for herself in order to calm down her nerves but there was something wrong there and she couldn¡¯t pinpoint what exactly was sending her instincts into a frenzy. ¡°Athena, aren¡¯t you coming in?¡± Leona¡¯s voice made her force herself inside the building, though once she took a step in the room she felt a disturbing presence and her right hand instinctively went to her hip. Jonathan was a few meters ahead of the tactician when the same asked. ¡°Jonathan, tell me. How were you able to flee? And more importantly, why are you here?¡± He turned around with an indifferent look in his eyes, much like an empty stare towards her.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Well Leona, for your first question, I didn¡¯t. I tried to kill him the moment you guys escaped. As for the second-¡± Without warning, Athena pulled her friend back while drawing the derringer out in a fluid motion as she pulled the trigger on him. The grape shot ripped his face to shreds as his body spun backwards and blood splattered across the rotten wooden floor but before she could get another shell in, Leona snapped at her, holding the lieutenant¡¯s right arm to prevent her from shooting. ¡°Athena! What have you done?!¡± The lieutenant shoved her to the side, making her fall on her butt. ¡°ATHENA!¡± In less than a second, Leona felt something snap beside her right ear and the moment she did she also saw Athena bend over in pain whilst holding the left side of her waist. ¡°Huh?¡± Once she turned towards where Jonathan would be lying on the ground, she instead saw him standing by uncrooking his back as his face, which was previously shredded to pieces by her ammunition, started to stitch itself by quickly regenerating. ¡°Ah¡­ this new friend of yours is a terrible person, Leona. I would¡¯ve given both of you the sweet embrace of death without pain.¡± His disfigured face was quickly fixing itself as if the flesh, skin and bones had lives of its own. Twisting and knitting itself in order to regain his original appearance but instead he was left with the left side of his cheek and eyebrow higher than normal, giving him a repulsive inhumane appearance. ¡°Ah, it appears that I can¡¯t quite fix this right now. Well, it doesn''t matter. I¡¯ll have plenty of time once I¡¯m done with you.¡± ¡°What- what happened to you Jonathan?! Why are you doing this?!¡± ¡°You doomed us all! It is only fair you get what you deserve!¡± From beneath his cloak she noticed two glints of what seemed to be metal ready to spring out, but each of his hands already had weapons, namely the two daggers from before. ¡°Dammit!¡± Leona didn¡¯t know what was about to happen but she couldn¡¯t take any chances. ¡°Frost Rampart!¡± She managed to create a curved wall of ice that protected both her and Athena just in time before they were pierced as the previous glints of metal were in fact two long and thin tendrils shooting out from the side of the assassin¡¯s body with very sharp metal like spear heads on each end. ¡°Stop resisting and die already!¡± He yelled from behind the wall of ice. ¡°I knew from the beginning that helping someone like you was a terrible idea!¡± Upon extending his arms to the side, about six other tendrils shot out from his back trying to pierce the wall of ice. Meanwhile Leona was trying to aid Athena with the time she had bought them. ¡°How bad was it?¡± The tactician had rushed to her side and was rummaging through the backpack as fast as she could to find a healing potion. ¡°Dammit where is it?!¡± ¡°Tsk. It was pretty deep.¡± She released the pressure she was making with her left hand and she noticed blood gush out of the horizontal wound. ¡°Leo, I think- I think this is where we part ways.¡± She began to pull the rifle from the sling, but Leona held her arm. ¡°No, we get out of this together!¡± She placed the lieutenant¡¯s arm over her own neck while supporting the rest of her body with her left arm. ¡°I swore I¡¯ll never let anyone die like this again!¡± ¡°Leo don¡¯t, at this rate we¡¯ll both die here.¡± She winced when she tried to move her left hand. ¡°I can at least fight with what I have left-¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get out of this together, on this I swear my name!¡± She clenched her teeth as she mustered all her strength to carry the weakened lieutenant out of the building. The half open double doors were too narrow for her to pass so she blasted it open with wind magic, sending the piece of wooden structure flying a few meters away. Once outside she pointed her hand backwards towards the building and without looking she began to chant whilst walking. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring ruin to mine enemies-¡± Mana gathered at her fingertips, empowered by her determination the light blue strings began to rapidly rotate to the middle of her palm to form the blazing azure fireball that originally was the size of a handball but suddenly expanded in size without losing any of the concentrated mass of the original spell. Right before she released the spell it had the size of a basketball, Athena could feel the extreme heat behind her back and thankfully her coat was insulated enough to protect her from being scorched by the blazing fury. ¡°-Fireball!¡± Once out of her hand, the fire spell hit the ice wall which released a deadly hot steam inside before violently exploding in a sea of inferno. The flames quickly took hold of the entire place in mere seconds as the upper floor¡¯s windows flashed brightly before bursting into azure flames sending out debris and pieces of burning furniture outside. Leona glanced over her shoulder to inspect the building consumed by roaring flames, the walls inside were collapsing as the roof was beginning to give in and wooden beams supporting the structure fell in flames. ¡®That killed him for sure¡­¡¯ She had a sad look on her face. ¡®Why¡­ what happened to you Jonathan¡­?¡± When she was about to turn around, she heard his voice up ahead and her whole body froze in place. ¡°Ah¡­ that was close-¡± Once her eyes saw him, she noticed not only he was mostly intact, but with the cloak covering his body gone it was possible to see the grotesque inhuman flesh inhabiting his body, coiling and twisting around his upper torso as if it was the host of the supposed parasite. ¡°If not for these I would¡¯ve been dead.¡± He discarded what seemed to be a lump of burnt flesh on the ground which was twitching until it became imobile. ¡°Say Leona, why do you struggle? You know everything would¡¯ve ended if you just remained quiet. Me, Laura, Neiliel, Laslow, Luke even Phoebe. All of us could¡¯ve been leading a relatively normal life, but no, you had to drag us in-¡± ¡°It was my fault!¡± She shouted. ¡°But if I don¡¯t fight until the very end it would be the same as giving up on them! You have been given a second chance yet-¡± ¡°You think this is a second chance?!¡± He retorted while opening both of his arms to the sky. ¡°I walk the earth not as man or as demon, but as an abomination-¡± He then looked her dead in the eyes. ¡°-and this is all because of you!¡± Sensing he was about to attack, she tried to quickly cast a spell however the three tendrils were coming directly at her. ¡°Frost Rampa-¡± Suddenly Athena dashed in front of the tactician with the rifle in front of her body, taking the brunt of the impact which in turn knocked Leona backwards on the ground. ¡°ATHENA!¡± The tactician¡¯s eyes were locked at the back of the lieutenant¡¯s head as if half expecting her to turn and say it was nothing, but about a second later she noticed a dark red liquid drip on the ground in front of her, at first just a few drops and then it turned into bigger ones, until there was a puddle of red soaking the lieutenant¡¯s soles. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ Leo¡­¡± Athena coughed before falling backwards with both eyes closed as her arms spread out open and in each hand she clutched pieces of the broken rifle. ¡°NO! ATHENA!¡± Chapter LXX: Unrelenting Resentment Lying on a puddle of her own blood, Athena was slowly dying as the snow gently settled on top of her body. The previous coming storm was already on top of them and the darkened skies cast its shadow above the capital city. It was the same all over again, the tactician was helpless with yet another death on her hands. Her hands trembled in anger as the feeling of uselessness grew within her chest and was about to burst in a cry of unbridled rage. Despair has led her up to that point, the double edged blade of blood red agony and the everlasting desire to finally make amends for her past mistakes, yet all she saw was another brave soul lose her life right before her eyes. Leona silently stood up, her eyes void of any feeling or reasoning as the ambient mana started to gather around her body. ¡°Any last words Leona?! You¡¯re next!¡± Jonathan swung his right arm forward, prompting three tendrils to shoot out from his back in an arc. Inside her mind, the tactician couldn¡¯t comprehend why that was happening. Just that she failed yet another person who trusted her, in a sense, she was the embodiment of death. She brought the end of the people she came across, those who trusted and followed her. For just a few seconds, it felt like time and space came to a crawl as her eyes turned to face the incoming attack. ¡®Why are you so weak?¡¯ A female voice echoed in her mind. ¡®When something is within your grasp you let it go without fighting back.¡¯ ¡°No¡­!¡± Leona grabbed her head with both hands as a piercing headache assaulted her brain. ¡®Your mother, your friend, your father, your companions and now, the second person who called themselves your friend¡­¡¯ ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡®I wonder what¡¯ll happen to that knight now that he is helpless, why not let him die like the others?¡¯ ¡°I WILL KILL YOU!¡± She shouted just before impact, a flash of wind cut the tendrils on its way, leaving the amputated limb flailing on the ground before withering and dying. ¡°Huh?¡± Without understanding what exactly happened, Jonathan retracted the cut limbs and prepared to strike with a throwing dagger. However, Leona was beginning to emit a visible faint light blue aura which in a few seconds became more powerful, seemingly burning the air around her as a result. ¡®Is that¡­ mana?!¡¯ The assassin knew the former princess was a magic user but in his previous lifetime he only witnessed that phenomenon once when he fought against a Windian archmage. ¡®No¡­ it can¡¯t be-¡¯ He coiled one of the tendrils around the throwing dagger and spun his whole body, releasing the weapon at a high speed towards her, but the blade was simply knocked upward by a wind barrier. ¡°Tsk!¡± The assassin quickly rotated around her with the help of the tendrils attaching to the buildings around to confuse her but she was tracking him with her eyes and with both palms pointing at him she chanted. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring ruin to mine enemies, Fireball!¡± Suddenly the ambient mana coalesced into one raging indigo sphere of flames, unlike other times where it took at least a few seconds to charge the spell, the way the mana was acting made the spell have almost no delay between chanting and actually releasing it which surprised the assassin. ¡°Huh?!¡± The incoming spells exploded against the side of the building he was previously attached to, setting the entire side of the structure ablaze and even though he dodged the entire thing, the heat was so intense that the surface of his tendrils were burned. ¡°Argh! Damn you!¡± Upon seeing her readying another similar spell he decided to put all he had in offense since if the fight dragged on he was bound to get hit by a stray spell. ¡°It¡¯s time to die!¡± He jumped off the side of the building, dodging another fireball before landing a few meters away from her behind the motionless Athena and as Leona was about to fire another spell his tendrils dug through the bricks and suddenly popped from beneath her feet, which knocked her off balance.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. She managed to catch her footing before she could fall on her back but two of the tendrils shot straight through the floor tiles, one managed to pierce her left thigh while the other nicked the side of her forehead. ¡°Nrgh!¡± She was about to release a full force blast of flames but before she even began to cast the spell a lightning fast blur of metal cut his tendrils cleanly. ¡°Argh!¡± She only noticed when the person aiding her landed beside the opposing assassin, it was a long gray haired woman holding a thin curved blade reminiscent of the one swordmaster named Emi used when she confronted her in the Great Forest near Arcadia, a katana. ¡°Thankfully I¡¯m not late, young Lady Frostleaf or should I call you Lady Crossford?¡± She wore a brown fur coat that went down to her thighs, brown trousers held by two thick belts and a pair of leather boots of the same color. ¡°Grrr!¡± Jonathan jumped back before attempting to regenerate the lost limbs. ¡°Who the hell are y- no¡­ you can¡¯t be-!¡± ¡°Lady Minerva?!¡± Just a quick glance was enough for her to recognize the woman, although Leona used her mother¡¯s name the last time they met, the fact she mentioned her real name just now meant she already knew who she was before they met. ¡°What are you-¡± ¡°I¡¯m here looking for someone.¡± She pointed the blade at the assassin. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you let yourself be caught Jonathan.¡± ¡°Mother-! Why are you helping her?! She¡¯s the reason I¡¯m like this! Will you point your blade to your own son?!¡± ¡°My son died the moment he fell in Alexander¡¯s hands. You¡¯re nothing but a walking sack of meat resembling him. Just as your brother was.¡± While there was a certain melancholy in her voice her blade was just as steady in order to fight. ¡°Young Lady. You best be on your way. Take your friend and keep to the far wall, Jano¡¯s inn isn¡¯t too far from here.¡± Without completely understanding what was happening, Leona lifted Athena by putting the lieutenant¡¯s arm around her neck, leaving behind the rifles and bag of supplies in order to move faster. The only thing she carried was the two vials of healing potions she had stocked in her own bag, one of which she had already uncorked with her teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll get away from me that easily!¡± Jonathan shouted but before he could move towards the fleeing duo a seemingly invisible slash carved a straight line on the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in the condition to worry about others.¡± Minerva held the sword with both hands. ¡°Let us end this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you stand in my way!¡± The assassin growled before attacking her with all tendrils at the same time. Meanwhile Leona kept moving forward leaving the burning mansion behind as the fire roared and consumed the large structure, some shouting and yelling could be heard in the distance as many footsteps were heading their way. ¡°Come on Athena-!¡± The tactician held the healing vial between her thumb and index finger while using the same hand to cast ice magic in order to coagulate the wound in the lieutenant¡¯s chest as blood continued to pour out as they were moving. However her wounded left leg was slowing them down quite considerably as the pain was much greater than she expected with a string of blood starting to stain her trousers. ¡°I¡¯m- sorry-¡± Athena coughed, she was still alive but there was no telling for how long. Her face was starting to show a very pale complexion and where there normally was a puff of white everytime they exhaled, the lieutenant barely had any heat from inside her body. ¡°Leona, I tried to help-¡± ¡°Save it for later! Can you drink this?!¡± She offered the potion and the lieutenant grasped it with trembling hands. She could barely drink it with Leona dragging her so she decided to stop and let her finish the entire vial. While there was a certain degree of danger in drinking too many healing potions in a short span of time, Leona wasn¡¯t sure how much longer she had before her body began to fail and decided to take the gamble. ¡°Here! Drink this one as well!¡± Athena struggled to chug it down but after a few coughs she managed to drink two entire vials. The healing effects were starting to show with her face regaining color, but her body was still weak and she was barely able to stand on her own. ¡°Leo¡­ why¡­? You should¡¯ve just ran away¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone else die from my own mistakes.¡± She gritted her teeth while helping her friend move through the frozen streets despite the sharp pain and feeling of warm blood gushing out of the wound in her thigh. ¡°Come on let¡¯s keep moving, I don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen with Lady Minerva, but it¡¯s none of our concern now.¡± She pushed on fighting against the urge to cry as the burning sensation on her left leg was just getting worse with each step and after minutes of walking she noticed the streets were getting wider. Most of the people around were either too distracted by the giant puff of dark smoke in the distance or running away probably thinking it was a death angel attack. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ almost there¡­¡± Athena muttered since despite her weakened state she was able to keep herself conscious to avoid putting even more pressure on her friend. ¡°Yeah, yeah! Hang in there Athena, we¡¯ll-!¡± The inn was just a few meters ahead in a street near the wall that encompassed the entire capital but as they walked forward a patrol of six guards just walked around the corner just behind the inn. ¡°Hm?! Is that them?¡± The front soldier pointed his finger at the two of them, prompting the others accompanying him to look in her direction. ¡°What the hell?!¡± One of them shouted before pulling out his rifle forward, as the others did the same. Seeing them ready their weapons almost instantly sent Leona into panic as if they decided to attack she wouldn¡¯t have time to react. Three of them crouched with their rifles pointed at her direction while the other three remained standing with their weapons also pointed. Leona closed her eyes as if anticipating a barrage of steel coming her way and prayed none of them hit as she heard the rifles going off. Chapter LXXI: Lady of Shadows With her eyes closed, she felt the volley of bullets whistle past her and suddenly a grunt of pain behind her. ¡°Argh! Dammit!¡± Leona looked over her shoulder and saw an almost dead Jonathan pierced by bullet holes standing a few meters behind her with his right arm lifted to the air tightly clutching a dagger. Tendrils from behind his back were flailing and gushing blood all over the place. ¡°I won¡¯t let you get away from here alive!¡± He tried to approach her before another volley of bullets hit him before one finally pierced his skull as he attempted to throw the dagger at her but it simply bounced twice on the ground before it slid near her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll- kill you¡­¡± He fell on the ground but the body was still twitching as if going to spring back to life at any moment. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, lady Minerva. I couldn¡¯t save you or your son.¡± That was when Leona cast a simple fire spell and burnt the body to a crisp, though in doing so she could hear some sort of agonizing squeal coming off from the lump of flesh in front of her as it turned to ashes. ¡°Miss Leona! Are you alright?!¡± The male voice came from behind her and as she turned around she noticed the six guards making their way towards her. At first she was cautious, even going as far as preparing to cast another spell. On closer inspection however she noticed something familiar about the frontmost guard. ¡°Do I¡­ know you?¡± She asked. ¡°It¡¯s me, Henry.¡± He pulled down the face mask he was using. ¡°I was tasked to come look for you, Miss Leona.¡± ¡°Huh? By who?¡± ¡°Captain Olivia. Though it would make more sense to you if I said it was Lawrence¡¯s wife.¡± He took a closer look at who the tactician was carrying. ¡°Wait¡­ is this second lieutenant Athena?¡± ¡°Yes, she saved me and it almost cost her life. I was on my way to the inn to let her recover but the moment I saw guards patrolling I thought I was done for.¡± ¡°The inn isn¡¯t safe. Captain Oliver sent a squad and took everyone for questioning.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ what about Krieg?¡± ¡°You mean that tall unconscious man with you right?¡± He shook his head. ¡°There was nobody like him in the inn.¡± Panic and dread started to grow inside her the moment those words left his mouth. ¡°T-then where did they take him?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I only overheard other guards talking about it. Maybe the captain knows more about it¡­¡± ¡°What about the high elf that was with me? Phoebe is her name, she usually wears a cloth over her face-¡± He shook his head. ¡°My sincerest apologies Miss Leona but I haven¡¯t personally seen any of your other comrades.¡± Leona tightly clenched her fist. ¡°Then¡­ where is your captain? Is she on our side?¡± He nodded. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll show you the way.¡± He turned around and motioned to the other soldiers behind him. ¡°We¡¯ll escort them back to HQ, I want two of you to help carry the second lieutenant.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± As they took Athena off Leona¡¯s grasp the other soldiers began to make their way through the side street of the inn that followed alongside the wall. Henry noticed the rifle hanging from the sling on the side of the bag the tactician was carrying and pulled it forward in her hand. ¡°Carry it like us so you¡¯ll attract less attention to yourself.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thank you.¡± She was too worried with both Phoebe and Krieg to pay attention to such details. Her mind was going down a spiral of despair and regret until Henry started to talk to her. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about your comrades, but I assure you captain Olivia will know what to do in order to save them.¡± ¡°Olivia huh¡­? You said she¡¯s scientist Lawrence¡¯s wife?¡± ¡°Yes. She was in charge of the first and second battalion but when she had to step down once she knew she was going to be a mother.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± She scratched her head as random thoughts started to fill her mind. ¡®I vaguely remember Lawrence speaking of his wife at one point during our conversation back when I first came here but I didn¡¯t know she was someone so important. The true question is however, can I trust her?¡¯ As hard as she continued to think about a way to both save Krieg and look for Phoebe without aid, there was no other feasible option than accepting what help she could get. After all, being in a completely different place without allies to rely on was a death sentence. They walked for a while avoiding the main streets or anywhere that they could easily be seen as they made their way to the warehouse where she had first met Lawrence. However instead of entering the front door, Henry made his way around the building to where the weapons were stored. ¡°Come this way.¡± He pulled the tarp off the stacked boxes and asked the other soldiers to remove them from the way. Once they took half of the boxes out of the way it revealed an underground passage that was just big enough for them to carry Athena through. ¡°You three remain guarding this place. Do not let anyone inside.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± They replied and he entered the passage after the other two soldiers went in carrying Krieg. ¡°Henry, wait.¡± Leona called him which prompted the man to turn around. ¡°Is this where Captain Olivia is?¡± He nodded. ¡°I received direct orders from her, if that is your worry.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just paranoid from what just happened.¡± ¡°No harm done. I¡¯m sure you would be tired of all of this.¡± Leona entered the passage walking beside the soldier. The long corridor was well lit despite being underground with various light bulbs installed in intervals so as to not leave anywhere dark. Even so what surprised her wasn¡¯t the light sources but the fact it was well ventilated, unlike the stuffy underground passage of her father¡¯s mansion it seemed like there was a very faint breeze coming from the direction they were walking towards that kept the place ventilated. ¡°Do you happen to know who built this place?¡± Leona passed her fingertips through the wall as they were walking, it was surprisingly smooth and very cold to the touch. ¡°Oh the headquarters was Captain Olivia¡¯s idea, though originally abandoned by the kingdom, sir Lawrence took responsibility to see it finished before she retired from service. Only a few soldiers know of its existence though.¡± ¡°I see. Was she distrustful?¡± ¡°No, nothing of the sort. She just wanted to be extra sure there was a safe haven should the death angels directly attack the capital.¡± ¡°She did become a bit more skeptical after the prime minister came into power.¡± A female voice came from the front where the soldiers were carrying Athena. ¡°Can¡¯t blame her though. The guy¡¯s a major dick when it comes down to the army, even putting his own son in charge of the first battalion-¡± ¡°Enough Jill. We are here to protect Miss Leona and escort her to safety, not talk about politics.¡± ¡°Aye, aye sergeant.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind it really.¡± Leona looked to the other soldier who hadn''t spoken a word until now. ¡°What about you? Do you have any opinion on this?¡± Jill started to chuckle. ¡°Hank? Ha, as long as he has booze he doesn¡¯t care- ow!¡± Hank elbowed her in the ribs. ¡°Fool.¡± He looked over his shoulder which on closer inspection Leona noticed his left eye was blind and his voice was on the rougher side, as if he already went through more than his share of troubles in life. ¡°I¡¯ll always be loyal to the late king Uriel. The prime minister is nothing but trouble when it comes to handling affairs regarding the defense of the kingdom, it¡¯s a miracle no death angel broke through our defenses as limited as they are.¡± Leona scratched the side of her head, she was trying to puzzle together a reasoning as to why things are like they are in the kingdom. ¡®First our supposed arrest. Oliver wouldn¡¯t have a reason to do so unless we were getting in his way, but then he would¡¯ve done something before bringing us to the capital¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Jill spoke as they emerged out of the long corridor into a spacious room, it was underground so the only source of light was from the various lamps scattered across the corners of the room. It was furnished with beds, tables and open cabinets holding all kinds of food from conserved meat in glass jars to dried pieces of fruit stored in the same way. Both soldiers left Athena resting on a nearby single bed as they made their way over to the chairs arranged around the wide table. As impressive as it was, Leona was too deep in thought to notice the environment change around her and she simply auto-piloted to the nearest seat she could find in order to continue with her thought processing. ¡°Second would be¡­ Krieg¡¯s disappearance from the inn, if they were investigating us they wouldn¡¯t have taken him, unless-¡¯ Her eyes went wide as she covered her mouth. ¡°No¡­ he can¡¯t be-¡± ¡°Miss Leona?¡± Henry looked at her to ask what was going on before she turned at him with despair in her eyes. ¡°Henry, tell me right now- is the prime minister responsible for creating any new ¡®lifeform¡¯?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? I don¡¯t kn-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here. Sergeant.¡± A female voice came from the other side of the room near the other doorway directly opposite where they came from. ¡°Leona Crossford, correct?¡± The tactician looked to where the voice came from and noticed someone emerging from the other room through the doorway. She wore a similar uniform to Athena¡¯s though one obvious difference was the higher amount of golden aiguillettes tied to her shoulder alongside the silver cross necklace that rested on top of her breasts. ¡°And you would be?¡± Holding a smile that could melt the frozen hearts of any Londrian, captain Olivia looked at her with kind crimson eyes before she approached her. The shin long black skirt was adorned with golden details along the side of the sewing depicting just how important she was. Upon walking closer, Leona could feel the weight of the woman¡¯s long silver hair as it fluttered against her for a brief moment before she reached for the tactician¡¯s hand with both of her own. Between both her long silver fringes she looked straight into Leona¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Princess Leona. My name is Olivia of Astera. Former captain of the first Londrian battalion.¡± Chapter LXXII: Forgotten Nightmares At first, Leona thought the captain was Krieg¡¯s distant relative from the uncanny similarities in their appearance, from the crimson eyes and the silver hair to the bulkier nature of the woman¡¯s frame standing about half a meter taller than the tactician while also holding her hand with both of her own easily covered Leona¡¯s like buns of a sandwich. ¡°Princess Leona, first, I must thank you for helping my husband. If not for you, he would¡¯ve been stuck in this project for far more time than necessary. On top of that you saved my friend¡¯s life, not once but twice already.¡± She looked at Athena peacefully resting on the bed. ¡°And for all of that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.¡± She took a step back before bowing to her. ¡°Oh, no, no, you don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Leona held her shoulder to prevent her from lowering her head any further. ¡°I just did what I thought was right.¡± ¡°From a noble lineage yet humble, truly, your reputation precedes you Princess.¡± However her smile slowly vanished as her eyes glanced to the ground. She took a deep breath before turning to the other soldiers present in the room. ¡°Jill, Hank, Henry, go fetch the others outside to rest. Princess Leona I know you are tired from all that happened to you today but I must ask you to accompany me. Your servant Phoebe has a few things she wanted to discuss.¡± It was true that Leona was almost spent from all the running and spellcasting she had to do but once she heard the high elf¡¯s name her body suddenly felt a surge of energy. ¡°Phoebe is here?!¡± The captain nodded. ¡°Hale and whole, she came here early this morning at the behest of my friend Jean.¡± She motioned to the other corridor where she had come from and Leona followed right behind as she continued to explain. ¡°At first I thought she was a spy sent by Oliver to keep an eye on me, but after she showed me the letter of recommendation my friend wrote and explained the situation of you and yours I¡¯ve come to realize what their true goal was.¡± The corridor led to another spacious room furnished with tables, wooden chairs and a myriad of boxes carrying what one could only suppose was war supplies from the sheer amount of weapons and uniforms laying on top of the crates. Looking from behind it was almost impossible to discern the high elf¡¯s appearance without the usual dark blue cloth covering her head. ¡°Phoebe?!¡± Upon hearing her name she turned around and the calm dark blue eyes widened once she saw the tactician run towards her at full speed as Leona threw herself into a tight hug. ¡°Ngh! Princess, you''re going to break my ribs!¡± ¡°Phoebe!¡± She started to sob. ¡°You¡¯re okay! I assumed the worst when I heard there was an attack at the inn!¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy that you thought of me-! But let go! You¡¯ll turn my insides into paste!¡± After spending a few moments calming down, Leona composed herself and sat across the high elf while Olivia sat by the end of the table in between them. ¡°So, mind telling her what you told me Phoebe?¡± The captain gestured with her open hand to the high elf then to the tactician. Phoebe was clasping her own hands whilst looking down on polished wood beneath them. If it was another occasion Leona would have asked her if she was a noble amongst her high elf peers from the astounding beauty she possessed beneath the usual cloth mask. However as things stood, there was no time to waste. ¡°I couldn¡¯t confirm it¡± She began to explain. ¡°But it seems sir Krieg is being held captive at the central tower in the southern district along with the others that were taken for interrogation. I suspect they wouldn¡¯t hurt Londrian citizens, but I can¡¯t say the same about him.¡± Her brows furrowed upon the thought. ¡°And if we piece together what clues we already had-¡± Olivia continued. ¡°He may be used or is being used as a test subject.¡± ¡°What-?! What does he intend to do with him?!¡± Panic began to surge from within Leona¡¯s chest, she could feel her face heat up despite the freezing cold underneath the warehouse. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know.¡± Her eyes looked downwards before she looked up in the tactician¡¯s eyes. ¡°But that¡¯s why we are having this conversation. I will lead an assault to the tower, but we are lacking firepower.¡± ¡°So that is how you want me to help you? I¡¯m not opposed to doing that but will it be okay?¡± She clenched her fist under the table. ¡°I can¡¯t go there knowing I could end up hurting innocent people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy you thought of our citizens in the first place but that won¡¯t be necessary. Thanks to an uproar in the slums, most of the people around the tower either evacuated or stayed inside their houses since there was suspicion of a death angel attack from the south. While I hope it has nothing to do with death angels, this too good of an opportunity to let it pass.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well then, what do you propose we do?¡± Olivia had a smile curling up her face. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked¡­¡± On that night, deep inside the central tower of the southern district, a silver haired young woman sat up with her chained legs tucked beneath her dirty and ragged dress as she had just woken up from the meager rest she had before the noise of footsteps caught her attention. She had both of her eyelids closed but she could keenly sense what was going on outside her cell. The impatient footsteps of her torturer walking around along the many others carrying something or someone unsettled her. ¡°Jakob¡­ you got your hands on another one, didn¡¯t you¡­?¡± She silently muttered, already knowing the answer. Except, something was off this time around, she knew the scientist well, too well as a matter of fact that she even thought it was somebody else wearing his shoes. The lack of another voice intrigued her, it was as if whoever the mad scientist got his hands on was no longer alive to complain. ¡°So you were able to get him. Are you certain this man is related to that double elemental mage?¡± Upon hearing those words, she felt a chill go down her spine as terrible thoughts filled her mind. ¡®Is this person a hostage?¡¯ ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no doubt about it.¡± Another male voice came from the room, which she recognized to be the scientist¡¯s adopted son, she then began to crawl towards the reinforced metal door that kept her imprisoned. ¡°Good, I have a few experiments in mind for him-¡± In hopes to get their attention she slammed both of her closed fists against the door but the moment she did so she felt an electric shock run through the shackles on her legs and her body instantly froze up. ¡®I can¡¯t feel¡­ my legs¡­¡¯ She curled up from the pain whilst groaning slightly as a result.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s just another test subject. Now since you¡¯ve done your job-¡± The voices coming from outside her cell were fading away as the pain in her ankles intensified. Powerless to do anything, she simply kept curled up whilst trying to cope with the unpleasant tingling sensation throughout her body as the faint voices began to fade away as she felt her consciousness fade away. ¡®How long has it been since that day? The day I came to this kingdom¡­ the day the old ¡®me¡¯ died.¡¯ Half a year ago in the Londrian coast there was a small village by the frozen ocean that served as settlement for many demi-humans who were denied entry in the capital. There, they were known only as vagrants, which the Londrian kingdom paid little to no heed as long as they paid their due to make use of the land. Sitting on a rock, a silver haired young woman was staring at the ocean while clutching the fur coat around her shoulders. ¡°Hey! Minerva! What are you doing over there?¡± A light brown haired young man with heterochromatic eyes wearing heavy duty fur clothes was carrying a stack of cut lumber between his arms. ¡°I thought you were on cooking duty.¡± She turned around to face him, the long strings of silver hair fluttered with the cold breeze as it shimmered against what little sunlight came from between the clouded sky above making it look like it was made of actual silver. Her crimson red eyes met his brown and hazel ones with a faint smile on her face. ¡°Ah¡­ I was told to wait outside¡­¡± She looked at her hands which were riddled with shallow cuts, both old and recent ones. ¡°Michael hardly wants me to cook, though I understand why I still wish he let me do some work from time to time.¡± He approached her with a smirk on his face. ¡°Oh¡­ that can¡¯t be helped, he just wants to keep you from huh¡­ how should I say this? Further harming your own hands.¡± She gave him a light punch to the arm. ¡°Ow¡­¡± ¡°I know how to cook okay? Hmph.¡± She looked away with both arms crossed. ¡°Haha, come on let¡¯s head inside, it¡¯s cold as it is, you don¡¯t want to catch a cold.¡±They walked towards the forest and not that much further in there was an arrangement of wooden cabins in a semicircle with a tall and old tree in the middle serving as the center of the village. There were a few demi-human kids playing tag on the snow while some adults chopped wood behind their cabins, Minerva¡¯s was the rightmost one overlooking the ocean. She shared it with two other residents, her stepbrother Jake and her friend Michael. Being somewhat recent dwellers of the village, they mostly did odd jobs to keep everything up and running, including bringing firewood, a task ill suited for the old or young in the middle of a cold year round forest and keeping the surrounding forest safe from predators like wolves and bears though most of that work fell on the hands of the silver haired demi-human Minerva for her ability to use lightning magic. ¡°Hey, we are back.¡± Minerva announced once she knocked on the door before opening it. ¡°Michael?¡± The cabin was rather small for three people, it only had one room consisting of a kitchen furnished with a simple table, chairs and firewood stove on the left side while on the other had one bunk bed with a spare fur mattress laid on the ground for a third unfortunate person. The person in question that Minerva called was kneeling in front of the stove throwing in a couple of pieces of wood in order to keep the fire going as a big cooking pot had its lid trembling from the steam coming out from the sides. ¡°I heard you the first time. Jake, would you mind bringing some firewood? I need more fire.¡± Michael didn¡¯t even turn around and simply extended his hand backwards. ¡°No problem.¡± Minerva closed the door and headed inside, sitting on the mattress on the ground. She first stretched her arms back and glanced at the two young men working on the food. Seeing there was little she could help with, she extended her right palm out, arcing electricity jumped between her fingers letting out a faint static noise. ¡°Minerva, no magic inside the cabin if you please.¡± Michael reminded her. ¡°Lest you set something on fire again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored. Let me help you two-¡± ¡°And get yourself cut again? No, you can sit back and enjoy your time before lunch.¡± ¡°Nngh¡­¡± Jake chuckled nervously. ¡°Well, we can only depend on you against big game, I don¡¯t think anybody in the village would want to go against a bear wielding only a hatchet.¡± He glanced at the doorway where a makeshift lance the size of the door was leaning against the wooden wall. ¡°Or a spear for that matter.¡± ¡°Got a problem with that?¡± Michael gave him a stink eye which made the young man simply raise his hands as if giving up the argument. ¡°No, not at all.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Minerva sighed while slumping against the side of the bed. The daily life was nothing short of boring, the eventual wild bear or boar was all she had to make use of her magic which when left alone for too long, made her feel an uneasy tingling throughout her body. Noticing her absentmindedly looking at the ceiling, Jake approached and kneeled beside her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Huh? Nothing.¡± ¡°If it was nothing you wouldn¡¯t be looking at the ceiling like that.¡± Her eyes glanced to the side before looking at Jake¡¯s. ¡°I was just wondering how our brother is doing. Being a king slayer and all you know, he must be with mom right now, right?¡± ¡°Who knows. John was always a bit odd, but he had our best interests at heart.¡± ¡°Hmm, I suppose you¡¯re right¡­¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get ready to eat, I don¡¯t know about you but I¡¯m famish-¡± His voice was cut short by a tremor that shook the cabin, creaking wood and particles of dust settled on all of them as the shaking intensified. ¡°What is going on?!¡± Jake went straight to the door and the moment he opened it he saw all white as a cloud of snow was starting to settle. Minerva and Michael were right behind the young man and once they took a step outside it was possible to see the streaks of blood on the ground in front of their cabin and upon looking straight ahead they noticed the origin of said blood. Standing over two meters tall, a headless muscular winged white abomination was tearing an adult villager apart with its snake headed arms and devouring him one bite after the other. ¡°A d-death angel?!¡± Michael fell on his back which the noise prompted one of the arms to slightly turn around. ¡°We¡¯ve got to get the others to safety-¡± The young woman was about to run around the cabin but Jake blocked her path with the hatchet he carried as he grabbed Michael by the collar of his shirt. ¡°Run to the city, the Londrians may not want us inside their capital but I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t let a death angel run around unchecked.¡± ¡°But what about the others?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s us or them! Now go!¡± He shoved them to the left side while running to the opposite one whilst shouting. ¡°Hey you ugly bastard! Over here!¡± The snake head suddenly turned towards him and snapped at his back, Jake just barely managed to hit the side of the snake¡¯s head, redirecting the bite towards the side of the cabin where it broke part of the log wall with its jaws. Minerva was holding Michael so she couldn¡¯t make use of her lightning magic and before she was able to get both hands free to use Jake had already led it around another cabin. ¡®I¡¯m not even sure I can take down that thing even if I put all my magic into one strike.¡¯ She clenched her teeth. ¡°Michael, let''s run! We need to get the soldiers to this place if we want to see Jake again!¡± Seeing how he was still shocked from the experience she slapped him across the face which made him look her in the eyes. ¡°Control yourself Michael! Let¡¯s go!¡± Thankfully the sharp pain on his left cheek was enough to make him snap out of it and he quickly grabbed the makeshift lance he left near the doorway and ran right behind the young woman. Upon going behind her own cabin, Minerva descended a long slope by making use of the terrain and sliding down until she reached a trail of pod tracks. The capital city¡¯s walls weren¡¯t too far from where the village was, but on normal circumstances it¡¯d take at least twenty minutes by walking. ¡°I can¡¯t waste any time getting there!¡± She ripped off her fur trousers leaving her bare legs and focused all her mana into her lower limbs, arcs of lightning started to strike the vicinity as she started to run through the trail while melting the snow around her legs. With Michael running behind her, she was making her way through the trail as fast as she could, however upon reaching the city walls a loud noise came from the front gates and lifted some snow beside her. A soldier was pointing his rifle at her. ¡°Do not take another step! Stay your weapons and state your business!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± She shouted. ¡°A death angel is attacking our village we need help-!¡± ¡°Help? You demons want help? Hah! Don¡¯t make me laugh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! A winged death angel is slaughtering our people and it¡¯ll soon come to the capital if it is not slain!¡± She was willing to lie if that was the only way to convince them to help. ¡°I beg of you, if not for us, think of your people!¡± She was approaching the gates and the soldier began to aim at her head. ¡°I told you to not take another step-!¡± ¡°Calm down.¡± Another soldier came from behind him. He wore the same uniform and only his emerald eyes were in view. ¡°Let¡¯s waste no time, if what she said is true and a death angel is attacking that village it¡¯ll probably come to the capital before long.¡± ¡°But sergeant Oliver, this is absurd, a flying death angel?¡± ¡°Heed my words, recruit. Go and call the others, I¡¯ll lead the way.¡± Chapter LXXIII: Wyrm’s Lament Part I Minerva¡¯s crimson eyes sparkled with hope upon hearing the soldier say they would go. With those weapons she knew something could be done against the angelic beast preying on the village. ¡°Michael, stay here you hear me?!¡± She turned to the soldiers. ¡°Come this way!¡± She left him speechless before leading the group of six soldiers through the trail she just made by using her lightning magic to melt most of the snow. ¡°Did you do this?¡± The frontmost soldier named Oliver asked her. ¡°If so, how?¡± ¡°Lightning magic! I had to get to the capital as fast as I could.¡± ¡°It was a good call, it¡¯s our duty to protect the people, but we wouldn¡¯t ever know there was something going on up there until it was too late.¡± Once they climbed the slope and reached the top, the devastation it had brought was unimaginable, in mere minutes the village was turned into a graveyard of sprawled mangled bodies and red sprayed against the white snow and around the tree trunk. None of them seemed to move and even if they did none of the soldiers would have any courage to help from the severity of the wounds. ¡°No¡­¡± Despaired, Minerva rushed forward and shouted from the top of her lungs. ¡°JAKE! JAKE! WHERE ARE YOU?!¡± ¡°Hey! HEY!¡± One of the soldiers grabbed her by the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t go off shouting! If a death angel is really here you¡¯ll get its attention! Do you want all of us to die?!¡± ¡°Settle down, something isn¡¯t right.¡± Oliver silenced the soldier before raising his hand prompting everyone to carefully listen. ¡°Can you hear that?¡± It was like a whistle coming from afar that gradually became louder and louder until Minerva looked to the sky just in time to see a blurred object falling down towards them and violently slamming into the ground in front of them. Snow was lifted up over the group of startled soldiers and once it had settled one look was all it took for her to notice what, or rather, who it was. ¡°J- Jake¡­?¡± She fell with her knees on the snow. ¡°No¡­ no, no, no!¡± The mangled body beyond recognition was the young man¡¯s, his clothing was something she wouldn¡¯t mistake for it was his only option to wear everyday. Her legs trembled, cold sweat started to form on her brow as an urge to scream was building up stuck in her throat. Oliver and the other soldiers looked up and noticed a big white bird-like figure flying in circles around the enormous tree as if waiting for prey. ¡°Is that¡­ the death angel?!¡± One of the soldiers started to panic and began to run towards the capital¡¯s walls. ¡°Fool! If you run out like that it¡¯ll-!¡± The sergeant tried to stop him but it was too late. The moment he stepped out of the tree¡¯s shade the white figure came in a blink of an eye and snatched him like how a bird catches worms. ¡°Dammit! Stay in formation, prepare your rifles!¡± The four other soldiers were shaking in their boots but Oliver¡¯s rallying voice made them listen to his commands as everyone ran underneath the tree for better cover. ¡°Sergeant, what are we going to do? Wait until it flies away?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be dead before that happens.¡± The young elf had another plan in mind. ¡°No, we¡¯ll strike back at it.¡± ¡°Huh?! Sir, with all due respect but are you out of your mind?! Our rifles may do short work of a wild wolf or even a bear with sufficient steel and shot but it''s a death angel we¡¯re talking about!¡± ¡°Calm down, listen. We have the ammunition and she has lightning magic, have you forgotten what happens to flesh once struck by lightning?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Are you suggesting we trust our lives to ¡®this¡¯?¡± The soldier pointed at the young woman clutching her head between her legs. ¡°I¡¯d rather shoot myself.¡± Oliver shook his head before heading over Minerva and kneeling beside her. He placed his hand over her left shoulder and gave her a firm squeeze. ¡°Miss, we need your help. If we are all to get out of this place alive, we¡¯ll need your powers. With your magic combined with our rifles I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll at least be able to stun it long enough for us to run.¡± ¡°Do you think¡­ do you think anyone else might¡¯ve survived?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, there is no way to know without checking each cabin one by one. But with that thing flying around, none of us will be safe. Will you lend us your power?¡± Both of her hands closed into tight fists as she stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s give it hell.¡± The plan itself was rather simple at least on paper, bait the death angel into attacking by shooting at it before giving it a good dose of lightning magic to stun it. ¡°How are we going to bait it though?¡± One of the soldiers asked whilst looking at Oliver. ¡°You¡¯re not counting on us to serve as decoy now are you?¡± He glanced at the mangled body just in front of the tree. ¡°Listen, you may not like this but your friend¡¯s body, if we toss it on the snow I don¡¯t think the death angel will be able to discern between a living person or a corpse.¡± At first her eyes went wide with the inhuman suggestion, while it was true that Jake was no longer in this world she just couldn¡¯t justify doing that to the body of her former brother. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t do something it might come down to hunt us instead.¡± One of the soldiers grabbed the body¡¯s mangled leg and threw the limb which detached itself from the hip. It left a trail of blood as it rolled on the snow. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t get paid enough for this, I am not dying her-¡± The air crackled around them as if they were inside a storm cloud, all eyes darted to Minerva who had both her fists clenched in anger as lightning arced from her arms and legs to the ground and tree. ¡°See! I knew it!¡± The other soldier pointed his rifle at her and was about to fire. ¡°Stop!¡± Oliver shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t shoo-¡± Before he could even finish his sentence with a dry sound of snow and a thin cloud of white engulfing him he was pushed forward face first into the ice as something landed behind him. ¡°Ah¡­ haaaa!¡± Upon lifting his face from the snow, he noticed two of the soldiers in front of him back away with pure terror in their eyes. The hulking death angel was right behind him, however, thankfully to the dismembered limb on the snow it wasn¡¯t looking at him yet. He stumbled away from the angelic monster and raised his own rifle. ¡°What are you waiting for?! Fire!¡± His commanding shout made the four armed soldiers to fumble with their rifles and fire at different intervals, thankfully at that range the bullets managed to pierce through its hide, however it was barely enough to be called a deadly blow, only serving to get its full attention instead. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Minerva shouted as she quickly lifted both hands together and pointed to the monster. ¡°Spirits of thunder, grant me thy might, Lightning Bolt!¡± The soldiers ducked just in time as the spell finished charging between her palms and she released it in a burst of blinding bright green thunder. The spell¡¯s sheer power was enough to leave their ears ringing as it arced for a millisecond before hitting against the death angel¡¯s bare chest making the copper bullets lodged inside of the beast to heat up prompting it to thrash its snake headed arms around from the pain. ¡°Reload! Take aim!¡± Oliver shouted again. ¡°Fire!¡± Forming a semi circle around the young woman the soldiers this time fired a more concentrated barrage of bullets hitting the death angel¡¯s chest dead center, the resulting impact made it stumble backwards as Minerva was charging the next spell with both hands. ¡°Spirits of thunder, unleash heaven¡¯s wrath upon my foes, Thunderbolt!¡± At first there was a bright burst of light as a myriad of lightning strikes formed from her fingertips before arcing towards and electrocuting the angelic monster with an unimaginable force. The resulting unbearable pain made it flee but as it flew away its spasming muscles failed to take flight and instead the beast pummeled into the frozen ocean. ¡°I¡­ did¡­ it¡­¡± Minerva muttered as she fell backwards unconscious on the snow. ¡°Hey! Are you alright?!¡± She could only hear Oliver¡¯s voice as the silhouette of his body was looming over her closing eyes. ¡°Quickly, give me a hand, we have to carry her out of here!¡± The last thing she remembered was feeling multiple hands lift her body from the cold snow. ¡®My life was never the same after that day¡­¡¯ Chapter LXXIV: Wyrm’s Lament Part II A few days later after the death angel incident, both Minerva and Michael were the only survivors left of the village and as such remaining in a desolate place all by themselves was, by all means, not a reasonable choice, which meant only one option for them. Inside one of the barracks, both Minerva and Michael were having a meal on one of the many tables inside the mess hall given to them by Oliver who was sitting across from them with a warm cup of some beverage. ¡°To move in the city you say?¡± Minerva asked in between each spoon full of beef stew she brought to her mouth. ¡°But where?¡± ¡°Over the south district, we have a few spare houses there you and your friend can use, all we ask of you is to come once a week to the tower to run a few exams.¡± ¡°Exams?¡± Michael sounded skeptical, he finished his bowl of beef stew and was sitting beside his friend. ¡°What kind of exams do you want her to do?¡± ¡°Oh no, not me. There is a certain scientist really interested in the works of magic but as you know spellcasters aren¡¯t common in these parts. Of course we¡¯ll pay you for your troubles.¡± ¡°Seems like a reasonable deal, considering neither of us could find jobs around the city. I thought hunting would¡¯ve been more useful since we have so many forests around the capital.¡± Oliver laughed at the prospect of hunting in such a large city. ¡°That is the reason why we have cattle. The capital can¡¯t run on only hunting for food.¡± He finished his hot drink and left the reinforced glass container on the table. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going now. Think about what I said, it¡¯s not a bad deal for you.¡± He left the barrack and the two of them alone. ¡°It sounds too good to be true.¡± Michael put his elbow against the table and held his hand against his temple. ¡°If it was that easy for them, why did they not help us from the beginning? People lost their lives dammit!¡± Minerva remained quiet as he slammed his fist against the table. It was frustrating but it was the bleak reality of the frozen kingdom, people died left and right either due to the debilitating cold temperatures or because there was no food for them and as the prices rose from the lack of trade, the less fortunate paid the price with their empty bellies. ¡°We¡­ aren¡¯t the only ones suffering, Michael.¡± ¡°I know¡­ I know¡­ I just- I just wish it could¡¯ve been another way, someway they didn¡¯t have to suffer like this.¡± She sighed. ¡°I, too, still can¡¯t get over Jake¡¯s death.¡± Vivid memories flashed in her mind which prompted her to feel chills going down her spine as even the smell of nonexistent blood started to assault her senses as she grasped her own head with both hands. Michael¡¯s eyes widened as he saw his friend in pain, he reached for her and held her shoulders. ¡°Hey! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I just¡­ remembered what happened that day. Sorry, I didn¡¯t want to worry you.¡± He shook his head before standing beside her. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to apologize. Let¡¯s go home, you should rest.¡± She nodded before taking his hand to stand up. They made their way out of the barrack and into the main street, the tower was just north from the road they took towards the southern district. ¡°I heard tonight will be even colder.¡± Two wives were talking to each other in front of a food store. ¡°Better take some firewood home.¡± Minerva and Michael exchanged looks before pulling out their sacks of coin, each only had a couple of coppers. The young man sighed. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll sleep through the hunger tonight¡­¡± They walked for a few minutes until they reached an old looking three story mansion, there were a few other residents inside already making sure the fireplace was up and running, however as soon as they set foot inside many looks of repugnance came in their direction. As a ¡®public¡¯ place for the homeless, outsiders were badly viewed within that group. They made their way up the stairs to the third floor. The last room of the hallway which had the ceiling almost falling was their room, it didn¡¯t have much other than two mattresses and a dirty bookcase with a few reading materials though neither of them had the courage to pull out any of the dusty books. The rotten creaky wooden floor felt like it would give out at any moment should they decide to stand together in the middle of the room. Minerva made her way around the bedroom near the walls just to be safe. After they settled down on each mattress, Minerva kept staring at the ceiling wondering about the future. ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯ll go help that ¡®scientist¡¯ with whatever exams he wants to do tomorrow.¡± ¡°Minerva, reconsider it please. You¡¯re not even sure what this test of theirs entails.¡± ¡°What other choice do we have? If I don¡¯t do this, how are we supposed to keep living in the capital? Today we at least had a meal thanks to Oliver, but what about tomorrow? If this keeps up we might as well go back to the village at this rate.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look for work again tomorrow, just please whatever you do, don¡¯t go there. I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about all this.¡± ¡°...¡± Minerva knew deep down someone like him wouldn¡¯t be able to find any jobs in an industrious city such as that, even back when she lived in Arcadia it was difficult to find any jobs and there weren¡¯t many factories back then. In silence they slept through the cold night with the help of thick rags they found for blankets. Early in the next morning, the young woman woke up with rays of sunlight coming from the boarded window as she sat up. Her eyes glanced to the side and noticed Michael was still sleeping. ¡®I should go there now.¡¯ She stood up and patted her clothing before silently making her way out of the room and downstairs, there were still people sleeping in the main hall around the crackling fireplace. The comfortable heat made her want to sit down and warm herself before heading out but she didn¡¯t have time to do so, if her friend woke up it would be difficult for her to go to the tower.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Upon quickly exiting the mansion she began to jog towards the main street and in just a few minutes she was near the inn named Maple, to her right, a central road led straight towards the tower looming in the distance as the morning sun made the streets dark from the shadows cast by the tall buildings. Still, Minerva had steeled her resolve and kept walking straight towards the spire. The streets were still quiet, something that only happened in the morning or days of extreme cold, that day was the former. With only a few soldiers patrolling, none really bothered to check the unusual silver haired young woman walking in the middle of the street early in the morning. ¡®Here we are¡­¡¯ She thought as her eyes darted upwards as the looming spire stood above her. ¡®I hope it won¡¯t take long-¡¯ She knocked on the wooden double doors and stepped back, not knowing where it would open so she''d rather not have it hit her face. She waited a few minutes but since nothing had happened nor she heard anyone from inside the tower her hand found its way to the wooden door again with three knocks. ¡°Hello? Is anyone in? I came here because of the exams-¡± The right door suddenly opened away from her revealing a somewhat short elder looking blonde elf, he wore goggles that amplified his eyes to a harrowing degree. ¡°Yes, yes, come in, you¡¯re the magic caster sergeant Oliver told me about then eh?¡± His heterochromatic eyes were unusual but the choice of eyewear was too off putting for her to even take notice of the man¡¯s different eye color. ¡°Y-yes, I¡¯ve met him a few times. He told me yesterday to come here to help with some sort of examination.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes, well come in, we have much to discuss.¡± He stepped to the side and motioned with his right open arm towards the interior of the tower. ¡°Excuse me.¡± She said as she went in. He closed the door and led the way up the stone staircase, the interior was poorly lit, with only a few weak orbs of light generously spaced apart she could only barely tell where each step was by straining her eyes, meanwhile the elder elf didn¡¯t seem to have much trouble finding where his feet had to go in order to not stumble. ¡°So tell me young Miss, where are you from? From your features I could scarcely say you¡¯re Londrian, much less Arcadian.¡± ¡°The far east, I lost my parents at a young age and was adopted by a kind woman.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± They reached about halfway of the tower and there was a room behind a thick wooden door, once inside he motioned for her to enter and closed the door behind her. ¡°So young Miss, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Minerva, Minerva Eduhainaust.¡± ¡°Minerva huh? Take a seat, I have to prepare a few things before we start. My name is Jakob Arc, I¡¯m the head scientist of the main lab here in Londria, feel free to ask if you have any questions before we begin.¡± She looked around the room, it was somewhat organized, shelves filled the left side of the room with a myriad of glass bottles and other recipients of the same material, on the right a strange looking device that seemed like a single bed frame attached to an angled metal frame. She sat on a nearby wooden chair that was against the lengthy stone table. ¡°What exactly does this examination entail?¡± ¡°Ah, nothing really serious, I just want to witness the manaflow of an adept magic caster. I heard from sergeant Oliver that you were such a caster.¡± ¡°Adept? I only know how to use lightning magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s more how you use it rather than how many dear Minerva.¡± He placed a syringe on top of the table on the opposite side Minerva had taken her seat. ¡°Take me as an example, despite being someone who spends most of his time inside this tower, I still know how to use wind magic to a deadly extent.¡± ¡°A magic caster too eh? But wait, couldn¡¯t you just observe mana flow from yourself?¡± ¡°If only I could, the internal flow of mana gets messy once you try to observe it as you are casting a spell. It¡¯s much like trying to guess when you¡¯re going to sneeze next, it¡¯s just impossible to logically make anything out of it rather than: ¡®I¡¯m casting x type of spell with z intent.¡± She tried to wrap her head around his words but it was just too complicated for her to make any sense of it. ¡°My head hurts.¡± ¡°Haha, fret not, I won¡¯t bombard you with academic questions such as these.¡± He kneeled to pull a drawer from the bottom of the shelf and remove a small glass vial from a locked box inside. ¡°Now then, have you ever heard about syringes?¡± ¡°Huh? No. What is that?¡± He stood up and went to the table and grabbed the aforementioned device. ¡°This is a syringe.¡± He stabbed the top of the corked glass bottle with it and pulled a tiny amount of the transparent liquid from inside. ¡°I¡¯ll apply this once we¡¯re done to see if there are any differences in the mana circulation inside your body.¡± ¡°Apply¡­? How?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand soon.¡± He left the tool on top of the table and stored the glass vial back in the box before pushing the drawer back in the shelf again. ¡°Now, your left hand please.¡± He approached her and opened his palm while kneeling beside her. She opened her left hand and rested it on top of his. ¡°With your other hand, cast a basic lightning spell, target the ground or the ceiling, it won¡¯t matter since we don¡¯t have electricity cables going inside the tower.¡± ¡°Elec- what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, just focus on the spell.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­¡± She closed her eyes and focused her senses on the fingertips of her right hand. ¡°Spirits of thunder, grant me thy strength, Spark!¡± A small green colored volt of electricity arced dowards and hit the stone floor in front of her, ending as soon as it was cast. While it was the weakest spell she had at her disposal, it was the only one she was confident to use in an enclosed space such as that since lightning magic was awfully known to end up hitting unintended targets more often than not. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± The elf muttered. ¡°Interesting, very interesting.¡± He opened his eyes and stood up. ¡°You said you were from the far east, right?¡± He went around the table and grabbed the syringe. ¡°Yes. Why?¡± ¡°I heard these angelic monsters come from there, do you have any idea as to why?¡± He slowly made his way back to where he was, stopping right behind Minerva. ¡°No¡­ not really.¡± ¡°They feed on mana, more specifically, other living beings'' mana. But how exactly do they know who or what has more mana? They can see it more clearly than us.¡± He flicked his left index finger against the needle and tested to see if it was really working by pushing a bit of the transparent fluid out of the syringe. ¡°I always wanted to know how and then I heard about a curious thing. Descendants of the platinum dragon have a keen eye for the fluctuation intensity of mana in the atmosphere as well as in other living beings.¡± A strange sense of dread was starting to build up inside Minerva¡¯s chest, as if something inside of her was screaming of danger. ¡°Sir Jakob, I¡¯m not following.¡± Her eyes were darting left and right, expecting the scientist to come to her view but he didn¡¯t seem to be moving and instead just standing directly behind her. ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t know. Your kind is after all, one of the biggest mysteries on this planet, but rest assured I¡¯ll make the most out of you.¡± The moment he said so she turned around with a charged lightning spell but he was faster and jabbed the syringe in between her neck and shoulder, injecting whatever was loaded in the tool. ¡°Ngh!¡± She felt the sharp pain course through her neck as she held his right arm through the wrist, prompting him to drop the empty syringe. ¡°Spirits of thunder, unleash heaven¡¯s wrath upon-¡± As she was about to finish her spell a sudden jolt paralyzed her entire body. ¡°U-up- nnngh-!¡± He knocked her on the ground and massaged his right wrist. ¡°That was supposed to send you instantly into a coma.¡± He smirked. ¡°Descendants of dragons are quite interesting, not only adept at magic, but highly resistant to poisons even if administered directly into the body.¡± She helplessly tried to move her body but her arms felt like they locked in place and refused to budge despite her commands. ¡°W-what h-h-have you- nngh, d-done?!¡± ¡°A mixture of death angel poison with paralyzing poison synthesized from a poisonous spider. Not that you would understand any of that.¡± He pulled out something that seemed like a silver spoon. ¡°Now¡­ there are a few things the book didn¡¯t specify and I¡¯m dying to know.¡± As he approached, Minerva was trying to still cast the spell but neither words or her thoughts were in the right place to form anything coherent as she powerlessly thrashed around. ¡°Do your eyes grant you power like dragons do?¡± ¡°Aah¡­! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± Chapter LXXV: Assassin’s Vow The agonizing memory made Minerva¡¯s body jerk violently awake as her mind seemed to remember the insufferable pain of having both her eyes gouged out for the sake of some ¡®examination¡¯, in that solitary cell she knew there was no more hope for her, but if she could save someone else unfortunate enough to be caught by that monster she would do so without a second thought. ¡°Yes¡­! YES!¡± His nauseatingly excited voice came from under the metal door that separated her from the main room, there was a cold breeze coming from it as Minerva crawled close to the metal entryway. ¡°Nothing will hold me back anymore¡­! Nothing!¡± As his laughter grew louder, so too did Minerva¡¯s disgust and before she could try another futile attempt at breaking open her shackles with magic a loud noise of a door violently opening in the next room stopped her as she tried to pay attention to the sound. ¡°What is the meaning of this interruption?¡± Jakob seemed irritated by whoever entered the room. ¡°Father, it¡¯s captain Olivia, she¡¯s leading a group of soldiers and they are coming this way.¡± ¡°And? Didn¡¯t I give you command of the first battalion to deal with this sort of thing?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, they are not following my orders!¡± ¡°How incompetent can you be?!¡± He shouted. ¡°Bah! No matter, I accomplished more than I ever hoped with this specimen, we are done here.¡± ¡°Huh?! What are you thinking?! They have this place surrounded!¡± ¡°This is probably the end for you, but not for me. You served me well Oliver.¡± Suddenly a loud noise of a gunshot made Minerva flinch from pain as the sound seemed to be ringing her ears. ¡°Gah! Y-you! You can¡¯t!¡± Another gunshot followed it and after that the tower shook with a dry sound of an explosion. Inside the spire, Olivia, Phoebe and Leona led the charge with a few dozen soldiers behind them, the captain and high elf wore similar outfit while the tactician was wearing a solid metal breastplate that covered the entirety of her torso alongside a pair of steel gauntlets. Between each hand, Leona held a longsword made of a shimmering pale metal that emitted a faint blue light which illuminated some of the staircase. ¡°How long until we reach him?!¡± Phoebe asked. ¡°Not long!¡± Olivia held a bolt action rifle outfitted with a bayonet between her hands, the knife was prepared with a razor sharp edge easily capable of killing someone in seconds. ¡°Be prepared for anything!¡± ¡°Please, Krieg¡­ you must be alive¡­! You have to!¡± Suddenly a loud noise came from up the stairs and Olivia clenched her teeth as she recognized the sound. ¡®Gunshots.¡¯ She thought. ¡®Jakob¡­ are you going to steep so low as to kill helpless people?¡¯ As they climbed halfway through the tower, they found a wooden door ajar. Olivia kicked it open and took aim towards the middle of the room, Krieg was lying motionless on a stone table in the center of the room while Jakob was holding a derringer smoking from the barrel with Oliver holding his stomach as a patch of blood grew bigger on his clothes. ¡°Jakob Arc! You are under arrest! Come quietly or face the consequences!¡± Other soldiers fanned out behind the captain and took aim at him. ¡°You¡¯re finally here¡­¡± The old elf tossed the weapon on the ground and pulled a syringe from his coat. Its contents looked like diluted blood from the dull red color. ¡°Good! Good¡­¡± ¡°Jakob I¡¯m warning you! Put that thing down!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll allow you to witness the pinnacle of my research!¡± In one swift motion he injected the syringe¡¯s contents inside his own arm. Seeing the scientist do so without hesitating made Olivia have a terrible chill go down her spine as she shouted. ¡°Open fire!¡± Some of the soldiers hesitated but after witnessing their captain shoot first without holding back they started to pump the old elf full of bullets. Leona held Olivia back as she shouted from the top of her lungs. ¡°Stop! Or you¡¯ll hit him!¡± The moment she was told so, Olivia lifted her right arm, prompting the other soldiers to stop shooting as both Phoebe and the tactician went to get Krieg. They approached the table and the high elf quickly glanced at the scientist, or rather, what was left of him. The corpse was on both its knees with bullet holes gushing blood out of everywhere, most bullet wounds were around the torso but some managed to hit his head and legs, if he wasn¡¯t dead with the captain¡¯s first shot, he would surely be with that many puncture wounds. ¡°Krieg?!¡± Leona¡¯s startled voice made Phoebe turn around but her tension was instantly lifted the moment the tactician was hugging the knight as he sat up. ¡°You¡¯re- you¡¯re alive!¡± She sobbed as the confused knight patted her back with his large left hand. ¡°Princess, what¡­ what happened?¡± His voice was rough, probably due to the lack of drinking water. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be asking that! I thought- I thought I would never see you again!¡± She broke up in tears, crying her lungs out but not from despair, but joy instead. The whole scene relieved the tension in the room as Olivia let out a relaxed sigh and with a motion of her head she ordered the soldiers to take Oliver off the ground. ¡°Treat his wounds and take him to the prison. I¡¯ll talk with the other captains as soon as we solve this.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Two soldiers used their empty rifles to fold both ends of a big rectangular blanket and used it to carry the wounded young elf like an improved stretcher down the stairs. Krieg stood up with the help of both Phoebe and Leona, they shouldered each of his arms and managed to take him towards the doorway. As they were about to get out they heard a female voice come from behind the reinforced metal door on the side of the entrance. ¡°Get out of here! He¡¯s not dead yet!¡± Upon glancing over her shoulder Leona saw the crooked corpse full of bullets to creak as bones and flesh seemed to knit itself back to life as the previously kneeling corpse was now standing. ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­ haha!¡± The loose jaw was trembling as the terrible laughter left the scientist¡¯s mouth. ¡°It won¡¯t let me die, not here!¡± A dreadful feeling assaulted her senses and before she even realized, Leona was casting a defensive spell.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Frost Rampart!¡± With a motion of her right hand, a wall of ice curved alongside the stone wall and grew in front of them as something impacted with the side of the tower, sending rocks and furniture towards them. Thankfully Leona¡¯s spell stopped most of it but one of the stones from the tower managed to break through it completely, narrowly missing Olivia and hitting the side of the doorway. ¡°What in the world is that thing doing here?!¡± The captain was in shock, after destroying half of the tower¡¯s wall the winged death angel was hanging from the dilapidated side with its snake like right arm while protecting the old elf with the other. Jakob¡¯s previously mangled body was regenerating while also growing what seemed to be wing frames made of bones from his back. ¡°Captain¡­ I gave you a chance to go back to your homeland and you threw it away.¡± The old elf¡¯s voice was becoming more and more distorted as his body grew larger than he originally was. His long and thin limbs became bulkier and his skin even more pale than before. ¡±Even though you had a child in your belly you deemed necessary for the people of this land to exact revenge upon me for the destruction of your homeland, now with this newfound power I shall crush any and every hope of yours until nothing else but despair remains!¡± It felt like there was a lump inside Olivia¡¯s throat as much as she wanted to scream of anger her body just wouldn¡¯t move. However, seeing the old elf move towards her prompted a voice shout from behind her. "Northern winds hearken to me, pierce through my foe, Ice Spear!" A stake of ice was aimed at his chest but the death angel grabbed the frozen projectile mid air with its left snake head and shattered it to pieces. ¡°Tsk! Phoebe take Krieg out of here!¡± ¡°Princess you can¡¯t possibly-!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?!¡± Seeing how she was determined to see it through to the end, all the high elf could do was to make sure she was focused, so instead of arguing she simply nodded and took him downstairs as fast as she could. ¡°Interesting¡­ so you¡¯re not a dual elemental mage but a triple?¡± Jakob sounded intrigued. ¡°Oh how much I would like to test your capabilities as a mage, but I¡¯m afraid I have to settle this first.¡± Seeing how Leona was able to attack despite having to take care of Krieg made Olivia spring into action as she quickly took aim and fired at his head. However once again the death angel defended him by using part of its shoulder to shield from the bullet that simply bounced off the scales. ¡°Nnngh! Aaargh!¡± Enraged and out of bullets in her rifle, the captain dashed in with the bayonet. ¡°Wait! Captain Olivia!¡± Paying no need for Leona¡¯s warning, she slashed at the snakehead which made the death angel recoil while spilling dark purple blood across the left wall and once it was out of the way she went for a stab aimed at the left side of his chest using the weight of her body. ¡°Die!¡± She managed to sink half of the blade into the elf¡¯s pale skin before it became stuck, as if she was seeing things, the elf didn¡¯t move a muscle and instead took the charge that would¡¯ve killed him in normal circumstances without any apparent fear in his face. ¡°Not bad Captain¡­ that would¡¯ve killed any other man, but this hardly does anything to me.¡± He grabbed the rifle with his left hand and snapped the weapon in half by crushing it in his hand, before she could react his other hand grabbed her by the throat and began to lift her up off the ground. ¡°Gah! You- monster!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve abandoned my fleeting humanity in exchange for boundless potential. However, seeing as you all are a threat to my existence and my subjects, you must die here. Know despair as I¡¯ll tear everyone you know to pieces just as I¡¯ll do it to you!¡± He removed the bayonet from his chest and as he was about to gore her with her own weapon, Leona released a spell just in time to interrupt him. ¡°Cutting Wave!¡± A thin vertical slash of water going at high speed managed to knock his left arm back, however it didn¡¯t seem to be able to cut through his skin. ¡°You¡¯re a quadra elemental mage?¡± Seemingly unaffected by the attack he lowered the knife but still kept holding the squirming captain through the throat. ¡°Now this isn¡¯t a chance I can let it pass. You, grab her, make sure to not kill her.¡± Seemingly giving orders to the death angel, Jakob simply waited for it to attempt to capture Leona with its left snakehead and as it was about to bite the right side of her body a figure appeared behind the hanging angelic. With a distinct sound of steel being drawn a second later the death angel let out a deafening roar as its snake head that supported it was cut clean making it lose balance and fall off the tower. Landing beside the old elf, a woman of gray hair sheathed a long curved blade coated in purple blood before looking at the abomination in front of her. ¡°Well now, you did a number on this kingdom while I was gone, haven¡¯t you? Jakob Arc.¡± Seemingly recognizing the voice, he was preparing to use the captain to block and attack with his left hand but in a blink of an eye he lost both arms with one swing of her blade. The singular attack forcibly released a coughing Olivia on the ground, both of his arms were flopping like fish out of water which could only be described as a horrifying sight. ¡°Lady Minerva?!¡± Leona shouted as she recognized the woman. ¡°Ngh! Damn you Elizabeth!¡± Jakob stumbled back. ¡°I thought we had a deal!¡± ¡°There is no deal with a man that deceived me for the last two years. You used her as you saw fit all the while keeping me in the dark.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I don¡¯t know how you discovered it but your daughter served her purpose.¡± Both of his arms began to regenerate at an alarming speed, where the flesh stump was a second ago many strings of flesh began to knit itself while recreating what was his bone structure before being cut. ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone take away what is mine by right. Hunt me down if you will, but let it be known, I will come back eventually and have my revenge for your betrayal.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t escape!¡± The woman tried to swing the blade upwards against his neck but the two cut limbs suddenly jumped her and she had to cut them both down, that gave him enough time to jump down from the tower as the death angel caught him midair and flew away from the capital. ¡°Dammit!¡± Leona ran towards the dilapidated wall and prepared a fireball but by the time she hurled the spell the two monsters were already out of reach and the flaming sphere simply exploded midair. ¡°He escaped¡­¡± Leona clenched her fists but before she could do anything else the woman fell on her knees. ¡°Are you okay?!¡± ¡°Y-yeah, don¡¯t mind me young lady Leona. I still-¡± She used the scabbard to shoulder her own weight to stand up. ¡°-have things that I must do.¡± She walked towards the reinforced metal door that was bent with the impact of a piece of the previously blown wall. Seeing how she was doing okay for the time being Leona decided to focus her attention on Olivia who was still struggling to breathe, she knelt beside the woman. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Mostly yeah, I wasn¡¯t expecting him to have so much strength.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I felt like a child trying to fight against a bear.¡± She glanced at the streets below and had half a smirk across her face. ¡°I think we might have attracted a bit too much attention.¡± Looking over the broken edge of the wall Leona saw a crowd of citizens looking up at the destroyed tower seemingly not understanding what exactly happened there. ¡°I can¡¯t blame them. I would be curious as well.¡± She stood up. ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point. Let¡¯s get out of here before something else happens. Lady Minerva?¡± The tactician looked over her shoulder just in time to witness the older woman hugging a silver haired young woman about her age seeing how they were both tearing up. She instantly knew they were family. ¡°King slayer Elizabeth.¡± Olivia cleared her throat before speaking towards the older lady. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see you here.¡± Leona raised an eyebrow whilst looking at the captain, the old woman turned to them while standing in front of the young woman in tattered clothing as if to shield her with the left hand blocking the way while the right was going for the handle of her weapon. ¡°I believe you are the captain of the first battalion, Olivia of Astera, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Oh? For someone that only kills big shots I¡¯m surprised you know my name.¡± ¡°I only kill those who are deemed unworthy of their position.¡± There was tension in the air but calmly judging by her stance and position of her arms, the tactician deduced the assassin didn¡¯t want to fight but instead protect the young woman behind her. ¡°Captain.¡± Leona tapped her left shoulder. ¡°I think we should regroup with everyone else.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She answered while still glaring at the assassin. ¡°I¡¯ll head down to disperse the crowd. But be careful Leona.¡± Once she headed downstairs Elizabeth¡¯s shoulders relaxed and her hand moved away from the sword handle. ¡°Thank you young lady Leona.¡± ¡°Elizabeth Du Haine, correct? I¡¯ve read a lot of your exploits in the eastern kingdom, but I wasn¡¯t expecting to meet such an infamous person in this place.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I apologize for misleading you with my name.¡± She bowed before turning to the young woman behind her. Her long silver hair and pale complexion made Leona wonder if she wasn¡¯t related to the captain in any way. ¡°I was looking for my daughter, Minerva? If you can-¡± ¡°Yes mother, I haven¡¯t forgotten my manners.¡± She smiled before bowing. ¡°My name is Minerva Eduhainaust, it is an honor to meet you, Lady Leona.¡± ¡°The pleasure is all mine Minerva.¡± She smiled weakly, but it just lasted a few seconds before she turned to Elizabeth. ¡°I know it has nothing to do with you or your family, but I want you to come with me. Any information that you can provide regarding that lunatic will greatly help not only me but everyone in this kingdom.¡± The assassin nodded once. ¡°Then let¡¯s go, we can¡¯t afford to waste any time.¡± Leona began heading downstairs. Chapter LXXVI: Rekindled Determination After spending a long time to calm down the huge crowd forming beneath the central tower, captain Olivia assembled a meeting with everyone involved in the assault inside Maple inn. Some familiar faces were present amongst the soldiers, namely Henry, Jill and Hank, the trio took a table in the far corner as Leona¡¯s group had the middle table for themselves with Elizabeth and the captain standing across them. The blind Minerva sat lonely by a table while holding a steamy hot drink between her pale hands. ¡°We managed to hold our ground against him for now.¡± Olivia looked at the tactician. ¡°But we can¡¯t make a move and leave the city unguarded, we have soldiers that are still loyal to Oliver.¡± Leona shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to ask any more of you, Captain Olivia, this matter falls into our hands now. With a flying death angel there is no telling where or when he¡¯ll attack plus even if Athena finishes her project we wouldn¡¯t be able to make use of it since that flying menace could just knock us out of the sky.¡± ¡°I heard from my husband, it has no defense capabilities as far as I know.¡± ¡°That is what I fear.¡± The tactician sighed briefly before looking at the assassin. ¡°But I¡¯m sure with Lady Elizabeth¡¯s help we¡¯ll be able to kill them for good.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean to hunt it by yourselves right?¡± Jill voiced her concern and all eyes went to her direction. ¡°Even with a squadron''s worth of ammunition we weren¡¯t able to deal any significant damage to it.¡± ¡°You soldiers just lack the methods.¡± The assassin said with disdain. ¡°Shooting at it aimlessly will get you nowhere.¡± ¡°With all due respect Lady Elizabeth.¡± Henry began to speak. ¡°If our training was lacking that much I believe the capital would have been already overrun by other things like demons and such.¡± ¡°Besides.¡± Olivia continued as she looked at the assassin through the corner of her eyes. ¡°I would much rather have my soldiers accompany Princess Leona than an infamous king slayer.¡± Upset, Phoebe slammed the table with her closed fist prompting everyone to stop. ¡°Let¡¯s cease with the pointless jabs at each other¡¯s ego and instead work together, how does that sound?¡± She glanced at Elizabeth. ¡°Princess Leona mentioned you managed to wound it with your blade. How so?¡± ¡°Blade energy.¡± She answered as her hand went for her weapon¡¯s handle, it made the captain and soldiers feel uneasy but since she was still holding a conversation they simply held in their instinct to pull out their own weapons. Once unsheathed the blade seemed to be made of ordinary steel, though the sharpness rivaled even the best of what Londrian smiths could provide, as Elizabeth held the weapon she closed her eyes and for a brief moment the blade emitted a blue glow covering the entire length of the blade like a translucent scabbard. Krieg decided to explain seeing how Leona had a puzzled expression on her face. ¡°By reinforcing the blade with mana it becomes possible to cut through even the toughest of foes. That¡¯s how Eleonora managed to defeat many demons in her time.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The tactician returned to look at the blade that was now just a simple hunk of metal. ¡°No doubt you must be the only one here that can use blade energy, can I count on you to come with us, Lady Elizabeth?¡± She sheathed the sword before folding her arms, with her eyes closed she replied. ¡°I refuse.¡± That made Olivia visibly angry. ¡°I believe I made myself clear that I would only allow you in this city because of your help, if you refuse to do so I will have to take other measures.¡± ¡°Then let me ask you something in return Captain Olivia. If your child¡¯s life was on the line would you fight for strangers that would shoot you on sight or would you rather take your child and run away?¡± Further provocation only made the captain grit her teeth in anger, the answer was obvious but in that tense situation everyone was on edge and she refused to answer the assassin¡¯s question. ¡°Mother.¡± Minerva broke the tension with her calm voice. ¡°Please, if not for the Londrians, at least help Princess Leona. If it wasn¡¯t for her family we wouldn¡¯t even have met in the first place. Who knows, maybe I wouldn¡¯t even be alive to be quite honest.¡± The soldiers glanced at the tactician who held her head low. ¡°My parents are no longer in this world, but¡­¡± She raised her head and looked the assassin in the eyes. ¡°...if I can prevent countless others from losing their loved ones while also achieving my own goals, why shouldn¡¯t I try it? Arcadians, Londrians, Akrapocalians, Asterians, in the end, we are not so different.¡± ¡°Hnnk- Hahahaha!¡± Elizabeth began to laugh, it caught everyone off guard as the trio of soldiers had almost pulled out their weapons from the sheer shock. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not laughing about you or your ideals, it¡¯s just- refreshing to get to know someone like you Leona. Your mother and father used to say the same back when the war had ended, I truly had hope for Arcadia once they were announced as advisors for the Queen.¡± She took a deep breath and unfolded her arms. ¡°Very well, my blade is yours.¡± A smile began to form in the tactician¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you-!¡± ¡°However.¡± Elizabeth raised her hand and continued but this time looking at Olivia. ¡°I shall make an official request for you, specifically captain. No matter what happens, even if we are all to perish, promise me you¡¯ll take care of my daughter as if she was your own.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Minerva was about to protest but Olivia replied with determination in her voice. ¡°I understand. Your previous transgressions won¡¯t be forgiven, but for your selfless service I shall do whatever is in my power to grant a comfortable life for her.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious mother!¡± ¡°Listen!¡± Her sudden strict voice made Minerva stop protesting. ¡°Your brother is dead. He attacked Leona and I had to intervene.¡± ¡°Jonathan¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Minerva¡­ I should¡¯ve been there for both of you. Letting your brother become a king slayer was a mistake.¡± She looked at both of her hands. ¡°Neither of you had to go through this¡­¡± ¡°But it was his choice.¡± She was frowning. ¡°So it is mine to go wherever you go.¡± ¡°Stop it Minerva.¡± Her left hand hung on her sword¡¯s handle. ¡°I tried to provide for both of you but the world isn¡¯t kind to people like me, to assassins. Both of you paid the price for my mistakes.¡± ¡°Mother, you of all people should know that life isn¡¯t made of only happiness. I still won¡¯t forget the pain of these last months, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be happier to be where you are rather than living away in regret of not doing what I wanted to do.¡± ¡°If I may.¡± Surprisingly, Krieg placed both of his hands on the table and interlocked his fingers. ¡°Instead of preparing for the worst, shouldn¡¯t you instead think about the future you want to make? I¡¯ve been through a lot with Princess Leona, we suffered, we mourned, however we endured it because we were together, it is my utmost honor to serve under someone like her.¡± He glanced briefly at the tactician before returning his gaze to Elizabeth. ¡°Isn¡¯t it your desire as well? To spend time with your daughter? These bonds are strong just as they are fleeting, you should know better than anyone.¡± The assassin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡­¡± Their talk was interrupted by the sound of the door chime ringing. By the doorway, Olivia¡¯s husband, Lawrence was shouldering half of Athena¡¯s weight as the inventor stepped inside the inn. ¡°Hey, good to see everyone here.¡± Seeing how everyone was quiet made her raise a brow. ¡°Did I come in a bad time?¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± Olivia answered. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m glad you are well enough to walk.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°It was nothing major, thankfully the uniform and the rifle took the brunt of it.¡± They both walked in and Hank prepared a chair beside Phoebe for Athena to sit, she did seem a bit reluctant to be right beside an assassin but nevertheless she sat down and looked at Lawrence. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He replied before turning to Leona and pulling a chair to sit on the inventor¡¯s left side. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are also okay, Miss Leona.¡± The tactician nodded with a half smile on her face. ¡°So I heard you have a death angel to deal with.¡± Athena tried to adjust her posture but doing so made her wince from the sharp pain she felt so instead she curved her body a bit to the right. ¡°We have good and bad news.¡± ¡°News?¡± Phoebe asked. ¡°Yes, while you were dealing with the crowd in front of the tower, me and Lawrence here had a few soldiers to secure Jakob¡¯s research materials for us.¡± ¡°You what?!¡± Olivia shouted with a glare that could kill directed at the inventor. ¡°Athena, you two are using documents acquired through illegal means! Do you realize how many lives were lost because of that man?!¡± ¡°Calm down Captain.¡± She raised her left hand. ¡°There is much in science that can be gained from failure as there is from success. A true affront to the dead would have been burning those research materials. Countless lives were lost because of him, true, but at the same time this knowledge can be used to save countless others.¡± She then looked at Lawrence. ¡°If you can explain it to them, I¡¯m having trouble digesting all that information myself.¡± He nodded and then turned to the group, looking at each and everyone¡¯s face. His wife was clearly upset with the right hand clenching her left bicep. ¡°I was able to go through most of his notes, the most recent entry was about dragons, more specifically how their mana circuits closely resembles a death angel¡¯s or I should say the other way around. However since that winged death angel was too big to conduct experiments here and it would be suspicious if he just up and left the capital he had to use something or rather, someone else that could substitute it.¡± He then turned to Krieg. ¡°You are a descendant of a platinum dragon, or at least that is what Jakob concluded with the results of his tests.¡± Every pair of eyes in the room turned to Krieg. A dragon was by far one of the most powerful beings one could ever face in battle, however they are just as rare, the last sighting was a few years back when Eleonora was still queen of Arcadia. ¡°Me? Descendant of a dragon?¡± The knight laughed sourly. ¡°If I really was one don¡¯t you think I¡¯d be able to use magic?¡± ¡°That is the main catch. You are by far one of the most pure blooded descendants he ever came across. Minerva over there is also one, but there is less dragon blood inside her as her mana circuits resemble more of a human than a dragon.¡± Lawrence continued, his unrelenting hunger for knowledge was starting to show by the enthusiasm in explaining. ¡°Dragons by nature have closed mana circuits, they use their mana to strengthen their limbs and therefore achieve greater feats of physical prowess. However, unlike humans, they have what is called a breath sac within them, which converts the mana inside their bodies much like a mage casting a spell.¡± Leona glanced at the knight as thoughts began to form inside her head. ¡®Krieg was always very powerful, does that mean¡­¡¯ ¡°I believe the coma you were in is a result of mana overload. Since you can¡¯t vent out mana like other people do, your body succumbed to the excess and shutted down.¡± ¡°But I never felt anything prior to that.¡± ¡°That is the bizarre part of mana overload, unless someone else examines you, there is no way to know it¡¯s happening in the body, it¡¯s a silent killer. You were fortunate enough to just be unconscious, not many survive having their circuits overloaded with mana.¡± ¡°What I want to know is-¡± Leona voiced her question. ¡°-even with everything we went through up until now, Krieg never had that problem. Is there any logical explanation as to why now?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there were some studies regarding how mana overload could happen in normal circumstances.¡± Lawrence began to scratch the side of his head. ¡°Though nothing concrete came up, I remember reading about state of mind affecting circuit stability inside a person¡¯s body-¡± ¡°Point is-¡± Athena spoke up. ¡°-we presume from the final notes he wrote that he made some sort of serum by mixing Krieg¡¯s blood and the death angel¡¯s. Though he didn¡¯t write it down how he managed to do it. Well, regardless of how he did it, we can safely assume he is just as susceptible to magic as dragons and death angels are.¡± ¡°So our only options to kill them is magic or energy blade?¡± Phoebe asked. ¡°What about poison?¡± ¡°While I¡¯m sure poison of any kind would have some effect, I don¡¯t believe there is anything we can make that can take down a death angel- wait¡­¡± The scientist seemed to have reached an epiphany as he jumped off the chair and pulled out a small notepad and rudimentary graphite pencil which consisted in a chunk of sharpened carbon affixed to a wooden stick with string. ¡°That¡¯s it! Poison!¡± Everyone in the room looked at him with surprise. ¡°Remember how I explained in detail how the warm drinks worked? How instead of merely warming up the body it makes so mana circulates more easily throughout the body?¡± ¡°Wait, it does that?¡± Jill¡¯s surprised face made Hank chuckle over the other side of the room. ¡°So that is why it felt strange at first¡­¡± ¡°Now let¡¯s assume since Jakob¡¯s outer appearance changed greatly, his inner anatomy must also have changed.¡± Lawrence continued with his theory whilst frantically writing the idea down. ¡°Which leads me to believe if I change the formula a bit, I could make something that promotes the body to absorb mana from the ambient instead-¡± ¡°In turn it could cause a mana overload!¡± Athena looked at him with widened eyes. ¡°That is brilliant!¡± ¡°That is all assuming he indeed has closed his own mana circuits. If that¡¯s not the case and he is still able to use mana to strengthen himself that could spell the end for anyone fighting him, though what bothers me was his toughness, even if you coat yourself with mana it shouldn¡¯t protect you from a blade¡­¡± ¡°In any case-¡± Olivia had a tired expression on her face. ¡°-I¡¯ll call in whoever you need to do this.¡± She then turned to Leona¡¯s group. ¡°You should all rest for today. I¡¯ll have some of the scouts to look for Jakob but in the meantime I¡¯d like to have you all rested up and ready.¡± Phoebe stood up, looking directly at Olivia. ¡°If I may, I¡¯d like to join the scouting, I may not be of use when it comes to slaying beasts but I¡¯m confident in my tracking abilities.¡± ¡°Phoebe, don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± Leona spoke up but the high elf simply turned to her with a half smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for worry but after hearing what Lawrence and Athena said about fighting against that¡­ ¡®thing¡¯ I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be of any help. But even if blades or arrows won¡¯t work against it, if I manage to find them faster it¡¯ll work to our advantage don¡¯t you think?¡± The tactician frowned while looking downwards but then after a deep breath she looked at Phoebe with a weak smile on her face. ¡°Very well, you¡¯ve made your point. Just stay safe out there.¡± She nodded before heading outside the inn. The trio of soldiers also stood up and saluted before also going outside. ¡°I also have a bit of work to get done so I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Lawrence bowed and stood up looking at Athena. ¡°Need a hand?¡± ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± They made their way back to the workshop. After everyone else was gone the only ones that remained in the inn was the innkeeper himself working in the kitchen, Olivia who stood with both arms folded whilst frowning, Krieg who seemed a bit tired and Leona who was still visibly shaken from the day¡¯s events. With a sigh the captain unfolded her arms and headed to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to the two of them. Get some well deserved rest Princess, good night.¡± ¡°Good night and thank you for everything.¡± Olivia nodded before closing the door behind her. ¡°Leona.¡± Krieg called her, prompting the young woman to turn to him. ¡°I¡­ I must apologize for making you worry all this time.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Krieg. If anything it was mine for pushing myself beyond my limits.¡± She hung her head low while clenching both hands into tight fists. ¡°I¡­ I was too focused on the end goal that I neglected to be careful.¡± ¡°But you have changed.¡± He took her hands between his, just by looking at them he could tell she had been training with the blade by the calluses on her palm. ¡°I regret not being by your side in your time of need, but at least as a saving grace I¡¯ve been allowed to see you once again, hale and whole.¡± ¡°I should be the one saying that. I¡¯ve depended on you for far too long.¡± ¡°Hey, I know you¡¯d prefer to not have interruptions but after hearing all of your talk I¡¯d figure the lad needs some food.¡± Jano came from the kitchen with an enormous platter of his signature meal, lamb stroganov. ¡°Put up some weight, the young lady here needs you so make sure you won¡¯t be falling behind.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you Jano.¡± Leona was about to reach for her pockets but the innkeeper raised his palm to stop her. ¡°It¡¯s on the house, for dealing with that angel beast and all that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ very kind of you, thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it young lady, we have been through hell and back to hell again, thanks to you we made it in one piece.¡± He pulled a nearby chair and sat before pulling a rolled up cigar and lighting it up with a match. ¡°You know young lady, that blade you¡¯re carrying on your hip was my wife¡¯s.¡± Her eyes widened in surprise as he continued with his tale after puffing out a cloud of thick white smoke to the other direction. ¡°We used to be adventurers, working together, exploring the kingdoms and despite the hardships from the war, we led a happy life.¡± ¡°I never knew that¡­¡± She tightly grasped the scabbard with her left hand before turning to him. ¡°Then I must ask why did you give me this blade?¡± ¡°I¡¯m old, too old. I don¡¯t have any family left, it¡¯s just me and this old inn.¡± He puffed another cloud of smoke. ¡°But my wife¡¯s legacy, her belief for a brighter future still lives on that sword. It was with her until the very end when we were attacked by a death angel. It was that weapon that saved my life. ¡°That¡¯s more than enough reason to keep it!¡± She pulled the sheathed blade from her belt and was about to give it back but he simply chuckled before sighing, seeming somewhat melancholic. ¡±A weapon is not something you keep as a memory. Just like another tool, it should be used for the purpose it was created for and the moment you fought not only for your knight, but all the people in Londria made me realize that you are more than worthy to carry on with my wife¡¯s legacy.¡± Leona was at loss for words. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± She held the sheathed weapon with both hands. ¡°I¡¯m very grateful for your words and trust. I¡¯ll cherish it and hope to return it one day when I don¡¯t need it anymore.¡± ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll be able to abandon that path soon young lady.¡± He stood up and returned the chair he had borrowed from another table. ¡°Well then, if you need anything else just call, I¡¯ll be in the inn for the entire night.¡± ¡°Thank you Jano.¡± She answered with a weak smile on her face. Upon seeing his liege like so he silently made a vow to never leave her side ever again. Chapter LXXVII: Angelic Pursuit Inside the warehouse bunker, the first thing in the morning the tactician was looking through were books, journals, anything that could possibly help track down the madman that almost killed her knight. Deep down she felt a sense of urgency to finally put an end to him, yet, there was still too little to go on with as most of the scouts would come back with nothing regarding the whereabouts of the scientist. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take a break, Princess?¡± Olivia asked as she brought her a hot drink and placed it on the table in front of the mess of search materials. It was already a few hours past the afternoon, not that the tactician would¡¯ve known from the lack of outside light. ¡°I will soon. I just need to at least have a clue that points me in the right direction.¡± She took a deep breath and started to recall all the information she had collected about Jakob. From rumors to actual facts from people close to him, the man was enigmatic; not many knew about his dark hobbies and brutal ways to acquire knowledge. Though there was something that bothered her. Despite everything that transpired, even a cunning man such as him needed money to be able to do the things that he did unnoticed. The price to buy someone¡¯s silence was steep, if not buying, then threatening them into submission was also an option but in the end money was always in the process of acquiring those services. ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± An epiphany suddenly struck her mind as she stood up, almost knocking the warm drink on the table which luckily Olivia was fast enough to catch before it spilled on the papers. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± ¡°W-what? Do you have an idea?¡± ¡°There is a cave far to the south where bandits were using as a hideout, I vividly remember that inside was filled with treasures. He must have fled there.¡± The captain placed the cup of warm drink back on the table and sat down seemingly despondent on the idea. ¡°With all due respect Princess, do you know how insane that sounds? Why would he go there of all the places? I don¡¯t think he needs coins anymore.¡± ¡°There is a reason for it, don¡¯t you think paying bandits to kill and steal anything they find in illegal merchants is a fine way to disguise income? Nobody would bother searching for them and even if they did, by the legal systems of the kingdom they would go to jail anyway.¡± Olivia¡¯s eyes widened a bit. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting that he worked together with them?¡± Leona nodded. ¡°There is also the matter of the bodies inside that place, it bothered me that they didn¡¯t just toss them, after all the cave is near the pine forests which is home to wild beasts like bears and wolves.¡± Olivia frowned in disgust. ¡°You¡¯re not suggesting he used those people¡¯s bodies for his experiments?¡± ¡°I see no other logical explanation.¡± The captain gritted her teeth. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be there?¡± ¡°Most likely. Unless he¡¯s using the death angel to hunt in the woods, but that would easily be spotted by the scouts roaming near the capital.¡± ¡°We need to relay that information as fast as possible, your high elf companion said she would go as well didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Yes but I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be back until the evening.¡± Olivia bit on her own thumb. ¡°Pods aren¡¯t fast enough, we don¡¯t have any scouts in the barracks¡­ I could send in a request to general Vaan for help but then again it would take too much time¡­¡± ¡°I can only think of one way which would be asking Oliver to relay the information.¡± ¡°No, we are not depending on that man. He was Jakob¡¯s accomplice all this time, how are we to trust him after all the atrocities he committed alongside that madman?¡± ¡°How else are we supposed to get the information out fast? We don¡¯t know what Jakob is really capable of, the more time we take to find and kill him the more time he has to recover and counterattack.¡± Leona pinched her nose ridge and took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s put aside his crime for the greater good, it won¡¯t matter if he is guilty or not if everyone else perishes.¡± Olivia sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± She organized the papers on top of the table and glanced at Leona. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a break for now? I¡¯ll go check with the other captains about Oliver¡¯s situation and I¡¯ll let you know when I come back.¡± The tactician took a sip of the hot drink, which was lukewarm at that point leaving a strange taste in her mouth.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I¡¯ll take up your offer.¡± She was starting to feel a mild headache from going through countless booklets and journals. ¡°I¡¯ll head to the inn. Excuse me.¡± After bowing slightly she proceeded to exit the bunker out to the back of the warehouse. Seeing how there was nobody around she took a deep breath before speaking up. ¡°There you have it, the odds couldn¡¯t be stacked more against us and yet you deprive me of the only card I could play this late in the game.¡± Once she turned around towards the dead end, there was a spectral apparition of a cloaked old man, his body as well as his clothing was transparent and seemed like they were submerged in water as the frailed edges of the robe was floating around in the air. ¡°Miyamoto.¡± ¡°Thou are ill prepared to wield blade energy young lady. If thou do so again there is a chance thou might never make it back.¡± ¡°What difference does it make if I don¡¯t use it and we fail to kill him? Besides, I- you already used it once, why not again?¡± ¡°Young lady Leona, at that time thou might have not known, but thy body was becoming strained with excess mana. The lord of the void must have placed a curse within thou and it was eating away at thy soul.¡± Her eyes glanced towards the ground in front of her. ¡°Even so, I can¡¯t fail. Not this time when everyone has put their faith in me.¡± She closed her hands in tight fists. ¡°If not blade energy then what can I do? It¡¯s not like Jakob will open his mouth so I can shoot a fireball down his throat.¡± ¡°Thou haven¡¯t played all cards in thy hand.¡± She was about to retort, but once she looked up again he wasn¡¯t there anymore. The words of the old lord felt like scalding water on her back as her mind flared up frantically thinking about what she could¡¯ve possibly missed at that point. ¡°Is there still something I overlooked¡­?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you doing out here Leo?¡± The familiar voice from behind was Athena¡¯s, upon turning around Leona saw she held a long wooden stick to support her weight. ¡°I was just on my way back to the inn.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°What about you? I thought you were supposed to be resting.¡± ¡°Hah, as if I could afford such luxury. The preparations for the manafication engine are still underway and I need to be present for the adjustments, that being said, is Lawrence inside?¡± Leona shook her head. ¡°No, he left this morning. Said he had business to attend to with a certain friend of his.¡± ¡°Great. I just wasted my time coming here.¡± ¡°Want some help to walk back? I¡¯m on my way there to grab a bite to eat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take up your offer, I haven¡¯t eaten yet either. Oh but don¡¯t worry I can pay my share.¡± With her own shoulder, Leona managed to help Athena as they slowly made their way to the inn. Inside, there were a few clients but no one she recognized, they looked at the two young ladies before returning to their meal or conversation. ¡°Welcome back lady Leona, I see you brought lady Athena back with you.¡± They were greeted by the kind hulking Jano, who bowed upon seeing them enter the inn. ¡°That damn Lawrence wasn¡¯t there, the nerve.¡± Athena left her oversized walking stick beside the entryway. ¡°Jano, two lunch sets for us please.¡± ¡°Coming right up.¡± He bowed once again and headed to the kitchen to prepare the meal himself. Leona helped the inventor sit down and as she took her seat on the opposite side of the table, Athena began the conversation with a question. ¡°Be straight with me, how are the chances of your party actually killing Jakob?¡± ¡°Not great. Aside from Lady Elizabeth¡¯s blade energy there is little the rest of us can do. Unless I get a clear shot through his defenses, there is no way I can deal the killing blow with either magic or physical attacks. I haven¡¯t accounted for Krieg¡¯s strength but since he just recently recovered from being asleep for more than a month I don¡¯t want to push the responsibility on him.¡± ¡°What about Phoebe? Couldn¡¯t she have a trick up her sleeve to assassinate him?¡± ¡°If she had she wouldn¡¯t have mentioned scouting is the least she could do. Our options as of now are few, the only thing I can do is to prepare until we find him.¡± Leona looked through the window as snow flakes began to fall once again signaling another incoming storm. ¡°I just hope she isn¡¯t pushing herself too hard¡­¡± Far from the capital walls Phoebe made her way through the deep snow, traversing the plains in such condition would prove fatal to anyone unprepared or inexperienced, luckily to the high elf, years of tracking down targets through the most unlikely conditions made her quite skilled in trekking across all kinds of terrains. ¡°...¡± Her deep blue eyes glanced upon the orange sky as she wondered if somewhere out there her mother was watching her. In order to move faster she made a snowshoe out of malleable wood she borrowed from the warehouse and as a result she was barely sinking in the deep snow that covered the seemingly endless plains around the capital. ¡®Now¡­ if I was a madman, where would I hide?¡¯ She snickered to herself. ¡®As if I could come up with anything with so little information. This is like looking for a needle in a haystack.¡¯ Her eyes once again glanced up. ¡®I¡¯ve come this far, yet it feels so out of reach¡­¡¯ She tightened her cold red fingers into a fist. There was a certain insecurity in her mind, despite being an infamous assassin, infamy didn¡¯t quite translate into skill as the only important target for her was still much out of her reach. The high elf shook her head, she had to focus, despite lacking the means to kill her target, she was there to find him. But where to look? Where to start? It was truly a blind game of cat and mouse, though cat and elephant would be more appropriate for the foe she was facing. ¡®High elf.¡¯ ¡°Gah!¡± She jumped from surprise as a male voice echoed in her mind and ended up falling face first into the snow. ¡°Pfft! Dammit!¡± ¡®It is me, Oliver, your liege requested me to tell you to head over to the southern cave where we first met, my father is probably there.¡¯ Phoebe smacked the snow with both fists and begrudgingly stood up before thinking. ¡®How can I even trust you¡¯re not giving me false information?¡¯ She swore she could hear him sigh even through telepathy. ¡®Phoebe Hawkeye, you were assigned by Queen Eleonora in order to bring Krieg to the eastern kingdom. Does this prove anything to you?¡¯ She clicked her tongue before thinking. ¡®I suppose so. I¡¯ll head there, contact me within three hours.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll relay that information to your liege.¡¯ ¡°She¡¯s not my liege you brainless idiot.¡± After patting away the snow on her body she adjusted her clothing before starting to walk again. She knew it was going to be a long night. Chapter LXXVIII: Hunter Hunted In the unforgiving cold night, Phoebe managed to make her way back to the cave where it all started. However she didn¡¯t even need to take a step inside to feel something was wrong. The stench of death reached her nose and she instinctively recoiled back to avoid breathing the foul odor. ¡®Something definitely isn¡¯t right.¡¯ She grabbed a piece of cloth and tied around her nose and mouth to serve as a makeshift mask. ¡®It must be here.¡¯ She took off her snowshoes and slowly made her way inside, she didn¡¯t even bother taking out her weapons because she knew it would be pointless to attack and there was any point in time she had to do so, she would¡¯ve been dead anyway. Her steps were light, making nary a sound as she went deeper into the cave through the familiar long hall of stone, though she noticed there were now groves along the wall and ceiling as if the stone was carved with metal. As she went further in the stronger the stench became, even passing through the mask she wore which made her feel nauseous. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± She forced herself to keep breathing through her nose and after a while she was managing to mostly ignore the smell. ¡®I hope Leona is right.¡¯ She thought while carefully approaching the entrance to the next room. After reaching the very edge of the opening she slowly peeked over the ground level in order to see deeper inside the room. She had to do her best to not let a gasp out as she saw the bandit hideout being turned into a horrifying slaughterhouse, mangled bodies left and right, some even hanging from the ceiling with darkened rotten blood dripping from the extremities, bones, sinew, flesh were all scattered around and the previously sparkling coins and treasure were all but a mess of red. ¡°Heavens above¡­¡± In the middle of all the carnage there was the death angel in the center of the room munching down countless bodies within its terrible maw as the transfigured scientist sat on top of a coin mount holding a headless torso as if it was a mug while drinking the blood from within. ¡®I should get out of here quick.¡¯ After confirming her quarry Phoebe was about to make her way back when she felt a sharp cold breeze hit her back and shortly after one of the death angel¡¯s snake heads to raise up and lick the air a few times. A terrible chill went down her spine and she followed her instincts to run as she turned around and made a mad dash towards the exit. As soon as she turned the corner of the room near the entrance she felt the ground tremble, she was sure she wasn¡¯t seen but her guts were telling her to keep moving and so she did without hesitation, upon exiting the cave she ignored the snowshoes and began to run as fast as she could. She was already about five steps away from the cave when she suddenly felt a presence behind her and the moment she turned around the only thing she was able to see was a snake maw before it bit her right on the head. ¡°Nnngh!¡± Her instinct was to draw both daggers and try to puncture through the death angel¡¯s arm except neither of the blades were able to break through the hardened scales of its body. Fortunately for her the sharp fangs closed around her cranium instead of crushing it to a pulp, however despite Phoebe¡¯s best attempts to struggle free of the beast¡¯s grasp it was starting to lift her off the ground by holding her head in place. ¡°Well, well¡­ what do we have here¡­ if I remember correctly, you¡¯re the high elf I heard from Oliver¡¯s reports.¡± She recognized that voice, it was Jakob just somewhere behind the death angel as she could tell by the distance of his voice. ¡°Came here to scout huh? It is truly unfortunate that you came alone, I was in need of more nutritional nourishment.¡± ¡°Gh¡­ you truly are despicable, using your own countrymen for your ends.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh girl, aren¡¯t you the same? Why would a high elf band together with the human riff raff? Wasn¡¯t your kind superior in every sense of the world? You must have some sort of ulterior motive for doing so.¡± He mocked her. ¡°Not that it matters now. You¡¯ll serve just as another meal and no one is coming to save you.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t die in a place like this!¡± She quickly reached for her back pocket and pulled a glass vial filled with transparent liquid. In one smooth motion she tossed it down the throat of the snake head and with her left hand she smashed the glass vial from outside with the dagger¡¯s pommel. It didn¡¯t even take more than a second for the death angel to release her while flailing in pain. Upon falling on her back against the snow she rolled backwards and tossed another vial towards the scientist whilst throwing the dagger shortly after. The vial broke midair as it was hit by the dagger and splashed the transparent liquid on Jakob. ¡°What the?!¡± He shielded himself but once the liquid was on his arm it started to sizzle making him drop the torso he was carrying. ¡°Argh! You little!¡± Acid. It was one of the most dangerous chemicals she carried with her and it was reserved only for a few rare occasions, but since her life was on the line she couldn¡¯t afford to be stingy with supplies that could save her life. Without waiting another second she began to run through the snow towards the forest, where she could have a better chance at getting away. ¡®Where do I go? Are they still far away?¡¯ Her mind was rushing in order to formulate a plan to lose them. ¡®I have to go up if I want to leave no trail.¡¯ Upon reaching one of the trees she quickly climbed up and began to traverse the pine forest from treetop to treetop. After a few minutes she stopped on a branch to catch her breath. ¡°I need¡­ to contact them¡­¡± She began to focus her mind hoping that it would reach Oliver however before she could think about anything an object violently hit her in the back, breaking the branch she was standing on and sending her a few meters forward where she hit her head against a tree and fell on the forest floor. ¡°Ack!¡± Her back felt like it was on fire. A second later a mangled body fell from the tree, it was the same headless torso Jakob was using to drink blood from. ¡°You must be the most annoying test subject I had to deal with.¡± His voice echoed in the distance as both Phoebe¡¯s vision and hearing was impaired. ¡°But they do say a troublesome prey is a good meal after a tiresome hunt. We¡¯ll see if that holds true, dear high elf.¡± The last thing she felt was something grab her left ankle and drag her through the ground as her consciousness faded away. ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t contact her?!¡± Back in the capital, Leona slammed the table in front of Oliver who had both his hands and feet shackled with thick steel manacles, he was inside the barracks in a room made to interrogate prisoners, with only the tactician and Olivia present. Leona was obviously in a state of panic after the elf supposedly tried to speak with Phoebe through telepathy and wasn¡¯t able to.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know. She should be within my range, unless¡­¡± ¡°Unless?!¡± ¡°Unless she¡¯s unconscious.¡± She put her hands on each side of her head. Frustration was getting the better of her. That¡¯s where Olivia stepped in. ¡°Listen Oliver, you¡¯ve lost everything, status, name, honor, even the friendship of the person you loved. If you deprive anyone else of their friend or family I swear on my name you¡¯ll rue the day you chose this path for yourself.¡± ¡°I am telling you the truth.¡± He looked to the center of the table, his head hanging low. ¡°All I wanted was for Athena to be safe from that madman, I didn¡¯t wish for any of this.¡± ¡°But you helped him nonetheless.¡± The captain took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough. Leona, you should prepare your group. Go to that cave as fast as you can, don¡¯t let your friend become just another subject for that despicable man.¡± ¡°I¡­ I will, excuse me.¡± Upon exiting the room, Leona quickly made her way back to the inn, almost everyone was inside, Krieg, Athena, Arthur, Henry, Jill, Hank, Minerva, Elizabeth were all waiting for good news for a change. Once she arrived through the front door the excitement on everyone¡¯s faces soon disappeared at the sight of the tactician¡¯s pale complexion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Leo?¡± Athena was the first to question. ¡°Did Phoebe not find him there?¡± ¡°No, quite on the contrary, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s there now.¡± ¡°Then why the long face? Shouldn¡¯t we be preparing to go and finish this once and for all?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because¡­ he¡­ he did something to her.¡± The inventor¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No¡­¡± Elizabeth, who was leaning against the far wall sighed as she stepped forward. ¡°Then all the more reason to hurry. Let¡¯s meet by the front gate in half an hour, I¡¯ll see you there.¡± The assassin exited the inn. Minerva turned towards where Leona was. ¡°My mother isn¡¯t the best with words, I apologize.¡± She held both hands near her chest. ¡°Know that I¡¯ll be praying with all my heart for you and your comrades Lady Leona.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind words Minerva.¡± Leona forced herself to smile despite the grim situation. Timidly, Arthur raised his hand which prompted everyone to look at the usually quiet young man. ¡°I¡¯d like to help.¡± The comment made Athena lightly close her hands into fists. ¡°Art¡­¡± ¡°Sister, you yourself have seen how much destruction that man has caused. You originally made that weapon to fight against death angels, just give me a chance.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Her head hung low. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly let you bear that burden again.¡± ¡°I- I won¡¯t let myself become someone who hides behind others, not this time!¡± He raised his voice as he stood up from where he sat which was surprising but it still didn¡¯t faze Athena who looked him straight in the eyes. ¡°Art, you¡¯re not in shape to-¡± ¡°Athena, you heard him the first time.¡± Lawrence was glancing at her with a serious look on his face. ¡°If he is confident he¡¯ll be able to help, you should let him do it.¡± ¡°But even so, do you expect me to send my brother to his death sentence?¡± Seeing how there was an impasse and neither side budged, the tactician slammed the table in front of her. ¡°Listen to what I have to say.¡± Leona took a deep breath as she looked at each of everyone¡¯s faces. ¡°The battle that is about to take place will decide not only the future of this kingdom but for the world as well.¡± She then turned towards Athena. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have your reasons to deny your brother¡¯s help but can you at least explain why?¡± The inventor nodded. ¡°Ever since Lawrence started the treatment with the warm drinks his condition has been improving, the problem itself lies in the weapon he¡¯s asking to use.¡± ¡°Which would be¡­?¡± Athena looked around the room, yet everyone looked at her with anticipation. She sighed and stood up. ¡°Come with me, it¡¯s in the warehouse.¡± In about five minutes everyone made their way to the workshop, inside the large building they traversed through the space they used to build engines and beyond there was a singular table in a separate room filled with tools and parts of a supposed firearm. Behind a stack of tall crates Athena removed a piece of orange tarp that covered a wide rectangular wooden locked box, from the outside it seemed just another container amidst the countless others but after asking for Hank and Henry to lift it up on the table she pulled a key from her pocket and opened it. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Henry was the first to see since he was in front, after he stepped aside Leona managed to take a peek inside the box. Lying sideways on the container there was a rifle far bigger than any she had seen before, the barrel alone was almost her height, the bolt was the size of her arm and along the wooden stock it surpassed her, almost reaching Krieg¡¯s chin. ¡°Since when did you have this?¡± Leona asked curiously. ¡°I ordered the construction the day before we went to gather frostburnt silver.¡± Her hands clenched around the body of the massive weapon. ¡°I wanted to help, I had to do something, but in the end the only feeling I had after creating this thing is regret.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t anyone be able to use it? I mean it is just simply a bigger version of the rifles we use isn¡¯t it?¡± Jill asked. ¡°Not quite. Unlike a normal rifle which is chambered with rounds made with gunpowder, this one instead uses frostburnt silver propellant in order to deliver the projectile to the target which requires magic to activate.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t Princess Leona be able to use it?¡± Henry asked this time. ¡°If you input more magic than the bullet can handle it¡¯ll result in an explosion.¡± Arthur explained. ¡°I am the only one who used this kind of weapon extensively to know how much I should use.¡± ¡°I would ask if you could change the propellant from frostburnt silver to gunpowder but something tells me you¡¯d have done it if it was that simple.¡± Leona glanced back at Athena who disappointedly nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the time to test this weapon with normal propellant, if I were to do it now it would take at least a few hours. That is time we don¡¯t have.¡± She clenched her hands into tight fists. ¡°All the more reason to let me use it.¡± Arthur grabbed her hands. ¡°Please sister, if not for them we would still be in that cave or worse.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes were on the inventor who took a deep breath. ¡°I will allow it on one condition. You must be accompanied by someone else other than the frontliners, I won¡¯t let you be anywhere near that monster.¡± Henry gave Arthur a pat on the back. ¡°You did it lad.¡± The soldier then turned to Athena. ¡°Worry not, we¡¯ll make sure your brother comes back hale and sound.¡± ¡°But how much ammunition do you have?¡± Hank stepped forward to ask. ¡°Just three bullets.¡± Athena answered while reaching for a hemp bag inside the wooden box. From it she took out a massive round that was considerably larger than her hand, the shape wasn¡¯t any different from a normal rifle bullet however from the base of the projectile up until halfway through the brass casing another material was used to make it. ¡°Is this, frostburnt silver?¡± Leona asked as she noticed the faint blue glow since Athena held the ammo by the brass part. ¡°Yes. Inside we have silver powder with a special conductive primer that allows the user to channel mana through it. In theory, a skilled mage could fire this without a gun, however it not only be inaccurate but also dangerous should they make a mistake while pouring mana through it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°In any case¡­¡± She put the bullet inside the hemp sack again and then in the wooden box. She then turned to her brother. ¡°Art, you are the only family I have left, promise me no matter what happens you will put yourself above anything else.¡± He nodded once and this time he seemed resolved. ¡°Then¡­ go, see that monster is killed for good.¡± Leona had a small smile on her face which soon turned into a serious expression as she walked past everyone towards the exit. ¡®I will save you Phoebe.¡¯ Chapter LXXIX: Hell’s Gate The feeling of a deep rooted dread was starting to resurface in Leona¡¯s mind as they were leaving the capital. Krieg, Leona and Minerva were trekking through the snow while wearing properly made snowshoes from the merchant guild, a few meters behind them a pod carrying the trio of soldiers, Hank, Jill and Henry along with Athena''s younger brother, Arthur. The three on foot were supposed to reach the cave sooner than the pod which was much slower than them due to the massive weight. ¡°Lady Elizabeth, how can you see in this darkness?¡± Leona asked as she tried her best to see past the line that vanished into the storm in front of her. In front of her, the assassin led the group by tying a fishing line around her own waist which went all the way back to the pod in order for them to traverse through the snow plains. ¡°Once you get used to traveling on foot at night it becomes a simple task to go back the way you came.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s quite that simple.¡± Krieg who was behind Leona held his unsheathed greatsword by the pommel while leaving the massive blade resting sideways against his right shoulder. ¡°This requires great amounts of focus and knowledge.¡± ¡°I could say the same to you, knight. To tell the others that I should be the one leading the way.¡± ¡°A soldier¡¯s intuition, if you will.¡± Despite the bad visibility from the night and storm, they were making their way through the snow mostly fine thanks to Elizabeth¡¯s navigational skills, enhanced warm drinks and new clothing as a gift of thanks from Jean. Leona wore a dark green military uniform with the back of her hair tied up in a small high ponytail, she still had both steel gauntlets on for protection. ¡°Lady Elizabeth. How much longer until we reach that place?¡± The tactician asked as she was about to pop open another can of warm drink. The container she held was vastly different from the ones she had before, the top of the can had a rotating spring while under it had a metal like needle. ¡°Not much longer. Save the warm drink for later if you¡¯re thinking about using one.¡± Leona slid the container back in her waist belt that carried two more of the same can. Despite being much colder than she was used to, thanks to the combination of good clothing insulation and the enhanced warm drink she felt only a mild discomfort in her exposed face as the storm¡¯s frigid wind brushed against her nose. Meanwhile behind her, Krieg was faring rather well for someone who just awoken recently from a month¡¯s slumber, carrying some supplies in a rucksack over his left shoulder he was managing to keep up with the two of them without a problem. However what worried him was the state of his liege¡¯s mind rather than the peculiar situation they were in. Before they left, both him and Leona had a rather serious conversation at the gates of the capital. ¡°Krieg.¡± The knight turned around to face her, she wore an unusually serious expression on her face. ¡°Yes?¡± Fidgeting, she grasped the sides of her trousers as she spoke. ¡°I want to save Phoebe more than anything. I owe her a great deal for taking care of you and myself.¡± Her grip tightened around her clothes. Krieg could feel her tension as his own when she asked. ¡°Do you trust in me?¡± ¡°I¡¯d follow you to the ends of the world and back, just say the word and my blade is yours.¡± Her head lowered for a second before she looked at him again with a sad smile. ¡°Thank you Krieg. It¡¯s reassuring to have you at my side.¡± Those were words he didn¡¯t expect to hear anytime soon from someone he watched grow up under the loving care of her family. If circumstances allowed he¡¯d protect her from everything the world could throw at him, but as things stood, he felt anger for not being there for the person that mattered the most to him. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s voice brought him back to the present as his blade found purchase with the soft snow as he changed his stance with the greatsword just behind him. Despite the freezing cold, sweat was building up on Leona¡¯s forehead as she took deep breaths to stabilize her already fast beating heart. The cave was just a few steps ahead of them, Elizabeth had her left hand resting on the scabbard of her blade while her other hand reached for her back pocket in search of cigarettes. Leona unsheathed her silver longsword, her right arm was trembling from fear but it stopped once she held her own wrist with the left hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The tactician¡¯s serious voice not only was to reassure herself of the upcoming battle but to also give courage to those two around her. ¡°Our objective remains the same, save Phoebe and slay Jakob. Put your own lives above the mission, if you need to fall back just say the word.¡± They both nodded before heading inside, Elizabeth led the group as she lit up her cigarette with a spark of lightning, she would occasionally let out a puff of smoke as it trailed back to the other two behind her. Krieg made sure to be in front of the tactician in order to protect her if anything was to attack them. A few meters inside, there was a strange warm breeze accompanied by a foul stench of rotten flesh and blood. Leona instinctively recoiled from the unbearable odor. ¡°Keep breathing through your nose.¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it eventually.¡± She tossed the cigarette aside and glanced over her shoulder as she walked. ¡°So our main objective is to rescue your friend but after that I¡¯m free to do whatever I want, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, but we¡¯ll have Arthur ready at the entrance should we need to fall back. But I think they¡¯ll need time to set up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if I don¡¯t finish things up before that happens.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. They reached the end of the tunnel into the entrance of the former treasure room, there was a strange red tint to the interior and despite the lack of torches the eerie dim red glow was enough to allow them to see inside. Elizabeth knelt right beside the entrance and inspected the immediate vicinity. ¡°Where is Phoebe?¡± Leona¡¯s voice was filled with anxiety; her stomach felt like it was twisting on its own from the stress alone. ¡°Take it slow young lady.¡± The assassin warned her. ¡°Any mistake now and we could end up dead or worse.¡± Her left hand brought the weapon¡¯s handle in front of her as her other hand gently rested on it. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way, stay up here with him and you should be fine.¡± Inside of the spacious dome room was quiet, too quiet. Elizabeth knew it would only be a matter of time before she found her quarry. She slowly made her way down through the zig zagging ramp and as soon as she took a step on the ground floor she felt a sticky sensation grab lightly against the sole of her boots, it was congealed blood, already dry enough to not be a liquid but not enough to be completely solid. ¡®Where would you be, Jakob?¡¯ She thought for herself before hearing a slight gasp to the mountain of corpses on her left. Upon quickly turning around she noticed it was a high elf of black hair and deep blue eyes tucked amidst the countless bodies her breathing was ragged and weak. Once her mouth opened she was only able to mutter one short sentence. ¡°Behind- you!¡± Elizabeth turned around her right side letting the centrifugal force unsheathe the blade halfway from the scabbard before she firmly grasped the handle, in a matter of milliseconds she focused her mana with pinpoint accuracy as she slashed the incoming corpse thrown her way with a thin light blue wave of mana. ¡°Ha! As expected from the King Slayer herself.¡± The familiar voice came from somewhere to the east side of the room, once the assassin looked up she noticed the death angel was attached to the ceiling by the claws of its feet while using the uncut right snake arm as a ledge for the scientist to stay on. ¡°I found her!¡± Elizabeth shouted. ¡°He¡¯s up on the ceiling!¡± Stepping in front of Krieg, Leona sharpened her mind to create the most deadly spell she could as both of her hands stayed on each side of her body. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring ruin to mine enemies, Fireball!¡± Spheres of fire appeared one on each hand as she sent both fiery projectiles forward with the aid of wind magic. Once he noticed the blue flickering light coming closer to where he was he jumped off towards the ground however the spells Leona had cast was much more potent than any she had used previously and once the spheres made contact with the stone wall they both erupted in a burst of vicious flames that engulfed the death angel. ¡°Now is your chance!¡± After quickly sheathing her sword, the assassin managed to pull the blood covered high elf out of the pile of corpses. However the moment Elizabeth lifted her she sensed something was wrong, the young woman that was supposed to weigh about the same as herself was much lighter. ¡°Nngh! Aaaaaaagh!¡± Phoebe had both of her legs missing from the thighs down as if they were torn apart from flesh and bone. ¡°Goddess above¡­¡± The assassin embraced her by supporting her back and hips with her forearms while each hand held a firm grip. In a split second she heard a growl coming from behind her and she dodged an attack from the death angel by sidestepping to her left which made the snake head embed itself against the pile of corpses in front of her. Without wasting any time she kicked the angel¡¯s limb and used the momentum to run back up the zig zagging ramp. When she was about halfway to the exit, Jakob lunged from beneath in an attempt to strike at the assassin¡¯s back only to be met by Krieg¡¯s blade with a horizontal slash. ¡°Kuh!¡± The knight managed to hit the man eater on the ribs and as the sword connected he stepped in to use his body weight canceling the abomination¡¯s momentum mid air. ¡°Hmph!¡± Using his strength, he managed to send Jakob flying right into the mountain of corpses below. ¡°Now Krieg!¡± Upon hearing Leona shout he tossed the greatsword back deeper into the tunnel and grabbed the burlap bag he held and pulled out a knotted sack. He rushed back to the dome room and tossed it upwards. ¡°Winds of time, release thy might, Wind Blast!¡± Her spell bursted the sack midair and it exploded in a cloud of flour powder. At that time Elizabeth ran past them carrying the high elf and kept running towards the exit of the cave. Krieg and Leona began to run behind the assassin. Inside the treasure room, Jakob stood up from the pile of corpses with a nasty looking wound in between one of his ribs that began to regenerate. ¡°He is surprisingly powerful.¡± He muttered before taking notice of the fine powder that was settling in the room. ¡°What is this¡­? Flour?¡± Once he noticed what it meant he shouted towards the death angel. ¡°Protect me!¡± Midway through the tunnel towards the exit of the cave, Leona quickly turned around and charged two different spells in each hand. ¡°Northern winds hearken to me, freeze those who oppose me¡­¡± Her left hand began to tremble as the spell was at its most powerful stage. However she stopped the previous chant and pointed her right towards the end of the tunnel. ¡°Piercing Flame!¡± The moment she released the azure fiery lance she then swung her left hand upwards as she finished the chant of the previous spell. ¡°-Ice Wall!¡± A violent burst of ice spikes created a thick wall that covered the entire tunnel, but the moment she had released that spell her body felt spent as she was about to fall on her back Krieg managed to support her with his left arm. ¡°Hold on tight.¡± He warned as he picked her up against his left chest and ran to the exit, a few seconds later the ground trembled as if an earthquake was happening, the tunnel began to collapse from the tremendous force released inside, the ice wall behind them were starting to crack and as both of them made it out of the tunnel a powerful gust of wind shot out rocks and debris with deadly speed, one almost hitting Krieg¡¯s head but thankfully they managed to get out unscathed. ¡°Hah¡­ ha¡­¡± Leona dropped right on the snow but disregarding the extreme headache she was feeling she turned to the knight. ¡°See- see that she gets the proper treatment.¡± Beside the entrance, Elizabeth was already giving first aid to the high elf who struggled to breathe. By tying both thighs tightly with a piece or rope, the assassin managed to stop the bleeding, but Phoebe¡¯s face was already quite devoid of color. ¡°Knight!¡± She shouted. ¡°Give me the mana shot!¡± ¡°On it!¡± He took out a wooden box and smashed the lock with the tip of his greatsword, inside the simple container, there were three syringes similar to the warm drinks Leona carried on her hip but unlike them, the contents were light blue. Krieg passed one to her and Elizabeth injected Phoebe with the liquid on her thigh. ¡°Argh! Nngh!¡± ¡°Endure it!¡± The high elf was clenching her teeth in pain but she nodded nonetheless. Shortly after the assassin took out a reinforced flask that contained a green liquid and tossed its contents all over her torn muscles in order to soothe the pain. ¡°Take her back to the pod, it should be arriving at any moment now¡­¡± Leona stood up only to almost fall again, luckily Krieg was beside her and supported her with his left arm. ¡°We need to take care of-¡± As she was about to finish her sentence, the collapsed entrance exploded in debris and dust. Krieg readied his greatsword while standing in between Leona and whatever was about to come out of the cave. ¡°Take Phoebe and leave!¡± Her shout made Elizabeth flinch for a second before taking the high elf and running off. Leona took the other two syringes from the wooden box, injected one in her arm and tossed the empty needle on the snow, she then took out the warm drink and drank its contents before putting the extra mana shot in the belt. Her body felt like it was burning from inside out, she felt mana surge from within and the previous headache she had was already gone. They heard footsteps coming out of the cave and Krieg turned his head slightly to his liege. ¡°Leona. No matter what happens, I trust you with each and every fiber of my being, just say the word and it¡¯ll guide my blade.¡± ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± She smiled briefly before changing her focus on the entrance of the cave. ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to this.¡± Chapter LXXX: Pinnacle of the Heavens It was still night, though the storm had passed and the full moon was setting, there was still enough light to see in the night. If Leona had never stared death in the eyes, that moment she certainly did. Once the monstrous scientist stepped out of the cave, not only was he missing his entire left arm, but also part of his face, leaving his exposed skull in full view. Seeing flesh and bone knit in such a grotesque manner certainly did no good for her stomach, but in the face of such a terrifying foe she managed to pick herself together and focus on the battle that was about to happen. ¡°You¡­¡± Jakob uttered as he pointed his right index finger towards Leona. ¡°I will have your limbs torn out as I experiment with your body and soul!¡± He dashed straight at her with his claws ready to gore her. While able to keep her head straight, Leona focused on her left ankle and quickly casted without chanting. ¡°Frost Rampart!¡± A burst of ice arced from the very tip of her left foot around the knight and exploded against the scientist¡¯s ribs causing him to momentarily stop. That split second he stayed in place was enough for Krieg to land a big overhead swing with his greatsword. ¡°Hmph!¡± A thick cloud of snow shot up from the ground due the knight¡¯s immense force. Even seeing how strong the impact was she yelled to him. ¡°Fall back Krieg!¡± Upon hearing her command, the knight jumped out of the way as she charged two azure fireballs one on each hand. ¡°Crushing Flames!¡± Once she released the spells, both fell in an arc before touching the ground upon which released so much heat it evaporated the snow in the immediate vicinity with its fiery explosion. Seeing the blazing inferno in front of him made Krieg wonder if those flames weren¡¯t on par with Adele¡¯s spells. However his thoughts were cut short by the slight movement he noticed amidst the flames as he readied his weapon with both hands pointing at the threat. ¡®Did he manage to survive that?!¡¯ Noticing the knight¡¯s reaction made Leona have second thoughts as she stepped back a few times before charging another spell on her right hand, this time an ice one as she was about to prepare a second one on the other hand she began to feel faint. She stumbled, almost losing her footing before falling on her knees which made the spell fizzle out. ¡®Not now!¡¯ What she felt was mana shock, once a spell caster¡¯s mana dropped below a certain level in their bodies it would cause a mild dizziness, which in consequence would dampen their abilities to cast spells and should they even succeed, the consequences of pushing beyond one¡¯s limit could be fatal. However, there is a way for one to overcome their limits, one was extensive training, not that the tactician would¡¯ve known and the other was increasing her body¡¯s capability to absorb mana from the ambient. She took out the syringe and almost at the same time, injected the liquid through her thigh while also chugging down the last warm drink she had. ¡°Do not think this is over!¡± Jakob¡¯s disfigured voice echoed throughout the white covered plains like a roar of a mad beast. ¡°I am Jakob Arc! The sole man to stand atop the pinnacle of creation! You will NOT defy me!¡± Amidst the blazing inferno, Krieg saw the grotesque abomination stand up, but to his shock, the mad scientist had all his limbs intact as if nothing had happened. The elf however didn¡¯t seem like he was interested in the knight and instead was slowly walking towards Leona who was still kneeling on the snow a few meters ahead. Krieg dashed in front of him and raised his blade parallel to his body with a firm grip. ¡°You¡¯ll go no further.¡± The knight proclaimed as his red eyes seemed to emit an eerie glow. ¡°For her sake, I will not fail!¡± ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Jakob lunged with a wide overhead swing of his left claw, Krieg stepped to the right and avoided it completely, which the scientist responded by trying to swipe at him with the other hand. The knight swung down the greatsword and parried the incoming attack then followed up with a horizontal slash of his own that was meant to decapitate the beast however even after connecting, the blade merely scratched the surface of his throat turning the fatal blow into a mere flesh wound. ¡°You won''t make it past me!¡± Seeing how ineffective it was, he decided to use even more strength and used the momentum of the blade to carry his body in a spin which led the sword to once again hit his target dead center on the chest, sending him back a few meters back. But much like when he struck his foe¡¯s throat, it left nothing more but a mere surface wound. ¡°Your power alone is impressive, given you are no dragon but only a demi-human.¡± Jakob felt his throat with his hand as its skin was closing. ¡°But enough of games, you¡¯ll die here knowing that I will bear no mercy to your precious little princess.¡± He clenched his teeth and raised his sword once again. ¡°I won¡¯t allow it!¡± Krieg began to unleash attacks one after another with enough strength that would cleave any man in half, however this time Jakob seemed to be matching each and every swing that would connect by simply parrying at the flat surface of the weapon. ¡°You were merely a stepping stone-¡± Jakob swatted the weapon back which made Krieg¡¯s body lean backwards but from there the knight knew what he could do. ¡°Hah!¡± By using the small space the scientist had just created, the knight stepped forward and used all his strength added to the weight of his body into one powerful overhead swing. Krieg felt clearly through the handle of his weapon that he had indeed cleaved into bone, but just to his surprise the ungodly abomination had blocked the attack with his left forearm. He tried to pull the sword out but it felt like Jakob¡¯s flesh was holding the blade in place between each part of his torn muscle. ¡°-this is the end for you.¡± The scientist grabbed Krieg by the throat with his right hand which made him try to pry open the beast giant hands, but his fingers barely moved despite the knight using his full force. ¡°Argh!¡± He raised his left arm and tossed out the stuck greatsword as if his arm spitted out between the flesh and bones before preparing to pierce the knight.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Die knowing your princess will witness your pathetic death!¡± Meters ahead, Leona was just managing to recover from the mana shock symptoms and as she raised her head she saw a scene of pure terror. Much like when her father was decapitated right in front of her, seeing Krieg about to be mercilessly pierced by a monster made all of her senses go haywire in an attempt to save him. ¡°KRIEG!¡± She yelled, but no matter how hard she tried to concentrate in order to cast a spell it would simply fizzle out, Jakob noticed her terror as a grim of enjoyment began to appear on his face. As he was about to kill the knight, Leona yelled from the top of her lungs. ¡°NOOOOO!¡± A deafening explosion echoed somewhere behind the tactician as the only thing she saw next was part of Jakob¡¯s right arm being torn off down to the bone. ¡°ARGH!¡± He released the knight that fell on his back on the snow as the scientist stumbled backwards from the impact. ¡°Hey Leona!¡± She felt someone touch her shoulder and upon looking up she noticed it was Elizabeth. ¡°Thank the goddess, the kid managed to hit the shot but we need to put an end to this!¡± Looking further back, the pod was stationary on top of the white hill with the back hatch open; from there, Arthur held the anti-death angel rifle prone on the pod¡¯s floor. She then turned to the assassin with a sudden surge of determination. ¡°I have a plan to kill him for good, but I need your help!¡± Elizabeth had a smirk on her face. ¡°My blade is yours.¡± Leona took her hand and stood up before charging headfirst towards the scientist. ¡°Argh!¡± Jakob grunted. ¡°What manner of weapon can do this to me?!¡± ¡°Frost Rampart!¡± He heard the same quick chant and noticed Leona quickly approaching him whilst creating a wall of ice parallel to her as she ran. ¡°Foolish princess! Came here to die first in your knight¡¯s place?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to die here!¡± She suddenly stopped and made the ice wall curve in front of him, covering both her and Krieg. ¡°A mere spell won¡¯t be able to stop me!¡± He smashed through the ice as if it was made of snow and expected to be able to claw the tactician but to his surprise, Elizabeth was standing right in front of the wall with her sheathed sword primed with mana. ¡°Have a taste of this!¡± The assassin drew her blade and in one motion there was a flash of light blue light that was meant to decapitate him, however he was able to just barely sacrifice his right forearm in order to block the incoming strike, which sent the cut limb flying behind him. ¡°Elizabeth!¡± Jakob roared as he was about to counter her with his left claw before Leona shouted. ¡°Now Krieg!¡± The knight suddenly appeared from the other side of the broken wall and parried his attack with one of his own. ¡°Argh! You insects!¡± The tactician ducked and dashed in between Elizabeth and Krieg, upon extending her hands out she was barely touching Jakob¡¯s waist as she quickly casted six spells in succession. ¡°Cutting Wave! Piercing Ice! Cutting Wave! Piercing Ice! Cutting Wave!! She was barely keeping herself conscious with each consecutive spell she casted, the high pressure from Water Blade in conjunction with the low temperature of Ice Spear would cause flesh and sinew to be unable to regenerate whilst frozen while also at the same time making short work of both through sheer firepower. ¡°DAMN YOU!¡± He was about to use his mouth to bite Leona¡¯s head off however Arthur managed to hit him square in the chest which would¡¯ve knocked him back if it wasn¡¯t for the last spell the tactician had used. ¡°By the blessings of my creator, I order it to halt, time and space, Diamond Frost!¡± A unique spell devised by Leona herself, though accidentally, it was so powerful it could freeze most if not all substances known to her, which included blood and flesh. ¡°Wh- WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!¡± ¡°No you won¡¯t!¡± Krieg shouted as he used the flat part of his blade to block Jakob¡¯s left claw in a last attempt to stop Leona from freezing his body whole. ¡°Ngh!¡± The tactician flinched from the pain she was feeling throughout her fingers, the biting cold that could freeze the monster in place was also hurting her in the process, she could only do so much to keep him in place. ¡°Lady Elizabeth!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± She dashed and jumped over Jakob¡¯s left arm that was stuck in place thanks to Krieg and raised the curved blade above her head. ¡°Thunderclap!¡± Aiming straight for his head, she swung the blade down with all her might as lightning struck the blade as it fell which surely would have killed him, if he didn¡¯t block it with a half regenerated right arm. ¡°Fool!¡± The scientist shouted in anger as he knocked Krieg back with his left arm and grabbed the assassin from behind with the same hand as she lost her balance on top of his shoulder. ¡°Die!¡± He slammed Elizabeth on the ground beside him and despite having the snow to absorb most of the impact, she felt all air escape from her lungs as she hit the earth. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Elizabeth!¡± Krieg used the space created by the knockback and pivoted his entire waist while stepping in with his right foot making use of his entire body as he swung the sword horizontally against Jakob. ¡°Haaaargh!¡± ¡°ARGH!¡± The knight¡¯s blade embedded about halfway through his waist as it was previously hurt by the tactician¡¯s continuous barrage of spells. ¡°DAMN YOU!¡± He hit Krieg with a backhand strike which sent him flying backwards against the ground. ¡°Ngh!¡± The knight grunted as he fell with his back against the snow and when he was about halfway to stand up he saw the scientist ready to bite Leona¡¯s head off. ¡°NO!¡± His mind was telling him to rush the scientist down but his instincts were strangely at peace, only when he noticed Leona grabbing the handle of the embedded blade he saw she was already midway through casting a spell. ¡°-bring upon my foes the fires of justice, Great Flame Sword!¡± From inside out, Jakob¡¯s flesh burst into blue flames making his body flinch backwards from the spell¡¯s recoil. ¡°AAAARGH!¡± ¡°Feel the pain you inflicted on countless others by a thousand fold!¡± Leona shouted as she increased the spell¡¯s output. ¡°The flames of justice consume you!¡± She gripped the blade even tighter which made her transfer even more mana which fueled the spell even more, which eventually made fire waves start to burst out through his eyeballs, nose and mouth. But still, his inhuman regeneration was keeping up despite the intense fire. ¡°I- won¡¯t-! Die here!¡± He was preparing to pummel Leona into bits by raising both his ruined right arm and the left above her, however just as he was about to bring all his might down Arthur¡¯s last shot removed part of his throat. ¡°Hurk!¡± ¡°Die already!¡± Elizabeth jumped from behind and slashed at his neck and with a brief flash of mana, she decapitated him. Seconds after beheading him, the rest of his body began to wither as the blue flames consumed his flesh, transforming the monstrous creation into ashes. His head rolled on the snow as he witnessed his inhuman body slowly being consumed by magic. ¡°No¡­ no¡­! No! NO! I am the pinnacle of creation! Maggots like you shouldn¡¯t be capable of killing me!¡± As he shouted the part of which his neck was cut began to knit itself, overlapping fibers of muscle in an attempt to regenerate the rest of his body, though fast by human standards, it was nowhere close to being a threat anytime soon. ¡°Even if you stand at the top, you are but one individual, the human heart prevails even against the most indomitable foe no matter how strong they are.¡± Leona spoke as she limped her way towards the decapitated head while charging a spell on her right hand. ¡°The pinnacle you boast of was achieved thanks to none other than the countless lives you took. Many of which were much brighter than your own.¡± ¡°Self righteous brats like yours belong in a grave!¡± He attempted to lunge himself with the rest of his strength against Leona, before Elizabeth ultimately cut him down with a single stroke of her blade. The purple blood soaked metal was cleaned with a piece of dirty cloth before being tossed away. ¡°There is no place in this world for an abomination like you.¡± The assassin pressed the back side of her blade against the scabbard she held and after running it along the entire length of the weapon, she sheathed the blade. ¡°Your bloody legacy dies with you.¡± Chapter LXXXI: Justice Served When it was finally over, Leona couldn¡¯t help but just collapse with both of her knees on the snow, with the weight of that battle finally lifted off her shoulders there was only a deep sigh of relief. Though said relief was also brief as she looked at Elizabeth. ¡°Was¡­ was Phoebe alive when you got her to the pod?¡± ¡°You should see for yourself, young lady.¡± Leona swallowed dry before taking the assassin¡¯s hand in order to stand up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, what we accomplished here today is nothing short of a miracle.¡± They were about to leave when the tactician noticed Krieg simply staring at the snow. ¡°Krieg?¡± When she called him he turned to look at her and motioned with his left hand for her to approach him. ¡°Just tell me that I¡¯m not seeing things.¡± Upon approaching him, towards the ground she noticed the rest of a squirming piece of flesh as it tried to piece itself together to the severed head that was cut in half. ¡°By the goddess¡­¡± Even after all of what they went through, the scientist''s head was regenerating itself with the help of a strange dark red energy that seemed to hold the severed head in place as its flesh was commanded like a puppet to regenerate. ¡°I should be the one to finish this-¡± As the knight raised his greatsword, Leona simply barred his way with her left arm. ¡°Let me do it Krieg, at least I¡¯ll make amends this way for what he caused to Phoebe.¡± She took a deep breath and as the sharp cold air entered her lungs she calmly chanted. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, flow through time and await thy end, Delayed Fire Blast!¡± A fiery blue orb of fire remained floating on top of the squirming flesh. She then turned around without taking a second glance. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head back.¡± It was a short walk back to the pod and the effect of the warm drink was already wearing off in all of them, which made the cold even more prominent. ¡°You people gave it hell!¡± Jill had a smirk on her face as she welcomed the party. ¡°We saw it all from here, too bad our guns aren¡¯t on the same level as Arthur¡¯s here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad¡­ you¡¯re all okay¡­¡± Despite shooting only three bullets, Arthur¡¯s overall complexion seemed worse than normal as he was leaning against the entrance. ¡°I¡¯ll go rest for a bit¡­¡± He stepped inside and sat on the far seat and quickly fell asleep. ¡°Where is Phoebe?¡± Leona asked as soon as she climbed the ramp to the hatch. ¡°She¡¯s resting now.¡± Jill answered as she stepped to the side in order for the three outside to enter. ¡°I¡¯m glad Elizabeth brought her here when she did, any longer and she wouldn¡¯t have survived.¡± Though doubtless she was telling the truth, Leona couldn¡¯t help but feel her chest tighten, Phoebe did so much for her in the short span of time they met, yet the tactician was yet to thank her for everything. ¡°Phoebe?!¡± The moment Leona stepped inside she noticed Hank and Henry disassembling the large rifle Arthur was using, on the right side laying on the seats with a blanket on top of her was the high elf. ¡°Nnngh¡­ cease your shouting Princess.¡± The high elf had a weak smile on her face and once their eyes met Leona couldn¡¯t hold back the tears. ¡°Oh Phoebe!¡± She tightly hugged her whilst attempting to hold her cries but instead she just kept hiccuping. ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive¡­! When I heard something had happened to you, I couldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°All is well Princess.¡± She said while patting her back. ¡°Though, I much rather have come back in one piece rather than missing a pair of legs.¡± Leona gave her some space as she looked towards her lower body and indeed, where should have been her legs there was just cloth curving over where her thighs were. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, if only I came sooner¡­ then you might have-¡± Phoebe shook her head slowly. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. If anything it all falls on me for being caught.¡± She used her elbow to sit up against her seat. ¡°So, how did you manage to kill that abomination? I was unconscious until just now, thanks to Elizabeth¡¯s aid.¡± ¡°Unconscious?¡± ¡°Would you rather have her feel pain while we treated her?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. A female voice came from the entrance, the assassin just climbed up the pod and sat on the left side of the hatch. ¡°No, I¡¯m more curious how you did so.¡± ¡°Poison.¡± Elizabeth answered nonchalantly. ¡°I am an assassin you know.¡± ¡°Poison huh?¡± Leona looked at Phoebe, however she couldn¡¯t see anything wrong with her. ¡°No side effects then I presume?¡± ¡°Just feeling a bit lethargic.¡± The high elf answered. ¡°Worry not, I wouldn¡¯t save her just to kill her later.¡± Elizabeth said with a tired voice. ¡°She did help my son at one point so I¡¯m just repaying the favor.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from Phoebe¡¯s lower body, a deep feeling of guilt plagued her heart. ¡°Princess, don¡¯t feel sorry for me.¡± Despite the grim situation, Phoebe mustered a smile on her face. ¡°To be fairly honest, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d come to save me in the first place. So let¡¯s call it even.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Leona looked down to the floor. Indeed, if it was any other time she would have considered abandoning her if her father¡¯s life was on the line, but now that she had no family left it struck her just how important it was to have trustworthy people at her side. ¡°That might have been the case before, but not anymore. All of you are like family to me, I will not abandon any of you.¡± She smiled before slowly closing her eyes. ¡°Phoebe¡­?¡± Jill approached the high elf and after taking a closer look on her she turned to the tactician. ¡°She must have exhausted herself. A good night¡¯s rest is in order for her.¡± The soldier stood up and headed to the front of the pod after seeing Krieg climb up and take his seat beside Leona. ¡°Everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Aye, aye.¡± Henry turned to check if everyone was sitting and after doing so he released the breaks and they began to move after a strange rumble shook the pod. Leona felt a sense of accomplishment, her body was heavy as the exhaustion hit her all at once after realizing she had done it, by putting an end to Jakob¡¯s evil deeds she could finally move on. Laying back comfortably against her seat she decided to close her eyes for a brief but well earned respite. Looking at his liege¡¯s relaxed expression made a faint smile curl up Krieg¡¯s face, he grabbed the worn leather scabbard and sheathed the greatsword before setting it beside him.Upon crossing his arms he closed his eyes as well for some rest. ¡®Rest up well Princess. You certainly deserved it.¡¯ It would take a few hours before they could arrive at the capital. Meanwhile at the barracks overlooking the capital¡¯s gates, Olivia was accompanied by Athena as they further interrogated Oliver. ¡°So, let me get this straight.¡± The inventor asked the elf with a very serious expression on her face. ¡°You collaborated with Jakob for monetary gain and in order to be rewarded he asked you to make use of brigands to capture illegal merchants that came to Londria in order for him to use them as experiments?¡± Oliver nodded once. ¡°By the goddess¡­¡± ¡°What bothers me is the reason behind it all.¡± Olivia glanced briefly at Athena and then back to him. ¡°Why would you go to such lengths for someone you so deeply hated?¡± ¡°...you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± He replied with a sad expression on his face as he looked down towards his shackled wrists. ¡°Jakob, he was beyond ruthless and I knew what he was capable of to get his hands on what he wanted. More than anything I wanted to protect you.¡± He looked up, his eyes meeting with Athena¡¯s. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be serious.¡± Her clenching fist quickly found its way to the surface of the wooden table as he nodded. ¡°You must be insane! You sacrificed all those people, ended so many lives, brought those families down to the brink of despair as an excuse to save me?!¡± ¡°What else could I have done?! He knew you!¡± Oliver seemed clearly distressed. ¡°Once he told me he would take your father¡¯s schematics for himself I thought only to be a jest, I thought he wouldn¡¯t but you witnessed what he did with your own eyes-!¡± ¡°I heard enough.¡± Olivia interrupted. ¡°We¡¯ll save this for later. Death might not be in order for you, but I will make absolutely sure you spend the rest of your days in this prison.¡± ¡°I¡­ I understand.¡± Athena shook her head in disappointment and sighed before heading towards the reinforced metal door behind her. ¡°I thought I knew you, Oliver.¡± She said it without looking at him. ¡°I thought you might have been the one that would stand by my side until the very end. But I was wrong.¡± After she left the room Oliver stared down at his hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Athena¡­¡± Outside the interrogation room, Athena looked through the window and noticed a crowd forming by the front gates. ¡°Did something happen?¡± She asked one of the guards that were just outside the barracks. ¡°Our heroes returned.¡± The man spoke with some enthusiasm in his voice. ¡°We are finally free from that death angel.¡± Her first reflex was to sprint towards the gate, Olivia came out just in time to see the lieutenant run to greet them. The captain smiled before slowly making her way there as well. The pod stopped by the front gates and many of the townsfolk that were present when they fought against the death angel at the tower were there now to congratulate the party that just got back from hunting it down. Screams of joy could be heard even before Leona stepped outside, but once she did alongside the knight the multitude of people flocked to her showering the tactician with praise. ¡°Thank you so much, miss!¡± ¡°You avenged my father!¡± ¡°We are finally free thanks to you!¡± Although she didn¡¯t do it for them the cries of joy made her feel accomplished for what she had done and indeed it was no easy feat to defeat a death angel, much less so while managing to protect someone on the brink of death. ¡°I- it was thanks to everyone that was with me.¡± Leona tried to tell them but the sheer roaring of the crowd was enough to muffle her voice and as she was about to be swarmed by the townsfolk Krieg lifted her up on his shoulder which was enough to tower above the large group of people. ¡°Make way! Make way! We have someone that needs to rest!¡± Jill was dispersing the people that were in front of the pod¡¯s exit so they could carry Phoebe out of the pod. With Hank¡¯s and Henry¡¯s help they were able to get the high elf out as they passed by Athena who ran straight to the pod¡¯s entrance. ¡°Art!¡± She shouted the moment she stepped inside and as he was just about to stand up, Arthur noticed his sister looking at him. ¡°Sis¡­ we did it.¡± He smiled weakly and as he was about to collapse, Athena desperately held him, but after hearing his soft breathing against her hair she smiled. ¡°You did great Art¡­¡± She was trying her best to hold back the tears as she held him tight in her arms. ¡°Welcome home, brother.¡± Chapter LXXXII: Promises Unforgotten The sun was high in the sky as Leona stepped outside of the inn where they were celebrating their hard won victory, laughs and cheers of joy could be heard even from outside. ¡°Sure is noisy inside huh?¡± A familiar female voice came from her side and upon looking alongside the inn¡¯s wall she noticed the assassin smoking a rolled up cigarette by the large window. ¡°I see you¡¯re not one for parties either, Lady Elizabeth.¡± ¡°Oh I''d rather keep it for myself, if you get my meaning.¡± She flicked the half smoked butt into the snow which made a sizzling noise before going out. ¡°What about you? By the look in your face you don¡¯t seem to be out here just to get some fresh air and talk to an old woman.¡± Seeing how she was direct to the point made it easier for the tactician. ¡°With your daughter safe and your son avenged. I¡¯d like to know what you¡¯ll do from now on.¡± ¡°I''ll most likely spend time with my daughter.¡± She chuckled. ¡°These old bones are way past their prime you see.¡± Leona glanced down with a bit of sadness in her voice. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But even so.¡± Before she could get all mellow, Elizabeth voiced her opinion. ¡°I am one that hates to leave my debt unpaid. If you so desire, my blade is still yours for another day.¡± The tactician smiled faintly, she could feel the kindness the old woman harbored for her. ¡°Thank you, Lady Elizabeth.¡± ¡°I should be the one thanking you, young lady.¡± ¡°I only did what I thought was right.¡± The assassin smiled. ¡°You truly are a ruler worth following.¡± She adjusted her overcoat and began to head towards the center of the city but before she left, she glanced over the shoulder and gave Leona a warm smile. ¡°Keep to your principles and you¡¯ll emerge victorious in this arduous battle.¡± ¡°Thank you Lady Elizabeth for your kind words.¡± The old woman waved as she went around the corner and disappeared into the other street. Meanwhile Leona glanced towards the sky that, once for the longest time she spent her days there, was clear of any clouds. ¡°The storm has finally passed, and we have been graced by another beautiful morning.¡± She smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. ¡°But none of you are here to see it¡­¡± Upon closing her eyes she remembered the faces of everyone who had given their lives in the name of that bloody campaign. In the name of her family, she had taken up arms just to fall to the depths of despair once the only family she had left was cut down right before her eyes. In a quest of vengeance, many others lost their lives. The strength she had was built on the bones of those who fell in her name, a disgusting realization, but one she had to live with. ¡®My hands are no less bloody.¡¯ She thought for herself. But with a determined expression she clenched her soft hands into tight fists. ¡®I¡¯ll carve this path not through the bodies of my allies, but with them by my side.¡¯ ¡°You have grown splendidly.¡± A male voice echoed in her mind and as she turned around towards the wall, there, the swordmaster was leaning against it with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Leona Crossford, my faith has not been misplaced in you. Not only you saved your comrade from certain death but also brought the blade of justice to a sinner¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Miyamoto¡­¡± She was thankful for his help, however there was still a hint of bitterness in her heart. If she had blade energy, how different things would have been? ¡°I judged you ill suited to learn before. But now I can¡¯t think of a better person to carry on with my legacy.¡± ¡°So? What changed?¡± He closed his right hand and tapped twice lightly against his own chest. ¡°The passion to aid others that is burning inside your heart, that is what you needed in order to handle it. With the determination to face impossible odds for the sake of another I shall from now on bestow unto you my knowledge of blade energy.¡± She felt a strange surge of power from within, a warm feeling spread from the center of her chest throughout her entire body. Upon closing and opening her hands she felt a strange tingling sensation in her fingertips like electricity running through them. She unsheathed her silver longsword and focused said sensation as if it passed to the blade itself which in turn began to shine with a pale blue glow.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± As she inspected the blade she could feel mana constantly pouring through her fingers into the handle as if the sword itself became part of her body. The shimmering metal accompanied by the stream of mana made the already elegant silver weapon into a piece of art. She had never seen something so mesmerizing up close but as she was about to raise the blade she suddenly felt faint and stumbled backwards, letting the sword fall off her hands and get stuck into the snow. ¡°You should be careful.¡± The swordmaster warned. ¡°Blade energy requires a lot of the user in terms of mana, that is why the warriors of my homeland use it for a singular, deadly precise strike.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She took a deep breath and recomposed herself before picking up the sword. ¡°Then I can expect to meet more people that know how to use this technique if I go to Nara?¡± ¡°Yes, doubtless you¡¯d be able to know more about them through the Londrian captain than myself.¡± ¡°Olivia?¡± He nodded. ¡°She hails from Nara and she would be better suited to tell you about my homeland.¡± ¡°Huh? Weren¡¯t you the last ruler over that kingdom?¡± ¡°Many things changed after I passed on. No doubt the kingdom I once ruled is not the same anymore.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She sheathed the sword and once she looked to the wall again, he was no longer there. Instead, she looked to the bright sky. ¡°I really didn¡¯t play all my cards that time.¡± A few minutes later the chime of the inn¡¯s door runged as it opened. Athena stepped outside seemingly looking for something or someone, until she noticed Leona standing on the side of the inn staring into the blue sky. ¡°Hey Leo.¡± She called her which prompted the tactician to look at her. ¡°Come on inside, Jano said he¡¯d open the bottle of wine he was saving for a special occasion.¡± ¡°Wine?¡± ¡°Have you never tasted it before? It¡¯s quite good with pastry.¡± She cheerfully approached and grabbed Leona by the wrist. ¡°Come on, let''s go.¡± ¡°Ah wait-¡± Inside, all incandescent light bulbs were turned on which made the place look more cozy, as she entered, she noticed the majority of the people that helped her were present, Henry, Jill, Hank, Lawrence, Olivia and Minerva were all sitting around a big rectangular table that was basically four other tables bundled together to accommodate everyone around the fresh food that was coming out of the kitchen. ¡°There she is!¡± Hank raised his mug of ale, for once he wasn¡¯t wearing his face mask and hat which showed off his almost shiny bald head, thick black eyebrows and brown right eye as his left was gray. ¡°For the hero of the hour, Leona! Cheers!¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± Henry raised his mug, his was yet another face Leona didn¡¯t see up until now. His blonde hair and light blue eyes were a different sight from what she imagined to be Neiliel¡¯s brother, but then she remembered Neil was adopted by his family. ¡°Hey pipe it down you two.¡± Jill shook her head. She was wearing her uniform but without the hat or mask, which showed her waist long brown hair which was usually kept inside her clothing and her hazel eyes, she looked much more ladylike than Leona thought initially. ¡°I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t want two drunkards yelling her name every time you drink.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The tactician chuckled. ¡°See! She said it¡¯s fine!¡± Hank was hiccuping as he laughed at Jill. ¡°You¡¯re too stingy.¡± An exasperated sigh coming from beside her caught Leona¡¯s attention. Whilst shaking her head and with a disappointed expression, the captain Olivia was also holding a mug filled to the brim with ale. ¡°They don¡¯t know how to hold their liquor.¡± She glanced at the tactician by the corner of her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for what you¡¯ve done Leona. Truly.¡± ¡°No thanks needed captain, I only did what I thought was right. And besides, it wasn¡¯t just Londria that won from this, if not for Athena¡¯s brother, Lady Elizabeth and your soldier¡¯s efforts, Phoebe wouldn¡¯t be alive today and for that I am eternally at your debt.¡± ¡°Oh, save the fancy words for later Princess.¡± She took a sip of her mug before setting it down on the table. ¡°I received word from general Vaan to aid you in any way I¡¯m able. After hearing what you did for our kingdom I¡¯m sure anyone here would be grateful but he seemed beyond obliged to help you in your endeavors.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Thank you captain.¡± ¡°As I said, it was all thanks to you.¡± She waved her hand left and right with a smirk on her face before leaving to the kitchen. Just as she left, Leona looked towards the other end of the table where Krieg was standing with a mug in his hands, he seemed way too out of place and with a troubled expression on his face. ¡°Krieg.¡± The tactician called him as she approached. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Ah, Leona¡­¡± He avoided looking at her whilst scratching the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m not too comfortable with parties you see, last time I was at one was while accompanying your mother.¡± ¡°She really did like going into those.¡± She chuckled playfully seeing how the usually serious knight was now a bit troubled. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s just take a seat and enjoy. I heard Jano was bringing a new drink and I¡¯m somewhat eager to try it.¡± He smiled warmly before following her. They sat beside Minerva who was enjoying a piece of bread coated in a fine white powdery substance. ¡°Hm?¡± The blind young woman felt their presence and slightly angled her face towards Leona. ¡°Princess, is that you?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Can you tell me apart from everyone else?¡± The tactician chuckled. ¡°Not really, it was just a guess. Sir Krieg¡¯s footsteps are on the heavier side so I thought¡­¡± ¡°Forgive me, I didn¡¯t mean to laugh at you. It¡¯s just really impressive how accurately you can tell people apart from the sounds of their footsteps alone.¡± ¡°No offense taken, to be frank, ever since I lost my vision I feel like I can almost ¡®feel¡¯ the texture of things through sound.¡± It puzzled Krieg how Leona was able to talk so easily with someone she had just met, but it made him feel at peace all the same. Back in Arcadia, she would often spend most of her time alone in her father¡¯s study and unlike the kids of her age, she had no one to talk to, often relying on the company of the servants in the mansion to keep loneliness at bay. He had his doubts about himself but seeing her smile and laugh dissipated any second thoughts about his choice. ¡®I will protect that smile, no matter the cost.¡¯ Chapter LXXXIII: A New Day ¡°Leona¡­¡± From the depths of her mind, the tactician heard a voice calling out her name. The darkness that gently embraced her was now writhing violently as if she was about to be torn away from her rightful place. ¡°Leona Crossford, in the name of the light I beseech thee!¡± Upon opening her eyes, Leona noticed she was now on a cliff overseeing the Londrian kingdom. The previous storm filled skies were given place to a gentle blue hue free from any clouds. ¡°Wha¡­ where am I?¡± ¡°I must apologize for this terrible timing, but with each passing moon it becomes more challenging to evoke thee to this place.¡± Once Leona turned around she noticed a beautifully dressed woman standing, almost twice her size, with a silver greatsword supporting both of her hands on each side of the guard as she looked upon the tactician, her long silvery hair fluttering around her like it had life of its own. ¡°For thou bravery, I thank thee, Leona.¡± Her polite bow caught the tactician by surprise. ¡°Goddess Eleonora please, raise your head.¡± She was nervous, given how less common it was for her to be forcibly dragged from her peaceful slumber and the strange behavior of a goddess. It made her feel on edge. ¡°I only did what I thought was right for my comrades. Nothing more.¡± ¡°Even so, thy selfless sacrifices won¡¯t be for naught my child.¡± She left the greatsword affixed to the ground and gently kneeled in front of the tactician, upon extending both hands she opened them to reveal an orb of light. It emitted a powerful golden glow that seemed to be in a constant state of flux. ¡°I bless thee with holy light, it shall protect thou from the corrupting influence of the void. Call upon my name and I shall lend you strength.¡± Leona slowly stepped forward and extended her left hand towards it. Upon touching it, a gentle warmth began to spread throughout arm to the rest of her body as the golden strings of mana began to coil around her left arm towards the center of her chest where it disappeared shortly thereafter. It left her feeling a familiar warm feeling inside her breast ¡°I leave thee for a well earned respite, seek the light in the darkness and thy path shall not stray.¡± Before the tactician could say another word, the goddess¡¯ blade began to emit a light so bright that she was forced to close her eyes and once she opened them again, all she saw was the familiar wooden ceiling. ¡°Ah.¡± She muttered before blinking a few times. Her body was feeling lighter than usual, when she sat on the edge of her bed she noticed a faint vestige of golden mana dissipating from her left hand. She closed said hand and focused on the mana that was coursing through her body, it was faint, but she could clearly feel something was different about it. Suddenly, she heard a few knocks on the door to her right. ¡°Princess? Are you awake?¡± Krieg¡¯s voice came from outside. ¡°Yes, you may enter.¡± The door opened and the knight walked in, he was wearing the Londrian combat uniform with the usual sheathed steel greatsword hanging from his left shoulder as he knelt before her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you while you were resting but sir Lawrence asked for your presence back in the warehouse.¡± Any drowsiness she was feeling was almost instantly dispelled away. ¡°Is this about Phoebe?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, he simply said to come seek you.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll get changed.¡± She quickly grabbed the clothing she was wearing yesterday and simply wore them over her sleepwear that consisted of a plain shirt and trousers. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They quickly made their way to the warehouse, each step filled Leona¡¯s mind with more and more anxiety until they reached the entrance of the building. ¡°Oh you are here.¡± The receptionist greeted the two of them. ¡°Come inside, master Lawrence is waiting for you.¡± After hearing her words cold beads of sweat started to drip from Leona¡¯s forehead, it was the cold sensation in her stomach that kept a terrible reminder in her mind of someone close to her dying. It was a feeling she vowed to never go through it again, but alas, there she was almost grasping her own heart. Once she walked through the familiar long hallway, she opened the double doors that lead to the warehouse. ¡°Ah you¡¯re here!¡± Lawrence was the first to greet them, he wore the same blacksmith apron with two thick mitts covering his hands and cracked glass goggles. ¡°I must apologize, I had Krieg to bring you here-¡± ¡°What about Phoebe? Where is she?¡± Leona was about to approach him when she heard the familiar female voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry princess Leona, I¡¯m none the worse for wear, well¡­ saving for the legs.¡± Following where it came from, the tactician looked to her right and Phoebe was sitting against a comfortable looking armchair. Despite missing both legs from the thighs down, she was looking quite healthy. Once she saw her, all that dreadful sensation she was feeling went away. ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Leona rubbed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that you¡¯re well.¡± The high elf shook her hand. ¡°Nevermind me, the smarts over there had good news to share with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Lawrence, Lady Phoebe.¡± He looked at her over his reading glasses while he held a piece of paper with schematics. ¡°In any case, now that you are here Princess Leona, I¡¯m happy to inform you that the construction of the flying vessel is proceeding apace, though I still have a few issues regarding the manafication engine, mainly its calibration, so I would like to ask for your assistance, if possible.¡± She blankly blinked a few times before asking. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the only vital part that remains, the rest you can leave to our esteemed workshop workers.¡± ¡°Very well, what will you have me do?¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°This way if you please.¡± He began walking towards the back room, at that point Leona glanced briefly at Krieg and after the knight nodded she turned around to follow Lawrence. To the back of the workshop where the tables with machinery were, instead of an empty place she noticed quite a few workers carrying equipment around, some of them even hoisted crates through a system of pulleys attached to the ceiling as they lifted the heavy cargo and moved above the people. On a reinforced table on the far corner of the room, there was a sizable engine resting on top of it. It was so heavy it needed its own work table with metal legs in order to support the entire thing. ¡°This is probably the biggest project we ever got.¡± Lawrence proudly said so. ¡°Aside from a few problems in the construction itself, I believe we reached an acceptable solution, by coating the internal firing chamber with frostburnt silver it should be capable of withstanding the spells required to move it.¡± ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but wouldn¡¯t that require a large amount of mana from my part?¡± ¡°That is right, but only in the startup process, once it starts running it should be able to use atmospheric mana in order to move its parts, well¡­ at least for the most part, you¡¯d still need to toss in an occasional spell or two.¡± He reached for a wooden crate near the table and pulled out a glass container similar to what he used to bottle warm drinks filled with a silvery liquid. ¡°This liquid is made with frostburnt silver powder, if my assumptions are right you can power it up with mana and use it instead of using your spells.¡± ¡°Oh this can save me a lot of trouble.¡± She grabbed the vial and noticed it had a strange looking latch on top of it. ¡°How am I supposed to use this?¡± ¡°Just charge it with your mana and then insert the side with the latch on the back of the engine, over here.¡± He pointed to an opening in the rear of the massive contraption. ¡°Well then, let me start.¡± She closed her eyes and began to concentrate on the fingertips of her hands holding the vial and not before long faint strings of mana started to circulate around her wrist before eventually finding themselves inside the vial, the liquid that was previously only silver with a pale light blue glow started to shine brightly and at that point Lawrence interrupted her. ¡°Oh that¡¯s good enough, thank you.¡± He took the vial from her hand and put it back in the crate before offering the tactician to take a seat on top of a wooden box across him as he sat down as well. ¡°Something else I wanted to talk about is what I found in Jakob¡¯s notes. I went through it all with the help of a few fellow workers that I can trust.¡± That made Leona¡¯s eyes light up with hope. ¡°And what did you find?¡± ¡°There is a way to help Miss Phoebe get her legs back, the most glaring issue however is how to prepare the stimulant he used. The process related to it was not written anywhere, he must have discovered it and quickly made it instead of noting it down.¡± ¡°Do you think you¡¯d be able to make one that can safely be used? You know how he transformed into a death angel himself.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± He crossed his arms and his head lowered for a bit. ¡°I think the transformation has to do with the death angel sample I found in his lab. Maybe he mixed your knight¡¯s blood along with it, though that would be too simple¡­¡± At that point Athena had entered the room holding a stack of papers . ¡°Lawrence I brought you the notes you- oh hello Leo, fancy meeting you here early in the morning.¡± The tactician smiled before replying. ¡°Good morning, I could say the same to you.¡± ¡°Thank you Athena, can you bring it here? I think it would make sense for Miss Leona to read it as well.¡± After the inventor handed him some of the papers she headed towards her room. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, don¡¯t get too fixated on those.¡± She closed the door behind her, leaving the two alone in the corner of the workshop again. ¡°What is this?¡± Leona asked while holding a few pieces of what at a glance seemed to be part of the mad scientist¡¯s notes. ¡°That one is unrelated to the experiments but more of a personal records written by him at the time he became minister. I wanted you to read it so I asked Olivia if I could have a copy.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Leona then cleared her throat before turning to read it. ¡°Death is, by all means, a natural part of life that much is a given, however why must we and our loved ones be shackled by such merciless fate? No, man must achieve the heavens and bring down the firmament of the gods so that we may live on without fear of death, disease or war, we must go beyond flesh and bones, to become something greater, to become true to our indomitable nature. To become gods ourselves.¡± She finished a paragraph and there was a lump stuck in her throat, something felt wrong. Reading that note out loud made her remember things, things to which she felt strangely attached to yet she couldn¡¯t quite find words to describe those dreadful feelings. ¡°I bid you, finish it. Please.¡± His words made her look once again at the paper, continuing on from where she had stopped. ¡°From the moment I understood what it meant to be human, so small compared to the world around us, I knew there had to be a way, a way to grasp the foundation of our world so that we could go beyond this fleeting flesh. Despite the best of my attempts, failure, failure, failure, failure, failure, failure, I failed her. Failed to save her from death¡¯s grasp. Yet, I know, somewhere, out there somewhere, she is there watching. Watching despite my failures, watching despite all those attempts, watching even though I am the one who killed her.¡± Leona stopped and took a deep breath, the note on her hand felt like steel, one could mistake this for a letter of a madman, someone who had no one else to turn to and she knew full well how that feeling was. However, she kept going. ¡°I will draw the strength of the one true god of death so that I can overcome it, I will bring you back.¡± The note ends there and Leona is left staring blankly at the paper, cold sweat dripping from her brow the feeling of despair assaulting her senses as she could feel the heat being drained out from her body until Lawrence reached and touched her on the shoulder. ¡°Miss Leona? Are you alright?¡± ¡°Ah, I- I¡¯m sorry. This was¡­ a bit too much to take in.¡± She handed him back the paper. ¡°You said you found this with his belongings?¡± ¡°Yes, it may be my own impression but it felt like he was being influenced by something, or someone.¡± ¡°I fear I know who this someone may be.¡± She muttered to herself. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°No, nothing, I think it may be best to avoid thinking too hard about it. Nothing good comes out of mulling over a crazed man¡¯s rubbish.¡± ¡°Indeed. I just found peculiar the way he chose his words, Jakob was, if anything, very calculating yet there was an unusual amount of passion in his personal notes.¡± ¡®Nothing that comes from the void can be considered as normal.¡¯ She thought for herself as she stood up. ¡°Well then, aside from the ominous note and update on the engine, do you need anything else?¡± She asked. ¡°No, not really.¡± He stood up as well before offering her a handshake. ¡°Thank you for your time Miss Leona.¡± ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Lawrence.¡± After the exchange she walked to the previous room where she saw Krieg and Phoebe chatting. ¡°How do you plan to go to Nara?¡± The knight seemed worried about the high elf¡¯s condition. ¡°Even if we did carry you back, is there anyone there that can help you with it?¡± ¡°My master probably can, he is an adept mage renowned for his extensive knowledge.¡± She adjusted her body against the armchair. ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t just let you two go alone, there is no way either of you can find where he lives.¡± Krieg scratched the side of his head. ¡°But then how do you intend to walk?¡± ¡°Not on my own, no.¡± She gave him a mischievous smile. ¡°That is exactly why I asked a recent acquaintance of mine to fetch me a few good meters of quality fabric.¡± ¡°What in the goddess¡¯ name is that?¡± When she unfolded a harness made entirely out of tied cloth Krieg¡¯s jaw dropped, it was too big for Leona which only meant it was for the knight. His eyes straightened at her. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking-¡± ¡°Yes quite so, Sir Krieg. With you carrying me I could even wield my bow in battle.¡± ¡°Bah, how am I supposed to wield a blade if I¡¯m carrying you?¡± ¡°Simple, just use a smaller weapon. You never know if an arming sword will suit you unless you try it.¡± Seeing the two arguing filled Leona with a warm feeling inside her chest, the relief of having both of them hale and whole was an incredible weight off her shoulders, but even if that moment offered respite she knew it was only for a brief moment. The tactician took a deep breath and approached them to join the conversation with a smile on her face. Chapter LXXXIV: Turning Tides ¡°All soldiers! Take aim! Fire!¡± The sound of gunshots and smell of discharged gunpowder filled the air around the Londrian castle overlooking the frozen ocean. Olivia was conducting a training drill with the royal guards while Leona carefully watched her issue orders as the soldiers assumed different formations. Krieg carried Phoebe in front of his body with the harness she made, though doing so made him look like a father. A very displeased one at that. ¡°They sure are disciplined.¡± The high elf commented. ¡°But can they really kill a normal death angel like that?¡± ¡°Beats me.¡± Leona replied without taking her eyes off the captain, who was still issuing commands for them to reload. ¡°But I assume concentrated fire like that is bound to cause significant damage. At least it¡¯d be more effective than sending soldiers to their doom.¡± ¡°Take aim! Fire!¡± Another volley of shots managed to hit the opposite target made of a transparent gelatinous liquid the size of a plate. ¡°All soldiers! Unload your weapons!¡± Almost in sync, they began to cycle through the leftover rounds inside their weapons until all were empty. ¡°That¡¯ll be all for today, dismissed!¡± ¡°Yes captain!¡± They all saluted before marching off towards the barracks. Their uniforms had a different hue of blue and were decorated with white trims and shoulder pads, that being said, they were a caliber above their army counterparts. After they left, Olivia approached the group. ¡°I must apologize, had I known you were interested in commanding troops I would have assembled my battalion.¡± ¡°Oh no, no, this was more than enough. Thank you, Captain.¡± She shook both of her hands in front of her body. ¡°Though I must ask, what is that the soldiers were shooting at?¡± ¡°Dead slimes, they closely resemble the human body, or so one of the scientists said. It¡¯s very useful to actually see what happens when you manage to hit a shot at it. At least for the morale that is.¡± ¡°Slimes? Now that¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a great way to test ballistics.¡± The familiar female voice came from behind Leona, upon turning around she noticed it was Athena wearing the usual military garb, she seemed recovered enough to walk with only the aid of a walking cane. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that slimes resembled the muscle tissue of animals.¡± ¡°Athena? What are you doing here?¡± Leona asked curiously. ¡°I¡¯m here at the behest of the workshop. I thought of a new weapon design and came to bring the idea for a possible buyer, namely, captain Olivia here.¡± ¡°I see. How is the flying vessel coming along?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready for production, I¡¯m waiting for Lawrence to assemble the team. Though I¡¯m not involved in the building itself, I am responsible for overseeing the process so I need to get going soon.¡± She pulled a stack of papers from the bag she held around her shoulder and gave it to Olivia before saying. ¡°We are holding on to the blueprint in case you¡¯re interested in it.¡± ¡°Thank you lieutenant.¡± Olivia grasped the stack of papers and held it against her forearm. ¡°Well, since now I have some paperwork to go through I¡¯ll head back to my office¡± She was about to leave before she turned to face the tactician. ¡°Ah, but feel free to use the training dummies Princess Leona just be careful to not burn anything.¡± After nodding to Krieg and Phoebe the captain headed inside the castle. Athena then turned to Leona before heading back herself. ¡°Pass by the workshop in the evening, we should be working on it by then.¡± ¡°Hmm, I will. Thank you Athena.¡± ¡°Hey no problem.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m thankful we are finally getting somewhere with the engine. I was worried about the specifications and whatnot, but lady Fye was kind enough to make sure the blueprints met the previous parameters- ahem, in any case, did you come here just to see the captain in action?¡± ¡°Ah, no, not really, I asked her if there was any training materials for spellcasters and well¡­¡± The tactician turned towards the half destroyed training dummy made of slime gel. It vaguely resembled a humanoid body, except it was twice the knight¡¯s size and it was slightly blue. ¡°I see. Well why not give it a go? You never know until you try it right?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She stared at the target while trying to picture a death angel in front of her. After doing so she raised the palm of her left hand towards it. ¡°Northern winds hearken to me, pierce through my foe, Ice Spear!" The thin lance of ice was launched at a decent velocity, much akin to a javelin being thrown before embedding itself about halfway through the gel before it became stuck, though the result was acceptable and it could badly maim anyone caught by it, it was not enough for Leona to be satisfied. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to make this better.¡± Athena scratched the side of her head as she asked. ¡°You use wind magic to launch the spell after it¡¯s made, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah, why?¡± ¡°I see, then can you make it so the wind spins the icicle? It doesn¡¯t matter the direction, just so it spins.¡± The inventor motioned with her right index finger, making a few circles in the air. ¡°Spin? Like a pinwheel?¡± ¡°A spinning top, more like it. But yeah I think you get what I¡¯m trying to say.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I can try¡­¡± She took a deep breath while extending both hands out this time, the right palm was fully stretched while the left hand was just below it as she began to chant. ¡°Northern winds hearken to me-¡± The sharp icicle started to take shape and as it, strings of mana began to pour out from her left wrist and shape the air around it like a horizontal tornado. ¡°-pierce through my foe, Ice Spear!" The moment she released the spell the lance of ice seemed to cut through the air like a bullet and it pierced through the gel and shattered on the opposite wall after making contact with it. ¡°On your first try! Not bad Leo.¡± Athena clapped with a smile on her face. The tactician was staring at both her hands, despite using a bit more mana the resulting spell became much more powerful. ¡°Athena, how did you know that using a wind spell alongside it would increase its power?¡± ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t know anything about magic, what I just told you to do was to apply the rifling theory that my father studied about. By spinning a projectile, it becomes more stable and given the right shape, it can literally ¡®cut¡¯ through the air, maintaining its lethality over greater distances.¡± She pulled her derringer and unloaded the gun before handing it over to Leona. ¡°Here, check inside the barrel, you¡¯ll see there are grooves that simulate a spiral. When you shoot a bullet through it, those grooves are made so the bullet can spin just like you did with your spell.¡± Upon inspecting the gun, Leona took notice of what the inventor had said and gave her back the weapon. ¡°Do you have anything else to share? I need to improve with my magic as well so I can have my mind at ease once we depart.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ I do have a theory I couldn¡¯t put to the test, if you¡¯re willing.¡± Leona enthusiastically nodded. ¡°Very well, from what I observed in Akrapocalis, most of the ammunition made for rifles are quite ineffective against uncommonly big targets, such as death angels. However, I believe if I made the bullets a bit bigger they would be able to at the very least pack enough of a punch to hurt those things badly.¡± ¡°Bigger you say, but then wouldn¡¯t that make the projectile slower?¡± ¡°In a way yes and that is exactly what I wanted to find out about, how much can I increase the size before it becomes too slow.¡± ¡°I can try, but I¡¯m not sure spells could achieve the speed bullets already do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you can make anything that vaguely resembles the ammunition we use.¡± ¡°Very well¡­¡± She closed her eyes and extended both hands just like before. As she slowly exhaled a much smaller icicle began to form from the coalescing air, however instead of a dart it was small and round, akin to a bullet. "Winds of time, grant thy power upon myself, Windshot!" Upon releasing the spell, the small projectile was shot at an incredible speed until it hit the surface of the gel, shattering into bits and in turn making the gel reverberate. ¡°Huh?¡± The shattering effect caught Athena¡¯s eyes. ¡°Should I increase its size-¡± ¡°Leo, wait. Do the same thing you just did. But let me see how you make the spell.¡± ¡°Eh? Okay¡­¡± She raised her hand again, focusing on creating the same ice bullet. As the air coalesced into the round bullet-like shape, the inventor approached and looked at it very closely while taking out a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil to make notes. ¡°Very well, you can release it now.¡± Leona nodded before turning her attention to the slime target. "Winds of time, grant thy power upon myself, Windshot!" As soon as the spell left her fingers, the bullet-like projectile impacted the gel once again and shattered into bits, sending waves through the solid-liquid surface. ¡°So a flatter surface transfers more kinetic energy into the target than a pointed bullet does¡­¡± Athena was mumbling to herself as she jotted down in her notes. ¡°I think propellant is in order¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Athena, why do you want to make more ammunition types? Don¡¯t you already have the anti, whatever you called it, for bigger targets?¡± ¡°There is a fatal issue with that kind of ammo. Not everyone can shoot it out of a rifle without the proper training, and let¡¯s say that proper training takes too much time.¡± She finished jotting down on the piece of paper and stuffed it in the front pocket of her coat. ¡°Anyway, the point is, we need something even a peasant could be able to use to defend themselves-¡± The pleasant talk was cut short by a hurried step coming from behind them, a soldier wearing the londrian uniform came into the castle courtyard almost out of breath. ¡°Lieutenant Athena?¡± He was gasping for air whilst holding his weight against his bent knees. ¡°I have terrible news¡­!¡± ¡°Settle down soldier, tell me what happened.¡± ¡°An¡­ an Arcadian envoy at the behest of the acting king desires to talk to you. General Vaan is currently keeping them busy but we fear it might be because of Lady Leona.¡± Both the inventor and the tactician exchanged worried glances to one another before Athena finally answered. ¡°Prepare the carriage, I¡¯ll go meet with the general.¡± She then turned to Leona. ¡°I need you three to go back to the warehouse, make sure to not be followed.¡± Leona nodded as she glanced at Krieg and Phoebe. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter LXXXV: Sky High Leona hurried off with Krieg and Phoebe in tow, deep inside her chest the tactician felt a gnawing sensation of dread building up. Normally an envoy would only consist of diplomats representing the king in order to do business or declare war. While she never witnessed the gruesome reality of a real battlefield, the theater of her mind as she read the books gave her a rough idea just how large of a scale an all out war was. The previous soldier that was sent to break the news was just stopping a carriage by going in front of the driver. It was an old man in his late sixties, his gray hair was a telltale sign of how old he was. ¡°Halt!¡± He raised his hand as he walked to the side of the carriage to talk to the rider. ¡°These people are on official business, they are to go to the southern ammunition factory. Take them there.¡± ¡°But sir I have an appointment with the minister of-¡± ¡°I will personally make sure he or she gets a new carriage driver, now off with them you go please.¡± ¡°O-okay sir¡­¡± He calmly stepped from his seat and jogged around the carriage before opening the door. ¡°Here, madam, sir and umm¡­ madam?¡± Leona politely nodded first before heading inside, Krieg and Phoebe did the same, though the high elf doing so while strapped to the front of the knight¡¯s chest was somewhat of an amusing sight. The driver closed the door and climbed up to his seat before gently tucking the reins in order for the horse to move. Inside of the carriage Phoebe climbed off the harness on the opposite seat from Leona and glanced out of the small rectangular window as she mumbled. ¡°Strange how horses can withstand this cold, I always thought those animals dislike low temperatures like this.¡± ¡°I was told they treat their feed with warm drinks provided by Athena¡¯s workshop.¡± Leona explained. ¡°Something to do with the kingdom financing the endeavor.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ that¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s admirable how they return most of the taxes they collect through these services that help the people.¡± The tactician frowned a bit. ¡°In retrospect, Arcadia¡­¡± ¡°Captain Eleonora wasn¡¯t fit to rule.¡± The knight¡¯s words made Leona turn to him with widened eyes in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Eleonora was a capable captain, that I won¡¯t deny, but a captain of the knights is by no means capable of ruling a kingdom.¡± He sighed quietly. ¡°She only took the position because otherwise the corrupt nobles would take the place of the late king.¡± He looked towards the Londrian castle that was slowly becoming distant as the carriage moved. ¡°But then they escalated the already poor situation within the kingdom between humans and demons which almost led to my execution after Eleonora went missing.¡± ¡°Then when I met you in the forest¡­¡± He looked at her and nodded. ¡°I had escaped before they could imprison me, but with the many wounds I had suffered my fate was sealed until you and Adele saved me.¡± Leona scratched the side of her face. ¡°To think Arcadia was this corrupt¡­¡± ¡°Given how big the kingdom is I¡¯m surprised it hasn''t crumbled itself apart.¡± Phoebe was still looking through the window. ¡°That being said, my mother was still working there a few years back, ¡®cleansing¡¯ the more corrupt individuals until she had to follow the queen to this expedition to the east.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t understand why she would leave so much without a word.¡± Krieg seemed uneasy, to his perspective that was no short of betrayal of the trust from the people under her. ¡°I¡¯m sure she had her reasons but still¡­¡± ¡°You can have the answers for all your questions when we get there.¡± The high elf said as much. ¡°For now, I think it¡¯s appropriate to make a plan for how we¡¯ll deal with an eventual encounter of Arcadian soldiers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we can attack just anybody that gets in our way. That would make us no less better than Alexander.¡± Leona concluded. ¡°However, I do believe it is best if we have a way to easily subdue an attacker.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say easy, but I still have some paralyzing poison with me, just a gentle prick of a needle would be enough to make them stop moving for a while.¡± ¡°I would prefer to avoid having to deal with poisons¡­¡± The sight of the bandits foaming from their mouths in the cave where Athena and her brother were being held was still fresh in her mind. ¡°In any case¡­ I think I can safely dispatch a knight or two with my wind magic without killing them. Well, assuming it is knights that we are dealing with.¡± Upon hearing that Phoebe turned to her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Meaning he could have sent someone else. Like mages for instance. He wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to send knights clad in steel armor to this frigid hell.¡± The tactician held her chin. ¡°But then my spells wouldn¡¯t be as effective-¡± ¡°Young lady?¡± The carriage driver called out as the vehicle stopped. ¡°We reached your destination.¡± He hopped off his seat and went ahead to open the door. Leona offered her thanks as she stepped out of the carriage. ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded once as the knight picked up Phoebe from her waist, carrying her like a sack of potatoes to which she protested. ¡°Hey! At least put me in the harness!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± The driver chuckled before saying. ¡°Have a good day.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Krieg replied as he followed Leona inside the building while holding a squirming high elf under his arm. As they stepped in, they were met by four armed soldiers and the receptionist seated behind the counter as if nothing happened. When she noticed Leona entering the building, she quickly stood up and went to the hallway while motioning them to follow. Without exchanging a word, she went after her with Krieg and Phoebe right behind her. The soldiers nodded to the tactician as they kept watch on the doorway. ¡°The head scientist is waiting.¡± The receptionist stopped by the wooden double doors and left it slightly ajar. ¡°Thank you for all your help young lady Crossford.¡± Leona smiled and nodded once before entering the workshop. Her eyes were assaulted by bright flashes of light and as she squinted her eyes while covering the blinding light with her hand, a male voice came from somewhere in the back of the workshop.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°It¡¯s Leona! Turn off the lights!¡± Once they were turned off and the tactician¡¯s eyes adjusted to the interior¡¯s brightness, she noticed there were a few more soldiers inside, some of them were familiar faces like Hank and Jill. ¡°What a clownfest.¡± Jill lowered her rifle and sighed. ¡°Did we really have to go through it knowing it was okay all along?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be too cautious.¡± Lawrence stepped down from a stack of crates as he was responsible for the spotlight-like tool used to almost blind Leona. ¡°If you heard of what Alexander is capable of you would do well to do the same.¡± After reaching the floor, he approached the tactician and slightly bowed and with an apologetic tone he said. ¡°It was necessary, I hope you understand.¡± ¡°No explanation is needed.¡± She replied. ¡°Though I take this level of caution it can only mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it is finished.¡± He nodded while hurriedly turning around. ¡°No time to waste. Come, I¡¯ll show you.¡± Seeing Leona dash off after the scientist made Krieg and Phoebe exchange glances before the knight also jogged behind them. As they entered the back of the main warehouse, the first thing Leona noticed was the large contraption in the place of the wooden work tables and crates. It was the size of a sailboat large enough to fit six people with one large triple bladed helix in the middle of its deck with four others in each corner of the vessel. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± The tactician was speechless. She knew it would be an ambitious project but to be done in a matter of days still impressed her. ¡°Yes, dubbed as Flying Crosship.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes slowly turned to him. ¡°You didn¡¯t name it that way because-¡± ¡°Oh yes I assure you it is as you think it is. Though the first thing that came to mind was the cross shaped helices and not the pun, mind you.¡± She sighed before approaching the still vessel, noticing there was a rope ladder she wasted no time climbing up. On board, the first thing that caught her attention was the elevated platform in the rear side of the vehicle. The moment Lawrence climbed up she began to bombard him with questions. ¡°So, how would one go about piloting this ship?¡± ¡°Over there on the helm of the vessel, we thought to use a ship¡¯s schematics to save up on construction time and right under is the engine room.¡± He pointed to the elevated platform, where the tactician quickly made her way through the stairs. ¡°Right.¡± She grabbed the well carved wooden steering wheel and noticed another type of lever on the left side of it. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the velocity control, push forward to accelerate and pull back to decrease it. It also controls the ascend and descend by pushing in or out of the slot.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She looked around. ¡°Anything else I should be aware of?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ maybe that there is a helix on the back side of the ship. Might be dangerous for people on ground level.¡± She turned around and peeked over the border and noticed there was indeed one large helix positioned vertically instead of horizontally. ¡°Okay¡­ any on board weapons?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Not built in the ship no. We do, however, have to load a few barrels of gunpowder onto the ship before you depart.¡± ¡°Huh? Why gunpowder?¡± ¡°Did Athena not tell you? It was at lady Fye¡¯s request to bring about twenty barrels choked full of the stuff to Akrapocalis.¡± ¡°Lady Fye? Why would she want that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but I¡¯ll try to oblige whatever that woman asks for since she is the one funding this project.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­¡± ¡°Point is, General Vaan is buying time with the envoy and wants us to send you on your way to the dwarven citadel as soon as we can.¡± He began climbing down the vessel, but before that he turned to her and handed her a slip of paper. ¡°Before I forget, my wife told me to hand this to you. Apparently it¡¯s someone that used to work with her before she came to Londria with me, she told me he¡¯ll help you in case you need it in Astera.¡± ¡°The coastal city isn¡¯t it?¡± She grabbed the paper and took a look at it. ¡°Mura¡­ kano? Murakano? Is this his name?¡± ¡°Yes, he came from Nara. Far easterners and their strange names.¡± He climbed down the vessel and headed to the main room of the workshop. Leona could only hear his voice. ¡°Time to load the cargo! Everyone get a move on!¡± ¡°Aye aye!¡± While Lawrence¡¯s crew were working on loading the barrels of explosive ordinance onto the ship, the scientist headed to where the knight and consequently the high elf were. She was being held like a parrot on a stand but she didn¡¯t seem to mind it. ¡°Miss Phoebe, a minute of your time please.¡± He brought her a pair of slender curved metals strapped to what seemed to be an oversized chalice covered in cloth with leather straps coming off from the sides. A rudimentary pair of prosthetic legs. ¡°We almost didn¡¯t have time to design it. Athena and the rest of the crew wanted to make something to thank you for helping us put this age of blood behind Londrian history. I personally preferred to give your legs back but producing the serum has proved far more difficult than I anticipated-¡± ¡°Save your technical speech for people that can understand it.¡± She interrupted him as she grabbed the prosthetic pieces. ¡°But I will thank you all for making these.¡± Using Krieg¡¯s chest to support her back, she adjusted one leg at a time before strapping it to her thigh. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay?¡± While Krieg¡¯s concern was appreciated it was unnecessary in Phoebe¡¯s eyes. ¡°Better than having to be carried like a sack of potatoes.¡± She hopped off his forearm and as soon as the metallic feet touched the ground she almost fell over from the unexpected spring it had working as a shock absorber. Despite being fully made of metal, the fact that it was made from a flexible alloy made it possible for her to walk. ¡°Ooh this feels nice.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll keep working on a serum. I promise we¡¯ll give your legs back.¡± Phoebe chuckled. ¡°Thank you but it won¡¯t be necessary. I know a certain someone that will be able to fix this.¡± His eyes widened a bit in surprise. ¡°You¡­ do? Then-¡± Before he could inquire further, one of the workers shouted to him. ¡°Lawrence, we are done loading in the barrels!¡± ¡°Everyone climb off! The Flying Crosship will take its first voyage to the skies! Your hard work and sacrifices of yesterday is the fruit laid in front of your eyes today!¡± Cheers and cries of joy filled the interior of the workshop. Unlike that first day Leona was introduced to the people Athena was working with, the previously empty workplace was bustling with many people. There was a sense of accomplishment when the tactician saw that many people were happy with the fruits of their labor. For them, it was the end of another road, another story, but she knew deep inside her heart that was only the beginning. ¡°Very well¡­¡± Lawrence began to smile. ¡°Prepare to take up to the skies!¡± With Krieg and Phoebe on board, Leona took control of the helm of the flying ship and prepared herself to take off. However upon looking towards the ceiling she noticed a strange contraption of pulleys installed against the wooden roof. Lawrence and a few more workers positioned themselves on each corner of the workshop and on the scientist¡¯s command they pulled the ropes in sync. ¡°Now! Open the gates towards the heavens so our creation may open its wings and take to the skies!¡± Once they did, the wooden ceiling split open with the noise of countless mechanisms pulling the roof apart. ¡°Get ready to take off!¡± Leona shouted as she pulled the lever up from its slot. Phoebe and Krieg both held on the wooden railing as the flying contraption began to lift off the ground. ¡°It¡¯s flying! It¡¯s really flying!¡± ¡°Hooray!¡± ¡°Take up to the heavens my friends!¡± Lawrence shouted from the top of his lungs while holding on to the rope. ¡°Brave the blue expanse for it is yours to fly!¡± The ship took flight, upon exiting the warehouse the sun briefly made Leona squint her eyes as the outside welcomed her to the vast blue sky bereft of clouds. In a matter of seconds they were already a few dozen meters above the buildings, the structure rivaling their height was the Londrian castle that was gradually also becoming smaller each second that passed. ¡°Wow¡­ we are really flying¡­¡± Phoebe was peering over the edge of the vessel. ¡°I bet nothing could attack us at this height. Us on the other hand¡­¡± She glanced at the barrels choked full of gunpowder at the bow of the ship. ¡°Why would they want us to carry gunpowder back to Akrapocalis anyway?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Leona shouted from the helm. ¡°Did you say something?!¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Phoebe shouted back, the sound of the engine muffled almost all sound they could hear. Despite the extremely loud noise the tactician remained focused, the ship was overlooking the frozen ocean so she needed to turn it around the opposite direction. She gently began to steer the wheel to the left and the vessel followed suit, turning ever so slightly to the south, she pushed the lever forward and the ship began to move through the sky. ¡°To Akrapocalis and one step closer to my goal.¡± Chapter LXXXVI: Wrath of the Heavens Almost at the same time Leona¡¯s group took off to the skies, captain Olivia was dealing with the Arcadian envoy inside the barracks. Sitting on the opposite side of the captain, there was a long eared black haired woman wearing a white overcoat with a sizeable crimson red ribbon and gloves of the same color, she was rather laid back with the left arm over the back of the chair. ¡°Archmage Kaeli, I¡¯m sure you understand, due to the former prime minister¡¯s actions our fair city was by no means welcoming to travelers or merchants alike. If any Arcadians were indeed harmed I can only ask for forgiveness and help the families of those who lost their loved ones.¡± ¡°Captain, captain¡­ while you aren¡¯t wrong, most of the merchants that would come this way were, as you sure are able to tell, half demons, Arcadia does not care for them.¡± Who spoke was a high elf in her twenties, long straight hair black as the night and gentle yet ominous deep blue eyes. ¡°Who we really are after is a convict who escaped with a knight at her employ. Her name is Leona Crossford, a young woman of around her twenties, long blond hair, aquamarine eyes, somewhat short, have any of your soldiers encountered her?¡± ¡°Leona Crossford¡­ the Arcadian princess? If someone that influential had come to this kingdom I¡¯m sure there would¡¯ve been at least talk amongst the soldiers.¡± Olivia hoped she could bluff her way out but as she was about to keep the conversation going, a loud rumble shook the building as a loud noise coming from the outside caught both the captain and the archmage¡¯s attention. Kaeli quickly stood up and ran to the doorway and once she opened and looked towards the sky the sunlight briefly made her eyes squint before a shadow quickly passed over her and she saw it clearly. ¡®A flying ship?!¡¯ Her eyes widened as she looked to the two Arcadian mages wearing dark blue robes just outside the barracks. ¡°We are heading back, now!¡± ¡°Huh? But Lady Kaeli-¡± ¡°It¡¯s an order!¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± They began to quietly chant whilst holding both hands together. Olivia just appeared behind the arch mage. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± The captain asked, hoping to buy off more time. ¡°If we have done something to insult you and yours we-¡± ¡°No need.¡± Kaeli cut her off. ¡°We¡¯re heading back, but do not think this is over. If you are somehow assisting her this kingdom will face Arcadia¡¯s wrath.¡± As she turned around the mages helped the high elf lift off with wind spells, causing the snow to lift up in a cloud of white as she flew off. Olivia and the other soldiers looked to the sky where they headed south just after the flying ship. ¡®I pray with all my might for your safety, Princess Crossford.¡¯ The captain closed her eyes while holding her right hand close to her chest. ¡®May the light be ever with you.¡¯ High in the sky, Leona was controlling the speed of the vessel as best as she could while gripping the steering wheel firmly. ¡°Leona!¡± Krieg shouted, unsurprisingly his voice was loud enough to be heard over the working parts of the flying ship. ¡°Some mages are flying below us! It may be that envoy Athena was told about!¡± ¡°Keep on the lookout!¡± She shouted back. ¡°If they seem ready to attack us we¡¯ll just have to make use of the gunpowder!¡± He nodded and kept peering over the left edge of the ship. Meanwhile Phoebe had pulled her longbow off from Krieg¡¯s belt and prepared her quiver around her waist as if she was getting ready for a fight. She then proceeded to climb up the staircase, almost falling once due not being used to her new prosthetic legs, to speak to Leona. ¡°Can you go a bit faster?!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°I think I might be able to kill that envoy with arrows from here!¡± ¡°What if they attack us?!¡± ¡°They would¡¯ve done so if they could!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After pushing the lever forward the ship began to pick up speed, leaving the mages flying behind them. The high elf turned to the stern of the ship and began to draw the longbow. ¡°Winds of time, grant thy power upon myself, Windshot!¡± Wind gathered at the very tip of Phoebe¡¯s fingers and as she released the arrow from the string it began to spin rapidly as the deadly projectile gained speed. From below, Kaeli noticed something being thrown from the back of the ship but little she knew it was an arrow, only realizing what it was after it hit the mage beside her directly on his back which sent the lifeless flying body to hit the ground of the snowy forest. ¡°Slow down now!¡± The other mage followed her order and they landed between the trees below. She clicked her tongue while looking at the flying ship moving further and further away. ¡°My little sister is more skilled with the bow than I imagined.¡± ¡°What do we do now archmage? We can¡¯t let them reach Akrapocalis before us.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll fly lower while also keeping a greater distance from it. There won¡¯t be a next time if either of us get hit by an arrow shot with the aid of magic like that.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± It took some time for them to take to the air again and by that time Leona and her group had already created quite the distance between them. ¡°Did you manage to hit them?!¡± Leona shouted at the high elf.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°One! Not the one I was hoping for!¡± She was preparing another arrow but seeing how the intended targets were nowhere in sight she simply put the arrow back in the quiver. ¡°Aim small, miss small I suppose.¡± The tactician turned her attention to where she was going and began to notice the white forest giving out to the vast plains of snow but right after it there was a mountain formation beyond it which the ship would crash into if they kept on the same height. Leona instinctively pulled the lever out of the socket to fly higher but as she did so Phoebe quickly grabbed her arm and began to shout at her. ¡°Whatever you do, circle around that mountain!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll die!¡± ¡°Die?!¡± ¡°I heard stories where people die in mountains as tall as those!¡± ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll go around! Just check if we have enough fuel!¡± ¡°Where?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s below us!¡± The high elf nodded and carefully made her way down the stairs and into the cabin below. Inside, there was a piece of wood bolted to the wall to serve as a makeshift seat while occupying most of the room was the manafication engine and a small metal barrel beside it. Its blue tinted pistons were working and many exposed gears were grinding against one another. Phoebe wondered how the cumbersome load of iron was keeping everyone afloat but that thought quickly faded away as she noticed the fuel gauge beside it showing it was about halfway empty. She picked up a glass vial the size of her hand and inspected the lid. ¡°How do I even open this thing?¡± The high elf thought as she tried to wrap her head around the strange looking needle-like lid. She peeked out of the cabin while shouting. ¡°Leona! How do I fuel this thing?!¡± ¡°Just insert the pointy part in the slot beside the engine!¡± ¡®Pointy side inside the slot beside the engine¡­¡¯ She thought as she returned inside and checked around the engine and noticed a small empty cylinder on the side of the barrel so she spun the small vial on her hand and jammed it inside the slot and the moment she did so the vial began to empty it out. ¡®Huh¡­ interesting¡­¡¯ The moment Phoebe walked out of the cabin she noticed the knight was sitting against the wooden railing of the ship with his head down. ¡°Sir Krieg?¡± She said upon getting very close to him. He simply glanced at her way and answered. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well.¡± Before turning his head down again. Phoebe tapped his shoulders a few times before standing up herself. Leona motioned to the high elf to approach her and as she climbed up the tactician asked close to her ear. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Krieg?¡± ¡°Sea sickness probably. Or in this case I think I should call it air sickness?¡± Leona knew what it was since she had previously read in a book, a strange phenomenon that would strike even those somewhat accustomed to the sea. She felt sorry for him but at least she knew it was something that would go away once they made their way back to Akrapocalis. The way to the dwarven citadel was mostly uneventful saving for a flock of birds almost colliding with the ship¡¯s helices, but by the time the towering castle came into view, so too did the smoke from an ongoing siege at the western side of the capital¡¯s walls, the blue banner and golden trimmings of two crossed swords signaled whose kingdom the army was. ¡°Arcadia¡­¡± Leona muttered bitterly to herself. From a commoner¡¯s perspective, that was just an act of treason, attacking a neighboring kingdom when it was being constantly assaulted by death angels. But in the tactician¡¯s mind that was one of the power moves available to Alexander as the acting king. Arcadia and Akrapocalis were once a single kingdom until the dwarves who had control of the eastern mines decided to break off the human controlled capital, another age of blood came and went, only five years later the two formed kingdoms entered a treaty to avoid further conflict as the demon kingdom far to the west began to grow exponentially before eventually coming to the Great Forest. But now after the demon kingdom was dealt with and Akrapocalis being constantly attacked by death angels, Arcadia could have a shot at retaking the city and with it, controls of the mines to the east. ¡°Leona!¡± Phoebe¡¯s shouting snapped the tactician from her thoughts as she was almost right up against her face. ¡°What should we do?! At this rate we won¡¯t be able to go down without being attacked by one of the cannons!¡± She knew what had to be done, but even with that option right in her face she still hesitated. ¡°The reason why Fye had this ship to be loaded with gunpowder¡­¡± Leona looked at the fires and smoke coming from the dwarven city. ¡°...very well.¡± She turned to Phoebe. ¡°Take control of the ship! Keep it moving and don¡¯t let it go lower than it already is!¡± Upon nodding, the high elf took the steering wheel and Leona quickly climbed down the stairs where Krieg was standing, albeit a bit dizzy still. ¡°Krieg! Bring me one of those barrels!¡± He grasped one in each arm and hauled it over at the left side of the ship where she was standing. ¡°Once I light it up I want you to throw it in the direction of the forest! Make sure to not hit anyone directly!¡± He nodded and with that she began to light the fuse of each barrel he put on top of the wooden railing. One by one he began to toss it overboard. Inside city gates the elven twins Frey and Lest were commanding the soldiers from house Loraexion in the efforts of evacuating the west side of the city. ¡°Hurry! Hurry! This way! We¡¯ll keep you safe!¡± Lest shouted as hard as he could but the impact of cannon fire hitting the reinforced gates made it a fruitless effort. ¡°Come on!¡± While her brother tried his best to evacuate the citizens, Frey noticed one person amidst the crowd was her employer and without giving any explanation she simply sprinted towards an incoming multitude of people in order to reach her. ¡°Lady Fye!¡± The elf shouted. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± Her calm demeanor as she simply turned around to see who addressed her left Frey even more distressed. ¡°There is no point in running away. With more than half of our army fighting death angels this is a death sentence whether we fight them or the Arcadian army.¡± ¡°Let us at least try to stall them! Was this not the reason why we were here?!¡± ¡°Not to stall, no¡­¡± The horned woman glanced up to the clouded skies where a vessel approached from the north. ¡°Gather the troops, we¡¯ll go to the offense.¡± ¡°Lady Fye, how can we possibly-¡± When the elf followed her mistress gaze she noticed the flying ship moving beyond the walls as it dropped what seemed to be barrels from the sky before they exploded violently just above the trees. Outside the walls, Arcadian knights were moving cannons in an attempt to destroy the wooden gate at Alexander¡¯s orders as he used a longsword to rally the troops. ¡°Focus all firepower into that gate! I want it destroyed on the next barrage!¡± ¡°My king!¡± One of the knights came running to him. ¡°There is something coming from the skies towards us!¡± ¡°In the sky?!¡± The acting king just had time to glance upwards as the forest on the left side of the cannons was obliterated by an explosion which sent branches, rocks and other debris towards the main army which made some of the knights panic with the sudden attack. ¡°They have mages!¡± One of them screamed but Alexander used a wind spell to amplify his voice in order to organize the knights once again. ¡°We have an enemy above us! Spell casters deal with that nuisance now!¡± In front of him a few dozen robbed mages began to aim their hands to the ship but before they could fire a single spell a volley of bullets hit the backline. ¡°What the hell?!¡± A line of Akrapocalian soldiers fired their weapons from the top of the city walls, managing to disrupt the mages. ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± ¡°Mama!¡± As the knights were running away, more explosions lifted mud and stone into the air as the flying ship approached the center of the army. ¡°Fall back!¡± Alexander shouted with his amplified voice. ¡°Fall back now!¡± While he ran, he looked up to the sky and made a mental note of what he should¡¯ve been informed of by Kaeli. ¡°Damn you, Leona!¡± Chapter LXXXVII: Dark Tides Part I ¡°They are finally here¡­¡± Lady Fye was looking up to the sky as the flying ship was hovering above the city gates. The gust of wind coming from the working helices made her long hair and clothes flutter lightly. ¡°I thought it was impossible-¡± Frey muttered before turning around to the soldiers who were still staring at the flying machination. ¡°Hey! Clear out the bystanders! They need space to land!¡± As the flying ship became closer and closer to the ground, many came to surround the curious machine capable of flight. ¡°Our savior returns!¡± Lady Fye loudly proclaimed as she clapped her hands while Leona and Krieg climbed off the ship. ¡°Just in the nick of time as well!¡± Despite the murmur around the crowd, the tactician was no less intimidated than she was intrigued. She approached the demi-human lady and spoke in a soft voice, attempting to keep the conversation between the two of them. ¡°Lady Fye, with all due respect. Did you plan for us to attack the Arcadian army?¡± ¡°In all honesty, no. But I knew something was going to happen soon. Our king¡¯s army was in the process of training new recruits with all the haste despite us having more than enough to keep the frontline secured.¡± She replied softly. ¡°Though I¡¯d say your timely arrival was more than welcome since most of the soldiers keeping the Arcadians outside our walls were either killed or badly injured.¡± ¡°Lady Leona!¡± Frey came running to her after she had spotted the tactician talking to her master. ¡°Thank the heavens you are alright. Was it you that pelted the enemy army with spells?¡± ¡°Spells? Hardly, those were barrels of gunpowder, you can thank Lady Fye for foreseeing this happening.¡± The young captain looked with a surprised expression towards Fye who simply brushed off with a motion of her hand. ¡°Regardless of what happened, I¡¯m glad to see our hard work paid off.¡± She glanced at the flying ship with a warm smile on her face. ¡°With this irrefutable evidence of our work I¡¯ll be able to make the other families work together in the creation of these ships.¡± A sense of guilt was starting to build up in Leona¡¯s chest. It was true that it was thanks to her that the tactician had the means to travel without the fear of being attacked by a death angel, however a flying ship at that point in time was only going to become a weapon to be used against whatever threatened the dwarven kingdom. ¡°Lady Fye, you aren¡¯t planning to use these ships against Arcadia, are you?¡± ¡°Not offensively, no. But should they attack again we¡¯ll need to have the means to defend ourselves now wouldn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Fair enough¡­¡± Deep down Leona felt responsible, should Akrapocalis be able to mass produce those airships, virtually nothing would stand in its way. ¡°However I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be necessary any time soon.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Arcadia¡¯s army had sustained some losses even before coming to our doorstep. Some creature has been roaming the Great Forest killing anything or anyone that it would come across.¡± ¡°A creature? Not a death angel?¡± ¡°No, as a matter of fact this creature had slain a death angel. If I recall correctly, Lest, who was responsible for overseeing the watch around the capital¡¯s walls, had the chance to see the creature from afar.¡± She turned to the captain beside her. ¡°Frey, call your brother here. I¡¯ll head back to the mansion and start working on a petition to the king and other families.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Yes madam!¡± Upon saluting, the elf captain turned around and ran towards the main street where most of the soldiers seemed to be coming from leaving Leona and her group to be stared at by the curious inventors around the ship. It took a few minutes for the crowd to be dispersed by soldiers of the house Loraexion and as they did so, Frey had brought her brother in order to speak with the tactician. The moment he approached the group he bowed elegantly with his right arm in front of his body and the left behind it. ¡°I wish we could offer you a warmer welcome, but alas our unwanted guests had to make an appearance before an exalted guest-¡± Frey slapped him so hard in the back that his posture just straightened automatically. ¡°Get it together Lest. Come on, tell them what you saw last night.¡± ¡°Ack, must you be so ruthless sister?¡± The older sister raised her hand threatening to slap him once again which made him raise both hands, conceding to her persuasion. ¡°Alright, alright, no need to get violent¡­ where should I start¡­? Ah yes, yesterday my squad was on patrol duty just outside the gates in case of a surprise attack by the order of Lady Fye. Normally it is uneventful and quiet as it can get, being the dead of the night only a few stray animals or the usual critter would be making a noise right outside our fair city. But as we were making our rounds near the southern walls we heard hustling coming from the vegetation and shortly thereafter an enormous creature about thrice a man¡¯s size came out of the woods. At first I thought about giving the order to attack it but after seeing it destroy a tree by barely bumping into it I had my men to hold their fire and let the beast go away on its own.¡± That caught Leona¡¯s attention. ¡°Could you describe its appearance?¡± ¡°Yes, it was much like a goat on two legs, muscular and covered in fur from head to toe, I¡¯m not quite sure about its face aside from the crimson red eyes and the two very thick horns, one of which was broken though.¡± ¡°A broken horn and crimson red eyes¡­?¡± One prominent memory came to mind, but she slightly shook her head as if trying to erase the idea from her head. ¡°And what did it do? Did it see your group?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it did, but it simply paid us no mind and continued to roam around for a bit more until it eventually went back to the forest.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m thankful we didn¡¯t attack it, earlier today we noticed it was once again roaming the forest carrying a dismembered death angel¡¯s arm.¡± He shuddered from the spine chilling memory. ¡°If it can do that with a death angel, imagine if it grabbed a hold of any of us.¡± Leona lowered her head slightly, staring at the ground in front of her before Krieg gently squeezed her left shoulder whilst shaking his head. ¡°Very well.¡± The tactician turned to the elf siblings. ¡°We still have some leftover gunpowder on the ship, if any of your soldiers could help us-¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Frey whistled and some of the soldiers making the perimeter around the ship came to her. ¡°We got some sensitive materials on board and Princess Leona wants us to unload it to the mansion.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± In no time the rest of the gunpowder was unloaded and Leona was free to go once again. As she was about to climb up the ship Frey called out to her and as the tactician turned around, the captain saluted her. ¡°Best of luck to you Princess Leona! May the light ever guide you to victory!¡± Upon saying her goodbyes, Leona and Krieg climbed on board and Phoebe slowly made the ship ascend. Once high in the air they began to move eastward, crossing the dwarven castle and the capital¡¯s west walls towards Lugna plains, a vast grass flatland devoid of any trees in sight. ¡®Lugna plains¡­¡¯ Leona thought. ¡®The most fierce battle against death angels took place here.¡¯ She leaned over the right railing of the ship and even though she was very far away from the battlefield below she could see the trenches dug by Akrapocalian soldiers to serve as makeshift shelters with cannons sitting in front of said trenches, the spray of darkened red alongside numerous corpses filled what was supposed to be a verdant flatland. She frowned her brows, even if it was to keep the citizens at peace, sending soldiers so far away from the citadel was a death sentence. ¡°Leona!¡± Phoebe shouted which prompted the tactician to look at her. ¡°How far are we going to go?!¡± Despite not knowing the exact lay of the land due to never traveling anywhere further than Akrapocalis in her childhood, she was intimately familiar with trade routes thanks to the books in her father¡¯s study and the next place they could land that would be safe from death angels was¡­ ¡°To the town of Arivaul!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Chapter LXXXVIII: Dark Tides Part II Inside a grand tent to the west of the dwarven citadel, the acting king Alexander was surrounded by royal knights questioning him of the attack that was supposed to allow Arcadia to attack the citadel directly. ¡°Enough!¡± He yelled whilst slamming his hand on top of the wooden table in front of him which knocked a few pieces off the map laid out on top of it. ¡°Where is Kaeli and her diplomatic envoy?! I was told she would arrive at any moment now!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± One tired soldier holding a halberd shouted by the entrance of the tent. ¡°Commander Kaeli is back!¡± ¡°Bring her here, now!¡± ¡°My king, please reconsider this plan.¡± Phoebe¡¯s father was attempting to dissuade Alexander from the attack. ¡°Without the dwarves to fight against the death angels, how are we supposed to defend both Arcadia and Akrapocalis at the same time?¡± ¡°Hawk I believe you are no longer commander of the royal army, yet you still try to defy my orders.¡± ¡°I¡¯m simply stating the truth, the more fronts we have to fight the more we¡¯ll need to stretch out our army. My king, while I applaud your gracious presence to rally more men to our cause, there is a limit to how much we can do alone, if the dwarven city were to fall now-¡± ¡°Silence! I care not what happens to the dwarves, we just need them out of the picture and we¡¯ll have full access to the mines.¡± ¡°But the death angels-¡± Hawk was interrupted by the loud noise coming from the entrance of the tent, Kaeli was being escorted by two royal knights in full plate armor each of them were holding a halberd and the high elf arch mage was between them with a somewhat serious expression. ¡°Kaeli.¡± Alexander turned around and stomped his way towards her, holding his urge to grab her by the collar of her clothing. ¡°Care to explain to me what just happened?! I told you to take care of her if you ever came across that damnable princess!¡± ¡°My king with all due respect, even mages of my caliber would have a hard time hitting a target so high in the sky. Not to account that we were attacked mid-flight by an archer on board that flying contraption that managed to kill one of my mages.¡± ¡°An archer managed to kill a mage?¡± ¡°Impossible right?¡± ¡°I never heard of such a thing before.¡± Murmurs started to gather around the entrance of the tent as each of the knights and soldiers started to talk amongst themselves. The situation was tense, not only they lost in the first attempt to advance into the capital but also thanks to Leona¡¯s timely arrival, the Arcadian army¡¯s morale was thoroughly shaken. ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Alexander shouted in anger. ¡°Bring me the slimes!¡± Upon mentioning the creatures all heat seemed to be sucked out of the tent as the knights glanced at each other without being able to hide their nervousness. ¡°My king, with all due respect-¡± Kaeli began to speak with a cautious tone. ¡°-if anything, they are still flawed creations, if they were to roam free with these many soldiers in the frontline-¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I said, BRING ME THE SLIMES, NOW!¡± The high elf recoiled from his shouting as her ears twitched from discomfort. She took a deep breath and sighed discreetly before answering. ¡°Very well my lord.¡± With an unsettling expression on her face, Kaeli made her way out of the tent and used wind magic to propel herself upwards then towards Arcadia. ¡°This will end up in more bloodshed¡­¡± A few kilometers away from Akrapocalis, the flying ship was cruising through the plains while already approaching the east mountain range that divided the dwarven kingdom with the coastal side of the continent. The mountain range was considerably lower than what they found in Londria, being easily crossed by flying over it and contrary to Leona¡¯s belief, the high elf simply made sure to go in a straight line to shorten the distance considerably. However¡­ ¡°Weather¡¯s not looking great!¡± Leona shouted as she noticed darkened clouds covering the sky in the direction they were heading towards. ¡°Should we land?!¡± ¡°Not yet!¡± Phoebe shouted back. ¡°We can still push a bit further, besides the city shouldn¡¯t be too far away now!¡± While the two of them were preoccupied by the weather condition, Krieg was sitting against the railing of the ship with his head hanging low. Unbeknownst to either of them, the knight had a fatal flaw which was motion sickness, simply looking at the scenery as the ship moved was enough to get him dizzy and now with hours of traveling the ever so slight movement of the ship made him nauseous. ¡°Goddess why¡­¡± He muttered to himself. ¡°Of all the things to be weak to, it had to be this-¡± Without being able to hold it, he quickly turned around and vomited over the railing. Seeing the knight do that prompted Leona to approach him. ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°Not feeling well, I-¡± He couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence before having once again turned his insides out. As her mind was racing to find a way to help him she felt something cold hit her forehead. At first she thought it was some sort of leaf that flew from the trees below until her face and body began to be pelted by droplets of cold water. ¡°Gah!¡± The soft rain quickly became a violent storm that was pelting away at the crew on board. Leona helped Krieg stumble inside the engine room and rushed over to Phoebe who was also struggling to stand still since her prosthetic legs weren¡¯t made with slippery surfaces in mind. ¡°Phoebe head down to the engine room! I¡¯ll try to land safely!¡± ¡°Alright! Be careful you hear?!¡± As the high elf was heading down a strong gust of wind shook the ship to the right as it was going down which made the whole thing shake violently. ¡°Nngh!¡± Leona managed to catch herself before she could be flung to the left but Phoebe wasn¡¯t so lucky as her legs slipped and the left side of her waist hit the wooden railing. ¡°Argh! Woah!¡± She tried to grab onto the railing but her hand slipped and her body was already over the railing. ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡± ¡°PHOEBE!¡± Leona held the urge to jump down the helm and instead she quickly descended the ship in the middle of the forest without much care about breaking the treetops and branches on the way down. ¡°PHOEBE! WHERE ARE YOU?!¡± She shouted from the top of her lungs while jumping off the still ship. ¡°Princess wait¡­!¡± Krieg walked out of the engine room and walked over the railing where he heard Leona¡¯s voice from. ¡°Don¡¯t go off on your own-¡± As she turned around to answer the knight he was staring at her with an empty gaze and a few seconds later he hunched over the railing and stopped moving. ¡°Krieg? Krieg! What happened?!¡± As she was about to run towards her she felt a prickling numbing sensation on the right side of her lower back, as she reached to her back with her right hand she felt something protruding out of her clothing. As her fingers pulled out to inspect whatever hit her, she noticed it was a small dart-like needle coated with some sort of liquid. ¡®This is-!¡¯ The moment she noticed what it was, the first and last thing that came to mind was ¡®poison¡¯, but at that point her consciousness was already starting to fade. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­ in a place like this¡­!¡¯ Her body was becoming heavier by the second and her eyelids began to close until she completely passed out on the damp grass. Chapter LXXXIX: The Goddess’ Whims As Phoebe fell from the ship, she instinctively grabbed a nearby branch and used her own weight to flung her body to the side against a cluster of low bushes to mitigate the fall. ¡°Ugh!¡± Fortunately for her she landed with her butt on the shrubs, however the force of the impact sent her left prosthetic leg flying a few meters ahead of her. ¡°Blazes¡­¡± She forced herself up and stumbled forward and since her center of balance was off she almost fell face first into the mud but thanks to her reflexes she was able to grasp a vine just in time to balance herself. After carefully crawling towards the artificial limb and reattaching it to her thigh, she stood up and heard the sound of the airship coming closer to the ground. She noticed it landing not too far ahead so she decided to just take it easy and walk towards it as the soaked dirt was beginning to turn into mud which made traversing through it a much tougher job than she expected. ¡®I really hope we can get to Nara quickly¡­¡¯ She thought. ¡®These legs are unreliable at best.¡¯ Despite the noise of the rain, the high elf managed to hear a familiar female voice coming from a few meters ahead of her. ¡°PHOEBE! PHOEBE! WHERE ARE YOU?!¡± Jogging a bit further she was already able to see Leona standing with her back towards her, however something didn¡¯t seem right and as she was about to shout, the tactician simply collapsed in front of her. Her instinct was to hide behind a tree and look around for any possible angle the attacker might have come from. ¡®That must have been poison or else she wouldn¡¯t have slowly collapsed like that¡­¡¯ She reached for her belt and pulled out the dagger with the left hand while the right went for the longbow, however most of the arrows from her quiver seemed to have fallen out of it when she was flung out of the ship. ¡®...which means time is against me.¡¯ She pulled the longbow back and fired an arrow on the mud to the left side far away from Leona and instantly moved around the right side of the tree she was behind and dived into a bush, for a very brief moment she noticed something move about four trees ahead of her near the flying ship. ¡®Got you.¡¯ She notched another arrow and dashed out to the central trail with the string halfway pulled, once she saw a figure resembling a person she readied her bow at full strength and let go of the arrow. ¡°Ack!¡± She heard a grunt from the figure as the projectile managed to graze them, but given the poor visibility and firing while moving made Phoebe miss a vital organ as the figure nimbly dashed behind the tree and turned something at the high elf. ¡®Huh?!¡¯ Phoebe dashed to the left and dived behind a tree just as something hit its bark, protruding out of the trunk, a thin dart coated in a viscous liquid. ¡®Dammit, they aren¡¯t playing around.¡¯ She left the longbow on the ground and readied the dagger on her left hand before removing the fluffy coat she got in Londria. On the other side of the trail, the hooded figure was loading another dart covered in poison in a bamboo blowpipe. ¡°Tch, if only I had my bow¡­¡± The figure grunted. ¡°This would¡¯ve been over much sooner.¡± Once they turned to look at the tree Phoebe was behind, they noticed a shadow quickly emerge from the left side and in a flash they shot it only to realize it was a falling piece of heavy clothing. ¡°What the-?!¡± In less than a second the coat was hit, the high elf dashed out of cover and went straight to where the hooded figure was while wielding both daggers with killing intent. Out of reflex, the figure went for something on her belt, as they pulled out a short sword. Noticing her opponent pull out a blade made Phoebe sure she was dealing with an assassin. The high elf held both daggers normally in order to be able to use them to deflect a possible attack, however since both of her weapons were shorter than her assailant, she chose to go on the offensive. By swinging the right dagger horizontally and following it up with a stab from the left she almost left no room for her opponent to counterattack, which was made clear when the figure tried to back away, but unfortunate for them, Phoebe knew how to press an advantage in combat so she kept a seemingly endless flurry of attacks coming from all directions in order to detain her enemy from creating distance.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®This woman!¡¯ The hooded figure was beginning to get grazed by the high elf¡¯s precise stabs and slashes. ¡®This ain¡¯t over yet!¡¯ They hopped back just enough to be out of range for a split second and reached for something on the belt. Phoebe noticed this and prepared the left dagger closer to her chest and a second later the figure threw a dagger towards the high elf¡¯s throat which was quickly deflected to the left. They followed up with a downwards diagonal slash from the right to the left expecting Phoebe to not be able to move, but against their expectations, the high elf nimbly stepped to the left and avoided the attack. Out of desperation her attacker tried to turn for a stab, but Phoebe parried the blade with the weapon on her right hand and pushed the left one against their throat as she followed up with a stab to their left shoulder using the right dagger. ¡°Argh!¡± The hooded figure let out a scream of pain as Phoebe used her weight to throw her opponent on the ground as she held them on knifepoint as she yelled at them. ¡°What poison did you use?! Speak before I gut you open!¡± ¡°Please, just don¡¯t kill me! What I used was no poison!¡± As the figure began to speak, Phoebe noticed it was actually a woman. ¡°It¡¯s- ugh, just a sedative, they¡¯ll wake up in a few minutes¡­!¡± Phoebe narrowed her eyes as she pressed the dagger dangerously closer to the woman¡¯s throat. ¡°Sedative? How do you know it¡¯s indeed a sedative?!¡± ¡°I was the one who made it!¡± ¡°Stop playing around! Give me the antidote!¡± Becoming impatient, Phoebe pulled out the right dagger from her victim¡¯s shoulder, prompting her to scream in pain, and hold the dagger ready to stab her again. ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth! There is no antidote!¡± As the high elf was about to stab the hooded woman again, she heard something move from the bushes to her right and managed to leap to the left just in time to dodge a longsword that was aimed for her chest. ¡°Tch.¡± Phoebe clicked her tongue as she readied both of her weapons to fight. Emerging from the bushes the attack came from, she noticed it was a person clad in armor from head to toe wielding an arming sword and a kite shield. ¡°Elaine¡­ are you alright?¡± Behind the armor it was a male voice. The woman supposedly named Elaine stood up and held her short sword, however she didn¡¯t seem too eager to fight. ¡°Rein what are you doing out here?! I told you to wait inside.¡± ¡°I felt something was off.¡± The knight glanced at Phoebe then turned back to the woman. ¡°Why was she attacking you?¡± ¡°A misunderstanding.¡± Elaine lied. ¡°Misunderstanding?¡± The high elf gritted her teeth in anger as she readied her daggers. ¡°You poisoned them! I¡¯ll have that antidote even if it means prying off your corpse!¡± ¡°Wait, Elaine, what did you do?¡± The man looked at the hooded woman. ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­ ugh¡­¡± He collapsed on the ground before he could say another word which prompted Elaine to shout. ¡°Rein?! Rein! Talk to me!¡± As Phoebe was about to run in to attack, her right arm was grabbed by someone behind her and out of instinct she turned to stab whoever it was but thankfully her hand was held by the wrist, stopping the attack before it could puncture anything. Looking up, the high elf noticed it was Krieg holding her limbs firmly. ¡°Calm down Phoebe.¡± He said while looking at the two other unfortunate people. ¡°Leona is also safe. She¡¯s merely sleeping.¡± The high elf let out a sigh. ¡°I thought you two were poisoned.¡± She relaxed her arms which made Krieg let go of them. After sheathing both daggers she looked at the woman trying to shoulder the knight¡¯s weight. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand, why would she go to such lengths then?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one way to know.¡± He answered as he went to help them which prompted Phoebe to sigh once again and mutter. ¡°I think Princess Leona''s whims are rubbing off on you sire.¡± Krieg shouldered the knight¡¯s left arm as the hooded woman was on the right. Upon realizing he was helping her, the woman couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Why are you helping us?¡± ¡°Is it not the natural thing to help another? Besides, if you''re feeling sorry don¡¯t be, I¡¯ve had worse.¡± He used that brief conversation to question her. ¡°But tell me, why did you choose to attack us instead of asking for help? You were clearly outnumbered.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± She looked conflicted as bit the lower half of her lips. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure I could trust you. The last group that came with the pretext to help left us to fend off a death angel by ourselves. I managed to land a killing blow but not before it wounded him.¡± Krieg glanced at the knight and noticed three parallel lines that sliced the side of the armor open. ¡°I see¡­ though how did you even manage to kill a death angel by yourselves?¡± ¡°Poison, I would say it was more of using everything I had at the moment than anything.¡± They both carried the almost unconscious knight near the ship where Leona was asleep against the hull. Phoebe didn¡¯t let her guard down for a single moment as she firmly held the dagger with her right hand. ¡°So previously you had poisons on your person.¡± The high elf pointed out. ¡°Just who are you people?¡± The knight coughed as he spoke a few words just before passing out. ¡°Reinhardt Lorraine¡­ paladin of the order of high knights of Arcadia.¡± Chapter XC: On Friendly Terms Paladin, that was a term uncommonly used after the war had ended. Only a few of them remained and those that did were usually children of the previous title holders as it was passed down from father to son. ¡°Reinhardt Lorraine¡­ paladin of the order of high knights of Arcadia.¡± That name made both Krieg and Phoebe have second thoughts as the knight just passed out on Elaine¡¯s arms. ¡°Wait¡­ Lorraine?¡± The high elf questioned. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the last name of that man who killed Leona¡¯s father?¡± ¡°Just so.¡± Krieg answered as he put the unconscious knight on the ground against the flying ship. ¡°Miss Elaine, tell us the truth, just why are you two here?¡± While seemingly relaxed, he asked whilst resting his left hand on the longsword handle tied to his left hip. Her eyes seemed to quickly dart to the young woman sleeping against the ship¡¯s hull and back to Krieg. ¡°Are you perhaps Princess Leona¡¯s knight?¡± The sound of steel sung amidst the rain pouring down, as Krieg drew his weapon and held it in a high guard stance prepared to attack at any second. ¡°Care to explain why you want to know that?¡± ¡°I never personally seen Lady Crossford.¡± She answered without flinching at the sight of the man holding his weapon. ¡°But fret not, me and my sire are not by any means working alongside that schemer the people of Arcadia call king. If anything, we are in this situation because of him.¡± ¡°We should kill her and be done with it.¡± The high elf voiced her opinion but as she drew closer, Krieg raised his arm in front of her. ¡°Calm down Phoebe. If what she says is true then Leona would want to hear more of it.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Elaine looked at the tactician who was still asleep. ¡°She is Princess Leona? I don¡¯t remember her ever having short hair.¡± ¡°A few things happened.¡± Despite trying to hide, Krieg¡¯s disappointment in his voice was plainly clear. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s board the ship, lest we want to catch our deaths out in this blasted rain.¡± He sheathed his blade and carried Leona between his arms while Elaine dragged the knight along while Phoebe kept a watchful gaze on them as she walked behind everyone. Once Krieg had boarded the ship he left Leona inside the engine room and helped the hooded woman to climb up with her friend. Just as she settled the unconscious knight down in the engine room on the opposite side where Leona was, she was escorted outside by Phoebe who held her at knife point. ¡°Drop all of your weapons, now.¡± The high elf said as she held the dagger against the woman¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯m not about to let anyone harm any of them.¡± ¡°Very well¡­ remember that I can¡¯t even raise my left arm above my shoulder.¡± Elaine began by dropping her belt which had multiple satchels with glass vials inside as they clinked against the ground alongside the short sword. ¡°And despite that, do you still think I¡¯d put up a fight against both of you?¡± ¡°Can never be too careful. After all you did mention you had poisons with you.¡± The high elf shoved the woman forward and kicked the belt up while catching it in the air. Upon inspecting the satchel closely she noticed bits of plant matter such as leaves and roots but it was practically empty just like the glass vials she carried. ¡°You are an assassin aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That condescending tone is rich coming from someone well versed in the art of killing.¡± Elaine turned around to face her. ¡°Never once I expected to meet a high elf with hands so soaked in crimson such as mine.¡± Phoebe let the satchel fall on the ground as she flicked her left hand and a magic gust of wind blew the hood off the woman¡¯s head revealing the elongated ears, short blonde hair and green emerald eyes. ¡°An elf.¡± The high elf clicked her tongue in disgust. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m not supposed to kill you.¡± ¡°Funny, I was thinking of the same thing.¡± While the two were burning each other with gazes, Leona was beginning to wake up from her forced slumber, her eyes had to slowly adjust from the blurry vision as she kept blinking, trying to focus her sight. ¡°Are you alright Leona?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She turned to the familiar voice on the left. ¡°Krieg¡­? What happened?¡± ¡°You were asleep. A woman named Elaine used sleeping poison in order to obtain supplies for her wounded friend.¡± ¡°Oh so that is what happened¡­ what did you two do to them?¡± Krieg pointed across the engine room and as she followed his hand she noticed a man clad in armor lying against the wall apparently sleeping. ¡°He claimed to be a paladin of house Lorraine. Reinhardt or something was his name.¡± ¡°Reinhardt¡­ Reinhardt¡­ ah!¡± Leona sat up and put both her right thumb and index finger between her nose ridge as she was attempting to recall the familiar name. ¡°I think Luke told me once about him, an aspiring knight that would one day hold his father¡¯s title as paladin¡­ but then if he did become a paladin why would he be so far away from Arcadia?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°I initially thought the same thing, but I decided to leave them both alive since you might know what to do with them.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She rubbed her face. Her body felt a bit wobbly from the time she was asleep but nevertheless she glanced at Krieg with confidence. ¡°What about this other person named Elaine?¡± ¡°She¡¯s right outside, Phoebe probably took her to shake down any possible weapons she might be carrying.¡± He stood up and approached the doorway. ¡°Phoebe! Bring her here!¡± ¡°Coming.¡± After a few seconds the high elf had brought Elaine inside the cabin while still holding a dagger close to the elf¡¯s body. Seeing that made Leona speak up. ¡°You can put the weapon down Phoebe.¡± The high elf didn¡¯t even look away from the elf in front of her as she replied. ¡°With all due respect Princess, this woman is an assassin. If I was to let my guard down I¡¯m sure she would try something again.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you taken all her weapons? Just let me talk to her without the blade right at her back please, Phoebe.¡± She sighed in response. ¡°Very well, but be warned, if she tries to do anything I¡¯ll kill her on the spot.¡± ¡°Duly noted.¡± Elaine answered whilst raising both hands up. ¡°I mean no harm to you Princess Leona, as a matter of fact my liege wished to know more about this rumor that began to circulate the capital before we were exiled from Arcadia.¡± Two words of her sentence caught Leona¡¯s attention. The first one was the rumor while the other was exile. The tactician raised her left hand and Elaine stopped talking. ¡°First let me ask you one thing, what is this rumor about?¡± ¡°The acting king made a proclamation on his coronation, one of which many doubted to be true but at the same time with your absence from the capital made so they wouldn¡¯t voice their opinions.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°He said that you had killed your own father in order to become the head of the Crossford family. Not only that but he deemed you a traitor of Arcadia for helping the demi human populace that inhabited the capital ever since the end of the war.¡± Despite her words, the tactician¡¯s lack of reaction surprised everyone around her when she instead decided to press on for more information. ¡°I see, then what about your exile?¡± ¡°As you know, my liege holds the title of paladin that was passed down to him from his father, but as fate may have it, Alexander used this as an excuse to exile him as a potential threat to the throne.¡± ¡°Your liege, was he against the coronation?¡± ¡°To put it shortly, he does not trust Alexander in the slightest.¡± Elaine had a bitter expression on her face. ¡°Some may say that my lord¡¯s death was from the battle against the demons but I¡¯m certain that schemer had his hands on it.¡± ¡°Very well¡­ I think I have an idea of what is happening in Arcadia.¡± Leona stood up from her seat and looked Elaine in the eyes. ¡°What will you two do from now on? If what you said is true then it¡¯s practically impossible to live in any city that abides to the church of light.¡± The elf nodded. ¡°That is why we were heading to the town of Arivaul, so we may find work as mercenaries there.¡± Leona walked over to Phoebe who was standing on the doorway with her dagger still drawn. The tactician put her right hand on her right shoulder before saying. ¡°Give her weapons back. I¡¯ll take us to the town and we''ll leave them there before heading to our destination.¡± ¡°...understood.¡± With that Krieg also stood up and decided to go outside to check a few things before they departed. Phoebe tossed the belt back to Elaine and turned around to leave. ¡°Can you at least trust us now?¡± The elf asked. ¡°I will tolerate you, nothing more.¡± She sheathed her dagger and decided to join Leona on the helm of the ship. At the same time back in the dwarven citadel, the western wall that was being attacked by Arcadia¡¯s army was given a brief respite after the cannons were destroyed and most of its army fled. From the top of the wall Frey was still commanding soldiers from house Loraexion in order to reinforce its already crippled gate. ¡°Shout in case you see them approach! Riflemen into position! We will not let them break through our defenses!¡± She was about to run through the line of soldiers when one of them shouted. ¡°I see one of them coming towards us!¡± ¡°Why do you gotta be so dramatic? It¡¯s just one.¡± One of the soldiers reprimanded the squadmate. ¡°But-¡± Frey looked over the cover of the wall and noticed something was odd with the single weaponless knight slowly making their way towards them. All of her instincts were screaming of danger as she commanded the soldiers with a shouting voice. ¡°Everyone take aim!¡± Most of them were surprised by how urgent she seemed to be but nevertheless followed her orders. ¡°Fire!¡± A volley of shots were fired at the sole target and most of them connected as the knight seemed to spasm from the impact of each bullet. However instead of falling down or even more surprising, not spilling any blood, the knight simply continued walking towards the wall. ¡°What in the world¡­?!¡± At that point even Frey had taken out her own rifle and aimed at the shambling knight. ¡°Ready your rifles! Aim! Fire!¡± Yet another volley hit the knight and with the captain¡¯s marksmanship she was able to hit them right in the head which made the target fall flat on their back. The lack of motion made Frey discreetly sigh in relief but only lasted for a brief moment as shortly thereafter the body began to convulse on the ground. Speechless, most of the soldiers started to look at one another as if trying to silently ask if they were seeing what could only be described as witchcraft. ¡°Hm?!¡± The captain squinted her eyes and noticed the body act strangely as its right arm began to swell and seemingly out of nowhere she shouted. ¡°Get to cover!¡± She ducked behind the cover of the wall and as soon as she did, one of the soldiers who was standing in front of her just fell on the floor. ¡°Hey! Soldier! What happened-!¡± Upon crawling towards him, she noticed multiple bullet wounds around his chest, she tried to check for vitals but there was no breathing nor pulse. ¡°Captain! We have injuries amongst us!¡± Behind her it was also the same, some of the soldiers who couldn¡¯t take cover in time were lying in pools of their own blood. ¡°Curses!¡± Frey carefully peeked over cover and noticed the knight was in the process of standing up, but unlike a normal human, it didn¡¯t use either of the arms and instead simply raised itself as if it was a sprouting plant. That was enough to tell her it wasn¡¯t going to be a simple issue of just pelting it with bullets as she looked for one of the soldiers who was still standing. ¡°Go to the general now! We desperately need spell casters here!¡± ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am!¡± As he ran off with his order, Frey peeked in order to check on the Arcadian army and it didn¡¯t seem like they would attack any time soon. ¡°Damn you Alexander¡­¡± Chapter XCI: Old New Kingdom After hours of flying through a storm, the ship managed to escape the heavy rain without further complications other than being soaked down to the bone. The tactician was trying to warm herself up inside the engine room that was heated thanks to the hard working motor that was kept running on mana. She was so lost in thought that she didn¡¯t even seem to mind the cold and was simply sitting on the very corner of the room with her head against the wall. ¡®I wonder how close I am to finally solving this matter once and for all.¡¯ She closed her eyes and all if not the most painful memories began to flash in her mind one by one, her expulsion from the Grand Academy, her mother¡¯s death, Luke¡¯s death, Neiliel¡¯s passing, Laura and Lawslow¡¯s sacrifice, her father¡¯s death and when she thought she had lost Krieg forever to the void. ¡®I must become stronger to protect those around me.¡¯ The ship rumbled a bit which made something fall on the floor and roll against her feet. Once she noticed it was a glass container she picked up and stared at it. One of the empty mana tanks had fallen from the shelf behind the engine. She closed her eyes and began to focus on the vial at first pouring just a bit of her mana, faint strings of light enveloped her hand, coiling gently around the backside of her hand into the vial. As she began to feel the flow from her wrist she slowly increased the output and before long, the glass started to glow light blue, leaving the otherwise dark room with an eerie ambience. On the opposite side of the room, the paladin was beginning to regain consciousness only to notice a faint light coming from across where he was sitting. His vision was still a bit blurry when he looked at Leona for a brief moment his eyes seemed to spark. ¡°Lena?¡± The paladin¡¯s voice was muffled due to the helmet he was wearing. ¡°Is that-¡± Before he could take a step further, the flat side of a longsword suddenly appeared in front of him. ¡°Not a step further.¡± Krieg was holding the blade while looking at him. All the while Leona was so focused on charging the vial that she didn¡¯t notice what was going on beside her. ¡°What were you going to do?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The paladin glanced at the weapon first then to the person who was holding it, he then lifted the visor of his helmet and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Wait¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°Krieg.¡± He answered. ¡°The person you were approaching is my liege Leona. What did you want with her?¡± ¡°Leona?¡± He turned to the tactician who was still concentrated in her task to notice them having a conversation. ¡°Ah¡­ I see, so it was a dream after all.¡± He sighed before turning to him once again. ¡°My name is Reinhardt Lorraine. Paladin- or should I say, former paladin of Arcadia.¡± ¡°Your servant told me as much.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ is Elaine here? Where is she?¡± The moment he raised his voice the elf suddenly dropped behind Krieg and peeked from beneath his extended arm. ¡°Rein! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay!¡± She ducked beneath the knight¡¯s blade and charged into the paladin for a tight hug. Krieg sheathed his blade and walked near Leona who had just finished charging up the glass tank. ¡°Princess, he is awake.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The tactician glanced to the side and noticed the man standing in the middle of the room with Elaine latched onto him. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m glad Phoebe¡¯s healing magic aided in your swift recovery.¡± ¡°Phoebe?¡± From his confused reaction she deduced he really wasn¡¯t conscious when the high elf was healing him. ¡°My friend and traveling companion.¡± Leona explained. ¡°She¡¯s currently piloting the ship as we speak. You should get some fresh air if you¡¯re able to walk.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. She made her way out of the engine room with Krieg right behind her and as the paladin made his way through the doorway all they could hear was the gasp of surprise as it left his mouth. ¡°Woah¡­¡± He slowly walked to the edge of the ship, seeing how they were so high in the air made him excited and a bit anxious at the same time. ¡°How¡­ how is this even possible?¡± ¡°Londrian engineering and dwarven ingenuity.¡± Leona answered. ¡°Your friend Elaine told us you two were on your way to Arivaul, since we are heading to the same town I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to give you two a hand. However, I''d like a favor in return.¡± Before she could continue, the paladin knelt with his head hanging low and seeing him do that made Elaine do the same. ¡°Whatever it is, as long as it is within my capabilities I¡¯ll do my best to follow it through.¡± He said with determination. ¡°My blade is yours, lady Leona.¡± ¡°Now, now, no need to bow before me.¡± Her face was a bit flustered since she wasn¡¯t expecting that reaction from him. ¡°I wanted to know from you, someone that belonged in the Lorraine family household for as long as you did, what drove Alexander to do the things that he did up until now?¡± ¡°Alex huh¡­¡± Reinhardt stood up and folded his arms. ¡°He wasn¡¯t always like this, at least, not until my father died. Ever since our family adopted him, he would always go out of his way to aid anyone he was able to. After all, that was our family¡¯s oath. ¡®To protect those that can¡¯t protect themselves.¡¯ Despite how war was tearing through the kingdom, he and my father would always go out of their ways to aid those in need, especially villages near the frontlines.¡± ¡°Then¡­ your father¡­¡± The paladin nodded. ¡°He died at the hands of a demon while protecting defenseless villagers. All of us grieved his parting, but since I was the next in line of succession, I quickly took my father¡¯s title and place in the army as we worked under the Lothaire family.¡± He sighed. ¡°Alex¡¯s animosity must have come from then and truth to be told I too was shaken by how little Lena cared.¡± ¡°Lena¡­¡± Leona muttered under her breath as the name sounded familiar. ¡°Do you mean Lena Lothaire?¡± ¡°Yes, last paladin of the Lothaire family, her title was more of a formality as she wouldn¡¯t go to the battlefield herself but despite that, her unrivaled intellect for tactics earned her high praise from queen Eleonora.¡± Leona folded her left arm underneath the right elbow as she held her chin with the right hand, deep in thought. ¡®Then¡­ why did he want to know about something my mother made¡­?¡¯ She was racking her brain to think of something so she could have some sort of plan but the more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn¡¯t know much about her foe. ¡®But what could that be¡­?¡¯ ¡°Princess, it seems Phoebe wishes to speak to you.¡± Krieg got her attention and pointed to the high elf who was waving her left arm. ¡°I see thank you Krieg.¡± She turned to the two guests and bowed slightly. ¡°If you excuse me.¡± Upon walking up the staircase the noise of the helices came back as she needed to shout in order to talk to Phoebe. ¡°What is it?!¡± ¡°Arivaul¡¯s in sight, where do you want me to land?!¡± ¡°Anywhere, not in the middle of the town!¡± ¡°Alright! Tell the others to hold on tight!¡± Leona quickly made her way down the stairs and instructed everyone to hold on tight the edge railings of the ship as they started to slowly descend towards what seemed to be a large clearing in the middle of the forest. The town itself was rather small, there were only a few wooden houses around an odd stone monument that on closer inspection seemed to be an entrance to somewhere deeper underground. Phoebe made sure the ship landed on the very edge of the town which startled many of the citizens that were going about their day. As soon as they stopped, Leona looked at the high elf with a stern expression and she simply answered. ¡°Hey, you said not in the middle of the city.¡± From outside of the ship, they could hear the voice of someone clearly annoyed by their sudden appearance. ¡°What in tarnation is this?!¡± Leona peeked over the railing and noticed there were a few guards with dark uniforms wielding halberds as weapons. She didn¡¯t recognize those soldiers which only made her feel anxious. ¡°Great¡­¡± She muttered under her breath before turning around to the four people standing behind her. ¡°Krieg come with me, the rest of you stay here, if you hear trouble you are allowed to fire your bow Phoebe.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Leona took a deep breath and appeared over the railing, waving to the soldiers below. ¡°I¡¯m the one responsible for this ship! I¡¯ll be right with you in just a moment!¡± The soldiers looked at her and then to one another and one elbowed the dumbstruck recruit as he whispered something in his ear before taking off in a hurry. ¡®Great, I hope we can skip the politics.¡¯ Leona thought as she made her way to the ladder on the other side of the ship. Chapter XCII: Inseparable Bonds When Leona planned to go to another town, she wasn¡¯t expecting to have to deal with politics, at least, not in a place like that. The tactician quickly found her way inside the mayor¡¯s office accompanied by Krieg, a rather shabby looking wooden cabin that was bigger than the houses near it, there were only three creaky wooden chairs, one of which was behind one large wooden table with a plethora of signed papers and other documents where the mayor named Vicent was sitting, while Leona and her knight were introduced to talk to them. ¡°Here, take a seat.¡± The middle aged mayor motioned with his hand to the two chairs in front of his table. ¡°I heard from my soldiers, you are a group of adventurers, is that right?¡± Leona nodded with conviction as she sat down, Krieg quickly glanced around the room before doing the same. Two soldiers were behind them armed with halberds which made the knight feel uneasy. ¡°Yes, we are a group of five, two of us wished to stay in this town while the rest of us will be on our way to Astera after restocking and getting some rest. ¡°I see¡­ that wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all¡­¡± He glanced over at the soldiers and then back to Leona whilst tapping his fingers against the wooden table. ¡°If you were to pay the toll fee.¡± ¡°Even though we are not using your roads per se?¡± ¡°All citizens must be treated equally regardless of how they make their way through this town and as far as I am aware, Miss Frostleaf, you are not nobility nor military.¡± The tactician sighed a bit before glancing at Krieg. ¡°Krieg, if you please.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± When the knight stood up it made both soldiers uneasy for he was significantly taller than anyone in that room. However, since he simply placed a sack of coins on the table in front of the mayor before sitting down again, it made both armed men sigh silently in relief. ¡°Twenty gold coins, as the usual toll fee including carriage.¡± ¡°Carriage¡­¡± The middle aged mayor scratched his brown goatee. ¡°I suppose that is more like two carriages, given how big it is.¡± ¡°...¡± Leona glanced at the knight once again who stood up and took another sack from his belt before slamming it down on the table this time, clearly showing his disliking of the mayor. ¡°I hope we can be on our way with this then.¡± The man opened the sack and counted the coins before pocketing all of it in another bigger sack beside his table. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Frostleaf.¡± As Leona stood up, she noticed Krieg not taking his left hand off the scabbard as if he was ready to fight at a moment¡¯s notice, but deep down she was thankful that everything could be resolved with coin. ¡°Come on Krieg, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ah, one moment.¡± The mayor called her and that made the knight face him with a stern look on his face. However the middle aged man didn¡¯t seem at all troubled by it as he just continued talking. ¡°One man named Marcus was supposedly looking for merchants for supplies, if you have anything that might interest an adventurer he might be a good client for you.¡± ¡°I see, I¡¯ll go talk to him then. Might I ask you where he is?¡± ¡°Probably inside the ruins in the middle of the city. That man rarely leaves that place.¡± Leona nodded and turned around, going past the two soldiers and then through the door with Krieg right behind her. Once out and sure they couldn¡¯t be heard, the tactician glanced at the knight. ¡°We¡¯ll head to this ruin before heading back, lest them suspect we aren¡¯t merchants.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± They walked a bit through the dirt roads until they reached the middle of town, there were no houses around the ominous looking entrance of the ruin and most of the townsfolk seemed to avoid going near the place as Leona could tell from the lack of footprints on the slightly wet dirt. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Her mutter caught Krieg¡¯s attention. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You can tell by looking at the dirt, not many footprints around the entrance, which means most of the people that live here avoid coming to this place.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± He didn¡¯t seem to notice at first since he only began looking at the ground after she said so which surprised him. ¡°That is true¡­ how did you come to notice it?¡± ¡°Phoebe taught me a few things while we were heading to Londria.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°I see¡­¡± After Leona approached the ruin¡¯s entrance, she felt a chill go down her spine as if something was wrong with that place. She stopped at the top of the stone staircase leading down towards the darkness and shouted. ¡°Sir Marcus! Are you there?!¡± There was no answer for a few seconds which prompted Krieg to step in front of her in order to head down but as soon as he set foot inside the ruin he heard a male voice coming from below. ¡°Who wants to know?!¡± Leona took the lead as she shouted back. ¡°My name is Ravness Frostleaf! I¡¯m a merchant coming from Arcadia!¡± ¡°Merchant? Who told you I was here?¡± ¡°The mayor!¡± She couldn¡¯t quite make out what the man was grumbling but it seemed to not be pleasant words until he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a minute¡­¡± A few minutes passed and Leona could hear footsteps coming from below as the darkness slowly vanished from the light of an oil lamp. A blonde man in his fifties was wearing what seemed to be a collection of ragged miner¡¯s clothing put together in an attempt to recreate the protection of a gambeson, however to an experienced eye that was nothing more than extra weight of haphazardly cloth. Aside from the strange looking clothing his overall appearance seemed rather common, well trimmed blonde beard, combed back short hair, denim fabric trousers and well worn pair of leather boots. ¡°Are you¡­¡± Leona tilted her head a bit as she asked. ¡°Sir Marcus?¡± ¡°Do you see anybody else with me, girl?¡± He sighed as he put out the oil lamp by putting a lid on top of the fire, snuffing it out. ¡°Let me cut to the chase, I need mana potions. I¡¯ll buy any that you have on you.¡± The tactician flinched a bit by his attitude but nevertheless she kept her act going. ¡°But of course, I just need to go back to my carriage in order to get it for you.¡± ¡°Very well¡­ don¡¯t take too long though, I need to go back in there as fast as I can.¡± ¡°It shall be done.¡± Leona bowed slightly as she made her way back to the ship by the edge of town. When they reached the outskirts of the town, Krieg couldn¡¯t help but ask his liege. ¡°Did you really need to go through that? I could¡¯ve handled it with the pretense to be your retainer.¡± ¡°Best if we don¡¯t cut any corners, Krieg. The last thing I want is for us to get into trouble when we are so close to reaching our objective.¡± While she was thankful for his worries, that was hardly the place or time to worry about formalities. Especially when she was trying to pass off as another person. ¡°Nevertheless, we shouldn¡¯t let our guard down.¡± Leona climbed back aboard the ship and noticed Phoebe standing by the engine room with both of her hands concealed behind her back. Once she noticed the two, she simply waved to them. ¡°Welcome back, did everything go as planned?¡± ¡°It did but we are a bit short on funds now thanks to that mayor.¡± The tactician sighed. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have mana potions with you, do you?¡± The high elf reached for the satchel on her belt and pulled two glass vials filled with faintly shimmering blue liquid. ¡°I have three, but I¡¯d prefer to keep one for emergencies.¡± ¡°Very well. Can you come with me? The plan of passing off as merchants lies on this exchange.¡± Without saying anything, Phoebe simply nodded and got ready to jump off the ship. Meanwhile Leona turned to the two newcomers. ¡°Sir Reinhardt, Miss Elaine, it was a pleasure traveling with both of you however this is where we part ways. I already spoke with the mayor and you two are allowed to stay in this city.¡± Both of them kneeled and bowed before her. ¡°From the bottom of my heart I thank you, Princess Leona.¡± The paladin stood up, after all the time they spent traveling together, not once he removed the helmet, however the tactician swore she could feel him smiling. ¡°Lorraine I may not be anymore but I swear upon my honor that I won¡¯t forget what you have done for us.¡± ¡°Waiting on you, merchant.¡± Leona heard Phoebe¡¯s voice coming from below the ship which prompted the tactician to sigh shortly. ¡°Well then¡­ I hope you two stay safe.¡± After bidding farewell, Leona climbed down the ship and joined by the high elf, they went to the center of the city once again. The man named Marcus was sitting by the ruin¡¯s entrance while inspecting his oil lamp before he noticed the two young ladies approaching him. The high elf caught his attention with her beautiful eyes and hair. ¡°Ah, about time.¡± He stood up and hung the oil lamp on a hook in his belt. ¡°How much for each?¡± Leona quickly glanced at Phoebe as if saying ¡®Say something in my stead.¡¯ Thankfully, the high elf was quick on the uptake and pulled out two flasks of the shimmering blue liquid as she said. ¡°These are the last ones in stock, each will set you back eight silver.¡± ¡°Eight?!¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°Can¡¯t you do four? I¡¯m from Akrapocalis, I¡¯m sure I can put in a good word about your boss if I were to say you helped me.¡± Phoebe feinted ignorance and started to scratch her chin as she proposed a new price. ¡°Seven.¡± ¡°Five.¡± ¡°Six and no less.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± The adventurer took out a few silver coins out of his pocket and handed them over to the high elf. ¡°Say, you don¡¯t happen to be royalty do you?¡± ¡°Me? Royalty? No, I¡¯m just an assistant.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­ well either way, do you have any information regarding Zenith? I have never been there myself but I need to know about a few things that happened there in the past few years.¡± ¡°...and what exactly do we get in return?¡± ¡°How about¡­ some unique relics I found in this ruin? I¡¯m sure something would sell for a higher price in Astera or Akrapocalis.¡± As if noticing Phoebe was going to say something wrong, Leona gave her a subtle elbowing as she stepped in and said. ¡°I would be interested in perusing the goods that you have to offer.¡± ¡°Sorry but I¡¯m only interested in what this high elf miss can tell me about her homeland.¡± Leona looked at her and backed off. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± ¡°It shall be done my lady.¡± Phoebe bowed down to the tactician as she took her leave back to the ship with the sack of silver coins. Marcus turned around and lit up the oil lamp. ¡°Come, let¡¯s talk inside.¡± The high elf nodded as she followed him through the staircase. Chapter XCIII: Present and Future Part I The inside of the ruins was just as Phoebe expected it to be, dark, cold and humid, the damp smell of still water was a pungent proof of how old that place was. Marcus made his way through the narrow corridors of the dungeon until they reached a more spacious room furnished with a carved out stone table in the middle, upon squinting her eyes, the high elf noticed strange patterns engraved onto the walls around them. ¡°Well-¡± The adventurer put the lit torch on a rusty metallic stand on the left side of the room and then proceeded to take a seat on the stone table. He then took out a small booklet and a pencil from his amalgamation of jackets. ¡°Now, since you come from the royalty line of high elves, what can you tell me about Zenith? Any information regarding the study of magic would be great.¡± Phoebe crossed her arms and closed her eyes for a bit as she thought. ¡®While I have never personally been there, I think just about anything I tell him should be enough right?¡¯ ¡°Where to begin? Us high elves have an easier time mastering different magical elements than our lesser brethren.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± He was quickly jotting it down on the book. ¡°I could surmise that much, but what about mana capacity? Are you high elves capable of unleashing more spells than them?¡± ¡°Naturally, we are superior in that aspect as well.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± He noted it down and then turned the page. ¡°Can you tell me more about this discrepancy? How come two seemingly close races seem to have such a big social gap?¡± ¡°There used to be two major factions in Zenith: the high houses and royal family, three if you count the low elven riff raff. They flocked to us like flies, it wasn¡¯t long until our fair city became choked full with their kind.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so Zenith wasn¡¯t always populated by elves but instead, high elves. Can you tell aught about your former king?¡± She vehemently shook her head. ¡°My mother never told me about him, or why he left us.¡± He nodded while finishing writing down his notebook. ¡°Thank you very much for your time, miss¡­¡± ¡°Ayla. I don¡¯t have a last name.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± He bowed to her. ¡°Thank you, Miss Ayla.¡± He then stood up from the table and went to rummage through a worn wooden chest in the corner of the room. ¡°Now for your reward¡­¡± He started to pull out all manner of trinkets, accessories, weapons and armor out of the chest, a seemingly endless amount in fact which made Phoebe raise an eyebrow as she asked. ¡°Is that chest a relic?¡± ¡°Ah, well observed Miss Ayla. This is in fact a relic, an infinite storage of items which can be accessed later with the power of the mind. I know not how it works but it can even store food items without spoiling.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Huh¡­ that¡¯s convenient.¡± ¡°Very much so.¡± He kept going through his collection before he stumbled across what he wanted to give her. ¡°Ah, there we go.¡± He pulled what at first seemed to be a simple stone, once he turned around with it on the palm of his hands Phoebe noticed a faint glow coming off of it. ¡°What is that piece of rock?¡± ¡°This is what I call a prismatic stone, it can be found in the depths of this ruin and the most interesting part of it.¡± He pointed at the ground. ¡°It conducts magic.¡± With no chanting or any effort from his part, the stone shot a thin string mana that was able to carve the stone floor in a straight line. ¡°Woah¡­ you want to give us this?¡± ¡°Is this not enough for the information?¡± ¡°Oh no, this is more than enough.¡± She noticed the moment her hand touched the stone which was no bigger than her palm. A sense of foreboding was starting to fill her as if something was definitely wrong with that piece of rock. ¡°Though I have to ask, why are you giving me this important piece of material? Isn¡¯t it rare?¡± ¡°To be frank, I get the feeling this won¡¯t be the last time I¡¯ll see you, Miss Ayla. Take this as an investment for the future so to speak.¡± Phoebe narrowed her eyes but she was satisfied nonetheless with the result. For her, what seemed to be trivial information ended up helping him tremendously as the moment the high elf left, the man quickly scrambled through the chest as he pulled out a dark burlap sack which was dripping some sort of dark red liquid from it. ¡°Finally¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°I can finally confirm this with my own eyes¡­!¡± He clutched the sack tightly as he ran into the darkness of the corridor that led deeper into the ruins. Meanwhile, as Phoebe emerged from the darkness, she noticed Leona standing by the entrance as she was striking falling leaves with small bursts of wind magic, shredding some but not all that came into her view. ¡°Leo-¡± The high elf cleared her throat. ¡°Miss Ravness?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She turned around once she heard her voice. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°Uneventful, which is a good thing. I brought this with me.¡± Once Phoebe opened her hand, the stone which was showing just a weak rainbow color was now shining dazzlingly which forced Leona to squint her eyes and look away. ¡°What is that?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, some stone capable of harnessing mana.¡± The high elf closed her hand and it dimmed the brightness a bit, making it possible for them to look at it. ¡°It seems oddly similar to the prismatic pendant Queen Eleonora handed to me, though I don¡¯t think they are the same thing¡­¡± ¡°Not at all. If they were, my pendant would also be shining like that.¡± The high elf quickly pocketed the gem and glanced around for anyone looking at them since a person with a shiny hand in the middle of a town would attract unwanted attention. ¡°In any case.¡± Phoebe walked past Leona towards the ship. ¡°We should leave this town the first thing in the morning, something feels off here.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The tactician began to walk alongside her. ¡°It may be because of this ruin, the flow of mana feels awfully strong here.¡± They walked to the ship and once aboard, the two noticed Krieg sitting by the engine room¡¯s entrance alone with a burlap sack beside him. Upon seeing them climb up he stood up and slightly bowed. ¡°Welcome back Leona.¡± ¡°Did the two of them already left?¡± She asked him and with a slow nod he answered. ¡°Just a while ago. Sir Reinhardt left a few supplies that he bought with the coin you gave him.¡± The tactician shook her head. ¡°Why would he use the coin I gave him to buy things for us?¡± ¡°A knight¡¯s pride.¡± Krieg explained. ¡°Were I in his place, I would¡¯ve done the same.¡± ¡°Out of pride?¡± He nodded. ¡°Sometimes we just have to do the right thing for the right person.¡± He turned to the burlap as he started to pull a few food items from inside while he muttered under his breath. ¡°Just like your family did for me¡­¡± Chapter XCIV: Present and Future Part II Krieg pulled out a large flat bread, smoked jerky, salted fish and a brown coconut from inside the burlap sack Reinhardt left on the ship. Needless to say, neither Krieg nor Leona knew what the brown round fruit was. ¡°Oh? They have coconuts here.¡± Phoebe said with a surprised tone as she sat down by the knight and picked it up. ¡°These are really common in Nara. Especially along the coastlines.¡± ¡°Coconuts?¡± The tactician noticed another one sticking out of the sack and picked it up. The round brown fruit was slightly bigger than her hand. ¡°How do you eat this? She rotated the fruit on her hand to see how she could take a bite into it without breaking her teeth. ¡°The fleshy inside is quite tasty.¡± Phoebe gently took the coconut off her hand, after unsheathing her dagger she used its pommel to hit the surface of the fruit while slightly rotating vertically after each strike. ¡°Though, it has water in it as well so I¡¯d rather not waste it.¡± With one precise strike she managed to crack it open and not a second later she raised it above her head and opened her mouth as water began to drip from the crack she just made. After gulping down a mouthful, she turned the coconut to stop spilling and handed it to Leona. ¡°Here, have a sip.¡± ¡°Making Leona drink it like that¡­ at least let me get a mug or something.¡± Krieg felt a bit ashamed for allowing that to happen but the tactician paid no mind as she lifted the coconut above her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I always wanted to try something like this.¡± After mostly spilling the water on her own clothing, she finally got a mouthful of the sweet liquid and after gulping it down she felt refreshed. ¡°Wow¡­ this is good¡­!¡± Phoebe seemed pleased with herself. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Here Krieg, try some.¡± Leona offered the coconut to the knight while cleaning the side of her mouth with her forearm. ¡°It¡¯s really good!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but feel joy seeing how happy she was with something so simple. Without delay, he turned it upside down and started to drink from it. Meanwhile Phoebe grabbed the bread with the intention to cut with the dagger but Leona stopped her just before the blade touched the loaf. ¡°Phoebe, isn¡¯t that the weapon that you use to¡­ well¡­ kill people?¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah, why?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we use something else then? It¡¯s kind of disgusting to think you¡¯re cutting food with something you use to stab people with.¡± The high elf rolled her eyes as she put the dagger aside and held both sides of the bread up to Leona. ¡°Here, use your fancy magic then.¡± ¡°What? You want me to cut it?¡± Phoebe tilted her head slightly to the side whilst raising both eyebrows. ¡°Yeah? Unless you want me to use my dagger, which I¡¯m totally fine with.¡± Leona let out an annoyed sigh. ¡°Fine, but hold it out further away from your body. I don¡¯t want to accidentally hit you.¡± She did as instructed and the tactician closed her eyes as she took a deep breath.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®Only a quick, precise burst of wind¡­ as long as I manage to make its pressure high enough, it should cut without a problem.¡¯ She extended her right index finger out and focused on the mana flowing through her body. It felt like being submerged in water, for a split second she couldn¡¯t hear anything and the only thing she felt was a different kind of heat rising throughout the entirety of her right arm up to the very tip of her extended finger. With one sudden jerk of the limb a quick burst of wind managed to gnash the bread in half however most of the pastry crumbled on top of Phoebe¡¯s lap as a result of the unrefined wind spell. ¡°Gah! The bread is all over the place.¡± After hearing the high elf complain, Krieg simply took the bread from her hand and cut it in another half with his bare hands. ¡°You should¡¯ve just asked me to do it.¡± ¡°Argh¡­ you wouldn¡¯t get it, eating a sandwich with finely cut bread is many times better than eating a flattened bun.¡± As the two argued over bread, Leona was more worried about her concentration, the spell was still too inaccurate despite her focus. It made her wonder about what meant to have true mastery over magic, was it power? Quantity? Precision? The more she thought the more she realized how little she knew of magic aside from what was taught by her mother and the short span of time she spent in the Grand Academy. She looked at her open left palm and evoked a tiny blue flame that was no bigger than her nail. With it she was able to precisely gauge how much mana she had left. After refilling half of a mana flask she was already mostly spent, however thanks to Phoebe being able to pilot the ship, the tactician was able to get a few hours of rest and she regained some of the mana back. But with the current amount she had at that moment, she wouldn¡¯t be able to use any powerful spells if they had to fight. With that thought in mind, her face began to frown before someone tapped her knee. Leona¡¯s body tensed up for a moment until she noticed Phoebe with a half grin on her face. A bit confused, the tactician asked. ¡°Huh? What is it, Phoebe?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Looking down near her own crossed legs, the high elf was holding a sandwich made of jerky and cheese in her hand. ¡°Unless you don¡¯t want your share. If not, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Ah. Thank you.¡± She grabbed the sandwich and stared at it for a bit before taking a bite out of it. Despite the chewy nature of the beef jerky and dry bread, the taste was still good overall, which brought a smile to Leona''s face. It had been more than a day since she had eaten anything and only now after finally getting some rest the hunger caught up to her as each bite made her crave more and more food. Seeing her voraciously eat the food made the knight hungry as well. He grabbed his share of the bread and stuffed in as much beef and cheese as he could before taking a healthy bite out of it. It was a good change of pace from the hectic days they faced so far. Thinking back, Leona was proud of her decisions, she managed to save the future of a kingdom, reunite mother and daughter, while also finding a way to aid Krieg. However the more she thought about it the more it made her realize just how big of a scale this succession conflict really was, with Alexander in control of the Arcadian army, it would be just a matter of time before another war breaks out. On the bright side, since her home kingdom was weakened in both economy and military, it would at the very least hamper his ability to go in an all out war against any nearby kingdoms. ¡®But that wouldn¡¯t stop him from taking control of towns and small cities for short term profit.¡¯ She kept thinking while chewing on the piece of sandwich. ¡®Even so, he wouldn¡¯t send a dispatch to this town anytime soon. He doesn¡¯t have the soldiers.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s the matter Leona?¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice made the tactician look at her. ¡°You had a serious expression just now, was the sandwich not good?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, no, I was just thinking about things.¡± She finished eating the last part of it before cleaning the sides of her mouth with her thumb as she stood up. ¡°We should get some rest for tomorrow. I want to leave as soon as we are able.¡± Both of them nodded with Krieg standing up first, he stretched his arms and adjusted the longsword scabbard on his hip. ¡°I¡¯ll stand watch for now. You two can get some sleep first.¡± ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± Leona had a faint smile on her face. ¡°Do wake me up once it¡¯s time to switch. Good night.¡± He nodded as he answered. ¡°Good night.¡± She headed inside the engine room while Phoebe climbed up the helm of the ship and laid down on the floor. ¡°I¡¯ll be up here if you need anything.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± He grunted in acknowledgement as he went for a walk around the deck. Meanwhile inside the only room in the ship, Leona sat and slowly laid her head down against the wooden bench that served as seats. ¡°I¡¯m finally close¡­ it felt like an eternity but I¡¯m almost there¡­¡± She muttered under her breath with her open hand stretched towards the ceiling. ¡°Mother. Father. I will avenge you both.¡± Chapter XCV: Mind’s Eye In the depths of her calm consciousness, Leona felt her mind reverberate like the surface of water with faint sparks of sounds which slowly but surely became faint voices in the distance. Even though she was sleeping, she felt oddly aware that it was a dream of not her own. A despaired female voice echoed louder than others. ¡°My lord- you musn¡¯t-!¡± Only to slowly fade away. Her body felt tangent despite being inside the imaginary bounds of her consciousness. As she gave form, she continued to walk throughout her mind¡¯s landscape; she could feel the gnawing dread that consumed those memories. This time a man¡¯s voice surfaced from the depths of the tormented sea. ¡°Nara is no longer safe¡­ you must leave with him-¡± Leona could feel everything. The pain, the hatred, the loss, the feeling of powerlessness was overwhelming, so much so that she fell on her knees grasping her own chest in despair. ¡°I shall make a deal with you Miyamoto-¡± Shortly after hearing that, the sound of steel being drawn sung in the air. The familiar metallic scent of blood permeated her nostrils and as she glanced behind her she saw an endless ocean of bodies with a young man standing atop of them with a bloodied curved sword in hand. She raised her hand toward the figure as if trying to reach them only for the memory to disappear in front of her eyes. ¡®These memories¡­¡¯ She thought. ¡®Just how much have you endured throughout these years?¡¯ ¡°It is the price of being a ruler.¡± She suddenly heard her voice right behind her. However there was nobody there once she turned around and instead she just kept hearing him speak. ¡±While my death was certain I could only imagine what would befall on my people. I feared not for my life, but for the fate of my brethren with whom I shared bread and woes.¡± ¡°And yet here you still linger.¡± Leona spoke out loud. ¡°What is your true motive, lord of Nara? Surely you didn¡¯t bestow me with the power to wield blade energy for nothing.¡± ¡°You are my only way back to ¡®him¡¯.¡± ¡°Him? I thought Krieg was the person you wanted to see so badly-¡± ¡°Your fate is tied to this encounter, young lady Leona. Steel your resolve- else the world you are fighting for will be nothing if not a distant dream.¡± His voice began to fade as he finished speaking, leaving Leona amidst the vast darkness of her mind. ¡°It won¡¯t be a dream, I can promise you that.¡± After closing her eyes and focusing on the sensations of her body she managed to wake up inside the engine room. The first thing she noticed was the presence of a fur blanket covering her upper body. She sat up while rubbing her eyes to shake off the drowsiness. ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake.¡± Phoebe was standing by the doorway with her arms crossed. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Leona put the blanket on the side of where she was sitting and stood up. ¡°Too well as a matter of fact.¡± She looked to the slightly orange tinted sky. ¡°It¡¯s already dawn.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Me and Krieg kept watch and it was rather uneventful save for a few curious townsfolk who came to look at the ship but none of them tried to approach.¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be surprising¡­ considering it¡¯s a flying ship. Though I ask myself why they made it a ship of all things.¡± She slowly walked over to the wooden railings and admired the calm morning scenery of the town. A few townsfolk were walking by carrying on with their lives, some of them friendly waved to the tactician who was simply enjoying the view. Phoebe joined her and placed both her arms against the wooden railing. ¡°This town sure is peaceful.¡± The high elf had a nostalgic look in her eyes. ¡°Reminds me of home.¡± That sentence sparked Leona¡¯s curiosity. ¡°Come to think of it, I never asked you about your homeland. How is Nara compared to Arcadia?¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°It¡¯s awfully the same, though in Nara when it¡¯s hot, it is much hotter than here and the cold is just as bad as the heat.¡± She had a faint smile on her face. ¡°We would usually spend the days by the ocean when the heat was too much to bear and when it was cold my mother would often make us her boar stew with simmered vegetables.¡± ¡°That sounds lovely.¡± ¡°It was.¡± Phoebe scratched the side of her face. ¡°Those were the best days of my life really. I was still training under my mother to become a bodyguard. But after everything that happened to her thanks to my sister, I could only blame my own incompetence for not being able to defend her.¡± ¡°So that''s when you became an assassin?¡± She slowly nodded. ¡°Master took me in and trained me with his other two disciples. Though my mother¡¯s training was harsh, I only learned to be this good at the bow because of his intense methods.¡± She extended her open right hand towards Leona. ¡°These calluses were from extensive releasing of arrows.¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± The tactician gently touched her hand and the first thing she noticed was the salient bumps on the index, middle and ring finger. ¡°It¡¯s easy to tell you trained a lot not only by your fingers but your accuracy with the bow as well. While I¡¯ve seen my share of archers back in Arcadia, none was as accurate as you.¡± Phoebe had a smirk on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make good use of his skills. Not only is he a great teacher, but he is also a fairly skilled magic caster.¡± Leona folded her left arm under her right elbow and grasped her chin with the right hand. Her mind instantly remembered the voice of the person who saved her and Krieg back on their way to Londria, though she didn¡¯t remember much, she did recall him saying to head to Nara. Which prompted the tactician to inquire. ¡°Do you happen to know his name?¡± Regrettably, Phoebe shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve only called him master. Besides, back then I didn¡¯t really have anything else on my mind other than avenging my mother. Names could wait once I returned to Nara.¡± ¡°While I admire your single minded determination, Phoebe, doesn¡¯t it seem strange that your sister killed your mother?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ if she really was that bad, wouldn¡¯t she at least try to kill one of us back in Arcadia? This has been on my mind for a while now but is your sister really the villain you portray her to be?¡± ¡°Who in their right mind would be able to kill their own mother?¡± She clenched her teeth and hammered her closed right fist on the wooden railing. ¡°I¡¯m sure she did that in return for whatever magic power she has now.¡± ¡°So you believe it was a pact?¡± A killing pact, often offered by demons or otherworldly beings, was a contract that would allow the contractor to obtain a shortcut for power, though in many cases it would result in many complications if the vessel was not ready or able to receive such an increase in magical power. In return, the fiend would gain knowledge or the body of the deceased target. ¡°There is no other explanation.¡± The high elf shook her head. ¡°My mother was adamant about not letting ourselves delve too deep into magic, she used to say it was ¡®for our own good¡¯, yet my sister only sought more power claiming it would be the key to fend off the hordes of death angels, though seeing what it wrought she couldn¡¯t be further from the truth.¡± ¡°...¡± Leona glanced down for a few seconds before looking to the horizon as the sun was rising up just above the treeline. ¡°Phoebe, do you truly hate her?¡± ¡°There is no way I couldn¡¯t. After all the pain she brought me, how she mercilessly killed my mother- she is no sister of mine.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Deep down the tactician still felt like there was more to her tale than just mindless bloodshed, but she decided to not pry further. A few minutes passed before the sound of someone climbing up the ship got Leona¡¯s attention and as she turned around she noticed it was Krieg carrying a sizable burlap sack on his back. ¡°Krieg, what is that?¡± Leona asked as she approached him. ¡°Breakfast. I figured none of us had a decent one ever since leaving Arcadia so I spent a bit of my own funds to get these.¡± He settled down in the middle of the ship and started to take out a few food items out of the bag, namely fresh bread, ham, cheese, green leaf lettuce head and tomatoes, Leona joined the knight shortly thereafter by sitting beside him. Seeing the amount of food he brought to the ship impressed the high elf. ¡°This isn¡¯t breakfast, it¡¯s basically a lunch meal already!¡± ¡°It was the normal amount of food back in the Crossford household.¡± Krieg explained as he took out a newly bought hunting knife from the scabbard on his belt and used it to cut a slice of fresh bread. ¡°Lady Ravness used to say that a healthy breakfast was the key for a healthy body.¡± He started to prepare a sandwich for Leona, putting one slice of cheese between two hams with lettuce leaf and sliced tomatoes with another bread bun on top to finish it off. After handing it to her, he began making another one while Leona held the meal between both her hands as if waiting for something. ¡°Phoebe, come sit down.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At that moment Krieg finished making another sandwich similar to the tactician¡¯s and offered it to the high elf. ¡°Here you go Phoebe, your share.¡± ¡°But I¡­¡± Leona gestured for her to join them as she said. ¡°Food is better in the company of others, come sit down.¡± While a bit conflicted, she decided to go with the flow and sat somewhat opposite of the tactician and after each of them had food on their hands, Leona raised her meal saying with a cheerful voice. ¡°Thank you for the food!¡± After seeing her take a healthy bite off it, Krieg smiled briefly before beginning to eat his share as well. Though at first she was a bit surprised by how heartwarming they really were, the high elf couldn¡¯t help but smile if only a little as she started to eat her own share while blissfully thinking. ¡®This¡­ is not too bad.¡¯ Chapter XCVI: Last Hope In the dwarven capital, flames rose high in the sky as the western gate was destroyed, chaos sowed amongst the citizens as they ran for their lives as the Arcadian army poured in through the last of the city¡¯s defenses. Despite fighting a losing war, Frey and her brother Lest were still commanding what troops were left from the assault as they made their last stand in the narrow streets near the Loxaerion household. ¡°Take aim!¡± The older sister shouted to the row of soldiers in front of her armed with bolt action rifles. ¡°Fire!¡± Arcadian knights charged seemingly without fear despite their comrades falling one after the other for each barrage of bullets. As the knights in front were incapacitated, another would take their place in the charge and push the Akrapocalian defense back. ¡°Sis, we must fall back! There are too many of them!¡± ¡°And let them slaughter our people?! No, we''ll finish them here and now!¡± She turned to the buildings above them and signaled by lowering her arm. ¡°Now!¡± As her hand went lower, the soldiers waiting on the rooftops dropped small barrels filled with gunpowder on the edges of the building they were in. With a bit of ingenuity, the barrels were prepared with a wick short enough to detonate as soon as it landed on the street. ¡°Take cover!¡± One of them shouted from the rooftop and the troops below dived to the ground as multiple fiery explosions went off, scorching the sides of the building black. ¡°Gah! My leg!¡± Lest screamed in pain as he tried to grab a piece of wooden debris that lodged itself inside his right thigh. The moment Frey noticed he was wounded she spared no time giving out orders. ¡°You two! Take him to the central square!¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± From the twenty soldiers, two of them helped the lieutenant stand up as they dragged him into the inner parts of the city. ¡°We are the last line of defense!¡± She raised her rifle with a bayonet attached to the end of the barrel as she shouted from atop of her lungs. ¡°We will drive them back!¡± The soldiers around her raised their weapons while also shouting a fierce battle cry. By using the barrels of gunpowder that Leona had brought them, they managed to get some ground back only for them to witness a single knight wobbling their way towards them. ¡®It¡¯s that thing again.¡¯ She clenched her teeth. ¡®We can¡¯t shoot at it otherwise it¡¯ll do the same thing again and without cover we¡¯ll just serve as living targets.¡¯ Seeing the same knight who managed to take down most of their comrades by themselves made the remaining soldiers to hesitantly step back from formation. Without much ammo nor stamina, Frey was running out of options on how to deal with the unexpected foe. ¡°Everyone fall back! We¡¯ll need to use more explosives!¡± From one of the rooftops a soldier shouted. ¡°Captain! Those were our last barrels!¡± One of them that was in front of her lifted his rifle in order to shoot at the incoming knight but Frey quickly stopped him from doing so. ¡°If you shoot and don¡¯t kill, one of us will die!¡± She looked at the others. ¡°Until you hear my orders, do not fire at that thing!¡± ¡°But captain, what are we supposed to do?!¡± ¡®The only way we could get out of this would be-¡¯ She was racking her brain in order to find a solution but the moment she realized there was no way other than close quarters combat, she pulled out the saber from its sheath. ¡°If you see any other knight, shoot them. I¡¯ll take care of this myself.¡± ¡°Captain!¡± Despite learning swordsmanship from an esteemed teacher, it didn¡¯t prevent her from feeling fear, in fact, that was the first time she felt true fear in a long while. Sweat was quickly forming on her brow as the warmth began to drain from her body, leaving a bitter chill spread throughout her limbs. However, as she raised her saber and began to charge at the knight, a fiery sphere of magic passed right beside her and exploded against her foe and engulfed them in a blazing inferno. ¡°Wha-!?¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t carelessly dive headfirst into danger, Captain Frey.¡± A male voice came from behind them and once they turned around they saw the eldest son of her employer¡¯s family. His normally messy blonde hair was combed back as he held the round rimmed glasses with his left middle finger while having his right white gloved hand extended out from casting a spell. ¡°Lord Cyrus?!¡± ¡°Captain, that thing is a mana slime.¡± He walked up to the troops as some of the soldiers seemed to be relieved to see him there. ¡°Though my magic will deal some damage to it, it won¡¯t die if the core is not destroyed.¡± ¡°That¡­ ¡®thing¡¯ is a slime?!¡± When Frey looked back at where the knight was before being blown to pieces, an amalgamation of fleshy pieces of meat and dissolved armor was being knitted back in the general humanoid shape. She clicked her tongue as Cyrus stepped forward and adjusted his white glove. ¡°Let¡¯s take care of this you and I, Captain.¡± She nodded to him as she flexed her right leg with her saber in hand. ¡°Understood my lord.¡± He took a deep breath and extended his right hand, his crimson eyes seemed to glow as he chanted. ¡°Roaring thunder, decimate my enemy into nothingness, Thunderbolt!¡± A blinding arc of lightning shot from his fingers and zapped the slime that was rebuilding itself, resulting in an explosion of steam. However, not even a second after releasing the spell, he felt faint and lost his balance. ¡°Dammit¡­!¡± ¡°Lord Cyrus!¡± The soldiers quickly helped him before he could fall over. ¡°I¡¯m alright, just a bit dizzy.¡± Once the steam cleared off, Frey noticed the slime was still alive, though much less threatening since it was a quivering puddle of fleshy bits in the middle of the scorched street. ¡®Despite his frail constitution he still decided to help.¡¯ She thought while looking at the young lord. ¡®I mustn¡¯t let him down.¡¯ She carefully walked towards the slime, saber in hand. The fleshy bits seemed to have life of its own as it trembled with her approach, after quickly taking note of where the core was she raised her weapon in order to strike it. ¡°Die!¡± She swung the sword down but two fleshy bits grabbed the blade on both sides just before it hit the core. ¡°Huh?!¡± She attempted to pull the weapon out however its grip was much stronger than she thought and in a split second decision she jumped backwards just in time to evade a burst of fleshy spikes coming from the ground and walls on both sides that would have surely impaled her to death. ¡°Captain!¡± Cyrus was still recovering from his lack of mana, however he knew just how dire the situation was. ¡°Tsk!¡± She pulled her rifle from the sling and quickly fired at the core only for the bullet to be deflected by her own saber. ¡°What the-?!¡± As the slime formed itself again it held the saber by the blade until it took the complete shape of a knight, reassembling the pieces of destroyed armor around it and throwing the weapon in the air before nimbly grabbing by the hilt. The fact the soldiers now knew it was a slime made some hesitate and even slowly retreat as the knight approached. Frey was starting to lose hope as well but upon hearing the sound of glass shattering, she and all soldiers instinctively looked towards the noise which came from behind most of them. ¡°Do not falter! We will defeat this foe and drive them back!¡± Cyrus was holding what seemed to be another glass vial of light blue coloration, a mana potion. ¡°Captain, assemble the troops and get ready to shoot at it once I cast a spell.¡± Seeing the glint of determination in his eyes ignited the fire of battle in her again. After taking a deep breath, she shouted from atop of her lungs. ¡°Formation!¡± Seemingly out of instinct, the soldiers moved forward, ten of them knelt down in front, five in each Frey¡¯s side and eight behind them, four in each side, everyone with rifles on hand. ¡°Reload! Take aim!¡± Cyrus stood just beside her as he began to chant. ¡°Roaring thunder, decimate my enemy into nothingness-¡± ¡°Fire!¡± ¡°-Thunderbolt!¡± An arc of lightning struck the knight, destroying the fleshy slime and in a blink of an eye the shots fired from the rifles at the same time shredded the remaining armor to pieces. In that fleeting moment where there was nowhere else its core could hide Frey held her own rifle steady holding her breath until she pulled the trigger. With incredible marksmanship the bullet nicked the core and it cracked once it fell on the scorched floor. The once quivering and trembling fleshy bits of slime ceased all movement as it began to liquify, turning into rotten darkened pieces of meat. ¡°We- we did it!¡± One of the soldiers began to cheer and the rest just followed suit, raising their rifles in the air whilst shouting. ¡°Great work Captain¡­¡± Cyrus said while panting heavily. Casting spells was much more exhausting for him due his weak constitution. ¡°We couldn¡¯t have done it without you.¡± Though despite winning a seemingly invincible foe, no words left Frey¡¯s mouth, in fact only after a while the soldiers began to wonder what was wrong with her. ¡°Captain?¡± One of them went around in front of her and only after doing so he realized there was a hole no bigger than a copper coin in her uniform around the lower right side of her ribcage. ¡°Captain?!¡± Once he looked at her face he realized something terrible had happened to her. While her left eye seemed to be normal in the sense that it was looking desperately towards the soldier, her right one had its sclera almost totally blackened with the eyeball itself twitching in ways not humanly possible. ¡°Ngh¡­ r-run¡­!¡± The same soldier fell backwards screaming in terror before he was decapitated by Frey¡¯s right arm that seemed to arc like a whip before it struck him. ¡°Everyone fall back!¡± Cyrus shouted which caused the rest of them to scatter in desperation. ¡°Captain Frey!¡± His voice fell on deaf ears as the former woman he knew turned her head around with a sound of cracking bones as she faintly whispered in pain. ¡°K-kill me¡­ please¡­¡± Chapter XCVII: Seafarers Part I ¡°So this is Astera¡­¡± From atop the flying ship, Leona basked in the marvelous view of the coastal city, the vast blue expanse shone brightly with the light from the sun. Even from afar it was possible to see the bustling docks with ships coming and going, the crowded center of the city filled with stalls of vibrant colors that made the city standout from above. Though considerably smaller than the Arcadian capital, Londrian kingdom or dwarven citadel, the city was still completely surrounded by high walls that extended all throughout the land on both sides until each met the ocean with two large towers on each end. ¡°One of the biggest trading centers despite not being part of any kingdom.¡± Phoebe calmly explained as she steered the ship towards the edge of the city. ¡°Well¡­ unless you consider Nara as a kingdom.¡± Leona raised an eyebrow as she asked. ¡°Is it not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more like a city than a kingdom really. I heard many things happened during the Great War, by the time I was born it was already just a city by the elders¡¯ standards.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll most likely encounter many other races you haven¡¯t seen before. None of them in particular has anything against humans or high elves for that matter but just steer clear of staring. Some can be¡­ quite unique with their reactions.¡± She nodded. ¡°Duly noted.¡± She turned to Krieg who was standing near the railing, staring at the distant city. ¡°Do you remember anything from this place, Krieg?¡± ¡°Other than the docks, no, not really.¡± He had a faint smile on his face. ¡°It is still as busy as ever from what I see.¡± ¡®It¡¯s good that he is in high spirits.¡¯ Leona was glad for the moment, but something felt off about that place. Much like Londria, the mana in the air felt stagnant. ¡®I just hope this is just a coincidence¡­¡¯ As they reached closer to the city walls, some of the soldiers wearing brown uniforms stationed on the defensive structure began to enter in combat formation with a few aiming their rifles at the flying ship, however once a man wearing a red bandana came from the city, they lowered their weapons. The ship landed safely a few meters away from the city gates and the same man who stopped the soldiers from shooting approached the ship with three of his men in tow. As Leona saw them approach, she gestured to Krieg and Phoebe to do the same as she climbed down the ship. ¡°Greetings visitors of our fair city.¡± The man wearing the red bandana opened his arms and met them with a big smile. ¡°For what do we honor your visit?¡± After bowing slightly, Leona lost no time with introductions as she needed answers. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Ravness, a merchant of Londria. I¡¯m after a man called Murakano. Do you know of him?¡± Despite not knowing the man¡¯s reputation, given how it was the captain of the Londrian army who recommended him to her, there was little reason for her to hold back. ¡°I¡¯m friends with the captain of the Londrian army and she said to look for this person to-¡± She stopped mid sentence as he lifted her open palm. ¡°Alright you lot, back to your posts.¡± He said while turning his head slightly to the side. ¡°And do not say a word of this to lady Charlotte or I¡¯ll cut your pay in half.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The three soldiers behind him saluted before heading back to the main group. ¡°Now then¡­¡± He turned to Leona specifically. Without having to put up the friendly face, he reached for his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. ¡°So? How was she? Olivia I mean.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wait, are you Murakano?¡± ¡°The one and only, lady.¡± He lit up and puffed out a white cloud of smoke, his dark brown eyes had a hint of loneliness in them. ¡°Been a while since I heard this name though.¡± ¡°Captain Olivia and her family are in good health, we were told you could help us here in Nara.¡± He scratched the side of his head before throwing the cigarette on the ground and stepping on it. ¡°Seeing how you actually know her, I¡¯ll help you in whatever way I can, but for now let¡¯s get this¡­ ¡®thing¡¯ out of the way and talk in the city.¡± He pointed to the ship behind them which prompted her to look at Phoebe and nod. Without wasting time she went back to the ship as Leona concluded the conversation. ¡°Where should we leave our ship?¡± ¡°Anywhere just not in the middle of the road, I¡¯ll make sure the soldiers get some tarp to cover it up.¡± ¡°Did you hear that Phoebe?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Leona turned to the man and bowed. ¡°Thank you for your assistance, lord Murakano.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Eh¡­ it ain¡¯t nothin¡¯.¡± He turned around and began to briskly walk towards the city gates. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not much of a host, but care to accompany me to the city? We can talk about our mutual friend on the way.¡± After a brief pause to glance at Krieg who gave her an ascertaining nod, she decided to follow his brisk pace a few meters diagonally behind him. ¡°After you.¡± The path they walked was a beaten flat dirt road, not great for walking on foot but at least it was better than trudging through swamps, tall grass or deep snow as Leona experienced before. As they walked, she began to notice they were a few ways away from the city and just how big it really was now that she stood on her own two feet on solid ground. Minutes passed as Murakano lit another cigarette before asking a peculiar question. ¡°Say young lady Ravness, you are no merchant are you?¡± ¡°Huh? Where is this coming from?¡± ¡°Now that I had time to think about it, that ship wouldn¡¯t have nearly enough space as a full caravan, plus you would¡¯ve said something about your merchandise being in the ship when I mentioned we would just throw a tarp on top of it.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Thinking about it herself she realized that would be what a real merchant would do and recalling stories she heard in the household, some even go as far as sacrificing people for their own profits. She could simply chuckle whilst admitting defeat. ¡°I have to say, I didn¡¯t even consider it before you said it. Just who exactly are you Murakano?¡± ¡°Former bodyguard of the far east. I worked under one of the most influential families as the protector of their eldest son.¡± He sounded proud of himself for a moment until he continued on with a less cheerful tone in his voice. ¡°But that was only until those things arrived.¡± ¡°Death angels?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes. Despite my best attempts to protect him, he was the one who saved me from certain death. It feels like fate is taunting me by letting me live out my days here.¡± ¡°I know that feeling¡­¡± Krieg muttered under his breath. They reached the city gates and the soldiers stationed there greeted them by saluting. Shortly after, Phoebe managed to bring the ship close to the city walls which prompted the man to give orders to the soldiers around. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone touching this ship. Cover it up with a tarp and if anyone comes by, shoo them away.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± He then turned to Leona as Phoebe joined them. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll need a place to stay in the city for a few days?¡± ¡°I was actually looking for a way to head to Nara.¡± A few of the soldiers who heard her saying that shared a few nervous glances around each other. As whispers began, Murakano quickly dwindled them by giving a stern look towards the ones mumbling which made them stop. ¡°This is not a good place to talk about this.¡± He looked around, seemingly checking if anyone nearby could hear them. ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll show you the inn and we can talk there.¡± Leona looked to both Phoebe and Krieg who nodded in a silent agreement before turning to the man again. ¡°Very well, lead the way.¡± The streets were quite different from any other city they have been before, instead of the wide and open avenues of Arcadia or the narrow corridors of buildings like Londria or Akrapocalis, Astera was a conglomerate of narrow and open streets alike in a slightly declining terrain. Houses were mostly clumped up together in order to occasionally form free passages in between their gaps, it felt truly like a maze. They kept walking for a few more minutes until the residential district gave place to the stores and restaurants in the middle of the city and unlike the former district, it was a large open space with a few stalls in the middle of the oval plaza that served as a gathering hub of adventurers, merchants and residents of the fair city. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Leona was at a loss for words seeing just how many people were walking around carrying all manners of merchandise, food, trinkets and all in between. ¡°By your reaction I can assume it¡¯s the first time young lady Ravness came to this place?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve never been here before. It¡¯s even more crowded than Arcadia¡­¡± He raised an eyebrow but decided to just keep heading towards the inn. The smell of food in the air made Leona feel the hunger even more prominently as she kept swallowing down the saliva in her mouth that formed from just thinking about what kind of meal she would be able to have once everything was settled. ¡°Here we are.¡± Murakano stopped and turned around. ¡°This is Toril inn. It¡¯s owned by my liege.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ are you sure we are in the right place?¡± Phoebe asked, feeling a bit intimidated by how they were attracting glances and whispers. Though with reason, he was in front of the tallest building around the entire plaza. The oriental theme construction was mostly made of carved and polished wood, treated with the weather conditions of the coastal city in mind, the large open entryway was under watch of two soldiers armed with halberds which one of them saluted Murakano as he went in first. ¡°I think we should follow him.¡± Leona wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with nobility affairs such as meeting another family in their most luxurious accommodation yet, it made her heart race a little seeing how everything was new in her eyes. Inside the building, paper lanterns hung from the high ceiling illuminated the place with a gentle warm light, most of the staff were wearing fancy white and red kimonos as they walked with thin trays while serving meals and drinks. As Murakano went in, two young women and one older man of the staff members went from behind the counter in order to greet him in person. ¡°Welcome back. Lord Murakano.¡± He shrugged off the stiff greeting with a tap on the man¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Glad to be back. See if you get some food and drinks for my guests, put it on my tab.¡± ¡°Very well my lord.¡± He went to the back of the spacious hall where there were three tables on an elevation of the wooden floor. Despite having their weapons, Leona, Phoebe and Krieg were afforded free entry by the guards and were also greeted by the same staff that addressed Murakano. ¡°Welcome to Toril inn, may I have your names?¡± The youngest black haired woman asked politely as she bowed. ¡°As esteemed guests of the lord I must address each of our fair visitors properly.¡± ¡°Ravness Frostleaf.¡± Leona answered while giving a slight bow. ¡°Krieg.¡± ¡°Phoebe Hawkeye.¡± Both of them followed Leona¡¯s example. ¡°It¡¯ll be my honor to serve you. Lady Ravness, Lady Phoebe, Lord Krieg, please come this way.¡± They followed the young servant and as they made their way through the main hall, Phoebe could feel stares coming from other guests and staff members alike. After they sat down, the same young woman left a warm towel on top of the table in front of each of them before heading off to the back room where the kitchen was. After seeing there was nobody near them, Murakano leaned over the table and asked Leona directly. ¡°So, tell me. What is the future queen of Arcadia doing in a town so far from her own kingdom, Princess Leona?¡± Chapter XCVIII: Seafarers Part II Leona began to sweat cold and she could feel her lower back becoming increasingly drenched. She knew Murakano was no ordinary man, but to figure out that she was the famous ¡®Princess Tactician¡¯ of Arcadia was something she wasn¡¯t expecting. Luckily for her he didn¡¯t say it out loud so none of the patrons nor the staff members could hear him. ¡°Excuse me lord Murakano, but I think you have me mistaken for someone else.¡± She narrowed her eyes a bit as if trying to get a read on the man¡¯s face but he seemed indifferent and just leaned back on the chair as he continued. ¡°Lady Ravness, I still don¡¯t think it is wise to hide things from a benefactor.¡± While his tone was calm, Leona noticed the subtle hint of annoyance in his expression. ¡°Especially not in a place so far from home.¡± Both Krieg and Phoebe reached for their weapons but Leona intervened by rising from her chair and with a clear voice say. ¡°My, how rude of me. Let me once again reintroduce myself.¡± However her tone also changed to a challenging attitude. ¡°My name is Leona Crossford, sole heir of the Crossford family, candidate to the Arcadian throne. A benefactor you may be, but I advise against threatening me.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Oh do not worry, I meant nothing by it. Though it would be wise for your retainers to not attack here, lest they want their lives cut short.¡± His dark brown eyes were letting out an eerie feeling that sent chills down Leona¡¯s spine. ¡°Phoebe, Krieg.¡± Leona shook her head as she looked at them. ¡°Tch.¡± The high elf clicked her tongue as she sheathed the concealed dagger. ¡°Now, now, I mean no harm by it, you see.¡± Murakano had a smile on his face as he leaned closer while rubbing both of his hands. ¡°As a citizen of a city that thrives on trade, material or otherwise, I pride myself in the acquisition of information. You wouldn¡¯t want to pass up on an opportunity like this, would you? Princess tactician.¡± She clenched her hands into fists under the table. ¡®Outmaneuvered in every sense of the word.¡¯ Leona thought, frustrated by the superior information advantage that he had. ¡®Even if captain Olivia suggested to see this man, this is just-¡¯ ¡°Mu- ra- ka- no-!¡± A shouting female voice came from the entrance of the lobby which almost made the tactician jump from her seat. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± The man muttered as he noticed a young woman running towards him. She was young, around her twenties, wore a beige flat cap on her curled chestnut hair, her white wool shirt was half covered by a brown overalls that had dark stains around the chest and thighs, some of them even went down to her dark leather boots. ¡°I told you to solve that nest problem yesterday didn¡¯t I?!¡± Her frowning was even more amplified by her mesmerizing amber eyes as she leaned in closer to his face. ¡°Murakano! Oi!¡± She kept poking his forehead until he sighed and dodged the last poke before addressing her. ¡°Lady Charlotte, I¡¯m sure you are well aware just how busy I am so must you come screaming into my establishment every afternoon?¡± ¡°Well that nest has been sitting there for the last couple of days and seeing how sending a formal approval didn¡¯t work, I¡¯m here to inform you that the guildmaster herself has made that elimination task your personal appointment.¡± He held his nose ridge between his thumb and index finger. ¡°You can¡¯t just use your position like that Charlotte.¡± ¡°Oh yes I can.¡± She gave him a mischievous smile before showing him a piece of parchment. ¡°I just did.¡± ¡°Goddess give me patience to not strangle my lady.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. He shook his head in disappointment. In the meantime Leona was about to stand up to leave but unfortunately for her, the young woman noticed and approached her with both brows furrowed. ¡°I apologize for interrupting you, my fair lady. Would you accept a meal as an apology?¡± ¡°Charlotte!¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m just being polite.¡± ¡°That is the complete opposite of polite.¡± Leona raised both of her hands with a fake smile on her face. ¡°No need, thank you. Me and lord Murakano were done talking anyway.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ your face is familiar¡­¡± Charlotte tilted her head while looking attentively at her. ¡°I¡¯m sure I know you from somewhere.¡± Leona turned to the side in order to avoid eye contact but the woman simply walked around in order to look at her face. Though really awkward, she tried her best to dismiss her without sounding rude. ¡°I think you are mistaken, I have never been to this town before.¡± ¡°Ah! Wait! That blonde hair, aquamarine eyes, small physique, you are-! Hmmpgh-¡± Murakano quickly stuffed her mouth with the nearest pastry that came into range thanks to one of the waiters and grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°I think we should head to a more private location, wouldn¡¯t you agree, lady Ravness?¡± Leona¡¯s eyes twitched a bit in annoyance but after discreetly sighing, she agreed to the proposition nonetheless. While it was highly unlikely that someone from Arcadia could be there, she wasn¡¯t about to take any unnecessary risks. ¡°...Lead the way.¡± She said as she stood up with Phoebe and Krieg doing the same. The tension was almost tangible as Murakano dragged Charlotte upstairs, staff members and patrons alike looked at the group taking off with whispers breaking out in each of the respective groups. They were led to a spacious room behind elegant wooden double doors. Inside, there were a few fancy leather armchairs with one turned towards the door with a wide glass window behind it. The side walls were adorned with landscape paintings and ceramic vases on top of shelves though what caught Leona¡¯s attention was a faint smell of baked goods lingering in the air. After seating the young lady whom he carried, Murakano sat down in the couch faced towards the door and with his open right palm, gestured to the trio in front of him while looking at his liege. ¡°Now, lady Charlotte, I¡¯d like to formally introduce you to our esteemed guest, the Arcadian Princess tactician, Leona Crossford.¡± ¡°I figured it out as much.¡± She replied while pouting. ¡°Though I¡¯m unaware of her circumstances as to why she came to this place so far from her home kingdom, she did personally meet a good friend of mine in Londria and was about to ask for aid.¡± ¡°Aid?¡± She turned to Leona who was still standing with both Phoebe and Krieg right behind her and without any hint of hesitation she answered. ¡°I need a way to travel to Nara as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing a straight answer from a noble was something uncommon, given how politics are usually involved in a trade with one. But she was different, Charlotte could feel something different from her eyes alone, the sheer determination in her sharp glare made the young woman smile. ¡°Very well, I can personally take you there with my trading ship. As a matter of fact, we almost have an entire cargo planned to leave in two days.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really?! How much do I owe you?¡± ¡°Oh no I don¡¯t want coins. What I need is for someone to find a way to deal with the kobold menace that has been plaguing our trade routes as of late, you do that and I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll reach Nara in no time.¡± ¡°Lady Charlotte!¡± Murakano intervened. ¡°You can¡¯t make that decision yoursel-¡± She took out the previous piece of parchment she had in her pocket. ¡°I¡¯m sure I have the authority to do so, fellow guildmaster.¡± After seeing how he went quiet, she turned her attention back to Leona and her group. ¡°Now, I won¡¯t ask you to fight alongside the troops, but a renowned tactician such as yourself should have no problem coming up with a plan of attack, right?¡± ¡°I need to know what I¡¯m dealing with first.¡± Her mind was racing as she was beginning to remember the kobold physiology. As they are humanoid beasts, intelligence wise they would be on par with a human child. ¡°You mentioned a nest, but how big is it? Do they have equipment? How desperate are they for food? Have they been successful in raiding caravans?¡± Charlotte raised both of her hands as she gestured to her to slow down. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the details. To be frank, Murakano here knows more about the situation than me since he¡¯s the one running the warrior¡¯s guild.¡± The man sighed discreetly and began to explain as he scratched under his chin. ¡°It¡¯s sizable, not anything unusual but there should be thirty to forty of them. They made their way inside a cave and kept expanding inwards, the entrance is watched almost all the time.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t collapsing the entrance the most sensible thing to do then?¡± Phoebe asked. ¡°After all if they are in a cave-¡± ¡°They usually have other exits.¡± Leona explained. ¡°And since there was no mention of finding another exit it¡¯s safe to assume your troops haven¡¯t found it yet?¡± Murakano shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t spare any more soldiers than I already have. Death angels are coming by the dozens lately so I¡¯ve had the guild reinforce the shore defenses.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She had a pensive expression on her face as she held her chin between both thumbs while rubbing her nose ridge with both index fingers, muttering under her breath. ¡°If we can¡¯t rely on intel then one thing we could do is flush them out.¡± She then turned to Murakano once again. ¡°Do you happen to have a few barrels of gunpowder?¡± Chapter XCIX: Fires of the Heart It was past noon, the salty breeze of the ocean brushed Leona¡¯s bangs from her face as she stared at the vast blue expanse from the upper decks of the docks with both of her elbows touching the waist-high wooden railing. Krieg kept her company while Phoebe had gone gathering information around town, though mostly populated sailors and merchants, the streets were surprisingly lively with people of different races which made Leona a bit more at ease despite having a hunch that something was wrong around that city. ¡®Ever since we¡¯ve entered this region I can¡¯t help but feel that something is off, but I can¡¯t quite tell what¡­¡¯ She thought while trying hard to come up with a logical explanation as to why the mana felt so stagnant in that place despite not showing any signs of death angel activity in-land which consequently made her brows furrow. ¡°Is anything wrong Leona?¡± Krieg asked her, but she kept mumbling to herself until he leaned in beside her face. ¡°Leona?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± She turned her eyes and noticed standing close to her. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is everything alright? You seem troubled.¡± ¡°Oh did I let it show on my face?¡± He nodded once which made Leona smile bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m still bad at hiding my thoughts it seems.¡± She straightened her back and looked behind her where the main wide street cut the city in half parallel to the ocean. Humans, demi-humans, elves, beast-man, dwarves, all kinds of people seemed to be leading their lives as normal but she couldn¡¯t shake off this ominous sensation she felt. ¡°There is something hiding in this region. It may not be in the city but it certainly is draining away the mana in the air.¡± ¡°A death angel?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not this time, else we would¡¯ve heard something about it in the city. It feels less prominent than in Londria but it¡¯s the same as back then.¡± Her hand instinctively clenched around the longsword handle. ¡°I hope it¡¯s not someone like Jakob again.¡± ¡°With how lady Charlotte runs the city I doubt someone like Jakob could exist here.¡± ¡°That woman is surprisingly efficient, despite how she carries herself.¡± She folded her arms in. ¡°I just hope she is an ally.¡± ¡°How was it that lady Ravness used to say? ¡®Trust only gains value-¡¯.¡± ¡°¡®-when there is potential for treachery.¡¯ Yes, I quite remember those words. Still, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to trust her, I just don¡¯t want something happening to any of you two again like in Londria.¡± He nodded once. ¡°I understand your feelings. Rest assured I¡¯ll do everything in my power to keep us safe.¡± She smiled weakly to him. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that you¡¯re alright, Krieg.¡± Her eyes then slowly glanced down to the wooden floor. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if I lost you.¡± He had a warm expression on his face as he patted her on the head. ¡°You must accomplish your dreams, Leona. I am your knight and it is my duty to keep you safe until I draw my last breath.¡± She held his hand between her own, his palm was almost twice as big which made her look like a child in comparison. ¡°A knight you may be, but you are also the only family I have left. The end does not justify the means to achieve it. If I were to sacrifice those around me, I would be no different from Alexander.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you two close eh?¡± A cheerful female voice came from the street on their side. Charlotte was holding a brown leather bag on her left shoulder while her right hand rested on a curved wooden handle on her hip. ¡°Charlotte?¡± Leona gently let go of Krieg¡¯s hand as she turned to face the young woman. ¡°May I ask what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I figured I needed some practice so I decided to go along with you guys to the kobold nest.¡± ¡°Lady Charlotte, with all due respect.¡± Krieg spoke as he politely lowered his head in a bow. ¡°It may be too dangerous for you to accompany us. It would be best to leave this matter to us and sir Murakano.¡± ¡°Murakano? He¡¯s too busy with the paperwork to even come out of his office.¡± She giggled playfully. ¡°Serves him right for not doing what the merchant¡¯s guild asked of him.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Are you the guildmaster of it?¡± Leona curiously asked. ¡°From your conversation with him earlier I couldn¡¯t help but notice the way that you spoke.¡± ¡°The merchant¡¯s guild? No, that would be my younger brother. I¡¯m the master of the fisher¡¯s guild.¡± She grabbed the side of her stained overalls. ¡°Despite that, I¡¯m the one responsible for the seafare trade so about half of the profits the entire guild makes falls to me. So needless to say I have some influence in this city.¡± She had a carefree smile but Leona knew better. She couldn¡¯t tell if it was just an act but that young woman about her age was just as powerful as nobles in Arcadia. Someone with so much wealth and power acting overly friendly seemed too suspicious. ¡°Isn¡¯t that all the more reason for you to stay?¡± She asked. ¡°Eh, not really. My next voyage is in two days.¡± She adjusted the bag on her shoulder. ¡°Besides, I have many reliable underlings for a reason right? I can just leave the paperwork to them.¡± She shrugged. ¡®So she just wants to be lazy.¡¯ Both Krieg and Leona thought at the same time. ¡°Stop! Thief!¡± Someone shouted amongst the large crowd as a hooded figure bolted through them, pushing people out of their way. At first Leona turned with her right hand going for the weapon¡¯s handle ready to run after the culprit but Charlotte blocked her path with the leather bag as she pulled out a long barrel revolver from the holster on the right side of her belt and took a step in front of the tactician while leaving the bag to her. She then held the firearm with both hands before taking a sharp breath, focusing on the perpetrator running away and with a loud bang she took the shot. Leona followed with her eyes towards where the thief was running and noticed they fell on the ground screaming in pain whilst holding their left leg. ¡°Well, well¡­¡± Charlotte used her right thumb to cock the revolver¡¯s hammer back as she briskly walked towards the thief. ¡°Where are Murakano¡¯s soldiers when we need them?¡± Just as she pointed the gun towards the thief who just noticed her hoovering the weapon right above their face. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me please! I just want to feed my family!¡± It was a scrawny man with almost no meat in his bones, it was a wonder how he was able to run. ¡°Oh please.¡± She scoffed. ¡°I heard many of those stories before, you¡¯re not the only one.¡± Leona saw what was going to happen and her body instinctively moved. However as Charlotte was about to pull the trigger a male shout came from amidst the crowd. ¡°Lady Charl, wait!¡± She didn¡¯t take her eyes off the man as a tall soldier wearing heavy armor with a greatsword sheathed on his back approached her from the side. ¡°I¡¯ll take this man to the prison, there is no need for an execution.¡± After he said so she waited for a few more seconds before holding the gun up. Her dark expression suddenly changed to a carefree smile as she looked at him. ¡°Rhys, I didn¡¯t know you were assigned to take care of the business inside the city.¡± ¡°Y-yes. Lord Murakano thought it would be best to make use of my abilities here instead of outside battling the death angels.¡± ¡°I see, I see¡­ well then, do you mind taking this scum away? It¡¯s tarnishing the view of the city.¡± The tall man nodded as a few other soldiers approached behind him. They managed to grab a hold of the thief and started to drag him away. Some of the people in the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves. ¡°Is that Eclair?¡± ¡°The famous sharpshooter? No way.¡± ¡°She did hit him right in the ankle. Not many can do that.¡± ¡°She can¡¯t be her, isn¡¯t Eclair supposed to be a beautiful woman?¡± Charlotte grabbed the purse the thief left behind and looked towards the large group of people where a silver short haired young woman dressed in drabs squeezed her way through the crowd. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s my purse!¡± ¡°Is it really yours young lady?¡± She nodded as her golden eyes had a determined look. ¡°Can you tell me how much you were carrying then?¡± ¡°Exactly two silvers and six coppers.¡± Upon opening the purse and seeing how it was the right amount, Charlotte handed it back to the woman. ¡°Here you go, be more careful next time.¡± ¡°I will! Thank you so much lady Charlotte.¡± After seeing the exchange of words, Leona frowned her brow a little as Krieg walked up to her. ¡°I think¡­ I might have misjudged her abilities.¡± The knight said. ¡°Yeah¡­ me too.¡± Leona walked up to her and handed her leather bag back. ¡°Thank you and I¡¯m sorry you had to see that.¡± She opened the cylinder of her revolver and took out the spent casing before loading a new one from the satchel on her belt. ¡°This city was originally a place of wanted men, cutthroats and all in between. Though many changed their ways after my father established the three guilds, there are still some that choose their previous way of life.¡± She uncocked the hammer and holstered the gun. ¡°Compared to what I¡¯ve read in history books, it seems remarkably safe here.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it wasn¡¯t always like this.¡± She glanced at the vast ocean with a hint of sadness in her eyes. ¡°We lost many to the seas and many more on land as if the raging waters weren¡¯t enough. That is why I regard those that chose to bring harm to others as below their right to live.¡± ¡°If a place knows no rules, one must make the rules huh? A lawless place it may have been, but don¡¯t you find public execution a bit too extreme? Even those who have wronged in the past may yet redeem themselves and walk the right path.¡± ¡°That wishful thinking died after I spared the man that killed my mother.¡± Her right hand clenched into a tight fist. ¡°From that day onwards I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t spare another criminal if given the chance.¡± She adjusted the leather bag on her shoulder. ¡°Either way, we should get going, I arranged the soldiers that¡¯ll accompany us to the nest. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Leona, Krieg and Phoebe looked at each other before following the young woman to the city gates, unbeknownst to them, it was going to be a long day ahead of them. Chapter C: Into the Depths Part I Outside the city walls, Leona, Krieg, Phoebe and Charlotte were accompanied by a group of five soldiers, each carrying their own small barrel of gunpowder tied to their backs with ropes. One of them approached the group. It was a tanned young man wearing the Asteram uniform with two unusual curved blades sheathed by his hip, his dark eyes seemed rather confident. ¡°Lady Charlotte! We are ready to depart at any moment, you just need to say the word.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± She looked at Leona and gestured with her open hand. ¡°My soldiers are yours to command, Princess Tactician.¡± The other soldiers whispered amongst themselves. ¡°The Arcadian Princess?¡± ¡°What is she doing here of all places?¡± ¡°Shut it up.¡± The tallest one elbowed both of them. ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass lady Charlotte.¡± Reluctantly stepping forward, Leona cleared her throat before she addressed the soldiers. ¡°Today, I, Leona Crossford shall be spearheading the cleanse of a kobold nest southwest of here, you valiant soldiers have been handpicked by Lady Charlotte for your combat experience which shall prove indispensable in this mission.¡± She clenched her right hand into a fist as she brought it closer to her chest. ¡°Along myself, Krieg and Phoebe shall also be filling out ranks in order to tackle this endeavor. For the safety of the city and its subjects, I promise you we will carry out this operation without casualties.¡± Charlotte slowly began to clap while nodding. The soldiers glanced upon each other before doing the same. After a few minutes, they loaded their equipment and supplies in an open carriage, Leona, Krieg, Charlotte and other four soldiers boarded on the back while Phoebe and another soldier who held the reins stayed in the front to steer the wagon. ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t rain today¡­ ugh why did we have to go out today?¡± The youngest looking soldier mumbled under his breath, but a senior soldier elbowed him in the ribs. Despite the gray hair showing his age, his muscular build and square jaw made him look much younger than he was. ¡°We are in the presence of lady Charlotte, show some respect lad.¡± ¡°Oh it doesn¡¯t bother me.¡± She replied while shaking her head. ¡°Truth to be told, I¡¯m glad I could choose your group for this mission, gramps.¡± ¡°It is our honor to serve you, my lady.¡± He bowed his head while grabbing the young soldier beside him by the neck and lowering his head as well. Looking at the friendly chatter, Leona noticed the young soldier didn¡¯t carry a rifle like the others and instead had a pair of scimitars on his lap. ¡°Might I ask-¡± Her curiosity got the best of her and before she knew it, she was already addressing him with a question. ¡°-why do you carry those two blades instead of a firearm like your peers?¡± He pushed the old man¡¯s arm off his head while looking at her, clearly surprised. ¡°Huh? Ah, it¡¯s because my role in this unit isn¡¯t to hunt the enemy down. While sir Gregor here leads the charge, I keep our backs safe.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Leona didn¡¯t seem convinced, but the old soldier reassured her with a big smile on his face as he slapped his comrade on the back. ¡°You can trust this lad, Lady Leona. If anything comes too close he¡¯ll shred it to pieces like a hound with rabies.¡± ¡°Hey I am no dog and watch your strength old man.¡± The young man managed to catch both of his scimitars before they could fall on the carriage floor as the senior soldier just laughed. Phoebe noticed the way he carried both swords and brushed Leona¡¯s elbow with her own until she looked at her. ¡°We should be careful, he¡¯s a bedouin warrior.¡± ¡°As from the Aradian empire?¡± She nodded in response. ¡°Scimitars are only used in the southern kingdom and even then it¡¯s rare to see someone use them in pairs.¡± Leona glanced again at the young man, he seemed somewhat frail to be a warrior, yet if Phoebe said he was, it wasn¡¯t something she could easily dismiss. Bedouin warriors served a major role in the south conquest and creation of the empire of Aradia. Under the leadership of one man, they created a legacy that would last for centuries only to crumble down at the hands of a commander of the Arcadian royal knights.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡®Eleonora¡­¡¯ Leona thought for herself. ¡®Even if she was responsible for the death of their king, I can scarcely imagine what one devout warrior would do in his name.¡¯ She could feel the tension in the air, after knowing one soldier of a kingdom that swore to destroy Arcadia was sharing the same carriage as her, it made cold sweat come down from her brow. As she was about to seek Krieg¡¯s guidance, she couldn¡¯t help but notice the way he was holding the longsword¡¯s scabbard and handle on his lap as if he was ready to fight at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Now, now.¡± Charlotte clapped twice and stopped Gregor from picking on the young lad. ¡°I know this excursion of ours may be brief but how about all of you introduce yourselves to our comrade in arms here?¡± ¡°I have already been introduced but I¡¯ll do so again.¡± The tall aged man placed his hand in front of his chest and bowed slightly. ¡°My name is Gregor, lieutenant of this squad.¡± The tanned young man bowed as well before introducing himself. ¡°Khalid, Aradian warrior.¡± On the other side of the carriage, the rugged looking bald man waved to her. ¡°Name¡¯s Luka, it''s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Leona.¡± ¡°It is an honor to fight alongside the fabled Princess Tactician.¡± The soldier that was leading the reins looked over his shoulder. His voice made him seem a bit older, maybe around his fifties, but it wasn¡¯t apparent by his looks. ¡°My name is Percival Orlov, former servant of the Russe household.¡± The last soldier that kept to themselves was hugging their rifle while trying to appear inconspicuous, but Charlotte turned everyone¡¯s attention to them by saying. ¡°Come on now, don¡¯t be shy.¡± Though wearing the full Asteram uniform that consisted of high leather boots, thick dark green trousers, numerous belts, dark green coat, a black mask that covered both the mouth and nose. The feminine voice gave away her gender. ¡°...Cecile Braveheart. Scout and sharpshooter.¡± At first no one really paid any mind to her appearance, but once Krieg saw her golden eyes it sent a chill down his spine. It felt like he was looking at Eleonora. ¡°Also formerly known as the scourge of the seas.¡± Charlotte cheerfully added. ¡°She was the hardest member to acquire.¡± ¡°Acquire?¡± Leona had a puzzled expression on her face. ¡°These people are the closest I consider as family. Needless to say, even family sometimes fight with each other.¡± She threw her arm over and around Cecile¡¯s neck. ¡°Ain¡¯t it right?¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± The woman answered quietly. ¡°Oh Cecil, you¡¯re no fun.¡± Charlotte turned once again to Leona in order to explain. ¡°She used to be the captain of the rebels here in Astera, back when my father was still trying to establish the three guilds you see today. Unmatched both in water and land, practically nobody could win against her in a fair fight.¡± ¡°You give me too much credit.¡± Cecile muttered. ¡°I give credit where it¡¯s due.¡± Charlotte answered while going back to tell the whole story. ¡°Where was I? Ah yes, that was back then. She used to help the less fortunate with what treasures she would plunder from ships passing by the Londrian waters.¡± She pointed to one of the buildings that became visible as they were climbing uphill. ¡°See that orange building near Murakano¡¯s inn? That¡¯s the orphanage.¡± Since it was midday, the sun was at its peak which allowed Leona to see it clearly without being blinded by it. The building she mentioned was a large rectangular structure that stood out from the rest around it since most of them were mostly only made of bricks and the only other that came close to it in terms of color was the red painted inn. ¡°I can understand seeking out the means to fund your endeavors, pardon me if it sounds rude but, why would you go out of your way to help children?¡± Leona genuinely asked. ¡°From what I¡¯ve known about Astera was that it used to be a pirate town which thrived only from plundering.¡± ¡°Plunderers we might have been but it wasn¡¯t from our free will.¡± Cecile answered with a hint of sadness in her voice. ¡°Many of my crewmates had families to feed. Their children were the ones who suffered most from the violence in the streets. Growing up not knowing who your father or mother were, eating stale bread stolen from a merchant, sharing your beds in the sewers with rats¡­ if I could at least spare those children from suffering the same fate, no price would be too high.¡± At that point Charlotte sighed while clenching her left hand into a fist. ¡°If only your captain wasn¡¯t so stubborn. We could¡¯ve builded a far greater city, one that could even rival Arcadia.¡± Just after a few seconds she noticed how rude that sounded and turned to Leona whilst shaking her left hand. ¡°No offense.¡± ¡°None taken.¡± She answered before changing the topic. ¡°I¡¯m glad there are people like yourself, Lady Cecile.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°Those that are willing to sacrifice personal gain in order to make things right are indeed one of the hardest individuals to find.¡± ¡°See? Even the Princess Tactician finds you unique.¡± Charlotte had a smug expression. ¡°Needless to say I-¡± ¡°Lady Charl! Enemies at twelve o¡¯clock!¡± Percival shouted from the front as Phoebe jumped off to the right side of the carriage. Without hesitating, the other soldiers jumped out of the carriage with their firearms at the ready which by then Leona stood up just enough to see they were facing about seven creatures that stood on two legs, they had thick furs of different colors, ranging from gray to brown, some of them even wore armor made of an assortment of random pieces. However the wolf-like face made it clear that they were monsters. ¡®Kobolds¡­ or wolfmen.¡¯ She was pulling information from what she could remember reading about them. ¡®Known for killing and eating most prey. Some are as smart as humans.¡¯ She noticed one of them raising a club while the others had spears on hands. ¡°Percival!¡± She shouted. ¡°Turn the carriage sideways! Everyone get behind it!¡± The moment she yelled, the soldier on the reins made a sharp turn to the right, almost throwing both her and Krieg off the back, but the knight managed to grab her by the waist and jump behind the carriage. A split second later a few wooden spears landed around them, some hit the horses which tried to take off in a high gallop but Phoebe managed to cut the reins that kept them tied to the wagon and they soon escaped the scene. ¡°I never heard of kobolds using weapons!¡± Gregor shouted. ¡°Sly bastards!¡± Leona looked at Cecile who held her rifle in a familiar manner. ¡°Can you kill their leader?¡± She asked the woman. ¡°If I can get a clear shot, yes.¡± ¡°I like your confidence.¡± She then turned to Phoebe. ¡°Can you distract them?¡± Chapter CI: Into the Depths Part II The sharpshooter Cecile went prone on the ground with her rifle in hand, slowly crawling under the carriage in order to have line of sight with her target. The second Leona asked Phoebe for a distraction she nodded and dashed out from behind the carriage whilst drawing arrows as she ran. Seeing her run out made the leader of the kobolds howl and gesture with the club as the other six raised their spears above their heads, ready to throw at her. ¡°Now! Fire!¡± Leona''s commanding voice made Cecile sharply exhale and hold her empty lungs until she squeezed the trigger, the explosion beneath the carriage surprised the kobolds in the front and the brief flash of light accompanied the fall of their leader as the sharpshooter managed to land the bullet in the beast¡¯s skull. With howling and whimpering, they quickly scattered and ran inside the forest. Cecile stood up and patted her uniform clean. ¡°Phew¡­¡± She pulled the rifle¡¯s bolt back, ejecting the spent casing before catching it midair. ¡°I trust you are satisfied with the results, Princess Leona?¡± ¡°More than satisfied.¡± She was kneeling and checking the line of fire that she had under the carriage and was genuinely impressed. ¡°My father used to fire muskets a lot back home, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to hit a target so far away like this.¡± ¡°With all due respect, muskets are too unreliable.¡± Cecile explained. ¡°A marksman that is able to hit their shots with one will fare even better with a rifle.¡± She cycled through the rifle once again and caught live ammunition before handing it to her. ¡°Instead of round steel shot, we use sharp bullets like these which makes it much more accurate. Lord Jean would¡¯ve made an incredible sharpshooter with a firearm such as this.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve met my father?¡± Cecile nodded with a smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m Arcadian just like you, Princess Leona. Though my parents left the capital when the war struck the provinces of Windia, they used to work in the Gracefell household when I was but a toddler.¡± ¡°Gracefell¡­ Gracefell¡­ wait¡­ your family used to be servants of the Queen?!¡± The young woman nodded with a smile. ¡°The one and only. I faintly remember her coming back to the mansion a few times before the war broke out. One of those times she was accompanied by your father and mother. Knight commander Eleonora Gracefell¡­ you could even mistake her for a goddess indeed.¡± ¡°I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have known¡­¡± She was pleasantly surprised to know someone else that knew her parents in such a far away land. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see a fellow Arcadian doing well in a place so far away from home.¡± ¡°Hey! How long are you two going to be standing there?¡± Charlotte¡¯s voice came from uphill, she had Luka and Percival accompanying her while Khalid helped Gregor unload the supplies from the carriage. ¡°Princess, shall I lend them a hand?¡± Krieg asked cordially before they could resume their conversation. ¡°Ah, yes please do.¡± She replied to him and then turned to Phoebe. ¡°Can you come with us? There might be still other kobolds lurking in the forest.¡± She nodded without saying a word. Her dark blue eyes had an ice cold stare directed at Cecile, she seemed unaware about the high elf¡¯s hostile glare. Leona noticed the change in attitude but decided not to say anything as they climbed the hill towards the entrance of the forest. ¡°You really did a number on this guy.¡± Charlotte mentioned as poked the dead kobold¡¯s head with the tip of her boot. ¡°Almost between the eyes, did you want to prove your point to Leona here about being the best sharpshooter in Astera?¡± ¡°Not on purpose, no.¡± She humbly replied. ¡°Nevertheless I¡¯m glad the result was to your liking.¡± ¡°Very much so, this one right here is dead without a doubt.¡± She left the kobold corpse and turned to Leona. ¡°So, what do you say we do?¡± ¡°Have Khalid and Krieg lead the group while the others cover the flanks.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ shouldn¡¯t I deal with the flanks?¡± The Aradian swordmaster asked, seemingly puzzled by her suggestion. ¡°Kobolds aren¡¯t known for their ambush nature, but they clearly tried to do that. However, since their original plan has failed, we can expect more of a frontal assault rather than them trying to do something that clearly didn¡¯t work a second time.¡± Percival and Luka looked at one another whilst discreetly nodding, convinced as to why she held the title of ¡®Princess Tactician¡¯. ¡°What about the rear of the party? Do you intend to defend it yourself, Lady Leona?¡± Gregor asked, to which she replied by shaking her head and gesturing to Cecile and Phoebe. ¡°I¡¯m primarily a spell caster, both of them can take care of threats should they get too close to us.¡± The soldiers eyed the high elf, unbeknownst to them that she was an infamous assassin. ¡°Defend the backline with a bow?¡± Khalid raised an eyebrow. ¡°Princess Leona, with all due respect-¡± Before he could keep going she raised her open palm which prompted him to stop mid sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover, sir Khalid. If you¡¯re so concerned with the safety of your back, you are free to not join us in this expedition.¡± ¡°Wha-?! How dare you-¡± Charlotte cleared her throat which made the young man stop shouting. She glared at him with a warning stare. ¡°I gave my authority to Leona since she has more experience in leading expeditions like these and you will follow her as if it were my words, you understand?¡± He opened his mouth as he was about to complain but instead he simply bowed down. ¡°Yes, my lady. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She turned to Leona as if giving her space to talk with a gesture of the hands. ¡°By all means.¡± She nodded in return and stepped forward. ¡°Kobolds as we know, they are cunning creatures, but not anything you haven¡¯t faced before. Pay attention to your surroundings and shout if you see anything. We¡¯ll be fine as long as we stay close to each other. Sir Khalid, lead the way if you please.¡± The group assumed the position as how they were supposed to proceed and in no time they were skulking through the forest, eyes wide and ears sharp for anything that could signify a threat. They proceeded in a slow pace as each member of the group carefully measured each step they took. That expedition was the first experience Leona ever got to be beside soldiers in the frontline, even though she was surrounded on almost all sides with reliable people, she knew one slip could prove fatal not only to her but the others around which made her palms start to sweat.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡®I won¡¯t let it happen again¡­¡¯ She thought as she clenched her fingers around the silver longsword handle. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll be the one shaping my own future.¡¯ Visibility was on the lower side as Khalid and Krieg led the group, even though it was mid day the forest top was so dense it blocked most of the sunlight coming in, leaving just a few illuminated pockets on the forest floor which gave the place an even more eerie feeling. As the group proceeded further in, Phoebe began to feel a subtle rumble from under her feet. ¡°Hold.¡± She said which prompted the whole group to stop. ¡°I must check something.¡± After saying that she quickly crouched on the ground and placed her ear right against the dirt. ¡°What is it?¡± Charlotte inquired only to be met with Phoebe¡¯s raising hand in an attempt to silence the young woman in the least rude way possible as she was trying to fully concentrate on the sounds coming from below. At first she thought it could be coming from the roads beside the forest but as more time passed she began to notice a rhythm between each pulse of sound, more akin to hammer strikes of a blacksmith. ¡°Something or someone is carving its way through the ground.¡± She stood up. ¡°I can¡¯t tell exactly what is making these sounds, but something is happening below, something big.¡± ¡°All the more reason to kill all of those kobolds.¡± Khalid clicked his tongue. ¡°Foul things¡­ are they not satisfied with plundering from the weak already?¡± ¡°I doubt we¡¯d be able to discern what exactly they are doing from up here anyway.¡± Percival commented. ¡°Nevertheless, it is our best of interests to see what they are up to. Lest we fall prey like the travelers.¡± ¡°Point taken.¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°Can you estimate how far down we are talking about, lady Phoebe?¡± ¡°Just Phoebe is fine.¡± She answered as she stood up. ¡°As for the question, I¡¯m not entirely sure. Maybe around ten to twenty meters at best. I don¡¯t usually measure depth into the ground you see.¡± ¡°An estimation is fine.¡± She turned to Percival. ¡°Remind me to fill in a letter of complaint to Murakano. If the reason as to why this nest is so big comes from the time we disregarded it as a threat it might look bad for us in the eyes of the merchants guild.¡± ¡°Worried about what your brother might say, young lady?¡± The old man asked with a smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t get me started on that Perci.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had siblings, Charlotte.¡± Leona sounded surprised. ¡°An older brother on top of that.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ he deals with the boring merchant stuff. I prefer to fish in the open seas, but since I need to pull my weight in the family I also trade in imports and exports for and from our city.¡± ¡°Huh, what exactly is Astera missing that you need to import from another kingdom?¡± ¡°Mostly grains, fruits and textiles. Spices are really hard to come by and clothing¡­ can¡¯t be living without those now can we?¡± ¡°Makes sense¡­ since the borders of your kingdom are either full of forests, mountains or salt water, it would be hard to cultivate anything on a scale large enough for the whole city. Wait a minute¡­ what about inland trade?¡± ¡°Arivaul is too small to even consider it as a trade partner for our city. Akrapocalis is on the other side of Death¡¯s Pass, only a madman would try to cross it, Arcadia and Windia are out of the question for the same reason. The only would be inland trader would be Londria but it has become increasingly hard to acquire things ever since the great freeze there, it basically cut us off from our biggest supplier of textiles and thanks to the death angels that comes from Nara, it¡¯s almost impossible to navigate the ocean without bumping into one of the uglies, takes a real captain to avoid getting swarmed by them.¡± ¡°In short, what my lady is trying to say is that we are fighting a losing war. At the current moment the city can still thrive off the bounty of the seas.¡± Percival added. ¡°But even with it, people are still dying without an apparent explanation.¡± His sentence made Leona tilt her head a bit as she was attempting to recall something similar she had read once as she asked. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t happen to be bleeding from their gums or showing red spots across their legs or something?¡± Every soldier aside from Khalid turned to face her for that brief sentence she muttered. With wide eyes and a half open mouth they stared at her, somewhat shocked which prompted Leona¡¯s eyes to nervously dart around as she asked. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Charlotte inquired, her usual cheerful and carefree tone was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Well¡­ I read a book once from a Zenithian physician, bleeding gums, aching around the legs and arms are symptoms of an illness they call scorbutus.¡± ¡°Are there any cures?!¡± Charlotte suddenly approached her with expectancy in her eyes. ¡°Leona I must know if I-¡± ¡°My lady please, you¡¯re invading lady Leona¡¯s personal space.¡± Percival was politely blocking his liege¡¯s path with his arm preventing her from getting too close to her. ¡°Ah. I¡¯m terribly sorry.¡± She raised both of her hands before clearing her throat. ¡°We have been looking for a cure for what feels like ages already. If you could share your knowledge with us I would be eternally grateful.¡± ¡°The most effective treatment from what I remember is the ingestion of acidic fruits. Though how much, I have no idea.¡± Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened and her hands turned into tight fists shortly after it. ¡°Dammit all. Thanks to the lack of inland trade we were forced to use the space of our ships to bring more staple food instead of fruits from Nara¡­ so in a way it¡¯s our fault that the people are suffering¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself captain.¡± Luka spoke. ¡°There is no way anyone would¡¯ve known.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s focus on this first.¡± Cecile got the group¡¯s attention. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re been watched.¡± Despite not saying anything, the way that Phoebe moved her eyes around made clear to Leona that they were indeed being watched. Khalid raised his arm and began to speak. ¡°Careful, something¡¯s not right- I can smell them close!¡± Just after he warned the group there was a brief hustling in nearby bushes and atop of the trees before multiple stone spears were flung towards them like a prickly shower. ¡°Hmph!¡± Krieg swung his longsword horizontally, catching some of the spears that would otherwise hit the backline. ¡°We need to fall back!¡± If not for his inhuman reaction time Leona would¡¯ve been skewered by at least four spears. However the other side wasn¡¯t so lucky as Luka, Gregor and Cecile were hit by stray ones. ¡°Argh! Filthy kobolds!¡± Gregor shouted as he yanked out the spear lodged in his left arm with his right hand. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for that!¡± ¡°Get down!¡± Leona shouted as she winded up her right arm. ¡°I¡¯ll open a way!¡± Suddenly kobolds circled the group, cutting off the way they came from. Phoebe had her longbow ready and kept them at distance by quickly firing a volley of arrows that while it lacked her deadly accuracy, she made up with speed in order to keep six kobolds away from their flanks. ¡°Might want to make it faster!¡± Charlotte shouted as she drew her revolver while behind Gregor and began to unload rounds into the kobolds that got too close from the right flank. ¡°We¡¯re getting surrounded!¡± ¡°Krieg, Khalid! Get out of the way!¡± Mana began to gather on her fingertips as she cocked her arm inwards, after which she shouted. ¡°Winds of time, release thy might, Wind Blast!¡± ¡°What the hell?!¡± Khalid complained as he was pulled out of the way by Krieg. Both of them had just barely enough time to get away as she swung her right arm outwards, the mana coiled between her fingers suddenly spurned out in a violent gale opening a way forward, sending tree branches, loose rocks, foliage and kobolds flying. At that point since the wind had swept away everything in its path, it revealed the entrance of the cave that was hidden between a few bushes which gave Leona another option other than being pelted alive with sharp stone spears. ¡°Everyone! With me!¡± Seeing her run ahead made Krieg let go of Khalid and rush in front of his liege in order to protect her from incoming kobolds. ¡°You won¡¯t lay a finger on her!¡± Despite his overwhelming strength, speed was the key to keep Leona safe as there were too many enemies coming from multiple sides for him to plow through like he usually would. Thankfully, his extensive training under a strict tutor gave him enough precision and speed with the sword in order to hit vital parts to kill them quickly. Two kobolds were closing in to his left side armed with clubs while another came charging with a spear on the right, he swung his blade diagonally upwards which just barely cut the far left kobold¡¯s throat, with a deft movement of his wrist he brought the sword back to the right with a horizontal swing that managed to wound the other one¡¯s right arm that held the club and once the spear charging one was just in range of his blade, he made another horizontal slash that chopped off the spear head. ¡°Grrhn?!¡± The kobold was stunned for a moment when it saw the stone head missing from its weapon, it dropped the spear and pulled out a dagger that kept on its belt in order to attack. Krieg followed it up by grabbing the kobold¡¯s right arm and pummeling its face with the pommel of his longsword, with his opponent stunned, he affixed his right foot in the ground before spinning his foe by the wrist, creating enough torque to launch it like a bar which served to knock the other four kobolds that were getting ready with spears in front of them. ¡°Charge!¡± Charlotte shouted atop of her lungs as she noticed where Leona was planning to lead them. Chapter CII: A Hero in the Making ¡°Whose idea was to walk through the forest in a big group like this again?!¡± The Aradian warrior shouted as he was running. ¡°If you have time to talk you have time to help!¡± Phoebe yelled at him as she was often turning around while running to fire arrows back at the kobolds chasing them inside the narrow cave tunnel entrance they rushed in desperation from the earlier ambush. ¡°Krieg I¡¯ll block their passage but I need you to defend me!¡± Leona shouted as she stopped and turned around to focus on the chant. ¡°On it.¡± He did a hundred eighty degree turn as the others ran past him before he pointed the blade forward in a long guard, covering the young woman behind him. ¡°Northern winds hearken to me-¡± Despite the sounds of approaching footsteps, clanking of metal and intimidating growling she kept focusing on chanting the spell as Krieg kept the shabby jagged kobold blades away from her as each enemy that came too close was cut down without hesitation by him. ¡°Die! Outlander!¡± One older kobold shouted in anger and was about to make his way past Krieg but he managed not only to block its way, but he used his strength to grab it by its face and violently throw it against the incoming horde. ¡°-freeze those who oppose me, Ice Wall!¡± Upon hearing the end of the chant, Krieg quickly jumped sideways as Leona released a burst of cold wind that coalesced into sharp spikes that blocked both the way and the light that came from outside. Not a second passed and she evoked a small fire on her left hand to illuminate the former pitch dark cave tunnel. ¡°Hah¡­ ha¡­¡± Charlotte was a bit out of breath holding her knees with each hand. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d be running from kobolds.¡± She took a while to unload the spent casings of her revolver and load it with new ones as she pocketed the empty casings. Luka quickly took out a torch ready for use and excused himself before using the small flame that she had evoked earlier. ¡°Thank you Lady Leona.¡± ¡°No, thank you for being ready.¡± She opened her palm and the fire slowly diminished until the only light left was from the torch. ¡°Let¡¯s keep the same formation and continue moving forward. The wall behind us should last long enough, but I rather not take any chances.¡± There was an eerie sound coming from below along with a faint breeze that carried the smell of wet fur, metal, rot and salt water. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Charlotte wrinkled her face when the foul smell hit her nose. ¡°What is this smell?¡± ¡°Kobold and rotten blood most likely.¡± Luka was sniffing the air for a bit. ¡°And¡­ spoiled food.¡± ¡°Here you go my lady.¡± Percival handed Charlotte a handkerchief and then turned to Phoebe, Leona and Cecile. However all of them replied with either a silent shake of the head or a hand gesture, rejecting the offer. Further down the tunnel, the dirt and loose pebbles slowly gave place to a darker stone floor made of basalt which at a glance, it was possible to tell it was shaped that way from tools as opposed to natural erosion. ¡°Phoebe.¡± Leona called her from the backline. ¡°Can you lead the front to keep watch for traps?¡± She nimbly made her way beside the tactician before nodding and pushing through between Krieg and Khalid. ¡°Excuse me.¡± She gave a brief look over the path and turned around. ¡°Hey you with the torch, Luka wasn¡¯t it? Bring it here.¡± ¡°Ah, right away.¡± He also made his way through the group beside Phoebe who kept a close eye on the floor as they continued walking at a slower pace. Minutes passed without anything of note happening, however Leona¡¯s methodical approach did yield results in the group avoiding multiple traps like tripwires, covered pits with spikes and one very dangerous mechanism that was made to hit someone in the head with a rusted mace upon triggering a rudimentary pressure plate. ¡°Are you certain this den only houses kobolds?¡± Phoebe asked out loud while carefully inspecting a sharp right corner of the tunnel. ¡°The traps we passed through seemed a bit too complex for kobolds.¡± ¡°The scouts only sighted kobolds.¡± Gregor answered her. ¡°Even the complaints of merchants that were able to pass through the roads without being abducted only spoke about them.¡± ¡°It does seem too complex for them.¡± Percival muttered. ¡°Beastmen don¡¯t normally have a knack for things like these.¡± ¡°Not with this amount of precision at least.¡± Phoebe said as she disarmed another tripwire trap which this time had a crossbow tied to it, aiming around the chest area for a human¡¯s height. ¡°Rudimentary traps like pitfalls is one thing, but projectiles like these¡­¡± She plucked out the bolt from the crossbow and disarmed the aforementioned weapon. ¡°...not quite common.¡± She stood up with the crossbow in hand and used the stirrup to hold it on her belt while also pocketing the bolt in her pouch that was previously filled to the brim with poisons. Not too far from where she had disarmed the trap the tunnel began to widen bit by bit until they reached a circular tall dome, similar to a main hall of a mall, it had a few corridors of mined stone in five different directions. Sound of pickaxes could be heard in the distance but it was difficult to say from which passage it came from since the sound echoed so much in such an enclosed space. ¡°So.¡± Khalid asked. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Stick close.¡± Leona warned. ¡°Last thing we want is getting picked off one by one. Phoebe, take point again, we¡¯ll clear each corridor slowly and carefully.¡± She glanced at Cecile who was beside her. ¡°Do you know how to use a crossbow?¡± The woman nodded while answering. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s somewhat similar to handling a gun.¡± Hearing all of that made Phoebe take the weapon off her belt and hand it over to her with the single bolt that she had. Leona reached for Cecile¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I want you to support Phoebe, should anything happen. I¡¯d prefer if you could avoid using firearms while in here since it¡¯ll be too easy to hear it, given how this place echoes.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± ¡°Krieg, stay behind us and make sure nothing comes our way, Percival, Gregor, I want you two to hold torches near our front and backline, Khalid, support the backline.¡± Leona gave out orders as they began to enter another narrow tunnel which only allowed a maximum of three people shoulder to shoulder. ¡°Charlotte, Luka, I need you two to be ready with your weapons, use them should come down to it.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Leave it to me Miss Leona.¡± ¡°Alright, remember, watch each other¡¯s backs and don¡¯t stray too far from the group. Our priority is to clear out each room and look for possible survivors.¡± ¡°I doubt there are any, nobody would be able to survive here of all places.¡± Khalid said with a skeptical voice. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t kobolds eat people or something?¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking about hyenas if that¡¯s the case.¡± Leona cut him off. ¡°And no they don¡¯t eat people.¡± They kept going in silence as Phoebe checked for traps with Cecile right behind her, keeping an eye out in front for any movement coming from the shadows. The way was thankfully devoid of any traps, but it was to be expected since at the end of the corridor was nothing more than a large pit for waste disposal, urine and feces mingled with the scent of blood lingering in the air as everyone backed away from the repugnant smell.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Ugh.¡± Almost all muscles on Phoebe¡¯s face tensed up as the terrible whiff hit her nose. ¡°Gods what in the world have they been throwing down in that pit?¡± ¡°Poop, most likely.¡± Luka mentioned while he took a few steps back as he was pulled by Leona. ¡°Don¡¯t go too close to it. An open flame in a place like this could blow us all to bits.¡± ¡°Huh? Is poo that flammable?¡± Gregor chuckled with Luka¡¯s question but Leona warned with a serious tone. ¡°If left for too long it releases gasses that are flammable.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Most of the soldiers didn¡¯t seem to know that fact, if anything she was probably the most knowledgeable of the group. ¡°Let¡¯s just head back from where we came from.¡± The group turned around and went to the direct opposite passage they entered. With the same strategy, Phoebe and Cecile made their way in front of the group while the rest took extra care, stepping softly in order to maintain a certain level of discretion. It was at around halfway in the tunnel that Phoebe felt a faint sensation tugging against her left thigh which she instinctively raised her left hand. ¡°Wait.¡± She sharply whispered. ¡°Not another step.¡± Cecile stopped her left foot midair and took half a step backwards as the high elf glanced around the floor to find where the thin tripwire was tied to. ¡®This is worse than I thought.¡¯ She thought as the dim torchlight reflected on the spider-like thin thread that was barely visible in the darkness. ¡®Did they really use silk to make this?¡¯ She carefully relieved the tension of her prosthetic shin from the string to avoid triggering whatever contraption was attached to it and backed away, aside from that one trap it didn¡¯t seem like there were any other further ahead which made her cross one leg over the thread and motion to the others. ¡°I can¡¯t disarm this one without triggering whatever is tied to the other end of it. Best if we just hop over it.¡± Slowly, the entire group made their way through carefully avoiding the trap and after everyone was on the other side, Cecile and Phoebe continued onwards. ¡°Miss Phoebe.¡± Her frontline companion began to ask. ¡°How did you become so proficient in spotting traps like these? I had a hard time with a few previously but this one specifically made me realize just how much I have to improve.¡± ¡°Time.¡± She answered shortly. ¡°When you do this one too many times you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± ¡°Even the last one?¡± ¡°That kind of trapping technique is common back in my hometown.¡± ¡°Your hometown had a need for this kind of thing?¡± ¡°You would make use of it if you also lived in a cave, trust me.¡± Phoebe sounded annoyed by her, but mostly wasn¡¯t because of her questions as those were to be expected from someone that barely knew her. But instead it was because of ¡®what¡¯ Cecile was. ¡®Half elf¡­¡¯ The high elf was grinding her teeth in silence. ¡®Hiding your ears won¡¯t do any good for you.¡¯ Despite the clear disgust, she felt it was necessary that she didn¡¯t let emotions control her decisions for the group¡¯s own survival. Whatever or whoever was capable of making such an intricate trap in a place devoid of knowledge wasn¡¯t someone to be taken lightly. ¡°Watch your feet, there is no guarantee there won¡¯t be another one of those.¡± Phoebe warned as they moved forward. The smell of the stagnant air changed as they progressed deeper into the tunnel, where previously damp, moldy, cold, scentless air gave place to a hint of sulfur that burned her nostrils slightly as she breathed. ¡°Gunpowder.¡± Cecile muttered under her breath as she glanced at her. ¡°It must be stored up ahead.¡± ¡°Huh? How can you be so sure?¡± ¡°I have spent years loading ammunition with it. It¡¯s gunpowder in high quantities, there is no doubt about it.¡± Phoebe clenched her teeth and raised her hand which prompted the rest of the group to stop. ¡°Keep watch, I¡¯ll go talk with Leona.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The high elf silently made her way beside the tactician and began to relay the information that she had. ¡°From what Cecile mentioned it must be a considerable amount.¡± Leona was holding her chin while frowning her eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯ll tell the others to be careful but we must keep moving, there might be a chance they are holding someone captive in there.¡± Phoebe nodded and returned to the front and since Luka was staying about five steps behind them in order to avoid accidentally setting off any explosives, the dim light made it difficult to see much. However thanks to her acute senses, she heard a faint growling sound up ahead where the tunnel seemed to open a bit. ¡°Enemies up ahead. Don¡¯t know how many.¡± Phoebe said. ¡°It¡¯s too dark to see anything¡­¡± Shortly after saying that she also heard the familiar sound of creaking limbs of a bow and at that point she also quickly drew her longbow to the maximum and as soon as she noticed an arrow appear from the darkness she fired in the same direction as it came from. ¡°Gah!¡± The high elf was hit in the left shoulder by the bodkin arrow and roughly at the same time the rest of the group heard a yelp coming from the darkness. ¡°Phoebe!¡± Leona noticed her holding the shoulder with an arrow shaft protruding out of it which made her quickly shout orders to others. ¡°Krieg! Get her out of there! Cecile come to us!¡± The knight nodded and swiftly grabbed Phoebe by the hip and carried her back and the sharpshooter jumped backwards before dashing towards the group. In that short span of time Leona lifted both of her open palms to the tunnel and chanted. ¡°Great power of the sea, drown mine enemies in despair, Maelstrom!¡± Not a second after Cecile and Krieg made their way behind her, a violent explosion of water erupted between her palms and began to flood the tunnel. ¡°Luka! Khalid! Once I finish, head in and kill any kobolds you see!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± The Aradian warrior dragged each of his scimitars against one another and with a swift twirl of both blades he was ready to sprint. Luka raised the torch on his left hand while he pulled the saber out preparing to go in. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Phoebe was clenching her teeth while Krieg held the arrow shaft that was stuck inside her shoulder. ¡°Do it now.¡± He nodded and with one swift motion he yanked the bodkin head from inside her. ¡°Argh! Dammit!¡± Blood gushed out of the wound but she quickly pulled the last potion she had and jammed the small glass neck inside it and the red liquid quickly began to drain from the vial offering a bit of relief. ¡°Enemies from the back!¡± Gregor shouted as he pulled out the rifle and started to shoot. ¡°About five of them!¡± He had to cycle through his ammunition by holding the stock of his gun between his armpit while pulling the bolt back with his right hand as his left held the torch. Charlotte quickly stepped beside him and quickly drew the revolver, firing multiple rounds before Gregor could even pull the bolt back and while she did land the shots, more kobolds were coming from the entrance like an endless swarm which prompted her to grab the rifle off his hand and fire all the remaining four shots that were inside of it. ¡°I can¡¯t hold them off for long!¡± She shouted which made Percival and Cecile to aim both of their weapons at the same time Gregor and Charlotte crouched before they fired above them. While half of the group dealt with the flank, Leona had just finished her spell and with a thud she hit her left knee on the ground as she gasped for air while both Khalid and Luka charged deeper into the tunnel. ¡®Dammit, this took more out of me than I thought-¡¯ Leona¡¯s mind felt hazy, her senses were blurred. She could hear shouts in the distance as if she was underwater and the pulsing of her heartbeat became more and more apparent. Spells which created mass were intrinsically more taxing on the caster since they would have to pull more mana from their personal reserves rather than using existing ones in the environment. ¡°I can¡¯t fall here¡­!¡± Forcefully focusing her mind she was able to temporarily shake off the dizziness and stand up. ¡°Phoebe can you move?!¡± ¡°Y-yeah I¡¯m- ugh, fine!¡± ¡°Krieg with me! All of you keep moving forward!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t!¡± Charlotte shouted as she was desperately loading more rounds into her revolver but the horde of kobolds didn¡¯t seem to decrease. ¡°There are too many of them!¡± ¡°Move out of the way!¡± Leona shouted as she charged forward while drawing her frostburnt silver longsword. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± She remembered the swordmaster¡¯s words and the familiar electrifying sensation running through her fingers passed onto the glowing pale blue blade. With a diagonal swing, a slash of light carved through the ceiling of the tunnel causing the rocks to suddenly collapse on top of the incoming kobolds while also blocking the only way out. Charlotte and Gregor barely escaped being buried by the debris as she exclaimed. ¡°What was that?!¡± Leona was panting and barely holding herself up with the aid of the blade against the stone floor. The silver longsword was emitting a weak pulse of pale blue light as she replied. ¡°Blade¡­ energy¡­¡± She had a confident smile on her face as she blinked a few times before passing out. The sword barely held her weight before Krieg swiftly supported her back before she could fall while also taking the weapon off her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving!¡± He shouted as he sheathed her longsword back to the sheath on her belt. ¡°We have enemies to deal with!¡± His proactiveness was proving effective as the rest of them rallied behind him as he began to carry Leona between his arms. Phoebe rushed past him with both daggers out ready to kill but as soon as she entered the next room illuminated by Luka¡¯s torch, she noticed both soldiers simply looking around the storage room with no kobold body to be found. ¡°Huh? Where did they go?¡± She asked. ¡°I would like to know the same.¡± Khalid muttered while inspecting under the wet shelves which housed barrels of gunpowder. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any secret entrances-¡± ¡°Something feels off¡­¡± Luka said as he looked down to his boots. ¡°It¡¯s as if the ground is moving.¡± ¡°Moving?¡± She didn¡¯t notice at first since the pain in her left shoulder had dulled her senses but the moment she heard him mention about the floor her attention immediately shifted towards Krieg. ¡°DON¡¯T COME IN!¡± She shouted on top of her lungs but it was too late. The moment Krieg and the rest of the group stepped inside the stone floor cracked and gave out to a free fall many meters below. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh!¡± Chapter CIII: Strength in Numbers As the stone floor gave out, Cecile quickly fired with her rifle towards the bottom of the pit and with the brief flash of light of her gun it showed her that there was water to break their fall. She instinctively held the rifle horizontally above her head with both of her feet close together as she broke through the surface of the water, her body almost submerged fully but she successfully kept the weapon from getting wet. However, unlike her, the others didn¡¯t have the same finesse and were dunked entirely in the water from the fall. ¡°Gah! What the hell?! It¡¯s cold!¡± Charlotte yelped as she grabbed the ledge to climb out only to find the cold sharp point of a knife placed against the side of her throat. Looking up she noticed from the dimly lit light in the vicinity that it was a humanoid, however the low growl that came from it showed her it was actually a kobold. ¡®Shit!¡¯ She instinctively used her legs to push her away from the ledge and at that moment Phoebe shouted from somewhere behind her. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded!¡± Without torches or any other source of light saving the wax candles in the far corners of the underground room, Cecile fired once again this time upwards and the brief flash of light revealed at least ten kobolds in the vicinity of the water pit trap all armed with spears or daggers. ¡°Charge!¡± Gregor shouted as he pulled one of the kobold¡¯s spears and managed to dunk one of them in the water while also using the momentum to get himself out of the pit. At the same time Khalid climbed up with both of his scimitars ready with Luka on his side with a shortsword. ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± A strange voice came from the middle of the kobolds which prompted Cecile to turn towards it, even in the darkness she was confident she could land a shot on an enemy. ¡°Who goes there?!¡± Phoebe shouted as she held a kobold in a chokehold with her dagger dangerously close to its right eye. ¡°We mean you no harm! Please lay down your weapons!¡± The voice was masculine, but the way they dragged their words seemed a bit unnatural. ¡°Show yourself first, then we¡¯ll talk about laying down our weapons.¡± She bargained while tightening the hold on her hostage. ¡°Who would in their right mind surrender their weapons in a situation like this?¡± A pause happened and the few faint growls amidst the pack of kobolds vanished as the same voice once again rose from somewhere behind them. ¡°Very well, but I beg of you not to do anything harsh. Too many lives have already been taken for no reason.¡± Within seconds of the person saying so a flame suddenly ignited near one of the low lit candles and a torch was held high by what seemed to be a frail looking kobold, its gray fur was tattered in places revealing spots of pink skin beneath it. Cecile tilted her head a little as she climbed on the ledge off the water, she held her rifle while also aiding Krieg to get out of the water since he was still carrying an unconscious and now wet Leona. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°I know. It might be a bit surprising-¡± The same kobold was being flanked by two other brown furred muscular ones wielding longswords and clad in leather armor. ¡°But we mean you no harm.¡± His speech was a bit rough but otherwise comprehensible, unlike the rest of his brethren that seemed to communicate only through low growls. ¡°Really now?¡± Phoebe said while glancing around the room with the myriad of humanoid wolves holding spears and other assortment of weapons. ¡°Your comrades don¡¯t seem to share the same ideal as you.¡± He glanced around and slowly nodded. ¡°My apologies, we¡¯ve been on the edge for a while after what happened to my father.¡± He looked at each of his two guards and nodded. ¡°Sheathe your weapons.¡± The two of them complied but kept their stances as if ready for a possible fight. The leader then proceeded to growl and all kobolds slowly backed away while putting their weapons on the ground. ¡°I trust this should be enough to win your trust?¡± Phoebe glanced at Krieg who responded with a short nod. ¡°I suppose so.¡± She let go of her hostage. Percival made his way out of the water pit with Khalid¡¯s help while the rest of the soldiers held back their weapons, however tension was still tangible in the rather small cavern room. Seeing how they were willing to listen, the leader slowly pushed through the others in order to meet them face to face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry once again.¡± He bowed gracefully, for a kobold, with the two of his arms close to his thighs as his head hung low, it was possible to see both of his wolf-like ears, the left one was gnawed about halfway. ¡°My name in your language would be Hahzi, I¡¯m the youngest son of the leader of this nest. Pleasure to meet you¡­?¡± Phoebe noticed upon his approach that he lacked the customary bad smell of a kobold, even when he spoke there was no hint of smell coming from his mouth.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You have names. Now that is surprising.¡± Charlotte muttered under her breath, her left hand rested on the dagger¡¯s handle on the back of her belt. ¡°Krieg.¡± The knight said. ¡°And this is Phoebe.¡± She nodded and sheathed her daggers. ¡°We were tasked to find out what happened to the people traveling near this nest but we weren¡¯t expecting to find someone so¡­ amicable. No offense.¡± ¡°None taken. I¡¯m just glad we could solve this without violence.¡± He glanced back at the group forming behind him and with a gesture of his hand a path opened to the back of the room which with the now well lit interior was possible to see a wooden double doors. ¡°Now I know this might be too much to ask from someone I¡¯ve just met but could we talk? Seeing how well armed you are I¡¯m sure there were other reasons as to why you came down to this place.¡± Charlotte pushed forward from behind the group, standing beside Krieg. ¡°I would first like to know if you are holding any of my people hostage. Many travelers and merchants alike have gone missing ever since this nest became more active.¡± He nodded before turning around. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to him right now. Come on, follow me.¡± There was tension in the air as the group walked in unison through the room, the smaller kobolds eyeing them up in fear as they clutched their weapons tightly to their bodies, the one that was dunked into the water was helped by the taller well armored one as it lifted it by the scruff. Hahzi opened the doors which led down to another narrow corridor devoid of light, only him and the other well armed kobold led the group as the rest of the pack stayed behind. However, since he was still carrying the torch it was possible to see that it was another tunnel carved by pickaxes from the jagged, uneven edges of the stone. ¡°I have to say.¡± Luka began to talk while he wringed the excess water from his uniform. ¡°The last thing I was expecting was to talk it out with a kobold.¡± ¡°I could say the same.¡± Hahzi spoke from the front of the group. ¡°I¡¯ve only learned how to communicate with your kind recently thanks to a merchant. She taught me how to mostly read and write.¡± He pulled out a small notepad with a tattered leather cover from beneath his fur. ¡°A human taught you how to speak our language?¡± Charlotte seemed intrigued. ¡°It took a lot of time and effort but it paid off. At least now I can finally put his tyranny to an end.¡± The narrow tunnel widened bit by bit until they reached another room where a kobold stood guard with a large halberd. It noticed the group behind Hahzi and it stepped to the side with a whimper. The kobold leader nodded and tapped it on the shoulder before heading in the room. It was a simple place, a few piles of hay and fur made beddings for multiple residents. On the right corner was a shabby looking low shelf which housed a few books and in the middle of the room was a young man around his late twenties working on what looked to be a firearm with a small oil lantern by his side. ¡°Hm?¡± He glanced up. His hazel eyes shone amidst the messy brown bangs that covered half of his sight. ¡°You managed to not get stabbed, I¡¯m impressed Hahzi.¡± ¡°I try my best not to.¡± The kobold turned and gestured with his open claws to the young man. ¡°This is Hector. He¡¯s a traveling merchant on his way to Astera when my brother¡¯s pack ambushed his caravan.¡± ¡°A traveling merchant you say?¡± Charlotte looked around the room for his belongings but nothing fitted the description. ¡°What exactly do you deal in, merchant?¡± ¡°Oh a bit of this and a bit of that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anything that could be described as wares in this place.¡± ¡°Black powder.¡± Hahzi mentioned once he glanced at her. ¡°The barrels from the room you were in before you fell. I had a mind to bring them down here but I wasn¡¯t sure how to do that without raising suspicion.¡± At that point Leona began to cough water out of her lungs as she was forced awake by her own body. Krieg immediately knelt and supported her back straight as she finished putting out the rest of the water. ¡°Gah¡­ what happened Krieg?¡± She was blinking her eyes trying to adjust her vision to the torchlight. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°We fell in a trap, but thankfully who awaited down here was a rather friendly kobold.¡± He explained. ¡°He led us here to talk with the only survivor that they captured.¡± She stood up on her own two feet and looked past Phoebe and Charlotte, looking first at Hahzi and then Hector. ¡°Hahzi!¡± The young man seemed a bit flustered. ¡°I told you that deal was-¡± ¡°A secret I¡¯d say.¡± Percival chuckled. ¡°I think we found an illegal merchant, my lady.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°You are lucky we are in this predicament, otherwise I would¡¯ve shot you right here.¡± She turned to Hahzi. ¡°So why did you bring us all the way here?¡± The kobold went ahead and sat down beside Hector while putting the torch in front of himself. ¡°Come sit down, I should first explain the situation to you.¡± Luka, Percival and Phoebe sat down in a semi circle, the rest of them remained standing with their hands loosely around their weapons. ¡°My father used to be the leader of this nest, long before me or my brother were born. He traded with merchants and the people from Astera when it wasn¡¯t a big city like today. As the years went by trade began to die out and with the nest growing with more of us he decided to head out in order to find a way to feed all of us, but he never came back.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ what did your father use to trade with the city?¡± ¡°Ores. Rare ones on top of that.¡± He took a pendant he kept under his fur and showed a shiny golden ring tied to it. ¡°Silver, gold, platinum¡­ there is plenty of it below this place.¡± He scratched the side of his snout. ¡°But everything is worth nothing if nobody is willing to trade with us. My brother in his hubris decided to plunder and kill for food that can barely sustain this nest.¡± He then looked at both of his claws, opening and then closing them in tight fists. ¡°We won¡¯t last for long, but I can¡¯t stay idle while my people suffer.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you said trade, how many years ago was that?¡± Charlotte asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice. ¡°Nngh¡­ we kobolds hardly keep track of days, let alone months or years, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She folded her arms lost in thought. ¡°Ahem.¡± Hector cleared his throat. ¡°Might want to tell them what is going on before you continue on Hahzi.¡± ¡°Ah yes, of course,¡± He turned to the group with a serious expression on his face. ¡°My brother leads most of the warriors in this nest, he is planning to attack the city as we speak.¡± ¡°Attack the city?¡± Gregor chuckled. ¡°Not even death angels can get close to it without being hosed with bullets, what makes you think he¡¯ll succeed?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s not going through the surface. He plans to dig through underground tunnels and slowly collapse the city¡¯s defenses.¡± Leona noticed the color drain from Charlotte¡¯s face. ¡°He¡¯s using some of the more sturdy humans he managed to capture to dig as we speak.¡± ¡°How far has he reached?!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say, I have been banned from the innermost parts of the nest. My forces alone are just a fraction of the nest¡¯s population.¡± Leona and Krieg shared a worried look between them before she stepped forward. ¡°We might be able to help.¡± Chapter CIV: Fear of the Unknown Once Leona stepped forward, the soldiers around her took a step back to create enough space. Seeing how she was treated more than a comrade, Hahzi stood up. That prompted Krieg to reach for his longsword but not draw it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what was your name?¡± ¡°Leona, Leona Crossford. I would like to hear more about your plight, I might be able to come up with a plan to solve it.¡± ¡°Your last ¡®plan¡¯ almost got us killed.¡± Khalid muttered under his breath, but he was just loud enough that Luka elbowed him. ¡°Shut up you buffoon.¡± As the two of them bickered, Charlotte simply extended her hand and gestured towards the tactician. ¡°If you¡¯ve read anything regarding the recent state of affairs in Akrapocalis. She was the one responsible for keeping death angels at Lugna Plains.¡± Hahzi brought his paw to his snout, tapping it a few times before exclaiming. ¡°Ah! So you are the one they call princess tactician?!¡± Looking at him up close, his eyes had different colors, the right one was dark brown while the other was gray with a scar crossing it vertically possibly from a previous fight. ¡°It is an honor.¡± He once again bowed and proceeded to explain the situation. ¡°Below us there is a labyrinth of tunnels that leads to the excavation site. My brother is planning to dig under the city in order to collapse the outer walls so his troops can attack the city. However even if I somehow manage to kill him, his plan will still come to fruition through the others that follow him. I must cull those that wish to bring ruin to the city.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting to murder everyone down there?¡± Gregor asked, intrigued. ¡°Are they not your brethren?¡± ¡°My brethren they may be, but if their actions condeems us all to ruin I will lift the blade against them. As though I wanted to solve this peacefully, madness has taken a hold of my brother. He isn¡¯t the same as he used to be and I¡¯m afraid any attempts to persuade him off this path will only result in conflict.¡± ¡°You mentioned he was using captives as slaves to work in the mining endeavor, how far have he gone?¡± Leona asked. ¡°Yes, most of the people he kidnaps off the road are put to work in the digging, whoever isn¡¯t capable of doing so or becomes too weak to work is served as food to others.¡± That made Charlotte frown her eyebrows as she stepped forward. ¡°They what?¡± At that point the heavily armored kobold on the side reached for his weapon as tension seemed to rise. ¡°Believe me, I wanted this to end.¡± Hahzi explained. ¡°But we didn¡¯t have enough strength to fight, but now that you are here, I believe we do have a fighting chance.¡± She tightened her hands into fists, putting aside her outburst of anger, she asked with a tone filled with resentment. ¡°Where do we go from here to reach this place?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Just beyond the hallway behind us. The fall that you just experienced was us trying to find a way to bring the gunpowder here without raising suspicions.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just grab the people being held here and then come back another day with proper explosives?¡± Khalid asked. ¡°The way he mentioned it, we¡¯ll be dealing with a swarm of kobolds while blind by darkness.¡± ¡°No, we''ll finish this here and now.¡± Charlotte said with determination. ¡°If we let this go on, more lives will be lost. I don¡¯t want an innocent¡¯s blood on our hands.¡± Leona nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll come up with something, but for now-¡± She turned to Hahzi. ¡°Do you happen to have a map of the cavern layout?¡± ¡°I have one.¡± Hector stood up after finishing fixing his weapon. ¡°I¡¯ve made it with his help. It should be accurate enough.¡± He shuffled through a tattered duffle bag and pulled out a thick rolled up parchment which although the ink had been blurred due to being made in a hurry, it was still mostly legible. He rolled it on the ground and Hahzi began showing where they were. Leona, Krieg, Charlotte and Khalid were all huddled in a semi circle as the kobold pointed his jagged index claw. ¡°Here, this lone pocket is where we are, relatively close to the entrance.¡± He showed the circle that was a few centimeters away from the hallway they were in. ¡°If you go through this room you¡¯ll end up by the food storage, from there you¡¯d need to exit it and take your immediate right and keep going straight.¡± ¡°They might be guarding it since there is little to no food left in this place.¡± Hector commented. ¡°After a certain point the tunnel will expand quite a bit.¡± Explained while glancing at everyone that was around to look at the map. ¡°There may be more guards blocking the entrance before you¡¯ll be able to reach the deepest parts of the mine.¡± ¡°You should be the one guiding us.¡± Charlotte suggested. ¡°Since you were caught before you must know the way through.¡± ¡°I would love to help but I don¡¯t have any ammunition left.¡± He showed her the flintlock pistol on the side that he was working on. ¡°Not only that but I¡¯m terrible with blades-¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to get him involved.¡± Leona said as she took the map from the ground. ¡°We¡¯ll be on our way. Hahzi, do you have anyone from your group that can help us?¡± ¡°My sworn brother.¡± He turned to the kobold that had been following them. ¡°Zerm. Come.¡± Upon seeing him motion with his right claw the kobold turned his rather sizable body and slowly walked up to them. ¡°Can you show us the way to this place?¡± Leona pointed on the map to the large area that was beneath where they were. ¡°We want to get the prisoners out of there.¡± He silently looked at her and nodded. Seeing how they were heading off to yet another dangerous expedition, Cecile, Gregor and Charlotte reloaded their weapons. Khalid cleaned his scimitars with a piece of old cloth while Krieg and Phoebe checked their blades as well. ¡°You¡¯ll need this after heading downwards.¡± Hahzi picked what seemed to be a few porous rocks of greenish, blue coloration and gave a few to Leona. ¡°Break these and use it in a cloth mask, it¡¯ll help you breathe below.¡± He gave each of them a few, aside from Phoebe. ¡°Hey, what about me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you might want to refrain from going in that place with, no offense, those legs, you¡¯ll be hard pressed to walk without falling over.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Hector voiced up. ¡°There is just too much rubble and loose rocks in there that even people with proper legs have a hard time navigating that place.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Phoebe glanced at Leona for an answer which made her step forward towards her. ¡°It¡¯s best if we have someone behind the main group too, so it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to have both Khalid and you by our flanks.¡± ¡°I will aid you however I can with the ones that can still fight.¡± Hahzi said as the other armored kobold came behind him. ¡°Go fetch the others, we will attack once they seize the advantage.¡± As Phoebe was about to find a corner so she could inspect her bow in peace, Leona tugged her arm and with a soft whisper said. ¡°Come talk to me when we are in the tunnel.¡± She then turned around and went to talk to the others. Phoebe noticed Hector subtly looking at her as if trying to listen in the short conversation, but instead of inquiring she simply turned around and began to work on her weapon. Chapter CV: The Best Defense… In the dark and damp cavern tunnels just below the room where the group met Hahzi, the somewhat friendly kobold, Leona, Charlotte and Phoebe were in the front following their guide Zerm, another amiable kobold in the nest that served as a sort of bodyguard heavily armored with different bits and pieces from leather to plate mail forming a cornucopia of defense, was leading the group deeper into the cave. Subtly, Phoebe gently hit her shoulder against Leona¡¯s, who turned her head ever so slightly towards her ear as she whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t fully trust them. Do you know what these rocks do?¡± She showed the greenish blue porous rocks she had inside a piece of cloth. ¡°These do as he explained, it actually allows you to breathe easier underground. As for how it works I have no idea.¡± Leona nodded slightly and glanced at Zerm who didn¡¯t seem to notice her whispering. ¡°I want both you and Khalid to stay behind, if they decide to betray us there is little to nothing that we¡¯ll be able to do if everybody is in there.¡± Phoebe nodded as she subtly slowed down her pace to meet with the rest of the group behind. Her steps were almost impossible to hear, with grace, she was able to effortlessly reach the Aradian warrior in the back of the group without looking suspicious. ¡°Psst.¡± He didn¡¯t even reply and instead only briefly glanced at her to acknowledge her. ¡°Leona said that we should stay behind in case they betray us.¡± ¡°And how exactly does she intend us to deal with all of them?¡± ¡°Are those two scimitars just for show?¡± She mocked him while also being kind of annoyed herself. ¡°If you don¡¯t slow me down I¡¯m sure I can handle at least half of them.¡± ¡°Tsk. Fine, but be warned, if things go south I¡¯ll be running back to my team.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± She discreetly pulled two round bottles that were left in her pouch and kept holding onto them between the index, middle and ring finger. The dark green liquid sloshed inside of it with a certain level of viscosity, slightly adhering to the glass before returning to the bottom of the flask. In the front of the group both Leona and Charlotte were flanked by Krieg and Luka respectively, each armed and ready to fight, a few more minutes of walking passed before they reached a curve that sharply turned to the left. At that point Zerm pointed forward and looked at Leona who responded with a nod. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go.¡± She led the group past the armored kobold. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep large area spells to a minimum to avoid both collateral damage to the cave while also to prevent injuring the prisoners. The rest of you should focus on killing as many kobolds as possible from this point onwards.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± The soldiers replied. Krieg held his longsword close to his body as Leona looked at him. ¡°Stay close, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll have to use blade energy and if I do, I want you to protect me.¡± He nodded without hesitation. ¡°Very well, myself, Krieg and Luka should go in first. The rest of you keep your sight to our flanks and if anything tries to attack us from behind, you shoot them on sight.¡± After carefully planning everything out. Leona discreetly peeked the corner and noticed there were sources of light deeper into the big excavation area. Much like the bandit cave in Londria, this cavern had a dome structure with crude wooden beams supporting the roof from collapsing, it was possible to hear the rhythmic sound of pickaxes digging through rocks from deep within.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡®There are still prisoners. Good.¡¯ Charlotte thought while she was kneeling behind Leona. She checked the revolver one last time to check if it was properly loaded before she noticed the tactician signaling the rest of them to follow. The passage was somewhat narrow and allowed only two people to pass through at a time, three if they squeezed side to side. Leona noticed the faint shadow of something standing right beside the exit as if someone, or something was standing beside a low lit torch. She turned to Krieg who, in a silent agreement through a nod, followed her closely. She carefully approached the entrance to the mining site with her left hand slightly glowing from the ice aspected spell she was charging. The moment she noticed it was a kobold that stood watch over the vicinity, she brought her left arm in an arc towards its throat. ¡°Piercing Ice!¡± An ice spear suddenly erupted from the palm of her hand piercing through its thick neck preventing it from emitting any sounds. ¡°Hm!¡± Before it could fall on the ground, Krieg swiftly caught on his arms before dragging the lifeless body back into the narrow passage. Luka had his saber ready in the right hand while holding the torch above his shoulders with the other, Leona once again peeked around the entrance but didn¡¯t see anyone in the vicinity so she decided to take a few steps in while holding her left hand open towards her back signaling Luka to stay in place while Krieg followed closely behind her. The first thing she noticed while inside was the faint smell of rot, not unlike how the bandit cave was like. ¡®I hope I don¡¯t see more bodies¡­¡¯ Her wishful thinking was soon crushed as she took another step in the darkness when something was caught beneath her boot. Upon gently lifting her right foot she noticed a thin long hollow bone stuck between loose rocks, there was no marrow inside of it showing that whatever or whoever ate it made sure to eat every last bit it had to offer. Thankfully she didn¡¯t study much about anatomy to be able to discern what bone of the human body that was, but that didn¡¯t make her feel any less queasy. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Her body instinctively froze up with her right hand clenching on the handle of her weapon as she heard the heavy tone of the male voice echo from within the dig site. ¡°We don¡¯t have all day!¡± A few seconds after that she heard it for the first time, the crackling sound of a whip snapping the air. ¡°Tsk.¡± Charlotte knew very well what that was as she approached Luka near the entrance. She turned around but noticed only Percival, Gregor and Cecile were behind her. ¡°Where did Khalid go?¡± ¡°He¡¯s staying behind with Miss Phoebe.¡± Percival answered. ¡°I believe Miss Leona thought we might get ambushed.¡± Charlotte nodded and returned her gaze towards the dig site where she noticed Krieg sneaking behind the tactician. Upon reaching her he whispered. ¡°I saw two more on the far right side just beyond a mound of rocks.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go around this way.¡± She whispered while pointing to the left. ¡°I want to make sure we can¡¯t be surprised as we go deeper in.¡± He nodded and they slowly continued forward circling through the mound of rocks that was just tall enough to cover them if they crouched. In the dig site it was possible to see a few lit torches with most of them being around the prisoners who worked without rest hitting their pickaxes against the rocks in unison. There were different elevations and the deeper they went the gentle slope became more apparent with the makeshift stone staircase that led downwards. With her eyes slowly adjusting to the low light, Leona noticed there were around ten guards stationed in the various levels spread out in a semi circle. They were armed with polearms, axes, swords, but none of them seemed to have bows or pouches. ¡°Those halberds will be troublesome¡­¡± She looked over her shoulder and asked him. ¡°Krieg, do you see prisoners near those three over there?¡± His gaze quickly followed where she was pointing and thanks to his good sight he noticed a trio of kobolds seemingly talking to each other, they had a similar build to Zerm, but they were far less armored. ¡°No, just kobolds.¡± ¡°Do you think you can make a distraction so I can hit all of them with one spell?¡± He glanced a bit further from where they were and noticed a kobold guard a bit on the smaller side, judging how thin it was he could possibly lift it up and throw it. He turned to Leona. ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Very well, wait for my signal.¡± She turned to the entrance where Charlotte was peeking from and once Leona noticed she was looking directly at her, she motioned with her hand that she would head in. Charlotte then lifted her closed left fist which prompted all soldiers to be ready. ¡°We¡¯ll go in guns blazing. Get ready¡­¡± The moment she noticed Krieg dash in and Leona halfway standing up with a spell being chanted she opened her hand and motioned it forward. ¡°CHARGE!¡± Chapter CVI: …Is a Good Offense It all happened in a blink of an eye. As Krieg violently tackled the short kobold near him, Leona stood up with a fireball erupting from her palms while Luka, Percival, Gregor, Cecile and Charlotte charged in fanning out. The previous group of three kobolds were about to run towards the entrance where they came from before a kobold came flying towards them from up the stairs, knocking all of them down just in time as Leona finished casting her spell. ¡°-Fireball!¡± At first the seemingly harmless baseball sized azure flame was hurled from her hand in an arc that would, if it was a rock, do nothing more than bruise someone. However the moment the sphere touched the ground it violently erupted in a sea of blue flames, igniting fur, leather and other flammable items in the possession of the four kobolds that were caught in the blast. ¡°Damn-¡± Gregor recoiled his face in a natural reaction from the sudden heat he felt coming from the spell. ¡°Lady Leona knows how to make a show.¡± ¡°Pay attention to your surroundings lieutenant!¡± Percival shouted as he shot a kobold that was trying to sneak around their flanks. ¡°We got work cut out for us!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! It wouldn¡¯t do well for the pride of our city to slack on the job!¡± Despite his big size, Gregor was swift with his rifle as kobolds attempted to swarm them but the burly man kept shooting them down one by one. It was like a dance, the gunshots were the music and the soldiers were the actors. Percival and Luka were paying attention to the rear while Gregor used his considerable height to pick off stragglers that he could see in the darkness. Charlotte and Cecile kept in the front as they approached Leona. Krieg on the other hand, had his longsword unsheathed as he cleaved through kobolds that charged at him. Thanks to Leona¡¯s blue flames igniting cloth, fur and other flammable possessions, a bonfire of corpses was created which illuminated half of the place. A myriad of growling, howling and whimpering sounds echoed in the dig site. Leona knew it was a matter of time before they regrouped to attack and the shock effect from the ambush would only last so long. ¡°Krieg!¡± She shouted. ¡°Come with me!¡± He turned his head towards his liege while kicking a kobold in the chest which sent it flying towards the center of the dig site, he wasted no time dashing towards her even grabbing a halberd on the way as he rushed to her side. Leona was taking a big gamble as she unsheathed her own frostburnt silver sword. Killing the leader would often make other kobolds give up, run away or at the very least scare them enough to give them time to get the prisoners out of there. Though at that point there was no guarantee that their leader would be there. ¡®Dammit I can¡¯t see much-¡¯ She was about to cast a fire spell in order to create light but a whistling sound came from somewhere above her before an almost blinding red light suddenly illuminated the whole dig site. Many of the kobolds that were around them had to cover their eyes from it, while it allowed Leona to see the full picture of the place, men of almost all ages and sizes were shackled through their ankles while wielding pickaxes near the farthest wall of stone. The concave dig site meant there was a deeper portion of it in the middle which would make short work to find at least the one leading the digging effort. ¡°There!¡± Leona shouted as she noticed one well armored kobold by the center of it all, it wielded a large bardiche. ¡°Leona what should we do?!¡± The moment Krieg questioned her something felt off. True, it seemed to be the best outfitted kobold they had seen so far but it wasn¡¯t anything special as Hahzi made it sound like. ¡°Wait, something¡¯s not right, that is no leader, that one is-¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She was suddenly yanked sideways as Krieg pulled her towards him just in time to parry a greataxe coming towards her. As the weapon was redirected towards a nearby mound of human bones, the sheer strength of the strike made fragments of osseous matter fly in every direction. A towering kobold stood beside the stalagmite that was big enough for it to hide behind. ¡°This one certainly looks like the leader.¡± Krieg brought his left hand to the handle in order to wield the weapon with both of his hands. Leona instinctively took a step back while her right hand trembled in fear. It was considerably taller than her knight, its bulging muscles hidden by a thick coat of black fur which was even more eerie under the red light. Its snout was covered in scars of previous battles fought with fang and claw, the sharp blood red eyes glaring at them as if they were the next snack of the evening. ¡®What¡­ what is that?!¡¯ A cold chill went down her spine, it was a fact that she had fazed far deadlier enemies, but she was never this close to one before. ¡°Aw¡­ I wanted to eat some crushed female meat.¡± The kobold was drooling from the side of its maw full of sharp teeth. It was surprisingly capable of human speech, albeit barely comprehensible from the growling. ¡°No matter. Foolish humans that invaded my home, you¡¯ll all serve as fodder for my family!¡± It raised the greataxe once again, it was a weapon supposed to be held with both hands but the looming kobold was holding it with only one with sheer strength. That however didn¡¯t intimidate Krieg, as a former Eleonorian knight, he had already fought far more frightening creatures than that one. He dashed towards the towering foe with a fierce display of swordplay, despite his considerable size for a human, he was quick on his feet and even quicker with his blade as the steel carved through the legs of the monster in front of him. ¡°Argh!¡± It grunted in pain as it swung the greataxe down towards Krieg, it barely missed as he rotated around his prey. ¡°Damn you human!¡± It took Leona almost half a minute to come to her senses as the fear subsided just enough for her to begin casting another spell. "Northern winds hearken to me, pierce through my foe, Ice Spear!" A burst of ice erupted from her hand and an ice lance of about half a meter was launched at a high speed towards the kobold¡¯s back. ¡°Ugh!¡± He even took a step forward from the impact, but the wound that would normally kill or at least badly hurt any foe she had fought seemingly didn¡¯t have much of an effect on it. ¡°ENOUGH!¡± It let out a deafening roar in anger, the sheer pressure made the dig site tremble. ¡°Argh! My ears!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Both Leona and Krieg had to cover their ears and during that brief second is when it happened. "Spirits of earth, engulf mine foe, Stone Blast!" When she noticed the kobold pointing his left claw at her, her whole body instinctively knew what was about to happen. An orb the size of a marble emitted a faint yellow glow with its color changing slightly to orange around the edges thanks to the red light from the flare. She recognized from the countless books she read through, summoning magic, another branch of elemental magic that utilized the power of the environment in order to cast spells, by using one¡¯s mana to evoke spirits of the according element it is possible to use elemental magic through them. ¡®-this isn¡¯t good!¡¯ She raised her left hand in front of her face while the other curved around her body in an arc as she yelled. ¡°Frost Rampart!¡± However despite her shortening the chant, it still was too late as the earth spirit had already created pebbles the size of eggs and began pelting her with it. The first few hit the ice that was forming midway but with one that managed to nick her on the left side of her forehead stopped her spell which allowed the rest of the barrage to violently hit her body. She didn¡¯t even have time to react after being knocked down on her back from the impacts. ¡°Leona!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going nowhere!¡± Krieg shouted as he tried to rush past the kobold but to no avail, it blocked his way by slamming the greataxe in front of him. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± He swung his blade horizontally in order to hit its fingers but against what Krieg expected, the kobold rushed towards the attack and caught the blade with the wooden axe handle before it could have enough momentum to cut through it, in that brief opening it used its massive weight to kick Krieg down the dig site. ¡°Ngh!¡± ¡°Eat dirt, puny human!¡± It then turned around to go after Leona who shot it in the back, Krieg stood up and readied his longsword again but other kobolds surrounded him, blocking the path up. On the upper level, Leona¡¯s vision was still blurry from the attack she had just received. ¡°A kobold able to use magic¡­¡± She turned on her right side and she felt a sharp pain come from her right ribs. ¡°Dammit, you must be kidding me¡­ did I break one?¡± She reached with her left hand to check herself only to realize her ring and pinky finger were crooked sideways, dislocated from the impact of stones. ¡°Ah¡­ AAHHHHHHHH!¡± Chapter CVII: A New Lord Leona¡¯s pained screams echoed around the dig site. ¡°MY FINGERS!¡± Her breathing was shallow and sharp, the pain from her dislocated fingers were much more apparent now that she was witnessing first hand, even to the point where her broken ribs didn¡¯t feel more than a discomforting ache in her sides. ¡°Ha¡­ Ah¡­ NNGH¡­!¡± Her trembling right hand attempted to get a hold of both fingers however the simple act of touching sent sharp shocks of pain throughout her arm. ¡°ARGH!¡± Her back was arching, her upper body contorting as to deal with the pain, but regardless of what she did, it didn¡¯t seem to subside. ¡°Leona!¡± Charlotte rushed to her side with her revolver on hand. ¡°What happened to you?!¡± ¡°My- my hand! Nngh¡­! Fingers¡­ they are dislocated¡­¡± ¡°Ah dammit!¡± She shouted. ¡°Percival! First aid! Her fingers need fixin¡¯!¡± Suddenly they heard another shot coming through the backline, Gregor had used another flare to continue illuminating the dig site. At that point Percival had reached them and was taking a piece of cloth out of his bag. ¡°Bite down on this, Lady Leona.¡± He gave the cloth a few twists and placed it near her mouth where she held it between her teeth. ¡°It¡¯ll hurt a lot, be ready.¡± He gently lifted her left hand and inspected the wound. ¡°Are you ready?¡± She nodded three times in quick succession as he took a deep breath while holding her fingers with his right hand. ¡°Three, two, one-¡± At that point her whole body jerked from the pain as her teeth sunk into the piece of cloth. It was as if a piece of heated metal was piercing through the sockets of her fingers. ¡°NNNNGH¡­! MMMPH!¡± She wanted to scream but the natural reaction of biting down on the cloth with all her might kept her mouth mostly shut. A vicious crackling came from below, Charlotte turned around and noticed the lumbering kobold walking towards them at a slow pace. ¡°That must be the brother.¡± She muttered as her left hand hovered above the hammer of her revolver. ¡°Gregor! I need a hand here!¡± ¡°On it captain-!¡± He rushed in and noticed the bulky opponent walking with the greataxe on hand. ¡°That is one big bugger. Should I use it?¡± ¡°Go for it!¡± He pulled a rucksack from his belt, the fabric seemed much different as opposed to the usual hemp woven bags, it gave off a strange rubbery sheen under the red light. While the kobold understood what they were saying, he had no idea what the newly arrived meal was doing with a bag on his hand, until Gregor used his rifle to shoot at it. ¡°Get down! Cover your ears!¡± Charlotte shouted as the man beside her threw the bag towards the kobold. Instinctively, it slapped it away with its hand only to realize the bag had stuck itself to it. ¡°Huh?! What is thi-¡± It only had time to notice the lit fuse on the side of the bag as the sparks went inside the bag. It was the first time Leona saw a large amount of gunpowder go off at the same time, the intense heat and flash of light accompanied the violent blast that swept everything around it. Mound of rocks and bones were pulverized and sent flying at high speeds, even killing some of the other kobolds that were unfortunate enough to be near the blast. Gregor had shielded Charlotte with his body while Percival did the same to Leona but thankfully none of them were hit by stray debris. After the explosion the cave became silent, as if waiting to see whether or not the kobold lord had survived or not. ¡°DISGRACEFUL HUMANS!¡± A low bellowing roar even dispersed some of the settling dust and emerging from the cloud, the kobold was now missing his left arm up until his elbow and part of the left thigh, blood to which under the red light of the flare made it look black, was now pouring down the dirt ramp. ¡°IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN THAT TO KILL ME!¡± It started to charge towards them, despite its size the kobold was extremely fast, closing almost half of the distance in just a few steps. Leona was helped by Cecile in order to stand up, however seeing the large foe charging towards them made her realize there was no way they would be able to run away from it so the only other option they had was to fight. ¡°All soldiers!¡± Leona shouted from atop of her lungs. ¡°Take aim!¡± The rest of them instinctively turned for their weapons as they aimed towards the lumbering kobold. ¡°Fire!¡± A volley of shots pierced the threat, but since it showed no signs of stopping the soldiers quickly cycled through their ammo. Leona stood her ground and sheathed her frostburnt silver longsword before starting to cast two spells simultaneously, her left and right hand began to glow green and light blue respectively. ¡°Shit!¡± Charlotte unloaded her whole revolver into the body of the charging kobold since it was covering its head with its large hand but it didn¡¯t seem to do much other than enrage it. ¡°Fall back!¡± She turned to run only to see Leona standing there with glowing hands. For her, who never studied about magic it seemed a pointless endeavor to attempt to stop that thing with spells, she ran past her and yelled. ¡°Get out of there Leona!¡± But for the tactician, the moment Gregor and Charlotte were out of the way she decided to unleash the spell on her right hand first. ¡°-freeze those who oppose me, Ice Wall!¡± A violent explosion of ice spikes erupted from her hand and began to stack one on top of the other, creating a wide wall of solid ice that expanded all the way to the ceiling. ¡°THIS WON¡¯T STOP ME!¡± It started to hack through the ice shards as if it was nothing. ¡°GREAT WENDIGO WILL CRUSH THE LIFE OUT OF YOU!¡± At that moment time seemed to come to a crawl. During the days of traveling to Londria she had Phoebe, one of the best assassins in the continent to train her in defending herself.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Listen Leona, the most important part in dealing against someone using a weapon bigger than your own is to know when you can attack.¡± She held a sheathed dagger in her right hand, occasionally tossing it to her left hand, back and forth. ¡°Now come, I¡¯ll show you first hand.¡± In the frozen forest between the trees in a clearing somewhat free of snow Leona held her unsheathed longsword with both hands. She nodded while adjusting her grip on the handle once again before stepping forward. ¡°Here I come.¡± She analyzed Phoebe¡¯s stance before committing to a diagonal slash towards her chest. Unsurprisingly, she dodged by side stepping under the attack. Noticing how she was still in range made Leona attack once again this time with an upwards slash in the opposite direction, but once again she simply took half a step back and avoided the blade entirely, at that point the tactician felt the blade tiring her arms so she decided to use gravity in her favor and bring the blade down for an overhead strike, but at the moment her hands turned the blade to cleave downwards, Phoebe stepped in and touched her jugular with the tip of the sheathed blade. ¡°You would have died just now.¡± She pulled the weapon away from her throat and took one step back. ¡°Do you understand now?¡± ¡°I¡­ I think I do. How did you know I would be open for a counter attack?¡± ¡°Everyone, regardless of size, has a limit to how many times they can swing their weapon at full strength.¡± She threw the dagger in the air as it flipped once before landing on her hand again. ¡°It is especially important to know this when you have less reach than your opponent. Because once you commit to an attack you must make sure they can¡¯t counter you since they have a larger weapon than yours anyway, any hits you take can be fatal.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She took that lesson to heart as the crushing sound of the ice wall before her didn¡¯t even faze her. Instead, she focused intensively on the kobold¡¯s swings, how its arms moved for each strike and how long it took to wind up another. All the while the other spell charged on her hand. Once the ice wall was just one strike away from breaking apart she spaced her legs apart a bit more, her feet digging a bit in the dust lying on the ground. ¡°DIE!¡± It kicked the ice down and stepped forward into an overhead slash with its massive greataxe. She saw it coming, a right diagonal slash downwards meant to cleave her body in half, with coldly calculated precision she hopped to her right, just barely avoiding the blade that sunk itself in the ground and the moment she landed on her feet she released the other spell. ¡°-release thy might, Wind Blast!¡± In less than a second there was a greenish flash of light coming from her left pocket, but as soon as it came, it was gone. However that didn¡¯t take her focus away from the spell, an almost point blank blast to the stomach of concentrated wind took all of its breath away and that opening was what she needed. With her now free left hand she pulled the longsword from its sheath as she gathered mana on the other hand, it was like a practiced choreography, once she spinned the blade upright her right hand caught the upper side of the handle, transferring all the mana she had accumulated into the blade to which, in that split second, she brought the mana infused sword down in a vertical slash that release a light blue beam of light. ¡°AAAAARGH!¡± It let out a low roar of pain as it managed to block the energy blade with its already destroyed left arm, freshly cutting all the way to its biceps. ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡± It used the blood from its mutilated limb and splattered it across her face. ¡°Ack!¡± Her obvious reaction was to flinch back which gave it enough time to remove the greataxe from the ground which also made the dirt under her to be unearthed, causing her to stumble and fall on her back. ¡°DIE! DIE!¡± It had a shot to strike her down but before he could swing the axe down a sizable rock hit it square in the right eye, making it trip backwards. ¡°ARGH! MY EYE!¡± ¡°An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth brother!¡± A shout came from the entrance of the dig site, Hahzi had brought a few of his own kobolds as they swarmed the dig site. He held a string attached with a piece of leather strapped to the middle, a slingshot. He was tossing a rather large rock up and down on his hand. ¡°What the hell took you so long?!¡± Charlotte shouted while crouched behind a mound rock while reloading her revolver. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us your brother was half the size of a freaking minotaur!¡± ¡°He took my share of food when we were little.¡± He said while putting another rock in the sling and spinning it. ¡°It was a joke, Miss Charlotte.¡± The moment he let go of the sling again it was like a whip cracking through the air as another rock landed right in the middle of Wendigo¡¯s forehead. ¡°ARGH! HAHZI! YOU SPINELESS COWARD!¡± ¡°Come and get me then!¡± He raised his left hand and motioned forward as kobolds armed with spears marched forward like a wall of spikes keeping others of its brethren away from the group. ¡°We end this today!¡± Wendigo raised the axe in order to at least finish off Leona in front of him but the moment he was about to attack it noticed she was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Looking for someone?¡± Another female voice came from its right which prompted it to smash the nearby mound of rocks out of reflex, only for a shadowy figure to leap from the top of the mound and nimbly land on its arms. Holding the two daggers doused in murky liquid, Phoebe began carving through the beast¡¯s arm in a flurry of slashes. ¡°ARGH!¡± It tried to grab her but she quickly leaped above its head while landing firmly on the opposite side, obviously, Wendigo¡¯s reaction was to turn around with the axe cleaving down but Leona who had been knocked down was now standing right beside Phoebe with an already charged spell in both hands. ¡°-pierce through my foe, Ice Spear!" Another flash of light blue light came from her pocket that just like before, it was gone in less than a second as two large pillars of ice erupted from her hands in a cross shape which were able to hit its throat, pinning it in place. ¡°GAH!¡± Despite that the axe still came down, forcing both Phoebe and Leona to jump away from the strike. It used the left arm stump to support its weight while trying to pull itself out of the ice trap only for it to be slammed back in by a halberd from the armored kobold that accompanied Hahzi. ¡°YOU-!¡± ¡°Ngh!¡± Despite putting a lot of strength behind the chop, it wasn¡¯t able to cut through its thick neck fur, which gave it enough time to wind up the axe again. ¡°YOU WEAKLING DARE ATTACK ME?!¡± However before it could retaliate, another blade came from the opposite side, Krieg managed to come in time and cleave down with all his might close to the place where the halberd blade was stuck. ¡°UGH!¡± ¡°Now!¡± Hahzi shouted and the other armored kobold joined the one by the halberd, forcing the weapon down. Gregor and Percival joined as well in the effort to decapitate the monstrous kobold while on Krieg¡¯s side, Leona, Phoebe, Cecile and Charlotte were also pushing down on the longsword handle. ¡°YOU INSECTS!¡± It roared while trying to take the blades out of its flesh but thanks to the ice spikes maintaining it in place it was nearly impossible for it to reach any of them outside of the axe range. ¡°I WILL NOT DIE!¡± It tried to wind up the axe again, only for its arms to be sliced open by Khalid¡¯s scimitars and Luka¡¯s saber, splattering blood everywhere. With their combined effort, the arm was rendered useless since the muscles and tendons were all cut apart. At that point it finally clicked, Wendigo was about to die. Decapitated by humans and weak kobolds both, the ones it deemed beneath its might were now slowly taking its life away. ¡°NO-! NO! PUNY HUMANS! COWARD BRETHREN! I AM WENDIGO! THE GREATEST-¡± ¡°Die, please, brother.¡± Hahzi had a smile on his face. ¡°For the good of all of us.¡± ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!¡± Its roaring was cut short by a squelch as both blades cut deeper into the flesh before finally beheading the monstrous beast. Chapter CVIII: Judgment With the death of his brother, Hahzi finally let out a roar that echoed the cave, stopping the other kobolds as he announced the death of their leader. ¡°It¡¯s done¡­¡± He looked at the gargantuan body compared to his lying in front of the group. ¡°Finally, years of unnecessary violence, ends with him.¡± But despite that he let his sling fall on the ground before he stared at his own trembling claws. ¡°...but, why do I feel so empty?¡± ¡°He, or rather it, was still your brother.¡± Khalid said while flicking his scimitars in order to get rid of the excess of blood before using a piece of cloth to remove the rest. ¡°Killing someone of your own blood just won¡¯t feel right unless you do it one too many times.¡± Everyone was tired which was to be expected, given the amount of effort everyone had to make in order to finish the battle. Slowly but surely, the other kobolds that were under Wendigo¡¯s command were now being incorporated into Hahzi¡¯s rule. However there was still much to be done in order to fulfill their side of the bargain. ¡°Listen to me!¡± Hahzi shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll take all the prisoners to the surface! As thanks to our allies, it¡¯s our turn to do some heavy lifting!¡± Phoebe noticed the tactician barely holding herself together while lying against a mound of destroyed rocks. ¡°Leona, are you alright?¡± She was breathing heavily, her left hand fingers were hot and still tingling from the sprained joints that she had to strain during the fight, the lack of mana inside her body was making her have fever dreams as she mumbled. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ let them¡­ die¡­ not again¡­¡± Krieg seeing his liege like that made sure to pick her up to carry her back to the surface. The armored kobold named Zerm approached them and made a gesture with his claws, suggesting that he¡¯d lead them. The knight and Phoebe agreed and began to follow him. As they left, Charlotte was checking the look of the prisoners that were being taken to the dig site¡¯s exit, however most of them looked like your average thug. Muscular men only meant for heavy work. ¡°Hahzi.¡± Charlotte started to ask. ¡°Were there no women or children taken as prisoners?¡± ¡°...are you sure you want to know, Lady Charlotte?¡± Her reaction was to glance at the mound of bones that were blown away by the previous sack of gunpowder they had. Many of said bones were either too thin or too small to be considered from an adult human¡¯s. ¡°Did they suffer?¡± ¡°Most of them no. Kobolds don¡¯t really like their food squirming about, unlike goblins.¡± A bitter taste flooded her mouth as she clenched her teeth as she muttered under her breath. ¡°I see. Thank you Hahzi.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome and¡­ I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ fine. I should have expected something like this.¡± ¡°We did save some more people other than Hector in the upper levels. Women and a few kids that weren¡¯t suitable for work were sent to be executed but my group managed to save them.¡± ¡°Can you have them brought to the surface as well? I don¡¯t know if I can face them.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± While following the line of kobolds, sweaty men and tired soldiers, Charlotte came to realize just how human Hahzi really felt, aside from the obvious strong accent of his words, he was, for the most part, just like any other person she would meet in Astera. It was a strange sensation, she came in that place looking to exterminate every last kobold she would see, but instead was now being helped by one. It took almost an hour to get everyone out of the cave and once they had counted how many there were, it was already dark. Leona was able to recover, albeit just enough to stand on her own feet while using Phoebe¡¯s shoulder to help.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Phoebe.¡± She said with an apologetic tone. ¡°I should¡¯ve been more careful.¡± ¡°If you held back we might not have been able to defeat it. Which is to say I much rather support your tired body rather than a lifeless one.¡± She chuckled in response. ¡°I like your honesty.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling alright Leona?¡± Krieg was beside her with the longsword between his hands supporting both arms. His usual serious expression was now a bit troubled as he looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a bit tired is all.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m glad to have you two with me.¡± Despite his troubled expression he was able to smile a bit as they continued to observe how Charlotte was organizing the now much bigger party. ¡°I could just shoot the suspicious ones here and now as I can tell just by looking, not all of you are innocent. However!¡± She was holding a torch on her left hand while walking back and forth with Khalid and Luka beside her, Gregor, Luka and Cecile were behind the group of people that were brought out of the cave with their rifles in hand. ¡°In respect for our newfound allies, not another drop of blood shall be spilled today. We¡¯ll head back to Astera where you¡¯ll receive lodging from the warrior¡¯s guild. If any and I mean, any of you, dare to attempt an escape on the way to the city or cause trouble there, I swear on the name of my dead father, you will regret it. That is all.¡± Obviously, the women with children were assigned separately from the group of shackled sweaty men, though not without a bit of suspicion from Charlotte¡¯s part, they were also meant to follow the same set of rules she had just provided. After her speech was over and the group was ready to depart, Hahzi approached the captain for one last word. ¡°Thank you again, Captain Charlotte. Without you and your group my family would¡¯ve paid a much higher price than today.¡± He bowed and the kobolds that were accompanying him did the same. ¡°That is to say, from here onwards I¡¯d like to send an envoy of my people in order to begin trading with the city on more, friendly terms.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome to do so, Hahzi.¡± She had a confident smirk on her face as she took a piece of white cloth from her pouch and handed it to him. ¡°Have your envoy wear this on their left arm, I¡¯ll let the soldiers defending the city know that they are to be let inside.¡± He received the cloth with both hands as if it was the most precious thing in the world, he lowered his head once again in a silent thank you. Before turning to Leona. ¡°I heard from the captain of your struggles, here.¡± He motioned to the armored kobold as it took a metallic glove from a bag and handed it to Hahzi, who then offered it to her. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but this gauntlet was once from someone I deeply respect. She was the reason why I was able to learn your language and read.¡± Leona took the piece of armor and tried on her right hand and she instantly noticed how it was a perfect fit. Her fingers moved unobstructed and the metal was somewhat light, akin to silver but it wasn¡¯t the magical kind as it didn¡¯t emit any mana. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what was the name of this person, Sir Hahzi?¡± ¡°I never asked her. But she was a silver haired maiden with ruby red eyes, about captain Charlotte¡¯s height. Beauty incarnate, if I ever saw one.¡± Krieg¡¯s eyes widened a bit as he discreetly glanced at Leona, who, in a moment of surprise, could barely hide her shocked expression. ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± She looked at the metal glove, closing tight and opening her hand as if remembering a pleasant memory. ¡°Thank you again for this gift, I¡¯ll treasure it.¡± After saying their farewells, they headed off with the main group. Gregor and Khalid lead the prisoners and survivors while Cecile and Luka were on the left and right side respectively with their weapons out while Percival stayed alongside his liege at the back, Leona was being carried on Krieg¡¯s arms while Phoebe held her longbow with an arrow loosely notched accompanying the large group a bit in the back. ¡°It was one hell of a day.¡± Krieg commented, the tactician was already asleep despite the movement. ¡°But I¡¯m glad we were able to see this through.¡± ¡°What was Leona¡¯s reaction to that gauntlet? I thought it was just a random piece of armor he scraped up as a reward.¡± His expression was a bit saddened but not enough for her to notice as he explained. ¡°That probably belonged to Lady Ravness. Her mother.¡± Phoebe couldn¡¯t help but turn at him with a raised eyebrow. Of course she would be in disbelief, why would a noble woman have a gauntlet and why would she even be anywhere close to a den of kobolds? ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. A noble, being anywhere close to these beasts? She¡¯s Arcadian on top of that so why would she even be here of all the places?¡± ¡°She told me her story. Long ago when she came to this continent she was a trader at first, peddling her inventions in order to earn a living. But before she knew it, the things that made it easier to take one¡¯s life got her the reputation of goddess of death. It wasn¡¯t long before she had to move out of Astera, but for that she still needed a way and the kobolds in this region used to trade with Akrapocalis back then.¡± ¡°She paid them with a gauntlet?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have use for coins like us, instead they prefer to barter.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She looked at Leona who was still sleeping with her left hand on top of the gauntlet with a calm expression on her face, as if she was having a good dream for once. ¡°I¡¯m glad she was able to find it.¡± He looked at the clean dark sky, sparkling stars filled the void which gave him a warm feeling inside his chest. ¡°Yeah¡­ me too¡­¡± Chapter CIX: Written Destiny Part I It took nearly an hour of walking through the dark quiet plains before they reached the city gates. The survivors were tired, the musky smell sweat and odor of days without a bath were unpleasant to say the least, some of the women and children that Hahzi managed to shelter were all in tears at the sight of civilization, needless to say, everyone including the soldiers were glad to be back. ¡°Home sweet home.¡± Charlotte stretched her arms in relief. One of the soldiers stationed outside came to greet her. ¡°Welcome back Captain! Do you have orders as to what to do with these survivors?¡± ¡°Have Murakano arrange them lodging, I don¡¯t want any of them roaming the city if anyone tries to, just shoot them in the legs or something.¡± ¡°Yes, Captain!¡± ¡°That is all. Dismissed.¡± The soldier saluted her one more time before taking command from Gregor, which then he proceeded to lead the large group of people with the help of other soldiers stationed by the gate. Charlotte turned to Percival who seemed to be taking mental notes of what she was saying. ¡°Remind me to talk with him about this and Hahzi¡¯s envoy later.¡± ¡°It shall be done.¡± She nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± After taking one deep breath she turned around and noticed Krieg carrying a sleeping Leona in his arms while Phoebe kept watch with her longbow. ¡°Now while I¡¯d love to talk about how we¡¯ll head to Nara, I think we all deserve a good night¡¯s sleep after today.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Krieg answered. ¡°Although we haven¡¯t found any lodging during our short stay here so might I trouble you with directions?¡± ¡°Oh? I thought Murakano would at least offer you rooms.¡± She sighed before muttering under her breath. ¡°Stingy fool¡­¡± With one exasperated breath she continued. ¡°Very well, since it¡¯s just you three I don¡¯t think my brother would mind. You can rest at my home today if you have no objections.¡± ¡°None whatsoever, Lady Charlotte.¡± He bowed slightly. ¡°We appreciate your hospitality.¡± ¡°Eh, don¡¯t mention it. You three have done far more for this city than some people have for years.¡± She holstered her revolver and motioned for the soldiers in her squad. ¡°Thank you for coming through in the moment of need, all of you are heroes and heroes should enjoy as such.¡± She took a few gold coins from her pouch and handed it to each of them. Except for Cecile who declined the reward. ¡°Are you sure? This isn¡¯t coming from your paycheck you know.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be necessary.¡± She then quickly glanced at Krieg before continuing to address Charlotte. ¡°But in exchange I¡¯d like to talk with Leona once she wakes up.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ it¡¯s fine by me as long as her companions allow it.¡± ¡°Fine by me.¡± Krieg answered which prompted Phoebe to also say. ¡°I¡¯m fine with whatever Krieg decides.¡± ¡°Well there you have it.¡± The captain turned her attention to the others and saluted them. ¡°Troops, dismissed.¡± ¡°Aye captain!¡± They all answered with a salute before heading through the main gate. ¡°Now, I think some rest is in order.¡± Charlotte looked at Krieg. ¡°Do you still remember how to go to Murakano¡¯s inn?¡± Once he nodded she then decided to head off. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there for dinner. I don¡¯t know about you but I¡¯m starving.¡± Seeing how they were back safe and sound made Charlotte ease up a bit as she appeared to be back to her easygoing self as she hummed in a cheerful tone while walking to the gate. Krieg and Phoebe started to walk as well with Cecile accompanying them. ¡°This may not be my place to ask but-¡± Krieg started the conversation without looking at her since she was walking beside him. ¡°-why do you want to talk to my liege?¡± ¡°I have a favor to ask her.¡± ¡°Nnngh¡­ what favor?¡± Leona muttered while stretching her legs and arms while still being held by Krieg. ¡°I only caught part of your conversation.¡± She was gently lowered until her feet reached the ground to which she smiled at him. ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± He bowed which made her turn her attention towards Cecile. ¡°Ah, Miss Leona, I didn''t mean to disturb your rest.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I was already half awake when Charlotte was addressing all of you. So, what was the favor you wanted to ask of me?¡± ¡°About that¡­ do you remember when I said my family originally came from Arcadia?¡± ¡°Yes, our conversation on the cart.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s not entirely true.¡± She took off her hood, revealing a rather sharp pair of ears, but they only gently protruded out of her long straight chestnut hair as opposed to Phoebe¡¯s whose ears occasionally pop out of her cloth head mask. ¡°My father was a sailor in the Zenith kingdom. My mother, a humble servant of house Gracefell. They met when Eleonora led a group of elven survivors back to Arcadia.¡± She paused for a moment as if the memory that followed left a bitter taste in her mouth. ¡°Since I am a person of mixed blood, prejudice was one of the things that forced my parents to use the war as an excuse to leave Arcadia.¡± Her golden eyes and chestnut hair were even more beautiful up close which made Leona wonder why anyone would want to harm her. ¡°However, I was separated from my parents when we reached Akrapocalis. It has been years since that happened and it¡¯s likely they are not even in this world anymore, but I want to believe they are out there somewhere.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you managed to live this long.¡± Phoebe seemed bitter. ¡°Being a half elf nonetheless.¡± ¡°Calm down Phoebe.¡± Leona glanced at her. ¡°She did help us back there and I don¡¯t mean to leave my debts unpaid.¡± She then turned back to Cecile. ¡°Come to Arcadia after we settle matters with the death angel menace, I¡¯ll find a way to help you. That I swear upon my name.¡± ¡°Thank you Princess Leona.¡± Cecile didn¡¯t hesitate to lower to her knee and bow down. ¡°Now, now, no need to kneel.¡± She patted her shoulder twice before pulling her hand up. ¡°I would gladly have someone like you back in Arcadia. Your skills would be most welcomed.¡± She then turned around, heading towards the city gates with a cheerful smile on her face. ¡°Now come, let¡¯s go. Fighting has certainly built up my appetite.¡± Phoebe gave a stern look at Cecile before moving ahead, despite that, the half elf woman smiled with a relieved sigh under her breath. ¡°Sir Krieg.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is Princess Leona always this gracious?¡± He smiled faintly as he slowly walked to the city. Cecile accompanied his steps. ¡°I can say for sure, she is a one of a kind person.¡± As they walked through the narrow alleys of the maze-like city, Leona couldn¡¯t help but wonder during the fight against Wendigo there was a light coming from her pocket at certain times which prompted her to reach for the prismatic stone she had been given back in Arivaul. ¡®This thing¡­ I¡¯m sure it was shining earlier¡­¡¯ She thought as she inspected the piece of rock that now had a dull color due to the lack of proper lights. ¡®I wonder if¡­¡¯ She poured a bit of mana through it and at first it didn¡¯t seem like was doing anything, until she felt the prismatic rock heat up on her hand while also emitting a faint light blue glow that soon vanished. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ It was a soothing warm sensation akin to when she would drink a mana potion but this time focused solely on her hand. ¡°Hey Leona, what¡¯s that shiny thing on your hand?¡± Phoebe asked as she jogged closer to her. ¡°Wait¡­ is that the rock that merchant gave us?¡± ¡°Yes, didn¡¯t you notice there were a few flashes of light when we were fighting Hahzi¡¯s brother?¡± ¡°I assumed that was from your magic.¡± She observed the stone closely, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was doing anything, at least visually. ¡°What do you think it does?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I poured some of my mana into it and it glowed briefly.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ that¡¯s interesting. Maybe it emits more light the more mana you pour through it?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ if that¡¯s the case I might try it tomorrow. I don¡¯t want to disturb the residents.¡± She pocketed the rock and turned to Cecile. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, how old are you, Miss Cecile?¡± She seemed temporarily stunned by what she just noticed as her voice seemed to snap her out of it. ¡°Hah? Oh. I¡¯m twenty seven. I¡¯ve lived here for about five years already.¡± ¡°Am I the youngest of everyone we''ve met?¡± She glanced at Krieg who shook his head as he had no idea how to answer her question. ¡°I get the feeling I am.¡± ¡°Luka is, or rather, was nineteen about a week ago. I believe after him is Khalid with twenty three, lady Charlotte, me, Gregor and Percival.¡± Seeing how the age only went up and not down made Leona hang her head low. ¡°I am the youngest here after all¡­ being inexperienced sure hurts.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Cecile said without hesitation. ¡°You achieved many great things in less time than most of us. Not to mention when you managed to save an entire kingdom from being wiped off history by death angels.¡± ¡°Anybody with common sense would do that, no?¡± ¡°If they could, maybe.¡± Cecile looked at the stars. ¡°When I heard about the story of a young girl claiming to know a terrible fate awaited the citadel, it was like reading through a storybook. Rumors of your exploits reached even as far and wide as the coastal city of Nara.¡± ¡°Wait, have you been there?¡± ¡°Huh? Yes, I was accompanying lady Charlotte at the time as her bodyguard for her first voyage.¡± ¡°That takes some courage¡­¡± Krieg caught up to them with Phoebe right behind him. He just heard the end of the conversation as he walked beside Leona. ¡°Eleonora used to tell stories about how she had to reach Zenith through the ocean in order to confront the commander of the demon army.¡± ¡°Cut a snake by the head.¡± Phoebe commented. ¡°Despite being a job for an assassin, the Queen assisted in the assault at the demon¡¯s headquarters. My mother was there with her when it happened, she would often retell the stories of Eleonora to me.¡± The way she spoke felt like she was leaving something out on purpose, but Leona didn¡¯t inquire more about it. At that point they had reached the entrance of the inn, it had a rather long line for a restaurant. ¡°Oh are you the captain¡¯s guests by any chance?¡± A soldier in uniform was right beside the double doors that led inside, while he didn¡¯t have the standard issue rifle with him he was still armed with a saber tied to the belt on his hip. He was looking at Leona, seemingly informed of her appearance. ¡°Lady Leona right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, she went ahead of us.¡± He gave her a short nod and a smile before he stepped to the side with his right hand motioning towards the inside of the establishment. ¡°Head on inside my Lady, our captain awaits upstairs.¡± Leona nodded in response while the rest of the group followed right behind her which left some of the patrons that were waiting with raised eyebrows. As the guard by the door tried to quell the clients outside, the group went in and were escorted by a half demon waitress of long gray wavy hair, eyes of similar color with wolf ears on top of her head. They would occasionally twitch towards certain higher pitched sounds in the establishment as they made their way through the restaurant. ¡°This way please.¡± She courteously bowed as she led them, Leona couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the waitress¡¯ fluffy ears. After climbing two sets of stairs they were standing by a fancy oriental paper sliding double door as the waitress slowly opened the right side of the door and announced their presence. ¡°Lord Murakano, Lady Charlotte, I brought our guests.¡± The interior of the room was well lit with incandescent light bulbs emitting a warm orange glow through the round paper lamp adorned with symbols that Leona didn¡¯t recognize. Murakano, who was sitting on the tatami floor beside Charlotte stood up and bowed towards the group before turning to the waitress. ¡°Thank you. Yasha, you may leave us now.¡± ¡°As you wish my lord.¡± After bowing once again she stepped to the side to let them enter, after doing so she moved outside and closed the sliding door. Aside from Charlotte and Murakano, a young man wearing a formal suit, white cotton shirt and thick squared glasses was quietly drinking his water on the side of the table. Both his chestnut colored hair and amber sharp eyes closely resembled Charlotte, before Leona could say anything Cecile took a step forward and gave a slight bow. ¡°Greetings, lord Vladimir. Glad to see you in good health.¡± He finished drinking from his glass of water and stood up. ¡°Thank you Cecile.¡± He turned his attention towards Leona who was in the middle of the group. ¡°My name is Vladimir Toril. It is a pleasure to meet my sister¡¯s esteemed guests. I heard much and more about your exploits in the Akrapocalian battle. Princess Leona Crossford.¡± ¡°The pleasure is all mine sir Vladimir. Your sister also told us how dependable of a guild master you are. Being the head of the merchant¡¯s guild also comes with a fair bit of pressure doesn¡¯t it?¡± She sat on the opposite side of the rectangular table, seeing how everyone simply crossed their legs under it made her do the same. In the meantime Krieg and Phoebe filled the space to her left while Cecile sat beside her right. ¡°You must be all too familiar with it.¡± He grabbed four small ceramic cups and put them in front of each of them before slowly pouring a golden liquid of thick consistency, almost like honey, in it just shy of overflowing. ¡°This is an imported beverage from Nara, it¡¯s called elven lemon, I personally chose this for our meeting.¡± ¡°Some for us too Vlad.¡± Charlotte slid two similar ceramic cups over the table which made the young man give his sister a stern look before he poured some of the liquid. After which he sat and poured some for himself. ¡°To our prosperity.¡± ¡°Cheers.¡± Everyone raised their cups before drinking. Leona was a bit cautious, she would often hear from her father that a drunk strategist would be no better than a musket without blackpowder, but from the tiny sip she took from the golden beverage it sent a pleasant sensation throughout her whole body, the sweet aftertaste from the first acidic sip was something she didn¡¯t expect and while it was indeed an alcoholic drink, it was so faint she almost couldn¡¯t notice. ¡°This is¡­ very refined.¡± She looked at the thick golden liquid gently swirling in the bottom of the white cup and then to Vladimir who had just finished his portion. ¡°You mentioned this was from Nara?¡± ¡°Yes, a fairly new creation. I heard it was the idea of a high elf that lived in the northern mountains near the capital.¡± Capital of Nara, the largest and most powerful kingdom of the eastern continent, Leona only knew about it through history books that portrayed the city as a marvelous haven for inventors. A city so bright it was possible to see it even far away from the ocean. Through trading, knowledge of electricity, gunpowder, clothing and crop rotation slowly began to be the norm in the Arcadian continent, allowing the overall population to grow exponentially. But deep down Leona knew it was best for her to control her expectations as the once magnificent kingdom she read about in the books became nothing but rubble under the death angel might. ¡°How do they live in Nara?¡± She muttered to herself while holding the cup between her two curling hands. ¡°Both Arcadians and Akrapocalians have such a hard time fighting off death angels that come from so far away and yet, the people at Nara still are able to trade with a big city such as Astera¡­ it makes me wonder what they are able to do.¡± ¡°Nara has some incredible individuals.¡± Cecile had a faint smile on her face as she glanced at her. ¡°My marksmanship improved after meeting a certain young man from the city, supposedly an instructor of sorts for the people defending the last bastion for humanity there.¡± ¡°Young man?¡± ¡°Yes, I think his name was Miyamoto?¡± The moment she mentioned that name a freezing chill went down her spine. Chapter CX: Written Destiny Part II Leona couldn¡¯t quite control her facial expression from the reaction that name brought to her mind. Miyamoto, the same name of the now departed soul that rested within her, was being uttered to describe a young man from the eastern continent. Though possibly just a coincidence, it left her restless. ¡°Leona? Is something wrong?¡± Cecile tilted her head a bit while inspecting her face closely. ¡°Your face suddenly became pale.¡± She snapped out of it trying her best to regain composure as she attempted to fake a smile. ¡°Ah- no, it¡¯s nothing, please go on. Tell me more about this man.¡± ¡°Oh, he must be in his mid twenties or so? He¡¯s the swordmaster and mentor for the troops defending Nara. He¡¯s said to be able to cleave the clouds with his blade, not that I have seen in person.¡± Concentrating on a foreign feeling swelling in her chest she mentally asked herself, which in turn was the same to be asking the swordmaster. ¡®Did you have someone else other than Krieg?¡¯ A few seconds passed but no reply which made her feel even more on edge. ¡°Ah. That guy, last voyage I didn¡¯t have enough time to chat with him.¡± Charlotte put away her empty ceramic cup as she spoke. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll go pay him a visit this time.¡± ¡°A swordmaster huh¡­?¡± Krieg muttered to himself, he discreetly glanced at Phoebe, who seemed to notice his gaze yet she decided to not say anything until he asked her. ¡°Is this man perchance connected to the reason Eleonora left the kingdom behind?¡± ¡°Who can say? That name doesn¡¯t ring a bell.¡± ¡°Phoebe, this has been on my mind ever since we crossed paths near Karna village.¡± He settled his cup down on the table and looked at her dead in the eyes. ¡°Do you truly work for Eleonora?¡± A few days ago, far away from the coastal city of Astera. The siege on Akrapocalis by the Arcadian army had reached a stalemate. Both sides had suffered enough casualties to force a diplomatic solution. While the Arcadian army was still recovering its numbers from the Great War, the extra combatants brought forth by the acting King far outmatched their difference in numbers and with the dwarven army stretched thin as it were thanks to the constant death angel threat, they couldn¡¯t mobilize their entire army to fight off the invading kingdom. Amidst the rubble and dead bodies, the acting King of Arcadia Alexander Lorraine and the dwarven general Kurt Dietrich were standing with a few guards by their side as they tried to finally put an end to the conflict. ¡°I have two conditions for a truce between our kingdoms.¡± Alexander, despite being a king, was wearing just a formal red wine suit, fine cotton white shirt underneath, trousers of the same color as the suit and custom made leather shoes. He had a calm expression on his face as someone who knew they had already won. ¡°First, free access to the mines without the imposed limit for trade and second, that you hand over the traitor Leona''s whereabouts.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?!¡± A tall blonde elf of shoulder length hair was outraged as he brandished his arm out which made the rifle that was resting on the sling on his shoulder waver back and forth. Both his right green and left blue eyes were filled with hatred. ¡°Arcadia attacks first without warning and then wants to decide the conditions?!¡± ¡°Sergeant Lest!¡± The hulking man beside him shouted. Kurt Dietrich, general of the Akrapocalian army, his bulky tanned body, grizzled hair and sharp eyes showed how much experience he had on the battlefield. And as mighty as one person can be, there are still limits to how much they can accomplish alone, he knew that better than anyone. ¡°I will handle this, do not let your personal feelings affect the decision for the entire kingdom.¡± He sighed discreetly before turning back to Alexander. ¡°If those are your conditions then we accept it, however I do still ask for some time to venture into the mines, we are still amidst fighting the death angel menace and most of the miners are currently preoccupied searching for materials to aid our defense.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Alexander snapped and one of the knights to his right came forward before his right armored arm suddenly began to tremble before splitting in half and engulfing itself into a mass of flesh and bones that slowly took the form of a blade. ¡°I¡¯ll have a few of my own forces to aid you in the fight against the death angel menace. In return I¡¯d prefer if your miners could procure some materials for Arcadia.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The soldiers that stood behind the general were nervous, although none of them did anything harsh it was obvious that it rattled them. ¡°...I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Good! Then we are done here, thank you for your time, General. Do send the report with Leona¡¯s whereabouts to my second in command in the next hour.¡± He turned around and the rest of the disguised knights followed him. Kurt clenched his right hand into a tight fist and began to walk back to their main base. ¡®We were thoroughly beaten. I¡¯m sorry Princess Leona¡­¡¯ ¡°Was that really necessary?¡± A rather tall high elf stood by the destroyed western gate. Her long black straight hair was tied to a high ponytail, her serene deep blue eyes had a piercing gaze as she directed her question to Alexander who had just walked out of the meeting. ¡°You could¡¯ve just ended things there.¡± ¡°What is a king without subjects? Even if said subjects cower in fear, it is better to have those who bow to your power than mindless soldiers who can¡¯t ask themselves if something or someone is worth keeping.¡± He glanced at the mangled body of a female elf who was standing behind Kaeli before sighing. ¡°See? This is a waste of potential.¡± He flickered its forehead but the elf¡¯s right blue and left green eyes simply stared with an empty gaze as it slowly turned towards him. ¡°I wanted more soldiers but not like these.¡± He continued walking out through the gates. ¡°If I may.¡± Kaeli continued while accompanying his footsteps. ¡°If my assumptions were right, Princess Leona may be on her way to Astera and possibly Nara. Considering the flying vessel she was employing, it wouldn¡¯t take more than two days to reach the coastal city.¡± ¡°If, that is. We need decisive information. I can¡¯t keep sending mages in a blind chase. Thanks to that blasphemous Crossford family the capital is riddled with half demons and keeping most of them subdued is an arduous task even for the royal knights.¡± ¡°Sir, think about it, where else would she go if not the coastal city? Unless she¡¯s attempting to launch a surprise counter attack at Arcadia directly she would have to cross the mountain range once again through either the north or south. Even then, with how small the number of soldiers that support her it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to just stomp all of them in one go.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but not entirely right either. We must account for this ¡®secret¡¯ weapon her mother had been working on. None of the people I assigned to search for it have reported anything significant. If it can truly kill a demon, it is surely dangerous enough to kill me.¡± ¡°If she knows where and what it is in the first place.¡± She adjusted her cloak. ¡°We have many high aptitude mages guarding the mansion, or what was left of it. Surely she wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to try and go there.¡± ¡°Despite her family¡¯s foolishness in aiding the half demons, she still holds the title of Princess Tactician for a reason.¡± He clenched his hands into tight fists. ¡°Demonkind must pay the price. She is the only obstacle to me at this point.¡± There was a shimmering glint in his eyes, something much darker and ancient than his own flesh and bones. A seething hatred engraved so deep in his soul that it was pouring out in the form of mana that scorched the air around him. However despite the pressure, Kaeli kept her composure while discreetly shielding herself with her own mana. ¡°I must ask, however, has your objective changed? You mentioned you wanted her alive before but now I see that you¡¯re seeking to kill her.¡± ¡°If capturing wasn¡¯t possible when she was at her weakest-¡± He turned to face her and the malefic glint in his eyes seemed stronger than before which sent a chill down her spine. ¡°-then kill her I must. Those that aid demons must perish. All of them.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what do we do about that monster? The one that helped the dwarven forces.¡± ¡°It¡¯s badly wounded, even if it doesn¡¯t die now we¡¯ll finish the job later when we rebuild some of our own numbers.¡± He went over to the elf holding a distant gaze. Her tattered uniform and empty stare prompted him to reach for the side of her face. ¡°I wonder if they have any memories of who they once were.¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not, how does that matter to us my lord?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand a thing do you? Demonkind has one inherent advantage over us, that despite our numbers we still die from natural causes. Them on the other hand can live up to centuries. Diseases and age are but trifling things for them.¡± He lifted the elf¡¯s chin, inspecting her appearance that seemed to be slowly getting better as opposed to the gray looking skin when she had first turned. ¡°I intend to change that. We need to live as long as them in order to cleanse their filth from this world. These slimes are but the first step for a true homunculus. They are, however, too primitive, perhaps the mana inside their bodies is a factor¡­¡± He let go of the elf¡¯s chin which it then returned to stare forward, not displaying any sort of emotion. Though promising, it was a far cry of what he had in mind. ¡°I will excuse myself now.¡± Kaeli bowed slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare some of the troops in case we need to depart.¡± ¡°Yes, do that.¡± He was still observing the elf¡¯s body to check for any noticeable changes from the other subjects but they all seemed the same, mindless husks that are compelled to follow his will. ¡°Also incapable of speech unless I teach it so¡­ this is disappointing.¡± He placed his open palm on its forehead before dark red lightning sparkled and the elf¡¯s eyes went wide. Despite not muttering a word it did flawlessly replicate the expression of pain before it slowly began to crumble into dust that dissipated away by a gust of wind. ¡°Hm¡­¡± He closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation inside his mind. ¡°Astera, then huh? Very well.¡± As Kaeli was heading out, he shouted. ¡°Arch mage! Assemble the flying troops. You¡¯re heading to Astera.¡± Chapter CXI: Forgotten Reprisal It was a little past midnight, Leona was using the wooden railing of the pier to support her weight with both her elbows as she looked out to the dark ocean. The full moonlight reflected off the calm waves, giving off a serene yet beautiful sight. However just as the waves, dark clouds would come and go, often covering the light leaving an eerie shadowed lone pier. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep either?¡± The familiar male voice came from somewhere behind her but she didn¡¯t even need to look to know who it was. ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t help but feel anxious.¡± Krieg soon joined beside her, his left hand resting on the longsword¡¯s hilt as his right brought the dwarven military green jacket to her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s rather chilly outside, best to not catch a cold right before a voyage.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you Krieg.¡± She grabbed the sides of the jacket and tuckered her body comfortably inside the rather oversized piece of clothing. ¡°I was wondering¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°What were you talking to Phoebe after dinner? It is rare to see both of you talk to each other but what is even rarer is to see her serious.¡± ¡°I simply asked where her loyalty truly lies. How would she even know you were with me back in Karna village?¡± She reached for her necklace, a prismatic star necklace that was a precious gift from her late mother. The only reason why she trusted Phoebe in the first place was the very existence of another necklace with an uncanny similarity to hers, but thinking about it more deeply it didn¡¯t make sense. Even if Eleonora herself deemed her necessary for whatever plans she had in mind, how did she even know Krieg would be with her? It was a realization that made chills go down her spine. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t explain.¡± She reached for her chin as her left hand hugged the outer part of her right arm. ¡°The thought just never crossed my mind.¡± ¡°I had my suspicions before Londria but choosing not to say anything was a gamble on my part.¡± He took a step back and bowed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Leona.¡± ¡°No, it was better this way. If I had doubts plaguing my mind about her during that ordeal in Londria, we probably wouldn¡¯t be even here today.¡± Her eyes glanced at him and then to the ocean. ¡°Do you think she has ulterior motives?¡± He lifted his head and for the first time in forever she saw doubt in his face. ¡°I can¡¯t say¡­ I fought with many kinds of people by my side but we had a clear goal in mind to defeat the demon king, even if they had their own agenda in the end.¡± ¡°But even if it wasn¡¯t Eleonora, who would be so influential in a collapsed city to have someone so skilled such as her?¡± ¡°Miyamoto.¡± The previous king of Nara, as per descriptions of history books, was the last king to mark the beginning of the end of a nation. The once sprawling city rich both in culture and wealth was brought down to its knees by the sudden appearance of death angels, a calamity brought by human hands that would soon turn the entire world into a battlefield. ¡°Him huh¡­¡± Her eyes locked onto his for a few seconds before she lowered her head, she knew it was the right thing to tell him about his father, but deep down she knew she couldn¡¯t afford having him distracted at least until they reached Nara. ¡°Does the name seem familiar to you?¡± ¡°Not at all. At least, not that I¡¯ve heard it directly. Supposedly that man is one of the reasons why Eleonora left Arcadia and never came back.¡± A chill ran through her entire body. The only obvious conclusion she could make out of those words was that he was an enemy. Someone that could manipulate powerful and influential people without even showing himself, a master puppeteer. But even then, she couldn¡¯t think of another way. If she was to abandon the plan that she had been working on for almost two months, what else could she do? It wasn¡¯t like she could just turn and head back to Arcadia, but she wasn¡¯t about to let anyone control her fate any further. ¡°...I¡¯d say we still go to Nara. Even if this is something that man planned himself-¡± ¡°Princess Leona.¡± He suddenly kneeled in front of her, his head hanging low which surprised her at first. ¡°With all due respect, as your personal knight, I beg of you, reconsider this path that you are about to walk.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Krieg¡­?¡± ¡°Eleonora was my mentor, the one who taught me the way of the sword. If even she couldn¡¯t defeat him¡­ I¡¯m afraid¡­ I¡¯m afraid my strength will fall short to protect you and I¡­¡± For the first time she ever knew him, his arms were trembling. Trembling from fear of the unknown. ¡°...I could not bear to lose you. Not like this.¡± It was frustrating for him. The knight second in command of one of the most prominent armies in the world, the knight who fought against demonkind toe to toe despite not being able to wield energy blade, the knight who would protect his liege even if it cost him his life, it all meant nothing if he had no chance of winning in the first place. ¡°Krieg. Look at me.¡± He lifted his head as the clouds parted and the moonlight came shinning upon them, his liege smiled more warmly than the sun. ¡°You¡¯re not alone. Even if he is an enemy that we must put down. We¡¯ll do so together.¡± Her left hand reached for the silver longsword resting in its sheath as she lifted it a little. ¡°I believe I improved a lot regarding my skills with not only magic but the blade as well.¡± Of course, even if she said that, deep down she didn¡¯t want to fight. Not only she didn¡¯t know what her opponent was capable of, but there was also the fact that someone or something had been following her ever since near Londria where she almost died from mana overload while trying to save him. ¡°That you have my liege.¡± He lowered his head again with a smirk on his face as if realizing what he just had said was like a bad joke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my unsightly behavior. It is as you say. Your skills have undoubtedly improved, I can¡¯t call myself a proper knight if I don¡¯t trust my master¡¯s abilities.¡± ¡°I told you before and I¡¯ll tell you again Krieg.¡± She touched his right shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not my servant, you are my precious knight, my protector and above all, my friend.¡± However their bittersweet moment was cut short by someone calling them out. ¡°Aren¡¯t you two supposed to be asleep?¡± The familiar voice of a high elf came from above them. Promptly looking up, Leona noticed a figure cloaked in darkness to drop somewhat close behind Krieg. ¡°Phoebe?¡± The tactician looked at the dark blue glint from beneath the mask she wore. While she had grown accustomed to her appearance at this point, the lack of light along with what Krieg had just told her made the high elf look intimidating. ¡°What are you doing out here? I thought you were supposed to be resting.¡± ¡°That elven lemon did almost knock me out cold, but I know a thing or two to help me get it out of my system.¡± She approached the two, which by that point Krieg was standing up with his left hand loosely hanging above the guard of the longsword on his belt. ¡°I checked other inns and pubs to find rumors about Arcadia but nothing outside of the new king has been circulating around here.¡± ¡°Phoebe.¡± For a very brief moment, she felt an ominous sensation coming off from Leona as she addressed her, as if a fight was about to break out. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Who do you truly work for? Piecing together the reasons for our meeting, it is not anything short of a miracle and yet you were sure I was with Krieg, not mention that necklace-¡± She chuckled which made Leona stop her speech while also reaching for her longsword at the same time. ¡°Princess Leona, despite everything we went through together you still doubt my intentions? If I had to kill you-¡± In what seemed to be faster than the blink of an eye, she had her dagger drawn with the flat cold metal touching the side of Leona¡¯s throat. ¡°You would¡¯ve been dead already.¡± She didn¡¯t even flinch, Krieg on the other hand had his longsword drawn into a horizontal swing ready to behead her, but before it could reach her she shouted. ¡°Krieg stop!¡± His blade stopped about half a palm off the high elf¡¯s throat. Leona slowly grabbed Phoebe¡¯s right wrist and lowered the weapon without facing any resistance from her. ¡°Truly, I don¡¯t think I can be surprised anymore. Tell me the truth Phoebe, who is it that you actually work for?¡± ¡°The former king of Nara. Or rather, someone impersonating him.¡± She sheathed her dagger. ¡°I was told that I would be able to learn a technique that would allow me to kill my sister.¡± ¡°All I need you to tell me is if he is a friend or foe.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say. He has protected queen Eleonora for all these years so far which makes me think he won''t do you any harm, but I also can¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡± ¡°I should cut you down for your insolence-¡± Despite Krieg showing great animosity she wasn¡¯t even fazed and instead was Leona who had to raise her left arm and shake her head before he would sheathe his blade again. After lowering her arm and taking a shallow breath, she continued. ¡°Phoebe, without you I would most likely not be here today, this I admit. However, if you¡¯re leading us to our deaths, I swear in my family''s name, I will take you down no matter the cost.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll just have to take my word for it Princess.¡± She turned around, seemingly disinterested in the conversation. ¡°My job was strictly to bring you and Krieg to Astera safely. I must emphasize the wording, safely. Despite my training as an assassin, he still chose to prioritize protecting you two.¡± ¡°You make it sound like all that you have been doing up until now was your job.¡± ¡°It is.¡± She glanced over her shoulder, the deep blue eyes were unsurprisingly cold. ¡°Because that is the only way I¡¯ll have my revenge.¡± As she was about to go away, Krieg raised his voice. ¡°Revenge will be your undoing, Phoebe.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Sir Krieg.¡± She walked away, vanishing into the darkness as if blending in the shadows. However their parting wasn¡¯t what Leona was expecting. ¡°Krieg.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Her eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but feel she was¡­ lonely.¡± She bit the underside of her lips lightly before turning to him. ¡°Sorry, I must have made you worry back there just now, but part of me still wants to believe in her. I know deep down she isn¡¯t one to live only for revenge.¡± She said that as memories of the smiling high elf came to her mind which made her chest feel at ease. Chapter CXII: Mageslayer Part I The scorching sun was beginning to rise on the horizon, a new day had risen yet Leona was still half asleep near the docks. She was watching the crewmembers carry a variety of different boxes filled with merchandise, clothing, food, and so many different kinds of things that made her have a slight headache from thinking how they would find buyers for so much volume. ¡®I couldn¡¯t get a wink of sleep¡­¡¯ She was sitting by a table that oversaw the docks with a cup of water and a pastry filled with berry jam on a plate served by a silver short haired young woman. Krieg was also sharing her table but he only got himself a cup of water that was just served by the same woman. ¡°Will that be all?¡± Her golden eyes locked with Krieg¡¯s, her voice was pleasant to the ears as Leona instinctively smiled. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± He replied. ¡°We¡¯ll be departing soon, do you have anything that we can take for a long voyage?¡± ¡°Ah yes, as a matter of fact we do. Does the young lady like grapes?¡± ¡°Grapes?¡± Leona¡¯s attention shifted from her filled pastry to the waitress¡¯ eyes. ¡°Do you have them here?¡± ¡°Yes, well¡­ maybe not the kind of grape Miss would be expecting. A moment if you please.¡± She went inside the store and quickly came out carrying a rather sizable glass jar filled with seemingly withered fruits. ¡°Dried grapes! Or as the locals call it, raisins! Excellent for travel since they last a very long time, just don¡¯t let water near it and it should last until you reach your destination.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ now this is new.¡± The spark of curiosity shook off some of her sleep. ¡°Were you the one who made this?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t invent it, but I learned how to make it in Nara.¡± ¡®This can help a bit with the scurvy problem Charlotte mentioned.¡¯ Leona thought before giving the waitress a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll take one then.¡± ¡°We have smaller jars if you wish-¡± ¡°No, I want this one. How much is it?¡± ¡°Ah, this one is a silver.¡± Leona instinctively raised an eyebrow. It was rather cheap for a jar that big, considering grapes were also fruits not easy to come by, especially somewhere so far away from the fertile lands near Akrapocalis and Arcadia. ¡°Mind if I ask where do you get the grapes from?¡± She handed the silver coin to her while Krieg held the jar. ¡°Ah, these come from Nara. The last shipment was two days ago and thankfully lady Charlotte prioritizes this shop since it¡¯s affiliated with the orphanage despite not contributing to the city a lot.¡± The young woman looked at the sign of the shop that read ¡®Little Heroes¡¯ with a smile on her face. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for her and master Murakano, me and the rest of the kids wouldn¡¯t be here today.¡± From the corner of her eye Leona noticed a kid running from behind her, he had curled black horns like her former personal maid, Adele. His short black hair, fine skin, simple yet sturdy looking clothing bereft of holes was a far cry of what Leona expected an orphan to look like. ¡°Big sis Lucina!¡± He threw himself into a tight hug against the waitress¡¯ hips. ¡°I made you a handkerchief!¡± ¡°Ah?! Luciel!¡± She looked at the kid who had a big smile on his face. ¡°I told you not to come running behind me when I¡¯m working.¡± Leona chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± She then turned to the kid. ¡°Are you her younger brother?¡± ¡°Yeah! Big sis takes care of all of us in the orphanage!¡± He pulled out a few handkerchiefs of different colors. ¡°Here! Thank you for shopping with us!¡± Leona chuckled a bit. ¡°Thank you for making these. Here, as payment for a good job.¡± She handed the boy a silver coin and grabbed the green, red and blue handkerchiefs before pocketing them. ¡°Ah. There¡¯s no need to pay us for these-¡± As Lucina was about to protest, Leona simply raised her hand and looked at the both of them. ¡°These are well worth the money.¡± She then ruffled the boy¡¯s hair as she stood up. ¡°Take care of yourself and your sister. ¡°Mhm!¡± Krieg then stood up and bowed slightly as a way to say thanks to the waitress, just in time as Cecile approached the two of them. ¡°Good morning, Miss Leona, Sir Krieg. Do you have any possessions that need storing?¡± She glanced briefly at Lucina who bowed towards her to which in response she shook her hand whilst touching the woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The captain is finishing some last minute paperwork before we can depart, in the meantime I was tasked to oversee any needs or questions that you may have.¡± ¡°Ah, I bought some dried grapes.¡± Leona gestured to the jar that Krieg held. ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly where to take these to.¡± ¡°Perhaps to your private quarters then-¡± ¡°I bought this for everyone, not just us.¡± That made Cecile widen her eyes in surprise. Despite knowing that Leona was a noble, she wasn¡¯t expecting that much kindness from someone that was so far away from home. ¡°Ah¡­ in that case I¡¯ll take it to the captain¡¯s office then. She¡¯ll be pleased with the surprise as well as the crew.¡± Cecile took the jar off Krieg¡¯s hands and bowed to Leona. ¡°Thank you again for this kind gesture, Miss Leona.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± She then turned to Lucina and Luciel. ¡°Thank you two for your hospitality. As though I am far away from home I did feel very welcomed here.¡± She finished her cup of water and was about to leave for the docks but the young woman raised her voice. ¡°Ah, Miss Leona, mind if I ask where you are from?¡± She gave her a bittersweet smile as she answered. ¡°I¡¯m from Arcadia.¡± Phoebe who was finishing restocking her personal supplies of potions and poisons just joined the two of them by the staircase that led to the docks. Despite what happened the night before, Leona was composed and didn¡¯t let any of her emotions show as the high elf approached her.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°I finished gathering the rest of the things I needed.¡± She said while pulling two red glass vials from her pouch. ¡°Here. Keep these on your person, lest you are caught off-guard. I was trained only briefly in the arts of healing but don¡¯t count too much on it.¡± ¡°Ah. Thank you.¡± The moment Leona pocketed the vial inside the satchel on her belt she felt a strange sensation as if someone was watching her. Krieg noticed her gaze shift if only for a moment and asked. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­ I just felt something off, that¡¯s all.¡± The moment she turned around to look at the ship, she noticed a dark blue glint from beneath a person¡¯s cloak right beside her. ¡°Found you-!¡± Even before she could react, Phoebe pushed Leona away just as a flash of bright blue light pierced through the person¡¯s inner part of the dark blue cloak and hit a nearby building before exiting the other side of it. ¡°What the?!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Krieg rushed in front of Leona before swinging the longsword horizontally from its sheath in order to decapitate her assailant, but the attack was dodged as the person took flight with wind magic. At that point, bystanders began to run from panic caused by the sudden attack ¡°Hm¡­¡± The mage was flying just outside of melee range, seemingly analyzing the situation. ¡°I intended to finish the job quickly and cleanly but you had to interfere didn¡¯t you? Lil¡¯ sis.¡± As the hooded figure took the cloak off, it revealed a high elf of sharp ears, long black hair and piercing deep blue eyes. Her combat uniform was composed of a long sleeved black overcoat with thick golden details on the sleeves, padded shoulders and silver chains that held the upper part together, a diamond shaped metal breastplate that went down until her stomach where her black trousers began with the knee high leather boots tightly tied to keep from falling should she chose to fly. ¡°Kaeli¡­¡± Phoebe clenched her teeth in anger as her hand twitched close towards the longbow resting on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you where you stand.¡± She chuckled in return. ¡°Worry not sister. With the new spells I learned I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll forget all of your worries so we can live together ever after.¡± She began to charge two different spells on both hands while she spoke. ¡°But, well¡­ I still have a princess to kill first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fire and a wind spell.¡± Leona muttered beneath her breath as she prepared two spells of her own on each hand. ¡°Northern winds hearken to me-¡± ¡°Soldiers! To arms!¡± A familiar voice shouted from aboard the large sailing ship. Charlotte marched out to the pier with a firing squad armed with rifles. ¡°Tsk, noisy pests!¡± She aimed with her left hand at them which was charged with a fiery aura before shouting. ¡°Crushing Fire!¡± ¡°-freeze those who oppose me, Ice Wall!¡± Before the deadly fireball could hit them, a blast of ice erupted into a slight curve which served to soak the explosion and impact from the spell. At that moment Kaeli¡¯s attention shifted to Leona as her right hand also pointed towards her. ¡°Winds of time, destroy mine enemy, Wind Bullet!¡± The tactician released the second spell that erupted from the ground in front of her, covering Krieg as well from the spell that almost managed to punch through the ice wall despite being several centimeters wide. ¡®Ngh! What is this power?!¡¯ ¡°I had enough of you! KAELI!¡± Phoebe drew her longbow to its maximum length and released the arrow aimed at the mage''s neck, but the arrow was easily deflected by a powerful gust of wind. ¡°Now, now- don¡¯t be too hasty, we¡¯ll have all the time in the world together, but for now I need you to stay quiet.¡± She pointed her hand at Phoebe who instinctively jumped backwards but she wasn¡¯t fast enough as ice erupted from the wooden pier, catching her prosthetic legs first and when she fell down it started to restrain her limbs. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°-take aim!¡± A voice coming from Kaeli¡¯s left side made her quickly prepare a water spell. ¡°Fire!¡± ¡°Water Rampart!¡± A burst of water erupted from her left hand, creating a convex body of water almost one and half meter wide which served to stop the bullets that became deformed from their own kinetic energy. As the steam cleared near the ship, it revealed Charlotte, Cecile, Luka and Percival holding their rifles up between the broken shards of ice left from Leona¡¯s spell. ¡°Haaargh!¡± A male battle cry came from behind Leona, who instinctively turned with a wind spell half prepared to fight back, but the man that shared the same uniform as the other soldiers wasn¡¯t charging at her and instead was running with a harpoon in hand before throwing it at Kaeli. ¡°Tsk!¡± She turned her body sideways and flew a bit to the left, making the harpoon fly off in the distance before landing in the water behind her. At the same time she raised her right arm and began to chant. ¡°Fulgent lightning-¡± Hearing the familiar chant made Leona quickly shift her attention back to Kaeli. ¡°Crushing Wind!¡± The violent blast of wind wasn¡¯t strong enough to cause any real damage but it was powerful to the point of disrupting Kaeli¡¯s flight which made her spell fizzle out. ¡°Dammit. What the hell are the rest of you waiting for?! Kill her!¡± Leona felt a tingling sensation in the base of her nape and the moment she turned around there were two cloaked mages one taller than the other further back pointing their hands with spells being charged. ¡®I don¡¯t have enough time-!¡¯ She was attempting to cast another ice wall but they had their spells ready to fire. The taller left-most mage had both of his hands forward with sparks of lightning coming from his palms, that made Krieg prioritize him as he threw his longsword at full strength which impaled the man through his stomach before his lifeless body skid was tossed back by the sheer power. "Spirits of thunder, grant me thy might-¡± However the younger one on the right managed to chant his spell and as he was about to finish, the soldier who had thrown the harpoon threw himself in front of Krieg and Leona. ¡°-Lightning Bolt!" The soldier took the brunt of the spell as an arc of purple lightning hit his body. His somewhat long hair tied in a bun became undone as the string that held it was burnt from the electricity. ¡®Ah¡­ someone died again for my sake.¡¯ That was the first thought that came to her mind as her hands instinctively began to gather mana around them to cast an offensive spell. However, contrary to what she had just witnessed, the soldier that was hit began to laugh as his hands moved to each side of his belt covered by the military uniform. ¡°Hah! Now that made my blood pump!¡± He pulled out two rather short handaxes with overly exaggerated thick blades that curved over the handle before he rushed the mage down with the tenacity of a wild beast. ¡°Huh?! What the-?! How are you still alive?!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that to kill me! Hahahaha!¡± One leap and he was in the magician¡¯s face with one axe in the air ready to hack him down. ¡°Wai- Wait! Stop! AAAAAAAAAAAH!¡± Unbefitting of his status as a soldier, he started to slash the young man to shreds with each wild strike dishing out blood, flesh and bones in equal parts without restraint. ¡°AAAAAAH! I¡¯M SORRY! I¡¯M SORRY! I¡¯M-¡± It was a painful sight which made Leona avert her eyes and focus again on Kaeli who decided to fly higher up while preparing two elements, one of which the tactician rarely saw used in combat. ¡®Earth magic¡­ does she intend to crush us?!¡¯ ¡°I won¡¯t allow that to happen!¡± She shouted while raising her hands to the sky. ¡°Crushing-¡± ¡°Piercing Stone!¡± ¡°-Wind!¡± They roughly released their spells at the same time. Kaeli¡¯s thin drill-like stone spears of around a meter and half were thrown off course by Leona¡¯s violent wind spell which made said spears land around instead of skewing them. However despite her successful defense and disrupting her opponent¡¯s flight, Kaeli had a confident smirk on her face that made Leona realize her opponent¡¯s plan after noticing the second spell¡¯s element. ¡°Fulgent lightning-¡± ¡®She¡¯s planning to electrocute us¡­!¡¯ Looking around her, the stone spikes were just a minor distraction which also served as an insurance for the lightning spell to hit them. With only a few seconds to react, she attempted a high risk gamble by coalescing frigid air around the stone rods and releasing a large amount of mana in a single wave of frost which created a thick coat of frozen water from the ground all the way to the other stone spears. ¡°-smite my foes, Chain Lightning!¡± Not even half a second later, Kaeli released the highly destructive lightning spell that arced in three different directions towards them, however thanks to Leona¡¯s quick thinking, all three managed to zap the rods of stone and ice before thawing the frozen ground they were standing on. Part of said ice quickly evaporated from the spell¡¯s high voltage, but the almost non-existent conductivity of frozen distilled water protected them from being electrocuted. However it wasn¡¯t without consequence, Leona fell with one knee on the ground panting heavily as the large amount of mana she had to use in such a short time had taken its toll on her body. ¡°Haaa¡­ ah¡­ dammit.¡± ¡°Fire!¡± Charlotte¡¯s voice came from somewhere behind her closely followed by the sounds of rifle fire. Leona raised her head to the sky and noticed how effortlessly Kaeli was stopping all the attempts to harm her with a water barrier. ¡®How can she cast so many spells without running out of mana?!¡¯ Chapter CXIII: Mageslayer Part II Panic spread throughout the docks of Astera. Soldiers were gathering from the commotion and were joining the ongoing battle which made it all the more difficult for Kaeli to finish off what she had started. ¡®These rifles can¡¯t kill me as long as I have this water shield¡­¡¯ She had covered herself in a thick sphere of liquid that served to soak the bullets being shot at her while she planned her next move. ¡®The biggest threat was her.¡¯ Her eyes glanced at Leona who was still with one knee on the ground trying to recover her mana. However the more time she took, more soldiers would join the fray. ¡®But at this rate I won¡¯t even have a chance to attack her. I see no other way around it, I¡¯ll just have to incapacitate everyone else.¡¯ She closed her eyes and a sudden surge of mana began to gather around her body as she started to emit a low light blue glow around herself. Despite not knowing much about magic, Charlotte felt a terrible chill once the sphere started to quiver. ¡°ALL UNITS! FIRE AT WILL!¡± She shouted from atop of her lungs which made all soldiers that could hear her start unloading all their bullets into the water sphere, but even with the increased firepower it was almost impossible to pierce through the water shield completely. Leona was helpless as she physically felt a tingling sensation throughout her body from the surge of magical power that gathered around the enemy mage. ¡®How is this possible?! Just how much mana does she possess?!¡¯ To her, as someone who could visually see mana, the mere sight of Kaeli was enough for her body to freeze in fear. The air seemed to distort around the water sphere like a heat haze that continued to gradually grow. Leona could scarcely think of what her opponent was planning by gathering so much mana but she instinctively shouted. ¡°You have to stop her Krieg!¡± He nodded to her once before standing up and running to one of the stone spears that was free of ice. ¡°Hngh!¡± He stood in between two spears and clenched them between his arm and forearm before breaking them at the base. ¡°Eat this!¡± He grabbed one by the thinner part and raised it above his head before lobbing it at full strength towards Kaeli. Who in response, was forced to release her spell prematurely. ¡°Mana Burst!¡± A violent shockwave broke the water shield and shot everything it held within itself in all directions. ¡°Sir Krieg!¡± A familiar male voice came from behind them but he didn¡¯t wait for him to turn around and simply yelled. ¡°Duck!¡± Without questioning, the knight threw his own weight back as a dark energy covered them. Most of the bullets and debris shot by Kaeli¡¯s spell was absorbed and rendered harmless by this shadow veil that covered both of them, however that didn¡¯t mean they were completely safe as one of the bullets actually managed to ricochet off the ground before nicking Leona in the left thigh. ¡°Ack!¡± She felt like something had hit her leg but her body pumped full of adrenaline made her shrug it off and instead focus on what she could to help. Looking over her shoulder she noticed who attempted to protect them was Murakano, he held a sword similar to what Elizabeth, the assassin from Londria, used. A slightly curved single edged blade that was currently enveloped in a dark miasma. ¡°Are you unharmed?¡± The swordsman asked. ¡°That mage is not someone you can take down by throwing random things at, sir Krieg.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He replied before standing up and yanking the longsword off the mage¡¯s stomach he had killed previously. ¡°But what other option do I have?¡± ¡°Stand back, I¡¯ll try to keep her busy. I¡¯m sure Lady Leona can come up with a plan in the meantime.¡± Despite the burst of mana sending debris and projectiles at deadly speeds a safe area formed around the high elf that was bound against the wooden floor. ¡°This damn ice!¡± Phoebe was unharmed by it. Kaeli somehow managed to avoid hitting her sister even when using a powerful area of effect spell. ¡°If only I could¡­ nngh, get my dagger¡­!¡± She was too engrossed in trying to free herself that she only noticed the silver haired young woman approach when she was literally standing beside her. Without any explanation the woman knelt beside her and tried to break her free with a hammer by smashing the ice on her right wrist. ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Huh? Wait, who are you?!¡± ¡°My name doesn¡¯t matter!¡± It was Lucina, the waitress that had just served Leona a few minutes ago. She was stubbornly hitting the ice with the tool but it was surprisingly harder than it looked. ¡°You work for Lady Leona do you not?! She won¡¯t survive another one of those!¡± Looking up, Phoebe saw Kaeli accumulate more mana and the people that could stop her were taken out by the area of effect spell she had released earlier. Krieg and Murakano were trying to stop her by attacking with whatever they could at range, like rocks and stone spears, but she simply kept deflecting the projectiles with pinpoint accurate wind spells. ¡°There is a flask in my satchel, a purple one, grab it and pour some of the liquid on the ice, it should melt through it.¡± ¡°What about your hand?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! Just do it!¡± A dozen flasks came rolling out of it the moment Lucina opened the satchel, most of them were empty aside from three, a red, a blue and a purple one. She swiftly grabbed the purple one and uncorked it before carefully pouring the rather viscous liquid on the ice, which as opposed to her expectations, was erasing the spell from existence instead of melting through as it left a trail of a faint blue light as it sizzled.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Quick, drip some on the dagger.¡± She did as asked and the whole blade was coated in the sticky liquid. At first she didn¡¯t understand until Phoebe gripped the handle tightly with mana wrapping around her wrist before raising her arm. Up in the sky, Kaeli had a full view of the massacre she just committed, most soldiers were dead from the sheer amount of debris and bullets she released with the violent outburst of mana. The wooden pier and most of the shops around the upper areas were destroyed with bullet holes except for the small orphanage establishment that was spared thanks to Phoebe being in the way. ¡°Well, well¡­ it must be truly dreadful to know the only person who could stop me was you huh? Princess Leona.¡± She flew closer to where she was. Despite Krieg and Murakano being in close proximity, it didn¡¯t seem to intimidate her. ¡°Any last words?¡± ¡°Like hell you will!¡± Krieg raised his longsword and attempted to get close to her only to be hit with a burst of mana that sent him flying a considerable distance before landing with his back on the concrete floor. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Murakano swung his blade diagonally, releasing what could only be described as a slash of darkness through the air. However, Kaeli was surprisingly agile for a mage and simply stepped to the side to avoid the attack entirely as it cut through part of the wooden railing behind her before launching a quick chanted spell of her own. "Crushing Wind!" A violent burst of wind erupted from the palm of her left hand hitting Murakano square in the chest, also sending him backwards skidding his feet on the ground. ¡°This is why I hate prodigies.¡± He spitted out blood and sheathed his katana. ¡°Sir Krieg, do you think you can distract her for a second?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me!¡± He rushed forward, swinging his blade horizontally which was easily avoided by jumping backwards, however he saw it coming and took another step in while bringing the blade back in a downwards diagonal slash. ¡°Futile.¡± She stopped the blade with an ice spell that was a smaller yet quicker version of Ice Wall. The sword was caught between the ice spikes as she raised her right finger. ¡°Perish.¡± A bright light gathered on the tip of her finger which made a shadow thanks to Krieg¡¯s blade being stuck in the ice. ¡°Surprise.¡± Suddenly emerging from the shadow like it was a pool of murky liquid, Murakano unsheathed his blade in an upwards slash that was meant to dismember her right arm, but instead he was ambushed by her suddenly turning her finger charged with mana towards him. ¡°Megido.¡± A bright flash followed by a close proximity explosion sent both Krieg and Murakano flying. The knight hit his back with full force against a wooden support beam, cracking it in half and falling unconscious while the swordmaster was a bit more fortunate and instead landed on his back a few meters behind Krieg. ¡°Argh!¡± He felt a burning sensation coming from his right leg before noticing his foot was slightly off angle, which only meant it was broken. Despite that he got up with the help of his scabbard and held the katana in front of him with both hands. ¡°Who would¡¯ve known I¡¯d have to try this hard even in this far flung land. You are truly one troublesome foe, Miss.¡± Kaeli was looking at him from the corner of her eyes, uninterested, until he sheathed the blade and lowered his stance. ¡®A shadow master huh?¡¯ She decided to take him a bit more seriously as she turned her head to face him directly. ¡°I thought your kind to be extinct.¡± ¡°We are not so frail as to croak up by the hands of our enemies.¡± The shadow beneath his feet began to writhe as it took shape of multiple blackened appendages that coiled around his legs coalescing into a coat on his back before it spread throughout his arms. ¡°Now, I¡¯d suggest you don¡¯t blink.¡± In a literal blink of an eye, he dashed forward preparing to unleash a horizontal slash but instead what met with Kaeli charging yet another one deadly spell. ¡°Megido.¡± A blast of concentrated mana seemed to rip the man¡¯s existence apart. However the blast of light in front of her created a shadow behind her to which Murakano appeared, unleashing his blade coated in shadows. ¡°The brigh-¡± ¡°¡®The brightest of lights, creates the darkest of shadows.¡¯¡± Kaeli turned around, unsurprised with a spell already charged as if knowing ahead about his attempted ambush. ¡°It¡¯s over, shadow master. Crushing Wind.¡± The shockwave sent him flying against the wooden railing as it broke with his weight, knocking him out. ¡°Murakano!¡± Leona called out to him but he was imobile and unresponsive. ¡°Shadow masters, all of them have the same strategies it seems.¡± She walked forward and kneeled right in front of Leona. ¡°Truly, you are one of a kind magician aren¡¯t you? To learn many elemental spells with the limited knowledge we have in this continent. A marvelous specimen.¡± ¡°What do you-¡± She grabbed her chin with the right hand and raised her head. ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°I wonder what things we could achieve together if we weren¡¯t enemies. Perhaps usher a new age of magic in this god¡¯s forsaken land, or discover the reason why we have such powers in the first place. Ah¡­ if I could choose a future where I could have the best of both worlds I would without a second thought, but alas.¡± She let go of Leona and stood up, pointing her right open hand towards her head. ¡°Between this and my sister, the answer is obvious. Farewell, Princess Leona.¡± ¡®Is this truly the end?¡¯ She could feel the surge of mana from Kaeli¡¯s spell. At that distance, there was little she could do against a mage with such vast mana reserves. ¡®I¡¯ve come this far¡­ and yet¡­¡¯ She looked up and all it took was a split second, through the very corner of her vision, she noticed a blur coming in their direction. ¡°Argh!¡± Kaeli flinched and the blur that Leona saw turned out to be in fact a dagger that embedded itself deep in the high elf¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°What the-?!¡± She didn¡¯t know what just happened, but the next thing she heard was Phoebe¡¯s voice coming from somewhere below the deck she was standing on. ¡°NOW LEONA! SHE CAN¡¯T USE MAGIC!¡± That came out as a shock at first, but her body knew instinctively what to do and without relying much on thinking, mana quickly gathered around both of her wrists as wind and fire aspected magic started to form. ¡°Preposterous! Me? Not able to use magic? Ha!¡± She yanked the dagger out of her shoulder with a hiss of pain between her teeth and pointed her right finger at Leona¡¯s face. ¡°Megido!¡± However, contrary to her belief, the mana that would usually coil around her arm in order to shoot out in a concentrated spell was nowhere to be found, as if the mana circuits from her shoulder were cut off from the rest of her body. ¡®What?! My mana!¡¯ ¡°Roaring flames and violent gales! Surge as one!¡± Kaeli attempted to negate the damage with a spell in her left hand but she was just too slow as a bright light engulfed her body before a violent explosion sent the magician into the ocean. Leona however wasn¡¯t spared from the spell¡¯s backlash as she was also sent flying in the opposite direction, hitting the soldier who was still busy chopping the enemy mage with his handaxes in the back. ¡°Gah!¡± The man fell face first into the pool of mangled flesh and blood while Leona bounced off his back, rolling a few more times before coming to a stop as her legs fell flat on the ground. The sky was clear and blue with the morning sun warming her face. ¡°My back¡­¡± She mustered just enough strength to look where she released the spell and noticed her opponent was nowhere to be seen. For a few seconds there was silence; a dreadful sensation lingered as doubt of her own strength as she asked herself: ¡®What if she managed to defend from that?¡¯. ¡°Hey Leona!¡± Phoebe¡¯s voice reached her with a rather cheerful tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could make mages fly!¡± A wave of relief hit her as her eyelids closed with her letting out an exasperated sigh. ¡°We¡­ we did it¡­ didn¡¯t we?¡± Chapter CXIV: Aftermath Rubble and bullets were all over the Asteram dock. Charlotte¡¯s personal squad was thankfully alive albeit wounded by the blast of mana from earlier. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯ll feel that tomorrow.¡± Charlotte stood up with Percival¡¯s help. Somehow she wasn¡¯t hit by anything outside of the blast itself, but her butler was wounded with blood trickling from his forearm. ¡°You should get that treated, Percival.¡± ¡°At once my lady. I was more concerned with you but since you seem fine I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± She let out a short chuckle before turning to the others of her squad. ¡°How¡¯s the rest of you feeling?¡± ¡°Alive, but not great.¡± Cecile had a terrible gash in her upper right thigh that she had temporarily stopped the bleeding with a makeshift tourniquet. ¡°I¡¯ll head inside to treat this¡­¡± She was limping but since Percival was algo going along, he helped her by offering his shoulder which she gladly grabbed a hold of as they walked together. ¡°I¡¯m feeling pretty good.¡± Luka stood up seemingly unharmed as well, only for a streak of blood to gush out of his lower abdomen as he stood up. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Go get that treated.¡± Cecile ordered and after he boarded the ship she turned around to look at the state of the dock. ¡°...well, it could''ve been worse.¡± She walked around the ice wall that was slowly melting and looked around the battlefield. Corpses were hanging by the pier while blood trickled down into the ocean. Some of the soldiers that were lucky enough to not be killed were now treating their comrades or cleaning the place of their bodies in order to give them a proper burial. ¡°Lady Charlotte.¡± One masked soldier with a hard cap hat approached her with a limping leg. He saluted her before supporting his own weight with the rifle. ¡°We apprehended one of the magic casters that came inside the city. He¡¯s a member of the Grand Academy.¡± ¡°Arcadia huh¡­?¡± She sighed discreetly. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°In custody with the city guards. Should I bring him here?¡± She nodded. ¡°Take him to the ship and call the chirurgeons too, we have too many wounded here.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± He saluted and used his rifle to aid him walk towards the central street. As he took his leave, Cecile continued to walk around, eventually bumping into Lucina who was shouldering a weakened Phoebe. ¡°Dammit¡­ who would¡¯ve thought that I¡¯d have to rely on magic of all things.¡± The high elf seemed to be in a bad mood until she noticed Charlotte approaching them. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Get yourself together.¡± She slapped her rear which made Phoebe straighten her back in reflex. ¡°Ow! What the hell?!¡± She tried to get back at her but doing so strained her right arm. ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Where is Leona?¡± ¡°Up there.¡± She annoyingly replied. ¡°She should be fine since she was able to shield herself from the explosion.¡± ¡°Right, thanks.¡± She was about to climb up the ruined wooden staircase before she turned around to Lucina. ¡°Can you take her to the ship? I¡¯ll have healers assemble there.¡± ¡°As you wish, Lady Charlotte.¡± She nodded in response and continued on. After climbing the set of stairs she noticed a long haired soldier just finishing cleaning his axes. ¡°Yuriel, you¡¯re late. Again.¡± ¡°Ah, Charl.¡± He stood up and put both of his weapons in the belt before saluting her. ¡°It¡¯s a rare opportunity to go all out so I couldn¡¯t pass on the chance.¡± Her eyes briefly glanced at the carcass of what was once a mage, only bits and pieces of clothing resembled anything a person would be wearing as the rest was chopped up to a bloody mess. She sighed. ¡°That¡¯s fine and all, but go clean yourself before getting on the ship. You reek of blood.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± He seemed disinterested after having his fill and went over to the pier to wash off the blood. A bit ahead, Leona was sprawled on the concrete floor with her eyes closed. Charlotte approached her and asked. ¡°Did you win?¡± The tactician opened her eyes and shifted to meet hers as she let out a short chuckle. ¡°I think so.¡± Charlotte offered a helping hand which she accepted and after getting up she looked around. ¡°Did you see Krieg anywhere?¡± She shook her head in response. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s near the pier. I haven''t checked everything yet.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Leona broke in a jog towards where she fought Kaeli, the scorched concrete and burnt wooden railing showed just how destructive her spell was. ¡°Krieg!¡± She shouted. ¡°Krieg! Where are you?!¡± ¡°Over there young lady.¡± A male voice came from her right side. Murakano was extending his finger towards the other side of the dock. ¡°He took the brunt of the spell.¡± She followed to where he was pointing and noticed her knight was buried under a few wooden planks, the support beam fell on top of him after he collided against it. ¡°Krieg!¡± She ran at full speed and when she reached him she started to attempt to lift the wooden supports to no avail. ¡°Nngh! Dammit!¡± She wasn¡¯t able to use magic as she was on the brink of passing out from lacking mana, but she also couldn¡¯t just leave him there and despite not being able to move the beams she kept trying to lift them with her slender arms. ¡°Here, young Miss.¡± A man wearing a bloodied Asteram military uniform approached her and lifted the wooden support that she was trying so hard to get off of him with one hand while he grabbed Krieg by the back of his clothing with the other before pulling him out of the rubble. ¡°Careful to not exert yourself.¡± ¡°Ah! Thank you so much!¡± He nodded and headed off. Meanwhile Leona focused on the knight as she gave him light slaps to the side of his cheeks. ¡°Krieg! Wake up! Krieg!¡± ¡°Leona don¡¯t shake him like that, you could end up causing permanent damage to him.¡± Charlotte knelt beside her and inspected his body. There weren¡¯t any visible fractures but there could be broken bones given how heavy the wooden support beams that fell on top of him were. ¡°Stay calm and wait for the chirurgeons to come. There are a few among them that are able to use healing magic.¡± Leona didn¡¯t even reply and instead only held his right hand tightly. ¡®I can¡¯t waste time waiting for someone to help you¡­!¡¯ She squeezed his hand between hers as her chest tightened. ¡®I swear, you won¡¯t die here!¡¯ Suddenly, the wounded soldiers and curious people around them were drawn to a faint golden light being emitted by Leona¡¯s hands. As they approached, one of the soldiers with a wounded arm started to touch said limb while claiming what seemed impossible. ¡°It¡¯s- it¡¯s healed! My arm is healed!¡± ¡°Huh? My wounds are also gone!¡± Despite the myriad of voices and gasps of surprise around her, Leona was extremely focused on Krieg as if she knew instinctively how to use healing magic. The golden glow became stronger and warmer until the knight started to blink himself awake. His vision was still blurry from the fatigue but he could barely make out the shape of a person beside him. A golden gentle aura was caressing his weary body and the unbearable pain he felt from the previous fight was quickly vanishing. ¡®Eleonora¡­?¡¯ His mind was still trying to process what he was feeling. ¡®Did I¡­ die?¡± ¡°..ieg¡­¡± A faint voice echoed in his mind. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ ¡°Kri¡­ eg¡­¡± The female voice became a bit more clearer as he tried to focus on it. ¡®Is that¡­ Leona¡­?¡¯ ¡°Krieg!¡± Suddenly, he jolted awake by Leona¡¯s shout. Looking beside him he saw his liege on the verge of tears as she held his hand tightly with a golden glow that looked like a spectral extension of her hair imitating someone he knew very well. ¡°Eleonora¡­? No¡­ Leona? Is that you?¡± He muttered as his vision started to focus. Seeing him open his eyes made Leona smile despite her eyes brimming with tears. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Krieg.¡± She squeezed his hand and lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m glad you are alright.¡± Looking at both of them made Charlotte smirk a bit before turning to the soldiers that were now healed and in top condition to carry out her orders. ¡°Disperse the crowd, prioritize making way for the chirurgeons.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± However tried as they might, the people¡¯s curiosity was so intense that it was overwhelming them. ¡°Did you see that light?! Is that woman a priestess?¡± ¡°She must be! A faithful servant of Eleonora no doubt!¡± ¡°Such warm and gentle light¡­!¡± ¡°Please! Grant us your blessing!¡± Despite Astera being a few weeks away from Arcadia, the church of light was still influential across the continent and the coastal city was no exception. When the crowd witnessed a miracle happening in front of their eyes it was like feeding crumbs to hungry pigeons. Everybody wanted to see who this religious figure was up close, but little did they know she was no priestess, but a noble woman who just yearned earnestly for the well-being of her knight. ¡°Hey back off!¡± One of the soldiers had to push the citizens back using his own rifle as a staff. He seemed younger but was still strong enough to fend off the fervent crowd. ¡°I¡¯ve said! Back. Off!¡± He shoved them back with the help of the other soldier but it was a matter of time before they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. Charlotte was about to reach for her revolver when Leona held her hand while shaking her head. ¡°Let me handle this.¡± She stood up with Krieg towering behind her. She lifted her arms to the sky as she shouted. ¡°Faithful followers of the light! Eleonora has heard your pleas! I have been chosen by the goddess as her champion and with our might combined, we shall end the death angels that plague this world!¡± The faithful raised their hands as if witnessing a miracle. As if some sort of magic, they even stopped trying to shove the soldiers away and instead interlocked their fingers and bowed down in prayer. Leona felt bad for deceiving them, she was no saint nor priestess, but she knew it was necessary to keep a facade should they need help from the citizens of Astera. ¡°Well done Leona.¡± Charlotte muttered as she relaxed her hand that was ready to draw her revolver. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head to the ship before they decide to take you away.¡± The tactician discreetly nodded as she, alongside Krieg, headed with Charlotte towards the vessel. However as a self proclaimed chosen of the goddess, Leona kept waving to the fervorous crowd that seemed more than content with how she addressed their concerns and slowly but surely began to disperse. As they did, an arm emerged from the waters below the docks and grabbed the wooden ledge as a figure emerged from the depths, slumping on the very side of the dock and setting its back against the wooden support beam. ¡°Curse you Leona¡­¡± Kaeli managed to survive the blast, albeit with part of her overcoat scorched and the breastplate blown off with a terrible burn around the right side of her lower abdomen. ¡°How did she even know how to craft spells¡­? I thought that was Master¡¯s invention¡­¡± She reached for the wound with her left hand, holding it offered a degree of relief from the pain. From the corner of her eye she noticed a soldier loosely holding a rifle approach her without much care for his own safety. ¡°Huh¡­ are you okay? Who are you-¡± With a flick of her hand she decapitated the man. The head fell in the water as she grabbed a hold of the body before stripping it down for the uniform she was after. ¡°I swear¡­ this is far from over¡­¡± A light blue glint emerged within her eyes as she was filled with determination to finish the job. Chapter CXV: Settling In The main room inside the ship seemed more like an infirmary than a banquet hall. The center long table where meals would be served was now being used to hold medical supplies such as potions, herbs and neatly organized bandages. ¡°Ow, ow, ow, ow.¡± Luka winced in pain as one of the chirurgeons was attempting to remove the bullet lodged inside his lower abdomen with a pair of tweezers. ¡°Hey, careful there, I think you might have nicked my stomach or something.¡± ¡°If you stopped struggling so much I would¡¯ve finished this a long time ago Mister Luka.¡± The burly man had a white cloth mask covering his mouth as he, despite his physique, was maneuvering the tweezers in the bullet wound in order to remove the projectile. ¡°I still have to treat Sir Percival after this so do your best to stay still.¡± Luka grumbled in discomfort. Leona, who was sitting across from the soldiers being treated, marveled how they would efficiently treat the wounds based on severity and how fast they were able to set up a place that would be able to provide swift relief for those in more need. ¡°You seem pleased.¡± Charlotte approached her with a tired expression on her face as she took a seat on the soft fluffy pelt couch. ¡°Mind sharing your thoughts?¡± ¡°I never been on the frontlines so I didn¡¯t know what the soldier¡¯s plight was like after a battle was fought.¡± Leona¡¯s gaze was upon everyone who was currently being treated. ¡°Truly, their selfless sacrifice is something impossible to measure.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®their sacrifice¡¯?¡± Cecile had a smirk on her face. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t blasted that witch the moment you did we wouldn¡¯t be alive in the first place.¡± She took a sip from a healing potion that was handed to her. Its color seemed a bit different from what Leona was used to seeing, as opposed to the vibrant red it was much duller as if it had been diluted in water. ¡°Is the city struggling with supplying potions as well?¡± The tactician asked Charlotte. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice how they looked¡­ different.¡± ¡°Ah no, not at all.¡± The burly chirurgeon stood up after treating Luka and moved over to the table where the medical supplies were. He explained while he cleaned the tweezers with a transparent liquid. ¡°For each normal potion we are able to make ten of these and while they have diminished potency than the original, we can manage to treat a higher number of wounds if they aren¡¯t life threatening. Of course, most of the healing is done by the patient¡¯s body, but that can also be thought of as training against further injuries.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened a bit as she brought her left hand to her chin. It was certainly an interesting way to use healing potions and that could extend their own supplies by quite a margin if the wounds weren¡¯t too serious. ¡°Interesting¡­ who came up with that idea?¡± ¡°A chirurgeon from Nara.¡± He explained. ¡°As the only one of the healing team who can handle voyages without getting seasick, I was assigned to travel with Lady Charlotte¡¯s crew in case they needed healing, but you see, the chirurgeons from Nara have a much more sophisticated outlook in almost every aspect of our craft. It was most enlightening to travel there.¡± ¡°Was Nara always so advanced like this?¡± Leona asked Charlotte with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I read books about the eastern kingdom but those were old ones from like ten to twenty years ago.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± The captain scratched the side of her head. ¡°I¡¯m not that smart to figure out something outside the trade of goods, but they have been coming up with innovations in the recent years mostly to ease the burden on the common folk. For example, there is this thing called ¡®shower¡¯, invented by some nameless inventor and placed in almost every residence in the city that allows you to take a hot bath without using firewood or magic. It was a delightful experience.¡± While deep down Leona was worried about what awaited them in Nara, merely hearing about new inventions made her feel a sense of excitement as she muttered. ¡°Taking a hot bath without firewood or magic¡­? How is that even possible?¡± ¡°What is so new about taking hot baths?¡± Phoebe came from the deck through the main staircase to their left side which prompted most, aside from the chirurgeons, to look at her as she took a seat two couches away from them. ¡°It¡¯s common to bathe everyday there.¡± That made Leona look at Charlotte with an inquisitive expression causing the captain to speak up. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s common to bathe there everyday. I still take baths every two days here because water is a problem, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be the case there.¡± That made Leona conscious of her own smell as she discreetly brought her left wrist to scratch her nose against. Her clothes didn¡¯t smell like anything in particular and were more akin to a damp cloth scent probably thanks to the seawater, her hair on the other hand did smell like fat from the lack of cleaning. ¡®I should take care of this later¡­¡¯ ¡°Ah Leona, I forgot to mention because of what happened earlier.¡± Charlotte had a faint smile on her face. ¡°Thank you for buying those raisins from the shop. I¡¯m sure Lucina was thrilled.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t need to thank me. She was very welcoming, that''s why I bought the jar in the first place. Speaking of which, why don¡¯t we eat some right now?¡± ¡°Should I go get it?¡± Luka was about to stand up, but Charlotte swiftly raised her hand as she headed to her office that was on the opposite side of the staircase that led to the banquet hall. ¡°You stay there, you still need to recover, I¡¯ll go get the jar and we¡¯ll have some together.¡± As she left the room it became quiet with only the occasional shuffling of the chirurgeons making any sounds as they were finishing treating their wounds. The burly man was surprisingly quick with his tools as he cleanly removed the bullet lodged in Percival¡¯s arm before applying a sterilized bandage around the wound. ¡°There, try moving now Sir Percival.¡± He did as instructed and albeit wincing in pain, he nodded while clenching his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s painful, but I can move it.¡± ¡°Good, good. I¡¯ll have a half potion ready for you later, your wounds should close within this week, same for you too Miss Cecile.¡± He glanced at her with the bandaged thigh before standing up and bringing his tools to the nearby wooden table where all the rest of his disinfectant were. ¡°Now¡­ to treat Miss Leona¡¯s wound.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean I¡¯m feeling- ack!¡± She tried to stand up, but just as the chirurgeon predicted, her left leg was injured during the battle as she fell back on her seat. Unbeknownst to Leona at the time, she was hit with a ricocheted bullet that lodged itself in the upper part of her left thigh, it was thanks to her body being full of adrenaline that she managed to simply shrug off the pain for a while, however since the battle had ended and she was now more relaxed, the pain became more evident as she felt a sudden heat coming from around the wound. ¡°I¡¯ll finish cleaning my tools and I¡¯ll be right with you.¡± The chirurgeon was speaking calmly as if he had done that same procedure one too many times and was already used to the process.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Krieg had a worried look on his face as he looked at Leona, who upon noticing his gaze, simply smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve been through worse.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He said in a melancholic tone while discreetly clenching his right hand into a tight fist. ¡®If only I was stronger¡­¡¯ His gaze was fixed on her who, despite the harsh reality of life, was still doing her best. Instead of giving in to despair she fought back at it with tooth and nail it made him feel bittersweet. That small girl he once knew had become such a capable lady. ¡°You¡¯ll burn a hole through her at this rate.¡± Charlotte¡¯s sudden voice coming from behind made him snap out of it as he turned around to look at her. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Nothing, do you need help with that?¡± He pointed his finger at the jar of raisins she held but instead she just smirked and shook her head. ¡°This is fine, it¡¯s the least I can do.¡± She grabbed on the metal lid and tried to unscrew it only for it to be stuck. ¡°Nnnngh!¡± She flexed both legs and arms in order to get most of her strength into it but to no avail. Even clenching her teeth and breathing sharply did nothing to open it. That made Krieg lift his finger as if to express doubt. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°No! I will open this!¡± Out of stubbornness and pride she attempted a few more times until her fingers began to hurt from the excessive exertion. After a while she was out of breath. ¡°Stop being stubborn Captain.¡± Cecile adjusted on her seat while pointing out what seemed to be obvious at that point. ¡°Though you may be fast with a gun, I think Sir Krieg is better suited for a test of strength.¡± ¡°Bah! Here, take it.¡± She begrudgingly handed him the jar before crossing her arms. He adjusted it between his left biceps and forearm before grabbing on the lid with the right hand, one swift twist was all it took to open it. It didn¡¯t even look like he used any strength which made Charlotte even more annoyed at herself. ¡°Here.¡± He handed the glass container back and she shook it a bit as raisins gathered at the edge of the jar. ¡°Open your hands.¡± He did as instructed and she shook the jar a bit more until he had a handful of raisins. The small dried fruits were contrasting with his slightly shiny leather gloves which was part of the uniform he borrowed from Londria. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± He chuckled a bit seeing how she was still a bit annoyed with the jar incident. She proceeded to give each one of the soldiers a handful before stopping by Leona who was about to receive treatment for the bullet lodged inside her thigh. ¡°You¡¯ll feel a slight tingle now.¡± The chirurgeon said as he approached her with the sterilized pair of tweezers and bandages. Leona couldn¡¯t tear her eyes off the man¡¯s hands as he approached her wounded thigh and she instinctively clenched her teeth. However, contrary to what she was expecting, the man started to use magic as his left hand began to glow a tint of purple. ¡°Wait¡­ why are you using magic¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, Miss Leona can see this? It¡¯s something I¡¯ve learned in Nara, it¡¯s a spell that blocks sensations in a specific area of the body so you don¡¯t feel anything.¡± He gently touched about a palm above the wound with four of his fingers. ¡°Relax your body.¡± Just as he said before, a faint tingle ran through her leg as if the electrical current was going around it. The sensation was completely different from being hit by an offensive spell as it wasn¡¯t painful. In fact it felt more similar to when she would spend too much time sitting on top of her own leg making it go numb after a while. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± ¡°It has taken effect. I ask you to avert your eyes since the spell isn¡¯t perfect, your brain might actually be able to perceive the pain simply by seeing it.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She turned her face to the right and noticed Krieg staring at the chirurgeon doing the procedure. In reality, she was curious as to how the spell really worked and wanted to look but the thought of removing something from inside of her body made her uneasy as she didn¡¯t handle pain very well, at least not the physical kind. She wished to have a vague idea of what was happening but Krieg¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t exactly helpful in that regard as his face continued stoic. A few seconds passed and she felt a slight movement inside her thigh, it was surreal. Despite the chirurgeon going through her flesh in order to remove the bullet lodged inside her body all she could feel was a strange tingling sensation around her thigh similar to numbness. She had previously seared her own wound which was tremendously painful. However what she felt could only be described as unsettling. Despite being aware of the chirurgeon¡¯s movements with the tweezers, she just didn¡¯t feel anything, pain, heat, cold, nothing. ¡°There we go.¡± The chirurgeon sounded satisfied. ¡°You can look now, Miss Leona.¡± She did as instructed and the moment she looked at him, her eyes drifted to his right hand that held the tweezers. ¡°That thing was inside my leg?¡± The deformed bullet about two centimeters tall loosely resembled a flower, albeit a crimson red metallic one. She looked down at the wound and there was blood coming out of it. He quickly staunch the bleeding with bandages while also applying a quarter dose of a vibrant red potion he had in his belt satchel through cloth. ¡°It sure was.¡± He tossed the object inside a wooden cup. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to dispose of it later. In the meantime make sure to get some rest, the anesthetic spell will wear off in a few minutes so you¡¯ll start feeling the pain again.¡± His words made Leona shift her attention entirely towards him as he bandaged the wound. ¡°Wait what did you say?¡± ¡°The pain, it¡¯ll come back in a few minutes.¡± ¡°No, no, the word before that. Anes- aneste-¡± ¡°Anesthetic?¡± ¡°Yes! That. What is that?¡± Her sudden enthusiasm surprised him. ¡°Huh? Oh, it¡¯s a form of nullifying pain with lightning magic.¡± He explained as he was finishing tying the bandage around her thigh. ¡°It¡¯s another trick I¡¯ve learned while studying under one very knowledgeable chirurgeon.¡± ¡°Really?! I¡¯d like to-¡± She wanted to stand up but her leg throbbed from pain the moment she attempted to move. ¡°Ack!¡± A sharp shock hit her brain which caused her to involuntarily fall back on the couch. ¡°Ah Miss Leona! You shouldn¡¯t move like that, the potion I administered needs time to work.¡± She showed a bit of her clenched teeth as air hissed between them from the sharp pain she felt. ¡°Nnngh¡­¡± ¡°Please take some time to rest, I have a few things to dispose of before we leave.¡± He bowed politely. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Ah but-!¡± Before she could protest, the chirurgeon was gone. Charlotte approached and sat beside her while seemingly holding a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sylas lives in his own world at times. Please forgive him.¡± ¡°Oh, no I was just-¡± She winced a bit as the pain subsided when she stopped moving. ¡°Too curious about the spell he was talking about. I¡¯ve never heard about using the lightning element for pain relieving purposes.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m no expert in the matters of magic, but I do know how to enjoy a break after an arduous fight.¡± She shook the jar a bit as raisins gathered by the edge of it. ¡°Want some?¡± ¡°Certainly! I¡¯ve had grapes before but not like this¡­¡± Charlotte filled Leona¡¯s hand with raisins by vigorously shaking the jar back and forth, resulting in a few falling on the wooden floor. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll clean it later, don''t worry.¡± Leona awkwardly shifted her left hand horizontally in order to accommodate the raisins, but unfortunately some ended up falling on her lap regardless. She picked the ones on her lap and clumped them all together before sending it down her mouth. ¡°?!¡± Upon biting down on it she felt a delicate balance between faintly sweet and slightly tart fill her mouth. As she continued chewing, her teeth crunched the dried seeds that had a bit of a bitter aftertaste which didn¡¯t feel bad for her. Her eyes widened a bit and her mouth curled in a slight smile. ¡°Oh, I like that expression.¡± Charlotte chuckled. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± She swallowed after chewing some more and then nodded to her. ¡°This is quite delicious. I bet it would be even better with chocolate.¡± ¡°Chocolate? What¡¯s that?¡± That picked the Captain¡¯s interest. What surprised Leona even more was the fact that someone that traveled a lot like her didn¡¯t know about chocolate. ¡°It¡¯s a Zenithian delicacy.¡± She explained while passing the tip of her tongue between her lips as if vividly remembering the taste. ¡°It has a dark color, tough texture on the outside, soft insides and it¡¯s very sweet.¡± Hearing the mention of sweets from another land made Cecile become interested as she joined the conversation. Seeing Leona enjoy herself with small talk was enough to make Krieg feel at peace, but his faint smile was short-lived as he knew this was just the beginning. ¡®I can¡¯t let anybody else harm her.¡¯ Chapter CXVI: Wicked Justice It was just past noon when they set sail. Leona was enjoying the sights one last time before the ship sailed too far from the coast when Cecile approached her with a smile on her face as she asked. ¡°Enjoying the view?¡± The vast waters reflecting sunlight with the different hues of blue in the horizon as Leona turned to answer. ¡°Yeah. I have never been to the coast, nevermind the ocean. I only read books describing what it looked like in Londria before the freeze, but this exceeded all my expectations.¡± They were leaving the Asteram docks behind with a few soldiers and citizens waving towards them. She felt a bit bittersweet. ¡°It is no exaggeration to say that I want to protect this place as well.¡° ¡°That¡¯s great to hear.¡± Cecile leaned on the wooden railing with her back while crossing her arms. Her cheerful expression gave place to a more worried look. She bit her lips lightly as if thinking how to word what she was about to say. ¡°Princess Leona, do you remember the conversation we had about my parents last night?¡± She nodded in response, albeit a bit concerned with her change of tone, she asked. ¡°Yes, was there anything else you wanted to say?¡± ¡°I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to say this in front of your servants since I wanted to know your own opinion, but¡­ my parents, my father more specifically, he was a devout paladin.¡± Paladins, a noble title given to an individual of remarkable accomplishments. There were a few in Arcadian history but the title itself originated from Zenith and its devout paladins of the dragon lords. Fearsome knights wielding both magic and the blade, they faithfully served their draconic masters in exchange for their power, at one point, a single paladin was able to defeat entire armies of foot soldiers. History books would deem the elven race to be the most reverent to their deity, citing that one could go as far as massacring entire populations to appease the dragon god. Obviously Leona knew that didn¡¯t apply to every single elf or half-elf for that matter, but the fact she wished to conceal that revelation from the others made her a bit uneasy. ¡°Then, the pretext to find your father¡­¡± ¡°No! All that I said yesterday was the truth! I swear to the goddess I never once lied to you, Princess Leona.¡± Cecile instinctively had both of her palms open as a way to redouble her denying efforts. ¡°He may have been a paladin at one point but when I remember his smile, I just can¡¯t bring myself to hate him. He and my mother are all the family I have left so please, could you grant him mercy?¡± Leona was obviously conflicted. Arcadia went through two major conflicts up until that point. The dragon war that lasted for a thousand years and the human demon war which lasted a hundred years. A thousand years of conflict and suffering was brought by the legendary dragon Akantor, while wishing to rule the land and everything in it, he destroyed humans and demons both. The elves¡¯ reverence to the dragon god spared them from destruction and as they embraced dragonkind, so did their powers embrace elvenkind. Aligning oneself to a dragon paladin could be considered betrayal of the highest order in Arcadia. Needless to say the unrest if the general populace knew of such a thing. Leona bit the underside of her lip in a sign of stress. ¡°I¡­ I will need to consider it. I¡¯m sorry Cecile.¡± Instead of looking sad or pleading for her cause, the half elf simply smiled and bowed down to her. ¡°Thank you, Princess Leona.¡± She adjusted the rifle¡¯s sling on her shoulder and headed downstairs. Leona pinched her nose bridge while frowning her eyebrows. She sighed. ¡®I¡¯ll give this issue proper consideration when the time comes.¡¯ She thought as her gaze returned to the endless horizon. ¡®For now, I must focus on what¡¯s ahead of me.¡¯ Phoebe observed her from the other side of the deck with her left hand loosely hanging around her own waist. Leona was like a puzzle for the high elf. Not only she didn¡¯t understand why there was so much riding on the shoulders of someone who barely knew of battle, but also why her master would specifically pick her out of so many better options. ¡®Even Eleonora herself would¡¯ve been a leader.¡¯ Her left fingers instinctively popped the latch of her satchel open before closing it again, a habit when she was deep in thought. ¡®Having someone so inexperienced shoulder all this responsibility by themselves is simply too much of a gamble.¡¯ She reached for the wooden box that was tied to the right of her hip and pulled out the prismatic pendant from it. Looking closely, the chains seemed worn and rusted as if left without proper care for a long time. ¡®And this thing¡­ it can¡¯t be a replica with how it reacts to magic, but then why does it look so old despite looking the same?¡¯ ¡°What is it that troubles you, Miss Phoebe?¡± The male voice beside her prompted her right hand to pocket the pendant back in the box as she concealed it with her coat. Who addressed her was Percival, he wore a gentle smile with both of his hands in front of his body as if ready to serve. ¡°It¡¯s nothing that concerns you.¡± Despite his military uniform, he seemed more or less what a butler should look like given his mannerisms and will to serve. In response to her blunt answer, he simply smiled and continued.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh but surely an old butler such as myself can be of some use to you. It would trouble Miss Leona and Miss Charlotte to see someone in a sour mood, no offense intended mind you.¡± ¡°You really know how to be nosy don¡¯t you?¡± He bowed with his right hand on his chest and a smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s a necessary trait for the position I hold.¡± Seeing how they seemingly were getting along made Leona feel bittersweet as she kept watching. It wasn¡¯t loneliness but she felt uncomfortable looking at them from afar after last night¡¯s argument. While Krieg¡¯s suspicions were founded and his words rang true; Leona couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that was really the way. After last night¡¯s argument it was obvious there was a rift between them now and she knew it was inevitable the two parties involved would hold grudges against one another. It was obvious that it wouldn¡¯t do them any good to remain distant as they were, but Leona scarcely knew how to deal with relationship problems such as that. She was a tactician not a counselor. ¡°Is something bothering you, Princess Leona?¡± Leona turned to her right only to notice Luka standing with his left hand holding the sling of the rifle over his shoulder. The soldier was wearing a faint smile on his face as he adjusted the weapon before leaning against the wooden railing. Leona on the other hand seemed sad while looking at Phoebe with distant eyes. ¡°We¡­ we had a fight yesterday. I don¡¯t know how I should approach her now¡­¡± Luka let out a snort akin to a laugh which made her look at him with a confused expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make fun of you but for someone so accomplished as you to be stumped in a matter of relationship with your servant, it just seemed a bit surreal.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She didn¡¯t understand, but the answer seemed obvious to him. ¡°Princess Leona. Don¡¯t you think it is strange for someone to be accompanying you despite you having fought with them?¡± Leona looked away and grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s not like she has another option¡­¡± ¡°Even then.¡± Luka stepped in front of her with a faint smile on his face. ¡°If she truly despises you; do you think she would be within reach like that?¡± He glanced at Phoebe which made the tactician follow his gaze. ¡°All you need is the courage to take the first step.¡± He opened his left arm as if paving a way for her to walk towards the high elf before she leaned against the railing one more time. ¡°You make it sound so easy.¡± ¡°When you have to deal with Khalid almost every day, you too would get used to mending relationships.¡± His cheerful nature reminded of her father. Despite facing all kinds of problems he too, was smiling until the very end. ¡°Very well¡­¡± She clenched her fists as her arms extended firmly as if making up her mind. ¡°I suppose there is no harm in trying.¡± ¡°Go get ¡®em Princess.¡± With his parting words, Leona made her way over to the two. Phoebe noticed her from the corner of her vision and stopped talking to turn slightly at the incoming tactician and Percival followed her suit. ¡°Phoebe, can we talk?¡± The butler knew he should leave the moment she uttered those words and as a sign of respect, he bowed before taking a few steps away to leave them to themselves. Seeing him leave without a word made the high elf realize Leona was serious and in response, she simply raised her arm towards the front of the ship. ¡°By all means.¡± They walked a bit to be just outside earshot of everyone before they could start their conversation in earnest. Phoebe had a lax stance as she leaned with her back against the wooden railing while both elbows supported her as she left herself completely open. Leona couldn¡¯t tell if she was doing that on purpose or if it was simply that the high elf didn¡¯t feel threatened by her even at sword range as she had an irritating mocking expression on her face. ¡°Phoebe, I am aware of what I told you yesterday, but after thinking thoroughly today I¡¯ve come to realize I said many unnecessary things. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She placed both her hands on each of her thighs before bowing. That not only made her flinch, but her expression changed completely. The once smug and mocking Phoebe was now hard pressed to find any words she could utter in that situation. ¡°W-wait, what are you doing-?¡± ¡°If you weren''t back there in Londria I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened to me and Krieg.¡± She interrupted her while keeping her head low. ¡°I honestly felt bad how we treated you so accept my apologies.¡± ¡°Enough of bowing already.¡± She held both of her shoulders and lifted her face up. ¡°I told you before, I¡¯m only doing this for myself. You don¡¯t need to concern yourself with an outsider like me.¡± Her face was beet red despite saying those words which made Leona let out a short laugh as their eyes met. Phoebe averted her eyes from embarrassment but that just made the young woman be even more persistent in making amends as she stepped to where she was gazing in order to look her in the eyes. ¡°You say it like that but you are a good person at heart, Phoebe. I hope you¡¯ll continue to keep me safe alongside Krieg.¡± For a while, the only sounds she could hear were the ocean waves crashing against the ship¡¯s hull and the cries of hungry seagulls flying above them. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll do my best, Princess.¡± She covered her mouth with her left hand as if trying to hide her troubled expression. It felt like heavy weights were lifted off Leona¡¯s shoulder; she relaxed once she finally said her piece. With a smile on her face she reached for Phoebe¡¯s left shoulder and squeezed her tightly. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you too.¡± Though short, their conversation was plenty to mend the rift between them. Most of the people on the ship¡¯s deck didn¡¯t understand why the two were so close like that but it did bring some joy to those who saw them making amends. Leona felt like she was being stared at but couldn¡¯t tell where the strange animosity was coming from as she looked around. ¡®Was I imagining things?¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s wrong Princess?¡± Phoebe asked, seeing how she seemed troubled. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s head downstairs, I still have to give Krieg an earful too for what happened.¡± She started stomping her way to the staircase with the high elf following right behind her. ¡°No, no, no need to do that! Princess?! Princess!¡± As the others returned to their chores; a cloaked figure shifted to the shadows from the back of the ship. A wounded but alive Kaeli was making use of the small space behind the captain¡¯s quarters that rarely was checked by the ship¡¯s crew. She was wearing the same Asteram uniform from the soldier she had killed in-land with her long straight black hair tied in a bun with hemp rope; from a distance, she seemed like an ordinary soldier. ¡°Dammit¡­ she really did a number on me¡­¡± She bit on a piece of tough jerky as she muttered under her breath. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t kill her in this condition.¡± She opened her hand and a few faint sparks of electricity jumped outwards. ¡®She must be going to Nara.¡¯ She thought while munching on the chewy jerky. ¡®I¡¯ll bide my time until I recover my magic. I¡¯ll then finish this in one fell swoop.¡¯ Her deep blue eyes had a glint of determination in them. Chapter CXVII: Vile Retribution A few days have passed ever since they left the port of Astera. Though they were getting used to life at sea, there was one thing that would eventually plague any of them at one point. ¡®I am definitely bored.¡¯ Leona wore a simple white cotton shirt with the military coat tied to her hip as she trained with her sheathed longsword on the deck out of boredom, practicing light swings and parries with an imaginary opponent, but it had already become part of her daily routine at that point. Krieg was still too seasick to have a proper bout with her and Phoebe¡¯s fighting style was already rubbing off the wrong way on her. ¡®You aren¡¯t supposed to use my movements. They are made for the weapon like a dagger. A longsword will make a poor choice of arms for what you¡¯re trying to accomplish.¡¯ Her words rang in Leona¡¯s ear as if a way to remind her to stop trying to incorporate the style of an assassin to her swordsmanship. She untied the leather belt from the scabbard and guard before returning both around her hip. The sun was beginning to settle as she walked towards the starboard of the ship. Waves in the distant horizon reflected the sunset¡¯s orange tint which made her feel at ease. For a moment her leather belt came loose and almost dropped her longsword, but thankfully she reacted just in time to grab the scabbard before it could hit the ground. Upon looking downwards, she noticed the military uniform she borrowed in Akrapocalis was now showing signs of use; seeing how it lasted her a few months of rough travel, it was nothing short of a miracle she could still wear it. She sighed for a bit as she adjusted the belt on her hip As she headed downstairs for a break, a familiar voice greeted her. ¡°Hey stinky.¡± Charlotte threw a piece of cloth against Leona¡¯s face. Thankfully she saw it coming and grabbed it before it could land on target. ¡°I would rather have you not call me stinky.¡± She used the cloth to dry the beads of sweat coming down from her forehead. ¡°Are you on a break as well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeling too great so I came down here.¡± She leaned her head against the couch. ¡°Can you call Cecile? She can help me recover.¡± Leona nodded as she threw the cloth over on her shoulder and headed to the soldier¡¯s quarters. It was a simple matter of walking down the hallway from the dining room. After many nights entering the wrong rooms from the lack of a light source, Leona became oddly accustomed to knowing where each of the crewmember¡¯s rooms were. She stopped by the end of the hallway and knocked on Cecile¡¯s door a few times. ¡°Cecile? It¡¯s me, Leona. Charlotte needs some help with a relief of sorts.¡± ¡°Ah?! Princess Leona? I¡¯ll be right there- Ack!¡± With a loud crash and heavy footsteps against the wooden floor, the half elf opened the door to greet Leona. ¡°Sorry I was sleeping.¡± Her usually well kept hair had a few unruly ends pointing outwards and as opposed to the uniform she would be seen wearing everyday when helping sailing, she was wearing a simple cotton shirt and trousers while also barefooted. ¡°I can see that¡­ in any case, Charlotte is in need of your assistance.¡± She turned around and started heading back while Cecile passed right beside her in a light jog. Once they were in the dining hall, the half elf kneeled beside Charlotte while holding her hand between hers. Leona on the other hand, sat on the opposite couch and drank some water from a waterskin she left hidden behind it. She caught a glimpse of a faint blue light coming from them which didn¡¯t bother her at first but after a few seconds passed, said light became brighter. Once she shifted her attention to the both of them, she realized the flashes of light came not from Cecile but instead from a few light blue globules floating around her as if they were dancing around her. ¡°Oh that feels much better.¡± Charlotte seemed relieved from whatever was troubling her. ¡°I should¡¯ve listened to Percival the first time.¡± She opened her eyes and noticed Leona standing a few meters behind Cecile with one orb of light hovering between her hands. ¡°What are these lights?¡± ¡°They are spirits, Princess Leona.¡± The half elf answered without moving or opening her eyes as she was still focusing on the incantation to help the captain. ¡°My mother was a spirit user and she taught me how to communicate with them. Though my abilities pale in comparison to hers, I¡¯m still able to evoke some of them to my aid.¡± Looking closely, she could see a surge of mana around Cecile¡¯s body as the ice-aspected spirits began to emit a faint light that grew brighter as she maintained her discreet chanting. The air suddenly felt colder as if the heat was sucked out of it by the spirits as they floated around their master. At that distance even Leona could feel the pleasantly cold breeze over her sweat soaked shirt. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Charlotte had a satisfied expression on her face. ¡°Thank you Cecile, that is enough.¡± One by one, the spirits began to disappear with dimming lights. The one between Leona¡¯s hand shone brightly for a brief moment before also vanishing in thin air. The half elf stood up and bowed. ¡°My pleasure. I¡¯ll be heading back to my quarters now, excuse me.¡± ¡°By all means.¡± She hurriedly walked back to the hallway before entering her room. ¡°Were you having a sun stroke?¡± Leona sat beside the now much better Charlotte who was in the middle of drinking water from her canteen.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Navigating under this blazing sun is nothing to scoff at.¡± She took a big swig of water. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to have multiple people steering the ship then?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thing is though, if I do let somebody other than Cecile on the helm, we might as well try to sail the ocean blindly.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ then who is navigating?¡± ¡°For now, Luka.¡± She stood up and stretched her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll go there to take the lead. We might be a bit off track but I can find my bearings.¡± For a moment Leona was worried and decided to follow the captain out of the dining hall. After climbing up the set of stairs and making an U turn, they climbed yet another set of stairs before getting to the helm of the ship. There, Luka was trying his best to keep the wheel as stable as possible and although his focus and effort were commendable in Leona¡¯s eyes, Charlotte gave him a slap to the lower back that was audible from the deck below them. ¡°Yeowch!¡± He straightened his back in an instant and looked mildly horrified at the captain who just gave him a spanking. ¡°I thought a slap might loosen you up.¡± She chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re doing this wrong, Luka.¡± ¡°Huh? But captain you told me to-¡± ¡°Keep the ship going the same way, didn''t I? When I said that I meant the actual way and not straight forward.¡± She gently brushed him off with her right shoulder before turning the steering wheel slightly to the right which made the ship turn softly to the same direction. ¡°There, this is the right way.¡± The shift was so small it made Leona raise an eyebrow as she asked. ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°The sun.¡± She pointed upwards. ¡°Although small, that deviation could make us miss the coast of Nara entirely.¡± Luka hit his own palm with his closed fist as if realizing something. ¡°Ah. Now I remember, you did mention the ship ¡®drifts¡¯ slightly on sea. I¡¯m so sorry Captain.¡± He bowed low. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡± Despite his mistake, Charlotte had a smile on her face. ¡°Seafaring is a hard skill to pick up from scratch. Me and Cecile are able to navigate just fine because we spent most of our childhood on the high seas so it became second nature to us.¡± She kept turning the wheel ever so slightly in order to keep going in the right way. ¡°In any case, go rest with the others. Cecile will need you all in good shape tonight.¡± Luka straightened his back and saluted. ¡°Yes, captain.¡± He left shortly thereafter. Leona remained quietly observing how Charlotte occasionally glanced at the sky before making adjustments which made her wonder how accurate those corrections were. ¡°Say Charlotte.¡± She leaned against the wooden railing near the steering wheel while facing towards the captain. ¡°Does Cecile use her spirit powers often?¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± Despite answering, her eyes seemed extremely focused on what she was currently doing. ¡°She only ever makes use of her powers when I ask her to do so. She explicitly said to me that whatever magic she wields was not made to hurt others.¡± Leona scratched the side of her face. She didn¡¯t know much about spirit magic as it was one of the least studied methods of bending nature to one¡¯s will. Unlike elemental magic where one could learn to cast a myriad of different spells; spirit magic was heavily dependent on the user¡¯s affinity to evoke sentient beings to their command. Fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning and water spirits always existed beside mankind but only a handful of them were able to make use of their powers let alone being able to communicate with them. ¡®I know I was told to obtain true mastery of magic, but what does that really entail?¡¯ Leona pinched her nose ridge between her right thumb and index finger; her brows frowned. ¡®Magic¡­ did he mean spirit magic as well?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re making that face again.¡± Her thoughts were interrupted by Charlotte¡¯s voice. ¡°For a time I¡¯ve come to notice every time you¡¯re thinking too hard you start making an expression like you ate something incredibly sour.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Conscious of what she just heard, her eyes widened and she brought her right hand to hold her chin while slightly looking away. ¡°I¡¯m just lost in thought that is all.¡± ¡°You can talk to me about it, if it helps.¡± ¡°I¡­ I was told I needed to know more about magic. That I had to master it in order to realize my goals, but I don¡¯t know what he meant by mastery.¡± ¡°Did your mentor say that?¡± He was no mentor of hers, in fact, she never really met him in person. But as the one who saved her from certain death by mana overload, he was an enigmatic figure she looked up to. ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°I scarcely know anything about magic but I¡¯m sure Cecile would be willing to help you with that.¡± ¡°Are you sure? She didn¡¯t seem like she wanted to share.¡± ¡°You just don¡¯t know her well enough.¡± She let out a short chuckle. ¡°I did promise her to not say anything but can you keep it a secret?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That girl was always excited to talk about you when you first came to the city.¡± ¡°Was she?¡± She nodded with a smile on her face. ¡°Princess Leona, this, Princess Leona, that. She could barely contain herself before meeting you in person. Apparently her parents made you and your family a big deal to her childhood.¡± Her right hand moved from her chin to her left arm while her eyes widened a bit. To Leona, she was but another Arcadian in a faraway land, but in Cecile¡¯s eyes, the young and inexperienced tactician was more like a hero. It made her feel guilty from doubting her intentions when she shared the story about her family. ¡°I see¡­ I never thought I¡¯d be seen like this from anyone.¡± ¡°That is exactly why I¡¯m telling you. All you need is to ask her about whatever magic whatsit you want to learn. I guarantee, she would be more than happy to assist you.¡± She nodded as if making up her mind. ¡°Thank you Charlotte. I¡¯ll go talk to her.¡± ¡°Yep, enjoy your time.¡± She decided to climb down the stairs and when she made an U turn to head to the dining hall she bumped into Krieg who seemed to be having another bout of seasickness. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry Krieg.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He seemed to be at his limit. ¡°Excuse me.¡± He dashed to the side of the boat before vomiting whatever was that he had in his stomach. Looking at his state made Leona stand by his side while softly rubbing her open left palm on her back as if a way to provide relief. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you have to go through this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault¡­¡± ¡°Still¡­ hm?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was being watched as she turned around, but the deck only had Luka and Yuriel working adjusting the ropes for the sail. ¡®Strange¡­ I swear someone was staring at us.¡¯ ¡°Is something wrong, Leona?¡± ¡°Ah, no, nothing. I¡¯ll ask if Cecile can do something about this seasickness.¡± ¡°Mhm. I would greatly appreciate it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± In the back of the ship, a recovered Kaeli was holding a piece of hardtack as she sank her teeth into it. She had collected a few more supplies by stealing from the barrels on the back of the deck that were usually unguarded due to being less savory supplies. ¡®There is no doubt about this. They are heading to Nara at this point¡­¡¯ She seemed troubled as she munched on the dry biscuit. ¡®I must finish this as soon as I see a chance of getting out of this ship.¡¯ The previously weakened sparks from her arm were now crackling with newfound energy as if she managed to regain all the mana she had spent in the previous encounter. ¡®Enjoy it while you can, Leona Crossford¡­¡¯ Chapter CXVIII: Storm’s Path Part I The sound of creaking wood and the motion of waves hitting against the ship¡¯s hull woke Leona up. ¡°Mmmm¡­¡± Her room was rather small with only enough space for a bed and a wooden box with a lock to store her belongings. Both were affixed to the wooden floor so as to not be flung around the enclosed room in case of a violent storm. She turned to the left side before slowly sitting on the mattress. The bed was comfortable in comparison to the places she had to sleep during her trip to Londria so she had no complaints there. ¡®Feels good to actually get some proper sleep for once.¡¯ She stretched her arms out. ¡®Now¡­ what should I do today, I wonder?¡¯ She stood up and opened the lock with the key that was left in it before taking out her frostburnt silver longsword and tying its belt to her hip. At that moment the ship shook slightly to the side, making her stumble backwards before holding on the door knob with her right hand. ¡°What the¡­¡± She opened the door and managed to walk outside only for the ship to turn to the opposite side and send her head first against the wall. ¡°Gah!¡± She smacked her forehead against the wooden planks and stumbled rightwards only to fall on the floor. The sound of thunder echoed from afar as she heard a voice addressing her. ¡°Princess Leona, are you alright?!¡± ¡°Nnngh¡­¡± She opened her eyes and noticed Percival knelt beside her while also holding onto a nearby door¡¯s knob as he extended his right hand towards her. She grabbed his hand and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Be careful when walking around the ship; Lady Cecile is currently avoiding an incoming storm so it might shake a bit more than usual.¡± Just as he finished saying those words the floor shook yet again with the waves hitting against the ship¡¯s hull, but this time Leona managed to catch herself on the wooden wall. She was still feeling a tingling sensation coming from her ribs since she had fractured them when fighting against the kobold lord Wendigo and thanks to Kaeli, she did exert herself more than she should have. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Her legs felt weak for a moment before she forced herself to stand up straight. She looked at Percival who had a concerned expression on his face. ¡°Is there¡­ anything I can do to help?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, but I¡¯m sure Captain will appreciate your consideration nonetheless.¡± He bowed. ¡°Now if you excuse me, I need to fetch her from her duties.¡± ¡°Charlotte? Isn¡¯t she upstairs?¡± ¡°Well¡­ not quite.¡± He walked past her and knelt at the end of the hallway where just then Leona noticed a trapdoor. He then knocked a few times before raising his voice a bit. ¡°Captain, you are needed at the helm. Lady Cecile is currently dealing with an approaching storm and has requested your presence.¡± A few seconds passed before the wooden door swung open and Charlotte¡¯s arm popped out with her hand closing and opening as if asking for help. Percival discreetly chuckled as he helped her get out of the room below. She patted her clothing to get rid of some dust that was on her. ¡°I talked to our prisoner but he had no information that we didn¡¯t already know.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°Honestly. I understand attacking Leona since she technically still is one of the candidates for the Arcadian throne; it is no surprise that someone wants her dead but choosing to deliberately attack her in my city. I will not stand for it.¡± ¡°That was Kaeli¡¯s orders, I¡¯m sure.¡± Leona spoke from behind Percival which slightly shocked Charlotte as she wasn¡¯t expecting her to be there. ¡°Oh, Leona.¡± She cleared her throat before looking her directly in the eyes. ¡°This Kaeli, who the hell is she anyway? I interrogated the mage below but he was almost as clueless as I.¡± ¡°A talented mage from Arcadia. She¡¯s Phoebe¡¯s older sister and one who serves Alexander. I¡¯m not sure how I didn¡¯t know about her before this conflict broke out, but she isn¡¯t someone that can be easily dealt with.¡± She stared at her own right hand. The delicate pale skin now had blisters in her palm and fingertips thanks to the constant training with the sword. Upon mentioning her the memories of the recent battle seemed to flash in her mind as she closed her hand in a tight fist. ¡°I never fought someone so formidable as her.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Formidable or no, I¡¯m sure she would die just as easily with a bullet to the forehead.¡± Charlotte clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°You mentioned she was Phoebe¡¯s sister but is she¡­ you know, trustworthy?¡± ¡°I have not once hesitated to kill her and I never will.¡± A voice echoed from the entrance of the dining hall. Phoebe had her arms folded and was leaning against the wooden wall before she heard her name being mentioned. ¡®Phoebe¡­¡¯ Though Leona felt sorry for saying those things, the high elf didn¡¯t seem bothered by it and in fact she was annoyed at Charlotte¡¯s suspicions. She walked up to them and placed her right hand on the tactician¡¯s shoulder. ¡°My sister killed our mother. If anything I¡¯m the one who wants her dead more than anyone here.¡± She then looked at Leona with a serious gaze before turning to the captain. ¡°That is why I¡¯m lending my blades to her.¡± Charlotte had a mischievous smile on her face. ¡°Well, at the very least now I know you aren¡¯t hiding the truth with fancy lies.¡± At that moment Leona felt a bout of dizziness, but unlike Krieg¡¯s motion sickness hers was many times more violent as if her skull was being split open. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± She grabbed the side of her head as her knees hit the ground. Everyone around her was surprised by her sudden fall. ¡°Leona?!¡± ¡°Princess?!¡± ¡°Hey Leona! What is going on?!¡± Their voices were becoming distant. She knew that sensation too well, but why now after all this time? Her vision blurred and with it, her consciousness faded. ¡°Leona¡­¡± A familiar male voice echoed in her mind. ¡°Leona Crossford¡­¡± Though it wasn¡¯t the voice of the so-called god of the void and instead a more gentle one. As if calling her out from kindness instead of contempt. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself standing before a withered tree. Its trunk was many times wider than a normal tree and would need at least twenty of her to embrace it. Right beneath one of the roots of the great tree, a man wearing a tattered cloak was holding a familiar curved sword. ¡°You¡­¡± She frowned her brows. His short black hair and serious dark brown eyes staring at her made a chill run down her spine. ¡°Miyamoto?¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you remembered, despite me not looking like an old man anymore.¡± He stood up with the help of his sheathed blade. ¡°Leona, I¡¯ve called you here because of something I felt.¡± The genuine concern in his voice made her uneasy. ¡°Why now?¡± She asked while trying to conceal her anger. ¡°I¡¯ve asked for you before but you never answered.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t. The more time that passes the less ¡®myself¡¯ I become.¡± He slowly walked towards her. ¡°As I said before, my soul is merely a shade of my former self. When I inhabited your body it became part of you. Slowly but surely your soul is becoming stronger thanks to it.¡± He looked up at the withering tree with only a handful of leaves remaining on its branches. ¡°Does this mean this is your inner world?¡± He turned to her with a slightly surprised expression. ¡°Have you been in your own world before?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, but I have been dragged many times into one against my will.¡± ¡°I apologize.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Looking at him she came to realize Krieg did resemble him somewhat. His stoic body language, his speech, even the quiet mannerisms in his voice, it all resembled the knight she was so fond of. ¡°Heed my advice, Leona. A great threat looms in the sea. Now more than ever with the death angels becoming more and more active it might show up amidst the storm.¡± ¡°What are you referring to? An enemy?¡± ¡°A monster known only in tales¡­¡± Outside, Phoebe was holding on Leona¡¯s body so she wouldn¡¯t be tossed around the already shaking ship. The incoming storm was now upon them with roaring thunders and the violent gales bringing salt water onto the ship¡¯s deck. ¡°I need to head outside!¡± Charlotte was shouting atop of her lungs. ¡°Percival! Help Phoebe! Keep Leona safe at all costs!¡± ¡°Yes, Captain!¡± She dashed across the dining hall only to come outside to a wave hitting against the starboard of the ship. ¡°Ugh!¡± She grabbed onto the stair railings that lead to the helm when Luka saw her while he was holding onto the sails¡¯ rope. ¡°Captain! What do we do?!¡± ¡°Hoist the sails! Now!¡± She quickly climbed up the stairs to the helm where Cecile was struggling to keep the boat stable. ¡°Captain!¡± She shouted once she saw Charlotte. ¡°This storm appeared out of nowhere!¡± ¡°Out of nowhere?! You realize there is no such thing as-!¡± As she was about to finish her sentence a shadow passed by the ship. At first she thought it was a trick of the light due to lightning strikes that could create shadows but it happened more times until a darkened appendage latched itself on the side of the ship. ¡°What in the world is that?!¡± Still hidden in the back of the ship, Kaeli was doing her best to not be thrown overboard as she used an earth spell to bind herself to the ship. Rocks and stones seemed to embrace her from behind against the wooden wall like as if she was a barnacle. ¡°This damnable weather.¡± She was also feeling cold due to not having any protection against the elements. Seeing that she was only wearing the uniform she had stolen. ¡°I should get this over with as fast as I- huh?!¡± She noticed something big pass right by the stern of the ship. The reddish color was unlike any fish she had seen. ¡°No way¡­¡± She stood up and the earth spell crumbled at her feet. She clenched her teeth and ran around the corner to the main deck. Chapter CXIX: Storm’s Path Part II ¡°Yuriel! Hack that thing to pieces! Now!¡± Charlotte shouted as loud as she could at the soldier who was just grabbing a nearby battleaxe. He was considerably taller than the rest of the crew and had the muscles to back it up as he raised the two handed weapon with only one hand above his head. ¡°On it Captain!¡± His black irises seemed to emit a dark red glow as he shouted. ¡°Die will you?!¡± With one powerful swing of the axe, he sank the blade about two meters inside the red tentacle before it started to thrash around. ¡°Woah!¡± Luka had his saber out on the other side but was almost smacked by the appendage. ¡°Argh! Stand! Still!¡± He forced the axe deeper while holding the shaft with both hands as if trying to keep it in place but to no avail. ¡°Huh?! Ahhh!¡± Suddenly, the tentacle lifted up and the sheer force flung Yuriel as if it was swatting an insect alongside his battleaxe into the open sea. ¡°Yuriel!¡± Charlotte yelled as she was trying to turn the vessel away from the monster but another three of its tentacles started to envelop the ship rendering it practically immobile. ¡°Dammit! Cecile tried to make use of her own saber as she jumped off the helm in order to slash the tentacle closest to the mast of the ship only for her blade to bounce right off its rubbery skin. ¡°What the-?!¡± She used the bounce and flipped the blade upside down in the air as she stabbed the whole blade into it. ¡°I did it! Wai-!¡± However at that moment, the tentacle flicked at her legs which caused her to fall over on it which then the appendage coiled around her body and lifted her into the air. ¡°Cecile!¡± Luka shouted as he rushed at the tentacle with his saber. ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡± ¡°Let go! Damn you!¡± She tried to free herself from its grasp but it was futile. The tentacle was wide enough to grasp her entire upper body but it was still somehow nimble enough to tighten around her without crushing her. It was as if the monster was toying with its prey. Before Luka could attempt to slice the appendage, a shadow ran past him. ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± A single swing was all it took for the tentacle to be cut down. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Cecile fell along the dismembered limb that somewhat cushioned her fall against the wooden deck. ¡°Ugh!¡± At least she was free from the tentacle¡¯s grasp as she tossed the lifeless limb aside. Upon glancing to her side, she noticed Krieg standing there, holding the blue stained longsword parallel to his body with both hands. Lightning crackled nearby and the thunder rocked the air almost instantly as it struck. Each of the tentacles had a mind of its own and decided to attack the person who was able to cleanly cut one of them down. Krieg readied his grip as he prepared for an onslaught. Inside the ship, Phoebe was still holding on to Leona but the shaking was getting worse by the second as she was forced to use both her feet against the door frame in order to not be flung across the floor. ¡°What is going on?!¡± She shouted at Percival who was also having a hard time holding onto the door frame. ¡°We must have been hit by the storm!¡± He explained as best as he could as the sounds of crashing waves and roaring thunder was muffling his voice. ¡°But even so! This is definitely not normal! Take Lady Leona inside! It¡¯s too dangerous out here!¡± He grabbed the doorknob from Leona¡¯s room and opened it. However before they could even move, the ship shook again with incredible force side to side forcing Phoebe¡¯s back off the wooden wall for a split second before slamming her with full force against it again. ¡°Ugh!¡± With a loud thud she hit the back of her head which instantly knocked her out. Her arms became limp and Leona was about to roll off down the hallway if not for Percival to get a hold of both of them by throwing himself on the floor. ¡°Lady Phoebe! Lady Phoebe?! Get a hold of yourself! Lady Phoebe!¡± Meanwhile, inside Leona¡¯s mind, she was having her final conversation with the guest that inhabited her soul. He was slightly taller than her as he stood by her side looking towards the withering tree. ¡°Akamui, that is what we call this terrible monster of the sea.¡± She stared intently at him as if trying to recall anything she might have heard about it but nothing came to her mind. ¡°Then what do you propose I do?¡± ¡°If you can flee, do so without a second thought.¡± He raised his sheathed blade and stared at the worn hilt, it was almost as if it was beginning to rust right before his eyes. ¡°However if that proves to be impossible, make use of everything you have at your disposal. Even with my skills, I was unable to cut through it.¡± It took a few seconds before she pulled the silver longsword from its sheath; raising it similarly to Krieg¡¯s stance. She took a deep breath as her fingers adjusted the grip around the sword¡¯s handle while a light golden glow coursed through her body towards her hands. While the amount of mana wasn¡¯t anything to write home about, she was able to coalesce it in a tiny point at the tip of the blade, thanks to her heightened focus. This pinpoint accuracy allowed her otherwise ordinary attack to become much denser¡ªsomething that was required to slash through tougher opponents. Leona took a firm step with her right foot and swung the blade diagonally. ¡°Hmph!¡± The flash of light was brief and the tree began to topple over its left side shortly after. For a moment, Miyamoto was surprised with his mouth half open as he watched the withered tree fall to the ground and lift up dust. His surprised expression slowly gave place to a proud smile. ¡°Heh¡­ so this is your answer.¡± She stood firm and sheathed her blade. Her eyes were sharp and filled with determination while looking at the giant cut stump. ¡°I, by no means, have surpassed your skill yet. But to protect those I cherish and my ideals, I will embrace whatever power I can to achieve so. You have my word, Lord of Nara.¡± In turn, he sat down behind her using his scabbard to support his weight. With a relieved smile he looked at the settling dust with a longing gaze. ¡°I am but a relic of the past. A wandering shade destined to suffer for eternity and yet¡­ I¡¯m nothing if not grateful to you. Leona.¡± His body was glowing ever so slightly. As if he was turning into a spirit. ¡°May my experience grant you the power that you need in this journey. Make your mother proud¡­¡± At that moment she turned around only to witness his sword hitting the grass floor of the forest. She briefly walked to where the sword was before kneeling beside it. The moment her hand touched the weapon, her mind was flooded with memories of a forgotten past. The happiness of his marriage, the joy of having a child, the pride of a nation, the grief of loss and the despair of untold destruction. It was intense, violent even. She wasn¡¯t sure if she could handle such ardent emotions until she remembered her mother¡¯s final smile. It was then everything suddenly went white¡ªa blinding light forced her to squint her eyes.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Suddenly, Leona woke up. The crashing waves, creaking wood and roaring thunder assaulted her senses as she frantically looked around to gain her bearings only to see Percival looking pale. ¡°Percival?! What is happening?!¡± She shouted which seemed to snap the butler out of whatever was plaguing his mind. He looked relieved but worried at the same time while he was trying his best to explain the whole situation. ¡°There is something attacking the ship! I wasn¡¯t able to confirm but Lady Phoebe was knocked out while trying to protect you my lady!¡± A memory came to her mind in that brief moment. ¡®Akamui, that is what we call this terrible monster of the sea.¡¯ She turned to him while holding onto the doorknob. ¡°I¡¯ll head outside! Keep Phoebe safe for me!¡± ¡°Yes my lady!¡± Upon dashing outside she already noticed a large amount of water coming down the staircase leading to the upper deck. Not only that but water seemed to be entering between the planks of the side walls, as if the ship was being subjected to great pressure outside. ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­¡¯ She rushed through the dining hall while avoiding getting hit by a stray bottle of wine that went flying down the hallway. Once she stepped outside, a violent storm crackled with lightning, and red appendages thrashed around the deck as if searching for prey. ¡°Cut it! Cut it to pieces!¡± Charlotte¡¯s voice came from somewhere on the deck but with the torrential rain and vicious tentacles flailing about, visibility was nearly impossible. ¡°Leona! Watch out!¡± Krieg shouted from somewhere on her left. She noticed one of the nearby appendages suddenly flick towards her with incredible speed. Thanks to Krieg¡¯s reflexes, he was able to stop it just barely from hitting her by carving his longsword into its rubbery flesh. Even before her brain could register what was happening, Leona brought her left hand on the sheath before quickly drawing the longsword in an upwards slash that released a thread-thin mana blade, managing to cut through the thick appendage. ¡®Wha¡­ what just happened?¡¯ She was dumbstruck. Her body felt light and as though what she just did was out of instinct, her limbs felt much more responsive. Krieg on the other hand, quickly swung his weapon to the side which forced the dismembered extremity of the tentacle off his blade into the ocean. ¡°Leona are you alright?!¡± ¡°Huh?! Ah, yes I¡¯m fine! Thank you Krieg!¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± He shouted while putting his blade up once again in his usual fighting stance. ¡°This thing is wrecking the ship apart! We need to drive it out!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do!¡± Dark storm clouds gathered around as if they were being drawn to this mythical creature. Lightning sundered the air but it seemed to avoid hitting the ship or the monster as if it was being redirected by some strange force. The creature¡¯s tentacles began to encroach the ship from all sides. It was only a matter of time before it could grab a hold and snap the vessel in two. Cecile and Luka were in a vain struggle trying to fend off the weakened tentacles from the port side with their sabers while Charlotte was attempting to pierce through one by shooting it with her revolver. ¡°Damn you! Let go of my ship!¡± The grim situation needed a solution. It was then when Leona shouted. ¡°Krieg! Take the left side! Help them however you can!¡± She grabbed the longsword sheath and ran to the opposite side. ¡°I''ll do what I can!¡± ¡°Leona!¡± Seeing her sprint towards danger was like putting a dagger through his heart, but he knew that in a situation like that, fast and decisive action would dictate the outcome of the battle. There was nothing for him but to pray for her safety. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to get hurt!¡± Rain and salt water had soaked her down to the bone. The freezing cold wind assaulted her senses, numbness was beginning to take hold and yet, her conviction was second to none. Time felt like it came to a crawl as three tentacles had emerged from the waters below and just like before, it decided to attack the closest person to them¡ªLeona. In the single moment where her right fingers embraced the sword¡¯s hilt, a bright flash of light shone from her scabbard as she drew the blade. Unknown words came to her mind, as if it was a rehearsed act. ¡°Reveal thy might! Yoshitsune!¡± With an uncharacteristic shout, she delivered a diagonal upwards slash that was able to cleave through all of them with a bright blade of pure concentrated mana. But in the same moment as she swung her arm out, the skin from the base of her right shoulder to the very tip of her fingers seemed to burst open from the sudden exertion. ¡°Ugh!¡± Blood splattered across the deck which was quickly washed away by the rain. The cut tentacles flailed about before sinking back into the ocean alongside the others that were attacking the opposite side. Seeing how they were retreating made Krieg relieved for a second before he heard the sound of metal clattering against the wooden floor. Once he turned he saw Leona kneeling down with her left hand holding her bloodied right arm. Her frostburnt silver longsword was beside her on the floor. ¡°Leona!¡± He rushed to her side. ¡°What happened to you?¡± She smiled at him, albeit she couldn¡¯t hide the pain in her expression. ¡°I went a bit overboard¡­ I think¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have used this technique so early¡­¡± A few seconds passed of nothing happening which at first made the rest of them sigh in relief. ¡°Is it over?¡± Charlotte held her revolver up before slowly holstering it. ¡°This damn monster, I swear I-¡± She couldn¡¯t even finish her sentence as not one, not two, but all eight tentacles emerged from the ocean on the starboard side of the ship. Alongside the tentacles, a giant bulbous red gelatinous head emerged from behind them, its two glossy eyes seemed to be focused on destroying the plaything that caused it so much pain. ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡± Leona quietly uttered as she looked at the monstrosity that was many times bigger than the ship. Without wasting time, it slammed four of its tentacles on the starboard of the ship. Violently tilting it to the right. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°No, no, no!¡± ¡°Woaaaah!¡± Cecile, Charlotte and Luka were thrown from the left to the right side. The half elf hit her face full force against the mast and was knocked out instantly while the young man and the captain were thrown overboard. Leona and Krieg were already on the right side, but the slam was so powerful that it sent the two against the wooden railing. Luckily for the tactician, her knight was quick enough to use his own body to shield her. ¡°Ngh!¡± ¡°Krieg!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m alright.¡± He had hit his back full force against the railings that snapped in two with his weight. But thankfully he was able to keep himself conscious. ¡°We need¡­ we need to drive this thing back!¡± Leona clenched her teeth in pain. She saw her silver longsword caught against the railings beside them before grabbing its hilt as it was their last chance for surviving. She stood up and raised the blade again in a long point guard. ¡°I will do this¡­ no matter the cost¡­!¡± Krieg noticed what she was planning and wanted to stop her, but deep down he knew if he stopped her, then no one could protect the ship. He stepped in front of her with his sword raised in a plow guard. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to protect you, Leona.¡± She nodded while adjusting the grip on her weapon. ¡°Let¡¯s end this Krieg.¡± The monster¡¯s eyes seemed to lock in Leona as if it knew who the person who wounded it the most was. One of the unharmed tentacles coiled on itself which made the tactician wonder what was happening to it, but to Krieg it was a familiar sight. ¡°Stay behind me!¡± He shouted and the moment he did, the tentacle lashed forward like a crackling whip. It was a matter of milliseconds when he stepped with his right foot forward before swinging his longsword to his left with all his might. The impact of the blade against the whipping tentacle barely changed its trajectory, narrowly avoiding Leona¡¯s upper body. For a brief moment she gasped from the cold air that lashed right beside her face. ¡°Haaaaa!¡± Though that also served to snap her out of it and in that moment of focus she swung her longsword in an overhead strike. ¡°Huh?¡± Unlike before when she unleashed her mana infused slash, her blade made contact with the appendage and simply bounced off the rubbery skin without doing any damage to it. ¡°WATCH OUT!¡± The same tentacle winded up to the side and all Krieg could do was push Leona backwards as the appendage flicked him to the right. He was sent flying down the stairs, violently hitting the dining hall¡¯s table and there is where he stayed, motionless. ¡°KRIEG! NO!¡± She noticed by the corner of her eye, the tentacle raised up as if it was readying itself to slam down on her, however despite the situation, she felt no fear. It was the feeling of helplessness and dread that filled her with untold rage as she picked the fallen longsword off the floor. The creature seemed to feel this killing intent and brought forth two more tentacles in order to finish the job after playing with its meal. It was the end for her until it happened. ¡°Fulgent lightning, smite my foes, Chain Lightning!¡± A roaring thunder echoed from behind her as a violent burst of electricity surged through nearby tentacles, arcing from one to another as the extreme voltage was enough to overcome the resistance of the air. Dealing enough pain for the tentacles to retreat if only for a little while. Looking behind her, Leona noticed a familiar black long haired woman clad in the same uniform as the Asteram soldiers. Her deep blue eyes had an intense glare from beneath the hard cap hat she wore, while sparks flew off her outstretched right hand. The tactician couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. ¡°K-Kaeli?!¡± Chapter CXX: Storm’s Path Part III The storm intensified as time passed. Wind picked up speed and it started to shift the vessel sideways while the waves crashed violently against the damaged ship¡¯s hull. Akamui, the giant octopus monster, grew tired of playing with its meal and decided to go on a full assault in order to break the ship to pieces. Unexpected aid came in the form of Leona¡¯s previous foe, Kaeli Hawkeye. She was definitely someone that could have killed the tactician in her moment of weakness and yet she chose to show herself only to attack the giant foe. ¡°Kaeli?!¡± Leona couldn¡¯t understand how she got there, but most importantly why she was helping her. ¡°How did you-?!¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time Leona!¡± Lightning surged, the air crackled and loose sparks were flying off the arch mage¡¯s outstretched right hand. ¡°Fulgent lightning, decimate my enemy into nothingness, Thunderbolt!¡± With no warning, she unleashed another lightning spell against the giant cephalopod¡¯s head. The ear-splitting thunder and the acrid smell of ozone assaulted Leona¡¯s senses as she stumbled backwards. The octopus quickly retreated into the ocean which gave them respite after the continuous attacks from the beast. At that brief moment of relief, many things went through Leona¡¯s mind. Kaeli was an enemy no doubt, but why was she helping them now? Was there anything she could gain by doing so? Dreadful thoughts filled her mind and while her body knew instinctively how to respond to threats at sword distance with the skills of a talented swordmaster, her ever so slightly trembling sword arm betrayed her confidence. ¡°Before you do anything stupid, know that I am on your side for now.¡± Kaeli uttered calmly. Her voice, though similar in pitch to her younger sister¡¯s, carried a more mature tone. ¡°After all, if this ship sinks there is little I can do to survive in the middle of the ocean like this.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Leona held her urge to raise her stance since deep down she was wishing for a peaceful solution before Kaeli herself raised both of her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a temporary truce. I vow that I won¡¯t harm you or any of your comrades until this ship lands.¡± ¡°Can I really trust you?¡± ¡°If I wanted you dead¡­¡± She replied with a wry smile on her face. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation in the first place, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tension hung in the air. Leona¡¯s right thumb rubbed against the hilt of her blade as if she was making a decision until footsteps echoed from the staircase below them. Suddenly the white robbed chirurgeon appeared, seemingly winded from exerting himself. ¡°Lady Leona! What in the world is happening?! I saw sir Krieg there and-¡± ¡°We¡¯re under attack, Sylas!¡± Leona explained as fast as she could while pointing him to his next patient. ¡°We have wounded here. I need you to treat both Cecile and Krieg!¡± ¡°At once!¡± He rushed on deck and grabbed Cecile underneath her arms before dragging down the staircase. During that moment when Leona¡¯s attention was diverted from her, Kaeli seized the tactician¡¯s right wrist. ¡°Huh?!¡± Startled, her first reaction was to pull the arm away from her, but Kaeli¡¯s grip didn¡¯t budge. ¡®What the¡­?! She¡¯s strong!¡¯ During the brief struggle, Leona felt a gentle tingling sensation running through her body as Kaeli muttered. ¡°Hold on, you damaged your mana circuits.¡± Her deep blue eyes emitted an experienced gaze reminiscent of Phoebe¡¯s during her own teachings. She gently turned her arm in different angles before letting it go. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to cast spells like this.¡± ¡°Wait, how do you even¡­? More importantly, what do you mean I can¡¯t cast spells? I did it just a while ago-¡± ¡°Exactly. That attack you unleashed earlier was something similar to my own spell ¡®Mana Burst¡¯, but instead of releasing mana in all directions, you used your own arm as a catalyst to concentrate all of it through the sword thus damaging your own mana circuits.¡± She shook her head slightly. ¡°I commend your bravery but this recklessness has cost you something not easily mended.¡± Leona stared at her own right arm as she tried to make mana course through it, but something felt off. ¡®She¡¯s right, I can¡¯t use magic¡­!¡¯ Her arm began to shake. Magic was her main source of offensive capabilities; if she wasn¡¯t able to make use of spells in their current condition, their chances of surviving was next to none. ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Kaeli reassured her. An unexpected and yet necessary support coming from her. ¡°You still have your other arm, just don¡¯t use that same spell again.¡± The arch mage raised her left open palm and a shield of water erupted from her hand just in time as two loud bang noises happened at Leona¡¯s right side. Two bullets entered the water before becoming harmless pieces of deformed metal inside the liquid. Leona turned and noticed a soaked and tired Charlotte holding her revolver out with Luka right beside her with his saber ready. ¡°Wait!¡± The tactician shouted. ¡°She isn¡¯t-!¡± Kaeli brought her middle finger and thumb together before snapping them. That motion made the water burst forth and release the bullets back at Charlotte which just grazed her cheeks on both sides. The captain tried to pull the trigger again but the revolver harmlessly made a clicking sound, it was out of ammunition. ¡°Tsk.¡± Luka was about to charge at her but Charlotte extended her left arm, blocking his path. ¡°Wait.¡± He glanced at her before turning again to Kaeli only to see Leona doing the same in front of the high elf as she reprimanded her. ¡°You told me you wouldn¡¯t harm anyone.¡± The tactician frowned her brows. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t defend myself.¡± ¡°So let me guess-¡± Charlotte spoke as she approached them with Luka still holding his saber beside her as if he was ready to strike at the high elf at any moment. ¡°This rat was on board and decided to help now that we are almost sinking. Typical elves.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Her remark hit a nerve, Kaeli raised her left hand with a menacing glare as she warned. ¡°You better watch your tongue, human.¡± Leona quickly stepped in between both and pushed each other away while quickly defusing the situation. ¡°Cecile and Krieg were knocked out. I don¡¯t think we can defeat this thing without her help.¡± Despite her wounded arm and the situation at hand, she knew better than anyone that fighting amongst themselves was a pointless endeavor. ¡°I can¡¯t cast spells properly thanks to this wound so we¡¯ll be depending on her for magic support.¡± The ship suddenly shook. Leona and Kaeli managed to stop themselves from falling while Luka grabbed on the nearby mast for support. ¡°What is going on now?!¡± Charlotte shouted while she grabbed on Luka¡¯s shoulder to keep herself from stumbling backwards. The ship was being attacked from below. Despite the creature¡¯s strength it was being oddly careful around its prey now that it had been seriously wounded. Kaeli quickly ran near the port railings and charged another spell. ¡°Fulgent lightning, smite my foes-¡± Sparks crackled from her right palm as she extended her arm towards the waters right below the ship. A vast amount of mana surged from her entire arm as it condensed near her fingertips. ¡°-Chain Lightning!¡± Upon uttering those words there was a split second delay where the sparks seemed to fizzle out before the spell suddenly discharged in a devastating thunderstrike that instantly boiled the salt waters below. ¡°Ah!¡± The sudden expansion of steam and other gases beside the ship made the vessel tip to the right, forcing Leona to use her sword and stab it against the wooden deck to keep herself from falling over. At that point Kaeli turned around and shouted. ¡°Close your eyes and don¡¯t breathe this gas!¡± Sickly lime green colored fumes started to emerge near from where she stood which made Luka and Charlotte to cover their mouths. The gas was just barely floating above the deck and thanks to the wind, it was now making its way towards the staircase leading down the dining room. Leona didn¡¯t know what those fumes could do but hearing Kaeli tell them to shut their eyes and mouth didn¡¯t exactly prompt anything in her mind other than harmful things.. ¡°Northern winds hearken to me, freeze those who oppose me, Ice Wall!¡± She unleashed the spell against the entrance to the dining hall, closing it off entirely in a ramp of ice. At that point the ship was barely hanging on the tempestuous sea, but thanks to both Leona and Kaeli, Akamui seemed to retreat deep in the waters at least for the time being. ¡°Release the sails!¡± Charlotte shouted to Luka as she hurriedly ran out of the fumes. ¡°Yes, captain!¡± He grabbed on the rope that was tied on the foot of the mast and released it, revealing the large white sail before rotating around the right side to avoid the incoming fumes. Charlotte climbed the stairs to the helm, luckily for her the lime colored gas was heavier than the air which kept it on the deck. However, Kaeli wasn¡¯t so fortunate as she ended up breathing some of said gas as it expanded along the steam. She began to cough violently while grasping her chest. ¡°Hey what¡¯s wrong?!¡± Leona shouted but the woman didn¡¯t reply which made her rush to her side. As she approached her, just merely being near the gas made her eyes feel like they were being stung by bees. ¡°Ack!¡± It was painful, but her conviction was stronger as she made a mental note of where Kaeli had fallen before closing her eyes and rushing forward while patting the wooden surface of the deck. Eventually her hand made contact with a piece of cloth and when she grabbed onto it she felt a warmth sensation. ¡®There!¡¯ She quickly grabbed on with both hands and began to drag her out of the gas cloud. Partway through the process, Leona began to feel the lack of air taking a toll on her lungs as her body was literally screaming for air. ¡®Nnngh¡­ I can¡¯t¡­!¡¯ She opened her mouth in pain and during that brief period of weakness, she breathed in. All it took was a tiny portion of the concentrated gas to enter her body for her to feel the violent acrid odor of chlorine ravage her lungs. ¡®It burns!¡¯ It felt like she was being scorched inside out with a fire spell. Her skin began to feel itchy and the tingling sensation was getting worse as more time passed. ¡°Leona!¡± She heard a shout coming from somewhere to her left before the weight being carried by her became a bit lighter. She risked opening her eyes a bit and noticed Luka helping her carry the unconscious Kaeli. ¡°Don¡¯t breathe in!¡± You don¡¯t have to tell me! Was what she wanted to say but she couldn¡¯t afford to utter any unnecessary words as her lungs were at their limit. Instead, she turned her left hand behind her and concentrated her mana on her fingertips. With a flick of her hand she managed to create a gust of wind just strong enough to push the toxic cloud against the tempest¡¯s wind and off the deck; into the sea. ¡°Haaaaaaa¡­!¡± She fell with her knees on the deck right after it while gasping for air. She coughed a few times in order to get the acrid feeling off her throat. ¡°Oi! Wake up!¡± Luka shouted while holding on to Kaeli by the collar of her uniform. Upon turning around, Leona noticed her skin was beginning to turn blue from the lack of oxygen. Her hand was desperately scratching the wooden deck while trying to cast some sort of spell but she couldn¡¯t concentrate as her mind could only think about one thing. ¡®I can¡¯t breathe!¡¯ Without thinking, Leona rushed to her side and raised her left palm just above her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this will work!¡± She exclaimed while her hand began to faintly glow with mana. By picturing a vortex of wind in her mind, she managed to create a makeshift vacuum that began to pull out part of the gas that was trapped in Kaeli¡¯s lungs. The arch mage began to violently cough out lime colored phlegm as she brought her right hand against her chest and shouting. ¡°Cleanse!¡± A sudden deep blue light emerged from her palm before engulfing her chest in crystal clear water. What happened after was so bizarre that Leona scratched her eyes to check if she wasn¡¯t seeing things. The same water penetrated her body and it didn¡¯t take long until Kaeli held her mouth with her left hand. ¡°Blegh!¡± She turned to the left side and threw up on the deck. But as opposed to what would usually exit someone¡¯s body after a bad meal, it was a mixture of water with a viscous lime green liquid. Thankfully, the tempest¡¯s wind was sending the smell the opposite direction from Leona. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± The tactician asked, which prompted a surprised look from Kaeli. Although it was merely a temporary alliance made in their moment of need, she wasn¡¯t expecting to be saved, at least not by the person she tried to kill a few days ago. ¡°Why¡­?¡± She coughed a few times before finishing her sentence. ¡°Why did you save me?¡± ¡°Does it even need a reason?¡± Leona helped her sit up. She wore a bittersweet expression on her face, one that said ¡®she had enough¡¯. ¡°I come to hate killing. There has been too much blood on my hands as it is.¡± ¡°Your naivety will be your undoing, Princess.¡± ¡°That may very well be.¡± She stood up with a hint of confidence in her eyes. ¡°But this is who I am and I won¡¯t spare any effort to save a life that can yet be redeemed.¡± She then extended a helping hand for Kaeli who shook her head and stood up by herself. ¡°Me, redeemed? You tell the funniest of jokes. My sins are too great to be simply forgotten like that.¡± ¡°Hey! It¡¯s nice that you two are getting along and all!¡± Charlotte shouted from the helm. ¡°But we are still in the storm! Unless you want to backtrack I suggest you use your magic for something rather than standing there doing nothing!¡± Kaeli clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes to shut you up, I¡¯ll gladly help!¡± She turned to the white sail and pointed at it with her open left palm. Suddenly, an enormous quantity of mana began to flow from her body into her hand as a powerful vortex of wind pushed against the sails with enough force to fight against the storm. ¡®See? You can still be redeemed.¡¯ Leona thought for herself with a faint smile that slowly faded away. ¡®If it was Alexander on the other hand¡­¡¯ She tightened her hands into fists with her fingers slowly grinding against the longsword¡¯s handle. Her gaze was locked on Kaeli¡¯s side profile as she kept the wind spell going strong against the sails, too busy to notice Leona staring at her. ¡®Why did you join hands with him of all the people?¡¯ 1st Interlude Leona, who was in the full Londrian uniform consisting of a combat dark green overcoat, thick trousers and thick black leather boots¡ªwas sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree that served as a seat by the roaring campfire. ¡°So explain to me. Why did you make our world the way it is?¡± She asked a man across the fire. He wore a washed blue bandana that covered his short black hair entirely, white cotton shirt and comfortable dark pants with an unusual pair of yellow slippers. ¡°Hang on Leona¡­¡± He had a notepad on his hand as he was scribbling something on it with a red pen. His brown eyes straightened as if trying to see closer to the paper only for him to reel back and scribble some more. ¡°Ah, there we go. A good idea. So what did you want to know?¡± ¡°Our world, why have you written the way it is?¡± ¡°Well, for starters, I¡¯ve always liked the renaissance period in history back in school. You could say it was one of the reasons as to why Arcadia is portrayed the way it is.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means¡­¡± He pushed the pen against the side of his head¡ªthinking how to describe the concept for an outworldly person.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°In my world, it is what we call the turning point in history where our civilization truly began to shine, or at least that is my view pertaining to the fact. Point is, your world¡ªthis world, is the construction of my own desires to see in a fantasy story.¡± ¡°Then, you are mimicking the history of your world onto ours?¡± ¡°Yes and no. There is a limit to what I can add depth to in this story to which is why I rely on the real counterpart. That is to say, this world¡ªas much as I wanted to be real, is still simply a work of fiction.¡± ¡°I see¡­ can I ask why I was created? Up until this point¡ªwith all due respect, has been quite unforgiving for me and my companions.¡± ¡°A fair question to which I have another question. Why do you think you were created? You are by no means someone without faults, but consider what you have for a moment and think.¡± ¡°An adequate amount of knowledge in different fields such as history, magic, tactics and politics.¡± Despite naming everything she could think of, her mind still came to a blank answer. ¡°I¡­ still cannot imagine why.¡± ¡°You are everything that I sought to be.¡± He spinned the pen around his thumb. ¡°By no means perfect of course, but with plenty to offer and share. Through a story like this I can share some silly ideas I¡¯ve had when I was a kid and even more. Eight years is quite a lot of time for an endeavor such as this.¡± ¡°I see¡­ have I fulfilled my purpose then?¡± ¡°Are you worried about that?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel responsible when I have expectations placed upon myself.¡± He smiled as he pointed the pen at her. ¡°For sure you have, but don¡¯t let your guard down. You never know what I have stored for you.¡± He then looked back at the notepad. ¡°What about you I wonder? Have you been enjoying this journey thus far?¡± Chapter CXXI: Storm’s Path Part IV Despite their best efforts to escape the storm, it felt like it was chasing after them. Even with Leona¡¯s aid to Kaeli¡¯s wind spell the ship didn¡¯t seem like it was getting anywhere. ¡°Can¡¯t we just turn back?!¡± Leona shouted to Charlotte who was trying her best to keep the ship stable by grappling the wheel by the helm. ¡°I would if I could! There¡¯s something wrong with the waters! It¡¯s like we are getting dragged away!¡± ¡®Dragged away?¡¯ A feeling of anxiety began to grow in her chest. Cold sweat permeated her back as she glanced at Luka who was staring intently at her from the other side of the deck, seemingly awaiting for her orders. ¡°Check the stern of the ship!¡± Leona urged him. ¡°Report back if you see anything unusual!¡± ¡°Yes! Ma¡¯am!¡± He quickly finished tying another rope from the sails and rushed to the back of the ship. Meanwhile Leona kept her wind spell going at full power in order to keep the vessel at least in place. ¡°Save your strength Leona.¡± Kaeli, who was right beside her, warned. Despite using way more mana than her, the potency of her spell didn¡¯t show any signs of mana fatigue. ¡°That thing is still out there somewhere.¡± ¡°You mean Akamui?¡± The archmage turned to Leona with a surprised expression on her face. ¡°How do you know its name?¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Lady Leona!¡± Luka¡¯s desperate voice cut their conversation short as both of them turned to the wide eyed young man. ¡°There is a giant maelstrom behind the ship!¡± Without saying a word, she dashed towards the edge of the starboard railings and looked behind the ship. White bubbly foam circumvented the gigantic whirlpool of death and the violent swirling waters created a wind draft towards it that felt like a tornado sucking up matter. ¡°What the-?!¡± At the time she wasn¡¯t able to come up with an explanation to the uneasiness that she felt during the storm. But looking at it from a distance, it was obvious why she felt so pressured. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± The ocean waters as well as the air around the whirlpool were shining with mana as if the very air was charged. Below the surface, a red bulbous head awaited its prey while swirling its tentacles with great speed. Kaeli was now using both hands to cast wind spells simultaneously which was barely keeping the ship in place as she shouted to her. ¡°Hey! Leona! What¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s trying to drag us beneath the ocean!¡± The magnitude of the whirlpool would spell death to them if the ship was to be caught in its center. The wind was becoming even fiercer with mana in the air being dragged inwards the vortex. ¡°Do any of you have any idea how to kill this thing?!¡± A male voice came from behind Leona which startled her as she jumped forward before turning with her blade pointing at the man behind her. Soaked down to the bone, Yuriel stood towering above her with a confused expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Princess?¡± ¡°Yuriel?!¡± Charlotte shouted from the helm as she was still struggling with the wheel. ¡°Where the hell have you been?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been hanging on the hull of the ship for the past couple of minutes, Cap¡¯.¡± He reached over the railings and pulled out his battleaxe from the ship¡¯s hull. ¡°It was painful.¡± ¡°Enough of that, come help me you doofus!¡± ¡°Aye aye.¡± He climbed up the stairs to the helm and aided her in keeping the wheel in place. The tactician stood there without knowing what to do. It was a mixture of panic with anxiety while shouldering the responsibility of all the lives on that ship including her own, she didn¡¯t have any room to make mistakes. ¡°Leona!¡± Kaeli¡¯s voice snapped her out of her dreadful thoughts. The high elf¡¯s eyes were sharp and gleaming with confidence as she looked into the tactician¡¯s eyes. ¡°We need a plan to kill this thing! My magic may keep it at bay but I don¡¯t think I can land a killing blow!¡± ¡°Do you think we might be able to kill it if we cut its head in half?¡± ¡°Its brain is right between the eyes, even if we were able to get close to it I don¡¯t think-¡± For a brief moment, Leona glanced at the tip of the longsword on her hand before sprinting up the staircase to the helm. ¡°Hey! Wait! Where are you going?!¡± The tactician reached the two struggling with the steering wheel and suggested the unthinkable. ¡°Charlotte! Can you make us go along the edges of the maelstrom?!¡± ¡°Huh?! Are you out of your mind?!¡± ¡°We have to kill that thing! If we don¡¯t, we¡¯ll run out of mana before we can escape it!¡± Despite sounding like the idea of a lunatic, Leona¡¯s eyes were filled with unwavering confidence that surprised even Charlotte which prompted her to ask. ¡°Do you have a plan?!¡± ¡°Yes! But I need your skills to get us through! Steer the ship around the edge of the maelstrom as close to the center as possible!¡± The captain glanced at Yuriel who seemed to understand what she wanted to say and let go of the steering wheel. Charlotte began to spin it to the right which made the ship slowly turn and be dragged along the edges of the whirlpool. Thanks to Kaeli¡¯s potent wind spell, the captain was just barely able to keep the ship sailing along the edges of the deadly maelstrom. Leona quickly jumped over the railings down to the deck and grabbed a nearby lengthy coil of rope before handing it to Luka. ¡°Huh?¡± She didn¡¯t say a word and instead quickly tied one end of the rope to her waist. ¡°Wait! Lady Leona! What are you going to do?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill that thing!¡± ¡°By jumping out of the ship?!¡± She looked at him with fire in her eyes.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°It¡¯s our only way!¡± He grabbed the knot that she made and gave a firm pull, easily undoing it. ¡°Hey what are you-!¡± ¡°Let me do it. If you really have to do this, at least let me be the one who¡¯ll help you.¡± He quickly spinned the end of the rope around her left thigh and from there he managed to secure all of her limbs with a knot safely tied behind her back serving like a safety harness. She moved her arms and legs and it almost didn¡¯t feel like she was tied at all. ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded and she rushed off to the right side of the ship that was facing the center of the vortex. Now that she was planning to go to the eye of the whirlpool, she began to notice just how massive Akamui really was. Its tentacles, although cut, were controlling the waters in such a way that it was able to create an impossible maelstrom in the middle of the ocean. ¡°You¡¯ll need more if you want to go near it!¡± Yuriel carried four thick coils of ropes, two on each arm before tossing them on the deck. ¡°Luka tie these together!¡± He was just as tall as Krieg and if the size of his arms was anything to go by, it reassured her a bit that he coiled the other end of the rope to his right arm as Luka was frantically making sure the ligaments were completely secured. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you intend to accomplish with that but-¡± Kaeli didn¡¯t need to put as much effort in keeping the sails steady since they were going with the trajectory of the wind so she decided to join Leona. ¡°-it¡¯d be a problem if you fail to save this ship.¡± ¡°I need to get close enough to land a killing blow.¡± Leona let the longsword slide along the fingers of her right hand before her pinky stopped by the blade¡¯s pommel. Her gaze was distant yet there was resolve in her eyes. ¡°Luka.¡± He glanced at her quickly as he was about to finish tying the last coil of rope. Her unusually serious tone surprised him. ¡°Yes-?!¡± ¡°Get something to tie this sword to my arm.¡± ¡°At once!¡± He rushed off to one of the nearby barrels where they stored more rope. Kaeli raised an eyebrow when she noticed there was a gap between her right hand and the guard of the longsword. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be considering¡­¡± Without looking at her, Leona uttered. ¡°This is our only chance. If magic as powerful as yours can¡¯t kill it, then the only one who can have a shot at it is me.¡± ¡°You have no guarantee that you will be able to kill it either!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She glanced at Kaeli with a warm smile on her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the person who was sent out to kill me cared so much. For someone so sinful you sure are virtuous in your own way. Kaeli.¡± Her eyes widened as she took half a step back in astonishment. ¡°You-!¡± Leona laughed a bit but her smile soon turned into a bittersweet expression as she lightly bit her inner lips. Beneath that playful remark, Kaeli noticed just how intensively her arms were shaking. The tactician had been through life and death situations before, but none of them had such weight on top of her shoulders. It was no longer only her life on the line but of everyone on that ship. She swallowed dry before taking a deep breath. Her right fingers tightened around the sword¡¯s handle as the forced muscle tension helped stop the shaking of her arm. That wasn¡¯t the time to dwell whether or not she was capable of accomplishing it, she had to. If not they were all as good as dead. She swallowed dry as she reached for the bag where her mother¡¯s gauntlet was before putting over her right hand. ¡°I brought more rope!¡± Luka had a thinner rope that he quickly tied one end around the sword¡¯s guard in an x before gently looping the other end around Leona¡¯s forearm, he noticed the strange metal gauntlet but instead of saying anything he simply smiled at her. ¡°You won¡¯t need to worry about losing your sword with this.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Peering over the edge of the railings she could see the red tentacles swirling the waters below them. She took another deep breath and stepped back a few times to create some distance in order to jump as far as she could before using magic. ¡°Leona!¡± Kaeli¡¯s voice came from behind her and as she was about to turn around, the high elf gave her a light tap on the backside of both her shoulders. ¡°This will help you in getting there.¡± From where she held her, there was a tingling sensation at first before a sudden burst of mana filled her body. As opposed to when she had to protect Krieg against his own overwhelming flooding mana, Kaeli¡¯s was concentrated yet not overbearing to her senses. ¡°Wait you-¡± ¡°If you use half of this mana to reinforce your body, you might just be able to not lose your arm.¡± The high elf explained while lightly squeezing her shoulders. ¡°I was taught by my mother to pay back the debt we owe. Do not die just yet, Leona.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Those last words made her turn to the side in order to look at Kaeli, but as she was about to glance over her shoulder she suddenly got her back pushed forward, forcing her to run towards the railings. Without looking back, Leona broke the full sprint by jumping on the railing before leaping overboard into the open sea. Her original plan was to use a burst of wind through her feet in order to launch her far enough in hopes of getting close to deliver the killing blow, but unexpectedly, Kaeli wasn¡¯t done with just giving her mana and as her feet was leaving the wooden railing, she heard the high elf chant behind her. "Winds of time, grant thy power upon myself, Windshot!" ¡°Wait?! What are you-?!¡± By having her open palm against Leona¡¯s back, Kaeli used the spell enchantment ¡®Windshot¡¯ to send her flying as if she was throwing a projectile. With a split second decision, the tactician reinforced her body with the mana she was supplied earlier. ¡°Leona!¡± Luka exclaimed as she was thrown into the air. He turned to the high elf right after with his hand above the saber¡¯s handle. ¡°Are you trying to kill her?!¡± ¡°She won¡¯t be able to get near it otherwise.¡± She uttered while raising her left arm towards the tactician. ¡°Winds of time, release thy might, Wind Blast!¡± About ten meters up in the air, Leona was less than halfway to the center of the vortex. ¡°I won¡¯t reach it like this¡­!¡± She turned her upper body around in order to unleash a wind spell behind with her left hand before she noticed a blast of wind aspected mana coming in her direction from the ship. ¡°Thank you, Kaeli.¡± She reinforced herself once again with mana just before being hit in the back by the spell. Her body emitted a pale light blue sheen as the wind accelerated her body diagonally through the air. ¡°Winds of time, grant thy power unto myself, Wind Blast!¡± Normally a spell cast by a mage follows three basic steps. First is the accumulation of enough mana to cast the spell through parts of their bodies that contain a mana gate like the wrists, ankles or neck; second is the application of part of the spell¡¯s mana to protect the caster from backlash; third and finally, the release of the spell itself. However, by purposefully skipping the second step and allowing herself to be hit by the spell¡¯s recoil, she managed to launch herself at even greater speeds while keeping herself safe with the use of mana reinforcement, a technique that usually burns quickly through one¡¯s mana reserves but thanks to Kaeli¡¯s assistance, she had more than enough for the time being. She was flying directly to the center of the storm. Raging gales circled the whirlpool alongside the dark clouds with bolts of lightning striking periodically from them. Akamui was in the middle of it all, seemingly controlling even the weather in hopes of turning the tides against those who managed to wound it. She brought her right hand holding the longsword to her left side and held it firmly with both hands. She turned her body slightly counter clockwise in order to get the most out of the momentum carrying her by winding up the blade. Mana began to pour out of her left wrist into the sword, releasing a bright blue light that was visible from the ship that was navigating through the edges of the whirlpool. ¡°This is it! There are no second chances!¡± She was beginning to fall through the air and with her she was bringing down the bright mana sword. ¡°Meet your fate!¡± With both her mana reinforcement and Akamui¡¯s gelatinous body she didn¡¯t suffer any injuries from falling between its eyes as she brought down the mana infused blade. A bright slash followed the swing of her sword, but it was stopped right before landing on its head by four already cut tentacles. She clenched her teeth as she forced the blade down and although they were already wounded appendages, they were still limbs from a monstrosity many times larger than her. ¡°Aaaaaaaargh!¡± Blue copper blood sprayed against her face and body as each of the tentacles were being cut by the mana blade until she hit the surface of the monster¡¯s head and the sword stopped after digging about half a meter into its flesh. ¡®No! I can¡¯t let it end like this-!¡¯ Her fingers clenched the hilt as her teeth grinded against each other, she had to put all she had left in that one strike. ¡°Rend! Yoshitsune!¡± From the ship¡¯s deck, it seemed like there was a bright blink for a split second and what followed thereafter seemed like something of a fairy tale. ¡°Wha- what is that?!¡± Luka exclaimed with his jaw half dropped. Even Kaeli couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing as she stopped her wind spell in disbelief. ¡°No way¡­¡± Not only Akamui¡¯s entire head was cut in half by a golden rift of pure mana that extended from the ocean to the sky, but the storm itself was parted from the attack as it revealed a clear blue morning sky behind the dark clouds. Chapter CXXII: Storm’s Path Part V Leona stood atop of the giant monster Akamui soaked in blue blood. Having cut all four tentacles that were in her path all there was left to do was to end it. Her blade, however, was being stopped by a strange force as it dug no more than half a meter inside the red rubbery flesh. ¡®No! I can¡¯t let it end like this-!¡¯ Her fingers clenched the hilt as her teeth grinded against each other, she had to put all she had left in that one strike. Her gums were starting to bleed between her teeth as she forced the sword deeper and deeper into the monster¡¯s head but as the blade dug into its flesh, so did the force acting against her weapon. In that moment of do or die, she had run out of options. If she kept that up she would eventually run out of mana and not defeat it in the end. The blue sheen shielding her from the mana blade¡¯s backlash began to crack around her left arm. ¡®Do you promise me that you¡¯ll put your safety first?¡¯ A soothing memory of her mother came to her mind as she smiled bitterly with streaks of blood coming out from the corner of her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry mom¡­ I broke my promise yet again¡­¡± Her protective aura shattered as she used the output of the technique to fuel her mana blade instead. ¡°Aaaaaaaagh!¡± The tiny blood vessels from the top of her shoulder began to rupture open through her skin from the sudden burst of mana coursing through her limb; it was like an earthquake erupting across her entire arm as crimson painted all the way down her left fingers. ¡®My arm¡­!¡¯ She couldn¡¯t feel her fingertips anymore from the intense burning sensation from the release of mana. A split second of doubt filled the back of her mind, if she failed to cut through it completely she would lose that battle. ¡®Don¡¯t give up my champion¡­¡¯ Suddenly, warmth embraced her arm as if there was another person holding her left hand from above hers. Silver strings of hair tickled Leona¡¯s left shoulder as she finally felt her arm again. At that point everything seemed to come to a stop as she uttered the words of a far past remembrance. ¡°Rend! Yoshitsune!¡± At first there were bright flashes of mana that coursed through her shoulder into her arms and finally her hands. The veins of her limb began to glow from purple to a pale lavender color as they also erupted with mana, creating fissures between her muscles and ligaments. Despite the intense pain she remained conscious through sheer force of will as the rampaging mana sharpened and became a singular point in the silver longsword. The blade sung as it cut deep through the monster¡¯s head¡ªthe mana she had condensed into the tip of her sword was unleashed all at once in the form of a golden slash in front of her, splitting the beast in half while opening a rift in the ocean. Deep within the monster¡¯s head was a light blue crystal the size of a person that when cut by her attack, released a tremendous amount of mana. At that point Leona¡¯s eyes rolled up, the last image she saw being the parted storm clouds and a beautiful blue sky before passing out. ¡°Pull her out of there! Quickly!¡± Charlotte frantically ordered from the helm with each word drawing everything she had from her lungs. ¡°Do not let her die!¡± ¡°Haaaaaaa!¡± Yuriel was pulling the rope as fast as he could when he noticed the red beast finally sinking into the ocean for good. ¡®You really did it, Leona.¡¯ Charlotte had a confident smile on her face as she was now free to pilot the ship in order to get them out of the remaining storm that roared on top of them. Down on the deck, while Yuriel pulled the rope, Luka used a piece of leather to protect said rope from the attrition between the wooden railings and the cord in order to avoid snapping it. Beside them, Kaeli stood in awe while looking at the rift created in the storm, above the dark clouds was a clear blue sky and below it, the remnants of the most powerful monster she had ever seen in her entire life. She knew much about magic, studying under arguably one of the best mages in the world, allowing her to precisely assess one¡¯s potential simply by witnessing the use of a spell. However, Leona was a different case. The inadequate and inept noble young woman was nothing short than a disappointment the first time they met each other all the way back in the Great Forest of Arcadia and yet, not only she managed to defeat a monster that she herself failed to with magic but also through sheer power alone, she sundered both the ocean and sky. ¡®Magnificent¡­¡¯ She thought with a bitter smile forming on the sides of her lips. ¡®Who would¡¯ve thought that she could do this much in so little time¡­¡¯ ¡°Almost there!¡± Luka yelled which broke the archmage¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Don¡¯t pull too hard! We don¡¯t want her to hit the ship!¡± Peering over the edge, she noticed Leona had already been pulled to the edge of the ship but if they decided to hoist her upwards in that manner, her body would inevitably collide with the hull. ¡°Give me space.¡± Yuriel locked his right leg behind the railing while hanging above the open sea. He then used both hands to pull the rope, dangling Leona from her makeshift harness. ¡°Keep the extra rope out of my way.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± Luka pulled the leftover cord to the deck while he managed to bring her up. ¡°Heave-ho!¡± He grabbed the knot behind her back and brought Leona onto the deck, where Luka threw the rope. He then ran beside her. ¡°Leona! You¡¯re-!¡± A gasp cut his sentence short. Kaeli went over to see what happened and the moment she walked up behind him¡ªher eyes went wide. ¡°What is this?!¡± Leona¡¯s left arm was completely torn to pieces with ruptured skin, torn flesh and fractured bones. Her hand was missing as if it was eroded away with no sign of tearing from the wrist, pure concentrated mana was pouring out of her arm as the blue light liquid mingled with blood, creating a strange mixture of deep purple liquid. The fissures near her shoulders were crystalized with small light blue shards coming out of it that contained veins of red, which was safe to assume it was also from blood. ¡°Make way.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Kaeli pulled Luka from over her and observed the crystallization on the tactician¡¯s biceps. Normally mana crystals are created in nature when the concentrations of mana are extremely high or within creatures of unprecedented magic reserves such as Akamui itself. ¡®This¡­ may have been my fault¡­¡¯ One trait that made those crystals different from other mana conductive materials was their propensity to drain mana from the environment, more specifically when in close proximity to a source of mana. That source being Leona¡¯s exposed mana circuits. ¡®I need to get this out of her.¡¯ She raised her right hand with mana gathering at her fingertips, when suddenly, Yuriel grabbed a hold of her arm. ¡°What do you intend to do?¡± ¡°Save her.¡± She didn¡¯t change her pose but her eyes shifted to him in a menacing glare. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way if you don¡¯t know what to do.¡± After a few seconds of staring at one another, he let go of her arm and she quickly brought her hand down with a wind spell, lopping off Leona¡¯s right arm right above where the crystals were forming. Despite the brutal efficiency, the tactician didn¡¯t seem to feel anything since she didn¡¯t show any reaction to the dismemberment as the limb rolled to the side gushing out blood and liquid mana. All that remained was part of her shoulder that was starting to bleed anew from the necessary amputation. Luka wanted to intervene but he wasn¡¯t sure if his actions could cost her life instead of helping so there he stood with his hands clenched into tight fists. ¡°Now¡­¡± Kaeli kneeled and began to silently chant under her breath. ¡°Great power of the sea, mend this battered body, Heal!¡± A gentle blue light began to create what seemed to be water that permeated what was left of Leona¡¯s arm and the cut limb. While the healing did its thing to seal the wound, she began to pull out the smaller shards from what was left of her shoulder with her left hand. It took a few minutes until she was done with the first aid as she stood up. ¡°You, get her inside, quick.¡± She ordered Yuriel after which she turned to Luka. ¡°Tell your captain that I¡¯ll stay with Leona for the time being. If I don¡¯t personally treat her, she will die.¡± Both of them wanted to rebuke her but considering the tactician¡¯s state there was hardly anything they could do to reasonably defy her orders. ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Yuriel knelt before putting his hand behind Leona¡¯s back and under her knees in order to lift her. Luka climbed up the helm to talk to Charlotte. Kaeli picked the dismembered limb and turned her attention to the big man in front of her to follow where he would take Leona. She noticed the tactician¡¯s right hand was still holding the frostburnt silver longsword with a tight grip. Both the gauntlet nor the rope that was attached to the blade were there, presumably destroyed with the release of mana, but despite how intense it was, Kaeli couldn¡¯t understand how the blade itself was able to withstand it. Yuriel took Leona to the dining hall where Sylas had arranged a makeshift resting space for the wounded. The broken table served as a bed of sorts after being covered with pelts, Krieg was hastily dragged on top of it while Cecile rested on a couch. ¡°Sylas, where can she rest?¡± He asked with a tone of concern. ¡°Huh?! Is that lady Leona?! Bring her here.¡± The doctor seemed to be in a slight state of panic while he quickly adjusted another couch for her to rest on. ¡°What happened to her?!¡± ¡°Severe mana overload.¡± Kaeli explained from behind Yuriel. ¡°Not only that, but she also went beyond her limits into mana shock. Her arm circuits were overloaded; it even resulted in crystallization.¡± She tossed the mana blood infused crystal to the doctor who struggled to catch it at first but after taking a good look at it he could tell that it was indeed a mana crystal. ¡°Do you know how to treat it?¡± Sylas asked with a serious look on his face. ¡°Yes.¡± She answered with confidence brimming in her deep blue eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can save her.¡± He nodded before turning to Yuriel. ¡°I don¡¯t know her but I can tell she means no harm to Lady Leona. Please let her work in peace.¡± The man reluctantly nodded before heading outside. Taking a deep breath, Kaeli focused on what she could do. First she settled the severed arm beside the couch as she mentally prepared herself. Mana overload and mana shock, two completely different states yet not at all uncommon in practitioners of magical arts which thankfully she was all too familiar with. Since she had addressed the cause of mana leakage by removing the crystals from her body the only real thing left to do was to replenish the lost mana. Kaeli turned around and asked Sylas while he was treating Krieg. ¡°Do you have a mana potion? One will suffice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but we don¡¯t normally carry them since none of the crew uses magic.¡± Without saying a word she turned back to Leona who was beginning to have beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She touched her skin, both the sweat and her head felt cold to the touch. ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­¡¯ The only reasonable option left for her was mana transference, a technique uncommonly practiced between mages because of the existence of mana potions. Normally it would be an unnecessary dangerous gamble because one¡¯s mana concentration could differ greatly from person to person which could easily cause overload of mana again and it was even more dangerous to Leona that was missing the whole circuits of her arm. But there was no time to waste thinking about the ifs, Leona¡¯s life was already hanging by a thread as it was and Kaeli didn¡¯t have much of a choice either. ¡®I¡¯ll just have to improvise¡­¡¯ She sat down on her right side. First she reached for her hand that was still clutching the longsword tightly, it was then when she noticed the blade was made of frostburnt silver. ¡®She¡¯s holding something quite dangerous¡­¡¯ After prying the blade off her hands she settled the weapon beside the couch alongside the dismembered limb. The second step was to stabilize her mana reserves which was easier said than done. She touched the middle of her chest with her left hand and what remained of her left arm with her right hand. After a deep breath Kaeli began to slowly and carefully channel her mana through her wrists in order to transfer it to Leona. It was a delicate process that required every ounce of her attention. As a mage who had undergone extensive training, her own reserves were astronomical compared to those of a normal person and as such, the concentration of said mana was also vastly different. Upon closing her eyes, Kaeli pictured a wide but empty glass cup in her mind; she then imagined her hands holding liquid mana above it. Outside, her body was emitting a faint light blue glow from both of her wrists. As she tried to pour the blue liquid directly into the cup of her mind, the glass cracked on the sides. Kaeli¡¯s muscles around her eyes flinched. ¡®I must go slower¡­¡¯ After swallowing dry and taking another deep breath, she resumed the transference. This time tilting her hands just enough to make a single drop land in the glass which was enough to keep it from shattering. ¡®I just need to keep this up.¡¯ Outside in the dining hall, Sylas had finished administering healing potions to Cecile and Krieg. He turned around to check how Leona¡¯s treatment was going and he could barely believe what he was seeing. ¡°This is¡­¡± He leaned around and noticed the faint glow coming from Kaeli¡¯s hands. He covered his mouth as he uttered silently. ¡°A bona fide mana transferring technique¡­¡± ¡°How is she?!¡± A loud familiar shout came from the entrance to the dining room. Sylas glanced at the Captain that came running to the treatment area. ¡°Sylas! Where is Leona?!¡± Having traveled many times with her before, he was not unfamiliar with her outbursts of anger but today was different. Her widened desperate eyes, frowned brows and forceful grip against the collar of his clothing was something he never witnessed before. ¡°She- she¡¯s being treated by that lady over there.¡± Once he pointed to the other side of the room, she turned her head and glanced over her shoulder and the moment she saw what had happened to Leona, her eyes were bloodshot. The crystalized bloodied arm and longsword beside the couch were enough evidence in her mind as she let go of Sylas¡¯s clothing and fully turned around. ¡°KAELI!¡± Charlotte reached for the revolver from her holster and pulled the trigger the moment she had it out. ¡°Captain! Don¡¯t!¡± A loud and dry bang echoed in the dining hall. The acrid smell of burnt gunpowder mingled with the sickening iron scent of blood. Chapter CXXIII: Kaleidoscope A deafening gunshot ripped through the air, reverberating off the walls of the dining hall. The acrid scent of burnt gunpowder hung heavy in the air¡ªmingling with the metallic tang of blood. Smoke curled lazily from the barrel of Charlotte¡¯s revolver. A thin streak of blood dripped from the right side of Kaeli¡¯s cheek who, despite the minor wound, was still completely focused in the mana transference. ¡°Captain! Stop!¡± The chirurgeon was holding Charlotte¡¯s arms down. ¡°Let go of me Sylas!¡± She fiercely struggled but thanks to Sylas¡¯ more sturdy build, he was able to wrestle the firearm out of her hand. ¡°She is saving Lady Leona! If you interfere now you can end up killing her!¡± ¡°Can you call that saving?!¡± She pointed to the crystalized limb laying on the side of the couch that Leona was resting on. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be out of your mind to think that is someone saving another!¡± ¡°She had to do it!¡± He shouted even louder in order to get his point across. ¡°If not, Lady Leona wouldn¡¯t even still be alive!¡± She clenched her teeth in anger. Her desire was to shoot the disgusting mage in the back of her head for all that she did, but that was also the first time Sylas ever talked back to her like that. For the kind chirurgeon that always took care of the crew as if it was his family to speak the way he did, it must mean that he at least acknowledged Kaeli¡¯s methods to save Leona¡¯s life. She swallowed dry as her head hung low. ¡°Sylas.¡± Her voice was filled with dread. ¡°Do you swear that she is indeed trying to save her?¡± ¡°Yes, without a doubt, captain.¡± ¡°Very well¡­¡± She extended her hand to him. ¡°My revolver.¡± ¡°Here.¡± He put the firearm on her palm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my behavior earlier, captain.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± She hesitantly holstered the gun, but her right hand was still squeezing the wooden handle. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I let my emotions dictate my actions again. I¡¯ll head back outside, if you need anything, anything at all to treat her, do not hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°I most certainly will, captain.¡± She slowly nodded twice before making her way back to the deck. Sylas turned his attention to Kaeli who remained with eyes closed, focused solely on the task at hand. ¡®If it was me¡­ I don¡¯t know if I could do this¡­¡¯ He thought before bringing both his large hands close to each other as he lowered his head in a silent prayer. ¡®May your efforts bear fruit. To allow her to live for another day.¡¯ Deep in Kaeli¡¯s mind, she was still filling the cracked glass cup withholding all she could in order to not shatter her patient¡¯s soul. ¡®I don¡¯t know how long I have been doing this but¡­¡¯ She frowned her brows as she looked into the cup that didn¡¯t seem to fill despite her best efforts to keep the stream of mana constant. ¡®Something doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡¯ It was just a hunch, but she could tell something was happening to Leona¡¯s mind. She had studied before about the inner world, a place where each individual can access in their mind which is shaped according to one¡¯s subconsciousness. Though simple in concept, she only had been there through assistance of her master. ¡®If I could reach her inner world this would¡¯ve been a much simpler affair.¡¯ But it was impossible, at least for now, so she decided to once again focus on what she could do. The thin streak of mana escaping through her fingers into the cup was becoming slightly thicker as she tried to adjust her output, but despite almost doubling the current transference she didn¡¯t notice any unusual behavior. ¡®Strange¡­ when I first began doing this, it almost shattered her being and yet¡­ it is as if¡­ something else is taking in this mana¡­¡¯ In Leona¡¯s mind, her consciousness wandered in the endless void in a state of half awareness that left her feeling a sense of powerlessness. She floated aimlessly with her eyes closed. ¡®What is going on¡­¡¯ She felt sluggish. ¡®What happened to me¡­?¡¯ ¡°Pathetic.¡± A voice echoed in the distance. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ ¡°You pride yourself in protecting others-¡± ¡®Who¡­?¡¯ ¡°-yet you fail to protect yourself.¡± ¡®Who are you¡­?¡¯ She wanted to ask but it was as if the words couldn¡¯t come out of her mouth.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You sicken me. Leona.¡± She snapped awake . As she sat up panting heavily, she was back to the fallen tree she had cut back when she met Miyamoto. ¡°Ha¡­ ah¡­ where¡­? How¡­?¡± Only the large stump remained in the middle of the clearing as the rest of the fallen tree was nowhere to be seen. ¡°How long will you keep this up?¡± An older female voice came from behind her. As she turned to her left in order to face whoever was addressing her, she found herself with her face on the grass. ¡®Wha¡­¡¯ Her left arm was missing even in her inner world as she tried to use it to support her weight and instead she fell down. ¡°My arm?! Wha- what happened to me?!¡± ¡°Death, or at least is what should have happened to you.¡± Leona used her other arm to lift herself just enough to tilt her head up. Before her stood a woman with striking aquamarine eyes, her determined gaze was almost piercing through her. Waist-length platinum hair framed her face, their soft waves contrasting with the sharp angles of her features. Prominent bangs split from the middle of her head, cascading along her cheek and jawline with an unwavering resolve in her expression. Her clothing was disturbingly similar to what Leona herself was wearing, albeit black and without the wear and tear. Each step she took resonated with purpose, the sound of her approach echoing through the stillness of the clearing. ¡°You are a disappointment, Leona.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ who are you and what have you done to me?!¡± ¡°You are unworthy of knowing who I am. And this sorry state you find yourself in is the fruit of your own foolishness.¡± Her voice was sharp as a blade, each word cutting deeper than the last. ¡°Not only did you rely on the strength of others but you failed to fulfill a promise that you¡¯ve made.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but bewilderment quickly gave away to anger. ¡°You know nothing of me!¡± ¡°That is where you are wrong.¡± Her large steps menacingly closed the gap between them as she reached down and grabbed Leona by the back of her hair. ¡°Ngh!¡± The woman lifted her just enough so she could approach her own face near hers. The aquamarine eyes had a disturbing eerie light blue glow to them. ¡°I know more than you realize.¡± ¡°Who- Ugh¡­ who are you?!¡± ¡°I told you before¡­¡± She stood up while lifting her up at the same time. Leona grabbed her forearm in order to alleviate the pain she felt in the back of her head but with only her right arm, she could barely lift her own weight. ¡°Ngh¡­ let go!¡± ¡°...you are unworthy of knowing.¡± The woman flicked her arm and tossed her against the stump of the tree. Despite not looking strong like Krieg, she was able to fling Leona as if she weighed nothing. ¡°Argh!¡± The impact sent a shock through her whole back that while not fatal, was still enough to make her muscles burn. What unsettled Leona was that the woman didn¡¯t have any real killing intent behind her actions and it felt like she was simply interested in inflicting pain upon her. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to die so easily for a cause you¡¯re fighting for, so be it.¡± She extended her right hand back and the frostburnt silver longsword behind her began to tremble. ¡°I will snuff out the last ember of your existence.¡± The longsword flung out of the ground spinning before reaching her hand, as she grabbed the weapon mid-air the blade began to shine. She swung the weapon to the side, revealing the flat part of the blade as she approached the tactician. ¡°If I die here¡­¡± Leona¡¯s voice, though weak, had a distinct confidence within the words she spoke. ¡°...I won¡¯t be able to protect them.¡± The woman stopped in her tracks as she heard those words. ¡°I¡­¡± Leona continued with an unrelenting resolve. ¡°I certainly don¡¯t want to lose anyone again. That is why¡­¡± She stood up despite the pain she felt and slammed her fist against the left side of her chest. ¡°I will fight until the bitter end!¡± Extending her right hand past her left shoulder she opened her hand and the hilt of a sword appeared out of thin air. Golden mana began to spiral from the hilt, creating a sturdy guard as it continued to construct the gleaming blade of similar size to the woman¡¯s longsword. ¡°Hah! Do you believe your strength to be enough?! Pathetic!¡± ¡°Perhaps it isn¡¯t.¡± She held the ornate sword close to her chest with each of her fingers tightening around the blade¡¯s handle. ¡°But I¡¯m not fighting alone.¡± Suddenly, a burst of mana began to overflow from her body and for a split second her short hair turned platinum. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± The woman clenched her teeth in anger as she held the sword with both hands as she rushed forward. ¡°My pain! My suffering! I will not be denied!¡± ¡°By prayers offered to the just¨C¡± Leona turned her body to the left, winding up the divine sword in her hand. ¡°¨Cbring salvation to this land!¡± Her mana turned golden; the moment she swung her blade and it collided against the woman¡¯s sword¡ªa bright flash of light engulfed them both. The split second confrontation felt like an eternity with memories of an untold past not unlike her own assaulted her mind. Different screams echoed within her soul and as the light died down she witnessed the results of her conviction. Cleaved through the right shoulder in a diagonal slash that went down her chest, the woman smiled bitterly as the warmth left her body. The frostburnt silver blade was just millimeters away from hitting Leona¡¯s neck before the woman¡¯s right hand fell limp letting the sword fall in a dry thud against the blood soaked grass. ¡°You are¡­ truly¡­ the bravest among us all¡­¡± The platinum of her hair was fading away, revealing the blonde color of her hair. ¡°Maybe this time¡­ this time will be different¡­¡± The woman brought her left hand up and grabbed the blade tightly¡ªcutting through the leather glove she wore. ¡°Huh?!¡± Leona only realized she had won the battle after she felt the weapon almost leave her hand as the woman pulled the sword out of her body. Instead of blood, sparks and some murky black liquid dripped from the woman¡¯s hand. ¡°I have high hopes for you¡­ remember that.¡± She tightened her grip around the sharp blade which sent even more sparks flying from her hands and before long, it began to slowly destroy her limb as if disintegrating her very soul. Seeing her fade away made Leona brandish her sword aside and yell. ¡°Wait! You haven¡¯t told me who you are!¡± ¡°In time, you¡¯ll realize who I truly am.¡± She had a confident smirk on her face as her body was vanishing in fragments of mana scattered to the wind. ¡°Farewell, Leona Crossford¡­¡± Chapter CXXIV: Shards of Truth Part I ¡°WAIT!¡± Leona shouted as she woke up with her right arm outstretched as if trying to reach for someone. ¡°Huh? Where¡­?¡± Above her there was an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. She attempted to sit up, but the difference in weight on one side of her body made her lose a bit of balance as she caught herself against the couch with her right hand. Looking to the left side of her body there was the confirmation of her worry. Her left arm was indeed missing and where the limb used to be, there was now a bandaged stump. However instead of despair, she felt strangely at peace. The gentle sway of the ship was proof that they were indeed out of danger and the quiet sounds of cawing seagulls in the distance was yet another cue that the storm had truly passed. A relieved sigh left Leona¡¯s mouth as she then began to look around. As she moved her body her right hand bumped against someone that was kneeling beside the couch. ¡°Kaeli?¡± The high elf had her eyes closed with a hide blanket tossed on top of her back as she slept¡ªseemingly tired from whatever she was doing. There was a bit of drool coming out of the edge of her mouth which prompted Leona to chuckle a bit. ¡°She saved you Lady Leona.¡± A familiar voice came from the hallway to her left. Sylas was just bringing more potions in a wooden crate, when he noticed the tactician awake. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Ah, good morning Sylas.¡± She smiled weakly. ¡°How is Krieg and Cecile doing?¡± At first there was a brief pause as the chirurgeon asked himself if that really was the first thing she was asking after being unconscious for so long. He chuckled and with a smile, explained. ¡°They have recovered and both are outside at the moment. Do you wish for me to call them?¡± ¡°Oh no, no need. I¡¯ll head outside in a moment. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m surprised and glad to be alive that is all.¡± She tilted her head down in order to look at Kaeli who was still sleeping, seemingly unaware of her gaze. Sylas followed her eyes and approached them with the crate of potions. ¡°Lady Kaeli did her best to stabilize your mana.¡± He placed the wooden box beside the couch. ¡°She spent three days and three nights treating you, my lady.¡± ¡°I must have misheard you, three days, are you sure?¡± He took one of the diluted potions and carefully dripped a bit on a cloth before rubbing against Kaeli¡¯s right cheek. Only after he pushed the hide aside her face that Leona noticed there was a faint cut on her skin. ¡°That I am. She refused to eat or sleep while she treated you.¡± He put the potion away as he placed the used cloth in another satchel for disposal. ¡°Now if you excuse me. I must tend to the stock of medicine.¡± He stood up and walked back to the hallway. Leona was in disbelief. Their fleeting alliance was forged on the principle to take down Akamui and yet even after the beast was dead and gone, Kaeli went through the extra effort to save her life. She brought her right hand over the stump of her left shoulder and squeezed it tightly. ¡°This is a small price to pay¡­¡± She stood up, stumbling to the right a bit from the different center of gravity. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± After regaining her balance, she looked around the room for her weapon and noticed the handle sticking out from the side of the couch. ¡®There it is.¡¯ She knelt to pick it up only to notice a dismembered arm covered in crystals beside it. A revolting feeling came from beneath her stomach; her first reaction was to gag before she forcibly swallowed dry to keep the urge to vomit in check. ¡®What the¡­ is that my arm?¡¯ Her instinct was to reach for it. Once she got a hold of the limb, it felt cold and hard on the touch as if it wasn¡¯t made of flesh anymore. A chill went down her spine as she retracted her hand and simply took the longsword with her. ¡®Dwelling about it won¡¯t do me any good¡­¡¯ She stood up and turned to the exit of the dining hall where soft rays of morning sunlight came through. ¡®I better go see them.¡¯ Upon sheathing her longsword, she made her way to the stairs. However upon lifting her left leg she felt a sharp pain come from her left thigh where she was wounded a few days before, only now she realized how much it really hurt. While wincing in pain, she used her right hand against the wooden wall to help her keep balance¡ªonce she was done climbing the stairs she was greeted by the cloudless blue sky and shining morning sun. ¡°Leona?¡± A voice came from behind her and as she turned around, Cecile was staring at her with wide eyes and a half open mouth of surprise. The half elf¡¯s surprised voice made all the crewmembers on deck to face her, which in turn made them see Leona. ¡°She¡¯s awake!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Princess Leona!¡± ¡°Leona!¡± Krieg¡¯s voice was the loudest of them all. Before Leona could utter a word, he closed the gap surprising her by enveloping her in a tight hug. ¡°Mhmph!¡± She exclaimed as her face was squeezed against Krieg¡¯s chest. ¡°Leona¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I-¡± She patted his back with her right hand as if saying to let go. After a few light slaps, she was finally able to breathe. ¡°Ah!¡± She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes with a smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Despite being glad, his facial expression was of a man who had lost the battle. He couldn¡¯t tear off his eyes from her wounded arm as if it was his fault that she was that way now. ¡°Leona¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that Krieg.¡± With her head tilted up, she reached for the left side of his face and rubbed his cheek with a smile on her face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to live off knowing I could¡¯ve saved everyone but lacked the resolve to do so.¡± Other crew members approached her, namely Cecile and Luka, both of which had expectant eyes as they both asked in unison. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She gave them a bright smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯m alive aren¡¯t I?¡± Both embraced her in a tight hug around her neck that she could barely breathe. ¡°Oof! Not so hard!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I just¡­¡± Cecile was trying to hold back her tears, but failed to do so as the inevitable sobbing and hiccuping made it more difficult for her words to come out. ¡°...when we all saw you in that state¡­ we¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re glad to have you back Lady Leona!¡± Krieg smiled unconsciously as he saw them all over his liege. It was then when the butler Percival arrived from the stairs, at first he looked confused at the commotion but after seeing Leona being smothered by the two fellow crew members he also smiled warmly while approaching Krieg. ¡°I suppose a warm hug once in a while does wonders to one¡¯s well-being.¡± He said while whisking the sides of his mustache. ¡°I am glad she made a full recovery.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Thankfully yes¡­ though what of Phoebe? You mentioned she was-¡± ¡°I apologize for doing this to your companion but I believe it is unwise to let her out of that room.¡± The butler¡¯s voice had a sense of worry. ¡°After all, if she truly is the legendary royal assassin then she¡¯ll stop at nothing to kill Lady Kaeli. Despite what she did back in Astera, she still saved your liege and for that, my mistress is eternally grateful.¡± In truth, both Phoebe and her sister left a bitter taste in Krieg¡¯s mouth. Both could kill anyone on that ship if they wanted to and while he could certainly go against one of them, but the two were a bit too much to ask from the knight. ¡°Very well¡­ has she eaten at least?¡± Percival nodded. ¡°Despite appearances I¡¯m a capable butler, Sir Krieg. I wouldn¡¯t have a guest of our esteemed captain to go hungry on a long voyage such as this.¡± ¡°Right¡­ thank you, Percival. When I came to be and found Leona collapsed without an arm I could hardly make a sensible decision, not to mention about Phoebe.¡± ¡°What about Phoebe?¡± After being freed from the hug, Leona overheard their conversation and approached the two. ¡°Is she alright?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Percival was trying to find words to dissuade the young woman but Krieg simply shook his head while sighing under his breath. ¡°Save your attempts to fool her, Percival. I¡¯ll go ahead and show it to her myself.¡± ¡°As you wish sir Krieg.¡± The knight offered his hand to lead Leona seeing how she was hobbling on the left side of her foot. When she placed her right hand on his, he used his left arm to support her from the waist so she wouldn¡¯t have to fear falling on the stairs. ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± He nodded and they headed downstairs. Luka, Cecile and Percival were left on deck and the half elf glanced at the butler before discreetly asking. ¡°What did you do exactly to Phoebe?¡± ¡°I had to restrain her. If not she would¡¯ve killed Lady Kaeli while she was in the middle of treating Lady Leona.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ how did you know she hated her?¡± ¡°I overheard a conversation she had with our captain the night before we set sail. She said something about finding her so she could personally end her life.¡± ¡°That sounds dark¡­¡± Luka commented with some of the color leaving his face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to be in either of their shoes¡­¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Charlotte shouted from the helm seeing how they were just talking amongst themselves. ¡°If you have time to chit-chat you also have time to work! Get back to it!¡± ¡°Aye ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°Yes! Ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°At once, my lady.¡± The trio spread out around the deck as they each went out to look for something to do. Charlotte sighed before focusing on piloting the ship. ¡®I just hope we won¡¯t have any more trouble¡­¡¯ Once they went downstairs, Krieg still loosely held Leona around her hip as she took her time with each step. A fragrant smell of boiled leaves tickled her nose as she reached about halfway of the dining hall. Sylas was offering some tea to a recently awoken Kaeli. She was sitting on the couch where Leona was treated with a blanket on her shoulders. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The high elf let out a satisfied sigh. She seemed cozy enough that it would be hard to think she was actually an enemy. ¡°Thank you Sylas. Your tea is always very tasty even by itself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, Lady Kaeli. I have to say, forgoing to use an anesthetic spell due mana shock unconsciousness was a smart idea.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°It was my only option. If I waited any longer those crystals would¡¯ve aggravated her situation even more.¡± She rubbed her right thumb around the edge of the ceramic cup¡ªher brows frowned in bitterness. ¡°Though I can¡¯t help but feel responsible for her arm. If I was faster then maybe¡­¡± ¡°You need not burden yourself with such thoughts.¡± Leona announced as she approached them. She raised her left stump. ¡°Though I would prefer to have it back, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s my arm anymore.¡± Kaeli¡¯s eyes widened a bit before she averted her gaze. ¡°Leona¡­¡± ¡°Lady Leona, I see that you are faring quite well.¡± Sylas was looking at her with a somewhat worried gaze. ¡°However, do make good use of moderation. Your treatment was nothing short of a miracle. If not for Lady Kaeli I dare not think what would have happened.¡± ¡°I appreciate your care and worry but I¡¯m fine. I just need to see to this situation.¡± She declared with a confident smirk. ¡°Only then I¡¯ll be able to rest easily.¡± Kaeli¡¯s gaze followed the two as they walked past them which prompted her to ask. ¡°Where are you¡­?¡± ¡°Your sister.¡± Leona answered. ¡°I need to talk to her.¡± The high elf simply glanced at the floor between her feet as she mumbled under her breath. ¡°I see¡­¡± Leona made it past the wooden arch that separated the dining area from the sleeping quarters. The air there felt heavy and while she had Krieg¡¯s help to walk, her left leg gave in as she stumbled to the same side. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to leave this for another time? You shouldn¡¯t push yourself too hard right after waking up.¡± ¡°No Krieg, I must see to this.¡± She winced in pain but still kept walking, albeit slower. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to rest if I don¡¯t know how Phoebe is faring.¡± He quietly nodded and with a bit of time, they made it to the door just before the end of the hallway where Phoebe¡¯s room was. In truth, Leona didn¡¯t know much about her other than the desire to get revenge, but after the lengths Kaeli went to save a life that she was meant to take¡ªit bothered the tactician. Why would someone kind as her seek to kill their own mother? For what end did she do it? And was it really what happened? Those questions plagued her mind and left a bitter taste in her mouth. As they stopped by the wooden door, Leona brought her right hand and knocked on the door. ¡°Phoebe? It¡¯s me, can I come in?¡± A few seconds passed before they heard a quiet muffled reply. ¡°Curses¡­¡± Leona shared a worried glance with Krieg for a split second before she announced. ¡°I¡¯m opening the door.¡± She grabbed on the door knob and the door opened into the room. It was poorly lit inside, but with whatever light that came from the outside of the ship Leona was just able to make out the shape of a person on the bed. After spending a few more seconds in the dim room¡ªher eyes adjusted to the darkness and she was able to see the high elf bound by ropes. Thick coils of cord were tying her wrists to her ankles. ¡°Phoebe.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes were wide in disbelief. ¡°What happened to you?!¡± ¡°Heh, come to think of it.¡± Phoebe ignored the question as she was clenching her teeth in anger. ¡°She is lucky that damn butler knows how to bind someone useless. I¡¯d have gutted her open like a fish already if it weren¡¯t for these ropes.¡± ¡°Wait, Percival did this?¡± She looked at Krieg who was frowning his brows as if he was hiding something. ¡°Krieg, tell me why she is being held like this?¡± The knight sighed discreetly before his eyes locked onto hers as he answered the question by his liege. ¡°I was the first to wake up after being knocked out and by that time Kaeli was already treating you.¡± He looked at Phoebe with pity in his eyes. ¡°But neither Luka or Sylas knew about Phoebe¡¯s relationship with her. When she tried to kill Kaeli on the spot I knew I had to protect her in order to save you.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Let me out of this place!¡± Phoebe yelled from the top of her lungs which startled Leona as she never heard her shout like that. The high elf¡¯s eyes had a gloom aura to them. ¡°I swear if any of you get in the way of my revenge again I will kill you!¡± She tried to forcefully undo the rope but without tools or blades at her disposal, there was nothing she could do as her strength wasn¡¯t enough to rip through the thick cord. The skin around her wrists were starting to become red from the friction of her trying to get rid of the knot. ¡°Calm down Phoebe, please¡­¡± Leona softly asked as she began to approach her with an outstretched hand before Krieg gently grabbed her forearm and shook his head as she turned to face him. With her gums bleeding from the excessive force she was exerting on them with her clenching mouth, Phoebe lashed out with bloodshot eyes. ¡°I¡¯LL RIP YOUR HEART OUT! YOU HEAR ME?!¡± She screamed her lungs out filled with hatred. ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU KAELI!¡± Her voice echoed throughout the hallway into the dining hall where Sylas stopped midway as he was walking away from Kaeli while holding her empty mug to wash it. He was taken aback by the screams. ¡°Is Lady Phoebe really your younger sister? Lady Kaeli?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She had a bittersweet smile on her face despite the obvious threats. ¡°My one and only little sister¡­ but it¡¯s time I take responsibility for what I¡¯ve done.¡± She stood up and made her way to the sleeping quarters. Krieg heard footsteps approaching through the clacking of soles against the wooden floor which made him rest his right hand on the handle of his weapon. ¡°What brings you here?¡± He asked with his head slightly turned to the right. ¡°I¡¯m here to see my sister.¡± Once Leona realized Kaeli was right behind them, she turned to speak to her but was interrupted by another outburst of rage from Phoebe. ¡°YOU BASTARD!¡± Her wrists were starting to bleed from the excessive exertion to free herself. ¡°I¡¯LL RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!¡± Kaeli¡¯s pain was obvious in her expression but even with the endless threats hurled by none other than her sister¡ªshe decided to walk in the room, going past both Krieg and Leona. She stopped by the edge of the bed. ¡°Phoebe. It¡¯s no good for you to strain yourself like that.¡± She hunched over and reached with her left hand for her sister¡¯s face when Leona quickly warned. ¡°Kaeli you shouldn¡¯t-!¡± ¡°HNGH!¡± With all her might, Phoebe bit down on Kaeli¡¯s thumb, drawing blood from it. Though wincing in pain, the older sister smiled nonetheless as she softly said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but¡­ you should rest for the time being.¡± Sparks suddenly shot out of her hand. ¡°Fulgent lightning, grant rest unto this weary soul, Sleep.¡± With a short gasp, Phoebe¡¯s eyes slowly closed as she cursed her sister one last time before losing consciousness. ¡°I hate you, Kaeli¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, little sister.¡± She straightened her back and held the wounded left thumb with her other hand. After taking a deep breath she turned around and looked Leona in the eyes. ¡°I know you must be tired, but could I have a word with you?¡± 2nd Interlude A sharp eared woman of long black hair and deep blue eyes was slowly blinking awake while covered by a hide blanket. She wore an Asteriam uniform, consisting of a thick deep green overcoat, layered trousers of the same color and thick dark leather boots. ¡°So why was I brought here?¡± Kaeli asked after looking around the campfire in the middle of the forest as she put the blanket aside. A lone man was hunched over a tree log while scribbling on it with a red pen. ¡°What do you think about your story so far?¡± ¡°Huh?! What do I think?!¡± She seemed outraged as she stood up brandishing her right arm to the side as the question seemed atrocious. ¡°First, I get blasted by her magic to the ocean and then you drop me a bloody kraken to deal with!¡± He proceeded to turn around and lay with his back against the log without taking his eyes off the notepad. ¡°Well, it¡¯s part of the plot.¡± ¡°Is making me miserable part of the plot?¡± He looked at her over the notepad and simply went back to scribbling. ¡°At least answer me.¡± ¡°You were supposed to be the main antagonist at some point.¡± He gave her a half hearted answer as if disinterested in her reaction. ¡°To be fair, I wished for you to be the actual villain but it just wouldn¡¯t work out.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Just why make me a villain at all then?!¡± ¡°I made you too powerful.¡± He looked at her over the notepad again. ¡°Think about it logically, if Leona had your help in the first assault in the mansion against Alexander, what do you think would happen?¡± ¡°We would probably win?¡± He sighed exasperatedly. ¡°You know, for an archmage, you¡¯re quite weak in the tactics department.¡± ¡°Huh?! Excuse me! I¡¯m quite powerful, you know!¡± She raised her left hand and every elemental force appeared rotating around her palm. A fire sphere, three small shards of ice, green colored wind rotating onto itself, cubic stones constantly changing shape, an orb of sizzling lightning and a floating ball of water. There were just way too many spells. ¡°Even I am getting tired of writing these off¡­¡± ¡°Hey! You gave me this power!¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Point is, you¡¯re too powerful, but not powerful enough and Leona wasn¡¯t even ready at that time either.¡± He scratched the side of his head with the pen. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not about to throw my two daughters to their deaths for dramatic effect.¡± Kaeli raised an eyebrow as she reeled back with both hands near her chest. Her ears were wiggling slightly. ¡°What do you mean daughters¡­¡± ¡°You two were one of the first characters I wrote. I can¡¯t help not feeling like a parent.¡± ¡°I¡­ I never heard those words before¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯ll forget we had this conversation the moment you go back. So off you go.¡± ¡°Huh?! No wait!¡± She jumped over the campfire to reach him but the man simply wrote something in the notepad and Kaeli¡ªalong her hide blanket, disappeared. The man sighed. ¡°Maybe a slice of life wouldn¡¯t be so bad after all¡­¡± 3rd Interlude It was early morning when it happened. Leona was blinking awake to the familiar firecamp sight as she witnessed dew formed on the leaves of nearby shrubbery. The thin trail of smoke signaled the fire had just gone out recently. As per usual, the washed blue bandana man was on the opposite side of her laying sideways on the grass that was strangely dry in a place so humid. He held the notepad and pen while making strange expressions as if he was thinking too hard. ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± He glanced over the paper and his eyes lit up once he saw her. ¡°Oh, Leona, welcome back. What did you wish to discuss this early in the morning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s regarding my place in the story¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± He put the notepad down with the red pen on top of it, as if showing that she had his complete attention. ¡°Go ahead, what is your question?¡± ¡°Is this really the way?¡± She raised her left stump of a limb that was only part of her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not against sacrificing myself for my ideals but¡­ is this really what I had to do?¡± ¡°Do you believe you could¡¯ve done anything differently?¡± ¡°In that situation¡­¡± She glanced down with frowning brows. She was a tactician¡ªshe knew her purpose was to plan ahead and come out victorious but thinking back of the situation she was in. There were hardly any other options. ¡°If only we had more people¡­ then maybe¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have much of a choice.¡± He showed a sympathetic smile as she quickly turned to him. ¡°I am an avid believer of causality. My choices through the story, being the people you encounter and the battles you fight, have an effect on your life and your own choices. To defeat Akamui you risked death in order to obtain victory. I hardly gave you any options and yet you, Leona, chose the selfless path to triumph. As your creator, I¡¯m proud.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°But isn¡¯t this you choosing my path?¡± ¡°I weaved this world like many others through my passion but you, along with all others I¡¯ve created, are my cherished children that I have bestowed upon this world. I may be the god of this place but the choices are your own. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± He seemed to address someone beside her which made Leona turn to her left only to realize there was a tall waist-long haired blonde woman of aquamarine eyes. She wore a military garb not unlike Leona¡¯s but it was entirely black in color. ¡°Our choices are our own. I¡¯ve come to realize that too late.¡± Her slightly deep pitch and serious tone showed experience. Something that Leona knew she herself lacked. ¡°I gave up on my morals in exchange of power to fulfill my ideals and in the end, this very power shattered the future I fought for.¡± She then turned to Leona with a bittersweet smile which seemed filled with both pain and happiness. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve found your answer. Leona.¡± ¡°I¡­ I remember you¡­¡± The man chuckled sourly before ripping one paper off his notepad and flicking it over the campfire. ¡°Rest easy now, you¡¯ve earned your rest.¡± The paper fell on the smoldering charcoal. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± The woman brought her right hand in front of her stomach and bowed. ¡°We may finally rest in peace knowing our future is a bright one.¡± Once the paper lit up ablaze, the campfire burned bright once again. The woman seemed to vanish from existence into dust. There was a lingering sensation of grief and sadness within Leona¡¯s breast. ¡°Was she¡­¡± She silently uttered. ¡°...also one of us?¡± He stared blankly at the crackling fire with a despondent gaze. ¡°One of the best.¡± Chapter CXXV: Shards of Truth Part II ¡°I know you must be tired, but could I have a word with you?¡± Kaeli¡¯s deep blue eyes had an eerie glow in the dimly lit room as she stared right back at Leona. Regardless of what Krieg wanted, the tactician was more than ready to finally have closure regarding everything that happened in the past couple of days on that ship as she answered. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll talk in the dining hall.¡± After leaving an unconscious Phoebe in the room, Leona left with Krieg¡¯s help to the dining hall while Kaeli took one last look at her sister. ¡®This may be my last goodbye, Phoebe.¡¯ She brushed the black hair from the side of her sister¡¯s face before gently closing the door and following the two out. On her way back, Sylas stopped by her with a crate of potions in his hands with a tone of excitement in his speech. ¡°Lady Kaeli, I had some questions pertaining to the process which you used during your mana transference procedure, is it possible for me to ask a few questions later?¡± She was surprised for a split second, but with a bittersweet smile she answered. ¡°When time allows, yes.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± He bowed before taking out one of the potions from the crate he carried. Different from the usual red or light blue color, the potion he handed to her was green like grass. ¡°Do take care of yourself in the meantime.¡± He then left for the storage room while humming an unfamiliar happy tune under his breath. The smile subtly faded from her face as she grasped the glass vial tightly between her fingers. Leona on the other hand just made it back to the couch she was previously treated on and sat down with the help of Krieg¡¯s left arm. ¡°I don¡¯t know what she might be planning but¡­¡± He whispered. ¡°...it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll end well.¡± ¡°Stand by my side, Krieg. It¡¯ll make me feel at ease too.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He turned around with his left hand resting against the scabbard which didn¡¯t look threatening at first but it allowed him to quickly draw the blade if needed. The high elf arrived a bit later as she sat down on the couch on the opposite side clasping both of her hands together. While looking on the floor between her feet, Kaeli began to speak up. ¡°Leona. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She looked up at her with sorrowful eyes which confused the tactician. ¡°I judged you as a sheltered and oblivious girl during our first meeting back in the Great Forest.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall you saying that.¡± Leona couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow. ¡°But I¡¯m certain from the expression on your face, this isn¡¯t just for an apology.¡± ¡°Indeed, this isn¡¯t.¡± She moved her thumbs around each other as if trying to hide her anxiety. ¡°But even so. I think it¡¯s only fair that you know about me since I know much about you and your family thanks to the brief time I was working under Alexander.¡± Leona nodded without saying a word, her expression was serene yet deep down she felt apprehensive to have a conversation about someone that was trying to kill her just a few weeks ago. Kaeli straightened her back while placing each of her hands on the knees before she began to tell her tale. ¡°When I first arrived in Arcadia, I was seeking solace from my exile when I met Alexander.¡± She closed her eyes and it felt like it was just yesterday when she had arrived in the capital city of the largest nation in the continent. Arcadia. The capital was everything others had described to her, stone paved streets, shops with all kinds of goods, a city bustling with all kinds of people and opportunities. ¡®This is it¡­ Arcadia.¡¯ Kaeli was wearing a brown and tattered cloak covering most of her face and hiding her elvish features, which wasn¡¯t exactly something easy to do given how far the edge of her ears stuck out from the side of her head. By taking a stroll around the center town she was able to witness things that she wouldn¡¯t otherwise have in the far east kingdom, namely the fabled royal knights, a fancy noble¡¯s horse-pulled carriage and mages performing on the side of the street for coin. She kept walking forward as the clopping of the horse became distant behind her; the cool autumn breeze gently brushed against her face as she made way for yet another carriage to pass by. Kaeli couldn¡¯t help but wonder how it would have been to live in such a vibrant city with her sister as she walked past a bakery¡ªthe faint smell of freshly baked pastries filled her nostrils with an alluring scent. She glanced inside the bakery through the window and noticed an armored knight leaving the establishment with a package. At first she thought of tricking him with magic, but as she was about to walk towards the entrance, a man pushed her with his shoulder to the side against the glass window. ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re going!¡± She shouted without thinking which earned her an unexpected fast retribution in the form of a fist to the side of her face. ¡°Ngh!¡± The punch knocked her on the stone paved ground¡ªthe left side of her face burned in pain as she tried to get up but her arms felt weak as if strength was leaving her body. ¡®Am I passing out¡­?¡¯ Her hands clenched into tight fists as she tried to muster enough strength again to at least turn around to see her assailant¡¯s face, but her arms gave in and she fell back on the floor unconscious. ¡°Hey what happened to them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe they fell?¡± The people who noticed her fall whispered to themselves but none helped, instead they continued on with their lives. Some that were walking near the bakery simply circumvented the unconscious Kaeli as if it was just another occurrence in the city. Hours passed before the high elf regained consciousness and by then the sun was already setting. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She rolled to the right and her back was laying against the bakery¡¯s window. Her left cheek was swollen which also made it a bit difficult to see from her left eye. Despite only having her face punched, her whole body was aching from pain. She spent a few minutes in that position until recovering some strength to at least sit up. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± She mumbled as she reached for her own face with both hands and began to cast a spell. ¡°Great power of the sea, mend this battered body, Heal¡­¡± With a gentle blue glow, the swollen skin and muscles slowly healed back to normal. She touched her face a few more times to confirm the swelling was gone but her left hand was trembling ever so slightly which worried her. When she took a good look at both of her hands on her lap she noticed it was hunger.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ I didn¡¯t eat anything yesterday either¡­¡¯ In a city where everything was new to her and nobody would extend a helping hand made her feel despondent as she just sat there without knowing what to do next. ¡°Umm¡­ excuse me, miss?¡± A kind female voice came from her left side. Kaeli turned just enough to look at whoever was addressing her without exposing too much of her face. ¡°What¡­ is it?¡± The woman wore an apron and she had a scent of baked goods to her. Her brown hair was tied in a high ponytail and her hazel eyes seemed to radiate kindness as she softly continued. ¡°I don¡¯t want to come off as rude but it¡¯s not good for our business if you just sit there. So I¡¯m kindly asking you to either come in to buy something or leave.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kaeli attempted to stand up only to stumble to the right as her leg almost gave out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯ll leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but thank you.¡± The high elf turned to the right and left the vicinity using her right hand against the wall as support to avoid falling again. She kept going for a bit until she found an alley where she could sit down without being bothered. ¡®I should have some coin left to at least eat a meal¡­¡¯ She touched the side of her belt where she had a pouch of coins but it wasn¡¯t there. Her hands trailed around the leather belt as she searched her entire waist for it. ¡®Did I lose it?!¡¯ She desperately stood up and looked around the corner where she came from but there was nothing on the ground nor anyone looking at her directly which made her realize she never really lost it on her way there and instead was robbed off her person when she was unconscious. Her left shoulder hit the wall as she slowly slid down. The coin she managed to make during her travels was now gone and in the middle of a city that she knew nothing of was practically a death sentence. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± Hunger and fatigue was catching up from the days she spent walking from Akrapocalis to the capital city. She thought she¡¯d be able to at least eat a warm meal and sleep on a comfortable bed for once but nothing changed¡ªin fact it was much worse now. In the Great Forest she could at least be on guard for whatever wild animal that tried to approach her but in the city, it was a different story, she couldn¡¯t just attack anyone with magic as it would probably kill them and killing someone, specially someone influential, was a quick way to find oneself being hunted by an entire kingdom. She rested her head against the brick wall while staring at the opposite one. Her outstretched hands clenched into tight fists from anger. ¡°I didn¡¯t come to this place only to be miserable again¡­¡± Suddenly, sounds of multiple metallic footsteps approached from the street. Dreadful thoughts that filled her mind were replaced with a sense of urgency as she struggled to stand up. Multiple knights were running down the street where she had come from. Something big happened as she peeked out of the alley. ¡®Why are there so many of them?¡¯ She thought as she was looking around. ¡°Hey you there!¡± One knight wearing full plate armor with an ornate blue cape fluttering behind him approached Kaeli with a halberd between his hands. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a beggar, what are you doing in this alley?¡± ¡°I- I was robbed just now.¡± She nervously explained. ¡°I was taking some time to gather my bearings.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯ll need you to come with us.¡± He took another step closer. ¡°A noble has been murdered a few blocks down the street and you seem a bit suspicious to be left alone.¡± ¡°W-wait-!¡± She took a step back from fear while raising her hands in front of her body. ¡°I just got to the city! I haven¡¯t done anything!¡± ¡°I just need to ask you some questions.¡± He approached yet again but this time his fingers were tightening around the halberd¡¯s shaft. ¡°If you truly haven¡¯t done anything you need not be afraid.¡± At that point Kaeli was becoming desperate. Not only she didn¡¯t have any coins in her pockets nor food in her stomach, she was also being suspected of a crime she didn¡¯t commit. She took another step back only to fall on the ground, her hands began to sparkle with electricity¡ªa trait that she had when met with too much stress. However such a display of power wasn¡¯t taken kindly by him as he took a step forward seemingly ready to charge with the pointy end of the halberd. ¡°Wait. Captain.¡± The knight stopped at someone else¡¯s behest and looking past him, Kaeli noticed who addressed the situation. A middle aged man of short greasy brown hair, hazel eyes and a distinct confident faint smile on his face; he wore a fine red wine suit with silk trousers of same color and polished dark leather shoes. ¡°Sir Alexander?¡± ¡°She is obviously not our culprit. If she was, she would have attacked you already knowing you are a royal knight.¡± ¡°But sir, it was Lady Crossford that was-¡± The middle aged man¡¯s hazel irises seemed to release an eerie dark red glow from them as he further explained to the knight. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find the mastermind somewhere else, captain. Now, if you can¡ªleave us alone.¡± The knight seemed to hesitate for a moment before slowly nodding as if he came to a fair conclusion. ¡°Yes¡­ yes¡­ I¡¯ll go check somewhere else.¡± His stance suddenly softened as he turned around to leave. ¡°Excuse me, my lord.¡± After the knight left, the man approached Kaeli with his outstretched right hand. ¡°That must have been scary for you. What is your name?¡± She looked at his hand with hesitance at first but seeing how he saved her from a potential confinement, she extended her own hand and stood up with his help. ¡°Kaeli Hawkeye.¡± ¡°I see. What a beautiful name.¡± He said with what seemed to be a sincere smile. ¡°My name is Alexander Lorraine.¡± Leona or Krieg could scarcely believe what they just heard. With widened eyes and a half open mouth, Leona was trying to process everything she had just heard as she asked. ¡°Let me tell you what I understood so you can confirm whether or not I¡¯m right.¡± She was trying to get rid of any doubts she had after hearing Kaeli¡¯s story, as unbelievable as it was. ¡°You came to Arcadia to look for a place to call home.¡± Kaeli nodded with a somber look on her face. ¡°Yes. This was after I was exiled by my master.¡± ¡°I see. Then after just coming to the city you were not only assaulted by a random passerby but also robbed while unconscious?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± ¡°And this was roughly four years ago?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be just a mere coincidence.¡± She looked at Krieg whose expression could only be described as disbelief. ¡°Alexander wasn¡¯t responsible for the royal knights at that time was he? I was told he was looking into the issue with the lack of Londrian merchants and wasn¡¯t even in the city.¡± ¡°I believe not, he was only assigned to the post because Lady Ravness passed away.¡± Leona wore an intense glare as each side of her jaws puffed outwards from her clenching teeth. Those words meant that not only he lied to the people investigating about her mother¡¯s death, but also went out of his way to be in the city when it happened. ¡°...¡± She stared at the floor in front of her before turning to Kaeli once again while doing her best to bury those burning feelings inside her chest. ¡°Where were you taken to after this?¡± ¡°To the Grand Academy. I was told to teach mages and soldiers how to better use their magic. I spent my time working there as a professor of advanced spell casting but only recently I got the position of Archmage.¡± She once again stared at the floor as if pangs of shame hung her down. ¡±I thought with all my heart that he was right. That you, alongside everyone from your family, were just treacherous people trying to gain power by using demonkind. But seeing you risk all for not only the people close to you, but for an enemy such as me, I couldn¡¯t deny what I have witnessed and for that, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.¡± She bowed down. ¡°You are just another victim.¡± Leona said with a bitter taste forming inside her mouth. Both Krieg and the archmage looked at her with a bit of surprise at the angst in her tone. ¡°Arcadia and Alexander are two sides of the same coin. The despair he brought to demonkind and the ever growing apathy in the capital city is nothing more than seeds of chaos he sowed throughout the years and are now bearing fruit. Had the populace been more respectful to outsiders, you wouldn¡¯t have joined hands with him and all this unnecessary conflict would have never happened.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel sorry for me, Leona.¡± Kaeli could manage to show her a faint smile. ¡°I did terrible things not only for you but your comrades as well, if anything I¡¯m the one who needs to repent. However to break one¡¯s vow is to not only lie to oneself but also the ones that believed you.¡± That statement made both the tactician and Krieg turn to her. ¡°Just how I gave my word to not harm anyone on this ship until we reached land; I too vowed to take you down and despite my now understanding of who you actually are, it changes nothing regarding my oath.¡± She stood up and removed her right glove which was part of the military uniform she had stolen and threw it on the tactician¡¯s lap. ¡°Leona Crossford. I, Kaeli Hawkeye, challenge you to a duel.¡± Chapter CXXVI: Shards of Truth Part III At first Leona thought she was hearing things, but looking at the white glove on her lap she realized she didn¡¯t just hear it wrong and the high elf in front of her really just issued a duel. Krieg suddenly sprung up while reaching for the handle of his weapon. ¡°Then I should just cut you down here and now!¡± He unsheathed the sword and in one swift motion he brought the blade up into a diagonal downwards slash. Kaeli just barely managed to avoid the fatal cleave to her chest by side stepping to the left and then proceeding to jump backwards to create more distance. ¡°Wait!¡± Leona pleaded. ¡°Krieg!¡± ¡°Leona! We can¡¯t suffer to have her threaten you like this!¡± Kaeli adjusted the collar of her clothing before speaking to the knight. ¡°Truly, you are the perfect protector, Sir Krieg. There was no hesitation in attacking me after I told her of my intentions.¡± ¡°You speak too much elf!¡± He chased after her and when he got into range he swung a broad horizontal swing that, if connected, would cleave Kaeli in half. ¡°You¡¯re not half bad for someone not using mana!¡± She used wind magic beneath her feet to jump over him and land a few meters behind him. ¡°But listen to what your liege has to say for once, she understood what I meant.¡± He looked at Leona. She had stood up and was now in front of Kaeli. ¡°Wait Krieg. Please.¡± ¡°Leona¡­ why do you protect someone that wants to take your life?¡± ¡°Put your sword away and listen to me please.¡± After a good few seconds of hesitation the knight sheathed his sword. ¡°Just as she vowed to eliminate me, she also vowed to not attack anyone on this ship until we reach land. Even if we were to fight her now, there is no telling what would happen.¡± Kaeli smiled. ¡°See, your liege has a good head between her shoulders.¡± She reached for the tactician¡¯s right shoulder for a friendly squeeze. ¡°Besides. If we really fought to the death here, neither of us would have survived. While I am low on mana, her condition also barely allows her to cast spells.¡± Leona then turned around which prompted Kaeli to take a half step back as she was addressed by the tactician. ¡°But I can¡¯t comprehend why you would go to such lengths for Alexander even though you understand what he is doing is still ultimately wrong.¡± ¡°Wrong as he may be, you can¡¯t deny the results, Leona. Not only did he bring every Arcadian together under his cause, but also accomplished one of the feats none of the previous rulers were able to, which was to create a strong kingdom.¡± She sourly laughed. ¡°Besides, my vow is not something to be taken lightly, to break it is to defy a god.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ that means you are a-¡± ¡°Paladin? Yes. I became one in order to obtain this power.¡± Leona glanced at the floor with a troubled expression. ¡®A devout paladin. That would explain how she was able to achieve such magic prowess while being so young.¡¯ She then couldn¡¯t help but look at the high elf again and ask. ¡°What compelled you to go to these lengths?¡± Kaeli smirked as she shook her left hand in front of her body. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you win our duel.¡± She then walked past Leona and Krieg while heading towards the ship¡¯s deck. ¡°After all, yielding is the same as accepting death isn¡¯t it?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Leona tightened her right hand into a fist as she turned around¡ªalmost shouting. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be this way, Kaeli!¡± For the tactician, talent and hardwork were paramount for anyone to survive their harsh reality. Through all the pain and suffering, she was able to see a glimpse of who Kaeli truly was, but behind that mask there were truths yet to be unveiled. The high elf chuckled before continuing. ¡°Maybe not for you, Leona.¡± She spoke in high regards as if addressing a long time friend. ¡°For you that kept your morals intact even as hell was unleashed into your life¡ªyou, who fought tooth and nail for the future you seek. I respect you from the bottom of my heart.¡± Leona stared at the floor with a bitter expression on her face. ¡®Why must we fight?¡¯ At the time she didn¡¯t realize, but the sword on her hip seemed to tremble. Outside, Charlotte and Cecile were discussing the plan for the rest of the voyage when the captain noticed Kaeli come out from the staircase. ¡°Tsk.¡± She instinctively clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°I know she saved Leona but could she be less of an eyesore?¡± Cecile also had a frowned expression on her face. ¡°She is too dangerous to be on this ship. But it¡¯s not like any of us can fight her right now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ to think one day I would be carrying vermin on my ship.¡± Kaeli made her way across the deck and rested both her elbows against the wooden railing at the very front of the ship. The gentle ocean breeze and warm sun helped ease her mind off the struggles she was to eventually face once the ship landed. ¡®This is the right path¡­¡¯ She slowly tightened her fists. ¡®Even if I fail, even if I fall here and now, she will still be safe.¡¯ Her long silky black hair fluttered against the wind, both deep blue eyes gazed at the endless orange horizon as the sun was settling. Upon closing her eyes it felt like she could see it all once again, darkened skies, roaring thunder and the vivid crimson red of blood coming out of her mother¡¯s body. Even the smell of the salty ocean was overwhelmed by the memory of the sickening taste of iron in the air as a young Phoebe¡¯s screams tainted her mind. ¡®I hate you!¡¯ Her hands relaxed as her finger creeped up against the edge of the railings. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯ve killed our mother¡­¡± She mumbled to herself while recalling her memories in Nara. ¡°But I can¡¯t give up just yet¡­ not yet¡­¡± Each one of her fingers tightened its grip around the wooden edge as her thumbs traced in circles. Her mind was not only plagued by her past sins, but also the last warning her master gave her many years ago. ¡°You are fortunate to be talented, Kaeli. Were you anything but exceptional, your shoulders would be missing a head by now.¡± She could picture him clearly. A middle aged man of short black hair was staring through her by the empty docks of Nara, it was the dead of the night as the last ship was about to set sail to the Arcadian continent. His sharp brown eyes could hardly be seen under the moonless night as only a few torches scattered around the pier illuminated the docks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I had no other choice, it would be meaningless if-¡± ¡°Silence. I don¡¯t wish to hear anything else from you.¡± He turned around as his long-sleeved dark blue robes swayed slightly in the night breeze. ¡°Begone from my sight and never set foot in this continent ever again.¡± She hung her head low as her shoulder length black hair brushed against both sides of her cheeks. There were no other options left for the high elf as she boarded the ship without any farewells from the lonesome dark pier as her master¡¯s wide back vanished into the darkness. ¡°In the end¡­ it¡¯s just me being selfish again¡­¡± She felt strangely at peace despite knowing what her actions would cost her, should she reach Nara. Death seemed more like a mercy than anything else her master could do to her, but even then she was full of conviction with a confident smile curling up her face. ¡° But I¡¯ll win no matter the outcome of this duel.¡± Deep in her heart all she wanted was Phoebe to be happy. However, she knew that in order to acquire enough power to defeat death angels, an equivalent sacrifice needed to be made. Her mother was one of the few pure blood high elves left in the world with an exceptional potential for magic and was equally skilled with the bow and arrow. It was no wonder she received the title of the Queen¡¯s ¡®right hand woman¡¯. She was by no means someone that would just accept being killed on the spot, but that day was different. It was as if she felt she would be killed by her own daughter and Kaeli remembered it all. The salty smell of the ocean was overwhelmed by the sickening iron taste in the air. Her mother told her how much she loved her, before closing her eyes. Kaeli believed that was for the best, that her vow would bring the power she needed in order to finally put an end to the death angels. But she couldn¡¯t be further from the truth, not only she incurred her master¡¯s wrath but also the hatred from the person she swore to protect. Upon opening her eyes the horizon orange tint gave place to a warm red color that embraced the ocean, signaling yet another day was at an end. ¡®That being said¡­ I¡¯m not planning to die anytime soon.¡¯ She thought while looking at both of her hands and slowly closing them into tight fists which then began to emit sparks of electricity. ¡®Be prepared, Leona Crossford. My first nemesis, my first friend.¡¯ Chapter CXXVII: The Maiden in Silver Inside the dining hall, Leona was sitting on the couch she was treated on with a somber look on her face. Memories of lives taken by her own hands and the failure to save lives with those same hands were gnawing at the back of her mind. Now that she was given a choice to fight for her ideals, she found herself hesitating. Hesitating to take the life of the person who saved hers for the sake of her own path. ¡°I have to find another way¡­¡± She muttered under her breath while her gaze was focused on the hilt of the longsword on the floor. Even if she was to duel Kaeli, it was unlikely that she could pull off an overwhelming victory without her left arm unless she sacrificed the other one. ¡°No¡­ that wouldn¡¯t work¡­¡± While Kaeli healed her damaged mana circuits, there were no guarantees that anyone else could the same; making it a one time trick that she could potentially use, but was understandably hesitant to. Even if she won, were she to lose her only working arm for casting magic, the only way she could use mana was either through her ankles or complete vocal incantations which was a method not commonly used for the risk of injuring the vocal cords. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± She grabbed the scabbard off the floor and laid on her back with both of her feet over the other edge of the couch. She held the weapon on her chest as she exhaled slowly to calm herself down. ¡°No matter what I think of I just can¡¯t come up with a proper plan against her¡­¡± Her fingers tightened around the scabbard. Her mind and body were both spent as she found herself blinking slower and slower until her heavy eyelids guided her into slumber. Footsteps approached the sleeping tactician as Krieg stopped beside the couch with a ceramic cup in his hand. ¡°Leona I brought you the-¡± He stopped speaking once he noticed she was sleeping. Without saying another word he put away the cup of water on the table and sat with his back against the couch. Seeing her rest was a reward of its own for him. However the guilt of not being beside her when she needed the most weighed heavy on his heart. ¡®It should have been me.¡¯ He held his left bicep and squeezed it tightly. ¡®What good is a knight who can¡¯t even protect his liege?¡¯ He hung his head low while looking at the pommel of the sword tied to his hip. He never felt so helpless even when he was fighting against demons in the Great War, in fact, he had never lacked confidence in his strength or swordsmanship. He was atop of the chain when it came down to individual skill, but to feel so inadequate as to be useless, now that was the first time. ¡®No¡­ I can¡¯t continue like this¡­¡¯ He looked at his right palm before closing it into a fist so tight it was possible to see the muscles and veins around his wrist tense up. ¡®I will find a way to help her in this upcoming duel no matter what.¡¯ He stood up and grabbed the cup of water from the table before glancing back at Leona who was still sleeping soundly. ¡°Hm?¡± Upon closer inspection, he noticed the exposed frostburnt silver blade of her sword was awfully close to her face. He reached for the scabbard and tried to pull the weapon away from her but his hands slipped from the sheath. At first he didn¡¯t think much of it, but when he tried to take the sword away from her the second time, her fingers suddenly tensed up around the scabbard, not letting go of the weapon. ¡°Leona¡­? Are you awake?¡± He firmly grabbed on the scabbard right below her hand and tried one more time to pry off her but she wasn¡¯t letting it go. Despite the amount of force she seemed to be exerting there was barely any difference in her facial expression which only meant she wasn¡¯t doing it on purpose. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. ¡®What is going on¡­?¡¯ Inside Leona¡¯s mind was a turbulent sea of emotions as she found herself half aware that it was a dream. ¡®I can¡¯t move¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t feel her body but she could see a myriad of memories not her own which passed by her mind in an almost incoherent speed. Happiness, joy, sorrow, pain, horror, dread¡ªthe waves of emotions were so intense that she felt her chest tighten despite lacking a physical body. ¡°Leona¡­¡± An unfamiliar voice rang in her mind. ¡°You truly are a hero¡­¡± It felt like someone was speaking in a language she couldn¡¯t understand, but at the same time she could comprehend the meaning of each word spoken. There was an intense bout of dizziness as she struggled to keep herself conscious. ¡®Ugh¡­ what is going on¡­?¡¯ ¡°No matter the cost, I will save them all.¡± This time an unfamiliar female voice echoed in her mind. From the pitch and tone of her voice, Leona could guess it would be from a middle aged woman. ¡°They will fall by my hands!¡± The same voice and yet another bout of dizziness, this time it felt like her head was being split in half. Each time that woman¡¯s voice came into her mind it was as if she was taking each emotion as her own. ¡®Whose are these memories¡­?¡¯ ¡°I can¡¯t fail now¡­! I won¡¯t!¡± The same voice was filled with desperation which filled Leona with the same anxiety as she was struggling to grasp the meaning of each memory that bombarded her mind. ¡°This isn¡¯t the end¡­¡± The voice she couldn¡¯t understand before rang clear in her mind this time. ¡°Leona! You must survive until the end!¡± With a loud gasp, Leona shot up awake as she found herself inside an unfamiliar hall. The crystal blue floor felt cold to the touch, she stood up and looked around. The first thing that caught her attention was the pale blue torches that were affixed inside crystal pillars that served to support the ceiling¡ªhowever when looking up, she couldn¡¯t see the actual ceiling as the columns would just vanish into the darkness. ¡°What is this place¡­?¡± It was a spacious hall with four different pillars per five to six of her steps for width until each side of the wall. Behind her was an endless darkness that she would not dare walk towards as it felt like the heat was being sucked out from her chest just by merely looking at, so instead she walked forward¡ªfollowing the eerie illuminated path. Each of her steps echoed through the hall, but it was strange. Despite the sounds of her own making, she could still hear her own heartbeats through her ears with each step forward.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She kept going for a while, but the hall didn¡¯t seem to change, in fact, it felt like she was walking in circles. She swallowed dry. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± Her voice echoed endlessly. She could sense someone or something, staring at her. Upon glancing behind her one more time where there should have been lit torches from the path she walked, there was simply the gnawing blackness as if the darkness had been swallowing everything she left behind. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she grabbed one of the nearby torches and chucked into the darkness. The beacon of light hit the floor once before skidding through the crystal floor, illuminating much less than she expected in darkness until it stopped by someone¡¯s pale bare feet. ¡°?!¡± Leona instinctively reached for her longsword, but the weapon wasn¡¯t on her hip. ¡®Where did my weapon go?!¡¯ ¡°Why haven¡¯t you called me¡­?¡± She looked at the darkness with widened eyes as the female voice came from within it. The torch she had thrown was picked up by an equally pale hand before it was brought up. A woman was standing amidst the blackness with the torch in the right hand while the left held Leona¡¯s sheathed frostburnt silver longsword. She wore nothing more than a tattered cloth that hung around her shoulders and covered most of her body except the legs and feet. The darkness seemed to seep out from the darkened crystal floor and the torch was barely illuminating around the woman. ¡°Leona¡­ why?¡± The kind and caring voice asked in a way that made Leona feel relaxed. However, in the back of her mind she was still someone that could not be trusted which made her jump back to create some distance while putting her right arm in front of her before asking. ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± The woman was about two palms taller than her. Her slender face was framed with two prominent straightened silver bangs coming around each cheek from the middle of her head while the back of her hair fanned around her knees. Her crimson red eyes were akin to Krieg¡¯s but as opposed to her knight¡¯s sharp gaze, the woman had a gentle and calming look. ¡°Leona¡­ why haven¡¯t you called me¡­?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes seemed to be staring through Leona as if she wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Who are you?!¡± Becoming impatient, Leona decided to shout. ¡°How do you know me?!¡± Without so much as a word, the woman turned around and let go of the torch and as soon as it hit the ground the pale blue flame was snuffed out by the crawling darkness. ¡°Wait!¡± Leona shot up awake with her right hand extending out while holding the scabbard. She noticed Krieg was beside her with his hand also on the leather sheath as if trying to pry it off her grip. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± He had a worried expression on his face which puzzled Leona at first, however after looking at her own right hand she noticed it was painfully red and no matter how hard she tried to open it, the muscles simply wouldn¡¯t comply to her command. ¡°What happened to me¡­?¡± She asked while wincing from the tingling sensation spreading throughout her arm. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He answered while kneeling in front of her. ¡°At first it seemed like you were sleeping but after I tried to get the sheath out of your hand you simply gripped it even harder.¡± Leona turned to her left and put the sword on top of her lap at which point he started to gently pry off each individual finger off the scabbard. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened¡­ I dreamed about a woman with silver hair, she was muttering my name but I didn¡¯t recognize her¡­¡± That tale sounded familiar to Krieg¡¯s ears as he turned at her with a curious expression on his face. ¡°You dreamed about her? Did you find yourself somewhere that you have never been before?¡± ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡± He shifted his focus back to helping her as he carefully opened her pinky finger, releasing her grip on the scabbard. Her entire hand was reddened from the poor flow of blood. ¡°Queen Eleonora once went through something like that when she became champion of the goddess.¡± He explained while putting the frostburnt silver longsword on the table. ¡°Though in her case, she had her holy sword with her.¡± ¡°Laevateinn.¡± Leona uttered. The holy sword carried by the Knight Queen herself. She never personally laid eyes upon the weapon but she did read and hear about it extensively as one of her father¡¯s favorite tales. It was rumored to be a longsword made of golden mana in the likeness of the goddess Eleonora. A weapon capable of effortlessly cutting down foes whose hearts are burdened with sin. ¡°But well¡­¡± Krieg continued while kneeling in front of her. ¡°It was a holy sword bestowed by the goddess herself. Unless this blade that was gifted to you was from another god or someone equivalent to one, I don¡¯t think it could have been the weapon.¡± Leona chuckled. ¡°Unless Jano was a god in disguise while running an inn. Though I must admit, everything that happened in Londria was far from ordinary.¡± Meeting the goddess, be hunted down by a former comrade, discovering Krieg¡¯s heritage, witnessing Phoebe lose two legs. It was a far cry from what she had experienced up to that point. ¡°Though I must admit, holding this weapon made me a bit uneasy.¡± Krieg explained as he glanced at the sheathed blade. ¡°It feels like it has been used to cut down the lives of many.¡± Leona was shaking her right hand back and forth to alleviate the numbness while following Krieg¡¯s gaze at the frostburnt silver longsword. ¡°Jano said it was his wife¡¯s weapon. Maybe she did use it to defeat demons while they were adventurers?¡± ¡°I hardly believe an adventurer would have the need to kill as many as this weapon has.¡± He frowned his eyebrows. ¡°There is definitely something off with it.¡± ¡°There is little point dwelling about it.¡± After managing to shake off most of the numbness, she grabbed the scabbard again. ¡°I would like to try again, if you don¡¯t mind Krieg.¡± He wore a worried expression on his face as he witnessed her take the weapon to her lap. ¡°Must you really?¡± ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s simply to satisfy my own curiosity.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°If my weapon truly has a soul, I¡¯d like to understand it. Who knows, maybe I can become stronger with it as well.¡± He scratched the side of his head as he tried to recall a few bits of information from the time he traveled with Queen. ¡°Eleonora was able to somewhat communicate with her holy sword through a ritual called communion.¡± She held her chin between the index and thumb while raising one eyebrow. ¡°I never heard of it.¡± ¡°There were probably records of it, but it would be inside the royal library.¡± ¡°Can you describe how she did it?¡± He closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly up. ¡°What I could remember was that she would sit on the ground with the sword on her lap while pouring mana into the blade.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that sounds something like runic magic.¡± She placed the scabbard on her lap and took a deep breath. ¡°Very well¡­ just gently pour mana into it¡­¡± Her body began to glow ever so slightly. Although Krieg could barely see it, he was able to sense her flow of mana by being in close proximity to her aura. At first nothing seemed to happen other than the blade start to shine a faint light blue glow as reaction from her mana, but as time went on, Leona¡¯s focused expression became lighter and lighter until she tilted her head to the back side of the couch. ¡®Did she sleep?¡¯ Krieg thought for himself before extending his hand towards her scabbard. Her finger tensed around the sheath the moment he tried to pull the weapon away. ¡°Leona?¡± A few seconds passed and no response. He tried once again to pull the sword away but her fingers didn¡¯t budge. ¡®She did it then.¡¯ He placed his hand on top of hers which covered it entirely as he lowered his head in a silent prayer. ¡°Please, don¡¯t push yourself too hard again, Leona.¡± Upon opening her eyes, Leona found herself in the familiar crystal hall, however this time as opposed to the gnawing blackness, she could look as far as her eyes could see. Just like the ceiling, the hallway itself seemed to expand endlessly on both sides. ¡°Leona¡­? Is that you?!¡± The oddly familiar voice came from her left and as Leona turned, she noticed the long silver haired woman sitting against the crystal wall with a sheathed sword on the floor beside her. The tattered cloth seemed to flutter ever so slightly against the seemingly denser air close to the ground. Upon standing up, the woman was considerably taller than Leona¡ªalmost as tall as Krieg. Her long stride carried her in a hurry with the scabbard in her right hand as she approached Leona with seemingly worry in her eyes, however the tactician instinctively took half a step back. The woman raised her left hand with a half open mouth as she asked. ¡°Leona? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You speak as if we have known each other for a long time.¡± She tilted her head slightly up. ¡°Who are you?¡± Leona questioned while staring intently at the silver haired woman¡¯s crimson eyes. There was a hint of sadness and despair from hearing those words. ¡°That is right¡­ you¡­ you wouldn¡¯t know¡­¡± Her eyes gently frowned towards the ground. Nevertheless, the woman who towered above the tactician knelt down¡ªleaving her head at the height of Leona¡¯s chest. ¡°My name is Avalon. The silver maiden. I¡¯m glad to see you again, my empress.¡± Chapter CXXVIII: Broken Worlds Part I ¡®Empress?!¡¯ That was her only thought in her mind. Leona was widely known as Princess Tactician or simply Princess due her status as throne candidate for Arcadia but never once was she addressed as a queen much less an empress. ¡°Sorry but I must have misheard you. You called me, empress?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes went wide as if realizing she had made a mistake. She lowered her head and pinched her nose ridge between the index and thumb from her left hand while the right tightened its grip around the sheathed silver longsword. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it has been so long that I instinctively¡­¡± She tilted her head up and upon closer inspection, Leona could see the darkened bags under her eyes. Not only that but her complexion was extremely pale as if she could disappear out of thin air at any moment. ¡®This person¡­ no, this weapon¡­ how does it know about me?¡¯ Leona thought with her eyes straightening at the woman. ¡®Not only that but ¡®instinctively¡¯ calling me an empress?¡¯ ¡°Avalon, just how do you know me? You implied that I wouldn¡¯t know. Know what, exactly?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± She frowned her eyes and avoided Leona¡¯s gaze by looking sideways. ¡°I have been through this way more times than I can count.¡± She extended the sheathed blade. ¡°Take me, I¡¯ll show you what I mean.¡± There was a hint of hesitance in Leona¡¯s right hand as she swallowed dry. There was a sense of foreboding knowledge awaiting for her within that sword¡¯s hilt. Nevertheless she braced herself as her hand held firmly onto the handle and in that split second¡ªa torrential wave of emotions swept across her mind like a violent hurricane. The crystal hall suddenly shattered to pieces as they were falling through what seemed to be a maelstrom of memories. Different images flashed inside her mind as they kept free falling through this seemingly endless tunnel of recollections. ¡®What is going on?!¡¯ The very first memory that imprinted itself in Leona¡¯s mind was her personal maid Adele handing her a sheathed frostburnt silver longsword not unlike the one she was holding. ¡°Princess, I¡¯ve brought the weapon you asked for. However, Lord Jean insisted that you took the family¡¯s heirloom instead as opposed to a common blade.¡± She saw everything from her own perspective which was even more puzzling, given that those memories were supposed to be Avalon¡¯s and not hers. ¡°I already told father, he won¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± She took the blade and inspected the sheathe before drawing the blade, her aquamarine eyes reflected off the lightly blue polished silver metal with a disturbing glare which even surprised herself. ¡°Alexander will pay for what he did.¡± Everything became blurry until it faded into black with only an unrecognizable male voice echoing in her mind. ¡°Leona, you have done it. You mastered it. There is nothing left for me to teach you, however¡­¡± There was a long pause before he finished his sentence. ¡°...how you put that power to use will be left up to you.¡± A few seconds passed and another memory jolted her mind. This time she was going through a festival of some kind in the Arcadian main street while horseback wearing full plate armor. The ornate protection was adorned with a blue cape wearing the insignia of the royal guards. A golden eight pointed star with two swords crossing over it. A number of knights flanked her for protection as the crowd kept shouting and cheering on. ¡°Queen Leona!¡± ¡°Long live the Queen!¡± ¡°For the future and prosperity of Arcadia!¡± ¡°Hooray! Queen Leona!¡± Despite the happiness in the air and festive mood, behind Leona¡¯s fake smile was a creeping flame of hatred that was all but consuming her mind. The resentment was so great she even felt like it could sear her own mind. ¡°How long¡­ just how long will I have to endure?¡± Her past self muttered under her breath and yet again the memory vanished into darkness. In a blink, she opened her eyes to another familiar setting where she was sitting at the end of a wooden table within her own mansion. A woman of wavy purple hair and lapis lazuli eyes was just across the dining table with a number of escorts of her own. Lady Fye. She wore a similar dress as to when Leona had met her, but she seemed more tired if anything.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°It is a pleasure to have a conversation with you directly, Queen Leona.¡± ¡°Save the formalities for later, lady Fye.¡± The queen placed both her hands on the table before interlocking her fingers, both her arms were covered with gauntlets which meant she was wearing full yet again. ¡°Tell me, is your airship project proceeding apace?¡± That sentence was enough to drain the color from the noble woman¡¯s face. ¡°How did you-?!¡± ¡°To me, my knights!¡± Suddenly, the door was kicked open and a group of armored knights came in with their weapons in hand. ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡± Lady Fye shouted. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be-¡± ¡°This is how Arcadia will lead its people from now on.¡± She stood up and approached the noble woman, whose guards were helpless against the overwhelming number of armored soldiers. ¡°Anyone that stands in its path will bend the knee or die by the sword.¡± She unsheathed the frostburnt silver longsword and pressed its tip against her throat. ¡°So, what will it be? The sword? Or the knee?¡± ¡®That isn¡¯t me¡­!¡¯ Leona thought as she forcibly closed her eyes. However as opposed to her sight, her hearing was tormented by the sound of screams and explosions. Once she opened her eyes she was yet again somewhere else. ¡°I can¡¯t die here¡­!¡± The former commander Olivia was holding a sword as the last line of defense at the front gates of the Londrian capital. Her body was battered and there weren''t many of them left as the Arcadian queen approached. Bodies were strewn across the snow white battlefield with red stains coming from beneath the different soldiers that died for each cause forming almost like a path as she approached the commander with her frostburnt silver blade. ¡°If you have anything left to blame, blame your kingdom¡¯s selfishness. All we asked was for you to aid us against the death angels and yet you were harboring one this entire time.¡± ¡°No! You don¡¯t understand!¡± Olivia tried to stand up but her knees failed. ¡°We are victims just as you are! Minister Jakob-!¡± ¡°SILENCE!¡± Leona raised her blade. ¡°My people died for your kingdom¡¯s mistakes! Attone with your life!¡± As she was about to bring the sword down, she felt a tingle down her spine as she turned around and faced an incoming blade directed at her throat. ¡°Perish tyrant Empress!¡± The gray haired assassin Elizabeth shouted as she swung her blade. ¡°Thunderclap!¡± A curved sword imbued by lightning cut through Leona¡¯s left arm and as her assailant was about to take a step back, Olivia managed to sink her sword through one of the gaps in the Queen¡¯s armor in the back of the knee joint. ¡°Argh!¡± At that point both of them thought they managed to land a killing blow as the Queen lost a lot of blood and was kneeling down. ¡°Finish this Olivia!¡± Elizabeth shouted but to her dismay, the commander was decapitated with an inhumanly fast slash that seemed to be made out of pure mana. The monarch managed to stand back up as dark red mana seemed to knit her wounds back together. ¡°I swear on my name¡­ none of you will survive this day!¡± Leona took a deep breath and the memory vanished until another took its place. This time, the Queen was sitting on the throne, the hall was empty save for two royal guards standing next to the wooden double doors far away from her. Opposed to the usual dignified ornate armor, she wore a patterned black uniform akin to the former Londrian issued combat uniforms. At that point in time, Arcadia had conquered the dwarven citadel Akrapocalis and the northern kingdom of Londria and under its rule, the new empire was called Holy Kingdom of Arcadia. The only remembrance from the conquest was her severed arm which was recently replaced with a mechanical substitute thanks to Londrian technology. However despite everything she had achieved, the Empress seemed more alone than ever. She extended her right arm out and closed her right hand into a fist before muttering under her breath. ¡°There is blood on my hands, how long until it reaches my heart?¡± The second Leona blinked, another memory took place in the same castle room. The Empress was flanked by five individuals, two of which was Krieg Louvre wearing a pitch black full plate armor with a helmet made of bones and beside him was Laslow Lorraine, a mage recognized by the Empress as he was uniformed with a regal white and blue robe trimmed with golden details on the edge of his sleeves as he held out a crooked staff that looked like a severed hand. On her left, there were three women, Cecile Braveheart, Phoebe Hawkeye and Priscilla Avellion. All of them three wore the same black uniform as the Empress however each one held a different weapon. A spear, a bow and a bastard sword respectively and all made of bones. The Empress was now faced by her own knights as they lined in formation with one particular knight standing out from the middle of them. ¡°My Empress! Please! Reconsider this course! Nara is weak as it is and the empire lacks the people to sustain itself, why would you go to war?! They are struggling as much as we are against the death angels!¡± He, unlike the others, had forsaken the helmet in order to speak clearly to his ruler. His short brown hair and dark eyes didn¡¯t leave much of an impression, but he was still considered one of the Knights of Arcadia. A group of personal knights that only served the queen. ¡°Silence! Insolent fool!¡± She stood up and extended her right hand out and a nearby knight handed her weapon. ¡°Another word and I¡¯ll have your head on a pike!¡± ¡°But my Empress!¡± ¡°Sir Reinhardt, Shield of Aegis. You are hereby banished from the order! Whoever sides with this traitor will be considered as such!¡± She brandished her sword forward with a last order. ¡°Execute them!¡± What ensued was a battle to the death that Leona refused to look at. The sound of clattering steel, screams of terror and pain was more than enough to fill her mind with dreadful thoughts. ¡®What are these memories?¡¯ ¡°They are you from a different time!¡± Avalon¡¯s shout snapped Leona out of the memory as she blinked a few times before being brought back to the free fall. ¡°But when your father died, it broke you! You were no longer a benevolent ruler, but a tyrant!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t me!¡± She shouted atop of her lungs. ¡°It is!¡± Avalon¡¯s response brought despair to Leona¡¯s face. ¡°But I can tell, you are not like this other ¡®you¡¯! Please Leona! You must put an end to this¡ªso it may never come to pass!¡± Chapter CXXIX: Broken Worlds Part II The seemingly endless fall was being brought to a close as what appeared to be water emerged from below them. Avalon let go of the scabbard leaving Leona to plunge into the depths below by herself as she was yanked backwards into the abyss. ¡°Avalon!¡± Leona saw the woman become a small dot in the gnawing blackness until she disappeared completely. However more pressing matters were in her mind as she was free falling into water. She closed her eyes preparing herself for the eventual impact but instead of a painful death, she was absorbed into the ground as if it was made of a gelatin. ¡°Nugh¡­!¡± However, just like being submerged in water, she couldn¡¯t breathe while trapped inside which prompted her to swim up. ¡°Haa¡­!¡± She broke the elastic tension of the surface with the tip of her scabbard and used both her arms to lift herself up, though her left stump barely made any difference as she rolled out of the body of gelatinous liquid. ¡°Gah!¡± She gasped for air while sprawled on the floor that seemed to move ever so slightly under her. ¡°What is this place¡­¡± ¡°This is my world, as it was.¡± Avalon¡¯s voice came from somewhere behind the tactician. ¡°Before I met you all those years ago.¡± By turning around, Leona noticed the silver maiden was no longer wearing a tattered cloth but was now in a full suit of silver armor which closely resembled the Arcadian royal guard uniform. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°I was, by all accounts, a mere heirloom granted to your family by a very generous dragon.¡± She approached Leona and helped her stand up. ¡°Her name was Sylphia. The youngest dragon of Valkahaz¡¯ brood. I was made from her wings to be carried into battle against the demons.¡± The horizon was akin to the void where fractured realities would float amidst the endless darkness. One with the image of an adult Leona began to glow until it took its shape, changing the environment around them to the courtyard of the Crossford mansion. However, as opposed to demi-humans maids, only human servants were walking around with baskets of clothing while the aged version of herself swung a frostburnt silver sword up and down. She also missed an arm just like her and it was replaced with a mechanical one. ¡°Your other ¡®self¡¯ relentlessly trained day and night to obtain power so you would never again lose someone dear to you. But that power came at a cost¡­¡± With a flick of Avalon¡¯s hand, the memory took another shape, showing the same Leona consumed by a dark red miasma that seemed to wither everything around herself. ¡°The void.¡± Leona muttered as she saw herself being swallowed by the disturbing red aura. ¡°Lastraeous¡­¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t take long until it drove you mad. ¡®The Empress of Annihilation¡¯.¡± Leona looked upon Arcadia being overrun by endless hordes of death angels as the capital city burned. The sky was covered in a giant mass of blackness advancing from the horizon while engulfing everything in its path. Her aged up self was sitting atop of the stairs leading to the entrance of the Arcadian castle while bodies of faithful knights were strewn across the way up¡ªblood formed a carpet of crimson against the stone flooring as she watched the end of the world. ¡°Your pain, your suffering, your madness and despair, I felt everything Leona.¡± When their eyes met, Avalon made sure that she understood it. ¡°This world¡¯s future¡ªyour future, is important to me. I won¡¯t let you be just another ¡®Forgotten Princess¡¯.¡± Once she mentioned that moniker, the image of the platinum haired woman Leona fought in her inner world came to mind. ¡®She did say this time would be different. Was she my future self then?¡¯ ¡°Leona, you have the power to shape the future.¡± Avalon squeezed her arm tightly. ¡°Use it and no matter the cost, do not lose sight of your goal.¡± ¡°What are you saying? I haven¡¯t accomplished anything. All I did up until this point was to extend everyone¡¯s suffering.¡± She clenched her hands into tight fists. ¡°What of Londria then? What of Lady Fye and her dream to take to the skies? Was all of that for nothing? No, you¡¯re different this time. This is the future we''ve been fighting for eons.¡± She suddenly lost her footing and hit her left knee on the ground. ¡°You¡­ you will bring peace¡­ I know of it¡­¡± ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong?!¡± She kneeled beside the armored woman and reached for her shoulder but the moment her fingers touched the cold armor¡ªit started to turn into dust. ¡°Avalon?!¡± ¡°Heh¡­ my time is nigh¡­ it was good to see you again after so long¡­¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that! I won¡¯t let you suffer through all those painful memories again!¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± She had a bittersweet expression on her face as she smiled. ¡°I brought her forth to this time yet again so we could make amends, but I¡¯m afraid I spent all my mana¡­ forgive me, Leona¡­¡± Leona tried to grab her arm but the silver maiden crumbled into dust, as it slipped from between her fingers. ¡°No! Avalon!¡± The silver dust was slowly sinking through the surface of the ground when suddenly the surface tension gave out and Leona was dunked in the gelatinous liquid below. ¡®Our world was at its end¡­ but we may yet save yours yet Leona.¡¯ Her mind felt like it had become one with her weapon as Avalon¡¯s voice ringed in her mind. ¡®Trust in yourself and your comrades. Do not give in despair. Hope will guide you and be your strength, as it always has been.¡¯ ¡°Avalon¡­¡± Leona let out bubbles of air as she muttered. She was sinking deeper but despite that she felt warmth as if embraced by someone dear to her. Her eyelids grew heavier, slowly closing as light was becoming dimmer. With her drifting consciousness, she could only recall the sorrow of her adult self as she fully closed her eyes. Death was part of the cycle of life, that much she knew, but to be robbed of one¡¯s future by simply opposing the will of someone else was unjustifiable. Boiling hatred and deep seated vengeance was what kept her other ¡®self¡¯ going. Unlike the she of the here and now, her alter ego was consumed by power¡ªpower that would be all too easy to obtain if she was to turn to Lastraeous. But she didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t do it out of any reason or code of conduct but for the simple fact that Krieg and Phoebe were there for her when she needed the most. They were the pillars that kept her going down a less bloody path. ¡®There is blood on my hands, how long until it reaches my heart?¡¯ Long her other self wanted to break free, but as sins piled, more and more difficulties came to the empire built out of might¡ªand yet, time and time again she would resort to the void. ¡°Leona¡­¡± A faint voice echoed in her mind. ¡°Leona, are you there¡­?¡± ¡®Krieg¡­?¡¯ Her body felt like it was floating endlessly through the void but each time she heard his voice it was like something was tugging her in the depths of her mind. ¡°Leona, you must wake up!¡± ¡®Why is he so¡­ distressed¡­?¡¯ ¡°Leona!¡± His voice rang clear this time and just like reeling in a fish out of the water, Leona was pulled out of her inner world and the moment she opened her eyes, she saw the wooden ceiling of the ship once again. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Leona! Thank the goddess.¡± Krieg appeared in her field of view just over her. ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping for two days.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ two days?¡± She did indeed feel sore all over the place from the lack of moving, but was able to sit up with his help. ¡°Wait¡­ are we close to Nara?¡± ¡°The city¡¯s in view already.¡± ¡°I see¡­ then the duel¡­¡± ¡°Another important matter, Kaeli was abducted while you were asleep.¡± That line made her eyes go wide as she looked him straight in the eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He frowned his brows as he explained it. ¡°I hardly understood how it happened as well but a mage came on the ship and simply ¡®vanished¡¯ out of thin air with her.¡± ¡°Did you see who it was?¡± He shook his head. ¡°All I caught was a glimpse of the color of his hair, nothing more.¡± He massaged in between his eyes with his thumb. ¡°He had brown hair and was wearing a white cloak that fully covered the body.¡± ¡®This must be the ¡®champion¡¯ Lastraeous spoke of¡­¡¯ Leona held her chin between her thumb and index finger. Her frowning eyebrows were enough to tell Krieg that she was deep in thought. ¡°He did mention he would ¡®see us soon¡¯.¡± She glanced at him for a split second before returning to her thoughts. ¡®This is strange¡­ if he was after me, it would¡¯ve been all too easy to capture me directly instead of resorting to using Kaeli of all people as hostage. Unless¡­¡¯ Leona took a deep breath and looked at Krieg. ¡°What about Phoebe?¡± ¡°Freed. I did so as soon as Kaeli was abducted.¡± She nodded. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Up on the deck.¡± She stood up and lifted the frostburnt silver longsword. The blade had a dull sheen as opposed to the light blue aura it used to emanate. ¡®Thank you, Avalon.¡¯ Upon extending the sheath to Krieg, he took the weapon and tied its belt around her hip. Without wasting any time, she walked to the stairs that led to the deck. As she climbed up the stairs, the sunlight that came from across the vast blue sky was enough to make her squint her eyes as she was cooped up for two days inside the ship and it took a while until she could bear the sudden change in brightness. ¡°Phoebe!¡± Leona announced her return with a clear shout as she was looking through the deck to find the high elf. ¡°Oh, Princess Leona is back.¡± ¡°Thank the goddess.¡± Luka and Cecile that were on the deck were smiling as they noticed her, but they soon went back to work. ¡°Up here Princess.¡± A voice came from above Leona, she noticed the high elf leaning over the railings of the helm. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to talk. Can you come down?¡± Without hesitating, she jumped down with both her prosthetic bending to her weight until she stood up. Krieg was right behind Leona with his left hand loosely on top of the pommel of his sword. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Your master, what is his name?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why do you want to know about him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a hunch I have. Humor me.¡± She looked sideways and around her before turning to Leona. ¡°Come with me.¡± She whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t want the others to hear it.¡± The trio walked to the front of the deck where nobody was within earshot of them. Phoebe took a deep breath and turned around before placing both of her elbows against the wooden railing behind her back. ¡°Miyamoto, that is my master¡¯s name.¡± Chapter CXXX: Futures Rewritten ¡°My master¡¯s name is Miyamoto. Not only is he a swordmaster, but a mage besides.¡± As Phoebe spoke, Leona¡¯s eyes widened a bit before she frowned her eyebrows. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us back in Astera?¡± ¡°Why would I have?¡± She chuckled sourly ¡°The only reason as to why I¡¯m tagging along is my mission, nothing more.¡± ¡°Your revenge.¡± Phoebe tilted her head slightly down with a bitter scoff. ¡°I lived my whole life to this point only so I could avenge my mother. No one will stand in my way.¡± Leona shook her head. ¡°Phoebe, you¡¯re getting it wrong. Your sister-¡± ¡°Do NOT, speak of her.¡± She flicked her head up with hatred in her eyes as she stared at Leona. ¡°She killed my mother! I won¡¯t ever forgive her for that!¡± ¡°That is what I¡¯m trying to tell you, I think she wasn¡¯t the one responsible for her death. Has it never occurred to you how your sister became that powerful?¡± Phoebe squinted her eyes. ¡°What are you getting at?¡± ¡°If she was this powerful before killing your mother, then wouldn¡¯t it make sense to just flee the continent with your entire family rather than killing her? She must have been forced to do so in order to become that powerful.¡± For a split second there seemed to be doubt in her eyes as she heard Leona¡¯s words, but her surprised expression gave place to anger just as quickly. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about us, what are you even trying to prove here Leona?!¡± Krieg was ready to draw his blade but Leona tilted her head sideways and raised her right hand, signaling him to wait. She then turned her full attention to Phoebe. ¡°I dislike lies more than anything Phoebe. I can clearly see that you are hiding your doubts behind your resentment.¡± She frowned her brows before looking at her in the eyes. ¡°Cast your hatred aside if only for a moment and think. Was she really someone that could kill her own mother? For the brief time that we spent together, all I could see was an older sister that deeply cherished her younger sibling.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong¡­¡± Phoebe brought both of her hands forth and tightened them into fists. ¡°Kaeli isn¡¯t capable of that.¡± They both remained silent as Leona was thinking how else she could convince the high elf before an enthusiastic Cecile shouted behind them. ¡°We¡¯re finally here!¡± Leona lifted her head and beyond the railings she noticed the big mass of land in the horizon. Nara. ¡°This is it¡­¡± Krieg muttered beneath his breath. ¡°Phoebe, we¡¯ll continue this another time.¡± Leona spoke frankly while turning around to head back. ¡°But give some thought to what I¡¯ve said. It¡­ it pains me to see both of you like this.¡± She shook her head slightly but didn¡¯t reply. The tactician left with Krieg in tow as they made their way back to the stairs that led to the dining hall. ¡°I¡¯ll go grab my things from my room.¡± Leona spoke without looking at the knight. ¡°Krieg. We must see this through until the end.¡± ¡°My blade is yours. As it will always be.¡± ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± She headed downstairs by herself. As she passed by the broken dining table, she reminded herself of the battle against Akamui. How they were almost defeated if not for Kaeli¡¯s help and her own sacrifice. Her left shoulder throbbed. Despite the feelings of regret, she did steel her resolve as she walked by herself back to her room. Inside, there was only the closed chest beside her bed which she lifted the lid with her right hand before using her right shoulder to keep it from closing as she reached inside the container. She pulled out another belt which had a firearm holstered within a leather pouch. The signature silver derringer design was a gift from a friend. She had a bittersweet smile on her face¡ªwhile she didn¡¯t want to have to use it, it was the only other feasible option she had in order to defend herself.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡®Athena¡­ I need to give you a proper gift once I go back to Londria.¡¯ However as opposed to holding the belt, she used her teeth to hold the holster while she pulled out the firearm from it before fitting on the backside of her pants. ¡°Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t have to use this.¡± She left the empty holster inside the chest and headed out of her room. At that moment she noticed Sylas about to step inside the room that was being used for storage of medicine. ¡°Hm? Lady Leona!¡± When he noticed her, a big smile curled up his face before he took a step back out to greet her. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you well.¡± ¡°Ah, hello Sylas. I¡¯m sorry for worrying you too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°Say, what do you think of Kaeli?¡± ¡°What do I think of Lady Kaeli?¡± He scratched the underside of his chin. ¡°She seems like an honest lady. Knowledgeable too¡ªshe was teaching me mana transference when it happened.¡± ¡°Hm? Were you near her when she was abducted?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, yes. Despite being so close I couldn¡¯t do anything to prevent it.¡± ¡°Did you happen to see the man that took her?¡± ¡°Just his hair. It was black as night.¡± That sentence made her raise an eyebrow. ¡°Wait, did you say black?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Not brown?¡± He tilted his head slightly. ¡°No, I was at arm¡¯s length, there is no way I could have missed.¡± Leona held her chin between her index and thumb. ¡®Something isn¡¯t right¡­ Krieg said his hair was brown¡­¡¯ ¡°Tell me Sylas. You said you were practicing mana transference with Kaeli, correct?¡± ¡°Huh? Yes I was.¡± ¡°Can you show it to me?¡± ¡°I can try.¡± He extended his left hand with his palm up. ¡°Place your hand on top of mine.¡± She reached for him and once her hand touched his, she felt a tingling sensation crawling up from her wrist towards her chest. ¡°I¡¯m still bad at it. Forgive me.¡± ¡°No, this is fine.¡± She took her hand off his and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± She was about to head off, when Sylas commented. ¡°Please be careful Lady Leona. I don¡¯t know who this man was but to be able to vanish out of thin air is simply beyond normal humans.¡± ¡°I will, thank you.¡± She crossed the dining hall and headed upstairs to the deck. Once there, she noticed other similar ships traversing in the opposite direction as they were headed. They were truly on another continent. ¡°We¡¯ll be landing soon!¡± Charlotte shouted from the helm. ¡°Cecile, Luka! Get ready to hoist the sails! Yuriel, get the anchor ready!¡± ¡°Aye captain!¡± The trio answered while running around the deck to get things ready. In the meantime, Leona walked to the right side of the ship and observed the docks from there. It was massive, the diversity of ships was overwhelming and that was not even accounting for the smaller boat vessels that were used for local fishing. Despite the destruction of the capital, the coastal city was bustling with life. Even from afar, Leona could see a multitude of people moving by the docks against the bright background of the buildings that also contrasted with the greenery around the mountainous region that encompassed the entirety of the coast. ¡°I wish my father and mother were here to see this¡­¡± She muttered under her breath as a smile eventually curled up her face. It was truly one of a kind experience as she marveled at the different architecture of each of the buildings, as opposed to the more rectangular shaped structures of Arcadia and Londria, Nara incorporated more slanted and triangular shapes to the roof of their buildings. However in contrast to the vibrant colors of each house in Arcadia, Nara did seem a bit more bland just like how Londria was, remaining in the white and gray coloration for each of the buildings. ¡°I can scarcely believe we are here.¡± Krieg approached Leona while speaking to her. ¡°Same here.¡± She adjusted the belt of her sword and took a brief pause before turning to him. ¡°Krieg. I have a plan regarding Kaeli¡¯s disappearance.¡± ¡°Just say the word, my liege.¡± ¡°If my hunch is correct, both Kaeli and Phoebe share the same mentor.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a hunch, but I do believe they are connected. Which means if we find Miyamoto, we¡¯ll find Queen Eleonora and Kaeli.¡± ¡°But then if what you say is true then¡­¡± ¡°This man is extremely powerful.¡± She swallowed dry. ¡°To be frank, our chances of surviving a direct encounter is slim.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I go and act as bait then?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sure he knows that we are here already. What bothers me is why he hasn¡¯t come after us. I can¡¯t fathom how to understand the reasons behind his actions.¡± ¡®That is assuming he is an enemy.¡¯ She thought to herself. ¡®Being related to Lastraeous, I wouldn¡¯t doubt he has something nasty in store for us.¡¯ She took a sharp breath and closed her eyes. She recalled all the terrible futures that she was shown by Avalon which served to steel her further. ¡°Hoisting the sails!¡± Both Cecile and Luka shouted in unison as they pulled the ropes in order to lift the seafaring canvas. Charlotte made fine adjustments as they reached the Naran docks¡ªmaking the ship stall just as they reached the wooden pier. ¡°Tossing anchor!¡± Yuriel shouted as he dropped the hunk of metal by untying a series of ropes on the left side of the ship. After traveling for what felt to be ages, they had finally arrived. The eastern kingdom of Nara. Chapter CXXXI: Fractured Divergence Nara. A completely different kingdom in the vast world that was previously unknown to Leona. She read about it in books but seeing first hand was another experience entirely. The air felt different, the people were different, even the very ground she stood, felt different. The bustling docks were proof that even after destruction of untold proportions, humanity is still able to thrive off with little joys in life. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Leona muttered to herself. ¡°It¡¯s incredible to think the capital city fell and people can still live on with their lives in somewhat peace.¡± As she wandered deeper into the docks, she noticed a group of men wearing tattered blue bandanas over their heads and when they noticed her looking at them, all three turned their heads to look at her. One of them opened his mouth and said something that didn¡¯t seem to register with her. ¡®Hm? Did he say something?¡¯ She thought to herself. The man was definitely speaking but the language was so foreign she couldn¡¯t understand a word of it. ¡°Sorry I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± Her response made them look at each other and then to Leona with a grin on their faces. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you three are planning but-¡± She reached for her sword¡¯s handle. ¡°Do not get any closer.¡± She was ready to fight but she suddenly heard quickened footsteps approach from her right and just as she turned around, she noticed Charlotte dropkicking the man in front of the group in the chest. The other two looked at her with shock in their eyes as the captain turned to them and started shouting what seemed to be insults in their language. The two that were standing bowed to Leona before grabbing the man that was knocked out cold on the ground and going towards the ship she came out of just now. ¡°Sorry Leona.¡± Charlotte apologized. ¡°I should¡¯ve told you before you got out of the ship. We have to buy you a translating spell.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°So you can understand what they are saying. Come on, let¡¯s go back.¡± They walked back to the ship where a woman of long straight black hair and brown eyes was standing by the plank with Krieg beside her. She was wearing a fine white robe with a long thick red skirt that went down almost to her ankles and was carrying an intricate looking staff that seemed to be made out of wood that formed some sort of talisman shape at the end of it. Her somewhat pale complexion contrasted with her dark hair and eyes. The slightly pink lips wore a gentle smile that made her look like someone easy to talk to. ¡®Wow¡­ she¡¯s beautiful¡­¡¯ Leona thought before she was reprimanded by Krieg. ¡°What were you thinking, leaving all by yourself?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I just couldn¡¯t help myself. It¡¯s an entire different kingdom and all.¡± The woman in robes covered her mouth with her left hand as she chuckled. ¡°I should introduce you to her.¡± Charlotte cleared her throat. ¡°This is Setsuna, she¡¯s a shrine maiden here at the port of Nara.¡± The woman slightly bowed with her left hand on her thigh but the right never let go of the staff. ¡°Ah, it is good to meet you.¡± As try as she might, Leona still sounded somewhat robotic while trying to introduce herself¡ªher nervousness getting the better of her. ¡°My name is Leona Crossford. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Setsuna.¡± She bowed slightly as well while maintaining her eyes on her face as to gauge her reaction but the woman kept smiling nonetheless. ¡°She¡¯s able to cast a spell that allows you to communicate with anyone.¡± Charlotte enthusiastically explained. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it works but it¡¯s much better than having to learn the language.¡± Setsuna approached the tactician, standing a bit taller than her thanks to the wooden slippers that kept her feet just a few centimeters off the ground, maintaining the edges of her red skirt clean. She then raised the staff and started to chant with both of her eyes closed. Mana began to gather not only on her wrists but also her ankles as her shrine maiden clothes began to flutter ever so slightly. A warmth sensation overcame Leona¡¯s senses as she was enveloped in a light purple aura. She felt her brain throb for a second, before she started to understand what Setsuna was saying. ¡°...grant respite to their mind and body.¡± Not only her looks but her voice was also comforting as her gentle tone caressed Leona¡¯s ears as she finished chanting. ¡°It is done. Lady Leona, once again I¡¯d like to introduce myself. My name is Setsuna, I am a shrine maiden here in Nara. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Leona Crossford.¡± She then bowed again after finishing her sentence. As she lifted her head up, a gentle scent of baked goods tickled her nose, it was akin to Arcadia¡¯s bakery for one reason or another. ¡°Ah, I can understand you clearly!¡± Leona was caught by surprise for a second before she looked at her knight. ¡°Krieg did you hear it? I- what¡¯s wrong?¡± He had the expression of someone that just took a punch to the face, as he just stood there with a half open mouth. ¡°Krieg?¡± Her voice managed to snap him out of it as he quickly nodded twice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, where are my manners?¡± He bowed as well to the shrine maiden. ¡°Thank you for your aid Lady Setsuna. My name is Krieg, I am Leona¡¯s personal knight.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Oh my.¡± She brought her left hand to the side of her face as she seemed mesmerized. ¡°I heard about the knights of Arcadia but I never thought I¡¯d see someone refer to themselves as someone¡¯s knight.¡± Leona raised her eyebrow ever so slightly before she turned to Krieg. ¡°We should hurry.¡± She then looked at Setsuna one last time. ¡°Thank you again. Ah, but do you happen to know a man named Miyamoto? I traveled all this way to meet him.¡± ¡°You must mean the captain of the guards. He¡¯s usually by the front gate on the other side of the city.¡± She pointed towards the mountain. ¡°Just keep heading that direction and you¡¯ll eventually find the city walls, from there just ask anyone passing by where the eastern gate is.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you very much Lady Setsuna.¡± She glanced at Krieg and nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste, let¡¯s go.¡± He nodded in turn and they both broke out of the group in a light jog. While watching them head off, Setsuna brought the left hand to her cheek as she smiled. ¡°My, my¡­¡± Despite not knowing the layout of the city, it seemed straightforward enough that she could walk without worrying about getting lost. The streets were wide and there weren''t as many people walking in the city as opposed to the bustling docks. But none of that was really on Leona¡¯s mind at the time. Krieg began to talk after noticing they were far enough away so that no one could hear them. ¡°Leona I must confess. Something felt off about that woman.¡± ¡°You felt it too didn¡¯t you?¡± She frowned her brows. ¡°Did you talk about Arcadia in front of her while I wasn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°No, not a single word as to where we came from. ¡°It bothered me when she mentioned specifically the knights of Arcadia. Londria and Akrapocalis also had knights for a couple of years and I¡¯m sure word can¡¯t travel that fast to a continent so far away from home. And yet she chose to specifically mention Arcadia in front of us.¡± She glanced at Krieg. He had an unusual look of distress on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen her before. Or at least, she seems very familiar¡­ I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it.¡± ¡®I can¡¯t tell who might be plotting against us at this point¡­¡¯ She was trying to consider who would stand in their way at that point. ¡®The only true enemy I have here is Kaeli. Which I¡¯ll have to confront in due time. But both Eleonora and Miyamoto seem to be wild cards that I can¡¯t account for¡­¡¯ As she was lost in thought, a carriage almost hit her left arm if it wasn¡¯t for Krieg to pull her out of harm¡¯s way. ¡°Ah!¡± She looked at the carriage being pulled past her which was full with hunted animals strewn on the back of the cart that was being led by a man in a straw hat. ¡°Thank you Krieg.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just be careful to not injure yourself.¡± ¡°You two sure seem to not want my company huh?¡± A familiar female voice seemed to come from behind Leona but once she turned around there was no one there. Phoebe suddenly dropped from the low roof right beside the tactician, which obviously startled her. ¡°AH!¡± She flinched and bumped against Krieg. ¡°Goddess gracious Phoebe, don¡¯t just appear out of nowhere.¡± ¡°I did give you a warning.¡± She patted her clothing and adjusted the inconspicuous kimono she was wearing. It was a plain dark green cloth with a darker green band strapped around her waist. The kimono itself covered her entire body aside from her feet where she was wearing sandals made of hand-weaved straw. She wore an undyed cotton cloth on her head as a bandana that kept all of her black hair hidden along her high elf ears. ¡°Besides, even if you do find him. I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll be able to talk to him.¡± She blended so perfectly with her environment that made both Leona and Krieg stand out even more because of their borrowed military uniform. ¡°Could you at least tell us what kind of person your master is? We only know he is responsible for Eleonora¡¯s disappearance and possibly training one of the deadliest assassins in history. But we scarcely know about the man in question.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ if I could describe him in one word, it would be¡­ unorthodox.¡± She scratched her left cheek. ¡°If anything, the way he does things goes beyond my ability to comprehend. But you¡¯ll find out either way when you meet him.¡± Leona frowned her brows without realizing as she pinched her nose ridge. ¡®An all powerful mage and swordmaster, what someone like him is doing here of all the places¡­?¡¯ She felt a throbbing sensation inside her chest. Discomfort, uneasiness, and anxiety. Deep down she had a glimpse of confidence that if they were to fight, she could use the skills of the former swordmaster that lived in her soul but even then, there was a lingering sensation of dread that she just couldn¡¯t break away from. ¡°What a strange construction¡­¡± Krieg¡¯s muttering caught Leona¡¯s attention as she shifted her eyes off the ground and followed his gaze towards a red gate a few meters ahead of them. ¡°That is called a torii gate.¡± Phoebe explained. ¡°It¡¯s related to spirits or something. Lady Setsuna would be more qualified to explain it.¡± The knight raised an eyebrow as he mentioned. ¡°You sound like you know her.¡± ¡°Well, she is Miyamoto¡¯s eldest daughter.¡± Both Krieg and Leona turned to her without believing what they just heard. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You knew she was his daughter and you didn¡¯t say anything?!¡± Leona was almost shouting as she suddenly approached Phoebe. ¡°Wait¡­ that explains why she knows where we are from. Did you tell her?!¡± ¡°No, no.¡± She raised her hand while tilting her face to the side as the tactician was uncomfortably close to her face. ¡°Listen, Setsuna is a powerful mage. Even more powerful than you realize. If she or Miyamoto wanted you out of the picture, they would¡¯ve done so a long time ago.¡± ¡°Are you hiding any more information that we should know about?¡± ¡°Well¡­ remember I mentioned she is the oldest daughter? There is her younger sibling, her name is Yuna. Though I never met her in person so I don¡¯t know what she looks like.¡± She shifted her left hand and pointed to the torii gate. ¡°Come on now. The guard¡¯s station is just beyond it.¡± ¡°Phoebe I swear¡­¡± Leona clenched her hand but then decided to turn and continue walking. ¡°Either way¡­ Setsuna seemed normal, all things considered. How did you even know she is his daughter?¡± ¡°We grew up together. She brought me in to live with them after what happened to my mother.¡± ¡°And he simply agreed to take care of you?¡± She scoffed at the notion. ¡°As if he needed anything in return from a child. As I said, he is unorthodox. What matters to him is how much potential you have.¡± ¡°Potential¡­ huh?¡± As they walked, more and more eyes from the locals were drawn to them. Apparently Leona¡¯s blonde hair and Krieg¡¯s tall stature were uncommon traits amongst the population as they seemed to be staring intently at them both. After walking for a few more minutes, they reached the red gate. Aside from the walls that expanded to both sides of it, Leona couldn¡¯t see any building that stood out as a guard¡¯s post. She walked around and stopped by the gate with the only thing in sight being a dirt road that expanded into the wilderness from beyond the city wall¡¯s. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we were close?¡± She asked while touching the right side of the gate. Phoebe approached her while answering. ¡°Yeah, we are here.¡± ¡°Here, whe-?¡± Leona suddenly felt two hands on her back before she was pushed forward through the gate. ¡°Leona!¡± Krieg shouted and as the tactician stumbled forward, she grabbed on a rock. ¡°What¡¯s the big idea?! Pushing me like¡­ that¡­¡± As she turned around. She noticed she was looking out of a cave¡¯s entrance towards a city. ¡°What the¡­¡± Chapter CXXXII: Fatebreaker Looking at the scenery of wilderness and the city on the coastline with numerous ships, Leona concluded she was still in Nara, but something felt off. As she turned around and looked into the cave, she noticed an unusual darkness that seemed to seep from the cave itself. A male voice came from within, calling out to her. ¡°So, we finally met Leona Crossford. Or should I call you, Princess Tactician?¡± The loud snap of fingers light up the place with floating bright orbs of light, illuminating the wide hallway of carved stone. Through squinting eyes, she saw only a few meters ahead of her, the figure of a middle aged man of short black hair and brown eyes that carried a look of contempt. He wore a black kimono with a white belt strapped around his waist to keep the garment from falling off, his bare feet barely visible from underneath the black cloth. On the other hand, Leona¡¯s travels had changed her appearance considerably. Her blonde hair had grown unevenly and was almost touching her shoulders with the front bangs cascading down each side of her face. The military uniform was tattered with the cloth on her right arm was almost see through as it had seen some use; her bandaged left arm was visible from the burnt sleeve. Both her trousers and boots were roughly in the same state as the cloth around her knees and the rubber from the tip of her footwear were gnashed from wear and tear. She unsheathed the longsword which had a number of scratches and even some dents from the extended use. The metal glowed dim compared to the orbs of light. ¡°Hm¡­ disappointing.¡± Despite the insulting remark, he approached her with a steady and slow stride. ¡°But not entirely useless¡­¡± As he approached her, she kept moving in the opposite direction; circling around him to keep some distance between them. ¡°Are you¡­ Miyamoto?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± He was gently massaging the underside of his chin while observing her. ¡°Ah, yes, that is the name I go by while here.¡± She subconsciously tightened the grip around the sword¡¯s handle. ¡°You go by?¡± ¡°Say, Leona. Have you ever heard of dragons?¡± He ignored her confusion and just changed the subject. ¡°You must have, right?¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you don¡¯t need to know for now.¡± His eyes glared at her from head to toe as he smiled. ¡°Why have you come to this faraway place?¡± Her left arm began to throb. ¡°I have many reasons.¡± ¡°Name one. Or at least, the one you are most likely to accomplish here.¡± ¡°To meet Eleonora.¡± ¡°Oh? Have you not come for your friend Kaeli?¡± Leona swallowed dry as she tried to maintain her composure upon hearing those words but the man in front of her simply chuckled. ¡°Ah? Have I hit a nerve?¡± ¡°How do you know her¡­?¡± ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to play dumb, Leona.¡± He lifted his right hand and brought his middle finger and thumb together. ¡°Come.¡± With a snap of his fingers, the world around her felt like it was being distorted as a violent wave of motion sickness assaulted her senses. She closed her eyes but her brain was still registering the sickening distortion which brought her almost to the point of vomiting but the feeling suddenly vanished alongside the surreal motion. Once she opened her eyes, she noticed she was kneeling on a grassy forest ground. She looked around and she was surrounded by trees densely packed together, but strangely, the clearing was surprisingly clean of sprouts or bushes which meant it was being taken care of by someone. ¡°Ah, much better¡­¡± Upon turning around, Leona noticed the man stretching his arms while facing the sun. Beside him, Kaeli was unconsciously tied to a wooden cross with her limbs stretched out. ¡°Kaeli?!¡± Leona was ready to run to her but he turned around and stepped forward. ¡°Shh¡­ she¡¯s asleep.¡± He brought his left index finger to his lips while lifting his right hand in a snapping motion. ¡°If you want to wake her up¡­¡± He snapped his fingers and a katana appeared out of thin air. ¡°...you¡¯ve got to do it right.¡± He turned and flicked the blade upwards, cutting part of the cross and Kaeli¡¯s left hand with it. ¡°AAAAAAAH!¡± The high elf¡¯s terrible awakening echoed in Leona¡¯s ears as she saw crimson red pain the green grass as blood spewed all over it. Kaeli writhed in pain as if trying to get to her hand. ¡°Stop this madness!¡± Leona winded her arm behind the left side of her body and concentrated mana through the blade. ¡°Rend! Avalon!¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. With an upwards swing, she released a mana blade that was easily avoided as he stepped to the left. The entire ground where the attack traveled through was cleaved with an expanding crevice. ¡°You would defend this cretin that almost killed your companions?¡± He tossed the weapon away. ¡°Why would you go out of your way to aid someone like that?¡± ¡°Who are YOU to judge a person¡¯s past?!¡± His nonchalant expression subtly changed to a serious one. ¡°Who am I? I am her master.¡± He raised his left hand and snapped his fingers¡ªwhich made the wooden cross crumble into pieces as if they were smashed by an invisible force. Kaeli fell on the grass while holding her left wrist stump with her right hand while curling up in pain. He reached for her hair and lifted her up while staring at her. ¡°I specifically told you what you needed to do to become stronger. But what did you do instead? You killed the most interesting subject I had!¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened as she assumed he was the one responsible for creating a rift between those sisters. ¡°You¡­ you told her to kill someone for magic?! You are a stain on noble art!¡± She subconsciously was gathering mana throughout her entire body and accumulating it into the frostburnt silver longsword. Miyamoto looked at her from the corner of his eyes with a smile on his face. ¡°Ho? Are you going to get serious now?¡± ¡°No! Leona!¡± Kaeli shouted as she winced from pain. ¡°This is the price I have to pay, don¡¯t- you won¡¯t be able to win!¡± Her pleas fell on deaf ears. To Leona, magic was an art that served not only to allow one to live their lives in comfort but to also protect those dear to them. It kept a special place in her heart as the last teachings of her late mother. To see magic being leveraged for nefarious ends disgusted her more than anything. ¡°Hah.¡± He was still holding Kaeli from her hair but turned half heartedly towards Leona. ¡°If magic was this saintly, this world wouldn¡¯t have gone through so much suffering. But come at me if you dare.¡± ¡°No! Leona! Don¡¯t do this!¡± Kaeli implored. ¡°Don¡¯t throw away everything you fought for! Not for someone like me!¡± ¡°Avalon, grant me strength to smite down my foe!¡± Leona brandished her blade as it filled with mana before dashing with her body enhanced by magic. She put everything she had in an overhead swing that would have cleaved anyone in half, but Miyamoto extended his hand and stopped the blade with his bare hand. Both Leona and Kaeli couldn¡¯t believe what they saw. The frostburnt silver sword trembled from the excessive force the tactician was putting into it but the blade just didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Oh?¡± He looked at the sword. ¡°I see, so she has helped you as well. Hmph, that girl is full of surprises.¡± He pushed Leona back and held the frostburnt silver longsword by the blade. ¡°Very well. I recognize your bravery, as foolish as it may be.¡± ¡°To hell with your recognition!¡± She raised her hand and mana began to gather around it. "Northern winds hearken to me, pierce through my foe, Ice Spear!" She bent her fingertips and also used wind magic in order to make the projectile spin through the air. ¡°Oho? Using ballistics in conjunction with magic! Now that is something you don¡¯t see everyday.¡± He flicked his index finger from the hand that held the sword and the spell seemed to fizzle out as pieces of ice pelted harmlessly against him and Kaeli. ¡°I¡¯m slightly more interested in you now.¡± He let go of the high elf¡¯s hair, who dropped on the ground while holding her cut wrist. ¡°Frost Rampart!¡± By using her left foot, Leona created a curving wall of ice that isolated the man from Kaeli as Leona reached for the back of her waist and pulled out the double barreled derringer. ¡°Really? A gun? You know those types of handguns are quite inaccurat-¡± She pulled the trigger but the bullet deviated just enough that it hit the ice wall. ¡°Tch!¡± He glanced at the bullet stuck in the ice before looking at her¡ªwho let go of the firearm and raised her hand above her head. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call-¡± Mana gathered from the center of her body towards her wrist and accumulated in a circular manner around her mana gate before it gave shape to a concentrated sphere of bright azure flames. He tossed the silver sword over the ice wall and clapped his hands while nodding seemingly in awe. ¡°Using an unexpected weapon to cause the opponent to flinch. Not bad!¡± ¡°-bring ruin to mine enemies, Fireball!¡± She hurled the spell that was slightly bigger than an orange which seemed harmless until it was about a meter away from him. ¡°Oh?¡± He raised his eyebrows when the spell released its explosive force that was enough to send shockwaves through the ground and shake the trees nearby. ¡°Ngh!¡± Leona flinched from the explosion and heat that was almost unbearable despite her being almost twenty meters away from him. With the flames still consuming the man, she took a few seconds to tilt her head over the other side of the frozen wall to check on Kaeli, who was unharmed but still curled up in pain from her severed hand. ¡°Where are you looking?¡± Miyamoto¡¯s voice came from right beside Leona which sent a chilling dreadful sensation down her spine as she turned to her right only to see the man completely unaffected by her spells. ¡°What the-?!¡± As she prepared to cast a wind spell at point blank range, he grabbed her forearm with his left hand and snapped his fingers with his right. The same sharp sensation of the world distorting overcame her mind and she felt an intense bout of sickness before she realized wind was brushing against her body. She was teleported alongside him a few hundred meters up in the air and was now free falling through the sky. ¡°AAAAAAAAH!¡± Miyamoto was right beside her with a nonchalant expression on his face. ¡°You know, it doesn¡¯t take much for someone to die.¡± ¡°IF YOU THINK I¡¯LL LET MYSELF DIE HERE, YOU ARE DEAD WRONG!¡± She raised her right arm and began to coalesce mana on her wrists. ¡°WINDS OF TIME, RELEASE THY MIGHT-!¡± Before she could finish her spell, he snapped his fingers once again and Leona found herself standing in the middle of the forest clearing. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Now, now. It was only a jest.¡± He snapped his fingers and the spell she was casting was disrupted. Not only that but the ice wall that stood in his way shattered into pieces as he walked towards Kaeli. ¡®What the¡­¡¯ Leona grabbed her chest as her legs gave out. Her heart was racing. ¡®If he wanted to kill me¡­¡¯ He grabbed the severed hand that was behind the ice wall and approached the high elf. ¡°Stand. Kaeli.¡±. ¡°Ngh¡­ y-yes¡­ master¡­¡± She did as instructed while he approached the cut limb to her wrist. With one last snap of his fingers, the sickly red blood seemed to bubble before the muscles, bones, tissue and nerves shot out from each severed part and connected together. Kaeli winced and writhed in pain without uttering a word. ¡°There, no harm no foul.¡± He then turned to the tactician. ¡°Leona Crossford, daughter of Jean Crossford and Ravness Frostleaf. I recognize your courage and hereby acknowledge your heroic spirit. Welcome to Nara, my new pupil.¡± Chapter CXXXIII: Fate Horizon ¡°Hah?¡± Leona raised an eyebrow with a disgusted expression on her face. ¡°And what exactly makes you think I¡¯d want to be a pupil of someone so repugnant as you?¡± Miyamoto chuckled with amusement written all over his face. ¡°Because you have no choice. Do you think you can manage to kill Alexander with only the skills you borrowed from this body?¡± She tilted her head sideways while squinting her eyes. ¡°What are you¡­?¡± ¡°Naive as always. Let¡¯s go back for now, it¡¯s a pain to go through explaining twice.¡± He turned to Kaeli who was still shaking beside him. ¡°Go fetch Yuna and tell her to come to the city. It won¡¯t do to have our guests waiting, you hear me?¡± ¡°Y-yes master.¡± ¡°Good. Now off you go.¡± He touched her shoulder and snapped his fingers, making the high elf disappear from thin air. After sighing, he turned to Leona. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have questions but save them for later, this little show off spent most of this body¡¯s mana.¡± ¡®This again¡­¡¯ The things he said were bugging her. ¡®He keeps saying as if that body isn¡¯t his own¡­¡¯ She clenched her fist as she mustered up the courage to ask. ¡°Did you really make her kill their mother?¡± ¡°Hm? Kill? Heavens, no. It was thanks to that old fart Akantor that she almost killed her. Their mother is the last pure blooded high elf in the world. Do you think I¡¯d just let her die like that?¡± Somehow she could tell he wasn¡¯t lying, but it made her apprehensive nonetheless. He flicked his left hand and the frostburnt silver sword that was on the grass came flying with the hilt to his hand. ¡°Here.¡± He offered the weapon back to her. ¡°Keep it safe so you don¡¯t lose it. That weapon is much more powerful than even Eleonora¡¯s holy sword at this point in time.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She grabbed the blade and sheathed it before he placed his right hand on her shoulder and prepared to snap his fingers. ¡°Brace yourself.¡± With a snap, the world around them seemed to distort again. He teleported them both inside a facility of some kind. The room was tall and illuminated by orbs of white light that simulated LED lights against the white smooth limestone ceiling; the floor beneath her feet was white and made out of tiles that seemed like ceramic just like the walls around them. Directly behind her were a few pedestals that held gelatinous blobs of translucent appearance, similar to slimes. ¡°What in the world¡­¡± The lack of doors or hallways that led to that room would be strange if not for what was in front of her. Beyond the glass table filled with a variety of liquids and other chemicals stored in glass jars, there were three stone pedestals engraved with runes around them and on top of each one of them was a person gently floating in the air. The left-most woman had waist-length brown hair, sharp facial features, and was wearing plate armor from neck to toe. She cradled a golden longsword in her arms, it was exquisite and regal much like the tell tale sword Laevateinn.. On the right-most side, a high elf of shoulder-length black hair was floating out in a fan as if she was frozen in time. She wore a similar kimono as Phoebe was wearing earlier, but it was a bit more detailed with beige spider lilies embroiled in the textile. Leona could only guess that it would be Kaeli and Phoebe¡¯s mother. However the middle one was an average height woman with blonde hair that went down to the middle of her back with prominent bangs that cascaded down on each side of her face. She had her eyes closed so there was no way of knowing their colors; she wore what seemed to be a military uniform of some kind, similar to what the tactician was wearing, but it included a gray and white camouflage pattern¡ªsomething that she didn¡¯t know what it was for.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Leona felt a strange sensation within her breast as she gazed upon the woman. Without tearing her eyes away from her, she asked. ¡°Where are we¡­? And who are they?¡± ¡°This is my lab. Here is where I keep anything and everything I don¡¯t want the outside world to know. Now, as to who they are¡­¡± He pointed his index finger to the pedestals and started from left to right. ¡°Eleonora Gracefell. Xenovia and Alyssa Hawkeye.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Knight Queen, Warrior Princess and Last High Elf.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe what she heard. Having never personally seen the Queen, she was skeptical about it at first but seeing that she was carrying a sword with all the characteristics of the holy blade with her, was more than enough proof to confirm that it was indeed Eleonora that stood sleeping there. As for the other two, she¡¯d understand why he kept their mother alive, but the woman in the middle boggled her mind. ¡°Why have you done this?¡± ¡°So all of you can avoid the impending doom this world is about to face.¡± He stumbled to the table and grabbed a syringe that was filled with some light blue liquid. ¡°Ha¡­¡± He let out a relieved sigh before putting the instrument down and looking at her. ¡°Have Lastraeous never appeared in your dreams?¡± She frowned her brows. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know already? You are his champion, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡®Was¡¯.¡± He emphasized. ¡°That sly god threw me a curve ball after all this time serving him.¡± He straightened his back and stretched out his arms. ¡°I should warn you¡­¡± After finishing stretching, he tilted his head both ways as his neck let out an audible crack. ¡°Never heed the words of that god. He is especially nefarious with his goals.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Now then¡­¡± He then walked towards her which made her flinch a bit as he reached for her shoulder. ¡°Stand completely still.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you-¡± He suddenly gripped her shoulder but something felt different, it was as if he was pulling something out of her as a flash of pain surged from within her shoulder. ¡°ARGH!¡± ¡°Come out now Miyamoto. I know you are resting in there.¡± It felt like her flesh was being pulled out from her body, but as opposed to actually having her muscles ripped off, her soul was being torn apart by some strange technique that he was using to remove the swordmaster¡¯s soul from hers. The sensation was like being punctured by a sharp object before getting her flesh yanked out. Beyond the pain, Leona saw a light blue agglomeration of mana in front of her before Miyamoto eventually slammed the mana inside his own chest. Another burst of mana erupted from his back and just like a slime dividing itself, there were now two of the same man in the room. ¡°Ugh.¡± The second one tapped the front of his chest as if cleaning the leftover mana that was saturated on him. ¡°No matter how many times I do this, it is still disgusting.¡± He then pulled his hair back and as his fingers left his scalp, his hair turned completely brown. It was a bizarre sight. ¡°Thank you for taking care of him, Leona.¡± The man extended his hand towards her while the flesh on his face was reconstructing itself as he took the appearance of a middle aged man with a sharp jaw and square chin. The sclera of his eyes were black like the void before his eyes rolled up and changed to a white sclera and hazel irises. ¡°Who in the world¡­¡± He motioned with his hand and she hesitantly accepted the help. As she stood up, she could feel a gentle warmth overcoming her body from his hand. ¡°Hmm¡­ you¡¯re an interesting lass Leona.¡± He spoke casually. ¡°Let me introduce myself again, my name is Robert, hero, king, sage and as the soul bearing that body as a vessel.¡± ¡°Huh? Wait¡­ I don¡¯t understand-¡± ¡°You will in due time.¡± He smiled mischievously before turning to the man that was kneeling and panting on the floor. ¡°Hey, Miyamoto, we haven¡¯t got all day.¡± ¡°Give it a rest¡­¡± The swordmaster muttered. His voice was completely different from before. As opposed to the nonchalant tone, he sounded much more mature and weary. ¡°I fulfilled my end of the bargain so why did you bring me back?¡± ¡°Using a young woman¡¯s body as a pseudo-vessel for yourself is not part of the bargain my good sir.¡± Robert let go of Leona¡¯s hand which also stopped the warmth sensation she felt. She looked at her own hand before closing and opening again. ¡°I specifically told you to teach either your son or your great niece about aether blade, but you half-assed made her use your own knowledge instead of teaching it to her.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened as she turned to Robert. ¡°Did you say great niece?¡± The man in question began raising one eyebrow with a half open mouth as he turned back to Miyamoto. ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell her that? Really?¡± ¡°I¡­ we didn¡¯t have enough time.¡± Robert sighed. ¡°I¡¯m feeling like I¡¯ll blink out of existence through stress.¡± He waved his hand back and forth. ¡°In any case. Leona.¡± He turned to her before pointing with his left hand to Miyamoto. ¡°This man is your great uncle. I think¡­ was that the second generation called? Bah, either way. You two are related.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait¡­¡± Leona took a step back as she shook her hand and pinched her nose ridge from the overload of information. ¡°Start from the beginning. I don¡¯t even know who¡ªwhat you are first and foremost.¡± Robert sighed as he rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. ¡°This is what I dislike about natives¡­¡± He snapped his fingers and three ceramic tiles raised themselves into stools. ¡°Take a seat. This might take a while to explain.¡± Chapter CXXXIV: Destined Singularity Leona was having a hard time focusing after the overload of information she just had received. ¡°Where to start¡­?¡± Robert, the man seated in front of her, was scratching his head as he pondered how to explain to her. ¡°Well¡­ I suppose I could always start from the very beginning.¡± He clenched his right fingers which made all of them crack. ¡°I was a champion of the void god, Lastraeous. My original role was to be a hero for worlds that would eventually face total destruction.¡± Leona raised an eyebrow as she repeated his words as if believing she heard it wrong. ¡°A hero?¡± ¡°Yes. At first I thought it would be the chance for me to finally find a purpose in my life, but I couldn¡¯t be further from the truth.¡± He sighed. ¡°I started out as an adventurer from a naive idea that heroes would eventually rise up from the common folk to defend them. That was me. An otherworldly hero that didn¡¯t even know common knowledge and yet tried to meddle in another world¡¯s affairs in order to ¡®save¡¯ it.¡± ¡°Hang on a minute¡­ so you come from another world?¡± ¡°Yes, the Earth. A planet far more advanced than any of the ones I¡¯ve been before.¡± He seemed genuinely happy for a split second before his face turned dark. ¡°Little did I know that my knowledge would bring destruction to the worlds I¡¯ve been before.¡± ¡°Another world different from ours¡­¡± Leona muttered as she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it. She knew the world she lived in was vast but the concept of existing other worlds similar to hers out in the universe seemed too surreal. ¡°How is that even possible?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He answered genuinely. ¡°I did everything I could to save those worlds. I have been hailed as a hero, a king, a sage¡­ but even as my hard won victories brought those worlds a fleeting sensation of peace. It also hastened their own destruction. They were destined to be destroyed by my hands.¡± ¡°But this¡­ this doesn¡¯t explain how you even know the fate of those worlds in the first place or how you traveled through all of them.¡± ¡°Remember what I said about being regarded as a sage?¡± Behind his nonchalant attitude and casual remarks, lied the eyes of a man who had seen too much. ¡°It was only after the third world that I came to realize that I inevitably brought those worlds to their end. Because that was Lastraeous¡¯ plan all along.¡± Her eyes widened as he spoke about the god. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Gods, by nature, are entities born from the desires of sentient beings. To have faith in something, is to believe that ¡®something¡¯ exists. The dragon god of the land, Akantor from the elves, the goddess of life and death, Eleonora from the humans and the demon¡¯s god Ludifrey or Loki, in their language. All these gods are born from something, be it hatred, hope or jealousy. Lastraeous is the same, he is the god of the void. The end that every being rejects and fears.¡± ¡°Death.¡± ¡°Exactly. The void is the amalgamation of those souls. Through this accursed power he was able to transport me throughout the universe in search of worlds to ¡®save¡¯.¡± Leona pinched her nose ridge as images of the few meetings she had with said god flashed in her mind. The vast yet empty broken world teeming with the souls of the damned. ¡°But then if he is the meaning of the end, shouldn¡¯t you be a grim reaper instead of a hero?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I wasn¡¯t. By condemning those worlds I brought even greater calamity as opposed to their original demise.¡± ¡°Wait. You explained before that gods are the manifestation of the desires of those that believe in them, right?¡± ¡°That is right.¡± ¡°Does that mean that Lastraeous¡¯ goals are to bring the worlds you been traveling to-¡± ¡°Their ultimate demise. Just like how each of us have our own desires, they too have theirs. It can shift with time, but it remains just another god¡¯s whims. Lastraeous¡¯ power and desires comes from the suffering of others.¡± He clenched both of his hands tightly, leaving audible cracks echoing through the chamber. ¡°He lavishes in the eternal despair of those souls.¡± Leona lowered her face and massaged the sides of her eyes. It was a lot to take in. The memories Avalon had shown her just served to cement the idea that if she had accepted the void god¡¯s power, she would be walking down the same path as her other self. A mere puppet with strings ready to be cut at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Then¡­¡± She uttered while rubbing the corner of her eyes. ¡°What made you choose me specifically to tell all of this? I was not, nor am, by all accounts, someone outstanding.¡± ¡°Heh, you don¡¯t even realize how much worth you really are.¡± He glanced at the pedestals with the people that seemed to be frozen in time. ¡°That woman named Xenovia. She was the reason why I helped you back in Londria.¡± Her eyes went wide. ¡°So it was you who helped me save Krieg!¡± ¡°I had my reservations as to who could bear the mantle of a hero, a true hero. But she knew you had it in you.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes traced to the unconscious woman. Her blonde hair reminded Leona of herself when younger as a singular tear formed in the corner of her right eye. She cleaned it with her sleeve and turned back to Robert. ¡°But I don¡¯t even know who she is.¡± ¡°Regardless of how she knows you, she bade me to look after you. To help you become the true hero we need.¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°Though it might have been childish of me to test you like that. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He bowed which caught Leona by surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize.¡± She swallowed dry as a bitter taste formed in her mouth. ¡°I judged you for harming those two and yet you saved Krieg-¡± ¡°I am not that saintly as you think I am, Leona.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Once she looked him in the eyes she noticed a glint of malice, not unlike when she confronted Jakob. It sent a terrible chill down her spine but she managed to just shake off the uncomfortable sensation by taking a sharp deep breath. ¡°No matter.¡± He continued. ¡°The point that I wanted to bring light to, was your question regarding who I am. Now, are you ready to hear about you and your knight Krieg?¡± Before he could continue further, Miyamoto extended his right arm in front of him. ¡°Let me have a word with her.¡± Robert raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded and sat back, interlocking his fingers together and placing it against his left thigh as if preparing to hear a story. The swordmaster on the other hand, stood from the ceramic seat and kneeled before Leona, bringing his head and hands low to the floor. ¡°What are you-?!¡± She had never seen someone prostrate like that before which was a bit shocking at first. ¡°I must apologize to you, Leona. My hubris came at a great cost to you. My niece.¡± She was about to reach for him when her hand flinched upon hearing those last words. ¡°I thought the best way to aid you was to lend you my strength directly so you could directly tap upon my skills with the blade and yet all I did was to cause you pain and suffering.¡± It was strange being called a niece. Being the sole heir of the Crossford family in Arcadia and not having any uncles or cousins meant that she never knew what the feeling of being called a niece or cousin was.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Please raise your head.¡± She stood up from the stool and extended her hand out. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you then I wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat Akamui in the first place.¡± Robert had a smirk on his face as if pleased to hear those words. However, Miyamoto still kept his head low. ¡°If I had taught you from the very beginning then you wouldn¡¯t have lost an arm.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone already. Nothing I¡¯ll do now will change that fact so please, raise your head.¡± He lifted his face only to see her extend her hand to help him stand. ¡°Leona.¡± He stood up on his own. He was roughly the same height as her, just barely taller. ¡°Your kindness is wasted on me.¡± He looked upon her with a nostalgic gaze. She couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I¡¯m just speaking the truth. Krieg, Phoebe, you, if not for all of you I wouldn¡¯t be here today.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Robert cleared his throat. ¡°I know you two must be absolutely dying to keep this going but we don¡¯t have enough time, nor I have patience so let¡¯s keep this brief.¡± He motioned to Miyamoto with his open palm. ¡°Go ahead. Spill the beans.¡± The swordmaster gave him a stinky eye. ¡°Must you be so impertinent?¡± ¡°I am much older than you, you know.¡± ¡°Your age hardly matters on this occasion, but nevertheless¡­¡± He turned to Leona and slightly bowed as he introduced himself once again. ¡°My name is Miyamoto of Nara, former ruler of the Kingdom of Nara. My wife was your great aunt so that would make me your great uncle. It¡¯s my pleasure to finally meet you in person.¡± ¡°Leona Crossford, sole heir of the Crossford family.¡± As opposed to bowing, she offered him her hand for a handshake. ¡°The pleasure is all mine. Great uncle.¡± He hesitated for a second before taking her hand and giving a tight handshake. A soothing warmth filled Leona¡¯s breast as she exchanged greetings with her uncle. It was as if she found part of herself that was missing in that far fledged continent. ¡°Either way-¡± Robert spoke, which made both of them turn to him. ¡°-I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions on your mind but do save them for later. Let¡¯s head to the city, the others should be waiting there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to teleport us there are you?¡± Leona was wary of the teleportation spell as the bout of sickness was something she didn¡¯t want to feel again. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± He touched both of them on each shoulder and prepared to snap his fingers. ¡°Just close your eyes.¡± She did as instructed and the distorting sensation was greatly reduced albeit she could tell her stomach was disagreeing with her. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Upon opening her eyes, she noticed they were standing by the red torii gate. Krieg, Phoebe and Setsuna were waiting on the left side of the gate with the shrine maiden awfully close to the high elf. On the right side, Kaeli stood with a faint smile on her face while a younger girl stood by her side. She wore a similar set of clothes to Setsuna, albeit shorter to fit her smaller stature. Her head reached around Leona''s chin, her rounded face and soft expression made the tactician think she was some sort of doll before she motioned with her head to Kaeli. Her cheek length straight black hair was slanted diagonally down following her jawline while the fringe was a straight cut, framing her delicate face. Once she noticed Robert, her eyes began to shine but she composed herself just as fast before she approached the newly arrived group and stood before the tactician. ¡°Greetings Lady Leona.¡± She placed her hands on her thighs before bowing. ¡°My name is Yuna. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Her politeness caught her by surprise as she bowed slightly in return. ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Yuna.¡± Looking closely, she had the appearance of a sixteen year old, maybe more. But the way she spoke was much different than her apparent age. ¡°Leona!¡± Krieg rushed upon her side the moment he noticed her. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± She smiled warmly in return. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°Thank goddess¡­¡± Miyamoto was staring at Krieg with a sort of pain in his eyes before he faced away from him as he tried his best to come to terms with the unaware son right in front of him. In the meantime, Phoebe was impatiently tapping her foot with one of her hands loosely hanging around the belt where she kept her daggers hidden. Who kept her in check was Setsuna who had an amicable expression despite holding her staff strangely close to the high elf. ¡°Phoebe dear.¡± The shrine maiden spoke in a soft tone. ¡°Can you wipe that terrible expression off your face?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite hard to do so, big sis Setsuna.¡± She was still staring daggers at Kaeli who was just outside of stabbing range. ¡°When the person I want to kill is right in front of me.¡± Robert chuckled while clapping to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Now, now, there are many things I¡¯m sure everyone wants to discuss, but let¡¯s go grab a meal first and foremost.¡± He started to walk along the street parallel to the wall. ¡°Phoebe, you¡¯re forbidden to kill anyone and Kaeli, don¡¯t get close to her.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± The assassin clicked her tongue which was met with a gentle smack on the head by Setsuna¡¯s staff. Kaeli silently approached Yuna and with a subtle bow, they both walked together. Krieg and Leona exchanged looks of confusion but decided to go along with the idea. Miyamoto stood behind them with a look of anxiety on his face before moving on with the group. The tactician and her knight were in the middle of the group when she decided to ask him. ¡°Say Krieg, what did you do after I was gone?¡± ¡°If not for Lady Setsuna, I would¡¯ve forced Phoebe to lead me to where you were.¡± He had his hand resting on the longsword handle. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to think the moment you disappeared right in front of my eyes.¡± ¡°That was probably thanks to Robert.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°That man leading the group. He¡¯s¡­ sort of like Miyamoto¡¯s mentor, I¡¯ll explain more when we have time.¡± He nodded. Their brief exchange was cut short by Yuna, who approached them and kept walking at the same pace. ¡°Lady Leona, I wanted to ask you a few things, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Her eyes sparkled with interest. ¡°How much do you know about magic?¡± ¡°How much? I just know four elements out of the six. Water, ice, fire and wind.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? What about light and dark?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The seventh and eighth element.¡± The clueless expression on Leona¡¯s face was enough for Yuna to tell that she really didn¡¯t know anything of what she was talking about. ¡°Let me rephrase that. The combination of all elements and the lack of all elements. Those are light and dark elements respectively.¡± Light magic¡¯s concept was reasonably easy for her to understand, but the dark magic was something just too out of the ordinary for Leona to wrap her head around. In her mind, removing all elements would mean coming up with just raw mana, not an eighth element. ¡°Yuna, don¡¯t go filling her mind with magic theory.¡± Robert said out loud as if he could hear everything they were talking about. ¡°The poor girl didn¡¯t even know about light magic just a few seconds ago.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so very sorry.¡± She bowed slightly despite him not looking at her. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t help it. It has been so long since we had guests.¡± ¡°I know. You¡¯ll be able to talk to them properly soon. We just need to talk a few things out before we continue on.¡± He glanced over his shoulder to Leona. ¡°Do you have food allergies?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oh, maybe that is not a common question in Arcadia. I tend to forget this world is not that advanced.¡± Krieg gave her a puzzled look from the peculiar way he spoke but she simply gave him a reassuring gesture with her hand. Robert cleared his throat before he continued. ¡°Any foods that your parents told you aren¡¯t supposed to eat? Or foods that make you feel itchy.¡± ¡°Ah, so that is what you meant. No, not particularly.¡± He turned forward with his hand on his chin while muttering under his breath, which was inaudible to Leona. ¡°Hmm¡­ might still be on the safe side to avoid shrimp¡­ maybe shrimp tempura should still be okay if I remove the entrails¡­? Then again it¡¯s best to go with beef just in case¡­¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Setsuna approached him while dragging Phoebe through her clothing. ¡°Are you sure we should have Kaeli with us?¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be a problem, you are with me after all.¡± He chuckled to himself. ¡°She would have been as good as dead if she didn¡¯t save Leona in the first place. Not that she knew any of this of course, but let¡¯s chalk it up to dumb luck.¡± ¡°But still¡­ if she is a paladin¡­¡± ¡°Do you not trust your dad?¡± Setsuna flinched while shaking the hand with the staff in front of her body. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± He ruffled her hair with a smile on his face. ¡°There is nothing to worry about. As long as the dragon in question isn¡¯t Valkahaz, then I can handle them with one eye closed.¡± ¡°Will you really tell her about¡­ well, everything?¡± ¡°Yes. That is what I promised to Xenovia.¡± Setsuna glanced at the ground as they walked. ¡°Will we be okay?¡± ¡°Of course. This is the world line she chose and the one the previous ¡®me¡¯ helped her get to.¡± He stopped by an unusual looking establishment, the front was covered by thick blue parted cloth with the drawing of a rabbit on it. Robert parted one of the sides with his left forearm which revealed a sliding wooden door. ¡°We¡¯re here. Leave your weapons by the entrance and take off your shoes. I don¡¯t want any of you dirtying the floor.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Leona raised an eyebrow and stopped on her tracks¡ªprompting him to look at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Never once in Arcadia or rather, any establishment that she went into asked any of the patrons to take off their shoes or put their weapons away. He sighed and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m the owner of this place. Rest assured no one will take them away.¡± He opened the sliding door which revealed a warmly lit interior with polished wooden floor and quiet atmosphere. The whole place felt antique. ¡°What kind of people can enjoy food while carrying weapons?¡± Chapter CXXXV: Unshackled Bonds Part I ¡°Ren!¡± Robert shouted as he entered his store. ¡°We have guests!¡± Leona heard sounds of shuffling inside the store as she stepped in. A male voice came from the back of the store. ¡°Ah! Back so soon sir Robert?!¡± The place was lit with orange orbs of light inside paper lamps which were hung by the ceiling or tucked in the corners, giving it a very cozy sensation. Once she had fully entered the store a young looking woman greeted her with a bow; she wore a white robe uniform with a black apron tied around her waist which covered the rest of her lower body. Her emerald colored hair was definitely an unusual sight for Leona but what caught her immediate attention was the presence of two thin and sharp horns protruding out of her forehead which slightly parted her straight fringe before they eventually merged at her eyebrows. Her short hair was similar to Yuna¡¯s hime-cut. ¡°Welcome, please enjoy your stay.¡± As she lifted her head up, Leona noticed her deep purple eyes looking at her while a warmth sensation filled her body. At that time, Robert gave the young woman a tap on the shoulder as he walked past her. ¡°Tomoe, no using illusion spells on them please.¡± ¡°Ah, I assumed your guests-¡± ¡°They are ¡®actual¡¯ guests, not nuisances.¡± She quickly turned to Leona. ¡°I deeply apologize. Please, enjoy your time with us.¡± ¡°I-I will, thank you.¡± She averted her gaze towards the floor. The entrance had two distinct tiles, a ceramic floor which Robert left his shoes on and the elevated wooden floor which was the same as the rest of the store. ¡°Here, you can use these.¡± Tomoe offered a pair of comfortable looking beige slippers. ¡°Just take off your shoes and wear these.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± She did as instructed and noticed her left sock had a hole from which her left thumb stuck out. A sense of shame overcame her but despite noticing, Tomoe didn¡¯t speak a word about it. After putting on the slippers and stepping on the wooden floor, the clerk extended both of her hands towards her. ¡°Your weapon please.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it as if it was my own.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± She reached for her belt but undoing the strap with only one hand proved to be more difficult than she initially thought. ¡°One second please.¡± ¡°May I help you Miss?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble¡­¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± As she was getting helped. Krieg stepped inside and was about to set foot on the wooden floor, before Miyamoto grabbed him by the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to take off your shoes.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The knight glanced at the man who had already taken off his shoes. ¡°Oh. Right, I forgot. Thank you.¡± Behind them, Setsuna was giggling to herself. ¡°I tend to forget these are not customs westerners are used to.¡± ¡°You tell me.¡± Phoebe added. ¡°Being in Windia and Arcadia was the strangest experience I ever had.¡± After everyone settled inside, Robert made sure to close the door and put up a closed sign in the front. ¡°Setsuna, Yuna.¡± He called the two and pointed to a table for four in the corner of the room. ¡°You guys can take a seat over there with Phoebe and Kaeli, just make sure they don¡¯t start a fight.¡± ¡°Yes dad.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± The two dragged each high elf by the arm while the man addressed the rest of his guests. ¡°Leona, Krieg and Miyamoto, you can sit on this side.¡± He offered a table by the matte window which offered a dim light compared to the interior glowing orbs. ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare meals for everyone, meanwhile you can catch up¡­ whatever it is that you want to catch up with. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Once he left, Leona glanced at the two and awkwardly gestured to the table. ¡°Um¡­ let¡¯s sit down then.¡± The two of them agreed. The tactician took the seat by the corner while Krieg sat by her side, meanwhile Miyamoto sat on the opposite side to the knight, leaving the chair on his right empty. ¡®Oh this is too awkward¡­¡¯ Leona thought for herself. ¡®How am I supposed to tell Krieg that the man sitting right in front of him is his father?¡¯ She rubbed the corner of her eyes as she prepared herself. ¡°Krieg, this is Miyamoto. He is¡­¡± She swallowed dry as she glanced at the swordmaster, who seemed composed despite where she was trying to get at. ¡°I¡¯m your father.¡± He finished her sentence, which made the knight simply tilt his head as if he didn¡¯t believe what he heard. ¡°Sorry but I must have misheard you.¡± Krieg brought both of his hands on the table as he leaned forward. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly as I said. You are my son, Krieg. Or should I call you by your real name? Leonard?¡± At that moment Leona just had enough time to raise her hand as Krieg forcibly yanked the swordmaster forward by the collar of his kimono. ¡°You¡­ I knew something was wrong when I saw you¡­!¡± Leona grabbed his left shoulder. ¡°Krieg what are you doing?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s called dragon sight.¡± Robert¡¯s voice came from the kitchen. He was leaning against the door frame while drinking a dark thick purple liquid from a short glass cup as he explained it to her. ¡°Your knight is able to see other people¡¯s souls and the ¡®dark knight¡¯ that kept attacking you guys all the way back in Arcadia.¡± He pointed to Miyamoto. ¡°He was inhabiting that old body of mine.¡± The swordmaster sighed as he grabbed Krieg¡¯s wrist and started to explain. ¡°Due to my inability to finish off the death angel horde before they became an unstoppable force-¡± He gently pushed his son¡¯s arm away. ¡°-you, along with many others, were sent to the Arcadian kingdom to survive. With your mother dead and I on the brink of death, I had to resort to someone else¡¯s powers to save what was left from the kingdom.¡± ¡°Which put you in the debt of-¡± Leona¡¯s eyes slowly turned to Robert while she muttered under her breath. He raised the glass and smiled. ¡°Bingo. That¡¯s me. At first he was just an experiment from when I came into this world, but after Xenovia put me in her debt, I decided to have him watch over you two while Phoebe guided you all the way here.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I have to say, this journey was complicated to orchestrate. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to ¡®help¡¯ the Londrians, much less putting your life and limb for someone else.¡± Krieg sat down as he noticed Tomoe and Setsuna staring at him, but instead Leona stood up and looked Robert straight in the eyes. ¡°Just how much of it was your plan?¡± ¡°Not the entire journey. All I needed was for you to reach this place in one piece.¡± He finished drinking the beverage and began hitting the side of the cup with his index finger. ¡°None of your triumphs were in the plan. Hell, not even Akamui was, but you still defeated the ¡®emperor of the sea¡¯ while protecting the ship and your comrades. And that is not all, if you didn¡¯t risk your life on the gamble of being saved by Kaeli over there, she would now be missing her head.¡± There was a brief pause before another male voice came from the kitchen which served to cut a bit of the tension hanging in the air. ¡°Chief, what else did you need?¡± It was the other worker named Ren. ¡°I finished the broth!¡± ¡°Thank you, Ren. Just make portions and I¡¯ll serve it to them.¡± ¡°Coming right up.¡± He chuckled before turning around and finishing off his speech with an over the shoulder smile. ¡°Don¡¯t let your mood sour the taste of my food. We have all the time in the world to discuss what comes next, over some lunch of course.¡± Leona averted her gaze towards the table and slowly took her seat again. All of her hard won battles, her sacrifices, the pain she endured, everything did feel like a lie. ¡®If they knew so much, why didn¡¯t they lift a finger?¡¯ The bitter thought filled her mind, but at the same time she did find solace after noticing Kaeli bowing to her from across the room. After all the losses she endured, after everything that was thrown at her throughout her journey, she felt a warm sensation in her chest as at the very least, she managed to save a life. She glanced down at her right hand before closing it. ¡®This is such a small victory for everything I paid for.¡¯ She closed her eyes as her thoughts ran free from all the bitterness. ¡®But it still is a victory nonetheless¡­¡¯ ¡°I am¡­ also sorry for everything. Krieg. Leona.¡± Miyamoto¡¯s voice caught her off guard as she lifted her face just in time to witness him bow. ¡°If I taught any of you blade energy sooner, then this¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be saying those words.¡± Leona wore a bittersweet expression on her face. ¡°At least, not now in front of your son.¡± He opened his mouth as if about to say something but instead chose to remain quiet as he stared at the table. Krieg once again placed both of his hands on the table as he uttered. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know the reason behind all of your pain, but I must tell you this.¡± He looked Miyamoto in the eyes. ¡°I have not once thought about either of you. All the life I ever knew was war. I stood atop of the Arcadian ranks and even when I was casted down and branded a traitor-¡± He looked at Leona and then back at him. ¡°-her family treated me as their own. Which is why I won¡¯t say that I hate you or mother for abandoning me. Be it an accident or not, because I am here thanks to it all.¡± Though a bit surprised, Miyamoto smiled and glanced down at the table. ¡°Thank you. I thought I was ready to sacrifice anything and everything in order to maintain the peace of the kingdom, but that couldn¡¯t be far from the truth when I lost you. The only reason why my spirit endured this much suffering was so I could finally find and tell you that I am sorry.¡± Leona smiled, as pained as it was, at least she witnessed those two making up. She felt a bit nostalgic, she didn¡¯t fight often with her father after her mother had passed away but even if they did, their relationship was mended just as fast through sheer love for each other. She knew those bonds are what made them stronger, which brought another gentle smile to her face as she uttered under her breath. ¡°I hope you are watching over me as well, Father.¡± Chapter CXXXVI: Unshackled Bonds Part II Food was served just after the father and son pair made up, it was as if Robert was listening in all the time and simply waiting for the best time to come in. After having Tomoe serve the other table, the chef himself brought two wooden trays with oversized ceramic bowls on each hand while two trays magically accompanied his stride¡ªfloating in the air beside him. He placed one of the trays he carried by hand in front of Krieg and the other for himself while the other two floating ones slowly settled in front of Leona and Miyamoto. ¡®This isn¡¯t wind magic¡­¡¯ Leona thought for herself as she observed the tray settle on the table with precision unlikely of the aforementioned elemental magic. ¡°Here you go.¡± He proudly said. ¡°Enjoy.¡± She looked down at her bowl, which was half the size of Krieg¡¯s. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± She asked while looking at the strange broth based noodle portion. It had thin sliced round pieces of meat neatly fanned out on the side, finely chopped green onions around the middle, crushed garlic on the side and a runny egg sliced in half. The smell was unlike anything she had ever felt before. ¡°Ramen.¡± Robert explained. ¡°In my homeworld, I used to cook it a lot when I was a teenager.¡± He said with a nostalgic smile on his face as he sat down in front of her. ¡°Though back then I used to have way more ingredients than I do now.¡± ¡°How do I even eat this¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say use chopsticks-¡± He added. ¡°-but you¡¯d be here all afternoon. So I brought you a fork.¡± Glancing on the side, she noticed there was a metallic fork whereas both Miyamoto and Robert were using two thin sticks made of wood. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She wanted to try those out but it seemed too difficult for her, which made her turn to the knight for a second opinion. ¡°What about you Krieg?¡± He turned to her while already holding a chunk of noodles with a fork. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± She grabbed the fork and twirled some of the noodles around it. The rich yet not so thick broth wafted a pleasant aroma as she lifted the fork. As she was about to eat it she noticed not one or two, but four pairs of eyes looking at her. Setsuna, Yuna, Miyamoto and Robert all stopped eating their own meal in order to witness her with anticipation for her very first taste of the food. ¡°W-why are you all looking at me like that?¡± ¡°Ah, it is nothing.¡± Robert reassured her with the shaking of his hand. ¡°It¡¯s just rare to see someone in this land having their first taste of the local cuisine. It¡¯s sort of a unique sight so to speak.¡± She found it difficult to eat when everyone was looking at her so the only option that came in her mind was to close her eyes and take a bite. Once her teeth sunk in the soft noodles, a gentle wave of sensations washed through her tongue as the salty and savory chicken broth captivated her tasting buds. Her eyes widened as she looked in awe at the bowl of ramen in front of her. She discreetly slurped the rest of the noodles and chewed slowly while enjoying the rich flavor. ¡°Tomoe.¡± Robert called her and the waitress appeared by his side of the table. ¡°Bring four glasses of water to this table please.¡± ¡°At once.¡± She bowed and went to the kitchen. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Leona muttered. ¡°This is incredible.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Robert gave a modest bow. ¡°It was quite hard to replicate the flavors from my homeworld since I was lacking so many ingredients.¡± He had a nostalgic look on his face. ¡°It has been so long¡­ but well at least it was worth it.¡± ¡°But I have to ask.¡± Leona stopped eating for a moment to look at him. ¡°Why did you go for such lengths for¡­ food?¡± He scratched the side of his head. ¡°When you live three times your usual life expectancy across different worlds¡ªyour mind starts blurring the facets between reality and magic.¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°This is the only way I found to keep myself from going insane. Don¡¯t get me wrong, ever since traveling to another world for the first time, I have always been interested in magic, but after learning the fates of those previous worlds¡­ it left a scar in my mind that almost drove me to the edge.¡± He glanced over the other table where Setsuna and Yuna were keeping the two high elves in check. ¡°If not for them demanding better food time and time again I wouldn¡¯t be here to meet Xenovia or any of you.¡± ¡°But then¡­¡± Leona glanced at the two shrine maidens with a certain hesitation inside her heart. They seemed like average girls you¡¯d find anywhere. Saving for the clothing and natural beauty, they didn¡¯t seem ¡®otherworldly¡¯ to her. ¡°Sorry if that sounds rude, but does that mean you¡¯ll outlive your daughters?¡± He smiled bitterly. ¡°Most likely. But all of this will end once I¡¯m free from Lastraeous.¡± He stared at his own hands. ¡°That is why I¡¯m putting everything I have into this, Leona. As someone who cannot die, this is fate worse than death.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Leona settled down her fork and looked him in the eyes. ¡°I can hardly imagine what eternal life would be like. But you have my word, I will do all I can to free us from this destiny.¡± He looked at her for a brief moment before bursting out in a fit of laughter. ¡°Oh, you are truly one of a kind.¡± He shook his hand in front of his face. ¡°Never once I imagined being indebted to a native of another world, much less from one that is so technologically underdeveloped.¡± ¡°Dad, you¡¯re being too loud.¡± Setsuna carefully advised with squinting eyes as she was visibly annoyed. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± He settled his back against the chair and took a deep breath. ¡°It has been a few good centuries since I last met someone like Leona here, this is quite refreshing.¡± Tomoe came back from the kitchen bringing four cups of water with a wooden tray. ¡°Excuse me.¡± She placed the cups in front of each of them before taking her leave towards the counter. ¡°Thank you Tomoe.¡± Robert gestured with the glass and took a sip of the water before going back to loudly slurping the noodles. ¡°Have some class sir Robert.¡± Miyamoto had just finished eating and turned to him with an annoyed tone. ¡°They are guests here.¡± Robert settled his bowl and rolled his eyes. ¡°This is how you¡¯re supposed to eat it.¡± He turned to Leona and Krieg. ¡°Are either of you annoyed by it?¡± ¡°Not particularly, no.¡± Leona answered while discreetly averting her gaze. Krieg on the other hand just gave his shoulders and shook his head as a way of saying he didn¡¯t care. ¡°See?¡± Robert said while looking at the swordmaster and motioning to the two in front of them with his open palm. Miyamoto, on the other hand, sighed while rubbing both corners of his eyes as he uttered. ¡°Gods be great, I wonder how your daughters have better manners than you.¡± ¡°They are shrine maidens, I am simply a scholar and a mage.¡± Robert lifted the bowl and drank the entire broth. ¡°Ah¡­ they have a role to play in keeping the people¡¯s hearts in check while I have no need for fancy etiquette.¡± ¡°I have a question.¡± Leona interrupted them which made Robert glance at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°How did you levitate the trays before? That didn¡¯t seem like wind magic to me.¡± ¡°Ah, you mean this?¡± Robert snapped his fingers and his bowl started to float a bit from the table. ¡°It¡¯s dark magic or more specifically, spatial magic. If you know how to use your mana, you can make objects, in loose terms, ¡®float¡¯ relative to your body to which you¡¯re anchoring the said object to.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to, at least not in this era.¡± He lowered his hand and snapped his fingers, stopping the bowl on top of the tray. ¡°To comprehend dark magic, you¡¯d first need to understand relativity and how you can use it in conjunction with mana. Which I¡¯ll explain once we start your training.¡± Leona¡¯s eyes widened a bit as she uttered. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What? Did you think you¡¯d come to Nara, meet Eleonora and then be on your way back?¡± He tilted his head side to side, cracking the joints of his neck with a cheek to cheek smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to thoroughly train you to become a full fledged mage, as you stand now you¡¯re nothing more than a spell caster who knows a thing or two about crafting spells on the go.¡± They heard shuffling from the table in the corner of the room as Yuna stood up from her seat with sparkling eyes. ¡°Father, does that mean¡­?¡± Robert tilted his head over his shoulder and gave the girl a thumbs up. ¡°Yes, she¡¯ll be in your care for the next few days, do go easy on her.¡± ¡°Please consider a training regime to her standards.¡± Setsuna advised her younger sister. ¡°Lest we need is for her to drop dead on the very first day.¡± Leona tilted her whole body backwards as she heard those words. ¡°Dead?!¡± ¡°Death from usage of mana only occurs at the fifth stage of mana shock.¡± Yuna declared. ¡°She should be fine until the second stage.¡± ¡°Wait! That doesn¡¯t make it any better!¡± Leona stood up from her seat. ¡°Besides, why am I going through training?! I mean sure, I can¡¯t go against none of you in terms of magic but surely-¡± ¡°If you think you¡¯re good enough against Alexander¡­¡± Robert¡¯s words made her stop mid-sentence¡ªhis tone had suddenly shifted from his usual nonchalant self to a more serious one. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to throw a bucket of cold water on you, but you¡¯re not going to cut it. Neither you or Krieg for that matter.¡± ¡°With blade energy surely-¡± ¡°Listen to me Leona!¡± He raised his voice just enough to cut her off. ¡°You cannot rely on skills borrowed from someone else. When dire situations push you to the brink, you need to have those skills ingrained in your body and soul or else you might actually die. Do not be complacent with yourself, you must understand this. You only have one life.¡± Those words cut deep in her heart. Memories of fallen comrades filled her mind with dreadful sensations that coursed throughout her body. If only she was stronger. Maybe, just maybe, she could have prevented a close friend from dying. Blade energy was just another excuse she came up with in order to not look back to a past where she didn¡¯t have power. It made her blood boil. Now that she had the opportunity to grow stronger to protect those around her¡ªshe was about to throw it all away for a false sense of security born from her own shortcomings. She stood up with her right hand clenched tightly in a fist, her left arm throbbed as she spoke out loud. ¡°I will be in your care from now on!¡± She bowed. ¡°Please, help me become stronger!¡± Krieg also stood up and bowed as well. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± Robert firmly nodded with a smile on his face. ¡°Alright. Yuna, you¡¯ll be in charge of Leona¡¯s training for the time being.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± He turned to the older daughter. ¡°Setsuna, you¡¯ll aid Krieg with his own training with Miyamoto.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± And finally, to both the high elves. ¡°Kaeli and Phoebe, you two will come with me later, I have much to discuss with you.¡± He walked towards the door with the two high elf sisters behind him staring at each other. Phoebe had a hatred filled gaze while Kaeli clearly had an apologetic bittersweet smile. Seeing them leave made Leona¡¯s heart clench as she asked. ¡°What will you do to them?¡± ¡°Show them the truth and the reason behind it all.¡± Robert looked over his shoulder towards her. ¡°They deserve this much at least after suffering all this time.¡± With a last snap of his fingers, he disappeared with the two high elves. Leona fell back on her seat with a sigh of relief. ¡®Thank goodness he¡¯s not the person I thought him to be¡­¡¯ Chapter CXXXVII: Dragonblood With Phoebe, Kaeli and Robert gone, Leona focused on finishing her meal while Setsuna took her father¡¯s seat. Yuna followed right behind her and stood on the side before Tomoe fetched an extra chair for her to sit down. ¡°Thank you.¡± The young woman smiled at the waitress, who simply bowed and took her leave. Setsuna looked at Krieg when she started to explain. ¡°Sir Krieg and Miss Leona. I would like to take a moment to clarify a few things before we all start training in earnest.¡± She interlocked her fingers on top of the table and leaned slightly forward¡ªher chest supporting half of her upper body against it. ¡°You two are descendants of dragons which means you two have much more potential than your peers in terms of magic and physical might. Both me and my sister will take that into account proceeding forward.¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Krieg tilted his head as a sign of confusion. ¡°I get it that I may be a descendant of a dragon, but Princess Leona?¡± ¡°She is also one.¡± Setsuna nodded as she continued. ¡°In your case Sir Krieg, you are the greatson of the Silver Dragon Sylphia.¡± ¡°Silver Dragon? The same that brought the Great Freeze to Londria?!¡± He uttered in surprise. ¡°But, she was alive centuries ago, not to say that I was born in Nara, not Londria.¡± ¡°Direct descendants of dragons can have vastly prolonged lifespans, mind you.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Your mother was Sylphia¡¯s daughter which means¡­¡± Leona glanced at Yuna, who was looking at her as if waiting for a question. ¡°Um¡­¡± The tactician uttered. ¡°Seeing how you¡¯re not surprised, I can assume you also know about this, correct?¡± The young woman nodded in response. ¡°Then, could you explain to me how you learned all of it?¡± ¡°It was dad. He often had others tell us tales of how Nara was before the death angels appeared. One of said tales was how Miyamoto brought about peace amongst the warring lords with the help of an Oni Princess and how she was a direct descendant of a long forgotten silver dragon.¡± Leona slowly nodded as she rubbed the underside of her chin. ¡°That would be Krieg¡¯s mother¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She turned back to Setsuna, who was still in the middle of explaining. ¡°...Therefore, you must learn how to better control your mana. Lest you need to fall victim to your own powers again.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Krieg frowned his eyebrows. ¡°Then all I need to do is to spar with Miyamoto?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it.¡± She nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll also be helping you to better control your mana.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Leona sincerely asked. Which surprised the shrine maiden a bit. ¡°Your case is a simple matter of raising the amount of spells you can use while also working on your ability to regenerate mana quickly and on demand. Father should have a more specialized training method in store for you but let¡¯s say that his methods are¡­ unorthodox.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She was lost in thought, but Yuna gently touched her shoulder and squeezed it lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get through this!¡± Leona smiled in return and nodded. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s do this.¡± She clenched her hand and brought it closer to her chest. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Well then¡­ shall we?¡± Setsuna stood up and snapped her fingers which brought forth her staff out of thin air. ¡°Come closer to me.¡± They looked at each other before approaching the standing shrine maiden. Her little sister was trying to hold in a chuckle. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Leona curiously asked. ¡°I¡¯m not as good as my father for teleportation magic so I ask you to remain completely still.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Setsuna raised the staff as she closed her eyes and started to chant. ¡°Void of darkness, shape the fabric of space under my will, Greater Teleportation!¡± As the staff was slammed down, Leona felt a violent bout of motion sickness as she felt her brain being split in half from the pain. It was definitely many times worse than when Robert had teleported her without any warning and she fell on her knees as soon as her feet touched soft dirt ground. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± She was holding the urge to puke as she felt a warm hand gently tapping her back. Upon looking to the side, she noticed it was Yuna. ¡°Sorry, big sis don¡¯t usually teleport this many people at once.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ ugh¡­ alright¡­¡± ¡°Try to flush the mana out of your body. It usually helps against mana sickness.¡± ¡°Flush¡­ out¡­?¡± ¡°Yes! Imagine as if you were washing away dirt from your clothes, except your current mana is the dirt and your body is your clothes.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Leona closed her eyes and started to slowly push out the mana inside her body. It was a strange sensation since she was more used to using said mana to cast spells in the first place and not simply flush it out. However, thanks to her constant use of offensive magic through the course of her journey, she was more than used to ¡®expelling¡¯ mana. A throbbing sensation came from her chest as she took a deep breath and exhaled¡ªrelaxing her body and mind as she let mana run free through her mana gates. After a few minutes of doing so, she felt like the motion sickness and headache were gone. Upon looking around, she noticed they were back at where Robert had taken her for her trial while using Kaeli as bait. She shakily stood up. ¡°Oh this really does wor¡­k¡­¡± But, just as soon as she stood up, she stumbled backwards and was caught by Yuna¡¯s arm. ¡°Ooh¡­ what is happening now¡­?¡± She felt a strange out-of-body sensation, as if she had lost some motor control over her muscles. Yuna smiled as she helped her sit down before explaining. ¡°A light level of mana shock. You did release all of your mana just now.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? Is mana shock usually this bad¡­?¡± She stared at her hand and she could feel the fatigue taking a hold. ¡°For someone running out of mana on purpose, yes. Usually when a mage runs out of mana is during combat and by then, your body is choked full of adrenaline, which helps you keep going for a while.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ come to think of it, whenever I did push myself beyond my limits I would just fall unconscious right after.¡± ¡°That in of itself isn¡¯t bad.¡± Yuna turned around and raised her hand to the sky. ¡°It¡¯s one way to expand your mana reserves. Watch carefully.¡± She took a deep breath and started to focus. Leona could physically see the air burn around the girl as mana gathered from her entire body towards her extended arm. ¡°Incinerate!¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. A golf-ball sized sphere of azure, almost purple, flames started to form on the palm of her hand. Mana from across her body gathered into that singular point of her hand, coalescing into the spell as she prepared to hurl it. ¡®What in the world is that¡­?!¡¯ Leona could feel her skin tingle from the intense heat from such a small sphere of fire. Yuna used wind in conjunction with the movement of her arm as she tossed it a few hundred meters into the sky where it stayed hovering mid air against the white clouds above. ¡°If you train hard enough, you can surely achieve the same.¡± Yuna snapped her fingers and the small sphere expanded to the size of a basketball before shrinking even more than its original size and detonating into a violent explosion of blue flames that scorched the sky and emitted an incredible amount of heat that Leona could feel even from afar. The clouds above the explosion were parted in a circular pattern from the sheer explosive force as the spell faded away in the air. Leona stared at the blue sky tinted with fading deep azure flames. The colors were indeed beautiful but it was hard to imagine a girl almost half her size to be able to cast a spell this potent. ¡°How is that¡­ even possible¡­?¡± She uttered in disbelief. ¡°I have been training under my father¡¯s tutelage ever since I was born. But you have one inherent advantage over me and that is the dragon blood coursing through your veins. Your growth will be much quicker than mine if you train just as intensively as I did.¡± Yuna extended a helping hand, which Leona didn¡¯t hesitate to take in order to stand up. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Dragons by nature are rulers of magic. They know how to utilize it from birth.¡± ¡°Are they? My mom couldn¡¯t use magic.¡± ¡°Some individuals are born without mana gates like Krieg. That prevents them from using our more versatile way of utilizing magic, but even if you don¡¯t have mana gates, there are other ways to make use of the mana inside your body. Has she ever tried to vocally cast a spell?¡± That made Leona stop for a moment as she thought about her question. ¡°Wait¡­ now that you mention it¡­ no, she never¡­¡± Her thought was interrupted by a loud noise that came from below the clearing they were on. As Leona turned her head towards it, she noticed dirt and dust kicking up above the trees as if there was an intense fight going on down there. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°That must be big sis.¡± Yuna said while looking in the same direction. ¡°Krieg¡¯s training is no less arduous than yours I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Hm. That just means I have to work just as hard.¡± She clenched her fist and looked the girl in her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s do this. Teach me how I can become stronger.¡± She smiled warmly in return for her enthusiasm. ¡°It¡¯ll be my pleasure.¡± Krieg was sparring against Miyamoto a few hundred meters below the clearing where Leona was being taught. The knight was confident in his swordsmanship but the added pressure of a spell caster attacking him while the swordmaster kept him at bay was far more challenging than the one-on-one duel that he was expecting. The kicked up dust and dirt was thanks to a fireball¡¯s explosion casted by Setsuna which forced Krieg to backpedal and Miyamoto latched on the opportunity to create even more space for the spellcaster behind him. ¡°Rend! Yoshitsune!¡± The swordmaster shouted as his red curved blade cleaved upwards, creating a thin blade of mana that cut through the ground and it would have certainly walloped Krieg¡¯s arm right off if he didn¡¯t dodge out of its way. ¡°Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be a duel?¡± Krieg asked as the dust settled. Miyamoto brandished his red bladed katana outwards before spinning it and sheathing the blade inside the black scabbard. Setsuna approached the swordmaster while using her staff as a sort of a cane to walk as she explained. ¡°You must have been trained in the art of killing demons since you were part of Eleonora¡¯s army back in the Great War. However, times are different. You¡¯re not here to kill demons, you are here to protect yourself and another person, namely Leona.¡± She had an unusual serious gaze as opposed to her often kind expression. ¡°You must learn how to do that while being attacked by multiple enemies at once.¡± ¡°How do I even defend against a spell with a sword?!¡± ¡°That is exactly why we are sparring in the first place.¡± She raised the staff and placed her hand forward. ¡°You must draw forth your draconic powers if you want to survive.¡± ¡°Easier said than done¡­¡± Krieg grip tightened around the longsword. He could feel a burning sensation grow inside his chest, similar to the one who felt back in Londria when he was pulling the manafront vehicle through his sheer strength. Setsuna glanced at Miyamoto as she asked in a soft tone. ¡°We might need to push a little harder. Can you do it?¡± He placed the left hand on the scabbard as he pushed the sword out of it with his thumb. ¡°Anything for his growth.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± She turned back to Krieg. ¡°Let¡¯s resume our sparring. I¡¯ll continue to attack you from range. Try to defeat either me or sir Miyamoto.¡± ¡°I will, you can rest assured of that!¡± He broke in a sprint and at the same time, Miyamoto drew his blade into a cleave. Without any verbal components, he simply unleashed a horizontal mana attack that forced Krieg to jump sideways. As he was in the air, Setsuna pointed the staff at where he would land and quickly chanted. ¡°Wind Bullet!¡± A violent blast of concentrated air hit the knight directly in his chest¡ªsending him back first into the ground. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°You¡¯re making yourself too predictable.¡± The shrine maiden advised. ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± He rolled to the side and stood up with his sword in front of his body. ¡°This¡­ is nothing!¡± He was baring his clenched teeth as a surge of mana began to course through his body. ¡°Almost there¡­¡± Setsuna muttered under her breath as Miyamoto charged with the katana. Krieg had barely any time to think with the swordmaster unleashing a flurry of deadly sword strikes that could sever flesh down to the bone. One of the slashes managed to nick his forearms and he took a few steps back while Miyamoto stood with his katana angled towards Krieg.. ¡°Dammit¡­!¡± The knight was feeling a fiery sensation surging from within as if it was ready to take a hold of him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to go down until I take one of you out!¡± He set on the offensive¡ªpushing the swordmaster back through sheer speed and force of his swings. ¡°Unrefined.¡± Miyamoto uttered as their swords clashed for a moment in a lock before Krieg tried to wheel the blade around his, only to be met by the swordmaster¡¯s sword handle. ¡°Gah!¡± The knight stumbled backwards from the smack he received on his chin. ¡°Those movements may work on an unintelligent foe-¡± His father raised the red blade and gripped the handle tighter while holding the sword parallel to his own body. ¡°-but you would be as leaves on the wind in the face of a true master.¡± ¡°Nnugh¡­¡± Krieg¡¯s teeth were starting to creek with the amount of force he was clenching them down. The constant surge of mana suddenly transformed into a raging torrent that seemed to scorch the very air around him. ¡°Argh¡­!¡± ¡®This is it!¡¯ Setsuna thought as she noticed the rampaging mana coursing all throughout his body. ¡®He just needs a final push!¡¯ She raised her staff and pointed it towards him. ¡°Ice Spear!¡± Multiple lances of ice formed from the coalescing air before they spinned forth through the air. Miyamoto threw himself backwards as the spears whistled right above his head. As opposed to his expectations, the ice projectiles melted into vapor before it could even reach Krieg. ¡°Huh?¡± The knight looked flabbergasted. ¡°What happened¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fight it!¡± Setsuna shouted. ¡°Let this rampaging mana flow out!¡± ¡°Flow out¡­? Ugh¡­ the heat¡­¡± Despite his body¡¯s extremely high temperature, the knight raised his sword once again but this time, the blade was glowing with a strong blue aura. Seeing how he was still hesitating, the shrine maiden decided to resort to another tactic. ¡°Show me you got what it takes to be called Leona¡¯s personal knight!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ dammit!¡± The knight dashed forward towards Setsuna, but Miyamoto quickly got back up on his feet by rolling backwards and stood in his way. ¡±Out of my way!¡± He raised the glowing blade above his head for vertical strike. ¡°Don¡¯t parry it!¡± Setsuna yelled just in time for the swordmaster to sidestep the attack. As Krieg missed him and his blade hit the dirt, a violent shockwave spread throughout the ground, cracking the earth and shattering his steel longsword in half once all the stored up mana coursed through the metal. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Setsuna shouted, which snapped Krieg out of his trance-like state. As he looked down, he saw his weapon in pieces. His legs gave in and both his knees hit the cracked earth. All the heat that was consuming him was gone in a flash. ¡°What the¡­¡± He stared at his own hands as the shrine maiden approached him. She was clapping her hands with the staff cradled in her arms. ¡°Congratulations sir Krieg! I never expected you to be able to perform an aether blade in your first try!¡± She stopped next to him and kneeled. ¡°Though I think you might have pushed yourself just a bit too far with it. How are you feeling?¡± He tried to look at her but his vision was becoming blurry, his eyelids felt like chunks of steel trying to stay afloat in water as his whole body was weighed down by boulders. ¡°Extremely¡­ tired¡­¡± He passed out once he closed his eyes. ¡°Oi!¡± Miyamoto quickly approached his son but Setsuna offered a calming gesture with her hand. ¡°He just exhausted himself. I¡¯ll transfer some mana to him and we¡¯ll do this again.¡± The swordmaster had a troubled expression on his face before standing up, but after taking a slow and deep breath, he composed himself and asked her. ¡°Is this really the only way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She answered without looking at him as she was proceeding with the mana transference, not unlike what Kaeli did for Leona a few days prior. ¡°Father told me the future of this world should be shaped by those who belong in it. That he is merely a keeper of knowledge fated to observe.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Though he often likes to strike deals for his own gain at times.¡± ¡°I figured as much.¡± He stared at his own hands and body. It was the only thing the lord of a fallen kingdom had to offer to the strange otherworldly man. ¡°I never had the courage to ask, but is he a good father to the two of you?¡± ¡°The best we ever knew¡­¡± Her gentle expression wore a bittersweet smile born from a distant yet comforting memory. ¡°I¡¯m thankful to him for teaching me all the things I know.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± He looked at Krieg with guilt weighing down his heart, though he was still too prideful to admit it. ¡®I wish¡­ he can say the same from me once I¡¯m gone¡­¡¯ Chapter CXXXVIII: Unforgotten Sacrifices The sun was setting in the eastern nation. Leona was gazing out towards the orange tinted horizon as she was resting against a boulder near a cliff that overlooked the city. The first day of training proved to be much more arduous than she had imagined, her body felt heavy, her eyelids were almost closing on their own before she heard a familiar voice come from behind her. ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± Yuna¡¯s question prompted her to glance over the shoulder before answering. ¡°Yes¡­ quite so¡­¡± She yawned as she turned back to look at the coastal city. Fishing boats and trading ships were constantly coming and going which was a rare sight from where she came from and it felt soothing to just stare at the bustling docks. Yuna kneeled down and sat on top of her own legs, she was carrying two dark green ceramic cups with a hot liquid inside as hot steam waffed from within. ¡°Here. This should help with your fatigue. Be careful, it¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you Yuna.¡± Leona took the offer and carefully held the cup from the edges. She carefully tilted the cup towards herself as she slowly sipped its contents. ¡°Hmm¡­!¡± It was indeed quite hot as she felt the tip of her tongue sting a bit, but the taste was unlike anything she had before. As opposed to the familiar grassy sugary taste of the tea she used to drink in Arcadia, the one Yuna brought had a distinct roasted scent accompanied by a subtle nutty flavor that was easy on the stomach. Leona could feel some of the fatigue go away as she turned to the shrine maiden. ¡°This is really good¡­¡± ¡°I am glad that you liked it.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°Dad usually prefers the rice roasted a bit more for a stronger taste. But that makes it too bitter for me¡­¡± ¡°You used rice for brewing it?¡± ¡°Yes! It makes it easier for the stomach to digest food later on and since we are done with training for today, I thought it would be a good idea to start the evening with something to prepare for dinner.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She took another sip from her drink. Yuna remained silent while holding the ceramic cup with her left hand underneath it while the right supported it from the side. There was a certain air of elegance to how she carried herself. Looking closely at her, Leona couldn¡¯t help but wonder just how old she was. In terms of height and appearance, she looked like a teenager but her demeanor and actions seemed more fit for a young woman like Leona herself. ¡°Miss Yuna, I have a question if you can humor me.¡± ¡°Just Yuna is fine, what is your question?¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The question genuinely surprised her as she turned to her with wide eyes. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry if that was rude¡­¡± ¡°Oh no, I didn¡¯t take it as rude, I just thought it was unusual for someone to ask about my age.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sixteen. My sister is twenty and dad is¡­ something along the lines of centuries¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re younger than me¡­¡± ¡°Oh? How old are you, Miss Leona?¡± ¡°Nineteen. I was born just after the Great War ended.¡± ¡°Great War¡­¡± She closed her eyes as she recalled the familiar name. ¡°Ah¡­ the human demon war right? The one where Eleonora and the Demon Prince worked together to defeat the Mad Demon King?¡± ¡°Yes exactly.¡± ¡°Eighteen forty-seven if I¡¯m not mistaken? I was born in eighteen fifty-five.¡± Leona was genuinely surprised by her accuracy. ¡°Have you studied Arcadian history before?¡± ¡°Yes, dad was adamant in teaching us general knowledge before letting us learn about magic. He said it was necessary for us to exercise the mind before trying to grasp something as abstract as magic.¡± ¡°Abstract huh?¡± That reminded her of her own mother. ¡°You mentioned to me during training that your sister is just as good if not better than you in offensive magic. How come you two know so many spells of different elements?¡± She tilted her head slightly up with closed eyes, as if pondering on something. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not technically supposed to teach you this but¡­¡± She looked her direct in the eyes. ¡°Are you willing to give some of your time for this?¡± ¡°But of course! If it can help me to grow stronger.¡± ¡°Very well. As you might already know from our previous conversation in the city, There are six main elements: fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning and water; each of them having a certain degree of advantage from one another.¡± ¡°Yeah. Fire is strong against ice, but weak against water and somewhat beaten by earth. Ice on the other hand is strong against both wind and lightning. Wind is strong against earth but is weakened by water. Earth is strong against lightning and lightning itself is strong against water.¡± ¡°You are entirely correct.¡± Yuna settled down her ceramic cup on the grass beside her. ¡°That is the basis of the elemental magic chart. However there are two other major elements that are not completely obvious at first.¡± ¡°Light and dark.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yuna snapped her fingers and six different elemental orbs floated in the air in a hexagon formation. ¡°Fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning and water. These are the major elements that are visible and therefore comprehensible to us. However, if you were to mix all of these elements while being able to maintain balance between all of them¡­¡± She flicked her hand and closed it into a fist which made the orbs congregate in the middle, forming a bright orb of seemingly pure white. ¡°...you reach the light element.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so bright¡­¡± Leona averted her eyes since looking straight at it felt like she was staring directly into the sun. ¡°But what is the advantage of knowing this?¡± ¡°The light element has a very interesting factor that none of the other elements can compare to and it¡¯s the ability to control time.¡± That made her mind go blank for a second. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Time, as the passage of time.¡± She flicked her hand and the spell disappeared. She then pointed at the sun setting just below the horizon. ¡°For instance, if I had an infinite amount of mana, I could, in theory, revert time back to when the sun was above the horizon.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ then does that mean it¡¯s possible to rewrite history with it?¡± ¡°That would require an unbelievable amount of mana.¡± Yuna chuckled. ¡°For example, if I were to cut my finger and decide to revert the time on that specific wound, it would take me my entire mana pool and I would still not be able to achieve that.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­ this is more complicated than I thought¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged. I heard you fought Kaeli before, did she use a spell called ¡®Megido¡¯?¡± Leona squinted her eyes a bit as she was trying to remember the very first encounter with the high elf. ¡°I believe so¡­ I don¡¯t quite remember that well¡­¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°That is a spell born from the light element. The entire incantation is: ¡®Radiant light, cast down judgment, Megido.¡¯ it uses partial summoning magic in order to achieve greater firepower in exchange for higher cast delay.¡± ¡°Wait, partial summoning? What is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Huh? You have been using partial summoning incantations during our entire training.¡± ¡°Have I?¡± ¡°Yes. Both ¡®Windshot¡¯ and ¡®Wind Blast¡¯. The ¡®Winds of time¡¯ part in both of their incantations are words pertaining to summoning of spirits.¡± Leona had her mouth half open as she averted her gaze towards the grass. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rather recent discovery in this world. Dad always told us to not use summoning magic too often as it makes your body too dependent on the mana of the spirits.¡± The tactician looked at her again and shook her head while also shaking her hand. ¡°Wait, wait¡­ I don¡¯t understand it. You said spirits, but what are these spirits you¡¯re talking about?¡± Yuna held her chin with her right hand and her right elbow with her left while tilting her head a bit to the right while she pondered for the best way to explain it to her. ¡°This is a difficult topic because not even I completely understand their nature.¡± She seemed a bit bashful as she chuckled a bit. ¡°Dad told me they co-exist with us and the main reason why magic exists is because of their presence. But to greatly simplify the idea¡ªthink of them as invisible tiny people that aid you in casting magic whenever you call out to them. However, each time you call out to them it means that you¡¯re not using the mana inside your body, which limits yourself how much of it you can draw out at once.¡± Tried as she might, Leona couldn¡¯t quite grasp the meaning behind her words as her own head started to pulsate. ¡°Nngh¡­ my head hurts¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I get overly excited when talking about magic.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s just that¡­ I thought I knew everything there was to know about magic but I see this is much more complex than I could have imagined.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± Suddenly a shout jolted the shrine maiden up. Her older sister was addressing her from the trail that led to the forest. ¡°Yuna! Where is Miss Leona?!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± She turned her upper body and looked behind her. Setsuna was walking alone towards her. ¡°She¡¯s right here with me, we were taking a break after the training.¡± After approaching her young sister, Setsuna noticed Leona resting against the boulder. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t see you from back there, my apologies.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be, I was simply resting.¡± She leaned her back against the boulder before placing her right hand on top of it in order to lift herself up. ¡°How did Krieg fare in the training?¡± ¡°He is improving faster than I imagined. But he is still too unstable to properly use aether blade.¡± Leona frowned her brows a bit as she proceeded to ask. ¡°Both you and your father mentioned aether blade, is that technique any different from blade energy?¡± ¡°Um¡­ essentially, they are the same thing, but aether blade is the correct terminology.¡± Yuna explained as she stood up holding the empty cups in each hand. ¡°In higher concentrations, mana becomes something we call aether.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my sister.¡± Setsuna ruffled Yuna¡¯s hair before turning to Leona. ¡°The technique Miyamoto uses boils down to accumulating and compressing enough mana through the blade then releasing it into a slash. Since the mana is so dense, it becomes capable of cutting through most materials or opponents.¡± ¡°Aether¡­?¡± Yet again another term that Leona couldn¡¯t wrap her head around. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Setsuna reassured her. ¡°We can go through some basic magic theory while we have dinner.¡± ¡°That would be most helpful.¡± The tactician offered a slight bow. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± She turned around while using her staff as a walking cane. ¡°Shall we return?¡± ¡°Are we using teleportation magic again?¡± Leona apprehensively asked as she wasn¡¯t exactly looking forward to the feeling of mana sickness. ¡°No, father prefers to have dinner up here in the mountains.¡± Yuna smiled at Leona as she carried the cups back as well. ¡°Actually, we sleep up here as well.¡± ¡°Up here? Where exactly?¡± She couldn¡¯t imagine anyone living in such a desolate place far away from civilization. It was a nice place for training in the morning and afternoon but as the sun was settling there was nothing but trees and the sounds of the nocturnal fauna waking up. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a hike, but we¡¯ll get there.¡± Setsuna chuckled a bit. ¡°Push comes to shove, I can teleport you there.¡± ¡°Ah, no, thank you. I can walk.¡± Though soon Leona would know better than to speak in advance. The way back was a harrowing experience to her; not only the forest and vegetation was much more compact and dense than Arcadia¡¯s Great Forest, but the trail was upwards towards the mountain which made the climb even more difficult. ¡°Ha¡­ ah¡­. Ha¡­¡± Leona was panting and gasping for air as her thighs and forelegs were burning from exhaustion. ¡°How many times have you two done this hike?¡± She asked as seeing neither of them being tired from the upwards climb. ¡°Almost every day?¡± Yuna said while looking at her older sister for confirmation. ¡°Yes, except we start from the foot of the mountain since we have to go to the city every day.¡± ¡°F-from the foot of the mountain?!¡± ¡°Father would often say that a mage that can¡¯t run is a dead mage.¡± Setsuna laughed. ¡°I can still cast teleportation magic on you, Miss Leona.¡± ¡°N-no¡­ I can¡­ I can still keep going¡­¡± Her lower body was burning up and her lower back was killing her, but it was still better than feeling mana sickness from teleporting. ¡°Do tell me if you change your mind.¡± Setsuna giggled before turning around and continuing climbing. Yuna discreetly approached Leona and whispered. ¡°You can use wind magic to make it easier.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The girl smiled before turning around to keep up with her older sister. ¡®That¡¯s right¡­¡¯ Leona shook her head as she thought to herself. ¡®I was so tired I didn¡¯t think of this earlier.¡¯ She concentrated the mana around her ankles and covered both of her legs with vortexes of wind that helped bring her foot up on each step she took. With a bit more practice, she was sure it was something she would be able to keep constantly using. Her body felt lighter and most of the strain was lifted from her lower body which allowed her to catch up to Setsuna. ¡°Oh? Did you have a realization, Miss Leona?¡± The older shrine maiden asked. ¡°I was just too engrossed in not relying on teleportation magic that I forgot that I can also use magic for this.¡± ¡°That is a viable strategy, but do take care to not overexert yourself. You did after all, just finish training your mana capacity.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At that time Leona¡¯s vision was becoming blurry. ¡°Oooh¡­ what is happening¡­?¡± She kneeled on the slope and the wind magic enveloping her lower body dissipated. Yuna approached her and touched her wrist. ¡°Another bout of mana shock. It¡¯s a minor one though but don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± The girl closed her eyes and focused on transfusing some mana to her. There was tingling around her wrist at first, but it soon gave way to a gentle warmth that filled her body and washed away the lightheadedness she felt. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She stood up and stared at her hand, with her vision no longer blurry and her head no longer aching, she asked. ¡°How are you so good at transferring mana?¡± ¡°It comes with practice.¡± ¡°Practice? Why would you need to practice it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of our Father¡¯s training regime.¡± Setsuna explained as she was waiting for her younger sister to wrap up her treatment. ¡°If you are able to transfer mana at will, it means you have some degree of control over it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that makes sense.¡± She could feel her body regaining strength as Yuna lent more of her mana. As the tingling sensation gave way to warmth, Leona felt completely reinvigorated. ¡°There.¡± Yuna stood up with a faint smile on her face. ¡°This should do the trick.¡± ¡°Thank you, Yuna.¡± She stood up as the lightheadedness was quickly subsiding. ¡°I must say you really know everything there is to know about magic don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I just know what I know.¡± She giggled. ¡°Most of what I learned was from dad after all.¡± As they resumed their climb, Leona¡¯s mind began to wonder about her newfound allies in such a faraway land. Miyamoto was the previous lord of Nara; Robert, an otherworldly hero; Setsuna and Yuna both were outstanding in terms of magic prowess; Phoebe was an extremely skilled assassin and Kaeli was by far the most dangerous mage she had ever fought. There was no shortage of talented people around her but she felt doubt deep down. ¡®Am I really the one to bring peace to this world?¡¯ Their abilities far surpassed her own in many ways and yet she was the one chosen to lead, it served as a sort of a reminder that would constantly gnaw at the back of her mind that she needed to become stronger. ¡°Hey, why the long face?¡± A sudden male voice snapped Leona out of her thoughts and when she realized, she was already at the top of the mountain. Robert was holding a wine glass filled with a dark red liquid that swirled around the edges of the cup as he gave it a slight twirl with his wrist. ¡°Huh? Oh, Robert¡­ I was just thinking about my own situation.¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by incredible people and yet, why have I been chosen to lead? It seems¡­ unfair at best.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Every chessboard needs a king. Real life is just the same.¡± He took a sip of his drink before snapping with his left fingers and making the glass disappear out of thin air. ¡°Is that not the calling of someone who holds the title of Princess Tactician?¡± ¡°That is just another title the nobles came up with.¡± She grabbed on her left shoulder before giving it a firm squeeze to reassure herself. ¡°Lives wouldn¡¯t have been lost on this journey if I had been stronger, or smarter for that matter.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it is true that no amount of regret will bring those who lost their lives back.¡± His words felt like daggers piercing through her chest as she clenched her teeth from dread. ¡°However, if you are capable of taking responsibility for those mistakes and look into improving upon them¡ªI dare say you are fit to lead.¡± He took half a step to the side and turned his upper body to show behind him with an extended arm. ¡°All you need to do is look at those around you.¡± Kaeli was leaning against the left side of the cave wall while Krieg seemed to be waiting for her¡ªthrough a face full of dirt spots, he smiled and said. ¡°Welcome back Leona.¡± Her dreadful thoughts gave place to something a bit happier once he saw them. ¡®That¡¯s right¡­¡¯ She gave her shoulder one last squeeze before letting go of it. ¡®This time¡­ this time¡­ nobody died¡­¡¯ She smiled with teary eyes. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Chapter CXXXIX: Strength of Bonds The day had finally come to a close and as the moon rose¡ªLeona, Krieg, Kaeli, Robert, Yuna and Setsuna headed inside the cave. The two trios formed around each leader as they went in, with Robert leading both his daughters ahead of Leona and her group. ¡°Was the training difficult?¡± The tactician asked the knight. ¡°I heard from Yuna that yours would be just as exhausting as mine.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t tiring¡­ but it was indeed intense.¡± He took out the sword from the scabbard and much to Leona¡¯s surprise, the blade was shattered near the guard. ¡°According to Lady Setsuna, I was close to an epiphany.¡± ¡°What happened to it?!¡± ¡°Too much mana apparently. Even though I can¡¯t use magic at all.¡± ¡°Mana gates and magic are not intrinsically related.¡± Kaeli explained. ¡°Although one allows you to manifest spells, the other is present in every living being¡ªhow each of them ¡®perceives¡¯ and uses them, however, are different.¡± ¡°You sound just like Yuna.¡± Leona chuckled a bit, but her light hearted smile soon faded as she looked her directly in the eyes. ¡°What happened to you and your sister? Did he¡­¡± Kaeli shook her head. ¡°No, nothing serious happened.¡± She opened her left hand and let very faint sparks of electricity jump out of her hand. ¡°Well¡­ aside from me losing most of my powers.¡± She had a bittersweet smile on her face. ¡°Never once have I felt this relieved to lose something.¡± The tactician tilted her head with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°I let go of my oath. I¡¯m no longer a paladin.¡± ¡°Huh?! Why?!¡± She had a genuine look of relief in her eyes as she turned forward. She felt like an entirely different person. ¡°You¡¯ll understand soon.¡± With a smile, she kept going while Leona glanced at Krieg who was just as puzzled. After walking for a bit, the cave floor started to slant upwards ever so slightly before it began to become flat again and at that point, they had reached the entrance. The place was completely different from what Leona was expecting. The rocky cave floor gave place to a chiseled and flat ground akin to marble. Waiting ahead, Tomoe, the waitress who greeted them before, was now standing there with a warm smile on her face as she greeted them. ¡°Welcome, I hope you enjoy your stay.¡± Leona stopped on her tracks as she looked at Robert with a raised eyebrow. ¡°What?¡± He asked. ¡°They get paid if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just surprised. I wasn¡¯t expecting her to be here.¡± ¡°Neither of them have a place to stay so I decided to let them live here for a while.¡± ¡°Them?¡± ¡°Tomoe and Ren. Oh¡­ that¡¯s right, you never met him before.¡± He scratched the side of his face as he walked past Tomoe and patted the waitress¡¯ head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s all head inside, the others are waiting.¡± The interior was lit by dim warm orbs of light that floated around the ceiling which gave, even a cave interior, a rather antique feeling. They reached a wooden double door before Robert placed both hands on each side of it. ¡°This will be your home for the next month or so.¡± He explained. ¡°Now, let¡¯s commemorate your accomplishment of reaching Nara in one piece.¡± As he swung the doors open, it revealed an enormous well lit room outfitted with all manner of furniture and necessities for a myriad of people. There was a staircase on each side of the room which led to a balcony that had many bookcases side by side with small tables and chairs along the intricate wooden railing to serve as places to read in peace. Down on the main floor was a circular wooden table with another round platform on top of it, the entire thing was large enough to accommodate at least twenty people comfortably. On the sides of the room there were slanted holes made through the rock wall of the cave pointing downwards to serve as passage for air, which made the otherwise claustrophobic place very refreshing. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Leona uttered in surprise. It was practically a mansion inside a mountain. As she was about to set foot inside¡ªshe ended up glancing at Tomoe as if about to ask a question, but the waitress preemptively answered with a faint smile of amusement on her face. ¡°There is no need to take off your shoes here. This is Master¡¯s personal household after all.¡± ¡°I thought it was a cultural thing¡­¡± Robert glanced at her. ¡°I might be a world traveler but I don¡¯t particularly care about culture inside my own house.¡± He tapped his boots a few times to shake off possible dust before stepping inside. ¡°Come, let¡¯s get you all situated.¡± Once inside, Leona noticed there was enough space beneath the wide catwalk to make room for sofas and big cushioned seats. On the very right side of the room, she noticed someone¡¯s black hair peeking out from behind a sofa that was angled against a crackling fireplace. ¡®Is that¡­?¡¯ Leona couldn¡¯t help but go out of the group and walk towards the seated figure. As she got close enough to tell who it was, she uttered. ¡°Phoebe?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The high elf tilted her head and saw the tactician. She was wearing a comfortable white cotton shirt. ¡°Oh, welcome back Princess¡­¡± The tone of her voice felt different in a way. As opposed to the confident and indomitable assassin, she seemed a bit meek and dispirited. It bothered Leona slightly which prompted her to ask. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have food ready in about ten minutes or so.¡± Robert made sure to raise his voice so everyone present could hear him. ¡°Just rest easy and kill some time before we eat.¡± He then proceeded to close the wooden double door behind him and head to the kitchen that was on a separate section of the room through another double door made of a different material just beneath the catwalk. Krieg was accompanied by Setsuna and Yuna to one of the sofas beneath the library while Kaeli decided to head upstairs to read a book. In the meantime, Tomoe took out a piece of cloth from a nearby wooden stool and used it to clean the round table. Seeing how everyone was just taking their time, Leona turned her attention back to Phoebe. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it was nothing. Is it something that you can¡¯t tell me?¡± ¡°No it¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do anymore¡­¡± She leaned slightly forward and buried her head between her hands. ¡°After all this time¡­ all this suffering and hatred¡­¡± The tactician wanted to understand what was going on in her mind, so she decided to go around the couch to sit beside her and then it was when she noticed the high elf¡¯s lower body. ¡°Wait¡­ Phoebe, how do you have legs?!¡± She was wearing shorts made out of denim fabric which showed her bare legs that were previously dismembered by Jakob back in Londria. Phoebe tilted her head towards Leona, her eyes were void of any light. ¡°Right¡­ I didn¡¯t talk to you after Master did this¡­¡± She leaned back and lifted both legs while slowly tilting her feet in circles. ¡°He had two slimes that could morph into different body parts which he used to ¡®repay¡¯ my efforts for bringing you all here¡­¡± ¡°That¡­ that is incredible Phoebe!¡± Leona rushed to her side and hugged her around the neck with her only arm. Her voice began to crack. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so glad¡­¡± That made the high elf feel a bit uncomfortable. ¡°Princess¡­ you don¡¯t need to show sympathy for me¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m¡­ I always thought you didn¡¯t deserve to suffer such fate¡­¡± She could no longer hold back the tears as she hugged her even tighter. ¡°Princess, you¡¯re hugging me too hard¡­¡± She quickly let go of her. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± It took a while for Leona to calm down and finally sit beside the high elf. The disheartened assassin decided to speak about everything that happened after they parted ways earlier in the day. ¡°He took both of us to the laboratory where he kept both the slime samples and ¡®them¡¯.¡± Phoebe was massaging the side of her own left arm with her right hand. ¡°My mother had been alive ever since that day. The day I swore to kill my own sister¡­¡± Leona could almost feel how troubled she was. For someone who devoted their entire life for revenge; to nurture such incredible strength in order to kill someone that shared her own blood¡ªonly to discover that said strength was ultimately for nothing and her life-long hatred for her sister was unjustified. It would of course stir emotions in her heart that she never felt before. ¡°Did Kaeli say anything?¡± ¡°No¡­ not really¡­ she was just as surprised as I was.¡± She clenched both hands into tight fists as she pressed them slightly against her thighs. ¡°But I envy her. She never held any hatred for me. No¡­ it was plainly obvious that she loved me all this time but I¡­ I hated her. For the longest time I thought she was the person I had to kill in order to avenge my mother.¡± She opened her hands and both pale palms were slightly red. ¡°But now¡­? I don¡¯t know what I should do¡­¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Then, there is only one thing you should do.¡± Leona had a warm smile on her face. ¡°You should spend time with your sister and make up for all this time that you two have been apart.¡± Phoebe¡¯s eyes widened a bit before she eventually averted her gaze. ¡°Do I even deserve to be by her side after all this time? The hatred I felt for her was the reason why I wore the mantle of an assassin.¡± She glared at her own open palms. ¡°If I killed her then¡­ then what would Mother say?¡± ¡°Hey now.¡± Leona gently bumped her shoulder against hers. ¡°You haven¡¯t killed her. Don¡¯t think of the ifs, but instead the here and now.¡± ¡°...¡± Phoebe stared at the floor in front of her feet with a troubled expression. ¡°I can¡¯t sort out these feelings inside my chest¡­ this hatred, this anger¡­¡° She clenched her hand against her chest. ¡°These feelings are what kept me moving forward but now¡­ it feels like it¡¯ll crush my heart¡­¡± Leona grabbed her hand and shook her head. ¡°Then, let this anger and hatred be what will protect your family from now on. Wield those blades not to kill, but to protect.¡± She had a confident expression on her face. ¡°You kept me safe when I couldn¡¯t protect myself. Now you can use that experience to protect your sister from now on.¡± ¡°Kaeli wouldn¡¯t need protection¡­¡± Phoebe averted her gaze from her eyes. ¡°She is the most formidable mage I know, there is no point in me wielding my blades to protect someone that can annihilate anyone by just pointing a finger at them.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t as powerful as before, Phoebe.¡± Leona opted for a more serious tone seeing how she was having a hard time getting to her. ¡°She renounced her oath as a paladin.¡± The high elf¡¯s eyes went wide as she slowly turned to Leona with genuine fear in her gaze. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ she didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°No. That is¡­¡± At that moment, the door to the kitchen swung open with Robert bringing in plates of food. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready!¡± He shouted while carrying a huge pot of steaming hot stew with two other large ceramic dark green plates floating on each side of him. ¡°Come grab a plate and sit down! Tomoe, get two forks, knives and spoons for me please.¡± ¡°At once.¡± She bowed slightly before heading off to the kitchen. In the meantime he placed the pot that was almost the size of a watermelon on top of the round table. Seeing how everyone was getting ready to have dinner, Leona decided to stand up and look around for Kaeli¡ªwho was making her way downstairs after leaving a book open on the table to finish it later. ¡°Ka-¡± Leona was about to call out to her but the younger sister grabbed her shirt and shook her head. Kaeli glanced briefly at Leona but then walked past them and headed towards the table. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll talk to her later.¡± Phoebe whispered to her while averting her gaze as she continued to speak. ¡°Can you¡­ can you help me walk there?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Leona looked at her legs and realized it might have been difficult for her to walk after only recently recovering her limbs. ¡°Ah. Mmm, no problem.¡± After kneeling beside her, Phoebe placed her left arm around Leona¡¯s neck, who in turn, stood up to shoulder some of her weight. However, contrary to her expectations, the high elf was surprisingly light. It was clear she wasn¡¯t used to having her own legs to walk as each time she took a small step forward, her foot would tremble before she put her entire weight on it. ¡°Sorry but I need to take it slow. It still hurts a bit to walk¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here for you.¡± She took yet another step forward and her body felt shaky which prompted Leona to squeeze the side of her hip a bit tighter. ¡°Ugh¡­ thank you Princess.¡± ¡°You can call me Leona you know.¡± She chuckled a bit. ¡°It feels strange to be called Princess by you after all we¡¯ve been through together.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry for everything. Leona.¡± ¡°Hey now, why are you apologizing?¡± ¡°I put my mission above all else and I thought I wouldn¡¯t mind if you hated me for my choices but here you are now, helping this ungrateful and snob high elf.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t downplay yourself like this Phoebe.¡± She gave her a light squeeze on her hips. ¡°We all commit mistakes. If I were to treat you badly after all you¡¯ve done for me, I would be the one being called ungrateful here. I¡¯ll help you figure out how to approach your sister.¡± ¡°Mmhm¡­ thank you, Leona.¡± Slowly, they made their way to the table. Leona helped her sit down while she grabbed a nearby chair and placed it on Phoebe¡¯s right side. ¡°Ren! Come out of the kitchen!¡± Robert raised his voice just enough for him to hear it. ¡°Also bring some glass cups!¡± ¡°How many?!¡± A male voice shouted back from the kitchen. Hearing clearly this time, Leona deduced he was in his mid twenties to thirties. ¡°Ten! Unless you plan on dropping one on the floor like last time.¡± ¡°T-that won¡¯t happen again!¡± Leona chuckled lightly before she asked Phoebe. ¡°Who is Ren?¡± ¡°He is the son of a general that recently passed away while fighting the death angels to the east.¡± Phoebe glanced at Tomoe who was coming out of the kitchen with two sets of cutlery. ¡°She is his childhood friend that was left orphaned by the war against death angels. Lady Yuna told me that she is quite formidable with magic.¡± ¡°Yuna said so?¡± Leona kept looking at the waitress who was bringing the cutlery on a tray. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I should ask her for suggestions then¡­¡± Phoebe turned to her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you, I¡¯m training magic under Yuna.¡± ¡°Lady Yuna is training you personally?¡± She blinked a few times as if she wasn¡¯t believing what she just heard. ¡°Wow¡­ incredible¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No it¡¯s just¡­ Lady Yuna was not one to interact much with strangers. Especially if they aren¡¯t directly related to her family, which basically is Master and Lady Setsuna.¡± She seemed genuinely surprised by what Leona had accomplished. ¡°I¡¯m impressed¡­¡± ¡°More like she was excited to talk to me. I don¡¯t know what I have done to deserve such attention but I¡¯m thankful all the same.¡± ¡°I spoke about you to her.¡± Robert butted in as he pulled a chair to sit beside Leona. ¡°The tales of a young princess that saved countless lives by predicting when death angels would come and how to properly deal with them. Any child would find that incredible.¡± ¡°You¡­ you told her about me?¡± ¡°Yes, I couldn¡¯t think of anyone young enough that she could look up to, while also being a good influence.¡± He had a nostalgic gaze as he leaned back against the chair. ¡°Contrary to appearances, I had trouble raising those two to be proper ladies.¡± ¡®Look up to¡­ huh?¡¯ Leona ended up looking at Yuna¡ªwho was on the other side of the table setting up a few chairs. When she noticed the tactician¡¯s gaze, she simply smiled and gave her a friendly wave with her hand. The tactician answered with a faint smile while raising her open hand. ¡°I¡¯m glad you managed to make her open up to you.¡± Robert said as he snapped his fingers and brought forth the half-finished glass of wine out of thin air. ¡°Aside from her sister, Yuna wasn¡¯t really keen on talking with strangers.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Leona turned to him with a bit of a surprised face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have imagined her to be like that.¡± ¡°It all happened after her mother died¡­ it was all thanks to Lastraeous trying to make a point to me.¡± His fingers tightened around the glassware he held, which seemed to be close to cracking. ¡°But enough of that depressing talk. Tonight we are here to celebrate a turning point in history as we know it.¡± Others joined the table. Leona, Robert, Miyamoto, Setsuna, Yuna, Krieg, Kaeli, Tomoe and finally Phoebe, all of them were sitting with their own plates in front of them. Only Krieg and Leona had different cutlery beside them thanks to Tomoe¡¯s thoughtfulness as the rest of the people were using the more unusual chopsticks. ¡°Young master!¡± Tomoe shouted. ¡°Is the rice ready?¡± ¡°Yes, a minute please!¡± The door to the kitchen swung open one last time as a young man of jet black hair, deep blue eyes and somewhat pale complexion showed up carrying a sizable pot full of rice. ¡°Ugh, this thing is heavy!¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk.¡± Robert snapped his finger and the pot started to levitate out of his grasp. ¡°You need to put more effort in your mana control, Ren.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ it¡¯s not as easy as you say Master Robert.¡± He was wearing a similar outfit as Tomoe, a white robe tucked within a black long skirt that concealed his entire lower body. Once his eyes passed by the table and noticed Leona, he placed each of his hands on his thighs before bowing low. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Leona.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She stood up from her seat. ¡°The pleasure¡¯s all mine. Ren.¡± ¡°Go get a chair for yourself Ren after you bring in the cups.¡± Robert said while slowly bringing the pot of rice over onto the table. Once he placed it down, he glanced at the dark ceramic plate full of cut filets of a pinkish fish and shook his head. ¡°Right¡­ I forgot the soy sauce for the sashimi.¡± He turned to the young man again. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the cups, go get the chair for yourself. I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡± ¡°Ah- thank you sir Robert.¡± He stood up and went back to the kitchen. Meanwhile Leona sat down and looked at everyone sitting by the table. Setsuna and Krieg were talking between themselves while Miyamoto seemed to be paying attention to it. Yuna was playing with a paper crane by using magic to levitate it. Tomoe was finishing preparing the dishes with proper utensils to scoop out both the stew and rice while Ren was pushing up another chair between Tomoe and Phoebe. The two high elf sisters were the only ones not interacting with anybody while avoiding looking at each other. ¡®I should talk to them after dinner¡­¡¯ Leona''s thoughts were interrupted once Robert appeared beside her seat with an empty plate which was quickly being filled to the brim with slices of fish and garnished with a white shredded vegetable. ¡°Here you go.¡± He put the plate in front of her. ¡°Enjoy.¡± She quickly glanced at the strange colored fish slices and questioned him. ¡°Wait, what are these?¡± ¡°Raw fish. You eat it by dipping one side of it in this sauce.¡± He pushed a smaller shallow dark green ceramic dish filled with a black sauce beside the bigger plate. ¡°The pinkish one is salmon and the red one is tuna-¡± Aside from his first sentence, nothing else registered in her mind. ¡°Did you just say raw?¡± He was placing down empty glass cups around the table for each one of them. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous to eat raw meat?¡± ¡°If left for too long, yeah. But this was freshly caught this afternoon and kept alive until a few minutes ago. Just try one, if you don¡¯t like it you can just pass it to Phoebe. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll eat every single slice.¡± ¡°Nngh¡­¡± Needless to say she was skeptical. Arcadia was not exactly known for eating fish given the central location in the continent which made even dried seafood a rare sight. ¡°Might as well try I suppose¡­¡± She picked the fork and stabbed a pinkish salmon slice and dipped it into the dark sauce. Phoebe was staring attentively at her as well as Robert from the other side. She looked at both of them before locking her eyes on the piece of salmon. ¡®Here goes nothing¡­¡¯ She chomped it down in one bite. At first the slightly cold and unusual soft texture combined with the salty flavor of the soy sauce was off-putting until she sank her teeth into the fish. Her eyes widened in a pleasant surprise. The delicate savory taste harmonized with the slightly oily flavor and the salty tang of the soy sauce which brought everything together in an ecstatic experience of flavors. ¡°I take it that you liked it?¡± Robert had a smirk on his face. ¡°If you mix the shredded daikon with a bit of soy sauce it becomes an even better experience.¡± ¡°Daikon?¡± ¡°Yes, this white radish.¡± He pointed at the jumbled shredded white strings. ¡°It¡¯s called daikon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She put the fork through the small ball of radish before pulling out a chunk of it. ¡°That¡¯s too much¡­¡± Phoebe used her own chopsticks to take some of it off the fork. Leona looked at her with a faint smile on her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She stabbed another salmon filet with the fork and dipped both the radish and fish in the sauce before eating it. Unlike the salmon¡¯s soft texture, the shredded daikon was crunchy with a peppery taste that burned her tongue ever so slightly. Once she finished chewing and swallowed, she turned to both Phoebe and Robert. ¡°This is really good.¡± ¡°Glad that you liked it.¡± Robert said with a warm smile on his face. He then raised his empty glass cup. ¡°Everyone, a bit of your time if you please.¡± The noise died down as everyone¡¯s eyes turned to him. Leona settled down her fork while she listened. ¡°With our combined might, we may yet change the course of history. Too long have this world suffered at the whims of greater beings and today marks the end of it. Let us toast in celebration of this newfound alliance.¡± He snapped his left fingers and open bottles appeared floating beside each person on the table. Each one had a different flavor of juice, however both Miyamoto and himself had vintage red wine bottles each. With another flick of his hand, all bottles began pouring its content inside the glass for each person and after everyone was served, he raised his glass once again. ¡°To us. Cheers!¡± Leona reservedly raised her cup as she said with everyone. ¡°Cheers!¡± Chapter CXL: Dragon’s Might The long night filled with food and drinks was finally coming to an end. Leona was sprawled on the couch in front of the fireplace with Kaeli reading a book beside her. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Leona was mumbling to herself with her right hand on top of her bloated belly. ¡°I ate too much¡­¡± Although Kaeli wasn¡¯t looking directly at her, she had a smile on her face as she spoke. ¡°Master was always someone that made a lot of food for everyone. I remember the first time I began my studies under him, he prepared a feast for me to eat with his daughters.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Leona tilted her head to the side as she stared at the crackling fireplace. The warmth made her feel cozy and somewhat sleepy. ¡°Say Kaeli, why haven¡¯t you talked with your sister yet? Wasn¡¯t she the sole reason you became a strong mage in the first place?¡± She could see hesitation in her hands as she slowly closed the book. Her deep blue eyes had a sense of loneliness amidst her gentle gaze. ¡°After all she went through¡­ I¡¯m sure she needs some time to let it all sink in.¡± She turned towards the swaying flames of the fireplace. ¡°I thought I¡¯d have to live with her blood on my hands but thanks to Master and yourself, not only was I able to finally take this weight off my shoulders but also be reunited with my sister at last. From the bottom of my heart, you have my thanks.¡± Leona silently stared at the gentle flames as she continued asking. ¡°Then¡­ I trust the reason why you decided to forsake your oath was to be able to live your life with her?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Her answer was full of conviction and pride. ¡°Even if I had to completely forsake my magic, that would be a small price to pay for everything all of you went through.¡± That didn¡¯t quite sit well with Leona as she had experienced first-hand how powerful Kaeli truly was. Even if she did rely on a dragon god¡¯s power, it was solely because of her mastery of magic that she was able to cultivate such tremendous potential. ¡°Kaeli, would you like to still be Arcadia¡¯s arch mage? I don¡¯t think I could find someone as talented as you for that position.¡± At first the high elf turned to her with a raised eyebrow which was followed by a discreet chuckle. ¡°Surely you jest. At my current power I¡¯m as dangerous as a toddler with magic. Where I stand, I would be more of a hindrance than help.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t need to go into battle. What I want is for magic to become more accessible to everyone in Arcadia.¡± She glanced down at the brown carpet beneath her feet. The dancing shadows cast from the fireplace were oddly calming. ¡°The more I thought about becoming Arcadia¡¯s ruler, the more I saw how there were a lot of problems with the kingdom. If only I could make it a fairer place to live. Then people like you, with talent and willing to put it to use, wouldn¡¯t be wasted working for the wrong people.¡± Kaeli had a surprised look on her face as she, too, glanced at the floor near the fireplace. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know if Alexander is quite as evil as you seem to believe.¡± Those words made Leona turn to her with a skeptical glare. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I understand what he did to the demi-humans and Akrapocalis was wrong. But have you ever stopped to think about the reason behind all his actions?¡± ¡°His reasons¡­ huh? Does a madman even need any reason to do all the things he did?¡± ¡°I know killing off several leaders of opposing noble houses is a grave crime. But if he didn¡¯t, those same nobles would still be using the poor for their own ends without the rest of the population ever knowing about it.¡± She spoke with conviction in her eyes. ¡°The same could be said about using mercenaries as cannon fodder against the death angel menace. With Arcadia¡¯s army as crippled as it was. It could hardly defend itself, much less aiding in Akrapocalis¡¯ defense.¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡± Leona clenched her hand into a tight fist. ¡°How can I ever reconsider when he was the one who killed my parents?¡± ¡°I know full well of it.¡± She had a serious expression in her eyes. ¡°But are you willing to hear it?¡± Her tone had suddenly become very different from her usual gentle and laidback way of speaking, as if she was holding the key to a pandora¡¯s box. ¡°Huh?¡± Leona could feel her anxiety. It was as if she was holding a spell about to go off at any moment. ¡°What are you¡­?¡± ¡°Are you willing to know the truth about him?¡± Kaeli¡¯s conviction had turned into melancholy. In truth, Leona didn¡¯t want to hear more than she had to if it was about her sworn enemy. But she knew just how important it was to know her enemy, which prompted her to look at the high elf again and nod once. ¡°Very well then.¡± She took a deep breath as she started to explain. ¡°Alexander, just like you, had his parents taken away from him. By none other than your father.¡± At that moment, the tactician¡¯s curious gaze became full of hatred. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°It is the truth. As much as you don¡¯t want to believe. In order to obtain noblehood in Arcadia, one must prove their mettle either by wealth or might. Your father chose the latter.¡± ¡°No¡­ my father¡­ he was no fighter. He was a-¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°A weapon instructor? It was thanks to your mother¡¯s invention of muskets that became the case, but your father had to create them from somewhere and that somewhere was through Lorraine''s fortune that was now your father¡¯s.¡± A dreadful sensation was coming up from her stomach as if the food she ate was knocking up on her throat. ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­ my father¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that your father was wrong. He too must have had his own circumstances, but the fact remains that he achieved his fortune through killing the patriarch of the house Lorraine.¡± ¡°Then how come his family¡¯s name never disappeared? If my father had truly killed his father then-¡± ¡°The Lorraine family was originally a branch of Lothaine¡¯s household. Alexander¡¯s coup made sure that he alone became leader. I¡¯m sure you probably read somewhere that-¡± ¡°-the Lothaines had been wiped out from the demon attack on Windia''s province¡­¡±Leona leaned with her back on the couch and rubbed her hand against her own face. ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°Which is ironic, given how they were known as the house of elven knights. Now can you see why only Lorraines have the right to call themselves paladins in Arcadia?¡± ¡°...because they are from the Lothaine family¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. They know the secrets of commuting to the dragon god and through it-¡± She raised her hand and only a small amount of sparks flew from it. ¡°-I, too, was able to become a paladin.¡± She then closed it into a tight fist. ¡°And the rest, you already know of it.¡± ¡°Wait, something doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ wasn¡¯t Akantor killed more than a thousand years ago?¡± ¡°His body may have perished, but somehow he is still in this world¡­¡± ¡°That dragon¡¯s spirit remains anchored to that place thanks to the faith in it.¡± Robert¡¯s voice came from behind them which prompted both to look over the couch at him. ¡°Just like I told you two before. The combined belief of many can manifest any deity into reality.¡± ¡°Robert.¡± Leona had an intense glare that could almost punch a hole through the man¡¯s chest. ¡°Is it even possible for a dying god to grant so much power like this?¡± ¡°It depends on its whims. Lastraeous surely didn¡¯t hold a punch when he gave you a piece of the void¡¯s power.¡± He approached his hand towards her face and flicked his fingers upwards. A strange sensation burst forth from her chest as if her soul was being pulled out from it. Condensed dark red miasma twirled around his index finger like a dancing shadow. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Powers from the void can linger for a long time if someone or something comes into contact with it.¡± He flicked his hand and the shadow disappeared. ¡°My own aetherial existence is thanks to a combination of the void and condensed mana.¡± He tapped the front of his shirt twice and walked around the couch to sit on the armchair on the opposite side to them. ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point. You wanted to know about Akantor, correct? He is the eldest of Valkahaz¡¯ first brood. Revered as king of dragons for his might alone.¡± He scoffed after he finished saying that. ¡°Though he couldn¡¯t hold a candle against his father.¡± Leona leaned forward with her hand on her chin. ¡®Valkahaz¡­ where have I heard that name before?¡¯ Memories came rushing through her mind as she repeated Avalon¡¯s sword inside her head. ¡®Sylphia. The youngest dragon of Valkahaz¡¯ brood.¡¯ She then turned to him with a spark in her eyes. ¡°Can you humor me with a question, Robert?¡± ¡°Hm? You seem to have something interesting in your mind.¡± He was bringing a book from upstairs with his gravity magic to read before he flicked his hand and the reading material simply rested on the round table before turning his full attention to her. ¡°Ask away. What is it?¡± ¡°You mentioned certain beings can outlive their physical bodies if there is enough faith to support their spiritual self correct?¡± ¡°Yes, that was exactly what I said.¡± ¡°Then, does that mean Sylphia¡¯s spirit is still around?¡± ¡°Ho?¡± A smirk began to appear in his mouth. ¡°Pray tell, what would you do if she was?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we forge a pact with her? Just how Alexander is able to harness Akantor¡¯s power, then we-¡± ¡°Whoa stop right there.¡± He raised his hand with a somewhat disappointed expression. ¡°I don¡¯t think you fully understand what encompasses to become a god¡¯s champion.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The more you rely on a god¡¯s power, the more like that god you become.¡± He opened his right and left palm as he extended both hands out. ¡°It¡¯s like a balancing act that requires many believers of said faith or entity. The more worshippers you have, the stronger their influence over the material world is and in turn, all their followers also grow more powerful. But let¡¯s say that you were to take a lingering dragon¡¯s soul to yourself, what would happen to you then? Is your soul alone equal to a dragon that lived thousands of years?¡± ¡°...what would happen to me, hypothetically speaking?¡± ¡°Worst case scenario, your body would disintegrate from the abundance of mana and the best case scenario would have you become Sylphia¡¯s puppet. Though the latter doesn¡¯t seem all that bad considering the other possible outcomes.¡± Her bandaged left arm began to throb which prompted her to scratch near the severed off part. ¡°How am I even supposed to do this then¡­?¡± Robert flicked his hand and the book laying on top of the round table came flying towards his hand. He pulled a piece of flat wood that he kept on a bookmarked page as he opened it. ¡°Don¡¯t rush things. I told you, you would stay here for at least a month.¡± He scratched the side of his temple as he was focusing on reading. ¡°Just continue training diligently with Yuna for the time being. It¡¯ll pay off, I assure you.¡± ¡°A month is too much time.¡± Leona said with conviction. ¡°I agreed to train here because I am truly lacking in power, but I need to go back to Arcadia as soon as possible-¡± ¡°To die?¡± He asked while flipping a page. ¡°I know you are desperate, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should jump at the first opportunity you can to seize power. Everything comes at a cost and unless you are willing to pay it with your mind and body, I suggest following my advice. Do not rush things, you must nurture your own strength before trying to rely on others.¡± ¡°But then-¡± ¡°Tell you what.¡± He lowered his book and looked her in the eyes. ¡°You defeat either of my daughters in single combat and you have earned yourself a free ticket back to Astera, by yours truly.¡± ¡°Can you do that?¡± He sighed before bookmarking the page he was on and leaving the closed book on a small wooden table to his left. He then stood up and adjusted his robe. ¡°Kaeli.¡± He looked at her which made her straighten her back. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°If anyone asks, tell them me and Leona here are out for a stroll.¡± ¡°U-understood.¡± Leona raised an eyebrow as he approached her. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be serious¡­¡± ¡°Oh I am dead serious.¡± He touched her on her left shoulder with his right hand. ¡°What I particularly dislike is when someone doubts my abilities.¡± ¡°No- wait- don-¡± He snapped his fingers and they were gone in the blink of an eye. Chapter CXLI: Dragon’s Tenacity The older shrine maiden, Setsuna, had just finished taking the plates and other dishes away to the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m done bringing everything.¡± She was balancing many plates with the use of gravitational magic in order to keep the ceramic dishes from falling and shattering. ¡°Tomoe, could you give me a hand? I¡¯m still not as accurate as dad when it comes to letting go of things.¡± The thin horned waitress bowed slightly with a kind smile on her face. ¡°At once, my lady.¡± After setting the plates in the rather modern looking sink. Setsuna exited out of the kitchen back to the main hall¡ªwhere she started to look around for Leona, who was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Huh? Where did she go?¡± She walked around for a little bit but after going around the entire hall, she didn''t see signs of Leona nor her father. Without anyone else in the hall, she decided to ask the only person that was there. ¡°Kaeli.¡± The shrine maiden called out to her. ¡°Do you know where Leona went?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The high elf turned to her with a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. ¡°She and Master went for a ¡®stroll¡¯.¡± At first Setsuna''s expression showed surprise before she sighed while shaking her head. ¡°Why is Father always like this¡­?¡± The moment Robert snapped his fingers, the entire world seemed to twist and turn. Reality was bending in Leona¡¯s eyes as a head splitting pain assaulted her brain which blurred most of her vision. ¡°Argh!¡± Her instinct was to hold her head and that brief moment of impulse¡ªshe couldn¡¯t feel her body or rather, she had no body. Her corporeal form was taken away for a split second and the next time she blinked, she was standing atop a field of grass overlooking a walled city. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Robert let out a relieved sigh. ¡°It¡¯s good that they didn¡¯t expand here. Otherwise we might have ended up inside a wall or something.¡± The dizzying sensation was subsiding as her eyes started to focus. The previous blur of light was now becoming a clear sight of a coastal city which had its perimeter walls lit by torches placed at random intervals around the stone construction. ¡°What the¡­ where are we?¡± ¡°Astera, didn¡¯t I tell you we¡¯d be coming here?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She looked at him in shock. ¡°Astera is¡­ on the other side of the ocean! Is that even possible?!¡± ¡°Never ask a woman, her age, a man, his salary and a magician, his incantations.¡± She raised an eyebrow, though the shock was still apparent in her expression. ¡°It was a joke.¡± He stretched out both of his arms and let out a satisfied grunt. ¡°It has been a while since I¡¯ve done any long range teleportation like this, with another person besides. Hooray me.¡± Leona looked behind her and she could barely make the outline of the forest she went into to hunt kobolds with Charlotte¡¯s personal squad. ¡°How is this¡­?¡± She turned back to him. ¡°We took a month to reach Nara and with a snap of a finger, you¡¯re able to bring me all the way back here? How?¡± ¡°If one has the required knowledge and mana, anyone can pull this off.¡± He scratched the side of his neck. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can accurately teleport someone inside a specific building or anything remotely close to it. That would require way too many calculations in my head in order to not phase someone into a wall.¡± ¡°Calculations? I thought you¡¯d just swap places with whatever the destination was.¡± ¡°The spell ¡®Greater Teleportation¡¯ does that.¡± He snapped his fingers and the air seemed to distort around him. ¡°¡®True Teleportation¡¯ is what can make you travel extremely long distances like this. But there is a caveat, if you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, you can end up in unusual situations like phasing out of existence.¡± An intense pang of pain hit her brain as she tried to comprehend the words he spoke. However the flash of pain, while extremely intense, only lasted for a split second. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She kneeled with her hand clutching the side of her head. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Oh? I thought you¡¯d be at this level of comprehension but apparently I was wrong.¡± ¡°What¡­ what happened just now?¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°This is what I like to call: ¡®Causality Paradox¡¯. Most often when dealing with magic theory, if you do not possess the required knowledge to understand a principle, yet you try to learn it, you end up with a terrible headache. Don¡¯t ask me how it works, I¡¯m still trying to comprehend it myself.¡± ¡°Is that the reason why you taught Yuna and Setsuna general knowledge before teaching them about magic?¡± ¡°Hmm? I wasn¡¯t expecting you to connect the dots like that.¡± He seemed amused as he scratched the underside of his chin. ¡°Yes, that is exactly the reason. Addressing this esoteric problem is most troublesome, you see, I don¡¯t know the patterns that dictate what ¡®knowledge¡¯ you need to possess previously to learn a new spell or technique.¡± ¡°So basically-¡± She stood up, though some of the pain still lingered in between her eyes. ¡°-there is no shortcut to learning magic. Is what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Pretty much yeah.¡± He flicked his hand and the distortion disappeared. ¡°If there were shortcuts in learning magic, I assure you, both Yuna and Setsuna would probably be the strongest mages in the world.¡± ¡°They are that strong huh¡­?¡± Her eyes wandered back to the walled city¡ªa few buildings had slow burning torches placed outside of them. ¡°I wonder if I can ever reach their level.¡± ¡°You can. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You are the great granddaughter of a dragon after all.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t begin to fathom how my mother came to Arcadia after such a long time. Though I can¡¯t ask either of them anymore now¡­¡± ¡°What made you think that?¡± He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. In turn, she glanced at him with a puzzled expression. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Your great grandmother is very much alive.¡± He scoffed at her misunderstanding. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t Sylphia already long gone from this world?¡± He reeled his head back with visible confusion before said confusion turned into amusement as he started to laugh. ¡°Wait. You thought you were a descendant of the Silver Dragon?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I? You told me Krieg and I were related-¡± ¡°Not by blood, at least, not humanoid blood. Your great grandmother is the Platinum Dragon that still lives up to this day in Nara.¡± ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s her name?¡± He brought his right hand close to his mouth as he was trying to hold the laughter in. ¡°Hey! Why are you laughing?! This is a serious question!¡± ¡°You can connect two seemingly nonsensical things like knowledge and magic theory but you can¡¯t even take a guess on your grandmother¡¯s own name. If that¡¯s not funny I don¡¯t know what is.¡± After laughing it off he wiped off a few tears that formed on the corners of his eyes before finally answering. ¡°Frostleaf. Your great grandmother¡¯s name is Frostleaf.¡± Leona felt her chest tighten a bit as she curled her bottom lips. ¡°I wonder if my mother wanted to remember her, or be remembered¡­¡± She grabbed the pendant on her chest and squeezed it slightly. ¡°Then again¡­ if she ran away from home¡­¡± ¡°Dwelling about it won¡¯t change the fact that she traveled through the same places as you have been before.¡± He placed his hand around his neck while twisting and cracking it. ¡°If you want answers, you might as well ask them personally.¡± ¡°Do you think I can meet her?¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re strong enough to survive encountering her, yes, of course.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m better off showing you rather than explaining.¡± He took half a step back and turned to face her. ¡°Brace yourself.¡± Leona¡¯s muscles tensed when she noticed him raise his open palm and close it into a tight fist. She was expecting him to physically attack her but instead he just stood still. ¡®What¡­ what is he going to do?¡¯ With her legs slightly bent, she was considering whether to create some distance or not before a flock of birds flew from the forest nearby away from them. ¡°Huh?¡± Suddenly, she felt an extreme amount of pressure from inside of her chest as if her body was dumped with freezing cold water. She instinctively took a sharp and deep breath as her legs gave away from the oppressive outburst of mana overflowing from him. ¡°What¡­ is happening to me¡­?!¡± Try as she might, she couldn¡¯t move her body at all. It was as if an invisible force was pushing down on her from inside out. She couldn¡¯t breathe, in fact it was hard to even keep herself conscious from the pain she was feeling. At that point, Robert kneeled beside her. ¡°This is aetherial pressure. Though not unlike the dark element¡¯s gravity manipulation, it¡¯s still not quite the same.¡± He opened his hand which stopped the strange force being exerted on her, which allowed her to desperately gasp for air. ¡°You probably already realized this but every living being exudes a certain amount of mana from their bodies through either their mana gates or from radiating mana. What I did just now was to increase that output to the point that it turns into aether.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Leona brushed some drool that formed on the side of her mouth with her arm before continuing as she stood up. ¡°I can assume that is somehow related to how dragons operate¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Even the youngest of dragons radiate enough mana to burn the air around them. In fact, if you were to meet your great grandmother now, you would probably be reduced to a bloody pulp the moment you enter in range of her aura.¡± ¡°How am I even supposed to meet her then¡­?¡± ¡°By becoming stronger. Your body¡¯s natural resistance to aether will increase with the amount of mana it can support.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She looked at her own trembling hand. ¡°Am I really that weak?¡± ¡°Hah! It¡¯s not a matter of if you¡¯re weak and more like your grandmother is too strong. For her age, she is almost equally strong as Akantor in his prime.¡± He adjusted his robe and took a step closer to her. ¡°Shall we return? It is quite late and you should get plenty of rest for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± She nodded with frowned eyebrows. That pressure wasn¡¯t unlike when she had first met Lastraeous and Eleonora, but it was much more oppressive than either of them. While the void god¡¯s aura unsettled her and the goddess¡¯ felt like a warm caress, Robert¡¯s aether made her body feel like it was being crushed from within. ¡°Robert, mind if I ask you something before we go back?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Can you personally teach me magic?¡± Chapter CXLII: Dragon’s Lament The trip back was by no means without its share of troubles as Leona found herself hunching over the grass on her knees while trying not to put out the food she had eaten a few minutes prior. ¡°Have mercy on my soul¡­¡± She pleaded as she took deep breaths to keep the urge to vomit at bay. ¡°Why is teleportation magic so disorienting¡­?¡± ¡°You get used to it.¡± Robert was standing next to her while stretching his arms out. ¡°Then again, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to use teleportation magic too soon.¡± ¡°I''d rather not¡­ ugh¡­¡± ¡°Now, now¡­¡± He kneeled to look at her which prompted her to glance at his eyes. ¡°Are you able to flush out your mana?¡± ¡°I¡­ am¡­¡± She closed her eyes and focused on the middle of her chest. A tingling sensation started to fill her body as faint blue strings of mana started to unweave around her wrist and slowly dissipate in the air. ¡°Hmm..¡± He observed the lingering mana with curiosity as it disappeared. ¡°Interesting, so you perceive mana like this huh?¡± ¡°What¡­ do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Mana from one¡¯s soul is shaped according to the wielder¡¯s own perception. You imagine your mana to be strings that construct your spells, that mana will take such shape.¡± He extended his right hand out and a gentle light blue aura began to emanate from his wrist. ¡°Strings are well and good but it would be more beneficial if you could make your mana behave more like a liquid.¡± Viscous blue mana started to envelop his entire hand before he suddenly clenched his fist and the liquid suddenly hardened. ¡°How is that even possible¡­?¡± ¡°The mind is a formidable weapon.¡± He opened his hand and the mana dissipated into the air. ¡°The more you train it, the better every single one of your abilities will be.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She was still panting from exertion but at the very least the urge to puke had vanished. Robert turned around and faced the mountain¡ªwith his left hand, he pointed at the ground with his palm open while the other one was preparing to snap his fingers. ¡®What is he doing¡­?¡¯ Her eyes traced to where he was pointing at the ground and she noticed traces of mana forming on the grass. His fingers curled while his wrist twisted upwards and a section of the grass was ripped from the ground. Once he snapped his fingers, the chunk of dirt started to float above the small crater it formed. He stepped on it and turned around with his left hand extended towards her. ¡°Come, let¡¯s head back.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re not thinking about flying us there on¡­ this. Are you?¡± ¡°What? Can¡¯t trust good ol¡¯ Robert?¡± ¡°More like, will I be okay?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t teleportation magic you know.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°You are free to climb the mountain again if you¡¯re so unsure.¡± Leona closed her eyes and frowned at the idea before opening them again and let out a dispirited sigh. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it.¡± She took his hand and climbed on the floating chunk of dirt. She stumbled at first since balance wasn¡¯t exactly her strong suit. Once her two feet were firmly set on the grass, Robert went ahead and started to slowly levitate their makeshift transport. ¡°My advice, don¡¯t look directly down, if you do you¡¯ll probably lose balance.¡± He warned. ¡°Instead, look at the mountain or the horizon, it¡¯ll help your body to stay still.¡± He glanced at her, but she had her eyes closed. ¡°Or that. That also works.¡± ¡°It¡¯s one thing to pilot an airship that was made to soar through the sky.¡± She spoke while keeping her eyes closed. ¡°But to climb on a flying piece of ground is not exactly reassuring.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. But since you closed your eyes, I don¡¯t need to be reserved about how we get there.¡± He supported Leona¡¯s back with his left arm while he pointed his right forward. ¡°Which means we¡¯ll go at full speed!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Wait!¡± She suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him with genuine concern in her expression. ¡°That¡¯s not what I-¡± Suddenly the chunk of dirt started to fly through the air towards the mountain. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡± The sudden outburst of speed was pushing her hair back thanks to the wind. Her back was being pushed against Robert¡¯s arm but despite the high velocity, either of her feet was leaving the patch of grass. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You got some gravity magic applied to your feet!¡± He shouted while controlling the makeshift platform through the air. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to fall off!¡± That being said, it didn¡¯t exactly make Leona any less stressed. In fact, the feeling of having both her feet stuck gave a strange sense of security that unsettled her. The pleasantly chilly wind brushing against her face made her want to open her eyes but she was too afraid to do it, lest she end up panicking from being so high in the air. ¡°You¡¯re missing out, you know.¡± Robert chuckled a bit. ¡°There are a few things in life you can only witness with magic.¡± She mustered all courage she had and through her trembling eyelids, she took a glimpse of the bright night sky. The full moon was in view amidst the parting clouds, the chilling air rushing past her hair, the night sky filled her eyes with the reflection of sparkling stars as it all came together for a reinvigorating sense of freedom. It was as if the accumulated stress and tension was all washed away after witnessing such a beautiful landscape. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°Stunning isn¡¯t it?¡± He chuckled. ¡°My daughters often asked me to fly them high in the sky so they could gaze upon the horizon.¡± The moonlight reflected off the surface of the ocean to her left and right. The grandeur of the land was breathtaking as it all culminated to the middle of a set of mountain ranges that expanded seemingly endlessly to the horizon. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ amazing¡­¡± The gentle blue moonlight sheen reflected off the snow covered mountain tops in the distance. Merely looking at such a calming scenery was enough to make her momentarily forget she was a few hundred meters in the air on top of a chunk of dirt. ¡°This is just a sliver of what this world has to offer.¡± He smiled bittersweetly as he slowly started to descend. Leona felt her chest tighten as she closed her eyes and was reminiscent of the memories Avalon had shown her. The end of the world was brought by her hands on another timeline. A beautiful world lost to ruin through revenge and retribution. That was a path she was determined to avoid at all costs, but even through her steel resolve, a lingering sensation of doubt constantly gnawed at the back of her mind. ¡®What if¡­ what if I¡¯m not strong enough¡­?¡¯ The lives that were sacrificed in order for her to come this far, would she be able to honor them? Her mouth curled up as she clenched her teeth. Doubt was by no means a bad thing and she knew that. Doubting oneself is, at most, to keep themselves from committing to more than they can handle. However at that point in time, things like ego or doubt needed to be cast away¡ªshe had no options other than to move forward, to grow stronger, to live up to the expectations of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for her to keep moving. ¡°Did you know? Anxiety is often the emotion that kills a mage.¡± He made the chunk of dirt slowly dissipate as they reached the entrance to the mountain, he still held his hand until both of her feet touched the ground. ¡°It can make your mana go haywire just like any other intense emotion.¡± ¡°Huh? How did you-¡± ¡°Just how you can train enough to ¡®see¡¯ the currents of ambient magic, you can also become able to gauge another mage¡¯s mana fluctuation if you observe them closely. And yours, are emanating in an erratic way.¡± He let go of her hand and placed his closed left hand in the middle of his chest. ¡°Watch carefully and you too should be able to see it.¡± At first nothing seemed to happen, but given a few seconds, the air around Robert started to distort akin to a haze amidst a really hot day. The distortion of the shimmering air was equally mesmerizing as it was unnerving as she took half a step back to look at his entire frame. However, it was different from the aether burst he had shown earlier. Though she could physically feel the pressure of mana emanating from him, it was nowhere near aether¡¯s potency. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She grunted in slight discomfort as she angled her face to avoid the heat coming off him head on. ¡°How exactly am I supposed to ¡®see¡¯ this?¡± ¡°All mana stems from the soul, which is generally located in the very center of any living being. You¡¯ll be able to see a person¡¯s soul alongside their overall mana capacity.¡± He chuckled. ¡°That being said, you must be aware of its existence for it to become visible to you.¡± ¡°Soul¡­ huh¡­?¡± Leona uttered as she looked at him, albeit without any noticeable changes which prompted her to ask. ¡°What is the soul?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that you have asked.¡± He smiled. ¡°Soul is the manifestation of consciousness, which can be also called a person¡¯s spirit. The reason why you cannot ¡®see¡¯ my soul is because my entire existence ¡®is¡¯ my soul.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your mind will not be able to comprehend it unless you yourself have experienced what is to have your soul ripped out of your physical body.¡± He relaxed his stance and the intense shimmering haze ceased to be. ¡°However, your soul is not yet ready for this.¡± ¡°Huh? Why not?¡± ¡°Remember I told you before that a soul¡¯s resilience is tied to how much mana it can hold? If I were to take your soul out of your body, it would most likely dissipate into the ambient mana. Leaving your body being nothing more than an empty husk.¡± She flinched back at the idea of becoming a mindless zombie. ¡°I would rather want to avoid that¡­¡± ¡°For now, the only path left for you is training. Train like there is no tomorrow and I¡¯ll be able to help you as well.¡± She glanced at the ground before turning to him and firmly nodding. ¡°I understand.¡± He gave a satisfied nod before heading inside the cave. In the meantime, she realized the dreadful anxiety she felt had greatly subsided. She took a deep breath before exhaling slowly and gazing over her shoulder to the horizon overlooking the coastal city. ¡°There is no other way but forward. Please, everyone, keep watching over me. I will honor this life you have saved.¡± Chapter CXLIII: Dragon’s Will Leona was relaxing inside the warm hotspring found just at the back of the mountain. It was a wide hand-carved stone room lit with candles tucked inside hollow parts of the walls. Unlike the other rooms, it was made with the idea of relaxation in mind as the scent of burning wax in combination with the warm steam was surprisingly calming. Behind Leona, the room was outfitted with a few makeshift copper showers for washing before entering the water. She was alone inside but nevertheless wore a thick beige towel which covered most of her body. She had finished washing herself and was about to go inside the hotspring. Leona swallowed dry as she couldn¡¯t really hold the excitement of having a proper bath in weeks. At first she dipped her right toe inside but quickly retracted her foot as she felt a prickling sensation turn into a shiver throughout her entire body. ¡°Is everything ok in there, Leona?¡± Setsuna¡¯s voice came from outside of the bathroom which prompted her to look at the wooden door separating them. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, nothing¡¯s wrong. Why?¡± ¡°Your mana just suddenly spiked out of nowhere. I thought you''d seen a ghost or something.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ no, I was just surprised how hot the water is.¡± She nervously chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m more used to lukewarm water.¡± ¡°Feel free to use ice magic if you need to cool it a bit.¡± The shrine maiden explained as she was shuffling things around in the dressing room. ¡°Yuna just likes the water too hot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thank you.¡± However, Leona was determined to experience the water as it was. Being so far away from home made her realize there were things she could only experience there which made her even more resolved to enter the waters as it were. Taking a deep breath, she dipped her right foot inside the water and the prickling sensation from the hot bath sent another wave of shivers throughout her body. However as opposed to taking her foot out of the water, she slowly submerged her right leg inside while using her right arm to sit down before ever so slightly immersing her other leg. ¡°Mmmm¡­ it¡¯s certainly hot, but¡­¡± She uttered under her breath as she built enough courage to fully enter the hotspring. The hot prickling sensation crawled up the sides of her body as she sat down amongst the stones but it quickly disappeared as she adjusted to the temperature. ¡°Ha¡­¡± She let out a relaxed sigh. ¡°This is¡­ heaven¡­¡± Hot water was up to her shoulders as the tension of her muscles dissipated along with each breath. She rested her head against the stone and looked at a flickering candle inside the hollow wall. The scent of burning wax and the ever so slightly smell of sulfur mixed in the hot steam made her eyelids feel heavy. ¡®Just for a few minutes¡­¡¯ She started to blink slower and slower until she completely shut off her eyes. The blackness was comforting under the warmth that enveloped her body as the weak flickering of the candles illuminated her irises through her closed eyelids. It remained like that for a while but at some point she stopped feeling the comforting warmth and instead, it gave place to a bitter shivering cold. Warm breath exhaled out of her lungs and as she opened her eyes, the visage of a frozen landscape revealed itself. She instinctively looked down and noticed she was wearing her borrowed uniform from Londria. Frost was accumulating on the tip of her boots and the entire front of her coat was colored in white from the constant pelting of snow from the bone chilling wind. ¡°Where¡­ where am I?¡± Looking around, she couldn¡¯t tell if she was on a vale surrounded by snow or atop of a mountain with an intense snow storm around herself. ¡°This place¡­¡± It felt oddly familiar as if it was somewhere that she should know from the back of her mind, but she still couldn¡¯t quite tell where. ¡°Turn back¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± A ¡®voice¡¯ echoed in her mind. What she heard wasn¡¯t exactly a human¡¯s voice but something else entirely, but even then she could still understand its ¡®meaning¡¯ somehow. ¡°Turn back¡­ this is not a place for you to be¡­¡± ¡°Who are you?!¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Leona shouted, but there was no answer. That only fueled her curiosity as she started to slowly take steps forward towards the endless white in front of her. ¡°Go back to where you came from¡­¡± Suddenly, the snow storm became even more fierce¡ªpelting her body in a relentless frontal assault which broke off a few strings of her frozen hair. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± She continued to trudge through the snow that was becoming deeper and deeper with each step she took until it was about as deep as her knees. ¡°You won¡¯t survive in this place¡­ Leona¡­¡± ¡°So you do know me!¡± She shouted atop of her lungs but as she breathed in the cold air, a sharp pang of pain came from inside her body as the cold air felt like it was freezing her from inside out. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Her legs were giving up. The freezing cold was making her limbs numb and before long she plopped face first on the snow as she still kept looking to the sky bereft of blue. ¡°You can scarcely know the weight of this burden, child. Go back to where you came.¡± Suddenly, Leona woke up panting heavily. ¡°Ah! Where¡­! Oh¡­¡± She looked around and she found herself in the main lobby of the cave, laying with her back on the couch before the fireplace. ¡°Wait¡­¡± She sat up and looked down. Thankfully she was fully clothed with a fresh white cotton shirt and shorts of the same color. ¡°Ah. You¡¯re finally awake.¡± Setsuna¡¯s voice came from beside her. The shrine maiden held a glass of water that she was about to place near the wooden stool beside the couch but instead she offered it to Leona. ¡°I think you spent way too much time in that hot water.¡± She took the cup. ¡°Thank you.¡± She drank everything in one go and after exhaling, she turned to her again. ¡°What exactly happened to me?¡± ¡°You fainted. Thankfully I was there when it happened.¡± She took the empty cup from her hand and chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the clothing, I dressed you up myself.¡± ¡°O-oh. Yeah, thank you.¡± Leona leaned her back against the couch and stared blankly at the fireplace. ¡°Say, is there a place with vast amounts of snow near here?¡± Setsuna was about to take the empty glass away before she turned around to answer. ¡°Snow huh¡­? The only place that comes to mind are the Elysian Fields. It¡¯s past the eastern mountain range.¡± ¡°Anything else you can tell me about it?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± She scratched the side of her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about that place and I¡¯m not sure if I should be the one to tell you about it. I¡¯ll ask Father to come by in a minute.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ sure¡­¡± She quickly turned around and hurriedly headed off the kitchen, which made Leona wonder what was so important about a place with snow. It didn¡¯t take too long for Robert to come by and sit on the armchair to her left side. He held a glass of wine on his left hand and a silver dish plate on the other as he set it on the stool on his right side. On top of the fancy plate there were a few neatly cut pieces of cheese marbled with bluish veins of mold. ¡°Do you want some?¡± He offered her a small silver skewer. ¡°Um¡­ no, I¡¯m good. Thanks.¡± ¡°Hm, fair enough.¡± He flipped the skewer and stabbed a piece of the cheese. ¡°So, how did you learn about the Elysian Fields?¡± ¡°I¡­ had a strange dream. ¡°A dream?¡± He ate a piece of the cheese and raised the wine near his mouth. The mildly sweet aroma coupled with the faint alcohol fragrance wafted over to her as he gave the glass a gentle twirl. ¡°Tell me more.¡± ¡°I was in a landscape covered by snow, there was no one else there other than me but I could hear a voice telling me to ¡®go back¡¯.¡± Her eyes showed some interest in the cheese as she glanced at it a few times. ¡°It was strange because while I understood what it meant, it really didn¡¯t feel like a human voice.¡± ¡°That was most likely your great grandmother.¡± He chuckled as he took a sip of the wine and stabbed another piece of cheese. ¡°She must be misunderstanding the reason as to why you came here.¡± He pointed the skewer at her hip. ¡°You may not be aware of it. But that sword radiates waves of mana¡ªany powerful enough being that is aware of its signature can tell who that aura belongs to.¡± She instinctively looked down at the sword. Its hilt had a few black spots in the wood while the guard had suffered a few dents. ¡°My grandmother huh¡­?¡± Her mind began to wander. What if she met her? What would she say to her? Would a dragon even understand the ephemeral nature of human life and its struggles? ¡°Come on now, don¡¯t be so serious.¡± His voice prompted her to glance at him and the moment she raised her head, the silver plate of cheese was floating in front of her. ¡°You¡¯ll meet her eventually after you grow strong enough.¡± The pungent smell hit her nose as she flinched back with frowning eyebrows. ¡°Ugh, what is this smell?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called blue cheese. It¡¯s made out of edible mold.¡± He chuckled in amusement. ¡°Though I¡¯m sure when I say mold the first thing that comes to your mind is ¡®inedible¡¯, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Nngh¡­ mold aside, is this thing supposed to smell like this?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it is made out of milk and mold.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making me want to taste it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good because it¡¯s a hassle to buy these.¡± He brought the plate back to the wooden stool beside him and stabbed another piece of cheese. ¡°True teleportation, while convenient, is still quite annoying to calculate distance while taking the planet¡¯s speed and rotation in consideration.¡± Leona scratched the side of her face. Leaving the matters of cheese aside¡ªsomething else bothered her regarding their conversation about her grandmother. ¡°Say, why was she telling me to ¡®go back¡¯? Is there anything dangerous in the Elysian fields?¡± He was about to eat a piece of cheese before settling the skewer on the plate and turning to her with a somewhat amused expression. ¡°What if I told you¡­¡± He placed the almost empty glass of wine beside the plate and interlocked his fingers on top of his lap. ¡°...that is where the first death angel was born?¡± Chapter CXLIV: Dragon’s Wisdom ¡°Huh?¡± Leona couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard. ¡°The first death angel? But weren''t death angels created by Jakob?¡± Robert nodded once. ¡°You are right, it was or rather, they were.¡± ¡°They?¡± ¡°Jakob was the progenitor of the first two death angels. The two of them being his own son and his daughter-in-law. Needless to say, it was a messed up set of affairs.¡± He pinched his nose ridge and sighed. ¡°Thanks to him, now they have become mindless husks with the only purpose to create more and more death angels.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you knew of it?¡± ¡°How wouldn¡¯t I? Back then I was still Lastraeous¡¯ champion. The void god planted this idea in that crazed old man¡¯s head that he could bring the soul back to a functional body using the body of his own son and daughter-in-law.¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± Leona clenched her hand into a tight fist as her voice trembled with anger. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop him?!¡± She slammed her closed fist on the couch. ¡°Do you understand how many lives were lost fighting against death angels?!¡± ¡°Because it was necessary.¡± He answered her hatred filled glare with conviction in his own eyes. ¡°Think about it. The only reason why you were recognized as the princess tactician was because of the battle at Lugna Plains. Had I wiped out the death angels, that battle would have never occurred, you would have never chosen the path to fight against it and thus, you would never be able to escape from that mansion with your life.¡± ¡°Then do you believe my life to be worth more than the thousands that died at that battle?!¡± ¡°No, but you cannot hope to compare it against the entire world. I¡¯ve told you before and I¡¯ll say it again, you are the key to ending this conflict.¡± She clenched her teeth as a bitter sensation started to form on the back of her throat. She had accepted that she was weak, too weak to fight on her own, to fight for her ideals, but she couldn¡¯t bear to know that many lives that could be saved, were sacrificed for her own survival. ¡°You don¡¯t even know how worthy of a ruler I really am. How can you spout this nonsense?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to.¡± His eyes had a sharp glare that reeked of confidence. ¡°Does a tyrant question their own methods to rule? Does a marionette look beyond its strings to the puppeteer? Does a coward unsheathe his blade when faced with danger? All the answers for those questions are no. But what about you? You question your methods, you look beyond the clouds towards the sky above and most important of all, you are not afraid of conflict.¡± ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± ¡°Look. Even if I did wipe out the death angels at this point in time. It would only serve to worsen the current state of affairs for your kingdom. Without a common enemy to fight against, Akrapocalis would soon turn its blades against Arcadia and its people. Unless you truly believe the dwarven king to be that naive and let this prime opportunity escape his grasp.¡± She averted her gaze. In truth she knew better than anyone the relationship between Arcadia and the dwarven citadel was less than ideal thanks to the other noble houses inciting a war to reclaim what Arcadia had lost. After a moment of silent reflection, Leona looked at him with a sharp glare. ¡°Fine, you made your point clear, but let me say this once. I don¡¯t like your methods.¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to. We both walk completely different paths.¡± He grabbed the glass of wine and swirled the red liquid around the sides of the cup. With a wry smile he finished his drink before saying. ¡°Tis¡¯ true, their blood is on my hands, but what is a thousand lives to three entire worlds?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Apologies, I¡¯m just weary from all of this.¡± He sighed as he settled the empty glass on the stool. ¡°In truth, I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for what feels to be a lifetime. What we set in motion today will determine the fate of tomorrow and beyond. But I can¡¯t expect you to understand the burden of saving an entire world.¡± ¡°You speak as if it is your duty to protect it. You¡¯re not from this world and yet¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s my way to atone. Atone for all the futures I¡¯ve cut short. At some point I would have stopped caring, but Xenovia reminded me of what it truly means to be human.¡± Her furrowed brows softened when hearing his words. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll only understand it when you become immortal.¡± He stared at his hand slowly clenching into a tight fist. ¡°Hunger, sleep, thirst¡­ can you imagine yourself not needing any of it?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± She shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°I wish it was impossible for me.¡± He opened his hand and an eerie dark miasma seemed to seep out of his palm. ¡°When the soul becomes too dense¡ªtoo strong to die¡ªbasic needs of the body are replaced with the sensation of eternal satiety. Your mere existence becomes a rule within the world. I can¡¯t age nor I can¡¯t die.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Robert¡­¡± ¡°But this is my burden to bear.¡± He leaned against the armchair and sighed. At that moment, Leona could hear a low bellowing coming from somewhere outside through the air vents. ¡°What was that¡­?¡± ¡°And I have spoken enough¡­¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°Whenever your grandmother is unhappy with something I did, she¡¯ll let me know through her roar.¡± ¡°Have you done anything?¡± ¡°Nothing big. I just stopped her from interfering with your mind.¡± His eyes were somewhat devoid of life as he motioned with his right index finger against the side of his temple. ¡°Dragons have the innate ability to control and communicate with their own brethren.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ do you mean like full control?¡± ¡°Only if you directly share her blood.¡± He placed his right elbow against the armrest while supporting his head with his thumb, index and middle finger spread around the right side of his face. ¡°In your case, she may be able to make you kneel or stop moving altogether but she can¡¯t directly control your mind. Needless to say she can still make you unable to rest properly by assaulting your mind, so I took care of that.¡± ¡°Why would she do that?¡± ¡°As I said, she might be misunderstanding the reason why you have come to these lands. I haven¡¯t had the time to explain why you¡¯ve come nor the patience to do so.¡± He twirled his fingers around his temple and rubbed both corners of his eyes. ¡°We should wrap it up for today.¡± After blinking a few times he stood up and headed to the double door that led outside. ¡°See if you can get some rest. You¡¯ll need it for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± She watched as he left the room. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Father.¡± A female voice came from the side, startling her. Upon turning her head she noticed Setsuna was taking both the silver platter and empty wine glass off the wooden stool. ¡°He becomes like that whenever talks about the past.¡± ¡°No, I should be the one to apologize.¡± She shook her head slightly. ¡°He was right, this problem with the death angels is ours to solve. He seems to have finally found some semblance of peace with you and your sister. It wouldn¡¯t be fair if I demanded more of him.¡± Setsuna proceeded to speak with a faint smile on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself. Father can still get emotional at times and it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯ll feel like your struggles are nowhere near his, after all, he is comparing more than three of his lifetimes to our own.¡± Before she left, she offered some last words to her. ¡°Only those close to you will comprehend your struggles and the sacrifices you made to get this far. Don¡¯t sell yourself short because what you have accomplished until now will become the strength to lead you to the future you seek.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Setsuna.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only speaking the truth.¡± She gave her a last reassuring smile as she headed off to the kitchen. Once alone, Leona had time to finally set her thoughts straight. There was just much to take in. The existence of the first death angels, her great grandmother that was none other than a platinum dragon and her training to obtain power to fight and meet them. She had a bitter smile curling up her face as she muttered quietly. ¡°In the end, what I¡¯m lacking¡ªwhat I have always been lacking¡ªwas power.¡± ¡°Might makes right.¡± Her own voice echoed inside her mind. Though she recognized her authoritarian and ruthless self. The Empress of Annihilation. ¡°Only the victor has the right to write the history that makes up the world. The defeated are casted down as villains and made stepping stones for those in power.¡± It was as if the memories she had seen through Avalon¡¯s eyes were now trying to take a hold of her mind. Leona chuckled sourly as she muttered. ¡°You are just a memory of my past self.¡± She then grabbed the frostburnt silver longsword and unbuckled its sheathe from her hip before leaving it against the couch as she laid down. ¡°A shade, nothing more.¡± She sourly chuckled as she closed her eyes. ¡°Though, I won¡¯t deny that you are still part of me.¡± The lights within the hall were dimming as the other residents started to come to the hall in order to sleep. Setsuna was shouldering Phoebe as they both exited out of a door beneath the left-most staircase. The high elf was struggling to walk as she used her free left hand to support her weight against the wall and eventually against chairs and tables that were near her vicinity. ¡°Geez Phoebe.¡± The shrine maiden was clearly displeased with her furrowed eyebrows and serious glare. ¡°I realized you want to walk on your own again but falling in the bathroom can be dangerous, you know. What if you hit your head?¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Your bruised leg says otherwise.¡± Looking down, Phoebe noticed there was a red spot near her right knee. ¡°Bah, it was just a minor injury, I won¡¯t die from it.¡± She took another step with her right foot and winced upon putting weight on said leg. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°It won¡¯t kill you but it¡¯ll hurt like there¡¯s no tomorrow. Come on, stop being stubborn.¡± They both made their way to the left side of the main hall which was furnished with sofas around a small wooden table. Once Phoebe sat down, it felt like heavy weights were lifted off her legs. ¡°Aah¡­¡± She sighed in relief, but at the same time she turned to the shrine maiden and asked. ¡°These legs are made out of slimes for goodness sake, why is it so painful?¡± ¡°Because they are an exact replica of the real thing, or Father said it.¡± Setsuna kneeled down and placed her right hand on top of her leg. ¡°Though I must admit, looking closely it¡¯s hard to believe it¡¯s not your leg.¡± ¡°Thanks I guess?¡± A weak green light emanated from the palm of Setsuna¡¯s hand and the reddened bruise slowly disappeared. ¡°There. But you shouldn¡¯t go walking around by yourself you hear?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, thanks¡­¡± Setsuna stood up and looked around the dim room. Yuna was placing a blanket on Leona before heading off with her own towards one corner of the room that had a puff chair made out of stuffed wool and thick furs. Krieg was about to sit on the carpet beside the tactician but the older shrine maiden decided to approach him. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get a good night¡¯s sleep if you lay on the floor like that.¡± ¡°Hm? Don¡¯t need to concern yourself with me, Lady Setsuna. I¡¯m quite used to sleeping anywhere.¡± ¡°Now, now, this isn¡¯t just anywhere. Come on.¡± She grabbed his arm and to his surprise, she was able to lift him up as if she was handling a child. ¡°You¡¯re a fellow guest of this household. I can¡¯t just let a guest sleep on the floor.¡± She dragged him away. Yuna watched everything from the puff chair she was sunk almost halfway in. ¡°Hmm..¡± She quietly mumbled in the dark as she blinked a few times while looking at the couch where Leona was sleeping on. Through her eyes, she could see a shadow amidst the tactician¡¯s lingering mana¡ªnot unlike a heat haze on a scorching day. Chapter CXLV: Beliefs The quiet night soon gave place to the soft chirping of birds coming from the air vents carved through the stone. Leona slowly opened her eyes due to the bright orbs of light that felt more like faint sunlight than actual lights. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± She placed her hand against the couch and sat up. Her instinct was to bring her left hand to scratch her face but as opposed to what she was used to, there was no arm nor fingers to help herself. ¡®That¡¯s right¡­¡¯ She tilted her face to the right before scratching her left cheek with her right fingers. She sighed. At times, the realization of not having an arm would give a hit to her self-esteem, leaving her in low spirits. She slowly leaned to the right and grabbed the scabbard beside the couch. The cold blade felt heavy on her grip as she placed it on the left side of her hip before pulling one side of the leather belt around her back prior to pulling the clasp from her left and proceeding to struggle with the strap for a few minutes. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± She clicked her tongue as she was having trouble passing the metal pin through one of the holes in the belt. However, despite her struggles, someone pulled the scabbard from her hip as she was about to fasten the belt. With a clearly offended expression, she turned to the side and noticed Robert standing with the scabbard in his hand. He twisted his hand while looking at the weapon¡¯s handle as he said. ¡°You won¡¯t be needing this anymore.¡± That made Leona raise an eyebrow. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It would be pointless to wield a sword in your current state.¡± He threw the scabbard to his left hand before snapping his right fingers. A wooden staff appeared from thin air. ¡°Here.¡± He tossed the staff on her lap. It was lighter than the frostburnt silver sword but for something made out of wood, it was surprisingly hefty. She picked it up and raised it in front of her. One of its sides was bigger with a crooked s shape with the very tip flowering outwards with splintered wood as it was seemingly ripped out of a bigger part of a tree¡ªbelow it, the wood became significantly thinner as Leona¡¯s slender fingers could curl around it while comfortably tucking itselves against her own palm. ¡°What am I supposed to do with this?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± She twisted her hand while looking at both sides of the staff, but nothing notable caught her eye. ¡°I supposed I could smack someone with it.¡± Robert frowned how brows and shook his head slightly before sighing, disappointed. ¡°I need to remind myself that this isn¡¯t common knowledge despite it being a world filled with magic.¡± After mumbling he tilted his head up before massaging his nose ridge with both index and thumb. Following another sigh, he offered her an explanation. ¡°You can use this staff to cast spells. The main advantage of using a tool as opposed to your own hand is the ability to decrease the amount of mana you need to protect yourself from the spell¡¯s backlash. Think of it as a countermeasure to mana recoil.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ how am I supposed to cast a spell with this thing?¡± ¡°It has mana circuits just like our soul plus it was modified so it has a mana gate at the very end of it.¡± He tapped at the splintered part. ¡°Though shoddy work, I did manage to make it so it would last for a few years even if you use it regularly to practice.¡± ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t really quite make sense to use it.¡± She raised the staff forward. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I need to have my own mana circuits into it to channel mana through it?¡± He rubbed the corner of his eyes before setting the longsword on a nearby wooden stool. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head outside.¡± Without wasting time, he turned around and headed to the doorway. Leona looked around for her leather boots but instead found a pair of sandals beside her feet. After wearing them, she used the staff to stand up¡ªlooking one last time at the sheathed longsword before following him outside. She was staring at the staff as they walked through the cavern tunnel. Her thumb traced along the shaft and it scraped her skin slightly. There were a few hints of old bark still encrusted on the tool which made it truly look amateurish. ¡°You¡¯ll burn a hole through it.¡± Robert said as he was glancing over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, staves made to cast spells are not something usually made in a day so don¡¯t fret on details.¡± ¡°You made this yesterday?¡± ¡°After our talk, yes.¡± He turned around and kept walking until they reached the entrance of the cavern. The shadow of the mountain expanded about halfway to the coastal city before the morning sun could be seen shining against the tiled roofs of the buildings. ¡°To uphold my promise, I need you to become strong enough to survive and since I can¡¯t do anything about your missing arm-¡± He pointed at her left side. ¡°-I figured it would be better for you to improve your magic.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you fix Phoebe¡¯s legs the other day? Couldn¡¯t you do the same for my arm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Those slimes were fed her mother¡¯s genetic information, adapting it to her body was nothing too difficult. However in your case, I can¡¯t just jam a slime in there and tell it to grow you a new arm. Many things can go wrong if I were to rush something delicate like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re speaking words I don¡¯t comprehend again¡­¡± He passed his tongue around his teeth before twisting his mouth a little. He was lost in thought. ¡°Think like it¡¯s a jigsaw. I can¡¯t assemble the pieces together if I don¡¯t have a matching set.¡± He interlocked his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s the same with the slimes. It can¡¯t adapt to your body if it doesn¡¯t have your genetic material.¡± ¡°And what is this ¡®genetic material¡¯ you speak of?¡± ¡°Hair, skin tissue, nails¡­ any part of your body consists of a genetic code that can be ¡®copied¡¯ by those little things. However, even if you were to give some of your hair or nails for me to feed the slimes with, it takes time for them to adapt their own genes to yours.¡± ¡°This sounds all too complicated¡­¡± ¡°It is. Even after living for centuries, this is the first time I ever encountered such a complex life form such as those.¡± He massaged his right shoulder with his left hand while tilting his head around¡ªcracking his joints. ¡°Alright, Leona, do you know how to cast fireball?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He pointed to the sky. ¡°Show me your maximum firepower. No need to use the staff for now.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why do you want me to unleash a fireball at full power right off the bat?¡± ¡°So I know the full extent of your capabilities. I need Yuna to adjust your training based on that.¡± He motioned with his open hand towards the edge of the cave. Leona walked a few meters ahead of him before placing the staff on the ground and pointing her open palm to the sky. She looked at him over her shoulder and he nodded while motioning with his hand for her to go ahead. She then turned around and took a deep breath. Mana started to gather from the core of her body towards her extending arm¡ªfaint light blue strings spiraled around her limb before coalescing into the center of her palm. The mana entangled in itself forming an orb of bright blue light that slowly turned into a darker blue flame that swirled in a sea of contained flames in the middle of her hand. She took half a step back with her left hand and sharply inhaled while focusing on her fingertips as they curled slightly inwards. ¡°Flames of destruction heed my call, bring ruin to mine enemies, Fireball!¡± The flaming sphere shrunk to a third of its size before being fired into the air with a little help of wind magic. It floated in the air for a few seconds before finally going off with a violent blast of intense heat that painted the sky dark blue for a few seconds before the flames were fanned out by the cold morning breeze. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Robert nodded to himself. ¡°Not bad, for a beginner.¡± He approached her and picked up the staff from the ground. ¡°There are a few things you need to learn, but I¡¯ll have Yuna to teach you all about it.¡± He gave back the staff and began to walk to the trail leading towards the city. ¡°I need to speak with the merchant that helped you get here. In the meantime, go to the training grounds, I¡¯ll have Yuna bring breakfast and prepare you for training.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ but about the people that helped me. I¡¯m not sure she¡¯ll listen to someone she has never met before.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± He snapped his fingers and there was a distortion of light around his face before he assumed the appearance of the swordmaster. ¡°Common folk like her won¡¯t be able to see through this illusion.¡± Leona watched as he headed down the hill. On that note, she decided to turn around and head to the training grounds. While walking through the trail, her eyes wouldn¡¯t come off from the staff. She could feel the faint magical aura it emitted but other than that it seemed like a normal piece of branch. ¡°How is this going to help me?¡± She extended it towards the open sky amidst the trees. ¡°Crushing wind!¡± Despite the staff, the moderate blast of wind generated from her hand opened a gap between the tree tops. Not only she didn¡¯t cast through the magical tool, but the spell was considerably weaker as if her power was being dampened by something. ¡®Something isn¡¯t right¡­¡¯ She was racking her mind trying to understand how to use it but outside of having a general feel for its power, she was clueless on how to proceed. ¡®I should just go to the training grounds¡­¡¯ Though she was somewhat disappointed with her own inability to figure out how to use the staff, she was determined to grow stronger and prepared to train as soon as she reached the clearing amidst the trees. The vast field of grass had dew drops forming at the end of the leaves and with the rise of the morning sun, the same droplets of water created a shining reflection of the sunlight. The refreshing cold air paired with an earthly and grassy scent made her feel more awake. ¡°Mmmmm¡­¡± She stretched her arm out while also raising her left amputated arm. There was a slight crack along the joints in her spine as a blissful sensation coursed throughout her back. After stretching, she walked to the middle of the grassfield and raised the staff towards the sky once again. ¡°Maybe I just need to go back to the basics¡­¡± She closed her eyes and took a slow and deep breath. As fresh cold air filled her lungs, she clenched her fingers around the staff and started to chant the simplest spell she knew. ¡°Winds of time, grant thy power upon myself, Windshot!¡± However, as opposed to her expectations of simply evoking the spell itself, she managed to launch the staff airborne which resulted in it flipping twice in the air before falling back down on her face. ¡°Gah!¡± She tripped backwards and fell on her back against the wet grass. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to use a staff for the first time. Maybe you shouldn¡¯t be trying to use a spell made for hunting.¡± Leona turned her eyes up and Setsuna was standing just above her using her own staff to support her weight. ¡°Good morning Lady Setsuna.¡± The tactician turned to her right and used the forearm in order to stand up. Her cotton shirt was now wet throughout her back and right side. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to see you here this early.¡± The shrine maiden smiled discreetly. ¡°Good morning to you too, Lady Leona. Sir Krieg¡¯s training also starts early.¡± She answered while using her left hand to levitate Leona¡¯s staff off the grass. ¡°I hope you are making meaningful progress with your own training as well.¡± ¡°If you count smacking myself on the forehead with my own staff as training, I¡¯d say I¡¯m doing pretty well.¡± She grabbed the floating staff and her eyes couldn¡¯t help themselves but gravitate towards the intricate looking staff that Setsuna held. It was made out of wood similar to hers but the shaft was made out of multiple branches that twirled around to form a sturdy body that divided itself at the end in a circle. At the very center of the circle, a square shaped carved stone hung from the top of the staff with multiple hemp strings connecting the two. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll head back to the other two. I need to oversee his training after all.¡± She bowed slightly before turning around. Leona waved her hand while holding the staff. ¡°Well now¡­¡± After seeing her off, the tactician returned to her own training. ¡°...I think I should just wait for Yuna.¡± She approached a tree near the trail and left the staff leaning against its trunk before walking back towards the middle of the grassfield. There, she proceeded to train as usual as she waited for her instructor. After taking a deep breath, she focused on the center of her chest with her closed fist near it. Strings of mana began to creep up from her chest towards her right shoulder and finally coiled around her forearm as it gathered at her clenching fist. Her scarred fingers trembled while she compressed her mana into a singular point in the middle of her hand before transforming the raw magical power into a condensed blast of wind towards the sky with her open palm. ¡°Ugh!¡± She stumbled as her arm was thrown back from the recoil. Though painful, she needed to increase her own mana capacity through usage of powerful spells. Yuna¡¯s voice rang clear in her mind. ¡°If you keep constantly using powerful spells that quickly deplete your mana reserves, that¡¯ll teach your body and soul that you require more mana.¡± Leona took another deep breath as she started to gather mana throughout her body for another powerful spell. As opposed to mana originating only from the center of her chest, her entire body started to glow a soft blue hue. She curled her fingers slightly inwards as fire started to crackle from a dark blue flame swirling in the middle of her palm. The intense heat was making the thin hairs on her arms curl. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± She envisioned a violent blast just like the one she showed Robert¡ªbut this time, as opposed to using the aid of spirits, she was fully utilizing her own mana to fuel the spell. The flame was becoming even more intense as she extended her arm towards the sky. From her eyes, the blue flame was turning the sky equally dark. ¡°Fireball!¡± She yelled as she evoked a blast of wind to launch the sphere a few hundred meters in the air. Her body felt a bout of mana shock as her right knee hit the ground. However, it was not enough to make her avert her eyes from the massive explosion that tarnished the sky. A circular blast of azure flames scorched the air and a secondary ring of fire spread out from the epicenter of the initial explosion. The violent shockwave traveled through the air and made her fall on her back. ¡°Woah¡­!¡± The air crackled as the powerful overpressure rippled across the trees, prompting birds that were resting in them to fly away in a panic. Even the morning dew that formed amongst the blades of grass were also swept clean by the spell¡¯s aftermath. That was by far, the most potent magic she had ever cast while only using her own mana to fuel it. Though in turn, she felt almost completely spent. It was as if she used every last bit of mana she had. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Symptoms from lack of mana were settling in as her vision started to become blurry. She clutched the side of her face as she took quick and sharp breaths to offset the dizziness. ¡°Leona!¡± The familiar voice of her instructor came from the right and as she tilted her head that way, she noticed Yuna running at her with a surprised expression on her face. ¡°Were you the one who unleashed this spell just now?!¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± She was sprawled on the grass while glancing at her from the corner of her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m thoroughly spent¡­¡± With those last words, Leona blacked out. Yuna smiled warmly at her¡ªseeing someone do her best in training was something the young shrine maiden was fond of seeing. She kneeled beside her and placed her small hand on the tactician¡¯s forehead. ¡°You did great. Leona.¡± Chapter CXLVI: Preparation It was morning when Krieg had finally earned a break from his training. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He was drenched in sweat and had one knee on the grass while holding a wooden sword borrowed from Setsuna. On the opposite side, his father was tapping the practice wooden blade on his left hand seemingly with no signs of exertion. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? Overwhelming strength is not the answer against a skilled opponent.¡± He didn¡¯t seem impressed. ¡°You¡¯re falling back to Eleonorian swordsmanship.¡± ¡°That¡­ that is the only way I know how to fight¡­¡± Despite Krieg¡¯s strength, his father was proving to be quite an opponent. Four of five bouts was his loss with the last being a draw. ¡°And that is the problem. If you encounter an opponent that has the skill to match your strength, there is barely anything you can do to fight back. Techniques are the foundation of swordsmanship, they allow you to adapt to any given situation and respond accordingly.¡± ¡°Then you propose I learn proper techniques? Where on earth will I ever come across another swordsman like you?¡± ¡°On any battlefield. If you prepare for the worst, you¡¯ll be able to come out on top. Besides, what is important here is not just your own safety but the person relying on you.¡± Krieg¡¯s expression darkened as the first thought that came to his mind was. ¡®Leona¡­¡¯ ¡°Plowing through opponents might be easy for you as a dragon and oni descendant. Might naturally run through your veins, but it is not the same for those around you.¡± He pointed the training sword at him. ¡°While a solid blow with this sword might only bruise you¡ªthe same cannot be said of your liege. It might knock her out or even prove fatal.¡± ¡°...¡± The knight looked at the training sword full of dents and marks of previous clashes. Those were proof of his inability to fight against his own father. He stood up and exhaled slowly before pointing the sword at him. ¡°Teach me all there is to know about these techniques then.¡± Miyamoto twirled the sword downwards and smiled. ¡°Lady Setsuna, I¡¯ll need that shield now.¡± The shrine maiden who was simply observing from the sidelines went around a nearby tree and grabbed a round shield made of wood. She tossed it to the knight, who grabbed the piece of wood mid air. ¡°What the¡­¡± Krieg had a puzzled expression on his face. ¡°Never seen a shield before?¡± His father asked while chuckling. ¡°I have, I just never used it.¡± ¡°I supposed the Eleonorian knights wouldn¡¯t have any use for a shield against beasts that could gobble them down in one bite. However, you are no longer fighting against beasts. Your opponents are sentient humans who know how to inflict pain in the most effective way possible.¡± He raised the training sword and rested its wooden blade against his own right shoulder. ¡°Your job is to protect Leona and what better way to protect her than using a shield?¡± ¡°I thought you meant sword techniques?¡± ¡°I never said you wouldn¡¯t be using a sword.¡± He started to walk around him while explaining. ¡°Bash, shove, deflect, defend, attack¡ªthe possibilities are endless if you know how to use it alongside your blade.¡± He raised each of his left fingers as he pointed out the strengths of having a shield. ¡°That being said, it is equally important to fight against a skilled opponent in order to learn first hand how to utilize all those options.¡± Krieg turned the shield around and held it by the center handle before bending his knees slightly, ready to fight.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Very well¡­ teach me all there is to it.¡± Just as they were about to spar, a huge explosion followed with a wind shockwave came through the trees from behind Setsuna, who also looked over her shoulder only to witness a sizable azure blast set the sky ablaze. ¡°Ho¡­¡± The shrine maiden had a smirk on her face. ¡°Not bad at all¡­¡± Krieg glanced at the lingering flames from the explosion before returning his attention towards the opponent in front of him. It was a reminder that his liege was training just as hard as him. He pointed the training sword at his father. ¡°Teach me everything you know so I can become the one to protect her!¡± ¡°By all means!¡± The clashes between wooden sword and shield could be heard from where Yuna was sitting down as she administered mana directly through Leona¡¯s wrist. A faint light blue glow could be seen coming off from the shrine maiden¡¯s body and going through her mana gates. ¡°Nngh¡­¡± Leona mumbled as she was regaining consciousness. The clear blue sky greeted her blinking eyes as she tilted her head around only to see Yuna smiling at her. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good¡­ morning?¡± Her speech was slightly muddled as she was squinting her eyes. ¡°Where¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, this must be a moderate case of mana shock.¡± She gently approached Leona¡¯s face with her left hand and kept her right eye open while raising her right index finger just above her. ¡°Wha¡­ what are you doing?¡± ¡°Examining you.¡± The tip of her finger began to shine brightly and Leona¡¯s reaction was to tilt her head away from it but Yuna kept a firm grip on the side of her face. She was checking for her pupil¡¯s reaction to light. As she approached her shining finger to her face, the pupil quickly constricted to protect her iris from the excess light. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Yuna let out a discreet relieved sigh. ¡°You¡¯re fine. Thankfully it¡¯s just a moderate mana shock.¡± She let go of her face. ¡°You should be more careful when casting spells.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m trying my best.¡± Despite seeing no obvious damage to her brain as she was capable of cohesive speech¡ªYuna was still somewhat worried about her condition. She raised her left hand to the side of her head and thought. ¡®Dad.¡¯ There was a lingering sensation of emptiness until a few seconds later she heard a reply through her mind. ¡®What do you need, Yuna?¡¯ ¡®Miss Leona just had a moderate case of mana shock.¡¯ ¡®I see. Is she responsive?¡¯ ¡®Yes, but her speech is a bit jumbled.¡¯ ¡®What about her eyes? Do her pupils respond to stimuli?¡¯ ¡®Yes.¡¯ ¡®Provide her some mana and check after ten minutes if her speech is still muddled.¡¯ ¡®Okay will do. Thank you dad.¡¯ She followed with his instructions and began to administer another dose of mana through Leona¡¯s mana gate. ¡°Nngh¡­¡± She writhed in discomfort, but Yuna continued to supply her mana. ¡°Bear with me for a moment, it¡¯s important that you recover quickly at this stage.¡± The shrine maiden¡¯s mana acted akin to her father¡¯s as it took more of a viscous liquid appearance rather than anything solid as it was seeping through Leona¡¯s wrist. That was the second time Leona received another person¡¯s mana, but this time she was conscious and the process itself was less remarkable than what previous theorizing would otherwise suggest. It felt like she was being forcefully fed and her body would feel bloated in the same way as if she had eaten a feast, but as opposed to food, mana transference left a perplexing feeling of reinvigorating vitality that she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on. After a few minutes had passed, Leona finally had a distinct glint in her eyes as if she was brought back from an otherworldly experience. She sat up and looked around before rubbing the corner of her eyes with her right finger. ¡°Ngh¡­ what happened?¡± ¡°You suffered a moderate mana shock.¡± Yuna explained as she stood up. ¡°I know I said you¡¯d need to push yourself beyond your limits but this was a close call. If you go too far you might end up frying your brain.¡± She looked at her own hand which felt like there was still a lingering vestige of the fire spell she cast previously. Recalling through her memories made her grasp the moment she had ¡®run out¡¯ of mana. The sensation was equally exhilarating as it was dangerous and in that moment, she realized that she had effectively ¡®died¡¯ during a short period of time that she had no more mana inside her body. ¡°Yuna.¡± She called out to her without looking away from her own hand. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve got the feeling down.¡± ¡°You have?¡± ¡°Yes. Using all your mana and consequently recovering it makes you capable to accumulate even more mana.¡± She turned to her with a confident look in her eyes. ¡°It all comes down to ¡®remolding¡¯ one¡¯s soul, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Yuna¡¯s expression went from raised eyebrows expressing doubt to glistering eyes of pride. ¡°Yes! That is exactly why!¡± Leona smiled as she closed her hand in a tight fist. There was progress, something she hasn''t felt in literal ages. She stood up and looked towards the sky. ¡°Another step closer to my goal.¡± The bright sun felt warm against her back and her eyes were filled with determination. Chapter CXLVII: Gamble Arcadia was in a state of unrest ever since the new king had taken the throne. Demons, demi-humans and any other race that wasn¡¯t human or high elf was to be executed on sight. Though Alexander himself didn¡¯t even bother with the slums where most of the demon population resided¡ªthe royal knights would take upon themselves to cleanse their homeland from ¡®demon filth¡¯. In the castle¡¯s backyard that was previously tended by all kinds of workers was now a barren landscape devoid of life. Alexander was standing beside a withered tree overlooking the city with five knights around him. ¡°Why do we even bother waiting? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just march at them head on?¡± None of the knights said a word, in fact, they were simply standing around him as if waiting for orders. ¡®And risk losing everything?¡¯ A formless voice echoed inside his mind. It was almost as old as humanity itself. ¡®No, until we know for sure where that damnable sword is, we¡¯ll wait. Time is on our side after all.¡¯ ¡°Demonkind can¡¯t do anything about us.¡± He turned around and motioned with his open palm towards the knights behind him. ¡°Or them.¡± ¡®That young woman, Leona wasn¡¯t it? She will prove to be more than just a nuisance to us.¡¯ ¡°Her? Pfft! She couldn¡¯t even land a spell on me. What makes you think she stands a chance against us?¡± ¡®If she has that sword, it¡¯ll all be over for us. Just like before.¡¯ ¡°What is so special about this weapon? Isn¡¯t it just a sword?¡± ¡®Remind yourself that my original body was destroyed by that same sword. A flimsy human like you can hardly stand a chance against it.¡¯ ¡°Please Akantor, we¡¯ve been through this many times before.¡± Alexander¡¯s right hand crackled with dark red electricity. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to reach me. With your might and my wits combined, there is nothing we have to fear.¡± ¡®Your ¡®borrowed¡¯ strength has its limits. Should I wish for it, your body will have nothing left but dust.¡¯ ¡°What? And risk losing the only anchor you have left on this world? Do you realize how many know how to commute to dragons in this day and age? I can tell you, it¡¯s not that many.¡± He walked past the knights who sluggishly turned along and followed him. ¡°Besides, these homunculi are your only chance at acquiring a physical body, no? I would be a bit more cooperative if I were you.¡± ¡®You are underestimating me, human. I am the dragon amongst dragons, I praised your courage to commute with me, but you¡¯re nothing but a stepping stone.¡¯ ¡°I know that much.¡± Upon heading inside the castle. Alexander was greeted by a royal knight who knelt while wielding a lance. ¡°Your eminence.¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°We have quelled the rebellion in the slums.¡± ¡°Ho? They were indeed planning for one, I see. What about the bodies?¡± ¡°...we brought them to the castle¡¯s basement.¡± ¡°Very good. Keep up the good work.¡± Alexander had a tint of excitement in his steps and as he made his way past the royal knight, the other knights mindlessly followed behind him which made the man wielding the lance put his left fist close to his chest with a faint whisper under his breath. ¡°Goddess preserve us¡­¡± The castle basement. Previously a place to hold supplies in case of war, was now a laboratory filled with all manner of tools for dismemberment and vats filled to the brim with a semi-transparent light blue liquid. Globules of light floated around the corners of the stone room as Alexander made his way to the pile of bodies in the middle of it. There were at least thirty to fifty individuals of all ages and sizes, not that it mattered much for him as all of them were just ¡®materials¡¯ in his eyes. ¡°Just normal ones huh?¡± He turned to the five knights behind him and took half a step to the side. ¡°You can eat these.¡± As soon as he spoke those words, the knight¡¯s armor began to tremble as if it wasn¡¯t made of metal and instead liquified into a viscous semi-transparent gelatin that slowly crawled towards the bodies. As the five slimes reached the pile, a sizzling sound of dissolving matter echoed around the room. ¡°Good¡­ good¡­ eat and become stronger.¡± Slimes, or their more advanced counterpart, homunculi. Man-made ¡®monstrosities¡¯ that are capable of thought to a certain degree. Highly resistant to physical attacks and unusually resilient against magic. They embody the physicality of those that they eat¡ªthough the process is slow, it can be sped up by giving them more of the same kind of ¡®material¡¯. Alexander began to crackle in a malevolent laughter. ¡°We¡¯ll conquer the world and make it a place free of demons.¡± His crackling could be heard echoing in the basement room. At the same time in the eastern continent, Leona was still practicing without the staff¡ªdestroying static rock targets created by Yuna on the training grounds. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The tactician held her arm out towards a destroyed smoldering rock pillar. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel as straining as before. But it is still quite difficult to cast without chanting.¡± Yuna discreetly clapped while praising. ¡°Your accuracy is quite remarkable for someone that hasn¡¯t been training to become a mage.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Since you are fairly adept at hitting targets, I think we can move on to something a bit more difficult.¡± She snapped her fingers and the rock pillars crumbled to dust. ¡°Come, follow me.¡± She started to make her way to the cliff they rested on the day before. ¡°Alright.¡± After a bit of a walk, they made it past the trees and were now overlooking the big blue in front of them. The sun was right behind Leona which made the horizon look even more relaxing with the gentle chilly breeze brushing against her face. ¡°I¡¯ll make a target for you.¡± Yuna raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. The waters about fifty meters off the shore began to bubble before pillars of stone were erected from the surface. They didn¡¯t seem any different from the practice targets Leona was firing against earlier. ¡°Why on the ocean?¡± The tactician asked. ¡°I¡¯ll reinforce them with magic, think of those pillars as enemy mages with mana protection.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. So I¡¯m supposed to go all out with my spells?¡± ¡°Use just enough force to break them.¡± With another snap of her fingers¡ªthe pillars began to glow light blue. ¡°I¡¯ve enchanted them with magic resilience equivalent to what a normal mage would be able to pull off.¡± ¡°I thought I was supposed to increase my mana pool.¡± ¡°You will. I adjusted the amount of targets to be just above your mana capacity.¡± ¡®Which means I won¡¯t get away with it unless I go into a light mana shock.¡¯ Leona thought as her focus sharpened on the targets. Five out of six were clumped up together while the last one stood further back from the main cluster. ¡®Very well¡­ one good fireball should do the trick.¡¯Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! She raised her hand towards the middle of the pillars and took a slow, deep breath. Differently from before, the mana from her body was taking the shape of multiple small light blue strings curling around her arm as opposed to only a handful as it accreted towards her open palm. The light blue sphere of mana began to swirl around itself as it started to glow a dark blue color. Leona pictured the size of the explosion in her mind and more mana was fed into the spell, but in doing so, the heat was becoming unbearable. ¡°Ugh.¡± Her scarred fingers were tingling from the scorching mana and she was beginning to lose the sensation around her fingertips. ¡°Argh¡­¡± She curled her fingers slightly inwards as she took part of the mana that comprised the spell and reinforced the protection around her hand. She gathered more mana around her wrist in a ring which started to spin around her limb. With a determined shout, she launched the spell forward in a violent rush of air that brushed the tree¡¯s branches and leaves behind. ¡°Fireball!¡± The projectile left a trail of blue flames in an arc through the air as it collided against the central pillar before releasing a high pressure wave of air as it erupted into a blaze towards the sky¡ªtransforming the stone pillar into smoldering molten rock. Leona had a smirk of confidence as she shielded her face from the air rushing past her. However, despite the spell¡¯s power, it was still not enough to fully destroy the other pillars around it. The closest ones were about eight meters from the epicenter of the blast and were melted but not entirely destroyed, while the one further back had no signs of damage whatsoever. After taking another look at the result, Leona brought her right hand close to her chin with frowned brows of disbelief. The pillars began to slowly reconstruct themselves, accreting earth matter on top of the damaged parts to form anew. ¡°Tsk.¡± Leona clicked her tongue as she took another deep breath. ¡°Perhaps if I add more wind magic¡­¡± Yuna watched from further back with a smile on her face¡ªwhich shortly after noticing herself smiling, she coughed discreetly to wipe the expression off her face. ¡®This young woman really is incredible¡­¡¯ The shrine maiden thought. ¡®Father was really right, imagination is the most powerful weapon a mage can have.¡¯ ¡°Yuna.¡± Leona called out for her which made the young shrine maiden jump in surprise. ¡°Y-yes?¡± She was looking over her shoulder with her arm raised as if ready to make a spell. ¡°Is it possible to increase the blast force of ¡®Fireball¡¯ through wind magic?¡± ¡°The short answer is yes. But it is extremely difficult to do so.¡± ¡°Really now? Could you teach me?¡± Yuna scratched the back of her head before walking beside her. ¡°I can try.¡± She extended her right arm out. ¡°Do you know how fires work?¡± ¡°Are you talking about the chain reactions necessary to make a fire? That would be fuel, heat and oxygen.¡± ¡°Very well. Now I¡¯ll propose a question for you to answer your own inquiry. What is the difference between a fire and an explosion?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Leona twisted her mouth a bit and frowned her brows. ¡°I think the main difference would be how we fuel it.¡± ¡°Close, but not quite.¡± She evoked a small orange flame on the palm of her hand. ¡°If I were to only add fuel, or rather, mana to this spell. It would only result in making a stronger fire.¡± As she spoke those words, liquid-like mana started to seep through her wrist into the spell, which made the flame bigger and brighter. Leona began to slowly nod, although her frowned brows indicated that she was still a bit frustrated. ¡°Right¡­ that makes sense.¡± ¡°And if I were to add more oxygen to the mix¡­¡± Her fingers curled and twisted inwards ever so slightly, creating a circular vortex of concentrated oxygen that turned the flame blue. ¡°It would only make it hotter.¡± ¡°If increasing both doesn¡¯t result in a more powerful explosion¡­¡± Upon closing her eyes, Leona remembered something that happened a long time ago. Explosive flour. The image was still painted vividly in her mind as she let out a gasp. ¡°So if I make those react rapidly with the fire-¡± ¡°-It¡¯ll create a far more powerful explosion.¡± Both of them said the same sentence with the shrine maiden dispelling the spell before clapping her hands. ¡°Yes, that is exactly it. However, knowing the theory and putting it into practice are two entirely different things.¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite aware.¡± Leona took half step forward and raised her hand towards the pillars that were now in perfect condition once again. ¡°Here goes¡­¡± She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Time seemed to come to a crawl as she felt every single fiber of her being concentrated into the success of this spell. The warm sun and chilly breeze were no more as if she had shut off every other sensation not necessary for spell casting. Thin strings of mana gathered from around her feet and it crawled upwards towards her chest twisting around her limbs before finally coalescing around her shoulder. However, as opposed to going towards her palm, this excess mana was flowering out of her arm, gathering more mana from the air around her before once again twisting around and returning to her limb as it accumulated near her wrist. Yuna¡¯s eyes slowly widened in disbelief as the azure fireball began to swirl around a second smaller orb inside of itself made of pure mana and air. The air around her was shimmering from the intense heat; her shoulder length blonde hair was being sucked towards the fire as it was pulling all air around her into the spell. The orb of fire was becoming even more intense but she showed no signs of pain despite the skin of her fingers beginning to melt. Yuna had to intervene. ¡°Leona! Release that spell now!¡± Her voice snapped the tactician out of her trance and she instinctively used a powerful blast of wind to launch the spell towards the targets. At the same time, Yuna stood in front of her and extended both hands forward. Light blue hexagons quickly formed in a semi-circle in front of them. Leona¡¯s eyes instinctively moved from the shrine maiden towards the pillar that she had shot the spell at and there was just about half a second where she noticed the azure fireball making contact against the rock. The orb touched the target and in a blink of an eye, everything became too bright for her to look directly. A few seconds after she closed her eyes, she heard the sound reverberating through the air and shortly after that, the actual shockwave came and snapped the trees around them in half. ¡°Ugh!¡± Yuna grunted as part of her mana shield was disrupted due the sheer force of the impact. The intense heat was making the grass around them to smolder and catch fire despite being green. Part of the cliff was destroyed from the blast and the pillars that were supposed to be targets were now completely gone alongside part of the waters below which made the ocean wash the shore with water anew. The shrine maiden let her right knee touch the withered grass below her. Her breathing was rugged and shallow. ¡®I wasn¡¯t expecting her to pull it off the first time¡­¡¯ She glanced at her trembling right hand as her thoughts ran wild. ¡®If this was actual combat what would I-¡¯ ¡°Yuna! Leona!¡± A male voice rang behind them. Robert was back¡ªcarrying a crystalized left arm on his right hand. ¡°Are you two alright?!¡± His daughter looked over her shoulder and gave him a slight nod. Leona on the other hand was still looking around her¡ªoverwhelmed by the sheer firepower she had discovered within herself. With the trees snapped in half, smoldering dry grass, as the still ringing sound of the explosion in her ears, she was in all sense of the word, shell shocked. Robert approached her and looked in her wide open eyes as he motioned with his left index finger pointed towards his left ear. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± Leona¡¯s eyes slowly turned to him, but all she could perceive was him trying to speak to her¡ªnothing else other than the low ringing sound was heard by her. Robert then shifted his focus to Yuna. ¡°Let¡¯s stop training for now, you two need to take a break.¡± ¡°...understood.¡± He snapped his left fingers and the fires were suddenly snuffed out. He raised the crystalized arm and with another snap, made it vanish with a distortion in the air as if it was sent to another plane of existence. With Leona blankly staring at him, he shook his hand in front of her but she kept staring past him as if she saw a ghost. ¡°Hmm¡­ this isn¡¯t good¡­¡± He gently placed his arm behind her back and another underneath her knees before lifting her up. ¡°If anyone asks, tell the others I¡¯ll be taking Leona here for a few hours. If I don¡¯t treat this now it¡¯ll be problematic later on.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± He turned around to leave but not before looking at his daughter over his shoulder. ¡°...and I¡¯ll have to speak with you about what happened here later.¡± She bowed down while swallowing dry. ¡°...I understand.¡± He snapped his fingers and vanished out of thin air. Right after that her knees gave out as she fell on all fours on the grass. ¡°I¡¯ve failed them both¡­¡± She punched the ground with a tight right fist. Meanwhile, back at the secret laboratory, Robert placed a visibly shaken Leona sat up on the table in the middle of the room full where he had different vats filled with testing subjects as well as the three women in suspended animation. He placed his left forearm and swept the things that were on the table before pulling a wooden crate from underneath it and putting it in front of himself. ¡°Right¡­ so I¡¯ll need a syringe, needle, alcohol and mana¡­¡± He quickly went through the assorted items, a metallic syringe body, a thin needle and a bottle of whiskey. He separated them on top of the table before realizing. ¡°Tsk¡­ need to disinfect it¡­¡± He made a sphere of water on his left hand which quickly began to create small azure fires that coated the sphere¡¯s surface in a blaze. In a very short span of time he had a floating body of boiling water. He lowered to the height of the table before tossing the metallic syringe and needle inside of it. His right hand then started to glow light blue up just before his elbow and with no hesitation at all, he dunked his entire arm inside the ball of boiling water. He assembled it both after drying it out with wind magic while discarding the water he had used on the floor. A quick glance at Leona showed she had no signs of recovering any time soon. Robert flipped the syringe on his hand and without showing any hesitation, stabbed himself on the left forearm before pulling out what seemed to be a golden colored liquid, aether. ¡°There.¡± He then cleaned the needle with whiskey and flicked the needle with his right finger and pushed the syringe upwards until some of the liquid came out of it. ¡°Good, no air.¡± He then turned to Leona, who still didn¡¯t seem to react to anything. ¡°I¡¯m not giving up on you just yet.¡± He dumped the rest of the whiskey on her right arm before tossing the empty bottle inside the crate and held her forearm with his right hand. He slowly inserted the needle in her vein before injecting the concentrated aether into her body. With the bright concentrated mana coursing through her veins, Robert left the empty syringe on the table and held her right hand with both of his. His eyes began to emit a golden glow. ¡°Let¡¯s see what your inner world looks like.¡± Chapter CXLVIII: Another Self Leona¡¯s consciousness was floating amidst the darkness until she suddenly woke up surrounded by trees in a dimly lit clearing. ¡®My¡­ inner world?¡¯ She was with her back laid against the soft verdant grass before standing up. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Something caught her eye when looking down towards herself. As opposed to the white cotton shirt and cotton shorts she was given by Setsuna¡ªshe was wearing her usual clothing when she was merely a ¡®princess tactician¡¯. The frilly purple dress waved slightly against the chilly breeze blowing from behind her, the dark purple corset felt tighter on her body while the dark blue shawl resting on her shoulders was tied with an aquamarine brooch. Though despite the awfully familiar getup, her mother¡¯s pendant was nowhere to be found. ¡®What is happening here¡­?¡¯ While she took time to ponder¡ªthe gentle breeze picked up speed and started to become more like a strong gale. She instinctively looked from where the wind was coming and noticed a path in between the trees towards another clearing. ¡°...¡± As if following her instincts, her bare feet began to move towards it. Although she was still missing her left arm, she didn¡¯t feel fear. Maybe because she was aware it was her inner world, but something else was compelling her to act. A deep seated sensation of ¡®loss¡¯ was crawling up from her gullet as if she had given up on something or someone. Though it was strange, those were not her own feelings but from someone else¡¯s. She had regrets, but none of them involved ¡®loss¡¯ or ¡®giving up¡¯. Those would be all too easy to forget¡ªno, her mistake in her eyes was not being strong enough to protect those dear to her and life had taught her a harsh lesson. One that she would not soon forget. That ¡®sensation¡¯ felt different and despite being in her inner world, she could tell something was off as her bare feet brushed against the grass that became thinner and worn as if that trail had been walked on countless times. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± An oddly familiar voice addressed her as she reached the clearing. Her eyes trailed up from the ground towards the elevated center of the clearing where she noticed a blonde long haired woman with her back turned towards her. She wore a full set of Londrian combat uniform, high dark leather boots, black trousers with reinforced knee-pads, a thick leather belt with satchels attached to both sides of her hips and finally a long sleeved coat with golden detailed pauldrons and sleeves. Shock washed over Leona¡¯s face as the woman turned around to face her. A battle scarred empress stood in front of her. The self same aquamarine eyes were devoid of purity and compassion¡ªinstead they regarded Leona as weak and inferior. ¡°You¡­¡± Leona uttered under her breath. ¡°You¡¯re the one who holds the title of ¡®Empress of Annihilation¡¯. The woman scoffed as a mocking smile curled up her face. ¡°I started out the same as you. As the ¡®Princess Tactician¡¯.¡± She raised her left arm, which revealed a mechanical hand that creaked as the metal workings grinded against one another. ¡°Though you could say I had a more, ¡®direct¡¯, approach to matters that concerned us.¡± She then opened her metallic hand and slowly lowered it with a disappointed sigh. ¡°But you, not only you lost your arm to a creature, let alone one that could have been defeated through might alone, you chose to protect that woman? I can¡¯t believe someone like you can be myself.¡± Her words prompted Leona to clench her hand tightly before brandishing her arm in front of her. ¡°You speak of might, but what of you then? You lost your people, your kingdom, everything you fought for was for nothing!¡± ¡°Hah! As if I needed any of that.¡± She raised her right arm to the sky and the air began to crackle. ¡°The only ¡®kingdom¡¯ I need is myself.¡± Mana began to swirl around the empress¡¯ arm like a wind vortex as it sucked in more mana from the environment. Quickly accreting mana at the center of her palm, the basketball sized sphere of pure magic was becoming engulfed in azure flames. The heat was starting to make nearby treetops to smolder. At that point Leona turned her full attention to the woman in front of her as she shouted atop of her lungs. ¡°What are you doing-?!¡± ¡°If my words could not convince you¡ªthis might!¡± She had a malevolent smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered what would happen if ¡®I¡¯ died in this world!¡± ¡®She¡¯s actually serious about this!¡¯ Leona quickly jumped back and tried to cast an ice spear aimed towards her opponent¡¯s arm to at least disrupt her spell but the moment the ice projectile got too close to the empress, it simply melted into vapor. ¡°Ngh!¡± She took a few more steps back before trying to charge another spell, only for her mana to fizzle out and become even more fuel for the empress¡¯ spell. ¡°Wha-!¡± ¡°Your power means nothing to me!¡± She took a step forward. ¡°I will kill you here and take control of ¡®my¡¯ body!¡± As all hope seems lost, an exasperated sigh came from somewhere behind Leona. ¡°Enough of your antics. You¡¯re not even real for god¡¯s sake.¡± Upon turning around, she noticed Robert standing right behind her with his middle finger cocked behind his thumb as he pointed his hand towards the empress. ¡°Get down Leona.¡± Her eyes went wide as she noticed the inhuman amount of mana that was gathering around him. That brief second was all she needed before she threw herself on the ground. As he flicked his finger, there was a sudden change in the air before the entire landscape in front of Leona was blasted into oblivion by wind pressure alone¡ªleaving only a conal crater of earth and pieces of obliterated trees scattered along the path. When she looked up and noticed the destruction, nothing else other than pure disbelief came to her mind. ¡°What in the world¡­?¡± ¡°Sorry, I wish I could¡¯ve done a cleaner job but-¡± He walked beside her and offered his hand. ¡°-your mind has left me no other choice.¡± Leona was disoriented due to the high concentration of mana in the air. Her ears were ringing and all she could notice was the hand offered to her. Upon looking up, Robert gave her a faint smile with a nod. She took his hand and stood up. With a snap of his fingers, Robert dispersed the mana surrounding them. ¡°Can you hear me now?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He asked as she was blinking from the sudden change in the atmosphere. ¡°Y-yeah. Thank you for helping me but how are you even here?¡± ¡°This is something of a communion ritual. I¡¯ll spare you the details for now, but I came here to help you get out of this place.¡± ¡°Huh? Why are you saying that?¡± ¡°Do you not remember what happened before you came here?¡± Something stirred within her once he said those words. As she stopped for a few seconds to ponder¡ªshe realized there was a gap in her memories. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t. I don¡¯t know. I was training with Yuna and then I did something, but I can¡¯t seem to recall it.¡± ¡°I see. That is the root of your trauma then.¡± He nodded to himself. ¡°Very well.¡± With one snap, the entire environment around them began to change. The ground trembled as if an earthquake was beginning to happen until all the trees around them were swallowed by giant cracks forming in the earth. The ground began to grow grass as if renewed by the trees it had absorbed and soon, the dense forest had transformed itself into a vast grassland save for the giant tree stump that remained in the same place. Leona was turning around as she witnessed the transformation of her inner world take place right before her eyes. ¡°What the¡­¡± She muttered in disbelief as she turned to him. ¡°How did you do this?¡± ¡°To put it simply, I temporarily merged part of my soul with yours. That is why about three fourths of this inner world is under my command.¡± He walked beside her and crossed his arms while slightly lowering his head. Leona on the other hand followed him with her eyes as she asked a question with a raised eyebrow. ¡°How can you have such a high amount of control if this is my inner world to begin with?¡± ¡°Yours is just that much less dense than mine. Besides, I have a promise to keep and I¡¯m not about to let you stop growing stronger because of a trauma you suffered here.¡± ¡°You keep saying trauma but I-¡± He raised his right hand and snapped¡ªrecreating vivid images in the air as he was taking care of her in his lab. ¡°This is how you look in the real world. See the eyes? You basically had a mind shut down there.¡± She couldn¡¯t tear her eyes off the transparent screen made of reverberating air. ¡°Is that¡­ me?¡± The sight of her blank expression made her feel extremely uncomfortable. ¡°No¡­ that can¡¯t be me¡­¡± ¡°It is you. But if you listen to me, I¡¯ll be able to get you out of here.¡± He looked her in the eyes. ¡°Tell me Leona. What is it that you fear so much in magic? Why have you gone to such lengths to learn it, only to hold back?¡± ¡°Fear? Hold back? What are you talking about?¡± She slowly shook her head as she repeated his words with a skeptical expression on her face¡ªthough there was a nagging sensation of insecurity deep down that she couldn¡¯t shake off no matter how confident she made herself sound. ¡°I have been doing the best I can to keep everyone around me safe.¡± ¡°Safe, from your enemies or yourself?¡± Those words felt like multiple daggers being stabbed through her stomach. She opened her mouth with anger in her eyes but no words came out. ¡°You know I¡¯m right.¡± ¡°I¡­ I have been doing my best! Every fight, every struggle, every battle I fought tooth and nail with everything I had!¡± He sighed but he didn¡¯t seem bothered by her outburst, in fact he had a smug expression on his face. ¡°Leona, do you know what is the most common cause of death for battle mages? Mana shock.¡± ¡°...¡± She stared at him without saying anything. After his hurtful words, there wasn¡¯t really much of a reason for her to keep talking to him at that point. ¡°When the overwhelming rush of adrenaline overcomes them, only a mild to a severe case of mana shock will knock them down. Of course, you¡¯re no stranger to combat by now¡ªbut even so, I¡¯m sure there were times that you could unleash your full power, but most battles you have fought had only you use just enough to defeat your enemy.¡± She brandished her right arm out and brought an open palm towards her missing left arm. ¡°What about this then?! Are you telling me I haven¡¯t been giving my all?!¡± ¡°Leona. You¡¯re missing the point here.¡± He tilted his head slightly up. ¡°The power you wield serves no bad or good. It is merely a tool. A tool which you are failing to make the most use out of.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Then please enlighten me with your boundless knowledge!¡± ¡°If you lack firepower, you need to make up for it in accuracy.¡± He raised his left hand towards the horizon while the right snapped and created a person sized rock pillar. ¡°In your case, you merely took a shortcut to power by using Kaeli¡¯s mana to fuel your aether blade which resulted in losing your arm.¡± ¡°I bet it would be too easy to say those things if I also had countless years to work with.¡± He sighed and flicked his hand towards her with disdain. ¡°I won¡¯t be wasting both of our time trying to talk this out just to make a point. I¡¯ll just show you instead.¡± With another snap of his fingers, Leona was teleported beside the rock pillar¡ªdisoriented as she looked to the horizon¡ªa bright light began to gather at the dot that was now Robert. ¡®That¡­¡¯ Her eyes went wide as she realized he was aiming towards her direction. ¡®He¡¯s not intending to fire that spell at this thing is he?!¡¯ Her first thought was to run away from it, but her mind was invaded by a sudden pang of headache. ¡®Stand very still Leona. You don¡¯t want to accidentally get blasted.¡¯ Those words echoing in her mind were enough to make her body freeze up from fear and that split second was just long enough for Robert to unleash his spell. ¡®Megido.¡¯ Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as a white flash passed by her in a blink of an eye. The spell looked more like a laser beam that passed through the rock pillar like it was made of paper and only stopped after hitting the grass a few more meters behind the intended target. The leftover light that emanated from attack thinned out before blinking out of existence as the mana fueling the spell dissipated. ¡°So, how does it feel to be near the receiving end of a highly accurate spell caster? Intimidating no?¡± The voice suddenly came from her left which prompted her only to turn her head towards him. Her eyes were widened and there was a hint of trembling in her lower lips. However, despite the immediate fear, she also felt compelled to strike back with a rhetorical question. ¡°What exactly was the purpose of this demonstration? So you could show off even more?¡± ¡°Oh please Leona.¡± He rolled his eyes before letting out an exasperated sigh. ¡°I thought you to be a brighter student.¡± He extended his left hand out and opened his palm. It didn¡¯t take long before mana began to gather in the middle of it¡ªforming a light blue orb the size of an apple. ¡°See this? This sphere currently represents how much mana you have.¡± He twirled his fingers around the orb which quickly shrunk it to the size of a ball of marble while also turning it white. ¡°If you were to unleash all of it in one singular accurate spell, you can kill just about anything as long as you know where to hit them.¡± However the more she heard, the more it felt like he was making fun of her instead as she lashed out. ¡°Then what was the point of me straining myself with training yesterday and today?! Why increase my mana capacity when I AM able to deal with things just the way I am?!¡± At first there was an almost imperceivable hint of surprise in Robert¡¯s eyes but it faded away just as quickly as he pinched the gap between his eyes with his right thumb and index finger. ¡°Listen and listen well Leona. Not everyone out there in the real world knows how to utilize spells to their full potential, nor know how to hold back.¡± He looked at her with a piercing gaze as if he was determined to hammer his beliefs through that thick head of hers. ¡°Do you really believe that Alexander of all people, would hold anything back against you or anyone you love?¡± At that moment it was as if the last piece of the puzzle finally fit and now there was just a lingering sensation of dread that couldn¡¯t be explained by words alone. ¡°Wait¡­ so this training-¡± ¡°Is to prepare for your eventual fight against him.¡± His eyes had a glint of pride when speaking those words, but Leona couldn¡¯t yet perceive nor appreciate his mentorship through the violent swirling of emotions she felt. ¡°If I were to only teach you about precision and careful mana usage, you¡¯d be at his mercy when it comes to raw magical power. This isn¡¯t only for yourself Leona, as a mage, you are also responsible for protecting those around you from spells that would be otherwise impossible for them to avoid.¡± He snapped his fingers and the ground began to shake beneath her feet and the earth began to rise. ¡°What is happening¡­?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you one last thing before we go back.¡± The originally flat terrain now became a hill with both of them standing atop of it. With another snap of his fingers, countless rock pillars formed in rows and columns as it were soldiers in rank and file. ¡°Just now I gave you a demonstration of ¡®precision¡¯. Now I¡¯ll show you what ¡®overwhelming power¡¯ looks like. Of course, I will be using the amount of mana you currently have as a basis.¡± He held the bright orb between his fingers before he closed his hands and mana began to emanate through his fingers. ¡°Now, don¡¯t blink.¡± Chapter CXLIX: Crossroads Part I Robert¡¯s hand was glowing with a strong light blue aura that seemed to pulsate ever so slightly through his fingers. Mana from the air around him began to burn the moment he opened his hands as the flames engulfing the orb of mana became white. Upon extending his hand towards the rock pillars, he uttered. ¡°Air Blast.¡± Once the spell was released, he placed his left hand in front of himself and created a magic barrier consisting of light golden hexagons much like Yuna used in order to defend herself and Leona from an explosion. The orb arced towards the middle of the pillars before bursting mid-air into a shower of fine mana mist and in the blink of an eye, the white fire ignited the dispersed mana into a fiery explosion that was blinding at first but then what followed was total devastation. Grass, dirt, pieces of rock and stone were blasted into oblivion at the epicenter of the explosion. The overwhelming pressure came rushing past them like a hurricane with the unbearably loud noise of dispersing air right behind it as pieces of rocks came flying at incredible speeds towards them only to obliterate themselves against the golden barrier put up by Robert. Though protected by him, Leona was still in awe after witnessing such destructive potential. Where the rock pillars stood, there was nothing left if not a crater of smoldering dirt and burnt grass around the outer parts of the blast. ¡°The spell you managed to unleash while you were training with Yuna was similar to this.¡± Robert explained as he put the barrier down by lowering his left arm. ¡°Unlike ¡®Fireball¡¯, it takes raw mana into the mix and makes it more volatile upon impact. If you manage to disperse the mana into a fine mist just before impact, you¡¯ll generate an even more powerful blast.¡± There was a brief moment of quiet as the dust settled. A deep sensation of dread was coming up from Leona¡¯s stomach¡ªa cold discomforting feeling that could only be described as horrifying. Unbeknownst to her immediately, the entirety of her body was trembling; it was as if something locked deep within her soul was now running amok her mind. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead while her legs gave in. Only as her knees hit the ground, she came to realize that her body felt cold as stone. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Robert asked when he noticed her on the ground. ¡°I¡­ I remember now.¡± She uttered under her breath. Beads of sweat formed throughout her forehead. ¡°I was training with Yuna and then I unleashed that spell¡­¡± She looked at her trembling hand and repressed memories of her childhood began to emerge once again. Her inner world was beginning to collapse under itself with fissures splitting the earth and the cloudy skies quickly darkening the once dimly lit grasslands. ¡°I see.¡± Robert¡¯s voice prompted her to glance at him. He held his head high while scratching the underside of his chin. ¡°So you almost killed your friend with fire. That is the reason why you¡¯re so afraid of going all out.¡± He then kneeled beside her with a confident look on his face which made Leona regard him with anger as she felt like she was being mocked. ¡°Is this amusing to you?!¡± ¡°Oh no, far from it. But if I¡¯m going to uphold my promise¡ªI¡¯ll need to get rid of this trauma of yours.¡± He snapped his right fingers and the gaping earth was temporarily mended by spikes of stone that held the ground together. ¡°This irrational fear of power.¡± He then placed his left hand on her shoulder which at first seemed harmless, until she felt a sharp pain come up her brain. It was like a jolt of electricity that felt like it was emanating throughout her body as she screamed. ¡°Argh! Aaaaah!¡± Her head felt like it was being split open. The repressed emotions came back all at once in a torrential wave of dread and guilt. ¡°This world has no place for those who don¡¯t give their all!¡± He shouted as if he knew she could hear her. ¡°You can do it Leona! I know you can!¡± She could hear her own heartbeat as the rush of adrenaline was also making her breathing sharp and ragged. While fighting through the unbearable pain she noticed the ground below her feet was starting to give away like quicksand, but instead of falling into it¡ªthe dirt and grass were changing to a glass-like appearance before solidifying into panels under her feet. The former endless grassland was now an ever-expanding floor with crystal tiles covering the surface everywhere the eye could see.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Leona¡¯s eyes widened in despair as she recognized that place. ¡°A crystal palace huh?¡± Robert muttered under his breath. ¡°Interesting¡­ not many can imagine an abstract place like this.¡± The formerly darkened sky charged with electricity was becoming further and further away from them as the lightning strikes were growing ever more distant¡ªgiving place to a now gnawing blackness above them. ¡°This place¡­ it¡¯s ¡®her¡¯ inner world¡­ not mine¡­!¡± Leona shakily stood up only to fall with her back against a crystal pillar that wasn¡¯t there previously. Her eyes darted around as other countless crystal pillars began to emerge from the floor towards the endless ceiling above. ¡°Hers you say¡­¡± Robert was looking around the endless palace as if searching for something. ¡°Do you mean the other ¡®you¡¯ or your sword¡¯s inner world? You know, sentient weapons can have their own inner world if they are powerful and aware of their own existence.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ she- ugh!¡± There was another sharp excruciating pain that made her head throb. ¡°Well, well¡­ what do we have here?¡± Loud and dry footsteps came from behind them. At which point both Leona and Robert turned to see who it was. ¡°Hmmm¡­ interesting¡­¡± Robert muttered while scratching his chin. ¡°So even if I kill you, you can come back as long as her trauma remains. Empress of Annihilation is quite the fitting name for someone so tenacious such as you, Leona.¡± The woman raised her right arm which sparked with electricity. She seemed unconcerned with Leona kneeling on the ground as she walked right past her without batting an eye, however her gaze was focused on the man in front of her as if she was meeting a long lost nemesis. ¡°So your name is Robert. I wanted to know who the ¡®otherworldly hero¡¯ truly was.¡± Her mechanical left hand shifted her blonde hair out of the way of her left eye. ¡°You are nothing more than a jester working for Lastraeus aren¡¯t you? A jester determined to take everyone down with you.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± He snickered. ¡°Maybe the other ¡®me¡¯ from your timeline, yes. But I can assure you I only have my interests in mind in this world.¡± ¡°Hmph. That is what a slave of the void would say!¡± She suddenly extended her hand out and a burst of lightning arced from her hand towards him. However despite the surprise attack, Robert didn¡¯t seem at all fazed and simply erected a mana barrier that blocked all lightning. He sighed. ¡°What have the other ¡®me¡¯ been teaching you? Lightning magic is the worst element for a surprise attack.¡± He flicked his hand and a powerful gust of wind knocked the woman back into multiple crystal pillars before she came to a stop against a fifth. ¡°Didn¡¯t even see that one coming, did you?¡± He then turned to Leona who was watching everything from the floor. ¡°Hey Leona, stand up. You¡¯ve got to fight that thing.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That other ¡®you¡¯ is a figment of your mind. Probably something deriving from your communio with Avalon or simply the will of the previous wielder that has now infected your mind so to speak.¡± He offered her his hand. ¡°You need to fight it. If you let her run amok your mind¡ªyou¡¯ll eventually collapse under her influence.¡± Leona tilted her head down slightly as her sharp breath and cold sweating was taking a hold of her senses. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°HE IS THE REASON I AM LIKE THIS!¡± A shout filled with anger echoed around the endless palace. Emerging from the rubble of collapsed pillars, the Empress raised her right hand in front of her, but this time mana was starting to accrete towards the middle of her palm. ¡°MY PEOPLE! MY KINGDOM! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!¡± An azure blaze started to grow from the mana she fed into it. ¡°Fire huh?¡± Robert unceremoniously grabbed Leona by the waist and lifted her up under his arm. ¡°Hey Leona, do you know about air pressure?¡± ¡°Wait! What are you-?!¡± ¡°Make an air barrier with the lowest pressure you can manage. Or else we¡¯ll both be burned into a crisp.¡± Once she heard his words, she noticed the Empress wielding a fireball the size of a basketball which was surely enough to burn them both down to the bone. Her body instinctively tensed up, but Robert flicked his finger against her forehead which made her body jerk up. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°It¡¯s now or never Leona. If you can¡¯t even confront yourself, what hope do you have to protect those around you?¡± ¡°SHUT UP WILL YOU?!¡± The Empress shouted as she unleashed the fireball towards them. In a stroke of luck or perhaps fear, Leona pointed her right hand towards the incoming spell and blasted it with a condensed dose of extremely hot air which was the best she could manage at that point in time. Of course it wasn¡¯t enough to completely stop the fireball but it greatly diminished its effects. ¡®We¡¯re dead.¡¯ Was the thought that came to Leona¡¯s mind but Robert seemed genuinely impressed. ¡°Ho? Not bad.¡± With a snap of his fingers, the ball of fire simply extinguished mid air. ¡°Wha-?!¡± The Empress eyes went wide once her most powerful spell was easily countered. Robert on the other hand, turned to Leona. ¡°Using ice against a high temperature fireball is dangerous because of the steam it can create, but if you use something like a vacuum, not even my ¡®Air Blast¡¯ spell can survive without air to burn.¡± ¡°Enough of this farce!¡± The Empress yelled. ¡°How many lives have been lost?! How many times have I had to soak my hands in blood?! None of you come close to sacrificing as much as I have! And none of you will!¡± After that point, Leona stared at her own shaking hand before closing it tightly. Though it wasn¡¯t her words, she could feel the despair within the Empress¡¯ voice. In truth, Leona knew she was someone else¡ªsomeone that shouldn¡¯t be in this world. But despite that knowledge, she chose to close her heart due to fear. Fear to become what she had seen. ¡°Enough.¡± Her decisive voice echoed throughout the crystalline palace. She stood now on her own two feet. ¡°This is not your world. This is not your battle. And certainly, not your life to live.¡± She raised her hand towards the Empress. ¡°I will carve my own path.¡± Chapter CL: Crossroads Part II The eerie crystal palace was filled with tension. Cracked and destroyed pillars filled some of the floor as each of them stood ready to fight. ¡°Foolish girl!¡± The Empress shouted as mana gathered beneath her feet. The surge of magical power was scorching the air around her as it raised around her like a burning aura. ¡°You¡¯re not worthy to sit on the throne of a kingdom!¡± Despite those words, Leona¡¯s eyes were shining with a bright blue glow as if she was becoming one with her own mana. ¡°Your words won¡¯t be enough to stop me from trying!¡± Mana swirled from the base of her extended arm towards the center of her palm. Her furrowed brows and sharp glare were focused on the center mass of her opponent¡¯s body with a crackling orb of fire expanding in front of her hand. ¡°Fool.¡± The Empress raised her arm towards her as well, but as opposed to a fire spell, she was charging an ice projectile. ¡°You don¡¯t stand a chance against me!¡± Her threatening words did nothing against Leona¡¯s intense focus which made Robert bring his right hand under his chin. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He tilted his head while slowly nodding at the tactician. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Both Leonas were reaching their spell¡¯s critical point as both the ice lance and fire orb became just a bit larger than their own limb. ¡°Fireball!¡± ¡°Ice Spear!¡± They both unleashed their spells at the same time. Once the azure flames and ice lance collided against each other they released an explosion of boiling hot steam that would have wounded both of them if not for a quick ice wall that grew from each of their left foot. ¡®We¡¯re equally matched¡­¡¯ Leona thought while trying to think of another plan to attack the empress. But if she truly is me, then-¡¯ There was no need for her to think any further as she was hearing a faint sizzling sound coming from behind her ice wall. She threw herself on the floor as a lightning strike coursed through the air into the ice¡ªshattering it into pieces. ¡°Tsk.¡± The Empress clicked her tongue as she noticed Leona just had barely avoided her spell. However, she wasted no time and pressed the attack again by curling her five fingers forward¡ªeach of them accumulating mana as if to shoot an individual spell. Leona noticed the mana pattern being akin to the light spell ¡®Megido¡¯ and she quickly placed her hand in the center of her chest with her palm against the crystal floor. ¡°Wind Blast!¡± ¡°Megido!¡± She dodged the piercing light shots by a hair¡¯s breadth as they carved holes in the floor in a fan pattern. However her own wind spell was too powerful as she was thrown on her back before rolling twice on the floor and stumbling up. However, she was feeling an intense pain in her chest because of the sheer recoil she felt. ¡°Haaa¡­ haaa¡­¡± It was hard for her to breathe. ¡°Experience comes with pain.¡± Footsteps echoed in front of her which prompted her eyes to trace towards the Empress that slowly walked to her. ¡°Compared to me, what could you possibly know?¡± She raised her hand once again, but Leona raised her voice before she could accumulate mana for another spell. ¡°Then what?! So you can do it all over again?! To manipulate and kill people?!¡± Leona coughed a few times before taking a sharp breath to keep speaking. ¡°You had your chance and you chose your path! Let me carve my own!¡± The Empress¡¯ eyes narrowed as her hands instinctively clenched themselves. ¡°Only a weakling like you would quit after being given a second chance!¡± That was the moment Leona was waiting for. The split second opening bought her just enough time to simultaneously cast ¡®Ice Wall¡¯ with her left foot and charge ¡®Wind Blast¡¯ with her right hand. Her spell was strong enough to propel her through the crystal floor like a bullet coming out of a pistol¡¯s barrel. She was so fast it caught even the Empress off guard as the ice wall also came forward with the momentum and wrapped around her target like a curling hand. Leona turned to her right and shoulder tackled her other self with full force. ¡°Ughk!¡± That being said, all that momentum resulted in such a powerful collision that it not only audibly broke some of the Empress¡¯ ribs but it also sent both of them straight through the shattered ice wall as both of them kept rolling on the floor before the Empress eventually hit her back against a crystal pillar while Leona stopped after skidding through the floor a few good meters past her.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Nnngh!¡± The intense pain made the tactician look at her right arm and it was clearly broken at the biceps. Thankfully, the Empress wasn¡¯t faring much better as she struggled to breathe because some of the ribs actually punctured through one of her lungs. She coughed and some blood spluttered out of her nose and mouth. The taste of iron, while not unfamiliar, was a slow realization that she had lost. ¡®Am I really going to be defeated by that pathetic excuse of a ruler¡­?¡¯ She looked around and noticed Leona standing up in the distance. ¡®No¡­ I won¡¯t allow it¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ not after everything I sacrificed to get here¡­!¡¯ The tactician was giving her all just to stay standing, her legs were both weak and her aching hot throbbing right arm was of no use for combat, but she still had a job to finish as she slowly limped her way towards the fallen Empress. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± Leona muttered as she stood within a few meters from her. ¡°If I am to be honest, I don¡¯t really want to kill you.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± She laughed and a bit of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. ¡°That is rich coming from me.¡± Despite her fatally wounded lung, she still stood up with the help of her mechanical arm as its fingers carved into the crystal pillar and dragged her limping body up. ¡°I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. That man that has been ¡®helping¡¯ you, Robert, he is the sole reason why I became what I am. You think I¡¯m ruthless? You think I¡¯m heartless? It was all¡­¡± Her eyes were stuttering as if she was struggling to remain conscious. ¡°It was all¡­ for¡­ us¡­¡± She suddenly fell forward face first into the crystal floor. A dry thud echoed within the crystal palace as Leona stood silently looking at the pool of blood forming beside the Empress¡¯ mouth. Despite the feeling of sorrow, Leona¡¯s legs buckled as her knees hit the crystal floor beneath her. It was over. A ghost of a lost past was ¡®defeated¡¯. Though it was a hard fought victory, Leona couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that something was compelling her other self to act in such an aggressive manner. The continuous thumping of her heart could barely be heard echoing throughout the silent crystal palace. ¡°Not bad at all, Leona.¡± Clapping could be heard from behind her as Robert approached. ¡°Your first true enemy finally vanquished.¡± Through sharp, deep breaths, she turned to him. ¡°Robert. Did you purposefully make me fight ¡®her¡¯?¡± ¡°Hm? What makes you think I am responsible?¡± ¡°I¡­ I fought her before in ¡®my¡¯ inner world. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Hooo¡­ that is an interesting theory you have there. But what do I stand to gain from doing this exactly?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t your ¡®deal¡¯ with Xenovia to make me stronger? That ¡®There is experience to gain through suffering¡¯?¡± The usual smug expression he wore suddenly vanished. ¡°Not bad Leona. I think I underestimated you a little.¡± ¡°Just tell me why. Why did you do this?¡± ¡°What else? So you grow stronger, obviously.¡± He shook his head. ¡°There is no shortcut to become powerful. The only way to do so is to fight with your all, even if it¡¯s just inside the mind.¡± At that point there was a pang of sharp pain in Leona¡¯s head as she tried to raise her arm towards her head but it simply didn¡¯t move. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Just in time as well. Your soul is still too weak to house the two of us so I¡¯ll be taking my leave for now.¡± He bowed slightly before walking towards one of the pillars. ¡°See you on the other side.¡± Just like a ghost, he phased through the pillar and vanished. ¡°Wait- argh!¡± The headaches were becoming even more intense as if her head was being split open. ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± Suddenly, she shot up awake in a well lit and cold room. She instinctively brought her hand to her chest and noticed she was indeed unharmed and the previously head-splitting headache was gone as if it was just a bad dream. ¡®That¡­ that wasn¡¯t a dream, was it?¡¯ She looked around and realized she was in Robert¡¯s secret lab. The different vats of light blue liquid housing gelatinous slime bodies and the different women in stasis made her less calm but at the same time she was completely sure she was back in reality. ¡°You are pretty tough Leona.¡± Robert¡¯s voice made a chill go down her spine as she turned towards his voice and noticed him walking towards her with one green ceramic mug in each hand. ¡°Well, for this world¡¯s standards at least. Granted it needed a little bit of a push to get there.¡± He settled the mug from his left hand on the table beside her where she was currently sitting. ¡°Robert, just tell me the reason why you did that?¡± ¡°Why? To make you stronger, I thought I already told you that.¡± ¡°If it was to simply make me stronger, there would have been an easier way.¡± He sighed. ¡°Do you really want to know the truth?¡± She nodded which made him place his mug on the table. ¡°It was an experiment. I had a handful of people that went through traumatic experiences in the past but none of them were able to wield magic to your degree.¡± ¡°So you took a peek at my memories?¡± ¡°You could say that. The ¡®fear¡¯ you had with magic was the main root of this experiment and I have to say, I gathered some interesting data that I can put to use.¡± She pinched her nose ridge with indignation. ¡°Not only you used my memories to bring forth something literally from my deepest fears, but you also made me fight it.¡± She looked at him with anger. ¡°I don¡¯t really like the way you do things.¡± ¡°Sometimes you just need to look at the results yourself to determine if it was worth the shot.¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°I daresay you only stood to gain from this.¡± ¡°What if I had died?!¡± ¡°Nothing. Literally nothing would have happened. Maybe one or two days into a paralysis-like state, but nothing more serious than that. The ¡®Fireball¡¯ you unleashed during training was the trigger and there are a few things I could do to revert your mind back to normal, though that would have taken a bit more effort from my part.¡± ¡°Screw you Robert.¡± He started to walk back from the hallway where he had come from. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She hopped down from the table and glared at his back. ¡°Was all that talk about your daughters also a lie?¡± Those words made him stop and reply, but without looking at her. ¡°No. They are genuine, that I can assure you.¡± He then continued on walking. If anything, that singular moment made Leona realize he was actually speaking from the bottom of his heart. Nevertheless she shook her head and sighed before staring at her open palm. ¡°I ¡®only have to gain¡¯ from this huh?¡± She then tightened her hand into a fist. ¡°What about how much we all have to lose?¡± Chapter CLI: Sacrifices It was already dark when Leona returned to the cave. She was relaxing in the hot spring while resting her back against a smoothly carved piece of the rocks. Her eyes were closed and despite being inside the warm soothing water, her expression was somewhat gloomy as her mind kept going over the same memory again and again. ¡°Was all that talk about your daughters also a lie?¡± ¡°No. They are genuine, that I can assure you.¡± Robert¡¯s voice echoed within her mind as she pondered what really meant for her to be there. Training was obviously the better option as opposed to going back to Arcadia and dying a pointless death, but at the same time she felt dissatisfied with both herself and the current situation. While she did manage to overcome her fear of magic, it obviously wasn¡¯t through her willpower alone which made her feel even worse. ¡°Why the long face?¡± A female voice came from beside her. Setsuna had a warm smile as she also entered the hot spring with a towel wrapped around her body. The tactician was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn¡¯t previously notice her. ¡°Ah, no it¡¯s nothing.¡± She raised her hands in a somewhat awkward smile as she tried to deflect attention away from her. ¡°Is that so?¡± Setsuna settled her back against some of the rocks and let out a relaxed sigh. ¡°Nothing beats a warm bath. Dad keeps complaining that the water isn¡¯t hot enough but this is plenty hot.¡± ¡°...¡± There was a moment of silence before Leona decided to ask. ¡°Say, is your father a good man in your eyes?¡± ¡°Huh? Where did that come from?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious, that''s all. He doesn¡¯t seem the type to do things for others.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you don¡¯t deserve it then yeah, he doesn¡¯t. But he always doted on me and Yuna as best as he could afford.¡± She closed her eyes with a serene smile. ¡°Brings back good memories of my childhood.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t imagine you growing up in such a loving environment.¡± ¡°Is that because of the shrine maiden demeanor? I do that mostly to keep appearances.¡± She giggled discreetly. ¡°We are responsible for keeping the people¡¯s hearts at ease so we must show elegance and determination to pass on that much needed trust. We are after all, in the frontlines against death angels.¡± ¡°I see¡­ was it something Robert came up with or-¡± ¡°Oh no, it was mostly because of me. Yuna went along with it because she thought it was fun at first but after seeing how much everyone in the city was suffering¡ªwe couldn¡¯t just let that continue.¡± She brought her hands close together near the surface of the water before scooping up some, but the liquid eventually escaped through the gaps between her fingers. ¡°Life cannot be lived or enjoyed alone like our dad had done it for centuries. He too was at some point, human and I¡­ I don¡¯t want to see him suffer again.¡± ¡°You two are great daughters.¡± Leona replied with a genuine smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure he is proud of you.¡± ¡°I wish I could have done more, but that would just end up worrying him.¡± There was a moment of silence as both of them took their time to let that conversation sink in. Leona was less sure about Robert¡¯s intentions now that she heard from someone else¡¯s perspective. He seemed like a decent father figure to them and someone kind besides. But the fact that he used her to experiment with her own fears was still lingering in the depths of her mind as she couldn¡¯t come to terms with it. ¡°What about you Leona?¡± Setsuna wore a gentle smile as she asked. ¡°You know a few things about us but you haven¡¯t said much about yourself.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ well¡­ there isn¡¯t much to say that you wouldn¡¯t already know.¡± ¡°Oh it doesn¡¯t need to be anything glamorous, just a small bit of what it is to live in your shoes is more than enough for me.¡± ¡°Well¡­ in that case¡­¡± She tilted her head back as she started to reminisce about her own childhood. ¡°Thanks to my father and mother I was able to study just about everything I had taken an interest in and if not for Krieg, I wouldn¡¯t be here sharing what little experience I have in life with you.¡± ¡°You two truly seem inseparable. But say, how someone so strong as him is so loyal to you? It feels like his whole purpose is to solely protect you and you alone.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say it myself really.¡± She rubbed the corner of her right eye. ¡°Krieg had always struck me as the kind of person who wouldn¡¯t tolerate someone like me.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of embarrassing to admit it but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to take matters into my own hands before. I was too much of a crybaby.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± ¡°I imagined he would leave at some point but despite all my shortcomings he simply stood by me. Which¡­ really makes me glad.¡± ¡°You too have gone through a lot haven¡¯t you?¡± Leona rested the back of her head against the rocks and stared at the ceiling flickering with candlelight. ¡°Yeah¡­ we sure have.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Outside the cave, Krieg was swinging with the practice wooden sword while holding the kite shield in a flurry of strikes against an imaginary opponent. Each of his swings made a loud swishing noise as the blade pushed the air like a club. ¡°Tsk. This isn¡¯t it¡­¡± He was covered in sweat which reflected a bit of the moonlight around his arms and forehead. ¡°Faster and more precise¡­¡± He resumed swinging the blade but each and every time he attempted to deliver a strike at his imaginary opponent, he could only envision his own defeat. There was a lingering sentiment of anger and rage bottled up inside his chest as he could feel the heat coming from within. Powerlessness, that what plagued him ever since his awakening in Londria. He was powerless to do anything for Leona and in the end, she had to drench her hands in blood¡ªsomething he couldn¡¯t forgive himself for. With another violent swing of his blade, the weapon snapped mid-air with the momentum alone. ¡°Dammit¡­!¡± His grip tightened around the handle which began to crack and splinter around the top and bottom of his hand. He looked up towards the clear night sky before tightening both of his hands and letting out a breath that seemed more like hot steam than air. ¡°All that anger is going to be useless in a fight.¡± A male voice came from behind him which prompted Krieg to only turn his head around slightly. ¡°Strength is all I have. Despite you teaching me these sword techniques I¡¯m still as green as a recruit.¡± ¡°Then train harder. Become faster, precise, deadlier. All you need is a singular stroke of a blade to cull a life away.¡± ¡°...¡± Krieg threw the broken wooden sword away and started to take off the shield from his left arm and lugged it over his left shoulder with the leather strap. ¡°Why are you going to such lengths for me?¡± ¡°Does it need a reason?¡± ¡°You¡¯re my father, sure.¡± He walked to the cave¡¯s entrance and leaned against the wall while cleaning the sweat off his forehead. ¡°But we don¡¯t know each other. If anything, it wouldn¡¯t be too far off to call ourselves strangers to one another.¡± He sat down with his legs crossed as he put the large sheathed curved blade on top of his lap. With a quiet sigh he stared at the night sky. ¡°Redemption.¡± He spoke firmly without looking at him. ¡°You two were still in Nara when it happened. Destruction and death swept across the land as the death angels¡¯ march began. In my hubris, I thought we could take them on. Our kingdom had the most brilliant warriors of our era and yet we were wiped clean off the map. Only after losing you and your mother I struck a deal with Robert.¡± ¡°And what was that?¡± ¡°He would use my body and soul as he saw fit in exchange for saving my kingdom and its people.¡± Krieg kept staring at Miyamoto¡¯s back as the man kept gazing upon the sky. ¡°Had I done it sooner, maybe¡­ maybe your mother would still be alive.¡± ¡°If you did it, I wouldn¡¯t have met Leona or Eleonora.¡± That made the swordmaster look over his shoulder towards him. ¡°Do you not resent me?¡± ¡°As I said, you and I are no better than strangers. There is nothing to resent. If anything, I intend to make full use of your skills in order to protect those dear to me.¡± He then turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to tomorrow''s lessons.¡± He headed off inside the cave and as his heavy footsteps grew more distant, MIyamoto couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly. ¡°I see¡­¡± As Krieg kept walking, his own footsteps faded amidst the thoughts that filled his mind. ¡®Father huh¡­? Lord Jean was as much of a father to me as he was to Leona.¡¯ He smiled warmly to himself as he recalled the fond memories he shared with them. ¡®Even Lady Ravness. She cared about all of us with equal warmth and love. There is no way I could possibly ask for more.¡¯ Upon entering through the main hallway door, he was met with Tomoe holding a towel as if she was waiting for him. The demon maid had a certain air about her that reminded him of Adele. ¡°Good work with the training sir Krieg.¡± Even the way she bowed made him see her lost comrade for a split second. ¡°Ah, thank you Tomoe.¡± He hastily grabbed the towel and started to dry the sweat off his face. ¡°Where is Leona?¡± ¡°Taking a bath at the moment.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± After finishing brushing his face off bodily fluids, he tossed the towel over his shoulder as he was about to go sit down to rest. Tomoe however, had other plans as she stepped in front of him and extended both her hands to him. ¡°The towel please. I¡¯ll go wash it right away.¡± ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t need to-¡± ¡°The towel. Please.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­¡± Despite him being almost twice her size, he was somewhat intimidated by her words full of conviction as he surrendered the towel. ¡°Thank you. Please, rest up while I go prepare the men¡¯s bath.¡± ¡°S-sure, thanks.¡± Krieg walked around the couch and sat on the right-most side near the wall while resting his head against it. His gaze was fixed at the small flame in the fireplace that seemed to be lacking fuel. As he hunched over and grabbed a piece of cut log to toss in the fire, he noticed Leona¡¯s frostburnt silver sword sitting on a nearby wooden stool that he previously passed by. ¡°Hm?¡± He lobbed the log into the fire and turned to look at the sword. The scabbard was nothing impressive, mainly made of wood and covered with leather, strapped with iron rings that kept all in place. The handle, however, was emitting an eerie light blue glow as if emanating mana. He reached for the weapon and held it around the scabbard with his left while his right grabbed the handle. There was a certain foreboding feeling that he couldn¡¯t quite put into coherent thoughts as his fingers were tightening around the weapon¡¯s handle. However before he could unsheathe the blade, Robert¡¯s voice came from somewhere behind him. ¡°I would advise against that.¡± It was like Krieg snapped out of a trance as he turned around to face him. ¡°Robert?¡± ¡°That sword contains a fragment of your grandmother¡¯s soul. There¡¯s no telling what will happen to you if you were to commute with it.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to.¡± Robert had a smirk on his face as he tapped the side of his own head twice. ¡°Maybe not consciously. Dragons have a distinct ability to exert some control over their kin. Though it is a shard, it is still the soul of a dragon.¡± Krieg exhaled slowly before putting the sheathed blade back on the wooden stool. ¡°How are you so sure about it?¡± ¡°A certain dragon told me the story behind that blade.¡± He proceeded to sit down on the left side of the couch before snapping his fingers which made a glass of wine appear between his fingers. ¡°Your grandmother was one of the big reasons why humanity didn¡¯t go extinct millennia ago.¡± Krieg sat down on the opposite side while staring at the swaying flames in front of him. ¡°Why do you know so much about us? It sounds as if you¡¯ve always been keeping an eye on Leona¡¯s family.¡± ¡°Because of a debt.¡± He swirled the wine in the glass before taking a modest sip. ¡°You are a knight, you should have an idea that is unbecoming of a man to not fulfill his promises.¡± ¡°...¡± The knight intertwined his fingers while clenching both hands together. There was a hint of bitterness once he was reminded of promises. More specifically, the promise to keep Leona safe. ¡°How much have you sacrificed to stand here and now?¡± Caught by surprise from the question, Robert glanced at him before proceeding to chuckle. ¡°Too much. That is all you need to know¡± Chapter CLII: Former Self Another morning was rising for the Akrapocalian citadel. Broken walls, dilapidated houses and destroyed facilities were on the verge of collapse after the Arcadian offensive which left most without a place to work or call home. The common folk were trying their best to salvage whatever personal possessions they could before the buildings collapsed. ¡°Get the people out now! Even if you have to use force!¡± One male elf with heterochromia eyes was ordering other soldiers to evacuate the people from the buildings that were about to crumble down. ¡°Captain!¡± One of the soldiers that was shoveling a pile of debris yelled. ¡°I found someone under this rubble!¡± Lest, the former lieutenant of the private army, had now taken his sister¡¯s position. His often cheerful expression was nowhere to be seen after what happened to her. He hastily approached the rubble and peeked under one of the big slabs of concrete. He could hear a faint cry from someone underneath. He placed his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled as loud as he could which made the soldiers around to look in his direction. Thankfully, despite the chaos, he managed to issue orders with hand gestures as he gathered more men in order to lift the rubble and rescue whoever was trapped underneath. ¡°On the count of three!¡± He placed his hand under the concrete slab and once there were twelve soldiers around the rubble he started to count. ¡°One! Two! Three!¡± ¡°Heave-ho!¡± Everyone began to lift the slab that proved to be quite heavy at first, but after they flipped it to one side it started to roll down the other way, revealing a bald man that was underneath. His left arm was broken but at least he was alive. ¡°Get him out of there and to the chirurgeons!¡± Lest ordered. ¡°Aye sir!¡± As they began to remove more of the rubble around the man, Lest decided to give another once over the other buildings before being stopped on his tracks by a man almost twice his size. His hand covered the entirety of the elf¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°You really should rest, Lest.¡± As if somewhat in a daze, the captain looked up to the hazel eyed, tanned and grizzled man only to realize it was the general. ¡°General Kurt? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Making sure the junior officers don¡¯t push themselves to death.¡± ¡°I can still keep going.¡± ¡°No, you have been working more than your own soldiers. What if you were to fall and leave them without leadership?¡± Lest¡¯s hands tightened into fists. ¡°I can¡¯t let another person die because of what happened.¡± ¡°And neither should you fall because of it. Your sister was a valiant soldier but you must not burden yourself as you are right now.¡± ¡°Captain!¡± One soldier carrying a leather duffle bag came running towards the two of them. ¡°Huh?! General Kurt?!¡± The soldier, obviously a recruit, stopped and nervously saluted while Kurt dismissed the formality with a shake of his hand before addressing him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°A-ahem. We have confirmed that none of the facilities were in use before they collapsed. Therefore, there were no victims there!¡± The general nodded with a stoic smile on his face.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Good, go rest soldier. We¡¯ll take it from here.¡± ¡°Y-yes sir!¡± He proceeded to walk past them. Lest sighed while turning around seemingly thinking of where to go next, but Kurt was firm with his decision of letting his officer have a well deserved rest. ¡°Me and the royal soldiers will take it from here. Reassemble the troops under your command and head to the shelter. Have them rest and keep an eye out on the civilians.¡± Reluctantly, Lest nodded before saluting. ¡°Yes sir.¡± As opposed to whistling to get his soldiers¡¯ attention, the captain went over one by one and instructed them to go to the main street where the shelter was located. After spending a few minutes gathering his troops, he made his way down the worn road. Behind him there were about twenty four soldiers each carrying their standard service bolt action rifle. The wear could clearly be seen on their faces as Lest even decided to forgo the march and simply have them walk normally to the central square. There, they witnessed the true aftermath of a war brought to their doorstep. Families, workers, children and the elderly were all gathered around the center where the wounded were treated by soldiers who knew how to use magic or chirurgeons with healing potions. ¡°Hey! Bring more clean water!¡± A man wearing an entire white outfit was treating a woman with terrible burns throughout her back. He had some blood stains across the white apron and dirt on the bandana that held his somewhat puffy hair inside the cloth. One of the soldiers carrying two wooden buckets tripped and almost fell if not for Lest catching him by the chest. ¡°Woah!¡± The chestnut haired recruit looked at him with a thankful expression. ¡°Thank you captain. It would¡¯ve been a disaster if I spilled this water.¡± Looking upon the soldier more closely, he noticed his hands were reddened from lugging around the water all day. Lest then took the buckets off his hand and bid him to rest. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± ¡°Ah but captain-¡° ¡°It¡¯s an order, go rest up. We¡¯ll need to work hard in the evening as well.¡± ¡°¡­yes sir.¡± Lest turned around and started with the chirurgeon close by. ¡°Here¡¯s the water.¡± Without so much as sparing a look, the man in white handed him a piece of cloth. ¡°Douse in it and take off the excess, quick!¡± He did as instructed all the while without saying a word. He quickly wrung out the excess water before handing it over to the chirurgeon, who spread the cloth on the woman¡¯s back and sprinkled a concentrated healing potion on top of it. She winced in pain before letting out a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew¡­ thank you soldier.¡± The chirurgeon scratched his forehead with the back of his hand before turning to Lest. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Lest.¡± ¡°I see. You¡¯ve got a bright future ahead of you, Lest.¡± He stood up which made his side pouch clink with the sound of glass vials inside. ¡°Not many soldiers can stomach seeing wounds like these for the first time.¡± He picked the buckets and started to follow the chirurgeon as they both went through the middle ¡°I¡¯ve seen worse.¡± ¡°Oh? How long have you been in the private army?¡± ¡°I was recruited when it was first created.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ one of the original first squad. I see. I was living in Arcadia before coming here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Arcadian?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Zenithian. Elf, former soldier of the anti-demon army or rather, was, until we eventually disbanded after the kingdom¡¯s fall.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m Londrian myself but ever since Lady Fye adopted us¡ªme, I¡¯ve always considered myself Akrapocalian.¡± The chirurgeon turned at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Wait¡­ you said you were adopted by Lady Fye?¡± He looked closer upon him and noticed his two different colored eyes. ¡°Ah! You are Lest! The army¡¯s lieutenant, correct?¡± ¡°Captain of the first squad.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t your sister-¡± ¡°She¡­ she died.¡± Color seemed to drain from the chirurgeon¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ very sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Once we rebuild and gather our forces, I¡¯ll have plenty of chances to avenge her myself.¡± A somber look overtook Lest¡¯s otherwise expressionless face as if a surge of anger came from within his soul. That prompted a tap in the middle of his chest by the chirurgeon. ¡°Don¡¯t fill your heart with hatred kiddo. Fate has a way of dealing with folk that bring misery to others. More often than not we don¡¯t have to lift a finger for it to happen.¡± He took the two buckets off his hand and chuckled under the white mask. ¡°I say this both as a former soldier and a father, fate is a cruel mistress. What you do today will come back to either bless or bite you in the back in the future.¡± ¡°If we are still alive until then that is.¡± ¡°Sir Braveheart!¡± The chirurgeon looked to the side where he was being called from¡ªtwo gravely wounded soldiers with splinters of wood lodged inside their legs. ¡°Coming!¡± Lest stopped where he stood and just looked to the darkened skies. ¡®Why did my sister have to die?¡¯ Chapter CLIII: The Wizard and The Warrior ¡°Roaring flames and violent gale! Surge as one!¡± An explosion echoed across the side of the mountain in Nara. The birds resting in the afternoon shades amongst the trees flew out in reaction to the spell¡¯s impact against a shielded Robert. Facing him with a wooden staff pointed in his direction, was Leona. After recovering from a harrowing experience in her inner world, she wasted no time in training her magic. ¡°Weak.¡± Robert sighed as he put the light blue hexagonal barrier down. ¡°I¡¯m even giving you time to chant, surely you can do better than this.¡± Somewhat annoyed, Leona lowered the staff and asked him. ¡°How exactly am I supposed to make this spell stronger without blowing up half of the forest along with it?¡± ¡°Surely you can come up with something?¡± He waved his hand side to side as if being tired of wasting time. ¡°Magic barriers are not unlike armor that knights wear. Rummage through that brain of yours and you¡¯ll come up with a solution. You already learned how to use the staff on your own, you don¡¯t need someone else¡¯s advice, Princess Tactician.¡± Leona¡¯s grip on the staff tightened but she managed to take a deep breath and calm her nerves as she racked her brain for an answer as wasting time trying to spite the otherworldly mentor was a waste of energy. She closed her eyes as she started to piece together what information she had. ¡®A mage¡¯s barrier is not unlike a knight¡¯s armor, which means it should also have the same weaknesses as their armor does.¡¯ She opened her eyes and looked at Robert with an almost trance-like gaze as she imagined in her mind how her spell reacted upon hitting the barrier. ¡®Then if I focus all the mana into a singular point¡­¡¯ Robert noticed her intense gaze as he remained unsurprised but deep inside her couldn¡¯t help but smirk at how much effort she was putting in learning magic. ¡®Let¡¯s see what she¡¯ll come up with¡­ if nothing else it¡¯ll serve as a warmup for myself.¡¯ However, his thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Leona raise her staff and point at him. She had a familiar light blue glint in her eyes as mana started to gather around her. ¡®A combination of Flame Spear and Windshot should do the trick then.¡¯ Light blue mana particles began to hone in the staff¡¯s tip as she chanted. ¡°Wind¡¯s embrace! Grant power to this spear to pierce my foes!¡± A spearpoint formed about half a meter in front of the staff before igniting itself in flames before being launched at full speed at a seemingly unprepared Robert. Only after firing the spell did Leona notice she didn¡¯t even warn him. ¡°Robert! Are you alright?!¡± The flaming projectile hit the ground and kicked a good amount of dirt and dust into the air while also setting fire to a nearby tree, however the flames were quickly snuffed out by water magic. Robert was standing in place while he used his mana to drown the fire which surprised Leona. After putting the fire out, he turned to her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Why are you so concerned?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even tell you I was ready.¡± ¡°Well.¡± He pointed at the withered part of the tree. ¡°You did manage to pierce through a normal barrier which resulted in hitting my secondary barrier I left in place.¡± She tilted her head to the side while raising an eyebrow. ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°Your spell ricocheted against that barrier which caused the spell to hit the underside of this poor tree.¡± He turned to her and clapped twice. ¡°You can call yourself Princess Slayer of Trees now.¡± That made Leona tilt her head back and frown her brows. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be a cow¡¯s arse you know.¡± ¡°You flatter me. Now go take a break, you¡¯ve done enough for now.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± She turned around while stomping the ground as she made her way to where Krieg was training. Meanwhile Robert looked at the ground beneath the tree and noticed just how deep the spear had gone. ¡®She could¡¯ve killed a mage with that one.¡¯ He thought while scratching under his chin. ¡®Maybe I could test that method instead¡­¡¯ On her way down to where Krieg was training, Leona looked at the staff in her hand with somewhat of a grin on her face. After experiencing her inner world more intimately herself, it felt like her mind was able to perceive the flow of mana more clearly throughout her body¡ªor at least she thought that was the case. In truth, thanks to Robert¡¯s testing, some of the aether that comprised his soul managed to fuse with hers which resulted in her acute sense of mana. Not that any of the two would have known that for the time being. ¡®As long as I¡¯m able to channel my mana through it, I¡¯m sure I can cast much more powerful spells than what I used to.¡¯ Her grip tightened around the wooden shaft. ¡®Problem is though, how much is too much mana for it?¡¯ Before she could extrapolate on an answer, an explosion of dust erupted in front of her as Krieg landed with his back on the ground. ¡°Pffft! Argh!¡± He coughed as he used the whole weight of his body to flip backwards and stumble while quickly standing up. On the other side, Miyamoto was holding a straight wooden blade with a certain green aura swirling around it as if mana had taken physical shape to aid his swordsmanship. ¡°You need to attack while defending with your shield! Do you want to lose an arm?¡± ¡°Knock it off! You have Lady Setsuna helping you!¡± ¡°As if the enemy will care about your chivalric code!¡± At that point he was ready to charge at Krieg, but Leona had other things in mind as she raised her staff forward and quickly chanted. ¡°Fireball!¡± Mana rushed to the tip of the crook and coiled in a violent swarm of energy as it was lit ablaze before being released in front of Miyamoto. The orb the size of a basketball razed the ground in a sea of azure flames as it landed on the dirt in front of him. As all eyes locked onto Leona, she stepped beside Krieg and smiled. ¡°Mind if I join?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Setsuna, who was behind Miyamoto all that time, asked. ¡°You just finished training with Father, did you not?¡± ¡°Yes, but I haven¡¯t had time to test fighting alongside someone.¡± She looked at Krieg with a warm smile which he answered with a reassured nod. ¡°Besides, this is to train us for actual battle, I see no better way to do it than this.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ very well. If you¡¯re sure about it.¡± Setsuna gave Miyamoto a nod as he turned back to both Krieg and Leona before preparing himself in a stance with his sword pointing at them. ¡°Let¡¯s just not take it too seriously, lest someone injure themselves.¡± Krieg slightly bent his legs with the wooden shield in front of his body while the wooden sword paired alongside it closely. ¡°Are you alright, Leona?¡± Krieg asked without taking his eyes off the foe in front of him. ¡°Yes. This time, I¡¯ll fight together by your side.¡± As both of them readied themselves for battle¡ªSetsuna raised her staff and tapped on the ground with it and suddenly the air around them became colder. In the blink of an eye, the smoldering azure flames were extinguished and Miyamoto charged forward without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Krieg matched his opponent and advanced with his shield up. While keeping his guard up, the knight unleashed a flurry of stabs with the wooden sword, but the attack was easily dodged by the swordmaster¡ªwho rotated around his left side. ¡°Hmph!¡± He followed up with a downward slash aiming at the side of Krieg¡¯s head. Leona raised her staff and quickly chanted.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Ice Wall!¡± Suddenly a barrier of ice appeared between them and stopped the blade from hitting the knight, but the impact made it shatter. The moment the barrier went down, Krieg was already waiting to follow up with a shield bash which missed Miyamoto¡¯s face by a hair¡¯s breadth before he used his body¡¯s momentum to launch another diagonal slash. Setsuna pointed her staff at the swordmaster and shouted. ¡°Stone Shield!¡± Mana surged near Miyamoto¡¯s feet and the very earth took the shape of a half cocoon made of an assortment of rock and stone¡ªrendering Krieg¡¯s attack ineffective. However, that did little to stop the knight, who flipped his sword down and winded up his arm. ¡°Hah!¡± He stepped in and brought his clenched fist with full force against the stone barrier¡ªdestroying it in one punch. ¡°What the-¡± Setsuna wasn¡¯t really expecting him to do that since it left him exposed for her to unleash a counter-attack. However, before she could take advantage of it, she noticed Leona in the corner of her vision. The tactician had already charged her spell with magic before shouting. ¡°Wind Bullet!¡± The mana took a verdant tint as it was shot out from her staff at high speed. The spell ended up being cut in half by Miyamoto¡ªwho had just narrowly escaped from being punched in the face by Krieg. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The swordmaster¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change but he did look over his shoulder to Setsuna. ¡°Should we raise the pace?¡± She glanced at him before focusing back on Leona who seemed focused sharp on whatever movement she did. ¡°Just don¡¯t get carried away.¡± Krieg took advantage of the fact that he was looking away to dash forward and go for an overhead swing. Leona noticed the shrine maiden move before shouting. ¡°Krieg wait!¡± But in that split second Setsuna pointed her staff at the ground and unleashed a faint spell that didn¡¯t even register as an offensive magic in her eyes. The spell in question was to create a small patch of ice beneath Krieg¡¯s right foot which was enough to make him slip and fall forward right into Miyamoto¡¯s spinning swing. With a loud whack against his forehead, the towering knight was thrown on the ground on his back. ¡°Argh!¡± That made Leona snap out and switch targets to the swordmaster who was now running towards her. ¡®He¡¯s too fast!¡¯ She buried the staff¡¯s end in the ground in front of her and chanted while focusing all her mana through it. ¡°Maelstrom!¡± The dirt around her began to quiver and liquefy into quicksand¡ªwhich started to swallow even the small patches of grass around it. She looked up in order to think of what she should do next, but the quicksand did little to stop Miyamoto from crossing it with Setsuna¡¯s well timed earth spells. As the shrine maiden lifted her staff in conjunction with her left hand and small rocks began to levitate above the swallowing dirt just enough for the swordmaster to skip on them. His steps were light as the wind as each rock fell just after his foot left it behind. ¡°Tch!¡± Seeing that, Leona jumped backwards to create some space as she pointed the staff at him. ¡°Wind Blast!¡± Seeing mana quickly gather around Leona prompted Setsuna to also raise her own cudgel. ¡°Ice Wall!¡± The shrine maiden countered her attempt to knock the swordmaster away by creating a concave ice wall that was thick enough to sustain the wind blast while also reflecting the high pressure wind back at Leona. ¡°Ugh!¡± The backlash was so strong she had to close her eyes and cover her face with her forearm¡ªthe moment she recovered, Miyamoto already had the sheathed sword right against her throat. Deep down Leona knew the battle was over before it started. The amount of synergy Miyamoto and Setsuna had was astonishing to the point she could believe they had been comrade in arms for years. In stark contrast however, the lack of coordination between herself and Krieg was somewhat frustrating. Granted, she was new to fighting alongside someone else, but she thought that a plethora of tactical maneuvers memorized in her head would have been enough to push them towards victory, which clearly wasn¡¯t. She raised her staff as she conceded. ¡°It is my loss.¡± Miyamoto lowered his blade and rested the long curved blade against his right shoulder as he walked back towards Setsuna who was kneeling beside Krieg with her staff supporting her weight as she asked. ¡°Are you alright?¡± He grunted with a streak of blood coming out the middle of his forehead. ¡°Physically or emotionally?¡± The shrine maiden chuckled. ¡°You are more than alright if you¡¯re making jokes like these.¡± She stood up and offered her hand. ¡°Come on, stand up.¡± He tilted his head before grabbing on her hand which felt different somehow. Although she was half his size, she had enough strength to effortlessly lift him from the ground. After cleaning some of the blood with his thumb, the knight turned to Setsuna and asked. ¡°How are you so strong? I thought all mages were feeble. No offense.¡± ¡°Haha, none taken. My strength doesn¡¯t come from muscles, but from mana reinforcement.¡± She extended her right hand towards him for a handshake. ¡°Come, give me your best shot.¡± He reeled back a bit. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He was pointing at his arm with his open left hand which was thrice of hers. ¡°You may be strong but I-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ very well.¡± He grabbed her hand for a handshake before slowly going all out clenching his hand, but to his surprise, her petite hand didn¡¯t even budge. ¡°What the-¡± It was as if some sort of force was keeping her from being squished by his palm. ¡°It was thanks to Lady Frostleaf that I was able to learn this.¡± She spoke casually while he was still trying his best to overcome the strange force that kept her hand firm like steel. ¡°It¡¯s something that comes naturally for dragons.¡± He finally let go of her hand¡ªthoroughly defeated. ¡°I must say¡­¡± He was taking a few quick deep breaths, showing just how much strength he used. ¡°It¡¯s quite a fearsome ability to go up against.¡± ¡°It does drain one¡¯s mana quickly though so it¡¯s not like I can keep using it indefinitely.¡± ¡°What was that spell that you used?¡± Leona approached them already asking Setsuna with burning curiosity. ¡°I¡¯ve been able to see mana more clearly now when it¡¯s being used for spellcasting but yours was just barely visible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really a spell, I just made the surface of the ground become ice.¡± ¡°Yes, but I want to know how.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­¡± She pointed her staff to the ground between them. ¡°If the spell in question comes from your body, it¡¯ll signal to your opponent that you are indeed using mana. However, if you were to prepare the spell in advance and put it in place¡­¡± It was very subtle but Leona noticed a streak of mana come out from the tip of her cudgel before the ground itself became inscribed with a small circle the size of her palm filled with countless other circles and words written alongside their edges. Leona scratched the underside of her chin with the splintered tip of her staff. Her eyes were focusing on the rune-like mana formation on the ground but nevertheless her brows raised and her mouth curled with perplexion. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Runic magic. You can inscribe certain instructions and fuel it with mana in order to activate it. Just now I inscribed water condensation and wind adjustment into rapid cooling. This causes the humidity in the air to turn into water while quickly lowering its temperature in order to freeze it while the wind component was so the frozen portion was actually flat so Sir Krieg would slip on it easily.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I never heard of this before.¡± ¡°You probably wouldn¡¯t have. The original art of runic magic was lost during the Dragon War, but Father was able to reproduce part of it. I am personally not entirely sure how it works either, but the fact that we are able to use it here and now means there must be a set of rules for it to work.¡± Leona glanced up with a fascinated smile. ¡°That is a very scholarly approach.¡± ¡°Haha. It is just as Father said: ¡®Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.¡¯ And I personally believe this is one of such cases, not that I have accomplished any significant progress in comprehending it mind you.¡± ¡°Still, it is quite the feat to be able to use something so sophisticated.¡± She looked back at the rune. ¡°How do you activate it though?¡± ¡°Just give a bit of mana. Here, let me show you.¡± She pointed her staff at it and with a faint bit of mana which resulted in the rune emitting a faint light blue glow before executing all the spells in quick succession. The water in the air coalesced into a puddle of water that was made flat with wind and finally frozen into a disk against the ground. ¡°Woah¡­!¡± Leona¡¯s eyes lit up with sparks of curiosity as she observed the final result. ¡°Is it alright to touch it?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just ice at this point.¡± She tapped it twice with her index finger. The surface was smooth and cold to the touch as one would expect ice to be. ¡°Interesting¡­ what happens to the runes after they are activated?¡± ¡°Usually they disappear, but you can make them last longer if you engrave them in a mana conductive material.¡± ¡°So not unlike enchanting an item?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ it¡¯s more complicated than that, if we¡­¡± They continued on while Krieg stood a few meters away from them with a faint smile on his face. ¡®It has been a while since I¡¯ve seen her this enthusiastic.¡¯ He thought as he put away his training sword. ¡°Wipe that smug look off your face will you?¡± Miyamoto approached him while holding the curved sword against his right shoulder. ¡°What were you thinking when trying to attack me from behind?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you that said that I should cast chivalry notions aside and fight to win?¡± ¡°I said to win, not to walk right into a foe¡¯s trap.¡± He walked beside him and tapped his wooden slippers against Krieg¡¯s legs. ¡°These dictate a lot about a swordsman. I¡¯m sure Eleonora must have taught you footwork during your time as an Arcadian knight.¡± ¡°Yes, but we fought demonic beasts, not humans.¡± ¡°Still, with a short sword and a shield, you can¡¯t expect to outrange me wielding a considerably lengthier blade.¡± He pointed with his chin towards Leona who was too engrossed in talking to Setsuna to notice him motioning to her. ¡°Instead, you could have waited for Leona¡¯s support or advanced with your shield at the ready, even if you slipped, you could have still blocked my attack. Remember, your advantage is extremely close quarters. You have the upper hand the moment you get within an opponent¡¯s personal space.¡± ¡°And if I can¡¯t get there?¡± ¡°You die. And probably the people behind you as well.¡± He moved his head to each side and with an audible crack coming off his neck, he started to walk away. ¡°But that is what we¡¯re trying to avoid. Take a break for now, we¡¯ll get back to it after lunch.¡± As he was walking away, he noticed something before sighing and mumbling on his own. ¡°That fool¡¯s attitude is starting to rub off on me.¡± Robert was beginning to work on a campfire on the upper forest clearing before he frowned his brows and sneezed. Yuna, who was carrying ceramic bows to a wooden table prepared by the campfire, looked at him and asked. ¡°Dad, are you sick?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I can get sick, sweetie. Must be someone bad mouthing me.¡± Chapter CLIV: Hard Studies After a morning of rigorous training, Leona, Krieg, Setsuna, Yuna, Miyamoto, Ren, Tomoe and Robert were preparing to eat outside. The gentle breeze kept the hearty beef stew¡¯s aroma over the table as it was slowly cooking over the campfire on a big enough pot to feed all eight people. ¡°Master¡¯s cooking on a day off.¡± Ren seemed enthusiastic about it as he was putting on the bowls for each one. ¡°If this isn¡¯t my lucky day I don¡¯t know what is.¡± ¡°Flattery won¡¯t make your training any easier, Ren.¡± Robert said as he was finishing stirring the stew. ¡°It should be ready soon. How is the rice on your end, Tomoe?¡± ¡°All done.¡± ¡°Okay, wrap it in towels so it steams the rice.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The maid took the thick casting iron pot out of the fire and placed it on a thick white towel before wrapping it in the textile to trap the steam inside. In the meantime, Leona was reading a small book labeled as ¡®Aetherial Observations¡¯. A guideline for magic written by none other than Robert himself. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± She muttered under her breath as she was almost literally devouring the book. ¡°So as long as I can visualize the spell I want to cast, the possibilities are endless¡­¡± She shifted her weight on the wooden chair which made her tilt to the right. Robert walked over the table and glanced at the page she was reading. ¡°Excluding the obvious restriction from one¡¯s own mana pool¡ªit is possible to cast multiple spells at once with the usage of runic magic and direct spellcasting.¡± Without taking her eyes off the page, she asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to implement partial summoning alongside direct casting?¡± ¡°Partial summoning is simply a method to diminish the usage of mana rather than being another technique of spellcasting.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t partial summoning the doing of spirits?¡± ¡°No, partial summoning involves using spirits of a certain element to help you conceive a spell into existence through the usage of their mana combined with your own.¡± He picked the fork and placed it beside the spoon that was beside her empty bowl. ¡°They complement your spells rather than being a different one. Summoning magic on the other hand, has an elemental spirit cast the spell for you, though it¡¯s less reliable and accurate, it allows the user to unleash multiple spells at once.¡± That made her turn her attention at him. ¡°Wait but Yuna said that summoning magic was exclusively tied to tiny spirits that-¡± Robert shook his fingers, interrupting her while offering an explanation of his own. ¡°I don¡¯t give her all the answers because in a way, that is her own training that I planned out for her as a goal to keep her mind focused, you on the other hand, already got a goal of your own, there is hardly any need for you to concern yourself with something so esoteric such as magic theory.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°So you don¡¯t mind giving me the answers?¡± ¡°Not if they pertain to your goal, no.¡± With a subtle sigh, she continued. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand ¡®your¡¯ goals, Robert.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± He tapped on the book in her hand. ¡°Close it before we start eating.¡± He turned around and lowered the fire with a dose of ice and wind magic combined. Leona closed the book and was about to settle it on the table before Setsuna grabbed it with her left hand as she wore a faint smile on her face. ¡°I can store it for you if you want.¡± ¡°Ah, that would be great, thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The shrine maiden used the staff on her right hand to seemingly open a rift in the air and chuck the book inside of it. That by itself left Leona with a dropped jaw as she glanced at Setsuna with an incredulous look on her face. ¡°Wait¡­ what was that?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, that?¡± Setsuna pointed at where previously there was a rift of darkness in the air. ¡°It¡¯s a small application of Greater Teleportation. I just sent the book back to the house.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I thought it could only be used to move people, not things.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if it only moved people, any time my father teleported anyone, they would arrive buck naked at their destination.¡± Leona frowned her brows with a slightly disgusted look on her face. ¡°Haha, I know it sounds strange, but it¡¯s true. The first time I managed to teleport myself, I ended up falling naked in the ocean.¡± Leona shifted around on her seat once again and held her chin between her thumb and index finger. ¡°How do you even practice then? Because it sounds like a potentially deadly spell if you don¡¯t do it correctly.¡± ¡°Because it is. It¡¯s called Greater Teleportation because of the accuracy, the spell prior to it is called Teleportation which simply takes an object or person to an approximate distance of their intended destination, which can end up being a solid wall or worse, another living being.¡± She raised her staff a bit off the ground as if to show it to her. ¡°Father even forbade me from using the staff while practicing since it empowers every spell I cast by two-fold which could end up in some disastrous results.¡± ¡°I see¡­ thank you for sharing all of this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, as your senior in magic, I feel it would be a waste for me to not impart some of my own knowledge to you.¡± ¡°I really appreciate it.¡± On the other side of the table, Yuna was settling down glass cups for everyone while looking at Leona and her older sister in a lively chit-chat. She glanced down with a slight hint of sadness in her eyes. ¡°Is something wrong, young lady?¡± Ren asked her as she was right beside him. ¡°Hm? Oh, no, nothing Ren.¡± She forced a smile while offering him an empty glass. ¡°Here. This is yours.¡± He felt something was wrong but he gave her a faint smile and ruffled her hair a bit. ¡°Thank you, young lady.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She then proceeded to put cups for everyone before returning to her seat by the campfire where Robert was tending the stew. ¡°Have you finished putting out the cups?¡± Robert asked without taking his eyes off the stew. ¡°Yes, dad.¡± ¡°Hm. Good work.¡± He scooped out a portion of stew from the pot before putting it in an azure bowl decorated with flowers forming from the white parts of the ceramic. ¡°Here, the first serving is all yours.¡± After placing the food in front of her, he kneeled beside her and put his rather large hand on her small shoulder. ¡°I know you¡¯re feeling down from what happened but cheer up, I¡¯m sure Leona doesn¡¯t resent you.¡± ¡°Dad¡­¡± He smiled at her before gently pitching her left cheek. ¡°You¡¯re doing great. All you need to learn is to be patient.¡± He then stood up and raised his voice. ¡°Stew¡¯s ready, come get a portion for yourself before it gets cold!¡± Everyone formed a line in front of the cooking pot and chatted as they waited for their turn to get some of the stew. Leona¡¯s portion was served by Krieg as he was the first to get in line. ¡°Here you go, Leona.¡± He placed the bowl in front of her. The rich stew sauce was spread around a small pile of rice which made it look like an isolated island in the middle of a sea of sauce. ¡°Thank you, Krieg.¡± She picked the spoon and started to dig in. The rich flavor and aroma made her close her eyes as she appreciated the taste. At the same time, it felt like everything she read up about magic so far was indeed true. The reserves that she had spent during training were replenishing themselves as she continued her meal. ¡®Aether truly is a closed loop.¡¯ Was her first thought as she could clearly feel the distinction between aether and mana. Before, mana felt just like fatigue that comes from exertion, not too unlike sleep. However, now she was able to tell that aether and mana were similar to the body and muscles in the sense that even if magic fails at some point, it can always be recovered as long as she doesn¡¯t overexert herself. ¡®One is able to build mana reserves just how one builds muscle.¡¯ A smile started to curl on her face as she finally could perceive what was going on inside her own body. ¡°You¡¯ll end up with a stiff mouth if you smile so much.¡± Robert said as he sat by Leona¡¯s left side. ¡°Did you discover something?¡± ¡°The difference between aether and mana is very noticeable once you have a grasp of their concepts.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± He raised both eyebrows in surprise. ¡°You catch on quickly.¡± ¡°How did you discover about aether anyway? I thought mana was stored in the soul.¡± He was in the middle of a spoon-full of stew but then he settled it back in the bowl. ¡°Well, the soul must be made out of something. It couldn¡¯t be mana otherwise it would be diluted in the presence of large amounts of it, therefore, it must be something else that doesn¡¯t react with mana directly.¡± He raised his index finger and an orange small flame sprouted at his fingertip. ¡°Mana serves as the fuel to our magic, while aether is what holds it inside our soul. When we run out of mana, our own soul starts to expand in order to gather mana more quickly, resulting in an overall increase in our mana reserves.¡± Leona took another bite of her food and after gulping it down she turned to him again. ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t quite explain why mana shock is possible. How can I cast spells without mana?¡± ¡°By sacrificing aether. That¡¯s why some mages outright die after using way more magic than they are capable of.¡± He flicked right hand and multiple flames appeared at the end of his fingers. ¡°Mages are able to roughly tell how much they spend while casting small spells, but the moment they go all out-¡± The flames gathered into a bigger ball of fire that swirled high in the air as he used a wind rune below the flames in order to keep most of the heat trapped in. ¡°-they lose control of their mana.¡± ¡°I see¡­ is that the reason why you focus so much on accuracy when casting spells? I couldn¡¯t help but notice how every single training session revolves around it to some degree.¡± ¡°A fortuitous result of learning, nothing more.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± It felt like she was missing part of a bigger picture but the tasty meal was keeping her mind too occupied in order to figure out what it was so she simply leaned back on her seat. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the next training session.¡± ¡°Very well. I have something very different in mind now that you are able to tell aether from mana.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not another experiment of yours, is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out.¡± His nonchalant response left Leona somewhat unsettled as she finished her meal. Little she knew what to expect from the otherworldly hero. Chapter CLV: The Sword or The Knee Part I ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the next training session.¡± Was Leona¡¯s words earlier in the afternoon, but little did she know what manner of training was awaiting her. ¡°WHY AM I RUNNING FOR MY LIFE?!¡± She screamed atop of her lungs as she was dashing at full speed between trees as they were being bombarded with all manner of destructive spells. Water, fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning, all elements were at her opponent¡¯s disposal and the only saving grace was the densely packed forest inside her inner world that served as cover as she zig-zagged between the trees. ¡°Just as a reminder.¡± Robert¡¯s voice echoed from all directions. ¡°Running away inside your inner world does nothing to increase your overall stamina. This is magical training, not physical.¡± ¡°Easy for you to say!¡± She looked behind her only to notice a fireball coming at full speed in her direction before she jumped out of the way and rolled on the forest ground as the place where she was previously was now lit ablaze with azure flames. ¡°Why am I fighting against ¡®myself¡¯?!¡± Just beyond the trees, a young woman of blonde hair and aquamarine eyes was outfitted with a full set of silver plate armor, its shimmering radiance reflected on each step she took. She wielded both a staff on her left hand and a frostburnt silver longsword on her right as she approached Leona with killing intent. ¡°It is what your mind deems as the best version of ¡®yourself¡¯. It is your fault you¡¯re fighting her if anything.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask what I thought at the time!¡± She stood up with the help of her splintered staff and kept running. ¡°Why are we fighting?!¡± ¡°Remember I told you, you can¡¯t actually die in your own inner world? Here, you can go above and beyond your limits in order to train your mind.¡± ¡°And how does fighting myself have anything to do with it?!¡± ¡°Well¡­ I thought it would be hilarious.¡± ¡°I HATE YOU!¡± She shouted and at the same time she felt a chilling sensation from behind her. It was as if she could physically feel the static electricity build up around her skin as her other self charged a lightning attack. Upon turning around, she noticed the knight¡¯s left hand crackling with arcane energy. ¡°Fulgent lightning, smite my foes-¡± ¡®I can¡¯t dodge that!¡¯ Was her first thought as she raised her staff forward and shouted. ¡°Ice Wall!¡± ¡°-Chain Lightning!¡± Despite her rather fast reaction, the ice was still forming when the electricity arced around the top of the half ice wall before it hit Leona¡¯s staff. The high voltage spell traveled through her entire body before she collapsed on the ground with puffs of smoke coming out of her hair and limbs. ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± Robert¡¯s voice came from amidst the trees before he came down from the foliage above. ¡°She¡¯s definitely dead.¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Leona suddenly opened her eyes. It was in the middle of the afternoon when the otherworldly hero suggested the new training regime for Leona. They were both inside the house, sitting in front of each other with the tactician resting her right hand between his hands.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. A killer migraine started to get a hold of her brain as she tilted her entire upper body down and held her nose ridge between her fingers. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Well, that was certainly short-lived.¡± Robert¡¯s voice seemed calm and unsurprised. ¡°Why would you make a version of yourself capable of such destructive magic?¡± She was still holding her head low as she spoke. ¡°Ngh¡­ you did ask me to imagine the ¡®best¡¯ version of myself.¡± ¡°I did that to understand what was your definition of ¡®best¡¯ but I wasn¡¯t expecting your idea of best to be an armored mage.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Though I can see why you want both worlds.¡± He held his chin between his thumb and index finger before closing his eyes to think. ¡°Then again, this might work in your favor. The tougher the opponent, the more you can learn by fighting against it.¡± ¡°Can you not call her, it? That¡¯s me, you know.¡± ¡°A figment of your imagination, therefore, it. Point of being aside, I find it interesting how you can imagine yourself wielding more elements than what you already have.¡± He opened his eyes and placed each of his open palms on the inner side of his knees. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue on. You might get a headache later on but it¡¯s part of the training.¡± She looked at him between her fingers. ¡°Will it get better?¡± ¡°That depends on you. Dying, even if it is in your own inner world, is still not very good for your health, you know.¡± ¡°Knock it off, will you?¡± She placed her right hand on top of his left palm and closed her eyes. A familiar tingling sensation started to come up from her arm until she finally passed out while sitting up. The inner world. A physical manifestation of one¡¯s psyche. By rigorous training to truly learn about themselves, one could so much as recreate entire kingdoms within their own mind. Leona, while not yet able to reach such lofty heights, was still somewhat successful thanks to Robert¡¯s aid and their accidental yet fortuitous soul binding mishap from a day ago. Once she opened her eyes, she was once again greeted by a dense, humid forest. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She grumbled. ¡°I know this is supposed to mirror my mind but isn¡¯t it strange? Why is this forest so densely packed? I can¡¯t even see the sky.¡± ¡°Instead of asking yourself why, ask how this is happening.¡± Robert¡¯s voice came from somewhere amongst the treetops. ¡°How did your inner world become a crystal palace? What was it that you were thinking back then?¡± His words echoed in her mind as she recalled the vivid horrifying experience of fighting against the Empress of Annihilation. ¡°Dread, misery, agony and¡­ sadness.¡± She grabbed her left shoulder which was wrapped in bandages where her arm had been dismembered. The nonexistent limb throbbed in pain. ¡°And what are you feeling now? Your true feelings.¡± ¡®Doubt, anxiety, fear¡­¡¯ She thought silently to herself as she lowered her head and exhaled slowly. ¡®When have I ever started to doubt myself this much? Ever since the beginning?¡¯ A few minutes passed before she lifted her head up. ¡°Despite my accomplishments, I truly feel that I have achieved nothing.¡± She declared whilst holding her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t have my father¡¯s acumen for strategy, my mother¡¯s geniuses for tinkering nor Krieg¡¯s might to protect those close to me. However, I do have one thing that none of them possess¡­¡± She slowly lifted her right arm upwards which started to glow bright with mana. ¡°Which is why¡­!¡± Finally, she opened her eyes and shouted atop of her lungs. ¡°I WILL CONTROL MY FATE!¡± Mana surged from within her body towards the very end of the staff as it crackled with arcane energy. The very air started to spiral around it as an orb of azure flame started to form and accumulate more energy until she grasped the staff and flicked it upwards. The wide blast of fire swept across the foliage revealing a bright blue sky hidden amongst the now smoldering treetops. ¡°Not bad Leona.¡± Robert was clapping his hands as he approached her. It felt like he appeared out of thin air in front of her. ¡°Now that you are focused enough, we can finally begin.¡± Her inner world was surely beginning to change, the burnt trees crumbled into ash that were carried away by the wind. In their place, pillars of stone began to erupt out of the ground and not before long, she found herself standing at a stone paved crossroads. ¡°What the¡­ did I really just do this?¡± She asked as she looked down to her feet and where it was previously dirt, was now paved with stone tiles. ¡°You already know the answer for that.¡± He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. ¡°Now you should be ready to confront her again.¡± Upon stepping to the side of the road, Robert revealed the same fully armored Leona from before behind him. She was standing just a few meters ahead of the tactician with her head hanging low. ¡°Hmm.¡± Leona took a deep breath and raised her staff towards the simulacrum. ¡°What will it be, me? The sword or the knee?¡± As she said those words, the armored princess lifted her head up and the moment they locked eyes, the battle had already begun. Chapter CLVI: The Sword or The Knee Part II Leona found herself sprawled on the ground. The ends of her hair were singed, her right arm trembled from gripping the staff too tight and her legs were spasming from pain. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She uttered as she mustered enough strength to lift her head. ¡°Your mastery over magic has increased significantly.¡± A female voice sounded up ahead as she locked eyes with her other self. ¡°But this is nowhere close to me.¡± The fully armored Leona had her frostburnt silver longsword pointed at her with a smug expression on her face. ¡°So, me. What will it be? The sword or the knee?¡± ¡°That¡¯s rich coming from someone that is just a shade.¡± Despite her wounds and fatigue, she stood up with the help of the staff and pointed it towards her. ¡°I will become stronger. Just you wait¡­¡± With one swift flick of the longsword, the knight cut her down. Splattering blood across the stone tiles. ¡°Argh!¡± Leona shot up awake with a terrible migraine assaulting her brain. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She grasped her head while frowning her eyes in pain. ¡°Should have dodged that wind bullet.¡± Robert commented as he stood up and bent backwards in order to relieve the back pain. ¡°Mmmmh¡­ let¡¯s take a break, it has been almost six hours since you¡¯ve been training.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Leona glanced at one of the vents which gave a full view of the mountainside. It was already dark. ¡°But we¡¯ve been there for what felt like a day.¡± He walked over to the table in the middle of the room and grabbed an empty glass cup in order to pour water from a jar that was sitting beside it. ¡°What do you think your inner world is?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ a physical manifestation of my mind?¡± ¡°Yes, but you are missing one key factor about it. Time there passes as fast as your brain can process all the information inside of it.¡± He filled his cup to the brim and chugged it down in one go. Meanwhile Leona was trying to make sense of what she just heard, but the headache was too intense for her to focus. ¡°So¡­ what does it mean exactly?¡± She was still holding the side of her head while wincing from the throbbing sensation through her cranium. ¡°It means that you are learning way faster than normally possible.¡± He put the empty glass back on the table and tapped twice against the side of his head. ¡°If we speed up the rate at how you train, that means we¡¯ll effectively cut down the time you actually need to train.¡± ¡°And how exactly does that have anything to do with time passing slower?¡± He looked at her and slightly shook his head. ¡°If you are faster, does that mean everyone else is slower?¡± She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow as she answered. ¡°Not necessarily?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same thing with time. If you¡¯re experiencing things faster in the inner world, it doesn¡¯t mean time itself is passing slower, it just means that your mind is that much faster at processing information.¡± He sat on the couch and stretched out his legs on top of the table. ¡°The resulting headache you feel everytime you come out of the inner world is the result of your mind catching up. Of course, there are some inherent risks in training so much in there but we¡¯ll take our time so you get familiar with that sort of mental stress.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ just how much longer will I have to do this?¡± ¡°Until you become strong enough to withstand your grandmother¡¯s aura.¡± He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. ¡°Gravity.¡± Suddenly, her body felt like it was twice its normal weight as she felt a tremendous amount of pressure on her entire being. A dark mist enveloped her as she tried to move but to no avail. ¡°Ugh!¡± Her own weight was working against her as she tried to lift her head, but her muscles couldn¡¯t muster enough strength to overcome his spell as her entire forearm was supporting herself against the carpet. ¡°Remember what you went through before, aether can vastly change one¡¯s soul in a short amount of time.¡± He snapped his fingers again, lifting the spell¡¯s effect on her. ¡°Mana pressure can potentially kill a person, given the right circumstances and since I made a deal to train you, I can¡¯t have you die on me, can I?¡± ¡°Haa¡­ ah¡­ what¡¯s the point of training in the inner world then?¡± She lifted her head whilst panting. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be increasing my mana?¡± He looked at her with an incredulous expression as if she just said something stupid. ¡°The only reason as to why you are doing this in the first place is to increase your mana capacity. It may not help you physically, but you are getting stronger in the magic department. Do you not feel it?¡± She stared at her own right hand, but despite him saying so, she couldn¡¯t tell the difference. Seeing no significant reaction from her prompted Robert to lean forward out of his relaxed pose in order to think. ¡®Maybe because she has been training this entire time in the inner world¡ªshe herself doesn¡¯t feel any different from when she was there¡­¡¯ He thought while rubbing both sides of his face with his right hand. ¡®Interesting¡­¡¯ He stood up and signaled her to do the same by flicking his left hand up. She did as instructed and was about to ask what that was all about, before he said something unthinkable. ¡°Unleash your most powerful spell against me.¡± She blinked a few times. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You heard me. Use your staff and fire at me your most powerful spell.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious right?¡± ¡°Here and now, come.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re inside-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to take care of it, whatever it is.¡± She hesitantly took up her staff from the floor and aimed it at him. Upon taking a deep breath, she could feel every single fiber of her body sharpen and focus on gathering mana as light blue strings of magic began to surge from her feet and course around her body towards the very tip of the staff. ¡°Heed me o blazing comet-¡± She started to chant, though her words were substantially different from the usual ¡®by the book¡¯ incantation. ¡°-herald of doom, bring destruction upon my foes-¡± Mana from the very air started to accrete towards the azure fire orb taking shape at the end of her staff. ¡°Fireball!¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The already very destructive fire spell was about four times bigger than normal when she released it. By encompassing it with mana, she effectively created the first high payload explosive spell that could potentially wipe out everything in the current vicinity including herself. It was at that point when she realized she put way more mana than she initially intended to. ¡°Wait this isn¡¯t-!¡± As she was about to say something along the lines of an apology, Robert raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. In the blink of an eye, the large sphere of fire vanished in thin air as he chuckled. ¡°See? Your mana did indeed increase.¡± There was a sudden chilling breeze hitting her face before she slumped back on the couch stunned by the sheer amount of mana she had just displayed. ¡°Good grief, why do you not believe me?¡± ¡°No I¡­¡± She looked at her own trembling hand. ¡°I achieved this in less than a day¡­¡± ¡°Because of the sheer amount of time you passed in the inner world no doubt.¡± He sat on the other couch and started to yawn. ¡°With your current capabilities¡­ six hours here should be equivalent to roughly thirty six there.¡± ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t I keep going? If I can grow six times faster there then-¡± ¡°Unless you want to assimilate your soul with mine, I suggest you give yourself at least a few hours to recover.¡± He snapped his fingers and a glass cup of wine appeared out of thin air before he catched it between his fingers. The red liquid swirled dangerously close to the glass¡¯ edges before settling at the bottom of the cup. She flicked her head up. ¡°Come again?¡± He was about to take a sip from his drink before she asked with a puzzled expression¡ªpromptly interrupting him. ¡°Your soul will merge with mine and your body will become a soulless husk.¡± He seemed a bit annoyed as he took a sip from the wine. ¡°These trips to your inner world are made by using my soul as a catalyst for your mind to comprehend your own soul. Think of it as me lending my perception of the inner world¡¯s existence to you so you can access it. In doing so that makes your soul ever so slightly similar to mine.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ so what should I do while not training there?¡± ¡°You could always train your body.¡± He took another sip. ¡°A mage that dies the moment an enemy touches them is not a very useful one.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She seemed genuinely confused. ¡°Wait¡­ wasn¡¯t I supposed to be far away from the frontline?¡± ¡°Ideally, yes. But you don¡¯t always get what you want on the battlefield.¡± He finished drinking his wine and tossed the empty glass up before snapping his fingers¡ªmaking it disappear out of thin air. ¡°Get some food in your body, rest up and prepare for tomorrow¡¯s training. We¡¯ll start early.¡± At that moment he simply stood up and walked away without giving her another chance to speak. On the other hand, Leona was approached by the maid Tomoe carrying a thick glass jar filled with what seemed to be some kind of broth. ¡°Miss Leona.¡± The maid spoke in a soft tone. ¡°You and master Robert weren¡¯t available for dinner so I took the liberty to make a spare meal for you. Would you like to seat here or at the table?¡± ¡°Oh, here is fine.¡± She nodded and settled the jar on the low table with a fork on the side. Leona promptly sat on the carpet in order to be at the ideal height to eat. ¡°Thank you, Tomoe.¡± From the smell alone she could tell what it was. Though what puzzled her specially was how hot it was. Her inquisitorial glance was enough to make the maid ask her. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°This is this ramen,right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did I keep someone in the kitchen all evening just to make this hot meal for me?¡± ¡°Ah, do not need to concern yourself with this Miss Leona. Master Robert made it so we can heat it up by adding some mana through a rune specifically crafted by him.¡± ¡°A mana rune? For food?¡± ¡°Yes, it uses lightning magic in order to heat it without requiring metalware. He mentioned something along the lines of ¡®microwaves¡¯.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I never heard of that.¡± She used the fork and poked the piece of cut pork that was floating on the broth as it released a gentle wave of warm steam. ¡°I should ask how he did it.¡± She proceeded to silently eat her meal, only noticing how really hungry she truly was after the first few bites. Though something felt off. Before she could proceed with her food, she noticed Tomoe simply standing by her side not even looking at her. She settled her fork down in between the noodles. ¡°Tomoe?¡± The maid looked at her with a stoic expression. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Are you just going to stand there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you not hungry?¡± ¡°No, I ate a few hours ago.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ then could you at least sit down beside me? I would rather not have you stand to wait for me.¡± ¡°Did I perchance bother you? I can leave if-¡± ¡°No, no, just sit down.¡± She crossed her right arm and tapped on the carpet twice. ¡°Company during a meal is always welcomed.¡± Leona¡¯s faint smile surprised the maid a bit as she adjusted her long skirt before sitting down. Once she finally sat down on her own legs, the tactician was reminded of her dear personal maid, Adele. From the way they both sat and the similar haircut, she couldn¡¯t help but feel nostalgic. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Tomoe asked as she noticed Leona looking at her with a longing gaze. ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s nothing. You just reminded me of someone that once was very close to me.¡± ¡°Truly? My kind isn¡¯t very well known for traveling.¡± She discreetly pointed at the two thin horns protruding out of her forehead. ¡°These tend to attract unwanted attention.¡± ¡°I¡¯m unsure whether or not she was an oni, but she also had horns. Though they were much thicker and came out of the sides of her head.¡± She tapped twice just above her right ear. At that point, Tomoe tilted her head slightly down with a pensive expression. ¡°Adele¡­ Adele¡­¡± She uttered the maid¡¯s name a few times. ¡°Where have I heard that name before¡­?¡± Leona was about to take another bite of the noodles as she turned her head slightly to ask. ¡°Did you say something?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, no. Apologies.¡± The tactician chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to apologize for.¡± She giggled a bit. ¡°I have to say, you really remind me of her even with the smallest of reactions.¡± After the moment of retrospection, Leona began to enjoy her meal in silence with the only sounds filling the room was the clinking of metal against glass and the crackling of the fireplace. Much had happened until that point and looking back¡ªthe tactician could tell that she had made leaps and bounds of progress compared to when she had first started. Though to get there, she had also sacrificed a great deal, be it the company of former friends or her own body in the form of her left arm. From time to time, her left shoulder would throb in pain and serve as a reminder of what she had lost. ¡°Tsk.¡± She clicked her tongue while Tomoe was taking her bowl away which prompted the maid to look at her, but before she could apologize, Leona decided to clarify. ¡°Sorry, my arm, or rather, my shoulder is killing me right now. It has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Do you want me to fetch master Robert?¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll pass soon.¡± She used her right arm to sit back on the couch before holding on her left stump. ¡°I just need to rest for a bit¡­¡± ¡°Very well. Don¡¯t hesitate to call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°I will, thank you, Tomoe.¡± She bowed and headed off to the kitchen in order to clean the dishes. Leona on the other hand decided it was best to just rest as she leaned her head against the couch. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± She took a very slow and deep breath trying to shrug off the pain, but it felt like needles were puncturing through the non-existent left arm. ¡°I¡¯m not unfamiliar with pain, but this is¡­ argh¡­¡± She closed her eyes while clenching her teeth and squeezing her left shoulder. ¡°Ha¡­ ah¡­¡± After a few minutes had passed the pain began to subside. But the phantom limb still felt like it had electricity coursing through it as the tingling sensation lingered for quite a while before she was finally able to lie down on the couch while still grasping her shoulder. ¡°Ugh¡­ I need to sleep for tomorrow¡­¡± She turned on her right side and forcefully closed her eyes. ¡°I need¡­ to rest¡­¡± Hours passed before Krieg, Miyamoto and Setsuna entered the homestead. With the knight drenched in sweat, he was heading towards the bathroom before he took a glimpse of a trembling Leona lying on the couch. ¡°Maybe we should have Leona train with him next time.¡± Setsuna was talking to the knight¡¯s father. ¡°Practical experience of an active battlefield is always better than simply training.¡± ¡°One¡¯s blade must be ready for anything at any moment.¡± Miyamoto shook his head. ¡°Needless to say, he is still too inexperienced to use it and at this rate we might need to rely on her grace.¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t say no, especially for her own kin.¡± They both walked past Krieg who was standing by the couch which prompted Setsuna to turn around. ¡°Krieg?¡± He had just finished putting a blanket on Leona before he looked at her. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ no, it¡¯s nothing.¡± She smiled faintly. ¡°Go take a bath and rest, we¡¯ll have more training tomorrow.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Chapter CLVII: Sins Forgotten ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Leona mumbled as she slowly blinked her eyes awake. ¡°What time is it¡­?¡± She glanced at the fireplace which was put out without any hint of warmth left. Her eyes then traced towards the nearby air vents which lead outside, however, there was no hint of light coming from it which only meant it was either really early or in the middle of the night. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few more times as her blurry vision slowly focused. ¡°I should wash my face¡­¡± She used her right arm to sit up on the couch and remained still for a few minutes before finally standing up. Despite not exerting herself physically her body felt heavy as she lugged herself to the bathroom. On the way there she noticed both Yuna and Setsuna were already awake and going about their day before they noticed Leona walking in the bathroom. The metal faucet dripped water every so often as they both brushed their teeth with what seemed to be a piece of stalk from a plant. It was purposefully splintered at the end to form a makeshift brush. ¡°Good morning Leona.¡± Setsuna greeted before spitting in the sink. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning Miss Leona.¡± Yuna on the other hand was still in the middle of cleaning her teeth and simply bowed with the stalk on the side of her mouth. ¡°Good morning Yuna.¡± Leona stepped into the side of the faucet and opened it. Crispy cold water coursed out of it as she put her right hand beneath it. By splashing cool water against her face, it felt like a shock went through her body and what previous fatigue she felt was gone. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too cold?¡± Setsuna asked. ¡°All the more reason to do it.¡± Leona lifted her face and brushed her bangs backwards with her wet fingers which made her blonde hair slick back. She then picked one of the multiple splintered stalks that were sitting inside a ceramic cup beside the faucet and started to brush her teeth. The mint flavor was still a bit off-putting for her but nevertheless she continued on brushing. The days she had to endure without being able to bathe or take care of her appearance were truly miserable, but looking back now felt like it was just all a bad dream. At that point Yuna finished brushing her teeth and headed out. Meanwhile Setsuna leaned against the other side of the sink and crossed her arms before asking. ¡°Have you been getting used to Father yet?¡± ¡°Hm? Where did that come from?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just you asked me what I thought of him. I was under the impression you disliked him.¡± ¡°Dislike is a strong word. It¡¯s more like¡­ annoyance, perhaps? I can¡¯t really tell what he¡¯s thinking most of the time.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that like everyone else? We can¡¯t really know what the others are thinking just by looking at them.¡± ¡°Fair, but even so. Your father is¡­ peculiar and I don¡¯t mean it in a bad way, it¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s hard for me to get a read on what he is actually trying to accomplish.¡± ¡°I gave up trying to understand.¡± She chuckled and nodded to the cup with a few stalks remaining. ¡°These ¡®toothbrushes¡¯ or so he calls it, he prepares them everyday and makes us use it. For someone that wants to die so badly, he seems to be enjoying himself taking care of us.¡± There was a hint of bitterness in her voice as she spoke.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Cherish it.¡± Leona said abruptly as she stopped for a moment and stared blankly at the sink. ¡°Cherish the moments that you have with him. You never know the day you¡¯ll wake up and he won¡¯t be there.¡± There was a moment of silence before Setsuna stepped forward which prompted Leona to look at her from the corner of her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± She then left after walking past her. Leona placed her hand on the side of the sink and shook her head that was hanging low. ¡°Why did I say that?¡± Outside, even though it was cold, Krieg was standing with his sword and shield in the middle of the training grounds. Dew drops hang from the blades of grass below his feet. Nor cold or the wet sensation from the moist grass seemed to bother him, in fact, him not wearing a shirt and exposing his well-built body to the elements seemed like it was on purpose. ¡°Ha¡­¡± He exhaled a dense puff of steam before he started to swing his training blade all the while keeping the shield held high. A forward thrust, a quick follow up overhead into a shield bash. He was starting to picture his opponent¡¯s movements in his mind and it was as if the morning fog took the shape of a humanoid foe. Thrust, slash, bash, his attacks were like an endless flurry of blades with the occasional shield attack thrown in the mix. In the short amount of days he spent practicing, he already had become quite proficient in wielding both the sword and shield. But deep down he knew that was barely enough. For all it was worth, he wanted to become someone that could stand beside Leona with his head held high. Not only as a personal knight, but her valiant protector, an impenetrable shield capable of warding off any and all danger. ¡°Ever so diligent in your training, I see.¡± A female voice came from the side of the training grounds which prompted the knight to look at whoever was addressing him. ¡°Good morning, Krieg.¡± A high elf of jet black hair and dark blue eyes was standing with the help of a crooked branch that served as a walking stick. She wore a simple cotton shirt with loosely tied baggy trousers of the same fabric and leather sandals to protect her feet. She had a faint smile on her face as she slowly made her way to him. ¡°Phoebe, shouldn¡¯t you be resting?¡± His sympathetic tone caught her somewhat off-guard as she closed her eyes while still smiling. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you for worrying though.¡± She looked at him and asked. ¡°Can we talk?¡± He softened his stance as he straightened his back. ¡°Sure.¡± Her legs hobbled a few times in order to turn the rest of her body around. She pointed with her left hand towards the clearing in between the trees. ¡°If I may, can you help me walk to the cliff on the other side? ¡°Mm.¡± He nodded. With his help, she was able to cross the narrow trail without too much trouble, saving for a few times she almost fell face first if it wasn¡¯t for him holding her hand. The morning fog left the seaside of the cliff covered in white with the only hint of water being the sound of crashing waves against the rock formation below. Phoebe stood overlooking the fog covered ocean with her legs somewhat trembling. ¡°You know¡­¡± Her voice was mellowed with a hint of bittersweet sadness. ¡°...for the longest of times, I thought the only course was revenge. The pure feeling of hatred was what kept me going through all the people I¡¯ve murdered. I thought that I would only know peace by sharpening my blades and becoming the deadliest assassin the world had ever known.¡± She glanced at the fog covered sky. ¡°But once that hatred and anger was taken away¡­ I know not what I have become.¡± Krieg looked at her before following her gaze skyward. ¡°A seasoned warrior. That is all you are.¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°Thinking back, I didn¡¯t have the best impression of you.¡± He then turned to her. ¡°There was always something telling me in the back of my mind that you didn¡¯t tell us everything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. I really didn¡¯t.¡± She clenched her fingers around the staff. ¡°But that is why I came here to talk to you today. To say, I¡¯m sorry for everything. Maybe you and Leona could¡¯ve chosen a better, easier path, but regardless of your choice in the matter, I always put my revenge first and foremost and for that, I apologize.¡± She turned slightly towards him and bowed. ¡°We all have our reasons.¡± He tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°You needn¡¯t apologize.¡± ¡°Even so.¡± She lifted her head with a somber look on her face. ¡°Thinking back just how much I sought revenge just showed me how wicked the heart can be. I don¡¯t want to burden those around me any more.¡± Krieg looked the other way as he spoke. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your selfish reasons, I wouldn¡¯t have met my father nor trained under him as I have.¡± He raised the training sword in front of himself. ¡°The reason why I have a chance to become stronger, was because of your single-minded pursuit and for that, I only have you to thank for it.¡± Those words made Phoebe¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. Though she knew in the end the only reason he didn¡¯t resent her was that Leona was safe and sound, she still appreciated his words nonetheless. A faint smile curled on her face as she turned and looked on the horizon of the now parting fog, revealing a bright sun rising for another day. ¡°I¡¯m glad I met both of you.¡± With the sparkling blue ocean and clear sky, another day had begun in the eastern nation. Chapter CLVIII: Hellish Training As the morning sunlight rose amidst the trees, Leona was hiking uphill in order to train her stamina and endurance. Her only company was the ever unimpressed Robert walking beside her at a brisk pace. ¡°Ugh¡­ huff¡­¡± It was only about a fifth of the way and she was already gasping for air. ¡°How is this training for a mage?!¡± The man on the other hand seemed to be doing well, even walking backwards to look at her. ¡°Well, unless you master flight or true teleportation, you¡¯ll be stuck using your legs so might as well train them while you can¡¯t practice in the inner world.¡± ¡°Goddess preserve me, I knew I¡¯d be training, but does it have to be uphill of all things?!¡± ¡°Good training is one you won¡¯t soon forget. It¡¯s the same for your body, the harsher the training, the quicker your body is forced to adapt.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this too intense though?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll heal you if you break something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± Seeing how it was pointless to argue with him, she decided to focus on climbing the mountain. The path wasn¡¯t exactly great, but there was a clear trail that had seen considerable use despite being through the middle of dense vegetation. ¡®Right, he did mention both Yuna and Setsuna used to train like this too.¡¯ She recalled. ¡®Though does that mean they were using magic to make it easier?¡¯ She focused momentarily as she gathered mana around her body before sending said mana directly to her legs. However, her spell was instantly dispelled the moment she tried to use wind magic. ¡°No cheating Leona.¡± Robert had snapped his fingers. ¡°This is physical training, using mana as a shortcut is a no-go.¡± ¡°Tsk. Do you expect me to climb this by sheer might alone?¡± ¡°Yes, as I said, if you desperately need healing, I¡¯ll heal you, but otherwise you¡¯ll have to force yourself to keep moving.¡± Instead of complaining, she simply shook her head slightly before continuing on with the climb. The steep incline coupled with the uneven terrain made hell for her legs to carry the rest of her weight. They kept going for almost an hour, but the pace slowed ever so slightly for every minute they hiked. ¡°Huff¡­¡± She used the tip of her staff to relieve a bit of the strain on her legs but the trail was proving to be more difficult than she expected. ¡°Did both your daughters do this trail every single day?¡± He seemed disinterested when replying to her. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s important for both the body and mind to be aligned with their goals.¡± She stopped and reeled over as she was catching her breath. ¡°Ha¡­ goals?¡± ¡°If they want to be independent, they need to be able to look after themselves.¡± He flicked his hand open and various elemental orbs started to rotate around the top of his palm. ¡°In this lawless world, might makes it right. Be with magic or strength, if you¡¯re strong, there is nothing to fear.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She swallowed dry as she tried to speak. Her saliva felt thick inside her mouth. ¡°You say it¡¯s a lawless world, but you don¡¯t seem to be doing whatever you please just because you are strong.¡± ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something, Leona.¡± The way he spoke felt different which made her look at him in his eyes. ¡°I am doing as I please. Training you here, keeping those three alive, looking after my daughters¡ªthis is all so I don¡¯t have any regrets when I finally am able to part from this world. Promises may seem ridiculous for someone as long lived as I, but it is what differs a human from a beast.¡± He closed his hand tightly and the orbs dissipated. ¡°That is something the other ¡®me¡¯ didn¡¯t realize.¡± She averted her gaze towards the ground as she continued to ask. ¡°This ¡®other you¡¯ you keep mentioning. Did you come from this other place like Avalon did?¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°No, I¡¯m from this world, well, not really. But I¡¯m from this timeline. The other ¡®me¡¯ got himself killed before he could accomplish anything significant. Instead, he helped Lastraeous in the end.¡± He tightened his fists, further making them red. ¡°The fool aided what he wanted to destroy. I won¡¯t commit the same mistake.¡± ¡°...who came from this other ¡®timeline¡¯ you speak of?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be upholding my promise if I told you.¡± He laughed it off. ¡°Come on, keep on climbing. Climb until you fall and when you do, I¡¯ll heal you for you to keep going.¡± ¡°You really are unbearable at times.¡± She raised the staff and looked at the trail ahead of her. ¡°This is going to take a while¡­¡± Back on the top of the mountain, Krieg was holding his training sword and shield while Setsuna stood slightly behind him with her hands on his exposed back. ¡°Slowly breathe in.¡± She instructed. ¡°I¡¯ll release a bit of my mana so focus on this specific point on your back.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He closed his eyes and began to inhale. At the same time, Setsuna¡¯s palms felt warm on his back. The tingling sensation spread throughout his back to his entire body like it was all connected to the center of his being. ¡°Can you feel the warmth?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Now, imagine it becoming one with your skin.¡± He focused on the image she provided but he just couldn¡¯t picture it in his mind. Every time he attempted to do it the warm sensation simply disappeared. He kept trying a few more times before he finally spoke. ¡°...Lady Setsuna, I don¡¯t think this is working.¡± He lifted his head and looked at her over his shoulder. She had a faint smile as she asked. ¡°Is there anything that makes you angry or distressed when you think about it?¡± He stopped for a second¡ªstaring blankly before answering. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t bear the thought of any harm befalling Leona.¡± ¡°Very well, for now, try to imagine in your mind that you must, no matter what, save her.¡± She tapped on his back once. ¡°Please try again with this in mind.¡± ¡°...very well.¡± ¡°Here goes¡­¡± Once again, he closed his eyes as the gentle warmth spread throughout his body. This time however, he imagined the fateful day in Londria when he had to go toe to toe against a drastically changed half death angel Jakob. The fight he had to give his all in order to keep the beast¡¯s claws away from his liege. Suddenly a surge of hatred and anger began to boil from below his stomach, a strange empowering heat bursted from his body and his skin began to tingle as if scalding water was thrown on him. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Setsuna exclaimed as she took a step back. ¡°Now! Come!¡± The knight attacked her the moment her hands left his back. Setsuna dodged the tip of the training blade by a hair¡¯s breadth. ¡®Ugh!¡¯ She took an extra step back but he started to charge at her in a relentless pursuit of slashes. ¡®So this is the so-called next level of mana reinforcement.¡¯ His skin was glistering with the familiar blue sheen from mana as he unleashed a flurry of attacks directed at Setsuna who was able to keep up with his speed thanks to her own mana reinforcement. Krieg¡¯s crimson red eyes had a murderous glint to them as he was mostly attacking without any regard to his own safety. Setsuna thought of exploiting such aggressiveness with one of her fastest spells. Like before, she pointed her staff a bit in front of her and released a runic spell with water and ice combined which quickly created a puddle of ice. However, unlike before, Krieg simply smashed the patch with a heavy stomp and brought his training sword into a rising slash. Seeing how there was little time to dodge, she was about to use her staff when a loud smack echoed through the training grounds. The training sword was stopped by a sheathed blade wielded by Miyamoto.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Haaargh!¡± Krieg quickly followed up with his left hand into a haymaker towards the swordmaster¡¯s head but it was easily dodged before Miyamoto rotated his sword around Krieg¡¯s training blade and struck at his legs. However, the attack did nothing if not grab his attention as he raised his left hand and punched at the swordmaster. Miyamoto rolled the side and the sheer force of the impact left the ground with visible cracks under Krieg¡¯s fist. Both the swordmaster and Setsuna stood side-by-side as they were now forced to put the training on hold until they subdued him. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know what exactly happened but¡­¡± Miyamoto muttered under his breath. ¡°...this is awfully familiar when his mother decided to not play around anymore.¡± ¡°What kind of life did you lead?¡± ¡°A very eventful one.¡± He adjusted the grip on the hilt of his blade. ¡°We have to tire him out.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯ll support you. Try to not get hit.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± He chuckled. ¡°This is nothing compared to his mother.¡± He pointed the blade at him and started to inch closer while maintaining his stance. Setsuna on the other hand began to quietly chant while holding her staff against her left hand. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± Krieg let out a bellowing roar as he charged at full speed against Miyamoto. The frenzied knight rushed him down with a wild horizontal swing that could certainly cripple even with a training sword¡ªhowever, the swordmaster¡¯s movements were quick and fluid as he parried the horizontal attack and ducked under his arm before smacking him lightly on the back of the head, which did nothing if not enrage him further. While Miyamoto successfully drew Krieg away, Setsuna finished preparing her spell as she pointed her staff charged with mana at the knight. ¡°Rise o platinum great wyrm, rob life of warmth as thou turn flesh to ice! Entomb!¡± A burst of ice shards suddenly took a hold of Krieg¡¯s movements. At first he simply shattered them by swinging his foot forward, but more and more shards began to grow out of the broken ones before it encased him completely. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Miyamoto casually approached the ice shaped coffin before knocking twice against it with his left hand. ¡°It won¡¯t hold him for long.¡± ¡°I¡­ I know¡­¡± Setsuna spoke tiredly. ¡°I just wanted to gather my thoughts. He shouldn¡¯t have been sent into a frenzy just by using mana reinforcement¡­¡± ¡°His mother was similar to that aspect.¡± He took a step back and cracked his neck twice by tilting his head left then right. ¡°She would become increasingly irritable the more time she spent without letting her mana run amok.¡± After taking a deep breath, Setsuna began to draw mana from the environment around her in order to restore her own reserves. A light blue sheen could be seen gathering around her ankles and wrists as the very air seemed to siphon towards her limbs. ¡°Was his mother a direct descendant of the silver dragon?¡± She asked while concentrating on fueling her reserves. ¡°Because the amount of mana he can wield and the rate at which he recovers it is unlike anything I''ve ever seen before.¡± ¡°She was one of her children.¡± He looked at Krieg with a nostalgic gaze. ¡°Her strength was unlike anything in this world.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After recomposing herself, Setsuna adjusted the grip on her staff and took a deep breath. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll have to change my approach to his training, but for now let¡¯s focus on getting him back to normal.¡± Miyamoto looked over his shoulder as the ice encasing Krieg began to crack. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s.¡± It didn¡¯t take too long for the ice to finally shatter and free the knight within. His skin was smoldering with heat as the water from the melted ice was quickly evaporating throughout his exposed body. His eyes were still glistening with the same murderous glare as he recklessly charged at Setsuna. ¡°Miyamoto!¡± She called as she hopped backwards. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± He stood in front of her before raising his blade in front of his body. ¡°Grant me strength! Yoshitsune!¡± A dark miasma started seeping out of the sheathed blade to envelop the swordmaster¡¯s arms. He stood his ground even though Krieg was charging at him. ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± The knight swung down with his training blade as hard as he could, but thanks to Miyamoto¡¯s increased strength he managed to stop the weapon which resulted in the once magically sturdy wooden blade to snap in half. However, despite his weapon breaking, Krieg simply used the momentum of his body to wind up a left straight punch which landed right on Miyamoto¡¯s right forearm. ¡°Ugh!¡± There was so much strength behind it that it was able to launch him off his feet several meters into the forest behind him. Just as the swordmaster was flung backwards, Setsuna pointed her staff at Krieg and shouted. ¡°Wind Barrage!¡± Multiple magical wind bullets started to shoot out from a hexagon pattern around her staff which started to relentlessly pelt against Krieg¡¯s body. ¡°Raaargh!¡± Despite his strength, the dirt ground worked against him as it couldn¡¯t generate enough friction to keep him in place and instead he was being pushed back by the sheer amount of spells that were being thrown at him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She muttered under her breath. ¡°Come to think of it, this is closer to a dragon¡¯s aspect rather than mana reinforcement¡­¡± Her thoughts were interrupted once Miyamoto climbed out of the bushes and stood by her side once again. ¡°Good thing I had Yoshitsune¡¯s power otherwise that would¡¯ve broken my arm.¡± She briefly checked on him from the corner of her eye before focusing back on the spells she was using. ¡°How does he hold up compared to his mother?¡± She asked without taking her eyes off Krieg who just seemed annoyed by the quantity of spells being thrown at him. ¡°He can¡¯t hold a candle to her.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Had she punched me the way he did, it would have easily ripped the entire limb off. Though I can safely assure you, this is more than enough to deal with most things in Arcadia.¡± ¡°You mean regular humans.¡± ¡°Close enough.¡± ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± Miyamoto shifted his attention to the roaring knight and noticed he was winding up his fist which prompted him to step forward with his sheathed blade pointed at him. Krieg slammed his fist into the ground, creating a curtain of dust that temporarily hid his silhouette. The wind bullets pierced through the dust but didn¡¯t hit a target which made Setsuna instinctively look up as a shadow loomed over her. The knight had jumped above the dust and was bringing both arms down into a slam directed at her. ¡°No you won¡¯t!¡± Miyamoto stepped forward and swung his sheathed blade upwards, catching Krieg¡¯s arms as he redirected the knight to the side. At that point, Setsuna also pointed her staff at him and shouted. ¡°Wind Blast!¡± A powerful gust of green mana circumvented Miyamoto and hit her target square in the chest. Her magic in combination with the swordmaster¡¯s parry was enough to launch Krieg backwards a few meters into the dirt. ¡°Ugh!¡± At that point, Setsuna stabbed the ground with her staff and shouted. ¡°Maelstrom!¡± Borrowing the technique from Leona, she turned the dirt ground beneath the knight into quicksand. ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± Despite his strength, the slush ground quickly started to drag him down and just as his shoulders were engulfed by the dirt¡ªSetsuna once again shouted with her staff still embedded in the ground. ¡°Fire Wall!¡± The quicksand instantly turned into stone as the sudden spike in temperature solidified it. Despite his strength, the sheer pressure of the ground was enough to contain Krieg while showing no signs of breaking. Setsuna finally let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Now I just need to ask Father to drain this excessive mana¡­¡± She lifted the staff off the ground before looking at the swordmaster. ¡°Say, how were you able to marry a descendant of a dragon?¡± ¡°His mother? She was a retainer of a good friend of mine.¡± He sat down and placed the sheathed sword on his lap. ¡°He would go on and on how she and I could achieve great things together.¡± ¡°You two unified many warring states under a kingdom. It¡¯s nothing short of amazing.¡± Despite how excited she looked to talk about it he instead looked downward with a bitter smile. ¡°We had one of the mightiest armies in the continent, only for it to fall short once they arrived¡­¡± ¡°Death angels.¡± A male voice rang from amidst the trees to their right. A brown short haired man that shared a similar build to Miyamoto just walked in the training grounds. ¡°Hello, I couldn¡¯t help but overhear the conversation. Why the history lesson all of the sudden?¡± ¡°Father?¡± Setsuna raised an eyebrow. ¡°Weren¡¯t you training Miss Leona?¡± The moment she mentioned the tactician¡¯s name, she plopped out of a bush beside the man and fell face first into the ground with the staff landing beside her. She was clearly out of strength. ¡°As you can see, she¡¯s here.¡± Robert motioned at the collapsed woman with his open palm. ¡°Oh? What do we have here?¡± He walked to the buried Krieg in the middle of the training grounds. ¡°He went berserk when he tried to use mana reinforcement.¡± His daughter explained while approaching the collapsed Leona before lifting her back and pointing her right hand near her face. ¡°Heal.¡± A calming green aura enveloped her body slowly recovering her body. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Leona grunted from pain. ¡°Why does it feel worse than before¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called recovery pain.¡± Robert explained as he kneeled beside a very angry Krieg. ¡°Healing magic aids the body in reconstructing bone, blood, tissue and nerves as long as it¡¯s not dead. However, that does make you experience the pain from recovery all the more vivid.¡± ¡°In layman¡¯s terms please.¡± Leona clutched the side of her head. ¡°Gods, this is awful.¡± ¡°Healing magic mends the body, but it doesn¡¯t mean you won¡¯t experience the pain of recovery. Hence, recovery pain.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Robert pointed his finger at Krieg and chanted. ¡°Mana Drain.¡± Black tendrils shot out of his fingertips as they began to siphon mana from the knight¡¯s body towards his body. Despite trying to fight back against it, Krieg was powerless to do anything and simply passed out right afterwards. After both Leona and Setsuna stood up the shrine maiden decided to ask. ¡°What did I do wrong? I thought using mana reinforcement would be a good first step to take in order to train him further¡­¡± ¡°Did you make him use some of his mana before attempting it?¡± Robert asked as he scratched the underside of his chin. ¡°Because this is more like a dragon aspect rather than reinforcement.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t think of that¡­¡± Setsuna frowned her brows as she tilted her head downward before uttering under her breath. ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Robert stood up and went over her before patting her head lightly. ¡°You learned a valuable lesson and Krieg was able to vent some frustration.¡± Leona looked at Krieg who was just a head popping out of the ground. ¡®He¡¯s doing his best while I¡¯m still struggling with this¡­¡¯ She picked up her staff from the ground and decided to turn back. Robert glanced at her and asked. ¡°Leaving so soon?¡± She stopped and tilted her head to the side as she answered. ¡°I need to train more. I can¡¯t let Krieg be the only one pulling his weight here.¡± With sharp focused eyes, she started to climb down the mountain. Chapter CLIX: Emergence What Leona felt could only be described as pain from existing. ¡°Why¡­ why does everywhere hurt¡­?!¡± She was attempting to climb the trail again without help but it was going much worse than she expected. Her hamstrings and calves were burning up with pulsating soreness. The way down was a walk in the park as she even took the time to appreciate the now clear vision of the coastal city with fishing boats and transport ships coming and going from the port, which was previously hidden behind morning fog. But now that she was hiking back up, it felt like she was going through verdant hell. Her short breath was accompanied by a painful sensation across her entire body. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She slowly sat on a boulder on the side of the trail and swallowed the thick saliva that was building up inside her mouth. ¡°I should¡¯ve taken a break before coming here¡­¡± She looked at the expansive ocean as the sun rays left a glistering spark across the blue surface. It was a beautiful sight and one she wouldn¡¯t have witnessed had she stayed in Arcadia. The cool breeze hitting her body covered in sweat made her feel refreshed as she let out a slow yet long sigh. ¡°Miss Leona?¡± The familiar female voice made her look downwards at a girl carrying a basket choked full of food on her back with the help of two leather straps for each shoulder. ¡°Yuna?¡± ¡°What are you doing here by yourself?¡± ¡°I could ask the same of you.¡± ¡°Oh, this?¡± She adjusted the basket by tilting it a bit forward. ¡°This is food Father asked to buy. I¡¯m on my way back now.¡± The basket in question was about the size of the shrine maiden and yet she carried it like it was normal. Leona raised an eyebrow as she asked. ¡°How did you climb all the way up here with that on your back?¡± ¡°A bit of reinforcement magic with wind magic to support the basket.¡± She smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s not that heavy. Want to try it?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The small girl let go of the basket and set it on the ground where she tried to lift it up with her legs but no matter how much force she exerted, the large vessel did not move an inch. ¡®What the-! This is heavy!¡¯ She let go of the leather handle and fell down on the ground. ¡°Miss Leona? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yuna¡­ h-how is that not heavy?¡± She looked at her with a pitying look which prompted Yuna to raise an eyebrow. ¡°Huh? It isn¡¯t? As long as you use magic-¡± ¡°No, but didn¡¯t you train physically in order to climb all the way up without relying on magic?¡± ¡°No? This is just to build stamina. We still need to actually move our bodies to climb up, but we don¡¯t necessarily need the strength to do so as we can just rely on magic.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ then why did he tell me to not use magic?¡± ¡°Oh that is simply to build this stamina in the first place. After all, using magic to ease the burden on your body won¡¯t improve your stamina.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ that is an interesting way to put it.¡± ¡°Well in any case¡­¡± She put herself beside the basket and put both leather straps around her shoulders and started to lug the vessel uphill. ¡°Take care to not tire yourself too much Miss Leona.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Thank you, Yuna, I will.¡± ¡°See ya!¡± The petite girl was hiking like she wasn¡¯t carrying anything. In the meantime, Leona remained sitting on the boulder for a few more minutes until she was finally ready to climb the trail once again. ¡°Alright¡­ let¡¯s do this.¡± Slowly but surely she was making her way uphill. With the staff¡¯s aid, the burning sensation on her lower body was somewhat manageable as she continued on for the next half an hour or so. However, as it was the first day of her physical training, it didn¡¯t take long until her body just decided to stop. ¡°Ugh!¡± She felt a pang of pain coming from her leg as the muscles started to cramp up. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Her right calf was assaulted with a violent cramp that rendered her imobile. She was clenching her teeth from the pain while kneeling down and massaging her muscles. They throbbed as the heat started to spread across her leg. That sort of pain was something she never felt before. There were times where she had to exert herself physically but nothing to this extent. ¡®This pain is killing me¡­¡¯ She thought while rubbing her calf with the bottom of her palm. ¡®Healing magic would come in handy right now¡­¡¯ Looking ahead of the trail, she could see that Yuna already left her behind a long time ago and the girl had become a dot in the distance. ¡°Ugh¡­ how does she walk so fast¡­?¡± Her tired body felt heavy as she sprawled on the grass on the side of the trail. She was blinking her eyes slowly. ¡®Maybe if I rest for a bit more¡­ just¡­ a bit¡­¡¯ The cool breeze, the soft sounds of the forest critters and the gentle rustling of foliage made it all the more harder to stand up as she found herself sleeping beneath the shade of a nearby tree. Back at the top of the hill, Krieg was sitting by a tree as he was dusting off dirt and debris from his clothing. Setsuna and Miyamoto were quietly sitting on a patch of grass on the sides of the training grounds under the shade. After taking off most of the dirt, he turned to the shrine maiden and asked. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that I went berserk from this ¡®mana reinforcement¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes.These cracks in the ground and the destroyed tree over there were your doing.¡± She turned her head at the partially destroyed training grounds. ¡°However, it¡¯s not entirely your fault. I was responsible for your training and I didn¡¯t foresee this happening. For that, I apologize.¡± She bowed. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Krieg said while looking at his right hand. ¡°This rage, this anger¡­ it¡¯s not the first time I felt it but to act on these feelings is¡­ unforgivable for a knight.¡± He clenched his hand into a tight fist. ¡°I vowed to use my strength to protect Leona and I will do anything to wield this power in order to do so, but¡­ this felt much different from before.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what you felt?¡± Setsuna asked with an intense curiosity. ¡°Anything you can remember will be of help for the next training session.¡± ¡°It was from deep within, as if someone or something was telling me to do it.¡± The shrine maiden folded her arms with a pensive look on her face. ¡°If I recall, your grandmother was no other than the silver dragon. But she wasn¡¯t exactly known for her temper but her kindness¡­¡± She tilted her head slightly. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ unless¡­¡± She glanced at the swordmaster beside her. ¡°You mentioned your wife was prone to aggression, correct?¡± ¡°Yes. Whenever she went on without spending mana she would become increasingly irritable.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­ I think Krieg going berserk has something to do with his mother rather than the dragon blood running in his veins.¡± The knight looked at both of them. ¡°My mother?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Setsuna extended both her open palms in front of her body before raising the right one first then the left. ¡°You have dragon and oni blood coursing through your body. I¡¯m not sure to which extent each of them affects your body or soul, but it¡¯s safe to assume it has something to do with those.¡± Krieg scratched the side of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t quite get it.¡± ¡°Think of it like a pot filled to the brim with water.¡± Setsuna had both of her hands closed before opening them. ¡°If it starts to boil, it¡¯ll spill hot water everywhere. The same can be said to your mana. Somehow you managed to reinforce your entire body with the aspect of a dragon while still regenerating enough mana to cause overload. Which brings to the point I wanted to make¡ªI think onis have a stronger reaction to mana overload than humans do.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I heard Leona mention something about it but I never thought I¡¯d be capable of whatever that is.¡± ¡°Excess generation of mana inside one¡¯s soul has tangible effects on the body like fever.¡± She explained further. ¡°Same can be said with mana reinforcement. The idea behind it is to turn mana into aether in order to aid physical endeavors but somehow you were able to add layers to it much like dragon scales, hence the name, dragon aspect.¡± Seeing how puzzled Krieg looked, Miyamoto extended his hand slightly in front of Setsuna. ¡°Might I ask for a breather? I think it is enough information for the poor boy.¡± ¡°Ah, apologies. I tend to get carried away talking about magic theory.¡± She had a faint smile on her face. ¡°I think a break should do wonders for all of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that.¡± Krieg leaned against the tree trunk and looked up towards the sky amidst the rustling leaves before staring down at his own right hand. ¡°What have I become?¡± Chapter CLX: Might and Wisdom At the top of the summit, Leona managed to drag herself back to the training grounds through sheer might alone. ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­ dammit.¡± She swallowed dry. Her parched throat and aching body were killing her. ¡°Welcome back.¡± She noticed a pair of wooden slippers in front of her and upon tracing her gaze upwards, she noticed it was Robert. He kneeled down and extended his right hand towards her. ¡°Heal.¡± A verdant green light enveloped her body and sharp pangs of pain traveled from her legs to her brain in a zap. ¡°GAH!¡± ¡°Hang in there. You somehow managed to drag yourself all the way here despite having some pretty bad injuries. You¡¯ve got some grit.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Worry not, as long as I heal you within a few minutes of the injury it won¡¯t leave permanent damage.¡± ¡°Must you make it this painful?!¡± ¡°Hey, good medicine tastes bitter. Or I should say, good healing feels excruciating?¡± ¡°How very astute of you¡­¡± She gritted her teeth as her hamstrings felt like they were being pulled and torn apart before being placed back in her body. ¡°Goddess have mercy¡­¡± ¡°Oh but I can¡¯t do anything about dehydration. Go get some water when you¡¯re able to.¡± He stood up. ¡°You can talk to Yuna, she should be near the trail.¡± He was about to leave when Leona asked. ¡°Where are you going? I thought we¡¯d train more magic afterwards.¡± ¡°Hm? I just need to get some business out of the way. A certain red haired annoyance has been a thorn on my side as of late.¡± His amused expression didn¡¯t leave much room for her to discern what exactly he meant by that. ¡°Red haired annoyance?¡± ¡°You needn¡¯t concern yourself over it.¡± He brushed the question off as he turned around. ¡°In any case, go get some food in you and prepare for a mock battle after you¡¯ve got some rest. Setsuna said it was entertaining to fight against you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He waved with his left hand before snapping his right fingers, disappearing from her sight in the blink of an eye. ¡°Smug bastard.¡± She uttered to herself as she stood up. Her body was still aching from pain but it felt different. As opposed to the excruciating pain in her lower body, her legs felt like they were sore from an extensive jog rather than hiking through half a mountain. Nevertheless, she used her staff to aid her steps as she made her way to the beginning of the trail that led to the shelter in the cave. At the foot of the path Yuna was preparing lunch by a roaring campfire while reading a thick book she held with her left hand while the right kept feeding a continuous gust of wind over the fire with wind magic. There were three entire animal ribs with metal spikes ran across them affixed to the ground. The smell of the searing meat and fat dripping over the amber coals left the air filled with a mouth watering aroma that only served to make the tactician even more hungry than she already was. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The young shrine maiden closed the book with a satisfied expression on her face before leaving it on the nearby wooden table to focus solely on the food being cooked. ¡°I think it should be close to done¡­¡± She rotated her hand while flexing her fingers ever so slightly as if imagining grabbing a hold of the rib before lifting her arm. The metal spike jerked upwards and one entire slab of meat was removed from the ground. By that point, Leona reached the other side of the table, however she chose to stay quiet while watching Yuna. ¡®Gravity magic?¡¯ The tactician thought. ¡®I don¡¯t feel any wind element so it must be dark magic¡­¡¯ The shrine maiden lifted the entire rib before rotating it around its axis in order to make the bones align vertically where she then used her left hand to quickly cast multiple spells. ¡°Water Blade!¡± Thin razor sharp blades of water erupted from her fingertips effortlessly cutting through the meat and only leaving the bones intact. She then proceeded to plate every bone with a generous portion of white rice. At that moment, Yuna turned around to put the plates on the table and noticed the tactician standing at the other side of it. ¡°Oh, welcome back Miss Leona.¡± She was holding eight plates in the air with gravity magic while also using the same spell type to scoop the same amount of rice for each plate. ¡°Was your training fruitful?¡± ¡°Hello Yuna. I¡¯d say it was ¡®too¡¯ fruitful.¡± She settled her staff on the side of the table and pulled one of the chairs before sitting down. ¡°Can I have a cup of water?¡± ¡°Normal or cold?¡± ¡°Slightly cold if it¡¯s not too much trouble.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Although the shrine maiden¡¯s right hand was handling all aspects of serving the food, her left quickly grabbed a hold of a nearby glass jug filled with water and poured it on a floating glass cup. After filling said cup, she left the jug on the table and snapped her left fingers close to the levitating glass and spheres of ice formed on the surface of the liquid. ¡°Here you go.¡± She gently put the cup in front of Leona alongside her plate of food. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± The crispy cold water refreshed her parched throat as she glugged down the entire thing. ¡°Haaa¡­ I needed that.¡± ¡°Father often said that drinking water before a meal is a healthy thing to do, but I never personally felt any different.¡± Yuna commented as she was finishing putting the plates in front of each seat. ¡°That being said, drinking roasted tea does feel quite good right before and after a meal.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I don¡¯t know about it before a meal but it certainly feels great to drink something refreshing after an intense training session.¡± ¡°I know right?¡± Leona leaned against her chair as she took a slow and deep breath. The refreshing air had a hint of earthly morning scent mixed with a slightly salty taste from the ocean breeze. It was peaceful. Peaceful enough to trick her into thinking everything would be alright even if she didn¡¯t lift a finger. However deep in her mind she knew the more time it passed the worse the situation in Arcadia would become. ¡®How long will it take until I¡¯m fully prepared?¡¯ She thought while looking at the large white clouds striding along the sky towards the horizon. ¡®Alexander won¡¯t wait until he can confirm whether or not I still live. If anything, attacking the demon capital now would be ideal for him.¡¯ She closed her eyes for a brief moment. ¡®Do the people really seek revenge even now? Wasn¡¯t enough blood already spilled?¡¯ The more she thought about it, the less it made sense. Humans and demons had once worked together to bring down the dragon god in the past. Despite being an alliance born out of fear, it was one that lasted a thousand years. ¡®Not even Adele knew why the war had started¡­¡¯ She opened her eyes and noticed the clouds parting in the horizon. ¡®Adele¡­ why did you sacrifice yourself¡­?¡¯ A feeling of dread was eating her mind as all worries and fears seemed to come back at once. ¡°Is there something bothering you, Miss Leona?¡± The half oni maid was standing beside her with a glass jug filled with orange juice. ¡°Oh! Tomoe, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± She leaned forward and gave her a forced smile. ¡°I was just thinking about the kingdom.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She had a faint smile on her face as well while pouring some of the jug¡¯s content in a spare glass beside Leona¡¯s meal. ¡°Though your expression tells me otherwise, I will not pry if you do not wish to talk about it.¡± That made Leona flinch with a surprised look on her face. That situation was all too familiar to her. When she was little, any time something had upset her, Adele would come and ask if she wanted to talk about whatever was bothering her despite Leona¡¯s best attempts to hide it. The tactician¡¯s forced smile soon turned into a discreet chuckle. ¡°Heh¡­ you remind me of a very good friend of mine.¡± ¡°I am glad to be regarded as a welcomed company.¡± She finished pouring the juice and settled the jug on the table before standing at the end of the table, as if waiting for others to arrive. ¡°Say¡­ Tomoe.¡± Leona started to talk without really looking at her. ¡°What is your relationship with Ren?¡± The maid briefly looked at her but seeing how Leona wasn¡¯t looking at her, she decided to not stare and simply look at the end of the table. ¡°The young master? I¡¯m simply his maid.¡± ¡°No, but¡­ more like, how can I say it¡­?¡± She looked downwards as she was trying to find the right words. ¡°Is he someone you would lay your life down for?¡± ¡°I can confidently say yes.¡± ¡°What makes you say so?¡± ¡°I was born and raised in a place far away from here. Though my country and family were torn apart, the young master not only saved me but he gave me a future I could never hope to have if I remained a slave.¡± Leona looked at her with widened eyes and a half open mouth. ¡°You were a slave?!¡± ¡°Onis weren¡¯t really seen as people outside of Nara.¡± She tapped one of the two thin black horns protruding out of her forehead. ¡°These earned me a ship to Nara where I met the young master.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Leona leaned back again against the chair and closed her eyes. ¡®I never did anything for Adele. If anything, she was the one always by my side. But¡­ why then?¡¯ She was absorbed by her thoughts while the rest of the seats were being occupied one by one. Krieg sat beside her and promptly noticed her expression with a quick glance. ¡°What troubles you, Leona?¡± He asked as he was being served orange juice by the maid. ¡°It has been a while since you last had that kind of expression on your face.¡± ¡°Just reminiscing about Adele. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure wherever she is, she must be watching over you.¡± She smiled faintly. ¡°Heh, I¡¯m not a kid anymore Krieg.¡± ¡°Kid or no, you¡¯re still you. The Princess tactician we all swore to serve and protect. Be it out of duty or respect, I¡¯m sure everyone in the mansion regarded you as a worthy leader to follow.¡± Her smile slowly faded as her eyes traced down to the plate of food in front of her. ¡°She sacrificed herself without a second thought¡­ I prided myself on being a tactician because of the lives I saved, not the ones sacrificed for that end¡­¡± ¡°And that is how wars are fought.¡± Miyamoto joined the conversation by sitting by the corner of the table near Tomoe, who began to serve a glass of orange juice. ¡°If we could save every single soldier from dying in the frontlines, it could hardly be called a war.¡± Krieg gave the swordmaster a stern look while his right hand discreetly clenched tightly into a fist under the table. ¡°A kingdom without its people is no kingdom at all.¡± Ren approached the table while carrying another glass jug filled with water. ¡°At least, that is my own opinion on the matter.¡± He sat down beside the swordmaster and only then Tomoe walked around the table and sat beside him. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Setsuna approached the table from the other side while clapping her hands. ¡°Enough of this sad conversation. Father said he would be late so we could start eating.¡± She looked at her sister. ¡°I¡¯ll put in my own portion so you can feel free to sit down and eat.¡± ¡°Thanks sis.¡± Yuna did as instructed and sat by Leona¡¯s left side while simultaneously using gravity magic to lift the jug of orange juice and pour some for herself. ¡°I¡¯m sure uncle didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way.¡± Yuna said to the tactician while smiling. ¡°Uncle?¡± The swordmaster raised an eyebrow while muttering to himself. ¡°Am I that old?¡± ¡°Your ideals are old.¡± Ren gently elbowed him. ¡°Did you lead Nara with that sort of mindset?¡± ¡°What else did you want me to do against death angels of all things?¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Setsuna slammed her plate on the table as she was taking the seat beside Yuna. Her tone was still somewhat calm but her face clearly told otherwise. ¡°I¡¯d rather enjoy this meal prepared by my sister and not have to deal with this kind of conversation during it.¡± Despite being older than her, both men flinched. ¡°Urk¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Miss Setsuna.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± She sat down and pinched her nose ridge. ¡°Father¡¯s attitude is rubbing off on me.¡± Yuna giggled. Seeing how serious she was just a second ago prompted Leona to lean closer to the young shrine maiden and ask. ¡°What exactly made your sister act like that? I never saw her upset before.¡± ¡°Father has a saying that he doesn¡¯t mind being stressed, hungry or lacking sleep. But he only does one of them at a time.¡± She had a wide smile on her face. ¡°Well, not that I mind. I still find it funny.¡± Despite the easygoing attitude, Leona faintly noticed a trail of mana coming off Setsuna. Usually it¡¯s not visible unless one is engaging in an activity that uses mana directly, but this time felt different, it was as if she could directly see it coming out of her soul. ¡°Hm?¡± The shrine maiden noticed her gaze and turned to face her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ah, nothing. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± ¡°?¡± Setsuna raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask and instead focus on the roasted rib in front of her. Leona turned to her plate but her mind was racing. It was the first time she ever saw someone else¡¯s mana come out of their body. A tingling sensation was coming up her throat from the bottom of her stomach, as if she was being pulled towards it like a moth to a fire. ¡®What was that¡­?¡¯ Chapter CLXI: Skys the Limit After eating more than enough, Leona sat under the shade of a tree as she enjoyed the scenery of the calm ocean waves crashing by the northern shore. To her right there was the mountain range and just beyond those were the Elysian Fields, supposedly a frozen place barren of life. She stared out at the horizon before slowly closing her eyes and focusing on the sensation she had felt while eating at the table. The tingling sensation she felt during her brief exposure to Setsuna¡¯s mana was something she had never felt before. ¡®Is this what Robert meant by seeing someone else¡¯s mana?¡¯ The splintered wooden staff was lying on top of her crossed legs as she was focusing her own mana through it. Before it felt like she was simply wasting her mana away, but the more she focused, the more she could feel ¡®connected¡¯ to the staff¡¯s circuits. ¡®Like an extension of one¡¯s body and mind¡­¡¯ She thought for herself as the circuits from the wooden cudgel felt like her own. ¡°I see you¡¯re doing good progress.¡± The sudden voice coming from her right snapped her out of it as she almost fell to her left. ¡°Gah!¡± Robert was standing just beside the tree she was resting her back against. ¡°Goddess¡­ where did you come from?¡± ¡°The city? I just got back. I still need to eat my lunch made by my dearest daughters.¡± She gave him a strange look. ¡°I never took you for a doting father.¡± ¡°Me neither, until I had those two.¡± He scratched the side of his chin. ¡°Anyway, I saw you attuning to it. Congrats.¡± ¡°T-thanks? I¡¯m still not sure what I¡¯m supposed to be doing here¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Well, if your mind is free enough to think like that then read this.¡± He snapped and a book appeared between his fingers before he tossed it on top of her lap. ¡°It¡¯s all about magic barriers, written by yours truly.¡± ¡°Magic barriers?¡± ¡°You do need to understand this if you don¡¯t want to die to an enemy mage.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I just make a physical barrier of the opposite element if someone tries to attack me with a spell?¡± ¡°Are you confident you can make a barrier of any element in less than a split second?¡± She stopped for a second while curling her lips as if doubt was clouding her mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Ice Wall, Stone Shield, Water Shield, Wind Barrier, Lightning Barrier and Fire Wall. Of course, we have variations of those spells but they are most commonly labeled like these.¡± He opened his hand and multiple elemental orbs appeared out of thin air and started to rotate around themselves as he slightly moved his fingers in a curling motion. ¡°The best case scenario would be a far away enemy casting a visible spell at you. Sure you may be able to defend against it, but what if there are multiple enemy casters? Can you maintain multiple elemental barriers at once?¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ maintaining two spells is already quite hard¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why, instead of using different elements, we use barriers made of pure mana. It may not be the strongest method, but if you layer it and make it compact enough it can sustain a lot of damage before it breaks.¡± He started to head towards the training grounds where the table was set. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll go eat. Get back to studying.¡± ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t need to tell me.¡± She looked down at the book on her lap. The simple blue cover was labeled as ¡®Barriers for dummies¡¯ in black ink. ¡°Little piece of¡­¡± Leona tilted her head slightly with her eyes closed while clenching her teeth in anger before taking one sharp, quick breath and exhaling slowly. She put her staff to the side before opening the book. The first page had a few instructions on how to create the magic barrier Robert mentioned. To her surprise, the handwriting was clear and legible almost to the point it felt like she was looking at her mother¡¯s writing. ¡°¡®Hexagonal barriers may be the hardest to pull off but they are also the most modular.¡¯ What does modular mean?¡± She noticed an asterisk beside the word she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°¡®Something that can easily be expanded upon.¡¯ He thought all about it¡­ huh?¡± She noticed a small line beside the footnote. ¡°¡®This is a book for dummies after all.¡¯¡± She once again closed her eyes while frowning her brows. Despite her fuming anger¡ªshe continued on with the reading. ¡°¡®With that, it is necessary to master the basic notion of making a singular piece of magic barrier using the hexagon as a building block.¡¯ Right¡­¡± She imagined a hexagon shape in her mind but she couldn¡¯t come up with a way to draw it using the string-like mana she usually uses for her other spells. ¡°Is this why he said it¡¯s better to visualize mana as a fluid?¡± When it comes to mana manipulation, many mages have different ways to visualize and utilize their magical reserves. Leona was no different, her effective yet unorthodox way to draw spells with mana was something she learned from her mother. Although it allowed her to quickly cast spells on the fly, it was rather strict in its use outside of spellcasting. ¡°Fluid huh¡­?¡± She brought her index finger near her lips as she curled them slightly. ¡°Fluid¡­¡± Without being able to come up with something, she focused back on the reading material. ¡°¡®If you struggle to imagine this impenetrable hexagon as a shield to save your life. Do the following steps: Draw a hexagon on a leveled ground dirt.¡¯ I can¡¯t do that here¡­¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She grabbed her staff and stood up before heading back to the training grounds where the ground was flatter. While awkwardly holding the staff with three fingers and the book between her thumb and index finger, she attempted to draw a hexagon. ¡°Hmm¡­ close enough¡­¡± A few sides of the hexagon had different sizes but in the end it remained mostly resembling the shape. ¡°Now¡­ ¡®Take some of the dirt out from inside the shape.¡¯ Okay¡­¡± She slowly chipped the dirt away with the end of her staff before kicking the dirt out of the shape. ¡°¡®Slowly pour water from the very middle while carefully observing how the liquid behaves.¡¯ I don¡¯t have any water on me¡­ ah, wait¡­¡± She knelt and left both the book and staff behind her as she brought her closed right hand on top of the drawing. ¡°Focus¡­ focus¡­¡± Light blue mana strings formed from her wrists before coalescing at the center of her closed fist where water started to drip out from. However, said water was being sucked by the dry ground, leaving her with wet dirt. ¡°Maybe more should do it¡­ though I don¡¯t think this will make it easier for me to understand it¡­¡± She focused more intensively and the mere droplets became a string of continuous water dripping from the middle of her fist. ¡°Hmm¡­ wait¡­¡± After filling the bottom, the water started to rise evenly across the shape. ¡°Is this what he meant by fluid?¡± She looked closely at how the water filled the entire space without leaving any gaps. She picked up the book and turned the page. There were carefully drawn hexagons painted black with a pencil in different angles. ¡°¡®If done correctly, a mana barrier can deflect all but the most powerful spells directed at the user. The defensive effectiveness is further enhanced if the barrier is angled sharply in relation to the incoming spell.¡¯ Which is why he said it¡¯s similar to a knight¡¯s armor.¡± She left the book on the ground again before picking up the staff. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this¡­¡± She pointed her staff forward and closed her eyes. ¡®An extension of one¡¯s body and mind¡­¡¯ Unconsciously, she started to draw a hexagon with the very tip of her staff as she fed her own mana through the magic tool. However, as opposed to what she had learned, her mana spun from the middle of the staff to fill the void within the shape which left it with visible gaps between each individual string of mana. When she opened her eyes she noticed the magic barrier was indeed formed, but it was full of openings. ¡°Hm¡­ it¡¯s not exactly how it¡¯s supposed to look¡­¡± The barrier ceased to exist once she stopped feeding it mana¡ªvanishing upon shattering like glass. ¡°Did Robert¡¯s barriers ever break like this?¡± She supported her weight with her staff as her mind thought of ways to implement her newfound knowledge about mana manipulation. ¡®Fluid¡­ fluid¡­ I need to imagine my mana as water, but how do I even do that?¡¯ She picked the book once again to read but a familiar voice came from behind her. ¡°Any progress?¡± Robert tilted his body to see her face and noticed her holding the book while also taking note of the strange hexagon full of water. ¡°Apparently you made some.¡± ¡°Robert.¡± She said without looking at him. ¡°How exactly do I make my mana behave like a fluid?¡± ¡°That is a hard one. It takes a few months of consistent practice in order to even manifest mana outside of the body, in your case you¡¯d need to pound into your subconscious to use mana in a different way entirely.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s difficult.¡± ¡°In short, yes. Not impossible though.¡± He walked around her and placed his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Point the staff forward and close your eyes.¡± ¡°What exactly are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll lend you a bit of my method to manipulate mana.¡± ¡°...okay then.¡± She did as instructed and closed her eyes. ¡°Take a deep breath.¡± His hands started to glow light blue as a thick aura of mana started to envelop Leona¡¯s shoulders. Since she had her eyes closed, the sensation of the mana permeating throughout her shoulders became even more evident. It was akin to a prickling sensation across her shoulder blades that slowly lost its effect as it went down her spine. ¡®This¡­¡¯ She thought. ¡®It¡¯s not unlike being inside water¡­¡¯ His mana further spread out towards her extended right arm like a trickling river just before a flood. Her entire arm felt strange, as if it was submerged in cold water as the external mana pressured against her muscles. ¡°Now, cast the barrier.¡± Despite having her eyes closed, she instinctively made the hexagon with the tip of her staff and mana began to pour in the shape out of her staff much like how she had filled the hole in the ground with water. ¡°Not bad, not bad at all.¡± Upon opening her eyes she noticed there was a singular light blue hexagon tile of mana floating in front of her staff. ¡°I¡­ I did it.¡± ¡°You certainly did it.¡± He took his hands off her shoulders and walked around her¡ªstanding a few meters in front. ¡°How about we test it out?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He pointed his left index finger towards her and shouted. ¡°Wind Bullet!¡± Without any warning, a blast of concentrated wind was shot out of a rune that activated in front of his hand in the blink of an eye. Leona flinched the moment she noticed the spell coming and for good reason; her barrier wasn¡¯t exactly finished and Robert¡¯s spell blasted right through it like air slicing water. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Oh? I thought you¡¯d finish it by the time I cast a spell.¡± ¡°How am I even supposed to finish it?!¡± He tilted his head with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to wield ice spells?¡± ¡°Yeah? What does this have to do with barriers?¡± ¡°Mana, much like water, can be hardened. If you just pour it into a shape it can hardly be called a barrier.¡± Leona let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°How would¡¯ve I know?¡± ¡°Magic is not some otherworldly concept, Leona. It¡¯s a tool. Be it for defense, offense or simply day to day activities.¡± He cracked his neck one side and then the other. ¡°Well. I don¡¯t know how you managed to learn different elements without any prior knowledge of mana manipulation, but I applaud your skills.¡± ¡°It was all thanks to my mother.¡± ¡°Your mother¡­¡± He tilted his head up while scratching his chin. ¡°Ravness Frostleaf was her name, I think? If I¡¯m not wrong she was someone of quite a lot of renown for inventing firearms. How did she teach you magic, of all things?¡± She was hesitant to answer, but after taking a deep breath she took the courage to say it. ¡°She couldn¡¯t wield magic. It was all thanks to a book she got a long time ago.¡± ¡°She got it? A book?¡± ¡°Yes. She always would say that a young knight gave it to her after she saved her from starvation.¡± ¡°A young knight saved from the brink of starvation¡­¡± He chuckled which prompted Leona to give him a somewhat stern look. ¡°Oh pardon me, I meant no disrespect of course. It¡¯s just that fate is such a fickle thing I can¡¯t help but find it amusing.¡± ¡°What about fate?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it just reminded me of a similar tale of a certain warrior princess. Let¡¯s go back to the lesson at hand. You need to learn how to use mana reinforcement in order to better use the barrier I just taught you.¡± Leona sighed but still readied her staff. However, as she was about to go through her lesson, an explosion echoed in the distance towards the north which caught both of their attention. ¡°What the¡­¡± A large cloud of black smoke started to rise above the treeline, painting the once clear blue sky a scene of dread. Chapter CLXII: Death of a World The afternoon blue sky was painted black by a cloud of smoke created by an explosion in the distance. It was by no means large enough to be concerning but it seemed serious to the point that Robert called off the training. ¡°I think it may be another wave of those things.¡± He spoke as he adjusted the collar of his robes. ¡°Well, do you want to witness combat against death angels first-hand?¡± ¡°Death angels?¡± Just the mere mention of those things made her break in a cold sweat. She swallowed dry as she continued her question. ¡°Do you have to fight them from time to time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the norm here. If we don¡¯t do that, Nara won''t stand a chance.¡± Her body was trembling ever so slightly. The mere thought of fighting one of those abominations again was trauma inducing. It reminded her of the time she was attacked by one during her escape from Arcadia and the fight against Jakob. However, despite the fear, she knew that could make her stronger by simply watching more seasoned spellcasters do their jobs. ¡°If¡­ if it won¡¯t be too dangerous or troublesome, I¡¯d like to see it.¡± He nodded upon hearing her answer. At the same time, Miyamoto, Yuna, Tomoe and Ren came running towards them¡ªeach from a different direction. Aside from the swordmaster and Yuna, Tomoe and Ren were armed each with a different weapon. The maid wore a full set of plate armor that only protected her from the front while holding a double edged battle axe almost the same size as herself while Ren kept his attire to just robes and a leather caligae with a small one handed crooked wooden staff in his right hand. ¡°Robert, is it happening now?¡± Miyamoto asked which prompted the sage to nod. ¡°Are you all prepared?¡± Robert asked. ¡°This might be a big one since it has been a few weeks since it last happened.¡± Everyone nodded without hesitating. ¡°Good, we have no time to waste. Let¡¯s move.¡± He raised his hand and with a snap of his fingers, everyone vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Leona standing there. It was at that point where she felt a strange sensation within her mind. ¡°Wait¡­¡± About five seconds later, Robert appeared again. ¡°Sorry, there were a tad bit too many things for me to teleport at once.¡± He placed his hand on her left shoulder. ¡°I will leave you somewhere where you can safely watch, so don¡¯t worry.¡± She took a sharp breath and nodded. ¡°Here goes.¡± Once more, she heard the familiar snap and her entire world began to twist. She stood atop of a snow covered hill in the blink of an eye. There, she could already witness the on-going battle against the death angels. Purple blood being splattered across the white snow tainted the otherwise would be peaceful environment. Earsplitting roars echoed each time one of the abominations were struck either by deadly precise sword strikes from Miyamoto or earth shattering swings of Tomoe¡¯s axe. Setsuna, Yuna and Ren remained behind them in order to provide support with their spells. The beasts were nothing any human could hope to comprehend. Their unnatural anatomy just served as a reminder to Leona how far from home she truly was. Humanoid, non-humanoid, bipedal, quadruped, multiple arms, multiple legs, multiple limbs, different sets of heads, the list went on and on, but one thing was common in all those abominations. They wanted flesh, flesh rich in mana so they could lavish upon their primal desires. Needless to say Tomoe was the prime target from their hunger. In their senses, she smelled the sweetest of the six. Oni blood was not too different from demon blood in the sense that they always had their mana oozing out of their bodies. They were made to use magic after all. The hill where Leona stood served to gauge the size of the horde and after she looked upon the horizon she couldn¡¯t help but look utterly terrified. ¡°How¡­¡± Leona muttered under her breath. ¡°How have you guys survived for so long¡­?¡± For anyone else, that would have been the last thing engraved in their eyes as the plain covered with snow was trampled with a multitude of stomps across the horizon. The horde could be seen thanks to the vastly different color of their gaping maws in their bodies showing as small darkened dots across the vast white plain. One death angel proved to be more than enough to deal with almost an entire army of a kingdom as she recalled from her stay in Londria. But that, that was much more than just one, it was a veritable company of death angels. Numbering in the hundreds, they marched towards the group of six. Suddenly, Leona felt like her body was starting to break down from fear. The cold sweat was starting to wet her back as her breathing became sharp and shallow. Her trembling worsened and it felt like her ears were starting to pop with a crackling sound muffling all noise from outside. ¡®This¡­ this is impossible¡­¡¯ That was the thought that kept repeating inside her head. ¡°Leona¡­¡± ¡®If this ever happened anywhere in Arcadia¡­¡¯ ¡°Leona¡­!¡± ¡®No, not just Arcadia¡­ the world would cease to exist¡­¡¯ ¡°LEONA!¡± Robert¡¯s shout suddenly snapped her out of it as she turned to him with her eyes still widened in fear. ¡°Stop looking at the horizon and focus on the small battles. Looking at the size of an enemy army won¡¯t help if you can¡¯t focus on the small skirmishes.¡± He pointed at Tomoe who was leading the charge. ¡°Look, since she is the attention of the enemy, Miyamoto and the rest can focus on clearing out the sides as she carves a path through the center.¡± She forced herself to swallow the saliva building up inside her mouth and took a sharp deep breath as she attempted to regain control of her shaking body. After breathing and exhaling quickly, she seemed to have fended off the dreadful grasp of fear for a time. ¡°Right¡­ I came here to learn, not shake in my boots.¡± She grabbed her own face and tightened her grip while exhaling rapidly. ¡°Robert.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± She turned to glare at him between her fingers.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°How have you all survived all this time?¡± ¡°Battling them of course.¡± ¡°That is by no means normal. The magnitude of this assault is just beyond human comprehension.¡± ¡°You could say all of them can stand as heroes on their own.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Besides, I could annihilate this horde in one spell, but that wouldn¡¯t change anything. In fact, it would only make things worse.¡± Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°They feed on mana because they have an inherent need for it. I do not know why, but it seems that there is a queen death angel of sorts. I¡¯d rather not show my hand this early by using a powerful spell.¡± ¡°If you have this much power, couldn¡¯t you just have wiped all of them off the map?¡± ¡°I wish it was that simple. The other ¡®me¡¯ already tried it once. It didn¡¯t work. In fact, that was what brought Lastraeous closer to his goals.¡± She lowered her head finally letting go of her own face as her breathing calmed down enough to the point she was no longer having trouble shaking. At that point she turned her attention fully towards the on-going fighting. Tomoe¡¯s frontal plate armor protected her enough to the point she could forgo defense and commit completely on cleaving the enemy in half with her battle axe. Said armor seemed to be just forged steel at first glance but seeing how it protected her from most attacks it prompted Leona to ask. ¡°Did you enchant the armor Tomoe¡¯s wearing?¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°Normal plate armor would have been shredded to pieces by the claws and fangs of those beasts.¡± ¡°Well, you are correct, it is indeed enchanted armor. But not by me. It was Ren that did it.¡± ¡°Him?¡± ¡°He has a knack for it. That¡¯s the only thing he had going for him before I brought him and his vassal under my wing.¡± He had a smug expression on his face. ¡°That kid has potential to become the next ruler of Nara.¡± She kept watching, this time looking at Setsuna¡ªwho seemed to be ever so slightly advancing with Tomoe. The shrine maiden used a combination of fire wall to blanket a large area beyond the close range fighters in a sea of flames that quickly melted the surface snow before unleashing a crippling cold wave of ice magic that froze the liquified snow in a snap. Keeping most of the death angels stuck in place as Miyamoto zig-zagged between the standing enemies in a flurry of deadly slashes that cut most of them down. ¡°That¡­¡± Leona squinted her eyes. ¡°That was a combination of Fire Wall and Ice Wall wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Modified version of those spells, yes. She blanketed the area in front of the close range fighters in order to melt the water and instantly freeze with a follow up concentrated Ice Wall.¡± Behind the main group, Yuna stood still in the middle of a circle drawn into the snow. She had her hands clasped as if chanting something. At first Leona thought it wasn¡¯t anything important until an orb of condensed dark blue mana started to form in front of the young shrine maiden. ¡°What is that spell?¡± ¡°Flare. It¡¯s a sieging spell. Has low velocity, large area of effect and most importantly, high destructive potential. The main issue with it is the inaccuracy, but in this scenario it¡¯s a viable choice to whittle down the numbers.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She then glanced at Ren who was right beside Yuna, seemingly focusing on another spell. ¡°What is he doing?¡± ¡°Enchanting Yuna¡¯s spell.¡± She turned to him with widened eyes. ¡°Huh? Is that possible?¡± ¡°Did you think enchanting was only for weapons and armors?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not common to see another mage ¡®enchant¡¯ another¡¯s spell.¡± ¡°Remember well. It¡¯s called ephemeral enchanting, normally used by mages that wish to give their own weapons a temporary attribute or element. But it can also affect other spells and if done right, you can increase the potency of the enchanted spell by at least twofold.¡± She looked back at Ren. He held his wand out while drawing arcane symbols in the air as he enveloped the orb of mana created by Yuna. ¡°Interesting¡­ is it possible to do it on your own?¡± ¡°No, unless you¡¯re capable of parallel thought, it¡¯s physically impossible to enchant a spell while casting it.¡± He stopped for a bit and chuckled. ¡°Technically speaking, you could double or even triple cast spells with the aid of a specialized wand or staff. Setsuna¡¯s staff, for instance, was tailored to increase the potency of her spells while using mana from the environment around her in order to ease the burden on herself.¡± His grinning face made Leona look at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You sure seem proud of it.¡± ¡°Of course, I was the one who made it.¡± ¡°So you are capable of simultaneously casting spells.¡± He shrugged off by raising both of his hands. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised with the amount of things you learn once you live as long as I have.¡± She returned her attention to the battle at hand and noticed how it seemed to be a certain rhythm to how each member paced themselves. Tomoe rushes in while being covered by both Miyamoto and Setsuna who stay mostly on defense until they see an opportunity to strike hard and fast. In the meantime, Yuna and Ren focus on barraging the enemy backline with spells. ¡°Sis!¡± Yuna shouted from below. ¡°It¡¯s ready!¡± ¡°On it!¡± Setsuna quickly backed away from the frontline and approached the two mages. The dark blue orb was hovering above the snow with its surface swirling with pure mana drawn from both the air and Yuna¡¯s reserves. In the epicenter of the spell was an orb of fire violently pulsating with energy contained by both the mana around and the ephemeral enchanting made by Ren which kept the whole spell together. Setsuna pointed her staff at the orb and turned around with her right hand pointing at the direction of the horde. ¡°Clear the area!¡± Ren shouted as the older sister snapped her finger. ¡°True Teleportation.¡± The orb suddenly vanished from Yuna¡¯s grasp and reappeared a few hundred meters above the middle of the horde. Miyamoto heard the warning and simply dashed in the opposite direction of the horde while Tomoe stood her ground as a humanoid death angel approached her. It was roughly three times her size with an inhumanly muscular frame. While it lacked a head, its pale rubbery skin broke in the mid section of its torso where it revealed a vertical column of serrated teeth served both as its mouth and eyes as the icky globules of white and red dots from inside its gaping maw twitches uncontrollably as it mindlessly charged against the oni maid. ¡°Stay down will you?!¡± She swung the battle axe against its legs where they were crushed by the sheer impact of the weapon. Following it up with an overhead swing, she sunk the curved blade deep into the monstrosity¡¯s torso before lifting it up in front of her. Tomoe protected herself by using a death angel¡¯s corpse just in time as Yuna¡¯s enchanted Flare came down upon the horde. At first there was a bright flash of light before the violent shockwave swept through the battlefield with a reverberating sound wave of the explosion. The heat was so great it started to scorch the death angel¡¯s backside as she held it in front of herself as a makeshift shield. ¡°What in the world¡­¡± Watching everything unfold from the top of the hill made Leona tremble from the results of the battle. There were still a few death angel stragglers in the outskirts of the battlefield, but the once snow white plain was now scorched black with water puddling in the middle of it all. ¡°I told you.¡± Robert massaged his own shoulder as he was preparing to move. ¡°They can be considered heroes for their strength alone.¡± He was about to walk off the hill towards the group before Leona said. ¡°How far am I to reach them?¡± ¡°Not too far.¡± He smiled, but didn¡¯t turn to face her. ¡°You and him are capable of becoming this powerful.¡± ¡°Him?¡± He pointed to his left and upon trailing his hand, she noticed Krieg was kneeling overlooking the battle just as she was. ¡°Krieg¡­?¡± ¡°Needless to say, you¡¯ll need to put a lot of effort into it. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring everyone back and we can continue from there.¡± She kept looking at her knight. He wore an expression full of bitterness which made her speak softly without taking her eyes away from him. ¡°Understood¡­¡± Chapter CLXIII: Where it All Began After finishing off the rest of the stragglers, both Leona and Krieg returned with them to their homestead. But unlike the ones that actively took part in the battle, neither of the two were exactly cheerful. ¡°Another successful battle!¡± Ren raised his glass mug above his head. ¡°Cheers!¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± It was already night when everyone sat by the round table as they commemorated yet another victory against the death angel menace. It was nothing short of a miracle in Leona¡¯s eyes. To be able to defeat so many in a day was something straight out of legends. ¡®Will I really reach their level?¡¯ She stared at the food in front of her as her mind wandered. ¡®To defeat those monstrosities by the hundreds¡­ at first I thought it was humanly impossible but this¡­¡¯ She looked around everyone raising their mugs, drinking, eating, being merrily, it was almost as if a disaster didn¡¯t occur. ¡®This is beyond common sense.¡¯ She took a deep breath to calm herself down. ¡®If what Robert said is true and I am indeed able to reach those lofty heights then¡­ what is really holding me back from going to Arcadia? Alexander might as well be a speck of dust against people of this standard.¡¯ She looked around once more. Tomoe, the gentle and kind oni maid was capable of much more with a battle axe in her hands. Yuna, despite being young and inexperienced in the arts of teaching¡ªshe could still wreck havoc amongst her enemies with her spells. Ren, the somewhat solitary young man, seemed just like ¡®another unfortunate soul¡¯ that happened to be caught by war and yet he too was indispensable for this team. She felt like she was amongst heroes and also one bereft of right to sit at that table. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ll stare a hole in them.¡± Robert¡¯s voice quickly snapped her out of it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is the fight still hanging on your mind?¡± He had just finished eating and was currently enjoying a glass of wine beside the tactician. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. I¡¯m just wondering why am I training so hard to become like them if those I¡¯ll face in Arcadia are nothing compared to this.¡± Robert settled his half empty glass on the table and leaned back on his seat. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make sense to prepare for the worst?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ even so¡­ a singular death angel can prove more than enough to deal with an army of soldiers. But them? They obliterated hundreds of those things.¡± ¡°I think you are misunderstanding something. It is true that death angels are quite powerful in comparison to any other common beast you¡¯d find in the wilds, but those they faced were younglings. The ones you have faced in Arcadia were adult ones.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°How do you think some of them manage to cross the ocean to another continent? Those are the select few that are truly strong amongst their peers.¡± He crossed his arms and glanced up to the ceiling. ¡°Needless to say, the progenitor is still out there somewhere in the Elysian Fields. That one is the one you need to be afraid of.¡± ¡°The death angel queen?¡± ¡°Yes. I know not its purpose or how it looks, but apparently Xenovia knows.¡± ¡®That name again.¡¯ She thought and for a second there was a tight feeling inside her chest as she asked. ¡°Who is she exactly? You told me she wanted you to train me, but it doesn¡¯t make sense. I never met or heard of her before.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have. Because she isn¡¯t from this timeline, remember?¡± ¡°But then this would imply she knows me from this other timeline you speak of.¡± He sighed whilst scratching his head. ¡°I can¡¯t just divulge what I know. If my words change the outcome of this timeline, what of it then? Would you trample on someone¡¯s wishes to save the entire world from doom just for self fulfillment?¡± ¡°Her timeline and this timeline are two different things.¡± Despite her earlier disheartened attitude she had a certain fire in her eyes. ¡°It is arrogance to think one person can decide the fate of a world.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. He continued to silently stare at her. Even amongst the cheers and conversations¡ªneither of them seemed to budge. ¡°Master.¡± Tomoe approached Robert with a plate of neatly cut cheese. ¡°I brought you the¡­¡± The oni maid stood silent once she realized both of them were glaring daggers at each other. Robert then leaned slightly forward and sighed. ¡°You are not going to let this go, are you?¡± ¡°Not until you give me a reasonable answer.¡± ¡°Fine then, you will have a compromise.¡± He stood up and raised his right hand before announcing. ¡°I have business to attend to. Feel free to eat, drink or do whatever it is that you want.¡± He then turned to Leona. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll show you.¡± ¡°Where t-¡± She didn¡¯t even finish her sentence and with the snap of his fingers the whole world seemed to shift and warp beyond recognition until she found herself in a familiar laboratory. Upon looking behind her, she noticed once again the three women suspended in the air as if lost in time. ¡°Here we are.¡± ¡°Why have we come here?¡± ¡°To show you.¡± He reached for the woman in the middle and grabbed her arm before gently pulling her out of the area the runes were influencing which made her fall limp in his arms. Xenovia¡¯s blonde hair brushed against his chest as he adjusted her between his arms. ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± ¡°Clean the table would you?¡± He pointed to the marble table with his chin. ¡°Just be careful with the needles, lest you prick yourself.¡± She hurriedly approached it and carefully removed the objects that were on top of it to a secondary smaller table below it. In the meantime, Robert gently placed the sleeping woman sitting on the edge of the table before slowly lowering her head against it so she would lay flat on her back. ¡°Here, give me your hand.¡± She did as instructed as he stepped aside and brought Leona closer to the woman. He then slowly placed Leona¡¯s hand on top of Xenovia¡¯s right palm. At first there was a bit of hesitance, but once her fingers touched her skin, that is when she felt strangely at peace. ¡®She¡¯s¡­ warm¡­¡¯ ¡°I need you to hold her hand tightly.¡± His voice made her snap out of the brief trance. ¡°Uh¡­ okay¡­¡± Upon grabbing her hand she noticed it was full of calluses. The rough skin was hardly befit of a princess but there was a certain heartwarming feeling about it as it reminded her of both her father¡¯s and Krieg¡¯s hands. ¡°Now, close your eyes and focus.¡± He instructed. ¡°Imagine as if you were entering your inner world.¡± She exhaled slowly before closing her eyes. There was a lingering sensation of mana coursing through her body and as her own mind focused on said sensation¡ªher consciousness was pulled into it like a fish being hooked out of the water. The violent sensation soon diminished as she opened her eyes. Before her was an open field with a veritable mountain of corpses. Humans, demons, elves, dwarves, demi-humans, angels, death angels, beasts, demi-beasts, just about every kind of sentient being made part of the macabre stage. The verdant plains were painted crimson¡ªdifferent shades of blue and purple pooled amidst the craters formed by countless battles. The earth was so steeped with blood it couldn¡¯t soak any more of it. ¡®What is going on¡­?!¡¯ There was desperation overcoming her senses but even with such a terrible sight in front of her, she couldn¡¯t ¡®feel¡¯ herself. She tried to move her body but despite her best attempts nothing could be done as she kept walking amongst the piles of dead bodies as if her body wasn¡¯t her own. ¡°Their perversion knows no bounds¡­¡± An unknown female voice came from her own mouth. She then realized she was in fact inside someone else¡¯s body. ¡°Master, what shall we do?¡± She turned around and a man wearing a similar military garb with gray camouflage patterns to her approached with a hobbling right leg. He was Robert¡¯s splitting image, if not for the fact that he remained with his eyes closed all the time. ¡°We press on. Akrapocalis shouldn¡¯t be too far from here.¡± ¡°Rest in peace, comrades.¡± She stood up and adjusted the sling of her weapon. On her back there was a frostburnt silver longsword in a simple leather sheath while her left hand held a double edged battle axe that seemed like an executioner¡¯s weapon since both blades had quite a large surface area. Robert kept walking with his bad leg with the aid of a crooked stick. He didn¡¯t seem to be carrying weapons, but knowing him, Leona was sure he would just use magic just like the Robert she knew. As they kept going, the person continued at a slightly faster pace than the sage which then prompted herself to turn around and ask. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to use your teleportation magic? Even if we do end up in the middle of a battlefield, I¡¯m certain I can deal with whatever comes our way.¡± ¡°And risk getting killed? No, we are better off walking.¡± ¡°It takes a few days to reach Akrapocalis by foot. With your bad leg I wager we¡¯ll take a week.¡± ¡°A week is nothing after all we went through.¡± ¡°Master, with all due respect. I fail to see how spending another week pointlessly walking will be beneficial to us.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand. The moment I use my magic, those things will come for us. They no longer hesitate in choosing their prey. And the more we kill, more will come.¡± ¡°Hah! Let them come.¡± She laughed as she slinged the battle axe against her shoulder. ¡°I will let them have a taste of my blade.¡± ¡°You chase death all too eagerly, Xenovia.¡± ¡°What can I do? I think I inherited it from her.¡± ¡°She too chose the wrong path. Like many of us did.¡± He stumbled forward but she held him just in time before he could land face-first into the blood soaked mud. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯ll be taking our time, shouldn¡¯t we get some rest then?¡± ¡°...I suppose so.¡± They spent most of the time trudging through the battlefield before they could find a place to rest amidst a few trees. Chapter CLXIV: Empress of Annihilation It was early morning when they departed once again. Leona kept her feelings in check as she followed the warrior princess¡¯ footsteps throughout the places she too had once traveled. That being said, it looked nothing like the places she had been before. Akrapocalis, the once dwarven citadel, was now a veritable fortress with mortars, artillery and cannons. All soldiers within were outfitted with automatic weapons of large calibers to deal with treats quickly and efficiently. Needless to say, not only humans but many other races were involved in the protection of the city. Xenovia whistled. ¡°They really went all out with this huh?¡± ¡°It is a citadel, so this is to be expected.¡± Robert answered her as they waited in line to get to the city. ¡°Your grandfather did a good job in maintaining the city.¡± ¡°As expected of the Loraexions.¡± She puffed up her chest as she smiled. ¡°Father was always very insistent in making me use both names, but it¡¯s a hassle to deal with people when they ask my family name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just for recordkeeping I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°You call it recordkeeping, I call it a pain in the arse.¡± He chuckled bitterly. ¡°I suppose so.¡± They stepped forward as they were just about to talk to the guard waiting by the entrance. He wore a hard cap which concealed most of his forehead and eyes, the military uniform consisted of a dark green shirt, trousers and high leather boots. Xenovia tilted her head slightly to the side and noticed a slender tail swishing left to right behind the man in question. ¡®Half beast huh?¡¯ She smirked. Robert noticed her strange facial expression and decided to walk in front of her as the guard asked. ¡°Name, age and occupation if you please.¡± ¡°Robert, fifty years and I¡¯m a mage.¡± ¡°Right¡­ the reason for coming here?¡± ¡°Traveling. I need to meet someone in Arcadia.¡± He nodded and started to write on the clipboard all the while he asked. ¡°And your companion?¡± She looked at the guard with a disinterested expression as she answered. ¡°Xenovia, twenty two, warrior.¡± He finished writing Robert¡¯s information and quickly worked on hers. ¡°Warrior huh? It¡¯s quite rare to have someone wielding those weapons nowadays.¡± He jotted down the rest of the information and took a quick glance at both of them before asking another question. ¡°May I know why you two are wearing a Londrian uniform despite not being soldiers yourselves?¡± Xenovia rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh here we go¡­¡± Robert gave her a somewhat stern look before turning to the soldier in order to explain. ¡°We originally came from Nara, but ever since the nation¡¯s fall we had to abandon everything and everyone we knew. This uniform was a gift from a squad of Londrian soldiers that were patrolling the eastern border for the ship that sank.¡± ¡°And you two were survivors of that ship?¡± Robert nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯ll need to confirm before I let you two in, if you excuse me.¡± He tipped his hard hat before turning around and closing the metal door. The warrior sighed. ¡°See? That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like formalities.¡± ¡°They are just doing their jobs Xenovia.¡± A few minutes passed before the same guard came back with a smile on his face. ¡°I confirmed with the captain stationed at Astera. You two are free to go in.¡± ¡°Well at least they are fast.¡± She muttered under her breath which earned her an elbow in the ribs by Robert. ¡°Ow! Hey!¡± ¡°Keep it down will you?¡± As they were about to enter the city an ear ringing alarm started to go off. ¡°Death angels at twelve o¡¯clock!¡± A shout came over from the walls. ¡°Aim the field guns!¡± The people behind both of them started to force their way in the city as soldiers tried to keep them from running amok. As the soldiers outside were trying to maintain the people near the gates, Xenovia started to walk towards the battlefield. ¡°Xenovia, let¡¯s go inside-¡± He tilted his head to the side before fully turning around. ¡°Do not do it, this isn¡¯t our fight.¡± ¡°May not be yours. But it sure is mine.¡± She let go of the frostburnt silver longsword as she left it leaning against the metal gate as she readied her axe. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for a good fight these last couple of days.¡± She prepared to run after the cannons fired as five humanoid death angels were trampling down the treeline in order to charge at the city gates. ¡°Come on¡­ any time now¡­¡± She held the axe with anticipation as her fingers tightened and released the weapon¡¯s shaft. ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°Fire!¡± Multiple field guns stationed atop of the fortress¡¯ walls fired in unison. As they brought down three of the five charging foes. At that point she decided to charge in wielding her weapon behind her body as she was going toe to toe against a hulking death angel. It was roughly twice her size and its arms were the size of her thighs which alone would be sufficient to intimidate most combatants of this day and age. But not her. She had a smile that reeked of confidence as she brought the axe down the moment the death angel raised an arm to smash her face. Her diagonal cleave produced a cacophony of flesh, muscle and bone being torn by sheer strength. The sizable white arm was flung out of the death angel¡¯s body as she had just cleaved it in half. ¡°This girl¡­¡± Robert sighed as he raised his crooked staff before he shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t chase the other ones!¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°I know!¡± She shouted back as she ducked to dodge a forearm coming for her throat and followed up with an upwards cleave to bisect another death angel that jumped at her. However that meant she was directly in its path as purple blood showered all over her body. Her long blonde hair became dark brown almost close to the shade of blood and as she opened her eyes it revealed a glint in the aquamarine irises that weren¡¯t there before. The other death angel turned to run at Robert and consequently the soldier by the entrance. At that point it seemed like time had stopped for a moment as Xenovia¡¯s legs cracked with the sound of thunder. In what could only be described as a flash step, she appeared right beside the death angel. Upon landing, she rotated the axe with her hips, throwing all her strength into the cut that cleaved the death angel clean in half which only left the section below its stomach to walk aimlessly without an upper body as it was sent flying backwards from the sheer force of the impact. ¡°Hahahaha! Now that hit the spot!¡± She smiled while letting out a breath that almost seemed like steam. ¡°What now, Master? Do we hunt the rest?¡± ¡°Of course not, we¡¯re not here to play games, Xenovia. Let¡¯s go, they¡¯ll deal with the rest later.¡± He lowered his staff and grabbed the sheathed longsword before tapping the soldier guarding the entrance on the shoulder. ¡°Might want to head inside after this. Lest you want to become death angel food.¡± While inside, the warrior looked more like a bizarre attraction that most citizens tried to steer clear of as she was clearly soaked from head to toe in blood. She loosely held the axe against her shoulder as they walked through the wide dwarven streets. ¡°Aww¡­ come on. I need to let off some steam from time to time.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, but do engage in some restraint.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just good to be able to go wild.¡± She had a warm smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s even better to save people while doing so.¡± Her white teeth from her smile was a stark contrast to her face painted in purple blood. ¡°Truly, I am in awe that you can still do the things you do with that oversized axe.¡± ¡°Hey, I swing, they die. And if they don¡¯t, I just hit them harder next time.¡± He sighed. ¡°You are truly the embodiment of a warrior.¡± As she passed by a group of awe struck kids, she smiled playfully and waved which made the youngest ones run behind the older one. One seemingly lost kid ran past Robert and brushed against him which sent him towards the ground, but the sage quickly grabbed a hold of him before he could hit his face. ¡°Careful there young one.¡± ¡°Ah, thanks mister!¡± The black haired boy was missing one of his front teeth as he gave Robert a smile before heading off towards the previous group of kids. ¡°Aren¡¯t you famous with kids as well huh?¡± ¡°Not as much as someone covered in blood I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°You seem like you know your way around children. Did you use to take care of kids before?¡± ¡°I did. I had two daughters once.¡± ¡°In this or-¡± ¡°This world, yes.¡± Her smile slowly disappeared as she asked. ¡°Then are they¡­?¡± ¡°They died about fifty years ago. The youngest was sixteen and the oldest was twenty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing.¡± He smiled bitterly. ¡°I remember they loved the food I made from time to time.¡± ¡°Master never really cooked for me before so I¡¯d like to try it someday.¡± ¡°Sure thing pumpkin.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll hold Master to that.¡± They went on around the city looking for lodging, but hardly any establishment would accept a woman soaked from head to toe in death angel blood which prompted her to clean herself in one of the storage warehouses owned by the military. ¡°Ma¡¯am are you sure you don¡¯t want to head in the showers?¡± One female soldier stood with a hose in hand. She had her chestnut hair tied in a bun tucked between the back hole of her hard cap hat. ¡°This is rain water and needless to say it¡¯s cold.¡± ¡°The more reason to use it.¡± Xenovia smiled warmly. ¡°I¡¯d hate to dirty the showers with this icky blood.¡± Even though she was a bit hesitant, the soldier eventually aimed the hose at the princess who began washing her hair. All the while Robert waited around the corner while holding on to the longsword heirloom. He sighed. ¡°Tell me when you¡¯re done, we still need to find somewhere to sleep.¡± ¡°Aye, aye Master.¡± Upon washing off most of the blood, she flicked her head back and passed her fingers along her scalp. The slick blonde hair naturally flicked back forward as two distinguishing bangs cascaded down on each side of her face. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± She grabbed the axe she left against the warehouse¡¯s large metal door and flung it against her own shoulder in order to carry it. However, she was soaked down to the bone in rainwater which prompted the soldier to call her out. ¡°Ah Miss! You can dry inside we have-¡± Xenovia simply raised her hand and shook it. ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Like hell that¡¯s fine.¡± Robert came around the corner, clearly annoyed. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to step inside any establishment like that.¡± He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers which caused a gust of warm wind to spin around the warrior, whose clothes started to dry quickly. ¡°I could¡¯ve slept in my wet clothes, but I appreciate the gesture, Master.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± He glanced over at the soldier and gave her a small nod. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± ¡°A-ah, no problem at all sir.¡± She stood straight in attention. ¡°Have a good day you two.¡± Robert did another short nod before turning around. Xenovia on the other hand waved the soldier goodbye and smiled as she turned to leave as well. ¡®Xenovia¡­¡¯ Leona thought. ¡®Why is it that you¡¯re so familiar yet we have never met each other?¡¯ ¡°Do you want to know?¡± Robert from the memory suddenly turned around to ask not Xenovia, but the one who was currently inhabiting the woman¡¯s mind. ¡°I can cut to the chase.¡± There was a long pause as if time had come to a crawl. A strange sensation was overcoming Leona¡¯s senses as she tried to figure out how he was doing that. ¡°No answer? Very well¡­¡± There was a brief bout of headache as Leona¡¯s vision blurred. It was like the snap of a finger as her head felt it was being split in half before another vision showered her mind like a storm. This time, she was at a very familiar place. The castle of Arcadia. A monumental construction brought by the combined might of humans and dwarves. At the time of its construction, it could be said to be the last bastion of humanity against the demon king army. Its imposing towers cascaded from the central spire that aimed for the heavens as stairs led to the main castle¡¯s halls. Xenovia stood in the throne room surrounded by royal knights. Each wore a full set of high-tech magic armor that seemed to reflect light off from the darkened plate. Amongst all of them however, three stood in front of the throne elevated by a few stairs without their helmets. ¡°Princess. Your transgressions against the Arcadian throne ends here.¡± The middle knight addressed her while pointing a golden broadsword similar to Laevateinn¡ªEleonora¡¯s holy sword. ¡°Surrender yourself and your companion. No more blood needs to be shed today.¡± The knight in question was Krieg. A much more aged version of him at least. The short gray hair was now slick backwards and his crimson eyes were sharper than before. He truly exuded the air of a seasoned knight bearing a few scars here and there across his rough face. Behind the knight there were other two knights, a familiar high elf with dark hair tied in a bun with deep blue eyes. Leona recognized her. ¡®Phoebe?!¡¯ She was staring at the sage behind Xenovia with uncertainty as she held onto a pair of enchanted longswords which emitted a low light blue glow along its edges. Lastly, a human woman of blonde hair and crimson red eyes which wasn¡¯t familiar to Leona. She held a thick broadsword on her right hand while the left wielded a small wooden cudgel. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Xenovia bitterly laughed as she was missing her left arm¡ªblood spilling from the dismembered limb. ¡°Serves me right from trying¡­¡± She clenched her teeth. ¡°Master, are you still with me?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ who do you take me for¡­?¡± Robert stood up with the help of his staff. His right leg was barely functioning at that point. ¡°You should be more worried about yourself.¡± ¡°Arms grow back.¡± She mockingly said as she grabbed the part that was cut off and forcibly sealed it with fire magic by cauterizing it. She didn¡¯t even flinch when doing so. ¡°Princess¡­¡± Krieg seemed determined to stop Xenovia but at the same time his eyes seemed to have a hint of sadness in them as he spoke to her with grief in his voice. ¡°Please, stop. We don¡¯t need to do this.¡± ¡°Uncle Krieg.¡± She said out loud as she pulled her axe out of the floor. ¡°I respect you and everyone that has worked tirelessly for this empire. But no longer we should be ruled by someone devoted to blood and conquest.¡± ¡°Silence.¡± Another female voice echoed from the throne. Sitting atop the golden seat another knight adorned with a crimson red armor with golden details around the edges of each individual plate. She stood up from her seat and started to head down the steps all the while holding onto a black sword in an ornate dark metal sheath tied on the left side of her hip. ¡°If you desire to overthrow me, Xenovia, then you¡¯d better be able to live up to the Crossford name.¡± Right before her eyes stood the infamous Empress that would soon become known as the ¡®Empress of Annihilation¡¯ Leona Crossford. Chapter CLXV: Fates Intertwined Even throughout the eyes of someone she barely knew, Leona could feel the immense pressure present on Xenovia¡¯s shoulders. The crimson golden knight in front of her was the pinnacle of power. Both technology and magic was at her disposal. It didn¡¯t matter how strong Xenovia truly was in the face of absolute power. ¡°Heed me, my knights.¡± The empress called out to them. ¡°These so-be saviors of the empire are nothing if not the scourge that eats away at our hard earned peace. I, Leona Crossford shall be the judge of their characters. Through combat we shall decide who is right¡­¡± She unsheathed the black blade from its sheath¡ªleaving a chilling cold sound of metal reverberating throughout the throne room. ¡°...and who is wrong.¡± Krieg and the other two female knights stepped aside as she slowly walked towards Xenovia while leaving herself open for any attacks with her blade almost touching the floor. ¡°Master.¡± Xenovia muttered as she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to fight with my axe with only one arm.¡± ¡°I know, just trust me on this one.¡± ¡°I will.¡± She lifted her axe up and let it go in order for her to grab the weapon in the middle of the shaft. She readied for an onslaught of attacks the moment Leona stood about two meters away from her, but instead, nothing happened as the Empress stood still in melee range. ¡°What is wrong?¡± She had an evil smile on her face. ¡°Are you afraid one of them will attack?¡± Xenovia looked around the room and scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m sure the infamous Empress does not need anyone else to help do her dirty work.¡± Her smile slowly turned into a grin. ¡°You have guts, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± She gripped the black sword tightly which made Xenovia flex her legs in preparation for an attack but instead, Leona grabbed the dismembered arm in front of her. ¡°Hmm¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be interesting to have you fighting like this.¡± She proceeded to toss the limb to Robert. ¡°Surely you can reattach it, no? I can wait.¡± The sage grabbed the limb but didn¡¯t reply, instead he focused on mending Xenovia¡¯s arm back. ¡®This¡­ so this was the ¡®me¡¯ from this timeline.¡¯ Leona thought as she watched Xenovia wince if just for a split second the moment her arm was reattached. ¡®You¡­ if you have struggled so much to get here, why have you been helping me now if you knew this ¡®other¡¯ me?¡¯ As the sage was finishing healing his student¡¯s arm, he subtly raised his right hand into a small cup pointing through his robes. ¡°Chain Lightning!¡± Suddenly, a burst of electricity shot through his robes, making the hole the size of an apple before it hit Leona straight in the chest. ¡°Ugh!¡± The impact of the spell was enough to send her down to her knee. ¡°Now Xenovia!¡± The warrior lifted her axe while bringing up her now healed left arm and swung the weapon down with all her might directed at Leona¡¯s right shoulder. Clang, a loud noise came from the end of her axe as she witnessed something straight out of a fiction book. Leona not only stopped her attack, but she also grabbed the axe with her left gauntlet. Xenovia tried to pull the weapon out of her grasp but to no avail. ¡°What the?!¡± ¡°Damn you¡­¡± She clenched her teeth in fury. ¡°You told her about my arm, haven¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°We are way past niceties, Leona.¡± Robert stood back and raised his staff towards the empress. ¡°Unlike Xenovia here I¡¯ll use anything I can to end your life.¡± ¡°Like hell you will!¡± She quickly stood up and tossed the warrior back with so much force that she ended up sliding on her back against the floor. ¡°Ugh!¡± Leona dashed with incredible speeds towards Robert, but the sage was prepared for it. With one snap of his fingers a earth pillar suddenly shot up from the floor, hitting the empress in the stomach. ¡°Argh!¡± He instantly followed up with a dome of earth and a point-blank explosive fire spell. ¡°Flare.¡± The violent explosion shook the entire building, despite that, the knights remained in place as if it wasn¡¯t of their concern. From inside the dome, Leona appeared unscathed by the violent attack which prompted Xenovia to unleash an attack aiming for the Empress¡¯ legs. Another clang resounded in the throne room as the hefty swing made contact with Leona¡¯s lower body, sending her backfirst into the floor.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°It¡¯s time to finish this!¡± The warrior took one step forward and launched her whole body behind the lightning fast overhead strike that was meant to bisect the Empress in half but at the highest point of her swing she no longer felt weight around her forearms. Just as her arms went down, she noticed she was missing both of them as the axe fell a couple meters ahead of her with two hands holding the weapon¡¯s shaft in a death grip. ¡°Wha-¡± She didn¡¯t even have time to register what just had happened as she was instantly decapitated with an attack so fast she only noticed what happened as her vision turned as she hit the floor. Blood splattered all across the tiles as the headless body tilted ever so slightly forward and then backwards before falling limply on the ground. ¡°XENOVIA!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ shut up will you?¡± Leona stood up and cracked her neck from one side then another. ¡°I gave you two a chance and you disappointed me.¡± She raised the black sword which was covered in blood. ¡°She couldn¡¯t even see this coming, it¡¯s no wonder she¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Xenovia¡­ no¡­¡± Robert crawled along the floor as he picked up her head in disbelief. ¡°You can¡¯t die like this¡­¡± Leona crackled with laughter. ¡°Hey, hey now¡­ Robert, I didn¡¯t know you were such a softie. You weren¡¯t like this when I trained with you.¡± He didn¡¯t reply. Instead he held Xenovia¡¯s head close to his chest as he gently touched her body¡¯s left arm. Leona noticed he wasn¡¯t actually doing anything which prompted her to burst out in even more laughter. ¡°What has the incredible sage become? I thought you were a hero of countless worlds, but here you are crawling on the ground like an insect.¡± She smiled as she lifted the blood soaked sword over her head against her own shoulder. ¡°If I knew you were like this deep down I¡¯d given you an easier end sooner.¡± He stood still for a couple more seconds which made Leona lose interest as she approached him from behind. ¡°I might as well end this.¡± As she raised her sword there was just a split second where she noticed Xenovia¡¯s body was no longer on the floor and when the realization suddenly hit her, Robert turned around in a flash and for the first time in decades, the Empress felt the sharp bitter bite of pain. ¡°Urhgk! You-!¡± The frostburnt silver longsword was protruding out of the right side of her ribcage. ¡°I told you, I¡¯ll take any chance I can get to kill you.¡± He drove the blade through, slicing her lungs and cutting deep through her flesh. ¡°AAAARGH!¡± She retaliated with an overhead swing that would¡¯ve bisected him if he didn¡¯t teleport away in the last second with a snap of his fingers. ¡°DAMN YOU ROOOBERT!¡± In a very far away land, Robert arrived with the longsword drenched in blood as he let go of the weapon. The clanking of metal echoed across the room. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ rest¡­ just yet¡­¡± Leona recognized that place as the very same lab she stood in. Xenovia¡¯s body and head were sitting on top of the marble table as he, despite his obvious mana shock symptoms, started to heal the warrior. ¡°You won¡¯t die¡­ not like this¡­¡± He put her head close to her neck and started to mend the wound with a potent combination of water and wind magic. ¡°Three minutes¡­ no¡­ I can do it in one¡­¡± He muttered to himself as he continued to pour magic over the spells. The skin, muscles and bones around her neck started to mend together as if the tissue were weaving in between each other in order to heal. ¡°Now the hands¡­¡± He quickly grabbed a bottle of viscous transparent liquid before opening it. As opposed to a cream or salve, it seemed alive as it writhed upon his touch. ¡°Come on¡­¡± Inside the liquid was a small red orb that resembled a slime core. At first it seemed to hesitate before it made contact with Xenovia¡¯s right wrist. But the moment it tasted blood, it suddenly started to quiver as if being possessed by something. Robert nudged it forward which prompted the small slime to connect with her wrist. ¡°Good¡­ now the other one¡­¡± Hours passed in the quiet laboratory with the only sounds being of Robert shifting both tools and medicine around to treat the now unconscious warrior. Another few hours passed and the first weak gasps for air echoed within the laboratory. Xenovia coughed up dry clots of blood as she opened her eyes. ¡°What the¡­ how am I alive¡­?¡± She tried to reach for her throat but neither of her hands were there to aid her. She winced in pain as she took a sharp deep breath while looking at her stump for wrists. The skin had sealed which left a scar where it used to be her hands. ¡°Right¡­ that actually happened.¡± She looked around. ¡°This is¡­ Master¡¯s lab¡­¡± She glanced to her side and noticed Robert just blinking up awake while lying against the wall. The moment he noticed her he stood up from the ground and headed over her. ¡°You¡¯re awake, thank the goddess¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a religious man, Master.¡± ¡°Oh shut it will you?¡± He gently patted her on the head. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Less beheaded.¡± She touched her own throat with her right wrist. ¡°I¡¯m surprised I didn¡¯t die instantly.¡± ¡°You would have if I didn¡¯t wrap up the fight quickly.¡± Her eyes widened a bit. ¡°Were you able to do it?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, that armor of hers was surprisingly durable even against Avalon¡¯s blade.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not like we lost yet¡­¡± She turned on her left side and sat up on the table. But a bout of dizziness overcame her senses. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°You lost a lot of blood. I¡¯ll take you to your room to rest.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± She hopped down from the table and Robert caught her arm over his neck while supporting the rest of her body with his left shoulder. ¡°What do we do now? I thought these years of training here would have helped but I was powerless to change anything.¡± ¡°What else? We train more. Although I think we¡¯ll start getting busy now that I¡¯ve used magic here.¡± ¡°Death angels?¡± He nodded. ¡°There is no doubt they¡¯ll come back knocking on our door.¡± Xenovia kept walking in silence until she was brought to a clean white room outfitted with the basic needs like a bed, nightstand and table. ¡°Master.¡± She said with a glint of determination in her eyes. ¡°Is it possible to fix this world as it is?¡± ¡°If you want my honest opinion, it¡¯ll be a miracle if it lasts more than a few decades.¡± He had a bitter expression on his face. ¡°The death angels proved to be much more of a threat than I had anticipated and it doesn¡¯t help that Leona is waging war all across the Arcadian continent instead of battling them.¡± Xenovia sat down on the bed and took a deep breath whilst closing her eyes. ¡°Grandmother¡­¡± She then slowly shook her head before finally opening her eyes. ¡°After Mother passed on, you raised me as your own and yet¡­ it has come to this.¡± ¡®Grandmother¡­?¡¯ There was a brief moment where it finally hit Leona. ¡®No¡­ this woman is¡­¡¯ It was at that point where she was suddenly taken back to the real world where she stood right beside the sleeping Xenovia. Robert sighed briefly as a dumbfounded Leona stared at him. ¡°Satisfied?¡± Chapter CLXVI: Pasts Rewritten ¡°Tell me! Tell me everything you know!¡± Leona grabbed Robert by the collar of his robes. ¡°Who exactly is she?!¡± Xenovia, who was still lying unconscious on the table, seemed to have a troubled expression even as she slept. She didn¡¯t wake up despite Leona¡¯s shouting and soon after Robert let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°She is, or rather, was the Empress¡¯ granddaughter.¡± He took her hand and shook it off his clothes. ¡°But that matters little now, what matters is that we were able to change this timeline.¡± She shook her head. She couldn¡¯t forget the ruthlessness of the ¡®Empress of Annihilation¡¯. Her previous encounters with her were in her inner world but nothing came close to what she had just witnessed. ¡°But¡­ how¡­? Why did I become such a monster?¡± ¡°It was all thanks to that dragonslayer sword.¡± ¡°You mean Avalon? But I first encountered that blade in Janno¡¯s possession way back in Londria, that was never a family heirloom.¡± ¡°Not in this timeline, because Xenovia prevented you from ever knowing the existence of that blade in the first place.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°If I remember correctly, when I first met her she had explained how convincing your father to relinquish that blade was extremely difficult.¡± ¡°My father¡­ knew of it?¡± Robert was tapping the side of his head as his eyes wandered around the room. ¡°He was using it to produce frostburnt silver if I¡¯m not wrong. Xenovia was only able to leverage it with knowledge about the upcoming war against the demons.¡± ¡°But this doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ if Avalon was truly the problem then I¡­¡± ¡°Absolute power corrupts absolutely.¡± He cut her short. ¡°With that blade, you could¡¯ve easily killed Alexander upon your first meeting. The man that plotted his entire life upon bringing destruction and chaos against your family and demonkind. How would ¡®you¡¯ feel if you could have snuffed out his existence with a flick of a blade? Would it have stopped there?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± She grasped her left shoulder. Her wounded stump throbbed in a sharp pang of pain. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ so many people could¡¯ve been saved if he didn¡¯t exist. So many lives, so many futures¡­ all because of a single man.¡± ¡°That is how war works.¡± He smiled bitterly as he moved Xenovia¡¯s unconscious body back to the pedestal. ¡°One vow, one betrayal, perhaps even one misunderstanding can cause sparks to ignite the flames of war.¡± After gently placing the warrior back floating on the runes, he returned and sat on the table. ¡°With this knowledge in mind. Do you think you can make the choices that you, yourself would truly make?¡± There was a long pause where Leona just stood there looking intently at the woman. She extended her right hand forward and caressed her left cheek while gently brushing the blonde bangs of hair aside from the front of her face. ¡°Yes. I can for sure this time.¡± She turned around with a sharp and confident gaze. ¡°I can¡¯t let that happen again.¡± Robert let out a short chuckle. ¡°I was worried for a moment that you would have broken down by now after knowing the truth, but apparently it only served to make you stronger.¡± He started to grin. ¡°Well then, I can assume you¡¯re ready to go back?¡± She nodded and turned around one last time to look at Xenovia. She lowered her head and tapped her forehead against hers. ¡®Thank you for your efforts, Xenovia.¡¯ She thought with a quiet smile on her face. ¡®I promise I will make a better future for all of us.¡¯ She slowly stepped back and smiled before turning around to face him. ¡°I¡¯m ready. Let¡¯s return.¡± In another snap of a finger, they had returned to the main hall of their cavern home. Tomoe and Ren were cleaning the dishes as Leona sat down near the crackling fireplace. ¡°Welcome back, Master Robert, Miss Leona.¡± Tomoe greeted them before addressing Leona specifically. ¡°Should I bring you a meal?¡± ¡°Ah, no. Thank you, Tomoe.¡± There was a sense of duty mixed with relief growing inside her chest as she tilted her head upwards after leaning on the couch. ¡°So, can you see why you have been training so hard?¡± Robert asked as he too sat down on the armchair near the fireplace. Leona stared at her own right hand before closing it tightly. ¡°Yes and if this is the same as the other timeline, there won¡¯t be any time to waste. We need to band together to fight these abominations.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. Granted how each of the different kingdoms near Arcadia are faring against not only the death angels but with their own struggles, many will deem you crazy or paranoid.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°It matters not what they think.¡± She had a fierce gaze in her eyes as she looked at him. ¡°My path is clear and I won¡¯t lose sight of it. Not after what I experienced.¡± She turned to the fireplace, staring at the embers that were slowly dying out. ¡°When I saw her memories as my own, I could feel every bit of her passion, her despair, her anger¡­ it was nothing short of admirable how she could fight so valiantly even though she knew it could be all for nothing.¡± He chuckled which prompted her to look at him. ¡°Ah, pardon me. It¡¯s not that I was laughing at your determination. It¡¯s just ironic how Xenovia came this far to change your path and yet even after accomplishing so, she isn¡¯t able to witness it herself.¡± He had a nostalgic smile on his face. ¡°Ah¡­ how amusing it would be to see her face now¡­¡± She tilted her head slightly sideways as she held her chin. ¡°It does make me wonder, why is she like that? Was that also part of her deal with you?¡± ¡°Hm? You mean in stasis?¡± ¡°Stasis?¡± ¡°As in, frozen in time.¡± ¡°Yes, that.¡± ¡°Well¡­ our deal was that I would be able to study the spells that the other ¡®me¡¯ invented across the ages in order to end Lastraeous, in exchange, I would keep herself safe from the erosion of time through magic. However, my end of the bargain also included keeping you safe until you reached Nara and if you did and didn¡¯t pose a threat to the world like the other timeline, I would train you to become a powerful mage.¡± ¡°A powerful mage huh?¡± Her eyes naturally drifted towards the frostburnt silver longsword that was still on the same wooden stool she had left it. ¡°Does it have anything to do with Avalon?¡± ¡°Somewhat. I know it was thanks to that and my other self¡¯s sacrifice that she was able to cross the rift of time and space but we weren¡¯t sure whether or not Avalon¡¯s memories would affect you.¡± ¡°Just how much did she plan ahead of time¡­?¡± ¡°Decades. The only thing she didn¡¯t plan for was for you to obtain Avalon in Londria. We knew it would be there but to be handed directly to you was an oversight.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She reached for the sword and unsheathed it. The silver blade emitted a light blue gleam akin to fog on a very cold day. ¡°It certainly helped me fight against the kobolds and that kraken.¡± ¡°Considering it is a weapon capable of bringing down even the dragon god, I¡¯d say it is legendary in nature. However¡­¡± He flicked his hand and the sword escaped from her grasp. ¡°Given the circumstances, I still would prefer it if you didn¡¯t use that blade.¡± ¡°I understand. But then what will happen to it?¡± He sheathed the sword back and left it on top of the stool. ¡°I¡¯m considering a few things, but for now no one will wield it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of silver decay is it? I heard continuous exposure to frostburnt silver can kill a person.¡± ¡°No, no. First of all, you and Krieg are effectively immune to it thanks to your dragon blood.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You do realize silver decay happens because frostburnt silver is technically a living thing and not a metal right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not a metal?¡± He pinched his nose ridge and lowered his head. ¡°Okay, Leona. Think. What is the material Avalon is made out of?¡± ¡°Frostburn-¡± She didn¡¯t even finish her sentence but one stern look from Robert was enough to make her correct her mistake. ¡°Sorry, parts of the silver dragon, Sylphia.¡± ¡°Correct. This type of material is actually more close to an organism rather than metal, the material is just exceedingly rigid that it may look like a metal.¡± He leaned comfortably against his armchair while continuing to explain. ¡°For that reason, frostburnt silver is known to be an excellent mana conductor and it is partially the reason why you lost your arm.¡± ¡°Eh? How does that make any sense?¡± ¡°Think about it this way. If the sword you used to infuse with mana was of any other material, it would¡¯ve broken off or shattered into pieces, but since it was frostburnt silver, it allowed you to channel tremendous amounts of mana through it, which resulted your arm to literally ¡®burn¡¯ with mana. Thus resulting in this thing.¡± He snapped his fingers and a crystalized left arm appeared out of thin air as it fell on his hand. A few light blue crystals grew from the shoulder part all the way down the beginning of the forearm. ¡°Wait¡­ that¡¯s my arm, what are you doing with it?¡± ¡°Studying. Since I can¡¯t really glue it back in your body I might as well use it to analyze crystallization of mana.¡± He tilted the limb and looked around the inner side of the forearm. The usually purple veins were darkened with crystals embedded in them. ¡°It¡¯s interesting that it took the shape of crystals even though mana doesn¡¯t generally have a predefined shape unlike aether¡¯s more gas-like state.¡± She had a tired expression on her face. ¡°You¡¯re really pragmatic aren¡¯t you¡­¡± ¡°Knowledge is knowledge.¡± He raised a shoulder while still observing the limb. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s useful to know what happens to the body once the concentration of mana is much higher than it supports. I have never seen anything like this before.¡± ¡°Thanks, I didn¡¯t know someone could make me feel like a bizarre attraction even though that arm is no longer attached to my shoulder.¡± She shook her head in resignation. ¡°So? What now?¡± ¡°What now, what?¡± ¡°I want to know what you¡¯ll be doing after me and Krieg go back to Arcadia.¡± ¡°Keeping Nara safe, what else? There isn¡¯t much to do in this current day and age thanks to your kingdom¡¯s little war of succession.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my choice, you know.¡± ¡°That is besides the point. What we all need is for you to unify the central continent under one influence. Namely, Arcadia¡¯s.¡± ¡°That is exactly what I intend to do.¡± She had a decisive glint in her eyes as she spoke. ¡°Akrapocalis, Windia and Londria shouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as I have control over the kingdom. The biggest issue is both Aradia and Zenith¡­¡± ¡°Hoh? Are you not even slightly worried about the demon kingdom?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Queen Eleonora paved the path to peace between our kinds and I don¡¯t think the demon king would go back on his word.¡± She brushed her hair back with her hands as a quiet sigh left her mouth. ¡°Then again, if I¡¯m too late to return, Alexander might damage that alliance they fought so hard to build.¡± ¡°Well, you still have about twenty days left.¡± He snapped his fingers and the crystalized limb suddenly disappeared before he stood up. ¡°Rest well and prepare for tomorrow. You got a lot to study,¡± ¡°I know.¡± She glanced at the fireplace as the last log broke in half. ¡°This won¡¯t be easy¡­¡± Chapter CLXVII: The Swordmaster and the Magician The chilly early morning breeze could be felt clearly from the training grounds as it was near the sea. The foggy air gave birth to dew at the end of the blades of grass. The peaceful scenery was only disturbed by rhythmic grunts echoing from one side of the vast training area. ¡°Hmph!¡± Krieg was once again training shirtless amidst the cold breeze. Each swing of the training sword made a distinct whooshing sound as he seamlessly followed it with shield strikes. His attacks were fast, compact and precise¡ªa far cry from what it used to be a few days ago. However, he still couldn¡¯t hold a candle for Miyamoto in terms of pin-point accuracy with a one handed blade. One loose leaf flew by him and he attempted to strike at it, only for it to swirl right past his attack. ¡°Tsk.¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°Not enough¡­¡± The singular leaf landed on top of his bare foot. He closed his eyes and started to concentrate on the warm feeling inside his chest. Dragon aspect, another form of mana reinforcement that takes the appearance of layered scales of a dragon. It¡¯s normally not visible under the naked eye and only really noticeable without a discerning gaze if the user is brimming with mana. But for him, after experiencing it once, it felt like another world entirely. As if it was his calling. His mind couldn¡¯t help but wander back at the time he was consumed by a primal rage. Before, he couldn¡¯t feel anything related to mana. Even when he tried like Leona taught him many times before, he wasn¡¯t able to ¡®feel¡¯ mana around him. But now, even the simple act of closing his eyes was enough to make him clearly see vestiges of both ambient mana and from life, be it from wild animals or people. ¡°What are you doing out here so early in the morning?¡± Krieg turned around to face the owner of the soft-spoken female voice. ¡°Good morning, Miss Setsuna.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°Just Setsuna is fine.¡± He nodded discreetly before continuing on with his training. In the meantime, the shrine maiden was settling down on the grass with the staff on her lap in order to begin her own training. Krieg suddenly stopped mid-swing as a tingling sensation came from his back. Upon turning around he noticed the young woman sitting just a few meters away with both of her eyes closed. He could sense mana emanating from her like the heat of a roaring fire. It came in waves as if she was purposefully radiating large amounts of it. Each time that happened made the hair of his skin stand up in goosebumps. ¡®This is strange¡­¡¯ He thought. ¡®Was I so insensitive to mana around me before?¡¯ Thinking back, most of the times he had been fighting alongside Leona he couldn¡¯t tell whether or not she was casting a spell unless he had some sort of sound or visual cue to work with. Even going up against Jakob forced him to go all out in order to better support his liege. If a future where Leona was forced to fight yet again came to pass, he was determined to protect her as best as he could. He would become her unbreakable shield. His swings became even faster, chaining one right after the other in compact precise strikes unleashed from behind the shield, leaving no room for a counter-attack. As opposed to his straightened stance using a longsword, his center of balance was much lower when using the sword and shield as he tended to bend his legs more in order to be ready to lunge forward in order to close the gap. ¡°You haven¡¯t skipped not even a single hour of training ever since you fought against him, have you?¡± Setsuna¡¯s voice made him stop for a few seconds. ¡°That is truly admirable.¡± ¡°It is the least I can do.¡± He turned slightly to the side and noticed she spoke with her eyes still closed which prompted him to focus again on training his swings with the image of his mentor in mind. ¡°Leona will need someone who can stand beside her, not cowering behind her.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure she will be glad to have you by her side then.¡± At the same time, Leona opened her eyes as she woke up. She felt rested as she effortlessly lifted herself up from the couch. The room was just chill enough to make her want to warm herself up by the fire¡ªhowever, the once crackling fireplace was now just filled with ashes of the previous day. ¡°Good morning, Leona.¡± Following the soft-spoken voice, Leona saw Kaeli holding a few split logs on her forearms. The previously no-nonsense high elf was now leading a somewhat normal existence as shown in her choice of clothing. She wore a brown loose tunic held firmly by a wide sash of a darker shade around her waist forming a bag of air just above her belly; for her legs, she chose durable dark green trousers that were tucked inside the leather boots that reached around halfway of her shins. Her long black hair was now tied in a bun behind her head with a few strings of hair hanging beside her face which made her look more mature. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± Leona was impressed by her looks but more importantly she felt it wasn¡¯t the first time she was doing that given the few bruises and small wounds of splintered wood on her hands. ¡°Are you the one always tending to the fireplace?¡± The high elf smiled. ¡°Yes, as a matter of fact I¡¯ve come to light it up again.¡± She walked over to it and left the wood beside it before removing the ashes by adding a bit of water and scooping the ash sludge out with a trowel that was tucked in the corner around the campfire. ¡°I woke up a bit later than usual today so it ran out before I could feed more wood into it.¡± After taking out the sludge and solidifying it with a flash of fire magic, she put the now bricks of ash on the side before neatly arranging the split wood in the fireplace. With a short incantation she set the wood on fire, allowing the room to start slowly heating up. ¡°Thank you for the fire.¡± Leona leaned back on the couch while basking in the warmth radiating from the fireplace. ¡°The mornings here are always a bit chilly.¡± ¡°That they are.¡± She stood up with the ash bricks between her hands. ¡°Have you gotten used to master¡¯s training yet?¡± ¡°The whole inner world thing still feels a bit surreal, but I¡¯m getting there.¡± Kaeli nodded with a faint smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s good to hear it. Well now¡­¡± She turned around and started heading to the doorway. ¡°I¡¯ll go take care of my sister. See you later.¡± However, before she could leave the room, Leona asked. ¡°Is Phoebe alright?¡± Without turning around she answered. ¡°Yes. She is still recovering her ability to walk without a crutch, but things are better between us now that she knows that our mother is alive.¡± She tilted her head down slightly. ¡°Thank you, Leona.¡± She then proceeded to walk away. Leona kept looking at her back as she vanished through the doorway. It became quiet once again with only the occasional sound of crackling from the fireplace breaking the stillness of the room. After taking one deep breath, she stood up and went to the bathroom to start her day. Washing her face with cold water and brushing her teeth with the mint tasting splintered stick made her feel relaxed. She picked up her staff from behind the couch and headed outside. The chilly ocean breeze gently brushed her hair back as she gazed upon the clear blue sky. ¡°Ah¡­¡± She exhaled slowly as a trail of warm air left her nostrils. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± She quickly descended the trail between the trees and reached the training grounds in top speed and the moment she arrived a visibly irritated Robert seemed to be talking to a woman almost twice his size. She was just a tad bit taller than Krieg with her wavy fiery red hair reaching about her waist. A white robe came down from around her shoulders in an x pattern¡ªcovering her voluptuous body with a silk-like textile adorned with golden intricate details around the edges of the cloth. Around her waist, however, the robe gave place to platinum tassets with thicker white cloths that covered her upper thighs, crotch and back. She was barefoot but wore two thick platinum anklets, one for each ankle.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you happy to see me?¡± The woman gave Robert a big smile as she tapped him in the back which almost sent him stumbling forward. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten who helped you treat that girl did you?¡± The man, clearly annoyed, brushed her arm aside and sighed before answering. ¡°From the headaches you gave me before, this is but a small favor to not gain my ire. You fool.¡± ¡°Now, now¡­¡± She was somewhat soft spoken, but mature and cheerful. If Leona had to guess her age, it would be in her late twenties to early thirties. ¡°We worked out our differences already. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t mind me hanging around here for a few days.¡± She lobbed her arm around his neck and dragged him close to her with a wide smile on her face. ¡°You reek of alcohol you crazy witch.¡± He pushed her face away and ducked out of her arm before adjusting his clothing. ¡°Fine, you can stay for a few days as long as you don¡¯t get in the way of their training.¡± He pointed at both Krieg swinging a training blade and then Leona who had just arrived. That made the woman take an interest in them as she turned to face both. ¡°Oho? I didn¡¯t know you took even more apprentices.¡± ¡°Not apprentices, they are guests.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be coy, you never entertained the thought of having ¡®guests¡¯ over.¡± She straightened her back which made her seem even taller than before and with a wide smile on her face, she continued. ¡°So when are you going to introduce me to them?¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°You can do that yourself, you know.¡± ¡°Eh¡­ boorish host are you not?¡± He shook his head while sighing. ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡± He walked forward a bit before looking at her over his shoulder. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll introduce you.¡± She gave a big smile before following him. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± As Leona was finishing her preparations to continue on with her magic barrier training she was interrupted by Robert approaching her with a less than amendable expression on his face. ¡°Leona, this is the ¡®red haired menace¡¯ I was talking about the other day.¡± He pointed his open palm to her while stepping to the side. ¡°Her name is Isabel Wolph, a witch from the north of the Elysion fields.¡± The woman waved at her with a wide smile on her face. ¡°Hello there. I¡¯m staying here for a few days, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you young lady Leona.¡± She did, however, turn to Robert and give him a light slap on the back. ¡°Being a witch isn¡¯t really an honorary title.¡± He gave her a stern look as he replied. ¡°I¡¯m just stating the facts.¡± ¡°A witch?¡± Leona inquired. ¡°As in, a magic user?¡± Robert shook his head. ¡°Not quite. Witches rely on someone else for their magic powers, or at least, she used to¡­¡± Upon turning to Isabel, she had a wide smile on her face. ¡°Ah, this brings me back. I used to not be able to wield any magic. But this guy right here taught me everything.¡± She slapped Robert a few times on his back, each time sending him a step forward. ¡°I did borrow some of his mana in the beginning though.¡± That instantly picked Leona¡¯s interest. ¡°You ¡®borrowed¡¯ his mana? How so?¡± That made Isabel¡¯s wide smile turn into a smug grin. ¡°Here.¡± She reached for her shoulder and grabbed onto it¡ªher rather large hand was warmer than normal. ¡°Cast a spell.¡± Leona raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her hand almost covering her entire shoulder. ¡°Any?¡± ¡°Any spell.¡± She raised her wooden staff towards the sky. Mana would usually gather from around her feet and envelop her entire body before the spell could activate¡ªhowever, Isabel¡¯s palm felt like it was heating up her entire left shoulder as she began to chant. ¡°Heed me o blazing comet, herald of doom, bring destruction upon my foes! Fireball!¡± At that point Leona could feel the flow of mana coursing through her shoulder into her arm towards the tip of the staff. Unlike when she normally channels her powers, Isabel¡¯s aid made the fireball much larger than normal which prompted Robert to act before it could be released. With a flick of his wrist, he made the fireball disappear. ¡°Hey.¡± He called Isabel out. ¡°What was that overload of mana just now?¡± She muttered under her breath with a slight pout on her face. ¡°I just wanted to see how powerful it would be.¡± ¡°You fool!¡± He flicked his finger which made a wind pressure strong enough to snap the branches of a tree behind her as it hit her square in the forehead. ¡°Ugh!¡± Despite her size, she was knocked flat on the ground as he let out a long and exasperated sigh before explaining. ¡°Unlike you, she didn¡¯t have thirty years to work on her mana control. If she ends up overloading her spell like that now there is no telling how much destruction it would cause.¡± Leona lowered her staff and glanced at Robert who still had a sour look on his face. ¡°You seem concerned with my abilities now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about this place. If you unleashed that fireball up in the sky there would have been a veritable rain of fire upon the forest. It¡¯ll ruin the scenery.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s what you were worried about¡­¡± ¡°The silver lining is that you didn¡¯t imbue the fireball with compressed wind like last time. It would function like napalm instead of an explosive.¡± That made Leona tilt her head slightly with one of her eyebrows raised. ¡°Napalm?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ forget it, you don¡¯t need to know.¡± He dodged the question by waving his hand back and forth while changing the topic. ¡°Continue on with your training on magic barriers, I need to adjust a few things with Isabel here before she can freely roam around the place.¡± The woman massaged her forehead as she got back up. ¡°Ow¡­ you could have at least held back you know?¡± ¡°Ah shut up.¡± Robert said while dragging her up. ¡°Let¡¯s go already.¡± In one snap of his finger, they both disappeared out of thin air. ¡®True teleportation.¡¯ Leona thought. ¡®Knowing that spell would have been really useful back in Akrapocalis¡­¡¯ Her mind was starting to wander but thankfully she shook her head and focused back on what she was supposed to do. Upon raising her staff she closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. Mana gathered around her feet as it spiraled upwards along her body before condensing in her hand. The familiar tingling sensation spread throughout her limb as mana coursed from it to the magic tool. With the tip of her staff she drew a sloppy hexagon in the air that failed to hold its shape before dispelling itself into scattered mana. ¡°Tsk.¡± She retracted the staff and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. ¡®How did I do it the first time?¡¯ She thought. ¡®It wasn¡¯t like this¡­¡¯ Upon taking another deep breath and focusing, she started to visualize the small piece of magic barrier that she intended to ¡®draw¡¯ in her mind but no matter the way she chose to employ the knowledge she had, it just wouldn¡¯t come to fruition. It would either break apart in scattering mana or fizzle out from the lack of it. However, she kept going, each time trying to find the right amount of mana to bring the barrier into existence. ¡°Argh¡­!¡± Shattered. ¡°Dammit!¡± Fizzled out. ¡°Ugh!¡± After the fifth time she knelt down and shook her head in disappointment. ¡®I managed to do this before, why is it not working now?¡¯ She tightened her grip around the staff. ¡®If it¡¯s merely to block incoming spells, then pure mana should do the trick, right?¡¯ Albeit almost bordering anger, she raised the magic tool once again and focused at the very tip of her staff. Strings of mana rapidly erupted from each splinter of her staff, rotating around like a vortex before expanding out and creating a makeshift barrier with gaps that were being filled by leftover mana flowing out of her arm. The result seemed like a light blue umbrella forming in front of her. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a good barrier Miss Leona!¡± A friendly voice came from behind her and as she turned to see who it was¡ªher barrier fizzled out. ¡°Ah, Yuna, hello.¡± Leona had a half smile on her face. ¡°I was trying to make a barrier like your father told me but I managed to do it in another way.¡± ¡°It should hold up against most projectile based spells.¡± The tactician sat down and let out a long tired sigh. ¡°When you say projectile based spell, are you referring to spells like Fireball and Wind Bullet?¡± ¡°Yes, anything that can be launched at a distance. Since they lose most of their destructive potential on release, even a makeshift barrier like that one will stop a spell in their tracks.¡± Leona tilted her head slightly to the side as she raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, this barrier isn¡¯t as good as the hexagon one?¡± ¡°Not by a long shot. Any continuous type spell will break through it like Megido or even something with more firepower like Thunderbolt or spells that can hit adjacent targets like Chain Lightning can go around frontal only barriers like the one you produced.¡± She raised her hands and between them a hexagon shape formed before mana expanded from inside and formed a single piece of protection. ¡°The barrier my father invented has modularity in mind, for example, against continuous spells, one can make multiple layers of hexagons to stop a high powered spells, against projectiles with explosions like fireball, one can produce a large layer of smaller barriers to stop both the projectile as well as the explosion and against something like Chain Lightning, you can simply cover yourself entirely inside a big barrier to avoid the spell entirely.¡± ¡°This is¡­ enlightening. I didn¡¯t know there was so much depth in barriers of all things.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just something my father came up with because he¡¯s an otherworlder, his mind inherently works differently than us.¡± Leona¡¯s wide smile made Yuna tilt her head slightly with a mildly confused expression on her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing, I just noticed you are much more comfortable in teaching.¡± ¡°Ah! So you noticed¡­¡± The young shrine maiden seemed embarrassed. ¡°Father taught me to be better with words as well as how to teach magic safely to others.¡± ¡°You really like your father don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°He has always been patient and kind to me, even when I made mistakes.¡± She bowed slightly. ¡°I hope I can be of use in teaching you what I know.¡± The tactician nodded in return. ¡°I¡¯ll be more than glad to rely on you.¡± Chapter CLXVIII: Precious Memories As the two climbed back to the entrance of the cave, Isabel looked over her shoulder towards the camping grounds that seemed to be getting more busy with displays of swordsmanship from Krieg and magic from Leona. She then turned to Robert who was a few meters in front of her. ¡°Are they truly not your pupils?¡± Without facing her, he asked. ¡°What are you implying?¡± ¡°Aside from your daughters, it¡¯s rare for you to show any sort of attention towards others.¡± ¡°Are you calling me cold blooded now?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you always been?¡± He didn¡¯t answer, instead he just kept walking forward. Once they reached the entrance of his underground home he took half a step to the side and glanced over to her. ¡°Do try and keep it brief, I¡¯d rather not have you interact too much with those two.¡± ¡°Oho? Afraid I might steal them away from you?¡± ¡°Not me, from Leona.¡± She raised an eyebrow but decided not to speak further. As he opened the door, he revealed the way inside his home. The warm air from inside left Isabel feeling just like at home. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± He spoke out loud. ¡°Phoebe, Kaeli, are you two in there?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Kaeli answered as she appeared at the foot of the staircase. ¡°I brought my sister here as you requested.¡± He turned to Isabel and nodded, which prompted her to enter the homestead. At first Kaeli was obviously surprised by the woman¡¯s height, but she soon recomposed herself as she stepped out of her way as Isabel climbed down the stairs. ¡°No need to work yourself up child.¡± Isabel had a warm smile on her face. A sight that was both inspiring and mesmerizing perhaps because of her fierce eyes and tall stature contrasted so much with her kind attitude. ¡°I¡¯m here to help your sister properly use her new limbs.¡± The high elf bowed her head down. The tall woman made her way to the other high elf who was sitting on an armchair by the fireplace. Phoebe had her makeshift crutches lying on the side of the armchair as her gaze wandered around aimlessly until her eyes finally met the woman walking in her direction. ¡°Hm?¡± She seemed obviously tired and dispirited. ¡°Ah, lady Isabel, hello.¡± She lifted her right hand and waved a little bit before eventually letting it go limb and hit the side of the armchair. ¡°What¡¯s wrong dear?¡± Isabel knelt and leaned forward. Despite doing so she was still a tad bit taller than the sitting high elf. ¡°You seem out of it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you know¡­ I trained so much and now, well¡­ I can¡¯t say it was for nothing but I just don¡¯t see any more reason to keep going.¡± ¡°Why do you feel like that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Her gaze wandered towards Kaeli, who was in the middle of speaking with Robert, then back to Isabel. ¡°I dedicated my whole life to killing her and now that I know my mother is alive¡­ well¡­ there isn¡¯t much else for me to do, is there?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She reached for the high elf¡¯s slumped shoulder with her large hand covering all of it. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to become the best archer Nara ever knew? An archer can hardly train while cooped up inside the house like this.¡± ¡°That¡­ that was a childhood dream, I¡¯m practically an adult now-¡± ¡°But wasn¡¯t it something you wanted to do? Instead of vengeance, you can choose another path. Something you actually want to enjoy.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± She glanced downwards. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Robert called which prompted Isabel to look over her shoulder. He motioned with his head to hurry up and she replied with a quick nod. Upon turning back to Phoebe, Isabel continued briefly. ¡°Listen, you don¡¯t need to rush things. Just take your time to find something else that holds meaning to you.¡± She shifted her hand from the high elf¡¯s shoulder towards her knees. ¡°But for now you at least need to get these back into shape. Regardless of what you¡¯ll do, you¡¯ll need these to move forward.¡± ¡°...I suppose so.¡± ¡°So let¡¯s get back into working on them. Can you stand?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s for a little bit¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, no need to overexert yourself.¡± At the same time, back in the capital city of Arcadia. ¡°More ale!¡± A shout echoed from inside a tavern located in one of the busiest streets of the largest human kingdom. Arcadia which was heading straight into economic recession had now been revitalized during the last few months after Alexander had taken the throne. The city was yet a far cry from the bustling commerce it was before the Great War, but steps were being taken to alleviate the population¡¯s ever growing demand for better lives. Lowering taxes, investing in the growing industry and agriculture. Were the first big changes the so-called ¡®Wise King¡¯ would implement in his rule. In turn, in a matter of a few weeks the people had started to see change. But not all were impressed. ¡°This is ridiculous¡­¡± One fairly tall young man sat quietly at the corner of the tavern holding what seemed to be newspapers. Yet another invention of the king. ¡°Wise king? All he did was dig into the royal family¡¯s coffers and spend everything.¡± His brown hair, hazel eyes and simple worker¡¯s outfit blended with the rest of the tavern¡¯s patrons and they didn¡¯t seem to mind him. His companion on the other hand, was a fair maiden of jet black hair expertly trimmed at shoulder¡¯s height that contrasted with her kind yet attentive amber eyes. Despite also wearing a relatively normal worker¡¯s attire, consisting of a white shirt, brown overalls and a baggy flat cap, she still drew unnecessary attention to herself. ¡°Master Luke, shouldn¡¯t we gather more information elsewhere? I can feel the other patron¡¯s eyes on me.¡± ¡°Let me finish this first Sophie. We¡¯ll head out soon.¡± He didn¡¯t take his eyes off the paper but he started to address her from behind it. ¡°Besides, it would be better if you didn¡¯t call me ¡®Master¡¯ anymore. It warrants unwanted attention if someone else were to hear it.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°No need to be so formal either, we¡¯re here in the city for ¡®sightseeing¡¯.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I mean, I got it.¡± ¡°Hm. That¡¯s better.¡± Despite her early sentiment, Sophie¡¯s eyes wandered around the tavern. The tavern was filled with all manner of people, workers, mercenaries, men and ladies alike partook of the lively yet cozy atmosphere. The myriad voices creating a messy cacophony of ideas, the different smell of roasted meat and spilt ale mingled with the tang of sweat and smoke coming from the ever working kitchen made it clear for Sophie, that place was much like its own universe brimming with new experiences. Such sensory overload made her core quiver as she held her right hand on top of her breast. ¡°Is it tiring?¡± Luke asked as he put the newspaper down. ¡°A little bit.¡± She took a slow deep breath. ¡°But this is more manageable compared to before.¡± ¡°Good. But let¡¯s head out just in case.¡± He stood up and passed by the front desk before leaving a few copper coins on the table. ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡± ¡°You are one lucky lad.¡± The large tavern keeper gave them a big smile. ¡°A lass like her brightens a place like this.¡± Sophie smiled as she followed behind Luke on their way out. The two discreetly made their way between the wide streets before they found a somewhat secluded alley free of prying eyes. The moment they were alone, Sophie almost fell on the ground, panting. ¡°This was still¡­¡± She gasped for air between each of her sentences. ¡°A bit too much, it seems¡­¡± ¡°I told you to wear actual clothing instead of using your shapeshifting.¡± The young woman¡¯s left arm quivered before eventually melting into a light blue viscous goop. Once she gritted her teeth, she forced the goo to coalesce into the semblance of a human arm. ¡°Yeah but¡­¡± She flicked her left arm again and in the blink of an eye it shifted to a liquid light blue metal before suddenly hardening into a large metallic curved blade. ¡°New clothes can be torn off if I shapeshift. It¡¯s not like we can spend all the rest of the coin you¡¯re carrying either.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not need you to shapeshift like that¡­¡± He gently lowered her bladed limb. ¡°Master Luke, you yourself proposed for me to train for combat.¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± He raised both of his hands. ¡°But remember, blending in is far easier than cutting a dozen people down.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± She stared at the large bladed arm before folding it into itself as it grotesquely let out cracks of breaking bones before finally assuming the contour of a human arm once again. ¡°I¡¯m more or less recovered now, where to next?¡± ¡°Home.¡± He lowered his hands while letting out a quiet sigh. ¡°We got what we came here for.¡± She flexed her fingers as if testing if they were moving correctly. ¡°Understood.¡± They discreetly made their way out of the alley and started heading to the south district. Where they resided in the slums. The streets there were narrower, rodents and roaches were a common sight in the alleys that served both as shortcuts and public restrooms for the homeless. The stench was nothing short of disease inducing. Thankfully, the inhabitants were more or less behaved thanks to the king¡¯s more ¡®direct¡¯ way to approach public displays of violence. Luke and Sophie shared a run down hut in the outskirts of the slums, a place he was all too familiar with by now. He glanced over at the forest in the distance as he was making his way inside the mud hut. It was small to the point he was forced to lower his head in order to fit inside the simple living space. ¡°Do you wish to live in the cave again?¡± Sophie asked as she also lowered her head and entered the hut. ¡°It may not have been exactly comfortable but at least it was more spacious than this place.¡± ¡°No, I would rather not have another run-in with geocytes again. Besides, Alexander could have plans to start mining there again since the Crossfords no longer have anyone there.¡± The hut had just enough space for one person and with only a mattress made out of straw, it could hardly be called a home. ¡°Will you rest until evening?¡± Sophie asked as he laid on the straw bedding. ¡°Yes, I intend to go watch this night parade they are planning to perform on the main street.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± She crawled on top of him. ¡°I¡¯ll rest as well then.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t get my clothes wet.¡± Once on top of him, Sophie¡¯s body started to lose its form as her limbs folded into themselves in a disturbing symphony of bones shattering before turning into a viscous light blue goo. Once her human silhouette was gone it revealed her true form, a light blue slime the size of a small pumpkin. Her human head was still poking from the very top of the gelatinous creature which was still unnerving but also endearing in a way. She stared at him with a somewhat serious expression as she asked. ¡°Are you sure you want to go there? Chances are you¡¯ll see Alexander again.¡± ¡°I need to. The more information we have the better we¡¯ll be able to help Leona when she comes back.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°What about you? Weren¡¯t you all about going to help her? ¡°I¡­ their memories are the only reason I feel close to her. There is nothing deeper in my heart that I¡¯d want to do. See her again, brush her hair, take care of her¡­ I know that these feelings are not my own but I can¡¯t help but want to nurture them. Such love and kindness warms me from inside, even if I lack a heart.¡± He gently patted her head. ¡°What are you talking about? You do have a heart, silly. Otherwise you could just have left me to be eaten by your brethren that day.¡± Sophie avoided his gaze as she frowned her brows before eventually submerging her entire human head inside her slime body. ¡°Ah¡­ rest well Sophie¡­¡± He continued to stroke the top of the gelatinous slime before eventually closing his eyes to rest. Once he was asleep, Sophie rolled out of the top of his chest and slowly made her way out of the hut through the gap beneath the wooden door. After looking around and noticing no one nearby, she made her way towards the forest. With a brisk walk, or one should say, writhe, Sophie reached the cave where she was born. The outskirts of the cavern had a few storehouses that were filled to the brim with frostburnt silver dust that, while highly poisonous to humans, was practically a meal for her. But she wasn¡¯t there to feast and instead she headed straight inside the cave. She approached the spiraling ramp from the entrance and glanced down. Although her slime senses weren''t exactly great for scouting, she was already somewhat used to using mana detection which functioned similarly to a bat¡¯s echolocation, but instead of sounds, she used a soft pulse of mana to map out the place. Directly below her there were a few geocytes, scorpion like creatures that while they lacked a venomous stinger, they still had a pair of pincers powerful enough to snap a bone in half. Four of them were easting on loose rocks, seemingly unaware of her presence. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ She thought. ¡®I should get rid of those before going to the nest.¡¯ She jumped down and in mid-air she unleashed multiple tendrils that latched onto the back of a geocyte. It started to thrash around trying to free itself from this sudden parasite that grabbed a hold of its chitin limbs. Once on top of its cold carapace, her body started to seep in through the gaps of its chitinous armor and with a subtle sizzling sound, she ate the geocyte from inside out as it let out a faint clicking sound as it died. The other geocytes upon noticing the erratic behavior of a fellow brethren decided to approach it only to meet a swift demise as Sophie cut right through them with her blade-like appendages that shot out from within the empty shell of its prey. ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯ She slowly made her way out of the geocyte from its mouth before extending a gelatinous appendage out as it contorted before spinning into place and turning into a human arm. She grabbed the geocytes she had sliced in half and bundled them together before eventually turning her whole slime body back into her human form. She wore the exact same clothes from her excursion to the city with Luke, but unlike her petite appearance, she was able to lug the three bisected insects on her back. ¡°Ah¡­¡± She let out a sigh of satisfaction. ¡°At least I¡¯ll be able to feed them.¡± With her left arm, she shifted it into a claw that she used to climb the steep incline before eventually coming across a narrow tunnel. As she carried her hunt with the right hand, she kept dragging her left fingers along the stone walls. It had been a few months since she had fully taken control of her senses as an individual and those scrapped tunnel walls were the first few steps she had taken to become what she was today. After a long walk, she reached the room where she had been born. A dome room filled with bits of frostburnt silver poking out of the walls in a soft light blue glow. A myriad of slimes covered the floor in a bulbous mound of gelatin. Once she approached, it felt like each and every single slime there reacted to her presence and surrounded her. ¡°I¡¯m back. I¡¯m sorry for leaving all of you unattended for so much time.¡± She left the corpses on the ground and sat down on the uneven cave floor. ¡°I learned a lot by just spending a little bit of time in the human world.¡± The slimes ever so slowly approached the meal as each just took a little bit of the geocyte¡¯s soft insides and left so others could partake in the gift of their queen. ¡°Ah¡­ just being here makes me at peace¡­¡± She leaned her head against the stone wall and involuntarily smiled. ¡°It brings me back¡­¡± Upon closing her eyes she started to remember the day when she had met Leona in the flesh for the first time. Chapter CLXIX: Will It was a rainy day when it happened. A lone frostburnt slime was traversing the damp dark tunnels of the mines when it felt the reverberating sound of something falling in the dark pits. Despite not having ways to see in the dark it was capable of emitting low frequency pulses of mana thanks to its dietary habits consisting of frostburnt silver. ¡°Finally, we¡¯re done.¡± A male voice came from above her. ¡°These bodies are heavy¡­¡± Another voice came from above as well. ¡°Hurry up, we have to go back and grab our pay, I don¡¯t want to come back to this place.¡± The curious slime felt something was different inside the mines. Geocytes would usually eat anything that was related to metal so keeping a fair distance from whatever was on the ground made the slime want to approach whatever was tossed down there in case it could eat for sustenance. As it got closer, it started to dissolve some kind of fibrous cloth underneath itself, something it had never eaten before. Following its instincts, the slime started to dissolve everything that had been thrown in the lonely mine. It was then while eating, it felt something different. Unlike the food it ate for sustenance, this one felt like an otherworldly experience on its own. Something akin to a jolt of electricity running through its gelatinous body at first and slowly but surely, it started to feel¡­ different. Unlike before, it felt like it gained something at the cost of something very precious to itself. It couldn¡¯t find words to describe what it was experiencing. ¡®Wait¡­ words¡­?¡¯ It kept eating, it kept feasting upon that exquisite gourmet experience that no longer could be described only as sustenance. It was learning things, unearthing memories from within the corpses of those fellow maids that once had served the Crossford household. ¡®Crossford¡­ young lady Leona¡­¡¯ It kept going. Its hunger was satiated and yet its curiosity only grew. The more it went through the corpses, the more memories it acquired from them. The Great War, the Crossford Family, the heir Leona, the situation within Arcadia, how each of them felt about living there¡­ it went through them pretty much like reading a book. A freshly slain book holding a myriad of stories and experiences it never had felt before. ¡®These memories¡­¡¯ It felt strange. A tingling sensation in its core similar to warmth of the human body. ¡®What¡­ are these¡­?¡¯ It couldn¡¯t find an answer for these alien feelings swelling within its gelatinous body. The unfamiliar sensation of longing for company within the household walls, the memory of a warm meal shared with others, the mere act of waking up in the morning and greeting the other maids. At first it was overwhelmed by such simple yet passionate emotions, as its core writhed within its cold gelatinous body, but as the sensations persisted, it started to welcome as one might an unfamiliar yet warm embrace. But if all those tender memories had anything similar was the presence of one singular exceptional maid seen through the eyes of all memories the slime had consumed. ¡®Adele¡­¡¯ It became intrigued, why would the same individual be present in the memories of vastly different people? What was it about her that made all these wonderful people be struck in awe? It searched, it experienced, it witnessed the reason why these people were so adamant in believing this single person was more than they could ever hope to achieve. ¡®Adele¡­ head maid of the Crossford household, personal servant to the heir Leona Crossford. Oldest and strongest maid. A person that used to be from the nobility in the demon realm yet fled to the human kingdom in order to live in peace¡­¡¯ If someone like her was able to rise between the chaos of two worlds, perhaps it too could become more than just a creature of instinct. And so it began. The young slime would traverse the mine¡¯s cold corridors while reminiscing about the experience it partook from the individuals it had consumed. A veritable journey of self discovery that would take days and soon, would turn into a week. ¡®I wonder why I can¡¯t see.¡¯ The slime thought as it wandered around the mine¡¯s central shaft which had a few geocytes moving around looking for loose rocks to consume. ¡®Each memory is filled with color and sound but all I can do now is have a general feel for where I am.¡¯ It kept dragging its gelatinous body across the cold floor before eventually coming to a stop. ¡®Is it because I don¡¯t have ¡®eyes¡¯?¡¯ It was strange, this longing for something it never possessed. To see the world and bask in its colors¡ªit was a dream from borrowed memories, yet it felt like its own. ¡®Every memory I look through the other person¡¯s eyes is always the focus of their attention. Maybe if I could recreate it¡­¡¯ Its core quivered as a clump of flesh started to form from within its gelatinous body, growing and taking the shape of the familiar organ of sight. It knew instinctively how to make the perfect copy of a humanoid eyeball. It was an unnerving process as a lone eyeball swimmed within the slime¡¯s translucent flesh. The pulsating nerve tendrils from the newly created organ twitched unnervingly as it anchored itself to the crimson core. ¡®I can see!¡¯ As the eyeball glanced around the dimly lit mine it could see its environment for the first time. However, its vision was vastly different from how it saw the memories. ¡®Why is everything upside down¡­?¡¯ The eyeball swirled inside the gelatin before twisting around and it could finally see a semblance of the precious memories it held within its core. The rocky walls glistened faintly under the dim light coming from the entrance above, the scorpion-like geocytes walked along the same walls and the slime could see how each of their steps sent vibrations through the ground around. Although its vision was exciting it couldn¡¯t shake off the fact that the pulses of mana were still a far more accurate way to traverse through the darkness of the mines.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Despite being a simple mockery of human anatomy, it was still part of what made it, itself. If anything it was ready to keep experimenting once it experienced this newfound sensation. ¡®My first memory¡­¡¯ Its growth was exceptional. In a matter of hours it made progress in leaps and bounds compared to when it had first started. From an eyeball to a complete ear structure that allowed it to hear the eerie quietness followed by faint noises that filled the mine with life. A nose that could sense the damp metallic smell. A tongue that could feel the taste of the harsh metallic waters that ran deep within its nest concentrated greatly with the warm rich broth it remembered¡ªalongside its nose, it could finally comprehend the exhilarating memory of consuming a warm meal as opposed to the unforgiving environment of its life. And finally, fingers that awkwardly dragged alongside the rocky floor, their joints were stiff and uncoordinated. They weren¡¯t perfect replicas, but it brought the slime closer to what it recalled from the memories. ¡®I¡¯m still too small to make any different limbs but this will do.¡¯ On that same day, it made its way back to the nest where it had been born. From a time of no memory to now having acquired a myriad of lives¡¯ worth of knowledge. However, once back, it felt different. Its gelatinous brethren no longer saw it as one of its own as the multitude of slimes surrounded the ever curious being made out of human organs. ¡®They¡­ see me as prey, don¡¯t they?¡¯ A valuable mix of instinct with logic overcame its senses as it backtracked before assessing its situation. ¡®I know one of you is the leader. Come, show yourself!¡¯ As if answering its thoughts from the shifting mass of slimes a large form appeared from the group. Its core was about triple the size of its own but that didn¡¯t intimidate it¡ªno, far from it. ¡®I¡¯ll overcome this. I must meet the people from these memories and you¡¯ll be the stepping stone for that goal.¡¯ Once the big slime tried to envelop it, it quickly used the fingers to propulse itself sideways before latching onto the rocky wall. ¡®I can¡¯t hope to beat it in close quarters¡­¡¯ It looked around with its floating eyeball until it noticed a stalagmite not too far away from it. By shifting its slime appendages along the wall, it effectively used them to swing itself across the mass of its brethren below it before landing right beside the stalagmite. The shifting mass of slimes moved towards it in an attempt to surround it in order for the largest slime to take care of this unknown living organism that had taken the shape of one of them. With the help of multiple appendages latching onto the rock, the slime broke off the stalagmite and wielded it as a spear like a humanoid would. Its large opponent, obviously unaware of the new weapon, simply charged in with the hopes of consuming the much smaller slime with its sheer mass. However, just like a hunter can become the hunted, the small slime dished out a pin point accurate strike to the opponent¡¯s core. Holding the other end of the makeshift spear made the slime feel the impact against the core as it shattered in multiple pieces inside the reverberating gelatin body. As unceremoniously as its death was, the slime didn¡¯t waste any time and started to consume its much bigger brethren in order to grow. And it did. Within a few minutes of consuming its prey, the slime that was the size of an apple became much bigger, towering over its brethren and gaining a lot more control over its own body. ¡®This¡­ this is what I needed.¡¯ Within its mind¡¯s eye it began to change. The slime appendages slowly gave place to bones, sinew and nerves as each tendril of creation tied itself to the quivering crimson core as each new individual limb folded outwards as they took the proper shape of a humanoid. Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy, the fact that it made nerves made sure that each time the muscles or bones had to be reconstructed it would feel pain in the process, a very human yet unnecessary process for a slime. This searing sharp pain would be accompanied with a sense of progress as each time it created a new limb it would move and test it. That went on for hours and at that point most of the other slimes were simply there, as if accompanying the whole process with baited breath, if they could breathe. At the end it was left with a complete humanoid body resembling a demi-human woman of brown hair and hazel eyes. As it didn¡¯t have the need for genitals or reproductive organs it simply skipped that step while maintaining the rest of the human anatomy intact. ¡®I should try standing up¡­¡¯ The moment it attempted to stand up, it fell face first into the rocky floor. ¡°Gah!¡± It let out a grunt of pain as light blue goo started to drip out from its nose. ¡®I hurt myself.¡¯ It thought as it passed its tongue to clean the slime coming off its nose. ¡®I¡­ I need to get used to this body soon.¡¯ With trembling arms, it got itself out of the ground and at first it started to crawl around the dome room. Scrapping its knees along the uneven rocky floor, hitting its face against the wall or simply falling over when trying to stand up were some of the mishaps that would shape it into the next iteration of the humanoid slime. Once it could use its limbs, it started to mimic the actions and poses it remembered from the maids. Even down to the maid uniform was a mimicry of the real thing thanks to it being able to shapeshift. It sat down among its slime brethren as it started to attempt to speak. ¡°Aa¡­ e¡­ oo¡­¡± Try as it might, it was much harder than it thought. Not only are the vocal cords a difficult organ to control, but the aspect of moving one¡¯s mouth while also trying to do the correct sound was extremely difficult. ¡®I should make use of those memories¡­¡¯ Upon closing its eyes, it searched around its core for answers. The imagery of bowing down to a young woman named Leona was the first thing that came to its mind. ¡®Princess Leona. Dinner has been served.¡¯ It took a deep breath and started to train once again. ¡°P-p¡­ pri¡­ princ¡­ princes- princess. L-Le¡­ Leo¡­ Leon¡­ na¡­¡± Despite using said memory, it was still a struggle to make use of its body. It grabbed a nearby rock and carved it into the rocky wall. Princess Leona dinner has been served. It knew how to write and read but speaking was an entirely different obstacle. ¡®I will learn how to talk¡­¡¯ A slime approached it and stayed by its side. ¡®I want to talk to someone¡­¡¯ As if responding to its sadness, more and more slimes gathered around it as it was enveloped in a comfortable yet chilly embrace. At that time it heard something coming from the tunnels below its nest. It instinctively stood up as the other slimes scattered across the dome room. Some of them started to climb up to the ceiling in order to ambush potential predators or prey that would dare to come into their home. Footsteps echoed from the tunnels, the numbers made the slime feel on edge as it recalled the ever first sight of a human disposing of another living being. The unease of danger made the slimes around it react in the same manner as more and more prepared to ambush whatever living thing was coming up those tunnels. A low humming noise could be heard from all of them as each slime started to pulsate mana in order to find whatever prey or foe approaching. As light approached from the tunnels, the slime held its breath almost instinctively before eventually letting out a short gasp of surprise as she saw a familiar face. ¡®Leona?!¡¯ Chapter CLXX: Shattered Expectations ¡®Leona?!¡¯ The slime was awestruck as she saw the person of her memories in the flesh. ¡®I¡­ I want to talk to her¡­!¡¯ It reached for its own face with both hands as it desperately thought what would be the best way to approach her. It didn¡¯t know the faces of the people it had acquired the memories from, but one thing all of them had in common and that was Adele, if it were to assume the form of the head maid it would surely be able to at least convey some little words it had learnt. However, before it could finally take a step forward, the high elf that was standing at the side of the main group stabbed a lonely slime that was sitting on the ground. That prompted another slime that was directly above it to drop down in order to avenge its brethren. ¡°Ah! Get this thing off me!¡± ¡°Pho!¡± One large woman and a man rushed in to save their companion as the slime looked horrified at the slain brethren. ¡®No¡­ Princess Leona would never¡­¡¯ ¡°Stay still Pho!¡± ¡°Easier said than-¡± The slime was engulfing her entire face which made the slime queen raise its hand towards it as if an attempt to call its brethren away from the invaders, but none of them listened. If anything, that attack was justified for what the high elf did. ¡°Shit! Laura can¡¯t you rip this thing off her face?¡± ¡°What do you think I¡¯m trying to do here?!¡± The slime grabbed on each side of its head and started to hyperventilate as if giving in to the instinct of the human¡¯s biology for a split moment. ¡®No¡­ trust your memories, the kind and supportive Princess Leona would never be out to hurt someone she knew.¡¯ She took a deep breath and looked forward, but what she saw was a far cry of what she was expecting. ¡®Why¡­ why are you looking at me like that¡­?¡¯ ¡°What¡­ what is this?!¡± The gentle aquamarine eyes were now wearing a piercing gaze riddled with fury. Fear from the tactician made her chest tighten, a human notion of grief that was all too familiar yet it was the first time she ever felt it. The slime raised its hands as it tried to utter a few words. ¡°Prin¡­ cess¡­¡± Words didn¡¯t come out properly so instead she tried to appear as harmless as possible by picking the edges of her skirt and raising it as she bowed in respect. However, unlike what she expected to happen, Leona raised her left hand and a light blue glow started to emanate from it. She was casting a spell. ¡°Krieg¡­ help me to make this quick.¡± As the tactician approached slowly, the knight dashed from behind her and charged in for an overhead swing. Knowing full well it wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge it, it unleashed an appendage from its back that morphed in the last second into a thin metallic blade that changed the course of the longsword. It then tried to smile and laugh but all it came out of her mouth was an eerily creepy giggle. ¡°Ehee¡­ eee¡­¡± Despite hitting the ground with enough force to carve the rocky floor, Krieg lifted the blade in an upwards slash which the slime avoided by morphing its entire body around the weapon as it traveled between its body. In that short span of time, Leona closed the gap with her left hand encased in ice. If she touched its gelatinous body, it could mean a quick and painful death. The moment it noticed the hand coming for its body, the slime traveled backwards in a puddle of goo before reforming itself again. It raised its hands. ¡°I- don- wan-t k-kill y-¡± It tried its best to convey that it didn¡¯t want to fight, but it was all for nothing. Leona was enraged, all she wanted was to kill it and it could clearly feel the killing intent behind those sharp glaring aquamarine eyes. However, once the knight held her back in only a matter of seconds its home was blasted away by a fireball aimed at the ceiling. ¡®No! Stop! Don¡¯t destroy our home!¡¯ It desperately tried to see who was casting those spells but in that moment of vulnerability, she was hit by the same spell that destroyed her home. The blast was strong enough to incinerate most of its body but thankfully its core remained intact despite its entire left side being directly hit by a fireball. ¡°Come on! We got to go!¡± An unfamiliar male voice echoed from somewhere amidst the smoke and dust. Once the half molten slime body hit the floor it started to realize, maybe there was no chance for it to stand by Leona¡¯s side in the first place.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡®I¡¯m¡­ just a slime after all¡­¡¯ Despite not having a working human body anymore, it could still feel the dread and loneliness. A dream shattered in a thousand pieces as it sought solace in the darkness within its mind. The scattered memories inside its core were yet still filled with warmth and love, why didn¡¯t it deserve to receive the same? Was it because of how poorly it performed in its attempts to speak? Was it the choice of appearance that unsettled Leona? It couldn¡¯t come to terms with everything that had happened because it genuinely yearned for that warmth those maids had experienced before. The damage done to its body would be child¡¯s play to recover. In a matter of minutes it would have its full body back but despite being able to do such a feat of regeneration, it chose not to and instead it remained immobile for the best part of a day. The shuffling of slimes and the reverberations of scrapping earth could be felt from the ground but it paid no mind to it. It felt like all the effort to become something more than just a slime was all for nothing. The ideal image it sought was the same reason that its home was destroyed. ¡°My arm¡­ is this¡­ how I¡¯ll go¡­?¡± It heard a voice within the darkness. Despite having half of its face blown off by the fireball, it still had part of its ears close to the ground. ¡°Well¡­ at least¡­ she¡¯s safe¡­¡± It created another eyeball from the corner of its gelatinous body, with it, it spied a young man laying against the wall of the dilapidated home. His left arm seemed to have been ripped off by something and he was bleeding from it. ¡®He¡­ he¡¯ll die at this rate¡­¡¯ The slime¡¯s eyeball looked around and noticed none of the others were attempting to devour him despite being a weakened prey. ¡°Ah¡­ but¡­ I really don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± He started to sob quietly in the darkness. ¡°Not¡­ not like this¡­¡± Looking at him made it remember how the bodies of those maids were once it could see. They all died with despair and fear in their eyes. ¡®That¡­ is no way to go¡­¡¯ It thought. ¡®Maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ if I can help him¡­¡¯ It started to drag itself along the rocky ground with its appendages that could hardly hold shape. Luke, who was sitting there waiting for his demise, saw something approaching from the corner of his eyes. ¡°A slime¡­¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d become food for a slime.¡± Once it reached his left leg he simply closed his eyes. He was waiting for the painful death of being dissolved alive, but contrary to his expectations. The slime simply engulfed his torn off limb and stopped the bleeding. Its cold touch relieved some of the aching fever pain he felt from his limb and as he opened his eyes he noticed the quivering core of the slime attached to his elbow. ¡°What¡­ what is it doing¡­? ARGH!¡± He felt a strong flash of pain coming from inside his arm as he could feel an undulating sensation coming up from his arm as if he was being invaded by the foreign slime. ¡°Oh don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s going to parasitize me!¡± Suddenly a voice echoed in his mind. ¡®Stop struggling! I¡¯m trying to fix your arm!¡¯ ¡°Wha?!¡± At first he thought he was having a fever dream but once he looked down and noticed the slime had an eyeball floating inside its gelatinous body, it made him try to stand up, only to fall with his back against the wall. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡®I told you to stay still!¡¯ Suddenly a swarm of slimes started to jump on his body, immobilizing him from the neck down. ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡± ¡®SHUT UP¡¯ One of the slimes stuck itself inside his mouth, which despite his efforts, he couldn¡¯t bite through it. They remained like that for a few hours and at the end of it, the slime had sealed his wounds. ¡°Ugh. Ptoo!¡± Luke sat up and spitted a thickened blob of saliva mixed with slime gelatin. ¡°Argh¡­ my arm doesn¡¯t hurt anymore but did you have to put a slime in my mouth?¡± ¡®You wouldn¡¯t shut up otherwise.¡¯ The slime the size of an apple rested on his lap. ¡®Besides, I wouldn¡¯t be able to finish healing your arm if you kept thrashing around like that. Wait¡­ how am I still talking to you?¡¯ He scratched the side of his head. ¡°Probably thanks to whatever you used to seal my wound.¡± He touched the arm that was no longer bleeding. ¡°If your speech is somehow tied to your, well, thinking. It¡¯s possible that any remnant product of your body may be able to transmit your thoughts through mana waves, similar to how demon beasts communicate with each other.¡± ¡®You are awfully knowledgeable.¡¯ ¡°I studied a lot about mana and its effects on living organisms.¡± He raised his left arm to inspect the wound. It was somehow completely sealed and felt closer to a full recovery rather than just healing magic that would usually leave scars. ¡°Interesting¡­ say, little slime. Do you have a name?¡± ¡®Name?¡¯ ¡°Yes, every individual has one.¡± ¡®I¡­ don¡¯t have a name.¡¯ ¡°You don¡¯t? Who taught you to speak?¡± ¡°No one. I learned with the memories of the people that had been thrown down here.¡± ¡°People that had been thrown down here?¡± ¡°Yes, they were maids of a mansion belonging to the Crossford household.¡± ¡°The Crossfords¡­!¡± He stumbly stood up. ¡°I need to help Leona¡­¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ The small slime fell on the rocky floor as Luke walked towards the narrow corridor. ¡®Wait. Are you leaving?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, I need to go help her.¡± He was barely able to drag his feet and the only thing keeping him standing was his right hand against the nearby wall. ¡°Otherwise¡­ I won¡¯t be able to fulfill my promise¡­¡± Despite sounding brave, the young man simply fell again on the floor. Dust was lifted the moment he hit the ground with the slimes backing off a bit from the impact. ¡®Oh dear¡­ he isn¡¯t dead is he?¡¯ The slime approached him but noticed he had just passed out. ¡®Oh¡­ he¡¯s just sleeping¡­¡¯ It approached the wounded limb and started to prod around the stump of his arm. The skin around the wound had been sealed with light blue slime gel that attached itself to the muscle and skin tissue like an embryonic growth. It pulsated and shifted ever so slightly. ¡®Strange¡­ this is technically still part of my body¡­¡¯ It touched the pulsating blob with one of its appendages. ¡®But why does it feel different?¡¯ The light blue bulb was becoming red and then slightly purple as it started to writhe and spasm as if it was gaining sentience. There was a lingering sensation of unease inside its mind as it approached even more before engulfing the blob whole inside its own body. Even though its human features were gone, the mere act of coming into contact with his blood made the slime feel the metallic taste of blood inside its gel as if the tasting buds of its human tongue were still swirling inside. ¡®What the¡­ what is this feeling?¡¯ It felt like instinct. The moment it acquired a sample of his body, it knew what it was truly capable of. ¡®His arm¡­ maybe I can grow it back.¡¯ CLXXI: Remembrance By spending the majority of the day, the small slime began to process its own slime body into what would become essentially a new arm for Luke. Muscle, nerve, bone, sinew, soft tissue, everything that composed the human limb was now being meticulously made from its body. What puzzled it the most was how it was able to move his entire arm up to his shoulder by connecting its own slime appendages to the nerve endings of his severed limb. Taking control of his body felt like some sort of black magic. ¡®Hmm¡­ so if I pull this one¡­¡¯ His whole arm jerked sideways which sent the slime rolling until it hit the rocky wall. ¡®Ow¡­ wait, why did I feel pain?¡¯ The very same sharp pang of pain that once coursed through its former human body was now faintly felt even with its slime body. ¡®Strange¡­ I never felt pain back then¡­¡¯ It glanced around its surroundings and noticed the other slimes were in a semi-circle around itself as if waiting for something. ¡®Huh¡­? Why are you all¡­?¡¯ They didn¡¯t seem intent in hurting it but something felt off. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Luke¡¯s groans made the slime ignore the rest of its brethren and quickly move to his side in order to continue the regrowth of the lost limb. It felt from instinct that just how its core was an essential part of its own body, so too was blood for the human limb it was trying to reconstruct. Unlike its artificially created human form, it needed to create the perfect replica of an arm, outfitted with blood vessels, muscles, joints, bones, nerve receptors and ligaments. Things a slime would have no way of knowing the names of but thanks to the bodies it had consumed in the past few days, the memories of each part of their anatomy was still quite fresh in its core. The process was still slow, if anything it was using way more energy to recreate the lost limb than all the time it spent training in human form over the past couple of days. ¡®This is tough¡­!¡¯ Thankfully it had already remade most of his lost limb. Only the fingers remained to be reconstructed but at that point it was already running dangerously low on energy. ¡®I¡¯m¡­ losing consciousness¡­¡¯ Despite its best efforts to keep going, the slime¡¯s body started to melt into a puddle on top of Luke¡¯s half finished hand. With its core exposed to the air, it would be a matter of minutes before it died off. The slimes around them started to slowly approach. ¡®No¡­ don¡¯t consume him¡­¡¯ Before it knew, its core was swallowed by another slime. ¡®Ah¡­ this is my end isn¡¯t it?¡¯ If it had eyes, it would have surely closed them by now. Death by another slime. It was a sad yet poetic way to go. If anything it deserved to die at the appendages of another of its kind. After all, the first living being murdered in cold gel was one of its own. ¡®I¡­ didn¡¯t accomplish anything¡­ I couldn¡¯t even save him¡­¡¯ Dreadful thoughts filled the slime with angst. Its yearning for warmth was met with hurtful spells, its wishes for redemption were cut short by the lack of strength, its meager existence to be snuffed out. Or so it thought. Instead of consuming its core, the slime that had absorbed it was actively ripping its own core apart in order to leave its body for its new owner. ¡®Wha-! What are you doing?¡¯ In an act of selflessness, the destroyed core melted within the gel and served as fuel to once again reawaken the slime from its mana-deprived stupor. ¡®This body¡­ did you¡­ did you give it to me?¡¯ Of course, its question was met with dreadful silence as the former owner of that body was no longer alive. But even then, it felt like there was a purpose in that sacrifice. Something along the lines of ¡®continue on¡¯. Something it fully intended to do once it turned around to look at Luke, whose arm was being treated by five different slimes. As opposed to its initial thought, they weren¡¯t attacking him, no, far from it. They were continuing where it had left off. ¡®They are¡­ healing him?¡¯ Confusion struck it. It recognized its brethren were, for the lack of a better word, instinctual monsters. That much was true for most slimes, but not these. It was as if they shared the same consciousness with it. ¡®That¡¯s good but they¡¯ll end up tiring themselves out like I did.¡¯ That is when it had an idea. ¡®Wait¡­ if people came from the outside, surely there is a way out from the other passage. I should be able to procure food for them.¡¯ It started to blob its way towards the tunnel. ¡®No¡­ this will take too long¡­ I must be faster if I want to keep them away from becoming the way I did.¡¯ Four thin appendages shot out in a cross direction before it quickly transformed into human limbs. Two human arms and legs attached to a round slime body. It wasn¡¯t exactly practical, if anything, it made it look stupid. But appearances were far from its list of priorities. With a bit of help from both arms, it lifted itself up before breaking into a jog down the narrow rocky corridor. Its feet were constantly being wounded due the rough cave terrain, not to mention the strange center of gravity thanks to its weird human slime anatomy. ¡®Woah!¡¯ It slipped and fell, grazing its human limbs in the process. ¡®Ugh¡­ the lack of balance is making it hard for me to move quickly.¡¯ The blob of slime contorted and shifted until it spinned uncontrollably in a series of sickening clicks connecting the legs and arms formed from the once gelatinous body into a well oiled human machine made of bones and joints. As the gelatinous body erupted into the creation of a torso, the crimson core of its body shot up through the middle as the rest of its light blue body enveloped it again in an oval shape before the texture of a fair skin surfaced from the depths of the light blue gel. White eyeballs emerged from the empty sockets before amber color started to appear from the irises as the eyelids formed and started to unconsciously blink. Chin-length jet black hair framed its rather soft-looking face. Despite its looks however, the sharp eyes and constantly frowned eyebrows left it looking like a mean maid. Except it was buck naked in the middle of the entrance to the tunnel. Its featureless feminine body was basked against the rays of sunlight coming from between the trees above. The chilly breeze brushed its hair against its skin¡ªevoking a sense of freedom unlike anything it had felt before. ¡®This¡­ this doesn¡¯t feel too bad.¡¯ It started to walk forward amidst the bushes while at the lookout for anything that a human could eat. ¡®Come to think of it. They would often go hunting in the forests near the mansion.¡¯ It recalled a few memories of the maids inside its core. The visage of one of the maids using a weapon called a bow intrigued the slime. ¡®A ranged weapon huh?¡¯ It closed its eyes as if trying to imagine how to make it, but with little success. While it was able to create the shape of a bow, the arrow and the mechanics of how the ranged weapon worked were far from simple in its mind.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡®Ugh¡­ I better think of something else to use as a weapon. It was in this absent minded state when it heard a low growl akin to a grunt sound coming from one of the bushes not too far ahead of it. ¡®What was that¡­?¡¯ Instinctively, it spaced out its legs and raised both arms in front as if ready to fight barehanded, even while not knowing full well how it planned to do so. ¡®What should I do¡­?¡¯ At that moment a low and bulky animal charged at it from the middle of the bushes without any warning. ¡°Ugh!¡± It was a wild boar, a big one at that, it was fast and strong enough to badly injure its left inner thigh as its tusks gored part of it out. The slime turned around as its limb rapidly regenerated itself. While the pain was mind numbing¡ªits instinct was to transform both arms back into slime appendages as the board turned around to attack once again. ¡®No you won¡¯t!¡¯ It flicked its body sideways once, then twice¡ªslinging both appendages on each side of the boar¡¯s tusks. The animal kept charging at it but as the distance between them decreased, the density of its appendages also increased which made the boar slow down considerably until it was face to face against the slime. ¡°Ngh!¡± The light blue appendages started to contort and crack in a series of snaps before it turned back into human arms, but as opposed to the slender female arms, it increased its own muscle mass by weaving slime matter between each of the muscle fibers¡ªreinforcing both limbs. ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± In a roaring crack, the young slime ripped out its right tusk before using it as a makeshift weapon to instantly kill the animal by driving it straight through its cranium¡ªfinally putting an end to its squeals. ¡°Ha¡­ ah¡­¡± While there was a sense of relief that the beast was no longer moving, the slime couldn¡¯t quite rest yet¡ªthe freshly slain beast was bleeding all over the grass and still had to be carried home. In fact, its muscular arms soon started to melt back into liquid slime while also letting some sort of steam rise from it as if it was overheating. ¡®Oh no¡­ I¡¯ve pushed myself too hard again¡­¡¯ Not only the arms, but its entire body was starting to lose shape. ¡®I need to bring this back to the cave¡­¡¯ It started to lose consciousness as its body fully reverted back to a slime. The silver lining was the fact it didn¡¯t exert itself too much to the point of dying, but remaining imobile beside the corpse of a freshly killed prey was a one way ticket to becoming food in the middle of the forest. ¡®No¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ move¡­¡¯ Its surroundings were becoming darker and darker. ¡®Please¡­ someone¡­ help me¡­¡¯ With a soft rustling of foliage everything faded to nothing. From the depths of its mind, it felt warmth. Memories of those thrown down in that pit were resurfacing again like bubbles from a boiling pot of water. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± A female voice ranged in its mind. It was filled with a mixture of fear and anxiety as if it was its own. ¡°I messed up again¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Another voice, one much softer and kind replied. ¡°Everyone makes mistakes.¡± Its mind revisited one of the many memories it had experienced once it had consumed one of the maids. The unfamiliar scent of polished clean wood, the gentle hum of chatter down the hallway and the chirp of birds in the far distance enveloped its heightened senses as it revived the fond memory of the head maid. ¡°But even so, you must be more careful.¡± Adele, the somewhat tall two horned maid, retained her composure and grace despite being on her knees cleaning the floor. ¡°Hot foods such as soup not only can be dangerous to those around the person carrying it but it also leaves stains in clothing and floor alike.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, head maid.¡± The younger maid bowed while still holding a tray with a large ceramic bowl halfway filled with a deep red colored soup. ¡°When I heard young lady Leona was sick I thought it would be best to bring this to her as fast as I could.¡± ¡°Be as it may.¡± Adele stood up and reached for her slightly disheveled uniform before adjusting the black bow. ¡°Young lady Leona would be sad if you were to hurt yourself while trying to take care of her.¡± The slime could feel the heat rising to the maid¡¯s face as she turned her head slightly away in order to avoid her gaze. ¡°I- I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± With a brisk, yet careful pace, she made her way past Adele. ¡°Thank you again, head maid.¡± The halls were brimming with life as each maid and occasional light armored knight were helping each other with the household chores. The young maid was still awestruck with how many of them there were considering Arcadia was primarily a human kingdom. ¡®I¡¯m so glad to be a maid here¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t help but reminisce about the time she was wandering the streets to look for food before meeting Leona. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for her¡­¡¯ In her absence minded state she was walking straight past the corridor that led to the bedrooms. ¡°Where are you going?¡± One fully armored knight that was carrying a heavy bucket of water called out for her. ¡°Looking for the Young Lady, are you?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh! Yeah!¡± She turned around and nodded nervously before asking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, do you know where she is?¡± ¡°The sick ward, she is in the last room to the right.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The knight kept walking with the large bucket in hand. She took a deep breath and with a firm nod, steadied herself. ¡®Come on, me. You¡¯ve got to be in top shape.¡¯ Her fingers instinctively clenched on the sides of the tray as she made her way to the sick ward. The mansion was big enough to house many, but one thing that was vastly distinct from other places she had been before was the existence of a place exclusive for the sick. While sickness was rather common, the Crossford household treated each and everyone with the utmost care. Even the servants received the same treatment as the noble family. As a demi-human and a former homeless nobody, having work, pay and having a roof over her head to call home was nothing short of paradise. She made her way to the ward and she noticed less and less movement from the other workers. A faint swish of mops against the floor echoed in the quiet hall, only interrupted by hushed voices of the few maids working there. Despite being part of the mansion designated for the sick, it was still well ventilated and somewhat warm thanks to the sunlight bathing the hallway¡¯s wooden floor. The maid made her way to the hall where she was told Leona would be and stood in front of the door. ¡®This is it¡­¡¯ She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. ¡®The Young Lady is just beyond this door.¡¯ She raised her right hand and hesitated at first before finally mustering the courage to knock twice before announcing herself. ¡°Young Lady? I¡¯ve brought you soup. May I enter?¡± ¡°Come in.¡± A gentle voice came from within. As she stepped inside, her gaze was drawn to the figure by the window. Young Leona sat quietly with her blonde hair catching the morning light, her aquamarine eyes turned towards the maid with a gentle gaze. The room itself was bright and warm with sunlight pooling across the polished wooden floor and illuminating every corner with a golden glow. The maid forgot how to breathe for a moment. Golden strands of Leona¡¯s hair framed her face, shimmering as she turned around to face the maid. It was as if the morning sun created a halo of light around the top of her head. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve brought a meal for you, Princess.¡± She was almost at complete loss for words as she stood by the doorway. ¡°May I serve you?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± She smiled warmly. Underneath her kindness there was a hint of her sickness as she coughed lightly. The maid took a sharp breath and slowly walked to her, each step carefully measured so as to not mess it up. Upon reaching the table and putting the tray down, she couldn¡¯t help but notice the smile on Leona¡¯s face was slowly fading as her gaze returned towards outside the window. ¡°Young Lady, is there anything I can help you with?¡± She asked as she put the food in front of her. ¡°Hmm?¡± She glanced at the maid and her smile returned, this time somewhat distant. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you for asking.¡± The maid held her left hand within her right. ¡°If you need anything else, don¡¯t hesitate to ask. I shall be outside.¡± ¡°Ah, umm¡­ could you stay here? It feels a bit lonely here¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, I¡­¡± Her heart skipped a beat at the request. Wondering as if she was overstepping her bounds, she straightened her back and said proudly. ¡°If the Young Lady so desires.¡± She walked back and stood beside the table. Leona on the other hand giggled a bit as she extended her hand towards the other chair in front of her. ¡°You can sit down.¡± ¡°Ah. Oh¡­¡± She was trying to hide her nervousness but the unexpected offer was the last blow she needed to lose her composure. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Leona said, her warm smile returning. ¡°Food always tastes better with good company.¡± ¡°Does the Young Lady think I¡¯m good company?¡± ¡°Why, yes. Everyone in this household is.¡± The lack of hesitation in her voice made it clear how much she cherished everyone there. The maid started to feel something come up her throat as it became difficult to breathe. Her eyes were filling up with tears as she glanced down in order to suppress the urge to cry. She had suffered much. Painful memories of the war raised from the depths of her mind only to be confronted by loving acceptance by none other than a human girl. Fate was truly a fickle thing. ¡°Hm?¡± Leona reached for her shoulder and said. ¡°Are you alright?¡± The maid answered between the uncontrollable sobs. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m alright.¡± As she smiled back with tears coming down from her eyes. Chapter CLXXII: Decisions The slime found itself back inside the cave once it regained consciousness. The damp and dark cavern was only filled with squelching noises of the other slimes moving about the rocky floor and a somewhat familiar crackle of firewood. It stood up and blinked a few times. ¡®Huh?¡¯ As if led by instinct alone, it reached for its own face with both human hands. It kept staring at them for a while trying to figure out how it managed to maintain its human form despite melting away after fighting the boar. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± Luke¡¯s voice startled it as it jumped a few meters away from his voice. ¡°Woah, calm down. It¡¯s me Luke.¡± It turned around to see him. He seemed healthier than before and his arm that was ripped off was right back where it belonged. It smiled and tried to speak but¡­ ¡°Aa¡­ y¡­¡± No comprehensible words came out of its mouth which wasn¡¯t surprising, but it disappointed it greatly. Seeing how it was struggling, Luke cleared his throat. ¡°You don¡¯t need to talk in order to convey what you¡¯re thinking.¡± He tapped on his left arm. ¡°Remember you can just talk to me this way.¡± The slime¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle if only for a moment as it realized what he meant. It closed its eyes and started to think. Its thoughts were like a river of electricity coursing through every single fiber of its being, pouring out like a flood that eventually would reach Luke¡¯s mind. ¡®How are you alive? Did you manage to eat? Why did you come to this place? Was the young woman with you Leona? How old are you? From what family do you come from?¡¯ It was a veritable bombardment of endless questions that even made Luke flinch from the overwhelming speed at which the slime was capable of wording each and every little thing it was curious about. That being said, the excessive amount of information in his mind made him have the worst headache he ever had in years. ¡°Ugh! S-slow down¡­! One question at a time please, you¡¯re splitting my head open with all the sudden questions¡­¡± Its human eyes twitched a bit as they dropped a bit in disappointment. ¡®Ah¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry, I just couldn¡¯t help it.¡¯ It thought. ¡®Is it fine if I ask one question now?¡¯ Luke chuckled nervously. ¡°Yes, you may.¡± ¡®How are you alive?¡¯ ¡°Didn¡¯t you make this entire arm?¡± He tapped twice on his left forearm. ¡°I thought I¡¯d die from blood loss but you helped me live through it.¡± ¡®Ah¡­ it wasn¡¯t all me.¡¯ It glanced at its slime brethren squelching about around them. ¡®Some of them helped.¡¯ He reached for one on his right side only for the slime to avoid his touch and quickly slithering away. Despite that, he tilted his head before turning to his left and placing his hand on top of one slime which didn¡¯t seem to run away. ¡°Say, has it been long that you¡¯ve been living down here?¡± He instinctively picked up the slime from beneath his left hand and brought it on his lap. ¡°I often would visit Leona but she never spoke anything about this place until recently.¡± It shook its head. ¡®No, not really. At least, not that I remember.¡¯ It looked at its own hands for a while before turning to him again. ¡®I only know the things I know thanks to the maids that have been¡­ left here.¡¯ He tried to caress the slime on his lap with his right hand but the gelatinous creature made the most effort to avoid the touch of his right hand. ¡°The mansion¡¯s maids¡­¡± The slime was lost in thought before noticing Luke struggle with the slime on his lap. ¡°Ah, they don¡¯t particularly like being touched by others other than their own.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The slime reached for this left hand and placed it on top of the slime and it stopped slithering away from him. ¡®It¡¯s our instinct so don¡¯t think ill of them.¡¯ Some of the slimes started to group up around it.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Instinct?¡± ¡®Yes, we tend to avoid the touch of other creatures in fear of being consumed as prey since that is how we hunt for food, or at least, it was.¡¯ It looked at its brethren finishing off the boar bones that sat far away from them. ¡®I feel like we are changing.¡¯ ¡°Interesting¡­¡± He looked at it with a certain spark in his eyes. ¡°Changing how? I always pictured slimes being rather¡­ docile when faced against bigger animals.¡± ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯ It lowered its head while closing both eyes, it was oddly human with its mannerisms. ¡®I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it. I feel like I¡¯ve been using my ¡®mind¡¯ more as of late.¡¯ ¡°Mind¡­ do you refer to intellect or memories from the maids?¡± ¡®Is it even possible to make a distinction at this point?¡¯ It intriguingly asked. ¡®Most of the things I know are thanks to them and what I tried to do on my own resulted in Leona hating me for it.¡¯ Luke was surprised by looking at its face. The facial expressions clearly conveyed its feelings of regret. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡ªwas he conversing with a monster or a human? He brushed off said thought as he continued talking to it. ¡°I think¡­ the reason why she was shocked was because of your choice of ¡®face¡¯ so to speak. She had just lost Adele and you recreated her image down to the miniscule details, it would either creep her out or upset her.¡± ¡®Which I could tell I did both¡­¡¯ Seeing it lower its head made Luke realize just how much ¡®human¡¯ it was. In the same sense that it felt like he wasn¡¯t talking to a complete stranger. In the back of his mind he knew it could be because of his new arm which could be influencing him in some way but logically speaking, there was nothing else he could point out to be disadvantageous from partnering up with it. ¡°Say, do you have a name?¡± ¡®Name?¡¯ It slowly lift its face up to look at his eyes. ¡®No, I thought it was pointless to have one until I could speak to someone else.¡¯ ¡°No, no, quite the contrary, having a name will without a doubt help you know who you are.¡± Its droopy and sad eyes gave place to contemplation and a glimpse of hope. ¡®A name huh¡­?¡¯ ¡°Anything you can call your own. It¡¯ll help you start out fresh.¡± ¡®To call it my own¡­¡¯ It closed its eyes. Turbulent memories came overflowing all senses as she went through the memories hidden within herself. The most recent ones were shrouded with pain and suffering at the hands of soldiers unknown to the owners of her memories, but the deeper it went, the more dangerous those became. It was like finding itself standing at the precipice of something it couldn¡¯t come back from. ¡®You¡­¡¯ A voice from the yawning chasm echoed in its mind. ¡®You are not my owner¡­¡¯ From the depths of the chasm, two glints of crimson illuminated the darkness as they moved upwards in unison. Soon it noticed it wasn¡¯t a chasm, but a cliff overlooking a snowfield tainted red. The gripping cold sent sharp pangs of pain across its body like a jolt of electricity as each part of its being was frozen solid until it shattered by the violent gale. ¡°Aaaah¡­!¡± The slime let out a loud gasp as it snapped back into reality. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°Aa¡­ a¡­¡± It muttered with its eyes wide open, even the slime that was on top of his lap started to tremble as if something was happening to all of them. Luke felt a sharp jolt of pain from his left arm before he reached for the slime¡¯s shoulders and shook it. ¡°Snap out of it!¡± ¡°Aaa! Ah¡­ ha¡­¡± It was panting and gasping for air. Luke could even feel its trembling spreading throughout his fingertips. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°Aa.. I¡­ a¡­¡± Seeing how it wasn¡¯t able to convey anything to him, he said. ¡°Alright, first calm down. Take a few deep breaths.¡± After a few minutes of silence the slime recomposed itself with deep, slow breaths just how it was instructed. Luke leaned against the wall of the cave as he started to speak. ¡°Talk to me like you used to. No need to use your voice.¡± ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was thinking about my memories and I saw¡­ something within¡­¡¯ ¡°Something?¡± ¡®It didn¡¯t belong to the maids, that much I am certain. It felt¡­ older, much, much older than them.¡¯ ¡°Older?¡± ¡®I don¡¯t know how to explain it. It¡¯s a feeling of foreboding¡­ as if it was a forbidden memory of sorts¡­¡¯ He crossed his arms while tilting his head downwards with frowning brows. His thoughts were racing. ¡®Older¡­ most of the maids in the Crossford mansion were demi-humans so it''s fair to assume they¡¯d be centuries old but it said it wasn¡¯t from the maids¡­¡¯ He glanced at the slime which was still clearly distressed. ¡®I hardly believe any of their memories would be traumatizing to this extent anyway¡­ but then¡­¡¯ He looked up and asked. ¡°Did you consume any other animal before coming into contact with them?¡± It shook its head. ¡®No, I¡¯ve always lived here in this cave. We have both moisture and frostburnt silver to sustain us. There was no reason to leave.¡¯ He felt a sudden urge to cough but he repressed it by taking a deep breath. ¡°Frostburnt silver¡­?¡± He looked around the cave and there were indeed low blue shining spots scattered all across the stone walls that surrounded them. His mind began to wonder. ¡®Come to think of it, why is this even here? I thought Londria kept the metal¡¯s secrets closely guarded to themselves¡­¡¯ However before he could form any theories as to why it was present there, the slime invaded his mind with its thoughts. ¡®Luke¡­ I want to leave this place.¡¯ ¡°Huh?¡± He looked at it, surprised. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡®It is just a feeling, but that memory has something to do with Leona.¡¯ There was a tingling sensation coursing throughout its body. It was as if the repressed memory awakened something within it. It looked up with its ¡®So give me a name. A name befitting someone that will save her.¡¯ Chapter CLXXIII: Aether ¡°Thunderbolt!¡± Sizzling air crackled with electricity before being shot out of Leona¡¯s palm as it arced towards a nearby tree which resulted in a roaring crack as the wood exploded from inside out in a blazing fire. She could hear clapping coming from behind which prompted her to glance over her shoulder. ¡°Not bad at all, Leona.¡± Wearing a proud and smug expression, Robert looked at the fiery result of her lightning magic. ¡°You got the hang of it pretty fast.¡± She turned back to the splintered tree. ¡°You call this fast? Two days to learn one spell¡­¡± ¡°Most people take months to achieve the same result.¡± He walked near the tree and inspected the middle of the trunk which was ripped in half. ¡°To attain this level of power and precision is no small feat I¡¯ll have you know.¡± Despite the compliments, Leona simply took a deep breath and asked. ¡°So. What next?¡± ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± He held his chin while still looking at the tree. ¡°You already know, what, five elements?¡± She raised her right hand and started to lift each finger as she spoke. ¡°Fire, water, ice, wind and now lightning.¡± ¡°You could practice earth spells. They are way less dangerous than lightning and can be used in a variety of different ways.¡± He turned around to face her. ¡°Plus you should rest your mind, you¡¯ve been here for almost six days straight.¡± She had a serious yet saddened expression on her face. ¡°At least it goes to show I¡¯m getting mentally stronger too.¡± With a small sigh, he continued. ¡°Let¡¯s head outside.¡± He snapped his fingers and Leona felt a familiar violent jerk of her upper body as she was brought back to her physical body. Although she was sitting on a comfortable armchair for the entire time she was in the inner world her mind could still experience fatigue which was reflected in how sluggish she seemed before sitting upright. What used to be quite taxing to her brain however, was now manageable to the point she could stay there for prolonged periods of time without fear of losing her sense of self. ¡°You seem none the worse for wear.¡± Robert said as he stood up from in front of her. ¡°How about headaches?¡± ¡°None. The migraines were still pretty bad when I accidentally got myself killed though.¡± ¡°And whose idea was to start out with the highly destructive thunderbolt? You do realize how electricity works, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± She wore an exasperated look on her face as she sighed. ¡°Now I know, first hand.¡± She stared at her own hand closing and opening. She could still feel the lingering sensation of the lightning spell coursing through her limb. ¡°Still¡­¡± She continued. ¡°I thought it was close to impossible to learn so many elements like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as speaking another language. It comes with training.¡± He shook his hand back and forth dismissively. ¡°Surely the Grand Academy taught students how to handle multiple elements.¡± ¡°Up to three spells.¡± She sourly replied. ¡°They thought my mom was lying when she said I knew four spells.¡± ¡°Less than half? Disappointing.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Then again. You only need to know two to win most battles against other mages. At least in this era.¡± ¡°Pray tell o grand sage, what led you to this profound conclusion?¡± ¡°You only really need one well placed spell to snuff out someone¡¯s life.¡± He formed a finger gun and mock-fired at her before lifting it up. ¡°And to do it at range besides, much safer than going in with a sword or axe.¡± ¡°What about magic barriers?¡± He chuckled. ¡°You are assuming they¡¯ll even have time to react. Most mages don¡¯t react to mana¡ªthey rely on their eyes to spot a spell forming and by then it¡¯s already too late. Reading mana fluctuations lets you sense someone else¡¯s intent before they even start casting a spell.¡± She held her chin. ¡°Hmmm¡­ so that¡¯s why you taught me in this order huh?¡± ¡°One key aspect of knowing lightning magic is the ability to tune with the mana around you and as a result¡ªhaving a greater grasp at reading mana.¡± He looked around the empty room. ¡°This is a perfect chance for you to practice. Close your eyes and focus on the tingling sensation you felt¡ªtry pushing it outwards like a ripple in water.¡± ¡°Huh? Right now?¡± ¡°Yeah, training is something that never truly ends¡ªeven if you become a master like me.¡± She rolled her eyes and shook her head a bit before eventually closing both eyes. She recalled the sensation she felt earlier throughout her hand. At first it was difficult to imagine it coursing through her body, until she remembered the moment she died in the inner world. The backlash she felt from her own spell as it fried her inside out was a painful moment she would rather forget, but there is growth¡ªeven in failure. The tingling sensation quickly started to spread through her whole body before it eventually poured out of her. It felt like the air trembled as this pulse of mana started to map out the environment around her. She could feel where everything was, from the smooth wooden furniture to the warm fireplace and more importantly¡ªsee things her naked eye wouldn¡¯t perceive. Behind the door that led to the hall they were in, there was something resembling the shape of a person. Despite their frame being on the smaller side, the amount of mana they radiated was impressive. Where the surroundings would only have faint trails of light blue mana¡ªthis person had a light orange aura to them which made the air seem like it was burning. ¡°Is that¡­¡± She asked while remaining with her eyes closed. ¡°Yuna coming back?¡± Robert raised an eyebrow before it quickly turned into a smug expression.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Not bad at all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± The moment the double wooden doors swung open¡ªYuna came inside with a basket full of vegetables. ¡°The harvest was so good yesterday that they gave me all of these. Hm? Are you practicing mana detection?¡± She hopped from atop of the staircase and landed right beside the wooden table before leaving the oversized basket on the floor. ¡°Yes, she is.¡± Robert answered. ¡°She managed to sense you before you even opened the door.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so cool!¡± Yuna said, bounding closer to Leona. ¡°Miss Leona, can you tell me what the color of my aura is?¡± With her eyes still closed, the tactician turned to her and said. ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ light orange color. I always thought mana was light blue.¡± She then opened her eyes and noticed she was right in her face. ¡°Gah!¡± Leona jumped backwards which almost made the armchair tumble with her but Robert steadied it before it could tip over. ¡°Oh oops. Sorry.¡± Yuna chuckled as she took a few steps back to give her some space. ¡°Well now, this is interesting.¡± He took his hand away once he made sure his favorite seat wouldn¡¯t be ruined. ¡°You can see the glint.¡± ¡°Glint?¡± The tactician asked with an obvious puzzled expression. ¡°Mana often takes different colors depending on its concentration. There are variances but it starts out as light blue, it goes to dark blue before turning into light orange then dark orange and finally yellow.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± She looked at him and closed her eyes. She focused again on the same tingling sensation as it expanded her mind¡¯s vision but she could only see Yuna¡¯s aura¡ªwhere he stood it seemed like she was staring at some object that didn¡¯t have any mana. Robert smirked as he tapped Leona¡¯s head. ¡°You can¡¯t perceive aether with mana detection. When mana becomes dense enough, it transcends its natural state to become aether.¡± He extended his hand toward her, which in her eyes seemed like an object shaped like a limb. ¡°You can¡¯t see what you can¡¯t perceive.¡± Leona opened her eyes and brushed off his hand from her head. ¡°Then, I can tell if it¡¯s aether or not by the lack of mana, is that right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ not really. If you¡¯re going up against an opponent that knows how to manipulate aether¡ªyou can bet they know how to recreate the aura that comes with having mana. Watch carefully.¡± Though visibly annoyed, she closed her eyes nonetheless. Through her mind¡¯s eyes she noticed a glowing flame growing within Robert¡¯s chest as the light blue started to spread throughout his body mimicking Yuna¡¯s aura. ¡°So?¡± She asked whilst paying attention to his aura to see if there was any pattern she could use to discern it from the real thing. ¡°How do I know my opponent is trying to trick me with a fake level of mana?¡± ¡°Right now? There¡¯s nothing you can do. What you can do is to always overestimate your opponent¡¯s power. That way it¡¯ll keep you from endangering yourself.¡± He relaxed his hand and his makeshift aura vanished like a snuffed torch. ¡°You can watch out for fluctuations in mana as well. The outer side of someone¡¯s aura will flicker if they attempt to suppress it. While it¡¯s not foolproof¡ªat least it is another method you can use.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what about me?¡± She opened her eyes and asked. ¡°Is there anything I can do to hide my own aura?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ possible, but it''s an added strain on the mind. Especially now that you have increased your own mana reserves, it¡¯ll be quite difficult to suppress it.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ just how much mana do I have now?¡± ¡°Ah, right, it would be difficult for you to see it.¡± He raised his hand on top of her head. ¡°May I?¡± Once again she seemed visibly annoyed but there was nothing she could do aside from sighing and tilting her head slightly forward. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She begrudgingly said. ¡°I¡¯ll lend you my own vision so you can see what you look like on my end.¡± After placing his palm on top of her hair there was a very brief shock spreading throughout her body. Robert¡¯s eyes started to glow golden as their sight became one. What Leona looked at was nothing like she saw in Yuna. It was like her whole body was set ablaze with a bright orange color much like the setting sun. Of course, that made her flinch back and their connection was instantly severed. ¡°W-what was that? Do I look like that to everyone that can see mana?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Robert turned his face to the side while trying to hold the laughter in. ¡°You do stick out like a sore thumb now.¡± ¡°So it wasn¡¯t like this before?!¡± ¡°Eh¡­ it was dark blue so, somewhat? You can thank Akamui for it. That little stunt that cost your arm was one of the biggest jumps in your mana capacity. That roughly pushed you into light orange territory and the last week worth of training put you now into this orange glow.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ how is this even possible? I spent most of my childhood casting spells but-¡± ¡°Calm yourself Leona. You need to remember that you carry dragon blood in your veins. Mana growth is inherited from your parents. If you were to let¡¯s say¡ªspend a year here training as intensively as you are. You¡¯d be almost at a young dragon¡¯s level of mana capacity.¡± ¡°And closer to aether manipulation I¡¯m guessing?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ maybe. The jump from mana to aether is quite a big one. You¡¯d need to rival your dragon great grandmother in mana density for that.¡± He scratched the side of his head. ¡°Or maybe that won¡¯t even be possible¡­ your body as it is wouldn¡¯t be able to support such a vast amount of mana without it crystalizing.¡± ¡°Huh?! Then¡­!¡± He took a deep breath and raised both of his hands¡ªsignaling for her to calm down. ¡°It takes way more mana than what you currently have in order to produce the same effect that happened to your left arm to your entire body. Losing that limb was an outlier where mana concentrations are concerned. You took every single drop of mana in your body¡ªnot accounting for Kaeli¡¯s share and focused through one single limb.¡± He scoffed with a smirk on his face. ¡°Not even at my prime as sage I was able to pinpoint the flow of mana to this degree of precision. You have a dangerous knack for mana manipulation that can serve as well as ruin you to the same extent.¡± She stared at her right hand. ¡°Am I really that accurate with it?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say you are almost a hundred percent accurate with spells that don¡¯t require an awful lot of mana. Which the offensive spells are usually composed of.¡± He walked to the basket Yuna had brought in and picked it up. ¡°Remember what I said before, you only need one well placed spell to end most fights. Your accuracy with it will be the key to winning most fights.¡± ¡°You always tend to emphasize precision but I never asked you¡ªwhy is that?¡± While with the basket in hand, he motioned with his chin in order for her to follow him. Which she complied by standing up. As they headed to the kitchen, he explained. ¡°When I was a sage in my previous world, I was tasked by the king to annihilate an enemy kingdom. At first it seemed just like any other job. I cast a large destruction spell and call it a day. But that was, you could call it, one of my lifetime follies.¡± They entered the kitchen and he placed the basket on the floor. Unlike the kitchen from her mansion, this one was tailored with modern hygiene standards. Marble table, metal sinks, white ceramic floor and a variety of solutions in the corner near a bucket with a mop. It was a bit distracting but Leona quickly focused back in the conversation as she asked. ¡°Your folly? Weren¡¯t you tasked with an order from the king? What is the problem with following through it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ turns out, if you release a mass destruction spell in the middle of a kingdom and destroy it completely¡ªleaving no survivors, it will turn your own military against you for ¡®use of excessive force¡¯ or so they said to me.¡± He started to pick out vegetables from the basket and handed them to Yuna and in turn, she placed them in the sink. ¡°Wash these thoroughly.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± While her daughter washed the different vegetables, he went to the counter to pick up a large iron cast cooking pot. He returned and placed it beside the sink. ¡°Anyway.¡± He continued. ¡°I was branded as a dangerous warlock that served an evil god. Most likely an excuse to mop the problem under the rugs.¡± Leona was both fascinated and somewhat skeptical as she tilted her head slightly. ¡°And what did you do?¡± ¡°With the king assassinated and my head going for the chopping block, of course I retaliated. But that was just the stepping stone for the end of that world.¡± He leaned back against the marble table in the middle of the room and raised his head up while closing his eyes. ¡°They had advanced magic enough to rival me in combat. It was a one man war against an entire kingdom¡¯s army. I did what I could to prevent more deaths and fled, but it wouldn¡¯t end there. Where their army went, destruction followed and soon thereafter, no other kingdom in the world could stop them.¡± Leona swallowed dry as she kept listening to the story while the sound of running water kept the room from going eerily silent. ¡°I was bitter, the kingdom that turned into an empire was brought to its golden age by none other than myself. Why was I branded a traitor and persecuted to the world¡¯s end? It was then when Lastraeous gave me a ¡®blessing¡¯. The power to manipulate the void.¡± Chapter CLXXIV: A Faraway Past The void. A place torn away from time and space only bound by the infinite possibilities of both. Great wizards and scholars attempted to reach such a vaunted place of existence, but none was able to. Save for a select few. ¡°An otherworlder capable of controlling the void.¡± Robert had a bitter expression on his face. ¡°I thought using those powers to save the people was my way of atoning from my mistakes but I could not have been more wrong.¡± He snapped his fingers and the room pulsated for a split second into the gnawing blackness Leona was so familiar with. It was enough to disorient her into leaning against the nearby wall. ¡°The void.¡± She muttered under her breath. ¡°Why did you accept those powers?¡± ¡°I had lost my memories from the worlds I lived before. Time and time again I would commit the same mistake in relying on a whimsical god¡¯s power in order to fix my own mistakes.¡± He closed his hand into a tight fist. ¡°With this same snap I destroyed the most powerful kingdom in the world and a third of the planet along with it.¡± ¡°You¡­ destroyed an entire world?¡± ¡°The void isn¡¯t just a place away from other worlds, it¡¯s the very end of all existence.¡± Once he closed his eyes it was like both of their minds were connecting through the void. The vision of a world torn to pieces flashed in her mind. The planet¡¯s crust, mantle and inner layers of the core were all exposed as the sun was visible from behind all the flying debris floating towards the endless space of the universe. Without enough gravity to keep the rest of the world together it didn¡¯t take long for the blue sky to turn black as the atmosphere gave place to the coldness of the vast cosmos. Leona could only glimpse at a person beside her in his memory as the world ended. And in another snap of his fingers she found herself sitting on the floor with ragged breath. Her head was pulsating from pain. ¡®She was¡­ smiling¡­?¡¯ A flash of the surreal scenery accompanied her mind. The shattered planet facing cosmic annihilation and yet someone was with him the entire time until the end. ¡°Who¡­ who was that?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± He looked at her with a somber yet seemingly tranquil expression. ¡°No one. A fragment of a lost past.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Yuna poked his stomach which made him bend his body forward. ¡°Stop with the sad talk please.¡± ¡°Oof. Sorry Yuna.¡± He had a bittersweet smile before patting her on the head. ¡°Dad¡¯s been a bit tired lately, that''s all.¡± ¡°Hmph. Here. I washed all of it.¡± Leona remained on the floor as she pinched her nose bridge whilst closing her eyes. The sight she just witnessed was something straight out of a nightmarish vision that no human should have ever seen and yet it swirled in her mind like a violent storm. However amidst the deafening silence of space, she could still make out the last words of the person beside him in his memory. ¡®Live on, Robert.¡¯ He saw her expression as the same one he made when he remembered it all. It felt familiar. If anything it reminded him how his past shaped him into the man he was now. But then again, if it wasn¡¯t for Xenovia, he would have never truly redeemed himself. Anger, hatred, angst as the feeling of dread and regret swelled to unimaginable proportions when he came to be in this world. If by choice of the whimsical void or his own ability as a sage in the previous life, the fact he knew about all his past lives was enough to bring him to the brink of despair. It was only when he met another similarly weary traveler from a different timeline he then could start to move on. The two precious daughters, the comfortable house he made for them and the path he was now walking on was thanks to that one fateful encounter. He glanced at Leona one last time before focusing on preparing the food. ¡°Stand up Leona, I can hardly have a guest sitting on the floor of my kitchen.¡± Outside, the sound of clashing wooden weapons and explosions filled the training grounds with life. Krieg was yet again sparring against both Miyamoto and Setsuna in a two versus one match. ¡°Tsk.¡± Krieg was being driven back by the swordsman and mage duo despite his best attempts at staying in close range to the latter. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit unfair?¡± ¡°Life is always unfair to the weak.¡± Miyamoto raised his training wooden sword above his shoulder and remained in that stance. ¡°So do your best to become stronger.¡± ¡°Lousy old man!¡± He raised the shield close to his body and started to charge at him. ¡°Stone Shield!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Setsuna chanted and the very ground in front of Miyamoto rumbled and raised in the shape of a ragged convex rock wall. Krieg narrowed his eyes. ¡®What an annoying spell¡­!¡¯ Instead of stopping, he bulldozed through the spell with his shield and raised the sword perpendicular to his body in order to stab his opponent, but Miyamoto was nowhere behind the destroyed rock wall. However, Krieg knew exactly where he would attack from and lifted the already prepared blade behind him as his wooden sword blocked Miyamoto¡¯s incoming overhead strike. ¡°Oho? Did you see it coming?¡± ¡°It gets quite old to be hit from the back everytime!¡± He swung his sword upwards¡ªthrowing the swordsman off balance before following up with a shield bash to the stomach. ¡°Ugh!¡± Being on the receiving end of a powerful strike from Krieg was nothing short of painful, but despite his minor victory the knight was nowhere close to being done as fast steps approached him from behind. ¡°Wind-¡± When he was in the middle of dealing with his father, Setsuna had closed the gap and was pointing her staff right at his back. ¡°Shi-¡± There was nothing he could do if not take the hit from the spell as she was at point blank range. ¡°-Blast!¡± There was a brief flash of bright green energy before a powerful gust of wind sent Krieg flying alongside the swordmaster. ¡°Ugh!¡± He spun midair twice before landing on his back, using the backwards momentum to stand on his feet in one fluid motion. ¡°You are a really annoying mage, Setsuna.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it as a compliment.¡± She smiled briefly before returning to her focused self as she prepared to cast another spell. That being said, he wasn¡¯t about to just let her do as she pleased. He quickly grabbed a rock from the previously destroyed wall and chucked it at her hand, only for it to be deflected by Miyamoto¡¯s sword. ¡°Forgetting about me, son?¡± ¡°Tch. You¡¯re in the way!¡± Krieg followed with a diagonal slash that was easily parried to the side. Miyamoto was about to use that moment to counter with an upwards slash but instead, he was caught off-guard by a shoulder tackle. ¡°Oof!¡± He stepped in and threw his weight on the tackle which sent the swordsman flying through the air crashing into bushes. Even before the leaves had even settled, Krieg was already closing the gap towards Setsuna¡ªwho was already almost finished casting her spell. ¡°...rob life of warmth as thou turn flesh to ice!¡± As she pointed the staff at him¡ªhe tossed the shield at her. ¡°Entomb!¡± The spell froze the shield mid-air however the frozen chunk of wood kept its momentum which forced Setsuna to step to the side to avoid it and in the moment she dodged it¡ªthe knight was already with his training sword at her throat. At first she seemed surprised, but then her expression soon changed to a bright smile. ¡°Haha, I concede.¡± She raised both hands. ¡°That was great, Krieg.¡± ¡°Urgh! You put us quite through the wringer¡­¡± Miyamoto¡¯s voice came from the bushes as he stood up amidst them with branches and leaves stuck to his robe. ¡°Not bad at all.¡± Krieg settled the sword in the ground and held it with his right hand as if it was a walking cane. ¡°Thank you for the training.¡± He said as he bowed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find the right time to enhance myself with dragon aura but I wasn¡¯t exactly feeling confident in using it without losing control.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s ok.¡± Setsuna shook her head slightly. ¡°You were already using some of it without realizing.¡± ¡°I¡­ was?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She pointed with her index finger towards the place where he fought against the swordmaster. ¡°You were exchanging blows with Miyamoto there and yet I was casting a spell right here.¡± Both him and his dad looked over their shoulders towards where she pointed and that was about eighty meters or so. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ quite far away indeed.¡± The swordsman agreed with a nod before turning back to her. ¡°So you¡¯re saying he enhanced his legs?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Setsuna said with a confident smile. ¡°I had a theory that even people without any previous experience with magic would be able to use body enhancements if they ever experienced it even once. And I¡¯m glad I was right.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The knight looked at his own legs and shook each of them separately for a while. ¡®They do feel lighter¡­¡¯ He thought while also inspecting the rest of his limbs. ¡®But I didn¡¯t feel any different back then¡­¡¯ ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling any different.¡± The shrine maiden started to speak as if she read his mind. ¡°It might be because of your lack of mana gates. Therefore your body will feel ¡®strengthened¡¯ for most of the time you¡¯re using those limbs.¡± He stared at his left hand, closing and opening. ¡°So this is both a blessing and a curse huh?¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t overload yourself with mana. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Dragons often use their magic breaths since it spills out excess mana through it so you could do the same by exercising and spending the extra you have stored.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take note of it.¡± He looked serious as the grip around the training blade tightened. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make Leona sad again¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Miyamoto gave him a slight tap on the back. ¡°You¡¯re doing great progress.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, old man.¡± Krieg scoffed as he walked away. Despite that the swordmaster still had a faint smile on his face. ¡®If only your mother could see you now¡­¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s gotten really strong since the last time we sparred.¡± Setsuna approached Miyamoto with a proud expression on her face as she looked at Krieg leaving the training grounds. ¡°We spoke about this before but never at length. How did you handle your wife¡¯s outbursts of mana? I remember you telling me she was way stronger than him which makes me wonder how a human was able to go toe to toe against a daughter of a dragon?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ it certainly wasn¡¯t easy.¡± He spoke with reminiscent eyes. ¡°I was a simple samurai working under a shogun.¡± ¡°Samurai and shogun¡­ a swordmaster and a feudal lord, is that right?¡± ¡°Something like that. Although my former master was rather passionate about unifying the continent under one banner, he was soon murdered by our enemies. It was then when I sought help from the oni tribes.¡± He unsheathed his curved sword¡ªthe blade black as the night and it shimmered in the moonlight. ¡°It was then where I met both my wife and my friend.¡± Chapter CLXXV: Oni Princess Silver silky strands of hair gently fluttered in the wind like scintillant strings of fate. Until a sharp blade would cut them in half¡ªits slash so precise it barely changed the hair¡¯s trajectory in the air. The holder of the polished curved blade was a young man in his late twenties. He was rather short, but his piercing black eyes and hair knotted up in a bun behind his back made him look a fierce warrior. ¡°You¡¯re not bad for a human.¡± A woman spoke as she stood in front of him. Her legs were slightly bent and spaced apart with her left hand open in front of her while the right was kept in a gently closed fist firmly tucked behind her stance. ¡°But to swing a crude weapon like that¡­ it makes you look unrefined.¡± She was a bit taller than him. Her crimson eyes were sharp and the two blackened thin horns protruding out of her top of her forehead split her bangs in three. Despite her almost regal looks, she wore a simple fur jacket that covered her breasts and loincloth of the same material while standing bare on her feet. ¡°My apologies for my undesired behavior.¡± The young man spoke. ¡°But this is how us humans have been fighting against your kind for centuries.¡± The wind quietly brushed the foliage of the trees above them. Birds and insects remained quiet as the gust of wind slowly came to a pause. A drip of sweat fell from his brow and slowly made its way between his eyes as it parted in two between his nose. Tension. Miyamoto knew how strong they were and now that they had finally struck peace with humanity¡ªthere he was fighting against them again. For a cause that he himself didn¡¯t believe, but one his former master did. An unified continent. But to do that, he needed help. So much so he resigned himself to seek from the one who almost destroyed humanity¡ªthe oni king. In front of him was none other than his second in command, Hizuki. From all the opponents he fought against, she was by far the most threatening as well as the most beautiful. He swallowed dry as his breathing steadied itself. His core tightened instinctively and that same tension spread to his lower body as all muscles in his legs became one. However, as he was steeling his resolve to face his opponent, he saw a glint in the eyes of the man sitting atop a broken throne of stone. Yoshitsune. The oni king himself¡ªwearing nothing but a robe made of purple textiles not found in the continent, he was nothing if not enigmatic. He was known for never smiling or giving the opponent mercy. But there he was wearing a teeth baring grin that could only be described as pure amusement. ¡®Does this see this as a joke?¡¯ Miyamoto thought in contempt for a split second before he noticed where the horned man was actually looking and upon following his gaze he realized¡ªhe wasn¡¯t looking at him, but Hizuki herself. At that moment a hint of hesitation grew inside him. This didn¡¯t feel like a duel to the death, no, it was more¡­ ¡°What are you looking at?!¡± Hizuki dashed in to land a straight punch, but Miyamoto barely dodged it while trying to nick her arm with his blade but the metal simply slid right off as she hardened her skin at the point of contact. They both remained within striking distance, but even in the face of danger¡ªMiyamoto was still somewhat calm. ¡°You are one impatient lady.¡± He said while adjusting the grip on his weapon. His expression never really changed. ¡°I came here only to petition your king and yet you met me with full arms.¡± ¡°Petition? Is that what you call brandishing that crude thing in my king¡¯s court? Is that how humans ¡®parley¡¯ these days?¡± Miyamoto noticed the king looking at him with an inquisitive expression. Despite no words being exchanged it felt like the towering man was asking him what he would do next. ¡®I¡¯ve killed many like her before. It would be simple to do it again. Yet¡­ it would be such a waste. Her strength, her speed¡ªwith a bit of discipline and practice she could surpass even the most skilled swordsmen of these lands.¡¯ ¡°Say whatever you like but know this¡ªI can cut you down where you stand in the blink of an eye.¡± He said confidently as mana started to surge from within his body. A light blue glow enveloped his limbs and body. Hizuki narrowed her eyes as she started to focus mana through her arms. ¡°You talk a lot for a swordmaster.¡± ¡°Because I am.¡± In a literal blink of an eye he closed the gap in one, single fluid motion. His blade arced downwards with deadly precision. The impact rang like thunder as Hizuki¡¯s reinforced arms met the blade head-on. The polished blade cracked and then shattered¡ªfragments of the weapon scattered like shards of ice across the dueling grounds. Hizuki stood with a faint smirk on her face as she knew a mere piece of metal wouldn¡¯t be able to slash through her defenses. ¡°You call yourself a swordmaster? That was-¡± When she lowered her arms to continue the fight¡ªMiyamoto simply sighed and raised his own. ¡°My loss.¡± He held the remains of his weapon with the rest of the former blade being scattered around them. His sudden resignation confused her. Her smirk faded as a few sparkles entered her peripheral vision. ¡®What the¡­¡¯ Her silver hair fluttered alongside the edges of her cheeks. They were too small to be just random strands falling. ¡®No¡­ did he¡­?!¡¯ ¡°And the winner is. Our Princess Hizuki.¡± Yoshitsune announced with a somewhat unsurprised tone as he climbed down from the throne to meet the two combatants. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s the matter, Hizuki? Are you not satisfied with your opponent?¡± She tore her gaze from Miyamoto, her expression a mix of confusion and anger as she bowed before the king. ¡°No your majesty. It is nothing.¡± The king smirked before turning his attention to Miyamoto. ¡°You fought well for a human. But considering that you¡¯ve lost I won¡¯t be able to provide you with the army you sought from our tribe. My condolences for you master.¡± The swordmaster shook his head. ¡°No apologies needed, I brought it upon myself.¡± He bowed deeply, but as he straightened his back and was about to leave, his mind lingered on the shattered blade. He had gambled everything in this duel and was now leaving empty handed. The road home seemed even more uncertain¡ªuntil he heard the king¡¯s voice come from behind him. ¡°Although¡­¡± His voice seemed tinged with amusement and respect in equal measure. ¡°I think for this strand of hair I might be able to lend one person that might be of help.¡± Miyamoto stopped mid-step, his body tensed up. He swallowed dry as the king¡¯s words hung in the air before slowly turning to face him once again. The enigmatic king was beside Hizuki with his right hand resting lightly on her left shoulder. ¡°Think of this as a temporary alliance. While I won¡¯t make an army march at the whims of one man alone, you may yet prove that your cause is right and just¡ªthrough her eyes.¡± Though she said nothing, her crimson gaze flickered towards Miyamoto, unreadable yet intense. Was it disdain? Curiosity? Or perhaps, a glimpse of respect? She remained motionless, waiting for his answer. Miyamoto¡¯s chest tightened. The loss of his family at the hands of onis and later his master at the hands of humans were both the reason why he took up the blade and mastered it. A man shaped by grief and sorrow¡ªlooking to make amends for his inability to protect others. There he was. Now being entrusted with yet another life. But she was different. Her unwavering gaze, the ferocity of her strikes¡ªHizuki wasn¡¯t one to break under pressure. No, the strength she wielded was nothing Miyamoto had ever seen before from either onis or humans alike. As such thoughts swirled in his mind suddenly a tinge of hope started to grow within him. ¡®Maybe, this time¡­ this time will be different.¡¯ He straightened his posture, then bowed deeply, his voice filled with determination and conviction. ¡°May this be a fruitful alliance to us both.¡± The proceedings seemed to move at a dizzying pace as not even an hour had passed ever since news of the alliance between the two men and the Princess was already assigned an escort. Not only that but her luggage was already packed in the form of a large leather sack carried by said escort. She was a shorter oni, standing roughly at the same height as Miyamoto. Her jet black hair barely met her own shoulders with her straight fringe being divided in three by the two black horns protruding out of her forehead. She wore a similar garb as Hizuki but it was slightly darker and she had some sort of makeshift gauntlets hanging by the side of her belt. ¡°Greetings. Lord Miyamoto.¡± She was standing beside the swordmaster right outside the gates of their town. It was a rather quiet city. Oni children ran around playing with each other while the adults were either going about their lives or helping pack up food and other supplies for Hizuki¡¯s travel. Since it was a mountainous region it was rather difficult to have a steady source of food outside of farming the usual rice crop. ¡°H-hello¡­¡± Her unfathomably quiet steps startled him slightly as she spoke up. ¡°Mind telling me¡­ how you were able to put together everything she needs to travel so fast?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, Princess Hizuki has very few things to her name. She isn¡¯t very materialistic, you see.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes, that would make sense.¡± He started to remember how fierce she was with her fists alone. ¡°Say.¡± He continued after a pause. ¡°You call her princess, but¡­ what is she to your king?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well¡ªconsidering she holds so much respect from your people, I thought she might be the king¡¯s daughter or something, but-¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°They don¡¯t look like each other.¡± She finished, nodding in agreement. Miyamoto nodded along, relieved she understood what he meant. ¡°You see.¡± She started to whisper as if out of fear of being heard. ¡°Our current king bested her father in combat which made him the new king. That¡¯s our way¡ªonly the strongest may lead.¡± She glanced around before continuing. ¡°Although it is the first time one of our kind allowed the former king¡¯s child to live.¡± He seemed surprised at first but then asked. ¡°Allowed to live? What made her the exception to the rule?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± She said while looking at Hizuki finishing talking with the townsfolk as they seemed to be bidding her farewell. ¡°Is not my place to say¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± He firmly nodded once. ¡°Thank you for letting me know¡­¡± He glanced at her with the face of someone who didn¡¯t exactly know what to say next. ¡°Aiko, my name is Aiko.¡± She bowed slightly. ¡°Pleasure to meet you.¡± He bowed somewhat awkwardly in return. ¡°The pleasure¡¯s mine.¡± As they finished exchanging words, the Princess approached them with the townsfolk right behind her. ¡°Aiko, there you are.¡± Hizuki¡¯s voice came from behind them. The oni princess effortlessly held a large rucksack over her left shoulder as she approached them. She glanced briefly at him and asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Are you ready to depart?¡± With her intense presence he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he tilted his head towards her and said with a confident smirk. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± They left the town with the townsfolk bidding farewell as they slowly disappeared in the horizon. ¡°Hey human! Take care of our Princess!¡± ¡°Safe travels, Princess Hizuki!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for your return!¡± Hizuki herself waved over her shoulder while showing a smile as more and more townsfolk started to crowd the front gate to say their goodbyes. Miyamoto chuckled to himself softly. ¡°You really are loved by your people.¡± As their voices and cheers faded, so too did her smile. The usually composed oni princess was now with an expression tinged in sadness. ¡°And I really love them back.¡± For a time, the gentle afternoon breeze shaking the foliage and the crunch of their footsteps on the dirt path were the only sounds surrounding them. No words were exchanged in the hours they spent walking, which wouldn¡¯t have bothered Miyamoto¡ªif not for the memory of Hizuki¡¯s sad expression. ¡®Tsk¡­ why am I bothered by this?¡¯ He thought while scratching the underside of his chin. He wasn¡¯t exactly good at understanding people, but seeing her like that gnawed at the back of his mind¡ªfilling him with an unfamiliar sense of guilt. ¡°Isn¡¯t that heavy?¡± He asked suddenly, breaking the silence as he pointed to the rucksack she carried. ¡°Let me carry it for you.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± She raised an eyebrow as a smirk slowly appeared on her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°Oh come on. You may be strong but I-¡± Before he could finish she let go of the rucksack which almost brought him to his knees upon landing between his arms. ¡°Hmph! What the-?! What are you carrying in here?!¡± He exclaimed with his voice strained from the effort he was making in order to not drop the thing. Hizuki couldn¡¯t help but laugh, a sound as rare as it was genuine, before effortlessly picking it up off his hands. ¡°Food supplies.¡± She said while still chuckling. ¡°This is three days¡¯ worth of food for the three of us.¡± He stood upright with a groan as he rubbed the lower part of his back. ¡°Three days¡¯?! Are we eating like royalty or something?!¡± She gave him a confident smile as she easily slinged the rucksack over her shoulder once again. ¡°Oni appetite.¡± She strode ahead leaving Miyamoto behind with a half open mouth as he glanced at Aiko¡ªwho met his gaze with a slight shrug and an amused nod. ¡°Well¡­ she¡¯s not wrong.¡± She said with a faint smile as they started to walk a few steps behind Hizuki. ¡°Thank you, Lord Miyamoto.¡± Aiko whispered, her tone light but sincere. ¡°Way to lift my lady¡¯s spirits.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly my intention to fail at carrying a rucksack you know. It hurt my pride.¡± He whispered back, embarrassed. ¡°But all is fine in my eyes.¡± She chuckled softly. ¡°As long as my lady is happy.¡± ¡°A man still has to protect his honor. Besides¡­¡± He looked at Hizuki¡¯s back, noticing the spring in her step. ¡°I feel a bit guilty for taking her away from her people.¡± ¡°Worry not valiant swordsman. If she truly didn¡¯t want to come¡ªyou wouldn¡¯t have left the town alive in the first place.¡± He raised an eyebrow at her, caught off guard by her bluntness, but decided against saying anything. Instead, he let out a silent sigh¡ªunsure whether to laugh it off or take her seriously at that point. The evening would soon come to a close with the sun settling behind the mountains. He scouted for a place amidst the pine trees. Dry, spacious and inconspicuous. Using a dead branch, Miyamoto brushed off the dry pine needles and cones from the place where they would sleep while making a campfire with rocks by the trail they were walking. Aiko had settled the large sack of their belongings beside a tree where Hizuki used it as a makeshift cushion to lay on while her escort went out to grab firewood. The nights in that region were cold and unforgiving to the unprepared¡ªhe knew it well enough from experience, but looking at the princess lazing comfortably against a tree made him wonder how sheltered she truly was. ¡°Say.¡± Miyamoto spoke out loud, picking her attention right away. ¡°Have you ever left that town before?¡± ¡°Not really, I¡¯ve always taken strolls around the outskirts of the stone walls but never traveled so far as I did today.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± He tossed a few pine cones in the middle of the campfire before sitting cross-legged on the ground and pulling out a length of string alongside a tuff of kindling from one of his pockets. ¡°Well I hope the scenery on the way back to our land will make you feel glad to have traveled from your town, at least for a while.¡± He grabbed a large sturdy branch and made a bow out of it before using it with another stick to create a fire. ¡°Yeah, I also hope¡­¡± She noticed the strange contraption he built. ¡°So¡­¡± Her voice slowly faded as she looked at what he was doing. He wrapped a straightened stick around the bowstring. With deliberate movements, he used the bow to make it rotate while using a flattened stone to press down from above to create more friction against a piece of wood. With a bit of effort¡ªthe plank below the drill soon started to let out thin tendrils of smoke. ¡°What is that? Some kind of trick humans use to make fire?¡± ¡°This is called a bow drill, it¡¯s not as easy as lighting it up with magic but it works¡­¡± After a few more minutes, the plank became blackened with heat as he carefully picked it up and tilted the newborn ember into a bundle of kindling. ¡°There we go.¡± Blowing air gently into the ember between the kindling¡ªthe smoke started to thicken until a flame flickered into life. He put it in the middle of the dry pine cones while placing loose sticks from the branch he had used as a broom. Hizuki gazed at the dancing flames consuming the pinecones as it grew bigger. The fire¡¯s warmth was familiar yet it had a distinct feeling to it¡ªperhaps, because it was the first time she camped outdoors. ¡°It¡¯s strange, we¡¯re not that far away from town but it feels like a totally different place.¡± She muttered while gazing at the night sky beyond the treetops. ¡°Everything feels so¡­ alive.¡± Miyamoto smiled softly while he snapped twigs off the branches to feed the fire. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you say out here. Although there might be some dangers, it still is quite liberating to camp outside.¡± Her eyes slowly trailed to the side where she stared at a lone pinecone tilted against a nearby tree. Her faint smile faded as she muttered to herself. ¡°Liberating, huh?¡± ¡®That expression again¡­¡¯ He thought while glancing at her through the corner of his eyes. ¡®What was your life in that town like?¡¯ Before he could dwell on it further, a sharp snap of a branch nearby made his body tense up. He rose up and reached for his sheathed weapon with his right hand while the left grabbed a hold of the scabbard. ¡°Aiko? Is that you?¡± He raised his voice while looking at the direction where the sound came from. His fingers tightening the grip around the weapon¡¯s hilt. ¡°Huh? Yes, it is me, Lord Miyamoto.¡± A familiar voice came from behind one of the trees. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Only when Aiko emerged from the shadow did he relax his stance¡ªeventually sitting down again with his legs crossed. ¡°Nothing. Can¡¯t be too careful when camping outside.¡± He took off his weapon from the sash of his robe and left it on his lap. Aiko approached him and left the firewood she had gathered on the ground. Some of them were as thick as his thigh which meant it would take forever to start burning. As she was about to toss it into the fire, Miyamoto gently grabbed a hold of her arm and said. ¡°Let me cut it.¡± She blinked a few times before unconvincingly uttering. ¡°Huh?¡± After convincing her to put the rather heavy log on the ground¡ªhe removed his broken sword from its scabbard and held it between both hands. For a moment the only sound around them was the crackling campfire and the distant sounds of insects. Hizuki¡¯s attention was drawn by both of them moving and as her eyes naturally trailed towards the swordmaster¡ªher expression became full of doubt. ¡®Does he really intend on cutting a log that size with that thing?¡¯ Miyamoto stood still while focusing mana through his arms, though she could see the glow, merely empowering an attack with mana would do little to ¡®cut¡¯ it and would more likely ¡®crush¡¯ it with sheer force¡ªor so she thought. Time seemed to slow down for a brief moment when he raised the blade just slightly above his chest height¡ªthe mana in his arms surged to the ragged edge of the broken blade until he brought it down in one short and precise motion. A thread thin wave of mana sliced cleanly through the log leaving the two halves falling down with soft thuds, revealing the untouched ground beneath. Hizuki flinched as she didn¡¯t believe what she just had witnessed. ¡®What the¡­¡¯ Her gaze lingered on the cut log for a bit before eventually looking at the swordsman¡ªwho had just sheathed his weapon. ¡®How did he¡­?¡¯ ¡°Lord Miyamoto, what was that?¡± Aiko broke the silence with a mix of curiosity and awe in her voice. ¡°I call it blade energy.¡± He explained while grabbing the cut log. ¡°This is the technique I developed to cut through things a normal blade can¡¯t.¡± He sat down and tossed one of the logs into the fire. Embers and sparks spewed from it into the air before vanishing into the night. Aiko lowered herself beside him, crossing her legs as she studied him intently. ¡°You created it?¡± He nodded as his gaze softened. ¡°That is how I earned my master¡¯s trust.¡± He chuckled sourly. ¡°Imagine asking your retainer to cut your hair with a technique strong enough to cut through steel.¡± He looked at his own sword with a faint smile. ¡°So¡­¡± Hizuki¡¯s voice broke the growing silence, catching both of their attention. She hesitated for a moment before continuing¡ªknowing little that the question she was about to ask would change everything. ¡°...the reason you created that technique was to defeat us onis?¡± Her question hung in the air like smoke from the campfire. Aiko shifted uncomfortably, glancing between the two but not saying anything. Miyamoto tilted his head slightly sideways to avoid looking her in the eyes. A bitter taste started to grow in his mouth as he replied with a weary tone. ¡°I did what was necessary to survive. Your kind destroyed my home¡ªkilled my family. Not a single day has passed since that I haven¡¯t longed to cut down the ones who stole my happiness.¡± Hizuki swallowed dry, her chest tightening. That foreboding feeling¡ªthe same she¡¯d felt during their duel¡ªwashed over her like a raging river. The tension was palpable, it even made her glance briefly at Aiko, whose fingers hovered over her gauntlets. But as Miyamoto¡¯s eyes finally met hers, the venom in his words seemed to be at odds with his expression. There was no hatred in his eyes¡ªjust a mix of sorrow and resolve. ¡°But¡­¡± He continued, his voice softening. ¡°...such it is war. I grew this strong because of it.¡± Both his hands tightened into fists before letting it go as he opened them again. ¡°And besides¡­ I have a promise to keep. I won¡¯t unify the continent if I can''t let go of my hatred.¡± The fire crackled, its glow casting flickering shadows across their faces. For a moment neither Hizuki or Aiko spoke. The weight of his words hung heavy in the air¡ªhis tale was unlike anything they ever heard before. Each of them knew little of the war their people had fought. Their histories, told through the lens of convenience, served only to perpetuate a cycle of aggression. Yet here, at that singular point in time, something took a different turn. An undeniable bond was formed¡ªfragile, but full of potential. Hizuki¡¯s gaze lingered on him, her heart stirring with emotions she couldn¡¯t yet name. Before her stood a man of unyielding resolve, someone that would not bend or break to the will of others. He sought power not for his own gain, but to shield others from the pain he had endured. This man¡ªa swordmaster unmatched by any man or oni ¡ªstood as a testament to strength born of purpose. Aiko¡¯s fingers that lingered above her gauntlets, made her chest tighten. She knew he was no ordinary man, but witnessing such conviction from a former enemy felt overwhelming. The notion of attacking him, even in defense of her princess, now felt like betrayal to his integrity. Hizuki¡¯s crimson eyes were glinting with firelight. Her gaze was skeptical and guarded from the scars of the loss of her father. Yet amidst uncertainty, hope started to bloom. ¡°Do you¡­ truly mean that?¡± Chapter CLXXVI: Void Gazing ¡°If I could relive the time we shared together again¡­ I would without any hesitation.¡± Miyamoto reminisced as he took another sip from the shallow white ceramic cup. He was still conversing with Setsuna while sharing a dinner table with everyone else. Aside from the shrine maiden, only Krieg was paying attention to it as the others were either finishing their meals or conversing between themselves. ¡°So my mother¡¯s name was Hizuki¡­¡± The knight muttered under his breath. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much about her.¡± He closed his eyes and the only thing he could recall was a faint memory of a silver haired woman holding him but nothing else. ¡°But it¡¯s heartening isn¡¯t it?¡± Setsuna said with a cheerful mood. ¡°Krieg inherited both your passion for the blade and her incredible strength.¡± ¡°Well¡­ he certainly has her strength.¡± He started to smile. ¡°But he can¡¯t hold a candle against me in terms of swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Hey! I am improving you damn old man!¡± Leona watched from the balcony above where she sat with an open book on the table in front of her. ¡®I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back to normal, Krieg.¡¯ She had a smile on her face but it soon faded away as she returned to reading the book. As her eyes darted through each line of text, she held her right hand on the side while trying to manipulate mana. It was a book about earth magic. A step by step instructable written by Robert in order to teach the element¡¯s basic uses and how a mage would learn it from scratch. ¡°Earth magic, one of the four main pillars of magic which also makes it one of the easiest elements to learn as an apprentice.¡¯ She kept reading with a monotone voice. ¡®Alongside fire, wind and water, it is one of the most fundamental elements to learn in order to advance to the next level.¡± ¡®Next level?¡¯ ¡°Lightning, ice, light and dark are elements far more complex for a mage to cast due to the many steps one has to take in order to evoke these elements into the physical realm. While lightning and ice come from mastering wind and water alike, earth magic is a standalone element which makes it less prone to mistakes. However, knowing ice magic does make this process easier as their visualizations are similar in many ways.¡± On her right hand, she created a spear of ice the size of a knife. ¡°How is this going to help me with earth magic of all things?¡± She inspected the spell closely for any hints on how she could apply that knowledge for earth magic, but¡­ ¡°Argh¡­ it doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± ¡°Spell structure and visualization method.¡± A familiar¡ªcomplacent voice, came from somewhere behind her. She didn¡¯t even need to turn around to know who it was. ¡°Robert, mind telling me why you have a habit of appearing out of nowhere when I¡¯m training?¡± ¡°To check on my hopeless pupil.¡± He joked as he pulled a nearby chair and sat by the opposite side of the table. ¡°What are you having trouble with?¡± ¡°Everything. I can¡¯t wrap my head around this one.¡± The ice spearhead changed shape, forming a ball of solid ice. ¡°I can do these things with ice but I can¡¯t even create a simple piece of stone.¡± ¡°You are too engrossed in this part.¡± He tapped twice on the page she was reading. ¡°I mention that ice and earth elements are similar in the spell formation and its visualization. In layman¡¯s terms, it¡¯s how you ¡®imagine¡¯ the spell taking form.¡± He raised his right hand and the air seemed to accrete into the center of his palm before freezing and turning into a triangular shard of ice. Conversely, on his left hand¡ªmana started to compress itself and slowly started to form what could only be described as a mini storm of lightning before it eventually burned itself out¡ªforming a black sphere. ¡°Wha-!¡± She flinched at the sudden compression of the lightning surge. ¡°What was that?!¡± ¡°Creating what could be considered ¡®earth magic¡¯ from scratch.¡± His expression slowly but surely turned into a smirk. ¡°You see, earth¡¯s advantage doesn¡¯t lie with making mass out of nothing like ice magic but the versatility of the element itself. If this was a close quarters scenario where I had to deal with you, a mage, I would first open the fight with an earth barrier to put a physical wall between you and me.¡± ¡°And why not an ice wall?¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, Leona. You¡¯re too focused on what is happening in front of you. Think of what you learned with lightning magic. What is the best element to disrupt mana readings?¡± She leaned back on her seat and frowned her brows as she mentally rehearsed everything she had learned so far. ¡®To make use of reading mana I need to use lightning magic in order to ¡®feel¡¯ the mana around me¡­ wait¡­¡¯ She turned at him with her eyes widened and a half open mouth. ¡°Are you telling me earth magic can get in the way of detecting mana?¡± He snapped his fingers which made the ice triangle shatter in a myriad of shards. ¡°Bingo.¡± Before the ice shards could fall below the balcony Leona noticed a darker shade of mana holding the many pieces mid air. ¡°Now, think of this way, if an enemy mage can¡¯t read what type of spell you¡¯ll cast next, you essentially have infinite possibilities behind that one simple earth wall.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ now that you bring it up, I always wondered why Setsuna always started a fight by casting earth spells.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. He scratched the backside of his head, seemingly a bit flustered. ¡°That¡¯s a bad habit of hers. In terms of speed for casting, earth magic is in the middle of the bunch alongside with water. Meanwhile wind and ice magic are extremely fast elements to fire off so technically speaking, at extremely close quarters a wind or ice spell might be more useful if speed is your concern.¡± He shrugged off. ¡°But I¡¯m getting sidetracked. The point is¡ªearth magic is far easier to use if you think about how to manipulate your surroundings rather than ¡®making¡¯ something appear out of thin air.¡± ¡°Manipulate huh? So like a wall made of earth or¡­¡± ¡°A pillar of stone shooting from your opponent¡¯s feet. Or better yet, the one two combo of shooting earth spears and following up with a thunderbolt. Even if you miss, just hitting a nearby spear will usually result in your target getting electrocuted anyway.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s why Kaeli tried that one time¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ nothing.¡± He raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers. Leona¡¯s right side felt warmer for a split second and Kaeli suddenly plopped down right beside her. The high elf held a wooden ladle on her right hand with a ceramic dish on her left¡ªapparently she was in the middle of cooking. She blinked a few times and held her right knuckle against her temple as if feeling a mild headache from the sudden teleportation. ¡°Ugh¡­ my head¡­ why did you teleport me here? I was in the middle of something.¡± ¡°So, Kaeli.¡± Robert started asking with apparently little concern for her opinion¡ªhis expression remained somewhat unamused. ¡°Did you try to perform a piercing stone into a thunderbolt combo?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, that¡­¡± She rolled her eyes over. ¡°Yeah, I was trying to kill her.¡± She pointed at Leona with the ceramic dish. ¡°You know, before when I was a paladin under Alexander¡¯s orders.¡± Leona sighed as she glanced at Robert, who was understandably¡ªor so she thought, bummed out. ¡°And you failed. How?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The tactician was incredulous by his lack of tact. ¡°Did you actually want her to kill me?!¡± He shrugged off. ¡°I mean, your spellcasting prowess wasn¡¯t anything to write home about before training with us.¡± Leona clenched her right hand into a tight fist while also instinctively biting down her teeth. At that point it seemed like a two person conversation instead of three since Kaeli started to explain her previous battle against the tactician in detail. Perhaps in the hopes of getting Robert to teleport her back faster. ¡°At the time she had both Asteram soldiers and a shadowmaster aiding her in battle.¡± She twirled the ladle as if trying to remember everything. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find time to cast a large area fire spell which forced me to use a water shield in order to stop their bullets from hitting me while I planned my spells when they stopped to reload their guns.¡± Robert nodded a few times as she kept explaining. ¡°I did use their bullets that were inside the water shield in conjunction with mana burst in order to create a makeshift bomb but it wasn¡¯t as effective as I planned it to be¡­¡± ¡°A fragmentation grenade huh?¡± He muttered. ¡°Not bad usage of a propulsion only spell.¡± ¡°While I had the upper hand throughout the fight, one thing that made me lose the battle was Phoebe¡¯s poisoned dagger. Somehow she made a concoction that interrupted the flow of magic.¡± ¡°Ah, the mageslayer poison.¡± He snickered. ¡°I see, she learned well.¡± ¡°Considering it was thanks to it that we avoided losing Princess Leona here.¡± Kaeli had a somewhat warm smile on her face as she looked at her. ¡°That stab wound was a small price to pay.¡± Leona saw the sincerity in her eyes which made avoid her gaze. Robert on the other hand nodded to himself, satisfied with the explanation he raised one hand ready to snap his fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll teleport you back.¡± ¡°Ah, no. No need.¡± She smiled awkwardly. ¡°I can just walk back, Master.¡± He chuckled while lowering his hand. ¡°Sure.¡± She bowed slightly before taking her leave, ladle and ceramic dish in hand. Leona seemed to be holding a mixture of sadness and weariness in her expression as she grabbed her own left shoulder and started to massage it. After a while she tilted her head to one side then another before looking at him with a serious look. ¡°Robert, is there a reason why you collect so much knowledge? Despite being an extraordinary mage you seem¡­¡± He had a sarcastic smile on his face as he raised his hands while saying. ¡°Compulsive? Excessive? Perhaps, obsessed?¡± However, despite his nonchalant attitude, Leona replied with conviction. ¡°Desperate. I see before me a man of tremendous potential to even be a king and yet¡­ you seem desperate to remove these so-called ¡®shackles¡¯ that keep you in this world.¡± She narrowed her eyes a bit, making it seem like she was frowning. Despite that he remained silent. ¡°But even that doesn¡¯t make sense. I¡¯ve seen how much you love your children and despite giving me and the others the cold shoulder, you still keep treating your daughters with the love only a true fatherly figure would. In a sense It even made me a bit jealous of Setsuna and Yuna.¡± She clenched her teeth before eventually continuing. ¡°My father always wished the best for me, but despite my acumen for magic and strategy, he would always treat me like a kid no matter how old I grew.¡± ¡°This won¡¯t last forever, Leona. One day, everyone you and I know will have to part ways with one another.¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t have to be today!¡± She slammed her fist on the table, sending a jolt through the wood that made the book snap shut from the impact. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the whole reason why it¡¯s important to live today and not the morrow?¡± He shook his head. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. None in this world would.¡± ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t make sense! You want to see your daughters grow yet you yearn for your own death!¡± ¡°How can a man riddled with sins of past lives make amends to those he killed before? The answer? Erase the cause entirely.¡± The shards of ice that were still floating around him suddenly collapsed to the palm of his hand as he clenched it tight into a fist. ¡°Lastraeous is something that shouldn¡¯t exist. Why would the void, the end of all things, have a consciousness?¡± She was taken aback. Cold sweat formed on her brow. ¡°You¡¯re telling me¡ªthat place is actually Lastraeous? I thought it was a god that ruled over it¡­¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve battled against it if it was the case. No¡­ that ¡®thing¡¯ is the manifestation of the void itself, a collection of lost souls adrift amongst the stars, the worlds¡­ death incarnate. Yet despite all of it, somehow it grew a mind of its own.¡± Leona held her chin as her head tilted down. She could remember clearly the time she spent in that place. A shattered existence between life and death¡ªa timeless existence. Although she could feel the teeming souls beneath her feet, Lastraeous itself wasn¡¯t just a consciousness in her eyes. ¡°But¡­¡± She muttered under her breath. ¡°I saw it take the form of a man when I met it.¡± That single sentence snapped Robert¡¯s attention to her. ¡°You met what?¡± ¡°A man. I¡­ I don¡¯t remember his features¡ªbut I¡¯m certain it was a man and not an amalgamation of souls as you described.¡± Robert let out a low chuckle while closing both of his hands with each curling joint of his fingers cracking under the tension. There was a foreboding feeling growing inside her chest as she witnessed the sage lose himself in laughter. ¡°Leona, you might be the key to end it. If the void presents itself to you in a form that you recognize¡ªit means it is aware of its own existence.¡± He clutched the right side of his face¡ªhis grin widened as his fingers dug into his skull. ¡°You might just be the hero of this neverending tale.¡± Chapter CLXXVII: Depths of Hatred That night, sleep barely came to Leona. No matter how comfortable her accommodations were, the previous conversation she had with Robert weighed heavily on her mind. ¡°You might just be the hero of this neverending tale.¡± Doubts were nothing new to her¡ªeveryone faced it at some point. But facing off against the void itself? That was far greater than any passing uncertainty. With a quiet sigh, she rose up from the couch and grabbed the staff before quietly making her way to the doors¡ªhoping the fresh air would clear her mind. Upon opening one of them she felt a gentle breeze brush against her cheeks as she stepped outside. The rocky ground felt cool beneath her bare feet as she made her way towards the entrance of the cave. Pale moonlight bathed the forest below in a tint of blue, flowing into the vast ocean¡ªlike a mirror stretching endlessly throughout the horizon. The city of Nara to her right sparkled with firelight, each torch casting flickering hues against the night¡¯s blue embrace. The night was quiet, broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant hoot of owls. Bracing her weight with the staff, she lowered herself before crossing both legs and taking a slow, deep breath. The rich scent of earth and wood laced with a hint of ocean salt put her mind at ease. How many days had passed before she could allow herself to sit down and breathe? ¡®It had been so long¡­¡¯ Despite the calm in her heart, the weight of her responsibilities had never felt this heavy. From a princess to a tactician, then a mage and now¡­ ¡®A hero?¡¯ She shook her head with a bitter grin curling at the edge of her lips. ¡®I am no hero.¡¯ The void was a foe beyond reckoning¡ªthat much was certain. She could feel it in her very soul. A snap of a finger. A twitch of an eye. A slight snicker¡ªwas enough to erase her existence altogether and yet¡­ there was a glint of hope in that man¡¯s eyes. A man that witnessed the downfall of kingdoms, nations, worlds¡ªentire timelines. It was something she could hardly fathom. ¡®What can I even do here?¡¯ She closed her eyes as she focused on her own heartbeat. Each breath she took was steady and calculated in order to match the rhythm of her body. The calm pace made her mind sharper as mana started to slowly pour out of her. ¡®What can I do?¡¯ Emotions swirled in her heart as she recalled each time she fought and persevered. From her humble beginnings in the desert of Windia to the pinnacle of magical strength against Akamui. Time and time again she would challenge ever greater foes and come out victorious. ¡®But each time there was a sacrifice.¡¯ Krieg¡¯s armor, Luke, Neiliel, Laslow, Laura, her father, Krieg¡¯s consciousness, Phoebe¡¯s legs, her own left arm. ¡®What else would I need to sacrifice in order to vanquish a foe as great as the void itself?¡¯ She slowly closed her eyes as the wind gently brushed against her cheeks. There was a long pause before she opened her eyes and muttered under her breath. ¡°No¡­ instead of thinking about what I have to sacrifice¡­¡± Suddenly, a burst of mana began to pour out of her like wildfire. Light blue flames engulfed her body as she entered a trance-like state. With half opened eyes she tilted her head forward as her irises went dim. ¡°I should think of what I need to save.¡± Despite having her eyes open, her consciousness was drifting away in a lucid dream. Although her body could feel the cool breeze from the outside, her heart felt like a blazing core with each beat feeling like a rush of unfamiliar power running through her veins. It was as if herself and mana became one for a brief moment. In one blink of an eye she soon found herself in her inner world. Empty and hollow¡ªdarkness expanded endlessly to all directions. There was no sound, no smell, nothing. It was a place fully devoid of life or meaning aside from her own awareness. Despite the bleak and hopeless atmosphere there was a sense of belonging rooted in her heart. It was as if she knew from the very beginning that the inner world she had been to before, wasn¡¯t exactly her own and this was the true state of it. A blank, empty world. From her encounter with Lastraeous, borrowing the power of a legendary swordmaster to eventually learning what true mastery of magic meant, she was still walking on a path laid down to her. It was nothing more than a matter of circumstances which led her to this point and she was more than okay with it. There was nothing inherently wrong in following a path instead of carving your own, but this time was different. Ever since she came to these lands, the world never seemed so bigger. So much so that the sheer weight of discovery felt like an insurmountable burden that could crush her at any point. But, even if the burden of knowledge was great, the power she wielded now was even greater than before. ¡°Compassion is only worth as much as the power behind it.¡± She uttered out loud and streaks of light began to take root from her heart¡ªilluminating the inner world like a newborn sun. ¡°I hid behind my family¡¯s name. I was a coward that thought bringing peace to a war torn kingdom was just a matter of conviction.¡± The roots suddenly bursted out, creating an intricate web that started to fill the world devoid of life. ¡°Conviction without power is pointless.¡± She closed her hand into a tight fist and brought it closer to her heart. ¡°And power without conviction is meaningless.¡± She raised her fist which was glowing light blue with mana. ¡°I will stop at nothing to see the end of my path. I swear on my name!¡± Suddenly the roots started to glow even brighter until it became a blinding light that forced Leona to close her eyes. As warmth washed over her¡ªa sense of relief and familiarity started to grow in her heart. As she opened her eyes she found herself in a throne room. Red carpet extended beneath her feet with the polished marble flooring glistering from the reflection of sunlight coming from behind her. A lone throne made of marble adorned with red cushions and golden accentuated corners was placed at the top of a few stairs. She noticed a shadow of a person appear by her feet and as she turned around, she noticed herself standing at the doorway. A Leona clad in red plate armor stood in the middle of the doorway. Her long blonde hair was tied back with some of the strands fanning out behind her legs, the sharp aquamarine eyes locked with hers as she brought her left hand onto the guard of the sheathed black blade on her hip. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Leona.¡± She spoke. Her voice felt more mature than her own. ¡°Do not commit the same mistakes as I did.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Because unlike you, I am not alone.¡± She stood proudly with the staff on her hand as it supported some of her weight against the floor beneath. ¡°You were a proud Empress of a holy empire born out of strife. Your conviction as well as your power knows no bounds, but at the same time, this boundless strength was also your downfall. I will nurture my kingdom with hope and power in equal measures so that one day we may yet cease all this pointless fighting. One day¡­ we will drive off the void that grows off our despair.¡± Despite her rugged appearance, the older Leona smiled as she turned around. The tactician walked forward and stood beside her. Beyond the ornate metal doors lied a capital city of her dreams, a bustling Arcadia that knew no strife nor sorrow. A kingdom born from strength and purpose. ¡°This time for sure.¡± The Empress spoke as her left hand tightened around the guard of her sheathed blade. ¡°Drive off the darkness from our people¡¯s heart, rally them to you, become a beacon of hope in these dark tides¡ªsurely then the bards will sing of wise Leona, the great Arcadian Queen.¡± Leona chuckled sourly as she tilted her head to the side and looked at the Empress beside her. ¡°Do not yet sing your praises, old Empress. There is still much to be done.¡± She extended her right hand towards her as a friendly gesture. ¡°But, we can start slow, isn¡¯t that right? Me?¡± The woman¡¯s sharp gaze softened if only for a brief moment as she turned to hold her hand. Once she did however, a flash of memories started to rush through Leona¡¯s eyes and the world around her began to change. The bright sky turned orange, then black, a gnawing darkness approached the horizon¡ªan ever growing void that seemed to snuff even light. ¡°Leona!¡± She instinctively turned around and saw a fully armored Xenovia standing at the top of the staircase leading to the throne room. Her white full plated armor was almost blinding as Leona had to squint her eyes in order to better see the warrior princess¡¯ expression. ¡°This is the end of the road for you!¡± Despite addressing her by name, the tactician felt her gaze elsewhere and as she followed her eyes. The Empress of Annihilation was sitting on a dilapidated throne with nobody at her side, just the presence of the familiar eerie black sword leaned against the foot of her seat. ¡°So you finally have come.¡± She grabbed the weapon and stood up. ¡°You are the only one left, Xenovia.¡± Once the black steel left its sheath, she tossed it aside and pointed the tip of the blade at her own flesh and blood. ¡°Once I deal with you, nobody else will stand in my way.¡± ¡°Do you not realize?! You are destroying our world!¡± ¡°Destroying? No, those who oppose me should know their place.¡± She raised her left hand towards her face and from between each finger, her eyes widened as a hysterical laughter left her mouth. ¡°The world is mine to command!¡± At that moment she snapped back and glared at Xenovia. ¡°And you¡ªare in my way.¡± With inhuman speed, the Empress dashed at Xenovia with an overhead strike. The warrior stood her ground and raised the shaft of her axe horizontally¡ªblocking the attack before shoving her opponent¡¯s blade to the side and swinging her weapon into an upwards slash. With one sidestep, the red knight dodged the attack before following with a thrust at Xenovia¡¯s left armpit. Despite aiming for the weak point in her armor, the blade was stopped by something that came from inside the armor and grabbed onto the blade like an appendage of some kind. ¡°What the-?!¡± Xenovia saw the opportunity and swung the weapon down with full force at her left shoulder. In their previous encounter, that was the moment the warrior princess¡¯ lost her arm, but not this time. Her strike was so powerful it created a small crater on the marble ground as she successfully slammed the Empress down to the floor. ¡°Ugh!¡± Despite her grunt of pain, the armor remained intact. ¡°You little-!¡± Xenovia quickly lifted her axe and aimed for her head, but she dodged the attack at the last second by rolling out of the way. With a loud thump, the axe blade embedded itself deep into the floor¡ªso much so that it would leave her too exposed if she were to try and take it out. ¡°Die!¡± The Empress shouted as she once again brandished her blade at her. Xenovia knew how sharp that weapon was so instead of trying to get her weapon, she hopped backwards and raised her fists. ¡°Do you really think you can win against me without any weapons?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like I need one.¡± Her taunt didn¡¯t go unpunished. The Empress enchanted her blade with wind magic and in a blink of an eye she was sent flying towards one of the pillars that held the throne room together. ¡°Damn your magic¡­¡± Xenovia grunted as she moved rubble from over her. Dust covered the room. ¡°You know¡­ Master used to tell me a saying¡­ I¡¯m sure he told you the same when you trained under him.¡± Leona watched as the Empress headed to where she had sent Xenovia. ¡°Save your pointless chatter for the afterlife.¡± With little regard to the life of her own flesh and blood, she swung the black blade down but something was wrong. While she did hit metal, she didn¡¯t feel any flesh being cut. As she was about to turn around and swing her sword, the blade remained stuck amidst the warrior¡¯s armor. ¡°An attack does the most damage¡ªif your enemy is caught by surprise!¡± Hiding from within the settling dust, Xenovia appeared with a frostburnt silver blade as she drove the sword through her opponent¡¯s back, piercing through the front of her chest with it. She had shed her armor and was now wearing a black Londrian uniform. ¡°Argh! You¡­!¡± Despite the fatal injury, she grabbed the blade with both of her hands and turned around, forcing Xenovia to jump back. ¡°You¡­ dare¡­ to use it against me?! I am a dragonslayer, a god empress!¡± Blood dripped from her wound as she ruthlessly forced the blade backwards. The silver longsword clattered alongside the rubble before she picked it up. A surge of mana suddenly arose from the silver blade. Avalon had been used extensively to hunt down monstrosities that posed a threat to her empire, but after serving its purpose, it was nothing more than a relic of the past. Or so she thought. ¡°That was your best shot at killing me and yet you failed once again¡­¡± She clenched her hand and her wound started to seal with pure mana extracted from Avalon itself. ¡°Now, know despair as I snuff your meaningless life out of your body!¡± As she took a step forward, something felt wrong. Her body, despite being healed, felt heavy. ¡°What¡­ what is this?!¡± ¡°Your downfall.¡± Xenovia spoke calmly as she looked into her eyes. ¡°Why do you think I didn¡¯t aim for your throat in the first place? Or why did I leave the blade inside you all along?¡± A lone clap echoed from behind the Empress and once her and Leona looked at the figure standing amidst the rubble it shocked them both. ¡°Robert?!¡± The dragonslayer shouted with anger boiling in her eyes. ¡°What have you done to me?!¡± ¡°Just a bit of mana manipulation.¡± He snapped his fingers and suddenly the Empress was slammed into the ground with full force. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Normally one would never consider using mana from an enemy¡¯s weapon. But thanks to your boundless pride, I managed to do just that.¡± ¡°How¡­?! I¡¯m the only rightful ruler¡­ the one and only Avalon¡¯s wielder¡­!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Did it never occur to you that Xenovia shares your blood as well?¡± At that point, it all made sense. The Empress¡¯ eyes were flaring with anger and hatred. ¡°I WILL KILL YOU!¡± ¡°Perhaps you will. But not now anyway.¡± He spoke before looking at Xenovia. ¡°Bring her to the basement, I¡¯ve got everything set up there.¡± Without replying, the warrior nodded before heading over the fallen Empress. She started by taking the silver blade out of her grip and sheathing it back into the scabbard before slinging it over her shoulder. Robert walked to the staircase behind the throne and vanished into the darkness. As Xenovia approached to lift her up¡ªthe Empress¡¯ realization that she lost just hit her now. ¡°No¡­ no¡­! Xenovia! Do not do what that man tells you to!¡± ¡°...it¡¯s too late now, grandmother.¡± ¡°No! You don¡¯t understand! He¡¯ll kill us both if you give him this chance!¡± Despite her complaints, Xenovia simply lifted her from the hip and adjusted her body on her shoulder. ¡°No! NO!¡± Chapter CLXXVIII: Resentment Leona followed the duo to the basement of the Arcadian castle, which was nothing more than a prison. Cells filled the dark and moist interior, despite the torches lighting most of the spacious central area, Robert had brought some lamps powered by mana that he left on each corner of the central area. Xenovia brought the Empress on her shoulder, despite her protests and squirming¡ªthe warrior princess had a firm grasp on her as she approached the sage. ¡°Everything¡¯s ready.¡± He said before pointing to a metallic vat filled with a transparent gooey substance. ¡°Put her inside that thing and close the lid. I¡¯ll assume control from there.¡± ¡°No! Xenovia! Don¡¯t!¡± Despite her pleas, the princess did as instructed and dunked the Empress inside of the vat. ¡°Ack! No! Let go!¡± Seeing how she couldn¡¯t close the metal lid, Xenovia grabbed her head and forced inside before closing it. ¡°Let me go!¡± Her voice was muffled behind the reinforced glass. ¡°I swear on my name! You will die a painful death!¡± Robert sighed. ¡°If only it was that simple.¡± He then turned to Xenovia and grabbed both of her hands, which surprised her. ¡°What I am about to tell you will come as a shock, but I need you to go back and prevent all of this from happening.¡± ¡°Go¡­ back? What do you mean?¡± ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure if this will work. It might not, it might result in us being sucked into the void and possibly wandering forever, but there is a chance where we might be able to use the same void that eats this world away to our advantage. But I need you to trust me.¡± ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t, there is nothing to go back to.¡± She slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Once she had calmed herself opened her eyes and nodded at him. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± He nodded and sighed before taking a deep breath. He was nervous. Even Leona, who didn¡¯t know much about him, could feel it. ¡°Very well.¡± He said before looking at the contraption before him. ¡°You just need to stand right here.¡± He pointed at a metallic light blue disc beside the strange machine. He went to the side of the vat, where the Empress was still trying to struggle her way out of it¡ªand grabbed two cables with pointy ends before stabbing himself with it. ¡°Ugh.¡± He grunted in pain. ¡°Master? What are you-¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a necessary procedure.¡± He took a few sharp breaths before focusing his mana through the cables. The surge of mana traveled to the vat and the Empress¡¯ eyes suddenly went wide as her body began to tremble. ¡°Xenovia¡­! No matter what you do, do not let Leona have that blade again.¡± The mana concentrations were beginning to exceed its own limits as the disc beneath her feet began to shine brighter. ¡°Master! Will I meet you again?!¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be the same me as you know now!¡± Blood started to drip from the corner of both his and the Empress¡¯ eyes. ¡°If you meet again¡­! Tell him¡­ tell him to protect his daughters with his life¡­! Stop at nothing from giving them the happiness they deserve! The death angels¡­! They are what dooms this world!¡± Despite being simply a watcher, Leona started to feel dizzy as if the Empress¡¯ sensations and her own were becoming the same. It was as if her very sense of self was being consumed and transformed. Time felt like it came to a crawl and her vision faded. Once she opened her eyes she noticed the orange tinted horizon welcoming yet another dawn. The calm ocean waters and cool breeze brushing the foliage felt relaxing, yet she felt perplexed by what she had witnessed. Differently from evoking Xenovia¡¯s memories, this time it all felt real¡ªpersonal. Almost as if she was there to witness it herself. She let out a long relieved sigh before her eyes glinted with a light blue glow under each iris. ¡°I¡¯ll become what I must.¡± On another side of the mountain homestead both Leona and Krieg were staying, a simple wooden shack was built in order to better accommodate the sudden influx of people at Robert¡¯s household. Namely the two high elf sisters Phoebe and Kaeli. The younger sister sat by the window overlooking the city of Nara. Her previously short black hair had grown just enough to be a nuisance which made her tie it into a small, defiant tail at the back of her head with a string made out of dried plant fibers she knotted herself. Her clothes were rather thrown together with whatever she could find in the old dusty wardrobe. A raw white-washed cotton shirt, dirt brown trousers and simple sandals made out of leather. ¡°Good morning, Phoebe.¡± Her sister¡¯s kind voice, although familiar, made her hands instinctively reach for her hip where she would normally store her daggers. An instinct she was well aware of, but still couldn¡¯t let go after so many years of training. ¡°...good morning, sister.¡± She took a short sharp breath and relaxed her arms as she returned to gaze at the waking city on the horizon. Kaeli, on the other hand, was wearing a tattered chemise as she looked into the clothes she had left on the chair in the kitchen. She quickly took it off and wore the workclothes she was given by Setsuna. It consisted of a long sleeved brown felt shirt, work green trousers with extra padding on the knees and long boots made out of leather. ¡°Say, what do you want for breakfast?¡± She asked while putting on an old apron that had a few stains on it. ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡± Kaeli sighed while shaking her head. Although Phoebe wasn¡¯t looking at her, she could tell her sister¡¯s motions simply from the changes in her tone of voice. ¡°You say that every time.¡± ¡°Because anything will do.¡± ¡°How about some fried eggs? The young lady Setsuna taught me how to make them.¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± Kaeli had a small bittersweet smile forming on her lips as she kneeled and reached for a basket of eggs that was inside a cupboard in the kitchen. She then took two white eggs out of it and set it on the counter before preparing to light the wood burning stove. She grabbed a piece of flint and steel and started to strike to create a spark. That made Phoebe turn and look over the shoulder at her sister, who was clearly struggling to light the kindling she had put inside the stove. Since each strike wasn¡¯t generating enough sparks, Kaeli went ahead and used more force¡ªbut in doing so, she missed the flint and hit her own finger. ¡°Ack!¡± She yelped before dropping both tools on the wooden floor¡ªher left index finger had a small superficial cut that started to drip blood. Phoebe raised an eyebrow before reaching for her walking cane and standing up. ¡°Kaeli, what are you doing?¡± She asked while slowly making her way to her sister. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a mage? Just use your magic instead of complicated tools like that. You¡¯re even bleeding.¡± She looked at her with a saddened smile. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t cast spells anymore.¡± ¡°You¡­ what?¡± Phoebe tilted her head back as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she was saying. ¡°Master- I mean, Robert gave me two options. Either relinquish my powers as a paladin of the dragon god or die as one.¡± She pulled a piece of cloth from the pocket of her apron¡ªa textile stained with dried blood before holding it against her bleeding finger. ¡°I¡¯d rather use what time I have left to make up for the pain I caused you than dying at the hands of my former mentor. I wouldn¡¯t be a good older sister otherwise.¡± After drying the wound, she picked the flint and steel again. ¡°You can feel free to sit down and wait, I¡¯ll get it right with enough tries.¡± Phoebe watched her before taking slow and steady steps back to the chair by the window. A sense of guilt washed over her as she settled the walking cane against the wall. ¡®So what Leona told me that day was true after all¡­¡¯ Not only did her sister sacrifice her dream of becoming a mage, she also sacrificed the very power she acquired in order to be there for her. Her right hand clenched her chest tightly. ¡°I¡­¡± Kaeli¡¯s voice came between each strike of the flint and steel. ¡°I know it¡¯ll be hard. But I want us to go back¡ªto when we could spend time together without a care in the world.¡± There was a moment of silence before Phoebe asked without looking back. ¡°Why? I hated you so much for so long, but why are you going to these lengths only to stay by my side?¡± ¡°Because you are my dear little sister.¡± ¡°That answers nothing.¡± ¡°Because¡ªthat is all the reason I need.¡± One final strike and the heated flint landed on the kindling. She carefully blew air into the kindling, lighting the fire. ¡°When mother told me I would become an older sister, I was overjoyed.¡± Phoebe¡¯s hand tightened into a fist as she spoke with her voice tinged in anger. ¡°And our mother was almost killed by your own hands. Why? Why did you do this for magic?¡± ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t have another choice.¡± ¡°We are daughters of a legendary huntress! Were you willing, she would¡¯ve taught you the way of our ancestors and yet¡­¡± She hit her own thigh with the closed fist. ¡°...you chose to rely on magic¡­!¡± Kaeli had a quiet smile on her face as she kept listening while leaving the iron frying pan on the stove. ¡°I sought power in magic because of how efficient it is to kill. Just like the firearms our father used, magic is equally as powerful if not more to deal with all manner of treats.¡± Phoebe snapped. She seized the walking cane and thrusted it against the wall¡ªforcing the chair to tilt backwards. With the momentum of the fall, she tumbled and rolled backwards before spinning around and grappling Kaeli. The speed and her weight combined was enough to make the mage stumble and hit her back against the door which flung open as she fell on the grass outside with Phoebe¡¯s on top of her¡ªthe assassin¡¯s eyes were brimming with anger as she held the walking cane against her sister¡¯s throat. ¡°I should kill you right now!¡± Phoebe spoke with deep hatred in her voice. ¡°You chose magic instead of your own family! How could you betray us?!¡± Kaeli held the walking cane just enough to prevent from pressing on her, but Phoebe felt her grip softening as she spoke. ¡°I won¡¯t plead for my life.¡± She said with a smile on her face. ¡°Just how I gave up on my powers, my life is yours, do what you want with it. If you tell me to die I will take my own life without a second thought.¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± Amidst her trembling anger, Phoebe saw for the first time in her life, a genuine face of relief coming from her sister¡¯s face. ¡°Do you think you can just pick the easy way out?!¡± ¡°No, but know this, I regret nothing. If all my past actions resulted in you being alive here and now, it was all well worth the sacrifice.¡± Phoebe couldn¡¯t understand where this devotion stemmed from. Even if she was her older sister, there was nothing that inherently bound her to the duties of keeping a younger sibling safe. If anything, the time she spent with Yuna and Setsuna taught her that siblings would argue far more often than if they were just friends. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The assassin eventually got off her and stood up with the help of the walking cane. Kaeli remained on the ground while gazing at her sister as she headed inside the shack. The mage took a deep breath and looked up at the blue sky¡ªher eyes filled with a hint of sorrow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Phoebe¡­ I didn¡¯t want to cause this much pain and suffering to you.¡± Kaeli spent the rest of the remaining morning cleaning and fixing the shack with the spare materials she got in the city the day before. Although her sister didn¡¯t want breakfast, she left an extra portion of scrambled eggs and a piece of beef jerky on a plate before leaving the house. She tied her long hair into a bun and hid it beneath a straw hat. Stopping by the doorway, she looked at Phoebe who was still gazing out the window. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off. Take care.¡± She closed the door and started to walk towards the town. The way was somewhat perilous as the steep way down meant any slip up would mean a very rough and painful descent. In older days, she could¡¯ve just used wind magic in order to fly her way down but that was in the past. It took her almost half an hour but she managed to climb down the mountain slope without taking a tumble. Once she reached the city gates, she was met with the group of farmers that were heading to the fields. They carried many tools and one of them reached out to Kaeli and handed her a hoe. ¡°Here you go lass. It¡¯s not much but at least it¡¯ll help you in the upper parts of the terrace.¡± She hesitantly picked the tool as she asked the same man who gave it to her. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be planting rice in the paddies.¡± ¡°We thought it might be too tiring for someone starting out so we are giving you a less troublesome job.¡± ¡°But I¡­¡± Another farmer slapped her in the back with a wide smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright lass, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Right¡­ thanks.¡± She headed together with the group of farmers to the south part of the city. Once again outside the city gates, a few more minutes of walk and they reached the farming terrace. An expanding field of rice paddies built into the hill like staircases. ¡°Alright people!¡± The same person who gave her the farming tool raised his own. ¡°Another day of work to fill our children¡¯s bellies!¡± ¡°Aye!¡± A sound cheer came from all of them which made Kaeli feel somewhat coerced to raise her hoe and give a quiet shout. ¡°A-aye¡­¡± They all proceeded with their work. The leader in question reached for the high elf and pointed to the top of the terrace where there was no tilled soil. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading up there today.¡± Kaeli couldn¡¯t help but wonder how they were supposed to work in such a large field with so little people. ¡°Are you expanding these fields?¡± ¡°Yes, lord Miyamoto has been helping us not starve with the money from the old capital but it¡¯s high time we stand up for ourselves. Those damned angels took most of the farming land so we must make our own now.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we still too short handed? I¡¯d imagine we would need at least a couple dozen people to work on these fields.¡± ¡°Aye, we are. But sitting around and doing nothing will do little to fill our kid¡¯s bellies now wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue against that.¡± They started to climb the dirt path on the sides of the rice fields while still talking. The man looked briefly at Kaeli before asking. ¡°Pardon my question but does Miss Kaeli have children?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I don¡¯t. I do have a little sister I¡¯m taking care of.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the oldest daughter then. I see. Must be tough living in the mountains.¡± ¡°Making my way up is definitely the worst part of it. But it¡¯s quiet and it has a nice view of the city.¡± ¡°Haha. Back when the capital was still standing I used to work on the fields surrounding the castle. Just the thought of working right beneath the protection of my king was enough to make us feel safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll drive the death angels back to where they belong.¡± ¡°Aye, one day we will yet stand with the capital¡¯s soil beneath our feet.¡± After some chit-chat, they finally reached the top of the terrace. It was at least a few hundred meters from the bottom of the rice fields and yet it seemed like they were preparing to make even more farmland as the treeline behind her was slowly being chopped off by the signs of remaining tree stumps. ¡°Alright young lady, this is where our work starts. We need to till the soil to make another paddy.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Kaeli wasn¡¯t exactly a fountain of fortitude, in fact, her former position as an archmage showed just how physically inept she was compared to her peers in the army, but despite the lack of physical strength, she more than made up in the form of resolution. Each strike unearthed dirt and rocks from the soil, softening the future paddy that would serve to feed the people. Such noble goals were beyond her as she wasn¡¯t doing for any other reason than feeding herself and her sister and yet, with each swing of the hoe, it would invite the eyes of other farmers that were alongside her. How could a woman of her stature do such a physical labor with so much vigor despite not having any resemblance of a farmer? Hours passed and the sun was at its peak. It was time for a break. ¡°Hey! I¡¯ve brought some bread and ale!¡± A young farmer shouted from behind Kaeli, who turned around with sweat on her brow. ¡°Ah, Miss. Do you want some?¡± While panting, Kaeli responded with only a short nod which prompted the young kid to approach her and hand over the food and beverage. She walked under the shade of a tree and left the hoe against its trunk before sitting down and removing her straw hat that was almost sticking to her from the sweat. She tilted her head up and enjoyed the breeze before turning her eyes back to the food on her hands. The thick tankard was filled to the brim with a dark brown liquid and the rye bread was almost the same color where she could swear there was a bit of mold growing off one of its sides. She bit the moldy part and spitted on the side before taking a big chug out of the tankard. For her, that meal was somewhat familiar since food as well as beverages in taverns or inns back in Arcadia and Astera were the same. Although, the same could not be said for her farmer acquaintances. ¡°Bleegh! Argh! Why is this thing so bitter?!¡± ¡°This bread is hard and tastes like nothing.¡± Kaeli couldn¡¯t help but have a bittersweet smile on her face as she muttered to herself. ¡°That¡¯s ale and stale rye bread for you¡­¡± She quickly finished the bread and ale before standing up again. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± She gave the tankard back to the farmer who brought it, who was rightfully surprised by the speed at which she finished it. ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome miss.¡± She smiled before turning around to grab both the straw hat and hoe before going off to till the soil once again. The aching in her body was definitely painful, but it was a small price to pay in order to secure materials to keep a roof over their heads. As she was striking the earth with her tool, she heard hustling from a bush somewhere in the middle of the trees. ¡°Hm?¡± She stopped and turned to where she heard the sounds. The movement of the foliage became more intense before a wild boar suddenly sprung amidst the foliage. ¡°What the-?!¡± The farmers jumped from their seats as they saw the spooked animal frantically looking around before squealing and charging towards the young farmer that was directly in front of it. Instinctively, Kaeli pointed her left hand at it. ¡°Fulgent ligh-¡± At that moment she realized nothing would come out of a manaless person and instead she shouted. ¡°Jump!¡± Snapping out of the fear, the young farmer did as she commanded and was barely able to escape being gored by the boar¡¯s tusks as it rammed against the tree trunk behind him. ¡°All of you! Climb on the trees!¡± The rest of the people around her started to desperately get themselves out of the ground, but in the boar¡¯s view, Kaeli was the only threat present and with nowhere near her to climb she was left with wielding the hoe as a makeshift weapon as the wild animal turned to her. ¡®Dammit¡­ if I had magic this thing wouldn¡¯t be breathing by now¡­!¡¯ Her grip tightened around the wooden shaft as she raised the tool like a knight would a longsword. As the boar started to grunt at her she steadied her feet and prepared to swing the hoe. However, the wild animal was much faster than she expected it to be and it was almost in front of her in a matter of seconds. She swung the tool sideways and it managed to hit the side of its face, chipping the blade and sending the animal tumbling to the side. Its hide was so thick the tool was barely able to draw blood from it. ¡®Was this hoe always this heavy¡­?¡¯ Her entire body was tired but her arms were specially fatigued thanks to the physical exertion she had to perform previously. That being said, the hoe in her hands felt more like a heavy club that she was barely able to swing thanks to the adrenaline rushing throughout her limbs. Enraged, the boar regained its footing and charged again. ¡°Lass, watch out!¡± She turned around into a swing, but she was too slow and the boar rammed at her lower body. ¡°Ugh!¡± The impact from the momentum was enough to send her falling backwards into one of the rice paddies below. The straw hat flew off her head and was trampled under the boar as it fell together with her. ¡°Ah! A boar!¡± One farmer that was working on the paddy suddenly sprung up and started to run. Meanwhile, Kaeli rolled through the mud in order to get as far away as she could from the wild animal. ¡°Tch¡­¡± The hoe broke with the fall and it was more or less a stick with a pointy end as she stood up covered in muck. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± With another squeal, the boar once again charged her. She reversed her left hand¡¯s grip and held the other end of the shaft under her armpit together with her right hand while crouching low. ¡®I can¡¯t run and if this thing breaks I¡¯m done for¡­!¡¯ She steadied her feet as the animal rushed her down. The way she held the makeshift spear made it so it would skewer itself against it. She hoped it would essentially kill itself by ramming against the sharp end of the shaft but instead¡ªit found itself struck in the shoulder while its terrible teeth were gnawing at air trying to get a hold of her left leg. ¡°Nghhh!¡± The boar¡¯s strength was overwhelming. Her tired arms and exhausted body could barely keep it at bay while it kept pushing through its own wound in order to bite her. ¡°Get away from me!¡± As she shouted her lungs out, the spear snapped in half and the animal closed the gap in the blink of an eye. She instinctively closed her eyes and braced to get her leg bitten off but instead, she felt a warm sticky sensation splash all across her face. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± A male voice came from her left and as she opened her eyes, the boar was decapitated and bleeding a pool of crimson in front of her. She looked to her side and Krieg was standing there with a lumber axe with a massive blade head embedded between the carcass and the massive pork head. ¡°Sir Krieg!¡± The farmer that ran away came back and was holding a pitchfork. ¡°Where is the boar? Did you-¡± ¡°I killed it.¡± ¡°A-already?¡± ¡°Thanks to the weapon you gave me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ my pa¡¯s axe¡­¡± ¡°Worry not.¡± He grabbed the middle of the shaft and removed the axe from the body before giving back to him. ¡°Here you go. Ah, mind telling your leader that I¡¯ll be taking this lass back with me?¡± ¡°Huh? You mean Kaeli?¡± He nodded in response which prompted the young farmer to slowly agree. ¡°O-okay, I¡¯ll let him know.¡± Kaeli snapped out of it and turned to the knight. ¡°Wait, Krieg, I-¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done enough for today. Come on.¡± He leaned forward and lifted her up by putting her left arm around his neck and supporting her waist with his right arm. ¡°Thanks again lad.¡± He said to the farmer as he dragged a reluctant Kaeli away. The young man awkwardly waved at the knight as he held both pitchfork and axe in his arms. ¡°N-no problem sir Krieg.¡± Despite offering a bit of resistance, Kaeli let herself be taken away by the knight. After taking her to the city gates he stopped by a guard holding a halberd and asked him to keep watch on her. ¡°Where are you going?¡± She asked him with a puzzled look on her face. ¡°I need to grab one thing before heading back.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡± He broke into a jog as he disappeared amongst the crowd of people, leaving her sitting on the ground with her head hanging low. ¡°Ha¡­ why did that have to happen today¡­?¡± She recalled the encounter she had with the wild boar and the bitterness in her heart grew. If she had magic, that thing wouldn¡¯t have so much as put a scratch on her and yet not only she was covered in mud but her arms were still trembling from the sheer fear of the encounter. She was never one to fight her opponents up close. That was the blessing of being a mage. Any opponent or obstacle could have been dealt with even before it could physically reach her but now, she was as defenseless as those farmers. She was no better than a civilian. Staring at her right hand she realized just how much she had lost. The power she held at her fingertips were, to put it lightly, the very essence as to why she had become a mage at first. It was an assurance. Assurance that nothing she held dear would be taken away from her without a fight. But it was that same assurance that led her to be at odds with her own sister. She closed her hand into a tight fist. ¡°No¡­¡± She muttered under her breath. ¡°My sister is more important than magic¡­¡± ¡°Hey, sorry to keep you waiting.¡± She looked up and noticed Krieg holding a stack of firewood against his left shoulder. Not only the logs were thick but they were also in great quantity as each was split in quarters in order to fit more around the plant fiber cord that held everything together. He approached her and extended his right hand. She looked at it for a second and noticed the various calluses that covered his big palm. Her eyes then traced up as she asked. ¡°What are you¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He glanced at the guard before thanking him. ¡°Thanks for keeping an eye out on her.¡± ¡°No problem. We¡¯re here for that.¡± The knight nodded. Kaeli took his hand and stood up¡ªher legs still somewhat shaky. They made their way out of the city and towards the trail that led back to their homestead. Krieg, although carrying a sizable burden on his shoulder¡ªwas still walking at the same pace as her which made her wonder. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± ¡°Because your sister asked me to.¡± He answered without looking at her. ¡°Plus Robert wanted some firewood so he asked me to come buy it in the city.¡± ¡°Phoebe did?¡± She became lost in thought as she stared at the ground in front of her. ¡°But¡­ I never told her where I would be.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t underestimate her.¡± He spoke almost laughing. ¡°She told me you would either be at the docks or working in the fields.¡± Kaeli tilted her head back with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Huh? How?¡± ¡°Beats me. I¡¯m not the one who trained to be an assassin.¡± He adjusted the logs on his shoulder. ¡°Thankfully I decided to check the fields first. That boar would have broken a few bones if I didn¡¯t kill it.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m sure you would¡¯ve done the same if you were in my position.¡± She briefly glanced at him before focusing on the dirt road ahead. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I always thought the path I chose was the right one until just now. But after everything was said and done I came to realize I was nothing if not selfish.¡± ¡°We all are to some degree.¡± He said with a bitter smile on his face. ¡°To be frank, I¡¯d cut you down where you stood for the pain you brought to Leona.¡± She lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°But at the same time, seeing you seek redemption made her mature even more. So, you have my thanks.¡± His words made her feel a warm tingle in her chest. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Chapter CLXXIX: Admiration ¡°Krieg¡­ I don¡¯t mean to be rude or anything, but I can walk by myself.¡± Kaeli muttered as she kept her body from wobbling back and forth by gently holding on his right shoulder. ¡°This is still undeniably faster though, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± A few minutes ago, the former mage found herself in a bit of a pickle when her legs had given out at the foot of the mountain. ¡°Ack.¡± Kaeli fell on her knees as she tried to climb up the steep dirt path. ¡°My legs¡­¡± Despite trying her best to stand up by herself, she just couldn¡¯t muster any strength as both of her legs were trembling from pain. Krieg stopped beside her and asked. ¡°Was this the first time you ever worked on a field?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± She said so, embarrassed. ¡°My mother used to have us help her in the fields of her garden but it was nothing compared to tilling the soil for hours on end.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t exactly leave you here but I can¡¯t wait forever either since I still have training to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Here.¡± He extended his right hand. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± ¡°Huh? But I¡­¡± ¡°Just take it.¡± She placed her hand on top of his¡ªhers could just barely fill half of his palm. With his help she was able to stand up, but it didn¡¯t end there. Krieg lowered his body and wrapped his arm around the back of her thighs before lifting her up. That obviously surprised her as her upper body almost tilted backwards. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Careful now. I can¡¯t grab you if you fall.¡± ¡°Krieg! Put me down!¡± ¡°Are you able to walk on your own?¡± ¡°No, but my clothes are dirty-¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s keep going. I don¡¯t want to be late for my training.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m-¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He kept climbing with her body gently rocking back and forth. The refreshing breeze of the ocean tickled her face and brushed her hair alongside the wind. It felt nostalgic as she started to remember the days she, her sister and her mother spent together in this faraway land. ¡®Those were good days¡­¡¯ She closed her eyes and enjoyed that moment. Even if only for a little while, ever since she came back to this land she had little to just take a deep breath and now was the perfect time to do so without feeling guilty. It was true that she hurt her mother, her sister, even the people back then looked at her with disgust and fear for what she had done. Yet, there was not a single drop of regret in her actions. All of it was so Phoebe could survive. ¡®Yes¡­ all the pain and suffering¡­ it was all worth it¡­¡¯ She started to remember her fragmented past. An encounter with a woman with dazzling strength and charisma that would forever change her. She was sitting on a hill overlooking the ocean before a woman of rugged appearance sat beside her and said. ¡°Kaeli. Do you want a way to keep your sister alive while fulfilling your master¡¯s request?¡± The young high elf looked at her with surprise imprinted in her eyes as she asked. Although she couldn¡¯t remember her face clearly, she could tell she had blonde hair and a tall physique. All the while carrying a silver longsword at her hip. ¡°How¡­ how do you know me?¡± ¡°I know all there is to know about these lands and its people.¡± She glanced at the ocean and laid down on the grass. ¡°And, there is one way you can save your sister while not breaking the vow you made with Robert.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. But it will still be painful.¡± ¡°...will I be able to keep Phoebe safe?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what must I do?¡± ¡°You¡­ have to kill your mother instead.¡± At that moment Kaeli opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She had a slight headache and her mind felt fuzzy. ¡°You okay?¡± Glancing at her left, she could see Krieg waving his hand in front of her. After blinking more, her vision finally focused and she gave him a slow nod. ¡°Y-yeah. Sorry.¡± He gave her a short nod. ¡°You should rest if you¡¯re that out of it.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Alright. See you around. I need to go back to training.¡± He headed inside the double doors. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Mmm.¡± She was absent minded as Krieg left her standing in front of the entrance to the house. After all, Krieg didn¡¯t know she lived on the other side of the cave. ¡°Ah.¡± She hesitantly held the door open as she stepped inside. She wanted to be discreet and just pass by the house to the other side instead of having to walk all around the mountain but Setsuna was by the door to greet both of them with her arms crossed. ¡°You.¡± The shrine maiden pointed at Krieg with a disgusted expression on her face. ¡°Go take a bath.¡± Despite towering over her, Krieg flinched backwards a bit as she stepped in closer to his chest to sniff him. ¡°But-¡± ¡°You stink and you¡¯re soaked with mud all over your right arm.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am¡­¡± He left the stack of wood on the floor and started to make his way to the bathroom. While they were facing another direction, Kaeli carefully stepped in and was making her way through the middle of the room before she heard the voice of a haughty shrine maiden directed at her. ¡°Kaeli.¡± Her less than amicable tone made the mage stop in her tracks and straighten her posture. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°Why are you also soaked in mud?¡± ¡°I erm¡­¡± ¡°Go take a bath as well!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bathe in the shack outside-¡± As she was about to continue her way through the house, she felt her body freeze up. Upon looking behind her, she noticed Setsuna pointing her open hand at her, she was being held in place by dark magic. ¡°No! You¡¯re dirtying the floor with mud!¡± She continued to hold her in place as she approached. ¡°I cleaned this today¡­ today! You¡¯re taking a bath right now!¡± ¡°Wait, Setsuna! Krieg is in there isn¡¯t he?!¡± Her pleas fell in deaf ears as she was forcefully dragged into the bathroom. With her lack of mana, she couldn¡¯t do anything in order to prevent the shrine maiden from doing as she pleased. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m a woman you know! A single, not married high elf!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! You dirtied the floor that took hours to clean!¡± She opened the door to the bathroom and tossed her inside. Kaeli stumbled a few times until she hit something soft that caught her back. ¡°Oof.¡± Krieg held her by the arms. She looked over her shoulder and smiled wryly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Once the shrine maiden slammed the wooden door shut, both of them could hear the voice of a tired and angry Setsuna from the main room. ¡°And it was squeaky clean too! Argh! Wait¡­ is this¡­! This is dung! Noooooooooooo!¡± They exchanged nervous looks to each other before Krieg decided to speak up. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be wise to go out now.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ yeah¡­¡± She regained her footing and took a few steps forward before turning around. However as she did so, her smile slowly faded away as her mouth remained half open in a state of slight shock. Krieg noticed her stare and raised an eyebrow before uttering. ¡°What?¡± ¡°No¡­ your body¡­¡± He was wearing a towel around his waist but his upper body was completely visible. While she had her own thoughts just how strong he was, she wasn¡¯t expecting him to have such a muscular build. The thickness of his biceps almost matched her thighs¡¯ and each muscle stood out from his lean and packed form. Her gaze was drawn to his chest covered in scars born from different weapons and even his abs were no different. That certainly was no physique of a normal human, if anything she could feel there was something inherently different from him. ¡°Oh these? Most of them are from the Great War.¡± ¡°You participated in that bloody war?¡± He nodded before grabbing the copper shower head and pulling a nearby wooden stool to sit down. Seeing him move in so little clothing made Kaeli avert her gaze while he continued to speak. ¡°Yes. I used to be Eleonora¡¯s second in command.¡± He turned the knob and started to wash his hair. ¡°I was wounded many times during the war but thankfully none were life threatening.¡± ¡°Hard to believe it¡ªconsidering how many scars you have.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that many times.¡± Despite his countless wounds. There was one that stood out from the rest as Kaeli briefly glanced at his back. A diagonal slash that started from the very top of his right shoulder and ended at the left bottom side of his lower back. ¡°You¡­¡± Her voice was mellowed with bittersweetness. ¡°Have you ever been betrayed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He answered without any hint of hesitation. ¡°As war neared its end, the troops garrisoned at the capital turned their blades at me.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°They thought I was a demi-human that had infiltrated their ranks.¡± He pointed at his silver gray hair. ¡°Human hair usually doesn¡¯t have this color.¡± He flicked his hair back and glanced at her with his crimson eyes. ¡°Nor these eyes.¡± ¡°Those are¡­ dragon¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°Yes, but anything that isn¡¯t human doesn¡¯t matter to them.¡± He finished washing himself before heading to the corner of the room that had a hole carved in the stone filled with hot water. ¡°Thankfully Leona¡¯s family didn¡¯t care whether I was human or not.¡± He entered the makeshift tub and stretched both his arms while letting out a silent relaxed sigh. In the meantime, Kaeli was still by the cleaning area as she continued to ponder. Her hand clenched over her chest and her lips curled in bitterness. ¡°Have you¡­¡± Her voice was filled with regret. ¡°Have you ever resented them?¡± ¡°Resent? Well¡­¡± There was a long pause as if he was measuring his words before he continued. ¡°I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t.¡± She could feel her chest tighten as her hold on her own clothes became even rougher. ¡®I see¡­ it would be no different for Phoebe then¡­¡¯ ¡°But-¡± He continued with a slight tone of happiness in his voice. ¡°-even if I do resent them. I can¡¯t deny it was thanks to their betrayal that I¡¯ve met Leona and for that reason alone, I¡¯m grateful to them.¡± For a very brief moment, her heart that felt that was about to be crushed by guilt now was at peace. It was true that she wasn¡¯t able to change the past even if she wanted, but if someone like Krieg that had been scarred both physically and emotionally could still make amends with himself despite betrayal¡ªKaeli could only hope that it was also possible for her sister to forgive her. ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡¯ She lowered her head and her hand softened the grip around her own clothes. ¡®I just need to take one step at a time¡­¡¯ She nodded to herself and raised her now hopeful voice. ¡°Thank you Kri-¡± ¡°Kaeli! Are you done bathing?!¡± The high elf¡¯s voice was interrupted by a very angry shrine maiden from outside the bathroom. ¡°I need you to help me clean this place! I can¡¯t stand this smell anymore!¡± That startled her and her whole body tensed up as she replied nervously. ¡°I huh¡­ no! Not yet!¡± ¡°Hurry up then!¡± ¡°Y-yes! I will!¡± With an angry Setsuna waiting just outside, Kaeli quickly made short work of her dirty clothes as she tossed them inside a basket near the door before grabbing a towel and wrapping herself with it. She hurriedly grabbed a bar of homemade soap and washed the mud off her body. Her heart was beating fast as she was about to rinse herself when she heard footsteps approaching from somewhere on her right and as she looked to that direction, she noticed Krieg glancing at her with wide open eyes. At that moment it felt like her heart had stopped beating. While she was mostly covered her long black hair contrasted beautifully with her fair skin and gentle deep blue eyes. Her sharp ears were poking through the silky black strands on the side of her face as she instinctively turned around to avoid his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He uttered as he also averted his eyes and held his hand against his mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get out now.¡± He said so as his face was gradually getting more flustered. ¡°Enjoy your bath.¡± He walked around the showers and as his footsteps became more distant, Kaeli uttered under her breath in an almost inaudible voice. ¡°Thank you¡­¡±